Scooby Doo & Batman The Brave and the Bold DVD

 

TITLE-Scooby Doo & Batman The Brave and the Bold
SOURCE-WB DVD

Back when Brave and the Bold was airing I worked the night it aired. Would record it and when I got home  at 8am the next morning sit and watch it before going to bed. Fun show that combined the silliness of the Batman66 tv show with a great selection guest stars. Can't hate a show that produced at least 4 Plastic Man Figures.

In 2018 I saw this got released. Normally with these Scooby Doo movies I wait a year and find a used copy for a few bucks. This one I paid the full retail price.

Mystery Inc is trying to solve a mystery about a ghostly puppetmaster. When they do and learn the puppet master is Martian Manhunter and the puppet is Detective Chimp we learn this was a test. To see if Mystery Inc is good enough to join this mystery solving team Batman has formed. And what a team,the Question,Plastic Man,Black Canery,Aquaman and the previously mentioned Detective Chimp and Johnn Jozz.

Batman has 1 unsolved mystery from early in his career. And this film is about how him and the Scooby Gang solve this mystery.

Loaded with cameos and references that the comic fans and older Scooby fan will love. My favorite is the gang being told to goto the "Corner of Spears and Ruby." 

Now I haven't watched this since I got it 6 years ago. And until 10 minutes from the ending I had forgotten who the big bad was. The Crimson Cowl,who I nicknamed Red Booger,is a interesting attempt at creating a new Batman Rogue. At least I think he is new.

Good animation,good voice acting and with this being a tiny bit over 70s minutes a good length. Extras are the 2 episodes of the New Scooby Doo Movies show with Batman and Robin.

Scooby Doo & Batman The Brave & The Bold gets a B+

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 31 Crypt of Dark Secrets

 

TITLE-Crypt of Dark Secrets

SOURCE-Severin Blu Ray

Jack Weis is a filmmaker I had never heard of until the last 10 years. Saw Mardi Gras Massacre and wanted to see more from this NOLA based director. Then back during late Spring,Severin had their big sale. This double feature was cheap and the day my order finally arrived I opened this up and watched both movies.

Set in New Orleans and the swamps and bayous that are right outside the city Crypt of Dark Secrets has a generic as fuck title. Makes me think of some pre-code EC Comics ripoff from Avon or Standard.

A Nam vet is living on the island out in the bayou. The island rumored to be haunted. People claim to have seen a snake that can change into a naked woman,named Dambella,in this area of the swamp.

The cops come out to see the vet and warned him about keeping his money there at his home. Talking him into visiting a bank in the city.

While at the bank,and the bank worker unsuccessfully talking our vet into getting  a bank account,a sleazy local overhears that this vet is just cashing his military checks and leaving it under his bed.

This local plots with his best buddy and his wife to go rob the vet. So out into the swamps they go. Sneaking onto the island and waiting on the vet to return.

When he does they knock him into the swamp and it appears he has died. They make off with the money,and we see a snake coming up. It turns into a naked lady and starts to dance above the dead vet. 

Snake Lady is magical and by shaking and rubbing her naked body on recently deceased people she can bring them back to life.

Our robbers start seeing blood appearing on the money they stole. And being idiots go turn themselves into the cops.

Which leads to the cops and the robbers returning to the island. Now with the Vet back alive and Snake Lady made cause he was killed.

Wow this was obviously made cause Weis found a really attractive "exotic" looking woman who was willing to dance and dry hump people while naked.

Running under 80 minutes if you cut out the long dance parts this would be under an hour. Not complaining about naked hot lady dancing. Just explaining how little there is to this film.

The plot feels like it was rejected by the Scooby Doo writers for being too basic. Thankfully the locations make up for that. It was great seeing the swamps by NOLA. And then mid 70s New Orleans. Not sure when I made my first visit to the city of southern sin. Guessing it was late 70s. So much of what I saw of the city in this film looked the same last time I visited.

The acting....well it goes from ok to wow I guess no one else was available. At least our three robbers appear to be from the area so you do not have horrible fake CAJUN accents.

The FX is low budget. But works for this film. I am sure this was made to be the second or third film on a double or triple feature at some southern drive in.

Crypt of Dark Secrets gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 30 I'm Dangerous Tonight

 

TITLE-I'm Dangerous Tonight

SOURCE-Kino Lober Blu ray

I love Tobe Hooper. Yea he is the Reggie Jackson of Horror,in that Tobe usually either hit a home run or struck out. This is the rare non-home run from Tobe that is worth seeing.

Released in 1990 on USA Network. We got Madchen Amick as the lead. A young college student who helps take care of an elderly relative. Anthony Perkins is one of her professors.

After getting some red cloth in a trunk at a sale,which turns out the cloth is evil. Madchen  makes a dress out of it. A dress that makes whoever wears it incrediblely attractive to the opposite sex and violent.

Being made for Cable this is bloodier than I expected. And the acting is fine. Besides the two names I've mentioned you got Dee Wallance in a great part as a crazy lady that gets the red dresss. And in a rare appearance with hair R. Lee Ermy.

Yea sure if you are not a huge Hooper fan this is one to just find streaming. The film is decent but nothing amazing. Thankfully Kino Lober loaded this blu ray down  with extras.

2 commentaries. Piles of featurettes. And for a made for Cable movie it looks and sounds great.

I'm Dangerous Tonight gets a C+

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 29 Scre4m

 

TITLE-Scre4m

SOURCE-Anchor Bay DVD

The first Scream hit at an odd point my life. Coming out right before Xmas in 1996 and it wasn't until late January 1997 that we went to a theater to see it.

Was the old Silver Screen theater over in Biloxi. Loved the movie and as soon as it hit VHS I rented it and made a copy.

Not long after seeing Scream major changes happened in my life. I packed up most of my stuff and moved two states to the west.

When less than a year later Scream 2 hit theaters I went Xmas day to see it and well it was just ok. By the release of Scream 3 I waited for home video to see it and hated the film.

Which is why when Scre4m ,the clever name they came up for this un needed sequel,hit theaters I knew I would just rent it in a year from Netflix. Then rented it watched it. Thought this is a pile of crap. 

Wasn't until last year or the year before when I watched Scream 6 that I realized I remembered nothing about part 4. Not even who the killer/killers are.

Found part 4 cheap,you can see the Dollar price written in  sharpie on the walmart sticker. And now have seen it twice off that dvd.

Set years after the last film,we met the next generation of high school teens in the main town of this series. Ghostface starts killing them and after many red herrings,and some actually nicely done kills,we get our reveal of who the killers are.

The good stuff,well the kills are damn good. The cast that comes back from the previous 3 films do fairly well in this 4th film. Really that is about it for good in this turd sandwich.

The bad stuff.....First off the killers' have the dumbest motive. The female killer wants to be famous. The male is just a simp. The cast that wasn't  in the previous films is either ok at best to WHY THE HELL WERE THEY HIRED Bad. The story is too complex for it's own good. 

My next two gripes might just be a bad transfer on the DVD release. There are scenes where the film grain can be seen. And it looks like it should. Then other scenes where it appears so much DNR has been applied that people like Alison Brie look less like herself and more like a cheap wax dummy. And there is this urine yellow hue to the entire film.

Sadly this was the final movie directed by Wes Craven. This might be his worse film. If not it is just barely better than The Hills have Eyes 2.

Maybe the blu ray isn't DNRed to hell and back and isn't piss yellow all the time. If so that would raise this film up a tiny bit but not enough to make it worth it for me.

