Review: Ghost House

Review: Ghost House

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog

Gore and scares everyone. I know I just posted my top 10 favorite horror films of 2017, but just consider this film the eleventh, because I would have definitely added this one to the list.

Ghost House tells the story of American couple Jim (played by James Landry He’bert) and his girlfriend Julie (played by Scout Taylor-Compton) who are vacationing in Thailand. Upon arrival Jim and Julie hire the polite chauffeur Gogo and his van at the airport. They sightsee Bangkok and learn the legend of the ghost houses, miniature houses where spirits peacefully live and do not haunt the living. Then Jim proposes Julie to marry him with an engagement ring. They meet the British Robert and Billy in the hotel lobby and are invited to celebrate their engagement with them. Robert summons Jim to visit a fleshpots and Billy stays outside with Julie. When they leave the spot, Julie has an argument with Jim that is drunken and accepts Robert's invitation to visit ghost houses at the outskirts. Robert puts a piece Julie's scarf about a doll's neck and then he flees with Billy leaving the American couple in the middle of nowhere. Julie does not feel well and Jim calls Gogo to find them and take Julie to a hospital. However, when Gogo sees Julie, he takes her to a nearby village where his aunts live. Then they take Julie to a monk that wears amulets about her wrist and Julie recovers. They return to the hotel and when Julie removes her amulets, she has dreadful visions. What has Robert done with Julie? Now Jim and Julie along with GoGo are being pursued by the raging spirited of a betrayed woman who will stop at nothing to drag Julie’s very soul to the spirit realm.

The one thing I really loved about this film is the fact that it takes place in Thailand, a country rich in ghost lore. The whole ghost house lore was definitely an interesting subject to explore. Also the ghost in this film is plain scary and far more interesting that the ghosts in the films The Ring or The Grudge. Also besides the character of Gogo there was the amusing performance by actor Mark Boone Junior as the sort of underworld getter of all things Reno. He was for this film what Lin Shaye is for Insidious.

So, to put it simply this is another outstanding horror film for 2017 and I highly recommend you find it on VOD, but more importantly on DVD/ Blu-ray because this one is a keeper.

Keep on Creepin’, Horror Bob’s Blog

William Pattison’s Favorite Horror Films of 2017

William Pattison’s Favorite Horror Films of 2017

Gore and scares everyone! 2017 has been a prime years for great horror films, especially for Stephen King. So, here are my top ten best horror films for this year….Enjoy.

1. Get Out

Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parent's for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.

2. IT

From the mind of Stephen King….In the Town of Derry, the local kids are disappearing one by one, leaving behind bloody remains. In a place known as 'The Barrens', a group of seven kids are united by their horrifying and strange encounters with an evil clown and their determination to kill IT..

3. Annabelle Creation

The manufacturer of dolls Samuel Mullins is a happy family man with his wife Esther and their daughter Bee, who dies hit by a car. Twelve years later, Samuel welcomes a group of orphan girls and a nun from a closed orphanage at home. He tells that only a closed room (that belonged to Bee) and Esther's room would be off limits for the girls. The crippled girl Janice sneaks in Bee's room during the night and sees a doll inside a closet. She plays in the room and soon she is haunted by an evil force. What has Janice unleashed in Bee's room?

4. Happy Death Day

A teenage girl, trying to enjoy her birthday, soon realizes that this is her final one. That is, if she can figure out who her killer is. She must relive that day, over and over again, dying in a different way each time. Can she solve her own murder?

5. Alien Covenant

Almost eleven years after the futile and disastrous expedition on the distant moon LV-223, the deep-space colonisation vessel Covenant equipped with more than 2,000 colonists in cryogenic hibernation, sets a course for the remote planet Origae-6 with the intention to build a new world. Instead, a rogue transmission will entice the crew to a nearby habitable small planet which resembles The Earth. The unsuspecting members of Covenant will have to cope with biological foes, beyond human comprehension. Ultimately, what was intended as a peaceful exploratory mission, will soon turn into a desperate rescue operation deep into the cold infinite space.

6. Gerald’s Game

From the mind of Stephen King….When a harmless game between a married couple in a remote retreat suddenly becomes a harrowing fight for survival, wife Jessie must confront long-buried demons within her own mind - and possibly lurking in the shadows of her seemingly empty house.

7. Leatherface

A violent teen and three others kidnap a young nurse while escaping from a Texas mental institution. Pursued by a vengeful sheriff, the disturbed young man embarks on a murderous rampage that shapes him into a legendary killer known as Leatherface.

8. 1922

Featuring shades of Edgar Allen Poe's, "A Tale-Tell Heart", 1922, based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, centers on simple but proud farmer, Wilfred James, who, with his young son, murders his wife to gain ownership of her inherited land. Shortly after, however, strange and supernatural occurrences begin to plague both James and his farm. Is it just simple bad luck, or is it the work of something much more sinister?

9. Houses October Built 2

Recovering from the trauma of being kidnapped last Halloween by the Blue Skeleton - a group who take "extreme haunt" to another level - five friends decide they must face their fears in order to move on. Heading back out on the road to visit more haunted house attractions, signs of the Blue Skeleton start appearing again and a new terror begins.

