
Greetings, all. Ambush Bug here with another AICN HORROR: ZOMBIES & SHARKS column. Let’s leap right into the horror!
(Click title to go directly to the feature)
Retro-review: THEM! (1954)
Retro-review: TENDERNESS OF THE WOLVES (1973)
Retro-review: NO TELLING (1991)
Retro-review: PUPPET MASTER 4 (1993)
CAESAR & OTTO’S PARANORMAL HALLOWEEN (2015)
KRAMPUS: THE RECKONING (2015)
WRECKER (2015)
8 Films to Die For: THE WICKED WITHIN (2015)
STUNG (2015)
BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS (2015)
SOME KIND OF HATE (2015)
MEXICO BARBARO (2014)


THEM! (1954)
Directed by Gordon DouglasWritten by Ted Sherdeman (screenplay), Russell S. Hughes(adaptation), George Worthing Yates (story)
Starring James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Onslow Stevens, Sean McClory, Chris Drake, Sandy Descher, Mary Alan Hokanson, Don Shelton, Fess Parker, Olin Howland
Retro-reviewed by Ambush Bug
Warner Brothers are putting out a BluRay collection of some of the coolest old school special effects you’re going to find and this week, I’m covering one of the best in the set: the giant ants on a rampage flick, THEM! When folks think of THEM!, I think immediately they think about giant fake-looking models of furry ants with floppy antennae clamping their pinchers around unsuspecting humans. THEM! does have a lot of that, but I found the film to be so much more upon revisiting it.

One of the things that surprised me about this film this time around was the fact that it is a fun mystery/police procedural flick disguised as a giant monster movie. Much of the first half of the film is the investigation into what exactly is tearing through these homes and destroying/killing everything in its path. Once the giant ants make their presence known, the film again follows a new mystery as to how the ants came to be in the first place as the police, the military, and the nation’s top scientists work together to track down the cause of these monster ants. While it’s simplistic in its investigation, it’s fun to see the group of antbusters track down leads in mental institutions (there’s an especially hilarious scene where an insane drunk repeats “Make me a Sergeant and give me the booze!” that is absolutely hilarious), through waterways, into desert tunnels, and around the local jail. In many ways this is much like the tale of the Indians and the Elephant, as the investigators find out little bits and pieces from different parties and put them all together to find out what caused these ants to grow so big. It was a blast seeing the remedial yet undeniably endearing sleuthing at play here.

Politics aside, this film is an amazing example of ingenious special effects in its most rudimentary form. Some of the shots are of real ants. Others are giant animatronic ants in frame with the actors. Still others are superimposed into the scene. Filmmaker Gordon Douglas competently uses whatever means necessary to try to get you to believe ants can be the size of cars and in the scene with these actors. THEM! is something special in that it actually focuses on the mystery behind the giant monsters and slowly takes the viewer along to its eventual resolution. It’s as much a compelling mystery procedural as it is a giant monster thriller, and that’s what makes THEM! an amazing film.


TENDERNESS OF THE WOLVES (1973)
Directed by Ulli LommelWritten by Kurt Raab
Starring Kurt Raab, Jeff Roden, Margit Carstensen, Ingrid Caven, Wolfgang Schenck, Brigitte Mira, Rainer Hauer, Barbara Bertram, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Heinrich Giskes, Friedrich Karl Praetorius, Karl von Liebezeit, Walter Kaltheuner, El Hedi ben Salem, Rainer Will
Retro-reviewed by Ambush Bug
While this film is as perverse as it comes, TENDERNESS OF THE WOLVES is a compelling film about a very sick man and how easily people will rarely see horrors even when they are happening right under their noses.

This is an extremely difficult movie for me to sit through. The callous and cold way Haarmann seduces the young boys he coerces back to his home is shown in its entirety, and the camera doesn’t blink or cut away often, so we are there when these kids are given alcohol, have sex with Kurt, and eventually get eaten by him. These scenes are really hard to watch, and I found myself disgusted and hating Kurt. The film does a fantastic job of painting Haarmann as a truly evil and manipulative man, addicted to sex and the thrill of getting away with his crimes. What makes this film all the more creepy is the fact that this is a true story and Haarmann existed and committed these crimes. Knowing this made watching this film all the more horrific.

