Horror Movies

It feels like it has been forever since I last did a review here. I finished one up at long last over at Top Horror Movies Club for The Bay. I got it started a while back actually, but didn't get it finished on the same day. I would pick it up again, get a few words in, but was never really able to just sit and write. My long streak to finish last month didn't really burn me out from writing, so I'm not sure why I was having trouble getting back into doing a review. Anyway, I had a couple of movies that came out of my instant watch queue, so I got those watched. I have a couple of more to get through for the same reason, so hopefully this will get me wanting to write again. First up was Jean Rollin's Lips Of Blood (1975).While at a party, Frédéric (Jean-Loup Philippe) sees a picture of an old run down castle. It triggers a memory of him as a young child finding a girl (Annie Belle) in that very castle. He gives her his toy and sleeps there in the castle with her. Leaving in the morning, he promises he will be back. Frédéric ditches his date while trying to find out more information about the picture, but no one seems to know anything about it. He talks to his mother, who is also at the party, and comes across as a bit of an ass to her. It seems that Frédéric as lost his childhood memories ever since his father passed away, so he is obsessed with this picture since it managed to trigger something for him. Eventually he finds the name of the person who took the photo, but she was paid off to not reveal the location. His search leads to some vampire woman following him around and helping him out from time to time, but why would vampires want to help him?Lips Of Blood seems to be one of Rollin's more popular films. It gets a slightly above average rating on IMDb, and gets mostly favored reviews elsewhere. While I liked it more than some of his other films I have watched, I still wasn't all that impressed with it. According to trivia, Rollin's based the main character off himself. Hopefully Jean never comes off the way Frédéric did at times. I mean Frédéric could get somewhat mean to someone when he felt they weren't paying enough attention to what he wanted to talk about. I haven't liked Rollin's films too much because I have always felt it was nudity/sex above all else with him in his films. While Lips Of Blood isn't that bad, it comes somewhat close. There are vampire woman running around nude, well...they are wearing clothes but they are of the see through type for some of them. Frédéric isn't a bad looking guy, but I had a hard time believe that every woman he seemingly comes across throws themselves at him. A good example of that is when he visits the woman who took the photo from the start of the film. I did find it funny that when the vampire women help him out, he runs away from them. I admit that I wouldn't want to hang with someone who would likely want to kill me for my blood, but I'm pretty sure I would be curious as to why they are helping me get out of locked rooms and killing other people who are trying to stop me. The film was just okay to me at best, but it got boring as well. I got tired of Frédéric running off each time things start to get a little interesting. I admit that the ending was too bad, and did surprise me slightly with the direction it took. I thought they needed to seriously rethink the very end of the film though.Lips Of Blood isn't a very gory film when it comes down to it. There is some blood, but nothing major to be found. Mostly from vampire bites of course, which people seem to die quickly from. Not that it is a special effect, but there is plenty of nudity to be found, even from our lead actor Jean-Loup Philippe. Speaking of Philippe, he did a pretty good job with the lead. Annie Belle also does a good job, even if she spends a lot of time just standing around.One of the things that really bugged me is when Frédéric finds a woman dead whom he is supposed to be meeting. I didn't know who she w

