I have to admit that the in the last six months I haven’t watched much horror. Lately the genre hasn’t captured my attention. Has the genre hit a lull? Am I just uniformed? Or have I finally gotten old? In any case I haven’t been interested. There’s too many great flicks from other genres/countries that have been calling their siren song and I have been heeding it. The Battery is a horror film that despite my lack of interest has been at the top of my need-to-watch pile. I finally got to check it out and it was worth the wait.

The Battery is about two guys trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. But wait! Before you shake your head and go back to looking a naughty pictures of people doing naughty things, let me stress that this film is damn fine. The film is essentially a road film/buddy flick that probably could have taken place sans zombies. The zombies are there and are definitely a threat but the film is much more about the relationship between the guys and their individual relationships with their surroundings. It’s not scary per se, though there are definitely horrific moments sprinkled throughout. Gorehounds will be sorely disappointed here as well. The film doesn’t have much of the red stuff. So, it’s not scary and it’s not gory which should mean it should be terrible right? On paper it sounds cliche and dull. But the film itself is very compelling. Their surroundings are captured beautifully giving the film a strong sense of place. It’s not a generic suburb or faceless city but a beautiful countryside filled with forests, streams, and isolated homes. The soundtrack also helps build the sense of place with jangly guitars, soulfully played. The gorgeous compositions mixed with perfect music build this humble film into something truly worth seeing. The film honestly feels like “post-horror” if I may be so bold. It’s arty without being pretentious, thoughtful without being too intellectual.

The zombies are slow moving with no wall climbing spider zombies being present. They’re threatening but only in large numbers. The two main characters travel along the countryside, never staying in one place too long so that they never become surrounded by zombies. One of the men is totally acclimated to the wandering lifestyle, the other hungers for community. This is the conflict of the film, each fighting for dominance and direction. Should they look for others? Should they continue to stay away? Though the conflict here for the most part between the two involves jokes and mild arguments thankfully. I was afraid the film would devolve into both characters hating each other but they only bicker as best friends and siblings do. The camaraderie between the two made the film compelling, funny, and engaging. I felt like I knew both of them by the end and could understand each point of view.

The Battery is a sold film that lives in the place where indie art house and horror meet without being preachy or obnoxious. It’s just plain good. The kicker is that the film only cost $6,000  was filmed on a Canon 5d and edited on a PC. It’s inspiring that a smart group of people could make such an outstanding film for so little, using technology within easy grasp of many folks. It proves yet again that you don’t need a lot of money to make a good movie, just a solid script and determination.  The Battery is now available VOD on Amazon, VUDU, and iTunes.

Check out our video of the Days of the Dead Horror Convention in L.A.!

There was a time in cinematic history when the only action heroes taken seriously were old crusty men who had legitimate world experience. A time when Charles Bronson a WWII Vet could kick ass even in his 60s, when Lee Marvin a sniper in WWII could lead a band of rag tag soldiers. Nowadays we have fresh faced male models pretending to act tough when the toughest part of their lives is getting their chest waxed. Wild Geese is a welcome re-release from that magical era when old dudes ruled.

Wild Geese tells the tale of a clandestine British special op taking place in Africa. Our heroes are asked to collect an imprisoned African leader and extradite him from the hands of his captors. They must face an entire army of rebels with only 50 well trained men. No problem for these hard bastards. The problem is when they’ve been double crossed and have to fight their way out of hostile territory.

Ok, so it’s not the most original plot line. Typical Dirty Dozen/Kelly’s Heroes type stuff. It was very popular at the time so why not let the Brits get in on the action? The film is bloody, violent, and probably the most realistic representation of mercenary action the time period could produce. This isn’t a silly laugh fest, though it does have the requisite dry humor for these types of films. The characters are mostly caricatures but I wouldn’t want it any other way. You’ve got the gay medic, the officials sergeant, the suave younger guy, the hard as nails leader and his affable friend. They’re all here, and I loved them all. I actually got attached to the characters so even though the plot is pretty predictable, I still didn’t want to see them die as I knew they would. My eyes were glued to the screen throughout its substantial runtime. Wild Geese is the real deal.

Wild Geese is a wonderful time capsule of action films when men were men. When the older they were the tougher they were and when honor and respect were the two highest values. None of this anti-hero bullshit. Just straight up good men doing their best in a shitty situation, dying with grace. Wild Geese is a damn fine film and deserves its place of honor in your collection.

