
Greetings, all. Ambush Bug here with another AICN HORROR: ZOMBIES & SHARKS column. Here’s my second horror column this week. For some reason, there’s a shit-ton of scares being released this week--so much that I needed two columns to cover it. Be sure to check out yesterday’s collection of horror reviews as well!
On with the horror reviews!
(Click title to go directly to the feature)
Retro-review: A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD (1973)
Short Cuts: SWINE (2012)
FEAR THE FOREST (2009)
SAVAGES CROSSING (2011)
WITHER (2012)
DEVIL’S PASS (2013)
YOU’RE NEXT (2011)
And finally…Colin Campbell’s THE GIRL AT THE DOOR!

A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD (1973)
aka ZOMBIE 4: A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD, CHRISTINA: PRINCESS OF EROTICISM, NIGHT OF THE SHOOTING STARSDirected by Jesús Franco, Jean Rollin
Written by Jesús Franco, Paul D'Ales
Starring Christina von Blanc, Britt Nichols, Rosa Palomar, Anne Libert, Howard Vernon, Jesús Franco, Paul Muller,
Retro-reviewed by Ambush Bug
I’m hit and miss on the films of Jesus “Jess” Franco and Jean Rollin. Franco often relies heavily on the erotic side to the point of uncomfortability for me, while Rollin occasionally can be too artsy for my tastes. Still, there are films from both directors I can’t help but love, such as Rollin’s OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES (reviewed here), FEMALE VAMPIRE (reviewed here), EXORCISM (reviewed here) and even COUNTESS PERVERSE (reviewed here) and Rollin’s GRAPES OF DEATH (reviewed here), LIVING DEAD GIRL (reviewed here), THE DEMONIACS (reviewed here), and TWO ORPHAN VAMPIRES (reviewed here). One of the products made by both Rollin and Franco was the damn fine ZOMBIE LAKE (reviewed here) which I think highlighted both of the filmmakers’ strengths and canceled out their weaknesses. Pairing Franco’s gift for mixing the grotesque with the erotic with Rollin’s artsier thrills and chills seems to be the right elixir for me since I really loved Kino Lorber Redemption’s latest classic release, A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD.

The imagery in A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD is pretty amazing. A giant dildo tempts Christina from her bed in one dream while vampiric lesbians tempt her in another. There’s a gripping sequence where Christina follows her long-dead father through the woods, his form appearing to her as a hanged man dangling from a moving and floating rope. There’s a final march into a murky swamp that feels more like the surreality of a Jodorowski film than a Franco one, but also reeks of Rollin artfulness. No matter what part you watch of this film, you’re definitely going to take away images you’ve never seen before.

Shrewd eyes will also pick up the appearance of Marvel Comics’ Zombie Simon Garth character in the cover art of this one, wearing the Amulet of Damballah and everything. I’m not sure why the comic book anti-hero shows up on the cover, but it’s awesome nevertheless.
If the title of the film doesn’t give the surprises in the story away, you probably won’t be dulled by the inundation of obvious metaphor at play in A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD. Though the title character is clueless, the surreal and creative imagery throughout makes this worth experiencing.


SWINE Chapters One – Three (2012)
Directed by Daniel LevitchWritten by Daniel Levitch, Cuitla Huezo, Ari Levitch
Starring Gregory Lee Kenyon, Åsa Wallander, Kellsy MacKilligan, Drew Hinckley, Louis C. Oberlander, Diana Hardesty, Christopher George Wiley, Emily Chetner, Kelley Gallagher, Brett Davis, Alex Rapport
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug

It really feels as if Levitch has developed an entire world here, as multiple characters and storylines play out in the three episodes I got to check out on this disk. There’s a higher level of narrative going on as different episodes are dedicated to different aspects of the SWINE world, attacking the premise of a powerful ruling force being resisted by a small but powerfully motivated army from various angles. Cool characters and talented actors make the story all the more interesting to follow.

There are plenty of tumbleweed locales outside of Hollywood, making these post-apocalyptic films feel cheaply made. Throw a quarter at some of the last remaining Blockbuster racks and you’re bound to hit a flick that takes place at the end of civilization. Still, there are exceptions to the rule when it comes to an oversaturated subgenre and SWINE is one of them. Sure the designs are straight out of Mad Max, but with the attention to story and the production values on the higher end paired with some quality acting and some cool finer details like the attention to military techniques and old/new weaponry, SWINE makes for something outside of the norm and some fun genre viewing.

FEAR THE FOREST (2009)
Directed by Matthew BoraWritten by Matthew Bora
Starring Anna Kendrick, Kevin F. Barrett, Matthew Bora, Don Evans, Jared Michalski, Elana Safar, Stephen Sherman
Find out more about this film here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
While I can’t wholeheartedly recommend FEAR THE FOREST to everyone, I will say that the film has two major things going for it: it’s a Bigfoot movie, which immediately makes me interested in it despite the quality of the film (longtime readers of this column know that Bigfoot films are my Kryptonite) and the plot and story of this film is actually really, really well done.

If as much effort had gone into some decently trained actors as it did into the story, this might be a damn fine flick. As is, the acting really hurts this one, plus one of the two Bigfoot costumes is nothing but a monkey suit bought from a thrift store costume shop (though, as I said, it is explained in the end). The second Bigfoot costume, though, with a mechanical moving mouth, is a keeper and makes for a unique version of Sasquatch I haven’t seen before but also looks a bit like the Muppets’ Sweetums.
So while FEAR THE FOREST does have a rough exterior, the gooey inside that is the story is solid (I understand I’m mixing metaphors here, but just go with it), making me curious to see what Bora has to offer in future projects.

SAVAGES CROSSING (2011)
Directed by Kevin DobsonWritten by John Jarratt and Cody Jarrett
Starring John Jarratt, Craig McLachlan, Sacha Horler, Jessica Napier, Chris Haywood, Angela Punch McGregor, Rebecca Smart
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
When I talk to creative types about criticism, one of the most common things I hear is that getting the criticism of “meh” is the hardest to take. Good or bad reactions are fine, but when a film, book, whatever comes along and it causes not really any reaction at all, it is by far the worst feedback one can hear. I am not going to say that I flipped over SAVAGES CROSSING, nor will I say I hated it, but it is regretfully middle of the road.

The standout role here is John Jarratt, the swarthy outback manhunter from the chilling WOLF CREEK. Here Jarratt plays a different type of heathen, more sophisticated and pathetic all at once. Jarratt shows his range here, which is by far the most interesting aspect of this film as he finds himself trapped in a diner with a group of people with a flood raging outside. The rest of the cast is pretty good as well, but Jarratt is given the most to do here and the most to work with.

What we get is something predictable, which is something a good film never should be in my opinion. Though Jarratt proves again that he can be great when the camera focuses on him, I wish the story had as much charisma as the actor has.
Decently edited together and sporting a decent soundtrack, SAVAGES CROSSING could have been one of those gritty Australian flicks that makes you want to shower afterwards, but this thriller didn’t make me sweat a drop or do anything else for that matter, save for shrug my shoulders when it ended.

WITHER (2012)
aka CABIN OF THE DEAD, VITTRADirected by Sonny Laguna, Tommy Wiklund
Written by Sonny Laguna, David Liljeblad, Tommy Wiklund,
Starring Patrik Almkvist, Lisa Henni, Patrick Saxe, Johannes Brost, Amanda Renberg, Jessica Blomkvist, Max Wallmo, Anna Henriksson, Ingar Sigvardsdotter, Ralf Beck, Sanna Ekman, Julia Knutson
Find out more about this film on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Tell me which movie you think this is the premise of: a group of kids decide to go to a cabin in the woods. While there, they are possessed by evil spirits one by one until only one man remains. If you guessed that this is the premise for the original EVIL DEAD, you’d be right. You may have guessed that it was the plot for EVIL DEAD II, and you’d still be right. But did you know if you guessed WITHER, you’d also be correctamundo?

The big difference between WITHER and the original EVIL DEAD, besides all of that Swedish being spoken, is that there’s no Book of the Dead to be found. The evil spirits are more tied to the land and the horrors are less the fault of the goofy campers as it is just their dumb luck of happening into the wrong wooded area. There’s something about the fact that the horror isn’t something the victims brought upon themselves that I like. It feels more real that way and less poetically motivated and more natural and real. Horror and violence is often unexplained and unmotivated; here these monsters that possess the cabiners cross paths by happenstance.

I hate to diminish WITHER by comparing it so much to Raimi’s classics, but this really is a modern version of the best aspects of both of his EVIL DEAD films. Hell, the hero even wears Ash’s trademark blue shirt. And while Bruce Campbell is fun, the level of emotional intensity Patrik Almkvist faces when his character must deal with his possessed girlfriend reaches dramatic levels the EVIL DEAD films dream of achieving.
Horror fans, if you are looking for a modern equivalent of a horror classic, find WITHER and let this amazing homage swallow your soul.

DEVIL’S PASS (2013)
aka DYATLOV PASS INCIDENTDirected by Renny Harlin
Written by Vikram Weet
Starring Holly Goss, Matt Stokoe, Luke Albright, Ryan Hawley, Gemma Atkinson
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
These days, most horror fans wish found footage films were never found, and with the inundation of these cheaply made films in the past few years, I understand the sentiment. Still, a good movie is a good movie, found footage film or not, and a likable cast and some pretty gripping moments of horror and suspense make DEVIL’S PASS, formerly known as THE DYATLOV PASS INCIDENT, footage you might find interesting.

Sure, occasionally the camera falls in just the right spot one or two times in order to capture some key scene and there might be an occasional moment where the cameraman should probably drop the camera and run for his life instead of filming, but these moments are few and far between and Harlin keeps the action moving at a breakneck pace from the beginning of this school trip, which hopes to follow the exact route a team of explorers took in 1959 only to be found soon after, dead by mysterious means in the snow. The fact that this incident is a real mystery only adds to the ominous tone Harlin creates.

The likable cast led by the spunky Holly Goss is better than most actors found in these types of films and does a good job at keeping everything flowing naturally. I also loved the things that happen in the periphery and behind the filmmakers that they don’t notice, such as creatures crawling through the snow in the background or through a tunnel in the distance. This adds more to the found footage aspect because it again embraces the immediacy of something accidentally caught on camera without it feeling staged. Add in some decent (yet not perfectly rendered) CG monsters and other fantastic effects and you’ve got a truly unique found footager that is a cut above the low budget fodder usually found in this genre. This one is definitely one of the better caught on camera style films I’ve seen this year and makes for a thrilling ride pretty much from its ominous start to its wickedly clever finish.

YOU’RE NEXT (2011)
Directed by Adam WingardWritten by Simon Barrett
Starring Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, AJ Bowen, Wendy Glenn, Joe Swanberg, Margaret Laney, Amy Seimetz, Ti West, Rob Moran, Barbara Crampton, Larry Fessenden, L.C. Holt as Lamb Mask, Simon Barrett as Tiger Mask, Lane Hughes as Fox Mask
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
YOU’RE NEXT is finally hitting theaters today, and while the film was made a few years ago and it feels like I’ve been hearing about it for ages, it’s important to note that it doesn’t feel like a film made that long ago. Though in the interim between the making and the releasing there have been a slew of successful and not so successful home invasion films, YOU’RE NEXT supplies enough scares and thrills to make it one of the better ones of the subgenre.

The rest of the film plays out like many home invasion films do, as a trio of masked invaders surround the house and start picking off the folks inside. But while we’ve seen that scenario play out numerous times in films like THE STRANGERS, HOME SWEET HOME, KIDNAPPED, THE AGGRESSION SCALE, MOTHER’S DAY, and scores of others, there are a few things that set YOU’RE NEXT apart from the herd.

But this film also features a breakout role for Sharni Vinson, who proves she can be both kickass and be sympathetic all at once. Vinson commands every scene she is in and despite the fact that, unlike the rest of the dynamic cast I recognized and respected, I have never seen her before in anything, she manages to stand head and shoulders above the rest with her performances. I do have to add, in terms of the cast, that Joe Swanberg is gold in every scene he’s in here. His comic timing and deadpan delivery makes me wish he appeared in every movie I see. Some of the funniest moments of this film belong to Swanberg, and while many of us know the writer/director/actor, this may be the film that educates the masses about what we already know about him and why we love him.
The most important part of YOU’RE NEXT is that, despite the fact that it is part of a subgenre of horror that is teetering on being the next found footage or zombie movie onslaught, it is an original horror film that isn’t a remake or a sequel. Because of that alone (and the fact that Wingard delivered a great movie filled with suspense and some great moments of gore and brutality), we who call ourselves horror fans should go out this weekend and see it. If we don’t support it, expect more remakes, rehashes, reboots, reimaginings, sequels, etc. that lack creativity and any of that horrific spirit that made us fans of the genre in the first place.
And finally…Director Colin Campbell brings us this short sexy horror film called THE GIRL AT THE DOOR. Though it’s not gratuitous, this might be considered Not Safe For Work, so you’ve been warned…
See ya next week, folks!




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