The first still from the true-crime tale Devil's Knot, which is based on the tragedy surrounding the now freed West Memphis Three, is here, and it offers your first look at Reese Witherspoon as Pam Hobbs, the mother of Steve Branch, one of the three children savagely murdered in Arkansas in 1993. Synopsis: Worldview Entertainment's dramatic crime thriller Devil's Knot, filmed in the greater Atlanta, Georgia, area under the direction of Atom Egoyan, stars Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth with a screenplay by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson. Elizabeth Fowler, Richard Saperstein, and Clark Peterson produced Devil’s Knot alongside Worldview Entertainment CEO Christopher Woodrow. Worldview’s Molly Conners, Sarah Johnson Redlich, Maria Cestone, and Hoyt David Morgan executive produced alongside actual defendants Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. Devil’s Knot is a Fowler-Saperstein-Peterson Production. Following the release from prison of the West Memphis Three, after nearly 20 years of incarceration, Hollywood was abuzz with plans to develop the teen trio's incredible story of wrongful conviction for the mutilation and murder of three young boys into a narrative feature. Among other works, it inspired the 2011 Oscar-nominated HBO documentary Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory. But tackling a complicated -- and unsolved -- murder mystery that spans nearly 20 years and includes a myriad of characters as a theatrical motion picture is an ambitious undertaking to say the least. Still, Atom Egoyan was more inspired than intimidated by the story of the West Memphis Three, so the writer-director who has spun real life tragedy into compelling dramas with The Sweet Hereafter and Ararat began helming an adaptation of their story from a screenplay by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson as told by Mara Leveritt's best-selling true crime book, Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three. His film, Devil’s Knot, stars Oscar winner for Walk the Line Reese Witherspoon as Pam Hobbs, the intrepid mother of murder victim Stevie Hobbs, and Oscar winner for The King’s Speech Colin Firth as private investigator Ron Lax, whose tireless efforts uncovered troubling details about the case ultimately led to the release of Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr., and Jason Baldwin after 18 years in prison. Joining a star-studded cast that already included Witherspoon and Firth were Alessandro Nivola of Coco Before Chanel, Amy Ryan of Win Win, Matt Letscher of ABC's "Scandal," Michael Gladis of "Mad Men," Stephen Moyer of HBO’"s True Blood," Rex Linn of Appaloosa, and Bruce Greenwood, who recently wrapped production on Derek Cianfrance's much-anticipated drama The Place Beyond the Pines. Letscher signed on to play Paul Ford, the defense attorney for Baldwin, while Gladis portrayed Dan Stidham, the defense attorney for Misskelley, and Greenwood was lined up to play the not-so-honorable Judge David Burnett, who oversaw the West Memphis Three’s trial and was later accused of bias that slanted the scales of justice against the accused. Amy Ryan plays Margaret Lax, Stephen Moyer plays John Fogelman, and Rex Linn plays Chief Inspector Gitchell. Garnering such noteworthy character actors for supporting roles was a great sign that Egoyan's talent-stacked ensemble will be a heavy-hitter in the drama department. Devil’s Knot boasts a creative team that includes producers Elizabeth Fowler, Richard Saperstein, Clark Peterson, and Christopher Woodrow; producer/writer Paul Harris Boardman; executive producer Molly Conners; and line producer/UPM Michael Flynn. Joining that above-the-line group are production designer Phillip Barker, art director Thomas Minton, set decorator Melinda Sanders, director of photography Paul Sarossy, costume designer Kari Perkins, editor Susan Shipton, composer/songwriter Mychael Danna, sound mixer Shirley Libby, special effects coordinator Lisa Reynolds, special effect

Two more bits of news coming out of the way exhaustive Cannes Film Market. Read on for the first details regarding the giallo The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears and the upcoming thriller The Last Showing. According to Screen Daily UK outfit Metrodome has pre-bought giallo-style thriller The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears, pictured below, from Bac Films. Writer-directors Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s follow up to cult genre hit Amer, which Quentin Tarantino listed as among his favorite films of 2010, stars Klaus Tange, Jean-Michel Vovk, Sylvia Camarda and Sam Louwyck. “The surreal drama follows a husband who plunges into a world of nightmare and violence while searching for his missing wife.” They also report that Simon Crowe’s SC Films has picked up sales rights to The Philm Company’s thriller The Last Showing, “about a couple trapped in a cinema who are manipulated into becoming unwilling actors in a film being captured by CCTV cameras.” Phil Hawkins writes, directs and produces, alongside producer Alexandra Baranska. Production is due for July 2013 on the project, which is casting. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Acquire things in the comments section below.

