American Mary (2013)

It takes a special person to be a surgeon. I would like to say I would do it just so I could cut open people…but needless to say, I would completely pussy out. Not to mention all the schooling you have to take…Anatomy is a bitch. I have however always thought what it must feel like to be a surgeon. After all the hard work, your pay off is saving lives. Not bad. But then you hear about bad plastic surgeons…Carpet being used for breast implants, unnecessary bones being broken during procedures. Sounds ghastly but it actually happens, look it up.

American Mary tells the story of what happens when a highly skilled surgical student is pushed too far. Mary, played by the gorgeous Katharine Isabelle, is a promising medical student looking to become a surgeon. She runs into some financial troubles and decides to do something drastic. In the process she is thrown in to the underbelly of plastic surgery and extreme body modification. Only to find out, she’s more talented then she initially thought.

Basically, American Mary plays out like a Revenge flick, then turns upside down and back again. Written & Directed by The Soska Sisters (Jen & Sylvia) American Mary is a drastic leap forward from their last full-length effort “Dead Hooker In a Trunk”. Better writing, direction, quality, and acting overall really help push American Mary where Dead Hooker could have been. Jen and Sylvia also make an appearance in the film as the twins.

The cast in the film did very well. I had no glaring issues with any of the acting, sans the Soska’s German/Swedish accent, but in the end was not an issue since I myself could not have done any better. The films standout star is the beautiful Katharine Isabelle, whom I have had a soft spot for since Freddy V.S. Jason. Here character evolution though-out the film is amazing and very well received. The other stand out is the oddly lovable Beatress Johnson played by Tristan Risk. Her Betty Bop voice and all around sweetness makes her a very likable, and strange character in the film, adding a great deal of depth to the story and cast. American Mary also stars Antonio Cupo, David Lovgren, Paula Lindberg, Clay St. Thomas, and Twan Holliday. All did great jobs with their respective roles.

As far as gore, we don’t get a lot, however when it is used it was done very well. Nothing looked face or overkilled, and there were no harsh CGI moments to make your skin crawl. As far as nudity the guys get some scantily clad ladies with plenty of innuendo, and a close-up of a boob being cut into by a surgical scalpel. The ladies get the underside of an infected penis….gross.

I was very surprised by American Mary, I was expecting the same kind of ride as Dead Hooker but got a sophisticated upgrade instead. I really like the film and even the ending which I didn’t entirely see coming. The Soska Sisters are really fine-tuning their craft and as a result but out a tasteful thriller that is sure to do good things. GLP gives this medical lesson a solid 4 out of 5 stabs for great story, direction, and acting. To find out more about American Mary visit The Twisted Twins Webpage, as well as American Mary’s Facebook page. American Mary is currently in select theater as well as many OnDemand providers. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

 

Would You Rather (2013)

It’s hard to fathom a game I used to play in high school being anything more than sexual fueled attempt to make out with girls while drinking. But as faith would have it, that memory filled teenage game has now been twisted into some kind of moral dilemma of life or death. The stakes are high, the choices are harder, and the game is no longer for kids.

IFC Film's Would You Rather follows Iris (Brittany Snow) a 20 something girl who looks after her sick brother after her parents pass in some sort of accident. Inheriting her younger brother’s medical bills and assuming the role of “mom” Iris is propositioned by a very rich man named Shepard Lambrick (Jeffery Combs), the founder of some health foundation, to attend a dinner party and play a game. The winner of said game will have all of the medical bills, outstanding debt, and other things paid for. All you have to do is win, but when dinner begins she finds out she may have gotten more than she bargained for.

Would You Rather is a terrific movie. The whole movie there is this air of despair that is really hard to shake. As the films story unfolds, the scenes get more intense and actually keep you on the edge of you seat. The director (David Guy Levy) did an amazing job capturing the raw emotions of the characters though out the situations they are facing, All the while capturing the beauty of the setting around the chaos happening round it.

The acting is great in this movie. The legendary Jeffery Combs takes his acting chops to another level as Lambrick, and Brittany Snow steps out of her teeny shadow with this matured roll and adult subject matter. Porn Star Sasha Grey shows she can do more than give a good lay with her very dark portrayal of Amy. Kevin’s dad himself John Heard also makes an appearance in the film as Conway. Trailer Park Boys very own Robb Wells also appears in the film as the slight comic relief.  Overall the film was very well acted and a lot of the actors truly surprised me with how well they did.

