State Of Emergency Isn't Just Another Zombie Movie

RATED- UNRATED
RUN TIME- 90 MINS
WRITER(S)- TURNER CLAY
STARRING- JAY HAYDEN, ANDY STAHL AND TORI WHITE
DIRECTOR- TURNER CLAY



Synopsis taken from IMDb
Chaos consumes a small town when a chemical facility explodes a deadly toxin. Moments after the leak, the town's residents show signs of mutation, causing the military to quarantine the area leaving any survivors helpless inside. The story follows Jim, a young man isolated within the red zone, as he eludes flesh eating zombies in an attempt to win back his freedom. 




Even though this movie was made in 2011, it's just now released. So technically it's a 2013 film. Same as the upcoming horror film "You're Next", which was also filmed two years ago and is just now coming out. This film, however, is actually on Netflix instant. That's how I stumbled upon it!

From the go, I had low expectations. I wasn't expecting too much from this film at all. In my mind, I instantly saw another bad zombie movie written all over it. I had nothing else to do, and it was late, so I figured what the hell. My mentality was that if it's bad enough, it'll just put me to sleep, and I love sleep. So I watched it anyway.

You can tell from the opening of the film that it's not made on a very large budget (estimated $1,300,000) but that doesn't always stop a movie from being good, so I try and not judge cinema by that alone. After about five minutes in, it appeared to me that my initial judgement on the film was wrong, and that this may actually be something special. So no, I didn't fall asleep. I did however, have to continue it the next night because I was so tired the night before. The point is, I actually stopped it to resume later as opposed to letting it play and sleeping through it. I guess you can say it hooked me.

First off, the acting does suffer a bit, but it's very good for a low-budget film. Jay Hayden isn't the strongest of actors, but he does a very descent job of holding up this movie, with the whole film being about his character Jim.

If it sounds like I'm over praising this, let me back it up a bit and clearly state that, this is in no way a perfect movie. As I mentioned above, some of the acting suffers, as well as there's some forced and unnecessary dialog. There's also editing flaws throughout the film. I'm openly stating that this film is not a masterpiece. It is however, one of the few films that stand out in the zombie genre amongst the abundance made. Even though the zombie scene is exhausted in almost every way by now, "State of Emergency" offers it's own goodies.

One of them being that, there's actually a happy ending, and get this, they actually have a cause for what caused the sickness to spread! As opposed to the ever so popular "we don't know what caused the outbreak" cop out.

Another thing that this film lacks is some deep layered character development. It doesn't seem we ever get past the "woe is me and it's the end of the world" theme. I would have liked to go in deep with some solid character story. That would have put this movie over, and it's a shame it wasn't included. Coulda woulda shoulda, right? 

This movie barely makes it over the mediocre line, but ultimately it does cross the line. I didn't mind the way the zombies looked, but again, another aspect that could have stood out, but really doesn't. The fact that this movie keeps you intrigued enough to watch through the end is the most complimentary thing I can say. It falls into the middle of the zombie pack, but far from top and further from the bottom.

Frankenstein's Army Is A Stroke Of Genius

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 85 MINS
WRITER(S)- CHRIS W. MITCHELL, RICHARD RAAPHORST, MARY SHELLEY AND MIGUEL TEJADA-FLORES
STARRING- KAREL RODEN, JOSHUA SASSE AND ROBERT GWILYM
DIRECTOR- RICHARD RAAPHORST



Synopsis taken from IMDb
Toward the ending of WWII, Russian soldiers pushing into eastern Germany stumble across a secret Nazi lab, one that has unearthed and begun experimenting with the journal of one Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The scientists have used the legendary Frankenstein's work to assemble an army of super-soldiers stitched together from the body parts of their fallen comrades -- a desperate Hitler's last ghastly ploy to escape defeat.




The only thing that made want to see this film more than I already did, is the uproar of positive reviews/write-ups that it's gotten. Offhand I figured it was just going to be visually fun to watch, I didn't expect it to actually be a very good film. However, now I see what all the hype is about!

Instantly, I saw that there wasn't going to be any cheese, just dark humor, so that stepped it up a peg for me. One thing that ruins movies most times than not, is making ridiculous jokes with bad dialog for the sake of achieving a small laugh. Not the case with this one.

The first 20 minutes we get to spend time with the Russian soldiers as they push through eastern Germany, aside from that, there's no buildup. Because it's shot in real time, we're thrown into the situation along with them as they find the secret Nazi lab. I didn't mind the lack of character development, having some is always a golden key, but this movie does fine without it. And I think the reason is, because the viewer is so invested in what's going on with the story, the characters actually are part of the background. The story is at the forefront. This works because it's a very original story, and completely mad!

Of course, I think the best part of the film is when we start to see some real action and interaction between the Russian's and the Nazi soldiers scrapped together from the crazy ideals of Frankenstein's journal. Above how cool and interesting the monsters/soldiers look, the best thing is that it actually manages to get a couple quick scares out of you. It's more creepy than scary, but the fact that this concept can get a reaction out of me like that says something positive. But it's more cool and innovative than anything else.

The Nazi soldiers looked badass! Not only are they creative and inventive, but they're ferocious! Just looking at them and the way they move makes the movie go up a few notches. But to have these monstrosities amidst the chaos is just pure genius. It really gives you a sense of fear and urgency, that drives home the point of how this is, point blank, a solid horror film.

