Random Horror

I picked this film up some time a go during one of my “customers also bought” Amazon spending sprees. As with most, it arrived and promptly founds itself placed neatly on my shelf to await such an opportunity to grace my TV screen. Having watched a trailer for a film called The Devils Pass, I went to add it to my wish-list and was happy to learn that I already own it only under a different name. So The Devils Pass or The Dyatlov Pass Incident which ever you want to call it, was set off and I settled down to enjoy. I had already gathered from the trailer that I was once again stepping into the world of the Found Footage variety. As someone who is possibly in a small group of people who love found footage genre no matter how it comes, I was looking forward to seeing what joy's this attempt would bring. We're given a very impressive back story and introduced to the main characters who we'll be getting to know over the next 100 minutes or so, immediately sucked in an...

I sometimes forget where I pick these films up, this one was either 1p on Amazon (Thanks Zoverstocks) or it was £1 in Poundland. Either way, its been in my collection for a while and I randomly selected it for viewing. I learned a long time ago that in no way should you ever judge how good a film may or may not be by the content of its cover. This is no exception. On first glance, a very professional looking cover with a picture that is vague enough to have you instantly intrigued. It even included a cardboard sleeve slip case for extra professionalism. Whichever way you look at it, I was impressed by the presentation. But, what about the important thing, the film itself??? We follow Brandon, You Tube “Star” with a whole 20 views and his friend Shay who is taking Brandon to her, stay with me on this, “hot boy friends” best friend, Michael's house! Still with me? Good! Upon arrival the pair are met by Lynette who is said “hot boyfriends” sister. “Hot boyfriend” will hence...

While out and about doing my weekly shop, I came across a DVD with the tell tale “After Dark Original” banner splashed across the top of the case. I'm something of a Blu-Ray snob these days, so much so that I have just started archiving all of my DVD's in cool little Disc selector while re-buying some of the better ones on BD but its not everyday I find an After Dark Original in my local Tesco store so I made an exception. In hindsight I could of ordered the Blu-Ray on Amazon but I needed something to watch that night so I just bought it. Now I haven't reviewed as many of the After Dark titles as perhaps I should have but I have about 12 in total. From memory, The Task and Husk are probably among the better ones with only The Scream of the Banshee being on the poor side, from the ones I've watched so far. I suppose most people would be saying. Oh no! Not another found footage film about a group of paranormal investigators in some cliché ridden abandoned house ...

As readers of mine may or may not be aware, I have an unrivalled hatred for the “classic” that is The Exorcist. In my humblest of opinions, the single worst “big” horror film ever spawned. That does not make me completely averse to the Possession sub-genre. In fact, The Devil Within proved to be very entertaining indeed but the less said about The Last Exorcism and its unholy sequel the better! I would probably put Eric Bana in the bracket of “bigger” Hollywood stars and it is nice to see some bigger names appearing in these types of films instead of using them as a stepping stone to something bigger. The film carries its own pedigree, Directed by Scott Derrickson whose previous film was the brilliant Sinister. Another bigger horror film starring an established Hollywood actor (Ethan Hawke) and his possession experience spans to the film prior to that, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which put a very enjoyable twist on the sub-genre. When you stand back and take a look, Deliver...

So, here it is. My first blog entry in nearly two years and I have decided to review one of the many films I watched last year which, in my humble opinion, was extremely underrated. I don't think the world has given enough love to the found footage sub-genre of Horror films. A sub-genre which I find highly enjoyable, as evidenced by some of my past posts, Skew, Grave Encounters and V/H/S to name but a few and of course, my number one horror film The Blair Witch Project. The love for this sub-genre, sadly died almost as quickly as it had emerged. From the seldom seen gems like said Witch project to a barrage of low budget, sub-standard and almost identical blunders, it could be easy to see why. As I said though, every now and then we find a film which not only reignites our love for a certain sub-genre but reminds us why we ever loved it at all! Alien Abduction follows the Morris family whose autistic son Riley, is capturing the families camping trip on film. Along w...

This short film was first brought to my attention by director Josh Heisie way back in February 2012. Due to “unforseen events”, the film missed its initial slated release target of Summer 2012. However, I was recently updated as to the status of the film and I have also had the opportunity to sample the work for myself... Set in Gold-rush era Wild West, Theodore “Tubby” Ellsworth and Jack smith are two criminals on the run. As they make their escape in the woods, they come across a dying Prospector. Lying on Indian ground and knowing of his impending demise, he makes the pair promise to give him a Christian burial. They fail on their oath, instead opting to steal the old man’s gold. Little do they know, the prospector is about to return to claim what is rightfully his and inflict terrible vengeance on the two naive outlaws! While I may not hold a massive space in my heart for short films, there are the odd ones that manage to weasel their way into my consciousness. The last suc...

This is a film that has sat on my shelf for far too long. Christmas 2011 I believe. Anyway, after a small amount of deliberation with the misses, we decided to make it the next film on the Random Horror watch list. We sat down, drinks ready and open minded. Ready for whatever would come from this relatively mysterious looking DVD. Were we in for a treat?... I am going to do this slightly differently because of the nature of the film. In actuality, it’s not really a film. Rather a collection of 4 tales of Halloween woes. The connections being the setting (all in the same town) and Sam, a tiny trick or treater in an orange suit with a burlap sack over his head reminiscent of a jack-o-lantern. Although characters do appear in differing stories at differing levels, the main connection is Sam! In what plays like a ‘horror-stories-around-the-camp-fire’ sort of way, we weave in and out of story arcs as the film runs. The opening, being a stand-alone story which sets the tone for the f...

I found this film in a bargain bin in my local DVD retailer with a rather inviting £3 sticker on it. As such, I snapped it up and set about making it the latest in the long line of found footage style films on my watch list. Apartment 143 follows the story of Alan White and his two kids, Caitlin and Benny. Alan moves his family into the small apartment to try and escape the strange occurrences that have plagued the family since the death of his wife. Upon moving however, the hauntings continue. Desperate, he calls in a group of parapsychologists to try and explain or even help the family get through this difficult phase. The group consisting of Dr. Helzer and his two assistants Paul and Ellen start setting up all sorts of technical equipment around the apartment to monitor and document everything. Hoping to find either some compelling evidence or to just help put the families’ worries at ease, they soon get more than they had ever hoped for! Ok, basics out of the way, now down t...

WARNING ***CONTAINS SPOILERS*** Quite early on in my evolving love for the Random Horror world, I was given a film called Zombie Diaries on DVD. It was released a short time before George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead and was a British Independent movie. My feelings for this film are so great that I am breaking my usually rule of NO SPOILERS! That is all I will say on that! Zombie Diaries follows three sub-stories which all revolve around the arc of a virus which is slowly making its way to the shore’s of England. The first story finds us following a reporter and crew as they leave London following a lead on the virus. The story takes them to a farm in the countryside. Upon arrival, something seems strange and it isn’t long before the virus they’ve been hunting finds them! The second story feels more like something from a survival film. Three survivors make their way in a car to a destination unknown, with a gun and some fight about them, they search for useful parts in a...

After more than a month out of the game, I returned to the world of Random Horror with a... not quite a bang, more of a piff! I trawled through the Amazon suggests looking for more hidden gems and what I found was The Amityville Haunting! By now, I think everyone should know the story of The Amityville House and its connected stories, for those who don’t, read about it. Anyway, The Amityville Haunting sells itself as a “Real” found footage film. The tagline reads... “The family did not survive but the recordings did”. I think this pretty much sums up the direction the film will take us. To begin, we see a group of kids filming themselves breaking into the house whilst it is empty. They fool around a bit and pretty much do what young stupid American stereotype teens do in these types of films. And, equally as stereotypical, they all meet with untimely ends! We skip forward slightly and a very awkward looking family introduce themselves to a slightly tentative realtor. With this, ...