LOST AFTER DARK (2015)

LOST AFTER DARK (2015) 

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment 
Release Date: September 1st 2015 
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 85 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 with Optional English SDH Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Ian Kessner 
Cast: Robert Patrick, Ian Kessner, David Lipper, Sarah Fisher, Justin Kelly, Jesse Camacho, Kendar Timmins, Eve Harlow, Elise Gatien

Director Ian Kessner does a lot right with retro 80's slasher Lost After Dark beginning with the tone and feel of it, this one feels like a low budget early 80's horror slasher for the most part, beginning with a cast of easy to recognize stock characters who love smoking weed, drinking beer and engaging in pre-marital teen sex. There's the sweet girl Adrienne (Kender Timmons), her all-American best friend Jamier (Elise Gatien), the rocker-Goth chic Marilyn (Eve Harlow), the uptight bitchy blond Heather (Lanie McAuley) and her douchey over privileged boyfriend Johnny (Alexander Calvert), the nice quarterback Sean (Justin Kelly), the token black dude Wes (Stephan James) and the tubby stoner who cracks wise and pines away for the slut of the bunch, Tobe (Jesse Camacho). 

The film begins with a nice set-up from 1977 with a quick death scene that establishes the killer and the farmhouse location, then we move ahead to the year 1984 at a high school dance with the Vice Principal Mr. C (Robert Patrick) hassling students in the hallway. Our main cast have the only-brilliant-in-the-eighties idea to hotwire a school bus and driving off to a cabin in the woods owned by Adrienne's father, but they have the awful luck of snagging the one bus with a busted fuel gauge, which leaves the stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, you know... just Lost After Dark!

They head on down the road and happen upon a dilapidated old farm house and decide it looks suitably creepy and would definitely be a great place to look for search for gasoline, and just maybe make-out and get stoned. What they don't know just yet though is that the farmhouse once belonged to a family of cannibal-killers who were shot dead by te cops years earlier, only problem is that one of them survived, a Madman Marz type character named Junior Joad, and he's not too keen on having horny teens on his property, so some heads are gonna have to roll. 

The movie takes a bit of time getting to the sweet kills, establishing the characters somewhat as they pair off into couples and explore the property, we get a bit of chemistry, some making-out, and then the kills properly start-up. Once the first victim is strung up with barbed wire everyone knows right away that they are on the menu, from here it's scene after scene of kids fleeing for their lives from the murderous madman with the death scenes being quite good, not glorious, but above average.  Being a retro eighties slasher the filmmakers wisely chose to execute these with bloody practical special effects, keeping the use of digital blood to a minimum, or just used tastefully to the point that it didn't make itself obvious.

We have a good range of murder set-pieces, a bear trap to the face, an auger twisted through a spine, a pickaxe and then a pitchfork through the gut, a head bashed against a tree, a car dropped atop someone and a Fulci-esque shard of glass being driven through the eye in a slow fashion-- it's good stuff, and as a slasher fan from way back I appreciated the variety of the ways that the kids are dispatched one after the other.  Even Heather's "rat fucking dog" gets offed, and if you know me at all you know that anytime a movie is willing to kill off kids and domesticated animals I am pleased as punch I'm just sick that way.. 

The kills are fun and the cast of characters are actually likable, far too often slashers nowadays are just a parade of assholes being killed, but with Lost After Dark you actually feel for them a little bit when their time comes around, even the bitchy blond. Kessner and crew has not made a jaded or ironic send-up of the slasher movies we grew up with, they're going for b-level slasher authenticity, the humor is situational and not of the winking 'were making a retro 80's slasher' variety. They do seemingly change-up the order of the kills a bit, in that the characters which you are used to seeing offed in a particular order sorted by stereotype is skewed, which was a nice touch and will keep your toes. 

The character of Junior Joad comes straight from the 80s slasher playbook, I can see some of the Sawyer clan from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in there and a bit of Madman Marz from Madman thrown in, a bearded wild man with a monosyllabic vocabulary, and one without a signature weapon. In a nice touch Junior used whatever was at his disposal - from stringing someone up with barbed wire to chopping off their head with whatever is within arms reach.

The 80s aesthetic is further realized by the addition a faux-grain and print damage gimmick, which is used tastefully but inconsistently, they're aiming for that aged look that conveys print damage and it works pretty well, but they did step over the line just one time in my eyes. As one of the young women are about to die they slip in a "scene missing" insert which sort of pissed me off, even more so when a later scene referenced it in a way. I hated it in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof and I have no love for it here either, it's not authentic and it just draws attention to itself, but it didn't ruin the movie for me, just irked me. 

Otherwise the film does a rather excellent job of capturing an early 80s slasher feel with appropriately vintage eighties fashions and a pretty awesome soundtrack with vintage sounding new-wave, new romantic and old school rap songs, a soundtrack begging for a cassette-only release. The way they shot the film feels retro too with some classic POV shots early on, a few modern camera techniques betray the aesthetic from time to time, but the vibe is typically spot on. 

I do love the addition of Robert Patrick to the cast as Vice Principle Mr. C (Patrick) who later arrives on scene in a canary yellow Camaro blasting disco, the 'Nam vet of course takes on the killer, but we're cheated to a degree, after Mr. C delivers a very non-PC monologue about how many VC he killed in the 'Nam a brief battle ensues just off screen, but Patrick gets to chew the scenery up nicely here, and is one of the few characters that is allowed to take it to the next level. A brief cameo from Halloween II director Rick Rosenthall at the end of the film is perhaps the only wink at the audience, and the final shot of the movie is a classic 80s freeze frame.

