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Movie Review: The Great Alligator (1979) – Severin 4K/Blu-ray combo

Hot-shit photog Daniel (Claudio Cassinelli, who you may recall was Zeus in Luigi (Starcrash) Cozzi’s mid-’80s Hercules pictures, but was also in The Island of the Fishmen from this film’s director, Sergio (2019: After the Fall of New York) Martino) is hired by a resort mogul (Mel Ferrer, Umberto Lenzi’s Nightmare City) to snap publicity pics to advertise his new jungle-set, disco-tastic vacay hot spot, Paradise House, along with his model/muse Sheena (Geneve Hutton). Once there, he meets anthropologist Alice (Barbara Bach, also from The Island of the Fishmen, but perhaps best known for her turns in 1977’s James Bond flick The Spy Who Loved Me, and 1981’s prehistoric romp, Caveman, co-staring her hubs Ringo Starr) who fills our main man Dan in on the deets concerning the Kuma tribe, the indigenous people of the region who are paid in American blue jeans to huck dynamite at trees to clear land for further expansion… oh and their god is able

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Apr 20, 2024

Spoiler-Free Short Film Reviews: “Bookworm,” “Hevel,” “Souling,” “Dark Mommy,” “Spooky Crew,” “I Could Just Die, and That Would Be Alright” (Overlook Film Festival)

Following is a capsule review roundup of six of the short-film shockers that screened at this year’s edition of New Orlean’s Overlook Film Festival. Bookworm Bookworm (Ratón de biblioteca; Spain, 2023) from director Javier Yañez envelops viewers in a phantasmagorical vibe before suddenly ramping up the visceral shocks. Irene (Aria Bedmar in a wonderful performance) is a young librarian in 1979 Spain who wants to become a writer, much to her mother’s dismay. Irene and her fellow librarian often see the ghost of a young man — though they can’t quite catch a glimpse of his face — browsing books. Determined to try to make contact with this potential soulmate, Irene sets out to find out what his visage looks like. With beautiful set design and cinematography, Bookworm both charms and chills. Hevel In writer/director David Grace’s Hevel, devout Jewish woman Edra (Mor Cohen) begins a Shabbat service. A dybbuk has other plans for her, however, in this demonic possession

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 16, 2024

Panic Fest 2024 Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Blind Cop 2” and “Keratyna”

Blind Cop 2 (2024) A sequel to a film that doesn’t exist, director Alec Bonk’s Blind Cop 2 follows the tropes of movies depicting good cops kicked off the force for using excessive violence and seeking redemption without having a badge — and then there’s the trusty new sidekick, too. Imagine Marvel’s Daredevil as an alcoholic police officer wearing a bulletproof vest rather than a superhero costume and you’re only partially on your way to getting an inkling about how this irreverent title character (played with verve by George Fearing) goes about his business. You can’t forget Blind Cop’s name, either, as just about every person who addresses him calls him that. Using those aforementioned tropes, Bonk, who cowrote the screenplay with Augustin Huffman and Isaac McKinnon, directs with flare, deftly balancing the humor with plenty of dramatic elements and bloody action. Fearing is fantastic in the title role, and McKinnon makes for a fine sidekick-in-training as Schmidty. The humor

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 15, 2024

Certified Fresh Mexican Horror ‘Disappear Completely’ Appearing on Netflix

The supernatural horror film Disappear Completely will, after two years, finally terrify Netflix audiences later this month. This chilling tale, directed by Luis Javier Henaine, boasts a rare perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, leaving critics speechless and fans eager for more. A Gruesome Fate In this disturbing film, Santiago (played by Harold Torres), an ambitious crime scene photographer, becomes the target of a horrifying curse. After witnessing an alarming scene, he finds himself inexplicably stricken with a mysterious illness. As the days progress, Santiago’s senses begin to vanish one by one – a terrifying descent into sensory deprivation and a horrifying thought. Watch as Santiago confronts his mortality and the horrific consequences of his past actions. Streaming Titled in Spanish as Desaparecer por Completo, the film, featuring English subtitles, garnered widespread praise after its premiere at the 2022 Fantastic Fest. Now, it’s poised to leave home viewers with chills. Its unique premise, perfect critical score, and unsettling exploration of mortality make

