BARE BONES: HORROR IN THE HIGH DESERT 2: MINERVA (2023)

HORROR IN THE HIGH DESERT 2: MINERVA (2023)

Faux documentary/found footage sequel has returning reporter Gal Roberts (Suziey Block) following the stories of the mysterious death of a woman named Minerva (Solveig Helene) and the disappearance of a young mother named Ameliana (Brooke Bradshaw). Both are close to the area where Gary Hinge disappeared and as various camera footage is examined and interviews made, the investigative reporter starts to believe there might be a frightening connection.

Second installment in what appears to be a growing franchise is again written and directed by Dutch Marich. The filmmaker turns up the spooky as it starts out with the investigation of the untimely and strange death of student Minerva Sound, using her phone footage, VHS footage from a creepy former tenant, and interviews and footage from a neighbor, EMTs and first responders. It paints a picture of something very unsettling going on around her remote trailer leading up to her mysterious death. It then leads Roberts to the disappearance of young mom Ameliana Brasher whose car broke down nearby. The dashcam footage and EMT footage paint a very chilling picture of what might have happened to her…one with a disturbing similarity to that of the disappearance of Gary Hinge. Marich crafts an effective and chilling found footage flick that eerily expands on what we saw in the first film and is definitely building towards something bigger. One hopes Marich keeps making these, his imagination continues to take us on a spooky ride and his eventual payoff is worthy of the journey. Bring on part three!

Horror in the High Desert review HERE…

-MonsterZero NJ

BARE BONES: HORROR IN THE HIGH DESERT (2021)

HORROR IN THE HIGH DESERT (2021)

Faux documentary/found footage flick follows the investigation into the disappearance of hiker/survivalist Gary Hinge (Eric Mencis) by a reporter (Suziey Block), a private investigator (David Morales) and Gary’s sister (Tonya Williams-Ogden). Gary disappeared while hiking in the Nevada High Desert and after weeks of futile searching, new evidence starts to point to Gary’s possible fate.

Written and directed by Dutch Marich this is an effective and well-made flick. The cast are a big part of why this works by giving convincing performances that help the audience believe they are watching real people and real footage. Marich also gives the film some nice atmosphere to keep us intrigued and a bit unnerved. The mystery portion works well and is engaging and a little unsettling. We get clues from Gary’s blog footage along the way, and then the last night and reveal come from the missing man’s found camera. That footage is spooky and works well enough, though it’s not as scary as we would have liked. Once you see what there is to see for more than a few minutes, it starts to lose its effect. Overall, this was a solid effort by Marich and succeeds far more than it fails, which it really doesn’t do aside from a climax that could have been scarier. Worth streaming on Amazon and Tubi if you like faux documentaries and found footage.

-MonsterZero NJ

REVIEW: THE OUTWATERS (2023)

THE OUTWATERS (2023)

Flick takes place in 2017…at least that is when the supposed found footage was filmed…with it being discovered and reassembled five years later by authorities. Simple premise has filmmaker Robbie (writer/director Robbie Banfitch) going into the desert with his brother Scott (Scott Schamell), singer Michelle (Michelle May) and friend Angela (Angela Basolis) to film a music video. Once there they start to hear strange thunderous sounds in the night, see lights in the sky and soon the trip turns into a blood-soaked nightmare.

Found footage horror is written and directed by New Jersey native Robbie Banfitch and starts off like most found footage with the first third being relatively eventless and letting us get to know our four characters. The middle is where the weirdness begins as they start hearing strange sounds at night, bizarre humming coming from within the ground and bright lights in the night sky. Soon Banfitch lets the flick degenerate into a disturbing and trippy series of nightmarish scenes and very gruesome images. We see cast members covered in blood, screaming worm-like creatures, a mysterious figure with an axe, a strange herd of donkey’s and possibly a Lovecraftian creature. Most of this is seen through character Robbie’s camera eye and within its minimal light so we only get fleeting glimpses, and the writer/director isn’t letting us in on too much of the cause or reason, either. There are a few hints here and there as to what these four unfortunate people wandered into, but mostly it’s up to you to use your own imagination. The film was never really outright scary but does provide a nightmarish ride through a last act of some very gruesome and unsettling images that will stick with you after it’s over. The cast all perform well enough to be portraying real people in lost footage and the visual eye and cinematography from filmmaker Robbie Banfitch is quite effective, as are the gory make-up effects portraying the creatures and carnage.

Overall, it doesn’t quite live up to its online hype, but does show a filmmaker with some bold ideas and who’s not afraid to put his audience through a little hell. Worth checking out.

-MonsterZero NJ

  Rated 3 (out of 4) axes.

