DVD Review: Laid To Rest - Unrated Director's Cut (2009)

LAID TO REST - Unrated Director's Cut  (2009)
Anchor Bay Entertainment

RATED: Unrated
RUN TIME: 90 Min.
DIRECTOR: Robert Hall
CAST: Bobbie Sue Luther, Kevin Cage, Sean Whalen, Jonathon Schaech, Thomas Dekker, Nick Principe, Richard Lynch, Lena Headey
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

SUMMARY: A young woman wakes up in a coffin with a traumatic head-injury. She quickly realizes she has been abducted and is being stalked by the masked serial killer ChromeSkull, a knife wielding maniac in a skull mask that brutally slays anyone who tries to come between him and her.

THE FILM: The film opens as an unnamed woman we'll call The Girl wakes-up inside a casket in the funeral parlor of a mortuary. Mr. Jones, the funeral director walks into the parlor and takes notice of the commotion inside the casket and leaves the room, seemingly startled, we find out more later. He is played by actor Richard Lynch, creepy-ass Harris from the film BAD DREAMS (1988). The woman rocks the casket until it tips  off the table spilling her onto the floor. She tries to leave the parlor but Mr. Jones has locked it. He returns momentarily, and while fumbling for the keys he is run-though by a length of rebar by our masked killer ChromeSkull. Leaving through another door the woman escapes the mortuary runs down the road barefoot, confused and frightened.

The Girl does not know where she is, who she is, or what is happening to her. She is picked-up by Tucker (Kevin Gage, MAY), a nice enough fellow with a gruff voice and a kind demeanor. He's on his way home, runnin' on fumes. He tries to figure out who she is and what's happened to her but it's just not happening, her head is pounding, she's out of it and has trouble stringing words together, she barely musters the vocabulary to inform him that someone trying killing her. Low on gas and nowhere else to go he takes her home, and his wife Cindy (Lena Headey, Queen Gorgo from 300) is none too pleased by this. Nonetheless, she takes a hand at helping the girl recall what's happened to her, with no success. In a scenario typical of the slasher genre there's no phone available to call for help, the phone's been disconnected and no cell phone, of course. This is always a hurdle for genre films, to establish a reason no one can call for help, and it's a but clunky here, too. They offer The Girl the use of the shower and she accepts. While in the shower she takes notice of a nasty head-wound that's been hidden by the length of her hair, explaining her memory loss and disorientation. Afterwards she sits on the couch and chats with Tucker, his wife having gone to bed for the night. The Girl recalls  playing with a princess doll and Tucker begins calling her Princess. With that modicum of success he calls it a night and goes to the bedroom, the doors locked, he calls out for his wife, no answer. Concerned he breaks through the door and discovers ChromeSkull has followed them there and has taken his wife through the window. He bolts outside where his wife is being held by the skulled-masked killer, garbed completely in black,  there is a shoulder-harnessed video recorder filming the event from his POV. he wants The Girl, Tucker tried to strike a bargain which displeases ChromeSkull, he plunges the largest most heinous knife I've ever seen through Cindy's temple driving it clear through to the other side and impaling her to the side of the house, he then twist the knife around breaking bone and pulping her brain. Quite a kill, ultra-graphic and grotesque. Tucker and The Girl run to his truck and speed off to find the ea rest home with a  phone. That house belongs to Steven (Sean Whalen, Roach from THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS), a nerdy lil' man who's mother has just recently passed away, like yesterday. Guess what, no phone, but he's got an internet connection and they decide to email the police on his decade old computer. They decide to take Steven's car as Tucker's is out of gas, and drive to the local Sheriff's department, once there it is painfully obvious that the sheriff, the inmates, and deputy have  fallen victim to ChromeSkull, in fact, he's still there and after the girl. I won't get into too much more detail as this is a film worth watching, especially this time of the year, so get on it.

I really enjoyed this film quite a bit. Bobbie Sue Luther as The Girl is great in the role, very likable, though there are revelations in the film that darken her image. Kevin Cage as Tucker was my favorite character. I was just rooting for this guy throughout the film, so damn likable. The addition of Sean "Roach" Whalen was so great, you see him and immediately think "That's Roach! I like this guy!". The SFX of the film are top notch and bloody as hell, this film is steeped in gore, both practical and CGI, both components are used fantastically. This is the bloodiest film I've seen in a while, great stuff. Director Robert Hall has done make-up and special effects for dozens of films including THE CRAZIES (2010), QUARANTINE (2008) and the X-FILES (1998) though he gave those duties to Erik Porn for LAID TO REST and it's just a home run from the start. Great character design for ChromeSkull, very basic, no frills, and memorable. Something that didn't work for me was the killers MO of recording the killings, it served to get some back story out of the way and put forth some expository plot points, but I just didn't care for it Also, the final third of the film takes place in a road-side market and it just didn't work for me, particularly the handling of ChromeSkull's character and some truly mystifying shit that transpires.