The special effects make up, while minimal, were very convincing. At times I found myself cringing with what the possible outcomes of the situations would be. I kept thinking for the worse but never truly hit the nail on the head. I was pleasantly surprised with the effects.

The film also makes you think. If you are giving an extreme choice, and had to make a decision, what would you do? The film brought a whole new meaning to the game would you rather and might I say, completely changed my outlook on the shear possibilities of it.

Would You Rather is just another example of a great independent horror film. I will not be disappointed if films like this continue to be released. Would You Rather earns itself a 5 out of 5 stabs for creativity, acting, setting, and writing. Dare I say best horror film of 2013? We shall see. Would you rather is currently available OnDemand though iTunes. For more information on the film check out their Facebook page. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

House at the End of the Street (2012)

I am not much of a fan of these PG-13 diet horror films. The target audience is evident when you watch films like this. Teenage kids going to the movies without parental guidance, looking to get handsy with one another while the lights are out and a "scary" movie is playing. We have all done it. However my generation was watching films like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legends, and other 90's fair. Teen movies now days feel watered down, and safe. Where's the thrill? All I can see are jump scares.

House at the End of the Street (HATEOTS) is precisely why mainstream horror films are starting to decline. The stories are all the same, the thrills are made be sound, and the efforts seem rather lackluster. To make this brief I did not enjoy HATEOTS. I found it very slow and awkward. I knew going into it that it did very well in the box office, and nailed its target demographic. However seasoned horror fans were less than stoked on it, and most voiced their frustrations openly.

Basically the film is about Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) a teenage girl who moves to a small town from the Windy City. She make friends with Ryan (Max Thieriot) her next door neighbor who still lives in the house his parents where killed in. Things get strange and Elissa is faced with a terrible situation.

The only 3 good qualities of this film are Jennifer Lawrence, Max Thieriot, and the plot twist at the end, which wasn't even that good. I respect what the writers tried to do, but watering down a potentially good story to sell to kids is not what horror is about. Horror is intended to scare, thrill, and evoke terror in the audience. I did not get any of that. As I said Jennifer and Max did a great job, they are both very talented actors and I enjoyed watching them interact with each other. The overall film is just lacking that true grit of horror.

The film is what it is. There are few goods and a whole lot of bads. The film was also filmed in 2010, and was just released at the tail end of 2012. My guess is that the studio released it to capitalize on the success of the lovely & talented Miss Lawrence. All and all its not a terrible way to kill some time, however I'd have your phone handy to relieve boredom. GLP gives this effort 2 out of 5 stabs for Jennifer and Max's performance only. The film has been released on Blu-Ray and DVD, and is also available on demand everywhere. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

Intruder (1989)

In a time when horror movies were being heavily censored by distribution companies and the MPAA, Intruder was one of the films that received the short end of the stick. The tale of this film is sad but, light has shined its head upon this classic slasher film once again and fans finally have the opportunity to view the film as it was originally intended...UNCUT.

Intruder is about a night crew of a local Michigan grocery store. The crew finds out that the store is being sold and they will be losing their jobs in a couple of weeks. Unbenounced to them, someone is watching them, and eventually the crew begins getting picked off in gruesome ways.

Intruder is one of the later 80's slasher movies that really works amidst a slew of very bad low rate knock offs. However most of the public who saw the original release of the film may not agree with that. Long story short Intruder was made in 1989 at the tail end of the slasher craze. It was originally set to be distributed by Empire Pictures which was Full Moon owner Charles Band's first company which unfortunately when under. As a result of the company folding most of the unreleased films were sold off to other companies. Intruder was one of those pictures. Band sold the releasing rights to Paramount who released the film to VHS with an R rating and over 5 minuets of footage missing from the picture.

As a result of Paramount's misstep, the film was almost un-watchable, and incoherent. Many fans wrote the film off as just another ugly slasher film trying to coattail a dying genre. Fortunately this movie was no where near that. Written & Directed by Scott Spiegel of Evil Dead II fame the film boasts some very creative camera angles, as well as some very neat POV shots. Scott really nailed it. You can defiantly see the similarities between Sam Raimi's and Scotts shooting styles. This could be due to the fact that they grew up together in Michigan along with Bruce Campbell and Sam's brother Ted. This film actually started off as a short film shot by Scott, Sam, and Bruce under the name Night Crew. Unfortunately the film is now long lost.

 This films restored cut, is in fact a very cohesive film, and is extremely well put together. The film also boasts a very familiar cast consisting of Elizabeth Cox, Sam & Ted Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Dan Hicks and more horror familiars. Each doing a good job with their roles. The dynamic between characters seemed very genuine, probably because, for most of them, it was their first feature.

