Super spooky 10 random horror DVDs Day 01

31 Days of Horror Day 21 Amityville Horror New Generation

Title-Amityville Horror A New Generation
Source-DVD-R

About 5 years ago I decided I wanted to see every Amityville Horror film. At the time I had seen the first 2,6,8 and the remake. I looked around online and some of the middle films in the franchise were going for way more than I wanted to pay for a DVD of a film I haven't seen. Thankfully I found a torrent that had the first 8 of the films. I burnt all the ones I didn't already own to DVD.

Amityville Horror A New Generation is the 7th film in the official Amityville Horror franchise. Going direct to video in the early fall of 1993. A pro photographer is given a creepy looking mirror from a homeless man. He brings it back to the apartment complex he lives in and weird stuff starts to happen. After a bunch of stuff our lead learns the  mirror is possessed. By the spirit of a man who killed his family on Thanksgiving Day in the Amityville house.

The FX work isn't bad. For a early 90s DTV film it is pretty decent. There is a few decent scares. With one that actually made me jump. What really saves this movie is the cast. None of the cast are household names,but 4 of them are people that most of the general public knows.

We have Julia Nickson as  Suki the love interest of our lead. She is an artist. While watching the movie I knew she looked very familiar. Then I looked her up. She is best known for playing Co-Bao in Rambo First Blood Part II. I have always thought she was a good actress. But it seems like she rarely gets a good role.

Terry O'Quinn is Detective Clark. A cop who is investigating the weird happenings at the apartment complex. O'Quinn is best known as Locke from Lost. But horror fans will remember him from the Stepfather film. He is an actor that is always good. Even in the shittest films he is worth seeing.

Pauli is played by Richard Roundtree. Sadly he isn't given much to work with in this. It would have been great to see Shaft get a bigger and better role. But he does the best with what he is given to work with.

Finally we got David Naughton as Dick Cutler. Naughton is an actor that sadly either gives it his all or sadly seems to just be there for the check. Amityville Horror A New Generation is one of the latter. The  film would have been better with Naughton in the lead. But we get some no name as the lead.

Now that I have seen all the official Amityville Horror films I can say that New Generation AKA part 7 is in the top 5 of the Amityville series. It isn't as good as parts 1 and 2. But better than most of the others.

It looks like the DVD of this is out of print. So good luck tracking down a copy. I have seen that on Daily Motion and Vimeo someone has uploaded the unrated version. Yep this is one of those 90s horror films that has a R rated and Unrated version. My copy is the Unrated version. And I don't seem much in it that would go past a R rating. But from my research lots of 90s horror films ,especially DTV movies,will keep a few scenes out of the R rated cut. Thinking that when people see a film is released unrated they will be more inclined to rent it.

Amityville Horror A New Generation gets a B-.

31 Days of Horror Day 20 I Know What You Did Last Summer

Title-I Know What You Did Last Summer
Source-Sony Pictures Triple Feature DVD

Roughly 21 years ago the first film in the I Know What You Did Last Summer was released. Not sure why but I never saw it. At the time I was seeing most horror films that got a major theatrical release.  But somehow I didn't see it until today.Sometime in late 2017 I found a triple feature DVD set at Dollar General. It was all 3 IKWYDLS movies and only cost 7 bucks. My plan at the time was to cover all 3 films in 2017's 31 Days of Horror. Then I just never got around to watching them,

After having breakfast today I wanted a horror movie I had never seen to watch. I like slashers and saw this triple feature pack sitting on my shelf. When I started the movie I only knew a few things about it. One was that it is based on a novel from the 70s.Secondly it was based on a script by Kevin Williamson. Back when he was still hot off Scream. Thirdly was the cast was a decent mixture of young stars that were just starting to get known. And finally that the killer used a giant hook to kill people.

Let's take a look at the cast. We got Jennifer Love Hewitt as the lead.

This was back when she was mega popular cause of Party of Five.Before this I had only seen her in comedies and she is good at comedy. But this movie showed me she can do drama also. And seems to have all the skills she needed to become a modern Scream Queen. Sadly as of this writing she has only done the two IKWYDLS films and no other horror films.

 Freddie Prinze Jr is the male lead. I have never found him to be a great actor. But he is much better in this film than he has been in the other films I have seen him in.

 Sarah Michelle Geller,and this was months before Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show started,is decent as the prom queen archtype.Now I have said many times that on the show Buffy I loved pretty much everybody but Sarah Michelle Gellar. I was shocked that she was damn good in I Know What You Did Last Summer. She is great playing the self absorbed rich girl.

Ryan Phillippe is great as the rich asshole kid. You know the type. The kid that got a sports car the day he turned 15. The kid that was a dick but cause he had money people were friends with him.

