Sunday, August 23, 2026
The Learning Dead: Colony (2026) Review
Sunday, September 13, 2020
Peninsula (2020)
Notable Cast: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Re, Kwon
Hae-hyo, Kim Min-jae, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Do-yoon, Lee Ye-won, Jang So-yeon, Moon
Woo-jin
In 2016, South Korea fired one hell of a shot into the arm
of zombie cinema. That shot was Yeon Sang-ho’s horror with heart film, Train
to Busan. A loose sequel to his animated zombie flick, Seoul Station,
Train to Busan came out with a bang. Immediately it was making lists for
best zombie films, best modern horror films, and best films PERIOD for the year
and the decade. I was a big fan myself and its international success only laid
the groundwork to spawn a sequel. Fast forward to four years later and the
follow-up, also directed by Yeon Sang-ho, has now been unleashed in theaters. Peninsula,
or as it has been stylized for the US release Train to Busan Presents:
Peninsula which I refuse to use as its title, is quite the fascinating next
chapter of this series. It’s a high-octane shotgun blast of an action flick
with a loose heist narrative based in the world of Train to Busan and,
while mileage may vary for audiences going in, it never, ever, ever ceases to
entertain.
Monday, July 27, 2020
Yummy (2020)
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Blood Quantum (2020)
Saturday, November 17, 2018
One Cut of the Dead (2018)
Starring: Takayuki Hamatsu, Mao, Harumi Shuhama, Yuzuki Akiyama, Kazuaki Nagaya
Struggling to get one of his main actresses in character during a film shoot, director Higurashi (Takayuki Hamatsu) snaps and storms off stage after an abundant amount of takes. We follow the crew during an unplanned break as the director trys to cool down and the actress tries to focus on her performance. In the midst of this behind the scenes meltdown, one of the extras in their zombie movie get up seems to be a little more than well made up and what ensues is a chaotic bloodbath of zombie action that unfolds in real time in one long unbroken 45 minute or so take, immediately stunning the audience from frame one.
One Cut of the Dead is easily the most exciting genre film of the year and an indie film rock star in its native Japan, raking in over 2000 times it's roughly micro $27,000 budget, opening on a mere two screens and with no money spent on an advertisement campaign. I am never one to even bring up box office, especially in a review, but it's an extremely impressive feat, regardless on your stance with the film. That said, I think One Cut is the unexpected cult film of 2018. The one that quickly snuck up and leapt to the top of the throne, standing firmly amongst the best midnight classics. The Shaun of the Dead of the 2010s if you will.
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| Action!!! |
The way the story unfolds and how the narrative is a play on structure, is surprising, and very refreshing. From an impressive technical and gory one-take that will impress every type of movie goer, to a shift towards a more conventional form of storytelling and overall tonal shift that completely works, One Cut manages to surprise at almost every turn. Little things that raise questions or seem accidental upon initial reveal are all handled and accounted for as things play out. On multiple occasions, I found myself envious with the choices being made, wishing I had come up with something similar myself.
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| Pom! |
Monday, July 16, 2018
The Night Eats the World (2018)
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Day of the Dead: Bloodline (2018)
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight (2018)
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Seoul Station (2016)
Notable Cast: Sim Eun-kyeong, Ryoo Seung-ryeong, Lee Joon, Kim Jae-rok
Yeon Sang-ho made an animated zombie feature, alongside his live-action Train to Busan, whose only real connecting factors are the walking dead and a brief return of a character from this animated piece. I really didn't want to spend a lot of time comparing Seoul Station to its speeding train infested companion piece, but alas, it is practically impossible to.
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Girl with All the Gifts, The (2017)
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
The Blood Splatter: 2016 Horror Vol. 4 [The Invitation, What We Become, Martyrs]
This review will seem irrelevant to the experience that The Invitation gives its audience. While there is a love it or hate it kind of approach to this film, which I have been so graciously made aware of, this is a film that is meant to be experienced and its slow burn abilities ensure that. There is an overpowering sense of unease that bleeds into a paranoia which impeccably drives the narrative, punctuated by phenomenal performances and an atmosphere of complete engagement with the audience. The setting, the lighting, the score, the pacing - they are all lavishly simple and viciously effective in their execution from director Karyn Kusama and I was engrossed from the opening scene until the hollowing climax with one of the best final visuals I have seen in horror all year. The Invitation is one of those films that simply takes its simple idea and layers it so densely with subtle details that I was easily drawn into its melodramatic tones and huge credit has to be given to the film for that.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Train to Busan (2016)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Zombie (1979)
ZOMBIE
Aka "Zombi 2", "Zombie 2: The Dead Are Among Us", "Zombie Flesh Eaters", "The Island of the Living Dead", "Zombies 2"
Zombie hold's a special place in this horror fanatic's heart as it was one of the first Italian horror films to get this particular reviewer hooked on spaghetti horror. Lucio Fulci's Zombie, along with Dario Argento's Phenomena, gave me my first taste of spaghetti horror cinema and as a young man I was shocked to see how these films were no-holds-barred when it came to on-screen violence. This shocking violence mixed with stylistic directing and unique music made this reviewer an all-time Italian horror fanatic. I actually first heard of Zombie as I was, and still am, a huge fan of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead and I had read that Zombie was made in Italy as an unofficial sequel to Romero's classic (despite that film itself being a sequel to Night of the Living Dead). Dawn of the Dead was released in Italy with the title "Zombi" and became a huge success. In comes Italian director Lucio Fulci and he made a little shocker titled "Zombi 2", a film that would be confusingly re-titled "Zombie" for American release. Despite this film having no plot connection to Dawn of the Dead I really wanted to see the picture that was it's unofficial sequel. I fist purchased a crap VHS release from Edde Entertainment with the title "Zombie 2: The Dead are Among Us." The tape was of such low quality I couldn't even watch the damn thing. This then young reviewer then saved up his money to purchase the restored Anchor Bay VHS release with under the title Zombie. Finally I could see the film in actual widescreen quality. All the patience and waiting paid off and Zombie did not fail to entertain and shock this horror fan that had previously only been force-fed American horror fodder.
