Movies With the Word Slaughter in it: Slaughter Daughter

Well howdy all and welcome back for Day 4 of Movies With the Word Slaughter in it. Well this randomness has been interesting. Now we have a film with a rhyming scheme...not too sure if it is going to be something worth viewing but let's give it a whirl. This is Slaughter Daughter.

Why hello Clarice...

What we have is not the stereotypical teen slasher as it appears to be more of a revenge thriller that is amazingly not about a rape revenge so PROGRESS!!! Instead we have elements borrowed from your gritty and dirty grindhouse era with the poor print grainy look to the jarring camera angles and even some unusual music cues.

Director/writer Travis Campbell (Troma Digital Studios: A Lesson in BrownRay, Mr Bricks: A Heavy Metal Murder Musical, Return to Nuke 'Em High Volume 1 and Return to Nuke 'Em High Volume 2) has cut his teeth under Troma creator Lloyd Kaufman and spins a yarn of a failing beauty queen Farrah (Nicola Fiore of The Chainsaw Sally Show, Ms. Cannibal Holocaust, Slaughter Daughter: The Webisodes, Teenape Vs, The Monster Nazi Apocalypse, Annunciaton, Liberta, Royal Pains, Vamp Bikers Dos, Sociopathia and The Night Before) whose mind is slipping into some level of psychosis ever since she was stood up on her wedding day. With her father dead she lives with her mom and aunt who are in the closet lovers (Ew.)

Put your shoes on and get in the car, dammit!

Mom (Leesa Rowland of Satan's Storybook, Sgt, Kabukiman N.Y.P.D., Book of Love, Troma Theater, Conviction and Scriptless) is extremely abusive to Farrah, berates her constantly and drops the bombshell of being engaged to her father's best friend. Farrah proceeds to dwell in her own subconcious to escape from the really real world. From this point is when she begins to obsess over notorious serial killer Jackson Miles (Tim Dax of The Lair, Mr. Bricks: A Heavy Metal Murder Musical, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, I Spill Your Guts, Catch of the Day and Vampie).

Becoming pen pals with convicts is not unheard of but normally it is not to pick the killer's brain without a book deal or movie on the table. As a token of her affection she sends Jackson a finger in the mail landing her into a tour in the local wacko basket. Upon release she visits Miles on death row and tells him he can have her if... she can learn the art of murder.

Is Mommykins and Auntie dear in for a treat??? Will Miles just pork away and give Farrah some BS and shoo her off??

Generally speaking, the ambience of the film feels like either an early Brian De Palma movie or possibly one of Lucio Fulci's giallo movies taking its time and pacing itself. The acting is surprisingly good and the whole cast are really into their characters. Our gore gags and practical effects are quite well done and we get more kills on camera rather than a cut away or off-screen death. I am not certain I would watch it twice but in the long run it was still enjoyable, bloody and gasp, there was some nudity for ACTUAL REASONS. I know, I too was stunned.

I vant you blood!!!

Dustin Ferguson: Silent Night Bloody Night 2: Revival

Howdy boys and girls! Cowboy not Curtis here as we continue on to Day 3 of Dustin Ferguson Week. Who is Dustin Ferguson? Have you really not been reading this week's blog at all? You've been binge watching Supernatural episodes again, haven't you? Fine, fine. Retroploitation Horror Director/writer/editor/producer Dustin Ferguson (Terror at Black Tree Forest, The Legacy of Boggy Creek, Silly Scaries, Escape to Black Tree Forest, Silly Scaries 2, Slumber Party Slasherthon, Black Tree Forest III, Doll Killer, Die Sister, Die! And Gloved Murderess) brings a good product in the style of low budget horror with solid premise, performance and local actors and artists giving best effort. Here's a bit of a poser though, gang. How do you write and direct a sequel to a film that starred 43 years ago? Whelp, you try your level best is my guess. This is Silent Night, Bloody Night 2: Revival.

They're coming to get you, Barbara.

Not to be confused with the James Plumb's Silent Night Bloody Night The Homecoming remake. This is based on the story penned by writer/director Theodore Gershuny (Silent Night, Bloody Night, Sugar Cookies, Stephen King's Golden Tales, Tales from the Darkside and Monsters) Angela (Julia Farrell of Flyover Country, The Eyes of Isabelle, Cheerleader Camp: To the Death, Demon Dolls, Shivers Down Your Spine, Endor, The Amityville Legacy and Deciphering) and James Zacherly (Luc Bernier of Apocalypse Female Warriors, Sinister, Shriek of the Sasquatch, Skull Forest, Blood Mercury, Blood Reunion 3: Hunters, Half Moon Bay and The Slayer) visiting the grave of Max, their brother. Our story continues from a stay at a bed and breakfast made from the former family house/insane asylum as Angela and James discover a diary of Jeffrey Butler, the grandson of Wilford who made his childhood home made into a wacko basket to conceal his DIRTY secrets.

