DVD Review: Hillbilly Horror Show Vol. 1

By Noreen Sobczyk

Hillbilly Horror Show Vol. 1 was created and curated by award-winning writer and producer Blu de Golyer (House Of Good And Evil) and veteran actor and producer Bo Keister (Remember The Titans). This one-hour collection of horror shorts is strung together by not so funny hillbilly humor from characters Bo (grubby bumpkin leader reliant on bathroom humor), Cephus (mumbling counterfeit of King of the Hill‘s Boomhauer), and sister/cousin Lulu (provider of the daily recommended amount of T&A). It just doesn’t compare with the fun factor of horror hosts like Elvira and Svengoolie. The attempt to change the usual horror format presentation is clever, but the lowbrow humor falls flat, flatter than the roadkill Lulu cooks up for dinner. Perhaps if they amped up the redneck skeezy sleaze factor a bit more it might be a successful execution of concept.

The first short, “Franky & the Ant,” is a throwaway copy of a Tarantino-sque scene and has an ethically questionable duo participating in a mundane conversation as they complete their violence. The rest of the shorts are definitely worth a watch, though. “Doppelganger” gave me a chuckle and had gorgeous stop action photography of a skeleton on an arduous journey, but could have edited a minute from the piece, even though it’s only a short. “Amused” is an interesting concept with fresh camera angles, great foley work, and a bit of gore. I can’t say I was shocked by the ending (though many will be), but it was nice to see a strong female making at least one smart choice in a horror piece.

The best was saved for last in “The Nest” which has a uniquely twisted storyline, is well shot and acted, and is at least as good, if not better, than anything shown on Tales From the Crypt or Tales From the Darkside.

Volumes 2 and 3 will be released in 2015 and will feature gag reels and added footage in addition to the featured horror shorts.

Hillbilly Horror Show Vol. 1 was released by MVD Entertainment Group on October 21.

Music Review: Ben Ottewell, Rattlebag

By Melissa Bratcher

Former Gomez singer and guitarist Ben Ottewell has the kind of voice that one struggles to find descriptors of. It’s like an old blues singer sitting on a front porch, like a drunken businessman wearing a suit made of sandpaper, like the honk of a deranged goose (but in a good way). His voice is distinctive and unusual and quite fantastic. As a guitarist, he is solid and makes interesting choices. He’s got a way with melody, too.

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Knoxville Horror Film Fest: 28 Shorts in 28 Paragraphs

By Jeffery X Martin

Waterborne

The Knoxville Horror Film Fest screened 28 short films this year. Here are mini-reviews of all of them.

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Halloween Viewing: Let’s Binge Watch Ti West’s Movies!

By Tim Murr

The House of the Devil, 2009

One thing that drove me away from contemporary horror films back in the mid ‘90s was the lack of artistry, the lack of guts, and the lack of a good story. Discount bin fodder like weak PG-13 big studio efforts and boring sequels to should-have-been-over-by-now ’80s slashers didn’t have me rushing to the theater or the video store. Instead, I stuck to renting older horror films and exploring art house and foreign cinema. This was a rewarding and educational time for me, but it burnt my ass to have nothing available but re-watches of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Suspiria if I wanted to really get my fix of terror.

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DVD Review: The Devil Incarnate

By Brad Henderson

I’m a found footage lover, but holy shit, this style is becoming so redundant.

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DVD Review: Grave Halloween

By Brad Henderson

Have you ever watched a film and then the next day you don’t remember a thing about it? Yeah, that happened to me with Grave Halloween.

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Blu-Ray Review: Nekromantik

By Brad Henderson

Years ago I came across a VHS bootleg of Nekromantik. All these years later, I thought I had seen Nekromantik in its entirety. I was wrong.

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TAD Film Fest Review: Time Lapse

By Siân Melton

Real talk: time travel hurts my brain. Sometimes I sit and wonder about the logistics of it all. If I travel back in time, is there still a Present Me or did Present Me vanish? If the latter, what happens in present time without me there? And how can I, instead of Chuck Berry, end up responsible for the discovery of rock and roll music? I think that’s why I hesitate before seeing a time travel movie. Sometimes I can enjoy the story and time-travely-ness (very official) and not get too distracted by it and other times I’m all, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA.

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TAD Film Fest Review: Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

By Siân Melton

There’s no better signifier of a great movie than being more than willing to see it twice. That was the case with my love affair with Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter. Sigh. Seriously, I have so much love for this movie. I saw it at Sundance and was so blown away by well, everything: the story, the cinematography, the music (the music!!), and of course Kumiko herself, played by the ravishing Rinko Kikuchi. There’s also a bunny, but I’ll get into that later.

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TAD Film Fest Review: Open Windows

By Less Lee Moore

Even though I’ve never seen Nacho Vigalondo’s Timecrimes, I’d heard enough good things about it to interest me in Open Windows. The premise was intriguing on its own: the story of an actress, a murderous stalker, and an unwitting voyeur all told through computer screens. The cast was also a draw: Elijah Wood and Sasha Grey. Unfortunately, Open Windows is a huge disappointment.

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