The film opens with an out-of-focus person who holds up a gun and blasts a bloody hole in the head of what is assumed to be a rising zombie covered in cloth bag. I knew I was going to be in for a bloody good time even before the title sequence featuring Fabio Frizzi's kick ass score popped up. After the title sequence we are then transported to New York harbor where there seems to be a boat adrift. The police board the boat only to find corpses and one big ass zombie which in turns takes a bloody bite out of a cops throat. This bite is so graphic and bloody that it shocked the hell out of this reviewer when he was younger. The other cop blasts the zombie into the water. We are now introduced to a news reporter (Ian McCulloch) assigned to write a story on the cop killing. He sneaks aboard the vessel only to run into the daughter of the ship's owner (played by Tisa Farrow, sister of Mia). Wanting to know what happened to her father, her and the reporter decide to travel to the Caribbean to investigate only to come across an island where the dead have risen and hungry for human flesh.
Director Lucio Fulci loads this film with memorable sequences and stylistic camera shots. Even the way his zombies look and walk are completely unique from Romero's approach. There are three extremely memorable sequences that Fulci shot that have been burned in my memory. The first is an amazing underwater fight sequence between a zombie and a shark (!?!?!). The film really does come to a standstill for this scene and it really has no relevance to the plot, but it's so amazingly shot and so damn memorable. The second sequence has a zombie (complete with worms in it's eye socket) slowly rise in a conquistador cemetery only to graphically bite the neck of one of our protagonists in glorious slow motion. This is an EXTREMELY graphic bite and again made this young reviewer's jaw hit the floor. The zombie in this sequence has become an iconic figure and even became the poster boy for the American poster artwork. The third sequence is probably the most memorable which has a zombie punch through a door, grab a beautiful woman's hair and slowly drag her head slowly to a larger splinter in the door where Fulci graphically shows the splinter enter her eyeball. This scene is the one scene everybody seems to talk about even years after they watch the film.
The downfalls of the film are that it does move at a slow pace and the climax is nothing more than a variation of Night of the Living Dead, but Lucio Fulci loads the film up with so much atmosphere and stylistic shots that it's easy to forgive the film for it's shortcomings. Some people say this film is nothing more than shocking gore sequences but I beg to differ. Sure it has many shocking sequences but Fulci is also able to craft scares and suspense around the gore making this a crowd pleasing bloody zombie romp.
Zombie is hands down one of the best zombie films ever made. It lacks the intelligence and underlying meanings of Romero's grand outings but for a straight forward, no bullshit zombie film you can't find one that is much more entertaining. Fulci's stylistic directing mixed with great atmosphere and shocking gore sequences makes this a must own for any horror fanatic. This film made me fan of Euro horror cinema as well as a follower of cult director Lucio Fulci. Fulci himself would make a sequel entitled Zombi 3 in 1988 but that film is a completely different story...
- WORLD PREMIERE! New 4K Restoration from uncensored original camera negative!
- 3-Disc Set includes High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray Widescreen 2.40:1 feature presentation + a Blu-ray PACKED with bonus material + Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD with score by Fabio Frizzi
- Audio: 7.1 DTS-HD (English, Italian); 2.0 DTS-HD (English, Italian)
- Subtitles: English SDH, Français, Español, Português, Deutsch, Italiano, Dansk, Suomi, Nederlands, Svenska, Russian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, English for Italian Audio
- NEW! Audio Commentary #1 with Troy Howarth, Author of Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and His Films
- Audio Commentary #2 with Star Ian McCulloch and Diabolik Magazine Editor Jason J. Slater
- NEW! When The Earth Spits Out The Dead - Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci
- Introduction by Academy Award® Winner Guillermo del Toro
- Zombie Wasteland Interviews with Stars Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson & Al Cliver, and Actor/Stuntman Ottaviano Dell'Acqua
- Flesh Eaters on Film Interview with Co-Producer Fabrizio De Angelis
- Deadtime Stories Interviews with Co-Writers Elisa Briganti and (Uncredited) Dardano Sacchetti
- World of the Dead Interviews with Cinematographer Sergio Salvati and Production & Costume Designer Walter Patriarca
- Zombi Italiano Interviews with Special Make-Up Effects Artists Gianetto De Rossi & Maurizio Trani and Special Effects Artist Gino De Rossi
- Notes on a Headstone Interview with Composer Fabio Frizzi
- All in the Family Interview with Antonella Fulci
- Zombie Lover Academy Award ® Winning Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro talks about one of his favorite films
- BONUS! Collectable Booklet with new essay by author Stephen Thrower
- Poster and Still Gallery
- Theatrical Trailers
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