‘They’re urban, they’re vermin, and they exterminate you!’

Bugged – aka Bugged! – is a 1997 American science fiction comedy horror film co-produced, written and directed by Ronald K. Armstrong.

The film was released on VHS and DVD by Troma Entertainment and now crops up on Netflix.

Cast:

Priscilla K. Basque, Ronald K. Armstrong, Jeff Lee, Derek C. Johnson, Billy Graham, David McKay, John Kilgore, Jacqui Everett.

Plot teaser:

Devine Hill, an attractive young poetess (Priscilla K. Basque), calls out Dead and Buried Exterminators to rid her house of insects. Unfortunately, due to a horrible chemical mix-up, the poison spray causes the bugs to grow to enormous sizes, and pretty soon everyone is trapped inside the house and have to find a way to stop the dastardly pests before they start multiplying and take over the world…

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

Unlike most of the black horror ‘hood sub-genre movies, Ronald K. Armstrong’s bugsploitation pic is more subtle and at least mildly amusing. The insects, which seem to be giant crickets, are memorably weird: they seem to have human characteristics (at one point, a bug turns off a light switch!). Some common male stereotypes are mocked but the lack of budget means that a few muffed lines are left in. For the most part, Bugged is a passable trash film time-waster if you’re in a charitable mood but it’s not worth seeking out and the ending is unfortunately ineffectual.

Adrian J Smith, Horrorpedia

“Bugged never takes itself seriously. Unlike most Troma products, some of the attempts at humor actually work, such as when the giant bug picks up Dave’s gun and shoots at him, or when the bugs throw a frozen chicken tied to a rope into the house to go “people fishing”. Still, the mere cheapitude of it all — including the bargain-basement acting — weakens the impact of even the best moments.” BlackHorrorMovies.com

Choice dialogue:

Steve: “If this woman has bugs this big running round this house, I’m gettin’ the fuck outta here.”

IMDb

‘Always bring protection’

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse – formerly Scouts vs. Zombies – is an 2015 American horror comedy film directed by Christopher B. Landon (Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones) from a screenplay co-written with Carrie Evans, Emi Mochizuki and Lona Williams. The make-up effects are being handled by Tony Gardner and his company, Alterian, Inc.

The film is scheduled to be released on October 30, 2015 by Paramount Pictures.

Cast:

Tye Sheridan (X-Men Apocalypse), David Koechner, Cloris Leachman, Halston Sage (Goosebumps), Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, and Sarah Dumont.

Plot Teaser:

Three scouts and lifelong friends join forces with one badass cocktail waitress to become the world’s most unlikely team of heroes. When their peaceful town is ravaged by a zombie invasion, they’ll fight for the badge of a lifetime and put their scouting skills to the test to save mankind from the undead…

Cast and Characters:

• Tye Sheridan as Ben
• Logan Miller as Carter
• Joey Morgan as Augie
• Sarah Dumont
• David Koechner as Scout Leader Rogers
• Halston Sage as Kendall
• Patrick Schwarzenegger as Jeff
• Cloris Leachman as Ms. Fielder

Red Band Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb | Official site

Bag Boy Lover Boy is a 2014 American comedy horror film co-produced and directed by Andres Torres from a screenplay co-written with Toni Comas. It stars Theodore Bouloukos, Jon Wachter and Kathy Biehl.

Plot Teaser:

New York: Albert (Jon Wachter) works the night shift as a hot-dog vendor on the Lower East Side, where he meets photographer Ivan (Theodore Bouloukos). Ivan is fascinated by the slow-witted Albert and decides to give him a job working with him at his studio, where he takes fetish photos.

Albert is reluctant to participate in Ivan’s photos but shows interest in the photography job. When Ivan decides to go to a fashion shoot in Milan, he accidentally leaves the studio’s keys with Albert – who uses this as an opportunity to lure unsuspecting women to their deaths by enticing them with promises of a modelling shoot…

Reviews:

“Bag Boy Lover Boy is a film teeming with youthful energy. It is almost exploding off the screen with neon lights and colourful gels, embodying a refreshingly vibrant metropolitan world. The film has an incredible energy of chaos, a feeling of helplessness, and a desire to be heard. Stifled and exploited, the protagonist finds his voice through violence only because he has no other means of expression.” Justine Smith, Sound on Sight

“While sporting a determinedly independent spirit and veneer, Bag Boy Lover Boy is well-crafted for its low budget. Torres and his team may be exploring the rotted portions that still exist within the Big Apple, but they demonstrate a keen sense of how to capture the city’s seedy side without their own product appearing degraded. The you-are-there cinematography (by Ana Franquesa Solano) and the naturalistic performances, with Kathy Biehl also making a strong impression… Michael Gingold, Fangoria

“Torres and co-screenwriter Toni Comas throw out hints of class issues that might also fuel this violence, but don’t follow up on them, too interested in the particular loneliness of this creep to make him a symbol of a fed-up New York underclass. In the end, the film is more nostalgic for a seedy era’s aesthetics than authentically transgressive itself; but as Ivan knows, finding something that truly disturbs a viewer isn’t easy to do these days.” John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter

“Torres shows promise, though, and seems to be happily shrugging off expectations about what cinema, particularly underground cinema – an anachronism, surely – is supposed to be … A dream scene in which a blood-soaked Albert gyrates through his own particular madness provides a glimpse of what our boy is really like, and where he’s going. Which is a place that’s not wholly uncomfortable, but close.” John Anderson, Indiewire

Cast and Characters:

• Theodore Bouloukos as Ivan Worthington
• Jon Wachter as Albert
• Kathy Biehl as Jackie
• Karah Serine as Nancy (as Kara Peterson)
• Adrienne Gori as Lexy
• Tina Tanzer as Sarah
• Marseille Morillo as Pig Model
• Teena Byrd as Prostitute
• Sarah O’Sullivan as Drunk Girl
• Saoko Okano as Miyuki
• James Elwood as Officer Rhodes
• Norman Outlaw as Officer Timmons
• Peter Trojgaard as Camera Shop Employee
• Ryan Preimesberger as Drunk Customer
• Amanda Charles as Drunk Customer’s Girlfriend

Wikipedia | IMDb | Official site

Bloodsucking Pharaohs in Pittsburgh is a 1991 American comedy horror film directed by Dean Tschetter (art director on The Wraith) from a screenplay co-written with Tom Tully. On some promo material, Tschetter name is replaced by “Alan Smithee” to indicate his dissatisfaction with the final product. The film’s original title was Picking Up the Pieces.

Cast:

Jake Dengel (Something Wicked This Way Comes), Joe Sharkey, Susann Fletcher, Beverly Penberthy, porn star Veronica Hart (Deranged [1987]; Bad Blood; One-Eyed Monster), Shawn Elliott (The Dead Pool), Pat Logan (Day of the Dead; Night of the Living Dead [1990]), Don Brockett (Lady Beware; The Silence of the Lambs), Robert Stoeckle (Demonic Toys), Debra Gordon (Day of the Dead; Sorority Row; Bloodlock).

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“Despite the odd Bloodsucking Pharaohs re-title, this Paramount Pictures-distributed mess bombed and quickly vanished. It’s not as bad as its sour reputation, especially for those who enjoy the late ’80s primes of Fred Olen Ray and David DeCoteau. Given the brand of comedy, it’s a love-or-hate proposition, and even then it’s something you have to be in the mood for. Savini’s effects are unfairly busted on with all the MPAA cuts…” Basement of Ghoulish Decadence

“It’s clear the filmmakers intended this to be either a wild, Airplane!-style take on splatter movies or a frenetic, comic gorefest a la Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive, but the story and direction lack wit or creativity enough for either one. Nevertheless, there are some outstanding moments of grim humor (particularly a subplot involving a quit-smoking clinic) and audacious makeup effects from local boy Tom Savini.” Cavett Binion, Rovi

“Borrowing elements from Blood Feast, the film sadly misfires on the comedy aspect side of things and on the whole is rather dull. The special effects, believe it or not, where by Tom Savini, though with one exception, aren’t particularly gory. But as this was being released by a major studio they probably cut a lot out of it. All in all, the film proves to be mildly entertaining, but pails in comparison to other horror comedies of this ilk.” Realm of Horror

IMDb | Image thanks: Basement of Ghoulish Decadence

‘He who has the weed, has the power.’

Halloweed is a 2016 American comedy horror film produced and directed by LazRael Lison (Rift) from a screenplay by Michael Bussan and Dale Zawada.

Main cast:

Shannon Brown, Simon Rex (Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th; Scary Movie 3, 4 and 5), Michelle Mueller, Jayson Bernard, Jim O’Heir (Mimic 2; Helen Keller vs. Nightwolves), Jason Mewes (Feast; Vampire Apocalypse; Devil’s Tower), Robert Craighead (The Return of the Living Dead; Demon Lake; Crabs!), Tom Sizemore (Paranormal Movie; Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn; Black Wake), Danny Trejo (Volcano Zombies; Dead in Tombstone; 3 Headed Shark Attack), Lester Speight, Deja Dee, Ray Wise, Vince Corazza, Jacqui Holland, Eric Sweeney.

Plot:

Trying to escape the infamy of a serial killer father, Trent Modine (Shannon Brown) and his goof-ball stepbrother Joey (Simon Rex), both seeking a new start, find refuge in a small town of Mooseheart.

However, it doesn’t take long before the family name catches up. Joey, a free spirited stoner and Trent, love sick pessimist, must figure out how to sort through a string of cliche murders that happen start as soon as they arrive…

IMDb

NB. Interestingly, there is another – apparently unconnected – comedy horror film project named Halloweed also due in 2016. Expect a title change for one of these movies…

‘Pretty evil.’

Scream Queens is an American horror comedy anthology television series created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan that premiered on Fox on September 22, 2015.

Ryan Murphy has stated that every episode a cast member will be killed off, saying, “It’s very much like Ten Little Indians. There’s a real tune-in factor because it’s like, Who’s going to be picked off this week? And also who is the killer? Every episode, you get clues as to who the killer is going to be and then all of these clues accumulate.”

Plot:

The first season focuses on the Kappa Kappa Tau sorority at Wallace University, led by Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts), that is threatened by Dean Cathy Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis); leading to events that reignite a 20-year old murder mystery, with the re-emergence of the Red Devil serial killer, who begins targeting the sorority members…

Reviews:

Borders on constant hysteria but relatively amusing if you can handle the sensory overload and unsubtle political jibes.

Adrian J Smith, Horrorpedia

“Shiny, gory and whip-smart, Scream Queens thus attempted to pummel the viewer into submission with sheer, rictus-grinning relentlessness. And it worked.” Ed Power, The Telegraph

“The satire is sharp, including a scene in which one sister texts with her killer as he’s trying to kill her. But the two-hour premiere does itself no favors, so overstuffed with scares, silliness, intrigues and occasional moments of real horror that it fails to coalesce into something resembling coherence.” Vicki Hyman, nj.com

“Similarities to past horror/comedies aside, Scream Queens is successful in its mission to entertain. While it may not have the broad appeal FOX is counting on, it certainly has the performers and creative tools to craft an enjoyable ride. And although the focus for many won’t be on narrative, Scream Queens also has a fun murder mystery to solve.” Daniel Johnson, Screen Rant