Scre4m gets a D+

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 28 Filmation's Ghostbusters

 

TITLE-Filmation's Ghostbusters

SOURCE-BCI DVD

Back in the 70s US based company Filmation created a short lived live action kids show about 2 humans and a gorilla fighting ghosts. Titled Ghostbusters. This was forgotten about not long after airing.

When the 80s Ghostbusters movie happened they licensed the name from Filmation. Filmation assumed if the film was a hit they would get the first shot at the Ghostbusters cartoon. Nope,Columbia went with a different animation studio. So 5 days before The Real Ghostbusters cartoon started Filmations syndicated Ghostbusters cartoon hit the airwaves. 

Lasting 65 episodes this one season show was almost forgotten. Having been rarely reran and only having a few episodes get official VHS releases.

Then Brentwood,rebranded as BCI,in the early 2000s got that deal with Filmation. And pretty much everything they could release that Filmation made they did.

Pictured above is a single disc that is 1 hour 29 minutes worth of episodes from that single season. I found it earlier this year at a junkstore. Paid a buck.

The show is a sequel to the 70s live action show. The kids off our two leads are joined by Tracy the Gorilla. And a female reporter. Plus sometimes Futura,a female Ghostbuster from the Future.

The  got a main villain,Prime Evil. And the show has a much more comedic feel than The Real Ghostbusters cartoon.

 Before watching this disc I had seen maybe 4 or 5 of the episodes of the years. After watching the 4 or 5 episodes on this disc I now am looking for a cheap copy of the ffull run.

While the writing is generally better on The Real Ghostbusters I do like how the Filmation Ghostbusters just goes really odd. They time travel. Jump dimensions and are not as reality grounded as The Real Ghostbusters.

Filmation's Ghostbusters gets a C+.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 27 The Gate

 

TITLE-The Gate

SOURCE-Vestron Video Blu Ray Steelbook

When I put this in to watch it after gettiing this release I was surprised cause I had seen this movie often back in the late 80s but remembered so little of it.

Back in the days before streaming and having 300 channels whenever I got a movie on VHS I kept it and watched it over and over. Had to be 88 and an Aunt had recorded a pile of movies off HBO for me. The Gate was one of them.

Our lead and his sister are preparing for their parents to be gone for a bit. The sister being in her mid teens is left in charge. 

A storm hits ripping down a tree in their backyard. The boy and his best friend ,a nerdy as hell metal head kid,end up bleeding into the hole and opening up this gate to Hell.

Crazy stuff starts happening. The family dog dies and the metal kid realizes his favorite metal album is some how coonnected to this hole/gate.

Ok this is one where if I hadn't seen it back when I was 13 or so I doubt I would givve a fuck about it now. It really is a 80s horror film that is aimed at the pre-teen/young teen audience. 

The FX work is the highlight. With the stop motion mini demons looking amazing. Then the big demon at the end is another stunning piece of practical FX work.

Being a Vestron Video release this is loaded with piles of extras. 2 commentaries an isolated score andd then interviews with so many people that worked on this film.

Glad I didn't drop the 30 or so this cost with it's first Blu release. And really 20 bucks for this steelbook feels a bit high to me.

The Gate gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 26 Doll Face

 

TITLE-Doll Face

SOURCE-Echo Bridge Blu Ray/DVD Combo Pack

Over the close to 20 years I have lived in rural SW Mississippi I have gotten to know all the local cult and horror movie fans. Not that many of us locally so we all kind of know each other. There is one who I have had on the Asshat Podcast Youtube channel a few times. And a few years ago he did a review of this Doll Face movie. And thankfully I forgot his review.

Needed something to watch tonight and saw this blu ray/dvd sitting on the shelf. Upside down ,which is my shorthand for something I haven't watched. Knowing it was borrowed I put it on expecting who knows what.

Maralade is a young lady who just inherited a nice apartment from her Aunt who has passed. Only rules are she must keep the dolls the aunt collected from all over the world. And NEVER LOOK THE DOLLS IN THE EYES!

And for the next hour and 17 minutes you get just oddness. The lead lady never moves her mouth and at first I thought we were just hearing her thoughts. But the others in the film appear to hear them to. So I guess she was talking but her mouth didnt move?

Lots of scenes of her going to bed each night with a different doll. Or the odd Doll repairman that is also homeless and covered with tattoos. And the constant references to hangings and suicide by hanging.

Then about 15 minutes till the end the twist hits. A glorious Twilight Zone like twist. And if the film ended about 5 minutes earlier it would be a bit long but decent horror/cult film. Nope it goes on and stuff starts happening that makes even less sense than most of what happened before. 

So what is this twist? I imagine knowing the twist would really change the first viewing of Doll Face,which of not that long ago was streaming free on TUBi and FANDANGO AT HOME AKA VUDU.

SPOILERS 

The twist is Maralade is a doll. A human sized doll. That is why her mouth never moved!!!

END OF SPOILERS

Not worth buying,buddy that got it paid a buck at a pawn shop. But worth seeing at least once.

Doll Face gets a C-

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 25 B.T.K.

 

TITLE-B.T.K.

SOURCE-Lionsgate DVD

Heard a bit about this back when it hit home video 15 or so years ago. But thought that Kane Hodder was the wrong person to play the BTK Killer. As  often mentionedd on here I will go buy used dvds in huge lots at pawn shops and thrifts. Getting discount. This was a film I grabbed to hit that number that makes those dvds 50 cents each instead of a buck each. And like normal with stuff I buy in bulk it sat and sat and sat.

Dennis is a pillar of the community. Loved by all. Or so he thinks. But he is actually a killer that has been doing his evil deeds for years. Daring the cops to stop him.

Based on the real Bind Torture Kill Serial Killer this is a fictionalized examination of Dennis Radley. With a cast of people I have seen in nothing else. Besides Kane Hodder as the lead.

Kane is best known for his stint as Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th franchise. Plus being a stunt man. But until this I had never seen him show as much range as he does in BTK.

There was a pile of cheaply made DTV serial killer movies coming out in the early 2000s. I just assumed this one of those. A badly cheaply made cash grab. Nope this had a budget and it shows. Locations,set design and even the costumes are not cheap.

Then there is the brutal kills. Lots of well done practical FX work. And some of them so brutal I am surpised this got an R rating.

Worth seeing ,even if just to see Kane Hodder show some acting range. 

BTK gets a C+

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 24 Deathbed

 

TITLE-DeathBed

SOURCE-Full Moon/Shadow DVD

With used dvds 50 cents to a buck on average in my area I will grab stuff often to watch once and then give away. Saw this dvd on the shelf at a local junkstore. Was the booth with dollar dvds buy 10 get 2 more free. Deathbed and also Stuart Gordon's Castle Freak on a DVD for free sure.

And then it sat on the shelf for months. October is when the season finally start changing to fall in my area and seasons changing always mess with my sleep pattern. Leading to lots of nights in October where I am up all night. And ever since I was young I love to stay up late,just me in the living room watching a movie and reading a comic book.That is why yall might notice most of these reviews are hitting before 6am.

So Deathbed? What a pile of crap. Made during that short time when Full Moon was know as Shadow,not really sure why the name change,this feels like a really low budget attempt to get some of the attention all the Softcore/Horror combo films were getting. Stuff like the many Witchcraft films. 

A couple ends up with a bed that back in the 1920s a murder happened on. This caused this couple to go nutty. And Nothing about this boring ass movie could keep my attention. 

The FX is crap,the acting is crap. The plot is barely enough to fill 20 minute much less a full length film.

