This week, as part of our “Standalone Slasher month”, we take a look at Happy Birthday To Me; the 1981 kill-fest with a small, but strong, fan base. Stopping off along the way to discuss the new Shameless Four Flies on Grey Velvet DVD, Alvin and the Chipmunks, the naivete of IMDb reviewers and so much more.

As always, if you want to get in touch: fire your feedback over to podcast@gorepress.com. And don’t forget to like the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Gorecast.

This week’s show is set to a loop of the Suspiria theme by Goblin and features Atom & His Package as the closing music.

Hugs and kisses,

Sarah and Jamie.

This week, as part of our Stand-alone Slasher Month, we cover 1981′s seminal The Burning. Of course, it wouldn’t be us if we didn’t talk about other nonsense. So listen with glee as we look at the slasher rules, a Fisher Stevens retrospective, the perversion of Jews in Hollywood, Jamie’s review of Laid To Rest, and much much more.

It’s also worth mentioning that this is take two. We managed to lose the original recording through technology hating us or whatever. The first version was actually pretty concise and interesting. This one? Not so much.

Don’t forget to send your feedback/hatemail to podcast@gorepress.com.

J&S

xxx

This week Jamie and Sarah waffle (and we really mean it this time) all the way through some news, reviews, and what they’ve been watching lately. It’s probably the most boring show they’ve done.

No mention is made of the month (or more) past, and we’re going to change that for next month, as well as adding some new elements. Basically, we’re sorry.

Please forward all complaints to podcast@gorepress.com!

If you can get all the way to the end, we’ll give you all future episodes of the podcast for free.

xxx

Starring your basic NoES cast, including Heather Langemkamp, Robert Englund and John Saxon. Has Freddy broken through to the real world to mess with the stars of a new Freddy film? Maybe!

We cover the film in some depth, but, of course, it wouldn’t be us if we didn’t stop to discuss trivialities including Scream 4, how scary witches may or may not be, Rob Zombie’s Halloween films, and Tom Savini. It’s a veritable smorgasbord of horror waffle.

Next week is monthly wrap up, so if you have any feedback you should whack it over to: podcast@gorepress.com

See you soon,

Jamie & Sarah

xxx

Super is the sort of film that audiences will either love or hate. Some people will be disgusted at the slew of senseless violence on display, others just won’t get it, but some will adore it’s cockeyed tale of everyman Frank D’Arbo.

The only two worthwhile moments in Franks life are pointing a policeman in the direction of the criminal he is chasing and marrying the love of his life Sarah. When Frank comes home one day to find that his wife (Liv Tyler), a former drug addict, has left him for a sleazy dealer named Jacques (Kevin Bacon) he vows to get her back in whatever manner necessary. In his fragile state of mind he becomes disillusioned with the number of crimes going on around him and one day, after an hallucination in which Gods finger touches his brain (yes, really) and with an idea implanted by Libby, the girl from the local comic book shop, he decides that the best course of action is to become a real life superhero and change things for the better.

Donning a homemade red and yellow spandex costume and becoming The Crimson Bolt, Frank Vows to find Jacques and his henchmen, rid the World of their evildoings and get his wife back. Along the way he, somewhat unwillingly, enlists the help of Libby who becomes his enthusiastic, and occasionally psychopathic sidekick Boltie. The two of them then embark on a spree of vigilantiism that makes Kick Ass’s Hit Girl look cartoonish and tame by comparison.

Rainn Wilson is startlingly good as Super’s bumbling, Joe Average protagonist and one can only hope that he chooses more roles like this and Hesher than appalling comedies like The Rocker. He’s ably assisted by a cast of colourful supporting actors who all turn in memorable roles too, with particular mention going to Nathan Fillion’s TV evangelist superhero and Ellen Page as the maniacal but well meaning Libby. Movie veteran Michael Rooker is, sadly, a little wasted in a minor role, Liv Tyler is a tad underwhelming and Linda Cardellini is tragically underused in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role as a pet shop employee, but otherwise the performances are first rate all around.

