Call me a sucker for these Frankenstein themed movies. But, I have a sort of sweet tooth for spins that get put on the original classics. It’s a tried and true formula, similar to Dracula, Wolfman, and the rest of the them. There are so many different directions these movies can go. As well as creating these characters to fall in with current events and times. The idea of immortal life is too great of an idea to not be used in a horror movie. Mix it with a little science and some real possibility then……you need yourself a mad scientist! Or in this case, a group of them.

The movie starts with Dr. Elizabeth Barnes (Shepis) wheelchair bound, and wearing a prosthetic mask recounting the events that took place 2 years prior. When it comes to stem cell research, Dr. Barnes is the best. That’s why Dr. Walton (Ed Lauter) is more than happy to have her join his research team, under the watchful eye of Marcus (Louis Mandylor) of course. Need that security. Especially when dealing with human test subjects. But, it’s the ends that justify the means, and its all going to be worth it once they discover the key to life.

Their work turns to obsession, risks are taken, and the lines of morality, and mortality are crossed. After one of their subjects commits suicide, the idea of Dr. Barnes testing her regeneration theory on a dead subject seems like a pretty decent idea. The results are better than they could have imagined. The consequences aren‘t too pretty though. Everything starts to spiral out of control. The team is half held hostage by upper management, and half crazed with their God complexes. Oh, and to add to the cluster of shit they in. Throw in a revived bad ass that is quickly evolving into something uncontrollable. Maybe they weren’t too far off. What is it called when you’re playing God, you end up actually creating a God?

OVERALL SUMMARY
The Frankenstein Syndrome is great way to spend an hour and a half of your evening. Its too bad the movie was straight to DVD and didn’t have a bigger release. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of these on Blu Ray. The quality is far beyond other crap that I see all over the video shelves. But, I love seeing Tiffany in a starring role. Its great knowing that there are still people out there giving fans horror movies worth watching. The movie is smart, bloody, and has a story to tell. Sean Tretta made a great film. The dynamic duo of Sean and Tiffany could mean great things for horror fans in the coming years. If they keep making them, I’ll keep watching them. Thanks!

Terry Coe

The post The Frankenstein Syndrome (2010) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Title characters, Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine), are heading up to the cabin they bought as a fixer-upper. As well as drink some beer, do some fishing, and drink some more beer. Also heading into the woods are a group of the typical good looking college kids from all the co-ed clichés. The good old boys meet up with the pretty boys at local gas station while filling up on their weekend supplies. The ‘squeal like a pig’ appearance of Tucker and Dale isn’t exactly comforting to the college group. And to be fair, the Saved by the Bell look doesn’t really excite Tucker. Dale, on the other hand thinks he finds true love and tries introducing himself with a sickle in hand, looking like the redneck Grim Reaper. That sits about as well as you’d expect. A big bearded man with a sickle laughing nervously at you might give some strange vibes. Too bad they don’t know there is more to Tucker and Dale. A couple fun loving, beer chugging, really cool guys. Far less dangerous than the other group.

At night, while Tucker and Dale are out fishing, Allison (Katrina Bowden) and the rest of her friends thought it’d be fun to go skinny dipping. An accident lands Allison out cold in the water, and Tucker and Dale in the right spot to save her. When the two try flagging down the rest of Allison’s friends for help, the group panics, and they take off in fear. Too bad they didn’t know Allison couldn’t have been in better hands. After retreating back to camp for a rescue and revenge plan, Allison’s friends arm themselves with their combined knowledge of the horror movies they’ve seen, and…. their wit, I guess. More lack of it really. With every attempt at rescue of their friend, some crazy bloody shit happens that leaves Tucker and Dale wondering what the hell is wrong with these kids?

OVERALL SUMMARY
T & D takes us back to the roots of comedy horror movies. Creativity, some good old fashion writing, and keeping the special effects simple and fun. I’m tired of movies thrown together in someone’s back yard and edited with Photoshop. These movies are hitting the shelves at the video store way too fast. While Tucker & Dale is FINALLY getting its well deserved release. This is a movie to sit and watch with some friends and a few beers. Roll up a cooler of Old Milwaukee, throw on your favorite pair of overalls and prepare to just have a good time.

