Gruesome Magazine - Horror Movie Reviews and Interviews

Recently the Grue-Crew attended the 19th Annual Nevermore Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina on the weekend of February 23 through the 25, 2018. Thomas Mariani, Paul Cardullo, and Doc Rotten joined a small herd of the Grue-Crew for a special 40th Anniversary screening of The Manitou. Along the way, the Grue-Crew caught a weekend of terrific films, typical of the Nevermore Film Festival (look for a review of the festival in an upcoming episode). For this episode, Thomas, Paul, and Doc recap the weekend event, share their thoughts about the festival, and review the films they caught over the weekend. In addition to the films covered on this podcast, the Crew caught The Lodgers which we reviewed on Horror News Radio and the 40th Anniversary screening of The Manitou. Good times!

Gruesome Magazine Podcast - Episode 011
19th Annual Nevermore Film Festival, Durham, NC

Director: James Bushe
Cast: Darren Sean Enright, Richard Lee O'Donnell, Zara Phythian

Synopsis: A group of carpet fitters is sent on a job to an old Country house in the middle of nowhere. However, they soon discover it's a trap set up by the savage, cannibalistic family, The Hannings. The carpet fitters are forced to fight for their lives or risk ending up being the evening's dinner. Unfortunately, they are not quite your typical heroes!

Director: David C. Ruiz
Cast: Raul Torosa, Paco Moreno, Jose Garcia Ruiz

Synopsis: A couple of friends on their way to a rock festival pick up two hitchhiking girls going to the same event, but their trip is ruined due to an unexpected car breakdown.  Now, this group of travelers finds themselves in the creepy and dilapidated shanty town of Sant Martí, and all hell is about to break loose.

Directors: Matthew Chilelli, Ben DeLoose
Cast: Sarah Micklin, Karli Kaiser, Erik Moody

Synopsis: A psychological and supernatural horror film following two sets of roommates experiencing mysterious events while battling their own personal demons.

A variety of short films: HO-pe 02, Count Your Curses, Shoes!, Spaceman, The Boogeys, Night Crosser, Maria Fernanda in Time, Eldrich Code, and Highway

The Ascent

Director: Thomas Murtagh
Cast: Miguel Perez, Stephen Buchanan, Sam Rodd

Synopsis: Veteran LAPD detective Henry Cardenas faces off against his toughest murder suspect yet, Vince Marins, who claims to be something other than human. Over the course of 24 hours, truths both new and long-buried will be revealed.

Director: Preston DeFrancis
Writers: Trysta A. Bissett, Preston DeFrancis
Cast: Marcienne Dwyer, Matt Dellapina, Chris Hill

This week the Grue-Crew explore the horrors of curing the living dead with The Cured, fear the haunting house of horror with The Terrible Two, and witness the Lovecraftian spell of Black Wake. First up is the feature The Terrible Two from director Billy Lewis where a new mother suffers the paralyzing fear of her waking nightmares. "A Dark Force Lies Behind the Outbrak" teases the tagline for  Black Wake from director Jeremiah Kipp. Director Eric Pham frighted the crew with the faceless terror of Flay. Up last but not least is The Cured from director David Freyne where Ireland shudders in fear of the Maze Virus. The hunt is on for the diamond in the rough. Doc Rotten from Horror News Radio and Jeff Mohr from Decades of Horror: The Classic Era are joined by Rafe Telsch and Vanessa Thompson. 

Gruesome Magazine Podcast - Episode 010
The Cured – The Terrible Two – Flay – Black Wake

This horror/paranormal thriller follows the lives of Albert and Rose Poe over the course of 4 days that happens to include the one year anniversary of their 5 and 6-year-old daughters deaths. The day the girls died was their birthdays too. We soon learn there is more to the girls' deaths and the house the Poe's thought was their safe haven.