The generous dose of explicit violence, morally ambiguous sex scene and the fact that the film is championing a character who is as violent, if not more so, as the people he doles out his vigilante brand of justice to, not to mention mentally damaged and borderline schizophrenic, will alienate many of the films potential audience. Those who aren’t easily shocked however, are in a for a treat. The script is smart and incredibly darkly funny in places and the pacing is perfect with absolutely no moments that drag or feel like they’re there to extend the running time.

With it’s snappy direction, colourful comic book-esque sequences, excellent performances and the fact that Gunn almost refuses to take a moral standpoint, Super is bound to become a cult classic that will be enjoyed for decades to come. Shocking in places, jaw droppingly brutal, funny, droll and thoroughly entertaining with an underlying mean-streak, Super is fantastic and surprisingly uplifting.

There’s nothing left to say except watch this movie. That, and “Shut up, Crime!”

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Tucker and Dale are two bumbling, baseball-capped, dungaree wearing hillbillies. Tucker (a pitch perfect Alan Tudyk) has just sunk all of his life savings into a dilapidated ‘vacation home’ in the middle of the woods and their plan is to head out there and work on the ‘fixer upper’. Separately, a bunch of brainless, stereotype-heavy teens are headed out to the very same woods for a weekend of pot smoking, beer drinking and skinny dipping. When the two groups meet, the teens mistakenly assume that the lovable duo are creepy mountain dwelling freaks that are out to kill them and when they unwittingly save/kidnap one of the girls (30 Rock’s Katrina Bowden), hilarity ensues by the truckload.

Tucker & Dale vs Evil has many things going for it. To begin with, the cast is excellent. Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine have a delightful repartee and bounce off each other very naturally and with perfect comic timing and the pesky College kids are played with just enough vulnerability that they’re believable but enough ego and stupidity that they’re not relatable and therefore very disposable. The script is full of witty one-liners and cleverly observed homages to classic (and not-so-classic) horror and despite deconstructing an old genre cliche, also manages to be very respectful of both the audience and the age old horror movie ‘rules’.

Despite Eli Craig never having directed a feature length project before this, he deals with proceedings very well. The direction is not stand-out, sometimes it even borders on perfunctory, but it fits the subject matter incredibly well and there are certainly rare moments of genius. It will be incredibly interesting to see how Craig chooses to use those budding talents in the future.

There is no hidden agenda in Tucker & Dale vs Evil, it’s purpose is to make you laugh and to entertain, and it delivers the laughs in quick succession, barely giving the audience any time for a breather in between. Each frame is filled with such joyful banter and in-your-face splatstick that it’s hard not to watch it with a near permanent grin and for that reason, can only endear the viewer to it.

Tucker & Dale vs Evil might be as subtle as a wood-chipper to the face (quite literally at one point) but it never pretends to be anything it’s not and is all the more endearing for it. There is genuine heart at the core of the picture which just shouldn’t work but somehow manages to. It’s fun, funny, subversive, wince-inducing and will surely have any horror fan in stitches thanks to the smart script and fantastic rapport between the two leads.

Sometimes a film comes along that you simply can’t wait to share with friends and Tucker & Dale vs Evil is one such film. Genre fans would have to be pretty hard-hearted or humourless not to find something to enjoy here. Highly recommended.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10 stars

Directed by The Ford Brothers and shot on previously unseen locations across Burkina Faso and Ghana, West Africa, THE DEAD is unlike anything horror audiences have ever experienced – an apocalyptic, savage journey to the heart of Africa – where life and death is far from black and white.

It has been widely reported that filming the epic road movie took its toll. As producer/director Howard J. Ford reveals: “We encountered real death on a daily basis and were held up at gun point several times, met real cannibals, got arrested and lead actor Rob Freeman very nearly died after contracting Malaria in the middle of filming.”

The story is centered around the journey of American Air Force engineer Lieutenant Brian Murphy (ROB FREEMAN), the sole survivor of a plane crash, who has to run the gauntlet across Africa, battling with the living dead. He joins forces with local military man Sergeant Daniel Dembele (PRINCE DAVID OSEI) who is desperately searching for his missing son. They must fight together if they are to survive the flesh-eating horrors of the bush.

In August, prior to its release, FrightFest welcomes back The Ford Brothers for a very special event – a live commentary where the duo will watch their film alongside the audience, divulging all the gory details on how they brought their living dead saga to the screen. The event takes place on Sat Aug 27, 10.30am, at the Empire Leicester Sq.

