SPARE PARTS REVIEW

 

While traveling on their first American tour, Ms.  45, an all-girl punk band, is drugged and kidnapped. They awaken to find their limbs removed and replaced with crude weaponry, and are forced to fight as Gladiators for a sadistic town.

Starring: Julian Richings, Michelle Argyris, and Emily Alatalo

Directed by: Andrew Thomas Hunt

Written by: David Murdoch and Svet Rouskov

  No “Spare Parts” were used to make this movie…or maybe just a few! An all-girl rock band is putting on a hell of a concert, and the audience is enjoying it a little too much. When a guy tries to interrupt the show and touch one of the girls a bar brawl breaks out. The girls prove that they can rock, and roll with the punches. After the show they meet a few of their fans while selling merchandise, including Sam (Jason Rouse) who might be an instant super fan.

  Emma (Emily Alatalo), and her sister Amy (Michelle Argyris) hit the road with girlfriends Cassy (Kiriana Stanton) and Jill (Chelsea Muirhead. They don’t get to far from their gig when they get a flat. Super fan Sam happens to pass by in time to offer some help, and get their car towed to a junk yard. They’re supposed to be waiting for spare parts for their car, but instead they end up knocked out only to wake up with spare parts of their own.

  The opening bar fight is fun, but that’s nothing compared to what’s to come. The woman end up getting captured by a strange society where they enjoy fighting, and watching blood fill the ground. It’s not normal hand-to-hand combat because each of the woman has had an arm cut off, and replaced with a weapon. After surviving a first round of fights, they go through some training to survive the future rounds. The battles continue to get bloodier and bloodier as each round goes by.

  In between those rounds, some drama is built up. The sisters have some issues between them, and it doesn’t help that Sam plays favors with one of them. He makes sure that when they change weapons that his girl gets the best one. The girlfriends have their own issues because one of them is pregnant. They must all overcome their problems with each other in order to fight together to win. Unfortunately not all of them will make them out alive, but there will be a couple of twists and turns along the way.

  It continues to be a joy watching women kick ass in horror movies, and “Spare Parts” turns out to be a lot about women kicking ass. The fight scenes are exciting, and it’s always good when more and more blood is spilled. It’s a nice change up having their arms replaced with weapons, and even better that they can use different ones. All the actresses do a great job with the fight scenes, but also with the drama amongst the group. The society seems a little oddly placed in the middle of nowhere instead of under say apocalyptic circumstances, but at least they have an awesome junkyard as their playground. With that, I give it 3.5 pools of blood. 

  HorrO

More information at: http://promotehorror.com/2021/04/23/spare-parts-available-on-vod-digital-dvd-and-blu-ray-june-1/

AQUARIUM OF THE DEAD REVIEW

 

A scientific accident causes sea creatures in an aquarium to become zombies.

Starring: Vivica A. Fox, Eva Ceja, and D.C. Douglas

Directed by: Glenn Miller

Written by: Marc Gottlieb and Michael Varrati

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

WHERE THE SCARY THINGS ARE EPISODE 90

 

Where The Scary Things Are Episode 90: A GHOST WAITS with Director ADAM STOVALL

We sit down with Brilliant Director Adam Stovall to talk about a ghostly love story called A GHOST WAITS. Support the show (https://linktr.ee/WTSTA666)

Listen:https://www.stitcher.com/show/where-the-scary-things-are/episode/where-the-scary-things-are-episode-90-a-ghost-waits-with-director-adam-stovall-83729447 

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ARMY OF THE DEAD REVIEW

 

Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.

Starring: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, and Ana de la Reguera

Directed by: Zack Snyder

Written by: Zack Snyder, Shay Hatten, and Joby Harold

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

FUNHOUSE REVIEW

 

When 8 celebrities from around the globe are invited to compete in an online reality show, they soon realize that they are playing for their very lives, as those voted off suffer horrific consequences, broadcast live to the entire world.

Starring: Valter Skarsgard, Khamisa Wilsher, and Gigi Saul Guerrero

Directed and written by: Jason William Lee

  This isn’t the kind of “Funhouse” you’ll find at a carnival or fair! The funhouse here is where a collection of so-called reality stars have come to play a game for a chance at $5 million. The stars have to stay in the home, and can do whatever they want while they’re there. Their goal is to please the viewing audience who will be voting for their favorite every few days. The true fun will begin for the person with the least amount of votes. 

