Indie

The Frankenstein Syndrome

The Frankenstein Syndrome (2010)

Elizabeth Barnes (played by Tiffany Shepis) is quite the young upstart in the field of stem-cell research. She takes a job working in a secret laboratory for the infamous Dr. Walton (Ed Lauter). Walton is trying to develop a serum that will cure every known disease, perhaps even cure death itself, and he has gathered a crew of brilliant physicians together to make this happen.

The reason for all the secrecy is that his group of scientists is illegally obtaining their materials from homeless women willing to sacrifice their bodies for science. Elizabeth immediately takes flack from Dr. Victoria Travelle (Patti Tindall), the team’s leader, who sees her as a threat to her position. After David Doyle (Scott Anthony Leet), the head of security, is killed, they use his body to test the serum and resurrect him but the results of this experiment are less than ideal.

This film delves into the sub-genres of medical horror and mad science and comes out all nasty; coughing up black bile, spraying blood, and flinging chunks of bodies and stuff. The Frankenstein Syndrome has a cool look and boasts some nice camerawork and lighting. It’s hard not to come away from this film feeling cold and slightly depressed. This is not the feel-good splatter flick of the year!

The cast is where The Frankenstein Syndrome really succeeds. One of the horror genre’s sexiest go-to gals, Tiffany Shepis, is excellent in her role (she also gets a producing credit on this film) that is complex and fascinating. The incredibly prolific and always dependable Ed Lauter has a good, smallish part and Louis Mandylor is perfect as the cold and calculating, Marcus, one of Dr. Walton’s lackeys. I really enjoyed Patti Tindall’s ice queen act that only melts when things get really fucked up and it just makes her character even more disturbing. Scott Anthony Leet completely caught me off guard and puts in an extremely dynamic performance.

While The Frankenstein Syndrome isn’t breaking any new ground, the film is full of some cool, if heavy-handed, ideas. I won’t spoil any of those ideas here because they are part of what makes this film unique from your average straight-to-video horror flick and might be possibly spoilerish. Let’s just say there is some immoral and profoundly dark shit going on and leave it at that. Director Tretta and crew make the most of their modest budget and great cast to pull off something horrifying, smart, gory, and quite bleak. If you happen to stumble across this indie horror film or go seek it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Ouija Room (2019)

Ouija Room AKA Haunting Inside (2019)

After the death of their parents, aspiring novelist Sammy (John Bradley Hambrick) takes care of his autistic sister Sylvia (Joni Durian). Sylvia has severe agoraphobia and a host of other issues, so her brother brings her board games to help her stay calm and focused. Unfortunately, a Ouija Board (dun dun dun!) is mixed in among the stack of games and supernatural hijinks ensue.

Sylvia is visited by three spirits, though none of which are Christmas-related. They teach her how to cook and how to play some new games. But it isn’t long before these games take a dark turn causing Sylvia and Sammy’s happy life together to unravel. Are the spirits trying to help Sammy or do they have ulterior motives? I won’t tell!

Ouija Room is a very impressive indie horror film but that’s not too surprising since director Henrique Cuoto has been making films since the mid-2000s. The script by Daniel Wilder is funny, creepy, and heartfelt. I dig the ominous score by composer Ray Mattis which contributes to the overall atmosphere of tension and dread that begins to build almost immediately. The film also has excellent pacing and energy to spare on its side.

The cast is committed to their roles and turn in consistent performances. Joni Durian is excellent as Sylvia. She really carries the movie and deftly portrays a sympathetic character without being schmaltzy. Hambrick is also very good as Sammy, a dude who loves his sister but is barely holding it together. Dear reader, keeping a bottle of mystery booze and a frickin’ Glock within arm’s reach of your bed are kinda ill-advised even at the best of times. Just sayin’.

Get the DVD.

 “Spirits, do you like chalk?”

The Prople – Why Even Ask?

For their second full length album, The Prople have returned with their trademark frenetic energy and outlandish lyrics. Why Even Ask? is an improvement over both their first album Revenge and their previous Monorail Girl EP in both production quality and intricacy. A key ingredient to this album is the pummeling drums by Kari Frankenstein. The band is now a two-piece with Miss Frankenstein moving to drums while still playing bass, keyboards, and singing vocals thanks to her six arms and approximately four brains. Markky Karloff’s constantly evolving guitars are as resolute and as gigantic as usual and his vocals have been known to open vortexes in concrete all over the city.