Only reason to buy this DVD is if you don't already have Castle Freak. Oh and to listen to the commentary on this movie. It has the director and Stuart Gordon and it feels more like those two chatting at a panel at a con than a commentary.

Fuck Deathbed!

Deathbed gets a D-.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 23 Black X-Mas Unrated (2006)

 

TITLE-Black X-mas(2006) UNRATED

SOURCE-Blockbuster Exclusive DVD

So I keep seeing more and more vids,articles,whatever about people starting to just now realize how cheap  used dvds have been  for years.

Look up at the top,the Classic Deathwatch 2000 trading card included as a odd nerdy watermark proving this is mine,cause who the fuck else keeps Deathwatch 2000 trading cards around?Well besides me. I use them as bookmarks. 

Back to used DVDs maybe 4 months after the nearest local Blockbuster closed I found this Blockbuster Exclusive DVD for a buck at some thrift.Then it got thrown on the shelf. Mostly cause I had heard it was not good and keep in  mind this was before the newest Black Christmas remake,from I think 2016.

Unrated screams that cover and i think that means there is 4 or so more minutes of gore. I had gotten some  Blockbuster Exclusive DVD's before and they were barebones. No extras. This has 3 alternative endings. And a 30ish minute Featurette. And bonus so far I have never found a Blockbuster ECO case. Don't think they exist. Nice heavy case on this.

The film? A remake/reboot of a proto-slasher that isn't as well known as it should be. This time with the help of the original's director,Bob Clark,we get a bit more added to the story of Billy.

Born with  bad jaundice and shuned by his family. Billy gets sent to a asylum,like what is kind of hinted at in the orignal. Escapes and starts killing the college girls that now live in the sorority house where billy grew up.

Andrea Martin from the original is back as the house mother of the sorority. The Sisters of the sorority are a mixture of actresses from that era that were either on weekly tv or just got through with a long run on a weekly tv show. 

The gore,oh man the gore and kills. Just way past the level I expected.This was a wide release film packed with like some girl from Party of Five and another girl from Buffy. And yea I got the unrated version. There is this odd Billy's Xmas decorations scene that feels like for that one scene Edward Lee was allowed to work with the FX crew.

This being a slasher you got red herrings ,this ones should stick to whatever mynetworktv show he was on. The final girl I kept thinking I knew from another horror remake. Yep Elm  Street remake. Looked her up she was on that CW Arrow show. What is it with this movie and teen dramas?

Anyways ignore the asshats that shit all over this. It is worth seeing. Yes I know there is no US Blu Ray. No idea what the normal dvd of this has as extras. This Blockbuster Exclusive has a pile.

Black X-Mass (2006) gets a C

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 22 The Card Player

 

TITLE-The Card Player

SOURCE-Scorpion Releasing Blu Ray

Yea I know latter era Argento. And this is one most don't like. Having seen and enjoyed some of the lesser liked Argento movies,Phantom of the Opera is one,I took a chance when this OOP release was on sale at Kino.

A killer is challenging the police to games of poker over the internet. If the killer wins a women ,who is on webcam gets multilated. 

Once a British tourist gets put into this deadly game of chance two top detectives get put on the case. And we get a modern era Giallo.

Ok yea this feels like a sleazier episode of one of the many detective shows on the air. Call this CSI Giallo or as I have seen a few do CSI Rome. 

It is the sleaze and sometimes well done kills that make this stand out. Yea we aren't getting peak Dario Argento. Even average Argento is so much better than most of the horror crap clogging up shelves when this came out in the early 2000s.

Now yea the lower budget hinders the CGI FX. With the scene near the end with the train cutting off someone's head,And then the head rolling,looks cheap andd takes what should be a nice kill to end the film and make it not have the impact it should have.While not top 5 Argento this is for me Top 10 Argento. 

The blu ray has a decent commentary. And a few other extras nothing of which stood out much. The transfer looks nice. 

The Card Player gets a C+

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 21 Blade

 

TITLE-Blade

SOURCE-New Line Blu Ray

I was sure I had covered this years ago. Checked the master list,either I never covered it or somehow I did and it ain't on the master list.

Ok so for all the attention Rami's Spider-Man or Singer's X-men films get as starting the modern MCU,even  if not fully connected to the proper MCU,Blade came earlier and started it.

1998 I am at the comic shop and hear from the owner that Blade is coming out. And it is Wesley Snipes playing Blade. Ok hell yea let me know what night it starts we will all go.

Was there opening night and loved it. Nice blending of horror and superhero genres. A modernized Blade,at this time I hadn't read much of the Midnight Sons era of Blade. Fairly gory it was a fun film. One I meant to buy. Then just didn't. Until I stumbled upon this Blu ray at a pawn or thrift a few years back.

Wesley Snipes is Blade a rare vampire that can withstand sunlight. He hunts down the other vampires. And is helped out by Kris Kristofferson,as Whistler. Deacon Frost,who IIRC was a minor villain in the old Tomb  of Dracula comic,is the lead vampire villain. 

The movie moves extremely fast for a 2 hour film. Part of that is just the pacing of the film,with a few pots where it slows down for the audience to rest a bit. And thankfully this isn't as quickcut shaky camera for action scenes. That horrible crap would infect movies a year or so later.

The FX is decently done for what I am guessing was a fairly low budget film for New Line of that era. There was no really horrible CGI that stood out.

Blade gets a B+

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 20 Last Voyage of the Demeter

 

TITLE-The Last Voyage of the Demeter

SOURCE-Universal Blu ray

For the past 7 or so years I rarely see ads on TV. Most of what I watch is either off dvd/blu ray or streaming. And with streaming when an ad break starts I usually have a book or comic nearby and I read during the ad break. Which is why in the summer of 2023 I had no clue about this movie until a friend was asking if I was going to go see it. After she told me the basic idea behind the film I knew I had to see it. 

Pretty much now I rarely goto a theater to see anything. Not really the price of a ticket keeping me at home it is more lack of a good theater near me. And how now people can't sit through the movie without having to use their phone. Not sure how people dont realize that the bright screen of their phone is just as distracting as talking on it. I just chalk it up to the general public are assholes and morons.

This movie is a neat idea. Taking one chapter from the Bram Stoker classic Dracula,the chapter about Dracula's trip by sea to London,and making an entire film about it.Fleshing out what needed to be fleshed out.

A young doctor barely manages to get passage on the Demeter. After finding a young woman who is almost dead in a crate he realizes something ain't right. 

Then the animals on board the ship start dying and disappearing.  Yep we got a vampire on the ship and where do  you run when out at sea and there is a vampire on the ship?

Well shot and with a great score,this is a throwback to the horror made 60 years ago. A slow build. Where the sense of dread is huge. And when a horrific act happens you are a bit relived to have the tense broke for a short bit.

Not really sure who this movie was aimed at. The friend that mentioned it to me is a huge old horror fan. But she is also a bit older than the average person going to the theater to see a movie. From what I can find The Last Voyage of the Demeter bombed. Not even making half of what it cost to make. 

This Blu ray has a few extras. Including some deleted scenes and an alternate opening. I can see why they used the opening in the film and why the scenes got cut. Then we get a commentary from the director and the producer.

What I wanted was an extra talking about how this movie has been trying to be made since the mid 90s. AFter the writer got inspired by Coppla's Bram Stoker's Dracula which came out in 1992.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter gets a C+

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 19 The Dentist

 

TITLE-The Dentist

SOURCE-Vestron Video  Blu Ray

When I hear people saying that the 90s was dead for horror or the more common variant of that now "Horror was dead in the 90s until Scream." I know whoever is saying that either wasn't around back then or is someone that only watched what hit wide release in theaters back then.