CHROMESKULL: LAID TO REST 2  is set to begin filming this November with director Robert Hall returning  as well as actor Thomas Dekker and Nick Principe as ChromeSkull and will feature a new line-up of character including Brian Austin Green (TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNER CHRONICLES), Christopher Nelson (KILL BILL VOL. 1), Daniell Harris (HALLOWEEN, HATCHET 2) and Jennifer Blanc (THE VICTIM).  That's a pretty great cast. In the meantime I'll be checking out Hall's previous film LIGHTNING BUG (2004).

DVD: LAID TO REST comes to us by the way of Anchor Bay Entertainment. The film is presented in the original 1.78:1 anamorphic wide screen aspect ratio. The film is shot almost entirely at night and the black levels were deep, and the image was crisp and clean. The 5.1 Dolby Surround mix is very active and has decent depth to it. Special Features include an Audio Commentary with writer/director Robert Hall and Actor/Producer Bobbie Sue Luther, whom I believe is Hall's wife. A couple of decent featurettes are included: Postmortem: The Making of LAID TO REST is a 30 min. behind the scenes look at the film, looks like a lot of fun was had on the set. There is also the Torture Porn: The SFX of LAID TO REST, a fun 15 min. look at the fantastic gore effects of the film. Plus we get Deleted Scenes, Bloopers and a trailer. A very good overall package from Anchor Bay, good on 'em.
 VERDICT: A really enjoyable modern take on the 80's slasher genre. ChromeSkull is a  strong entry to the masked killer pantheon, the character are well rounded and likable, which is a switch. In the past 10 years few films provide us with likable character with any depth to 'em. The highlight of the film for me were the amazing gore effects, a good mixture of both practical and CGI, totally brutal and well executed. ** * (3 out of 5 stars)

DVD Review: Death Warmed Up (1984)

PURE TERROR 50 Movie Pack (2010)
Mill Creek Entertainment

DEATH WARMED UP (1984)
 "I'll get you, I'll get you all."

RATED: R
RUNNING TIME: 78 Min.
DIRECTOR: David Blyth
CAST: Michael Hurst, Margaret Umbers, William Upjohn

THE FILM: At the start of the film teenager Michael Tucker (Michael Hurst) is brainwashed by the evil Dr. Howell (Gary Day), who's hell bent on defeating death itself and creating a army of the living dead ...I think, it's a bit confusing to be honest. The plot and narrative are not this films greatest strength. That night Michael goes home and bloodily shotgun blasts his mum and dad to death under the direction of Dr. Howell's reprogramming. Afterwards he is sent to an asylum for the criminally insane. Seven years later he is released and sets out to exact revenge on Dr. Howell. Along with three friends he returns to the remote island where the evil doctor has continued his pursuit of creating a zombie army using corpses from the psychiatric brain-surgery center he runs. This low-budget export from New Zealand has the distinction of being the first NZ-horror film, it would be several years before Peter Jackson's BAD TASTE (1987), and I have to imagine this would have been a major influence on the young director. David Blyth makes great use of existing locations, fun set pieces and garish lighting to give us something cheap, fun and interesting while not altogether coherent. What struck me 1st about the film was the great use of colored lighting reminiscent of 80's films like DEMONS (1985) that were influenced by Dario Argento and master of the macabre Mario Bava before him. We get a lot of  great gore and splatter, including several awesome exploding heads, brutal impalement, and power drills to the head. Definitely a splatstick comedy with a bit of zaniness that will appeal to fans of Peter Jackson's 1st two films or the more recent BLACK SHEEP (2006). The finale, much like the rest of the film, is disjointed and a bit ambiguous, but a fun watch nonetheless.

DVD: This comes to us by the way of Mill Creek Entertainment's PURE TERROR 50 movie pack. The transfer leaves quite a bit to be desired and looks to be taken from a full frame VHS cassette, not great, but it'll do as it is the only Region 1 release of the film. The audio is mono and there are no special features. I would love to a properly transferred wide screen version of the film.

VERDICT: If you enjoy madcap b-movie splatter films in the vein of Peter Jackson's early stuff I think you'll find a bunch to enjoy here, just don't expect the Citizen Kane of splatter films, this is a strictly lo-budget affair with on-the-cheap effects and a visible boom mic, but it's fun, fast and wonderfully demented. Definitely check out the PURE TERROR 50 Movie Pack, if you're a fiend for b-movies, schlock, euro-horror and obscure awesomeness there's great stuff in there including MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE, THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE, HANDS OF STEEL, HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMBS, HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, including several Paul Naschy films. **1/2 (2.5 Out of Five Stars)

- MCBASTARD

DVD Review: The Devil's Nightmare (1971)

 THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE (1971)
"Can You Be Possessed By The Devil?"

RATED: R
RUNNING TIME: 88 Min.
DIRECTOR: Jean Brismee
CAST: Erika Blanc, Shirley Corrigan, Daniel Emilfork, Colette Emanuele, Frederique Hender, Ivanna Novak

SUMMARY: When a group of tourists gets stranded in the Italian countryside, a stranger offers them shelter for the night in his castle. But his family is cursed: The eldest daughter in each generation is destined to become a handmaiden of Satan. The horror begins when the current eldest daughter (Erika Blanc) turns up and begins exploiting the guests' weaknesses to make them damn themselves.

THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE begins in Nazi Germany 1945 as the wife of a Nazi is giving birth to a daughter, the woman loses her life during childbirth. The father takes the child's life by plunging a dagger into it's body. Two decades later a group of tourists are the stranded in the Italian countryside when former Nazi Baron Von Rhomeburg offers them lodging in his gothic castle. As Hans the butler shows each of the guests to their rooms he goes into great detail how people have died in the very same rooms over the centuries, it's very creepy and a nice touch. That very day a reporter doing a story on the castle dies mysteriously after being chased by an unseen pursuer. The groundsmen surmise she's died of fright, and she bears the mark of the Devil. As the guests are gathered for dinner the Baron reveals that the eldest daughter in each generation of his bloodline is destined to become the handmaiden of Satan, a Succubus. During dinner an 8th gues arrivest, the mysterious red-haired beauty Lisa (Erika Blanc, KILL, BABY...KILL!). The guests are comprised of a priest, Father Alvin, two bombshell lesbians, a troubled couple, a seductress (Ivanna Novak, SEVEN BLOODSTAINED ORCHIDS), elderly chap Mr. Foster and a gluttonous man with an unhealthy appetite. Similarly to the film SE7EN the guest are representations of the 7 deadly sins and are damned for their sins as Lisa exploits their weaknesses. We get several varied and fun deaths throughout the film;  guillotine, iron maiden, snake bite, suffocation, impalement, poisoning ...none of it's overly gory but it's effective stuff. Particularly effective is Lisa is transformations from fire-crotch beauty to a ghoulish demon with mottled gray flesh.

We also get some of that infamous Euro-horror nudity. Some of these euro films of the 70's were pretty schlocky but there never seemed to be a shortage of gorgeous European beauties willing to flaunt their natural gifts on film. There's also no shortage of b-movie shtick: dripping blood, doors opening and closing on their own, books falling off shelves, a laboratory. Good stuff.

After the other guests have met their fates at the hand of Lisa Father Alvin is the sole-survivor having resisted the temptations of Lisa's sexual advances. When she finally exposes her true self to him he is horrified and slashes at her face with his crucifix leading to a hilarious and protracted string of facial contortions that goes on for far too long. The priest runs from the castle and is greeted by a dark stranger having just arrived in horse drawn carriage, it's Old Scratch himself played by none other than Daniel Emilfork - Krank from one of my most treasured films THE CITY OF THE LOST CHILDREN (1995) - just brilliant! Father Alvin offers his soul in exchange for the lives and souls of his seven companions. Satan agrees, and the priest signs a contract in his own blood, dipping a quill into his opened vein to do so. The contract immediately burst into flames.

Before

After

Is Satan willing to spare their souls? Is any deal with the Devil ever so cut and dried?



Satan or Deiter from SNL's Sprockets?

DVD: This film is part of Mill Creek Entertainment's PURE TERROR 12-Disc Set of 50 films. The film and sound elements probably aren't from optimal sources but the presentation looks quite good. The film is presented in 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio with mono audio. No special features. I'll have a full review of the entire boxset forthcoming, but I enjoyed the film quite a bit and wanted to throw up a quick stand-alone review for the blog. The set also includes a few notable inclusions, THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED (1969), HANDS OF STEEL (1986), Lucio Fulci's absurd HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981) and a film in particular I've long heard tell of but never seen MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE (1966). I can't wait to dig in!

VERDICT: I really enjoyed this film. Great story, gorgeous scenery, beautiful women. These 1970's Euro-Horror films are all over the place in regards to quality, but this one is a winner. Definitely worth a look if you love b-movie schlock, obscure classics and especially Euro-Horror as this set is chock full of it.  RATING: *** (3 Out of 5 Stars)

- McBASTARD





A letter from Dark Night of the Scarecrow writer J.D. Feigelson

A follow-up on the recent Dark Night of the Scarecow review here. On September 23rd I received an email from J.D. Feigelson the writer of DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW (1980). In the brief letter he speaks a bit about the lack of onscreen gore in the film. I thought it was interesting and have posted it here on the blog for any fans of the film to read. Mr. Feigelson has written other filmed projects including RED WATER (2003), THE LAKE (1998), NIGHTMARE ON THE 13th FLOOR (1990), CONVENANT (1985) and Wes Craven's CHILLER. He also directed several episodes of the '85-era THE TWIGHLIGHT ZONE and ONE OF THE MISSING (1979), both of which he wrote. Read my review of Dark Night of the Scarecrow  here .

Dear Mac, I just wanted to thank you so very much for taking the time to view and review "Dark Night of the Scarecrow." You are very observant of the time and love put into the restoration of the original movie. What a lot of people surmise, but wrongly, is that the lack of on-screen violence was because of television. Actually, I wrote to original to be an atmospheric morality tale. That the script had so little on-screen violence is WHY CBS bought it not the other way around. So, there you have an inside insight. But above all it was a labor of love and a gift to the revelers of Halloween.


From the pumpkin patch,


J.D. Feigelson
Writer/Creator DNOTS

J.D. Feigelson

DVD Review: Eden Log (2007)

EDEN LOG (2007)

"Escape from Darkness."

