Phil's Halloween Horror Watch: UNFRIENDED (2014) from Universal Pictures-October 29, 2015

UNFRIENDED Blu-Ray Cover (2015)

UNFRIENDED
Starring: Heather Sossaman, Matthew Bohrer, Courtney Halverson, Shelley Hennig, Moses Storm, Will Peltz, Renee Olstead, Jacob Wysocki
Screenwriter: Nelson Greaves
Cinematographer: Adam Sidman
Director: Leo Gabriadze
Production Company: Blumhouse Productions & Bazelevs Company
Distributor: Universal Pictures

OK I'm sounding redundant! Seriously people I am!! After watching the dismal, piece of crap, sorry excuse of a horror film THE GALLOWS, the next film I decided to watch was UNFRIENDED, another Blumhouse Production. So I'm just asking for punishment this Halloween season! Why do you ask that? Read on and I'll explain it to you!!

The film's official synopsis: While video chatting one night, six high school friends receive a Skype message from a classmate who killed herself exactly one year ago. At first they think it's a prank, but when the girl starts revealing the friends' darkest secrets, they realize they are dealing with something out of this world, something that wants them dead.

Oh dear Lord where do I begin here?!? OK, if you haven't read my review of THE GALLOWS, click here and read it now. I'll wait right here for you when you're done.

Theatrical Movie Poster (2015)

Dum de dum dum de dum da dum da dum de dum dum de dum da dum da dum de dum dum de dum da dum da dum de dum dum de dum da dum. Dum de dum dum de dum da dum dum de dum dum de dum da dum. Dum de dum dum de dum da dum.......

Oh you're back? Alright then, everything you read in that review applies to this film as well.

Bad directing, bad story, bad characters, acting is so-so, but let me reiterate a statement I said in my last review that really does need repeating: THE FOUND FOOTAGE STYLE IS DEAD!! STOP MAKING THEM!! Horror fans don't want to see that anymore!! It's been done to death!! We're over it and it's time to move on!!

Now on to you Blumhouse Productions. Why?!? For the love of all things evil and unholy why did you make this piece of crap?!? I know I said the same thing about THE GALLOWS but still Jason!! You're freaking killing me over here!! Knock this crap off!!

Again, just like THE GALLOWS, the film got mixed reviews but grossed $62 million against a $1 million budget. So once again Blumhouse Productions makes a profit off us poor horror fans. Shame on you Jason Blum!!

So in conclusion, UNFRIENDED is tied with THE GALLOWS as one of the worst horror films of 2015. Hard to believe this but it's true my fellow horror hounds. There are two horror films that are just awful. Skip this one as well. 1 out of 5 stars! Avoid like the plague!!

UNFRIENDED is available on both DVD, BLU-Ray and on Video On Demand. To learn more about Blumhouse Productions visit their website at www.blumhouse.com.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the show!

Phil's Halloween Horror Watch: THE GALLOWS (2015) from Warner Bros. Pictures-October 29, 2015

THE GALLOWS Blu-Ray (2015)

THE GALLOWS
Starring: Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos, Cassidy Gifford
Screenwriters: Travis Cluff & Chris Lofing
Cinematographer: Edd Lukas
Directors: Travis Cluff & Chris Lofing
Production Companies: Blumhouse Productions, New Line Cinema, Management 360, Tremendum Pictures
Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures

Have you noticed that horror movies aren't very scary anymore? Seriously, when the hell did that happen? The majority of horror films coming out from the major studios have been atrocious. They aren't scary, they're mind numbingly boring, enormously unoriginal and just repeat the same schtick over and over and over again. A perfect example is the found footage style movie. Ever since THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT was released back in 1999 (holy crap has it been that long?!?), every Tom, Dick, and Mary have ripped off that style of filmmaking. And for some reason it's still being used to this very day. Want proof of this? Well look no further that the awful and not-so-scary horror film THE GALLOWS from Warner Brothers Pictures.

The film's official synopsis: Twenty years after an accident during a small town high school play results in death, students at the school resurrect the failed stage production in a misguided attempt to honor the anniversary of the tragedy - but ultimately find out that some things are better left alone.

Ok where do I start here? I mentioned it wasn't scary, correct? Ok just making sure. Did I mention that it's a stupid found footage style movie? Oh I said that too, huh? Well alright then. Ok how about this: did I mention it was unoriginal, uninspiring and unimaginably boring? Yup, I went there.

