Dollar Bin Horror Spotlight - Gothkill (Screener Review)

Catholic Priest and inquisitor Nicholas Dread found this out the hard way. Nick was an earnest man. When he found out that innocents were being burned as witches he decided to do something about it. Unfortunately for him, his superiors didn't see things the way he thought they would. Burned at the stake alongside two women he had forced confessions out of, Nick cursed god and the church. He vowed he would have his own kingdom, and that he would save the falsely accused witches. Will he?
Fast forward to early 21st century New York. Demonic Cult leader Nick Dread, now completely mad, is to be executed for the murder of a group of religious leaders, as well as for massacring his own followers. His end of a bargain he made with the devil is now complete. His belief is that a kingdom of over one hundred thousand corrupt souls awaits him, and that he and witches he vowed to save would rule and reign as a king and his queens...or will they? Elsewhere in the City, a pair of dorky yet loveable young college girls are about to be treated as V.I.P. guests of the elite "Scorpion Society". The Scorpion Society are known for throwing all the best Goth events in New York. They regularly mix with celebrities and are believed to have magical powers which allow them to live like the Vampires of old. To be invited into their inner circle is an honor and a privelidge to say the least...or is it?

This movie was just so much fun to watch mainly thanks to the main character Nick Dread, played by professional fire breather Flambeaux. His performance as the deranged cult leader promised a kingdom in hell is absolutely hysterical, yet still frightening. He really convinces you that we was as nutty as he seemed. His lines seem to have almost a perfect timing to brighten up a dull scene or to mellow out a tense one. The film itself was pretty entertaining. The acting from the other characters wasn't too bad, the story was pretty simple to follow, and the film had a good pace. There is low budget gore throughout and hot naked goth and demon girls for fans who like a touch of exploitation in your horror. This is not to say the film didn't have it's problems. There were times where the film got a tad dull, but was saved by a funny line or a killing of some sort. The green screen fire effects, although I know the film is low budget, kinda bugged me; it made hell look pretty cheap for me. And my biggest pet peeve about the film was the actor who ran the "Scorpion Society". Yes he was supposed to be intentionally annoying, and he definitely did that, but he wasn't believable. He didn't convince me at all that he could lure young women into this club and convince them to follow him, he just wasn't the leader type. But I must say that these minor flaws don't take away the fact that this is a fun indie film to watch at that I very much enjoyed watching it. I say check it out! Visit www.gothkill.com to find out more.

Dollar Bin Horror Spotlight - Sean Springett

Sean Springett is a 23 year old Aspiring Film maker/Artist. As far as the horror world is concerned, he is registered at many online communities, adding his two cents in on the genre, as well as having a fun time interacting with fellow fans. At the tender age of 6 was when he was opened up to it, and has been watching them ever since. He also enjoys writing short stories, scripts, as well as having an interesting taste when it comes to drawing. He runs the blog Running over Cujo with Christine and talked to me about it.

Q: What made you want to start a horror blog?

A: It all came down to the fact that, in my personal life, I don't know many people who are willing to sit down and have a conversation about Horror movies. I have quite the knowledge of the genre, as it's been the go-to kind of films for me ever since I was a little kid, so I really take it all to heart. I would occasionally post notes on my Facebook about my opinions on certain things involving Horror, but I sort of felt they really got passed over.
And, if someone has a great interest and opinion in something, they want to be heard, right? Of course they do. So, I figured I'd start a blog. It's a great source to channel all of my thoughts without any worry of being practically persecuted for my opinions. Or...I at would hope it wouldn't come down to that.

Q: How did you come up with the name, which I adore by the way!

A: I knew I wanted it to be pretty Horror oriented, of course. But for the life of me...I couldn't think of ANYTHING to call it. I came up with a lot of crummy names along the lines of "The Horror Clubhouse" and crap like that, but it didn't sit well with me. I knew I wanted it to be witty, so that the title would inevitably grab peoples attention, but still have something rooted in Horror films. As I said in my Interview with Stabbing Stabbing Stabbing, believe it or not, I was leaning towards something to go off of “Driving Miss Daisy,” then I remembered the scene in the 1992 comedy ‘Stay Tuned’ with “Driving over Ms. Daisy.” Then it hit me…’Running over Cujo with Christine.’ Taking a relatively known character from a Horror story and film (Cujo), then adding in the whole ‘Christine’ factor…I still chuckle at how it came to be to this day.

Q: What can we expect from your blog?

A: You can expect Horror movie reviews for the most part, but at the same time you'll get some pretty great insights into my views on the Horror scene, such as current trends and fandom. Things really aren't what they used to be in Horror, so the key of my blog is to keep the old school heart of Horror alive and well, while not totally disregarding the state it is in now.

Q: Where do you see your blog going in the future? What are your plans for it?

