31 Days of Horror Day 11: Spiral 2007 - REVIEW

Nothing impresses me more than someone who proves they're not just a "one hit wonder". I became a fan of Adam Green after seeing his "Old School American Horror" Hatchet. I've also had Joel David Moore on my radar since Dodgeball. He's such a great actor and he has that whole sexy geek thing going for him. I'm thrilled to see the depth of his talent come to the surface.

Spiral centers around Mason (Moore) a reclusive telemarketer with a knack for painting. Every day life for him is depressing. He's an outcast at work who is prone to bursting into panic attacks that end with 4 a.m. phone calls to his only friend Berkeley (Zachary Levi). When he meets Amber (Amber Tamblyn), a cute, quirky coworker, Mason slowly starts to open up about his past. But as Amber digs deeper and deeper into her new friend's history she realizes just how disturbed Mason is.

I will do my best NOT to give away any plot points of this film as discovering them while watching is kind of like a journey you have to make on your own. Kind of like a right of passage. Miss them and you won't know what's going on. Know them ahead of time and it spoils the whole story. What I can tell you is that writers Jeremy Danial Boreing and Moore have created a film that can easily be compared to the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Roman Polanski. The tension in Spiral starts from the opening scene and continues throughout the entire story. No matter how much you THINK you've seen this story before, think again. No element of this story overstays it's welcome. It is unusual, creative and provocative.

The biggest surprise for me was the performance by Moore. His character is developed with such love and empathy that by the end, you're torn between loving him or being horrified by his actions and Moore pulls it off with perfection. In fact, every one of the main characters does a terrific job. Tamblyn is great as the vivacious, bi-polar love interest. Some viewers may not like that her character wasn't explored deeper but I think in terms of story progression it had to be done that way. Levi portrays Berkeley who in some ways is the big brother type to Mason and in other ways he's more of an enabler. His motives for keeping such a closed off person as a friend are never quite clear. Is he using Mason to keep himself from being alone or does he really care about what happens to him?

The cinematography is great as well with the back drop of rainy Portland, Oregon enhancing the dark mood of the film. While some might find Spiral a little slow going, I personally enjoyed everything about it and would definitely recommend it to others. If you're looking for tons of gore or an in your face horror, I'd suggest a viewing of Hatchet instead. This is more of an 80 minute mind fuck. Is what your seeing real or fake? Did he or didn't he? Spiral is a new spin on an old twist. ENJOY!!

Holliston Cast to Sign at Dark Delicacies

In celebration of the upcoming release of the graphic novel Holliston: Friendship is Tragic, based on Adam Green’s comedy/horror TV series, there will be an in-store signing with both cast and crew of the television series as well as creators of the graphic novel. Tuesday, October 18th, from 7pm to 9pm (PST) fans can come to the Dark Delicacies bookstore in Burbank, California to get an exclusive Dark Delicacies variant graphic novel, before the title’s release date! (Regular store release date is October 26th).

Limited to only fifty copies, the Dark Delicacies Holliston variant cover will be sold on a first-come basis, with a limited quantity of the regular cover available to purchase as well. Confirmed to be present to autograph copies of Holliston: Friendship is Tragic are: Adam Green (series star, creator, writer, director), Joe Lynch (series star), Sarah Elbert (series star and producer), Sean Becker (series director), W. Axl the Cat (series star), Stephen Sharar (comic’s pencils and inks), Joshua Werner (comic’s colors, lettering, and design) and Travis McIntire (comic’s editor and Editor-In-Chief of Source Point Press).

The graphic novel, written by Greg Wright and published by Source Point Press, features an all-new Halloween adventure with the beloved characters from the show, like Adam, Joe, Laura, Corri, Lance, W. Axl the Cat, and Crazy Max! Loaded with laughs and movie references, it’s perfect for Holliston fans, horror fans, or just fans of great comics!

