my thoughts on.... 'Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead' (an original Creepercast site review)

As with all of my reviews of the independent films I watch for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....
Obviously, from my last two 'Top' lists for zombie films, I'm a huge fan of the genre. Therefore, any time there's a new release that gets any kind of good notices, I'm eager to check it out. The whole genre is so over saturated with amateur outings and sub par fare, that it's rare to find anything new or worthwhile. Not that there aren't a few diamonds in the rough, but they are few and far between. Keeping that in mind and realizing the sheer scope of the overloaded market, when I first saw the poster for 'Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead', I was a bit excited. It came across more as another installment in the 'Mad Max' franchise, than a zombie film. But the more I read about it and after seeing the trailer, I went from a little excited to flat out geeked! Not only was it a zombie film, it was an action movie and Australian to boot! All of the elements of another 'Undead', but with some cool post apocalyptic twists thrown in for good measure. It felt like forever before I finally got around to seeing it, but it was more than worth the wait. From start to finish, this was something new and all of the things that are right with zombie film making.

Written and directed by Kiah Roche-Turner, 'Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead' tells the story of 4 unlikely men who end up joining forces to survive after a zombie outbreak has overtaken the world. Meanwhile, a woman is kidnapped and forced into some experiments that involve zombies and control tactics. Not truly realizing what she was about to discover about herself and the future of the human race. That's the basic breakdown of the story, without giving away too many of the plot points. This is one that you just need to watch, with minimal knowledge, so that you can enjoy all that it has too offer. Despite the low budget, this film puts some similar big budget competitors to the test and the payoff at the end more than outweighs the budget constraints. It's an incredibly simple plot, that plays to so many different things on so many different levels, it demands that you watch it more than once.
From the first 5 minutes of this film, you know you're in for something special. It's fast paced, intense and funny in all the right places. You also quickly realize that these aren't your Romero style undead. They are way more agile and seem to be hiding some kind of unknown power. This creates a different feel then I'm used to with most of the movies in this genre. It takes a little bit to get used to the thick Australian accents, but luckily there isn't that much dialogue to have to decipher. (Plus, subtitles are a wonderful thing!) It's also not the Australia that you're used to seeing. It's very lush and green and made me question if it was even in the outback originally. There's plenty of references to other zombie films from the past for the hardcore viewers and lots of new stuff for people who may not be familiar with this type of horror. It plays to the audience on every level. Every thing about this movie felt fresh, even if the territory is well worn. If I had any complaints at all, it's that the last 20 minutes of this film, slows down for just a beat or two.... but then has an amazingly cool and kick ass ending that will make you long for a sequel. (Which is currently in the works!)
There's so much more I want to say about this film, but I just feel like I would be being redundant at this point. Stop reading this review and just go and watch it. Check your brain at the door and keep your expectations low and you will be rewarded in a BIG, bad way! 4 out of 5 stars. This film has re-watchability and will long be remembered as a cult status. It is also going to spawn a franchise, mark my words. Hopefully some action figures too. I think I'm going to go and watch it again right now.

If you like this, check out: the 'Resident Evil' franchise, 'Undead' and 'Zombieland'

Creeper Classics (Creepercast Podcast Revisisted): Episode 60 w/Barry Bostwick!

Indy Review: Cut! (2014)

“Cut! is film making at its bloodiest! It is Scream on a more cerebral level.” ­ Creepercast.com

Nothing is as it seems as an ex­con and aspirant filmmaker set out to manufacture a horror film by
scaring real people; however, when it goes too far and someone actually dies, the pair decide that
killing for real on film is the way to make a truly terrifying movie (IMDB).

Way back in the 1930's, in a Hollywood back lot, some of the first and greatest horror films were
created. These films would later inspire more film makers not connected to the Hollywood scene to
create their own poverty row films and may have put independent horror on the map. Since then low
budget horror films have continued to rival big budgets by honing their craft to an expert level.
Today's independent horror continues to rival Hollywood blockbusters, and Cut! is easily one of
those films.

Cut! was also filmed on a Hollywood back lot. From the supply warehouse to the California
alleyways it depicts the darker side of our film capitol. Cut! also features some big names to horror
fans that don't just appear in the in the film but are important characters to the plot development. Sam
Scarber (Shocker, and also a proud New Mexican) is more than just an overzealous stabby homeless
man. The mother and daughter team of Dee Wallace and Gabrielle Stone play themselves, but
Gabby's film making snobbery puts her in a major role. We'll skip straight to rounding things up with
our leads, writers David Banks and David Rountree (also directed) who are no strangers to the
machine. Combine all these ingredients and throw in a Scream with envy story line and you have the
recipe for a killer murder horror (all puns intended).

A Terror Time Out featuring 'Halloween' (1978)

The film that started a new revolution in slasher films, while barely having a single drop of blood.... one of the greatest horror films ever made.
5 out of 5 stars

Lovesdragons Momentary Review: Dark Ride (2006)

Haunted houses scare me and that’s why I love them. I was drawn in quickly by this movie from the start. Two twins murdered in a scare house. They close it down and it’s going to be reopened 20 years later. A group of college kids take a trip and are convinced to stop there along the way to spend the night to save money. I must say the sandlot kid, a.k.a. the movie buff and the far out hitchhiker chick were my favorites. It was silly and stupid at times, with enough kills that kept me interested.

