June (Naomi Watts) was once a known counter-culture figure, but that was a long time ago, before she cut herself off from the outside world. Now, she now lives alone in her South Bronx apartment as the “Summer of Sam,” escalating violence and brutal summer heat threaten to turn New York City into sheer terror.

This was written and directed by Alistar Banks Griffin, the second of his films after 2010’s Two Gates of Sleep.

A lot of people ask me if I ever just shut down on a movie, knowing how many bad films I watch. I would trade nearly every direct to WalMart movie I watch this year for this film, a ponderous and doddering odyssey into one woman’s sophmore slump and need to never leave the house.

This movie had that moment I dread the most: I pressed pause to see how much more time the film had, thinking that it had to be nearly over. It was only twenty minutes in to its run time. I stuck it out for a little longer. Becca could take no more.

Back in 1994, a group of filmmakers in Eastern Pennsylvania — home of ECW — brought together some local pro wrestlers and young actors to make a horror movie.

Now, 25 years later, the film is finally finished.

After accidentally killing an opponent in the ring, a professional wrestler once known as the Masked Mutilator has taken on a job at a group home for youth offenders. But when someone wearing his mask starts killing the residents, all bets are off and no holds are barred!

This movie stars Stampede vet Brick Bronsky, who also appeared in Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. and Class of Nuke ‘Em High 2 and 3, as well as Doug Yasinsky (once known as Doug Flex and a long-time tag partner of Bronsky), Jeff Sibbach (a former pro wrestler) and James DeBello (Cabin Fever), along with F/X by Glenn Hetrick. Bronsky directed the film, which somehow survived in a basement for the last two decades.

I kind of dug this little movie. It reminds me of the regional slashers that showed up in the 80’s, all vying for that little pot of bloody gold.

You can grab this from the people at InterVision or watch it on Amazon Prime.

Originally shot as a TV series, 2019’s The Boonies is now available on demand as a movie that condenses the episodes to one singular film. It’s all about a group of kids in Boone, Texas who were once childhood pals who’ve grown apart. When one of them dies, they all go on a journey to discover how that happened and where his fortune has gone to.

The Boonies was written and directed by Brad T. Gottfred, who posits a school of different cliques all out to take that money too, as well as five former friends who must find their way back together.

The actress who played Holly, Andi Matichak, who go on to play Allyson in the new Halloween films. Calum Worthy, who was so good in the Netflix series The Act, is also in this. The cast is all uniformly fun and this ends up being much better than I anticipated.

You can find The Boonies streaming now.

DISCLAIMER: We were sent this by its PR company. That has no impact on our review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jesse Berberich is a media critic and regular contributor to online publications and the retro zine, Drive-In Asylum. He is also the co-curator and host of Disreputable Cinema, a cult genre film screening series at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, NYC.

I had a moment recently sitting in Williamsburg’s Nitehawk Cinema. As credits began to roll on Bliss, the new feature from writer/director Joe Begos (Almost Human), I felt a familiar burning sensation rise up from my neck to the back of my brain. I felt it, smiled, and confessed: “goddamn, I wish I wrote that.” I’ve learned that every writer is prone to envy, though envy with the kindest intentions, of course. Imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery, after all—jealousy is. 

And, what’s not to be jealous of? Bliss is a thrilling blood red and neon tinted masterpiece of splatter mayhem with a supersonic soundtrack of punk rock and heavy metal that will knock your teeth loose. Equal parts modernization of the vampire tale and character study of a self-destructive artist with maddening interludes of abstract yet breathtaking visuals and montages, this film is certainly off the beaten path and may be too odd for some viewers. Those who can stomach it, though, will be welcomed into the mad, mad world of a horror film more original than anything being offered in the genre today—a film that easily could, and should, be the biggest and most popular, audience-winning cult midnight movie hit since Mandy.

After the booming bass and frenzied visual assault of the opening credits, we are introduced to Dezzy Donahue (Dora Madison), a painter with a sharp wit and a bit of a chip on her shoulder who hits a creative block on a piece that is already way past its promised completion date just as she’s getting short on funds. So, what does she do with all this mounting pressure? She visits her drug dealer friend, of course, and purchases a highly potent new drug called Bliss, which is said to have some powerfully euphoric and hallucinogenic effects. Dezzy’s first taste of the drug hits her strong and knocks her out, but once she comes to, she’s changed. She parties like an animal, without inhibition, existing on a purely physical level. She doesn’t remember much in the morning, but finds that she’s been painting again while in her haze, and painting better than she has in a while, even. From here, the cycle continues as viciously as you’d imagine: Dezzy takes Bliss, goes wild, blacks out, and wakes up, every time with more of her ominous masterpiece completed. However, when people begin dying, and she starts waking up covered in blood, she suspects a sinister influence has taken hold of her life.

