Monthly Archives: August 2013

LA Horror Review: “Exile”

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Exile 2Who doesn’t like an awesome alien invasion movie? We don’t get many of them, but when we do, they usually involve F-16 fighter jets, massive explosions and hordes of flying saucers.  But that’s not the case in “Exile” (formerly “The Sunderland Experiment”), a gruesome and thought provoking horror flick from Blatke Productions that was incredibly effective in all the best ways.  I’m making a prediction:  “Exile” will be very well received by fans of creepy, undeniably original and thought provoking science-fiction horror.  This film was such a delightful surprise.

The story is anything but simple, and I’m almost hesitant to get too far into the actual plot.  I honestly didn’t know much about this film when I saw it, and I feel like that only made it more enjoyable and shocking.  I will say this quickly:  the story revolves around young man named David (Dylan O’Brien) and his fellow classmates in the small town of Sunderland.  Also residing is the “Angel,” a ruthless and haunting creature who gives an ultimatum to every resident of Sunderland:  worship and obey her to become blessed, or fall and become an outcast.

Sounds pretty far out, right?

Directors Sean Blau and Adam Petke assume that their audience is intelligent and open-minded and lets them experience the events in Sunderland just as the residents do.  The world they created is nasty, scary and oddly believable, given the nature of cults and extreme religion in our societies nowadays.  And maybe that’s what makes “Exile” so unique.  This is without a doubt an alien vs. human style monster movie, however it never even gets close to touching the clichés that so often stick to that genre.  And while there’s plenty of scares in “The Sunderland Experiment,” there’s also plenty of laughs and real human moments.  Blau and Petke have made a thoughtful and dynamic film that also manages to push the boundaries of extreme horror.

And let’s talk about the horror.  This movie is gory—super gory—and the Angel is seriously fucking creepy.  Not only that, but from a technical perspective, this movie was seamless.   There’s a wonderful blend of puppetry and special effects, enhanced by beautiful cinematography, a simple yet extremely detailed setting and sound design that is out of this world.  When the Angel speaks, you can’t help but feel a crawling sensation up your spine, and I found myself to feel very invested in the characters while watching.

O’Brien steals the show as lead man David and gives an honest, endearing performance along side of the loveable and spunky Cassie (Katie Reed).  It’s so nice to watch a horror movie where you actually root for the main characters, and these two lead a terrific ensemble.  The townspeople of Sunderland were delightfully creepy, and kudos to voice actress Dennice Cisneros who is a powerful force throughout this film.

Looking at the small size of the cast and crew of this film, they’ve definitely accomplished something special.  Rarely do you see small, indie horror films look, sound and feel this good.  This film will undoubtably find its audience, and it really sticks with you.  Keep your eyes peeled because you do not want to miss this.

For more on “Exile,” please visit their official website.  For screening information be sure to like “Exile” on Facebook and follow them on twitter.

LA Horror Review: “To Jennifer”

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Long distance relationships can be hard, there’s no doubt about that.  With distance, problems inherently arise, mostly due to lack of good communication, issues of trust and of course the human nature of bodily desire.  In “To Jennifer,” a new horror film from cult favorite James Cullen Bressack, these issues and more are given a violent twist in this cross-country buddy adventure gone horribly wrong.

After receiving a suspicious text message from his longtime girlfriend, Jennifer (Jessica Cameron), Joey (Chuck Pappas) suspects her of cheating on him.  In an effort to prove her infidelity, Joey and his cousin Steven (Bressack) go on a cross-country trip to find her, armed only with the spirit of revenge and their iPhone 5.  In the words of Bressack himself, “‘To Jennifer’ is a realistic depiction of the lengths we go for vindication.”  That’s a fair and accurate assessment of a film that’s seriously fresh.

Much like Bressack’s ultraviolent shocker “Hate Crime,” “To Jennifer” is comprised entirely from POV footage, which is always a high risk, high reward endeavor.  This film takes it a step further with the fact that it’s shot entirely on the iPhone, which is both an impressive technical achievement and a main plot point in the story.  Given the fact that we as an audience are so accustomed to seeing videos shot on cell phones all of the time, is never a distraction and only adds to the eerie, bizarre feeling that this movie leaves in the pit of your stomach.  It’s guerrilla filmmaking at it’s finest at times, with some incredibly memorable and honest moments.  There’s a cringeworthy scene on an airplane that jumps to mind.

While the technical details of “To Jennifer” are a terrific selling point, the strongest and most intriguing aspect of the film comes from the performers and their ability to engage the audience in a believable way.   Pappas is terrific as the heartbroken and spiteful Joey, and Cameron lights it up as the beautiful, scandalous Jennifer.  Jody Barton as buddy Martin and Bressack himself deliver one-liners at a ridiculous rate and the group chemistry felt incredibly natural.  You really feel like one of the guys on this journey, and while this film is no doubt horrific, it plays more like a seriously dark and demented buddy comedy.