Raab is pretty amazing here as Haarmann. He is equally creepy and charismatic with his shaved head and overcoat, which is most definitely an homage to Peter Lorre’s iconic performance from M. TENDERNESS OF THE WOLVES is not a comfortable film, but it is a mesmerizing one. This new presentation from Arrow offers up a commentary by director Ulli Lommel moderated by Uwe Huber, a new interview with Lommel, as well as a new intro by the filmmaker. There’s also an interview with DP Jürgen Jürges and a new interview with actor Rainer Will. Basically, that’s a whole lot of people talking about a heinous but fascinating film.
Couldn’t find a trailer that would be suitable for any work environment, sorry.


NO TELLING (OR THE FRANKENSTEIN COMPLEX) 1991
Directed by Larry FessendenWritten by Larry Fessenden
Starring Miriam Healy-Louie, Stephen Ramsey, David Van Tieghem, Richard Topol, Ashley Arcement, Robert Brady, Susan Doukas, Ward Burlingham, J.J. Clark, Stanley Taub, Francois Lampietti, John Van Couvering, David Leslie
Retro-reviewed by Ambush Bug
Larry Fessenden is horror’s working man mad genius, and it’s fantastic that The Shout Factory is honoring his work with this four disc collection. He may not be a household name, but I’ll bet you’d recognize him if you caught his small roles in JUGFACE, YOU’RE NEXT, or this year’s POD and LATE PHASES. He also coordinates, acts in and directs his own amazing radio plays called Tales From Beyond the Pale and is an accomplished writer and director of many a horror film. I’ll be covering all four films in this collection. Last time I delved into WENDIGO. This time it’s Fessenden’s down to earth Frankenstein film, NO TELLING.

Much like WENDIGO, which dissected the insecurities of a man in a family setting, this film again shows a relationship in crisis, this time due to an imbalance between the relationship and one’s work. Also like WENDIGO, NO TELLING goes to an extreme in showing how horribly wrong a relationship can go if these issues are not addressed. In NO TELLING, Geoffrey senses that his relationship is going south, but instead of working on it he pushes his wife away in favor of work. But without his wife to balance him out, Geoffrey becomes a monster himself with the heinous lengths his experiments go to. The final scenes in this film involving Geoffrey’s experiment, while quite rudimentary when compared to Frankenstein’s experiments, still show a doctor out of control and without the moral compass to understand what is right and wrong. Fessenden once again focuses on the relationship here, and while WENDIGO was more of a metaphorical horror film, this one is much more rooted in the real world as the work Geoffrey is doing in his lab is quite monstrous.

Those who dislike animals being harmed most likely won’t want to check this movie out, and while I usually hate films that introduce animals simply to kill them, this one does highlight the horrible lengths a man without conscience can go to if left unchecked. NO TELLING is another deeply compelling and viscerally horrifying film that seems to be put together with barebones ingenuity, but the heart and genius comes in the performances by the capable cast and the sensitive and creative eye of its director, Larry Fessenden.


PUPPET MASTER 4 (1993)
aka PUPPET MASTER 4: THE DEMON, PUPPET MASTER: WHEN BAD PUPPETS TURN GOODDirected by Jeff Burr
Written by Todd Henschell, Jo Duffy, Steven E. Carr, Douglas Aarniokoski, & Keith S. Payson (screenplay), based on characters made by David Schmoeller
Starring Gordon Currie, Chandra West, Ash Adams, Teresa Hill, Guy Rolfe, Felton Perry, Stacie Randall, Michael Shamus Wiles, Dan Zukovic, Jake McKinnon
Retro-reviewed by Ambush Bug
I can’t say I’m the biggest PUPPET MASTER fan, but I have seen my fair share of the films. I reviewed the original PUPPET MASTER a while back, and now Full Moon has released a BluRay of the fourth installment, so I guess I’m skipping ahead a few films here. As with any film series, by the time you get to the fourth you’ve pretty much run your course, but I have to give it to this series for trying new things and introducing new concepts throughout. Not all of them were great, but at least they were giving the effort.

