Of the 6 films I liked The Cordyceps Principle the most. High quality scenes and great details in the special make up effects, I also liked how the story unfolded and I would very much like to see a full length version of this segment if it is possible to get the budget needed to do so. I would also appreciate it if there were at least subtitles in Spanish for the future, because it would make some of the dialog easier to understand. I do not like the over-dubbing as much because often it makes a film funny when it is not meant to be a comedy, but subtitles would do just fine. Thank you for the dedication and quality work in this production.
4 Reviews
Cool Lovecraft found footage, some other good stories
suki_158715 January 2014
I love anything Lovecraft so when I heard this anthology had a "Lovecraft inspired" story in it I had to watch it. I liked it! The idea of found footage Lovecraft is great and the way they did it really worked well. Looks like it was shot on film and it has that authentic 30's look from when Lovecraft was supposedly in New Orleans. The other films were a mixed bag. Cordyceps Principle and Section 49 had a few slow parts but were interesting. Thing In The Shed was creepy enough and well acted. Blood Of A Saint is a live puppet animation and it is very funny, partly because of the cheapness of the puppets, but some of the writing is very good. 5 Miles Ahead was good enough. It had an old outer limits or twilight zone feel to it. Overall I'd say this is worth watching and better than some other anthologies like The ABC's Of Horror which might not be saying much.
An inspiring collection for real independent filmmakers
Vilmos-210 November 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I bought this DVD last week. Here are my thoughts upon initial viewing.
'Blood Of A Saint' reminded me of a joke I'd best not post here. First, it's off-colour; and second, it's not exactly politically correct. Maybe I'm getting old, but penis jokes aren't as funny as they used to be. Having said that, Will Frank's film reminded me of 'Meet The Feebles' and 'The Grand Poseur'. It was over-the-top puppetry, and artistically great. For the anthology, I think it would have been better if it were made with live actors and played more for horror than for humour. As a film on its own, I liked the bizarreness of it, and the choice of using puppets.
'Section 49' seems like Karl Demolay was channelling David Lynch. Very Lynchian feel to it, a la 'Eraserhead'. A couple of scenes went on a bit longer than they needed to to make their points. Loved the B&W photography, and the not knowing what the hell was going on.
Good use of the 'found footage' in 'Footage Found, Arabi'. The interior of the tomb looked especially good. (And by that, I mean 'authentic'.) I liked the 'found footage within footage found' concept, and the special appearance by H.P. Lovecraft -- I mean 'Randolph Carter'.
'Five Miles Straight Ahead'. Good job on the costuming and the weaponry. Some nitpicks, but not to mention. The corpses were good. I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil anything.
With cordyceps being all over the web this past year or so, Mike T. Lyddon's 'The Cordyceps Principle' is timely. The photographer doesn't strike me as being sociopathic (as he's described on the case), but more a guy who has been under the heel of his domineering wife for so long that he just snaps. Obviously the traits were there, but he's a more sympathetic character than a 'sociopath'. The actor portraying the Romanian reminded me of a young John Lithgow. Excellent make-up effects. I loved the payoff. Ha! This one really had the feel of a 1980s horror movie, before the gore-for-gore's-sake thing took over. Ah, the days before everything had to follow a formula! Those colourful rooms ('Hell') reminded me of Dario Argento's lighting. Nice one.
My favourite segment was 'Thing In The Shed'. The lighting was nicely done. Good efforts on the parts of the actors. The first glimpse of the 'thing' was great. Its movements were perfect. The creature makeup. What can I say? Beautiful. The creatures were so black, and the lighting was so dark, I was like 'Show me more!' Great decision by Lyddon not to show too much. Watching 'Thing In The Shed', I felt my pulse actually speed up. That's not an easy thing to pull off nowadays.
Overall I rate this anthology good. With four directors creating six segments, there is some unevenness in style. There are some good, solid films in this DVD. Importantly, it shows some of the work that can be produced outside of the so-called 'Indie' scene where a 'low budget' is in the millions. These films were made for less than the craft service budget for most films. There's some quality work here that should inspire REAL independent filmmakers who don't have the luxury of seven- or even six-figure budgets.
'Blood Of A Saint' reminded me of a joke I'd best not post here. First, it's off-colour; and second, it's not exactly politically correct. Maybe I'm getting old, but penis jokes aren't as funny as they used to be. Having said that, Will Frank's film reminded me of 'Meet The Feebles' and 'The Grand Poseur'. It was over-the-top puppetry, and artistically great. For the anthology, I think it would have been better if it were made with live actors and played more for horror than for humour. As a film on its own, I liked the bizarreness of it, and the choice of using puppets.
'Section 49' seems like Karl Demolay was channelling David Lynch. Very Lynchian feel to it, a la 'Eraserhead'. A couple of scenes went on a bit longer than they needed to to make their points. Loved the B&W photography, and the not knowing what the hell was going on.