For the last several years the cinematic landscape has been replete with post-apocalyptic visions of our near future. Some cartoonish, some fanciful, others terrifying a graphic. It seems that the death of Western civilization is on the hearts and minds of film makers and film viewers as well. It’s no wonder given the turbulent times we live in. Our government divided, terrorist plots foiled, and the media raking in the money with scare tactics that keep us watching. Rarely does a film set in the post apocalyptic future strike a deeply personal note but 5 shells does just that.

Two teenage daughters are left to fend for themselves in a small desert town when their parents are killed on their front porch. The two decide to flee their home to find their Grandmother’s house with the hope of a more secure future. With nothing but their backpacks filled with canned food and an old single shot shotgun with only 5 shells they set out on a journey to find that safety.

Filmed on a DSLR camera, the film looks fantastic. Using a variety of lenses the film has a texture and feel to it unique to shooting in the dslr format. Crystal clear images with very selective focus help the film paint beautiful and sometimes horrific pictures. The film is largely told with limited dialogue. In fact for the first 20 minutes or so, there is almost no interacting between the sisters. But why does there need to be? They know each other intimately in a way that only sisters can. They know what each other is thinking and feeling without having to speak. The film is about this familial relationship and the loss of their innocence rather than being a mindless action flick (which I wouldn’t have had a problem with either).

I can honestly say that 5 Shells is the best film BrinkVision has released to date. It feels fresh and honest and tries to dig deeper than most genre fare. The fragile bonds of siblings and the isolation felt when those bonds are strained is examined and it’s a tough sell for most genre fans. It’s certainly not a fast paced slick film. Here is a film that has something to say and something to show us. It isn’t surprising the film has gotten little attention. It’s a small film made on a small budget. It lacks the flash and gore of its sub-genre brethren but it’s a film worth checking out.

Full disclosure. As a kid I loved Dolph Lundgren. I rented every one of his films from my local Mom & Pop video store. All I really remember was that most of them left me wondering why I loved him in the first place. Red Scorpion wasn’t one of those films. I rented it and loved it and promptly forgot about it. I eventually ran out of movies or ran out of interest and my passion for the impressive Lundgren faded away. I knew I had to have Red Scorpion when it was released by Synapse. Here was a tasty slab of 80s cheese forgotten by most, that i needed to see again.

Red Scorpion was released hot on the heels of Rocky IV, so of course Lundgren plays a Russian again. This time hes a crazy badass Spetsnaz sent to a turbulent African nation to befriend the rebel leader and notify the Russian army of their whereabouts so that they can crush them. He does his job but in the process learns that his people are the oppressors and decides to fight back with the rebels.

This is Dolph at his least charismatic I’m afraid. I mean in Rocky IV he was supposed to be an immovable object so of course he had the disposition of a rock. Here though he mumbles through his lines and flexes for the camera. Still, Red Scorpion is filled to the brim with awesome bloody action with special effects courtesy of Tom Savini, and direction by Joseph Zito (Missing in Action, Invasion U.S.A ((which also had sfx by Savini))). So with those two behind the scenes you know you’re gonna get what you paid for. Bloody squibs, explosions, fist fights, and lots of stunts. It’s hard to trash a film that gave me exactly what I came for. If you want an 80′s action flick with tons of violence, a high body count, great direction, and Dolph Lundgren, look no further.

I was lucky enough to get to attend the first year of the CineMayhem Film Festival in Thousand Oaks, CA. The event took place at the amazing Muvico Theater. Leather seats, elevators, full kitchen and bar. Now that’s what I call a movie theater. The festival was very well organized and the staff was well informed. There was no confusion or difficulties which is pretty amazing since its a first year film fest. Each film was introduced and preceded by a raffle for some awesome swag. The crowd was lively and everything went without a hitch. Professional all the way. But what about the films?

ColdWater (2011)

ColdWater, directed by Dave Parker (The Hills Run Red), is about a man suffering from a concussion after an accident. His friend asks him to housesit a client’s home for a weekend and he agrees. He’s supposed to take the weekend to try to recuperate but instead ends up being terrorized by unseen house invaders.

