Welcome to the new home of Creepercast.com. Where we let the fear creep in with all things horror genre. News, Reviews, and more! STAFF:
J.P.: Editor (EIC - Editor in Cheif), Writer (CC - Content Contributor);
Joel Kenyon: Editor (AE - Assistant Editor), Writer (CC - Content Contributor); William S Mayfield: Writer (CC - Content Contributor)
While a handful of notable entries (The Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, Saw, Alien/Predator) have been released over the years, one area where popular horror franchises never seem to get enough love is the world of video games. Sure, there are lots of original horror games made, but rarely does a notable genre film property get successfully translated over to the interactive realm.
Indie developers are working on a Psycho related game, albeit in an unofficial fashion. Entitled Gates Motel, the game is currently in a pre-alpha state, and thus has a long way to go before it’s done. Still, the idea sounds quite appealing.
“The game puts players in a motel off the main road, where they will play as a woman who has to confront two kinds of nightmares: The owner of the establishment as well as her own, deep, dark fears. Your job is to avoid the same fate previous tenants had to suffer while making your way to the telephone to notify local authorities and be rescued. Akin to traditional survival horror games, you will have to use your inventory and your cunning to solve various puzzles as you find your way through the motel. Survive the night, face your fears, live to see another day or perish.
Are you ready?”
“A fantastical voyage deep into uncharted territory to chart it. FORBIDDEN EMPIRE is a magical romp into the 18th century with monsters, mayhem, and mystery."
An 18th century English cartographer, Jonathan Green (Jason Flemyng), sets out on a journey to map the uncharted lands of Transylvania, only to discover the dark secrets and dangerous creatures hidden in a cursed, fantastical Ukrainian forest (IMDB).
Forbidden Empire is a fantastical voyage deep into uncharted territory to chart it. It is a beautifully
shot and amazingly complex film that stars Jason Flemying as an inventive cartographer that knows he is meant for a higher calling. Though he may be a bit of a screw up, he is all heart when it comes to love and dreaming. Dzhonatan is the perfect character for Flemying as he vies to win his future father in laws favor by proving that his inventions will chart the world and make it a less scary place. Speaking of scary places, where else could one be sent that may lead to their demise in a time such as this? Why Transylvania of course! The land of vampires, witches, and countless other evil monstrosities that may only exist in the psyche of the local inhabitants, especially if they are drunk on their own brand of home made hooch. Of course they may be real too. Director Oleg Stepchenko does a masterful job blending the possible reality and fiction of Transylvania in a flurry of special effects and color dazzling to the eye. How much is real and how much is invented by the vindictive local priest remains to be determined.
Under Stepchenko's direction, Forbidden Empire looks and feels like a Terry Gilliam film with a
twist of M. Night Shyamalan. That is to say, there is a twist, with a twist, but looks fantastically
cinematic. Our cartographers inventions would make Gilliam proud and DaVinci prouder. In fact
they do, since a Da Vinci of sorts aids our hapless hero in his endeavors.
At this point I must admit I need to climb down off of my soapbox, by now everyone of the
Creepercast audience has heard my tireless rants about M. Night Shyamalan. But I have just
compared Stepchenko and writer Nikolai Gogol 's masterpiece to none other than he. In my defense I also said Forbidden Empire looks and feels like a Terry Gilliam film, and I love Terry Gilliam for his cinematic eye and comedic timing. So though the story has a touch of Shyamalan, I wouldn't go so far as to say the twists are like his at all. Stepchenko masterfully uses the twist technique, mixed with monsters, mayhem, and mystery!
Full of outrageous comedic action, to force us to question the story's validity. Then when we think we got it figured out he twists it again in obvious horror fashion. Thus taking two juxtaposing styles of story telling and turning them into a visionary spectacle. That much said, Forbidden Empire's executive producer usually gets a bad wrap for his work too. Although I've gone record on many occasions about his poor decisions as a film maker in the past, I can say, without a doubt, Forbidden Empire is not one of them. The Creepercast has gone on record.
Forbidden Empire is a magical romp into the 18th century with monsters, mayhem, and mystery.
It's a must see for adventure fanatics and a voyage into dark lands for horror fans.
As with all of my reviews of the independent films that we get sent here at 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....
