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Review by Quin

I think it’s probably occurred to at least some of you that eventually every movie might be remade. When these remakes inevitably come around, I think it’s good to go in with an open mind. It is indeed a fact that the existence of an alternate version of your beloved favorites will not ruin, lessen or cheapen the original or source material. If you think it does, that’s all in your mind and carries little weight when deciding if the movie is truly good or not. I believe the best place to start when evaluating a remake is to ask whether the original begs to be remade and if the remake improves upon the original. The Town that Dreaded Sundown does both of these things albeit in an only slightly more than half-assed way. Let’s call the finished product three quarter-assed – or is it one quarter-assed? Or non-assed? I’m starting to confuse myself, so I’ll clear up just exactly how I feel about this movie. But, first let me give you the background info.

It’s entirely possible that many of you have never even heard of The Town That Dreaded Sundown, and those of you who are aware of the title (which, by the way, is one of the greatest titles ever!) may have never seen the movie. The original came out in 1976 and was directed by Charles B. Pierce, the man who brought us The Legend of Boggy Creek in 1972. That film was a bit of a precursor to the popular found footage genre because it used a mockumentary style and claimed to be based on fact. The Town That Dreaded Sundown does things in a similar way; it begins with a voice-over and documentary style footage and lets us know that this film is based on true events. The main difference between TTDS and Boggy Creek is TTDS actually did happen.

For almost three months in 1946, Texarkana, Texas was terrorized by a serial killer known as The Phantom Killer. The 1976 film was about the murders and ensuing police pursuit, but ultimately the murders stopped and the case was never solved. Now in 2014 we have a retelling and updating of the events. In a post-Scream self aware setting, we learn about a town that has not only had to go almost 70 years knowing that unsolved murders have taken place there and that there are people who believe the killer has remained among them the whole time; but they have also had to live with the cultural impact the 1976 version of The Town That Dreaded Sundown has had. The town has an annual screening of the film at a drive-in located on the border of Texas and Arkansas. The drive-in even has a double sided screen with parking on each side. Many of the locals are unhappy about everyone celebrating this film and want it to stop. These people get their wish when the masked killer (or reasonable facsimile) comes back to startle, chase, murder and play a little trombone. He does all of this while looking almost identical to Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th Part 2, before he donned a hockey mask. Obviously, TTDS came first, but it’s hard to believe they didn’t have The Phantom Killer in mind while they were in production.

Even though this is a remake, it still takes liberties building upon the original. It could technically be called a sequel, but because the lines are blurred between fiction and reality, it remains more remake than continuation. The remake aspect of the film are the murders and the investigation. The added storyline and setting it in the present definitely improve the original. The 1976 version has a great look and a feel of being real, but adding the character of Jami Lerner (played by Addison Timlin, who if you close your eyes sounds just like Nathalie Portman) and all of the people in her orbit, moves the plot along much better than the slow snail crawl that was the original. In this one Jami survives an attack by The Phantom Killer and is told to make them remember. While the police are trying to solve the crimes, she does some of her own leg work. In the process, we run through the gamut of suspects. Again, just like in the Scream movies, everyone is a suspect for at least a minute or two. This can get a little silly, but at least there is a payoff at the end, though I won’t say anything further about that.

For me, the two best things about this movie were the cinematography and the acting. There are some complicated long tracking shots that are fun for people who know the hard work that goes into creating these moments. The camera is constantly moving, which is often disorienting, but effective in creating the mood. This is the first film directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, but fans of American Horror Story and Glee may know him from his work on those shows. Ryan Murphy, the creator of both of those T.V. shows is a producer on The Town That Dreaded Sundown as well. I’m not sure how much input he had creatively, but he has always attached his name to quality work and this is certainly no exception. (Oh, and while I’m talking about Ryan Murphy, sorry to go way off track, but doesn’t he look exactly like a young Doug Bradley? The answer is yes.)

The film is filled with some really great character actors and lots of familiar faces. I don’t think there is a bad performance from anybody. Ed Lauter plays the sheriff and this is his last film. He died last October, and the film was released exactly one year to the day. Veronica Cartwright plays Jami’s grandmother. More people whose names you might not know, but faces you do are Gary Cole, Anthony Anderson, Edward Herrmann, and Denis O’Hare. Also, Joshua Leonard from The Blair Witch Project plays a deputy.

