The Correction Unit, A Clockwork Orange in an AI World

AI.  Good or bad?  The answer is...Yes! It may help cure all sorts of pediatric cancer.  It may allow you affordable college education from any university in the world (all from your own living room). It may easily identify your Golden Retriever's ailment. It, also, may make the distribution and creation of child porn a lot easier.  It will help your government (aka Big Brother) to control your bank accounts and spending habits. It may also replace your need for a woman, or a man, and provide you something that won't talk back or report you for sexual harassment.  All will be done under the guise of making our world a better place.  Our feature today is 2025's "The Correction Unit," directed by Derry Shillitto.  This film is from the U.K.

Miserable teenagers...juvenile delinquents.  All of the ones in this film are hopeless cases, and chronic offenders.  Gangsters. Drug pushers and addicts. Thieves. Now a bunch of them have been transferred from a youth prison to a special facility called nTrac.  nTrac? Yep, AI will be used to rehab all of these kids in three months.  Three months? Yep, that is what the government contract calls for. We meet Shawn (Sonny Middleton), who is from a bad neighborhood and had to fight to protect his disabled mom and worthless brother. Now he's at nTrac.  His mate, the tough Tish (Elleese Bradshaw) is there with him and is associated with numerous pushers. Through Virtual Reality (VR) and AI, they all have been assessed, evaluated, and a treatment plan has been personalized. Yvonne (Kirsty Smedley) seems to head the operation and her motives are pure and personal. 

Some neat meditation devices allow the kids to experience nature and pleasant surroundings. Uh oh.  The engineers on this project are worried.  They are forbidden access to the inmates/patients.  AI is the only counselor/doctor allowed to work on the teens. Short term success can't be denied...short term. The kids seem to be responding, for the most part.  Now, how to make it permanent.  Clones, mind control chips (think Elon Musk's Trans-humanism), and certain punishment.  Now the kids are being turned into something other than who they were. Also, nTrac needs to show results in 90 days, and if the kids aren't improving that fast...well, the technicians are told to rush it. Yvonne offers objections and she is taken care of.

Just what will nTrac produce after 90 days?  Will the teens in the program keep their humanity?  If an AI machine is given total control, what will it consider "cured" or "improved"?  We saw this in "A Clockwork Orange," but that did not have the use of AI.  The subliminal tactics are present in both these films, though modern AI has made them easier to deliver.  For a scary look at how "wonderful" AI can be for at risk teens, see "The Correction Unit."  

The House by the Cemetery, Listed by Lucio Fulci

Whether by the cemetery or by the mall, if Lucio Fulci is making a movie about a house...don't go in. Though largely shot in Massachusetts, this horror yarn is Italian in it's cast and mood. This 1981 film came out three years after Fulci's classic "Zombie." (To see that review click on this link ZOMBIE ). However, as far as drive-in theaters went, this Fulci film was usually matched up with either "The Last House on the Left" or "The House that Vanished." (For that review, click on this link VANISHED ). Either way, we have a Fulci film...filled with ominous gore.

After Dr. Peterson's murder suicide, Dr. Norman Boyle (Paolo Malco) is tapped to take over his research. To do this, he takes his wife Lucy (Catriona MacColl) and son Bob (Giovanni Frezzo) to a house by the cemetery near Boston where he can have some seclusion while he researches.  A couple of uh-ohs here: First, Bob has visions of a ghostly girl telling him not to come, Second, this is the same house that Peterson murdered his mistress (Daniela Doria) before his suicide.  Oh yes, how can I forget, the tomb of Dr. Freudstein (Giovanni De Nava) is planted in the front hallway of this mansion.

As the ghostly girl (Silvia Collatina) adopts Bob as a playmate, the beautiful Lucy hires the sultry Ann (Ania Pieroni) as his babysitter.  Wouldn't you know it, Bob had a vision of Ann's decapitated body earlier in the film.  It might be a beautiful head, but yes, Ann will be separated from it soon. Oh! The cellar is locked and when Norman unlocks it he is feasted on by a vampire bat in an elongated and bloody scene.  He survives, but wouldn't you know it, the dimwit won't leave the house. As something in the basement starts killing people and dragging their bodies in the cellar, Norman begins to find out the history of the house and Dr. Freudstein.  Now he is convinced they need to leave, but is it too late?

Lurid and heavy, "The House by the Cemetery" is a neat horror film.  The themes may be classic but the over-the-top gore makes this a genuine Fulci film. Two years previous, the underwhelming "The Amityville Horror" was released to disappointed audiences who yawned instead of winced. However this film would have given those same audiences some neat nightmares.  Available on YouTube, enjoy "The House by the Cemetery."

The Night Before Halloween, College Kids Shredded by Curse

An impressive looking cast should give us hunks and babes we pull for.  Not always. In the world of dark horror in which the moviemaker is more interested in delivering a horrific story than a light fluffy teen horror yarn, sometimes the characters aren't meant to survive. Now, we'll meet Beth (Natalie Ganzhorn), and we'll like her a lot...but she'll be shredded by the teens early on.  Those teens?  Well, they are great looking. In a dark Syfy original, Sheldon Wilson presents us the 2016 "The Night Before Halloween."

