REVIEW : RAMPAGE

REVIEW : RAMPAGE

You know those guys who go into a club and hit on a shit load of girls and you know that eventually one of those chicks is gonna say ‘yes’? Well it appears that Uwe Boll has been playing the same game with movies and it was only a matter of time before he finally hit the target. But here’s where it gets even stranger, not only does Boll hit that mark, he blows a mother fuckin’ hole in it.

Rampage opens with our ‘hero’, and I use the term loosely, Bill who is crapped on by everyone around him in his small American town, including shop clerks, his boss and just about anyone else he comes in contact with. What these people don’t understand is that Bill has been preparing a plan for all of them. He has been preparing ‘A Rampage’.

Uwe Boll is known for his less than favourable video game adaption’s and for the most part the director has completely missed the point of almost every title he has attempted to put on the big or, more accurately, straight to DVD screen. But is it really fair to judge him on them? Its not like there’s an army of directors out there who have got it right and it is definitely not an easy feat. But his original works like Seed have often just left a bad and, for the most part, bored taste in my mouth.

But Rampage is different, it does exactly what it says on the tin and the execution (No pun intended) is stunning as we follow Bill on his titular Rampage through the town, taking down, literally, everyone in sight. The whole sequence which takes up over half the film is shocking to watch, but yet difficult to take your eyes away from. All this draws itself to a stunning close that will make your jaw hit the floor with it well-placed twist.

If not for the last few minutes kind of souring what had gone before, Rampage would be a perfect movie, but the last moments of the film leave the viewer with a small amount of frustration that takes away from the well-built story.

OVERALL

Rampage is the first Uwe Boll film I would recommend for positive reasons, but I can’t recommend it enough. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty damn close. It just goes to show, if you practice hard enough, you will eventually get it right.

Mycho

SCREAM QUEEN : SCARLET SALEM

NOVEMB: SCARLET SALEM

Working in Independent Horror can be tough, but that hasn’t stopped, Minesota born Squeen Queen, Scarlet Salem. Then again, it can’t hurt that she has always had a love for the genre, and that love shows. This particular love of hers has led to many great opportunities in the Horror world.

Her love of ghouls and gore led her to a role in NFTS Productions YOUR NEXT : Pyjama Party Massacre 3, which led the young actress to want more.  Since then she has gone on to star in a huge amount of Independent Horror hits. Including being involved in such films as The Resist Evil Trilogy, Camp Kill, Terror Overload, Killer Biker Chicks and the infamous Strip Club Slasher.

If that wasn’t enough, that seems to be the tip of the iceberg with Trailers for Potpourri and In Harms Way appearing online this month as well as the announcement of Scream Queen CampFire and Werewolf Thriller Hallow Pointe.  With all this and more on the table, it looks as though Miss Salem is around for a long time to come.

 

Check out Scarlet Salem's Official Website

Mycho

REVIEW : NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2010)

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2010)

Well it finally happened, it was only a matter of time before they tried to reinvent this generations most iconic monster. Yeah they took on Leatherface, Jason Vorhees and even the Amityville house. Now comes the re-imaging of the king of them all, as Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes bring us Freddy Kruger for the 21st Century.  
The children of Elm street see him in their dreams, the man they called Fred Kruger. Once a local gardener at the pre school nursery, he disappeared many years ago, now he has returned. But in the form of something evil, something sinister that stalks the teens of Spring-wood in their dreams and so it begins again as Platinum Dunes reboot the Nightmare franchise and oh how wrong they got it.


Lets just get straight on with my absolute main gripe with this movie, apart from the fact that it is soulless, cardboard-cutout horror, is the casting. Never before have I seen actors that literally can't convey any kind of emotion across the screen. I've seen bad actors, you need only head to reviews lower on this blog to see that I watch some right crap, so I would like to think of myself as a bit of an expert on terrible b movie actors. 

