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ApocalypticDemise
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Found Footage 3D (2016)
Found Footage 3D Becomes Too Meta For It's Own Good
The big world premiere for Bruce Campbell's Horror Film Fest was Found Footage 3D, a film years in the making that had gained quite a bit of traction online. Does this film live up to the hype it has created or fall into the same troupes most films of this genre have? Found Footage 3D follows a small group of people wanting to make the first ever 3D found footage film, to make their place in the genre. When arriving at their film site which is a old cabin with a shady past they soon start to realize that there is something actually happening in that cabin to them turning their movie shoot into a actual horror found footage film.
It's a simple enough premise and not something I'd call truly groundbreaking but what this film tries to do is almost spoof the found footage genre. They constantly call out the troupes of the genre in a joking or mocking fashion. The problem is that then the film falls right back into those troupes. You can't mock something so much then make the same mistake the films you are going at do. It's the case of being too meta for it's own good. It doesn't help either that so much of the film is just set ups, character developments, and a good amount of dialog that by the end when the events finally unfold that everything just goes to waste and feels rushed.
Another big problem is like most 3D films I feel like this was just added so they could claim it as 3D. Only at the beginning when the characters were first toying with their new 3D cameras did any of it actually have a 3D feel to it. Otherwise it just gave the normal 3D effect of giving the film a more circular view instead of looking at it on a flat surface. The film will be able to claim itself as the first 3D film but I feel like it wasn't truly worth it. I will say as well that this is the only 3D movie ever to make me feel a little nauseous in a few scenes. The shaky cam along with 3D effects can be hard to take in as well as the few scenes involving two go pros.
I will give it to the film however for having a few good gore scenes along with some very funny dialog. The characters banter between each other can be quite entertaining and is by far the biggest highlight of the film. It is humorous to hear them go on about the horrible things other films do and how to make their own better even if you only end up disappointed in the actions they take. I'll also give them credit for making me truly hate a character that being Derek (played by Carter Roy). (Also bonus points for Scott Weinberg).
Unrelated to the review before the film director Steven DeGennaro did come and speak to a nearly sold out theater for the world premiere of his first full length film. After the movie a full Q&A was held by the director and full cast for the audience to ask about the making of the film.
Overall I really went into this film with how hopes and instead left feeling like this was no better then all the other found footage films being released today. It just boiled down to unnecessary 3D, slow pacing, and being too meta for it's own good.
Score : 3/10 https://apocalypticdemise.com/2016/08/23/found-footage-3d-review/
Holidays (2016)
Some great ideas that all fall short
It seems modern horror has a huge liking to anthology films, a feature film featuring multiple small stories usually connected in theme or a overlapping storyline. Holidays is the latest one to join that niche and even carrying some bigger names with it still manages to fall quite short of what it could of been.
The overall theme for Holidays is each film centers around a different holiday. We start with "Valentine's Day" a decent little story of a younger bullied girl taking on her bully along with fulfilling her ill quest for love for her teacher she has. It's a decent film and not a bad way to start the film.
By far the weirdest though is "St Patricks Day" with a creepy red headed child using her magic powers I assume to impregnate her teacher with a snake child. It was odd, somewhat disturbing, but ultimately is almost too short and too odd to leave a good lasting impression. "Easter" is up next and though one of the shorter films and a tough subject to do I'd assume isn't all that bad. It has a good looking monster in it and is just okay for the length and story it tries to give.
"Mother's Day" is one of the worst ones here featuring a girl who whenever she engages in sex gets pregnant and is then sent to a cult. It's odd in a bad way and not at all anything interesting to watch. The next one is the shining beacon of this analogy though and takes place in the form of "Father's Day". It features a woman with an abandoned father who leaves her a tape to go and locate her. It is dark, tense, and bleak short film that leaves you waiting for the big moment. Sadly that moment falls way short of anything it should of but the lead up to it is still so worthy of it.
The biggest disappointment though is Kevin Smith's "Halloween" short. By far the easiest one to do and instead we get something barely relating. It features three webcam girls taking revenge on their rude pimp they have. Featuring Kevin Smith's daughter Harley Quinn Smith and Harley from the webseries "Epic Meal Time" it is just a short revenge flick. It isn't horrible, the first half of it is ultimately very weak and the ending could of been more graphic, it just comes down to the director not fully utilizing the holiday he was given.
Seth Green directs and stars in the following one titled "Christmas". It features him attempting to get a new Virtual Relality headset for him son for Christmas when the guy in front of him gets it. Upon following him into the parking lot the man has a medical attack and dies in the parking lot allowing Seth to take the toy. Upon using it however it reads his mind and shows other what he truly did to get the gift. It is a decent story but by the end just flows into generic territory and almost feels out of place in this analogy.
Closing out the film however is "New Year's Day", a generic film with a twist. Odd enough it is still one of the better ones here. It follows a killer using online dating to find his next victim when the tables turn on him. A fun, violent, short little film.
Overall Holidays falls short in almost every story, even the best one has a big disappointment in it. I can't recommend this one over the loads of other analogy horror films currently out there.
Score : 3/10 https://apocalypticdemise.com/2016/05/01/holidays-2016-review/
El Gigante (2014)
One Of The Greatest Short Horror Films Ever
El Gigante was a short film shown before "Cannibal Holocaust" as part of Bruce Campbell's Horror Film Festival and this without a doubt, by far, is my favorite horror short film I've ever had the honor to see.
For being a short film El Gigante manages to give you enough of a story to build up for the events that happen. We see a man, seemingly attempting to cross the border when he meets another man who tosses him what appears to be water only for the liquid to then knock him unconscious. He then awakens inside a wrestling ring with a mask sown onto his face and neck only to realize that he is about to have to fight for his life against a giant luchadore while his family of cannibal psychos watch.
From here on we witness one of El Gigante's strongest suits which is the make up and effects. For a budget of around $8,000 this short film has better looking make up and blood then most big budget films. The blood looks the right tone of blood and thick enough while the makeup and masks done are just phenomenal. Even the smaller things like seeing the mask sown onto the guys neck is just amazing.
The cinematography though in this film truly puts it into big budget films. From being able to catch the perfect action moment with the right lighting to knowing the best angle or location to shoot shows that directors Luke Bramley and Gigi Saul Guerrero have a long future ahead of them.
El Gigante is a film that everyone should watch, go into it with little knowledge and I promise it'll have to talking about it with everyone that listens. El Gigante is the perfect short film, one I hope to see expanded one day, and one that everyone should watch. No questions asked.
Score :
10/10
Press Pass Provided By Wizard World & Film Viewed As Part Of Bruce Campbell's Horror Film Festival http://apocalypticdemise.com/2015/09/07/el-gigante-review/
Exit to Hell (2013)
Exit To Hell (2013) Movie Review
(May Contain Spoilers) It's sad that Kane Hodder will do any film that will pay him because in a film like this he comes out as the only positive.
The story jumps around into several parts before overlapping into one general story, you follow gang members who after entering a small town and robbing the place have to deal with the sheriff. Then you have a group of friends who get trapped into town and the one girl gets kidnapped. You then soon find out that Kane Hodder is killing and cooking the people to eat and feed to his fat wife and kid. Honestly the story makes little sense and if you intend on trying to actually follow it then something might be wrong with you.
What they try to add to the film for a added bonus is that it is shot to look like a old grind house film with cut moments, blended colors, blurred and deterring film looks and the such. Throw a lot of blood into that and you should have a good film, but it doesn't work in Exit To Hell at all. It hurts it even more. Sure the blood and gore moments may be cool but after viewing the film I could only remember one moment from it. They present nothing new to us.
Acting wise you get what you expect and you should be expecting horrible acting. Kane Hodder as expected is the shining star of this acting like he usually does. Nobody else is worth mentioning because they are that forgettable. Expect a lot of people either over acting or just acting horribly.
Overall if you want a film with Kane Hodder there are better ones, if you want a horror movie there are better ones, and really if you want anything there is something better to watch. Kane Hodder is the saving grace of this film and because of that he saves it from the worst possible score.
Score : 1/10 www.apocalypticdemise.com/2014/01/16/exit-to-hell-2013-movie-review/