I Am a Hero (2015): Awesome Japanese Zombie Movie



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3775202/reference

I had to make a thread about this awesome movie on here.

It's a well made very entertaining and funny (I actually laughed out loud a couple of times) Japanese zombie movie with very likeable characters, creepy looking zombies and great special effects (I don't like CG gore, but those were probably the best CG head explosions I've ever seen. The movie also has some cool practical gore). One of the best zombie movies I've seen in years. In fact it's probably the best zombie movie I've seen this decade so far. 8.5/10

Highly recommended! Get it watched.

Hello from the IMDB.

Very sad to see the IMDB board go, but hopefully this will be just as good if not better. I wasn't a frequent poster there, so many might not recognize my name, but I did read it pretty often.

Glad to see so many fellow horror freaks from the board here.

The Fvcking Pink Flamingo background....

Will someone get rid of the retarded pink flamingo background? (I can't find a way)

Seriously. I really don't think I can spend a lot of time on a site with it - it is too distracting and annoying. Seriously.

William Grefe's Christiansploitation Abomination



By the early 2000's, when the dvd revolution was in full swing, Something Weird Video jumped on this bandwagon like everyone else and released double feature after double feature, always loaded with extras. Exploitation films we never heard of were popping up left and right. "Sploitation" genres we never knew existed made their presence known. Something Weird brought them all back, introducing all kinds of unknown, unreleased and forgotten Drive-In trash epics to a new generation. As well as directors that may not have as long lasting of a legacy as a Herschell Gordon Lewis or an Ed Wood. Today. we're going to talk about a film directed by a guy named William Grefe', who directed films like Sting Of Death and Death Curse Of Tartu. In the early 70', This micro-budget Florida filmmaker also made a movie that can really only be described as Christiansploitation. Electric Shades Of Grey was filmed in 1971, yet, never actually released until Something Weird Video picked it up and retitled it. And 30 years later, this film finally found a home. This is The Psychedelic Priest.

What we have here is several things, really. A Christian drama, a drug movie, as well as an Easy Rider type deal for the pothead/hippie crowd of the times. We begin with Father John lecturing a group of stoners outside the school, too high on his horse to notice the drink he was just offered has been spiked with LSD. They seem like an okay bunch, so, lecture over. Father John's gonna take his questionable hair and step over there and go fucking crazy for a while! John has tunnel vision, he stares directly into the sun a bit, and then goes into his church which spooks him right into an entirely new life. We cut to John in his car, some time later. It's not clear if it's now the next day, the next week, or 20 minutes later. But Father John is no longer a Father. He's just john. Some pot smoking hippie on a road trip of self discovery. We get the idea he's not doing so great since his "experience".

John comes across a hitchhiker, a cute hippie chick named Sunny. They hit it off immediately. She's troubled as well, after several bad acid trips and a recent raping. John and Sunny ride around, getting high with people, helping a woman give birth, making friends with a black guy who ends up getting murdered by some racist cops. The usual 70's road trip hi jinx, I guess. It's extremely unclear as to how long they've now known each other, but things get complicated when Sunny develops feelings for John, and is practically told to piss off once her feelings are expressed.

After lecturing Sunny about shit that has nothing to do with her, John explains that it's just not a good time for all that, as the acid still has him too confused to go there. Early the next morning, Sunny cuts out while John's still asleep, too heartbroken and embarrassed to face him. When John awakens to realize he's now solo again, his road trip suddenly has a purpose: Find Sunny and tell her he's a fucking idiot! And now would definitely not be the time to descend into drug and alcohol addiction...

For such a bad movie with such one dimensional characters, and such a rushed story, The Psychedelic Priest does offer a surprising amount of depth and heart. However, my only complaint is that it could have used a couple extra scenes showing that time is actually passing. We're sort of left to assume how much time has passed at certain points. Who knows? Maybe it was intentional just to mess with the acid head half of the audience.