Today's movie is a perfect example of how wrong  the whole horror was dead in the 90s is.

Premiering in late October 1996 on HBO  The Dentist is another great film from Brian Yuzna. I was lucky the night this aired I happened to be over at the home of my almost in-laws. And my lady's mother loved horror.

Corbin Bernsen is the titular Dentist. Racked with OCD and losing his mind  he finds  out his wife is cheating on him  with the pool cleaner. This drives Corbin  off the deep end and he starts killing people for various reasons.

Being a Yuzna film you know we are gonna get some gore and the FX work from Anthony C. Ferrante and J.M. Logan are great. Almost all practical FX work. 

Add in that most people have a fear of going to the dentist and you get a film that works on  a few levels. 

This Vestron Video Blu ray is packed with extras. Got a great commentary from the director and Makeup Effects supervisor. Which is loaded with info. A really fun  interview with Corbin Bernsen and one  with the co writer Denniss Paoli.

One interesting thing pointed out in the commentary,and one my now ex pointed out while we were watching this almost 30 years ago,is the film  kind of plays with is this actually happening or is all the kills in  Bernsen's head? Kind of like the film  American Psycho years before that movie was made,and yes I know the novel AP is based on came out before The Dentist. Also like the American Psycho movie,the sequel to the Dentist lets us know that it wasn't all in the lead's head.

For a fairly cheap price you get both Dentist movies. Both loaded with extras and both looking better than I have seen them look before.

The Dentist gets a B-

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 18 House of the Dead 2

 

TITLE-House of the Dead 2

SOURCE-Lionsgate DVD

When it came out in the early 2000s I heard how bad House of the Dead(the movie) was and avoided it. A few years later while looking at a site loaded with rips of screener dvds I saw House of the Dead 2 was out. Grabbed that rip burnt  it to a disc and either never watched it or saw it and don't remember watching it.

Skip ahead to one  weekend earlier this year. Was at my secret junkstore,where dvds/blu rays are 50 cents. Saw HotD2 and took a chance.

Now pretty sure I have played the second House of the Dead video game,and this movie appears to not folow the plot of that game.

Sid Haig has one of the surviving Hyper Sapians,AKA Zombie,from the first film. And this causes an outbreak of zombies on a college campus up near Seattle.

Which means a Special Forces team is sent in to contain the zombies and prevent it from  getting worse.Standard zombie movie tropes of course. 

Thankfully the cast and a few minor things make this stand out a bit from the glut of DTV zombie movies that came out in the mid 2000s.

One change,and one I liked,was it isn't just getting bit by a zombie that will change you into one. If a mosquito bites a zombie the people they bite afterwards will become infected. Neat idea I haven't seen before in movies. Wish they did a bit more with this.

Then this cast. It is packed with people I know from various tv shows. People like Victoria Pratt Who I knew from Mutant X. And Nadine Velazquez who most will know as Katalina on My Name is Earl. 

So while the budget ain't high, the combo of new ideas and a cast that is use to working with a smaller budget helps boost this movie over similar zombie films from the same era.

Sure this isn't nothing mindblowing.And it aint one I would say you should buy,unless you find it cheap like I did. For a DTV sequel to a film considered one of the worst horror films of the past 40 years this ain't bad.

House of the Dead II gets a C-.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 17 Snakes on a Plane

 

TITLE-Snakes on a Plane

SOURCE-New Line DVD

Since I was a kid I loved creature features. Stuff like The Swarm or Tarantulas Deadly Cargo I would watch on WPMI and love. So when I heard about Snakes on  a Plane I was interested. 

When the film hit theaters it was a time where most movies I would just wait till they hit home video. Then rent the DVD through Netflix. By the  time it hit Netflix I was busy and just never rented it.

Over the almost 20 years since it came out I have had many chances to see Snakes on a Plane on TV. Rather not watch the film edited to shreds and packed with ads. Then earlier this year while at my new secret junkstore I found the DVD pictured at the top. And it was 50 cents.

Sam Jackson is escorting a witness to a trial. The bad guys don't want the witness to testify. So they load the plane up with piles of exotic deadly snakes.

Decent cast,with more than a few people that are known character actors/actress. And the script aint bad for a creature feature. Really the  only thing that shows this was a lower budget movie is the FX. Some of the CGI snakes look good,almost real.Then others look like crap you would see in a Sub  Rosa Studio release. And in a film  like this bad FX can really hurt it.

I did enjoy the movie. Just that this feels more like a movie that would work better seeing it in a packed theater. Instead of sitting here just me and the dog,Maggot Ass the wonder mutt.

Snakes on a Plane gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 16 Warlock

TITLE-Warlock

SOURCE-Vestron Video Blu Ray

I have always enjoyed exploring these lesser known horror franchises. So when I found the Warlock Trilogy Blu Ray set cheap I had to get it. 

Made in 89 but not released in the USA until a few years later,this ended up being a minor hit thanks to home video and it's airings on the various cable movie channels.

Julian Sands is the titular Warlock. And to escape a witchhunter he flees 300 years into the present day. Followed quickly by the witch  hunter.

If the Warlock can complete his mission in the modern day Satan will be able to take control of Earth. Our witch hunter gets teamed up with a waitress,played by Lori Singer. 

This waitress gets cursed by the Warlock. And for every day that passes she ages 20 years. Which gives us a time limit. Can Lori and the witch hunter find and stop the Warlock before Lori dies from old age?

Sure this isn't some big budget horror like what studios like Paramount were putting out. Even with the lower budget the movie looks good. 

The  blu ray is loaded with extras. From interviews and BTS stuff made back when the film was current to modern day stuff like a great commentary.

Warlock gets a B-.

 

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 15 Camp Blood 8 Revelations

 

TITLE-Camp Blood 8 Revelations

SOURCE-Tubi

I have known of the low budget slasher series Camp Blood for close to 20 years now. Never watched any of them. Mostly cause I never see the DVDs for sale in any store.

Was scrolling through TUBI,the modern day mom & Pop Video store,and had a friend messge me "Go to TUBI watch Camp Blood 8". Knowing her taste in horror is similar to mine I put on the movie.

2 hours later,stopped 2 times to get a snack and go piss,I had finally seen a Camp Blood movie. Did some research and found out that there is more than 8,some were not numbered. And almost all of them are on Tubi.

Camp Blood is rural area filled with woods. Once years ago a man in clown make up roamed the woods killing whoever was in them. But he is gone,replaced by his son who just wears a  clown mask and the son's insanee mother.

A bus bringing a Girls Beach Volleyball team to Salt Lake City breaks down. And we got our ladies wandering the woods.

2 of them find what looks to be an abandoned warehouse. Another gets captured and tied to an ottoman in Clownmask's living room. Where she is forced to make up son's about the mother's tits and ass. And another two run into Coolduder,YT personality,who lives in a cabin and is a survivalist.

 Maybe 10 minutes into the movie we find out that Clownmask has a sister that wwas abandoned in the woods. At first I was thinking the asian lady that is in the warehouse was this sister all grown up. Nope turns out it is the volleyball girl in Coolduder's cabin. 

But right when it looks like the sister is gonna do a heel turn Clownmask shows up and kills her.

The kills are bloody but cheap. The acting is either ok or horrid. Even with all these flaws I had a blast watching this. 

Plus even without seeing the previous films I didn't have trouble keeping up with this one. Seems there is a bit of Camp Blood lore in this franchise. Thankfully the scenes with the mother and the girl tied to the ottoman answered the few questions I had.

