Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon, Day 14: Phil reviews ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE Import DVD from Optimum Releasing-October 14, 2012

ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE
Starring: Amber Heard, Anson Mount, Whitney Able, Michael Welch, Edwin Hodge, Aaron Himelstein, Adam Powell, Luke Grimes, Melissa Price
Written by  Jacob Forman
Produced by Chad Feehan, Joe Neurauter, Felipe Marino
Directed by  Jonathan Levine
Distributed by Optimum Releasing

Hello and welcome to Day Fourteen people! So once again I reached back into my huge stack of DVDs that I picked up at Miss Misery's Days of Terror for today's review. Now I will be reviewing a film that, believe it or not, has been hailed as one of the best indie horror films that has NOT been released here in America! Now I was able to see this movie via an import copy I bought at the convention. Released over in the UK on DVD, it is still unavailable over here. Why is this you may ask? Well then, come join me as I tell you all about a little film called ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE.

Here is the film's official synopsis: The orphan Mandy Lane (Heard) is a beautiful, virgin and pure teenager raised by her aunt, desired by her schoolmates and a close friend of the outcast Emmet Welch). After the death of their high school mate in a pool party, Mandy befriends Chloe (Able), Marlin (Price), Red (Himelstein), Bird (Hodge) and Jake (Grimes). Red invites the group for a weekend party in the isolated ranch of his family, with all the boys disputing who would succeed in having sex with Mandy Lane. They meet the henchman Garth (Mount) that takes care of the ranch and he asks the group to go easy on the drugs and booze. In the middle of the night, a stranger wearing a hood attacks Marlin in the barn; when Jake seeks her out, he faces the killer, beginning a night of bloodshed and terror.

The plot sounds promising, doesn't it? Well, the film itself is utterly fantastic! Again here is a horror film that has a very strong focus on character development. Long before the killings begin, we get to know the teenagers intimately. We are forced to relate to them, and let's face it, we all knew kids like these back in high school. The way they act, they way they speak,  drinking and doing drugs, who can't relate being a teenager?

UK Theatrical Movie Poster (2006)

The acting in the film is top notch! The entire cast turns in a fantastic, but it's Amber Heard who really shins in the film! At the time the movie was being filmed, she was only 20 years old! It's so hard to fathom that this is the same actress who would seduce Johnny Depp's Kemp character from the 2011 film THE RUM DIARY. She looks so young in the film that I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't imagining it! Again a great performance by Heard!

So the film was completed in 2006 and it premiered at several film festivals throughout 2006 and 2007: Toronto Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival, South by Southwest Film Festival, and London FrightFest Film Festival. It received a theatrical release in the United Kingdom on February 15, 2008 but wasn't released here in the US. Now the film was going to be released in 2007 by the Weistein Company, but due to the failure of GRINDHOUSE (as well as other horror movies) at the boxoffice, they sold the film to Senator Entertainment US. However that company went out of business and the film has been stuck in limbo ever since. The horror website Blood Disgusting as ranked the film "Number One" one their list of the best unreleased horror films for the last four years.

ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE is truly a gem of a horror film that, sadly, most horror fans will never get to see. Hopefully, someday, the film will be released here in America, but until then, for all you horror fanatics out there, go find yourself a bootleg copy of the film. For those that own universal Blu-Ray or DVD player that will play import DVDs, go order a copy for yourself and check out this movie! 5 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended!!

ALL THE GIRLS LOVE MANDY LANE is available as a PAL Region 2 Import DVD on the Amazon website. If you have a region free DVD player, you can purchase a copy at www.amazon.com.

Thanks for reading, an enjoy the screaming!

Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon, Day 13: Phil attends the Midnites For Maniacs "COUNTDOWN TO HELL" triple feature at the Roxie Theater-October 13, 2012

Welcome to Day Thirteen of my horror movie marathon! So once again I ventured back out to San Francisco to attend another installment of the Midnited for Maniacs show! This time host Jesse Hawthorne Ficks brought the show to the Roxie Theater, located in the Mission District. The theme of tonight's triple feature was "Countdown to Hell" and Ficks screened three of the greatest horror films of all time along with some classic horror trailers. As an added bonus, my good friend and fellow film blogger Jason Wiener (Jason Watches Movies) came out for the show! I also saw my good friend Beatriz Aguilar, who just also happens to be an awesome producer/director for the Fremont based film group called B.O.M. Productions (check out their excellent horror webseries called AMERICAN ZOMBIES on their Youtube channel)! So my fellow creatures of the night, let the horror begin!

