Director: Travis Betz

Cast: Ward Roberts, Jeremiah Birkett, Sarah Lassez, Devin Barry

Synkronized / Not Rated / NTSC Region 1 / 16×9 Widescreen / Dolby Surround 2.0 / 83 Minutes / PURCHASE

I have a borderline scary love for demons, but the single question that has always been swashing through my mind is if demons would actually love me back? Demons would love us in a sense that they would do anything to get their hands on our delicate flesh for sinful pleasures, unspeakable tortures and, of course, making us into delicious entrees. The diabolical hell-bounders are a creature bent on havoc and seeking to have a malicious ball of fun on our behalf and not think twice about it. The emotions that demons carry are nil. They have absolutely no feelings what-so-ever, basically pursuing a pure psychopathic path. But what if a demon could feel? Or perhaps could love? Lo explores this with a satirical attitude that ridicules human emotions and entertains the idea that a demon could love a human.

Justin sits in the middle of a detailed pentagram he painted from a demonic book. As he chants the words that are inscribed and precisely follows the rituals, he conjures up the demon Lo. Justin demands he retrieve his girlfriend April who another demon had kidnapped. Lo proceeds, as any demon would, by making light of the situation, pointing out all of Justin’s weaknesses and pointless human follies. When Justin becomes frustrated with the demon, Lo and the kidnapping demon “Jeez” reveal to Justin that his girlfriend isn’t a human after all…but, in fact, a demon. Will Justin feel the same after he learns that “April” has a gruesome past of slaughtering souls for the sheer pleasure of it.

What I like most about writer/director Travis Betz’s Lo is its minimalistic value. The whole film takes place in one setting and the film still comes out a winner. Justin and Lo’s casual conversations on love and life are playfully dark – just like the attributes of a demon. The focus on the story draws your attention away from any hopes of seeing gore or sex. The unique tale will keep your attention to where it won’t drag nor will it bore you with incompetent dialogue or performance. Ward Roberts performance as the love struck “Justin” does an amazing job as he is tormented by the demon and by his own self. Roberts’ delivered line, “I’m having a conversation with my brain through my hand” has to be my favorite line of the entire film and if you get a chance to see the movie, you’ll understand why. Jeremiah Birkett plays as the demon “Lo” and he gave a shivering and “balls-out” funny performance. The make-up artistry and the effects on him were up to mainstream heights as well.

As I’ve said before, I’m a sucker for twist endings. Lo definitely caught me on my blind side and struck me hard with a twist ending I didn’t see coming. While there might be a strong comical element to the film, there is a heartfelt message behind it. The message can knock down any individual who has a strong heart. I would go as far as to say that the theme nearly comes off as chick flick, but I wouldn’t necessarily want to defame the film either by committing to such a statement. Lo is twisted and darkly entertaining. It should make Betz really stand out as a innovated indie film writer and director and if this film doesn’t receive notice, I’ll will be disappointed. I’m anxious to catch his next film The Dead Inside – a horror musical about schizophrenia.

Director: Tara Robinson

Cast: Nicola Fiore, Liannet Borrego, Brigette Robinson, Kristina Plisko, Jesse Schwartz

Run Amuk Media / NTSC Region 1/ Not Rated / Full Screen / 65 Minutes / PURCHASE

I’m sure many of us have revisited our favorite horror movies over and over again only to yell at a certain doomed character to not ascend that gloomy stairway, to not make a left but a right, to not venture outside the safety of the house; but try as we might, we cannot change the outcome of the film. But come closer, my little friends, I have a tiny secret for you. We do have that option. There is a way that we, the salivating audience, can participate and interact with characters. Though this particular way is only available for a handful of movies and has not yet been perfected, I’m sure that the interactive DVD or Blu-ray or whatever format is most popular at the time will be implemented in the near future. So, I ask you this; would you like to pull your character’s strings and decide their fate from the clutches of a insane clown set on revenge?

Kristen is throwing a party, but it isn’t just any party, it is her 21st birthday bash and all her friends, and all the booze, are present. Enter Chuckles The Clown. A clown set on having good clean clown fun and entertaining a bunch of lovely, yet intoxicated ladies. However, Kristen and her friends are not amused and what starts as a joke quickly turns into horror for the lovable Chuckles as he is beaten and sodomized by the rowdy girls. One year later and on the day of Kristen’s 22nd birthday, Chuckles remembers and stocks up on his balloon animal arsenal, setting his sadistic sights on those who hurt him.