When I was in high school, I was a bit of a conundrum. I guess you could say, in a lot of ways, I still am a bit of an enigma. A riddle, trapped inside of a question. A big, hot mess of a mixed up soul. The point is, I walked a fine line back then between being a complete nerd and a semi cool guy. Granted, I was in a very small high school and there was blurred lines between the main branches of the high school clique brigades. I most certainly wasn't one of the cool kids, but I hung out with them. It was too damn small of a place not too. I also could be just as easily found playing Dungeons and Dragons, as I would be drinking it up at the Saturday night house party. I loved all sides of the high school spectrum. For me, there was no lines that couldn't or shouldn't be crossed. Life was too short to not love everything that made you feel good. Made you feel alive. One of my lifeblood's from the day I was born, is music. All kinds. There is something in every genre that I can appreciate and love. However, in high school, there was a transition period when hair metal was on the way out and alternative/grunge was kicking down the doors to my heart. A midst all the chaos and confusion of that ongoing struggle, was pure metal. Not your run of the mill kiddy stuff, but true metal. Obituary, Fear Factory, Death, Helmet, GWAR, Voivod and the list goes on and on. While I was in my car driving to and from school, it was mostly back and forth between Extreme, Nelson and Guns and Roses, but then that slowly shifted to Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam. However, on the weekends, I hung with my metal head friends and we went to see shows on a regular basis. So, here I was, in the middle of a mosh pit with Obituary on stage and me feeling just as at home as if I was playing D & D with my best friends. This was my life. This was me.
What's the point of all of this nostalgia? Well, it's because this movie spoke to me. Spoke to me on all the levels of my high school experience. It screamed volumes about walking that fine line between nerd and metal head. The love of the cheesy horror films of Sam Raimi or Peter Jackson. The desire to fit in and to be someone more than you were. All of these themes played out in the movie 'Deathgasm', to near perfection. The only things that I didn't experience, that the characters in the film did? Living in New Zealand and summoning demons from hell. Other than that, spot on.
Written and directed by Jason Lei Howden, best known for his visual effects works, this was his first full length feature and holy hell, it's a masterpiece. This is a love letter to everything that made horror fun back in the 80's and early 90's. It's like he took every element from all of the greatest genre pieces of our time, threw them in a blender and then poured us a frothy glass of awesomeness. With a groundwork built upon an incredibly fun story line, he layered it with amazing practical effects, top notch actors and some pretty kick ass music. It's like he lept inside the head of every kid I hung out with in high school and took a survey on what they'd want to see in a movie and this was the result.
'Deathgasm' centers around a group of 4 guys who don't really know each other too well in the beginning, but soon form a bond and metal band. Meanwhile, one of them has eyes for a beautiful girl who runs in a different circle of friends, but he's slowly bringing her to the dark side of the tracks. Along the way, the guys discover an old record sleeve, containing an incantation to summon a demon apocalypse and a way to turn them into demons themselves. It's written in the form of a song, but before they can decipher the language it's written in, it's already too late. They've played the song and started a chain of events that they really don't want to stop, even if they fully understood the repercussions. It feels like a younger and less heavy take on some of the themes from Rob Zombie's 'The Lords of Salem'. Music = summoning of evil. Just throw in a little bit of 'Trick or Treat', 'Brain Dead' aka 'Dead Alive', 'Evil Dead 2', 'Return of the Living Dead' and some 'Demons' to taste and you've got a pretty good idea, what kind of roller coaster ride you're about to embark on. This is THAT movie.
It starts off feeling a bit like 'Detention', but quickly pushes that aside and becomes it's very own animal. Complete with some fantastic music, some hilarious references and one liners, killer artwork and some really well done editing and transition points. 'Deathasm' fires on all cylinders from the time the credits roll until the last little 'stinger' scene after the credits. Which, trust me, you'll want to stick around for. I should also mention that each character gets their own little individualized intro that makes me love them even more. I mean, I don't know how else to put this into words other than, from start to finish, 'Deathgasm' lives up to all the hype you've been hearing and then some.
If you're looking for something new, fresh and incredibly fun, then this is the one film you need to see this year. Not sold yet? I'll give you three words: double chainsaw fight! Oh and did I mention a cloud sequence where evil is pouring from the sky and the opening happens to look like a giant anus? This is going to be a cult classic, mark my words and here is your chance to get in on the ground floor, kids. You'll never look at dildos the same way, after seeing this film.