10. The Monster Project

When aspiring horror filmmakers post an online casting call looking for "real life" monsters to interview for their upcoming documentary called, The Monster Project, they find three individuals claiming to be a skin-walker, a vampire, and a demon. Meeting these monsters at a remote mansion in the woods on the night of a total lunar eclipse, the filmmakers invite the three subjects to share their haunting, personal experiences. Working on the crew is a recovering drug addict who suffers withdrawal and paranoia. As a person of faith, he fears his friends underestimate the dark powers they are summoning. When the interviews turn deadly, he must battle the demons, inside and out, to escape the house and defeat the rise of evil incarnate.

So, there you have it. You might disagree with some of my choice, but that is your opinion and opinions are like backsides, we all have them. I just happened to write mine down and share it with you. Nothing wrong with that…

Keep America Strong, Watch Horror Films….

And, Keep on Creepin', Horror Bob's Blog

Review: The Faith Community

Review: The Faith Community

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog

Gore and scares everyone! For my review this time I’m going once again into the intriguing sub-genre of found footage films with the first film from filmmaker Faith R Johnson, The Faith Community.

The Faith Community tells the tale of three young documentary filmmakers who go to a supposed religious get away to film a promotional video. When they get to the location they are greeted by The Messenger (played by Jeremey Harris) and his “flock.” Soon the three filmmakers find that things are not as they expected. For one thing on their way to the “getaway” they are lead past a number of wooden crosses set to the side of the trail. Then when they get to the getaway instead of finding cabins and facilities they are met with a bunch of tents and folding chairs. When they question this The Messenger simply tells them that they are living simple to get closer to God by getting closer to nature. After that things get disturbing. The camera person, Colin (played by Jeffrey Brabant), interviews The Messenger, but is unable to get his name, the leader insists that The Messenger is his only name. Then Colin interviews one of the members named Michael who turns out to be a former soldier who was thrown out of the army for killing an officer because he was having delusions of seeing a dark, demonic, shape. Then after having a meal with the group Colin finds his associates acting odd. Are they drugged? Of course it is after the after meal entertainment that things unfold and becomes deadly. Their hosts are not a simple religious group, but a twisted cult whose focus is to find those who are worthy. Will Colin and his friends escape this cult or will they become its latest victims.

Though I’m not a huge fan of found footage films, there are some that break the mold of the simple cookie cutter plots and stereotypical faults of this sub-genre. I find this to be one. For one thing there wasn’t the typical introduction expressing that this is actual footage found hidden in the woods. Nope, Johnson forgets those trappings and lets the footage speak for itself. Also, she adds to the fake realism by not even having the camera operator keep the camera level. There are several shots that are of people’s feet and several shot where the camera is trying to auto adjust and all we see is flared and barely intelligible images. Also, there is no attempt at making this film over dramatic or Hollywoodish. This film is as rough as it gets and does look like someone with little camera skills was shooting true events. The unfortunate drawback to this is the film loses a lot of its impact by being too far away from the main action, much like a person at a concert trying to film the action with their camera phone.

So, in the end I found The Faith Community a disturbing look at the very real horror of the extreme religious cults that have popped up in the world. This film is a cautionary tale that warns you to look closer into any religious retreats, because they might not be what you expect….

Keep on Creepin’ Horror Bob’s Blog

Review: Talon Falls

Review: Talon Falls

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog

Gore and scares everybody. I’m back yet again with another movie review on a new film either on DVD or VOD. This time it the new film in the subgenre torture porn, Talon Falls.

This film tells the story of a group of four teenagers who decide to check out an extreme Halloween attraction located in the Kentucky woods. The attraction, The Talon Falls Screamland, features the usual jump scares, killer clowns, and chainsaw welding psychopaths. But it also features sections that feature people being horribly tortured, and these look unsettlingly real. Well, when two of the group decide to slip in behind the scenes they find out the horrifying truth, that the torture scenes are exactly what they appear to be, very real. Now, they have been chosen to be the next featured attractions and now they must find a way to get free before they become part of the fun.

I have to say, besides the recent SAW film I haven’t seen any torture porn films in years. This was never really a favorite with me. Honestly I have to say that besides the SAW franchise, with its complicated plot, I’ve found torture porn films very cookie cutter and not very interesting. This film on the other hand I found a tad more interesting. I liked how they took the idea of an extreme Halloween attraction  and took it to this extreme level. It is one reason I avoid such things like the plague. I fear that one day I will hear on the news that one of these operators might do exactly the same thing this story tells.

As for the acting, writing, and film technique, there was nothing special. Even the twist at the end was actually telegraphed and was expected.

So, if you are a fan of torture porn films and films like The Houses that October Built you will definitely like this film. If you are every other horror fan I would grab yourself a twelve pack, then it will be a party….LOL… Oh, also they could have done a bit better with the title. Talon Falls brings to mind a creepy town film or a murder mystery. I think if they had titled it Talon Falls Murderland or something more descriptive of what the film actually is it would have been better, but that’s just me….

Keep on Creepin’, Horror Bob’s Blog….

Review: Found Footage 3D

Review: Found Footage 3D

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog

Gore and Scares everybody, this time I’m reviewing the new found footage film by filmmaker Steven Degennaro, Found Footage 3D.

