Being Chased By Metal Balls Part One

I am going to have a busy weekend watching movies. I will explain that later on though. Last night I sat down get my series review started at least. I will need to get a review up over at Top Horror Movies Club tomorrow, so my 900th post will have to wait until sometime during the week. And once again I fall short of double digits for the month. I'm going to hate my end of the year total. Anyway, I decided to watch the Phantasm films for this series review. I will get into why the second movie is considered a favorite of mine in the next post. I have watched at least the first three films. I don't remember the fourth film though. Lets kick things off with Phantasm (1979), shall we?

Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) has recently lost his parents. It is now up to his older brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) to take care of him. Jody wants to get out of the small town that he has grown up in, and get out to explore the world. Mike feels his brothers need to leave, and is afraid that Jody will leave him behind. This has caused Mike to follow Jody everywhere he goes. As the movie opens, we see Jody attending a funeral of a friend, where he meets up with his good friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister). Mike hides in some bushes while watching the funeral, and keeps thinking he hears weird sounds. After everyone leaves, a tall man (Angus Scrimm) shows up and picks up the coffin by himself and places it in the hearse. The tall man sees Mike as he rides off on his bike, and somehow manages to knock him off of it with just a look. Mike, and eventually Jody, start to believe there is something weird going on at the funeral home. They don't know the half of it.

It has been a long time since I last watched Phantasm. Even though I own the DVD, this was the first time I have watched this movie on that medium. While this has nothing to do with the movie, I feel like telling this story anyway. The very first horror movie convention that I went to had A. Michael Baldwin there. I walked around for a good while before I started getting autographs. I had my Phantasm DVDs with me and had planned on getting Baldwin's autograph while I was there. Every time I walked by his table, no one was there. I started to feel bad for the guy, as he seemed pretty bored. Being my first convention of this kind, I was not aware that it was $20 per autograph, so I was pretty shocked when Baldwin told me it was $40 for the two DVDs that he signed for me. I haven't made that mistake since then. Anyway, back to the movie itself.

Writer/director Don Coscarelli has said that the original run time for Phantasm was over three hours long. I believe it was also said that the tall man didn't first appear until around the 90 minute mark. Realizing that this was asking a lot of people, and knowing it may not hold their attention for that long, Coscarelli made the cuts to make it closer to an hour and a half. For some, this has made Phantasm feel disjointed. In a way I understand the complaints. For example, we see Mike spying on the funeral and it ends with Mike wondering what is going on when he sees the tall man lift the coffin by himself. But then later on we find out there was more to it, the tall man somehow knocking Mike off his bike. I guess I didn't really see the point of telling us that later instead of sooner. Even so, I have also liked the story and the way it keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen next.

Phantasm didn't hold up as well as I hoped it would. I still liked it, but it didn't hold that same magic that I seem to remember it having. Part of that was that some of the effects look dated now. I still love the metal ball flying around, but once is starts to drill in, it didn't look all that great. The blood looked a little to bright to me, but it was still cool seeing it shooting out so far. Hard to believe that Phantasm was given a rating of X at first because of that entire scene. The bug that shows up later was also very silly to me now. It looks bad and the whole way the actors played out that scene also feels silly. Not all the effects were that way though. The hand getting stuck in the door looks cool still, as well as the severed finger still moving around.

The acting was also a bit of a problem for me. I didn't think it was bad at least though. Considering that A. Michael Baldwin was just 14 at the time of filming, I thought he does an okay job with the role. However, there were times I couldn't stand him, and if I remember right, that goes for the other movies as well. I liked Reffie Bannister more in the other films, and was surprised that he didn't have a bigger role in this one. While Angus Scrimm never really says much, he doesn't have to. I don't see how people don't find his Tall Man character to be scary. Maybe it is a girl thing, having a old guy chasing after me while trying to grab me. Bill Thornbury's acting just feels flat to me in most of his scenes.

