Despite its brutally predictable ending, the Australian short zombie film “Perished” is a grueling and terrifying horror entry. Once again, a storyteller has the idea to feature less zombie carnage and explore the minutiae of survival where every little step dictates whether you live or die by tooth and nail of the walking dead.
I wish more zombie movies could be like Jeremy Gardner’s “The Battery.” The problem with most modern zombie films is that the writers forget that the humans should be the centerpiece of the film, and not the zombies. Director Jeremy Gardner’s “The Battery” is the prime example of how to handle this kind of genre entertainment with a low budget. Rather than flood the screen with zombies, the monsters are used sparingly and for great moments of terror and memorable scenes, while Gardner focuses primarily on character, building two complex and unique people we can love and hate, in many ways.
I’ll be honest, I’ve been crushing hard on Brea Grant since her days on “Heroes,” so when I heard she had a movie out where she starred, I made it my mission to watch it. Thankfully, “Best Friends Forever” is a low budget but incredibly well realized apocalyptic horror drama with a geek edge that Grant is now known for. Grant is so adorable in “Best Friends Forever,” she may garner a few more fans. “Best Friends Forever” is basically “Harry & Tonto” meets “A Boy and His Dog.” Except with two beautiful women. To boot, it garners immense heart and rather fantastic performances by Director/co-star/co-writer Grant and co-writer/co-star Vera Miao, both of whom play friends uncertain of their future that realize the world around them has no future.
I’m sure Byron Turk thought the Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride was amazing, so setting a horror film in and around it would be amazing. It wasn’t. It was also likely going to be a good opportunity to promote the ride. Originally titled “Welcome to the Bates Motel,” the movie gives audiences the impression it has something to do with “Psycho,” when it really doesn’t. The owner of the haunted hayride is named Randy Bates, but that’s as far as it goes. Really, the only reason you’d be interested in seeing this is if you’re a “Jackass” fan. Bam Margera has a five second cameo for a commercial for the attraction, while the late hilarious Ryan Dunn plays an angry customer ordering a pizza. Beyond that, the tagline for the film “Some Things are Best Left Alone” should serve as instructions for anyone looking to rent this title.
For folks who want to avoid all the insider stuff you can usually find on the internet, “Diabolique” ventures to offer something different in the horror spectrum. There’s less focus on the Hollywood aspect of horror, and more on the more underground anti-establishment perspective that horror aficionados will definitely appreciate. This is the first time in a while I’ve read a magazine without skipping past a section I just didn’t want to waste time on. The centerpiece of the magazine is the wonderful history of the horror comedy.
The team of 1428 Films is at it again, and this time they’re giving Jason Voorhees, the man behind the mask, his due. If folks loved “Never Sleep Again” and it’s extended run time, you’ll be glad to find out that “Crystal Lake Memories” is an exhaustive and lengthy documentary running almost seven hours. This allows for funny, wry, and honest looks in to every single installment of the series. Including the remake. With narration by series star Corey Feldman, “Crystal Lake Memories” traces the series back to when “Friday the 13th” began life as a low budget production at half a million dollars. Thanks to the introduction of Wes Craven’s “Last House on the Left” along with John Carpenter’s iconic “Halloween,” the creators set out to make their own mark with a holiday themed horror film.
What does your average run of the mill slasher do on his time off? Eventually your hockey masked slasher has to unwind and recharge right? Kristjan Lyngmo’s short animated film is rather genius, in that it not only features a hockey masked slasher, but one of a lineage of hockey masked slashers who divides his time between murdering hapless campers and coming home to deal with everyday problems.