Film Review: "Krampus

It’s been a while since I had the chance to review a theatrical release on this site. Most of it was money reasons and most of it was just the handle of running two blog sites. When I heard “Krampus” was coming out, I knew that I had to reviews this because of how much I loved Michael Dougherty’s last film “Trick r Treat”.

The film is about a family that is completely dysfunction as they get ready to spend Christmas together. A young kid named Max (Emjay Anthony) becomes disenchanted by the idea that Christmas is a great time and doesn’t believe Santa is real. This unleashes a demonic entity on him and his family known as the Krampus. As everything starts hitting the fan he and his family are forced to fight together if they intend on making it to Christmas Day. The film also stars Adam Scott (Black Mass, Park and Recreation), Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense, Little Miss Sunshine), David Koechner (Anchorman) and Allison Tolman (Fargo, The Gift).

If you’re going in to this thinking that “Krampus” is going to be “Trick R’ Treat” all over again, you’re going to be disappointed. If you’re looking for a good Christmas theme horror film, you’re in luck as I had a good time with this film.

One of thing that make this film very good was the directing. Michael Dougherty does a very good job making sure the film has a creepy and sometimes dark feel to it. Whether it was the way the scenes looked to how he handles the material, everything felt dark enough to make the scares works well as there were a couple that made me jump out. It helped make up for the minor gore that this film has. The other thing that Dougherty does very well is the way he directs his cast. He does a good job making sure the performances hit the right note which was tricky as it had humor to go along with the terror. This is what makes the characters interesting even though there were annoying which this script was trying to go for.

The screenplay written by Dougherty & Zach Shields & Todd Casey does a good balancing the horror and comedic aspects. One of the things that makes this screenplay good was the fact the horror scenes were creative considering its rating. I know that this is a PG-13 (which I’m surprised given the language this film has) film but I liked the fact that this film had little gore. I liked how they just take away the characters or not get too graphic about it. It gives you the thinking of what happened to them in your mind and it also works with the payoff of the film’s ending. It’s different and something I wasn’t expecting but it went in a direction that works in the end. The other thing that I liked about it was the way they used the black comedy aspect. The writers do a good job making sure that its witty and timed right. It’s done in a way that it doesn’t drown out all the creepy and dark aspects of the plot and tone.

Would I add this alongside other holiday horrors like “Black Christmas”, “Silent Night” and other holiday horrors? Yes, as “Krampus” is a scary and fun horror film for the holidays.

Review Rating: Four Stars.

Intense Trailer and Poster for the Upcoming Revenge Horror Film "Survival Knife"

Wild Eye Releasing recently released the official poster and trailer for their upcoming film "Survival Knife". The upcoming film stars Danielle Donahue, Melissa Troughtzmantz and Tom Kolos.

"Survival Knife" hits retail on January 26th.

Press Release:

Wild Eye Releasing has armed revenge horror fans with Survival Knife's new key art and trailer. Arriving on DVD and VOD in January, Survival Knife follows the sole survivor of a killing spree as she attempts to rebuild herself following the deaths of her friends. But what she becomes may be deadlier than what she survived.

The lone survivor of a serial killer's attack tries to cope with the death of her friends and her mutilation at the hands of the maniac - but she fears the trauma has awakened a dark side within her as she slowly becomes something possibly even worse than the man who scarred her forever.

The DVD release of Survival Knife will be available in late January 2016.

"Survival Knife": Official Trailer

"Mosquito-Man" Serves Up Revenge on DVD

Big Screen Entertainment Group recently send us information for the upcoming DVD release of "Mosquito-Man". The film stars Michael Manasseri, Jordan Trovillion, Ricky Wayne, Kimberley Kates, Monty Bane and Lloyd Kaufman.

Special features on the DVD includes Behind The Scenes, Directors Cut Included, Out-takes, Cast and Crew Photos and Trailer.

"Mosquito-Man" hits retail on January 12th.

