Black Phone (2021)- REVIEW

        

Well, well, well.  After another hiatus, just a few years, we are back to tackle some movie reviews that we think you guys would want to know about.  It's not that we lost our passion for horror or writing, life just happens sometimes and you find yourself with less and less time to do the things you really want to focus on.  Adulting is fucking bullshit!  I know I can speak for myself and Tammy when I say we missed you guys and we are going to try and deliver the experience and news that we used to back in the day.  All that being said, lets take a look at Black Phone.

 Set in 1978, in Denver, Co there is a child abductor on the loose.  Kids are disappearing with not many clues left behind and anyone who is taken is never found again.  The only thing being left behind at the scene are black balloons.  Finney Blake, our main character, finds himself as one of the abducted locked in a basement and being looked after by a masked man who is deeply disturbed.

The only things that are in this basement is a mattress on the floor and a black phone on the wall.  Calls soon start coming in from this phone from previous victims of the kidnapper.  Each one giving some kind of clue trying to help Finney get out of this nightmare.

I really think Blumhouse knocked this one out of the park.  They came up with something that is suspenseful and original which isn't something that horror movies have been able to produce on a regular basis in the past 10 years. 

Ethan Hawke gives a great performance as always.  I don't think I have seen him in a movie that I didn't like.  The creepy kidnapper, he just nails it.  He even creeped me out a few times and that is a hard thing to do.  The acting in general was good, good story and atmosphere.  I highly recommend checking this one out if you haven't already.  

There you have it.  Straight from my mouth to your computer screen.  I believe this is still in theaters or maybe on its way out by now but it is streaming on Peacock, which is where i saw it.  There are so many streaming services out there right now making it easier and easier to see everything you could ever want to and maybe some things you wish you hadn't.  This is one you definitely want to see. Till next time.  

Stay Twisted everyone!!

 

  

Come to Daddy 2019 - REVIEW

 

Okay, okay, I get it… we dropped off the map for (literally) years but there were extenuating circumstances. I’ve been busy with animal rescue stuff and J.R. has been promoted several times, increasing his work load BUT, we’re hoping to make a comeback now! 

Anyone who has followed me on Twitter or Facebook knows that for the past couple of years, we have been doing interactive movie nights. We pick a movie, build props to match and drop guests right in the middle of it. In the past, I’ve chosen movies that would be well received, based on our audience, but I kinda ran out of those. The last couple of weeks, I’ve been watching movies trying to pick something everyone would enjoy… which leads me to Come to Daddy.

Norval Greenwood (Elijah Wood) is an underachieving former alcoholic who receives a letter from his estranged father (Stephen McHattie) asking him to come for a visit. Curious about who his father really is, Norval makes the trip to his secluded, scenic waterfront house. Upon arrival, he is perplexed to meet an angry alcoholic father who seems uninterested in getting to know him. Before long, his father’s behavior becomes increasingly more concerning. That coupled with the strange noises coming from inside the house, drive him spiraling further and further into despair.

Let’s get a few of things straight here… 1) I LOVE both Stephen McHattie and Elijah Wood and it’s no surprise that they each give pretty stellar performances. 2) Phenomenal actors and good cinematography alone DO NOT make a good film. Just when I’m about to give up, Garfield Wilson and Martin Donovan come in with, what I’m assuming is the “comedic” part of the film, and all I can do is sit and watch even more wasted talent. When you’re lucky enough to get stars of this caliber and you waste their talents on a subpar film, it’s quite angering. 

Billed as a horror/comedy I expected a lot given the cast and reviews but I can honestly say I was more than disappointed. The film itself drags on and on with very little action to speak of. The only real points of suspense left me smacking my forehead and rubbing my temples wondering why I ever turned it on to begin with. Not only was it a waste of talent, but a complete and total waste of 96 minutes of time. In fact, I think I’d rather take the spam call about my cars extended warranty than ever even think of this movie again. Watch it at your own risk but don’t say I didn’t warn you beforehand.

