‘She’s into whips and brains!’

Zombinatrix is a forthcoming 2016 supernatural American horror film written and directed by Michael Kyne.

Cast:

Bianca Allaine (Albino Farm; Monster Mountain; The Crawling Dead), Lenora Claire (The Devil’s Muse; Noirland), Nadia White (Toxic Tutu; Don’t Fuck in the Woods, Dracula’s War, MILFs vs. Zombies), Doug Sakmann (Punk Rock Holocaust and sequels; Return to Nuke ‘Em High Volume 2), Mark Quinnette (Return to Nuke ‘Em High Volume 1), Mike Hearse (Blood on the Reel), Johnny Daggers (Caustic Zombies).

Filming locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

IMDb | Facebook

‘Evil gets an upgrade’

Jason X is a 2001 Canadian-American science fiction slasher film directed by Jim Isaac from a screenplay by actor/writer Todd Farmer (My Bloody Valentine, 2009). It is the tenth instalment in the Friday the 13th film series and stars Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees. Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg (Shivers; The Dead Zone; The Fly) has a cameo role.

The film took $16,951,798 worldwide at the box office against a budget of $11 million.

Plot teaser:

In 2008, (five years after Freddy vs. Jason) Jason Voorhees (Kane Hodder) is captured by the United States government and held at the Crystal Lake Research Facility.

In 2010, a government scientist decides to place Jason in frozen stasis after several failed attempts to kill him. While Private Samuel Johnson (Jeff Geddis) places a blanket on Jason, Dr. Wimmer (David Cronenberg), Sergeant Marcus (Markus Parilo), and a few soldiers hope to further research Jason’s rapid cellular regeneration and try to take Jason. They pull off the blanket covering his body, but find Johnson dead, instead. Having broken free of his restraints, Jason kills the soldiers and Wimmer. Rowan (Lexa Doig) lures Jason into an “ice” pod and activates it. Jason then ruptures the pod with his machete and stabs Rowan in the abdomen, spilling ice fluid into the sealed room and freezing them both.

Over 445 years later, in 2455, Earth has become too polluted to support life and humans have moved to a new planet, Earth Two. Three students, Tsunaron (Chuck Campbell), Janessa (Melyssa Ade), and Azrael (Dov Tiefenbach), are on a field trip led by Professor Braithwaite Lowe (Jonathan Potts), who is accompanied by an Android robot, KM-14 (Lisa Ryder). They enter the Crystal Lake facility and find the still-frozen Jason and Rowan, whom they bring to their spaceship…

Reviews:

“Jason X is well-paced, provides plenty of kills, has enough camp to make it enjoyable, and provides an interesting transformation for our antagonist in its final third. It’s nowhere near scary, and it’s because of that fact that the Alien comparison can only be taken so far, but it’s a slasher movie set in space and it takes a character who has been the villain for eight previous movies in a place and time he hasn’t previously had to deal with. That’s a go-for-broke approach and I have to commend the filmmakers for it.”  Marter, The Escapist

” … there’s a legitimately fine comic sequence in which the surviving crew members, in an attempt to distract Jason, put him in a virtual-reality sim of Camp Crystal Lake. For a brief moment, new-school splatterpunk steps aside for old-school slash, and the sequence, prankish as it is (the sim comes complete with a couple of giggling, topless girls in sleeping bags), points up what’s fundamentally wrong with Jason X: It just isn’t the same when Jason stalks the sterile halls of a spaceship.” Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

“Wittily scripted, smartly directed and well-played by an unfamiliar cast, this is a real treat for all those who have suffered through the story so far.” Kim Newman, Empire

“This sucks on so many levels. — dialogue from Jason X. Rare for a movie to so frankly describe itself. Jason X sucks on the levels of storytelling, character development, suspense, special effects, originality, punctuation, neatness and aptness of thought. Only its title works.” RogerEbert.com

“It’s crazy that it took until the tenth film in the series for someone to say “you know something, we should have a proper laugh with this”, but finally someone did and it’s all the better for it. As a serious horror film it’s a failure in every respect. It isn’t scary, it doesn’t build much tension and it just takes the piss at every opportunity. But it’s because of this third point that Jason X entertains – it knows it’s shit and it’s proud.” Chris Scullion, That Was a Bit Mental

“Jason X is one of those films that gets laughed at before it’s even mentioned. A good group of society just doesn’t like the flick. Truth be told I was kind of put off by it at first too. Uber-Jason? Come on now. But upon further viewings I’ve realized I actually have a blast with the flick! Maybe you should give it a go.” Jared Pacheco, Arrow in the Head

Choice dialogue:

Professor Lowe: “Guys, it’s okay! He just wanted his machete back!”

Cast:

Lexa Doig as Rowan LaFontaine
Lisa Ryder as Kay-Em 14
Chuck Campbell as Tsunaron
Jonathan Potts as Professor Brandon Lowe
Peter Mensah as Sergeant Brodski
Melyssa Ade as Janessa
Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees
Melody Johnson as Kinsa
Phillip Williams as Crutch
Derwin Jordan as Waylander
Dov Tiefenbach as Azrael
Amanda Brugel as Geko
Kristi Angus as Adrienne Thomas
Yani Gellman as Stoney
Todd Farmer as Dallas
David Cronenberg as Dr. Wimmer
Robert A. Silverman as Dieter Perez
Marcus Parilo as Sgt. Marcus

Wikipedia | IMDb

The Zombie King – aka King of the Dead – is a 2012 British horror comedy film directed by Aidan Belizaire from a screenplay by actor George McCluskey (Jacob’s Hammer; Knight of the Dead), based on a story by Jennifer Chippindale and Rebecca-Clare Evans.