While the supporting cast is quite strong, Dora Madison is simply stunning as the lead. Since this film largely tells by showing through abstractions of sex and violence, Madison acts as our guide, with the entire story resting on her shoulders. In the hands of another actress, the dynamic between the weight of Dezzy’s turmoil and the gooey, gruesome gore would likely have fallen flat. Luckily, Madison shines through the blood and guts like a true star and gives a fearless performance. She plays Dezzy as relatable in her struggles as an artist with a touch of innocence, which is startling given her willingness to slip into the underworld that the Bliss drug reveals, but it is that willingness that betrays her naivety, insecurity, and vulnerability and leads her to her monstrous fate. Dezzy’s transformation has a haunting separation from reality and humanity, and a methodical power appropriate for a film about vampirism thanks to Madison’s work.

The handling of vampire lore in Bliss says much about Dezzy as a character and Madison’s performance, in fact. In Danse Macabre, Stephen King’s analytical book on the horror genre, the Master explores the sexuality of the vampire, specifically the infantile sexuality of the figure. The oral fixation and the idea of taking fluid rather than giving symbolizes oral sex as the acceptable or most easily digestible (pardon the pun) form of sexual interaction amongst teenagers because of its exploratory and noncommittal nature, with the vampire, of course, being the manifestation of our anxieties during puberty and the changes in our bodies. Now, Bliss doesn’t really tackle those sexual dynamics, but it does make use of the narrative of vampirism as metaphor for a replacement of one interaction for an easier one. Writer/Director, Joe Begos, updates the metaphor and applies it adults, exploiting the fears and anxieties of a young person attempting to “make it” in today’s world and what they may turn to when the struggle becomes unbearable.

In the film, Dezzy’s deep self-doubt is her worst enemy. She weighs herself down and suffocates her own ambition by choosing to escape reality rather than face it. Her drug use does inspire her painting, but she does not remember painting while high. She has become separated from her craft, from engaging with it even in times of struggle, and she is happy for it. All she cares about is following ambition but with an absence of stress. In Bliss, vampirism is as much of an escape or a retreat as Dezzy’s drug use is because it promises to remove her away from her angst and the pressures of real life. So, she loses herself to the darkness and becomes an agent of its chaos and a slave to its hunger. and Madison plays this transformation with a haunting separation from reality and humanity, and a methodical power appropriate for a film about vampirism. It’s poignant for a film some critics have said isn’t trying to make any grand statement.

The sophistication of Madison’s performance and the use of the vampire’s more metaphorical functions is mirrored in the creativity of the production. While they have strong cult followings, the first two features from Joe Begos, Almost Human and The Mind’s Eye, unfortunately received lukewarm critical responses despite being well made films that showcased the emerging talent of a promising genre filmmaker. That talent is fully realized in Bliss, marking a new level of maturity in Begos. The film’s style is unique and visceral, with visuals and effects that are gory, brutal, and surreal. The film quite literally drips and oozes with grit and sleaze from the characters down to the almost living menace that L.A. is framed as. Begos arrests the audience with carefully composed and edited scenes, placing Dezzy most prominently in all of them and drawing our eyes toward her. This probably works best during drug fueled episodes when the camera fixes on Dezzy and mirrors her moves hypnotically before it becomes downright nauseating and relentless in a way that visually expresses Dezzy’s looming loss of self-control. This makes us a part of her journey. We feel what she feels throughout it all. The audience is involved after first being engaged, an experience that is sometimes lost in the modern horror film.

Bliss has an old-school, grindhouse charm to it. It’s wild, uninhibited, fast moving, and merciless, much like its main character. It’s no wonder that this film has been on the tips of every horror fan’s tongue this year. Its allure is undeniable, and it is one hell of a cinematic ride. And, most importantly, it tells a story. Even in the craziest moments of the picture, neither Begos’ direction nor Madison’s performance move too far away from the objective of laying out a concise tale of darkness and mayhem. For those of you who haven’t had a chance to see Bliss, do yourselves a favor and sink your teeth into this one before the new year…and let it sink its teeth into you.

A journalist desperately tries to find his missing fiancee and finally uncover the truth behind some sinister folklore finds himself on a dangerous road of discovery. The PR for this said that it’s in the tradition of Midsommar, but I promise not to try and hate this movie because of that.

Sean Brown and Luke Gosling worked together on the short Athena before this, their first full-length film.

Writer James Lincoln is sick of covering local stories of UFOs and ghosts. He feels like it’s a waste of his time and that he’s meant for bigger things. He soon learns of something called the Thirty, where someone has disappeared from a small town every year for the last twenty-nine years. So he does what none of us would do. He takes his pregnant fiancee to that town and of course, she gets taken.

This eventually turns into the kind of movie that I usually complain about. You know it, too. It’s when the characters all wander the woods and yell the missing person’s name over and over again.

