Unspeakable Horrors: The Plan 9 Conspiracy is a 2016 American docu-film produced and directed by Jose Prendes.

Press release:

‘From the producers who saw Room 237 comes the blistering truth about Edward D. Wood, Jr.’s Plan 9 from Outer Space. Hailed as the worst movie ever made, this cinematic gem and its mysteries have gone largely ignored… until now!

At great personal risk from hidden elements within the government, producer and director Jose Prendes (Blood Brothers; The Haunting of Whaley House; Corpses Are Forever; screenwriter of Hansel vs Gretel; Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark; Song of the Vampire) has assembled a group of five experts, ranging from PhDs to super-fans, who have combed obsessively through the film and discovered the staggering messages that Wood hid behind supposedly shoddy filmmaking.

Joining the experts are a panel of Hollywood insiders who have always known the truth about Ed Wood and his magnum opus, including filmmakers Joe Dante (Gremlins), Tom Holland (Child’s Play), Fred Olen Ray (Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers), Bill Lustig (Maniac Cop), and Mick Garris (The Stand) plus the screenwriters of Tim Burton’s Ed Wood, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, among many others too shocking to name.

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Was Ed Wood a CIA operative with intimate knowledge of the U.S.’s involvement with UFOs? Was Plan 9 a moniker once used by the Nazis as their final Final Solution? Did Wood have a secret Eskimo heritage that he was hiding? Were secret societies involved with the making of the film? Was Tor Johnson an incredible method actor? Did Bela Lugosi really die?’

The film’s world premiere will be at the Sci-Fi-London Film Festival on 30 April 2017 at Stratford Picturehouse.

IMDb

‘A comic tale of horror and seduction.’

Vampire in Brooklyn is a 1995 American comedy horror film directed by Wes Craven (Scream; A Nightmare on Elm Street; The Last House on the Left).

Eddie Murphy, who also produced and stars in the film, co-wrote the film’s script, alongside Vernon Lynch and Murphy’s older brother Charlie Murphy. Michael Lucker and Chris Parker contributed rewrites.

The Paramount Pictures film co-stars Angela Bassett, Allen Payne, Kadeem Hardison, John Witherspoon, Zakes Mokae, and Joanna Cassidy. Murphy also plays an alcoholic preacher and a sweary Italian gangster.

Plot:

An abandoned ship crashes into a dockyard in Brooklyn, New York, and the ship inspector, Silas Green, finds it full of corpses. Elsewhere, Julius Jones, Silas’s nephew, has a run-in with some Italian mobsters. Just as the two goons are about to kill Julius, Maximilian, a suave, mysterious vampire intervenes and kills them.

Soon after, Maximillian infects Julius with his vampiric blood, thereby turning him into a decaying ghoul. He explains that he has come to Brooklyn in search of the Dhampir daughter of a vampire from his native Caribbean island in order to live beyond the night of the next full moon.

This Dhampir turns out to be NYPD Detective Rita Veder, who is still dealing with the death of her mentally ill mother some months before. Rita begins having strange visions about a woman who looks like her, and begins asking questions about her mother’s past…

Reviews:

“Vampire in Brooklyn in the end is a disappointment, a series of oddly mismatched elements – a White director working with an almost completely Black cast; a horror director trying to do a comedy; a comedy star trying to do horror; and a B-script with an A-budget – and to no particular surprise it never clicks together.” Richard Scheib, Moria

” …Murphy, as the vampire of the film’s title, is the least interesting fixture in a story that gets muddled in its mix of horror and comedy genres: He is strangely cumbersome, which could be because of the hokey makeup and special effects surrounding him. Vampire in Brooklyn is neither funny nor frightening and comes up a tedious middle-road hybrid…” Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle

“The movie’s pleasures are fairly minor. It’s intriguing to watch Bassett, who has an appealing presence and sculpted features to die for. It’s also interesting to see Murphy apparently playing Herb (of Peaches and Herb) with fangs. But this modern fable is little more than a Murphy potboiler, something to while away a couple of hours, rather than fondly remember.” Desson Howe, The Washington Post

“In his unabashed rapacity and elegant aspect, Maximilian is a throwback: cunning, charming and guiltless. But the narrative, the complex make-up and effects, and Murphy’s performance as Max never probe beyond the surface. In fact, the make-up used to turn Murphy/Maximilian into other characters has more dramatic impact than the vampire transformations.” Alain Silver, James Ursini, The Vampire Film from Nosferatu to True Blood

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“The chemistry between Bassett and Murphy is strong, Kadeem Hardison and John Witherspoon are adept at comedy, the special effect sequences and transformations are startling, and the overall 1930s-’40s mood is charming.” John Kenneth Muir, Wes Craven: The Art of Horror

“It was a misguided alliance. Each party pursued a different agenda, resulting in a confused and disappointing horror-comedy…” Brian J. Robb, Screams & Nightmares: The Films of Wes Craven

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Cast and characters:

• Eddie Murphy as Maximilian / Preacher Pauly / Guido
• Angela Bassett as Detective Rita Veder
• Allen Payne as Detective Justice
• Kadeem Hardison as Julius Jones
• John Witherspoon as Silas Green
• Zakes Mokae as Dr. Zeko
• Joanna Cassidy as Captain Dewey
• W. Earl Brown as Police Officer
• Simbi Khali as Nikki

Wikipedia | IMDb

Scareycrows is a 2017 British comedy horror film directed by Lucy Townsend, making her feature debut, from a screenplay by David Hardie and Diana Townsend. The Inspired Toad Productions film stars Alice Maguire, Tom Child, Martin Challinor and Ben Gilbert.