Before I continue, I have to mention a pair of truly bizarre songs on Why Even Ask? and I mean bizarre even by The Prople’s standards. As if multiple songs about Disney World and Epcot Center (“Spaceship Death”, “Escape from the Utilidors”, and “Murder at Club 33” respectively) on the same album wasn’t strange enough. First up is the brilliantly broken “Amazing Grace ‘78” which fans of a certain sequel in the Halloween franchise should recognize immediately. Next is “Son of Blattella”, a stylistic departure for the band that goes through so many changes and styles in the same song that it’s reminiscent of the ultimate schizophrenic rock band, Mr. Bungle. This song also has a cameo by the ghost of our good friend, Nafa Fa’alogo!

In order to appear as a completely objective and professional music reviewer, I’d be remiss not to mention my involvement with Why Even Ask?. Recently, Markky Karloff forced me into a little room and left me there for days with only a pile of horror movies to keep me company. It wasn’t long before I completely lost my mind. As I descended into a gibbering mass on the floor, he surreptitiously recorded my ramblings and mixed them into a new version of the classic Prople song called “Doomed Moviethon”. It’s about watching too many movies and completely losing your mind! Sound familiar? I would be lying if I said that this wasn’t my favorite song on the album so I won’t bother.

If songs about video games (references I frankly just don’t get because of my chosen religion), the Planet of the Apes franchise, Dragonball Z, horror films like Hereditary and It, and a Wal-Mart in hell sound like something you’d be into- ew, bro! I’m not into that stuff. But if you are into that stuff then peel all of your skin off. Another option? Simply pick up a copy of Why Even Ask? because this is one hell of an epic album. From the blistering opening bassline of “Fireworks” to the apocalyptically phantasmagorical conclusion of “Vermin”, this is quite a journey for listener. This is such an overall improvement over what I’ve heard from The Prople so far that I can’t wait to hear what they come up with next. Not that I’m into that stuff.

The Prople

And even more The Prople

Genki Genki Panic – SURF CVLT

Genki Genki Panic is a three-piece horror and science fiction-themed surf rock band from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Their sound is what gets pumped into the speakers of the graves of skeletons who still remember how to shake their bony asses. The production on this bright green flexi disc perfectly suits their otherworldly, reverb-drenched style. Listen to this band and you might just start a surf cult of your own.

“Ghouls on Film” explosively kicks off this three song flexi disc. It will have your synapses all twisted up into knots. Next, “Sexy Harambe Frankenstein” is a wild excursion into a little known genre called Mary (was a punk rocker) Shelley. The synthesizer on this track will melt your face off. “Radon Chong” sounds like if Agent Orange got into a knife fight with Brian Setzer. This release from Goblinhaus Records just blows me away. The disc comes with a download code with three more kickass songs with ridiculous puns in the titles.

Goblinhaus Records

Genki Genki Panic

The Prople – Monorail Girl

They’re not The People, The Purple, or The Propel Fitness Water. They’re The Prople and they’re back with a new EP even though their full length album Revenge is still pretty hot and covered in the blood of carnivores. As much as I enjoyed Revenge, Monorail Girl is an overwhelming piece or slice of punk. Should I call it a chunk of punk? I don’t know what the kids are calling it these days. Anyway, the guitars on this album are punishing in the best way possible and this all too short collection of songs (two of them are less than 50 seconds!) have left me wanting more.

As I’ve come to expect from The Prople, the songs on Monorail Girl are a mix of horror, deranged Disney World nostalgia, and other left field topics. The horror begins with the opening track called “David” which is about Alien: Covenant, naturally. Another horror track is called “Fruit Cellar” and the Psycho-inspired TV series“Bates Motel” is where it draws its inspiration. Bassist and backup vocalist Kari Frankenstein takes the lead on this one and it’s a catchy and incredibly depressing song, lyrically speaking.

Vocalist, guitarist, drummer, and general overachiever, Markky Karloff, gives the listener the most horrifying vision of all with “Muscle of Love”. It’s an Alice Cooper cover and even though it’s probably not about the shock rocker’s penis, my mind immediately goes there. Since it’s Markky singing those lyrics on this EP, it might be about his penis. But I suspect that Markky might not be into that stuff.

Last but certainly not least are the title track of this EP and a cover of “(There’s A) Great Big, Beautiful Tomorrow” to fulfill the required Disney quotient. “Beautiful Tomorrow” is a song that plays at the Carousel of Progress at the theme park. Lyrically, this is full of hope and promise but things quickly mutate into madness and despair, just like Walt Disney! Wait, what? “Monorail Girl” is probably the strangest song on there. I hope the sexual lyrics are a metaphor for something that isn’t sex, just like Walt Disney! Wait, what?

More Prople.

Even more Prople.