Camp Blood 8 gets a C-.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 14 Archnoquake

 

TITLE-ArchnoQuake
SOURCE-TUBI

Sometimes you want a dumb creature feature. Today was that day.

Set down in New Orleans a fracking accident releases giant albino firebreathing spiders. 

And we follow around 2 groups trying to survive this invasion of creepy crawlers.

One group you got Bug Hall,the guy who was Alfalfa in the Little Rascals movie,along with Tracy "Growing Pains" Gold and a few others. Bug drives a tour bus through the city.

The other group is a girls' sports team. On a bus driven by Ed Furlong looking like he hasn't slept in 4 years.

Now this was made for Sci Fi Channel. So you know that means the spiders are CGI. But this isn't the normal SCIFI original horrid CGI. This is a slight step above that. Hell the script and the acting is a slight step above the normal made for SCI FI Creature feature.

What surprised me the most is there is a handful of stunts were someone is set on fire. And these aren't done with CGI. Nope appears they just lit someone on fire.

Not a bad way to pass almost 2 hours. And being free on TUBI helps.

ArchnoQuake gets a C-.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 13 American Gothic

 

TITLE-American Gothic

SOURCE-Amazon Prime Video

Not sure why but this movie was one I just never saw until earlier this year. Yea I saw the reviews of it in Fangoria. Thought it sounded worth seeing. Then never rented it.

A pile of people are flying out to vacation on a small plane. Hoping this vacation will help their friend who just lost her baby. Have trouble and make an emergency landing. Thankfully a small island is near by.

After camping for the night,the friends discover an old home on the island. And not long after exploring parts of it run into the owners. An older couple,with the wife played by Yvonne DeCarlo. 

Then we start meeting this couples kids. Who are all at least mid 30s. But still act like pre teens or younger. 

More and more odd things start happening and the friends notice this.

The next day,I think it was the next day. One of the guys sees the 2 kids playing on a giant swing over a huge cliff. He gets talked into getting into the swing. And the male child climbs up and cuts the ropes holding the swing. Which results in a bloody death below on the rocks.

With this first kill the movie gets going and just keeps ramping up the gore and oddness. Like when we find out the babydoll the daughter carries is a mummified infant corpse.

Pretty sure this hasn't gotten a Blu ray release. Think the DVD is OOP. So this copy streaming on Amazom Prime Video is the easiest way to see this forgotten sleazy horror film.

American Gothic gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 12 The Blackening

 

TITLE-The Blackening

SOURCE-Lionsgate DVD

Horror/Comedy is a odd thing. Done right they are amazing like say Dead/Alive or Evil Dead 2. But done wrong and you get Scary Movie 1 and up. 

Been seeing this DVD at a local store for a bit. Wasn't gonna drop 20 bucks on it. When it hit 5 bucks grabbed it.

8 old friends gather at a house on in a rural area to celebrate Juneteenth. Once they find a racist board game the horror starts. They are forced to play the game or die. And who is the masked person armed with a cross bow that is all over the property and house? 

Unlike Scary Movie that just throws out 100 jokes and references every 5 minutes knowing enough will hit that the general audience will laugh,THe Blackening goes more subtitle. Like just small things that made me laugh but I am wondering how many people got.

For example the many card games of Spades. Which becomes a major plot point near the end. 

Or how in this film the cast isn't constantly nodding at the audience. I hate that shit. And this film thankfully doesn't do it.

Sure the killer and the twist isn't hard to figure out. I had a feeling who the mastermind was once they appeared early in the film. FX work was decent. And the acting was way better than I expected.

Seems this was a big enough hit a sequel is being made. And I will watch it if that happens.

The Blackening gets a B+

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 11 Mardi Gras Massacre

 

TITLE-Mardi Gras Massacre

SOURCE-Code Red DVD

Feels like I have see this on video store shelves my entire life. I got a clear memory of seeing it at Video Showboat in Pascagoula,almost renting but instead grabbing something else. 

Never really bother reading reviews of this. Just figured it was another crappy 70s film like say Drive In Massacre. I was wrong. So very wrong.

Set in and filmed in New Orleans,a late 70s era NOLA,this is an odd twist on Blood Fest. Guy is killing hookers to bring back an Aztec God.

We get primative gore FX,that  I bet were a bit shocking when this was made. Piles of sleaze. And just a grimy feel to the entire film.

Then there is that soundtrack. Feels like half of it is from some greasy mid 70s porno. And the other half feels like AM radio filler.

This is one I bought a long ass time ago and it just sat on the shelf. Thinking I found it cheap at a bodega. For a bit I was finding piles of Code Red and Synapse DVDs sold at the various corner stores and bodegas. 

Looked and it appears this  is streaming on TUBI currently. And is worth seeing. 

Mardi Gras Massacre gets a B-.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 10 The Exorcists

 

TITLE-The Exorcists

SOURCE-The Asylum DVD

Yep the Asylum saw an Exorcist prequel was coming out in 2023 and got this mockbuster shot in 6 days. And like most Asylum mockbusters they got a few names in the cast.

Up first is Doug Bradley as the lead priest. From Pinhead the Hell  Priest to a Catholic Priest doing an Exorcisim what a career LOL.

Then you got Denise Duff as the head nun. She was a big B Horror star what 20 years ago?

The plot is your standard young girl is possessed by a demon and the Catholic Church is brought in to fight this.

Unlike most Exorcist films this mockbuster has more than one person being possessed. Which leads to some decent FX work. Sure it isn't the quality of stuff you see on a big budget film but it also isn't the horrid cheap CGI stuff you see in most films made this quick.

Overall besides a issue near the ending the film isn't bad. I enjoyed it more than the Exorcist Prequel from last year. But that one issue,which I didn't catch on first viewing,now makes me not want to bother watching this again. Doesn't totally ruin the  film but hurts it somewhat.

The Exorcists gets a D+.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 09 Die Die Delta Pi

 

TITLE-Die Die Delta PI

SOURCE-TUBI Streaming App

Another day another modern low budget horror movie off TUBI.

No one in the cast you ever heard of. Set in whatever locations the producer could get free or cheap. And starring whoever can be convinced to be in the film.

Back in the 80s,or the way people that never lived through the 80s like to think the 80s was,the Delta Pi sorority is about to add some new members.  

Out by the bonfire where the Delta Pi are about to burn their house mother in effigy an accident happens and the nerdy girl gets badly burnt.

Skip ahead to modern era and the Delta Pi sorority is back and got a pile of pledges wantiing to join. Someone is killing  them and are they connected to what happened in the 80s? Of course.

Barely over an hour,padded as hell and full of some horrible acting,dialogue and even camera angles.

Fuck this was bad. Not even worth seeing for free on TUBI.

Die Die Delta Pi gets a F.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 08 Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl A Rama II

 

TITLE-Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl A Rama 2

SOURCE-TUBI Streaming App

Once I started this up and saw it was barely over an hour I knew it would more than likely suck. I was right.

The Sorority from the original film has fallen on hard times. They only got 2 members and 2 girls wanting to join. The house mother,Kellie Maroney,tells the girls about what happened in the first film.

Like in the first film there is a few goofball boys that are peeping on the girls trying to join. But it being what almost 40 years later instead of looking in a window they have just set up a mini camera in the bathroom facing the shower.

1 hour and 1 minutes including the long credits and it takes almost 30 minutes before we get to the bowling alley. Which I am pretty sure is the same one from the original,which was also in one of the Evil Bong movies.