Amy thinks the biggest problem she has to face is that her boyfriend is bored of living in a quiet seaside town and wants to move to London.

But when her friends begin disappearing during the preparations for the annual scareycrow celebrations she suspects there is a connection with the mysterious accident that left a local girl close to death the year before.

Soon she begins to suspect that her boyfriend is hiding a dark secret but she still has no idea that the town is about to be overrun by homicidal Scareycrows…

IMDb | Official website

‘They made their bed. Now they have to die in it.’

B&B is a 2017 British psychological black comedy thriller directed by Joe Ahearne (Trance; Strange; Ultraviolet, Apparitions and Doctor Who). The Hummingbird Films production stars Paul McGann, Sean Teale and Tom Bateman.

Marc and Fred exercise their civil rights by checking in at a B&B run by devout Christian Jeff and his teenage son Paul. Jeff has already been successfully sued after he refused them a double bed.

The gay couple have come back to demonstrate who’s in the minority now. All goes to plan until a thuggish Russian checks in. Is Alex a fellow gay campaigner or a neo-Nazi come to support homophobia overseas? The gay couple begin to fear they’ve been set up for a beating. A terrifying death occurs but not the one expected. When Marc and Fred uncover a cold-blooded murder they realize they’re next…

“B&B is a black comedy thriller about two guys who take a holiday for a joke, which goes badly wrong. I love Hitchcock and all kinds of suspense thrillers but I’ve not seen any where it’s about a couple. Gay movies are mostly boy meets boy or boy meets fatal disease, they’re character studies. Our guys are already an item and they face danger together.

And as the stakes escalate horribly, the last thing they lose is their sense of humour. Good suspense is inextricably linked to humour – Hitchcock called Psycho a black comedy. B&B is like the couple from Withnail and I checked into the Bates Motel,” says writer/director Joe Ahearne.

Distributor Peccadillo Pictures have picked up the UK and Ireland rights for a Summer 2017 release.

Filming locations:

Bristol, England, UK

IMDb | Official website | Facebook

‘A horror film of comic proportions’

There’s Nothing Out There is a 1990 [released 1991] American science fiction comedy horror film written and directed by Rolfe Kanefsky. Producer Victor Kanefsky, Rolfe’s father, was an editor (Blood Sucking Freaks; Ganja & Hess). It stars Craig Peck, Wendy Bednarz and Mark Collver.

It’s Spring Break, and seven high school students head to a secluded cabin in the woods for the weekend. Mike, a keen horror film fan, tries to warn his friends of impending danger. However, they scoff at him. That is, until sinister things begin to happen and they are attacked by a creature that wants to eat the men and mate with the women…

On January 11, 2011, Troma Entertainment released the film as a 20th Anniversary DVD with the following extras:

• Interviews
• Commentary by the Director
• Pre-Production Footage
• Still Photos
• Trailers
• Auditions
• Behind-The-Scenes

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

Cheap, schlocky and gleefully trashy, There’s Nothing Out There is an effective mix of low budget horror and goofy, tasteless comedy. The film wallows in genre clichés and needless T&A to good effect, resulting in a film that’s completely watchable and simultaneously horrible.” Ian Jane, DVD Talk

“While the movie is schlocky, it’s also able to point out some fun clichés that predated Scream by nearly a decade. There are riffs on the stray cat jumping out of the darkness, people’s willingness to get naked at the drop of a hat, the unnecessary need to learn the back story of the villain that always serves zero purpose toward survival, goofy romance music playing during the sex scenes…” Felix Vasquez Jr.,  Cinema Crazed

“This 16mm horror/comedy has decent special effects and camerawork, and like the earlier Final Exam and later Wes Craven flick Scream (1996), it includes a horror movie geek (Craig Peck) whose fright film knowledge comes into play.” Brian Albright, Regional Horror Films, 1958 – 1990

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca

“The monster is entertainingly cheesy and its movements hilariously stilted. Clothing is ripped off, cat’s jump out of nowhere, one character makes advantageous use of a dipping microphone boom (which is not cropped by the widescreen framing), eyes glow, faces melt, and there’s a nifty bit involving plate glass.” Eric Cotenas, DVD Drive-In

“Fast-paced, smart in script and surprisingly well-edited, it’s a very cheaply produced but stylish parody which falls short of credible acting while impressing with consistently good compositions. More pertinently, it’s fun. Rolfe Kanefsky directs with energy and imagination, compensating for the lack of finesse with a happy mix of snappy dialogue, occasional nudity and schlocky exploitation scenes.” Stuart Willis, Sex Gore Mutants

“In general, this no-budget parody of screen schlock is barely better than the dreck it imitates.” Carol Schwartz, Jim Olenski, VideoHound’s Cult Flicks & Trash Pics

“Making fun of horror films while embracing them at the same time is a tricky balance to strike. Yet, I thought There’s Nothing Out There! did an excellent job mixing horror and comedy.” House of Self Indulgence [review contains a plethora of choice images]

Main cast:

Craig Peck, Wendy Bednarz (Vampires and Other Stereotypes), Mark Collver, Bonnie Bowers, John Carhart III, Claudia Flores, Jeff Dachis, Lisa Grant, Sissy Frye, Cyrus Voris, Ronald St. Denis.

Choice dialogue:

Stacy: “He is a horror film – a walking, talking horror film!”

Mike: “We don’t know anything about this creature other than it, like everyone else, hates a mouth full of shaving cream.”

Filming locations:

Piermont, New York, USA

Running time and aspect ratio:

91 minutes | 1.78: 1

Trivia:

Rolfe Kanefsky was 20 years-old when he directed the film; his parents re-mortgaged their house in order to raise money for the budget of $350,000.