When the world is drawing to a close you really need to prepare if possible. That's exactly what our heroes from the horror comedy This Is the End do in this latest clip! Oh, and we get some confessional action too. Dig it! Written and directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen and starring Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride and Jonah Hill as themselves, This Is the End finds six friends trapped in a house after a series of strange and catastrophic events devastate Los Angeles. As the world unravels outside, dwindling supplies and cabin fever threaten to tear apart the friendships inside. Once they discover that they are experiencing the Apocalypse, they must come to terms with why they were left behind. Eventually they are forced to leave the house, facing their fate and the true meaning of friendship and redemption. Look for the flick in theatres on June 12th. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! End it all in the comments section below!

More details have surfaced regarding director Gil Kenan's remake of the 1981 classic Poltergeist, which Sam Raimi is producing... turns out this one could be less remake and more sequel. Read on for the latest! As per MovieHole: "The Kenan-directed Raimi-produced reboot - much like the "Evil Dead" remake - exists in the same world as the previous "Poltergeist" films. So while it is a 'reboot' of the franchise, it's also somewhat of a sequel - taking place years after the Freeling's were ran out of town. In one scene in the new film, the kids' find some things behind the sliding panel in the attic. Yep, you guessed it - they find some of the Freeling's possessions, intentionally left behind. There's the Star Wars bed sheets (from Robbie's room), a black-and-white TV set (why, of course!), and some Christmas decorations. Although the new film may possess new characters and somewhat of a different storyline, all the "familiar beats" from the original "Poltergeist" films are in it. There's the scary tree that proves a looming threat to our youngster (and gets pulled underground), the freaky 'clown' that sits upon a rocking chair in the bedroom (in this case, the clown sits in younger brother Griffin's room), and of course there's 'phone' trouble (in this case, older sister Kendra's iPhone gets damaged by unseen forces), and of course the little girl - Madison - who makes friends with 'The Lost People' that nobody can see (but who don't mind 'showing off' - making Madison's hair stand up like she's just been struck by electricity, being just one of their 'tricks')." Interesting. We may just see the return of the Freelings in some capacity. A cameo maybe? Let's just hope for all parties concerned that the Poltergeist curse doesn't return as well. Thanks to DC reader Chris J. for the heads-up! As reported earlier the new version follows Eric Bowen and his family, who, after he loses his job, relocate to a new town to start over. His daughter, Madison, is abducted, making him truly understand what’s important in life: family. Casting has begun, and shooting is scheduled to commence as early as September in Toronto, Canada. Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, and Roy Lee produce. David Lindsay-Abaire is listed as the main screenwriter although Juliet Snowden and Stiles White had previously worked on the script. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! See if they're here in the comments section below!

With the indie feature An American Terror currently enjoying its festival run, we caught up with filmmaker Haylar Garcia to get the skinny on the latest. Read on for his comments along with our initial impressions of the flick. An American Terror was written, directed, and edited by Denver, Colorado, filmmaker Garcia; produced by Sam Sleiman and Tarik Heitmann; and executive produced by Jim Brennan and Roland Salameh. "We are so flattered and grateful for the response to the film," offered Garcia, "as it was accepted as official selections at Crypticon Seattle, Comic Con Denver, and of course the amazing LA Fear & Fantasy Film Fest, where we actually took away awards for 'Best Feature', 'Best Director,' and 'Best Actress'. We are excited to be attending such amazing events with such gracious hosts, audiences, and our badass filmmaking peers. We have our fingers crossed for a great 2013 fest season, especially in September and October, when the genre fests really heat up." Synopsis: Three teen outcasts decide to trade their nameless and bullied existences for Internet fame by exacting a sadistic template for the unthinkable, but in their search for the assault weapons to pull it off, they come upon something far darker than even their own gruesome plans. As for my take on the film? Surprising, effective, and brutal, Garcia's hybrid feature An American Terror boldly examines the effects of Millennial High School bullying and revenge, while pairing the narrative with some gratuitous, old-school horror. The result is darkly captivating, with strong performances by leads Graham Emmons and Louise MacDonald and haunting cinematography by Anton Fresco. It's SLC Punk! meets House of 1000 Corpses, with a healthy dose of thoughtful and arresting social commentary. Stay tuned for a full review shortly, and in the interim check out our earlier interview with Haylar Garcia here. For more visit An American Terror on Facebook. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Get revenge on bullies in the comments section below!