Audio/Video: The movie arrives on Blu-ray looking like a somewhat beat-up 35mm print and considering that is what they're going for it is a success on all fronts, colors are strong, details are mostly crisp and the black levels are consistent. The Dolby TrueHD surround audio is pretty decent, not the most surround-centric experience you could hope for but the sweet retro-eighties soundtrack sounds fantastic and dialogue, effects and score are nicely balanced. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Unfortunately there are absolutely no extras on the disc, not even a commentary from first-time feature Director Ian Kessner and the cast and crew, which I would have appreciated, I loved the movie, and I wanted to know more about the making of it - that's a missed opportunity, though director Ian Kessner has indicated that a commentary with him and co-writer/producer Bo Ransdell will be forthcoming via an mp3 that will be made available.

Lost After Dark is a blast of retro slasher goodness from start to finish and a high recommend to fans of eighties horror. This is definitely one of the more successful retro horrors I can recall recently, it captures the vibe and atmosphere of the classic b-movies we know and love and does so without winking at us. 3/5

THE DROWNSMAN (2014)

THE DROWNSMAN (2014) 

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment 
Region Code: A
Duration: 86 Minutes 
Rating: Unrated
Audio: English DolbyTrue HD 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 
Director: Chad Archibald
Cast: Michelle Mylett, Caroline Palmer, Gemma Bird Matheson, Sydney Kondruss, Clare Bastable, Ry Barrett, Joann Nordstrom, Samuel Borstein 

Madison (Michelle Mylett) is partying with her girlfriends one night when she nearly dies after falling into the lake, while unconscious she has a vision of a dark, menacing figure who is out to get her. She is revived but is psychologically traumatized by the near-death experience. Flash forward a year and she is suffering from an extreme form of hydrophobia, a fear of water. The fear is so extreme that she won't venture outside when it's raining or even drink water from a glass, she takes her fluids intravenously. Her friends have about had it with her irrational fear of water, drawing the line when Madison misses the wedding of her best friend Hannah (Caroline Korycki). Her friends organize an intervention with the help of a psychic medium named Claire (Clare Bastable) with the group forcing Madison into the bathtub where she is forced to face her fears head-on. Not unexpectedly this goes horribly wrong when it becomes clear that something supernatural is out to get her and she nearly drowns

That supernatural something is a man named Sebastian Donner (Ry Barrett), a serial killer who abducted women and drowned them while he listened to their dying heartbeats, which is a pretty novel trademark for a killer. At the start of the film we see how Sebastian was killed by one of his would-be victims, only now he's a water-logged bogeyman who lurks in the shadows, waiting to reach out from any puddle of water to pull victims into his nightmare world and drown them. 

Apparently Sebastian, or The Drownsman, only stalks you once you becomes aware of his existence, once you know of his existence he is empowered to stalk you, any source of water is a conduit from his nightmare world into yours. We see him reach out through a washing machine, a small puddle of water and so on, at times it was cool but then some of them just made me laugh, sorta of silly. As the story progresses there are revelations about possible offspring, a crazy woman in an asylum and so on, it get convoluted pretty quickly, they had a good idea, they should have just kept it simple. As for the kills, not much gore to speak of, drowning is not the most blood-soaked form of murder, this one relies more on atmosphere, suspense and psychological terror to get the job done, and in my opinion does it just okay, not great. 

The design of the Drownsman is a bit of ambiguous, a dark water-logged shape that's a bit slimy and undefined, with very limited dialogue. We just don't get a lot to chew on, he's glimpsed briefly in more detail and what I could see I liked but as a character he wasn't very fleshed-out or interesting outside of the concept. Not that Madison is developed any deeper, she is actually sort of annoying and I found it hard to root for her or her friends. 

Advertised as a throwback to 80s slashers I would agree with that assessment somewhat. It wears it's Wes Craven influence on it's sleeve, unfortunately it feels less like A Nightmare on Elm Street and more akin to Shocker. The Drownsman is not an awful film, it has some cool ideas floating around and a retro vibe with some cool atmosphere, but the baddie and the cast are hollow creations without much substance. I can see them angling for a Freddy Krueger versus Nancy scenario, with the bogeyman haunting his victim and her friends, but this is pretty forgettable stuff. You probably won't hate yourself for renting this one but I certainly won't be revisiting it anytime soon, this is a classic one and done. ** 2/5. 

