VOD Review: In a Valley of Violence (2016)

"Not a Horror Movie."

Sure, In a Valley of Violence is directed by Ti West, -who has given us some Horror gems like The Innkeepers, House of the Devil, and The Sacrament- and it's bloody and violent enough in places, but this is a pure Western, through and through.

That's alright though, because Westerns are awesome (especially violent ones), and Ti West deserves to be able to branch out into other Genres if he wants to... especially if what comes of said branching out ends up being as enjoyable as In a Valley of Violence was.

In A Valley of Violence opens like many Westerns do, with a mysterious drifter and his faithful dog riding across the plains. In this case, Paul (the drifter) and Abbie (his dog) are hightailing it to Mexico, for a good reason which we wont spoil here. He should have been named Dusty though. Or maybe Sidewinder or something. Paul just doesn't seem very menacing.

THE BEST OF FRIENDS.

Their journey takes a fateful turn when Paul decides to stop off in the ramshackle frontier town of Denton, to re-supply and get him a whiskey. All drifters like whiskey. While trying his best to drink alone and brood, Paul ends up pissing off local deputy Gilly, who is a hot-head, and just so happens to be looking for a fight. After embarrassing Gilly, Paul is ushered out of town by John Travolta, who is both the town's Marshall and Gilly's father. Gilly and his men follow Paul, and do the unthinkable... which sets Paul on a course of bloody revenge.

THIS SON OF A BITCH RIGHT HERE...

Along the way, Paul also makes friends with a teenage innkeeper named Mary-Anne, whose sister just so happens to be Gilly's girlfriend, but since Mary-Anne hates Gilly, she agrees to help Paul get his revenge, but Paul won't let her because he doesn't want to taint her, but she insists and... oh never mind.

Just sit back and enjoy the madness.

WHAT A CUTE COUPLE.

In a Valley of Violence was a gritty western with a humorous bent that entertained the hell out of us. Its biggest asset is that as serious as it gets, it doesn't take itself too seriously... which oddly enough was the one issue that we had with the movie too. I like serious, gritty westerns, and the humorous tone of this one threw me at first, but grew on me after a while.

It's definitely a unique bird, as far as Westerns go. 

Ethan Hawke played the part of the drifter perfectly, and it was nice to see John Travolta getting a good role to chew on for a change, but it was Taissa Farmiga who absolutely stole the show in his one. There was something about Mini-Farmiga's character, and the way that she played her, that just made the movie electric whenever she was onscreen. She's a special talent, and she truly shines in this one.

The always cool James Ransone made for one hell of a perfect villain as well.

STONE COLD.

I kinda wish that the tone of the movie had been a bit more serious overall. It's all over the place at times, jumping back and forth between brutal and humorous, which threw me off a bit. 

EXPECTED HIM TO BE A BIT MEANER TOO. 

Why always the damn dog? WHY?!?

AT LEAST HE GOT TO ENJOY HIMSELF A BATH AND A WHORE BEFORE HE SCAMPERED OFF ACROSS THE RAINBOW BRIDGE.

Lots of good old fashioned violence in this one, hence the title.

IN A VALLEY OF IDIOT SONS.

Unless you count Larry Fessenden in a bathtub, there's no nudity in this one. 

WILL MINI-FARMIGA EVER GET NAKED ON FILM? THE WORLD WANTS TO KNOW.

A really solid, if oddly different, Western, In a Valley of Violence was fun from start to finish. The actors all swung for the fences in this one, and depending on your tolerance for overacting, you'll either love it or hate it.

Rent it, when you need a break from the normal.

B

In a Valley of Violence is available now on VOD, with a Blu-ray & DVD release on 12/27.

Mini-Farmiga and Karen Gillan make the old west look good.

Happy Halloween!

The day that 2016 has been building towards all year is finally here!

We've been waiting since last November 1st for The Halloween Season, and especially this day, to arrive, and now that it's here, we're kind of sad; Halloween is our Christmas, and we're going to miss it. We're sentimentalists.

Oh well, in 24hrs we can begin the countdown to Halloween 2017!

So get out there and trick or treat, eat some candy apples, watch a few last Horror flicks, and enjoy the scariest day of the year!

