LA Horror Review: “Zombie Prom” – a FREE Horror Musical in Studio City, CA

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Prom.  A night of wonder for some, and a night of horror for others!  And if you live in the Los Angeles area, then find a date and relive the memory at “Zombie Prom,” a totally kick ass late night horror musical that’s going on now!  We checked out the show and it’s ridiculous and hysterical.  It’s always great to see good horror theatre.

Zombie Prom Promo

The musical itself is…well, it’s “Zombie Prom.”  You feel me?  It’s upbeat, super energetic and has all of the stuff that makes a campy musical fun.  But director David Ruben doesn’t hold anything back and has created an interactive and ultra intimate theater experience that was an absolute pleasure to be watch.  The cast, lead by two heartthrobs in Reagan Osborne and Alli Miller, show some MAJOR chops with impeccable singing along with some serious choreography.  Each actor is fully committed and super talented – there really are some strong performances all around.  Some special props to actress Kate Bowman for being a ridiculously funny villain throughout.

Now, this is a musical, so expect a ton of singing and dancing and not much gore, but Director David Ruben definitely amps up the campiness with some classic horror influenced staging and direction.  Check out their promo video below to get a feel for the vibe!

We chatted with Director David Ruben to learn a bit more about the show, so check it horror lovers!

LAHorror:  David…”Zombie Prom.”  Where the hell did this come from?

David Ruben:  “Zombie Prom” is a hilarious, late night rock musical that premiered in the 90’s off Broadway with quite the underground following.  It spoofs B horror films, Hammer Films, and sci-fi flicks of the 50s and 60s with musical stylings of the period.   We decided to present the show because it’s just the type of material that develops into a nocturne/cult hit that audiences will eat up.

LAHorror:  What are your favorite zombie-related horror flicks?

DR:  I don’t have much of a background watching zombie flicks besides the original “Night of The Living Dead”, but I grew up watching a lot of the Hammer films and some of those old Roger Corman pictures.  Those films had an immense impact on how I approached a lot of the material in the musical.

LAHorror:  How is your cast?  Was your leading man excited to be playing a walking member of the undead?

DR:  The cast is 10 strong — 7 students, 1 zombie, a school principal, and a sleazy tabloid reporter.  All are local talent with immense enthusiasm and pluck.   The show is a whirlwind of theatrical efforts.  Shockingly, the musical is almost 80% sung.   I’ve yet to ask the leading man if he is excited to be a walking member of the undead, but I imagine he is.  He gets to be a zombie.  Who wouldn’t be excited?

LAHorror:  Why should horror fans come and check out your show??

DR:  A) Zombie.  B) Free.  C) Full Bar.  D) It’s awesome.  E) Did I mention zombie, free, and alcohol?

LAHorror:  Anything else you’d like to share about “Zombie Prom”?

DR:  We are doing the show free as a social experiment.  We asked the audiences to come and not pay because it’s a pain to pay for an event if you don’t know if you’ll like it or not.  At the end of the show we will ask our audiences to give us a few bucks if you liked what you say so we can continue to provide free theatre.  It’s our way of not pricing people out of seeing live entertainment.

The show is performing at Upstairs at Vittello’s in Studio City every Friday in March at 11:00 PM.   Tickets can be reserved my e-mailing zombiepromtickets@yahoo.com or by calling Vitello’s at (818) 769-0905.

LA Horror Review: “Missing” – A Short Horror Film by Joey Medina

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Missing PosterBlood. Violence. Chopping. Gore.

Gruesome, gruesome gore…

These are just a few of my favorite things, and when I’m watching horror I’ve always got my eyes peeled for the grisly money shot. And when it comes to the good stuff, the really nasty and ultra-violent carnage that we all love and adore, Joey Medina’s short horror film “Missing” does not hold back. In fact, “Missing” didn’t just satisfy my thirst for blood, but pretty much dumped a bucket of it onto my face. It’s a brutal, unflinching horror experience that managed to shock me all the way until the very end. I absolutely loved this film!

“Missing” is the type of film for the most depraved horror lover, and those are usually the ones that hit me just right.  Essentially, we follow a day in the life of a LA’s most twisted serial killer…dig it?

But what “Missing” succeeds in most is not only the carnage, but also a very stylized and unique viewing experience, as Medina takes a popular concept and gives it his own stylized twist. Without going into too much detail, I will say this: Medina made blood the main character, and oh what a role it plays.  There are also some excellent performances by a cast of oddly charming actors who all bring their A-games to a really intense story.