I think what keeps Phantasm in favor with me is that it is set in a small town. This helps give it the feel that this story could happen anywhere. I also like that while it throws out who the Tall Man is, and his reasons for what he is doing, it also doesn't explain it. There are still a lot of unanswered questions by the movies end. I also like how it will make you look at mausoleums in a whole different way. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't enjoy Phantasm as much as I used to, but it is what it is. There are other movies I have felt this way about as well, and ones I hated at first but like now. I still think it is worth a watch, and I'm sure I will watch it again someday. Now I'm off to watch a few more movies.
3 out of 5 Going to have bad dreams of old men chasing me now, great

Cowgirls Are The Best

Since I got the day off from work today, I thought I would get that last movie in before the series review. I had planned on at least watching Mad Cowgirl (2006) today, but I didn't think I would get the review in as well. I do have a couple of things I need to get done today, but they shouldn't take all that long. With plenty of time to get this review done, hopefully I can get it done today. There have been times I would be writing, but then decide to go do something else for a while. Bad thing about that is, I don't get back around to the review right away. Anyway, I don't know when I added Mad Cowgirl to my queue, but I suspect it was many years ago. I sometimes add a bunch of movies to the top of my queue which means a lot of others sit in limbo forever.

Therese (Sarah Lassez) is a single woman, and a health inspector. She has a thing for eating red meat, something that she shares with her brother (among other things). Her brother (James Duvall) owns a meat packing plant. Therese has warned her brother many times that he needs to be careful with the meat he is getting, since there have been all kinds of recent reports about the mad cow disease. Therese is also sleeping around with a certain televangelist (Walter Koenig) and loves a corny Kung Fu type TV show. Even though Therese has a bit of a strange life, she is happy. That is until she finds out her brother may have given her some meat that was infected with the mad cow disease, and her own path into madness begins.

Mad Cowgirl is a strange movie. Writers Norith Soth and Gregory Hatanaka, who is also the director, gives us a story that never tells us which is reality and which is just Therese's madness. There is never a dividing line between the two. The writers leave it up to us to decide which is which. Hell, most things could have just been something that was in her head. It has some odd themes to begin with really. Getting sexually turned on just by eating meat is something I haven't heard of before. While I like a good steak, I don't like it that much. I guess it wasn't too much of a stretch to like older men at least. While most of her affection is directed towards Pastor Dylan, it isn't limited to him. All this makes Mad Cowgirl somewhat interesting, but in the end I didn't find it to be my kind of movie. The pacing is a bit on the slow side and some scenes feel out of place. There is one where Therese goes to a theater that is showing a porn and a kung fu movie at the same time and in 3D apparently. What make it weird is some guy starts making out with her and they end up having sex there in the theater.

There are some scenes that are pretty bloody, but that is as far as the effects ever go. If anything helped save this movie for me, it was the acting. Sarah Lassez does a wonderful job with her role. She can be serious when it is called for. She can also be funny when doing Kung Fu moves while watching her favorite show. Not that it has anything to do with her acting, but she does get nude for a couple of scenes. Devon Odessa shows up as a woman who ends up befriending Therese at one point. While her role is smaller, she is just as good. You can find more of her in some of the deleted scenes.

I thought that Mad Cowgirl was just okay at best, but I wasn't really into it. The ending starts to come into sight and the plot started to feel a little rushed then. It was still interesting even if I didn't really get who all the guys were supposed to be. If you have watched, or once you watch it, you will understand what I mean by that. I didn't hate Mad Cowgirl at any point, but I was never all that thrilled by it either. I wasn't really bored with it, but I was close. I think it is pretty cool that Hatanaka tried something a little different, even if I didn't care for it. I don't really want to scare anyone off from watching this one though. I do feel it is one of those movies you should just judge for yourself and not let someone else do it for you.
2 out of 5 Everyone was Kung Fu fighting!

Ghouls In The Night

Since I didn't have much to do yesterday, and wasn't feeling tired for once, I sat down to watch my next movie, The Lonely Ones (2006). I have movies lined up, and hopefully ready to knock down. I have one more movie to watch before I get started on the next series review. I hope to start the series review this weekend at the latest. Since I don't think there is a new movie coming out in the theaters that I want to see, I will probably review Area 51 next up for Top Horror Movies Club. I have several movies I would like to review for other there actually, I just have to get around to them. I'm not back to my old self just yet when it comes to reviewing movies and such, but I do feel like I have been doing slightly better lately.

Nine college friends decide to get together and head to a cabin somewhere in Northern Arizona. Legend has it that there are creatures in the near by woods that would lure people into the woods by calling out your name. The people that went into the woods were never seen again. The creatures became known as The Lonely Ones. Back in 1988, a group of women vanished. No trace of any of the women was found, not even blood in the cabin they were staying in. Our nine friends aren't believing any of it of course, even when they find something on the Internet that somewhat proves the stories. That is until the power goes out and they have to fight for their lives against ghouls.

