Tormented (2009) Review

Written by guest reviewer Angela Nolan

Director: Jon Wright, Starring: Alex Pettyfer, April Pearson, Dimitri Leonidas, Tuppence Middleton

Let’s be honest. There is nothing too original in the plot of British horror comedy Tormented; after a funeral of a classmate, the ‘popular’ kids start having some particularly violent accidents. However, the movie works despite this because for the most part it knows what it is and doesn’t stray from that.

The actors portray the typical stereotypes expected from a teen slasher movie, two I recognised from Skins so they were probably not really flexing their acting muscles, and personally I don’t see anything wrong with that. These are the characters you expect to see and also the kind of people that you can revel in their death if you so desire.

The film also has a good number of gory deaths, look out for the art room guillotine scene particularly, so it’s a fun ride.  These are also the scenes that provide the most comedy, whether that is intentional or not. The majority of the comedy scenes in the script come from false scares which are enjoyable for a time but there are a few too many of these and they begin to lose their effect.

That brings us to the ending of the film. At this point, the writers decided to play on morals which had not been explored enough throughout so this seems jarring and too deliberate. I am aware that the ending of a film is the hardest part to get right but I felt this one lost its way which was a little disappointing.

So in conclusion, Tormented is a movie I would recommend particularly if you’re in the mood for gore but it does not stand up as well on subsequent viewings.

Tormented gets 3 Stars

Check out the trailer below...

Suck (2009)

As part of disturbingfilms.com's Vampire Week 2012, which runs from July 22 - 28, I'll be reviewing 8 Vampire movies. Yes, that's right, EIGHT, this is my favourite sub-genre! This is the eighth film...

"Let me tell you what I've learnt on my many many travels. Always use a condom and never trust a god damn vampire"

Joey is the lead singer of a band called The Winners. A struggling rock band that's on the road through Canada and the USA with barely a hope for success or fame. The band's manager Jeff doesn't make matters any better due the fact he's completely useless!

At a gig in the Montreal club, the band's performance is watched by a very creepy and scary looking dude. When their set is over, the band's bassist, Jennifer, gets friendly with the scary dude and the bartender tries to give Joey some words of wisdom.

With all the gear packed in the back of the hearse they drive, they're ready to get some sleep, but Jennifer decides to stay out with the scary dude, which doesn't sit well with Joey.

The next evening, the band members, Joey, Tyler, Sam and the roadie Hugo are setting up without any sign of Jennifer. Just as they're about to start the performance without her, she turns up, ready to play, but with something very different about her.

It doesn't take long for the rest of the band to realise that Jennifer is now a vampire, obviously turned by the scary dude from the Montreal club. Hugo knew first though as he's been helping to hide the bodies that Jennifer has drained of blood.

The band's success starts to pick up due to Jennifer's newly found powers and after they stop to cut a new single, they start getting more recognition with the single being played on the radio. So eventually, one by one, the boys all get turned by Jennifer. All except poor old Hugo, as he's still on clean up duty!

While all this is going on, Eddie Van Helsig is hot on their trail, a vampire hunter with a plan for revenge. He's after the scary dude, Queeny, who turned Jennifer. So to get to him, Eddie tracks the band's movements across America. The band become bigger than they imagined, but is the price of success worth all the blood and dead bodies in the end? Doubts start to creep in and as Eddie Van Helsig catches up with them he offers a way out, but only with their help.

"I can explain.....I have a problem"

Rob Stefaniuk manages to make the whole thing work, writing, directing and playing the part of Joey Winner. Jessica Paré plays the two sides of her character well, the plain normal Jennifer and then the beautifully mesmerising vampire Jennifer with a psychotic twist. The legendary Malcolm McDowell's (A Clockwork Orange (1971), Halloween (2007)) character gives the obvious nod to Bram Stoker's Professor Abraham Van Helsing, along Chris Ratz' Hugo which gives reference to Renfield (Dracula's lunatic slave). It even has edited footage of McDowell from O Lucky Man! (1973) in a flashback scene.

In fact, the whole movie is filled with little moments making reference to other movies and musicians. For example: A shot of the band crossing the street is an homage to The Beatles "Abbey Road." Another shot of the band using a Union Jack flag as a blanket is based on The Who's "The Kids Are Alright." In the border station, the first shot is a nod to Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA" and Suck's Rockin' Roger is a take-off of Gremlins' Rockin' Ricky Rialto.

This rock and roll vampire comedy has some cool cameos from some big names, such as Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Moby, Henry Rollins and even Alice Cooper's daughter, Calico Cooper. Then there's Dimitri Coats (Queeny), lead singer of Burning Brides, who have toured with the likes of The White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon, Audioslave and Marilyn Manson.

The movie is all round good fun with some old ideas given a frash original twist. It has a pretty damn cool soundtrack and lots of blood splashing around to keep you entertained throughout. A must watch for fans of the genre.

