Too Busy Filming

Sorry I got behind on updates since I was finishing the last few pickup days for my new feature. It's another practical FX monster movie, which is quite crazy. Like The Matrix meets Wicked City with some They Live thrown in and The Crow (seems like such an insane cocktail when I write that out but it fits well together surprisingly). Despite the numerous obstacles, I love filming in Tokyo and I can't believe I've now made more features here than in the US. I want to shoot a new movie every year... no idea if I can pull off such a difficult goal but dammit I have to try. I just think now is the time to get busy and make a ton of movies since maybe, just maybe, I could do something amazing... I'm trying anyway. Making practical FX monster movies for no money is stupid but I'm just dumb like that and I love the extreme challenge. The fact that people like the monster in Bakemono also encouraged me way too much so unfortunately for you the audience I've got to do a lot more. My apologies in advance.

Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman (2007) is quite good.

This Japanese urban legend is very interesting especially since there isn't one standard explanation for why the Slit-Mouthed Woman's face is messed up so every movie can have its own interpretation. I just wish the other Japanese films could get released in the West with English subtitles. I've found a couple others that did get put out on US DVDs but there are so many more that were made in Japan. Carved is probably the best though by the same director as Grotesque, Noroi, Sadako vs. Kayako, and many other films. This movie manages to be a bit creepy at times and the idea of an unstable woman kidnapping children is pretty disturbing. This legend obviously has a lot of potential even if the films tend to struggle with it like I'm not sure what to make of the body-hopping. That is different but it's maybe too much. It is fascinating though the way the legend can be traced back to the Edo period and a samurai supposedly mutilating his unfaithful partner.

So glad to finally see Evil Dead Trap (1988).

I really love Japanese horror films but sadly I didn't see this one until recently because I foolishly thought it was just a ripoff of Evil Dead, which to be fair, I would still be happy to watch. Of course, I was completely wrong. Despite the title, it's a very unique original movie that really has nothing to do with Sam Raimi's films except they're both gory horror. There are some insanely-inventive kills in this that I never saw before, and I very much dug the atmosphere. I immediately had to check out both sequels, which unfortunately were rather disappointing but I'm still glad I saw them all. There is something special and different about this first one. As people much smarter than me have pointed out, this film feels very much influenced by Italian horror like Argento and Fulci. I love their output too so such a mix sounds like heaven to me, and I think this film certainly delivers. The ending really gets nuts but that is part of the charm. I love films that dare to do something different.

Tomie (1998) sadly disappoints.

I'm very much late to the game on this, having just recently stumbled on the freakin 9 Tomie movies that exist. Why I didn't know sooner is beyond me. I'm slow... what can I say but I was extremely excited to check these out. I'm a big fan of Junji Ito's art even though I'm no expert by any means. I really don't know much except his stuff is genius, and if you read about the Tomie manga or pick it up yourself, you can see all the potential it has. Unfortunately, it seems none of the films have really capitalized on this. The first attempt in 1998 has a lot going for it or at least it should since it was made right around the time of the first Ring and it was shot on film with a good aesthetic that reminds me of Hideo Nakata's classic but Tomie ends up being rather prodding with not much to grab the viewer. It's a shame. Another issue that seems to plague all these movies is the actress they pick for Tomie never seems so irresistibly beautiful to make all the men go crazy over her, which hurts the film.

Review: Castle Freak (1995)

I'm a huge fan of Stuart Gordon (Robot Jox! From Beyond! Re-Animator!) so when I realized I had missed a couple of items in his filmography, I knew I had to immediately rectify that, and I wasn't disappointed. Castle Freak is a lot of fun just like you'd expect with Jeffrey Combs involved. The titular monster looks fantastic especially when he puts the bloody bed sheet over his body, and right from the get-go, we get treated to a nasty scene of him breaking his own thumb to escape from his chains. Over the course of the movie, there are times when you can sympathize with this creature because of his horribly long, barbaric imprisonment and treatment as well as his stunted childlike intelligence. I could almost see this beast as a metaphor for the dark, repressed side of Combs's character.

The acting was great with Combs definitely stealing the show, and I like how his character is quite flawed. I think the writing is actually very smart with the relationships and how the story unfolds. Gordon does an incredible job the way he shows the monster and doesn't show it. The location is obviously a big character in the film, and they take full advantage of it, roaming down vast corridors, exploring all kinds of different areas, etc. You even get a rooftop confrontation at the end in the rain. It's quite a sight. I really, really loved the ending, which was more emotional than I expected and a real tribute to how well the characters were developed.

Of course, being Gordon, you get a bit of sex then some quite disturbing gore during some potential lovemaking. I think it all works really well, and Stuart Gordon deserves a lot more credit. Sure, it's gruesome at times but the writing, the characters, and the delivery sell everything. This is definitely another horror gem from the '90s right up there with Demon Knight in my opinion.

Schoolgirl Apocalypse (2011) is pretty darn good. A smart story with strong characters.

With a title like that (and I'm a fan of the title), you might expect your average craptacular Z-level-exploitation film with no effort, but it's not like that at all. For one, the cinematography and production values are very professional. There are some animated sequences that could've been better (you basically get two in a row at one point, which is slightly overkill, and the animation style itself is a little lacking though original with a reason why it is the way it is that makes sense), but this movie is actually very well thought-out with a deeper story lurking beneath the surface. Just from the synopsis, you can tell it's a different take on your typical zombie apocalypse: only the men are turned into crazy blood-thirsty killers. I won't spoil anything, but they have a good reason for this too. There isn't a lot of action, but it's shot quite well with plenty of tension and a good sense of geography. The disappointing thing is I never heard anything at all about this film. Not only is it good but the story behind making it is interesting too since the writer/director of this all Japanese film is a Midwest American. He taught English in Japan before filming this. If you're into Asian films at all or just zombie apocalypse movies, I'd suggest you hunt it down. You can get it off Amazon pretty easily. There is a little bit of CGI at the very end, but given this was a low-budget first-feature with everything else being so good, I'm not going to hate it for that (would've been tough to do those effects practically). It really is worth tracking down, and I hope it gets the audience it deserves.

The Walking Dead Season 6

The one thing that bugs me about The Walking Dead is the CG blood. It always looks awful, but I still like the show (Daryl! Maggie!). For me though, I'm always going to do practical FX. No CGI. I just think it's a million times more believable especially in horror. I actually made this film before The Walking Dead became such an insanely-popular TV show, but if you like that, you should definitely like my film, and you can be happy to know you're supporting practical FX. My next movie is a creature feature with literally hundreds of monsters so your money will go to a worthy goal. Plus, my movie won two Best Feature awards, an Award of Merit for Cinematography, nominated for Best Score, it has a 7.0 rating on IMDb with over 1,000 votes, it has gotten a lot of good reviews, etc.

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