“Get past the baubles, though, and the series simply feels too derivative to be truly exciting or particularly suspenseful. So while the casting and format should be enough to help Scream Queens make some initial noise ratings-wise, creatively speaking, there’s just not much here to shout about.” Brian Lowry, Variety

Main cast and characters:

• Emma Roberts as Chanel Oberlin; the merciless president of the Kappa Kappa Tau sorority at Wallace University.
• Skyler Samuels as Grace Gardner; a Kappa Kappa Tau legacy and pledge who wants to uncover the mysteries surrounding Kappa and the recent murders
• Lea Michele as Hester Ulrich / Chanel #6; an awkward girl with scoliosis and Kappa Kappa Tau pledge who becomes Chanel’s new pseudo minion
• Glen Powell as Chad Radwell; Chanel’s womanizing, on-again/off-again boyfriend and the president of the Dickie Dollar Scholars fraternity
• Diego Boneta as Pete Martinez; the university’s newspaper editor, Grace’s love interest and her co-investigator
• Abigail Breslin as Chanel #5; a member of Kappa Kappa Tau and one of Chanel’s minions
• Keke Palmer as Zayday Williams; Grace’s streetwise roommate who has a genius IQ and a Kappa Kappa Tau pledge who challenges Chanel for the presidency of Kappa
• Nasim Pedrad as Gigi Caldwell; the sorority’s national president with a psyche stuck in the 1990’s.
• Lucien Laviscount as Earl Grey; a British member of the Dickie Dollar Scholars
• Oliver Hudson as Weston “Wes” Gardner; Grace’s father and a professor at Wallace University
• Billie Lourd as Chanel #3 (surname Swenson); a member of Kappa Kappa Tau and one of Chanel’s minions. She is allegedly the illegitimate daughter of infamous serial killer Charles Manson
• Jamie Lee Curtis as Cathy Munsch; the Dean of the university

Trailer:

Revenge of the Sun Demon aka What’s Up, Hideous Sun Demon is a 1983 re-dubbed, re-edited comedy version of The Hideous Sun Demon (1959) scripted by Craig Mitchell, Allen Astrik and Mark Estrik. Featuring the voice of Jay Leno, the spoof was authorised by original director Robert Clarke.

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Clip:

IMDb

‘You’ll burn for this’

Flesh for the Inferno is a 2015 American supernatural comedy horror film directed by Richard Griffin (Creature from the Hillbilly Lagoon; Necroville; Frankenstein’s Hungry Dead) from a screenplay by Michael Varrati (Tales of Poe; The Sins of Dracula; 60 Seconds to Die).

Cast:

Anna Rizzo, Jamie Dufault, Monica Saviolakis, Jamie Lyn Bagley and Michael Thurber.

Plot:

At a Catholic school, the nuns have noticed that the priest is doing more than just leading his students in prayer. Not content to stand idly by as evil walks their halls, the Sisters decide to take action. Confronted by the nuns about his wicked ways, the priest retaliates. For defying him, the Father takes the Sisters hostage and bricks them into the walls of the school’s basement. The sadistic and fatal punishment shakes the faith of the women, forcing them to renounce their holy vows in the moments before their demise.

Decades later, the school is now vacated. Selected by the community as a building marked for urban renewal, a neighborhood youth group has volunteered their afternoon to clean up the premises…

Release:

The film will be released on DVD in the US on February 23, 2016, via Scorpio Film Releasing with the following special features:

• Commentary with Director Richard Griffin and Writer Michael Varrati
• Commentary with Cast and Crew
• Interview with Director Richard Griffin and Writer Michael Varrati
• Trailer

Trailer:

IMDb | Facebook

‘Demons are a girl’s best friend’

Ava’s Possessions is a 2015 comedy horror film written and directed by Jordan Galland.

Momentum Pictures release the film in cinemas and on VOD March 4, 2016. A DVD release by Entertainment One follows on April 6,

Buy: Amazon.com

Main cast:

Jemima Kirke, Carol Kane (When a Stranger Calls), William Sadler, Alysia Reiner, Louisa Krause, Dan Fogler, Joel de la Fuente, Lou Taylor Pucci, John Ventimiglia, Deborah Rush,  Whitney Able, Wass Stevens, Zachary Booth, Geneva Carr, Stella Schnabel.

Plot:

Ava Dobkins is recovering from demonic possession. With no memory of the past month, she is forced to attend a Spirit Possession Anonymous support group. As Ava struggles to reconnect with her friends, get her job back, and figure out where the huge bloodstain in her apartment came from, she’s plagued by nightmarish visions – the demon is trying to come back…

Reviews:

“Galland’s film plays more like a cable-ready mystery than a cult film in the making, offering just enough chuckles to stay afloat. Though sometimes clever, it doesn’t offer anything like the deep-geek inventiveness of, say, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s movies. Still, it’s a nice alternative to yet another self-serious Exorcist wannabe.” John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter

“It’s clear early on that this is a low-key affair, but while low budget doesn’t have to mean low energy that’s exactly what we get here … It’s all just so flat, and while some of that is attributed to the performances the fault ultimately sits with the direction and script.’ Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

“Galland elevates his film by going about exorcisms in a fresh light, whether he’s filming the religious ritual from Ava’s point-of-view or addressing how survivors cope, and his ambitious efforts pay off in the realm of cinematic individuality. It’s not without slow sections and scenes that could use some tighter performances, but Ava’s Possession is a favorable genre watch that offers more than cussing demons and heroic priests who save the day.” Matt Donato, We Got This Covered

Trailer:

IMDb | Facebook

 ‘They’re cute. They’re cuddly. They’re out for blood.’

Munchies is a 1987 comedy horror film produced by Roger Corman and starring Harvey Korman, Charlie Stratton, and Nadine Van der Velde. Clearly inspired by the success of Gremlins, and directed by that film’s editor, Bettina Hirsch, the film features a remarkably similar plot line. Robert Short created the Munchies creature effects.

