Stalled (2013)

Starring: Dan Palmer
Director: Christian James


Premise:
During a holiday party, a janitor gets caught in the women's restroom when a zombie outbreak occurs.

My Take:
The movie tries to add something new to the genre by making the lead fight off zombie while trapped in a bathroom stall for the majority of the movie. It works for about a third of the movie then it goes into a romance subplot and ends up being a rather silly mess.

Rating Warning





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Paradise Lost: The Child Murdes at Robin Hood Hills (1996)

Director: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky


Premise:
Three young boys (later dubbed "The West Memphis Three") are conficted of horrific child killings despite lack of any real evidence. This documentary shows the court process, the reaction from the community, and how the suspects and victims deal with the situation.

My Take:
This has turned into a very famous case over the years. The documentary does a great job of capturing the hate of the people looking for any answers and a scapegoat for these crimes. The evidence and examination throughout the court case is baffling. As is the nonchalantness of the situation from the suspects. A must see.

Rating: So Good

 




Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Alyce Kills (2013)

Starring: Jade Dornfeld, Tamara Feldman, James Duval
Director: Jay Lee


Premise:
After a night of drugs and booze, a woman accidentally pushes her best friend off the roof of her apartment building. As she tries to deal with the guilt, she heads straight down a path of even more alcohol and drugs and evidentally looses her gripe on reality.

My Take:
The movie is held together by an outstanding performance of the lead actress. She goes from slightly unstable to a bat shit crazy, homicidal maniac by the end. It goes down paths not expected which is a nice surprise. It's very gory and violent too. 

Rating: So Good






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Red Riding Hood (2011)

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Shiloh Fernandez, Virginia Madsen, Julie Christie, Billy Burke, Luke Haas,
Director: Catherine Hardwicke


Premise:
A werewolf hunts a village and focuses on a young girl who is in love with a woodsmen.

My Take:
A decent retelling of the classic fairy tale which takes the basics and churns out a unique tale. It's watchable and held my interest but also a movie to be easily forgotten.  

Rating: In the middle






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Dracula, Season 1 (2013)

Starring: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Thomas Kretschmann, Jessica De Gouw, Oliver JacksonCohen, Nonso Anozie, Katie McGrath


Premise:
A retelling of the Dracula tale where The Count pretending to be an American businessman in London who is on the verge of wireless energy. He is working with Van Helsing to find a cure which lets him walk in sunlight and take out a common enemy. He also finds the reincarnation of his long dead wife who is set to marry his protege.

My Take:
I must hand it to the writers for putting a completely new twist on the tale. I think it will created a dividing line between those who are purist for the original story and those who want to see someting new. For me, the story worked but the execution was a tad off and something was missing (not sure I know what though). Should it come back for a second season then it's set up to get very interesting.

Rating: In the middle

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Bad Milo! (2013)

Starring: Ken Marino, Gillian Jacobs, Patrick Warburton, Mary Kay Place, Stephen Root, Peter Stormare
Director: Jacob Vaughan


Premise:
When an average man gets over stressed a creature escapes from his intestines and exacts revenge on those causing the stress. As the man tries to gain control of the beast, it soon threatens his family.

My Take:
For a movie which such outlandish story, it is a very smart and funny script. It helps that the great cast plays it straight. The puppet is fairly aweome. There's a enough splatter to keep gore hounds satisfied. It's a interesting movie to say the least and one I enjoyed.

Rating: So Good






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Already Dead

AKA: Already Dead: Joe Pitt 1

Author: Charlie Huston


Premise:
Joe Pitt is a vampire and sort of a detective. He gets hired to find a missing daughter of a wealthy couple who own a biotech firm. Then there also a new infection spreading which turns people into "shamblers" or mindless walking zombies. Surely the two things can't be related

My Take:
The novel contains large elements of pulpy detective fiction and horror. Plus it's hard to like the main character as he gets involved in a complex mystery while playing several different sides. The author sets up a believable world where vampires live amoung humans, but under the radar of most, and broken off into several groups with distinct agendas and beliefs. This is definitely a series that I will continue to read and author that I have put on the shelf for far too long

Rating: So Good






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Prisoners (2013)

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Viola Davis, Paul Dano, Melissa Leo
Director: Denis Villeneuve


Premise:
Two small girls are abducted and the police's main suspect is released due to lack of evidence. The father of one of the children doesn't accept it and kidnaps the man. He tortures him to try and find out the truth. In the meantime the head detective works the case.

My Take:
This gritty and intense film is at times hard to watch as the viewer feels the raw emotion from the parents. And the mystery of what actually happened to the children is winding road which keeps one guessing. The movie isn't without some faults, especially the last few minutes, but it is an emotional ride. 

Rating: So Good






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Death Watch (1980)

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Romny Schneider, Hearry Dean Stanton, Max Von Sydow
Director: Bertrand Tavernier


Premise:
A reporter is hired by a television producer to have a camera installed in his eye and follow a terminally ill woman around until she dies. The footage will then be shown on a popular television show.