Theatrical Movie Poster (2012)

The first film up was A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS. The film reunites Freddy Kruger (Robert England) with his old rival Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), the only survivor from the first film and now a psychiatrist specializing in dream therapy. When she begins working at a psychiatric institution, she meets the last of the Elm Street kids, who are being terrorized in their sleep by Freddy Kruger. She soon discovers that one of the children Kristen (Patricia Arquette) has a special gift which may help them all destroy Freddy once and for all.

With this installment of the franchise, director Chuck Russell (THE MASK, ERASER, THE SCORPION KING) and Wes Craven (who wrote the screenplay) returned Freddy to his roots: a demonic creature who haunts and kills you in your sleep. This was also the film that introduced many one-liners that would propel Freddy into the stratosphere of popularity. Classic one liners like, "Welcome to Prime Time Bitch!" and "Oohhh what a rush." The film was originally released by New Line Cinema on February 27, 1987 and it grossed over $44.7 million, making it the highest grossing installment of the series. This "horrifying"  35mm film print came courtesy of Warner Brothers. Three Wes Craven trailers were screened before the movie: 2005's RED EYE, 1994's WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE, and 1985's A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE as well as the trailer for this film.

Click here to watch the film's original trailer. 

Theatrical Movie Poster (1986)

Film number two for the night was THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE PART 2! It's been a over a decade since the events of the first film and our "friends" are back causing terror once again. When Texas radio DJ Vantia Block (Caroline Williams) records a call-in that evolves two high school graduates being killed by what sounds like a chainsaw, she becomes victimized by the cannibal family, especially by Chop Top (Bill Moseley) and Leatherface (Bill Johnson). Her only hope comes in the form of former Texas Marshall Lieutenant 'Lefty' Enright (Dennis Hopper), who will stop at nothing to stop their trail of death.

Directed by Tobe Hooper and written by L. M. Kit Carson, the movie is a departure from the first film. This sequel was a black comedy slasher film, which caused many Chainsaw fans to cry fowl. The MPAA gave the film an X rating, which meant the film was released to theaters unrated! The film was banned in Australia for over 20 years! But what a lot of people missed was the social commentary of the film. This was a product of the 1980's, therefore, the Regan-era mentality of greed was predominate throughout the decade. That greed is commented in the film with Grandpa Sawyer (Ken Evert) talking about all the money he's making with his chili. The film was released by Canon Films on August 22 (my birthday!), 1986. Ficks screened several modern day sequel trailers before the film: 2003's JEEPERS CREEPERS 2, 2007's HOSTEL 2, 2007's THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2, 2003's FINAL DESTINATION 2, and 2005's THE DEVIL'S REJECTS.

Click here to watch the film's original trailer.

Theatrical Movie Poster (1987)

The final film of the night is considered to be a classic among horror fans. HELLRAISER is one blood-soaked, gooey, gory, twisted film that could only come from the mind of Clive Barker! The film has it all: an unfaithful wife who is in love with her dead husband's brother, who's now a zombie thanks to the demons (angles to some) called the Cenobites. There's also a cool puzzle box and a lot of body parts being ripped off by chains with hooks on them! Yeah, it's that damn good!

The film's based upon the novel The Hellbound Heart by Barker, who also wrote the screenplay and directed the film. This is one of the best indie horror films to come out of the 1980's! Horror fans had never seen anything like this up until then, and it has spawned an unrepresented NINE sequels! The film was originally released here in the states by New World Pictures on September 18, 1987. Before the film, Ficks screened several Clive Barker trailers: 2008's MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, 1995's LORD OF ILLUSIONS, and 1990's NIGHTBREED.

Click here to watch the film's original trailer.