It isn't hard to believe that The Lonely Ones will be a bad movie when it first starts. It is obviously a low budget film, reported to be around $100,000. The film itself is very grainy looking. I found that a little annoying since this movie is only 5 years old. The sound isn't any better. It was hard to hear most of the movie. I had the volume turned up pretty high. The lighting wasn't very good either. If there was a scene shot outside in the dark, it was very hard to see everything. The plot itself also feels bad, and isn't helped by some bad acting. The story starts off like one we have watched in many horror movies before. A group of friends going to a secluded place, telling ghost stories, talk of a serial killer in the woods. It was enough to almost get me to not keep my full attention on it. Roughly half way through though, it suddenly decides to get better. Still not great...but better none the less.

What starts out as the main characters, if you really want to call them that, trying to get through the guy cheating on the love his life, turns into something a little more interesting. It is still a sub plot, but it was who he cheated with that makes the movie more interesting. Writer/director David Michael Quiroz Jr takes the ghoul and gives it some lore and rules. People who give up on movies will probably never get that far, and I'm sure some just won't care even if they do make it that far. Some reviews gave The Lonely Ones a higher rating because of the ghouls. I admit that I am tempted to do that as well, but don't think I will this time around.

For every good effect found, it seemed like there was a bad one soon to follow. The first big one was really where the turning point ended up being. One of the guys gets his head ripped from his body, spine and all. It was pretty well done. There are some other cool looking effects, but that was the big one. The effects for when a ghoul is shot though was just some green "blood" flying out. It looked very silly every time it was done, which seemed like a lot. The acting wasn't so good, but there were some bright spots. Heather Conforto and Vince Reign get the leads. Devanny Pinn and Jose Rosete also have some big roles to play. As others have pointed out though, Ron Berg was the best out of the group.

If you are a gamer, then you will probably know some of the names that are used for the characters in this movie. It seems that Quiroz has a love for games himself. Even though The Lonely Ones got better towards the end, I still had plenty of problems with it. It is a slow movie, even when it did get better. If I have managed to make you curious about The Lonely Ones, then by all means check it out sometime. If I haven't, then I can't really suggest going out of your way to watch it. Hopefully Quiroz will try again at some point, if he hasn't already. He can tell an interesting story when he wants to.
2 out of 5 Glad I don't have green blood!

Bent On Killing Guys

Even though it took me a while, I managed to get both reviews finished that I was working on. I was still disappointed with myself when I noticed it had been a week since I started my last review here. I was really wanting to watch a movie today though, but wanted all other reviews finished first. I worked hard and got them out. After that, I went out to eat, came home and watched Hellbent (2004). It was nice to get around to a DVD that has been sitting here for two months now. Before I did all that though, I went to see Paranormal Activity 3 Thursday night. Even though I lost sleep to go, I had a fun time. Check out the review sometime.

Hellbent begins with two guys, who are in their parked car, start to mess around. Since they are in the front seats, they are having some trouble finding room to do that, so the guy in the passengers seat decides to hang out the open window some. Unknown to them, a killer is near by, and the guy hanging out the window gets his hear removed. Then we meet Eddie (Dylan Fergus), who works for the police department with a desk job due to an eye injury. He is asked to put up some posters asking for information about the double murder that we watched part of. While doing that, he sees Jake (Bryan Kirkwood), and it is obvious that Eddie likes Jake. Later on, Eddie meets up with his friends Chaz (Andrew Levitas) and Toby (Matt Phillips), as well as Eddie's younger brother Joey (Hank Harris). With it being Halloween night, they are all heading out to a festival to have a fun night. Their first stop though is the park where to double murder took place. Nothing happens at first, but then they see someone. The same someone that killed the two guys, and now he is stalking Eddie and his friends.