As for the Christian half, well, I don't see why there should be any complaints, as Religion is never shown in a negative light. It's just the story of a man who may or may not have decided his calling too early in life, who takes a breather from it all after an unfortunate first trip, to figure out what will truly make him happy. He finds love, he witnesses hatred and pain, and ends up experiencing a lot of both, himself. John reaches rock bottom, and only then does he finally grow enough to find himself. This may just be another dumb Exploitation flick. The portrayed impact a single psychedelic experience has on one's life is a good indication of that. As well as what comes off very much as improvised acting by a tiny cast who appeared in nothing else before or since. Yeah. A bad movie, but The Psychedelic Priest just might make you think. 6/10



#Review

House Of Dark Shadows: The Beginning Of The End


Once there was a tv show which everyone and their fuckin' grammy loved dearly. The kids raced home from school, the housewives took a 30 minute break. Not just for any show, but a Soap opera about a time-traveling Vampire. Enough said, right? Maybe, but this low-rated Soap, which began in 1966, quickly went from underrated to great to legendary over the next couple years after Jonathan Frid joined the cast, portraying tortured Vampire, Barnabas Collins. Dark Shadows had already flirted with the supernatural prior to this, but once this groundbreaking character made a splash, the volume was permanently turned up full blast on the supernatural elements. A tv show that once hung by a thread was now a household name. It wouldn't be long before talks between creator, Dan Curtis and MGM arose concerning a big screen version of the popular show. Many still believe this would be the beginning of the end for Dark Shadows.

Why this movie may have been a bad idea is a bit complicated. First and foremost, House Of Dark Shadows was unnecessary. I mean, it certainly wasn't for those who wanted to make money off the idea, but I mean from a fan standpoint. In theory, it may sound cool, but this is a 30 minute Soap we're talking about here. And a very slow moving one. It takes the better part of a year to complete a storyline. It takes months to establish a character and for that character to get the viewer emotionally invested. Plus, this show has a certain atmosphere and vibe that no film could ever do justice. But you can't blame them for trying.

One reason people loved the show was the rich, detailed history of the Collins family. How important they were. How prestigious it was to be a part of this family. All the history, secrets and legends. Far too much to squeeze into even a four hour film. What we get in House Of Dark Shadows is a condensed, Hammeresque version of a bunch of shit we've already seen. Not bad at all if you're unfamiliar. But if you are a fan, well, it's just okay.

I suppose it'll be simpler to explain the rushed movie version of the story as opposed to the tv version since there's so much less to say about it. But like I said, this is basically a recreation of the storyline which introduced Barnabas Collins. A storyline which portrayed him as the villain, but eventually giving him redemption due to huge ratings. However, the movie Barnabas doesn't exactly have a heart of gold underneath the bloodlust. That's the one thing that makes House Of Dark Shadows movie stand out.

As we begin our tour through memory lane, we notice Maggie Evans has replaced the Victoria Winters character as David Collins' governess, as she searches for him one night on the estate. We are thrown right into the middle of the story almost immediately as the recently fired handyman, Willie Loomis, has some business to take care of before taking off. He has reason to believe there are valuable jewels chained in a coffin in the Collins mausoleum. Whoever wrote that down is a first class dick, because when Willie breaks the chains and opens up the coffin, expecting all of his problems to be over, one huge problem reaches out and chokes him unconscious. As we would later find out, Willie is now under the control of a vampire.

At Collinwood, we find the original present day family from the show. Matriarch, Elizabeth, who is just kind of there. Her brother, Roger, who is the same uptight snob as his TV counterpart. And their kids, David and Carolyn. And for anyone not familiar with the show, no, they didn't have the kids together, although, that'd be pretty funny if they had. The collins family has a visitor. A man named Barnabas Collins, who claims to be a cousin from England. I guess there's no need to prove his relation since he looks exactly like an ancestor who happens to share the same name, who also happens to have a portrait hanging right down there. As we can already guess, there was ever only one Barnabas Collins. We don't get to find how it happened, but in 1797, Barnabas was made into a vampire, and later on, chained in a coffin so he could do no more harm.