But this is Hollywood, they have the money to cast the best, or at very least the second best.  Yet every time someone speaks within Nightmare On Elm Street, I suddenly wanted them to die. Instantly. Maybe this was the intention, although I find it hard to believe that they would also want this quality from the two leads Rooney Mara (The new boring Nancy) and Kyle Gallner (The new Johnny Depp, I guess) who do terrible jobs throughout. 


The only casting they got potentially right was drafting in Jackie Earle Haley as the new, although not so much improved, Freddy Kruger. The man clearly has the chops as we saw in Watchmen with is portrayal of Rorschach, but his make up here is miss done, his voice over dubbed to the point it doesn't match his lip movement, turning Freddy into what feels like a limp, pathetic and almost laughable villain.

Add to this the uninspired Nightmares, terrible dialogue, awful CGI and you have a film that keeps you amazed that they even got it to the finish line intact. 

OVERALL


Usually I try to leave a positive note on even the worst of films, but for lack of any better words A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is 'shit'. What a shame. Good day.

INTERVIEW : JENNIFER LIM

JENNIFER LIM

Jennifer Lim is a bit of an icon in modern horror, becoming somewhat of a star amongst horror fans with her character 'Kana' in the Eli Roth's splatter movie Hostel. Since then she has gone on to star in the first Horror film series made directly for Mobile Phones in the form of When Evil calls alongside Sean Pertwee and Chris Barrie.

Mycho : How did you get started in acting and what made you decide you wanted to be an actor?

JENNIFER : I've always wanted to be an actor as long as I can remember. I guess it started when I was about 6/7 years old when my nan would take me to the movies and I'd recreate the scenes back at home with my dolls! It sounds mad but I guess story-telling, make-believe and being different characters became an intergral part of my young life. As I grew older, I realise that we've only got this one life and it's far too boring to just do one thing so I guess acting became the natural option. You can be different people in one life!

Mycho : How did you end up with the role of 'Kana' in Hostel?

JENNIFER : I went for the audition and sat in a room with lots of other girls who went into the casting suite screaming their heads off. Guess they liked my scream :)

Mycho : Is it strange now being connected to such a 'modern classic' and how was the experience during shooting?

JENNIFER : I feel really honoured and priviledged to be part of the 'Hostel' experience. I don't think anyone imagined it to have such a huge impact upon its release when we were shooting it. It was one of the best experiences of my life - a really lovely and happy atmosphere when we were shooting it and it was a real joy to work with all these people who were so enthusiastic and passionate about what they were doing.

Mycho : What was Eli Roth like to work with?

JENNIFER : He's a complete sweetheart and totally nuts about horror! He totally loves what he does and is really passionate about the genre. My abiding memory of him was the first time we met - he came into the makeup trailer and saw my 'eye' for the first time. He was like a kid in a candy store - he was really chuffed with the gore and kept encouraging the makeup guy to 'juice it up'!

Mycho : You starred in When Evil Calls, The first series/film shot for mobile phones, how did you get involved in the project?

JENNIFER : I was told about it by a friend of the producer who was looking for someone to play another part. I wasn't interested in the original part but when the producer heard that I was in 'Hostel', he asked to meet me and considered me for the main girl who they were having trouble casting.

Mycho : Over the past 5 years you seem to have become an icon in Horror, do you enjoy working in the genre?

JENNIFER : Yes, I do. I think there's a lot to be said for horror films - they are fun to make and it's a carthartic experience for both the actors and the viewers.

Mycho : What is the film you are most proud of as an actress?

JENNIFER : 'Hostel' - definitely!

Mycho : Any plans to do another Horror film in the near future?

JENNIFER :  If the right offers come along, then definitely yes. I was supposed to do a supernatural horror with a British director last year but the project fell through which was a shame.

Mycho : Is there anyone you would most like to work with in the film industry?

JENNIFER : There are lots I would love to work with. Quentin Tarantino would be on the top of my list.

Mycho : What's next for Jennifer Lim?