The film spawned two sequels, Munchie and Munchie Strikes Back, both of which are family fare and possess no relation to the original save the title.

Plot teaser:

Space archaeologist Simon Watterman, discovers a fossilized “Munchie” in a cave in Peru. Bringing the specimen back to the United States, Watterman’s son and girlfriend accidentally reanimate it and name it Arnold. Cecil Watterman, Simon’s evil twin brother and snack food entrepreneur, kidnaps Arnold while Cindy and Paul are enjoying sex.

When Arnold is hurt by his kidnappers, it becomes aggressive and attacks Cecil’s adopted son. Attempting to kill Arnold, they chop him into quarters, but instead of dying, Arnold multiplies into four new munchies. The quartet of creatures develop a love of women, beer, attacking people, and junk food in the process…

Reviews:

“The obnoxious characters are matched with obnoxious jokes. The amount of groans that Munchies spawns in only eighty minutes is quite spectacular. Whether it be one of Paul’s bad lines or a goofy exchange between the father and son cop team, Munchies is a king of bad comedy. But it’s the film’s poorly executed moments of slapstick actions – dripping with tacky dubbing – that illicit the truly gut grumbling winces.” Dave Jackson, Mondo Exploito

“Harvey Korman is extremely over the top as the uncle, playing a villain who you would swear is from a Saturday morning cartoon that Hanna-Barbera made. The other actors all…are there. Really, there are no real stand-out performances from anyone, unless you count the humourous scenes with Picardo. There is clearly a reason this is a mostly forgotten film…” Batman’s Got a Nosebleed

“This rank imitation of Gremlins has nothing to recommend it – not even deep philosophical values … the creatures are unconvincing, and so the film doesn’t even work as high camp.” John Stanley, Creature Features

Buy Munchies on DVD from Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Cast:

• Harvey Korman as Cecil Watterman and Simon Watterman
• Hardy Rawls as Big Ed
• Robert Picardo as Bob Marvalle
• Wendy Schaal as Marge Marvalle
• Paul Bartel as Dr. Crowder
• Ellen Albertini Dow as Little Old Lady
• Steven Bernstein as Dean
• Frank Welker as the voice of Munchie
• Fred Newman as the voice of Munchie

Wikipedia | IMDb

New and Upcoming Horror Releases

Buy poster from Amazon.com

‘You don’t want to be on his list.’

Krampus is a 2015 American dark comedy horror film directed by Michael Dougherty (Trick ‘r Treat) from a screenplay co-written with Todd Casey and Zach Shields.

The Legendary Pictures production was released globally on December 4, 2015 by Universal Pictures.

Main cast:

Adam Scott (Hellraiser: Bloodline; The Return), (Fright Night), David Koechner (Snakes on a Plane; Final Destination 5; Piranha 3DD), Allison Tolman (The Gift), Conchata Ferrell (Modern Vampires; Frankenweenie; Two and a Half Men), Emjay Anthony (Incarnate), Stefania Owen (The Lovely Bones), Maverick Flack, Lolo Owens, Queenie Samuel, Leith Towers, Krista Stadler.

Plot:

When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers.

All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive…

Buy: Amazon.com

Reviews:

“All the way back to Dickens, the best Christmas stories — It’s A Wonderful Life, Gremlins, Die Hard, Bad Santa — combine cynicism and sentiment. Krampus delivers this mix perfectly from its stunning opening, slo-mo consumerist riots at the mall accompanied by Bing Crosby’s ‘It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas’, before turning into a siege-type horror that effectively melds the set-ups of Christmas Vacation and The Mist.” Kim Newman, Empire

“The film certainly barrels toward its conclusion with conviction, and there’s an attempt to end things on a pat note of “Family is what it’s really all about!” — a sentiment that could be quietly hilarious, given the carnage that’s preceded it — but by that point, the film has already missed the opportunity to decide what it wants to be.” Bryan Bishop, The Verge

“This not-quite-funny, not-quite-scary Christmas-themed comedy horror is like a festive Frankenstein’s monster stitched together from the spare parts of better movies … a noisy, mushy mess of a film, occasionally diverting, but generally forgettable.” Tom Huddleston, Time Out

“It’s nowhere near as good as many of the films it so wants to be positioned next to, but it’s nasty enough to leave an impression.” Benjamin Lee, The Guardian

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Digital Copy of Krampus
Includes UltraViolet
Alternate Ending
Deleted Scenes
Extended Scenes
Gag Reel
Krampus Comes Alive!
Behind the Scenes at WETA Workshop: Krampus
Galleries
Feature Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Michael Dougherty and Co-Writers Todd Casey & Zach Shields

“Occasionally funny, intermittently scary, but mostly hectic and sloppy, Krampus tries very hard to be a different kind of Christmas movie. It wants to have its store-bought fruitcake and eat it too, to satirize the meanness and materialism of holiday-observing Americans and also connect with the vaguely defined real meaning of the season.” A. O. Scott, The New York Times

“By the time the dread Krampus finally rears his horned, red-cloaked head, it’s clear Dougherty is treating his material with the utmost seriousness, sans winking or campiness, and with an atmosphere of grim relentlessness that seeps in like a winter chill. Krampus stays well within the relatively bloodless confines of PG-13 horror, but it’s precisely the opposite of family-friendly.” Justin Chang, Variety

“Not to overpraise it, but Trick ‘r’ Treat set a surprisingly high standard for Dougherty to follow. Almost inevitably, his long-awaited sophomore effort is less surprising and falls short of those heights, yet Krampus demonstrates that it is possible to elevate a movie from humdrum holiday cheer to genuine horror, all in 98 minutes or less.” Peter Martin, Twitch

“It almost caught me off guard because much of the movie is driven by these really funny characters and there’s a lot of dark humor that keeps the narrative moving along quickly, but man does it get nasty and go to some scary places. What few quiet moments there are in the film are torn apart by one creature after the next, a constant onslaught of not-so-merry monsters terrorizing Christmas.” Rhino’s Horror

Buy: Amazon.com

Released on November 24, 2015, Michael Dougherty’s Krampus: Shadow of Saint Nicholas comic book tells a new story based on the 2015 horror comedy film.

