Category: Horror

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As I mentioned in my Breeders review, Charles Band hired adult filmmaker Tim Kincaid to produce several direct-to-video movies. These were to be released under Band’s home video label, Wizard Video, which he started after leaving Meda Home Entertainment. While Kincaid was the primary director, he did hire other filmmakers for these projects, like Peter Manoogian for Enemy Territory. Enter Bruce Hickey, a theater actor from Chicago best known for playing Danny Zuko in the original production of Grease. In addition to acting, Hickey directed a few plays, including an adaptation of Hatful of Rain and Fool For Love. At some point, Tim Kincaid contacted him about producing a low-budget horror film shot in New York City. Hickey wrote a screenplay about a 300-year-old witch living in modern times, using cast and crew members from Kincaid’s camp. After a 1986 UK home video premiere, Necropolis got a 1987 US release.

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Synopsis

In 1686 New Amsterdam, the satanic witch Eva (LeeAnne Baker) placed a curse on Dawn (Jacquie Fitz) during her wedding. Unfortunately, Eva is killed by the local villagers before the ritual is finished, but not before swearing vengeance. Three hundred years later, Eva returns as a goth biker chick in New York City circa 1986. She uses her powers to rebuild her satanic coven and reclaim a powerful ring imbued by The Devil. After she leaves a trail of bodies, Detective Billy William (Michael Conte) investigates the deaths, which he rules as suicide. However, local reverend Tony (Andrew Bausili) believes the newly reincarnated witch killed these people. Eva can manipulate people’s minds, driving them to either self-harm or sell their souls to Satan. With the help of Detective Williams and Dawn’s descendant, Father Tony sets out to stop the witch for good.

Review

Given the outrageous premise, you would expect Necropolis to be a cheesy, fun, low-budget B-movie with plenty of laughs. Unfortunately, the poster and premise massively oversell the actual movie, which is a boring mess with some awful acting. LeeAnne Baker, who previously had minor roles in Breeders, Psychos in Love, and Galactic Gigolo, gets the lead role here. Sadly, it’s easy to see why she had bit parts considering her acting is on par with a bad porno. Seeing her try to be intimidating and seductive with her constant awkward dancing is unintentionally hilarious. It doesn’t help that the rest of the actors are dull and only highlight how horrendously bad Baker is. Granted, the dialogue is so bad that I can’t imagine even a good actor delivering some of these lines convincingly. Given Tim Kincaid’s involvement in this, it’s easy to see where the movie’s priorities lie.

Like Tim Kincaid’s other productions, Ed French designed the makeup effects again, and they’re easily the best part. While we don’t get to see them much, the zombie followers of Eva look effectively creepy and weird. Also, the six breasts that Eva sprouts occasionally are done well for what it’s worth. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the general filmmaking on display, which is poor all around. So many night scenes are shot so dimly lit that it’s hard to tell what’s happening. Even at an hour and seventeen minutes, the movie drags to where you’ll be begging for the ending. I’ve seen plenty of low-budget films that didn’t have a lot of resources that still look better than this. Overall, Necropolis could’ve been a decently fun exploitation cheapie, but besides some ok makeup effects, it isn’t exciting. Moral of the story: don’t trust a movie’s box art.

Buy Necropolis from Amazon: https://amzn.to/438S3xn.

Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

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[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]During a meeting with Charles Band, editor Don Adams mentioned 1993’s Leprechaun, a sore spot for Band. For decades, Band had been known for making tiny terror movies, including Dolls, Puppet Master, and Demonic Toys. So, to have another low-budget company make a similar movie and have it be successful stung him. In 2011, Charles Band announced he would make his take on a horror-comedy about an evil leprechaun. After seeing America’s Next Top Model, Band injected a subplot around models competing on a reality TV show. According to effects designer Tom Devlin, Band cast the actresses for the models based on their Twitter followers. For instance, lead actress Tiffany Thornton had over 1 million followers when she switched from Disney to Full Moon’s camp. In 2013, Charles Band’s Unlucky Charms was released on DVD in a mock cereal box for promotional purposes.

