After Dark Horrorfest 2010: 8 Films to Die For IV

[_____V_____]

Lionsgate presents the fourth installment of the After Dark Horrorfest 8 Films to Die For with a new horrifying collection of DVDs from the popular national film festival.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g12/ravenavi/adhf.jpg


The DVDs included are Lake Mungo, The Graves, Dread, Zombies of Mass Destruction, Hidden, The Final, Kill Theory and The Reeds.

These films will be released theatrically nationwide in top markets around the country the week of January 29th.

Each year, the collection brings together some of the best in independent horror filmmaking. The 2010 collection of After Dark Horrorfest 8 Films to Die For is available as single DVDs or all together as a DVD box set and as digital downloads.



In Lake Mungo, sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Profoundly unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist, Ray Kemeny. Ray discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. A series of clues lead the family to Lake Mungo where Alice's secret past emerges. Quietearth.com states, the film "...doesn't need to rely on gimmicks to get under your skin," while The Hollywood Reporter declared, "A convincing mock-documentary style lifts 'Lake Mungo' beyond spooky supernatural mystery into the realms of emotional truth-telling." The DVD features the theatrical trailer.


From the creator of the legendary comics Evil Ernie and Lady Death, comes The Graves. On their last weekend together, Megan and Abby Graves are lost in a remote part of the Arizona desert where they are lured to Skull City Mine, an abandoned mine town. But they soon learn Skull City is anything but abandoned - and there's no way out. The sisters are now prey, forced to unleash their most primitive instincts in a desperate, all-out battle for survival against unspeakable horrors - both human and supernatural. The DVD features two audio commentaries plus a couple of featurettes, audition and script read footage, a music video, "Spot the Gnome" game and the downloadable original script.


Produced by Clive Barker and adapted from his Books of Blood collection by Anthony DiBlasi (screenwriter), Dread follows Stephen (Jackson Rathbone, The Twilight Saga) and Cheryl (Laura Donnelly), college students making a documentary about what people dread in life. But they have no idea that their partner, Quaid (Shaun Evans), witnessed his parents being murdered by an axe-wielding lunatic and wants to make others experience his own personal horror. Called "one of the finest Clive Barker adaptations to date," by Shocktillyoudrop.com, "Dread delivers on all chilling counts," according to Fangoria.com. The DVD contains the featurette "Facing the Fear: Behind the Scenes of Dread," plus "A Conversation with Clive Barker and Director Anthony Diblasi" and deleted scenes.


A conservative island community is under attack! Port Gamble, Washington is being overrun with brain eaters, and the people seem powerless to stave them off. A rag tag band of rebels led by Frida, an Iranian college student suspected of being an Iraqi terrorist, and Tom, a gay businessman who has returned to town with his partner to come out to his mother, tries to turn the tide and push the invading hoards of undead back. Called "the best of its type since Shaun of the Dead," Filmthreat.com states, "Zombies of Mass Destruction is a limb-shucking, eye-gouging hoot, full of both disemboweled stomachs and belly laughs." The DVD contains the "Making of Zombies of Mass Destruction" featurette.


With his mother's passing, KK returns home after nineteen years to settle her estate. But with his heritage comes dark and deadly secrets. Having spent the last two decades trying to forget his cruel mother and his past life in the creepy house in the woods, KK finds that there are some things you just can't run from. Thefreshfilms.com declares "...Hidden is bordering on greatness."


Dane, an awkward student with a deadly vendetta, leads a group of outcasts who plot to avenge the years of humiliation they faced by the popular students at Hohn High School. The outcasts turn the tables on the popular students who made sport of them and prepare for a single night that will leave their tormentors scarred for life. The DVD of The Final features audio commentary with the producer and director plus behind the scenes footage and a deleted scene.


Seven college students visit a secluded vacation home to celebrate graduation and become trapped in a deadly game by a mysterious killer. Forced to kill one another by 6 am the following morning, only one of them can remain alive. Whoever remains will be allowed to walk away with his or her life. However, if morning comes and more than one is still breathing, everyone dies. Friends and couples must test their trust as the clock ticks away. Some will fight for love, some to survive, but all will change. Because deep down... we're all killers. The DVD special features include the featurette "Kill Theory: Behind the Scenes" plus two alternate openings and a deleted scene.


A weekend boating party turns into a nightmare for a group of young Londoners when they stumble upon a terrifying secret hidden in "The Reeds".


Pricing: DVD $19.98 each
Pricing: DVD Box Set $159.98

[FreddyMyers]

Cant wait to see Dread. Kill theory looks good too. ZOMD seems like a fun movie to watch. Any opinions on the other movies.

[_____V_____]

*looking left and right*

Where the heck did Chrono go?