Buy Krampus costume: Amazon.com

Featurette:

Gingerbread men attack:

Wikipedia | IMDb

Related: A Christmas Horror Story | Ho! Ho! Horror! Festive Fright Films – article by David Flint | Krampus: The Christmas Devil | Krampus: The Reckoning

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Must-See Horror Movies

Worst Horror Films of All-Time

Highest-Grossing Horror Films

Unspeakable Horrors: The Plan 9 Conspiracy is a 2016 American docu-film produced and directed by Jose Prendes.

Press release:

‘From the producers who saw Room 237 comes the blistering truth about Edward D. Wood, Jr.’s Plan 9 from Outer Space. Hailed as the worst movie ever made, this cinematic gem and its mysteries have gone largely ignored… until now!

At great personal risk from hidden elements within the government, producer and director Jose Prendes (Blood Brothers; The Haunting of Whaley House; Corpses Are Forever; screenwriter of Hansel vs Gretel; Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark; Song of the Vampire) has assembled a group of five experts, ranging from PhDs to super-fans, who have combed obsessively through the film and discovered the staggering messages that Wood hid behind supposedly shoddy filmmaking.

Joining the experts are a panel of Hollywood insiders who have always known the truth about Ed Wood and his magnum opus, including filmmakers Joe Dante (Gremlins), Tom Holland (Child’s Play), Fred Olen Ray (Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers), Bill Lustig (Maniac Cop), and Mick Garris (The Stand) plus the screenwriters of Tim Burton’s Ed Wood, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, among many others too shocking to name.

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Was Ed Wood a CIA operative with intimate knowledge of the U.S.’s involvement with UFOs? Was Plan 9 a moniker once used by the Nazis as their final Final Solution? Did Wood have a secret Eskimo heritage that he was hiding? Were secret societies involved with the making of the film? Was Tor Johnson an incredible method actor? Did Bela Lugosi really die?’

The film’s world premiere will be at the Sci-Fi-London Film Festival on 30 April 2017 at Stratford Picturehouse.

IMDb

 ‘They’re cute. They’re cuddly. They’re out for blood.’

Munchies is a 1987 comedy horror film produced by Roger Corman and starring Harvey Korman, Charlie Stratton, and Nadine Van der Velde. Clearly inspired by the success of Gremlins, and directed by that film’s editor, Bettina Hirsch, the film features a remarkably similar plot line. Robert Short created the Munchies creature effects.

The film spawned two sequels, Munchie and Munchie Strikes Back, both of which are family fare and possess no relation to the original save the title.

Plot teaser:

Space archaeologist Simon Watterman, discovers a fossilized “Munchie” in a cave in Peru. Bringing the specimen back to the United States, Watterman’s son and girlfriend accidentally reanimate it and name it Arnold. Cecil Watterman, Simon’s evil twin brother and snack food entrepreneur, kidnaps Arnold while Cindy and Paul are enjoying sex.

When Arnold is hurt by his kidnappers, it becomes aggressive and attacks Cecil’s adopted son. Attempting to kill Arnold, they chop him into quarters, but instead of dying, Arnold multiplies into four new munchies. The quartet of creatures develop a love of women, beer, attacking people, and junk food in the process…

Reviews:

“The obnoxious characters are matched with obnoxious jokes. The amount of groans that Munchies spawns in only eighty minutes is quite spectacular. Whether it be one of Paul’s bad lines or a goofy exchange between the father and son cop team, Munchies is a king of bad comedy. But it’s the film’s poorly executed moments of slapstick actions – dripping with tacky dubbing – that illicit the truly gut grumbling winces.” Dave Jackson, Mondo Exploito

“Harvey Korman is extremely over the top as the uncle, playing a villain who you would swear is from a Saturday morning cartoon that Hanna-Barbera made. The other actors all…are there. Really, there are no real stand-out performances from anyone, unless you count the humourous scenes with Picardo. There is clearly a reason this is a mostly forgotten film…” Batman’s Got a Nosebleed

“This rank imitation of Gremlins has nothing to recommend it – not even deep philosophical values … the creatures are unconvincing, and so the film doesn’t even work as high camp.” John Stanley, Creature Features

Buy Munchies on DVD from Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Cast:

• Harvey Korman as Cecil Watterman and Simon Watterman
• Hardy Rawls as Big Ed
• Robert Picardo as Bob Marvalle
• Wendy Schaal as Marge Marvalle
• Paul Bartel as Dr. Crowder
• Ellen Albertini Dow as Little Old Lady
• Steven Bernstein as Dean
• Frank Welker as the voice of Munchie
• Fred Newman as the voice of Munchie

Wikipedia | IMDb

New and Upcoming Horror Releases

“It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent Fritters”

Motel Hell is a 1980 American comedy horror feature film directed by Kevin Connor (The House Where Evil Dwells; At the Earth’s Core, Frankenstein – [2004]; From Beyond the Grave), from a screenplay by producers Robert Jaffe and Steven-Charles Jaffe, and stars Rory Calhoun as farmer, butcher, and meat entrepreneur Vincent Smith. The movie is often seen as a satire of key genre films such as Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Farmer Vincent Smith and his younger sister Ida live on a farm with a motel attached. It’s called “Motel Hello,” but the neon ‘O’ flickers. Vincent smokes meats said to be the most delicious in the area. The secret is human flesh, and Vincent has the areas around his motel strewn with various booby traps to catch victims, including a couple of would-be swingers.