The film is making it’s way into the festival circuit now, so take notice as it should not be missed. There may also be plans in the future for a feature length version down the road. Keep your eyes out for it…

To learn more about Joey Medina, visit his official webpage.  You can also “like” the film on Facebook and follow Medina an twitter.

VHS SPOTLIGHT: “Spookies”

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Alex Ray is back with our second VHS Spotlight, shining the light on some VHS only horror movies that need to find their way onto DVD!  If you’ve got a copy of one of these then take good care of it…now let’s all adjust our tracking…

VHS SPOTLIGHT: SPOOKIES

1985 * 85 minutes * Sony * Directed by Eugenie Joseph, Thomas Doran, Brendan Faulkner

spookies_coverFirst, a little business: this is available on DVD in the UK. But I’m not counting that. If it ain’t on good ol’ region one in the US of A, it’s fair game for this column. I shouldn’t have to figure out the pound-to-dollar conversion rate just to get my DVD fix. (Tangent: I was totally willing to do so for the awesome Jake West documentary, “Video Nasties,” which is only available on PAL digital video disc–and so worth it.)

Now, on to our show…

The terms “visually stunning” and “special effects extravaganza” don’t carry much weight anymore, but they both apply to “Spookies.” Kind of like “Return of the Alien’s Deadly Spawn” or “Bad Taste,” it’s got a heaping helping of indie charm, along with FX work that puts the big boys to shame–at least as far as quantity goes. Even if the creatures and gore aren’t always on par with KNB or Savini, this is still one of the most ambitious ’80s horror flicks I’ve seen. It’s got a menagerie of monsters to rival “Cabin in the Woods,” and they don’t just pop up late in the flick–it’s a non-stop barrage of cool critters and creepy setpieces.

Let’s play Horror Mad Libs: some ______ get lost and end up at ______ , where they’re attacked by ______ . In this case, the blanks are filled by random New Yorkers, an old mansion, and a cross between Grandpa Munster and The Tall Man. The setup is pretty standard, but once we get past the pleasantries, things start moving along at a good clip. Our characters are picked off by a wide variety of monstrosities (my favorite of which would definitely be the fart monsters, or, as the box describes them: “lust-crazed muck men”) under the command of Old Man Greasepaint, who needs some souls to bring back his dead wife. Of course, things don’t quite go according to plan.

The narrative might not be the strongest (it’s basically the cinematic equivalent of walking through a funhouse), but it’s still a heckuva ride. That is, if you’re feeling nostalgic for ’80s cheese. This is by no means a forgotten masterpiece–just a fun movie with a lot of heart and a few nods to the horrors that came before (“Evil Dead” being the most obvious). If you’re looking for something that lies somewhere on the spectrum between “The Dead Next Door” and “Waxwork,” it fits the bill.

spookies1An R1 DVD would be nice, especially if the original Richard Corben poster/box art is used. The UK disc kinda makes it look like something more along the lines of “Demons” or “Night of the Demons” or the aforementioned “Evil Dead”–which it is not (it also refers to the cast as “teenagers,” which they are definitely not). “Spookies” is an entirely different beast (several different beasts, actually), and worth a look–whether you wanna shell out a few pounds for a disc from across the pond, or considerably more in US currency for the VHS. Either way, it’ll make you remember why you fell in love with this stuff in the first place.

2 1/2 out of 4 stars

VHS Spotlight is written by LAHorror.com contributor Alex Ray.

Behead-itorial: Slasher Studios “Women in Horror”

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Slasher Studios has been honoring “Women in Horror” all month, and I was fortunate enough to be able to contribute to their collection of bad ass horror ladies!  As some of you may know, I’m a die-hard “Sleepaway Camp” fan and when women in horror are the topic it’s impossible not to think of Angela Baker.  Check out my thoughts on brutal female slasher as well as all of the other “Women in Horror” pieces that Slasher Studios has compiled!  Enjoy horror lovers!

LA Horror Review: “The Upper Footage”

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Don’t do drugs, people.  Okay, that’s a little harsh, let me rephrase that:  Don’t do drugs unless you’re prepared for the real life horror that can come of it.  And that’s exactly the lesson learned (well, sort of learned) by a group of socialites in Justin Cole’s “The Upper Footage,” a brutally honest and maddening descent into one nightmarish party that went way too far.

