31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 29 Hellmaster

TITLE-Hellmaster

SOURCE-Kings of Horror Youtube Channel

Ahh Kings of Horror  thanks to them  I got people to watch Vampeggedon. Hellmaster is one  I saw the  VHS in the  genre mags for sale. Sure I saw  it at a few video stores to rent and skipped it. Was looking for something to watch  remembered Kings of Horror and saw they added this in October this year. And it is the long THEM cut,about 5 minutes  longer than  the cut titled Hellmaster.

A prof at KIT has changed a pile of the students into demonic looking creatures. This prof is played by the late great John Saxon. Who does a lot with what little he was given  in the film. 

So we get these ghoulish creatures chasing students. And  who do the students have helping them? David Emge as  a  kind of odd monster hunter armed with a crossbow.

The makeup work on the creatures is nnice. Nothing super fancy but it stands out as at least a bit original looking.  The acting outside of Saxon and  Emgee is  ok at best and "Wow who owed who a favor" level.

Really what  makes this stand out from all the other DTV horror of the early 90s  is the  sound and light. There is always spooky ambient noise  in the background. Like  a constant howling wind. The lighting reminds me of the Italian  horror I would rent  in  the  80s.  Stuff like Demons.

Not sure this is worth  the 30 bucks or so I am sure VinSyn  wants for the blu ray.  Might track down  a DVD if it has one.

Hellmaster gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 28 The Curse of Humpty Dumpty

 

TITLE-The  Curse of Humpty Dumpty

SOURCE-Scream Factory DVD

Might have been 2 years ago I watched what I found out later was the 2nd part of this UK based horror trilogy. It wasn't amazing but it also wasn't total shit. Found this triple feature,where they cram 3 films on  one side of a dvd...

Two sisters learn their mother has dementia. So they take her back to the old family house out in the country to care for her. Once there they get settled in. See how hard it is to deal with a loved one with dementia. A doll that looks like the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty is found and that is when shit starts to happen.

Over the past 5 or so years there has been  a flood of cheap horror movies made in the woods of the UK. Some are good,some are bad. Having seen 2 of the 3 Humpty Dumpty films I can  say this franchise so far leans towards the good side.

The acting from  the 3 leads is good. The two sisters feel like real sisters. Arguing but still being there for their mom. The mother is great. She really appears to  be  suffering from dementia. The rest of the cast isn't as good.

Humpty Dumpty looks creepy. Decent  practical fx worked used to make him  appear to be alive,along with some guy in a suit shots.

I know at one time this trilogy was on Peacock. Betting Tubi has them all. Go give the first  one a try.

The Curse of Humpty Dumpty gets a C+

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 27 Piranhaconda

 

TITLE-Piranhaconda

SOURCE-Prime Video

Around 14 years ago I watched when  it debuted on  the SYFY Channel. Back  then  every other month I would drive to  the coast to help out with  my  grandpa. I was over  at my cousin's house hanging out,her and her  family were  going  to see some nieces band concert.I elected  to stay at  their place.  Saw Piranhaconda was debuting put it on expecting to see  at most an  hour  before they got  back.  The concert went on  for  4 hours and by the time they got  home  I  was crashed out on the couch.

Down in Hawaii we got a film crew making a slasher  film,while a group lead by scientist  Michael Madson  is looking for eggs from a mythic creature. The mother that laid that  egg  is  out  to get her  baby back.

Directed by Jim Wynorski and produced by Roger Corman  this is a modern creature feature.  One that  decades  ago would have played drive ins on  double and triple  features for years. With  drive  ins sadly almost dead  the  new venue for  these  types of films back in 2012 was SYFY channel. Now  they just appear  on TUBI.

The creature of course  is  CGI and ok  looking  CGI. The cast is  made up  of  people you  are like I know them  but have no clue what their name is. Being filmed in Hawaii the scenery looks great.

Having seen  Sharktopus,by Roger Corman,I knew  going in what to expect.  And got what I expected.So kills. Lots of  shots of  women  in bikinis.  And a  decent way to pass 2 hours.

Piranhaconda gets a C-

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 26 Frankie Freako

 

TITLE-Frankie Freako

SOURCE-Prime Video

A tribute to all those  80s Lil creature films,stuff like  Ghoulies/Munchies/etc,Frankie Freako is another hit from Ashtron 6.  A group of Canadians that make lower budget horror/comedy films.

Our lead works at a advertising agency.  He is  left in charge of the  home he shares with his girlfriend. Is  up late  at  night watching  tv  and sees an  ad  for a  party line. For  those that weren't around in  the 80s it was a number you  called and talked to other people and  usually cost ya say 2 bucks a minute. Frankie Freako is the party line and when called Frankie and  2 other  freaks  appear.

Imagine a more demonic looking Garbage Pail Kid and  that is Frankie  Freako. The three freaks wreck  the house. Glue  our leads boss to  the floor of  the basement. Then end  up  taking  the lead to their home  world. Where we me the corrupt leader.. 

The freaks and our lead stumble and  bumble their way to victory against the evil tyrant. Head  back to our world thinking it is all over. Nope the evil tyrant comes through the portal and we get a wild battle.

Evil defeated our lead gets a phone call  his girlfriend is on  her  way back.  He has an  hour to get the  house back to how it was. The Girlfriend gets there and we learn she went to college with  the female  freak. And we end with Xmas music playing as the credits  roll.

Sure the  story isn't  much  new. It  is  the great practical  FX that make this film stand  out. When the lead and the three freaks  first  get to  their  homeworld it is a long sequence  of stop motion miniture  work that looks really good.

Just saw Shout Factory has the full film up  on their Youtube channel

https://youtu.be/dxBAptawFdU?si=2not7njMnwH41uoW

Frankie Freako gets a B-.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 25 RL Stine's Pumpkinhead

 

TITLE-R.L.Stine's Pumpkinhead
SOURCE-TUBI

I heard about this last year and planned on watching  it. Thinking it was connected to  the old Pumpkinhead Franchise,it isn't. Needed a film for 31  Days of Horror and gave  this a shot.

New family moves  to a small farming  town.  Mom and her two  sons,the dad is  dead. The  older brother  tries to  help the younger brother get  over the death  of their  father. The younger brother's new friend tells them about  a farm  where vegetables are given  away in a festival. 

They got and the new  friend,sorry no one in this film's name stuck in my  memory,warns the younger brother to not mess with the  farmer's pumpkin. Being a dumb  kid he of course steals it. 

Of course the farmer notices his prize pumpkin missing and  the younger brother is told  to  bring  it back. Being a good kid the older brother sets  off on  his bike at night to return it. And  just vanishes.

The next day the mother acts  like she only has one  child. And the  friend  tells the younger brother how  kids  just vanish and are forgotten  about. But that the town oddball might know more.

So off into the woods to meet up with a grown man who lives  in a camper.  He tells them  to "Dont  move you are surrounded by landmines" then walks right by them.... Seems he  is sure  the farm is connected to the  missing  kids. And  his living outside  of the area is  why he is the only  adult that remembers the  missing kids.