High school seniors gather at the babe Lindsay's (Kiana Madeira) house for a pre-Halloween party.  Uh oh, a prank goes wrong.  So wrong, the nubile and lovely Beth is left in a coma.  So what do her selfish and egotistical buddies do?  Call an ambulance?  Ha!  Well, they do, but dump her body in an industrial park first so they won't be connected to or blamed for her demise. Wait!  Not a prank. Kyle (Jahmil French) intentionally tried to murder Beth. Kyle is trying to rid himself of a curse.  If he can murder someone, he gets to live. If not, some weird Halloween monster made of flies will murder him.  Beth lives and Kyle dies.  Unbeknownst to his buddies, they are now cursed...and now they must commit murder on the night before Halloween next year.

Next year arrives and so does the night before Halloween.  Beth, who is brain dead and in the hospital, calls all of them and lets them know what they must do.  Megan (Bailee Madison) is at college now and her and all her buddies race back home believing Beth has waken from a coma.  They can't have Beth talking...or all might end up in jail. Adam (Justin Kelly) also arrives and he and Megan are sweet on one another.  So do a couple others.  The friends are faced with a reality.  Each has to commit a murder or be murdered by this creature made of flies. However much they adore one another, they look at each other as a Doberman looks at a lambchop. As much as Megan loves Adam, vice versa, the duo can only live if they murder the other one.  Where does this all end?  Break the curse or die. Just how trustworthy is a friend who you share a deadly secret with?

Will the friends murder one another or try to find another way to break the curse?  Has anyone thought of a big cannister of Raid to deal with the monster made of flies?  Wouldn't have things turned out better if these teens turned to pre-marital sex or skinny dipping instead of stupid pranks at Halloween parties?  Great cheese and beef highlights this dark horror film.  For billions of insects, and a twisted plot that sees the beautiful marred horribly, see "The Night Before Halloween."    

Devil Bat's Daughter, And She's Quite the Dish

Who knew the thing had a daughter? Wait, "The Devil Bat" was a mad scientist, experimenting with cell-growth stimulation...on bats.  The bats got loose, killed him, and many others. Could have happened to any of us who have laboratories in our homes. Could a sultry dame, helpless and vulnerable, also be a murderer? Our feature today is 1946's "Devil Bat's Daughter," directed by Frank Wisbar.

Devil Bat's daughter, Nina (Rosemary La Planche), has arrived from Europe after missing out on all the festivities. Her dad was killed by the bats he gave his cell-growth stimulant to, as were a whole bunch of other people. She goes home to see her dad and finds out he's long dead and the mansion is in ruins. Now she's catatonic and the esteemed psychiatrist Dr. Clifton Morris will treat her. Oh, Clifton is a sly operator and has an affair going with his wife's bestie, Myra (Monica Mars). She's a doll.  Clifton's wife? Ellen (Molly Lamont) is hardly as exciting nor glamorous as Myra. Okay, Ellen takes a liking to the catatonic Nina and when Nina begins responding to Clifton's treatment, Ellen insists she stay at their house instead of the hospital.  There, Clifton can treat the scared Nina for nightmares and hallucinations.  Nina keeps dreaming about big bats attacking. Clifton keeps giving her pills...guess what's in the pills. Here comes the hunk Ted (John James). Ted is a soldier on leave and Ellen is his mom, and Clifton is his stepdad. Ted always thought Clifton married Ellen for her money.

Okay, Ted and Nina fall in love. Today we have apps for that, back in 1946 we had catatonic trances and helplessness.  We've come a long way. Uh oh...Clifton and Myra want to elope but Ellen is in the way. Then Ted's dog is murdered...then Ellen.  Nina, who is having blackout spells, hallucinations, and a dad who was a mad scientist murderer is arrested.  Ted, who loves Nina is convinced she is not the killer. He's the only one who thinks that as even Nina believes she is a killer.  Ted has a plan and it calls for him to get to know Nina's dad (who is dead), his experiments, and to find the experiment notes of The Devil Bat. 

Just what of The Devil Bat's failed experiments on cell-growth stimulation can help Ted prove Nina's innocence?  Any chance of Myra being turned into a big bat?  Can Ted prove Clifton murdered his mother, thus saving Nina from the electric chair?  This is a terrific B horror film with fine looking dames and a hunk hero.  For a nice Friday night creature feature, with big bats, and homicidal maniacs, see "Devil Bat's Daughter." 

Sorority of the Damned, Nubile Sorority Babes Demonized

Wait! The sultry Sarah French as a shrieking ugly witch? Yep...that's what you call a versatile actress. Okay, sorority babes as demons.  You college guys are nodding your heads too enthusiastically here. Nubile babes becoming demons may not be such a big reach, but here we mean, real demons.  Like conjured from Hell and reciting pagan incantations.  Okay, I know, normal stuff at any Tri-Delta sorority house. Forget it, never mind, let's just plough into a discussion of 2025's "Sorority of the Damned, " directed by Joe Davison and Roy Knyrim.

