"Episode 2" Is Here!

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.......Our second episode features reviews of the 1979 horror turned sci-fi movie "The Dark", Umberto Lenzi's "Hitcher In The Dark", Dario Argento's 1987 classic "Opera", a long-lost anthology that has gone by many names that we'll call "Last Stop On 13th St.", the Butcher Brothers' newest release "The Violent Kind" and the 2002 horror/comedy "The Greenskeeper" starring former Major League pitcher John Rocker.
.......Music by: Lords Of Acid, Concrete Blonde and of course, The Cramps

_____ ...e-mail us at: theotherpodcast@yahoo.com

"click here to listen to Episode 2"

                                       ...watch the trailers!

............""click here to see "The Greenskeeper" trailer"

Be Kind, Rewind: The VHS Reviews ~ Fright Night Part 2 (1989)

"The Suckers Are Back."

Synopsis: It's been a few years since the events of the original movie. Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale, "Herman's Head", "Mannequin 2: On The Move") is now in college and has a new girlfriend. After the death of bloodsucker Jerry Dandridge, Charley has settled into life as a student and rejected his former belief in the existence of vampires. Although he's busy pursuing the affections of determined coed Alex (Traci Lind, "Class Of 1999", "My Boyfriend's Back"), Charley soon falls under the spell of the mysterious and alluring Regine (Julie Carmen, "In The Mouth Of Madness", "Blue City"). Even though everything about the woman screams vampire, her feminine charms -- and her claims of being nothing but an outlandish performance artist -- lead Charley to become her unwilling servant. Torn between Regine's enchantments and his loyalty to Alex, he once again looks for help from Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall, "Planet Of The Apes", "The Poseidon Adventure"), the washed-up horror show host who assisted him in the first time around. Soon, Charley, Peter, and Alex are facing off against a new coven of bloodsuckers led by Regine, who reveals herself to be the ancient sister of Jerry Dandridge.

My Thoughts: I've always been a fan of the original Fright Night. Effectively mixing horror and comedy is pretty hard to do and where as Fright Night might not be laugh-out-loud funny, I think it's never take yourself too seriously attitude delivered by it's incredible cast made it work somehow. You would think the fact that great chemistry being the main reason for the first film's success that a sequel with just two of the original cast members and a new director would be a complete disaster. You'd be wrong.

Fright Night Part 2 director Tommy Lee Wallace ("Halloween III", "Stephen King's It") replaces the first film's great chemistry with an eerier atmosphere and some great camera-work, and still manages to keep alive some of the spirit and fun of the original. William Ragsdale and Roddy McDowall don't miss a beat bringing back their characters for a second go-around and the new cast of vampires add the comic relief that would have been missing after of the death of Charley Brewster's friend "Evil" at the end of the first film.

You might not have heard, but a Fright Night remake is scheduled to come out this summer. I would normally say sarcastically "oh great, another remake", but I think this one has some potential. First of all, I like their choices for the main cast: Colin Farrell as Jerry Dandrige (the vampire), David Tennant ("Dr. Who") as Peter Vincent, Anton Yelchin ("Charlie Bartlett", "Star Trek") as Charley Brewster ...and McLovin as "Evil" Ed Thompson. Also, I think it's the type of safe horror movie that the studios want to put out these days, so in this rare case it might actually work. You think???

My Rating: 8 / 10






Maybe the remake (coming out August 19th) will spark up enough interest to get this forgotten sequel re-released. I hope so, because as much as I like it I won't be paying $50 for a used copy any time soon. I've got my old VHS copy ...and those are even going for $15 on amazon.com nowadays.

"click here to see the trailer"

"click here to see the remake trailer"

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Bonnie & Clyde vs. Dracula (2009)

"When Gangsters Meet Vampires, There's Bloody Hell To Pay..."

Synopsis: After their latest heist goes wrong legendary outlaw couple Bonnie & Clyde are on the run from the law and in need of fast money to fix up their companion who was shot during the robbery. Finding shelter in a small town they crash at the mansion of the notorious Dr. Loveless. When Bonnie & Clyde arrive at the Doctor's mansion they discover he has a secret. Deep in his cellar, the recently revived Dracula awaits ...and when gangsters meet vampires, there's bloody hell to pay.

