Film Review: IT STAINS THE SANDS RED (2017)

There is a new zombie film in town or at least in Las Vegas which is the setting for It Stains the Sands Red (2017).  The film opens during the beginning of the zombie apocalypse and Nick and Molly (Merwin Mondesir and Brittany Allen, respectfully) are heading to an airstrip to hitch a ride on an airplane headed to safety.  Unfortunately, they have car trouble and get themselves stranded on the highway in the middle of the desert. 

When a lone zombie attacks them, Nick is left wounded and Molly is left alone to fend for herself.  Molly, who has lived her life on the glitzier side of life, escapes the safety of the car and makes her way on foot in the desert towards the airstrip.  Unfortunately, the lone zombie decides to follow her.  Now Molly must run as fast as she can through the heat of the desert sun, dwindling supply of water and food, and other dangers.

After a while Molly’s pet zombie which she ends up calling Smalls (Juan Riedinger) becomes not only a thing of danger but of solace as she regains her humanity after having lived a life in Sin City while forgetting the life she had before.  There is more than meets the eye in Molly which audiences will learn as the film progresses.

The film hinges on the relationship between Molly and Smalls as it changes from the beginning when he sees her as food to the final act where she sees herself as his protector when military personnel want to shoot him dead.  Molly goes through a lot and becomes a very strong and willed character through her experiences.

Written by Stuart Ortiz and Colin Minihan (who also directs) crafts a unique take on the zombie film that borrows from George Romero’s Day of the Dead while setting its own course.  This is a film that will satisfy genre and zombie fans.

Top 10 Favorite Black & White Horror Films

Because I love black & White (B&W) films and most of my favorite films of all time are B&W films I decided that a “Top 10” list of these films would be too large.  Instead, I separated Silent films and regular B&W films into their own lists while leaving an entire list dedicated to the horror genre!  I hope you enjoy this list and make sure to check out the other lists as well.  This list is in no particular order and remember to leave your comments and post your own list:

1.       The Haunting (1963)

2.       Carnival of Souls (1962)

3.       Vampyr (1932)

4.       Psycho (1960)

5.       I Walked With a Zombie (1943)

6.       Cat People (1942)

7.       Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

8.       Freaks (1932)

9.       Night of the Living Dead (1968)

10.   Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told (1967)

Film Review: ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP (2019)

I must say that I wasn’t really a fan of the original film but I wanted to give the sequel a chance since I liked the concept of the overall film but didn’t care for the execution.  For me, Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) suffers from the same problems that the original film does so only fans of the original will find enjoyment in this film.  In the original film Zombieland (2009) director Ruben Fleischer crafts a funny and entertaining film with characters that do questionable things just because it’s funny and not because it makes any sense character wise or plot wise.  For the most part, audiences didn’t care that the plot of the film by the third act became more ludicrous and ridiculous to the point of absurdity as long as it was funny but it ended up destroying the strong female characters that needed to be saved by the dumber male characters whom throughout the entire film were being duped by the female characters.  This is a similar characteristic of the sequel as a genuinely good story is sidelined for the joke and the laughs.

In this film our survivors Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock (Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin, respectfully) have been living the good life in the White House.  The only problem is that Columbus wants to marry Wichita and Little Rock needs some personal space between her and Tallahassee, who acts like her father, so Wichita and Little Rock hit the road in the middle of the night to make their own path in the world.  Tallahasse and Columbus try to make a new life for themselves without the girls until Wichita returns claiming that Little Rock ditched her for a man Berkeley (Avan Jogia).  Now the gang gets together for another cross country trip in search of Little Rock to bring her back home.  On their way they come across new and powerful zombies as well as other new characters to pay out the run time of the film which is virtually the exact same thing that happened in the original film.

A cross country trip with zombie madness and huge action sequences will appease most fans of the franchise as it is obvious that Fleischer got a bigger budget for this film but by the time the characters reach the third act where they all come together again in a community of non-violence where all weapons are melted down and it’s a party all the time you wonder how anyone in this community ever survived the apocalypse due to their stupidity.  There is the now required ludicrous zombie onslaught that occurs forcing the characters to be clever and come up with a way to kill the zombies without weapons.

