Delivery: The Beast Within (2013) Not every child is a blessing........
And Demon Makes Four Or Not Your Average Possession Movie
Or
How to put story above gory
Alright first thing I would like to get out of the way is that some other critics have been blasting this movie for giving away the
ending in the first few minutes. JUST STOP YOU DON'T GET IT, Also found Footage is my favorite sub genre.Thank you now on to the review The new film Delivery: The Beast Within a found footage piece with a twist may very well turn out to be this decade's Blair Witch with it's small cast giving big performances and a nice new twist to the way found footage is shown. Written and directed by Brian Netto with additional writing credit going to Adam Schindler Starring Laurel Vail, Danny Barclay,
Laurel Vail and Danny Barclay
and Rob Cobuzio.
The story revolves around Vail and Barclay as Rachel and Kyle Massy a young married couple having trouble conceiving and carrying a baby. When they do get pregnant they agree to be part of a typical TLC reality program about expectant parents produces by Cobuzio's character Rick(who is the least sleazy TV person ever). In the first few acts we are treated to the happy young family doing things like every other couple that is expecting do, telling family and friends, shopping for baby things, and moving into a bigger house all through the lens of Rick crew. Just after the second month we start to see things may not be right, but is it something supernatural or just the everyday first baby jitters. As
Rob Cobuzio
the film goes on we are left hints on both sides is it a demon or is it a young mother to be that stopped her meds or maybe the TV producer looking for the next big show. And then we hear the demon has a name Alastor now that might not mean anything unless you have studied mythology but Alastor is : Alastor in Greek mythology is known as the avenging spirit who was born the son of Neleus, King of Phylos. When Hercules approached Neleus and asked him to free him of his debt, Neleus refused and in anger Hercules killed Neleus and all his sons with the exception of Nestor. The dead Alastor became the avenging spirit. In Christian demonology Alastor is given the title chief executioner. He is sometimes linked to Zoroastrianism where he is known as the “executioner” and a manifestation of Azazel. It’s
Alastor
however difficult to reconcile his Greek origins with Persian Zoroastrianism and Judaic Azazel. Alastor is a disciple of Nemesis the god of vengeance and retribution. He is described as a handsome male entity that nurtures feuds and fuels discords. In Greek and Roman mythology he is commonly known as the evil genius who promotes divisions between families and who has at his disposal charm, guile, wit and ruthlessness.
And now that you know that we can look at the movie with a whole new light. It all starts to make sense as the demon does just enough to make us think well maybe shes just going crazy and everything can be explained away. There are so many subtle things they do to draw you in without going over the top. Like the neighborhood dogs going crazy the night of the birth or Rachel's manikin moving around the house, the house being vandalized and such. I kept waiting for jump scares and when they didn't come where I was expecting them to the filmmakers drew me into their world deeper until I was totally immersed with the characters waiting to see if this was a possession or a crazy lady. I don't see the comparisons with Rosemary's Baby as this movie isn't about a spirit or devil possession or impregnating Rachel. Alastor doesn't want the baby he wants to torment the parents and that is truly the key in my opinion, did her father death have any reason why she was choosing or just luck of the pregnancy draw we may never know. But what I do know is "Delivery: The Beast Within" is going on my "Best of" list for this year and my "all Time Best Found Footage" list. Do yourself a favor head over and check this movie out. It's a fine work by young hungry filmmakers that going against the grain let your mind scare you and not the sight of severed limb dripping blood scare you.
Baby changes everything......... Arachnophobia meets Rosemary's Baby........I'm in To those of us with kids that tagline alone should scare us. The new film by director Bryan Coyne producer of the dark little human condition film "The Human Race". Making his full length film debut as director and taking on the roles of writer and producer with Utero telling the story of every parents worst fear, somethings not right with their unborn child. The cast reads like a who's who of modern horror movies including reigning scream queen Jessica Cameron(who will be making her directorial debut later with the film "Truth Or Dare". The plotline reads like what every soon to be parent goes through at some point "is our baby ok"
An agoraphobic unwed mother finds her psyche unraveling as she becomes convinced that her unborn child is more monster than human.