Terry Coe

The post Tucker & Dale vs Evil (2010) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Maria (Danielle Harris) is a small time reporter investigating the unexplained disappearances of numerous women. She finds herself setting up camp in a small Midwestern town called Arkham Heights. While doing her fact finding she comes into contact with Emmet (Lance Henriksen). Emmet seems to know WAY too much about Cyrus to be considered a safe reference in my book. But, against the wishes of Emmet, Maria records her interview with him, probing deeper and deeper into Cyrus’s life. Ignoring the obvious question.. What do people taste like? OH, and.. How does Emmet know the bloody details of what happened to all the people Cyrus tortured and killed. Emmet’s story reveals how Cyrus goes from hopeful husband and soon to be father. To an obsessive serial killer with his brain stuck in crazy mode by night, and quiet hometown meat cutter by day.

I was a huge fan of this movie. Honestly, there are some things we’ve seen before. But, how can you avoid that nowadays? The difference in this movie is the quality. Everyone nailed their parts and made Cyrus much more intense to watch. Lance Henriksen makes every movie he is in. As usual, Henriksen is a genius and can never get enough screen time. Brian Krause kind of steps into a role a little different than a lot of his recent movies I’ve seen. When I talked to him later that night, Brian said it was the first time he watched the finished product. When I asked him what he thought, he said, ‘Wow, that was pretty intense.’ He also mentioned that he had a great time with the part and enjoyed doing it. It was interesting hearing about the making of the movie from Brian and Mark after it was over. Mark Vadik really covered a lot of bases when creating the character. He put together a quality serial killer.

OVERALL SUMMARY
The psychotic mind of Cyrus is a dangerous place to be. But watching it work is a hell of good time. A couple predictable scenes are shadowed by the over all quality of the rest of the film. Great movie, great special effects, and some good scenes to make you go, ‘DAMN!’ Watching Cyrus is like having a front row seat to serial killer evolution. I highly recommend checking it out, might learn some new cooking techniques too.

Terry Coe

The post Cyrus: Mind of a Serial Killer (2010) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

In 2022 Space Core 1 is on a mission to repair a nuclear satellite, and according to the opening credits its “dangerous… Very dangerous.” I get a kick out of corny opening credits. Its just a normal day in space until a systems malfunction leaves Space Core 1 floating helpless with less than 24 hours till they crash into the surface of the Moon. Things start to really get strange when the space shuttle Discovery comes out of the darkness heading towards them and proceeds to dock with SC1. The same shuttle that crash landed in the Bermuda Triangle decades ago is now looking straight outta the junk yard and filled with ocean water and sea weed. Meeting up with the Discovery is far from an accident. And when they link up in hopes of repairing their own ship they find an evil straight from Hell. Its not resting till it has their souls.

To say this movie is filled with crazy moments of revelations would be an understatement. Our hero Giles Stewart (Will Bledsoe) is really able to put things together. It seems, the number 6 is in the longitude and latitude of each of the 3 points of the Bermuda Triangle. Uh oh. Just so happens there have been 665 total disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle before SC1 came drifting in. You know what that makes them…. Super cheesy. I also think there is a standard space ship set that every sci-fi movie used in the 80’s and early 90’s. Same randomly blinking lights with dozens of switches and computer monitors that all look the same. I sure do miss those days.

The characters in this movie are clichéd, disposable, and don’t really fit the parts they are put in. The exception is Joe Turkel. Best known for his roles in Blade Runner and The Shining. And Camilla Moore is easy on the eyes playing the always necessary ship’s robot.

OVERALL SUMMARY
Dark Side of the Moon was a cool trip down memory lane. Even though flawed by today’s standards, it’s a really fun movie. The film was released in 1990, but, holds together better than some of the junk we have now. Even with some of the similar sci-fi movies this one does manage to give us a little originality. How often do you get to see Hell’s space program? Check it out free on the Netflix instant view.

Terry Coe

The post Dark Side of the Moon (1990) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Writer and director Johannes Roberts isn’t new to the horror scene. Other movies include Darkhunters, Hellbreeder, Forrest of the Damned and upcoming Forrest of the Damned 2. Also starring a well known David Schofield from Wolfman, Valkyrie, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Gladiator, just to name a few. Schofield stars as Robert Anderson, a teacher faced with the dangerous task of coming to work and grading papers.

Mr. Anderson seems like a smart guy, pretty sure of himself, but comes off a little to cocky when delivering an F instead of a RS (resubmit). The embarrassment is apparently too much for the kid, and he bloodies Anderson and knocks him on his ass. The whole event isn’t looked upon very good by the school board. Threats of a law suit keep the kid in school and turn Anderson into a castaway of sorts. 11 months later, he is back to teaching and has fallen apart. Its too bad when you need a bottle of Jack just to make it through the day because you’re scared of your own students. Fellow teachers, the students, and even his daughter think of him as a waste of space. How sudden your life can change because of fear.