ECHOES (2014)

ECHOES (2014) 

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Region Code: A

Duration: 88 Minutes

Rating: Unrated
Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 

Video: 1080p Widescreen (2.40:1)
Director: Nils Timm

Cast: Steven brand, Kate French, Billy Wirth, Steve Hanks 

Echoes (2014) is a supernatural themed thriller that deals with a young writer named Anna (Kate French) who suffers from sleep paralysis, meaning she awakens in fright in the dead of night, unable to move in a state of hyper-sensitivity often accompanied by horrific visions. 

she has a successful boyfriend named Jeremy (Steven Brand) and the two seem to be having a rough patch in their relationship, to ease the tension Jeremy whisks them away for a weekend getaway to a glass walled house in the middle of the desert for some much needed rest and relaxation, but the very next day he is called back into the city for an an emergency meeting with a client. Anne opts to stay behind with the dog and no car, hoping to cram some writing time, not unexpectedly her first night alone she experiences the sleep paralysis and the visions... or could it be that the visions are supernatural in nature? Either way she is scared witless but not so much so that she's not afraid to venture out into the dark desert alone, of course. In the dark of night she meets a stranger (Steven Hanks)) and encounters a ghostly apparition, which leads her to seek the aid of a local shaman of sorts (Billy Worth), discovering a few things that make her suspect Jeremy might not be such a great guy, and he may have murderous past. 

I wasn't offended by the film but it certainly had more appeal to my horror-hating wife than to myself, with it feeling every inch like a watered down Lifetime Channel version of the supernatural thriller What Lies Beneath (2000). While attractively shot and competently acted I just couldn't buy into it, but the wife enjoyed it, so that's sort of a win in a way. Overall this is pretty generic stuff all the way around and not something I can recommend to the horror fans unless you're looking for something innocuous to watch with your girlfriend who is not a fan of horror but maybe enjoys a men-are-pigs thriller from time to time.  

MUCK (2015)

MUCK (2015) 

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment 

Region Code: A

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 98 Minutes

Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1

Video: HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Steve Wolsh
Cast: Kane Hodder, Jaclyn Swedberg, Lauren Francesca, Bryce Draper, Lachlan Buchanan 

A group of five friends emerge from the marshes of Cape Cod of a dark night, bruised and battered, the three women are nearly naked and they have just survived a harrowing night of... no idea, because this is the middle installment of a trilogy of films, of which the prequel and sequel have yet to be made. So we are thrown right into the middle of something and left to figure out just what as the movie trudges along with a steady stream of boobies, choppy editing and old school practical effects. 

The group take refuge is a very nice vacation home on the edge of the swamp, we are unsure what they have been fleeing from but it must not have been that frightening for the first thing they do is start looking for some alcohol to consume while  the trashier of the tree young ladies heads up stairs for a shower cause she just can't wait to whip out those titties.

There are two men in the group, one has had his leg punctured and is immobile, so the more able of them decides to hoof into town to call for help. He arrives at a bar and doesn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to find help, he takes a moment to wash up in the bathroom before buying a young woman a drink and then calling the cops...err nope. Doofus calls his cousin who is at another bar with his best friend and a piece of ass seems to have picked-up. With nothing better to do the three pile into a car and make for the area of West Craven to rescue the group of alarmingly dim-witted twenty-somethings. So many indie horror films have name-dropping homages to horror directors, naming characters and towns after the masters of horror that influences them but dropping West Craven in there might be one of the worst of the bunch, with a character going so far as to say that West Craven use to be an interesting areas but not so much these days, sweet Jesus

Muck has been advertised as a throwback horror film, much like Hatchet (2006) was, with old school practical effects and stunt work, without the use of any digital effects which I applaud. Some of the kills and action are pretty good but the limited story, amateur acting and the gimmickry of it being a middle film far and away overpowers any of the more enjoyable merits of the movie.

The antagonists in the film seem to be a cult of some sort, bald-headed muscular men covered head to toe is some pasty white tribal paint or mud with scars and some sort of rune being visible, they stalk the kids without any sort of known motive and there might be a creature involved though it s never revealed, surely in the prequel and sequel there will be more revealed. Notably Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood) appears as one of the cult members, or creepers as they are referred to in the film. 

Now when I was twelve this would have been a blast, a steady parade of scantily clad cuties showing off their wares for ninety-minutes was about two-thirds of the reason I watched all those '80s horror movies to begin with, and if that's what you are looking for you probably won't be disappointed. The other highly marketed ploy with this film is the casting of Playboy Playmate of the Year 2012 Jaclyn Swedberg, who is certainly attractive and not even the worst actor of the bunch, but that's sort of like choosing which turd in a yard full of dog shit smells the worst. Okay, that's a overly harsh, the acting here is not awful by any means when compared to other indie films and some of the corny lines are delivered with some verve, particularly from the wisecracking Lachlan Buchanan (Pretty Little Liars) as Troit and Puja Mohindra as Chandi who work well against each other. 

The film was shot on the 4K Red Epic camera and it looks quite nice, plenty of nicely lit and detailed cinematography with some interesting framing, didn't care much for the color grading or the crack-addict editing style which was all over the place with way to many slow-motion sequences. It was hard to follow the action with the chopping quick cut editing

While it may be advertised as a throwback of sorts to a bloodier era Muck is far too dependant on filling the screen with nude and nearly nude women which I am sure might sell a few films but won't give this one much of a life. The prequel Muck: Feast of Saint Patrick.(2016) has already been funded through Kickstarter and will also feature Playboy Playmates of the Year 2013, Raquel Pomplun, and 2014, Kennedy Summers. Not sure director Steve Wolsh could do anything to bring me back to the series after this dreadful entry, from the sounds of it it just seems like more of the same with twice the amount of Playboy cuties. At best I would hope for some sort of Lovecraftian creature to emerge but then again, I don't really care at this point. 

