Indie Horror Roundup: Wild Women & Mad Men

Manhater

The Manhater is a witchy woman with fingernails to rival Wolverine, Freddy Krueger and Dragon Ladies everywhere. Aside from those lethal claws, scorned Vonda Madding (Emelle) got an agenda: To take revenge on every living man she encounters to replay that gender for the evils done unto her by ex-boyfriends.

It's a very low-budget flick and the flat look of it is hard to get by, but the characters are fun and there's at least some care shown by the filmmakers who did this movie because they wanted to, not just for a paycheck.

The Echo Game

This is another low-budget movie, but unlike Manhater, it looks fabulous. (Read my gushing review over the cinematography here: http://www.horror.com/php/article-2499-1.html)

Fans of Fringe should enjoy this movie; while there isn't time travel, some of the plot dovetails nicely with the conceit of doing brain-altering experiments on gifted children. Instead of Walter, we've got the shady Mrs. Cassavettes (played by Judy Clement, her character name a tip of the hat to Brian De Palma's 1978 thriller The Fury, starring the late John Cassevettes).

A standout on the FBI's Most-Wanted List, Mrs. Cassevettes is the kingpin of an ESP-stealing conspiracy fronted by a mysterious school which accepts gifted pupils and with the intent of using their powers for evil in "The Echo Project".

The Horseman

This indie out of Australia follows the murderous path of Christian (Peter Marshall), after he is sent a horrifying pornographic video featuring his recently deceased daughter. Setting out to find answers, he follows the links through the industry with his unique methods of brutal questioning. It's reminiscent of a movie from the 70s called Hardcore (directed by Paul Schrader), but The Horseman takes yet another turn and tumults more in the direction of good, old-fashioned Ozploitation.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson