Welcome back Readers of the Rotten.
Yes I have been pounding the virtual pavement and getting a handful
of freelance gigs but nothing continuous writings. But enough of that, today
we have a reprising director/writer Nicholas Michael Jacobs
(Night, Urban Fears, Tales from Six Feet Under, Genevieve,
Genevieve Wreaks Havoc and Twisted Tales), who has asked me
to review his horror/comedy continuing the legacy of the warped
little doll and the monstrous behavior that we are accustomed from
her. This is Camo vs Genevieve
Genevieve is a messy eater...of souls.
So back again from NMJ Films request to
gaze further into the warped world of Genevieve. We last we looked
in on Genevieve; our little murderous moppet, she had just dispatched
David (actor/producer/director Nicholas Michael Jacobs of
Puppet Master X:Axis Rising, Night, Urban Fears, Tales from Six Feet
Under and Genevieve)
and was found roaming about by Ted Morris, (Shawn
C. Phillips of Camp Blood 4, Camp Blood 5, Grindsploitation, Killer
Waves, Witchcraft 16: Hollywod Coven, Cannibal Cop, Urban Fears,
Axegrinder 2 and Camp Blood 8: Revelations)
home owner and distraught father who had just returned home from his
son's funeral. It is unclear if he knew Genevieve's dark past or
her homicidal tendencies but boy you'd think you would want to keep a
close eye on that or the cops are going to wonder why there are so
many dead mail carriers on your front porch.
Alas this good wisdom will not been carried out by Ted as Genevieve
decides she is better off without Ted and turns on him as well.
Given the sheer convenience of having Ted out of the house while is
attending his late son's funeral, this critic wonders if it was in
fact, the dark doll doing in Ted's son.
Flying Squirrel Attack!
No
sooner has Genevieve dealt a death blow to Ted, a camouflaged
jumpsuit and hockey wearing, knife wielding individual makes his way
into the house. Given this is in the middle of the morning, my
question should stand when I ask, "What the hell did the
neighbors think seeing this garbed guy with a butcher knife?!"
What went through their heads? Hmm, is that a cosplayer? Maybe a
Friday the 13th
fanboy? A disgruntled paintballer by chance?
Our
lurking hulk is known only as Camo (actor/producer/director
Nicholas Michael Jacobs of Puppet Master X:Axis Rising, Night, Urban
Fears, Tales from Six Feet Under and Genevieve),
as he purposely came to the house in search of what or whom? Could
Camo be after Genevieve? Perhaps they have crossed paths before. Is
Genevieve responsible for some tragic event that created Camo? Can
Camo end Genevieve and her evil ways or is he simply mad at her for
taking his chosen kills?
Genevieve's previous address was Amityville.
Scouring the house trying to find Genevieve, Camo realizes there are
plenty of places for her to hide, given she is about 24 inches tall.
Before any of you scoff at that, keep in mind she could bite into a
calf muscle, that nerve cluster up the outside your calf or just
slash open the Achilles tendon and watch Camo flop to the floor.
Camo and the murderous, malefic moppet do battle. Genevieve seeming
to have the upper hand but Camo stabs her to the level worthy of
Norman Bates. One would conclude the fight has ended and Camo may
want to tend to his minor wounds. But is Genevieve finally over?
Again the synthesizer score brought by Nicholas Michael Jacobs
ratchets up the tension well and gives it an old school slasher vibe
about the movie. The impeding battle score to the lulling persons
into a false sense of security, mellow chords. All this is
accomplished on a meager budget, with good camera and lighting
techniques, that makes me wonder what could be captured with a large
funding.
Hey there Readers of the Rotten. Yeah
I need to really word shop that. Welcome back to the blog. Been a
lot of work these past few days so sorry for the lack of blog posts.
I did receive another request by director Nicolas Michael Jacobs
(Night, Urban Fears, Tales from Six Feet Under and
Geneieve) to give a sequel to his morbid killer doll film.
