Review: Subspecies (1997)

Review: Subspecies (1991)

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog…

This time I’m reviewing Ted Nicolaou’s classic vampire tale…

After many years in exile, the evil vampire Radu returns to the fortress of his father, the good King Vladislav, in Prejnar, and kills his father to steal the powerful Blood Stone. Meanwhile, the Americans Michelle and Lillian travel to Transylvania to meet their Romanian friend Mara to research the locals and prepare a study for their PHD about the Romanian culture. They are lodged in an ancient house in Prejnar by the rough local Karl that explains that the residents believe there are good and evil vampires, but they live in peace with the vampires led by King Vladislav for centuries. Soon, Michelle meets the zoology student Stefan and they have a crush on each other. But Radu breaks the truce between the vampires and the humans and he attacks the three women. Stephen rescues the girls and discloses to Michelle that he is Radu's half-brother. Now, Stephen and Karl wants to stop the vampire, but he is powerful and smart, and sneaks in the darkness.

This film is still the best of the series.

The villain, Radu is at his best here. He is his most scariest and at his most blood thirsty. Also, in this film they do the best job of using the title creatures, the right inch tall Subspecies, which are created by Radu breaking off his own fingers and use black magic to turn the fingers into the little demon creatures. The creatures are brought life through animation and still backgrounds. The animation and design of the creatures was done  uhby the same animator who created Gumby and Pokie.

The cast does a really good job. Unfortunately the character of Michelle, played in this film by Laura Mae Tate, was recast in Subspecies 2.

Phantasm star Angus  crim has an excellent cameo as the vampire king Vladislaz. Actor Anders Hove starts his iconic run as the blood slobbering Vampire/Warlock Radu Vladislaz. Also actor Michael Watson plays Radu’s brother Stephan.

This film, which was actually shot in Romania really handles and presents a lot the local vampire mythology as well. Including the ritual for finding the grave of a vampire.

All in all of you like some good, bloody, vampire action with a very original style of vampire this is definitely your film…

Keep on Creepin’ , Horror Bob’s Blog…

 

Review: Vampire Journals (1998)

Review The Vampire Journals (1997)

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog…

This time I got a vampire film that is actually a spinoff of  Full Moon and Ted Nicolaou’s Subspecies films…

 

A 19th century vampire stalks a more powerful vampire lord in his quest to gain revenge over the death of his mistress. In his search for the vampire lord in Eastern Europe he kills many of his servants and fellow vampires while cursing a young female musician to vampirism as well.

I really enjoyed this film. I found the vampire Ash, played by Johnathan Morris, in this film a lot more interesting than the more gross Radu. I also found Ash’s adversary the vampire hunter played by Jason Gunn intriguing, a vampire hunting his own kind. Also, Kristen Cerre plays a beautiful victim of vampirism as the piano player Sophia. This film is beautifully shot. There are some shots the Nicolaou uses golden lighting rather than the usual reds, grays, or blues which gives this film a unique look.

Also, I liked that Nicolaou put is a scene where you see the vampires in their daylight forms, which makes them look very mummy-like. This was also a rather unique look for this film. It is unfortunate that it was never used again.

I have to say that this is not only an excellent extension of Ted Nicolaou’s vampire universe he started in Subspecies. It is a film I can highly recommend if you like Ted’s work on Subspecies you will love this film…

Keep on Creepin’ , Horror Bob’s Blog…

 

 

Review: The 13th Child (2012)

Review: The 13^th Child: Legend of the Jersey Devil (2002)

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog ..

This time I got a review of a film that is supposed to be about The Jersey Devil...

People are being killed by someone or something using superhuman strength. A clever DA Assistant is sent to investigate. Is this just a way to commit the perfect murder or will the legend of the Jersey Devil prove to be true?