On the surface, the film is quite entertaining and sometimes even funny (especially the scene where Tallahassee and Columbus meet their doubles in Albuquerque and Flagstaff) but the overall film suffers from an overall stupidity of characters doing dumb things just for the sake of the joke.  The action sequences are infinity better than in the original film and the cast is exceptionally good with a scene stealing performance by Rosario Dawson in the third act.    You’ll never be bored watching this film but it won’t leave an impression and if you think a little about it, everything seems to fall apart like the corpse of a zombie.

Film Review: PATIENT ZERO (2018)

At first, the zombie film Patient Zero (2018) may seem like a knock-off of George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead (1985) but that is just the surface.  Sometime in the near future what’s left of humanity hides away in a military bunker away from the infected that have taken over the world above ground.  Dr. Gina Rose (Natalie Dormer) uses soldier Morgan (Matt Smith) to communicate with the infected since he is the only one that can.  It seems that after being bit by one of the infected, instead of being turned into an infected Morgan is now able to communicate with the infected.  Morgan is the only person of his kind and working with Rose, they try to discover who is the original person who caused the infection or as they like to call him – “patient zero.”  Unfortunately, this requires the use of Knox (Clive Standen) and all his military men to continue collecting the infected so that Morgan and Rose and interrogate them into revealing this info.  Knox would rather shoot to kill the infected as he loses good men every time he brings more of the infected into their bunker.  When one the infected called The Professor (Stanley Tucci) allows himself to get caught, Morgan must figure out how the infected are evolving while also figure out what The Professor is up to before it too late.

Written by Mike Le, Patient Zero is smart and calculated new take on an old idea that works extremely well as it takes many of the zombie/infected tropes and presents something new with them.  Stucci has never been so manipulative and evil as he is as The Professor who doesn’t even show up until halfway through the film.  Similar to Romero’s film, this film plays a lot with the tensions between the military and the scientists who are trying to find a cure with is handled in a new and creative way.  Both Smith and Dormer hold their own as the leads making this and enjoyable film from beginning to end.

Praise should also be handed to director Stefan Ruzowitzky who has crafted a suspenseful and tense zombie/infected film that doesn’t feel like just another zombie film despite the similarities to other films.  This is definitely one of the more interesting zombie/infected films to be released in the last few years.

Film Review: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: DARKEST DAWN (2014)

There is never any shortage of filmmakers mining the title of “Night of the Living Dead” due to the fact that it is in the public domain but it’s rare when someone attempts an animated film such as Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn (2014).  Now this isn’t the first attempt at an animated film based on this property as 2009’s Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated has that honor but this film does take the story you are familiar with and turns it on its head to craft something uniquely different for fans of the original film.

If you’ve seen the original ’68 and/or ’90 version of the George Romero film then you know the basic story.  Barbara (voiced by Danielle Harris) and her brother Johnny (Bill Moseley who played the same character in the ’90 version) go to a graveyard to visit their dead father’s grave when they are attacked by a zombie.  After Johnny dies, Barbara flees down the road finding herself at the farm house where she meets Ben (voiced by Tony Todd, also returning from the ’90 version) and the rest of the cast of characters.  It starts of nice and well just like the original film but then detours as the action soon leaves the house and takes to the city streets.

The detours in the plot that this film takes are interesting and refreshing from a film that’s been redone, remade, and re-imagined by more people than any other film in history and none of the proceeds going back to the original filmmakers.  Some of the more creative rip-offs includes NOTLD: Resurrection (2012), NOTLD 3D (2006) and its sequel 3D: Re-Animation (2012) and there is even a new one to be released soon called NOTLD: Genesis, in addition to all the ones previously mentioned.

Although this would seem to be an interesting film, the animation style is what pulls it down as it is basic and lacks refinement and cohesiveness.  This is surprising considering that the Reanimated film had a plethora of different styles from different creators and yet it all messed together.  Directed  by Zebediah De Soto and Krisztian Majdik the film is inspired but may not appeal to anyone other than hardcore NOTLD fans interested with a curiosity for something new.

