Honeyspider (2014)

As I sit here tonight watching Return of the Jedi, preparing for my second visit to The Force Awakens tomorrow, I decided that I needed to finish the entry on my last flick from 2015. Yep, as a true horror fan, I decided to venture into the low budget arena to close my year, and found something from one of my favorite outlets, Brain Damage Films that fit the bill. After some thought last night, I decided on the 2014 entry, Honeyspider, to finish the year.

Plot/ It's Halloween day in 1989 and college student Jackie Blue wants to enjoy a quiet birthday in the midst of a chaotic semester at school. Her friend Amber has other ideas and persuades Jackie to come to the annual Monster Mash parties on campus after her shift at the local movie theater. As murder plays out on the silver screen during the theater's Halloween night Horrorthon, Jackie falls under a strange spell; all while a mysterious stranger watches over her every move. As the night unfolds, Jackie slowly unravels and everyone around her is turning up dead. Jackie finds herself helplessly trapped like prey in a spider's web, and all she can do is try to survive the night!

I had no idea what to expect with this one, as it seemed like a solid low budget entry to end my year with, and I went into it with no knowledge or expectations. What I found was something interesting; with a throwback atmosphere to the movies, I loved during the big box VHS age of the 1980s. Centered on Halloween, the mixture of the macabre, horror and occult aspects of that holiday was tremendous; it definitely fit into the feel. It also featured a solid soundtrack, some interesting effects, and an awesome addition of a movie within movie presentation with a classic slasher. Sure, it was not perfect with some uneven performances, subpar sound quality, the ending may turn some people off, and the run time was quite short, but those flaws are minimal and somewhat expected in any type of low budget indie horror flick. In the end, this may not be a perfect flick, but it is a lot better than many of the low budget entries out there and is a movie that made a perfect end to my 2015 year. Check it out!

All Hallows' Eve (2013)

I was on the fence with what horror genre to dive into tonight. I could have dove into some zombie stuff, possibly a supernatural flick, or even something with an Ouija Board. However, after some thought, I decided to venture into some murder and ritual with an evil clown. Or, the 2013 anthology All Hallows' Eve.

Plot/ While watching two children on Halloween night, a babysitter finds an old VHS tape in the kids' trick or treat bag. The tape features three tales of terror, all linked together by a murderous clown. As the night goes on strange things begin to occur in the house. It isn't long before the babysitter learns the horrifying truth... the maniacal clown is slowly working his way into her reality.

Let me start by stating that this flick was nothing like I expected, and in a good way. The three short anthology with an evil clown wrap-around was definitely low budget, but it was extremely entertaining. The storyline was cliche but interesting, there is some decent atmosphere and the effects are more than you would expect from a low budget movie. Yes, the acting was not great, the stories were uneven, and there were some pacing issues driven by too much dialogue, but that does not bring this one down. In the end, this low budget flick is definitely worth watching, especially if you love evil clowns. Not for everyone, but there is enough blood to go around.

Treats (Short Film)

 

One of the great things about having a blog, is the chance to come across unknown films, or shorts, that people do not even realize are out there. For me, I would much rather watch something unknown, something that is untouched by mainstream cinema. Recently, I had a chance to catch a short film, Treats, from Burnt at Both Ends Productions.

 

 

Written and produced by Echo Soleil, this short film travels down an interesting path featuring the lead character Karen and her fascinating array of pets. I am not going into detail with the plot, but it is a journey into a twisted reality. The acting is believable, the script has a nice variety of creepiness and lightheartedness that mixes well within the confines of the story, the atmosphere builds with a spot on score, and the ending is perfect, as the tension hits its climax. In the end, Treats is one of the better independent short films I have watched, not only does it have solid production values and a genuine feel, it is entertaining and worth watching.  

Trick or Treating - 2011 - Lakehurst NJ

Well, my retirement ceremony went off pretty much without a hitch today. As I expected, I had many emotions throughout the day and during the ceremony (especially when Dave read me the letter from Ambassador Rooney, which I never expected).  All-in-all, it was actually the perfect lead into Trick or Treating tonight with the girls and their friends from New Jersey. With the twins and Markie having different friends (for the most part), we split up and I got to hang out with Jolene (Captain Pajama Girl) and Jillian (Zombie with a cleaver) and if we were with Markie she was the Ghostface.  Until next year, here are some pictures from our evening in Lakehurst.

Halloween 2010 - Trick or Treating

Halloween 2010 - The Decorating Has Begun

Being about a week or so late, I decided to take the day and start decorating for Halloween. Like many others, this is my Christmas and I hope that my little corner of the world (or neighborhood) frightens Trick or Treater's this year as much as it did last Halloween. Here are some of the initial pictures of the build.