Anthony T's Horror Show: Episode 13 With Guest Jordan Phipps (Close Calls, 10/31)

In episode 13, Anthony T has something to say on the whole Amazon purging indie films controversy, then he kicks off Women in Horror month on the show with an interview with actress Jordan Phipps as they talk about her latest film "Close Calls", After that, he talks about the passing and career of character actor Dick Miller and finishes the episode as he continues the Women in Horror theme as he recommends a short film from an acclaimed short film director.

You can visit Dark Discussions on the web at: http://www.darkdiscussions.com

Dark Discussions is also available on iTunes, Goggle Play,, Spotify and Stitcher.

Follow Anthony T's Horror Show on these social media platforms.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anthonytshorrorshow

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/anthonytshorror

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonytshorrorshow

Anthony T's Horror Show: Episode 13

Review: St Agatha

Darren Lynn Bousman has become one of my favorite horror directors over the years. Whether its films like “Saw II”, Repo: The Genetic Opera and “The Barrens”, I’ve always had a good time with watching them. Once I heard that “St. Agatha” was coming out, I knew I had to check it out because his film are usually good.

The film is about a pregnant woman in 1950s Georgia who moves into a Covent to have her child. What seems to be a nice place turns into a nightmare for her, when she finds out the dark secrets that lie within the Covent. Now she must try and find a way out and save herself and her child before she becomes trapped in the wall of the Covent forever.

Going to this I was really hoping that St Agatha would’ve been a good film since I’m a huge fan of Darren Lynn Bousman. So much so that I was very interested in seeing this film. Sadly, I was fooled. “St Agatha is a very boring film from start to finish and I might even go far and say that this is Brousman’s worst film even though he had no input on the film’s screenplay Bousman isn’t given much to work with as he wasn’t one of the shopping list of screenwriters credited on the film. Bousman does a good job with the way the film looks as it has a dark look and dark feel to it. That is the only good thing that I have say about this film as everything else in his direction sucked. He doesn’t do a good job with the way he directs his cast. Every performance in the film felt like they were hitting one note and that’s it. It tells me that either the cast wasn’t engaged in the material or the way the characters were written. You need both of those elements for a film like this to succeed. This film doesn’t have that and that’s why Bousman is partly responsible for this lifeless film.

When you have multiple screenwriters, sometimes it hurts the overall screenplay. The screenplay for this film was atrocious as I lay most of the blame to the screenwriters. One of the reasons that this screenplay fails was the fact that they are way too many flashback scenes. This film spends too much time going back and forth between the main story and backstory of the main character. When a story like this does that, it tends to make the length of the film feel even longer. This film felt like it was fifteen minutes too long as some scenes could’ve been shorten. The other thing that I didn’t like was the fact that this film moves very slowly. The screenwriters don’t do a good job making sure that the main character was interesting. I couldn’t get into the main character because the character felt bland. When you have a main character that is bland, it is hard to get into the story. This was the case with me as I didn’t care about the character here thus making this a boring film.

Please avoid this film as was boring from the opening minute to the end. If you want to something in similar tone that is good from Darren Lynn Brousman, rent “Abbatior” or “The Barrens’. Those are more effective films and more worth your time than “St Agatha”.

Review Rating: 1 Star

Review: "Close Calls"

It’s been a while that I’ve written a review given everything going on but couldn’t resist when reviewing when I heard about this film. I was first interested in reviewing this when I heard about it getting released by Scream Team Releasing which is my favorite indie horror label at the moment plus it had a cool premise. The film is about a teenager who is spending the night at home with her sick grandmother after she gets into an argument with her father. She starts to receive mysterious phone calls. This starts to drive her insane as she thinks that someone is stalking her and begins to feel like everyone is against her. Is this in her mind or is there truly someone out to get her?

The month of January usually is filled with films that you will forget by the end of the year. Very rarely do you get a film that you would consider for a best of list in January. Close Calls is that rare case as I liked this film a lot.

One of the things that makes “Close Calls” very good was the fact that writer/director Richard Stringham’s direction was very good. Whether it’s the way that he and his cinematographer Craig Wynn made the look of the film so dark to how Stringham keeps the action moving, it really is one of those films that keeps you on edge. He does that so effectively as it made the two hour run time go by at a good pace. This is an achievement that should be noted as I’ve seen many independent horror films go over ninety minutes in the past and most of them end up falling flat. Look at “Gehesha: Where Death Lives” as a great example. The other thing that makes this film good was the way Stringham directs his cast. He does a very good job making sure that he gets the performances that he needs to makes his work. Stringham makes sure that there is chemistry between the cast as it helped kept my interest in some of the films long dialogue scenes. This also helps the film overall especially with its long running time.

Speaking of the performances, I thought they were good but the one that stands out from the rest is Jordan Phillips’ performance as the lead character in the film. She does a very good job making her character work so well. Whether it’s the action scenes in the film’s final act to the way that she brings the character to life, Phillips brings a level of personality and intensity in the way that she approaches her character as it keeps you interest in the film’s story. I would like to see her get another leading role in the future as she definitely an actress to keep an eye in the indie horror genre.

Stringham’s screenplay was very good. I liked how this screenplay goes for more a Lucio Fulci/ Italian horror film type feel with the film’s story. This story felt like it had some inspirations from Fulci films such as “The Beyond” and “The House by the Cemetery” It made for some very weird and horrifying moments. This is definitely something you often don’t see that from American filmmakers. The other thing that I liked about the screenplay was the fact that it does a great job focusing on the main character. Whether it’s the problems that she has with her father to her being stalked, everything is done so well that it kept me engaged with the lead character and the film’s story.