Fast forward to 1973, the tail end of the Franco regime. Javier, the son of the clown, dreams of following in his father’s career footsteps, but has seen too much tragedy in his life – he’s simply not funny and is only equipped to play the role of the Sad Clown. He finds work in a circus where he befriends an outlandish cast of characters, but as the Sad Clown he must take the abuse of the brutish Happy Clown Sergio, who humiliates Javier daily in the name of entertainment.

It is here that he meets Natalia, a gorgeous acrobat, and abused wife of Sergio. Javier falls deeply in love with Natalia and tries to rescue her from her cruel and violent husband, unleashing Sergio’s jealousy. But Natalia is torn between her affection towards Javier and her lust for Sergio.

With neither man willing to back down, this twisted love triangle evolves into a ferocious battle between Sad Clown and Happy Clown, escalating to unbelievable heights in this absurd, shocking, irreverent and unforgettable film.

The Last Circus is definitely topping our list of movies we can’t wait to see so keep your eyes peeled for more updates!

If anyone goes into Hobo With A Shotgun expecting a cerebral arthouse flick or a fun-filled romp then, quite frankly, you’d be several shades of mental. The title says all you need know, it’s about a hobo and he has a shotgun. Oh, and he’s pretty pissed off too.

During the opening credits we see Rutger Hauer’s titular transient jump from a train car to begin a new life in Hope Town. Unfortunately this particular town is run by maniacal crime boss The Drake and his two thoroughly odious sons, and the people who populate the town are at their mercy as the cops are either too apathetic to care or on his payroll. It doesn’t take long for Hobo to put the pieces together and after seeing one injustice too many, he casts his dreams of a humble lawn mowing business aside and uses the money earned from ‘bum-fighting’, to buy the nearest 12 gauge shotgun, vowing to shoot and kill everyone who bends the rules and rid the town of its criminal element. When The Drake hears of this turn of events, he demands that all homeless people be killed on sight and that’s when Hobo’s problems really start.

The casting of Rutger Hauer could not have been more perfect, his charisma and experience shine through and elevate what could have ended up being quite a loathsome character into an ideal, vengeful anti-hero. He spits out one-liners with casual ease and gives the audience someone to truly root for amidst a see of characters that are rotten to the core. It’s also nice to see Gregory Smith (Small Soldiers, TV’s Everwood), step out of his comfort zone, and Molly Dunsworth provides a steely turn as the reluctant prostitute who looks after and befriends Hobo, utlimately assisting him in his quest for justice.

Hobo’s history is much the same as Machete’s. Both started out as ‘fake’ trailers that were made to precede the Tarantino/Rodriguez pairing of Deathproof and Planet Terror (or Grindhouse as they were released in the States). It seems that someone was wise enough to point out along the way, that the idea was simply too good to remain within the confines of a trailer, and decided to produce a feature length movie. It’s almost poetic that prior to Hobo With A Shotgun’s release, Jason Eisener offered fans the chance to win a competition whereby their ‘fake’ trailer would be shown before the movie, in the same way he had won a competition to allow his trailer to be shown before Grindhouse.

Hobo With A Shotgun is not for the faint hearted, and certainly not a film that will ever gain a wide appeal. It features gun shots to just about every part of the anatomy, a paedophilic Santa Claus, a bus full of school children being burnt alive, scenes of torture, beheading, you name it, if it’s offensive, it’s in here.

Despite the impressive amount of fake blood and gore on display, Hobo With A Shotgun has a wry sense of humour and a genuinely touching relationship at its core that almost bely its brash, hedonistic shell. If you’re a fan of the grindhouse era, trashy 80′s exploitation flicks or just want a cynical, fun-filled, claret-covered movie featuring Rutger Hauer in his most enjoyable role in years then I can’t recommend Hobo With A Shotgun enough. Watch it and treasure it.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10 stars

In the deep jungles of South East Asia a blood thirsty mercenary Sebastian (Gary Daniels – The Expendables, Hunt to Kill) hunts for the thrill of the chase and victims to sell into slavery. In one operation he kills a peaceful local shaman Aroon (Danny Trejo – Predators, Con Air) and his family. Sebastian leaves with his catch, believing his mission has been successful, but he is about to find out that some men are hard to kill….