Director: Billy Lewis
Cast: Donny Boaz, Cari Moskow, Reid Doyle

Specialists gather in a top-secret facility to investigate a series of strange deaths on beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. One of the team's scientists (Nana Gouvea) examines video evidence to uncover a possible parasitic explanation for the fatalities. But when a determined detective (Tom Sizemore) sends her the crazed writings of a mysterious homeless man (Jonny Beauchamp), the scientist slowly learns that the actual threat may be more dangerous -- and far older -- than anyone ever imagined. Can she convince her colleagues (led by Eric Roberts) of the true danger before an ancient force rises from the sea to bring madness and death to all of humanity?

Director: Jeremiah Kipp
Cast: Nana Gouvea, Tom Sizemore, Eric Roberts, Jonny Beauchamp

Awarded "Best Horror/Supernatural Feature" at the Philip K Dick Science Fiction Festival (2018).

After the death of her mother, an estranged daughter struggles to save her brother and those around her from a malevolent faceless spirit.

Director: Eric Pham
Cast: Violett Beane, Elle LaMont, A. Michael Baldwin

A disease that turns people into zombies has been cured. The once-infected zombies are discriminated against by society and their own families, which causes social issues to arise. This leads to militant government interference.

Director: David Freyne
Cast: Ellen Page, Sam Keeley, Tom Vaughn-Lawlor 

This week the Grue-Crew sit down with a trio of talent from the Nevermore Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina on the weekend of February 23 through the 25, 2018. Thomas Mariani, Paul Cardullo, and Doc Rotten joined a small herd of the Grue-Crew for a special 40th Anniversary screening of The Manitou. Along the way, the Grue-Crew caught a weekend of terrific films, typical of the Nevermore Film Festival (look for a review of the festival in an upcoming episode). For this episode, Gruesome Magazine proudly presents an interview with Ben DeLoose, director of the fantastic sci-fi/horror film Escape the Dark. Ben dives into what it took to bring his micro-budget film to the big screen. The Grue-Crew also talk with Tiffany Arnold and Dan Kiely, two of the cast members of the stoner horror comedy Bong of the Living Dead, sharing their adventures of facing zombies while...feeling mellow. Good times!

Gruesome Magazine Podcast - Episode 009
Interview with Ben DeLoose - Escape the Dark (2017)
Interview with Tiffany Arnold & Dan Kiely - Bong of the Living Dead (2018)

This week the Grue-Crew face getting lost in the woods with The Ritual, fear the haunting tones of The Lullaby, and race to solve the terrifying mystery within Midnighters. First up is the feature The Lullaby from director Darrell Roodt where a new mother suffers the paralyzing fear of her waking nightmares. "Killing Is Easy. Getting Away With It Is Murder" teases the tagline for  Midnighters from director Julius Ramsay. Up next is The Ritual from director David Buckner - this film is making waves on Netflix since it landed there a few short weeks ago. The hunt is on for the diamond in the rough. Doc Rotten from Horror News Radio and Jeff Mohr from Decades of Horror: The Classic Era are joined by Rafe Telsch and Vanessa Thompson. 

Gruesome Magazine Podcast - Episode 008
The Ritual – Midnighters – The Lullaby

Returning to her hometown, Eden Rock, and overwhelmed by the birth of her firstborn, Chloe van Heerden (19) tries to come to terms with motherhood. Despite the support from her loving mother, Ruby (35), Chloe struggles with the demand of being a new mom. The incessant crying of her baby, the growing sense of guilt and paranoia sends Chloe into a dark depression. With a heightened urge to protect her son, Chloe sees the danger in every situation. Distraught she pays a visit to family psychologist Dr. Timothy Reed (40s) who diagnoses her intrusive thoughts and feelings of anxiousness to a mild case of baby blues. Yet the thoughts grow worse and more violent. Chloe starts to hear voices and humming of a childhood lullaby and sees flashes of a strange entity around her child. Convinced that the entity is real, Chloe does everything in her power to protect her son. Her decline reaches fever pitch, and everybody seems to be moving against her. Desperate, Chloe finds solace in the arms of her childhood friend, Emile Hess (20s). The world around Chloe implodes and it becomes clear that she and her child are in imminent danger. But from what? Is Chloe haunted by evil or is it just the baby blues?

