Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness

Everybody loves Japanese Girls and Satanism. So putting them together into one movie seems like a great idea. Plenty of gore, witchcraft and lesbian sex scenes. But far less than the movie could have actually had.

This is pretty tame compared to Urotsukidoji: Legend of The Overfiend. But then again everything is.

Misa Kuroi, a very attractive Japanese witch indeed.

Apparently according to this movie Lucifer is a giant handsome blue Japanese man with white feathery angel wings. Most likely.

And Circles of Protection don't really work unless you really know how to do them.

Boobs

Anybody else love tits as much as I do?

#Boobs #Breasts #Funbags #Hooters #Knockers #Mammaries #Tits

The SOV thread

Because I mean hello, there has to be one at a place called trash epics. Troma made some SOV threads singling out a few particular movies, but I figured one big fat free-for-all post that either celebrates or lambasts this supremely niche sub-genre of bottom-feeding white trash horror deck would be appropriate.

I myself love these movies. I can't quite put my finger on why, since, in some cases, even on an entertainment level (we already know on a technical level this is about as bad as it gets) they can be pretty boring. Maybe what appeals to me most is that aesthetically, these movies are ugly. They remind me of the old home videos my parents took when camcorders were becoming readily available and more common back in the '80s.

Something about cheap video quality just appeals to me; the documentary-like look, weird and dated "state of the art" computer effects, the faint buzzing sound in the background, and to say nothing of chintzy homemade gore fx, bad synth scores, everyday, average people who ordinarily would never be in a movie otherwise (hello: old aunt in Splatter Farm), and the decorum of people's homes where many of these movies would solely take place, looking as plain and brown and depressing as can be, wood-panelled walls, linoleum flooring and all. There ain't no fancy schmancy set dressers here! Porn-staches and tube socks also need apply.

My whole life I've naturally flocked toward all things retro and outdated and simple. I don't like big expensive productions. I like amateurism, mistakes, and things that are corny or trashy. I may seem like a walking contradiction typing all this on my cellular telephone, and hey, that's OK. Where am I going with this? I dunno. I think I lost my train of thought a bit. Oh yeah, SOV! Talk about it here if you'd like.

I think my favorite SOV might be Sledgehammer. There's something strangely wrong with this movie. It sorta seems to take place in its own little world where, while Halloween and Friday the 13th are the film's obvious influences, somewhere along the way things went seriously astray. It walks a fine line between total garbage and surrealist arthouse horror. The scenes where the hulking beast of a killer can barely stand up straight without hitting his head on the ceiling in the director's real apartment, stalking his victims down narrow, sad little hallways that seemingly stretch on forever, is the stuff of nightmares.

I showed my girlfriend a few clips of Black Devil Doll from Hell and she thinks it's hilarious, but sitting down to watch the movie in its entirety isn't really worth it. Every now and then we like to go, "Biiiiiitch" and "Wake up, bitch! Wake up!" because it's just the best, you know.

Anyway, imma stop now, because my fingers are tired from typing.

Hi

First

Boar (2018)

If you love John Jarratt in Wolf Creek, love monster movies, practical monster effects and love Australian horror movies then you might be interested in this one.

Good cast with Bill Moseley, Roger Ward, Nathan Jones and even Ernie Dingo.

Good Breeding Gone Bad

No, that's not the name of the movie. The name is Thoroughbreds, but that poster says otherwise. I think it's funny when they make the taglines bigger than the title. They did that for Edge of Tomorrow, and people at the theater kept asking for "Live. Die. Repeat". Anyway, I digress. This is a movie also taglined as "Heathers meets American Psycho", which is kind of accurate.

Olivia Cooke plays our first lead character. She's emotionally challenged, but she's not a bad person. In fact, I think she's great. I think Olivia was great in Bates Motel, and she's really cute. I like her. Then, we have her character's friend, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, from M. Night's Split. She hates her stepfather, because he's a rich prick who treats mom badly. Of course, she could be overdramatic about it. There's rapey vibes, but the movie generally steers clear of much action. It's just a strange look into a bad situation, through the eyes of these unhappy, overprivileged teen girls.

As for the Heathers comparison, it is kinda like Heathers. Not as funny, but not as light-hearted. American Psycho comparisons are because Olivia's character has plenty of Bateman moments, and is unphased by some disturbing material, and that's why they call her the creepy girl. She's not creepy though. I'd totally do her.

Another notable factor in the movie is Anton Yelchin, in his final film. I loved Anton. He picked a lot of great roles, and would have went on to keep making great movies, I think. Still such a goddamn shame he had to go so young, and in such a bizarre way. He was good though, playing a quasi-pedo drug dealer, but I liked his character. I always like his characters.

Overall, an interesting movie, and I might have to reflect upon it some more. While I might not sound overly enthused by this review, it's still the kind of movie I'm very happy to see get theatrical treatment. We need more dark, R-rated movies like this. It's a teen drama, but it's not about the teenybopper shit. It's about human feelings, and what to do with them.

---

On a side note, some of the trailers looked alright. Unsane and Hereditary are two movies I want to see now.

Favorite "Tales from the Crypt" episodes?

In memory of Don Rickles, I watched his "The Ventriloquist's Dummy" episode, directed by Richard Donner and starring Bobcat Goldthwait. This show was all about great guest stars and directors.

A few days before that, I watched Arnold's "The Switch" about the old man (William Hickey) who trades body parts with a young man (Rick Rossovich) to win his woman's heart.

Throughout seven seasons, they've had a ton of great episodes. Another of my favorites off the top of my head would be Walter Hill's "Cutting Cards" with Lance Henriksen and Kevin Tighe.


Here's a reference for you:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Tales_from_the_Crypt_episodes


Is this the best horror anthology out there? I think the most notable competitor would be Tales from the Darkside, but I haven't seen many episodes of that series... YET!

The Strangers Prey at Night... and they love the 80s

Ten years ago, The Strangers got a lot of hype as being a truly creepy home invasion movie, inspired by the immortal classic known as Halloween. It has a decent reputation among horror fans, but personally? I hated it. I thought it was dull, and I didn't give two hoots about anyone in the film. I didn't care for the nihilistic and somewhat abrupt ending, and I didn't care for the directing. It was all about building tension, and somehow, the movie just didn't resonate with me at all. I was quite disappointed that I couldn't get on The Strangers' boat, but whatever. Fuck that movie.

Since I love trailer park(boy)s, and the 80s look of the film, I figured I'd give it a try, because I set my bar pretty low for this sort of thing, but the movie was plenty entertaining. It's about your regular family going to send their dramatic/punk daughter to boarding school, and they stop off at a trailer park.

Now, the family is pretty generic, but the actors did a very good job with the material. Christina Hendricks played the mom, but she never showed her tits, which is always unfortunate. No points for nudity, but you'll get gore points. The level of violence was definitely satisfactory, and the setting and music were all wonderful. Great production values turn what would be a mindless home invasion type movie into something pretty interesting.

The director is obviously influenced by Halloween, but it's more than that. It's actually a whole Carpenter influence, because he's stated that the film is influenced more by The Fog and Christine. I can definitely see that. The fog part, because there's a lot of fog (duh), and there's a lot to do with the radio. The Christine part is because of some scenes being stalked by the car, and some definite similar imagery. In fact, there's also a total blatant reference to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that any horror fan would draw parallels to immediately.

It gets the hairbox approval, which we all know is the only opinion that matters. I also snagged a couple of posters for it right after I saw it. Then, I went straight into Thoroughbreds https://trashepics.com/post/1/404/ ...

David Lynch

He's a weird guy, but he grows on you. Been watching the new Twin Peaks and rewatching the old show and movie, and I feel it's as relevant a time as ever.

Eraserhead (1977) - Trippy black and what tale of industrial living, mass production, and goddamn mutant babies filled with horrid puss! This movie is great to watch if you're baked out of your mind.

Blue Velvet (1986) - Kyle M, Laura Dern, and Dennis Hopper are great in this. It's kinda confusing the first dozen times, but it kinda makes sense eventually. Still a solid movie though.

Twin Peaks (1990-1991) - A wonderfully quirky show filled with lounge music, and other great music pieces that set the mood of any scene. A good tv show needs good theme music, and that's one of the reasons Twin Peaks is great. Of course, there's a lot of great actors in the show, and the setting is great too.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) - You'd really have to watch the show to understand this movie, but if you're into it, the movie is actually a pretty emotional experience. It makes me sad everytime I watch it. Pretty horrific too, when compared to the show. David Lynch never strays from an R-rating if he can help it.

Mulholland Drive (2001) - I watched it once, and I immediately forgot it. I might've watched it a second time, but I forget that too. It didn't grab me though. I think I need to watch it another 8 times.

Twin Peaks (2017) - So far, it's total Lynch, and as satisfying as ever.


I need to check out Lost Highway and Inland Empire soon, and probably whatever else he's done.
Thoughts on DAVID LYNCH?

Review: Messiah of Evil (1973)

I had bought the Mill Creek Chilling Classics 50 movie pack a few years ago and I had noticed that Messiah of Evil (1973) was included in it but for one reason or another I never wanted to watch it. Fast forward to last years October Challenge and I was running out options to watch - so I half-heartedly decided to watch it. Well, needless to say, I didn't regret it, and even tho the copy wasn't the best in the world - it didn't damper my enjoyment of it, far from it. It was a great find and if I were to compile a Top 10 of my favorite horror films of the top of my head, then this would undoubtedly make the cut.

Messiah of Evil is about a young woman who searches for her missing father after he abruptly and unexpectedly stops communication with her. When she arrives at a picturesque seaside home, where her father lived, she finds that the residents of the town are bizarre. She arrived with a hippie couple who are curiously attracted to the strange town. Together, the soon find out that the town is crawling with a flesh-eating cult.

There are a few unforgettable scenes that are genuinely scary that leave an expression: like the supermarket scene and, of course, who can forget the movie theatre scene, both outstanding. The director, Willard Huyck, I have to say does a really splendid job in creating this almost dream-like vibe for the film and it doesn't let up. It is psychedelic. The story kinda reminded me of an old H.P. Lovecraft tale. The atmosphere is unrelentingly grim and I can only describe it as intense and an nightmarish dread. It is creepy as hell and it is full of very strange and memorable characters.


What I like most about it - is it's ambiguity. We're never terribly sure if the "creatures" are zombies, ghouls, vampires or just cannibals or something else and no loose ends are tied by the end of the film either. It is shamefully still obscure among the numerous bad low-budget drive-in horror flicks of the 70's, it doesn't deserve it. I seen it late at night and I was pretty tired but I will never forget it. Messiah of EviL is one of a few horror movies that I truly found scary and I seen a lot. A masterclass in lingering dread. I rate it a 9.