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: Bonejangles

What do you get when you combine a subpar slasher and a subpar zombie movie? Bonejangles, of course. Toss in a healthy dose of horror themed comedy and a not quite efficient level of exposition and you end up with a movie that is actually somewhat entertaining. It is funny, almost in spite of how mediocre the pieces are on their own, the movie still manages to entertain enough to be worthwhile. To take that a step further, I feel you could have had a good film if you picked one side and expanded that into a feature. With that said I do like the idea of combining the disparate elements, if not the execution.

Movie Review: Peelers

Do you ever look at a description of a movie or watch a trailer and just know that you should stay away from it? Of course you have, we have all been confronted with a movie that seems so bland or derivative that they hardly seem worth your time. Peelers is one of those movies. Take the concept: strippers versus zombies. Hardly a fresh concept, it has been a number of times over the past few years, and I cannot say any of them have been all that entertaining. Peelers doesn’t change the trend and tends to the dry and boring side.

Blu-ray Review: Train to Busan

This past summer, I had the opportunity to check out a new zombie film from South Korea, it had been garnering a lot of buzz and I was curious to see if it would live up to the hype. The movie is called Train to Busan and it more than lives up to the hype. The film turned out to be an amazingly executed zombie film that delivers the action and also carries a strong emotional hook. It ramps up a little slowly, but it gives us characters, characters that are interesting and make us invested in their survival, or lack thereof.

Movie Review: Train to Busan

A couple of weeks back I started seeing a movie title pop up in my social media feeds that I had not heard of before. All of the buzz surrounding it seemed to be pretty popular, but figuring I would never get a chance to see, I did not pay it any mind. Things have a way of changing situations pretty quickly and I did find myself with an opportunity to go see it. The movie is called Train to Busan and it hails from South Korea. Another factor that played into my not really looking into it more quickly is the title, it is not really an attention grabbing title, you know what I mean? Well, then I discovered it was a zombie film and I got a little more interested.

Screening Report: The Beyond (6/16/15 Alamo Drafthouse, NY)

Comparatively speaking, I have not been a horror aficionado for very long. I have covered a lot of ground, but always feel like I am playing catch up. Still, in that time I have come to love a fellow named Lucio Fulci. I may have only seen a handful of his movies to this point, but there is no denying that he has risen through the ranks of favorite directors. Among that handful, one has become one of my all time favorites, The Beyond. A masterpiece of surrealistic, gory horror, so any chance to see it on the big screen must be taken, of this there is no question.

Blu-ray Review: Dead Snow 2 - Red vs. Dead

In 2009 Tommy Wirkola unleashed his vision of undead Nazi soldiers upon the world, Dead Snow. The movie was well received by the horror community, despite not being the most original movie. It was made with energy, enthusiasm, and a healthy dose of respect for the films that inspired it. Wirkola would go on to make an English language studio picture, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, which was surprisingly entertaining, before returning to his native Norway to make a Nazi zombie movie sequel, Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead. This sequel, shot in English (no doubt to cash in on the first one's international success), ups the ante in pretty much every way. It is a success.

Movie Review: Dead Snow

Nazi zombies, as a sub-genre of the horror genre and a sub-sub-genre of the zombie film, is one that is not very well packed with movies, but it is one everyone seems to know about. Even if they haven't seen a sample of said film, everyone acknowledges it like it is a thing. Considering the few titles that I have found that fall into this category, I am not sure it even qualifies. Still, I am pretty sure it doesn't really matter. This 2009 Nazi-zombie entry may be the most popular at the moment, but it still owes some credit to predecessors like Zombie Lake and, in particular, Shock Waves.

Movie Review: Shock Waves (1977)

Nazi zombies. You have to admit, it is a heck of a combination. They must be the sort of thing that gives Indiana Jones nightmares, well, that and snakes. While there are not a whole lot of movies in the sub genre, there are enough people who thought it was a good idea for it become a thing. This is probably a good thing. Sure, there are some neat ideas and things you can do with a Nazi zombie, but it is still a limiting exercise, albeit one that has had renewed life in recent years with the Outpost and Dead Snow films. Still, when it comes right down to it, one of the best is also one of the first, Shock Waves.

Movie Review: Night of the Seagulls

There was a time when I would look at Amando de Ossorio's Blind Dead movies and just crack a joke, be bored, or both and then move on to something else. Fortunately, I have grown and matured since then. I am not saying they are great films or that everyone should like them, but they do have something to offer the horror fan. Granted, the third entry, The Ghost Galleon, is pretty bad, save for an excellent ending, and they generally do not make much sense (then there is the Planet of the Apes cut of the original, don't ask). With that said, I kind of dug Night of the Seagulls, the final Blind Dead flick.