Even if you aren’t as interested in a polished, well-made cinematic film and just want to see horror you will not be disappointed. Personally I found it jarring that the film rapidly straddled the line between smart mystery-thriller and typical slasher, but I also think that fans of either or both will be entertained and pleased. I would hope that this new version will spark more interest in the original; it is actually streaming on Netflix right now, has been remastered and looks really good. Then check this new one out and do your own comparison.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown is available now on Video On Demand from BH Tilt.

By Svetlana Fedotov

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Hellboy and the BPRD cross paths. While yet to be reunited, we can at least get a peek at where it all started with launch of Hellboy and BPRD 1952. Before Abe Sapien, before Liz the Fire Starter, and even before Johann Kraus found himself to be the only survivor of a séance gone wrong, the BPRD was a human run agency created to keep the Nazi’s obsession with occult in check. With Hellboy’s arrival in a storm of brimstone and flames in 1944, Hellboy/BRPD 1952 follows up with his unnaturally fast growth from child to adult and his subsequent release into the world via a mission to Brazil. As in a lot of Mignola work, you can expect plenty of monsters, mystery, and a touch of political intrigue.

The comic opens up with the good Dr. Bruttenholm planning a mission to Brazil to confirm and annihilate an “apparently superhuman creature.” His team of two former war vets, an intelligence agent, and a security adviser are assigned to not only deal with the monster, but to watch over Hellboy on his very first mission. After a bumpy flight and even a bumpier ride into town, the team finally settles in, but are not given any details except a fevered rambling that they must go to bed and everything will be discussed it the morning. While they are attempting to make sense of their new found predicament, shadowy forces have crept their way into the BPRD itself and threatening to tear it apart.

So, I’m going to save you a bit of time and tell you now, there is not a lot happening in the first issue. This issue is very slow burning and while great at exposition, is more talking heads around a table than anything else. It felt like it was just about to jump off in the last few pages but instead simply stops three feet short of the reveal cliff, leaving me wanting more simply because I felt like it didn’t give enough. But on the plus side, you get a unique peek into Hellboy’s first mission and the under workings of early BPRD. Mike Mignola does his usual, excellent job of writing a smooth script with the just the right amount of shadowy antics and John Arcudi, the artist for BPRD, lends his talent for vintage, noir-esque artwork.

As stated, it’s good, but as an individual issue it’s not great, and it would probably be worth waiting for the collected graphic novel. Unfortunately, you’ll be waiting a while as the first issue hits stands on December 8.

Review by Quin

The title tells you all you really need to know about the story. There is a guy with an axe and he’s terrorizing Henderson County. Following a murder, the police are brought in to investigate. More murders follow. The Axeman of Henderson County, directed by Larry Parmiter and written by his wife Cindy Parmiter, is a microbudget film shot in Belpre, Ohio. This detail made me take notice, because my favorite Stephen Soderbergh film Bubble was shot there as well, and it used residents of the area as actors in the film. I want to focus on The Axeman of Henderson County for this review, but I need to use Bubble to illustrate the things that work and don’t work about Axeman. One thing is certain, the film is far from perfect, but it’s not without its charms and interesting details that are at times surprising and creative.

There is no reason to be mean to the filmmakers of a movie like The Axeman of Henderson County. I would imagine they realize that they haven’t made the next horror classic. I would even say it’s admirable that they have made something that is coherent and easy to follow. But the fact that this film is made on an extremely low budget that the filmmakers have financed themselves carries no weight on some of the glaring mistakes made. For instance, there are two opening credit sequences. Immediately following the first one, there is a long tracking POV shot done from a moving car, looking around at mostly trailers and yards. This would have been a great place to insert the rest of the credits, but what follows is a black and white sequence where a young kid witnesses his mother fighting with a man. As the fighting escalates, the man blows his brains out with a hand gun. There is a cool effect here where the blood is in color while the rest of the shot is in black and white to indicate that it’s a flashback.

