A Cult Above the Rest: “The Sacrament” (2013) Movie Review

Slasher StudiosSacrament

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When The House of the Devil was released in 2009, Ti West instantly became the go-to guy for quality, independent horror. The film was well shot, brilliantly executed, and featured a powerful performance in the form of Jocelin Donahue. The film was nothing less than the a revelation. Many horror reviewers, myself included, heralded him as the next big superstar of the genre. In the five years since that film’s release, West’s projects have ranged from quality (I maintain my strong support for the underrated Cabin Fever 2, even if West himself hates it) to the entertaining-yet-flawed (The Innkeepers) to the flat out terrible (V/H/S, I’m looking at you here). Now West is back with a new project, The Sacrament. Does it live up to the lofty ambitious of Devil or does it fall flat on its face like many of the stories in V/H/S? Let’s join the cult and find out.

As The Sacrament begins, we meet Patrick (Kentucker Audley), a young fashion photographer who is preparing a trip to meet his sister Caroline (Amy Seimetz). Caroline has left a drug rehabilitation program to stay at Eden Parish, a commune away from the rest of the world. Joined by his friends Sam (AJ Bowen) and Jake (Joe Swanberg), journalists who hope to get a story out of the trip, the three of them head off to visit Caroline. The details are vague and what they are about to discover is something that will change their lives forever. To go any further into the details wouldn’t wreck the mystery of this story, and it is one that you want to go in with an open mind. When it is all said and done, don’t be surprised if you are left with more questions than answers.

The Sacrament is the rare beast when it comes to indie filmmaking. The sort of raw approach to otherwise familiar territory is welcome here. After months of bitching about the found footage movement, here is a movie that not only uses found footage to tell its story but also uses it to enhance some very grim visuals. When this film was over, I found myself shaking with nervousness and anxiety. This film stuck with me and there are many individual scenes that I won’t soon forget. Without giving too much away, there is a scene with Patrick and Caroline in the final act that is so heartbreakingly real, that I couldn’t bare to look at the screen. West holds it all in one continuous take until the audience simply cannot stand it anymore. That, in essence, describes the entire film.

4

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Indie Horror Review: “13 Eerie” (2013)

Slasher Studios*Horror

13EERIE

The new Canadian horror zombie movie “13 Eerie” stars Canadian horror legend Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, American Mary, Hannibal). The film follows a group of forensic science student who are taken on a weekend long field trip. Their professor has set them up to deal with real corpses for the first time for examination. But as the day turns to night a few of the students start noticing strange things in the woods and hear strange noises. As their walky talkys (which are the only means of communication) begin to cut out, the groups are left isolated. Little do they know they will be faced with deadly undead corpses thirsty for fresh meat to feed on.

This movie was a pleasant and shocking surprise. After not hearing much about this movie and what was being said about it was negative – I was a little hesitant in watching it. However being a fan of Katharine Isabelle, I knew she wouldn’t let me down. Although this is in no way the best zombie movie ever made, it is still a very decent and highly recommended. There was never any point that I felt bored or let down. At times the acting was slightly off but it was easy to look past it as it wasn’t taking anything away from the film.

Although I was not thrown too much by the jump scares (as there were not many but were handled very well) I found myself feeling uneasy at the tension building suspense in the film and throw out there was an over whelming sense of isolation which made the film very interesting. Gore hounds will very much enjoy this film as there is great shots of gore and blood in this film, and with it being released in the UK as an 18 it was no surprise. I wanted to see more though in the film. I felt that there were a few scenes that were overkill in the cheese factor but overall I very much enjoyed it and would definitely give it a watch again come Halloween time.

The film was released on April 14th 2014 by Mertodome films in the UK. It is out in the US on DVD and Blu-Ray.

–Ross Wilcock

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Auditions Begin For Slasher Studios’ Next Feature, “Dismembering Christmas”

Slasher Studios*Dismembering Christmas

dismemberingchristmas

We want YOU to audition for our next slasher feature, Dismembering Christmas. We have a list of roles as well as character descriptions below. Here’s the deal, if you are interested in auditioning for a role, please send us an email at [email protected] and let us know what role(s) you would like to try out for. We will have some character sides sent to you within a few days and you will have until June 15th to send us a video audition. We hope to make our final casting decisions by June 30th. Dismembering Christmas will be tentatively filming the second and third weeks of January 2015 IF we raise our budget goal on Kickstarter this summer. Any questions? Let’s have a bloody Christmas to dismember!!

For “teen” roles, we are looking for actors between the ages of 18-25 or actors that can reasonably pull off the look of a graduating teenager.