Plot Synopsis:

Jim Crawley (Michael Manasseri) is having a really bad day. He gets fired from his job, his car is towed and impounded and he discovers his wife is having an affair with his arch enemy. To make matters worse, Jim gets abducted by an evil scientist (Ricky Wayne) who is conducting illegal human testing on a vaccine against a deadly mosquito borne virus that's speeding across the planet. It turns out that years of exposure to nuclear radiation and mosquito DNA don't mix well... Jim transforms into a half man/half mosquito hell bent on revenge... Mosquito Man - Payback's an Itch

Film Review: "Scary Little Fuckers"

 

With the holidays here, yours truly is in the Christmas mood with a little short horror film that will making its world premiere this Sunday at the Route One Cinema Pub in North Attleborough,MA. The film’s title is “Scary Little Fuckers”. Yes, that’s the title of the film.

“Scary Little Fuckers” is about a father (Rich Tretheway) who is having a troubled relationship with his son (Josh Fontaine). He brings his son a Christmas gift in hopes that I’ll repair some of the damage in their relationship. What his son discovers that he has brought over two horrifying creature known as a Fookah. Soon the horrifying creature begins to multiple, as the son along with his friend let them both in the cage together. Now, the three of them have a big problem as the Fookah are out to kill and ruin Christmas for all.

“Scary Little Fuckers is a film that I enjoyed a lot. One of the main reasons that it works so well was Nathen Suher’s directing. He does a good job moving the scenes along. Whether it was the way that he makes the screenplay work onscreen to how he approaches the scenes with the creatures, it made the film fun and entertaining. The other thing that I liked was the way that he make sure the lead performances were entertaining. Suher makes sure that there was some personality to the performances. It makes the lead acting very good and kept me interested in the film even though the screenplay felt like it was going too fast.

Speaking of the performances, I thought it was the best part of the film. I liked how actors Rich Tretheway, Josh Fontaine and Anna Rizzo made their characters interested through the way that they approached their characters. Their approach helped make their characters interesting and quirky as it helped make this film fun and entertaining. It something made me enjoy this film.

The screenplay written by Lenny Schwartz did a good job making sure the story was interesting to watch. Whether it’s the various quirks that each of his characters have to making sure the creatures had the “Gremlins” type feel to it, it made some of the dark humor and frightening scenes work so well. It almost made me forget the fact that I had a problem with the screenplay by the end of it as I had a good time with the story Speaking about my grip about this screenplay, the only problem with it that I had was the fact the execution felt rushed. It felt like he and Suher should’ve gone the feature film route with this story as it would’ve been an even better film when they fleshed the characters and could do more things. It would’ve made it more interesting but I enjoyed everything else about this film.

Even though I was left wanting more in a good way, I can understand funds were limited. Hopefully, they revisit this story again as a feature in the future. Besides that, I had a very good time with this film. With its good acting and good direction from Nathan Suher, "Scary Little Fuckers" is a very good short film to spend the holidays with.

“Scary Litter Fuckers” will be making its world premiere at the Route One Cinema Pub in North Attleborough, MA. To purchase tickets, you can goto: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/im-filmworks-theatrical-premiere-of-scary-little-fuckers-and-nextdoor-tickets-19160391246?aff=eprofsaved 

Review Rating: Four Stars

"What Have You Done to Solange?" Prepares to Shock You on DVD & Blu-Ray

Arrow Video recently released information for the upcoming release of the Italian Gallo  "What Have You Done to Solanger?"in a Blu-Ray & DVD combo pack. The film is directed by Massimo Dallamano, (cinematographer on both A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More) and stars  Camille Keaton (I Spit on Your Grave), Cristina Galbo (Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue) and Fabio Testi (I Spit On Your Grave).

Complete Specs on the DVD & Blu-Ray includes Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative, High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations, Original Italian and English soundtracks in mono audio, Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack, Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack, Brand new audio commentary with critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman, What Have You Done to Decency? A conversation with Karin Baal - the actress shares her thoughts on Dallamano's classic giallo in this brand new interview, First Action Hero - a newly-edited 2006 interview with actor and former stuntman Fabio Testi, including a look at his role in Solange, Old-School Producer - a newly-edited 2006 interview with producer Fulvio Lucisano, Innocence Lost: Solange and the "Schoolgirls in Peril" Trilogy - a brand new visual essay by Michael Mackenzie, exploring the themes of Solange and its two semi-sequels, Original theatrical trailer, Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Malleus and Collector's booklet featuring a new article on the giallo scores of Ennio Morricone by Howard Hughes, alongside a Camille Keaton career retrospective from Art Ettinger, comprising interview excerpts with the Solange actress, all illustrated with original archive stills and posters.