The film stars Edward Furlong (Brainscan; Arachnoquake) and Corey Feldman (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter; Bordello of Blood), George McCluskey, David McClelland, Michael Gamarano (Backslasher). The film’s initial title was apparently Ed Wallace and the Z Team.

Having received several international releases, the film is being released on DVD in the UK on October 26, 2015 by High Fliers Films.

Buy DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Plot teaser:

Samuel Peters (Edward Furlong), once an ordinary man, dabbles in the laws of voodoo to bring his wife back from the grave. He soon encounters the god of malevolence, Kalfu (Corey Feldman), and makes a pact with him to destroy the underworld and bring chaos to earth. In return, he will become the Zombie King and walk the earth for eternity with his late wife.

But as the growing horde of zombies begins to wipe out a countryside town, the government creates a perimeter around the town and employs a shoot-on-sight policy. Trapped within the town, the locals, an unlikely bunch of misfits, must fight for their lives and unite in order to survive…

Trailer:

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Invisible Invaders is a 1959 science fiction horror film produced by Robert E. Kent (The Curse of the Faceless Man; The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake) and directed by Edward L. Cahn (Invasion of the Saucer Men; Voodoo Woman; It! The Terror from Beyond Space) from a screenplay by Samuel Newman (The Giant Claw).

Paul Dunlap composed the score and would use much of the same music in three other science fiction movies: The Angry Red Planet (also 1959), The Three Stooges in Orbit in 1962 and Destination Inner Space in 1966.

Cast:

John Agar (Tarantula; Hand of Death; Night Fright), Jean Byron (The Magnetic Monster), Philip Tonge (House of Wax), Robert Hutton (The Man Without a Body; The Colossus of New York; The Slime People), John Carradine, Hal Torey (War of the Colossal Beast; Earth vs. the Spider), Paul Langton (Tales of Tomorrow; The Incredible Shrinking Man; The Cosmic Man).

Plot:

Dr. Karol Noymann (John Carradine), an atomic scientist, is killed in a laboratory explosion. His colleague, Dr. Adam Penner, is disturbed by the accident and resigns his position and calls for changes.

At Dr. Noymann’s funeral, an invisible alien takes over his dead body. The alien, in Noymann’s body, visits Dr. Penner and tells him the earth must surrender or an alien force will invade and take over by inhabiting the dead and causing chaos. The government ignores the warning and Dr. Penner is labeled a crank by the media…

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Reviews:

“Though clearly a product of its own time and a low budget, Invisible Invaders is engaging and fast-paced, riddled with genuinely inspired twists alongside breathtaking implausibilities.” Peter Dendle, The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“Despite the cheapness of the production, Invisible Invaders has a modestly effective atmosphere. The dubious science aside, there is an interesting plot … Edward L. Cahn creates reasonable tension – with a better director or even an improved budget, Invisible Invaders could have been a minor classic.” Moria

” … the zombies of Invisible Invaders are often genuinely creepy, especially the air-crash victim who hijacks the announcer’s booth at the hockey game. These creatures are so effective that they are actually able to counteract the goofiness brought to the film by the highly unlikely romance that develops between Major Jay and Phyllis Penner, the simplistic pacifist message-mongering that periodically creeps into the script, and the wildly excessive overuse of stock footage and voice-over narration… ” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting

Cast and Characters:

• John Agar as Maj. Bruce Jay
• Jean Byron as Phyllis Penner
• Philip Tonge as Dr. Adam Penner
• Robert Hutton as Dr. John Lamont
• John Carradine as Dr. Karol Noymann
• Hal Torey as The Farmer
• Paul Langton as Lt. Gen. Stone
• Eden Hartford as WAAF Secretary
• Don Kennedy as Pilot
• Chuck Niles as Hockey Game Announcer

Choice Dialogue:

Dr. Karol Noymann (John Carradine): “The dead will kill the living and the people of Earth will cease to exist!”

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb | Image credits: The Last Drive-In

‘Everything that makes life worth leaving!’

The Vault of Horror is a 1973 British anthology horror film made by Amicus Productions. Like the 1972 Amicus film Tales from the Crypt, it is based on stories from the American EC Comics series written by Al Feldstein. The film was directed by Roy Ward Baker (The Vampire Lovers; Scars of Dracula; Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde) from a screenplay by Milton Subotsky.

None of the stories are actually from Vault of Horror comics. All but one appeared in Tales from the Crypt, the exception being from Shock SuspenStories.

The film is also known as Vault of Horror, Further Tales from the Crypt and Tales from the Crypt II.

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Cast:

Terry-Thomas (The Abominable Dr. Phibes; Dr. Phibes Rises Again), Dawn Addams (The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll), Denholm Elliott (To the Devil a Daughter; Hammer House of Horror), Curd Jürgens (The Sleep of Death), Tom Baker (The Mutations; Doctor Who), Michael Craig (Inn of the Damned; Turkey Shoot), Daniel Massey (Shadows of Fear; The Cat and the Canary) and Anna Massey (Frenzy; Haunted).

