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Camp Death III in 2D! (2018)
CAMP DEATH III IN 2D! (2018) - HORROR. COMEDY. HUH?
Camp Death III in 2D! is stupid. No doubt about it. If you're looking for a good or scary horror movie in the traditional sense you're not going to get it here. That said, if you're looking for something silly that with some decent gore effects and a flick that makes you think and take in the environment then this is for you. It's got several nods to other franchises that are really well done and it's clear that the cast and crew had a blast making the film. That passion really shines through here and I totally appreciate it. This is a film from a director that had a vision. They went all in on making it and if you put yourself in the right frame of mind you may just see the glimpses of brilliance behind the silliness.
Everlasting (2016)
Everlasting (2015) – Fallen Angel Comes To Life
Everlasting isn't really what I'd call a "horror" movie in the traditional sense, though there are certainly horrific images and themes in it. Director Anthony Stabley describes it as a "dark mystery thriller" and that absolutely nails it.
Plot wise it's pretty straight forward. We know where we're going from the very beginning and it's just a matter of how we're going to get there. The film utilizes flashbacks and voice-over in a very effective way to tell the story. I'm not a huge fan of the found footage genre and while there's a ton of hand-held stuff here, Matt (Adam David) is a film student, its not overdone and doesn't get annoying. The time line jumps around quite a bit but it's not nearly as bad as say Lost and not nearly as difficult to follow as something like Memento.
The scenery here is breathtaking. Jesse & Matt are making their way from Denver to LA and they go through one of the most beautiful parts of the country and the film spares no expense showing us. They clearly did their homework here when it came to scouting locations. Not only do the places look great but the cast (especially the ladies – more on that later) look amazing. This is due not only to the fact that it's full of pretty people but their attire fits the film to a "T". Special shout out to Costume Designer Alycia Belle, Production Designer Candi Guterres and Makeup Artist Kristina Ellery – top notch.
The cast here is superb. Everyone delivers their lines in a manner that doesn't seem forced or out of place (one of my biggest pet peeves with the films I've been watching recently). Nearly everyone in the film from Jesse's mother (Elisabeth Röhm) to Bai Ling's Christine fit their roles like a glove. Robert LaSardo as Rocky is a face that you'll recognize even if you don't know the name and he brings a gravitas to a small role that was very welcome. Pat Healy as Henrique gives a performance that is flawless. He's creepy as hell and truly shows the underbelly of the world that Jesse has walked into.
But the stars of the film are clearly Matt (Adam David) and Jesse (Valentina de Angelis). Matt is hurting for the majority of the film as he's telling the story of his dead girlfriend. His motivations are clear and you can see the pain and pleasure on his face. He does give off a very strong 'Ricky Fits' vibe more than once (the camera guy from American Beauty) but that's to be expected as he's
holding a camera for most of the movie. I'm not quite sure I would have acted the same way he did in certain situations but I can't say any of his choices were "wrong".
And I've saved the best for last
Valentina. To say I'm smitten would be an understatement. Let's get something out of the way. She's hot. Like crazy hot. But that's not what I'm talking about. She gives an amazing performance here. When they went scouting for the role of Jesse they hit the jackpot. The journey that this character goes through from beginning to end is heartbreaking and de Angelis shows every emotion with a flare and experience of an actor much older than her years. She plays sexy, seductive, naive and scared. The most touching moments in the film are between her and Adam. At the heart of this entire film really is a love between two teenagers. And they manage to pull it off in such a way that isn't campy or eye rollingly bad. It's damn near perfect.
I would have appreciated a little bit tighter of an ending to the film as I wasn't sure of some character motivations and it just sort of wrapped up. Another scene or two tying the school project was what I was expecting but what the hell do I know. That said, by the time the credits rolled I'd completely enjoyed the ride that Everlasting took me on even though it wasn't a typical horror / slasher. Strong recommend.