My Thoughts: I've been patiently waiting for the release of this film for right around two years now. I mean, how can you have a better premise for a b-horror flick. Unfortunately, like most movies from my can't-wait-to-see list, I was a little disappointed with this one. There are a few really good performances ...well two. Former "Troma" stars Tiffany Shepis and Trent Haaga (writer of 2008's "Deadgirl") have great chemistry as Bonnie & Clyde and steal every scene they're in together. The problem is they're so much better than the rest of the cast (mainly newcomers) that it really stands out when they're not on screen.

We basically have two totally separate stories here that don't intertwine until an hour into the movie and when they finally do meet there's very little pay off. First, we have Bonnie & Clyde on the road after a botched robbery. With very few options, they decide to head to Clyde's friend Henry's place that's in the middle of nowhere. Well, it doesn't take long for Bonnie to get fed up with the less than plush accommodations and she doesn't mind letting Clyde know how she feels about it. A desperate Clyde conspires with Henry to rob a local moonshiner and his big city customer at the same time. When one of their crew gets shot during the robbery, Bonnie goes off to get help, but ends up at the mansion of Dr. Loveless (Allen Lowman, "Shadow Falls Memorial").

That brings us to our other story. While Bonnie & Clyde are doing their robbing and killing thing, we're also introduced to Dr. Loveless and his mentally challenged sister (who he keeps under lock and key with the help of an industrial strength shock collar). Dr. Loveless, who has some sort of medical condition that is never fully explained, believes that blood transfusions from the recently revived Count Dracula (Russell Friend) will cure him. That's pretty much when Bonnie shows up looking for a doctor, but gets bit by Dracula instead and we finally get a little bit of what the title promised us.

 I'm not exactly sure what happened here. Maybe the director realized how weak the Dracula side of the story actually was and decided to emphasize the Bonnie & Clyde angle. If that was the case, he probably did the right thing. The Dr. Loveless/Dracula story seemed like a bad 'Full Moon" film ...a really, really bad "Full Moon" film. The Bonnie & Clyde story definitely makes this movie watchable and as great as the original premise was I think they would have been a lot better off if they just made a twisted b-movie version of Bonnie & Clyde and left Dracula out entirely.

My Rating: 7 / 10








Though it's still worth a watch, this movie had a lot of wasted potential. I thought this really could have been a classic. I do gotta give the director credit though, this is a big step up from his first feature, "Cadaverella" and if he keeps coming up with fucked up ideas like these I can see a b-movie masterpiece in his future.

"click here to see the trailer"

Be Kind, Rewind: The VHS Reviews ~ Blood Rage (1983)

a.k.a. Nightmare At Shadow Woods
"Identical Twins With Brutally Different Personalities"

Synopsis: The film opens with twin boys, Terry and Todd, sneaking out of the back of their mother's car while she's making out with her boyfriend at the drive-in. Terry grabs an axe from the car before he leaves. The boys then come across a teenage couple, who are also making out, in the backseat of another car. Suddenly Terry begins hacking away at the teenagers as Todd looks on hopelessly. Terry quickly hands Todd the weapon and smears blood on his face, before the crowd gathers, framing him for the murder. Ten years later, Todd escapes from the mental institution. The news of Todd's escape, in addition to his mother's engagement, triggers Terry to go on another killing spree. Will Todd again be blamed, or will he finally be able to prove his innocence?

My Thoughts: I doubt there are too many people that would have this on their list of all-time greatest slashers, but still this forgotten gore flick does have it's moments. What this 1983 low-budget slasher lacks in overall acting, it more than makes up for in blood & guts. Unfortunately, the kills are pretty much the only reason to search for a copy of this hard-to-find film (well that, and the synthesizer-driven score ...oh, and the 80's haircuts).

The horrible performances are lead by former sitcom actress Louise Lasser and virtual no-namer Mark Soper, who are totally unconvincing throughout the entire movie. I've never seen her 70's sitcom "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman", but Lasser was completely horrendous here in her role as Maddy, the twins drunk and obnoxious mother. Soper was equally as bad playing both twins (Terry and Todd), although at least he had a couple funny one-liners during his killing spree. The scary thing is the supporting cast was even worse ...much, much worse.

Luckily, in a movie like this one a few good machete kills can make up for just about anything. Not only does this film include a dismemberment and a decapitation, we also get to see a chick get completely cut in two. The director leaves the camera rolling and is never in a hurry to cut away from the gore. Of course, most of it is pretty cheesy, but at least you actually get to see it.