And folks that was my night of horror movie watching! Three great films with great friends in a great theater! The next Midnites for Maniacs show will be on November 2, 2012 at the historic Castro Theatre. The theme for that show is "Celebrate the End of Days" and it will consist of 1991's TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY, 2010's INCEPTION, and 1982's HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH! So make sure you mark that date on your calender and come on out for some M4M fun! To learn more about Midnites for Maniacs, visit their website at www.midnitesformaniacs.com. To view upcoming shows at the Roxie Theater, visit their website at www.roxie.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the screaming!

Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon, Day 12: Phil reviews MORE BRAINS! A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD (2011) DVD from Michael Perez Entertainment-October 12, 2012

MORE BRAINS! DVD Cover (2012)

MORE BRAINS: A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD
Starring: Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, Jewel Shepard, John Philbin, Brian Peck, Linnea Quigley, Miguel A. Nunez, Jr., James Karen, Clu Gulager, Don Calfa, Allan Trautman, Stacey Q.
Narrated by Brian Peck
Written by Christian Sellers, Gary Smart, Thommy Hutson (additional material)
Produced by Thommy Hutson
Executive produced by Beverly Randolph and Michael Perez
Directed by Bill Philputt
Released by Michael Perez Entertainment

Welcome to Day Twelve of Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon! Today's review will focus on a documentary about one of the greatest zombie films of all time! But I'm getting a head of myself, so let me back track first. On August 15, 1985, Orion Pictures released RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD, written and directed by Dan O'Bannon. With its blend of horror, humor, gore, and slapstick, the film became a cult classic that still to this day is loved and revered among horror fans and critics alike. Now 26 years after the film's release, director Bill Philputt and writers Gary Smart and Christian Sellers pay tribute to O'Bannon's film with their in-depth, informative, and highly entertaining film MORE BRAINS! A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD.

Narrated by Brian Peck (who portrayed Scuz in the original film), the film chronicles the step by step process of the making of this legendary cult classic. From the pre-production nightmare that consisted of the legal battle between John Russo and George Romero over the rights to the film's title, original director Tobe Hooper backing out of the project and O'Bannon taking over even though he never directed a film before. Some of the issues that arose during the production of the film were the firing of special effects artist Bill Munns, the spats between the cast and O'Bannon, and the grueling 14 hour night shoots over the next 6 weeks took it's toll on the entire cast and crew. After filming was completed, the executives declared it "one notch above pornography." The film was finally released a year after it was finished and grossed over $14 million during its theatrical run.

Philputt left no stone unturned when making this film. It also helped the writers Smart and Sellers wrote the book The Complete History of The Return of the Living Dead, to which the documentary is based on. Philputt was able to get 25 members of the original cast and crew to conduct on-camera interviews, including Clu Gulager (Burt), James Karen (Frank), Don Calfa (Ernie), Beverly Randolf (Tina), Thom Mathews (Freddy), Jewel Shepard (Casey), Linnea Quigley (Trash), and Peck too, just to name a few. With these individuals sharing some hilarious, interesting, personal stories and memories, Philputt crafted an amazing film and really pulled together some fascinating facts for fans about this cult classic.

The special features on this DVD are just outstanding! First there's THE WON'T STAY DEAD: A LOOK AT RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART II: a half hour documentary on the making of the sequel and includes interviews with Michael Kenworthy (Jesse), Suzanne Snyder (Brenda), and Karen, Mathews, and Speck just to name a few. LOVE BEYOND THE GRAVE: A LOOK AT THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART 3: another short documentary chronicling the making of Part 3, including interviews with director Brian Yuzna, screenwriter John Penney, special effects make-up artist Steve Johnson, and actor Trevor Edmond (Curt). Resurrected Settings: The Filming Locations Today: both Speck and  Randolf host this very cool short showing us the actual filming locations as they are today, Stacey Q Live! An Exclusive "Tonight" music video, documentary deleted scenes, THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD told in 3 minutes, trailers for both MORE BRAINS! and NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE ELM STREET LEGACY, and A Conversation with Dan O'Bannon: The Final Interview: the last on-camera interview O'Bannon gave before his untimely passing from Crohn's Disease on December 17, 2009.