To continue the terror that started in a basement all by his
lonesome, would-be thief David has been ambushed by Genevieve and
eventually the home owner is on his way home. This is Genevieve
Wreaks Havoc.
Ready for my close-up, Mr. Jacobs.
NMJ films returns with another turn of
the dark tale with evil doll Genevieve. A quick recap of the
previous film, David (actor/producer/director Nicholas Michael
Jacobs of Puppet Master X:Axis Rising, Night, Urban Fears, Tales from
Six Feet Under and Genevieve)
after successfully breaking into Ted's house made his way down to the
basement to lift the creepy little doll only to be battered, bashed
and attacked by this disturbing and macabre doll is attempting to
escape with his life.
Attempting to answer his smarter than he phone, the deadly dolly has
her wicked way with David, cackling all the while. Finding some
semblance of strength to make it back up the stairs, horror ensues.
The
owner of said house, Ted Morris (Shawn C.
Phillips of Camp Blood 4, Camp Blood 5, Grindsploitation, Killer
Waves, Witchcraft 16: Hollywod Coven, Cannibal Cop, Urban Fears,
Axegrinder 2 and Camp Blood 8: Revelations)
has just returned from the funeral of his child to find this bit of
crazy happening. Yeah I don't think I have ever had that bad a day.
With a bit of elbow grease, the house it put to right and Ted sounds
exhausted. He chastises Geneieve for her evil shenanigans as she
peers in at his handy work. Can Ted keep Geneieve from going on a
killing spree? Will she eventually turn on him? How many times has
this happened?
Crypt Keeper got impatient.
With a eerie synthesizer chord, good camera work and decent effects,
this continuation is graphic, disturbing and a bit sinister. Our
director is trying to get as much mileage out of this vicious killer
collectible as much as possible. It of course also begs the
question, who hired David in the first place? Was this an inside
job? Is there some satanic brickabrack collection in the black
market? Can I also get a devious hell cube as well?
Our story hasn't finished as we are left with a to be continued
notion, so part 3 is clearly in the works.
This
evil tale will be made available to Amazon and YouTube on October 1st
, just in time for the trick o' treaters. I for one, will be at the
ready to see this story unfold further with Geneieve: The Killer Doll
and it is proof that Nicholas Michael Jacobs can do dark and
atrocious on a limited budget. Let's see what he can do with a bit
of finance, eh?
What's going on Readers of the Rotten?
Yes this many posts must be confusing. Suffice to say the freelance
writing work has picked up, so it has been less time to do the blog.
That being said, I have a request by
director Nicolas Michael Jacobs (Night, Urban Fears,
Tales from Six Feet Under) to give his short story a gander
and I am just getting to this four days later. Very sorry for that,
sir. We have a dark tale of passing of a man's son, some shifty
criminals and a possible killer doll. This is Genevieve.
Gilbert Gottfried in drag??!!
We open with a couple that were
arguing, following by yelling and a gunshot. So typical Tuesday for
some portions of the country. A cackling man putting the finishing
touches on what I can only describe as one of the most hideous dolls
I have clapped my eyes on. Brad Douriff's Chucky would be projectile
vomiting looking at her. Cut to Title card and eerie composure to set
the mood. The being horror if that was somehow lost on anyone.
An empty house is being burglarized for
the sake of the doll because somebody thinks it will be worth a fair
amount of coin. Yeah I need it add it to my Satanic brickerbrack
collection. Really ties the room together, placed next to my
grimoire. One assumes there is a black market buy going down,
otherwise it's a discreet auction on Etsy. David
(actor/producer/director Nicholas Michael Jacobs of Puppet
Master X:Axis Rising, Night, Urban Fears and Tales from Six Feet
Under), our would-be second story man creeps his way into the
house of one Ted Morris (Shawn C. Phillips of Camp Blood 4,
Camp Blood 5, Grindsploitation, Killer Waves, Witchcraft 16: Hollywod
Coven, Cannibal Cop, Urban Fears, Axegrinder 2 and Camp Blood 8:
Revelations) while Ted is away attending the funeral of his
son. Yup David is a classy guy. Though to be fair, I don't really
know the proper etiquette to loot a grieving father. I'll write Miss
Manners about that.
a text exposition. Texposition!