Hellbent is a slightly different slasher movie in that it features characters that are all gay. If it wasn't for the gay angle, this slasher wouldn't have been much different from others of its kind. In the description that Netflix provided, I wasn't sure if their use of the word gay meant that the characters were gay or if it was a horror/comedy type deal. It didn't take long to figure out what was meant though. I had given this movie to my neighbors to watch long before I got around to it, and it was returned to me the same day, which is kind of odd for them. They didn't like it at all. Said they didn't even finish it in fact. I could be wrong but I don't think it had to do with the gay angle. They just don't like movies that doesn't have a lot of action going on in them. I found Hellbent to be okay. I didn't find it to be a great movie, but it wasn't bad either. While it is obvious the characters are gay, it is done in a rather tasteful way. The guys talk about other guys in a sexual way at times, and you will see some kissing, but that is as far as things go. The plot was more about these five guys more than anything else. Sure there is a killer after them, and not all of the guys make it, but to me this was a character driven movie.

The effects are surprisingly good. After watching the featurette, which I don't suggest watching before you watch the actual movie, I learned that the effects were a combination of practical and digital. I wouldn't have known that if it wasn't for them talking about it in the featurette. There are some stabbings, but the main effects are a few people losing their heads. While not as bloody as the real thing probably is, they were still nicely done. The acting was also a surprise. Each of the main actors does a good and they do give you the feel that they are all friends. Dylan Fergus does a good job in the lead role. I believe the killer was played by Kent James. He was listed as Nick Name as his character name.

Some people didn't like Hellbent just because the killer is never given a motivation and never really says anything. The lack of motivation actually works here, and I think writer/director Paul Etheredge did the right thing by not giving him one. If the killer had admitted he hated gay guys, then it would have been seen as a movie against gays. If the killer had said he was just jealous, or something like that, of certain gay guys, I don't think that would have worked out too well either. If you don't mind the gay angle, or think you can look past it, then Hellbent is worth a look. It has been said that this is the first gay slasher film, but I'm not sure if it is. I know I reviewed a movie that featured a mostly lesbian cast that was also a slasher film. I could be wrong, but I think it was released before this one was. Anyway, while Hellbent is hardly the best out there, it was surprisingly decent.
3 out of 5 It was nice to see all guys getting killed for once

Weird Vampire Women

If all goes well, I have my movies all planned out to my 900th post. I promise I won't mention it again until I actually hit that post. I was hoping to get another post in before now, but things didn't work out that way to well. I went to see The Thing last Saturday, but had some trouble getting the review done. It was one of those movies that I just wasn't real sure what to say about it. You can read my review here if you want to check it out. Before I went to go see it though, I managed to watch Lemora: A Child's Tale Of The Supernatural (1973). I was going to review it Sunday, but between the other review, and going out with friends, I just didn't find the time to do so. The story of my life lately.

Lila Lee (Cheryl Smith) is loved for her singing at her local church. The local reverend (writer/director Richard Blackburn) has taken in Lila to show that Lila is an angel compared to her murdering gangster father, Alvin (William Whitton). One day Lila gets a letter from someone named Lemora (Lesley Taplin) who claims that Alvin is very ill and seeks forgiveness from Lila. So Lila does what any young girl would do, she sneaks out late at night and tries to get rides to the bus station. The letter instructed Lila to go to the station alone, where a bus would be waiting for her. After dealing with a creepy ticket guy, she finds the bus and soon discovers that things only get more weird from there.

The first thing I can say about Lemora is that it is a very weird movie. It starts off somewhat normal with meeting Lila and learning a little bit about her. Once she starts on her quest to meet up with her ill father, that is when things take a turn towards the weird. Lemora doesn't let up once it starts getting weird though. From the creepy ticket guy, to the odd bus driver, to the even more weird bus ride. The movie actually starts a little slow, which is a problem that it often suffers. There isn't much action to counter the slow areas. I spoiled things a little bit with my title, but the poster also does that, so I don't feel so bad. We don't know who or what Lemora is when we first meet her. She seems to be in control, but outside of that, we know very little. It is easy to figure out though when the first clue is dropped on us. Lila is looking for a mirror but can't find one. The glass has been removed from all mirrors, but when Lila pulls her own out...Lemora doesn't cast a reflection. Anyone that knows their lore will know what that means.

Not a lot of things are explained in Lemora. There are these people that are more creature than human. Lemora somehow makes them, but it is never explained how. They didn't seem to be vampires, but I guess that can be debated. It is also not explained what Lemora wants from Lila. It is easy to figure out though, so don't worry about that one. One of the things I found amusing was how they went out of their way not to show any nudity. They never say how old Lila is, but Cheryl Smith was just under 18 years old during filming I believe.