The victims are restrained, then placed in a ‘secret garden,’ buried up to their necks, and have their vocal chords cut to prevent them from screaming. They are kept in the ground and fed until they are ready for harvest. Ida helps Vincent, who feels he does no wrong and sees the victims as animals…

Reviews:

“With its crazy characters, sick psychedelic scenes, oddly ecological message, multiple murders and manic performances, Motel Hell is a definite cult movie in every sense. Throwing in sex fiends, slaughtered pigs, chainsaw fights and a garden of live heads, the film keeps you entertained all the way through.” Love Horror

“The greatest delight in a film full of unexpected treats is the cast, headed by Rory Calhoun. Sometimes an actor who has been reliable but unremarkable finds a part which he was born to play, and in the case of Calhoun that part turned out to be Farmer Vincent. Years of playing the lead in cowboy movies has given him an aura of solid reliability and he uses this to brilliant effect, making the fundamentally crazy Vincent seem strangely reasonable and even heroic.” The Digital Fix

Buy Shout! Factory Blu-ray + DVD combo: Amazon.com

• Audio Commentary with director Kevin Connor, moderated by filmmaker Dave Parker
• It Takes All Kinds: The Making of Motel Hell featuring interviews with director Kevin Connor, producers/writers Robert Jaffe and Steven Charles Jaffe and actor Marc Silver
• Shooting Old School with cinematographer Thomas Del Ruth
• Another Head on the Chopping Block: an interview with actor Paul Linke
• From Glamour to Gore: An interview with actress Rosanne Katon
• Ida, Be Thy Name:  A look back at Motel Hell’s frightful female protagonist Ida Smith
• Theatrical Trailer
• Photo Galleries

“Campy and self-referential, filled with puns and sarcasm, Motel Hell is well deserving of the audience it didn’t find upon release. The screenplay doesn’t hold back and the director takes advantage of his opportunities […] In addition to the satirical gore and some flashes of nudity, Motel Hell offers a host of strange and amusing images or situations […] The only flaws are some weak or obvious jokes (e.g. the preacher reading Hustler, or the overeager swingers).” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers, Lulu, 2012

Buy Claws & Saucers: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

“Despite its gruesome aesthetics, you’re not subjected to the signature slasher images associated with the others — the camera will cut away, for example, before you see Ida’s blade even touch the skin of her human pets — but despite it being wasted on its original audience, Motel Hell is, rather inexplicably, nostalgically charming and heart-warming in the oddest possible way.” Michelle Butterworth, Bring the Noise

“Before it’s over, virtually every melodramatic cliche imaginable – including the heroine on the buzz saw – has been brought into play. The filmmakers make good use of stark lighting and gurgling sound effects to create their creepy atmosphere.” Videohound’s Complete Guide to Cult Flicks and Trash Pics

“Motel Hell could have been a great black comedy, but the uneasy direction of Kevin Connor, combined with the gore that comes with this territory, fails to get most of the picture off the ground.” James J. Mulay, The Horror Film, CineBooks, 1989

Buy Arrow Blu-ray + DVD combo: Amazon.co.uk

“It has some great moments, including a duel fought with chainsaws, a hero swinging to the rescue on a meathook, and Farmer Vincent’s dying confession of the shameful secret that he concealed for years. These moments illuminate the movie’s basic and not very profound insight, which is that most of the sleazoids would be a lot more fun if they didn’t take themselves with such gruesome solemnity.” Roger Ebert

“Played with a straight face, Motel Hell is not only seriously funny, but damn frightening […] The ending, which features a return of the dead-style siege of the would-be victims (still gurgling) and duelling chainsaws, is a bizarre high-watermark of low-budget 1980s horror films.” John Kenneth Muir, Horror Films of the 1980s, McFarland, 2007

Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

” …the farm is the epitome of Reagan’s America, where the grossest exploitation lurks just beneath the placid plastic surface, where murder is less blasphemous than sexual liberation, where idiotic families or tourists eat the most unutterable junk and the sheriff is ‘the biggest cannibal around’. Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

Cast and characters:

• Rory Calhoun as Vincent Smith – Hell Comes to Frogtown; Night of the Lepus
• Paul Linke as Sheriff Bruce Smith
• Nancy Parsons as Ida Smith
• Nina Axelrod as Terry
• Wolfman Jack as Reverend Billy
• Elaine Joyce as Edith Olson
• Dick Curtis as Guy Robaire / First TV Preacher
• Monique St. Pierre as Debbie
• Rosanne Katon as Suzi
• E. Hampton Beagle as Bob Anderson
• Everett Creach as Bo Tulinski
• Michael Melvin as Ivan
• John Ratzenberger as Drummer
• Marc Silver as Guitarist
• Victoria Hartman as Female Terrible
• Gwil Richards as Mr Owen
• Toni Gillman as Mrs Richards

Buy on DVD with Wrong Turn and Needful Things: Amazon.com

Filming locations:

Exteriors filmed at Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita, California, USA.

Interiors of the motel, farm, and smokehouse were filmed at the Laird International Studios in Culver City, California.

Wikipedia | IMDb

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 ‘They’re cute. They’re cuddly. They’re out for blood.’

Munchies is a 1987 American comedy horror feature film produced by Roger Corman and starring Harvey Korman, Charlie Stratton, and Nadine Van der Velde.

Clearly inspired by the success of Gremlins, and directed by that film’s editor, Bettina Hirsch, the film features a remarkably similar plot line. Robert Short created the Munchies creature effects.

The film spawned two sequels, Munchie and Munchie Strikes Back, both of which are purely family fare and possess no relation to the original save their title.

