31 Days of Horror 2015 Day 24 Population 436

Population 436
Source-Mill Creek Where Evil Lies DVD set

Made in 2006 sometime in 2008 I was flipping channels and saw the last 10 minutes of this film on one of the movie channels. I liked what I saw and pulled up the onscreen info. Saw that Fred Durst was one of the main stars.Thought to myself "Well Limp Biscuit was total crap. I kind of doubt Durst is a good actor. I will just skip this movie."

Then it was late last year. I saw the Mill Creek Where Evil Lies set in the $5 bin.I looked at the back to see what 6 movies made up the set. Saw Population 436 and another that sounded decent. So I grabbed the set. But like what happens lots of time when I buy these cheap multi-film sets I end up throwing it on my shelf and never watching it.

I had no idea what I was gonna watch for my movie today. Then I remembered Population 436. Threw it in and was surprised at how good the film is. Jeremy Sisto is the lead. A man that works for the government. And is sent to the town of Rockwell Falls. To learn why the population of the town has stayed at 436 for over 100 years.

He gets to the town and it is like Mayberry come to life. With Fred Durst as a meathead Andy Griffth. Actually honestly Durst does a damn good job as the town Deputy. I haven't heard of him doing any more acting. Which is kind of sad cause his acting is way better than his singing.

Over the course of the films 1 1/2 hour running time we start seeing more and more how the town is just a bit off. Then in the final 20 minutes we learn why the town is so peaceful and why the population has stayed the same for so long.

The film is a nice blending of a mystery and a horror film. And isn't super gory or violent. Hell I am not really sure why it got an R rating. If you know someone that loves a good mystery this is a film they would enjoy.

Population 436 gets a B-.

31 Days of Horror 2015 Day 021 Trip with Teacher

Trip with Teacher
Source-Gorehouse Greats Collection DVD from Mill Creek

This is part of the handful of rape/revenge horror/thriller movies that came out in the 70s. Coming out in 1975 this is one sleazy ass film.A teacher and a handful of her female students are on a field trip. Going to see some Navajo ruins. On their way their bus breaks down and some bikers offer to help tow the bus.

The bus get towed to an old house and this is when the sleaze begins.Two of the bikers,Al and Pete,start off by raping the the teacher in front of the students. Pete is played by a young Zalman King. Who because of his choice of sunglasses looks like Beautiful Day era Bono from U2.

Trip with Teacher looks like a movie that would be the last film on a triple feature at a late 70s drive in. Sure it is low budget and the script isn't amazing. But it knows what it is. And never strays from that.

Before buying this set I had never even heard of Trip with the Teacher. After watching it,well it isn't anything special. It feels like the only reason this is remembered is because of Zalman King's role as Pete.It is the perfect sleazy drive in film. There is plenty of trashy dialogue. And piles of nudity.

Trip with the Teacher gets a C-.

31 days of horror 2014 Day 02 Horror Rises from the Tomb

El Espanto Surge Del La Tumba AKA Horror Rises from the Tomb
1972
Brentwood DVD

I discovered Paul Naschy in the early 2000s. One of my Aunts got me one of those Brentwood 10 horror movie packs. Which had "The Werewolf vs the Vampire Women." I watched and enjoyed this. So months later I found a 4 pack of horror films from Brentwood.Which had this,and a weird cut of Lucio Fulci's "House by the Cemetery".

But like I seem to do with lots of those cheap multipacks,I bought the set and it sat on my shelf unwatched for years. Then today I had a friend over visiting. And she wanted to watch a "scary movie". So I pointed her to my shelf of unwatched multipacks. And this is the film she picked.

We open up with Naschy,playing a warlock,and his woman being beheaded back in the middle ages.Fast forward to the early 70s and a group of people are at the castle where Naschy died.

This turned out to be a fairly fun piece of Euro Horror.Sure the plot is kind of nonsense.no idea how much of that is because of the sub-par dubbing. But the gore effects are good. And there is plenty of nice looking women in the film.

I actually enjoyed this enough that I will track down a better copy. For years this film was believed to be in the public domain. Then I think it was BCI that put out a nice special edition.

Horror rises from the tombs gets a C.

Multipak Mondays 04/08/2013

Gorehouse Greats collection
Millcreek Entertainment
$5

This is a nice set of late 60s through early 90s drive in horror. With pretty much all the films from Crown International. Now before a few years ago I had no idea who Crown International was. But it seems they were a low budget version of Roger Corman's films.

Blood of Dracula's Castle-83 minutes This is from 1969,and is the  one oldest film in the set. And also looks the worst. There is piles of print damage. And through out most of the film green lines speckle the frame. Nothing about this film stands out to me. But it seems to have a fanbase. Which is mostly people that saw this lots on late night TV. To me it was your normal low budget vampire film.

