Spellbinder (1988)

Starring: Tim Daly, Kelly Preston
Director: Janet Greek


Premise:
A man saves a woman from being attacked. They fall quickly fall in love. Then the man discovers she is a witch and the coven wants her back.

My Take:
A rather cookie cutter story with an outcome that can be figured out way before the ending.

Rating: Warning


Watched: Hulu

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

A Cal MacDonald Mystery: Last Train To Deadsville

Author: Steve Niles


Premise:
Cal has his evening interrupted by a young man possessed by a demon. He finds out the man's entire hometown is over ran by demons. He and Morlock go to investigate and find a succubus.

My Take:
I personally love the snarky asshole that is Cal McDonald. A good tale here too which ended not how I expected.

Rating: So Good

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Gantz (2011)

Starring: Kazunari Ninomiya, Ken'ichi Matsuyama
Director: Shinsuke Sato

Premise:
A group of individuals die, then wake up in a room with a large ball sphere. They end up realizing they are part of a game to hunt and kill aliens on Earth.

My Take:
The story is interesting enough. It does get rather chaotic and way over the top the longer it goes on with characters doing some dumb things. I just couldn't get into it.


Rating: In the middle

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Proxy (2014)

Starring: Alexa Havins, Alexia Rasmussen, Joe Swanberg, Kristina Klebe
Director: Zack Paker

Premise:
A pregnant woman is attacked and loses her baby. To help cope, she attends a support group and becomes a bit too attached to a woman who has her own secrets. This causes each of them and their significant other down a path one can never return.

My Take:
The writer/director often focuses on the every day people do to each other. This movie is really no different. The four main characters all have some psychological damage and secrets which causes several shocking moments. This is a bleak, yet captivating film.

Rating: So Good

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Haven, Season 5 [part I] (2014)

Starring: Emily Rose, Eric Balfour, Lucas Bryant, Adam Copeland, John Dunsworth, Richard Donat


Premise:
The first half of the final season has Duke and Crocker trying to save the town and Audrey from Mara. And a mysterious doctor from the CDC comes to town with a chance to stop the troubles.

My Take:
I enjoy how much this show incorporates the world of Stephen King into it. I am very intrigued to how the series will wrap it next year. The story has gotten a tad complex (and even over the top) but still manages to keep me interested. It does a good job of making all the characters matter.

Rating: So Good

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Slaughter Hotel (1973)

AKA: La Bestia Uccide A Sangue Freddo

Starring: Klaus Kinski, Jane Garrett, Rosalba Neri
Director: Fernando Di Leo

Premise:
A masked man murders rich women at a psychiatric hospital

My Take:
The movie is sort like a Italian giallo film mixed with Jess Franco sensuality. That means a decent mystery with lots of overly long scenes with nude women. It wont be for every viewer's liking.

Rating: In the middle

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Blitzkrieg: Escape From Stalag 69 (2008)

Starring: Steve Montague, Tatyana Kot, Brenda Cooney, Gordana Jenell
Director: Keith J. Crocker


Premise:
A former Nazi officer tells his story to a priest after escaping a team of assassins years after the wars.

My Take:
The movie needed at least 30 minutes trimmed from it. Even then, it would probably still be rather boring. It cuts between current and past events with little interest in either story. The whole thing is a homage to similar flicks of the 70's and is full of nudity and torture, but little substance.

Rating: Warning

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Hyena's Blood (2014)

Starring: Jon Lange
Director: Nicolas Caicoya


Premise:
The newly formed DEA tries to stop the poppy trade from Mexico, but a rouge former agent does his best to make sure the drugs get the United States

My Take:
I received an email about a month ago from the director with information about his short film. I agreed to take a look at it.
While not horror, there is an exploitation quality to the short and a decent amount of bloodshed. It looks fantastic too. It would be nice to see this as a full length feature to help explore the historical background of the DEA and the Mexican poppy trade. As well as flushing out the characters more. However, I was quite impressed with the lead actor. If you happen to see this one around give the thirty minutes viewing.

Rating: In the middle


Hyena's Blood Trailer

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Sympathy (2007)

Starring: Marina Shtelen, Aaron Boucher, Steven Pritchard
Director: Andrew Moorman


Premise:
A bank robber takes a teenage girl hostage and waits in a seedy hotel. Soon a stranger breaks into the room and three people have more in common than originally thought.

My Take:
The three characters manage to keep things interesting while different layers and intentions are revealed. Nothing too new here, but a worth a watch.

Rating: In the middle

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Porn Shoot Massacre (2009)

Starring: Robert Ambrose, Shelly Martinez, Naomi Cruz, Diana Prine
Director: Corbin Timbrook


Premise:
A porn director hires girls for a shoot, really he is directing a snuff film with a murderous masked individual.

My Take:
A rather boring and predictable movie with lots of nudity and decent amount of gore. The "director" does have a memorable role.

