Movie Review: Dr. Butcher, M.D. (aka Zombie Holocaust)

What is it about Italian genre film making of the 70’s and 80’s that makes it so attractive? There is just something about those movies that I find irresistible. Yes, they run the gamut in terms of quality from all-time classics to utterly atrocious, but they have a distinct look and feel to them. They also seemed to have cornered the market on ripping off other movies, from blatant remakes to unofficial sequels, whose connection to their predecessors is tenuous at best. Then there are the times where they rip themselves off. There are the likes of Zombi 2 (made as a sequel to Dawn of the Dead), Alien 2: On Earth (somehow this is supposed to be connected to Alien), and Star Crash (a clear attempt to cash in on Star Wars), then you have Dr. Butcher, MD, aka Zombie Holocaust.

Movie Review: The Green Inferno

I remember the first time I watched Cannibal Holocaust. I hated it. Completely hated every moment of it and don't get me started on the animal violence in it. There was something about it that just rubbed me the wrong way. That reaction was way back in 2006, not that long ago, right? In the years since I have made my peace with the film, even coming to be a fan of it. I have seen it projected in a theater a couple of times and attended a panel with star Robert Kerman. It is a movie that does not lose its power. It remains a very effective film and a very unsettling experience. It is the granddaddy of cannibal horror, and now we have a new film looking to recapture the feel of that grindhouse classic, Eli Roth's The Green Inferno.

Screening Report: Cannibal Holocaust with guest Robert Kerman (Alamo Drafthouse 2/28/15)

Last night I went to a screening of Cannibal Holocaust, one of the most infamous of notorious movies. It has previously been banned in a large number of countries, although I am unsure if any of those still actually stand. In any case, it is a movie I have had something of a contentious relationship with over the years (evidenced by this review I wrote upon my first viewing back in 2006). In the years since, my disgust has softened and I have become something of a fan of it, even if I have some issues with the animal violence. On a happier note, how could I pass up a screening with an audience?

Movie Review: The Colony (2013)

If you like post-apocalyptic movies, you have probably noticed the shift in the cause of the apocalypse. We have had nuclear war and disease for a long time, lately, though, it seems like the vehicle of our impending demise is weather. Climate Change (or Global Warming, if you prefer) is sending us towards the next Ice Age and there is nothing you can do to stop it. At best, all you can hope for is to survive long enough to see society disintegrate only to be reborn in a form that more resembles some medieval past. An example of this done well is the excellent recent Snowpiercer. Another recent example is the direct to video entry The Colony.

Movie Review: Eaten Alive! (1980)

In recent years there are few areas of film that I have fallen for more than Italian horror. There is just so much to love, they are the movies that keep on giving. Now, my knowledge of them is not always the best, but it is growing all the time. What is fun is watching a movie you think you had seen, only to realize you haven't. The movie in question is Eaten Alive! and is not to be confused with Tobe Hooper's movie of the same name, sans exclamation point. This one, from Umberto Lenzi, has more man eating cannibals and less man eating alligator. Still, I would have sworn I had seen it before, but I think I just saw other movies that were related to it.

Movie Review: Cannibals

Italian filmmakers in the 1970s and 1980s would see something becoming popular in another country and then attempt to replicate it by jumping on the bandwagon and then making some absolutely insane movie that is somewhat but not really related and make it quite entertaining. Think about what Fulci did with Zombie (or rather, Zombi 2). It seems that at this time there were other countries looking to get in on the fun as well. The Italians hit it big with cannibal movies like Cannibal Holocaust, Cannibal Ferox, and Last Cannibal World that others wanted in on the fun. Enter French producers who enlisted Jess Franco to make his mark on the flesh eaters. The result was the lackluster Cannibals.

Movie Review: Zombie Holocaust

I am learning more and more about how a movie can change from country to country. Different titles, different cuts, different languages, even different footage shot or integrated from other sources. The latest movie to show this is Zombie Holocaust. It is another movie that has had a host of different titles and a number of different cuts over the years. I have now seen two versions of the film, the American cut and the original uncut Italian version (at least what I believe is the uncut Italian version). There is not a lot of difference between them. They are easily identifiable as the same movie, and in both cases it is pretty silly. But a good, fun silly.

Movie Review: Anthropophagus

Anthropophagus is an interesting beast. Firstly, it is a film of many names, besides the title seen above, it has been called The Grim Reaper, Man Eater, Cannibal, and Antropofago (probably a few other variations, too). Guess the numerous titles could be due to the difficulty of pronouncing, much less defining, it. On top of that, it made the BBFC's Video Nasty list and has been banned in numerous countries. It has also been mostly available in an edited version with something around 10-minutes excised from it. I have had an uncut DVD sitting on my shelf for a long time, but for some reason it took until now to actually pop it in the player.

Blu-ray Review: Wrong Turn 5 - Bloodlines

I have to be honest, I had no idea there were five Wrong Turn movies. The original 2003 movie, starring Eliza Dushku, was a solid horror film, but I never looked at it as a franchise starter. I guess somebody above my pay grade saw it as the perfect vehicle to launch a direct to video series. I cannot say I am against the idea, but most of them have slipped past me. With that said, Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines is over the top fun and does not seem to require any previous knowledge of the series.