FEAR CLINIC (2014)

FEAR CLINIC (2014)

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Rating: R

Duration: 95 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: HD Widescreen (2.40:1)
Cast: Robert Englund, Corey Taylor, Kevin Gage, Felisha Terrell, Thomas Dekker, Fiona Dourif, Brandon Beemer, Angelina Armani
Director: Robert Hall

Robert "Freddy" Krueger appears here as Dr. Andover who runs a fear clinic, the good doc is out to cure extreme phobias in pretty much the same way a lot of folks cure the hiccups, apparently you just gotta scare it out of 'em, the doc this by subjecting his patients to their worst fears. 

He doesn't thrown the arachnophobes into a pit of spiders or anything quite like that, he has developed a fear chamber, which is very much like a sensory deprivation tank which allows them to safely confront their fears while the doc communicated with them through a weird headset, the experience effectively scaring the fear out of them. 

The treatments are a success until one of his patients die while in the chamber which causes him to give up his fear therapy. A few years later several of the victims of a mass shooting that occurred at a restaurant show up at the steps of he clinic suffering what they refer to as "fear aftershocks", each insisting the doc fire up the fear chamber and treat them, which he reluctantly does, but of course terrible things begins to happen shortly afterward. Turns out the treatments have awakened a malevolent force - fear itself - which begins to manifest once the fears begin to flow, growing stronger and stronger. 

The first thing I noticed about the film was the performance of Robert Englund, a man who can elevate  any film, but it's been a while since I've seen him in anything other than the briefest of cameos in the shittiest of movies.  This time out he gives the doc some real pathos and you can feel his anguish as he struggles to cure his patients while fearing that he he may be endangering them, it's a meatier role than the icon has had in awhile, haven't seen Englund in this goof of form since Jack Brooks Monster Slayer. 

The supporting cast is quite decent, too. We have Thomas Dekker from The Sarah Connor Chronicles TV series as a gunshot victim from the diner massacre, plus the very cute Fiona Dourif (daughter of Brad) from HBO's True Blood,  both of whom are very good. Slipknot's Corey Taylor appears as an orderly at the clinic, it's not significant role but will probably bring in the fans.  We also have Kevin Gage who has appeared in most of director Kevin Hall (Laid to Rest), offering up some comic relief throughout as the electrician. 

The numerous digital effects are not too offensive, with the spiders that pop up probably being the worst offender, but I did enjoy the creature design and digital effects used to enhance it. The oily black tendriled creature looks to be partly inspired by Venom from the Spider-Man comics, the last few sequences with the fully manifested creature are pretty damn cool. 

The science fiction part of it I can skip around, I'm not one to scrutinize movie science, as long as they can pull the wool over my eyes to a degree that I can buy into it that is fine by me, it manages to be not too painfully stupid.  

Director Kevin Hall has had years in the special effects business on dozens of big Hollywood film productions, the guy knows how to make an engaging film and he puts the money up on the screen where you can appreciate it, he definitely made the most of the budget and turned in a great looking film. 

There's not a lot of gore but there are some nice effects and atmosphere throughout but no splatter to speak of. You might wish for more of the more of the red stuff but the topless scene from Angelina Armani does offer some form of reparations for the lack of gore. 

The disc from Anchor Bay looks solid, the digital shot film has strong colors and crisp details with an active surround sound audio track. The only extra is a 12-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with interviews from Robert Englund, Robert Hall, Cleopatra Coleman, Fiona Dourif, Corey Taylor, Brandon Beemer and Thomas Dekker which also points out that this was based on a FEARnet web series which Hall also directed starring Englund. 

Not a classic slice of horror but maybe a decent rental, not a lot of re watch value for me but a decent film with a cool premise that doesn't feel phoned in, plus it's great to see Englund in a decent role with some meat on the bone. Fear Clinic is now available on DVD and the Blu-ray is available exclusively from Best Buy. 

ZOMBIE KILLERS: ELEPHANT’S GRAVEYARD (2014)

ZOMBIE KILLERS: ELEPHANT’S GRAVEYARD (2014)

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment 

Release Date: February 3, 2015
Duration: 104 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Video:: Widescreen (2.40:1) 1080p
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 with Optional English SDH, Spanish Subtitles
Director: B. Harrison Smith

Cats: Billy Zane, Dee Wallace, Mischa Barton, Felissa Rose, Brian Anthony Wilson

We have the small rural community of Elwood, a walled-in community serving as a haven for uninfected humans at a time when most of the world is overrun by hordes of black-goo spewing infected zombies. The community are lead by a retired Army surgeon named Doc (Brian Anthony Wilson) and a man named Seiler (Zane), who leads a group of young men and women known as "the zombie killers" who provide security for the community and patrol the surrounding areas for food and supplies.

The community is also home to a religious zealot named Lia (Felissa Rose) who as with most of her ilk love to point out the moral shortcomings of others, it just wouldn't be the apocalypse without one. Rose does a damn decent job portraying the amped-up bible thumper who loves to rile up the good people of Elwood. 

The film offers up an unusual amount of character based interactions for a zombie film, but there's some good zombie make-up effects throughout, the practical stuff looks mighty good, but the digital effects are Syfy worthy, meaning not so grand. Hordes of zombies off in the distance are one thing, but a stampede of infected deer and leaping killer fish are quite another. Smith's script is more ambitious than his modest budget will effectively allow, and sometimes you just have to cut back when a few decent ideas stretch your budget and abilities to the point of laughability, which is what happened. 

