Sinister (2012)

What would you do if you moved into a new home in a strange town, found an old dusty box filled with various family videos, but each video showed the death of the family in the end. Personally I would GTF out of the house and never look back but… Im not in a movie and what you chose could kill you.

Sinister staring Ethan Hawke, & Juliet Rylance with a cameo by Vincent D’Onofrio is, for all intents and purposes, a really good movie. Basically the movie is about Ellison (Hawke) a struggling true crime writer trying to recapture the glory of his famed NY time’s best selling book “Kentucky Blood”.  After moving uprooting his family yet again to research his next book, Ellison finds a mysterious box of super 8 family films depicting violent deaths and begins to research the families. As he digs deeper into the films past, strange things begin to happen around his home.

Sinister will have you on the edge of your seat. The film makers really did a great job of creating a really thick atmosphere. You get a great feeling of impending dread while watching the film. The lighting in the house was amazing! The choice to have the film lighting very sparse during the night shots help add tension to the films already heavy feeling.

The films villain is very effective. Dark, Creepy, and Menacing are all words you can use to describe him. The image of him is so effective, the sight of him made the audience in the theater squirm. The make up effects were great to boot. While most incidents didn’t need a lot, it was used effectively when it was.

The acting was done well, Ethan carries the film for me, his performance is outstanding. Acting, emotion, and believability is on point in this effort. D’Onofrio’s cameo was surprisingly well done, playing a nerdy occult college professor his quirky lines and slightly awkward demeanor is well received. The entire cast gave great performances but as I stated earlier Hawke carries the film.

While there is not a lot of red stuff the deaths in the film are done superbly. The viewers get hangings, knifings, lawn mowers, drowning’s, burnings and a few more that are truly unnerving. I also thing the story was well written and acted, while there are some slower aspects to the film they are warranted and help move along the actual story and character development.

My only problem with the film was the ending, while it was good, I would have like to see it go a different direction. I personally feel like it was rushed, and or a studio change. I have a feeling when this film hit home video that we will see an alternate ending or 2 pop up. Other than that I was 100% satisfied with the money spent to see the film. Sinister will be in my collection once it hits DVD and Blu-Ray.

Sinister is a very well done physiological horror film, with more emphasis on atmosphere and mood rather than blood and guts. While there are some cheap jump scares, the writers manage to work them in appropriate areas of the film. For those reasons GLP give this successful effort 4 out of 5 stabs. Sinister is currently on its 3rd week in theaters and has made over 13x the amount in the box office as it was made for. I can personally see a sequel coming and coming rather soon. Be sure to check it out in theaters while you still can, as it is defiantly worth the price of addition. For more on Sinister visit their website and facebook page. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

The Wait is Killing Me!

Being a horror movie nerd is full of ups and downs, You get super excited about stuff and then sometimes you get let down. Thus presents the vicious cycle of being a horror fan. I spend my down time researching new movies, reading my favorite horror blogs, going to conventions, and checking out my 3 horror news sites. Every time I do one of these things I find myself getting pumped about something or other. New "Uncut" blu-ray releases of my favorite slasher films, casting for the next great horror films ect. ect. The following is a list of films that I am dying to see and have been pretty stoked on for sometime now.

Sinister

Release Date: October 12, 2012

While at the time of me writing this would mark Sinister already being in theaters in the US for a week, I unfortunately was not able to see it opening weekend due to being on vacation. This movie has so much promise. I typically don't mind spoilers and usually look up reviews to find out whether or not I should waste my money on watching in theaters or not. This film has been an exception, I have not looked at reviews for it, nore do I want to know anymore that I already do. Basically the film follows Ellison (Ethan Hawk) a writer, and his family as they move to a new home to start fresh, when Ellison finds a box of home movies in his attic he unleashes a evil that will put himself and his family in grave danger. This is all I actually know about the film. After reading various blogs and hearing testimonials from true genera fans stating the film was legit...I was immediately more stoked about it. I plan of seeing it in a few days and if I'm as impressed as I expect I will be, expect a review on it in the coming weeks.View the trailer below.