JENNIFER : Not sure yet. Am attached to a project in America that they're looking to put it together and I've got a few tiny projects of my own - have written a supernatural thriller and hope to get that off the ground. Fingers crossed!

Mycho 

REVIEW : HUSH

HUSH

There is nothing better than slipping in the DVD of a horror film you know nothing about, other than its clues on the cover of course. So when Hush came out as a British, Independent Horror, I have to admit I got excited and it turns out it was for good reason.

Young couple Zakes and Beth are on their way home, and stuck out on the motorway. Having a near miss with a truck driver, Zakes notices something strange as the two avoid collision with each other. As the trucks tailgate flips up, Zakes sees, what he thinks is a woman in a cage. The two find themselves stuck in traffic behind the van, but Zakes declines to do anything. Pulling into a service station it becomes clear that this is just another reason for his girlfriend Beth to be disappointed in him.

Zakes storms off and on return realises that Beth is gone, but where? Then he sees the truck and its driver and realises that Beth has suffered the same fate as the girl he saw. Giving chase Zakes suddenly finds himself trapped in a nightmare that soon takes a very sinister twist.

Hush was extremely surprising considering, until viewing, I had never even heard of it, and by the cover art, it is easy to assume that I had a Duel or Roadkill copycat on my hands. But Hush, is much more down to earth, it almost feels real. Never stepping beyond the boundaries of reality, with a photography style that only compliments the way the story is told and moves it forward.

There are some great and iconic moments in Hush that actually send me back to it for a second watch, and although it ends quite abruptly, it doesn’t leave the viewer feeling as if they have been cheated. The sense of tension running through the film is phenomenal as we try and guess how Zakes will react next with each obstacle he comes across.

The only thing that lets the film down is the forced performance by girlfriend Beth (Christine Bottomley) who never seems to express a single line of dialogue with any sincerity. But that is about it. The cinematography might feel a bit much for those used to Hollywood Blockbusters, but for those who like a bit of class to their photography, you will get something out of this.

OVERALL

Hush is a nice little dark horror/thriller that keeps you guessing and watching as you follow our hero on his nightmare journey to save his girlfriend, who unfortunately can’t act. But don’t let that put you off, she’s not in it for very much anyway. Also the simple style of the ‘killer’ is something of note and brings a sense of British grit to a tense & exciting movie.

INTERVIEW : TRENT HAAGA

TRENT HAAGA

Trent Haaga is a name that anyone who knows Independent Horror should recognise. He’s been everywhere. Jumping from Actor to writer to director throughout the last decade since we first saw him in Troma ‘Masterpiece’ Terror Firmer.

Since then, Trent has gone on to star in a huge list of Independent Horror films, as well as playing iconic roles such as Maniac Jester Killjoy, Trent also wrote indie hit ‘DeadGirl’ and has recently made the step to directing his first film with ‘Chop’. On top of that Trent Haaga was a large contributor to the filmmaking bible "Make Your Own Damn Movie"

Mycho : For those who don't know. How did you get into the film, and more specifically the horror film, industry?

Trent : I've been a movie freak - and more specifically, a horror and cult movie freak - for as long as I can remember. I made my first film, TERROR FIRMER, with Troma. I went in to try and be an extra for a day and ended up landing the role of "Jerry." The rest, as they say, is history ... 

Mycho : After parting ways with Troma, you have spent the last decade playing some pretty out there characters. Are there any that stand out to you?

Trent : SUBURBAN NIGHTMARE was a big step up for me, acting wise, because it was the first time I played a lead with a lot of scenes and it was more of a dramatic role ... up until that point, I was always getting cast in smaller, more comedic roles. Of course KILLJOY, simply because I got to be a monster with full prosthetic makeup. Doing LIVING & DYING was great fun, too, because it was more of a heist film and I had a really fun death scene at the hands of Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy himself)!  

Mycho : Whatever happened to Bonnie & Clyde VS Dracula?