  Trying to win the competition are the likes of Kasper Nordin (Valter Skarsgard), who’s the ex of a pop star and kind of plays Mr. Nice Guy. Opposite of him is the more hot headed former MMA fighter James “Headstone” Malone (Christopher Gerard). The women are led by blogger Ximena Torres (Gigi Saul Guerrero), and influencer Ula La More (Karolina Benefield). These reality stars and others are about to see just how real things can get.

  The film gets off to a great start with a woman being forced to murder someone, and take out their heart. Apparently she was the winner of the previous competition, and is given her prize money before getting sent on her way. Unfortunately then the audience is subjected to a reality show for awhile. The players are introduced with a little background about them as they get comfortable. If you hate reality shows like I do then you’ll probably be annoyed by this. And if you ever wished ill on reality stars, or even wonder why they’re considered a star to start with then you might enjoy what comes next.

  The person or persons who come in with the least amount of votes have to play a game. A very deadly game that usually ends very bloody. The audience gets games involving an axe fight, a street fight, and even a misplaced chess match. The fun really is watching them get beat up, split apart, and melted away! The mastermind of this all hides behind a panda disguise because why not. As weird as that is at least they have a good reason for all of this.

  There are probably two big reasons why I enjoyed this film. One is that I completely agree that there are just way too many people who think they’re reality stars. Many whose stardom could be questioned from the start, and others you wish would just go away. The second reason is the whole “Saw” like angle of doing away with these people. Some of the games are more creative than others, but the blood spilt is always fun. If you placed you’re bet on a winner from the start, I’m guessing you would be wrong, which is another plus. With that, this is one reality show I enjoyed so I give “Funhouse” 3 pools of blood.

  HorrO

More information at: http://promotehorror.com/2021/05/05/funhouse-official-trailer-in-theaters-and-on-demand-may-28th/

SKULL: THE MASK REVIEW

 

The feature film is an action-packed horror flick depicting a supernatural serial killer based on pre-Colombian mythology in a hunt for revenge in the metropolis of Sao Paulo.

Starring: Tristan Aronovich, Ivo Muller, and Micas Carvalho

Directed and written by: Armando Fonseca and Kapel Furman

 

  “Skull: The Mask” that you’ll want to wear come this Halloween! The mask is a Pre-Columbian artifact that contains the spirit of Anhanga, the executioner of the god Tahawantinsupay. The mask is on the move and supposed to be put in a museum. However, along the way it lands in the hands of a young woman who performs a ritual which awakens the mask. It kills her and her friend, but that’s only the beginning.

  During the clean up of those murders, the mask attacks two more people, and actually attaches to one of their faces. Supposedly whoever wears the mask is possessed by Anhanga and compelled to commit sacrifices to resurrect his god. The mask now takes the body for a ride, and kills person after person. A policewoman is tasked with solving the case with the help of a museum assistant before it’s too late!

  Being a Brazilian film, it certainly has its own style. Whether fans have seen a lot of Brazilian horror films or not, they’ll recognize one thing about this film. It’s all kinds of bloody and gory goodness. The mask by itself is pretty cool because it has legs like a spider that come out to attack people. Once attached to a person, that person can take up the fight with extra human strength and ability.

  Speaking of fighting, some of the fighting plays out like a brutal wrestling match. One of the best scenes might be in a club where the mask decides to rack up the body count. In another fun fight, a priest pulls out a sword from an unexpected place, and goes to battle with the mask. Fans will hopefully enjoy these moments so much they might forget about the investigation that’s going on, and hope it’s not solved so that the carnage can go on.

  Setting up some of the backstory to the mask, and its history might be somewhat confusing, but that’s alright. There’s no need to worry too much over that, or the investigation that’s happening. If you’re a slasher fan, and a fan of blood and guts like me, then you should enjoy everything else about the film. The body count will continue to rise, and mask will stop almost everyone that gets in its way. It will bring the pain, and spill plenty of blood along the way. All done as practical as possible just the way fans like it. With that, I give “Skull: the Mask” 3.5 pools of blood! 

  

  HorrO

More information at: http://promotehorror.com/2021/05/09/skull-the-mask-comes-to-shudder-may-27th/

UNEARTH REVIEW

 

A fracking horror story, “Unearth” follows two neighboring farm families whose relationships are strained when one of them chooses to lease their land to an oil and gas company. In the midst of growing tension, the land is drilled, and something long dormant and terrifying, deep beneath the earth’s surface is released. “Unearth” is about the horrifying repercussions sown by shortsighted decisions, and what our children reap from our actions.

Starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Marc Blucas, and Brooke Sorenson

Directed by: John C. Lyons and Dorota Swies

Written by: Kelsey Goldberg and John C. Lyons

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

WHERE THE SCARY THINGS ARE EPISODE 89

 Where The Scary Things Are Episode 89: SHOOK with Director JENNIFER HARRINGTON

We sit down with  a very talented director, Jennifer Harrington to discuss her new film on SHUDDER, SHOOK. This movie is amazing!!! A must watch!Support the show (https://linktr.ee/WTSTA666)

Listen at: https://www.stitcher.com/show/where-the-scary-things-are/episode/where-the-scary-things-are-episode-89-shook-with-director-jennifer-harrington-83596844

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DEMENTIA PART II REVIEW

 

Suzanne wasn’t always this confused. She wasn’t always dead either - When an ex-con take a job as a handyman for an unstable elderly woman to avoid a parole violation, it becomes a choice he may regret.

Starring: Suzanne Voss, Matt Mercer, and Najarra Townsend

Directed and written by: Matt Mercer and Mike Testin

  

  “Dementia Part II” isn’t going to be something you forget for a long time! Wendell (Matt Mercer) has no choice but to prove that he’s working, or he faces violation of his parole. Obviously he doesn’t want to go back to prison, so he gathers his tools and heads off to do a job as a handyman. He ends up knocking on the door of a woman named Suzanne (Suzanne Voss) to do some repairs.

  Suzanne is cautious but opens the door and her home to him. She’s might seem a little off, but also seems like she’s happy to see someone. She shows him around, and talks a lot about her husband. Finally Wendell begins doing some repairs, and Suzanne insists on tipping him as he goes. Everything is alright until Suzanne suddenly forgets why he’s in the house. Her confusion becomes more frequent, and things take a turn for the bizarre.

  This film does an excellent job of taking a simple situation taking it down a dark road. It starts as basically just a handyman doing some work for an older woman. However, the handyman has no idea the woman is suffering from dementia and maybe some other mental issues. He overlooks things like her husband’s gun collection, weird things in the kitchen, and her forgetfulness because he needs the job. 

  The true fun doesn’t begin until Suzanne’s daughter Shelia (Najarra Townsend) and Wendell’s parole officer Reggie (Graham Skipper) show up. Shelia adds a little light on Suzanne’s condition, and comes with a twist of her own. Reggie brings some tension to the situation, and later provides an interesting meal. Before it’s over Suzanne is going to get bloody, gooey, and super messy! Oh what fun Suzanne, the actress, must have had while doing a great job in her role.

  Learning how quick this “Dementia Part II” came together definitely adds to my appreciation for it. Again, it seems like a simple story, but they really inject the horror into it. Suzanne seems so nice, but completely loses her mind before it’s over. The film gives audiences several disgusting moments, which work even though the film is in black and white. Sheila and Reggie’s characters add just what is needed to complete everything. The audience will get great performances from everyone, but especially Suzanne and Matt. With that, I won’t forget to give it 3.5 pools of blood.

   

  HorrO

More information at: http://promotehorror.com/2021/04/20/dementia-part-ii-in-theaters-may-21st-vod-digital-hd-and-dvd-june-1st/

SEANCE REVIEW

 

Camille Meadows is the new girl at the prestigious Edelvine Academy for Girls. Soon after her arrival, six girls invite her to join them in a late-night ritual, calling forth the spirit of a dead former student who reportedly haunts their halls. But before morning, one of the girls is dead, leaving the others wondering what they may have awakened.

Starring: Suki Waterhouse, Madisen Beaty, Ella-Rae Smith, Inanna Sarkis, Seamus Patterson and Marina Stephenson-Kerr

Directed and written by: Simon Barrett 

  

  You never know what you’ll conjure up once a “Seance” begins. The film opens with a seance in a dorm room amongst a group of girls, and it leaves one of them shaken up. The others think they just pulled off another one of their scary pranks, and are enjoying the success of it. Upon running back to her room things go from tears of joy to tears of sadness when she ends up dead. 

  This opens the door for Camille (Suki Waterhouse) to be accepted into this boarding school. It doesn’t take her long to get introduced to the popular crowd, as she gets into a fight with Alice (Inanna Sarkis) and company. This lands them all in detention, and assigned a project to do together. They get distracted and instead try another seance, but this time to talk to their dead friend. It appears to work again, but is it another joke, their former friend, or the rumored ghost that has been roaming the halls for years?

  Early on the audience is going to be subjected to some of the drama between these girls. The group of friends are comfortable there, and have enjoyed their popularity. Obviously things start to change when one of their friends dies, and definitely when they’re challenged by the new girl. It doesn’t get any more serious for them than when more of the group starts disappearing!