Film Review: THE GRAPES OF DEATH (1978)

I’ve never really gotten into French director Jean Rollin’s films as until now I’d only seen his Zombie Lake (1981) which I found atrocious.  I’ve wanted to see some of his more famous (or infamous) films so why not start off with one of his other zombie films which is one of my favorite genre of monster films?  The Grapes of Death (1978) is, thankfully, a vast improvement over Zombie Lake and a better intro into the world of Rollin’s films than other film.

The story of the film is very straight forward when a young woman Elisabeth (Marie-Georges Pascal) and her friend are vacationing on a train when Elisabeth’s friend is assaulted by a strange man.  She flees the train and finds herself on a journey through the countryside where she encounters others like the person who killed her friend that have been exposed to something that is causing everyone to become blood thirsty zombie-like creatures.  Elisabeth tries her best to survive through the madness as she is hunted down and chased by everyone she encounters and those not exposed soon have their own agendas that may put her into even further danger.

Unlike Zombie Lake, this film has atmosphere and beautiful cinematography as well as copious amount of blood and gore.  The film is very much in the same vein as George A. Romero’s The Crazies (1973) and may have been inspired by it.  Despite the pretty one-note plot which is simply woman runs and get chased to location, then she leaves location and runs and gets chased to another location, and so on and so forth, the film gets more claustrophobic and more dangerous with each new turn of events.  It also raises the stakes and becomes gorier and more exciting until reaching the climax.

I will say that if I had seen this film before Zombie Lake I wouldn’t have waited over a decade before watching another Rollin film.  They may not be the best horror film but they have a charm and style of their own.

Film Review: LOVE BEYOND THE GRAVE: A LOOK AT RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3 (2011)

I count myself as one of the huge fans of Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993) mostly because I’m a huge fan of director Brian Yuzna, so I jumped at the chance to see the documentary that would enliven my enjoyment of the film which is where Love Beyond the Grave: A Look at Return of the Living Dead 3 (2011) comes in.

Although the actual film has aged a little over time (a product of ‘90s horror films) this documentary touches on the aspects that make this an endearing film in an ever growing franchise.  There are interviews with J. Trevor Edmond, Steve Johnson, Brian Peck, Brian Yuzna, John Penney, and Graham Henderson, to name a few.  Although not as comprehensive as the previous two documentaries in the series – More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead (2011) and They Won’t Stay Dead: A Look at Return of the Living Dead Part II (2011), this film still crafts an amazing behind the scenes look at this pivotal film in the franchise.

Fans of “making of” documentaries and this franchise will enjoy this look into this film.  It’s extremely well done and allows all participants to say their piece about the making of the film both the good and the bad which makes for an engaging and entertaining experience.

Film Review: THEY WON’T STAY DEAD: A LOOK AT RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART II (2011)

Whether or not you are a fan of Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988) there is no denying that They Won’t Stay Dead: A Look at Return of the Living Dead Part II (2011) is one of the most comprehensive documentaries on the making of the film.  At first you may not know why the film deserves such accolades but after viewing this documentary you will have a greater appreciation of how major films are made from the people who make them.

Most all the cast and crew are interviewed for this film but what is really an eye opener is how many people didn’t think there needed to be a sequel and what major problems the film faced while being made.  This being said the film itself has a cult audience and this documentary perfectly captures why it is both loathed by some and loved by others.

Just a quick side note.  I saw this film as a kid when it first came out in ’88 never realizing it was a sequel (I watched a lot of sequels before the original back in the ‘80s) and therefore it holds a different place for me than the original.  In ’85 when the original was released I was more a fan of Romero’s Day of the Dead but by ’88 my tastes had changed and I saw the sequel.  After seeing and enjoying the sequel, I then went back and viewed the original. 

So, it is with great pleasure that I say that this documentary whether you are a fan of the original sequel or not is an eye opening experience when it comes to getting into the mind of the cast and crew in regards to the making of the film.

