Wednesday 30 November 2016

He Never Died (2015) Action Horror Film Review


I've been meaning to watch He Never Died for many months now, ever since I saw it appear on Netflix. It has some horror aspects to it, though is more suited to the revenge or action genre with a dose of comedy that sometimes hits and sometimes feels a bit intrusive.

Musician Henry Rollins (Wrong Turn 2: Dead End as well as a tonne of other stuff) stars as Jack, a loner who keeps himself to himself with a small routine that just involves sleeping, going to the local diner and playing bingo. However he has quite the secret, he is seemingly immortal which spells all kinds of trouble for a local gang who he gets involved against. With the arrival of a teenage daughter he didn't know he even had events take a turn for the worse and soon he finds himself on a kind of path of revenge.

Sunday 27 November 2016

Be My Cat: A Film for Anne (2015) - Horror Film Review


Be My Cat: A Film for Anne is Romania's first ever found footage horror movie. Nowadays the whole found footage genre is a bit of a put off for many people, over the years the genre has been literally swamped with seemingly never ending numbers of films due to the ease and relative cheapness they can be made. As such Be My Cat is not going to be a movie for everyone, regardless I am very impressed with how this has been made.

Adrian Tofei stars as Adrian; a small town simpleton who after watching The Dark Knight Rises has become obsessed with the actress Anne Hathaway. He decides to make her a movie that will demonstrate his acting and directorial skills so that she will fly to Romania so he can film with her. To help with this he hires three local actresses, but unknown to them his methods are to be more dramatic than they expect, something that can be inferred with the introduction that states the footage about to be shown was pieced together by the police from the Be My Cat crime scene.

Saturday 26 November 2016

31 (2016) - Horror Film Review


Before I start this review of Rob Zombie's 31 I have a couple of confessions to make. Number one; I am a huge fan of his, I love his music, I love his style, and I love his films (with the exception of the horrendous animated film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto). My second confession is that I have broken one of the core rules of The Rotting Zombie in that I have been drinking whilst watching a film for review. Both of these factors will...well factor into this review, so take my words with a pinch of biased and partially tipsy flavoured salt.

The year is 1976 and a group of travelling carnival employees that include among them Charly (Sherri Moon Zombie from every Rob Zombie film ever), Roscoe Pepper (Jeff Daniel Phillips from The Lords of Salem and Halloween II), Panda Thomas, Levon Wally, and Venus Virgo (Meg Foster from They Live) find their van's route blocked by an obstruction on Halloween night. While trying to clear it they are attacked and captured by a bunch of costumed goons. They are taken to a compound where Father Murder (Malcolm McDowell) informs them they are part of a special event called '31'. All they have to do is survive for twelve hours and they will be free to go, but during this time they will be hunted by all kinds of murderous clowns...

Friday 25 November 2016

Counter Clockwise (2016) - Sci-fi Film Review


Counter Clockwise (directed by George Moise) is not really a horror film, instead it is more of a sci-fi dark comedy thriller. however ever since I saw the trailer back in June I had been hoping I would get the opportunity to view it. This is because the film is all about time travel which just so happens to be one of my very favourite concepts.

Michael Kopelow (The People Under the Stairs) stars as Ethan, a scientist who accidentally invents a time machine and is sent six months into the future. He discovers to his horror that his sister and wife had both been murdered the very same day he left from, not only that but he is now a wanted man, hunted by both the police and a shady science corporation. He decides to travel back in time to try and change the past...

Tuesday 22 November 2016

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016) - Horror Film Review


I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is a Netflix exclusive film that plays out like a Victorian horror. It has a very minimal cast and to call it a bit of a slow burn would be an understatement.

Ruth Wilson stars as Lily, a young nurse who has taken on the role of looking after Iris Blum; an elderly horror author (who appears to be suffering dementia) at her remote country house. With Iris constantly referring to Lily as Polly she decides to find out just who this person was. It turns out she was the main character of one of Iris's most popular books, not only that but it seems this person could have been based on a real person who had some sort of tie to the house.

Sunday 20 November 2016

Still Breathing (2016) by Veridia - Horror Music Video


Alt-rock group Veridia released a horror based music video for their new single Still Breathing that was released at the end of October. It was directed by Matt DeLisi and apparently filmed at a haunted house in Nashville. Front-woman Deena Jakoub says the song is about dealing with fear which makes the haunted setting fitting.

