Dead Snow 2: War of the Dead (Død Snø 2) is a 2013 sequel to Dead Snow (2009) directed by Tommy Wirkola (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters).
The sequel follows the sole survivor of a Nazi zombie attack who battles an even larger army of zombies with the help of a professional gang of American zombie killers who call themselves the Zombie Squad.
Wirkola said of the new script: “[It's] bigger, scarier, funnier, more action-filled and gorier than the previous one.”
The Hills Have Eyes Part II (or Part 2 - or The Hills Have Eyes II) the sequel to seminal 1977 film, The Hills Have Eyes. Both films were written and directed by Wes Craven (The Last House on the Left; Scream). Continuing the story of a murderous clan of inbred cannibals living deep in the rocky outcrops of the North American desert, we are re-introduced to Bobby (Robert Houston), a survivor from the first film, who is still traumatised by the events that saw most of his family brutally killed.
Despite his psychiatrist’s attempts to get him back into the desert to face his fears (under the umbrella of riding across with his new biker gang, to show off his newly invented motorbike super-fuel *cough*), Bobby stays at home, whilst his road-hugging mates do the honours. Amongst their number are Rachel (played by Janus Blythe, she was the character Ruby in the first film, the turncoat cannibal daughter who saved the remaining Carter family members). Also returning are Pluto (Michael Berryman), Brenda, (Susan Lanier) and Beast the dog. Inevitably, the touring party are intercepted by yet more cannibals in the desert and with a cavalier attitude to events and ‘facts’ in the prequel, a final showdown with the Reaper (John Bloom, though voiced by Nicholas Worth from the sleaze classic, Don’t Answer the Phone!).
Despite being the second highest grossing horror film of 1977 (behind Exorcist II: The Heretic, perhaps a bad omen), taking some $25,000,000 from a paltry $230,000 investment, the sequel was saddled with a disinterested studio (VTC) and a $700,000 cheque. Craven’s claims that he only made the film as he needed the money ring a little hollow; in the same year, he was directing the break out smash, A Nightmare on Elm Street, budgeted at $1.8 million – whilst the film’s success spurred the studio on to complete The Hills Have Eyes Part II, it was halted mid-production due to costs (hence Elm Street‘s earlier release date).
The interruption to the film’s production meant Craven had to assemble the film with footage already shot, necessitating clips from the original film being re-used to pad it out. Clearly a frustrating shoot but none of this, budget nor studio apathy, come any where near to excusing the shambles onscreen. Through sheer bad luck, the two surviving ‘urban’ characters were the least interesting in the prequel and attempts to flesh them out here fail miserably, with Rachel’s torn personality though remarkable acclimatisation to fat-headed American middle-classdom, particularly wearisome.
The newer characters are even worse; meet Roy, Harry, Hulk (yes, Hulk), Foster, Sue and Jane as well as The Reaper, described as being Jupiter’s big brother, despite the first film categorically nailing the cannibal family tree out without any mention of him. Perhaps the most remarkable element is that Craven built such a credible nightmarish vision in 1977, yet forgets what made it so horrifying; the bad guys are now mere cartoons, whilst the innocents are, to a man, as annoying as they come, all fully deserving to be dispatched even quicker than they are. The failing of many a horror film is to present the viewer with heroes who are either unlikeable or uninteresting and with unrealistic threats that are we are not able to relate to. Alas, Craven sees fit to trample all over his groundwork and make a film which is the forebear of so many modern horror films – one which tries to over-explain rather than plant ideas and ramp up the tension.
So lacklustre is the main body of the film, that it seems churlish to even mention the now notorious ending. The ending is not the worst bit of the film, only symptomatic of how overly contented directors can dismiss their audience as having such low demands. Craven has since disowned the film, which is rather like dismissing your own washing-up; it doesn’t go away and it will always have your mark on it. Musical duties were handled by Harry Manfredini, best known for his much-aped score to Friday the 13th. Replacing Don Peake‘s metallic, inventive score with synth flotsam is the very least you should expect.
Remarkably, many of the actors went on to have meaningful careers. Bloom, already a veteran of the likes of The Two-Headed Transplant, continued to play over-sized characters until his death in 1999. Houston became an Oscar-winner (for directing not acting, natch), whilst Berryman continues to act in horror films up to the present day.
Daz Lawrence, Horrorpedia
Riddick is a 2013 American science fiction-action-horror film, the fourth installment in the The Chronicles of Riddick film series. Produced by and starring Vin Diesel as the title character, it was written and directed by David Twohy, who previously wrote and directed the first two installments, Pitch Black (2000) and The Chronicles of Riddick (2004).
Betrayed by the Necromongers and left for dead on a desolate planet, Riddick fights for survival against alien predators and becomes more powerful and dangerous than ever before. Soon bounty hunters from throughout the galaxy descend on Riddick only to find themselves pawns in his greater scheme for revenge. With his enemies right where he wants them, Riddick unleashes a vicious attack of vengeance before returning to his home planet of Furya to save it from destruction…
Wikipedia | IMDb | Official website
“ Twohy also succeeds in creating another credible and creepy world, while drawing fun – and often self-consciously OTT – support from Jordi Molla, Katee Sackhoff and Matt Nable as the mercenaries on his trail. It’s this sense of fun that makes the movie watchable – for all its obvious flaws and stupidity, Riddick consistently entertains.” Rob Carnevale, The List
“As far as the effects, both practical and visual, are concerned, Riddick looks pretty spectacular, almost like a Frank Franzetta painting come to life- extraordinary creatures and all (albeit the main alien ‘baddie’ is nowhere near as terrifying as those freaking pterodactyl/bat things from Pitch Black) and there’s a ton of great gore to go along with the look of this fantastical world including one gag in particular that should no doubt have everyone in the theatre clapping this weekend.” Dread Central
“Wisely reigning in its scope to establish and execute a minimalistic premise, Riddick puts VD back to his infectious best, delivering enough visceral thrills, narrative tension and knowing chuckles to overcome occasionally languid pacing and a representation of women that belongs in an age so dark that not even Riddick can see it.” Ben Rawson-Jones, The Digital Spy
“Riddick is at its most audacious in this opening half hour, pitting one wounded animal against a planet full of predators, including lumbering dog-like Jackals and deadly Mud Demons – Riddick’s equivalent of Pitch Black’s nocturnal nasties. It’s a back-to-basics approach which even succeeds in adding an element of warmth to the series.” Jordan Farley, SFX
” … the aliens are unscary and easily despatched, Vin’s too silent to be interesting, and the other characters – a gang of bounty hunters on Riddick’s trail – are either dull or offensive: Katee Sackhoff’s lesbian character appears to exist purely so that the male characters can threaten to rape her. Nice.” Tom Huddleston, Time Out
| Directed by | David Twohy |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Vin Diesel Ted Field Samantha Vincent |
| Written by | David Twohy Oliver Butcher Stephen Cornwell |
| Based on | Characters by Jim Wheat Ken Wheat |
| Starring | Vin Diesel Jordi Mollà Matt Nable Katee Sackhoff Dave Bautista Bokeem Woodbine Raoul Trujillo Karl Urban |
| Music by | Graeme Revell |
| Cinematography | David Eggby |
| Editing by | Tracy Adams |
| Studio | Media Rights Capital Radar Pictures One Race Films |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures Entertainment One (co-distribution in Canada and United Kingdom) |
| Release date(s) | |
| Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | United States Canada United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $38 million |
Jurassic World, formerly known as Jurassic Park 4, is a forthcoming 2015 monster movie being shot in 3D. The director is Colin Trevorrow who will work from a screenplay he wrote with Derek Connolly. Steven Spielberg, director of the 1993 original and its 1997 sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, will produce with Frank Marshall and Pat Crowley. This Universal Pictures production will be released on June 12th, 2015.