I understand that in between the original film and this one, it was revealed that Toulon was somewhat of a force for good during WWII, so it’s an interesting twist that these puppets that wrought so much havoc in the original are cast as the heroes in this one. Still, the introduction of the otherworld and the demonic Totems does give these murderous puppets even more evil nemeses to battle. In an interesting detail, the demon god sending over the Totem demons is a practical effects puppet as well, which is a fun nod to this film’s subject matter. The Totems themselves are rather cool, as they act very much like the Zuni fetish dolls from TALES OF TERROR meets a Gremlin fed after midnight with its ferociously spastic attacks.

Which is good, because the acting is pretty terrible and the plot is rather threadbare, with repeated attacks for the same monster and some nonsensical details that really shoot the entire tale down; one specific detail seems to be that these Totems are able to mail themselves to people, and having battled the Chicago mail system, this immediately ups my respect for the little bastards for getting to the right place, sealing the box, and of course remembering the stamp. PUPPET MASTER 4 is not a great film, but it is much better than your typical modern Full Moon attempt, which seems to be made in a haze of bong smoke. It’s a fun highlight for some cool practical and stop motion effects and adds enough twists to keep things interesting.

CAESAR & OTTO’S PARANORMAL HALLOWEEN (2015)
Directed by Dave CampfieldWritten by Dave Campfield & Sean Steffen
Starring Dave Campfield, Paul Chomicki, Scott Aguilar, Andre Gower, Felissa Rose, Tiffany Shepis, Steph Barkley, Nicole Cinaglia, Debbie Rochon, Monique Dupree, Catherine Corcoran, Brinke Stevens, John J Thomassen, Vernon Wells, Sean Whalen, Shawn C. Phillips, Beverly Randolph, Michael Kean, JamieLee Ackerman, Maximo Gianfranco Sorrentino, Jack McGraw, Samantha Barrios, Deron Miller, Evan Seidlitz, Mike Johansen, Avi K. Garg, Jason Britt, Ken MacFarlane, Josephine Iannece, Scott Aguilar, Kyler Kasarda, Daniel Sullivan
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
I’ve reviewed a couple of CAESAR & OTTO films in my time doing this here AICN HORROR column, and what I like about them is that it really seems like each time the quality of the filmmaking and the humor leaps forward in quality quite a bit. The latest, CAESAR & OTTO’S PARANORMAL HALLOWEEN, does so substantially.


I won’t say that this film has the highest production values, because it doesn’t. This is fun low budget filmmaking filled with enough genre cameos and nods to the horror industry that it will make anyone who ever attended a horror convention laugh more than a few times. If you’re missing the type of non-threatening terrors that the ABBOT & COSTELLO monster mashups used to specialize in, CAESAR & OTTO’S PARANORMAL HALLOWEEN is a nice modern equivalent.

KRAMPUS: THE RECKONING (2015)
Directed by Robert ConwayWritten by Owen Conway (collaborating writer), Robert Conway (screenplay)
Starring Monica Engesser, Amelia Haberman, James Ray, Kevin Tye, Sean G P Anderson, Jeffrey Lamar, Owen Conway, Carrie Fee, Nathaniel Burns, Shawn Saavedra, and William 'Bill' Connor as the Krampus!
Find out more about this film on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Being a critic is harder than it looks. Sure, I could go down the list of movies I see on a weekly basis and say “This sucks”, “This is good”, and so on, but where’s the fun in that? What I’ve found in these six years reviewing all horrors of all sorts of qualities and vast quantities is that if you’re going to review a film, you have to break it down to its elements: story, character, acting, effects, scares, and overall effectiveness. Then consider the budget, the history of horror, its many subgenres, my own personal preferences, a dab of nostalgia, and form an opinion. It’s not an exact science, but it works for me. I started with this statement of purpose at the beginning of this KRAMPUS: THE RECKONING review because it really is a film that has distinct parts where there is definite talent, while the places where the film is lacking are pretty blaringly obvious, so this is a film that makes my job pretty easy.

So this really isn’t a story about Krampus. Not the Krampus that is tied to Christmas and deemed the Anti-Santa, that is. But it is about a girl who calls a demon and has it do her bidding. And the main thing most will notice is that the demon called is horrifically rendered and not in a good, horrifying way, but more in a horrible way. The Krampus itself barely moves and simply growls and raises its arms and then people burst into flames; most likely that’s all the rudimentary computer program had the power to do. So this non-emotive and non-mobile Krampus isn’t scary or threatening in the least as it moves around with about the same mobility as Bald Bull in MIKE TYSON’S PUNCH OUT.

But with a name like KRAMPUS: THE RECKONING, the people who are going to be attracted to this film will be wanting a capable and potent monster, and this film simply doesn’t deliver on that end. If only the filmmakers had saved a few more bucks to make the monster a little more effective, I think the film could have been something earning my recommendation. As is, while the basics are decent, the title monster’s shortcomings just kills all potential this film has.

WRECKER (2015)
Directed by Micheal BafaroWritten by Micheal Bafaro
Starring Anna Hutchison, Andrea Whitburn, Jennifer Koenig, Don Knodel, Michael Dickson, Kurtis Maguire, Lori Watt
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
While I know the bulk of the moviegoing public has a very poor memory and a low tolerance for revisiting anything made before the turn of the century, I really would rather recommend DUEL any day of the week before I would tell someone they should check out WRECKER.

WRECKER is DUEL with two girls in a fast car rather than Dennis Weaver in a clunker. The film really doesn’t make any attempt to explain who or what is behind the wheel of the evil truck, but I can’t fault the movie for that since DUEL didn’t do it either. The problem is that WRECKER doesn’t really bring anything new to the table, and simply does a low budget version of a film that was already low budget too begin with. In doing so, WRECKER feels rather offensive, as if it were trying to do something new and innovative for those who don’t know enough about film to know a better film exists with the same plot.

Pair that with some rough acting and you’ve got a pretty difficult film to keep your eyes open through. I was able to withstand the tedium, but it’s doubtful many will. WRECKER attempts to reinvent the wheel without the proper tools to do so or the ingenuity and energy to even fake it.

THE WICKED WITHIN (2015)
Directed by Jay AlaimoWritten by Stephen Wallis
Starring Sienna Guillory, Gianni Capaldi, Michele Hicks, Enzo Cilenti, Eric Roberts, Sonja Kinski, Heath Freeman, William MacNamara
Find out more about this film on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug

Set up in a USUAL SUSPECTS sort of way, three people are being interviewed in a police office by a police psychiatrist (Eric Roberts, who seems to be all over the place, especially bad horror films, these days). The interviewees and Roberts hint that the reason they are there is because of a multiple murder, and the police are simply trying to put the pieces of the night before together. Turns out the night prior, a family gathered for a dinner to honor, celebrate, and heal from the death of a little girl who died a year prior. The parents are guilt-ridden and while the sister and her husband are supportive, the grandparent is accusatory. But when it appears the little girl is reaching out from beyond the grave, the family begins to tear each other apart, and then it turns out that Satan himself gets involved.

While this film is capably acted and decently made, the leaps in logic required to buy it all are just too huge. The film also offers up some eye rollingly bad dialog, and while I give the film props for setting it against THE USUAL SUSPECTS’ template instead of simply aping THE EXORCIST again, that’s about all I’ll give THE WICKED WITHIN.
UNNATURAL

STUNG (2015)
Directed by Benni DiezWritten by Adam Aresty
Starring Matt O'Leary, Jessica Cook, Lance Henriksen, Clifton Collins Jr., Tony de Maeyer, David Masterson, Cecilia Pillado, Kathleen Renish, Eve Slatner
Find out more about this film on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
STUNG is a giant monster bug movie. It’s an awesome giant monster bug movie. But if you’re looking for anything new, you’d best buzz off to another giant monster bug movie.