In the video Deena explores a haunted mansion, finally she discovers her shadow self which gets into a fight/dance with her. Not too much happens in the video thought the location is nice looking. The weird dance with her shadow was pretty fun. Check the video for yourself down below. A bit of a lazy Sunday blog post here but why not?

Saturday 19 November 2016

The Anatomy of Monsters (2014) - Horror Film Review


I covered The Anatomy of Monsters back in May where I said that I hoped it turned out to be good as the central concept was pretty intriguing. This is a movie that despite it's obvious constraints still manages to be compelling viewing. I've been trying something different lately when reviewing films; to watch it with my VR headset on so that there are no outside distractions. This seems to really help with getting immersed in stuff.

Andrew (Jesse Lee Keeter) is a serial killer and he has headed to a local club in search of his next victim. He befriends a lone woman named Sarah (Tabitha Bastien from Run, Hide, Die) and together they head to a motel where he intends to kill her. However just as it seems everything is going to plan Sarah turns the tables on him, revealing she knows exactly who he is, and that she too is a killer. What follows is a psychological mind game as she recounts her past while insidiously planting the seeds of doubt in her captors head.

Friday 18 November 2016

UK Festival of Zombie Culture 2016 - A Day of the Undead


So last weekend was the annual UK Festival of Zombie Culture that as always takes place at the Phoenix Arts Centre in Leicester, I have been putting up reviews of the five feature films throughout the week so now comes the time when I talk about the day itself.

Things started off badly on the Friday when the motorway I needed to get on was closed. Thankfully my quick thinking friend directed me via another route and aside from getting slightly lost in the insanity that is the road system of Leicester city centre we eventually got to the trusty car park we always use. The car park in question had been taken over by a gym however, thankfully there was another superior car park pretty much next door to that one even if it did look like the most sinister place in the world. With bigger spaces though there would be no repeat of last year when I managed to reverse my car into a steel post when trying to leave!

Thursday 17 November 2016

Peelers (2016) - Zombie Horror Film Review


Originally Re-Kill had been billed as the final film at this years UK Festival of Zombie Culture but at the last moment that fell through and Peelers was chosen as the film to replace it. Peelers has been shown at a lot of festivals this year and I have covered it before so was interested to see it. However I suspect that being the last film and with me fighting sleep I was not as receptive to it's charms as I could have been.

Peelers takes place almost entirely in a small town strip club on it's closing night, having been brought out from owner Blue Jean (Wren Walker) by a corrupt government official. The night gets off to a traditional start until the arrival of a group of oil covered miners who are out to celebrate turns the evening into a living nightmare. The oil that they are covered in changes them, turning them into unstoppable undead killing machines and soon Blue Jean, her strippers, bouncer Remy (Caz Odin Darko from Wind Chill) and her son Logan (Madison J.Loos) find themselves fighting to survive...

Wednesday 16 November 2016

Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies (2016) - Zombie Horror Film Review


The fourth film at this years UK Festival of Zombie Culture was the horror comedy Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies. Coming right after the astounding Train to Busan and the much funnier Night of Something Strange this movie suffered a bit. Despite any misgivings I might have had there was definitely parts of this Austrian film that really charmed.

Pro snowboarder Steve (Laurie Calvert), his girlfriend Branka (Gabriela Marcinkova) and his friend Josh (Oscar Dyekjaer Giese) are left behind on a mountain after an ill advised prank Steve plays leads to his sponsorship deal getting cancelled. With no way to get to the nearest village until morning they are forced to seek refuge in a bar. Unknown to them the owner of the mountain in a bid to create snow has accidentally made a toxic concoction that infects a prospective investor, who then turns into a zombie. Soon the hills are alive with the sound of screaming and with no option Steve and his fellow survivors must battle the walking dead while looking for a way to leave the cursed peak and escape to safety.

Tuesday 15 November 2016

Train to Busan (2016) - Zombie Horror Film Review


The South Korean made Train to Busan is a film that my best friend was very much looking forward to at the UK Festival of Zombie Culture we attended this past weekend. I had heard plenty of good things about it but I was just not prepared for how amazing it actually was, by far the best film shown at the event, and one of my top horrors of the year.