Principal filming took place over twenty-four days in the summer of 1989.

Various horror films are referenced, including Psycho (1960).

Wikipedia | IMDb

Safe Neighborhood is a 2016 Australian black comedy horror thriller directed by Chris Peckover from a screenplay co-written with Zack Kahn. It stars Virginia Madsen, Olivia DeJonge and Patrick Warburton.

On a quiet suburban street, a babysitter must defend a twelve year-old boy from intruders, only to discover it’s far from a normal home invasion…

Well Go USA has acquired North American distribution rights and plan to release the film – retitled Better Watch Out – in the 2017 Halloween season.

Reviews:

“From the get-go the film never takes itself too seriously, and practically demands to be seen with a large group of the right people (the film could prove disastrous if seen with an unresponsive audience). Kahn’s script is sharp and witty, an impressive feat for being his first feature film.” Trace Thurman, Bloody Disgusting

“Set almost entirely indoors, the action is intelligently staged and makes fine use of various household items, including the requisite flashlight, kitchen knife and lawnmower (though not in the way you think). Peckover keeps the ketchup flowing enough that gore fans will not feel shortchanged, especially during the last act, although Brian Cachia’s busy score hits what feels like too many upbeat notes.” Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter

“This film will keep most audience on the edge of their seats, gripping just a bit tighter on their popcorn, as an involuntary smile crosses their faces. It not only demands to bring wonder back to the cinema, it also wants to make sure you don’t have time to analyze it. The running time whirs by at a frenetic pace…” Eric Havens, Downright Creepy

” …after the first big twist about a half-hour into the film, you might think you’re in for an icky, misogynist torture p*rn, and momentarily wish to leave the theater. (I did.) But stick it out, because the film will continue to defy your expectations.” Katie Rife, A.V. Club

Main cast:

Virginia Madsen (Dead Rising: Watchtower; The Haunting; Candyman), Olivia DeJonge (The Visit; Scare Campaign), Patrick Warburton (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated; Bad Milo!; Scream 3), Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things), Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould (The Visit), Brendan Clearkin, Tara Jade Borg, Aleks Mikic, Tricia Mary Hennessy.

Filming locations:

Fox Studios, Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Running time:

85 minutes

IMDb

Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong is a 2013 American comedy horror film directed by Charles Band from a screenplay by Kent Roudebush (Evil Bong 666; Ooga Booga; Zombies vs. Strippers; et al). The Full Moon Features production is about a battle between the namesake characters from two of their film series, The Gingerdead Man and Evil Bong.

The demonic serial killer Gingerdead Man is on an island, being fanned by topless women. He plans to murder Sarah Leigh, and the scene switches to Larnell, who is running a store. Larnell then goes to buy a cookie, and the film switches to Sarah Leigh flash backing to The Gingerdead Man movie. The Gingerdead Man kills two people working at the bakery and searches for Sarah Leigh.

The Gingerdead Man tracks down the lone survivor of his earlier murderous rampage, Sarah Leigh. But his murderous plans are thwarted when Sarah meets Larnell, who has a problem of his own: the evil bong, Eebee, has been unleashed once again. Bodies begin to pile up as the Gingerdead Man carves a path of mayhem. The only hope for Sarah and Larnell is to seek help from the dastardly Bong…

Reviews:

“This is what happens when digital technology meets with old school props and makeup, when a stoner’s laid-back approach mixes with just enough ambition and financing to get the film printed and distributed. In the marketing material we’re told that Gary Busey and Tommy Chung star in the movie, but that’s basically a lie. They appear for brief moments in archival footage from the earlier films…” Molly Laich, Missoula Independent

“A lot of the scenes are still superfluous, but it doesn’t matter because they’re mostly fun. Especially seeing how they decided to bring the two franchises together. It’s so much more simple than I would have guessed, but they come together quite naturally. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that this was Full Moon’s plan all along.” Will, Silver Emulsion Film Reviews

“Gingerdead Man Vs. Evil Bong is little more than a series of unrelated scenes and characters with little concern for plot and zero thought put into pacing. I cannot fathom why Band, who directed, continues to hire Kent Roudebush to write his scripts; none of his output (Zombies Vs. Strippers, Unlucky Charms, Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt) has been the least bit redeeming.” Alex Di Vincenzo, Broke Horror Fan

“There is plenty of nudity, an abundance of one liners, returning characters and pseudo-cameos, but no truly mobile critter. A good horror icon “versus” film should have a script that unites both universes and serve both antagonists. It’s the case here, but, sadly, it doesn’t know whether it wants to be a horror movie or a stoner comedy…” Steve Hutchison, Tales of Terror

Cast and characters:

• Robin Sydney as Sarah Leigh / Luann
• Tian Wang as Asian Tourist
• Mindy Robinson as Poontang Girl #1 / Bikini Girl #1
• Timothy A. Bennett as Perv Customer
• Orson Chaplin as Hesher #2
• Ryan Curry as Larry
• Sonny Carl Davis as Rabbit
• The Don as String
• Joss Glennie-Smith as Hesher #1
• Chanell Heart as Poontang Girl #2 / Bikini Girl #3
• John Patrick Jordan as Larnell
• Jinhee Joung as Asian Wife
• John Karyus as The Gingerdead Man Mouth
• Victoria Levine as Debbie
• Masuimi Max as Uber Poontang Girl / Bikini Girl #2
• Amy Paffrath as Velicity
• Chance A. Rearden as Hambo
• Megan Steele as Body Double

Wikipedia | IMDb

Mama Dracula is a 1979 [released 19 November 1980] Belgian-French film produced, directed and co-written by Boris Szulzinger. The screenplay was co-written with Pierre Sterckx and Marc-Henri Wajnberg. It stars Louise Fletcher, Maria Schneider and Jimmy Shuman.

