I'm pleased to announce that we have a new reviewer to CRITICAL CONDITION. His name is Mario Dominick and he wrote all the reviews that you will read below. He emailed asking me to review the following films. I told him that I try to stay away from these films since most of them are shot on video (SOV) and I usually avoid these type of films since they give me headaches or a longing to put a bullet in my brain. I emailed him back and asked if he would like to review the films and put a much-needed new perspective on them since I would probably trash the flicks (at least the ones I have viewed). Surprise of surprises if he didn't take me up on the offer. What you will read below are his takes on the films. Welcome Mario!  (All reviews written by Mario will have an "MD" after the review.)

AT DAWN THEY SLEEP (2000) - My first experience with Morbid Vision Films. AT DAWN THEY SLEEP tells the story of two drug lords named Stephen and Ian (Brian Paulin and Rich George) who run into some trouble with one of their rivals and find themselves in the middle of an all-out gang war involving drugs, guns and violence. The two go out looking for adventure one night and bring home a couple of girls who seem normal at first. After sleeping with them, the two wake up in the morning to find the girls gone and they both feel nauseated and can't figure out what happened to them. It so turns out that the girls were angels from the other side and they infected them with a virus that turns them into vampires with a thirst for blood by biting them on the neck. Stephen and Ian both become immortal, join a gang of vampires and are directed to kill and drink the blood of the living so the angels can reclaim the world that they believe belonged to them. Eventually a demon from hell intervenes to stop the angels from having everything all to themselves which results in an action-packed showdown with a supernatural battle between good and evil. AT DAWN THEY SLEEP is a very enjoyable video gore effort. Brian Paulin directed, wrote, stars, co-produced, composed, photographed, edited, did makeup effects and basically handled the whole project single-handedly. The film is loaded with everything you could ask for: gun battles, car crashing, violence, naked females, profanity, cheesy monster outfits and devil makeup, and outrageous and over-the-top gore scenes including beheadings, disembowelments, dismemberments, throats ripped out, brains blown out with guns, heads split with axes, flesh ripping, melting bodies and knives through skulls. In other words, perfect for a Friday night when you have a six pack and get together with your buddies. The Video Outlaw DVD contains many extras such as director's commentary, behind-the-scenes documentary, outtakes, still galleries, a 12-minute short film called DAMNATION and trailers for other Video Outlaw releases. Other movies by Paulin and Morbid Vision include DEAD GIRL ON FILM (2001), MUMMY RAIDER (2002) and BONE SICKNESS (2004). A Video Outlaw DVD Release. Unrated - MD

THE ATROCITY CIRCLE (2005) - Ohio's Andrew Copp, creator of THE MUTILATION MAN (1998) and BLACK SUN (2003), brings us this brutal revenge story involving a young man named Brandon (Chris Workman) who's plagued by memories of old high school friends raping a young girl who he had a crush on in a basement while they were getting drunk and playing drinking games. Now married and studying to become a doctor, Brandon does his best to let go of the horrible memories, but they keep getting worse and worse. Eventually Brandon takes it upon himself to track down the now grown-up high school kids who had raped the girl near and dear to him and drove her to suicide and proceeds to bump them off in a variety of extremely brutal and gory ways. Andrew Copp has done a splendid job creating a disturbing and nihilistic film with THE ATROCITY CIRCLE. The acting (especially from Workman) is very good for the most part, the guys playing the rapists do a fine job making the characters come as the sleaziest scum on the planet, and the film doesn't shy away from the red stuff at all as people are tortured, slashed, stabbed in the head, castrated, dismembered, gutted, have their rectums carved out, etc. If you enjoyed AUGUST UNDERGROUND (2001) and MURDER-SET-PIECES (2004), this one should be up your alley. The Apparition Films DVD contains a director's commentary, an outtake and bloopers reel, the original trailer, and trailers for THE MUTILATION MAN and BLACK SUN. With Michelle McLaughlin, Greg Nichols, Thomas Nealeigh, Joe Mackenzie, and Geoff Burkman. Copp and Matt Brassfield appear as rapists. An Apparition Films DVD Release. Unrated - MD

ATTACK OF THE KILLER REFRIGERATOR (1990) - Here's a video that's a true oddity. It's two short films on one tape along with a documentary. First up we have ATTACK OF THE KILLER REFRIGERATOR, a 15 minute short about a group of college kids who get drunk at a party and decide to defrost a refrigerator. The fridge doesn't take too kindly to this and it comes to life and starts killing and eating the kids. One character loses their arm in the door and another is impaled on the handle. The only way to stop this rampaging machine: pull the plug. Next we have THE HOOK OF WOODLAND HEIGHTS, a 40 minute short concerning an escaped psycho who lost one of his hands. He finds his way into the woods near Woodland Heights, gets a hold of a barbeque fork, sticks it on his stump and goes on a gory rampage. Finally, we have a "making of" documentary that takes us behind the scenes of WOODLAND HEIGHTS. It also has interviews with the cast and crew, promotional footage, and footage from the movie's screening at a local theater. This video is definitely fun to watch. Both short films from Michael Savino and Mark Veau are humorous, gory, and cheesy as hell. The documentary is very interesting too. If you happen to stumble upon a copy, check it out. You can contact the filmmakers here: www.mediahousefilms.com. A Donna Michelle Productions Release. Not Rated - MD

AUGUST UNDERGROUND (2001) – Looking for something different in the world of low budget filmmaking? Well, look no further than the films of Pittsburgh’s Fred Vogel and Toe Tag Pictures. This home video classic follows two sick and deranged psychopaths and their adventures torturing and killing people in Southwestern Pennsylvania while one of them films it all with a camcorder. The movie was shot to look like a home movie intentionally. Vogel wanted to portray the world what the world looks like through the eyes of a serial killer. He wanted to give it the look of a snuff film. The film is definitely not for all tastes. It’s loaded with extremely graphic sex, rape, torture, gore and full frontally nude women strapped to chairs covered in blood with contusions on their faces and sitting in a pile of their own feces. We are treated to a scene where the killers go into a convenient store, stab the clerk and force a couple of customers to sniff each other’s assholes. People have their heads hammered in with waffle-nosed claw hammers and we get plenty of graphic scenes with every bodily fluid imaginable. If you want blood, shit, piss, vomit and cum, this certainly delivers it all. It’s an incredibly disturbing and offensive movie that I found myself enjoying. AUGUST UNDERGROUND has gained some cult status since it first hit the independent film scene in 2001 and has spawned two sequels, AUGUST UNDERGROUND’S MORDUM (2003) and AUGUST UNDERGROUND’S PENANCE (2007). Vogel also directed REDSIN TOWER (2006) and handled gore effects for Nick Palumbo’s MURDER-SET-PIECES (2004). Vogel stars along with Allen Peters, Aaron LaBonte, Ben LaBonte, AnneMarie Reveruzzi, Alexa Iris, Victoria Jones, Dan Friedman, Stephen Vogel, Casey Eganey, and Joe Knetter. The Toe Tag Pictures 2-disc DVD has lots of extras including two audio commentaries, a 67-minute documentary called “Hammer to the Head: A Closer Look at A.U.,” a 102-minute “Outsider’s Perspective” called “August Underground: Too Real for Comfort,” still gallery and more. A Toe Tag Pictures DVD Release. Unrated - MD

AUGUST UNDERGROUND’S MORDUM (2003) – More gore, rape and torture from Fred Vogel’s Toe Tag Pictures of the Pittsburgh underground. This sequel follows Vogel again as our main psychopath and a sicko girl who likes to have sex with her brother. Their cameraman follows them on their murder, rape and torture rampage across Pittsburgh. People have their heads bashed in with hammers, throats are slit, our main psycho killers scream and swear at each other a lot throughout most of the film, and in one scene they torture a couple of girls by sticking their fingers down their throats and vomiting on them. This sequel has a little bit more gore than the first one and has the same sickening rape and torture scenes with graphic shots of every bodily fluid imaginable. You don’t know what pornographic and disturbing is until you watch this. Vogel co-directed and co-wrote with Jerami Cruise, Killjoy, Mike Schneider and Christie Whiles who all have acting roles. The Toe Tag DVD contains the Necrophagia Rue Morgue Disciple music video, deleted scenes, trailers and a still gallery. A Toe Tag Pictures DVD Release. Unrated - MD

AUGUST UNDERGROUND’S PENANCE (2007) – The conclusion to the AUGUST UNDERGROUND trilogy once again follows the psychopathic couple from the last film and their adventures with a camcorder as they murder and torture people in Pittsburgh. This is probably the sickest of the series. We get the usual graphic rape, skulls hammered in, slit throats, some disembowelments and dismemberments, masturbation scenes, vomit, girls strapped naked to chairs and having semen smeared on their breasts, our two psychos screaming and swearing at each other, and a family murdered on Christmas. You got to give to Fred Vogel and Toe Tag for making the most outrageous, vile and offensive movies to come out of Pittsburgh. Their true horror fans that know how to keep fans entertained. The Toe Tag DVD of PENANCE contains an audio commentary with the Toe Tag crew, a documentary called “Disemboweled: Behind the Bile,” extended and deleted scenes, a still gallery slide show, trailers and a couple music videos. Vogel directed and co-wrote with Christie Whiles. They both star together. With Shelby Vogel, Jerami Cruise, Anthony Matthews, Renee Bell, Sara McGill, and Mikol Bell. A Toe Tag Pictures DVD Release. Unrated - MD

BACK FROM HELL (1993) - Black priest Father Aaron (Shawn Scarbrough) goes to visit his friend Jack (Larry DuBois) who sold his soul to the Devil in hopes of finding fame and fortune in Hollywood. Instead Jack finds himself cursed. Anybody who looks into his eyes becomes possessed into wanting to kill him and he somehow conjures up the spirit of Satan. Aaron tries to help save Jack's soul and the two try to stop the Kingdom of Hell from reigning over the world. In the process they have to go up against a possessed cop, zombies, and hooded satanic cult members with axes.  This low budget 16mm effort from director Matt Jaissle is actually better than one might expect. Jaissle keeps up the pace throughout and the movie is never boring. There are some very funny parts (like when a hand comes out of a book and grabs the priest by his nuts) and some extreme gore too. We get an arm stabbed with forks, limbs hacked off, throat slitting, eyes popped out, spilled intestines, bodies cut to pieces, etc. The film is definitely worth checking out. Jaissle and company later made LEGION OF THE NIGHT (1995) and THE NECRO FILES (1997). An HV Films Release. Not Rated - MD