“We’re incredibly thankful for all the support Holliston: Friendship is Tragic has already received,” says Source Point Art Director and the graphic novel’s colorist Joshua Werner. “Thank you to the fans who have pre-ordered and helped spread the word, the media for all the great press, the cast and crew of the TV series for their constant support, and to retailers who’ve ordered it in to their shops. And now, thanks to Adam Green and Dark Delicacies, we’re able to kick off all this excitement with a great event!”

Dark Delicacies is located at 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd in Burbank, CA 91505. Source Point Press would like to remind everyone that all appearances are subject to change, based on the professional availability of cast/crew/creators on the night of the event.

My Top Five of 2010

As hard as I searched the depths of my brain (yes it's deep in there), it pains me that I was only able to come up with 5 horror films to grace my "Best of" list. 2010 came and went without much in the way of horror. I guess I can consider myself a failure in that I wasn't able to watch more. Perhaps if I had, I could've come up with a longer and much better list. Here's to hoping 2011 has much more in store for us!!





5. HATCHET II Adam Green's follow up to his 2006 underground hit burst onto the big screen with an abundance of controversy. It lasted a mere two days in theaters (even less in Canada) before it was pulled due to "inappropriate subject matter" *eye roll*. Had he given in and chopped it to pieces I'm sure it would've been alotted to run but alas, this was something he refused to do (You go Adam!!). But never fear, Victor Crowley and all his deformed glory is now available On Demand and I have no doubts that DVD sales will hit an all time high for this bloody franchise!





4. FROZEN Adam Green once again blew audiences away when he weaved this tale of skiing gone awry. Personally, I've seen it about 4 times this year and I didn't even buy it until mid October. No one can say that Green doesn't know how to tell a story. Yes, he gave us all the old school horror we could handle with Hatchet but Frozen proves that Green can create a very intense atmosphere with nothing more than three actors stranded on a ski lift.





3. THE CRAZIES Having a remake on my "Best of" list is something I never thought would happen. Most people would call me a remake hater but that's truly not the case. I would say I'm a bad remake hater. Breck Eisner does an excellent job taking a classic and putting his own spin on it with class and grace. The Crazies is definitely a film worthy of my list.





2. I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE Not only did Adam Green make my list twice but now I have two remakes on my "Best of" list for this year. Considering the amount of remakes two is merely a drop in the bucket. There's something to be said for a somewhat rookie director to have the balls to take such a classic and turn it into a modern day hit. I loved everything about Steven R. Monroe's take on I Spit on Your Grave. It's a film that I would definitely watch again and will certainly buy when it comes out on DVD in February 2011!





1. DEVIL Ahahahahaha! Just kidding!! I guess my list is only a top 4!

And there it is... my top 5, er 4, of 2010! I look forward to seeing what 2011 has in store for horror and I hope it's a good enough year that I'm able to do a top 20 at the end of it! You freaks stay safe and have a very happy New Year!!

Fell 2010 - REVIEW

There are lots of advantages to attending indie film festivals. You get to watch new, creative films come to life on the big screen. Some of which have never been seen by an audience before. Films shot with little to no funding and in little to no time. I got to watch several short films at the DOA Blood Bath Film Festival that were written, shot and edited all in one weekend. For the most part they were fresh and creative and actually very well done. But again, they were shorts and I think sometimes working on a tight schedule can be effective but not so much in a feature. I'll elaborate more on that in a moment.


This story centers around Bill (Jeff Dylan Graham) who is one very sick puppy. The recent break up with the love of his life has sent him into a tailspin of delusion and madness. Which only intensifies when he wakes up from a drug induced sleep to find a body in his bathtub. He tries desperately to reach his ex-girlfriend Jenny (Katie Walters) for some kind of support. Not being able to reach her just pushes him deeper and deeper into depression. He's pretty much at his breaking point when his long time friend Derrik (Kristian Day) shows up. Bill confides in Derrik about his little visitor in tub and after some discussion, they agree the body should be disposed of before anyone finds out. Unfortunately Jenny shows up before that can happen. Unfortunately for Bill and his friends, the truth is far more complicated than any of them could've predicted.


