Changes on site
As of late, I have taken a hiatus from writing posts on the site to revamp and explore options in the way I want to present content to readers. I have decided on a way to make it more interesting to read, as well as easier for me to produce posts more often. Fear not, SHU-IZMZ is going to still be around for years to come bringing readers my views on all sorts of sick and twisted films, as well as movies in the Indie circuit, the mainstream and mass-produced, and the piles of remakes and sequels Hollywood throws at us month after month. I only write because I, for the most part, enjoy writing. Sometimes only writing reviews on films gets to be a little bit mundane and boring, so I will use this site as a means to reach out to my readers and inform them what is on my mind and what films I am interested in, whether they be horror, sci-fi, action, cult, or films of an adult nature. Expect more posts on a more frequent basis, just not as long in duration. I shall save that for some of the reviews. Right now, I am going to go back to watching a wretched Irish film, starring Mike Meyers and Alfred Molina, about a meteor that has crashed into a lower-class Irish neighborhood and stirred things up entitled Pete’s Meteor. Of note is that Brenda Fricker is in the film. You may have remembered her as Mike Meyer’s Scottish mother in So I Married An Axe Murderer. She was far more entertaining in that film.
BOOK REVIEW: CODENAME: LA LECHUSA by Bowie V. Ibarra
Everyone who knows anything about me can probably tell you that there are some things I really dig, such as gory horror films, nudity-filled exploitative horror, cult, and sex films, and a love for all things Latin—including their culture, but most important their women. There is just something about them that is a major turn-on and has always been. Myself, being of German-Irish descent, find their (Latinas) varying shades of brown-colored skin and naturally tanned bodies is quite a contrast to the lily-white and generally pale-skinned color of women from Ireland and Germany, unless of course fake-tanning is involved and then it’s just another episode of Jersey Shore.
The reason I bring up my particular tastes in women and all things Latin is that Hispanic author Bowie V. Ibarra, in writing Codename: La Lechusa, has crafted an action story that takes place in a town in Texas, San Uvalde and is the story of an assassin of Hispanic descent and heritage of which is described as a Latin Queen of Beauty with perfect breasts, strongly-muscled legs and a tight ass to boot. Author Ibarra gives the reader a very detailed description of his main character, a beautiful and sexy assassin by night, and a single-mother working as an administrative assistant for a construction company that is “ran” by an inept drunk. The assassin, going by the name of La Lechusa when on assignment and back to Paula Luna when not taking out bad guys for hire, works for a private agency that is sort of a mix of James Bond-style headquarters with the accompanying gadgets that go along with the job of discreet assassins. The assassin “headquarters” are run by a nun, Sister Joyce, and a priest, Reverand Farkas, and is where La Lechusa heads to get her assignments, spy gear, weaponry, and intel. The façade of the East Side Baptist Church hides the fact that it is a headquarters of sorts for a U.S. Government clandestine operation.
Ibarra takes great detail to craft a story that not only includes a fair amount of action, including some slightly graphic descriptions of murders taking place, but also tells a story of a mother, her daughter, and goes into the history of Paula (La Lechusa) and the men she has been with, the importance of monogamy within a relationship, and even more importantly, treating women with respect. The author sets the tone for Paula’s bitterness towards men (due to a past relationship where she was treated horribly beyond one’s imagination) and it made this reader think that some men treat women like total shit, thinking that because one woman is beautiful and confident with herself she is just a whore or another peg on a man’s sexual conquest ladder to be climbed up, mounted, and abused sexually.
The book’s story is littered with Spanish culture and phrases, local Texas flavor, as well as some Mexican folklore (such as the codename of La Lechusa) and at times I had to bust out my Spanish dictionary when I wanted to know exactly what was being said (Ibarra generally would follow his Spanish dialogue or thoughts between characters with a general reiteration of what was being said in case one does not have a Spanish dictionary readily available) and I feel that the moral lessons given, the Mexican culture lightly explored, and the locale of the story gives the reader a distinct feel and flavor added to the action and story of a mother and the love for her daughter and mother. The story is just not another action-packed story of an assassin killing off dirt bags who have wronged society or have been found to be highly corrupt.
I enjoyed reading Ibarra’s briskly-paced, action tale, but wished the depictions of carnage and kills was more descriptive and not so “rushed”. La Lechusa takes out a great many of her targets with a long Bowie knife (probably a little nod and tribute to the author’s first name) and I wanted the moments of murder to go a little longer in length giving the reader a bit of time to let the carnage of the events really sink in, giving the story a sharper edge to it. At times, I found the antics and comedic elements of Paula Luna’s character while hanging out at the bars with her “girls” to be more interesting. The book has three major components, in terms of story segments, to it. The history of Paula Luna in her younger years which shaped her attitude for love and romance, her career in the military which led to her current job occupation as an assassin-for-hire, and her current-day situation of balancing being a two-job career woman (secretary and murder-for-hire) and being a mother and role-model to her young daughter.
One component of the story that makes it stand out and gives it more of an edge with a few surprises is the introduction of Paula’s mysterious neighbor, an old lady who is deeply involved in magic and things of that sort of nature. She gives Paula and her daughter Mariana ancient necklaces that have powers for those wearing them. Throw into the mix Paula’s sexual endeavors with Damien, a man that has gotten the attention of her when most others rarely get a look from her, and one knows they will be in store for something quite interesting. Ibarra is an author that keeps things simple and easy to follow and understand, all the while making sure the action is briskly moving along so the reader does not lose interest. By no means are we reading a complex action-thriller with tons of complex plot points, such as a Robert Ludlum novel, but the book kept my interest maintained throughout. From an extremely critical point of view, my only gripe was that Ibarra sometimes would lay the similes on a little thick at times, which gave me a few chuckles here and there. Sometimes, they seemed a bit ridiculous and at times, uber-cheesy, but as the story progressed they were used more sparingly and appropriately. By no means am I an English major or authority on writing anything, but I just found the use of similes glaringly obvious. I probably would not even have mentioned this minor point of contention but it really was the only aspect of the book that I had a problem with. I really enjoyed the story and the thought that went into the depth of the characters.
Ibarra takes the time to put a great amount of thought into Paula’s character, past and present, and making her the focus of the story (as she should be) but also giving other characters in the story a bit of history as well. The book was a fun read and quite enjoyable but nothing that will cause one to pause and go into any sort of deep thoughts. It was written to entertain and amuse, succeeding in its task. As I was reading the story, I kept thinking back to a slew of ‘90s action flicks I saw not too long ago by director Andy Sideris. The flicks were nothing more than popcorn flicks but were heavy on the sex and quasi-absurd gimmicks and gadgets used to spy, combat, and assassinate intended targets. I can’t help but feel that Ibarra is a great fan of action flicks that are fun to watch, if totally unrealistic and absurd at times. I think the late Mr. Sideris (Rest in Peace- he passed away in 2007 of throat cancer) would be proud of Mr. Ibarra’s slick action story, as well as having a character such as Paula who was a very sexy, drop-dead gorgeous Latin woman (Sideris frequently cast Playboy Playmates in his films in varying stages of undress) and a woman who was proud, demanded respect, and took no bullshit or abuse from any man or woman.