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INDIE HORROR “THE DEATH of APRIL” GETS A POSTER AND TRAILER!

From the official synopsis…

“Meagan Mullen, freshly moved in her new home, keeps in touch with her friends and family through a video blog. As her entries (and her life) become more complex and emotional, strange things begin to happen in her room: and the camera captures all of it. Told primarily from the point of view of an ordinary wireless webcam, The Death of April documents the unsettling activity in an otherwise average girl’s bedroom – and the mysteries that surround it.”

Flick from Terror Films arrives on digital on 12/9/22, is written and directed by Ruben Rodriguez and stars Amy Rutledge, Stephanie Domini, Adam Lowder, RayMartell Moore and Katarina Hughes.

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-MonsterZero NJ

Source: Terror Films

INDIE HOLIDAY HORROR ANTHOLOGY “THE CHRISTMAS TAPES” GETS A POSTER AND TRAILER!

From the official synopsis…

“Dave Sheridan (THE DEVIL’S REJECTS), Greg Sestero (THE ROOM), and Veron Wells (THE ROAD WARRIOR) star in a yuletide frightfest like no other! 

In Robert Livings and Randy Nundlall Jr.’s Christmas-Horror Anthology THE CHRISTMAS TAPES, a family’s movie night on Christmas Eve is interrupted by a stranger, insistent on making the next Christmas ‘classic’ film himself.

“THE CHRISTMAS TAPES is a throwback to the anthology films of the 80’s and 90’s, but with a modern found-footage twist.

Christmas Horror is a subgenre that we feel deserves more attention, and this film came about from us discussing the classics and how we could possibly bring something new to the table. From day one, we were aware that this film had to be fun and could not take itself too seriously.

Developing each segment and the trajectory of how they would transition from traditional horror to comedy-horror was an exciting journey. We look forward to you discovering this box of Christmas tapes,” say the directors.

Terror Films will release THE CHRISTMAS TAPES worldwide on digital December 12.”

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-MonsterZero NJ

Source: Terror Films

INDIE HORROR COMEDY “ALL EYES” GETS A POSTER AND TRAILER!

From the official synopsis…

“A recently fired podcast host comes across a story that he feels could revitalize his career.

The story: a recently widowed farmer claims there is a monster living in the woods behind his farm.

The plan: trap and kill the beast.

Directed by Todd Greenlee, “All Eyes” stars Jasper Hammer, Ben Hall, Danielle Evon Ploeger, and Laurie Cummings

Written by Alex Greenlee and produced by Emily Calhoun, Adam Greenlee, Alex Greenlee, Todd Greenlee, Janice Pellam, Laurie Cummings, Tab Pierce, Jeff Greenlee, and Lisa Greenlee

“All Eyes” is available NOW on iTunes, Amazon Prime, Vudu, YouTube, and others.”

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-MonsterZero NJ

Source: Gravitas Ventures

SWEDISH INDIE HORROR “REPORTAGE NOVEMBER” GETS A POSTER AND TRAILER!

From the official synopsis…

“Carl Sundström’s REPORTAGE NOVEMBER, starring Signe Elvin-Nowak, Jonas Lundström, and Isabel Camacho will premiere on digital and VOD this October from Terror Films.

A mysterious death of a mother and the disappearance of her child leads a group of freelance journalists to the outback of Sweden. The group of four, led by the famous journalist Linn Söderqvist, will make a reportage about the happening and search for leads missed by the police. Equipped with cameras and supplies to survive in the forest for days, they wander out in the woods to find the truth.

The film, penned by Nathaniel P Erlandsson, was shot in Sweden.

Says director Sundström, “Many years ago when I got my first glance of the second act of Cannibal Holocaust, I felt that faux documentaries was the best ways of touching the audience deep inside. A way to create a genuine feeling through a documentary format and bring the horror out from the screen into the real world. Ever since then I have been an avid found footage fanatic who appreciate the story telling from a POV perspective. To have the slow burn concept where you get to know the characters thoroughly and you are feeling like a part of the story. A style of film where you cannot show more than the characters see. What they know, you know, and what you know, they know.

Reportage November is made for found footage lovers and while writing it we had all aspects and rules of what makes this genre great in mind. A film that focuses on suspense and mystery to bring the viewer to the edge of the seat. We have created a film that is just as much about the slow build-up of the story as the horror. I hope that you enjoy this slow burning thrill that takes place deep in the Swedish outback. “

REPORTAGE NOVEMBER hits digital and VOD worldwide October 14

Carl Sundström’s REPORTAGE NOVEMBER, starring Signe Elvin-Nowak, Jonas Lundström, and Isabel Camacho will premiere on digital and VOD this October from Terror Films.”