Do Not Disturb (2015)
Do Not Disturb - On The Way To Award Season
Do Not Disturb is a 2015 short film written and directed by Jon James Smith, produced by Alexander Glenn Prather. It stars Ron McMahon, Kathryn Leeman, Richard Shelton, Michael David Farrow, Candace Quirk, Steve Wong, Dominique Marsell and Aaron Cavette.
Director Jon James Smith has asked me to keep this review spoiler free so I will absolutely respect his wishes. I will say that there are quite a few twists and turns in this film with a running time just over 12 minutes. I'll admit that at first I was totally lost but once I figured out what was going on and who the players were I was totally intrigued.
The film looks and sounds amazing. Do Not Disturb does not suffer from sound and picture quality issues that many short independent films deal with. This looks and feels like it could be taken right out of a big budget Hollywood blockbuster thriller. The acting is top notch, dialogue between characters is crisp and makes sense. No character acts in a manner in which doesn't make sense taking the viewer out of the story.
The tag line of the film asks, "How much do you know about the person you live with?" It's an interesting question that we all have to answer for ourselves but one that after watching this film you may want to reconsider.
Do Not Disturb is doing the festival rounds now and has already won Best Narrative Short at the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood and is an Official Selection at the British Horror Film Festival. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt, these will NOT be the only two awards that this film wins. If you get an opportunity to see this film please take it. You'll be glad you did. Strong recommend.
Devil's Due (2014)
Devil's Due – Fear Is Bored... Er Born
Anytime I can see something in a movie or character that I can personally relate to I'm more apt to be drawn into the flick. Between an above average trailer, and outstanding promo video on YouTube and the fact that my wife is pregnant with our third child, Devil's Due was high on my list of flicks to see early in 2014. Sadly... I did just that.
PLOT: About 10 seconds in, we're shown how the movie ends with a guy sitting in an interrogation room answering questions about his wife's death to which he responds, "I didn't do it". But I'm getting ahead of myself. Zach (Zach Gilford) and Samantha McCall (Allison Miller) get married and head to the Dominican on their honeymoon. On their last night there, they visit a palm reader who proceeds to tell Sam, "They've been waiting for you". We're not told who "they" are at this point but this naturally freaks Sam & Zach out. So... rather than doing what every normal couple would do and simply returning to their hotel, they proceed to follow a pushy cab driver to an underground club in a foreign country and engage in an alcohol fueled dance party. Sam gets black out drunk and she's involved in some sort of ritual which we're shown bits and pieces of.
Now home, they find out that Sam is pregnant. As her pregnancy proceeds, Sam begins to experience nosebleeds, bruising, weird food cravings (raw meat), aggression, telekinetic abilities and feelings of rage. The couple begins to feel that they're being watched and that there may be something wrong with the baby despite her doctor's suggestion to the contrary.
They attend a first communion of a family member and the same priest who married Sam & Zach (Sam Anderson) is presiding. He begins to cough and hemorrhage blood from his nose and mouth during the ceremony. Zach begins to review the hours of pointless footage he's been taking and sees the crazy cab driver from their honeymoon.
Zach then investigates the creepy abandoned house on their block only to find close circuit TVs of his home set up and a bunch of cult(ish) looking members. He escapes and returns home where he hears Sam screaming and the house in shambles. When he finally finds her, she's in the nursery holding a knife which she received from an anonymous person at her baby shower. She telekinetically blasts Zach against the wall and slices open her belly. When Zach comes to he's covered in blood and finds his wife laying in a pool of blood wondering where their baby is before she dies. The baby had been taken out of her womb by creepy cabby and some random dude. We're re-shown the interrogation scene from the beginning and the film ends with another blissfully happy couple being taken to an off the beaten path place by crazy cab driver guy.
THOUGHTS: I'll start by saying I'm not a big fan of found footage films. I find them to be a cheap way out and a way for studios to make an inexpensive horror film.
That being said, Devil's Due had me super excited. The premise is great, the trailer was good and we were treated to a pretty outstanding promo video called Devil Baby Attack which as it turned out was better than the movie as it... you know... actually showed a baby.