Faces of Death II is a 1981 film and the first sequel to the 1978 mondo movie Faces of Death. Like its morbid predecessor, the film was written and directed by John Alan Schwartz (as “Alan Black” and “Conan Le Cilaire” respectively). Schwartz puts in another cameo appearance, this time as the wounded “drug-crazed” criminal in front of a botched drug store robbery. Dr. Francis B. Gröss (portrayed by Michael Carr) again narrates the proceedings.
This ‘shockumentary’ film includes footage of a corpse being removed from beneath a pier, an Indian Hindu cremation on the banks of the River Ganges, a third degree burns victim of a West German building inferno, the 1975 Brenner Pass “white blanket of death” avalanche disaster, the tragic aftermaths of aviation and train crashes, an El Salvador guerrilla execution, Napalm atrocities in Vietnam, infant Lebanese victims of an Israeli cluster bomb, the infamous Yucca Flats nuclear test on U.S. troops, animals being butchered and horrific animal lab experiments, PCP drug-induced fatalities, the dangers of toxic pollution and “our war against Nature”, whale and dolphin slaughter, domestic tribal violence in New Guinea, pathology on a cancer victim, a pickled 19th century bandit’s head, the carnage of the Indo-China war, and Liberian government executions.
Some scenes involve an attempt to jump a rocket-powered car over the St Lawrence River in Canada and land over one mile away in New York. Also featured nearly in its entirety is the1980 boxing match between Johnny Owen and Lupe Pintor, with Owen being knocked out and later dying from the injuries sustained in the match.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later is a 1998 American slasher film and is the seventh instalment in the Halloween film series. It was directed by Steve Miner (Friday the 13th, Part II and III, Lake Placid) and stars Jamie Lee Curtis, LL Cool J, Josh Hartnett and Michelle Williams. The film was released on August 5, 1998 to mark the 20th anniversary of the original Halloween.
The screenplay, based on a story by Kevin Williamson (Scream) further developed by Robert Zapia, was written by Zapia and Matt Greenberg. It is a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s Halloween and Halloween II and set in an alternate timeline in which the events that transpired in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers never occurred.
Laurie Strode, now the dean of a Northern California private school with an assumed name, must battle the Shape one last time. This time the life of her own son hangs in the balance…
Buy Halloween: the Curse of Michael Myers and Halloween: H20 on Blu-ray from Amazon.com
John Carpenter was initially in the running to be the director for this particular follow-up since Curtis wanted to reunite the cast and crew of the original to have active involvement in it. It was believed that Carpenter opted out because he wanted no active part in the sequel; however, this is not the case. Carpenter agreed to direct the movie, but his starting fee as director was $10 million. Carpenter rationalized this by believing the hefty fee was compensation for revenue he never received from the original Halloween, a matter that was still a bit of contention between Carpenter and Akkad even after twenty years had passed. When Akkad balked at Carpenter’s fee, Carpenter walked away from the project.
Scream writer/producer Kevin Williamson was involved in various areas of production on this particular sequel including coming up with the treatment that the film was based on. Although not directly credited, he provided rewrites in character dialogue, which is seen heavily throughout the teen moments. Miramax/Dimension Films felt his involvement as a co-executive producer merited being credited. The original working title for the film was Halloween 7: The Revenge of Laurie Strode.
As explained in Halloween: 25 Years of Terror, some scenes for Halloween H20 were re-shot due to complaints about the Myers mask used in the film. Scenes that could not be re-shot had a CGI mask replace them frame by frame. Four masks were made for the film.
“There are a lot of great moments to be had beyond the Myers/Strode battle, including a mother and daughter’s near rest-stop run-in with Myers, a fantastic elevator maiming, and an opening that’s an exquisite callback to the original movie. Sure, it’s a vanity piece, but it’s an entertaining, well-meaning vanity piece that’s hard to fault.” DVD Verdict
“The problem with H20 is that it’s boring, mostly relying on false scares rather than the blood and gore we’ve come to know and love from the Halloween films. It doesn’t help that Michael Myers is hardly around. The film seems content to focus on a Scream-esque group of teens while relegating Myers mostly to the third act.” Beyond Hollywood.com
Buy The Slasher Movie Book by J.A. Kerswell from Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
WH
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is a 1995 American horror film and the sixth instalment in the Halloween series. Directed by Joe Chappelle from a screenplay by Daniel Farrands, the plot involves the ‘Curse of Thorn’, a mystical symbol first shown in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers and revealed in the film to be the source of Michael Myers’ immortality. The cast includes Paul Rudd (in his film debut) as Tommy Doyle, a returning character from the original Halloween film, and Donald Pleasence again reprising his role as protagonist Dr. Sam Loomis in his final film appearance. Jamie Lloyd’s appearance in the beginning of the film ties up loose ends to Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers.
The sixth installment is known for its controversial behind-the-scenes history, suffering from re-shoots in production and numerous cuts and arrangements made in the editing room; the workprint of the film, with 43 minutes of alternate footage including a different ending, was eventually discovered by fans of the series. This version, dubbed “The Producer’s Cut” (as it was the original intended version of the film) developed a strong cult following.
Six years after the events of Halloween 5, the “Man in Black” seen throughout the previous movie has rescued Michael from the Haddonfield Police Station and abducted his niece Jamie Lloyd (J.C. Brandy). Jamie, now fifteen, has been impregnated and her baby is born on October 30, 1995. The baby is carried away by the Man in Black who appears to be the leader of a Druid-like cult. Later that night, Mary (Susan Swift), a nurse, helps Jamie escape with her baby whom she warns is in harms way. Michael (George P. Wilbur), in pursuit of Jamie and her newborn, kills the nurse. Jamie and the baby flee in a stolen pickup of a drunk motorist (who quickly becomes Michael’s next victim) and hides at a dark and deserted bus station.
Meanwhile, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence), now retired, is visited by Dr. Terence Wynn (Mitch Ryan), a character who appeared briefly in the first film and now the chief administrator of Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, who wants him to return. During their conversation they overhear Jamie’s plea for help on the radio after calling into a local radio station, only to be ignored by the DJ Barry Simms (Leo Geter) who is doing a broadcast on the Haddonfield murders…
‘You know you’re in trouble when they stop numbering the sequels; this is the sixth, if anyone’s counting. The unkillable chappie remains unkilled after offing a host of unknown faces on Halloween, only this time he’s egged on by evil doctors and black magic. A series of competently engineered shock moments jollied along by a jazzed-up version of John Carpenter’s original electronic score: slicker than crude oil and just as unattractive.’ Derek Adams, Time Out
‘The film is at its best whenever it treats Michael like an invisible trauma. Director Joe Chappelle infrequently proves that he gets Carpenter’s original Halloween is all about a mythic terror that periodically pops up to remind suburbanites that it’s real. But when he does, Chappelle capably repurposes visual cues used in the first film, like the terror of white sheets hanging out to dry or of a rattling washing machine.’ Simon Abrams, Slant Magazine
Buy Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers on Miramax Blu-ray from Amazon.com
‘ … the picture never quite comes together beyond its efforts to give further shape to the story of The Shape. Most damaging, the film simply lacks scares. The action is terribly routine even in light of a surprisingly strong atmosphere and solid direction at the capable hands of Joe Chappelle (Phantoms). The picture plays with a predictable cadence, with the only surprises coming from the backstory, not the stalking and hacking and slashing and whatever else it is Michael does to his victims. Yet the script is largely poor and the narrative sometimes awkward.’ Martin Liebman, Blu-ray.com
Day of the Dead is a 2008 horror film about a virus outbreak which causes people to turn into violent zombie-like creatures. A number of elements draw inspiration from George A. Romero‘s zombie film of the same name, the third in Romero’s Dead series. The film was directed by Steve Miner (Friday the 13th, Part II, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Lake Placid) and written by Jeffrey Reddick (Final Destination).