  This is when the real fun begins. They try to put together the clues, but can’t figure out if it’s Camille, or the ghost. The group gets thinned out by the time what’s happening is revealed. They snuck the reason it all happens earlier on, and the audience will finally get to see more of how each person dies before it ends. No spoilers here, but there should be some surprises for fans. It also leads to an exciting and bloody ending. Things definitely don’t go smoothly either, but that’s part of what makes this ending work.

  “Seance” will have a group of girls put a spell on the audience early on. The audience will watch them play games on each other, and then do some in-fighting. Things will eventually get serious enough when most of them have gone missing. It’s a good mystery that leads the audience towards one genre, but concludes in another. For fans waiting on the blood, they’ll get a nice dose of it in the end. With that, the seance is over and I give it 3.5 pools of blood. 

  HorrO

SEANCE is In Theaters and On Digital and On Demand May 21, 2021. 

More information at: http://promotehorror.com/2021/05/08/official-new-poster-for-seance-coming-may-21st/

100 CANDLES REVIEW

 

A group of friends reunited to play a game. Each one of them spect to get something about it. The rules of the game are to tell a story of horror for each candle.

Starring: Magui Bravi, Luz Champane, and Amparo Espinola

Directed by: Victor Catala, Brian Deane, Oliver Lee Garland, Guillermo Lockhart, Tony Morales, Nicolas Onetti, Nicholas Peterson, Daniel Rubesam, and Christopher West

Written by: Mauro Croche and Guillermo Lockhart

   

  “100 Candles” can be used in a romantic setting or when telling some horror stories, and of course that’s what fans get here. A group of friends have come together in a home to play the 100 Candles Game. Basically they each have to tell a horror story, and then go to a room to blow out a candle. If they don’t finish the game by blowing out 100 candles they’ll supposedly be cursed by a witch.

  The game here is used to set up an anthology of short horror films. In between some arguing amongst the group, each friend starts their stories before the audience is taken into the story. Once it ends the audience will find that person in a room blowing out a candle. As this goes on some strange things start happening to them in the room. It seems they're in trouble before they even get a chance to finish the game.

  The first story gets things off to a good start. It features two young girls ending up on a see-saw together. Things get exciting when one reveals their true identity. Another story gets kind of intense with a father and son hiding from something that’s in the fields surrounding their house. The son is curious and comes close to getting discovered by whatever is outside. The father seems to save him for the time being, but eventually what’s out there will be revealed. It probably won’t be what fans would expect.

  Overall, the individual stories are well made, and fans should be able to find at least a few of them enjoyable. Some are bloodier than others, and some may try to be a little scarier than others. Each at least tries to lead the audience one way, and finish with a some sort of twist. The acting in the stories is also solid allowing fans to enjoy what’s happening.

  While the game is a great set up for the anthology here, that story might not end up being as entertaining as the shorts. Yes, it has moments where the friends are haunted by the witch, but it doesn’t seem to end with the same punch that most of the shorts do. Still that doesn’t mean this anthology should be overlooked. If fans like horror shorts, there are certainly some worthy, and well done ones to be seen here. With that, it's time for me to blow out the candle and give it 3 pools of blood.

  

  HorrO

More information at: http://promotehorror.com/2021/05/12/supernatural-horror-100-candles-on-dvd-and-digital-may-18/

SOUND OF VIOLENCE REVIEW

 

Alexis recovered her hearing after witnessing the brutal murder of her family when she was ten. The visceral experience awakened synesthetic abilities in her and started her on an orphaned path of self-discovery through the healing tones of brutal violence. She goes on to pursue a career teaching and experimenting to find new sounds. She is supported and loved by her roommate Marie who is unaware of the dark secrets behind Alexis’ unique music and the part she unknowingly plays. Faced with the likelihood of losing her hearing again, Alexis escalates her pursuit of her masterpiece through gruesome sound experiments and devastating designs. She won’t let anything stop her, not even love.

Starring: Jasmin Savoy Brown, Lili Simmons, and James Jagger

Directed and written by: Alex Noyer

  If there really is a “Sound of Violence” this film will make the audience hear it. The film opens with Alexis (Jasmin Savoy Brown) as a young girl living in an unstable family environment. Unstable mostly because of abuse handed out by her father. While beating on his wife one night Alexis decides to save her mom, and bash in her father’s brains. This causes a sensation in her, and brings back her hearing. From here on out, she grows up being obsessed with sound and music.