The Mercenary is a full-on thriller with an all-star cast that also includes Bai Ling (Crank: High Voltage) and Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister (The Dark Knight) which will keep you on the edge of your seat until the action-packed climax.

To be in with a chance of winning a copy, just answer this question – which recent action movie starred Danny Trejo as knife-wielding Mexican immigrant?

• a) Taken
• b) Machete
• c) Crank

Answer using the contact form below, only one entry per person will be counted. Competition closes on 11/7/11. Good luck!

Terror strikes the sleepy burg of Longhead Bay when creeping alien foreheads begin attaching themselves to local townspeople and seizing their very souls — launching a vast invasion from Outer Space! By a remarkable coincidence, sexy, arrogant scientist Sheila Bexter begins testing her theory that the forehead — not the brain — is the seat of all human knowledge. She formulates a human extract and convinces gullible colleague Dr. Phillip Latham that with enough Foreheadazine he can become the most brilliant scientist in the world! Catastrophe reigns when the ill-fated experiment goes horribly, horribly wrong while the entire town is being taken over by sinister brow-like nightmares in a terrifying cataclysm of Corpses and Chaos!

Once again, Larry Blamire and his fabulous stock company of actors have brought forth a loving, spot-on parody of a classic American genre, presented in blazing colour and the miracle of CraniaScope, and featuring genuine stop-motion animation plus cameos by some beloved sci-fi icons. You don’t need to be the smartest man in town to know this is a must-have!

To be in with a chance of winning, just tell use which title did Larry Blamire direct immediately after this one…..?

• a) Dark & Stormy Night
• b) The Lost Skeleton Of Cadavra
• c) The Lost Skeleton Returns Again

Please answer the question using the contact form below. Only one entry per person will be counted, winners will be notified by email a little while after the close of the competition on 27/6/11. Good luck!

Jonathan Sothcott is one of the producers behind the ever-expanding British production company Black & Blue Films. After interviewing him last, Gorepress got the chance to catch up with him once again to talk about his new project Strippers Vs. Werewolves and how far the company has come in such a short space of time.

GP : What have you been up to since the last time Gorepress spoke to you, Jonathan?

JS : Well I have been a bit busy I have to say – I think we last spoke around the time of Devil’s Playground. Since then I’ve made 5 more movies, two of which – Airborne and Elfie Hopkins – are horror movies. Airborne is a plane-set supernatural thriller about a jet hijack going horribly wrong because of an ancient evil in the cargo hold. It has an amazing cast – brilliant veterans such as the legendary Julian Glover (who was the baddie in my favourite sci fi film Quatermass & The Pit) and gangster film icon Alan Ford plus great newcomers like lovely Gemma Atkinson. But the big coup was landing Mark ‘Luke Skywalker’ Hamill – the man is a legend. It was directed by my talented pal Dom Burns, who did a comedy for us called How To Stop Being A Loser and produced by Simon Phillips who has now joined my company.

Elfie Hopkins is a dark tale of cannibalism in rural Wales starring Ray and Jaime Winstone and Kate MacGowan. The director, Ryan Andrews, is a phenomenal talent – watch this guy, he will be a Brit Tim Burton. His use of imagery and his storytelling ability are amazing. He was the production designer on my first short so this has been a long time in the making. Ryan assembled this amazing little team of really talented people down in West Wales to make this film and they have all done themselves proud. It will be an instant cult movie and will make Jaime Winstone into the leading lady everyone knows she should be. That girl’s scarily talented.

GP : Why Strippers vs. Werewolves?

JS : You really need to ask? To be honest, the script came to me out of the blue from micro budget auteur Pat Higgins and I was the only one here who ‘got it’ immediately – but once the other guys read the script and realised it was a Kick Ass style comic book action-comedy rather than a sleazy T&A horror flick, we knew we had something pretty special! Getting this right has been our biggest challenge but I think it’s one that people are going to like!

GP : What can people expect from Strippers vs. Werewolves?

