Greetings, all. Ambush Bug here with another AICN HORROR: ZOMBIES & SHARKS column. But, as always, before that…there’s this!






Now on with the scary!
(Click title to go directly to the feature)
Retro-review: ZOMBIE LAKE (1980)/OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES (1982)
DOOMSDAY COUNTY (2010)
COOL AS HELL (2013)
NOBODY GETS OUT ALIVE (2013)
GIRLS AGAINST BOYS (2013)
Advance Review: ROADSIDE (2013)
Advance Review: COME OUT AND PLAY (2013)
And finally…Vincent Price reading ESCAPE: THREE SKELETON KEY!


ZOMBIE LAKE (1980)
aka LAKE OF THE LIVING DEADDirected by Jean Rollin
Written by Jess Franco
Starring Anouchka, Howard Vernon, Pierre-Marie Escourrou
OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES (1982)
aka OASIS OF THE DEAD, THE TREASURE OF THE LIVING DEAD, BLOODSUCKING NAZI ZOMBIES, THE OASIS OF THE LIVING DEADDirected by Jess Franco
Written by Jess Franco
Starring France Lomay, Jeff Montgomery, Manuel Gélin, Myriam Landson
Retro-reviewed by Ambush Bug
I paired these two films up for this review for a few reasons. First and foremost, they’ve both got zombies, which the title should tell you. Secondly, both are written by Jess Franco. Thirdly, these aren’t your typical zombies. These are the especially nasty zombies of the Nazi type. And finally, and most importantly, both are being rereleased by Kino Lorber Redemption this week on BluRay sporting new cover art that is pretty damn awesome.

I’ll start with the best of the two, ZOMBIE LAKE. Though both were written by Jess Franco, this one was directed by one of Europe’s kings of art house horror-slash-nudes, Jean Rollin. Known for his dream-like storylines filled with arthouse sets filled with scantily clad babes, ZOMBIE LAKE is a bit of a departure from what we usually see from Rollin and is more grounded in reality, though it relies heavily on flashback. One consistency with his other works is his reliance on always undressing his female actresses, as no matter what they do, be it volleyball or sittin’ around the ramshackle homestead, clothes seem to be a hindrance and are dropped almost as soon as the babes walk on screen.

One thing that will definitely make folks hold back the giggles is the shoddy makeup of the zombies. Seems waterproof effects weren’t really perfected by the time this film was made, and it’s pretty funny seeing the makeup melt off from exposure to water. The actors playing the zombies are fun to watch too, as they seem to be making out with their victims rather than eating them.

I actually thought the effects and zombies themselves in OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES were a whole lot better than ZOMBIE LAKE despite the script, which sort of meanders about through the past and present, trying to tell some kind of narrative and ultimately kind of failing. Scenes seemingly are shoehorned in simply to have another shock or another kill or another set of boobs, rather than the more organic story of ZOMBIE LAKE.

SO don’t go looking for early Romero quality here, or even Zack Snyder DAWN OF THE DEAD quality, but there are some fun scenes of zombie chomping, lots of boobs, and a crying girl in this double shot of the undead from yesteryear.

DOOMSDAY COUNTY (2010)
Directed by Art Brainard, Shawn Haran, Joe Badiali and Steven SheaWritten by Shawn Haran, Art Brainard, Joe Badiali, Jason Hawkins and Steven Shea
Starring Paul Petrus, Michael Santi, Paul Alessi, Tara Lightfoot & John Archer Lundgren
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
New from Troma (of course) is DOOMSDAY COUNTY, an anthology of sorts about a specific county where all sorts of hell breaks loose. The story itself is ambitious as it is tied together as happening one event after another, yet each installment seems to be helmed by a different director. I can’t say that the quality of this film is high. It has a shot on video feel that I kind of miss from renting VHS tapes from my corner video store, and if you remember those types of films fondly, then you might get a kick out of DOOMSDAY COUNTY.

The narrative shifts to “Xenombies” by Shawn Haran, which is one of my favorite installments of the film as a Xenon bulb is broken during the filming of a zombie film only to create real zombies from the fumes. There’s not a lot of under-thought going on here. It’s just a straight forward zombie yarn. It is fun seeing one person after the next going to check on things only to be chomped on by the undead over and over.

The most stylized and ambitious of the installments is “Betty Baretta” by Steven Shea, following actress Tara Lightfoot as the title character. The actress does a good job of playing a sultry special agent with a smoking gun and body to match. This time, the monster du jour is aliens set to take over the world (what else?).
All of these installments have a low budget grindhouse feel. Not particularly awful, but definitely low by way of most people’s standards. Still, there’s gore and boobs to look forward to, so DOOMSDAY COUNTY ain’t all that bad.

COOL AS HELL (2013)
Directed by James BalsamoWritten by James Balsamo
Starring James Balsamo, Tom Savini, Andrew W.K., Dan E. Danger, Laurence R. Harvey, Frank Mullen, David Naughton, Billy Walsh, Tim Ritter, Scott Levy, Donald Farmer, Caleb Emerson, Lauren Adamkiewicz, Samantha Rose, Sam Awry
Find out more about this film on Facebook here!
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
The director behind I SPILL YOUR GUTS (reviewed here is back for a CLERKS meets FAUST low budgeter. I wasn’t thrilled with I SPILL YOUR GUTS because I felt it took itself a bit too seriously. Here, director/writer/lead actor James Balsamo goes in the opposite direction and goes for laughs, which leaves much to be desired, but still oozes with indie spirit, which I can’t help but admire.

I’ve definitely reviewed worse films here on AICN HORROR, but the fact that this film makes CLERKS look like a million dollar blockbuster makes it hard for me to get behind it. Balsamo injects some nice one-liners and goofy situations and the metal soundtrack makes it all kind of fun, but this is pretty low fi entertainment. Balsamo seems to have his heart in the right place, and he’s somehow got a decent effects team as well as cameos from everyone from Tom Savini toAndrew W.K., and even David Naughton, but aside from a few well-timed gags, I found myself groaning more than laughing at this horror comedy.

NOBODY GETS OUT ALIVE (2013)
aka PUNISHMENTDirected by Jason Christopher
Written by Jason Christopher
Starring Jen Dance, Shaun Paul Costello, Chelsey Garner, Matthew Nadu, Nikki Bell, David J. Bonner, Chris Ready, Brian Gallagher, Clint Howard
Find out more about this film on Facebook here!
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
People rag on found footage films and zombie flicks and complain that the market is oversaturated by these types of movies. There are those who roll their eyes as soon as first person camera style or the undead is even mentioned, immediately passing judgment and calling for a stoppage of such films for the immediate future. I’m not one of those people. If a film is good, I don’t care if the monster du jour has been done to death. There’s always an interesting, or at the very least technically capable, way to tell a new story.

I went on that extended rant because I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’ve seen it all before or what, but NOBODY GETS OUT ALIVE isn’t blazing new territory when it comes to the slasher genre. Sure it’s a throwback to FRIDAY THE 13TH and all the other woodland slashers of the 70’s and 80’s, but the slasher film has been a steady staple of horror ever since, not really letting up. NOBODY GETS OUT ALIVE follows the same well-tread path of having kids go to the woods for naughtiness, naughtiness is acheived, then the killer perishes them in quick succession, dwindling down to a final girl, and finishing with a shockeroo ending.

Don’t expect any wheels to be reinvented here. If you haven’t seen a slasher film in a while and want to see a decently produced one, NOBODY GETS OUT ALIVE is a pretty good one. Writer/director Jason Christopher definitely has some talent in making a scary movie. Here’s hoping his next endeavor takes a path a little less trod upon.

GIRLS AGAINST BOYS (2013)
Directed by Austin ChickWritten by Austin Chick
Starring Danielle Panabaker, Nicole LaLiberte, Liam Aiken, Michael Stahl-David, Andrew Howard
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
When I read the premise of GIRLS AGAINST BOYS, I immediately was intrigued as this felt a lot like a film that would turn the tables on all of the misogynistic tendencies horror films seem to have. The story of a pair of girls who go on a killing spree after a particularly bad night out on the town wasn’t necessarily groundbreaking, but I like that “turn the genre on its ear” mentality. While there’s a lot to like about GIRLS AGAINST BOYS, I couldn’t help but feel, though, that it could have been a whole lot cooler.

There are some really great and stylistically engrossing scenes of slo mo in this film, mostly focusing on Panabaker as she spirals downward into this pool of vengeance. Ironically named director Austin Chick is able to guide us through these moments that change Shae’s life forever. These scenes focus on a single puff of smoke from a recently fired gun or the strobe of the lights in a seedy nightclub and prove to be quite entrancing. I only wish there were more moments like this and that some of that style would have been saved to make the key moments (i.e. key kills) all the more effective.