This film tells the story of Derek and his film crew who are planning to film their own found footage film in a cabin in an isolated wooded area. Derek, who is the producer, surprises his director with his latest great idea. They are going to shoot their found footage film in 3D. The director isn’t thrilled with the idea, given that it is a found footage film and the idea breaks the illusion that this is “found footage,” but in the end Derek convinces him. On the way to the location they stop at a store to get food and end up asking a couple of old rednecks to be the creepy warning givers for the film. After the rednecks do their parts they ask where the crew is shooting. When they are told they give the crew a real warning. After that in true horror fashion the crew goes to the cabin and their found footage shoot becomes a real life horror as a mysterious force, like the one in the story they are shooting, starts causing chaos with the shooting and takes them out one at a time.

I have to say I found this film amusing. I’m actually a fan of this subgenre and I loved how they played around with the stereotypical hallmarks of the typical found footage film. There is one sequence where they have to do a surveillance footage shot. The director reminds Derek that that footage won’t be in 3D like the other footage. Derek fixes the problem by taping two cameras together. Also, there is a sequence where they are doing a POV running scene and Derek complains about the fact that the “shaky cam” is going to make the audience sick in 3D. The director tells him that there is nothing that can be done because the camera is in the hand of the girl who is running. Derek straps a shoulder harness on the girl and hooks to camera to it to lessen the shaking. The director argues that it won’t look real, because the girl in the story wouldn’t have a harness. Derek reminds him that it isn’t reality and they are going to do it his way. The director huffs off complaining that he has no control and why does Derek need a director at all since everything is done “his way.”

There is one thing that really messes with the film for me. The thing is they never really make a clear separation between the scenes shot for the film they are making in the movie the characters are filming and the footage “behind the scenes.” There are times that it gets a bit confusing at times which is kind of distracting. But all in all, if you are a fan of found footage films, Found Footage 3D will be and an amusing time for you, no booze required….

Keep on Creepin’, Horror Bob’s Blog….

Review: House of Evil (2017)

Review:  House of Evil (2017)

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog

Gore and scares everyone and welcome to my latest movie review. This time I’ll be looking at the retro 70s style demonic haunted house thriller House of Evil.

House of Evil tells the story of Kate and John McKey (played by Lucy Drive and Andrew Harwood Mills) who have moved into a remote old mansion in the countryside. Kate is a portrait artist and John is a photographer. They have come to the country for inspiration, the quiet and to start a family.  Unfortunately, unknown to the couple the mansion is infested with a demon and the spirits of its victims. As time goes on the couple begins to suffer horrifying nightmares. John starts to get obsessed with his photography and spending all his time in the cellar where he has his darkroom. Kate sees phantom children and keeps dreaming of the demon stalking her and her unborn baby.

I loved the style of this film. It reminded me of the haunted house films of the late 60s and 70s, like House of Dark Shadows. The clothing, hair styles, light blue Volkswagen van the couple drives screams the 70s. John even has the long sideburns that were popular.  Also the pace of the film is very 70s, meaning slow, which will annoy a more modern audience, but for me it was a nice change. The annoying part for me was when the cult with the old guy in the Catholic priest outfit show up.(Spoiler) Having them explain to Kate that they had called up the demon, before the last owners of the house murdered themselves, and that Kate’s baby is not really John’s but the demon’s. I just found that a lazy, sloppy, way to end the film. After all the build-up and work the filmmakers  put into the story to end it in that way, like The Last Exorcism, spoiled the film for me. So, unfortunately, I can’t recommend this film. Though it did manage to capture the 70s feel and pace the last ten minutes of the film trashes all that good work.  I ended up leaving this film feeling cheated and I don’t want to put anyone reading this through that….Also they tried to end the film by saying that it was based on a true incident…I sorely doubt that….

Keep on Creepin’, Horror Bob’s Blog

Review: Circus Kane

Review: Circus Kane

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog

Gore and scares everyone! For my review this time I have the torture porn style fun house from hell film Circus Kane.

Circus Kane tells the story of a group of people from various parts of the horror community, a memorabilia collector, a scream queen a blogger, a movie reviewer, a website owner, and an everyday horror geek, who get sent messages to meet in a certain place for a chance to win $250,000. When they get to the meeting place they are all roughly put in an old S.W.A.T. van by men wearing clown masks. In the van they find that the wall are covered with old posters that promoted a traveling horror circus called Circus Kane. Big Ed, the collector (played by young Al Pacino look a like Ted Monte) remembers and is a fan of The Circus Kane and it’s circus master Bathazar Kane. He also reminds the others that Kane is infamous for burning a man to death in his act, so famous that he inspired a song all of them know. It is then that a monitor lights up and the shadowy image of Bathazar Kane (played masterfully by Tim Abell) appears. Kane informs them that they are in route to take part in the revival of the Circus Kane and the chance for one of them to win the money if they can face their fears. After this, knock out gas is released in the back of the van. The group is woken up when they arrive at their destination, a huge mansion decked out in plastic gargoyles and other horror decorations. After the guys in the clown masks let them all out they all head up to the house and are greeted at the door by a tall pale man in a bowler hat (played by former Night Court star Richard Moll). Inside the house Kane appears again on another monitor and informs them that in order to win the money they must make their way through his house of horrors and his “friends” that they will meet along the way. He tells them that some of them will die during this journey through terror and pain. He also tells them all they have to do to give up is say the magic words “Bathazar Kane, you win.” and they will lose out on the money and will be set free. What these unfortunate people find is a hell full of horrifying rooms full of traps, a demonic killer clown, a sadistic court jester swinging chains with hooks on them, a cannibalistic Nazi zombie, and the burned and scared master of this house of terror Kane himself.