Mama Dracula, a character based on the true story of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, an enthusiast of rejuvenation baths consisting of the blood of young virgins, must come to terms with a shortage in the modern era. She invites scientist Professor Van Bloed from the USA to aid her quest for virgin’s blood…

Buy soundtrack CD by Roy Budd (Get Carter): Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“The photography and the settings are adequate but the farcical script never achieves the level of inventiveness required to get away with such a thin plot.” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

“Fletcher struts about in a feather boa and undergoes various costume changes but projects zero in the way of oozing sex appeal. Moreover, at age 46 and of rather broader figure, she is physically wrong for the part. Even with the film being played as the comedy it is, she never seems to get into the spirit of the burlesque.” Richard Scheib, Moria

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

“In places this verged on the amateurish in spite of the professionals before and behind the camera, doing nothing but demonstrate how crucial a decent script is to this kind of effort, which was unavoidably missing with Mama Dracula. If little else it offered a benevolence in its attitudes, though that only meant its teeth were blunted. Surprisingly lush music by Roy Budd.” Graeme Clark, The Spinning Image

“…a relentlessly camped-up embarrassment […] But the puerile result doesn’t have a laugh in it from beginning to end.” Jonathan Rigby, Euro Gothic

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

“Neither flashes of self-conscious technique nor the presence of Fletcher can raise this film above the level of its sophomoric humor and mediocre plot.” Alain Silver and James Ursini, The Vampire Film

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca

Choice dialogue:

Virginie: “I’d like to go kissy kissy bang bang with you!”

Cast and characters:

• Louise Fletcher as Mama Dracula – Frankenstein and Me; Firestarter; Strange Invaders; Exorcist II: The Heretic
• Maria Schneider as Nancy Hawaï
• Marc-Henri Wajnberg as Vladimir
• Alexander Wajnberg as Ladislas
• Jimmy Shuman as Professor Van Bloed
• Jess Hahn as The Detective
• Michel Israel as Rosa
• Suzy Falk as The Nanny
• Vincent Grass as Fiancé
• Marie-Françoise Manuel as Virginie
• José Gral as The Innkeeper
• William Del Visco as The psychiatrist

Wikipedia | IMDb | Related: Countess Dracula

‘A bloody knockout’

Six Hot Chicks in a Warehouse is a 2017 British action comedy horror film co-produced and directed by Simon P. Edwards (Blaze of Gory – segment “Sick Little Boy”) from a screenplay co-written with Kate G. Smith and Kim Dyer. The Kill The Sunset Pictures production stars Jessica Messenger, Oliver Malam and Sabine Crossen.

A body conscious photographer, Adrian, concocts a scenario in which he attempts to project his insecurities onto those who mock him. Hired by Adrian, his professed muse Mira and five other girls begin to question who is using who when it becomes clear that the not so normal mind of the photographer himself isn’t all the girls have to worry about…

The film will be released on 13 August 2017.

Press release:

Jessica Messenger, co-producer and actress playing the role of Mira, is really excited for fellow horror fans to see the film. “It has taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears (real ones) to get the film to where it is today. We have had a fantastic amount of support and patience from the horror community and I’m just looking forward to getting the film in front of an audience.”

Knowingly turning the sub-genre on its head, director Simon Edwards is as much of a popcorn-film fan as the next guy, “It quickly became obvious to me that this film was one which grabbed attention both positive and negative. I’ll be honest, being quite a shy character myself, the prospect of directing this script terrified me. The title is the equivalent to running down the high street shouting out a swear word as loud as your lungs will allow.”

Main cast:

Jessica Messenger (Dead Bitch!; Rats; Devil’s Tower), Oliver Malam, Sabine Crossen (Predator Dark Ages; Rosemary’s Baby [2014]), Jade Wallis (Blaze of Gory), Max Rudd, Emma Lock (Torture; Three’s a Shroud; Dead Love), Elesha Thorn, Sandra Huzuneanu, Holly Springett, Samantha Elliott Brody, Chloe Toy.

Filming locations:

Scottow (formerly RAF Coltishall), Norfolk, UK

IMDb | Facebook | Twitter | Official site | Instagram

‘Heaven is for everyone… except you’

Bloody Bloody Bible Camp – aka Sin – is a 2012 American comedy slasher horror film directed by Vito Trabucco (Psycho a Go-Go; Never Open the Door; Slices) from a screenplay co-written with Shelby McIntyre.

In 1977, a group of young people are massacred at the Happy Day Bible Camp by demented Sister Mary Chopper.

