The Devil’s Dolls (2016)

the-devils-dollsA police detective investigating a serial killer takes a box of dolls with him.  His daughter gets her hands on them, and then turns them into jewelry which gets spread around town by well-meaning buyers.  Soon the wearers turn evil and things become bloody. Written by Danny Kolker and Christopher Wiehl and directed by Padraig Reynolds, The Devil’s Dolls takes the possessed item idea and multiplies it, sending multiple cursed/possessed items into a community to wreak havoc.

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Captain America Civil War (2016) [Blu-Ray/Digital]

capamcwIt’s amazing what kind of feat the Russo Brothers have pulled off. Not only do they offer up a pseudo-sequel to the continuing saga of “The Avengers” but they also manage to squeeze in a superhero epic, and revenge saga that stretches out over the Marvel Cinematic Universe without ever missing a single beat. “Captain America: Civil War” finally brings the Marvel Universe full circle creating something of a wider scope now that Marvel has been able to acquire and introduce superheroes and characters that were long thought to be incapable of appearing. In just a two and a half hour movie, we’re able to watch a full fledged tale of friendship unfold in the face of a revenge plot, while being given marvelous and overdue introductions to iconic Avenger The Black Panther, and Marvel’s long awaited iteration of their iconic superhero Spider-Man.

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CarousHELL (2016)

caroushell-posterI never would have believed it if I didn’t see it for myself. Director Steve Rudzinski is a man who is not satisfied with creating your typical indie fare, and while his films may be a bit rough around the edges, you’re almost always assured an original film that has a keen sense of what kind of entertainment it wants to be. “CarousHELL” is a movie I, for some reason, assumed was some kind of horror anthology, and boy was I way off. Not prone to just delivering a slasher movie you’ve seen a thousand times, Steve Rudzinski offers up a slasher movie you’ve never seen before. Duke is a sentient carousel unicorn who has spent years and years being ridden on by nasty, smelly, and ungrateful children.

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Knucklebones (2016) [FrightFest 2016]

knucklebonesYears after a group of people is murdered in a clothing factory, a group of students goes to the warehouse to hunt for ghosts, finding only a box full of knucklebones with which they summon the titular character who proceeds to dispatch them and other visitors to the factory in violently gruesome ways. Writer/director Mitch Wilson creates an interesting, low-budget supernatural slasher with Knucklebones.

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The Unraveling (2015) [FrightFest 2016]

UnravelingAs his fiancée is expecting his child, Michael struggles with his heroin addiction.  As his habit threatens his growing family, he is kidnapped and taken to the woods. Written by Thomas Jakobsen and Justin S. Moore and directed by Jakobsen, the film takes the addiction head on then moves in surprising directions.  The characters built are believable within the film’s established boundaries but also as humans.  What happens to them is not something everyone will go through but their reactions make sense, their actions as well.  One twist was a nit off feeling but once it’s passed, the film resumes being believable.

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Crow (2016) [FrightFest 2016]

CrowA rich land developer buys a big piece of land on which stands a protected forest and wants to clear most of it to build a mansion for his wife and himself.  Standing in his way are a group of travelers squatting the land and its farmhouse.  As he forces them out and starts clearing the land, forces show their discontent.

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Abattoir (2016) [FrightFest 2016]

AbattoirJulia, an investigative reporter, starts looking into the disappearance of complete rooms from houses where violent deaths have occurred.  As she gets closer to the truth, things and people get weirder.  Her investigation puts her life in danger as she gets too close and discovers more about the rooms and herself.

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