Preparing to go in to festivals soon enough, I was able to get a hold of “I Spyders” through online means and I’m glad that I did. “I Spyders” is quite possibly one of the most skin crawling and yet unabashedly demented short films you’ll see in a while. This is one of the few short films that manages to have a spider wrangler on set, and when they can acquire an actual wrangler, you know the director is at least trying hard to get his point across. That’s called effort, filmmakers. That’s the word for this review. “I Spyders” isn’t so much a horror movie in the traditional sense, but its premise is very much horrific. Especially for anyone who is an avid arachnophobe.
Tag Archives: Horror
Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt (2011)
If you’re a hardcore Full Moon Entertainment fan and really follow their films by the tee, then you’ll love “The Haunt.” Basically it’s a self-aware meta-sequel to their cult classic “The Killer Eye.” This time though the movie is simply just a movie in this reality and in this world we set down on, Full Moon is just a company that treads out horror movies. We visit with a group of hormonally unbalanced lesbian best friends who spend their time dancing, and flirting with one another all the while preparing for a big Halloween exhibit one of the girls’ mother is throwing. Of course they spend the night drinking and unpacking the props for the Halloween house which are obviously nothing but Full Moon props.
Thirsty (2009)
Deep down I know I shouldn’t have enjoyed “Thirsty” so much and that’s mainly because the premise is so simplistic and absurd that it’s tough to take seriously at all. But that’s the intent behind “Thirsty.” It’s a free for all of absurd comedy and dark fantasy that keeps viewers entertained all the way through. And as a short film it knows when to stop the joke and thankfully the screenwriters know when to quit while they’re ahead. Joe Lynch plays the hopelessly over the top protagonist Joe, a young man on the road during a heat wave who manages to get on the bad side of a gas station attendant when he mouths off to him.
Skull Heads (2009)
I understand at a certain point there has to be caution drawn about the budget, but would it hurt to have a film about characters that can do something other than stare in to the camera and make miniscule movements? “Skullheads” is a story about the worst guardians of all time, guardians of a large castle who do nothing but appear in mirrors every so often and watch the owners of the castle inflict horrible pain on one another. Beyond that, “Skullheads” is basically a ninety minute melodrama that draws the concept for the skull heads but has no idea what to do with them until much later on in the film.
Nailbiter (2013)
When I thought about it, “Nailbiter” was not a movie I expected from the looks of the set photos and general premise a few years ago. Director Patrick Rea has kept his film generally hush hush even from his closest confidants and as such “Nailbiter” has been something of a welcomed treat from the director. One of my favorite indie directors working today, Patrick Rea finally enters the feature length film arena with “Nailbiter,” a tense and spooky film that will grace many screens come Halloween. A perfect holiday film, “Nailbiter” tries to keep its promise of staying a white knuckle horror film all throughout with a premise reliant on survival and characters. Thankfully, “Nailbiter” has a strong character base to it, relying on the charms and personality of its core cast to sell what is a rather tense concept from minute one.
Familiar (2012)
Robert Nolan is perhaps one of my favorite indie film actors already and he’s only been in two films I’ve seen in over the course of three years. Richard Powell and Zach Green formerly cast Mr. Nolan is the dark disturbing short “Worm” about a teacher on the brink of a breakdown and they catch lightning in a bottle yet again with Mr. Nolan as a man on the verge of madness as he soaks in every aspect of his life that is both mundane and maddening. Clearly unfulfilled and trapped, Nolan plays Chris who is a husband and dad seething with anger and hatred so bile that he can barely contain himself from committing horrible crimes against his own family. He can predict every aspect of his life and despises that fact until one night his wife reveals that she is pregnant.
Humans vs. Zombies (2011)
“Humans vs. Zombies” is at the end of the day a fan film for the hardcore fans of the hit live action role playing game and really no one else. I don’t chastise it for being a product solely for them, in fact I’m glad they have something to cling to when not engaging in the game. But that’s not to say “Humans vs. Zombies” isn’t for general movie audiences either. A meta-movie in many ways, “Humans vs. Zombies” is a fun and action packed zombie movie that packs a wallop of survival horror and really nothing else. Based on the hit LARPing game played around the world, this is a movie based on the premise of the game that brings it to the forefront of the apocalypse.