If the buzz and promo photos of the film are any indication we may be looking at the rival to The Sacrament as the top horror film so far this year. The more I learn about this film the more I can't wait to see it. So grab a cigar and a rolled up newspaper and wait for the birth of Utero
Red Right Hand (First Look) In a dark forest, on a lonely road, something is waiting... Well if the teaser are any indication the new film in pre production by writer, director, and producer Stuart Lawson is sure to send chills up and down your spine. Rounding out the pre-production team are director of photography Kupa Warner and SFX makeup artist Kate Griffiths(Filmblood - Makeup Artist of the Year award in 2013.). While none would be considered "known names" on this side of the pond. This project just might change that.
The story in itself is enough to make you think "maybe I should leave a light on tonight". Based on an urban legend from Lawson's childhood. Living in a village, as a child, Stuart heard about this terrifying story of a daughter visiting her parents and the horrific event that took place that night. After years go by, naturally it's assumed that it was just an urban legend, Until he found a newspaper clipping. The script came about after Lawson returned to his hometown for a visit and became enthralled with the story of what happen to Catherine when she was driving down a deserted lonely road at night. With a kickstarter that is only asking for 6000 pounds(10000 USD) We're hoping to see the script come to life. The Horror of an Urban Legend. In a dark forest, on a lonely road, something is waiting....
8 Out Of 10 Stars was only constrained by it's budget
The Short Of It:
Good Story
Great Acting
Nice Soundtrack
Well Done Cinematography
A few places where shaky cam almost took away from it
The 2011 Swedish horror film based on the folklore of a "Mare"as in nightmare, By writer/director Filip Tegstedt is a true indie classic in my opinion.Made on a budget of just 150 thousand USD it holds it own with any studio release of recent memory. The cast may be unknown in the US and with few exceptions in Swedish cinema but that doesn't let it hold it back with great performances from top to bottom. New comer Sandra Larsson (as Sandra)plays the teenage daughter with just enough angst and vulnerability to be very believable. Anchoring the film is veteran Swedish actor Thomas Hedengran (as Krister). It's not often that lead character has so little redeeming qualities but you still feel for him, but he nails it.
A mention here to Peter Stormare(as Sevn) who is the only actor on this project that US audiences might know. From work in Prison Break and numerous voice acting work. While not your average ghost story by any means, you can see influences of some of the classic the genre offers. Tegstedt takes us through the story of a man that karma can't stop messing with and it's with Tegstedt's timeline flashback story telling that we find out he is deserving of all he's getting. While the movie has no real jump scares it's the creepy slow burn that draws you in and keeps you watching. It was truly refreshing to have a movie not rely on special effects and gore to to make you uneasy. I really hope we see more from Filip, in my for what it's worth opinion I think we may be seeing the next Ti West, Eli Roth, or Neil Marshall. In conclusion if you want a good movie that is equal parts horror, family drama, with a touch of thriller thrown in this ones for you. The only this could have been better for me if it was a documentary crews found footage. If you don't run across it, seek it out, Available on ITUNES, XBOX, and VUDU to name a few. .
