Fright Night 2: New Blood (2013)

Vampires have almost always been around in some form or another. In the 80’s a great vampire flick named Fright Night helped put a modern spin on the vampires of the past. Shortly after its sequel (Fright Night II) arose from the coffin but failed to turn any heads. Fast forward to 2011, A remake steps into the light. Capitalizing on the success of many Real-D movies beforehand Fright Night re-emerges with a fresh new spin on the classic 80’s fare, and a hip new cast. Which leads me 2 year after…yet another remake has stepped forth, but in the form of a sequel.

Fright-Night-2-AFright Night 2: New Blood is straight-to-video film about 3 friends studying abroad in Romania. One of the students starts getting suspicious about his teacher and soon finds out that some secrets
are better left unknown. The film was good, but unfortunately none of the actors of the first remake reprised their roles for this installation. While it would have been nice to see the character back for a second time it wasn’t necessary, because this film has nothing to do with any of the events in the first. The only similarities between this film and Fright Night (remake) are the characters names.

This is where I became confused. The film’s title is Fright Night 2, it has pretty much all of the same characters, but are not connected at all. Usually with a sequel containing the same characters, the film would be a continuation of the last…this is unfortunately not the case at all. Directed by Eduardo Rodriguez, Fright Night 2 is its own film. There is no story continuation. It acts like the original remake never happened. Jerry Dandrige is now Gerri Dandrige and is female. The characters of Charley and Ed still seek out Peter Vincent who is the host of a paranormal hunt show.

With this slight over site out of the way, the film is still rather good. The acting was done very well. Will Payne does a good job as Charley. Chris Waller is almost a spot on Ed. And Sacha Parkinson is a wonderful Amy. The stand out of the film for me however, was the gorgeous Jamie Murray (Dexter). Here portrayal of the now female Gerri Dandrige was great. She’s screams sex throughout the entire movie. Even when she vamps out she has this sex appeal the really makes the character of Gerri stand out.

There is a lot of red stuff in this film, most of which is CGI effects but it’s done with a very fine precision and looks polished. The viewer gets blessed with a throat slitting, an eye stabbing, tons of crucifix burns, and a sunshine evisceration. The film also boasts a very high t&a count, with a full frontal female nudity & some various booby shots. There is not much for the female views except for Sean Powers shirtless…sorry ladies.

As I said the film is good. I wish it were called “Fright Night: New Blood” but I understand why Fox decided to release it that way. I would defiantly look into this film as it really was entertaining and fun. GLP gives this blood sucker a 3 out of 5 stabs for good story, acting, and visual effects. Fright Night 2 is available on DVD and Blu-Ray/DVD Combo.

GLP Rating:

3 stabs

Banshee Chapter (2013)

Mind control, hallucinogenic drugs, government experiments, mysterious radio broadcasts…These are all things that have at, one point or another, I have been curious about. The scary truth about most of these, is that we (civilians) do not know much about these things.  Government experiments alone are enough to make my skin crawl, not to mention the numbers stations.

Banshee Chapter is about Anna (Katia Winter), a journalist looking to uncover the truth about the mysterious disappearance of her friend James (Michael McMillian). The deeper she gets into uncovering the mystery…the farther she spirals into a world of government cover ups, testing, and mysterious radio broadcasts.

Banshee Chapter is a film that blends many different styles of horror into one. Directed by newcomer Blair Erickson,  the film utilizes found footage, archival footage, and traditional shooting Banshee Chapter Posterstyles to portray its story. The film sets a nice pace early on, and it keeps it up throughout most of film. From the amount of things that are intertwined to comprise the story, the film could have easily been convoluted and hard to follow. Written by Daniel J. Healy and adapted for the screen by Blair Erickson, The film story is strong, and keeps you on your toes.

The acting was another big plus for the film. Banshee Chapter stars Ted Levine (Silence of The Lambs, Joyride), Katia Winter (Dexter, Fox’s Sleepy Hollow), & Michael McMilian (True Blood).  All three did an amazing job with their roles, but Levine and Winter were outstanding throughout.  Levine’s character Thomas Blackburn, resembles that of Hunter S. Thompson which was an added bonus.

The film is rather light on the gore. Fans of red stuff get a few blood sprays and some intestine entrails. The special effects of the film are subtle but pulled off well with lighting tricks and camera angles. We were also treated to deformed humans, which is a pretty cool treat.

Banshee Chapter is a smart and thought provoking film that will make you really think about what you think you know. The film is shot, written, and acted very well and was a very nice way to start the new year! GLP gives this conspiracy theorist dream a solid 4 out of 5 stabs for creative story, great acting, and solid effects. You can find the movie on Amazon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhrYDiaSo_s

 

GLP Rating:

4 stabs

Cross Bearer (2012)

Usually I’m hot and cold with indie horror. I feel a lot of indie film makers use horror as a…means to an end, they are some of the easiest films to make, you don’t need an extremely large budget, and almost everyone wants to “die” on camera. Needless to say when I had the pleasure of meeting Adam Ahlbrandt at Horror Hound Weekend in Indianapolis back in September, I was a bit skeptical. Don’t get me wrong, Adam was a very nice guy and we had a very nice conversation about our favorite franchise (Friday the 13th) but ultimately I realize he was there to sell and promote his film. With that said I thought he was just trying to make a sale and hype up the film, I was wrong.  Adam is a totally awesome dude and after talking at the con, I hit him up on Facebook and asked to review the film. So now we are here.

Cross Bearer is a good movie, I was entertained through out its entirety. My warning to readers is that it is a genre film. My guess is that most casual horror fans will not enjoy this film…partly because of the content and the fact that they wont understand it. It’s an easy story to follow, but the excess nudity and sleaze will more than likely turn away the casuals, While bringing out all of the true genre fans foaming at the mouth.

Cross BearerThe film is about a dancer (Natalie Jean) who is trying to turn her life around, after devising a plan with her girlfriend (Kacie Marie) figure out a way to turn their life around. Only there plan takes a drastic turn when they face the judgment of god. I think the story is great. I always find some form of fascination from religious yahoos, I mean people really do kill for their religious beliefs every day, that much is evident over seas. So when I see films and stories of people killing in the name of Christianity and shit like that, it puts chills down my spine. That shit could actually happen!

I think my favorite aspects of the film are the special effects and cinematography. I am not sure what the budget of the film was but regardless the makeup effects were very good. Gore Hounds should be satisfied with the amount of red stuff and over the top head bashing’s. At one point the killer gets crazy with a head & hammer and turns a skull into brain soup. The cinematography was set up well in the beginning of the film offering some unusual camera angles, then once the action starts becomes a by the book slasher thrill ride that will leave you utterly satisfied. You may also notice some tracks from the band CKY which make an appearance in the film. Which is fitting due to former member Deron Miller is an avid horror film and CKY stands for Camp Kill Yourself.

The film has its share of faults. Some editing mishaps here and there and a bit of overacting, however it do not take away from the overall aspect of the film. There is a scene of banter between the cast that takes place in the car. while it is written well, and is a believable conversation, I felt the actress’s delivery was forced. Almost as if she was reading straight off the script.

This film also has its fair share of sleaze. Numerous boob shots and sex scenes, strip club montage, and some hilarious horror porn clips that will leave you laughing. Unfortunately for the ladies, there are not much in the way of guys, better luck next time. For sheer nudity alone…A++

Collectively I enjoyed Cross Bearer. Writer and Director Adam Ahlbrandt did a really good job with making this project a reality. GLP gives this indie blood bath a 3 out of 5 stabs for great practical effects, cinematography, and creative story. If you are interested in learning more about the movie or getting it for yourself check out the movies official website.

 

GLP Rating:

3 stabs

Presidents Day (2013)

In the 80’s, horror fans were treated to a very common slasher theme. Holiday Slasher films became very popular and as a result ton sof titles were subsequently released. Titles like Silent Night, Deadly Night, My Bloody Valentine, April Fools Day, New Years Evil, Halloween were flying off of home video shelves and filling theaters alike. However as the genre died so did the amount of holiday-based slasher movies. Sure some still trickled into video stores but, those really didn’t do anything for seasoned fans. Its hasn’t been until recently that holiday slasher films have started making a slight comeback,Granted most are in the form of remakes like My Bloody Valentine 3D, Rob Zombie’s Halloween 1 & 2, Silent Night, but I’m also seeing some upcoming original films like Easter Sunday… and the yet to be made Eli Roth fake trailer Thanksgiving! Presidents Day is no exception to this group!

Written by Jimmy George & Chris LaMartina Presidents Day is basically about a slack named Berry, he gets a hard on for the new girl and notices she’s running for student council president. As a way to get to know her more, Berry also runs for President. Little do they know another President is in the running, and this time he’s killing the competition.Presidents Day

Being that the film was shot in 2009 and just now released,gave me worries but Presidents Day is a really good new slasher film.Everything is good about this film. Acting, Practical Effects, Story, Editing,and Directing are all just pieces of what makes this film so successful. The film notably stars Bennie Mack McCoy IV as Berry, Lizzy Denning as Joanna,Nicolette le Faye as Chelsea, fellow film reviewer Shawn C. Phillips as Dennis and Ryan Thomas as Officer Kennedy. All the actors, even the ones I didn’t name did great jobs with their respective roles. I felt that every character was believable and seemed like they were all around the age of high school students. Bennie was the stand out for me, he did some subtle thing in reactions and mannerisms that really helped bring a fluid & natural feel to his character.

The gore in the film was done very well, and the body count is very high. Practical effects took the lead in the effects department offering up some choppings, decaps, slices, dices, burnings, hangings, suffocation,smashing, some comical dismembering, and more. This film is not without the red stuff and gore hounds should be satisfied. Also the film boasts some skin for the guys including two breast shots, and a lingerie shot. The ladies are out of luck on this one, sorry girls better luck next time.

The story is fluid and there were no big plot holes or continuity errors. My only disappointment is I knew who the killer was right off the bat. It doesn’t take anything away from the film as the reveal was still good, I just had my suspicions. Editing of the film was also very well done, no harsh cuts or terrible dialogue levels, I believe this can be attributed to the direction of Chris LaMartina, nothing was out of place or weird. We got some fairly straight forward shots and as a result the film is easily watchable.

Obviously, GLP loved Presidents Day and we thing you will to, It does everything a slasher film is supposed to do. Independent films are taking the for front of Horror and I am not complaining. GLP gives Presidents day a solid 4 out of 5 stabs for great story, gore, acting, and behind the scenes work. I highly suggest hunting down this film and grabbing your copy. It’s a great flick and has classic written all over it. The film is currently available on DVD through Amazon.

GLP Rating:

4 stabs

Cassadaga (2011)

The best part of finding a movie that is actually worth watching, is when comes in the form of something that you normally would not have given the time of day. With the film dabbling in such topics as murder, psychics, and self mutilation the film takes itself seriously and doesn’t let up until the final reel.

Directed by Anthony DiBlasi, Cassadaga is a film about a deaf woman who uproots her life after she experiences a devastating tragedy. Not long moving to a new town she realizes that something is not quite right when she starts experiencing unexplainable events. Written by Bruce Wood & Scott Poiley, Cassadaga’s strengths lies in its story. The tale is an intriguing one at that and guessing whos the killer is the best part. The film seems familiar at times but seems to come into its own as the film progresses.

Cassadaga Movie PosterCassadaga stars Kelen Coleman, Kevin Alejandro, and Academy Award Winner Louise Fletcher. The acting in the film is not bad, there are some parts that could be better. Overall the actors did a very good job with their respective rolesThe beautiful Kelen Coleman did a wonderful job as the deaf Lily, however I really wish the writers would have incorporated more barriers with Lily’s disability. The way the character was portrayed was like she wasn’t deaf at all. Kelen did a great job, and in the process showed off some pretty decent talent in the process. Kevin Alejandro (True Blood) did a decent job as Mike, although I feel his acting skill was best put to use in his time on True Blood. The other actors in the film did a good job with their respective roles and helped take the film to another level.

My favorite aspect of the film was that of the serial killer dubbed “Geppetto”. His story is twisted, dark and all around creepy which makes for good cinema. What makes Geppetto such a strong selling point for me is because i don’t recall seeing it before. As the amazing poster art implies Geppetto turns his victims into human marionette puppets! That alone would be creepy enough, but as it turns out, is a major selling point for the film.

When talking about the effects the film, the crew makes use of some decent film & sound editing techniques. As for special effects make-up the film boasts limb removal, self mutilation, some maggots, rotting corpses, and a pretty cool ghost makeup. Also for the subject matter in the film, its rather light on red stuff. Thats is ok because the film doesn’t need the gore shocks to get it point across. It mainly uses creepy imagery and atmosphere to get its point across. As for skin…forget about it…You get 1 or two scenes of the gorgeous Kelen running around in short nightgown, and on strategically placed camera angle during a love scene.

Cassadaga is a very good horror movie with ideas of its own. With solid cast, a great script, and a fine director the film stays true to itself and delivers of good original storytelling. A unique killer, with a pension for puppets brings the film to a whole new level of creepiness as well. GLP gives this indie gem a solid 4 out of 5 stabs for creative killer, script, and acting. If you are interested in getting the movie you can find the DVD here.

 

GLP Rating:

4 stabs