BEFORE I DIE (2003) – From Phil Herman and Falcon Video comes the perfect companion piece to HORRORTALES.666 (2003). This time we are presented with three short stories from Joel D. Wynkoop, Sharkey Video and Falcon. The wraparound segment stars Herman as a writer who’s suffering from writer’s block and is basically beating his head against the wall to come up with some new ideas. He comes up with the following three stories. “Time for Dessert” from Wynkoop Productions stars M. Catherine Holseybrook as a lady with an appetite for men. It so appears that something very sinister lies behind her seductive ways. The men she seduces and takes to a hotel all end up disappearing. An average, bored and horny bachelor looking for adventure hopes he can get lucky and get into bed with Ms. Holseybrook. Unfortunately for him, her dark secret shows itself and he finds himself wishing he would have took his business elsewhere. “Last Resort” from Sharkey Video stars Dawn Murphy and David Lee as a couple who go to an old resort in the middle of nowhere for a honeymoon. It appears they haven’t seen THE SHINING enough to know to stay away from resorts that have a bad history and have been abandoned for good reason. The spirits or whatever it is that inhabit the place send them messages that they want them out. After getting out of there, Lee learns something about the resort’s past that may change his life forever. “Someone Is Sleeping In My Bed” from Herman and Falcon starts off with a couple mischievous trick-or-treaters being bumped off by a masked psychopath. We are then introduced to a woman played by the lovely Nancy Feliciano who is stalked by the psycho in her home. The ending to this story (which I won’t give away) comes as a surprise that somehow ties it to the wraparound and kind of reprises the first segment of HORRORTALES.666. You’ll have to see it for yourself. BEFORE I DIE is another nice collection of short films from three of the hottest independent producers on the underground scene. While it doesn’t seem to rely as much on the T&A as others of its ilk, it does have enough steamy moments to keep the perverts entertained. As for graphic violence and bloodletting, gorehounds may find it kind of dry. But it’s still something bad movie fans and connoisseurs of zero budget horror should eat up nonetheless. For fans of Nancy Feliciano and Dawn Murphy, this is definitely the perfect treat for you. Written and directed by Dave Castiglione, Dawn Murphy, Phil Herman and Joel D. Wynkoop. Wynkoop has a part as one of Holseybrook’s victims in the first segment. With Gusto Perez, Kevin Bangos, Chris Hurban, and Brock Richards. A Falcon Video Release. Available on DVD as a part of the Pendulum Pictures “Mental Maniacs” 6-movie set from Brain Damage Films. Unrated -MD

BITS AND PIECES (1985) - A psychopath named Arthur (S.E. Zygmont) is stalking women and slaughtering them with various tools. It turns out that his mother abused him when he was a child and now he hates women. That's usually the case with these movies. A police lieutenant (Brian Burt) tries to stop him while developing a relationship with one of the victim's friends (Susanna Smith). There's not that much to recommend about this one, though it is a very corny movie and has some occasional funny moments (like when Arthur bumps into a guy and the guy says, "Watch where you're going apple ass!"). There is some nudity and a fair amount of bloodshed but not a whole lot of graphic gore. This is director Leland Thomas's only movie. The cinematography is by Thomas Callaway who went on to photograph many genre movies including ones by Charles Band and David DeCoteau. If you like MANIAC (1980) or THE LOVE BUTCHER (1975) you may find some enjoyment in this. With Sheila Lussier, Tally Chanel, Elaine Bartolone, and Sandy Brooke. A Trans World Entertainment Release. Not Rated - MD

BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL (1984) - This early shot on video effort is definitely one of the weirdest films I've ever seen for sure. Directed by Chester Novell Turner on a budget of about 32 cents. It stars Shirley L. Jones as a religious black woman who goes into a magic shop and buys a strange black voodoo doll puppet. It seems that the doll somehow always finds its way back to store the day after somebody buys it. She starts hallucinating about the doll having sexual encounters with her. Eventually the doll comes to life, knocks her unconscious, ties her to a bed, and begins to sexually molest her. She then begins to enjoy it and the doll says things like "I'm going to pop your cherry bitch!" and "Beg for it bitch!" The next day the doll mysteriously disappears. Jones then tries relationships with other men, but they can't seem to fulfill her desires like the doll did. She then goes back to the store to buy it again but soon finds out the doll has something evil in mind. Mere words cannot describe this movie. I'd say it's in a class of its own. There's lots of nudity and obscene language and the movie is guaranteed to offend. The acting is pretty bad and the photography is washed out and has the look of a poorly shot porn movie. The Casio keyboard music score, however, is very good. I really liked the rock song that plays over the opening and end credits. I'd have a hard time recommending this to anybody who doesn't watch anything beyond the mainstream movies, but if you're adventurous, a bad movie fan and a shot on video enthusiast, this should be right up your alley. Mr. Turner also wrote and produced. He composed the score too. He later made a movie called TALES FROM THE QUADEAD ZONE (1987), another shot on video feature. A Hollywood Home Theatre Release. Unrated - MD

BONE SICKNESS (2004) – This shot on video gore classic from Brian Paulin and Morbid Vision Films tells the story of a guy with a degenerative bone diseases who’s being cared for by his wife who’s desperately trying to find a cure. She enlists the help of his friend who thinks he has a cure. Having a lot of experience in the medical field, this friend robs the graves of a cemetery taking bones and other parts. He grinds up the body parts to form a medication that can cure the bone disease. Only problem is, the dead buried in the cemetery don’t take to kindly to being robbed by grave robbers and they come back as flesh hungry zombies that cause chaos on a level unseen since Peter Jackson’s DEAD ALIVE (aka BRAINDEAD – 1992). Brian Paulin has created an indie horror masterpiece with BONE SICKNESS. It could quite possibly be the goriest American-made independent zombie movie in over a century! We get people barfing and shitting worms and maggots, beheadings, dismemberments, exploding heads, guts pulled out through asses, spinal cords ripped out, people sawed in half, heads squashed with tombstones, heads ripped in half, brain spilling, innards spilling, intestine and throat munching, people melting and exploding, brains squashed out of heads, etc. To sum up BONE SICKNESS in a word: Outfuckingstanding! I’ve become a loyal Morbid Vision fan after seeing this one. I can’t wait to see their new movie FETUS (2007). The Unearthed Films DVD contains some cool extras including audio commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, outtakes, bloopers, an interview with Paulin, still gallery and more. Paulin wrote, produced, directed, edited, composed, acts, and handled the make-up effects. With Darya Zabinski, Ruby LaRocca, Rich George, Kevin Barbare, and Ernest Hutcherson. An Unearthed Films DVD Release. Unrated - MD

THE BRIDE OF FRANK (1996) – Very low quality and totally whacked out horror comedy borrowing elements from John Waters and Troma movies. A wrinkled old bum named Frank is hired to work in a New Jersey warehouse. Frank is hard to understand at times and we are provided with subtitles on occasion. His co-workers give him everything he wants. They take him to a strip club one night and he decides he wants a woman. His friends promise to get him one. He says he wants “tits” which turns out to be the only thing he’s interested in. The movie consists of Frank calling phone sex lines and getting his friends to send him hookers until he finds the perfect woman. When people get on Frank’s bad side, he threatens them with “I’ll bite your dick off!” or “I’ll cut off your head and shit down your throat!” or “I’ll rip out your eye and skull fuck you to death!” Frank keeps all his promises as he bites off a drug dealer’s dick, knocks a nerd’s head off and shits down his neck, rips a cross dresser’s face off, shoves a knife up underneath a fat girl’s chin and through her mouth, smacks an 8-year-old girl on the head with a pipe and runs over her head with a trailer truck, and yanks out a whore’s eye and screws her brains out through the eye socket. The movie goes out of its way to offend everybody. It’s loaded with gratuitous sex, T&A, vulgarity, fart and booger jokes, and cheap gore. The only other thing director Steve Ballot (using the name Escalp Don Blade) has done to date is a small part in Howard Stern’s PRIVATE PARTS (1997). THE BRIDE OF FRANK appears to have been shot on Super 8. It never had an official distributor for a good many years. The only way you could obtain a copy of the film was through bootlegging outlets. Sub Rosa Studios recently released it on DVD. This is the first time it’s ever been officially available in the US. The DVD contains many extras including audio commentary, deleted scenes, alternate ending, promotional materials, trailers, hidden bonuses and more. With Morgan Tara, Frank Meyer, Johnny Horizon, Victor Delvalle, Bruce Frankel, Jim Moresca, Rena Ballot, Arnell Dowret, Steve Ballot, Eric Kaplan, Eddie Regan, Sal Mogavero, Bernard Briley, and Sergio Lopez. A Sub Rosa Studios DVD Release. Not Rated -MD

BRIDE OF KILLER NERD (1992) - Toby Radloff returns as Harold Kunkle in this sequel to the slasher comedy KILLER NERD (1991). Kunkle is having problems with seeing the ghosts of the people who he murdered in the first film. He gets depressed and slowly becomes suicidal. He then meets up with a teenage girl nerd named Thelma Crump (Heidi Lohr). Thelma is being harassed in high school by her classmates and wants to be with somebody who likes her for what she is. She then begins a relationship with Harold. Thelma's classmates who picked on her tell her they want to make it up to her by inviting her to a party. They invite Harold as well. After the two find out that they were invited to the party to be humiliated in front of the whole senior class, they get their revenge by slaughtering all the kids. Thelma castrates a guy with her teeth and Harold breaks his neck. Before stabbing a girl in car, Thelma says, "I'm going to slice you up and then I'm going to pee on you!" A girl is stabbed in the shower. One guy is impaled on a stick and another has his throat gorily slashed. Before proceeding to kill another girl, Thelma remarks, "You have nice breasts. I'm going to lop them off and stuff them in my bra. Then I'll have big titties too!" I think I enjoy this sequel even more than the original. This one has even more humorous dialogue and it has a better story. I can't wait for the day when Wayne Alan Harold and Mark Steven Bosko make SON OF KILLER NERD! A Riot Pictures Video Release. Available on DVD from Troma as a double feature with the first KILLER NERD. Not Rated - MD

