Phil's Halloween Horror Watch: Phil attends the theatrical roadshow screening of VICTOR CROWLEY with Tiffany Shepis Live In-Person at the Osio Thater - October 8, 2017

Hello again and welcome back to my Halloween Horror Watch marathon! So in the previous post I mentioned that I was at the Osio Theater in Downtown Monterey to see two films. The second film would be a very special theatrical roadshow screening of filmmaker Adam Green's surprised latest installment of his HATCHET series VICTOR CROWLEY from Dark Sky Films!! To make the event even more amazing, Scream Queen actress Tiffany Shepis, who also appears in the film, was going to be there live in-person!!

The film's official synopsis: Andrew Yong has spent over a decade claiming that local legend Victor Crowley was responsible for the 2007 massacre that left over 40 dead. Yong’s allegations have been met with widespread disbelief, but when a twist of fate puts him back at the scene of the tragedy, Crowley is mistakenly resurrected and Yong must face the bloodthirsty ghost from his past.

Adam Green spent two years making the film in secrecy, which is an unbelievable feat unto itself!! On August 22, 2017, he surprised an unsuspecting audience during the “10th Anniversary” screening of the original HATCHET film that he held at the Arclight Theater in Hollywood with the film. Needless to say, the audience went completely batshit crazy!! The film received two standing ovations and Green announced that he would be taking the film on a theatrical roadshow around the country. As he mentions in his blog post after the screening he hopes, "that no one who saw the movie last night or who will be seeing it soon on this upcoming tour spoils anything about it on-line either." So, per Mr. Green's request, this will be a spoiler-free review.

Green proves that he still has it when it comes to delivering a film filled with laughs, blood and gore! The script is very funny and very clever, especially on how Victor Crowley comes back from the dead! It's rather quite genius if you ask me. It has a great three act story arc, fun characters and the kills are bloody plentiful. His directing is sharp, clean and fantastic; treating the Hatchet Army fanatics with a worthy installment in the HATCHET franchise!!

Actress Tiffany Shepis and I outside the Osio Theater.

The cast is incredible and give it their all! The iconic Kane Hodder returns once again as the indestructible Victor Crowley, who returns to kill again in his Honey Island Swamp again! The man hasn't lost a beat and his kills are freaking sick and bloody! Felicia Rose plays Andrew Young's publicist and she nails her part. Speaking of Young, actor Parry Shen brings depth to his role as well as laughs. Tiffany Shepis portrays Casey and is awesome in the part! Laura Ortiz of Holliston fame gives the performance of the year as Rose. Breakout Performance goes to actress Katie Booth for her portrayal of Chloe. She brings a lot of depth and vulnerability to the role and is phenomenal!

After the screening, Shepis participated in a fun-filled and informative Q&A with the audience. She recalled making the film in secrecy, working with Kane Hodder again, her humble beginnings as an upcoming actress, her Troma roots and what's up on the horizon regarding new projects she's currently involved in. Afterwards, she took pictures with her fans, and yours truly, finally got to meet this awesomely talented and lovely lady! This was one of the best nights of my life!

VICTOR CROWLEY is a funnier-than-hell, gore filled, bloody rollacoaster ride of a sequel of all time!! This was such a damn cool movie that I cannot wait for it to come out on Blu-Ray so I can watch it over and over again!! If this movie comes to a town near you, make it an effort to go see it on the big screen!! 5 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended!!

VICTOR CROWLEY is currently on a theatrical roadshow across the country. To view the film's schedule to see if it's playing near you, visit the ArieScope Pctures website at ariescope.com. To learn more about Dark Sky Films and their film library, visit their website at darkskyfilms.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil attends a special advanced screening of THE PURGE at the Century 20 Oakridge Mall-June 4, 2013

Every now and then I get passes for advance screening of films before they come out. This past Tuesday I was able to attend an advanced screening of the new film THE PURGE, which was held at the Century 20 in Oakridge Mall. After seeing the trailer for it for past couple of months, I was really looking forward to seeing the movie.

The film's synopsis: Set in the year 2022, in which the United States has become "a nation reborn", with crime and unemployment rates hitting an all-time low. To keep these rates low, the government has instated an annual 12-hour time period called "The Purge", during which people can vent their negative emotions because all crime (including murder) is legal and emergency services are suspended. During one of these free-for-alls, James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) and his family – wife Mary (Lena Headey), teenage daughter Zoey (Adelaide Kane) and younger son Charlie (Max Burkholder) – are tested to see how far they will go to protect themselves when they give refuge to a stranger seeking shelter, and their home is subsequently invaded by a ruthless gang of thugs.

Written and directed by James DeMonaco, the film is an interesting mix of horror, suspense, thriller, and social commentary. The threat of home invasion is true modern horror and it's something that we all fear. But if we're in our home during the invasion, it only makes it ten times more horrifying. How far are we wiling to go to protect our family? Are we willing to kill? To shed blood on our hands? These are some of the questions that are raised within the film.

The other social commentary I noticed was this: We as human beings get angry. If you are not allowed to show our anger, we repress it. But what happens if we can't express this anger for an entire year? How explosive will we become when we are allowed to show this anger? I know that I get angry every day because I work in sales. And if I have a bad day at work, look out! But here in the America of 2022, they are only allowed to get crazy for one night. But some see this annual Purge as a means to eradicate those that plague society's utopia, namely the homeless. So it begs the question: are we using the Purge Night to release out anger and frustration properly or are we using it as a excuse to make the country the way we see fit?

OK enough with the movie analysis! Let's talk about what I thought of the movie!

While Ethan Hawke does an extraordinary job of bring depth to his character James, and it was cool to see Lena Headey's Mary evolve over the duration of the film, I found it somewhat predictable. Maybe it's because I've seen so many horror films, and thrillers, and suspenseful flicks that at some point during the film, I called out what was going to happen next. And about 90% of it I was correct. But both Ethan and Lena have great on-screen chemistry and you believe that they are married. And look for out Australian actor Rhys Wakefield as the film's antagonist Henry! Truly a chilling performance that will give you nightmares! But like I said, I found it predictable. However, don't let this deturate you from seeing the film. If you want to see the film, then by all means go see it!

Overall THE PURGE is a good micro budget thriller that will have you think twice about buying an expensive alarm system. I wouldn't be surprised if people, after seeing the film, run out and by an house alarm. Just make sure it actually works! 3 out of 5 stars! Worth a look! 

THE PURGE is currently playing in theaters nationwide, including the Century Theaters here in the Bay Area. To view showtimes, visit their website at http://cinemark.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!