Director: Darrell Roodt
Cast: Raine Swart, Thandi Puren, Bandon Auret, Deandre Reiners

Midnight, New Year's Eve: when all the hopes of new beginnings come to life - except for Lindsey and Jeff Pittman, whose strained marriage faces the ultimate test after they cover up a terrible crime and find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian web of deceit and madness.

Director: Julius Ramsay
Cast: Alex Essoe, Perla Haney-Jardine, Dylan McTee

A group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that's stalking them.

Director: David Buckner
Cast: Rafe Spall, Arshar Ali, Robert James-Collier

This week the Grue-Crew face getting lost in the Jungle, avoid being attacked by a zombie chicken, muster the courage to not be Defective, and join a band of zany idiots in offing a rogue angel of death. First up is the feature Butcher the Bakers from director Tyler Amm. "They Were Supposed To Be Preservers Of Peace" exclaims the tagline for the Sci-Fi epic Defective from director Reese Eveneshen. Up next is Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight from director Alan Lo, featuring the zaniest zombie plot ever - yes, there are exploding eggs. Adam Thomas sits in this week for the vacationing Vanessa Thompson to recap and review the Netflix movie from director Greg McLean, Jungle. Welcome to the Gruesome Magazine Podcast where a vigilant team of the Grue-Crew tackle the latest VOD, streaming, and independent releases for the week. The hunt is on for the diamond in the rough. Doc Rotten from Horror News Radio and Jeff Mohr from Decades of Horror: The Classic Era are joined by Rafe Telsch and Vanessa Thompson. 

Gruesome Magazine Podcast - Episode 007
Jungle – Zombiology Enjoy Yourself Tonight – Defective – Butcher the Bakers

Recently fired, a grim reaper terrorizes a small town, killing and collecting souls for a purpose only he knows. Sam and Martin, slackers who work at the local bakery, are hired by a mysterious stranger to stop him from killing again.

Director: Tyler Amm
Cast: Mike Gehrens (as Drag), Ryan Matthew Ziegler, Sean Walsh, Alex Dittmer, Lisa Wojcik, Devon Ford

Set in the near future where Rhett Murphy and his estranged sister Jean are forced to flee from a militant police state after witnessing the dark secrets of a nefarious corporation.

Director: Reese Eveneshen
Cast: Colin Paradine, Raven Cousens, Ashley Armstrong, Dennis Andres, Jamie Tarantini

Lung (starring Michael Ning) and Chi-Yeung (starring Louis Cheung) are two eccentric hot-blooded young men leading a devil-may-care life. They deem themselves as heroes that can save the earth. However, Lung can do nothing about things in life that don't work out as he wishes: he has to move out from where he has grown up; his step-mother Shan (starring Carrie Ng) has chronic depression; he finds his father (starring Alex Man) who's just out of jail so annoying to get on with; his friend Chi-Yeung is fervently chasing a girl named Chan-Yat (starring Cherry Ngan) while his own idol, a star called Yee-Sue (starring Venus Wong), is still unreachable. In the meantime, a monster from Lung's favorite animation appears in the city out of reason and turns people into zombies. The outbreak of this zombie crisis is followed by a widespread chaos all around. Even Lung's neighbors have become zombies as well. Lung's father happens to be out of town traveling with Shan. And Chan-Yat has gone missing too. Lung risks his life to break into the infected town in order to take her back home and meanwhile realizes he is merely a loser and slick talker. But he decides not to avoid anymore and to fight a battle against zombies tonight.