Leadville, Colorado: Trevor (Michael Welch) and his girlfriend, Nina (Anna Lynne McCord), head back to their respective parents’ homes after a romantic encounter. They see a long line of cars at a military roadblock sealing off the city. There has been an outbreak and medical help is needed throughout town. They are introduced to Captain Rhodes (Ving Rhames) and Corporal Sarah Cross (Mena Suvari). Soon after, privates Bud Crain (Stark Sands) and Salazar (Nick Cannon) show up and Bud immediately falls in love with Corporal Cross. Cross takes Bud to go with her while she visits her sick mother. When she arrives, Sarah talks to her brother (Trevor) and checks in on her mother. She then goes to see Trevor’s friend, Kyle, after she learns his symptoms are similar to her mother’s.
When Bud and Sarah arrive at Kyle’s house, they find the mauled bodies of his parents stashed behind a curtain, with Kyle nowhere to be found. They radio Captain Rhodes and take Nina, Trevor, and their mom to the local hospital. There, Sarah talks to Dr. Logan (Matt Rippy) at the urging of Rhodes, while out in the waiting room all the infected become catatonic. Bud runs to alert Sarah, when all the infected suddenly reanimate. They turn into zombies, transforming while catatonic…
“This Day of the Dead, however, lacks that heavy-handed social commentary (or any social commentary, really) of Romero’s film, this one more content to just run through the zombie movie motions, happy to just churn out bad dialogue, splatter gore, and show characters running around and shooting at zombies. It’s a decent but forgettable watch that’s really only for genre completists.” Martin Liebman, Blu-ray.com
“The new “Day” is an insulting sensorial experience; a cheap-looking, laughably mismanaged gore picture created by careless gentlemen who have no sense of timing, visual competency, or hold a basic command of cinematic language. It’s a pageant of stupidity that hopes gushing wounds and deliberate fanboy-catnip slices of ultra-violent cheese will mask the reality that it’s a worthless offering in an increasingly abused genre; a cash-grab from financial fat cats hoping to bleed another nickel out of pushover horror fans.” Brian Orndorf, DVD Talk
“If there’s anything good I can say about this flick it’s that it has a shit-ton of gore and I was never bored. In fact, once you realize how absolutely ridiculous this whole affair is, you may even start having fun just by seeing how far into the realm of idiocy the filmmakers are prepared to go. Heads explode, limbs fly, bodies are bitten and torn — albeit all in CGI, but still. You have got to at the very least appreciate the carnage.” Uncle Creepy, Dread Central
In 1972, director Gerard Damiano changed the face of modern cinema forever with Deep Throat. This low budget porn quickie became a surprise hit, raking in millions of dollars and bringing hardcore sex into the mainstream consciousness for the first time. For Damiano, the success of the film would lead to bigger and better things. Throughout the Seventies, he was responsible for some of the most innovative and often most disturbing adult movies ever made, effectively blurring the line between art and porn. It all began shortly after the release of Deep Throat, when the hairdresser-turned-pornographer shot his follow-up movie – The Devil in Miss Jones.
On the strength of Deep Throat, no-one really expected much from Damiano. Whilst Throat had been popular with the public and found some critical success, in reality it was a pretty poor film – a technically inept, lightweight sex comedy that appealed simply because it showed scenes that most people had never seen before. So when The Devil in Miss Jones was released, it was a genuine revelation. Gone was the juvenile humour, the hammy acting and the crude cinematography. Instead, the film offered a bleak, disturbing and – paradoxically – extraordinarily erotic voyage of discovery and damnation.
Miss Jones is a middle-aged virgin, tired of her loveless life, who we first see slitting her wrists in the bathtub. Everything about this opening scene is remarkable, perhaps moreso now that we’ve all used to so much production-line porno. The age of the performer, the grubbiness of the location (even the bathtub is dirty), the act of suicide – a crude but cringingly effective effect – and the haunting song by Linda September are far removed from what we think of as adult movie entertainment. This is cold, stark reality, fully in keeping with the feel of early Seventies independent cinema, but a million miles away from mindless masturbation-material.
After death, Miss Jones finds herself in a large country house, and has her fate explained by the seemingly sympathetic Mr Abaca. Because she has taken her own life, Miss Jones cannot got to Heaven; however, her life has been so free from sin, Hell hardly seems appropriate either. Aware that she is damned for eternity, Miss Jones begs for a chance to at least experience the pleasures of life, and Abaca ‘reluctantly’ agrees. For a short time, Miss Jones is unleashed to explore every sexual pleasure imaginable, and it is this exploration which forms the bulk of the movie. When her time is finally up, the now insatiable Miss Jones is finally sent to Hell. But Hell for her is not a place of fire and brimstone. Instead, she is locked in a room with a man (played by Damiano himself) who is obsessed with a non-existent fly. Miss Jones attempts to seduce him, but he continues to ignore her. As she frigs herself furiously, crying out “I can’t do it by myself”, the reality of her Hell is revealed. Having been given something to miss, she will now miss it for all eternity. Always that one step away from orgasm, Miss Jones is doomed to Forever Frustration.
It’s a gut-punch ending to the film, particularly given the heat of the sexual encounters seen previously, and sets the scene for several other Damiano Catholic guilt trips to come. Like Miss Jones, the viewer has been enjoying her sexual adventures, and to end with a message that such pleasure might only be the set-up for eternal damnation is pretty devastating.
Unlike Deep Throat, The Devil in Miss Jones benefits from some remarkable performances. Harry Reems shows himself to be a more-than-capable actor, but it is Georgina Spelvin who amazes. She makes the transition from frumpy spinster to wanton whore seem believable – something few other porn stars have managed. Her sexual insatiability is remarkable, and her desperation at the end wholly credible. Her performance is the highpoint of a genuine cinematic masterpiece. It might not work as porn (especially for modern audiences), but as an example of just how good the genre can be if it tries, The Devil in Miss Jones remains unsurpassed.
It would be nine years before the film spawned a sequel. Although still working in the adult industry at the time, Damiano was not involved in 1981′s The Devil in Miss Jones Part 2. Instead, the film was directed by Henri Pachard, who at that time was one of the leading lights in the industry.
Pachard realised that there was no way to match the quality of the first film, and also that audience tastes had moved on considerably in the preceding decade. So in place of the existential angst of the first film, Pachard opted for frothy comedy. In fact, there is little connection between the two movies at all, other than the title and the return of Georgina Spelvin.
This latter connection was in itself rather tenuous, as Spelvin – in one of her final adult film roles – is only briefly seen in the film. The sequel takes the ending of the first film, and extends it into a joke. The Hell on display here is the more traditional concept, with the Devil presiding over various ‘sinners’ from history (in an early example of prosthetic porn, we see a dick-nosed Cyrano de Bergerac). Hell seems to be a pretty swinging place, but there is one rule: no orgasms. When Miss Jones finally gets Satan to break his own rule, she is rewarded with a return to Earth in various guises – thus offering Pachard the chance to replace Spelvin with several younger perfomers. It’s pretty insulting to the porn veteran, but possibly a sound commercial choice, as Miss Jones now occupies the bodies of four of the hottest starlets around.
At first, she is placed in the body of call girl Jacqueline Lorians, but the Devil finds himself growing jealous of her antics, having now fallen in love with Miss Jones. Much of the humour comes from his attempts to place her in bodies where she can’t succumb to temptation – soldier girl Joanna Storm, salesgirl Anna Ventura and nun Samantha Fox. Eventually he admits defeat, abdicates his throne and heads to Earth to join Miss Jones as her mortal lover. Like I said, a little different from the first film. But if you accept that, The Devil in Miss Jones Part 2 is a great film – one of the best looking porn films you’ll ever see, genuinely horny (Ventura is particular just oozes sex) and truly amusing. It was the last (edited) hardcore film to be released in British cinemas, and even this soft version is very entertaining.