Movie Review: Revenge from Planet Ape (aka Tombs of the Blind Dead)

If you are familiar with Armando de Ossorio's Tombs of the Blind Dead, you know just how slow that movie is. You also know how nicely atmospheric it is, as well as how beautifully designed the blind dead creatures are. What you may not know is that in the late 70's (I believe), it was thought to be a good idea that it receive a new edit, a new title, and be transformed into a Planet of the Apes sequel. It is true. If you are not familiar with either, just know that films (foreign and domestic) were often retitled, re-edited, and made to be something it is not all the time. Often at the discretion of money hungry drive in owners, or “creative” distributors.

Movie Review: Return of the Living Dead 3

After spending an evening revisiting the classic Return of the Living Dead and discovering that I had never seen Return of the Living Dead Part II, I decided to complete the trifecta and watch Return of the Living Dead 3 (which I know I had seen before). There is nothing like spending some time with some zombies, sure they are pretty much everywhere these days, but that has not diminished their effectiveness, it just might take a touch longer to uncover the good ones. In any case, the third return film is my second favorite of the three (we won't bother with those two that were on TV later on). This one also changes the formula, while remaining a recognizable part of the series.

Movie Review: Return of the Living Dead Part II

So, the other night I decided to spend some time with old friends and popped in my Blu-ray of Return of the Living Dead. This movie, from Dan O'Bannon (Alien), John Russo (Night of the Living Dead), and others, is an absolute classic. The zombie comedy comes out firing on all cylinders, delivering laughs and scares alongside some of the most recognizable characters in all of horror. It was a great start to the darkening evening. I decided to follow it up with the 1988 sequel, Return of the Living Dead Part II. Then something happened that I did not expect, I did not recognize anything. I don't think I've ever seen the movie before! I know, right?

Movie Review: FleshEater

FleshEater is a movie I have been aware of for many years now, but had never gotten around to seeing. Frankly, it was never really that high on my must see list. Granted, I have never really investigated it that deeply, but I never ears that much positive,stuff about it. Even this day, watching it in the midst of a 35mm marathon (under the title Revenge of the Living Zombies), I heard some mixed word on it. One friend loves it and said it was the best of he day, while another quickly dismisses it as trash. Personally, I think the answer falls somewhere in the middle, although it does lean towards the rash end of the spectrum in my estimation.

Movie Review: Necropolis (1987)

Love him or hate him, Charles Band has carved out a fascinating little niche in low budget filmmaking. You could probably look at him as a lower rent Roger Corman, maybe. While most people today are probably mostly familiar with his killer puppet output, be it Puppet Master, Demonic Toys, or even The Gingerdead Man, his history goes back way before that and his founding of Full Moon Pictures. He was also the head of companies like Empire Pictures and Wizard Video, where he was at the forefront of he burgeoning home video market through the late 70's and 80's. He helped guide such shlock as Necropolis to video stores all over.

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.

My Gateway to Italian Horror

This first appeared during 2013's Italian Horror Week at DocTerror.com.

When it comes to horror movies, I have a lot to learn. I was late to the game and missed the glory days of the 1970s and 1980s. So, I guess it goes without saying that I spend a lot of time playing catch up. During that catching up I have found a love for Italian horror. There is something about them that is very alluring. There is a very distinct look and feel to them, they truly stand out from a crowd. When you find one, it is very hard to mistake it for anything else, if anything, you will find films from other countries that emulate that distinctiveness, whether on purpose or not (for a recent example, check out Rob Zombie's Lords of Salem).

DVD Review: Code Red (2013)

Zombies are all the rage, although their welcome seems to be wearing thin in some corners of the horror community. Not this one, however. While there have been some really bad zombie stuff released over the years, I am a sucker for a good one, or even a modestly entertaining one. They come in all shapes and sizes, they recently made the jump to big budget blockbuster status with the surprisingly decent World War Z. They seem to be easy to write, easy to execute, but difficult to master, and every would be horror director seems to try their hand at it. This includes first time writer/director Valeri Milev.

Movie Review: Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood (1988)

In 1986, Paramount brought to us the conclusion of the Tommy Jarvis arc, which began in 1984 with The Final Chapter (funny, “Final”). That movie was made not just to close the sequence, but as a reaction to the displeasure with which A New Beginning had been received. The studio heard and responded with a return of the real Jason Voorhees, thus kicking off the next era of one of our favorite mass killers. Jason Lives introduced us to the zombie Jason! A relentless, reanimated killer corpse. What's not to love? Anyway, after taking 1987 off, the franchise returned with a new actor behind the mask and a set of victims for the machete wielding slasher in Friday the 13th: The New Blood.

Horror-A-Day: Devil's Kiss

As October temperatures begin to finally settle in and colored leaves are starting to dot the trees, I am keeping up my movie diet. A steady stream of old school horror and exploitation titles is flowing out of my Netflix queue, for better or worse. Fortunately it is usually for the better. Still, even when the ones that are bad still add something to the tapestry of my movie watching experience. Unfortunately, this latest movie is not one I think I will feel the need to revisit. It has is moments, but overall, you would not be missing much.