Keep in mind, the second credit sequence hasn’t happened yet – we see a ski masked man creeping around outside a record store. He kills the employees with an axe in another great effect with the blood. It’s dark and corn syrup-ish. It really drips and sprays but looks so good on film because of it’s stickiness – it doesn’t look too liquidy. Then comes the second opening credits. I haven’t noticed if they repeat or pick up where they left off, but it’s a really awkward place for this and the font used is amateurish and really makes me think the director doesn’t have an eye for what looks good. Then we get the dreaded line “Inspired by actual events. In association with Black T Productions.” That second part was really in there. The rest of the credits are badly misplaced, so why wouldn’t they throw that in? It baffled me. But it was also at this point where I decided to just go with it. I’m glad I did. If you are looking for something scary and original, you will only be disappointed and probably mad that you spent your time on this. But if you like old Herschell Gordon Lewis films where plot holes and bad acting abound, you will most likely get a kick out of The Axeman of Henderson County. Lewis was much better at making a polished looking film out of no budget, but the obvious cuts to accommodate visual effects and campy lines of dialogue might make this a lot of fun to watch with friends or in a crowded theater at a midnight screening. Since this is the Parmiter’s first film as a writer/director team, I expect they will figure out where they can improve and their next film will be better.

I mentioned that I wanted to use Soderbergh’s Bubble for comparison. I don’t expect any first time director to be Stephen Soderbergh, but given that he was instrumental in the independent film movement of the late 80’s and the fact that Bubble and The Axeman of Henderson County have so much in common; I think it’s a great way to show how little things can make a movie great and there doesn’t need to be a ton of money spent. Along with sharing the same location and utilizing non-famous and amateur actors, both films deal with murder and they are almost the exact same running length. Slightly over 70 minutes is not long for a film. Soderbergh uses his time to tell the story through conversations that seem simple and meaningless, but every word is crafted in a way that tells you exactly who these people are and why they do the things they do. In Axeman, we get all obvious dialogue that tells us what we already know. For instance, a cop is interviewing a woman who survived an encounter with the axeman: Cop: “Did you see his face?” Woman: “No. He had some ski mask over it or something.” This works on that campy level I mentioned before, I mean Cindy Parmiter is channeling Ed Wood with this stuff. But it ultimately wastes time that can be used in other, deeper ways. Some of her details are amazing though. I love that the killer smells like cherries and jazz music plays an important part. The Axeman of Henderson County could easily be the title of a biopic about an Ohio jazz musician.

Most of the actors in The Axeman of Henderson County have little experience. Given the budget, it’s safe to guess that it’s a mostly friends and family operation. Some of them have a long list of IMDb credits. Jeremy Ambler is likable as the goofy deputy, and he has actually played a walker in AMC’s The Walking Dead series. The guy who plays the coroner is surprisingly nuanced with his subtle quirkiness. But the standout performance in the film is by the hero police officer Rush Whitacre. He’s listed in the cast of the upcoming steampunk remake of the Bela Lugosi film White Zombie. The two biggest draws of the film are former NFL quarterback Major Harris and former WWF wrestler Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Neither are in the film a whole lot, but they do seem to be having a good time. The DVD screener I saw had outtakes after the end credits. Hopefully these will eventually be included as DVD extras, because they do have an endearing quality. And it’s fun to see Jim Duggan hamming it up and cracking himself up during filming.

If you like movies that are more of the so bad they’re good variety, which I definitely do, then an hour of your time isn’t really too much to give for this movie. But if you are easily distracted by poor production values and would rather be transported to another place when you watch a film, you might be better off skipping The Axeman. Or if you want a lesson on how to make a great movie out of almost nothing, watch this with Stephen Soderbergh’s Bubble. It will be the shortest double feature ever, but it should be crystal clear why some movies work and why some don’t.

Semi-Charmed Productions are releasing The Axeman of Henderson County on November 15th – learn more at their Facebook page.

