Gross Movie Reviews #118

Posted by Tim on March 13, 2008

Gross Movie Reviews #118

By Tim Gross “Mom, there is a vampire living next store!” – Fright Night 

The First Power (VHS) – A forgotten serial killer movie from 1990 starring Lou Diamond Phillips as a detective who is stumped by the random ritualistic killings of a killer in San Francisco. The detective gets a call late one night from a psychic who tells him where the next murder is going to take place and Lou captures the serial killer and he gets the gas chamber. A few months later… the strange killings happen again only to everyone whose friends with the detective! The detective seeks out the psychic, who happens to be the fiery, sultry, and very hot Tracy Griffith, for help. But as the movie asks, “How do you kill what won’t die?” The movie is kick ass as it not only has an awesome plot (some would say similar to ‘Shocker’ or ‘The Horror Show’ but I would debate that), but cool murder scenes, a kick ass killer, and one of only three hot actresses that I would eat “Corn Flakes” out of their ass Tracy Griffith (the other two Kate Beckinsale and Kristy Swanson)! This movie should not be forgotten and given a proper special edition DVD release, as I give this slick horror flick 3 ½ stars.

 Little Red Devil (DVD) – Another independent horror film from ‘The Skeleton Factory’ that stars Daniel Baldwin and Dee Wallace in a film about the devil of course! Anyhow, this dude goes into burglarize a house with a friend knowing this weirdo has a shitload of cash sitting in his basement. They can’t find any cash but find an ancient relic that they can maybe sell for cash and a kid that is locked up to be a sex slave to the weirdo who owns the house. But the weirdo confronts the two dudes and kills the friend and it’s all downhill for the other dude as he witnesses his friend’s death and strange and unbelievable things as he tries to get the mysterious relic sold. Lots of really cool low budget blood and gore with Daniel Baldwin playing the devil (sort of) make this film a must see for all horror fans and possibly Daniel Baldwin’s best performance yet! I give this cool independent horror film 3 stars and you can get more details about it at www.myspace.com/theskeletonfactory . 

King Cobra (VHS) – Pat Morita, Courtney Gains, and an appearance of Erik Estrada playing a gay guy in a cool giant snake movie from the mid to late 90s that also spawned a sequel! I give it 3 stars!

 

The Green Mile (DVD) – A film based on the Stephen King books of the same name that is set in the 1930s where a black man wrongly accused of a crime is sentence to death. Soon the prison guards noticed this isn’t your usual criminal and seems to have strange powers that actually heels people of their ailments. The movie reminds me a lot of ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ is an excellent non-horror Stephen King film. I give the movie 3 ½ stars.

 

Ogre (DVD/Sci-Fi Channel) – Luke Duke (John Schneider) comes along to a small Pennsylvania town in 1857 and uses black magic to ward off the plague that is hitting the town. But with each year the town must sacrifice a member of the town in order to satisfy the ‘Ogre’ that watches over the town and the town no longer has the plague. Well, its 2008 and some campers in the woods just happen to let the ‘Ogre’ loose and find the lost town looking for help for their friend. Not the greatest of films especially with its CG-Ogre but it does star “Ginger Snaps” star Katharine Isabelle! I give the movie 1 ½ stars.

 

Premutos: Lord of the Living Dead (DVD) – The first film of the German filmmaker Olaf Ittenbach, that got noticed in the US a few years ago. It’s about a man who keeps passing out and has flashbacks/dreams of an evil fallen angel named “Premutos” and sees wars, witches, buckets of blood, and rituals from over the years. When the man’s father digs up the book “Premutos” in the backyard and shows the family, all fuckin hell breaks loose! Zombies rise and attack the home, people are being eaten and torn apart in a balls to the walls ‘Dead Alive’ kind of grand fashion and its up to them to survive the end of the world as heads explode, organs explode, zombies explode, with lots of chainsaw and shotgun fu (ode to Joe Bob) and you got one of the most fucked up goriest horror films ever made! The film can be boring at times which I think is more of a delay in the translations issue or I should say dubbing of the German film but this gore classic would make Peter Jackson weep! I give the ultra violent kick to the fuckin gonads of a horror film 4 stars.

 

Ju-On: The Grudge 2 (DVD) – One of the original films with the Asian ghost kid that haunts all who come to the house he disappeared in. So much better the shitty US remakes and an added plus everyone dies unlike the US remakes where no one dies and you are one disappointed horror fan! I give the film 2 ½ stars.

 

Divine Trash (DVD-R) – An independent documentary made by Steve Yeager who takes a look back at John Waters career from his first film to the early 90s and the effect John Waters, his films, the star of most of them ‘Divine’ had an effect on films in general and society. Funny, interesting, and well made and worth watching for any John Waters fan. I give it 3 stars.

 

In Bad Taste (DVD-R) – Another documentary made by Steve Yeager in the late 90s about John Waters career but with backing from IFC films. Lots of Hollywood stars talk about their feelings about John’s films, his career, and how the films affect them. The documentary also touches on Divine’s career and death and talks to his mother about what she thought Divine. The documentary is more of an expanded but more interesting than “Divine Trash” as I give it 3 ½ stars.

 

Mondo Trash (DVD) – A John Waters film from 1969 starring Divine of course that is a musical/silent film of sorts that possibly has more trash and filth than “Pink Flamingos” but not as an effective film. I give it 2 stars.

 Any comments or questions please send to: GrossMovieReview@aol.com or www.myspace.com/slasherfilmfan . Also you can purchase my two horror movie review books, “Gross Movie Reviews Volume One and Two” at www.lulu.com or www.amazon.com , with the third book delayed but on its way. You can also find other reviews from me at www.bastardsofhorror.com , www.bloodtypeonline.com , and in the movie review section of the latest Ultra Violent magazine (www.uvmagazine.com). Remember folks if you are renting from Blockbuster you are not renting from the best! Support your local independent video store! It will keep horror alive……… 

Catch me at Cinema Wasteland April 4^th-6^th in Strongsville, Ohio. www.cinemawasteland.com for more details…