I have to say I really enjoyed this film. It has been quite a while since I saw a really good film of this type. The pace of this film is perfection. There is no filler in this film and it keeps your interest from the beginning to the end.

I also loved the makeup work as well. All the characters were well designed without being so over the top as to distract you from the story.

And I have to say I was completely caught by surprise by the twist at the end, which is a rare thing for me.

All in all I can highly recommend Circus Kane if you want a slick well craft horrorfest. This is a horror pleasure you will enjoy…

Keep on Creepin’, Horror Bob’s Blog….!

Review: IT

Review: IT

By William Pattison for Horror Bob’s Blog

Gore and Scares! Yes, I know you’ve probably read so many reviews of the mega blockbuster, which has become the biggest grossing horror film ever, film adaptation of the first half of Stephen King’s novel IT.

Ok, since you’ve been through this so many times, IT tells the story of the small town of Derry, which has a horrid history of mayhem every twenty-six years. The reason for this? An evil thing that can only be called IT has nested there and has been feeding on the fears and flesh of the town during its feeding season.  This thing loves to take the form of a demonic clown called Pennywise. A bunch of the “loser” kids in the town have noticed IT’s pattern and one of the kids, who lost his little brother to IT has vowed to stop it.

Now I have to admit I was a huge fan of the mini series of IT that came out in 1990 with Tim Curry playing Pennywise, but I was willing to give this adaptation a try. I have to admit I was impressed. This film did not feel like a retread. The filmmaker did the right thing am moved this part of the adaptation from 1956 to 1980 and changed scenes to fit an audience that for the most part had been born in the 80s period. For one thing the filmmakers made the things that Pennywise used to scare the kids more on track to what scares kids now a days, like zombies.  But one thing they kept true to the novel as well as the mini series was that they focused on the kids and spent a lot of time developing their characters and their individual sub-plots, thus making the audience care for these characters, which is the only way to really build tension and bring on some real scares.

As far as the special effects, I was pleased to see that they weren’t perfect. There is a certain charm about a little cheese in the special effects, at least for me. I have to say the only makeup effect that I really didn’t like was the one with the diseased leper. For me it felt way over the top and pulled me away from the scene. Though I do have to acknowledge that this was the image of a leper from a germ sensitive kid’s perspective, I would have liked it to be a bit more realistic for the gross out factor. Seriously, people were actually laughing at the scene.

But all in all I can honestly say I enjoyed this version of IT and I look forward to Chapter 2 in 2019….

Keep on Creepin’, Horror Bob’s Blog….

Review: Galaxy of Horrors

Review: Galaxy of Horrors

By William Pattison, aka Eric Morse

For Horror Bob’s Blog

As a person who absolutely loves original anthology films I was excited to get my chance to see Galaxy of Horrors. It is really rare to find a horror/sci fi anthology. This one was created with the help of Rue Morgue Magazine and Unstable Ground Productions using shorts films from their Little Terrors Festival.

The wrap around story is about a man trapped in a malfunctioning life pod. Each segment is of him trying to figure out the password that will release him. Unfortunately every time he fails to say the correct password he is forced to watch a film, which cuts down his life

expectancy.

There are eight films in this anthology, all radically different.

The first film is titled Eden and the world it presents is far from that. It shows us a dystopian world where the air is so polluted you can’t breath without a mask. Also the government is corrupt and the rebellion is using children as freedom fighters. Finally the place also has what appears to be the beginning of a zombie problem.

Iris tells the story of an intelligent Smart Phone that is unfortunately in the hands of a killer for hire. What can a killer do when he has to face a phone with a conscience?

The next film, The Flesh Computer, introduces us to a half biological half mechanical computer that monitors a building. This story asks the question is this device conscious?

The story Pathos tells a story where people are hooked to machines to control their bodies. In order to advance in society you must pass a series of test which are simply to go to one side of the room you are in learn a code and punch it into a keyboard on the other side of the room. If you do it right you win prized that will give you a good life.  If you fail you lose a sense and eventually if you continue to fail you die.

Eveless tells the story of a male couple in a society where women have died and men must now carry children for the future of humanity.

They will all Die in Space tells the story of a technician that is woken up from hyper sleep to do repairs on a disabled ship but he soon learns that the two other men who are awake have horrific plans for him.

Entity tells the story of the survivor of a ship explosion who finds herself alone tumbling through space in a spacesuit until she come face to face with a strange space anomaly.

The final story is titled Kingz and tells the story of two drug dealers who go to drop off a bag of drugs to a night club owner only to find out he has been taken over by an alien entity and his security guards are now remote controlled drones.

Ok, well I found this to be an ok anthology, and I stress on the word ok. The stories varied from interesting to just plain boring. The writing varied as well. A couple of the stories were extremely weak. They had interesting ideas but the stories weren’t fully developed. Another problem was a couple of the films came from other countries and the viewer was stuck having to labor through a lot of subtitles. Also, the wrap around story was weak and did nothing to enhance the film at all.

So, in the end I have to say film was ok and I wouldn’t suggest you rush out and check it out. This is more something you might want to check out as a 99 cent VOD. It is definitely nothing I’d want to include in my anthology collection….

