The Taking Of Deborah Logan(2014)

"Some things just can't be explained"


PLOT
What starts as a poignant medical documentary about Deborah Logan's descent into alzheimer's disease and her daughter's struggles as the caregiver degenerates into a maddening portrayal of dementia at its most frightening, as hair raising events begin to plague the family and crew and an unspeakable malevolence threatens to tear the very fabric of sanity from them all.


REVIEW

Some things just arent what they seem...The Taking of Deborah Logan is another on a long list of found footage style films that have been released in recent years.

The majority of them have not been worth watching, but this one would be on the most watch list, as someone who isn't a huge fan of found footage films but this one brings a certain aspect that most of the others don't seem to possess(no pun intended)

What starts off as a normal documentary about the daily life of Deborah Logan(Jill Larson) who has been diagnosed with the beginning stages of Alzheimer and how her and daughter Sarah (Anna Ramsay) deal with her changing behavior . For film crew Mia (Michelle Ang), Gavin (Brett Gentile) and cameraman Luis (Jeremy DeCarlos) things start out somewhat on an awkward foot but as things go along they all find that everything isn't what they seem.

The main plot of the movie is something that a lot of people can relate too with an ailing family member going through a similar situation (I myself witnessed a grandparent go through Alzheimer) Deborah when being herself is a nice sweet woman, but when the other side takes over she becomes something very sinister.

I happened to like the overall tone of the movie and how things steadily built and the story unfolded, Jill Larson gives an stellar performance as Deborah Logan how she was able to play the character with great balance, you find yourself feeling for this woman as she is going through everything, Larson's performance reminded me of Ashley Bell's similar turn in The Last Exorcism, both did excellent jobs with their eyes that tells more about what exactly is going on with the characters then words could describe.

Anna Ramsay as concerned daughter Sarah gives a very true to life turn here as she is a strong character and goes to any length to save her mother, I think had an lesser actress took on this part the movie would have fell apart and in the climax of the film I felt myself rooting for her to succeed.

Michelle Ang, Brett Gentile, and Jeremy DeCarlos give fine performances as well, my favorite of the 3 was DeCarlos as Luis, he was the character I felt myself connecting with the most and even though he has the least amount on screen time, most of his lines are some of the best especially during tense situations where they searching around the house for Deborah.

If there were some complaints about the film they would have to be the found footage style of filmmaking. I will never be on board with it when I find myself being taken out of a lot of moments in the film particularly the ones during the finale in the miner where everything is dark and the camera is shaking around, every found footage movie does this and I really don't like it. I never get why its done and why/how this is supposed to make things better from an viewing standpoint.

Despite my feelings towards the found footage style I do recommend this film to anyone who likes a good story with true to life characters and some really good performances by Jill Larson, Anna Ramsay and an overall good horror suspense thriller with good effects and tense moments that will keep viewers interested all the way through the final moments.

MY RATING 7/10


CAST
Jill Larson-Deborah Logan
Anna Ramsay- Sarah
Michelle Ang- Mia
Brett Gentile- Gavin
Jeremy DeCarlos-Luis
Ryan Cutrona-Harris
Anne Bedian- Dr. Nazier
Tonya Bludsworth- Deputy Linda Tweed
Julianne Taylor-Cara

Creature (2011)

"They thought it was safe to go to the swamp...They were wrong"




PLOT

In the back country of Louisiana, a group of friends unearth a terrible secret that unleashes a monster from the depths of the swamp.





REVIEW

Creature is an 2011 creature feature starring Mehcad Brooks (True Blood, Necessary Roughness), Serinda Swan (Tron Legacy, Breakout Kings) and Sid Haig (The Devils Rejects, The Lords of Salem). what quickly starts out as typical road trip for a group of friends quickly turns into a fight for survival.

Creature starts off with a Jaws like homage scene, but instead of the ocean, its set in the swamps of Louisiana which is a nice little nod to a classic film., Which this movie is not. It's not a slight against this movie but this and Jaws are like apples and rotted fruit.

The movie is full of cliques and nods to other films of the genre, but with all of that Creature tries to be different in some ways but not all of the ideas are greatly thought out, the Creature effects are not the greatest either when it is seen and it is seen way to much in this film (less would've made it better) It looked somewhat I Swamp Thing's pissed off cousin or something.

The acting is not the best either but that's to be expected in movies like this but I will say that of the group of friends the stand outs were brother/Sister team of Oscar (Dillon Casey) and Karen (Lauren Schneider) their characters seem liked the most thought out and have probably the biggest shock scene in the movie.

I was surprised that Mehcad Brooks was the lead I mean I get it because at the time he was known for being on True Blood and Desperate Housewives but I always got the feeling that the other actor Aaron Hill might have been the main lead had Brooks not been cast in the lead role.

If you're a fan of backwoods, creature features, wrong turn type of films with  a twist I say check it out. Its not the greatest movie but it's also not the worst either.


MY THOUGHTS

I heard a lot about this movie when it came out in 2011 and none of the reviews were good(my review doesn't give it to much praise either) so with this being October and it being on Netflix I decided to give it a watch. No harm, No foul. Right? I went into the movie expecting it to be one way but it turned on its head in a good way and I ended up enjoying it alot more then I was expecting too but since I  went into it with no expections that's not really saying much.



My Rating
5/10

Cast
Mehcad Brooks-Niles
Serinda Swan- Emily
Dillon Casey-Oscar
Lauren Schneider-Karen
Aaron Hill- Randy Parker
Amanda Fuller-Beth
Sid Haig- Chopper

American Mary (2012)

"She's an artist"



PLOT

The allure of easy money sends Mary Mason, a medical student , into the world of underground surgeries which ends up leaving more marks on her then her so called "freakish" clients



REVIEW

American Mary are a breath of fresh air into the horror genre, the 2nd feature film release by Jen/Sylvia Soska aka The Twisted Twins.

American Mary is a dark, intense film about a Mary Mason (Katharine Isabelle) who is down on her luck while she's going to medical school, finds herself applying for a job at a strip club owned by a man name Billy Barker (Antonio Cupa) who finds Mary interesting because he actually reads over her resume and knows that she really shouldn't be there because of all of her schooling.

Mary is thrust into the underworld of extreme surgery thanks in large to one of the club dancers Beatrice(Tristan Risk), she has had a lot of surgeries that have transformed her into a real life version of Betty Boop, after witnessing some of  Mary's work that she performed on a guy at the club during her "Interview".

Beatrice brings more work to Mary thanks to a friend of hers Ruby RealGirl (Paula Lindberg) who wants to be transformed into a human doll by having her nipples and labia removed, which at first Mary isn't to comfortable with doing but after being offered a lot of money, she goes ahead with doing the surgery.

Things really take a turn when Mary who now is doing better with her life and has been doing her Residency at an local hospital is invited by Dr.Walsh( Clay St. Thomas) to a party where she runs into her med school professor Dr. Grant (David Lovgren) who drugged and rapes her, Mary herself transforms on the inside.

I really enjoyed this movie, its very well written and acted by the cast who outside of Katharine Isabelle were unknowns to me, standout performance for me goes to Tristan Risk who plays Beatrice, where all of the other characters seem very dark for varies reason, Beatrice is the one light character who even though she might look the oddest, might just be the most normal of the bunch.

Katharine Isabelle does a great job as Mary who transforms a few times threw out the movie not physically but mentality, she's like a sexy angel of torture if there is such a thing. the relationship she has with Beatrice is good and even though at first Mary seems bothered by her finds her to be her friend by the end, which is very well played out.

Antonio Cupa as Billy is a complex character who when first introduced in the film seems like the type of character that has been seen in other films  before but where he differs is that he has feelings for Mary but he never really is able to express himself towards her except for maybe one scene.

Directors Jen and Sylvia Soska make a nice cameo appearance in the film as two very twisted twins who call upon Mary to do some unique surgery on the pair, those two character should have a movie of their own that follows their travels around the world post surgery.

The special effect here are really done well, as a fan of practical makeup effects in films, in a era now where CGI has basically taken over its always good to see real effects on real people, not only are the gore effects done will but the ones done during the surgery scenes are top notch as well, also the makeup work done on Tristan Risk and Paula Lindberg are very realistic.

My only problem or complaint with the film is the ending, I get why it ended the way it did, but It seemed to come to quickly and felt like there were a few loose ends left but it doesn't take away from an otherwise very well made movie.

I must admit this is my first Twisted Twins film but it surely will not be my last and now I'll be going back to watch their first feature film Dead Hooker In A Trunk and also their newest film See No Evil 2 and anything that they make in the future, they have a new fan following their work now.


MY RATING

8/10

CAST
Katharine Isabelle- Mary Mason
Antonio Cupa- Billy Barker
Tristan Risk- Beatrice Johnson
David Lovgren- Dr. Grant
Paula Lindberg- Ruby RealGirl
Clay St. Thomas-Dr. Walsh
John Emmet Tracy- Detective Dolor
Twan Holliday- Lance
Sylvia Soska- Twin # 1
Jen Soska- Twin # 2

Def By Temptation (1990)

"Evil has never been this sexy"


PLOT

An evil succubus is preying on black men in New York, and all that stands in her way is a minister in training, an aspiring actor, and a cop that specializes in cases involving the supernatural.



REVIEW

Def By Temptation is a horror film Starring/Directed by James Bond III and co starring Kadeem Hardison(A Different World), Bill Nunn (Do The Right Thing).  The movie revolves around strange happens in New York that begin with a beautiful woman simply known as Temptress (Cynthia Bond) she sits alone at the bar of a local club, where a lot of hookups are occurring, no one gets to hook up with Temptress as the night goes on, until she allows the bartender (John Canada Terrell) to go back with her back to her place.

As things really get going between the two in her bed, suddenly the fangs come out(literally) The bartender tries to escape but fails and is killed. we don't know exactly what Temptress is as we see her pick up a few other victims one she kills during sex and another she lets live but she disfigures him and it leaves him ashamed for cheating on his wife.

One night in the club K (Hardison) goes into the same bar and notices Temptress sitting alone, before he is able to approach her he is warned by frequent club goer Dougy (Nunn) about Temptress, but K decides to take his chances anyway, and moves in on Temptress who flirts with him but things doesn't really go anyway and lives K shocked by this.

K friend Joel(Bond III) arrives in town and tries to talk K into getting back into the church and leading a better life but K doesn't want to hear any of that, Joel himself has been dealing with dreams of his dead father (Jackson) who was a Minister and who might have been killed by Temptress years ago.

Def By Temptation is probably one of the better in quality of films released by Troma Films, despite it being a low budget film, its is very well made. the subtle social community that is threw out the movie is very good especially dealing with sex and the risk you take meeting strangers.

The only real problems with this film is that James Bond III shouldn't have cast himself as Joel. he does a good job as director and writer but lacks very much so in the acting department, If there was a better actor casted in his role I believe more sympathy would've been with him from any viewer.

Kadeem Hardison does a fine job as K and is something different from his best known role of Dwayne from A Different World, anytime I watch the movie I always wonder how it wouldn't turned out if he was cast as Joel instead.

Bill Nunn is good for a lot of laughs threw out when he is trying to pick up women in the club and a lot of his lines seem improvised because I doubt anyone could've written most of what he says.

If you are expecting to see Samuel L. Jackson a lot in this movie then you will be disappointed even though the DVD cover suggest that he has a bigger role, he's on screen I believe no more then 3 minutes tops and most of that comes near the end of the movie. I would've liked to have seen more of his character not only because its Samuel L. Motherfucking Jackson but because the backstory between him and Temptress I felt should've been shown more then what is shown in the movie.

The real star of the movie is Cynthia Bond (Temptress) not only is this woman beautiful  and sexy, she plays the role perfectly and hits all the right notes about the character and of all of them seems to be the best developed character even though the character origins is least known. Is she Vampire or Demon?

Singers Freddie Jackson and Melba Moore makes cameo appearances, Moore also performs the song that plays during the ending credits.

