What a month, so many cool movies, it runs the gambit of what was included, but one movie I single out was The Roost, which some may not know was Ti West’s first film he directed. It contains flaws but knowing of this and seeing how his career soar thanks to A24 Studios’ belief in telling a three part tale it is just sample of the treasures found in this month.
Trilogy of Terror [1975]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: Three bizarre horror stories, all of which star Karen Black in four different roles playing four tormented women.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: Sometime in the 80s
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 6.6/10
MY RATE THEN: 6.5/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGED: No, I think it was very good made for television anthology movie, with the outstanding of Karen Black portraying four characters in three tales and each time vastly different than the previous one.
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Death Ship [1980]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: A mysterious ghostly freighter rams and sinks a modern day cruise ship whose survivors climb aboard the freighter and discover that it is a World War II Nazi torture vessel.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: Sometime in the early 90s.
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 4.9/10
MY RATE THEN: 4.5/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGED: This one is tough as the views on vary each time I watch it, some state the lack of positive reviews stem from it being part Naziploitation and worried it sends the wrong intention especially since it shows controversial war footage. One aspect that most will agree upon is the very cool poster art.
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Muck [2015]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: After narrowly escaping an ancient burial ground, a group of friends find themselves trapped between two evils, forcing them to fight, die, or go back the way they came.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: October 2015
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 2.6/10
MY RATE THEN: 2.5/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGED: No, I still believe this is a poor representation of the slasher throwback. Regardless of the subgenre a story must make sense, the characters have some depth and reasoning to them and we the audience must be able to see what is occurring on the screen that pitch blackness for nighttime scenes.
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The Roost [2005]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: Four friends marooned on a mysterious farm en route to a wedding are terrorized by various creatures and zombies.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: Likely in the 2010s I had seen The Innkeepers [2011] and then tracked the movie.
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 4.9/10
MY RATE THEN: 5.0/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGED: No, except to state this was Ti West’s first directed film, and it is incredible to watch this again know of his wonderful 3-picture deal with A24 Studio that started with X [2022]. One can pick up on his style and cues which makes seeing his more recent quality so much more fascinating to see.
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Ghost Witch [2015]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: A group of rag-tag paranormal investigators get more than they bargain for when they research an old local urban legend for a disturbed local girl.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: Unknown
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 4.0/10
MY RATE THEN: 4.0/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGED: No, the movie really doesn’t live up to any expectations and lacks any tension building, the characters are going through the paces of the story rather than driving a compelling tale to engage the viewer.
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Deathgasm [2015]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: Two teenage boys unwittingly summon an ancient evil entity known as The Blind One by delving into black magic while trying to escape their mundane lives.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: September 2015
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 6.3/10
MY RATE THEN: 7.0/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGED: Yes, slightly, I believe I would lower it to 6.5/10 as there’s just one scene that was told an over-the-top battle, but it used adult toys and rewatching it just had me cringe. In addition, those moments of logical dead ends, and plot holes are minor yet could affect a storytelling and distract the audience.
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Bug [1975]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: The inhabitants of a small town find themselves under siege from mutant cockroaches that have the ability to start fires.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: Unsure but seen it many, many times.
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 5.2/10
MY RATE THEN: 5.0/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGED: Nope, I still find it too be an average horror film, which will be creep factor up for those folks spooked easily by insects, namely cockroaches. Oh, by the way the review contains photos from the original pressbook for this flick.
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Excess Flesh [2015]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: Obsessed with her sexy roommate, Jill violently imprisons Jennifer in their apartment in a twisted attempt to bring them closer together.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: April 2015
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 3.8/10
MY RATE THEN: 4.0/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGED: Yes, I would lower the rating to 3.5, because of the repeated series of scenes and the poor editing process, while the believability of the actresses to their roles hence, struggle to convincedly their intentions to carry long the viewers.
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Zombie Holocaust aka Doctor Butcher M.D. [1980]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: Members of an expedition in the East Indies encounter not only the cannibals they were looking for, but also an evil scientist and his zombie army.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: Likely sometime in the late 80s.
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 5.2/10
MY RATE THEN: 5.0/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGE: No, this movie is clearly not for everyone, the name and summary should steer the sensitive away from it immediately. In addition, viewers cannot complain, its low-budget with a storyline, but honestly they are there to see gore and some splatter.
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Old 37 [2015]
SUMMARY PER IMDB: Two brothers intercept 911 calls in a beat up old ambulance to torture and kill helpless victims.
WHEN I SAW IT DATE ORIGINALLY: June 2016
THE IMDB RATE AT TIME OF REV: 4.0/10
MY RATE THEN: 4.0/10
HAS MY VIEW CHANGED: No, it is a weak story, as it involves two homicidal nutjobs who never have much depth to their characters. Hile recalling the director stripped his name from the production is still never a good sign, it is a one and done for any horror fan.