Plan is made they are gonna get the brother back. Using  fireworks  the farmer  is distracted. We get a twist and  then the gut punch of an ending.

SPOILERS

The older brother and the  missing  kids  are found! But now the mother  and everyone else  it appears has no clue who the  younger brother  is....

Guess that will be resolved in the next film. Which has already been made.Worth  seeing,there is some creepy  scenes. But go  in remembering this is a kids/young  teens horror  film. 

R.L. Stine's Pumpkinhead gets a C+

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 24 Water Park Shark

 

TITLE-Water Park Shark

SOURCE-TUBI

There  is  enough cheap  made  Shark movies I could do 31 in October. And  this one is one  of the better  ones.

A former  football star has returned  to his  hometown. He is  gonna be security at the  local water park. Which is  where his former football coach works. And the  coach  is great has various  COACH TIPS. But  sharks have invaded this water park,seems the park  gets it's water from a source with  sharks. And with interest in  the park  dying  can it survive this attack  of sharks?

Dumb and fun and shockingly better than  I expected. The acting isn't  bad. I was  expecting local  community theater level acting and instead got made  for Lifetime channel level acting. The FX work is decent. And whatever waterpark this was shot at looks great.

The stand out in  the  film is the toothless shark that loves candy,kknown as Gummy. Great little twist that helps add to  how fun this  film is.

Just remember going  in this is gonna be a bit dumb. A big cheap. The kind  of film  back in  the day we would  rent drink a few beer and  watch while cracking  jokes.

Water Park  Shark gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 23 Summer of Fear

 

TITLE-Summer of Fear

SOURCE-Artisan DVD

I saw this Wes Craven made for TV,at  least in the States,film a  long ass time  ago on  VHS. Sure  it was a dub. Really didn't remember much about it. Then good brother CodyLL offered me his DVD. Knowing I needed  stuff  to  watch in October I  took him up on the  offer.

Linda Blair,when  she was doing a streak of Made for TV movies,lives  on a ranch with  her brothers and parents. A cousin  of her's loses her family so moves in  with them. The cousin and Blair get a long at first. Then  Blair's horse attacks the cousin. Stuff starts  missing and Blair is  suspecting this cousin is a witch.

A bit over 1 hour and 38 minutes this film  really feels  like a 70s made  for TV horror film.  Seem a few of them as a kid and  many more as an  adult and  they got a feel and  look that stands  out. The pacing is a bit slow. With really enough plot for a 60 minute feature stretched out.  Thankfully the cast helps cover this minor flaw.

Besides Linda  Blair  you got a young Fran Drescher as Blairs  best friend. and many of the  others in the cast I knew their faces . Looking them  up some  were from  soap operas. The cousin....  more than  a feew times I was sure it was Michelle  Baurer.

Betting this is the  first film Wes Craven  directed  that was  filmed on 35mm,which  is why this DVD looks really nice  even if it  is framed  for TV. Speaking of Craven he is on  the  commentary and  offers  some decent info on the film. Mentioning that Linda Blair had "just gotten better"...guessing this was during her partying days.

Worth seeing? Yea it is. Worth  owning? Maybe if you find it cheap. 

Summer of Fear gets a C+.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 22 Beast from Haunted Cave

 

TITLE-Beast from Haunted Cave

SOURCE-Shout Studios channel on Youtube

Was looking for something  to watch  today. Wanted something short plus something  I had never seen. This came up in my YT feed and what the hell it is barely over an hour give it a watch.

Some crooks are planning on robbing a company. The plan is set of explosions in a nearby mine and while everyone is dealing with that they gonna steal the  gold and haul ass on skis to a cabin  out in the middle of no where.But when the explosions happen it releases a beast. Got our crooks  in the cabin and the beast outside killing them off.

Simple plot. Did a bit of research and this was made in South  Dakota while Roger Corman was also filming Ski Patrol Attack,a WWII movie. Using mostly the same cast and locations. 

Monte Hellman directs and this is his first feature film. And even early on you can see that Monte has an eye for capturing moments. Lots  of interesting  angles and shots  in the  film. Which normally you don't see in cheap films  like this.

The beast? Looks cheap but betting the  budget  for it was 20 bucks. What makes this film stand out rom the 100s of creature from this era. 

Made cheap and it shows some this is worth seeing at least once if you got any interest in low budget horror film making.

Beast from Haunted Cave gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 21 Ghoulies

 

TITLE-Ghoulies

SOURCE-MVD 4k UHD

I can clearly remember being  10 or 11 and seeing  the trailer for  Ghoulies. And  I wanted to see it. It looked like  a more  horrific version  of  Gremlins. No theater near me got the film. And almost a year later  finally Video  Showboat got  in the tape. Rented it and HATED IT.  The  Ghoulies are barely in the  film  and pre-teen me wanted small monsters running wild.

So since  the  first one sucked I skipped  the sequels. Decades  later I saw Ghoulies goto  College and loved it. Earlier this year saw this 4k  and  it  was 12 bucks. Took a chance.

At a old home a Satanist is  trying  to do  evil. A wild party is going on. With Law & Order's Mariska Hagerty as one of the cast. I do enjoy seeing her in  stuff like this. Back when she knew how to act  and just didn't make the "I gotta crap but  can't"face she makes on SVU now. You end up with  dwarves,Ghoulies and other evilness running all around  this place  as our heroes try to prevent them from taking  over the  world.

Seeing the film now without the idea that it is gonna  be  like Gremlins I actually enjoyed it.  I can  see why it go so many sequels. Now it  isn't an  amazing  hidden gem.  But it is much  better  than I remember.

The 4k looks  great  sounds good and I love how it comes with a poster that makes the cover look like  a CED. 

Ghoulies gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 20 The Stepfather Remake

 

TITLE-The Stepfather

SOURCE-Screen Gems DVD

Having seen the original back  in the  day when  this remake was announced I wondered why? I  get remaking  films that were good but had flaws. The Stepfather had no flaws. Decided to  wait till  I could get the DVD in  thru Netflix by  mail,remember that? Got it in,watched  it and it was decent. Totally forgot about it until I  found the above pictured  copy at a junkstore cheap.

So this is  an ex-rental DVD. Which means a great  super tough case,these Blockbuster cases are great and much better than  the eco-cases we get  now with most releases. And yea I  gotta get  the "$9.99 sale" sticker residue on the bottom right  corner.

The film  starts off with  our lead  having just killed  another  family.  He targets widowed or freshly divorced women  with kids. Ends  up married to  them and as  the family disappoints him he  kills them and then moves to another state and starts  up again. 

After moving the Stepfather  meets Sela Ward in a grocery store. They start talking  and 6 months  later when Sela's oldest son is coming back  from reform school and learns he has a new step dad. 