In 1984, another group of teenagers turn up, led by Father Richard Cummings, at the now dubbed ‘Bloody Bloody Bible Camp’. Ignoring warnings from the locals, it is not long before Sister Mary Chopper goes on a killing spree again…

Reviews:

“The acting is very over-the-top, but everyone does a nice job. Reggie Bannister steals the show as Father Cummings and has some really funny lines. And any film that casts porn legend Ron Jeremy as Jesus gets my seal of approval!! The killing scenes are also a lot of fun as we get to see Sister Mary Chopper slice, dice, and puree her way through the cast.” Anything Horror

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

“This should satisfy its intended audience. It’s an 80s slasher throwback comedy-homage to Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp, with a couple of extra buckets of blood and lots of extremely inappropriate catholic-bible-sex jokes.” The Worldwide Celluloid Massacre

“If you like tits, gore, and fart/cock/gay jokes, all wrapped up with a killer nun offing horny teenagers dressed in 80s clobber, you’re sure to love this, and if you don’t, then flick through the Bible instead.” Vegan Vorhees

“The acting is very over-the-top, but everyone does a nice job. Reggie Bannister steals the show as Father Cummings and has some really funny lines. And any film that casts porn legend Ron Jeremy as Jesus gets my seal of approval!! The killing scenes are also a lot of fun as we get to see Sister Mary Chopper slice, dice, and puree her way through the cast.” Anything Horror

“It might be easy to dismiss this movie as racist, misogynistic and just plain hateful, but it treats all it’s characters with such disdain, such unbridled disgust that it’s a wonder the filmmakers were able to get through a day of filming.” David Kempski, Splats of Blood

” …as expected a few of the jokes fall a little flat but there are enough in the script of sparking genius that the occasional dud is wholly forgivable. Sin will undoubtedly be a bit of a marmite movie with the viewing public as a fusion of comedy (especially this style) and horror has the potential to be off-putting.” David Wain, UK Horror Scene

Cast and characters:

• Reggie Bannister…Father Richard Cummings (Phantasm franchise; Spring Break Massacre; Sigma Die!)
• Tim Sullivan… Sister Mary Chopper / Eugene (director of 2001 Maniacs and sequel)
• Ron Jeremy… Jesus (Werewolves in Heat; Andre the Butcher; One-eyed Monster; et al)
• Ivet Corvea… Millie
• Matthew Aidan… Tad
• Jessica Sonneborn… Brittany (Camp Daze)
• Deborah Venegas … Jennifer
• Jeff Dylan Graham… Dwayne (Home Sick)
• Elissa Dowling… Betty
• David C. Hayes… JJ
• Daniel Schweiger… Brother Beau
• Christopher Raff… Timmy (Jack the Reaper)
• Chris Staviski… Skunk
• Jay Fields… Brother Zeke
• Troy Guthrie… Vance
• Gigi Fast Elk Porter… Mother Mary [as Gigi Bannister]

Wikipedia | IMDb | Image credits: Anything Horror

‘Jennifer’s mother is having an identity crisis’

My Mom’s a Werewolf is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by Michael Fischa (Deadtime Stories: Volume 1 and 2; Mascara Diablo; Death Spa) from a screenplay by Mark Pirro (Nudist Colony of the Dead; Curse of the Queerwolf; A Polish Vampire in Burbank). It stars Susan Blakely, John Saxon, Tina Caspary and John Schuck.

The film was released in May 1989 by Crown International Pictures.

Leslie Shaber (Susan Blakely), a sexually frustrated housewife, visits a pet shop to purchase a flea-collar. Unfortunately, the charming owner Harry Thropen (John Saxon) is a werewolf.

Leslie agrees to have lunch with Harry and, smitten by his amorous advances, the pair begin an affair. Harry passionately bites Leslie’s toe and she transforms into a werewolf.

Meanwhile, Leslie desperately tries to hide her increasingly hairy appearance from her bewildered family…

Buy on DVD with Creature from the Haunted Sea | The Creeping Terror | Deathrow Gameshow | Ghosts on the Loose | Little Shop of Horrors | Manos: The Hands of Fate | One Body Too Many | A Bucket of Blood | The Gorilla | King of the Zombies | Treasure of Fear | Spooks Run Wild: Amazon.com

Reviews:

“The transformation effects are quite terrible, the comedy is pretty flat, but nonetheless it features genre-legend John Saxon as the lycanthropic owner of a pet shop. It’s pure 80’s oddball stuff that’s not great but good fun.” McBastard’s Mausoleum

“It is enjoyable silly, although ultimately lacking in big laugh-out-loud scenes. In the end, it is hard to get too outraged about the lameness of the material – it is after all exactly what one expects from a film with a title like My Mom’s a Werewolf.” Richard Scheib, Moria

“My Mom’s a Werewolf is about as bad as it gets, but the cast was solid, the acting was good, and there was an attempt by the cast to make a good movie. It just didn’t work. It had a great 80’s look to it and had they focused on making a horror movie with comedic elements rather than just a straight out comedy in the end, it would have probably been good.” Geno McGahee, Scared Stiff Reviews

Buy: Amazon.com

“The werewolf masks are stiff and unconvincing, and the movie cheats when it comes to transformations, either simply having the fully transformed werewolves appear without seeing their transformation, or the long obsolete technique of dissolving one shot to another. So not only is My Mom’s A Werewolf an unfunny comic spin on a certain aspect of the horror genre that you don’t usually associate with humor, it isn’t even able to respect that horror genre aspect with its serious moments.” Keith Bailey, The Unknown Movies

“There were some things I liked.  I liked John Saxon’s performance. And the movie geek character who reads Famous Monsters, Fangoria, and Gorezone and has posters from other Crown International pictures like Galaxina and Prime Evil on her wall. And of course, the 80’s fashions were appropriately cheesy. Other than that, My Mom’s a Werewolf is a dog of a film.” Mitch Lovell, The Video Vacuum

“Saxon, along with the film’s other stars, can be given a good deal of credit for overcoming the film’s lackluster execution. They all give funny performances, and Caspary is even likable enough to make a fairly predictable final joke quite funny.” Steve Miller, Terror Titans