There are some good gore effects threw out the movie most notable a character get sucked into a tv and is eaten and blood and guts are spit back out onto the floor.


All in all Def By Temptation is somewhat of a forgotten black horror movie that should be viewed more and if you're a fan of these type of horror movies then I highly recommend it, even if your not I still think it should be watched and enjoy it for what it is.


MY RATING

6/10


CAST

James Bond III- Joel
Kadeem Hardison- K
Bill Nunn- Dougy
Cynthia Bond- Temptress
John Canada Terrell- Bartender # 1
Melba Moore- Madam Sonya
Freddie Jackson- Himself
Samuel L. Jackson- Minister Garth

Riddick (2013)

"Survival Is His Revenge"



PLOT

Left for dead on a sun scorched planet, Riddick finds himself up against an alien race of predators, Activating an emergency beacon alerts two ships : one carrying a new breed of mercenary , the other captained by a man from Riddick's past.


MY THOUGHTS

I am a fan of the 2000 sci fi horror thriller Pitch Black where we are first introduced to the anti hero character of Riddick (Vin Diesel) I really liked how the character was developed and the way he was the one audiences connected with the most threw out the movie even though you really shouldn't, after the success of the first film and Vin Diesel action star rise that followed thanks to the Fast and Furious films that followed we got a sequel to Pitch Black titled The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), which at first glance looks good but when watching realizes that this movie is nothing like the original movie and is completely different in its approach.

The Chronicles of Riddick isn't a terrible film its just not a Pitch Black film and after its release most fans like myself didn't really enjoy it as much, almost an decade later another sequel was made simply titled Riddick but unlike the first sequel Riddick fits more line with the original film.

Riddick begins with Riddick(Diesel) stranded on another Pitch Black planet but all of its predators do not wait until its dark to attack, as Riddick fends off some dog like creatures we get a flashback to how he became stranded on this planet. during the Flashback Karl Urban reprises his role from the previous movie.

Riddick wants off the planet and sets out to find a way out, after some time he finds an outpost where he turns on a emergency beacon hoping to attract anybody with a ship there so he can leave, he gets what he wants as a mercenary team led by Santana (Jordi Molla) shows up and his team is dead set on capturing and killing Riddick and taking back his head in a box.

Before this can happen another team shows up and confronts Santana and his crew, but they aren't there to stop them from what they want to do just simply wait for Santana to ask for their help because they know what type of man Riddick is.

Riddick does what Riddick is very good at which is playing mind games with the two groups which further turns the two against each other, but like true Pitch Black form when other threats show up, more dangerous then Riddick himself, everyone must put aside their differences if they want to survive and get off the planet.

I really enjoyed this movie over the previous movie since it took things back to its roots from the original film but at the same time furthering Riddick's journey along,  Riddick himself even makes references to this in voice over which was a nice touch.

Some of the new characters that we meet in this film are very good, the stand outs being Boss Johns (Matt Nable) He is the man from Riddick's Past who wants answers as to what happened during the events Pitch Black namely what happened to his son Johns (Cole Hauser), Dahl (Katee Sackhoff) she is the no nonsense second in command to Boss Johns, Her and Santana has a few fights that Santana probably would like to take back. Diaz (Dave Bautista) he's Santana's right hand.

The action in this movie is more fast paced and looks very good, my only problem with this film is that after the beginning we never really get to see to much of the creatures that show up, even though they are set up perfectly, we don't know exactly how dangerous these things are like the ones from Pitch Black were.

Riddick does bring the franchise back on course with this entry and I wouldn't mind seeing another film made that follows in line with the original and this entry.

All in All if you are a fan of Pitch Black and even Chronicles of Riddick you should like this movie. Its the what the second film should've been more like in my opinion, The special effects are good, acting is good for these type of movies and what we do see of the creatures are good as well.


