HALLOWEEN HOTTIES: HALLOWEEN HOTTIE OF 2020!

MONSTERZERO NJ’S HALLOWEEN HOTTIE OF 2020…

TARA BASRO!

It’s Halloween🎃!…and as it has become tradition, it’s time to announce MonsterZero NJ’s Halloween Hottie of the Year!…an actress that has not only captured our hearts, but gotten our attention with a strong performance, be it as a final girl or a femme fatale!…

…and our Halloween Hottie of 2020 is…Tara Basro!

Tara Basro is a talented Indonesian actress and model who seems to have become the go-to leading lady for Indonesian director Joko Anwar. She had previously starred in his spooky horror flick Satan’s Slaves and his superhero flick Gundala, before her attention getting role as heroine Maya in the Shudder original Impetigore. This very intense and creepy flick finds down on her luck Maya looking into her past after a mysterious individual tries to kill her. Maya travels, with her best friend Dini (Marissa Anita), to the rural village that is her birthplace, in hopes of securing her inheritance. Having been away from her family home since she was a child, she finds that there is a curse on this small village. Worse still, the locals believe her family is involved and the only way to end the curse is to kill the last remaining member of the family…Maya. Thankfully the resilient and resourceful Maya proves to not be the easiest target. Not many final girls have taken on an entire village full of killers, black magic and ghosts, all at one time, but Basro’s Maya does exactly that and made an impression doing so! A talented actress we’d like to see more of, especially in the horror genre!

(Click on the highlighted links or on the movie poster to read a review of the Shudder original, Impetigore!)

**************************************************

Tara Basro as Maya in Impetigore!

Down on her luck Maya has been going from one mundane job to another.

A close call with an armed madman leads disturbingly back to her ancestral village.

In the hope a life changing inheritance awaits, Maya travels back to her birthplace.

Almost immediately Maya and bestie Dini, find something is not right in this small remote village.

The more Maya finds out about her family history, the more she finds reason to be afraid…for her life!

Maya finds herself surrounded by black magic, mortal enemies and in deep trouble. Will she escape alive?

MONSTERZERO NJ’S HALLOWEEN HOTTIE OF 2020 RUNNER UP…SEO YE-JI!

As it is now tradition, we have a runner up! A new face on the horror flick scene! Korean actress Seo Ye-Ji made an impression in the Shudder Original Warning: Do Not Play as young, up and coming film director Mi-Jung. Mi-Jung has two weeks to come up with a screenplay in order to keep her first big directing job. Research leads her to a student film, that when shown at it’s premiere, caused panic and even death. Intrigued, she sets out to to find this supposedly haunted film and it’s equally elusive maker Jae-Hyun (Jin Seon-Kyu), who disappeared along with the movie. Mi-Jung learns to be careful what she wishes for and some urban legends are better left alone!

**************************************************

Seo Ye-Ji as Mi-jung in Warning: Do Not Play

Mi-Jung will lose her directing job without a script, until an urban legend about a haunted film catches her attention.

Mi-Jung soon learns to be careful what you wish for and some things should be left alone.

**************************************************

This year was, again, a tough choice…or maybe MonsterZero NJ is just an old softie when it comes to final girls. Both these ladies were great in their roles and really brought it as their respective film’s lead!

-MonsterZero NJ

(And don’t forget to check out our previous Halloween Hotties by simply going to our Halloween Hotties main page!)

BARE BONES: THE CLEANSING HOUR (2019)

THE CLEANSING HOUR (2019)

Shudder Original has a shyster priest, Father Max (Ryan Guzman) staging phony exorcisms for his web show, The Cleansing Hour. During one of his staged performances, a real demonic entity decides to show up. Now the fraudulent Father Max has to not only battle the real thing, but has all his darkest secrets brought out to bear in front of his live audience.