News: Announcing the Return of ROCK CARNIVAL Featuring TWISTED SISTER'S FAREWELL PERFORMANCE

The Northeast's Only Classic Carnival + Rock' Roll Festival Experience

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Say goodbye to Twisted Sister and celebrate 40 amazing years of the legendary rock band at the greatest carnival! 

Expanding to Three Nights of Music, Also Featuring OVERKILL, ACE FREHLEY, FUEL,

MONSTER MAGNET, Tom Keifer's CINDERELLA and Many More To Be Announced

Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2016 @ First Energy Park in Lakewood, NJ

Tickets On Sale Beginning Tomorrow, May 13 @ 12:00pm Eastern Time

Back with THREE Days of Non Stop Rock'N Roll, Expanded Carnival Area, More Amusement rides, 50+ Food Trucks, GCW Professional Wrestling, Craft & Beer Gardens and some high stakes pig racing.  

Bring the whole family for Three Amazing Days of Incredible Family Entertainment

New Jersey, get ready to rock harder than ever! The second annual ROCK CARNIVAL will take place on September 30, October 1 and October 2 in Lakewood, NJ at First Energy Park, home of the Lakewood Blue Claws. As with its inaugural year, which drew a staggering 50,000+ attendees, the second annual ROCK CARNIVAL will feature classic carnival rides and entertainment, the most delicious food truck offerings, high-action Professional Wrestling, beer gardens pouring the tastiest of brews, and of course... the best in local, national and international rock and heavy metal music performances! This year will introduce a "Classic Rewind" Friday Night concert, featuring some special performances from 2015 performers, returning to the event they loved.

Three-day general admission and reserved seat WEEKEND PACKAGES for this year's ROCK CARNIVAL go on sale Friday, May 13 at 12:00pm Eastern time. Three-day "Early Bird" general admission passes start at $95.90 and weekend reserved seat tickets start at $119.99. Get your tickets here via TicketFly.

Skyboxes, reserved seats, daily general admission and VIP experiences (presented by SoundRink) will be available on June 7.

The first wave of ROCK CARNIVAL live music entertainment to be announced is topped by single-day headliners Twisted Sister, whose performance will mark their official farewell show for the U.S. northeast. With over 2 million records sold, Twisted Sister is undoubtedly one of the biggest heavy metal bands to emerge from the tri-state area, hitting the big time in 1984 with their hit tracks "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock". Since then, Twisted Sister have never wavered as pop culture icons - from their never-ending MTV/VH1 music video rotation and coverage that remains to this day, to standing up for the rights of musicians everywhere during their highly-publicized battle with the PMRC in 1995, to their resurgence over the last two decades with countless performances and iconic frontman Dee Snider's A&E Network TV show "Growing Up Twisted". The band closes its career close to where it all began in Lakehurst, NJ where they played many shows early on in their career. This performance at ROCK CARNIVAL will mark the end of an era for heavy metal and Twisted Sister - tri-state area fans, don't miss your chance to see the band at their final area performance!

Twisted Sister's JJ Frenchstates, "As 2016 marks the end of our live performing career, Twisted Sister is looking forward to returning to the Tri-State NYC area for the final time to the ROCK CARNIVAL at First Energy Park in Lakewood, NJ on Oct 1, 2016. In celebrating our 40^th anniversary and our farewell to live performing, we are bringing our "40 & F*ck It" worldwide farewell tour one last time to the area that created us!"

Other top hard rock and metal artists already confirmed to perform at ROCK CARNIVAL include Overkill, Ace Frehley, Monster Magnet, Fuel, Tom Keifer's Cinderella, Dokken, Texas Hippie Coalition, Doro, Four By Fate, Killcode, Jester and American Angel. Several more ROCK CARNIVAL performances will be announced soon, taking place on multiple stages including two main festival stages, side by side, on the field.  Fans will have general admission access to the stadium field.  The event will feature the Birch Hill stage, a very popular performance area and craft beer section. 

ROCK CARNIVAL producer John D'Esposito says, "This year's line-up far exceeds our expectations." He adds, "The incredible new layout, amenities and resources are sure to enhance the Carnival experience for our fans and their families."

More carnival details, per-day line-ups and other entertainment will be announced soon. For more information, visit http://therockcarnival.com/.

The ROCK CARNIVAL is produced by Stan Levinstone Presents and GameLoud.

NEWS: CALL FOR ENTRIES – Razor Reel Flanders Film Festival 2016

Filmmakers, Sales Agents & Distributors from all over the world are welcome to submit their work for the 9th edition of the Razor Reel Flanders Film Festival, which will take place from November the 10rd till the 15th in Bruges.

For 2016 the festival is looking for Japanese short and feature films within the fantastic genres. (Sci-fi, Horror, Thriller, Fantasy, Black Comedy,...) as the RRFFF will participate in the 150th anniversary of the friendship between Japan & Belgium.

The RRFFF has 2 competitions: The Youngblood competition which is focusing on first or second genre films and the Méliès D’argent Competition for European short films (max length 20 mins).

Other genre films are of course also very welcome as well.

Submission to the festival can be done through : Filmfreeway.com or Withoutabox.com 
Thanks in advance for submitting your screener and please feel free to update us on any news on this or other projects you are working on.

The RRFFF is organised by Razor Reel, with the kind participation of the Flemish Province, The City of Bruges Japanese Embassy and sponsors.