Trophy gets broken of course. Out comes the Imp,who is creativly shot so you aren't suppose to notice he is very limited in his movements. But also we get the return of Brinke Stevens and Michelle Bauer as spirits of their characters from the first film.

The Imp grants wishs that backfire and once we hit the 50 minute mark the film is wrapping up.

Wow this was bad. I know modern Full Moon is usually short films that are barely over an hour and feel more like half a film. This felt like they had a 20 minute film they added whatevver it took to make it an hour.

Avoid this turd.

Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-A-Rama 2 gets a F+.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 07 Mississippi River Sharks

 

TITLE-Mississippi River Sharks

SOURCE-TUBI Streaming App

Been a bit since I watched a shark film for 31 Days of Horror. And yea back to TUBI. It comes in handy. Say I am stuck in the pharmacy line for 40 minutes,scroll TUBI on my phone put on some janky movie and keeps me from wanting to attach tasers and chainsaws to my shopping cart.

And today was a 3 long line day. Pharmacy was 35 minutes. First grocery store line was another 30 and the final one was 38 minutes. So I scrolled Tubi found Mississippi River Sharks and started it. Chose it cause hell wanted to see what non-MS location they filmed in to be a "rural Mississippi quiet town". And saw that Jason London was in the film PLAYING HIMSELF!!!

So this was made to premiere on SYFY Channel. Which means the gore is low. So was the budget. Unlike piles of these shit out sharkpolitation movies this one got 2 semi names.

I already mentioned Jason and more on him in  a bit. The other name  and when I saw her name in the credits I wasn't sure why I knew it. Cassie Steele,looked her up and she is best known for that 2000s Degrassi show,plays our lead. She is home from college and wants to help her dad keep the family business running. It shows she has been acting for a bit cause unlike most of the rest of the cast Cassie feels like she ISN'T trying her best to remember her lines.

And now Jason London. In this film he plays a slightly fictionlized version of himself. He is a former big star that is now known for being the lead in Shark Bite 1,2,4,5,6. Yes I left out 3 he isn't in it,which is a running joke through out the film.

It was 15 minutes maybe 20 into the film when I realized yes they actually shot this in Mississippi. Not only that but I know where it was shot. Saw HWY 90 and knew they were in Ocean Springs.  Surprised more stufff isn't filmed down there. Great looking locations and I am betting it is cheap to film down that way. I have heard the state of MS isn't one that gives film/tv productions big tax breaks. Which is why lots of stuff set in MS is filmed in Louisiana.And if you know both states it is easy to tell when they are trying to pass LA off as MS.

Sharks are heading up the MS river. Right a when a small town is having it's annual big fishing rodeo. Cassie and 2 old friends of her's gotta save everyone. Along with Jason London,who shows he has decent comedic skills in this role,this group must keep people from being killed by cheap CGI sharks. And opposing them is the town Mayor. A ten gallon hat on a 20 gallon dumb ass.

Yep it is Jaws but with more sharks and less budget.I was more entertained trying to figure out where various outdoor scenes were filmed than by the movie. 

Mississippi River Sharks gets a D+

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 06 Maid Droid

 

TITLE-Maid Droid

SOURCE-TUBI streaming App

Yep Tubi,the place that got The Asylum to jump ship from Syfy Channel. The place where odds are pretty good any given movie you half remember from seeing at 2am when you were drunk is on it or will be in a few weeks.

Was on TUBI looking for something to watch, Saw the above poster and the 2023 release date and after a quick look at IMDB,where I confirmed no one in this did much else,I started the movie.

The lead has been single for a bit. His previous fianace left him for another man. So he now rarely leaves his home. He works from home. A friend of his tells him about this service for android maids. Yea Rosie from Jetsons but HOT. And this is set in the modern time. 

The friend hints the company behind this service is a bit shady. And everytime the lead asks about the cost he just gets told "you can afford it"

He gets sent the lady on the poster,Mako. And fairly quickly he is going from booking her for 4 hours every few days to 8 hours every day to wanting her to stay. This requires a charging station be added to his closet. Seems Mako can only operate for 8 hours,then takes 8 hours to charge.

The first night when he goes to bed he puts Mako to sleep mode and on charge. And she starts to have nightmare about a previous client. Who tortured her. Cause why not she aint a human she is a robot. 

Yep this droid is gonna start trying to kill our lead.  What sets her off ,besides the nightly dreams of torture,is when the ex fianace gets back in touch. 

Oddly this was way better than I expected. The poster and trailer made it appear to be more like a "Vista Street" era Witchcraft film. Sure it has nudity and sex scenes.  They are all short and the acting is actually decent.

The gore was better than I expected. With the kills near the end being way harsher than you normally see in a low budget film of this sub genre.

Maid Droid gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 05 A Haunted House

 

TITLE-A Haunted House

SOURCE-Universal DVD

Once the Scary Movie franchise died the lower level Wayans brothers,Shawn and Marlon,started this parody/horror/comedy series.Yep another "Hey this is a buck and you never seen it"buys. 

Marlon is moving his new wife ,Essence Atkins,into his home. He has a security system set up. And the first half of the movie is a Paranormal Activity parody. Which parts were funny,but having not seen any of the Paranormal Activity movies I am sure there is bits I didn't get.

Then the last half the wife is now possessed,after getting banged by a "gost". And the film morphs into a Exorcist parody. Cedric the Entertainer as the Priest.

In these parody films they throw 100 jokes out at once knowing a few will hit and you will laugh. So for me to judge one of these I take notice of how long I go WITHOUT laughing. And on this one there was long stretches where I might grin at a bit,but no laughes.

Worth renting or streaming. Now I gotta figure out what to do with this movie I will never watch again.

A Haunted House gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 04 Sleepy Hollow High

 

TITLE-Sleepy Hollow High

SOURCE-Sterling DVD

Betting this is the most time and money I have spent on a shitty movie. 6 years ago I found Sleepy Hollow High on VHS at a local junkstore. Paid the 50 cents the guy wanted. Then it just got added to the unwatched stack.

Skip ahead to 2020. Stuck at home cause of all the shit going on I found the trailer to Sleepy Hollow High on Youtube. Fuck I gotta watch this. Couldn't find my vhs. Offer to Ebay dropped 10 buck,plus 3 for shipping to get the dvd. The one pictured above. The one that smelled like an ashtray.

5 students that are in trouble are sent to Sleepy Hollow Park Grounds to perfom community service. A killer is loose and they start to die.Standard slasher shit. 

Then add in bad acting,bad camera angles,bad fx work,bad script and you get this pile of shit. Only thing worth a fuck about it is the shooting location. But then finding a patch of woods that is empty to film in isn't that hard.

Of course now after spending close to 15 bucks on this pile of donkey feces I see it is now on Youtube,free. Don't go watch it. Avoid this rancid lump of tripe.

Sleepy Hollow High gets a F.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 03 Devil's Den

 

TITLE-Devil's Den

SOURCE-STARZ DVD

Not sure why but early in 2023 I was going through Jeff Burr's IMDB page,RIP SIR. Saw Devil's Den listed saw the cast and looked yep it's on TUBI. Watched it and went and ordered a copy of the DVD.

Take From Dusk Till Dawn,replace Clooney with Devon Sawa,or as the opening credits say DEON Sawa. Replace The Hammer with Ken Foree. Replace Tom Savini with Kelly Hu,an upgrade I would think. And you get Devil's Den.

Still curious why Jeff Burr used a alias on this. Had planned on getting a mutual friend to ask Mr Burr. Then well Jeff passed last year.