Buy DVD: Amazon.com

“It’s obvious that the film was never suppose to be taken seriously as we have a lot of overacting, terrible costumes and cringe worthy dialog. Thankfully every actor treats it lightly with Susan Blakely making it somewhat likable. She’s obviously trying the best she can to make the movie at least seem quirky enough to stand out. There’s no gore scenes and the werewolf costumes are laughable.” Cult Film Finder

“It’s basically a low-rent version of Fright Night (not to be confused with Night Fright). If I had been eight years old when I watched this, I would’ve enjoyed it. But I wasn’t, so I didn’t.” Kevin Burns, The Video Basement

Cast and characters:

• Susan Blakely as Leslie Shaber (Grizzly Park; Annihilator)
• John Saxon as Harry Thropen (Death House; Elm Street; Queen of Blood; et al)
• Tina Caspary as Jennifer Shaber (Teen Witch)
• John Schuck as Howard Shaber (Demon Knight; The Munsters Today; The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t)
• Diana Barrows as Stacey Pubah
• Ruth Buzzi as Madame Gypsy
• Marilyn McCoo as Celia Celica
• Marcia Wallace as Peggy
• Geno Silva as Dr. Rod Rodriguez

Wikipedia | IMDb | Image credits: Cult Film Finder | Scared Stiff Reviews | Terror Titans

Ahockalypse is a 2017 American comedy horror film written and directed by Wayne Harry Johnson Jr. (Into the Void), based on a storyline by Craig Patrick. The Sparrowhawk Pictures stars Jesse Rennicke, Squall Charlson and Alex Galick.

The Prairie Kings hockey team fight for the league championship and for their lives all in one night…

The film is currently in post-production.

Main cast:

Jesse Rennicke, Squall Charlson (Gags; Wendigosis; A Nightmare on Twitch.TV), Alex Galick, Kaylee Williams (Stirring; Leaf Blower Massacre 2; Porkchop 3D; et al), Cole Eckert, Barry Melrose, Kelly Chase, Gabrielle Arrowsmith, Lindsey Kuehl, Troy Antoine LaFaye, Rachel Vedder, Ajuawak Kapashesit, Ryan J. Gilmer, Michael Dean, Casandra Ha, Toria Bayer.

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‘The North. The South. The Undead.’

Army of Frankensteins is a 2013 American comedy science fiction horror film written and directed by Ryan Bellgardt (The Jurassic Games; Gremlin). It stars Jordan Farris, Rett Terrell and John Ferguson.

This film should not be confused with Richard Raaphorst’s Frankenstein’s Army, made the same year.

After Alan Jones is savagely beaten by a street gang, he ends up at the lab of mad scientist Dr. Tanner Finski and his assistant Igor, a child genius. There, Jones discovers that he is the key to an experiment that involves Frankenstein’s monster. When the experiment goes wrong, Finski sends Jones and Igor back in time to the American Civil War, where an interdimensional portal has allowed an army of monsters to converge…

Buy: Amazon.com

Reviews:

” …plenty of scenes that are full of action, with some slick CGI used as the monsters attack soldiers or end up as cannon fodder themselves. There are some superb moments during these gore set pieces, with some imaginative kills on display. The final act is thrilling and amps up the zany nature of an unusual tale.” James Simpson, Infernal Cinema

“About half way through this I started to become a bit fatigued by the overly long and convoluted twists and turns of the movie, but I didn’t hate it. There’s some good gore gags with multiple heads being popped like over ripe tomatoes, heads being ripped off the neck by the monsters and some digital effects that while they weren’t fantastic were entertaining…” Ken Kastenhuber, McBastard’s Mausoleum

“Ryan Bellgardt’s amateurism shows through particularly in some of the early mundane scenes where people’s overreactions to normal things… The low-budget stretches fairly well, although the film disappointingly opts for digital gore scenes.” Richard Scheib, Moria

“The effects are okay, with the practical effects being superior to the CG efforts. Some of the gore is fun and well done. It’s clear that some care was taken while making this movie. But the story is too feckless, unrealistic and random to ever build any tension or create any drama. It’s also not terribly funny, which for a horror comedy is a death knell.” Jeremy Blitz, DVD Talk

“As the film becomes more epic in scope we lose the sense of storytelling and it turns into a genre mashup that the effects, cast and direction can’t quite cope with. From pantomime style acting and almost joke-like false moustaches, the film does stumble and you feel it almost immediately.” Craig Huntley, UK Horror Scene

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Cast and characters:

• Jordan Farris as Alan Jones
• Christian Bellgardt as Igor
• Rett Terrell as Solomon Jones
• John Ferguson as Dr. Tanner Finksi
• Raychelle McDonald as Virginia
• Eric Gesecus as Frankenstein’s monster
• Gary Olinghouse as Eugene

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Where are your kids?’

Dead Shack is a 2017 Canadian comedy horror film directed by Peter Ricq from a screenplay co-written with Phil Ivanusic and Davila LeBlanc. It stars Lauren Holly, Valerie Tian, Donavon Stinson and Lizzie Boys.

On a weekend getaway at a rundown cabin in the woods, Jason, a cautious teen, his crude best friend Colin and his fearless older sister Summer are forced to work together, grow up and save their hard partying parents from their predatory neighbour (Lauren Holly) who is intent on feeding them all to her undead family…

Dead Shack is currently playing at festivals such as Popcorn Frights Film Festival in Miami, prior to release details being announced.

Main cast:

Lauren Holly, Valerie Tian, Donavon Stinson, Lizzie Boys, June B. Wilde, Taylor St. Pierre, Hannah Rochelle Burr, Cameron Andres, Gabriel LaBelle.

IMDb

Image credits: HorrorNews.net

‘Friends who slay together, stay together.’

