Over the years, it has been shown that with very little money, a skillful director can put together a high quality horror movie (John Carpenter's " Halloween ", " The Blair Witch Project ", and " Paranormal Activity " being a few of them).  So, when it comes to determining a movie's quality, budget is no longer a negative... Ken and his mother have moved from Hell, Michigan to Grosse Pointe near Detroit.  Upon his arrival, he meets the lovely Courtney, and her jealous suitor Chad.  While Ken and Chad square off, an evil is growing within Detroit and slowly spreading towards Grosse Point... where Ken will meet his destiny ... This week's " What Movie Wednesday " winner was " Zombie Bikers From Detroit "- a low budget horror movie that feels like it was put together as a school project.  High School, or College... I can't really tell. The premise- as stated in my little synopsis is interesting- as was the title.  ...

I'm back today with the second of my " Terrorpolooza 2012 " reviews.  This time, it's " The Screaming Skull " . Jenni and Eric are a happy couple who have recently gotten married.  Upon moving into Eric's mansion, Jenni learns of the tragic death of Eric's first wife.  Soon, Jenni will question her own sanity as strange sounds and skulls begin to haunt her.  Is it the ghost of Eric's first wife... or something more sinister ? I quite enjoyed this movie.  The premise is solid, as are the events that occur.  There are one or two small holes in the plot, but they're pretty minor and don't take away from the overall story.  I did feel though that the opening "disclaimer" was unnecessary, though it did make me smile as I remembered some of the William Castle movies I'd seen. The characters, while they could be seen as somewhat stereotypical, are still interesting and engaging- especially the characters Jenni, and Mickey ...

When I'm feeling down, I enjoy popping either an animated film, or a B-movie into the machine and watch it while nibbling on popcorn or cheesy poofs.  I was in that sort of mood when I sat down to watch, " The Monster of Phantom Lake "... Professor Jackson, and his assistant Stephanie are studying the local ecosystem of Phantom Lake, when they come across a new species of algae- algae that seems to have somehow combined with human DNA.  While they struggle to find the cause, a group of teens are having a campout nearby... only to be attacked by a plant-like humanoid figure.  Is THIS the source of the strange algae... and who will it kill next? " The Monster of Phantom Lake " is not intended to be a scary movie.  It is a humourous tribute to the classic, cheesy B-movies of the 1950's- and does it quite well. Like most of the B-movies of the 1950's, the camera work isn't complex- though there are some decent shots.  The editing was good at cre...

I am a fan of low budget horror movies.  I'm also af an of B-movies.  I also really enjoy some humour mixed with my horror.  When a movie combines these three things, I can be often found to sit, contented like a kitty cat with some catnip.  Unfortunately, not all of the horror movies that try to fit these three categories manages to do it effectively... Gary is helping his girlfriend Samantha with an archeology excursion to find a jewel box that was supposed to have been the property of a real life witch.  He finds the jewel box, and offers it to one of Samantha's rivals when Samantha refuses to show him the "proper appreciation" for it. Soon, however, Gary is on the run as women throughout Burbank start turning on men and eating them.  It's up to Gary, Samantha, a drifter and his girlfriend to retrieve the box and stop the carnage from spreading. This is actually going to be a pretty short review, since there isn't much to say about " Bloodsucking...

Over the past decade, Vampires and Werewolves have been given a "humanized" treatment in movies and TV.  Rather than being the cold, sinister blood thirsty creatures of the night they used to be, they are now more human.  They have feelings, and a culture now- so much so that they're almost soap operatic in nature... and not as scary as they used to be when Mom would warn us about the vampire in the attic... One creature of the night that has pretty much stayed the same has been the zombie... except for one film that I found that looks at the zombie in a whole different light... John and Jennifer are a young couple hoping to enjoy a weekend away at their cabin.  After getting lost in the woods, they are attacked by a stranger who bites John.  Managing to escape, they reach their cabin and safety.  Unfortunately, they soon realize that some changes are taking place in their lives ... This movie presents us with an intellegent, and even thought provoking l...

In 1968, George A. Romero gave the world a whole new look at an old and underestimated fear:  zombies. After her brother and her are attacked in a cemetery by a strange man, Barbara flees to an isolated farmhouse.  There she is joined by six others as they try to survive a night long siege from crazed flesh eating people who turn out to be more than mere humans... they're zombies... George A. Romero was inspired by the novel, " I Am Legend " by Richard Matheson to write " Night of the Living Dead ."  He wanted to explore how such an apocolyptic "revolution" might start, and how humans might react in a situation where something that's supposed to be "forever" stopped being... well, permanent.  That "forever" was Death, and thus the Romero zombies were born.  Matheson, himself described Romero's interpretation as, "kinda of cornball".  Little did he know the sort of grip it would have on the world. The charact...

  After all the black and white films I've watched over the past month or so as I worked my way through horror films from the 1920 to the present, I finally hit 1968- and a colour film.  It was a welcome change of pace- as was the story. Seperated from his regiment in 1806, Andre Duvalier stumbles across the castle of Baron von Leppe, and a mysterious woman whom the Baron claims has been dead for the past 20 years- because he killed her and her lover.  Determined to discover the truth behind the dark past of the castle, Duvalier soon finds himself confronting a deadly mix of guilt, revenge, and madness... " The Terror " was filmed on sets used in two other Roger Corman films- " The Raven ," and " The Haunted Palace ".  The tree in the final scene is from " The Haunted Palace " where it was the sight of Vincent Price being tied up and burnt.  In addition to re-using sets, this movie is notable for the number of directors it had: Roger Corma...

One sort of horror movie I really love are ghost stories.  Haunted houses, phantoms sliding around in the shadows, and lost souls looking for rest.  As much as I love monster films, and slasher movies, I really love a good ghost story- and " Carnival of Souls " is a decent one- even if there are some flaws to it. Mary is the soul survivor of an auto accident that claimed the live of her two best friends.  Wanting to escape the memory of it, Mary takes a job as a church organist in another city.  Soon she starts to see strange figures, and develops an unusual obsession with an abandoned fairground... that may hold a dark revelation for Mary ... Despite the fact that " Carnival of Souls " didn't garner much attention when first released, it has grown into what is considered to be a cult classic.  I can see why. For starters, the story is actually quite good, even if it wasn't fully developed to its potential.  When I first saw it, I was really interest...

There are some movies from the past that when compared to movies made today, could be classified as a truly bad movie.  1934's " Maniac ", directed by Dwain Esper, would certainly fall into that category. Having said that, however, when viewed as part of the evolution of the horror genre within cinema, this film could be considered a "classic".  The same can also be said of this film when viewed simply for amusement and a chuckle or two. Don Maxwell- a vaudeville impersonator hiding from the police, becomes involved with Dr. Meirschultz and his plans to bring the dead back to life.  A gun shot and circumstances conspire to drag Maxwell into madness as those around him close in on the truth... Dr. Meirschultz is portrayed by Horace B. Carpenter, who was a silent film producer/director/actor during the silent film era.  Once talking movies took over, he portrayed white haired characters in westerns.  Marian Blackton is often mistakenly reported as playing the...

I'm not afraid to admit that bats scare the hell out of me.  I have a hard time even watching them on TV or in a movie.  And when a movie is called, " The Vampire Bat ", you can expect me to be ready to squirm a bit when they show the bats... The small village of Kleinschloss is being plagued by a rash of killings- killings where the victims have been drained of their blood.  Unable to find clues of a human killer, the authorities are forced to contemplate the supernatural... " The Vampire Bat " was produced by Majestic Pictures, Inc. as a way for them to cash in on the publicity of Fay Wray and Lionel Atwill appearing in Warner Bros' films " Doctor X " (1932), and " Mystery of the Wax Museum " (1933).  As soon as Wray and Atwill finished filming, " Mystery of the Wax Museum ", Majestic Pictures hired them for their own film. To help their rather low budget film look like that of an "A-List" studio, Majestic Pic...

When I buy my horror box sets, I expect plenty of low budget horror movies.  I expect a fair number of bad ones.  I expect fewer decent ones.  I expect even fewer jewels. " Death on Demand " definately wasn't one of those jewels. Twenty years after a mountain climber is traumatized by an experience with a Yeti- culminating in his butchering his family during a nice dinner, a sleazy business man holds a contest in the now supposedly haunted house- a sort of scavenger hunt where the couples involved are looking for clues as to WHY the aforementioned mountain climber hacked his family to bits.  Unfortunately, they awaken his still insane spirit... and death ensues. Up to the point where the blood starts to flow, you would swear that " Death on Demand " was filmed for the Family Channel.  It has that "feel" and look to it.  The camera work is very simplistic, and brightly lit... almost cartoony.  The acting is sit-comy, and the humour rather immature...

In " William Castle Tribute II: Crime and Westerns ", I outlined a bit about William Castle's early films, which were mostly in the Crime Drama and Western genres.  I finished the article by stating that in 1958, he began to work his way into the hearts of horror fans. I said it because it's true. Up until that year, Crime Dramas and Westerns were popular- which was why many of Castle's early films were in those genres.  However, as the 1960's started to approach, the Horror and Suspense/Thriller genres were starting to gain in popularity... and the man that would become a staple of the Horror Industry went with that flow. William Castle's first foray into my favorite genre was with what most critics consider a Suspense/Thriller rather than a horror... even though I consider both to be closely connected.  In order to take this step, he mortgaged his own house into order to independently produce the movie.  The 15th of August, 1958 saw the first scen...

