The Babadook

Aaah the Imaginary friend!  I had them when I was a child…At least I hope they were imaginary.

That is the plot of tonight’s movie from Australian film director Jennifer Kent I’m talking about The Babadook.

All the rage on the Festival circuit in 2014 The Babadook takes us to both a new level of creepiness while utilizing some of our basic and fundamental fears.

Most of us first learned of fear at a young age. For some it was the creature under the bed and for others it was the monster in the closet and as a child you are the only person that can see these entities.

The origins of these monsters come from various sources to a child. They can come from a film that they have seen or a toy that takes a different shape in the night shadaws or in this case a scary children’s book.

The origins of this film can be seen in one of Kent’s early short films Monster that can be found on the film’s official website.

Now on to the flick.

The film follows Amelia who’s husband was killed in an accident while driving her to the hospital to give birth to her son Sam and six years later Amelia is not over the tragedy. Even going as far as not to let Sam celebrate his birthday on the date since it also falls on the date of his father’s death and locking up all of his things in the basement.

Sam is now terrorized by a mysterious unseen monster that he is obsessed with battling and spends his time making elaborate weapons to face this monster and the rest of his time he is playing like he is a magician.

Amelia soon finds a book that Sam asks her to read to him and she finds this book titled The Babadook is loaded with frightening imagery of a malicious maneater that lurks in the shadows and seeks the death and devouring to all that live in the home.

While she refuses to read the story and discards the book Sam’s obsession with The Babadook continues to grow and soon Amelia begins to realize that The Babadook may be real. All of this while slowly loosing her grip on Sanity.

As I stated earlier This film is creepy, not just with the imagery that also includes the use of stock footage of silent era films as well as the artworks but also with the cinematography and locations as well.

The film mostly relies on film techniques and shadow to tell the story rather than special effects which it utilizes on occasion to further the suspension of disbelief.

The story is also well written and allows for character development and while slow paced it does work for the suspense of the film.   

The Babadook is definitely a metaphor for grief in the film with the characters refusing to cope with the death of the other characters. I will also state that the film takes a look at the impact that child development has on a single parent who while struggling to earn a living has to also deal with the management of a child in distress while dealing with lack of sleep and alienation from her friends and family.  

This is definitely a film for the supernatural fans that follow today’s trends.

1 Dead Body

1 Dead Dog

0 Breasts

1 Beast

1 Broken nose

2 Angry Parents

Home Alone Style weapons

Gratuitous Vibrator action  

Vulgar Bingo

4 Stars

Check it out. 

Halloween Picks:The Houses October Built

One of my favorite things from not just the present day is the Haunted Attraction Industry. 

This does in fact go back to my Childhood, Teenage Years, College and Beyond. Haunted Attractions is one of the reasons that I was able to have a degree in Video Production and have a rather large area of my career. 

I used to release a DVD every year titled The Best Little Horror Houses in Texas which I had to discontinue in 2012 because...Well Nobody buys DVD anymore and this was the origin of HauntShooter which I am very proud of and it's success and I am now ready to take it further and see where this goes. 

What many people don't realize is that the DFW metroplex is one of the greatest Haunt Markets in the world. The Haunts Ranging from crazy to tame there is someone for everyone that wants to be entitled to One Good Scare during the month of October.  

A couple of years ago while I was shooting for HauntShooter over in Mansfield at the Terrorplex I noticed  that another film crew was shooting with two rather large RVs and while I tried to politely introduce myself to my fellow filmmakers we were however both busy trying to get shot what we could in the short amount of time that we had and I was unable to learn more about them. 

That production as it turns out was The Houses that October Built which hit theaters this past Halloween season as well as VOD and is now on Blu-Ray and Netflix. 

Taking the Found Footage approach The film follows a small group of Haunt enthusiasts that rent an RV and tour the state of Texas and their greatest Haunted Attractions and while this group is searching for the Ultimate Haunted Attraction they also earn the ire of many of the Haunters with their disrespectful antics. 

Not too long into their journey they begin hearing of a moving Haunt called The Blue Skeleton which is regarded ad the scariest. Soon the group begins to be stalked by some unseen Scare Actors that do all from breaking into their RV to assaulting them in a bar. All of this eventually leads them to Louisiana, Bourbon Street and finally to the Blue Skeleton. 

As I stated earlier the film has a personal feeling for me as many people that I know are interviewed in the film and many of the locations that are in the film I have shot for HauntShooter as well as some of the Scare Actors that are featured in the film. 

There are many of the same issues with many films in this sub genre as you see the mistakes that they make that eventually leads to their further goings in the film and to the inevitable climax. Also this is often why the characters are far more annoying. 