BURGLAR FROM HELL (1993) – Thief Frank the Tank (Bryant Sohl) breaks into an apartment complex, beats up an old lady, and proceeds to take money she’s hiding in a pillow. After finding the money and proceeding to make off with the goods, the old lady gets a shotgun, blows him away and buries him in the backyard. A couple friends get together with some black dudes to spend the night at a friend’s apartment. One black girl staying with them is into witchcraft. She gets them all together to hold a séance and she accidentally ends up resurrecting Frank the Tank. He rises from his grave as a zombie that goes through several different stages of rot (with gooey disintegrating flesh make-up) and proceeds to have his revenge and kill anybody who gets in his way. Gory mayhem ensues. BURGLAR FROM HELL is a fun shot-on-video gore comedy from Phil Herman who would go on to do the JACKER movies and the MIDNIGHT trilogy. The film has a fine B-movie cast including Barry Gaines, Ben Stanski, Nancy Feliciano, and Debbie D (who goes topless in a few scenes). Frank the Tank rips a guy’s throat out with his bare hands in the beginning before he becomes a zombie. A guy has his arm ripped off and is beaten to death with it. One guy has his head punched clean off. Before doing away with Debbie D, Frank’s penis rots off and he says, “Oh, my peepee! Guess I don’t have any use for you anymore.” The sickest scene in the movie is a part where a guy is on the toilet with diarrhea and Frank comes in with a shovel, sticks it in the guy’s stomach and cuts his bowels open and drains and eats the digested food out of him while it’s going through his system as he takes a shit. I got a really putrid acid vomit taste in my mouth during this part. Another sick part is when a guy gets boiled alive by scalding hot water in shower stall. If you’re in the mood for something that’s cheap, gross, sleazy and gory, this is the perfect movie to pop in the machine on a boring and rainy afternoon. A Falcon Video Release. Unrated –MD

CAMP BLOOD (1999) - Here we go. Another videotaped slasher-trash flick. This one seems to be somewhat of a cult favorite amongst fans of these types of movies (myself included). Four college kids get together for the weekend and go on a trip to Camp Blackwoods. They run into a tough-talking woman named Harris who turns out to be their guide. After getting their campsite set up in the woods, Harris tells them a story around the campfire about a guy who killed his wife and her lover after finding them in bed together. A legend that the clown mask-wearing killer still roams the woods won't seem to go away. Soon enough, they wake up the next morning to find the body of what appears to be Harris burnt to a crisp on the campfire wood. One of them suspects that it's the clown killer so they decide to get their asses out of the woods. Soon they have a run-in with the clown boy with a machete. One girl sprains her ankle trying to get away. One guy tries to be a hero and take on the killer himself. And one guy accidentally kills his wounded girlfriend thinking she's the killer. After they've all been bumped off, it's down to the heroine to have the final showdown with clown boy. While it's certainly nothing new (and the killer's identity becomes very obvious almost less than halfway through), the film does have its moments. There are some decent gore scenes as well and a little nudity and sex at the beginning. You can tell FRIDAY THE 13TH is what really inspired the people who made this. The ending kind of reminds you of the ending of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974). Writer-Director Brad Sykes made CAMP BLOOD 2 (2000) after this. His other films include EVIL SISTER 2 (2001), DEATH FACTORY (2002), LORD OF THE VAMPIRES (2002) and GOTH (2003). David Sterling produced and Jeff Leroy edited and handled the videography. With Jennifer Ritchkoff, Michael Taylor, Tim Young, Betheny Zolt, Courtney Taylor, Joseph Haggerty, Meredith O'Brien, Vinnie Bilancio, Ron Ford and Tim Sullivan. A Burning Moon Home Video Release. Not Rated - MD

CAMP BLOOD 2 (2000) - If you couldn't get enough of a machete-wielding psycho clown killer chopping up youngsters in the woods, the great Brad Sykes brings to you CAMP BLOOD 2! Tricia (Jennifer Ritchkoff), the survivor from the first movie returns. After being locked away in a mental institution after going crazy from the horrible bloodbath in the woods and being thought by many to have been the killer, Tricia is approached by a sleazy filmmaker who wants to make a BLAIR WITCH-style movie about her experience. She agrees to be a technical advisor on the film crew. Once the crew gets set up in the woods and starts filming, one of them disappears and doesn't come back. They start to wonder what's going on. Soon it turns out that another clown-masked killer is on the loose and the crew starts getting picked off one by one in various gory ways. This one's just about on the same level as the first one. Lots of blood, a little T&A, some cheesy dialogue and you know who the killer is before the show is half over. If you're planning an evening of getting drunk with your friends and you need something to laugh at watch CAMP BLOOD 1 & 2 back to back. You might have fun. David Sterling produced (again) and Jeff Leroy was the editor and photographer. With Courtney Burr, Brannon Gould, Natascha Corrigan, Ken X, Tim Sullivan, Lisa Marie Bolick, Garrett Clancy, Missy Rae Hansen and Mark Overholt. A Spectrum Films Release. Not Rated - MD

CANNIBAL CAMPOUT (1988) - I must say, I'm a much bigger shot on video enthusiast than most people are. I think this videotaped gore fest from Jon McBride could quite possibly be my all-time favorite shot on video movie. It would make a good double bill with Pericles Lewnes' REDNECK ZOMBIES (1987). CANNIBAL CAMPOUT concerns a group of college friends who go on an outing for the weekend in the backwoods of New Jersey. It appears as though a trio of demented redneck cannibal killers are stalking the woods and brutally slaughtering and eating campers. The film has funny dialogue, amusingly cheesy moments, and lots of extreme gore. There's a machete through the brain, machete to the throat, axe in the head, dismemberment, disembowelment, gut munching, etc. The opening murder of a girl jogging alongside a road seemingly comes out of nowhere and is very shocking. The fetus scene near the end is really sick ("A womb with a view."). I noticed that all the characters seem to share the same first name with the actors playing the parts. McBride stars along with Amy Chludzinski, Christopher Granger, Richard Marcus, Gene Robbins, Carrie Lindell, and Joseph Salheb. McBride made WOODCHIPPER MASSACRE (1989) after this and is now making movies with the Polonia brothers. A Donna Michelle Productions Release. Unrated - MD NOTE: I finally relented and bought a copy of this film off of Mario. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Even though the acting is strictly one-note (except for the cannibal who wants to fuck the girls before he eats them!), the effects are above-par for a SOV feature, the retarded cannibal wears a flight suit complete with helmet and oxygen mask and there are several moments of real suspense. Jon McBride (who co-directed and co-produced this feature with one-shot wonder Tom Fisher and wrote it under the pseudonym "John Rayl") went completely downhill after this one as all his other films will bear me out (even though Mario may disagree with me). This is actually a good SOV film, especially if you are under the influence of a controlled substance and with a bunch of friends. - Editor  Available on DVD in early 2007 from Camp Motion Pictures.

CITY IN PANIC (1987) - This Canadian slasher concerns a radio talk show host and detectives who try to track down a psycho in a black suit and hat who's slicing up people with AIDS (both homosexual and heterosexual) in a big city. The killer gets to be known as "M" because he carves the letter M onto the bodies of all his victims. Most people I've talked to hate this movie, but I'm one of the few who actually liked it. I thought the idea of a killer targeting people with AIDS was something a little different for the slasher genre. The killings are very graphic and gory and include some splashy slashings and stabbings, a PSYCHO shower scene at the beginning, a male stripper being repeatedly mowed down by a van in an alley, and a scene where a security guard sticks his wang through a hole in a bathroom stall and the killer hacks it off sending blood spraying everywhere. The film is definitely not for those with weak stomachs. With David Adamson, Leeann Westegard, and Ed Chester. Directed by Robert Bouvier. A Trans World Entertainment Release. Available from Brain Damage Films under the title 13. Not Rated - MD

CRINOLINE HEAD (1995) - A group of obnoxious teenagers go out to a cabin in the woods for a vacation. One tells a story about a kid who cannibalized his mother at the place years ago when the food supply ran out. The kid ended up in an institution and kept a crinoline skirt that his mother was making for a baby doll. You know where this all leads to, right? We end up with a psycho wearing a crinoline skirt on his head stalking and killing the dumb kids one by one. As far as low budget slasher comedies go, this one isn't too bad. While there isn't any nudity and not a whole lot of gore, the film is still pretty entertaining for what it is. There's a funny death by celery scene and a scene where a girl is drowned in a toilet and her corpse is later seen with feces smeared on the face. There are some pretty good bands on the soundtrack and the VHS contains a music video after the movie. Director Tommy Faircloth made GENERATION AX (1998) after this. With Brian Kelly, Tommy Faircloth, Tracy Powlas, Cathy Slaminko, and Liz Taheri. A Scorpio International Ltd. Release. Not Rated - MD

DARKEST SOUL (1994) - Two young punks Tommy and Mark (Al Darago and Jeff Witte), constantly getting fired from jobs at fast food places and grocery stores, are hired to dig graves at a cemetery. The two are satisfied with the job but they want more money. They decide to start stealing jewelry off the corpses so they can sell them to get money. Mark starts shooting up on drugs and his addiction leads to unfortunate results for both him and Tommy. Though labeled as a horror movie, I'd have a hard time calling this zero budget video quickie "horror." It's more of a drama focusing on two characters and how shitty their lives are. The only real horror scenes come at the end. The film is too boring and depressing to be of much interest. If you like movies put out by Sub Rosa, then this might be an okay way to kill 65 minutes, but there are better Sub Rosa flicks like SAVAGE HARVEST (1994), GUT-PILE (1997), and MEAT MARKET (2000). Director Doug Ulrich wrote and produced with Al Darago. Ulrich and Darago made SCREEN KILL (1997) after this. A Salt City Home Video Release. Unrated - MD