Most of the removed footage was that of now infamous K.N.B's effects. For those of you who don't know who that is think of Nightmare on Elm Street 5, Halloween 5, A&E's The Walking Dead, and more. As their first feature film Kurtzman, Nicoterio, and Berger did the film for next to nothing but proved they would be an effects company that would be around for sometime. The uncut effects in this movie are amazing some of the best and most gruesome kills I have seen in a slasher film for its time. Each kill makes your cringe and smile with sadistic delight. Not to mention there are some very creative kills thrown into the mix.

For the longest time this film would stay cut to shreds. Until Wizard Entertainment released a Directors Cut of the film with all the cut scenes placed back into the movie. But like most smaller slasher movies to be released on DVD the transfer was low quality and rather sub-par to what bigger companies were releasing at the time.

Now enter Synapse Films, In November of 2011 they released an amazing Blu-Ray & DVD combo pack of a newly remastered and fully uncut version of Intruder. This Blu-Ray sports a crystal clear 2k digital restoration and its the best it's ever looked. The colors are vibrant and the lighting is just right. Not to mention its loaded with special features. A 30+ minuet featurette of the making of the film made its way on  the release and it sheds a lot of light on the history of Intruder. Synapse Films has made its way into a die hard horror fans heart and as a result I want to pick up everything I can from them.

All and All, this film is a really good slasher. Granted it has the 80's cheese and some of the acting may be over the top at times but that is all part of the fun. Story wise Scott Spiegel did a great job of keeping the viewers on their toes, and adding a memorable setting to slasher universe. K.N.B's effects work shows exactly why they are still uber successful in the industry. GLP gives this film 4 out of 5 for great gore scenes and a very well written cohesive slasher film. You can currently still get the film from Synapse Films on Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack and you really should. View the trailer below and as an added bonus here are some behind the scenes looks at K.N.B's work while on the film.

Warning: Contains Spoilers

GLP Rating:

Warning: Contains Spoilers

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)

I'm sure a lot of you fans already know about this "Lost" treasure, however I am sure that a lot of casuals are currently scratching their head asking "What the fuck is All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, and it's from 2006?" and for good reason. This film has been in U.S. film limbo almost since its inception. It's a rather interesting story of a great horror film shelved and essentially lost.

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane is a fantastic modern slasher movie. The story is clever, the cast is fresh, and the gore is not bad. The film is set up like this, The main character Mandy (Amber Heard) returns to school from summer break and has gotten hot, and every guy in school wants a piece. Her best friend Emmet (Michael Welch) is the resident loser of the school. After the head jock "tragically fails" to impress Mandy by jumping off the roof of his house into a pool, we are thrust 9 months ahead where the popular kids are setting up a party at the stoner's (Aaron Himelstein) ranch house. All the while all the dudes are still trying to put the mack on Mandy. Once they arrive the group starts to disappear one by one. Who is killing off all of Mandy's new friends, The twist may surprise you.

The acting in the film is quite good. Amber Heard leads the cast with innocence, and beauty. Playing to role of Mandy, Amber demands the audience's attention. Other standouts are Whitney Able of Monsters fame who plays Chloe. Her portrayal of an overly bitchy high school girl was spot on. Michael Welch of Twilight fame plays Mandy's best friend Emmett, his character development throughout the film is great, and seeing him play a slightly awkward high school kid worked.

The gore is used well, not over the top but for the most part just right. The occasional continuity errors involving make-up and hair but to most it's probably unnoticeable. As far as deaths we get a head cracking, rifle deep throat, shot to the head, knife to the eyes and back, shot to the back, and a stabbing. Nothing too creative but it works. The dudes also get multiple lingerie shots, and Whitney Able shows her goods. Ladies don't get much but a few shirtless dudes.

The thing that surprises me about the movie is that it has not received an official release in the U.S. yet. To me its a disservice to the film and fans of the genre. After quick Google searching I found out why it hasn't been released in the U.S. According to Wikipedia, the film was to be released in 2007 under The Weinstein Company's Dimension Films banner. However do to the lack luster box office performances of horror films and the heavily pushed Grindhouse. The Weinstein Companyc inevitably sold the film to the start up company Senator Entertainment US, who later when out of business. The film has since been held in U.S. film limbo with other films on the roster.

