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Reviews
Marvelous Mandy (2016)
Very well made thriller/suspense film!
I always like checking out new independent horror films. A lot of them can be somewhat of a letdown, but every now and then you can happen across one that is a true gem! Such is the case with Director Chase Dudley's latest film, MARVELOUS MANDY!
So I need to start out by saying this isn't a true horror film, but more of a suspense/thriller. Although there are a few bloody/gory scenes that rival anything you've seen in a horror film lately!
The movie is more of a dark "Fatal Attraction" type film, with the character of Harvey falling for what he thinks is an amazing woman, only to find out she is not the woman of his dreams as he first thought, but more like the woman of this nightmares!
I have to admit, when I started the film and saw the running time of 145 minutes, I told myself one thing I will have to write in my review is how long it was and that it should have been edited down a bit and made a more typical 90 -100 minute film. After watching the film in it's entirety, I have to admit I was wrong. The film did not seem that long at all to me while watching it, and it kept me thoroughly entertained the entire running time. Now there were some slower parts, but they were important to building the character of Mandy so you really get to know who she is...or isn't.
I mentioned the blood/gore above, so I know you horror fans are wondering about that, I don't want to give too much away, but there were a couple of scenes were the blood really flowed and looked extremely realistic.
MARVELOUS MANDY is a very smart, well-made thriller that I highly recommend. It is low budget, so keep that in mind when watching. My only complaint was the video quality of the film, as a better camera would have made for a crisper screen image, but the movie itself is very well done with a great story, great characters, and a great plot twist. The acting overall is very good, but the character of Mandy (played by Paula Marcenaro Solinger) was especially well done I thought. She could go from a fun, sweet, charming woman to a complete psychopath in a matter of minutes. She showed quite the acting range in this film.
I would highly recommend this film to any horror/thriller/suspense fans.
Crustacean (2009)
CRUSTACEAN is pure, simple, FUN!!
I have always had a fascination with carnival side shows. I remember as a kid going to our state fair and seeing the "tiniest person alive" and the woman that was half person/ half snake! These are now considered "non-PC" shows, so they are not found in fairs and carnivals today. Luckily we have movies like CRUSTACEAN to get our "freak show" fix.
CRUSTACEAN is a Horror/comedy that doesn't take itself seriously at all, I mean, with a plot about a Lobster baby, how could it! It knows it is a silly, crazy, film and all it sets out to do is have some fun and entertain, and that is exactly what it does. There is something in this film for everyone. Comedy is all throughout it, but us gore hounds are not left out, as there is plenty of flowing red stuff! It is amazing how much blood comes out of a person when they are squeezed at the neck by Lobster Baby! Also, watch at the end for a great gut busting scene reminiscent of the scene from ALIEN (if the crew of ALIEN was a bunch of rednecks in a trailer home).
Also noteworthy of this film, is the wonderful music throughout. Listen to the words closely as some of the songs are laugh-out-load hilarious!
I would recommend this DVD to anyone that is a fan of the Horror/comedy genre.
Father's Day (2011)
Modern Exploitation at it's finest!
FATHER'S DAY is another movie filmed the style of an old grind-house film. Many filmmakers have tried this technique, but none that I have seen have captured that true grind-house style quite like FATHER'S DAY has.
This is one crazy movie. I can guarantee you that you have not seen a movie quite like this before. The movie is done in perfect style that reminds you of watching a film late at night on TV back in the 70's or early 80's including a TV station introduction of the film and a commercial break in the middle of the film advertising the late movie coming on after FATHER'S DAY, called, STAR RAIDERS, which looks hilarious by the way.
The film is great and has something in it for everyone. There is action, some humor, and loads of great gore, including a nasty scene where a man literally vomits his guts out! Gross!
This movie is actually very hard to describe, because there is just so much going on. The film gets especially crazy at the end when the the main characters descend into Hell to fight the Father's Day killer, who is a gigantic demon they three men must do battle against.
This movie is sick, twisted, perverted, and everything in between, so naturally, I loved it! Check this one out if you have the chance.
Spirit Camp (2009)
Awesome flick. A must see for Horror fans!
This movie is listed as a Horror/Comedy and it is a perfect blend of both. The comedic parts are actually really funny and the horror side of the film is a perfect slasher flick. The ads for the film describe it as "Friday THE 13th meets BRING IT ON" which is a pretty good comparison. Although there were actually more similarities and nods to the film HALLOWEEN than there was to Friday THE 13th (the action takes place at Loomis Lake and the camp director is named Mrs. Haddenfield). You will also see some more subtle nods to HALLOWEEN if you watch close enough...I won't ruin them all for you here.