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Synopsis

Five girls compete in a reality TV show to get a modeling contract and become company spokespeople. There’s Darla (Alex Rose Wiesel), Sheila (Nikki Leigh), Mika (Masuimi Max), Erin (Anna Sophia Berglund), and Audrey (Tiffany Thornton). Leading the competition is DeeDee Deville (Jeryl Prescott), and she’s accompanied by judges Pirl (Seth Peterson) and Baxter (Charlie O’Connell). Unbeknownst to the girls, DeeDee is using four magical charms to steal their souls so she’ll stay young. Meanwhile, Farr Darrig (Nathan Phillips), Bloody Bones (Peter Donald Badalamenti II), Pookah (Ben Woolf), and Banshee (Katrina Kemp) are hunting. It turns out DeeDee stole the magic she’s been using, and Farr and his cohorts are looking to reclaim it. However, they are under her control as they’re forced to kill off the competing models individually. Will DeeDee be stopped, and will the Irish terrors reclaim their Unlucky Charms?

Review

Say what you will about Leprechaun, but it was at least well-made and had a clear idea. With Unlucky Charms, it feels like Band had a lot of ideas but didn’t know how to execute them fully. The whole “modeling reality show” concept has much potential for parody, but they don’t do much with it. Also, for a Full Moon movie, the kills are minimal, with only two in total, and both are uninspired. Aside from the cycloptic Bloody Bones, the makeup effects look remarkably cheap, especially with Farr Darrig’s design. Unlike Warwick Davis’ iconic look, all Nathan Phillips gets are red splotches on his face and a wig. Even the version of Farr Darrig on the DVD cover looks more terrifying than in the actual movie. The film’s biggest problem is it’s boring and moves at a snail’s pace, even at under 90 minutes long.

As much as this movie doesn’t work, a few bright spots make this at least tolerable to watch. For one, Nathan Phillips does a decent job playing the diminutive terror Farr Darrig, actually playing the part seriously. Jeryl Prescott, for her part, does an outstanding job as the villain, and the Dorian Gray-inspired plotline is handled well. Also, the five main actresses aren’t terrible, even if they were hired because of their Twitter followers. While many of the digital effects look shoddy, a few sequences aren’t half bad, namely the opening scene. Also, some of the film’s practical effects are alright, namely the Bloody Bones and Pookah designs. While I wouldn’t call this one of Full Moon’s worst movies, the fact that it’s unremarkable is almost worse. Overall, Unlucky Charms won’t ruin your day, but there are far better movies about evil leprechauns you could be watching.

Buy Unlucky Charms on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3CkFPZk.

Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

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Tim Kincaid, real name Tim Felix, first hit the scene for his 1973 sexploitation film The Female Response. In 1976, Kincaid started making gay porn films under the pseudonym Joe Gage beginning with Kansas City Trucking Co. Up until 1985, Kincaid produced titles like El Paso Wrecking Co, Closed Set, Heatstroke, and Blue Hanky Left. In 1986, Kincaid and producer/wife Cynthia De Paula transitioned into mainstream filmmaking with the women-in-prison film Bad Girls Dormitory. Charles Band was so impressed with Kincaid’s work that he agreed to fund four DTV movies made in NYC. For the first film, shooting would last for ten days on a budget of $80,000 with effects by Ed French. While Kincaid had filmed Mutant Hunt beforehand, this sci-fi horror film would be released first. In 1986, Tim Kincaid’s Breeders hit video store shelves under Charles Band’s Wizard Video line.

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Synopsis

In the seedy streets of Manhattan, various women are being attacked and killed by a strange entity. Detective Dale Andriotti (Lance Lewman) and Dr. Gamble Pace (Teresa Yvon Farley) investigate what’s targeting these women and their connection. They find that the thing these women have in common is that they’re all virgins who’ve been raped. Among the victims are model Karinsa (Frances Raines), nurse Kathleen (LeeAnne Baker), and local girl Donna (Natalie Savage). Almost all of the victims end up catatonic or with some form of amnesia, making the investigation more difficult. Eventually, the women get up from the hospital, fully nude, and wander the streets in a trance. Detective Andriotti and Dr. Pace follow them into the sewers, only to discover something horrific. The sexual invasion is about to begin as the breeders emerge to try and conquer the Earth. Anything this hideous must be stopped from breeding!

Review

Without mincing words, Breeders is pure trash and not even the enjoyable kind of trash that you can laugh at. Sure, it has everything you’d expect in a cheesy B-movie: gratuitous nudity, bad acting, and gross effects, but it’s boring. So much nothing happens that, even at 77 minutes, it feels like a movie that’ll never end. For instance, there’s a sequence where a model strips naked and does yoga for at least three minutes. Other than having an excuse for more nudity, it just drags on and on without advancing the story. Then again, there’s so little story here that you could sum it up in one sentence. Acting-wise, I didn’t expect anything Shakespearian, but I highly doubt any of these people have ever acted before. Everyone’s line delivery is so flat and dull that they might as well be cardboard cutouts.