With a scope around the house, it is
clear that the doll isn't anywhere convenient to find it so that
means down in the basement. Oh goody, let's go down into the dark
and dismal basement. Nothing bad ever happens in a dank cellar.
Henrietta will pop up and demand his soul any minute. David's
partner was very laxed on details of the doll leaving it open to all
sorts of thoughts and interpretation. With the help of some patented
POV, we go down the stairs. Naturally my brain is waiting for a pair
of hands to reach through the stairwell and pull David down or cause
him to trip and break his neck.
We make our way to a locked metal door
where Genevieve is supposed to be behind and LOCKED DOOR says it all
there for me, folks. That means no reward is worth this. David
apparently feels different and makes his way to the door, only to
stop due to a giggle and some light foot steps. Yeah dude, that was
your danger senses screaming, "Get the hell out now," but
of course why listen to that?
What you have a quick little story of
bad things happening to a bad person. One who would profit from another misery and getting just desserts. With some nice lighting
technique, some creepy laughter and a simple story provided enough
scares to get the point across. Cursed items, dolls, relics, books
and weapons are not new ground I grant you but Jacobs manages to
bring about enough eerie vibes to cause a few scares. I got to talk
with him about editing so I can pick his brain and make my own
material look better. This film is only about 5 minutes long so
don't run off and pop popcorn to settle in. Just a brief example
that Jacobs has horror wired.
Available on YouTube and Amazon Prime,
so keep your eyes peeled. For previous work and future endeavors,
try https://www.nmjfilms.com/
for your Indie Horror tastes.
Hey there, readers. Today I have been
asked by rising director Nicholas Michael Jacobs (Night
and Urban Fears) if I would be able to view his new Horror
film. Naturally who am I to say no. I thoroughly enjoyed Night and
Urban Fears was damn clever writing. Third time's the charm as the
saying goes and let's see if that holds up. This is Tales from Six
Feet Under.
Grandma Rotty?
Now let's keep in mind our movie is 45
minutes and would be considered by most viewers as a short film.
That does not mean we are not in for a wild ride. In the story, we
follow the bony skeletal figure known only as The Visitor. He is
making his way through a moonlit and fairly creepy graveyard in
search of poor unfortunate souls. (Cue The Little Mermaid song ASAP)
He stops to leave a flower on a grave
and proceeds to cackle with a raspy and throaty sound that frankly
made the hairs on my neck stand up as we gaze at the headstone of one
Joe Roth (Brian Jacobs of Urban Fears and Tales from Six Feet
Under) aged all of 17 years. Already the tone is dark, so
let's dive deeper shall we? Our young lad has been instructed by Dad
to go clean the basement and it had better be done before he gets
home. Don't Go into the Basement fans are already screaming against
that very idea. Noticing the vast amount of clutter, stored
furniture, laundry piling up, various odds and ends I too was hard
pressed to have an idea where to begin cleaning.
After a few minutes tidying and trying
to get a lay of the land, Joe stumbles upon an Ouija board. Oh yeah
that's never going to go wrong. Go ahead son, conjure up the forces
of darkness. I'll wait.
Dad gives Joe a very vague but stern
warning to not mess with the Ouija board so of course our rebellious
teen is going to anyway. Parents! Listen, you want the little ones
to not play dark and damned objects, give them a reason other than
no. For the boys, tell them their penis will shrink. For the girls,
their hair will fall out. Boom! Problem solved.
Joe decides to prank around with the
board, asking those important questions of, "Is there anyone
there?"and "Spirits, make yourself known.". One
nitpick is the Ouija board is a current print. Should have hit a
rummage sale for a battered old one. Like it was forgotten from the
original owners of the house...who disappeared under mysterious
circumstances. Okay, that's how I would have wrote it. So sue me.
A quick phone chat with his buddy, Joe
finds out he can't possibly damn his soul without candlelight
surrounding the witch board. Yes that is an old term for Ouija board.
Sorry if I confused the younger readers yet again.
So naturally it is head long into the
unknown and damn the consequences. So back to tampering with the
dead, Joe realizes this game may just be more than he bargained for,
as a creature made of silhouette and ominous glowing eyes (Gianna
Jacobs of Night, Urban Fears and Tales from Six Feet Under)
just manifests in front of him, the eerie incidental music kicks in
and Joe knows this could be his last board game...ever.
My God...mildew.
Following the Visitor back in the
graveyard, we are treated to a new tale of terror of one Sam Hooper.
Not relation to Matt Hooper of Jaws. Yes I am a smart ass, what of
it?
Sam, a young student simply wants to
study for his big test without any distractions and quite frankly I
don't think that is much to ask. A young med student is cracking
open the books and is probably going to be there for a while. He may
want to order a pizza, because he hasn't scheduled something pass
making ramen noodles. Enough time elapses and he's done for the
night.
Time for a slasher flick. Oh what
luck, that's Urban Fears on. I always end up stuck with The Prowler
or Mother's day. Our slasher delight is immediately interrupted for
an emergency broadcast telling folks in the Riverside area to
evacuate ASAP. What's the reason? Zombies? A scourge of vampires?
Republicans demanding your vote? None of the above. It's a giant
meteor being hurdled to that section of town. Well...didn't see
that one coming. My guess was a gas leak or again, zombies. What a
second, it was all just an elaborate video. Well, see if I trust the
media any more.
Bear in mind I am watching a screener
but the Hooper storyline sound like Goblin is performing the
soundtrack. Then a POV shoot which looks like his apartment got
broken into, so yeah folks I am as confused as you are reading this.
Sam has ideas but nothing coherently shot and edited yet. He hits on
the idea of a slasher film but how do you make that unique and
interesting instead of obscure but downright confusing. How?
HOW??!!!
Much soul searching will be needed.
Maybe a dummy or a dark force that warped a man into a mute
antagonist? With a bit of improved shots, cut scenes and spatter
effects, he will make a one man slasher movie as both the killer and
the victim. Props for creativity but better make your slasher mute
then. No catch phrasing ending up in Freddy territory or God help us,
Killjoy.
This manual reads like...well a manual.
It's a bit meta but hell I liked it.
Just not panning out with our young auteur. He's close to what he
wants but still wracking the brain figuring out what really is the
horror he is trying to convey on film. Meanwhile an lunatic seems to
be out and about stabbing victims and our boy gets a package...with a
Charlie McCarthy ventriloquist dummy in it. BURN IT! Right now! Too
many haunted, cursed and possessed dummy movies out there for you to
not see the signs of bad things to come. Cleanse it with fire.
Moving on and yes for those keeping
tally, this is anthology story going, we head to Jennifer Burton
(Alexis Beacher of Night, Urban Fears and Tale from Six Feet
Under). It's her birthday and so far it doesn't look like
anyone is available to celebrate it with her. Yeah work, life,
errands and raising kids can do that to you as you age gracefully or
kicking and screaming. An unknown person wishes her a happy birthday
thanks to social media blurting it out. Hey don't worry yet, hun.
It didn't give up your age. Jennifer is cautious as this could be
anyone creeping about. Anonymous gives off that vibe as many a girl
can testify to, so she proceeds to ask who is messaging her. There
is a lot of evasion and a slightly flirtatious nature to it.
Jennifer is starting to get creeped out
and frankly it is at this point, I'm screaming, "Girl hit a
mall, library, invite a friend or two over for shots. Something."