What's New on VOD This Week? (10/25-10/28)

The last week in October (how did this month go by so damned fast?) brings us a few final potential gems to add to our Halloween movie-watching agenda, which should help send the creepiest month of the year out with a bang!

*Be sure to click the pics below to rent the movies, or watch their trailers. Or both. Or neither. It really depends on your mood, now doesn't it?

*If you aren't already a member, you should really give Amazon Prime a shot, especially if you order movies on the regular like we do, because the free two-day shipping pays for itself after around 10 orders. Check it out for free HERE.

Here are this week's VOD releases, ranked in order from our most to least anticipated.

1. The Windmill, as B-grade as it looks, is one that we're really hyped to check out. It just looks like a bunch of mindless, bloody fun.
2. Scare Campaign is one that we've been keen on since one of our Aussie mates put us on to it earlier this year. Seems like a great one to check out during this Halloween weekend.
3. Recovery is one that popped up on Amazon out of nowhere, and it looks pretty good. It's got our girl Kirby Bliss Blanton in it, so that makes it extra cool in our eyes. Hopefully it ends up being decent.
4. The Devil's Complex is a Found Footage flick about some dumb Americans who go exploring a haunted forest in Romania, and it looks like it might be good. You know how these things go though.
5. The latest stateside release from Artsploitation Films, The Perfect Husband looks like another quality effort. They sure know how to pick them.
6. And Stalk Her is John Jarrat's (Wolf Creek) directorial debut, and it looks like it's a bit tongue-in-cheek, but fun. 
7. Happy Streaming!

31 Days of Horror Blu-rays: Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box

"In Barker’s original Hellraiser, Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) comes head-to-head with the Cenobites – demonic beings from another realm who are summoned by way of a mysterious puzzle box. Picking up immediately after the events of the original Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II finds Kirsty detained at a psychiatric institute and under the care of Dr. Channard, a man with an unhealthy interest in the occult. Meanwhile, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth sees Pinhead and his band of Cenobites let loose in our own world, with terrifying consequences."

Available in the UK since last year, Arrow Video is finally brining The Scarlet Box to U.S. shores! It may not come out until December 13th, but it's coming, and that's what matters.

Arrow has knocked it out of the park with this Blu-ray release of Hellraiser I-III. The first two Hellraiser movies are absolute staples for any Horror Collection, and you know what, the 3rd movie isn't all that bad either. To package them all together in one boxed set, giving them brand new 2k transfers, and packing it with a ton of bonus material is a Horror fan's dream.

The words MUST OWN are an understatement when it comes to this set.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:

• Brand new 2K restorations of Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth.
• Uncompressed PCM Stereo 2.0 and Lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 sound for Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II.
• Lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0 sound for Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth.
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for all three films.
• Reversible sleeves for all three films featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx.

DISC 1 – HELLRAISER

• Brand new 2K restoration approved by director of photography Robin Vidgeon.
• Audio commentary with writer/director Clive Barker.
• Audio commentary with Barker and actress Ashley Laurence.
• Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser – brand new version of the definitive documentary on the making of Hellraiser, featuring interviews with key cast and crew members.
• Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellraiser – actor Sean Chapman talks candidly about playing the character of Frank Cotton in Barker’s original.
• Soundtrack Hell: The Story of the Abandoned Coil Score – Coil member Stephen Thrower on the Hellraiser score that almost was.
• Hellraiser: Resurrection – vintage featurette including interviews with Clive Barker, actors Doug Bradley and Ashley Laurence, special make-up effects artist Bob Keen and others.
• Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser.
• Original EPK featuring on-set interviews with cast and crew.
• Draft Screenplays [BD-ROM content].
• Trailers and TV Spots.
• Image Gallery.