Trent : B&CvsD is finally coming out on DVD in the States in early 2011 from a company called Indican Pictures (http://www.indicanpictures.com/).  

Mycho : How did Deadgirl finally end up in production?

Trent : The directors of DEADGIRL came to me wanting to develop a script. I gave them a copy of DEADGIRL as a writing sample. I had been told so many times that no one would ever make the script into a movie, so I was shocked when they came back a week later and told me that they wanted to make the movie! 

Mycho : I heard somewhere that there are plans for a follow up. Is this true?

Trent : I've written a script for DEADGIRL 2. I'd love nothing more than to see it get made, but I'm kind of married to the directors on any sequels and I'm not sure if they'll ever do it. At the moment my hands are tied and the script is sitting on a shelf, collecting dust. Maybe one day, but who knows? 

Mycho : How did you end up playing Killjoy in Killjoy 2?

Trent : I was actually hired to Produce the film. There was very little money or prep time, so the director suggested that I play the role since I was going to be on set every day anyway. I had no intention of playing Killjoy when I came on board, but as a Producer, I knew that it was our cheapest solution to a casting problem! 

Mycho : After nearly 8 years, how did Killjoy 3 come to be and how did you get involved?

Trent : Tom Devlin, KJ3's makeup man, and I have been friends for years. He got hired and suggested that they bring me back for the role since I was comfortable in the makeup and knew what to expect. I almost declined - the money's not great and the makeup can be a pain in the ass and by this time I was making my name as a writer. But then they told me that they'd be shooting in Guangzhou, China. I couldn't resist the opportunity to work and travel and really make the character of Killjoy mine once and for all. 

Mycho : Would you do another Killjoy movie & what would you like to see in it?

Trent : Hmmm ... Never say never, I suppose. I guess we'll have to see how the third one is received. I'd like to see the fourth film get a bigger budget so that Killjoy could really do some amazing gags and kills ... and I think that he should team up with - or fight - the Insane Clown Posse. 

Mycho : You have just made your directorial debut with 'Chop', How did that come around?

Trent : One of the good things about going to China for Killjoy 3 was that I got to visit an acquaintance of mine in Beijing who agreed to finance the film. I had optioned the script from a friend of mine, Adam Minarovich, who not only has a role in CHOP, but has gone on to some success with his own writing and acting!  

Mycho : Any plans for another movie?

Trent : I've already optioned another script from a fan-turned-friend called TROUBLED and I'm trying to sell CHOP in order to get financing together to direct this one. Another film is in the future, but how soon in the future depends on a few factors, but mostly how well I can make CHOP succeed. 

Mycho : What's next for Trent Haaga?

Trent : I'm always working on something or other. Unfortunately, as I start to line up bigger projects, it becomes part of the deal that I can't really talk about them. I'm currently writing a script for a pretty big cable channel whose name I can't mention and I've just signed a deal to write and produce another movie that I'm not at liberty to discuss. Lame, I know ... in the meantime, I've just sold a script to the Producing team that did the film A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE and another movie that I wrote - FETCH - is finished and currently seeking distribution ...  

You keep up to date with Trent Haaga's goings on by following his Blog at http://trenthaaga.com 

Mycho

 

REVIEW : THE TORMENT

THE TORMENT (aka The Possession Of David O'Reilly)

I love having friends round to stay, but then don’t we all? Even if they’re being pursued by demons? Sure. The more the merrier…hang on. Did you say demons?

Alex and Kate are having a quite night in, about to head to bed, when a knock at the door reveals Alex’ old friend David. He has left his cheating girlfriend and doesn’t know where else to go. The couple take him in and before long David begins to see things, things that have followed him. Suddenly the couple find themselves trapped in David’s world of demons and the dead with no escape.

The Torment starts out as an extremely promising concept, and the camera work and story telling are great from the offset. It brings us straight into the characters and then begins to slowly build the fear. Setting up semi-clever plot devices, such as the camera that turns on to track movement that the couple have bought for home security. The first sighting of one of David’s ‘demons’ is immensely well executed and brings in the fear factor early on.

