If my memory is correct, we were in full Covid lockdown when I saw a documentary arrive on video-on-demand (VOD). Since I now had more time to watch movies, I decided to watch it and I’m glad I did because I loved it.
The documentary is called Sam & Mattie Make a Zombie Movie! Unbeknownst to me, a few years back these young men released a film called Spring Break Zombie Massacre! This doc was about how that movie came to be. I rented it on demand and was so impressed I purchased the DVD.
I’m pleased to welcome back Mark Spangler for another one of his insightful reviews…
In the days of yore, we quaked to Quasimodo, dreaded Dracula, and feared the Frankenstein monster. The wolfman had us howling while the mummy had us screaming for mommy. Soon came atomic monsters, horrors from Hammer, and later still, demon-possessed little girls, slashers, freaks, cannibals, and zombie hordes. There was and still is much to be afraid of when we venture out into the darkened theaters we love so well. The most terrifying element in the history of the horror film, however – or any genre for that matter – is the dreaded “s”’ word. Yes, we’re referring to the unmentionable, the taboo, the hideous… subtitles.
In terms of raw horror, Shudder’s latest offering, The Sadness (2021) directed by Canadian filmmaker, Rob Jabbaz, is the best I’ve seen in quite a while. At first, I dismissed this subtitled, Taiwanese flick as yet another Covid-inspired zombie/28 Days Later retread – similar to the last Shudder flick I discussed, Virus: 32 (2022). Not so! While it’s true this movie does fit into that subgenre, it ramps up the horror elements to levels I’ve not seen in any of its peers. Simply put, this film is brutal. And, at the risk of coming across as a Sadist, I absolutely loved it.
The zombie trope gets a 2020s makeover in Shudder’s latest original picture Virus: 32 (2022). This fast-paced horror flick comes to us from Argentina and Uruguay and dropped on the Shudder streaming service this past Friday.
Let’s have a conversation about A24 and their latest horror film, X (2022). Since this independent film company began ten years ago, it’s truly made its mark in creating unique entertainment you’ll ponder long after the end credits have scrolled. Consequently, A24 films can, and will, divide their audience. Not everyone is looking for deep, artsy, or often weird experiences when watching a horror movie. Sometimes this is made worse by fellow enthusiasts who respond to A24 criticism with an air of superiority – You say you hated Midsommar? Well, maybe it was just too deep for you? Thereby fanning the flames even further.
It’s been almost exactly two years since Mark Spangler contributed to this site with his illuminating expose of The Ninth Gate. Today, he’s putting the spotlight on an old physical media release worth revisiting. Welcome back, Mark! – Dave
Back in 2001, Brentwood Home Video released a ten-film set of genre films entitled “Vault of Horror”. You may have seen this collection lying in wait, like the proverbial evil monkey’s paw, amidst other compilation releases of questionable origin. Brentwood is noted for its bootleg DVD and Blu Ray releases, but don’t let that stop you from picking up this nifty little package if you get the chance. As is to be expected, the transfers on these discs aren’t the best… audio is uneven at times and the “extras” are laughable, but the stories, acting, and directing in some of these movies more than makes up for these deficiencies, provided one can overlook the fade-to-black annoyances that scream “movie of the week” on some of the selections. The early-to-mid ’70s saw the production of some notable TV movie horror (“Night Stalker”, “Trilogy of Terror”) and while the TV fare in this set isn’t that good, there is stuff here you may have overlooked that’s worth seeing.
Terror from Beyond the Dave 