The  new Stepfather starts cracking,like when  the younger son  is  told to turn the TV  down and doesn't. So Stepfather gets a bit  rough with the kid. More and  more cracks are showing, with  the  oldest son and his girlfriend noticing  them.

Decent remake. Still wasn't needed.  Good cast with Sela Ward standing out as the best in  the film.  Still  it's a film  I doubt I watch  again for a long time. Glad  I paid  a buck or less  for this.

The  Stepfather Remake gets a C+

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 19 Primate

 

TITLE-Primate

SOURCE-Blu  Ray

I barely remember seeing ads for  this when  it was hitting theaters. Never heard many folks talking about it. Saw the Blu ray cheap,got a local pawn shop I have found  out that usually has new  releases  in a week after  they came out cheap. 

A family that lives  in Hawaii has a pet  chimp. One  of the daughters is coming home  to visit right when the father has to be  gone. So  she plans a party with her friends. Not knowing a mongoose with rabies in in  the chimps cage.Now our lead and her friends are trapped by a rabid chimp.

Simple plot and one I've seen before with other animals. What made Primate stand out is the level of gore. First few minutes got one  guy getting the skin ripped off his face. Got another scene where all the women are in the pool,the chimp fears water. They think they are safe,but the chimp shimmys out on some wires grabs one girl by the hair and rips her hair  out by the root.

Yea it's nothing  amazing. Just not use to see a studio film  with this levels of gore. More than  worth seeing. 

Primate gets a B-.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 18 Pet Sematary II

 

TITLE-Pet Sematary II
SOURCE-DVD

I am  sure I saw this back in the day.  More than likely in a  2 year period where I got cheap/free rentals from a video store. But when I put  the movie on  I remembered nothing about it.

Ed Furlong is the  son  of a actress. He is on the  set of her newest film and  watches as she accidentally gets  electrocuted on set.  And wow is  it brutal. Which leads to his father taking  him and moving from California all the way to  Maine. His dad is Anthony Edwards and is a vet.

In this new  town  of course Ed stands  out. Making just one  friend,a local fat kid  with  a POS step dad. This  step dad is  a local cop and played by  the great Clancy Brown. The POS Step Dad shoots and kills  the fat  kid's dog Zowie. So of  course Fat Kid  and Ed go bury Zowie in the Pet Sematary and big  surprise  the dog comes back to life. 

Shit happens and the step dad dies and gets buried and  comes  back.  And that is when  the film  just goes off the rails. Clancy  is amazing in  this role and single handedly saves  this movie. 

I had heard for years how this was horrible,and it could be,if not for Clancy Brown. Him  as the piece of shit  cop saves this movie. He is so over the top and appears to be having  a blast. Like in  the scene where he kills a  kid using  a motorcycle tire.

Sure this ain't a classic like the  original. It is still one of the best sequels to a Stephen  King movie.

Pet Sematary II gets a C+

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 17 Skeleton Man

 

TITLE-Skeleton Man

SOURCE-DVD

I had heard for  years how bad this "horror" film is. Had a friend that loved  shitty horror  claim it was one of the worst she had seen. So when I found the DVD for  a buck I had to grab it.

A man  removes a  skull from an  ancient  Indian  Burial ground. Causing  the Skeleton Man to rise from  the grave,hop on his horse and ride through the woods killing people. Skeleton  Man  is someone in a cheap leftover cloak  the production staff got from  an after Halloween sale at Walgreens.  And  Skeleton  Man has on a skull mask. The standard Skull mask  you find for 10 bucks  at any store around  Halloween. The horse Skeleton Man rides,it changes color from shot to shot.  Yep they didn't bother to  get horses that  look  similar  for this  film.

Fairly  quickly Skeleton Man kills off two "Delta Force" troops that are in  the woods. Never seen Delta Force dressed in cheap workout gear. Still their deaths brings in the only names this film  could get.

Michael Rooker,yea I know to many  he is Merle from Walking Dead,he is  always Henry from Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer to me. He is head of a another group of "Delta Force" Troops. Which also includes Casper Van Dien. I always wondered  how and why he went from big roles like  Starship Troopers and Sleep Hollow to made for SYFY tripe like this. 

The rest of the film  is  this group of "Delta  Force"members  trying to stop Skeleton Man. And if  this is legit Delta  Force wow recruiting standards have went way down  since I  was in the military.

The kills are decent,fairly gory and look good. Just you get dumb stuff like a scene where Skeleton Man uses a standard arrow to take down a helicopter. 

Normally  a film like this I can just sit back  and enjoy it  being  BIG DUMB  FUN. This  is just  dumb!

Skeleton  Man gets  a D+

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 16 Office Killer

 

TITLE-Office Killer

SOURCE-Echo Bridge DVD

Oh Miramax,made a pile or aqquired a pile,then either  sat on  them for years or dumped them straight  to cable/home video. Office Killer is one  of  those films that got that treatment.

In 97/98 this came out,I  saw no press about it in the genre mags. Never even  heard  of it until 10 or so years ago when I bought a 20 pack of horror films  from Echo Bridge. 20 films spread across  4 discs. So 5  films a disc. And while the  film looked rough and  a bare step above vhs  I enjoyed it.

Skip ahead to early this year. Heard Vinegar Syndrome was releasing it on  a packed HD release. Dug out this old ass DVD to rewatch it and  see  if  it was worth a pricey upgrade. Thinking  I paid 5 bucks for this release. Then the DVD got knocked under the TV stand. I forgot about it. Found it a week  ago  and watched it today.

Carol Kane is a office worker,who also takes care of an elderly relative. Her workplace is downsizing so  everyone is worried about their jobs. Then  late one night working over  Carol accidently  electrocutes a co worker. Instead of  reporting it,she  takes the body home hides it in her basement. And now any co worker pisses her off she kills  them. And the co workers is a great cast. Got  Molly Ringwald in 1 of  the  2 horror films she  has starred in. As  the bitchy co worker that gets  downsized. Jeanne  Triplehorn a as another co worker.

More of a dark comedy/thriller than horror. But worth a watch. Not sure I will upgrade unless I can find it for  25 or less.

Office Killer  gets  a B-.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 15 Return to Silent Hill

 

TITLE-Return to Silent  Hill

SOURCE-Blu Ray

While I heard  about the Silent Hill games I never played any of  them much. By the time they were coming out  I was not playing  many modern video games. So that first  Silent Hill movie came out. I skipped it. Then  one day years ago wanting something to watch bought it on  DVD. Enjoyed it  and when I saw the trailers for Return  to  Silent Hill  I wanted to go see it. Never could work out a day that I could make it to the good theater up in Pearl MS. My local  theater charges too much  for subpar projection and sound. Day the blu ray came out  I bought it and like what happens  often it got  put on the  to be watched  pile and sat.

A young  man returns to Silent  Hill,possibly to save someone named Mary. And  it seems he is stuck in  a time loop. This isn't a film with a deep plot. It relies on  the  creepy images and sound to tell it's story. Which works well for  me. Again I don't know the games so I have no clue how close to the games this film is.

