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Misty Whitlock
Reviews
The Shivers (1998)
Big movie, little budget - it all adds up to a great time
I found the story to be fresh and original, the acting to be better than average and the effects to be awesome. A few of the computer effects were of the XENA variety, but they just added to the fun, and on a budget this low, it is a wonder they have CGI at all.
The story, without spoiling it, is basically about a group of people throwing a housewarming party at an old mansion that one of them bought to turn into a nightclub. The problem is that the place is haunted by spirits and demons from other dimensions. The group is picked off one by one until just a handful are left to stop the evil force from invading our world and bring the demonic hordes into our dimension.
The gore is plentiful and very effective. I actually had to look away once or twice and there are scenes in this film like I have never seen anywhere. The music is great and adds a great feel of dread to the film. The story is a great spin on the usual haunted house stuff, and even some zombies show up at the end.
Technically, it looks pretty good, a little fuzzy and grainy in the really dark parts, but over all, a solid effort from director Todd Sheets who does amazing things on such a low budget. The camera work, lighting (incredible!) editing and pacing are all first-rate. Considering the director's early humble beginnings, it is amazing to see where he has gone. His last seven films have kept improving on each other and this one is in many ways his most mature and accomplished work yet. I would say that fans of Italian horror (Lucio Fulci, Argento, etc) and people who like gore and lots of atmosphere get this one now.
Violent New Breed (1997)
More ideas flow in two hours than in three movies put together!
I will not give any spoilers here, nor will I attempt to tell the involved plot to you. I will simply tell you that I found this to be a very important film for the low budget video community.
Director Todd Sheets again proves himself to be a man with style, vision and the guts to actually make a movie like this one. To see this guy come from such humble (and in some cases horrible) beginnings, and to see what he is doing now, is amazing. With Violent New Breed, Mr. Sheets does not hold true to the reservations of the politically correct, or for the politics of film for that matter. And we should all thank him for it.
Violent New Breed is about New York in the near future. Demons have invaded the streets with a drug called Rapture (the ultimate high) that has half the human population hooked. I found this social commentary very refreshing and honest, as opposed to other films about addiction where we are asked over and over again to feel sorry for the addict. The drug is used to cloud their minds so the demons can use them as slaves and can use the women as vessels to impregnate and carry more demons, only these are half-breeds - demon and human mixed. Thus creating a "new breed" to control the planet. The US Government knows about it and has set up a task force of sorts with the NYPD that is determined to infiltrate and destroy the breed. Of course things go really wrong and it's up to aband of thrown together strangers to pull together and save the city.
This one has some incredible visuals, a fast moving 2 hour story, great music and so many ideas flowing. The film can be disturbing, funny and gross. It also features film vet Rudy Ray Moore (Dolemite) in a great part as a priest that is simply hysterical.
In all honesty, this one should be selling great, it should outsell much of that trash that clutters the shelves of Blockbuster, but then again, they always play it safe and this movie NEVER does. I would recommend it to everyone with an open mind and a love for offbeat Horror.
Zombie Bloodbath 2 (1995)
These Zombies Know How To Party!
Just watched this one again. I wanted to show it to one of my friends and we had the best time. This is why these kind of movies are made, to entertain people and Zombie Bloodbath 2 does that for me and for everyone I have showed it to.
The story concerns a group of teenagers in a van that run into a group of escaped convicts who have taken over an old farmhouse. When a scarecrow (that is actually a demon I think) gets disturbed, it comes to life and re-animates dead bodies from the local cemeteries. This leads our heroes to escape only to land in the arms of two insane killers that are in the process of torturing some people in a deli in a small town. Pretty soon it's a showdown with humans fighting zombies.
I loved this movie! From it's different formats (black and white film, video and digital cameras) to the very fast pace and great music, there was always something going on and it NEVER bores you! Sure, it's cheap, but you can tell that a great deal of care and hard work went into this film. I have read other reviews and all I can say is that these people have missed the point. If you want 35mm Full Moon fluff, or if you are into modern stuff like Urban Legend, then I say pass on this. If you like low budget stuff like Gates Of Hell and Evil Dead, I say buy this now.
The make-up and gore is very good, the acting is uneven at times, but over-all it is pretty good and the editing is very impressive. There is enough going on in this one to fill two more films! It is actually one of the better b-movies I have seen in ages.
Zombi 2 (1979)
True Horror from the Master
I read another review and had to write one myself. This is a classic. They don't make movies like this today and if they did, it would be a better time! I first saw this brilliant film at a Drive In Theater and since then I have seen it a dozen times. I love it.
It was a bit of a rip on Dawn Of The Dead, but this one avoids the boring parts that Dawn is full of. This one has a more enjoyable throwback story... like the films of the 40's. The zombies are brought on by voodoo and they are gross and very hungry. There are some incredible gore effects, and it has a great music score. I suggest that everyone give these kind of films a chance. Fulci does more with 10,000 than most people do with 2 million.
I say look at the history books on Horror. In ten years, I Know What You Did... and films like it will be a footnote, but Zombie will still be a classic, and there is a good reason... Because it's a great film.
I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale (1973)
Torso was a fun diversion from standard American slashers
This one is a bit slow, but it has a good mystery behind it and lots of violence to keep things going. I believe this is very under-rated, as I like it better than Bird With The Crystal Plumage, yet that film is always praised while this one isn't. There is a great sequence where a woman hides while her friends that puts you on the edge of your seat.
Italian shockers like this are really fun and different and they make me long for the Drive-In. I say give it a shot!