
Greetings, all. Ambush Bug here with another AICN HORROR: ZOMBIES & SHARKS column. Well, I’m back from SDCC and I made it out relatively in one piece. This week I catch up on some recent DVD/BluRay releases, but be prepared with some very cool interviews and a presentation of my Horror panel at the con very soon. In the meantime, here are some news bits before the reviews!



On with the horror reviews!
(Click title to go directly to the feature)
Retro-review: KIDNAPPED (1974)
STRANDED (2013)
EVIDENCE (2013)
DETENTION OF THE DEAD (2012)
SATURDAY MORNING MYSTERY (2012)
VANISHING WAVES (2012)
FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY (2013)
And finally…HORROR BIZARRE: INFOMERCIAL!

KIDNAPPED (1974)
aka RABID DOGSDirected by Mario Bava
Written by Cesare Frugoni, Alessandro Parenzo
Starring Riccardo Cucciolla, Don Backy, Lea Lander, Maurice Poli, George Eastman, Maria Fabbri, Erika Dario
Retro-reviewed by Ambush Bug
Bava’s nerve shredding crime masterpiece is finally available on BluRay. I’ve written quite a bit through the years about Bava’s gift for atmosphere and tension. But in this action crime tale, Bava shows skills he only hints at in other films making KIDNAPPED one of Bava’s finest works.

The claustrophobic atmosphere is what really makes this film an edge of your seater. Sure situations of this kind might feel a bit cliché by today’s standards, but Bava’s tight direction makes it all feel crackling and fresh. There are scenes in this film that are just brilliant as Bava shows the action going on in the background, while still keeping characters in the foreground in focus. While you’re focusing on the background action, something happens in the foreground to alert you that the person has been in the scene the whole time. I’m not doing it justice with this description, but this is a compositionally minded filmmaker’s dream of a movie.

One of the finest examples of heist cinema, KIDNAPPED is a must for lovers of all things tension. The film has a dire feel to it from the get go as you aren’t given one second to catch your breath from the initial heist to the final scene which will definitely take you by surprise. I give KIDNAPPED my highest recommendation. It’s not only an example of why Bava is a master of horror, but of all kinds of filmmaking as well.

STRANDED (2013)
aka THE ARKDirected by Roger Christian
Written by Christian Piers Betley, Roger Christian
Starring Christian Slater, Brendan Fehr, Amy Matysio, Michael Therriault
Find out more about this film on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Though categorizing a film as a B movie these days makes one think of most of the sub par crap ScyFy puts out on a regular basis, I don’t necessarily mean to give this film the kiss of death by calling it just that. I’m being kind to call STRANDED derivative as it borrows heavily from tons of other sci fi films, especially ALIEN. Basically, the entire first portion of this film follows Scott’s influential sci fi monster movie to the beat. But though the set up is familiar, which basically is four astronauts stuck in a space station with a monster on the loose, there are some details added to make it sort of worth my time and yours.

The second plus this film has going for it is that there are some fun little details which stand it apart from ALIEN in its ilk. Most distinctly, the fact that the ship the crew is stuck on has a carbon monoxide leak and one of the symptoms of said leak are hallucinations and paranoia, so when the crew starts attesting that they are seeing monsters, the ones who don’t attribute this behavior to carbon monoxide poisoning. This makes for some interesting conflicts of interest where two astronauts (one of which just gave birth to an alien) believe there is a monster on board, while the other two don’t and think they’re crazy. The story is even told, up to a point, indicating that all of this might very well be a hallucination as the story interweaves dreams and nightmares with the narrative. Though it’s obvious later on that something real and monstrous is on board, in the opening 45 minutes, it’s questionable and I like the sense of unease this film exudes.

If you’re looking for that B movie charm of say Klaus Kinski’s CREATURE, DEEP STAR SIX, or the recently reviewed LIFEFORCE (reviewed here), you might be surprised by STRANDED, directed by BATTLEFIELD EARTH’s Roger Christian. Yes, Christian’s resume may cause a chortle, but STRANDED is a step in the right direction in terms of low budget sci fi with its impressive effects and solid performances by the cast as well as enough nods to classics while adding some original flavor. For me, STRANDED was better than I expected.

