The Cemetery (2013)

The thing I love most about writing reviews on Gory Little Pieces, is the friends I have made in the process. It’s such a personal honor to be able to write an honest review, have it read by horror fans alike, and in the process make new like-minded friends. I met director Adam Ahlbrandt at Indianapolis Horror Hound Weekend about six months ago, since that time I had the privilege of reviewing his last film Cross Bearer (review here), and becoming good friends with him in the process. On Wednesday I was delighted to see the Adam’s newest film The Cemetery was in the Gory Little Pieces P.O. Box.

Adversary Films The Cemetery centers around a small paranormal TV show crew as they enter the woods of Philadelphia in search of a small unmarked grave site, and demonic spirits that are said to haunt the area. The group’s presence there has awoken something evil, and all hell is set to break loose. At times it had a strong Evil Dead feel which was fucking dope. I was really impressed with the story and the development of the characters.

The film is very good, I love that I can see the progression of Adam’s direction from Cross Bearer to now. Adam’s shooting style is more unique and defiantly coming into its own. I was very impressed by the action scenes and the overall tension of the more gritty parts drama filled areas. The flash back scenes add the back story and were shot great as well.

Acting wise the films acting is good. Some stiffness in areas but I felt it really added to the film. Natalie Jean (Andrea) and Adam Huss (Tim) were the stand outs of the film for me. The gorgeous Natalie Jean has greatly improved her acting chops since Cross Bearer and is the most entertaining of the group, She holds her own and delivers a very convincing performance. Not to mention the development of her character is fantastic. Huss plays Tim, the resident dick of the group, but out of the guys was my personal favorite and most likeable. His performance was both entertaining and hilarious. The rest of the cast did a good job. J.D. Brown, Tim Cronin, and Tabetha Ray all held their own but their characters left something to be desired. I could not wait to see Tim (Mike) and Tabetha’s (Sandra) characters die! Both character were very annoying and very unlikable.

Fans of gore will love The Cemetery. The red stuff flows throughout the film. The audience is treated to decapitation, disembowelment, limb removal, hacks, slashes, and stabbings. In other words, it’s fucking awesome! The fans of nudity are also treated to hardcore chick topless and in her undies, a bigger girl’s breasts while eating a sandwich. Natalie running around in a bikini top covered in blood for most of the film too, which is an added bonus, and you get a stand in tit shot for her as well.

The Cemetery is a great film. The story is solid, the acting is good, and the gore is over the top. To me that’s what makes horror fun. I am excited to see what the future holds for Adversary Films. I’m sure, whatever it is, it’s going to be great. GLP give this goreriffic effort a solid 4 out of 5 stabs for story and gore. This film is currently unavailable to the public but if you follow the film on Facebook, or through Adversary Films website you can find out when you can get a chance to see it for yourself. As of now there is no release date but I’m sure details will be forthcoming. Check out the trailer below. Special thanks to Adam for giving me the opportunity to review yet another on of his awesome films!

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The Pact (2012)

A new wave of horror is starting to peak its head out of the proverbial coffin, and no it’s not found footage films. It’s a throwback to 70’s and 80’s horror that some have appropriately coined “Slow Burn” films. Why would you want to watch a movie coined a Slow Burner? It’s simple really. Slow Burn films take out the stereotypical, and rely on fear and imagination to do the dirty work. Haunting images, eerie settings, exceptional camera work, and intriguing stories are what follow.

IFC’s The Pact is a well-crafted slow burn film reminiscent of late 70’s ghost films such as Burnt Offerings. The Pact is about two sisters dealing with the fall out of their mother’s death; the sisters have a strained relationship with their mother as well as each other. Reluctantly Anne makes the trip down and discovers that something is amiss in her once childhood home.

Written by Nicholas McCarthy, The Pact seems like a rather straight forward ghost story, however as the story develops the genre is flipped on its head in a rather spectacular way and the viewers are left with a sense of dread, despair, and overall excitement. The genre bending story works and because the execution it cements itself as a heavy contender in this new wave of independent horror.

The acting in the film is done quite well. Caity Lotz plays the younger sister Anne. Caity carries the film as the lead actress and delivers a great performance. Anne is a believable character and you can’t help but to connect with her on some level. Agnes Bruckner place Nichole, Anne’s older sister and previous drug user. Agnes really did a great job with this role. Also on the cast is Casper Van Dien, this dude is like a go to guy for independent film makers, he doesn’t do bad, but let’s face it Casper will always be Johnny Rico.  He plays detective Bill Creek and gives a solid performance.

While the story is the utmost best thing about this film, there is a rather gruesome scene that caught even me by surprise. The film doesn’t rely on blood and guts to get the point across but the views are treated to a rather nasty knife in the throat. A subtle side note, what the eyes. That’s all I will say about that. The view also gets a rather grim image of a beheading but it’s merely a still picture and great part of the story arch.

The Pact surprised me, and I left the film very happy I gave it a chance. I was slightly worried about the film when seeing the poster artwork, and how unrealistic it looked, but there’s that old saying never judge a book by it cover, I guess the same thing can be said about film. The Pact gets a hefty 4 out of 5 stabs for great story, and atmosphere. I am very excited to see what comes of this; apparently there is a sequel in the works as I type. To find out more about The Pact visit the films Official Facebook Page. The film is currently available OnDemand, DVD, Blu-Ray, and currently on Netflix. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

Resolution (2012)

What would you do if you saw how you were going to die? Would you face the situation head on, or would you avoid it? This is a question I have never been asked, and I have never actually thought about it. It’s very rarely that horror movies make me think, not just normal thinking, but deep physiological thinking. The kind of thoughts that you only have when your super stoned talking to close friends having what most people would call a “moment”. Tribeca Film’s Resolution is a great example of horror done right & horror that incites emotion.

Resolution is a film about two lifelong friends Mike & Chris. Mike (Peter Cilella) receives a video of Chris (Vinny Curran) stung out on meth, talking to himself, and acting erratic and directions to find him. Mike finds Chris still strung out, living in an abandoned house. Mike acts out his own intervention of sorts and things start getting very weird when strange messages start appearing around the house.

Written & Directed Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, Resolution takes traditional horror and flips it on its head. Resolution relies on dialog and atmosphere to accomplish its tension and mood. In addition to that the film makes you really think. I was constantly relating to the film saying things like “I would have done that.”  The films is damn near a masterpiece.

Acting-wise the film it actually top notch. Peter Cilella and Vinny Curran carry this film on their backs. It’s basically these two dudes the entire movie with a couple of supporting characters here and there. Peter & Vinny’s interaction with each other is extremely believable. The viewer gets the feeling that they have been lifelong friends. These two are relative unknowns but I can see them both making names for themselves in the industry.

I think one of the things that I like the most about this film is that there is like not blood or gore. Usually I am the gorehound and really crave that shit, But this film does such a good job with creating a creepy atmosphere with the score, and odd camera angles that it doesn’t need to rely on gross out moment to give out the chills. The delivery of the "stories" is amazing as well.

I have nothing bad to say about Resolution. This film really exemplifies what great indie horror is. It sets such a high standard of film making that I feel has been lost in Big Studio Projects. We are ushering in a new age of horror films and I feel that are better than ever. Original ideas DO still exist! GLP gives this Indie Creepfest a bloody 5 out of 5 stabs for originality, acting, atmosphere, setting, and story. To find out more about Resolution visit their Offical Website, Facebook, and Twitter. The film is now available in the U.S. through most OnDemand providers. View the official U.S. trailer below. If you like the film, go support it buy renting or buying it. Thats the only way films like this can continue to be made.

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