The hunters become the hunted after a stranger obsessed with the Redwood Farm murders convinces bereaved family members to venture into the wilderness in hope of proving the existence of the notorious burlap masked maniac.
Starring: Danielle Harris, Damien Puckler, and Gary Kasper
Directed and written by: David Ryan Keith
Check out the video below and find out how many pools of blood it received.
A grieving British girl unravels her murdered mother’s secrets connected to a South African witch doctor’s curse.
Starring: Coco Lloyd, Mari Molefe van Heerden, and Mary-Anne Barlow
Directed and written by: Reine Swart
“The Heks” might be on me if this movie doesn’t receive enough pools of blood! Dilanne (Coco Lloyd) is doing what many of us do these days. She's talking to her mom on a video chat when someone appears, and murders her mother. Dilanne is upset, and wants answers to why this happened. She can’t wait, and flies home to South Africa to start an investigation of her own.
Usually this would be a good time to get reacquainted with family and friends, but Dilanne didn’t come home for a visit. She digs into her mom’s things looking for clues to why she was killed. Things get interesting when she finds an unusual looking mask. Throw in a witch doctor and things get cooking.
At times it might seem a little slow when Dilanne is investigating, but the movie keeps the audience on its toes with some scares. Actually it does a pretty job with the scares coming in nightmares, and hallucinations. Sometimes its creepy, and other times it’s with the intent to scare. Definitely be on alert because they will be trying the best to surprise the audience, and not every scare is saved for Dilanne.
Audiences might think they know this story, but being in South Africa gives it a refreshing feel. They construct a story where the audience will have to pick up on some different folklore. Obviously the creepy looking masks are a starting point, and the music during some scares echoes that. They also create a mysterious atmosphere around Dilanne that never leaves her upon her arrival. Oh, and don't forget the witch doctor.
“The Heks” seems like a familiar story, but has its own feeling to it. It starts with being in South Africa, and following some folklore that might be new to some audiences. If the audience gets a little lost in Dilanne’s investigation that’s alright because the scares are headed their way. There’s a good mix of jump scares, and plain old creepy moments to keep them on edge. It all comes down to a very wild ending. With that said, please don’t put a curse on me if I give it 3 pools of blood.
HorrO
More about this film at:
http://promotehorror.com/2020/12/24/the-hex-film-premiered-this-december/
Where The Scary Things Are Episode 77: PSYCHO GOREMAN with STEVEN KOSTANSKI and NITA-JOSEE HANNA
We sit down with a returning guest, Director Steven Kostanski and a star in the making, Nita-Josee Hanna to talk about their new film PSYCHO GOREMAN. This film is the perfect way to kick off 2021. One of the most entertaining films we have reviewed on the show.
#Apple : apple.co/3s5w340
#Spotify: spoti.fi/3s5vFT6
#YouTube: bit.ly/2Lle9sY
Behind the looks of a shy film student, David hides an obscure past that is about to be revealed.
Starring: Nicolas Prattes, Neusa Maria Faro, and Andre Hendges
Directed by: Diego Freitas
Written by: Diego Fretias and Gustavo Rosseb
“My Dead Ones” seems like a curious name for a film, but makes a lot more sense once this one ends. David (Nicolas Prattes) might seem a little odd at first, but that’s just because he’s a little shy. He has some friends, but he’s more interested in his films. It appears he likes to be filming from the shadows, and capturing his subjects in their natural environment. At least that what happens at first.
With his awkwardness, he will draw the audience on his side early. They will feel sorry for him when they see him get picked on at school, and have his camera damaged on purpose. However, as the audience gets to spend more time with David, they’re going to realize there is nothing to feel sorry for. Some think the quiet ones sometimes become the dangerous ones, and David lives up to that.
If the audience likes a film about how someone becomes a serial killer than this might be a film for them. It follows David as he just seems to be interested in filming different people. However, each person he begins following and filming becomes a potential victim of his. It starts kind of surprisingly with an elderly lady, who might have had issues of her own. While that seems like a little bit of a random kill to start with, it will soon enough make more sense as the story goes on.