  She now spends her early adult years learning and teaching music, and trying to turn sounds into music. When not around music she’s hanging out with her best friend and roommate Marie (Lili Simmons). It seems like there might be something more there between the two, but Marie also has a boyfriend. Anyways, life seems like it’s going well for Alexis until she appears to be losing her hearing again. To get it back she turns to violence, which soon becomes an obsession with finding the perfect sound of violence.

  With “Violence” in the title, the audience will want to see it, and they’ll definitely get it! The movie gets off to a great start having a little girl kill her father like he was a zombie. However, that’s nothing compared to some of the crazy stuff to come. Alexis inflicts as much pain as possible in her victims in order to find the right sound, and satisfy the sensation in her. She finds unusual ways to combine music and torture together to produce these sounds. Lets just say she would make Jigsaw proud, especially with her final kill.

  While the audience enjoys the kills, they’ll also be experiencing something else. Alexis might have Synesthesia, which basically means when one sense is activated another unexpected sense can be activated at the same time. When the sounds hit her, she’s also experiencing seeing all kinds of colors. The audience sees this as well, and is exposed to flashes of bright colors on the screen. Yes, it looks good, but it can be a little distracting.

  Alexis is an interesting character to follow from beginning to end. The audience will be on her side to start when they see a young deaf girl save her mother. Getting her hearing back seems like a good thing, but keeping that ability will prove costly for her, and especially others. Those who enjoy Jigsaw’s traps should appreciate her combination of music and torture.  The bloody visuals are a plus for the audience while she enjoys the bright flashes. The big question will be whether the audience stays on her side as each murder is committed. With the sweet “Sound of Violence,” I give the film 3.5 pools of blood!

  HorrO

More information at: http://promotehorror.com/2021/04/30/hear-the-sound-of-violence-on-vod-may-21st/

RESURRECTION CORPORATION REVIEW

Caligari is a famous undertaker who’s been on the streets since death itself was banned in the city and supplanted by a practical method of resurrection.

Starring: Alessandro Bianchi, Paola Masciadri, and Eliana Faranno Lazzarino

Directed by: Alberto Genovese

Written by: Mattia De Pascali

  “Resurrection Corporation” presents a very interesting predicament for an undertaker, in this case, Caligari. What do you do if no one dies? Alright, maybe they do die, but the Resurrection Corporation has found a way to bring them back. So for Caligari, there’s no one to bury except for his now dying business, and sanity. 

  He doesn’t just accept this as he tries to come up with his own techniques to bring people back, but that’s not working either. His assistant Bruta stands by his side as the situation begins to drive him mad. He decides the next move is to find out more about this corporation, and the key to their success. This is where things bloody, wild, and even much stranger!

  That all sounds good, and is made much better by the fact that this is all animated. Yes, this is a full length animated feature that is really well done. Animation that’s black and white, and with plenty of detail. In a way, the style is kind of similar to ‘South Park,’ and the story is definitely like one of their crazier episodes. 

  Just because this is animated doesn’t mean this is like a kid’s cartoon. There’s plenty of black and white blood spilled. Whether it’s the people who haven’t been resurrected yet, or the zombie like people in the streets, they’re all fair game. Heads are chopped off, mutants are formed, and why not throw in an animated sex scene!

  “Resurrection Corporation” turns out to be such a crazy story that it could only be done in animated fashion. They do a fantastic job with the animation, and it looks so great in black and white. This is truly a horror story filled with zombie like people, mutants, and blood. As out of control as Caligari becomes the audience will still find a way to root for him in the end. With that, I give it 3.5 pools of blood!

  HorrO

You can find the film on Amazon Prime Video US & UK https://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Corporation-Alessandro-Bianchi/dp/B08V5H5FJK and watch the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkXmqLpLBAM

More info about the film can be found at: http://promotehorror.com/2021/05/14/1844-entertainments-new-film-resurrection-corporation-now-on-amazon-prime-video/

WHERE THE SCARY THINGS ARE EPISODE 88

 

Where The Scary Things Are Episode 88: VIOLATION with DUSTY MANCINELLI and MADELEINE SIMS-FEWER

We sit down with Directors Dusty Mancinelli and Madeleine Sims-Fewer about the Shudder Exclusive, VIOLATION. This was a beautiful tale of horrific revenge. Support the show (https://linktr.ee/WTSTA666))

Listen at:

https://www.stitcher.com/show/where-the-scary-things-are/episode/where-the-scary-things-are-episode-88-violation-with-dusty-mancinelli-and-madeleine-sims-fewer-83102144

wherethescarythingsare.com

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