Tragedy Girls is a 2017 comedy horror movie directed by Tyler MacIntyre from a screenplay co-written with Chris Lee Hill (they previously created Patchwork). It stars Alexandra Shipp, Brianna Hildebrand and Josh Hutcherson.

Two death-obsessed teenage girls use their online show about real-life tragedies to send their small mid-west town into a frenzy and cement their legacy as modern horror legends…

Reviews:

“The slashing is satisfying, the characters are memorable, and the jokes are genuinely funny — laugh-out-loud funny at times. This one gains almost immediate cult status and is guaranteed to be a fan favorite for years to come. It will leave you feeling satisfied in a way that very few films do, and it’s an absolute joy to watch.” Blair Hoyle, Cinema Slasher

“Tragedy Girls plot is a bit of a mess, and the captive-killer thread is lost for such long stretches that at times it appears to be a leftover remnant from an early draft. But these flaws are largely neutralized by MacIntyre’s bonkers stylistic abandon, as he cuts freely from bubbly high school farce to gooey dismemberment…” Andrew Barker, Variety

“MacIntyre deftly juxtaposes the traditional slasher narrative with eye-popping millennial colors in terms of visual style. He’s careful to strike a perfect balance with the grim and the bubbly, never veering to far over either line. There’s an underlying question posed on the parasitic, detached nature of social media in terms of our ability to connect with other humans, and a late game reveal further complicates that question.” Meagan Navarro, Modern Horrors

“Tragedy Girls can be surprisingly gruesome, and its “good things come to those who kill” undertone makes the material somewhat scandalously dark.  At the same time, the script’s smartness, the cast’s enthusiasm, and confident directing make the movie devilishly fun. Tyler MacIntyre has a unique take on how to make horror/comedy intelligent as well as entertaining.” Ian Sedensky, Culture Crypt

” …a wildly entertaining horror/comedy romp that feels exciting and original even as it channels imagery and ideas straight out of Tucker & Dale vs Evil, The Final Girls, Cannibal Holocaust, Halloween, and more. It’s a smart, funny ride that never shies away from the gooey red stuff – keep an eye out for the best gym-set practical gore effect since Death Spa – as the body count rises alongside the laughs and thrills.” Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

Main cast:

Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocalypse; Occult), Brianna Hildebrand, Josh Hutcherson, Craig Robinson, Kevin Durand, Jack Quaid, Timothy V. Murphy, Nicky Whelan, Austin Abrams, Kerry Rhodes.

IMDb

‘Evil has an hour to kill.’

6:66 P.M. is a 2017 American comedy horror film directed by Jim Klock (actor in Massacre on Aisle 12; Scream Queens) from a screenplay by Tommy McLaughlin and Chad Ridgely. The Full Auto Films/Code 3 Films production stars Jim Klock, Chad Ridgely and Alexis Kelley.

A team of television ghost hunters gets more than they bargained for when the house that they are pretending is haunted, turns out to be occupied by the evil spirit of an insane serial killer. Their scripted reality show goes haywire as the demon fights to take possession of their bodies…

6:66 P.M. has been acquired by distribution house Indican Pictures, for home entertainment release. Meanwhile, the film will continue a festival run into 2018.

Main cast:

Jim Klock, Chad Ridgely, Alexis Kelley, Autumn Federici, Michael Buonomo, Robin F. Baker, Scott Burkhardt, Michael D. Moore, Bobby Liga, Mike Capozzi.

Filming locations:

Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, USA

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‘They came with false teeth’

Granny of the Dead is a 2017 British comedy horror film written and directed by Tudley James. The TudorFilms production stars Marcus Carroll, Abigail Hamilton and Oliver Ferriman.

Horrorpedia originally reported on this film when it was in pre-production in 2013 and known as O.A.Z. Nan from Hell.

Ed (Marcus Carroll) awakes one morning to find that his grandmother has become one of the living dead. Trapped in his home he struggles to cope, and with a little help from his friends he tries to survive the day, but the more nan feeds the stronger she gets and soon it becomes a battle to keep the house zombie free…

Granny of the Dead is unleashed on DVD in the UK on 28 August 2017 by Matchbox Films. In the US, the film will be available on VOD on July 14, 2017.

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Main cast:

Marcus Carroll (Monstrum), Abigail Hamilton (Charismata; The Hatching; The Seasoning House), Oliver Ferriman (Torchwood), William Huw, Tudley James, Sabrina Dickens, Josh Wood, Nia Ann, Steve Purbrick, Kathy Saxondale, Victor Ptak, Edward Way, Linda Bailey, Ricky Valentine, Tom Barker.

Trivia:

The film’s working titles were O.A.Z: Nan from Hell and O.A.Z: Old Age Zombies

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Related: Rabid Grannies

‘Time for a change’

Attack of the Adult Babies is a 2017 British comedy horror film directed by Dominic Brunt (Before Dawn) from a screenplay by Paul Shrimpton, based on a storyline by Joanne Mitchell. It stars Kurtis Lowe, Andrew Dunn and Sally Dexter.

A home invasion forces two teenagers to break into a remote country manor and steal top secret documents. Little do they know but the stately pile is also the venue where a group of high-powered middle-aged men go to take refuge from the stresses of daily life by dressing in nappies and indulging their every perverse sexual nursery-themed whim. Or that this grotesque assembly intends to refuel the world’s economy by very sinister, sick and monstrous means…

The film has its world premiere in London, England, at the Horror Channel FrightFest on 26 August 2017.