So the science of the physical change from human to wasp and the short amount of time these wasp stings take to cause the change isn’t really delved into here. This is simply a film about surviving using anything and everything available. Luckily, Paul is a resourceful guy as he manages to stave off the attacks and try to work in some flirtation with his boss Julia, who acts as if he is below her. Instead of the science, which usually gets in the way of these films, this film tosses all of that aside for fun character interaction and a lot of wasp carnage, which makes STUNG a fun and breezy ride. You’re definitely going to tell yourself you’ve seen all of the beats this film takes before in everything from ALIENS to EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS to THEM!, but at least the character bits make the familiar ride fun.

The effects here are amazing as well. The CG is pretty fantastic, but it also mixes practical effects and gory details such as having parts of the people the wasps burst out from still clinging to the wasps. This makes for an effects extravaganza, never relying on one type of effect to deliver it all, but popping around from practical to digital capably and with an eye for entertainment. STUNG may be familiar in the way the story plays out, but that’s not always a bad thing. The effects and performances by the talented cast spice it up to be a fun monster movie you can enjoy without it weighing too heavily on you.

BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS (2015)
Directed by Brian James O'ConnellWritten by Dr. God, Ryan Mitts
Starring Fran Kranz, Pedro Pascal, Joey Kern, Joel Murray, Emma Fitzpatrick, Yvette Yates, Justin Ware, Marshall Givens, David F. Park, Sean Cowhig, Parvesh Cheena, Zabeth Russell
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
OFFICE SPACE with vampires is the best way of describing this pretty solid comedy with a lot of familiar and talented faces.

CABIN IN THE WOODS’ Fran Kranz stars as Evan, a middle-management pushover who is devout to his boss (Joel Murray), but not really respected by his slacker office worker underlings, one of which is his roommate and best buddy Tim (the always hilarious Joey Kern from CABIN IN THE WOODS and one of my favorites, THE SASQUATCH GANG). Evan also has a rocky relationship with HR worker Amanda (THE COLLECTION’s Emma Fitzpatrick). But none of that compares to the problems he has when corporate shill Max (GAME OF THRONES’ Pedro Pascal) shows up to restructure the office paradigm and, worse yet, turn them all into vampires!

Still, Kranz and Kern are really good in BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS. Kranz plays the straight man well while still being able to pull off some Jason Bateman-esque one-liners that give his character more bite than your usual schlub character. Kern is a hidden comedic gem in any comedy or horror he takes part in, and again shines here as Kranz’ aloof and carefree buddy who really isn’t fazed by all of this vampire stuff. I definitely recommend BLOODSCKING BASTARDS as it hits its mark on just about all levels. Bringing things to a close is difficult in any movie where you’ve establishing interesting characters that you would like to continue to see develop. In BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS, I could have watched Kranz, Kern, and the crew go about their daily business and been fine with it. But the rules of story make it necessary for a challenge to arise and a resolution to be had. I can’t fault this movie much for having the same problems with resolution that many, many comedies and horror films have had in the past. There is a lot of goopy gore, though few scares, in BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS. If you’re looking for a comparison, I’d say VAMP is a good one, and given that I loved VAMP to death, that’s about the highest recommendation I could give this film. BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS is a gory good time with top level comedy doused from head to toe with vampire innards.

SOME KIND OF HATE (2015)
Directed by Adam Egypt MortimerWritten by Brian DeLeeuw & Adam Egypt Mortimer (screenplay)
Starring Ronen Rubinstein, Grace Phipps, Spencer Breslin, Lexi Atkins, Sierra McCormick, Brando Eaton, Justin Prentice, Maestro Harrell, Michael Polish, Noah Segan, Andrew Bryniarski, Jisaura Cardinale, Audrey Ellis Fox, Jasper Polish, Matt Beene
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Teen angst is always a good well to draw the stuff of horror from, and SOME KIND OF HATE channels that angst in an often spooky, often gory manner.