The film was released on video in America by VCA, then still best known as a duplication and distribution company. The success of the film saw them rapidly move into full time porn production, and it would not be long before further sequels were required. In 1984, their top director Gregory Dark helmed The Devil in Miss Jones 3: A New Beginning and 4: The Final Outrage, which were in reality one epic film, split into two in order to recoup the higher-than-usual budget. Shot on film, the story disregards the previous movies, and – as the title suggests – comes up with an entirely new story. This time, Justine Jones is punkette Lois Ayres, who is killed mid-fuck and finds herself in a typically Dark Brothers vision of Hell. As a stand alone story, 3 and 4 are great films, with amazing performances by the likes of Vanessa Del Rio and plenty of interracial action. You can now buy both films on one DVD.
When Greg Dark took a hiatus from porn shortly after shooting these films, VCA left the Miss Jones series alone (Arrow productions shot The Devil in Miss Jones II: The Devil’s Agenda in 1991, but this was more a rip-off than a genuine sequel). However, his return to hardcore in the early Nineties saw sequels to his notorious New Wave Hookers and a new Devil in Miss Jones. In keeping with the sprit of the time, the title was reduced to DMJ 5: Inferno, and alongside the innovative work of Michael Ninn and John Leslie, was at the forefront of porn’s spiritual revival in the middle of the Nineties. Inferno stars Juli Ashton as Miss Jones, once again a virginal figure in a surreal Hellscape. With a star-studded cast, a witty script by former sleaze-zine editor Selwyn Harris and Dark at his very best, the film is a freaked out classic, and showed that the surprising run of quality that this series had experienced was to continue.
However, Dark was to leave VCA shortly after shooting this film, in order to run his own label. As VCA owned both the The Devil in Miss Jones and New Wave Hookers series, a new director was required. Initially, both series were to be taken over by Michael Ninn. Eventually though, Ninn took on New Wave Hookers 5, whilst DMJ 6 was handed to Antonio Passolini, who had recently made his directorial debut with the long-awaited Cafe Flesh 2. Passolini was the logical choice, given that, as Johnny Jump-Up, he’d written DMJ 3 and 4 for Greg Dark, and shared many of that director’s stylistic tastes.
In this 1999 production, Stacy Valentine takes over the title role, recruited by Satan (now in the more agreeable form of Tina Tyler) to track down two escaped sex demons. Another wonderful production, the film combines steaming sexual performance with Passolini’s trademark humour and dayglo kitsch set design to great effect.
In the early part of the 21st century, VCA was sold to Larry Flynt’s Hustler, and parted ways with many of its more successful directors and producers. The company also lost the rights to the Devil In Miss Jones title, which was picked up by long-time rivals Vivid. In 2005, the company made a high profile reboot of the series, called The New Devil in Miss Jones. With a reputed budget of $250,000 it was the company’s most expensive production – and possibly the end of an era with free internet porn soon to be eating into the profits and ambitions of most producers. Starring Savanna Samson in the lead role and directed by veteran actor turned director Paul Thomas, the film was glossy, slick but notably lacking in either a strong story of the camp / punk rock aesthetics of the previous sequels. It felt, in fact, rather ordinary. It did, however, feature a cameo by the now 70 year old Georgina Spelvin to tie it to the original film.
The New Devil in Miss Jones was successful enough to spawn a sequel in 2010 – The Devil in Miss Jones: The Ressurection again teamed Thomas and Samson, along with porn icon Belladonna, but was less popular and more anonymous.
Changing times might mean that we’ve seen the last of the Devil in Miss Jones films. But the series has been, for the most part, an impressive one, seen as a prestige title and treated accordingly. The first six films are all worth seeking out for different reasons and the original movie has now seen special edition DVD release (produced by Media Blasters for VCX) that is available from mainstream outlets, cementing its place as one of the most important films of the 1970s.
Posted by DF
Witchboard 2: The Devil’s Doorway is a 1993 American horror film written and directed by Kevin S. Tenney. It stars Ami Dolenz (Children of the Night, Infested/Ticks), Christopher Michael Moore, Laraine Newman, John Gatins, Timothy Gibbs and Marvin Kaplan. The film is the sequel to the 1986 film Witchboard.
Paige (Dolenz), a young artist moves into a new apartment. She starts receiving messages through a Ouija board, claiming to be from the former occupant of her apartment, Susan Sydney. The former tenant claims she’s been murdered, but there’s no record of a murder or even her death. Paige sets out to solve the murder and as she gets closer to solving Susan’s death, the death toll rises. Paige soon fears she might be next…
” … weirdly enjoyable on its own small scale terms. Dolenz of course is incredibly beautiful (she looks rather like Sarah Michelle Gellar in much of this film), and does well in a pretty hapless role. The supporting cast is colorful, if awfully hammy at times, and Tenney, as discussed above, stages things remarkably well almost all of the time. Structurally, the film has a few problems, including a too quick possession for Paige and a silly (if expectedly) hyperbolic denouement, and Tenney’s decision to have the board’s “dialogue” spelled out by the various actors actually becomes comical after a while. But Witchboard 2 has probably just enough of a spook factor to further convince those who look awry at Ouija boards to continue avoiding them.” Jeffrey Kauffman, Blu-ray.com
Buy Witchboard 2: The Devil’s Doorway on Olive Blu-ray | DVD from Amazon.com
“This one is very much a product of its time, a sequel geared towards cashing in not at the box office but in the rental store. The cover art (re-used on this release, thankfully) is eye catching and appealing to horror fans but once you get to it there isn’t a whole lot of meat on these bones. Not that it’s a bore or a waste, it’s just unremarkable… but somehow watchable. It’s plenty glossy, nicely shot, has a decent enough score and some appreciable atmosphere towards the end. Not a masterpiece by any stretch, but completely fine entertainment.” Ian Jane, DVD Talk
“Alright, so this film was much better than the first, but mostly due to better action, more focus on a moderately intriguing mystery, and because of Ms. Dolenz steaming up every scene. But they still had a dumb love triangle, the whole movie could have ended in the first ten minutes if people had enough sense to burn the damn ouija board, the mystery isn’t fleshed out enough and makes little sense, there is some annoying moaning sound you hear every other scene, not enough motive for why Susan is evil and she doesn’t look scary at all, and the film ends with the same retarded zinger the first film had!” Ryan’s Movie Reviews
The Woman in Black: Angel of Death is a 2014 British horror film directed by Tom Harper from a screenplay by Jon Croker, based on a story by Susan Hill. It stars Helen McCrory, Jeremy Irvine, Leanne Best, Ned Dennehy and Adrian Rawlins.
Hammer Films CEO Simon Oakes has let it be known that this sequel to The Woman in Black (2012) is intended to be the start of a new franchise.
As bombs rain down on London during the Blitz of World War II, a group of school children are evacuated with Eve, their young and beautiful schoolteacher, to the safety of the English countryside. Taken to an old and empty estate, cut off by a causeway from the mainland, they are left at Eel Marsh House.
One by one the children begin acting strangely, and Eve, with the help of local military commander Harry, discovers that the group has awoken a dark force even more terrifying and evil than the city’s air raids. Eve must now confront her own demons to save the children and survive The Woman in Black…
IMDb | Hammer Films Official site
Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby is a 1976 TV movie directed by Sam O’Steen, and a sequel to the 1968 film Rosemary’s Baby (which O’Steen edited). It has little connection to the novel by Ira Levin, on which the first film was based. It stars Stephen McHattie, Patty Duke Austin, George Maharis, Broderick Crawford, Ruth Gordon, Ray Milland and Tina Louise.
A coven are preparing for a ritual, only to discover that Adrian (Rosemary’s baby), who is now eight years old, is missing from his room. Knowing Rosemary must be responsible for this, the coven members use her personal possessions to enable the forces of evil to locate her. Rosemary and Adrian are hiding in a synagogue for shelter. While hiding there, supernatural events begin to affect the rabbis. However, as they are seeking sanctuary in a house of God, the coven is unable to affect them.