DARKNESS (1993) - Here's a vampire movie that's certainly not your average vampire story. In the beginning a young man witnesses a bloody massacre in a convenient store at the hand of a vampire. He finds himself on the run as the community is besieged by bloodsuckers and has to fight to survive. He arms himself with various weapons and tries to fight the lead vampire Livens with other survivors. This low budget Super 8 gore fest from Leif Jonker is probably one of the best Super 8 movies I've seen. It's almost on par with J.R. Bookwalter's THE DEAD NEXT DOOR (1988). The film is very dark most of the time but I think that adds more to the atmosphere. It's definitely one of the goriest movies I've ever seen. The vampires in this one are more like zombies almost. We get throat rippings with jugular fountains, blood spraying everywhere, and an amazingly bloody finale where all the vampires begin to melt and explode in the sunlight. It's an absolute nonstop chunk blower. Highly recommended. With Gary Miller (who also did the effects), Michael Gisick, Randall Aviks, Cena Donham, and Steve Brown. A Film Threat Video Release. Unrated - MD NOTE: Also available as a 2 disc DVD from Barrel Entertainment. - Editor

DEAD GIRLS (1990) - This slasher tells the story of the "Dead Girls" rock band. The lyrics in their songs say that life is a "bummer" and it's not worth living. A group of teenagers listen to the lyrics and commit group suicide by slitting their wrists. The lead singer's young sister who led the kids in the group suicide survives and ends up paralyzed. She goes on a retreat with her sister and her band to a cabin in the mountains. Soon a masked psycho begins picking everyone off one by one. The killer uses weapons according to lyrics in the songs. Overall, this movie isn't the greatest, but you could do far worse. There is some decent gore and deaths and there are so many damn twists near the end, it almost gives you a headache. The people who made this one gave us other low budgeters like FATAL IMAGES (1988), HELL SPA (1992), THINGS (1993), THINGS 2 (1998), and HAUNTED (1998). You can visit them on the web at: www.unknownproductions.com Directed by Dennis Devine and written by Steve Jarvis. With Diana Karanikas, Angela Eads, Kay Schaber, David Chatfield, Jeff Herbick, Brian Burr Chin, Marshall Martin, and Carol Albright. A Raedon Home Video Release. Unrated - MD

DEADLANDS: THE RISING (2006) – Low budget apocalyptic zombie movie starts off with America being besieged by a string of biological weapon attacks. People are directed by federal and local authorities to head off to secure areas being maintained by the military in the evacuation procedures. But it turns out that the weapons used in the attacks were harboring some unknown element that brings the dead back to life. And they appear to be hungry for human flesh. A small Midwestern town is overrun by zombies and gory mayhem ensues. The heroes of the story Gary and Brian along with Brian’s wife Michelle and their son fight for their lives. In going up against the flesh-craving ghouls, they hope to escape to a safe place somewhere and find out if there are any other survivors like them. DEADLANDS: THE RISING is a pretty decent first effort from Gary Ugarek who directs, writes, produces, edits, composes and stars as Gary. The film has its moments of gore (ripped out organs, brain eating, flesh and gut munching, spinal cord ripped out, etc.) and the filmmakers made good use of everything they had knowing they didn’t have much money. It will be interesting to see what Ugarek can do if given a bigger budget. The Tempe/Splatter Rampage DVD contains a director’s commentary, cast commentary, an interview with Ugarek, an interview with producer Brian Wright (who stars as Brian), the original teaser trailer, a 10-minute short film called I AM ZOMBIE MAN with an introduction by director Nick Thompson, and trailers for other Splatter Rampage releases. With Dave Cooperman, Michelle Wright, and Connor Brandt. A Tempe DVD Release. Not Rated -MD

DEATH METAL ZOMBIES (1995) - A metal head named Brad Masters who stutters a lot wins a radio station contest and receives the demo tape of a new album from a heavy metal band called Living Corpse. Brad and his friends listen to it not knowing that it contains a track that turns its listeners into zombies. They become flesh hungry ghouls and the evil spirit of the band's lead singer tells them to go out and kill. The town gets overrun by zombies and Brad's girlfriend and another one of his friends must find a way to play the tape backwards to stop them and destroy Living Corpse's reign of terror. This shot on video horror comedy (also known as DEAD ROCK ZOMBIES) is definitely one of the cheapest-looking micro budget crap fests I've ever seen. It falls into the "so bad it's funny" category for sure. This one is about on the same level as the stuff from W.A.V.E. Productions. The acting is so bad you'd swear these people went to some kind of school to learn how to act that way. We get lots of cheap gore effects, incredibly dumb characters, a Richard Nixon-masked killer inspired by HORROR HOUSE ON HIGHWAY 5 (1985) who has nothing to do with the plot, a Kurt Cobain look-alike, a rapper who sits on a knife, references to other big metal bands (including Metallica), and laugh out loud dialogue. The end credits say the film is dedicated to Kurt Cobain since it was made shortly after his death. The music in this one is by Relapse Records. Some of the bands on the soundtrack are Pungent Stench, Dead World, Dismember, Brutality, Exit 13, etc. DEATH METAL ZOMBIES is a prime example of what you get when you give gore movie and metal fans a couple hundred bucks, lots of fake blood, a blank cassette and a camcorder (a very cheap one too, since the movie is so dark most of the time). Director Todd Jason Cook did other shot on video horrors like EVIL NIGHT (1992), DEMON DOLLS (1993), THE DUMMY (aka BLOODY ANNIVERSARY -  1994), and FRIGHTMARES (199?). His Texas-based company named Cemetery Cinema (a poor man's Sinister Cinema) went out of business in 1998. Cook has not directed anything else since. Not really surprising when you think about it. The company distributed early movies by Chris Seaver and Low Budget Pictures. With Lisa Cook, Bill DeWild, Todd Cook, C. Jo Vela, Mike Gebbie, Thomas Banta, Terry Aden, Wes Dodson, Jan Mundorf, Sabrina Cook, Milly Leonard, and Jerry McGhee. A Cemetery Cinema Release. Also available on DVD as a "10th Anniversary Edition."  Unrated - MD

DEMON DOLLS (1993) - Weird-ass, confusing, forgotten shot-on-video gore shocker from Todd Cook and Cemetery Cinema (of DEATH METAL ZOMBIES fame) tells the story of a couple of bozos named Scott and Nick who try to bring Scott's girlfriend Stacey's favorite doll to life by practicing weird rituals. After that fails, the two give up, and later the doll suddenly comes to life all by itself. As it turns out, the doll is possessed by the devil (surprise, surprise) and it has the power to imitate anyone it sees or comes into contact with. It orders Scott to kill his friends and after Scott refuses to comply, it imitates Scott and starts killing them all. The doll soon possesses Scott and Stacey and has them go against each other in a supernatural battle of "evil vs. evil." Are you able to follow any of this? If not, that doesn't surprise me. Ultra-cheesy BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL rip-off is not really something worth going out of your way for, but if you're somebody like me who must have everything at all costs, go ahead and see for yourself if it's worth the effort. After all, it's my job to review these things because I have to. Cook writes and directs and stars as Scott. With Lisa Cook, Rik Deskin, Joey Scarborough, Penny Spellman, and Scott Spellman. A Cemetery Cinema Release. Unrated - MD

DEMON QUEEN (1986) - A cannibalistic vampire succubus named Lucinda (Mary Fanaro) is picking up men in bars, taking them back to hotel rooms, and tearing out and eating their hearts and throats after sex. A junkie named Jesse (Dennis Stewart) runs into some trouble with a couple fellow drug dealers. Lucinda saves him from getting his ass kicked by chowing down on the one's throat and scaring the other away. Jesse takes her back to his place because she has nowhere else to go. His girlfriend doesn't take too kindly to this. He soon learns that Lucinda is a demon queen who feeds on flesh to survive. Some of her victims come back as zombies. This is the first of camcorder guru Donald Farmer's shot on video gore fests. He of course brought us other "classics" like CANNIBAL HOOKERS (1987), SCREAM DREAM (1989), and AN EROTIC VAMPIRE IN PARIS (2002). You pretty much know what to expect with this one: lots of blood, boobs, and low production values. It has bad acting and weak photography, but the gore is very graphic and includes throat rippings, throat munching, a face ripped off, frothy zombie drool, and a nauseating heart ripping with lots of spurting blood. The make-up effects (handled by an unsung Rick Gonzales who also worked with Tom Savini on DAY OF THE DEAD [1985]) are surprisingly half decent. If you love watching really amateurish video features, this could be your cup of tea. All others should stay clear. With Cliff Dance, Patti Valliere, David Blood, and Rick Foster. A Mogul Video Release. A DEMON QUEEN DVD available from www.b-movie.com. Not Rated - MD

DISCONNECTED (1983) - Police try to track down a serial killer who's murdering and mutilating women in Waterbury, Connecticut. Barbara Ann (Frances Raines) is upset with her twin sister Alicia for sleeping with her boyfriend. Meanwhile Barbara Ann is getting weird phone calls with awful loud noises and vibrations coming from the receiver. She soon meets up with Franklin (Mark Walker) and begins a relationship with him. Franklin is a kind but strange young man. Soon it turns out that he is a psychopath who picks up women, takes them back to his place, and brutally stabs them to death after sex. After Franklin is gunned down by the police, they think the nightmare is over but it isn't. More women turn up dead and Barbara Ann keeps getting the strange phone calls slowly driving her to madness. It all has something to with a creepy old man she met at the beginning who asked to use her phone. This film is the directing debut of Gorman Bechard who gave us PSYCHOS IN LOVE (1986) and CEMETERY HIGH (1988). While those films are clearly horror comedies, DISCONNECTED is a more serious film. I found it to be very disturbing. The scene where Raines has a dream about hanging up a blood splattered painting and the scene at the end where she destroys the telephone and hears strange voices and noises in her apartment is very unsettling. The film isn't horribly gory, though it does have a few bloody scenes. It's scary for the most part in a Hitchcock kind of way. There are some Hitchcock references in it as well. It's kind of hard to find but worth checking out if you get the chance. With Carl Koch and Carmine Capobianco. An Active Home Video Release. Not Rated - MD