The plot? Devon/Deon and his buddy are smuggling Spanish Fly out of Mexico. I do wonder why they are smuggling it when every issue of Eazy Rider and Hustler I found in my dad's stash had it for sale. To test out how strong it is they stop at a bordertown strip club.

Kelly Hu is an assassin who has been hired to kill Devon. Ken Foree starts off as a Urkel like customer in the strip club but becomes a samurai.

Everything about this film makes me pose so many questions. Like why 10 years after the fact would you make a From Dusk till Dawn ripoff? Why is Burr using an alias? Why didn't anyone notice Devon's name was spelled wrong? Why isn't Kelly Hu a bigger name?

Now I enjoyed this. It is just one of those turn your brain off and enjoy horror films. More comedy than horror.

Devil's Den gets a B-

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 02 Bring it On Cheer or Die

 

TITLE-Bring it On Cheer or Die

SOURCE-Universal DVD

Yea everyone kind of remembers the first Bring it On movie. Cheerleaders,comedy and not a bad film. Who remembers the 6 or 7 sequels? Yea not many. In 2021 a new sequel came out. This time switching genres. Nope not a comedy aimed at teens this one is a SLASHER!!!

The Diablos are a cheer squad that loses at meets cause they aren't allowed to do stunts. Something about a girl dying doing them decades ago. 

Abby talks the lady in charge of them into allowing them for one big meet to do stunts. But the Diablos need a huge place to practice these new moves in. Only place big enough of course is the old abandoned school on the other side of town.

So the cheer squad goes. Not long after they start practicing one of the  girls twists her ankle. The dude ass stoner dude on the team packed a cooler but no ice,and they see that the bag with all their cells in it is missing now. 

After finding a list,with each member of the cheer squad listed as Hot Guy,Total slut,etc they realize something is up. Then 2 people in Mascot outfits show up and start killing off the Diablos.

Fairly decent kills,mostly practical FX work. And the reveal of who the killers is ain't bad. Like it isn't a total surprise but it also fits the feel of the film.

The surviving members of the Diablos a year later are at a meet and we get a twist that changes the film. Then boom credits roll.

Went into this expecting total junk. Over the past decade I have seen all the Bring it On movies and yea after that first one it is a fast downhill slide. Was surprised at how well done this movie was. And it is a modern slasher that doesn't feel like a Scream ripoff.

Bring  It On Cheer or Die gets a C+

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 01 Ninja Vampire Busters

 

TITLE-Ninja Vampire Busters aka Vampire Busters

SOURCE-Video Asia DVD

Yes that is stolen Eerie Publications artwork on that DVD cover. Those covers are why I grabbed a pile of those Video Asia double features. Most  which have sat on my shelf unwatched. Wanted something I had never seen today and the title Ninja Vampire Busters caught my eye.

Made in 1989 this is a Hong Kong horror/fantasy/comedy. We  see a bunch of rebels attacking a place. The fat owner only wants to make sure they do not disturb a urn. Seems an EVIL SPIRIT is in that urn. The urn ends up going off a cliff and into the ocean.

500 years later the son of a rich man bids on this urn as a joke. The urn is won and ends up in the rich man's lavish apartment. Now yea I get that in a crowded place like Hong  Kong lavish means a place bigger than normal,but this apartment appears to be half the size of my home and my home is not that big.

The son's asshole friends are around and one of them uses the urn as an ashtray. Which releases the spirit. Who possesses various members of the family.

Leading up to a long fight at the end between someone who is possessed and what looks like the fat guy from the prologue but now with a shit stache.

No vampires in the film,mostly demon looking  things after someone becomes possessed by the evil spirit. And really no ninjas. Thinking this was retitled in the states to tap into that Ninja and Vampire trend in the 80s.

Way way more comedy than horror. And very broad comedy. But I have come to expect that with Hong Kong movies. 

This being from Video Asia I am sure they just toook some old ex rental VHS they found and did a straight dupe from that to a dvd-r. It looks like that was the case. The picture has that blurry look old cheap vhs had. The sound for the last 10 minutes goes up and down. And the film cuts off before thhe credits finish.

Ninja Vampire Busters gets a D+

No Holds Barred DVD

 

TITLE-No Holds Barred

SOURCE-WWE DVD

Oh man the late 80s. I was watching any wrestling on tv. Renting ppvs as soon as the tapes hit the video stores. And buying every wrestling mag I could find. You would think that I was there opening night to see No Holds Barred I bet. Nope.

Situation is unique. Growing up in the heart of Mid South Wrestling territory I was never a Hulk Hogan fan. Had  a feeling the movie was going to be really bad. Rented it once it hit VHS. Hated it and never bothered seeing it again.

Few weeks back vending at a indie wrestling event down on the gulf coast. Another vendor walks over sees I got a figure he wants. Asks if I wanted to work a trade. Walk over see his DVD rack and grabbed a few to make the deal.

Thinking ok maybe it is a so bad it is good film. NOPE. 

Hogan is Rip the biggest star in wrestling. Tiny Lister is Zeus the star of a tough man contest like sport. Where they fight in an 8 sided ring.

Hogan asks a guy if he is smelling dookie. Joan Severence shows her boney butt in some panties. And Hogan shows off his orange ass cheeks in a dumb scene.

The story behind the writing and filming of this film are much more entertaining than the movie. Stories of Vince and Hogan staying up 2 days in a hotel room writing the script,with rumored mounds of cocaine.

Love seeing people hate on Ready to rumble,which is WCW's version of No Holds Barred,then claiming NHB is good.

Nah they are both bad. Just that Ready to Rumble is bad in a watchable way. And this is bad in a "Oh man I loved this as a kid so now I watch it again to go back to my childhood" way.

No Holds Barred gets a F-

Wonder Woman DVD

 

TITLE-Wonder Woman

SOURCE-Double Feature WB DVD

Years back when Wonder Woman came out I skipped it. Lots of it having to do with me just not enjoying most DC movies.

But yea part of it is I have never been a huge Wonder Woman fan. As a kid growing up in the 70s I saw her on Superfriends and the live action Linda Carter TV show. But when I would find her comic it was eitheer issues from the Kung fu era or she was fighting the dumbest villains ever.

Really it wasn't until her revamp after Crisis on Infinite Earths by George Perez that I really enjoyed Wonder Woman in comics. 

Add in how she was portrayed in the Justice League and then JLU sequel series I was a small fan.

Set back during World War 1 this movie from my memory of it shows Wonder Woman's origin as it was back in the pre-Crisis days.

Born from clay on Paradise Island. Heads to man's land after Steve Trevor lands on the island during WW1. And becomes Diana Prince.

What this film does so well is takes that basic story that I had been told in 8 pages in a reprint and makes it a fully fleshed out movie with 3 acts. And this was 2 hours 20 somethng minutes and didn't feel padded or bloated like most other capeshit films.

Our leads are all great in their roles. Gal is a believable Wonder Woman. I was worried cause she isn't as big as say Linda Carter was. But she makes it work. The guy playing Steve is good. Balancing comedy and heroism. And Ares oh so damn good.

Great battle scenes. The one with Wonder Woman jumping out of a trench and just runniing full force at a machine gun nest is so well shot,edited and everything.

Hearing the sequel isn't nearly as good. Got it on this DVD pack with the first one cheap.

Wonder Woman gets a B+

Venom Let there be Carnage DVD

 

TITLE-Venom Let There Be Carnage
SOURCE-Sony DVD

Venom hit the Spidey comics around the time I was dropping them. When the first Venom movie came out I caught it late one night on STARZ and it wasn't bad. 