Keep on Creepin, Horror Bob’s Blog!

Review: Ichi

Review: Ichi
By William Pattison
For Horror Bob's Blog

I just finished watching a wonderful samurai film from 2008 titled Ichi. It is a spin off of the incredible samurai series Blind Swordsman Zatoichi.
This film tells the story of Zatoichi's daughter whose name is Ichi. She is also blind. When she was a child Zatoichi left her in a home where they taught her to be a singer. Zatoichi visits on occasion and teaches the girl how to use a sword. When she grows up the head of the house rapes her and she kills him. She is thrown out of the house and travels the countryside of Japan looking for her father. It is during her journey that she runs into a samurai that has a tramatic condition where he can't pull his sword to fight. It is because of this that Ichi ends up getting in the middle of a conflict between a village and a group of bandits. I guess it runs in the family.
As a long time fan of the Zatoichi I royally enjoyed this film and highly recommend it....
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Review: Land of Smiles, aka Thai-Sanity

Review: Land of Smiles, aka Thai-Sanity

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog

For my review this time a have a new film by Australian director Bradley Stryker, Land of Smiles.

The film centers on a girl named Abby (played by Alexandra Turshen). Abby has just gotten out of college and is ready to start her life. Her best friend, Jen (played by Jen L. Burry), wants to take Abby on vacation to purge her inhibitions, since Abby is a bit of the good girl type. Abby tells Jen she doesn’t want to go. This starts an argument. Abby tells Jen it has nothing to do with Abby’s boyfriend Brad. Jen walks off in a huff. Abby ends up going home to find Brad having sex with another girl. Abby shoots them both in the face with pepper spray. Then we see Abby on a plane alone to Thailand, not a good idea. Once she gets to Thailand Abby meets documentary filmmaker Ben (played by Keenan Henson) and his girl Jewel (played by Caitlin Cromwell, aka Caitlin Stryker). The threesome decide to travel around Thailand together because Ben has been all over the island and knows the best places. Then they add an Australian, Dale (played by Bradley Stryker) and Penny (played by Krista Donargo) It is around this time that Abby receives a video that is handed to her by a stranger. The video shows her friend Jen tied up and painted up in clown makeup. There is a man with her in a yellow jumpsuit and a disturbing clown mask. The man tells Abby that if she doesn’t play his game and do as he says that he will cut Jen to pieces with an electric saw. He tells Abby not to tell Ben or Jewel as well. Abby immediately goes to Ben and Jewel and shows them the video. Ben tells her not to worry because he figures it is Jen pulling a trick on Abby to help get her out of her shell. He backs this up by showing her a couple of videos of people pulling a similar trick. Abby doesn’t believe him and wants to get the police involved. Ben reminds Abby that the Thailand police are corrupt will only help if they are paid enough. He suggest she just go along with the game and that he is sure it’s all a big joke. The next day Abby is given another not from the clown masked man. He tells her that now that she has told Ben and Jewel they must play the game too and if any of them fail to go by the rules Jen will suffer. They decide not to tell Dale or Penny what’s going on, since they don’t want them involved. It is a little bit later that they find out this is all no joke when they find Penny, painted up in clown makeup, murdered in a motel covered in sheets with clown scrawl over them with blinking green, red, and blue Christmas lights as well. It is also soon after that they receive a finger in a package and a pendent Abby gave Jen. Now the game has become serious and the tension builds to the twist at the end.

I have to say that this is a very well done psychological horror film that also exploits the setting very well. You have an American tourist in a strange country where she can’t even count on the police for help. Bradley counters the incredible beauty if Thailand with it’s darker underbelly.

The actors give excellent performance, especially Alexandra Turshen and Keenan Henson as Ben. Bradley Stryker adds a lot to the film as Dale as well.

Of course, now we got the downside of the film. I honestly did not think the clown motif worked well with the setting. I know clowns have been the big thing the last few years with the clown sightings and attacks all over the globe. Also I understand that clown masks are the easiest thing to find, but I just don’t see clowns and Thailand as a good match. It all looked cheap to me and thrown in. The backgrounds in the videos of the clown who was supposedly keeping Jen in a secret place in Thailand didn’t match up with the rest of the film. Also, the big twist and reveal could have been done far better. I was less than impressed with the execution and it brought down a really good build up. Though I doubt Bradley Stryker is going to read this review, I hope he does a better job ending his next film.

Keep on Creepin’, Horror Bob’s Blog!

Commentary: What is in a Moniker?

Commentary: What is in a Moniker?

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob's Blog

Ok, here is something I’ve wanted to get off my chest. It seems that a minority of people in horror have an issue with me using the moniker King of Splatter Punk. Well, whiney bitches here is what I have to say on this….too bad. A guy I knew years ago started calling me that. I was reluctant to take on the moniker, at the time because I was calling myself The Harlan Ellison of Friday the 13^th, which I still do on occasion. Of course, I also call myself The Alpha Wolf of The Wolf Pack and Shogun of The Wolf Pack.

The point I’m getting at is monikers are meaningless. They are just cute little names people, especially in entertainment use with a tongue in cheek. Look around you people. How many tattooed girls with website that have been extras in films, or if she is lucky had a short speaking part, call themselves Scream Queens or Queen of Horror. How many Kings of Horror are there out there. My buddy Al Omega calls himself the Alpha and Omega of Horror. More power to him.