Good use of the 'found footage' in 'Footage Found, Arabi'. The interior of the tomb looked especially good. (And by that, I mean 'authentic'.) I liked the 'found footage within footage found' concept, and the special appearance by H.P. Lovecraft -- I mean 'Randolph Carter'.
'Five Miles Straight Ahead'. Good job on the costuming and the weaponry. Some nitpicks, but not to mention. The corpses were good. I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil anything.
With cordyceps being all over the web this past year or so, Mike T. Lyddon's 'The Cordyceps Principle' is timely. The photographer doesn't strike me as being sociopathic (as he's described on the case), but more a guy who has been under the heel of his domineering wife for so long that he just snaps. Obviously the traits were there, but he's a more sympathetic character than a 'sociopath'. The actor portraying the Romanian reminded me of a young John Lithgow. Excellent make-up effects. I loved the payoff. Ha! This one really had the feel of a 1980s horror movie, before the gore-for-gore's-sake thing took over. Ah, the days before everything had to follow a formula! Those colourful rooms ('Hell') reminded me of Dario Argento's lighting. Nice one.
My favourite segment was 'Thing In The Shed'. The lighting was nicely done. Good efforts on the parts of the actors. The first glimpse of the 'thing' was great. Its movements were perfect. The creature makeup. What can I say? Beautiful. The creatures were so black, and the lighting was so dark, I was like 'Show me more!' Great decision by Lyddon not to show too much. Watching 'Thing In The Shed', I felt my pulse actually speed up. That's not an easy thing to pull off nowadays.
Overall I rate this anthology good. With four directors creating six segments, there is some unevenness in style. There are some good, solid films in this DVD. Importantly, it shows some of the work that can be produced outside of the so-called 'Indie' scene where a 'low budget' is in the millions. These films were made for less than the craft service budget for most films. There's some quality work here that should inspire REAL independent filmmakers who don't have the luxury of seven- or even six-figure budgets.
Dig the Anthology
dashmun29 January 2014
SPILLS, THRILLS AND CHILLS DEPT
.Major applause to Mike T. Lyddon for his dedication to the fine of art of giving us goosebumps. Released in October 2013, his new DVD HORROR ANTHOLOGY MOVIE Vol.1 offers the hungry horror film fan six short slices of cinema that will give your nightmares bad dreams. Mike wrote and directed three of the shorts while King Jeff, Karl DeMolay and Will Frank provide the three remaining gruesome nuggets of celluloid. In Mike's first offering THE CORDYCEPS PRINCIPLE, a thoroughly henpecked husband discovers a fearsome fungi that completely solves his domestic problems. The outstanding make-up effects by Mike, his wife Rubi and Kristal Shannon earned the film a nomination for Best Special Effects at the Macabre Fest in NYC in January 2014. Mike was also nominated for the Best Screenplay award. I watched a nearly finished cut of THING IN THE SHED with Mike last spring and still have haunting memories of that first viewing of the title creature. You'll have a whole new take on social media and your cell phone after checking this little creeper out. Mike's third film (co-scripted by Michael Gosack) FOUND FOOTAGE, ARABI focuses on a visit H.P. Lovecraft made to New Orleans in June 1932 and gives new insight into his masterful stories of ancient demons. Some boxes are best left unopened. Hope for the phallicly challenged is provided by Will Frank's film BLOOD OF A SAINT. Our hero Monty is offered a new lease on his sexual life by Dr. Benweise with an automatic powered penis transplant ("Congratulations–you're a rich white man and you're hung like a mule"). However, this is a Will Frank production so naturally, mayhem ensues. Did I mention the film is cast by puppets and features psychedelic sets courtesy of Dr. Lance Boyle, Pierre Pressure and P-Raw.horror anthology movie Great stuff and a nice bit of comic relief for the anthology. There is something powerful, controlling and extremely disturbing inside the video monitors the host of SECTION 49 is slave to. Directed by Karl DeMolay from a script by Michael Gosack, the set design of this film overwhelmed me. A noirish and unique tale of technology's takeover of a fragile mind. Wrapping up with King Jeff's FIVE MILES STRAIGHT AHEAD, we follow the sorry fate of four World War II soldiers whose scouting mission to wipe out a German squad leads them to something far more terrifying. Visit http://www.horroranthologymovies.com/ for order information and look forward to the second volume in this Reel Progress LLC series which will feature an adaptation of Joe Landsdale's short story BY THE HAIR OF THE HEAD. Meanwhile, check the festival circuit for screenings of individual works from the anthology. THE CORDYCEPS PRINCIPAL won Best Producer and Best Creature Concept at the Zed Fest in L.A. last November while FIVE MILES STRAIGHT AHEAD took 1st place in the Horror/Sci-Fi Short Film category at the Urban Media Makers Festival.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