Review by Tristan Bishop

The American school system was a very dangerous place in the eighties. Forget the over-emphasis on sports scholarship, the rife bullying of nerds and the horrendous idea of having to find a date for the prom (I’m glad we never had to do that in the UK) – the worst aspect of school/college in the States was undoubtedly the abundance of psycho killers slicing and dicing their way through the student body. At least that’s how it seemed, of course. After the influential, yet slow-burn success that was Black Christmas (1974), Halloween (1978) exploded the teen slasher movie into the mainstream, and by the early eighties we were literally swimming in genre films featuring young people getting picked off one-by-one. Of course we reached critical mass fairly quickly, and the genre started to die off by 1985 – the occasional resurrection such as Scream (1996) or Sorority Row (2009) being the exception. However, for a few glorious years the slasher was king, and now the world of HD is catching up, as more and more vintage horror films are being given BD releases. And not just the acknowledged classics either; films which have long been regarded as second-tier are being given a new lease of life, and Graduation Day fits that description perfectly.

The credit sequence is certainly impressive, using some cracking disco music (from a long-forgotten band called Felony) and arresting, rhythmic editing to portray a tragic occurrence at a school track race – whilst her coach and team-mates cheer her on, a girl called Laura (Ruth Ann Llorens) takes the first place yet collapses and dies. Flash forward to months later, just before Graduation Day, and Laura’s sister Anne arrives in town as Laura is to be commemorated during the graduation ceremony. Anne is in the Navy and is a bit of a hard-ass, thinking nothing of grabbing and twisting the crotch of a sleazy van driver who gives her a lift. Soon after she is dropped off at her hometown she tries to get the attention of a girl who was in Laura’s track team. The girl doesn’t hear her, however, as she is jogging with her Walkman on. But it turns out someone is following the jogger, someone dressed in grey sweats and black gloves, and sure enough some POV camera precedes one of the least convincing throat-slashings in the history of the slasher film.

When Anne gets back to her family home (cue dysfunctional stepfather relations) she unpacks her bags to reveal (shock horror) a grey sweatsuit and some black gloves! However, as we soon realise, she isn’t the only person in town to own this particular outfit; there’s also the pushy and soon-to-be-out-of-a-job sports coach, who wears this outfit constantly. And sure enough the murders pile up as someone seems to be making their way through Laura’s track team. Is it Anne seeking her revenge? Is Coach Michaels (star turn by Christopher George) attempting to cover up his unorthodox methods? Or could it be the short-tempered principal (B-grade horror regular Michael Pataki)? Or could it be someone else entirely?

As previously mentioned, Graduation Day never made it into many people’s top ten horror film lists; in fact, you’d be hard pressed to find it on many people’s top ten eighties teen slasher film lists, but does that mean it’s a bad film? Actually, this is far from a bad film. Admittedly there are a fair few faults here – some of the murders are pitiful, with the aforementioned throat-slitting looking particularly pathetic in HD, although some of the later deaths are actually pretty entertaining, as the killer is revealed to be wearing a fencing mask and carrying a rather sharp blade to pull off the carnage with. Sadly, however, someone dressed in fencing gear doesn’t quite have the same terrifying presence as, say, a Michael Myers or a Jason Voorhees, so the scare factor of this film is pretty much non-existent.

However, this is balanced by the film’s good points – an entertaining script (with a surprisingly large amount of characters for a film of this nature) and professional actors giving solid performances throughout. We even get an early appearance by Linnea Quigley as, well, a high school girl who thinks nothing of smoking weed on school grounds, seducing teachers for better grades, and, you guessed it, taking her top off (can’t have an eighties teen slasher without boobs after all). When faced with all this the actual stalking-and-slashing takes back seat and we’re left with something more akin to a whodunit than a gore flick. Yes, there are false trails and red herrings aplenty, and many interesting avenues are left unexplored, but Graduation Day kept me entertained and guessing throughout.

Should we now be re-evaluating Graduation Day and giving it a top place in the pantheon of slasher greats? Probably not. But for those with a nostalgic yearning for the days when hair was permed and knives were bloody (or even for those too young to remember first time around), this BD release from 88 films is a must-have.

The extras on this release all come from Troma’s US release – so we get an intro by Lloyd Kaufman, an interview with Quigley, a feature length documentary on scream queens (I didn’t bother)* and, er, the Cannibal Lesbian Hoedown music video directed by Kaufman himself. Personally I would have liked a more detailed look at the film itself (or even a general doc on 80’s slashers) but you can’t argue that there’s plenty of extra content here.

Incidentally director Herb Freed (also responsible for the eerie 70’s chiller Haunts) was a rabbi, singer and folk dancer before becoming a director. Now there’s a man in need of a Wikipedia page.