Theatrical Movie Poster (2015)

As you may or may not know, the trailer made it look super scary. You have footage of the film looking like it was made for us horror fanatics. Horrorfyingly creepy, teens screaming for their lives, unseen killer stalking them one by one. It looked genuinely scary. So my question is what the hell happened? How can the trailer be scarier and better than the film itself?!? Good grief Charlie Brown! I was expecting to be entertained and be creeped out and scared and all those fun emotions that we experience when we view a horror film. Instead I was looking at my phone a lot wondering when this sorry excuse of a horror movie was over so I can watch a good horror movie! 

So what was wrong with the movie exactly? Well besides all the good stuff was in the trailer and the found footage look is so over and I wish filmmakers would stop using it, the movie was very predicable, acting was about as good as a high school theater production (which is ironic since it takes place in a high school theater department), characters were so thin I could see through them and they were annoying me to death. Yes, I was cheering on their deaths. You seriously cannot blame me. If you saw the movie you'd do the same. Admit it! Admit it!! You better say yes dammit!!

The movie was "directed" by Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing. The reason I mention them is that I blame them for the hour and half I lost when I watched their movie. They also wrote the film as well, so I'm holding them personally responsible for this whole thing being made. Really guys? You two actually thought that you were making a good movie? Let alone a good horror movie? Ok I have not seen the short films you guys have done together but couldn't either one of you come up with a better plot? Or at least fleshed it out more so it reads like an intelligent monkey wrote it? And why the found footage style? Don't you guys know better? Horror fans don't want to see that anymore. It's been done to death. We're over it and it's time to move on.

Now hard to believe that Blumhouse Production helped make this piece of crap. Jason Blum has made some awesome films within the genre like THE PURGE series, the SINISTER series and the last film I reviewed THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN. Despite all the negative reviews, the film grossed a staggering $38.2 million dollars! Consider that fact that the film's budget was only a measly $100,000 so there was a huge profit made from this. But still Jason, please pick better project to greenlight next time!

THE GALLOWS is one of the wort horror films to released in 2015 so far. This movie was so bad I don't even want to rate it, just because it hurt me so damn bad. Literally, watching this movie made me violently ill and I had to vomit. Skip this film all together my fellow horrorhounds! 1 out of 5 stars!! Avoid this like the plague!!

THE GALLOWS is available on both DVD, BLU-Ray and on Video On Demand. To learn more about Blumhouse Productions visit their website at www.blumhouse.com.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the show!

Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon, Day 17: Phil sees V/H/S at the Camera 3 Downtown San Jose-October 17, 2012

My horror movie marathon continues with Day 17! So I headed back to Downtown San Jose to see another horror film. This time I went to the Camera 3 where I saw V/H/S, the new indie horror anthology. Now I first became aware of the film when I discovered the trailer for it on Youtube and it looked incredible! I was very excited to see this film! After yesterday's forgettable screening of SINISTER, I was so looking forward to this one. Now after I've watched it, I can honestly say that it is one of the worst horror films I have ever seen!

Here is the film's official synopsis: A POV, found footage horror film from the perspective of America's top genre filmmakers. A group of misfits are hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house in the countryside and acquire a rare tape. Upon searching the house, the guys are confronted with a dead body, a hub of old televisions and an endless supply of cryptic footage, each video stranger than the last.

So right off the bat, I would like to point out that the "found footage" idea has been done to death! With the release of 1999's THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, every wannabe filmmaker has ripped off the film's look and style. Soon there was a glut of horror movies that adapted the "found footage" style and look. So for all you upcoming filmmakers, let me give you some advise: DON'T MAKE A FOUND FOOTAGE FILM! IT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE! CREATE SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT!! THANK YOU FOR READING THIS!! AND YOU'RE WELCOME!!

The main story arc of the film (TAPE 56) was directed by Adam Wingard with shorts helmed by a slew of directors: AMATEUR NIGHT was directed by David Bruckner, SECOND HONEYMOON by Ti West, TUESDAY THE 17TH by Glenn McQuaid, THE SICK THING THAT HAPPENED TO EMILY WHEN SHE WAS YOUNGER was directed by Joe Swanberg, and 10/31/98 was directed by a quartet known as Radio Silence. Out of all of these shorts, the only decent ones were AMATEUR NIGHT and 10/31/98. The rest were all forgettable. I was really disappointed with SECOND HONEYMOON because I am a huge Ti West fan! With his two other films (THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL and THE INNKEEPERS), West has become of the most popular new filmmakers within the horror genre. However with his short, it went on way too long, and the payoff, which I did like, it wasn't worth the wait to get to it. Really a massive disappointment.

V/H/S gets my vote as one of the worst horror films of 2012! I really wanted to like this film, but it was just a complete waste of time and a complete pile of garbage! The only good part of the film was the trailer! 1 out of 5 stars! Avoid with a passion!

V/H/S is available On-Demand and is playing in select theaters nationwide. To see if it's playing in a town near you, visit the film's official website at www.magnetreleasing.com/vhs/.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the screaming!

Phil is quoted in the trailer for HATE CRIME-Setember 27, 2012

For those of you who read my reviews on a regular basis, you may remember that last month I had the privilege of reviewing an exclusive online screening of James Cullen Bressack's new horror film HATE CRIME, which I stated that, "No other horror film has left me this disturbed in quite some time." Well fast forward to Monday, September 24th, and my dear friend from Australia Rhiannon Irons aka Ahlephia (an extremely talented writer for the horror news website Truly Disturbing) tweeted me congrats. Having no idea what she was talking about, I replied back by asking her what she meant. She had informed me that the trailer for HATE CRIME was released and my quote was in the trailer! I couldn't believe it! I logged in on Youtube.com on my iPhone to watch it. And sure enough, about nine seconds into the trailer, there's my quote! The trailer had a series of quotes but mine was the first one! I was totally blown away and completely surprised! But also the trailer for the film looks so sick and grotesque that you can't help but want to watch the film!

How amazing is that trailer? Now this was a brutal movie to watch. The film hearkens back to the early 1970's when horror and exploitation films were so vulgar and so realistic that they were hard to watch. These films just nailed you to the back of the theater. HATE CRIME carries on that spirit, which is what we need now more than ever. With horror movies lacking real scares and true chills these days, here's a film that hits you right in the face! Kudos once again to Bressack for making horror films scary again!

You can follow James Cullen Bressack on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JamesCullenB. His film company Psykik Junky Pictures's website www.psykikjunkypictures.com is still under construction, but keep your eyes peeled for it to launch soon!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil gets an exclusive sneak peak at the new horror film HATE CRIME-Aug. 7, 2012

Now I have been very fortunate to attend many important film events and festivals so far this year. Tonight's film review came courtesy from the film's director himself, 20 year old indie filmmaker James Cullen Bressack. While on Facebook, Bressack messaged me and asked if I would be interested in reviewing his latest work, the horror film entitled HATE CRIME. I said yes of course, and he then emailed me a link to watch the film. So I sat back and was prepared to watch this very exclusive movie. After it was over, I couldn't believe what I had just saw!

The film's about a recently relocated family that is having a birthday party when their home is invaded by some unexpected guests. Now Bressack requested that I not give away any details of the plot in this review, and I will honor that request. However, let me just say that this was one of the most brutal films that I have seen in a very long time!

The film is shot in the "Found Footage" vein, ie THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, THE DEVIL INSIDE, and those type of films. But what sets this film apart from those that came before is that this felt much more real. Hate crimes still exist out there, and the story told here could very well happen! With the recent climate of openly hate towards having a black president, gays having the right to marry, illegal aliens, and so forth, we have come full circle as to what this country was like during the 1960s. Those who were part of the making of this film deserve to be praised for showing us (and reminding us) that even though we have made major advances in our country, we as a society have not yet learned how to get along with one another.

This is an ugly movie to watch; dealing with such a heavy subject mater, but what gives the film its authenticity are the powerful performances by the entire cast. So let me just congratulate Jody Barton, Maggie Wagner, Nicholas Clark, Sloane Morgan Siegel, Greg Depetro, Debbie Diesel, Tim Moran, and Ian Roberts on an outstanding job of conveying such a high level of realism in the film. Scared, terrified, anger, confusion, and hate are just some of the emotions that are found within the frames. This couldn't have been an easy film to act in, and all of these amazing actors and actresses deserve a round of applause!

Of course credit must also go to Bressack, who directed and wrote the film (along with Jarret Cohen). There were no punches pulled in this film. Skillfully crafted with such intensity and preciseness, one has to wonder how will  Bressack top this film!

HATE CRIME is one of my top picks for Best Horror Film this year! If Wes Craven's THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT had rapped Bryan Bertino's THE STRANGERS, this would be the bastard offspring of that incident. No other horror film has left me this disturbed in quite some time. And once you've seen this, I can guarantee it that you will be too! Five out of five stars!!

You can follow James Cullen Bressack on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JamesCullenB. His film company Psykik Junky Pictures's website www.psykikjunkypictures.com is still under construction, but keep your eyes peeled for it to launch soon!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil sees THE DEVIL INSIDE at the Camera 12-January 21, 2012

So since I'm still healing from my severe sprang ankle, I thought it would be more fun to heal inside a movie theater. So I ventured out to the Camera 12 in Downtown San Jose to see a plethora of films! The first film I saw on Saturday was the first horror film release of 2012. Now being a horror fan, I always get excited when I hear new horror film is coming to the big screen. However, in the case with THE DEVIL INSIDE, I really wish that this was a good horror film worth seeing on the big screen.

Theatrical Movie Poster (2012)

The film is supposedly inspired by true events. In 1989, three clergy men are killed by a woman named Maria Rossi (Suzan Crowley), who phoned 911 to inform the authorities of her murders. She is tried and found to be criminally insane and is sent to a mental hospital in Italy. Twenty years later her daughter Isabella (Fernanda Andrade) travels to Italy to search for answers to what exactly happened that night. Accompanying her is Michael Schaefer (Ionut Grama), a documentary filmmaker who is filming her journey of revelations. Once there they met two priests: Father Ben Rawlings (Simon Quarterman) and Father David Keane(Evan Helmuth). When she tells them that the murders committed by her mother accrued during an exorcism, they begin to suspect that Maria is possessed and begin to perform an exorcism, without the authorization of the church. However things become more complicated as the young priests discover that Isabella's mother is suffering from a "multi-demon possession," which in turn causes havoc among the foursome.

There are numerous flaws to be found within this film. One is the so-called "found footage" that has just been done to death. Ever since the release of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT in 1999 (jeez has it been thirteen years already?), there have been numerous films that have copied the film's idea and premise. Films like the infamous AUGUST UNDERGROUND series, the very popular and highly successful CLOVERFIELD, the cool creepiness of the Spanish series [REC.], to the overly drawn out and incredibly boring PARANORMAL ACTIVITY trilogy, the "found documentary" idea is now officially been "done to death!" If this film was released over ten years ago, it would have been hailed as a breath of fresh air, a monumental movie event in both the film world and in the horror genre. But it didn't come out ten years ago, and now the only horror caused by the film is our empty wallets.

Another factor that I didn't care for was the "documentary footage" that was found and pieced together. Now, I have seen a great many documentaries, and since I've made a couple of documentaries (and helped out on others), the aspect that removed me from the film, from almost at the very beginning, was the "look" of the documentary. It didn't look "real," like an actual documentary. It was too staged, too precised and too rehearsed. The acting was way too stiff and unbelievable for me. Nothing felt like it was actually happening, like in most documentaries. The elements of surprise, shock, and truth are important to have in the world of docs. This film didn't have any of these factors and since I was taken out of the film, almost right from the start, I had a hard time sitting through the next hour and a half.

Now the 911 audio call in the very beginning of the film really impressed me. It was creepy, very disturbing to hear, and having to hear this with just a black screen with the audio playing was very effective. Of course, I thought it was a going to be "one of the most horrifying films" to be released, but alas, that wasn't the case. Granted it was somewhat more tolerable than THE LAST EXORCISM but not as atrocious than THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE. But let's face facts people, with 1973's THE EXORCIST, no other film can come close to what that film has done and therefore it is the film that all other exorcism or devil/religious films are measured by. My advise is to stay away from making a film like this. It has already been made, perfectly made for that matter, and so let's move on from this particular sub-genre.

THE DEVIL INSIDE is 2012's first worst horror film to be released. Hopefully the horror world can bounce back from this nauseating piece of cinematic rubbish. What the horror genre needs are new voices, new ideas, and new talented filmmakers that will transcend the genre into something worth being scared of. Until then, let this film rot in Hell for all eternity.

THE DEVIL INSIDE is currently playing in theaters nationwide, including at the Camera Cinemas here in the Bay Area. To view showtimes, visit their website at www.cameracinemas.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!