The next morning, Guy (George Maharis), who is now a famous movie star, gets a call from Roman Castevet. Roman informs Guy that both Rosemary and Adrian are missing and that Rosemary may attempt to contact him. Later that night, Rosemary and Adrian are sheltering in a bus stop. Rosemary makes a phone call to Guy, while Adrian plays with his toy car nearby. As soon as Guy answers the phone, Rosemary immediately issues instructions on how to send her money. Outside, some local children start teasing Adrian and bullying him by stealing his toy car. Suddenly, in a fit of rage, Adrian knocks the children unconscious to the ground. Attempting to flee, the pair are accosted by Marjean, a prostitute who was witness to the incident. Marjean offers them to hide the pair in her trailer…
“Everything involving Duke and her young child on the run from evil Satanists is cheaply done but automatically fun. Flash-forwarding the “action” years into the future is a mistake that the film should never have attempted in the first place. Lizard-faced Stephen McHattie is well cast as the adult demon seed Andrew/Adrien, but has little to do but act confused. Ray Milland is a great pick to take over for the deceased Sidney Blackmer as cult leader Roman Castevet, but it doesn’t make up for the sinful waste of a downgraded returning Ruth Gordon as wife Minnie, who rarely does more than echo her husband.” Kindertrauma
“Suffering from such maladies as a psychotic script, some stilted acting, and sub-par special effects (whenever such things are attempted) you may correctly assume that this sequel to Roman Polanski’s 1968 suspense film does not live up to its heritage. What a pleasant surprise, then, to find that this ultra-obscure sequel to a horror classic is a wacky 70s Doom film full of hallucinogenic images and a constantly downbeat tone.” Groovy Doom
“The acting, directing, writing, pacing, and climax where all horrendously bad. There is not one redeeming thing going for the film (and for a laugh, it tries to recreate the famous rape scene from the first film). It’s just sad to watch. Stick with the original, and count your blessings if you haven’t seen this.” Karmic Cop
Wikipedia | IMDb | We are grateful to VHS Collector for the video sleeve image
Wishmaster 3: Beyond The Gates of Hell – otherwise known as Wishmaster 3: Devil Stone in the UK — is the second sequel to the film Wishmaster. This 2001 American film is the second direct-to-video sequel in the franchise. It stars Jason Connery, John Novak, A.J. Cook, Tobias Mehler, Louisette Geiss, Aaron Smolinski, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Sarah Carter, and Daniella Evangelista. Like Wishmaster 4, it was directed by Chris Angel.
The Wishmaster returns with more evil and grotesquery to wreck the life of more innocents. This time, his victim is a beautiful, innocent and studious teenage girl named Diana Collins who accidentally opened up the Djinn’s tomb (a strange box with a jewel inside) and released him. After gaining his freedom, the Djinn is asked by Professor Barash to let him be the one who makes the wishes. The professor wishes for two of the world’s loveliest ladies to be with him, in love.
However, as soon as the Djinn grants this wish, the women (who were dressed in very revealing belly-dancer outfits and being seductive) kill the professor; the Djinn takes the face off of the dead professor and is able to steal his identity. He then kills a secretary by her wishing for “files to burn up” but instead of the files, she burns, along with his needing the student file of Diana as an effort to find her and force her to fulfill her three wishes. While Diana is on the run, she must endeavor to prevent the Djinn from subjecting the entire world to Hell’s wrath.
‘Everyone knows the lame adage “Be careful what you wish for” and this cliché statement is alwaysused in films that involve getting wishes from a magical genie. The wish-giver’s words are twisted and the wish they get is given to them in an ironic way that backfires on the person quickly. TheWishmaster films are built on this but the problem is the screenwriters don’t really understand irony or the vague concept of twisting the words of the wish. Like the films that came before this, the deaths barely register on the ironic scale and feel less like the Djinn is trying to teach a lesson in watching out for what you wish for and more like he just wants to kill people and it doesn’t matter how he does it.’ Rev. Ron’s Movie Reviews
‘The film seems to realise its need to obscure the cast and narrative early on and does so initially with some welcome nudity and plentiful, albeit amateurish, gore.’ Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
‘Wishmaster 3 is workmanlike in its execution — there’s no real originality or distinctiveness separating it from other low-budget creepers. As is often the case with the sort of direct-to-video sequel, the entire enterprise appears to have been crafted with but one thing in mind: $$$. None of the characters are compelling, since the script doesn’t give us a reason to care. These people are merely pawns thrown in front of the Wishmaster, in order to create more chaos and death. And all these complaints would be moot if the various methods of mayhem employed by the Djinn were even the slightest bit interesting – which they’re not. One particularly idiotic character puts up a tough-guy front for the Wishmaster and says to him, “blow me!” which is exactly what the Djinn does; he blows him across the room and impales him onto a moose head. Very creative.’ David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
‘Most important is the story, which (given the film’s low, low budget and small ensemble cast) actually turns out to kick some ass. The last half of the film is inspired by classic schlock ranging from “Terminator” to “Prophecy,” and it works. There’s a magic sword, the Archangel Michael who is “wished” down from heaven, even some nice make-up effects and a few car crashes. Some hate this film, but as direct-to-video stuff goes, it’s pretty entertaining.’ Chris Angel, eSplatter.com
Wikipedia | IMDb | Thanks to Rev. Ron’s Movie Reviews for some images
Riddick is a 2013 American science fiction-action-horror film, the fourth installment in the The Chronicles of Riddick film series. Produced by and starring Vin Diesel as the title character, it was written and directed by David Twohy, who previously wrote and directed the first two installments, Pitch Black (2000) and The Chronicles of Riddick (2004).
Betrayed by the Necromongers and left for dead on a desolate planet, Riddick fights for survival against alien predators and becomes more powerful and dangerous than ever before. Soon bounty hunters from throughout the galaxy descend on Riddick only to find themselves pawns in his greater scheme for revenge. With his enemies right where he wants them, Riddick unleashes a vicious attack of vengeance before returning to his home planet of Furya to save it from destruction…
Wikipedia | IMDb | Official website
“ Twohy also succeeds in creating another credible and creepy world, while drawing fun – and often self-consciously OTT – support from Jordi Molla, Katee Sackhoff and Matt Nable as the mercenaries on his trail. It’s this sense of fun that makes the movie watchable – for all its obvious flaws and stupidity, Riddick consistently entertains.” Rob Carnevale, The List
“As far as the effects, both practical and visual, are concerned, Riddick looks pretty spectacular, almost like a Frank Franzetta painting come to life- extraordinary creatures and all (albeit the main alien ‘baddie’ is nowhere near as terrifying as those freaking pterodactyl/bat things from Pitch Black) and there’s a ton of great gore to go along with the look of this fantastical world including one gag in particular that should no doubt have everyone in the theatre clapping this weekend.” Dread Central
“Wisely reigning in its scope to establish and execute a minimalistic premise, Riddick puts VD back to his infectious best, delivering enough visceral thrills, narrative tension and knowing chuckles to overcome occasionally languid pacing and a representation of women that belongs in an age so dark that not even Riddick can see it.” Ben Rawson-Jones, The Digital Spy
“Riddick is at its most audacious in this opening half hour, pitting one wounded animal against a planet full of predators, including lumbering dog-like Jackals and deadly Mud Demons – Riddick’s equivalent of Pitch Black’s nocturnal nasties. It’s a back-to-basics approach which even succeeds in adding an element of warmth to the series.” Jordan Farley, SFX
” … the aliens are unscary and easily despatched, Vin’s too silent to be interesting, and the other characters – a gang of bounty hunters on Riddick’s trail – are either dull or offensive: Katee Sackhoff’s lesbian character appears to exist purely so that the male characters can threaten to rape her. Nice.” Tom Huddleston, Time Out
| Directed by | David Twohy |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Vin Diesel Ted Field Samantha Vincent |
| Written by | David Twohy Oliver Butcher Stephen Cornwell |
| Based on | Characters by Jim Wheat Ken Wheat |
| Starring | Vin Diesel Jordi Mollà Matt Nable Katee Sackhoff Dave Bautista Bokeem Woodbine Raoul Trujillo Karl Urban |
| Music by | Graeme Revell |
| Cinematography | David Eggby |
| Editing by | Tracy Adams |
| Studio | Media Rights Capital Radar Pictures One Race Films |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures Entertainment One (co-distribution in Canada and United Kingdom) |
| Release date(s) | |
| Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | United States Canada United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $38 million |
In 1972, director Gerard Damiano changed the face of modern cinema forever with Deep Throat. This low budget porn quickie became a surprise hit, raking in millions of dollars and bringing hardcore sex into the mainstream consciousness for the first time. For Damiano, the success of the film would lead to bigger and better things. Throughout the Seventies, he was responsible for some of the most innovative and often most disturbing adult movies ever made, effectively blurring the line between art and porn. It all began shortly after the release of Deep Throat, when the hairdresser-turned-pornographer shot his follow-up movie – The Devil in Miss Jones.