* Note: Look for a young Ted Raimi who is selling condoms in the drive-in bathroom in the film's opening minutes. *

My Rating: 5.5 / 10






Overall, I thought this was a pretty fun slasher. Was it cheesy? Oh, hell yeah ...but in a good way. If you want to see the unedited version (and you do), then stick with the VHS version from Prism Entertainment (a used copy usually goes for about $20). There's also an extremely hard to find restored DVD version out there from Legacy under the title "Nightmare At Shadow Woods", but it's edited and very expensive (so don't even bother with it).

"click here to see a fan made trailer"

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...The Madness Begins

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......Horrorphilia's Much of Madness/More of Sin podcast has finally arrived!

.......In this first episode, co-hosts Jeff and Rich review 1975's "Psychic Killer", Charles Band's "Skull Heads", the 1981 killer kid flick "Bloody Birthday", Lucio Fulci's "Demonia", the long-lost Native American slasher "The Ghost Dance" and the newly released "Scar 3D" (in 2D). Music by: Potent, Anthrax and The Cramps   ...e-mail us at: theotherpodcast@yahoo.com


***click here to listen to Episode One***


***click here to download Episode One on iTunes***


                                             ...watch the trailers!

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Mother's Day (2010)

"Don't Misbehave..."

Synopsis: After a bank robbery gone wrong, three brothers head for home, hoping their Mother (Rebecca De Mornay) can provide them with a getaway. The youngest brother, Johnny (Matt O'Leary), has been shot, and their back-stabbing former partner has gotten away with all the cash. But when the brothers get home, they find that all their stuff is gone and Mother is nowhere to be found: She lost the house months ago in a foreclosure. The new owners, Beth and Daniel Sohapi (Jaime King and Frank Grillo), and their guests, gathered for an ill-timed birthday party, become the brothers' unwitting hostages. Not long after, Mother arrives, along with the boys' sister Lydia (Deborah Ann Woll), and it soon becomes clear that Mother will do absolutely anything to protect her children. In one terrifying evening she brilliantly takes control of the situation and masterminds her sons' escape from the law. Sides will be taken, secrets revealed, and sins punished as the hostages struggle to make it through the night alive.

My Thoughts: Anyone who has been lucky enough to have discovered the b-movie masterpiece that is "Mother's Day" will tell you that they love it as much for it's absurdity than they do for it's violence and gore. So how does Darren Bousman's ("Saw 2-4", "Repo! The Genetic Opera") updated version compare to it's predecessor, even without nearly as much of the original's silliness and WTF moments? Well, pretty damn good actually.

The cast is incredible, especially Rebecca DeMornay as Mother. I gotta be honest, when I heard that she was chosen for this role all I could do was shake my head. I'll be the first one to say, she fuckin' nailed it. She's definitely a lot more demented than I gave her credit for, but I'm sorry I still can't get those "Risky Business" thoughts outta my head. Also, there's nothin' wrong with seeing Jaime King or Briana Evigan in another horror flick. But seriously, all of the acting was way better than I would have expected.

Darren Bousman did an amazing job telling the story with a good pace and never lost my attention (which is pretty easy to do). The kills and even some of the non-kills were pretty creative and really brutal. I mean, who doesn't wanna see a shotgun blast to the head ...so thumbs up on the gore. I think making this movie on an 11 million dollar budget is remarkable, especially with this cast. If they had to cut corners during production it certainly didn't show up on screen.

My Rating: 9 / 10




The 2010 version replaces all of the original's Troma weirdness with a more involved script, an experienced horror director and a great cast. You would think that taking out 90% of what made the original "Mother's Day" what it is would squash any chances of making this movie a worthy remake. I guess most of the time that would be true, but believe me this is an exception. They don't make'em much better, so when you get the chance, See it, Buy it!

BTW ...is it me or does anyone else wonder why everybody cheats on Jaime King in horror flicks. I just don't get it???

"click here to see the trailer"

Be Kind, Rewind: The VHS Reviews ~ Popcorn (1991)

"Buy A Bag, Go Home In A Box."