EVIL NIGHT (1992) – College nerd Jimmy Fisher (Spencer Trask) is having a rough time. He’s constantly being picked on by the other students and he’s looking for a break. After a girl who he likes decides to play on a cruel joke on him with the help of some other frat boys, Jimmy decides enough is enough. Being a science genius, he creates a potion that gives powers to levitate objects with his mind, he dons a clown outfit and pursues to bump off all his tormentors at a student’s house party in various gory and innovative ways. We get fingers through eyes, car sun roof decapitations, dismemberments, beer bottles down the throat, heads blown off with exploding cigarettes, lawn sprinkler impalements, spiked frat paddles in the back, heads crushed with boots, and a finale where the lead female screamer uses Jimmy’s potion to bring all the dead bodies back to life as zombies. The first shot on video effort from Todd Jason Cook and Cemetery Cinema of Texas is a not a bad little timewaster if you need to kill 90 minutes. Cook would of course go on to do the supernatural doll flick DEMON DOLLS (1993), the anthology movie HORRORSCOPE (1994), the zombie comedy classic DEATH METAL ZOMBIES (1995), and the killer ventriloquist dummy flick THE DUMMY (1995). With Holly Aeck, Mark Chavez, Rik Deskin, Todd Cook, Alan Finney, Scott Spellman, Penny Weiss, Cynthia Wilson, Lisa Forbes and Lisa Cook. A Cemetery Cinema Release. Unrated - MD

FEAR OF THE DARK (2001) – The year is 1981 and a crazed psychopath is running rampant in a small town slaughtering families and unsuspecting town folk with an axe, machete and sickle. After murdering the parents of young girl by the name of Alice Walker, he disappears for 20 years. Now Alice is grown up (played by Rosemary Gore) and keeps seeing the maniac in her nightmares. Her friend tells her she’s driving herself crazy and she needs to let go of the past. Soon enough, Alice sees the murder of a family in one of her dreams, and the next morning it’s reported that a family was brutally hacked to death. A string of more gory killings ensue that Alice can see in her sleep. She believes she’s psychically linked to the killer. She decides to go out and find him herself and stop him even if she dies trying. Though the film’s twist ending can be seen coming from a mile away, it’s a very enjoyable video gore effort from Glen Baisley. The killings are very nasty and splattery (including a very nauseating disemboweling scene). The effects by Anthony Eikner and Brian Spears aren’t too bad. Rosemary Gore does a good job in the lead role. Baisley’s other horror efforts include THE TENEMENT (2003) and SINS OF THE FATHER (2004). You can visit the production company on the web at www.lightanddark.net. The Brain Damage Films DVD has numerous extras including cast and crew commentary, behind the scenes bloopers, deleted scenes, alternate footage, alternate ending, extended scenes and more. With Vanessa Edwards, Mike Lane and Herb Smithline. Fangoria’s Michael Gingold has a small part as a coroner. A Brain Damage Films DVD Release. Unrated - MD

A FEAST OF FLESH (2006) - The most recent feature from Happy Cloud Pictures (originally known as ABATTOIR) to see release starts off with a young woman being rescued from an attacker in alley by a dark figure who informs her of a "safe place" where she can go. The "safe place" turns out to be the Bathory House. A few friends decide to get together and go up to the Bathory House for a night of fun and sex with some hookers. Only problem is this motley crew doesn't quite know what they're getting themselves into. It so turns out that the girls of the Bathory House are vampires with a thirst for human blood. The night of fun and sex ends in a bloodbath. One guy decides to go search the brothel for his girlfriend who ran off to become a prostitute. He then ends up blowing the lid off the pressure cooker by breaking an old treaty between the vampire whores and a group of Irish mercenaries. The lead mercenary Sheridan (Mike Watt) gets together with his buddies to fight the bloodsuckers and rescue the one dude's missing girlfriend. It's an all-out monster killing fest in the vein of THE RESURRECTION GAME (2001), but with vampires instead of zombies. You get your blood, gore, sex and action. Fun for the whole family! Watt wrote and directed and Amy Lynn Best produced and plays the part of Elizabeth, the lead vampire. The Bloody Earth Films DVD of A FEAST OF FLESH contains an audio commentary with Watt and Best, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a gag reel, a short film directed by Josh Smith entitled A FEAST OF SOULS, and trailers for other Camp Motion Pictures and Bloody Earth releases. With Stacey Bartlebaugh-Gmys, Aaron Bernard, Sofiya Smirnova, Steve Foland, Alyssa Herron, Bill Homan, Jeff Waltrowski, Zoe Hunter and with special appearances by Debbie Rochon, CHAINSAW SALLY star April Monique Burril and director Jimmy O Burril. SPLATTER MOVIE: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT (2007) was the next feature for Happy Cloud. Visit them online at www.happycloudpictures.net. A Bloody Earth Films DVD Release. Unrated - MD

THE FERAL MAN (2002) – Danny James is a guy who’s going through a rough time. He has to put up with a crappy job, his love life is going down the drain and he has to deal with the death of his father. Late one night, Danny is attacked by an unseen force (an animal?). Not being able to remember what exactly happened, he decides to put it behind him. Then all of a sudden Danny starts to change and his friends and family take notice. He loses his job and then things really begin to take a nosedive. A string of murders begins to plague the town with bodies turning up mutilated. Danny notices himself beginning to transform. It turns out that whatever it was that he ran into that one night has caused him to turn into a manbeast with a taste for human blood. THE FERAL MAN is not a bad little low budget horror/gore quickie from Brett Kelly who also gave us THE BONESETTER (2003) and THE BONESETTER RETURNS (2005). Kelly writes, produces, directs and stars as Danny. The Tempe/Splatter Rampage DVD is loaded with extras including audio commentary with Kelly, cast and crew interviews, an interview with Kelly, an outtakes reel, a short film called GOOD DOG, DEAD DOG (2004) with optional commentary by Kelly, previews for FINAL CURTAIN (2005) and SPACEMEN, GO-GO GIRLS AND THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS (2004) and trailers for other Splatter Rampage releases. Visit Kelly online at www.brettkelly.net. With Mary MacPherson, Mark Courneyea, Steve Patterson, Eric Schmidt and Corey Stevenson. A Tempe DVD Release. Not Rated - MD

FILTHY MCNASTIER: MAXIMUM DOUSCHE (2005) & FILTHY MCNASTIEST: APOCALYPSE FUCK! (2005) – You’ve got to give it to Chris Seaver and Low Budget Pictures. When it comes to the bad, the offensive, the funny, the gory, the outrageous, the over-the-top and the risqué in the world of low budget filmmaking, nobody beats them. The Tempe/Splatter Rampage Double Feature DVD of FILTHY MCNASTIER and FILTHY MCNASTIEST proves just that. The two sequels to the LBP classic FILTHY MCNASTY provide the perfect entertainment for male and female viewers. In MCNASTIER, a young girl is tired of having small boobs and wants giant knockers so the guys will like her. Phil the Demon is back to grant her this wish. But as always, you have to be careful what you wish for. We are introduced to a vampire by the name of Razor McBleed who’s a Journey fan and things soon start to go downhill. In MCNASTIEST, a young man is tired of his small penis and wants a humongous shlong so he can declare himself a real sex machine. His huge-breasted bitch girlfriend (played by adult film star Cherry Brady) breaks up with him because of this. He enlists the help of his witch friend so she can summon the Sex Demon to give him what he wants. This fails at first and later the Sex Demon appears (I believe it’s the sister of Phil the Demon). The female demon makes the witch girl magically grow a dick so they can fuck. Then the demon magically grows a dick and kills the witch girl by pulling her guts out through her asshole while she’s screwing her up the ass. Our lonely guy with the small dick wakes up to the find that the demon has granted his wish and he has an enormous 4-foot shlong. But as expected, this miracle soon turns out to be a curse. The parties in both movies end in gore-soaked bloodbaths with vampires and zombies. The films are loaded with sick and offensive material in the vein of Troma, naked girls, dicks getting chopped off, dismemberment, toilet humor, and more outrageous stuff that I can’t remember at the moment. MCNASTIEST contains appearances by Andy Copp, Henrique Couto, John Karyus, and Troma’s Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. Watch this double feature on a night when you’re in the mood for a good up-all-night vomit-semen-blood-feces-spunk-dookie fest. The Splatter Rampage DVD contains commentaries on both films by Seaver and the LBP gang, director’s introduction, a special Teen Ape Love Doll commercial, and trailers for Splatter Rampage DVD releases. A Tempe DVD Release. Unrated - MD

5 DARK SOULS (1996) – The second shot-on-video feature from Jason Paul Collum concerns a group of high school buddies who get together and decide to take some unsuspecting students out in the woods to shoot a movie in the wintertime. Unfortunately for the teens going along with this, what they don’t know is they’re being tricked into acting in a snuff film. After a couple kids are killed off, the surviving teen girl (Tina Ona Paukstelis from THE UNEARTHING - 1994) and boy (Matthew Winkler) run off into the woods and fight for their lives. They find their way to a guy’s house and ask to use his phone. But the killers end up finding their way the house and the man and his wife both meet gruesome demises. The two then find another house and ask the homeowner (Karen Dilloo) to call for help. Unfortunately it turns out that she is a part of the murderous gang’s snuff filmmaking conspiracy. The two find themselves cornered with the leading psycho, and his thugs are preparing them for the final cut of their film. More attempts to escape are made and from then on out the two teens fight to defeat the psychopaths. For an early SOV effort from the director who would go on to bring us the more professional OCTOBER MOON (2005), 5 DARK SOULS isn’t that bad. Granted, it’s nothing that you’d want to brag about, but if you’d like to take a look at a filmmaker’s work as it progresses with time, effort and money, it’s a pretty decent example to follow. Financed by Michael D. Moore and MDM Productions. The film contains a scene where the kids rent the Moore Video release of DERANGED (1974). R.M. Hoopes, Alucarda and Dika Newlin did the soundtrack. Brinke Stevens is thanked in the end credits. The tape contains trailers for other Moore releases, information on the releases of Collum’s MARK OF THE DEVIL 666: THE MORALIST (1995) and Tim Ritter’s CREEP (1995), an interview with Collum and a few of the cast members, behind-the-scenes footage and bloopers. Collum did 5 DARK SOULS PART 2: ROOTS OF EVIL (1998) next. Collum’s 5 DARK SOULS PART 3: RETRIBUTION (2003) has yet to see release. Tempe is supposed to release a 5 DARK SOULS trilogy 3-disc special edition DVD sometime in late 2007-early 2008. With Sy Stevens, Tracy Pope-Stevens, William Krekling, Mick Wynhoff, Darcey Vanderhoef, Javier Rivera, Brian Hansen, and Cathy Sagal. A Moore Video Release. Not Rated –MD