Barnabas charms his descendants, and easily convinces Elizabeth to let him stay in the long abandoned old house on the estate, which was the original Collinwood that he grew up in. Fixing it up won't be a problem since Willie no longer has a will of his own. When Barnabas meets Maggie Evans, it's obsession at first site, as she is identical to his lost love, Josette. Something we don't know the importance of since this movie adds so little character development compared to the show. Barnabas also meets a doctor named Julia Hoffman who discovers his secret. Julia is confident she can cure his vampire "disease" with a series of injections, quickly gaining his trust. Barnabas has already killed and converted one member of the Collins family. So, this is risky, possibly stupid on Julia's part to associate with this monster. However, she feels it will be worth if she makes this medical breakthrough. However, Julia has a certain idea of how things are going to end up, and when this clashes with Barnabas' plans for him and Maggie, the hell that never broke loose on the show, is finally unleashed.

The good guy who would eventually emerge from TV Barnabas never shows up. Things start out similar enough, but at some point, takes a drastic turn, changing everything. And from the beginning, this story is designed to make us see Barnabas as the bad guy. Mainly, the exclusion of two characters. One being the ghost of Barnabas' little sister, Sarah, who's presence added a certain softness to his character. And then there's the witch, Angelique, who originally made him a vampire. No mention of either of them, giving us no choice but to see Barnabas Collins as the villain and nothing more.

This is a different Collinwood than what we're used to. Filmed in an actual house on an actual estate. It's not the worst movie-Collinwood they could have come up with, but it just wasn't Collinwood, as the "house" from the show is very much its own entity. The main character, in a way. It's all so unfamiliar, and clearly lacks that special something that we all know and love but can't fully explain. That feeling of isolation. That feeling that wind, thunder and Collinwood is all there is. It's not there. The characters say familiar lines, this time without error, but seemingly with less feeling.

There is a theory that House Of Dark Shadows indirectly led to the downfall of the show, which was insanely popular at one time, and still very popular on its dying day. First of all, more than half the cast had to be temporarily written out of the show in order to film this. And key players, obviously. Meanwhile, back at the real Collinwood, Dark Shadows drags and kills time while Quentin carries the show that is slowly losing steam. Once Jonathan Frid and the others returned, the writers just never came up with anything that got the ratings back up to their former glory. That, and later on, Jonathan Frid's refusal to go on playing Barnabas out of fear of being typecast, was enough to get one of the greatest shows of all time cancelled.

But after it was all over, Dan Curtis gathered up a few willing cast members and made one more movie https://trashepics.com/post/9/56/ which would close out the era of the original Dark Shadows. But the problems plaguing this one is another story in itself. There was to be a Dark Shadows movie trilogy, but the hassle that came with Night Of Dark Shadows proved to be too frustrating even for Dan Curtis, and the book was officially closed. Curtis would go on to write, produce and direct many successful movies and tv shows, but nothing ever as successful as the original Dark Shadows. Movie adaptations were never needed, but I'll admit, it's cool that they exist. And convenient for any potential Dark Shadows fans to go back and watch to get a better idea if the show is for them. Personally, I prefer the second movie to this one since it has a story we haven't seen, but I do have an appreciation for them both. As a huge fan of (ALMOST) all things Dark Shadows, it's hard not to. 6/10



#Review

Mary Jane: A Drugsploitation Abomination



One thing is for sure. When you find yourself watching an anti-marijuana drama, and at some point, one of the characters tastes some pot after buying a batch just to see if it's the good shit or not, then, you know you've found something worth watching. A film called Mary Jane was made in the late 60's. A time when America was just starting to become less and less anti-marijuana, as well as less likely to fall for obvious bullshit. So, you can already tell Mary Jane never had a hell of a lot going for it. Today, this film might appeal to those of us who love a bad, cheesy movie, but such a film with so little self awareness had very little purpose when originally released. But having a soft spot for pointless and underseen little films like this, I just got to throw this out there. So, today, we're going to talk about Mary Jane.

