Phil wishes everyone a Happy Halloween - October 31, 2018

Welcome back horror hounds to Phil's Halloween Horror Watch! So, as some of you may have noticed, I didn't keep up with my blogging this month. Well, I have a very good reason for this. During the last weekend of October, my girlfriend and I moved into our new place! Yes, I was very exited about this! However, what made it so damn frustrating was that AT&T kept on flaking on setting up our Internet service! As a result, there was no way that I could write up my reviews even though I was still watching my movies. Now, to remedy this, I am going to post the rest of the movies that I watched, complete with the film's synopsis. Sit back, relax, and read on!

Day 22: SCALPEL (1976) from Arrow Video. The film's official synopsis: US television staple Robert Lansing (Star Trek, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone) stars as a deranged surgeon in this twisty-turny psychological thriller from Blood Rage director John Grissmer. In the film, Lansing plays Dr. Phillip Reynolds, a man whose daughter Heather (Judith Chapman, As the World Turns, General Hospital) has run away from home a year prior following the suspicious death of her boyfriend. When he happens across a young woman one night, her face beaten beyond recognition, the unhinged Reynolds sees his an opportunity to put his trusty scalpel to use – hatching a plan to “reconstruct” her face in the image of his missing daughter, and so claim her sizeable inheritance.

Day 23: TO HELL AND BACK: THE KANE HODDER STORY (2017) from Dread Central Presents. The film's official synopsis: Featuring interviews and appearances by fellow icons Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), Cassandra Peterson (Elvira), Bruce Campbell (Ash Vs Evil Dead), Director Adam Green (the Hatchet franchise) and many more, TO HELL AND BACK: THE KANE HODDER STORY is the must-see documentary of the year.

Day 24: HOUSE OF THE DEAD (aka ALIEN ZONE) () from Vinegar Syndrome. The film's official synopsis: Four tales of intrigue and horror await anyone brave enough to enter the HOUSE OF THE DEAD… When a philandering husband accidentally finds himself lost during a rainstorm, he’s taken in by an elderly mortician and is forced to learn the ghastly origins of four freshly arrived corpses: a scornful teacher whose students teach her a fatal lesson, an amateur filmmaker with a deadly muse, two dueling detectives attempting to solve a mysterious murder, and a bitter man whose arrogance costs him everything.

Day 25: THE MUTILATOR (1984) from Arrow Video. The film's official synopsis: When Ed receives a message from his father asking him to go and lock up the family’s beach condo for the winter, it seems like the perfect excuse for an alcohol-fueled few days away with his friends. But no sooner are the teens on the island than they find themselves stalked by a figure with an axe (and a hook, and an outboard motor) to grind.

Day 26: EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL at the San Jose Stage One Theater. The musical's synopsis:

Day 27: THE CHURCH (1981) from Scorpion Releasing. The film's official synopsis: In the middle of a modern city, an ancient evil is about to awaken! An elaborate cathedral that was once the site of a medieval massacre by crusading knights becomes a deadly trap for a group of visitors and staff when a sealed crypt is accidentally reopened. The laws of reality soon collapse as a nightmare takes hold and claims the lives of those within one by one, threatening to unleash a supernatural pestilence upon the world!

Day 28: BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON () from Scream Factory. The film's official synopsis: You know legendary maniacs Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger. Now meet Leslie Vernon, the next great psycho-slasher. Nathan Baesel (Invasion) stars as Vernon, a good-natured killing machine who invites a documentary film crew to follow him as he reminisces with his murder mentor (Scott Wilson, The Walking Dead), evades his psychiatrist/nemesis (Robert Englund, A Nightmare On Elm Street), deconstructs Freudian symbolism, and meticulously plots his upcoming slaughter spree. But when the actual carnage begins, where do you draw the line between voyeuristic thrills, mythic evil, and good old-fashioned slasher movie mayhem?

Day 29: THE SLAYER (2006) from Arrow Video. The film's official synopsis: Two young couples set off to a secluded island for what promises to be a restful retreat. But the peace is short-lived: as a storm batters the island, troubled artist Kay begins to sense that a malevolent presence is here with them, stalking them at every turn. Is she losing her mind, or are her childhood nightmares of a demonic assailant coming to terrifying life?

Day 30: THE WITCHING SEASON (2015) from Scream Team Releasing. The film's official synopsis: Reminiscent of television shows like ‘Tales from the Darkside’ and ‘Tales from the Crypt’, The Witching Season is a five episode spine-tingling anthology of horror and suspense packed into one disc that delivers original tales of terror that capture the spirit of the Halloween season.

Day 31: TALES OF HALLOWEEN (2015) from Epic Pictures. The film's official synopsis: Named "the best horror anthology since Trick 'r Treat" by Fangoria and "among the best Halloween-themed horror movies ever made" by DailyDead, this critically acclaimed film weaves together ten chilling tales from horror's top directors. Ghosts, ghouls, monsters, and the devil delight in terrorizing unsuspecting residents of a suburban neighborhood on Halloween night.