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Apr 10, 2024

Movie Review: Night of the Blood Monster (1970) – Blue Underground 4k/Blu-ray combo

It’s the 1600’s and things are looking rather shitty for local witches ‘round ol’ London-town thanks to Judge Jeffreys (the legendary Sir Christopher Lee (who has appeared in so many things, I’m just going to do this) who hates them as much as he does rebels against the King… which is to say a lot. I mean sure he’s still willing to fuck the witches (this is a Jess Franco film after all), but he’s just as willing to burn them alive (doubly so if they fail to put out). His presence makes life truly a pain in the ass for young Harry Selton (Hans Haas Jr.), a rebel engaged to a witch named Mary (Franco regular Maria Rohm, Marquis de Sade’s Justine, Venus in Furs to name a few), and when they are incarcerated the Joltin’ Judge may face a full-on revolution! Brimming with a large number of costumed extras, battle sequences, and some ornate sets, it’s obvious that

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Apr 9, 2024

Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Red Rooms” and “Dead Mail” (Overlook Film Festival)

Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges; Canada, 2023) Pascal Plante’s French-language Canadian chiller Red Rooms deftly combines character study, psychological thriller, and courtroom drama. The film follows the obsession of two women with a serial killer suspect on trial for the gruesome murders of three teenage girls, which were broadcast for pay on the titular dark web outlet. Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy in a riveting performance) is a fashion model who sits in on the trial of accused murderer Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) at the Superior Court of Quebec. Sitting near her is Clementine (Laurie Babin), a young woman also obsessed with Chevalier, believing that he is innocent and being framed. The pair are accused of being groupies by the mother of a victim. Kelly-Anne is aloof and quiet, and she lets the talkative out-of-towner Clementine stay with her in her high-rise apartment. Kelly-Anne is also something of an expert on the internet, making large sums of money playing online poker and

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 9, 2024

Movie Review: The Abandoned (2006) – Unearthed Films Blu-ray

Russia, 1966: a lady, who has been fatally wounded, drives pell-mell onto a farmers property where she up and croaks… but the jeep she hauled ass in contains two other, very much alive, passengers… twin infants… Before you can say “What the fuck?” we flash forward 40 years and California-based film producer Marie Jones (Anastasia Hille, The Awakening) travels to Russia to seek answers about her true family after growing up with adoptive parents. Of course Marie is one of those twins mentioned up yonder, and soon she schleps her way to her ancestral home; a secluded, severely dilapidated, haunted-looking as all fuck, arcane abode which is home to a soggy, ghost version of Marie that appears from time to time. After some horror biz, our heroine discovers her long-lost brother Nicolai (Karel Roden, Hellboy, Orphan) has also made the scene, and together they begin to piece together the mystery of their past while dealing with the ghost versions of

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Apr 6, 2024

Movie Review: Spider Labyrinth (1989) – Severin 4K/Blu-ray combo

Professor Alan Whitmore (Roland Wybenga) is sent to Budapest by the cadre of totally not up to no-good folks that funded the top secret Intextus project (which involves the interconnection of all religions or some such jazz), to check on a colleague who has not turned in his data on time. Said colleague appears to have gone completely insane, but it doesn’t matter much as he’s soon found hanging by his neck by spider webs… which turns a fact hunting trip into a murder investigation… a fucking real hum-dinger of one in fact… The longer Whitmore stays in town, the more sinister things become with dire warnings being delivered left and right, near constant mood setting thunderstorms… oh yeah, and the continuing murders… that’s some truly sinister shit. But all of that pales in comparison with the downright preternatural insanity that awaits as our hero continues the amateur sleuth biz! Will Whitmore solve the murderous, monstrous mystery, or will he

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Apr 6, 2024

A Purchase Unleashes Terror In Award-Winning Horror ‘The Coffee Table’