JS : They can expect a film that delivers on the title – beautiful girls (Adele Silva, Ali Bastian, Barbara Nedeljakova, Coralie Rose), big action set pieces and really scary werewolves – we have Billy Murray and Robert Englund as our baddies – who could be better? It is also, really, really funny – we have worked very hard to get the best out of every gag. And it is littered with in-jokes – look for werewolf movie references aplenty! I have made films in the past that didn’t deliver – notably Dead Cert, which squandered a great cast and great ideas. I was particularly disappointed we wasted Billy as head vampire… but he’s going to be a bloody great werewolf in this. It took a long time to find a director that the distributor approved but who had the right film-making sensibility, but we definitely had a touch getting Jonathan Glendenning, who’s a very talented guy and a pleasure to work with. Have high expectations because they’ll be met – this one’s a lot of fun.

GP : What rating are you aiming for? Can we expect an 18 certificate blood & breasts splatter-fest?

JS : I’d like a 15 – it really isn’t a horror film, it’s an action-comedy that happens to have werewolves in. And it isn’t sleazy, I wouldn’t want to make a sleazy film. But given that it’s about a pitched battle between strippers and werewolves it seemed silly to call it anything else! I do think we’d be letting the teenage boys of the world down if we didn’t deliver on the boobs and blood though!

GP : Will this be a film for both male and female audiences? It seems a little male orientated…

JS : Not at all. The girls are our heroines and they are very, very cool as well as very sexy – this is a movie girls will like just as much as boys, it was always intended to be. Just because they work in a strip club doesn’t mean they’re bimbos. There’s a lot of girl power in this movie! Before I take a project like this on I discuss it at length with my girlfriend, who is very clever and switched on but also my barometer of what’s cool and what girls will like. She absolutely loves this script and that was an important test.

GP : Lucy Pinder has been recently added to the cast list – who else are you hoping to get involved?

JS : Lucy is a friend of mine and has been looking to do some acting for a while, so she’s making her film debut. It’s a cameo really, but a very funny one and she’s a delight to have around. There are some people you meet who think they’re actresses just because they’ve taken their clothes off for the public, but Lucy is passionate about it and I think she’ll do well.
I can’t tell you how excited I am about Robert Englund – that’s like bagging Christopher Lee. The man is one of the biggest genre icons in the world and such a brilliant actor. The best thing about making movies is the toys we get to play with – not just blowing things up and car chases, but getting to work with people you grew up watching and loving.
The other one to look out for is a really nice role for my business partner Martin Kemp which will surprise people – it will be Martin dong something eye-poppingly different.

GP : What kind of werewolves will they be? The traditional Wolf Man look or something entirely new?

They are very much the classic Curse of the Werewolf look. We looked at every major (and some minor) werewolf movie as research and going down that route the ones that worked were ones like Curse of the Werewolf, the one in The Monster Squad (a film we pay very loving homage to in SvW) and of course the Lon Chaney classic. Unless you have bundles of money, the quadroped look seems to go horribly wrong and I didn’t want this looking like a Howling sequel, as much fun as they are. Our prosthetics designer Kristyan Malett, is an incredibly talented guy and will do us proud.

GP : When will Strippers vs. Werewolves be released?

JS : It is currently scheduled for a cinema release in November and DVD in Spring 2012. I’ll know more about international plans after Cannes.

GP : Black & Blue Films seems to be going from strength to strength. What do you attribute this to?

JS : Well yes we have upped our game in the last year. We are being more careful about what we take on. It’s all a huge learning curve. There isn’t a film producer school you can go to and graduate with an understanding of how to do this right. For me taking on Simon Phillips, who is a very talented producer, has been a really big help as Billy and I were spread too thin. Between us all we have a pretty good set of skills and now we’ve really moved up to the next level. We will keep trying to make better and better films and adapt to what audiences want – I wouldn’t want us to go stale.

GP : And finally, what is your favourite werewolf movie of all time?

