THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE

2003 COLOR 73 MIN.

This documentary was made for the Independent Film Channel. It has interviews some of the best horror film directors of 1970s & 80s horror films. With lots of scenes from their movies. Along with news footage from the time cut in with the scenes. It shows the relationship of the horror film and what was going on in the world at the time. The civil rights movement, Vietnam war, roller disco, consumerism, gas shortages, and atomic war fears. It does a good job demonstrating how real horrors in life subconsciously impacted the films of the time. The people interviewed include George Romero, Tom Savini, John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, David Cronenberg, Wes Craven, John Landis. The interviews are good and the directors talk about some of their influences. Like EC comics, Famous Monsters of Filmland, Universal horror films. Some of the Professors of film they talk with are little dumb. My complaints are it shows the ending from Night of the Living Dead (I assume most people who would watch this have seen it), Shivers, and Last House on the Left (part of it). So if you haven’t seen these films and plan to, don’t watch this first. I hate it when someone ruins a movie by telling me the ending. Also people always comment on the lead character in NOTLD being black. Romero has always said he was chosen because he was the best actor they knew. Recommended for people with interest in horror films. Overall a quality film. Contains nudity, zombies, nightmares, and a bad moustache. If you like this also watch A Decade Under The Influence. JW

A DIRTY SHAME

2004 COLOR NC17

"Lets go sexin’" Another bit of comic crudeness from the perverted mind of Mr. John Waters. The film touches on sex, fetishes, religion, censorship, CGI squirrels, and really big fake boobies. When some one gets hit on the head in a accident they turn into sex maniacs, thus resulting in a town full of them. The NC17 rating seems really unwarranted. The film has no explicit sex scenes. Mostly verbal slang and a few brief nude scenes. Why is censorship still such a big deal? Starts off nice but loses direction by the final half hour. Also it ends sort of sloppy (no pun intended). Learn some new perversions. Overall two thumbs up on this one. When is Waters going to make a horror satire? It would be much fun to see what he could do with the subject. Good for some laughs. Great use of music, also check out the soundtrack. His early films are still his best. With Female Trouble toping the list as my favorite. Also Johnny Knoxville, from Jackass fame is in the movie. Get ready to hear the line “lets go sexin” repeatedly. Try not to tea bag the snack bar attendant if you check out this one it’s limited number of theaters. On DVD soon. "Threatening the very limits of common decency" official site JW

EVIL SPEAK

1981 COLOR 92MINS. UNRATED

Two words CLINT HOWARD a cult film favorite and Ron Howard's brother. Clint Howard plays Stanley Coopersmith a dorky teenager at a military school. He is repeatedly picked on until he can’t take anymore. So he decides to get revenge after he finds a book from a 16th Century Satanist in the cellar of the schools chapel. With the help of the schools computer he raises the soul of the Satanist. The first hour is fairly slow paced. In the last half hour all hell breaks loose. With plenty of beheadings and Clint Howard floating in air with a big sword. It wouldn’t be a ‘80s film with out a hot girl shower scene. Some nice effects and bad computer graphics (well ok ones for the time). Plenty of gore and don’t forget the demon pigs. Good film if you can wait for the ending. I say check it out. Also look for Richard Moll (better know as Bull from the Night Court tv series) as Esteban the main Satanist. JW

LADY TERMINATOR

1988 COLOR 82 MINS. UNRATED

"FIRST SHE MATES… THEN SHE TERMINATES”

Straight outta Indonesia comes the Lady Terminator. With lines and scenes ripped straight off from Terminator. The story is a little hard to follow. The Legend of the South Sea Queen, the movie starts off 100 years ago and she is killed. She promises to get revenge on the man who killed hers great granddaughter in 100 years. So when a anthropologist goes investigating the island of the legend she is possessed and out to kill anyone in her way. She is not a robot just possessed. Oh yeah she can only be killed with a special dagger. The lady terminator is shot repeatedly with endless amount of machine gun bullets. You figure the jackasses trying to kill her would get the point it’s not going to work after firing a couple thousand rounds. If you like bad action movies, mullets, nudity, and random violence then this film is for you. The special effects aren’t bad. Also contains a nice documentary on the Indonesian film industry of the 1980’s. In order for distributors to import foreign films they had to produce films of there own. With interviews and a lot of scenes from the movies they made. www.mondomacbrodvd.com website JW

NIGHT OF THE GHOULS

1958 BLACK & WHITE 69 MIN. NOT RATED

Written, produced, and directed by Edward D. Wood Jr. Here you have your basic 1950's spooky movie. The plot is pretty basic as with most films in the '50's sci-fi style you have either a cop or reporter investigating some ghost or weird happenings. In the case of this one its the cop investigating ghost sightings at the old house on Willows lake. Not a whole happens as Dr. Acula tricks family members of the dead into giving him money for the chance to talk with their loved ones again. Which he can't do. Some what a sequel to "Bride of the Monster" as Tor Johnson play the surviving character/monster from that film and the setting is the same house. The dead return and get revenge on the fake swami. The scares a very basic skeletons, ghost, but not many ghouls as the title would led you to believe. Also look for Criswell another Ed Wood regular. I cannot leave out the bumbling cop thrown in for some laughs. Overall not bad with a short run time. Available in the Ed Wood Box set out now. Extras Trailers for ....

