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: BLIND WITNESS (1989)

In the tradition of TV movies of the ‘80s and ‘90s that featured a main character missing one of their keen senses, Blind Witness (1989) is one of the better ones.  Victoria Principal stars as Maggie Kemlich a blind woman who has a successful job and an even more successful husband (Stephen Macht).  One night their home is broken into and Maggie narrowly escapes alive when the burglars believe that she will never be able to identify them.  She has little time to mourn the loss of her husband because the police don’t believe that she can identify the killers because they see her as handicapped.  Only Det. Mike Tuthill (Paul Le Mat) sees her as a credible witness and the two go on a search to find her husband’s real killers despite the tremendous odds and the threat to her own life when the killers fear that she may, in fact, be able to single them out. 

The film still plays very well mostly because of Principal’s endearing performance.  A lot of the rest of the film can even be seen as passé and out of date as police procedure now does not summarily dismiss the witness accounts of people with disabilities.  The teleplay was written by Edmond Stevens and Robert Carrington (with story credit to Tom Sullivan) and the film was directed by Richard A. Colla who made a career out of directing TV movies and television shows from the ‘60s to the ‘90s.

This is indeed a film that showcases Principal’s talents but it also allows Le Mat to shine as well.  For most horror fans Le Mat will be most remembered for his role in Puppetmaster (1989) but he was also featured in Lonesome Dove: The Series and Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years.  He’s one of those character actors whose face you know but you can’t remember from where.  As TV movies go, this is not a bad one at all.

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.

Film Review: DANGEROUS WORRY DOLLS (2008)

Films released through Full Moon Entertainment are not meant to be of the Hollywood blockbuster variety.  They are meant to be B-movie entertainment of the most obscure kind.  Dangerous Worry Dolls (2008) in one of these films that follows the Full Moon model and will entertain audiences, well, at least for a little while. 

Eva (Jessica Morris) just can’t seem to catch a break in the women’s prison system that she finds herself in.  She gets beat up and picked on by the “alpha female” of the prison and she’s in danger of losing her daughter to a family member who wants to take her daughter away not to mention the fact that the warden also has it out for her.  During the latest visit with her daughter, Eva receives a box of Worry Dolls which are designed to take away all your worries if you whisper to them and place them under your pillow at night.  Before you can say, “Take my worries away,” the little miniature dolls come to life and burry themselves into Eva’s brain taking all her worries away and replacing it with a newfound sense of confidence and power.  Now, Eva isn’t going to take it any more as she goes through the prison and wreaks vengeance upon all those that have made her life a living hell.

Despite the fact that the title of the film says “dangerous worry dolls” the dolls of the film really don’t do anything other than show up as a demonic presence to the changed Eva.  Instead, Eva herself is the conduit through which most of the horror is put on display.  This film plays as a modern day WIP (Women in Prison) film except without all the sex and nudity (although there is still rape at least off screen) and is held together through Morris’ performance and director Charles Band, who has always been dependable when it comes to these types of films.

This film may not hit any one’s best of Full Moon List but it is entertaining and engaging despite having no real “dolls” that menace people (i.e. the Puppet Master and Demonic Toys franchise).