Welcome! You must try the bluefish.

The bed and breakfast crazy house is ran by the Brickmans, Carol (Jennifer Runyon of To All a Goodnight, Another World, Six Pack, Up the Creek, Ghostbusters, Charles in Charge, 18 Again!, Till Death Us Do Part and Carnosaur) and Humphrey (Pete Lipins of Wake the Witch, Way to Go, Christine!, She Lifes Her Life and Wasted Nights) with their daughter Holly (Jennii Caroline of The Legacy of Boggy Creek, Escape to Black Tree Forest, Black Tree Forest III, Doll Killer, Die Sister, Die! And Gloved Murderess)

As bizarre as that is, the townsfolk tell our sibling sleuths about the legend of Black Peter, a brother of Santa Claus similar to the Krampus that roamed the countryside administering punishment of the lethal variety.   "PUNISH!"  Go away Billy! You're Silent Night, Deadly Night. Scram!    Sorry about that folks, where was I?

Do love me some orchestral music in the slashers. It's traditional. You get that millennial horror flicks with additions of Slipknot and Korn???!!! Angela and James watch a VHS tape made by late brother Max telling them a dark tale of their mother having being the biggest liar of them all with cryptic comments and hints to all those mysteries can be solved in this town. As the events of the original start coming to light, Black Peter is making his rounds dealing out much needed punishment for those that have been naughty. Can Angela and James reason with Black Peter? Is he really evil Santa? Could the police in a slasher flick be useful??!!!

Some familiar faces of the Ferguson collective such as Julia Farrell, Jennii Caroline and Breana Mitchell make an appearance. I snickered thinking, "Hmm they are missing Schuylar Craig to round it out." Sadly, Wilford/Jeffrey could only be Crazy Ralph on the phone. He was all set to launch into the town had a death curse and everything. The movie works in that same late 70s early 80s style of building tension, conveying story and making characters without douchey dialogue and being post-modern ironic. It is rare I enjoy a modern horror film so thank God for retroploitation.

Aw, Santa has to put Blitzen down.

House Stories: House III: The Horror Show

Sorry about the delay. Brain hating migraines. Enough of that, time to get back to the continuing series of House. Yeah this film isn't even supposed to be a link to series but thanks to distribution from foreign to domestic this film was released under... wait for it, ALTERNATIVE TITLES!!!! The producers decided they need to rename this film House 3 for the foreign market because...reasons. Yeah I was surprised it turns out House IV should have been House III but produced by Sean S. Cunningham and composed by Harry Manfredini simply made our original third film House IV to solve all the issues and baffle about every collector. This is House 3 a.k.a. The Horror Show a.k.a. La casa 7 a.k.a.Evil Dead 7 and House III: The Horror Show.

Yer gonna die ya filthy replicant.

Directed by the late SFX creator/director James Isaac (The Horror Show, Jason X, Skinwalkers and Pig Hunt) follows the story of Detective McCarthy (Lance Henriksen of The Terminator, Savage Dawn, Aliens, Near Dark, Pumpkinhead, Alien 3, Man's Best Friend, No Escape, The Quick and the Dead and Millennium) finally catches America's most successful serial killer with a kill count of 110 people. Our vicious and ridiculous laughing Max "Meat Cleaver" Jenke (Brion James of Blade Runner, 48 Hrs., A Breed Apart, Crimewave, Silverado, Enemy Mine, Cherry 2000, Red Heat and Tango & Cash). Yes 110 people went to their deaths somehow with the cops never noticing or finding any clues and correlation to the other deaths. That stupid cackle will drive you bat crap crazy.

Pumpkinhead 5: Harvest Season.

So sentenced finally to his death via electrocution only physically but...it in fact made him into a electric being that can manifest into all those who dare to watch his execution. This particular concept of executed serial killer coming back to life and stalk folks down was based originally in Wes Craven's Shocker and Robert Resnikoff's The First Power. Fearing for the lives for his family, wife Donna (Rita Taggart of Coming Home, The Horror Show, Limbo and Mulholland Drive) and kids Bonnie (Dedee Pfeiffer of For Your Love, Falling Down, Cybill, Up Close & Personal, Burn Notice and Flatline) and Scott (Aron Eisenberg of Amityville: The Evil Escapes, Streets, Prayer of the Rollerboys, Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge and The Liar's Club) as Max haunts them from beyond the grave. The common theory is he wanted to drive Lance Henriksen crackers before killing him. Will McCarthy be able to save his family? Can Jenke be stopped? Will anyone give a crap??

