MY CALL: An important film for any fan of found footage horror, and great for such a micro-budget. But if you’re not a fan of the subgenre, I doubt you’d enjoy this.
MORE MOVIES LIKE The McPherson Tape: My gut response is to first tell you to see Signs (2002) if you haven’t already seen it. For more alien abduction films, strongly consider seeing Communion (1989), Fire in the Sky (1993), The Fourth Kind (2009), Dark Skies (2013), Skinwalker Ranch (2013) and Extraterrestrial (2014). But I’d skip Alien Abduction (2014) and especially Xenophobia (2019). For more good quality found footage horror, go for The Blair Witch Project (1999), Paranormal Activity 1-2 (2007, 2010), Lake Mungo (2008), The Last Exorcism (2010), Grave Encounters (2011), Grave Encounters 2 (2012), The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014), Exists (2014), Demonic (2015), Hell House LLC (2015), Blair Witch (2016), Ghost Stories (2017) and Butterfly Kisses (2018). And even though it’s not purely found footage, Cannibal Holocaust (1980) was still ahead of its time with respect to the found footage subgenre.
IMDB summary—“On a typical fall evening in 1983, a young man was videotaping his niece’s 5th birthday party. As the night’s strange occurrences took place, he kept his video camera running, recording the entire event.”
After witnessing flashes of bright lights in the sky, the brothers search the woods to find a spaceship landing and several extraterrestrials on foot.
The very premise of this film smacks of the scene in Signs (2002) when they capture footage of the shadowy alien figure during a children’s birthday party. And it seems Signs (2002) owes more to its predecessor—for example, the scene of the panicked family listening to the aliens on the roof trying to find a way inside the house.
The acting largely feels very candid. When the aliens approach the house, the family yells and argues and makes quick erratic decisions. The power goes out, people go missing, there are hints of possible telepathy and mind control, and no one knows what to do.
As we start seeing them up close, these aliens don’t look awesome. The budget is meager, so the creature effects feel no greater in quality than a mid-to-low-priced “grey” alien costume from the discount section at Walmart the day after Halloween.
Honestly, director Dean Alioto (Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County, Portal) did alright. I mean, can we remind ourselves that this is a found footage movie from the 80s!?!?! I’m no expert, but I doubt there were any “true” found footage (i.e., 100% found footage) horror films before this—at least, very few anyway. Even Cannibal Holocaust (1980) was only perhaps 30-50% found footage despite being transformative for the subgenre.
Much of the alien scene execution feels hokey even if purely by fault of the budget, and it may very well violate your suspension of belief. And some of the acting felt a bit forced (particularly the mother character). But, really, the overall frightened mania of this film works. And while I doubt I’ll ever feel the need to see this again, I’m glad I saw it.
Share this post:
Listen to the MFF Final Fights podcast on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean or Google Podcasts (or wherever you listen to podcasts)!
What I love most about Equilibrium is how Christian Bale wipes the floor with an insane amount of people with total ease. He kills gun henchmen, sword henchmen, an overly confident henchman (Taye Diggs gets wiped out quick), and finally, a gun-fu loving villain who is a total jerk. Equilibrium features some beautiful violence, and we loved talking about it for the Final Fights podcast.
Watch the clips then listen to the podcast!
Share this post:
MY CALL: What a weird, well-written, clever and brutal film. And boy, does it have a lot to say. Great for fans of either brutal or thoughtful horror. MORE MOVIES LIKE The Platform: For more genre statements of class, check out Brave New World (1998), The Island (2005), The Experiment (2010), In time (2011), Snowpiercer (2013), The Purge (2013) and Parasite (2019).
As if introducing a ritzy episode of Chef’s Table, a vast kitchen teeming with top pedigree culinary masters produces a cornucopia of high caliber, gorgeously-plated dishes. From lobster and fish to quail to quince, all such entrees find themselves crowded on a stone platform destined to feed the incarcerated occupants of a vertically oriented prison… two inmates per floor will dine, followed by the two of the level below, and so on for perhaps 150 floors (or more?). And whereas what is left for those at level 47 may strike the eye as unappealing, imagine the souls at level 138. How do they survive? And those who do… what stories do they have; what stories do they hide?