Codename: La Lechusa, the story about a mother by day and an assassin by night, is published by Library of the Living Dead Press, an imprint of Twisted Library Press, and runs $14.95 at full-price in paperback or only $3.99 via Kindle. (As of this writing, Mr. Ibarra is the featured author and his book is the featured book on the website). I, for one, always prefer to read my books in a physical book format on paper, rather than digitally, and I guess that is not very “green” of me in this day and age, but I really look at a computer screen enough and like to just carry a book and not freak out if I drop it or it gets wet (which I would with a Kindle or laptop while reading a digital file).
I recommend Codename: La Lechusa for those that enjoy action films, sex, violence, and adventure on a simple level because Bowie V. Ibarra’s short novel delivers on all levels, with a distinct dose of Latin flavor and culture thrown into the mix as well. I would be interested to see if there are going to be more stories depicting the Latin assassin fighting crime for the good of humanity all over the world.
HELLDRIVER is gonna rip your balls out!
“Helldriver explodes with goodness!” – Cole Abaius, Film School Rejects
“Plenty of gore, comedy and carnage to go around!” – Colleen Wanglund, CinemaKnifeFight.com
“Who the fuck does not want to see a movie titled HELLDRIVER?!?! I haven’t even seen it yet but I already have a raging hard-on for this film!” -Bryan Schuessler, SHU-IZMZ
The director of TOKYO GORE POLICE, SUICIDE CLUB, and NORIKO’S DINNER TABLE is back and with a movie entitled HELLDRIVER! If one has seen ANY of Nishimura’s flicks, then one knows that they pull no punches and, in fact, just pull out your guys and rip them apart for you! I found the intro to SUICIDE CLUB to be one of the most entertaining beginnings to a film I have ever seen. Tokyo Gore Police starred Eihi Shiina (AUDITION) and she is back for HELLDRIVER. Shiina gave quite possibly one of the most terrifying performances seen in a Japanese horror film that I have ever seen. HELLDRIVER is one of the burgeoning genre’s of horror dubbed J-sploitation Cinema in the second wave of Nikkatsu’s Sushi Typhoon series of films with this title. I can’t get enough of it. It is like horror on PCP!
Welcome to Zombie World!
HELLDRIVER
Japanese Splatter King Yoshihiro Nishimura Delivers a Blood-Soaked Gore Fest on Blu-ray™ + DVD Combo Pack and DVD November 22
Extensive Bonus Materials Include Three Spinoff Short Films Set Within the
Helldriver Universe: Helldriver Dokata, Catch Me If You Can! and Bailout!
PLANO, TEXAS. (September 26, 2011) – From director Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police, Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl) comes the epic, apocalyptic Zombie-fighting road movie Helldriver, featuring non-stop, over-the-top splatter action debuting on Blu-ray™ + DVD Combo Pack and DVD November 22 from Well Go USA. The latest cult film from the prolific Japanese production company Sushi Typhoon, Helldriver takes place in a Japan where half the population has become not-so-sexy flesh eaters and the economy has gently withered away … until Kika (Yumiko Hara) arrives. A stunning high school girl armed with an artificial heart-powered chainsaw sword, she leads a motley crew of desperados on a secret mission into the zombie-infected wilds to exterminate zombie queen Rikka (Eihi Shiina, Tokyo Gore Police) and put an end to the plague of the living dead.
The extensive bonus features include three exclusive short films set within the Helldriver universe: Helldriver Dokata (directed by Helldriver First Assistant Director Jun Shiozaki), Catch Me If You Can! (directed by Lighting Director Hiroshi Ota), and Bailout! (directed by poster designer Yoshiki Takahashi). Additional added value includes an in-depth interview with the Japanese splatter king himself, Yoshihiro Nishimura and two behind-the-scenes featurettes: “The Making of Helldriver,” directed by Helldriver actor Demo Tanaka that not only details the making of the film, but also the literally hellish conditions under which the film was shot (two-week shooting schedule, bad weather) and ”Sushi Typhoon: Tokyo Invasion!,” featuring interviews with many of the Sushi Typhoon team while launching the Sushi Typhoon festival, where four films were screened for a month in the Ginza area of Tokyo. Helldriver will be available in the Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack for $29.98 SRP and on DVD for $24.98 SRP.
Synopsis:
A meteorite crashes into Japan, releasing a toxic ash that turns inhabitants in the northern half of the country into bloodthirsty zombies. Some time later, with the north now walled off from the rest of Japan, a young woman (Yumiko Hara) is charged with leading a group of ragtag soldiers into the infected region to kill the “zombie queen” (Shiina) – who also happens to be her homicidal mother.
Bonus Features Include:
§ Director Interview with Yoshihiro Nishimura
§ “The Making of Helldriver” featurette
§ “Sushi Typhoon: Tokyo Invasion!” featurette
§ Short Films
o Helldriver Dokata
o Catch Me If You Can!
o Bailout!
§ Trailers
Helldriver has a runtime of approximately 114 minutes and is not rated.
SOURCE: WELL GO USA
A Friend’s plea for help…
David 'Bones' Hebert (1970-2011)
An actor in the horror community and a friend of mine, Dan Ellis, has called upon my help and others in the horror community. Dan Ellis, whom you may recognize from having starred in such excellent horror films such as Gutterballs, Hanger, Monsturd, and his latest film, Bleading Lady a.k.a. Star Vehicle, recently lost a good friend to violence, a murder in fact, that involved police officers and the details of the murder seem to be highly questionable, especially to those close the victim, whose name is David Paul Herbert. I am posting this information so that those in the horror community who may have known him or might no any details or clues to help Dan Ellis and the friends and family of the recently deceased to put some closure on the murky details of his murder on April 18th in the Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati. I implore my readers to click on this link and if any insight or knowledge on the case can come of it, please contact Dan Ellis and anyone else involved with the incident. I will reprint the main details of what happened down below for readers to check out. I also will post the link to the webpage if one is interested in more thoroughly sorting through the details of the case. Dan has been on the SHU-IZMZ RADIO show in the past and has always been willing to conduct an interview, help in getting us screeners through Plotdigger Films and any other projects he has been involved in. Any exposure to this case can help so feel free to pass the links or any info along to anyone and everyone that may shed some light on things. I appreciate everyone that reposts the link to this on any social networking or high-traffic websites or readers.
Let’s help those within the horror community when they come calling for we are all one big happy family that love horror films and that is our common bond. Thanks.
-Shu
In the early morning hours of April 18th, 2011, a 911 call was placed reporting a ‘cutting’ in the Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati. David Paul Hebert, affectionately known as ‘Bones’, was named as a suspect. Soon after the 911 call was placed, David and a companion were apprehended by police. Officers at the scene reported that David denied having a weapon. According to police statements, David removed a switchblade from his pocket and lunged at officers, prompting Sgt. Andrew Mitchell to fire two rounds into his chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Cruiser Cam video released by the Cincinnati Police Department shows that his beloved dog was with him when he was killed, and there was no immediate attempt by city personnel to revive him. The switchblade, which was reportedly used to lunge at police officers, was found 25 feet away from David’s body.
This website was created to provide a library of information and the latest updates released to the public in this investigation. There are links to background information on David Hebert and Sgt. Andrew Mitchell, as well as photos, video, events, media stories and press release information. If you would like any information, please feel free to contact us. If you have information pertinent to this investigation, please contact us or the City of Cincinnati Citizens’ Complaint Authority at (513) 352-1600.
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR WEBSITE!!!!
REVIEW: SCORE (1974)
Cult Epics has picked up another fine movie to be released for the first time totally uncut with Score, a sexploitation film directed by artsy-fartsy soft-core/hardcore porn auteur Radley Metzger, to be released out on Blu-ray and, once again, have given another release the red carpet treatment in terms of extra features and a wonderful looking high-def transfer. Score was made during the “porn chic” fad in the ’70s, also known as the Golden Age of Porn. Some other porn films made during this era were Deep Throat, The Devil in Miss Jones, and Behind the Green Door. A couple of these films were even played in some mainstream movie theaters, such as Metzger’s Score and Gerard Damiano’s The Devil in Miss Jones. One of my favs from this “golden era” was Debbie Does Dallas. The playfulness of the film holds a tender smart in my penis..err…I mean heart. Metzger is known for giving his films a very fresh and artistic approach to them. This film, Score, definitely could be considered a period piece for the ’70s with its look and feel. I found while watching Score, a story about a sexually-liberated swinging couple who decide to place a bet with each other concerning their liberated views on swinging and exploring ones’ carnal desires and see if a newlywed couple (married only a year) will succumb to their advances and way of life. The film garnered interest for me because of Lynn Lowry, who plays Betsy, the almost frigid yet curious young wife to the uber-gay Eddie and his repressed homosexuality. Lowry, who in the film has a very large nun fixations, actually has been in some of my favorite horror films, many of which have achieved some sort of cult status, such as George A. Romero’s The Crazies and the 2010 remake (as the woman on the bike), the cult-fav I Drink Your Blood (1970) where she was not even credited, Cronenberg’s They Came From Within where she played a nurse, and Cat People (1982). The film that got the attention of director Metzger and led to her being cast for the film was her work in Sugar Cookies (1973), another soft-core sex film. Eddie (Calvin Culver a.k.a. Casey Donovan), to me, looked like he could have been the poster-boy for a gay male erotica magazine with names like “Coltboy” or “Hotpants“.
Nun fetishes and cowboy accessories in SCORE
Elvira (Claire Wilbur) and Jack (Gerald Grant), playing the somewhat bizarre swinging couple who are looking to screw anything walking on two legs (which I guess is not too hard for them since everyone in the film is attractive) and make a bet with each other that they can seduce an extremely naive young newlywed couple. The film Score was actually adapted from Jerry Douglas’ New York City Off-Broadway stage play about multiple seductions and moved the setting from New York to a Mediterranean setting instead. The film has a very European look to it as the swinging couple of Elvira and Jack invite the young couple of Eddie and Betsy over to their lavish villa on the Riviera. Originally, the Off-Broadway play took place in an apartment in Queens, NY but Metzger made the choice to film it in Yugoslavia (Croatia) so as to give the film a much more colorful look and to open up the play a bit. I, personally, feel that if the film had taken place in an apartment in Queens, NY that the movie would have looked more like a porno film, depending on how fancy the interior of the apartment was, of course. It would have to have been a very classy and swanky spread or else the film would have seemed like a dirty sexcapade
.
Lynn Lowry
The film was made during a time period in the ’70s when not only the Golden Age of Porn existed but sexual freedom was at its high. It was a period before the A.I.D.S. epidemic had hit in the ’80s and sexual freedom was at an all-time high. The film Score was unique to me in regards to how Metzger used elements of comedy within the film, most of it being delivered with deadpan serious expressions. One had to be paying attention to the dialogue for there are no pauses or musical direction from the soundtrack to signify any elements of humor.
The setting, soundtrack, and camerawork in Score are top-notch and Metzger’s use of the title track to the movie, “Where is the Boy?” (which sort of sounds like a Rolling Stones rip-off), was performed by two boys that the director met while filming the movie in Yugoslavia (now Croatia). If one does not care for the title track to the film, then be wary, for the song is played incessantly throughout the whole picture. I felt that the song gave the film a sort of hippie atmosphere to the movie and couple that with Metzger’s creative camera angles during the sex scenes throughout Score, the elements combined add up to a free-loving and experimental sexual revolution.
I would also like to add that having watched this film as a straight heterosexual male, there is probably just about the same amount of male nudity as there is female nudity within the film. The nudity that I am talking about is full-frontal, both male and female, and this is the uncut version of the film which has never before been released to my knowledge and I was kind of surprised to see some scenes in which oral sex between two males was shown in a very X-rated type seen. If one is homophobic or just not all that comfortable with watching a great amount of gay male sex action, than this movie may have one skipping through certain segments or finding the film overall just not that interesting or their type of film. It would be a shame because Metzger’s film is really a piece of art and full of very subtle humor throughout. The film really tackles Eddie’s conflict with being sexually attracted to men as much as, if not more, than he is to women. The subject of queer style and dress is also addressed in the film using some quite brazen word choices, even for this day and age. One such piece of dialogue between Jack and Eddie lightly touch upon this:
Jack: Say, that’s a nice looking ring.
Eddie: Do you like it? I wasn’t sure I liked it. I thought it looked a little queer.
Jack: Queer strange or queer faggoty?
Eddie: Queer faggoty.
No sexual innuendo here....
Interestingly enough, Radley Metzger began his career as a straight filmmaker in the sense that he began learning the craft of filmmaking while the military. He also edited trailers for Janus Films, at the time, a big distributor of foreign films. After having some failure on some of his more “personal” projects, he decided that there was more money and success to be made within the exploitation and sex film market and Metzger went on to distribute I Spit On Your Grave and I, A Woman-both classics today. I Spit On Your Grave went on to be remade and given a nationwide distribution in movie theaters all across America. Who would have thought that a film whose plot is solely centered around a woman’s revenge after being raped and sexually degraded continually by a group of men would be the subject for a major studio remake. Go figure.
Shot in only six-weeks in 1972, Score is a unique film (especially for its time) to explore bisexuality. By no means is this writer an expert on Sexploitation films, but through my research I found out that no other films of mainstream potential ever really fully explored a bisexual swinging couple. I don’t mean to say that this topic has never come up before in a film before, but it has never been so fully explored as it is in the film Score and done so in such an artful and creative way. Score is one of the few films in which the actual shots and angles of specific scenes themselves seem to have a playful candor when viewed on the screen. Elements such as this are some of the things that I believe really set the film apart from others covering the same subject- sexual, bisexual, romance, or otherwise.
As the film progresses with Elvira and Jack each individually exploring Betsy and Eddie’s turn-ons, fetishes, and (at times) buried sexual desires (in the case of Eddie and his blatant homosexual tendencies he is constantly fighting and suppressing), dress-up time evolves into a display of sexual liberation. Betsy is privy to living out her fantasy of a nun fetish that Elvira is only so happy to accommodate her with and Eddie is slowly falling to the homoerotic ploys that Jack is bombarding Eddie with in the form of playing a porn or stag film of some type and standing in front of the screen while positioning his crotch where the flaccid penis is located in the film. Costumes brought out for dress-up time include a nun’s habit, a sailor suit, a sex-slave outfit, and some cowboy accessories. I personally felt that the film balanced the erotic scenes nicely with the comedic elements and arc of the film.
The introduction of the telephone repairman Mike (Carl Parker) in the beginning of the film, as well as towards the end of the film, introduced an outsider who one initially views as a horny male heterosexual but viewers find out may have just swayed to one way or the other from our sexually liberated swinging couple’s inclinations. Originally, the character of Mike was played by action star Sylvester Stallone for the Off Broadway production of Score, but director Radley Metzger felt that Stallone was too “ethnic” and didn’t fit the European sensibility of the picture. Interestingly, Claire Wilbur originally played Elvira in the Off-Broadway stage production of Douglas’ play and was the only cast member from the play to reprise her part in the movie.
Here is an excerpt of dialogue that I felt was pretty funny and reminded me of stoners and potheads worldwide:
Betsy: Am I stoned yet?
Elvira: I don’t think so.
Betsy: Then lets play Chopsticks anyway. [Betsy plays Chopsticks on the piano]
Betsy: I don’t remember the words…
But my favorite subtle line of dialogue in the film occurs between Betsy and Elvira while they are undressing and putting on outfits for dress-up:
[Betsy puts on crotchless panties and a frontless bra]
Betsy: Why don’t I just wear nothing?
Elvira: That would be vulgar.
I will say that the special features included in the blu-ray are pretty awesome. Included on the disc is:
On the set of The Score – A 25 minute featurette with Claire Wilbur, Lynn Lowry, Cal Culver and Radley Metzger Keeping Score with Lynn Lowry – A 20 minute new interview
Audio commentary with Michael Bowen and Radley Metzger Trailers
As I have said time and time again, I am always a big fan of an audio commentary on films that include the director and was happy that Radley Metzger is part of Score’s. The extra features within the Blu-ray disc should appease fans of supplemental footage, especially the portion of the disc that show some behind the scenes footage and shots in the On the set of The Score with Claire Wilbur, Lynn Lowry, Cal Culver, and Radley Metzger.
Score is a piece of filmmaking and sexploitation history and one of the last soft-core titles that Radley Metzger directed. The sex depicted in the film may be “tame” in comparison to more modern-day soft-core flicks, but there is no mystery to what is being sucked, stroked, poked, and explored throughout the film. The film is definitely ahead of its time and a classic in that right. Even if the bisexuality may be too much for one to stomach (homophobes) or get accustomed to, it will then serve as an eye-opener to those who may be uncomfortable in regards to their own sexuality and carnal desires. I recommend this film purely for its comedy, it’s cult appeal as well as its unique European look and feel, and finally for the taboo subject-matter that it explored far ahead of its time.
MAX HEADROOM: The Complete Series on DVD!
Max Headroom glossy photo
I remember watching this television show as a young lad and have not seen it since. I am sure the show is going to seem like some type of sick joke, but I still want to pick this up…for nostalgic reasons. Shout Factory is selling the box set over at their website for $29.99 plus S&H and if you order soon you may be able to get a limited edition glossy photo of the whole cast! I really am cracking up as I am typing this post up. Max Headroom was a selling device used by Coke and it’s so ironic that they made a whole television series out of it. I guess I should not be surprised as there are so many tv shows that were used solely as marketing and selling devices for items (G.I. Joe for action figures/ Transformers for cool toys, etc…). I guess we can all be grateful that the “Where’s the Beef?” lady from Wendy’s commercials never was given her own sitcom based on the iconic old lady from the commercials. I don’t know- the show possibly would be a cult hit. Who knows these days?
REVIEW: PIG HUNT (2008)
Fangoria FrightFest and Lightning Media brought fans eight terrifying films back in the summer of 2010, all of which SHU-IZMZ got the screeners for, and due to a ton of other screeners being mailed off to us, we are just getting around to finishing off writing the reviews for films. A long-time reader and supporter of Fangoria, most notably in the past when I feel the magazine was at its strongest in writing and quality, I have since changed my opinion somewhat when I see horror films sporting the Fangoria banner. To say the least, I was just a bit apprehensive when I received eight dvds for review with Fangoria blanketed across the envelope. After reading a few of my reviews from the FrightFest line-up, one can say that I have changed my opinion drastically as to films that are associated with Fangoria. There was a pretty decent selection of films (although a few really did suck ass!) and I excited to writing about Pig Hunt, a wonderfully unique film directed by James Issac (Jason X, Skinwalkers, The Horror Show) and written by Robert Mailer Anderson and Zack Anderson. The film stars Travis Aaron Wade (War of the Worlds (’05)) as John Hickman, whose late Uncle owned a shack out in the middle of the boonies, locale to many rednecks. Hickman decides to take his girlfriend, Brooks (Tina Huang) up with his three buddies, Ben (Howard Johnson Jr.), Quincy (Trevor Bullock), and Wayne (Rajiv Shah) on a hunting expedition. What Hickman neglects to tell his buddies is that his Uncle’s shack is located in the deep backwoods of the forest where there are not only wild boars running around, but an infamous wild boar-one bigger, fiercer, and meaner than any boar ever.
Once I read the synopsis for this film, I immediately thought of the Aussie Ozploitation film from the ’80s, Razorback, directed by Russel Mulcahy. I loved that film, as I tend to enjoy over-the-top violent and gory “animals-on-the-rampage” horror flicks, and I was hoping I would enjoy Pig Hunt just as much. Let’s just say that out of ALL the Fangoria FrightFest films, Pig Hunt was my favorite by quite a large margin.
The film excelled on pleasing its audience on so many levels, but one aspect of the film that really impressed me was the unique soundtrack that was created by ex-Primus/Sausage frontman and bassist Les Claypool. He wrote the whole soundtrack to the film, full of heavy, funky bass twangs that are most notably Claypool’s own, fitting in perfectly with the hillbilly, redneck region that the film takes place in. Not only does Claypool provide the awesome soundtrack, but he also plays one of the characters in the film, Preacher, who is the head of a family who has lived in these deep woods probably forever. The members of the family don’t look like they bathe regularly nor get out to the city much, if at all.
As far as the acting went in the film, some of the performances and characters could have been a bit more polished (Howard Johnson Jr.) or less ridiculous in nature (Byronn Bain), but overall I was satisfied with the natural performances. They added some realism to the film and kept things serious when they needed to be (like when characters were injured or killed off) and reacted in the correct manner when the reality that a huge, flesh-eating wild boar that rivaled in size to a giant elephant was hunting them down and not vice-versa. Travis Aaron-Wade did a tremendous job as the lead actor and actually replaced the originally cast lead actor in the film playing the role of John Hickman just two days before filming! Talk about some major performance pressure. I think Wade handled it nicely.
Travis Aaron-Wade as John Hickman
The film was nicely edited, creating tension and curiosity throughout the film with only showing bits and pieces of this monstrous relative to Porky Pig, partly due to the incredible chops and licks that Les Claypool creates throughout the film with his incredible bass playing. Claypool may be most recognized for (besides Primus and Sausage) for creating the intro music for Robot Chicken, as well as working on Barnyard and Zack and Miri Make a Porno. One thing that had me worried with this film was because I was immediately drawn in by Claypool’s funky yet technical bass-playing was that the rest of the movie was going to be a colossal disappointment. Boy was I wrong!