MY RATING

6/10

CAST

Vin Diesel- Riddick
Jordi Molla- Santana
Matt Nable- Boss Johns
Katee Sackhoff- Dahl
Dave Bautista- Diaz
Bokeem Woodbine- Moss
Raoul Trujillo- Lockspur
Conrad Pa- Vargas
Nolan Gerard Funk-Luna
Karl Urban- Vaako
Keri Hilson- Santana's Prisoner

My Top 10 Horror Films

With this month being October what better time of the year then to give a list of my top 10 horror films are. now I know everyone has their own opinion when it comes to things like this so just remember this Is my list and if you have a top 10 that differs from mine please feel free to comment your list in the comment section.

Alright lets do this...


10. Alien (1979)

Ridley Scott's sci fi thriller burst onto the screen back in 1979 scaring fans with its this isn't Star Wars mentality. it brought us an new a interesting monster that's very different from a lot of other alien creatures even though its been a little over 30 years and this film has spawned 4 sequels and most recent a prequel. probably one of the most iconic character in Sigourney Weaver's Ridley. Alien even though not really looked at as a threw and threw horror film is very much so with the Xenomorph stalks and kills off members of the crew.


9. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) 

Wes Craven's 1984 classic about the dream demon Freddy Krueger played perfectly by Robert Englund is one of those films that sticks with you after watching. the way that Craven tricks not only characters but audiences with not knowing weather your in reality and dream world is done to perfection. A Nightmare on Elm Street has spawn 7 sequels and a unnecessary remake, but this original film is still the granddaddy of the franchise.


8. Hellraiser (1987)

Clive Barker put an brought an unique and interesting concept when he did  1987's Hellraiser. "Angel's to some, Demon's to others" is the best way to describe the cenobites led by fan favorite Pinhead (Doug Bradley) I think the overall theme of this film gets loss when its discussed because even though in this film the Cenobites aren't really the main focus they get the most shine especially during the final act. even though its produced a lot of bad sequels after the first two. Hellraiser is probably the most underrated film on this list.


7.The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Before Freddy, Jason,  Michael Myers there was Leatherface (Gunner Hanson) Tobe Hooper's 1974 cult classic turned the horror genre on its head with the "Based On A True Story" film about a group of friends who take a wrong turn and come across the cannibal Sawyer clan. even though Leatherface gets the biggest  praise and does a lot of the dirtywork, its really Jim Siedow as The Cook who steals the show especially during the iconic dinner scene. its spawned 4 sequels, and a 2003 remake starring Jessica Biel. after watching this movie you'll feel dirty because of the very low budget and almost documentary feel it has but after 40yrs this film still stands up today.


6. The Exorcist (1973)

William Friedkin's The Exorcist is one of those movies that every fan of the genre should see, its a very religious film thanks in large to the fact that the main plot deals with a young girl (Linda Blair) being possessed by a demon and two priest Father Merrin(Max Von Sydow) and Father Karras(Jason Miller) try and do their best to save the girl life. In recent years there have been countless imitators with possession themes but all of those fail in comparison to this film. for some the first half of the film might feel slow but the last half hour is where this film keeps fans on the edge of their seats all the way to the final moments.


5. Night of The Living Dead (1968)

George A. Romero's little zombie film created a new sub genre of horror in which every zombie film/TV show still follows his formula for success. even though there have been different versions not only of this film but the genesis of the zombie itself has changed in the past 46 years. the impact of Night of The Living Dead still remains intact. the social community has always been the strong foundation for why this film was and still one of the best ever made. the fact that it was filmed in black and white at a time that it didn't really need(but had to be since it was a low budget film) adds to what makes this movie such a classic.


4. Evil Dead II (1987)

Sam Raimi's Evil Dead II isn't just any sequel its more of a remake/sequel which is very rare, but if you are a fan of the original you know what I mean, Bruce Campbell returns as Ash but the demons that were released from the book of the dead return as well. I think what sets this film apart from the original is that it takes everything that the 1st film does right and makes it better 100x. Bruce Campbell carries the movie(literally for the first half of the movie) and shows why he probably should've had atleast some what of a better career then what he had but being the best B movie actor isn't such a bad thing either.