And folks, there you have it! Another Halloween Horror Watch has come to a scary conclusion! I would like to thank all of you out there for reading my blog and I hope you've enjoyed learning about some of these horror films, cult classics, and modern day indie hits!

Thanks for reading, and Happy Halloween!

Phil's Halloween Horror Watch: TERRIFIER (2017) from Dread Central Presents - October 16, 2018

TERRIFIER Blu-Ray

TERRIFIER
Starring David Howard Thornton, Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi, Catherine Corcoran, Katie Maguire, Matt McAllister
Screenplay by Damien Leone
Cinematography by George Steuber
Edited by Damien Leone
Produced by Larry Bilello, Phil Falcone, Damien Leone, Joe Patrick Marshall, George Steuber, Adam Weber
Directed by Damien Leone
Released by Dread Central Presents

Hello everybody and welcome to Day 16 of my Halloween Horror Watch! So, there's a lot of people in the world who are deathly afraid of clowns. And to be honest, clowns are pretty damn creepy. Even though they're somewhat funny and are there for the kids, adults have grown to be scared of them, and rightly so. There have been some terrifying clowns in the horror genre, such as Pennywise from IT, the space clowns from KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE, and Captain Spaulding from THE DEVIL'S REJECTS. Now you can add Art the Clown from TERRIFIER from Dread Central Presents to that lengthly list.

The film's official synopsis: Based on a character from the cult anthology, All Hallows Eve, the gory 80's slasher throwback takes place on Halloween night as the demented Art the Clown sets his sights on terrorizing two girls and anyone else that gets in his way.

After watching the film for the first time in the comfort of my home, I was thinking to myself, "What the fuck did I just watch?!?" Yeah, this is one fucked up horror movie!! It has that old school, 1970's grindhouse horror film aesthetic that the movie nails you to the back of the theater and doesn't let go till the end credits. It's also super nasty, meaning everything about it makes you feel dirty watching it. So afterwards, I took a very long shower! Then, I took another shower!

Credit goes to actor David Howard Thornton for his performance of Art the Clown, one of the most horrifying clowns I have ever seen in a horror film! Thorton was a trained mime and brings a lot of this experience to his character. He doesn't speak a word and he doesn't have to: his body language, his mannerism, his facial expressions, every little thing he does adds to mystic to his role as Art the Clown. If he doesn't get some kind award for his acting, then there is no justice in the world! He is that damn phenomenal!!

Original Theatrical Poster (2018)

Also contributing to Art's night of horrors are actresses Jenna Kanell and Catherine Corcoran as Tara and Dawn, respectively. As the first two female victims of the night, they are put through the ringer in terms of being attacked, tied to a chair, and hung upside down naked while being sawed in half while still alive!! Holy shit that was fucking sick looking!! Both Kanell and Corcoran are amazing in the film, as is Samantha Scaffidi, who plays Tara's sister Victoria. Scaffidi had the pleasure of being the only survivor of Art the Clown's reign of terror, but the aftermath has left he severely scared! Congratulations to these fine ladies for being part of the film!!

The movie was written, directed, and edited by Damien Leone, who also made the 2013 film ALL HALLOW'S EVE, which is where Art the Clown originated. Leone bring an intensity to his directing style: it's unflinching, in-your-face, uncompromising, and unrelenting! His camera does not shy away from the violence at all! We are forced to see everything, which will put off some but it's nonetheless effective storytelling. The story is also straight-forward, and doesn't offer much as for Art's motivation and why he does what he does. Truth be told, we don't really need to know this. Do we need to know why Michael Myers wanted to kill Laurie Strode? No we don't, so we don't need to know why he's killing all these people. He's just a fucking psychotic individual who kills people! Period! And I'm totally fine with this!

The film premiered at the Telluride Horror Show Film Festival in 2016, and then went on to play at the Horror Channel FrightFest. it was picked up for distribution by Dread Central Presents, an imprint of Epic Pictures specializing in horror, sci-fi, and fantasy films. They released the movie in a limited theatrical release and also in a Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack. The film was also just added on Netflix back in September.

The Blu-Ray/DVD Combo come with some cool special features, including an Audio Commentary with writer/director Damien Leone and David H. Thorton (Art the Clown), Behind-The-Scenes Footage, Interview with Jenna Kanell, Deleted Scenes, Art the Clown Time Lapse Make-Up Video, Stills, both the Red-Band & Green-Band Trailers, English and Spanish subtitles and Collectible Reverse Cover Art.

TERRIFIER is one of the most shocking, grotesque and insane horror films of the past decade!! This movie is not for the faint at heart! If you like your horror movies outrageously batshit crazy and covered in blood and guts, this one was made for you! I fucking dare you to watch this movie alone in the dark this Halloween!! Just make sure Art the Clown isn't watching you!! Not since the original TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE has a film felt this visceral and disturbing!! 5 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended!!

TERRIFIER is available in a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack from Dread Central Presents and Epic Picture. To purchase a copy for yourself, visit their website at epic-pictures.com. The film is also streaming to watch on Netflix. To start your subscription, visit their website at www.netflix.com.


Thanks for reading, and enjoy the horror!