Our lead is an actor I have never seen  before and he  is decent in his role. The lead actress is another I have  never seen. She does a great job with her part. The rest of the  cast ain't bad.

I gotta say the practical FX work in the  film looks great. Got a few scenes that feel  like they are outta Society. Now the  CGI work... some is decent and some looks like junk from a PS1 game.

Hearing  this bombed,which sucks,cause I would  love to  see a sequel.

Return to Silent  Hill gets a B-

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 14 Hollywood Kills

 

TITLE-Hollywood Kills

SOURCE-Echo Bridge DVD

Sometimes you just  need a film  to kill  sometime. And this one  did that.

Hollywood Kills  is the perfect example of a great premise that gets  turned to  doo doo butter cause  of budget  and the cast.

A crazy  director likes to  invite young actors/actresses to his studio. Then  he  drugs them  and  hold "Auditions". Where he kills them while filming  the kills. This time a young female director in the bunch of  aspiring thesbians. So the crazy director takes her nails her to a director's chair. And  forces her to watch as one  by one  her friends are slaughtered.

See sounds decent. Coming out  in 2006 this was trying  to catch  some of the  wave of popularity that Saw/Hostel and other films like that had. Just Saw and Hostel had budgets higher than what  I paid for my first car and a cast that wasn't found by throwing  darts at  the Los Angeles phone book.

At least the kills  are  all practical. The  best is  a broken champagne bottle shoved into someone's  mouth. The  worst is when  the  crazy director cuts the  lady director's eye lids off,so she cant shut her  eyes. And it  looks like those fake "nasty eye" appliances you would find near Halloween at places like  K-mart and TG&Y.

Barely and  hour  and 20 minutes including the  opening and closing credits the film still fills  too long. Maybe cut  the film down  to 30 minutes  and  it  would work decently  as part of  a horror anthology film or  an episode of a TV show  like Tales from the Crypt,Tales from  the Darkside or Creepshow.

The cast... only one person in  the cast have I seen  in  anything before.  The actor that  was Scutt Farkus in  A Christmas Story. And his part is tiny with little  screen  time.

Overall  I say don't buy this.I got it on  a set that was 20 horror films for 5 bucks. And feel like even  at 25 cents a  movie  I  overpaid for Hollywood Kills. Maybe if  you have to see it  track  it down on TUBI  or one  of the other  FAST apps.

Hollywood  Kills gets  a D+

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 13 Final Remains AKA Mortuary 2005

 

TITLE-Final Remains AKA  Mortuary (2005)

SOURCE-Echo Bridge  DVD

Remember like 10 years ago  when Echo Bridge had the license for a pile of Dimension and Miramax  films? You could get a 20 pack of movies,5 films per DVD,for 5 to 10 bucks depending on the store. And this wasn't your normal Mill Creek/Brentwood/Diamond Public  Domain or Grey market stuff. You got real "winners" like Dracula 2000 and  that Halloween  with Busta Rhymes (RIP TheFUCKERFROMHELL).

On  one of these packs  I discovered this forgotten 2005  slasher comedy. Looks like it was shot on video and  cause it is crammed onto one disc with 4 other  films it looks like a ex rental VHS.  The sound was also  a bit low.  Normally I watch movies  in  the living  room on  the large tv.  And  that  one I can normally keep the volume at 14 to 17 for a DVD  and hear it clearly. This one I kept  having  to bump it up  to 20 or even  25.

A bunch of college age teens  want  to party in their small town. A killer is on the loose and  a man suspects the killer is hiding out  at the local funeral home. And of course the teens goto the funeral home  late one night to party.

Thankfully this is only 76 or so minutes.  A bigger budget and  more professional cast would have this at the  level of forgotten horror that  Vinegar Syndrome would release with a limited to  2k  slipcase  edition. But this has  a budget around  what a family of 4 would spend on a 3 day trip to Disney World.

The kills are not bad. I like the look of the killer,surgical face  mask and shower cap. Being  a homage to 80s slashers we  do  get some nudity.  With one scene feeling very gratuitious. 

When we finally learn  who the killer is I wasn't surprised. My short list of who  it  could be was 2 people.

Betting  this is  streaming on say Tubi or one  of  the other FAST services. And  if  you like slashers  and comedy it is worth watching. I doubt  I will ever upgrade from  this DVD.

Final Remains gets a C-.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 12 It's Alive

 

TITLE-It's Alive

SOURCE-DVD

Somehow as a kid  in the early  80s I ended up with a vhs tape with the first of this trilogy of films on it.  Watched it over and over as a kid. Then  kind of just forgot about it until last year when I found the trilogy on  DVD for cheap.

A expecting father enters the  delivery room to see everyone dead and a trail of blood. His new born  son is a mutant baby that kills. And the rest of the film is this father trying to find his son and protect him.

Great concept,playing off the various "these drugs if taken when pregnant will mess up your baby" scares of the 60s/70s,and Larry Cohen does a good job. Just wow this movie is slow as fuck. We don't see the mutant baby clearly until almost the end. Which makes the film feel a bit like  a 50s drive in  monster movie. When we do it looks a bit like a Cabbage Patch kid put into a microwave.

As a kid this was one of my favorite films. One I know I saw at least once a week. Rewatching it  now it isn't as good as I remembered. Which kind  off sucks. The film isn't bad. Just my brain had built it up as this gore  soaked forgotten 70s classic. Which it isn't.

It's Alive gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 11 Bambi the Reckoning

 

TITLE-Bambi the Reckoning

SOURCE-ITN/Scream  Factory DVD

Few years back when I watched the first entry in the Twisted Childhood Universe films I made a joke about "I want a killer Bambi  movie". Not knowing just 3 years later I  would get it.

Not  long after  the Bambi  movie  we all know Bambi meets a doe.Then  have an offspring that dies and Bambi gets exposed to toxic waste and  mutates into a giant killer deer.

And we also got a family gathering at their mothers home,a mother  who is suffering from dementia,and  guess what that home is in the woods Bambi lives  in.

Now  years back  I bought a few films from ITN,who I dubbed International Turd Network. Mostly cause almost all their films were made overseas and they all sucked. This was the exception.

Instead of folks in  obvious rubber masks this film has decent CGI FX for Bambi. The actors/actresses feel more like the crew  tracked down people  that do acting  for a living and not  "Hey didn't your cousin  once star in  the little theater production  of Driving  Ms Daisy?" 

So  far the other 3 Twisted Childhood  films work  mostly cause it is seeing  a person from your younger years now out there  killing people. This one works because it has a decent script. You could take  away the connection to the Disney animated film  and  it would  still work.

Bambi The  Reckoning gets  a C+

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 10 Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare

 

TITLE-Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare

SOURCE-Scream Factory DVD

Now I saw and enjoyed both Winnie the Pooh horror films. So when I saw the same universe Peter Pan horror movie I grabbed it. And like with most DVDs/Blu Rays I buy it sat on  the to be  watched stack for months.

