October Horrorfest 2009

The ultimate homage to the horror genre, made by the ultimate horror fan, Rob Zombie has created his own sick, deranged story of true horror. With such a unique style he has created his first horror movie, how he always imagined it, and he hasn't failed. The script is excellent, some brilliant characters, Captain Spaulding being an obvious favorite! He cranks the gore up to max for this, with alot of torture and terror, something you need for a good horror. I loved how this was edited together, mixing all different effected footage with old horror films and using split screens, really gives this a unique feel and look, replicating some of his favorites. The script makes obvious reference to many different popular horrors, but really breaks out as its own completely, a film that will disturb you into enjoying it everytime!

An excellent follow up to the original House of 1000 Corpses, Zombie takes a different path and style to show us the flip side to this deranged families story. A very noticeable difference compared to his first, he goes for the old fashioned western, on-the-run approach, using simple transitions and freeze frames made famous from the big horror classics. Everything about this is different from the first part of the story, even actors used, but it really adds a whole lot more to this story, we see a more human side to this family and we are almost made feel sorry for them, the script is excellent! Great supporting cast with some exciting cameos, Ken Foree being the big one, he's great in this, as well as Danny Trejo. All the elements of this add up to make a very hardcore, brutal fugitive film with an excellent 70's soundtrack, the intro and outro sequences are beautiful, a must!

A really enjoyable comedy splattered with zombie gore, Fleischer has stamped the genre with his own unique mark. An excellent cast really brings this script to life, both Eisenberg and Harrelson play their part to perfection. As a big zombie fan I felt they did everything right in this, high level of gore and believable situations, works well with the humour throughout, not copying from Shaun of the Dead or other similars, but creating its own style. The locations are great too, big budget post apocalypse has never looked so good! Another thing that really stands out is the whole rule system and the use of text effects throughout the film, simple but very effective, a huge plus. Overall very entertaining film, with possibly the best cameo appearance ever!

A zombie film without any thought really given to its script, found it just kinda plays out without any feeling, the acting is hollow and sometimes over the top, a very lifeless film. The zombie element has its good points tho, the film is slow and creepy, with the dead slowly becoming a threat, building the tension until it hits. The low budget gore works well, with some excellent death scenes, but alot of the zombies look pretty bad most of the film. Nice location, the island setting keeps it contained with some nice shots. The zombie vs. shark scene is amazing, unforgettable!

An amazing take on the classic original, and on the zombie genre entirely. Snyder breaks the rules for his zombie film, but this just adds a whole lot to it, excellent action sequences and full of gore, it ticks all the boxes for an intensely entertaining horror experience. Such a disntinct style makes this very eye catching, from the cinematography to the editing, the intro and outro title sequences are excellent. The great cast really make this film, Rhames is excellent along with Weber and Burrell, the crew of people is perfect for the story, not forgetting Andy as a great subplot character. A brilliant watch for all zombie fans!
DVD Special Features: There is an excellent extended News Report video showing the outbreak as it happens, up until the channel goes off air, very interesting seeing all the stages, great idea. Also Andy's home video documenting his last few days is great, just him and his fish as he has his ups and downs trapped alone in his gun shop, the actor is great in this, good story. Two very interesting vids on the make up effects done for the film, big scale operation, very talented people.

Yet again Rob Zombie delivers another excellent horror experience. Where the original presents us with Michael Myers as "The Shape", a masked figure of pure evil, Zombie's version gives us a film that is about Michael Myers, his legacy and full story, a much more personal affair. The entire backstory of how he became this monster is so well done, Daeg Faerch as young Michael really shows us evil. Zombie's style is great, some really great scenes with alot of clever writing, creating a new film while stayin true to the original in overall story. The great cast make this, McDowell is perfect as Sam Loomis, along with alot of familiar faces from 1000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects. A really excellent production and a film that gives the Michael Myers legacy a whole new look, a must see!

Awesome tongue-in-cheek zombie horror, Jackson has created the ultimate gorefest! This films keeps a great sense of humour throughout, a really wild adventure. Balme is excellent in his lead role, as he is sucked into this nightmare. Some excellent effect work in this, a whole heap of awesome, original zombie mutilation scenes, it never stops pushing the limits, from severed heads sliding across a floor of blood to the climatic scene involving the lawnmower, great cinematography and interesting shots add to this originality. For zombie/gore fans this is unmissable, be prepared to be sickened into laugher!

The classic third part of Romero's zombie saga, he takes us into the underground in a world the zombies have long took over. This group of survivors have been put there to try and figure out the cause of this outbreak and it makes for a very interesting story. Dr. Frankenstein is a great character, and he research gives us some ideas on how zombies are, and what they are, something I really enjoyed. Great cast in this, from the great team of Alexander and Conroy to the show-stealing bad guy Joseph Pilato, who is excellent with unforgettable quotes! As always Romero goes all out on the gore, with some gruesome death scenes. An excellent story that pushes the concept, a true classic in the zombie genre.

Overall not a great movie for many reasons, firstly the script could of been alot better, the overall concept works but characters come across very one dimensional and stereotypical, the religious nut is ridiculous. The whole film is in English, but with some very poor Serbian actors tryin to pull it off, and in some cases they are completely redubbed, and badly at that. This does have alot of redeeming qualities, most obviously Ken Foree, zombie genre icon, as well as one or two of the support cast. Also the zombie make-up and effects look great in this, very proffesional approach, the hazmat first infected zombie is awesome! Worth watching if a fan of the genre.

With the original being such a classic and a favorite to many, this hasn't surpassed it by any means, but I feel it gives it a fresh look, and really expands some of the concepts visually. My favorite thing about this is the use of alot more visuals to convey the horror of this house, and what lives in it. The scene in the torture chamber under the house is excellent, edited together nicely with Kathy as she unveils the truth of what happened there. This film doesn't bring a huge amount of scare to it, more just eerie build up to the obvious conclusion. Some excellent effects are used and some great scenes, another favorite is the entire intro showing the original murders. Reynolds is impressive in this role, something different from him. Overall a more visual effect look at the Amityville story, an enjoyable watch.

Bruce Campbell is back to fight evil once more, and he is superb in this, overshadowing the first Evil Dead by far. From the start we are dropped into the madness of this forest, this evil, and it is amazing! From possessed hands to flying eyeballs, this never stops entertaining, with Campbell holding the whole thing together with some brilliant acting. The mother in the basement is a great character, terrifying, and to make things even better there is unlimited amounts of blood spraying in all direction. I really enjoy Sam Raimi's style, his ability to entertain viewers with gore, blood and comedy is truly unique! GROOVY!