Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon, Day 8: Phil reviews DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK (2009) DVD from IFC Films-October 8, 2012

Original DVD Cover (2012)

DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK
Starring: Jen Soska, Slyvia Soska, Rikki Gagne, C.J. Wallis, Tasha Moth, Lloyd Bateman, and Farley M. Gagne
Written, Produced, and Directed by The Soska Sisters
A Twisted Twins Productions
Released by IFC Films

Welcome to Day Eight of my Halloween Horrors Marathon! When you think about countries that have contributed to the horror and exploitation genre, majority of the time Canada has either been overlooked or forgotten. The films that our neighbors to the north have made are now considered to be classics among fans. Films like 1974's BLACK CHRISTMAS, 1981's MY BLOODY VALENTINE and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (and recent additions like HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN and FATHER'S DAY) have been regarded as influential films that have inspired countless aspiring movie makers. Enter the Soska twins, Jen and Sylvia, who on a shoestring budget of just $2,500 have added another title to this illustrious list of Canadian films. The end result is that their debut film DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK is a modern day exploitation classic that lives up to the high standards set forth by its cinematic predecessors.

Taking place in the beautiful city of Vancouver, the film follows four individuals: Badass (Sylvia), her twin sister Geek (Jen), Badass' rock star friend Junckie (Rikki Gagne) and Geek's Bible thumping, Jesus loving friend Goody Two-Shoes (C.J. Wallis). The day starts off when Geek asks her sister Badass and Junkie to take her to pick up Goody from Youth Group. After they pick him up, their normal day of doing errands becomes more complicated when they discover a dead hooker in their trunk. This spirals into a journey of them trying to dispose of the body and figure out whether of not Badass and Junkie were responsible for killing the hooker. To make matters worse, the hooker's cowboy hat wearing pimp is hot on their trail as well as a mysterious hooded psychopathic killer who may hold the answers that the four friends are searching for.

Original Movie Poster (2011)

The film is filled with eccentric and over-the-top characters, a lot of violence consisting of hooker beatings, gun shootings, Junkie's arm being chopped off, then sewn on only to be torn off by a passing semi truck, brains being blown out, and a baseball bashing that knocks out Geek's right eye. So right there you know you're going to have fun watching this! And this was just the tip of the iceberg folks! Needless to say there's more but I want you readers to be surprised.

The Soska do their best to entertain you by giving you snappy and colorful dialogue, a good amount of Tarentino-esque violence, great FX and buckets of blood and gore that would make Troma fans gush with joy. Now some might complain about the shakiness of the camera. At first I was put off by this, but after viewing it a couple of more times I didn't even noticed it anymore. I was too involved in watching the hilarity and madness unfold before my eyes. My attention was focused on these characters and their nightmare situations they find themselves in. Plus in the world of independent filmmaking, the main thing is this: you make your film and you make it on the cheap. Half the time you can only get one take and that's it. A lot of the time you are shooting on the fly and forget about getting permits. Like the great Roger Corman said, "Just go out there and shoot!" So the Soska sisters are to be commended to their commitment of their vision and getting their film made.

The film is released by IFC Films as part of their midnight series. The special features include deleted and alternate scenes, a funny and interesting behind the scenes feature, an interview with filmmaker/EL MARIACHI star Carlos Gallardo who talks about indie filmmaking with the Soska twins. He briefly talks about his indie film SINGLE ACTION, which was shot on 16mm film for only $11,000, The interview is very brief and it would have been interesting to see more of this, but still it's very cool to see. There's also the film's theatrical trailer as well as several trailers for upcoming IFC Films releases, including the infamous THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE II: FULL SEQUENCE.

DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK is a fun-thrilled, gore soaked, feel-good exploitation ride of the year! The film also shows that Canada has more to offer than just hockey, beer, and Rush. The spirit of independent filmmaking is going strong there and it also shows that we will be seeing more of the Soska sisters in the very near future (their next film is the highly anticipated AMERICAN MARY). So if you're looking for a fun midnight movie to watch, then this is right up your alley. 5 out of 5 stars! Highly recommended!

DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK is currently available at your local retailer as well as at Jen and Sylvia's Twisted Twins Productions website. To purchase a copy visit www.deadhookerinatrunk.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the sreaming!

Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon, Day 7: Phil reviews FATHER'S DAY (2011) 4-Disc Set from Troma Entertainment-October 7, 2012

FATHER'S DAY Blu-Ray/DVD Combo

FATHER'S DAY
Starring: Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, Conor Sweeney, Amy Groening, Brent Neale, Garrett Hnatiuk, Meredith Sweeney, Mackenzie Murdock, Lloyd Kaufman
Written, Produced, and Directed by Astron-6
Distributed by Troma Entertainment

Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon continues with Day Seven! Today's film is the latest release from Troma Entertainment, one of the oldest independent studios in America. Teaming up with the Canadian film group called Astron-6, the movie FATHER'S DAY combines grindhouse thrills, gore, sex, blood, and nudity in glorious fashion the likes that I have never seen before!

The film chronicles the journey of Ahab (Brooks), a man who extracted revenge against the man who murdered his dad, Chris Fuchman AKA The Father's Day Killer (Murdock). Several decades later, a brutal series of fathers being raped and killed forces Ahab to come out of hiding to find out if the Fuchman has returned from the dead. He teams up with a young priest named Father John Sullivan (Kennedy) and a street hustler named Twink (Sweeney) so they can stop the Fuchman's reign of terror and rescue Ahab's sister Chelsea (Groening).

When I first saw the film, I was at a loss for words. And this is me we're talking about! The film is off the charts! However this movie is not for the squeamish. There are multiple scenes of male rape, tons of male nudity (but there's also plenty of female nudity), graphic gore and even genital mutilation. In spite of all that, this is actually a comedy that serves as both a homage and a satire of exploitation films. It falls in the same vein as other recent Canadian independent films like HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN and DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK. Also, it has the best Lloyd Kaufman cameo ever, as he shows up as both God and Satan (which pretty much sums up his personality). Now when you watch the film, even though it's low budget, it looks rather expensive. Believe it or not, the film's budget was only $10,000! The movie looks incredible, which once again reinforces my point that you don't need a lot of money to make your film. Just go out there and make your own damn movie!

Theatrical Movie Poster (2011)

The group Astron-6 are based in Canada and have been making short films together for a number of years. FATHER'S DAY is their first full length feature and it has already won several awards at film festivals all across the globe: Best Film - A Night of Horror International Film Festival 2012, Best Director - A Night of Horror International Film Festival 2012, Best Film - Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2011. It was also featured on the March 2012 issue of Canada's horror magazine Rue-Morgue (Issue 120).

The Limited Edition 4 Disc set is outrageous! You get the film on Blu-Ray, on standard DVD, there's a second DVD with the special features: Deleted Scenes, Special FX Featurettes, Slide Show, Original Teaser Trailer and Original Trailer, Astron-6 Shorts! Plus you get a CD of the film's awesome soundtrack! Limited to only 5,000 copies!

Also on a side note, I just wanted to confess my undying love for Miss Amy Groening. Ever since I saw her in Astron-6's short film COOL GUYS, I have been shot by Cupid's arrow. Now sure it's cool that she's the niece of Matt Groening (the creator of The Simpsons and Futurama) but Amy has this aura about her. It's her eyes, her smile, the way she acts like a nerd in one film and a kick ass strong woman in the next, she is one talented actress! And one very beautiful woman! OK I've embarrassed myself long enough.

FATHER'S DAY is without a doubt the BEST exploitation/horror film ever made! It's a vile, disgusting, perverted film filled with seedy images of rape, violence, nudity, and gore! And it makes the perfect Christmas gift for your in-laws! It's also a shining example of independent filmmaking at its finest as well as a love song to the bygone days of New York's 42nd Street. 5 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended!!

FATHER'S DAY is available at your local retailer and on the Troma website. Visit www.troma.com to order a copy for yourself today! To learn more about Astron-6, visit their website at www.astron-6.com. Also check out their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the screaming!

Phil reviews DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK DVD on The Midnight Horror Sinema Show-February 12, 2012

OK folks listen up and listen good! Over on The Midnight Horror Sinema Show, I just finished my review of DEAD HOOKERS IN A TRUNK, the film debut by the Soska twins Jen and Sylvia. Made for just $2,500 and shot in Vancouver, Canada, the Twisted Twins made a kick ass, balls to wall, no holds barred, modern day cult classic. The film was eventually picked up by IFC Films and released it as part of their IFC Midnight line. So if you're looking for a film that is not your typical cup of tea, then this is the film for you! I gave this film five out of five stars, so you know that you're gonna have a fun time watching it if I liked it. So read my review here and have fun watching this film tonight!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!