“The Dunwich Horror” is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft, first published in the April 1929 issue of Weird Tales. It takes place in Dunwich, a fictional town in Massachusetts and is considered one of the core stories of the Cthulhu Mythos. Although Lovecraft first mentioned “Yog-Sothoth” in the novel The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, it was in “The Dunwich Horror” that he introduced the entity as one of his extra-dimensional Outer Gods. It is also the tale in which the Necronomicon makes the most significant appearance, and the longest direct quote from it appears in the text. 

Inspiration:

Lovecraft’s main literary sources for “The Dunwich Horror” are the stories of Welsh horror writer Arthur Machen, particularly The Great God Pan and “The Novel of the Black Seal“. Both Machen stories concern individuals whose death throes reveal them to be only half-human in their parentage. The name Dunwich itself may come from Machen’s The Terror, where the name refers to an English town where the titular entity is seen hovering as “a black cloud with sparks of fire in it”. Lovecraft also takes Wilbur Whateley’s occult terms “Aklo” and “Voorish” from Machen’s “The White People”.

Lovecraft also seems to have found inspiration in Anthony M. Rud’s story “Ooze” (published in Weird Tales, March 1923), which also involved a monster being secretly kept and fed in a house that it subsequently bursts out of and destroys. The tracks of Wilbur’s brother recall those seen in Algernon Blackwood‘s “The Wendigo”, one of Lovecraft’s favorite horror stories, Also, Ambrose Bierce‘s story “The Damned Thing” involves a monster invisible to human eyes, much like the Horror.

Plot teaser:

In the isolated, desolate and decrepit village of Dunwich, Wilbur Whateley is the hideous son of Lavinia Whateley, a deformed and unstable albino mother, and an unknown father (alluded to in passing by mad Old Whateley, as “Yog-Sothoth”), and strange events surround his birth and precocious development. Wilbur matures at an abnormal rate, reaching manhood within a decade, locals shun him and his family, and animals fear and despise him (due to a smell he gives off). All the while, his sorcerer grandfather indoctrinates him into certain dark rituals and the study of witchcraft…

Reaction:

Lovecraft took pride in “The Dunwich Horror”, calling it “so fiendish that [Weird Tales editor] Farnsworth Wright may not dare to print it.” Wright, however, snapped it up, sending Lovecraft a cheque for $240…

Wikipedia

Blood Widow is a 2014 American horror film directed by Jeremiah Buckhalt from a screenplay by Chad Coup and Ian H. Davis. It stars Danielle Lilley (The Incubus), Brandon Kyle Peters, Christopher de Padua, Jose Miguel Vasquez, Emily Cutting (Rockabilly Zombie Weekend) and Kelly Kilgore. The Florida-lensed film will be available in the US via Midnight Releasing on June 3rd, 2014

Plot teaser:

Laurie and Hugh are a successful young couple who have just closed on a weekend home away from the city. Unbeknownst to them, the neighboring property contains the crumbling remains of a boarding school that was shuttered in the wake of an unspeakable massacre. The sole survivor of that massacre still resides in the ruins of the school, hiding from the world and wanting only to be left alone. When Laurie and Hugh’s friends explore the property, they have no idea that they disturbed an emotionally-broken killing machine: The Blood Widow…

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Love, Vampire Style is the English language release title for 1970 German sex comedy film Beiß mich, Liebling! (“Bite Me, Darling!”). It was directed by Helmut Förnbacher from a screenplay by himself, W.H. Riedl and Martin Roda-Becher. The film stars Eva Renzi (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage), Patrick Jordan (Assault), Amadeus August, Herbert Fux (Mark of the Devil; Lady Frankenstein), Brigitte Skay (A Bay of Blood; The Beast in Heat), Barbara Valentin (The Head; Horrors of Spider Island).

In the UK, it was released on VHS in November 1981 by Intervision, and reissued by MPV, with the title The Amorous Adventures of a Young Postman.

Plot synopsis:

Unfortunately, postman Engelmann (Herbert Fux ) has an accident that makes him unable to work, and so he is replaced on his round by his younger colleague Peter Busch (Amadeus August). However, the young man has many other qualities besides being able to the deliver of letters, and after a short time his ‘services’ are all the rage in the beds of local widows. Sex therapist and marriage counsellor Hartlieb (Patrick Jordan ) is frustrated by this new situation, because all of his female clientele have nothing to report on the couch. Without further ado, he decides to convey the potent postman to the afterlife, especially since the randy postman is also planning to marry his niece Laura (Eva Renzi). However, the farce continues because the deceased deliveryman rises from his grave and makes the area his own again, as a bloodthirsty vampire…

IMDb | Related: Dracula Blows His Cool | The Vampire Happening

We are grateful to Beiträge: 6.865 on the Edgar Wallace Forum for a plot synopsis and Pre-Cert Video for the VHS thumbnail. Please contact us at horrorpedia@outlook.com if you’d like to submit a review of Love, Vampire Style. Similarly, if you have the British VHS sleeves, or any other artwork for this obscure title, please get in touch

The following is just a selection of the Hindi comic book covers posted by Aeron Alfrety on his Monster Brains blog. Sadly, we have no details regarding the historic nature of these often surreal images or the artists themselves.

Please visit Monster Brains to enjoy more Hindi comic books images and much more besides!

Godzilla: Final Wars (ゴジラ ファイナルウォーズ Gojira: Fainaru Wōzu) is a 2004 Japanese science fiction Kaiju film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus), written by Wataru Mimura and Isao Kiriyama and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. It is the 28th installment in the Godzilla film series, and the sixth in terms of the series’ Millennium era. The film stars Masahiro Matsuoka, Don Frye, Rei Kikukawa, Kane Kosugi, Maki Mizuno and Kazuki Kitamura.

As a 50th anniversary film, a number of actors from previous Godzilla films appeared as main characters or in cameo roles. In addition, various Kaiju (monsters) made reappearances, as most were last seen more than 30 years earlier. Godzilla: Final Wars premiered on November 29, 2004 in Los Angeles, California and was released on December 4, 2004 in Japan. Before the world premiere, Godzilla received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Director Ryuhei Kitamura has compared Godzilla: Final Wars to that of a musician’s “Best of” album, stating “We picked lots and lots of the best elements from the past and combined it in a new way. It’s what I love about Godzilla and what I don’t love about recent Godzilla movies”.

The music in Godzilla: Final Wars was composed by Keith Emerson (Inferno; Murder Rock; The Church) Daisuke Yano and Nobuhiko Morino, while the band Sum 41 contributed the song “We’re All To Blame” to the soundtrack (and received high billing in the film’s opening credits sequence). Some critics expressed concern with the music of Final Wars, arguing that Emerson’s score would be better suited for a campy made-for-television movie or video games, while others pointed out that it made a refreshing change from the music of previous Godzilla films.

Plot teaser:

In 2004, endless warfare and environmental pollution has resulted in dangerous kaiju and the Earth Defense Force (EDF) is created to protect the planet. The organization is equipped with the best technology, weapons and soldiers, as well as mutants with special abilities. Godzilla is the EDF’s only unstoppable opponent. The EDF’s best combat vehicle, the Gotengo, corners Godzilla at the South Pole and buries him under the Antarctic ice, freezing him alive.

Forty years later, the EDF discovers a mummified space monster. The mutant soldier Shinichi Ozaki and the United Nations biologist Dr. Miyuki Otonashi are sent to research it. Shortly thereafter, the two encounter the Shobijin, fairies of the guardian monster Mothra, who reveal that the monster is Gigan, an alien cyborg sent to destroy Earth 12,000 years earlier. They also warn that a battle between good and evil will happen soon and that Ozaki, because of his mutant capabilities, must choose between the two.

Suddenly, kaiju appear in major cities. The EDF attempts to drive them away. The monsters include Anguirus in Shanghai, Rodan in New York City, King Caesar in Okinawa, Kamacuras in Paris, Kumonga in Arizona, Zilla in Sydney and Ebirah near Tokyo. Despite defeating Ebirah, the EDF is unsuccessful in destroying the monsters. After destroying most of the cities, the monsters vanish and an enormous alien mothership appears over Tokyo. The aliens, known as Xiliens, say that they are friendly and have eliminated the monsters…

Reviews:

” … brief missteps are not enough to undermine the film, which is a pulse-pulverizing bit of special effects and martial arts mayhem that truly is good enough to deserve a stateside release. Certainly, the film is over-the-top and utterly fantastic.” Steve Biodrowski, Cinefantastique

“The Matrix influence extends to slow-motion bullets, 360-degree freeze-pans, and Ozaki’s understanding of his divine purpose — but, really, all this tosh accomplishes is to pad Godzilla: Final Wars for a good 35 minutes longer than is necessary. Godzilla himself doesn’t even show up for the first hour and a half, since he’s kept on ice under the South Pole specifically for occasions like this. After a while the shoot-outs, fistfights, and bellowing latex bleed into one unending blur, and you find yourself actively pining for the earth to be destroyed so the end credits can come up.” Ty Burr, Boston Globe

“.. a blithely campy, altogether good-natured love letter to the classic Godzilla films of the 1960s and 1970s directed by… Japan’s adolescent action stylist.” Sean Axmaker, Static

Wikipedia | IMDb

Snuff Trap – originally known as Snuff killer: La morte in diretta - is a 2003 horror thriller written and directed by Bruno Mattei [as Pierre Le Blanc] (Hell of the Living Dead; Rats: Night of Terror; Cruel Jaws; Zombies: The Beginning), with producer Giovanni Paolucci (Cannibal World; Island of the Living Dead; Dracula 3D) taking co-story credit. It stars Carla Solaro, Gabriele Gori, Carlo Mucari, Federica Garuti, Anita Auer, Achille Brugnini, Albert Ruocco, Valerio Alessandrini, Raul Tilli.

Synopsis teaser:

In Paris, Michelle, is married to a rich French politician. She has a daughter from a previous relationship, Lauren who, having visited an upmarket night club, suddenly disappears. Michelle’s husband tells her she can’t inform the police because any scandalous situation might be detrimental to his political ambitions. A private investigator discovers that Lauren has been kidnapped by an international gang who makes snuff movies. The detective drops the case, however, because he fears for his life. So, Michelle begins her own investigation and goes undercover in the porno underworld of Amsterdam and Hamburg. She is drawn into a sleazy world of sex, sadomasochistic torture and… Dr. Hades!

Review:

“At the first glance Snuff Trap looks like a porn movie. The digital material is not processed in any special way and the pre-credits looks as cheap and primitive as they can get. The lighting is flat and the acting suffers from being dubbed by other actors. But Mattei gets things going, and even if it’s a boring mission to rip-off 8MM with a DV camera and a very low budget, he’s doing a very fine job with giving the movie a nice pace and even if it’s filled with a lot of footage of people walking, it’s not boring…”

“More torture themed than actual torture porn the film itself is silly and great fun for both all the right and wrong reasons. Far from being shocked the viewer may find the effect of the actual money shot is to smile along with the daftness of it all rather than recoil in the intended horror.” Nigel Maskell, Italian Film Review

“The movie isn’t as gory as its snuff theme would have you believe, but … the movie unashamedly throws full-frontal nudity pretty much everywhere, you’ve got lines as misogynistic and hilarious as “fuck off, poontang”, an evil midget who looks like he could be Verne Troyer’s shady foreign cousin, and in one instance, the movie splices in footage of actual hardcore porn. With sleazy sexuality on that level, how could anyone possibly claim that Bruno Mattei sold out in later years like plenty of his peers did?” Rosso Sangue Reviews

IMDb

Barnabas Vampire Van was a scale kit model of a hot rod hearse originally issued in 1969 by MPC to tie-in with the hit Dark Shadows ABC TV show. The kit has since been reissued and is available from Amazon.com

Don’t Look in the Basement 2 - also known as Id: Don’t Look in the Basement 2 - is a 2014 American horror film directed by Anthony Brownrigg (Red Victoria), the son of S.F. Brownrigg who directed Don’t Look in the Basement in 1973 [click link to read extensive Horrorpedia review]. The screenplay is by Anthony Brownrigg and Megan Emerick (who also has a role). It stars Arianne Margot, Frank Mosley, Andrew Sensenig, Jim O’Rear, Kristal Shannon, Angela Gair, Chester Rushing, Megan Emerick, Carolyn King, Kim Foster, Brady McInnes. 

Official synopsis:

“The pic will pick up the story of Sam after the end of the first film, 40 years later. After Sam is moved to a new asylum in 2013, strange things begin happening there to the patients as well as the doctors. One doctor must find out what’s causing everyone go delve even deeper into insanity before it overcomes him as well.”

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Asmodexia is a 2014 Spanish supernatural horror film directed by Marc Carreté (Mal cuerpo,Castidermia) from a screenplay by himself and Mike Hostench (Beneath Still Waters). It stars Albert Baró, Marta Belmonte, Pepo Blasco, Roser Bundó, Ramon Canals, Marina Durán, Lluís Marco, Irene Montalà,Clàudia Pons,Mireia Ros, José García Ruiz, Sílvia Sabaté.

The film had its world premiere at Brussels Festival of Fantastic Films on April 19, 2014.

Plot teaser:

Five days in the lives of an exorcist (Eloy Palma) and his granddaughter (Alba), working in the Barcelona area…

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Dead on Appraisal is a 2014 comedy horror anthology film produced by Infested Films and directed by Sean Canfield, Scott Dawson and David Sherbrook. It stars Zack Fahey, Mike Pfaff, Marguerite Insolia, Anthony Berhle, James Howell, R. Daniel Long, Nicholas Leonard, Luke Bishop, Michael Brouillet, Laura Owen, Russell Maltz, Keith Lewis, 

The film is comprised of three stories: “The Morning After” and “Freddie and the Goblins” “Father Land” and, wraparound, “Closing Costs”.

Plot synopsis:

Real estate agent John Dante has a problem. He’s stuck with a house he can’t sell. Despite his best efforts, he can’t seem to overcome the house’s past and the macabre tales that precede it in this haunting anthology.

In “The Morning After”, a group of friends wake up from a party to find a nightmare in the form of the worst bug invasion any homeowner has ever seen. Then there’s Freddie Cooper and his band, “Freddie and the Goblins”; a tale of how Freddie’s band mates try to kick him out and get caught up in the young singer’s growing psychosis. With his hopes of selling the house fading, John is horrified to hear the story of Robbie, a young veteran of the war in Iraq, who returns home to live with his father Brad in “Father Land”. Something isn’t right, though, as Robbie’s dark secret slowly bubbles to the surface. As the house’s dark past comes to life, John becomes weary and is convinced the house is cursed and unsellable…

Reviews:

” … a hidden gem of indie horror comedy and for those of us that have any form of nostalgia for the goofy range of Full Moon films from the 90′s, and of course Troma lovers, this is a must-see. So in short, if you enjoy cheesy creature effects and gore-laden monster-ridden funhouse style films, Dead on Appraisal should shoot right to the top of your watch list.” Blood Sucking Geek

“The final few minutes of this movie are beyond spectacular.  As if the entire movie hasn’t been a blood soaked, gore infested thing of beauty these next few scenes escalate the awe factor from 6 to 666 to the tenth power.” Theron Moore, HorrorNews.net

“The greatness of the film is revolved around the use of puppets to dish out the dastardly deeds in each story.  From the Slither style take over In The Morning After to the goblins in the last segment the puppets bring a great amount of candor to the movie.” Horror Movies Uncut

“This is not the most cleanly made or succinctly executed film. It’s rough around the edges and the low budget stuff many scoff at. Still Dead on Appraisal shows a lot of promise for the effects men and storytellers involved as they made a film that excels despite its shortcomings.” Ain’t It Cool News

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Rigor Mortis - original title Geung si – is a 2013 Hong Kong horror film directed by Juno Mak, and also produced by Takashi Shimizu. The film is a tribute to the horror film series Mr. Vampire many of the former cast are featured in this film Chin Siu-ho, Anthony Chan, Billy Lau and Richard Ng, additionally Chung Fat who started in Encounters of the Spooky Kind is also featured.

Plot teaser:

A washed-up actor, desperate and suicidal, moves into a haunted apartment building where supernatural creatures, ghost hunters, taoist exorcists, and the souls of the undead walk among his neighbors.

Reviews:

“Mak has refused to go easy on himself with his latest artistic endeavor, venturing even further into the moody darkness that his earlier work, Revenge: A Love Story, suggested, while also embracing CGI and local horror iconography. Rigor Mortis is a slowburn by typical vampire movies standards, and never attempts to resurrect the humour of Mr. Vampire and its contemporaries, but proves a brave, confident and assured debut from a new independent voice in Hong Kong Cinema.” James Marsh, Twitch

“A lavish, heavy-handed retreading and reinvention of Hong Kong and Japanese horror-film tropes, saved from clinical inhumanity by its veteran cast.” Clarence Tsui, The Hollywood Reporter

“The film draws from a range of influences in the ‘Hong Kong’ or ‘Asian’ horror genres to create a tapestry of strangeness that willfully, stubbornly cannot be deposited into just one box. This both a good thing and a bad thing as the film is at its best when it doesn’t rely so heavily on the styles and looks of those who preceded it but, at the same time, feels anchored down by those same influences. It’s a strange balancing act that results in a mostly successful work that never stops being entertaining even when it doesn’t make a lot of sense.” Flay Otters, Horror-Movies.ca

Wikipedia | IMDb

50 Berkeley Square is a supposedly haunted townhouse on Berkeley Square in Mayfair, in Central London. In the 1900s it became known as “The Most Haunted House in London”; mostly due to Peter Underwood‘s description of the house in the book Haunted London.

The four-storey brick town house was constructed in the late eighteenth early nineteenth century.From 1770 to 1827 it was the home of British Prime Minister George Canning. The house was then bought by Viscount Bearsted, who rented the property to one Mr Myers. Since 1937 the building has been occupied by Maggs Bros, a firm of antiquarian book dealers. In 1998 the building was thought to be the oldest unaltered building in London.

Legend varies, but mostly states that the attic room of the house is haunted by a spirit of a young woman who committed suicide there. She purportedly threw herself from the top floor windows after being abused by her uncle; and is said to be capable of frightening people to death. The spirit is said to take the form of a brown mist; though sometimes it is reported as a white figure. A, rarer, version of the tale is that a young man was locked in the attic room, fed only through a hole in the door, until he eventually went mad and died.

In the Victorian era at least two deaths were said to have occurred after people spent the night in the room. However, the first ghostly happenings were reported by George Canning, who claimed to have heard strange noises and have experienced psychic phenomena whilst living there.

After George Canning’s residency in 1885, the house was bought by a Mr. Myers, who had recently been jilted by his fiancee. It was said that he would lock himself in the attic room and slowly went mad over the rest of his life. During his stay at the house, it fell into gross disrepair and it is during this time that its reputation began to build.

As a bet, in 1872, Lord Lyttleton stayed a night in the building’s attic. He brought his shotgun with him, and during the night fired at an apparition which had appeared. In the morning, he attempted to find what he had shot at, but could only find shotgun cartridges. The next year the local council brought a summons to the house’s owners for failure to pay taxes, but due to the house’s reputation as haunted they were let off.

In 1879, Mayfair reported that a maid who had stayed in the attic room had been found mad. It was later reported that she died in an asylum the day after. On the day she was found, a nobleman purportedly took up the challenge to spend a night in the room, and his was the first death recorded in the house. The coroner pronounced him dead of fright.

In 1887, sailors from HMS Penelope stayed a night in the house. By morning one was found dead, having tripped as he ran from the house. The other reported having seen the ghost of Mr. Myers, coming at them aggressively.

No phenomena have been reported since the house was bought by the Maggs Brothers in the mid-1930s and though many contemporary media outlets reported happenings at the house, more recent investigators claim nothing untoward has ever taken place there.They observe that Lord Lytton’s story The Haunted and the Haunters – bears a remarkable resemblance to the supposed hauntings at 50 Berkeley Square.

Wikipedia | Image credits: British Listed Buildings | Unholy Terrors

Sx_Tape - or sxtape – is a 2013 American horror film directed by Bernard Rose (Paperhouse; Candyman; Snuff-Movie) from a screenplay by Eric Reese. It stars Caitlyn Folley, Julie Marcus, Ian Duncan, Daniel Faraldo, Diana García, Eric Neil Gutierrez.

Plot teaser:

Adam and Jill attempt to spice up their relationship by recording a sex tape in an abandoned mansion. Realizing they’re not alone in their ominous surroundings, the couple discover some sex tapes shouldn’t be made as their kinky adventure turns into a desperate fight for survival…

Reviews:

“The fear and uncertainty is a slow burner, the genre’s standard loud sounds and flash scares are efficiently used and Folley carries the film well, interacting with the unseen Adam while reluctantly creeping towards the unknown in a dark room or corner. Unfortunately the second half of the film goes rapidly downhill, with an obvious and ridiculous twist and a confusing and unsatisfying ending, which seems tacked on as a last resort … What started as a very promising film ultimately becomes a let down, and a disappointing return to horror from someone who could have done much better.” Jonathan Anderson Sunday, Starburst

“Gripping and claustrophobic, with distant echoes of The Shining in places, the story’s horror elements work mostly by subtle suggestion and nerve-jangling sound design. That said, Rose still allows himself a final orgy of bloody slaughter and black comedy, including an oral sex joke that will make most male viewers wince.” Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter 

“Any claims of subversion are hindered by the fact that Eric Reese’ screenplay makes no attempt to flesh out these characters beyond their obnoxious exteriors. This may be part of the point, but it makes the bulk of the film painfully dull. By the time we’re confronted with some stomach-churning gore at the film’s close, it feels as though we’ve been taken for a deeply unpleasant and poorly thought-out ride.” Jonathan Hatfull, SciFiNow

IMDb

Poe is a 2011 American horror film written and directed by Francis Xavier (Night Cry). It stars David Fine, Stelio Savante, Gene Silvers, Sal Landi, Mike Iorio, Christy Sturza, Greg Travis, Felissa Rose, Alisa Schulz, Azure Parsons, Khira Thomas.

Plot teaser:

Brilliant and wealthy Dr. Andrew Casey is a serial killer who goes by the name ‘The Chef’. One night eleven years ago his wife found out. He was arrested and imprisoned at Marathon County Asylum for the criminally insane. Eleven years pass and he is released, completely rehabilitated and moves to Los Angeles under the alias Mr. Jack Conway. Yuppie and former teacher, Johnathon Poe, a descendant of the famed writer Edgar Allan Poe and a brilliant writer in his own right is about to form a bond with the chef as the great doctor begins his spree of killings and cannibalism again…

Reviews:

” … almost nothing to do with Edgar Allan Poe. To be fair there is an attempt to mimic the gothic tone and mood of his writing but I gave up after an early scene (the whole shot was nearly pitch black as the only light source was a candelabra and not actually lit with lights) where Jonathan inexplicably discovers a secret room behind a bookcase. With such heavy-handed homage and poor film making, there is no reason to be drawn to this movie regardless of how big a fan you are of the real Poe.” Sean Becktel, HorrorNews.net

Despite a couple of mildly promising opening scenes, Xavier’s film soon becomes muddled and tiresome. Attempts to be off-kilter are too obvious  and the narrative grinds to a halt whilst characters spout seemingly ‘meaningful’ dialogue. The director seems to aspire to be the next Ulli Lommel but the world doesn’t need that. An announced sequel hasn’t (thankfully) appeared, so far. Adrian J Smith, Horrorpedia

IMDb

Maniac Cop is a 2015 American remake of the 1988 film produced by Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn and the original director William Lustig (who also helmed the sequels Maniac Cop 2 and Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence). The screenplay is by Ed Brubaker who penned the Captain America: The Winter Soldier story arc.

Originally announced in 2012 as a prequel by Larry Cohen (It’s Alive; Q: The Winged Serpent; The Stuff), the scripter of the original, it seems that the project is now a fully-fledged remake. Paris-based company Wild Bunch – who also backed the remake of Maniac – are handling pre-sales at Cannes where they will announce a director…

Source: Screen Daily

Phantasmagoria is a forthcoming 2015 Italian anthology horror film directed by Mickael Abbate, Domiziano Cristopharo, and Tiziano Martella. The stories are written by Mickael Abbate, Davide Chiara (Nero Infinito), Raffaele Picchio (Morituris), Lorenzo Paviano, Riccardo De Flaviis, co-produced by Extreme Video (Anger of the Dead, Morning Star, Zombie Massacre 1 and 2) and produced by M International Films. It is being pre-sold at Cannes this May by The Open Reel.

Phantasmagoria offers three tales: ‘Diabolique’, ‘Il serpente dalla lingua acciaio’, and ‘My Gift to You’. The cast includes: Cristina Puccinelli (L’Ultimo Weekend), Venantino Venantini (City of the Living Dead, Ladyhawke), Sophie Pâris, and newcomer Maya Dolan.

Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave - originally known as Return of the Living Dead 5: Rave to the Grave - is a 2005 zombie horror film directed by Ellory Elkayem (They Nest; Eight-Legged Freaks), starring Cory Hardrict, John Keefe, Jenny Mollen, and Peter Coyote (Jagged Edge; Heart of Midnight). The film was released belatedly on March 20, 2007 by Lionsgate.

Plot teaser:

A year after the events of Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis, Charles Garrison (Peter Coyote) arrives at a mortuary with one of the canisters of Trioxin that he salvaged. He is greeted by a team of Russian government officials whose goal is to destroy the last of the canisters to avoid another incident like that of what happened in Necropolis. Nevertheless, one of them sprays three corpses with the gas, and revives three corpses. Charles, is killed during the incident along with the mortuary owner and one of the government officials.

Meanwhile, Jenny (Jenny Mollen), Julian (John Keefe), Cody (Cory Hardrict) and Becky (Aimee-Lynn Chadwick) receive notice of the “murder” of Charles. Julian and Jenny go to search for and possibly sell what belonged to Charles, and they find the last two barrels of Trioxin. One of them is taken to Cody, who tests the chemical inside it. Jeremy, Jenny’s brother, tastes the chemical when he thinks that it is a drug similar to Ecstasy, and he goes into a spasm, in which he foams at the mouth, and then describing what it was like. The chemical is named “Z” for its “zombie-like” effect on the living…

Reviews:

“The movie’s only good idea is that the Trioxin has found its way into some designer drugs, so all the idiots that are at the rave are popping the pills and turning, and no one else thinks much of it because they’re also high or just “feeling the music … They also bring back the Tarman, who earns one of the movie’s few laughs (and is given a nice modern makeup look by John Vulich) but it reeks of desperation, serving only to remind us exactly how far the series has fallen.” Horror Movie a Day

“More brains!” says the zombie to the cheerleaders

“Peter Coyote’s constant oddball grin had me in stitches; so that’s one third of a point right there. And I’ll give the movie this, it sported at least 8 tit shots…yup you heard me…8 tit shots! That in itself has yet to be equaled in the ROTLD franchise or my bedroom for that matter! That’s 2/3 of a point. Lastly the gore at hand was plenty, graphic and fairly well done (I saw the uncut version)…so there’s your one star rating  right there.” Arrow in the Head, Joblo

“Now when you take Rave to the Grave as a single B movie style horror/ horror comedy it instantly does not seem as bad. If they had filmed it this way making up a new name for the chemical involved and removing the cameo from the zombie Tarman then I honestly believe there would not have been such a hostile backlash against it. The main idea of the film, a guy getting a barrel full of a military chemical, his scientist friend testing it to find that it contains similar ingredients to a known narcotic and then turning it in to a drug which unknown to him will eventually turn people in to zombies is wonderful. Without the weight of expectation on its back and a few wrinkles ironed out I am sure this could have become a nice little cult classic.” Kerr9000

“Necropolis at least tried to pay homage to the original films. It has a few bits of humor tossed in and the body count was amped way up. This time, the zombies have a smorgasbord of doped up teens to dine on but the gore is weak and uninspired. The only thing that Elkayem and his crew added more of was boobs. In fact, the nudity on display in Rave to the Grave is gratuitous almost to the point of distraction, and that’s saying a lot.” Bloody Disgusting

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” … the make-up effects are once again solid. Drumsticks are plunged through a zombie’s eyes, a cheerleader has the flesh torn off her bulbous bottom, and there’s an impressively ghastly, sludge-dripping zombie … however, the young (and in some cases old), inexperienced cast and cobbled-together script just aren’t up to elevating the story above the mundane, and the zombie-filled rave scene is a big anticlimax.” Glenn Kay, Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide (Chicago Review Press)

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Wikipedia | IMDb

Necrophobia 3D – original title – Necrofobia – is a 2014 Argentinian giallo-inspired horror film produced and directed by Daniel de la Vega from a screenplay co-written with Nicanor Loreti and Germán Val. It stars Julieta Cardinali, Luis Machín, Gerardo Romano, Viviana Saccone, Raúl Taibo. The film’s score is by Italian composer and former Goblin musician Claudio Simonetti (Tenebrae; Demons; Opera).

The film is not to be confused with the Serbian death metal band Necrophobia.

Plot teaser:

Dante is a tailor whose phobia prevents him from being in contact with death. Whenever he is in front of a dead body, he experiences a creepy feeling that makes him lose his mind. His illness is exacerbated when his twin brother dies, and he sees his ‘own’ face in a coffin. From this traumatic event the walls of reality crumble, and several close people are killed by someone who wants to incriminate him. Dante must solve the riddle of death, and thus discover a reality that is almost impossible…

IMDb | Image credit: Dread Central

Supercroc - also known as Jurassic Croc – is a 2007 American made-for-TV film produced by The Asylum and directed by Scott Harper (AVH: Alien vs. Hunter) from a screenplay by Steve Bevilacqua (When a Killer Calls; Hillside Cannibals) based on a story by David Michael Latt (Scarecrow Slayer; Halloween Night). It stars Cynthia Rose Hall, Matthew Blashaw, Kim Little, David Novak, Kristen Quintrall, Marat Glazer, Noel Thurman, Steven Glinn, Allen Duncan, Michael Tower.

Plot teaser:

A military unit is sent to stop a giant crocodile before it reaches Los Angeles…

” … it doesn’t get poorer quality than this – the croc looks like a bad painting, the ‘muzzle flash’ of the weapons makes it look like they’re playing LaserQuest, even with the constantly blurry footage (which may or may not have been deliberate) the helicopters look like they’ve been stolen from the Muppets and the fact that for the majority of the movie you have to struggle to hear the dialogue over the “background” music all add to the direness of this offering.” Nerds Raging

“Supercroc a giant monster movie without any of the giant monster in it. It’s a film that instead of putting padding around a giant monster, it throws in some giant monster around a lot of padding. In fact this film is the most padded film ever and could easily sustain being squashed underneath a giant 50ft crocodile and survive intact.” Popcorn Pictures

“There are many issues with Supercroc. In fact, finding a notable positive amongst the detritus is no easy task. I did laugh at the crocodile but I’m sure I wasn’t supposed to. I’ve been more frightened of a runny nose than this crocodile made up of utterly dreadful effects. The acting is weak, the story uninspiring and boy is this croc easy to take down! Another major issue was the sound. I had the volume cranked up to the max but still struggled to sometimes make out what the hell people were saying.” Donnambr, Paperblog

“This movie is just amazingly-bad for all of the reasons that you think.  On top of that, it’s not all that good for the ironic reasons that Asylum films can be.  Sure, the effects are bad, but you don’t get to see enough of them.  None of the really ridiculous stuff from future Asylum films- i.e. the Shark attacking the plane or the ‘Fend off Piranha with the Bicycle Kick’ – really show up. The film is chock full of set-ups for them…but has no pay-off. They really just seem to be messing with us.” Mondo Bizarro!

IMDb

Deathmaster – or The Deathmaster on promo material – is a 1972 American vampire horror film directed by former actor Ray Danton (Hannah, Queen of the Vampires; Psychic Killer; Tales of the Unexpected) from a screenplay by R.L. Grove. It stars Robert Quarry (Count Yorga, Vampire; Dr. Phibes Rises Again; Sugar Hill), Bill Ewing, Brenda Dickson, John Fiedler (Mystery in Dracula’s Castle; Bad Ronald; Kolchak: The Night Stalker), Bobby Pickett, Betty Anne Rees, William Jordan (Blue Demon y Zovek en La invasión de los muertos), LaSesne Hilton.

Plot teaser:

A vampire’s coffin washes up on the Californian coastline and the incumbent (Quarry) masquerades as a mystic in order to control a group of hippies…

Reviews:

“Quarry is not well supported by the cast and crew of Deathmaster, but together they do manage to catch a fragment of an anxious zeitgeist. Although it was certainly designed for the drive-in and grindhouse crowd, it comes across as a film more about youth than for them. Understood that way,Deathmaster can still be appreciated for what it tries to express and, to a limited extent, succeeds in expressing.” Mondo 70: A Wild World of Cinema

“Packed with an array of “everything but the kitchen sink” thrills, The Deathmaster is a perfect drive-in movie, displaying all the characteristics of what made these AIP films so appealing. Quarry is great as usual, and the film works as a nice companion to the Yorga flicks.” George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In

“Counterculture hippies and vampires? Some of y’all might be rolling your eyes at the thought — especially those who didn’t grow up during that time — but it certainly works better here than say, hippies and Star Trek. (Yea, brother!) Positing the Master Vampire as a sort of Charles Manson-like guru figure is an interesting twist, one blending a literary horror of the 19th Century (Count Dracula) with an all-too literal horror of the 20th (the Tate-LaBianca Murders and the madness at Spahn Ranch).” Brian Lindsey, Eccentric Cinema

“I counted seven chases down the same length of subterranean cavern. It is not a very long length but what they do is photograph a guy running down it one way, and then cut to the other end of the same passage and have him run back. That way, it looks twice as long as it is, which is how the movie feels. Everybody gets turned into a vampire except the hero, who is stuck with his crummy lifetime of petty passions.” Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com

“Expect plenty of vocal participation from the stalls.” Screen International, 1972

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IMDb | Images: Taliesin Meets the Vampires | Zombo’s Closet