Framing Story

Five strangers board a descending lift, one by one, in a modern office block in London. They reach the sub-basement, though none of them have pressed for that destination. There they find an elaborately furnished room which appears to be a gentlemen’s club. The lift door has closed and there are no buttons to bring it back, nor any other exit. Resigned to waiting for help, each tells of a recurring nightmare…

Midnight Mess (Tales from the Crypt #35)

Harold Rodgers (Daniel Massey) tracks his sister Donna (Anna Massey) to a strange village and kills her to claim her inheritance. After settling down for a post-murder meal at the local restaurant, he discovers the town is home to a nest of vampires…

The Neat Job (Shock SuspenStories #1)

Obsessively neat Arthur Critchit (Terry-Thomas) marries Eleanor (Glynis Johns), a young trophy wife who is not quite the domestic goddess he hoped for. His constant nagging about the mess she makes eventually drives her mad. Upon his shouting at her, “Can’t you do anything neatly?”, she kills him with a hammer and cuts up the corpse, putting all the different organs into neatly labelled jars.

This Trick’ll Kill You (Tales from the Crypt #33)

Sebastian (Curd Jürgens) is a magician on a working holiday in India, where he and his wife are searching for new tricks. Nothing impresses until he sees a girl (Jasmina Hilton) charming a rope out of a basket with a flute. Unable to work out how the trick is done, he persuades her to come to his hotel room, where he and his wife Inez (Dawn Addams) murder her and steal the enchanted rope. Sebastian plays the flute, and the rope rises; Inez climbs it, only to disappear with a scream…

Bargain in Death (Tales from the Crypt #28)

Maitland (Michael Craig) is buried alive as part of an insurance scam concocted with his friend Alex (Edward Judd). Alex double-crosses Maitland, leaving him to suffocate. Two trainee doctors Tom (Robin Nedwell) and Jerry (Geoffrey Davies) bribe a gravedigger (Arthur Mullard) to dig up a corpse to help with their studies. When Maitland’s coffin is opened, he jumps up gasping for air…

Drawn and Quartered (Tales from the Crypt #26)

Moore (Tom Baker) is an impoverished painter living on Haiti. When he learns that his work has been sold for high prices by dealers and critics who told him that it was worthless, he goes to a voodoo priest and his painting hand is given voodoo power; whatever he paints or draws can be harmed by damaging its image. Returning to London, Moore paints portraits of the three men who cheated him, and mutilates them to exact his revenge…

When the story of the final dream is told, the five ponder the meaning of their nightmares…

Reviews:

“All in all, The Vault of Horror contains enough to warrant repeat viewings. Whilst it is sometimes a product of its time and the film’s twist can be seen from space, it has that strangely comfortable feeling you only get from the output of companies like Amicus and Hammer Horror. It’s like settling down into a cracked leather chair next to a roaring fire with a glass of brandy. It just seems to work.” John Noonan, HorrorNews.net

“Vault of Horror is a great anthology – more camp than Asylum or Tales from the Crypt, but infinitely more enjoyable than the turgid Torture Garden. A surfeit of 70s locations, some great character actors, and a healthy dose of humour don’t hurt, either.” British Horror Films

“Whereas Francis often managed to inject some atmosphere into his Amicus omnibus movies, Baker’s flat direction can’t overcome the lengthy and plodding expository scene, making this the least interesting of the series in spite of the excellent photography and Tony Curtis’s pleasing sets.” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

“Art direction, music and photography are all uniformly impressive, and Roy Ward Baker pulls the directional strings with consummate professionalism. Added to this is a smart line in grim humour (and an amusing in-joke that sees Michael Craig flicking through the paperback tie-in to Tales from the Crypt), which at times succeeds in achieving a little of the EC Comics style…” Allan Bryce, Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood

“The first story is the most memorable and Glynis Johns does a wonderful comic turn in the second. The rest of the film has little to offer in the way of thrills.” Gary A. Smith, Uneasy Dreams: The Golden Age of British Horror Films, 1956-1976

” … director Roy Ward Baker goes through the paces in a somewhat workmanlike manner, relying mostly on the writing, editing and performances to carry the stories, with minimal instances of clever staging or stylised atmosphere. This is all the more unfortunate when Baker actually does flex his directorial muscles, as these snippets of visual inspiration call deeper attention to how flat the rest of the film often is. Having said that, it’s still worlds more stylish than Freddie Francis’ uncharacteristically flat direction in most of Crypt.” Mitch Davis, Ten Years of Terror: British Horror Films of the 1970s

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Cast and Characters:

• Daniel Massey as Harold Rogers
• Terry-Thomas as Arthur Critchit
• Curd Jürgens as Sebastian
• Michael Craig as Maitland
• Tom Baker as Moore
• Anna Massey as Donna Rogers
• Glynis Johns as Eleanor Critchit
• Dawn Addams as Inez
• Edward Judd as Alex
• Denholm Elliott as Diltant
• Robin Nedwell as Tom
• Geoffrey Davies as Jerry
• Terence Alexander as Fenton Breedley
• John Witty as Arthur Gaskill
• Jasmina Hilton as Indian Girl
• Ishaq Bux as Fakir
• John Forbes-Robertson as Wilson
• Maurice Kaufmann as Bob Dickson
• Arthur Mullard as Gravedigger
• Mike Pratt as Clive
• Marianne Stone as Jane
• Erik Chitty as Old Waiter
• Tommy Godfrey as Landlord
• Jerold Wells as Waiter

Choice dialogue:

Maitland (Michael Craig): “There’s no money in horror.”

Filming locations:

Millbank Tower, London, England

Sheen Lane, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, England
(Where Tom Baker’s character, Moore, hails a taxi)

Twickenham Studios, London, England

Beyond the Vault of Horror:

There is a shot, apparently from the original closing sequence, in which the characters walk to the graveyard with dead, skeletal faces. It may be that this shot has been lost, or was deemed too crude, edited out and used for publicity purposes only. Does anyone know?