The film is well acted, and there are some really effective moments in GIRLS AGAINST BOYS. I don’t want to get stuck with coulda beens, but I feel that the potential of this film just isn’t lived up to. Both actresses will most definitely go on to bigger and better things, and I can only hope the minimal style Austin Chick used here is expanded upon in his next endeavor.

ROADSIDE (2013)
Directed by Eric EnglandWritten by Eric England
Starring Ace Marrero, Katie Stegeman, Jack E. Curenton, Alan Pietruszewski, Lionel D. Carson, Marshall Yates
Find out more about this film on Facebook here!
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Sopping wet with Hitchcockian influences, Eric England sets up a dire scenario for a pair of travelers who happen to cross paths with a madman with a gun on the side of the road. Though I’m sure this film didn’t cost a lot to make as it takes place mostly in one location at the side of a road in a woodland area, ROADSIDE stands out for its deft talent in ratcheting up the tension.

The actors involved here, Ace Marrero and Katie Stegeman do a good job with the material they are given as Dan and Mindy, a couple expecting a child, but having marital problems of their own. Since the film literally hinges on these two performances and they have 90% of the screentime, they’d better be able to carry the film and for the most part, they do. Though setting up the situation where these two people cannot call or leave for help may be seen as contrived, it works here, mainly because of the actors performances.

Still the story is a strong and tension laden one, so I was able to look past that given the white-knuckle first hour of the film. ROADSIDE owes a lot to the master of suspense (even the opening credit sequence mirrors NORTH BY NORTHWEST) and does a good job of conveying some nice, solid doses of terror and danger. While those wanting explanations an everything tidied up in a bow in the end might be left disappointed, those who appreciate suspense will be pleasantly surprised with ROADSIDE.

COME OUT AND PLAY (2013)
Directed by MakinovWritten by Juan José Plan (original story), Makinov (screenplay)
Starring Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Vinessa Shaw, Daniel Giménez Cacho,
Find out more about this film on Facebook here!
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
My favorite movie of the week will also most likely be very high up on my best horror films of the year list I post every October here at AICN HORROR. I’ve heard of Juan José Plan’s 1976 Spanish film, EL JUEGO DE NINOS (WHO CAN KILL A CHILD) before, but had never seen it. Knowing it was about a city of children who suddenly turn on every adult in the city, it felt too familiar with other kids on a rampage films such as THE BROOD, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, THE CHILDREN (reviewed here), and CHILDREN OF THE CORN. Now that I’ve seen COME OUT AND PLAY, I feel the undeniable urge to go back and watch WHO CAN KILL A CHILD, the film COME OUT AND PLAY was remade from.

What makes this film work so effectively is triplefold. The actors, Moss-Bachrach and Shaw, are very talented and you believe that not only are they very much in love, but they are also very much afraid of this predicament they have found themselves in. Moss-Bachrach has a Michael Caine quality about him. Maybe it’s because I recently rewatched THE ISLAND (reviewed here), but the way he sweatily and frantically runs through the empty dirt streets made me think of the thespian.

I mentioned Gareth Edwards’ MONSTERS (reviewed here) mainly because, as with that film, Makinov takes full advantage of the environment this film was shot in. From the labyrinthine houses to the dirt roads to the rocky beaches, this is a beautiful island looked at through an insidious lens. There’s a feel of danger even when the camera is focused on the most gentle of things, a theme which reflects the concept of killer children as well.

Though I was shocked by the ending of this film, I was slightly put off by the end credits as Makinov’s name is shoved in our faces over the last image, forcing us to acknowledge his contributions as writer, director and editor. Though this is a bawdy move, I can see how it might be off-putting and self-indulgent to some. Still, Makinov has made a damn fine film with COME OUT AND PLAY and he should be proud of it.
Asking tough questions, delivering fantastic performances, and showing us some gritty and harrowing horror, COME OUT AND PLAY is definitely one of the better horror films I’ve seen so far this year.
And finally…I blew the dust off of this one. Vincent Price narrates “Three Skeleton Key” for the old radio show ESCAPE! Curl up next to your radios and listen closely!
See ya next week, folks!




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