What I loved about SOME KIND OF HATE was that it doesn’t really reveal itself to be a ghost story until late in the film. For the first portion, this is a film about the horrifying and damaging potential of bullying. The film does a fantastic job of capturing the teenage angst and drama without making it feel preachy, like something ripped from an after school special. The twist that this becomes about a vengeful spirit fits into the narrative, but it definitely is a twist I didn’t see coming, not knowing anything about the film before going in. Once this film tips its supernatural hat it continues to tell a compelling story, only through a different lens. While late in the game twists can be seen as a gimmick, this one feels organic within the story and doesn’t derail the momentum one bit. This has everything to do with director/writer Adam Egypt Mortimer’s balance of when to be stylistic with his imagery and when to play things on a more substantial level. There are scenes in this film that really capture the sense of isolation one feels as a teenager, and whether it can be categorized as a tense drama or a supernatural thriller doesn’t matter because it all looks great and the script supports it however you see it.

There are a few missteps near the end of the film as some characters seem to rush through transitions rather briskly in order to bring the story to a close, but for the most part this is a top tier film from start to finish. Adding to the strength of this film are the relative unknowns playing the parts. Rubenstein is great as Lincoln, not overacting but still able to carry most of the heavy scenes. His love interest Kaitlin (VAMPIRE DIARIES’ Grace Phipps) is gorgeous and talented as all get-out. Phipps is going to be a big star soon, as her performance here as a rebellious ex-cheerleader will grab you by the throat. And NORTHFORK director Michael Polish really surprised me by channeling David Cronenberg from his creepy NIGHTBREED performance as the lead counselor, and delivers a chillingly cold turn. With superb acting, tons of blood spatter, and a creative and tactile way to tell a ghost story, SOME KIND OF HATE is a film that is both gripping and gorgeous to look at.

MEXICO BARBARO (BARBAROUS MEXICO, 2014)
Directed by Isaac Ezban (segment "La cosa mas preciada"), Laurette Flores Bornn (segment "Tzompantli"), Jorge Michel Grau (segment "Muñecas"), Ulises Guzman (segment "Siete veces siete"), Edgar Nito (segment "Jaral de Berrios"), Lex Ortega (segment "Lo que importa es lo de adentro"), Gigi Saul Guerrero (segment "Día de los Muertos"), Aaron Soto (segment "Drena")Written by Isaac Ezban (segment "La cosa mas preciada"), Laurette Flores Bornn (segment "Tzompantli"), Jorge Michel Grau (segment "Muñecas"), Alfredo Mendoza, Ulises Guzman (segment "Siete veces siete"), Edgar Nito (segment "Jaral de Berrios"), Lex Ortega (segment "Lo que importa es lo de adentro"), Paulo Riqué, Gigi Saul Guerrero (segment "Día de los Muertos"), Aaron Soto (segment "Drena")
Starring Sara Camacho, Rubén Zerecero (segment "La cosa más preciada"), Dulce Alexa, Claudia Goytia, Gilean Alducin Luciano, Anuar Zuñiga Naime (segment "Lo que importa es lo de adentro"), Emi Kamito, Karly Palmer, Mathias Retamal (segment "Día de los Muertos"), Lorena Gonzalez, Barbara Perrin Rivemar (segment "Drena"), Ramón Medína
Find out more about this film on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug

We start out with “Tzompantli” is by Laurette Flores Bornn, a fable of sorts about a reporter investigating organized crime and it’s ties to ancient customs. We get a little lesson on how brutal these criminals are as well as a fantastic tone-setter for the rest of the film. The imagery used in this one, be it skeleton dressed gang-bangers or a rack full of severed heads, is horrifying and completely in your face, which is pretty much how this entire film unfolds.







All in all, this is an amazing slideshow of the immense talent of all of the directors involved. Disturbing, gory, and fun, this anthology is one of the best and you need to check it out. MEXICO BARBARO shows us that talented and unique storytellers and horrific things lay just over the border.
See ya next week, folks!
Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, original @$$Hole/wordslinger/writer of wrongs/reviewer/interviewer/editor of AICN COMICS for over 13 years & AICN HORROR for 4. Follow Ambush Bug on the Twitters @Mark_L_Miller.
Look for our bi-weekly rambling about random horror films on Poptards and Ain’t It Cool on AICN HORROR’s CANNIBAL HORRORCAST Podcast every other Thursday!