DISC 2 – HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II

• Brand new 2K restoration approved by director of photography Robin Vidgeon.
• Audio Commentary with director Tony Randel and writer Peter Atkins.
• Audio Commentary with Randel, Atkins and actress Ashley Laurence.
• Leviathan: The Story of Hellbound: Hellraiser II – brand new version of the definitive documentary on the making of Hellbound, featuring interviews with key cast and crew members.
• Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound – actor Sean Chapman talks about reprising the role of Frank Cotton in the first Hellraiser sequel.
• Surgeon Scene – the home video world premiere of this legendary, never before-seen excised sequence from Hellbound, sourced from a VHS workprint.
• Lost in the Labyrinth – vintage featurette including interviews with Barker, Randel, Keen, Atkins and others.
• Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound: Hellraiser II.
• On-set interview with Clive Barker.
• On-set interviews with cast and crew.
• Behind-the-Scenes Footage.
• Rare and unseen storyboards.
• Draft Screenplay [BD-ROM content].
• Trailers and TV Spots.
• Image Gallery.

DISC 3 – HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH

• Brand new 2K restoration of the Original Theatrical Version [93 mins].
• Alternate Unrated Version [97 mins].
• Brand new audio commentary with writer Peter Atkins.
• Audio commentary with director Anthony Hickox and Doug Bradley.
• Hell on Earth: The Story of Hellraiser III – making-of documentary featuring interviews with Atkins, Keen and actor Ken Carpenter.
• Terri’s Tales – brand new interview with actress Paula Marshall.
• Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth.
• Raising Hell on Earth – archival interview with Hickox.
• On-set interviews with Barker and Bradley.
• Never-before-seen Hellraiser III SFX dailies.
• Theatrical Trailer.
• Image Gallery.
• Hellraiser III comic book adaptation [Disc gallery].

VOD Review: Exhibit A (2007)

"A Found Footage flick that actually feels like it's found footage."

SUBMITTED BY: Noorel Yaquin, who really enjoyed its Found Footage aesthetic.

Found Footage is kind of the bastard sub-genre of the Horror world anymore. Most FF flicks are made on the cheap; they use the same lame tricks and plot devices to tell their story; they make little to no logical sense; and they seldom follow their on rules.

Most of them tend to suck. 

But every once in a while one comes along that does things right, and reaffirms our belief in the whole conceit. Exhibit A is one such FF flick, and while it's not a perfect effort, it sure does showcase exactly what Cinema Verite movies are supposed to be.

The King's are a typical family living a typical life in Yorkshire, Northern England. Daughter Judith has just received a present of a new video camera from her father, which she immediately uses to film their daily lives. She also likes to film the girl next door whom she has a crush on, which kind of makes Judith a creeper.

YES, GIRLS CAN BE CREEPERS TOO!

As typical as they may be, there is trouble brewing for the King Family, though none but Dad know it; they're all banking on his new promotion to move to ease their money troubles and allow them to move to a better home, only it doesn't exist. Neither does Dad's job anymore. As Judith films everything going on around her, she captures her father's stress-induced breakdown, which is sure to end well for none of them. Especially her.

WHAT IS HE ON ABOUT?

Exhibit A is an incredibly grim Found Footage movie that feels like it could absolutely be real. Hell, we see stories like this on the news all of the time, so the movie plays like a slice-of-life piece that offers a look inside of a real-life headline.

Director Dom Rotheroe does the FF sub-genre proud by giving us a real story populated by real characters that are given plenty of room to develop. The pacing is slow, but the tension builds naturally and it never feels like we're watching any sort of gimmicky movie. The cast is also great, with a young Brittany Ashworth and Bradley Cole being the standouts; watching a man's breakdown from the perspective of both he and his daughter was compelling stuff, and the two of them gave weighty performances.  

The finale is what makes this movie so memorable though, as the horrific events that the movie has been slowly building towards unfold in one static take that was tough to watch because it felt so real. And that last shot...

DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL... SHOULD RUN!

No gore, but there is some violence towards the end.

THERE IS A HELLACIOUS TICKLE FIGHT THAT LEAVES EVERYONE EXHAUSTED THOUGH.

No, but the neighbor girl does some sunbathing.

WHAT WAS HER STORY? WE'D LIKE TO KNOW.

Exhibit A is Found Footage done right. It's a very slow burn, and it feels more like a dramatic character study than it does any kind of Horror film through most of its runtime, but there air of impending doom that hangs above the family throughout makes the chilling climax feel all too real.

Definitely worth a watch if you don't need a ton of action or gore gags to entertain/scare you.

B-

Exhibit A is available now on DVD and VOD.

Brittany Ashworth is all grown up now, and we like how she turned out.