William Castle is well known for his horror movies- especially "House on Haunted Hill", "The Tingler", and "Homicidal", but he didn't start out in my favorite genre. Castle actually got his start working on Broadway in various jobs from set construction to even acting.  All of this experience would help him in the future when, at the age of 23, he moved out west to Hollywood and got started in the movie industry.  Even before he directed his first film at the age of 29, he'd worked with such people as Orson Welles as his assistant.  He worked on his film, "The Lady From Shanghai"- doing most of the second unit location work. In 1943, William Castle directed his first film- "The Chance of a Lifetime", which was a crime drama feature the character of "Detective Boston Blackie".  Castle claimed that he had been "saddled with a hopeless project", and in order to make the film watchable, he had to re-arrange t...

April 24, 1914 saw the birth of a horror movie icon to a Jewish family living in New York.  This icon's name was William Schloss.  This child would eventually translate his last name from German into English... becoming the person that would one day be known for creating some of the most beloved horror b-movies ever made.  He would become such an icon that he'd wind up inspiring a movie character, and having a production company named for him. This child would grow up to become the icon known as William Castle. I don't think there is a true horror fan alive who DOESN'T know who William Castle is- or haven't seen at LEAST one of his films.  He was known for his famous "gimmicks" that he used to advertize his films- often being the subject of jokes by movie people.  But underneath those jokes, I'd wager that the people making them harbor a good amount of admiration and respect for Mr. Castle.  He was bold, ingenious, and a showman that turned a simpl...

After having watched, "Frozen", I was almost hesitant to sit through another minimal location/minimal casting/minimal title thriller... but I'm glad I did. Paul wakes up to find himself buried alive in a coffin.  All he has is a Zippo lighter, and a Blackberry phone. As time and air runs out, he maintain his sanity, and deal with the demands of those that placed him there... otherwise the coffin will be his final resting place... Director Rodrigo Cortes filmed "Buried" in seventeen days, and cites Alfred Hitchcock as a major influence on the film. I enjoy watching single location horror/thriller movies because I'm always interested in seeing how the director will handle it.  It's not easy making a single location constantly interesting, but director Rodrigo Cortes manages to do so with the simple coffin in this movie.  He uses interesting camera angles, lighting styles, and even darkness to break up what could be a very monotonous looking location...

I'm not going to lie- this movie SOUNDED good and interesting, and I was intrigued to see how someone would handle a story with such a limited number of cast and locations. Joe, Dan and Dan's girlfriend, Parker are skiing and decided to bribe the chair lift operator to allow them one last run- despite warnings of a severe storm heading in. Due to a bad timing and miscommunication, the three wind up stranded on the chair lift halfwayup the mountain. The trio soon learn that freezing isn't the only way to die in the cold night air... This film is notable for reports of people fainting while viewing it at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, and for being the opening movie of the Glaslow Frightfest. This movie had potential, but was hampered by clunky dialouge, a lackluster cast, and stiff acting that wasn't the result of the cold. This is a dialogue heavy movie... and not very interesting dialogue. When they're not whining, they're crying, and whe...

What would you do if unseen forces started to harass you in the still of the night? Micha and Katie are a happy couple living together, when they start to experience strange noises. Using a video camera he just bought, Micha is determined to catch whatever is disturbing them each night. What they both discover is something that may be related to Katie's childhood... and the entity that plagued her family... "The Blair Witch Project", with its success in 1999, spawned a new category of horror film- the "Found Footage" style of film making.  Using "found footage", the story is told from the more "personal" look at the characters and the events surrounding them.  One such example is 2007's "Paranormal Activity", and in a world of YouTube video watching is a great example. This supernatural horror movie is almost as low budget as you get: hand held video camera, cast working for $500.00, and the Director's home as the se...

I have a confession to make: I'm a fan of black and white horror movies.  Why would I, a man born in the heyday of horror films like "Halloween", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and others be a fan of primitive black and white ones? Simple, they're fun, and "House on Haunted Hill" is an example of that fun. This 1959 B-movie was produced and directed by William Castle- the master of movie gimmicks like "Percepto"... the joy buzzer seats used for his movie, "The Tingler".  "House on Haunted Hill" had "Emergo"- a plastic skeleton that would "fly" over the audience at the appropriate moment in the movie.  The flying skeleton was quite popular (and is even credited in the end credits), and helped the movie to become quite successful.  The movie was so successful in fact that, Alfred Hitchcok was spurred to make "Psycho"... which in turned inspired William Castle to produce "Homicidal"...

Imagine if you will that you're a zombie.  You're shambling along the darkened streets of the city, the occasional flickering of the street lights illuminating you in a staccato rhythm.  Your kindred are staggering through the alleys and parks around you.  All you know is a need... an unending hunger... and undying, painful desire for human flesh. Suddenly the sound of voices, and the scent of living meat draws your attention to the intersection in front of you.  The deathly silent air brings the voices and the enticing aroma of dinner to you- pulling you forward with a sluggish limping gait.  You approach them, the shadows and their voices disguising your approach.  If you could articulate what you saw, you would describe one of the appetizing morsels as lean... low fat but tough.  The other tasty treat is high in fat, but tender. Suddenly, the street light on the corner comes on as its timer activates!  They see you, and in some dim cor...