Cool News
AICN HORROR: New Horrors - HOLD THE MAYO Short Film, Chicago indie THE INTERROGATION, found-footage DOCUMENTING THE GREY MAN, schlock-tastic NIGHTBEAST, more fun than it should be DINOCROC VS SUPERGATOR & the best shark film since Jaws –THE REEF!!!
Greetings, all. Ambush Bug here with another AICN HORROR: ZOMBIES & SHARKS column. We’ve got another batch of new, indie and rereleased horrors this week as I continue to prepare for SDCC 2011. I’ll be publishing a full rundown of my escapades at San Diego Comic Con this year, but below are the panels I’ll be taking part in, if you’re curious.
And now let’s get on with the show. Enjoy!
(Click title to go directly to the feature)
HOLD THE MAYO Short Film (2011)
THE INTERROGATION (2011)
DOCUMENTING THE GREY MAN (2011)
NIGHTBEAST (1982)
DINOCROC VS SUPERGATOR (2010)
THE REEF (2010)
And finally…THE INSANE (2008)!
HOLD THE MAYO Short Film
Directed by Jeffrey WilliamsWritten by Jeffrey Williams
Starring Damian Samuels, Saul Herckis
This short film is touring festivals at the moment. Be sure to follow the HOLD THE MAYO Facebook Page to find out when and where you can see it! And on the HOLD THE MAYO Website here!
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Hold The Mayo - teaser trailer from Jeffrey Williams on Vimeo.
THE INTERROGATION (2011)
Directed by Kevin Edward EppersonWritten by Kevin Edward Epperson
Starring Nick Bender, Arch Harmon, Dave Mills, Derek "Pretty Boy" Dow and introducing Kayli Fawbush
Find out when and where you can see THE INTERROGATION on the film’s Facebook Page here!
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
I was blown away with this little indie film from my home town of Chicago. THE INTERROGATION focuses mainly on a young man accused of a crime and being held in a holding room of sorts. Soon a game of cat and mouse is being played between the interrogator and the interrogatee. Throughout this film, I found myself flip flopping numerous times about who is the real victim of this story. In the end, my suspicions were correct, but the ride to get to the conclusion of this film was definitely an impressive one.
DOCUMENTING THE GREY MAN (2011)
Directed by Wayne CappsWritten by Wayne Capps
Starring Patrick Hussion, Kelly Coulter and Jillian Walzer
Find out when and where you can check out DOCUMENTING THE GREY MAN here!
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
As I said before, there are scenes in DOCUMENTING THE GREY MAN that almost immediately make you realize that this isn’t actual footage. The film starts out with the entire crew sitting at a table. The lead “investigator” has set up cameras around the table, but the scene makes a series of cuts and close-ups that would require an additional cameraman to accomplish. Another scene occurs as the investigators are walking up to the home to meet the family for the first time that could not have been shot by anyone in the crew. These tiny blips in the logic shot me out of the film; luckily there are some extremely effective scenes that pulled me back in.
Most of the performances in DOCUMENTING THE GREY MAN are pretty good. The holes in logic aside, there were scenes in this film that had my hairs raising. Though not the best in found footage horror, DOCUMENTING THE GREY MAN does have some moments of sheer horror. This is a can’t miss for fans of GHOST HUNTERS and other ghost investigator series on TV. You can find out when and where you can check out DOCUMENTING THE GREY MAN here!
NIGHTBEAST (1982)
Directed by Don DohlerWritten by Don Dohler
Starring Tom Griffith, Jamie Zemarel, Karen Kardian, George Stover, Don Liefert
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
DINOCROC VS SUPERGATOR (2010)
Directed by Jim WynorskiWritten by Jim Wynorski, Mike Maclean
Starring Keith Carradine, James C. Burns, John Callahan, Lisa Clapperton
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Oh yeah, and David Carradine is in it too, which automatically makes it cool.
THE REEF (2010)
Directed by Andrew TrauckiWritten by Andrew Traucki, James M. Vernon
Starring Damian Walshe-Howling, Gyton Grantley, Adrienne Pickering, Zoe Naylor, Kieran Darcy-Smith
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
I hate director Andrew Traucki for making such an effective shark film. He pulls out all of the stops, taking full advantage of the fear of what’s below the surface of the water, focusing most of the time on the fearful faces of the humans bobbing above water. Traucki cleverly uses the limitation that only one of the swimmers possesses a diving mask to look and see what’s swimming around down there. The audience only sees the flurry of shark activity underwater when Walshe-Howling does when he bobs underwater. By doing this, the viewer, much like the rest of the three swimmers are blind most of the time, only knowing what terror brews beneath in the splash filled frantic scans Walshe-Howling witnesses with the goggles. It’s a clever way to manipulate the viewer and I fell for it every damn time.