Director: Alan Lo
Cast: Kai-Chung Cheung, Alex Man, Carrie Ng

A group of friends joins a guide for a trek into the Bolivian jungle, searching for an Indian village. The men soon realize that the jungle is a difficult place to be.

Director: Greg McLean
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Alex Russell, Thomas Kretschmann

This week the Grue-Crew face a Witch's Doll, a pair of Bad Apples, a Serial Killer, and the fourth season of a fan favorite TV series as we dive into four new releases. First up is the feature Curse of the Witch's Doll from director Lawrence Fowler. "They're Rotten to the Core" exclaims the tagline for Bad Apples from director Bryan Coyne. Up next is She Is So Pretty: Be Good for Goodness Sake from director Brooke Ewing featuring the terrific performances from Jerry Larew and co-star Destiny Brooke Loper. Thomas Mariani from Horror News Radio joins the Crew this week to recap and review the six episodes of Black Mirror Season 4. Welcome to the Gruesome Magazine Podcast where a vigilant team of the Grue-Crew tackle the latest VOD, streaming, and independent releases for the week. The hunt is on for the diamond in the rough. Doc Rotten from Horror News Radio and Jeff Mohr from Decades of Horror: The Classic Era are joined by Rafe Telsch and Vanessa Thompson. 

Gruesome Magazine Podcast - Episode 006
Curse of the Witch's Doll - Bad Apples - She Was So Pretty: Be Good for Goodness Sake - Black Mirror Season 4

"After a series of inexplicable events, Adeline Gray believes a haunted doll possesses the soul of a vengeful Witch. To have any hope of being reunited with her missing daughter, she knows she must defeat the evil curse of The Witch's Doll."

Director: Lawrence Fowler
Cast: Helen Crevel, Philip Ridout, Layla Watts

"They're Rotten to the Core. On Halloween night, two malevolent children terrorize a young innocent couple in their home, subjecting them to a Halloween they will never forget in Bad Apples, premiering on VOD this February from Uncork’d Entertainment. It’s Halloween night, and two “bad apples” decide to play some wicked tricks on the one house in a suburban cul-de-sac that is not celebrating Halloween. They terrorize a young couple in their home and these tricks become increasingly more sinister as the night progresses, finally ending in a Halloween the entire neighborhood will never forget."

Director: Bryan Coyne
Cast: Brea Grant, Graham Skipper, Hannah Prichard, Andrea Collins

Director: Brooke Ewing
Cast: Jerry Larew, Corey Rutter, Destiny Brooke Loper, Angela Pritchett

• USS Callister
  A woman wakes up on a Star Trek-esque ship where the crew praises their all-knowing and fearless captain.
• Arkangel
  After nearly losing her daughter, a mother invests in a new technology that allows her to keep track of her.
• Crocodile
  A woman interviews various people using a device that allows her to access their memories.
• Hang the DJ
  Paired up by a dating program that puts an expiration date on all relationships, Frank and Amy soon begin to question the system's logic.
• Metalhead
  In the post-apocalyptic landscape of the Scottish Moors, a woman attempts to survive the land full of "dogs".
• Black Museum
  A woman enters the Black Museum, where the proprietor tells his stories relating to the artifacts.

This week the Grue-Crew sit down with an icon in modern horror scream queens, Danielle Harris. Known primarily by genre fans as Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Danielle also had early roles in Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Marked for Death, and The Last Boy Scout. Her career continued to blossom amassing an impressive filmography, including but not limited to Hatchet, See No Evil 2, Stakeland, and Rob Zombie's Halloween II. In her latest feature, Inoperable (2018), she stars as Amy Barrett who awakens in a hospital only to discover she is trapped in an inescapable nightmare. For this episode, Gruesome Magazine proudly presents an interview with Danielle Harris.

