From The Inside (2010)

'If You Haven't Got Your Safety, You've Got Nothing...'

I've always been a fan of 70's exploitation films, especially revenge movies like 'The Last House on the Left' and 'I Spit on your Grave'. Since Tarantino & Rodriguez brought back 'Grindhouse' to the masses in 2007, we've been blessed with a ton of movies that have paid homage to many of my favorite low-budget films of the past. Jim Haggerty's 'From The Inside' does just that. Although not shot in the usual gritty retro style, it still manages to capture some of the feel of those old school drive-in classics.

One of the films strong points has got to be the writing. The story begins with our leading lady, Tally (Amanda Ladd). A bored young woman stuck in a miserable loveless marriage to a pathetic slob ...but a rich slob. One night, their house (in the middle of nowhere) gets broken into by a couple thugs and they kill Tally's husband. Before the thugs figure out what to do with the body, a young couple with car trouble comes knocking at the door. I know, it sounds like a simple plot. Well it starts that way, then the story takes a few unexpected turns. Since giving away the plot twists would ruin the movie i'll stop right there.

Another plus was the camerawork. Not only were there some pretty good looking angle shots, it's also nice to watch a low-budget film where you can actually see the actors during the night scenes. The audio, on the other hand, was a real problem. Like with a lot of indie films, I had to watch the entire movie with remote in hand. There's nothing worse than pumping the volume up in order to hear the dialog, then getting hit with a 'ScReAm!' loud enough to wake up the neighbors. I don't make movies, but for the life of me I can't figure out why this happens so often.

The acting was what you would come to expect from a lower budget film of this type. Although I did have a little problem with the actors movements. I don't know if they were being directed to over exaggerate or what, but they all seemed to be really 'hamming' it up. There was way too much arm movements during conversations and any time they had to run or fight it seemed very mechanical. At times, even normal walking and turning didn't seem natural.

Overall, I'd say 'From The Inside' is pretty fun flick, especially for you indie horror fans out there. It's far from perfect, but definitely a big step up from Jim Haggerty's first film, 2000's 'The Slasher' and has got me curious to go back and check out what I might have missed.

My Rating: 4 / 10

You can get your hands on a copy over at...

'Yellow Ape Productions'

Coming soon from... Maxim Media International

Filth to Ashes, Flesh to Dust

Filth to Ashes, Flesh to Dust is being released on Blu-Ray February 7^th, 2012. This film features an award winning stunt and FX Dream Team. If you are a horror fan that is obsessed with serial killers like the Jigsaw Killer in the SAW Franchise, you will love this film and will pass it along to your friends!

Synopsis:

Obsessed with teaching his victims the value of life, a deranged, sadistic serial killer, named Purge abducts the morally wayward. Once captured, they must face impossible choices in a horrific game of survival. The victims must fight to win their lives back, or die trying.

 

The connections between the characters as well as what motivates their actions gives a depth of dimension and heightened level of fear and emotion that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats begging for more!

"Click below to pre-order a copy on blu-ray or dvd!"

River of Darkness (2010)

"Terror Flows Upstream"

Synopsis: When unspeakable evil falls on a quiet river town, Sheriff Will Logan (Kurt Angle) is thrust into a chilling nightmare of death and mayhem. He is confronted with a series of horrific murders, each more viscous than the last, and soon learns of the community’s seedy past and the evil that has risen from purgatory to exact revenge on the town. When Sheriff Logan discovers that the murders are committed by the spirits of old river squatters, the Jacobs Boys (Kevin Nash & Sid Vicious), the town explodes into an battlefield of blazing guns and zombies.

  Once The Jacobs Boys exact their punishing vengeance on the town it’s up to Sheriff Logan to unravel the shocking mystery of the past and slam the Boys back to hell.

My Thoughts: Q: What do you get when you take a bunch of washed up pro wrestlers and throw in b-movie legend Bill Hinzman (the lead zombie from Romero's Night of the Living Dead)? A: Hilarity

This movie is getting torn apart on just about every review site on the net. I can't believe that no one seems to see the so-bad-it's-good quality of this film. I gotta admit after the first 5 minutes or so I too thought to myself "WTF is this shit", but after listening to line after line of ridiculous dialog delivered by actors without an ounce of talent, it really won me over.

There's no doubt in my mind that this movie will someday take it's place beside films like Troll 2 in the best worst movie hall of fame. It's got it all, ridicious writing, bad directing, terrible acting, horrible zombie effects and no production value whatsoever. The only thing it's missing, which would make this the perfect bad movie, is some gratuitous nudity. I guess we can't have it all.



My Rating: 5.25 / 10




Get a group of friends together, pop this in and let the laughter begin.

"click here to see the trailer"

Treevenge (2008)

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Synopsis: Foul-mouthed lumberjacks descend on a hillside of trees, cutting them down and trucking them to Christmas tree lots where families paw them, pick one out, take it home, stick it in a stand, and decorate it. The trees experience terror throughout the ordeal: we hear their squeals of pain when axed or sawn, the emotion of separation from family and friends, the fear of the unknown, and the despair they feel during the strange and bizarre rituals of families at Christmas. On Christmas morning, the trees strike back. Man, woman, child, and pet may be in for a grisly end.

My Thoughts: What can I say about this soon-to-be Christmas classic? It's definitely gonna be a fixture in my holiday horror rotation for years to come. The baby's head squashing scene is one of the greatest kills of all-time.

Writer/director Jason Eisener took a totally fucked up idea, an idea that Troma probably wishes they thought of first, and made an amazing short film. Let's be honest, if this was turned into a feature there's a pretty good chance it would be crap. I doubt killer trees could hold my attention for 90 minutes. I guess we'll see if a "Hobo with a Shotgun" could when Eisener's Grindhouse mock-trailer gets turned into a full-length film later this year.

Okay, a Christmas themed horror/comedy about tree revenge might not be what most people look for on St. Patrick's Day, but I can't think of anything better to watch after downing a bunch of green beers.

My Rating: 8.25 / 10





Well worth 16 minutes of your time. Watch it here.