Blood Mania-80 minutes From 1970 film is more of a drama than a horror film. Pretty much lots of talking heads. But still worth watching at least once.

Brain Twisters-91 minutes From 1991 this is the newest film on the set. It is about a group of people using computers to control people's minds. Not bad really. But nothing worth tracking down.

The Devil's Hand-71 minutes This 1962 film is filled with voodoo,cults and human sacrifices. Was surprised at how much fun this was.

The Madman of Mandoras-73 minutes This 1963 black and white film is more commonly known as "They Saved Hitler's Brain". Well known in bad movie circles. It is actually two films that have been stitched together.

Nightmare in Wax-94 minutes Starring Cameron Mitchel,this is a fun little slice of cheese. Set in a wax museum. Lots of great scenes and this film alone is worth the price of the set.

Prime Evil-86 minutes Mid 80s  about evil monks. By sacrificing people these monks live forever. Pretty decent film,and another one of the set that I can see myself watching more than once.

Satan's Slave-87 minutes A young lady is on her way for a nice vacation. But gets kidnapped and tortured by her uncle and cousin. Really great film,that either Code Red or Scorpion have put out a remastered DVD of. I enjoyed this one enough that I will buy the remastered DVD soon.

Stanley-106 minutes Very fun film about a first nations guy who comes back Nam and goes to live in the Florida everglades.He teaches his pet snake to kill people. I know before they folded BCI put out a great DVD of this. But the print on here looks great.

Terrified-80 minutes A college student is targeted by a stranger. Nice suspenseful thriller.

Terror-84 minutes Slow moving creature feature. Watched it once and doubt I ever watch it again.

Trip with the Teacher-89 minutes Starring a young Zalman King,this is  a great slice of mid 70s drive in cheese. A group of bikers kidnap a teacher and her students,while they are on a field trip. Very sleazy. Plus Zalman looks like mid 90s era Bono of U2 fame.

So out of the 12 films,6 of them are pretty damn good. With only  a handful of truly bad films. Online it sells for around 10 bucks. But I see it all the time for $5 at various stores. At 10 bucks it is a decent deal. At $5 it is a great deal. Worth tracking down if you enjoy low budget drive in style cinema.

Multipak Mondays 03/11/2013

Kill Baby Kill,Devil's Nightmare,God told me to,Good against Evil,Pieces,Kiss me Kill me,Satan's School for girls,The Night Evelyn came out of the grave,Cathy's Curse,The Ghost-Fright Night 10 movie collection
Brentwood
$10

Got this for X-mas back in 2002. Had saw it on some site online and was interested in a few of the films on it. So when my Aunt the midget was asking what I wanted for X-mas I mentioned it to her. I figured at a buck a film it had to worth the price.

Kill Baby Kill-85 minutes This is a really fun piece of mid 60s Euro-horror from Mario Bava. There is better copies out there now. But the print used on this doesn't look too bad.

Devil's Nightmare-95 minutes This is an early 70s Euro-Horror film. And it is really good. What I love is how it is obvious Brentwood used a Redemption laser disc/vhs for the master. Cause they left on the introduction by Ellien Daily. Still the print looks really good. And this is a nice way to introduce someone to Euro-horror.

God told me to-91 minutes A mid 70s Larry Cohen forgotten gem. A series of murders are happening. And when the cops catch the suspects they all say their motive was "God told me to". Really fun film.

Pieces-90 minutes What can be said about this batshit insane film. It has it all gore,rampart nudity and one of the craziest endings I have seen in a horror film. Loved it so much I ended up tracking down the great dvd version Grindhouse Releasing put out.

Good against Evil-90 minutes Pretty boring made for tv film. Not worth watching really.

Kiss me Kill me-90 minutes This is a 70s Italian film based on a comic. Also known as Baba Yaga it is worth at least one viewing. But is nothing special.

Satan's School for girls-75 minutes This 70s made for TV film is mostly remembered now for it's cast. That has two future Charlies Angels stars. Not bad for a made for TV film.

The Night Evelyn came out of the grave-103 minutes A early 70s Euro-horror. But this print is horribly edited. Worth tracking down the uncut version.

Cathy's Curse-88 minutes This is a mid 70s Canadian made Exorcist rip off. The print used was ripped from a Sinister Cinema VHS and looks like shit. Skip it.

The Ghost-97 minutes Another Euro-Horror and this one isn't too bad. Has Barbara Steele so that helps out.

Now this is out of print and I have no clue how much used copies sell for. But it does have 4 really good films. And 3 average films. So if you can find it for $10 or under grab a copy.