Not enough to completely ruin the movie but enough to make me start picking apart other smaller things that maybe I wouldn't have if the poor effects didn't draw so much attention to themselves. One of those things being how much paintball is front and center in this film right from the beginning till the very end. It begins with some truly awful voice over narration from Doc at the top of the film with an overly long montage of paintballers right through to the very end. Not sure is the San Diego Dynasty  were financing the film or not but it would not surprise me in the least, I get it, you love paintball, you want to show off your awesome paintball arena and cool gear, but don't shove it down my throat for the entire film, this is paintball propaganda with a smattering of zombies and a lot of melodrama. . 

Many will recognize Felissa Rose from the slasher classic SLEEPAWAY CAMP as the religious nut of the bunch and she does a decent job, I have a lot of love to Mrs. Rose but she's not fantastic but I love her just the same. Then we have Billy Zane who or a brief moment had an a-list career for all of five minutes before settling into a career in d-grade movies that are forgettable. He's got a bit of a Western tinge to his performance that I liked, but there no heart in his autopilot performance. Horror veteran Dee Wallace appears for about a minute in a role that adds some heart to the film, but it's very brief appearance and in just one of several facets of the film that should have been excised from the movie, including a strange fracking-origin of the plague that was unnecessarily convoluted and not fully realized, they're going for an environmental message but it's muddied and unnecessary. . 

There's a more than average character moment quotient throughout the film, a bit too much for my simple tastes honestly.  With all the melodrama and character building I was seriously starting to yearn for some damn zombie carnage, which we do get in very small doses but never to the point where I was satisfied. . 

I give the filmmakers a lot of credit for their technical ability, you can see there's some skill behind the camera with numerous panoramic shots highlighting the scenic beauty of the surrounding area and creative use of what I assume are drones for aerial cinematography that mimic more expensive crane shots they are getting the most bang for their buck here, it never fails to amaze me what can be done with high-end consumer grade digital cameras these days. 

Not an awful film, I enjoyed the character-based storytelling to a degree but I was hoping for a more satisfying finale given that the carnage was few and far between, that combined with the poor digital effects did dampen my overall enjoyment of the film. This might be a passable weeknight rental but otherwise this has zero rewatch factor. A competent zombie film, just not my cup of tea.  

THE DEAD 2 (2013)

THE DEAD 2 (2013 

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Region Code: A

Duration: 98 Minutes

Rating: R

Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.78:1) 

Director: The Ford Brothers 

Cast:Joseph Millson, Niharika Singh, Meenu Mishra, Anand Krishna Goyal, Sandip Datta Gupta, Poonam Mathur, Coulsom Sujitabh, Madhu Rajesh 


THE DEAD 2 treads familiar territory for those of us who were fans of the first one, we have an American in a foreign land during a zombie outbreak. This time we have wind turbine engineer Nicholas (Joseph Millson,CASINO ROYALE) who learns that his local; girlfriend Ishani (Meenu Meenu) is pregnant. He's excited by the news but the news is tempered by the fact that the country is plagued by a zombie outbreak. Unfortunately for both of them he is 300 miles away and she's trapped in a Mumbai slum - one of the most densely populated areas on Earth. As the film plays out it serves as an apocalyptic travelogue through India as Nicholas must makes his way through hordes of flesh hungry zombies  across the blistering wastelands. Along the way he befriends an orphaned street kid Javed (Anand Goyal) who has a knowledge of the local area which proves useful to the engineer. 

Much as with the first film there are not a lot of new angles on the zombie apocalypse from the Ford Brothers but again the backdrop for the story is a thing of beauty - the arid desert landscapes are gorgeous and the zombie make-up is pretty decent, too. Not so much wasted zombies up from the grave but white-eyed creepers who have been freshly bitten wandering through the landscape, it's creepy stuff. I still have quite a fondness for the slower Romero-styled walkers and these are very much in that vein. 

Joseph Milson is a strong lead and puts across that his character is just a guy trying to do the right thing. Determined to get to his pregnant girlfriend no matter what the cost may be to his own being and without putting others at risk - he's a stand-up guy and gives the film an emotional resonance. On the other hand I found his girlfriend a bit irritating and overwrought. Thank goodness for the character of Javed whose dynamic with the engineer is the  emotional center of the film, I was stunned when I found out that this was his first acting gig, very impressive.

The gore is decent but not over-the-top, very restrained, but there's a fair amount of flesh-tearing and bite wounds for the zombie aficionados to enjoy - it's just not gore on the level of Lucio Fulci's ZOMBIE. The action is tight and quick-paced - more than once do we see our engineer in a tight spot and these scenes get the pulse racing, loved the scene of the engineer escaping via a para glider only to get snagged in a tree dangling just out of reach of the flesh-crazed undead. 

There's not much I didn't enjoy about the film, it's a solid sequel that ramps up everything I loved about the first film and has a good soundtrack that elevates it. The movie looks great with some mesmerizing vista and cinematography which look fantastic in HD. Extras includes a few minutes of deleted scenes and a making of featurette with some harrowing behind-the-scenes anecdotes that are worth a watch. 