Trevor (Davison) is a boorish janitor/maintenance man who is frequently called to a bitchy sorority house on campus to unclog toilets of feminine hygiene products. The house mother is the witch Angela (Felissa Rose) and the sorority president is the sultry lesbian Amber (Kaleina Cordova). All the sisters are sultry and Jenny (Sydney Carvill) is a clean cut one and her only friend in the sorority is Morgan (Chelsea Jordan). The redhead Circey (Jaime Brightbill) is Amber's object of desire, and Grace (Kourtney George) and Morai (Olivia Cordell) are two nubile babes that will either get their face ripped off or be ripped in two. Okay, Trevor finds a secret room in the sorority house's basement that is actually a temple with an altar in it.  He also finds a Necronomicon type book with satanic spells, incantations, and curses. Now Angela commandeers this book and gathers the sisters into the room for a rite.

Angela forces Jenny to get naked and has the other girls, some naked, hold her to the altar. Angela does a spell and all the girls are now demons, except Grace and Morai who will be murdered in graphic fashion. After a blood-rite or two, the demon sisters go to a cemetery where they will resurrect dead witches including Sarah French. Oh, Trevor finds out that in addition to being a janitor, he is also the latest of a bloodline that kills demons. Now equipped with some demon killing tools, he sets off to stop the demons from destroying the world. The nubile sisters are now hideous and vicious demons. Trevor always had a soft spot for Jenny and does not want to murder the girls, just the demons that possess them. A raucous final showdown will occur where the world will either be destroyed or saved.

Are the demons in this film as bad as sorority sisters in general at American universities? Will college guys see this film and wonder where the fiction lies?  Is the use of feminine hygiene products clogging toilets as a plot device a metaphor for the awful state of the higher education system in America?  The babes in this film are all sultry and the acting is sensational.  For a tremendous cheese factor and a really neat action-hero demon hunter, see "Sorority of the Damned."   

Murders in the Zoo, Such Horrible Ways to Die

Snakes, other reptiles, tigers, lions, and rhinos!  These things belong in the wild...a place man does not belong. In their element, many of them are perfect killing machines.  Throw in humans, passion, and jealousy, and we have a bloody mix of carnage and homicide. This one is so icky that it was banned in most European countries upon its release. Our feature today is 1933's "Murders in the Zoo," directed by A. Edward Sutherland. 

Eric Gorman (Lionel Atwell) is in India with his sultry wife, Evelyn (Kathleen Burke). So sultry is Evelyn that no hunk can resist her.  When Eric sees the hunk Bob (Edward Pawley) kiss her, he grabs him, sews his lips shut, binds his hands, and throws him to the tigers. Very messy! Eric is in India collecting animals for a zoo back home. On the boat ride home, Evelyn develops a thing for the handsome Roger (John Lodge). This won't go well for Roger as one of the things Eric is bringing home is a Green Mamba, a very poisonous snake. Nevertheless, all make it home safely, and Eric is able to give the zoo owner (Harry Beresford) some neat finds.  Zoologists Dr. Jack Woodford (Randolph Scott) and his nubile fiancé Jerry (Gail Patrick) study the animals.  Jack is especially interested in the Green Mamba and extracts its venom to try to find an anti-toxin.

Evelyn hates Eric.  She knows he murders any guy that shows an interest in her.  She loves Roger and when her lover becomes a victim of the Green Mamba, she is ready to leave and let the cops know of her husband's deeds.  This won't go well for her. Sadly, the sultry Evelyn will cease being sultry and also cease being in one piece. You'll see.  Now Eric begins feeling the heat as he tries to blame Jack's incompetence for the Green Mamba getting loose.  Jack is smart and finds more clues.  Now Jack and the nubile Jerry are in danger from a maniacal Eric and his zoo animals.

Did the lovely Evelyn deserve her fate?  Will Jack and Jerry survive the snakes, alligators, and lions and live happily ever after?  Who would win a steel cage match, a lion or a Green Mamba?  This is an icky one and the deaths are excruciating and sometimes heartbreaking.  For some nice pre-code horror, see "Murders in the Zoo."   

Die, Monster, Die!, Boris Karloff Does HP Lovecraft

What a combo! Boris Karloff and HP Lovecraft. Why not? A creepy old mansion secreted deep in the foggy moors!  Tentacled creatures caged in the greenhouse! Disfigured beings terrorizing the beautiful! Then the mysterious mad scientist pulling all the strings and fooling around with nature in such a way that only the horrific can be the result. Our feature today, from 1965 is "Die, Monster, Die!"  This one is directed by Daniel Haller.