Chuckle’s Revenge lets the viewer choose the fate of Kristen and her friends. You may remember another film that allowed you to play God back in 2003 called Final Destination 3 which also had the choose their fate option. Two options are available and whichever way is chosen, the story adjusts and sometimes the character’s path is altered. Chuckle’s Revenge’s interactive ability is undeniably fun and the outcomes differ with each selection. Towards the end, the remaining selections were rather dull with the repeat of the left or right options during Kristen’s and Monica’s escape.  But seeing Chuckles use a chainsaw to rip into the two babes if the wrong path is chosen kind of makes up for dull repetitive options. Also, for the first “choose their fate” option with Paula, I suggest saying “yes” for the sole reason of seeing Paula’s massive chest in the shower…but hey, that’s just me!

The interactive DVD, Paula’s chest and Chuckles cannot save this film from damnation. A fairly simple and extreme story of revenge turns into a confusing mess. Plot holes are the bane of all that is good in the world of cinema. The biggest plot hole for Chuckle’s Revenge is how did Kristen find Monica? The brief back story is that Monica is being chased by Chuckles in the woods. Monica calls Kristen and says she doesn’t know where she is in the woods. Kristen buys a gun and then locates Monica in the woods. Vagueness like this really puts a spur up my ass and I think the focus on the interactiveness shouldn’t be solely relied on for marketing. Chuckle’s Revenge has so much more potential and it just wasn’t explored. Another disappointment is the body count. With an intense extreme build up from the trailer, the cover art and the entire premise, I expected a fair amount of victims to be slain, especially since the party where Chuckles was sodomized consisted of a dozen females. About one to three victims were slaughtered and that all depends on the path you choose. Chuckle’s Revenge is a relatively short film, clocking in at just over an hour, which also depends on the paths; but I expected a pile of bodies and the result left me yearning.

The release by Run Amuk Media will definitely strike fear of clowns into you, especially ones with large chainsaws. Nicola Fiore, who plays Kristen, is a scream queen in the making, but she needs to mature as an actress a bit more before anything major should land in her lap. Do check out www.chucklesrevenge.com, watch the trailer and give it a shot if you’re a fanatic of clownsploitation. And remember kids, as the animated Captain Planet would say it, “the choice is yours!”

Director: Michael J. Murphy

Cast: Judith Holding, Warren May, Trudi Tyrrell, Jackson Payne

Sarcophilous Films / NTSC Region 0 / Not Rated / 16×9 Widescreen (Anamorphic) / Color / Dolby Digital 2.0 / 82 Minutes / PURCHASE

Have you ever thought about the taste of human flesh? Would I weird out, perhaps frighten, some of my readers if I said that I have this curious thought ever so often? What if one scenario consisted of two people in an inescapable trap and to survive one person would have to eat the other? Survival is a primal instinct and our irrational primal state takes over our rational one. Would you rather have quality or quantity? Fat or muscle?  For me, it would have to be quantity just because I’d like to live as long as possible so I could be dramatically rescued from my death trap. Skare offers up an opposing option to why we should confine ourselves to eating leaner human meat – it is just so damn tasty!

In the private country club of Skare Village, Martha lives a life of solitude in her rural home. That is until she spots a desperate mental institution escapee named Dan trespassing on her property. To Dan’s surprise, she does the unlikely by stopping him, inviting him in for food and shelter and then starts him on a strict regiment of healthy living. Though she may say she wants to care for him, she has withheld from Dan a second plan that would have her serving his lean, muscular body to others. A deep dark secret lies with Martha as she isn’t as elegant and as sane as she might seem.

Lead actress Judith Holding plays “Martha” and her performance comes off as cheesy; though “cheesy” may sound degrading to the film, it really heightens the menacing personality that is “Mad Martha”. I fear her character, however, does come off a bit weak at the end. The changes she goes through in the end do not do her justice and it leaves an unwelcome taste in my mouth. Judith’s portrayal of Martha in the first few acts is pulled off nicely as a cougar-like deviant. By the end of Skare, she becomes a farce. As her character diminished, the story actually got better, slowly building until it almost reached the point where one couldn’t take much more. In the end we are lusciously entranced in a ménage à trois of sex, murder and cannibalism.

