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Grave Mistake (2008)
Better than expected
This film really wasn't bad at all. It obviously had a limited budget, but compared to similar offerings, 'Grave Mistake' produces a surprisingly entertaining 90 minutes of viewing. There isn't anything particularly innovative here; it's a zombie movie that follows the usual pattern and uses the kinds of stock characters that can be found in many horror films. Indeed, the film's strength is that it understands the genre well and therefore fits neatly into the niche it's aiming for.
The special effects here are surprisingly good as well, considering the type of film. The zombies look a lot better than can be found in most low-budget attempts and the gore is more convincing. It's a long way from perfect, but it's not laughable, either.
I think Seth Darling did well in the lead role for someone who has no other credits to his name. Then again, I can't stand overly Hollywood young actors, so I might be biased :) The other cast members range from okay to awful, much as one expects from this kind of film.
All in all, though, there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes. One to avoid if you want your horror Hollywood perfect, but if you don't mind a little rawness, it might be worth a try.
Caregiver (2007)
Better than expected
The plot of 'Caregiver' is quite clichéd, but the film itself ends up being rather likable despite this. Paige (Åsa Wallander) is a new staff member at a halfway house for teenage girls whose sweetness and light exterior belies her dark true nature. The girls themselves fall into various stereotypes of delinquent teenagers, and are portrayed with varying levels of acting talent. Rebeka Montoya (Monique) is the stand-out, both in terms of beauty and ability, while Kali Hawk is also appealing as Tania.
The film isn't perfect, by any means. The flash backs are a little too obvious, Paige's background is a little too trite and the presence of one character, Krysta, (played by Jeanie Marie, who seems to be better known for more adult entertainment) seems a gratuitous excuse to have a woman wandering around completely naked for a bit. But as straight-to-video movies go, you could do a lot worse. Despite its flaws, it somehow manages to remain entertaining, provided that the viewer watches in the right spirit.
All in all, 'Caregiver' is an entertaining horror/thriller that is worth a try if you stumble upon it on DVD.
Storm of the Dead (2006)
Excruciatingly Dull
I quite like bad horror movies – but only if they're bad in an entertaining kind of way. Unfortunately, there's very little to entertain in 'Storm of the Dead'. Instead, it's boring and poorly paced, with a thin plot meandering through an hour and a half of film when it could probably have fitted nicely into a short.
The film's writer/director has posted a review, which is interesting to read in terms of the thought process behind different aspects of the movie. In particular, he noted that five minutes of Just Plain Walking Around was added to plump up the film to meet international length standards. In my opinion, that's just lazy film-making, and an insult to the viewers who are forced to sit through that five minutes of filler.
That said, I was quite impressed by J. Todd Smith (Hutch), who was definitely the highlight of the movie. Karin Justman (Lisa) was also decent. In contrast, Brian Renner (Red) was supposed to be providing comic relief, but instead provided poor delivery that made me cringe every time he spoke.
Not a film I'd recommend by any means, but there's possibly something in there for people who like their horror slow-paced.
School of Horror (2007)
Average
Yes, this is a rather amateur film. The acting is very up and down and the camera-work is a bit hit and miss. That said, I found it more appealing than a lot of similarly low-profile movies. The horror stereotypes are all in place, but the premise of the film is such that one feels that this is intentional.
Bobby Baldassari, as Rocky Horror (yes, you read that right), overacts a little, but is easily bearable as the lead. Tanya Bettencourt, in her only IMDb-listed role, is a little stilted, but is likable nonetheless. Most of the supporting cast are unremarkable, but it could be a lot worse!
Overall, an entertaining enough way to spend an hour and a half. If nothing else, watch for George Yeager who, when in costume as Jack Terri, is strangely reminiscent of Wheels from the original Degrassi.
Satan's Whip (2006)
Disappointing
This is a little slow-moving for a horror movie, but the quality is better than you might expect for a director's only effort on IMDb. The camera work and lighting were both surprisingly good, and the acting – although variable – is better than is often found in Indie genre flicks.
As the lead, Robert Field is rather stiff, which is especially unfortunate given that his character, Claude, is the film's narrator as well as the centre of its action. However, it was the entry of Christopher (Brandon deSpain) that I considered the turning point of this film – and not in a good way. A twist is introduced in a clumsy fashion, and slow-moving becomes drawn out and overly wordy.
On the up side, Pete Barker is consistently entertaining as Father William. He's the easy stand-out in what is a fairly ordinary offering. While the first half hour caught my interest, I ended up feeling quite disappointed in the way things played out.
Forever Dead (2007)
Bad but fun
This is obviously not a high-budget movie. The acting skill varies, the special effects are not very special and the sound is uneven. It's a little over-long for an Indie horror flick - the loss of twenty-odd minutes would help the pacing a good deal – and the subject matter isn't particularly original.
That said, it's rather fun. You get the impression that the cast and crew enjoyed their time making the movie, and it feels like it was made by fans of the genre. This isn't one for fans of glossy Hollywood horror, but it's oddly likable in its own way. It's not a film to rush out and look for, but if you stumble across it in your travels, you could do worse.
Zombieland (2009)
Zombie fun
I attended a preview of 'Zombieland' this evening and was very impressed. I tried not to spoil myself much beforehand, so pretty much all I knew was that there were zombies and it was a horror-comedy. Of course, this immediately brings 'Shaun of the Dead' to mind, so I was hoping I wouldn't compare them TOO much and end up being disappointed. I need not have worried. This is a genuinely funny film with plenty of blood and guts to satisfy the horror fan as well.
Woody Harrelson is absolutely fantastic in this. Seriously, about 95% of my favourite moments involved him. The rest of the cast is good as well, though, with Emma Stone getting a special mention for also looking great! Look out for a certain extended cameo, as well, which pretty much steals the show. All in all, it's a really fun film. Lots of laugh-out-loud moments and lots of gore – just as it should be :)
Hell Hath No Fury (2006)
Could be worse
This film is actually a collection of shorts, tied together rather awkwardly by a conversation between two men in a coffee shop. The look and feel of each short varies greatly, and the sound on my copy (part of the Catacomb of Creepshows collection) was poor, which didn't aid understanding.
Some consider the final story, "Torched" the best of the lot, but for me it was a little melodramatic. Still, if you want an over-the-top rape revenge story, it'll probably hit the spot nicely. Of the other stories, "Three Degrees Kelvin" seems completely pointless, and not at all suited for the anthology, "Prey" is another rape revenge tale - albeit a more creative one - and "Anna Lynn" is an eerie, rather than gory, piece. The latter was probably my favourite of the collection, due in part to the very attractive Kieran Sequoia.
Overall, it's not memorable, but there are worse ways to kill time and the acting is generally of a better standard than many low-budget films.