Magnolia Home Entertainment

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 98 Min.
DIRECTOR: Franck Vestiel
CAST: Clovis, Cornillac (Tolbiac), Vimala Pons
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: France


SUMMARY: A man wakes up deep in a cave. Suffering amnesia he has no recollection of how he came to be there, or of what happened to the man whose body he finds beside him. Tailed by a mysterious creature, this forgotten man embarks upon a journey through this strange and fantastic world, struggling to find his way to the surface.

THE FILM: From French filmmaker Franck Vestiel comes EDEN LOG, a sci-fi mystery adventure. The premise?  Stop me if you've heard this one before.... a man wakes in unfamiliar surrounding with no idea how he got there or who he is... definitely a post CUBE (1997). A man awakens in a darkened cave, he's covered in mud and laying naked in a pool of dirty water, a dead body lies next to him. He doesn't know who he is and neither do we, which is the initial intrigue of the film. Who's this guy, where is he, who's body is that, why's he naked? The answers are revealed to both character and viewer simultaneously, albeit at a slothenly pace. Be forewarned, you have to pay attention to this film, this is not a casual watch. So, put on your thinking cap and sharpen your sense of observation cause you're gonna need 'em. It is revealed through various discoveries that the cave is actually a facility called Eden Log that harnesses the power of an enormous tree whose roots are prevalent throughout the film, they infiltrate all areas of the facility. The sap of the tree produces an energy source for a nearby city center. How? I have no idea. The facility is in shambles, something catastrophic has happened here, there are bodies everywhere. The man strips a few corpses and clothes himself, he also obtains a flashlight to illuminate the cluttered labyrinth of tunnels and rooms. Setting out to find answers within the subterranean facility he encounters small squads of armed men roaming the facility in bio-suits killing anything that moves. The more I watched the film the more I felt it played out like a BIO SHOCK-esque video game, moving from level to level, progress hindered by mutated C.H.U.D. like creatures and armed opponents, meeting a lab technician along the way, picking up snippets of information and slowly piecing together the bigger picture. I was with it for about half the film, then I found myself tuning out. The intrigue of his identity and what happened in the Eden Log facility only held my attention for so long, and the pace at which details are revealed was too slow for my tastes.

This is a  film of limited means budgetarily, and the director made keen choices visually to mask any shortcomings, as the film looks great. It's monochromatic color scheme is very limited, almost black and white with a moss colored patina, deep shadow and harsh light are used to great effect. An eerie and haunting filmscore goes a longways towards complimenting the claustrohpobic atmosphere. The sets are extremely dark, saturated in inky black shadows, dank and wet, proliferated with the roots of the massive tree. Visually, an exciting and attractive film, I was reminded of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's DELICATESSEN and Terry Gilliam's BRAZIL or 12 MONKEYS with the low-tech futuristic designs. I could imagine what the director would be capable of with a larger budget, and a better script. I won't spoil the films ending and revelations and I'm not sure I could as the storyline was a bit hard to follow honestly.

DVD: The DVD comes by way of Magnolia Home Entertainment and Eden Log is presented in the original 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio with a very good English and French language 5.1 surround sound design. The surround speakers are utilized well creating a claustrophobic and immersive viewing experience, the film score is effectively eerie and haunting. Sadly, the only special feature is the ability to view the original French language version of the film which really isn't a special feature now, is it? Great image and sound presentation, no extras - kinda lame.

 VERDICT:  Eden Log is not a horror film, as it's not frightening in the least. It's not truly a sci-fi film either as the science is never explained, its pretty low-tech in fact. And it's far too slow paced to be considered a thriller. While it's intriguing it's not very entertaining and a bit confusing. The film looks great, the acting is decent, nothing outstanding.  A great technical film, but a bit hollow in the story department. That said, Eden Log is decent calling card from a talented new director, I'll be interested to see what's next for him.
** (2 out of 5 stars)

DVD Review: Bleeders (1997)

BLEEDERS (1997)
"It's in the blood."

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 89 Min.
DIRECTOR: Peter Svatek
CAST: Rutger Hauer (Dr. Marlowe), Pascal Gruselle (Vermeer), Roy Dupias (John Strauss), Kristin Lehman (Kathleen Strauss) Gillian Ferrabee (Eva Van Daam), Jackie Burroughs (Lexie Crungle )

SUMMARY: John, a young man with a mysterious blood disease travels to an island off the coast of Maine to seek relatives in hope of finding a cure to his illness. Once there he discovers that his relatives have died ...or have they? Somethings living in the catacombs  beneath the island, something living on the flesh of the deceased. What does this have to do with John's blood disease, mysterious cravings and his ancestors incestuous past?
THE FILM: What drew me to this movie was the writing credit from Dan O'Bannon and Ron Shesett - the writing team that brought us ALIEN (1979), DEAD & BURIED (1981) and TOTAL RECALL (1990). I've read that the film is loosely based on the H.P. Lovecraft short story "The Lurking Fear", yet more Lovecraft I need to read. Add to the O'Bannon factor that Rutger Hauer (BLADERUNNER, THE HITCHER, LADYHAWKE) received top-billing and I couldn't resist taking in a viewing. Hauer's been in my mind a lot as of late after checking out the teaser trailer for HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN which looks stupefyingly amazing.

