One of the webs most prolific writers Cinematical’s Scott Weinberg joins us for a monthly column. Each month Scott will keep us abreast of all the horror and fantasy happenings across the pond.
 

Welcome to the late-arriving second volume of Scott Weinberg's horror-related ramblings, brought to you by the fine freaks at FrightFest, our sponsor Ginsu Steak Knives, and the letter "S" (for "splatter"). Last time we spoke I blathered on about January's movie / DVD releases here in the States. But since we're now halfway through March, I figure I can go back and recap some worthwhile festival horrors and then, I dunno, dance a jig or something.

One of the most entertaining comedy/horror concoctions I've seen in quite some time (better than Severance by a long shot, omg jk jim) is called 'Dance of the Dead.' It played (VERY well) at the South By Southwest Film Festival last week -- and trust me on this: Austin, Texas is home to some seriously smart, passionate horror freaks who do NOT suffer crap silently. And this crowd ate 'Dance' up over and over. You'll be hearing more about this flick soon enough...

Also at that festival I found a pair of so-so horror offerings: a religio-vampire indie called 'Southern Gothic' and a somewhat-clever but too-long 'Shuttle,' which has a few good jolts but needs a new editor. I wouldn't give either flick the "Fright Fest thumbs' up," but as a Tuesday-night cable-TV time-waster, they'd both suffice. Ah, and while it's probably not a traditional horror movie, I saw a very cool faux-doco called 'A Necessary Death,' and that's one you could keep an eyeball out for.

Jumping back a few months: Slamdance is a little festival that runs right alongside Sundance Film Festival, not unlike the way a hungry barnacle feasts upon the belly of a massive whale. (Ew.) Anyway, both fests run in late January, and here's what they had to offer:

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer -- Anchor Bay picked it up for US distribution right after the festival. It's a very amusing story about an angry hero, a disgusting demon, and more latex monsters than you've seen since Stuart Gordon first showed up. Dry wit, broad silliness, lots of gore, and some seriously cool monsters. Fun fun!

Paranormal Activity -- DreamWorks seems to be planning a remake, but this micro-budget chiller is all sorts of excellent all by itself. A young couple is terrorized by a "presence," so of course they have to catch it on home video. (It's a lot cooler than it sounds.)

Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story -- It's a colorful and affectionate feature-length documentary about schlock-maker and classic showman William Castle. I dug it a lot.

The Broken -- Lena Headey stars in a story of dangerous dopplegangers. I don't want to spoil the plot, but I liked this one a lot.

Donkey Punch -- Stylish but derivative, obvious but fun. A group of young people take off in a massive yacht ... and not (nearly) all of 'em are coming back. It's like a cross between 'Dead Calm' and 'Shallow Grave.' But with lots of young hotties.

At Sundance I also got to see the (virtually shot-by-shot) remake of Michael Haneke's 'Funny Games,' which I liked a lot even though it's almost the same flick twice; 'Transsiberian,' which comes from one of my very favorite directors (Brad Anderson) and is a perfectly engrossing "train thriller" that takes place in some very unfriendly places; the big-screen adaptation of Jack Ketchum's 'Red,' which is fairly basic but perfectly cool; a black & white animated horror anthology from France called 'Fear(s) of the Dark'; and a so-so horror flick based on the 'Trailer Park of Terror' comic book. Damn I love my job.

Looking back over 2008's horror releases (so far), I definitely dug 'Cloverfield' and (of course) 'Diary of the Dead,' but 'The Eye'? I know you guys had a swingin' event and Ms. Alba even showed up to say hi, but ... damn I really hated this movie. If you're a horror freak who has kids, take 'em to see 'Spiderwick Chronicles' ASAP. It's cool in that 'Gremlins' sort of way. 'The Signal' came and went real quickly, but I still think it's a damn good little flick. Last but not least, I'm really irked that Neil Marshall's 'Doomsday' died at the US box office, but I smiled like a stoned monkey for the whole of it. If 'Mad Max 2' and 'Escape from New York' had nasty sex while '28 Days Later' filmed it, the resulting footage would be 'Doomsday.' (I mean that as a compliment.)

Ooooh, and I finally got to see [REC]!! I know many of you have already had the pleasure, but I've watched it twice now, and it's six flavors of indie-style awesomeness. (Dang, between Diary, Clover, Paranormal, and REC, I'm thinking the "found footage" (aka Blair Witch) technique is really moving up in the world!)

If you're shopping for R1 platters, here are a few tips on flicks you've probably already seen by now, but I find it works best to just praise what I like and then hope for the best:

'Them' (aka Ils) has finally reached DVD here, as has an amusingly fast-paced gore-fest called 'The Rage' (Robert Kurtzman, director). I'm knee-deep in love with the '30 Days of Night' DVD, and Moore / Green's 'Spiral' is quite the unexpected winner. Aussie import 'Dark Water' is the best killer croc flick I've seen in a while -- but I still haven't seen 'Rogue,' dammit! As most of you know by now, Jamie Blanks' 'Storm Warning' is familiar but satisfying, while the ultra-low-budget 'Automaton Transfusion' offers gore galore. If you're still a big Alba fan, I dare you to import this flick and stay 'Awake,' and Doug Buck's remake of 'Sisters' is not nearly as bad as I'd heard. (It's actually pretty good!)

Just this week we're getting all eight of the "After Dark Horrorfest" flicks: Unearthed, Borderland, Tooth and Nail, Mulberry St., Nightmare Man, Lake Dead, Crazy Eights, and The Deaths of Ian Stone. Your mileage may vary on these titles, but of the ones I've seen, I'd recommend 'Borderland' and 'Mulberry.' Also, if you've heard of festival flicks like Ti West's 'Trigger Man' and/or Chris Sivertson's 'The Lost,' they're now available in Region USA. And next week we get 'Shrooms' (which I kinda liked, kinda), Frank Darabont's 'The Mist' (which will have an old-school black & white version on disc 2!!), and Simon Rumley's fantastic 'The Living and the Dead,' which is creepy in ways I've never seen before.

Best to all my blood-soaked British brethren! If you guys need any more information on the flicks mentioned above, please do check out my reviews at Cinematical, FEARnet, or Rotten Tomatoes. Or drop me an email and be patient. I'm friendly as hell but twice as lazy. Or find me at Facebook. Yeah, I hang out there.

Most important of all: SPECIAL CONGRATS to Pauly Mac and Johanna on the impending arrival of New Finn-Brit Baby! The world can always use another new horror geek!!!

--Scott Weinberg

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