"What Have You Done to Solange?" hits Blu-Ray on December 15th.

Press Release:

"An accomplished film that should keep even the most hardened of giallo fanatics guessing until the very end." - Flickering Myth

From director Massimo Dallamano, cinematographer on both A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More, comes giallo classic What Have You Done to Solange?, the debut feature of actress Camille Keaton (I Spit on Your Grave). A sexually sadistic killer is preying on the girls of St. Mary's school. Student Elizabeth witnessed one of the murders, but her hazy recollections of a knife-wielding figure in black do nothing to further the police's investigations. Why is the killer choosing these young women? And what does it have to do with a girl named Solange? Also starring Cristina Galbo (Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue) and Fabio Testi (I Spit On Your Grave), What Have You Done with Solange? features all the hallmarks of classic gialli - the amateur detective, the black-gloved killer - as well as a lush score from Ennio Morricone.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:

* Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative
* High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
* Original Italian and English soundtracks in mono audio
* Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
* Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
* Brand new audio commentary with critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman
* What Have You Done to Decency? A conversation with Karin Baal - the actress shares her thoughts on Dallamano's classic giallo in this brand new interview
* First Action Hero - a newly-edited 2006 interview with actor and former stuntman Fabio Testi, including a look at his role in Solange
* Old-School Producer - a newly-edited 2006 interview with producer Fulvio Lucisano
* Innocence Lost: Solange and the "Schoolgirls in Peril" Trilogy - a brand new visual essay by Michael Mackenzie, exploring the themes of Solange and its two semi-sequels
* Original theatrical trailer
* Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Malleus
* Collector's booklet featuring a new article on the giallo scores of Ennio Morricone by Howard Hughes, alongside a Camille Keaton career retrospective from Art Ettinger, comprising interview excerpts with the Solange actress, all illustrated with original archive stills and posters

Troma Entertainment Announces New Subscription Service Troma Now

Troma Entertainment recently released information for their new streaming service Troma Now. The service will feature Troma classics, new Troma releases, and exclusive content, all in beautiful HD.

Subscription price is $4.99 per month.

To subscribe to Troma Now, you can to http://watch.troma.com/ for more information

Press Release:

Greetings from Tromaville! Troma Entertainment is thrilled to announce the new TROMA NOW channel, available through VHX.

Starting today, Troma fans, both old and new, can subscribe for only $4.99/month and get access to many hours of Troma classics, new Troma releases, and exclusive content, all in beautiful HD.

The roll out slate includes such classics as Troma's iconic The Toxic Avenger, Tromeo & Juliet (written by James Gunn), Monster in the Closet or Sizzle Beach U.S.A. with Kevin Costner, along with first-run films like the critically-acclaimed and hilarious The Slashening and Fear Town, USA.

Troma Now also feature episodes of Troma's Edge TV and The Chainsaw Sally Show, as well as the entire first season of Sgt. Kabukiman's Cocktail Corner. But not only expect to find the classic Tromastic sense of humor, Troma NOW also features every kind of genre, like romantic comedies such as Lollilove (Jenna Fischer) and documentaries like Fart of Darkness.

Many of the titles come with supplemental features including commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and many more special Tromastic extras!

Visit http://watch.troma.com/ for the best Troma viewing experience ever!!

Preview Pages for the Upcoming Release of Issue #2 of "Trancers"

Action Lab: Danger Zone recently released preview pages for the upcoming release of issue #2 of "Trancers". The comic is written by Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti with illustration by Marcelo Salaza (Pencil/Inks), Marcio Freire (Colors).

Issue #2 of  Full Moon Presents "Trancers" hits comic retailers on December 2nd.

Plot Synopsis:

Trooper Jack Deth has been sent back in time to the year 1985 to hunt down the man that killed his wife, but he quickly finds himself on the wrong side of the law. Wanted for a murder he didn’t commit, Jack is thrown into a jail full of zombified trancers ready to tear him apart piece by piece. His only hope is in the hands of his future wife Lena. Features a movie poster variant, limited to 2,000 copies.