Deadgirl

Directors: Marcel Sarmiento & Gadi Harel
Writer: Trent Haaga
Released: 2008
Labels: Thriller|Zombie|2000's

Two teenage tearaways, J.T. and Ricky, make a startling discovery deep inside an abandoned mental institution - the body of a young woman naked and tied up. Not only that, but she is also one of the un-dead. J.T. decides that this is a good opportunity to get some "free-pussy'", Ricky remains unconvinced by this idea, however both agree to keep her a secret, but for how long?.............

After looking at various responses and reactions to Deadgirl, it is clear that it totally polarizes opinion (in fact here at HMF we were divided by this flick). There are some that view this as just a roughly made, sick-minded, exploitation piece and others that regard it as a compelling study in human nature when faced with an (im)moral dilemma. 

There's no doubt that some of the scenes are pretty disturbing and you do feel like the film excuses this by presenting the girl as "already dead" but nevertheless she is still a young woman. Watching the teenagers acting in such a savage way is hard to stomach at times, but your distaste is directed more to the low moral character of the young men themselves rather than their indecent acts (and this, it seems, is the filmmakers intention).

The same degree of emotional interest could have been created without so many scenes of nudity or molestation, so it is gratuitous to some extent. The bad guys' actions do not go unpunished, but the final twist makes you wonder if any of it was worth it.

It's not a bad film and its intentions are well above being just another piece of "torture-porn". The atmosphere is heavy with teenage angst and small-town claustrophobia (reminded us of Donnie Darko for that). The acting is good (quite a few of those, "I'm sure I've seen them before" faces in the cast) and as far as for a low budget independent film it's visually great.

There's a lot in Deadgirl to set you thinking, but there will definitely be some who just can't wait to forget it.

Deadgirl on IMDb

Deadgirl on Wikipedia

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Hatchet

Director: Adam Green
Writer: Adam Green
Released: 2006
Labels: Gore|Slasher|2000's|Comedy

A group of unwitting tourists take a boat trip into the steamy Louisiana bayou and find themselves being stalked by a mutated swamp dweller intent on bloody murder.

Hatchet, as its tagline suggests, is indeed "old school American horror", so old school in fact that there isn't a single original bone in its dismembered body. Don't let that dissuade you from giving it a view though as it has enough decent humor and deliciously gory moments to keep any fan of the slasher genre amused, from its tongue-in-cheek nod to all that it inspired it (note the cameos from Robert Englund and Tony Todd), down to a really well crafted screen monster Victor Crowley (played by slasher veteran Kane Hodder).

The practical SFX are good and gory with some excellent artistic license taken with how a human body can come apart. The low-budget sets and lower-budget acting really only add to the B-movie fun of it.

Victor Crowley isn't going to rank with slasher icons like Jason Vorhees or Michael Myers but given time and a few more dodgy sequels (Hatcher 3 is due out 2012) his horribly disfigured face will become enjoyably familiar among even the most casual horror fans.

Hatchet Official Website

Hatchet on IMDb

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The Ugly

Director: Scott Reynolds
Writer: Scott Reynolds
Released: 1997
Labels: Psychological|Chiller|1990's

Simon is a confessed serial-killer and an inmate in a brutal psychiatric hospital. He is visited by criminal psychologist, Dr. Karen Shumaker, and together they begin to explore his past and examine the state of mind that drove him to kill. As Simon tries to convince her that he doesn't need to kill anymore, the boundaries of what is real and what has been conjured from his disturbed psyche become terrifyingly blurred. 

The Ugly is always going to suffer from the label "interesting" but that is what it is, a movie full of unusual ideas and experimentation. The story is actually pretty familiar, a serial-killer gets inside the head of those that try to understand him. What is not so familiar is the way in which the story is visualized. The filmmaker confounds the viewer with a bold yet limited use of color (almost exclusively red and blue) and with the same courage of conviction avoids garishly red bloody scenes, there is plenty of slashing and bleeding but the blood shown is inky black! The movie pitches back and forth in time as we get to know of Simon's violence and the reasons behind it, these flashbacks seem to blur into scenes of the present with ghostly images of his mental "visitors".

Much like the rest of The Ugly, the conclusion leaves you wondering if you are witnessing "reality" and as a result is a little disappointing.

For a low-budget (and only Scott Reynolds second) film there is much to be admired here and although it's not always coherently laid out, if you like your movies with quirky characters, an imaginative use of sound and cinematography and more than a pinch of the surreal (think Lynch or Kubrick) then this is certainly worth a watch.

The Ugly on IMDb

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Creep

Director: Christopher Smith
Writers: Christopher Smith
Released: 2004
Labels: Gore|Slasher|2000's

The network of sewage and rail tunnels under the city of London are home to a terrifying being, one that stalks and kills anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves in his hunting grounds. Kate is one such unlucky soul, having missed the last train late at night and finding herself locked in the underground station. She must try to find a different route out if she's to survive the night....

With its deserted underground setting and brutal violence Creep is genuinely ... well ... er ... creepy. However, it doesn't set the screen alight with anything new for the viewer. 

The films first half offers us the thrill of not knowing what is carrying out these killings in the tunnels or when it will strike next, this makes you wonder if it is man or beast or if there is a lone killer or many hands at work. We are introduced to our heroine Kate and assorted (doomed) cast members and the atmosphere of the underground system, quiet and deserted, certainly is unnerving.

Just when you are starting to get annoyed with the trails of blood, running through tunnels and off-screen killings it's time to meet the murderer, which we do in a sudden, lingering close-up. Our psycho is of the mutant-human kind, (think ''Wrong Turn'' or ''The Hills Have Eyes'') and rather horrid he looks too! Sean Harris does a great job portraying the simple yet sadistic ''Craig'' through all that SFX make-up to the point of almost making you feel sorry for him when you realize he is a product of some (presumably illegal) medical experiments that took place in a subterranean surgery.

You never feel sorry for ''Kate'' though, partly because of her shallow and unlikable personality and partly because of Franka Potente's lack-lustre performance and unstable accent, so at the end, you are left feeling quite pleased about her comeuppance.

There is plenty of nasty bloody scenes and a good amount of scares and creepy moments, but as a whole the film lacks either the spark or the extremes to stick with you long-term.

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Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

Director: Kevin Munroe
Writers: Thomas Dean Donnelly & Joshua Oppenheimer
Based on: Comic Book Series written by Tiziano Sclavi
Released: 2011
Labels: Action|Comedy|Monster|2010's

Based on one of the world's bestselling comic book series with over 70 million readers worldwide, "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night" blends horror and humor set in the backstreets of New Orleans...a city with a long and storied history with the supernatural. The story revolves around Dylan Dog, the world's only private investigator of the undead with a business card that features his slogan, "No pulse, No problem."

Having left the world of the supernatural behind after the death of his wife, Dylan is pulled back into action to solve the murder of a mysterious woman's father. Along with his zombie assistant Marcus, he finds himself drawn into the middle of a battle between the clans of vampire, werewolf and zombie for possession of a rare artifact to control both the mortal and monster world. Dylan must go where the living date not in order to solve the case, save mankind and keep his partner from losing any more body parts. (Taken from Official Website)

It doesn't take much investigation to discover that Dylan Dog: Dead of Night is hated by fans of the original Italian comic book on which it is based. This seems to be because the filmmakers have not even tried to stick to the original concept and feel. The biggest complaints are that the movie makes light where there should be dark and that major liberties have been taken with key characters and settings. So putting the source material aside let's look at this film as a piece of horror genre cinema.

The film places it's flag firmly in the camp (pun intended) of horror-comedy. The interplay between the characters is rife with wit and sarcasm, much of which is well written and entertaining, particularly the relationship between Dylan Dog, played by Brandon Routh and his un-dead sidekick Marcus, played by Sam Huntington. If this pairing seems familiar, thats because they played Clark Kent/Superman and Jimmy Olsen respectively in the 2006 film ''Superman Returns''. Routh's fresh-faced-superman good looks doesn't really lend itself to a portrayal of a hardened PI for the supernatural underworld, but his strong physicality backs up the role. Overall the acting is good throughout including a small but fantastically campy performance from Peter Stormare (Fargo).

The realtively low-budget of $20M ensures that this movie looks like a TV pilot rather than a cinematic experience, and the special effects are certainly akin to the production values of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Supernatural. The Werewolves are very much in the B-movie humanoid style, the Vampires are dark, hip and hedonistic (as they always are nowadays), and the Zombies provide the comic relief with some nice gags about diet, spare body parts and a support group.

The story is a bit tired in an ''ancient artifact has power to release mythical beast from slumber to wreak havoc on the world, it mustn't fall into the wrong hands'' type way, but the regular introduction of new un-dead creatures and scenarios keeps you interested along with some tidily directed action sequences.

As you can imagine there really is no depth here but it is an enjoyable romp and very easy to enjoy for what it is.

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night Official Website

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night on IMDb

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night on Wikipedia

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