During the prologue of BLEEDERS we are introduced to the Eva Van Daam, a woman of the 16th century so gorgeous and narcissistic that she deemed no lover good enough for her except her own twin brother. It's pretty funny, as we are shown the two making love we seen the man's broad shoulders and masculine physique, the close-up of her face is obviously the woman with a goatee, nice. When the King of Holland outlaws incest in 1692 the Van Daam's pull up roots and re-settle on an island of the coast of Maine where they can just keep that incest going full-on until they've inbred themselves into unsightly gargoyles. Three hundred years later John Straus and his wife travel to said island in hopes of finding clues to his rare and debilitating blood disease.

John arrives on the island in ill-health and is taken to Dr. Marlow, the islands doctor with a reputation as a bit of a drunk, played by the venerable Rutger Hauer. Oddly, Hauer receives top-billing in the film, but then again when the bland Roy Dupuis is the alternative...  Dr. Marlowe takes an interest in John's strange affliction and takes a blood sample to run tests.

"Wow. Looks like I'm making some guests for the hotel ...and with any luck, a burial plot too" - Byrde Gordon / Bleeders

It turns out there are no Strauss's on the island and Dr. Peterson whom delivered John has since passed on. However, his crotchety nurse Lexie Crungle (Jackie Burroughs) is alive and rollin' around in a wheelchair, packin' a shotgun and conveniently resides at the Van Daam mansion that burned down 75 years earlier, killing off the last of the Van Daam clan. I love mean elderly people in films and Mrs. Crungle is a great one. She's a mean ol' bitch and serves only to unload a ton of expository dialogue here, but I loved her scenes just the same, great stuff. It's too bad she doesn't hang around long.

About the same time a mutilated corpse in brought into Dr. Marlowe's office. It fell into the harbor and was torn apart by the blades of an outboard motor. Upon examining the mangled mess of flesh Dr. Marlowe discovers that it's deformed, hermaphroditic, and strangely shares the same blood disease as John. A short while later a child is dragged underground by a hideous creature while playing hide n' seek at the cemetery. Several townsfolk and Dr. Marlowe head underground and discover the previously undiscovered catacombs and the cannibalistic, inbred inhabitants therein.

The creature effects are top notch considering the limited budget of the film. They're appropriately grotesque,  misshapen goblins with bulbous deformities and extraneous eyes, nnostrils and primitive tools used in the capture of prey. Hauer is really good, if subdued, but Roy Dupruis is quite terrible as the lead. What really enhanced the film for me was the setting. Filmed in Vacouver B.C. the island location is gorgeous and showcases the island's scenic natural beauty. The story is written by Dan O'Bannon so you know it's a well-crafted story.  O'Bannon also scripted another stellar seaside village script, the highly recommended DEAD & BURIED (1981). And for the hormone driven segment of my readership I am pleased to say both Kristin Lehman and Gillian Ferrabee are filmed in their naked splendor, not hard on the eyes at all.  The downside, Peter Svatek's direction is lackluster and the cinematography is  bland and has the look of a made-for-tv film, some of which I could put on the pan & scan transfer. There's also a plot device involving substandard wood used in the construction of coffins that was might laughable though key to the film, oddly enough. The tension in flaccid throughout and I couldn't help but wonder what this film could have been in the hands of a more skilled and nuanced director.

DVD: Bleeders was released on DVD by Fries Home Entrainment. It's a 1.33:1 pan & scan presentation with 2.0 stereo soundtrack. No special features are included. The image and sound quality are very decent, nothing special, not overly crisp or clear, but sufficient.

VERDICT: This is a truly underrated creature feature despite the flat direction. I've heard mention of it here and there and usually in a mediocre light. A great story concept done an grave injustice by the uninspired direction and mediocre acting talents that is saved in part by the presence of Rutger Hauer and great creature effects.  *** (3 out of 5 stars)

DVD Review: Stuck (2007)

STUCK (2007)
"Two destinies are about to collide"


RUN TIME: 85 Min.
DIRECTOR: Stuart Gordon
CAST: Mena Suvari (Brandi), Stephen Rhea (Thomas Bardo), Rusell Hornsby (Rashid), Rukiya Bernard (Tanya), Carolyn Purdy-Gordon (Peterson)


SUMMARY: Brandi is a hard-partying, overworked, nursing assistant desperate for a promotion at the retirement home where she works. After a night of drug-binging and partying, she accidentally hits a certain Thomas Bardo a deadbeat and recently evicted man who gets stuck in the windshield of her car. Not wanting to call for help since she is driving under the influence, Brandi, chooses not to get Thomas medical help and instead drives home and leaves him clinging to his life in the windshield of her car. While Brandi frantically tries to decide what she is going to do, Thomas, tries to free himself knowing his time is running out.