My Take:
A rather conceptual movie with an interesting premise that was a bit ahead of it's time. Especially since there's so many "reality shows" out now. It drags a bit a times, but the outstanding cast pulls the viewer through to the end. It could only be a matter of time before the idea in this movie becomes true.

Rating: In the middle





Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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We Are What We Are (2013)

Starring: Bill Sage, Ambyr Childers, Julia Garner, Michael Parks, Kelly McGillis
Director: Jim Mickle


Premise:
A family in a rural mountain town tends to keep to themselves. After the matriarch dies, it's up to the eldest daughter to keep up with customs passed down from several generations which includes finding human flesh while living under the father's strict rules.

My Take:
A remake of the Mexican film of the same name (which I rather enjoyed) that takes the basic story from the original and completely redoes it for an American audience (but in a smart and unique way). The movie focuses on characters rather than viscera and build up nicely to the finale as the children begin to question their family ways and wonder if their father is losing his sanity. All while the town doctor starts to puts together pieces of the mystery when human remains come to the surface during a flood. A solid cast and story pave the way with beautiful images in between.

Rating: So Good






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Hannibal Rising (2007)

Starring: Gaspard Ulliel, Li Gong, Dominic West, Rhys Ifans, Kevin McKidd, Richard Brake
Director: Peter Webber


Premise:
After his parents are killed by Nazis, a young Hannibal and his baby sister are taken prisoner. The sister does not make it through the harsh winter. Years later, Hannibal moves in with his Aunt and plots revenge on those from the past.

My Take:
The movie goes into Hannibal's past and attempts to add humanity to the character by the harsh realities he faced as a child during WWII. In some aspects it succeeds as the viewer does side with Hannibal even as he falls further into a world of twisted darkness.

Rating: In the middle





Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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The Blancheville Monster (1963)

AKA: Horror

Starring: Gerard Tichy, Ombretta Colli, Helga Line
Director: Alberto De Martino


Premise:
A girl returns to her family home to celebrate her 21st birthday only to find her thought to be dead father alive and burned and believing the family has a curse which can only be reversed by her dying before her birthday. 

My Take:
I was pleasantly surprised with this flick. Great atmosphere and setting combined with a decent story. Nice black and white cinemaphotography as well.

Rating: In the middle






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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The Vampires' Night Orgy (1974)

Starring: Jack Taylor, Helga Line
Director: Leon Kimovsky


Premise:
A bus breaks down in a remote village and the group is forced to spend a couple of days while it gets repaired. What they don't know is the town is full of vampires.

My Take:
There's a lot of bad and boring scenes in this flick including mutliple strange storylines with the individuals of the bus. One saving grace is a decent atmospheric setting. Some how it kept be captivated dispite the flaws. I'm really not sure why though.

Rating: Warning






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Only Gods Forgive (2013)

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn


Premise:
A British drug dealer is killed by Thai police detective causing his overbearing mother to arrive in Bangkok and guilt her other drug dealing son to avenge his brother's death so the family's name remains untainted.

My Take:
The movie is extremely slow paced. It is also beautifully filmed and contains the directors trademark bursts of violence and realistic gore (which is why the movie is being reviewed). There are some brutality in the movie which made me squirm. Defintely a film that will divide the audience.

Rating: So Good





Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Hell Baby (2013)

Starring: Rob Corddry, Leslie Bibb, Keeagan-Michael Kay, Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, Riki Londhome
Director: Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon


Premise:
A married couple with child on the way buy a run down house with a bad history. Soon the wife starts acting strange and an exorcism team from the Vatican show up.

My Take:
The movie has a solid cast. There is good set up on horror gags and lots of hommage to horror films of the past, but far too often it doesn't delivery on the jokes being set up. This makes for uneven pacing. Still I've seen worst and it mostly makes for a fun 90 minutes.

Rating: In the middle






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Exorcism (1976)

AKA: Les Possédées du Diable

Starring: Jess Franco, Lina Romay, Howard Vernon
Director: Jess Franco


Premise:
A priest mistakes a erotic S&M performace for a black mass and decides to be moral crusader by killing these heathens.

My Take:
Highly disappointed. Sure the movie is full of lots of full frontal naked ladies and Jess Franco portrying a bat shit crazy murderer taking out sexual sinners, but there just isn't much here to keep one interested. Or it's possible there's some subtly here that I may have missed. Also fairly certain this was a chopped up version I watched.

Rating: Warning






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Birth of the Living Dead (2013)

Starring: George Romero
Director: Rob Kuhns


Premise:
The story behind how George Romero and crew made the movie Night of the Living Dead.

My Take:
A solid documentary with lots of interviews from Romero and his crew from the movie. Definitely some material and stories here which I never heard before. 

Rating: So Good






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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