I’m gonna come right out and ‘say’ it:  RED KINGDOM RISING is one helluva horror short film (the film comes in at 73 minutes, but I’m categorizing it as a short.  80 minutes is the cut off for a feature film)!!  I’ve been seeing a lot of really strong horror shorts lately, and they come in all forms.  Some go for the throat (like LEWIS and DOLL BOY; my reviews here and here); some go for the heart (CRESTFALLEN; my review here); and some go for a slow burn that leaves you breathless at the end (THE TELL TALE HEART; my review here).  But then there’s others that make you feel as though you’re watching a poem come to life where the story, actors, and f/x all come together in perfect balance to produce something both frightening and beautiful.  This is where I put RED KINGDOM RISING.

I’m not going to go into too much detail about RED KINGDOM RISING because I want you to have the same experience as I had with it.  The story is about Mary Ann (Emily Stride) who must come to terms with her very traumatic past.  Her memories and what is essentially post-traumatic stress disorder (my words, not the films) have thrust her into a nightmarish, warped ALICE IN WONDERLAND-like world.  Mary Ann’s journey to and through this nightmarish landscape is beautifully filmed by writer-director-producer, Navin Dev.  He manages to capture some truly beautiful and frightening shots.  Actress Emily Stride puts in one helluva strong performance as a woman fighting to come to grips with the nightmare she lived through growing up.  The people in her past take on oddly familiar characters from ALICE IN WONDERLAND as she tries to quell the demons from her past.  Stride is not only up for the emotional challenge of such a role, but I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing Mary Ann … Stride owns that role!!  Dev also shows how one’s memories of a traumatic past can be just as dangerous as the people from said past.

Director Dev’s style is reminiscent of Guillermo Del Toro’s best work.  You won’t be able to stop yourself from comparing RED KINGDOM RISING to PAN’S LABYRINTH.  Both films have this nightmarish, hallucinatory quality to them as well as having a warped fairy tale-like feel.  This is Dev’s fourth short film (THE FALLING, RED HOOD, and THE TREE MAN are his others) and I sure hope he’s planning on making more.  Dev has some serious game with short films and he never loses control over the material in RED KINGDOM RISING.  With all the switches between the dream world and the ‘actual’ world, what’s real and what’s being dreamed, the story could’ve easily gotten away from Dev.  But he effortlessly controls the material and makes it all work beautifully.  There’s no scratching your head at the end while you think, “It was well shot, but what the fuck just happened?”  The end of the short ties everything up nicely and you realize you just went on a crazy, nightmarish roller coaster ride with Mary Ann.

I know I’m being rather vague about the plot but that’s on purpose.  No spoilers here and after you see this one you’ll thank me.  With a fantastically written plot, excellent acting, great f/x, and a lot of heart, RED KINGDOM RISING is a hugely entertaining horror short.  It’s currently in the final stages of post-production and is being submitted to various film festivals.  But you can keep up with it and its progress on their Facebook page.  Don’t miss this one.

My Summary:

Director:  Navin Dev (& writer & producer)

Plot:  4.5 out of 5 stars

Gore:  4 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem:  0 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer

What is it about setting a volcano in the middle of a bustling downtown metropolis that’s so attractive and alluring to filmmakers?  The potential for a lot of casualties?  The mass destruction of popular landmarks?  We’ve already gotten a volcano erupting in downtown Los Angeles (1997’s VOLCANO starring Tommy Lee Jones) and a volcano in New York City (cleverly titled, VOLCANO IN NEW YORK, starring Michael Ironside).  And now we can add Miami to the list.  That’s right; this Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 9pm (ET/PT) the SyFy Channel wanted to ‘imagine better’ and placed a volcano right smack under downtown Miami in SWAMP VOLCANO.  Okay; first let’s talk about the title.  The screener copy that SyFy sent me is titled SWAMP VOLCANO, but in it’s listing on IMDb.com the title is MIAMI MAGMA (a waaaaayyyyy better title).  But I’m gonna keep calling it SWAMP VOLCANO since I’m positive that SyFy knows what its doing.  Right?  Right??