Truthfully, All The Boys Love Mandy Lane is a fantastic new age slasher film that should really get the chance to be seen by all horror fans. With such a talented cast, and well written story its heard to believe more people haven't seen it. For that GLP gives this effort a solid 4 out of 5 stabs. If your interested in watching this film, good luck. The film is only available on Region B Import Blu-Ray, however its been inspected to play on all players, which is a good thing however the price can be a little steep. The film is available here, and here. Seriously check out the film if you can...its great. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

Black Christmas (1974)

When I think of Christmas horror films, two prominent films stick out in my mind. These films seem to be on every horror fans Christmas watch list and rightfully so. I'm talking about Silent Night, Deadly Night, and Bob Clark's 1974 cult classic Black Christmas. These films optimize what Christmas horror flicks are all about, yule tide fright and holiday cheer. Most hardcore genera nut will tell you...It's not Christmas time, unless you've watched these films.

Bob Clark's Black Christmas is a staple of the Holiday horror genre. It's also the film that started the slasher craze being sighted by some as inspiration for John Carpenters Halloween and Sean Cunningham's Friday the 13th.  Black Christmas is reminiscent to the Urban Legend "The Babysitter and The Man Upstairs" taking bits and pieces from the lore and molding them to the story. Black Christmas is about a sorority house that starts receiving obscene phone calls from a vulger man the girls dub the moaner. Soon the girls sorority sisters start going missing and they soon find out there is a deranged serial killer after them all.

Bob Clark directed this film beautifully, using odd camera angles and excellent lighting to develop an eerie mood and atmosphere. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Clark's work... you may be surprised...He would go on to make Porkys and the other Christmas classic A Christmas Story. His work in this film helped create a massive sub-genre that has captivated many audiences world wide and birthed some of the most twisted villain's of all time.

The acting in this picture is pretty good, John Saxon, Olivia Hussey, and Margot Kidder do a fantastic job. Olivia does a great job as Jess. Jess is a strong willed female lead keeping her composure during the traumatic events near the end. Margot plays Barb, the sister that is slightly slutty and likes to drink. Margot does a great job with the role, playing the part to a T. While the characters are only about skin deep, the actresses manage to give them more life than they probably should have had. Saxon plays Lt. Fuller a cop who is trying to help the girls find their friends and nab the obscene caller.

The killer, Billy, is a great character. The serial killer with what seems like multiple  personality's. The obscene calls are full of tension and at some points makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. The decision to not ever fully show the killer was a great one, leaving an air of mystery to Billy and leaving the audience wanting more. You never really understand his motives either, which makes the film so successful. There is not much to say about gore, cause there is none. People die, but mostly off screen, and if they do bite it on screen there is only a little bit of red stuff.

When it all boils down. Black Christmas is one helluva good movie. Age has played only a minor factor in its dating, but still manages hold as true as it did in 1974. This movie is a must see. GLP gives Black Christmas 5 out of 5 stabs for great story, atmosphere, direction, and acting. If your interested in picking up this classic you can do so on special edition Blu-Ray & DVD. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

 

To All A Goodnight (1980)

To all a goodnight is one of those slasher flicks that had always alluded me. Whether I would just skip over it, or put it back on the shelf for another whose box art was cooler, This film never made it to my VCR. Finally in the age of technology, I was able to watch this film for the very first time, and just in time for Gory Little X-Mas. As I was watching, the film reminded me of another film that is near and dear to my heart and prompted me to do some investigative "online" research.

Without giving anything away, To All A Goodnight is about an all girls school called the Calvin Finishing School for Girls. Right off the bat the viewers are thrown into the story, with a girl running from a group of other girls laughing chanting and giggling. One of the girls is wearing a Santa hat and holding and axe. We soon see the group of girls has cornered the young girl and frightened she accidentally falls to her death of some balcony. The story then jumps 2 years later and we see a person in a Santa Claus costume start to pick off the occupants of the Calvin Finishing School that have stayed for Christmas Vacation.

While the movie isn't terrible, it's not the best slasher film out there. The print is extremely dark (almost as dark as "Humongous"). One of my biggest pet peeves with most obscure slasher titles are the transfers. This VHS backup is so dark, at times its so hard to see whats going on you miss something awesome. This is all to common though with these older horror flicks, especially the ones that have yet to get official releases, much like this one. The transfer is watchable, but I would make sure you pay attention, cause it's very easy to miss whats going on.