3. Dawn of The Dead (1978)

George A. Romero's follow up to hi 1968 zombie film Dawn of The Dead really takes that ball and runs it into the endzone. where Night is very serious in tone. Dawn seems to take some what of a lighter approach but still driving home those social commentary points most notably the craze of consumers(which has even become worse today) this movie is a lot of fun in parts and the special effects are very cool thanks to special effects guru Tom Savini who also has a small part in the film.
the remake of this film is good for the more updated generation but this film is still just as good now as it was back in 78' probably more so when you think about Black Friday type sales that are done every year.

2. Halloween (1978)

What can be said about John Carpenter's Halloween that hasn't already been said. the fact that Carpenter made a film that sums up a holiday to perfection at the same time making the boogeyman real is something that rarely happens anymore. where a lot of other slasher killers either talk or so a lot of emotion with their kills the character of Michael Myers (Nick Castle) is probably the one that stands alone with how Carpenter decided to show him. Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) is right there along side Myers with Iconic statues with his delivery of lines and his pursuit of stopping Michael Myers before its to late is some of the best in any horror movie. I know Rob Zombie "expanded" Michael Myers backstory which might be good for some but for fans of this film. Carpenters less is more approach is what makes this movie perfect and why every Halloween this films is the one that fans watch.


1. The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter between 78 and 82 made what I consider 3 quality horror entries starting with number 2 on my list, The some what underrated ghost tale The Fog and 1982's The Thing. John Carpenter's The Thing is more then just an horror film its one that a lot of people can relate to by taking human emotions and letting the paranoia run wild. the fact that every character in the film at different points are or could be consider The Thing is what helps make this film the cult classic its become over the years, every character is well written and gets spotlighted threw out but its Kurt Russell as Helicopter Pilot MacCready that steals the show, but the star of the film is The Thing itself, we don't know exactly what it is but whatever it is its weird and pissed off. the special effects(Rob Bottin) in this movie are hands down some of the best and I would put them up to and CGI produced effects that has come along and in a lot of ways has ruined the art of Special Effects.

The Thing takes everything that you would want and blends it perfectly together, even though at the time of its release it didn't connect with large audiences because of its graphic violent alien attacks(people were to busy liking the little nice alien from E.T.) this movie did find its audience on home video and continues to scare years later.

Split Second (1992)

"He's seen the future...Now he has to kill it. He'll need bigger guns"





PLOT

In a futuristic London the rising sea levels mean that large areas are under feet of water. Stone must track down a strange killer that killed his partner. or is the killer stalking him?





MY THOUGHTS

Split Second is a 1992 Sci Fi horror thriller starring Rutger Hauer, Kim Cattrall and Neil Duncan, the movie begins with a scroll detailing the why the water is rising in future London, 2008 to be exact, also first introduced to Harley Stone(Hauer) who looks like a tough as nails, no nonsense bad ass cop.

He patrols the back streets of London with a purpose looking for someone or something, he stops outside of a club and hears something down a ally way but doesn't see anything. He enters the club and does a typical tough cop routine with a few of club members after this fails, he gets on a pay phone while one the phone a young woman tells him to watch the bathroom so no one comes in on her.

After some time Stone senses the presence of the killer and begins looking around the club until he hears a loud scream from the bathroom, as he rushes inside, he finds the young woman dead, blood all over the place and her heart has been ripped out. It's the killer he's been looking for work.

Back at the police station Stone is being chewed out by The Captain (Alun Armstrong) in his office about not only what happened at the club but other incidents that Stone has been involved in including the fact that he is arm to the teeth with guns. It's revealed that Stone has been after this killer for a few years now because he killed his former partner and best friend.

After some back and forth The Captain pairs Stone up with Det. Dick Durkin (Duncan) who is a very eager about Stone and this killer. after being assigned a new case and more random deaths occur by the killer, the killer begins toying with Stone by sending him half eating hearts.

Stone becomes even more engrossed in his obsession with finding the killer, but things become very personal when the killer sets his sights on Stone girlfriend Michelle (Kim Cattrall) who was involved with his partner before his death which adds more tension.