My conclusion is this: MORE BRAINS! A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD is a highly recommended documentary that belongs on every horror fans collection. In fact here's a real treat for all you creatures of the night: watch the original film and this documentary as a double feature! That would be the best way for you to honor the legacy of Dan O'Bannon! Go out and buy this DVD today! 5 out of 5 stars!

MORE BRAINS! A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD DVD can be purchased at your local retailer or you can purchase a copy on the film's website at www.getmorebrains.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the screaming!

Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon, Day 11: Phil reviews THE GOOD SISTERS (2009) DVD from Forbidden Pictures-October 11, 2011

THE GOOD SISTERS DVD Cover (2012)

THE GOOD SISTERS
Starring: Debbie Rochon, April Monique Burril, David Calhoun, Allan Herlinger, Kristen Hudson, Aaron Martinek, Megan Martinek, Gaylynn Price, Brad Smoley, Sara Smoley, Katie Taylor
Produced by JimmyO Burril, April Monique Burril, Debbie Rochon, Katie Taylor, Shawn Jones
Executive Producer: David Calhoun
Written and directed by Jimmyo Burril
A Forbidden Pictures Production

Hello again everybody and welcome to Day Eleven of my horror movie marathon! As I stated in my Day 2 review, I picked up several new horror DVDs when I covered the Miss Misery's Days of Terror Horror Convention up in Sacramento. I picked up three DVDs from actress April Monique Burril, better know to horror fans as Chainsaw Sally. One of these was a film that has received critical acclaim within the horror genre. After viewing the film, I can honestly say that THE GOOD SISTERS is a fantastic horror/occult film that will undoubtedly cast a spell on you!

Genre icon Debbie Rochon and Burril portray sisters Breanne and Kindra Good respectively, witches that go to great lengths to protect their secret and their occult bloodline. Always on guard, the sisters become suspicious of their new neighbor Daniel (Calhoun), who might expose their secret to the world. Soon an all out battle between good and evil occurs, but which side will win?

The film was directed by April's husband JimmyO Burril who does an extraordinary job of creating tension, suspense and horror that really gripped this reviewer right from the beginning. Burril sets up a great pace for the film, starting out slow, then when the introduction of Daniel, the film builds up speed while simultaneously creating paranoia among the sisters. They begin to distrust all their neighbors because of their fear of Daniel, thus hysteria dictates their actions. A brilliant job on Burril's part!

Actress April Monique Burril (L) and Debbie Rochon (R)

Also great was the introduction of the Good Sisters. We see them in the beginning of the film talking and bickering with one another, like all siblings do. Great character development right from the get go and great on-screen chemistry between Burril and Rochon. Both of these ladies did an outstanding job with their respective characters. This is truly a rarity within the horror genre. Normally we are treated with such cliche two-dimensional characters that we cannot wait for them to die. Here this is not a problem, as we see the growth of these sisters throughout the film.

Now some will say this is like the film THE CRAFT or the old WB television show Charmed. However, let me clear the air that this is NOT like any of those examples. Let's face it, the Halliwell sisters never gutted their enemy with a sharp hook, sacrificed a cat and painted occult symbols on the wall with its blood, and dressed in provocative outfits and conduct a seance while half naked. Yes, this film contains all these juicy tidbits, but it's the story and the characters that really drive this film!

THE GOOD SISTERS is just a solid and stellar film; breathing new life to the occult/witchcraft subgenre. Horror fans will no doubt be surprised by this beautifully haunting piece of independent cinema! So don't waste any more time reading this review! Go buy this film today! 5 out of 5 stars! Highly recommended!

THE GOOD SISTERS is available on DVD and can be purchased from Forbidden Pictures. To purchase a copy, visit their website at www.forbiddenpictures.net. Also check out the film's offficial Facbook page!

thanks for reading, and enjoy the screaming!

Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon, Day 10: Phil reviews THE SLEEPER (2012) DVD from Gamma Knife Films-October 10, 2012

THE SLEEPER DVD Cover (2012)

THE SLEEPER
Starring: Brittany Belland, Jason Jay Crabtree, Ali Ferda, Tiffany Arnold, Luke Frost, Riana Ballo, E. Ray Goodwin, Jessica Cameron, John Bloom, Riana Ballo, Jenna Fournier, Eric Sarich, Elizabeth Lane, Paul Moon, Aaron Russell, Beverly Kristy
Produced by Matt Baldwin, Dana Jackson, Aaron Russell, Justin Russell
Written, Directed, and Edited by Justin Russell
Released by Gamma Knife Films

Welcome to Day Ten of my Halloween Horrors Marathon! Recently there has been a trend of making retro-styled horror and exploitation films. Meaning today's filmmakers are making their films look like they're from another era; mostly from the late 1970's to the early 1980's. Reason being is that particular time frame produced a plethora of films that are now classics within the genre. This trend was kicked off in 2007 with the release of Robert Rodiguez and Quentin Tarantino's GRINDHOUSE, a loving tribute to the old exploitation films that were shown at New York's now legendary (and infamous) 42nd Street. Since then we've have seen many great movies in the same vein, such as Ti West's THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, Jason Eisener's HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, and most recently Astron-6's FATHER'S DAY. Tonight's film follows this hot trend and does an excellent job creating the illusion of authenticity! Directed by Justin Russell, THE SLEEPER looks and feels of early 80's horror film and has fun creating some great scares for the audience to jump at!

The film's synopsis is as follows, "It's 1981 and the girls of Alpha Gamma Theta sorority are having a party. Amy (Belland), sick of living in the dorms, invites her roommate Ava (Ferda) to attend the party with her in hopes that they'll both become Thetas. As the girls arrive, so does an uninvited guest watching them in the shadows. Amy's choice quickly becomes a nightmare as the Theta girls begin to disappear one by one. Announcing his victims, the killer calls the house whispering the next to die. The police hunt for the missing girls and the killer, but will they find him in time? Or will all the girls sleep for good?"

THE SLEEPER Boxset (2012)

Russell does a fantastic job with recreating the early 80's look. From the wardrobe, mannerisms, the directing, editing, the cinematography, it all adds up to one great horror flick! Major props to the entire cast as well. I can't think of another actress who could portray Amy better than Belland. She just embodied that character perfectly. Crabtree as the Sleeper will no doubt give people nightmares for the next month or so. The entire cast does an amazing job in the film, but I must give a special shout out to my good friend actress Jessica Cameron, who as Cindy gets "hammered" in more ways than one! Awesome job girlfriend!

As if the film's look wasn't nostalgic enough for those of us old enough to have remember seeing these slasher movies in the theater, Russell goes one step further by making the movie available on VHS! Yes folks it's true! You have a choice of owning the film on DVD or in a special DVD/VHS Boxset! The special features on the DVD include a Director's Commentary, an hour long documentary entitled Shooting a Nightmare in 13 Days, Joe Bob Briggs' Drive In Total, Theatrical Trailers, and a cool retro trailer called Don't Go In The Attic,  part of the Lost Trailer Series. The boxset includes the DVD and a red VHS tape, bundled together in an awesome early 80's looking VHS box! Now how's that for authenticity?!?

THE SLEEPER is a horror fan's wet dream come true! Just when you think you've seen every 80's slasher, here's one that'll make you sleep with one eye opened! A great slasher film that is a definite must-see for genre fans! 5 out of 5 stars! Highly recommended!

THE SLEEPER is available to order on Amazon.com. You can also check out the film's Facebook page and to learn more about the film, check out the Gamma Knife Films website at  www.gammaknifefilms.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the screaming!

Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon, Day 9: Phil reviews JESSICKA RABID (2010) DVD from Troma Entertainment-October 9, 2012

JESSICKA RABID DVD Cover (2012)

JESSICKA RABID
Starring: Elske McCain, Trent Hagga, Jeff Sisson, Jason Foster, Cisiany Oliver
Written by Matthew Reel and Elske McCain
Produced by Elske McCain, Matthew Reel, Cisiany Oliver, Faith Preston
Directed by Matthew Reel
A Dahlia Jade Productions
Distributed by Troma Entertainment

My Halloween Horrors Marathon continues with Day Nine! The very first Troma movies I ever saw occurred on a Saturday night in February of 1992. I saw the TOXIC AVENGER trilogy on the USA cable show Up All Night and I immediately became, as we fans like to say, Troma-tized! Overnight I became a rabid Troma fan and proceeded to rent, watch, and own just about every single Troma movie in the universe. Now a lot of them are fantastic, while others are just abysmal. But every now and then they release a film that really catches me off guard and I completely become enthralled with it. With their newest release JESSICKA RABID, I have never seen such a brutal, ugly, and ferocious film like this before, and I loved it!