Smiley

Release Date: October 12, 2012

This is another film that is readily available to my but I have yet to see. There was alot of hype behind this film before it release. Enough to grab my attention that is. Seeing as this movie is a slasher I again got really excited and then let down a week ago while reading viewers comments on the film. Since its release, Smiley has been verbally shit on. Some calling it "dull", and "unoriginal". These are all very unfortunate seeing as the inital trailers made the film look SO GOOD, not to mention the killer looks extremely original and creepy. That being said I still want to see this film, although my expectations are now extremely low. On a plus side, going into a film with extremely low expectations usually results in me finding more joy in it so fingers crossed that happens. In a nutshell Smiley is about a serial killer with the same name that can be conjured using the internet. And is hunting down students. View the trailer below.

The Collection

Release Date: November 30, 2012

Last but not least is The Collection. I think out of the three films listed here, I am most exited to see this. I remember going to see its predecessor in theaters (The Collector) and being 1 of only 3 people in the theater. That came as a shock to me. Even worse,  lot of people still don't know of or have not seen the first one. When I found out about the sequel I was instantly excited. I even have a reminder set on my phone for the 30th so I don't forget.  The sequel is set to pick up shortly after the 1st on left off with Arkin is then pitted against the Collector and faces his booby traps once again only this time Arkin is in The Collectors house of tricks. Generally speaking sequels don't usually hold up to the originals, unless your one of those diehard franchise fans like me with Friday the 13th and so on. I have very high expectations for this film to deliver. The original set such a high standard that it could be great or it could pale in comparison. We shall see if it holds a candle to the first one. As of right now I don't think it should have a problem with that. Only time will tell. View the trailer below.

Bloody Bloody Bible Camp (2011)

It seems like comedy and horror seem to be melding together a lot in recent years. Typically I am not much of a fan of the 2 genres together, but recently a slew of comedy slashers have been peeking their ugly little faces out of the proverbial horror vagina. Not to mention they have been good if not great combinations of the 2 genres. Bloody Bloody Bible Camp (BBBC) is no exception. This fallen angel of a flick will have you rolling with laughter and cringing with disgust simultaneously...and its totally fucking worth it

BBBC is new low budget horror flick by Vito Trabucco and Shelby McIntyre. Basically without spoiling anything, BBBC is about a Bible Camp in 1977 that is decimated after a crazed killer in a nun costume picks off the campers one by one. 7 years later (1984) another church decides to chance the tainted camp and take some new campers out for a weekend of worship and love. But someone is lurking in the woods waiting for the right moment to unleash terror on the camps bible thumping occupants.

I really loved this movie, I laughed literally 75% of the movie. The comedy lines were well written by Vito and Shelby and the actors did a tremendous job of haming it up for the camera. If I had to describe the movie using other films it would be a combination of Friday the 13th and every 80's sex comedy. The movie works, it does its thing and is highly entertaining, it does have its flaws but they are mostly minor and I'll get to a few in a bit. I love that the movie is set in the 70's and 80's, you get a blast of lingo, style, and references that are sure to make any 70's and 80's horror/ film buff smile.

The film stars Reggie Banister of Phantasm fame, Ivet Corvea, Matthew Aidan, Jessica Sonneborn, Deborah Venegas, Christopher Raff and a few more. I think everyone did a great job in this film. Mattthew and Christopher were the stand outs for me, their little montage had me laughing hysterically. There is a surprise cameo from Mr. Long Dick himself, Ron Jeremy, that will leave you saying...what the fuck!?! 

The special effects are great, there is a slew of awesome death scenes the will have may a gorehounds drooling at the mouth. You get some decaps, an axe to the vag, some nice stabbings, and a serious head crushing scene that you have to see to believe. The viewers also get a hefty does of skin and a sex scene in the beginning that will make you cry from laughing so hard.

As I said before this film is not without its faults. There are some editing mishaps, and the most tragic of the issues is the final 10 or so minutes. At a certain point the film goes from a happy meld of comedy-slash to completely over the top silliness that I could have done without. While it tries to redeem itself by finally laying out the killers story, (which had the view had been seeing glimpses of throughout the film) the overboard silliness really distracted from what could have been a great ending. However that still doesn't completely take away from the overall success of the film.