Let me first start off by saying that Graham is the bright point of this film. His performance was solid and he seemed really immersed in his character which is probably why he took home the award for Best Performance in a Feature. That said, I wasn't at all impressed by the film itself. The twists and turns thrown in to surprise the viewer were completely predictable. I had it figured out within the first 5 minutes. What was meant to be a psychological thriller just came of as bland and even boring at times. Other than a couple of outside shots, the whole film took place inside one small apartment which I'm guessing they were hoping to create a claustrophobic atmosphere but even that didn't really work for me. The score was so irritating it became deafening at times and didn't do anything to enhance the film. You may be asking why I'm being so hard on this film when I took extra steps to be constructive with my criticism of another film from the festival. I'm gonna answer that now...

I can't remember all of what was talked about during the Q&A but it was something about another film, the firing of an actor, a hotel room... Oh and 90 WORDS ON A PAGE! That's right, there was no script for this film at all. Just 90 or so words scribbled in a note pad and 3 days of shooting. And let me tell you, it showed. I seem to also remember some talk of "coming up with something new and different". This is where it gets pretty over the top ridiculous for me. I'm not sure how someone can say they wanted to bring something new to the table when this is clearly a blatant rip off of Adam Green and Joel David Moore's Spiral. From the lead actor's gentle psychosis right down to the hallway shots of the bathroom door. The only difference was Green's film had substance and this one didn't. Then again, I'm not sure how much substance can be reached in a mere 3 day shoot. I'm not a film expert but it doesn't seem to me that Marcus Koch and his team put their best foot forward on this project. I think they were just jazzed to make a film and decided to go with it.

In the end Fell really should've been F-A-I-L. If you're looking for an taut psychological thriller, I'd recommend a viewing of Spiral instead.

Hatchet II 2010 - REVIEW

If you've followed my sight for very long then you know that I am a huge Adam Green fan. He is quickly becoming a force to reckon with in the horror community. From the original Hatchet to Spiral to Frozen he has consistently given horror fans what they want. The original Hatchet didn't do so well in theaters but gained a huge following once the DVD was released. Green was pelted with requests for a sequel and once again gave horror fans what they wanted. Believe me when I say he knows what we (well most of us) want. A rip roaring good time full of gore and cheesy one liners. He makes me, a child of the 80's, feel like a kid again with his ability to channel the old school style and bring it to life on the big screen.

Once again, we join Marybeth (Danielle Harris) at the exact moment the original ended as she escapes the clutches of Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder). Marybeth seeks out Rev. Zombie (Tony Todd) in search of answers regarding her family's connection to the slasher in the swamp. With his own ulterior motives in mind, he gathers a group of money-hungry hunters and heads off to the swamp to confront the legendary evil.

Before I give my thoughts on the film I have to say that I am seriously disappointed in my local horror community. We got to the theater an hour ahead of start time because I was certain there would be a line of hungry horror fans just waiting to indulge in the gore and mayhem. Turns out it wasn't necessary because we were the only four people in the theater. It was nice because we could kick back and enjoy the film without all the usual distractions but I'd expected to see so many more genre fans come out in support of unrated horror. All the bitching and complaining on Twitter and Facebook about horror not having a voice and this is unfair and that's unfair and we're the only four people in there? WAKE THE FUCK UP PEOPLE! Nothing is gonna change if we keep pussing around and shying away from things we should be standing up for. Ok, stepping off my soap box now.

Keeping with typical slasher format, there really isn't much character development going on but under the circumstances it's not really necessary. Green knows how to make a fun film and if he wanted it to be a likable cast, he'd have written them that way. I often have issues when there's a major cast change in a sequel but veteran scream queen Danielle Harris fit perfectly into the role of Marybeth. Colton Dunn's character Vernon cracked me up every time he appeared on screen. His 'Chicken and Biscuits' song had me rolling. Word is it was completely improvised but I can't say for sure. Parry Shen makes another appearance as the goof ball side kick. Not much different than his role in the original except he may be a little smarter this time around... NAH. AJ Bowen has what will probably go down in horror history as one of the best sex scenes ever. I had hoped he'd have a little more screen time but he made an impression nonetheless. Even Adam Green makes an appearance as a puking Mardi Gras patron. And let's not forget horror veteran R.A. Mihailoff as the take no shit hunter Trent.