A new clip has arrived for the new flick from the makers of Zombie Strippers, entitled Alyce Kills, and we have it right here for your perusal. Be warned it's pretty damned steamy! Dig it! From the Press Release The Collective, a leading entertainment management and production company, and top horror website BloodyDisgusting.com present the mind-tripping blood-soaked thriller ALYCE KILLS as part of their Bloody Disgusting Selects film series. After accidentally knocking her best friend off a roof, Alyce is haunted by guilt and delves into a brutal nightmare wonderland of sex, drugs. and violence, her mind tearing itself apart... along with anyone else who gets in her way. Director Jay Lee (ZOMBIE STRIPPERS) takes us down the rabbit hole and unleashes enough chaos and horror to satisfy any gorehound. ALYCE KILLS stars Tamara Feldman (HATCHET, “GOSSIP GIRL”), James Duval (DONNIE DARKO, DOOM GENERATION), Eddie Rouse (PANDORUM, UNDERTOW), Larry Cedar (THE CRAZIES), Yorgo Constantine (FAST FIVE), Megan Gallagher (“MILLENIUM”), Rena Owen (ONCE WE WERE WARRIORS), Tracey Walter (REPO MAN, BATMAN), Bret Roberts (MAY, NIGHTSTALKER), and Jade Dornfeld, making her film debut as the titular character, Alyce. ALYCE KILLS will be released in select theaters on May 24, 2013. It will be available on Cable VOD in partnership with Tribeca Films and for digital streaming on May 21, 2013. If you're in the LA area, here's some info on a special screening taking place on Friday, May 24th, at 9:30 pm: * Meet cast and crew members following the show, including director Jay Lee (Zombie Strippers) and Jade Dornfeld, who stars as Alyce * Full size ALYCE KILLS theatrical posters given out after the show (while supplies last) WHERE: Downtown Independent 251 S. Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 Doors open at 9:00 pm VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Knock your friend off a roof in the comments section below!

.Jess Franco's Drácula contra Frankenstein certainly isn't a shining moment in the late director's filmography. It's cheap and schlocky with all kinds of dubious filmmaking choices and inebriated actors. Or yeah, the classic junk Franco was known to churn out in order to continue eating between striking upon flashes of real genius behind the lens. Unless you must in your Jess Quest or wish to torture a Hammer fan into total submission, tread with extreme caution.Regardless, Dracula:PoF's dodgy quality didn't prevent this Japanese VHS release from becoming damn rare. According to a trusted friend who specializes in the country's VHS output and has owned many of the rarest, only about five have surfaced in collector circles with only one displaying zero UV damage.Unfortunately during its lifespan that particular copy had a hard crease applied to its cover running in-between the spine and the front. The copy below that I was lucky enough to purchase a few weeks ago might be in the best overall condition to ever appear. The spine has an extremely soft touch of fade, but otherwise it's in mint shape with no creases, stickers, or cassette damage.This very nice, uncut English language presentation is also special for being the only release so far to present the film in its original 2.35:1 Techniscope widescreen aspect ratio. For some unknown reason, even the few DVD releases feature zoomed-in 1.85:1 presentations. In a nice touch, the Japanese subtitles are placed out of the actual frame with the picture moved up slightly to accommodate the text.