BBBC is a hilariously bloody romp through cliches of the church and one hell of a fun ride. The film legitimately succeeds in the first 3 acts but falls a bit short on the 4th. Regardless the film is a much watch in the horror community. GLP gives this slasherriffic horror-comedy a 4 out of 5 stabs for overall story, look, and gore. For more information on BBBC, you can visit the films website or Facebook page. The film is currently available on demand by many companies including Vudu, iTunes, and Amazon. You can also buy the film on DVD here. View the trailer below. Be sure check out the RedBand NSFW trailer on youtube here,

GLP Rating

Cross Bearer (2012)

Usually I'm hot and cold with indie horror. I feel a lot of indie film makers use horror as a...means to an end, they are some of the easiest films to make, you don't need an extremely large budget, and almost everyone wants to "die" on camera. Needless to say when I had the pleasure of meeting Adam Ahlbrandt at Horror Hound Weekend in Indianapolis back in September, I was a bit skeptical. Don't get me wrong, Adam was a very nice guy and we had a very nice conversation about our favorite franchise (Friday the 13th) but ultimately I realize he was there to sell and promote his film. With that said I thought he was just trying to make a sale and hype up the film, I was wrong.  Adam is a totally awesome dude and after talking at the con, I hit him up on Facebook and asked to review the film. So now we are here.

Cross Bearer is a good movie, I was entertained through out its entirety. My warning to readers is that it is a genre film. My guess is that most casual horror fans will not enjoy this film...partly because of the content and the fact that they wont understand it. It's an easy story to follow, but the excess nudity and sleaze will more than likely turn away the casuals, While bringing out all of the true genre fans foaming at the mouth.

The film is about a dancer (Natalie Jean) who is trying to turn her life around, after devising a plan with her girlfriend (Kacie Marie) figure out a way to turn their life around. Only there plan takes a drastic turn when they face the judgment of god. I think the story is great. I always find some form of fascination from religious yahoos, I mean people really do kill for their religious beliefs every day, that much is evident over seas. So when I see films and stories of people killing in the name of Christianity and shit like that, it puts chills down my spine. That shit could actually happen!

I think my favorite aspects of the film are the special effects and cinematography. I am not sure what the budget of the film was but regardless the makeup effects were very good. Gore Hounds should be satisfied with the amount of red stuff and over the top head bashing's. At one point the killer gets crazy with a head & hammer and turns a skull into brain soup. The cinematography was set up well in the beginning of the film offering some unusual camera angles, then once the action starts becomes a by the book slasher thrill ride that will leave you utterly satisfied. You may also notice some tracks from the band CKY which make an appearance in the film. Which is fitting due to former member Deron Miller is an avid horror film and CKY stands for Camp Kill Yourself.

The film has its share of faults. Some editing mishaps here and there and a bit of overacting, however it do not take away from the overall aspect of the film. There is a scene of banter between the cast that takes place in the car. while it is written well, and is a believable conversation, I felt the actress's delivery was forced. Almost as if she was reading straight off the script.

This film also has its fair share of sleaze. Numerous boob shots and sex scenes, strip club montage, and some hilarious horror porn clips that will leave you laughing. Unfortunately for the ladies, there are not much in the way of guys, better luck next time. For sheer nudity alone...A++

Collectively I enjoyed Cross Bearer. Writer and Director Adam Ahlbrandt did a really good job with making this project a reality. GLP gives this indie blood bath a 3 out of 5 stabs for great practical effects, cinematography, and creative story. GLP is very excited to see Adversary Films and Backseat Conceptions next pick The Cemetery. If you are interested in seeing Cross Bearer (which you should be!), it is available on Adversary Films webstore. For more information on the film you can check out its facebook and webpage. View the trailer below!

GLP Rating:

 

Michael Learns to Drive (1978)

The folks behind "Hatchet 1 & 2" 'Frozen" "Chillerama" & the under-rated "Spiral" have dug up a long forgotten Deleted Scene from John Carpenter's Halloween. In this deleted scene, an age old question is explained. "How the F**K did Michael Myers learn to drive?" Thanks to Adam Green & ArieScope Pictures we now know! Check it out below!