Tonight a group of students sneak back into the school, but its for a different kind of extra credit. They seem more like ninja monkeys though. The way these hooded kids are jumping around the walls and book shelves just coming out of nowhere. Its pretty creepy. Like a pack of vicious animals they stalk the faculty members. Using their surroundings the group find inventive ways to torture and kill their prey. Anderson and his daughter need to get out of that school.

Faculty or student, it doesn’t matter.. You’re all dead. F, has the type of killers I always thought where the best. The silent psycho type. No regret, no hesitation.. Slaughter everyone. My only complaint was, the movie was way too short. This movie was quite the diamond in the rough. I heard very little about it up until the last couple months. I hope it gets some more attention over here in the states. The violence in schools is a huge problem. We’re not too far from something like this happening. Maybe parents need to go back to beating their kids or something. Haha

OVERALL SUMMARY
David Schofield delivers an awesome performance and Johannes Roberts seals the deal for me as a director and horror writer. Its not a movie for the gore goers. But, it is a quality thriller that deserves to be seen. F, it’s grade I didn’t see much of during school. Fortunately I was a straight D student. Wonder if this movie is affecting grades as we read this? Might want to reconsider that next failing grade and pass along a solid D+. May save your life!

Terry Coe

The post F (2010) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Altitude has a pretty cut and dry premise. At first anyway. Five kids in a small engine plane on their way to a concert experience a malfunction and the plane starts ascending out of control. Besides climbing to dangerous heights, they have even more problems. Something is up there with them.

Fairly new to feature length movies, Kaare Andrews directs his first horror / thriller. He has another movie in the works that sounds pretty interesting too, The Hunted. Paul Birkett who has been pretty versatile in movie genres was behind the writing. I was a little excited to see Jessica Lowndes (Sara) in here too. She was in The Haunting of Molly Hartley and Autopsy. Good to see her sticking in the horror scene. I was a big fan of Autopsy.

Five mins into this movie I already know who isn’t going to make it through to the end. At least I sure hope he doesn’t, Sal. He is the loud mouthed pain in the ass who is already half crocked at take off. On top of that, he isn’t a big fan of Bruce. Sara’s boyfriend who is obviously scared to death of flying. He just isn’t having a good time at all. I think there is a little more to him than he puts on though. Mel, who is Sal‘s girlfriend, is a film student. She brought her trusty camera along to annoy everyone. It’s not a teen thriller without one of them bringing a camera along to film the whole thing. Sara’s brother, Corey, is a little more calm and cool. He is our every guy.

Yeah, watch this movie. I loved it. I can understand the mixed reviews I read prior to watching it. The movie tends to focus on the characters and their survival while 1,000’s of feet in the air. We see very little of the thing that’s stalking them so high up. This is one of those movies that do VERY well inducing fear with what we don’t see, and a different kind of fear with what we do see. Each one of them handles their situation differently, and its believable. I feel for these kids up there! Its very much like an episode of Twilight Zone. There is a lot of little hints to a bigger story. We don’t get to see it all come together till the near end. When we do though, it’s tied together perfectly.

OVERALL SUMMARY
Quality writing, great characters, and an awesome story. Altitude brings a few phobias to the table that can really hit home for people watching. I think that will greatly increase the viewing pleasure. I’m sure that’s why I found this movie so good. Scared me to death thinking of myself in their spot! If you’re a gore hound, and like to see blood splattered on everything. Or some creature jumping out at you every few mins. This won’t have it. What you will get is a great supernatural story that takes us back to the days of Twilight Zone. Hasn’t gotten the best of reviews here and there. But, I loved it. 5 Stars.

Terry Coe

The post Altitude (2010) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Somewhat new to the horror genre, Dario Piana hops on to direct. He directed The Deaths of Ian Stone, which I was impressed with. There is an awesome new drug out called Thirst being handed out at underground raves. These raves are just a cover to convert unsuspecting party goers into cronies for the suspected head vampire, DJ X. His actions don’t go unnoticed either. Gwen Lieber is a vampire novelist who’s brother goes missing after attending one of these raves. Who ya gonna call? With an offer Edgar can’t refuse, and a vampire hunting army worthy enough to slay the meanest of the mean, they hit the party scene hoping to end DJ X’s days of disk spinning and blood sucking.