Munger Road: Don't Leave Me Hanging Bro....... 6 Out Of 10 Let me get some things out of the way about this movie before I channel Dennis Miller and go off on a rant. I thought first time writer/director Nicholas Smith did a fine job, with good storytelling and well directed scenes. The film also boast above par acting for a low budget horror movie. Starring Randall Batinkoff and Bruce Davison who have over 70 years of talent between them and it came across on screen. The four leads played by Trevor Morgan, Brooke Peoples, Hallock Beals, and Lauren Storm all put in tight and believable performance's. Now the only really glaring plot hole was the age of the killer, the sheriff (Davison)was giving the background of the case to his deputy(Batinkoff) and the numbers would have put the killers age at about 70 give or take a few years. But that can be forgiving. The story borrows from the greats in the genre including The Blair Witch and Halloween to name a couple, and actually pulls it off. ****May Contain Spoilers**** The movie tells two separate intertwined stories till the final act when they merge. One being the hunt for an escaped serial killer and the other a supernatural tale of group of teens trying to find a urban legend. The thriller storyline is pretty straight forward killer breaks out, kills guards, carjacks a van to get home. with a nice little red herring thrown in to keep us guessing. The horror storyline is much the same cookie cutter supernatural killer fare we get all the time. Teens check out something scary,car breaks, cell phones lose signal, and one by one they go off alone. On a side note it was refreshing to see them not hate each other like you see in so many of these types of movies. What makes this movie special is the way they work the two storylines together. This is truly a case of the whole being greater than it's parts. Either part of the movie would have been mediocre at best but fit nicely together. Thought out the movie we are lead to believe that the serial killer is the one terrorizing the kids at his old killing ground. Not until the end of the movie do we find out that he was killed at 11:14 pm the night before the exact time the teens watches stopped working and the strange things started happen to them a disembodied hand leaving a print on the window. A flash in the camera of someone behind their car. Strange sounds all around them. Easy enough then right find what's keeping him here fix it and send him into the light. The End turn up the lights time to head out. Not so fast............
Now I don't want to get off on a rant here but the movie ends on a To Be Continued screen yep thats right nothing settled don't know who lived or died don't know why he came back. Nothing zip, zilch, not even a sorry. Now that premiss wouldn't be bad if and it's a big if. If Munger Road II was in the can....wait for it.....it's not and the latest news is it ain't coming. So instead of wrapping up the loose ends and if people like it then writing the sequel We'll just force a sequel and I can take it easy on the screenplay. The whole thing is ludicrous hell I sat through all the credits thinking it was a out of place joke. The movie was 86 minutes long even an extra 14 minutes you could have cleaned it up and a real good movie(I bet it could have been done in 10). But the audience was short changed and it was a bad move and you should feel bad for doing it. If you can't get it together for part II at least go shoot the end for the first one and call it an extended directors cut. All in all decent movie that you get short changed in the end.
FCBD: Welcome To Free Comic Book Day 2014 Horror Edition
May 3rd is Free Comic Book Day and this year there are some good choices for the horror fan.
Taking place on the first Saturday in May since 2002 this event has grown each year. The brainchild of Joe Field of California and backed by the North American Comic Industry. This year's event looks to be the best yet. While everyone will recognize a lot of the franchise's being offered this year We're going to look at some for the horror fan including some special issues that could be worth holding on to.
(W) Jonathan Maberry (A) Alan Robinson (CA) Kevin Eastman
New York Times bestselling horror author Jonathan Maberry presents the chronicle of the first Vampire War in V-Wars! This all-new tale leading into this summer's ongoing V-Wars series offers the first salvo in the battle between humans and hundreds of new species of vampires!
(W) John Wagner & Various (A) Ronald Smith & Various
The Galaxy's Greatest SF anthology returns to FCBD with this stellar line-up of stories! Dredd races to save a fellow Judge in "The Badge" from Matt Smith & Chris Burnham; Sláine stars in "Lord of the Beasts" by Pat Mills & Rafael Garres; Rogue Trooper recounts his bloody past in "Glass Zone" by Gerry Finley-Day & Dave Gibbons; and Psi-Judge Anderson faces a magical monstrosity in "Golem" by Alan Grant & Enric Romero! Plus: D.I. Harry Absalom (by Gordon Rennie & Tiernen Trevallion), Durham Red (by Leah Moore, John Reppion & Jan Duursema), Future Shock (by Henry Flint), and classic Dredd newspaper strips by John Wagner & Ron Smith!