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘When the undead can evolve, no-one is safe’

Extinction – formerly known as Welcome to Harmony – is a 2015 Spanish-French-American-Hungarian science-fiction horror film directed by Miguel Ángel Vivas from a screenplay co-written with Alberto Marini. It should not be confused with the found footage dinosaur film with the same title.

Cast:

Matthew Fox, Jeffrey Donovan, Quinn McColgan, Valeria Vereau, Alex Hafner and Clara Lago.

Release:

The film was released on July 31, 2015 in the United States.

Plot:

After a virus turns people into zombies, a small group of survivors seek refuge in a snow-covered town, believing the virus and all of its monstrous creations had died out. But they only discover the infected had adapted to the environment change, for the worse…

Reviews:

“Director Miguel Ángel Vivas tries to add a family-drama twist to an otherwise standard survival story, but the characters aren’t complex enough (and the secrets aren’t explosive enough) to elevate this beyond a basic zombie flick.” Devan Coggan, Entertainment Weekly

“More filmmakers should treat the zombie subgenre as allegorical, the way George A. Romero intended. But Extinction and Maggie both arrive at the same conclusion about fatherhood, thereby confirming it as a cliché rather than a coincidence.” Martin Tsai, Los Angeles Times

“Extinction stumbles in its efforts to evolve beyond a simple, bloody tale of the zombie apocalypse. Its narrative leans toward the untenable side of melodrama and pushes viewers away when it should be pulling them in for a suspenseful finale.” Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

“Director Miguel Angel Vivas (Kidnapped) fails to bring any visual flair to the sluggishly paced proceedings, and the CGI effects prove less than convincing. Fox and Donovan, who did far better work on their respective TV shows Lost and Burn Notice, are unable to breathe much life into their stock characters, with the former seeming particularly uncomfortable in his largely non-action role. Far better is child actress McColgan, delivering a well-rounded, naturalistic performance.” Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

” …at its best moments competent, at its worst risible and downright silly. It very much feels like it’s trying too hard to be a grand and serious work while at the same time using some of the most hoary and overripe tropes of the genre to make its points. Maybe these cinematic elements can never die as they keep coming back again and again. Maybe that is the central ironic conceit of Extinction.” Jason Gorber, Twitch

Wikipedia | IMDb

”They exist on the flesh of the young and beautiful’

The Ghost Galleon – original title: El Buque maldito – is a 1974 Spanish supernatural horror film written and directed by Amando de Ossorio (Tombs of the Blind Dead, Night of the Seagulls, Demon Witch Child).

In the US, the film was released by Sam Sherman’s Independent-International as Horror of the Zombies. It stars Jack Taylor (Night of the Sorcerers), Maria Perschy and Bárbara Rey.

Plot:

A pair of swimsuit models are out in a boat to stage a publicity stunt by appearing to be stranded. They discover a mysterious galleon shrouded in mist and board it. When contact is lost, the wealthy and unscrupulous businessman who sent them out decides to mount his own rescue mission and abducts one of the models’ friends. The abducted girl makes an unsuccessful escape attempt. The businessman and his secretary recruit an eccentric scholar to assist them in their search for the missing models and their boat.

Unfortunately, the phantom galleon carries the coffins of the Knights Templar, eyeless living dead beings who hunt humans by sound…

Reviews:

“The entire first half plays out as a wonderfully suspenseful set piece in which the Blind Dead gradually make themselves known, whilst he even manages a nice little twist at the film’s closing even as he fluffs the ending. Indeed, The Ghost Galleon may not be the best example of a Blind Dead movie, but it’s by no means a major disappointment. ” Anthony Nield, The Digital Fix

“although the essential ingredients of de Ossorio’s tried recipe are present, … here they aren’t as well exploited as the first two movies.” Peter Dendle, Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide

“The Ghost Galleon is a very nicely shot film, and the sequences on the ship are a nice fit with Amando de Ossorio’s taste for the eerie and atmospheric. The Templars themselves look great, although the miniature effects are ridiculous, looking almost as if the ship had been yanked out of a box of Fruity Pebbles and dropped in a bathtub.” Adam Tyner, DVD Talk

“The first hour is somewhat slow, with the running time including posing sessions with the models and a rather incongruous scene in which the megalomaniacal magnate holds the model’s roommate hostage in a dungeon-like chamber … The atmospheric scenes aboard the decrepit galleon (long shots of which obviously are of a model ship, unfortunately) are genuinely creepy and may have been borrowed by John Carpenter for The Fog (1980).” TV Guide

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Cast and Characters:

• Maria Perschy as Lillian
• Jack Taylor as Howard Tucker
• Bárbara Rey as Noemi
• Carlos Lemos as Professor Grüber
• Manuel de Blas as Sergio
• Blanca Estrada as Kathy
• Margarita Merino as Lorena Kay

Choice dialogue:

Female photographer: “C’mon Greta, lean back and stick them out.”

Lillian (Maria Perschy): “I think he’s seen too many horror films.”

Trailer (as The Ghost Galleon):

Trailer (as Horror of the Zombies):

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Get out undead or alive’

Freaks of Nature is a 2015 American sci-fi supernatural comedy horror film directed by Robbie Pickering, from a screenplay by Oren Uziel (Mortal Kombat: Rebirth; Men in Black 4), and produced by Matt Tolmach. The film was formerly titled Kitchen Sink and The Kitchen Sink.

Cast:

Vanessa Hudgens (Sucker Punch;Machete Kills), Ed Westwick, Denis Leary and Bob Odenkirk.

