Breaking Glass Pictures will be releasing House of the Witchdoctor on DVD/VOD (iTunes, Comcast, Vubiquity) on September 16, 2014. Directed and written by Devon Mikolas, House of the Witch Doctor stars Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D), Leslie Easterbrook (The Devil's Rejects), Allan Kayser (Night of the Creeps), Callie Stephens and David Willis.
Leslie Van Hooten (Stephens) is mourning the anniversary of her boyfriend's murder. Her father (Moseley) and mother (Easterbrook) leave her at the family's isolated estate with her fellow grad students. The weekend takes a turn for the worst when Cliff Rifton (Kayser), a recently released career criminal, and Buzz Schenk (Willis), his drug addict sidekick are hell bent on raging a torturous killing spree. The killers soon realize all is not as it seems in the house. As the body count begins to rise, it seems death is the only escape from the house.
Actor and filmmaker John Schneider (Smallville, Dukes of Hazzard) has rounded up some of horror's most famous faces for Smothered, premiering in New Orleans in May.
The highly-anticipated fright-fest, which features the likes of Kane Hodder, Don Shanks, R.A Mihailoff, Bill Moseley, and Brea Grant boasts the largest number of horror icons ever to grace the screen at the same time.
Smothered, written and directed by Schneider, sees the horror icons playing themselves in a scenario that sees them attending a small, disheartening horror-convention on Friday the 13th. Running out of patience but principally money, the group accept a cash-offer to go and scare-up the local RV park - but things take a surprising, dark turn when they arrive. The tables are turned as the monsters of the movie screen become the prey!
A recent sneak preview resulted in glowing reviews across-the-board, with critics calling the movie "a horror-comedy with some bite" (Shock Til You Drop) and " A must see cinematic event" (Examiner).
Smothered will premiere in Louisiana, where the film was shot and Schneider's Fairlight Films is now located.
The premiere, being held at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel on Friday May 16, encompass a pre-screening social hour and post-screening Q&A with Schneider.
Members of the film's cast and crew, as well as city dignitaries are expected to be in attendance.
Smothered, also featuring Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes), John Kassir ('The Crypt Keeper'), Dane Rhodes (True Detective), and Shanna Forrestall (The Last Exorcism), is due for release late 2014.
I've made the comment countless times that just because you have a camera doesn't mean you'll be a good filmmaker. I guess the same can be said for writers. Being a successful comic book creator doesn't mean the next logical jump is filmmaking. Sure, it works for some but so does body suspension but you won't see me hanging from hooks any time soon.
Abby (Jillian Murray) and her sister Megan (Clare Grant) are two sisters off on one last hurrah before Megan moves off to New York to start her new life. What starts off as a fun filled road trip full of comics and punk music takes a quick turn when they find themselves lost on a lonely stretch of road in the middle of nowhere. When they stop for lunch at a small town diner, they meet a waitress named Darlene (Amanda Wyss) who conveniently points them toward the town's local exhibit, Skull City, an decrepit mining town abandoned back in the 40's. Megan being the dare devil, try anything once sister, convinces Abby to take the tour and off they go. Little do they know they'll have not only human but also supernatural forces to deal with.
There are films that I sit and watch where I spend 90% of it shaking my head and the other 10% wishing I could pluck out and eat my eyeballs so I wouldn't have to watch any longer. There are also films that spend the majority of their budget on "name" actors but don't give said actors the material they need to be the greatness that they are. There are films that should have never been more than a thought in the mind of whoever thought it up. The Graves is all of the above and more.
Watching an actor as phenomenal as Bill Moseley strap on a pig nose and deliver cliche lines while chasing two hot chicks around the Arizona desert was almost painful. Oh and then we'll bring in Candy Man himself (Tony Todd) and give him this ridiculously cartoonish character and hope that he doesn't strap on his hook and gut us before we wrap. It's beyond blasphemous to me and hurts my little twisted heart.
I really can't fathom what director Brian Pulido was thinking when he put this film together. The whole film was so chaotic that most of the time you're trying to figure out what the hell is going on and not in an "it's hard to follow" kind of way but in a "what the fuck am I watching" kind of way. The ADR was atrocious and the only consistent thing throughout the entire film was how truly awful it was. What's worse is I can't believe that this was selected as one of the "8 Films to Die For" by After Dark Horrorfest. The idea that The Graves is packed in a box next to Kill Theory and The Final should be devastating to horror fans. Unless you're one of those guys/gals who likes to watch ample breasted women run through the desert I'd stay far away from this one. The only thing it does effectively is piss you off.
This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Horrorhound Convention in Cincinnati, OH. Like many conventions this year the 10 yr anniversary of House of 1000 Corpses is making their rounds. Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Jennifer Jostyn just to name a few. This inspired me after the day was over to go home and watching The Devil's Rejects. I chose the sequel because I am not really a huge fan of the original and there are not many movies you can say that about.
The Firefly house is quiet and everyone is sleeping until a herd of police surround the property ready to take force and bring down the family. Rufus (Tyler Mane) is already downstairs in his armor ready for battle. Otis (Bill Moseley), Baby (Sherri Moon Zombie), and Mother Firefly (Leslie Easterbrook) join him downstairs were the gunfire ensues. Otis and Baby get away while Mother Firefly attends to a dead Rufus, she is taken by the police squad led by Sheriff Wydell (William Forsythe). Baby and Otis quickly get a car and contact the real leader of their group, Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig). They agree to meet up at a hotel and get a game plan together so they can make their getaway. On the other side Sheriff Wydell is preparing for revenge for the death of his brother in the hands of the sick Firefly family. To him this is personal and he will not stop until they are all dead.
In my opinion this is Rob Zombie's best film to date. In this film Rob really was able to harness what he was trying to do with House of 1000 Corpses. House's story was all over the place were here it is much less clustered and gets the point across quickly. One of the big reasons for the success was bringing back the main crew of Bill, Sid, and Sherri. They really do make a good team. Karen Black did not return as Mother Firefly but Leslie Easterbrook did a fine job of taking on the role. While no one really compares to the likes of Karen, Leslie looks very similar and can act just a crazy as Karen can.
Like most Zombie films this included many cameo's and smaller roles by well known actors and actresses such as Ginger Lynn, Geoffry Lewis and Danny Trejo. Zombie has his regulars he likes to use in his films and it usually works. The best performance in this film however was from Moseley. Not since Chop Top for me has his character been more disturbed. Sid give his good performance as usual and Sherri, well she is Sherri and acts as good as she can I guess. I really do not dislike her but as someone told me recently "she does not emote her emotions!" After hearing that I now pay closer attention to her face rather than the rest of her body and that person is right.
Rob Zombie, if you notice, likes to pay homage to the 70's exploitation films. While never outright saying this movie was set in the 70's or present day, the soundtrack tends to give a different impression. I really like the classic rock as the soundtrack. Specially "Freebird" at the end of the film. It's just fantastic placement for a dramatic ending. To me, I'll say it again, this is Rob Zombie at this best. He may not be able to top this 2005 gem. Stay twisted everyone!
I decided to go to the opening night of the new Texas Chainsaw 3D. I actually have been waiting to see this for quite sometime now. A direct sequel to the 1974 original classic. I truly was excited to finally get to see Leatherface on the big screen since the movie was supposed to be released in 2012. Little did I know I was in for an hour and a half of a clusterfuck of a movie.
Showing the deaths from stock footage of the 1974 orginal movie, we pick up right were the original left off. Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) went to the police about what she had been through at the Sawyer house. Sherif Hooper (Thom Barry) shows up outside of the house and calls out Drayton Sawyer (Bill Moseley) to turn over Jed (this is the name of Leatherface. Yes, they gave Leatherface a name. I fuckin hate it!) A lynch mob shows up and all hell breaks loose. The house is burnt down and the Sawyer family is no more. One surviving member is found in the back with her baby. The baby is spared but the mother is not. Skip ahead to the present time, Heather (Alexandria Daddario) gets a telegram with papers saying she has inherited a house from a dead grandma she did not even know. Her and her friends pack up for a road trip to Texas to check it out. The have no idea what they are about to discover about this house and its secrets!
I can't even begin to explain how disappointed I was with this fuckin movie. Lets start with the actors. The only notable actor was Bill Moseley and he was in a whole 5 minutes of the opening scene. The cast in the entirety was inexperienced and just bad. The dialogue was dull, the acting was dull, and the story itself was dull. The only person left from the family is Leatherface and he is pretty much just like a robot and walks around all hulked up and kills people.
All of the directions they could have taken this script and they when the safest route. Not to make a really great movie but something that was safe and people could live with. Not love but say "it was decent". Being a huge fan of the original series and not a fan at all of the remake series, I was looking forward to something that was a little more like the original. As it stands right now I like The Next Generation 10 times more than this movie. It was really pointless to make this 3D as well. The 3D scenes are few and far in between. I counted about 3 scenes that would really benefit from 3D. So that was really a waste! Just remember if you go and see the movie make sure you stay past the ending credits. There is a little something extra at the end.
My final thought is that I really wanted to like Texas Chainsaw but it just was not going to happen. I think it is finally time to put this film series to rest. The only way I would watch another new Texas Chainsaw is if it was directed by Tobe Hooper. Stay twisted everyone!
The first clip from Texas Chainsaw 3D has debuted at Machinima and you can check it out in the player below!