If you can't tell by the tone of this review thus far I really didn't enjoy this one. First of all, as I've already covered they buried the lead. Right up front we know dude is going to survive and get caught while girl is not around. Sort of a buzz kill but I could let it slide as I've seen films play with timeline very effectively. This one doesn't. Rather than doing the jump around game that films such as Pulp Fiction or Saw II do so well, this one just showed us the end at the beginning and then showed us how we got there. Snooze.
I'm not quite sure why this movie is even rated R. Aside from the belly cutting scene in the last 3 minutes of the movie (which isn't even all that graphic. Lori's impromptu C-section on The Walking Dead was much more barbaric), there's hardly any blood, no nudity, very little bad language and not even an on screen death that I can remember.
The story that we're given is pretty weak as all we're really told is by the priest: The Antichrist is coming. Um... OK. We're given a little bit of background about Sam as apparently she was cut from her dying mother's womb and was then orphaned but it's not enough to build a character around.
I don't want to completely blast the film. Both of the leads do an outstanding job. They both manage to pull off this found footage in a way that makes you actually thing you're watching real footage. Their facial expressions, the tone in their voices, inflection, etc. is spot on and looks like legit home video footage. Sam Anderson's convulsion scene is very well acted as well, though he plays it a bit "cooky" when he's giving us plot points while frantically praying the rosary in the hospital.
Perhaps I've seen too many of these flicks but I could tell just by the camera angles whether I should be looking at the character in the shot or in the background. Multiple times I'd be looking in the background of the shot and sure enough there goes dude walking across the screen ala The Strangers. The good news is this was early in 2014 so we could get it out of the way and go on to bigger and better things later in the year. Strong not recommend.
Krueger: The Slasher from Elm Street (2014)
KRUEGER: The Slasher From Elm Street – They Went There
We return to Springwood today for another jaunt down Elm Street. Director Chris R. Notarile has released the 4th installment in his KRUEGER series known as Krueger: The Slasher From Elm Street. Previous entries in the series include Krueger: A Tale From Elm Street, Krueger: Another Tale From Elm Street and Krueger: A Walk Through Elm Street.
SPOILER ALERT: This review WILL talk openly about the plot of this short film. If you've not watched it yet, check it out and then come on back.
Krueger: The Slasher From Elm Street was JUST released and as of this writing doesn't have a description listed yet on it's official IMDb page. That being said, it picks up right where A Walk Through Elm Street left off after Fred had snagged Mikey.
I saw the following quote from director Chris R. Notarile on the film's Facebook page before watching:
"When making a movie and posting it online for people to see, its no surprise you may get a few dislikes here and there, accompanied by the occasional negative comment. Usually it's over something trivial and that never bothers me. But with this series, specifically part 4, I know that people's personal limits will be pushed when viewing and for the first time, but you can only beat around the bush so many times before it gets tiresome."
I was a little worried after reading this quote, but I dove right in
and I'm glad I did.
Plot & Thoughts
This one picks up right where the last film ended and we're even given some flashbacks of that last film. We see Fred (Roberto Lombardi) walking the streets and running his fingers across the wall the way Englund did. This is a Freddy cliché that's starting to get a little old in Notarile's flicks, but it's something that needs to be here to tie the character to the source material. We then cut to Mikey running away which was a tad bit confusing as we were just shown him being drugged which typically incapacitates someone for quite some time. I found myself asking, "How'd the kid get away?"
Mikey runs into a warehouse where a bunch of cars and trucks are parked and he's being pursued by Freddy
wearing is glove in broad daylight? I'll chalk this one up to this being Fred's private property but it was a head scratcher. We get some cat and mouse with Fred looking for Mikey who's hiding in a truck and as he looks Freddy once again drags his claw across the hood of a truck. As I said before, these Freddy clichés are getting a bit grating to me at least who's watched all of the flicks.
We get some great camera work here as we're shown Mikey in the foreground with Freddy popping up behind him out of focus. The chase is back on with Freddy catching up to Mikey and tackling him. He says, "Scream for me" and at the 3 minute mark plunges his claw presumably into the boy's stomach and we cut to black.