A few people say I can’t call myself on my shows The King of Splatter Punk because. David J Schow and some of his friends invented the sub-genre of Splatter Punk. I say if David wants to fly banners calling himself King of Splatter Punk more power to him too, but I really don’t think he cares. David is more interested in doing the work of writing and getting the pay than giving himself gray hair over a mere moniker. Nope, it is just a few narrow minded, petty, nitpicky jackasses out there that make a mountain out of a mole hill and waste their time writing page after page on how I can’t call myself The King of Splatter Punk. Sorry, this is William Pattison, King of Splatter Punk, The Harlan Ellison of Friday the 13th, Defender of Horror, Alpha Wolf of The Wolf Pack, and Shogun of The Wolf Pack saying get a life….

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Review: The Void

Review: The Void

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob's Blog

Man, I just finished watching The Void. I have to say I'm stunned. This is a beautifully ghastly horror film. It is Clive Barker meets H.P. Lovecraft. Excellent writing. Good character work. Great atmosphere. Tense as shit. This is the best horror film I've seen in years. This is my choice for best of the year. I doubt I'll find a film that will surpass this film. This film royally raised the bar on horror. You, got to see this. This is a grotesque masterpiece.....

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Review: Stake Land II

Review: Stake Land II

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog

Well, I just finished watching Stake Land II. I have to say as much as I loved the first film I love this one better. In this film Martin (played again by Conner Paolo) and Mister (Nick Damici, who is also the writer of the film) are reunited when Martin's family is murdered by a female vampire with one eye. Martin finds out from Mister that this vampire is actually after him. It seems that this vampire is a new breed that can have babies and Mister had killed her baby and took her eye. Now Martin, Mister, a feral girl Mister befriended along with some vampire hunter friends of Mister must take on an army of vampires and the crazy cult the brotherhood from the first film, who are working with the vampires.

This is a great zombie apocalypse style film done with vampires instead of zombies. I highly recommend it.

Keep it Creepin’, Horror Bob’s Blog

Review: XX

Review: XX

By William Pattison, aka Eric Morse

For Horror Bob’s Blog

Gore and scares! For my review this time I have the new anthology XX. This anthology was done by four female filmmakers: Jovanka Vuckovic, Roxanne Benjamin, St. Vincent aka Annie Clark, and Karyn Kusama. The film is made up of four terror tales connected by a weird animated wrap a round featuring an odd doll house with a doll’s face.

The first story is an adaptation by Jovanka Vuckovic of the overly treaded Jack Ketchum short story The Box. Honestly when I saw that they were doing The Box in this anthology I figured this segment was going to be the weakest of the stories given the fact that The Box has had three previous short film adaptation as well as a feature film. For those who somehow missed this story, in Ketchum’s original story a man with a messed up side of his face goes to a couple who is having financial problems and offers them the chance to get a million dollars. The only catch is they have to push a button inside a black box which will kill a random person. They only have a week to decide. Well, Vuckovic does a total re-writing of the tale. She still has the mysterious man and the box, but this time the box is red and has a big red bow on it. Vuckovic’s version starts on a train with a mother and two kids. A mystery man with a messed up eye is sitting nearby them holding the box. The mother’s son asks the man what is in the box. The man opens the box and shows him. From that moment on the boy refuses to eat. His father in one scene gets so frustrated he starts yelling at the boy who breaks down in tears but refuses to eat. Eventually the boy tells his sister what he saw and she refuses to eat as well. Then at the end the boy tells his father and he stops eating. You can gather the end of the story. Jovanka Vuckovic is brilliant in how she handles this story. Seriously, the way she films the food in the scene makes you hungry. It looks so appealing yet the boy and later his sister turns their noses up to it. This adaptation is psychological horror at its best and is in fact the strongest of the tales in this anthology.

The second story is by filmmakers Roxanne Benjamin and St. Vincent aka Annie Clark. It is titled The Birthday Party. It tells the tale of a mother who is having a costume party/ birthday party for her adopted daughter. Unfortunately, she finds the girl’s father dead in his den. Now the mother finds herself trying to hide the body from her daughter and the arriving party guests. She ends up disguising the body in a panda costume and sits it at the party table. Of course fate hits in a predictable ending.

I have to say this was the weakest story of the anthology and suffered from an annoying habit that some female filmmakers have. That is they fall so much in love with style and costuming that they forget the story and focus solely on visual elements. This is an issue I have with the Soskas as well. For instance the mother spends the entire story in a dark green nightgown with a mauve silk bathrobe. The daughter is wearing a supposed handmade ghost costume. The distracting thing is it is made out of a white overly shiny vinyl material. Then the other kids costumes look like nothing a modern kid would ever, and I mean ever, wear unless they were forced to. It looks like a twisted school play. Then of course the parents costuming and hair styles were horridly off. I doubt that any man, even a gay guy, would wear an orange tennis shirt with a atomic yellow sweater and puke green colored pants. With all these distracting costume elements it royally takes away from the focus of the story, which is the mother and her husband’s body.