Suck gets 7/10

Director & Writer - Rob Stefaniuk

The Cast -
Rob Stefaniuk as Joey Winner
Jessica Paré as Jennifer
Paul Anthony as Tyler
Mike Lobel as Sam
Chris Ratz as Hugo
Dave Foley as Jeff
Malcolm McDowell as Eddie Van Helsig
Iggy Pop as Victor
Alice Cooper as Bartender
Moby as Beef
Henry Rollins as Rockin' Roger
Dimitri Coats as Queeny

Check out this director's cut trailer below, that doubles as the Burning Brides 'Flesh And Bone' music video...

Blood: The Last Vampire (2009)

As part of disturbingfilms.com's Vampire Week 2012, which runs from July 22 - 28, I'll be reviewing 8 Vampire movies. Yes, that's right, EIGHT, this is my favourite sub-genre! This is the third film...


The story goes...
"In the 16th century, the savage Onin war reduced Japan to a massive feeding ground. Assuming human forms, Demons settled in amongst mortals to prey on the bloodshed.

A fearless samurai named Kiyomasa rose from the heart of evil and became the most revered demon hunter, only to be brutally slain by the oldest, vilest of all demons: Onigen.

Centuries past. Darkness reigns on. Then, a mysterious hunter emerged, joining forces with a shadow society known as the council, she sets out to face her ultimate foe...
ONIGEN."





Our heroine, Saya, is on a train. Not alone in the carriage, she eyes a nervous looking man reading a newspaper.

As the lights begin to flash, the man stands up and heads away from Saya so she starts chasing the man down the carriage. She soon catches him up, draws a katana and slices the man in half as easy as a hot knife through butter. The train stops at an underground station, as Saya steps off she is met by federal agents and a clean up crew. Mission complete!

It's the early '70s, Tokyo Japan, Agent Michael Harrison works for the Council, an unofficial shadow company within the CIA. He looks after Saya, as she works loosely with the organisation, providing her with blood as she is half human-half vampire. Older than all the Council put together, Saya is a highly skilled vampire hunting samurai with one objective in mind, finding Onigen, and exacting her revenge on the oldest of all vampires. Along the way Saya works with Council tracking and killing other vampires.

Her next mission to pose as a student in a school on an American army base in Tokyo. Alice, a fellow student and daughter of General McKee, gets caught in the cross fire. In an attempt to cover the situation, Luke, another Council member, goes a step too far which leaves Saya and Alice to fend for themselves. After chasing a vampire to the country side, Saya realises she's closer to finding Onigen. But can she complete her quest and protect her friend Alice without any more innocent bloodshed?

"You think the more demons you kill the more human you become"

The movie is an adaption of the anime Manga film from 2000. Although set in Japan, it's an English dialog film apart from one scene. It takes it's influence from traditional Japanese / Chinese martial arts films, with a lot of wire work and well choreographed fight scenes. Jun Ji-hyun plays the lead extremely well and shows off her excellent sword skills. Without the vampire story, this could be an amazing samurai movie in it's own rights.

There's lots of blood splatter, although it's CGI, it looks great along side the sword action. The special effects and make up work are solid. The action scenes are second to none. Saying that, there is a scene that is very similar to one in Underworld: Evolution (2006)!

This is a high octane action horror from start to finish with some stunning visual effects that will keep you glued to the scene. Both horror and martial arts fans alike will enjoy this film!

Blood: The Last Vampire gets 8/10

Director - Chris Nahon
Writer - Chris Chow

The Cast -
Jun Ji-hyun as Saya Otonashi
Allison Miller as Alice McKee
Masiela Lusha as Sharon
JJ Feild as Luke
Koyuki as Onigen
Yasuaki Kurata as Kato Takatora
Larry Lamb as General McKee
Andrew Pleavin as Frank Nielsen
Michael Byrne as Elder
Colin Salmon as Powell
Liam Cunningham as Michael Harrison
Ailish OConnor as Linda
Constantine Gregory as Mr. Henry

Check out the trailer below...

Dead Hooker in a Trunk (2009)

With the release of American Mary not too far away, I thought I'd better get my ass in gear and watch the Twisted Twins' debut film.

After a night out in a bar, three girls known simply as Badass, Junkie and Geek, head out to pick up Geek's friend, Goody Two Shoes.

Badass is, well, what it says on the tin, a fucking badass! She's hard as nails and impulsive, never quite on the right side of control but without ever really losing that control.
Her sister, Geek, is distant and they don't really mix well together as their personalities are at the opposite ends of the scale.
Junkie is the a chaotic rock star and good friends with Badass.
Then we have the very pleasant bible bashing, Jesus loving, weak stomached Goody Two Shoes, friend of Geek.


After being stuck in the car for a while with no real destination in mind, Badass yanks the car over as there's a rotten smell. They all get out of the car and move round to the trunk. Upon opening the trunk up, to their surprise they discover a dead body, surrounded by drugs!

Badass and Junkie got so wasted the night before, they can't remember if they had anything to do with the dead hooker or not, so in a blink of an eye, Badass decides that they should dump the body without even thinking about why, what or when, much to do disapproval of her sister.

The events that follow leads the four of them to unimaginable violence as they are being followed and attacked by various assailants. So the group has to put aside their differences to dispose of the body before they're next. Between the cops, drug dealers, a serial killer and a cowboy, it's becomes a fight for survival as they try to bury the dead hooker and possibly find out who she is and the truth behind her death.