The conclusion ended a bit more abruptly than I had expected, or wanted. I was expecting a bit more of a BANG with the ending, and that just didn't happen. Not to say that the ending isn't good, it's fine. I just would have preferred a more in your face approach to an ending. But in a way, we all have an idea of how this film would end before we go into it, seeing as it takes place during WWII.

Speak No Evil Will Leave You Speechless

RATED- UNRATED

RUN TIME- 74 MINS

WRITER(S)- ROZE

STARRING- GREG BRONSON, ANNALISE CAVENDER AND ELISABETH CAVENDER

DIRECTOR- ROZE

Synopsis taken from IMDb

Speak No Evil is the story of Anna, a single mother, fighting to protect her daughter from demonically possessed children in town gone mad.

After speaking with Roze about his new film, I was eager to test it out and see what it's about. As a horror fan, I'm always looking for an original horror film, and this seemed right up my alley.

After viewing a private screener for the film, I can honestly say that this is one of the best screeners I've seen to date! While it's not very long, the beauty of it is, it never drags on, or gets boring. It doesn't outlive it's purpose. It's short and sweet and to the bones. This is undoubtedly an indie achievement.

With no time to spare, the film picks right up the ball and runs with it almost instantly. The whole film we're trying to figure out who kidnapped Anna's (Gabrielle Stone) daughter, Joey (Olivia Cavender). Was it her father? Or something else? We learn that Joey was taken by a demonic force known as Adramelech. As theories of Joey's whereabouts get discredited, the story becomes deeper and more mysterious.  

Anna is a single mother, struggling to keep things together in her personal life. After splitting up with Dale, Joey's father, the cops are lead to believe Joey's disappearance is a runaway case and refuse to give an valid help. So, Anna is forced to search for her daughter without the assistance of the police. Only she could never be prepared for what she'll discover.

Once more kids go missing, it starts an uproar in the town, forcing some into religion. At this point, everyone is certain it isn't humans doing the kidnapping, and that something supernatural has involved itself. The missing kids (including Joey) all return eventually, but things only get worse when we discover they're all possessed and vicious, and hungry. There are some really intense scenes that naturally, on instinct, make you want to turn away. Of course I didn't though, I was too intrigued in what was going to happen.

The makeup is really well done. To be truthful, I was actually surprised by how good it was. A lot of indie films don't deliver on the effects or makeup, so I wasn't expecting much in that field, and it was a pleasant surprise. The Mule headed demon that is Adramelech looked fantastic! 

I really like that the gore isn't overdone. It's there, but they don't overuse it, and turn this into a gore flick. It's used when needed, like gore should be used. That with the mixture of dialog that isn't forced and seems natural, are two very key things to this film. The focus is all in the characters and story, the way it should be. I can tell that writer/director Roze definitely has good taste in horror films, because he made one that is classy, but still packs the scares and entertainment factor.

The movie was made on an estimated $150, 000, so it's not a big budget picture by any means. It is however, very well shot and the story is well told. Not to mention the originality of it. This just goes to show that not everyone out there in the indie circuit is an amateur, and some really do know what they're doing. The only negative thing that this movie suffers from is a bit of over and under acting at parts throughout the film by the main and supporting cast. 

However, these aren't pro actors and actresses yet, and it's an indie movie. So to watch this and criticize it for some of the acting is pointless, because nobody expected a Michelle Pfeiffer or Daniel Day-Lewis performance.

The last thing that I'll say is, if you like films that don't explain everything, you'll truly enjoy this. It doesn't explain everything to the viewer, there's mystery to it. I like that.

Stitch: Slasherton (Book Review)

I had the pleasure again, of reading another Slasherton story. This one being the 2nd story in the book, is about a bean bag chair made of flesh, named Stitch. I knew just from looking at the cover and pages, that this was going to be another trip of nostalgia. Yet again, we're hit with great illustrations that are as morbid as they are adorable!

Stitch is a little more brutal than Sack, the first story. If you missed my review, here it is. Sack: Slasherton (Book Review)


I love how mature and adult themed the writing and storytelling is, yet we're hit with illustrations based around children's books. True horror genius here. I've said this before, but it's true, I don't know what there is to not like about these books.

Stitch uses blunt force objects to murder his victims and he also eats them. There's a couple good laughs you'll get reading the book. And I found myself smiling through it a lot because it's just so damn cool and well written! The drawings and story compliment each other very nicely. It's a quick read, so you'll actually want to read it about four times because it's so enjoyable. With rhymes like "He likes finding new ways to kill Mr Victim, like even a cut from mouth to rectum." You're sure to turn the page and read more, trust me.

What I like about these books the most is that they're harmless fun! Anybody can enjoy them. Have a friend over and you're talking about horror? Show him or her your copy of these books and watch and see if they don't fall in love with them. These books appeal to the adolescent and mature sides of all of us. It's a horror anthology of cute horror guys doing bad things, what else can I say?

I'll be eagerly awaiting the 3rd story in this series called Stealth, and that one looks to be promising as well. He's a masked fella in bunny slippers. Stay tuned, because I'll be reviewing it when it hits!


Below are a few pages from Stitch

If you want to give this little nasty a read and get caught up on the first story, Sack, here are the links below.

Purchase the Slasherton books on Amazon.

And here!

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