The Killer begins a cat and mouse game to lure Stone and Durkin closer by kidnapping Michelle and leading the two men into the underworld of London.


Split Second Plays on different levels one its a Sci Fi horror but it is filled out with a lot of dark comedy mostly the relationship between Stone and Durkin are played up for a few laughs. most notably being one scene where the two men joke about each others names. also there is a running joke about Stone not believing that Durkin gets laid every night.

One thing about this underrated gem is that its very similar to Predator 2 which was released a few years earlier now I don't know if that was done one purpose or not but if you've seen both movies you'll know what I mean especially with the fact that the killer acts very similar to The Predator  but it kind of looks like an Alien from the Alien movies as well.

I've been a huge fan of this movie since its release and surprised that this movie doesn't get mentioned as much as it should because its a fun movie but has a really dark undertone to it and it blends well together, Rutger Hauer has to be one of the most underrated actors all time, this movie proves that because even fans of his films rarely know about it.

Kim Cattrall is beautiful to look at especially back during the time when this movie came out but I always felt she was miscast as the female lead, maybe it has something to do with her hair cut or maybe its just me but Uma Thurman look in Pulp Fiction is very similar to Cattrall look here.

The Killer is never fully seen until the final act which is a plus because it adds more to what this creature actually is at a few points threw out the movie its mentioned weather or not its a alien from outer space or if its a demon from hell, its never fully known which but I believe its a demon and the luring of Stone and Durkin underground is like having them go to the gates of hell type of thing.

If you haven't seen nor heard of Split Second I recommend checking it out. even though its been out of print for a number of years and its really expensive on Amazon, but someone did upload the full movie onto Youtube where you can view it.


MY RATING

7/10


CAST
Rutger Hauer- Harley Stone
Kim Cattrall- Michelle
Neil Duncan- Dick Durkin
Michael J. Pollard- The Rat Catcher
Alun Armstrong- Thrasher
Pete Postlethwaite- Paulson
Roberta Eaton- Robin
Stewart Harvey-Wilson- The Killer

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)

"In 1946 this man killed five people... Today he still lurks the streets of Texarkana, Ark."





PLOT

A Texas Ranger hunts a hooded serial killer terrorizing the residents of a small town.





MY THOUGHTS

I've been waiting a long time to finally see this movie, thanks to Netflix that wait has come to an end. The Town That Dreaded Sundown was actually a TV movie released back in 1976(yes there was a time TV had good original movies ). The movie begins with narration about the real life back story about what happened in 1946 and the hooded serial killer only known as The Phantom that terrorized the small town.

The beginning of the film plays out mostly like a documentary with the phantoms first appearance and his first victims that he follows up to lovers lane and slowly stalks Linda(Christine Ellsworth) and Sammy(Mike Hackworth) who are just listening to the radio when Linda decides she's ready to leave at first Sammy doesn't want to leave but he comes around to Linda's thinking.

The Phantom lingers in the shadows waiting for the right moment to attack as the car slowly starts up and begins driving, The Phantom appears hanging onto the car breaking out the Sammy's window and pulls him out the car, cutting him on the broken glass in the process.

The next morning Linda is found on the side of the road barely alive by the police who have surrounded the area as its now a crime investigation. The scene is led by Deputy Sheriff Norman Ramsey (Andrew Prine) who sees exactly what The Phantom has done to Linda.

After this first attack things seem to calm down until March 24 when Ramsey is back out at Lovers Lane and finds Howard Turner dead and his girlfriend Emma Lou Cook tied to a tree she is dead as well, this time Ramsey gets a look at The Phantom as he's fleeing away but isn't able to catch him.

The town is now in a state of panic as The Phantom has struck again and the two victims this time are both killed, The Sheriff Department decides to bring in the best criminal investigator around Captain J.D. Morales (Ben Johnson). Morales comes to town and quickly takes over the investigation he is partnered up with Ramsey and a driver Patrolman A.C. Benson aka Sparkplug( Charles B. Pierce) who is good for moment then a few laughs threw out the movie.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown seems very tamed compared to a lot of movies that followed it but after watching it, it has influenced more then a far share of horror movies that's followed it most note worthy being Jason Voorhees look in Friday the 13th part 2 (1981) and Michael Myers Halloween (1978).