The third story is a definite improvement over the last installment. I was directed by Roxanne Benjamin and is titled Don’t Fall. It tells the story of a group of vacationers who set up camp in an area they are not supposed to be near a ancient cave painting. The cave painting shows a group of figures. The figure in the middle is bigger than the others and appears to have horns. The group does some rock climbing, have a campout, and settle in their RV for a good night’s sleep. Well, that is when the fun begins….One of the girls wakes up in the middle of the night. She somehow had been moved up the rock face and was laying beneath the cave painting. She ends up being possessed by the evil entity that lives in the rock. Now the vacationers must try to escape their friend who has turned into a monster set to rip all of them to pieces.

I loved this story. It was a no nonsense monster story that was gritty and nasty in the tradition of The Evil Dead. The possessed girl-creature was awesome and all the FX were gory practical effects. I have nothing but praise for this installment.

The final story is titled Her only Living Son. It was directed by Karyn Kusama and tells the story of Cora, who has a special son named Andy who she spends her days protecting. Cora has had to move constantly to protect her son because some “crazy people,” as she calls them, want to take Andy and use him for their own purposes. Well, Andy’s eighteenth birthday is coming up and Cora worries that he might have to make a frightening decision.

I really enjoyed this installment. Both the actress that played Cora and Andy both did fantastic performances. In fact all the performances are top drawer. There is a scene where Cora in having a conference with the dean of Andy’s school. Supposedly Andy had pulled a fellow student’s finger nails off. Surprisingly, the dean tells Cora that she isn’t going to discipline Andy because he is a special boy and needs to be encouraged. The look on Cora’s face speaks volumes. The most frightening scene is towards the end of the story after Andy tells Cora that a strange woman told him his real father was coming to get him. He orders his mother to kneel before him and while she pleads about how she has done everything to protect him Andy strokes her hair with his hand which has changed and has long sharp finger nails. The best part of this story is when Andy’s father finally arrives the camera doesn’t show him but focuses solely on Andy and his mother. Also, though the end is bloody it is done well and fits the feel of the story rather than being overly grizzly.

So, in conclusion, I have to say that XX is a really good anthology film. If I was to give it a number rating I would give it a 3.5 out of 5. The reason I would not give it a full 4.0 is because I felt the cryptic wrap a round took away from the film. Also, as I said, I wasn’t very pleased with the second story. But, I will say that this anthology surprised me and is one I will recommend….

Keep on Creepin’, Horror Bob’s Blog….

William Pattison’s Top 20 Best Horror Films of 2016

William Pattison’s Top 20 Best Horror Films of 2016

Gore and Scares Everybody! It’s me, William Pattison. Well, 2017 is here and so is horror awards season. Yep, all the horror magazines and film festivals will be naming their favorite horror films from 2016 via Top Lists or full on awards ceremonies. So I thought what the hell. I’ve watched around 200 horror films this last year, more or less (Probably more than most of the people who are judging this year…). So, why shouldn’t I name my Top twenty films I thought were superior for 2016?

It was hard but after a lot of painful cutting and trimming I managed to knock my list down to twenty.  It really was hard work because there were a lot of excellent horror films that came out in 2016. So here are my choices…..

20. She-wolf Rising

A nonstop supernatural thriller that explores the dark side of underground filmmaking. Gina Sklar, the reigning queen of horror, portrayed by Tiffany Shepis, lures Jake Bubar (Tim Mandala) into the decadent world of illusions and myths. Robert Lonzo (J. Edmund Fond) is Gina's mentor and producer in the world of horror cinema. Someone has stolen the footage from his latest movie and Gina needs Jake's help to recover it. It's Lonzo's best movie ever and Gina's breakout performance. Gina believes that this movie could catapult her out of the "B" world of films and into mainstream cinema. Jake struggles with his own demons internally but in the end cannot resist her. He only sees her vulnerability and beauty and will do anything to help. Jake's beliefs are challenged when he discovers Gina's true nature and realizes that the "the heart becomes savage." Together they forge ahead and deal with the demons and beasts that try to stop them from their forbidden desire.

Director:

 Marc Leland

Writer:

 Marc Leland

Stars:

 Tiffany Shepis, Debbie Rochon, Timothy Mandala

19. HOWL

When passengers on a train are attacked by a creature, they must band together in order to survive until morning.

Director:

 Paul Hyett

Writers:

 Mark Huckerby, Nick Ostler

Stars:

 Ed Speleers, Holly Weston, Shauna Macdonald

18. The Veil

Twenty-five years after members of a religious cult committed mass suicide, the lone survivor returns to the scene of the tragedy with a documentary crew in tow.

Director:

 Phil Joanou

Writer:

 Robert Ben Garant (screenplay)

Stars:

 Jessica Alba, Lily Rabe, Thomas Jane

17. Baskin

A squad of unsuspecting cops goes through a trapdoor to Hell when they stumble upon a Black Mass in an abandoned building.

Director:

 Can Evrenol

Writers:

Ogulcan Eren Akay, Can Evrenol, Cem Ozuduru, Ercin Sadikoglu 

Stars:

 Mehmet Cerrahoglu, Görkem Kasal, Ergun Kuyucu

16. Clown

A loving father finds a clown suit for his son's birthday party, only to realize that it is not a suit at all.

Director:

 Jon Watts

Writers:

 Christopher Ford (screenplay) (as Christopher D. Ford), Jon Watts (screenplay)

Stars:

 Andy Powers, Laura Allen, Peter Stormare

15. Siren

A bachelor party becomes a savage fight for survival when the groomsmen unwittingly unleash a fabled predator upon the festivities.