Not a lot of effects are found outside of the creatures. They do look pretty cool at times, so there is that. The acting was pretty good as well. I did like Cheryl Smith in this one, but I did feel character could have used some work. She was obviously smart, but there were times I got the feeling she was completely not getting things. I know the whole point of her character was her being the innocent type, but it was over played a bit too much for me. Lesley Taplin also does a nice job with her role. Coming across as a little creepy, but trusting in some ways as well.

Lemora: A Child's Tale Of The Supernatural  is a hard movie to write about for me. It has been described as a fairy tale, and it does fit that in some ways. I found this one to be a bit too slow at times, and I didn't feel like it had much of a plot. On the other hand, the general weirdness that is found through most of the movie more than makes up for the things I found I didn't like. It is just an odd movie, and generally, I can't help but like odd movies. Lemora gets a slightly higher than average rating on most movie sites, and I can see why. While I didn't like it that much, I did enjoy it all the same. I had never heard of Lemora before I decided to add it to my Instant Watch queue, and I am glad that I gave it a watch.
3 out of 5 I would learn how to drive real quick if my bus was attacked by creatures

Pop Music Will Kill You

I have decided on a slight change of plans. I was going to start up a series review soon, but seeing as I have had Netflix DVD at my home for two months now, I figured I am long over due in getting them watched and sent back. I will still get the series reviews in that I was planning on, especially since one of them works itself into my 900th post. I am now caught up with all my reviews. I did manage to get my last one done here with my last post, and I got my review for Creature over at Top Horror Movies Club done at long last. That one took way longer than I intended. For now though, I had to get Ring Of Darkness (2004) in before it was taken out of Instant Watch. I have one more such movie to watch around the end of the week.

A boy band that goes by the name of Take 10 has lost their lead singer. The media is saying that he left because of drug reasons, which had to do with his not dealing well with fame. We see the real reason at the start of this movie though. So, the remaining four members, along with their manager (Adrienne Barbeau), set up an audition where people interested in becoming the next lead singer can sing in front of the group, and screaming fans. Three guys are chosen, with Shawn (Stephen Martines) the favorite of the manager, and Max (Eric Dearborn) being the favorite of the group. The third guy (Jeff Peterson) we find out is a plant to get dirt on the other members of Take 10 that managed to get picked. They are taken to the group's island retreat in order to finish their auditions, and see how well they get along with the other members. Shawn drags along his girlfriend (Ryan Starr) and acts like he doesn't want to be there at all. He is a more "serious" artist, and wants to write his own songs. He learns eventually that it takes a lot more than talent to be part of this boy band.

I'm a little confused. According to IMDb, Ring Of Darkness is a TV movie. Or maybe it means it first came out on TV. This confuses me a little because it does have an R rating. I don't know what the rating is for though. Only thing I can think of was the swearing found in it. There was no nudity to be found, not even hinted at either. There is nothing gory about this one either, so that wasn't it. It had to be the swearing, but I don't even recall all that much of it.

Using music groups as the main focus isn't new for horror movies, but this is the first time I can remember that a pop boy band was used. Even though they looked older than your average boy band, they did have the act and music down for it. The odd thing about the auditions was that it sure sounded like each singer was using the same voice. Going back to the very start of the film, we watch as the lead singer tries to make his escape, and then is met up with by four people. Director David DeCoteau is careful about not showing who these four guys are, but honestly, it doesn't take long to figure out that part. The only real mystery to the movie is what are these guys? I had a feeling they were aliens, but I was wrong. They do at least do a good job of waiting to reveal what these guys are, but that is about the only good thing I have to say.

Even though Ring Of Darkness had a good sized budget, even if it is still considered a lot budget movie, it was painfully obvious that none of it went to special effects. There is some blood, mostly when people turn to look at the camera and blood spills out of their mouth some. Oh, there is also a so called knife cut. Blood comes out of the wound, but when they spread the blood around you can tell there is no actual wound there. There are also some makeup effects when one of the group gets scratched. They just smeared a little silver paint and there you go. When it is revealed what they are, we get to see their real faces. It looked better than just smearing some silver paint, but was still bad looking.

The acting was just okay at best. Adrienne Barbeau steals all the scenes that she is in, without trying most likely, but one has to wonder how she got talked into this movie. Most didn't care for Ryan Starr, and I can't really blame them for that. She wasn't very good, plus she would disappear for long stretches. I wasn't real big on Stephen Martines, but a lot of others did praise him as the one to watch.You can also find Colin Bain, Matt T. Baker, Greg Cipes and Jeremy Jackson.