Gruesome Magazine Podcast - Episode 005
Interview with Danielle Harris - Inoperable (2018)

This week the Grue-Crew face masked killers, invading aliens, nightmarish ghosts, and The Midnight Man as we dive into four new releases. First up is the found footage feature Unlisted Owner from director Jed Brian. "They Came From Another World. Time To Send Them Back." exclaims the tagline for Battalion from director Michael Miller. Up next is Asylum of Fear from director Craig Deerling featuring a terrific performance from the film's lead, Maurice Demus. With The Midnight Man director Travis Zariwny brings together Robert Englund and Lin Shaye. Welcome to the Gruesome Magazine Podcast where a vigilant team of the Grue-Crew tackle the latest VOD, streaming, and independent releases for the week. The hunt is on for the diamond in the rough. Doc Rotten from Horror News Radio and Jeff Mohr from Decades of Horror: The Classic Era are joined by Rafe Telsch and Vanessa Thompson. 

Gruesome Magazine Podcast - Episode 004
The Midnight Man - Asylum of Fear - Unlisted Owner - Battalion

The 'Owner House' has been vacant for several years because of its very dark history but with the recent series of murders, it has been taken to the next level. A family who just moved in has been murdered causing the curiosity of a group of friends to get the best of them. Deciding to break in and investigate with handheld cameras, would be the worst decision of their fun-filled night. The terrifying and suspenseful footage has been edited for the film 'Unlisted Owner'.

Doc Rotten 1 out of 5
Rafe Telsch 1.5 out of 5
Jeff Mohr 1 out ouf 5

"The only semi-sane characters were the two women. And no one listened to them." - Jeff Mohr

director: Jed Brian
cast: Chris Ash, Levi Atkins, Chloe Benedict

After a war against an enemy from another world breaks out in the South Pacific, a group of freshly recruited U.S. Marines is sent to the front lines.

Doc Rotten 1 out of 5
Rafe Telsch 0.5 out of 5
Jeff Mohr 0.5 out of 5
Vanessa Thompson 0.5 out of 5

"It is like a broth with no substance." - Rafe Telsch

director: Michael Miller (as Mike Holligan)
cast: Jesse Richardson, Ellen Williams, Michael Thomson

When a team of paranormal investigators is hired to inspect a soon-to-be-demolished mental institution, they discover horrifying clues that reveal the cause of a violent massacre by an insane doctor in the 1960's.

Doc Rotten 2.5 out of 5
Rafe Telsch 3.5 out of 5
Vanessa Thompson 2.5 out of 5

"Maurice Demus is the reason to see Asylum of Fear" - Doc Rotten

director: Craig Deerling
cast: Maurice Demus, Michael Medford, Callie Stephens

A girl and her friends find a game in the attic that summons a creature known as The Midnight Man, who uses their worst fears against them.

Vanessa Thompson 3.5 out of 5
Jeff Mohr 3.5 out of 5
Doc Rotten 3.5 out of 5

"As I was watching it, I was getting a Drag Me to Hell mixed with a Jumanji feel. And I dug that." - Vanessa Thompson

director: Travis Zariwny
cast: Gabrielle Haugh, Robert Englund, Grayson Gabriel, Lin Shaye

Welcome to the Gruesome Magazine Podcast where a vigilant team of the Grue-Crew tackle the latest VOD, streaming, and independent releases for the week. The hunt is on for the diamond in the rough. Doc Rotten from Horror News Radio and Jeff Mohr from Decades of Horror: The Classic Era are joined by Rafe Telsch and Vanessa Thompson. For this episode, the crew dive into four new releases. First up is the kidnappers vs coven thriller House of Salem from director James Crow. Up next is Devil's Well, a found footage/mockumentary feature from Kurtis Spieler. "A Brooklyn Slasher" exclaims the tagline for Psychotic from directors Maxwell Frey and Derek Gibbons. With Brawl on Cell Block 99, currently on Amazon Prime, director S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk) returns with another slow-burn, gory masterpiece.