SWAMP VOLCANO stars Rachel Hunter (remember her?) as Antoinette Vitrini (I shit you not about her name), a rogue vulcanologist who has some pretty wild and crazy theories involving … you guessed it; volcanoes!!  She thinks, for example, that the entire Gulf was created by a big ass volcano.  Shunned by her peers and forced to research and prove her theories while working at a nice university with brilliant research partner, Brandon (Griff Furst), Antoinette seems to be getting closer to proving her theory.  But then some freaky things start happening around Miami that makes Antoinette realize that not only is her theory correct, but that the super volcano she’s been hypothesizing about is still active.  Throw in Brad Dourif as a money-hungry, evil, stereo-typical CEO of an oil company with a right-hand-man, Ray (Cleavant Derricks), who’s just as morally bankrupt, who are conducting an illegal drilling operation underneath downtown Miami, and you’ve got yourself a plot!!

All the typical SyFy characters are here.  The brilliant yet misunderstood scientist (Rachel Hunter); the evil big business guy (Brad Dourif); the lead character’s estranged ex-hubby who also happens to be a globe-trotting adventurer; the dumb and innocent little sister of the main character (Melissa Ordway) who gets into harms way; and the nerdy-hunky lab assistant who steps up to the plate when needed.  The plot is also one we’ve seen in many various forms.  And why wouldn’t we?  Our old friend Declan O’Brien wrote the script (you know him best from writing such epics as ROCK MONSTER and MONSTER ARK), and Todor Chapkanov (who directed HAMMER OF THE GODS, MONSTERWOLF, and WEATHER WARS for SyFy) directed.  And here’s the main problem with SWAMP VOLCANO/MIAMI MAGMA … it feels like something we’ve seen a million times before … because we have seen this a million times before.  The acting is decent enough and we only get some overacting and pandering from Melissa Ordway.  The problems lie not in the acting.  It’s mainly the script.  It’s so “been there; seen that” that you know exactly what’s gonna happen before the actors do!!

But all this is forgivable as long and the destructive scenes are kick ass, right?  Well yeah; I could forgive some of the above sins but the problem is the destructive scenes are pretty friggin’ lame.  The destructive scenes here include an oil rig being blown up with CGI flames; a warehouse in downtown Miami being blown up with CGI flames, and a bunch of bimbo, bikini-clad babes running away from a “steam tsunami” … I’m not kidding here, folks.  Downtown Miami remains untouched and fares way better than New York City and Los Angeles in their respective films.  What’s one of my golden rules?  If you’re making a creature flick, you better have a bad ass creature.  This applies here as well:  If you’re making a destruction movie, you better fill it with scenes of shit getting destroyed (this is the formula that made Michael Bay a bazillionaire).  If the best you have is a bunch of sluts running away from a CGI wall of steam, then you better think about hiring a new writer!!

SWAMP VOLCANO isn’t the worst SyFy film I’ve seen, but it is pretty damn forgettable.  After you size up Rachel Hunter and determine whether she’s aged well (I think she has), there’s little else here to keep your attention.  You’ve seen SWAMP VOLCANO before and it was better done.  If you’re a SyFy Original Movie completist like me (hey, we all need out hobbies), then you’ll enjoy this one.  If you’re looking for a kick ass destruction/disaster flick with a high body count and a higher ‘dead city’ count then you’re gonna be disappointed.  But to end this review on a good note, Rachel Hunter also stars in the upcoming PIRANHACONDA.  Sweet.

SWAMP VOLCANO premiers this Saturday night, January 28, 2012 at 9pm (ET/PT) on SyFy (who else would air this??).

My Summary:

Director:  Todor Chapkanov

Plot:  2 out of 5 stars

Gore:  1 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem:  0 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer

It’s become pretty fashionable among indie horror filmmakers to pay homage to past genre styles.  Even mainstream Hollywood has gotten into the act with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino paying homage to the grindhouse genre (one of my favorite old-school genres out there) with their collaborative effort, GRINDHOUSE.  Now Stuart Simpson throws his hat into the ring with the 1950s-creature feature-rockabilly-grindhousey throwback, EL MONSTRO DEL MAR!, being released on February 28, 2012 through Vicious Circle Films..  Simpson definitely has the ingredients right, but in the end does he simply make an homage film with too little substance to stand up on its own?

The film starts off perfectly capturing that 50s-rockabilly vibe.  From the look of the film (it begins in black and white), to the soundtrack, to the cars being used, to the actresses, Simpson nails it.  During the opening credits we see the three main actresses, Beretta (Nelli Scarlet), Blondie (Karli Madden), and Snowball (Kate Watts), playing the role of the innocent, sexy, helpless vixens that have car trouble and are stranded on the side of the road.  Two fine, young gentlemen come to the “rescue” and learn the hard way that these particular girls are anything but helpless and innocent.  Obviously out looking for ‘kicks’ (yeah, I know the lingo), the three vixens do their damage (no spoilers here) and then drive off.  We gets hints here and there that the vixens are on the run after some kind of illegal trade or drug sale went bad.  They find themselves traveling to a small coastal shack where they plan on laying low for a while (well I guess “low” for these three).  The first thing Simpson does extremely well is the casting.  The three women he gets to play the vixens are spot on.  Scarlet, Madden, and Watts look exactly like the kind of girls you’ll find in old 1950s exploitation and creature feature flicks.  They are sexy, full of curves and attitude.  There’re no current day skinny-minny, anorexic chicks here!!  What’s also pretty fun with the opening sequence is that it takes place in black and white until blood is spilled.  With the blood comes the color.  It’s a nice touch and makes the movie feel like a grindhouse flick.

Once they get to their seaside shack (yes; it’s literally a shack), the girls bust out the booze, pills, and drugs and party it up.  Their neighbors are a young, twenty-something girl, Hannah (the very cute Kyrie Capri) and her grandfather, Joe (Norman Yemm).  When the vixens go out swimming, Joe, in his wheelchair, is shouting at them that they should never go into the water … EVER.  The vixens, of course, ignore him and the titular EL MONSTRO ends up making an appearance.

Overall you’ll immediately notice that this film doesn’t take itself too seriously.  I wouldn’t go so far as to label this one a “horror-comedy,” but Simpson definitely goes for a more lighthearted, fun approach here.  And it works for the most part.  There are a few elements that never sync up, though.  The vixens, for example, are vicious and cold-hearted in the opening sequence and Simpson keeps them pretty hardcore all throughout the film.  Their viciousness doesn’t really go with the overall tone of the film.  There’s also a few subplots that never really gel here; like the relationship between Hannah and her grandpa, Hannah trying to exert her own independence, and the hints we get about the vixens past “adventures” that led them to this seaside shack.  The middle of the film also drags a little bit as we watch what feels like endless scenes of the vixens partying it up and having fun.  I would’ve loved to have seen more scenes of the creature attacking and fucking shit up.  There are also spots in the film where the musical soundtrack is way too loud and you can’t hear the dialogue, which is a shame because the dialogue is great.

These criticisms are, overall, minimal because I found myself really enjoying EL MONSTRO DEL MAR!.  The cast does a really great job here, and it is so refreshing to see some really sexy, curvy gals being sexy.  The last act of the film is when EL MONSTRO finally makes his move and attacks the vixens, Hannah, and Joe.  It’s a fun battle scene that is plucked right out of the Creature Double Feature flicks I used to watch growing up.  The creature is made up of a lot of tentacles and at times reminded me of the titular creature from 1983’s THE DEADLY SPAWN.  But the battle that ensues is well filmed and you know me, I always love watching sexy girls swinging around machetes and shooting big guns.  Don’t judge me!!

EL MONSTRO DEL MAR! is overall a fun, 1950s throwback kinda film.  Borrowing elements from old-school creature feature flicks, rockabilly flicks, and even grindhouse/exploitation flicks, EL MONSTRO DEL MAR! is a well-made homage film that you’ll find yourself warming up too.  The middle of the film does stumble a bit, but it ends strong and nicely sets up a possible sequel that I’d love to see.  So to answer the question posed in the opening paragraph above, Simpson does indeed make an homage film, but he also gives the film enough of its own identity that it stands up as a film unto itself and not just as “that homage flick.”  Nice job Simpson.  Look for EL MONSTRO DEL MAR! on DVD on February 28, 2012.

My Summary:

Director:  Stuart Simpson (& writer)

Plot:  3 out of 5 stars

Gore:  4 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem:  0 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer

I think by now regular readers of anythinghorror.com know that I’m a huge supporter of the indie horror scene.  For the most part indie horror films are more original and their filmmakers have more passion for the genre than mainstream, Hollywood productions (there are, of course, exceptions that have been some of the worst films I’ve ever seen).  But some of the most talented people working in the indie horror scene today (please note I said ‘some’ … there are more talented indie horror filmmakers than just the ones I’m about to list), include Bart Mastronardi, Anthony G. Sumner, and Alan Rowe Kelly.  So when I sat down to watch GALLERY OF FEAR I was pretty stoked when I saw that Alan Rowe Kelly and Anthony G. Sumner both directed and wrote this anthology (Doug Smith also contributed to writing the first story, “By Her Hand, She Draws You Down”) and Mastronardi did the cinematography on “By Her Hand, She Draws you Down.”  But don’t think that just because I’m a big fan of these filmmaker’s previous works that I’m gonna go easy on this group.  Hell no!!  Just the opposite; I’m expecting more from them … way more.  My expectations were huge.

GALLERY OF FEAR is an anthology consisting of three short films and a wraparound piece that serves as almost a story unto itself.  Indie horror actress/Scream Queen Debbie Rochon stars as Roberta Van Houten in the wraparound story.  Van Houten is a powerful and very influential New York City art critic who can make or break an artist’s career with the simple swipe of a pen.  She goes out to the country, in the middle of nowhere, to attend an up and coming artist’s exhibit.  Rochon’s Van Houten is also a huge bitch and is clearly drunk on the power she wields.  When she discovers there’s no one else at the exhibit and her limo driver (David Marancik) abandoned her, she decides to reluctantly take a look at some of the pieces of art.  Each time she looks at some art it has a hallucinogenic effect on her, and this serves as the starting point for each of the stories.

The first story, “By Her Hand, She Draws You Down,” is directed by Anthony G. Sumner and is based on the story by Doug Smith (Sumner also wrote the screenplay).  It’s the slow-burn tale of a woman, Cath (Zoe Daelman Chlanda), an artist, who works on the boardwalk painting portraits of tourists and families out on vacation.  Cath is a talented artist who always leaves the mouth in the portraits for last.  But once the mouth is complete, we see another side of Cath … one you won’t be expecting (don’t worry; no spoilers here).  Her hubby Joe (Jerry Murdock) tries to keep her appetites in check but he’s not always successful.  We follow around this tragic couple over the course of a few days and I love how Sumner builds up the intensity in a ‘slow-burn’ kinda way.  The performances are terrific, and Chlanda does a really nice job and gives new meaning to the phrase, “Tortured Artist.”  She knows she’s a monster but she also knows she can’t fight off her urges forever.  And Murdock (who was also in VINDICATION, LEWIS, and the upcoming PSYCHO STREET and TALES OF POE) puts in another fantastic performance as a dedicated husband who both loves and is disgusted by what his wife is.  He knows what she’s doing is wrong, but Cath is also the love of his life.

Putting the performances aside, what really pops and draws you in in “By Her Hand, She Draws You Down” is the filming style.  Sumner creates a dreamy, hallucinogenic tone here that is both soothing and gives the entire film a nightmarish quality.  And cinematographer Mastronardi, like always, does a fantastic job capturing some beautiful and horrifying (and beautifully horrifying) shots.

The next picture Van Houten looks at takes us to the short film, “Down the Drain,” written, directed, and edited by Alan Rowe Kelly.  This is definitely the most playful of the three main stories and is Rowe’s homage to creature flicks.  A meek and introverted high school substitute teacher, Stanley Moffet (played once again by Jerry Murdock), isn’t having a great day (or life, for that matter).  He’s a gentle and kind man who loves teaching, but his inability and unwillingness to stand up for himself is ruining his life.  He has a bitch of an ex-wife, Sylvia (the always great Raine Brown); students who don’t respect him and taunt and tease him endlessly, the main one being Tee Jay (Miguel Lopez); a therapist, Dr. Wheeler (Robert Norman), who hates him and could care less about his problems; and a boss, Principal Royce (Mike Lane), who hates him and just fired him.  But Stanley does seem to have something on his side:  A shy but deadly creature who watches Stanley from various drains and drainage pipes.  When Stanley realizes the creature won’t hurt him he starts to embrace his new ‘friend’ and what it can do for him.  “Down the Drain” then becomes a ‘worm turns’ flick.

As I mentioned above, this story is the most light-hearted and playful of the three stories.  Jerry Murdock does a really nice job as the meek and bashful Stanley.  You won’t even recognize him from his previous role as ‘Joe.’  The man’s got some range!!  Alan Rowe Kelly captures some really great shots and uses a lot of unique camera angles to create a bizarre atmosphere.  We also get a lot of POV shots from the creature looking out various pipes.  The only negative thing I have to say here is that the film does get a little repetitive once the creature starts knocking off Stanley’s enemies.  We get the recurring pattern of the victim stalking Stanley, the creature stalking the victim, and then the victim being surprised and shocked by the creature.  Besides this, “Down the Drain” is a fun little story, and you’ll be glad it’s light-hearted because the last story is intense … VERY intense.

“A Far Cry from Home” is written, directed, and stars Alan Rowe Kelly and I must admit that I wasn’t prepared for what this story ended up being.  Again, there’re no spoilers here, but “A Far Cry from Home” explores homophobia, religious extremism, the willingness to kill in the warped name of one’s god, and the willpower to survive even in the face of insurmountable odds.  But be prepared everyone; this is one intense fucking film that will put you on the same rollercoaster ride of emotions that Lane (Alan Rowe Kelly) goes on.  Kelly is absolutely amazing in her performance.  Her role as Lane was one of the most physical and emotional roles I’ve seen in a long time.  You just don’t get these kinds of roles in Hollywood films!!  The tortures and humiliation Lane must endure will floor you.  My gut tells me this was a very personal movie/story for Alan Rowe Kelly, and her convincing performance shines through.  This is easily the goriest and most violent of the three stories.  I know I’m being cryptic here, but the less you know about the details of this one, the better.  But I will say that Lane’s abusers all do great jobs and are also very convincing; so convincing, in fact, that I really hated every one of them!!

GALLERY OF FEAR is a solid anthology that has three very contrasting and different stories.  “By Her Hand, She Draws You Down” is beautifully haunting; “Down the Drain” is fun and light-hearted; and “A Far Cry from Home” is intense, brutal, and punches you in the gut.  GALLERY OF FEAR also proves one more thing to me:  Anthony G. Sumner, Alan Rowe Kelly, and Bart Mastronardi are hugely talented filmmakers and not ‘flashes in the pan’ who got lucky and made one good film.  These three are serious filmmakers here to stay and I can’t wait to see what else they have in store for us.  Don’t miss GALLERY OF FEAR; this is a must-see!!

My Summary:

Directors:  Anthony G. Sumner & Alan Rowe Kelly (& writers along with Douglas Smith)

Plot:  4 out of 5 stars (overall)

Gore:  7 out of 10 skulls (for “A Far Cry from Home”)

Zombie Mayhem:  0 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer