// Category Archive for: Reviews

VHS Visions: The Raiders Of Atlantis (1983)

By Brad Henderson

Ruggero Deodato is one of the most underrated directors and it dumbfounds me. Most people know of Cannibal Holocaust and they may know Deodato directed it, but he has done so much more and made some amazing films aside from that gorefest.

Along with gems like House on the Edge of the Park, Cut and Run, The Washing Machine, Body Count, and The Barbarians, Deodato made a victorious effort with the unforgettable “buddy apocalyptic” film The Raiders Of Atlantis. Yeah, I said buddy apocalyptic film.

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Blu-Ray Review: The Visitor

By Brad Henderson

Bat shit crazy. Those are the three words that sum up The Visitor most easily.

Drafthouse Films has brought us some fantastic films over the course of the last couple of years: Bullhead, Klown, The Act Of Killing, I Declare War, and many others. They also are dipping into older films that are “lost” or just need a better release such as Miami Connection, Wake In Fright, Ms. 45, and most recently, The Visitor.

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DVD Review: Dead Of The Nite

By Brad Henderson

A lot of filmmakers think that they can get away with putting an older horror film actor in their movie for five minutes and then slap them on the front cover as if they are the lead in the film. Trust me, we all know this trick by now and we don’t fall for it. This happens every Tuesday when new films come out and sadly, we quickly dismiss films like this. It seems they rely solely on getting an older horror actor in order to sell the movie because without a name attached to it, it won’t go anywhere.

Dead Of The Nite isn’t a bad film but it is quite uneventful to say the least. Tony Todd is, of course, on the cover but is only in the film for a brief time. He is actually the best part of the movie.

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DVD Review: Hayride

By Brad Henderson

There are a good number of horror icons so it’s extremely difficult to start a new one. Freddy, Jason, Chucky, Michael, Pinhead, Leatherface, Ghostface, The Tall Man, and a few others are some of the most popular. Aside from Scream and Hatchet we don’t have many newcomers to the horror icon family.

Hayride is a slasher that has erupted from the mind of Terron Parsons who is hoping his new horror icon will catch on. Pitchfork is his name and killing is his . . . I’m not going there and I don’t even know why I attempted that. Sorry. Anyway, Hayride takes us on a journey and gives us an explanation of Pitchfork.

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Blu-Ray Review: Sword Of The Assassin (a.k.a. Blood Letter)

By Brad Henderson

What do you say about a film that is a landmark success in another country that you disliked? Well, I’m not exactly sure but I’m going to give it a shot.

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Music Review: Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs, All Her Fault

By Melissa Bratcher

There’s a delightful ramshackle quality to the newest album by Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs. All Her Fault has a spontaneous, lively sound, and wickedly witty lyrics. It’s the kind of album that is not only instantly engaging, but also gets better with each listen.

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Music Review: Beck, Morning Phase

By Less Lee Moore

Morning Phase, Beck’s newest album and his first on Capitol Records, has been described as a companion piece to 2002’s Sea Change. Since I hadn’t heard Sea Change in a while, I thought I’d compare the two albums. What I discovered surprised me.

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Music Review: Wild Beasts, Present Tense

By Less Lee Moore

Present Tense, the latest album from Wild Beasts, is like the feeling of holding your breath and fighting back tears while watching an emotionally distressing movie in a quiet theater. You want to give in to your emotions, but the strain has a profoundly exquisite painfulness. Present Tense is darker and more somber than the band’s previous two albums and features far less florid prose. This doesn’t mean the lyrics are any less insightful; it simply means listeners must work harder to decipher them and reveal the beauty within. There’s nothing that’s not beautiful about Present Tense, even when it paints unpleasant portraits.

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VHS Visions: Rocktober Blood (1984)

By Brad Henderson

When you really get into VHS collecting it does two things to you: First, you get to see some crazy, weird titles that are not spoken about too often (if ever). It feels good to discover and watch these movies and tell your other film friends about the gems you have seen. Second, it’s very depressing. It’s depressing because some movies have been lost and will never be seen or heard of again. You probably think that you can find the film somewhere, either online through a torrent or a DVR in another country. You’re wrong. There are some titles that are gone and people just can’t find them.

In Rocktober Blood, Billy “Eye” Harper is the front man for a heavy metal band and one night he goes insane killing people in the recording studio. On that same night, Billy Eye dies after a blood-soaked battle with one of the band members. After that the band continues on with the female singer fronting the band. One year after Billy’s death, he is back and is intent on killing his former band members.

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Blu-Ray Review: Punk Vacation

By Brad Henderson

Punk Vacation is on Blu­-Ray. Say it with me, Punk Vacation is on Blu­-Ray.

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