Jan 31, 2014

Midsummer Nightmares – 2011 – a realistic slasher


Director: Ryan Stacy
Horror

I did things a bit backwards when it came to this. I watched the sequel first and then this one (don’t ask). It may not have been my smartest move ever but there was a reason for it. And trust me; you don’t have to have seen the sequel to appreciate this! It doesn’t have the best actors and actresses in the world. Actually there is a majority of the latter. On the other hand it’s not unusual in a slasher. It’s often the women that get killed first and a woman who survives the trauma too! It doesn’t have the densest plot either but there’s something to it that gets to me. It seems honest and it doesn’t promise you anything that it can’t deliver.

It’s a bit slow-paced and too talky for my tastes. But at the end of the day it still delivers some great scenes. It may not be a traditional slasher with a killer on rampage going on in most of the movie but it has a killer in a cool mask and there’s some torture in the end too! I wouldn’t say that the killer’s motives are shallow but in the end it seems to be pretty farfetched. It works I guess.

The movie is about 75 minutes. That’s long enough to tell the story and long enough to get bored with the low pace. When we put on a slasher to watch we want some blood and we want it now. Come to think of it, there’s a lack of blood in this. There’s enough terror to be sure but not very much of that red. Maybe it should be considered more of a thriller since all “action” is concentrated to the end sequence. This is often true for the slasher too of course. Just look at the most famous ones, Friday the 13th and Halloween. There’s suspense right ‘til the very end when all hell breaks loose.

I realize that comparing this amateurish movie to Halloween or even Friday the 13th is to put it in little too big shoes. But the main principle is the same. In the end everything falls to place even if it is, as I said before, a little farfetched. On the other hand, the famous movies in the genre aren’t exactly realistic either. You could say that this actually wins that completion easy as it’s far more realistic than the famous slasher. Maybe that’s what I like about it? It’s not gory and it’s not scary, but I’ll be damned – it’s realistic!


6/10

You can get it here:




Jan 21, 2014

It's time to crowdfund the final short from Fatal Pictures - HEIR


FATAL PICTURES in association with RED SNEAKERS MEDIA presents “HEIR” The final short film from FATAL PICTURES From Richard Powell and Zach Green’s Fatal Pictures, the company that brought you the critically acclaimed, award winning horror shorts WORM and FAMILIAR, comes their new and final short film “HEIR”, a touching tale of father and son. Starring the Emmy award winning Bill Oberst Jr. (ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. ZOMBIES, TAKE THIS LOLLIPOP, CHILDREN OF SORROW) and Robert Nolan (SICK, WORM, FAMILIAR).

Synopsis
After connecting with a stranger of similar interests online, family man Gordon and his son Paul, embark on an ill-fated road trip in which Gordon aims to indulge in a secret passion. Before the day ends a horrible truth will be uncovered and a harsh lesson will be learned. 

Combining the best and brightest of our previous film, FAMLIAIR, with new and accomplished  collaborators (BILL OBERST JR, MARC ROUSSEL and RON BASCH from Red Sneakers Media), HEIR is set to be a disturbing, practical FX driven horror short which examines one of societies darkest taboos in a way only Fatal Pictures can. HEIR stands to be our darkest, sharpest and most successful film to date!

Click HERE to go to the Kickstarter Campain!