“To Jennifer” isn’t your typical found footage horror film, and that’s just fine.  It’s not as brutal as “Hate Crime” but it’s just as enjoyable.  The film is being released on DVD and VOD on October 15th, as well as a direct to iPhone app coming soon as well, so you can watch the film exactly how it was meant to be seen, on your phone.  Check it out, especially if your boyfriend or girlfriend lives far away.  Who knows, it might just inspire you to check up on them…

Preorder your copy of “To Jennifer.”  Be sure to like “To Jennifer” on Facebook!

LA Horror Review: “Zombie with a Shotgun”

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“Zombie with a Shotgun.”  That’s rolls off the tongue nicely, doesn’t it?  I always like to see how people take the classic idea of flesh eating zombies and transform it into their own creation, and in this web series by Hilton Ariel Ruiz, not only is our main character a soon-to-be zombie, but he’s also got a motherfucking shotgun.  Get it?

With four episodes released, “Zombie with a Shotgun” definitely sparked my interest by the quick pace and high drama.  We start during the middle of some sort of flesh eating apocalypse, and our hero, Aaron (Braeden Baade), along with love, Rachel (Lynnea Molone), are trying desperately to survive, even though Aaron himself has been bitten by a member of the undead.  The great thing about “Zombie with a Shotgun” is it starts right at all the good stuff – zombies, guns and of course the cruel battle against human nature.  It’s a fun idea from Ruiz that has the potential to become a much larger story.

The episodes showcase our two protagonists nicely, and at times you wonder which one of them will emerge the story’s true hero.  Each episode runs just about five minutes, and they do go quick.  It will be fun to see our hero’s full transformation into a flesh-eating Zombie…with a shotgun, of course.

Ruiz will be releasing another 5-6 episodes and potentially a feature film down the road.  We’ve posted the first two episodes here, so grab your twelve-gauge and pull the trigger!

To watch more, click here!  Be sure to follow “Zombie with a Shotgun” on twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.

LA Horror Review: “Don’t Go to the Reunion”

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Who doesn’t have nightmarish memories from high school?  The mere thought about my 10-year high school reunion makes me nervous – not because I didn’t like my classmates or have any terrible regrets, but because you get to see how people change and after years, and who knows what kind of monsters people have become…

In Slasher Studios’ debut feature film, “Don’t Go to the Reunion,” the reunion of the 2004 class of Hamilton High is no different, however instead of awkward conversation and bad fruit punch – this 10-year reunion is MURDER.  You see, the popular clique, led by the beautiful Erica Carpenter (Stephanie Leigh Rose), wasn’t exactly the nicest to a certain horror movie loving geek Scott Rantzen (Brady Simenson). After a high school prank goes terribly wrong, naturally destroying Scott’s life, someone is back for settle the score 10 years later at the special, invite-only, “A-list” class reunion…

It’s the classic set up for a 80s revenge slasher, which “Don’t Go to the Reunion” has no shame emulating.  And why would it?  In this day and age, we are bombarded with horror remakes, sequels and reboots.  It seems like a lifetime ago that the golden age of slasher horror reigned supreme – and “Don’t Go to the Reunion” reminds us how great the campy slasher can really make us feel.  This film is an unbelievable pleasure to watch, especially for its target audience:  die-hard slasher movie junkies.

And for those less seasoned horror viewers – let me explain what “Don’t Go to the Reunion” can offer:  amazing, tongue-in-cheek one-liners (such as “Out of my way, faggot!” and “Why did we ever come to this fucking reunion?!”), plenty of gratuitous sex and nudity, tons of red-herrings and most importantly buckets and buckets of GORE.  “Don’t Go to the Reunion” is a serious blood bath!

Brandon (Matty Dorschner) warns that something is going very wrong at this reunion…

But sex and gore do not alone a terrific slasher make.  “Don’t Go to the Reunion” features several terrific performances by some cool-as-ice actors.  Most notably, the quiet and cautious Brandon (Matty Dorschner) and the mysterious new boyfriend David (Spencer Harlan) really shine and add a couple of layers of suspense and intrigue to this film.  And who can’t love the beer guzzling brute Joe (Mike Goltz), who can be spotted frequently in this film slamming beers and trying to convince other people (and himself) that he’s not gay (you might remember him in a similar fashion in Slasher Studios awesome horror short, “Teddy”).

I think it’s safe to say that director Steve Goltz and writer Kevin Sommerfield have succeeded in what they’ve set out to do:  create an enjoyable, gory slasher film which pays homage to the greats that came before it.  Albeit a classic set up, it’s great to see original horror coming out of indie filmmakers to remind us of how thrilling the scene used to be, and still could be for that matter.  The work of Goltz and Sommerfield will be a pleasure to watch in the future as their passion radiates in each shot of this film, lending to the sense that everybody was on board to get bloody, have fun and make a memorable, freaky and occasionally hilarious slasher romp.  I’m not sure if I’ll go to my 10-year high school reunion next year, but “Don’t Go to the Reunion” is one event that you should definitely not skip!

To preorder your copy of “Don’t Go to the Reunion” and other Slasher Studios films, visit their official website.  Be sure to follow Slasher Studios and “Don’t Go to the Reunion” on Twitter.  You can also find “Don’t Go to the Reunion” on Facebook.