The Car that Ate Paris (1974)

AKA: The Car That Eat People

Starring: John Meillon, Bruce Spence, Terry Camilleri
Director: Peter Weir

Premise:
A small, rural town causes car wrecks as a mean to provide themselves with finances.

My Take:
Like a lot of the director's early films, this is an unsettling weird movie.
While most of the carnage is shown off screen, the viewer does see some aftermath. But this movie isn't about the blood. It's really about the town dynamic. Everyone in the town is in on the situation but many aren't happy with how the wealth is dispersed, especially the younger ones who decide to take a stand against the elders.
A truly unique flick.

Rating: In the middle





 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Live Girls

Author: Ray Garton

Premise:
After the murder of his sister and niece, her brother tries to track down the killer, his brother in law. The trail leads to seedy Times Square and strip club ran by vampires. He, along with a recently turned man, attempt to get rid of them all.

My Take:
A wishy-washy vampire tale this is not. Sexuality and gore drip from its pages with frenetic pace.
The author does a fantastic job in creating a seedy atmosphere and characters that thrive in its environment. He also a slightly different take on the vampire mythos making the book more interesting.


Rating: So Good




 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

A Blade in the Dark (1983)

AKA: La Casa Con la Scala Nel Buio


Director: Lamberto Bava


Premise:
A film composer gets stalked by a killer who seems to be linked to the movie he is writing the music for.

My Take:
A decent giallo where I liked the set up and execution of the story. It's a little creepier than many movies of its type. Unfortunately it's not hard to figure out the villain.

Rating: In the middle





 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Hell's Labyrinth (2007)

AKA: Carnivorious

Starring: Leah Rose, Katy Colloton, Matt Ukena
Director: Drew Maxwell

Premise:
A group of individuals wake up in a cave and are hunted by a monster.

My Take:
With in the first few minutes you know exactly how bad a movie will be. And this one is a stinker. The bad cinematography, acting, CGI, and the plot are simply not worth the time.
You are warned.

Rating: Steaming Pile






 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

The Fades, Season 1 (2010)

Starring: Iain De Caestecker, Johnny Harris, Daniel Kaluuya, Sophia Wu


Premise:
Spirits of the dead called Fades start eating human flesh to become immortal, led by Polus. A group of special people called Angelics try to stop them from taking over the Earth and the savior could be a teenage boy named Paul.

My Take:
An interesting and unique storyline which moves along rapidly through the six episodes. Very good writing as there's a touch of zombie, angels, ghosts, end of the world,  and the line between good and evil are often blurred. The excellent cast helps pull of the feat.
A very solid program and I would enjoy seeing it get a second season.

Rating: So Good




 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Mansion of Madness (1976)

AKA: Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon

Starring: Claudio Brook,
Director: Juan López Moctezuma

Premise:
Inmates of  remote insane asylum take the staff hostage and start running the institute.

My Take:
This movie is full of so much crazy stuff it has to been seen. And its rather entertaining and unique. I dont want to spoil any of it by sharing.
It does have down falls though, but still far more interesting than most stuff I watch.

Rating: In the middle





 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Resurrection County (2011)

Starring: Dayton Knoll, Kathryn Michelle
Director: Mark Zettell

Premise:
Two couple go up to the mountains for a weekend of camping and ATV riding. They accidentally cross paths with some locals and all hell breaks loose. One of the locals is killed and his brothers seek revenge on the couples.

My Take:
A run down premise offers little new, until the very end but by then its too little and too late.

Rating: Warning





 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Thankskilling (2009)

Starring: Lindsey Anderson, Lance Predmore
Director: Jordan Downey


Premise:
A demonic turkey rises from the grave and starts killing off college kids during Thanksgiving break.

My Take:
I watched this movie with a friend of mine who said it's her families Thanksgiving tradition. It was everything I expected it to be and everything I knew it wouldn't be. The movie is so terrible. The characters, the logic behind their actions, the dialog... all so, so bad. It's the sort of flick that is only made tolerable by watching with a group of friends and making fun it the entire time.
Happy Thankskilling everyone.

Rating: Steaming Pile




 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Scalene (2011)

Starring: Margo Martindale, Hanna Hall, Adam Scarimbolo
Director: Zack Parker

Premise:
The story concerning the rape of a college caregiver by a mentally disabled man told in three points of view. The caregiver, the patient, and his mother.

My Take:
This movie hit a little close to home for me. I have an elderly grandmother with dementia and I have had to take care of her and have hired a caregiver in the past. I know how a person can be treated by another person with the disease and I also know how much trust you put in a caregiver when you are not around.
With that said, the movie does a great job with the three different view points. And while the the main details solved with the allegations of the rape charge are figured out, the whole set of circumstances is not revealed. And it makes for an above average flick. 