Multipak Mondays 003

Universal 100th Anniversary spotlight collection Classic Monsters
Universal Studios
$8

Unlike the previous multipaks this one has 4 films that most people have heard of. I got it for X-mas this year. From one of my amazing Aunts.

Dracula-1931- 85 minutes The classic with Bela Lugosi in the lead role. Now I am not a huge fan of this film. Besides Bela and Dwight Frye I don't find any of the other actors/actresses to be very good. But Bela and Dwight keep the film from being a total bust.But anyone that considers themselves a fan of the horror genre of film needs to see this at least once. I love the commentary by David J. Skal. And there is a decent documentary about the film.

Frankenstein-1931-71 minutes First saw this film when I was 4. My mother and I had helped my Aunt and Uncle move to Texas. And my Uncle was excited cause Frankenstein was going to be airing on TV one day. So I watched it with him and became fascinated with Frankenstein's monster. Boris Karloff is great as the monster.Colin Clive is good as Dr Frankenstein and Dwight Frye turns in an amazing performance as Fritz. I have watched this film at least 10 times over the years. Like Dracula this includes a commentary,this time by Rudy Behimer.

The Bride of Frankenstein-1935-75 minutes  This is my second favorite of the classic Universal Horror films. I actually read a novelization of the film long before I saw it. Then late one night in the early 90s I saw SciFi channel was airing it. So I sat down to watch it. Karloff and Clive return as the Monster and Dr Frankenstein. The great Dwight Frye plays a henchman of Dr  Pretorius and as always Frye does a great job. The last 20 minutes of the film are breath taking. And like the last two films we get a commentary.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon-1954-79 minutes Originally released in theaters in 3d,this is the final film in the Universal monsters films. The Gill-man has always been a favorite of mine. And he was popular enough to get two sequels. Neither of which are as good as the original. The stunningly beauty Julie Adams stars as the love interest in this film. And she has a look that is both of it's time and timeless. I really want to see this in 3d at least once. But I think the only home release in 3d is the new Blu Ray release. And like the other 3 films in this pack we get a commentary.

Now I see this pack selling for 8 to 15 bucks online and it is worth that. All 4 films have great transfers and all the extras are interesting.

Multipak Mondays 001

Trying something out. Who knows how long I will keep doing this. But I want to talk about a different DVD Mulitpack every Monday. Gonna try to stick to the cheap budget label ones. Where you get 10 films for $5. With most of them being from VHS sources.

Bad Taste Theater Presents Rural Folk
Brentwood
$5

Got this pack of 4 films back in 2008. I think it was mainly cause I needed something to help me hit the free shipping limit. Never bothered watching it till the other night. When I watched all four films back to back,

Inbred Rednecks-2001-135 minutes

A group of rednecks want to become rich by winning cockfights. They have this huge rooster,who they name Bigass Rooster. While there is some funny parts. The film is way too long. There was no need for this to be over 2 hours long. It would have worked much better as a 70 minute or so short film.

Super Badass-2003-72 minutes

A very strange and surreal comedy. Super Badass is a bounty hunter in a big city. The plot,what little I could make sense of,involves a clown riding around in a VW bug with flames painted on the hood. Hookers made up like clowns. And people trading peanut butter sandwiches for blowjobs. But at 72 minutes it is the perfect length for the madness.

Cornman-2001-70 minutes

A guy gains the power to talk to corn. And teams up with his sidekick Butter Boy to fight crime. This seems to be trying to be a parody of the old movie serials. And while the cast tries their best ,lots of the scenes fall flat.

Dogs in Quicksand-1999-90 minutes

Someone is murdered in a small rural town. And this sets off a strange chain of events. I really don't remember much about this besides it seems like every 8 minutes there is a sex scene. Where usually the female makes sure to cover herself up with the covers.

Cornman and Super Badass are the only reasons to track down this set. But even then I wouldn't pay more than $5 for it. Since Brentwood/BCI is out of business I am sure this is long out of print. Looking on Ebay it seems people are trying to sell it for 10 or 15 bucks. It is not worth that much.

A bunch of quick reviews from various dvd multipacks

Last night I actually managed to get to sleep at what most people would consider a normal time. But after a pretty bad nightmare I said fuck sleep and ended up watching a bunch of movies off some DVD multipacks I own. And since I haven't had a new post here in awhile I figured I would type up some short reviews of the films I watched and post them.