A&E got some excellent news today as "Bates Motel" ended its first season as the second-most-watched new cable drama of the year. And if you're a fan of the show, we have more good news in the form of some hints of what's ahead. Let's get the numbers out of the way first. Per THR's The Live Feed, the Season 1 finale episode averaged 2.7 million viewers, with 1.5 million of them in the targeted adults 18-49 category. That's a slight dip from March's 3 million premiere but on par with the series average of 2.7 million total viewers (1.5 million adults 18-49 and adults 25-54) tuning in during the entire ten-episode run. Live+Seven Day returns have the show earning 4.4 million viewers with DVR additions. The demographic scores rise to 2.6 million adults 18-49 and 2.5 million adults 25-54, boosts of a respective 72 and 67 percent. As 2013 cable drama launches go, "Bates Motel" ranks only behind sister network History's "Vikings" in total viewers and both of the adult demos. Now, as for what we can look forward to 2014 when Season 2 debuts, THR spoke with executive producer Carlton Cuse, and we have the highlights below. Be sure to hit the link at the bottom of the page for more and BEWARE OF SPOILERS if you're not caught up. THR: Where will Season 2 pick up? Will there be a time jump? Cuse: I don't want to say exactly how we're going to do that. Certainly the events at end of this season are very much in play when Season 2 opens. One of the big questions looming is: What is Norman's awareness of his own self? [Also,] how much does Norma know? How much does she know about what Norman is really all about? Related Story: "Bates Motel": Go Inside the Season 1 Finale Episode 1.10 - "Midnight" THR: You're also adding to the writers' room for Season 2. Cuse: In the first season Kerry [Ehrin] and I did a huge amount of the writing ourselves, and we have a full writers room this year... We have a real all-star team in Liz Tigelaar ("Nashville," "Life Unexpected") and Alexandra Cunningham ("Prime Suspect," "Desperate Housewives") and Nikki Toscano ("Revenge," "Detroit 1-8-7"). Adding those three writers is going to be a huge benefit for Season 2. Our goal in Season 2 is to increase the audience's understanding of the world in which our characters live - most importantly, a deeper understanding of who the characters themselves are. And we plan on having plenty of thrills and chills along the way. THR: There's all sorts of evidence pointing to Norman and his borderline inappropriate relationship with Miss Watson. Will next season be a search for her killer? Cuse: Coming to terms with Miss Watson's death is a component of next season. It's not the main narrative focus of next season, but it is one of the stories we're telling. It's important for the audience to get some resolution about that story, and we've got a good way to do that. But there's a lot of other stuff going on in White Pine Bay that we're going to need to pay attention to as well. The most fundamental question of Season 2 comes down to Norman understanding Norman more than he does. He obviously is capable of actions that he's not aware of when he finds himself in an altered mental state. The barriers [that] separate the different parts of him over time are going to become a little bit less rigid. The show is not instantly devolving into the murder of the week, Norman as a crazed serial killer; that's not what compels us as writers. We're much more interested in the nuances of his relationship with his mother, brother, and those around him. That's a longer journey until Norman becomes more adversely affected by his psychological issues. How that plays out and the time frame is not something we're just jumping into right away; there's more interesting to stuff to explore in the next season of the show... [For instance,] I don't think w

Square Enix's Thief will release in 2014 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. The company promises an immersive experience like never before on Xbox One. Stay tuned as more details will be revealed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year. From the Press Release Square Enix and Eidos-Montréal, the award winning studio behind the critically acclaimed Deus Ex: Human Revolution, is excited to announce today that THIEF is being developed for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft. “The team at Eidos-Montreal is thrilled to confirm that THIEF is coming to Xbox One. The next generation of home consoles allow us to create the best and the most immersive THIEF game ever. The feedback we have received so far is simply amazing and we can’t wait to show more of THIEF at E3 this year” said Stephane D’Astous, General Manager, Eidos-Montréal. For more details about THIEF – visit the Square Enix booth at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in the South Hall #1647. THIEF will be available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows PC in 2014. To learn more, visit the official Thief website. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Steal shit while you wait in the comments section below.