An American, Stephen (Nick Adams) arrives in Arkham, in England. When the townspeople find out he is headed to the Witley mansion, deep into the moors, they avoid him. Now Stephen has to trek on foot to see the woman he loves, the nubile and big...ah, well she has a big smile, Susan (Suzan Farmer). He wants to marry her and the woman of the house, Letitia Witley (Freda Jackson) has sent for him. On the stroll there, Nick notices a huge crater and every form of vegetation had burnt to a crisp. Once at the mansion, wheelchair bound Noham Witley (Karloff) meets him and orders him to leave. Well, Susan's great big... smile, helps Stephen decide to stay.  Mistake. Now it is apparent that Nahum wants to keep the secrets of the mansion secret. This won't be easy. Stephen pays tribute to Letitia, who is bedridden and hidden behind a veiled curtain.  Letitia begs Stephen to take Susan away.

Nahum tends to his laboratory/dungeon/cellar, where there is a big glowing green rock...pulsating. Meanwhile, all of the Witley servants either melt, burn to a crisp, go homicidally insane, or disfigure. A scientist, Stephen postulates uranium and radiation poisoning.  Nahum postulates a gift from God. Now Susan and Stephen investigate the greenhouse when it begins glowing green. After Susan is nearly engulfed by a plant, a zoo from Hell is spotted, and now Susan and Stephen flee with a good idea of what is exactly going on at this estate.  Nahum?  He retreats to the basement and faces the horrors which have been created. Final showdowns and more revelations await.

Just what is causing the grotesque horror at the Witley estate?  Can Stephen save Susan from disfigurement, spontaneous combustion, and insanity?  Will the creatures in the "Zoo from Hell" get loose and begin stalking the non-mutated?  These questions are ones we can all apply in our daily lives, as HP Lovecraft is becoming more and more relatable to modern audiences.  For a good one, during this Halloween season, see Boris Karloff in "Die, Monster, Die!"

Return to House on Haunted Hill, Back into the Haunted House

Baphemut!  Who, or what is it?  Who care's!? Cerina Vincent and her great big...smile is in this film!  We have not done a Cerina Vincent film in a while.  Also in it is the lovely and dangerous Calita Rainford, who plays a hot Asian henchwoman clad in leather wielding a lot of weapons.  Sadly, Ms. Rainford will have her face cut off by Jeffrey Combs and cease being beautiful early in this film...happens. Today we look at a sequel to 1999's "House on Haunted Hill," 2007's "Return to House on Haunted Hill," directed by Victor Garcia.

Ariel (Amanda Righetti) is sad. Her sister, who survived the original film, has died by apparent suicide. The sultry magazine executive will be forced to go back to the insane asylum/house on Haunted Hill by thug Desmond (Erik Palladino) and his henchmen and henchwoman Harue (Rainford). Sadly, the babe Asian will be offed soon by ghost mad scientist Vannacut (Combs). Also along is Professor Hammer (Steven Pacey), Paul (Tom Riley), Ariel's hunk beau, and Michelle (Vincent) who serves no purpose other than wearing a tight top displaying nice cleavage. Desmond wants the Baphemut statue because a buyer will pay him millions for it.  Hammer wants it too, for academic purposes, of course.  The ghosts begin appearing and when they do...you're dead.  Henchmen will be pulled apart, the babe henchwoman will be sliced up and lose her face during hot lesbian sex with sultry and nude female ghosts (what a scene this is!), etc.

Ariel realizes she needs to get out of the house with her beau, Paul.  Uh oh...Ariel is given visions by some ghosts that indicate she needs to stay in the house, find Baphemut, and destroy it. Desmond proves just as threatening as the ghosts of this insane asylum and the mad doctor.  Michelle?  Vannacut finds her and...well, sometimes impressive cleavage is not enough to ward off evil spirits...go figure. Now the dead return to life, ghosts appear, and Vannacut is dead set against allowing Baphemut to be destroyed.  Ariel, however, just may be too pretty to die...though we also said this about Harue and Michelle.

Will Ariel be able to destroy Baphemut and get her and Paul out of the evil house?  Will Desmond's greed prevent all of this?  Will Vannacut cut any parts of Ariel off and dump them in a pile that also contains Harue's face?  Bet you never thought you'd hear that question today when you slid out of bed.  This is a good one with great cheese and gore.  For some terrific haunted insane asylum drama with hot chicks, see "Return to House on Haunted Hill."

Slaughter High, Caroline Munro in Peril

Oh yes!  Caroline Munro!  All wet and helpless.  In the shower or out of the shower.  Running for her life or swinging a hatchet in self defense, she always looks great.  A Bond Girl and also A Hammer Glamour Girl, Caroline Munro seduces us. Who can forget her nubile and vulnerable look in that Sinbad film? Today we look at her in a terrific slasher film, that has a behemoth kill count.  Our feature today is 1985's "Slaughter High," directed by George Dugdale, Mark Ezra, and Mackenzie Litten.