Since Ring Of Darkness was showing boy bands in a new light, so to speak, I was curious to see where the writers would go with it. For some, the fact that it had three writers meant that it would be bad. I didn't know this going in, but it wouldn't have meant much to me anyway. I don't feel I was expecting too much from it. The story feels flat, and the effects don't help with that at all. The ending counters the whole movie. I understand why it ended the way it did, but at the same time, it goes against what Shawn and his girl was fighting against. Even though I'm not a fan of boy bands, at least not the kind depicted here, I do feel this one could have been a whole lot better than what we got.
2 out of 5 I should start a girl band and show them how it's done!

Ghostly Happenings At The Playhouse

I'm almost caught up with back reviews. This will be the last one here before I move on to watching something new. I have one more review to catch up on over at Top Horror Movies Club, which I hope to get to soon. Meanwhile, I did manage to get a review up there for Dream House. If you would like to hear my thoughts about that one, just click the link! Hopefully I have just one more movie to watch before I start in on a series review. I know I keep pushing it back, but hopefully I can get it in soon. Since I am getting close to post 900, I am trying to work things out so it is the movie I want it to be. That can be easier said than done at times. Anyway, one of the last movies I watched on Instant Watch was Playhouse (2003).

A group of students are in a Pittsburgh playhouse trying to get ready for a play they will be putting on. Their director gets rather mad at them when things aren't going to well, and sends them all home. After a few minutes, the director thinks he sees someone from the stage, but they disappear before he can find out who they are. The person appears again, and then other people suddenly appear also. The next day the police are called when the director is found on the stage dead. Detective Black (Nikitas Menotiades) is called to the case. He not only has to deal with the murder, but also Officers Koss (David Friday) and Randal (Andy Parks) who frustrate Black more than they help him. As more bodies begin to be found, Black begins to believe that the janitor (Ross Donaldson) knows more than he lets on, but every time the guy tries to tell Black what is going on, Black cuts in. Will they be able to figure out what is going on before all the students are killed?

Playhouse is a low budget film that is loosely based on a real haunted theater in Pittsburgh. The movie was going to filmed there, but scheduling conflicts at the last minute prevented that. The interiors were shot at a different theater from there. In case you didn't catch it, because I didn't write it well, Playhouse is a comedy/horror mix. It is more comedy than horror by a long shot. Even though ghosts pop up frequently, it is really only some of the effects that would throw this one into the horror genre. It took some time for me to get into this one, and even when I did, I still didn't think real high of it. I'm not a very big fan of this type that put comedy above the horror. Playhouse was no exception to that. I didn't find it all that funny usually. I don't know if it was the acting, or just the jokes, that fell short for me. Both were starting to grow on me some by the end of the movie, but as I said, I never completely got into it. There are some running jokes through the movie. Like Black always interrupting every time someone is trying to tell him something important, and then the person he will get the information of him one of these days. The two officers also seem to get sick every time they discover a new body. The pacing was fine, I didn't have any issues with that or the directing by Hunter F. Roberts, who also wrote the script.

One of the surprises for me was the effects. Not only did they look good, but they were actually pretty gory at times. Those that did the makeup for Playhouse did a very good job considering the budget for this movie. There was some real nice surprises there. The acting was pretty mixed. I didn't care too much for the actors that played the students, but they weren't really the main focus of the movie. Even the main actors had to grow on me though. I would say that my favorite out of the group would have been Nikitas Menotiades. It helped that he was always serious, no matter how funny things were getting.

If you should ever decide to watch Playhouse, then I would suggest doing it mainly to see how good the effects are. If they didn't get the group that did them noticed, then it really should. Considering the budget for this movie ($40,000 was the reported budget), Playhouse wasn't that bad of a movie. It just wasn't all that great either. With some better acting, maybe a better story as well, it could have been a better movie. Not trying to get all of you not to give it a shot though. There have been much worse out there. If you like this type of mix in your horror films, then you might want to give it a try.
2 out of 5 Always fun to see dead people blink

If The Dead Love New York, They Will Love It Anywhere!

I had the day off today, and tomorrow, so I managed to get some reading done. I have been having problems with my car since I got it, so I took it in today to get it worked on. The only time they could get it in, apparently, was when I was at work. I couldn't just drop it off or anything since I wouldn't have a way into work then. I ended up just taking a vacation day today, and took one for tomorrow as well while I was at it. My car isn't fixed yet, but they are pretty sure they know what is wrong with it at least. While I was waiting I managed to finish the novella I had been reading over the last couple of days. That will be reviewed here along with the main novel The Gathering Dead by Stephen Knight.

Major Cordell McDaniels has been tapped to lead a Special Forces group into New York City in order to get Safire and his daughter out. The story picks up as they are leaving the city, or trying to leave anyway. You see, New York City is quickly being over run by zombies. Efforts are being made to stop the dead in New York. There have been reports of zombies in other cities, but not as bad as what New York is. Safire claims that he has a way to keep the living from becoming a zombie if they should get infected by the virus that makes zombies. Things are already going to shit quickly but they at least make it to the loading zone. The helicopter manages to take off, but as they fly through the city, a zombie falls and damages their ride, causing them to crash. Most manage to make it into a building where they came up with a short term plan. But can they get out with thousands of the undead just outside their doorstep?

Most zombie books that deal with the end of the world type plots are usually centered around the average person trying their best to survive. The Gathering Dead obviously takes a different approach. While there are a few people that are just the average person, it mostly deals with the military side of things. The Gathering Dead only hints at things happening outside in the rest of the world. From the author's notes at the end of the novella, Knight plans on expanding on what is happening in the world in the next book. Stephen Knight does manage to get the reader right into the action on the first page. With the group trying hard to get to the landing zone in order to get out of the city, Knight describes some of the horrors that is happening already. The one that stood out to me, and the character of McDaniels, is a woman pleading with them to save her child.

Once they hole up in the building they are forced to go into, things slow down for a little bit. Knight takes this time to give us some more back ground for the different characters that are still alive at this point. While he does this for nearly everyone, McDaniels and his next in command First Sergeant Dave Gartrell are the main focus. McDaniels and Gartrell respect each other but these is also a bit of bad blood between the two as well, which is told in a quick flashback. Their relationship is an interesting one, especially when it people's lives were on the line at one point.

One of the things that I found interesting was the use of different kinds of zombies. I don't think there were what movie fans call runners or fast zombies, but Knight does describe some that move quicker than your average zombie. He also has a few that still can remember things. The theory presented by Safire is that the recently dead can be a bit smarter. I don't want to get into what these zombies can still do though. I want that to be as much of a surprise for any of you that decide to read this as it was for me. This may not really separate The Gathering Dead from other zombie books and/or movies, but it was still a nice surprise whenever it happened.

It wasn't really a problem for me, but be ready for a lot of military lingo to be found. Knight uses it a lot, but not to the point where you have to be in the military to understand what is going on. In his note at the end of the story, he does talk about tapping some guys he knows from the Special Forces in order to make it sound and feel real for the story. The weapons talk is a bit lost on me, since I couldn't really tell you anything about weapons. The only thing that really bugged me is whenever someone would go with their night vision, Knight would almost always describe how it looks for the person using it. I get explaining it once or twice, but it was reaching a point that I was getting annoyed by it.

When I finished up with The Gathering Dead, I decided to see what else Stephen Knight had put out. I came across Left With The Dead (A Gathering Dead Novella), so I decided to go ahead and read that before doing this review. This is an 87 page (if I remember right) short story about one of the loose ends at the end of The Gathering Dead. I don't really want to get into the plot, as it will spoil the ending for the other story somewhat. It is written in the same style and deals with a character from the other book, that is all I will say about that though.

Much like The Gathering Dead, Left With The Dead mainly takes place in a building. It would have been nice if more of either story took place out in the streets a little more, but it was very interesting to see why they had to leave their building in both stories. The main character this time finds two other people and tries to get them out of the city along with himself. In a short time for this story, which takes place over two days I believe, Knight puts his main character through a lot. I found that I liked Left With The Dead just a little more. It has a little more drama to it I thought.