The New 52 Futures End
Publisher: DC
(W) Brian Azzarello & Various (A) Ethan Van (CA) Ryan Sook
Jump on board DC Comics' epic weekly series beginning with this all-new FCBD issue that features tomorrow's Dark Knight, Batman Beyond (making his first appearance in The New 52), battling an army of cyborgs to avert an Apocalypse in the future which could destroy the DC Universe of the present! But that's not all; there are still more surprises to come. Stay tuned for more details!
All You Need Is Kill
Publisher: VIZ MEDIA LLC
(W) Hiroshi Sakurazaka, Yu Sasuga (A) Lee Ferguson, Kenichi Tachibana
Now a major motion picture starring Tom Cruise! When the alien Mimics invade, Keiji Kiriya is one of many recruits shoved into battle armor Jackets and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn to fight and die again and again. He receives a message from a mysterious ally--is she the key to Keiji's escape or his final death? The official graphic novel adaptation based on the original novel! Also, in Terra Formars, the colonization of Mars is an epoch-making event, but an unintended side effect of the terraforming process unleashes a horror no one could ever have imagined...
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
(W) Marc Silvestri (A) Sumeyye Kesgin (CA) Marc Silvestr
The series follows Asa Stone, a young guard protecting the gates between his world and our reality. After discovering a secret never meant to be seen, Asa's entire life is turned upside down, leaving him with nothing more than a list of seven names -- magicians, sorcerers, thieves and killers that are the only means of protecting both worlds against a destructive evil: the Magi. Now Asa is forced to trust the untrustworthy as he fights to stop the "Rise of the Magi."
Publisher: DANGER ZONE
(W) Dan Mendoza, Brockton McKinney (A) Dan Mendoza, Larkin Ford (CA) Dan Mendoza Are you bold enough to take a ride with Janey, the Zombie Tramp?!? If you pick her up, she might just share the story of how she came to be the street walking dead!! Be brave so you can be ready for her all new series following this special issue! You also get a mind shattering sneak preview from the second volume of the coolest comic series you haven't read yet... Ehmm Theory!
Publisher: EPICENTER COMICS
(W) Gianfranco Manfredi (A/CA) Pasquale Frisenda
With a shard of metal in his brain allowing him limited access to his past memories, and only being left with an astonishing ability to foresee the future through visions and premonitions, Ned Ellis is no ordinary man. Once a U.S soldier, he is now a Sioux Shaman who goes by the name of Magic Wind. This FCBD edition will give you an exciting extended preview of the thrilling upcoming graphic novel!
Publisher: ARCANA STUDIO
(W) Sean O'Reilly, Chris "Doc" Wyatt (A/CA) TBD
THE PHILOSOPHERS are an ancient secret order of magic-users who protect Earth. One of their number, ISHMAEL STONE, known as PHILOSOPHER REX, has assembled an elite team, called THE INTRINSIC to deal with the most serious threats from the outer realms. The team includes: KADE - the immortal warrior, KORE - the massive Demon-spawn, KINETIC - master of mental powers, JAS - a young spiritual warrior monk, and CANDICE CROW - the living embodiment of heat. But how will the Intrinsic react when they are called not to protect the Earth, but to protect themselves from it?
Publisher: ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT INC
(W) Joe Brusha (A/CA) Anthony Spay
Extinct for millennia the most powerful and terrifying creatures to ever exist in the Grimm Universe have now returned. They are the Bloodhunters, and their sole purpose is to hunt down and exterminate Highborns and they have their sights set on their first prey since returning...Professor Sela Mathers. This special Free Comic Book Day edition of Grimm Fairy Tales ties directly into GFT #100 and the upcoming Age of Darkness Grimm Universe event.
When was your first horror movie you remember watching. For me it was Night Of The Living Dead, I remember being with my parents at the Gratiot Drive-In when I was 4 and on that night an obsession was born.
Truthfully I don't remember to much of that night. But I do remember being there. And that brings us to what I wanted to talk about today. How old is to young to introduce your child to horror movies. For me I think at about 5 or 6 is old enough to start watching some of the scarier films now I'm not talking about letting them watch Saw or Hostel but some of the milder movies. Because let's be honest most of the Xbox generation won't find the classic movie monsters appealing. Each parent needs to make this decision on their own. I base my decision on swearing and nudity/sex, a little swearing is fine my 9 year old knows what "bad words" are and a few GD's and hells aren't going to turn him into Jason I do draw the line at the the big one the "F" word one or two maybe fine but really do we need to hear it every other sentence don't get me wrong I can cuss like a drunken sailor mated with a outlaw biker. As for nudity I just don't feel comfortable watch softcore snuff with my kids even the adult ones. While nudity is always a deal breaker, There are a few exceptions to the swearing rule if I feel the movie is important to the genre or subgenre. A case in point would be Shaun of the Dead I felt it was such a defining moment in Zombie movies that the positives outweighed the negatives . What's your opinion on this I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
A New Classic ......Maybe
9/10 Stars
Where to start on this little gem of a movie I found. Of all the "found footage" films being released now days it's nice to find a director and writer that gets it. The filming was done with a lot of handheld and gopro's they wore on their chest which I thought was a welcome relief to see how the perspective was being shot. Some critics have complained about the sound track or lack thereof but for me it helped immerse me into the story. Another great plus for me is they didn't fall into the let's use lots of CGI we don't have the budget for. They also have a great script and didn't have to use the "Hey lets show T&A so the audience won't notice the plot holes". While you may not recognize the cast as "BIG" names in the genre but all have great resumes on TV and short films. The movie revolves around the 5 main characters played byChallen Cates , Cory Knauf , Tim Phillipps , Ary Katz ,and Chris Yule. First some things I really enjoyed in the movie: The nods to other movies/Tv shows. (The Exorcist,Ghost Adventures) The clues were revealed mystery/thriller way so you could actually decipher with the actors/movie. We as the audience were not treated like mindless beings that had to be lead around. Now for the bad: The only problem we had with the film is the actors seemed a little wooden at times in the first half of the movie. Which after you realize thats most likely how real people would react to those surrounding and facing the challenges of fighting the demon with people you just met.
***REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*** As the film begins we learn from Patrick that his sisters death was ruled a suicide. Which he won't accept after giving us a little background on his sister (speaking latin, pentagram cut into her arm) I would tend to agree with him. We also find out whoever he has showed his sisters video blog to has met with some catastrophic event. Patricks friend is a documentary filmmaker and introduces him to a team of paranormal investigators and agrees to film the investigation. The investigators include a psychic, a assistant investigator, and a tech man. They met at the site of his sisters death a halfway house after she had spent 3 years in a mental institution where she was committed after attacking the pope on a class trip. What comes next is a nice little twist on the evil demon film, it has the ability to jump from one person to another on a whim. Most of the meat of the film takes place at Patricks house but after realizing they may become targets of the demon cameras are mounted in everyones residence. The only other location we are treated to is that of a teenage girls house which is creepily reminiscent of the Exorcist and other movies. The entity then starts leaving clues and bodies in his wake. I'll skip all the inbetween deaths as we all know in found footage movies no one gets out alive.
As I sat here staring at my monitor wondering what would be our first true blog post should we talk about a 5 star film the new Salem tv show maybe a truly creepypasta or just a fun campy Indie movie. and then it hits me like a jump scare lets start off where it all began. In 1896 a short 3 min silent film was made byGeorges Méliès Le Manoir du diable or as it was released in the U.S. The Haunted Castle. Lets take a look.....
Isn't that GREAT. It has everything you could ever want in thegenre. We got the Devil, Ghost, and Vampires. Now I'm sure someone out there will bring up Edison's 1895 shortThe Execution of Mary Stuart but I consider this more of a historical film then a true horror film and at only 17 seconds it a really short short. Well there you have it the root of our family horror tree.
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