10 years ago the sultry Carol (Munro) and a bunch of her cool friends pull a cruel prank on the chemistry nerd Marty (Simon Scuddamore). Up in flames! Marty is left burnt all over his body and eventually institutionalized in a mental asylum. Carol and her buddies graduate and go about their lives. At this point we get a Caroline Munro shower scene. Relative to the plot? Right! Years later Carol and her buddies return to the high school for a reunion. Uh oh! The school is gone and only the derelict building remains. The only invitees are Carol and her buddies. With pot smoking, cocaine, and beer waiting, the young adults sneak into the building and party anyway.  Uh oh, someone has set up a party room for them.  All their lockers are also there...and Marty's locker, too. The babes and hunks are creeped out by Marty's locker, as they feel mildly guilty about his gruesome fate. After drugs, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and cocaine, the friends start getting murdered in horrible ways.

Of note is Shirley (Josephine Scandi).  After her boyfriend's stomach explodes, she has his guts all over her. Happens. She finds a bathtub, fills it up, strips, and we get a nice nude gratuitous bath scene before... well, before a great death scene. Also Stella (Donna Yeager), a sultry blonde, is now married to Joe (Gary Martin). Naturally, she'll engage in extra marital sex with Frank (Billy Hartman) and as most slasher films are, this is a morality tale. Yep, they'll get it while doing it. Car batteries, a riding lawnmower, a javelin, human waste, and acid are all used for our viewing pleasure.  The reunion attenders will fall horribly, babe and hunk alike...nude or clothed.

Will the sultry and wet Carol survive as a final girl?  Is Marty really the killer, or is that too easy? Does Marty want something else from Carol other than merely skewering her with a pointed weapon? 40 years later, the strength of this film is the allure of Caroline Munro, but as an 80s slasher film, this is still a good one.  For some great cheesecake, some beefcake, and a ton of gory kills, see "Slaughter High."  

Scared to Death, Because of Bela Lugosi?

No one can scare someone to death better than Bela Lugosi.  In a wealthy and mysterious family everyone has a motive for murder.  There's always a beautiful dame or two to be in peril, and mad scientist type brutes that would seek to imperil them...then Bela Lugosi pops in for a visit, and before we know it, there's a body...corpse!  Our feature today is 1946's "Scared to Death," directed by Christy Cabanne.

As our film begins, the beautiful Laura Van Ee's (Molly Lamont) corpse is on a slab in the morgue.  No marks of violence and no apparent cause of death are apparent, mystifying the coroner. Now Laura, from the other side, flashes back on just what happened to her. A day or two ago, Laura was a grouchy wife to Ward (Roland Varno). Her father-in-law, Dr. Joseph Van Ee (George Zucco) hates her and demands she give his son a divorce. Laura won't divorce Ward and claims she is not done with him. Laura claims the good doctor and Ward are keeping her prisoner in the mansion. Then guess who arrives! Right, Bela Lugosi as the weird Professor Leonide...and his trusted midget, Indigo (Angelo Rossitto). Why? Dr. Ee is not happy to see him.  See, Leonide used to be an inmate in the mansion when it was an asylum. He escaped and fled to Europe, only to return now.

Enter Raymond (Nat Pendleton).  He's a private eye, fired from the police, and now in charge of security at the mansion. He's hot for the perky maid, Lilybeth (Gladys Blake). He's also not that bright. Outside a specter wearing a green mask haunts and looks in the windows. Someone sends Laura a sculpture of her own head, disconcerting her. Now Laura is afraid but she will not tell us why. Leonide, apparently, is a magician and adept at hypnosis.  Coincidentally, Lilybeth goes into a hypnotic trance. The green masked figure keeps lurking. Then two reporters arrive, Lee (Douglas Fowley) and the nubile Jane (Joyce Compton). Lee is smart and Jane is sultry and playful, which are great for this plot. Laura fears whatever is outside closing in on her as more fall into hypnotic trances.  Then...we do find out what happened to Laura and why.

Is Laura really dead?  If Lilybeth and Jane are entranced in a hypnotic spell, what will the hypnotist have them do?  Is Professor Leonide really the antagonist here, or is that too easy?  The dames are in much peril, the men are menacing, and the figure in the green mask is spooky.  For a lurid mystery during the Halloween season, see "Scared to Death."

American Fright Fest, Dozens Shredded

A chainsaw! An axe! Electricity! A shotgun! Those are only some of the props that will work the plot in 2018's "American Fright Fest" in order to mutilate and destroy dozens of poor schmucks. This isn't one of those slasher films that ends up with a kill count of five, or six, or even nine or ten. The kills will be in the dozens...count if you can, but I would estimate between 40 and 50. Plot? Like there is any time for a plot...nevertheless we will delve into that now.

Spencer Crowe (Dylan Walsh) is a famous low-budget horror film maker. You remember "Death Bitch," don't you? He just got out of rehab (it didn't work) for drugs and alcohol. His lawyer gets him a job in a small town to run their Halloween Fright Fest. An abandoned mental asylum will be handed over to him and he'll convert it to a haunted house attraction. His past cast members will join him, they also need jobs. Uh oh, the drunk Spencer drives down a road causing a prison bus to crash. The crash sees two psychos escape, Ruben (Jonathan Camp) and Mason (Luke Baines). They immediately head to the abandoned asylum just as the attraction opens to the public.

Ruben is the mean one. He'll mow through cops, security, and actors like crap through a goose. The most heartbreaking one (okay, gratuitous, but maybe not heartbreaking) is Maxine (Ashley Blankenship). Maxine is a large breasted blonde actress who is very proud of her two assets...Ruben will make short work of her. Meanwhile Spencer locks himself in the control room, witnesses all the carnage, and taunts Ruben...he's high as a kite, as they say. Hunks and babes will die horribly and Taylor (Madison McKinley) who plays a horror-nurse at the attraction, seems to emerge as a potential final girl. Double uh oh, another escapee Mason, joins the potential victims, and desires to kill Ruben claiming he knows how evil he is...but is Mason really one of the good-guys?

Does Mason seek to stop the killing, or to continue it? Will the very pretty Maxine have what it takes to kill the psycho (or psychos) and perhaps get to slap Spencer in the face? Is Spencer really secure locked away in the control room, or does an extremely bloody fate await him? This is a bloody one and the kills will be thrown at you in rapid succession. Directed by Ante Novakovic, and shot in Pennsylvania, "American Fright Fest" is one of those slasher films that doesn't keep the kill count in single figures.
 

The Barn: Part II, The Gore and Demons are Back

After "The Barn," there were many unanswered questions.  Even though most people on the screen died horribly, there was still the fate of the virgin Michelle (Lexi Dripps) left up in the air. Was she eaten?  Was she de-virginized?  Was she pulled into the realm of the demons?  Also, what of the two landscaping hunks, Sam (Mitchell Musolino) and Josh (Will Stout)?  It looked like they were about to be heroes when they were presumably sucked into hell. Good news!  In the sequel, a sorority filled with babes will open the haunted house in the barn three years later.  Our feature today is 2022's "The Barn: Part II," directed by Justin Seaman.  This one is set in 1992.

Despite the horror she endured when her BF was sucked into hell and had some demon awake in her van, Michelle is now in college and volunteers to help her sorority do an open house for Halloween.  She will take the lead with Josh' babe sister Heather (Sable Griedel). Why? Never mind.  The two babes and the entire sorority work the barn, the same one from the last movie. Yep, out of the well in the back, demons are conjured and will end up murdering all the sorority babes in gory fashion and turning them into demons.  Nudity, BDSM, kinky pillow fighting, and other deviance are what the sisters were doing just before being ripped apart or disemboweled.  Now Heather and Michelle are the only sisters left, and Michelle has a new BF, Charlie (Chad Bruns), the nerd at the video store.  He will fight the demons with his crutches.

Now Michelle is overmatched, but also out of the well, Josh and Sam emerge.  Yep, Josh has the holy weed killer.  With these two experienced demon hunters, the two sorority babes at least stand a chance. The demons are back in full force and have made the entire town into demons, too. May I say that Heather and Michelle look terrific in their Halloween costumes? Okay, I should also say many terrific cameos occur in this sequel, including Lloyd Kaufman as the mayor, Linnea Quigley as the church lady, Joe Bob Briggs and Diana Prince,  and Ari Lehman. The pumpkin, miner, and scarecrow demons are back to inflict death with pick-axes, sickles, and a wonderful assortment of bladed weapons.  Most of this film will be an all out bloody war.

Packed with gore, guts, and severed limbs and heads, this film is a must see for fans of the first "Barn" film.  It is also a great homage to late 80s, early 90s slasher fare.  With a sultry cast of sorority babes, most will die horribly, a few hunks, and some neat 1980s and 1990s slasher talent, "The Barn: Part II" is a terrific view on a Friday night in October. 

The Devil Bat, Bela Lugosi as a Mad Scientist

A mad scientist as a lead chemist at a cosmetics company?  Brilliant!  Perhaps a story for our time as the cosmetics industry is solidly cemented into the fabric of women's daily routines throughout the world. The market doubles when men are involved, and some use aftershave lotion like Hai Karate or Brut.  In our film today, Bela Lugosi exploits human vanity and uses it as a means for murder.  Our feature today is 1940's "The Devil Bat," directed by Jean Yarbrough.

Dr. Paul Carruthers (Lugosi) is the chemist for the Martin Heath Cosmetics Company.  The founding partners, Martin heath (Edmund Mortimer) and Henry Morton (Guy Usher) made millions on a cold cream invented by Paul, but only gave him a measly few thousand dollars.  Feeling cheated, Paul invents an aftershave that attracts monster bats.  Monster bats?  Yep, Paul does other experiments.  Using electricity he stimulates the growth glands of bats making them 10 times their usual size.  He also makes them behave viciously when smelling the aftershave. At risk is the entire Heath and Morton families.  Paul gives several members of those families the aftershave as a gift, and they all get their necks torn out by the monster bat.  A reporter, Johnny (Dave O'Brien), arrives to investigate the murders and immediately falls for the Heath daughter, Mary (Suzanne Kaaren).  Of more importance is Johnny's photographer, One-Shot (Donald Kerr) who falls for the Heath's French maid, Maxine (Yolande Donlan).