Interview:

Director Dominic Brunt talks to James Whittington for the Horror Channel

Main cast:

Kurtis Lowe, Andrew Dunn, Sally Dexter, Nicky Evans, Thaila Zucchi, Joanne Mitchell, Seamus O’Neill, Charlie Chuck, Kate Coogan, Mica Proctor, Keith Nahon.

Filming locations:

Yorkshire, England, UK

Running time:

80 minutes

IMDb

Fanged Up is a 2017 British comedy horror film directed by Christian James (Stalled; Freak Out) from a screenplay written by Nick Nevern, Daniel O’Reilly and Dan Palmer. It stars Daniel O’Reilly, Lauren Socha and Steven Berkoff.

A wrongfully arrested lovable rogue (Daniel O’Reilly) is thrown into a high-security prison for the weekend when his blood group is revealed to be very rare.

Once incarcerated in the slammer, it seems there’s no way out alive as the warden is a top-level bloodsucker, the guards are his pet zombies and the inmates are their unwilling victims…

Fanged Up will have its world premiere in London at the Horror Channel FrightFest on 25 August 2017.

Main cast:

Daniel O’Reilly, Lauren Socha, Steven Berkoff, Lucy Pinder, Terry Stone, Vas Blackwood, Stephen Marcus, Ian Reddington, Roland Manookian, Ewen MacIntosh, Stu Bennett, Joe Egan, Amber Doig-Thorne, Danielle Harold, Darren Luckin, Adam Oakley, Arron Crascall, Huw Samuel, Chris R. Wright.

IMDb

‘Cursed by a voodoo hoodoo on a howling zombie hunt!’

Zombies on Broadway is a 1945 American horror comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas (Them!; Spooky Hooky) from a screenplay by Robert Kent and Lawrence Kimble. The film stars RKO’s Abbott and Costello imitators, Alan Carney and Wally Brown, plus Anne Jeffreys and Bela Lugosi.

Zombies on Broadway was profitable for RKO, therefore the studio re-united Brown, Carney, Anne Jeffreys and Bela Lugosi for Genius at Work (1945).

Apparently fragile British sensibilities to horror lore decreed that the UK title was changed to Loonies on Broadway.

Buy: Amazon.com

New York: Jerry Miles and Mike Strager are employed as Broadway press agents. Their latest idea is to hire a “genuine zombie” for the opening of The Zombie Hut, a new cabaret nightclub owned by gangster Ace Miller that will open the following Friday the 13th.

The press agents’ plan is to dress a former boxer up as a zombie, figuring no one will know the difference. However, Ace’s nemesis, a Walter Winchell type radio celebrity is friends with the boxer and vows he will publicly humiliate Ace Miller if a real zombie is not at the opening of the club.

Ace threatens the hapless duo with death unless they produce a real zombie. They discover a lead from a museum curator that a mysterious Professor Renault lives on the Caribbean island of San Sebastian and has been creating zombies. Ace’s henchmen, force the boys onto a tramp steamer sailing to the Virgin Islands with orders to bring back a real zombie…

Reviews:

The comedy gags are well placed, and dutifully timed. More to the point, Brown and Carney are an amusing duo, and do their best not to irritate with their antics. Lugosi is a sport, delivering another mad scientist performance with just the right dose of feisty zeal. And Darby Jones (from Val Lewton’s 1943 I Walked with a Zombie) turns in another memorable zombie routine.” The Terror Trap

“The dialogue and gags are dreadfully unfunny, including some rather racist humor that was outdated in 1945. The only truly funny scene involves Lugosi, the monkey, and a chest of drawers reminiscent of the Three Stooges. Even a good supporting cast (Leonard, Ian Wolfe, Frank Jenks) can’t save this one.” Gary Loggins, Cracked Rear Viewer

“True, a lot of the comic patter falls flat and there are those cringe-inducing moments of racial stereotypes played for comedy that were typical of its era – the nervous black janitor, superstitious natives, etc. But even with all of those handicaps, it’s not as bad as its reputation.” Jeff Stafford, Cinema Sojourns

” …the only real entertainment value to be had in Zombies on Broadway, apart from spotting connections to I Walked With a Zombie, is derived from the scenes involving the little monkey, who clearly believes he’s working on a much better film than everyone else.” Arnold T. Blumberg, Zombiemania: 80 Movies to Die For

“Brown and Carney aren’t funny, and it’s sad to see Lugosi outwitted by a pack of morons.” Peter Dendle, The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia

Choice dialogue:

Professor Paul Renault: “Oh, what is wrong? What is wrong? How can the natives do with their silly voodoo what I cannot accomplish with my scientific means?”

Professor Paul Renault: “Have them dig a couple of graves for themselves, in case this experiment fails.”

Cast and characters:

• Wally Brown … Jerry Miles
• Alan Carney .. .Mike Strager
• Bela Lugosi … Professor Paul Renault
• Anne Jeffreys … Jean La Danse
• Sheldon Leonard … Ace Miller
• Frank Jenks … Gus
• Russell Hopton … Benny
• Joseph Vitale … Joseph
• Ian Wolfe … Professor Hopkins (Homebodies; Diary of a Madman; Bedlam; Mad Love; The Raven)
• Louis Jean Heydt … Douglas Walker
• Darby Jones … Kalaga – the Zombie (Black Magic; I Walked with a Zombie)
• Robert Clarke … Wimpy
• Rosemary La Planche … Entertainer in Sarong (Strangler of the Swamp)
• Sir Lancelot … Calypso Singer (The Unknown Terror; The Curse of the Cat People; The Ghost Ship)
• Jason Robards Sr. … Headwaiter
• Nick Stewart … Worthington
• Bill Williams … Smuggler sailor

Wikipedia | IMDb | AFI