Waxwork (1988)

In the video store days, I would roam the isles of the multiple stores my mother ran. As an impressionable kid I would be immediately drawn to the vilest, nasty, and violent covers I saw. In the process of this ritualistic exchange, I somehow missed this gem of an 80’s horror flick.

Waxwork was released to the home video marked in 1988 by Vestron Pictures (Now Lionsgate) with two versions of the film. One version carried the R rating and the other was Unrated. I can’t tell you why I passed up this movie for so long, but I unfortunately did. I just recently sat down and watched in on Fear Net through Comcast.

Basically the film is about a group of yuppie college kids that are almost as annoying as nails on a chalk board. The group is invited to a private walk-through of the new wax museum in town called Waxworks. Soon their friends start disappearing and one of them suspects the creepy museum has something to do with it.

I was really surprised with this movie. I thought the story was well written and even though the yuppie kids in the movie were hard to handle, they acted their parts very well. Waxwork starts Zach Galligan (Grimlins, Grimlins 2), Deborah Foreman (April Fools Day, Valley Girl), Michele Johnson (Death Becomes Her, Dr. Giggles) Dana Ashbrook (Return of The Living Dead: Part II, Ghost Dad) and the great David Warner ( The Omen, Tron, Titanic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze).

Not only was the acting good and comical, but the stories concept was very cool as well. Its unique, and off the wall but when you think about it in concept it would be really cool to actually be thrown into the scene the wax sculptures are depicting. I do think some of the creatures/monster/killers were misused though. It would have been really cool to see more of the scenes instead of just 5 of them.

Gore in the film was surprisingly good. There is not a lot but when it is used it’s over the top and ridiculously fun. You get a biting, some gets ripped apart, some blood feasting, a blood bath. and some gun shots and other stuff. There is no nudity in the film either which I though was weird considering the time period of the film but it didn’t suffer without it.

All in all Waxwork is a fantastic little horror/comedy and is defiantly going to be added to my collection very soon. GLP gives this 80’s gem a solid 4 out of 5 stabs for creative story, humor, and cool ass special effects. You can currently get the film in a 2 pack DVD with its sequel Waxwork II: Lost in Time. View the trailer below.

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Bludgeon (2013)

I have a huge amount of respect for anyone that goes out of the way to do something they really love to do. There is something about indie horror that I really like. Whether it’s the gritty raw feeling, or the amount of effort that goes into making them I will never know. But it’s always nice to see people actually trying. I will commend and praise that until the day I die.

Concept Media’s Bludgeon is about a serial killer that plagues a small Ohio town for more than 30 years. Girls around the town begin disappearing and as the killers M.O. changes, so does the complexity of the killings. Personally I didn’t care for the film, but I’m not in the business of trashing a film just because I didn’t enjoy it. There are good qualities and there are bad. My goal is to offer up these criticisms as a building tool from someone who appreciates everything about horror.

Bludgeon’s story is great, and based off of true events at that. Written, Directed, and Edited by Shawn Burkett, I really like the inspiration of the film as well as the way the film twists. Starting in the 80’s and eventually working its way into present time was a great way to get the back story. I feel like a lot of films really miss the mark on hitting back stories, this film did it very well.

The acting in the film was so-so, I felt a lot of the actors and actresses did not have a lot of experience, thus a lot of stiffness can be seen early on in the film. The scene involving kids at a pizza place was really hard to watch because of it. However, the shining star of the film is Haley Madison (Quinn). She gave a great performance as Quinn the Pizza Girl. There are some rather intense scenes that she really nailed.

Some of the scenes in the film were very excruciating in length, and I felt this took away from film quite a bit. Bludgeon barely hit the 60 minuet mark and after finishing the film I got the impression that these scenes were long to help drag out the time of the movie. That is not a good feeling to have after watching a film. The trunk, wallet, and photo album scenes are the best examples of this. I think the film could have been better served as a short rather than a full length feature.

I thought the sound editing in the film was great, and the music in the film was good too, however I thought the use of music under dialog was a bad idea, at times Quinn is on the phone and the music interrupts the dialog. A lot of this can be attributed to the parts of the songs not being just instrumental, and the vocals muddying the dialog. The non-musical score was good too. The shriek violin/cello string scraps were a very nice touch.

The blood is ok, at times it did look like face paint though. There is not a tremendous amount of gore in the film. The viewer gets some smashed heads and crushed knee. It looks like there was a mixture of CGI and Practical effects; however the most important kill in the film looked real rough. The viewers also get a naked chick in the beginning of the film as well.

All in all the film is not groundbreaking, but it has its own charm. I think Bludgeon is just a step for Shawn Burkett and Concept Media, I look forward to seeing them improve and keep developing their craft. GLP gives Bludgeon 2 out of 5 stabs. While not the most exciting film it was still worth the watch.  Go get your hands on a copy and watch it for yourself. As I said before I am not in the business in tearing down films, I am just offering my honest opinion, and offering criticisms in hopes they will not fall on deaf ears. Go support indie film making and this film by visiting Concept Media’s Website and Facebook, as well as Bludgeon’s Facebook and Website. Bludgeon is currently available on Blu-Ray & DVD through Concept Media’s online store. Check out the teaser below!

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Mask Maker (2010)

Having a Netflix account can be a blessing and a total let down for horror fan. If your looking for horror films It can be a rather troublesome affair. With so many unknown and turkey titles its great to find the nice diamonds in the rough. Mask Maker is no exception.

Mask Maker is about a young couple who buy an old farm house in hopes of flipping the proporty to make some money and finally get married. The more time they spend in the house, the more they find out about the homes tumultuous past. This film surprised me, I went into the film with low expectations and came out of it a believer.

The acting in this film was pretty good. Nikki Deloach does a great job with the leading lady role, she carries with film and really brought a genuine feel to the character. The rest of the cast does a good job as well. Every character seemed legit, and we all pretty likable. Veteran's Michael Berryman, Treat Williams, and Terry Kiser make appearances in the film and do great as usual.

The downfall of the film is the killer. Nothing special to talk about here, which is a rather big bummer. The films killer is like a cross between Jason and Leatherface, and his motives are about as generic as they come. I feel like with the story the film created the killer could have been a lot cooler. The only gripe have with this film is the killer, although he is slightly redeemed in the end. All in all too generic for me.

The films special effects are the strongest part of the film. The gore, and kills are impressive. I am not a fan of cg effects but it seemed the film used them in a moderate manner, and also mixed in great practical effects as well. The gorehounds will be happy with this modern slasher. We get stabbings, decapitations, skinnings, and a pretty sweet meat hooking...sort of.  The fans of T&A are surprisingly rewarded with some very nice booties, and a couple beautiful pairs too.

All in all the film was a pleasant surprise. Mask Maker serves up a rather by the numbers slasher flick with good acting. The biggest down fall of the film is unfortunately its killer but the gore and nudity make up for the lack of creativity. I would suggest watching this film on Netflix if your looking to kill about an hour and a half. GLP gives this mediocre slasher a solid 3 out of 5 stabs for good story, acting, and gore. Check out this film on Netflix, OnDemand, and DVD. Also stop by the films Facebook page. View the trailer below.

 

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