On the strength of Deep Throat, no-one really expected much from Damiano. Whilst Throat had been popular with the public and found some critical success, in reality it was a pretty poor film – a technically inept, lightweight sex comedy that appealed simply because it showed scenes that most people had never seen before. So when The Devil in Miss Jones was released, it was a genuine revelation. Gone was the juvenile humour, the hammy acting and the crude cinematography. Instead, the film offered a bleak, disturbing and – paradoxically – extraordinarily erotic voyage of discovery and damnation.
Miss Jones is a middle-aged virgin, tired of her loveless life, who we first see slitting her wrists in the bathtub. Everything about this opening scene is remarkable, perhaps moreso now that we’ve all used to so much production-line porno. The age of the performer, the grubbiness of the location (even the bathtub is dirty), the act of suicide – a crude but cringingly effective effect – and the haunting song by Linda September are far removed from what we think of as adult movie entertainment. This is cold, stark reality, fully in keeping with the feel of early Seventies independent cinema, but a million miles away from mindless masturbation-material.
After death, Miss Jones finds herself in a large country house, and has her fate explained by the seemingly sympathetic Mr Abaca. Because she has taken her own life, Miss Jones cannot got to Heaven; however, her life has been so free from sin, Hell hardly seems appropriate either. Aware that she is damned for eternity, Miss Jones begs for a chance to at least experience the pleasures of life, and Abaca ‘reluctantly’ agrees. For a short time, Miss Jones is unleashed to explore every sexual pleasure imaginable, and it is this exploration which forms the bulk of the movie. When her time is finally up, the now insatiable Miss Jones is finally sent to Hell. But Hell for her is not a place of fire and brimstone. Instead, she is locked in a room with a man (played by Damiano himself) who is obsessed with a non-existent fly. Miss Jones attempts to seduce him, but he continues to ignore her. As she frigs herself furiously, crying out “I can’t do it by myself”, the reality of her Hell is revealed. Having been given something to miss, she will now miss it for all eternity. Always that one step away from orgasm, Miss Jones is doomed to Forever Frustration.
It’s a gut-punch ending to the film, particularly given the heat of the sexual encounters seen previously, and sets the scene for several other Damiano Catholic guilt trips to come. Like Miss Jones, the viewer has been enjoying her sexual adventures, and to end with a message that such pleasure might only be the set-up for eternal damnation is pretty devastating.
Unlike Deep Throat, The Devil in Miss Jones benefits from some remarkable performances. Harry Reems shows himself to be a more-than-capable actor, but it is Georgina Spelvin who amazes. She makes the transition from frumpy spinster to wanton whore seem believable – something few other porn stars have managed. Her sexual insatiability is remarkable, and her desperation at the end wholly credible. Her performance is the highpoint of a genuine cinematic masterpiece. It might not work as porn (especially for modern audiences), but as an example of just how good the genre can be if it tries, The Devil in Miss Jones remains unsurpassed.
It would be nine years before the film spawned a sequel. Although still working in the adult industry at the time, Damiano was not involved in 1981′s The Devil in Miss Jones Part 2. Instead, the film was directed by Henri Pachard, who at that time was one of the leading lights in the industry.
Pachard realised that there was no way to match the quality of the first film, and also that audience tastes had moved on considerably in the preceding decade. So in place of the existential angst of the first film, Pachard opted for frothy comedy. In fact, there is little connection between the two movies at all, other than the title and the return of Georgina Spelvin.
This latter connection was in itself rather tenuous, as Spelvin – in one of her final adult film roles – is only briefly seen in the film. The sequel takes the ending of the first film, and extends it into a joke. The Hell on display here is the more traditional concept, with the Devil presiding over various ‘sinners’ from history (in an early example of prosthetic porn, we see a dick-nosed Cyrano de Bergerac). Hell seems to be a pretty swinging place, but there is one rule: no orgasms. When Miss Jones finally gets Satan to break his own rule, she is rewarded with a return to Earth in various guises – thus offering Pachard the chance to replace Spelvin with several younger perfomers. It’s pretty insulting to the porn veteran, but possibly a sound commercial choice, as Miss Jones now occupies the bodies of four of the hottest starlets around.
At first, she is placed in the body of call girl Jacqueline Lorians, but the Devil finds himself growing jealous of her antics, having now fallen in love with Miss Jones. Much of the humour comes from his attempts to place her in bodies where she can’t succumb to temptation – soldier girl Joanna Storm, salesgirl Anna Ventura and nun Samantha Fox. Eventually he admits defeat, abdicates his throne and heads to Earth to join Miss Jones as her mortal lover. Like I said, a little different from the first film. But if you accept that, The Devil in Miss Jones Part 2 is a great film – one of the best looking porn films you’ll ever see, genuinely horny (Ventura is particular just oozes sex) and truly amusing. It was the last (edited) hardcore film to be released in British cinemas, and even this soft version is very entertaining.
The film was released on video in America by VCA, then still best known as a duplication and distribution company. The success of the film saw them rapidly move into full time porn production, and it would not be long before further sequels were required. In 1984, their top director Gregory Dark helmed The Devil in Miss Jones 3: A New Beginning and 4: The Final Outrage, which were in reality one epic film, split into two in order to recoup the higher-than-usual budget. Shot on film, the story disregards the previous movies, and – as the title suggests – comes up with an entirely new story. This time, Justine Jones is punkette Lois Ayres, who is killed mid-fuck and finds herself in a typically Dark Brothers vision of Hell. As a stand alone story, 3 and 4 are great films, with amazing performances by the likes of Vanessa Del Rio and plenty of interracial action. You can now buy both films on one DVD.
When Greg Dark took a hiatus from porn shortly after shooting these films, VCA left the Miss Jones series alone (Arrow productions shot The Devil in Miss Jones II: The Devil’s Agenda in 1991, but this was more a rip-off than a genuine sequel). However, his return to hardcore in the early Nineties saw sequels to his notorious New Wave Hookers and a new Devil in Miss Jones. In keeping with the sprit of the time, the title was reduced to DMJ 5: Inferno, and alongside the innovative work of Michael Ninn and John Leslie, was at the forefront of porn’s spiritual revival in the middle of the Nineties. Inferno stars Juli Ashton as Miss Jones, once again a virginal figure in a surreal Hellscape. With a star-studded cast, a witty script by former sleaze-zine editor Selwyn Harris and Dark at his very best, the film is a freaked out classic, and showed that the surprising run of quality that this series had experienced was to continue.
However, Dark was to leave VCA shortly after shooting this film, in order to run his own label. As VCA owned both the The Devil in Miss Jones and New Wave Hookers series, a new director was required. Initially, both series were to be taken over by Michael Ninn. Eventually though, Ninn took on New Wave Hookers 5, whilst DMJ 6 was handed to Antonio Passolini, who had recently made his directorial debut with the long-awaited Cafe Flesh 2. Passolini was the logical choice, given that, as Johnny Jump-Up, he’d written DMJ 3 and 4 for Greg Dark, and shared many of that director’s stylistic tastes.