There by his own discretion, Goreng (Ivan Massagué; Pan’s Labyrinth) is an inmate with a different story. And being there of free will (initially), he more freely questions and challenges the organization of this literally linearly-tiered classism in which inmates eats the scraps of those above and inmates of higher levels are abusive of those below… to such limited extent that they can “reach” them.
Early in his stay, Goreng is indoctrinated by his cellmate (Zorion Eguileor), who has spent nearly a year cycling monthly through various levels high, middle and low. He knows the psychological quirks that are typically adopted at certain tiers, and knows what it takes to survive them. Goreng’s relationship with his cellmate dynamically evolves. One must wonder the kind of “friendship” one finds in facility in which you only interact with one other person directly… and what happens when such friendships are tested.
There are rules, and they are not so sensible to the civilized world. We find elements of The Experiment (2010) and Cube (1997) regarding inmate communication and relocation. As the movie progresses it more frequently becomes more brutal and mean and artery-slit bloody.
When the film does get bloody, it’s brutal about it. Not so graphic directly on-screen, but you feel the intensity; you hear the slimy “wet” sounds of cutting into bloody flesh. Oh, and the foley work and sound editing in this are excellent. From gross ravenous eating to slippery flesh-stripping.
For his first feature film, director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia has conquered with this intriguing genre oddity. It’s as if the people behind the creation of the Cube (1997) decided to open a restaurant, and the main dish is social commentary.
Share this post:
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF podcast is back, and this week David Cross (of The Award Wieners Movie Review Podcast) joins us to discuss the excellent 1999 creature feature The Mummy. Directed by Stephen Sommers (Deep Rising, Van Helsing), and starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, The Mummy is a very fun remake that tells the story of a jerky mummy attacking likable people. In this episode, we discuss sandstorms, whiskey blood and the excellence of Brendan Fraser.
If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean,or Spreaker.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
Share this post:
The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast #269: Train to Busan, Fast Zombies and Train Movies
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF podcast is back, and this week we’re talking about the zombie classic Train to Busan. The MFF readers voted for it (they made the right choice), and we were more than happy to research, rewatch and analyze the film again. I’ve been praising Train to Busan since 2016, and I love that it’s become a cult classic that’s spawned a prequel and an upcoming sequel. In this episode, we discuss fast zombies, blue suits and train movies. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean,or Spreaker.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
Share this post:
Listen to the MFF Final Fights podcast on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean or Google Podcasts (or wherever you listen to podcasts)!
The final fight between Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) might be the most iconic final fight ever featured on film. Why? The fight tells the story of a likable underdog getting his chance to challenge the likable undefeated heavyweight champion of the world. It’s a thrilling fight, and undoubtedly helped the film win Best Picture at the 1977 Oscars. In this episode, we discuss low budget filmmaking, gut punches and Apollo’s beautiful jab. Enjoy!
Share this post:
John’s Horror Corner: Bad Blood (2016), a gory, funny werewolf movie… about an awesomely brutal werefrog.
MY CALL: It’s no Oscar winner, but this movie does an excellent job being this exactly what it was intended to be: a gory (even brutal) and funny creature feature B-movie. Ample blood, monster effects and humor make this a strong B-movie recommendation. MORE MOVIES LIKE Bad Blood: The tone falls somewhere between the extremes of Pigster (2019) and Bite (2015), maybe wandering into the B-movie atmosphere of Ticks (1993) and Mosquito (1994). For more wacky weremonsters, try Black Sheep (2006), Wolfcop (2014), Rottentail (2018) or Zombeavers (2015). For more amphibious B-horror, go for Humanoids from the Deep (1980), Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988), Croaked (1981) and Bite (2015).