Taking into consideration that the film is Found Footage it does have the usual pitfalls as such as with the shaky camera. Also the cameraman constantly shoots into the lights giving us lens flair which I can't tell if this was planned or not however there are frequent angles that gives the film the artistic direction that the filmmakers were looking to go. these actually add to the entertainment value of the film showing these characters as amateurs rather than professionals which is again the direction that they were most likely going for the film. 

The characters spend a good portion of the film fighting amongst themselves however they do remain united  and become particularly protective of the only female in their group.Again this adds to the film.

The Blu-Ray contains a slew of Special Features including Deleted Scenes, Behind the Screams, Portrait of a Scare Artist and the Cast being Carved into Jack-o-lanterns. 

Most interesting is the Full-Length Documentary that was the original film for and this flick is actually the reshot version. Many releases don't include these features and this is a nice touch.

Look for Playboy's  Miss February 2005 Amber Campisi making an appearance at the beginning of the film. 

I also have to find this Mickey Martin's Ship Wheel which is a combination Haunted Attraction and Strip Club which led to an interesting scene in the film. 

I definitely recommend this film for fans of the Found Footage sub genre as well as the Haunt Industry. 

? Dead Bodies

7 Breasts

5 Beasts

7 Creepy Clowns

Axe Wielding Rabbits

Masked Strippers

Creepy Kids in Masks 

3 Stars 

Check it Out

V/H/S Viral

In 2012 I brought you a look at a new direction of Horror with V/H/S which was an amazing utilization of Found Footage and recent technology with a look at both the supernatural and the darkest sides of Human Nature.

Featuring works from some of the upcoming directors in the genre V/H/S gave us a glimpse of Amateur porn gone demonic, an ill-fated reconciliation on Vacation, a Halloween night of terror as well as aliens on Webcam.

An instant hit on the festival circuit V/H/S was met with critical acclaim as well as massive fanfare and a year later V/H/S/2 arrived on the scene.

This time the film showcased the works of many established directors telling the stories of a GoPro filmed Zombie outbreak, a camera implant that allows the patient to see the dead, a Asian cult, and an alien abduction.

Now I have admitted here on The Video Creep that I was not too much of a fan on V/H/S/2 as with many sequels I had high intentions but being that V/H/S is a tough act to follow and there were many that were fans of the film and I say that to each their own.  I am pleasantly surprised to say that it was not the final entry in the series.

That being said V/H/S Viral was announced this past Summer with a premiere at the 2014 Fantastic Fest. Now I have to admit that I am late in bringing you this review as I made the decision to wait for the BluRay Release of the film as it featured a short film and special Features that were exclusive to the release.

Like it’s predecessors Viral features a wraparound story following characters that are shown the videos and the chaos that ensues. Viral however takes a different direction with Vicious Circles helmed by Dead Girl director Marcel Sarmiento.

As the title suggests the videos featured in this film are in fact viral. Now for those of you that aren’t aware what is viral video?

“A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email.”

Primarily following a young Videographer Kevin and his girlfriend Iris that he spends most of his time filming until one night a police chase of an Ice Cream Truck goes through his neighborhood and looking at the chance for 1,000,000 Hits video on the net at first decides to pursue the chase. 

However after the truck passes him Iris soon goes into a trance clearly hypnotized by a video on her phone and begins to follow the truck with Kevin in hot persuit.

This story is told in between the segments however occasionally the narrative shifts to different characters that Kevin encounters in his persuit of the truck and these characters are followed leading into the next film.

As for the Films, They take a different direction than their predecessors as the films while maintaining the Found Footage format are more documentary films or feature GoPros among other cameras allowing for more edits and cutaways.

Dante the Great the first film directed by Gregg Bishop is one of my favorites. Following a Magician who acquires a magic cloak that allows him to perform real magic however the catch is that the cloak has to be fed humans and it is not too particular or who it is fed to keep the magic going.

The film follows the authorities trying to stop the Magician who has become too powerful to stop and his assistant is the only one that can stop him.

Spanish filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo contributes Parallel Monsters. Another interesting tale treated to us internationally in which an inventor invents a machine that opens a doorway to another dimension where he meets another version of himself however he finds that this is not what he thinks it is. Trust me this one is Fd Up!  Fans of ABCs of Death will like this one.

The directing duo of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead bring Bonestorm to the Table. Following a group of teens in Highland Park who head to Mexico to film a Skateboarding video where they encounter a group of the walking undead where they must fight off to return to the border. The effects of this piece is amazing with the use of practical effects along with the occational CGI and the use of the GoPro cameras make you at times think that you are playing a first person shooter video game.