We're then introduced to Freddy's daughter (?) Katherine Krueger played by Danica Metzger who is cute... as... anything. I have to admit that I'd forgotten that Freddy had a daughter so I had to look up that piece of the back story. That said, it was a nice way to introduce the character into Notarile's Krueger-verse. Lombardi once again shines in the role of Freddy Krueger. I've gushed in previous reviews about how awesome Roberto is and how he embodies Krueger in a way that calls back beautifully to the Englund portrayal while not being overshadowed by it. Bravo once again sir.
Katherine and Freddy chat for a few minutes and we cut back to the Mikey storyline.
Oh... MY... GOD. They went there!!! After the cut, we're shown the claw going into the boy, him spitting up blood and Fred covered with blood. Honestly up to this point I wasn't really loving this entry... this scene changes everything. It's clear this is the scene Notarile was referencing in the quote above. I can't ever recall a child death being shown in the films and while hinted at in Notarile's work it's never been shown either. A big risk showing it here and for this fan it pays off BIG TIME.
We then cut to Fred and Katherine sitting in a diner having a bite to eat. Freddy overhears a mother crying about Mikey who's been missing since Sunday. After a brief discussion the mother says to Freddy, "Look after Katherine – don't let her go," to which Freddy replies, "I won't." Super creepy.
We end with a scene of Freddy walking the street at night. He sees a "Missing Child" flyer with Mikey's picture on it. He adjusts his fedora and continues to walk down Elm Street as we fade to black.
Recommendation
Once again, this won't be much for non NOES fans, but if you're a fan of the franchise I'd highly recommend it. This one builds on the previous films in the series in a big way so I'd highly recommend watching those as well. Run time is just shy of 9 minutes (including credits) but once again Notarile packs it in and in this installment he really goes for the gore which was a nice twist. The kill scene in here completely sets it apart from the other films in the series and if Notarile chooses to step back from the Elm Street universe would provide a nice cap on the series. Give it a watch. You'll be glad you did. You can find Blinky Productions on the web at www.blinky-productions.com as well as on the film's Facebook fan page. Tell them ScareTissue sent you!
Krueger: A Walk Through Elm Street (2014)
Krueger: A Walk Through Elm Street – Get In Fred's Head
This is the 3rd entry into the KRUEGER series from writer / director Chris R. Notarile. Previous entries include Krueger: A Tale From Elm Street and its follow up Krueger: Another Tale From Elm Street.
The description from the director:
In Springwood, long before he became a demon of dreams, Freddy Krueger stalked the streets under another name – The Springwood Slasher. Our third story centers on the inner working's of Freddy's mind. What makes him tick and how does he view the world? Edited to reflect his fragmented way of thinking, we follow Freddy on a walk through Elm Street as he interacts with a soon to be mother, outside of a very familiar house.
SPOILER ALERT: This review WILL talk openly about the plot of this short film (which will be shown in its entirety below). If you've not watched it yet, check it out and then come on back.
Krueger: A Walk Through Elm Street gets into Fred's head. The entire short (6:21 including credits) is narrated by Freddy. We see him meet Marge Thompson who's super pregnant. Fred asks if they're ready to be parents and inquires if they've picked out any names. Marge says it'll be Donald Jr. if it's a boy and... Nancy... if it's a girl. They're standing on location at THE Elm Street house which is awesome!
There's a super creepy scene in here where Freddy gets on his knees and is talking to Marge's baby bump. Seeing Freddy Krueger talk to Nancy Thompson in utero is really weird, but knowing what we know about these characters its outstanding.
During this entire short, Freddy is talking about how easy it is for him to blend in to the community. At one point he says "I'm Freddy... Husband, father, 2 time bowling league champ". I don't think he's being literal here, but the point is well taken. He blends in, looks like every other guy you see in your town and no one is the wiser that he's in fact The Springwood Slasher. He's shown drinking coffee, nodding to folks, sitting on benches and walking around town.