Film Review: PAURA: LUCIO FULCI REMEMBERED VOLUME 1 (2008)

Directed by Mike Baronas Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered Volume 1 (2008) is an amazing collection of interviews from cast and crew that have worked with the director Lucio Fulci.  The interviews encompass a wide variety of people whom both had a great working relationship with the eccentric director as well as those who found it difficult.  If you’re a fan of Fulci’s films then you’ll learn a lot from watching this film.

For those of you not in the know, Fulci is one of the most influential Italian horror film directors in the same vein as Mario Bava, Dario Argento, Ruggero Deodato, Joe D’Amato, Jesus Franco, and Umberto Lenzi, to name but a few.  Horror fans will easily recognize some of Fulci’s most famous films like Zombie (1979), The Beyond (1981), House By the Cemetery (1981), City of the Living Dead (1980), and Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972), to name a few.  His films have helped redefine the zombie genre in the same way that George A. Romero’s films have.  His films may not be for everyone as they are sometimes had excessive gore and sometimes too cryptic but they were never boring and always entertaining.  He graced every genre from Edgar Allan Poe adaption The Black Cat (1981), the crime-action film Contraband (1980), literary classic - White Fang (1973), comedy – The Eroticist (1972), and western – The Four of the Apocalypse (1975), just to name a few. 

In this film, people from all these films and more are given the opportunity to express their thoughts about Fulci.  Fulci died in 1996 so this is a remarkable way in which people have been able to honor the late director and his legacy.  The film is not really designed to be enjoyed by the casual viewer or someone not associated with Fulci’s films; it will be better appreciated by fans of Fulci who have seen his films (or at least know of them).

Film Review: CONTRACTED: PHASE II (2015)

Contracted: Phase II (2015) begins where the previous film ends with Samantha England (Najarra Townsend) after her car accident and being confronted by police and she killing her mother in the streets.  The first film dealt with Samantha contracting a virus through a single sexual encounter.  That virus slowly turned Samantha into a blood thirsty zombie.  Phase II begins with Riley (Matt Mercer) whose brief encounter with Samantha has left him infected as well. 

Seeing the chaos that has erupted around Samantha with the police investigation, Riley decides to find the person that infected her in hopes of finding a cure for himself.  As he succumbs to the slow decaying nature of the virus Riley learns that Patient Zero isn’t dying like he is and that there is more to his plan than just spreading the virus from one person to the next.

Unlike the first film which has a slow decaying Samantha and her descent into the undead, this film is faster paced and less of a character film as it is built around Riley finding the truth of what is going on.  He has to maneuver between a police investigation and discovering who Patient Zero is so this film has a completely different feel than the previous one.  This could be directly the result of a new writer and director behind the film (Craig Walendziak and Josh Forbes, respectfully).  This is not exactly for the best as the personal and character aspects of the film that made the original so unique are lost and therefore this sequel comes off as a predictable yet entertaining film.

This film may not be as cleaver as the first but it’s entertaining and a decent time waster as it could have gone worse.

Film Review: GERM Z (2013)

I love zombie films.  I even like bad ones if they try to be original and are entertaining.  Germ Z (2013) is not one of these types of films.  This is one of those films that borrow from other (much better) films trying to pass it off as its own but fails miserably.  

 

When a military satellite scheduled to be decommissioned is struck by a meteor, the shrapnel crashes to the Earth in a small town.  While military personnel tries to clean up their mess the residents of the small town start to act crazy and violent to the point of being driven to kill others.  The film follows the ideas and plot of any standard zombie film but more importantly the modern day infectious disease films like 28 Days Later… (2002) and The Crazies (2010). 

Unfortunately, there are many problems with this film.  First of all the satellite falls in the uninhabited wilderness of the town so the only person who should be infected would be random hunters and fisherman.  It’s not even a day before most of the town is infected and running through the woods killing random people.  It’s never explained how the infection starts either through physical contact with the satellite, blood contact, or air contact because some people who get blood in their face never get infected whereas those in close proximity also never seem to get infected so there is no consistency with this.

Written by J.T. Boone and directed by Boone and John Craddock the film is your straight forward zombie film with random people running and getting killed and running some more before eventually getting killed later.  The film never elevates above its lowest common denominator and never offers anything new as a horror film or a zombie film in general.