Cinephobia Releasing is bringing chills with the release of The Coffee Table, a haunting horror film by director Caye Casas, who set out to make a brutal film audiences won’t soon forget. A Simple Purchase, Unforeseen Terror The film follows a struggling couple, Jesus and Maria, who have recently become parents. Hoping for a fresh start and needing some furniture, they decide to buy a new coffee table – a seemingly ordinary piece. The purchase soon takes a nightmarish turn. Critical Acclaim and Festival Recognition Critics have described The Coffee Table as “not for the weak” and an “unforgettable film.” It has garnered acclaim on the festival circuit, winning “Best Film” in the “Rebels with a Cause” section at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and screened at prestigious festivals like Fantastic Fest, Fantaspoa, and Grimmfest. Real Terror Without Monsters Director Casas promises a unique brand of horror: “We wanted to make a film that explores terror without relying on

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Apr 3, 2024

Spoiler-Free Short Film Reviews: “Homebody,” “Extreme Gravity,” “Kelly,” “Beholder,” “Red Leather, Yellow Leather,” “Turtle?”, “What I Remember” (Unnamed Footage Festival)

Following is a roundup of seven of the short films that screened at San Francisco’s Unnamed Footage Festival 2024, shot mostly in found footage or verité styles. Homebody Home surveillance cameras provide the footage for writer/director Andrew J. Paulsen’s Homebody, in which Hannah (McKenzie Jo Frazer) lives in fear of a hooded man who stands outside her house. The proceedings are a bit predictable, but the execution of the plot is well done. Extreme Gravity (Extrema gravedad) Writer/director Lorenzo Ayuso’s darkly comic Spanish short Extreme Gravity focuses on a suicidal man whose recording of his farewell video is interrupted by a naked stranger who appears on his windowsill. Irreverent humor is the order of the day with this one, with Álvaro Márquez giving a fine performance as the suicidal individual and David Blanka providing fine voice acting support. Kelly Brazilian short Kelly finds a man (writer/director Luiz Lapin) building a new plastic-bag–headed companion. This short shocker is a true creepfest,

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 3, 2024

More from Foreign

Movie Review: The Great Alligator (1979) – Severin 4K/Blu-ray combo

Hot-shit photog Daniel (Claudio Cassinelli, who you may recall was Zeus in Luigi (Starcrash) Cozzi’s mid-’80s Hercules pictures, but was also in The Island of the Fishmen from this film’s director, Sergio (2019: After the Fall of New York) Martino) is hired by a resort mogul (Mel Ferrer, Umberto Lenzi’s Nightmare City) to snap publicity pics to advertise his new jungle-set, disco-tastic vacay hot spot, Paradise House, along with his model/muse Sheena (Geneve Hutton). Once there, he meets anthropologist Alice (Barbara Bach, also from The Island of the Fishmen, but perhaps best known for her turns in 1977’s James Bond flick The Spy Who Loved Me, and 1981’s prehistoric romp, Caveman, co-staring her hubs Ringo Starr) who fills our main man Dan in on the deets concerning the Kuma tribe, the indigenous people of the region who are paid in American blue jeans to huck dynamite at trees to clear land for further expansion… oh and their god is able

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Apr 20, 2024

Spoiler-Free Short Film Reviews: “Bookworm,” “Hevel,” “Souling,” “Dark Mommy,” “Spooky Crew,” “I Could Just Die, and That Would Be Alright” (Overlook Film Festival)

Following is a capsule review roundup of six of the short-film shockers that screened at this year’s edition of New Orlean’s Overlook Film Festival. Bookworm Bookworm (Ratón de biblioteca; Spain, 2023) from director Javier Yañez envelops viewers in a phantasmagorical vibe before suddenly ramping up the visceral shocks. Irene (Aria Bedmar in a wonderful performance) is a young librarian in 1979 Spain who wants to become a writer, much to her mother’s dismay. Irene and her fellow librarian often see the ghost of a young man — though they can’t quite catch a glimpse of his face — browsing books. Determined to try to make contact with this potential soulmate, Irene sets out to find out what his visage looks like. With beautiful set design and cinematography, Bookworm both charms and chills. Hevel In writer/director David Grace’s Hevel, devout Jewish woman Edra (Mor Cohen) begins a Shabbat service. A dybbuk has other plans for her, however, in this demonic possession