Peter Pan  is a sick man. He kidnaps kids and "sends them to Neverland" by killing them. After forgetting to go pick up her brother after school,Wendy learns Peter Pan kidnapped her brother and is trying to get hi back,

I like how the writer took the basic Peter Pan  story and twisted it. Reminds me of how at one time the comic book Fables the big bad guy was planned to be Peter Pan,that got stoppedd cause at least during that time frame Peter Pan wasn't public domain in the UK.

And quickly I wanna speak on  all these "horror" fans I see complaining about "All these films taking childhood things and making them  edgy and evil" Ok yea I get that but just don't watch the films then. Nope they will go watch it knowing they will hate it. And I do not get that at all. I got more free time than most and I don't have the time to watch something I know I won't enjoy.

Overall this ain't a bad film. The acting isn't bad. The FX work is well done. I would say it is a step above Winne the Pooh Blood and Honey part 1 and almost as good as it's sequel.

Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 09 The Devil's Dolls aka Worry Dolls

 

TITLE-The Devil's Dolls aka Worry Dolls
SOURCE-IFC Midnight/Scream Factory DVD

Made a bit over a decade ago,and shot in Natchez,Canton and Jackson MS,this is the second  feature fro the director.

A serial killer's worry dolls end up in the hands of a crafty young girl. Who uses their parts to make charm bracelets. Which are sold at her mothers junk store. Seems these dolls are possessed by the evil spirit of the serial Killer

Each person that buys one of these charms gets possessed and starts killing. Like when one guy attacks a corner store owner with scissors. Once the leads figure out what is up they start trying to find everyone who bought one of the charms.

Decent acting some good gore and helps it is shot in  locations I know somewhat. Like one scene I knew they filmed in Jackson cause I saw a place I have been often.

The film is a mixture of serial killer+possession horror. It works. But also this is a movie that if I hadn't found it for a buck I wouldn't have bought it. The kind of film you are wanting something to watch so scroll through TUBI ffor an hour and decide on this.

The Devil's Dolls gets a C+

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 08 Good Boy

TITLE-Good Boy

SOURCE-Shudder Blu ray

Heard about this movie last year and planned on watching it and just kind of forgot to. Earlier this year saw the blu ray was wanting something  to watch early in the morning with my dog,Maggot Ass the Wonder Mutt,and put it on. But kept being distracted and really only half watched the film.Now having seen it fully,I see why it got loads of praise.

A man with a chronic lung illness moves into his grandfather's house way out in the woods. It is just him and his dog Indy. The man's sister is sure the house is haunted and that is what killed the grandfather. And Indy keeps seeing stuff that is spooky. 

I was really surprised by this film. Went in not expecting that much,had heard early on the dog playing Indy was new to acting. And owning a stubborn dog I was figuring this would not work. Nope Indy is amazing. The sequence near the 3/4th mark with Indy figuring out how to escape being chained to his dog house was so well shot. 

The various spirits and supernatural entities in the film got a spooky look to them. Which helps makes the film have this creepy vibe. 

What can I say I'm a sucker for a film where the dog is the hero.  And watching Indy try his best to save his owner got me right in the heart.

For extras we get a Making of and a BTS featurette. Plus a decent commentary with the director and the producer.

Now for me this was worth buying,and I keep a sub going to Shudder. Give this a watch to see one of the more unique modern horror films.

Good Boy gets a B+

 

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 07 Phantom Brother

 

TITLE-Phantom Brother

SOURCE-Terror Vision  Blu Ray

The 80s the decade that produced piles of slashers. And cause of the lowered cost of consumer grade video cameras started the Shot on Video Horror sub genre. Phantom Brother is a mash up of horror+comedy plus shot on video+slasher. And for a low budget shot on Betamax,yep on one of the commentaries we learn this wasn't shot on VHS but the superior tape format,this isn't bad. It is actually funny and the lack of a budget doesn't hurt it that much.

The only survivor of an accident that killed the rest of his family,a young man gets raised by the crazy Hickman family. Now grown this young man has to clean up the mess left when  the ghosts of his dead family kill anyone that enters their old abandoned home.

Phantom Brother is just various reasons for people to enter this home and then be killed by the Black/White mask wearing Phantom Brother. We start off with two couples going there to make out. After getting the required for the era topless nudity Phantom Brother shows up with a sharp weapon and kills. Or how when a group shows up to film a sleazy horror film in the home. What surprised me is the ending twist wasn't what I figured it would be.

Loaded with a pile of commentaries this release from  Terror Vision is loaded. Having listened to 2 of the commentaries so far I gotta say they are fun to hear. 

Phantom Brother got a now rare VHS release. That on the extras is mentioned to sell for over 200 bucks. For a long time a crappy upscale rip of the VHS was on Youtube. This blu ray looks decent,considering it was filmed on Betamax tape. The sound has a tiny bit of hiss,but I was expecting that.

If you want a horror/comedy that has way more ambition than budget this is worth tracking down.

Phantom Brother gets a C+

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 06 Copperhead The Snake Movie

 

TITLE-Copperhead the Snake Movie

SOURCE-Terror Vision Blu Ray

Last year I think it was in November Terror Vision had a deal,3 random blu rays shipped for a total of I think it was 30 bucks. Got 2 of these packs planning on watching them for this years 31 years of Horror. Copperhead is up first.

Made in the first half of the 80s,I keep seeing conflicting dates mostly 83 and 84,this is a low budget snake horror film. Way out in the woods of Missouri a wildlife painter lives with his family. And a kind of scummy family moves into a nearby abandoned church. A church that is packed with mice and copperheads.

Seems this family is on the run  cause of some gold they stole from Peru. The dad is a gun nut,with not long after he first meets the painter and his family,the dad is whipping out a pistol and shooting a glass jar with a snake in it. Then shoots the snake a few times. Oh yeah real snakes were killed in the making of this film. Forgot the opening scene is a copperhead eating a rat. The Blu ray claims to have a cruelty free version,I haven't watched that version.

We get lots of thick southern accents from folks that I bet might have done a few community theater plays or local commericals. Lots of guns shooting stuff. The family in the  church feels like the relatives of Ethal and her son from Friday the 13th part 5.

The ending connects us back to Peru and  we get to see the snakes get their revenge on the scummy family,and it was better done  than I expected.

Being a Terror Vision release this is LOADED with extras. You get a few commentaries,interviews with the family that made the film. A film made by the son of the director called Motorhome From Hell. A commentary on that extra film. 

Go in knowing this a cheap regional horror. Made by most a crew of locals. Kind of surprised I had never heard of this until getting it. On one  of the commentaries the director  claims copies of the VHS release was in videos stores all over the States. I never saw it and was in plenty of stores back  in the 80s.

Copperhead The Snake Movie gets a C+

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 05 Tremors 5 Bloodlines

 

TITLE-Tremors 5 Bloodlines

SOURCE-Universal Blu Ray

Still kind of amazed that Tremors has had 6 sequels,yes there is 2 more after this one,and a tv show. Yea that first film was a blast. Great cast,good fx work. 