First of all, Fabian is in it. Now, I'm not sure what this guy's deal was. I mean, he was in a lot of movies in the 60's, but it's unclear to me as to why he doesn't have a last name. Was he a massive star like Madonna or Prince? Considering Mary Jane is part of his filmography, I highly doubt it. But he seems okay. In Mary Jane, Fabian plays young teacher, Phil Blake. A nice guy who actually wants to be a friend to his students. Phil is an art teacher, as well as assistant coach for the football team. On this team, there are several members of a clique of potheads who regularly make trouble. This gang of would be-delinquents is headed by preppy little cocksucker, Jordan Bates, who is very much aware of how much the coach needs him and his burned out pals, and regularly takes advantage of the favortism the coach is forced to show them. However, Jordan and his gang get no favortism from Phil Blake.

Several things are happening in this film which are all intertwined. First, Lonely Jerry, who recently struck up a friendship with Mr. Blake, wants in Jordan's pothead club more than anything in the world, because he feels like he doesn't fit in anywhere else. Well, Jordan and pals aren't interested in depressed fags, and at first, they tell the kid to shove off. But after discussing it further, they decide to jerk him around for a while, and make him think he has a shot. Making him go through all sorts of "initiations". One member thinks "That would be a ball". I couldn't have said it better myself.

Secondly, Mr. Blake has his eye on a fellow teacher. A pretty little blonde by the name of Elli Holden. A nice enough woman. She's polite to him, and agrees to hang out. They sort of go out on a day-date. Well, actually, he accompanies her to go visit her dad in a nursing home. She even makes him wait outside. Despite no signals being sent by Elli, Mr. Blake still decides to go for it and makes his move. Not only is he shot down, but Elli is visibly upset, and this pretty much ended the so-called date. As far as we can see, Elli Holden is merely an ice queen. Either way, Mr. Blake's attention would be better served elsewhere.

Which brings us to the main storyline. The pot has become a big problem in this town, and mainly, with the teenagers at this particular highschool. Their abuse and all around irresponsible behavior is getting out of hand. One girl recently died in a pot-induced car accident, and nobody knows who is supplying this drug that is causing all this trouble. Us viewers knows it's that rotten little sonofabitch, Jordan Bates, but he's got everyone else fooled. Meanwhile, the faculty holds a meeting to figure things out. Teachers are pressured by the police chief to spy on students in order to find out where they're getting their stash from, but Phil Blake speaks out against this method and lives to regret it, as everyone now thinks he's a raging pot addict who is possibly behind all of this.

As far as silly, anti-pot movies go, this one is actually pretty reasonable in the end. Focusing not so much on the evils of pot, but the fact that teenagers are abusing it and fucking up. Everyone but Phil Blake acts like they're all smoking meth. He admits to the faculty that he smoked it once in college but has no interest in doing it again, but he's immediately made a pariah by the police chief, while nobody has his back out of fear of receiving the same treatment. It seems as if this movie has a deeper message than just the anti-pot thing. It's better to think for yourself and be an individual than a follower and a coward. Be happy with yourself and always do what you feel is right no matter how it makes you look.

Also, I should mention that Jordan's sweet-natured girlfriend, Susan, was played by none other than Patty McCormick. Better known as Rhoda from The Bad Seed. One of my all time favorite Horror movies. She grew up to be a pretty cute chick, I must say. The legendary Terri Garr also graces us with her presence in this, playing a minor role as one of Jordan's followers. Everyone is pretty great in their roles. Especially Fabian as the laid back teacher with integrity who genuinely wants to make a positive difference in young lives. And as I said, This is a very out of place anti-drug movie, and the fact that it never gained an audience is not surprising. But much like it's main character, Mary Jane at least seems to have meant well. 6/10



#Review

Ooblah Dooblah, Motherfucker!!



