Things go from bad to worse when a pair of lovers set out to bury her husband's dead body in the back yard.
Like other works I'm finding for this year's traditional mini-film festival, I think the music soundtrack is a bit overblown, but otherwise it's a nice effort. The script is especially good for this--although I feel the direction stumbles a bit at the end. I think the film would have been better served by keeping the delivery of the final line calmer and more low key like everything else had been up to that point..
Here's a musical interlude for our countdown to Halloween--"Ghosts" by Michael Jackson! It's not quite "Thriller," (which was featured here, during the 2012 31 Nights of Halloween) but it is a nicely done video that's a homage to classic horror films.
There are two videos in this post. They were originally within a short film titled "Ghosts" that is too long to be part of the 31 Nights of Halloween, but it was directed by special effects wizard Stan Winston, from a script by Stephen King.)
We continue our showcase of art by the late Alessandro Biffignandi. Many of the paintings featured were done as covers for Zora la Vampira, an adult-only comics series that chronicled the erotic horror adventures of the blonde vampire of the title... and this explains the many well-endowed blonde vampires you'll be seeing in these posts.
Ghosts are a staple of Halloween entertainment, and so are surprises. Tonight's offering in our countdown to the Big Night may have one of these... or both.
325 Sycamore Lane (2017)
Starring: Jeff DuJarden, Emmy Newman, and Juliette James
Director: Ren-Horn Wang
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
A girl spends a sleepless night surrounded by ghosts. Even if you don't know much about Japanese folklore as it relates to restless spirits, this is a creepy little story.
Shadows Sitting By Their Feet (2012)
Starring: Haruna Imai, Mika Hisada, Anna Odaka, and Akane Kaiho
Director: Noboru Iguchi
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars
Jump scares are generally overused and misused. However, in the hands of the right filmmaker, they can be highly effective. Like in tonight's offering.
Peripheral (2017)
Starring: Chris Barry and Casara Clark
Director: Griffin Devine
Rating: Ten of Ten Stars
On January 22, 2017, Italian artist Alessandro Biffignandi passed away at the age of 81. He was best known for painting hundreds of covers for mature-audience horror comics during the 1970s and 1980s. We're going to be showcasing his work as part of the Halloween festivities here at Terror Titans. You can read more about him at Wikipedia.
Biffignandi's art for the horror magazines is full of references to classic horror films and stories. It is also full of scenes of gore and sex--and voluptuous, scantily-clad women having sex with, or being assaulted by, zombies, vampires, and other creatures. There will be more nudity in these posts than typical at this blog, so if any of that offends you, you may just want to to skip all "Fear-filled Phantasms" posts this month. (But if you're not offended, maybe you'll have fun playing "spot the cinematic references"!)
When a group of friends summon a demon, some of them live to regret it. But for how long?
This film is vibrating horror from its first few seconds. The scene is set with sound alone, and when the film really gets going, we're treated to expert lighting and cinematography, strong performances from the actor, and an atmosphere of dread and certain death that never lets up. The only real flaw is with the sound mixing; the dialogue is often impossible to hear clearly. While there aren't many lines, it would be nice if we could have heard more of them.
Don't Move (2013)
Starring: Rachel Bright, Jake Hendriks, and Beth Cooper
Director: Anthony Melton
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars
As has been the case for more than 150 years, with each advancement in communication, horror stories evolve to incorporate them. Tonight's entry in the 31 Nights of Halloween mini-film festival makes great use of text messaging for example!
While the musical score is somewhat overblown, the acting and camerawork makes up for it.
What's Up, Bro? (2017)
Starring: Abhishek Kumar
Director: Abhishek Kumar
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars
My favorite ride at Disneyland (when I was there in 1980 and 1983), the Haunted Mansion was my favorite of all the rides. Here's a cover of the place's theme song! (This is the first of five horror-themed songs we'll be posting as part of the Countdown to Halloween this year!)
It's another 31 Nights of Halloween, and the Terror Titans blog once again heaves itself from the grave with a series of mini fright films--one every night between now and Halloween.
We kick off this year's fear fest with the familiar face of Lotta Losten, the unluckiest person alive. She's had multiple run-ins with the supernatural during the course of the 31 Nights of Halloween festivals....
Lights Out (2013)
Starring; Lotta Losten
Director: David. F. Sandberg
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars
The days are getting shorter, and soon Halloween will be here... and the 31 Nights of Halloween will once again herald its arrival.
One month from today, Terror Titans will shamble back to life with 31 short horror films that can be viewed right here on the blog, to help you get in the mood for the Big Day. No film will be longer than 15 minutes, and the majority will be shorter than 10 or even 5.