Part 4 was a prequel set a long time ago.  So years later when part 5 Bloodlines was made they went back to the standard story. Burt Gummer goes where the Graboids are and fights them. 

This time it is South Africa and he gets stuck with Jamie Kennedy as his side kick. Being a new Tremors film they give us a never variant of the Graboids. We already got the biped Shriekers and the flying Assblasters. This film adds a new type that  looks like a snack with a graboid head.

I wasn't expecting much going into this. It premiered on SYFY channel. And after how just average part 4 I figured this would be cheap cash grab  attempt to revive a franchise that might should have stayed dead.

I was WRONG! Not really a fan of Jamie Kennedy,he was decent in the first Scream film but since then he annoys me more than makes me laugh. His chemistry with Michael Gross shines. The rest of the cast was made up of folks I haven't seen  before. Betting since this appears to have been filmed on location it was South African based actors/actress.

Two scenes stand out. Burt and Travis(Jamie Kennedy) are out in the brush. Huge herd of cows around them. And a massive Graboid is near. To distract it long enough to get to safety they try to get the herd to stampede. Nicely shot and paced action scene that worked. The other was near the end when using a trick a kid showed Jamie early on  they draw out the big Graboid. And while that is happening you have a stunt man "Jamie Kennedy" on a dirt bike grinding  up the snake graboids with it's tires.

Think about it ,this is the 5th film in the franchise,and there has already been a one season long TV show,you know going in if you are a fan of Burt and the Graboids. I am and really enjoyed this one.

Tremors 5 Bloodlines gets a B.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 04 The Legend of Boggy Creek

TITLE-The Legend of Boggy Creek
SOURCE-Sterling Entertainment DVD

Pretty sure I saw this at least once as a kid on late night TV in the early 80s. And over the decades had some many people just a bit older than me talk about how scary it is. When I found the DVD in a junkstore for a buck I took a chance.

The film is a weird blending of documentary and horror. Seems the  cast  is made up of lots of people from the town it is set in. Foulke Arkansas. Which means some of the cast is horrible and some are ok. The little you see of the creature ain't bad. But you see so little of it. And the movie is just so SLOW. I don't mind a slower film. This one is almost dreadfully slow. Add in the DVD I got is a obvious VHS rip. 4:3 smeary as hell picture. Sound that is mono. Plus it appears it ain't a brand new vhs nah they went to Movie Hutt and got the copy that had been rented 100 times. Then found a 2 head vcr to rip it with.

The story...swamp  monster is attacking people in a small rural town in the south. That is it.

Yes I know it is one of the earliest Bigfoot movies. And it appears for a generation that was kids when this came out it is SCARY AS FUCK. I had just woke up maybe an hour before viewing it this time and was so bored 45 minutes in I almost dozed off.

I have been told a nice looking Blu Ray is available. Plan is get that and give this a rewatch. See if better picture and sound can help save this movie in my eyes.

Legend of Boggy Creek gets a D-

31 days of Horror 2026 Day 03 Sinners

 

TITLE-Sinners

SOURCE-4K UHD

I heard about this movie when I was being made. The film being set in North Mississippi I was semi interested. Heard it was a horror film and really wanted to see it. Grabbed the 4k and planned on watching it soon. Late one night started it and was loving it and halfway through I was so tired I couldn't stay awake. Stopped the film went to bed. 

Today get up wanted something to watch. Saw the 4k was still sitting in a stack by the player in the living room and started it up. Bit over 2 hours later I was done and  saw why the film was getting so much praise.

Based in Clarksdale MS,a tiny town up in the Delta region of the state,we got a set of twins,Smoke and Stack,who have come back from working for the mob in Chicago. Their plan is open up a juke joint in this old mill. The man they are renting the mill from acts a bit odd. First half of the movie is mostly the twins gathering people to work at the juke joint and usicians and singers to perform there.

Then  almost right at the halfway point we get a twist. Seems vampires are real and one is in the town. And this drama becomes a horror film. With a juke joint full of folks while the vampires  outside keep adding more members and trying to get into the building.

And even after the vampire issue is taken care of we get another twist. Seems the guy who owns the mill is part of the Klan. And he had planned on coming with his group of inbred moronic crackers and burning the juke joint down. 

Gorgeously shot,with some great musicial numbers. And the cast is packed with folks that while you will not know their names you will know their faces. 

Sinners gets a A-.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 02 Basket Case 2

 

TITLE-Basket Case 2

SOURCE-Synapse DVD

8 years after the first film we finally got a sequel. Dwayne and his brother survived the last film and a lady that has a house full of freaks helps sneak both of them out of the hospital. 

The rest of the film is mostly the two brothers becoming part of this family of freaks. Belai finding a female that is in the same shape as he is. And Dwayne falling for the young lady that lives there helping her "Aunt". And we got a reporter and PI trying to find the brothers.

Yea this isn't as good as the original film. Matter of fact first time I saw it in the early 90s on Showtime I was mega disappointed. Gone was the scuzzy vibe that first film had. The increase in budget also hindered this sequel in my eyes back then. Now I think it is one of Frank Hellenlotter's better films. 

The highlight of the films is the look of the various freaks. Each who has a talent that makes them stand out as much as their odd appearance. 

This DVD includes two extras. One is a 20+minute piece on the film. Lots of good info about the making of the film. Then we get a short interview with David Emgee. Who plays Moonface in the film. This isn't as good. 

Basket Case 2 gets a B.

31 Days of Horror 2026 Day 01 Black Swarm

 

TITLE-Black Swarm

SOURCE-Maneater films triple feature dvd pack

Back months ago I started gathering cheap dvds of horror films. Every year I cover 31 horror/Halloween themed films on this blog each October. So I'm always needing stuff to watch for this. Saw for a buck each two Triple packs of these made for SYFY channel CGI creature feature films.

Black Swarm has a lady moving back to her home town. Along with her young daughter. She is gonna be a local cop. All seems ok. Until a local homeless man is found dead from wasp stings. Then we find out there is mutant wasps in the area. Created by Robert Englund. If you get stung by them the Queen Wasp gets control of you.

With that simple plot they managed to fill 90 odd minutes and not make the film feel padded. Decent acting,the guy playing the Ice Cream Man is a stand out. Yea the wasps are CGI but they are small so it being cheap CGI doesn't stand out as much as it normally would in a film of this monetary level. 

This is the third film I've watched off those two Triple feature packs and all three were worth seeing. Not sure if they are worth owning. And most of these Maneater Films movies are on Tubi or Fawesome or another of the FAST services.

Black Swarm feels like the modern version of those 60s creatures on the loose films. Stuff like Monster from Green Hell. But unlike Green Hell,Black Swarm is entertaining from start to finish.

Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison

 

Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison 

Noticed ,maybe,I have slowed  down again here at the blog. 2  entries a month  instead  of 4. Big part  of that is  I have been going through my comic collection  and  reading stuff I have had for years. While doing this  I  found my full run of Vol 2 of Doom Patrol. Wanted to re-read the run  written by Grant  Morrison,issues 19-63. Didn't want  another big stack of loose single  issues laying around. Saw  I could get it all in  TPB  in 6 vols for a bit under 8 bucks a volume. Maybe the order and a week later got them in.Since if I  can sleep I will read some from this run. A run I was reading as  it happened decades ago.

Doom Patrol was a team I heard about from my Uncle. So  when that 70s return happened,and quickly fizzled out,I  was there. Enjoyed it and wanted more. Then  vol 2 is  announced. I grab  it  and like  it but  after about 8 issues it dropped  lower  in my  reading stack. Back then  I read every comic I bought,wish i still did that,just I would stack them in how much I wanted to read  something. 

Issue 19 came  out  I bought it and added it  to the  stack. Not  even noticing it  had a new  writer. Maybe 2 weeks later was in a comic  shop that I wasn't in often.  Heard  the cashier  telling someone they needed to read the new DP issue. Got up to the counter with  my huge stack  of 80s indies  from the quarter bins,asked the cashier what was  up with  DP and just got told "Go home  read it next". I did and  yea I saw why  he  told me that.

Grant  Morrison  took this team that many at the time saw as DC's xerox  of the X-men and made it  a  book  about identity. About mental illness and dealing with chronic  illness. The stories  got weird,like when the  Brother Hood of Dada ran  Mr Nobody for  President. We lost a pile of the  70s team  members. Tempest hung around but didnt use his  powers and was  the team medic. Cliff Steele ends up in a mental hospital and  meets Jane,a lady with 63 personalities and each has super powers.

The Doom Patrol gains what has to be the most unique Headquarters/transportation in Danny the Street. A living  street that  is connected to everywhere at once. 

After all this just weird stuff ,but even with all that the light  tone  of the book stayed,there is  a twist. One I hate spoiling,so maybe skip the rest of this  post, While  Cliff,Jane,Rebis(which  is  Negative Man and  Negative  WOman combined into one being) fighting some odd villain Joshua(the former Tempest) is back at the  base  with Dorthy Spanner(who  can bring her  imaginary friends to life) and  the Chief. Oh the Chief,he  was cranky  in  the old Silver Age stories and over the course  of Morrison's run  he is  shown to be  an  asshole. The Chief shoots Joshua,and when this is discovered by  Cliff we learn  that all  the accidents  that created the  Silver Age Doom Patrol were caused by  the  Chief. All part of  his  big plan to take  over the  world.  With nano bots.

That  gets prevented. Thanks to this evil being  called  the Candle Maker,who  is connected to Dorthy,but in this happening Crazy Jane is sent to Hell.  By  this time it  is obvious Cliff (Robotman) and Jane  are in love. 

The final issue of Morrison's run,issue  63  up  at the top,is the perfect  ending  for this series. Jane is in the real world. She is in  a  mental hospital and keeps telling  everyone that she must get  back  to stop the  Candle Maker. One doctor  wants to help Jane another just wanted to give her shock  treatment. The one  wanting  the shock treatment  gets his way. Jane gets  shocked. Leaves the hospital and goes out.Works a normal job and  goes home each day.  

Till  one day she leaves a note. Goes to a nearby bridge and  is about to jump. When Cliff appears. He has been using  Danny the street to travel  the multiverse to find Jane. And we end with them going onto Danny and leaving.

Like Preacher,like  Swamp Thing,after  all the craziness and violence the  story ends with our two  leads finally together and  off to  live a happy life.

Got  read this run.  Go see the 4 season tv show that is semi-based on  this run. 

New Jack City

 

TITLE-New Jack City

SOURCE-Warner Brothers Blu Ray

For a film that had a pretty big impact when it came out New  Jack City feels a bit forgotten. Which is odd to me. Opening night we were there to see it. And the asshole at the box office refuses to sell us tickets. After years of never being carded at that theater this time it happened.  We were back the next night with a buddy of mine who was 17 at the time. He claimed to be our Uncle and we got in.

Take the blaxploitation films of the 70s,majorly increase the budget and add a cast full of soon to be big stars and you got New Jack City. Wesley Snipes is Nino Brown who at the start of the film is a low level drug dealer on the rise. With the crack explosion his business is booming.

On the other side we got Ice T as an undercover cop forced to team up with Judd Nelson. They end up using a reformed crackhead,Chris Rock,to infiltrate Nino's big crack lab. 

Real quick HOW THE HELL DIDNT Chris Rock at least get nominated for his role as Pookie the Crackhead?

Pookie gets back on the pipe,ends up getting busted at the  lab with a wire on him and is killed. We get a big action sequence of the cops raiding the projects this den is in. Which are wired to explode. And in a scene that feels a bit like the toilet explosion scene in Lethal Weapon 2,Ice T and Judd argue over what wire to pull on the bomb.

Now this is the first time I've watched this on Blu ray. Had the DVD for years,before that had it taped off HBO. And until this viewing the films lower budget never really was that obvious. Now some of the outdoors scenes it shows. You can tell they had to use the natural light whiich makes it look  odd when you are use to how most stuff is filmed.

One of those films I go back and re-watch every few years. And each time I noticed something or someone I didn't last viewing. 

New Jack City gets a A+

Archie Goodwin and Walter Simonson's Manhunter

 

TITLE-Manhunter

SOURCE-Early 80s DC reprint

When I was still young and hitting a comic shop I would hear the old guys talking about the infamous 70s Manhunter run. When this above pictured comic came out one of them jokingly gave me some shit for not buying it. $2.50 was half my weekly comic budget back then and the new GI Joe was out.

Now many decades later I have read it. Thanks to me not reading closely I didn't realize the copy I had bought was being shipped from Canada. So 13 bucks for shipping and 2 weeks later I had a copy. Thought about  it and decided against reading it all in one sitting. Nah pace it out. One chapter every day or so. 

So each night normally after dinner I would read a chapter. And I see why this is acclaimed. Plus see how it had major influences on stuff I was reading not many years after this. Yes Frank Miller credits managa and mostly Lone Wolf and Cub for his page and panel layouts on his Daredevil run. I see a pile of influence from this short run of Manhunter.

Until the ending  chapter where Batman shows up this feels more like a spy thriller than a 70s Superhero story  from DC. Paul Kirk is back from the dead. He has a healing factor and is on the run from The Council. A  group of powerful men that are slowly taking control of the world. Besides clones of himself ,Paul also has a Interpol Agent on his tail.

I rather not spoil much of the story cause of how good it is. Word of warning  if you find older comics wordy this is a WORDY comic. But even then it reads fast. Just a masterclass of words and drawings to create a run that ended sadly too soon.