That is our main four, but there are two others that stand out to me.

Up first is Johnny Galecki.Before this I just knew Johnny as the guy that always plays nerds and wimps. He was David on Roseanne,the nerd of Big Bang Theory and the son in Xmas Vacation. I was a bit shocked at how well he is at playing against type in this movie. You believe that he is a tough guy. And don't think of the wimps he normally plays.

Bridgette Wilson plays the older sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar. I do wonder why a actress with the talent Ms Wilson has why she doesn't do more movies. Hell I bet if you asked 10 people maybe 2 of them tops would even know who Bridgette Wilson is.

The  plot is fairly simple. Our 4 leads are out partying on 4th of July 1996. Freddie ends up driving Ryan's car. Because Ryan is shitfaced. They are going down a twisting road right by the ocean. Ryan is standing up halfway out the sunroof. And they end up hitting someone who appears out of nowhere. They decide to toss the body into the ocean.But right before they do this they find out the person is still alive.


Skip ahead a year. Jennifer Love Hewitt is home from college for the summer. And she receives a note that says I Know What You Did Last Summer. So she gathers the other 3 and they try to figure out who sent the note and why.

So while the movie is a slasher it is also a mystery. After going  thru a few red herrings we finally get the reveal on who the killer is.  Now I have seen piles of horror movies and read bunches of horror novels. And I didn't manage to guess who the killer is. And of course the final scene sets up the sequel.

I am shocked at how much I enjoyed the movie. I figured going into it I was gonna get a Scream ripoff. And the best part of the film would be seeing JLH in tight tops,and seeing her in tight tops is a nice added bonus of the movie. So I was majorly surprised at how well written and acted the movie is. It is almost as good as the original Scream.

The DVD has a few extras. The best of which is a commentary. Which is packed with info. This triple feature set has each film on  it's own DVD. I am guessing this is just a repacking of unsold copies of original releases.  I might before the month is over watch at least the second film. From what I have read the third film is barely related to the first 2 and was made years after them and went DTV.

I Know What You Did Last Summer gets a B+.

31 Days of Horror Day 19 Decoys

Title-Decoys
Source-Sony Double Feature DVD

Back in 2008 or 2009 I was trying to find something to watch. Saw that SciFi Channel was airing something called Decoys. It looked like a Invasion of the Body Snatchers style sci fi horror hybrid so I turned it on.

After a few minutes I realized that the movie was gonna be heavily cut on Sci Fi. Cause I kept seeing lots of jarring cuts happening. Then the gorgeous Kim Poirier came on the screen.

I knew I had seen her in something before this but had no clue. Once the movie was over I went and looked up Ms Poirier up on IMDB. Turns out she played the semi slutty blonde in the Dawn of the Dead remake. And Decoys was her second movie,with American Psycho II being her first and Dawn of the Dead remake being her third.

After finishing the movie I saw that the sequel was airing next.But I now wanted to see both of them uncut. Checked Netflix and they didn't have either film for disc rental. The one video store we had left in town didn't have them for rent. And when I would search for them on Dish Network they only seemed to air on channels that would edit them. So I gave up on seeing the movie uncut.

Skip ahead to this past summer. A friend had realized she never watched any of the hundred or so DVDs she owned. She told me to come over and see if she had anything I wanted. I started digging and saw the DVD that had both Decoys films. And after almost a decade I finally got to see Decoys uncut.

The film's plot is pretty simple. A bunch of dopey guys learn that there is an alien invasion. These aliens look human but got piles of tentacles on the inside. Plus they seem to get sexually aroused by cold. And besides the language the only part cut out of the Sci Fi Channel airings was a short scene,that gets repeated a few times through out the film,were Kim Poirier and the other lady get naked. While it was nice to see Ms Poirier naked it didn't make the movie any better. We get a plot that has been done 100s of times before this. The acting is OK at best. Looking at the cast looks like most of them are Canadian TV actors. The FX work,which is mostly CGI,is ok. It is at the level you expect from a DTV early 2000s film.

Decoys gets a D+.

31 Days of Horror Day 18 Satan's Storybook

Title-Satan's Storybook
Source-TubiTV app

While I love modern tech in someways I hate it. Like how I waited until 2004 to finally get a cellphone. And even now 14 years later I still got a fliphone.. Not a smartphone. Hell for years I didn't want a tablet computer. I had a desktop and a laptop and was happy. Then I got a good tablet for cheap and discovered how useful it can be. Kinda nice to have a device that fits in my pocket that is loaded up with piles of books,comics,movies,cartoons and TV shows. Plus cause of it I have discovered all kinds of free streaming services.