Within a couple mins I can see Lost Boys 3 is looking a lot darker with a lot more Frog. Making a comeback from the first movie, Jamison Newlander, Edgar’s sidekick and brother Alan Frog. Very nice seeing an old face come back to fight the forces of vampire evil. It made the anticipation for LB3 even greater. He isn’t the same bad ass with a comic book obsession anymore though. Things are a little different in Alan’s world. I’m really liking the few flashbacks to the first LB movie. There are a lot of little things that tie the movies together. Some of them are harder to pick up than others. Good homage to Corey Haim too. Would have been great to have him back in the fold with the other 2 “monster bashers.”

I really enjoyed the movie. I liked a hell of a lot better than the one we got a couple years ago. If you liked anything at all from part 2. You should really like this one. Some of you that couldn’t even finish it may have a hard time trusting the third movie. I think you’ll find it very enjoyable. There is an actual story even. Some decent action, but, a little slow getting to the body count. For a direct to video movie, we even got a couple decent plot twists thrown at us too. Can’t forget the cheesy on liners either!

OVERALL SUMMARY
You’ll look past the gravel in Corey Feldman’s voice that he tried to hang onto from the first movie. Because, well, it reminds us of better movies and better vampires. Its nostalgic. Special effects well beyond other crap we’re sitting through, and more fun than a Twilight movie that I couldn’t even get drunk enough to find something I liked about it. You can almost disregard Lost Boys: The Tribe all together. Here, it didn’t happen. Might be a good thing. Corey himself even said something about how he didn’t care for that movie. Well, I really liked this one. Only thing making it better would be to get the vampire slaying started a little earlier. On to Lost Boys 4: The Return of Eddie Munster.

Terry Coe

The post Lost Boys: The Thirst (2010) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Monsters takes place 6 years after a space probe crash landed in the northern part of Mexico. This space probe was sent to collect samples of the alien life found in our solar system. After the crash, new life began to emerge. Most of northern Mexico becomes an infected zone, and starts showing signs of new life forms. Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) is an injured tourist that meets up with Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) who agrees to help her get to the Mexican American border. That means they have to cross the INFECTED ZONE. That’s where all the monsters hang out and sharpen their teeth on human bones. Not sure about that part yet. They might just be gigantic misunderstood softies. That would make for an interesting twist huh?

You don’t see much of the monsters right away. There is a quick military scene fighting a huge octopus looking thing. But, after that most of what we see is some of the carnage caused by these things. Tanks ripped apart, helicopters that have fallen out of the sky, buildings destroyed, and giant fences put up to mark the infected zones. And, the occasional background television shot of the creatures getting shot at. Always from a distance and no real detail. Reminds me a little of Cloverfield. When Kaulder and Samantha get closer the transport to the states they find out it is FAR from cheap to get a ride past the infected zones. $5000 for a boat ride through the Gulf of Mexico, damn. I’m gonna guess they don’t get a full boat ride though.

Alien action never really gets off the ground, in a way we would normally expect it. There isn’t any laser blasts, no cheesy action one liners, and there isn’t any countdown to world domination. What we get is some really good character development and spectacular special effects, topped off with some above average acting. We don’t see a ton of the creatures that inhabit the infected zone. Its more off camera queues that the ET’s are near, or we see a leg or ten. The creature references and screen time were just a hair below what I would have liked to see after all is said and done. Just a tad bit more and it would have been a 5 star movie.

Here is what I read… This movie was made with a total of $15,000. I call bull shit, annnnnnd, I hope I’m wrong. The movie was filmed on location in Mexico, and apparently Monsters was only thrown together with the 2 actors, and whoever was around at that time paid for their parts. If this movie and the special effects were made possible for only $15,000. We need to get some different people running finance in these Hollywood blockbusters. Because, if you did this movie with only 15k. Then you going to find work for a loooong time.

OVERALL SUMMARY
Monsters isn’t your average sci fi invasion movie. Its different and it tells a different story. We see a more real to life experience with our characters, rather than some Independence Day film. Monsters is a different kind of sci fi. Who knows how we would react to a situation like this. Based on the way the movie was set up, I can see it happening. Could the creatures be like this? Who the hell knows. Hell yeah they could. Monsters did give me that, “If it could happen…” feel too. In the end, maybe it is US that will have to adapt. Be prepared though.. Its not your average alien movie. I would surely give this movie a rent. If you have $10 you are not planning anything with, go ahead and rent the movie off of the PS3 Store.

