Scorned (2013)

Starring: Annalynne McCord, Billy Zane, Viva Blanca
Director: Mark Jones


Premise:
A romantic rendevous turns deadly when a woman discovers her boyfriend is messing around with her best friend.

My Take:
The best thing I can say about this movie is McCord plays a good psychopath. Otherwise it's a boring stinker.

Rating: Steaming Pile


Watched: Showtime






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Into the Grizzly Maze (2015)

AKA: Red Machine

Starring: James Marsden, Thomas Jane, Billy Bob Thornton, Scott Glenn, Piper Pierbo
Director: David Hackl


Premise:
A grizzly bear goes on the attack to fight for its territory. While a set of brothers set out to stop the bear from harming anyone.

My Take:
A solid cast heads up a believable tale about a pissed off grizzly. It's well paced and hits the right marks.

Rating: So Good


Watched: Netflix DVD





Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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A Christmas Horror Story (2015)

Starring: William Shatner, George Buza
Director: Grant Harvey, Brett Sullivan, Steve Hoban


Premise:
A trio of stories about Santa battles zombie elves, a evil wood fairy possessing a child, and teens documenting a haunted school are intertwined by a radio DJ on Christmas Eve.

My Take:
All three stories are entertaining and two have a unique twist. Using the Shatner in the wraparound segment works well too.

Rating: So Good

Watched: Netflix DVD Rental

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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American Horror Story: Hotel [Season 5] (2015)

Starring: Wes Bently, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Denis Dugan, Lady Gaga, Chloe Sevigny, Matt Bloom, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Cheyenne Jackson, Mare Winningham, Finn Wittrock


Premise:
Those living (if that's what one wants to call them) in the Hotel Cortez are skeptic about the new ownership and the future of the hotel.

My Take:
Much like other seasons of AHS the writers throw a little bit of everything into the season. At least this one feels like most of the characters have a full arc and their complete story is told.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: FX

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Killjoy 3 (2010)

Starring: Trent Haaga, Victoria De Mare, Al Burke
Director: John Legacho


Premise:
A group of college students get sucked into a mirror and into the world of a demon clown and his clan.

My Take:
This movie managed to keep me far more entertained than it should have mainly because of its comedic nature and ability to be not serious at all. However, don't be mistaken this is not a good movie.

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/

Ex Machina (2015)

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Sonoya MIzuno
Director: Alex Garland


Premise:
A worker is chosen to spend time at the retreat of his boss, an millionaire genius recluse. It becomes apparent he is there to evaluate the latest invention... artificial intelligence.

My Take:
I have always enjoyed Alex Garland's work as a novelist. As a first time director he shows great command in this interesting tale. It's slow moving and ramps up on the twisted side the longer the movie goes on.

Rating: So Good


Watched: Netflix DVD

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/

Cop Car (2015)

Starring: Kevin Bacon, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim
Director: Jon Watts


Premise:
Two kids steal a police car not realizing there is a hostage in the trunk. The corrupt sheriff will do anything to get the car returned and keep his secret safe

My Take:
A terrific cat and mouse game with two kids in way over their heads. The story had a lot of depth and the cast is at the top of their game.

Rating: So Good


Watched: Netflix DVD

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/

Spartacus: War of Dammed, Season 4 (2010)

Starring: Liam McIntyre, Manu Bennett, Dustin Clare, Daniel Feuerriegel, Cynthia Addia-Robinson, Pana Hema Taylor, Ellen Hollman, Jenna Lind, Simon Merrells


Premise:
Spartacus leads the group of former slaves to take down Rome while a Roman Army lead by Crassus is out to stop them.

My Take:
The final season continued with the copious viscera splattering across the screen, though much is done with CGI. Still there are some vicious deaths on this show. And let's never forgot about the copious amount of nudity as well. An entertaining series all around.

Rating: In the middle


Watched: Netflix Instant

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/

Miss Meadows (2014)

Starring: Katie Holmes, James Badge Dale
Director: Karen Leigh Hopkins


Premise:
An unassuming elementary school teacher is also a secretly a vigilante.

My Take:
It was fun to see Katie Holmes go a little twisted. Ultimately it was hard for the movie to keep my interest. Especially when the budding love affair with the sheriff goes full bloom.

Rating: In the middle


Watched: Netflix DVD

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/

Pod (2015)

Starring: Laura Ashley Carter, Brian Morvant, Dean Cates, Larry Fessenden
Director: Mickey Keating


Premise:
Two siblings go to their family cabin after receiving a disturbing message from their brother. Once they arrive, the brother goes on a rant about being a test subject for scientific experiments.

My Take:
The film does an outstanding job of creating dread and paranoia. The paranormal part of the tale was nicely slide into the mix as well. All of this helps make up for the shortcomings in the movie.

Rating: So Good


Watched: Netflix Instant





Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Last Shift (2015)

Starring: Juliana Harkavay
Director: Anthony DiBlasi


Premise:
A rookie cop is assigned to guard an old police station.

My Take:
This is one creepy film. It does an excellent job of creating an atmosphere. There are also enough creepy visuals to make one squirm. If you can get past the reason why the officer is at the station alone on her first night of work, which is rather far fetched, then you are in for a heck of ride.

Rating: So Good


Watched: Netflix Instant




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 Gift (2015)

Starring: Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton
Director: Joel Edgerton


Premise:
A man runs into an old schoolmate who tries to force his way into a new friendship. As the schoolmate starts to cross boundaries the truth of their relationship is revealed.

My Take:
This is one smart movie which kept this viewer on his toes throughout. Plus it packs one hell of a punch at the end after building up a great amount of tension. Great to see Jason Bateman play a different role too and he does it convincingly.

Rating: So Good

Watched: Netflix DVD

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/

Ash vs the Evil Dead, Season 1 (2015)

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Lucy Lawless, Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo, Jill Marie Jones


Premise:
A middle age man sets loose evil after reading from an ancient book and then sets out to stop it.


My Take:
This delightful television series picks up years after Ash does battle with the Deadites. Along for the ride are two youngsters he happens to work with at a hardware store. The series amps up the comedy and the viscera in a delightful manner. Bruce Campbell is gold, once again, as Ash who is more or less the same selfish buffoon as always. The series runs as one long movie with each episode blending into the next. Any fan of the original Evil Dead movies will need to see this series but I am sure it will bring along a new legion of fans discover those classics. So glad there will be a season two.

Rating: So Good

Watched: Cinemax

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Starring: Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, David Arquette, Sid Haig,
Director: S. Craig Zahler


Premise:
A small town sheriff leads a posse to retrieve a woman who was kidnapped by a tribe of cannibalistic Indians.

My Take:
This is not only in the running for my favorite horror movie of the year but for my favorite movie of the year. The setting, dialog, and characters feel authentic for the time period. The cast is absolutely fantastic. Richard Jenkins should seriously deserve Oscar nods. The films starts out with a graphic bang of realistic violence and finishes in the same manner. There is plenty here to make the viewer squeamish.

Rating: Instant Classic


Watched: Amazon Instant Rental

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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The Editor (2014)

Starring: Paz de la Huerta, Udo Kier, Laurence R Harvy, Matthew Kennedy, Adam Brooks, Conor Sweeney, Tristan Risk
Director: Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy


Premise:
A film editor gets caught in the middle of murders while cutting his latest movie.

My Take:
The team of Astro Six does it again with a wild homage to 70's Italian giallo movies. They do an great job of playing within the rules of the genre while firmly holding tongue in cheek and going for a little shock value. This group clearly has fun making films and it shows on screen.

Rating: So Good


Watched: Netflix DVD

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 State of Fringes of Horror 2016

Well, another year has closed and another one has began.

My year was full of a lot of change. Probably the most in my adult lifetime. The year started with knee surgery. I took a job promotion (in my paying career) which coincided with a move to another city. Along with the move came another house purchase,.. and trying to sell the old property.  Then this summer, I got married as my fiancee finally received her documents to come to the US. My mother had to move in with us this Fall.

And those are just broad strokes.

Along the way this blog, which started as fun and amusement, became a hassle. One that I wasn't getting compensated for the effort. I found myself falling behind on the pace I normally used. I would scramble to get entries done and honestly, not doing a great job in the reviews. Heck, I haven't even had time to read a novel since February. I would normally go through 10-18+ novels per year.

The fact is my free time became less and less and my responsibilities to life became more and more. I thought long and hard about closing the blog down for good. For now, that will not be the case but it may happen. I just need to find a better balance.

My love for the world of horror entertainment has not gone away. Nor has my fondness for writing. But the frequency at which entries come will be far more spread out.


Thanks to all of those you read my silly, little reviews. I hope they helped you decide on something to watch or read or listen to over the years. At the very least, maybe you enjoyed reading.

I will continue on in 2016, for the time being, but one never knows when the door may close completely.

Until then....
Sean


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