Pig Hunt continues as one would think: City boys and gal in the woods get hunted by wild boar, picked off one by one in gorily fashion, then run into the locals and get into a scrap with them making the enemies both human AND animal. Well, that does happen but there is one component to this film that I did not see coming into play at all: demented hippies. Pig Hunt ups the ante of violence, gore, and creativity by throwing into the mix a marijuana farming community of hippies who will stop at nothing to preserve their crops, as well as their secret weapon. That is all I am going to divulge as to key elements of the film’s plot so that I don’t ruin it for anyone that wants to see Pig Hunt, which should be EVERYONE!
The film not only is filled with violence, gore, a bit of suspense- but there is also some decent nudity. The film really fills in all the gaps and corners to making Pig Hunt a horror film that could be categorized in both the horror genre, as well as the exploitation genre. I feel that Porky Pig and Babe would be highly offended at how his older and much more aggressive and violent cousin is portrayed in this film- another film to be categorized in the ever-growing sub-genre of Pigsploitation. Well, there really is not a genre of such a name (that I know of), but there really should be one as more killer pig movies are made. That goes for all the genre films involving animals killing humans and other animals.
Pig Hunt delivers a decent level of gore
Interestingly enough, director James Issac cites David Cronenberg as his idol and mentor, but I did not feel or acknowledge there being any subtle psychological underlying themes besides Man vs. Pig. Director Issac said that Cronenberg “let me into his world” and that Cronenberg said Issac could “ask him (Cronenberg) any questions I (Issac) wanted to. He (Cronenberg) really allowed me to pick his brain.”
Well, fortunately for fans of horror films with more simpler and apparent themes, Pig Hunt did not turn into some sort of psychological film with extremely bizarre scenes like Naked Lunch and was a fun and simple film about a wild boar ripping apart anyone or anything that gets in its way. I like my animals-on-the-rampage flicks to be nice and simple.
The acting in Pig Hunt was rounded out nicely with decent performances by the two hillbilly brothers Jake (Jason Foster) and Ricky (Nick Tagas), who back in the day were quasi-buddies with Hickman. Viewers are led to believe that all three at one time or another used to hunt together. We learn more about Hickman and his past throughout the film as new events unfold. There is even a small cameo in the film by musician Charlie Musselwhite, playing the general store proprietor Charlie in the film, who had a gig in San Diego at midnight and ended up driving throughout the night just to get back to the shoot in the morning for his scene. The dialogue he was to read was given to him in the very last second.
Interestingly enough, the filmmakers originally wanted to have genuine wolf dogs used in the film during scenes in which the cast was hunting the massive boar, but due to budgetary constraints, the cost for the dogs and their handlers was too much for Pig Hunt’s budget. There is a dog in the film that is used to track down the boar and also used effectively as a device to add suspense to the film when it senses the carnivore nearby.
I really enjoyed Pig Hunt and found it to be the strongest entry bearing the Fangoria FrightFest banner. I was not the only one for the film was the winner of the “Bronze Audience Award” at the Fantasia Film Festival and the “Gold Remi Award” at the Worldfest International Film Festival. The acting, although not the strongest or most natural at times, definitely had a quirky charm and character to it. The characters were unique. The plot was not as simple as one would imagine and packs a few surprises at the end of it, keeping viewers on their toes. Although the film was not the bloodiest or goriest, there was enough in it to get the job done and satisfy both horror fans and animal-rampage fans equally.
REVIEW: OUTTAKE REEL (2012)
In 2008, Scott Feinblatt created a solid, little indie feature with the film Summer People, a tale about four young adults using ritual magic to summon a spirit, was shot on a shoe-string budget but showed great promise for Feinblatt and his skills at telling a story and directing a believable film reflecting that. Lets fast-forward to the future now, several years later, to Feinblatt’s latest film, co-directed with Jeffry Chaffin (Assault of the Evil Meteor), in which Feinblatt writes a very solid story that was both interesting and entertaining about some indie filmmakers that are trying to make a horror film but with a strange turn of events becomes a real-life horror tragedy.
The film, Outtake Reel, a Backyard Films Presents and Dervish Pictures production, stars both directors, Chaffin and Feinblatt, whom surprisingly gave very realistic and convincing performances, entertaining this viewer every step of the way. The film-within-in-a-film kept things interesting with very realistic banter going back and forth between the director of the film Tom Grayson (Scott Feinblatt), the snooping videographer Danny Wilson (Jeffry Chaffin) whom by some means which viewers are not completely privy to finds out the location of the filming through an individual involved with the production, and the beautiful female lead in the film, Ashley Swan, played by Ava Santana (whose birthright name is Kathryn Elizabeth Knighten but goes by her Cuban grandmother’s name). There are also some very brief cameos by Scream Queen Tiffany Shepis (Nightmare Man) playing Sarah Donovan and Lloyd Kaufman (formed Troma Studios) playing a very unconvincing detective in a (thankfully) fairly brief role. I always am amazed that indie filmmakers love to include cameos by more well-known directors and actors in their films. I don’t know if they do it just to lure viewers to the film because it gives the production more street cred because their film can have their names plastered on the film’s box art or because they believe the recognizable names draw potential horror fans quicker to the films (which it does in some instances), but I just feel it cheapens and hurts the film (especially if it is already a very solid movie). I believe Lloyd Kaufman may do it to gain a large amount of free advertisement for Troma Films, as well as having his name associated with another independent director or production company further proving his case that he truly is a major mover and supporter of independent filmmaking.
Getting back to Outtake Reel, Feinblatt and Chaffin played their characters very well, as well as directing “candid” scenes between Ashely Swan, as she auditioned for her role as the lead female in the film, as well as her conflicting and moody outbursts she exhibits towards director Grayson and the rest of the crew. She really played a strong and manipulative bitch, consistently annoying the crew and Grayson with always agreeing to do a scene the way the director wants it done and then changing her mind at the last second. One can tell Grayson is not used to having such hardships with one actress while making a film and slowly becomes more and more disillusioned as the creative process becomes far less creative and far more laborious.
The film keeps the plot moving along and entertaining by using documentarian Danny Wilson for some comic relief, as well as catching much of the footage that occurs behind the scenes, slowly adding to the anger and annoyance that Grayson is feeling as everything in the film is slowly falling apart. A major bomb is dropped on Grayson when prima donna Swan unloads a landmine on Grayson and tells him she is not comfortable with doing some implied nudity. It really comes as a shock to everyone, me included, because during her audition tape she told the crew a story about how her and another actress did a scene in which both were completely nude except for some stringy fabric serving as spiderwebs for a film sequence. I really felt that with her good looks and figure that she was going to be exposed much more during the real film (as well as the fictitious film-within-a-film), but as most readers know I am always hoping for more exposure during films than there usually is!