Ok, if you are looking for a film that is actually about The Jersey Devil you are looking in the wrong place. Nowhere in this film is there anything except for the curse of the thirteenth child, but even that is changed to the point of not even resembling the original curse. Instead you get a fake mythology about the Jersey Devil that sounds more like a skinwalker than the demon of the Pine Barrons. No where in the legend does The Devil rip people’s heads off. Also The Devil is not an evil Indian wizard that changed his form. Nope no Mother Leads and her twelve children. Nope, we got Mr. Viel, who has a horrorfying family secret. You can guess what that is…

Anyway, as a person who has actually studied the real Jersey Devil I was not very happy with this film. I believe that if you are going to do a film about a famous criptid, like Big Foot or The Loc Ness Monster, please study the source material. It is annoying when filmmakers show their ignorance in such a way. Shit, they showed the famous sketch of The Jersey Devil in the damned film, but the monster they showed in the film bore no resemblance to The Jersey Devil.

Now, of they had presented this as an original film with an original mythology about a fictional demon legend it might have worked better for me. But making this associated with The Jersey Devil was like a person scratching a chalkboard to me. I couldn’t get around it and enjoy the story being presented.

What is sad is all the actors did a good job, but this movie is a cheat. It reminds me of that whole Wolfstein thing in the early sixties. They titled a movie as a Frankenstein film, but the film was about a werewolf and a vampire. That pissed me off when I saw it.

So, for those of you who see the subtitle “Legend of The Jersey Devil” and actually expect to see a movie about THE JERSEY DEVIL, well I can’t  recommend this film. And for those who ask, “Whay’s the big deal?” I say Excuse? I think I made the issue plain… Stop jump reading my fucking review!!!

Keep on Creepin’ , Horror Bob’s Blog…

 

Review: The Dark Within (2013)

Review: The Dark Within (2019)

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog…

This time I’ve got a truly twisted film about a man with a unique psychic gift and the danger of him letting in transdimensional invaders, or if this is all in his head…

A disturbed man with unknown psychic abilities tries to unravel the mystery of his parents' disappearance while battling his own demons.

This film reminds me a lot of the original The Evil Dead because most of the action in this film takes place in an out of the way cabin. Also the main character seeing a bunch of people he cares about turned into demonic mockeries of themselves. The only real difference is instead of this dealing with The Old Ones the source of the terror is a possible invasion of evil transdimensional beings. Still the style has that Evil Dead vib.

This is a well crafted film. From the creature designs to the claustrophobic feeling this film provides an intense experience.

 Paul Flannery steals the show as Marus. This is mainly because he spends  most of the film in the cabin with his personal demons as well as a vew “visitors”. Also kendra Carelli plays multipal versions of Marcus’ love interest Sarah.

All in all I can honestly say I had fun with this film even though you are never even sure what in the film actually happened and what was in Marcus’ head. I think that is the most brilliant part of this film. I highly recommend it…

Keep on Creepin’ , Horror Bob’s Blog…

Review: Goth (2023)

Review: Goth (2003

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob's Blog...)

This time I’m reviewing a film about a demonic Goth trying to corrupt two Goth teens…

 Chrissy and her boyfriend BOONE are two Gothic teenagers living in L.A. who have seen and done it all. As the sun goes down, they get ready for a hardcore concert at the local club. The night takes a gruesome turn when they run into a savage, darkly beautiful woman with a taste for pain and sexual deviance. She represents the darkest, most depraved end of this subculture; for her, it's not just superficial costumes and makeup but a way of life that thrives on murder and madness. Promising new thrills and experiences, she takes Chrissy and Boone on a wild, terrifying ride that progresses from drug-fueled orgies to random acts of violence, leaving a trail of mutilated victims in their wake.

Unfortunately I wasn’t really impressed with this film. Besides the music and makeup this film didn’t scream Goth to me.

Phoebe Dollar was ok as Goth. She seemed to me more bitchie than scary. All through the film she would make threats but never really do anything. She spends the film bullying the Goth couple to have sex with other  I’mpeople. Then toward the end she tries to push Christy to commit murder to prove herself a true Goth based on Goth’s rules of being Goth.

Laurie Reilly plays Chrissy, who all of a sudden believes that Goth was the person who killed her sister. So, because she wants to prove that Goth is her sister’s killer she plays Goth’s game and ends up losing herself in the end.

Dave Stan plays Boone, who Goth bullies into having rough sex with a woman while Christie watches. I wasn’t  impressed by this character. He seemed rather wimpy. I felt he was manipulated too easily.

All in all I wasn’t  pleased, with the story or the acting in this film. It felt more like someone’s manipulation fantasy with a Goth covering. I definitely don’t recommend this film…

Keep on Creepin’ , Horror Bob’s Blog…

Review: Crossover: Immortal Sin (2023)

Review: Crossover: Immortal Sin (2023)

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog..

This time I’m reviewing a pilot for a TV series that didn’t make it past the pilot featuring immortals…

Abducted and tormented by a pair of immortals, David is forced to watch his girlfriend die, while confronting the horror that he's not quite human (or mortal) himself.

I find it amusing how many times I watch movies on Tubi TV just to find out that the film I’m watching is a failed pilot for a TV series. The film I’m reviewing is one of those failed pilot.

I find this a shame because I found this pilot very interesting, especially how these immortals maintain their immortality. Unfortunately I can’t  tell you about the process, because that would be a spoiler and I try not to do that. All I can say is I’ve never seen this before. So, I guess you are going to check out this film to find out…Sorry about that, not…

I really enjoy the ongoing conflict between two of the main immortals, David and Harry (played by Daniel Karp and Robert Norman.

The pilot focused on Rachel who is a hybrid immortal and related to David who unknowingly going to go through her first crossover and become a full immortal. Rachel is unaware of her true origins or her legacy.

I have to say that this pilot had a very complex storyline and was well made. It would have been a series to rival The Originals. Sad. The only thing I really didn’t enjoy was the music track. The music in this pilot was too chipper and positive for a story about drama between clans of immortal. Seriously the music made me think about Martha Stewart more than immortals.

But all in all I will recommend this list pilot if for anything for the crossover scenes. It was actually brilliant. Such a waste…

If you want to see this pilot it is currently on Tubi TV. As I said it is well worth checking out…

Keep on Creepin’ , Horror Bob’s Blog…

 

 

Review: The Audition (2026)

Review: The Audition (2026)

By William Pattison

For Horror Bob’s Blog

This time I have a low budget Canadian remake

Of a notorious Korean film. Oh boy!!!

In the wake of his wife's death, widowed filmmaker Noah becomes consumed by grief. With the subtle influence of his friend Darius, Noah meets Miya, a young woman who unknowingly becomes the focus of his obsession. As Noah's fixation deepens, what begins as a quiet connection spirals into a nightmarish descent of manipulation and terror. The Audition is a gripping horror tale of obsession, grief, and the chilling consequences of unchecked desire.

This film is a remake of the iconic Korean torture film Audition. This film goes by the plot of the Korean film exactly. Infact many of the shots in this film are fram by frame duplicates. The only real issue with this film is for a remake this film is horribly lacking teeth. When the film is supposed to get brutal and nasty there is nothing. All the torture scares are done with extreme reaction shots of the actor’s faces with some amusingly bad sound fx. Yep, that is right! No penintration seen. No pins in flesh. Nothing. And the leading man”s pained screams sound fake as shit. It was very Canadian. It was made for wimpy Canadian sensitivities. Shit, they blew…or I should say failed to blow the notorious blowjob scene.

Emma Trans fails to even come close to the performance of the original frail little Korean lady that tortured the shit out of her leading man in Audition. This poser didn’t even break a sweat in comparison. She was wimpy as shit. The leather dress was an insult to the original on her.

Also Joseph Finfer was lack luster as torture victim Noah. The Korean guy in the original wasn’t a great actor, but at least he played the part with a heart beat. In fact, besides the shadowladen creepy ballet  teacher the only good performance was by Michael Mazza who played Noah’associate Darius Sims.

All in all this film was a weak, spineless, remake of a brutal disturbing film. If you want to see a good film go out and find a copy of Audition and be ready to cringe and be disturbed. Leave this Canadian bacon toothless failure where it belongs, in the nearest trashben…

Keep on Creepin’ , Horror Bob’s  Blog…