The Ford Brothers seemed to have struck gold twice with another low budget zombie epic with a solid emotional core and some fantastic visuals with a gruesome horde of undead. Not sure where the Ford's plan to take the series next but I for cannot wait to see the next chapter. THE DEAD 2 is proof you don't need to reinvent the wheel when making an undead film, just give me a solid human arc and a compelling story, just keep it simple with some decent gore and tensionand that's what we have here, a very solid entry. 

THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON

THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON Blu-ray 

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment 

Region Code: A

Rating: Unrated
Duration: 696 Minutes
Video: Widescreen (1.78:1) – Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions

Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, French: Dolby Surround 2.0 with Optional English and Spanish Subtitles

Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Steven Yeun, David Morrissey, Lawrence Gilliard, Chad L. Coleman, Sonequa Martin-Green, Christian Serratos
Directors:  Julius Ramsay, Greg Noctero Tricia Brock, Ernest Dickerson, Michelle MacLaren

Synopsis: In the new season, we see Rick and the group of survivors fostering a thriving community in the safe haven of the prison only to have it short-lived as the group loses everything, their home, family, and friends to the threat of the walkers, outside threats and the hidden dangers brewing inside the fences. The group of survivors are broken apart and sent on divergent paths, unsure of everyone else’s fate as they are exposed to new dangers, new enemies, and heartbreaking choices. They will have their faith thoroughly tested -- a faith that breaks some of them and redeems others.

Season four of The Walking Dead started off pretty weak for me. Following the events of the season three finale the formerly bad ass Rick has given up the gun to pursue a farming lifestyle at the prison where things are going pretty great - but this is the Walking Dead and the good times never last!

Things start turning to shit pretty quick as an infection is spreading through the prison community and the undead are massing along the fence - turns out someone had been feeding them rats through the fence - damn, this ain't no petting zoo! Before too a member if the community becomes one of the undead after succumbing to the quick spreading infection which spurs the creation of a quarantine zone for the infected which causes a lot of fuss as it's not voluntary. 

On top of this we have the return of the Governor and we get a nice flashback to what transpired after the fall of Woodbury and his journey thereafter - which if you can believe it paints a pretty sympathetic image of the anti-Rick as he is taken in by a new group of survivors and quickly rises to the rank of leader which puts them on a direct path to the Prison and the expected conflict yo would expect. The siege is massive and we see some major character die - perhaps the most painful death in the entire series since we saw the beloved Dale perish in season two! 

In the aftermath - without spoiling too much -  the prison community are split up into several faction and out in the wild away from the safety of the Prison for the first time in a few seasons. Enter a rumored safe haven known as Terminus - the new destination of the group. we are also introduced to a new group of survivors called the Marauders and by the end of the season we see Rick at his most violent and brutal!

Some nice character development throughout this season, for starters we have Rick returning to form after having renounced leadership and violence. Michonne continues to be a total ass kicker with her razor sharp katana but we find out a little more about her tragic past. Little Carl continues his journey to badassdom and has to care for his father who is beaten nearly to death at one point. The most tragic story arc is of Lizzie - who has always been sympathetic towards the undead - but this season the direction they take her is a total gut-punch. I think this is the strongest once since the first and of course the finale has the group in a pickle... October cannot get her fast enough for me. 

The Blu-ray from Anchor Bay looks fantastic, huge fan of the look and style of the film and even the sound design is above average for a TV series. The extras are pretty decent - we have two extended episodes, five commentaries and hours of behind-the-scene featurettes and deleted scenes with the cast and crew. . 

Special Features:
Extended Episodes

- Episodes 9 (“After”)

- Episode 14 (“The Grove”) are extended on the Blu-ray™ only.

Featurettes
- Inside THE WALKING DEAD
-The Making of THE WALKING DEAD
- Drawing Inspiration
- Hershel
- The Governor Is Back
- Society, Science and Survival
- Inside KNB EFX
- A Journey Back to Brutality
- Deleted Scenes

Commentaries
- Episode 1 (“30 Days Without An Accident”): Audio Commentary with Executive Producer and Showrunner Scott M. Gimple, Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager Tom Luse and Executive Producer/Special Effects Make-Up Supervisor/Director Greg Nicotero
- Episode 5 (“Internment”): Audio Commentary with Executive Producer and Showrunner Scott M. Gimple and Actor Scott Wilson (Hershel)
- Episode 9 (“After”): Audio Commentary with Executive Producer/Special Effects Make-Up Supervisor /Director Greg Nicotero, Co-Executive ProducerDenise Huth and Actor Danai Gurira (Michonne)
- Episode 12 (“Still”): Audio Commentary with Director Julius Ramsay and Actor Emily Kinney (Beth); Audio Commentary with Writer/Producer Angela Kangand Actor Norman Reedus (Daryl)
- Episode14 (“The Grove”): Audio Commentary with Executive Producer and Showrunner Scott M. Gimple, Executive Producer Denise Huth and ActorAndrew Lincoln McBride (Carol)

HALLOWEEN COMPLETE COLLECTION EXTRAS UPDATE!

The extras have been announced for the HALLOWEEN COMPLETE COLLECTION - feast your eyes on everything right here! New transfers on select titles, proper aspect ratios, the original Mono audio and a fine selection of new extras! I'm excited to get the TV versions of the films - which I realize have been available previously - and are exclusive to the 15-disc Deluxe Edition.