Space archaeologist Simon Watterman, discovers a fossilized “Munchie” in a cave in Peru. Bringing the specimen back to the United States, Watterman’s son and girlfriend accidentally reanimate it and name it Arnold.

Meanwhile, Cecil Watterman, Simon’s evil twin brother and snack food entrepreneur, kidnaps Arnold while Cindy and Paul are enjoying sex.

When Arnold is hurt by his kidnappers, it becomes aggressive and attacks Cecil’s adopted son. Attempting to kill Arnold, they chop him into quarters, but instead of dying, Arnold multiplies into four new munchies. The quartet of creatures develop a love of women, beer, attacking people, and junk food in the process…

Reviews:

“The obnoxious characters are matched with obnoxious jokes. The amount of groans that Munchies spawns in only eighty minutes is quite spectacular. Whether it be one of Paul’s bad lines or a goofy exchange between the father and son cop team, Munchies is a king of bad comedy. But it’s the film’s poorly executed moments of slapstick actions – dripping with tacky dubbing – that illicit the truly gut grumbling winces.” Dave Jackson, Mondo Exploito

“Harvey Korman is extremely over the top as the uncle, playing a villain who you would swear is from a Saturday morning cartoon that Hanna-Barbera made. The other actors all…are there. Really, there are no real stand-out performances from anyone, unless you count the humourous scenes with Picardo. There is clearly a reason this is a mostly forgotten film…” Batman’s Got a Nosebleed

“This rank imitation of Gremlins has nothing to recommend it – not even deep philosophical values … the creatures are unconvincing, and so the film doesn’t even work as high camp.” John Stanley, Creature Features

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

“Regretfully, not a single joke works, the beasties aren’t lovable or cute, there’s no blood for the gore hounds, and not an uncovered breast in sight. Truly a film with nothing for everyone. Tough to believe it’s a Roger Corman production.” Videohound’s Complete Guide to Cult Flicks and Trash Pics

Cast and characters:

• Harvey Korman as Cecil Watterman and Simon Watterman
• Hardy Rawls as Big Ed
• Robert Picardo as Bob Marvalle
• Wendy Schaal as Marge Marvalle
• Paul Bartel as Dr. Crowder
• Ellen Albertini Dow as Little Old Lady
• Steven Bernstein as Dean
• Frank Welker as the voice of Munchie
• Fred Newman as the voice of Munchie

Wikipedia | IMDb

New and Upcoming Horror Releases

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‘The most depraved film of the 21st century’

Someone’s Knocking at the Door is a 2009 American dark comedy horror feature film co-written and directed by Chad Ferrin (Easter Bunny Kill! Kill!). It stars Noah Segan, Andrea Rueda, Ezra Buzzington, Elina Madison, Jon Budinoff, Ricardo Gray, Lew Temple, and Vernon Wells.

Returning to the medical school where they were test subjects decades ago, a pair of outrageously twisted serial killers use shockingly brutal sex acts to start killing off a group of drugged-out med students…

Buy DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

” It’s 50% the craziest sh*t you’ve ever seen on film and 50% regular, kind of boring low budget horror stuff. But still. Man. You’ve got to see it to understand how crazy it is. I wish it would have been crazier all throughout. Then it would be a damn masterpiece.” Film School Rejects

“The film does an excellent job of selling a typical horror movie premise – a psychokiller back from beyond the grave – but when you get inside it you discover it’s something even more twisted, and begs a second watch to see if it all fits as well as the ending wants you to believe.” Flash Bang

“It’s a film that tried too hard to be different and just doesn’t quite get there. It is certainly interesting, offensive, sick and funny, but sadly all those elements don’t always work together here.” Horror Cult Films

The post Someone’s Knocking at the Door – USA, 2009 appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.

‘Disco isn’t dead, but you just might be’

Discopath is a 2013 Canadian comedy horror feature film directed by Renaud Gauthier, and starring Jérémie Earp-Lavergne, Sandrine Bisson, and Ivan Freud.

In the mid-1970s, Duane Lewis is a man who transforms into a crazed serial killer whenever he catches the relentless rhythm of disco!

As Duane flees New York, desperate to escape the disco craze, his murderous tendencies explode again in a whirlwind of bloody violence and groovy beats…

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“The gore effects are excessive and over the top, but the film as a whole is never as shower-inducingly off putting as the movies Gauthier is trying to emulate. It’s a love letter to the kind of trash cinema young cinephiles in the VHS era often grew up with, with sharp, consistently funny writing and a game cast who aren’t afraid to come across as goofy.” Dork Shelf

“In spite of its flaws, Discopath still manages to be an extremely cool little movie. It is impossible for me not to like with its irresistible nostalgic genre charm aping the early 80’s golden age of the slasher sub-genre with much genuine love for it rather than coming off as something just faux lacking the authenticity that some so called love letters do with no passion for the material.” Cinematic Shocks

“Perhaps writer-director Renaud Gauthier – who clearly has a lot of affection for his inspiration – could have sacrificed some of the super-styled slo-mo sequences in favour of characterisation. Or story. Or intentional humour. Or anything to distinguish his production beyond the flares and hair and boring gore.” Rock n Reel

The post Discopath – Canada, 2013 appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.

‘Inside every artist lurks… a madman!’

A Bucket of Blood is a 1959 American comedy horror feature film directed by Roger Corman from a screenplay by Charles B. Griffith. The movie stars Dick Miller, Barboura Morris, Antony Carbone and Julian Burton.

Produced on a $50,000 budget for American International Pictures, it was shot in five days, and shares many of the low-budget filmmaking aesthetics commonly associated with Corman’s work.

A Bucket of Blood was the first of three collaborations between Corman and Griffith in the comedy genre, followed by The Little Shop of Horrors, which was shot on the same sets, and Creature from the Haunted Sea.