5 DARK SOULS PART 2: ROOTS OF EVIL (1998) – Jason Paul Collum’s sequel to his 1996 cult hit about snuff filmmaking psychotic kids concerns the story of a female professor named Olivia Clark (Julie King) who’s interested in researching the story of the killings that rocked a small Wisconsin town four years ago. She proceeds to interview several friends and family members of all the victims and killers. But everybody who she interviews soon turns up dead. It is learned that one of the maniacs named Piper got away and another one named Nancy ended up in a mental institution. Somebody who closely resembles Eddie, another one of the psychos who got killed four years ago, is seen wandering around a college campus. It’s suspected that this person may be a twin brother of Eddie. As the bodies pile up, Olivia begins to feel wave of terror closing in on her. While this sequel is every bit as interesting and enjoyable as the first film, it’s main problem is that it’s way too long (two and a half hours). It seems like it could’ve used more trimming to tighten the pace and there’s some boring bits that we could’ve done without. It’s not horrible, but had it been 50 minutes shorter, it would’ve cut back on viewers dozing off. With Tina Ona Paukstelis, Matthew Winkler, Karen Dilloo, Christopher D. Harder, Sy Stevens, Darcey Vanderhoef, William Krekling, Tracy Pope-Stevens, Brian Hansen, Dennis Smart, Tami Klamm, Kip Keckler, and Dillon Mapel. A Moore Video Release. Not Rated –MD

GEEK MAGGOT BINGO (1983) - Nick Zedd films are an acquired taste. Of the films of his that I've seen so far, I'd say GEEK MAGGOT BINGO (aka THE FREAK FROM SUCKWEASEL MOUNTAIN) is my favorite. This low budget 16mm horror spoof became popular at midnight showings and has gained some cult status. It spoofs old Universal monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein, uses props and sets that look like they came from high school plays, and it delivers in cheesy gore, sex, and offensive humor. Donna Death stars as the vampire Scumbalina, Robert Andrews is Dr. Frankenberry, Brenda Bergman is Buffy, Richard Hell from the punk band The Voidoids is the Rawhide Kid, Bruno Zeus is the hunchback Geeko, Gumby Spangler is Flavian, and Jim Giacama is Dean Quagmire. The Formaldehyde Man created by Frankenberry is a two-headed monster that wreaks havoc near the end. Some of the makeup and gore effects by Tyler Smith, Ed French and Tom Lauten are half decent. Horror host John Zacherley does an introduction to the movie and he tells us to strap Dixie cups to our noses. Fangoria's Bob Martin has a cameo as "Uncle Bob" himself trying to sell magazines to the Formaldehyde monster. He gets his head ripped off and the head keeps talking. I thought that was one of the funniest scenes in the movie. The DVD from Eclectic DVD Distribution contains an interview with the cast and the Zedd short films ELF PANTIES, LORD OF THE COCK RINGS, and THUS SPAKE ZARATHUSTRA. Be sure to check out Zedd's first feature THEY EAT SCUM (1979), a Super-8 punk rock splatter comedy that probably laid the groundwork for Peter Jackson's BAD TASTE (1987) and MEET THE FEEBLES (1989). A Penetration Video Release. Not Rated - MD

GHOUL SCHOOL (1990) - A high school's water supply gets poisoned by an unusual chemical. The chemical causes students and members of the school's swim team to turn into flesh eating zombies that wreak havoc in the school. It's up to two horror fan nerds and a rock band to stop the hungry ghouls. In all honesty, I thought this was a funny, tongue-in-cheek Troma-inspired horror comedy. There's lots of good lines in this one like "I think they're putting too much chlorine in the pool," and "We're trying to save you, not fuck you." I thought it was hilarious how every time somebody asks what's going on, the kids say, "It's the swim team!" There's also a scene where the kids watch ROBOT NINJA (1989) on TV. The film has plenty of graphic gore including dismemberments, guts pulled out, a beheading, throat ripping, a head ripped open, zombies spewing green stuff, etc. We get appearances by Joe Franklin and Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling as themselves. The one scene with Martling telling a bunch of corny jokes to Franklin is a total laugh riot. If you like I WAS A TEENAGE ZOMBIE (1987) you'll probably enjoy this one. Written-produced-directed by Timothy O'Rawe. With William Friedman, Scott Gordon, Paul Venier, Nancy Sirianni, Ed Burrows, and John Paul Fedele. A Tempe Video Release. Also available on a special "Splatter University Edition" DVD from Camp Motion Pictures. Unrated - MD NOTE: I knew director Tim O'Rawe when he worked at a local Blockbuster Video in Totowa, NJ (this was about the mid-80's). He kept telling me that he was going to direct a  horror film in the near future. It's all he would ever talk about. It looks like he did it. This movie was lensed in Wayne, NJ using local landmarks like the high school and various businesses. This film has been floating around for years (and usually gets awful write-ups) and has now been released on DVD!!! Unfortunately, O'Rawe has never directed anything else. - Editor

GRANNY (1999) – This short (58 minute) slasher made for peanuts is actually better than you’d think. It’s much more interesting than most of the Hollywood slashers that come out today and it’s more entertaining than most of the SOV slashers of recent years. A group of friends gather together. One of them scares the others with horror stories. Soon a killer in an old hag mask shows up and starts slaughtering them all. While it sounds like your average slasher fare, the film is actually suspenseful in some parts and the ending has lots of twists (which I won’t go into of course, because I try not to insert too many spoilers into my reviews). It also earns points for being shot on film instead of video. The killings are very gory and include a splattery axe-in-the-head death, many bloody knife stabbings and eyes poked out. A baggy-over-the-head suffocation is thrown in for good measure. If you find it for sale on VHS or DVD anywhere for $6.00, go ahead and grab it. Directed by Boris Pavlovsky (who also co-wrote and co-produced). With Sava Popovic, Katie Dugan, Tomi, T.J. Bigbee, John Stoops, Annemieke Van Der Meer, Rebecca O’Marrah, Nathalie Ohnena, David Coleman, and Ivan Veres. A Dead Alive Productions Release. Also Available on DVD from Brain Damage Films. Not Rated - MD

HORRORTALES.666 (2003) – This shot-on-video horror anthology is a B-movie follower’s wet dream. We are presented with five stories and a wraparound segment. The wraparound segment stars Joel D. Wynkoop as a burglar who breaks into a writer’s home. He comes across a computer with a set of short stories called “HorrorTales.666.” He starts reading the stories and can’t stop. The first story “Woman in Shadows” comes from Phil Herman and Falcon Video and stars Herman as a man going through a dilemma with his girlfriend (Kimberly Lynn Cole). He keeps seeing images of a woman in his apartment. She keeps appearing and disappearing. He’s apparently suffering from blackouts and believes this woman he’s seeing may be somebody who knew and can’t remember who she is. The second story “Luck of the Irish” comes from Dusty Fleischman and Morbid Productions and is about a reporter on the trail of serial killer. For some reason he has very accurate hunches as to where the killer is going to strike next. The third story “The Dead Forest” comes from Ryan Cavalline and 4th Floor Pictures and is about a guy (Adam Berasi) who kills his baby because it wouldn’t stop crying. He puts the baby in a trash bag and buries it in the woods. The guy is stricken with guilt and becomes suicidal. He starts hearing voices in his head. Ghosts or spirits of some kind in the woods start playing tricks on him and slowly drive him to insanity. The fourth story “Payback is Hell” comes from Gary Whitson and W.A.V.E. Productions and basically doesn’t have any real story at all. It starts out with Pamela Sutch taking a shower and then changing into a tight nurse’s outfit and high heels and goes to put on a show for a photographer. The photographer strangles her to death, end of story. The fifth story “Stop It, You’re Killing Me” comes from Michael Hoffman Jr. and Wet Floor Productions and stars Bill Cassinelli as an easygoing man named Jerry with a friend named Brad who’s kind of a thorn in his side. Jerry meets a woman at a bar and the two of them hit it off from there. What seems to be going perfectly is soon derailed as Jerry finds that Brad betrayed him by taking his girl and it pushes him over the edge. Overall, HORRORTALES.666 is a nice collection of short films from some of the leading filmmakers on the indie scene. The first segment holds your attention throughout. The second segment is interesting enough even though it’s something that’s been done many times before. The third segment is done in an eerie Edgar Allen Poe-type style. The fourth one there was really no need for at all, but just to see Pamela Sutch naked and getting killed. The fifth one is easily the most accomplished story and has a twist in the end that makes you go “Ha! Ha!” like Nelson on THE SIMPSONS. The movie is only 60 minutes long, so if you have an hour to kill and you want to see quick examples of the work from Falcon, Morbid, 4th Floor, W.A.V.E., and Wet Floor, this is the way to go. With Nancy Feliciano, Julie Strain (as a publisher in the wraparound), and Davie Keye. A Falcon Video Release. Unrated -MD

THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED (2000) – Mark and John Polonia (SPLATTER FARM – 1987, FEEDERS – 1996, BAD MAGIC – 1998, TERROR HOUSE – 1998) get behind a 16mm camera for the first time to give us what is arguably their best film ever. The story follows a horror novelist by the name of Marty Beck (Bob Dennis) who rents a creepy old house in rural Pennsylvania so he can have a place to stay while he finishes his latest book and get some inspiration. After moving into the house, Marty starts to experience some weird disturbances and is plagued by nightmares and gruesome images in his head. He soon learns that ghosts of people who lived at the house in the past haunt the place. Soon the ghosts, apparitions, and nightmarish images of ghastly slayings and mutilated bodies begin to drive him to insanity. It becomes apparent that the ghosts will not go away without a fight. Marty is eventually faced with a grim decision that comes with him being forced to choose between his life or facing continuous hell on earth. THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED is without a doubt the Polonia Brothers’ most polished film to date. While the film has enough skin and bloodshed to satisfy the gore and sleaze fanatics, the story and characters are ultimately what make the film work and hold your attention throughout. It shows what the Polonia’s are actually capable of. I know when most people think of them and their movies, they immediately think of words like cheap, cheesy, shot-on-video, etc. Not in this case. It’s nice to see what some people are capable when given the opportunity. As they say, it’s always good not to judge a book by its cover. Tyler Smith (GEEK MAGGOT BINGO – 1983, SCARED STIFF – 1986) handled the effects. Mark and John later did THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED 2: HELLGATE (2001) with Jon McBride. The Sub Rosa DVD of THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED has many cool extras including a commentary with the Polonia Brothers, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, location tours, bloopers, outtakes, trailers, etc. With Stevan Anselmi, Robert Thomas, Courtney Marie, Anthony Thomas, John Polonia, and Gabrielle. A Sub Rosa Studios DVD Release. Not Rated - MD

THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED 2: HELLGATE (2001) – Mark and John Polonia team up with Jon McBride to bring us this shot-on-video sequel to THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED (2001). Parapsychologist Dr. Pollenfax (Jon McBride) and two of his students (Brice Kennedy and Jeff Dylan Graham) head out to the creepy old house on Wingate Road to study the place months after the mysterious disappearance of horror novelist Marty Beck. Soon their stay at the place turns into a supernatural nightmare as they have ugly run-ins with demons and ghosts and various gruesome goings-on ensue. Pollenfax occasionally has run-ins with the apparition of a beautiful woman in the shower. The trio has to battle with the forces-that-be if they want to get out of the house in one piece. While this sequel isn’t as good or as interesting as the first movie, it isn’t bad at all. There are some pretty decent effects and cool creatures, which are the creations of Brett Piper. While I think it was the story and characters that really stood out in the first movie, the sequel is made worthy by the special effects, lightning and creative visuals. Bob Dennis is seen in flashbacks as Marty Beck. McBride and the Polonia Brothers teamed up again to do DWELLER (2002) and many other video features that have picked up by Brimstone Productions, Sub Rosa Studios and Pop Cinema. The Sub Rosa DVD is loaded with all sorts of goodies including audio commentary, 3 behind-the-scenes featurettes, bloopers, still gallery, web links, trailers, etc. With Leslie Culton, Richard Feil, and Todd Carpenter. A Sub Rosa Studios DVD Release. Not Rated - MD

IMMORTAL (1995) – This is a low budgeter that tries to take a somewhat different approach to the usual vampire story. The film tells the story of Dex Drags (Andrew Taylor), a young college age guitarist who performs with his band at nightclubs. Dex has a very dark secret. He seems to be addicted to blood. If I can remember correctly, it has something to do with an ancient vampire curse. (Please forgive me for the foggy memory it’s been a while since I watched it.) He does his best to keep a lid on the secret. This causes difficulties for him with regards to his relationship with his girlfriend and his relations with other friends and band members. The rest of film follows the painful consequences of his blood drinking problem and what he must do in order to solve his dilemmas. While it’s nothing too special, IMMORTAL is really not a bad picture. In my opinion, the film deserves some points for originality. Some parts of the film are very eerie, there is a little bit of gore and the soundtrack is very good. The acting, however, isn’t that great and the movie is kind of boring in some places and the sets are sometimes poorly lit. That’s what it really suffers from, unfortunately. The film has a fabulous tagline: “Dex, Blood, and Rock-N-Roll!” I really liked that. Written, produced, directed and edited by Walt Bost and Steven D. White. With Meredith Leigh Sause, Mike Shaw, Steve Williard, Randy Jones and George Taylor. A Spectrum Films Release. Also available on DVD from Brain Damage Films as a “director’s cut.” Not Rated - MD

IT CAME (1993) - An extraterrestrial sound wave is picked up by a satellite and finds its way into a laboratory where it kills a scientist and melts a telephone into his head. The frequency is then transmitted into the phone lines and ends up in the computer system of an adult movie company called Throbbing Video. The deadly sound wave finds its way into the body of an electrician and he turns into a crazed psycho and the wave travels from person to person in the building turning whoever crosses paths with it into a homicidal maniac. Only an alcoholic doctor named Vibrum Moroflex knows how to stop it. IT CAME is a silly and campy low budgeter that turns out to be a really good time. The movie opens with Dr. Moroflex giving drinking game instructions for watching the movie. The rules are #1: When Moroflex takes a sip you must take a drink from a mutually agreed beverage. #2: Speed counts. The last player to take a sip at any round must take a penalty sip. #3: Anybody who can understand or remember the plot at the end of the game will be declared the winner. For viewer participation, disclaimer #1: Alcohol is required. And finally, disclaimer #2: The makers of the movie do not acknowledge or accept responsibility for any consequences you may suffer from playing the game. There are some very funny scenes and some really gory parts as well (including an ultra-splattery power drill killing). One of the funniest characters is the boss who says fuck every two seconds. He ends up having his hand pinned to his eyeball. The one guy who goes nuts from the sound waves and starts imitating Jack Nicholson in THE SHINING (1980) is quite a riot too. After he kills someone with a drill, he cleans it off in the bathroom and after killing another person with it, he says, "Oh shit! I just cleaned this mother fucker!" We are shown the actors practicing their lines during the end credits and we get some crazy credits like "Asst. Production Manager: NO ONE WOULD WORK FOR FREE," "Stuntman: NONE," and "Leading Homerun Hitter Of All Time: HANK AARON." This is probably hard to find, but it's worth checking out if you come across a copy. With Jessica Cushman, Rob Springer, John O'Neil, Alex Emanuel, Joseph Tudisco, John Brosseau, Daniel Kearns, Joseph Bacino, Gail Lelyveld, Nancy Aguilar, and Howard Arneson. Directed by Bret Stern. A Primal Screen Pictures Entertainment Release. Unrated - MD

JACKER (1993) – This shot-on-video slasher from Phil Herman’s Falcon Video stars Herman as Mike Rivers, a dude who loses his cool and kills his girlfriend (Nancy Feliciano) and makes it look like suicide. He then goes a rampage across the city carjacking various motorists and killing them. A group of detectives try to track the psycho down before more blood is shed. After the sister of Detective Jackson (Patrice Jackson) is bumped off by the psychotic carjacker, it pushes him over the edge and he decides to take matters into his own hands and find the maniac himself. This leads to a brutal climax involving a fight to the death between the detective and the psycho jacker. If it sounds cheesy, you’d be correct. It’s amazing how dumb the police in this one are as most of the evidence pointing in the killer’s direction is right in front of their faces and they blow every opportunity they get. Herman and Jackson get into a fistfight in a couple scenes where police are investigating the scene of a crime and neither of them is brought up on assault charges. The close up of a burning toy car in one scene where a car is supposed to blow up is enough to have any average viewer rolling on the floor in complete side-splitting laughter. That being said, it’s movies like these that in the end turn out enjoyable because of how corny they are. Especially with one like this where it’s clear the filmmakers had hardly any money at all. Not everybody appreciates this stuff as much as some do, which is understandable. If you go in expecting CITIZEN KANE you’ll be beyond disappointed. If you know you’re in for something that’s shot with a camcorder with little money and if you don’t take it too seriously, you may have a fun time. JACKER 2: DESCENT TO HELL (1996) followed. Herman wrote the screenplay and Ben Stanski directs. With Barry Gaines, Ben Stanski, Matt O’Connor, and Debbie D. A Falcon Video Release. Unrated –MD

JACKER 2: DESCENT TO HELL (1996) – Mike Rivers (Phil Herman), the psychotic carjacker, seems to have somehow survived after being thrown over a cliff by Detective Jackson (Patrice Jackson) at the end of the original JACKER (1993). Mike finds his way back to his old life and is haunted by the ghost of his dead girlfriend (Nancy Feliciano). He continues his bloody carjacking/murder spree leaving a trail of shot, stabbed, beaten and mauled bodies all over town. He is especially hungry for revenge on the police force that almost had him killed. Rivers sets up a scenario in which Jackson can get blamed for the murders and this goes totally haywire and Jackson and another cop end up shot dead by one of their fellow officers who now has the blame placed on him. Jackson’s friend James (Barry Gaines) who was injured in a car explosion in the first movie gets out of the hospital and tries to assist authorities in tracking down Rivers. For a while it appears that Jackson is still alive as he calls James and says he’ll pick him up at the hospital. Only it turns out that Rivers has taken Jackson’s skin and dressed himself up in it and James finds himself in for a nasty surprised when he’s picked up. James manages to get away and finds himself on the run. Things take even more bizarre turns as James has nightmares in which he’s apparently in hell with Rivers. Rivers goes after more innocent victims. It seems that he’s a superhuman force that can’t be stopped as he gets shot and cut up multiple times and keeps coming back. This all culminates in a twisted conclusion that really leaves you guessing. JACKER 2 is suspenseful, bloody, sexy, filled with action, and really messes with your head at times. The ending definitely leaves an opening for JACKER 3 (you really need to make this Phil). Herman wrote the screenplay again and Barry Gaines takes up the directing job this time. With Ben Stanski, Matt O’Connor, Dyan Kane, John Korcz, Joel D. Wynkoop, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Katrina Elias, and Bryant Sohl. A Falcon Video Release. Unrated –MD

