Music Review: Doomsquad, Kalaboogie

By Jeffery X Martin

It takes a certain amount of balls to name your band Doomsquad. It sets up myriad expectations. What kind of music do you expect when you hear that name? Totalitarian anthems, denouncing self and praising the Motherland? Some heavy-handed comic book villainy? Angry Norsemen with long hair and corpse paint?

Wrong. Try again.

Continue reading ‘Music Review: Doomsquad, Kalaboogie‘

Movie Review: Virginia Obscura

By Brad Henderson

There are many words that can describe Virginia Obscura, but some of those words might give away the surprise. Virginia Obscura is one of the films Full Moon Streaming picked up for their new horror VOD service. It is a beautiful thing that they are doing and it even helps give chances to indie horror.

Continue reading ‘Movie Review: Virginia Obscura‘

DVD Review: Armynel

By Brad Henderson

Indie films hardly stand a chance against mainstream films and even more so in the horror genre. Indie horror films are getting more popular these days, but big studio films still overrun them. It’s even worse when indie horror is released through a smaller distribution label and is only available to purchase online and not on Netflix or Amazon. Midnight Releasing is one of those companies who seems to have difficulty getting their name out there, but that is why we are here.

Films like Armynel and many others need to be discussed because they never get a good start when you can’t find them in Wal-Mart or other stores or unless you happen upon a used copy. Even the chances of that are slim because hardly anyone buys these films in the first place. That doesn’t mean these movies are bad or anything, it’s just that they don’t have near the amount of coverage as most mainstream horror.

Continue reading ‘DVD Review: Armynel‘

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.

Continue reading ‘VHS Visions: The Raiders Of Atlantis (1983)’

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.

Continue reading ‘Blu-Ray Review: The Visitor‘

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.

Continue reading ‘DVD Review: Dead Of The Nite‘

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.

Continue reading ‘DVD Review: Hayride‘

Waxing Nostalgic: The Bolshoi, “Books on the Bonfire”

By Jeffery X Martin

There was always an undercurrent of darkness beneath the neon veneer of the Eighties. We just weren’t sure how to label it. We had Gothic music, we had dark alternative, we had the beginnings of darkwave, but those left a pretty wide berth. We had to listen to music without necessarily putting a label on it.

I wish we did that more often, now.

Continue reading ‘Waxing Nostalgic: The Bolshoi, “Books on the Bonfire”’

Hannibal: Will Graham Vs. TV Tropes

By Lisa Anderson

Last Friday, faithful fans of NBC’s Hannibal were glued to the screen for the premiere of the show’s highly anticipated second season. The first season of producer Bryan Fuller’s take on the novels of Thomas Harris garnered critical praise and audience appreciation for everything from the masterful performances to the elaborate gourmet dishes prepared by the title character. One thing that stood out for me, however, was the way in which Will Graham, the protagonist and point-of-view character of the first season, undermines an increasingly common trope on television.

Continue reading ‘Hannibal: Will Graham Vs. TV Tropes’

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.

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