Nov 172011
 

shaolin A darkness falls upon China when warlords and their armies clash in bloody combat and the noble Shaolin temple’s warrior monks find themselves caught in the middle. Intent on remaining separate from the violence of the outside world, yet willing to offer a helping hand to all those in need, their way of life is put to the test when a fallen general seeks medical help, and eventually enlightenment, from the very same monks he offended.

To those who doubt the Hong Kong film industry’s ability to continue Continue reading »

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Nov 022011
 

DVD Artwork

A deadly virus wipes out the majority of life on Earth, transforming mankind into undead zombies looking for the breathing meal. A small band of survivors are determined to fight their way across the country and to the California coast in the hopes of reaching Catalina Island, where there’s rumored to be a thriving population of survivors and, best of all, no undead.

I wish I could give you more to go on but, seriously, that’s about all there is to Zombie Apocalypse and, believe it or not, it works just fine for what it is. Now I know some of you out there may be turned off by the fact that this was produced by The Asylum, well known for their deceptive brand of exploitation cinema, but don’t judge this production by its producer. If you’re looking for a zombie film Continue reading »

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Oct 252011
 

VCI Entertainment

While chasing an unknown culprit thru some ruins, Professor Bolton plummets down a hole and into the hidden crypt of the vampire queen Hannah. Before the realization of his archaeological discovery sets in however, he’s strangled from behind and his body is stuffed beneath the massive marble sarcophagus and crushed.

Bolton’s son Chris is summoned to the island to make arrangements and he’s adamant that the sarcophagus be lifted and his father’s remains be removed for a proper burial. Naturally the villagers are none too happy about this as they’re convinced that by disturbing Hannah’s undead slumber they will also awaken her insatiable blood lust. Refusing to believe in local superstitions, Chris Continue reading »

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Oct 252011
 

Zibahkhana (2007)

Director Omar Ali Khan and his Bubonic Films, with the backing of Pete Tombs and cult cinema label Mondo Macabro, may once again be emerging from the darkness with a second helping of global horror with MAUTHALA: CIRCLE OF DOOM! Khan and Tombs are looking to breathe life into a terrifying anthology in the same vein as Amicus Productions’ Tales from the Crypt and our very own stateside classic, Creepshow.

Readers that may not immediately be familiar with the name Omar Ali Khan may recall his first film Zibahkhana (2007), an excellent Lollywood horror film featuring a cross-dressing, Morning Star-wielding psycho, a flesh-eating Baba and Fulci-esque zombies, released thru TLA’s now defunct imprint Danger Continue reading »

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Oct 232011
 

VCI Entertainment

While out on an undersea excursion, a well-known diver Matt Farrell is kidnapped by unknown assailants and brought to a remote island run by the brilliant geneticist Dr. Gordon. His intention is simple, he plans to use Farrell in an experiment that would change him from a man…into a manimal!

Turns out ol’ Doc Gordon believes the only hope for mankind’s future survival is to actually leave its humanity behind and become more animalistic. None of this is mere theory though, Farrell soon discovers that Gordon is keeping all kinds of half-man/half-animal creations locked up in a dungeon below his villa. Naturally Farrell isn’t exactly game but escape looks to be hopeless, especially with the dangerous hunter Steinman working as head of security Continue reading »

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Oct 232011
 

DVD Artwork

When word of a blood-thirsty (and man-hungry) witch stalking villagers reaches two skeptical brothers, one of them (Vijayendra) heads out in search of this supposed monster with the intention of disproving its existence. Instead of debunking the fears of locals though, his suspicions grow when he picks up a beautiful hitchhiker seeking a lift to her ominous mansion deep within the forest.

Allowing himself to be lured in with sultry promises of “tender lovin’,” Vijayendra becomes thoroughly convinced the shapely seductress may indeed the witch spoken of and decides to follow her lead. Finding the perfect moment of vulnerability he yanks a magical bat necklace from her neck, whips out an AUM to immobilize her and hands her over to an angry mob for Continue reading »

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Oct 212011
 

Promo Poster

When a shady arms deal goes bad, leaving two dead, a distraught young woman brings a stainless steel briefcase containing a deadly biological life form into an old, run down apartment building. Filled with addicts, alcoholics and porn actresses, the building becomes a veritable buffet for the dripping monstrosity and its Lovecraftian tentacles. Now the dregs must band together to hold back the gloppy onslaught while searching for an escape route out of the building. Can the group stay alive long enough to defeat this unknown entity or is all hope lost for mankind?

Yeah like you don’t know!

John Lechago’s Bio-Slime has been high on my list of “must-see” films since Continue reading »

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Oct 082011
 

"3 Mighty Men"

While many in our line of “work” obsess over the transfer and sound of films released by labels, there are a some out there only concerned with one thing and that’s availability. Can the average Joe watch it? For the right price, can the average Joe own it? What good is truly fantastic cinema if you can’t see it?

Bill Barounis, of Onar Films, believed in digging up lost and forgotten Turkish gems and bringing them to a new generation of collectors and admirers. He believed that these films should be seen and enjoyed, even if the transfers were considerably less than HD-ready.

The films he released from his Onar label weren’t just lost cult cinema Continue reading »

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Sep 132011
 

Theatrical Poster

After the events that took place in the previous Laid to Rest installment, the mask-wearing psycho ChromeSkull (Nick Principe) is left for dead in a pool of blood on the floor of a convenient store and to the scrutiny of local police.  Before anything can be investigated though a mysterious recovery team, lead by the ruthless Preston (Brian Austin Green), arrives at the location to eliminate law enforcement, stabilize ChromeSkull and sanitize the crime scene.

Rushed into surgery at a top secret facility, the team do their best to reconstruct the horrific remnants of ChromeSkull’s face while Preston tracks down the last remaining loose ends and witnesses to the massacre, “The Girl” (now played by Allison Kyler) and Tommy (Thomas Dekker). Instead of praising him for a job well done, ChromeSkull is outraged to discover that Preston has Continue reading »

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Sep 112011
 

Theatrical Poster

Despite assurances that Apollo 17 was NASA’s last manned flight to the moon, a clandestine flight designated Apollo 18 is launched back out into the recesses of space and back to the moon on a top secret mission for the Department of Defense. Tasked with installing transmitters and listening devices, what first appears to be simple quickly takes a turn for the worse when moon rock samples are misplaced, equipment malfunctions and the possible presence of a Russian cosmonaut is discovered.

With the orbiting command module on the dark side of the moon, communications between the lunar module and Houston is severed, leaving the two crewmen on the surface of the moon stranded with a possible hostile combatant. As electronics fail and one of the crew is attacked by an unknown biological is becomes Continue reading »

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Sep 072011
 

Theatrical Poster

A group of college kids head out to a secluded private island in the bayou for some partying and water sports but their frivolity is interrupted when they run afoul of two redneck locals looking for trouble and a salt water lake teeming with man-eating sharks! As limbs and lives are cut short, their only chance for survival is to find a way off the island and get some help but with sharks in the water and dangerous rednecks in a boat, it looks like this wild weekend just got complicated.

As I settled in to my theater seat with my nifty 3D specs, nachos with extra cheese and fifty-four ounce drink I was a bit unsure how this film would work considering the PG-13 rating. There’s no possible way it would knock Piranha 3D out of its top slot as the water-based horror film to beat without piling on the nudity and gore. All I could hope for was a gonzo story filled with super cool shark attacks Continue reading »

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Sep 062011
 

Concept Poster

Like the plague sweeping across medieval Europe, the undead swarm the continent of Africa forcing American military engineer Lt. Brian Murphy and African soldier Sgt. Daniel Dembele to fight their way through the zombie hordes and an arid desert in search of Daniel’s young son and a possible way off the continent. Setting aside their differences, the two men work together to stay alive but wave after wave of flesh-eating undead slowly march forward cutting off all routes of escape.

I’ll do my best to keep from gushing but it’s hard not to be amped about a horror film that fires on all cylinders; from traditional shambling zombies and unflinching carnage to unbearable tension and breathtaking locations, Howard and Jonathan Ford have bravely crafted the kind of traditional horror film so many filmmakers promise yet so very few actually end up delivering. Featuring stunning, damn near Continue reading »

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