Blood Slaughter Massacre (2013)

Full disclosure: I know the wonderful people who made this movie from the convention scene, where they are always manning the table for Mass Grave Pictures.  They are true horror lovers who are dedicated to the genre and worked their butts off to make this flick.  Everybody knows that being my friend doesn't guarantee a good review (it's a wonder I still have horror-genre friends) but I did want to provide that background.

 Blood Slaughter Massacre was originally released as a series of faux trailers and was eventually made into a full length film.  It is intended to be a riff on 80s horror, a la The House of the Devil, so keep that in mind while watching.  The premise?  Officer James Fincher narrowly avoided death by the hands of killer The Ripper.  Ten years later, the murders begin again.  Is The Ripper responsible?

I liked the 80s authenticity of this movie (the props, clothes, video quality), paired with all the cliches we've come to know and love -- the irresponsible babysitter, the alcoholic/suicidal detective, the ditz in the shower oblivious to her inevitable demise.  And I do so love a scene where a drunk chick thinks that a knife embedded in her boyfriend's stomach is an erect penis.  Also, chainsaws.  Can never have too many chainsaws.  It seems that the Ripper is back to avenge his daughter's untimely death, and there's a spiderweb of people involved, from law enforcement to teenagers to everyone's various families.  And more than one person that thinks a dead girl can be brought back by killing numerous others.

The Ripper is an effective villain...a sort of Michael Myers/Jason Voorhees silent-stalking-type with a cool-looking mask.  I liked the "theme" music whenever the Ripper appeared.  The special effects were well-done, and the gore was on-point.  It's always good to see some solid behind-the-scenes work in an independent movie, instead of just saving the cash and cutting away when it comes to the death scenes.
Of course, my review would not be without criticisms.  I definitely think some time could be cut from this movie.  Some of the dialogue scenes (the "information," the video store) and even the fight scenes went on longer than necessary, in my opinion.  One of the things I love about slasher movies is the short length that keeps them moving along quickly, and don't require that big of a commitment.

Overall, I think this was a solid throwback slasher flick with good blood and gore and nice acting skills.  The story got a little complicated, and the length a bit drawn out, so I do think it could be tightened up a bit.  But I liked this movie and I'm looking forward to seeing more from Mass Grave Pictures. The filmmakers' passion for and dedication to the genre is really to be respected in this day and age. Support independent horror, bitches, or we're just going to be watching crappy remakes for the rest of our horror-viewing lives.

Booley (2010)

Booley is the debut feature film for writer/director Christian Grillo and Potent Pictures.   I was lucky enough to get hooked up with this movie, being told that it's much like Falling Down.  I've never seen Falling Down but the IMDB summary tells me that it's about a guy who's having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.  Angus Booley, on the other hand, is having a series of pretty crappy days.
 
Angus (Tom Detrik) just wants to live a quiet life in the suburbs, but things are just not going so well for him.  His wife is cheating on him, his daughter Rose (the lovely Carmela Hayslett aka Roxsy Tyler) is getting bullied at school, and his job is outsourced to India.  Unsure where to turn for a solution to his problems, he starts watching self-help videos by the eccentric Jack Harrington (Christopher Mann).  For some reason, these videos reminded me of Tappy Tibbons from Requiem for a Dream, in a good way.  Although the videos are supposed to boost his confidence and help him progress into the next stage of his life, Angus uses them as a catalyst for revenge.

His newfound set of cajones allows him to confront all who have wronged him, and even some random people as well.  This movie is light on the blood, but solid on the creepiness, especially the scene with the dog mask.  The acting is surprisingly good for an independent flick, and the camera work was stylistic, albeit sometimes a bit confusing.  The editing was really spot-on, and I loved the music choices, which really fit in well with the storyline.

Overall, I thought this movie was great.  It definitely wasn't a throwdown, drag-out slasher, but I love a thriller/horror comedy as much as I love decapitations.  The cast is a fun and campy combination of actors, from porn stars to horror hosts to Howard Stern Show regulars.  Booley is a diamond in the independent horror rough.