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 16, 2024

Panic Fest 2024 Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Blind Cop 2” and “Keratyna”

Blind Cop 2 (2024) A sequel to a film that doesn’t exist, director Alec Bonk’s Blind Cop 2 follows the tropes of movies depicting good cops kicked off the force for using excessive violence and seeking redemption without having a badge — and then there’s the trusty new sidekick, too. Imagine Marvel’s Daredevil as an alcoholic police officer wearing a bulletproof vest rather than a superhero costume and you’re only partially on your way to getting an inkling about how this irreverent title character (played with verve by George Fearing) goes about his business. You can’t forget Blind Cop’s name, either, as just about every person who addresses him calls him that. Using those aforementioned tropes, Bonk, who cowrote the screenplay with Augustin Huffman and Isaac McKinnon, directs with flare, deftly balancing the humor with plenty of dramatic elements and bloody action. Fearing is fantastic in the title role, and McKinnon makes for a fine sidekick-in-training as Schmidty. The humor

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 15, 2024

Certified Fresh Mexican Horror ‘Disappear Completely’ Appearing on Netflix

The supernatural horror film Disappear Completely will, after two years, finally terrify Netflix audiences later this month. This chilling tale, directed by Luis Javier Henaine, boasts a rare perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, leaving critics speechless and fans eager for more. A Gruesome Fate In this disturbing film, Santiago (played by Harold Torres), an ambitious crime scene photographer, becomes the target of a horrifying curse. After witnessing an alarming scene, he finds himself inexplicably stricken with a mysterious illness. As the days progress, Santiago’s senses begin to vanish one by one – a terrifying descent into sensory deprivation and a horrifying thought. Watch as Santiago confronts his mortality and the horrific consequences of his past actions. Streaming Titled in Spanish as Desaparecer por Completo, the film, featuring English subtitles, garnered widespread praise after its premiere at the 2022 Fantastic Fest. Now, it’s poised to leave home viewers with chills. Its unique premise, perfect critical score, and unsettling exploration of mortality make

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Apr 10, 2024

Movie Review: Night of the Blood Monster (1970) – Blue Underground 4k/Blu-ray combo

It’s the 1600’s and things are looking rather shitty for local witches ‘round ol’ London-town thanks to Judge Jeffreys (the legendary Sir Christopher Lee (who has appeared in so many things, I’m just going to do this) who hates them as much as he does rebels against the King… which is to say a lot. I mean sure he’s still willing to fuck the witches (this is a Jess Franco film after all), but he’s just as willing to burn them alive (doubly so if they fail to put out). His presence makes life truly a pain in the ass for young Harry Selton (Hans Haas Jr.), a rebel engaged to a witch named Mary (Franco regular Maria Rohm, Marquis de Sade’s Justine, Venus in Furs to name a few), and when they are incarcerated the Joltin’ Judge may face a full-on revolution! Brimming with a large number of costumed extras, battle sequences, and some ornate sets, it’s obvious that

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Apr 9, 2024

Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Red Rooms” and “Dead Mail” (Overlook Film Festival)

Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges; Canada, 2023) Pascal Plante’s French-language Canadian chiller Red Rooms deftly combines character study, psychological thriller, and courtroom drama. The film follows the obsession of two women with a serial killer suspect on trial for the gruesome murders of three teenage girls, which were broadcast for pay on the titular dark web outlet. Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy in a riveting performance) is a fashion model who sits in on the trial of accused murderer Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) at the Superior Court of Quebec. Sitting near her is Clementine (Laurie Babin), a young woman also obsessed with Chevalier, believing that he is innocent and being framed. The pair are accused of being groupies by the mother of a victim. Kelly-Anne is aloof and quiet, and she lets the talkative out-of-towner Clementine stay with her in her high-rise apartment. Kelly-Anne is also something of an expert on the internet, making large sums of money playing online poker and