Before I wrap up this review, Rocky Gray’s score was great here. It was one of those score that adds to film. I liked how it had that retro 80’s / Frizzi vibe going for it. It added to the film’s dark and dreadful tone which is needed for a film like this. I hope this soundtrack gets released on mp3 download as this is a great score and my favorite of his.

If you’re a fan of 70’s and 80’s Italian horror, this is definitely a film that you should check out as this has great direction from Richard Stringham and a great performance from Jordan Phillips. “Close Call” is a surreal and intense film that will make you fear picking up the phone every time the phone rings.

Review Rating: Five Stars

Anthony T's Horror Show: Episode 12 - The Best of 2018 Part Two with Guest Philip Perron

Anthony T's finishes his look back at 2018 as he is joined by Philip Perron of Dark Discussions Podcast as they talk about their top 10 films of 2018 and give you their films that they're looking forward to in 2019.

You can visit Dark Discussions on the web at: http://www.darkdiscussions.com

Dark Discussions is also available on iTunes, Goggle Play,, Spotify and Stitcher.

 Anthony T's Horror Show: Episode 12 - The Best of 2018 Part Two with Guest Philip Perron

Arrow Video Unleashes Special Edition of Guillermo Del Toro's "Crimson Peak"

Arrow Video recently released information that Guillermo del Toro's "Crimson Peak" will be receiving a special edition release. The 2015 film stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, Stoker), Tom Hiddleston, (Avengers Assemble) and Jessica Chastain, (Zero Dark Thirty).

Special features on the blu-ray includes: Audio commentary by co-writer and director Guillermo Del Toro, The House is Alive: Constructing Crimson Peak, a newly edited, feature-length documentary with cast and crew interviews and extensive behind the scenes footage, Previously unseen Spanish language interview with Guillermo Del Toro, The Gothic Corridor, The Scullery, The Red Clay Mines, The Limbo Fog Set; four featurettes exploring different aspects of Allerdale Hall, A Primer on Gothic Romance, the director and stars talk about the key traits of Gothic romance., The Light and Dark of Crimson Peak, the cast and crew talk about the film’s use of color, Hand Tailored Gothic, a featurette on the film’s striking costumes, A Living Thing, a look at the design, modelling and construction of the Allerdale Hall sets, Beware of Crimson Peak, a walking tour around Allerdale Hall with Tom Hiddleston, Crimson Phantoms, a featurette on the film’s amazing ghosts, Kim Newman on Crimson Peak and the Tradition of Gothic Romance, a newly filmed interview with author and critic, Violence and Beauty in Guillermo Del Toro’s Gothic Fairy Tale Films, a new video essay by the writer Kat Ellinger, Deleted scenes, Original trailers and TV spots, Double-sided, fold-out poster, Four double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions,Limited Edition packaging newly designed by Crimson Peak concept artist Guy Davis and Limited edition 80-page, hard-bound book featuring new writing by David Jenkins and Simon Abrams, an archival interview with Guillermo del Toro, and original conceptual design illustrations by artists Guy Davis and Oscar Chichoni.

"Crimson Peak" hits retail on January 15th.


Plot Synopsis:

From the imagination of Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, The Shape of Water) comes Crimson Peak, a lavish, stunningly realised journey into the dark heart of Gothic romance... Beginning in Buffalo, New York, during the 1880s, Crimson Peak stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, Stoker) as Edith Cushing, an aspiring writer who is haunted by the death of her mother. Edith's falls in love with seductive stranger Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston, Avengers Assemble), who whisks her off to Allerdale Hall, his baronial, yet dilapidated English mansion built upon a mountain of blood-red clay. Here Edith meets Lucille (Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty), Thomas's sister who at times seems hostile and jealous. As Edith struggles to feel at home in the imposing residence, she gradually uncovers a horrendous family secret and encounters supernatural forces that will help her discover the terrible truth behind Crimson Peak. Boasting incredibly intricate and ornate production design and a rich visual style, del Toro's film is a grandiose, boldly baroque triumph of Gothic decadence, which expertly combines and contrasts the sublimely beautiful with the shockingly grotesque. Crimson Peak is presented here in sumptuous special packaging, with a wealth of extra features, affording unprecedented insight in to the making of this modern Gothic classic.

Official Stills for the 80's Horror Homage "Close Calls"

Terror Films recently send us over stills for their latest film "Close Calls". The film stars Jordan Phipps and Kristof Waltermire.

"Close Calls" is currently available through various VOD providers.

For more information on "Close Calls", you can goto the film's offical Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/CloseCallsTheMovie/ Plot Synopsis:

TERROR FILMS has acquired the rights to writer/director Richard Stringham’s debut feature film CLOSE CALLS! The film is set to be released across multiple digital platforms Friday, January 11th.

The film centers around Morgan MacKenzie (Jordan Phipps) - a troubled teen with a checkered past, who finds herself grounded by her father (Kristof Waltermire). Bored and left alone to deal with her ailing and crazy grandmother (Janis Duley), Morgan soon becomes the target of a psycho caller. As the night gets weirder, paranoia begins to set in and Morgan is forced to face some of her worst fears and inner demons as she starts to believe that everyone she knows is either plotting against her or trying to kill her.

Anthony T's Horror Show: Episode 11 - The Best of 2018 Part 1

In the first of two parts of his look back at 2018, Anthony T goes into the awards portion as he gives out his horror whammies to the worst of 2018 and then he gives out his horror show awards for the best of 2018. Then, he recommends a film that quite possibly has the worst poster art in the history of cinema.

You can visit Dark Discussions on the web at: http://www.darkdiscussions.com

Dark Discussions is also available on iTunes, Goggle Play,, Stitcher and now Spotify.

Anthony T's Horror Show: Episode 11 - The Best of 2018 Part 1