Ok so ColdWater is a very low budget affair. Shot in a semi-found footage style the film lacks polish and shows its short shooting schedule on it’s sleeve. It’s not really a problem here as the film is about a single man in a house freaking out so it’s much more about the struggle of the main character than showing off pretty setups. The story is engaging and interesting if not completely original. I figured out the twist ending about 20 minutes before the end though I wouldn’t say the ending is totally obvious. I think maybe I’ve just seen too many movies. The problem is the film has some pretty significant plot holes and the ending goes on far too long. Ever see a film that would have been great if it had been trimmed by about 5-10 minutes? Yeah, that’s ColdWater. The film bangs the audience over the head with the twist ending. Yeah, I got it. Please stop telling me about it. Still I admire the film for being put together with a very limited budget and it’s not a ghost story, possession film, or zombie flick which is a big plus in my book.

Roadside (2013)

We got treated to the world premiere of Roadside, written and directed by Eric England (Madison County). The film was prefaced by a great little making of doc and then straight into the film. Roadside is about a husband and wife on a long drive to see family during the holidays. On a lonely isolated road they happen upon a fallen branch. The husband hops out to move the branch and discovers it’s a trap. He’s now at the mercy of a sniper hidden in the woods who won’t let him leave and won’t tell him what he wants.

Roadside is much more of a suspense flick than a horror film but it’s general sense of dread and fear made it fit right into the festival. Well filmed and written, Roadside does a lot of things right. The acting is good and believable and the score is great as well. I’ll admit the sniper’s recorded radio dj-ish voice was a bit off putting. Because it was recorded after the fact I kept getting the sense that there was a disembodied head floating around in the woods. It kept bringing me out of the film. That’s a minor quibble and I know it so I won’t belabor the point. Chalk it up to me being a pain in the ass. The wife is pregnant and her pregnancy doesn’t really add much to the film aside to a bit of suspense at the end of the film. I think it would have been more suspenseful had the pregnancy played a larger role. I’m guessing from the director/writer’s young age he hasn’t been around many pregnant women but there’s a lot of potential to mine there. Having to use the bathroom or maybe  gestational diabetes? Again, not a major quibble. The ending also has a cheesy “twist” that most horror fans will see a mile away but it didn’t ruin the film for me. I see a bright future for Eric England and I’m glad I had the chance to see a film from him at the beginning of his career. Roadside is a nice slowburn suspense film that hits nearly all the marks. It’s a solid film from a solid director. I’ll be watching what he does next.

The ABC’s of Death (2013)

The ABC’s of Death is a horror anthology that features a short film for every letter of the alphabet and death is dealt by a word starting with each letter. I’ve been hearing a lot about The ABC’s of Death. It’s been a long time coming and for me it was worth the wait. I keep reading that it’s a mixed bag, uneven with only a few standout films. I agree it’s a mixed bag of quality, style, and tone which doesn’t lend itself to a cohesive vibe for the film as a whole like more notable anthologies have succeeded in doing (Creepshow, Trick r Treat, Trilogy of Terror etc). It’s more of a collection of shorts than a true anthology and I loved the crap out of it. Sure, there were stories that I thought were stronger than others but I honestly enjoyed them all. Some were interesting ideas,  some were just plain fun, some were disturbing, and some were unique experiments. I applaud the ABCs of Death for having such a broad reach and encompassing so many different facets of the horror genre. I think if anything the film proves how much variety can be found in our beloved genre, which I’m all for. For the Record some of my favorite letters were D, H, J, O, U.

All in all I had a great time watching the films and listening to the Q & A sessions after the screenings. I’ll certainly be looking for CineMayhem next year to see what films they bring us.

I love a good film festival and Dread Central has decided to pony up and create their own. Read on for more info:

Growing up as a budding horror fiend I always wanted to see the goriest movie out there. Too bad I peaked at about 12 seeing Dead Alive uncut thanks to my local mom & pop video store. That didn’t deter me in the hunt though. I’ve seen my share of German gore flicks like The Burning Moon, Premutos, Nekromantik, Violent Shit, and more. Recently I’ve gotten into Japanese gore flicks and have eagerly gobbled them up. Tokyo Gore Police, The Machine Girl, Meatball Machine, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl. It’s all good gooey fun. Recently Italy has thrown their hat in the ring of revved up gore flicks. Sure, Italy has a long history of gore masters, Lucio Fulci, Ruggero Deodato, Umberto Lenzi, Sergio Martino, the list goes on. But recent output has been non-existent. Enter the new gore epic Taeter City and director Giulio De Santi to that long heritage of grue.

