Don’t Let the Riverbeast Get You! (2012)

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

You know a movie fails to hold your attention when you’re spending more time marveling at the setting of the film than the film itself. I really should move to New Hampshire, it looks like a beautiful place to live in. And there is no shortage of scenes depicting suburbs and town halls that look incredible when filmed. In either case, “Don’t Let the Riverbeast Get You!” is a giant missed opportunity of a horror comedy that seems to have tacked on the monster called the Riverbeast in to a dramedy about a tutor, and a woman he’s trying to impress. I was never sure on the specifics of the story, since it’s a pretty tedious movie.

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Poseidon Rex (2013) (DVD)

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Director Mark Lester’s giant monster movie is a mix of rock bottom budgets and mediocre common sense. It’s a classic B monster movie about muscle bound pirates, busomy scientists, and a military battling a gigantic monster while operating out of a tool shed with only three people manning the helm. You also have to love how so much hoopla is raised about Poseidon Rex, with the military set to nuke the entire island that’s held Poseidon Rex, only for our busomy heroine to kill it single handedly with a missile launcher. How did no one think of that? What of its eggs in the bottom of the ocean? Also, how can divers talk while their lips are wrapped around air regulators?

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The Sacrament (2014)

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

It’s really tough in this day and age to come up with new insight in to the mindset of the cult. Director Ti West manages to accomplish such a feat during the narrative of “The Sacrament” where he not only explores the facade of the utopian cult that many flock to, but the inherent mind set behind the structure of the cult. “Many people come here out of desperation,” explains character Sam, thus it’s apparent why community Eden Parish is able to thrive and live for so long without being disturbed. Even though many of the leaders of these cults are conmen, on occasion they’re also desperate individuals seeking isolation and a like minded civilization they can rule, or destroy in one fell swoop.

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Stage Fright (2014)

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

We’ve had horror musicals before, and rock operas aplenty, but it’s not often we get slasher musicals. “Stage Fright” is a very niche horror film, and one that runs the risk of alienating its audience, but for experimental audiences and for folks that appreciate horror comedies with an eighties twist, “Stage Fright” is an excellent and occasionally brilliant bastard child of many sub-genres, that works well as a truly memorable cocktail of madness and gore. Director Jerome Sable really creates a unique and genuinely raucous horror musical that takes “Phantom of the Opera” and builds a very refreshing revenge story from its roots.

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Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

The dilemma that the writers for the “Paranormal Activity” series now find themselves in is that “Paranormal Activity 3” was a prequel that told us everything we needed to know about this mythos. We began with Katie, continued with her sister, and then found out why they were so special. The third film ended the saga. Now, the continuing sequels are really just running on fumes and scrambling to find ways to continue a story that doesn’t really need continuing. “The Marked Ones” is a great effort, but a sub-par horror film.

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Camp Dread (2014) (DVD)

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Director Harrison Smith’s “Camp Dread” is a mixture of “My Little Eye” and “Friday the 13th.” In fact, go watch those movies instead. In all seriousness, “Camp Dread” has a pretty clever premise, it just has absolutely nothing to do with it. It’s a straight faced slasher film set in a summer camp and barely uses the opportunity to reference the “Friday the 13th” films, and yet it takes full advantage with Danielle Harris as the local sheriff. Her character’s brother is named Michael, and she hates horror movies. You see, it’s opposite. It’s clever because it’s opposite!

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