Once again, Notarile shows just how easy a child can be abducted. Mikey (Jacob Flowers) needs to use the restroom but it's locked. He ducks behind the building to relive himself and Fred pounces like a wolf. Just as with Krueger: Another Talk From Elm Street, Notarile is really exploring the grittiness of child abduction. If you're a parent and you really think about what's going on here, this will really chill you to the core.
The score here is amazing as it builds throughout the film. No real A Nightmare On Elm Street audio callbacks here, but they're not necessary for this particular short. What Steve Joblonsky has put together is masterful and fits perfectly.
Once again, Robert Lombardi is amazing as Freddy Krueger. He's not doing a whole lot in this one other than being creepy and some voice work but he portrays that "vibe" that we got so brilliantly from Robert Englund in the early Nightmare films. The scene in front of the house where he's chatting with Vera Vanguard as Marge is wonderful. The fact that he's playing such an iconic character but I'm not seeing Englund is the highest compliment I can give.
Speaking of Vera Vanguard. She does a nice job here. She really does portray the "housewife of the 70′s" to a T. From the way she's dressed to the naivete of sharing personal information she fits right in to the KRUEGER universe that Notarile has developed.
Marge & FreddyAnd as for the Elm Street universe it was AWESOME to see that this was filmed at the actual Elm Street house from the films. I'm not sure I'd ever want to live at 1428 North Genessee Avenue in Los Angeles, CA, and I'm not sure what (if any) hoops the production needed to jump through to film on the sidewalk in front of the house, but it was well worth it.
My only real problem with this film is the same issue I had with the original short Krueger: A Tale From Elm Street. It's almost as if we're TOO tied to the source material here. If you watch all of Notarile's films, you'd be led to believe that Freddy has some sort of supernatural bond specifically with Nancy Thompson as if he's waiting for her to be born to torment her.
With that small negative aside, this is a great little flick. It's not much for non NOES fans and we're not getting a whole lot of action, but if you're a fan of that franchise this is definitely recommend. It's super quick and you really do get to see inside Freddy's head and get to know the guy that will eventually become the Springwood Slasher. You can find Blinky Productions on the web at www.blinky-productions.com as well as on the film's Facebook fan page. Tell them ScareTissue sent you!
Krueger: Another Tale from Elm Street (2013)
Krueger: Another Tale From Elm Street – Stranger Danger
I'm thrilled to say I'm returning to Elm Street today with Notarile's follow up to A Tale From Elm Street called Krueger: Another Tale From Elm Street.
Krueger: Another Tale From Elm Street does what no other Elm Street film has done before: It shows Freddy Krueger in his element... seducing little children. I've always been a big fan of Freddy's back story. No... that doesn't mean I advocate child molestation. Far from it. In fact, that's the one part of the Freddy mythology that I don't think has been explored. In the original films, we're told Freddy is a child abductor / molester but we're never shown him in action. Notarile gives us that chilling vision.
Excuse the pun, but Robert Lombardi absolutely nails the character of Freddy Krueger once again. Everything including his body language, the way he talks to the little girls and the web of lies that he weaves shows the viewer that this man is a predator to the core. He's cold, calculating and viscous. He's once again done a great job invoking the thought of Robert Englund while bringing enough nuance to the role that he's not in Englund's shadow. Huge props to Robert Lombardi here.
Breanna Lakatos is outstanding as well. We teach our kids to be leery of strangers and she really does do everything right. She continues to say no, no, no and only changes her tune when she really feels that she can not only trust Krueger but also that her mother is in real danger.
And this is where the film really hits home. If you're a parent this will really chill you to the core. The idea of someone kidnapping your child is the most horrific thing you can possibly imagine. Here we're shown just how easily it can happen. In between Lombardi's delivery of the line, "What's your name?" at the 2:10 mark to the time Freddy takes the little girl's hand at the 3:37 mark, 1:20 elapses. In that time a child has said "no" multiple times, and the predator has skillfully confused the child into believing he's not only her friend, but that he's going to take her to her mother who's been hurt. One minute and twenty seven seconds
to lose your child forever. Just think about that for a moment. THIS is the true brilliance of not only the film, but of the character of Fred Krueger. This is before he was a demon that haunts kids in their dreams... this is Krueger at his most horrific. While other NOES films cover the topic in theory, only the terrible reboot really shows Freddy in his element. None do it nearly this well.
I can only assume there there's a kill in this film... or perhaps far worse. Luckily it's all done off screen which I appreciate. As I've said in the past I have a hard time watching children being harmed so I'm glad Notarile made that choice. Again, I think Breanna Lakatos did a great job throughout and that includes her time after capture when she's face to face with the gloved Krueger.
Just as Krueger (A Tale From Elm Street) did, Krueger (Another Tale From Elm Street) does an amazing job of tying itself back to the source material. This includes body language, story, scenery and audio cues. The one problem I had with the first entry was that there were too many references to "dreams" and other things that these characters at this time wouldn't know about. This time around Notarile has corrected that and it makes the film that much better.
Once again, this won't be much for non NOES fans, but if you're a fan of the franchise I'd highly recommend it. It's SUPER short, running just over 6 minutes but that's not to say there isn't a ton there... there is. Give it a watch. You'll be glad you did. You can find Blinky Productions on the web at www.blinky-productions.com as well as on the film's Facebook fan page. Tell them ScareTissue sent you!
Krueger: A Tale from Elm Street (2011)
Krueger: A Tale From Elm Street – Nancy's Prequel
I'm always a little bit leery of fan films that deal with film franchises that I adore. With that being said, you can imagine my trepidation when I ran across Krueger (A Tale From Elm Street) that deals with one of my all time favorite franchises, A Nightmare On Elm Street. I'm happy to say that writer / director Chris R. Notarile manages to not only capture essence of Freddy Krueger but tells a pretty interesting story in the process.
This short tells the story of a very much alive Freddy on his first day after being captured. He's being questioned by Lieutenant Thompson. This is beginning of the story of how Freddy got out of prison only to be burned alive by the parents of the Springwood kids.
Robert Lombardi does a great job as Freddy Krueger. It's tough to ever see anyone other than Robert Englund don that red and green sweater, but Lombardi pulls it off. This is before Fred is burnt so that makes it easier. Lombardi manages to invoke enough Englund where you can still see the character is in there. With an icon like Krueger there needs to be some link to the original which is here for sure.
Shawn Parr as Thompson does well too. He's got less source material to play off of, but I believed his angst in talking with Krueger and certainly believed just how upset he was toward the end of the film. Also, love the nod to Lethal Weapon with the "chair on the throat" interrogation thing. Big fan.
While there is a kill in this film, its an off screen kill which I appreciate. As I've said in the past I have a hard time watching children be harmed so I'm glad Notarile made that choice. What I will say is that little Gracie De La Rosa played her part to perfection.
Krueger (A Tale From Elm Street) does an amazing job of tying itself back to the source material. Not only are we dealing with characters that we know from the original film (Krueger, Nancy and her dad) but Notarile gets the "look" of that original film and uses music and sounds effects from the original to perfection. I'm not well versed in the legalities of re-using those materials in fan works, but I was actually surprised to "hear" so much of A Nightmare On Elm Street in this film. Very cool.
While tying your film back to the source material can be a great thing, it can also lead to some bad choices. There were a couple of times here where when I sat back and thought about it, things didn't make much sense. A couple of times, Freddy talks about dreams. He says, "In your dreams a-hole," and "I'll be seeing you in your nightmares!". Thompson at one point says, "I'm going to light you up myself!" While I appreciate the foreshadowing of Freddy's demise in the original back story, the references to dreams took me out a bit. At this point, the characters don't know Freddy's going to die and certainly don't know that he's going to be able to come back and haunt children in their dreams.
With that small negative behind us, this is an outstanding film. It's won't be much for non NOES fans, but if you're a fan of that franchise this is a strong recommend. It runs just over 10 minutes and will leave you wanting more.