Bloody Myth is available on demand and DVD from High Octane Pictures. You can learn more at the film’s official Facebook page.

DISCLAIMER: We were sent this movie by its PR company.

Originally called My Lover, My Lazy Boy, this is the tale of a comfy chair that falls in love with a girl named Francesca. She’s always attracted guys that can’t fall out of love with her. When one of her stalkers is found dead, she looks for comfort from her best friend, Maxi.

Now, it turns out that Maxi’s grandfather Jack is a disgraced rabbi who comes across a comfortable chair that just so happens to contain a Dybbuk. Now, Jack and his voodoo sorceress partner must attempt to find out where the chair is and before it kills any more people to win over Francesca.

Oh New Zealand. What is going on in that country?

Really, two things.

First, the shots of the chair watching people are all uniformly hilarious. They’re worth watching this entire movie for, as is the moment when someone vacuums up an eyeball.

Second, that’s a chair. Not a sofa. Stop the lies.

KillerSofa is now out on DVD and Digital from High Octane Pictures.

DISCLAIMER: We were sent this movie by its PR company. That has no bearing on our review.

Marie was once a successful graphic novelist, but now she lives in Amsterdam’s red-light district, drinking too much and getting into brawls. However, she has to get her life back on track after one violent encounter.

Bloody Marie was shortlisted as one of the nine films in contention to be the Dutch entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not selected.

Co-directors/writers Lennert Hillege and Guido van Driel have worked in film, but this is their first full length effort.

Marie’s last graphic novel Porno For The Blind was such a success that she’s still recognized in public. However, all she does now is drink. And drink. And then drink more, to the point that no one will serve her. So she gives her shoes to a neighbor for a drink and then decides to steal them back, along with some money. He blames one of his girls, as he’s a pimp, and now Marie is finally responsible for someone else.

If you’re expecting an action-packed effort — the advertising leads that way — this isn’t it. But it’s still well shot and acted.

Bloody Marie is now showing in select theaters and is available on demand.

DISCLAIMER: We were sent this movie by its PR team.

Yes, you’ve seen Death Bed: The Bed That Eats. You may or may not have seen Killer Sofa. Now, there’s The Dwelling, which is also about a haunted piece of furniture. This time, it’s a haunted antique bed. Look out — imagine the nightmares you’d have if the bed you’re about to lie down in was spectrally challenged!

Here’s the description, straight from the PR people: “Four people find themselves stuck on a haunted antique bed where leaving means suffering a gruesome death. Plagued with frightening hallucinations, they must figure out the bed’s secrets before they are ultimately picked off one by one.”

I love how seriously this film starts, with a man being killed in a field and then watching someone turn the tree he was hung on into an ornate bed. Pretty fancy for a film that was once entitled Bed of the Dead.

This is Jeff Maher’s first full-length movie as a director. He’s also written films like Antisocial 2 and been a cinematographer on several other films. It gets into some strange territory, with characters speaking back and forth through time — as long as they are near the bed.

You can check it out for yourself on DVD and on demand from Uncork’d Entertainment.

DISCLAIMER: We were sent this film by its PR team.

UPDATE: Thanks to jyvurentropy for catching my typo.

Directors Joe Bland and Grant Martin have created a new sci-fi thriller that claims to prove that everything that we know about the weather is wrong. It all starts on a typical work day for an intergalactic military surveyor and his canine partner, which soon turns into an emergency crash landing, placing the team on a small uncharted planet.

Grant Martin is the writer, co-director and star of this movie, as he and his dad must discover how to survive on a planet that has no fixed axis, weather patterns, gravity or even time like they’re used to. Even worse, he’s addicted to alcohol and has none of it, along with memories of his dead girl to make things even worse. Now, he’s face to face with his greatest enemy, himself.

If you have a dog, I’ll spoil something for you now. Mac the dog survives the planet, but the movie ends with his owner facing his death fifteen years later. I’ve lost a best friend this year, so if this is the kind of thing that will make you cry like it did me, let me tell you before you get this far. Otherwise, I enjoyed the movie.

Ellipse is available on DVD and on demand.

DISCLAIMER: We were sent this movie by its PR team.

A family is on hard times, having to move to a new town, find new work and a new school for their special needs son before they’re haunted by a group of evil spirits that they accidentally release after finding a mysterious door on a hike. Can a shaman aid them in saving heir child and sending the entities back to the spirit world forever?

This is the first full movie for writer/director Billy Chase Goforth. CJ Jones, who plays the deaf shaman Uriah, is pretty good in this, as well.

While the film doesn’t break any new ground, it’s still pretty entertaining. If you like Ouija boards and ghosts speaking through mediums and having to make bargains with the great unknown, you’ll enjoy yourself.

This movie is available via digital on demand and DVD from Wild Eye Releasing. You can learn more at the official site.

DISCLAIMER: We were sent this movie by its PR team.