Herschell Gordon Lewis’ Color Me Blood Red (1964) reworks many of the same themes, plus a Beach Party element.

In Evil Toons (1992), Dick Miller watches himself on TV in a scene from A Bucket of Blood.

In 1995, Corman executive produced a remake of A Bucket of Blood, with Anthony Michael Hall taking on the role of Walter Paisley, for cable TV.

Plot:

One night, after hearing the words of Maxwell H. Brock (Julian Burton), a poet who performs at The Yellow Door cafe, socially awkward busboy Walter Paisley (Dick Miller) returns home to attempt to create a sculpture of the face of the hostess Carla (Barboura Morris).

Walter stops when he hears the meowing of Frankie, the cat owned by his inquisitive landlady, Mrs Surchart (Myrtle Vail), who has somehow gotten himself stuck in Walter’s wall. Walter attempts to get Frankie out using a knife, but accidentally kills the cat. Instead of giving Frankie a proper burial, Walter covers the cat in clay, leaving the knife stuck in it.

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk

The next morning, Walter shows the cat to Carla and his boss Leonard (Antony Carbone). Leonard dismisses the oddly morbid piece, but Carla is enthusiastic about the work and convinces Leonard to display it in the café. Walter receives praise from the beatnik (John Brinkley) and poets in the café and is approached by an adoring fan, Naolia (Jhean Burton), who gives him a vial of heroin to remember her by.

Naively ignorant of its function, he takes it home and is followed by Lou Raby (Bert Convy), an undercover cop, who attempts to take him into custody for narcotics possession. In a blind panic, thinking Lou is about to shoot him, Walter hits him with the frying pan he is holding, killing Lou instantly…

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“That this rather unflattering portrait of an insular and self-impressed art scene should ring so true today across a gulf of four decades and at least as many cycles of youth-culture reinvention shows just how much attention Corman and Griffith paid on their scouting missions.” 1000 Misspent Hours

” …works well not only as a horror film with black comedy tossed in, but as a satirical time capsule piece centered around the beatnik culture of the era (even Allen Ginsberg is lampooned by actor Julian Burton, Masque of the Red Death). Most of the humor is relegated to the beginning of the film, as there’s more of a macabre feel to the proceedings once Walter starts murdering…”  George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In

“It’s not often that shrewd commentary on postmodern art and messy murders come together in a film, and one wouldn’t expect them to do so as assuredly as this. The success of the film comes down to a perfect balance between the talents contributing to it…” Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film

“A Bucket of Blood is only an hour-ish long and just flies by; it has a jazzy soundtrack that fits perfectly, crazy beatnik poetry, outrageous characters, tons of laughs and a touch of grim that makes it the perfect re-watchable horror-comedy classic! Highest of Recommendations!” Goregirl’s Dungeon

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

” …the beats were skewered in A Bucket of Blood better than many observers – from the outside – ever managed, identifying a vicious snobbery in the In Crowd that was not regularly brought into the spotlight for a caustic exposure. It wasn’t a case of the squares defending themselves against the attacks of the self-appointed cool, it was keener than that.’ Graeme Clark, The Spinning Image

“Miller, who manages to sustain a sense of poignancy while committing his atrocities, gives an excellent performance in this funny film with a good comical jazz score by Fred Katz.” TV Guide

“Dick Miller in particularly appealing as the sub-intellectual nebbish in search of recognition and love: he even manages to retain the sympathy of the viewer for most of the movie, and even after he’s gone over the deep end one still sort of feels sorry for him once the movie ends. The pretentious beatniks and culture vultures, in turn, are one and all a fun persiflage of types still recognizable today…” A Wasted Life

Cast and characters:

• Dick Miller … Walter Paisley
• Barboura Morris … Carla
• Antony Carbone … Leonard de Santis
• Julian Burton … Maxwell H. Brock
• Ed Nelson … Art Lacroix
• John Brinkley … Will
• John Herman Shaner … Oscar (as John Shaner)
• Judy Bamber … Alice
• Myrtle Vail … Mrs Swickert (as Myrtle Damerel)
• Bert Convy … Lou Raby (as Burt Convy)
• Jhean Burton … Naolia
• Bruno VeSota … Art Collector (as Bruno Ve Soto)
• Lynn Storey … Sylvia (as Lynne Storey)
• Tom Daly … Coffee-House patron (uncredited)
• Alex Hassilev … Singer-Guitarist (uncredited)
• Paul Horn … Beatnik Saxophonist (uncredited)
• Kenner G. Kemp … Art Exhibit Patron (uncredited)
• Sheila Noonan … Yellow Door Patron (uncredited)
• Jeffrey Sayre … Art Exhibit Patron (uncredited)
• Henry Travis … Art Critic (uncredited)

Filming locations:

Los Angeles, California

Technical credits:

66 minutes | black and white |1.85: 1 | mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Related:

Dick Miller – actor

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The post A Bucket of Blood – USA, 1959 appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.

‘The most depraved film of the 21st century’ Someone’s Knocking at the Door is a 2009 American dark comedy horror feature film co-written and directed by Chad Ferrin (Easter Bunny Kill! Kill!). It stars Noah Segan, Andrea Rueda, Ezra Buzzington, Elina Madison, Jon Budinoff, Ricardo Gray, Lew Temple, and Vernon Wells. Returning to the medical school where they were test subjects...

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‘They’re cute. They’re cuddly. They’re out for blood.’ Munchies is a 1987 American comedy horror feature film produced by Roger Corman and starring Harvey Korman, Charlie Stratton, and Nadine Van der Velde. Clearly inspired by the success of Gremlins, and directed by that film’s editor, Bettina Hirsch, the film features a remarkably similar plot line.

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