Greetings, all. Ambush Bug here with another AICN HORROR: ZOMBIES & SHARKS column. We’ve got a whole casket load of reviews this week, but before that, as always…there’s this!
Here’s some remake fun. Lonnie Martin, the madman behind COUGARS (reviewed here), has recreated a scene from AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and shared it with me this week, so I thought I’d pass it on to you all. Enjoy this female rendition of a classic scene!
An American Werewolf in London - Remake of "Jack's Warning" from Lonnie Martin on Vimeo.
Now let’s get to the horror reviews!
On with the horror reviews!
(Click title to go directly to the feature)
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET COLLECTION Retro-review: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE
FROM BEYOND (1989)
SLOPPY THE PSYCHOTIC (2012)
SEXQUATCH: THE LEGEND OF BLOOD STOOL CREEK (2012)
TORMENTED (2012)
13 EERIE (2012)
EDDIE THE SLEEPWALKING CANNIBAL (2012)
Advance Review: LUCKY BASTARD (2013)
Advance Review: SIMON KILLER (2012)
And finally…Patrick Rea’s PAINT SHAKER!


A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE (1985)
Directed by Jack SholderWritten by David Chaskin
Starring Robert Englund, Mark Patton, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler, Clu Gulager, Hope Lange, Marshall Bell
Retro-reviewed by Ambush Bug
Opening with an expansive dream sequence involving Freddy as a bus driver driving into a bottomless canyon, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE starts with a bang, though the subtitle FREDDY’S REVENGE is a bit redundant because aren’t all the Elm Street movies about Freddy taking revenge on the kids of the parents who killed him?

Switching gears from the dream states examined in the first film, NIGHTMARE 2 becomes somewhat of a possession flick with Jesse and those in his immediate vicinity believing the dead bodies that are stacking up might be Jesse’s fault. Though this is a slight tweak to the nightmare haunting of the first film, it does move into newer territory with some pretty impressive effects of Freddy literally bursting from Jesse’s chest in one practical effect and having the finger knives cleave right out of Jesse’s hand.


For that, I’ve got to give this film its props. Nowhere near the level of scares and thrills of the first, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE isn’t as bad as later installments of the series.

H.P. LOVECRAFT’S FROM BEYOND (1986)
Directed by Stuart GordonWritten by H.P. Lovecraft (short story), Brian Yuna, Dennis Paoli, Stuart Gordon (screenplay)
Starring Barbara Crampton, Ken Foree, Jeffrey Combs, Ted Sorel, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Bunny Summers
Retro-reviewed by Ambush Bug
Before I knew any better, I used to think this was a direct sequel to RE-ANIMATOR. To my twelve year old mind, seeing the same characters pittering around with twisted science, it only made sense that these two films were connected. Not knowing who or what an H.P. Lovecraft was, I simply didn’t know better.
All growed up and sophisticated-like, I understand that while this isn’t a sequel it does seem to occur in the same world as Lovecraft’s other works, and though the cast are playing different characters, I can appreciate that some of the crew from RE-ANIMATOR returned for another Stuart Gordon gross-out science gone wild yarn.

The squirming, for the most part, comes in the way the look into the other dimension effects people. First, inhibitions are loosened as the pineal gland in the brain becomes enlarged. This makes for some pretty amazing body horror scenes with Jeffrey Combs’ Dr. Tillinghast turning into a brain-eating monster with a pineal gland bursting through his forehead like a third eye. On a much more appealing note, we get to see more Barbara Crampton boobage, which I am always up for, as she dresses in S&M gear and tries to seduce both Combs and Ken (DAWN OF THE DEAD) Foree. The cast, two of which worked with Gordon before on RE-ANIMATOR, seem to be having a blast doing these off the wall things, and though the black slapstick humor such as the reanimated cat sequence and the “giving head” sequence is never quite achieved, the film does has a crazy sense of anything goes that is worth admiring.

Revisiting FROM BEYOND in this new BluRay form is a pretty amazing experience. The disk is loaded with interviews with the filmmakers and cast, behind the scenes fx stuff, and the film is presented in its unrated, uncut form. The even cooler thing is that FROM BEYOND is being rereleased by both SHOUT FACTORY and SECOND SIGHT, but no matter where you get it, it’s still an amazing albeit different take on mad science from Lovecraft, Gordon, Combs, and Crampton.

SLOPPY THE PSYCHOTIC (2012)
Directed by Mike O'MahonyWritten by Erich Ficke & Mike O’Mahony
Starring Mike O’Mahony, James Costa, Fred Ficke, David Folger, Lauren Ojeda, Julie Ann Hamolko, Lou Beaver
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
I don’t want to spend too much time on this no budget film. Clowns are always fun to put through hell, and when cast through the lens of horror, one can’t help but love seeing a something that’s supposed to be a childhood instrument of joy be turned into a morally corrupt killing machine. Still, SLOPPY THE PSYCHOTIC seems to take the easy route when it comes to writing, and it makes for a fun yet uninspired little film.

Once nuts, Sloppy actually has some pretty inspired kills as he runs over some mentally handicapped people with his clown car, blows up a man’s head with an exploding cigar, and drowns a bum in his own piss. The sheer number of murders is quite impressive, as Sloppy spends all of his time doing so in the film. I also really liked the ending, as Sloppy performs his tricks in front of his parents in an especially shocking manner that leaves the film with a pretty powerful closing joke.

While there are a lot of obvious jokes and bad acting, for no budget, this has some pretty twisted moments. Plus there’s the added benefit of clown sex, which is always amusing. All in all, as far as sleaze goes, SLOPPY THE PSYCHOTIC is better than most no-budgeters.

SEXQUATCH: THE LEGEND OF BLOOD STOOL CREEK (2012)
Directed by Chris SeaverWritten by Chris Seaver
Starring Tobe Lerone, Steven Deniro, Chip Rockcastle, Savanna Ramone, Anne Marie Nouvo, Francine Mitchell, Dutch Hogan, Peter Lieberman, Chris Seaver, Varla Darling, Nick Peron, Nichole LaRoche, P.J. O Pootertoot, Spamuel L. Jackson, & Rod Bollo Skin as Stink Fist the Sexquatch!
Find out more about this film here!
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Ok, folks, I will level with you.

That said, in a crude, crude, crude way, SEXQUATCH made me chortle every now and then. Not all the time, mind you. But a few beats, some of the one liners, some of the wordplay shows that the guys behind this film are funny people capable of pulling off some clever things. The fact that one of the cast members continually states he dreams of being the President of Showbusiness someday. The fact that the Sexquatch speaks in a faux-British accent. And the fact that the cast bursts out in a ska song after discovering their friend’s dead and raped body. All of that made this low budgeteer watchable and even, at some times, enjoyable.

Though low to no-brow entertainment occasionally gets a bad rap, from meager beginnings all of your favorite filmmakers have sprung. I hope the filmmakers expand on all that worked in this film and try to shed those amateur hinderings with the next film they make. With some funny lines, some smokin’ hot indie chicks, loads of gross-out humor and gore, and a really fantastic ska soundtrack, I’ve definitely seen worse films. As is, this story of a giant hairy beast that rapes and kills and then rapes again is going to be an acquired taste for most.

TORMENTED (2011)
aka RABBIT HORRORDirected by Takashi Shimizu
Written by Sôtarô Hayashi, Daisuke Hosaka, Takashi Shimizu
Starring Hikari Mitsushima, Takeru Shibuya, Tamaki Ogawa, Nao Ohmori, Teruyuki Kagawa, Momoko Tanabe
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
In Harry’s DVD column he mentions that this would have been a good Easter film to check out as it has a guy in a bunny suit tormenting a small child for the entire run time. I agree to the extent that it does have a giant bunny, but I felt as if I was the one who was tormented from TORMENTED aka RABBIT HORROR, the latest horror effort from the director of JU-ON and SHOCK LABYRINTH, Takashi Shimizu.

The problem with TORMENTED…well, there are multiple problems. But the main problem is that while the man in the bunny suit is creepy, they rely on that same image to creep us out over and over and over again. Sure it is pretty pants-shittingly scary to open a closet and see a reject from King’s Island reach out and snatch you up, but done over and over it loses its luster.

TORMENTED is good for some genuinely creepy scenes of a giant rabbit stalking a little boy. It taps into something primal all young children have experienced if your parents took you to an amusement park at an age too young to enjoy it. That said, it relies on that single trick a few too many times and seems to run out of ideas about halfway through. Snail’s pacing doesn’t help either. So while I admire and appreciate the idea, the film itself is good as long as you can fast forward through the slow and repetitious bits.

13 EERIE (2013)
Directed by Lowell DeanWritten by Christian Piers Betley
Starring Brendan Fehr, Katharine Isabelle, Brendan Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jesse Moss, Kristie Patterson, Michael Eisner and Lyndon Bray
Find out more about this film on Facebook here!
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Wow--I really loved this bug-nuts little horror film. I wasn’t expecting how cool this film would be upon popping the old disk into the machine, but gasted my flabber was at the quality of acting and thrills to be found in 13 EERIE.

One of the best things about this film is that it seems to have done its research. The students--GINGER SNAPS’ Catherine Isabelle, FINAL DESTINATION’s Brendan Fehr, and FREDDY VS JASON’s Brendan Fletcher lead a cast of young good-lookings trapped in the woods who at first think their teacher (STARGATE's Michael Shanks) is fucking with them, but soon find that the rumors that the experiments the former prison did on the death row inmates are true and that 13 Eerie is cursed. The techie and medical talk that goes on between the cast seems pretty good, or at least the cast is convincing enough to pass. This formidable cast actually makes you give a shit whether they live or die.

This film has that level of gore going for it and a talented cast acting in it. Sure, basically it is a group of kids trapped in the woods running from monsters and the premise is not all too original, but what makes it stand out is the fantastic effects and formidable performances by its young cast. Though its one fault is that it ends way too abruptly, leaving all sorts of I’s undotted and T’s uncrossed, 13 EERIE delivers in terms of gore and action. Gorehounds are going to want to lap this little horror sleeper up.

EDDIE THE SLEEPWALKING CANNIBAL (2012)
Directed by Boris RodriguezWritten by Boris Rodriguez, Jonathan Rannells, Alex Epstein
Starring Thure Lindhardt, Georgina Reilly, Dylan Smith, Alain Goulem, Paul Braunstein, Stephen McHattie, Peter Michael Dillon, Alexis Maitland
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here!
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
It’s been said that there is nothing more frightening to an artist than a blank canvas. That moment when every possibility one can imagine or, worse yet, no ideas are there for the artist to choose from. It is in this moment that the creative soul is challenged and sometimes threatened. It’s no doubt that inspiration or lack thereof has been the basis of many a horror film.


Scanning across the gorgeous Canadian wilderness and topped with a melodically pleasing classical score, EDDIE THE SLEEPWALKING CANNIBAL may have a goofy name, but the story takes its gore and art seriously while commenting on how dog eat dog, or maybe that’s Eddie eat dog, the world of art truly is.

LUCKY BASTARD (2013)
Directed by Robert NathanWritten by Lukas Kendall & Robert Nathan
Starring Don McManus, Jay Paulson, Betsy Rue, Chris Wylde, Catherine Annette, Lanny Joon, Lee Kholafai, Deborah Zoe
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Recently making some waves for being rated NC-17 by the ratings board, LUCKY BASTARD deals with a whole lot of uncomfortable and controversial topics. People deal with humiliation in vastly different ways. Some retreat, curl in a ball and cry. Others branch out and drown themselves in drugs and alcohol. Then there are the twisted few who try to inflict that humiliation on others in retaliation. That’s what LUCKY BASTARD is all about.

Well, under the watch of a volatile director Mike (Don McManus, best known as that guy you’ve seen from that movie like SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION or PUNCH DRUNK LOVE) and quirky cameraman Kris (THE REVENANT’s Chris Wylde), the stunning Ashley Saint (Betsy Rue from the HALLOWEEN II and MY BLOODY VALENTINE remakes) is convinced this is going to be a safe and profitable venture, though she has many doubts. Ashley chooses Dave G (Jay Paulson from CAN’T HARDLY WAIT and GO) who looks harmless on paper, but gives off a creep vibe as soon as she meets him. Though they convince her to go through with it, as soon as Ashley touches Dave he…well, he performs prematurely and is ridiculed by the cast and crew. Disgruntled, Dave leaves only to return shedding his nice guy persona and goes on a murder spree, all caught on tape by the reality show cameras where the porno is being shot.

In the opening scenes, we get some footage of some cops walking through the crime scene, so we kind of know what’s about to happen, making the final scenes less shocking. But still LUCKY BASTARD is a brave film that isn’t afraid to show it all, the ugly and the pretty of porn. In the opening minutes, the filmmakers tell us that porn sites have been pushing the envelope for years and that sooner or later that envelope will leave one hell of a paper cut. Well, this paper cut was pretty deep with LUCKY BASTARD and the film deserves props to trying something different with the found footage genre.

SIMON KILLER (2012)
Directed by Antonio CamposWritten by Antonio Campos, Brady Corbet, Mati Diop
Starring Brady Corbet, Mati Diop, Lila Salet, Constance Rousseau, Solo
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Quickly becoming a master of subtle horror, Antonio Campos brings us SIMON KILLER, which at first might feel out of place in a column dedicated to masked serial killers, aliens, and zombies, but as the film goes on, Simon (played by Brady Corbet) turns out to be just as terrifying as any of them, if not more so because this guy feels so damn real.

What makes this film stand out is the lead actors. Brady Corbet, who offered up decent performances in MELANCHOLIA and MARTHA, MARCY, MAY, MARLENE, really has a chance to shine here as the maladjusted title character. The depths he goes to psychologically in his private moments with himself and then his intimate moments with the various women he encounters is pretty dark. Corbet does this low grunt/whine thing in times of great stress that is extremely unsettling, indicating that he is about to do something very, very bad. Mati Diop is amazing as Victoria, the jaded French stripper who slowly melts for Simon. It’s heartbreaking to watch her be fooled by Simon at the beginning and then to see her realization unfold that he is not the man she thought he was. Both performances elevate this pretty simplistic story to monumental levels of excellence.

If we didn’t know this already with the creeping terror that permeated his last film MARTHA, MARCY, MAY, MARLENE, Anotnio Campos seals it with SIMON KILLER. The director/writer has a way of quietly sneaking his characters under your skin, allowing you to bond with the characters, and then make you pay for letting that person in. SIMON KILLER is a film that will definitely leave you feeling both horror and pity for the cast. It’s a tale of a twisted man with good intentions but no clue how to make those intentions come to life. I found SIMON KILLER to be a fascinating film and one you should not miss.
And finally…filmmaker Patrick Rea is going to be known by a lot of you soon since he is the maniac behind NAILBITER which is set to be released soon from Lionsgate. I’ve featured quite a few of his short films and here’s another one about a disgruntled worker’s return to the job. Enjoy PAINT SHAKER!
Paint Shaker from Patrick Rea on Vimeo.
See ya next week, folks!




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