If you are expecting a lot of blood and kills you won't see to much of that, but where this movie lacks in that area it surely makes up in the atmosphere of terror since the majority of attacks take place at night and The Phantom stalking ways add a lot to the movie.

The biggest thrill scene in the movie is when The Phantom attacks another couple, after shooting the boyfriend, The Phantom attaches a pocket knife to the girls trombone and pretends to play it while using it to kill her, you'll rarely see a scene like that in a movie today.


Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine and Charles B. Pierce are the standouts acting wise, especially Pierce as Sparkplug with his Barney Fife like Patrolmen character who is heavy footed on the gas and had no business behind the wheel of a car.

Also Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island) makes an appearance as one of The Phantom's victims, her appearance is a interesting one but adds a great deal to the movie since she always has that girl next door/ very likeable quality about her. who is just wrong place, wrong time in this movie.

The finale of the movie is one that's very exciting as the police seems to have caught up to The Phantom and despite wounding him a few times he manages to get away or as the narrator says dies somewhere out in the swamp but no one knows for sure. leaves audiences with the feeling that just maybe he is still out there. The Phantom killer just like Jack The Ripper, The Zodiac real identity was revealed in real life.


MY RATING

8/10



CAST

Ben Johnson- Captain J.D. Morales
Andrew Prine- Deputy Norman Ramsey
Dawn Wells= Helen Reed
Charles B. Pierce- Patrolman A.C. Benson
Cindy Butler- Peggy Loomis
Christine Ellsworth- Linda Mae Jenkins
Steve Lyons- Roy Allen
Mike Hackworth- Sammy Fuller
Misty West- Emma Lou Cook

Cabin Fever: Patient Zero (2014)

" This Is why the water went bad"



PLOT

When a group of friends enjoying a bachelor cruise in the Caribbean stumble upon a research facility on a remote island, a deadly virus is unleashed, The group must find a way to survive before the flesh eating consumes them all.




MY THOUGHTS

Let me begin by saying I'm a big fan of Eli Roth's cult classic Cabin Fever that started this whole thing off. when the sequel came out I was thrilled about a sequel but after seeing that movie, I was highly disappointed where they took things, so when I heard about this next installment I wasn't really looking forward to another movie thanks to the second movie.

After sometime of its released I decided to give in a finally sit down and watch this movie to see if I would enjoy it or further be disappointed by the Cabin Fever sequels.

After a few days have passed since viewing Cabin Fever : Patient Zero I admit I enjoyed it way more then the second movie. Patient Zero  has a much darker tone then the first two movie which is a contrast but at the same time refreshing but it still has the black comedy moments that the first movie had a few stand out examples is when one of the friends goes down on his girlfriend and comes up with blood all over his face (every guy and even some girls worst nightmare during sex) and another which is a big highlight being death by a huge black dildo LOL

The acting here is good with the exception of maybe one or two characters but that's typical in these type of horror movies, Sean Astin (The Goonies, Lord of The Rings trilogy, The Strain) as Porter aka Patient Zero does probably some of his best stuff here with how he plays the role. I guess he's finding a new niche in the horror genre now since his Lord of The Rings big Hollywood days are gone.

Cabin Fever: Patient Zero is basically what the direct sequel should've been with how it further moves the flesh eating virus story along and also introduces something new to the franchise as well.

It wouldn't be Cabin Fever with out the gore fxs and this movie delivers that in big ways and every horror fan would appreciate that. with how this movie ends hopefully there is another sequel that follows the events of this movie since this is supposed to be a prequel to the first and could lead into how the events of the first movie came about.

MY RATING 6/10



CAST
Sean Astin-Porter
Currie Graham- Dr. Edwards
Ryan Donowho- Dobbs
Brando Eaton- Josh
Jillian Murray- Penny
Mitch Ryan- Marcus
Solly Duran- Camila
Lydia Hearst- Bridgett
Claudette Lali- Katia