With a major crime scene investigation in the neighborhood (a brutal murder and dismemberment), college student Victoria (Mary Malloy) sneaks out of the house to escape her domestic drama. Unfortunately, she picked the wrong night to be out of the house.
From the opening shots of the frog laboratory, a murder scene and a monstrous frog-like claw, this feels like a B-movie with shockingly high (attempts at) production value (for a B-flick). To the contrary, the writing, editing, photography and acting are acceptably on par with what you’d expect from a B-movie. But that’s okay, because this movie knows exactly what it is.
Our recently escaped monster skulks around like a cartoonish Scooby Doo villain often with greenlit mist behind him. As it nears its victims, we see its slimy rubber monster suit clawed feet pace closer. As hokey as that is, other aspects of the effects like the abundant flesh-lacerating latex and ooey-gooey bloodwork were effective and frequent. But make no mistake, the hokiness of this movie will grossly outweigh the professional if you keep score. Especially the green glowing Ninja Turtle ooze in the giant Re-Animator syringes. And don’t even get me started on the hilariously inappropriate grisly violent PTSD fantasies of the private investigator character. These scenes are short, sweet, brutal, unexpected and will have you laughing out loud.
Our story follows Victoria after she is attacked and infected with a werefrog version of lycanthropy. She works with a scientist who dedicates his garage research to the cause, and he supplies her with werefrog antigen to prevent her full moon transformation.
Eventually we get what everyone wanted to see: a transformation scene. It immediately reminded me of Zombeavers (2015) as teeth were pushed from their rooted sockets to be replaced with monstrous “amphibian” teeth (which I didn’t know was even a thing), her hair falls out along with her grip on reality as she develops her neck sac and her skin exudes thick mucous-like slime. And finally we have a frog-human hybrid with great looking mask effects along with some strikingly anatomically correct female characteristics.
Overall, the gore and creature effects in this otherwise low budget movie were very satisfying. The death scenes were messy and sloppy and fun, and I loved the head-ripping geyser of a sloppy decapitation.
I think first-time writer/director Tim Reis id admirably. It’s not Oscar winner, but he did an excellent job making this exactly what it was intended to be: a gory and funny creature feature B-movie. Strongly recommended for gore-hounds and creature feature junkies who can appreciate a lower budget. As far as those parameters go, this movie swings for the fences.
Share this post:
Listen to the MFF Final Fights podcast on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean or Google Podcasts (or wherever you listen to podcasts)!
We had to dedicate our first Final Fight episode to the epic nine-minute brawl between Ito (Joe Taslim) and Arian (Iko Uwais) that breaks out during the finale of The Night Comes for Us. It’s an all-timer fight that features beautiful choreography, brutal violence and lots of personality. Watch the film on Netflix then listen to the episode!
Here’s part one of the fight to get you interested. Enjoy!
Share this post:
The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast #268: Winter People, Kurt Russell and Freezing Water
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF Podcast is back, and this week author Isaac Thorne (Gordon’s Place, Diggum) joins us to discuss the 1989 film Winter People. Directed by Ted Kotcheff (Wake in Fright, First Blood) and starring Kurt Russell and Kelly McGillis, this historical romance focuses on clock making, cold water and Kurt Russell not being a total badass. In this episode, we discuss filming in North Carolina, 1989 movies, and bear hunting. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean,or Spreaker.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
Share this post:
John’s Horror Corner: Campfire Tales (1997), an underrated and often forgotten horror anthology with an awesome cast.
MY CALL: From werewolves and stalkers to ghostly histories and urban legends, this was a very good anthology with an outstanding cast of before-they-were-stars. Totally worth your time if you’re a fan of the anthology style.