Sure every one knows about Netflix and Hulu. But how many of y'all know of TubiTV? It is a free streaming service. Were you get uncut movies and TV shows. The only drawback is about every 30 minutes you will get 2 or 3 thirty second long ads. So not a bad trade off. TubiTV has piles of stuff. And on evenings when it isn't hot I will go sit on  my back porch and find  something to watch on TubiTV.

It was months back I had the house to myself and didn't feel like sitting inside watching whatever crap airs on TV. So I filled up a big glass of iced tea,grabbed my tablet and my dog and I went to sit on the back porch. I was scrolling thru the recently added movies section on TubiTV when I saw Satan's Storybook. I did a double take cause I was sure I had seen the cover before and was sure the blonde on it was a 80s era Ginger Lynn aka Ginger Lynn Allen. I knew the cover and film title sounded familiar but didn't know why. I started up the film and saw that it is a very low budget DTV horror from 1989.

It was about halfway thru the film,during one of the ad breaks,that I realized why I knew the cover. For at least a year maybe more,in Fangoria there would be a quarter page ad advertising this movie. The ad played up the fact that it had the first non-porno role for Ginger Lynn Allen. Who IIRC was dating Charlie Sheen at the time. And the company selling the VHS wanted 29.95 plus shipping for it. Now for years I had seen the ad and wanted to see the movie. But figured I would never get a chance.

I looked online and the movie has so far only gotten a VHS release. Kinda surprised Code Red,Slasher Video or Massacre Video or hell Bleeding Skull hasn't released this on DVD or Blu Ray yet. VHS copies go for stupid prices. I am guessing not that many people bought a copy back in the day.And I never saw it for rent in any video store.

The story is fairly simple. Ginger plays some kind of Angelic ninja. The first scene is Ms Allen dressed up as a white ninja fighting off a bunch of black ninjas. While trying to save a gothic looking lady. We find out the goth lady is Satan's bride. And Ginger is there to stop the wedding so she can prevent the birth of the AntiChrist.

After this we switch to Satan in a throne. He is mad that his woman has been kidnapped. So to cheer him up Hell's jester shows up to tell Satan a few stories. Yep this is a horror anthology.

That is Satan. A guy in a goat mask with furry pants. Whoever made the movie must have gotten some fog machines cheap. Cause everytime we see Satan there is piles of fog.

The first story is "Demon of Death". About a 80s era serial killer. He dresses like your typical late 80s metalhead. And picks names at random out of the phone book. Then goes and kills the person he picked.Then at random he picks a girl who has ESP and her mother is a witch. Our killer gets gunned down but doesn't die. So is put on death row. And we get a trite as fuck twist ending.

The second story is about a drunk ass clown. Who kills himself. After what feels like an hour of boring dialogue we find out the clown is in hell. Yeah this story sucks.

Ginger is wandering around the woods with Satan's bride with her. They get surrounded by a bunch of people in whatever slightly Satanic looking stuff Party City had marked at 70% off the day after Halloween. During this battle Ginger just disappears. And we find out that Satan's bride now doesn't want to have a kid. Cut back to Ginger bathed in red light and surrounded by fog. And she implies that we will get a sequel.

It was more than likely 89 or 90 when I first saw the ad for this movie in Fangoria. And so it has been right at 30 years that I have been wanting to see it. So while it was kick ass I finally got to see a film I had never seen and thought I would never get to see,plus I saw it for free. The movie sucks ass. The only good parts are well Ginger looks great,the goat mask Satan wears is well done and the one evil clown in the second story is actually  a bit scary. Besides that the movie was a waste of 90 or so minutes.

Now if you want to see this pile of shit,and why would you,well I haven't checked to see if it is still on TubiTV. TubiTV has a habit of cycling out stuff at random. You can find the full movie on Youtube.  That way you can watch this minor piece of DTV horror history for free.

Satan's Storybook gets a F.

Going to Pieces DVD Showcase

Free Horror Movies on Vudu

Godzilla VHS&DVD collection

31 Days of Horror Day 16 Killer's Delight

Title-Killer's Delight

Source-Code Red DVD

Before finding this DVD I had never even heard of the movie. Made in 1978 this is one of the many proto-slashers that came out before Friday the 13th took the subgenre and exploded it into mainstream.

As I mentioned in my review of Blood Feast II,this was the other DVD I found while waiting in line. I saw the cover. Saw it was from Code Red and took a chance on it. It was cheap and I know that most Code Red stuff that goes out of print jumps up in price pretty quick. So figured I would get home check it's value sealed. Then if it wasn't worth a bunch open it up and give it a watch. Well turns out this is one of the early releases from Code Red and I guess there is enough supply to satisfy the demand for the DVD. Cause used copies are selling for about what I paid for it new. And sealed copies are at the most 10 bucks. Yep that means I am gonna open and watch it.