Maxine is quite a sultry dame, especially in her French maid's costume.  One-Shot takes some alluring pics of her.  Back to the story.  The cops are mystified as no one wants to believe a monster bat is committing the murders even though Mary witnessed one of them.  Even worse, everyone in town trusts Dr. Carruthers .  Johnny isn't from town, however, and is immediately suspicious of the doctor.  As Dr. Carruthers continues giving out his version of Hai Karate more and more people end up with their necks ripped out.  Johnny and One-Shot seek to protect Mary and the nubile and sultry Maxine.  Now Dr. Carruthers understands that Johnny is a threat to him, and that Mary, being a Heath, must be murdered. Dr. Carruthers makes more giant bats, and Johnny comes up with a plan.

Will Maxine and Mary, the servant and the lady of the house, end up in a catfight which will serve as a metaphor for class struggle? No, of course not, this is a Bela Lugosi horror film!  Will Johnny be able to save Mary from the fangs of the giant bat?  Will Dr. Carruthers escape justice and finish his quest for revenge against the two wealthy families?  This is a good one and often overshadowed by more well known films done by Bela Lugosi.  For some nice horror, allure, and creepy sets, see "The Devil Bat." 

Return to Horror High, George Clooney and Maureen McCormick Covered in Blood

Back when this film was released in 1987, audiences may have been annoyed by it. Today, however, it is so much fun. For one, we look back at Marcia-Marcia-Marcia, Maureen McCormick, with fondness and now get to see her as a babe nymphomaniac-sadistic policewoman in uniform covered in blood. I know, we always hoped she would chop up Alice and bathe in her blood, but that old TV show never gave us that. Oh, George Clooney, also clad as a uniformed policeman, before he was George Clooney, is fun to see. Buckets of blood, dozens of severed limbs and heads, and much disembowelment highlight our feature today, "Return to Horror High," directed by Bill Froehlich.

A few years ago a massacre at Crippin High left many a sultry and hunk highschooler in pieces. A few years later, producer Harry Sleerik (Alex Rocco) brings a crew to the site to film a movie about it. The killer was never caught. Josh (Scott Jacoby), the director, wants to make a Stanley Kubrick-type film, but the budget just isn't there for that. The film will star Oliver (Clooney) as the cop who responded to this mess. He'll be chopped up pretty quickly leaving the actual cop, Steve (Brendan Hughes) as a fill-in. Now it should be mentioned the film actually opens with all the film crew in pieces on the front lawn of the school as the police chief (Pepper Martin) and Officer Tyler (McCormick) put the pieces together, limb by limb. Tyler is fantastic as she tries to seduce the chief in all her movement, even covered in blood.

Back to the previous day...what happened?  The female lead is Callie (Lori Lethin) and she will don three roles here.  She plays a nubile high school babe who has many locker room, seduction, and rape scenes. She objects to this and producer Harry muses, "Damn actresses, I shoulda made an animated horror film!" During filming Steve and Callie get close as members of the cast and crew start getting shredded or cut up.  Callie and Steve will have pre-marital sex, figure out the killer is back, and try to find out who it is. Suspects are numerous and all signs point to the killer being a member of the crew or cast. As Callie is put in great peril, in the movie, and in the movie within the movie, sometimes it is hard to figure out which one is which. Nudity, gore, and an alluring Maureen McCormick as a frisky cop in uniform will keep us guessing and interested.

Could either Steve or Callie be the killer?  Will the blood-crazed Marcia Brady, I mean Officer Tyler emerge as the killer?  Are every member of the crew and cast really dead or is there something else going on here?  Fans of 1980s horror and slasher films will love this one, though probably would not have back in the day.  For a different way to look at Marcia Brady, see "Return to Horror High" and then binge-watch "The Brady Bunch" with a different mindset.

Slow Burn, A 100% AI Horror Film by B. Harrison Smith

Here! Now!  Not at the end of the decade.  Not by 2025's end.  Not by Christmas. Now...or maybe in the next 4-6 weeks, to be exact.  So what is here? Maybe the biggest labor/collective bargaining  issue to hit the film industry ever.  The Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) better smarten up. A full length AI movie is the subject of this blog today. It also just happens to be a terrifying horror film.  I know...no need for actors anymore! That is the first thing, I'm sure, moviemaker B. Harrison Smith hears.  Then he has to deal with the criticism that all the human element of this art form is taken out.  Yep, the HAL 9000 will make all our movies. Today we are going to look at "Slow Burn" and answer the myths and fears, mostly voiced by those comfortable in today's status quo. 

