Tag: Horror

Calling Puppet Master: It’s Axis Termination, Full Streams Ahead!

Puppet Master: Axis Termination, the 11th film in the series, is coming! It will premiere on Full Moon’s Amazon channel (U.S., U.K and Germany) first as a three part series, and be offered next month as a full length film.

Puppet Master: Axis Termination (2017)By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Puppet Master: Axis Termination, the 11th film in the series, is coming! It will premiere on Full Moon’s Amazon channel (U.S., U.K and Germany) first as a three part series, and be offered next month as a full length film. No date has been set for video release, but anyone with a subscription to either streaming networks will get to see “War Toys” on September 15th, with the as yet titled episodes on the 22nd and 29th within the same month.

Although many years have passed since the last film, hopefully Full Moon will offer a trilogy set filled with extra goodies when the this latest movie hits shelves. I will be one willing to buy these movies again if this is producer Charles Band’s plan. If I can be patient this long (five years), I can keep on going for an ultimate video release package. But before this can happen, the feature-length cut will appear on the El Rey Network in October, in time for Halloween, and see the allied forces do justice.

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The Foundation is Laid in Annabelle: Creation

AnnabelleBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Hollywood loves their origin movies. No franchise can be considered complete unless the first film sets up everything required for later films to follow. I consider some works refreshing when that story is told later. When Annabelle: Creation is part of the Conjuring universe, to understand the terror requires waiting for all the pieces to come together. The Warrens (a paranormal investigative couple) were never vital even though they are the heroes of sorts in the core films. Paranormal enthusiasts like me want to know more about the mysterious demon nun bothering the Warrens and the entity said to live in the doll.

This movie remotely references one fact, if the claims by Ed and Lorraine Warren is to be believed. The porcelain figure is inhabited by the soul of Annabelle Higgins. Just why she is malicious might be because this girl is troubled. When you’re trapped for eternity in an object, perhaps as a result of a binding spell (accidental or not) and you are not allowed to move into the light, I would be fairly pissed off too.

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[Victoria Fringe Festival 2017] A Peek into a World Premiere of “Leer”

LEER-Skull

Metro Studio Theatre
1411 Quadra Street
Victoria, BC

The 2017 Victoria Fringe Festival will soon take over this Garden City located on Vancouver Island, and Outpost 31 (Casino Royale, Winnie the Pooh) is back with the world premiere of Leer. David Elendune wrote and directed this tale which looks into the deepest layer of Hell, where Satan is female (played by Wendy Magahay, known for Jocasta Regina and The Old Lady’s Guide to Survival) and has three daughters — Lilith (Ellen Law), Beelzebub (Amber Landry) and Asmodeus (Wendy Cornock) — to tend to. The cast also includes Pan (Caroline Mackenzie) and Belphegor (Leanne Allen).

Magahay explained why she took on the role: “I’m a mother, so I’m used to making scary choices. Because it’s a terrific story and actors can’t resist good stories. Because it’s gender-bent and provides a new and important lens. And sadly, because mad dictators seem never to go out of style!”

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Tinkering with the Gremlin Formula, A Movie Review

This SyFy Network style movie of the week suggests Gremlins are living in a gear box of their lord’s making and the strange markings on it are counting down to doomsday.

gremlin 2017 ryan bellgardt monster movie posterUncork’d Entertainment

Writer/Director Ryan Bellgardt‘s attempt to play with one Gremlin (this film’s title) instead of many might be better served if the tiny jinx was named something else. This name implies the titular creature is based on the folklore. Whether that’s with the classic Twilight Zone episode, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” or Joe Dante’s 1980’s horror comedy, I feel this movie is better off being renamed.

If there are any connections with the lore, B-horror movie fans can find out when it releases July 11 on VOD.

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The Empire Pictures Collection Pre-Sale is LIVE and I’m in Love

EmpireSetBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

If you are a Full Moon Pictures addict like me, I am seriously considering pre-ordering Charles Band’s The Empire Pictures Blu-ray Collection. Pre-sales have begun (it started yesterday) and although I’m hard pressed for money, I’m seriously considering hitting a casino to break the bank so I can buy it! I have been waiting for certain films like Ghost Town to get a release for a long time and while others like From Beyond and Robot Jox are available as singles, to see it all put together in a comprehensive package, which includes a 24-page book with notes from the producer and Empire of the B’s author Dave Jay is very enticing.

This company is working with Shout! Factory to release this box set and only 600 editions will be made. A bit of stock will be held back for sales at conventions Full Moon will be at, but if you do not have any of the titles in your video collection yet, then this set is worth obtaining! Especially if you do the math:
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What is Hiding in “Asylum of Darkness?” A Movie Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)mv5bmjeyodm2ndiynl5bml5banbnxkftztgwmjq3odm5mdi-_v1_uy268_cr30182268_al_

Arriving on VOD April 11th.

Does being insane allow one to see the world in a totally new light? Only Jay Woelfel’s horror flick Asylum of Darkness can tell, and oh boy, can he tell! Although the soap opera effects budget and narrative seem distracting, perhaps that was this director’s intention. He’s made a very melodramatic and vaguely supernatural film. With Richard Hatch (in one of his final film appearances) enjoying himself in the role of a doctor (psychologist) trying to calm Dwight Stroud (Nick Baldasare) down, the chuckles are well-earned. This product has a feel of Creepshow meets Dark Shadows.

From inside a padded room, a very beleaguered Stroud narrates, still unaware of all that he’s going to experience in the next few days. Insanity offers foresight into the terrors to come, and this film recalls the style of David Lynch. Not only does this narrative keeps the viewer and Stroud off-kilter but also requires the audience to fully pay attention to the story to realize what is going on in this crazy person’s life.

The tale he tells suggests the world is filled with secret agendas and monstrous beasts in disguise (as humans). The question of who Dwight Stroud truly is gets asked. Is he simply nuts, a serial killer, or someone else? This film moves Donnie Darko style and injects a good measure of Twilight Zone uncertainty into it. There’s a painter Dwight knows whose works “come to life.”

The problem with indie films these days is that it is hard to get noticed by the masses. On the Internet Movie Database, two entries suggest this movie was most likely made in 2012 than recently. In light of Hatch’s death early this year, perhaps acknowledgement for this film can come for those curious in seeing what Hatch has done the past few years after the short, Prelude to Axanar, was made. He’s been very supportive of the indie film-making scene by appearing in them, and this movie is no exception.

3½ Stars out of 5