For me the pacing of the film was a little wacky. The start of the film starts off at a decent pace. The viewer gets the first kill about 7 or 8 minutes in. Not a bad start at all, however about 2/3rds of the way trough the movie it hits a lull. You see the film is separated into 3 chunks, 4 if you count the beginning set up. The formula is 1 night, 1 day, 1 night. The killer picks off about 6 or so people the first night. Then the action stops. Its day time so you get a lot of setup. Where are our friends, blah, blah. Then once night falls again, the action is back on. This break up between days really threw off the pacing for me and at times I had trouble paying attention.

Interestingly enough, David Hess directed this little gem. While he is a legend in front of the camera for films like "Last House On the Left",  "House on The Edge of The Park", and "Swamp Thing". His talent behind the camera is less than stellar. I usually don't pay attention to the beginning or ending credits for that matter, but his name really popped out from that screen. Nothing special to see as far as direction...it just sort of falls flat.

The special effects are pretty good considering the time. You get a decapitation, throat slits, head smashing, stabbings, propeller-ing. However since the film is dark its hard to see a lot of the effects which could play in its favor, but I feel like it hurt some of it too because it look like some promising makeup work was achieved only to get hidden by darkness.

To All A Goodnight is strangely similar to another film that came out the same year. That film is the original "Friday The 13th". Its odd but the final minuets are laid out quite alike. The killer reveals their motives and tries to take out the final person. Now these are typical slasher rules and clichés, However at this point in time the slasher genera was just starting to be born, Halloween had only came out a year before and not many films really capitalized on the slasher craze yet.Being intrigued by this I did some research. To All A Goodnight officially hit theaters on Jan 30th, 1988. Made on an estimated $70,000 budget according to IMDB.com. Friday The 13th hit theaters a little over 3 months after To All A Goodnight on May 9th, 1980. Made on an estimated $550,000 and grossing $5,816,321 it opening weekend. I could not find the box office for To All a Goodnight but I'm sure it didn't do anywhere near as good as Friday.

To All A Goodnight is a modest attempt at an early slasher. While the pacing is off and print is very bad it still has some very nice moments and still manages to get some viewing time by hardcore horror nerds during the holidays. For a decent promise and effects To All A Goodnight gets 2 out of 5 stabs. While it's not the worst holiday themed horror I've come across and it predates Silent Night, Deadly Night by almost 4 years...it just falls flat in a lot of areas. It's defiantly worth the watch but keep a backup plan, it could get boring. If your interested in watching this film it may be hard to track down a VHS, and you may be able to find it online, however GLP would suggest heading to our friends at VHSPS to get their 100% VHS transfer. They offer direct from the source VHS transfers, so no cut cable versions, or crappy bootlegs. No trailer to be found...sorry guys.

GLP Rating:

Silent Night (2012)

Ah, December...One of my favorite months of the year. Not just for the amazing gifts, but the family get togethers, Xmas lights, and the plethora of delicious foods and sweets. My favorite part about the x-mas season though, are the movies. No not the over played stuff like "Christmas Story" and that black and white one about the bell and angels wings. I'm talking the most depraved, and twisted fun X-mas movies out...HORROR XMAS! I'm talking Killer Santa's, twisted elves, and Xmas monsters alike. This December join GLP for "Gory Little Christmas" 4 weeks of X-mas horror.

Up first is Silent Night. This newly released slasher pic is a re-imagining of the classic controversial slasher known as Silent Night, Deadly Night. I have been anticipating this release for some time now, reading about it on many blogs and horror sites since its inception. I can say that its defiantly not better than the original, most if not all remakes never stand up, but its has a lot of very good qualities.

Basically, The story goes like this. I old mill town is gearing up for the holiday parade on Christmas Eve, when a sadistic killer suddenly starts picking off its inhabitants after they receive a lump of coal in the mail. The story is completely by the books, formulaic, and stale. Nothing new has been brought to the table in Silent Night, however, it didn't take away from the experience of watching it. The film boasts come nice kills, only one being memorable though. I will not spoil the good kill but I will say that it involves a half naked chick and a wood chipper.

The Acting is ok. Jamie King and Donal Logue are the only actors to positively right home about. Jamie does a good job with the role of Aubry, the towns deputy. She's good at what she does, and after sitting trough countless episodes of CW's Hart Of Dixie its refreshing to not see Jamie as the spoiled Lemon Brealand. Her performance too, is formulaic, as strong leading lady, however she is seem hardened from the beginning rather than making that transition over time. That was a nice change of pace for me. Donal Logue's small part was great, A cynical traveling Santa, with witty comebacks and a quick tongue. Malcolm McDowell is also in the film as the towns sheriff. I was in utter confusion with his role. It felt like the director literally told him to say whatever came to his mind..."Dont put Avocado on the burger!".......WHAT! I didn't know if they were trying to make him funny or make the sheriff out to be incompetent. It was hard to watch his scenes.

