The Midnight Horror Collection - Backwoods Butchers

After viewing all four movies on this set, I am honestly not sure if it was definitely worth the $5.00 I spent on it at WalMart. There are actually more down moments and more losers than there are winners in this set. I did like the fact that most of the movies featured a similar theme to group the films together, but that is about it. Sure, the movies help pass some time, but I think I would pass if I were selecting a DVD today. The best films on the Backwoods Butchers Collection are:

BreadCrumbs

and in a stretch A Bothered Conscience

Butchered (2010)

I wanted to start the month off right by finishing the Backwoods Butchers Collection. The last flick in the set is the 2010 entry Butchered.

Plot/ A group of teens decide to spend the weekend on a local island to say their final goodbyes before heading off to college. Little do they know, a convicted serial killer escapes from the authorities while on death row at a maximum security prison

This flick is perplexing to me. It definitely features a tremendous back-story that makes it interesting from a certain perspective. Unfortunately, besides that, there is nothing to make it stand out. It is full of cliché. Subpar acting, terrible dialogue and is really too short (that may be a positive actually). Sure, there are a couple of decent shots of gore and there is some nudity, but other than that, it is really lacking. Yes, it was low budget, but it could have been so much better. Stay away!

A Bothered Conscience (2006)

This is truly my favorite time of the year. Halloween is almost here, with the annual October  countdown beginning two days ago. This Halloween is even more special because that marks my retirement from the US Navy. Retirement ceremony and trick or treating on the same day equals awesome! To start the month, my first review is on the 2006 flick A Bothered Conscience.

Plot/ Deep in the remote Arkansas backwoods, a father passes on the traditions of the Ozark mountain men to his 5 year-old son. Under his strict and cruel guidance, young Lucas learns to protect the family land at all costs, and hones the skills of the hunt that have been handed down from generation to generation. But their prey is no ordinary game.

To start, this low budget entry is far from perfect, but there is something here that many lack and it works. Yes, the acting is uneven, the scripting so-so, and the effects are decent. Yet, the plot and storyline (including the twist ending) make this a lot better than it probably should have been. While it is far from perfect, it may be one of the better entries on this set. If you have spent the five bucks already, watch it, if you have not spent money on this collection, do not go out of your way to buy it for this one.

BreadCrumbs (2011)

After enjoying Saw 3D: The Final Chapter last night, I decided to venture back into bargain horror with another entry from the Backwoods Butchers Collection, my choice the 2011 Fairy Tale, Bread Crumbs.

Plot/ A group of Porn Filmmakers are systematically attacked by 2 children on the set of a remote shoot.

Let me start off by saying that this is far from a perfect movie. However, there is something here that just makes this twisted fairy tale interesting and creepy. The atmosphere is solid and heavy, the soundtrack fits, the storyline appealing and the violence definitely jumps out. Yes, I would have enjoyed more gore, a crisper plot (there were some holes),  some better character development (especially with the kids), and yes, the acting was uneven, but there is definitely something here that could have been a lot better with a larger budget. Fortunately, the filmmakers did pretty good job with what they had and created enough tension to make this enjoyable. Sure, like many films I watch it is not for everyone, but this is a decent chiller and is worth watching (especially out in a cabin in the woods).

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Mother's Day Massacre (2007)

After a trip down memory lane with a low-budget creature feature, I decided to jump forward a few decades with something closer to home based here in New Jersey. From the Backwoods Butchers Collection it was Mother’s Day Massacre from 2007.

Plot/ Jim Cavanaugh is a shy suburban New Jersey teenager. His mom left when he was a child and his father is an ass. The unrelenting psychotic domination of his redneck dad forces Jim to search out his long lost mother. His quest takes him to the backwoods of Jersey where he encounters semi-retarded hillbillies who have a taste for DIY circumcisions and Peterbilt trucks. Nobody escapes the bloodletting in this heartwarming tale of a family reunited.

I am glad that I was not expecting much, because I got less than that. This 77 minute flick is bad, really bad. The only thing that kept me a lit bit interested was the fact that it dealt with the Pine Barrens and the freaks that are rumored to call that beautiful land home. The direct, script and pacing just seem to plod along in an incoherent way. The acting is uneven, the characters unbelievable, the soundtrack off and there is a total lack of atmosphere or tension. I really cannot figure out if they were trying to make a comedy or not with some of the perverse humor or over-the-top violent outbursts the pop up from time-to-time. While I will not watch this one again, I at least laughed a little. This strange and almost pointless flick is really not worth watching unless you have nothing else to choose from.