Finally after the film and you stay after the credits you are treated to Gorgeous Vortex. Tulsa native Todd Lincoln gives us a strange film about a unknown organization of faceless masked strangers that are stalking a female serial killer for unknown purposes.

While visually amazing I had trouble following the film’s plot and narrative which I think was the point but it was still a great film.

I really liked V/H/S Viral and I hope that it isn’t the last in the series but it would be a great way to end the series in a trilogy.

35 Dead Bodies

4 Breasts

14 Beasts

Arms Breaking

Compound Fractures

Exploding Skeletons

Skateboard Bashing

Penis with teeth

Stomach Vaginas with teeth

Skeleton Fu

Skateboard Fu

Camera Fu

Taxi Fu

As I said Earlier fans of ABCs of Death will like this

3 Stars

Check it out

Kevin Smith's Tusk

I know that in the time since the fire I have been struggling to get back to my feet and I really miss Austin and I still have not decided where or what I am going to do now but I will keep sending all of you flicks to watch here on the Video Creep.

Sadly once again I am going to have to miss out on the festivities that we in the genre call Fantastic Fest at the Alamo Drafthouse down in Austin and I have a promise to you all that I will return someday if not just for the festival.

I miss the talented genre filmmakers that you get to see in the lounge as well as hanging out with all the other bloggers in the Austin area as well as the reporters that come from across the country.

Despite the fact that I am not able to go to the festival this year The Alamo Drafthouse was nice enough to have their premiere of the film Tusk and ABCs of Death at all of their theatres to be followed by a QnA by  Tusk Star Justin Long and The director himself Kevin Smith.

Now there may be some of you out there that are asking me “Didn’t Kevin Smith get out of directing movies?” Well the answer to that statement is not really.

Yes Kevin Smith is now primarily a Podcaster but his venture with Smodcast has opened far more doors for him than he could have ever expected.

Hollywood Babble-On is currently being picked up as a program on AMC and will join Comic Book Men in the near future but the real story for now is TUSK.

The story of Tusk began on Smodcast 259 where Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier were discussing a mock news story in Canada where a man was asked to pretend to be a Walrus to a man that loved walruses and the comedic discussion between the podcasting duo which was influenced by the Human Centipede ended up becoming a pitch for a horror movie on the air and in the end Smith asked his internet audiences if they wanted to see him make the film.

Asking them to tweet #WalrusYes or #WalrusNo Smith received only one no and the man admitted that he he did so simply for the democratic process and Smith soon secured funding for the film.

Now it is no secret that I am in fact a fan of Kevin Smith so I was not about to miss this screening.

Tusk follows a Podcaster named Walter (Justin Long) who after heading out to Canada to interview the star of a viral video only to find out that the subject has taken his own life. While waiting around looking for another person to interview he sees an add in abar by a man that was looking for another man to tell his stories to.

After responding to the add Walter heads out to meet the man (Michael Parks) who tells him that while he was out to sea hunting a 25 Ft Long 3 Ton Great White Shark his ship sank making him the only survivor and his life was saved by a Walrus who became his friend.

The reality is that this man has been kidnapping people to make them into his own Human Walrus where he surgically sews him into his own flesh made Walrus suit with tusks and all.

While all of this is happening Walter’s Girlfriend and business partner are scouring through Canada searching for him and being aided by former inspector Guy Lapointe (Johnny Depp in an uncredited role).

I am quite amazed at many things about this film. The First being that it did in fact get made. Secondly fact that it has the cast that it has, With Justin Long, and Michael Parks alone but Haley Joel Osment as well.

Smith revealed during the QnA that he had known Johnny Depp for years since their daughters attended school together and Depp was more than eager to play the role as the eccentric detective.

Johnny Depp and Kevin Smith’s daughters have a small role as convenience store clerks and will have their own spinoff in the near future.

The main thing that I am surprised by this flick is in fact how good it actually is. There are going to be some detractors to the film due to the subject matter alone but genre fans will love the film especially fans of the Human Centipede as it is in fact lighter in tone than the popular series of films.

The Walrus alone is amazing.

This film was loaded with references and Easter Eggs for the Smodco followers. Ponder rock, The Hollywood Helper, Ralph Garman are just a few of the references that fans of the many shows on Smodcast will catch.

3 Dead Bodies

0 Breasts

2 Beasts

Severed Legs

Severed arms

Drowning

Decomposed Walruses

Walrus Eating

Mackerel Eating

3 Stars

May not be for everybody but still Check it out

  

Halloween Picks: Night of the Demons

Night of the Demons (1988)

A Halloween Gore Fest made in the late 1980s by filmmaker Kevin Tenney, and stars scream Queen Linnea Quigley and Amelia Kinkade as Angela Franklin.