Also, as a small taste of what to expect, please see the comparison photos below from an previously unauthorized VHS release of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers and a screen grab from the all-new high-definition master from the Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers Producers’ Cut Blu-ray™available for the first time on September 23rd!

NEW HD TRANSFER

THE OLD VHS BOOTLEG

HALLOWEEN - THE COMPLETE COLLECTION

15-Disc Deluxe Edition

Anchor Bay Entertainment and Scream Factory proudly announce the bonus features and technical specifications for the September 23^rd HALLOWEEN Complete Collection Blu-ray™ set.  This new set boasts a wealth of NEW bonus features including 7 brand NEW featurettes, 3 brand NEW commentaries, 4 brand NEW interviews – with many of the participants sharing their thoughts about the franchise for the first time -- and NEW transfers and audio specs on selected titles. 

Please see full listing below for each disc in the 15-disc Deluxe Edition. Updates are listed below in RED:

Disc 1 – John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978)

Bonus Features:

• HD transfer supervised and approved by cinematographer Dean Cundey
• NEW Audio Commentary With Director Of Photography Dean Cundey, Editor Tommy Lee Wallace And The Shape, Nick Castle
• Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Director John Carpenter and Actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
• “The Night She Came Home” Featurette
• “On Location: 25 Years Later” Featurette
• TV Version Footage
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV and Radio Spots

Tech Specs: 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); Dolby TrueHD 7.1; Original 1978 Audio in Dolby TrueHD Mono

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Disc 2 – John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) (Exclusive to Deluxe Edition)

Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary With Co-Writer/Director John Carpenter, Actress Jamie Lee Curtis and Co-Writer/Producer Debra Hill
• Featurette: Halloween: A Cut Above The Rest
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV and Radio Spots

Tech Specs: 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); Dolby Surround 5.1; PCM 5.1; Original 1978 Mono Audio

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Disc 3 – Halloween II (1981)

Theatrical Version

Bonus Features:

• Audio commentary with director Rick Rosenthal and actor Leo Rossi (Theatrical version)
• Audio commentary with stunt coordinator/actor Dick Warlock (Theatrical version)
• The Nightmare Isn’t Over: The Making Of Halloween II” Featuring Rick Rosenthal, Lance Guest, Dick Warlock, Alan Howarth, Dean Cundey, Leo Rossi and Moore...
• “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds: The Locations of Halloween II” - Host Sean Clark revisits the original shooting locations of the film
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Audio Commentary from director Rick Rosenthal
• Alternate Ending with Optional Audio Commentary from director Rick Rosenthal
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV and Radio Spots
• Still Gallery

Tech Specs: 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); DTS-HD MA 5.1

Disc 4 – Halloween II TV Cut (1981) DVD (Exclusive to Deluxe Edition)

Television Cut With Added Footage Not Seen In The Theatrical Version

Tech Specs: Standard Definition Full-frame 1.33:1; Dolby Digital Mono

UPDATED! Disc 5 – Halloween III: Season of The Witch (1982)

Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary with director Tommy Lee Wallace
• Audio Commentary with actor Tom Atkins
• “Stand Alone: The Making Of Halloween III: Season Of The Witch” featuring Tommy Lee Wallace, Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, Dick Warlock, Dean Cundey and more
• “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds” - Revisiting the original shooting locations
• Still Gallery
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots

Tech Specs: 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); DTS-HD MA Mono

Disc 6 – Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary with Actors Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris
• Audio Commentary with Director Dwight H. Little and Author Justin Beahm
• Theatrical Trailer

Tech Specs: 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1); Dolby TrueHD 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

UPDATED! Disc 7 -- Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary with Actor Don Shanks and author Justin Beahm
• Audio Commentary with Director Dominique Othenin-Girard and Actors Danielle Harris And Jeffrey Landman
• Halloween 5: On The Set
• Halloween 5: Original Promo
• Theatrical Trailer

Tech Specs: 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1); Dolby TrueHD 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

UPDATED! Disc 8 -- Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) Theatrical Cut

Bonus Features:

• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Still Gallery

Tech Specs: 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1); DTS-MA HD 5.1, 2.0

Subtitles: English

UPDATED! Disc 9 – Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) Producer’s Cut (Exclusive to Deluxe Edition)

Bonus Features:

• NEW High Definition Master from the original inter-negative
• NEW Audio Commentary with Screenwriter Daniel Farrands and Composer Alan Howarth (Producer’s Cut)
• NEW “Jamie’s Story” – An Interview With The Original “Jamie” Actress Danielle Harris
• NEW “The Cursed ‘Curse’” – An Interview With Producers Malek Akkad And Paul Freeman
• NEW “Acting Scared “– A Look At The Film’s Cast With Actresses Mariah O’Brien And J.C. Brandy
• NEW “The Shape Of Things” – A Look At Michael Myers’ Murders And Mayhem With Special Make-Up Effects Artists John Carl Buechler And Brad Hardin And Actor George P. Wilbur (Michael Myers)
• NEW “Haddonfield’s Horrors” – The Sights of Halloween The Curse of Michael Myers With Director of Photography Billy Dickson And Production Designer Brad Ryman And Director of Photography (Additional Scenes) Thomas Callaway
• NEW “Full Circle” – An Interview With Composer Alan Howarth
• NEW Cast And Crew Tribute to Donald Pleasance
• Archival Interviews And Behind-The-Scenes Footage
• Behind-The-Scenes Footage (approx. 30 Minutes)
• Alternate And Deleted Scenes (Not Present In Either Cut Of The Film)
• Teaser Trailer: Halloween 666: The Origin Of Michael Myers