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 9, 2024

Movie Review: The Abandoned (2006) – Unearthed Films Blu-ray

Russia, 1966: a lady, who has been fatally wounded, drives pell-mell onto a farmers property where she up and croaks… but the jeep she hauled ass in contains two other, very much alive, passengers… twin infants… Before you can say “What the fuck?” we flash forward 40 years and California-based film producer Marie Jones (Anastasia Hille, The Awakening) travels to Russia to seek answers about her true family after growing up with adoptive parents. Of course Marie is one of those twins mentioned up yonder, and soon she schleps her way to her ancestral home; a secluded, severely dilapidated, haunted-looking as all fuck, arcane abode which is home to a soggy, ghost version of Marie that appears from time to time. After some horror biz, our heroine discovers her long-lost brother Nicolai (Karel Roden, Hellboy, Orphan) has also made the scene, and together they begin to piece together the mystery of their past while dealing with the ghost versions of

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Apr 6, 2024

Movie Review: Spider Labyrinth (1989) – Severin 4K/Blu-ray combo

Professor Alan Whitmore (Roland Wybenga) is sent to Budapest by the cadre of totally not up to no-good folks that funded the top secret Intextus project (which involves the interconnection of all religions or some such jazz), to check on a colleague who has not turned in his data on time. Said colleague appears to have gone completely insane, but it doesn’t matter much as he’s soon found hanging by his neck by spider webs… which turns a fact hunting trip into a murder investigation… a fucking real hum-dinger of one in fact… The longer Whitmore stays in town, the more sinister things become with dire warnings being delivered left and right, near constant mood setting thunderstorms… oh yeah, and the continuing murders… that’s some truly sinister shit. But all of that pales in comparison with the downright preternatural insanity that awaits as our hero continues the amateur sleuth biz! Will Whitmore solve the murderous, monstrous mystery, or will he

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Apr 6, 2024

A Purchase Unleashes Terror In Award-Winning Horror ‘The Coffee Table’

Cinephobia Releasing is bringing chills with the release of The Coffee Table, a haunting horror film by director Caye Casas, who set out to make a brutal film audiences won’t soon forget. A Simple Purchase, Unforeseen Terror The film follows a struggling couple, Jesus and Maria, who have recently become parents. Hoping for a fresh start and needing some furniture, they decide to buy a new coffee table – a seemingly ordinary piece. The purchase soon takes a nightmarish turn. Critical Acclaim and Festival Recognition Critics have described The Coffee Table as “not for the weak” and an “unforgettable film.” It has garnered acclaim on the festival circuit, winning “Best Film” in the “Rebels with a Cause” section at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and screened at prestigious festivals like Fantastic Fest, Fantaspoa, and Grimmfest. Real Terror Without Monsters Director Casas promises a unique brand of horror: “We wanted to make a film that explores terror without relying on

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Apr 3, 2024

Spoiler-Free Short Film Reviews: “Homebody,” “Extreme Gravity,” “Kelly,” “Beholder,” “Red Leather, Yellow Leather,” “Turtle?”, “What I Remember” (Unnamed Footage Festival)

Following is a roundup of seven of the short films that screened at San Francisco’s Unnamed Footage Festival 2024, shot mostly in found footage or verité styles. Homebody Home surveillance cameras provide the footage for writer/director Andrew J. Paulsen’s Homebody, in which Hannah (McKenzie Jo Frazer) lives in fear of a hooded man who stands outside her house. The proceedings are a bit predictable, but the execution of the plot is well done. Extreme Gravity (Extrema gravedad) Writer/director Lorenzo Ayuso’s darkly comic Spanish short Extreme Gravity focuses on a suicidal man whose recording of his farewell video is interrupted by a naked stranger who appears on his windowsill. Irreverent humor is the order of the day with this one, with Álvaro Márquez giving a fine performance as the suicidal individual and David Blanka providing fine voice acting support. Kelly Brazilian short Kelly finds a man (writer/director Luiz Lapin) building a new plastic-bag–headed companion. This short shocker is a true creepfest,

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 3, 2024
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