"The dead of night is alive with the dead!" JW

FLESH EATER

1988 COLOR 88 MIN RATED R

Directed by and staring Bill Hinzman (the cemetery zombie from Night of the Living Dead) here he plays a very similar looking zombie. Yet another horror film set on Halloween night. I have held off buying this one for a year or so but finally gave in. I went into this one with low expectations but it's actually not bad. Grab a twelve pack of Iron City beer and fire up the dvd player. Some quality writing with lines like "Hey why don't you ever kiss me like that?" "Maybe if you had tits like her I would." . The story teenagers party it up in the woods. A farmer removing a tree stump up roots the grave of a zombie. Mix in a little satanic worshiping cult action. Borrows heavily from NOTLD with the town going on a little zombie hunting spree. Enough blood and boobies to keep my punk ass interested. Look for Bill's kids acting in this one, they also appear later in the time wasting 30th anniversary edition of NOTLD which the less you know about the better. Also the fairly lame "Children of the Living Dead". A great scene with a guy being thrown in the air and you can see the wire pulling him up. Its the little things like this that make this film good. Extras- Interviews with the director and SFX artist with some good info on the film. Amateur acting, decent special effects, blood, boobies, stone washed jean jackets, flannel shirts, and zombies. JW

JACK-O

1994 COLOR 90 MINS. UNRATED

Here we have the 10th anniversary edition of Jack-O (or Jack-o Lantern as the credits say), no it's not a movie about Michael Jackson. It's much worse. Almost not worth the time. With the only scene of interest is the Linnea Quigley shower scene. You can see her boobies in a hand full of better movies like the great "Return of the Living Dead" the punk girl dancing in the cemetery, I think she was also in Penthouse magazine. I usually like B-movies but this one has nothing to offer. A lame ass story, bad characters, and a dumb looking pumpkin man. For some reason I thought this movie was better then this, maybe I was thinking more of Pumpkin head. One of the many rental video time wasters where all it took was a decent cover for this junk to get rented. The special effects are bad and the acting is not much better. It also has some old John Carradine footage edited in Ed Wood style. I say skip this one. Extras- Directors commentary, original trailer, behind the scenes video, "Gator Babes Featurette". For a little while FX network had a show called Fast Food films where they took movies like this and edited them down into thirty minutes and made them funny. This was one of the movies on the show. [RETROMEDIA] JW

LOOK FOR SOME MORE IMAGES/RE-DESIGN FROM THESE REVIEWS, ONCE I GET MY COMPUTER BACK IN ORDER, I HAVE A VIRUS MESSING IT UP, AND CAN'T ADD PHOTOS. I FIGURED IT WAS BETTER TO POST THESE THEN TO WAIT.

some quick notes

THE GRUDGE- Not very good, a ok ghost story remake of a japanese film JU-ON remade with the same director. A kid screaming like a cat still makes me laugh. I say skip it. Rent it if you have a free coupon.

LOST SKELTON OF CADARVA- Art house black and white attempt to make fun of 1950's sci-fi films. Try's a little too hard to be bad. Still I have to say I did like this movie. Low budget, aliens, a caulking gun ray gun, a skeleton who talks, we need to get some atmospherium for our space ship. . My brother says just go for the real thing. The Animala character might be reason enough to check out this one. Also they bought a lot of props off e-bay.

SAW - I wouldn't call it a straight up horror film. A serial killer makes up games where people have a chance to get away but usually end up dieing by their own hand. Most of the film is set in one room. More plot twist then a fuckin' game of twister at your fat cousins wedding party. This one is hurt by having Danny Glover in it. Also my main complaint is it needs more of the goth girl who was in the crappy tv show Becker. I don't like Ted Danson but I have watched Becker a few times because of this girl, cute as hell and smart. She is barely in the movie but on some of the posters. SAW 2 in the works hello, one of the leads? Overall a good movie. A fair amount of blood.

Some notable DVD releases.

THE DISORDERLIES - with the FAT BOYS

ICE PIRATES

FANDANGO

X THE UNHERD MUSIC

DEAD BOYS LIVE @ CBGB'S

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