In this 1999 production, Stacy Valentine takes over the title role, recruited by Satan (now in the more agreeable form of Tina Tyler) to track down two escaped sex demons. Another wonderful production, the film combines steaming sexual performance with Passolini’s trademark humour and dayglo kitsch set design to great effect.
In the early part of the 21st century, VCA was sold to Larry Flynt’s Hustler, and parted ways with many of its more successful directors and producers. The company also lost the rights to the Devil In Miss Jones title, which was picked up by long-time rivals Vivid. In 2005, the company made a high profile reboot of the series, called The New Devil in Miss Jones. With a reputed budget of $250,000 it was the company’s most expensive production – and possibly the end of an era with free internet porn soon to be eating into the profits and ambitions of most producers. Starring Savanna Samson in the lead role and directed by veteran actor turned director Paul Thomas, the film was glossy, slick but notably lacking in either a strong story of the camp / punk rock aesthetics of the previous sequels. It felt, in fact, rather ordinary. It did, however, feature a cameo by the now 70 year old Georgina Spelvin to tie it to the original film.
The New Devil in Miss Jones was successful enough to spawn a sequel in 2010 – The Devil in Miss Jones: The Ressurection again teamed Thomas and Samson, along with porn icon Belladonna, but was less popular and more anonymous.
Changing times might mean that we’ve seen the last of the Devil in Miss Jones films. But the series has been, for the most part, an impressive one, seen as a prestige title and treated accordingly. The first six films are all worth seeking out for different reasons and the original movie has now seen special edition DVD release (produced by Media Blasters for VCX) that is available from mainstream outlets, cementing its place as one of the most important films of the 1970s.
Posted by DF
Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud (aka Pumpkinhead 4: Blood Feud) is a 2007 made for television sequel in the Pumpkinhead franchise of horror films. The film was written and directed by Mke Hurst. It directly follows 2006′s Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes. It stars Amy Manson as Jody Hatfield, Bradley Taylor as Ricky McCoy, Claire Lams as Dolly Hatfield, Rob Freeman as Sheriff Dallas Pope, Ovidiu Niculescu as Bobby Joe Hatfield, Peter Barnes as Papa McCoy, Lance Henriksen as Ed Harley and Elvin Dandel as Tristan McCoy. Initially announced as Pumpkinhead 4, it was filmed in Bucharest, Romania back-to-back with another sequel titled Pumpkinhead 3.
Two men on their motorcycles are driving away from Pumpkinhead. One of the men hits a tree branch in their path, falling from his motorcycle and allowing Pumpkinhead to catch up to him. As the man is being killed, a man in a log cabin seems to share the pain inflicted by Pumpkinhead on the fallen man. The surviving man, named Dallas, rides to the log cabin, and the man who conjured Pumpkinhead, begging him to call the demon off. Pumpkinhead smashes through the window and Dallas attempts to fend him off by shooting him with a small pistol with little effect, and is clawed in the chest by the demon. When Dallas realizes that his bullets have no effect on Pumpkinhead, he swears to take the summoner with him, shooting the man and killing him, causing Pumpkinhead to vanish. Ed Harley then appears telling Dallas that Pumpkinhead will return and there will be no place to hide.
Five years later we are shown the family of the Hatfields and McCoys ongoing feud started because of a car in the 30′s. The Hatfields then trash the McCoy wedding. Jody Hatfield sneaks out to see her true love, Ricky McCoy. Ricky brings his sister, Sarah, to look out for him and Jody. The two then start to make out…
The film seems more concerned with a dreary Romeo and Juliet-style tale of forbidden love and an age-old backwoods family feud rather than the essential horror elements. Decent production values aside this inspires little interest despite the impressive creature effects and the requisite gory demises. Adrian J Smith, Horrorpedia
‘I couldn’t help but get the feeling this film was originally intended to be set in the early 1900s until the producers came along and insisted that it be set in the present, and despite being set in present times, the filmmakers still went out of their way to make just about everything look, feel, and sound like it’s from at least a century ago. The way they dress, the way they talk, the way they behave, even the town they live in – it all feels like it’s stuck in a time warp like in M. Night’s The Village, but then we see a few modern touches, some old (but not that old) vehicles, and the opening scene even involved some shiny new dirt bikes. Other than that, the majority of the time I felt I was watching “Little Pumpkinhead on the Prairie”.’ Jon Condit, Dread Central
‘ … we get people from LA providing the worst fake southern accents I have heard in a while, and Lance Henrkison looking like melted candle in his 4 minutes of screen time. The Pumpkinhead monster alternated between looking like a claymation puppet from a 60′ sci fi movie, and a mediocre beast formed out of paper mache. The kills are many and are well done considering how stupid Pumpkinhead looks, and the plot moved at a decent enough pace to keep the viewer interested between Pumpkinhead related maulings.’ Bloodcrypt
Choice dialogue:
‘We are what we do’
The Purge: Anarchy – formerly The Next Chapter of The Purge and The Zone – is an upcoming 2014 American horror-thriller film directed and written by James DeMonaco. It is the sequel to 2013 film The Purge, starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey.
The sequel film stars Frank Grillo, Zach Gilford, Michael K. Williams, Carmen Ejogo and Kiele Sanchez. The film is set for a June 20, 2014 release date worldwide and a teaser trailer has been released.
Press info:
Returning alongside writer/director/producer James DeMonaco to produce the sequel to 2013’s sleeper hit are Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity and Insidious series), alongside Sébastien K. Lemercier (Assault on Precinct 13, Four Lovers) and Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay (Pain & Gain, Transformers franchise), Brad Fuller (The Amityville Horror, A Nightmare on Elm Street) and Andrew Form (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th).
Wikipedia | IMDb | Source: Collider
Muck is a 2014 American horror film written and directed by Steve Wolsh. It stars Kane Hodder, Lachlan Buchanan, Lauren Francesca, Stephanie Danielson, Jaclyn Swedberg, Gia Skova, Laura Jacobs, Victoria Sophia, Ashley Green Elizabeth, Audra Van Hees, Leila Knight, Puja Mohindra, Bryce Draper, Grant Alan Ouzts and Mike Perfetuo. The film is the first horror film to be released in 4K Ultra-HD 2160 pixels. A sequel, Muck Offed, is already in pre-production for a 2015 release. The trailer posted online (see below) is also 4K Ultra HD. Wolsh is also in pre-production on Know Models Where Harmed.
After narrowly escaping an ancient burial ground, long forgotten and buried underneath the marshes of Cape Cod, a group of friends emerge from the thick, marshy darkness, tattered and bloody, lucky to be alive. They have already lost two of their friends in the marsh, presumably dead. They stumble upon an empty vacation house alongside the foggy marsh and break in to take shelter. Whatever was in the marsh is still after them and soon after one of them goes for help, the rest of the group learns that the evil in the marsh is not the only thing that wants them dead. Something worse, something more savage, was lying in wait just outside the marsh, in the house. What happens next is unspeakable, horror that cannot be unseen. These unlucky travelers spend their St. Patrick’s Day trapped between two evils forcing them to fight, die, or go back the way they came…
IMDb | Facebook | Official site
Night of the Living Carrots is a 2011 Halloween short animated film, based on Monsters vs. Aliens and produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the 2009 short, Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space, a mutated carrot has spawned hundreds of zombie carrots taking control of the subject’s mind. Dr. Cockroach determines that the only way to defeat them and free their victims is for B.O.B. to eat all of the carrots.
The short premiered in two parts exclusively on Nintendo 3DS. It was released to a general audience on August 28, 2012, as a part of Shrek’s Thrilling Tales DVD and DreamWorks Spooky Stories Blu-ray.
Plot:
In a theater, B.O.B. introduces the story in a manner similar to many horror films. He recalls the events of Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space, saying “it all started with a spooky spaceship, mutant pumpkins and monsters saving the day. But that was only the beginning.”