Found this sequel new sealed at a pawn shop for a buck and took the chance. 

Eddie has a deal with Venom. Venom gets to eat chicken brains and chocolate,aand Eddie and Venom will fight crime.

Kletus Kasaday the serial killer wants to speak to Eddie and only Eddie. Offering him a exclusive interview. While doing the interview Kletus bites Eddie. 

Not long after this when Kletus is being put to death he doesn't die. Nope somehow part of the Symbiote is in him now. And Kletus is Carnage ready to destroy the world. Along side his girlfriend Shriek.

Only Eddie and Venom can stop them. But after a argument Venom leaves and is body hopping. Which a trip to a rave that is one of the best scenes in the film.

Leading up to a big battle at a church. Pure capshit spectacle and it was glorious.

Big and dumb,but fun...Venom Let There Be Carnage is worth seeing. And gets a C.

Shazam Fury of the Gods DVD

 

TITLE-Shazam Fury of the Gods

SOURCE-WB DVD

Never noticed back then but in the late 70s when I was a young kid DC was pushing Captain Marvel,AKA Shazam now,hard. Live action SatAM show. Cartoon,new comic,piles of merch. And it never seemed to work.

Then a few years ago a Shazam film came out and like I do with so many of these capestuff movies I buy it let it sit on my shelf for a long time then watch it. Loved it and when I found the second film cheap not that long ago I grabbed it.

Got told "Go find us a Marvel movie we haven't seen off the comic book movie shelf". Grabbed Shazam Fury of the Gods cause well they are the MARVEL family.

Billy and the rest of the Marvel family still living with their foster family. Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu show up in Greece and get the wizards staff from the first film. Get the wizard to repair it and put a bubble up around the city.

While this is going on Freddy is trying to impress the new girl at school,who turns out to be the sister of Helen and Lucy. Mary Marvel is about to head off to college and the rest of the Marvel Family has their various issues.

Seems the three sisters are the Daughters of Atlas. And are trying to take over the mortal world. 

Big battles ,decent FX work,a cool looking dragon. And we are lead to believe Billy has died. But a cameo from another DC Heroine saves the day.

Yea this ain't nearly as good as the first film. Not sure what is missing. Story,acting and FX work are all good. Also it is LONG. Like at least 20 minutes longer than needed. 

Shazam Fury of the Gods gets a C+

Euro Western Double Feature Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe/Any Gun Can Play DVD

TITLE-Euro Western Double Feature The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe/Any Gun Can Play

SOURCE-Alpha Video DVD

As a kid I hated westerns. Mostly cause we had one Color TV in the house,yea I'm that old. And many times I would be watching  something and Dad would walk in and turn the channel to usually some shitty John Wayne movie or Gunsmoke.

Over the past 20 years I have started dipping my toes into westerns. Finding ones I enjoy. And it was thanks to LCOTL over at Sleaze Fiend Magazine that I discovered this channel on YT packed with westerns. 

Late one night couldn't sleep so wanted something brainless to watch. Saw on that YT channel was a martial arts/western combo. The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe was it's title. And I watched it and loved it. Amazing widescreen print and good sound. 

Once the  film was over rushed to Amazon ordered  a pack of 8 westerns,with one of them being Shanghai Joe and his Fighting Fists. 

Got that set and the print on there is a VHS rip. Looks like ass sounds like ass. Made a note to get a better copy one day.

That day was a few months ago. Once  a week I do a circuit of the thrifts,junkstores and pawn shops locally. Buying up stuff. Found sealed at the church thrift the above pictured DVD.

The print is better than my old one. Sound is better but still not as good as what is on YT.

Shanghai Joe is a Chinese worker. He wants to find work. Ending up working for a ranch. Coming into a conflict with a gang that is enslaving latinos they get from across the border.

Basic kung Fu plot mixed with standard Western plot. The fights are what elevates this. The big bad hires a pile of assassins to kill Shanghai Joe. One of whom is the madman Klaus Kinski. 

Now Any Gun can Play is odd. I had never heard of it and before the first reel was over I realized this was a satire of the popular westerns of it's era. A decently done satire. With Edd Kookie Byrnes as a greaser looking cowboy. Yes Edd Kookie Byrnes,best known to anyone under 50 as the washed up Celebrity Peg and Al met on Married with Children,the same episode with Anthrax appearing.

Any Gun Can Play is a widescreen print. With some damage but nothing major. The sound is fairly decent.

Only  extras on this disc is a pile of trailers. For the 50 cents or buck I paid for this I was happy with 2 films.

Now time to continue the search for a good copy of Shanghai Joe on DVD or Blu Ray.

The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe gets a B. Any Gun Can Play gets a C+
 

Teen Titans Go Vol 1 Party,Party TPB

 

TITLE-Teen Titans Go VOL Party,Party
SOURCE-DC TPB

Yea I know the cartoon is hated. I saw it here and there and it was ok at best. This tpb supposedly reprints the first 6 isssues of the Teen Titans Go comics series.

You get a pile of 4 to 8 page stories. Imagine the old Archie digests but the stories got a slight superhero bend to them. And you will get cameos from people like Red Bee and Darkseid.

The art ? It looks like the cartoon so it works. The stories? They aren't bad. Lots of pop culture references. Like the story about the team going on a America's Got Talent like show,and facing the Brotherhood of Evil.

Or the really well done Slumber Party story. Starfire,Raven,Jynx and Bumblebee are having a slumber party. The guys all get sent out. And wacky hijynx happen.

Never would have bought this for cover price. 13 bucks when you factor in sales tax. The buck or so I paid is about what it was worth to me.

Cause these short stories made perfect reading material for when eating or when on the throne.

Teen Titans Go Vol 1 Party,Party gets a C+

The New Adventures of Batman The Complete Collection Blu Ray

TITLE-The New Adventures of Batman Complete Collection

SOURCE-Warner Brothers Blu Ray

I would have loved to been a kid in the past 20 years. When you got a new comic movie or tv show almost every month. Back in the mid to late 70s I was lucky if every 5 years we got a new cartoon. Which is why when this Batman cartoon debuted in the late 70s I was there every Saturday to see it. Loving Bat Mite and wondering why Bat Mite wasn't appearing in Superfriends on ABC.

Then the show stopped airing and I just forgot about it. Sometime in the late 80s had just got in my new CBG issue,Comic Buyers Guide,and in the classifieds saw someone selling COLLECTOR copies of this series on VHS. Not wanting to take a chance I passed.

Then I found this blu ray set cheap. And found the show is mixed bag to me know. It has the goofy plots of the Batman 66 tv show,which makes sense with Adam West and Burt Ward voicing Batman and Robin in this. 

Thinking this has to be the first Batgirl in animation. She is decent  in here. And very much like her Batman 66 portrayal.

With only 16 episodes they didnt go through that much of Batman's rogues gallery. You get Joker of course,and Penguin. Mr Freeze,who is one that became bigger thanks to BTAS. And a odd costume for Catwoman that I only remember seeing on this show.

As  a kid seeing this once a week and not having much else that was comic book related ot watch I loved it. Now seeing all 16 episodes over a weekend and it's flaws are very much there in your face often.

The prints used look and sound good. Only extra is a 18 minute short titled The Dark Knight Revisited. I think I have seen this before on another set. You get the same talking heads you got on all the Batman the Animated Series BTS extras on those releases.

The New Adventures of Batman Complete Collection Blu ray gets a C-.