Ten Best: Indie horrors to watch on TheHorrorShow.TV
We’re just over a month away from Halloween and there are no less than four major UK horror festivals on the horizon, so what better time to take a look at you choice of “home video” horror – with ten of the best independent horror movies to rent or buy on TheHorrorShow.TV
The Top 10, in no particular order, are…
Camp Dread
Mixing the slasher movie with reality TV doesn’t seem like the best idea for horror movie, especially considering the mainstream backlash against both genres, but surprisingly Camp Dread manages to overcome it’s much-maligned origins. Of course any slasher movie set at a summer camp is going to be filled with the tropes of the genre and this film is no different – although this time around the stereotypes and cliches which would typically hinder such a production actually work in its favour. By embracing what made the summer camp slasher flick such a hit with teenage boys in the 80s, Camp Dread actually becomes a fresh take on the traditional slasher.
Full Review | Watch on TheHorrorShow.TV
The Pit
The epitomy of a slow-burner, The Pit is not really a “scary movie”, in fact the film (beyond the “backwoods” tag) is hard to pigeon hole. Instead of all-out shocks and frights, writer/director Chad Crawford Kinkle goes for an unsettling atmosphere and makes spectacular use of the films setting, with a vibe similar to the likes of Children of the Corn and Deadly Blessing, yet run through the same Jack Ketchum-style vision that made The Girl Next Door and The Woman so effective. And much like those movies, there’s also plenty of brutality on show – although Kinkle knows exactly how much to so and how much to leave to the imagination, which is a rare thing these days!
Full Review | Watch on TheHorrorShow.TV
Bloody Homecoming
The feature film debut of Brian C. Weed, who previously worked as a cameraman and cinematographer on a number of TV shows and shorts, Bloody Homecoming is a fantastic independent 80s-style slasher. The type of film that shows Hollywood how to successfully bring back a much loved, and often much maligned, genre. The type of film that the Prom Night remake should have been, instead of the by-the-numbers crapfest that it was – easily ranking up there with such superb examples of the modern-day slasher such as Tamara and The Sleeper.
Full Review | Watch on TheHorrorShow.TV
Butcher Boys
Butcher Boys certainly doesn’t scrimp on the gore. For those that enjoy the red stuff there’s breast eating, brain eating, throat tearing, chainsaws, stabbings, headshots and much more. Plus there’s the odd cameo from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre cast for the hardcore fans… And despite its lack of plot (multiple chase sequences don’t really constitute a story do they?) Butcher Boys is still a pretty decent homage to Kim Henkel’s more superior work.
Full Review | Watch on TheHorrorShow.TV
Zombie Horde
Seeing it as another low-budget zombie flick, I had little hope for Zombie Horde – however despite some flaws, the film turned out to be better than expected. The first thing that strikes you about the film is the soundtrack, which echoes the synth-led scores of John Carpenter and has a real 80s vibe about it – this is even played up in the opening scenes as our “hero” is abandoned in the desert and the films villains take out retribution on one of their own in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome fashion… In fact I’d go as far as saying that the Mad Max franchise had a LOT of influence on this films writer/director!
Full Review | Watch on TheHorrorShow.TV
Heretic
Made by first time writer/director Peter Handford and shot in my old neck of the woods, Yorkshire (in particular the Leeds and Bradford area), Heretic is an incredibly powerful piece of film making that, whilst is a very effective horror film, does what all good horror tends to do – it uses the confines of the genre to tell a much bigger story. In this case asking serious questions about religion, personal responsibility, and the place of the church in modern society. It’s also happens to be a damn fine ghost story too!
Full Review | Watch on TheHorrorShow.TV
Rites of Spring
Rites of Spring is very similar in tone, look and feel to the classic American deep south films of the late 70s and early 80s: the strange townsfolk hiding a mysterious secret, the unstoppable killing machine, the “out-of-towners” who get their comeuppance, It’s all very familiar. But thanks to a great script and a great cast – including the always excellent AJ Bowen and his The Signal co-star Anessa Ramsey – the film successfully rises above the flotsam of the genre. Roll on the sequel is all I can say…
Full Review | Watch on TheHorrorShow.TV
Sick Boy
The idea of a babysitter stumbling across something she shouldn’t isn’t anything new in horror. In fact some of the greatest films in the genre are based on that very concept – Halloween and House of the Devil to name just two. And whilst Sick Boy may not rank as one of the best examples of the sub-genre, it still has plenty to offer horror fans.
Full Review | Watch on TheHorrorShow.TV
The Wrong House
The Wrong House shares a lot in common with the The Lodge and I’m not only talking about the isolated house setting. I went into both films with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised – more so by The Wrong House, which starts off in similar low-budget film making fashion ropey script, ropey direction and ropier acting and from a technical standpoint everything about the film is amateurish. But the story shines through and once the film kicks into gear, as the families realise the situation they’re in, any qualms about budget, scripting or acting are forgotten and what you are left with is a damn fine scary movie.
Full Review | Watch on TheHorrorShow.TV
The Sleeper
It’s hard to fault The Sleeper as everything about the filmis spot on: the look, the clothes, the vibe, even some of the cheesy acting – everything screams 80s slasher (and there are some nods to some of the most famous and infamous slashers strewn throughout the film). Hell, even the music by Gremlin is seemingly inspired by 80s Italian horror music-maestros Goblin! Notice the similarity in nomenclature too? As a fan of 80s cinema and the slasher genre I couldn’t be more pleased…