Once more, returning to those films which are celebrating their own anniversaries and were reviewed, the question is simple was I right in my assessment or was I off-based?
The Fog [1980]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: Local legend tells of a ship lured on to the rocks of Antonio Bay being enveloped by a supernatural cloud as it sank; the myth says that when this mysterious fog returns, the victims will rise up from the depths seeking vengeance.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: I honestly do not recall.
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 6.8/10
MY RATE THEN: 7.0/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGE: No, overall, I think it is a good haunting tale only a few things do not work correctly, the corpse rising from the autopsy table and after the ceremony to honor the town no one else encounters the fog but a few. Otherwise, the glowing fog, and other elements namely the music all generating a far superior storyline then the dreadful remake in 2005.
***** ***** *****
Axe to Grind [2015]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: B-movie legend, actress Debbie Wilkins, has just been replaced by a 23-yr old scream queen in her lovers bed. More importantly she’s been left out of her lovers new film. Debbie doesn’t take rejection well.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: May or June 2015
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 3.5/10
MY RATE THEN: 4.0/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGE: No, I feel the film has everything the low-budget horror fan wants, including many b-movie moments, however Debbie Rochon steals every scene she is in, and rightfully deserves that honor.
***** ***** *****
Cannibal Holocaust [1980]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: An anthropologist ventures into the Amazon rainforest on a rescue mission, where he recovers footage shot by a film crew documenting their disastrous encounters with local cannibal tribes.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: Quite a long time ago but did launch my cannibal watching frenzy.
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 5.9/10
MY RATE THEN: 5.5/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGE: No, as I quote my review “Simply stated, this definitely – is not for everyone, high level of warning this borders on obscene, which often is in the eye of the beholder.” The only issues for most are the numbing of various repeating in different manners on the screen which might become desensitizing to some; but for the majority it is almost nausea the relentless tension never breaks only presenting bleakness to situation growing in endless torment.
***** ***** *****
ZK: Elephant’s Graveyard [2015]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: A young militia is all that stands between a coming dead horde and their rural town decimated by the fracking industry.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: November 2015
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 2.8/10
MY RATE THEN: 2.5/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGE: No, the story is still a muddled mess, and the constant push that zombie outbreak is climate change without connecting other dots, leaves the audience lost. George A. Romero would suggest some social or societal reasoning and gentle hints at it. Therefore, the recommendation is to skip it.
***** ***** *****
Bleeding Hearts [2015]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: An undercover journalist travels to small-town Mansionville attempting to expose its dark secrets. He quickly discovers the town is home to a cult of five twisted sisters that capture men for a sadistic yearly ritual.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: June 2015
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 3.6/10
MY RATE THEN: 3.5/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGE: No, it is still the same, just another disappointing horror movie that had promise, I suppose with the recent passing of Tony Todd and seeing how poorly he is used in the film is a cause for the negativity. It is the one thing I shall never understand a filmmaker secures the funds to hire a quality actor for the day, then use them, write more compel deep layer dialogue filled scenes. I truly believe it will assist the new actors to the craft to take in the Masterclass and excel your film forward rather than making it ho-hum.
***** ***** *****
Demonic [2015]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: A police officer and a psychologist investigate the deaths of five people who were killed while trying to summon ghosts.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: September 2015
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 5.3/10
MY RATE THEN: 6.0/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGE: Yes, a little bit but in the positive I would lower my rating to a 5/10 only because I now understand more about the subgenre of found footage. At the time my initial and even update I was not a true student of these films, and since then some nail it wonderful while other falter great this falls in between though feel the overall problem is the muddle post-production namely the delayed release and then only outside of United States for quite a while.
***** ***** *****
The Burning Dead [2015]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: A sheriff must rescue an estranged family from a mountain during a volcano eruption and fight off a horde of lava-filled zombies brought to life by a curse.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: August 2015
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 2.2/10
MY RATE THEN: 2.0
HAS MY VIEW CHANGE: No, it is a bad movie, the review predates DOA reviews but should be redone just for further deconstruction of the movie, however nothing truly redeeming of quality in the movie.
***** ***** *****
Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors [1965]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: Aboard a British train, mysterious fortune teller Dr. Schreck uses tarot cards to read the futures of five fellow passengers.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: Unable to recall
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 6.7/10
MY RATE THEN: 6.5/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGE: No, I still think it is a better average anthology film, and it has two of horrors best actors from the sixties Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.
***** ***** *****