MORE HORROR ANTHOLOGIES: Dead of Night (1945), Black Sabbath (1963), Tales from the Crypt (1972), The Vault of Horror (1973), The Uncanny (1977), Screams of a Winter Night (1979), Creepshow (1982), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye (1985), Deadtime Stories (1986), Creepshow 2 (1987), From a Whisper to a Scream (1987; aka The Offspring), After Midnight (1989), Tales from the Crypt Season 1 (1989), Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990), Two Evil Eyes (1990), Grimm Prairie Tales (1990), The Willies (1990), Necronomicon: Book of the Dead (1993), Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996), Dark Tales of Japan (2004), 3 Extremes (2004), Creepshow 3 (2006), Trick ‘r Treat (2007), Chillerama (2011), Little Deaths (2011), V/H/S (2012), The Theater Bizarre (2012), The ABCs of Death (2013), V/H/S 2 (2013), All Hallows’ Eve (2013), The Profane Exhibit (2013), The ABCs of Death 2 (2014), V/H/S Viral (2014), Southbound (2015), Tales of Halloween (2015), A Christmas Horror Story (2015), The ABCs of Death 2.5 (2016), Holidays (2016), Terrified (2017; aka Aterrados, a pseudo-anthology), Oats Studios, Vol. 1 (2017), Ghost Stories (2017), XX (2017), The Field Guide to Evil (2018), Shudder’s series Creepshow (2019) and Xenophobia (2019).
This feisty little anthology breaks anthology conventions and starts right into one of its segments. Which wouldn’t normally be unusual (i.e., an anthology without a wraparound or storytelling device). Only in this case, there is a wraparound and it begins after the first segment, which is a stylish black and white to match the era of its urban legend.
The Hook—Just a couple 50s teenagers necking in a parked car, Eddie (James Marsden; The Stand, Westworld, Straw Dogs, The Box, Disturbing Behavior) and Jenny (Amy Smart; Mirrors, The Butterfly Effect, Flight 7500) are trying to have a hot date. After one too many moments that Jenny thought she saw someone or something in the darkness, Jenny demands that Eddie take her home. When Eddie finally steps out of the car, he sees a bloody disembodied forearm with a prosthetic hook hanging from Jenny’s passenger-side door… just as it’s told in the urban legend.
Next, we cut to some teenagers swerving around a woodsy rode. The Campfire introduces a group of teenagers (including Christine Taylor; Night of the Demons 2, The Craft) who get stranded with car trouble, so they make a fire and tell stories to kill time while they wait for help. This is our wraparound story. While the stories of this anthology are generally unlinked, the ending to the Campfire wraparound does a nice job tying some elements together. Another reason I favor this movie.
The Honeymoon—Road tripping across the country to Vegas, honeymooners Rick (Ron Livingston; The Conjuring) and Valerie (Jennifer MacDonald) find themselves out of gas in werewolf country on a full moon. Not believing the warnings of a scared local (Hawthorne James; Speed, Se7en), Rick wanders out to find gas. This featured good acting, and a solid gory reveal at the end with a slashed up hanging body.
People Can Lick Too—On the eve of her 12th birthday, a young girl has the house to herself when her parents go out and her older sister (Devon Odessa; Pumpkinhead) sneaks off and leaves her alone with no company except her protective family dog. This is based on the classic urban legend about the stalker (Jonathan Fuller; Castle Freak, The Pit and the Pendulum) who licks a girl’s hand at the side of her bed. Like Strangeland (1998), this also serves as a cautionary tale against revealing personal information to strangers on the internet. Very creepy.
The Locket—When a wandering drifter’s motorcycle breaks down in a storm, the man approaches a lonely rural house to ask to use the phone. A lovely mute (Jacinda Barrett; Bloodline, Urban Legends: Final Cut) offers him shelter, but she doesn’t have a phone. The wanderer soon discovers that this house has a dark and haunted past, and he has a strange connection to the mysterious mute.
Yes, I know. It’s in-your-face tropey that three of the segments involve being stranded due to a vehicle malfunction. And there’s little mystery behind the storytelling. But, however blatant these stories are, I enjoyed how they were told and presented and acted. Consider this, I basically liked all the protagonists (to some degree) among five short horror stories. That’s unusual! Surprisingly good acting across the board and decent blood and gore (even if overall minimized by budget).
This fun anthology is worth your time.
Movies, Films & Flix 