Unfortunately as the film progresses, the acting stays top notch, if at times a bit too ‘British’ with heavy accents sometime feeling a little put on. But where this film falls is as we move around the apartment complex into a story that I suddenly found very difficult to follow and with the bright, in your face camera, trying to pull the tale along, it wasn’t long before it became boring and a little tedious to watch.

The film is very original in its style and substance, but for me I felt that it almost ran away of it own accord leaving the plot way off in the dark, so to speak. There is still a lot on offer here though, a great idea, some immensely good creature fx work that is extremely reminiscent of The Thing and the performances, for the most part, are top notch.

OVERALL

The Torment is a great idea, in fact a bunch of great ideas, that are just not executed quite right. I like the film in many respects, but the confusing nature of it was nearly enough to put me off. Still if you find this lying around then do check it out. It might be right up your street.

Mycho

REVIEW : LET ME IN

LET ME IN

Young love. Great isn’t it? But this is the horror genre, and so any kind of puppy love is doomed here. Still that has never stopped any of us watching the train wreck as it unfolds before our eyes.

Lets forget that Let Me In is a remake of 2008 Swedish break out hit ‘Let The Right One In’ and the frustrating dumbing down of the title for the western audience. ‘Let Me’ judge the film on exactly what it is.

Owen is a lonely young kid, forgotten by his parents, who are in mid-divorce, un-noticed at school, apart from negative attention from the school bullies, he dreams of taking his life back, but never has the guts to bring it fruition. Enter: Abby, the girl next door, but with a twisted difference and as Owen listens through the paper thin walls of his apartment at night he begins to suspect that there is more to this girl that meets the eye.

After a number of chance encounters with the Abby, it becomes clear that the two share a special bond and the bodies start piling up around them.

There is a lot to ‘Let Me In’, great characters, beautiful cinematography, some fantastic writing at times, although some feels a little forced, and especially feels placed for the trailer. But there lies my only single large-(ish) gripe with ‘Let Me In’. I won’t bring the original into this as in a world of remakes that miss the point; this sees the point and sticks to it, to the letter, whilst making it interesting to original fans and first time viewers alike.

At heart it’s a simple forbidden love story, with some sickening twists that lead to an ending that pays off nicely for fans of the macabre. Let Me In is a winner in my book, and I find it sad that genre fans are staying clear after the flood of poor remakes over the last few years. But let me tell you now ‘Let me In’ should not be tarred with the same brush. As remakes go, it’s better than ‘THE RING’, as films go it’s probably the best theatrical horror you’ll see this year.

I do have a little bit of an issue with some of the transitions from live action to CGI which kind of pulled me out of the movie for a moment and threw me back to the likes of the first Spiderman movie. But that’s me being picky. All in all the effects work is absolutely above par.

OVERALL

‘Let Me In’ delivers an exciting and emotional mix of true character mixed with the horrors of growing up and the ‘very real’ horrors of what lurks in the night. A great piece of film that comes close to art and never feels too pretentious. No sequels please, leave us on a high.

REVIEW : VAMPIRE GIRL VS FRANKENSTEIN GIRL

VAMPIRE GIRL VS FRANKENSTEIN GIRL

It’s saying something when you have two girls fighting over you. Through into consideration that one is a vampire and the other is the high school bitch that has been brought back from the dead from selective body parts of her fellow classmates. Here begins the tale of one Vampire Girl, a Frankenstein Girl and their Romeo…who is also half vampire.

Jyugon Mizushima is the only decent boy in school apparently, and so it becomes a case of High School Princess (& Principles Daughter) Keiko and new student Monami, who just happens to be a centuries old Vampire, fighting it out for his attention. Both girls have the hots for him and he becomes bullied into being a relationship with each one. First by Keiko, as she is the most popular girl in school. Then by Monami, because she will kill him if he doesn’t. After Keiko’s accidental death, her father, who is also some kind of mad, kabuki scientist takes it upon himself to bring her back from grave. This obviously results in a battle of the two undead girls of the love of Jyugon that only one can survive. It ain’t Shakespeare, or is it?