While I haven’t seen much of Tim Kincaid’s work, I can only imagine they’re all just as poorly made. Not only are all the camera angles basic, but so many scenes drag out you’ll be begging for a cut. The one positive I can give this movie is that the effects, while cheap, are pretty decent. It shouldn’t be surprising since Ed French (Blood Rage, The Dead Come Home, and Sleepaway Camp) did the effects. The best effect shot in the movie is when a character’s chest bursts and reveals an alien monster. Also, the alien creature responsible for the ravaged virgins doesn’t look half bad, though we don’t see it much. That said, I can only recommend this to hardcore fans of Empire Pictures and the most curious viewers. Overall, Breeders should’ve been at least delightfully bad, but instead, it’s just plain bad.

Buy Breeders from Amazon: https://amzn.to/4oY46aA.

Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

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Where to watch Breeders (1986)

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[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]After their partnership with Paramount Pictures ended, Full Moon Features was financially precarious, solely relying on Kushner-Locke. It was in the late 90s that Full Moon took advantage of the burgeoning internet to announce their future titles. Some of the titles featured that got made included The Creeps, Shrieker, Subspecies 4, Puppet Master 6, and Blood Dolls. One of the other features mentioned wouldn’t be funded by Kushner-Locke but by producers David DeFalco and Michael Fiechtner. Shot on location in Bucharest over two weeks in February 1997, Charles Band directed while Benjamin Carr wrote the script. Carr previously wrote Head of the Family, starring Jacqueline Lovell and Michael Citriniti, a.k.a. J. W. Perra, who returned here. Another notable cast member was Mel Johnson Jr., who later partnered with Charles Band to form Alchemy/Big City Pictures. After a brief filming period, Charles Band’s Hideous! was released in August 1997.

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Synopsis

A group of sewage workers finds a strange embryo and sell it to the International Medical Specimens corporation. Headed by Ms. Belinda Yost (Tracie May-Wagner), she sells it to eccentric collector Napoleon Lazar (Mel Johnson Jr.) for $650,000. Word gets out to rival collector Dr. Lorca (Michael Citriniti), who has his assistant Sheila (Jacqueline Lovell) steal it. After the embryo is stolen, Lazar hires Detective Leonard Kantor (Jerry O’Donnell) to help him return it from Lorca. Along with Yost and her secretary, Elvina Shaw (Rhonda Griffin), Lazar and Kantor go to Lorca’s castle to confront him. While there, they see Lorca’s four other strange creatures, who break free and wander the castle. Soon, our hapless victims are picked off individually as Lorca and Lazar fight over ownership of the medical oddities. Who will survive against these deformed, depraved, and devious creatures and escape the castle?

Review

In some ways, Hideous! is almost a throwback to the Empire Pictures classic Ghoulies, both in story and visuals. Both are about people going to an isolated area and are systematically picked off by tiny creatures. Also, both movies have a similar lo-tech feel to the effects, which makes sense, given who handled the effects. Mark Rappaport, the film’s special effects supervisor, previously worked under John Carl Buechler on Demonic Toys. Admittedly, there is some questionable CGI, and the puppets aren’t the most complex, but they work for this movie. They’re not in the film very much, but the creatures are fun to watch when they are. Filming in a Bucharest castle adds much production value to the movie and helps it stand out. Say what you will about Full Moon using Romania, but it helped make their films look more expensive.

For the most part, the cast plays their roles as campy as possible without going too overboard. Mel Johnson Jr. is one of the biggest highlights, and his back-and-forths with the rest of the cast are entertaining. Michael Citriniti is an excellent rival for Johnson, and Tracie May-Wagner is fun as the stuck-up rich bitch. Jacqueline Lovell is another highlight as Dr. Lorca’s sexy and devious assistant, spending her screen time with her cleavage exposed. She and Johnson easily have the movie’s most memorable scene, where she robs him while topless in a gorilla mask. Even in context, the sequence comes out of nowhere and is never brought up again, which makes it more bizarre. At under 90 minutes, the movie goes by pretty quickly and doesn’t have too many slow scenes. Overall, Hideous! isn’t one of Full Moon’s best, but it’s a decent creature feature.

Buy Hideous! from:

• Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Sy4f6A.
• Full Moon Horror: https://www.fullmoonhorror.com/products/hideous-blu-ray?ref=filmnerd.

Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

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Where to watch Hideous! (1997)

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