Amelia is throwing a Halloween party in Hull House which is the local haunted house that used to be a crematorium. After the partygoers hold a séance to raise the ghosts in the house they end up raising a demon that after possessing Angela it begins possessing the other party goers.

Night of the Demons reeks of the 1980s and features much macabre humor that works for the flick as well as gore and blood.

My favorite part of the film is the Old man and his wife in the epilogue with the apple pie.   

Night of the Demons inspired two sequels and a remake with a sequel in production. They are worth checking out but they don’t live up to the original

9 Dead Bodies

4 Breasts (You will remember the lipstick scene)

8 Beasts

Coffin Crushing

Lipstick to the breasts

Razor Blades to the throat

Heads Roll

Other limbs Roll

Night of the Demons 2 (1994)

Taking place six years after the events in the previous film All of the previous Demons have all been sent away but Angela and we are introduced to Angela’s little sister Melissa aka Mouse. Angela and Mouse’s parents went insane and committed suicide sending Mouse to a Catholic boarding school where she is bullied by her classmates.

A small group of students after getting into trouble with Sister Gloria are unable to attend the school dance and decide to throw their own party at Hull House.

After leaving Hull House Resident Mean Girl Shirley takes the famous lipstick with her from the house and that allows Angela to leave Hull House and attack the party and kidnap her little sister bringing her back to Hull House pursued by her classmates from the school that have to face off against both Angela and her Demonic Minions.

Night of the Demons 2 is what it is. Despite receiving a limited theatrical release it was really intended for the video boom of the late 80s and early 90s. Despite the lack of effort it remains one of the better flicks of the time and it is a good watch.

Look for a then rarely known Christine Taylor in a relatively small role.

Also try to ignore the “Decapating Faith” Scene in the flick

7 Dead Bodies

10 Breasts

7 Beasts

Attacking Breasts

Lipstick up the vagina

Holy Water Balloons that make demons explode

Heads Roll and then Grow Back

2 ½ Stars

Night of the Demons 3 (1997)

Amelia Kinkade returns one final time in the role of Angela in the 3^rd chapter of the Night of the Demons Trilogy.

Released in the UK as Demon House, Night of the Demons 3 follows a small group of teenagers that end up getting caught up in a hold up and then they seek refuge in Hull House. Naturally Angela appears and she is up to her old tricks.

One of the Harder to find titles Night of the Demons 3 isn't highly regarded in the series but it is definetly worth taking a look at.

5 Dead Bodies

4 Breasts

6 Beasts

Tongue to the Head

Bullets to the chest

Bullet to the eye

Heart Ripping

Gun felatio

2 Stars

Night of the Demons (2009)

Night of the Demons was given the full remake treatment in 2010.

Featuring a new cast Shannon Elizabeth taking over the role of Angela. She is joined by fellow horror actors Monica Keena, Diora Baird, Bobbi Sue Luther, and Edward Furlong who in this flick looks like he had been hitting the bottle far too much but it however works for the character which makes me believe that it could have been done for the movie.

The plot of the remake follows a rave type party abandoning the Hull House Mortuary used in the other films the remake is a mansion owned by Evangeline Broussard who held a party there in 1925 that ended with the death of many of her guests.

Angela who is trying to make her rent is holding a party that is promptly broken up by the police and the character of Collin (Furlong) who intended to sell drugs to the party guests to get out of trouble with a local drug dealer returns to the house to retrieve the drugs that he stashed when the cops arrived he finds his ex-girlfriend and her friends and their dates who also have returned to the house.

In the meantime Angela was bitten by a skeleton that they have all discovered and Angela is possessed becoming the lead demon.

Eventually the other partygoers are possessed and some in interesting ways resulting in another Halloween Night mayhem.

The demons in this flick are far different than the other movies as in this flick they can manipulate time and make it appear as if the night has ended and take it back to the real time that it really is.

Night of the Demons is definitely a modern day remake. It has far more of an edge to it than the other movies in the series.

The Lipstick scene still remains and an added tough was added if you know what I mean and I think you do.

Linnea Quigley who played the role of Susanne in the original makes a cameo in this film but there is no sign of Amelia Kinkade.

I still recommend the original but the remake is a good movie in its own right

7 Dead Bodies

4 Breasts

6 Beasts

Lipstick through the breasts and out the vagina

Legs breaking

Anal ripping

Face ripping

Breasts ripping

3 stars

Check it out.