Slingshot Cops

Slingshot Cops (2016)

On the mean streets of Woodsville Center, a tough cop named Rusty (Matt Farley) patrols the streets looking to bust an illegal fireworks syndicate. Without the support of the police chief, the mayor, or his ex-girlfriend, he’s a joke to the community. First, he’s forced to see therapist Dr. David Mercer (Kevin McGee) to prove that he’s fit for duty. Then he’s saddled with a new partner, old-timer Officer Wolf, who cares more about cupcakes and laying low until retirement than fighting crime. Things are looking pretty grim but during a routine preppy bust, Rusty discovers that there’s more to Wolf than meets the eye.

A conspiracy more dangerous than fireworks dealers rears its ugly head as a mysterious presence known only as Sensefoot has been terrorizing the townspeople. One touch of its glowing purple foot and the victim will lose their sense of touch, taste, smell, etc. Rusty and Wolf are baffled by these crimes and are at a loss until an Eastern European (Tom Scalzo) comes to town. He is a Sensefoot expert after his village was terrorized by the creature many years ago. These three heroes join forces to rid Woodsville Center of this scourge but is it too late? They’re gonna need a zany scheme to end all zany schemes in order to close this case.

I’ve been reviewing the films of Charles Roxburgh (director), Matt Farley (producer and star), and company since their eccentric slasher Freaky Farley back in 2007 and every time they put out something new, it’s a cause for celebration. They always film in New England which is a gorgeous and exotic land to my Florida eyes. Speaking of gorgeous, the cinematography is on point and the crew is making the most of the beautifully scenic locations. I want to live in Woodsville Center.

Fueled by an excellent electro pop score (by Farley and Scalzo) and a crackerjack screenplay (by Farley and Roxburgh), there’s a lot to love here. My only criticisms are the sound is a little jakey at times (for instance, the Eastern European yelling through a megaphone is quieter than everyone else) and the film could be about 5 minutes shorter. Just a little tightening up before the finale would have made a big difference. But that’s literally all that I can find to complain about.

Slingshot Cops is a criminally unusual film with an offbeat sense of humor that must be seen to be believed. Its heart is in the right place and I was just glowing after watching it. These guys have made a genre-bending little masterpiece that will be hard to top. And I can’t wait until they do. Do you like high fives? Do you like stinky cheese eating Eastern Europeans? Do you like glowing feet? Then brother, have I got a movie recommendation for you!

“Curse these thrill-seeking preppies!”

Visit Motern Media for more info.

Viva

vivadvd

Viva (2007)

Barbi (Anna Biller) has everything that the typical suburban housewife could ever want. She has great friends, sexy Sheila (Bridget Brno) and swingin’ Mark (Jared Sanford), and a manly husband, Rick (Chad England). But this is 1972 and the sexual revolution is calling. With their marriages on the rocks, Barbi and Sheila become call girls in order to find themselves. Renaming herself Viva, Barbi’s journey leads her into a decadent world of sex and drugs. Jumping from one strange bedfellow to the next, Barbi finds that the pursuit of pleasure may be even more complicated than she ever realized.

Viva comes bounding into our world like an errant transmission from a campy and kitschy parallel universe where 1972 never ended. Writer, director, and star Anna Biller loads her subversive and surreal film into a happy shotgun and shoots it point blank into our smiling, slack-jawed faces. This lavish indie production has excellent camerawork, eye-popping set designs, fantastic costumes, and a sickly sweet lounge soundtrack.

The cast of Viva keeps things nice and artificial. This gang delivers the raunchy soap opera dialogue like it was going out of style and handle the inexplicable situations and ferocious stereotypes with ease. Special awards go out to all for keeping straight faces delivering such insane dialogue (and a few extra stars for keeping it together during the riotously ridiculous hippy nudist camp sequence). I refuse to play favorites here because everyone is so totally committed to making this bizarre world work that I could go on forever.

Ah 1972, when men were men and women were their doormats. Biller’s delirious version of the sexual revolution is delightfully ironic. Taking cues from Playboy and other men’s magazines of the age, the world of Viva is a fever dream of a bygone era that never really existed. With commercials for liquor and tobacco written into the script, it’s a trash mag (equal parts hilarious and disturbing) come to life!

Imagine Beyond the Valley of the Dolls soaked in kerosene and set afire with a flame thrower and you might have an idea of what Viva is like. Saturated with sex and nudity, this delirious film even has musical numbers and a trippy animated sequence that would have been right at home in a sleazy softcore romp from the early 70s. With a dedicated cast and a director with an unshakeable grasp on her vision, I can’t help but wholeheartedly recommend Viva to anyone with a taste for excessive camp or even just a perverse sense of humor.

“You’re not just dirty, Barbi, you’re abnormal!”