Set in San Francisco in the late 70s this movie was inspired by the unsolved Zodiac Killer murders and the then unsolved Ted Bundy murders.  Seems like this movie didn't do much in theaters. Then was forgot about until it got retitled The Dark Ride during it's VHS release. Then got retitled again as The Sports Killer when it got released in syndication for TV airings.

Now Killer's Delight is less like the serial killer movies we have gotten in the last 30 years and is more like a 70s cop drama. The focus is on the two cops trying to solve the murders. And the killer is kept a bit mysterious for a good chunk of the film.

The cast is almost all people I don't know. Outside of 2. First up is Martin Speer.

 Now while most horror fans won't know his name,they will remember him as Dee Wallace's husband in the original Hills have Eyes. And in this movie he is good. The other known actor/actress is Susan Sullivan.

 I know she has been around for decades. I best know her as Kitty on Dharma and Greg. 

The DVD has a decent amount of extras. We get some trailers. But the best extra is the commentary. With the director and a moderator. It is pretty informative and entertaining. 

I wish Code Red had used a different cover. There is plenty of nice movie posters for this movie. Ones that don't make the movie look like a super sleazy piece of 70s exploitation. Which this film really isn't. Hell there isn't much in this movie that would have to be cut for it to air on TV today. And really it feels a lot like a 70s TV show version of an episode of Law and Order SVU than a late 70s slashers.

While I am glad I found and got to see this movie,mostly cause I love finding slashers or proto-slashers I have never seen,it isn't one I see myself watching often. Since I bought it I have watched it 4 times. 3 of the 4 times I watched it with the commentary. 

Killer's Delight gets a C.

31 Days of Horror Day 15 Zany Zombies Double Feature DVD

Title-King of the Zombies and Revolt of the Zombies
Source-Pop Flix DVD

Over a decade ago Dollar Tree got flooded with piles of public domain double feature horror DVDs. All of them from Pop Flix. And all of them had great cover images. The same image that is on the topside of the DVD.Each of these DVDs had a theme. With this one of course being zombie themed.

We get 2 films. Both of which are in the public domain and both of which are from the late 30s/early 40s. Now before watching this DVD I had heard of King of the Zombies. But had never seen it. Also I had never even heard of Revolt of the Zombies.

From 1936 Revolt is a almost sequel to White Zombie. With this movie being pre-68 these zombies are the voodoo dead mindless type. Not the brain and flesh eating type. Straight up this movie fucking sucks. It is 65 minutes and took me 4 times watching it to finish it. Even though it is barely over an hour it feels 4 times longer. The acting is kinda middle of the road. The FX work is crap. And if it wasn't in the public domain I bet this would be a forgotten film.

The only neat thing about the movie is Bela Lugosi's eyes from White Zombie are used for every zombifying effect in this movie. From what I can find online this started off as an official sequel to White Zombie. Then lawsuits stopped that. So a tiny bit of the script was changed and we got this turd of a film.

Then we get our other feature,King of the Zombies. 2 guys and Mantan Moreland are flying a tiny airplane when they hear an odd radio signal. Running low on fuel they crash on an island between Cuba and Puerto Rico.

They get rescued and are told there is no radio on the island. But ships pass by often so they should be recused fairly soon. But Mantan knows something is up. And thanks to a helpful maid Mantan finds out the island is full of zombies.

Seems Dr Sangre is a secret agent and trying to get some vital info out of US military officer,who's plane crashed on the island before our trio's did. And he has a plan to use his army of zombies to take over the world.

The movie is 67 minutes and flies by. The cast is decent,with Mantan Moreland being the standout. The FX work is decent. And the film is a nice mixture of horror,comedy and spy drama.

Speaking of Mantan,he steals the movie. Before this I knew his name. But all I knew was he was an actor back in the 30s and 40s and he was stuck playing parts below his skills cause of how at the time non-white actors were treated in Hollywood. He is great in this. Being  able to convey all kinds of emotions with out talking. Just with a facial expressions he shows his fear. In a way Mantan reminds me a bit of Buster Keaton. Another comedic actor that was able to make me laugh without saying a word.

King of the Zombies is worth seeing. With it being Public Domain there is piles of VHS/DVD releases. Plus you can find it on Youtube or even the Internet Archive. Hell it is worth tracking down this DVD release cause of King of the Zombies plus the great art on the cover and the DVD.

Revolt of the Zombies was just flat out bad and boring. And not just cause of it being a film made 4 decades before I was born. But then King of the Zombies is a damn fun film. It flies by. Makes ya laugh and is one you could show to kids. King of the Zombies is so good it almost makes up for how bad Revolt of the Zombies is.

Zany Zombies gets a C.