Synopsis: Maggie (Jill Schoelen, "The Stepfather", "Cutting Class") has been having nightmares of a guru-looking man with a sacrificial knife chasing a little girl named Sarah. She doesn't seem that disturbed by the recurring nightmares as she thinks that they are unconscious inspiration for a possible film idea. She is one of the members of a fledgling film program at UC Oceanview taught by Professor Davis (Tony Roberts, "Amityville 3-D") who is eager to make a splash with the department so they won’t keep getting shafted in terms of budget, space, and resources. Class obsessive film nerd Toby (Tom Villard, "Parasite", "One Crazy Summer") comes up with the idea to have a horror film marathon featuring the triple feature MOSQUITO (in 3D), THE STENCH (in Arom-O-Rama) and THE ELECTRIFIED MAN (in Shock-O-Rama) with all of the original 1950's gimmicks included. With the help of film memorabilia collector Dr. Mnesyne (Ray Walston, "My Favorite Martian"), the group renovate the abandoned and soon to be demolished Dreamland Theater for the show. While setting up the gimmicks (a giant mosquito to fly above the audience, electrified audience seats, odors to be piped through the vents), the group find a reel of film marked “Do Not Open.” They run the reel and it is revealed to be an experimental film called “Possessor” featuring the imagery from Maggie’s dream and she faints. When she comes to, Professor Davis tells her that the film was made by a man named Lanyard Yates who had a film cult in the 70's where they took drugs and made avant-garde films. When his film was laughed off the stage, Yates responded with a follow-up called "Possessor", the final scene of which was the onstage murder of his family and torching of the theatre with the patrons locked in. Of course, his body was never found. When Maggie mentions Yates to her mother (Dee Wallace-Stone, "E.T.", "Cujo"), she tries to convince Maggie to drop out of the show and take a trip with her, but Maggie says that she can’t escape from something that’s in her mind. Later that night, her mother receives a mysterious phone call from someone claiming to be Yates who tells her to meet him at the theater. She goes and gets nabbed in the dark after the requisite voices, backlit silhouettes, and appearance of Yates on the theater screen. The next night at the show, Maggie thinks she sees Yates while taking tickets. As she searches the theatre for him with the help of her skeptical jock boyfriend Mark (Derek Rydall, "Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge", "Night Visitor") and an equally skeptical Toby, someone starts bumping off the professor and students and taking on their identities (it is revealed that the killer has a secret hideout where he can make moulds of peoples faces).

My Thoughts: Sure this is a completely by-the-book slasher movie, but when everything's done the right way that could make for a really fun horror flick. Let's talk about everything they did right. The lead actress (or 'final girl') ...they chose the amazing Jill Schoelen, one of my all-time favorite scream queens. She gets a 10/10, no doubt. The setting ...a horror flick in an old movie theatre, what's better than that? Exactly, so 10/10. The 3 made-up 1950's movies (or 'stinkers') that they had playing at the theatre were hilarious, again 10/10. The music also worked perfectly, especially the reggae song they used during the theatre renovation montage. Well, at least a 9/10. Of course, the movie does have a few flaws. It's pretty cheesy at times and a lot of the acting isn't the greatest, but like I mentioned before when it's done right somehow it works ...and besides, it's a horror movie.

Oh, I almost forgot. The title ...Popcorn. It's perfect too. You're not gonna find a better example of a 'popcorn movie' than this one. This film definitely brings back good memories of seeing it on the big screen. Remember, this was made at a time when the slasher film was considered a dead genre, so for a movie as fun as Popcorn to come out and get a wide release at theatres was pretty rare.

My Rating: 8.5 / 10












This movie was actually released on DVD by Elite Entertainment in 2001, but is out-of-print and comes with a hefty $108 price tag on amazon.com ($44 for a used copy). Fortunately, there may be some hope for you Popcorn fans out there. Video Nasty productions is in the process of filming a documentary with some of the original cast members (click on the photo above). The plan is to include their documentary on Popcorn’s re-released DVD. Besides the movie and documentary, this “ultimate fan edition” DVD will come with a cast commentary, a collector’s booklet and a poster. It was set to be released on March 23, 2012. I think they might be having some money problems, but hopefully it works out. Go to popcorndoc.com for more info.

…For now, if the $44 DVD is too steep, you can always watch it on Netflix instant or pick up a used VHS copy for 5 bucks. Hey, it’s better than nothin’.

"click here to see the trailer"

"click here for more reviews at Horrorphilia.com"