Gruesome Magazine Podcast - Episode 003
Brawl in Cell Block 99 - Psychotic - Devil's Well - House of Salem

A group of kidnappers becomes a child's unlikely protectors, after finding out they have unwittingly been set up to take part in a deadly game of human sacrifice. As they start to uncover the truth of the safe house they find themselves trapped, they must battle demonic forces in the walls and uncover the terrifying truth of over a hundred years of murder in the name of the Devil.
d. James Crow
cast. Jessica Arterton, Jack Brett Anderson, Liam Kelly, Leslie Mills

Karla Marks mysteriously vanishes while conducting a paranormal investigation with her husband. A year after her disappearance, a group of paranormal investigators attempts to uncover the truth about her disappearance.
director: Kurtis Spieler
cast: Bryan Manley Davis, Chris Viemeister, David Alexander

A group of hard-partying Brooklyn hipsters are stalked and savagely murdered by a masked maniac known as the Bushwick Party Killer.
directors: Maxwell Frey, Derek Gibbons
cast: Kristen Martin, Clint Keepin, Maxwell Frey, Derek Gibbons

A former boxer-turned-drug runner lands in a prison battleground after a deal gets deadly.
director: S. Craig Zahler
cast: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson 

Welcome to the Gruesome Magazine Podcast where a vigilant team of the Grue-Crew tackle the latest VOD, streaming, and independent releases for the week. The hunt is on for the diamond in the rough. Doc Rotten from Horror News Radio and Jeff Mohr from Decades of Horror: The Classic Era are joined by Rafe Telsch and Vanessa Thompson. For this episode, the crew dive into four new releases. First up is the French Sci-fi film 2047 Virtual Revolution from director Guy-Roger Duvell. Up next is the anthology film 10/31 from directors Brett DeJager, Rocky Gray, Zane Hershberger, John William Holt, Hunter Johnson, Justin M. Seaman. "Every Family Has Its Secrets" exclaims the tagline for Devil's Gate from director Clay Staub. With Super Dark Times, currently on Netflix, director Kevin Philips illustrates the darker side of a Stand By Me tale.

Gruesome Magazine Podcast - Episode 002
2047 Virtual Revolution - 10/31 - Devil's Gate - Super Dark Times
 

In a world where most of the population spend their time online, inside virtual worlds, Nash is a hybrid. Half of the time online, the rest of the time, in the real world, he is a private investigator/killer, hired to track down and eliminate the terrorists who threaten the system and who killed his girlfriend. Torn between the past and the future, between virtual and real, Nash ends up having to take some decisions that will impact his life, but also the society he lives in.
director: Guy-Roger Duvert
cast: Mike Dopud, Jane Badler, Jochen Hegele

Blood soaked tales of horror and the macabre await you in this terrifying anthology in the vein of VHS, Trick r Treat and Creepshow.
director: Brett DeJager, Rocky Gray, Zane Hershberger, John William Holt, Hunter Johnson, Justin M. Seaman
cast: Jordan Phipps, Wendy Keeling, Jennifer Nangle
order the DVD from 1031film.com

Set in the small town of Devil's Gate, North Dakota, the film examines the disappearance of a local woman (Regan) and her young son. Schull plays an FBI agent who helps the local sheriff (Frakes) search for answers. Partnering with a deputy (Ashmore), they track down the missing woman's husband (Ventimiglia) and find that nothing is as it seems.
director: Clay Staub
cast: Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Schull, Shawn Ashmore, Bridget Regan, Javier Botet, and Jonathan Frakes

Teenagers Zach and Josh have been best friends their whole lives, but when a gruesome accident leads to a cover-up, the secret drives a wedge between them and propels them down a rabbit hole of escalating paranoia and violence.
Director: Kevin Phillips
Cast: Owen Campbell (Zach), Charlie Tahan (Josh), Elizabeth Cappuccino (Allison), Max Talisman (Daryl), and Sawyer Barth (Charlie)