Originally slated to open on January 9, 2015, the Columbia Pictures production will now be released on October 30, 2015 by the company in conjunction with Sony Pictures Releasing.

Plot:

In the town of Dillford, it used to be that vampires, humans and zombies got along, but then something unexpected arrived and now it’s humans vs. vampires vs. zombies in all-out mortal combat. Three teenagers must try to get things back to “normal”…

Cast and characters:

• Nicholas Braun as Dag Parker
• Mackenzie Davis as Petra Lane
• Josh Fadem as Ned Mosely
• Joan Cusack
• Bob Odenkirk
• Keegan-Michael Key
• Ed Westwick as Milan
• Patton Oswalt
• Vanessa Hudgens as Lorelei
• Denis Leary as Rick Wilson
• Ian Roberts
• Utkarsh Ambudkar;
• Cerina Vincent as Daisy;
• Chris Zylka

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Always bring protection’

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is an 2015 American horror comedy film directed by Christopher B. Landon (Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones) from a screenplay co-written with Carrie Evans, Emi Mochizuki and Lona Williams.

The make-up effects were provided by Tony Gardner and his company, Alterian, Inc. The film was formerly titled Scouts vs. Zombies.

The film will be released to movie houses on October 30, 2015 by Paramount Pictures with a VOD release to follow.

Cast:

Tye Sheridan (X-Men Apocalypse), David Koechner, Cloris Leachman, Halston Sage (Goosebumps), Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, and Sarah Dumont.

Plot:

Three scouts and lifelong friends join forces with one badass cocktail waitress to become the world’s most unlikely team of heroes. When their peaceful town is ravaged by a zombie invasion, they’ll fight for the badge of a lifetime and put their scouting skills to the test to save mankind from the undead…

Cast and Characters:

• Tye Sheridan as Ben
• Logan Miller as Carter
• Joey Morgan as Augie
• Sarah Dumont
• David Koechner as Scout Leader Rogers
• Halston Sage as Kendall
• Patrick Schwarzenegger as Jeff
• Cloris Leachman as Ms. Fielder

Red Band Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb | Official site

King of the Zombies is a 1941 American horror comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough (The Devil Bat; She-Wolf of London; House of Horrors) from a screenplay by Edmond Kelso. It was produced by Monogram Pictures.

The role of Dr. Miklos Sangre was intended for Bela Lugosi. When he became unavailable, negotiations ensued to obtain Peter Lorre for the part, but a deal could not be reached. Veteran character actor Henry Victor was signed just prior to the date of filming.

In the press kit for this film, Monogram advised exhibitors to sell “it along the same lines as Paramount’s The Ghost Breakers (1940).”

Two years later, in 1943, the film was followed by a sequel, of sorts, called Revenge of the Zombies which included two of the original cast members. Mantan Moreland reprised his role as Jeff.

Plot:

During World War II, a Capelis XC-12 plane somewhere over the Caribbean runs low on fuel and is blown off course by a storm. Guided by a faint radio signal, they crash-land on an island. The passenger, his manservant and the pilot take refuge in a mansion owned by a doctor.

Quick-witted yet easily frightened valet (Mantan Moreland) soon becomes convinced the mansion is haunted by zombies, and confirms this with some of the doctor’s hired help.

Exploring, the three stumble upon a voodoo ritual being conducted in the cellar, where the doctor, who is in reality a foreign spy, is trying to acquire war intelligence from a captured US Admiral whose plane had crashed in a similar fashion on the island. But the interruption causes the zombies to turn on their master…

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Reviews:

“In what would otherwise be a rather mediocre movie, the hilarious performance of Mantan Moreland is masterful to say the least. It’s interesting to see that, even back in the forties, black people were the voice of reason in horror movies. White people never listen, and are therefore doomed.” Nigel Honeybone, HorrorNews.net

“… utterly absurd and delightful” Peter Dendle, The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“Jeff’s role is a lot like that played by Shaggy some 30 years later in Scooby Doo, Where Are You? – with the important distinction that we are invited to believe that Jeff’s cowardice somehow follows naturally and inevitably from him being black. Above and beyond all else, it’s this that makes watching King of the Zombies such an uncomfortable experience.” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting

Buy Poverty Row Horrors! from Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Cast and characters:

• Dick Purcell as James “Mac” McCarthy
• Joan Woodbury as Barbara Winslow
• Mantan Moreland as valet Jefferson “Jeff” Jackson
• Henry Victor as Dr. Miklos Sangre
• John Archer as Bill Summers
• Patricia Stacey as Alyce Sangre
• Guy Usher as Admiral Arthur Wainwright
• Marguerite Whitten as Samantha, the Maid
• Leigh Whipper as Momba, the Butler
• Madame Sul-Te-Wan as Tahama, the Cook and High Priestess
• James Davis as Lazarus, a Zombie
• Laurence Criner as Dr. Couillie

Whole film [public domain]:

Wikipedia | IMDb

I Am a Hero – アイアムアヒーロー – is a 2015 Japanese live action horror film adaption of the manga comic of the same name by Kengo Hanazawa, directed by Shinsuke Sato from a screenplay by Akiko Nogi.

The film premiered at the Sitges Film Festival in October 13, 2015, and is scheduled for commercial release in 2016.

Main cast:

Yo Oizumi, Kasumi Arimura and Masami Nagasawa.

Plot:

Hideo Suzuki is a 35-year-old manga artist assistant, whose life seem to be stuck around his exhausting but low-paying job, unfulfilled dreams, strange hallucinations and unsatisfying relationships. He sees himself as a supporting character in his own life, has low self-esteem, resulting in frustration.