Several scenes had to be removed to avoid an X rating according to the MPAA's standards. The European release I saw has some serious gore that frankly wasn't over the top by Saw's standards. Loved how Jenke's apartment was completely untouched, none of his stuff removed and clues that he was intrigued by McCarthy and his family for ages. Death row takes years so who the hell was paying for that apartment to stay open for a convicted serial killer?

Yeah it was painful, plotholes of electromagnetic evils and the effects were fair. Buck up folks, we still have one more House movie to go.

How's my breath??!!!

Gorefest: Nightmare

A fine greetings to all that is still reading this blog. Welcome to Day 4 of Gorefest. Well after the extremely goofy, crass flick of yesterday's Blood Diner I am hoping today's flick will be creepy yet messy. Bloody but suspenseful. Looks like I might get my wish. How about a serial slasher that actually stayed in the mental institute?? Bizarre concept?? Sayeth whaaaaat?? Yeah I am teasing. He escapes shortly after his anti-psychotics aren't doing the trick and he is out on the streets or maybe a stolen car. This is Nightmare.

Teach you to get into my 65 year old scotch!

George Tatum (Baird Stafford of Nightmare and Dog Tags) underwent a experimental trial with a new drug. This drug is suppose to cease his psychotic episodes and his horrific dreams brought by some childhood trauma he either cannot or won't share about with his doctors. "On the road to recovery", he stops at a nudie booth and has horrible flashbacks of his parents... getting busy... and then a boy with an ax murders them causing George to foam at the mouth and fall into a seizure. With the nightmares worsening, George is released from the hospital prematurely and all those involved with the drug trial are patting themselves on the back. Now he is on the loose searching for his ex-wife and children housed away snugly in Florida after leaving quite the mess in Philadelphia. Trust me when I say there will be more than a few apartments available thanks to George alone.

His ex, Susan Temper (Sharon Smith of Blast-Off Girls, Tyler, Nightmare and Puss in Boots), son C.J. (C.J. Cooke of Nightmare) and his two daughters Tammy (Tammy Patterson of Nightmare) and Kimmy (Kim Patterson) are completely unaware that Daddy is on his way and he is leaving a vicious trail of dead screws as he goes.

No, these aren't your panties... they're mine.

Susan being the bread winner of the house leaves the kids with Kathy (Danny Ronan of Nightmare) in charge when she starts to receive a series of hang up calls. With Last Call Return or *69 not available for another 13 years, Kathy is growing concerned.

Will George find his family and dance in their blood soaked corpses? Will any girl ever want to be a babysitter thanks to the 80's horror films? Will there be competent cops or the typical clueless slasher ones?

A few comments on the film. There has been a dispute on Tom Savini's involvement in this movie for the FX, prostethics and blood bladders. Apparently he was only a technical advisor and not hands on with this one. Also, he is really sick of answering this question, horror buffs so move on.

With the smart editing, bizarre visuals and fairly graphic death sequences you almost have a feel of William Lustig's Maniac or even Lucio Fulchi's The New York Ripper. In many ways, the killers are similar with the completely jacked up childhoods and the disposal of the victims are alike but unlike those characters, George's back story is a teensy more jacked up than they and the nightmares are a doorway into George's psychosis showing how deranged he really is. With dreams of blood stained scenarios every night it is no wonder this man cannot get a decent rest let alone keep his oars in the water. With the POV shots on potential victims, the long crane shots and the dolly track always staying away from them, you really cannot be certain when he will really strike. It really leaves the mind spinning on how all this could happen.

So yes like Maniac and The New York Ripper this is grisly and just as sleazy with solid story telling and I did jump a few times watching. The characters aren't really anything new but overall I did enjoy the film. You need a good thriller with that serial killer slasher vibe, you like your rooms blood-splattered and gory then this is your film.  In the 1980's this fell under the Video Nasty in the UK for its graphic death scenes and no "artistic" integrity. And decades later I think I have seen bloodier flicks from across the pond.

Blarggfff!!!!

William Shatner Week: Impulse

Hey there folks and welcome to Day 1 of William Shatner Week and I think I managed to find a doozy for starting off.  I wanted to step away from Star Trek as much as humanly possible.  So what could be less Kirk that a gigolo/con man/serial killer?  Yes Shatner is getting to play a disturbed villain for a change.  So hunker down in your chair, have some popcorn and dig those groovy threads.  This is Impulse.

Trust me ladies...

Spoilers should be ground up for dog meat!

Young Matt Stone is awakened in the middle of the night because Mom is a bit tipsy with a jarhead visitor.  Our proud portrayal of the Marines spots the kid and points out he clear needs to learn how to take a woman.  Yes this is the first four minutes of our movie.  Matt grabs a katana; whacks jarhead then guts him when the guy lunges at him.  Several years later Matt (William Shatner of 77 Sunset Strip, Incubus, Hound of the Baskervilles, T.J. Hooker, Tekwar and The Practice) is no longer institutionalized for his childhood mishap and is…a bit on the creepy side.   Matt is all grown up and frequents belly dance bars all the while omitting a sort of dark charm about his person. 