Both stories have a lot of action in them. If you are looking for a zombie story with a lot of action that deals more with the military, even if it is a somewhat limited offering, then these books should appeal to you rather well. One of the action sequences in the second story where the characters are trying to get into the subway was a favorite part of that story for me. Knight does a good job with both of the stories. If nothing else, it has made me want to check out his other books, which is never a bad thing for an author. I would liked to have a bit more drama to the stories, but I still think both are well worth checking out.
3 out of 5 I would want to be one of the swimming zombies

Even Dead Girls Can Be Sexy

October is here at last. While I have no big plans this time around, I do know I will not try to get a review a day in this time around. I managed to do that last year, to my surprise, but I know better than to try it this year. I don't have it in me, nor do I have the time to do it. I do have some catching up to do though. Not just with Deadgirl (2008), which I was mostly done when I gave up on the review, but with another movie that I had watched as well. I'm going out with friends soon, which I hope will put me in a good mood, and plan to go see a movie tomorrow. That means I will have some catching up to do over at Top Horror Movies Club, where I accidentally deleted half of a review last week, doh!

Bestfriends Rickie (Shilof Fernandez) and JT (Noah Segan) are at school one day when there is a fire drill to take part in. Instead of going back to class though, they decide to take off and get drunk instead. They end up in an abandoned mental hospital where they trash the place while drinking their beer. Eventually they find their way down into the basement where they are almost attacked by a dog. They manage to get away though, thankfully for them. As they walk around, JT finds a door that has been pretty much sealed shut. For whatever reason, JT isn't going to give up getting that door open. With Rickie's help, they do manage to get it open and discover that there is a woman (Jenny Spain) chained to a bed inside. Rickie wants to help her, while JT doesn't so much. Rickie leaves JT behind and goes home where he intends to call 911, but his mom's boyfriend wants to talk. Before he can call again (supposedly) JT finds him and takes him back to the woman. JT explains that he tried having his way with the woman but she tried to bite him. The more she tried, the madder he would get and eventually he killed her. Rickie is repulsed by this, but the woman is alive after all, or is she? JT takes the gun that Rickie had been using and shoots the woman three times. She seeming dies from this, but then starts to move around again. While JT is happy with leaving her there to use sexually, Rickie wants to try and help her. Whatever will a boy do now?

Of course there is more to the story than what I just wrote up. It is a hard plot to try and explain. While there is more to Deadgirl, there isn't in a way. I waited a long time for there to be something other than a moral dilemma for Rickie. I get not ratting out your friends when they do something they aren't supposed to, depending on what it is of course. Even though Rickie did try to help deadgirl more than once, I had trouble with Rickie not doing more than that. I can understand why JT does what he does. Having very few friends, and probably getting turned down by most women, he feels in control and in power there in that room. Eventually there is more than just sex with a zombie girl, or whatever you want to call her. I'm having trouble putting my finger on what I didn't like about Deadgirl. I know it wasn't the subject matter. There have been enough horror, and even non-horror, movies that have rape as part of its plot. While I might feel...uncomfortable while watching it, it doesn't make me hate a movie or anything like that. I found the plot to be very different actually, in mostly a good way. Even though the plot sounds like a horror movie, it didn't really play out like one until it was getting close to the end of the film. Between Ricky trying to do the right thing, and trying to get his childhood sweetheart back, I was starting to wonder if it was going to be more of a teen drama.

It has been a while since I have watched Deadgirl. Not really how I like to do reviews, but it is what it is. I don't recall anything real gory, but I do remember some scenes that were a bit on the bloody side. The acting is what I do remember rather well though. Jenny Spain never says a word, but does a great job in what had to be a tough role. While I liked both of the leads, I think that I liked Noah Segan the best. Could be that I just liked his character better as well. Eric Podnar and Candice Accola also show up. I wasn't really all that impressed with Accola though. She looked pretty and all, but I just didn't care for her all that much.

There was one scene that really stood out to me. JT and Wheeler, played by Podnar, are hanging out at a gas station looking to nab someone. What happens to them was just real funny to me. I wished that the rest of the movie had that tone for me, I would have liked Deadgirl a bit more I think. That scene also made me wonder how Joann managed to find JT and Wheeler. Directors Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel never give us a good view of what the town looks like, or how big it is, so it just seemed odd that she was able to find those two. I never hated Deadgirl, I never loved it either. The ending leaves things pretty open, but I really don't think there will be a sequel to this one. I am having a hard time deciding on what rating to give this one. Even though I didn't love Deadgirl, it still had a good story to it, and a fairly original one at that. Maybe if I ever watch it again, I will like it more. I do think folks should give this one a look if you haven't done so already though.
3 out of 5 Kinky sex is the best...not that I would know