As I watched this film, although thoroughly entertained by script and characters’ interactions, I was a bit worried that there was not really going to be any elements of horror within the film except for the bits here and there with the faux-horror film. At last, the true nature of the film was exposed in the final twenty-five minutes or so. Viewers did have an idea that a murder or murders had occurred with the archive police and criminal court case-type editing that broke up scenes and camera shots. The whole film was shot as if one was watching court evidence tapes at a criminal court case hearing. Then add to this the amateur, hand-held style camera footage by Danny Wilson, and it makes for an always evolving style of camera shots and edits, keeping viewers interested and focused on the events that are playing out during the film. At times, I thought one would be confused as to whether the footage was for the film the outside viewer was watching or the footage of the film that was being made within the film, but Feinblatt and Chaffin did a wonderful job of not confusing viewers as to what footage they were watching on the screen.
For fans of terror, suspense, and gore- you may be disappointed. The film does not have gore and lots of blood within, but it does have elements of a darker nature as events unfold-those events which I dare not spoil for the virgin viewer. I will say that for those who like to see some breasts exposed by a beautiful actress such as Ava Santana (Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay), the film does not disappoint. I had thought we would only be teased by the earlier foreshadowing Santana gave us about her tale of running around naked for one director and then not removing any articles of clothing during Grayson’s film, but Feinblatt and Chaffin do not fail to disappoint.
Although Feinblatt, Santana, and Chaffin are the leading characters throughout the film (although most of the film we only hear Chaffin as he is behind the camera for a large duration of the film), Nadia Altassan (playing Lennie Goodman) did a fine job as Grayson’s assistant during the film and also was easy on the eyes. Supporting actor William Morse did a decent job as the goofball actor Joe, whom gets the job as the lead actor in the film opposite Swan, but gets fired shortly thereafter due to constant shenanigans during the production. I also felt Feinblatt played off the role of uptight director who takes his craft way too serious and has a hard time handling people perfectly and that was due in part because at times his semi-whiny and nasally voice reminded me of David Schwimmer (TV’s Friends) at times, whom I loathe. I was kind of rooting for things to go wrong for Grayson the whole time I was watching the film. I also wanted Santana’s character, Swan, to get an attitude adjustment, but I guess that just shows one how well a performance Santana gave on screen.
Ava Santana taking direction from director Scott Feinblatt
I always say that a well-written script complemented with decent or above-average performances will always carry a film through to its end regardless if the budget is lacking and Outtake Reel is another fine example of this. I guess the only major critique I have of this film is the portion of it that takes a dip in the pool of the notorious “torture porn” genre. There is a portion of this film that I was hoping would be swift and short-lived. The scene was imperative to the plot of the film and was done rather tastefully, although lacking in the gore department which may disappoint the gorehounds out there, but did give a reason to expose the lovely Ava Santana’s breasts. I do wish, on a personal level, that unless done with elements of humor, scenes of torture drawn out in length were found less and less in horror films. I really don’t find the scenes useful in horror films and feel they tend to cheapen them and take away from stories, if the films’ that possess those segments even have one within them.
Upon watching the deleted scenes of Outtake Reel, I was very happy one particular scene was taken out in particular. I think it would have added a perverted element to the film that really did not need to be present throughout. I applaud the filmmakers for removing this scene. I am one that feels torture segments only should be used if they are an integral piece to the film and do not glamorize the act itself (Although the fact that I did enjoy both Hostel films and the first Saw film may show otherwise).
I said so with my review of Feinblatt’s Summer People that this director and writer had a great deal of talent for creating a film and crafting a story, most notably for characters’ interactions between each other on a pretty believable level. I look forward to the next project both directors’ are involved in, hopefully their budget increasing as each film gains more attention and exposure for the men and their craft in filmmaking. I recommend checking out Outtake Reel and not because the well-known Tiffany Shepis and Lloyd Kaufman make cameos in it, but because Chicago-born Scott Feinblatt and Columbia College, Chicago-graduate Jeffry Chaffin directed this film. I, again, look forward to more films made by both filmmakers.
REVIEW: Bleading Lady (2011)
Canadian-native Ryan Nicholson, indie horror film director and special make-up effects extraordinaire (which he may be better known for in the film industry), comes at indie horror fans with another low-budget film production starring well-known collaborator to Nicholson, actor Dan Ellis, in the film Bleading Lady a.k.a. Star Vehicle. I actually am not sure what the film’s name goes by right now-the screener I received is titled Bleading Lady, but when I interviewed Dan Ellis not too far back on my radio show, Ellis referred to his upcoming project as Star Vehicle. I looked up the word, bleading, and I came up with zero results because I was curious if it really was, in fact, a word, until I realized that the title is a play on words. The culmination of bleeding and leading due to the fact that the lead actress in Bleading Lady portrays a lead actress in a B-Horror film who is portraying a respected Scream Queen. She (Sindy Farguna playing Riversa Red) is going to get bloody, hence bleeding, as well as being the lead in the film’s production. Well, I believe I just made the explanation of the film FAR more complicated than it needed to be.
I have great respect for Nicholson and his craft, the craft of making indie horror films loaded with a great amount of gore, carnage, and usually a fair amount of gratuitous nudity. Unfortunately, with Nicholson’s latest, I felt that much of the aforementioned was absent. Not to say there was zero gore and nudity, but the amount of bloodshed relevant to the actual plot of the film itself and not the “movie within the movie” was a far cry from what I was expecting from Nicholson and his crew. It pains me to say this, but when I hear that a new film from Ryan Nicholson is out, I expect the film to be extreme in nature and full of copious amounts of sex, nudity, vulgarity, and awesome gore. With Bleading Lady, I felt the film fell short in all areas and instead attempted to create a dialogue-plagued, whodunit-style, drama that focused on Dan Ellis’ character, Donald Q. Cardini, whom I felt did not have the depth as a character to keep one interested in watching as the main focus for the duration of the film. Sadly, I was bored with the lack of action going on during the film.
Dan Ellis as Don Q. Cardini
Nicholson is at his best when the levels of raunchy nudity, explosive gore, and the plot moves along at a speedy and swift pace. Unfortunately, Bleading Lady lacked the aforementioned characteristics of his films at the amount I generally enjoy them to come in. The film takes a well-known scenario involving a group of indie filmmakers making a B-Horror film who have to deal with a stalker that has taken a particular liking to the lead Scream Queen of the film. Cardini, the driver for the cast and crew of the film’s production, has a raging hard-on for Ms. Riversa Red and has decided to make it his duty to see that no one inflicts any harm or distress to her throughout the movie. Of course, Cardini’s (Ellis) love for the actress goes beyond a natural obsession and infatuation and ultimately leaves viewers wondering if Cardini is the actual stalker, a crazy fan, or a jealous crew member working on the film. I believe that the less than stellar performances from much of the cast, sadly including the lead actor Dan Ellis, could have been overlooked if there had been far more gore and titillation to distract viewers and keep them entertained. If a film is going to have fair amount of dialogue between actors and actresses, it had better be interesting and delivered decent. I was getting low-budget performances from a low-budget production. Sadly, the scenes being filmed for the “fake” film within Bleading Lady (which happened to be atrociously performed on purpose), were not much more awful than the scenes shot for the actual movie.