Breaking up is so hard to do.

After she tails him the night before, Helen (Marcia Knight of Skydivers, Darker than Amber and Stanley) sets her foot down and reads him the riot act.  Matt takes this all in stride by throttling her to death.   He goes from unbridled rage to an almost childlike innocence when talking to the now former Helen.   Sensing the po pos will not let this behavior stand he ditches his ’73 LTD in the drink with Helen inside.  Heh heh the perfect crime…except the evidence she was throttled but hey the trace evidence should wash away.  The ’73 Charger he gets later was an excellent ride as well.

In need of a new sugar momma, Matt makes the scene with Widow Ann Moy (Jennifer Bishop of Hee Haw, House of Terror, Mako: Jaws of Death and Jessi’s Girls) but pesky daughter Tina (Kim Nicholas of Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny, Limbo, Salty and Black Sunday) thinks this fly by night Johnny come lately may just be after Mother’s money.    Having a disagreement with an old grafter buddy Karate Pete (Harold Sakata of Goldfinger, Dimension 5, Record City, Death Dimension and Ninja Strikes Back) Matt tends to him with such flamboyance and utter glee in his face you know this cat is completely off his rocker.

Kids, never accept a ride from strange Shatners.

I have just a few things about the film if you can handle that.  Now the film is exploitation at its most tawdry.  The sex scenes are a little racy so best not let the kids see it.  Just because it is low budget does not mean they do not push the envelope on an over wise thin script.  The premise of the story is apparent but Matt’s motives are not.  It is almost he is just crazy for the sake of crazy.  Again childhood drama notwithstanding, he never did seem to bounce back from it.

Hang in there, kitten. Friday's coming.

I love the car crash scene into the river as it was all one continuous shot and looked amazing for a rig and while my copy of viewing was grainier than a field of wheat, the sound was clear enough and the picture decent to view.  Shatner’s performance was just damn eerie.  After this film you will see him in a different scope.

A Nightmare on Remake Street

Hey folks what is more enjoyable than an original horror movie? Why, the remake of course.  Those are always delightful.  1, 2 Freddy’s coming for you. 3, 4 better lock your door. 5, 6 grab a crucifix. 7,8 stay up late. 9, 10 never sleep again.  This is A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Spoilers return from the dead...

Based on Wes Craven’s creation music video director Samuel Bayer (Green Day: Bullet in a Bible, Blink 182: Greatest Hits and Absolute Garbage) must have felt qualified to tackle this character of 20 years of terror and camp and breathe new life in it.   This film was literally shot for shot identical from its predecessor.  Writers Wesley Strick (Final Analysis, Wolf, The Saint and Doom) and Eric Heisserer (Stranger Adventures, The Thing 2011 version and Final Destination 5) hacked Craven’s simplistic creation and my blood went completely cold realizing director/producer Michael Bay (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Amityville Horror, Transformers and Friday the 13^th) felt the need to produce this wonderful magnum opus. 

Several teenagers in Springwood Ohio are having reoccurring dreams of a burnt man with a glove with blades attached to the fingers.   Going on the basis of the original concept of making Krueger a pedophile and dragging four kids to his Uncle Touchy’s Naked Puzzle Basement; several parents of these children that he abducted sought him out and burned him to death or did they?  Dun dun dun!!!

The story arc starts up its focus with Kris (Katie Cassidy of Click, Black Christmas, Taken, Harper’s Island and Gossip Girl) with her intense moments and emotions and blah blah blah.  A handful of teenagers Nancy (Rooney Mara of Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, Dream Boy, The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and Quentin (Kyle Gallner of Smallville, Veronica Mars, Jennifer’s Body, The Haunting in Connecticut and Red State) discover that memories where lashed together with nightmares.  In essence Freddy is just messing with their heads and admittedly the teens actually don’t even get to bother develop as an archetype of clichés and platitudes.  

A few points of the remake versus the original, the remake had a substantial budget, some great 35mm HD along with a bit of CGI and this version of Freddy is a bit more sadistic, intelligent and warped. The cinematography and the SFX is a vast improvement.    No zany puns and whacky comments. Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley of Little Children, Watchmen, Shutter Island and Dark Shadows) torments the kids with cruel slow and messier deaths.

Now the effects are a vast improvement of the lack of budget in the original, story is actually scarier but Bayer has never heard of tension or build-up and the proper execution of this.   Every scare is yet another series of timed jump scares that once you catch the rhythm it is predictable as fish on Friday.  Musical cues must have a button on standby to blat out on the film.  Nice try Bayer but no cigar.  I am not stating the original is genius but it was original and clever.  This isn’t.