Manhunter by Archie Goodwin(writer) and  Walter Simonson(Artist) gets a A+

Terminator Infinity VOL 1

 

TITLE-Terminator Infinity Volume 1

SOURCE-Dynamite TPB

I have read some of NOW Comics Terminator stuff,mostly The Burning Earth mini series. A handful of the ones Dark Horse published. Just never read any of the Terminator stuff from Dynamite. Found this TPB cheap and took a chance.

Set a few years after Terminator 3,John Connor is alone in the bunker. His girlfriend died a few years ago. He knows it is as safe as I will get to go out and see what is left. But he is scared.

Thankfully he leaves and ends up meeting up with a small group of resistance. Who have in their group Old Bob,a T-100 terminator sent back with it's mission to protect John Connor. And in this group is a young boy,who doesn't talk much. And is named Kyle.

First issue in this TPB sets up all that. And then we meet the T-Infinity. The most powerful Terminator so far. A shapeshifting unkillable machine that has a mission to killer a Connor. But is that Connor John or another one?

Our group is heading to a giant radio station out in  the desert. Hoping by using it they can get a message out to whoever else is alive. John is trying his best to not let the group know Old Bob is a Terminator. 

The issue is a Hunter Killer base is nearby. John and Old Bob lead a raid on this base taking out the base and 2 Hunter Killers. And a group of resistance meets  them back at the radio station.

Will the T-infinity complete it's mission? Why is Old Bob vague as fuck about what his mission is? Is Kyle KYLE REESE?

I got answers to two of these questions and I'm hoping if there is another TPB I find out the answer to the other one.

Terminator Infinity Volume 1 gets a B.

Superman Batman Public Enemies

 

TITLE-Superman Batman Public Enemies

SOURCE-Warner Premiere DVD

Now I have never read the comic series this  film is based on. Never really been a big Superman fan. And Batman is one I like but depends  on the creative team.

A meteor is heading to Earth,Lex Luthor is President of the USA. Using manipulated footage Luther convinces the US citizens that Superman murdered Mentallo. Leading to a pile of heroes hunting for Superman and Batman. All while Luthor is up to something and this meteor is not that far from hitting Earth.

I love how the animation style used in the film looks like a tweeked version of the Timmverse style. The voice work is well done. And the film isn't too long. 

What I really enjoyed is how many lesser known heroes get to appear. Black Lightning,Captain Atom,Nightshade and so many others get appearances. Then you got Power Girl in a major role. With a sly joke about her best known feature when her,Batman and Superman have to goto a 13  year old genius to stop the Kryptonite meteor from hitting Earth.

I know there is a sequel. Which deals with what was in that meteor. Had that part spoiled for me already. Will track that sequel down soon.

Superman Batman Public Enemies gets a B-

D.O.A.Dead or Alive

 

TItle-D.O.A. Dead or Alive

SOURCE-Dimension Extreme DVD

I was the perfect age when the fighting game genre blew up in the arcades. By the time  DOA hit systems I was out of video games. So while I had played some DOA game a few times I don't know much about the  franchise or it's lore. Just wanted to get that out first before talking  about the  film.

There is  an invite only fighting  tournament. The film starts with us seeing the various people getting invited.  Got Devon  Aoki as a princess who is  also a ninja, Holly Valance as a thief. And Jaime Pressly as Tina Armstrong a pro wrestler.

This is a plot I've seen many times in various martial arts films. Fighters invited  to an island for a tournament. The twist  this  time is the guy  running  it all  is  Eric Roberts. And he  is injecting  each  fighter with nanobots. So he  can  record them  and  then  sell  this  data to  other fighters around  the world.

Yes the film is dumb,and knows this so runs  with it. Imagine a bigger budgeted Bruceplotation film. That is what DOA Dead or Alive is. Not the  best movie  based  on  a video game,but also far from the  worst.

DOA Dead or Alive gets a C+

Meatballs IV

 

TITLE-Meatballs IV

SOURCE-MVD Rewind Collection Blu Ray

Starting off as a film known as Happy Campers,no not the early 2000's film. But mid way through  production they paid for the  Meatballs rights,which pissed the director off. He hate sequels.

But really this ain't a sequel. Just another film set at a summer camp. This time it is a ski camp. On a lake where there is two camps. One ran by the late great Jack Nance,and the other ran by Sarah Douglas. Jack's camp is losing customers so he rehires the best skier ever Ricky Wade (Corey Haim) who even though he is the same  age or maybe a year older than the campers calls them kids often.

The camp ran by Sarah Douglas starts pulling stunts to get the other camps campers to leave. Leading up to a contest winner gets both camps. 

It's your standard 80s camp comedy. Just happening in the  early 90s and almost  all the female cast if former Playmates of the month. And  really it is one I happened to see so many  times. When it hit cable SHowtime had the rights  and aired it  at least once a week. 

This Blu Ray looks  and sounds  great. Way better than it looked when I saw it on Showtime. And better than the DVD rip  I have had for years. 

Extras there isn't many. Get trailers for 3 other films  MVD is releasing/has released. Trailer  for Meatballs 4.Then  a 55 minute interview with the director. Which is loaded with info. The director also did Repossessed and a few other cult classics.

Meatballs 4 isn't some amazing comedy. But if you want a throwback  to 80s style comedy it is perfect. And this release is a great  way to watch it.

Meatballs 4 gets a B.

TMNT Mutant Mayhem

 

TITLE-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem

SOURCE-Blu Ray

I bought this Blu Ray  at least a year ago if not longer ago. Had heard it was really good,found  it for 5 bucks new and grabbed it. Opened it  ,redeemed the digital  code. Then  never watched it. Until recently.

We get the standard TMNT origin. Splinter living in  the sewers finds the turtles and the ooze. They mutate and Splinter  raises them  teaching the ways of  the  NINJA. What changed this time is  the teenage aspect  is in  the  forefront. The 4 brothers are in their mid  to late teens. Wanna goto  school,they wanna explore the city. There is 2 other major changes. One is that April O'Neil is  now a high school kid. The other change I will mention near the end of this piece.

Seems someone known as Superfly is getting various pieces of equipment stolen. The TMNT gang along with  April try to  figure this out and fastly learn it is a gang of Mutants. Superfly,voiced by  Ice Cube,is their leader. But you got Rocksteady & Bebop,Genghis Frog,Mondo Gecko,Wingnut,Leatherhead and many of the other mutants. Seems Superfly wants to build a device that will mutate all the other animals and they can then  take over the world from the Humans.

The  animation is gorgeous. Like at first I wasn't sure,it has a very different look to it from any other animated TMNT thing. Once you get use to it it works well. I like how they made each of the turtles look different. Really in this film  there was no need for  each turtle to have a different colored bandana. Each of them  has a distinct body. 

I loved the soundtrack. A  nice mixture of mostly NYC based artists. Wasn't expecting to hear Wu Tang Clan in a TMNT movie!

Now time for that other change I mentioned... Shredder only appears right at the end before the credits start. Yep a TMNT movie with out Shredder. And I was 50 minutes into the film before I realized he wasn't in it.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem gets a A-.