The fault in the film is its seriousness. There were too many scenes that were meant to be dramatic, tender, and filled with a little bit of care and emotion-WRONG! This viewer did not care about the relationships developed (on a mediocre level, I might add) between the various cast members and crew working on the phony film. This film is not going to work with a sappy romantic interlude anywhere in it- it is going to work with obnoxiously crude humor, vulgarity, action, and loads of gore and over-the-top violence. Nicholson knows no other way. Leave the stupid dramas with tender scenes of affection and emotional interludes to the professionals who thrive at doing so on a daily basis, thus making the kinds of films that I loathe and rarely find any point in watching. The music throughout the film, courtesy of Gianni Rossi, was absolutely horrendous! I felt that the soundtrack of the film was, quite possibly, the most annoying aspect to the whole film. It made every scene feel incredibly cheesy somehow. The music really belonged in a bad, ’70s porno film and not in a horror film. I believe that was the problem with the film- I just couldn’t tell if things were meant to be cheesy and unrealistic for comedic purposes or if there was any seriousness to this film at all. Sadly, if the entire production was tongue-in-cheek and supposed to be humorous, it failed miserably. I don’t think I chuckled once throughout the entire film.
Scream Queen Reversa Red as portrayed by Sindy Faraguna
The good points to the film were the gore and nudity- although the scenes of nudity were sparse (Faraguna got totally naked once if I recall correctly) and the gore that actually occurred in the film was for the faux-film and not actually for the real action. I usually find nothing good coming about films that have a film created within it. They tend to suck. Bleading Lady did not completely suck, but based on the last couple of films I have seen from Nicholson (Gutterballs, Hanger), I was thoroughly disappointed. I think that if Dan Ellis and Sindy Faraguna were not the lead characters in this film, it would have been a total bomb. I think Dan Ellis has generally been strongest actor in the few Nicholson films I have been privy to and it was the case again, but Ellis did not have too much to work with in terms of dialogue delivered. The film was written by Nicholson, as well as directed, and the dialogue could have been a bit more realistic and there should have been far less of it. The film lacked an overall intensity that should have been present as scenes were delivered.
By the end of the film, I really could care less who the stalker was and what his or her reasons were for stalking the Riversa Red. Mass suicide by all characters in the film at its conclusion would have been acceptable to me at this point. I am more-so interested in Nicholson’s upcoming Grindhouse-throwback feature Famine. The trailer for Famine was far more interesting than the whole film Bleading Lady was. Sadly, I think fans of Ryan Nicholson’s films are going to be very disappointed with Bleading Lady.
SUDOR FRIO a.k.a. COLD SWEAT trailer!
My buddies over at LATIN HORROR just posted up this trailer, SUDOR FRIO a.k.a. COLD SWEAT, from Argentinian filmmaker Adrián García Bogliano who directed and wrote the story, along with Ramiro García Bogliano and Hernán Moyano. Adrian Garcia Bogliano has more than a dozen films under his belt, including the 2011 comedy-horror Penumbra, as well as The Accursed (2010). IMDB has six of the fifteen films listed as shorts, with a few of those being comedy-horror films. Those that know me over here at SHU-IZMZ know that I am not too gung-ho about films that throw elements of comedy into horror films, or vice-versa. Some of the exceptions to my rule are the films Shaun of the Dead and Return of the Living Dead. Once in awhile a gem comes along that I enjoy and can appreciate, but just like some people like their coffee black-no cream, no sugar- I like my horror unfiltered and pure with no comedy thrown in the mix. I hope that Bogliano keeps Cold Sweat pure and something worth seeing. I can honestly say I am not sure if I have ever seen an Argentinean horror film, or any Argentinean film at all, for that matter. I guess I may have seen one but probably did not notice the origin of the film. There are mixed user reviews up at IMDB (which I never go by anyways), so I am not sure exactly what to expect. Thanks goes out to Edwin Pagan for sending me the scoop and links from his site for this film. I would not have heard about it otherwise (unless I decided to scan hours of film news via Google and give myself a major brain-ache and cause my eyeballs to bleed from their sockets!). The word on the streets is that the film is a low-budget production and may have some nudity in the film. That sounds good to me, right?
Will she be showing some skin?!?
Well, we shall see when the film comes out. T&A does not always save a film, especially in the horror genre. The artwork for the posters looks hella cool, though.
SUDOR FRIO a.k.a. COLD SWEAT TRAILER:
AMER coming to Siskel Film Center!
As part of the 14th European Union Film Festival at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, AMER will be screening at only TWO screenings:
Saturday, March 5th @ 9:15 p.m.
Wednesday, March 9th @ 8:45 p.m.
Thankfully, a fellow film buff buddy of mine alerted me to this French/Belgium film and just how potentially awesome it may be! Now that the film is on my radar and I have seen the trailer, which reminded me a great deal of Dario Argento when he was in his prime and making some very cool giall0 horror films, full of gore, thrills, and intrigue. Here is the synopsis of AMER that is posted up at IMDB:
Three key moments, all of them sensual, define Ana’s life. Her carnal search sways between reality and colored fantasies becoming more and more oppressive. A black laced hand prevents her from screaming. The wind lifts her dress and caresses her thighs. A razor blade brushes her skin, where will this chaotic and carnivorous journey leave her?
Directed and written by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, Amer has only been playing in festivals around the world and its pretty awesome that Chicago will be graced with this much talked about film for two nights. I hope to be able to procure the funds to be able to see this film next week. For now check out the trailer and the various links to learn more about this film and decide for yourselves if going to see it will be worth the $10 at the theater.
SHU-IZMZ RADIO interviews TANGI MILLER!
You may or may not have realized it, but February is not only the month that men and women around the world are worrying about how they are going to please the love of their lives’ with the perfect Valentine’s Day gift, but it also is Black History Month. We would like to honor black filmmakers and actors/actresses in the movie industry and what better way than to start off this with actress Tangi Miller to talk about her latest film, My Girlfriend’s Back, directed by Steven Ayromlooi (Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood, Love…& Other 4 Letter Words) and starring Malik Yoba (the upcoming Vivica A. Fox feature Caught on Tape, Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married). Tangi Miller plays the role of Derek Scott’s (Malik Yoba) beautiful ex-girlfriend Nicki Russell who shows up out of the blue to throw Derek’s seemingly perfect life and career that has been all planned out into complete turmoil as he finds out that he is not sure of anything in his life anymore- his fiancee and their wedding, his swanky law firm that may be offering him a partnership, and being true to himself and his heart. As always, love can be pretty fucked up and the heart does not always make it easy to decide things. Summing it all up, love can really suck and My Girlfriend’s Back reminded this man why life would be so much simpler if marriage never existed or if all marriages were pre-arranged like they are in some cultures.
Tune in to SHU-IZMZ RADIO February 10th at 1pm CST to listen to Tangi Miller talk about her upcoming film, My Girlfriend’s Back, coming to dvd March 1st.
SHU-IZMZ RADIO SHOW LINK
Check out the trailer for MY GIRLFRIEND’S BACK here:
Nightbeasts to premiere at Independent Film Quarterly Film Festival
Wes Sullivan, director, writer, and producer of the independent film Nightbeasts, starring Zach Galligan of Gremlins and Waxwork fame and a cameo by Lloyd Kaufman of Troma, gave me this news update on his directorial debut. Wes Sullivan is well-known as an animator working on such well-known Disney animated films such as Aladdin, Tarzan, Pocahontas, and The Princess and the Frog but is now taking his talents to direct, write, and produce his first independent film in the genre of horror about a son and his father who go hunting in the woods and encounter a Sasquatch. I guess Sullivan got tired of working on children’s fair and decided to branch out to do something with a little more bite!