KILLER NERD (1991) - Nerd Harold Kunkle (Toby Radloff) is having problems. He's constantly getting harassed and teased and he wants to find some way to get girls to like him. His mother isn't much help. She keeps telling him to "accentuate the positive." He enlists the help of a videotape that teaches him how to dress and act cool. He goes out, gets a spiked haircut and goes to a nightclub. He picks up a couple of girls who take him back to their hangout place where he meets up with their two boyfriends who picked on him earlier. After they beat him up, he decides he's had enough. He then proceeds to bump off all his tormentors in extreme gore fashion. An office worker who made fun of him is decapitated. A girl who he liked but didn't take him seriously has her face melted off with acid. Kunkle punches his mom in the face, straps her to a chair, dumps drain opener down her throat and buries a meat cleaver in her head. One girl has her belly slashed open with a knife. The two thugs who beat up Kunkle find themselves tied to chairs with dynamite sticks strapped to their heads. Kunkle sets off the fuses and their heads explode repainting the room with blood and cranial innards ("Blood red with brains! Blood red with brains!") This is a hilarious shot on video gore comedy from Wayne Alan Harold of Kent, Ohio. Toby Radloff who plays Harold Kunkle is actually a nerd in real life. His favorite movie is REVENGE OF THE NERDS (1984) and he worked as a comic strip writer for Harvey Pekar in Ohio. He also appeared in a few MTV spots. Harold and co-director Mark Steven Bosko made BRIDE OF KILLER NERD (1992) after this. The sequel is even better. With Lori Scarlett, Tony Zanoni, Heidi Lohr, and Richard Zaynor. A Hollywood Home Entertainment Release. Available on DVD from Troma as a double feature with BRIDE. Not Rated - MD

KILLERS BY NATURE (2005) – Two friends (Eric Spudic and Jason Contini) get together and reminisce about their days in high school. One of them brings up the kids who used to pick on them and give them a hard time. One gets the idea of getting even with all their high school enemies by playing cruel jokes on them. They proceed to go find one of their old school tormentors and give him a good scare. The prank soon goes haywire when one of them accidentally shoots the kid in the neck with a crossbow. Faced with a dead kid, they decide to get rid of the body and hope nobody will ever find who did it. When one of their old enemies comes across them while they’re trying to hide the corpse and throws eggs at them, they chase him down on his bike into the woods and this bully meets a gruesome end. The two decide they have a thirst for killing. This duo then proceeds to slaughter the rest of their high school enemies in various gory ways. The bodies pile up all over town and soon no one is safe. The directorial debut of B-movie buff Eric Spudic isn’t too bad. It got a few laughs out of me in some parts. I think its main problem is that it’s kind of unrealistic in how the two friends are able to kill in virtually broad daylight with nobody seeing them and be able to carry out their killing spree for so long with nobody connecting any dots or getting suspicious. Spudic writes, produces, directs and stars as Jeffrey. Ron Bonk and Eric Stanze were the executive producers. Jeremy Wallace (THE CHRISTMAS SEASON MASSACRE – 2001, THE UNDERTOW – 2003) was a production associate. Steve Sessions (CREMAINS – 2001, HELLBOUND: BOOK OF THE DEAD – 2003, MALEFIC – 2003) composed additional music. Spudic has written BUTCHERED (2003), CREEPIES (2003), AQUANOIDS (2003), EVIL UNLEASHED: THE MUMMY (2003), BLOODY TEASE (2004), and DEADLY CULTURE (2007) and has also acted in PSYCHO SANTA (2003), DEAD CLOWNS (2003), ZOMBIEGEDDON (2003), MINDS OF TERROR (2003), SAVAGE HARVEST 2: OCTOBER BLOOD (2006) and HALLOWEEN NIGHT (2006). You can visit Eric online at www.ericspudic.com. The extras on the Sub Rosa DVD of KILLERS BY NATURE include director’s commentary, a couple bonus videos, still gallery, “Killers by Nature” drinking game, and trailers. With William Clifton, Nick Hearne, Rory Stumpf, Linda Webb, and Matthew Doty. A Sub Rosa Studios DVD Release. Unrated - MD

LAS VEGAS BLOODBATH (1989) - A businessman named Sam Butler (Ari Levin) comes home and finds his wife in bed with another man. He shoots the both of them. He then cuts off his wife's head, carries it around with him and talks to it. Butler goes on a gory killing spree in Las Vegas, bumping off anyone who reminds him of his wife. He goes after the girls from B.L.O.W. (Beautiful Ladies of Oil Wrestling), holds them hostage and proceeds to slaughter them all one at a time. This ultra low budget shot on video feature from Vegas is definitely one of the most downright sadistic and repulsive movies I've ever seen. Yet it's so damn amusing and over-the-top it's almost comical giving it some sort of weird charm one can't put their finger on. There's lots of incredibly gory and nasty killings in this one. Levin ties a prostitute's leg up to his car, drive away, and rips her leg off. He goes into a bar when nobody is around and pulls out his wife's head and says to the bartender, "Get me a beer! And get this bitch one too!" before blowing him away. A gardener has his head flattened with a shovel. One girl is drilled to death and another has a hammer claw stuck up underneath her rib cage. An arm is pulled off. A Jehovah's Witness has his neck slammed in a door so hard that it snaps his head off! A driver who gives Levin the middle finger has his finger blown off with a gun and he says, "Let's see you pick your nose with that!" And the most sickening scene of all is when he cuts open a pregnant woman, rips out the baby and splatters it against the wall. Directed by David Schwartz. David Dalton who handled the gore effects also plays the Jehovah's Witness and he works on haunted house shows in Las Vegas. A Burning Moon Home Video Release. Not Rated - MD

LUNCH MEAT (1987) - A group of teenagers go on a vacation to the San Bernardino Mountains in California. That's where they run into a family of crazed cannibal hillbillies who chop people up with various gardening tools and sell human meat to a local hamburger joint. The survivors try to get away while being pursued by the psychotic rednecks in the mountains. This low budget slasher shot on Super 8mm is actually better than what I was expecting the first time I saw it. Granted, it's not the best movie I've ever seen, but there are worse. Kim McKamy does a good job as the heroine. The movie has a fair amount of gore, but it's not quite as bloody as other movies of its ilk. It bears somewhat of a passing resemblance to CANNIBAL CAMPOUT (1988). That was the movie I first thought of when watching it. Directed by Kirk Alex. With Chuck Ellis, Elroy Wiese, Joe Ricciardella, Robert Oland, Mitch Rogers, Rick Lorentz, and Bob Joseph. A Tapeworm Video Release. Not Rated - MD

MAMA'S HOME (1988) - A woman who was sentenced to jail after being blamed for letting her baby die in a burning house decides to get revenge on her dimwitted junkie ex-husband and his family since he was really responsible for catching the house on fire. She goes along with her two brothers (one psychotic and the other mentally challenged) and they hold her ex-husband's family captive while he's away at work. They show his new wife a video of a home movie that clearly shows it was him who caused the fire. After drowning the dog in an aquarium and stabbing the babysitter, the wife decides to go up against the psychos and fight back to save her baby. This is another shot on video flick from Gary P. Cohen who gave us the classics VIDEO VIOLENCE...WHEN RENTING IS NOT ENOUGH! (1986) and VIDEO VIOLENCE PART 2...THE EXPLOITATION! (1987). MAMA'S HOME (aka: CAPTIVES) is a slightly more serious movie than the VIDEO VIOLENCE movies. Some of the acting is pretty good and the movie doesn't rely as much on gore as VIDEO VIOLENCE 1 & 2 did. It appears as though something went haywire with the masters at Majestic Home Video because the audio goes out of sync about at around the 50-minute mark and stays that way the rest of the movie. It certainly isn't a problem with the tape I have. All the copies are like that. If you like VIDEO VIOLENCE 1 & 2 you'll probably enjoy this one as well. With Jackie Neill, Lisa Cohen, Linda Herman, Art Neill, Gary P. Cohen, and Zachary Cohen. A Majestic Home Video Release. Unrated - MD NOTE: It seems director Gary Cohen disowns this version of his film since the distributors took it away from him and cut it themselves, shuffling scenes around, deleting other scenes and renaming it MAMA'S HOME (a title he truly despises). Cohen hopes to get the rights back to this film and release it in his own "Director's Cut". It looks like it will happen in the near future. A special thanks to Joe of the website BLEEDING SKULL for this info. - Editor

MARK OF THE DEVIL 666: THE MORALIST (1995) – Jason Paul Collum’s first effort is an unofficial sixth installment of the MARK OF THE DEVIL series. Shot on video and with little money, the story concerns a serial killer who’s slaying people that are considered to be the “cause of society’s problems” in ritualistic fashions. This includes gays, prostitutes and minorities. All the victims have a “666” carved behind their ears. A female reporter teams up with a detective investigating the case. The reporter notices the killer seems to follow scenarios from certain horror movies when committing his gruesome acts of butchery. Clips from DERANGED (1974) are seen on TV. There are lots of shots of the horror section inside a mom and pop video store. While MARK OF THE DEVIL 666 certainly isn’t Collum’s best film, it’s still fairly entertaining for what it is. Most would probably trash it as an SOV piece of crap, which is understandable. It’s one of those movies you’d have to watch when you had the right mindset with your expectations lowered and you were interested to see horror fans take a stab at making their own project with hardly any money. Michael D. Moore and MDM Productions financed this along with Collum’s 5 DARK SOULS (1996) and 5 DARK SOULS 2: ROOTS OF EVIL (1998). Tim Ritter co-produced. Alucarda did the music. The tape contains an interview with Collum after the feature. With Karen Dilloo, Mick Wynhoff, Tami Klamm, Lee Worrell, Jeannine Campeau, Sy Stephens, Darcey Vanderhoef, Elizabeth Brouliette, Dillon Mapel, and Collum as a victim. A Moore Video Release. Not Rated –MD

MIDNIGHT SKATER (2002) - This shot on video effort from Ohio tells the story about a group of college kids who are trying to identify a mysterious skateboarder who's been prowling the campus at midnight and spray painting graffiti. They're also trying to find out why some female students have disappeared. A psychopath named Richard Norton is chopping up college girls in his dorm and the campus's drug dealers have been selling an unusual drug that causes its users to slowly rot and turn into flesh eating zombies. For such a cheap production,