You see, according to multiple sources, a video of a girl’s drug overdose and subsequent death leaked online, yet no one has been brought to justice due to the affluent nature of the parties involved.  However, a 90-minute segment of the home video of the incident is now available to watch: “The Upper Footage.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbS_eSz4yC8

The film opens with an unbelievably clever and convincing segment introducing this found footage, practically guaranteeing its authenticity.  It hooked me in, that’s for damn sure, and the realism never died throughout the entire movie, which is both the strength and potential flaw in “The Upper Footage.”  I say that because while this may be one of the most believable found footage film I have ever seen, it’s a hard movie to really enjoy simply because it’s so repulsive.  I mean that as a compliment.  And the fact that the “victim” in this film’s face is blurred adds an interesting element as well, not only to the “authenticity” the film tries to create, but also to the unsettling vibe this film emanates as a whole.

Real life horror happens every single day, and unfortunately it’s rarely fair.  “The Upper Footage” merely sheds light on this harsh reality, and as we follow these characters through their night of coked up debauchery, we only learn to hate them more.  This film is successful not only in its ability to shock you with its content, but also fills you with a certain loathing of every character on screen and the situation they create.  The worst part of it is that you probably know people like this, and we all know that it’s possible to get away with murder in America.  It’s a truly convincing film all around that left me feeling incredibly disturbed and uncomfortable.

The highlight of this film is its unbelievable editing and patience.  There is no rush, and nothing is forced–you simply see the events as they happen and not much else.  That being said, to be able to truly appreciate “The Upper Footage,” you must show the same patience in return, as this isn’t a horror film per se, this is just a film where horrible things happen…often in real time.  But sometimes the scariest things don’t have to jump out at you, but simply unfold slowly before your eyes.

This film is probably not for the casual horror viewer, but it definitely satisfied my urge to watch something really, really nasty.  Watch it at your own risk, as “The Upper Footage” is really raw and powerful, but will probably crawl its way under your skin.  In fact, it might just leave you feeling kind of fucked up.

To view “The Upper Footage” and learn more, visit the film’s official website.  You can also follow “The Upper Footage” on twitter and “like” it on Facebook.

“Tiny Dancer” – A Short Horror Film by Sebastian Lee

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Sebastian Lee‘s “Tiny Dancer” is a wonderful short horror film that you should probably just watch immediately.  At three and a half minutes, it’s quick, but good.  And as a major fan of not only ballet but of freaky horror, this one danced to a special place in my heart.  And major props to another unbelievable score by George Streicher (who happens to be one of our favorites).  Enjoy this one, horror lovers!

LA Horror Review: “Big Ass Spider!”

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Let’s be honest:  spiders are scary.  Hell, my wife can tell you that.  But while spiders do give tons of people the creeps, the fact of the matter is that the normal person could end a spider with a simple stomp, smash or splat.  And if the problem persists?  Call your local exterminator and you’re all set.  That is unless, of course, you’re dealing with a Big Ass Spider, in which case you may need to put the rolled up magazine down and grab your bazooka.  Mike Mendez’s film, “Big Ass Spider!” wreaks delightful havoc on the citizens of Los Angeles with hilarious and surprisingly scary results.

If you’re somebody who happens to judge a book (or movie) by its cover, then let me warn you here: yes, you get everything the title and DVD art promises: a big ass spider climbing buildings and battling well-armed military.  Hell, the ridiculous and wonderful opening scene of the movie takes care of that.  But that’s just the set up to a much more charming and complete monster feature.  “Big Ass Spider!” is not your cookie-cutter low budget movie monster – it’s a well-acted film that offers something to a wide variety of horror fans.  Gruesome deaths?  Check.  Laughs?  Check.   A well-designed and legitimately scary movie monster?  Big ass check.

After all, a monster movie is only as good as its monster, and luckily for “Big Ass Spider,” the filmmakers took this creature to a very real place with some spectacular visual effects and design.  This spider doesn’t mess around, and aside from some intentional tongue-in-cheek moments, the spider was pretty damn menacing and always seems to have another nasty trick up its sleeve.  “Big Ass Spider!” succeeds in the sense that I often found myself rooting for the monster, and when you’re dealing with beasts of epic proportion, it really shouldn’t be any other way.

That being said, our heroes Alex (Greg Grunberg), the everyman exterminator, and his hilarious Latino side-kick Jose (Lombardo Boyar) are just as fun to cheer for as the spider itself.  They’ve got the attitude, the weaponry and the knowhow to be a perfect match against the spider…not to mention a plethora of laugh-out-loud one-liners along the way.  Throw in a terrific supporting cast and a fresh script, and pretty much everything about “Big Ass Spider!” feels just right.  You can tell that everyone involved put their all into this project from day one – this film has tremendous heart.

“Big Ass Spider!” well exceeded my expectations and sets the bar pretty high for low budget giant monster movies in the future.  If you’re a fan of the monster genre or have a fear of spiders in general, then get your big ass off the couch, call your crew and pop open a six-pack.  “Big Ass Spider!” is a bad ass flick!

“Big Ass Spider!” is now available on DVD and Blu Ray!  Or get it on iTunes!  For more on “Big Ass Spider!” visit the films official webpage, Facebook and twitter.

VHS SPOTLIGHT: “Demonwarp”

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As horror fans who buy a lot of movies on VHS, we here at LAHorror.com can attest that there are some true classics that have simply been forgotten or lost in the shuffle of time.  It’s our opinion that all great horror films deserve to be seen and that’s why LAHorror.com contributor Alex Ray decided to shed the spotlight on some horror films that are trapped on VHS and have yet to have a DVD release!  We’ll keep featuring our favorites and be sure to let us know what your favorite is too!  Enjoy people!

VHS SPOTLIGHT: “DEMONWARP”

1988 * 91 minutes * Vidmark Entertainment * Directed by Emmett AlstonDW_cover.jpg

If you’re lucky enough to stumble onto “Demonwarp,” there’s no way you don’t fall for it.  Just a quick glance at the box art, and I guarantee you will be instantly smitten.  Get this: George Kennedy, a were-squatch holding dynamite and Michelle Bauer.  If that isn’t a recipe for awesomeness, I don’t know what is.

Sure, there have been a lot of great covers that have disguised bad movies (I’m looking at you, “Gore-Met, Zombie Chef From Hell“), but “Demonwarp” won’t disappoint. You get everything you see on the box, plus more. So much more.

We begin our tale with an old-timey holy man who witnesses a crash-landing in the woods. Or rather, something falls from the sky, and then it’s just there. Kinda looks like a spaceship, and it might be important (inasmuch as anything in this movie is important)–but without much context it’s about as random as what comes an hour later. Okay, not quite.

Cut to: George Kennedy (of “The Naked Gun” and “The Terror Within” fame) and his adult daughter are playing a board game when they’re attacked by what could be Bigfoot or a werewolf or maybe even Shrieker. Big George seems to be down for the count; his daughter gets dragged away, apparently done in by a light scratch to the face.

Jumping ahead again, we’re introduced to the requisite young folks unknowingly entering our hairy killer’s stomping ground. They butt heads with ol’ George–he’s still looking for his missing daughter–and then settle into the house from “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter” and a zillion others.

DW_pic_02You can probably see where this is going, and yes, the first two acts are pretty standard ’80s horror fare. There’s a sex scene, a shower scene, and a sunbathing scene–all interspersed between rampaging sort-of Bigfoot shenanigans (courtesy of John Carl “The Buech” Buechler) and set to a radical synth score. Nothing wrong with any of this, but not many new ingredients are added to the formula.

That is, of course, until we get to the glorious final act. It’s got Bigfoot morphing, devil-worshipping aliens, zombies, topless Michelle Bauer ritual sacrifice and that dynamite from the cover. And at some point, I think they explain the crash from the opening of the flick, and how that led to Mr. Kennedy going all Death Wish on Bigfoot. I can’t completely spoil it because I’m not entirely sure what was happening or why, but I can certainly attest to its greatness.

How “Demonwarp” has avoided a DVD release is beyond me. All sarcasm aside, this is a thoroughly enjoyable ’80s creature feature. What’s more, it’s got an Oscar-winner, a legendary scream queen, and the brother from “Just One of the Guys.” Come on, Code Red, dig this one out of  the Vidmark basement. I would gladly plunk down twenty bucks for a DVD or Blu-ray, and a lot more if it included a commentary track.

For now, I’ll be happy with my VHS copy. And if you should happen to find it anywhere (as of this writing, there are two copies on eBay), you’ll be happy with it too.  3/4 Stars

VHS Spotlight is written by LAHorror.com contributor Alex Ray.

“The Best There Ever Was”

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What good horror fan doesn’t want another “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” film?!  They’re mean, nasty and always full of guts.  The mere sound of that chainsaw revving up and covering a hopeless scream with it’s menacing roar just warms my heart!  “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” franchise has always been an all time favorite amongst us sickos, myself in particular, which is precisely why we have to share this fan made trailer by some awesome filmmakers who may love this franchise more than anybody else!

