THE SWERVE REVIEW

 

A woman with a seemingly ideal life battles insomnia.

Starring: Azura Skye, Bryce Pinkham, and Ashley Bell

Directed and written by: Dean Kapsalis

Check out the video below and find out how many pools of blood it received...

WHERE THE SCARY THINGS ARE EPISODE 81

 

Where The Scary Things Are Episode 81: THEY REACH with Director SYLAS DALL and stars MARY MADALINE ROE, MORGAN CHANDLER, and EDEN CAMPBELL

In this weeks episode we talk to the stars and director of the new movie THEY REACH.  SYLAS DALL and stars MARY MADALINE ROE, MORGAN CHANDLER, and EDEN CAMPBELL give us a behind the scenes look at this awesome scary movie.

Listen and/or watch below:

iTunes   Stitcher   iHeart

THE VIGIL REVIEW

 

A man providing overnight watch to a deceased member of his former Orthodox Jewish community finds himself opposite a malevolent entity, in writer-director Keith Thomas’ electrifying feature debut.

Starring: Dave Davis, Menace Lustig, Lynn Cohen and Malky Goldman

Directed and written by: Keith Thomas

  “The Vigil” has a job opening not many would apply for. Yakov (Dave Davis) is down on his luck, and short on money. He’s trying to find his place again in his community, and not sure where he stands religiously. While leaving a community meeting he’s met by Reb Shulem (Menashe Lustig), who has an offer for him. An offer that based on his financial troubles he can’t afford to turn down.

  As for the offer, it’s to watch over a dead body for a night. This doesn’t sound like a great job, but it’s part of a real Jewish tradition. Yakov will be playing the role of Shomer, and watching over the body of Mr. Litvak. It’s more for the protection of the soul than the actual body. He also will be spending the night with the widow, Mrs. Litvak (Lynn Cohen). She’s a little strange, but soon enough he’s going to find out how strange things can really get.

  This tradition sets up a terrific horror story. Horror fans can just imagine how many things that could go wrong watching a dead body overnight. The demon or spirit here might have been haunting Mr. Litvak while alive, and now is looking to torture Yakov overnight and possibly longer. The hauntings start slow, but becoming more aggressive as the night rolls on. A combination of lighting and sound effects help the jump scares keep the audience on edge. More fun might even be the random appearance by Mrs. Litvak when Yakov least expects her. 

  While the scares are what the audience is looking for they’re also going to get two particularly good performances. Lynn doesn’t spend a lot of time on screen, but she brings out all the oddness that makes up Mrs. Litvak. The audience will be homed in on every word she says. Obviously the other performance comes from Dave, who spends a lot of the film’s important moments alone. Alone, or often reacting to whatever the demon is trying to do to his character. He might be at his best when Yakov finds that he can’t run from the house and comes crawling back, and in a big show down with the demon in a tight hallway.

  Fans are constantly on the hunt for new jump scares, and “The Vigil” is going to do its best to give them some good ones. It certainly will have the audience on edge, but might not ever get to the level of say “The Conjuring.” Dave and Lynn put on some great performances each with their own challenges. What really separates this film from others is the Jewish tradition the plot is based on. After seeing this horror fans won’t be jumping to watch over dead bodies anytime soon. With that, I give it 3 pools of blood!

  HorrO

More information at: http://promotehorror.com/2021/01/15/new-poster-for-the-vigil-coming-feb-26th/

WILLY'S WONDERLAND REVIEW

 

A quiet drifter is tricked into a janitorial job at the now condemned Willy’s Wonderland. The mundane tasks suddenly become an all-out fight for survival against wave after wave of demonic animatronics. Fists fly, kicks land, titans clash - - and only one side will make it out alive.

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Emily Tosta, and Beth Grant

Directed by: Kevin Lewis 

Written by: G.O. Parsons

Check out the video below and find out how many pools of blood it received...

WRONG TURN REVIEW

 

Friends hiking the Appalachian Trail are confronted by ‘The Foundation,’ a community of people who have lived in the mountains for hundreds of years. 

Starring: Charlotte Vega, Emma Dumont, and Matthew Modine

Directed by: Mike P. Nelson

Written by: Alan B. McElroy

  “Wrong Turn” has become a franchise about producing good kills above everything else, but can it be about something more this time? This story isn't about breaking down in the mountains, but getting lost up there. This group of young friends are looking for a Civil War fort in the mountains, but danger finds them before they can find the fort. Actually, danger comes rolling down the hill at them in the form of a tree trunk, and unfortunately one couldn’t get out of the way in time.

  This causes a panic amongst the group, and uncertainty with what to do next. The longer they stay on the mountain the more they become convinced that they’re being watched by someone. One of them goes missing, while others stumble upon more traps in the woods. Before they know it, the hikers come face-to-face with men wearing animal skulls. Of course that means they’re the bad people, and things go terribly wrong from here on out.

  The hikers are going to get a formal introduction to the Foundation, and the audience is about to see how different they are from the crazy cannibals in the past movies. This is a whole society of people that have been living in the woods since before the Civil War. Everyone contributes to life up in the mountains, and faces their own sort of court system if they get out of line. They even speak their own language as opposed to the cannibals who just preferred to laugh all the time.

  It was always easy to see the cannibals as the bad guys in previous films, but a weak case could be made that they were just trying to eat and the people came into their territory. This time around the film really wants the audience to consider who is right and wrong here. Some of the hikers end up on trial, and some of the events on the mountain leading up to how the two sides crossed paths aren’t as clear cut as they seem. Obviously the longer this goes on the audience probably won’t be siding with the Foundation, but will still have plenty to think about.

  So if this is a different group of people in the woods does that mean there isn’t the usual fun death scenes? Lets say there is a certain brutality with the kills here, and none really push the boundaries of craziness like getting split in half (still love that death as fake as it was). There’s some head bashing fun and some serious stabbing going on, but also something different happens with the hikers this time. No spoilers here, but lets just say Jen (Charlotte Vega) purposes something that has long seemed like a good idea in these type of movies in order to survive. It also lets the film explore a little more about the Foundation, and throw in a few more surprises before this one ends.

  To answer the question at the top, yes they prove that they can make “Wrong Turn” about something more than the kills. They actually use it to make political and societal statements throughout the film. It starts with creating a diverse group of young people, and they even go out of the way to show how these young people plan to contribute to society. They’re compared with others who might be considered blue collared workers. Then of course there’s the Foundation, who play the socialist role here. They throw these groups of people into a pot together with some misunderstandings and fear, and out comes a horror movie. 

  Whether the audience wants to see this angle over the “we’re here for the kills” angle will be up to the audience to determine. I would’ve been fine with the killing angle again, but certainly appreciate the effort to do more with the story this time. Besides the statements being made, it adds someone to look for the hikers, and lets the hikers try something new to survive. Also, it’s certainly a more serious film to say the least. There are still some brutal kills, and some good twists and turns along the way. And don’t forget to sit through the beginning of the ending credits for a little more fun. “Wrong Turn” definitely takes a different turn this time around, but still manages to get 3 pools of blood.

  HorrO

Saban Films will release the horror film On Demand, Digital, Blu-ray and DVD on February 23, 2021. 

More about this film at: http://promotehorror.com/2021/02/01/wrong-turn-on-vod-digital-blu-ray-and-dvd-february-23rd/