Hatchet II starts off rather slow, much slower than the original but rest assured the violence is coming. And while we're on the subject, Green comes up with some of the most creative kill scenes in horror history and apparently scoured the shelves of Fastenal for the biggest chainsaw I have ever seen. It's a good thing Kane Hodder is both Jason and Victor Crowley otherwise there might be a little chainsaw envy going on there. Originally I wasn't convinced that it would make sense for Marybeth to go right back into the swamp after the shit storm she just survived but Green worked his magic and made it plausible. This film is what it is and you know exactly what you're in for when you walk in the theater (well now you have to wait for the DVD - thanks MPAA). Green set out to make a 100% fan film and that's what he did. It's a throwback and a tribute to every slasher before it. Full of grit and guts and campy humor. You're either gonna love it or hate it.

Even though Hatchet II was unfairly pulled from theaters the point has been made. It will still go down in history as one of the few unrated films to show in theaters and all the attention it's getting will bring more horror fans to the DVD once it's released. Whether you're a Hatchet fan or not you have to respect Green for sticking to his guns and fighting for his film to be shown in all it's gory... er... glory. Kudos to him bringing attention to cause of unrated horror. I'm sure it gave him many headaches and caused him much stress but hopefully more indie directors/producers/studios will take a cue from him and fight for the same privileges the bigger budget productions are given.

Unrated Hatchet 2 Gets Pulled From Theaters

I had every intention of sitting down today and busting out my Hatchet 2 review. That was until word came yesterday that the film had been pulled from Canadian and US theaters. I was fortunate enough to see Hatchet 2 opening weekend and I can honestly say as a huge Hatchet fan that I saw NOTHING in this film that should've been edited out to begin with. Adam Green set out to make a silly, campy, gory fan film and that's exactly what he did. He didn't do it for himself, he did it for us... genre fans, film fans, Hatchet fans.

Mainstream Hollywood and the MPAA have appointed themselves judge, jury and executioner. Who are they to say what we can and can't watch? Are everyone of us so totally twisted that we have to be protected from ourselves? I don't think so. For me it's all a matter of what the public wants, not what the MPAA thinks we need. It's pointless censorship and goes against the freedom of speech (just my humble opinion). And really, what difference does it make when unrated DVD's are released everyday? What's next? They come into your home and pull every inappropriate DVD from your shelf and tell you you can't watch it? I think it's ridiculous that big studio horrors can get into theaters with an R rating yet indie films still get chopped to pieces when it's not even necessary.



If you go back and look there are plenty of gore filled films that were allowed to ride out their screen time; Saving Private Ryan, Hostel, The Hill Have Eyes (remake) and Rob Zombie's Halloween 2 to name a few. I find it odd that Adam Green ruffles a few feathers and his film gets yanked before it's ever really given a chance. Yes, it didn't have the best opening weekend but you're talking about a film that's only advertising was internet and word of mouth. There were no TV spots or billboard ads hyping up the film. Want a good example? I guess the most recent would be Uma Thurman's Motherhood. Opening weekend it released on 48 screens and made only $50,000.00. Then it was allowed to run for another two weeks pulling in a measly $11,000.00. That's about $817.73 per screen on a combined average. So, to say that poor performance is the reason it was pulled is just a bunch of bullshit. At least AMC had the balls to make an effort to show it. I've no doubt that the evil MPAA bullied them into pulling it. But again, that's just my opinion and who am I? No one.

I'm proud of Adam Green for taking a stand and putting out a film that his fans asked for and for having the guts to go up against the MPAA and fight for his work. Most people bow down and kiss their asses for screen time. After all, if you create something, don't you want to show it how it's meant to be? I would. Kudos to Adam Green and AMC.