Project S.E.R.A. is yet another in a line of short films with feature length possibilities and Ben Howdeshell’s short action horror film has potential to be a small chapter in a larger story that invokes the likes of “Resident Evil” with a hint of “Mission Impossible.” Set in the beginning of a major zombie outbreak, a young girl struggles to face what has happened to her after investigating a top secret government toxin that they’re manufacturing. She’s caught along with her father who happens to be an agent himself, and both are tortured for information and leads. Of course none of them are aware what this enemy holds as they threaten to unleash this toxin on Jill’s father if she doesn’t speak.
Category Archives: A+ Indie
Gut (2012)
It’s very rare that independent horror movies manage to make me turn away from the screen and cringe. Not even Tom Six’s “Human Centipede” accomplished that and those movies were desperate to be considered disturbing. “Gut” and its beauty is in what is not completely put in front of the screen. Director Elias has every chance to be gratuitous, gory, and absolutely grotesque, but “Gut” isn’t for the grue fans, so much as it is for folks who appreciate delving in to the disturbing corners of the mind. The corners that elicit arousal that would be otherwise deemed taboo by civilized human beings. We all have that darkness within our mind that find something somewhat enticing, and the same can be said for character Tom, whose friend and consistent hanger on Dan, shows him a special kind of erotic film that not only embeds itself in to their minds, but haunts Tom until he begins to re-assess his feelings for the film in general.
Swine (2012)
The Brothers Levitch’s “Swine” is a film that’s right up my alley. Told in three parts, “Swine” is a post apocalyptic steam punk Western that takes two warring groups of soldiers and pits them against each other in a wasteland void of human decency and nobility. This reminded me an awful lot of “Firefly” and in many respects it has that epic potential because “Swine” has a really good head on its shoulder with a creative vision that can make it a hit at festivals and garner an immense fan base. I sure as hell would follow this if it became a feature length film. In a world where all law has been abolished, there are two fronts on the battlefield.
Superman: Requiem (2011)
Speaking as a hardcore Superman geek, I’m especially happy to see more indie filmmakers come out of the wood work to put on display their storytelling chops for Superman. What with the newest Superman film arriving in theaters in 2013, it’s especially pleasing to see more of the Man of Steel in the fan film circuit. I mean why the hell should Batman get all of the good fan films, anyway? “Requiem” is an admittedly ambitious and intimidating undertaking. Much like “Superman Returns,” it owes much of its mood and tone to the classic Christopher Reeve pictures, and director Gene Fallaize pretty much acquires the same atmosphere and implements the classic score the original Reeve films once had.
The Night Caller (2011)
One thing you can be sure about in horror is that if someone makes a promise, they’re going to keep it no matter what. Thus is the conundrum with “The Night Caller.” Originally I thought this would be yet another iteration on the famous urban legend about the babysitter, but alas it ended up being something completely different. And so much more uncomfortable in its premise. Though “The Night Caller” doesn’t have any ghouls of vampires or amazing special effects, it has a shocking ending that will leave audiences uneasy for a good period of time.
Frat House Massacre: Special Edition (2008) (DVD)
Sadly, I think director Alex Pucci’s grindhouse slasher film entitled “Frat House Massacre” will just be mistaken for other shelf fillers out on the market, and that’s a damn shame. A few years ago when we finally had the chance to pop in Alex Pucci’s throwback to seventies revenge thrillers, we were floored. Finally after a few years of touting the film to websites, Mr. Pucci’s slasher revenge thriller gets the treatment it deserves by Synapse Films. They pull out all of the stops for this re-release of “Frat House Massacre” enlisting 5.1 Surround Sound, and a bevy of extras including two new commentary tracks and a Making Of featurette.
Based on Billions of True Stories: The Long, Slow Death of a Twenty-Something
We’ve known Larry Longstreth for a long time as a person and as a filmmaker. It’s no big surprise that we here at Cinema Crazed are big fans of Longstreth and his work in the fan film and internet arena. Longstreth is one of the finest filmmakers working in independent film today and our friendship with him is no bearing on the man as a filmmaker. We discovered Longstreth years ago when he sent us his screener for a short film about a zombie musical and we were instantly hooked on whatever he sent our way.