THE FILM: Stuart Gordon has made some phenomenal films, particularly in the mid-late 80's, classic genre cinema including RE-ANIMATOR (1985), FROM BEYOND (1986), DOLLS (1987) and DAGON (2001). Outside of his theatrical work he's also directed some decent genre TV fare like Showtime's MASTERS OF HORROR series of which he directed two episodes, the H.P. Lovecraft inspired "Dreams in the Witch House" and the Edgar Allen Poe adaptation "The Black Cat" featuring longtime collaborator Jeffrey Combs. After the demise of MoH he went on to direct an episode FEAR ITSELF,  the Cajun-cannibal episode "Eater". Between these television projects he directed this "ripped from the headlines" revenge thriller featuring Mena Suvari (AMERICAN BEAUTY) and Stephen Rhea (THE CRYING GAME). The actual crime involved a registered nurse in Fort Worth, TX striking a homeless man. The man is trapped in the windshield, mortally wounded but still alive, she drives home and leaves him in the garage for several days until he dies. Afterwards she attempted to burn the car and the body in an effort to dispose of the evidence. WTF, right? An act so heinous and unbelievably callous that it boggles the mind, forget about serial killers and imagined bogeymen, this is the true evil of the world. Director Stuart Gordon gives this man the filmic revenge that he deserved in life, the script is about half fact-based the rest is pure revenge-fantasy.

As the opening credit role we're treated to a a cool hip-hop tune which kind of threw me. I don't associate Gordon films with urban music, I think of the great film scores for RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND by Richard Band, but I'll role with it as it suited the film. We meet Brandi, a nursing assistant at a assisted living facility. What a job, it's bad enough cleaning up after incontinent old men but when they ask for you by name to do so? After work she and gal pal Tanya (Rikiya Bernard) blow off steam by hitting the club and tripping on ecstasy courtesy of boyfriend Rashid (Russell Hornsby). Afterwards, Brandi gets behind the wheel and heads home, visibly inebriated. Enter Thomas Bardo (Stephen Rhea), he's been evicted from his apartment and is plagued by the phrase "It's your choice". Fate is transpiring against him, there are no real choices, just the cold fact that he's newly homeless, alone and desperate with nowhere to go.  While he's wondering the streets pushing his newly acquired shopping cart and contemplating the woes life he's viciously slammed into by Brandi at an intersection. She's swerving all over the road and fucking with her cell phone, she doesn't see him until it's too late. It's a brutal scene as his knees and shins break against the car, face smashing through the windshield. Knowing she's drunk and at fault she speeds home, shockingly unnoticed by anyone except a homeless man. She parks the car in the garage and makes no effort to help as he pleads for assistance, it's difficult to watch. Leaving him alone in the garage she's shaken but no so much so that she can't fuck her man as Tom lays dying in her garage just a few yards away. Rusell Hornsby as Brandi's lover is awesome, he's a funny cat and his portrayal of her drug-dealing,  philandering boyfriend is good stuff. Stephen Rhea is amazing, you feel his suffering throughout the film, as well as his rage. It's torture watching him as he extricates himself from her car, a windshield wiper piercing deep into his side. While one can't help but feel sadness at the tragedy of this film I couldn't help but elicit a few laughs at the complete dumbassery of Brandi and Rashid's actions throughout the film. She's always going on and on about how could HE do this to HER -  it just boggles the mind how self-obsessed she is. Tom's revenge is is slow in the coming, he suffers a lot and it's excruciating to watch, but it's thrilling to see.

DVD: The DVD release of STUCK is released by Image Entertainment. Presented in it's theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with a 5.1 surround audio track. No special features, not even a commentary. Sad really as I would have loved to hear director Stuart Gordon's thoughts on the crime that inspired the film. The image quality and sound are quite good, no complaints there.

VERDICT: This is a first class revenge thriller/dark comedy with some truly inspired performances from Stephen Rhea, Mena Suvari, and Russel Hornsby.  It was a surprise how much I enjoyed Suvari's performance after the steaming-turd that was Steve Minier's DAY OF THE DEAD remake.  Stuart Gordon's still got I'm happy to report.  

**** (4 out of 5 stars)

VHS Review: Xtro (1983)

XTRO (1983)
"Not all extra terrestrials are friendly"


RUN TIME: 84 Min.
DIRECTOR: Harry Bromley Davenport
CAST: Philip Sayer (Sam Phillips), Bernice Stegers (Rachel Phillips), Danny Brainin (Joe Daniels), Maryam d'Abo (Analise Mercier), Simon Nash (Tony Phillips)

SUMMARY: Three years after the disappearance of Sam Phillips (Philip Sayer), his young son Tony (Simon Nash) pines for daddy's return when mom Rachel (Bernice Stegers) takes up with another man. The fractured household, which also includes a sexy babysitter (Maryam d'Abo), is further upset when Sam mysteriously returns and has a nasty habit of attacking local residents and seeping mysterious fluids from his body. A grisly, fast-paced blend of sci-fi thrills and gut-churning horror, Xtro became an instant audience favorite and remains one of the most popular British cult films today.

THE FILM: XTRO begins as father and son are playing fetch-the-stick with the family dog. As dad throws the stick over the cottage it strikes something unseen midair. There's flash of electricity and day turns to night as father is abducted in a beam of bright light in the sky, a real CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND on a really low budget kind of moment. Tony has always insisted that his father was taken by a light in the sky, however, mom believes that Sam's run off with another woman.