Happy Death Day 2017 - REVIEW

Groundhog Day (1993) is quite the masterpiece for it's time and continues to hold up well today. It's such a fun movie that countless other films have tried to mimic it's greatness but none have ever come close to measuring up, in my opinion anyway. TV shows like Charmed, Supernatural and even The X-Files have had episodes that involved some sort of time loop. So why not a horror movie?

After a night of partying, self centered college student, Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) wakes up in the dorm room of Carter Davis (Israel Broussard). Confused and embarrassed, she quickly dresses and goes about her day as usual. Later that night, as she's headed to a party, she's murdered by an unknown assailant. Next thing she knows, she's waking up in Carter's room again and the day starts over again. She, of course, writes off all the familiar happenings as deja vu, at least until she's headed back to the party. Creeped out, she decides to go a different way and ends up being killed again. When she finally figures out what's going on, she realizes in order to stop the cycle, she has to find out who wants her dead and why.

Honestly, I didn't have high hopes for this movie. Admittedly, I haven't been watching a ton of movies lately but main stream horror hasn't been really given me the urge to do so either. However, Happy Death Day was refreshingly clever. It gets moving pretty quickly and doesn't let up much at all. It's like a riding a roller coater for the first time. Given the amount of times Tree is killed, the death scenes were quite creative. It's like director Christopher Landon and writer Scott Lobdell sat down in a room together and asked, "Ok, how many different ways can we kill someone?", then just went for it and nailed it. I appreciate that they didn't go over board with elaborate kills and shove blood and gore down the audience's throat. Sometimes simple is better and it's nice to see a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. They knew going in what they were going for and made it look easy.

Speaking of making things look easy, Rothe definitely steals the show with her performance. She brings a lot of life to an otherwise unlikable character and does an incredible job conveying growth over the course of the movie. It takes a special writer and actor to make an audience root for such an obnoxious character. In fact, I found that every actor involved did a pretty outstanding job. Rothe and Broussard mesh well together and I can see each of them doing more great things in the future.

While the film is far from perfect, it is tremendously fun. It has a great mix of horror, comedy and, dare I say, even a little romance. It's a rare thing to see a slasher movie take all those elements and successfully bring them together. If you're a fan of the slasher genre, do yourself a favor and watch it. And, I hear they're working on a second part as well so here's to hoping it's as good as this one.

Amityville: The Awakening 2017 - REVIEW

For a long time I didn't think this movie was ever going to be released.  Countless times it was pushed back from the theatrical release till they finally pulled it for good and just released it straight to dvd.  Nevertheless I still was pretty enthused to see a new entry to an Amityville franchise that isn't that all impressive.  I actually enjoy the first 4 but then they get a little too cheesy and just bad after that.

I have to say I really liked Awakening.  I know that is not a popular opinion but I thought the cast was great and really just not a bad movie.  I am not giving this a raving review but if you are familiar with the franchise it certainly is better than most of them. 

Joan (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a desperate Mother that will try anything to cure her  son (Cameron Monaghan) who has been in a coma for a couple years.  She believes the Amityville house's powers will bring him out of his condition and all will be good again.  Joan fails to tell the rest of her family about the house's history and the real reason they moved there.  This is something that her teenage daughter Belle (Bella Thorne) has to find out for herself. 

I was a little hesitant to watch this after all the delays and people saying how bad it was but i already loved who was in it.  The acting to me did not disappoint.  Jennifer Jason Leigh may not be as young as she once was but she still has a presence about her and young stars Cameron Monaghan  from Shameless and Bella Thorne are excellent as well.  I would give this film 6 out of 10 stars.  Definately recommend giving this one a chance.  There are a few scenes that were so creepy they made me uncomfortable.  Stay twisted everyone

Billy Club 2013 - REVIEW

Aaaaaand, we're back! I would like to give you some fluff and bullshit about why I haven't reviewed anything lately. I'd like to use the excuse that I've been to busy but that's not true. The truth is, for a while, independent films just beat me down. Most that we were getting were lackadaisical and uninspired and quite frankly, weren't even worth wasting the time to review them. I pride myself on being brutally honest when it comes to reviewing and it started feeling more like I was just beating a dead horse. However, I am also stubborn as hell and refuse to let the website that I put so much effort into for so many years simply dry up and die. So.... onward and upward!!