JS : That’s a tricky one because I love werewolf movies – even the bad ones (and most of them are bad). I love American Werewolf in London. I love Curse of the Werewolf. I really liked Bad Moon. Guilty pleasures are definitely The Beast Must Die, Moon of the Wolf and Silver Bullett. I think the Hammer House of Horror episode Children of the Full Moon was great. And I love The Monster Squad but it isn’t really a werewolf film! I guess The Howling is probably my favourite – its scary and funny and cool. But I also love the sequels, even though they’re garbage, especially the impossibly silly Howling II and the murder mystery party that is Howling 5. Phil Davis who was in Howling 5 is a pal of mine and he cringes whenever I bring it up!

Keep your eyes peeled for more news on Strippers Vs. Werewolves!

Charlotte (Dequenne) stops at the side of an isolated side to pick up a hitchhiker, Max (Benjamin Biolay). But when the pair pulls into a truck-stop restaurant a few miles later, Max goes to the bathroom – and disappears. Puzzled, Charlotte returns to the restaurant that night to look for him, only to become ensnared by ‘La Spack’ (Moreau), the sinister matriarch of a strange and terrifying ‘pack’. Before long, Charlotte realises that she is next on the menu…

The Pack comes with sleeve art by British horror illustrator extraordinaire, Graham Humphreys. Known for his work on classic horror posters including ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ and ‘Evil Dead’, Humphreys’ created the art exclusively for the UK edition of the release, with input from Icon’s horror fan community, Prepare to be Scared.

Starring Orlando Jones (Magnolia, Evolution) and directed by Antonio Negret (Towards Darkness), Seconds Apart also features stellar performances from the two leads, twins Gary and Edmund Entin.

Seth and Jonah are murderous twins who share an evil kinship. Damned from the moments of their births, the brothers possess a gruesome talent for telekinesis – a power they use in the most horrific ways imaginable. As their fellow students meet gory fates, the local law enforcement begins to suspect the twins’ connection to the depraved murders. What started as a jealous rage escalates into a supernatural showdown – pitting brother against brother, evil against evil.

To be in with a chance of winning one of 3 DVD’s, just answer this simple question using the contact form below

In which film did Seconds Apart star Orlando Jones battle aliens alongside Julianne Moore and David Duchovny?

• a) Mars Attacks
• b) Evolution
• c) Men In Black

Seconds Apart is released on DVD & Blu-ray 30 May 2011. Only one entry per person will be counted and the competition closes on 6/6/11.

Three months have passed since a viral outbreak wiped out 99.9% of the world’s population, turning its victims into flesh-eating living dead. In the UK, a surviving band of soldiers and civilians have taken refuge at a rural military barracks.

Life in this new world is tough and brutal, but hope appears when a high level communication is received from a military base on the coast, telling of sanctuary elsewhere in Europe…

But just as salvation appears to be in reach, the base suffers an overwhelming defeat at the hands of the living dead!

The surviving handful of troops and civilians must now make their way to the coast to uncover the truth behind the message. Their perilous journey takes them across a now treacherous, death-ravaged landscape, where the living dead are vast in number and wandering bandits impose their own malicious sense of law and order.

What follows is a journey into hell and a desperate battle against all odds for the very survival of the human race.

World of the Dead will be released theatrically on the 24th of June!

Starring Jill Schoelen, Dee Wallace, Tom Villard, and a bunch of other people, Popcorn is the story of a girl who has recurring nightmares and then some people die during some screenings of some “classic” horror flicks.

We also stop the chat train for a brief talk about current cinema offering, Attack the Block, the first film by TV’s Joe Cornish (from the Adam & Joe show, and 6music). We also talked briefly about our feelings on Scott Pilgrim.

Don’t forgot to send your feedback to podcast@gorepress.com for the feedback show.

Also, check out Kristy Jett’s Popcorn project by going here – http://popcorndoc.com/

Catch you next week for more flicks about flicks.

-Jamie & Sarah.

Directed by Adam Gierasch, (Autopsy), Fertile Ground was described as one of this year’s festival’s “darkest bright spots” by Dread Central and perfectly shows off Gierasch’s fantastic, and fertile, imagination.

Emily and Nate Weaver leave the city for the rural comfort of Nate’s ancestral home in the country. Once there, Emily is plagued by horrifying visions and haunted by the ghosts inhabiting their isolated new home. When Nate’s behaviour undergoes a strange and fearful metamorphous, Emily fears she might be the latest target in a murderous tradition.