EVIDENCE (2013)
Directed by Olatunde OsunsanmiWritten by John Swetnam
Starring Stephen Moyer, Radha Mitchell, Nolan Gerard Funk, Alisha Seaton, Verity Branco, Torrey DeVitto, Dale Dickey, Harry Lennix, Caitlin Stasey, Svetlana Metkina, Barak Hardley
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
I have to give it to director Olatunde Osunsanmi. He shoots for the moon when it comes to trying to tell a different kind of story. With THE FOURTH KIND, he attempted to integrate real and reenacted footage together, sometimes side by side in a split screen, in order to tell a different kind of story about alien abduction and encounters. The result were not perfect, but I had to admire the guy for trying something out of the ordinary.

The secondary story is pieced together from the found footage at the scene of the crime. Though the found footage genre is often steeped with contrivance, at least the time watching the banal activities leading up to the horrors to come are explained as trying to gather any piece of evidence to solve the crime. In this story, we follow a pair of wannabe stars and one of their boyfriends as they try to have a vacation in Las Vegas. Along for the ride is bus driver (DOLLHOUSE’s Harry Lennix) and a widow on the run (IRON MAN 3’s Dale Dickey), among others. When the bus breaks down in the middle of a ghost town, they find themselves stalked by a killer with a blowtorch.

In the end, EVIDENCE is a decent use of 3-D camera tricks, but had the work been put into the script rather than trying to backtrack plot pieces together so they fit perfectly, EVIDENCE would have been a much more engaging film. The motivations to do the crime and the capability of the criminals involved is suspect, reminding me more of the indigestible contrivances one might see in a SAW film. Despite strong performances from Moyer and Mitchell, the director and writer’s need to be clever and make things overly complex makes EVIDENCE shoot itself in the foot in the end.

DETENTION OF THE DEAD (2012)
Directed by Alex Craig MannWritten by Rob Rinow & Alex Craig Mann
Starring Jacob Zachar, Alexa Nikolas, Christa B. Allen, Jayson Blair, Justin Chon, Max Adler
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Everyone is trying to cash in on the zom-com ride which recently was given a goose with ZOMBIELAND and was feebly attempted to be aped in WARM BODIES. Though personally, these films which make light of the zombie apocalypse take the bite out of zombie movies as a whole, there are some that are successful in straddling the line between making you scream one minute and laugh the next. For the most part, DETENTION OF THE DEAD is one of those films.

Now, in order for this film to be effective, it has to a) be a good zombie movie, b) be funny, and most importantly, c) be a good riff on THE BREAKFAST CLUB. DETENTION OF THE DEAD does a decent job with a and b, but completely falls apart when they try to get serious and have the kids come to the revelations the kids came to in the original film. The scene where the nerd admits that he bought the gun to kill himself is painfully hard to watch mostly because unlike BREAKFAST CLUB, it doesn’t set the tone to be serious at all. In an attempt to make the film weightier, it actually sidetracked a decent farce. Numerous other times when drama is tried to be square-peg-round-holed into the film result in equally awkward moments. Maybe it was the actors being way too funny in the first portion of the film, but I think that would only make us care for them more. No, this feels more like a scripting blunder with the filmmakers realizing that they had to inject some heft in the back end of this film at the last minute. The result is an uneven film.

Despite the feeble attempts as seriousness in the film, DETENTION OF THE DEAD is a fun spoof of THE BREAKFAST CLUB. The film’s one offense was not knowing which way to go with it, so they tried it both and wasn’t very successful. Had they gone full on spoof, I think this would have worked better as a film. Or had the drama been more evenly sprinkled, I think it even had the potential to work. By trying to cram it all in, it messed this up from being a truly great film. Still, there’s enough laughs and gore for me to give it a positive nod and recommend it to all of you to give it a try for a few solid laughs.