Make sure to like the film on Facebook for updates:
Dismembering Christmas Facebook


Character roles available:

Sam (lead role), age 17. Our lead: strong and resourceful, she is independent and very free willed. She takes her life and her friends very seriously and is willing to do whatever it takes to prove how strong she can be.

Justin (lead role), age 17. Nerdish, boy-next-door with a playful sense of humor. The runt of the group, he is often the target of a easy joke but takes it all in stride.

Emma (supporting role), age 17. Smart and sassy with a hell of a sarcastic tone. She is independent and isn’t afraid to speak her mind with a little bit of an edge to her words.

Katie (supporting role), age 17. Mark’s girlfriend and living the high life of dating the richest and most popular boy in their small down. Is unsure of her future with Mark but wants to push him to take it to the “next step.”

Mark (supporting role), age 18. Rich kid in town. Hasn’t had to work for anything in life but wants a chance to prove himself. Nice and dependable, he’s also got a bit of a playful side to him as well.

Lauren (supporting role), age 18. Slightly prissy but good natured city girl who hates the country life as much as it hates her. She dreams on going off to college in the big city and never looking back.

Travis (supporting role), age 18. Jockish and naive but not dumb, Travis is the typical small town football player with a good head on his shoulders but cares more about sports and girls than he does about anything else.

Lt. Fuller (supporting role), age 30’s-40’s. Buy-the-book hard nosed cop. Doesn’t want any trouble and willing to do whatever it takes to keep the piece.

Shopkeeper (supporting role), age 30’s-50’s. Redneck hillbilly who owns the local gas station.

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Sci-Fi B-Movie Fun: “They Came From the Ether” (2014)

Slasher StudiosThey Came From the Ether

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Are you a fan of the classic 1950’s b&w sci-fi B-movie features? Then grab your popcorn and and get ready for, “They Came From The Ether.” In this film, we meet up with our main character John. He is a failure as a door-to-door salesman and a magnet for bad luck. After a strange meeting with an alien life-form, John returns to his sales job with some amped technology. Will his luck turn around or will his new “friend” get the best of him?

This 90 minute film comes from the mind of James Pronath. James wears many hats as he steps up to the plate as director, writer and editor. With a very distinct vision if there ever was one, Pronath executes this film with precision. The black and white picture and classic science fiction score creates a fun film that harkens back to the movies of yesteryear.

The cheesy effects will give you a smile and a handful of the actors will widen that smile even more. Linnea Quigley, Judith O’Dea and Christopher D. Fisher as John, are all a warm welcome to the story. The quality of the actors has a definite eb and flow, but everything blends into a unique mesh of goodness. A few scenes may run a bit long, but the overall production value is solid with good looking cinematography and decent direction. If you come across this little gem, take a trip back in time and enjoy, “They Came From The Ether.”

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Slasher Rewatch: “The House on Sorority Row” (1983)

Slasher Studios*Slasher Rewatch

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As part of a new segment at Slasher Studios, each we will be taking a look at a slasher we reviewed years ago to see how our opinion might or might not have changed over the years. Today we are looking at the 1983 slasher classic “House on Sorority Row.” When I first reviewed it back in January 2012, I was mixed (you can read my full review HERE) on my reaction to the movie.

What I said:
“The House on Sorority Row” is an interesting addition to the slasher genre. Interesting in the way that for everything I really enjoyed about this film, I can think of at least something that I also didn’t felt worked at all. The prank, as stated before, is so badly directed that I had no idea what was even happening let alone what the prank was supposed to be. Also, it is hard to hate Mrs. Slater as she is only given two scenes before she is killed off. Also, speaking of killed of…how are the deaths here? Sadly, fairly lackluster. Yes, my fellow slasher fans, this is one of those movies in which almost all of the deaths occur off screen so the heroine can be surprised when she finds her dead friend. Love the reveal of the dead bodies but to do this for ALL of the deaths is a pretty easy way out. That being said, the story is fairly strong and the actresses are all quite good in their roles. If you are a fan of early 80′s revenge/college slasher films, you could do a lot worse than what is on display here. Sadly, it could have also have been a lot better with another rewrite or two.

How I feel now:
Immediately there are several points with my original review that I am either not happy with or that I fully disagree. I mention that the prank is “badly directed” because we have “no idea what the prank is supposed to be.” On a rewatch it was clear that was done intentionally to keep the audience on edge as to what is really supposed to be going on. I didn’t find it badly directed at all. In fact, I think it’s one of the better scenes in the movie. Once element that I am SHOCKED that I never mentioned in my original review was the classic score by Richard Band. It gives every scene a distinct flavor and gets creepier as the film progresses. While I agree that the deaths leave a bit to be desired, they didn’t bother me nearly as much on this viewing. I get that this film was going for more of a classic slasher approach (a’la “Happy Birthday to Me”) and I think I wanted this film to be something that it wasn’t the first time I viewed it. That is a criticism of my review and definitely not the film itself.

Original rating:
2.5

Current rating:
3.5

The film is now available on bluray and can be purchased here: House on Sorority Row [Blu-ray] (widescreen, remastered)

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Slasher Studios Commentary: Friday the 13th (1980)

Slasher Studios*Slasher Studios Commentary

fridaythe13th

BONUS! Our latest commentary is now available to download! Join Kevin Sommerfield and Steve Goltz from Slasher Studios as they provide you commentaries from their favorite horror films from the 80’s and 90’s. It’ll be a bloody good time so get out your favorites and join in on the slasher fun! Today, they take a look at the 1980 slasher hit that redefined the genre: FRIDAY THE 13TH.

Slasher Studios Commentary: Friday the 13th (1980)

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Stephanie Leigh Rose (Don’t Go to the Reunion) Wins Best Actress At Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival

Slasher Studios*Horror

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We want to give a big thank you to everyone out there who checked out Don’t Go to the Reunion at this weekend’s Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival. There were a lot of amazing horror films playing from all over the world and we were honored to be a part of the fest. Don’t Go to the Reunion was nominated for six awards including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Poster, Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Horror Feature. We are pleased to announce that our own Stephanie Leigh Rose took home the award for Best Actress. Thank you to the incredible fest and all the loyal indie horror fans out there. Slashers will never die thanks to you.

If you haven’t yet seen Don’t Go to the Reunion and want to check it out, order your DVD below:


Don’t Go to the Reunion DVD




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Slasher Studios Commentary: “Scream 2” (1997)

Slasher Studios*Slasher Studios Commentary

Our fifth feature length horror commentary is now available to download! Join Kevin Sommerfield and Steve Goltz from Slasher Studios as they provide you commentaries from their favorite horror films from the 80’s and 90’s. It’ll be a bloody good time so get out your favorites and join in on the slasher fun! Today, they take a look at the Wes Craven 1997 smash slasher sequel SCREAM 2.

To download FREE click on the Scream 2 poster below:Scream-2-horror-movies-7096005-1024-768

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Aussie Horror Well Done: “Wolf Creek 2” (2014) Movie Review

Slasher StudiosWolf Creek 2

Mick Taylor (John Jarrett) is back and he’s bigger and badder. The film starts out with young couple Katarina (Shannon Ashlyn) and Rutger (Philippe Klaus) who are traveling in the outback when they cross path with Taylor, unknowing of the fate that will soon find them. It isn’t long before Paul (Ryan Corr) is thrown into the mix and the film becomes a big game of cat and mouse. Will the three travelers become the newest victims of Taylor? Or will they finally be able to outsmart this mad man once and for all?

When the original film was released on Christmas of 2005, it was considered one of the most terrifying and disturbing films in years. Upon seeing it I was left with nothing but boredom and disappointment. However, this sequel was a massive surprise. Unlike the original film, the sequel picks up and never stops. It doesn’t waste an hour developing its characters, it just spends enough time with them before their encounter with Taylor. It definitely has the feel of films like Joy Ride and The Hitcher, because this time there are chase scenes galore (and who doesn’t love a good chase scene?). We are also given characters we actually care about (unlike the first). Especially the character of Paul who uses his intellect to try escape the mad man.

The film also features more kills and more brutality, and easily has the most brutal and cringe worthy beheading I’ve ever seen in horror. And the cherry on top of it all, is the excellent touch of dark humor provided by Taylor who could easily be compared to Freddy Krueger at this point with his twisted humor and sick mind. The acting in the sequel is on-par with the original (I will give the original that much credit that it did have some solid acting). Ryan Corr provides a great performance as our lead character Paul.

The determination and will to survive is shown throughout the film, as is the hints that he gradually becoming unhinged by the events unfolding. His best performance occurs in the scene in Taylor’s lair involving some mind games between the two. Shannon Ashlyn and Philippe Klaus do a decent job as the young and in love couple. They have good chemistry together and they’re believable. Of the two however, Ashlyn really provides the strongest performance as she provides genuine fear and shock. Finally, we have John Jarrett reprising his role as Mick Taylor. And he nails it. We get a sense of his character in the first film, this time around we really get to know his character. Jarrett does an excellent job of showing of the twisted side of Taylor, and excellently delivers the dark humor with perfect timing. We want to hate him for the horrible person he is, but you can’t help but enjoy him at the same time.

Wolf Creek 2 is a massive improvement over the first film that provides great brutality, thrills, and laughs. Once the film picks up, it hooks you and never lets go.

–Cody Landman

3

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