Rating: So Good




 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Bedevilled (2010)

AKA:  Kim Bok-Nam Salinsageonui Jeonmal


Director: Chul-soo Jang


Premise:
A woman takes a vacation to a small island where her grandfather lived and only a handful of people still live. Among those is a childhood girlfriend who the elder women treat like a work slave and the men use for their own desires. After her child is killed, the girl has enough and takes revenge out on those who have done her wrong.

My Take:
A lot of the scenes in this movie made me cringe. This poor woman is beaten, raped, and looked down upon by all. Yet she carries on. Until her little girl killed and then she finally snaps.
The movie moves a tad slow but that only allows the viewer to soak up what you have just seen and create sympathy for the woman. When the shit hits the fan there is plenty of realistic gore to be seen. 
The brutality and hate from the characters ooze off the screen.

Rating: So Good




 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Train of the Dead (2007)

AKA: Chum Thanng Rot Fair Phii


Director: Sukhum Mathawanit


Premise:
Five robbers crash into a shop and take the owner hostage. They seek refuge from the police on a train where they soon find out the passengers are all deceased and the train is heading for their final judgment. 

My Take:
The movie just didn't click with me. I've seen far better Thai movies with a plot revolving around death. 
The characters in this one either fall flat or go over the top. And there's nothing too interesting.

 Rating: Warning




 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

The Victim (2012)

Starring: Michael Biehn, Jennifer Blanc, Danielle Harris
Director: Michael Biehn

Premise:
Two girls are out partying with a couple of off duty cops when one of the girls is killed. The other girl escapes and seeks help at a stranger's remote cabin. Soon the cops comes to clean their mess but find a surprise.

My Take:
It's an ultra low budget exploitation movie which actually looks great.
The biggest problem I had in this flick was with the dialog. For example, there's one heated scene where the two main characters shout out questions at each other to avoid the real subject. It's rather ridiculous. But the over all story is decent. Michael Biehn also wrote the script.


Rating: In the middle





 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Pena, Bridget Moynahan
Director: Jonathan Liebesman

Premise:
Aliens attack the globe putting crafts outside twenty major cities. Marine forces in L.A. fight for their survival and civilians left behind while trying to take out the enemy.

My Take:
Not a lot of horror here but plenty of tension early on in the battle sequences.
Sort of typical big budget studio movie with holes in the scrip and big effects. I'm fairly jaded on these types of movies but I've sat through far worse.

Rating: Warning




 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Rituals (1977)

AKA: The Creeper

Starring: Hal Holbrook, Lawrence Dane
Director: Peter Carter


Premise:
A group of doctors take their yearly vacation to a remote part of the Canada wilderness for a hike. Soon they discover that another person is out there and has plans to kill the group.

My Take:
Holbrook shines in the lead role but the other characters just seem to bicker, complain, and are too one dimensional to actually care about there demise.
The film is absolutely beautiful with all the wooded scenery.

Rating: In the middle






 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Silent Hill: Revelation (2012)

Starring: Adelaide Clemens, Kit Harrington, Sean Bean, Malcom McDowell, Radha Mitchell, Deborah Kara Unger
Director: Michael J. Bassett

Premise:
After her father disappears a girl must go to the ghost town of Silent Hill to find him, where an evil society awaits her.

My Take:
I saw this movie in the theater in 3D and it made for some cool effects. Also really dug the kickass creatures.
The story uses, at some point, all the main characters from the original movie which makes for a seamless transition to the sequel. I never played the game so I no idea of the story going in and I was pleasantly surprised. However, the ending is a tad weak compared to the rest of the movie.

Rating: In the middle

 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Burn Witch Burn (1962)

AKA: Night of the Eagle

Starring: Peter Wyngarde, Janet Blair,

Director: Sidney Hayes


Premise:
A college professor discovers his wife practicing magic and forces her to start only to find out colleagues are using magic against him.

My Take:
A good film based on Fritz Leiber's novel The Conjurer's Wife. 
Great atmosphere as the viewer isn't quite sure if the circumstances around the characters are real or in their head.

Rating: So Good





Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Hellavator: The Bottled Fools (2004)

AKA:  Gusha No Bindume

Director: Hiroki Yamaguchi


Premise:
In a futuristic society where elevator can go anywhere, several passengers get on. Chaos, mayhem, and death ensue.

My Take:
All in all, I found this movie to be boring and too over the top with its characters to be enjoyable. There's not one character that doesn't over act, especially the rapist and the school girl, and I found it to be distracting.
If you're a fan of Japanese splatter movies, maybe your opinion will differ.

Rating: Steaming Pile




 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Ghost Son (2007)

Starring: Laura Harring, John Hanna, Pete Postlethwaite
Director: Lamberto Bava

Premise:
A recently windowed woman finds out she is pregnant. After the birth, she starts to believe the baby is possessed by her dead husband.

My Take:
This is not one of the director's best works, despite the fine cast. There's a lot of melodrama and boring, meaningless scenes.

Rating: Warning





 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.