Tech Specs: 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (1:78:1); DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0

Subtitles: English

UPDATED! Disc 10 -- Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

Bonus Features:

• Presented in the correct 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
• NEW Commentary With Director Steve Miner And Jamie Lee Curtis, Moderated By Sean Clark
• NEW “The Making of Halloween H20” Featuring Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Nancy Stephens, Adam Hann-Byrd, Tom Kane, Editor Patrick Lussier, Producer Malek Akkad, Producer Paul Freeman, Composer John Ottman, Chris Durand (Michael Myers), Writer Robert Zappia, Stunt Co-Ordinator Donna Keegan, Make-Up Brad Hardin And Cinematographer Daryn Okada
• Vintage Interviews And Behind-The-Scenes Footage
• Scenes from the film with John Ottman’s original score
• Theatrical Trailer

Tech Specs: 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0

Subtitles: English

UPDATED! Disc 11 -- Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary With Director Rick Rosenthal And Editor Robert A. Ferretti
• Alternate Endings with optional director’s commentary
• Deleted Scenes with optional director’s commentary
• Featurette: “Head Cam”
• Web Cam Special with optional director’s commentary
• Storyboard Analysis
• Set Tour With Production Designer Troy Hansen
• Set Interview With Jamie Lee Curtis
• Vintage Interviews And Behind-The-Scenes Footage
• Theatrical Trailer
• Home Video TV Spots

Tech Specs: 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0

Disc 12 – Rob Zombie’s Halloween (2007)

Bonus Features:

• Unrated Director’s Cut With Audio Commentary By Writer/Director Rob Zombie
• Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary
• Alternate Ending With Optional Commentary
• Bloopers
• Featurette: “The Many Faces Of Michael Myers”
• Re-Imagining Halloween
• Meet The Cast
• Casting Sessions
• Scout Taylor-Compton Screen Test
• Theatrical Trailer

Tech Specs: 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Disc 13 – Rob Zombie’s Halloween (2007) Bonus Disc (Exclusive to Deluxe Edition)

Bonus Features:

• Documentary: “Michael Lives: The Making of Halloween (4 ½ hours)

Tech Specs: Dolby Stereo

Subtitles: English

Disc 14 – Rob Zombie’s Halloween 2 (2009)

Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Rob Zombie
• Deleted And Alternate Scenes
• Audition Footage
• Make-Up Test Footage
• Blooper Reel
• Captain Clegg And The Night Creatures Music Videos
• Uncle Seymour Coffins’ Stand-Up Routines

Tech Specs: 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1); DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1;

Subtitles: English

UPDATED! Disc 15 – Bonus Features (Exclusive to Deluxe Edition)

• John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN – The Extended Version (In HD - TV Inserts Are In Standard Definition)
• Interview with Moustapha Akkad about origin of HALLOWEEN
• Featurette: HALLOWEEN UNMASKED 2000
• Featurette: The Making Of HALLOWEEN 4: FINAL CUT
• NEW episodes of HORROR’S HALLOWED GROUNDS - we go back to the filming locations of HALLOWEEN 4, HALLOWEEN 5 (with special guest Don Shanks) andHALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS. Plus the original 2005 pilot for Horror's Hallowed Grounds featuring a look at the locations of the original HALLOWEEN.
• HORROR’S HALLOWED GROUNDS: Fan Edition – a special episode shot with, and for, the fans as they board a bus tour, during the 35 YEARS OF TERROR convention, and visit the locations of HALLOWEEN (1978), HALLOWEEN II (1981) HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH and HALLOWEEN (2007). Hosted by HHG’s Sean Clark with special guests Dick Warlock, Charles Cyphers, Brian Andrews, Tommy Lee Wallace and Erik Preston.
• NEW The Making Of HALLOWEEN 4 Featuring Actors Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Kathleen Kinmont, Beau Starr, Raymond O’Connor, Erik Preston and Sasha Jensen, Stuntmen Tom Morga (Michael Myers) And George P. Wilbur (Michael Myers), Composer Alan Howarth, Writer Alan B. McElroy, Producers Malek Akkad And Paul Freeman, Special Make-Up Effects Artists John Carl Buechler And Ken Horn
• Featurette: Inside HALLOWEEN 5
• NEW The Making Of HALLOWEEN 5 Featuring Interviews With Actors Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Wendy Kaplan, Jeffrey Landman, Jonathan Chapin, Frankie Como, Tamara Glynn, Matthew Walker, Don Shanks (Michael Myers), Producer Malek Akkad, Line Producer Rick Nathanson And Composer Alan Howarth
• NEW Interview With Make-Up Effects Artist Tom Burman On HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH
• HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH Radio Spots
• TV Spots – HALLOWEEN 4, HALLOWEEN 5, HALLOWEEN (2007) and HALLOWEEN II (2009)
• Photo Galleries -- HALLOWEEN, HALLOWEEN 4 and HALLOWEEN 5

Tech Specs: 1080p, 520p Full Frame, Anamorphic Widescreen 1:78:1, 2.35:1;

DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Stereo, Mono