Fifteen years after a gruesome triple homicide devastated their Little League baseball team, four friends (Erin Hammond, Marshall Caswell, Mathew Dunlop, Nick Sommer) reunite to commemorate their dead coach and fallen teammates. A mystery unfolds as the secrets from their past return to haunt them and a vengeful killer, hidden by an antique umpire's mask, returns to even the score.

I have to admit, I didn't have high hopes for this one. For some reason, the artwork and title of the film didn't give me a great feeling. Yes, I'm a judgmental bitch, BUT, I am completely ecstatic to say that I was wrong. 

The film is well shot and the acting, for the most part, is on point and much better than you normally see in lower budget indie films. However, the film is not without it's flaws. There are some flashbacks that drag on a little long but are needed to round out the story. As always, I appreciate the use of practical effects and the majority of them were well done, there was a face smash effect that blew me away, but there were also some that fell a little short (final scene). However, none of those things take away from the overall watchability of the film. Written and directed by Nick Sommer and Drew Rosas, Billy Club is an old fashioned slasher with a little bit of comedy mixed in to make it an enjoyable ride.  

Besetment Coming to DVD September 5

Uncork'd Entertainment invites you to a hotel of horrors this September with Brad Douglas’s highly anticipated thriller/chiller Besetment.

Besetment stars Abby Wathen (The Bay) as a young woman who takes a hotel position in a small town where she ends up fighting for her life.

Amanda Millard, struggling and desperate for a job, takes a position at a hotel in a small town in Oregon. It’s a creepy, back country kind of town but owners Mildred Colvin and her son Billy seem nice enough at first. It’s not long before Amanda discovers their real intentions, and her struggle to make a living becomes a nightmarish fight for her life.

Besetment won first place at the recent Rhode Island Vortex Horror Film Festival.

Abby Wathen and, Marlyn Mason (The Trouble with Girls) star with Michael Meyer, Douglas Rowe, Lindsea Kline, Greg James, Hannah Barefoot, John T. Woods, Sonya Davis, Max Gutfreund, Liam O'Sruitheain, Sadndra Doolittle, Tanner McCullough, Ashley Layton, Nona Bigham, and Edward Simper in a Brad Douglas film.

Besetment hits DVD September 5.

Studio: Uncork'd Entertainment
Director: Brad Douglas
Cast : Abby Wathen, Marlyn Mason

Clip #1
http://tinyurl.com/besetmentclip1

Clip #2
http://tinyurl.com/bestmentclip2

Terror Films Releases I Know You're in There

Horror genre distributor Terror Films is releasing I Know You’re in There today, August 18th!

I Know You’re in There was written and directed by Robert Lawson Gordon. The film stars: Will Hurst, Grainne McDermott, Mindee de Lacey and Karin Lee. In the story, Tom Redding (Hurst), after his mother’s suicide, discovers that he has a sister named Chloe (McDermott). Chloe is catatonic and completely paralyzed. Later, Tom takes her on a trip to their dead mother’s isolated home partly - in hopes of documenting her rare illness. Their bonding time is disrupted by unexpected twists into madness as a supernatural evil presents itself.

The film has been met with some critical acclaim. Wicked Channel has stated: “…the story is kick-ass and the suspense in the film is ever present.” Peter ‘Witchfinder’ Hopkins of Horrorscreams Videovault states: “if you like…a story that keeps you hooked, check out I Know You’re in There.”

In their ongoing effort to bring the best and most diverse indie horror content to the masses, Terror Films will release this film across multiple digital platforms. Platforms include: iTunes, Amazon Instant/Prime, Vudu, Google Play/You Tube, X-Box Live and many others. The release begins with North America and will be followed up by a worldwide digital release on idlix. 

Official trailer:



For more information on Terror Films, visit: www.terrorfilms.net and Facebook