As I mentioned earlier the killers were nice, and the special effects we good too. Lots of blood and limbs being removed. Burnings, Stabbings, Electrocutions, Shootings, Impaling, and Meat Grinding run a muck in this slasher flick. They all look good, and should defiantly bring out the gore hound in all of us. The kills make the ride worth riding. The killer looks good, a typical Santa suit with a very creepy Santa mask...That mask looks so ominous. Silent Night's killer gets points for the mask.

I felt the setting was not indicative of a Midwestern town, The Midwest usually gets snow on or around Christmas Eve. At some points during the day shoots, it felt like the movie wasn't even in the winter time. A snow-laden setting would have honed in on the holiday feel. Night time shots helped equal out the off handed day shoots since you couldn't see much. The post production blueish filter tried to help give it the cold feeling but as I said earlier. It would have been nice seeing some fluffy white snow all over the place.

I had some issues with the ending, but that seems to be happening a lot recently. It is not a bad ending, but I thought it was kind of mediocre. Other than that I enjoyed the movie. Slasher fans like myself will more than likely love it, and most casual horror fans will think its ok. To the average, the movie is ultimately forgettable, thought hardcore fans of the genre should remember it at this point only time will tell. GLP gives Silent Night 3 out of 5 stabs for good kills and gore, and a strong female lead. If you want to know more about the film you can stalk the movies Facebook page. If you want to watch the film you can do so on demand thru Vudu or Amazon On-Demand or on Blu-Ray and DVD. View the trailer below.

 

GLP Rating:

Excision (2012)

When you think of coming of age films, horror does not usually stand out as the leading genre for such a subject. We usually think of films like The Breakfast Club, Almost Famous, The Virgin Suicides, and others where the main protagonist is faced with some sort of life altering dilemma that forces them to essentially grow up. These films are all great, but we hardly enter the mind of the characters, most notably one in which the main character is a psychopath. Excision is a great example of that, the mind of teenage nut job.

Excision is a film written and directed by Richard Bates, Jr. in his very first feature length film. I have to say he did a wonderful job. I had been hearing about this film for some time, reading the blog about how its edgy and weird, but at the same time slightly heart wrenching. I have to agree with what people are saying, this film is all of the above and in most cases more.

The story follows Pauline played by AnnaLynne McCord, and 18 year old outcast that dreams (lucidly) of becoming a surgeon. Pauline has a younger sister with cystic fibrosis that requires her to take some sort of breathing treatment wearing a vibrating vest. We follow Pauline in her dealings with her overbearing mother (Traci Lords), a verbally absent father, and ridicule from her peers at school. Pauline however has a dark secret, she dreams of often extremely bloody surgical experiments that leave her rather aroused.

This film is absolutely fantastic. AnnaLynne's performance as Pauline was seriously some of her best work. Her facial expressions, body language, and attitude personified her character. Being a very attractive female the crew had to utilize make up and prosthetic to achieve Pauline frumpy, and quite honestly ugly character, giving her pimples, cold sores, a sickly pale completion, and greasy hair. For that I applaud the make up crew for doing such an amazing job.

Annalynne's performance was not the only one to shine. Traci Lords did a fantastic job as the overbearing mother. Much like Carries mother in Carrie, Traci's words we biting and unemotional. Traci did a great job of playing cold and unsympathetic bitch. Over the period of the film you see a transition in her character. By that point, however, the damage had already been done. You also get some interesting cameo appearances from Malcolm McDowell, and John Waters that are a nice touch.

Pauline's dream sequences are dark and beautiful portrayals of madness. In these sequences, Annalynn looks seductive and hot as hell. Shedding the ugly girl makeup and showing more of the Annalynn most people are accustomed to. These scenes usually entailed tons of blood, and uncomfortable situations involving body parts. These scenes really pay off, if your paying attention to the movie...you gradually see them getting progressively more intense and as a the film runs out. Exceptional...

I really don't have a single complaint with this movie. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I will say I was expecting more of a horror film when I saw the cover, but I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Everyone did a fantastic job in this film, this could be one of the best films of 2012. GLP give Excision 4 out of 5 stabs for an excellent story, top notch acting, and dream sequences that will literally make you squirm. To find out more information about Excision check out their Facebook and Official Webpage. This film is currently available on demand through Vudu. You can also purchase the films on Blu-Ray and DVD. Check out the trailer below.

GLP Rating

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.

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