To be in with a chance of winning one of three copies of Fertile Ground on DVD, just send us the answer to the following question using the contact form below

Which 80’s classic did Geirasch update recently?

• a) Pet Semetary
• b) Night Of The Demons
• c) Return Of The Living Dead

Fertile Ground is on DVD and Blu Ray 23 May 2011. Only one entry per person will be counted and the competition closes on 30/5/11.

Six friends journey to the middle of the Australian outback on an anthropology trip/camping getaway. They’re there to see and study an ancient and mysterious cave painting but encounter something much more sinister instead.

One of the group; bubbly, slutty blonde Mel takes a dip in the inviting waters by their camp. Coming out covered in leeches, she panics, then comes over feeling a little under the weather. During the night, Mel’s condition starts to worsen and she displays worrying symptoms. Dismissing it as some kind of fever, the others try to enjoy their time away but when Mel’s illness causes her personality to change, turning her primal and causing her to violently attack her friends, it becomes a deadly game of kill or be killed.

So far, so predictable, right? Well, yes. Primal doesn’t score a great many points for originality with its take on infection, contagion and brutal murder but it makes up for that with some genuinely well-rounded characters and some snappy dialogue, bursting with typically Australian wry humour.

The characters, as well rounded as they might be, are not always a likable bunch. In fact, some of them are downright loathsome, but it’s still refreshing to see a group of people on screen who don’t conform to all the bland horror movie stereotypes and it’s not always easy to guess who might survive the ordeal, with some characters making the usual ‘bad horror movie decisions’ but others displaying character complexities and developments that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from the genre, and certainly not from a film of this calibre.

It’s also admirable that director Josh Reed has managed to make the reasonably small budget stretch as far as he has. Despite some hokey computer imagery in the final third, the film never looks cheap and there are certain parts that look positively slick, particularly the slowed down ‘attack’ scenes. There’s also a lot to appeal to the gore hounds among us, from teeth falling out in full-on 80’s inspired splatter-esque glory, to folks having large, grisly chunks chewed out of them.

At the end of the day, regardless of its imperfections, it’s easy to see why Primal won FrightFest’s audience award in 2010. It’s gleefully blood-soaked, knowingly humorous, well acted and has a polished script at its centre. Primal is not without its inadequacies and is full of nods to other, better movies that are brazen enough to make you feel like you’ve experienced déjà vu but if you have an hour and a half to kill, it’s also a thoroughly thrilling distraction that’s full of charm and does the under-rated Ozploitation movement proud.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Starring a staple of so many recent horror movies Dannielle Harris, Stake Land looks like it could be one to grace our year end favourite lists!

We have 3 copies of The Frankenstein Experiment to give away to 3 lucky winners. Simply answer the following question using the contact form below to be in with a chance.

Only one entry per person will be counted. The competition ends on 23/5/11. Good Luck!

What was Super Tromette Tiffany Shepis’ name in Tromas Edge TV?

• a) Bullimia
• b) Annorexia
• c) Nervosa

Jamie and Sarah make cemeteries their cathedrals and cities their tombs in the first of the new format Gorecasts.

This months theme is Horror Movies About Horror Movies. We will dissect three films over the coming weeks that contain explicit reference to the genre and to cinema in general, starting with Lamberto Bava‘s splatter soaked classic, Demons.

As always, send any and all feedback to podcast@gorepress.com for inclusion in the month end wrap up show.

J&S!

Lucy said today: “I’m delighted to be making my feature film debut for Black & Blue Films in Strippers Vs Werewolves – it’s a really funny part and a hilarious script and I can’t wait to start.”

Jonathan Sothcott, producer, added: “We are thrilled to have Lucy, undoubtedly the UK’s top glamour model, making her first film with us. Strippers Vs Werewolves is a film that will deliver on its title and we know that with Lucy on board the boys won’t be disappointed!”

Set to begin shooting on May 16, the hilariously gory romp, centred around a London strip-club, also stars Emmerdale’s Adele Silva, Barbara Nedeljekova (star of Hostel), Billy Murray & Superman villain Sarah Douglas and will be directed by Jonathan (13 Hrs) Glendenning.