Flick is well directed by Damien LeVeck despite being from a silly script from he and Aaron Horwitz. There is some very bad dialogue and some silly moments, but LeVeck directs the nonsense with a skilled hand and makes it far more effective than it should be. His demon puts Max through an emotional wringer, as the former priest is forced to bare his soul before his internet audience, which grows as the demonic hi-jinx accelerate. LeVeck has a good visual style and there are some very convincing gore and creature effects. He gets good work from his cast, especially Guzman as the troubled priest, Father Max and even sneaks in some biting commentary on the contemporary clergy. Director and cast take this all very seriously and this also helps make it far more effective than it should be, including a very disturbing climax. No classic, but worth a watch and signals LeVeck could turn out something really interesting with a stronger script. Also stars horror flick vet Kyle Gallner (Jennifer’s Body, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2010) as Max’s childhood friend and partner, Drew and Alix Angelis as Drew’s fiancée and the object of demonic possession, Lane.

-MonsterZero NJ

TOMB OF NOSTALGIA: BAD MOON (1996)

BAD MOON (1996)

(Remember, clicking the highlighted links brings you to other reviews and articles here at The Movie Madhouse!)

1996 Werewolf flick is a sadly overlooked movie when folks talk about this particular horror sub-genre. It opens effectively in the jungles of Nepal where photo journalist Ted Harrison (Michael Paré) and his lover (Johanna Lebovitz) are attacked by a vicious bipedal wolf creature. Ted is bitten but survives and moves back to Seattle to be close to his single mom sister Janet (Mariel Hemingway) and her son Brett (Mason Gamble). This proves a mistake, as Ted now transforms into a wolf-like creature at night and the only thing standing between the lycanthrope and his sister and nephew is the loyal family german shepherd, Thor (Primo).

Film is written and very well directed by Eric Red (writer of Near Dark) from the book Thor by Wayne Smith. Bad Moon is a very tense and effective thriller that sets up an interesting situation as dog Thor is the only member of the family to first know Ted is a werewolf, but is mistakingly blamed by authorities for his actions. While there are victims of Ted’s wrath/hunger, such as an obnoxious con-man (Hrothgar Mathews) that hassled Janet earlier, the film focuses on the growing tension and suspicions between Ted, Janet, Brett and, of course, Thor. The werewolf attacks are surprisingly vicious and Bad Moon has some very effective and abundant gore. Not only are Ted’s attacks quite gruesome, as is the vicious opening sequence, but his climactic battle with Thor is quite bloody…and that is no spoiler, as the whole film is setting up this fur-flying confrontation. The only drawback with the make-up FX is Ted’s fanged alter ego is shown quite a bit and in full view and the suit is somewhat rubbery. Also, it is obviously a stuffed and fake stand-in for Thor during some of the battle moments. It takes away a bit from the illusion of reality, but not enough to hurt this intense and effective chiller all that much. It’s got a brisk pace, at a trim 80 minutes, and by opening the film with a bloody attack right off the bat, it sets the tone for the rest of the movie. The characters are likable, including Ted at first and this helps the audience to care about them and thus the proceedings. Shame this flick never caught on in it’s initial release.

The small cast are very good and help make this more intimately staged werewolf flick work all the more better. Michael Paré is effective as Ted in that he is both tragic and a bit villainous. He is both aware of his transformation and tries to protect others against it, while not above letting Thor take the blame for his killings. Paré shows he had star potential. Mariel Hemingway is good as Janet. A lawyer by profession, she’s tough and smart and very protective of her son, even if it means seeing their loyal…and wrongfully accused…dog separated from her family. Young Mason Gamble is very effective, with his Brett being a bit of a tough kid and not one to scare easily. He has good chemistry with movie mom Hemingway and an interesting dynamic with his uncle, as he begins to suspect something is up with Paré’s Ted. As for Thor, four legged actor Primo does a wonderful job creating a character with barks instead of dialogue. The animal is very expressive and is a strong hero, playing basically the character no one believes when evil is afoot. Makes this film work and work well.

Overall, this film sadly underperformed in 1996 when released and it is a shame. It’s not perfect, but is a tense and gory little movie with a solid cast, especially it’s canine star. The film adds an interesting dynamic by giving it’s werewolf a four legged thorn in it’s side and adds an interesting element as the family dog takes the fall for werewolf activity. It builds to a violent and effective confrontation and doesn’t spare the the blood spurting and savaged limbs, despite a family element to it’s story. Not a great movie, but one that should be included when talking about the werewolf sub-genre in general. If you haven’t seen it, Bad Moon is streaming free on Tubi and available from the great folks at Scream Factory on blu-ray.

-MonsterZero NJ

Rated 3 (out of 4) full moons.

 

 

 

 

 

**************************************************

MONSTERZERO NJ’S 10 REASONS IT’S NOT HALLOWEEN WITHOUT KATHARINE ISABELLE!

Katharine Isabelle as the sexually awaking lycanthropic teen, Ginger in Ginger Snaps!

Watching horror flicks during the Halloween 🎃 season, there might be one face, aside from Karloff, Lee, England and Lugosi, that you might see more than once…and that pretty face is actress and horror icon Katharine Isabelle! A cult favorite, the versatile Canadian actress has appeared in a number of horror classics and cult classics from the late 90s to present day, like Ginger Snaps, Freddy vs Jason and American Mary. She’s also done a good deal of horror/supernatural TV work from Goosebumps to The X-Files to her latest, as Vera Stone in the Netflix witchcraft and werewolf drama The Order. So, in honor of this queen of horror, here are 10 horror flicks that illustrate why it’s not Halloween 🎃 without Katharine Isabelle!

As the beautiful but deadly Mary Mason in the disturbing and gruesome American Mary

(To get to the reviews of the titles listed that were covered here at the Movie Madhouse, just type the title in the search engine to find the corresponding critique!)

-MonsterZero NJ

BARE BONES: CHRONICLE (2012)

CHRONICLE (2012)

Chronicle is an interesting twist on both the found footage/POV and superhero genres. Flick tells the story of abused and bullied Andrew (Dane DeHaan) who starts to “chronicle” his life on camera like so much of today’s Youtube generation feels the need to do. It’s at a rave one night that he and his cousin Matt (Alex Russell) and their friend Steve (Michael B. Jordan) stumble upon a mysterious glowing object they find in a hole in the ground while drunkenly wandering around. Contact with this object gives them what appear to be a form of telekinesis and soon the three are developing what can be simplified as super powers. What makes this aspect of Chronicle interesting is that these teens don’t become overgrown boy scouts like in the comics, they behave like typical teenagers probably would, if they acquired such powers. They have a good time with it and secretly hone their skills as Andrew documents. Andrew is an emotionally damaged young man who has to deal with an alcoholic father (Michael Kelly) and dying mother (Bo Petersen). Putting such power in his hands begins to give him a way to vent his rage and avenge his mistreatment at school and home. It’s no surprise that things will spiral out of control and people will get hurt.

Chronicle is well directed by Josh Trank from a script by Max Landis and is an overall effective film that only suffers from a little predictability and following certain formulas a little too closely in it’s last act. We know in the opening scenes that Andrew is unstable and it is obvious where this will all lead. We know as soon as the trio begin to flex their new psychokinetic muscle that the troubled Andrew would be the one to ignore the classic credo of “with great power comes great responsibility.” We know who he will eventually avenge himself upon and we also can easily see it will be the “conscience” of the trio, Matt, that will have to deal with it. The lead characters are likable enough, but the father and bully characters are pretty generic and, sadly, once Andrew turns to the dark side, he becomes so mean spirited that we are no longer sympathetic to him…though we do understand how he gets to this point. To a degree he becomes the super villain of the piece, but not one that is charismatic enough to intrigue us. He becomes exactly the kind of bully that used to make his life miserable, but on a bigger and more dangerous scale. It does echo real life, as sometimes the abused become abusers themselves…or serial killers. This does rob us, though, of continuing to care about him or sympathizing with his pain. This renders the last act into basically a ‘gee whiz’ POV FX showdown that we no longer have a strong emotional stake in. It becomes a routine, good vs evil final battle that has been done so many times before. We no longer want to see Andrew saved, just stopped. At least we do feel some sympathy for Matt who’s forced into a situation he doesn’t want to be in. It would have been far more interesting if we were led to believe that there was still some humanity left in Andrew, but there isn’t and it’s obvious what choices are left to Matt. That’s why the last act is the weakest part dramatically, despite some intense FX action during the climactic confrontation. It eventually becomes a more routine story of an abused character finding the power to avenge, like Carrie, albeit with a superhero twist, after beginning so interestingly. Still, Chronicle is an intriguing effort, if not a totally successful one. There was a lot to like about it and it can be disturbing, but It could have been even better had the filmmakers been a bit more daring in the final reel, as they were building up to it.

