Unrated DVD

Not long ago, Roy Frumkes told me he had seen a revenge film called DEATH SENTENCE, which he really liked. Being a fan of 70s revenge flicks, I wrote down the title but never got around to hunting the film down. Then my brother in law passed me his Blockbuster rental, which I finished mere minutes ago.

The classic revenge film, of course, is DEATH WISH (1974) starring Charles Bronson, not a great film, but a great reflection of angst in New York City during that era. My favorite two revenge films are ROLLING THUNDER (1977) and MS. 45 (1981). Yes, the late 20th Century was a great time for getting even! Another guilty pleasure is SAVAGE STREETS (1984), which I actually saw on ... (more…)

Eternal Vigilance Book One: From Deep Within The Earth by Gabrielle S. Faust

Immanion Press, 2008


It had been a bad day. I'd recently endured two rather painful surgeries in under three weeks. Now, after enduring a bunch of additional medical tests and having my post-surgery conference with my doctor, I'd been informed that I would need to undergo yet a third (and even possibly a fourth) surgery in a few weeks. By the time I arrived home, exhausted and hurting in the late afternoon it had been a very bad day, indeed.

By Seven O'clock p.m., I finally remembered to collect the day's mail. In my mailbox, amongst the mass of junk mail and bills, I found a package from Gabrielle Faust, who, as it ... (more…)

GIMME SKELTER (2007 dir Scott Phillips)

Burning Paradise Entertainment DVD

Scott Phillips and Exhilarated Despair Productions, who brought us the Tempe-distributed indie zombie outing THE STINK OF FLESH (2005), return to give us this tale of murder and mayhem in the desert in New Mexico.

Phillip Valentine (Billy Garberina), who's supposedly the son of Charles Manson, bands together with some fellow juvenile delinquents who are out looking for fun. Valentine decides he wants to honor his father's legacy by pulling off the slaughter of the population of 78 people in a small desert town. Meanwhile, Todd (Mark Chavez) runs into some relationship trouble with his girlfriend after she catches him ... (more…)

Zombies rise from the local cemetery when a young witch casts a spell to scare an ex-boyfriend in Bijou of the Dead. The story follows seemingly unrelated individuals over the course of one zombie-filled day in a similar set up to Gregory Solis's Rise and Walk or a small scale World War Z. The interweaving story lines in the beginning lead the characters to a fateful meeting at the Bradbury Theater.

What are most notable about the story are the sympathetic characters. There is depressed Martin who tragically lost his family, disabled Ernie the cemetery caretaker, lonely Tina who delves into witchcraft, nerdy Joel who likes horror movies, hardworking Katie with an abusive ex-husband, etc. But ... (more…)

Macabre Musings: Book Review - Scarecrow Gods by Weston Ochse
2008, Delirium Books

EDITOR'S NOTE: Read Fear Zone's interview with Weston Ochse.

My introduction to the work of author Weston Ochse was through his short fiction. It was both good and "fresh" enough to warrant my taking note of his name and seeking out further written works by the author. This, in turn, led me straight to his longer works, Recalled To Life and Vampire Outlaw Of The Milky Way , both of which were, like author Ochse's short fiction, innovative, energetic, imaginative, and immensely fun to read. Indeed, the only work by Weston Ochse that I seemed unable to obtain (without spending a great deal of money) was his ... (more…)

Capcom's DEVIL MAY CRY 4 is a big, loud, garishly goofy game.

It's stupid fun.

It's cotton candy.

It's pure sugar and brilliant color, frenetically spun until it looks huge and appetizing and substantial.

One taste, two, and you're smiling from ear to ear. Three tastes, four, and the immediate sugar rush tightens your smile into a line. Five tastes, six, nausea begins to rise.

I liken the game to a Jerry Bruckheimer production, big and slick, a well-oiled entertainment machine that dazzles with its bells and whistles and tries so hard to deliver on its promise of sheer spectacle that it just ends up numbing us into quiet submission. No brains, no soul, just empty thrills. Not to ... (more…)

CLOSET SPACE (2008 dir Mel House)

*Pre-Release Festival Edition Review

A professor and his students doing research in a house out in rural Texas believe they have a found a doorway to the other world in a closet inside the house. After the professor and the students mysteriously disappear into the closet, a group of highly experienced researchers take a trip out to the house to find out what happened to the group. Behind the closet door is a dark tunnel with different passageways. The group gears up to go on an expedition through the tunnel to find the professor and students. Soon enough, the group is beset by bizarre occurrences and eventually they have run-ins with slimy, tentacled ... (more…)

Macabre Musings -- Film/DVD Review: EXPERIMENT (2005)

EXPERIMENT, as with a previous and far more famous film, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999), stands as proof that a tiny-budgeted film can still be quite good, entertaining, and pack a comparatively huge emotional wallop for an audience.

Dan Turner, making his feature film directorial debut, ably and admirably directs EXPERIMENT, a British film production by Magician Picture, Ltd. The film, which was recorded using the then latest in high definition video technology, reportedly was made for the extremely small budget of approximately Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars. To give you an idea as to just how small such a sum is, when contemplating ... (more…)

From the wilds of West Virginia comes HATCHET JACK, an independent slasher film from director Eddie Mahalick. Inspired by true events, this 46-minute thriller is an atmospheric, often disturbing film that deserves to be seen by a wide audience.

Working from a screenplay by Justin Sago, JACK is essentially a frame story, as a rural bartender (Mahalick, in one of several bit parts) warns a group of deer hunters about the legend of Hatchet Jack, a solitary madman with a grisly past who roams the woods of the Mountain State. Thus begins the story proper, as a group of Pittsburgh-area youths head to the town of Rivesville in search of the titular figure (though exactly why is never made clear).

... (more…)

FORCED ENTRY (1973)

Thought you've seen it all? Well, this is one for you sickos (sickos like me, yeah). This is hardcore, people. This $6200 feature directed with grim style by Shaun Costello in 1973 precedes TAXI DRIVER in showing the ugly side of New York City. A demented Vietnam vet (pornstar Harry Rheems sans moustache) spends his time chasing girls and raping them at gun (or knife) point.

Get ready for a mix of porn, horror and--social commentary (OK, Greg, maybe I went too far, but there's some of that in there) that is truly one of a kind. You put it in your DVD player and are automatically transported to the 70's era Grindhouse times, where stuff like this was actually shown in ... (more…)