The acting is the movie is superb. There is not one bad performance in the group. A few performances that really stuck out as really great were the part of Sheriff Todd played by veteran actor Brandon Smith, the part of Rachel played by Julin, and the character of Missy played by Megan Moser. These were great performances, but really all the actors did a great job.
The gore scenes is the film are great too. One thing this Horror/Comedy didn't do was skimp on the blood. There are plenty of great kills to satisfy even the most die hard slasher fans. This film is definitely one to watch again and is going on my list of favorite slasher flicks!
Be sure to watch the behind the scenes documentary on the special features. Beyer talks about making this movie with such passion, you can tell he really loves the genre and film making in general, and it shows in his final product. Also, during this behind the scenes look, we get a very personal glimpse of a tragedy that struck his family, as during shooting his mother had to undergo brain surgery to remove a brain tumor. Mrs. Beyer was did all the catering for the film and was very involved and supportive of her son and this project. There is a very touching interview with Beyer's mother and even footage of her right after having been through the surgery. This was a very interesting behind the scene featurette with a lot more substance than most of the making of documentaries we are used to on every other Horror DVD. I hope Beyer sticks with the Horror genre and I look forward to seeing future projects from this amazing filmmaker.
The Mummy's Kiss: 2nd Dynasty (2006)
Low Budget Movie with Big Budget Entertainment Value!
I recently had the pleasure of watching the Frontline Entertainment feature, THE MUMMY'S KISS: 2ND DYNASTY. The film is written and directed by Donald F. Glut a director that many people might not recognize the name of, but definitely should! Mr. Glut has many titles under his belt, including BLOOD SCARAB, COUNTESS DRACULA'S ORGY OF BLOOD, and DINOSAUR VALLEY GIRLS just to name a few. Now, by the titles of these films, it is pretty obvious that we are not dealing with huge Hollywood produced films here. These are very small productions on very limited budgets. The difference between Mr. Glut's low budget films and other low budget films, though, is that they don't look low budget. THE MUMMY'S KISS: 2ND DYNASTY is a beautifully shot film with some great makeup/special effects. The mummy itself looks great and very gross...just like a 3000 year old mummy should!
This was a very fun movie to watch. The acting was good for the most part, and the story was a lot of fun. The actresses in the film are some of the most beautiful you will see in any film. Please be warned though, the film does contain a lot of sexual situations and nudity. In fact, if I had to find any faults with the film, it might have been that it contains a little too much nudity for a horror film, something I never thought I would say! While obviously shot quick and on a cheap budget, the film did something that some big budget Hollywood films don't do, and that is it kept me entertained the full running time. And really, that is all a good movie is supposed to do. This movie proves it doesn't take a multimillion budget to make a good movie.
Evil Things (2009)
This is the film THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY wanted to be!
This is another entry into the "found footage" type of film, where we are supposed to be watching footage shot by the characters themselves, that is found after they go missing. Other examples being THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and the more recent PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Folks, this film is what THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY wanted to be! It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a film this much. It seems to be a very low budget film, with mostly first time actors, which is probably a good thing. The people in this film did not seem like actors at all. In fact, the acting is so good in this film that it didn't seem like they were acting. You actually believe that you are just watching a real group of friends. In fact, if you told me that these actors are really good friends and hang out with each other every weekend, I would definitely believe it, because that is what came across on screen. The film was directed by first time director Dominic Perez. It is not very often that a director hits a "home run" his first time up to bat, but that is exactly what Mr. Perez has done with this film. The film starts off slowly, just letting you get to know all the characters. While driving to their weekend house, they are terrorized on the road by someone in a van. They continue to see this van at various points along their trip and eventually meet up with the driver of this van in a more direct way at the climax of the film. This is a must see for any fans of Horror/suspense movies. I can't say enough good things about this film.
In Search of Lovecraft (2008)
Overall a very enjoyable movie, worth checking out!
First off, let me say this was a good movie. Definitely worth checking out. What starts out as just a "filler" story about H.P. Lovecraft for Rebecca, the news reporter, becomes a much more involved story and gets here involved in the Lovecraft Mythos more than she ever thought she would be. The movie has some great scenes, good scares, and some great makeup effects. The "Dark Man" that Rebecca would see from time to time was very creepy and very well done. I couldn't do a fair review, though, without pointing out places of improvement which would be the acting. Some of it is downright bad. Some of it is good, and then some of it is so bad its good! I have a new favorite character actor now in Larry Laverty! His over the top performance as the paranoid Prof. Sutton had me rolling. He was very enjoyable. For a low budget independent feature, it is pretty impressive. It looks like a much bigger production than it probably was. As director Hohl's first feature, it is a great achievement and I look forward to seeing more work of his in the future!