Workaholic Seok Woo (Yoo Gong) agrees to take his neglected daughter Soo-an (Soon-an Kim) via train to Busan as a birthday gift so that she can see her mother (who Seok is seperated from). The day they choose however coincides with the outbreak of zombie apocalypse and soon him and his fellow passengers find themselves trapped on a speeding train full of the running dead. With every station over-run with zombies the train driver has no option but to get to the end of the line at Busan where it is hoped it is still safe...

Monday 14 November 2016

Plan Z (2016) - Zombie Horror Film Review


Plan Z is a passion project from Stuart Brennan who directed, wrote and starred in this low-fi UK zombie flick. He has stated that a lot of horror fans have a plan in their head for what they would do in the event of a zombie apocalypse, Plan Z is his idea given flesh. This had it's European premiere at the UK Festival of Zombie Culture and was the most realistic in feel of all the films shown there.

Brennan stars as Craig; a photographer who in his downtime while travelling the globe had come up with a plan on how to survive if zombie apocalypse ever occurred. He hadn't expected it to ever happen, yet when a swift world wide viral outbreak actually does lead to the dead returning to life Craig decides to head home and enact his idea for real. He is to wait out the chaos in the safety of his own home, then when supplies head low he intends to travel to a remote location until the worst is over. Even the best laid plans have problems though...

Sunday 13 November 2016

Night of Something Strange (2016) - Zombie Horror Film Review


So I have returned from another fantastic UK Festival of Zombie Culture that is held annually in Leicester. The same as previous years I shall attempt to create passable reviews based on brief notes and keywords scribbled down during the 13 hour marathon. This year there were five feature films shown, the first being the ultra gross Night of Something Strange...

A necrophiliac janitor unwittingly contracts a deadly and disturbing STD after sleeping with one of the bodies in the morgue he works at. Returning home it isn't long until the disease has transformed him into one of the walking dead, but rather than the desire to eat brains he has the desire to pass on his infection. Meanwhile a group of high school teens on their way to the beach for spring break end up at a remote motel where they find themselves at the centre of this strange outbreak.

Saturday 5 November 2016

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - Zombies in Spaceland (2016) - Thoughts on the new mode


So yesterday the latest Call of Duty game came out; Infinite Warfare. While much of the game takes place in space I was far more interested in the developers take on the classic Zombies mode that is so beloved by me. Initially when it was first announced I thought it was actually going to take place in space, much like the Moon map from Call of Duty: Black Ops, instead it takes place during the 80's at a theme park based around space.

The animated intro (done to look like a 1950's pulp cartoon) sees four actors (Andre, Sally, AJ, and Poindexter) arrive at a disused cinema to audition for a once prolific horror director Willard Wayler. They had heard his audition process was tough but none were prepared for what happens next. Using some sort of demonic ritual Wayler creates a portal that sucks the group into one of his own films set at a Spaceland theme park. Once inside they find themselves dressed up like the characters they were due to play, not only that but find themselves under immediate attack by hordes of zombies. Wyler instructs the group to pass the audition they have to survive...

Thursday 3 November 2016

60 Seconds to Die (2016) - Horror Anthology News and Trailer


I would swear on a stack of bibles that my email on my phone doesn't show me all my mail as doing some admin on an actual computer I found several emails that I am certain I had never seen before. One such one is a trailer for (at the time) upcoming horror anthology 60 Seconds to Die which awesomely is an anthology made up of short horror films that are only one minute long each. Despite the email I found being from September I just had to put up a post about this. There has been a sequel to this called 60 Seconds 2 Die: 60 Seconds to Die 2 (quite a mouthful), both of these were released in the UK a few days back on Halloween. A third film is in the works that continues the trend for truly terribly titled compilations, it is to be released in 2017 and will be called...60 Seconds to Di3.

A trailer was released that was awesome in it's editing, it is full of blood, violence and plenty of monsters, psychos and vampires and has a strong indie/grind house vibe to it. I wonder just how many short films it contains? Check out the trailer below...


Tuesday 1 November 2016

Layers of Fear: Inheritance - Part 2 of My Complete Playthrough


Welcome to part 2 of my complete play-through of Layers of Fear: Inheritance. In this second part I spend a bizarre amount of time completely baffled as to how to proceed. Check out part 1 here. Putting these up on my blog is all new so if it is something you think is pointless then let me know! In general my film reviews are the most viewed thing I do so this is kinda an experiment...