Savage Weekend

This is on the Mill Creek "Drive in Movie classics" 50 pack. Been wanting to watch it for months now but for some reason never did. Group of friends head up to upstate New York for what is suppose to be a relaxing weekend. But end up getting stalked by a masked killer. This starts off very very slow,but is worth watching. William Sanderson from "Newhart" is in it. And while looking it up on IMDB I discovered that a young Yancy Butler has a part in it. It seems a kind of Unofficial sequel was made in 1994. It is a short film titled "Not Another Savage Weekend". So if you happen to own the Mill Creek Drive In movie classics 50 pack give this a watch.

Mutant

This is on the Mill Creek "Pure Terror" 50 pack. Released in theaters back in 1984. This is a backwoods zombie movie staring Wings Hauser. The print on the DVD looks pretty good. It is full frame but doesn't look bad at all. Sadly the film is pretty forgettable. If you have the Pure Terror set save this one till you have already seen most of the films on the set. It isn't horrible but it also isn't anything special.

Grave of the Vampire

Another film from the Pure Terror 50 pack. Released back in 1972,this is a film that I can remember seeing the VHS cover for years at the video store. But I never rented it. A dead man rises from the grave and goes and rapes a young lady.The girl gets pregnant and has a baby boy. Who she gives bottles of blood to. When the boy is grown up he hunts down his father and confronts him. Sadly with this one the old VHS cover is way better than the film. This was so boring I kept fast forwarding to see if it would get any better and it didn't. Avoid this stinker.

The Devil's Nightmare

This is from the old Brentwood "Fright Night" 10 pack. The print is obviously ripped off from a Redemption laserdisc. You can tell cause Brentwood didn't bother removing the shot on video introduction by Ellien daily. Once we get to the movie it turns out to be a nice piece of early 70s euro-horror. A busload of tourist break down way out in the countryside. They find a old castle and the owner allows them to spend the night. But it seems the owner's dead daughter is back as a succubus. We get some good kills all based a the seven deadly sins. Overall this is a fun way to pass an hour and a half. Plus there is 2 smoking hot euro babes that have a fun little softcore lesbian scene. Worth picking up if you find it cheap.

Pieces

Another great piece of euro sleaze from the Brentwood "Fright Night" 10 pack. This is another one I can remember seeing the VHS on the shelves when I was younger. But again I never rented it. What we get is a gory,nonsensical,giallo. Lots of nice kills. Plus you have Bluto from the live action Popeye movie as a great red herring. Then there is the ending which makes no damn sense but is still a great mind fuck. I am pretty sure Grindhouse Releasing has put out a great 2 disc DVD of this. Which I might have to track down.

Sisters of Death

This is from the Brentwood "Tales of Terror" 10 pack. Released back in 1977 this plays very much like a TV movie of the week. And really if it didn't have the late Claudia Jennings in it I bet it would be forgotten now. After a Russian Roulette mishap many years ,a all-girl secret society is invited to a remote house for a reunion. But once they get there they realize something isn't right. This is the only Claudia film I have seen where she doesn't at least get topless. About the only other thing about it that is somewhat memorable is the actor that played Nat ,the peach pit owner,on 90210 is in it. Sisters of Death isn't something I wouldn't  go outta my way to watch,but it also isn't horrible.

Jack the Ripper

Directed by Jess Franco back in the 1976. This is a decent fabricated telling of the story of Jack the Ripper. Staring the insane Klaus Kinski and Josephine Chaplin. Sadly this DVD from the Brentwood "Vault of Horror' 10 pack is a rip of a VHS that isn't in the best shape. There is some decent gore scenes. And unlike most of the other Jess Franco film's I have seen,this one makes sense. Worth watching if you are a fan of Klaus and/or 70's Euro horror.

Point of Terror

From the Mill Creek "Pure Terror" 50 pack. This film was released back in 1971. I have been wanting to watch it for a few years. Mainly cause it stars Dyanne "Ilsa" Thorne. Well it is so bad I didn't make it more than 30 minutes into it before I had to turn it off. Slowly paced and really nothing fucking happens. Only worth watching if you must see every film staring Dyanne Thorne.

Hands of Steel

fi film. Released in 1986 the only person in the cast I knew is John Saxon. It is one of the better Italian made mid 80's post apocalypse films. But nothing amazing. If you are a fan of post apocalyptic films it is worth a watch. But don't go in expecting something on the level of say Battle Truck or Warriors of the Wasteland.

Twister's Revenge

From the Mill Creek "Drive In Movie Classics" 50 pack. This is one of the very last films that Bill "The giant spider invasion" Rebane did. What you get is a monster truck version of K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider versus a army tank. Lots of great WTF moments in this movie. Like when the lead villains find a fully working US army tank in a junkyard. And the tank also seems to be still fully loaded with all the ammo it needs. Twister's Revenge is a great brainless way to waste 1 1/2 hours.