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And Then YOU Die! (2013)
A grisly and sometimes touching good time!
The plot is simple - Sam Wallace is not a lucky guy - at ALL. He experienced a harrowing childhood, is married to a disrespectful cheating wife, detested at work and isn't exactly Colin O'Farrell in the looks department. One day Sams day starts badly, gets worse and worse and then climaxes horribly...and it's barely been mere hours!! Aforementioned events provide the catalyst for Sams built up anger, anxiety and stress to literally explode into a murderously brutal rage. Sam soon embarks on a journey of death and destruction, wiping out those who have hurt him without mercy
If your are in it for the bad ass kills then this film could not even hope to disappoint you. The first murder should hopefully raise a chuckle amongst those well versed in your typical slasher movie. Its a nice sly wink to audiences that I really loved. Aside from that you have some fun and creative kills mixed in with some pretty shocking and harrowing ones.
There was a heck of a lot of other stuff to love about this film. The acting for the most part is really good, particularly by the three key characters of Sam (Chuck Smith) his adulterous wife Tessa (Ellie Church) and her young beefcake on the side Brad (Christopher Hunt). I found the character of Tessa very very interesting. She was a real bitch - mainly to Sam - yet I couldn't help but like her. I think the fact that she was realistically written helped a lot. She is a bit of a villain in her own way but not in some soapy cartoonish sense.
There ARE people like Tessa in the world, however most people are not all good or all bad and you do start to see a slightly different side to her later on. I think there is human being in there - she just forgot how to be a decent one along the way. The character of Sam is a tough one because as a killer Sam makes for the most refreshing part of this film - he is a normal guy stomping around in his bedraggled work clothes, pushed so far to the brink that there is no going back from what he has started after his first kill. Yet he is still killing scores of people after all so is it wrong to root for him? Well I wouldn't want to spoil anything for viewers but you will see pretty quickly just how rough Sam has had it during his life time. The way many different people treat him in the movie is also terrible and I don't know....you just feel for the poor chap...I can think of one character straight up that I was totally rooting for Sam to kill!!! I think I lost sympathy toward the end in one scene that I didn't enjoy which is my only real criticism of the movie. Again this is veering towards spoiler territory so I will shut up. There is also a fun cameo from writer and directors Daniel Murphy and Brian Gaillard as two particularly rude and unkind cops so look out for that also!
The actual ending of And Then You Die was genius and very well done...I loved it. Again I am not giving anything aware except to say this is a film you will want to watch to the end...and I mean the VERY end.
And Then You Die is a must see indie horror film. Its fast paced, engrossing, well written & acted and has some superb kills. For a film made on a low budget it is extremely impressive to see such a professionally shot final product. Daniel Murphy just happens to have been born over here in the UK and this fact makes me even prouder. I hope he, Brian and their team bring us some more of the good stuff SOON!
Paranormal Adoption (2012)
Don't go in expecting a Chucky style bloodbath and you should be really impressed!
With a name like Paranormal Adoption, you make mistakenly expect yet another Paranormal Activity knock off. Don't make that mistake though please as this film is actually a really well made, excellently acted, spooky chiller which plays out much like a feature length horror anthology style episode.
Plot wise, the film features a young loving couple, Rich and Lynn, emotionally crippled by the death of their daughter in a devastating accident. After spending many months dealing with their loss and trying for another baby, the pair are presented with the opportunity to get to know 8 year old Lacy with a view to adopting her, if all goes well. As always, there is one catch in this scenario; Lacy comes with a friend, the insanely freakish looking doll 'Ms Rachel'. Trust me, you would not wish to wake up in the middle of the night to see this grinning anomaly sat at the end of your bed! Still, Lacy goes nowhere without Ms Rachel and in order to bring her into their lives, both must accept the second new addition to their family. Of course the adoption goes through and Lacy becomes an official member of the Thomas family.
Sadly it soon becomes apparent that little Lacy is not used to being denied her own way and her attachment to her doll is far more disturbing than simply a coping mechanism related to her biological parents deaths. As those around Lacy are subjected to inexplicable incidents, some far more serious than others, it becomes very clear that something is dangerously wrong with Lacy.
An immediate plus point going for this film is the acting. Both Marina Lyons and William Morse do a great job of portraying a deeply in love yet fractured pair and it's very easy to believe they are indeed an authentic couple. Likewise Piper Watts is scarily believable as the seemingly malignant Lacey. Here is a young madam you do not wish to upset believe me. There were once or two less effective performances but hey this is an independent film after after all! The film is also excellently shot, a very professional looking film for a low budgeter!
Notable scenes in the film include a nasty accident caused by Lacey against a classmate who is picking on her. This scene shows Ms Lacey physically acknowledge what Lacey has done and the damage she has caused - shudder!!! Also a creepy dinner table scene involving Ms Rachel's 'wandering' eyes.......... Whether Ms Rachel is in fact a doll with a life of its own or if there are more frightening forces at work is up to you to figure out. All I will say is that the ending provides a superbly chilling surprise which you may not have expected although it may also leave you with a few answered questions. A sequel to come perhaps?
Check out the films official Facebook page NOW! Definitely one to rent or buy via Amazon or iTunes - so go do it.... before Ms Rachel comes for you....
III Slices of Life (2010)
I had nothing to do with the making of this movie!!!
Reviews such as those peppered throughout this page really annoy me. Making bold statements as fact such as 'only people involved in this movie submitted all the decent reviews' are ridiculous, because how could you possibly know that!? I can safely I am not a relative of the film makers; I wasn't involved in the production, nor was I an actor in the film. I am purely a horror movie fan with a great love of independent cinema. Yes, you get a lot of poorly made duds in indie cinema, but you also get a lot of gems. Slices of Life is a gem.
Focusing on three stories (Work Life, Home Life and Sex Life) with a genuinely intriguing wrap around story (featuring a very sweet and vulnerable Kaylee Williams) the film far exceeds expectations considering its very low budget.
The first tale 'WORM' (Work Life) is a hilarious story of a nano virus gone horribly wrong; resulting in a blood bath of body horror and out and out gore. It's basically a zombie tale with a techno twist. I thoroughly enjoyed this segment; it's just a gruesome good time. Admittedly it is the least enjoyable of the three but that isn't to take away from its worth.
Second up 'Amber Alert' (Home Life) is a dark tale of kidnapped children, a young pregnant woman haunted by demonic forces and a deeply disturbing truth which rears its head at the end in gory fashion - *ahem* sledgehammer scene!!! Toya Turner as the pregnant-lead-in-peril shines here as her character 'Vonda' and she really raises the bar for acting within independent horror.
Finally you have the craziest segment of the bunch 'Pink Snapper' involving a brother and sister on the run, a house masking a terrible secret and gore galore. Deneen Melody plays the perfect damaged women character, 'Susan', in this tale who, after supposedly killing her abusive uncle, stumbles upon an even greater horror, along with her brother Eric (Galen Shloeming). I wouldn't want to give too much away about this short except to say it may make you the cross your legs tightly in its final moments! This one was my favourite of the bunch and really ended the anthology part of the movie on a blood splattered high.
The wrap around segment ties things up in an interesting and highly original fashion but again I wouldn't want to spoil anything. Slices of Life is one of those indie horror flicks that needs to be seen – it's well made, well acted and really delivers the horror goods. I am sure I will be accused of being the director's brother on the back of this but I don't mind - I truly loved Slices of Life and I know it's very quickly finding its audience which is just fantastic.
Book of Lore (2007)
Engaging mystery-horror with some effective comedy elements.
I heard nothing but great things about Book of Lore before I saw it (not that I always listen to reviews because I don't) and I could tell by the enthusiasm surrounding the movie that I was onto something special.
I would describe Book of Lore as a mystery-horror or even mystery-horror-thriller (!!) with some decent comedy courtesy of the 'best friend' character - a hybrid indie flick if you will! I really enjoyed a lot of this movie, AJ Hyde was perfect as the lead, he very believably conveys the plight of a teenager whose girlfriend is brutally murdered and who also lives in a town full of deep dark secrets. To say anymore would give away this movies main appeal which is unlocking the mysteries of the fictional town of 'Latonsville' as you go along - suffice to say the town was once plagued by a rash of child disappearances and now the many myths spelled out in the titular book is causing havoc among the residents. Hows do these events all tie together? You will just have to watch and find out! Book of Lore is smart, funny, creepy, engaging and very very well made for such a low budget feature - Chris LaMartina and Jimmy George clearly know their stuff and if the previews of their upcoming 'Presidents day' is anything to go by then things are just set to get even better.
My only gripe? A female is killed around half way in and I'm pretty sure the myth attached to her death isn't really made clear like it is with the others - would have been nice to know what the story was for that scene but its a REALLY minor gripe.