One day, the world as Hideo knows it is shattered by the presence of a disease that turns people into homicidal maniacs, whose first instinct is to attack and devour the nearest human.

Armed with only his sporting shotgun, Hideo runs for his life, meeting strangers along the way. All the while, he and his companions struggle to stay alive, while questioning their moral choices…

Trailer: 

IMDb

Dead Rising: Watchtower is a 2015 action horror zombie film directed by Zach Lipovsky (Tasmanian Devils; Leprechaun: Origins), from a screenplay by co-producer Tim Carter (Mortal Kombat: Legacy). The film is based on the video game of the same name. Legendary Pictures produced as its first digital film and it was released on Crackle on March 27, 2015.

Cast:

Jesse Metcalfe (Insanitarium; The Tortured), Dennis Haysbert, Virginia Madsen (Candyman; The Haunting; A Haunting in Connecticut), Meghan Ory (Vampire High), Keegan Connor Tracy (Final Destination 2; Embrace of the Vampire; Bates Motel) and Rob Riggle (Dragula; Hotel Transylvania and sequel).

Plot:

Set between the events of Dead Rising 2 and Dead Rising 3, the story follows online reporter Chase Carter and camerawoman Jordan as they cover the stories of the people inside of the walled-in quarantined area in Oregon, as the government (running an organization called FEZA — Federal Emergency Zombie Authority) attempts to contain a viral outbreak that turns people into ravenous zombies.

An anti-viral drug called Zombrex, that keeps the virus at bay, is being administered to those infected. When it becomes clear that the drug is no longer effective and a zombie outbreak purges the town and infects its inhabitants, Chase, Jordan, grieving mother Maggie , and survivor Crystal battle their way out of the city before it gets firebombed. But Crystal has a dark secret, and the army has a hidden agenda…

Reviews:

“Dead Rising: Watchtower is precisely the type of comedic action/horror concoction that it plainly wants to be, but there’s something about the film’s aggressively episodic structure — and 118-minute running time — that makes it feel more like a series of short films that were cut together than a full-bore three-act story.” Scott Weinberg, Nerdist

“Fans may justifiably complain that it’s impossible to invest in one-dimensional characters and cliché government cover-ups, but no one can say it’s not as good as the games. Disposable characters and convoluted conspiracies are as common to the Dead Rising universe as machete shotguns and ludicrous Mad Max-style gangs. For better or worse, Watchtower is exactly the movie the Dead Rising series deserves.” Adam DiLeo, IGN

… surprisingly very good take on the hit video games of the same name. It’s above average zombie cinema with teeth and it’s worth a shot if you’re in the mood for good apocalyptic entertainment.” Felix Vasquez, Cinema Crazed

“Compounding the uneventful nature of the movie is the simple fact that it’s not very good horror. There’s blood – mostly in obvious CG splashes and the occasional mouthful burped out in actor’s faces – but no real gore. There’s a slightly juicy bisection, and a pretty good decapitation, but that’s it. For a movie with so much inventive hardware being wielded, too little of it ever gets put to use for a memorable kill.” Dan Whitehead, Eurogamer.net

Choice dialogue:

Case Carter [Jesse Metcalfe]: “I’m putting myself to sleep, this story’s been done.”

Protester: “God hates zombies!”

Filming locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Cast and characters:

• Jesse Metcalfe as Chase Carter
• Meghan Ory as Crystal O’Rourke
• Virginia Madsen as Maggie
• Keegan Connor Tracy as Jordan
• Aleks Paunovic as Logan
• Dennis Haysbert as General Lyons
• Gary Jones as Norton
• Carrie Genzel as Susan Collier
• Rob Riggle as Frank West
• Reese Alexander as Shearson
• Harley Morenstein as Pyro
• Julia Benson as Amy
• Peter Benson as Bruce
• C. Ernst Harth as Bonzo Zombie
• Jen and Sylvia Soska as Zombies (cameo; uncredited)

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb | Facebook

Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn – aka Night of the Living Dead: Origins – is a 2014 computer animated 3D horror film directed by Krisztian Majdik and Zebediah De Soto and produced by Simon West (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider; When a Stranger Calls [2006]; The Blob [2016]).

The production has been on and off since 2009. An online 2015 Indiegogo campaign to pay for a theatrical release raised a mere $1,225 (1% of target) from twenty-four backers.

The film is a re-telling of Night of the Living Dead (1968) set in modern day New York City rather than 1960s rural Pennsylvania. Both Todd and Moseley would be reprising their roles as Ben and Johnny, respectively, from the 1990 version of the film.

Main cast (voices):

Tony Todd, Danielle Harris, Bill Moseley, R. Madhavan, Joseph Pilato, Sydney Tamia Poitier, Alona Tal, Tom Sizemore.

Plot:

A group of desperate survivors fighting to stay alive barricaded in an abandoned apartment building. Confined, cut off from the world, and under constant attack from the undead hordes closing in around them, the six main characters struggle to survive while also confronting their own sense of compassion and humanity…

Review:

“ … unforgivably ugly. The head on Ben is so smushed and blurred that he looks like an armed robber wearing a nylon stocking over his face.  None of the model designs make any sense … Even at barely an hour, Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn is excruciating to sit through.” Culture Crypt

Cast and characters:

• Tony Todd as Ben
• Danielle Harris as Barbara
• Bill Moseley as Johnny
• R. Madhavan as Tom
• Joseph Pilato as Harry Cooper
• Sydney Tamiia Poitier as Tami
• Alona Tal as Helen Cooper
• Tom Sizemore as Chief McClellan
• Sarah Habel as Judy
• Jesse Corti as News Reporter
• Anastasia Roark as Susan Donaldson
• Cornell Womack as Hunter Deets
• Erin Braswell as Judy
• Mike Diskint as Tom
• Tech N9ne as Zombie

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Mystic… the most eerie stories ever told!’

Mystic was an American horror-suspense anthology comic published by Marvel’s 1950s iteration, Atlas Comics, from March 1951 and August 1957, lasting sixty-one issues.

Mystic debuted shortly before Atlas’ Strange Tales (Marvel, 1951 series), increasing the company’s science fiction/fantasy/horror line from four to six books. Its contributors included artists Bill Everett and John Severin.

Begun prior to the creation of the comic-book industry’s self-censorship board, the Comics Code Authority, Mystic softened its horror and began sporting the Comics Code seal with issue #37 (May 1955).

Mystic ran until the collapse of American News Company, Atlas’s distributor, which forced Atlas to undergo drastic restructuring and the cancellation of most of its titles.

We are indebted to Comic Vine for the cover images above. Visit their site for the more cover images.

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

‘Shoot. Cut. Stay alive.’

I Survived a Zombie Holocaust is a 2014 New Zealand supernatural comedy horror film that was directed and written by Guy Pigden, and is his feature film directorial debut. It stars Harley Neville, Jocelyn Christian, Ben Baker and Reanin Johannink.

The film should not be confused with the BBC3 TV series of the same title.

Plot:

Wesley (Harley Neville) couldn’t be happier- he has managed to land a job as a runner for an upcoming horror film, Tonight They Come. He also feels that he’s met the girl of his dreams in the set caterer Susan (Jocelyn Christian), which makes things that much better.

The only problem is that the director seems keen on using Wesley as a whipping boy to vent his frustrations and to make matters worse, the film’s extras all seem to have become zombies intent on killing them all…

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“More or less immunising itself against charges of unoriginality by constantly offering reflexive commentary on its own movie-bound qualities (or lack thereof), Pigden’s film is an affectionate trawl though the mechanics of the modern zombie picture.” Anton Bitel, Grolsch Film Works

“One or two sequences work very well (such as the director convincing his first AD to literally sacrifice himself for the art) but it’s overlong at 100-odd minutes and it struggles to find jokes beyond the self-referential. It’s difficult to criticise a film this amiable too harshly, but it’s not particularly funny.” Jonathan Hatfull, Sci-Fi Now

“Even thought the film is infused with over-the-top ridiculousness and a script that pokes fun at the genre, I Survived a Zombie Holocaust still pays “respect” to those genre films that have come before it … The film starts with a fourth-wall breaking zombie “movie” and ends on a similar slant and in between is some of the wittiest and smuttiest humour I’ve seen in a horror movie in some time.” Phil Wheat, Nerdly

“It’s one of the funniest zombie comedies in recent memory (apart from the tremendous Stalled) and is a great example of how to get the genre right. A brilliant thrill ride that will make you laugh, make you hurl and can even make you cry – even if it’s just from laughing so much.” Luke Owen, Flickering Myth

” … there are some great gory moments that give the film a much-needed kick out of the straight comedy zone. Just as the director says, “Finally, something with real substance!” as he records real zombies for his film, horror fans will be relieved that I Survived a Zombie Holocaust can deliver brilliantly bloody action to go with its witty writing.” Jessy Williams, Scream

Cast and characters:

•  as Wesley Pennington
• Jocelyn Christian as Susan Ford
• Ben Baker as Tane Henare
• Reanin Johannink as Jessica Valentine
• Mike Edward as Adam Harrison
• Andrew Laing as SMP
• Simon Ward as Richard Driver
• Mark Neilson as Randy Bateman
• Patrick Davies as Greg Winston
• Harry Love as Harold Beasley

Choice dialogue:

“I will not tolerate cannibalism on my set!”

Teaser:

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb | Facebook

Vere Vazhi Ille (English: “No Other Way”) is an 2015 Malaysian horror comedy and the first zombie film in Tamil, written and directed by M.S. Prem Nath.

It stars Denes Kumar in the lead role with Jasmine Michael. The film was released on 2 July 2015 in Malaysia and Singapore.

Plot:

Surya is an easygoing laid back guy who constantly switches jobs. One day, he accepts a job from his former employer at a security agency, who offers him RM3,000 for a 2-day and 1-night job as security guard at a soon-to-be shut down shopping complex building.

Maniam, the former Head of Security, gives Surya a tour in the building and tells him that the most suspicious and dangerous place he should avoid is the sixth floor, which is currently rented by a religious yoga group led by `Swamiji` (priest). They are up to no good as they plan to summon and trap spirits in dead bodies so that they can control them.

When the door to the spirit world is opened, dozens are possessed and turned into flesh eating Zombies. The only way to stop the Zombies is to get the Black Magic Book located on the sixth floor…

Teaser:

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘The undead movie party’

The Penny Dreadful Picture Show is a 2013 American horror anthology film comprising of three tales of terror written and directed by Nick Everhart, Leigh Scott and Eliza Swenson.

Main cast:

Eliza Swenson, Craig Blair, Theodore Bouloukos, Sid Haig, Jeffrey Combs.

Plot:

In an old movie theatre, undead Penny Dreadful, zombie Ned, and lycanthrope Wolfboy relate three horror tales: ‘Slash-in-the-Box’: A young couple find themselves being stalked by a lethal jack-in-the-box. ‘The Morning After’: Alice, a young lady, ponders what exactly happened to her last night. ‘The Slaughter House’: After their van breaks down, a group of friends must deal with a bizarre backwoods family.

Reviews:

“The title and the concept look like a cheap way to stitch together three unrelated short films of questionable quality … Thankfully the picture show is anything but “dreadful.” It is actually quite good, entertaining and amusing. It has a witty, wicked sense of humor prevalent in the wrap around and the shorts themselves in a favorable Tales from the Crypt flavor.” Doc Rotten, HorrorNews.net

“The Penny Dreadful Picture Show isn’t perfect, by any stretch. It’s got its problems, and a couple are easily detectable. However, if ever there was an inspired indie anthology, it’s this one. In terms of pure entertainment value, it’s right up there with recent successes All Hallows’ Eve, Little Deaths, V/H/S, and The Theatre Bizarre.” Matt Molgaard, Best Horror Movies

“This was a very enjoyable anthology film. Do I think it can compete with the other compilation films that are hogging all the spot light? I don’t think so, at least not yet. Luckily, The Penny Dreadful Picture Show is fronted by a beautiful and entertaining face, a new horror hostess capable of captivating an audience. That is by far the strongest trait of this movie.” Mike, Horror Society

Trailer:

IMDb | Facebook

Miruthan is a 2016 Indian Tamil science fiction zombie horror film written and directed by Shakti Soundar Rajan. It stars Jayam Ravi and Lakshmi Menon in the leading roles. Advertised as India’s first zombie film in Tamil, Miruthan was released on 19 February 2016.

Plot:

A stray dog becomes violent, after being exposed by toxic fumes, then bites a security guard. The security guard becomes a zombie momentarily and starts a chain of human infections via bites…

Karthik (Jayam Ravi) is a traffic officer in Ooty who avoids from any danger as he has to take care of a younger sister in her early teens. He is in love with a Dr. Renuka (Lakshmi Menon) but never proposes as all their meetings end up putting him in a bad light and to complicate things Renuka is already engaged to be married.

As the zombie infection spreads throughout the city, Karthik and Renuka team up with a few others to move to the adjoining metro city to find a vaccine for the infection…

Review:

“A few of the zombie portions work — the initial one involving a dog, the interval block when a hoard of zombies take over the van carrying the protagonists, and the climax, which has a superb set-up, at least on paper. Even though the execution is off, the haunting song that Imman provides for this moment, Mirutha Mirutha, hits us hard, and makes us care for the lead pair.” M. Sugganth, Times of India

“Where the film succeeds, I think, unexpectedly, is that it both exemplifies and transcends regional entertainment by telling a universally popular story that includes locally acceptable tropes without alienating potential outside audiences.” J Hurtado, Twitch

“While the film has been marketed as a ‘zombie’ film, it fits nowhere into that definition except for the inclusion of zombie-like creatures. The storyline is not novel nor convincing. It is amateurish. It is just another Tamil film masquerading as a zombie film.” Latha Srinivasan, dna

Cast and characters:

• Jayam Ravi as Karthik
• Lakshmi Menon as Renuka
• Sriman as Mall Security
• R. N. R. Manohar as Minister
• Kaali Venkat as Chinamalai
• Anikha Surendran as Vidya
• Jeeva Ravi as Chief Doctor
• Crane Manohar as Wedding Broker
• Amit Bhargav as Naveen

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

Dead Rush is a 2016 American point-of-view zombie horror film directed by Zachary Ramelan from a screenplay co-written with Gavin Michael Booth and Raven Cousens for Ruthless Pictures.

The film will have its world premiere at the Canadian Film Fest, which begins March 30th, 2016.

Cast:

David Michael Moote, Raven Cousens, Charlie Hamilton, Caleigh Le Grand, Rich Piatkowski, and Austin Duffy.

Press release:

“For the first time ever, the zombie apocalypse has fallen upon the shoulders of the viewer. Dead Rush puts you in the center of the mayhem like never before by letting you experience the horror through the eyes of a few struggling survivors as they search for safety, defend their loved ones, and fight for their lives through waves of the undead! Dawn is on the horizon, and even the day seems dark as night. The dead rush has begun. Will you make it?”

Trailer:

IMDb | Facebook

Where Evil Lives – aka Trilogy of Fear – is a 1991 American anthology horror film written and directed by Richard L. Fox (assistant director of Donnie Darko and The Woods), Stephen A. Maier and Kevin G. Nunan. It stars Claude Akins (The Night Stalker; The Norliss Tapes; Tentacles).

The film remained unreleased until 2012 when it was picked up for distribution by Troma Entertainment.

Plot:

Jack Devlin (Akins), caretaker of the Spencer House State, reveals a grisly history of zombies, vampires, and witches to a prospective buyer…

Reviews:

“… Evil proves to be far from the best horror movie of the 80s (or 90s) and Troma yet again proves they’ll say just about anything to sell something. Surprisingly, two people involved in this one managed to go on to bigger and better things.” The Bloody Pit of Horror

“Where Evil Dwells is not a good movie. The first tale was fun and made me think that the movie might have a chance to be a memorable anthology, but it quickly nosedived and was very tough to get through. It was really disappointing.” Scared Stiff Reviews

“In all honesty it’s not very good, but its fun all the same. For the most part the moviemakers seem to be trying to make something out of it, and they do a decent job creating some atmosphere. But at its core, it’s no-budget schlock that should entertain, but most probably be forgotten about by morning.” Todd Jordan, Rock! Shock! Pop!

Filming locations:

Stuart, Florida

Trilogy of Fear trailer:

Troma trailer:

IMDb | Image thanks: The Bloody Pit of Horror