Although I see hints of Hitchcock from director Michael J. Murphy in Skare, I can’t help but point out the fact that the editing really made Skare hard to follow. The transitions were quick and subtle while also being at times pointless. Murphy’s directorial eye is a positive aspect as he is able to use superimposition to his advantage which added to the entertaining use of camera angles. If you watch the “making of Skare” in the extras, Murphy talks about how the movie was the inspiration from a short story he had written years ago. He actually shot a version of the film in 2001 with a much more muscular lead man and a few other story changes. The film was lost due to postal incompetency and so had to be scrapped, but there are pieces of the original used in scenes where the characters watch television – a fun little fact to be aware of.

Skare is a subtle horror film which you would not guess just from looking at its sadistic yet fantastically gorgeous DVD cover art. Sarcophilous Films’ release is packed with extras. The movie will definitely not scare the pants off of you, but it will make you think twice next time you go out to eat and order yourself a thick juicy tenderloin!

Director:  John Wintergate

Cast:  Hawk Adley, Kalassu, Alexandra Day

Code Red / Rated R / NTSC Region 1 / 1:33.1 Full Screen / Stereo 2.0 / 97 Minutes / PURCHASE

Pity and ignorance are two words that come to mind when thinking about the youth of our generation and their idea of what a spoof movie is.  Today’s spoof movie contains mindless and unfunny material that is recycled and regurgitated with each movie.  Sadly, our youth and much of our moviegoer base consisting of casual moviegoers, are entertained by these so-called films as if they were mesmerized by playing the exciting game of putting a ball on a string in a cup.  The horrors of Date Movie, Meet The Spartans, Epic Movie, Superhero Movie, Disaster Movie and so on contain more grotesqueness and cause more dismay than any horror film, or any snuff film for that matter, could ever produce.  I admit there are a handful of modern spoofs that are borderline worthy; Scary Movie 1 and 2 come to mind.  But before there were the Scary Movie series, we could go even further with our spoof horror and come up with 1982′s Boardinghouse!

James Royce just inherited the Hoffman House; a seemingly cursed house where the recent inhabitants died mysterious and strange deaths, all of which is unknown to James.  He decides to put an ad out in the daily paper and attract hot, single women to stay in his 10 bedroom abode, renovating it into a boardinghouse.  Now with the house full of life, the curse begins again with hallucinations, horrible accidents and death. Soon James throws a house party on the same day as Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman’s 10-year death anniversary and someone wants to take the house back, even if they have to take it by force!

Sitting down and watching Boardinghouse was damn near a struggle.  Shot entirely in the beginning stages of video, I didn’t know what I was really looking at when Boardinghouse started.  I had to question myself numerous times if I was actually watching the right movie.  The film was so over-the-top, ridiculously scripted, choppy and unbelievably corny that I thought I was watching a porn without the sex.  If you add actual fucking to the mix, there would be no telling the difference between this horror movie and a black bag video. My initial reaction to Boardinghouse was not a positive one as I just dreaded the dialogue, the pitch black night shots and the amateurish editing until I learned that this film was actually supposed to be a spoof.  My mind was fucking blown!  And all the pieces fell into place and my negative reaction turned more cheery.  I already dug some of the more gory scenes despite my hasty loathing, but I became more and more appreciative with its true nature.

I still don’t consider it a great movie but it has its moments like most films do.  Also, I was hoping to see a boardinghouse full of boobs.  We are greeted with multiple scenes of fleshy bodies, but Boardinghouse proved to be a big disappointment in that context as far as I am concerned.  I mean, come on; a house full of women and you can only show less than five of the girls naked?  We see director John Wintergate (aka “Hawk Adley”, the lead actor) in his leopard print thong more than we do bare broads! Watching the special features interview with John Wintergate and Kalassu conducted by Code Red DVD is where I learned that the movie was intended for laughter, exaggeration and stupidity. Try and at least make one attempt to watch the film in its entirety and don’t give it much thought. Checking in to the Boardinghouse on Code Red DVD is easy, checking out of what you just saw is a whole different story…