Nightbeasts Synopsis:
Charles Thomas (Zach Galligan) is a man desperately in need of a second act. Once upon a time, he had a successful lighting company that manufactured low voltage neon. Unfortunately, the company goes out of business, because of the inability of Charles’ business to compete in a new global marketplace. Bankruptcy follows and a drinking problem hounds Charles soon thereafter. More upsets occur when Charles loses his wife Patricia (Holly Wilson) due to the financial strains of the bankruptcy and the loss of the primary custody of Charles’ only son, Tim, is another devastating blow.
Now, Charles has been “clean” for several months and he has a great desire to reunite with his estranged son and to piece together the fragments of his life. Charles decides to take this suburban youth on a weekend hunting trip in the mountains, just like the trips his father used to take him on. Charles hopes that this will be a bonding experience and that the hike will repair some of the damage inflicted on their relationship due to the recent divorce. What neither Charles nor Tim realizes is that there are horrors of another kind waiting for them in the nearby woods.In the mountain community that Charles has decided to camp in, an ancient horror lurks! The legend of the Sasquatch surfaces from the darkness of the woods and both Charles and Tim must fight for their lives, or become victims to this horrific native curse.
-Source: IMDB
Nightbeasts has been selected to premiere the end of this month at the Independent Film Quarterly Film Festival at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, Ca.
SHU-IZMZ RADIO SHOW: Wizards, fanatics, and major douchebags EPISODE!!!
SHU-IZMZ RADIO SHOW: Wizards, fanatics, and major douchebags EPISODE!!!
Guess who’s back?
SHU-IZMZ RADIO: FAST CARS, LOUD MOTORCYCLES, and BADASS BABES! oh, and ZOMBIES!
SHU-IZMZ RADIO: FAST CARS, LOUD MOTORCYCLES, and BADASS BABES! oh, and ZOMBIES!
Check out my radio show tonight at 10pm. As always, it will probably be a major #bonerjam! Oh, and if you have no idea what a #bonerjam is, you may just not belong to part of the society! There is a possibility you do belong though. So tune in, call in, hear about some great flicks ya probably never knew about. I have no guests tonight, but there may be some call-ins…Who knows? Click on above link to be redirected to the show page!
SHU-IZMZ RADIO After-school Special!!!
SHU-IZMZ RADIO After-school Special!!!
1st show ever that will be in the daylight hours and perfect hours to be talking about the horror film DAYBREAKERS! I also will be ranting about RASPUTIN THE MAD MONK, YOUTH IN REVOLT, and CHRISTOPHER LEE doing epic metal albums! Oh yeah, and the show is GONNA BE LOUD!!!!
Creative Blogger Nomination….sweet….
SHU-IZMZ was awarded the prestigious CREATIVE BLOGGER nomination by BJ-C of the awesomely sexy DAY OF THE WOMAN horror film blog. I have never been nominated for anything, nor do I really have much of an idea how to go about this…so here goes:
Check out BJ-C’s Day of the Woman blog.
7 Things that people may find interesting about me…or maybe just repulsive.
(I don’t hold back).
1. I love Lady Gaga, even though my favorite genre of music is primarily metal. I am gaga for Gaga!
2. Kuma’s Corner in Chicago is my favorite restaurant because the have the greatest metal burgers, macaroni & cheese, and excellent brews.
3. I love women that grow their bush out. 70′s porn has always been my favorite.
4. I have an infatuation with Bill Murray. He is GOD.
5. I still love videotapes, laserdiscs, and Beta. I still have a working Laserdisc player.
6. M.O.D./S.O.D. are my favorite bands. Long live THRASH!
7. I am so open that I don’t think there are 7 things that at least one person doesn’t already know all about. I used to do yoga, but never was able to give myself oral sex. So I quit.
I like what BJ-C did with the 7 blogs to nominate because I love too many blogs and they all are awesome. So, I will nominate every blog that has to do with film. They are all rad. Plus, I am fucking lazy. Sorry.
Check out the links on my blog for cool sites to check out.
Upcoming Guests on SHU-IZMZ RADIO for DECEMBER!
DECEMBER’s GUESTS….SO FAR…..
Jon Mack -Actress/Singer (SAW VI, MONGOLIAN DEATH WORM, UNEARTHED)
12/1/09 8PM CST
SHOW LINK
Chris Kuchta- Artist focusing on horror films/imagery and a fan of horror films
12/4/09 9PM CST
SHOW LINK
Gina La Piana -Actress (BLACK WIDOW, 30 DAYS TO DIE, TORTURE FARM)
12/9/09 8PM CST
SHOW LINK
G. Edwin Taylor – Artist focusing on the darker imagery in life and a fan of horror films
12/21/09 8PM CST
SHOW LINK
BLOG REVAMP!
I totally messed around with the html code to get Google Analytics going and I screwed the pooch big time! So, until I get some professional help on this, the SHU-IZMZ looks like shit. Sorry, it’s only temporary! Things will be back to normal very soon….I hope.
Breaking Glass Pictures distributes Unearthed Films!
I wrote up a little news ditty on the new film company Breaking Glass Pictures broke onto the film distribution scene, starting with Ryan Nicholson’s HANGER and Matt Ridenhoover’s WATCH OUT, reviewed by SHU-IZMZ, and now some even better news for all you fans of eclectic horror, sci-fi, action, and cult films with some very unique brands of filmmaking: Breaking Glass Pictures is now distributing the entire catalog of Unearthed Films.
Unearthed Films has put out some awesome movies that cult film lovers will find great pleasure in, as have I. Films such as Frankenhooker, City of Rott, Hollow Sacrament, and Philosophy of a Knife. Frankenhooker is one of my favorite Hennenlotter films and a prime example of the edgy selection and good taste that Breaking Glass Pictures is showing with acquiring the entire Unearthed Films catalog.
On November 24th, BGP will release their first Unearthed film, one that “pushes the envelope both artistically and thematically.”
Synopsis as follows:
“From Lucifer Valentine comes the compulsive and repelling Slaughtered Vomit Dolls, the first of the twisted and extreme Vomit Gore Trilogy. After a life of neglect, violence, and rape, Angela Aberdeen sells her soul to Satan. Enlisting his protection sends her to a downward spiral of drugs and alcohol, and her journey to Hell leads her to pornography and prostitution. This film answers one very important question: How deranged, demented, and depraved can one person’s existence be?“
Following the release of Slaughtered Vomit Dolls, a seemingly twisted and dark film, Unearthed has allowed BGP to bring you such titles as Flexing with Monty and Embodiment of Evil. With a set date early 2010, Embodiment of Evil is the long-awaited final chapter in the dark and chilling Coffin Joe Trilogy. Director and star Jose Mojica Marins brings his “famous character to life one last time to complete his terrifying quest to conceive with the perfect woman…and kill anyone who stands in his way.”