What I enjoyed the most is the handheld
camera work, the POV creeper viewing and the tone being set by the
music. Good mood and atmosphere established with some creative
stories, combining old facets of horror story telling, with spins,
twists and turns.
We could argue the spoiler factor of
the cemetery showing us each a plot of these people but it gives
enough of a nudge into our morbid curiosity to wonder what happened
to these people, what was their final end and could it occurred at
any time in their life?
We have a decent cast, clever tales and
overall I was entertained. If this is what Jacobs can do with a
meager budget, let's see if we can fund his next project and watch
him go dark as possible.
Welcome back readers. I got a request
for a movie review by the inspiring director of said creation. With
a real team effort, barely a grand in the kitty and nothing but guts
and determination, this film was going to made and it was. I love
that kind of filming every time. This is Night.
Um...I have to go to the bathroom now.
First time writer/director/producer
Nicholas Michael Jacobs
(Night) comes
a twisted tale of a young girl Judy Stern (Gianna Jacobs
of Night) off the streets
and into his clutches. We see our man in a ski mask moving around and
prepping for the evening's event. We also are treated to him
grabbing a bag maybe made of fabric or plastic. Hard to say. Bit of
creeper POV shot showing her just texting, tweeting or possibly
Instagram on her smartphone but completely ignoring her surroundings.
Also the light source gives away where you are and who isn't with
you, young lady. Stranger Danger!!
No sweep up and go. You get the
mood of a predator stalking his prey. We take a substantial walk as
he either knows her habits, routines or direction she normally
travels.
About four minutes
of stalking and heading up mildly lit streets, a rag makes it across
the girl's face and she's his now. Shot like a found footage film,
we have background noises of our abductor milling about, reaching for
God only knows and for whatever reason.
With his ski mask
and Dickies jumpsuit, our torturer/sadist preps the kid for the
evening's festivities. Probably wants her awake to feed off her fear
and make it all that much more exciting for him.
A tad young for Saturday Night Fever.
Judy tries to
valiantly escape while her captor is getting supplies or cooling off
so he doesn't end her too soon but to no avail. No sooner is he
roaming the kill house for her, our masked man gets a call. His
girlfriend pleading to him to quit slaughtering innocents. Damn, I
can't seem to keep a girl to being immature and this nut has a lady
that just wants him to stop bathing in the blood of the innocent like
he could quit smoking. "Honey a patch a day, and your murder
lust dies down."
With six months
experience, he boots up to a chat room viewing this live streaming.
Umm I don't think this fits in Twitch's bylaws. Gets worse, he is
taking requests on what to do with her. Yeah the real villains are
the viewers you can't even see.
The sheer horror
and futility in her eyes makes it creepier and yeah this feels like a
dark Patreon account. That's right, donations to see some evil.
This
has the same vibe of guerilla filming to the likes of Tobe
Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
So many desperate elements all working in concert with one another.
Technical wise, I
saw our cameraman in the shadows a few times following the girl, the
editing could shave down some scenes or you just do the cuts in
between. Also keep in mind, I am seeing the screener and most of
these may have already been tended to. A few suggestions would be a
time wipe and say get supplies earlier in POV at a hardware store and
just ask the clerk to look a little unnerved, fade to a interior van
driving and some eerie public domain music. Maybe to pan to a tray
or cart full of torture implements, zoom to duct tape being pulled
taunt, cut a dark room and muffled sobbing.
With maybe $1000
in the kitty, this is gritty, dark and your own mind starts filling
in the blanks. It does give a malefic feel to the whole scenario that
there would be someone like this doing a live feed giving people
jollies.
Suffice
to say, while I may have seen the end coming, not everyone will. Not
bad first time at bat, just need a bit more technical knowledge and
don't be afraid to put a translucent tarp around the camera for blood
gags. Hey feel free to take a look yourselves. Night is already
available for POV Horror and will be made available at Amazon Prime
on March 23rd.