I've never really been much of a Werewolf fan. I've enjoyed an exclusive few over the years. An American Werewolf In London and Ginger Snaps is just about all I can come up with off the top of my head. At least as far the the more traditional stuff goes. But over the years, there have been some unusual, or just plain weird ones that have caught my eye. Movies like The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here!, and the more recent Werewolf In A Women's Prison. Neither all that great, but odd enough to be enjoyable. Much like the film I want to talk about today. And that'd be Werewolves On Wheels from 1971. Not only the bottom of the Werewolf barrel, but the bottom of the biker flick barrel, as well. By the time this film came along, the biker genre was all but dried up, and needed extra shit thrown in to spice things up while the last few dollars were milked out of it. "Shit" meaning Werewolves in this case. And shitty werewolves they certainly were. Come to think of it, the bikers weren't much better.

"The Devil's Advocates" is what they called themselves. They'd like you to think they be some mean mothers, but in reality, they're merely a bunch of crude, obnoxious drug addicts who kid around with each other ALOT. But like any biker gang, there's power in numbers, so, they have no problem acting tough when necessary. Led by a ruffian named Adam, The Devil's Advocates ride across country, fancying themselves whatever the hell, raising all sorts of hell, but nothing too out of hand, from what I see. One of the members, a psychic/fortune teller type, insists some kind of danger hovers over the gang. The gang decides a nearby Satanic monastery is responsible. They also decide that going there is the best move. In one of many scenes which suggests nobody has any idea of what to do, the gang gets all rowdy with each other outside the monastery, and carried away with their rough housing, not noticing how fucked up it is that they've been surrounded by a bunch of Satanic monks.

At first, the monks seem ok, showering them all with wine and bread. One of the advocates suggests that all they need now is some dancers. The dancers never show up. And within seconds, The Devil's Advocates all pass out from the wine. Long enough for the monks to kidnap Adam's girlfriend and take her inside to be their sacrifice. Everyone comes to just in time to save her, but while doing so, a curse has been placed upon them. These guys aren't too bright, but bright enough to figure out that something bad just happened. Adam, the alleged brains of the outfit, decides they all need to head out to the desert to get their head straight. Good plan, I could certainly think of worse places to do so.

As they head out into the desert to hang out and horse around, very few of them are all that concerned any more. A lot of fuckin', drug taking and laughing with seemingly no point intended. However, a couple of them are torn to shreds by a werewolf on the first night. At least one, that is. The next morning, a funeral is had, once the bodies are discovered. With the usual beer and cocaine, of course. They all seem to get over the shock as they walk away. "We can't be goddamn women over these things", claims Adam. Wiser words were never spoken. As the boys have a fun filled day of stealing gas for their sweet rides, and picking on some ornery, old fat man, The Advocates head back to their new favorite hangout to turn over a car which was occupied by Adam and his bitch. Just for laughs, of course. A guy called Movie is torn to shreds that night, which makes the boys even more suspicious that something isn't right. That's three of them dead, now. There's definitely something wrong.

Ok, if this film isn't at least 90% improvised, then, I just don't know what to think. As lazy and possibly non-existent as the script for this movie may be, a bit of realism often shines through the unbelievable mess that is this movie. I mean, it's believable that this is what a bunch of druggie bikers act like when they're out and about, raising hell and whatnot. Most of the movie seems aimless and pointless, and the kills aren't much. But the cheese factor is what Werewolves On Wheels really has going for it. I know. hard to believe, going by the title.

Anyone into 70's schlock would be wise to not overlook this Werewolf-Biker hybrid. The only real downside is that nothing was ever taken all that far. It's pretty tame on all levels, seemingly just for the sake of being tame. There's blood, nudity and profanity, but considering all the unrated/X-rated stuff that was coming out in this era, I expected a little more in those areas. I suspect someone who was financing this film might have been a big old prude. Although, this minor flaw shouldn't be a deal breaker. The fun and stupidity should be enough for a night's entertainment. So, say your "ooblah dooblahs", get high on whatever you can find in your leather jacket, and check out this Werewolf abomination which could only exist in the early 70's. 6/10



#Review

Death to False Metal!

I haven't heard much anything about 'Deathgasm' going in, but it turned out to be amusing flick. Set in New Zealand, the film follows high school misfit and metalhead Brodie (Milo Cawthorne) as his mother is sent to an asylum for sucking off a Santa Claus or something while on meth. He is then sent to live with his Christian aunt and uncle and their asshole son. Could life get any more lame?

Brodie quickly meets Zakk at a record store and the two start a band with some D&D nerds, all while Brodie is also crushing on his asshole cousin's girlfriend Medina, who's undeniably attracted to Milo (he is kinda cute, in an awkward metalhead sort of way). So things are looking up for ol' Milo, until Zakk brings him along to steal some supposedly epic metal record from some washed up musician living in a shitty house nearby. The record contains some sheet music that the band, calling themselves 'Deathgasm', unwittingly decide to play. Before you know it, all hell breaks loose. Literally!

The film is like a metalhead's version of Evil Dead in the sense that reading/playing the writings/music of an ancient evil text summons demons that can possess one's soul, and the result usually winds up being excessively gory. Plus, there's a lot of chainsaw action. And axes, both the literal kind and the guitar kind. Throw in a few dicks, dildos, and anal beads and that's what heavy metal is all about. Right?


P.S. And wouldn't you know it, Milo Cawthorne had a small role in Ash vs. Evil Dead! How about that!

Redemption: The History of Citizen Toxie



Everybody and their fuckin' mother loves The Toxic Avenger. Troma fan or not, you'd probably be hard up to find a Horor or B-movie fan who doesn't love, or at least have respect for this 80's cult classic. A cult classic which defines the 80's every bit as much as Return Of The Living Dead. On a lower scale, maybe, but equally fun and equally 80's. The Toxic Avenger not only put Troma on the map, but made them a lot of money, and provided opportunities such as cartoons, video games and an endless supply of merchandise. No other movie from Troma has ever or will ever come close to Toxie 1. But with the success comes sequels. Even in Tromaville.

The Toxic Avenger 2 was inevitable, but I doubt anyone expected (or wanted) a 3 hour movie. Kaufman and Herz went a little overboard with the shot footage, but it was later decided that there was enough of it to make 2 movies. So, in 1989, Troma not only released The Toxic Avenger 2, but part 3, as well. And as a longtime fan of the original, I can't express my disgust and disappointment enough. 2 and 3 were simply awful. These films lacked the grittiness and B-movie charm of Toxie 1, which was replaced with a more whimsical feel, and less gruesome, more cartoonish violence. Plus, the continuity was garbage. Toxie was a good 5 inches shorter, with a younger, more friendly sounding voice. His girlfriend Sarah is now called "claire" and is a dumbass. While totally different, this was obviously from the same people as the original, but obviously different for a reason. With money and success comes compromise. I'd say sponsors frowned upon the violence and certain politically incorrect jokes from Toxie 1, and probably assumed the sequels would be just as successful if it was more kid friendly. Wrong, money hungry cunts!

I guess the first two sequels did okay, but they aren't exactly remembered as high points of Troma's history. After years of churning out mediocre efforts which only flirted with the offensive tone of the original Toxic Avenger, Kaufman and Herz said "to hell with it", and did it right with Tromeo And Juliet in 1996. Still my favorite of all of Lloyd's films. This was a turning point for Troma. After this film, they never looked back. Troma has its core fanbase and that's all it ever needed. And with their next project, Terror Firmer, it became clear that Troma no longer gives a fuck, and has no plans of going away any time soon. The home grown Troma movies from here on out would only reconfirm Troma's reputation which existed merely because of The Toxic Avenger. So, after this, there's only one thing left to do. Lloyd finally does right by his creation. It's time to make Toxie a badass again.



This long awaited "real sequel" wastes no time in letting us know that it's nothing like the parts 2 and 3, more or less disowning them. We begin at a school for retarded kids that is being terrorized by the diaper mafia. Several of them get their heads blown off before Toxie can even make it there, and even then, he does a lousy job at saving the day, and even going so far as to hiding behind some of the tards when getting shot at. This chaotic, cluster fuck of a scene lasts about a half hour, and includes Toxie running home to have an impregnation break with the wife, which ends up being a successful one. As Toxie makes it back to the school, he's only able to save a couple of retards from being incinerated by an explosion after his sidekick eats the bomb, and gets his fat ass blown up, as well. Toxie and his retarded new friends are whisked away into an alternate dimension by all this. A town called Amortville, where a freak of nature known as The Noxious Offender wreaks havoc. Noxie is a crack dealer and a pimp, and an all around dick. And he's now headed to Tromaville.

We're treated to many "fish out of water" jokes with Toxie and Noxie. Toxie deals with all sorts of Amortville scum and perverts, while Noxie knocks off half the Tromaville population in a comically gruesome manner, convincing everyone that Toxie has snapped. As Toxie battles an evil kabukiman and other bad guys on the other side, Noxie knocks up Sarah after a raping, which means she's now pregnant with two fetuses. One from Toxie and one from Noxie. But after meeting Sarah's counterpart, Claire, and his dead sidekick's counterpart, Toxie may have found a way to get himself and his retards back home, where there will be hell to pay for The Noxious Offender.

Lloyd Kaufman's brand of comedy is like that class clown from way back in the third grade. Stupid and desperate for attention. He shamelessly throws anything he can think of at you, with the hopes of something to get a laugh. And while you know you shouldn't laugh since he's such a retard, one or two of his many, many sad jokes usually gets a laugh out of you. That's Citizen Toxie in a nutshell. At least that's my interpretation after my most recent viewing. I was once a huge fan of this movie way back when Troma was more my cup o' tea. And while I still enjoy it, it's now mainly just a movie I have respect for due to being a sequel that makes the sequels which came before it look like total shit by comparison. In other words, Citizen Toxie kicks ass by default.

As much as some of the humor wears on my nerves, sometimes, they really did get it right with this one. Citizen Toxie is basically a cross between the original Toxic Avenger and Terror Firmer, which probably wasn't a surprise to anyone. The homage to The Wizard Of Oz, the intentional continuity errors, and of course the whole retard thing ultimately made this film a fun and satisfying experience. Troma pulled out all the stops, here, with cameo after cameo, featuring appearances by Trent Haaga, Lemmy, Will Keenen, Ron Jeremy (as the Mayor), Eli Roth, Corey Feldman, and none other than Mark Torgl in a very unexpected appearance. To me, Heidi Sjursen's portrayal of Sarah was also one of the highlights. She more or less made a joke out of the character, and looks to be younger than the original was way back in 1984, She seems to get dumber and dumber as the story progresses, which is pretty hot.

David Mattey's interpretation of The Toxic Avenger was also very good. He's a little skinnier than the original, but at least he's not 5'7. Of all the stupid shit said in this movie, very little of it was said by him. If the off and on rumored Toxie 5 ever gets made, I'd like to see Mattey reprise his role. But if there is to only be four, then, I think Citizen Toxie was a fantastic way of closing the book, because The Toxic Avenger has finally redeemed himself. 6/10



#Review

Tales of Halloween (2015)



My brief thoughts on the film...

This film was extremely hyped, so much so that people were comparing it to Trick '˜r Treat, the superb horror anthology film from 2007. My expectations were high and while I enjoyed it overall, I couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed. The segments are hit and miss and it lacks the strong narrative structure and meshing that Trick '˜r Treat had.

Basically, it's an anthology film with ten segments from ten different directors that are all set in the same town. They're all loosely tied together by a radio DJ, who's played by Adrienne Barbeau. The film does a good job of capturing the spirit of Halloween in spite of some of the segments missing the mark. My personal favorite segments are "The Night Billy Raised Hell", directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, and "This Means War", directed by Andrew Kasch and John Skipp.

It's an uneven horror anthology film overall, but it's entertaining and I recommend it. It features just enough of everything that makes anthology horror and Halloween fun.