The scene then shifts to the twist ending of the previous special. The Zombie Carrot emerges and charges at the camera but is stopped short by a gate. Carl Murphy announces to the children of the Modesto suburbs that a costume contest was about to start and that the winner got their weight in candy. B.O.B., dressed as a pirate, takes interest and comes inside but takes all the candy meant for the contest. Outside, he hears a strange voice and is initially frightened by the zombie carrot, but he mistakes it for a child in a costume. Believing the carrot would win the costume contest, he throws it inside where it immediately bites Carl, turning him into a zombie.
All the guests flee the Murphy house and not long after, the carrot is blasted by Dr. Cockroach’s scanner. Doc theorizes that the carrot was contaminated by the mutant pumpkins and that the curse could only be lifted by eliminating the infected carrot. However, the remains of the carrot replicate themselves into more zombie carrots. Before long, all three monsters are completely surrounded…
Creepshow 2 is a 1987 American live-action/animated Horror comedy anthology film directed by Michael Gornick and the sequel to Creepshow. Gornick was George A. Romero’s cinematographer on the original Creepshow. The screenplay was written by Romero, the director of the original film and it was once again based upon stories by Stephen King, featuring three more “Jolting Tales of Horror”: Old Chief Wooden Head, The Raft, and The Hitchhiker. 
In a live-action sequence, we are introduced to Billy, not to be confused with the first film’s protagonist. He is eagerly awaiting delivery of his favourite horror comic and lo’, the delivery van pulls up, driven by a ghoulish chap (this is our host, The Creep, played by effects warlock Tom Savini though voiced by Joe Silver, star of David Cronenberg’s Shivers and Rabid). The action, in the same manner as 1982′s prequel, briefly changes to animation and shows the latest issue opening up and introducing us the this issue’s treats. 
Written by King specifically for the film, we are introduced to Ray and Martha Spruce (the always superb George Kennedy (Death Ship) and 40′s legend Dorothy Lamour in her final role) who are quietly running a small-town general store in their twilight years, watched over by an old cigar store Indian statue. They are visited by the leader of a local tribe of Indians, Ben Whitemoon, who offers them tribal jewellery to pay for a debt. Shortly afterwards, the couple are subjected to a brutal robbery by a gang of local hoodlums, lead by Ben’s ne’er do well nephew, Sam (Holt McCallany, Alien 3, Fight Club). After murdering the couple and leaving with the swag, the three (‘Fatstuff’ being played by David Holbrook, son of acting legend Hal, who also starred in the original film) are stalked by the wooden Indian Chief who takes it upon himself to put wrong to right. With the two junior oiks dispensed with, Ol’ Wood’nhead tracks down Sam with predictably gory results. 
A brief animated interlude sees Billy at the post office, receiving one of the fondly remembered send-away novelties advertised in comics of a bygone age, in this case a Venus Flytrap bulb. Before we return to Billy, The Creep presents the second story, The Raft. 
Based of the story of the same name from one of King’s best collections of short stories, 1985′s Skeleton Crew, four college students, Deke, Laverne, Randy, and Rachel decide to go drunkenly and occasionally nakedly swimming in a lake, a past-time only partaken during the 1980′s. As their rickety craft reaches the middle of the lake, they become aware that a strange slick in the water is surrounding them. Initial vague concern turns to panic as the gloop envelops and eats Rachel, leaving the remaining three to contemplate how they are going to get back to shore. Slowly their numbers become even fewer with the water-bound blob gnawing at the stranded teens and melting their flesh like acid. A ‘No Swimming’ sign at the shore’s edge gives some kind of indication as to why any of this is happening. Whilst the original story ends with a slightly meditative contemplation of life, death and the metaphysical, the schlock of Creepshow 2 cuts to the chase with crash, bang, wallop subtlety. 
On his way home, Billy is ambushed by local bullies, firstly taunting him and then taking away his precious package. The bulb is stamped into the ground whilst Billy sees an opportunity to flee but Rhino and his oafs are in hot pursuit. Whilst we catch our breath, we get to watch the closing tale. 
Another King original, this is one of the most often seen stories in the Golden Age of horror comics, with an innocent hitch-hiker (played by Tom Wright, briefly seen to Exterminator 2) being mowed down by a repugnant member of society; here an adulterous business woman (played by Lois Chiles) eager to get home to her wealthy husband before her sexual dalliances are uncovered. Certain that she can’t be connected to the remote death of the hitch-hiker, imagine her surprise when his mangled remains appear at the roadside, still requesting a lift and giving rise to the most memorable line of the film: “Thanks for the ride, lady!”. Despite her best efforts to speed away, he continues to appear, leading to a final and rather messy confrontation. 
Back to Billy and his is cornered by his enemies in a leafy grove but fortunately for him, his trusty Venus Flytrap and sprouted to huge dimensions. The tables are quickly turned and the carnivorous plant gobbles up the baddies, leaving The Creep to watch on satisfied nd ready to move on to his next delivery. An end of credits message delivers the following thought: ”Juvenile delinquency is the product of pent up frustrations, stored-up resentments and bottled-up fears. It is not the product of cartoons and captions. But the comics are a handy, obvious, uncomplicated scapegoat. If the adults who crusade against them would only get as steamed up over such basic causes of delinquency as parental ignorance, indifference, and cruelty, they might discover that comic books are no more a menace than Treasure Island or Jack the Giant Killer”. Colliers magazine 1949. Some might suggest this is the best bit of the film. 
Despite the success of the first film, both at the cinema and on home video, it took 5 years for the sequel to Creepshow to arrive, perhaps an early indication that all was not quite right. Directorial duties were handled by Michael Gornick, a long-time associate of George Romero, most especially as director of photography on Martin, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead. Though dabbling as a director on television, this was his only role helming a major motion picture, which also speaks volumes. For a time, actor Bob Balaban was considered to direct the film. Like the 1982 film, Creepshow 2 was intended to consist of 5 stories – omitted for reasons unknown are ”The Cat From Hell”, was later used in the the similar anthology film “Tales From The Darkside: The Movie”, released in 1990, and directed by the original Creepshow’s composer, John Harrison. The other story originally intended to be in Creepshow 2 was the Stephen King short story, “Pinfall”, about ghostly rival bowling teams. The decision to stick with only 3 puts a lot of pressure on the stories to deliver, a step too far, alas. Ol’ Wood’nhead starts promisingly Kennedy and Lamour’s slaying being oddly upsetting. Unfortunately, despite an excellent villain, their is little suspense in being stalked by a lump of wood. On the subject of lumps of wood, the goofy teens of The Raft are utterly undeserving of sympathy though succeeds in delivering some superb special effect – unsurprising perhaps, the effects team featuring, amongst others, Savini, Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger. The final story is either the most successful or the most annoying, depending on your tolerance for someone saying “Thanks for the ride, lady”. The scoring duties are handled by Les Reed, originally a member of the John Barry 7 – sadly, it isn’t a patch on Harrison’s original, fun soundtrack. The score also features cues by Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who horror fans will have fonder memories of him taking musical duties on The Burning. Creepshow 2 was a massive disappointment and continues to be so. Unfortunately, with the title and Romero and King attached, it is only reasonable to compare the two and sadly, no element shows an improvement. The stories lack the fun, fizz and EC credentials of the original film, feeling padded and leaden. George Kennedy lends some credence to proceedings but once he meets his maker, the parade of acting, whilst never awful, is as uninspiring as King’s rather lazy stories, all of them having predictable endings. The wraparound is quite nice, though The Creep is a poor host and the live action sections of Savini gurning through his latex make-up are a distraction rather than an addition. Apologists will hail it as a fun late 80′s cheeseball classic but the fact remains that with the joint talents of Romero, King and Savini, this is self-indulgent, slight and worst of all, boring. Daz Lawrence. 