Rating: Warning

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Gun Woman (2014)

Starring: Kairi Narita, Asami
Director: Kurando Mitsutake


Premise:
A doctor turns a drug addicted woman is turned into a killing machine and sent on a suicide mission to kill the man who murdered his wife.

My Take:
This is an exploitation movie it's best. An outlandish plot, lots of gore and nudity, and shaking acting. Sometimes, one just wants to zone out and not think about they are watching. This is that kind of flick.

Rating: In the middle

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Life After Beth (2014)

Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Paul Reiser, Cheryl Hines
Director: Jeff Baena


Premise:
A young man is grieving from his girlfriend's recent accidental death when he finds out she has returned. However something is different about her.

My Take:
A film that uses zombies more in the rom-com format. At times it works and others it doesn't. The cast is enjoyable and plays it straight which helps. The third act brings the story to more of an epic scale, but then tries to wrap it all up in a happy ending. It's a watchable flick.

Rating: In the middle

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Jodorowsky's Dune (2014)

Starring: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Director: Frank Pavich


Premise:
The story of how director's Alejandro Jodorowsky's passion project Dune got closed down after pre-production during the early 1970's and lasting impression it made for future science fiction cinema.

My Take:
The story is fascinating and packed full of lots interviews with many people involved in the process. Jodorowsky himself steals the show as his in depth discussion on how he wanted the movie to play out. This unmade movie was a vital part in cinema and it's ideas have been implemented in several movies over the years.

Rating: So Good

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Nightbreed [The Director's Cut] (2014)

Starring: Craig Sheffer, David Cronenberg, Anne Bobby, Charles Haid
Director: Clive Barker


Premise:
A serial killer psychiatrist pins his murders on an unstable patient with delusions of a mythical world full of mutants.

My Take:
It's been years since I saw the original film, but I remember it being fairly uneven. With this new director's cut, I sort of feel the same. It's the same film yet different in many ways. At least this version is closer to Barker's original idea.

Rating: In the middle

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

The Guard Post (2008)

Starring: Ho-jin Chun
Director: Su-chang Kong


Premise:
An investigative team is sent to a guard post, which over looks the DMZ, when the entire squad is murdered. Upon arrival the find one survivor

My Take:
A solid story where things are never what it seems to be. It keeps the viewer guessing with alternating between current time and flashback to the murders. And throws a bunch of different horror elements in the mix. What seems on the surface seems to be a slasher ends up being a mystery with many supernatural elements. It's very stylish and fairly gory too. Dont expect any long hair ghosts in this flick.

Rating: So Good

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Z Nation, Season 1 (2014)

Starring: Kelilta Smith, DJ Qualls, Keith Allan, Russell Hodgkinson, Pisay Pao, Nat Zang, Tom Everett Scott, Anastasia Baranova, Michael Welch


Premise:
A group of people attempt to escort a man, who may hold the antivirus for a zombie outbreak in his blood, from New York to California.

My Take:
A zombie apocalypse tale which never takes itself too seriously. For those looking for compelling drama and a thought provoking story, well look elsewhere. In this series the viewer gets zombie tornadoes, radiation filled zombies, old west shoot outs, nuclear missiles, and lots more craziness. I was mostly put off by the lack of details in the scripts and the huge gaps which don't make sense. The season finale did manage to leave me wanting to see what happens next.

Rating: In the middle

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Lucky Bastard (2014)

Starring: Don McManus, Betsy Rue, Jay Paulson
Director: Robert Nathan


Premise:
A porn website offers a fan the chance to be in sex scene with one of its stars. When the fan is unable to perform, he snaps and starts murdering the crew.

My Take:
An interesting idea on found footage sub-genre though there are some familiar trappings. The cast is likable and does a good job with the material, especially Don McManus. It manages to produce tension and creepiness once the groundwork is laid.

Rating: In the middle

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

The Initiation (1984)

Starring: Daphne Zuniga, Vera Miles, Clu Gallagar,
Director: Larry Stewart


Premise:
A college female plagued by nightmares is pledging for a sorority. A patient from her family's past escapes from the mental institution. Soon bodies start piling up.

My Take:
A standard slasher from the early 80's that does have a nice twist in the third act. If you make it to the end.

Rating: Warning

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Rites of Spring (2011)

Starring: AJ Bowen, Anessa Ramsey, Katherine Randolph
Director: Padraig Reynolds


Premise:
A group of people kidnap the daughter of wealthy couple for a ransom. They hide out in an abandoned building waiting for the payout. What they dont know is the farm next door in the process of a yearly sacrifice to the monster who watches over their crops.

My Take:
Two fairly thought out story lines (kidnapping for ransom and a kidnapping for a sacrifice) meet up in the third act of complete chaos. It's interesting and watchable.

Rating: In the middle

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/