A: I can only hope for the best. I have already met a ton of great people because of this, and I can only hope I meet even more. They've all been very courteous, welcoming, and nice. Also, I would love to see it get a little notice, simply as another place that people get a pretty intelligent view on things, while still having a good time while they're at it. Oh, and getting some movies sent to me to review wouldn't be too bad either, or invited to special events. Heh, but seriously...if anything comes out of this whole thing, I will be forever thankful, because in all seriousness...I didn't expect any of what has already happened to have come along. So, the future is totally not up to me. Whatever happens, happens. I'm just here to be another voice to the Horror Blogosphere, and make great friends along the way.

Happy Earth Day!

I just wanna wish everyone a Happy Earth day and I hope you all find your own way of going green! If you have cable, this will be an Earth Day to remember! All day today, on TV’s Chiller TV channel, there’s a “Recycle Bodies Zombie Movie Marathon.” The films include: “Dawn of the Dead,” “The Vanguard,” “Clive Barker's The Plague,” “The Evil Dead”, “Zombie Town” and “The Mad.” If you don't have cable, pop in a few zombie dvd's turn off all the lights (to save energy of course) and enjoy this Earth day with the greenest of the green...the undead!

Dollar Bin Film - "Screamers"

A group of escaped convicts soon wish that they had stayed in jail when they discover that their island hideout is inhabited by a deranged doctor who enjoys "turning people inside out."

Screamers is an Italian horror film retelling the story of the Island of Dr. Moreau. It's very entertaining but it's tagline is a bit misleading. The men who are being experimented on aren't being "turned inside out", as the tagline states, but into amphibious deep-sea diving creatures. None the less, the movie is gory, well acted and very well shot. The effects even seem to be ahead of it's time. The first fifteen minutes are the most shocking, and the rest of the film is entertaining with plot twists at every turn (I have no doubt that is was films like this that inspired the first SAW film). It was filmed at the same time and in the same location as Zombi 2, and also stars Zombi 2's Richard Johnson (talk about cost effective shooting!). This is an old grindhouse gem that shows how amazing Italian horror is. Now if your planning on buying or renting this film, take note that there are two versions out there. The first is the VHS version (the one I have) in which Roger Corman added a few additional gory scenes for the American audiences. The second is the original Italian version on a newly restored DVD (I have not seen this version, so if you have let me know what you think!). If you love on grindhouse films, Italian horror, and just plain old good horror films, I recommend you take a gander at Screamers (also known as L'isola degli uomini pesce).

75 years of the Bride

Over at the amazing blog Frankensteinia (if your not following it, stop reading this and check it out now!) is the 75th anniversary celebration of The Bride of Frankenstein, in my opinion the greatest film ever made. Here on DBH, I want to celebrate by reminiscing on the first time I ever saw this classic film.
I wasn't a child or a youngster when I first saw the bride, I was about 13 or 14 and has already gotten my feet wet with a love of horror. Unfortunately at this time, I hadn't seen any of the classics for myself yet, only read the book and of course I knew about the films, just hadn't seen them. This was my first venture into classic Universal Monsters.
I was in middle school at the time and my teacher, god only knows what her name was anymore, wanted to show use a movie. Of course, I suggested like 3 different horror films, but the R ratings kinda put her off. She said she knew a film I would love...The Bride of Frankenstein. Now again at this time, I had only read the original book. At first I was bummed out that she hadn't picked Rocky Horror (my first choice lol) and was planning on skipping class, but I figured I'd get caught with my luck, so I went to class.
She put the film in and from the first scene with Boris Karloff as the monster, I was hooked. I had never really scene a classic film, so just the look of a well made black and white film intrigued me. As the movie got further along, I really developed heartfelt feelings for the monster, something no other horror film had done at the time for me. The scene with the monster and the blind man almost had me in tears, because at the time, I knew how he felt (put it this way, I wasn't very popular in middle school. I was the fat ugly goth kid!). I was amazed at how good the acting and story was, and even more intrigued how they got this whole story from a book that didn't even have the bride as a full fledged character!
Then came the part that has been stuck in all of our heads for years, the revealing of the bride. Now up to this point, I've related classic movie actresses to beautiful blonds with perfect everything. But when the bride was shown for the first time close up, I was blown away. Hear eyes were piercing, her hair stood straight up with 2 white streaks up the side, stitches lined her jaw, and her gaze itself could have captured armies if it so pleased. She wasn't like any other classic film female character I had ever even heard of, she was better.
She started to walk like a child for the first time and even the way she moved seemed like magic. The she sees what was to be her mate and...screams the best scream ever! Move over Fay Wray! Although it made me feel more for the monster, that scream just sent shivers down my spine. Then we move on to the line that started the end, "she hate me!". I kinda knew what was coming, and I could feel tears welling up behind my eyes. The monster lets Dr. Frankenstein live to be with his love, the turns and says the most iconic, sad, and sorrowful line of the film, "We belong dead!", and I just start bawling like a baby in the middle of class. I had never cried at a movie before, but the bride had me looking like I needed a diaper change! Then came the infamous hiss, the last sound from the beautiful bride.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, The Bride of Frankenstein is the greatest film ever made, and I'll go to my grave saying the same thing. Happy 75th anniversary, and long live the Bride!