Set in the future, criminal behaviour has been eradicated by “harmless” radio waves that turn the impulse to be violent to others and turns it into an impulse to commit suicide. These folks are then ground up and sold to the masses. Food shortage solved! There’s also a band of motorcycle cops who go around slaughtering folks breaking minor laws. The “harmless” waves have created a mutant however. He has the power to maintain his homicidal rage and kill anyone in his path. He can also cause others to kill themselves simply by screaming at them. Now it’s up to the group of sadistic motorcycle cops to dish out some mayhem to kill the mutant before the mutation spreads.

Taeter City delivers the goods. The whole film from start to finish is one long gore scene. I haven’t seen this much mayhem in a long time. The whole film revolves around novel gore gimmicks and I’m ok with that. The gore is a great blend of practical fx and cgi effects. Don’t worry your pretty little head though. The CGI only enhances the already impressive practical effects. The film is filled to the brim with effects I’ve never seen before, new ideas and approaches to creating cinematic slaughter. It truly is impressive. I figured there just weren’t any new ways to maim, dismember and decapitate characters but Taeter City proved me wrong. Ok so the gore is most certainly there, but what about the movie? Influenced by Robocop, Total Recall, and Tokyo Gore Police, the film is a nihilistic vision of the future. That also means, it’s a lot of fun! Using fake commercials throughout the film, wacky costumes, and “futuristic” locations, the film is bursting with energy and ideas. So much so the film barely contains them. The editing is fast fast fast, ever hurtling the film forward. The style of the film was off putting at first i’ll admit but once I got used to it, i enjoyed the ride. The special edition of the film comes with a Taeter Burger hat and other fun gee-gaws which makes the overall package that much more appealing and fun.

I have only one question, when’s the sequel coming out?

Running Toxic Graveyard is pretty awesome. I get to update it when I feel like it with no boss breathing down my neck. I also get fantastic screeners. All in all it’s well worth the time. Jug Face, which recently premiered at Sundance, is also well worth your time.

Jug Face is about a rural community that makes moonshine to pay the bills, hunts to feed their stomachs, and worships a hole in the ground for their health and prosperity. See the whole is a portal to beings from another dimension. They keep the people healthy as long as they get their regular sacrifice. The sacrifices are announced via a psychic message that compels one of the members of the community to create a porcelain moonshine jug in the likeness of the person to be sacrificed. All goes well until the next jug face is created and the owner of the face finds the jug before it’s announced and hides it, fearing the sacrifice. Then things go bad. Very bad.

Rather than devolving into a hicksploitation flick, Jug Face is artfully crafted with real characters, not one dimensional yokels. Sure some of the actor’s southern drawls didn’t exactly work but the good far outweighs the bad here. The score is beautiful and authentic. The drama that unfolds is unique and helps to paint a clear picture of life for these backwoods denizens. I don’t want to give too much away but there is some decent gore, though it’s tastefully shot. Nothing is in your face but it most certainly is there. The filmmakers didn’t shy away from the red stuff but they didn’t hinge their entire film on it either. I expect the film to get picked up pretty quickly and then everyone will get to weigh in on it but Jug Face is head and shoulders above recent indie flicks I’ve watched.

Here at Toxic Graveyard I keep saying that I hate zombie films and fiction. That i’m over the undead and couldn’t stand another rotting moan or infected limb. And yet, I keep getting great zombie books and films and gush over them every time. I suppose I should say that I’m tired of cookie cutter lazy zombie fiction and films. There’s still a little bit left before the sponge is squeezed dry. Honestly, a well told tale is still a well told tale even if its plot devices are well worn. Case in point Amongst the Dead.

Amongst the Dead begins amid a zombie outbreak (duh) that has been well under way for months if not years. Our main character is a 12 year old girl who lives with her dad in an abandoned log cabin in the woods. The dad gets infected and then she has to face a vicious world all on her own.

Amongst the Dead is a short (196 pgs) fast read that I didn’t want to put down. The perspective of the little girl isn’t obnoxious, just honest and hard boiled in a world gone wrong. Cults, rapists, and zombies abound in the novel that rushes towards its conclusion, perhaps a bit too fast. The last 10pgs or so could have easily been extended out to another 50 or so which left me wanting more. That isn’t really a complaint either. I wanted the story to continue and I honestly hope the author decides to write another book to continue to story. There’s more meat on the bone here. Amongst the Dead only scratches the surface of what could be a much deeper saga.

There’s nothing here you haven’t read before but it’s distilled down and trims out all the fat left in by a plethora of other zombie novels. Amongst the Dead gives you what you came for, zombies, violence, likable characters who don’t become caricatures, and a writing style that doesn’t let you drop the book until it’s done. It’s simple, well written and entertaining.