And finally…with every waking moment of my life being overcome with SDCC 2011 plans lately, here’s the winner for the 2008 Comic Con Short Film Competition called THE INSANE! Enjoy!
See ya, next week, folks!
Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, original @$$Hole / wordslinger / reviewer / co-editor of AICN Comics for over nine years. Support a Bug by checking out his comics (click on the covers to purchase)!
Check out THE DEATHSPORT GAMES’ Facebook Page
Readers Talkback
comments powered by Disqus-
+ Expand All
-
They sound similar, and I found Open Water tedious (never saw the sequel).
-
There was a sequel?
-
is Great White. Look for it online and prepare to laugh your ass off.
-
I've been trolling the bad movie bin my whole life and I have yet to find one that outdoes Nightbeast. I've seen this movie more than Star Wars and have it memorized better than Ghostbusters or The Big Lebowski. The sex scene in this movie is the most laughable ever put to film and I say that without hyperbole. Making movies as a teenager with my buddies, more ideas were stolen from this film than any other. Plan 9 and Troll 2 ain't got nuttin' on Nightbeast. By the way, a young J.J. Abrams did the music.
-
The guys over at "Reserve Productions" are really starting to get things going. They have another feature length movie called "The Ripping" in production right now and it is looking FANTASTIC! I was able to see some of the rough-cut footage from it and was impressed to say the least. Thanks to EVERY ONE OF YOU who support independent movie makers like Wayne Capps and his staff!
-
paid theater money to see Open Water and it sucked ass.
-
An extremely tense movie. The 'turtle' scene is awesome.
-
I have to see this one. 2010? I have not seen it anywhere. I am a freediving/spearfishing enthusiast and do about 4 dives a week in water that has about 10 ft. of visibility. Occasionally a seal will suddenly pop up and check me out or you will just see a ghostly shape just at the edge of the gloom. But, this is the pacific NW and other than Killer Whales and California Sea Lions, we dont get much if any reports of big sharks like the White. We do have primitive 6 gill sharks, but they are deep and only come up to the shallows at night. Love love love JAWS and been waiting for another good shark flick. OPEN WATER was pretty good, but other than that, there really has not been one, and no, DEEP BLUE SEA does not count.
-
and even as kids we were laughing our asses off and out the double doors.
-
July 15, 2011, 12:45 p.m. CST
found footage - along with zombies - needs ten years off
by IWasInJuniorHighDickhead
to provide some respite. I love the zombie genre, and I find the 'found footage' genre to be quite effective on occasion, but now I hear them mentioned and I immediately lose interest because there are just too many of them about now and they feel derivative. <P> Also, i'd say if your film is a 'found footage' film, then you can't cheat and have film that doesn't fit within the confines that you yourself have set. It implies that you're not taking your work seriously and that you are making it for the gimmick. If it can't be made within that format then just remove that aspect of it or rewrite your damn story.
-
When you see it, you'll shit bricks.
-
is the orca (killer whale). An orca can take a great white and rip it apart for yummies in no time at all (and they have done this).
-
July 15, 2011, 1:25 p.m. CST
I live on a small island in the North Atlantic
by IWasInJuniorHighDickhead
we're too cold to have great whites, but we have basking sharks, and jesus christ you will shit your pants if you're in sixty feet of murky water and one of these approaches. They're more than thirty feet long and look fucking scary, even though they only eat plankton. It's the eyes, with sharks. If they just had Alien-like smooth domes for heads they'd be (marginally) less scary.
-
I was going to say New York Nicks Patrick Ewing, but I figured the comparison would get me into trouble. Oops, I guess I done it now!!!
-
I like the cut of your jib, sir.
-
July 15, 2011, 5:41 p.m. CST
Open Water did nothing for me...but The Reef looks scary as fuck.
by Cheif Brody
I'm all for another scary shark movie that doesn't have the word JAWS in the title....or "remake" in the synopsis.
-
I know I'm about a week behind on this, but I took up your suggestion from last week's column and watched "Red, White and Blue" on Netflix Instant. Tremendous film. Raw, savage, and somehow heartbreaking despite the fact that pretty much every character in the film is a scumbag. *MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW* Its just a credit to the director and the cast that they make you actually kind of root for a sociopath who tortures animals and children and a slut who willingly and intentionally gives men HIV. It is a movie that has stuck with me, and I've already turned 3 or 4 other people on to it. We all come up with the same question, though... What is the implication of the title? I'm assuming its just supposed to be a scathing indictment and Americana's lowest common denominator(after all, the director is from England, I believe). I'd be interested to hear other peoples' takes on that.
-
Yes, there's an "Open Water 2," and I blame a bored, drunken night and the IFC channel for me ever having watched it. It has a few "name" cast members, including Eric Dane, but its mind-numbingly terrible. Essentially a bunch of idiot turds go for a dip and can't get back onto the boat(i'm not kidding). And, one of the dumb idiot turds left their baby on the boat to boot. Now, obviously, you'd worry about the mortal peril that a baby would be in if it were left stranded on a boat by itself. Except the baby in the movie is probably the fattest baby i've ever seen. It looks like an adolescent Rosie O'Donnell. That baby probably could've lived off of its own blubber for 6 to 8 weeks, so there was really no rush. I need to see "The Reef." I'm the type of idiot that will subject myself to just about any shark movie out there(all hail "Sharks in Venice"!), but its been many o' moons since I've seen a good one.
-
July 15, 2011, 9:04 p.m. CST
surprised no one has metion "the Insane" seems very Nolan-like
by future help
very Christopher Nolan.
-
Deeply, deeply afraid. Thanks for the heads up on THE REEF, Bug. My favourite JAWS-like, so far, is ROGUE. Sure, it's about a crocodile, but crocodiles are kind of like sharks, except they can go on land. Great, great monster film, plus early Sam Worthington. Directed by the dude who did WOLF CREEK. I guess crocs are mildly less scary, even giant ones, because on land, you're in your element, so more options. Sharks can always swim better than you.
-
on my PS3,worth a rent after that review because nothing and i mean NOTHING scares me like a shark.Jaws fucked my head at a tender young age. The power of cinema.
-
with the coat and the tie....
-
..not even seen a fucking shark yet and i'm bricking it.
-
Scary as fuck,well acted,directed and a lesson in suspense.
-
I was curious about RED WHITE & BLUE's title as well. Going to have to give it some thought, but I always attributed it to an unblinking gaze at REAL America without the patriotic stuff. The lead is also supposed to be an honorably discharged vet, so I'm sure that has something to do with it.
-
I look at Night Beast. Crappy budget, bad actors, but still you have a form of entertainment there. you can't do that nowadays as if you really need a budget and it can't be bellow 20 millions. And then you have no budgets that is essentialy a dude with friends and a camera and it cost 5 bucks and it's unwatchable. Whatever happened to low-budget genre flicks that are low but are not two guys and a cam?
-
should shorten his name to Damian Howling and only do horror movies
Top Talkbacks
- Spoilery early review of MAN OF STEEL!! -- 112 total posts 80 posts
- Holy Crossover!! Magneto’s Boy Quicksilver To Speed About In Whedon’s AVENGERS 2 And Singer’s X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST?? -- 242 total posts 30 posts
- That rumor about Sony selling SPIDER-MAN? Don't you believe it for a second! -- 443 total posts 15 posts
- Ron Howard's latest trailer sure is a RUSH!!! -- 41 total posts 12 posts
- So where is FAST AND FURIOUS 7 going to take place!?! -- 95 total posts 8 posts
- Green-Band and Red-Band trailers for the new Jason Sudeikis & Jennifer Aniston VACATION ripoff, WE'RE THE MILLERS are here!! -- 100 total posts 8 posts
- Lance Henriksen On HANNIBAL!! Ruffalo On KIMMEL!! New WIPEOUT & ANGER!! The Premieres Of SAVE ME And HAVE TO GO!! AMERICAN BIBLE CHALLENGE And GOING TO HELL Finales!! Herc’s Thursday TV Talkback!! -- 21 total posts 5 posts
- Next on the Reboot assemblyline? TIMECOP!! -- 146 total posts 4 posts
- Papa Vinyard thinks that HANGOVER: PART III was a paycheck grab for a buncha people who are already rich!! -- 179 total posts 4 posts
- Please Don't Scream At The New Trailer For Elijah Wood's MANIAC...You're So Beautiful!! -- 34 total posts 3 posts