Opening in theaters on January 4, 2013, the horror thriller stars Alexandra Daddario, Tania Raymonde, Trey Songz, Keram Malicki-Sanchez, Shaun Sipos, Thom Barry, Paul Rae, Scott Eastwood, Richard Riehle, Gunnar Hansen, Marilyn Burns, John Dugan, Bill Moseley and Dan Yeager.
Continuing the legendary story of the homicidal Sawyer family, the film picks up where Tobe Hooper’s 1974 horror classic left off in Newt, Texas, where for decades people went missing without a trace. The townspeople long suspected the Sawyer family, owners of a local barbeque pit, were somehow responsible. Their suspicions were finally confirmed one hot summer day when a young woman escaped the Sawyer house following the brutal murders of her four friends. Word around the small town quickly spread, and a vigilante mob of enraged locals surrounded the Sawyer stronghold, burning it to the ground and killing every last member of the family – or so they thought.
Decades later and hundreds of miles away from the original massacre, a young woman named Heather learns that she has inherited a Texas estate from a grandmother she never knew she had. After embarking on a road trip with friends to uncover her roots, she finds she is the sole owner of a lavish, isolated Victorian mansion. But her newfound wealth comes at a price as she stumbles upon a horror that awaits her in the mansion’s dank cellars…
Ghost films have never really been my thing but for some reason I've been watching a TON of them lately. I know I'm way behind on this one but it's been trapped like a spirit with unfinished business in my DVR since it aired and I finally found time to sit and watch it. No matter how disappointing Can You Survive a Horror Movie was, you have to admit that Chiller TV has been pretty consistent with their originals. I really dug Steve Niles' Remains, Ghoul was entertaining and now we have Dead Souls.
On his 18th birthday, Johnny Petrie (Jesse James) learns he was adopted when he inherits a farm in Maine, abandoned for the 18 years since his natural family died at the hands of his father, the local preacher. Eager for a new life, he leaves home to start over in his new dwelling. However, as he digs into his past, he soon uncovers the horrifying details of his father's questionable teachings. In a frightening revelation, he also learns that his return has revived decades-old forces trapped in the home and sets in motion a heart-stopping finale to a ritual that already claimed the lives of his family.
We basically only have three, maybe four main characters to follow here as the rest of the cast kinda pop in and out as needed. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the level of acting in this film. Even the actors with less screen time gave it their all, which is important because even the slightest "I don't want to be here" attitude can screw up a film. James played his part very well and seemed to adapt easily to the dramatic changes his character had to go through. I'm not very familiar with Magda Apanowicz's work but she was pretty impressive herself as hard ass Emma. And of course you'd expect nothing less than perfection from veteran actors Geraldine Hughes and Bill Moseley which is exactly what you get. Moseley is the paranoid retired Sheriff that was involved in the original case. He shows up about half way through the film to help fill in all the details. Hughes doesn't get as much screen time but does a good job portraying James' devoutly Christian mother who is dead set (no pun intended) against him discovering anything about his past.
Writer John Doolan, who also penned Remains, spent a lot of time developing the character of Johnny Petrie. As I mention above, his character goes through some pretty radical changes during the course of the film. In fact, he spent so much time on Petrie that we never found out anything else about the other characters. I don't think the film suffered because of it but it would've been nice to have some answers to Apanowicz's Emma. Why was she squatting in the house? What was she running/hiding from and why? They hint to her being a local because she knew the Conroy history but that's about as detailed as it got. We were given just about as much info on Moseley's character. A hint here and there about why he retired, a brief conversation between characters about him dabbling in the super natural.
I really got into Dead Souls. I thought Director Colin Theys did a good job crafting a very intense made for TV horror film. Granted, filmmakers can get away with a lot more graphic images these days. It's nice to see someone spook an audience subtly using only shadows and some creepy music. Speaking of creepy music, I don't think I've ever been as creeped out by "The Spider and the Fly" song as I was watching this movie. You'll hear it in the trailer below.
I've read a lot of negative reviews on this film and while it wasn't perfect, Dead Souls was definitely intriguing. Maybe I like it because I don't regularly expose myself to this type of film but who knows. It left me with a very uneasy feeling and I don't get those very often. If you're a fan of haunting type films, I'd say give this one a try. In my opinion it's definitely worth the 90+ minutes you'll spend on it. Or, if you're looking for a good "intro to horror" film, this would be one of those as they don't go real heavy on the scares or the gore.
"While we're being told he is NOT recurring his role as the chainsaw wielding slasher, we hear he does have some sort of potential "cameo." The only thing confirmed is that he'll be in the movie."
In The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D, arriving in theaters October 5, 2012, Tania Raymonde will play Nikki, a small-town girl with an attitude who is the best friend of Heather (Alexandra Daddario), who travels to small-town Texas to collect her inheritance, which includes her deranged cousin Leatherface. Bill Moseley also stars.