SATURDAY MORNING MYSTERY (2012)
aka SATURDAY MORNING MASSACREDirected by Spencer Parsons
Written by Spencer Parsons, Jonny Mars, Jory Balsimo, Aaron Leggett, Jason Wehling
Starring Ashley Rae Spillers, Jonny Mars, Josephine Decker, Adam Tate, Paul Gordon, Sean Ryan, Heather Kafka, Hamlet as himself
Find out more about this film here!
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Come this Halloween when I start to compile my list for the best horror films of the year, SATURDAY MORNING MYSTERY is sure to be among them. Stemming from all sorts of horror conventions and current trends, this film by Spencer Parsons is fresh, funny, and most importantly scary. Just as CABIN IN THE WOODS played with pastiches of the horror genre, SATURDAY MORNING MYSTERY takes all that we love about horror and turns it on its ear, proving that there is a reason these trends became what they are in horror and proof positive that given a fresh set of eyes and a talented set of folks, even the most tried and true stories can still be effective.

The performances by the four cast members--Ashley Rae Spillers (Nancy who is this film’s version of Velma), Jonny Mars (Floyd, our Shaggy), Josephine Decker (Gwen, who’s a lot like Daphne),and Adam Tate (Chad, who is our Fred), are what makes this film a standout. Each of the team embodies the Scooby Doo cartoon, yet makes them more personable. The attraction between Chad and Gwen is there, but there’s also some complications as we find out Gwen cheated on Chad once and Chad resents it. It’s the fact that these characters really seem to have lived a life off screen and that we are just privy to a snippet of it here that makes them all the more believable.

The humor in this film is so, so good. It’s not gut busting humor nor is it grossout humor. It’s not particularly goofy either, but more of a subtle sense of fun that one might find in THE OFFICE or A WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER. No one in the film is trying to be funny. The humor comes from the situations that arise and the matter of fact way it’s processed and approached by this talented cast. There are some fantastic moments of comic timing that I won’t ruin in this review, but will definitely cause you to laugh out loud. There are also subtle performances that are sure to stand out, particularly by the monotone police officer (played by Paul Gordon) as he takes the team on a tour of the abandoned house, pointing out “We found a leg over here.” as if he were reading instructions on how to program his television.

Do what you can to see SATURDAY MORNING MYSTERY. You’ll laugh. You’ll jump. You’ll whisper “Cool” under your breath. It’s playing at the LA Film Festival this weekend and if you’re in the area and love horror, this is the one you don’t want to miss. It is original in its comedic voice, talented performances by the cast, and sheer ballsiness to be an unabashed hard R episode of SCOOBY DOO, and like a cat plopping a mangled rat into your lap, is damn proud to gross you out and cause you a start. Don’t miss this film. It’s one of the best I’ve seen so far this year.

VANISHING WAVES (2012)
aka AURORADirected by Kristina Buozyte
Written by Kristina Buozyte, Bruno Samper
Starring Jurga Jutaite, Marius Jampolskis, Brice Fournier, Sharunas Bartas, Frédéric Andrau, Arnoldas Eisimantas
Find out more about this film on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
This is a great time for sci fi fans. Films like ELYSIUM, PACIFIC RIM, and LOOPER are pushing the limits of what we want in our big budget science fiction, while smaller films such as ANTIVIRAL (reviewed here), MOON, ERRORS OF THE HUMAN BODY (reviewed here), BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW (reviewed here) and now VANISHING WAVES prove that you don’t have to have a multi-million dollar budget to make a film that glimpses into the future.

The story follows Lukas (Marius Jampolskis), a volunteer in a study to push the limits of man’s perception. Shades of ALTERED STATES and COMA are littered throughout this film, but still, the narrative remains wholly original. By donning a helmet of electrodes, Lukas is able to enter a dream state and attempt to link with another human mind (that of coma victim Aurora played by the stunning Jurga Jutaite). Because the procedure is risky and the human mind is so susceptible to stimuli, patients in a coma are used as the conduit and connector in this realm. As Lukas is placed in a sensory deprivation chamber, he begins to become addicted to the world he transcends to and the girl he finds in this dreamscape.

Just when you think things are going hunky-dorey for our dreamy couple, the nightmares begin as Aurora is haunted by trappings of her past life while Lukas is overcome with grief and frustration over his separation from reality. The ugly side of human nature is highlighted just as well as moments of sheer terror and nightmare are explored in this dream realm, peeling back the psychological layers and allowing metaphor and vivid/horrifying imagery to reveal deep character traits rather than clunky exposition or explanation.

The film itself is acted to perfection by the two stars of the film. Jurga Jutaite has a Bond Girl super model quality, though retains a down to earth feel while Marius Jampolskis feels like Lithuania’s answer to Sam Rockwell. One thing that I found somewhat distracting though was the very distinct moles both actors have on their faces. While it adds to the reality of it all in highlighting the imperfections of the actors, I couldn’t help but stare at the blemishes occasionally and mutter “moley, moley, moley” in my best Austin Powers voice. But hey, that’s me. I’m an immature shit.
Despite the abundance of moles, VANISHING WAVES is one of those films you will never forget. Filled with pristine and surreal imagery reminiscent of both Kubrick and Lynch and filled with the steady and patient camera work of Mallick or Von Trier, VANISHING WAVES may be a bit artsy for some, but I couldn’t divert my eyes from it for a single frame. Experience the beautiful trailer below for a taste of what I mean.

FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY (2013)
aka ARMY OF FRANKENSTEINDirected by Richard Raaphorst
Written by Chris W. Mitchell, Richard Raaphorst, Miguel Tejada-Flores, inspired by the works of Mary Shelley
Starring Karel Roden, Alexander Mercury, Joshua Sasse, Robert Gwilym, Luke Newberry, Hon Ping Tang, Andrei Zayats, Mark Stevenson, Cristina Catalina, Jan de Lukowicz, Zdenek Barinka
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Let me start off by stating the obvious, FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY is set during the final days of World War II as a Russian troop make their way through Europe battling Nazis. During this excursion, one Russian soldier is documenting the whole thing via a hand help video camera. Now I believe, though hand held cameras of this sort did exist at the time, it was not able to capture color footage with sound. Maybe I’m completely incorrect, but I don’t think the technology to actually film the events that occur in this film actually exist. Still, this is a found footage film in color with sound set during World War II, so if that bothers you to the point where you dismiss the film, then so be it. I was able to accept this technological inconsistency and was able to press on despite it and if you’re able to suspend your disbelief as well, you might come out the other end of FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY enjoying the experience.

The story basically follows a group of Russian soldiers as they stumble into a facility which serves as Victor Frankenstein’s lab. Vic’s been busy working for the Nazis and the troop soon finds out exactly what his experiments have spawned. As the cameraman and the rest of the troop try to make it out of the facility to survive, the camera captures some pretty impressive monsters along the way and that’s where FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY shines.

That said, FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY feels a whole lot more like a funhouse ride spook house rather than a story as basically the entire last half of the movie consists of monsters lunging out of the darkness growling from their mouth-holes and revving chainsaw grafted limbs at passing soldiers and into the lens of the camera. This action is repeated over and over again, with just the type of monster changed. The hand held aspect simply amps this funhouse feel, which is good for the “comin’ at ‘cha” cheap thrill, but doesn’t do much else than that initial jolt. Repeated numerous times and the effect lessens with every burst.

Karel Roden of HELLBOY and A LONELY PLACE TO DIE plays Viktor Frankenstein and does so with an over the top glee. Roden is fun to watch as he revels in Frankenstein’s medical madness, splicing body and machine together with whatever he can find handy. I love the circular kettles with human legs following him around. It shows that the makers of this film were not taking things too seriously. I think it’s that added humor and almost wink toward the viewer that makes me forgive FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY for its faults and appreciate it for the carnival fun ride that it is. Those expecting heavy, straight faced horror will find themselves left wanting, but FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY is good for quite a few laughs and thrills as well as some phenomenal practical effects and full body prosthetics.
And finally…Here’s another installment of HORROR BIZARRE. This time, we’ve got an infomercial from a carpentry teacher called INFOMERCIAL. It’s kooky. It’s weird. It’s Norwegian. Enjoy.
See ya next week, folks!




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