Terry Coe

The post Monsters (2010) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Its not everyday that Lou Diamond Phillips stoops to make some made for TV horror film. Oh, that’s right… It is. But, I love the guy anyway. He has never led we in the wrong direction for my taste. However my taste in movies is a little different. I was also surprised to see another familiar name, Sheldon Wilson. He directed this movie and a couple others that I found pretty enjoyable. Another made for SyFy movie, Mothman. He also did Screamers: The Hunting and Shallow Ground. All 3 movies that I liked watching. Lower budget, sure. But, fun none the less.

Cap, (A.C. Peterson) runs a far from legit carnival that arrives in Reliance. Cap has recently acquired a mythical creature that will make him rich. The Jersey Devil. It isn’t to fond of being caged up and poked by local boys either. Death and dismemberment is pretty much a sure thing when it escapes. Keeping consistent with messed up names, Atlas (Lou D. Philips) has a pretty cliché role as our fearless sheriff assigned to save the day.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Jersey Devil, it’s a winged creature supposedly taking its mail in the state of New Jersey. Witnesses have reported seeing it in other states near by though. Most of the sightings occur around forest and farm land.

Carny has two great horror themes going for it. Legendary creatures, and the creepy carnival. I just wish they would have focused more on both or either of them more than they did. Lou Diamond Philips did a pretty decent job considering the screen time he had. Just didn’t seem like much and didn’t seem like enough either. He really is a great actor that can get into a role quite nicely. Don’t worry Lou, you’re still cool in my book.

OVERALL SUMMARY
I’m not sure about Carny. I had it in my mind that this was going to be pretty cheesy. I wasn’t disappointed. I do have to say that I was really looking forward to an decent story. I like a back story and some character development. There really wasn’t any of that either. Lou did a pretty good job with what he had to work with, and the special effects are surprisingly good. I was rather impressed with them. But, with the creature not being on screen too long, I suppose there was more money to be used on the time they had. I liked the movie, but, I can’t see myself watching it again. After a couple rum and cokes I started rooting for Lou to kick its ass. I think I ever referred to him as Sea Bass once or twice. I was just in that sort of mood. If you’re looking to kill some time on a rainy day, its not a waste of your hour and a half. Grab this movie off your Netflix instant view and give it a try. Grab some rum too, it surely won’t hurt.

Terry Coe

The post Carny (2009) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Dead Snow follows an unlucky group of medical students to a remote cabin in the snowy mountains. All they want is a relaxing trip just to get away from it all. Sounds fun right? Skiing, snowmobiling, 45 min walk to get to your car, no cell phones, Nazi zombies that want to cut your head off and eat you. May or may not be in that order. What more could you ask for in a winter break? But, of course Mr. Killjoy comes up and makes himself at home and drops the bomb on these kids about its dangerous past. What a way to ruin a good buzz.

After a somewhat sleepless night Vegard goes and looks for his girlfriend, Sara. She was being the adventurous of the group and goes cross country skiing to the cabin hoping to arrive before the other ones. We see how well that went within the first 2 mins of the credits. While he is away, the others make a pretty big find. Apparently, someone left a big box of the Nazi’s gold coins and treasure in the cabin’s storage area. We don’t want to make it too hard for our friends at the cabin. Although we do want to get into the blood and gore as soon as possible, so bring on the loot!! That old guy wasn’t as crazy as they thought I guess. Bet they wish they followed his advice and made better coffee. Oops, too late, a severed head in the window. Time for the good stuff.

So much bloody fun and gore. Sometimes you don’t know if you want to cheer for the Nazi’s or the kids in the cabin. Those zombies can really tear shit up! Its really too bad that Vegard is out on his search for Sara, because he seems like the best bet for survival. Everyone back at the cabin shows all the signs of disposable characters with some really good one liners.

I think its awesome that Tommy Wirkola made this movie before he was even 30 years old. The special effects, make up, soundtrack, and feel of the movie are all awesome. I assume he feels the same way about the horror genre that a lot of us do. You can really tell by the way he gave us Dead Snow. I really hope to see some more out of this guy. He is pretty new to the movie industry, but, I think he has proven himself well able to make a film that is beyond fun.

OVERALL SUMMARY
Bottom line. If you are a fan of zombie comedy even just a little bit, you need to see this movie. I’ve seen it 3 times now and its still funny with each viewing. See if you can find the homage to other movies as well, there are plenty of them. I have no problem giving this movie a 5 star rating. Its that damn good, and even better on blu ray if you get the chance. There is a moral to Dead Snow.. Listen to the crazy old guy in the mountains. And, don’t mess with Nazi zombie gold… They’ll rip your guts out.

Terry Coe

The post Dead Snow (2009) appeared first on Horror Asylum.