-MonsterZero NJ

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE ESTIMATES OCT 23-25

Complete estimates are in for the weekend box office

(Remember, clicking the highlighted links brings you to the reviews here at The Movie Madhouse!

1. “Honest Thief” $2.35 Million

2. “The War WIth Grandpa” $1.9 Million

3. “Tenet” $1.3 Million

4. “The Empty Man” $1.3 Million

5. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” $577,000

6. “Hocus Pocus” $530,000

7. “Monsters, Inc.” $494,000

8. “After We Collided” $420,000

9. “2 Hearts” $320,000

10. “The New Mutants” $286,000 Million

source: Box Office Mojo

MONSTERZERO NJ’S 15 BAD GIRL HORROR FLICKS FOR HALLOWEEN!

Beautiful, mysterious and deadly, Doctor Sleep’s Rose The Hat (a chilling Rebecca Ferguson)

**************************************************

While we watch numerous horror classics during the spooky season, with the likes of Freddy, Jason and Michael, let’s not forget about the ladies who have terrified us, too! So, without further ado, here are 15 Halloween appropriate flicks where the bad girls deliver the chills and thrills!

( You can find reviews for the below titles covered here by using the search engine at the top of the page!)

What Keeps You Alive’s psychotic spouse, Jackie (a brilliantly devious Hannah Emily Anderson)

**************************************************

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

-MonsterZero NJ

RANDOM NONSENSE: HAUNT ARRIVES ON BLU-RAY!

HAUNT ARRIVES ON BLU-RAY!

**************************************************

My copy of Haunt on special edition blu-ray arrived today in the mail. Loved this underrated Halloween flick and so happy it’s finally gotten the release it deserves from the great folks at Ronin Flix! 

Check out my movie review of Haunt HERE

**************************************************

Click on the link below to check out Ronin Flix web site and all their titles including Haunt!

https://roninflix.com/

MonsterZero NJ

HORROR YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: THE DESCENT PART 2 (2009)

THE DESCENT PART 2 (2009)

(Clicking the highlighted links brings you to corresponding reviews and articles here at The Movie Madhouse!)

For those who have not seen Neil Marshall’s 2005 flick The Descent, sequel details will reveal crucial plot points for the original film. SPOILERS AHEAD!…

Neil Marshall’s The Descent made an impact when released in 2005 and is now regarded by some as one of the best horrors of the 2000s. No surprise that a sequel was eventually made, though Marshall opted to only executive produce. The story picks up two days later, but like the edited American ending, allows Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) to escape the caves. She’s found, as a search for the lost women is underway and hospitalized. Local Sheriff Vaines (Gavin O’Herlihy) decides to bring the traumatized Sarah back into the caves, to lead the search team in finding her companions. Obviously, the creatures from the first film await them. 

This time around, the film is directed and competently by Jon Harris from a script by James McCarthy, J Blakeson and James Watkins. The good points are, while not nearly as consistent as the first film, there are still some very claustrophobic scenes, such as pretty rescue team member Cath (Anna Skellern) getting trapped, like a happy meal, inside a pile of boulders, with hungry cave dwellers waiting outside. There are some brutal action sequences, some really good and abundant gore and the film moves fairly quickly at 93 minutes. The cast are all good, especially Krysten Cummings as Deputy Rios, and the returning cast members from the original are solid in the reprising of their roles. On a pure entertainment level, it’s an efficient enough sequel. The downsides are mostly with the script and story. First off, it’s odd they fashioned the plot after the U.S. edited ending with traumatized Sarah escaping the cave system and here being hospitalized. It doesn’t seem necessary, as she goes right back into the caves anyway. They could have just found her in the cave and had the same effect and, to be honest, she isn’t much help once underground, anyway. She also becomes a suspect when they start to find bodies, but that plot point doesn’t even last long enough to have much effect. Next, it’s a bit farfetched that the sheriff would be allowed to remove a traumatized woman from the hospital to go spelunking in the very place that traumatized her. It’s also hard to believe that the same sheriff, who has grown up around the mines all his life, would fire a gun inside a cave system. It’s a weak and obvious plot excuse to trap our new group in a cave-in. Biggest plot annoyance…SPOILER ALERT!…is that after Marshall ended The Descent on the powerful note of Sarah getting revenge on the egotistical Juno (Natalie Mendoza), for sleeping with her husband and leaving Beth (Alex Reid) to die, the sequel finds a battle worn Juno still alive and even has she and Sarah basically putting aside their differences to become comrades in arms. It completely shites on what was a really strong emotional moment of payback in the previous film’s climax….END SPOILER ALERT! Finally, the WTF ending just doesn’t work and is again a weak attempt at giving us one last shock…and set up a part 3 that we never got.

Ultimately, the flick is a mixed bag. From an action/horror level it’s got a lot of attack sequences, some suspenseful moments, a bit of claustrophobia and some abundant and good gore. The critters are a bit familiar now, but are still effective and their make-up is good. In the negative, the story not only uses the less impactful, edited U.S. ending as a springboard, but people who have cave and mine experience also do stupid things to put our characters in harm’s way. Worst of all, it brings back a character whose fate gave the first film’s climax powerful resonance and in a way that reverses a powerful character moment between her and Sarah. Overall, it’s entertaining enough and worth a look for fans of The Descent, though don’t expect anything near an equal and some plot points may irritate you. The Descent Part 2 is streaming free on Tubi, if you are interested.

-MonsterZero NJ

Rated 3 (out of 4) pick axes.

 

 

 

 

 

**************************************************

TOMB OF NOSTALGIA: THE PREY (1983)

THE PREY (1983)

(Remember, clicking the highlighted links brings you to other reviews and articles here at The Movie Madhouse!)

Routine slasher finds a group of young people camping deep in the Rocky Mountains. Of course there is a deranged maniac roaming the woods, a disfigured survivor from a forest fire three decades earlier. Soon the campers are being picked off one by one, murdered in horrible ways. Will any of them survive?

Film is directed by adult film director Edwin Scott Brown, from a script he wrote along with his wife, Summer Brown. It’s directed fairly by-the-numbers, moderately paced and offers nothing new to the genre. The film follows the slasher formula very closely with a tragic backstory for our killer and plenty of attractive young victims for him to kill. There is some decent gore, the traditional nudity and sexual hi-jinx, and the Colorado locations do look very nice. There is little suspense, but at only 80 minutes long it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. The killer is kept mostly off camera, but the burn make-up does it’s job in the few shots we get when finally revealed. It all leads up to a climax that actually is a bit disturbing and an effective end to a fairly forgettable slasher.

The good looking cast are adequate for this kind of slasher. Debbie Thureson makes a sweet heroine and the imposing killer is played by none other than seven foot tall TV and movie veteran Carel Struycken, who is most famous for playing Lurch in the 90s Addams Family movies. Ironically, Jackie Coogan, who played Uncle Fester in the original 60s Addams Family TV series, also stars in this, his final film role, as a forest ranger. The rest all play killer fodder and do so adequately enough.

Overall, this is not an impressive slasher, though isn’t a terrible one either. It’s slow paced, but does deliver the formula, murder, mayhem and ample amounts of nubile skin. The killer is effective enough for this kind of flick and the locations are filmed quite nicely by former porn cinematographer João Fernandes and Gary Gero. Worth a look for 80s completists. Currently streaming free on Tubi!

-MonsterZero NJ

Rated 2 and 1/2 (out of 4) axes.

 

 

 

 

 

**************************************************