[roshiq]

*looking left and right*

Where the heck did Chrono go?

yeah. I hope soon she'll be here with the reviews & ratings.:)

I have only seen 3 out 8 of this 4th Horrorfest bunch luckily already:

Kill Theory...I think I saw it almost a year ago. A time passing okay slasher with some hot chicks. My rating: 2.5/5

Dread-- A nice film adaptation of Barker's story. 3/5

Lake Mungo--Seen lately. A dull mocumentary with some images & few cell phone vdos. Not scary/creepy at all. 2/5.

[FreddyMyers]

As long as they did dread right im happy. The books of blood series is great and its seems tough to adapt some of his stories into movies. Midnight Meat Train being the best.

[Chris_Morey]

I always see these DVDs at Walmarts and always come close to buying one but never do. Are these worth the money?

[ChronoGrl]

*looking left and right*

Where the heck did Chrono go?

hahaha - Thanks for taking up the slack, V. I definitely dropped the ball this year. Horrorfest was only playing for one weekend and the closest theater was over an hour away. I will have to Netflix them and report back with my usual verbose enthusiasm.

[Angra]

hahaha - Thanks for taking up the slack, V. I definitely dropped the ball this year. Horrorfest was only playing for one weekend and the closest theater was over an hour away. I will have to Netflix them and report back with my usual verbose enthusiasm.


Less talking, more watching. Chop chop

[ChronoGrl]

I always see these DVDs at Walmarts and always come close to buying one but never do. Are these worth the money?

If you're interested, check out my reviews and the reviews of other HDC'ers:

http://www.horror.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47161

The ones that I think are DEFINITELY worth checking out:

Rinne
Crazy Eights
Mulberry Street
Borderland
Autopsy
From Within

[ChronoGrl]

Less talking, more watching. Chop chop

I'll make it my #1 priority. But just for you.

[Angra]

I'll make it my #1 priority. But just for you.

But of course. :cool:

[ChronoGrl]

So this is coming a little late this year as the boyfriend and I couldn't make it to the theater to see all 8 films...

HOWEVER, they are now available for rent and/or purchase and we have begun our annual After Dark Festival watching... From the comfort of our own bedroom.

For those of you are unfamiliar with this Festival, here is the website, outlining the line up for this year and previous years:

http://www.horrorfestonline.com/

For those of you interested in my detailed review from last year, here is the thread (I have also bumped it for your convenience and also to satiate my own narcissism):

http://horror.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47161

Before I start reviewing, I thought that I'd throw in


ChronoGrl's Reflections on the After Dark Horrorfest Films to Date

As I've mentioned before, I feel as though, to be a horror fan, there is an unspoken agreement that you must enter into with the Horror Industry - I call it The 70/30 Rule: If you go into your average horror movie without knowing ANYTHING about it (i.e. "Hey, Honey, let's just pick a random horror movie to watch tonight - I want something I've never seen or heard of before!"), there's about a 70% chance that it will just be awful... A 2.5 or lower on the 5-point scale... I consider myself lucky if I stumble into a movie that is a solid 3, because it's only about 30% of the time that you see a GOOD movie, and only a fraction of that, a movie that you would want to recommend to a friend...

Unfortunately, the After Dark Horrorfest Films are no exception to The 70/30 Rule. Over the course of the three years, there have been some absolute DOGS that I find UNWATCHABLE:

Nightmare Man
Tooth and Nail
Lake Dead
Perkins 14


For the above, I IMPLORE you, avoid them at all costs.

However, there have been some pretty damn good films that have come out of the festival. All of the below I have repeatedly recommended, though I have found that the response is generally mixed:

From Within
Voices
Autopsy (most people hate this one)
Crazy Eights
Mulberry Street
Borderland
Reincarnation (Rinne)
The Hamiltons


The remaining films are not that bad; Watchable, but not necessarily movies that I need to see again.

Most of the horror fans that I talk to tend to shrug off this festival as "crap." I, personally, tend to have more of a sympathetic and patient view of the films, as I really want to support Horror Festivals. It's what you do if you're a horror fan; Support the genre!

But anyway. Let the reviews for this year begin...

Please add any of your thoughts on this year... I love to hear what people think.

[ChronoGrl]

(Thanks for combining threads, V! Forgot about the one you started! :o)

ANYway...

I'm not sure whether or not it was a GOOD thing that we kicked our 2010 Horrorfest movie watching with The Graves (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1203517/)...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/Chronogrl/graves1.jpg


Why it might have been GOOD to have seen this movie first: The movie was so abysmal, there is no way that the rest of the festival could be that bad.

Why it might have been BAD to have seen this movie first: This might be a preview of what is yet to come...

GOD I hope not.

...

In case you couldn't tell by the above, The Graves was simply awful. Before seeing the movie, sure, the plot didn't really get me going (basic urbanoia/evil town story: Two Girls go to a town in the midwest US and EVIL things happen), BUT, I thought that with Bill Moseley (House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects) and Tony Todd (Candyman as THE CANDYMAN), this might be kitsch fun.

I was wrong.

Also: I am starting to doubt that Bill Moseley has any talent outside of Rob Zombie movies... After watching Dead Air and Repo! I think that he should just stick to being Otis Driftwood (http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0008175/).

The direction is horrible - there is absolutely no sense of dread at all. The writing is deplorable - I really could care LESS whether or not our victims live or die. And the movie is just overall unimaginative. The Evil Rural Town routine has been done and done and done. If you're going to do it again, try to put SOME kind of spin on it.

Oy.

The one redeeming factor: Our heroines are ridiculously RIDICULOUSLY hot. But you can just Google (http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Clare%20Grant&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi) them (http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=Jillian+Murray&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&start=0&social=false) without having to put you through this waste of time.

PLEASE, After Dark, DO NOT tell me that this is an omen of movies yet to come. If so I have a loooooooooooooooooooooong horror-watching ride ahead of me...

1/5 (slightly better than After Dark's Nightmare Man, Lake Dead, and Perkins' 14, but not by much).

[neverending]

I almost rented this on demand the other night. Thanks for saving me the trouble.

[ChronoGrl]

Nooooooooooooo problem - Glad I saved you from it. I, unfortunately, paid the $5 rental fee from Blockbuster because I was too impatient to wait until they came in from Netflix... I wonder if I can ask them for my money back... :cool:

I didn't know that they were On Demand; I should have checked there first; would have saved us from driving all over the place to actually FIND a Blockbuster near me (apparently all Blockbusters in a 10-mile radius of my house have been closed).

I also have Dread and Kill Theory at the house; I'm hoping to get to one or both of them tonight.

[neverending]

Yah- they're all in Movie Collections>Horrorfest

[_____V_____]

If you want my ranking -


Best - ZMD (absolutely loved this one!)

Pretty good - Lake Mungo & Hidden. (both are a bit slow but pretty novel & engaging)

Worth a watch - Kill Theory & The Reeds. (repetitive themes)

Worth skipping - Dread & The Graves. (wastage of time)

Haven't watched - The Final. (yet)

[ChronoGrl]

Best - ZMD (absolutely loved this one!)

Pretty good - Lake Mungo & Hidden. (both are a bit slow but pretty novel & engaging)

Worth a watch - Kill Theory & The Reeds. (repetitive themes)

Worth skipping - Dread & The Graves. (wastage of time)

Haven't watched - The Final. (yet)

Oh, good! I was looking forward to ZMD... I mean, with a title like that, I figured that it would either be AWESOME or awful. I'm glad it's AWESOME.

I had a concern about Kill Theory - The description combined with the images on the back of the movie box really turned me off... And you KNOW that's bad when that happens... The teaser images are supposed to make you WANT to rent the movie... Oy................

BUT - I trust your judgment. I'll watch it tonight instead of Dread... I don't think I can stand another dog. I find it just... Depressing.

[ChronoGrl]

I should stop being lazy and start this back up again... I've watched a few more and have not yet posted...

Here goes...

Kill Theory (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0893532/)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/Chronogrl/302005.jpg


It's interesting. I watched Kill Theory after the boyfriend and I had watched End of the Line, a surprisingly successful little indie cult/supernatural film that we picked up on a whim at Blockbuster. The reason why I call out End of the Line here is that what made it "surprisingly" successful is that it managed to create an incredibly believable sense of dread with a plot line that I honestly didn't think I would be able to believe... But the writing and acting were so solid that the film sold me into believing the dread, the helplessness, and the horror of the situation...

And then there was Kill Theory.

Basic Plot Line: Whilst celebrating a graduation at a secluded vacation home, a group of college students find themselves targeted by a sadistic killer who forces them to play a deadly game of killing one another in order to survive.

OK. Sure. We've seen that before: Battle Royale, the Saw Franchise to a certain extent... It's been done successfully in both of those cases (while I'm not the biggest Saw fan, it's undeniable how incredibly popular those movies are), and I was expecting the same here: A derivation that I was hoping would "surprise" me...

Nope.

What makes the aforementioned End of the Line and Battle Royale so successful is that you are able to suspend your disbelief and truly emphasize with the helplessness and the horror that our victims are going through... You also accept unquestioningly the Power of their victimizer(s) and the dread of the situation because the movies are so artfully done that you have no other option but to get drawn in...

Not so with Kill Theory. Right off the bat, our Killer is set up like a Jigsaw knockoff, complete with video tapes and a bad voicebox... I understand that Jigsaw was iconic, but COME ON - A little originality would have been refreshing.

But silly killer aside, even without his voice box, I honestly had a difficult time believing what a true threat he was to our victims; I had a hard time allowing myself to believe that they were truly "trapped" by him - The writer/director did not really do a whole lot to build up what a "threat" our victimizer is (or SHOULD be - I mean, he captured EIGHT PEOPLE in a house - He should be pretty damn BADASS if you ask me!!); I spent a lot of the time thinking of ways that they could evade him, but they repeatedly made poor decisions that, in my mind wrote their own deathnotes...

So, in short:

Bad pacing
Unsuccessful mood
REALLY poor writing (a line from the film: "Their love will kill us all!")
Uninspired plot and story
Victims making repeatedly stupid decisions in attempts to save themselves from a Killer who wasn't successfully developed as a threat in the first place.


2/5 (though I have to admit, I didn't even FINISH this one; I turned it off... ugh... Better than The Graves, but only slightly... I can see fans of that particular sub-genre being more sympathetic to it than I was)

[ChronoGrl]

Next up...

The Final (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1390535/)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/Chronogrl/adfthefinal.jpg


NOTE: THIS REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS; THE MOVIE WAS SO DISAPPOINTING I CAN'T BE BOTHERED PARSING THEM OUT


Ok. So this movie actually started out pretty promising... The production value was pretty high, the direction and lighting were solid, and the acting was good, considering that we have an entire cast of Kids (read "Kids" as "meant to look like high schoolers)... Not to mention, I thought that the plot was pretty poignant, especially after this story (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/03/30/da_charges_9_teens_faults_school_officials_in_s_ha dley_bullying_case/) of a girl who committed suicide after being chronically bullied by her peers.

Basic movie plot: A group of high school bully victims come together to trap and torture their oppressors.

Could be good, right? Should cater directly to every torture/exploitation flick fan, not to mention Horror Nerds who were tortured in high school... Right?

But unfortunately, The Final FAILS:

Our trapped victimizers-turned-victims hardly show any fear for their predicament... If our victims aren't scared/horrified/shocked, how can you possibly expect the audience to be? FAIL on mood.
THERE'S NO BLOOD - The whole point of trapping the school bullies is to torture them and even though they utilize a captive bolt pistol to drill into someone's face and industrial clippers to shear off fingers, THERE IS NO BLOOD. Come ON - I understand the restraint of a small budget, but horror directors have ALWAYS found a way to splatter their victims. FAIL on special effects.
The only prolonged torture scene is ripped directly from Audition. I'm not kidding: Apron, pins, everything except the "eeeee eeeee eeeee." FAIL on originality.
TWO of the FIVE main villains are killed twice. TWICE. SERIOUSLY. FAIL on continuity.
Once we have our victims trapped, most of the dialogue are extended diatribes about how violence begets violence. Well, DUH. Our main Villain spends more time monologuing than torturing. FAIL on writing.
Oh, and did I mention that the torture scenes suck? One of the torture devices is supposedly an acid-like cream that melts your skin... But we don't actually see any skin-melting (or even off-screen screaming for that matter!). FAIL on horror.


Going in to writing this review, I was actually going to give the movie 2/5, but now that I've taken the time to catalogue its F's, I don't think I can give it even a 2... WOW, what a dog.

1.75/5.

[bwind22]

Zombies of Mass Destruction was pretty good. It took a while to get going but once it did, the gore is pretty cheesy and plentiful.

[ChronoGrl]

Zombies of Mass Destruction was pretty good. It took a while to get going but once it did, the gore is pretty cheesy and plentiful.

I most certainly agree!

So I will use that comment as a perfect segue to my next review...

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1134674/)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/Chronogrl/zombies_of_mass_destruction_ver2.jpg


This movie was a lot of fun. I felt like I was watching director Kevin Hamedani's version of Dead Alive - Fantastic cheesy gore, and a cast who was obviously having a lot of fun with it, ZMD is a good addition to the Zombie and Splatterpunk Comedy sub-genre.

Not just a fun splatterfest, the movie also makes a political statement about homophobia and racism and xenophobia in a post-9/11 world. It's a little preachy and our characters are more caricatures than anything else, but that's ok; the over-the-top preachiness actually went along well with the over-the-top gore.

My only real complaints with this one is that it's pretty obvious that you have rookie actors here; I felt as though I was watching a student film at times instead of a polished movie, but again, that's OK; it's a good place to start for a horror director who clearly loves the genre. Also, I thought that the movie dragged at times - It sort of felt like boring narrative punctuated by fantastic gore scenes. Also, I felt as though it didn't necessarily bring anything new to the Zombie comedy genre per se. While a great, fun, addition, it's not really ground-breaking or new.

Regardless, if you're a Zombie Comedy fan, DEFINITELY check it out. You'll have fun with it.

3.75/5.

[ChronoGrl]

Dread (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1331307/)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/Chronogrl/dread-poster.jpg


Ok. I'm a little torn about this movie. Quite possibly because I'm having a hard time giving an objective review for a genre that I really don't like... But here goes.

I'll start with the plot outline, to save me some explaining: Assisted by two naïve classmates, duplicitous Quaid (Shaun Evans) conducts a devious research project examining students' innermost fears. Once armed with data, Quaid methodically torments his hapless subjects, taking full advantage of their weaknesses.

So you know from the outset that our main character Quaid will eventually go crazy and start tormenting the students involved in the project... It's really only a matter of when.

Despite the predictable outcome, though, the getting there portion of the movie actually surprised me. Director Anthony DiBlasi and our actors did a REALLY good job of character development; I found myself honestly caring about the characters and not WANTING to face their fate in the inevitable outcome. I honestly empathized with the characters more than I do in the average horror movie... Even though the writing was strained at times, these characters felt like actual people to me, so when their time came, I was absolutely horrified at their fate.

The weakest character, unfortunately, is the unhinged Quaid, and friend-turned-villain in this film. It's not entirely his fault, however; he has some pretty awful dialogue that he has to deliver. I wish that they had made him a little more sympathetic, so that he could have been viewed as more of a "person" than a "monster."

The movie is also over-directed at times, the overly moody EMO music really hammering your eardrums... But that's ok; I used to be an EMO girl...

Anyway. The movie is a bit slow the reach its inevitable climax, but when we get there, I care so much about our victims that I'm extra-horrified at the torture that Quaid exposes them to. Take that and couple it with the fact that I am not a huge fan of torture/exploitation films, and I was left feeling pretty uneasy and uncomfortable (Congratulations, DiBlasi! I gave you what you wanted!).

At the same time, however, I have a hard time classifying this movie as a straight-out torture flick. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to the torture hounds around here, but it's definitely good at creating a mood of pathos and discomfort for our victims.

This movie honestly left me unsettled and unhappy :(. It did it's job, though, in the end. Kudos... I think...

So I have a hard time rating it. The movie made me unhappy, but it's designed to. I'd really like someone else on the forum who's seen it to weigh in. It's definitely a successful movie, boring at times, great character development, and torture that isn't completely "torture."

How's THAT for an awesome synopsis?

3/5 I guess...

[newb]

Regardless, if you're a Zombie Comedy fan, DEFINITELY check it out. You'll have fun with it.

3.5/5.

Zombedy ?

good reviews Chrono......will have to look for this one.

[nightmare_of _death]

It's so sad that out of all the years of the Afterdark Horror fest, I've only seen 2 movies from them total.

[_____V_____]

I thought Dread was very disappointing. Very predictable, very cliched, slow and repetitive. The scripting was uneven, and the direction was anything but inspiring.

The other slow burner, Hidden, is actually quite good and engaging. My preference of the two slow ones in AD IV.

[QuisCustodiet]

I gave up on the Horrorfest stuff after the second one. There were a few decent entries here and there, but I found them mostly pretty dull. Dread looks awesome though, might give it a look sometime soon.

[ChronoGrl]

I thought Dread was very disappointing. Very predictable, very cliched, slow and repetitive. The scripting was uneven, and the direction was anything but inspiring.

The other slow burner, Hidden, is actually quite good and engaging. My preference of the two slow ones in AD IV.

Can't argue with any of that... It was definitely slow and defiintely predictable, but I was surprised at how much I actually hung on and cared about the characters... I think that's why I have a difficult time recommending it; it's REALLY flawed, but by the end I really REALLY cared about our characters; I thought that the climax was really successful and horrifying. The scripting was pretty bad at times, though...

But I'll use your comment about Hidden as a perfect segue...


Skjult (Hidden)
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1347007/)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/Chronogrl/afdhidden.jpg


As V mentioned, this is a real slow-burner... Something that Netflix users are definitely complaining about in their reviews, but, to tell you the truth, I didn't find this movie boring at all. In fact, the creepy atmosphere and clean direction had me absolutely captivated throughout.

The basic plotline: Painful memories arise when Kai Koss goes back to his childhood home after 19 years and inherits his dead mother's house.

At first glance, this sounds like your average haunted-house-battling-your-own-demons (I immediately thought of ADHF's first year Abandoned (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267248/)) type of film. But there's a lot of delightful creepy quirkiness that goes along with it. The haunted house is sufficiently creepy, with some great slow, deliberate filming that had me clutching my boyfriend's hand... What honestly stood out to me, though, is the strange hotel that our hero finds himself in; this brilliantly Lynch-esque woodsy holiday hide-a-way complete with bizarre vixen concierge was a great addition to the already uneasy mood.

There are a couple of flaws, however: The end is ultimately predictable and I thought a bit pedestrian; considering how brilliant the filming and acting was, I think that it deserved a better resolution. I felt ultimately dissatisfied by the end... But the journey was pretty damn good getting there.

If you're looking for a solid little creepy foreign ghost movie, check it out, but it's not really anything that I would say is a MUST SEE.

3.25/5.

[jenna26]

I actually really liked Dread, far more than I was expecting to. Honestly, other than Reincarnation, its my favorite of these that I have seen. I also felt more for the characters than I usually do and had a VERY strong emotional reaction to the film, and that made it a winner for me.

[ChronoGrl]

I actually really liked Dread, far more than I was expecting to. Honestly, other than Reincarnation, its my favorite of these that I have seen. I also felt more for the characters than I usually do and had a VERY strong emotional reaction to the film, and that made it a winner for me.

OK - That TOTALLY validates me. I SERIOUSLY connected with our characters; I cared more about them than I usually do about horror characters. I really thought that this movie was a diamond in the rough.

[Roderick Usher]

OK - That TOTALLY validates me. I SERIOUSLY connected with our characters; I cared more about them than I usually do about horror characters. I really thought that this movie was a diamond in the rough.

I'll tell Anthony you liked it when I see him this Saturday.

[roshiq]

Lately finished watching all Horrorfest 4 films.

Good ones:

Dread & Hidden.

Worth a watch (may be):

Kill Theory & ZMD

Disappointing:

The Final, The Reeds & Lake Mungo.

Dreadful:

The Graves.

[Deimos]

Lionsgate presents the fourth installment of the After Dark Horrorfest 8 Films to Die For with a new horrifying collection of DVDs from the popular national film festival.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g12/ravenavi/adhf.jpg


The DVDs included are Lake Mungo, The Graves, Dread, Zombies of Mass Destruction, Hidden, The Final, Kill Theory and The Reeds.

These films will be released theatrically nationwide in top markets around the country the week of January 29th.

Each year, the collection brings together some of the best in independent horror filmmaking. The 2010 collection of After Dark Horrorfest 8 Films to Die For is available as single DVDs or all together as a DVD box set and as digital downloads.



In Lake Mungo, sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Profoundly unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist, Ray Kemeny. Ray discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. A series of clues lead the family to Lake Mungo where Alice's secret past emerges. Quietearth.com states, the film "...doesn't need to rely on gimmicks to get under your skin," while The Hollywood Reporter declared, "A convincing mock-documentary style lifts 'Lake Mungo' beyond spooky supernatural mystery into the realms of emotional truth-telling." The DVD features the theatrical trailer.


From the creator of the legendary comics Evil Ernie and Lady Death, comes The Graves. On their last weekend together, Megan and Abby Graves are lost in a remote part of the Arizona desert where they are lured to Skull City Mine, an abandoned mine town. But they soon learn Skull City is anything but abandoned - and there's no way out. The sisters are now prey, forced to unleash their most primitive instincts in a desperate, all-out battle for survival against unspeakable horrors - both human and supernatural. The DVD features two audio commentaries plus a couple of featurettes, audition and script read footage, a music video, "Spot the Gnome" game and the downloadable original script.


Produced by Clive Barker and adapted from his Books of Blood collection by Anthony DiBlasi (screenwriter), Dread follows Stephen (Jackson Rathbone, The Twilight Saga) and Cheryl (Laura Donnelly), college students making a documentary about what people dread in life. But they have no idea that their partner, Quaid (Shaun Evans), witnessed his parents being murdered by an axe-wielding lunatic and wants to make others experience his own personal horror. Called "one of the finest Clive Barker adaptations to date," by Shocktillyoudrop.com, "Dread delivers on all chilling counts," according to Fangoria.com. The DVD contains the featurette "Facing the Fear: Behind the Scenes of Dread," plus "A Conversation with Clive Barker and Director Anthony Diblasi" and deleted scenes.


A conservative island community is under attack! Port Gamble, Washington is being overrun with brain eaters, and the people seem powerless to stave them off. A rag tag band of rebels led by Frida, an Iranian college student suspected of being an Iraqi terrorist, and Tom, a gay businessman who has returned to town with his partner to come out to his mother, tries to turn the tide and push the invading hoards of undead back. Called "the best of its type since Shaun of the Dead," Filmthreat.com states, "Zombies of Mass Destruction is a limb-shucking, eye-gouging hoot, full of both disemboweled stomachs and belly laughs." The DVD contains the "Making of Zombies of Mass Destruction" featurette.


With his mother's passing, KK returns home after nineteen years to settle her estate. But with his heritage comes dark and deadly secrets. Having spent the last two decades trying to forget his cruel mother and his past life in the creepy house in the woods, KK finds that there are some things you just can't run from. Thefreshfilms.com declares "...Hidden is bordering on greatness."


Dane, an awkward student with a deadly vendetta, leads a group of outcasts who plot to avenge the years of humiliation they faced by the popular students at Hohn High School. The outcasts turn the tables on the popular students who made sport of them and prepare for a single night that will leave their tormentors scarred for life. The DVD of The Final features audio commentary with the producer and director plus behind the scenes footage and a deleted scene.


Seven college students visit a secluded vacation home to celebrate graduation and become trapped in a deadly game by a mysterious killer. Forced to kill one another by 6 am the following morning, only one of them can remain alive. Whoever remains will be allowed to walk away with his or her life. However, if morning comes and more than one is still breathing, everyone dies. Friends and couples must test their trust as the clock ticks away. Some will fight for love, some to survive, but all will change. Because deep down... we're all killers. The DVD special features include the featurette "Kill Theory: Behind the Scenes" plus two alternate openings and a deleted scene.


A weekend boating party turns into a nightmare for a group of young Londoners when they stumble upon a terrifying secret hidden in "The Reeds".


Pricing: DVD $19.98 each
Pricing: DVD Box Set $159.98


Sweet. thanks.

[ChronoGrl]

Sweet. thanks.

What - No thanks to Chrono? Hrmph.

[ChronoGrl]

I'll tell Anthony you liked it when I see him this Saturday.

VERY cool - The movie was really impressive in terms of how much emotion it got out of me. Yeesh.

[_____V_____]

Big thanks to Chrono for all her awesome reviews. :)

And plenty of smooches, wherever she wants them. ;)

[ChronoGrl]

Big thanks to Chrono for all her awesome reviews. :)

And plenty of smooches, wherever she wants them. ;)

Awww, thanks, V! *SNUGGLES*

I've actually been procrastinating A LOT this year because the movies have been so damn disappointing as a whole... Two more reviews to go. I've seen all of the movies at this point, it's a matter of taking the time to write down my thoughts.

[_____V_____]

A film like Triangle would have been a great entry in the AD series, especially this year.

It has been disappointing for sure. Except for ZMD (and to an extent Hidden and Lake Mungo), nothing to write home about.

[ChronoGrl]

A film like Triangle would have been a great entry in the AD series, especially this year.

It has been disappointing for sure. Except for ZMD (and to an extent Hidden and Lake Mungo), nothing to write home about.

I have to agree with you on that one (though we'll have to AGREE to DISagree on Dread)... I thought that Lake Mungo was a pleasant surprise, so that will lead me to my next review...

Lake Mungo (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816556/)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/Chronogrl/302003.jpg


Not gonna lie; this movie had a few things going against it when I went into watching it:


The movie poster reminded me IMMEDIATELY of Drag Me to Hell's (which made me think, "RIPOFF)
This was the last of the 8 Films for this year that I watched and I wasn't overly impressed.
"Lake Mungo" is a really really stupid title.


So, suffice to say, I was pleasantly surprised when this film turned out to be a smartly done, incredibly well-acted and -filmed mockumentary.

I haven't seen a whole lot of horror mockumentaries. I would count Blair Witch in that category, as its premise was a "documentary" gone wrong, and I would throw American Zombie in there as well (which I STILL highly recommend, for those of you who haven't seen it). There's also Behind The Mask; And both of those are two completely different movies from Lake Mungo.

Lake Mungo is a series of interviews, found photographs and video footage of the Palmer Family who is grieving over the loss of their daughter, Alice, who drowned prior to the filming. In fact, the "reason" for the "documentary" are the bizarre occurrences and notoriety that the family receives following the wake of her passing...

Through convincing interviews of family and friends, the story is slowly revealed, as is Alice's past. As with any grieving family, they begin to search for any way possible where Alice could still be with them... And so comes the photographs.

Lake Mungo isn't a straight-out haunting movie, like Paranormal Activity; instead it takes the viewer through stills and photographs, where Alice's visage seems to appear - This kind of slow subtlety is the kind of glorious horror that just makes the hairs on your arms stand up.

I'm personally a fan of the "ghost photographs" phenomenon, whether they be "real, (http://paranormal.about.com/od/ghostphotos/ig/Best-Ghost-Photos/)" or doctored, like the Slender Man (http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Slender+Man). That the narrative revolves around the discovery and reveal of the Palmer Family's ghostly images is an intriguing concept, and one that definitely kept me glued to the television.

While this movie doesn't have the flat-out "scares" of something like Paranormal Activity or Blair Witch, its subtlety definitely captured a genuine creepy mood that made me feel uneasy for most of the film.

My only issue with the film is that, by choosing the mockumentary style, you don't really get the climactic scene that you get with other hand-held ghost films, like the two mentioned above. Instead, the tone feels a bit disaffected and you don't have the big "payoff" as you generally expect. While I thought that the movie was really smart and well-done, it honestly left me wanting that big climactic gripping-my-boyfriend's-hand scene. It felt a bit flat by the end, though it was obviously the director's intention.

Since I ultimately felt flat in the end, I have a hard time giving this anymore than a 3.5/5. Regardless, I think that it's worth checking out. I was impressed.

[ChronoGrl]

The Reeds (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327200/)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/Chronogrl/reeds.jpg


So this movie actually started out pretty strong - The plot line involves six friends setting off into the English countryside to rent a boat to sail through Norfolk Broads (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Broads), a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English county of Norfolk. The direction and cinematography is absolutely stunning as we pan out over the rivers and the tall, thick reeds that surround the waterways. The clean panning shots really serve to frame a believable feeling of helpless and isolation when our heroes inevitably get lost and their boat stranded.

I was hoping at this point that our creepy reed maze would be home for a nice little swamp monster movie... Instead, The Reeds turns into a fairly run-of-the-mill ghost story complete with bad writing, no character development, poor special effects, and a really uninspired and predictable lineage reveal ending (I can't even express how much I HATE those kind of "twists").

Nothing really new here, or really worth seeing. It's a shame to waste that great setting on a poorly thought out story.

2.5/5

[newb]

I have to agree with you on that one (though we'll have to AGREE to DISagree on Dread)... I thought that Lake Mungo was a pleasant surprise, so that will lead me to my next review...

Lake Mungo (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816556/)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/Chronogrl/302003.jpg


Not gonna lie; this movie had a few things going against it when I went into watching it:


The movie poster reminded me IMMEDIATELY of Drag Me to Hell's (which made me think, "RIPOFF)
This was the last of the 8 Films for this year that I watched and I wasn't overly impressed.
"Lake Mungo" is a really really stupid title.


So, suffice to say, I was pleasantly surprised when this film turned out to be a smartly done, incredibly well-acted and -filmed mockumentary.

I haven't seen a whole lot of horror mockumentaries. I would count Blair Witch in that category, as its premise was a "documentary" gone wrong, and I would throw American Zombie in there as well (which I STILL highly recommend, for those of you who haven't seen it). There's also Behind The Mask; And both of those are two completely different movies from Lake Mungo.

Lake Mungo is a series of interviews, found photographs and video footage of the Palmer Family who is grieving over the loss of their daughter, Alice, who drowned prior to the filming. In fact, the "reason" for the "documentary" are the bizarre occurrences and notoriety that the family receives following the wake of her passing...

Through convincing interviews of family and friends, the story is slowly revealed, as is Alice's past. As with any grieving family, they begin to search for any way possible where Alice could still be with them... And so comes the photographs.

Lake Mungo isn't a straight-out haunting movie, like Paranormal Activity; instead it takes the viewer through stills and photographs, where Alice's visage seems to appear - This kind of slow subtlety is the kind of glorious horror that just makes the hairs on your arms stand up.

I'm personally a fan of the "ghost photographs" phenomenon, whether they be "real, (http://paranormal.about.com/od/ghostphotos/ig/Best-Ghost-Photos/)" or doctored, like the Slender Man (http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Slender+Man). That the narrative revolves around the discovery and reveal of the Palmer Family's ghostly images is an intriguing concept, and one that definitely kept me glued to the television.

While this movie doesn't have the flat-out "scares" of something like Paranormal Activity or Blair Witch, its subtlety definitely captured a genuine creepy mood that made me feel uneasy for most of the film.

My only issue with the film is that, by choosing the mockumentary style, you don't really get the climactic scene that you get with other hand-held ghost films, like the two mentioned above. Instead, the tone feels a bit disaffected and you don't have the big "payoff" as you generally expect. While I thought that the movie was really smart and well-done, it honestly left me wanting that big climactic gripping-my-boyfriend's-hand scene. It felt a bit flat by the end, though it was obviously the director's intention.

Since I ultimately felt flat in the end, I have a hard time giving this anymore than a 3.5/5. Regardless, I think that it's worth checking out. I was impressed.



damn girl....you should do this for a living.

I agree pretty much 100% on this review. This was surely a "slow-burn" but I really dug the payoff.

[ChronoGrl]

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

NOW

THIS YEAR'S HORRORFEST SCORE


ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction - 3.75/5
Lake Mungo - 3.5/5
Skjult (Hidden) - 3.25/5
Dread - 3/5
The Reeds - 2.5/5
Kill Theory - 2/5
The Final - 1.75/5
The Graves - 1/5


Not a great showing this year. My favorite Horrorfest year is still 2007, which brought us Crazy Eights, Mulberrty Street, and Borderland, three of my indie horror favorites. I'm ultimately disappointed, dissatisfied, and spent a lot of my time watching these reconsidering whether or not I still enjoyed watching horror. Ugh.

However, if you're looking for some new indie horror, check out this year's Top 4, though be warned: Reviews are really split on Lake Mungo, Hidden, and Dread. While they're in the Top 4, it's their flaws that keep them under a 4-star rating.

Thanks V, Roshiq, Jenna, and those of you who've chimed in. I'd really like to know what other people this of this year's showing.

Pfew!

CHRONO OUT

[ChronoGrl]

damn girl....you should do this for a living.

I agree pretty much 100% on this review. This was surely a "slow-burn" but I really dug the payoff.

Thanks! I WISH!

I think that I'd probably like the payoff more now that I know what to expect... I was expecting some kind of climactic scene, although what they DID offer us in the movie was really really chilling - I am seriously impressed with the format and vehicle they used - I geek out over ghost photographs and that sort of supernatural thing, it was great to see a "ghost" mockumentary take that turn (as opposed to Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity).

I think you should check out American Zombie (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765430/). Very similar style. Mockumentary. "Slow burn," and funny, too.

[missmacabre]

just finished up lake mungo. went in with low expectations and ended up liking it a lot. as faux documentaries go, this on was pretty good. not so many action, running, handy cam shots but a great plot.