(* Editor’s note – the documentary Scream Queens: Horror Heroines Exposed is actually an all-new exclusive documentary from High Rising, the team behind Slice & Dice: the Slasher Film Forever.)

Graduation Day is out now on UK Blu-Ray from 88 Films.

Review by Quin

A large percentage of found footage film reviews start the same way. I’ve been guilty of perpetuating this format before, but I intend to either stop the cycle right now, or just cleverly disguise it. It seems there always has to be this overblown proclamation of how many of these types of movies are out there. If the critic likes the sub-genre, they often have to sort of apologize for that. But if they hate the sub-genre, the gloves come off and the same tired list of arguments as to why found footage films are inherently bad are written out for everyone to see. I believe, if the critic is doing his or her job, they will look at each film they see individually and judge it on its own merits without holding it up to some arbitrary standard that only exists in their own mind. I try to approach all film reviews with optimism. I am such a fan of movies in general, that I am often surprised and even a little sad when I find something that I don’t like at all.

Now that you know where I am coming from, I will tell you that I have been a longtime admirer of the found footage sub-genre. I think it is a format that when done correctly has enormous potential to not just be scary and entertaining, but to be truly horrifying. The fact that it is often so cheap to make these films is where the downside lies. Anybody can make a found footage film on their iPhone for practically nothing, you mostly just need time and a bunch of outgoing friends. When someone is just walking around in the dark and screaming and shaking the camera, or if they are just copying an old idea, things will usually not work out so well. And after you see enough movies like this, it’s understandable that you would start lose faith in all found footage films. But if we complain a little less and stop giving the bad movies so much press and really signal-boost the good ones, maybe we’ll all be a little happier and optimistic about our beloved horror movies.

Sorry for the long winded intro, but all of that had to be said. As you may have already guessed, the film I’m reviewing today is indeed a found footage film – or as the film makers have so wisely referred to it, first person POV. It’s called The Houses October Built, which is such a wonderfully poetic title; it makes me think that John Irving has written a haunted house novel. Utilizing actual real life footage, this movie does something that I’m pretty sure has never been done with the found footage sub-genre and it does it well – it also tells a simple yet compelling story, and delivers some genuine scares.

The familiar part of The Houses October Built is the setup – five friends in an RV travel around and document their adventures. The original twist is that they aren’t investigating any locations that are rumored to be haunted, instead they are looking for a good time. It’s their mission to find the best haunted attractions and report just what it is that makes the best ones so good. Right away, they make it known that there are supposed to be some haunts that use extreme elements to scare their patrons. These five are going to try and find these haunts.

Much of the footage in the film is first person POV going through each attraction. The first one is the tamest, and sort of has a backwoods, Texas chainsaw kind of theme. Another one is a bit different, but probably fun for some people – guests get paint guns and are able to shoot at zombies. I’m sure it goes without saying that most of these haunts aren’t operating within the law and probably don’t have a team of lawyers in case something goes wrong. But who cares, it’s Halloween time!

The group of traveling amateur filmmakers are a pretty thinly drawn bunch. You could easily replace them with the cast of The Breakfast Club and you would probably get the same results. This certainly isn’t a bad thing, but don’t expect to really get to know these people. You’ll care just enough and then fate will step in to do with them what it will. As the five get closer to finding what is known as the Blue Skeleton, which is a haunt with no fixed location, the haunts start getting darker and more terrifying. One of them uses children and has cells filled with what look like captives. The group also starts to notice that maybe they’re being followed by some of the characters they have seen along the way. The similarities to Alice in Wonderland are not lost on me. One happens to be a bloody white rabbit wielding a hatchet and another is a living porcelain doll with long strands of hair hanging sparsely from her mostly bald scalp. It’s a stunning makeup effects job and a creepy performance from Chloë Crampton. The character is so unsettling, she deserves her own spinoff feature film.

I reviewed a great documentary a few months ago called The American Scream. It was about the people who make these amateur haunts for Halloween at their homes. The haunts in The Houses October Built are nowhere near the ones shown in the documentary. Although that film focused more on the construction and agony that goes into creating the haunt, this film makes sure you get to experience the finished product. If you like going through haunted houses and mazes, it’s reason enough to see this one. Something that fans of Halloween music will appreciate: my personal favorite Halloween song of all time, “Halloween Spooks” by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, is featured prominently in a scene in a bar where a figure dressed as a skeleton begins dancing to the tune solo on a dance floor. The entire vibe in the bar reminds me of the pub scene in the Belgian film Calvaire – only it’s not as crowded and it’s a little less surreal.

The Houses October Built offers a fun and spooky adventure. It doesn’t shy away from the shocking and the darkest areas of what humans are capable of. It also inevitably ends up where all found footage movies go: they always seem to end with a vanishing. Say what you want about a predictable outcome, but at least you don’t have to worry about a happy ending ruining a found footage movie.

The Houses October Built is available now on VOD from RLJ Entertainment.

Review by Svetlana Fedotov

Just in time for Halloween, Book of Life has charged into theaters this past couple of weeks to the delight of kids and animation geeks everywhere. Beautifully designed to embrace that ever-so-festive Mexican Day of the Dead vibe, this little bit of kiddie-sedation has received praise across the board for being one of the most original holiday films since Nightmare Before Christmas. While definitely stylish in its efforts, it does fall prey to some tired plot clichés, yet it doesn’t feel like you’re forced to sit through it as much as you get to. Also, Guillermo del Toro is plastered all over this thing – though only as producer – so you know it’s going to be good (Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark notwithstanding.)

The movie focuses on your standard love-triangle of two boys and a girl. Our heroes, Manolo and Joaquin, are both in love with sassy-yet-sensitive Maria and despite their friendly rivalry, the three are the best of friends. Unbeknownst to them, during a celebration of the dead, La Muerta, the goddess of the Land of the Remembered and Xibalba, the god of the Land of the Forgotten, have placed a bet on which boy would win Maria’s heart, with the winning god ruling both the lands. As the three living humans grow up, they each are forced into roles decided by their parents with Manolo a bullfighter, Joaquin a soldier, and Maria, a proper lady (though it doesn’t quite stick.) As Manolo, with his soulful guitar and sexy accent, gains a foothold in Maria’s heart, Xibalba takes matters into his own hands and forces Manolo to traverse the land of the dead to earn her love.

As stated, the animation is incredible. Opting for a traditional, marionette look, the 3D characters were designed to reflect a hand cut, puppet style that works wonders with the Mexican story. In fact, there were a lot of nods to Hispanic culture, including a wonderful appreciation of the flat-face paintings of Pablo Picasso in the form of background characters (though he’s technically from Spain.)The color palate was beautifully chosen with subtle yet cheery tones for the living and wild-in-out party bonanza for the land of the dead. Let’s just say, when they do big, they do BIG! Personally, I dig the little nuances added to each character, like the mini, hand painted-looking skulls on Manolo’s clothes or La Muerta’s ridiculously wide brimmed head. This is one of the most visually engrossing films I’ve seen in a while.

Unfortunately, if you hoping for a story that matches the originality of the art, you might be a bit disappointed. You can pretty much predict the whole plot within the first five minutes and know exactly who Maria is going to marry in the first ten. Also, the majority of the songs are covers of pop songs that were probably popular around the time production started, so it’s oddly jarring and kind of confusing why they couldn’t write a more original musical score. That being said, the plot is not THAT big of a deal. It’s not so strictly by the books that you can mouth the words as the characters speak them; it’s just, well, obvious. But there are some good points of the story, such as treating the gods as neither good nor evil despite Xibalba shady appearance, something that is reinforced in all mythology. Also, while you might suspect that Joaquin might be a formidable foe given his arrogance, he manages to skid the expectation and is surprisingly a good guy. Don’t worry, there will be a villain (there pretty much has to be or what’s the point), but it’s pretty cool how they handle it.

Marking the directorial debut of Jorge R. Gutiérrez and featuring voices of Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Ron Perlman, and Channing Tatum (with Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin for authenticity), the Book of Life is what you would expect but in a very unexpected way. Safe for even the easiest-to-scare kids, you’ll be happy for the hour and a half break while finding yourself lost in the wondrously inventive world yourself.

The Book of Life is in cinemas everywhere now.