All in all, I'd give 'Deathgasm' 5 out of 5 stars. This movie has everything a metal head could ever want and everything the jaded horror fan has been looking for. I don't heap this much praise on too many films these days, but I have to give credit where credit is due. Jason Lei Howden hit the ground running with this one and I am anxiously awaiting what comes pouring out of his head next. Opening everywhere on October 2nd, 2015, this is not one you're going to want to miss. What more can I say? Lace up your combat boots, strap on your spiked wrist bands and trow the devil horn high in the air. This is 'Deathgasm'.
If you like this one, check out: 'Detention', 'Tucker and Dale vs. Evil' or 'Bad Taste'
Picked this one based on my continuing post Sons Of Anarchy Charlie Hunnam binge as well as the film's purported proreason stance. Plus, the writer/director is a descendant of Charles Darwin himself, so bonus, right? No. This tepid piece of crap is amateur hour through and through, from the atrocious acting to every technical credit I can think of. It should be renamed The Room 2: Atheist Agenda it's that bad. Presenting its hero as such an ignorant, selfish, amoral jerk, it does nothing good for the image of atheists. Plus it makes such awful, amateurish arguments for its message, it was embarrassing to watch. A direct punch to the groin of all logic and reason. Another one of those films that makes you wonder how this thing actually got greenlit, and how did all these halfway respectable actors (not counting Liv Tyler she's terrible all the time) get snagged into this? Stay far away.
First 50 Pre-Orders Receive a SIGNED Copy of the Art Poster Below
Engineered and Mixed by Eyal Levi (August Burns Red, The Contortionist, Monuments)
Performing Entire New Album on June 15 (tonight) @ Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ
New Jersey/New York-based progressive metal group BINARY CODE will release their long-awaited, powerful new full-length offering Moonsblood. You can pre-orderMoonsblood now via the band's Bandcamp page - the first 50 pre-orders will receive a special signed poster featuring the album art image above.
Guitarist Jesse Zuretti states, ""Dark Meditation" is a song that I oddly enough wrote shortly following my first time doing DMT, and starting Transcendental Meditation. I'm not a hippie by any means, nor am I a psychonaut, but I am a firm believer in expanding perspective. The instrumentation in Dark Meditation is a perfect representation of an expansion of perspective, which I think is something you can't push to happen; it happens naturally, and it happens when it happens. I was in a very dark state of mind, having dealt with a crippling bout of depression and my experience with this mental expansion lead me to a breaking point where I could finally be comfortable with the person I was becoming. This transposed greatly from perspective into the music I started to write. Many of the people who are familiar with our music have said to me that they are surprised by the transition the band has made, but there's also a familiarity with it. I attribute that much to being responsible for the majority of the songwriting during the time where I made it passed an event horizon."
Engineered and mixedby Eyal Levi (August Burns Red, The Contortionist, Monuments)at Audiohammer Studios and mastered by Alan Douches (Suicide Silence, Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge) at West West Side Music, the members of BINARY CODE poured everything they had into delivering an album that would ultimately be a game-changer. Moonsbloodfeatures new vocalist Oded Weinstock and promises to offer up a completely different sound from what fans might previously expect from the band. Heavy, melodic and progressive, yet focused and tightly written, Moonsbloodboasts powerful vocal hooks, huge, thundering riffs, gorgeous atmospheric tapestries and impressively technical musicianshipand songwriting.
Moonsbloodtrack listing:
1. Immersion
2. Trees 100ft Underwater
3. Dark Meditations
4. Moonsblood
5. Knell
6. Push
7. Cetacean
8. 707
9. Unexist
BINARY CODE will support Moonsblood with rigorous touring, to be announced. But first, the band will perform on June 15th at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ, where they will playMoonsblood in its entirety. Tickets are available from the venue.
About BINARY CODE:
BINARY CODE released its first full-length debut album Suspension of Disbeliefexclusively through MetalSucks.net in 2009 alongside a tour with Revocation and Hypno5e. Recently, BINARY CODE wrapped up a tour with Ghost Ship Octavius and Next To None- and has previously shared the stage with Periphery, Leprous, Haken, Between The Buried And Me, The Ocean, and many others.
