Savage Weekend

I really watched Savage Weekend as a curiosity more than anything. Every time I go on my Amazon Prime Instant Video, it's always there staring at me in the horror section and I finally ended up watching it. Was it worth it? Ehh, not really. I found it to be kind of flat and didn't really have a lot going on until towards the end when the killer in the mask finally shows up. It actually kind of made me think it was a bland, un-entertaining version of "Don't Go in the Woods Alone!". With a name like Savage Weekend, you'd think there would be some decent savagery, but there really wasn't. I did watch it during this past weekend though, so I guess it got it half right.

 This is some pretty terrible banjo music.

Even in the 70's, the fruits were a focus.

I'd be pretty embarrassed if I got my ass beat by a gay guy in a bar. To be fair though, he really did kick those guys' asses!

What kind of a prank is nailing a dead bat to a door?

"You get lonely, you get weird."

I swear, the more I watch 70's and 80's horror, the more I realize women back then were way hotter.

So, back then you could go up to any random woman that was laying out in the nude and do her. I wish it was that free these days.

Otis is lonely. So that means that he's weird.

This Matt guy is pretty blunt and straight forward. I love it.

I'd love to make mud pies with Shirley.

Jay is just hanging around in the barn.

I wish there was more to this film, but honestly there isn't. Even after the killer shows up in that weird looking halloween mask, the kills and the ending are still pretty uneventful and uninspired and I just didn't get a build up or a crescendo out of it. If you're interested or have already been a fan of this film for quite sometime, its actually going to be released on blu-ray sometime soon. I will not be purchasing it. Have a savage week.

 

Excision

Excision is a film that I have heard many, many great things about in magazines such as Fangoria and Rue Morgue. Before it was even released, Fangoria did a pretty decently sized article about it and showed a lot of really cool screen shots of the film that left a mental stamp in my mind that I had to see it at some point when it came out. The premise sounded ok at best, but after watching it recently, the plot isn't all the weight of this film. It's the characters, their relation to one another and all the stuff that happens in between that make this film the newer horror movie that I think every horror freak needs to experience at least one time whether you're interested in it or not. Here we go, Pauline.

Well, right off Pauline has some deep rooted mental issues.

A little hard on Pauline, aren't you?

The use of color and lighting in this movie is genius.

Holy shit, John Waters is a priest?!

Malcolm McDowell? Yes!

Mommy has some serious control problems.

Piercing your own nose, eh??

A warm blood bath... ok, I guess.

You've made a mistake Adam.

That was a pretty disturbing abortion scene.

Ipecac. Sweet.

Catillion is a bunch of rich, snobby ass-hats anyway. The girls are better off.

Slammed Natalie's face into a locker!

The principle kind of looks like Pat Sajak.

What in the holy hell??!!

I absolutely loved this film because of the atmosphere, the characters, all the little different situations with them together and separately, Pauline's dream\imagination sequences... There are so many great things going on in this flick that I have to watch it sometime soon again. I actually watched this on Hulu Plus recently because they just added it to their horror\suspense category and I had no idea until I looked to see if there was anything new. It builds itself into an ending that I kind of saw coming, but kind of didn't at the same time and I really didn't want to spoil it for you guys here if you haven't seen it yet. If you want to watch a coming of age movie that is a lot different than you're typical American Pie type of film, than go with this. Don't take Pauline's phone number. You'll have to be tested.    

Vicious Sweet

Vicious Sweet is one of the four SOV horror films that are included in the American Gore Stories: Best of shot on Video compilation. As big of a fan of SOV as I am, this movie really, really didn't do much for me. I didn't even really take that many notes because, well, there really wasn't much to write down. It's pretty stupid, clumsy, boring, grating... lots of other words in that vein would fit it perfectly. The box art is actually cooler looking than anything that happens in the movie. And that's kind of sad.

 Damn, how long have they been making out? It's night already!

A shitty movie in a shitty movie. I dig it!

Everyone in this movie is a bunch of dicks so far.

I really like the soundtrack in this film. It's on the heavier side.

Been cheatin', boy?

This Tyler chick is such a bitch.

Captured!!

A flashback of a rental store? I miss those so.

This movie is actually getting somewhat deep. I'm surprised and impressed.

This wacko is her dad, isn't he?

All the flashbacks in this movie are weird.

"The only one keeping you prisoner is yourself. Your thoughts, your dreams and all that you do."

Ok, fine. The first half of the movie was stupid, boring, clumsy and grating. But about halfway through it actually starts to get a little deep and it sucks you in. You can feel it. And I really wasn't expecting that out of this movie. After the first half, I wasn't expecting it to be anything more than a waste of my time. But the message here is that the only thing holding you back from reaching your dreams is yourself. And that's not really deep. It's more profound than anything.   

The Driller Killer

This was probably the third time I've watched The Driller Killer. And every time I've watched it so far, I've come to love it a little more. The descent Reno experiences in this flick is actually quite maddening as who would actually think about killing people with a power drill and a proto-pak? Are those things even real? Were they real in the 70's? It doesn't matter. What really matters is that Driller Killer is a damn fine example of how to correctly make an exploitation/grindhouse film. At least, that's what I think anyway. The horrible music, editing, brash acting, off colors, completely drugged out characters (Tony Coca-Cola???), terrible video transfer-it's all here. And I really adore it. 

"This film should be played LOUD."

Reno needs more than church. He needs a shower and a toothbrush.

The music in this movie is loud, obnoxious and under-produced. It sounds like a band farting into a fridge that isn't plugged in while chugging nestle quick in a kiddie pool.

No one wants to pay their phone bill, but sweet Jesus. Crashing the phone through the window isn't going to help anything.

New York really is a pretty dirty city, isn't it?

Damn, you gotta have some balls to run up and stab a guy like that in front of a large group of people!

"All you know how to do is bitch, and eat and bitch and shit and bitch, but you don't know anything about painting!"

 The band in this movie sucks.

70's pinball machine!
 

I wonder how much drug use was involved in the making of this film.

So, what's the point of this jackass at the bus stop?

 The copy of The Driller Killer that I own is actually in a movie set from Mill Creek Entertainment called Gore and More! and to be honest, the video transfer is horrible. It's watchable, but I know that there has to be a copy out there that looks much, much better. The audio actually isn't that bad and I wish there were some sort of bonus features or extras because I'm kind of curious about some of the behind the scenes for this particular film. There just had to be a lot of fucked up drug abuse going on behind the curtains. It certainly added to the charm and the atmosphere of the final product. Bravo. Hanging out with Tony Coca-Cola is a blast. 

The Deadly Spawn

I've had my eye on this movie for quite some time. Ever since I ran across the trailer by accident on Youtube a couple of years ago, it really seemed like a film that I just had to add to my collection. I finally got around to ordering a copy of Amazon recently, and I'm pretty glad that I bought the Synapse dvd instead of the Elite blu-ray because I've heard nothing but bad things about the video transfer that Elite did with the BD. Either way, this movie kicks ass and I now believe that it's essential viewing for horror fans. There's a lot of really great things going on in this film, and it really feels like the cult classic that it has become.

 Why are these two guys together in a tent? Is this brokeback mountain?

That was an optimistic opening.

The wallpaper in this house makes me want to vomit.

Jesus Christ, and I thought the seepage in my basement was bad!

I'm pretty impressed with the gore effects in this film so far.

The deadly spawn alien is freaking cool looking!

Well, Charlie's mom's face got eaten apart by all the baby aliens. Cheaply and brutally.

I think I just witnessed the worst pick up attempt ever filmed.

That's one thirsty spawn.

The green sauce looks like the green shit from the Troll movies!

Her head was torn off!

The final battle between Charlie and the deadly spawn kicked ass!!

I absolutely loved this damn movie! I really did not expect to like it so much, but I can already tell that this movie will benefit from me watching it multiple times and I already foresee myself doing so. The gore and special effects are beyond anything I expected just judging from the trailer and there actually was a pretty decent helping of tension and dread from the time the spawn shows up in Charlie's basement. If you have been curious about this film for a while like I have been, please buy a copy of the Synapse dvd. There's no way it can fail you.