“The Best There Ever Was” is a promotional trailer from 2 Man Production for a film that I certainly hope they get to make.  They have the film written and wanted to give a glimpse into their vision of the loveable Sawyer family, in particular Grandpa, who we all know was the best killer there ever was.  A trailer like this truly shows the passion horror fans have for these films and this could really bring The Texas Chainsaw Massacre back to it’s glory days, or should I say, GORY days.

Filmmaker Derek Cole breaks it down nicely as to what this film, if it indeed can get made, would contribute to this franchise.  “I have wanted to do this film since I was a kid.  Something about them calling Grandpa ‘The Best There Ever Was.’  A family doesn’t just decide to be crazy all at once they are usually raised to be such a way so I thought it would be cool to kind of incorporate the Grandpa more and see how this family took such a turn to go bat shit crazy as they clearly are.”

Intrigued yet?  Well now for the fun part…enjoy, and SHARE this trailer if you think it would be an awesome flick…it could just help it get made!!

We will keep you posted on this project as we learn more!  2 Man Production is also behind “An American Ghost Story,” which we reviewed here.  “An American Ghost Story” is now available on DVD, and we HIGHLY recommend checking it out!

“ABCs of Death 2” – VOTE for your favorite short film!

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There are a lot of ways to die, and most of them aren’t pretty.  In the 2012 short film compilation, “The ABCs of Death,” audiences were delighted to see 26 directors create short films about death, dying and being dead, each inspired by a letter of the alphabet.  And now that “ABCs of Death 2” is coming down the pipe, the producers are again allowing the audience to choose a segment for the film–but only if the death is inspired by the letter “M.”

Pretty awesome right??  As you can imagine, there are TONS of amazing entries from extremely talented horror filmmakers all across the world, but we’ve gone ahead and chosen a couple of our favorites for you to check out, and most importantly, VOTE for!

Just click the title and “LIKE” the video!

“M” is for Mormon Missionaries  (Writer/Director Peter Podgursky)

http://vimeo.com/76886343

NOTHING is scarier than Mormons.  No, I kid, they’re usually great people, but Writer/Director Peter Podgursky has taken the common occurance of a visit from those loveable Mormons into something far more sinister, nasty and horrifying.   “M is for Mormon Missionaries” is legit and we’re fans of Podgursky’s work, so CHECK IT OUT, and if you find your door knocking Sunday morning, you might want to just pretend you’re not home…

“M” is for Mustache  (Writer/Director Levi Caleb Smith)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYtxiklMePA

Murder, madness, mustache.  Need I say more?  Levi Caleb Smith’s “M is for Mustache” is a suspenseful look into the mind of a murderer and an awesome slow burn to a totally gruesome finish!  This short has a great leading performance and some pretty slick editing that makes it a MUST WATCH for this competition.

“M” is for Meltdown  (Writer / Director Alex Ray)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK0mGhbsbQk

Who doesn’t love to save the environment?!  After all, isn’t it good to be green?!  In Alex Ray’s “M is for Meltdown,” saving the environment can be a killer!   Super gorey with throwback camp, this cracked me up in all the ways a horror flick should.   In fact, I was fortunate enough to be an actor in this one, so you gotta WATCH IT!

“M” is for Maleficium  (Writer / Director Alessandro Pulisci)

Okay, so I won’t lie, I wasn’t quite sure what “maleficium” was when I first watched this film, but boy oh boy did I learn in a hurry!  Look, this flick was disgusting, gnarly and totally righteous!  Not to mention super messy…and you know if a horror movie is messy that it’s way up my alley!  LOVED IT!

“M” is for Mercy  (Writer / Director Sean Blau)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=778PeAZdE9Y

We thought we’d end our endorsements on a lighter note, and “M is for Mercy” is a perfect example of how horror that gets right under your skin…Director Sean Blau (who is also behind our favorite “The Sunderland Experiment”) gives us a glimpse into a much larger world and floods us with questions.  A terrific, thought provoking piece – the type of horror film that really messes with your head.  CHECK IT!

Please SUPPORT INDIE HORROR and watch, vote and enjoy all of the entries. These are just the tip of the iceberg in a malicious and magical mess of movie madness!  VOTING ENDS NOVEMBER 14th!!!  So do it now!!!