The film stars Elske McCain (who also co-wrote the film and is the first film she produced for her own production company Dahlia Jade Productions) as the mute, slow, and slightly deranged Jessica, whose family members keep her locked up in a large doggy cage in the garage. Her incestuous, inbred, white trash, redneck cousins Marley (Troma alum Trent Hagga) and Brad (Jeff Sisson) treat her like an unwanted and neglected pet. They feed her dog food, hose her down from time to time to clean her, drag her around on a leash, take her outside so she can urinate, rape her, and stripped her of what little humanity she had left. However Jessica escapes from her captivity and soon she's "biting off more than the hand that feeds her!"

What I love about the film is its look and feel. Director Matthew Reel and McCain really delivered a true underground cinema masterpiece. Filmed on location in Tuscon, Arizona, the film's gritty and grainy look is an amalgam of home movies, grindhouse movies, and a snuff film shot in an avant garde, documentary style. Some of the scenes are very disturbing and hard to watch; seeing poor Jessica being kept in a dog cage and then raped by her own cousin stands out the most in my mind. There are also some powerful POV shots of Brad, looking gleefully deranged while he beats and rapes his cousin Abby (Cisiany Oliver). Reel doesn't shy away from the graphic violence and instead shows us all the ugliness within the film as well as with each and every one of these characters. These people make the Firefly family from Rob Zombie's THE DEVIL'S REJECTS  look like THE WALTONS.

Retro Grindhouse Style Poster (2011)

McCain is just amazing in the film. While she has no lines in the film, she communicates to us with her expressions: her eyes are at times curious, afraid, and violent. The scene where Marley takes her outside on her leash so she can pee, that's real. In the behind the scenes featurette, McCain is really squatting outside peeing! Now that is method acting right there! I doubt any big time Hollywood actress would go that far in any of their roles. And I doubt any of them would strip down naked and get hosed down like she did. Elske McCain is also one of the sexiest new indie horror actresses ever to grace the small screen. Let me just say that she could give Mae West a run for her money.

Seeing Hagga again in another Troma film was just the icing on the cake (his last appearance was in CITIZEN TOXIE: THE TOXIC AVENGER PART IV). His portrayal of Marley was so damn incredible as well as believable. I really disliked his character, which proves Hagga's acting talent. If you don't hate the main antagonist, then your film doesn't work. Both Hagga and McCain will be appearing together again (along with Jenny Spain from the indie horror film DEADGIRL) in her new upcoming film IS ANYONE THERE? The film will be her second feature for Dahlia Jade Productions and will begin production later this year. McCain will also be writing the script and directing the film is newcomer Hugh Jordon. Also Hagga made his directorial debut with his new film CHOP, which was just recently released on DVD so be sure to look for it on the shelves at your local retailer.

The DVD has some very cool special features. Among them are the formentioned behind the scenes featurette, behind the scenes slide show, exclusive Elske McCain slideshow, audio commentary, film's trailer, the Lloyd Kaufman outtakes, digital JESSICKA RABID comic, Lloyd Kaufman's interviews with Trent Hagga, a transvestite PSA from the film TERROR FIRMER, and Troma trailers for FATHER'S DAY, MR. BRICKS, THE TOXIC AVENGER, and POULTRYGEST: NIGHT OF THE CHICKEN DEAD.

JESSICKA RABID is my vote for best underground film! The film is a powerful statement that the spirit of independent filmmaking is alive and well and that you too can make your own film. The movie's not for the faint at heart, but if you're brave enough to watch it, you'll be seeing one hell of an exploitation movie! 5 out of 5 stars! Highly recommended!

JESSICKA RABID is currently available on DVD and can be purchased at your local retailer or on the Troma website. Visit www.troma.com to order a copy for yourself today!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the screaming!

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!