13 EERIE (2013)
Canadian zombie film, directed by Lowell Dean and written by Christian Piers Betley, is a routine one, though, entertaining enough. Flick has a group of forensics students, including scream queen Katharine Isabelle, going on a field trip to an island that once housed a prison. Unknown to them, there were experiments performed on the prisoners there that have left some of the corpses they are to examine a bit livelier and hungrier than they are counting on. The film moves quickly and has lots of action and well-executed gore but, really doesn’t do much new with the zombie formula to really set it apart from the numerous other walking dead flicks we’ve seen. Competently made and it passes the time, but ultimately it’s routine and forgettable zombie fare even with the lovely miss Isabelle as a potential meal.
OUTPOST III: RISE OF THE SPETSNAZ (2013)
I liked the first two Outpost films which tell the tale of zombified Nazi soldiers and while this latest installment isn’t outright bad, the formula is wearing thin and it is very by-the-numbers. This film directed by Kieran Parker and written by Rae Burton also takes place in WWII, like the second flick, with a group of Russian soldiers being captured by the Nazis and taken to an underground bunker where they are experimenting with the creation of super soldiers from the bodies of dead German troops and using captured prisoners as fodder for the undead’s training. Our valiant comrades must somehow fight their way out if they are to survive. The film does move quick enough, there is plentiful gore and has plenty of action, but it never really caught my interest and the endless battles with growling corpses seemed to get very monotonous after about halfway in. I suppose it’s worth a look if, like me, you enjoyed the first two films, but I think I have had enough of this series, if they decide to continue from here.
MonsterZero NJ's Movie Madhouse 