The thing with Vampire Girl VS Frankenstein Girl is that it is what it is. Ridiculous. But in a 'Troma' kind of way. It is so over the top that you can’t help but enjoy almost every second of its randomness. Blood swords and blood skates are just two of the weird and wild things on offer. But to try and describe them to you here, would be to descend into madness. They have to be seen, to be believed. Throw in some weird twists on high school sub culture with such things as The School Wrist Cutters Club and you have a film that is so crazy that it just works.

There are some great and instantly iconic characters here on offer and I hope that I see Some Vampire and Frankenstein Girl’s out and about next Halloween. I’ve seen a lot of this recent wave of Japanese Gore Movies and this ranks right up there with the likes of Machine Girl. At times you forget that it’s such a low budget affair and some of the effects in the climatic battle would suggest Hollywood movie. Amazing stuff, pure and simple, and whilst it has its flaws, they are over-shadowed by its heart being in just the right place. With a stake through it.

OVERALL

Vampire Girl VS Frankenstein Girl is, as usual with these films, exactly what it says on the tin and watching two undead chicks battle it out for love over 90 minutes is just the thing you can sit and watch on a Friday night with the guys (or girls if they can handle the copious amounts of blood thrown at the screen). Its an instant classic and should be accompanied by action figures. I hope the right people are listening.

REVIEW : SPLICE

SPLICE

When I first heard the concept for the film Splice, it did intrigue me. Added to that some artwork and stills of our featured creature ‘Dren’ and you could have colourer me officially interested. Then about 3 years went by and I didn’t really hear anything about it. To the point where I figured that the project must have been dropped half way through filming, but oh no, like the opening scenes of the movie itself, Splice was all of a sudden dragged in front of kicking and screaming.

After creating an organism that scientifically benefits mankind, Adrian Brody and Sarah Polley are ready for human testing. The company funding them however are not, they only want the big bucks from the proteins created by the original little hunk of flesh. Of course Elsa (Polley) thinks it a great idea just to go ahead with it anyway and somehow manages to convince Adrian Brody to take there half human foetus to full term. The result is Dren (Nerd spelt backwards btw, but I shall let you laugh at this scene on your own) a half human, half god-knows-what, that the couple keep secret from their fellow scientists and friends. As you might have guessed though, these things never end well. Before long Dren starts to become something of a danger to all those around her.

All sounds pretty clichéd right? Well it is. It’s got some great effects, the evolution of Dren is fun to watch for the first 25 minutes of the film. Then we head into David Cronenberg territory, but mixed with the dumbed down nature of Species. Great you might say. Well yes, David Cronenberg tackled the ‘Body Horror’ sub genre with tact and finesse. There’s none of that here. The main difference is that Cronenberg, for the most part, has something to say within his films. This has nothing to say. Unless of course the message is “don’t make a genetic half breed because you’ll only end up shagging it”. Oh yeah, the film has a tendency to break out into inappropriate sex scenes as we go along. Which while driving the thin story forward, feel like they were added for shock value only.

I’m not saying that the film is bad, it kept my attention and I wasn’t particularly bored during the whole thing. But it could have been so much more and its not like they didn’t have long enough to make it a better film. The problem it suffers is that its too close to Species, but without the weird creature sex stuff. Oh no wait, that’s in there too.

OVERALL

By all means check it out if your fan of horror/Sci-Fi or if you have nothing else to watch. The creature evolution at the beginning of the film is a lot of fun and the special effects are well done for the fact its not a summer blockbuster. It’s not the best film you’ll see this year, but hey at least its not the worst. Yeah, Cherry Tree Lane. I’m looking at you. Probably worth watching on Blu-Ray too.