David goes from a shy young man to a daring stalker and killer. He spends more time getting close to his victims before going for the kill. In one of the more exciting kills, he goes after a father and daughter. He seems to get out some anger or frustration in this kill. Also, he’s sure to record the kills, and load them on the internet. He doesn’t seem overly concerned with police investigating these murders because he has a growing confidence as the movie goes on.
On the surface this might be what audiences expect from a serial killer. However there’s something else going on here, and a bigger reason to why he’s killing certain people. No spoilers here, but it definitely adds an intriguing angle to his story. It does get a little confusing towards the end, as his reality seems to be very blurred. However, he still manages one more surprise before this one ends.
The original title for this movie was “David’s Secret.” He definitely has a big secret, and maybe even a few smaller ones connected to that secret. However, the title “My Dead Ones” makes this seem a little more interesting. Once the audience gets to know David, and see what he’s up to it will all make more sense. Like most serial killers, they will see what’s going on in his twisted head. It gets a little crazy towards the end, but be ready for another good surprise or two. If you like movies that follow serial killers, then this new Brazilian film might be for you. With that, I give it 3 pools of blood.
HorrO
On December 24th, five seemingly random men are invited to a dive bar by a myserteous e-mail. They decide to pass the time by resurrecting the old tradition of telling scary stories on Christmas Eve.
Starring: Jessica Anderson, Christopher Bower, and Cassondra Brian
Stories directed by: Brittany Blanton, Sean Blevins, Jed Brian, Shawn Burkett, William Capps, Alex Clark, John Hale III, Blair Hoyle, Robert Kern III, Drew Marvick, P.J. Starks, John Mason, and Eric Huskisson
Written by: John Mason and P.J. Starks
“13 Slays Till X-Mas” comes down the chimney with 13 short horror Christmas films for your holiday fun! Five guys, including a cop, priest, and guy dressed as Santa, are spending their Christmas eve at a bar of all places. Apparently they’re there because of an email, and not because they enjoy each other’s company. Instead of continuing the trash talking to each other all night long they decide to tell some Christmas stories with a horror twist to them. Obviously this means that horror fans are set up for an anthology of horror.
With so many short films means there will probably be some to like more than others. So here are a few that stood out to me. One of the priest’s stories involves a father who apparently made a deal with something evil. That evil has now come to collect leaving a very creepy ending. The cop has an interesting story that’s familiar to another popular Christmas tale. In this story, a person is shown visions of his past, present, and future that ends in a very sad fashion.
Santa has a pair of good stories starting with two guys breaking into a house. They aren’t there to steal gifts, but instead want to steal a life. Unfortunately things don’t turn out the way they expect. There’s a good touch of humor here, but ends very deadly. Many might not associate clowns with Christmas, but this anthology has a clown that no one will be laughing at. He’s certainly going to be his best to entertain this boy’s lying father!
This isn’t the only story with kids in it. Another tale features a mean brother teasing his younger sister about writing to Santa. He tries to scare his sister, but it doesn’t go as planned. Lets just say both siblings get what they asked for. In one of the seemingly longer and more shocking stories, the bartender opens with a story about a cop on the scene of a prisoner escape. Guards and fellow officers are down as she looks for the prisoner. There’s a twist to this story with much more to come. It all ends with another surprise, and a big bang!
Hopefully that didn’t spoil any of the shorts, and as for the main story it starts to come to an end when a mystery woman comes into the bar. She has a final story to tell that everyone in the bar will what to hear. Overall there’s a good mix of stories here. Some may seem a little familiar with a new attempt to change the story, while others have some fun new twists audiences won’t see coming. Some are about keeping things dark and myserteous, while others bring the blood and guts. Incorporating Christmas in the tales is part of the challenge, and what makes them special. Because they did a solid job of this, I’m going to gift wrap 3 pools of blood for “13 Slays Till X-Mas.”
HorrO
More about this film at:
http://promotehorror.com/2020/12/18/13-slays-till-x-mas-blu-ray-release/