Dollar Bin Horror Spotlight - Dave Campfield

A while back, I did a review of the fun horror comedy Caesar and Otto's Summer Camp Massacre. Recently, I had the privilege of sitting down with the Writer, Director, Producer, and Actor Dave Campfield to talk about the film, future projects, and he gave me an exclusive first still from the upcoming Caesar and Otto sequel! So enjoy!

Q: How did you get into Film Making?

A: It started with an unadulterated love of movies. My family took me to see a Star Wars during one of its re-releases. It captured me as nothing had before. And from that fascination of the movie, came and complete and utter fascination with the process as the years went on. Yeah, I know, pretty cliche. I wish a more original story. Maybe I'll just start saying seeing Solar Babies made me want to make movies.

Q: How did you come up with the awesome duo of Caesar and Otto? How did you come up with their mannerisms (especially Caesar, cause I adore him)?

A: My friend Paul (Otto) and I would get together a few nights a week to do some scene work or sketch comedy on a camcorder. One night I had the idea for a flamboyantly gay cab driver and his mentally challenged brother. The idea behind the sketch was to lampoon bad sitcoms. But something about the characters stuck with me. Over the years, I tweaked the characters... Caesar's sexual preference became a question mark, and Otto's character went from mentally challenged to lazy. But in fact, both characters are a bit on intellectually deficient side.
In creating Caesar, I imagined him as a cross between Moe from the Three Stooges and Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard. With a little Felix Unger (the Odd Couple) to boot. He's a bizarre hybrid of violence, vanity, and effeminacy. Some people might hate the character, but the sure as hell can't say he's not distinct. In terms of Caesar's mannerisms, I based some of them on a theater director I worked with. And I couldn't help borrowing from a young William Shatner.

Q: What was it like to shoot Summer Camp Massacre in only 10 days on such a low budget? What was it like to work with such amazing guest stars as Felissa Rose and Deron Miller?

A: Shooting the film in ten days was stressful beyond words, but at the same time a hell of a lot of fun. I feel like this cast and crew are my west coast family (I'm a New Yorker). Despite the fact my days began at 5am and ended past midnight, I had such a blast making it that I'm happily returning to shoot Caesar & Otto's Deadly Xmas (now in production). Felissa I met on a film set in New York some years back. She's become a good friend, and was in my debut feature "Dark Chamber", released in 2008 by Shock-o-rama. She introduced me to her husband Deron who actually really liked the script of Summer Camp and agreed to be involved despite its miniscule budget. They're about as professional, focused and friendly as you get. I hope to work with them many time in the future.

Q: I read that your working on a psychological Thriller called "Fear The Reaper". Could you tell us a bit about that project?

A: The problem I have with most horror films (mind you the Caesar & Otto series are comedies), is that I don't believe most of their plotlines. I just can't believe a scenario like "The Ring" could ever happen in real life. Films like the Exorcist, however, are so powerful to me because it makes you believe something that's perhaps hard to swallow. Through careful writing. That's what I aim to do with my horrors. Make them logical enough as to not insult your intelligence. Because if you can't believe what you're watching, it's hard to be scared. Fear the Reaper is hopefully a powerful psychological horror that involves an underground college fraternity that learns the date of the impending deaths on a Ouija board. The dates turn out to be true... but the film hopefully takes a few turns you won't be expecting. It just picked up the top place award at the past Dark Carnival screenwriting competition.

Q: What else are you working on and where can we learn more?

A: I'm working on another Caesar and Otto short film in addition to the new feature film. I wrote a script with Deron Miller (CKY) which may be going into production within the next year or two... I also acted in a pilot named Flix Pix (a crazy movie review show) for a very small small network. Hopefully it'll get picked up. Also, I'm working with a terrific Canadian filmmaker named Geoff Klein (Bikini Girls on Ice) on a couple of projects.

And here it is, the first exclusive pic from the new Caesar and Otto film (Caesar and Otto's Deadly Xmas) which will feature Deron Miller as the villain, Lloyd Kaufman and Debbie Rochon in cameos, Brinke Stevens, and Linnea Quigley in key roles! Find out more about it and Dave at davecampfield.com

Super Huge Giveaway going on over at Bloodbath Body Products!

Easter may be over, but you can still make the horror basket of your dreams by entering the The Spooky Spring Easter Casket Giveaway over at http://bloodbathproducts.blogspot.com/. The contest runs from 12:00 EST April 15th to 12:00 EST April 30th. Winner will be drawn at random and announced on May 3rd. There are literally dozens of ways to enter, and the prizes are so worth it! Here are just a few of them. To see the rest, head on over and check the contest out for yourself!