When watching a movie that's a director / writer's first time effort, most of time you can tell and pick a shed load of faults and even think of ways to improve the movie. But with a taste of Grindhouse exploitation, the Twisted Twins, Jen & Sylvia Soska's debut feature became an instant cult classic and it's not hard to see why.

If I had to be picky, there's no Oscar winning performances here and the story has a couple of holes. But, as a whole, these two things bare no consequence on the end result. In fact, this move has flashes of genius and I couldn't help but smile as I thought to myself "What we have here is a new force to be reckoned with within the horror genre!"

I watch a lot of shit and a lot of the time it's Indie horrors that quite simply give the genre a bad name. But once in a while something comes along and stands out because of it's refreshing taste it leaves you with. This is one of those movies.

Some of the cinematography is beautifully put together and the score and soundtrack screams creativity and superiority. Parts of this film reminded me of certain scenes from other movies, like Taratino's Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects (2005).

If you like your horror in the style of exploitation and want to see something original, plus lots of blood, then I highly recommend giving this a go. I see a very bright future ahead of the Jen & Sylvia Soska and that also includes the genre as a whole where these pair are involved. Bring on American Mary! In my humble opinion, the Twisted Twins are up there with Matt Farnsworth (The Orphan Killer 2011) as the leaders of the new school in horror.

Dead Hooker in a Trunk gets 7/10.

Follow Jen & Sylvia Soska on twitter @twisted_twins and check out their facebook page.

Directors & Writers - Jen & Sylvia Soska

The Cast -

Jen Soska as Geek

Sylvia Soska as Badass
Rikki Gagne as Junkie
C.J. Wallis as Goody Two Shoes
Tasha Moth as Hooker
John Tench as Cowboy Pimp

Check out the trailer below...

The Loved Ones (2009)

The cast -
Xavier Samuel as Brent Mitchell
Victoria Thaine as Holly
Robin McLeavy as Lola Stone "Princess"
John Brumpton as Daddy
Jessica McNamee as Mia
Richard Wilson as Jamie

Director & Writer - Sean Byrne

The plot -
In order to avoid a ghostly figure in the road, high school senior Brent Mitchell wraps his car around a tree, killing his father. Constantly confronted by his mother's emotional collapse after the accident, Brent escapes into a marijuana fuelled world of loud heavy metal music to block the pain and guilt. Dejected and out of sorts, he has a shot at happiness with his girlfriend Holly, a grounded, caring girl with good looks, a dream date for the high school prom. As graduation approaches, Lola Stone, the quietest girl in school, also asks Brent to the prom but is turned down. Hours before the dance and under the glittering light of a disco ball, Brent wakes up to a disturbing and nightmarish sequence of events involving pink satin, glitter, syringes, nails, power drills and a secret admirer. Brent has become the prom king at a macabre, sadistic event where he is the entertainment.

"Bring the hammer, Daddy"

I originally heard about this movie as it appeared in a list of out-of-the-way noteworthy horror movies. So last summer (2011) I got round to watching it. With the recent news of Paramount Pictures picking it up for a theatre release at some point this year, I thought I finally do my review of it!

The story is pretty simple and offers nothing new but but thanks to the creative direction newcomer Sean Byrne took with it, we're given a surprisingly refreshing look at the normally bland psychopathic family sub-genre. The build up to the "prom in the dinning room" is slow paced but once they are sat at the table it all gets crazy.

"You've got 10 seconds to go or Daddy's gonna nail it to the chair"

A majority of this movie is taken place in front of a small dining room table, consisting of the insane Lola, her equally sadistic father, and an older woman simply known as "Bright Eyes", which gives it the most obvious nod to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre dinner scene.

John Brumpton performance as the father isn't the best, but his character's willingness to do whatever it takes to please his daughter and his equally incestuous yearning for her makes him a creepy character.

What makes this movie so enjoyable is Robin McLeavy portrayal of the antagonist Lola. She is possibly one of the meanest and most memorable female villains I've seen from the genre in years. She can go from soft-spoken to yelling repeatedly for Brent to cry after getting knives hammered into his feet in a matter of seconds, all the while still reverting back to her seemingly innocent self. Truly a sight to behold and a perfect performance.

Meanwhile, Brent's friend Jamie has gone to prom with the female outcast of the school, Mia. As it cuts back and forth these scenes really have no reason to be in the movie other than delivering a little light relief and giving the viewer a little more to look at besides poor Brent's violent ordeal with the family.






The effects are practical which provides a decent amount of blood.

It has a good selection of music and moody tunes for the applicable scenes.

The slow-mo camera shots work great with keys scenes and with an exceptionally memorable almost dream-like ending, this little Australian movie is well worth watching.



My overall thoughts? Even though it's not the best horror movie I've seen, I was really impressed with it and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a breath of fresh air from all that low budget crap that floats around and it had an outstanding performance worth mentioning, again, from Robin McLeavy.

The Loved Ones get an I'm loving it 8/10

Check out this TV Spot teaser trailer...