Director:

 Gregg Bishop

Writers:

 David Bruckner (based on characters created by), David Bruckner (original screenplay: Amateur Nightt), Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski, Nicholas Tecosky (based on characters created by)

Stars:

 Chase Williamson, Hannah Fierman, Justin Welborn

14. Blair Witch

After discovering a video showing what he believes to be his vanished sister Heather, James and a group of friends head to the forest believed to be inhabited by the Blair Witch.

Director:

 Adam Wingard

Writer:

 Simon Barrett

Stars:

 James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Corbin Reid

13. Hollow Creek

Seeking inspiration for his latest horror novel Blake Blackman, a writer from New York, retreats to a remote cabin in the Appalachian Mountains. He is secretly accompanied by his lover Angelica Santoro a book illustrator who he's been having an affair with. She brings her dog along with them. Upon arrival they hear an amber alert on the radio and first learn about the case of several boys missing in the area. Soon after they arrive to the cabin her dog starts acting strange like there's someone or something out in the woods. A twist of fate turns the romantic interlude into an abduction-murder case when Angelica follows a lead to one of the missing boys and she mysteriously goes missing. Blake then becomes the prime suspect of her disappearance.

Director:

 Guisela Moro

Writers:

 Guisela Moro, Steve Daron (collaborating writer) Guisela Moro (creator)

Stars:

 Steve Daron, Guisela Moro, Burt Reynolds |

12. Don’t Breath

Hoping to walk away with a massive fortune, a trio of thieves break into the house of a blind man who isn't as helpless as he seems.

Director:

 Fede Alvarez

Writers:

 Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues

Stars:

 Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette 

11. Carnage Park

After botching an ill-conceived bank robbery in a desolate California town, two wannabe crooks flee the scene with a hostage and lead the local lawmen on a dangerous high-speed chase.

Director:

 Mickey Keating

Writer:

 Mickey Keating

Stars:

 Ashley Bell, Pat Healy, James Landry Hébert

10. Frankenstein

A married couple of scientists create a modern-day monster.

Director:

 Bernard Rose

Writer:

 Bernard Rose

Stars:

 Danny Huston, Matthew Jacobs, Dave Pressler

9. Ouja: Origin of Evil

In 1967 Los Angeles, a widowed mother and her 2 daughters add a new stunt to bolster their seance scam business, inviting an evil presence into their home.

Director:

 Mike Flanagan

Writers:

 Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard  Stiles White (characters) Juliet Snowden (characters)

Stars:

 Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, Annalise Basso

8. 10 Cloverfield Lane

After getting in a car accident, a woman is held in a shelter with two men, who claim the outside world is affected by a widespread chemical attack.

Director:

 Dan Trachtenberg

Writers:

 Josh Campbell (story), Matthew Stuecken (story) Josh Campbell (screenplay) &, Matthew Stuecken (screenplay) and, Damien Chazelle (screenplay)

Stars:

 John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr.

7. The Monster

A mother and daughter must confront a terrifying monster when they break down on a deserted road.

Director:

 Bryan Bertino

Writer:

 Bryan Bertino

Stars:

 Zoe Kazan, Ella Ballentine, Aaron Douglas 

6. Before I Wake

A young couple adopt an orphaned child whose dreams - and nightmares - manifest physically as he sleeps.

Director:

 Mike Flanagan

Writers:

 Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard

Stars:

 Thomas Jane, Kate Bosworth, Jacob Tremblay

5. 31

Five carnival workers are kidnapped and held hostage in an abandoned, Hell-like compound where they are forced to participate in a violent game, the goal of which is to survive twelve hours against a gang of sadistic clowns.

Director:

 Rob Zombie

Writer:

 Rob Zombie

Stars:

 Malcolm McDowell, Richard Brake, Jeff Daniel Phillips

4. The Train to Busan

While a zombie-virus breaks out in South Korea, a couple of passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.

Director:

 Sang-ho Yeon

Writer:

 Sang-ho Yeon (screenplay)

Stars:

 Yoo Gong, Soo-an Kim, Yu-mi Jung

3. Abattoir

An investigative reporter teams up with a Police officer to solve the mystery of why a seemingly good man murdered her sister's family.

Director:

 Darren Lynn Bousman

Writer:

 Christopher Monfette (screenplay)

Stars:

 Jessica Lowndes, Joe Anderson, Lin Shaye

2. The Conjuring 2

Lorraine and Ed Warren travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by a malicious spirit.

Director:

 James Wan

Writers:

 Carey Hayes (screenplay), Chad Hayes (screenplay), James Wan (screenplay) and David Leslie Johnson (screenplay) (as David Johnson), Carey Hayes (story) & James Wan (story)

Stars:

 Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe

1.The Autopsy of Jane Doe

A father and son, both coroners, are pulled into a complex mystery while attempting to identify the body of a young woman, who was apparently harboring dark secrets.

Director:

 André Øvredal

Writers:

 Ian B. Goldberg (as Ian Goldberg), Richard Naing

Stars:

 Emile Hirsch, Brian Cox, Ophelia Lovibond

Well, those are my top twenty horror films for 2016. I hoped you enjoyed them. If you haven't seen some of these films I suggest you take the time to do that because they are worth it....

Keep on Creepin', Horror Bob's Blog!!!!