The film is being made by top UK Indie film company Black & Blue Films, whose credits include Dead Cert, Devil’s Playground, Just For The Record and the recently filmed Elfie Hopkins starring Jaime Winstone.

A strange and mysterious group of strange and mysterious people gathers at the creepy Cavinder Estate for the reading of the will of the late Sinas Cavinder. Strangest and most mysterious of this group is the hooded psychopathic killer who is eliminating the attendees one by one. Can a pair of fast-talking, rival reporters and one frightened cabbie crack the case before they’re the next victims? Why is there a gorilla wandering though the secret passageways? And will it ever stop raining?

Larry Blamire and his usual stellar ensemble cast, including Daniel Roebuck, Jennifer Blaire, Dan Conroy, Brian Howe, Fay Masterson, Trish Geiger, Jim Beaver, James Karen, Betty Garrett and more, conjure up the most frightfully funny old dark house movie in ages! Mystery, suspense, screams and laughs: Dark And Stormy Night delivers it all!

To enter our competition and be in with a chance of winning one of 3 copies of Dark and Stormy Night simply answer the following question using the contact form below.

Only one entry per person will be counted. The competition closes on 16/5/11. Good luck!

Who directed The Old Dark House, released in 1963?

• a) William Castle
• b) Alfred Hitchcock
• c) James Whale

Dark and Stormy Night is available on DVD from 9/5/11 at all good retailers.

Gorepress is very excited, we imagine you are too! Take a look at the new trailer here :

TROLLHUNTER will be available on Magnolia On-Demand May 6th (http://www.magpictures.com/ondemand) and in US theaters starting June 10th. UK date TBA.

Rubber is the story of Robert, a simple un-branded car tyre who just wants to kill things via psychokinesis. He wakes up one day in a trash pile in the middle of the desert, half buried in sand, and promptly shakes himself free, only to begin rolling across the desert until he reaches a road. On that road, is a beautiful, beguiling French lady in a red car, at which point he becomes obsessed with her and follows her to a dusty Motel. Did I mention it was a bit weird?! That’s about all I can say without ruining large chunks of it by including massive spoilers, but suffice to mention that there is more to it than that and there are bizarre sections including the useless local constabulary and a desert-bound audience watching the proceedings through binoculars.

The most important thing you need to know about Rubber, which is also explained in a direct to camera monologue by it’s principal [human] character, is that it’s one big celebration of that age-old Hollywood storytelling principal of ‘no reason’; that there needn’t be any reason for the characters motivations, for the story progression or the fact that E.T. was brown. French director (and purveyor of irritating electro wankery involving little yellow puppets) Quentin Dupieux (a.k.a. Mr Oizo), takes this concept and doesn’t so much run with it, as sprint long distance, possibly also while on opiates.

The cinematography is excellent throughout; filmed in sun-tinged, bleached out shades of yellow and brown, ensuring Rubber always looks amazing. The acting is also a major plus point. It can’t have been an easy feat to discuss a sentient car tyre in a believable way but the cast does so with an admirable level of conviction throughout, a particular stand-out being the wonderfully eccentric Stephen Spinella as the bumbling, mental Lieutenant Chad.

As a fledgling director, Dupieux proves he is one to watch. He makes sure that there are plenty of appealing visuals and engaging, interesting shots. The absolute belief he must have had in his own project is also evident in every frame and so for that alone, I tip my proverbial hat to the man.

As an interesting, visually arresting, inventive experiment in filmmaking, Rubber succeeds. Tragically, it also failed on a couple of levels for me. The main one being that while it always looks nice, the fact that it follows a car tyre means there are large sections of the film that are entirely without dialogue. That would have been fine however, had the film not been about a rubber wheel, meaning that any audience member would have a mammoth task trying to connect with proceedings. It’s this disconnectedness that lead me to drift off a couple of times during the longer scenes in which Robert rolls through the desert scenery doing very little…….because he’s a car tyre and he can’t, naturally.

Rubber is bonkers, in the best possible way. It’s 75 minutes of pure, unadulterated brain-fuckery. It is without a shadow of a doubt, not going to be to everyone’s tastes. In fact, I’d put money on Rubber baffling most people but if you like your films left of centre and you have an open mind, then Rubber could just be your new favourite movie. A future cult classic.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars