Film Review: OOGA BOOGA (2013)

Charles Band directs the Full Moon Features production Ooga Booga (2013) which takes on police brutality and racism head on.  True to most Full Moon films, this film is overly blatant with its handling of controversial subject matters which is most of the charm of the studio’s most famous and entertaining films.  Ooga Booga is the story of Devin (Wade F. Wilson) who is given a doll dubbed the Ooga Booga from a co-worker trying to break into the action figure/doll toy line.  While at a convenience store he watches some Meth Heads rob and kill the store owner.  Devin comes out of hiding when the Meth Heads are gone and tries to save the store owner by calling the police. 

When the police arrive, Officer White (Gregory Niebel) accuses Devin of the murder due to the fact that he is racist and needs a “black guy” to take the fall.  Officer White kills Devin in front of his partner and it all becomes “case closed” due to the fact that the Judge over the case (Stacy Keach) is also a racist.  Unbeknownst to them all, Devin’s spirit enters the Ooga Booga doll and he seeks out revenge for his death.  With the help of Donna (Ciarra Carter), Devin’s girlfriend, the Ooga Booga doll will cut a path of death from the Meth Heads up to the Judge until everyone responsible is held accountable.

If you are a fan of Full Moon Features then there will be a lot to like about the film as it follows the same path as most of their most well-known films.  For those not familiar with the Full Moon aesthetics then this will probably be seen as a complete and utter mess.  The Full Moon empire has crafted a unique style and genre of films for the B-movie fan and if you know that going in then their films can be quite entertaining in their absurdity.  This film is no different than their Head of the Family, Puppet Master, or Gindgerdead Man franchises.

Film Review: THE DUNGEONMASTER (aka RAGEWAR) (1985)

Fantasy and science fiction collide in the Charles Band production The Dungeonmaster (aka Ragewar) (1985) which sees Paul Bradford (Jeffrey Byron) getting sucked into an alternate world by wizard Mestema (Richard Moll) who thinks Paul’s an opponent ripe to be put into his games of death.  Mestema takes Paul’s girlfriend Gwen (Leslie Wing) hostage in order to make sure that he does exactly as he is told.  Mestema puts Paul through a series of games and challenges to see if he is a worthy opponent and if he survives each challenge then he gets one step closer to saving Gwen and getting out of the Mestema’s hell alive. 

The unique aspect of the film is that each challenge Paul is given is set in a different world which is directed by a different person making the film appear more like an anthology film.  In addition to Band directing a segment, segments are directed by David Allen, John Carl Buechler, Steven Ford, Peter Manoogian, Ted Nicolaou, and Rosemarie Turko.  Each bring a unique style to their segments while contributing to the overall look and feel of the film.

Although dated, the film itself has an ‘80s fantasy film quality that makes it one of the more entertaining films to come out of the Band camp of films.  Moll makes the most of his role as only he can keeping the film light and campy in the way expected of these types of films.  If you’re a fan of these types of fantasy films then this film is right up your alley.

Companion to “Conversations in Horror” - “My Favorite Evil Doll Films”

“My Favorite Evil Doll Films”

In the podcast “Conversations in Horror” hosts Ron McLellen and I look at different aspects of the horror genre in order to entertain and educate fans.  This article is a companion to the show as a means to touch upon things that the show doesn’t have time to.  Enjoy.

I decided that it was time to take a look at some of my favorite films that feature evil dolls.  Some of these films you may be very familiar with while others you may not be (which means you probably need to go out there and look them up).  If you listen to Episode #1002 then you will know that we touched upon some of these films but I will enlighten you even more. 

The film that got me most interested in evil dolls was Child’s Play (1988).  It had a profound effect on me as a child, so much that the franchise was and still remains one of my all-time favorites about Halloween, Friday the 13^th, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  The idea of using voodoo to become one with a doll and to continue killing people and manipulating a child terrified and fascinated me as a child.  It lead to my searching out other evil dolls especially Charles Band’s Puppetmaster (1989), which had some of the coolest dolls ever committed to film.  Chucky may have been the most terrifying doll there was but Band’s group of misfit and misunderstood dolls were among the most entertaining.  I still love all the films in the franchise and eagerly await a new film whenever they are released.

I think Charles Band and Full Moon Entertainment (and his various other companies) had the greatest effect on me growing up as a child because of the Puppet Master franchise and Demonic Toys (1992) and its various sequels.  Whereas the puppets of the Puppet Master franchise could be seen as good those in Demonic Toys were all bad which made them even more fun.  If there is one thing that Full Moon Entertainment does well, it is doll movies - others include Doll Graveyard (1995) and Dangerous Worry Dolls (2008), among many more.  One of the highlights of the Band produced films is Stuart Gordon’s Dolls (1987).  This is a superb film that’s over shadowed by Gordon’s other major works but no less a classic on its own.  I love this film.

Another one of my all-time favorites from this same time period is Dolly Dearest (1991), a largely ignored and forgotten film that doesn’t really have anything new to say but have always been an entertaining film.  It has not aged as well as some of the others but its slightly darker tone doesn’t come off nearly as campy as the Band produced films.  Another film in this same camp is the psychological thriller Pinocchio’s Revenge (1996), another largely forgotten film yet one that I really loved when it came out.  I’ve always had a fascination with doll films since the original Child’s Play and therefore any film featuring a doll was always high on my list.

Of a more adult vein is the Anthony Hopkins starring Magic (1978).  This is a classic psychological thriller that’s more of a character breakdown through the eyes of a ventriloquist who lets his fractured mind take over.  This is successful due to Hopkins’ powerful performance and descent into madness.  A mind not to be missed or forgotten.

Dolls continue to have a profound effect of children in the Tobe Hooper classic Poltergeist (1982) which is not a doll movie per say but it is most infamously remembered because of the clown doll that seems to have a will of its own.  This is not just a terrifying clown but a horrifying doll as well.  Makes you never want to have another doll around the house ever again.

Even more terrifying is the Zuni doll from Trilogy of Terror (1975) and its sequel of which most audiences remember the vengeful Zuni doll more than anything else in the film.  It overwhelms the narrative and ends the anthology film on a high note.  

More recent is the film Dead Silence (2007) which I thought was an amazing film overlooked by the fact that it is indeed a killer doll movie.  I love the atmosphere and the story and the look of this film.  It is written by Leigh Whannell and James Wan who had already created the creepy Billy doll in the Saw films but went one step further for this film.  They would go even one step further with their film The Conjuring (2013) which introduced the terrifying Annabelle doll (which would be the subject of her own film in 2014).

Dolls can be for good but more often than not they are the harbingers of evil (or that is there main function in horror films).  I’m not particularly afraid or scared of dolls and doll films simply interest and entertain me.  Love them or hate them evil dolls are here to stay.  I’m sure we’ll see more of them in the near future (especially in the Poltergeist remake to be released this year) but until then I suggest you seek out these films when you need something to take the edge off one night.

To watch the episode of “Conversations in Horror” go here –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypOa_wliFEI

Film Review: SEEDPEOPLE (1992)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of the most influential sci-fi films in history (having had no less than three remakes thus far made) so it’s no surprise that filmmaker Charles Band would conceptualize something as bizarre as Seedpeople (1992).  Band came up with the story but it is written by Jackson Barr and directed by Pete Manooglan. 

The citizens of the sleepy town of Comet Valley are slowly changing.  It seems that plant-like aliens have started to invade the population and only a handful of outsiders can stop the invasion.  If you’ve seen any variation of Body Snatchers then you know what you’re in for with this film.  If you’re familiar with Charles Band films then you REALLY know what you’re in for.  The film includes mediocre story (yet campy and fun at times), barely passable acting, and ludicrous monsters that are in no way scary.

Instead, the film relies mostly on the over the top comedy and for the most part it succeeds.  Sometimes the film “borrows” too much from other films leaving you wanting something more original and the mediocre monster and makeup effects don’t help.  This being said, you can always do worst with a Charles Band film than Seedpeople.

Film Review: DEMONIC TOYS 2: PERSONAL DEMONS (2010)

The films that come out of the Full Moon Entertainment vault may not be cinematic masterpieces but they are some of the most fun and entertaining films which is exactly what comes in Demonic Toys 2: Personal Demons (2010).  Coming off of the better than expected original this film has a lot to live up to.  Fortunately, for the majority of Full Moon sequels they don’t have to be as good if not better than the original, they just need to be entertaining. 

In this film two of the demonic toys (Baby Oopsie Daisy and Jack in the Box) find their way in the hands of an antiques collector who takes the dolls into a castle in which a cursed doll resides (and which the collector wants to add to his collection).  This cursed doll comes to life and instills some of its own life essence into the demonic dolls and then all hell breaks loose as the demonic toys try to teach their new friend the art of torture and death by killing everyone they come into contact with.  What’s a little fun between demonically possessed dolls especially in a Full Moon film?

Now the film has nothing new in the way of story as written & directed by William Butler but it is quite full and has plenty of kills to entertain horror fans.  Most of the fun, as in all the Demonic Toys films, comes from the toys themselves especially Baby Oopsie Daisy who is given the best one-liners (as in all the various Demonic Toys films and spin-offs).  Next to the Puppet Master series this franchise is the most entertaining in terms of having the most outrageous story and fun from killer dolls.

People not familiar with the Full Moon films may not find the humor and joy in this film (or any other one in their vault) but it has enough going for it to keep audiences amused…at least for a little while.