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-MonsterZero NJ

Source: Terror Films

INDIE BIGFOOT HORROR “THE WILD MAN” GETS A TRAILER!

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From the official synopsis…

“Terror Films will release the Michael Pare-starring Bigfoot horror movie THE WILD MAN this September!  

The film, directed by Tampa Bay native Ryan Justice (Followers), was developed during the pandemic.  

“We used our downtime to create and develop projects. THE WILD MAN happened to be the perfect project to make at the time. As a Florida Native the Legend of the Skunk Ape (Florida Bigfoot) always had our interest. We wanted to do a fun movie around the legend and do something different with the bigfoot movie genre.”  

Lauren Crandall, Julian Green, and Mike Reed also help make up the cast.  

Young women have been going missing in Ochopee, FL, without a single suspect in custody. A young journalist, Sara, convinces her crew to join her investigation as she travels to Ochopee to document her discoveries, but they soon realize their presence in this town is not welcome. Determined to find her story, Sara convinces her friends to stick with her, because they’re onto something big. Upon meeting Dale, the town’s notorious conspiracy theorist, she’s convinced he knows more than he is willing to share. The crew humors Dale’s ridiculous theories, even accompanying him into the Florida swamps on his quest to show them “The Wild Man”, hoping he’ll somehow reveal his guilt. But what the crew discovers is a secret much deeper than fairy tales and legends. What they discover is much darker and more sinister than they bargained for.  

 THE WILD MAN will first premiere on digital platforms September 30 ahead of plays on the Terror Films and Kings of Horror YouTube Channels.

 

TERRITORY:                              NORTH AMERICA

 

RELEASE DATE 1:                    9/30/22 – DIGITAL

 

RELEASE DATE 2:                    10/7/22 – TERROR FILMS CHANNEL

 

RELEASE DATE 2:                    10/14/22 – KOH CHANNEL“

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-MonsterZero NJ

Source: Terror Films

BARE BONES: INCANTATION (2022)

INCANTATION (2022)

Incantation is a Taiwanese found footage horror that has former paranormal investigator Li Ronan (Tsai Hsuan-yen) fighting to save her six-year-old daughter Dodo (Huang Sing-ting) from a malevolent entity. During a past investigation, a pregnant Li and her companions (Sean Lin and Wen Ching-Yuan) violated sacred ground and provoked a curse. Now the sinister specter has come for Dodo. Flick is supposedly inspired by actual events.

Directed by Kevin Ko from his script with Chang Che-wei, this is a delightfully bonkers horror in all the right ways. Sure, it’s a bit too long at 111 minutes, but unlike most found footage flicks, this movie gets started with the spooky stuff right away and maintains an atmosphere of dread throughout. There are some very unsettling and disturbing moments, and some very over-the-top and gory moments too. The film knows when to be subtle and spooky, and when to go off the rails and really hit us with some craziness…and it does. Some of it provides unintentional chuckles, when it’s trying to scare, but that is still as entertaining as when the flick is giving us goosebumps. Kevin Ko gives the film a nice creepy atmosphere and uses his locations very well, while utilizing the past investigation footage to show us how Li got into her current supernatural conundrum. Tsai Hsuan-yen makes a solid heroine as the overwhelmed Li Ronan, and little Huang Sing-ting makes for a sweet and sympathetic kid as the malevolent entity’s helpless target, Dodo. Flick is currently streaming on Netflix and definitely worth checking out, even if not being quite as scary as its online reputation would have us believe.

-MonsterZero NJ

BARE BONES: INFRARED (2022)

INFRARED (2022)

Found footage horror finds paranormal investigator Geoff (Greg Sestero) teaming up with his estranged psychic sister Izzy (Leah Finity) to investigate an abandoned and allegedly haunted school. If personal tensions weren’t enough, the effects of a past tragedy and a sinister presence lurking the halls make this possibly the most real and terrifying episode of Infrared of all! 

 

Flick is written and directed by Robert Livings and Randy Lundlall Jr. and the duo try hard. There are a few spooky sequences, but like most found footage flicks it takes a long time to really get going and we spend at least an hour with Geoff and Izzy’s personal melodrama. It follows the formula almost too closely with anything interesting happening in the last act and then it ends suddenly with a cheap jump scare. Yes, there is an unexpected element that is revealed near the end, but it comes too little and too late to make things interesting and not enough is done with it before the credits roll. At least the directors give the flick a bit of a found footage feel, most of the time, though an overacting Jesse Janzen as the eccentric property owner Wes comes across as nothing but scripted hijinks. Seen worse. Seen better. Infrared premiers on VOD on 7/22/22 on the Terror Films Channel and 7/29/22 on all other digital streaming outlets.

-MonsterZero NJ