We’re expanding our site with a brand new section: Trailer reactions ! So let’s just dive into it:
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
I have to be honest and say that I didn’t give a rat’s ass about this when I heard they were going to make yet another film in this dead horse of a franchise, when they haven’t been able to make Leatherface great again since the 2003 remake. This is also the second attempt to make a new sequel to the original after Texas Chainsaw 3D, if you even remember that one.
Then the trailer came and … other than the moment where Leatherface pops out of the farmfield like an old, demented geezer, which made me chuckle, it looks decent enough. Some great imagery and solid cinematography is to behold here, which reminded me more of the 2003 remake – which is good enough for me, since they would never be able to match the raw primitiveness of the original anyway. The gore and the brutality looks promising, and that scene on the bus with the kids and their phones looks like one of the highlights. And Sally, the last survivor from the original, returns as an old grandma for whatever reason. Fede Alvaraes (Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe) is involved with the story and producing, which alone gives a glimmer of hope.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is releasing on Netflix this upcoming Friday.
Studio 666
I thought this was some documentary about Foo Fighters when I first saw the thumbnail. But no, it’s actually a horror comedy starring Dave Grohl as himself and his bandmembers of Foo Fighters who rents an old haunted mansion to write and record their 10th album. Dave Grohl struggles with writer’s block, then gets possessed by Satan to help him write the ultimate album … something like that. Kerry King pops up in one scene. Cool.
I have no idea what to expect, really, other than it looks polished, colorful, fast-paced, rich on production values and something to not take too seriously for a single second. How far the horror elements goes, remains to be seen. Is this in the same alley as Deathgasm, or does it take a more family friendly approach? Dave Grohl seems to have the time of his life here, though, and we’ll just have to trust his own words when he says that: “Studio 666 is absolutely insane.”
Studio 666 has theatrical release in February.
Dark Glasses
It’s been a decade since Dario Argento’s last film, which was Dracula 3D. A film that was mocked and laughed at by everyone and showcased once and for all that the once acclaimed Maestro of Italian Horror had completely lost his touch with himself and all aspects of filmmaking, and was long over due for retirement. And the whole disastrous crowdfunding project The Sandman that followed for several years is a subject for an other time.
As the time went it’s fair to believe that almost no one expected a new film from Argento. And just out of the blue from absolute nowhere pops a trailer up for his brand new film, called Dark Glasses (Occhiali Neri), with a movie poster that looks pretty similar to John Carpenter’s They Live. And no, this is not a remake of the mentioned film, its Dario Argento’s return to the Giallo genre.
Here we follow a blind woman who must use a Chinese boy to hunt down a serial killer in the dark corners of Rome, called The Cellist who kills his victims with cello strings. And judging from the trailer this looks like amateur hour with poor image quality, out of focus images, weird close-ups, sloppy camera work and overall cheap trash. I’m not surprised. It’s kinda sad when Argento is now in his 80’s, and the only reason to be curious to watch his new stuff is to see how bad it is, and expect more unintentional laughs than chills.
Black Glasses will be released on Shudder in Fall 2022.
Welcome to Z movie hour. Today we take a look at a micro-budget and campy sci-fi schlockfest with an evil alien and his lazer gun, made by amateur filmmaker Don Dohler, starring his neighbours, brother-in-laws, himself, and his two sons.
A lady called Mad Dolly is being chased by some mob in a forest who believe she is a witch. She gets captured and about to get burned at the stake, on order by Lord Garrick. Before they get the chance to lit her on fire, she gives her final speech with silly facial expressions, and summons some demonic forces that causes one of the executioners to catch fire, and then all hell breaks loose. Lord Garrick runs back to his mansion where an arm bursts through the wall and strangles him. Lady Garrick, who wanted to see Mad Dolly dead more than anyone else, finds her Lord dangling from the ceiling. The Lady is then confronted by a resurrected and vengeful Mad Dolly, who chops her head off and gives the most cheesy, evil laugh ever. And only eight minutes in it’s fairly okay to ask what the hell this is.
What does Jason, Pinhead, Leprechaun and Dracula have in common? They’ve been into space. And this has to be the worst of them all. Good grief.
Adam Green starts working on a documentary about monster/creature artwork. Out of the blue, a man suddenly contacts him and claims he has proof of the existence of monsters. This man’s name is William Dekker, and he is a retired detective who is convinced that there’s underground monsters in a place he calls “The Marrow”. Green sees this as an opportunity to refocus his documentary into the story of Dekker and his efforts to expose these so-called underground monsters. They set up cameras in the woods nearby the hole where Dekker claims the monsters sometimes come out from, but Green and his crew are not sure whether this man is just setting up an elaborate hoax, or if he is just batshit crazy…or, maybe, if he’s actually telling the truth.