To quote Mr. Smith, "This is not about replacing human creativity or 'stealing' art.  It's about exploring what happens when you merge human vision with machine capability. I wrote the original script, and AI is the brush I'm painting with to direct it. People once feared CGI, color and talking films, too."  How many of you remember the 1952 musical "Singin' in the Rain"?  The Gene Kelly musical is set in 1925 and explores Hollywood's fears when the first talkie was released, "The Jazz Singer." An entire industry of silent film makers and actors knew they would all be out of work.  Initially, however, the thought was we did not need talkies and no one would pay to see them. The years went by and Hollywood stayed put. Actors stayed put, or most of them. Musical scores were enhanced and composers were elevated in status on the movie set.  Over all, the introduction of talkies in 1927 did so much good for what we call Hollywood.

"Slow Burn," is less festive and cheerful than "Singin' in the Rain," but Mr. Smith makes horror films. Bob Fosse isn't around anymore to do this with a musical.  This grim and ominous story features a hunk 22-yaer old named Michael, and a sultry college dame named Riley (I maintain she looks just like Denise Richards of the early 1990s).  The director has describe it as "The Last American Virgin" as a horror film.  I saw elements of "Twin Peaks," some Stephen King plot devices, a "John Carpenter's Halloween" type setting, and a contemporary horror element that could spell the doom for many a young person. Irony, satire, and some sweet homages are all blended in to get under your skin.  I also saw the brutal train crash when the America from 10 or 20 years ago crashes into the reality of a 22 year old community college kid with little hope at success and fame in a world steeped in its own versions of castes.  Madness!  Sexual frustration, and or satisfaction!  Edgar Allan Poe views toward the female sex! Throw in motifs from those old Boris Karloff films, and we actually have a creepy and disturbing horror film... AI or no AI.

"Slow Burn" will not be the feel-good-film of 2025.  There are no humorous moments to relieve the tension.  In viewing this film you will fall into an abyss that has you plunging into more and more terror the longer you fall. I will say, from the slasher films I was raised on in the early 80s, "Slow Burn" also may be a morality tale.  No spoilers here, you'll see...eventually.

Oh, remember Lauren-Marie Taylor, the babe from "Friday the 13th: Part 2"?  She's in this.  So all of you that say actors and actresses will be forced out...just ask Ms. Taylor.  As Mr. Smith fine tunes this film, the ability to recognize it as AI diminishes.  I do have to say, does anything about Gary Busey look real when he is in a film?  Do the laser blasts at the end of the original "Star Wars" film look anywhere near real? Just saying.

To not neglect the human element, let's chat about some of the great actors and actresses we love seeing when we go to the movies.  Are they going to be gone?  Fair question. If they are, the filmmakers will do that exclusion at their own peril. B. Harrison Smith has been able to cast some of our favorite actors and actresses in his past films.  Here are just some of them: Sarah French, Barbara Crampton, Kane Hodder, Tony Todd, Cloris Leachman, Tara Reid, Dee Wallace, Sid Haig, Gunnar Hansen, and Debbie Rochon to name just a few.  You will see the likes of Mr. Smith still using this talent, as if they didn't, they would not continue in this industry.  By the way, the pics interlaced in this entry are all from Mr. Smith's AI creation "Slow Burn." 

So what has to happen to make the entry into the AI world of filmmaking nice and smooth? The Union (Screen Actor's Guild and a few others) and the execs need a smart discussion of Name, Image, and Likeness agreements.  Unlike what is going on in college football, there is so much opportunity here for so many to flourish, not just the 120 actors and actresses on the so-called "A-List."  Greed will be a killer, however learning from the mistakes of those who went before you will be a great teacher.  Also, the geeks who do code or bring in the AI technology cannot be unsupervised or let loose to their own devices. The writer, the player (actor or actress), the guy who does the score and music, all have to bring this tech guy along.  The right brain will need a synergy with the left brain.  Remember the scene in "The Right Stuff" when the astronauts insisted the German scientists put a window in the space-capsule?

In 1969 we were all glued in front of our television sets watching man land on the moon, not dogs or monkeys.  There was discussion about just keeping space travel for dogs and monkeys...even President Kennedy said "no way" to that. In the realm of AI, the types of films made will run the spectrum. In either case, to make the film palatable to moviegoers, we do need the Debbie Rochon not an almost perfect facsimile of her.  This is not a plea decrying AI, but rather a plea to continue the improvements and enhancements made with it.

Trying to keep this entry fairly brief, I will end by saying AI is more than what you imagine it is.  Will this be the type of AI that helps cure pediatric cancer, or the Type of AI that has cashiers, and waitresses laid off?  This film, "Slow Burn," took great human effort by a filmmaker, writer, actors and actresses, and yes, a guy to grade the color, etc.  I'm leaving out a lot.  More jobs!  More movies!  More talent being able to make livings in the movies, not just the top 1%.  When "Slow Burn" is available to you, see it!  It is scary and gritty, and an example of how the horror experience can be enhanced by inevitable technology.