Later that night a UFO is flying over a nearby woods and deposits something into the ground, setting a small wooded area on fire in the process. Something is stirring, a pool of ooze is morphing into a gross-looking grasshopper-esque creature. This is our first taste of some awesomely cheesey 80's practical special effects via a man in a fairly terrible rubber suit. A passing vehicle strikes the creature and when the driver of the car goes to investigate what he has struck he is killed by the injured creature. The female passenger of the car is also killed. It then makes it's way to a  small cottage where it attacks and  alien-rapes the occupant, a young woman. A proboscis of some sort emerges from the creature and cups itself over the victim's mouth transferring it's alien-semen into her body.  She awakens hours later to the body of the rotting, dead creature and something growing in her womb. In a nice touch as her dog is eating the creature's corpse. Whatever it is inside her it's rapidly growing. As she lies on the floor her stomach distendeds several times that the size of a pregnant woman, a disgusting birth ensues as a full grown man emerges from between her legs, chewing through his own umbilical cord. The man is Sam, Tony's father, whom disappeared three years earlier.

At the same time Tony awakens from a dream covered in a bucket load of blood seemingly from nowhere. She calls the doc who comes to the house right away, gotta love the British health care system. He's suffered no injuries, no explanation whatsoever is offered, just one of many bizarre and unexplained goings on in this film.

The Sam clone/creature tries to call his wife from a payphone but it seems his vocal chords have not fully matured and she can't understand him. When he hangs up the phone it melts away, another bizarre goings on never explained. Rachel's assistant is Analise, the super-hot Maryam d'Abo (THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS). She gorgeous, frisky, and kind enough to have several gartuitous nude scenes throughout the film. 

Rachel heads to school to pick-up Tony and shockingly finds out he's been picked-up by Sam. She tracks them down and Sam reveals himself to her, he says he's no memory of where he's been since the abduction 3 years prior. She takes him home where he meets her new man Joe, it's an uneasy meeting  and Joe is suspect of Sam's intentions. With nowhere else to go Rachel invites Sam to stay in their home.

Tony walks-in on his dad eating his pet snake Harry's rather runny eggs and runs off in fright. Dad gives chase through the apartment buildings basement level, catching up to him he explains that since the abductions he's visited far away worlds and has changed and come back for him. Once he's gained the child's confidence he puts his mouth on the boys neck and transfers more mysterious fluids into him. Afterwards Tony discovers he's gained new powers, the ability to control objects. Powers he uses soon after to dispatch the elderly neighbor who kills his pet snake after it escapes into her apartment. In yet more bizarre goings on Tony's method of revenge is somehow transforming his 12" army action figure into a 6' assassin. It's a fun scene, and the way the old had bayonetted through the bed and blood squirts out from underneath is a gloriously cheap thrill. The same can be said for this entire film, I guess.  

Wow, I'm writing way too much about this film. It's an effects n' gore extravaganza, and the plot is a bit meandering, serving only to link the numerousand bloody effects scenes together. Don't come to this film expecting a coherent plot, it's not there. In fact, the entire film is a bit nonsensical, but the cheap special effects are a blast, full of strange fluids, blood and a killer clown that Tony conjures during a trippy, hallucinagenic scene.

DVD: I didn't have the pleasure of watching this film in the digital glory of DVD, instead I picked it up on 1.33:1 full screen VHS at the local Goodwill for incredible price of  .99, you now you're jealous, admit it. I haven't watched a VHS in years, what a nostalgic blast. The DVD is readily available and I'm sure I'll be picking it up in the near future. All three Xtro films are available on a triple pack DVD, FYI. The film as presented on DVD is 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with a Dolby 2.0 audio track. The DVD special features include 2 alternate endings, a deleted scene and an interview with the director, which I hear is hilarious.

VERDICT:  Of all the exploitation flicks that came after E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind this is definitely one of the strangest cult & sci-fi exploitation flicks out there. The atmosphere of the film is quite deranged, you never know what might happen next. If you crave alien rape, full frontal nudity, awesomely terrible special effects, this a true treat. A must see even if only one time. Be forewarned, there are a lot of bizarre goings on here that are never explained. Just kick back with a few beers and enjoy. Now I'm in the mood to see GALAXY OF TERROR or INSEMINOID. *** (3 out of 5 stars)

DVD Review: Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)

DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW (1981)
VCI ENTERTAINMENT


RUN TIME: 100 Min.
DIRECTOR: Frank De Felitta
CAST: Charles Durning, Robert F. Lyons, Lane Smith, Tonya Crowe, Larry Drake

SUMMARY: In a rural town a man with the mind of a child is wrongfully accused of a child’s death. After his demise at the hands of a brutal lynch mob it is realized too late that he is innocent, and in fact, saved the girls life. Afterwards, the men responsible for his death are stalked and killed by a vengeful apparition.

THE FILM: DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW was a made-for-television horror film that aired on the CBS network the week before Halloween 1981, what great timing, truly a classic Halloween film. I was 8 at the time, and the film affected me deeply. Much like in the film, I grew up a rural area that was blanketed in fields of corn and agriculture. Afterwards I had quite a few nightmares about scarecrows and cornfields, and I hadn’t even seen THE CHILDREN OF THE CORN (1984), yet. The film is directed by Frank De Felitta, the author/screenwriter of AUDREY ROSE (1977), reviewed elsewhere on this blog.

The film opens with Bubba (Larry Drake, DR. GIGGLES), a 36 year old man with the mind of a child, as he plays with Mary-Lee (Tonya Crowe), an adolescent girl and his only friend. As they play they are watched through binoculars by Otis (Charles Durning, O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?), the meanest mailman since Crum Petree in FUNNY FARM, he disapproves of the relationship despite it's innocence. Durning is amazing in this film, he's just so damn unlikeable.   Soon thereafter Mary-Lee is attacked by a vicious dog after sneaking into a neighbors yard. Otis takes Mary-Lee's seemingly lifeless body to her mother, trying to explain the situation, she panics. That bastard Otis forms a lynch mob, arming themselves with  firearms and bloodhounds, they track Bubba to his mother’s home. Otis' mom, Mrs. Ritter (Jocelyn Brando, sister of Marlon) sends them away, but the hounds are onto his scent, which leads them to a scarecrow on a post in a field. This is the pivotal moment in the film, and it is extremely well done. Otis walks-up to the scarecrow to investigate, it’s a chilling sight. Bubba’s eyes stare out of the eerie burlap mask, his eyes tearing up and trembling with fear. The men open fire, executing him in a hail of gunfire. For am '81 TV film it's a bloody sight, I must say. Right on cue the truck radio gurgles to life, informing the men that the search for Bubba has been called off, the girl is all right, and Bubba may have saved her life. Acting quickly Otis takes a pitchfork from the truckbed and places it in Bubba’s hands, thereby claiming self defense. There’s a short trial afterwards and the men are cleared of murder charges in a true travesty of justice. Soon thereafter the men are dispatched one by one in a series of chilling revenge killings, each foreshadowed by the appearance of a scarecrow in a field outside the men's homes.


I don’t want to spoil the film for those who haven't been initiated so I won’t go into much detail about the murders, but they are awesome. This is a TV film, as such it is absent of gore, but they way that Harliss (the always great Lane Smith) is killed horrified me as a kid, truly great stuff. We get a classic tale of revenge, probably the first scarecrow film to my knowledge, and some decent character development, particularly Charles Durning's Otis. Larry Drake is amazing, his role is limited but what a performance. I love the entire film, but the last 10 minutes are above and beyond amazing, the final chase/stalking though a pumpkin patch is brilliantly shot, and creepy as hell.

DVD: This is the first time-ever that this classic made-for-TV film is being released on DVD thanks to the fine folks at VCI Entertainment. It arrives on September 28th, 2010, just in time for Halloween! It's hard not to get excited by this as it is one of my all-time favorite Halloween films, and to see it so loving restored to it's original glory is priceless. The film is presented in its original 1.33:1 broadcast aspect ratio with a newly created 5.1 surround sound, the original mono track is also available. Special features include an audio commentary with the writer J.D. Feigelson and director Frank De Felitta, it's a great, informative listen, especially when you enjoy the film as much as I.  Also included is the original world premiere CBS Promo which brought back a flood of nostalgic made-for-tv memories. The restoration that VCI Entertainment has bestowed upon Dark Night of the Scarecrow is nothing short of stunning. I've watched this film several times from a VHS-rip in years past and seeing the crisp detail and vibrant colors here was revelatory. Barring a Blu-Ray release which this totally deserves, this is the definitive edition of Dark Night of the Scarecrow.

VERDICT: DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW is a must buy, no thought required. I surely can trace my love of all things horror to seeing this film the week before Halloween '81, and I cannot wait to watch this with my kids this Halloween. Not just a great made-for-TV film this is a classic of the horror genre, period.
****1/2 (4.5 out of 5 stars)

A follow-up on the review here. On September 23rd I received an email from J.D. Feigelson the writer of DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW. In the brief letter he spoke a bit about the lack of onscreen gore in the film. I thought it was interesting and have posted it here on the blog for any fans of the film to read. Mr. Feigelson has written other filmed projects including RED WATER (2003), THE LAKE (1998), NIGHTMARE ON THE 13th FLOOR (1990), CONVENANT (1985) and Wes Craven's CHILLER. He also directed several episodes of the '85-era THE TWIGHLIGHT ZONE  and ONE OF THE MISSING (1979), both of which he wrote.

Dear Mac, I just wanted to thank you so very much for taking the time to view and review "Dark Night of the Scarecrow." You are very observant of the time and love put into the restoration of the original movie. What a lot of people surmise, but wrongly, is that the lack of on-screen violence was because of television. Actually, I wrote to original to be an atmospheric morality tale. That the script had so little on-screen violence is WHY CBS bought it not the other way around. So, there you have an inside insight. But above all it was a labor of love and a gift to the revelers of Halloween.

From the pumpkin patch,


J.D. Feigelson
Writer/Creator DNOTS