The Flick:

The drive-in movie-going experience is something I recall as a true labor of cinema love for me. Before there was the option to trek to your local Ma and Pa video store to catch a flick, you had no choice but to beg your parents to get in the car to see the latest horror film. And that, my friends, is what is missing from fandom today – that spontaneity to throw caution to the wind to take a chance on what might or might not be a terrible movie. That’s what made it so much fun! The days of battling the crackling speaker in the car window and the giant murky screen where you couldn’t quite see what was happening may seem long gone, but if you search Google maps you’d be surprised to find out there are a few left. But people would rather Netflix, Redbox and download torrents than watching films the way they were meant to be seen. It’s there loss, really. What could be better than seeing Friday the 13th Part II, My Bloody Valentine, and The Beast Within in a crowded parking lot where half the people were making out and the other half were getting drunk?

The four guys behind Chillerama (Adam Rifkin, Adam Green, Joe Lynch and Tim Sullivan) don’t want anyone to forget about this bygone era, and by using the long beloved “omnibus” format they have created an anthology that will sit comfortably next to Tales from the Crypt andCreepshow.

Zom B Movie

Jason Bene: Joe Lynch knocked his episode, Zom B Movie, out of the park. Imagine Planet Terrortaking place at an old school drive-in where a case of  “demon semen” is being passed on from patron to patron. The stuff here is gory as black-lit, uber horny zombies throw down NC-17 undead sex and violence.

Donny Broussard: Jason hit the nail on the head. Lynch’s episode was well written, funny, and contained well developed and extremely memorable characters. The sex-crazed zombies harkened back to old-school zombies and ripped apart their victims with reckless libido fueled abandon. No person or object was safe from their terrifying pelvic thrusts. Also, setting the flick at a drive-in movie was perfect. Zom B Movie offered up the goods and then some when it cums to gore, over the top sexual antics, and contains well placed movie quotes that fit the plot like a tight ribbed condom. I can’t wait to see this again. Bring on the blue goo!

Jason Bene: What is sadly missing from modern cinema is that sense of authenticity when it comes to shooting on a real set. Here, Joe Lynch filmed his segment at a real drive-in in Southern California. The characters are just as important as the walking dead. Joe has definitely grown up since Wrong Turn 2: Dead End.

Wadzilla

Donny Broussard: Adam Rifkin’s Wadzilla is balls of gooey fun! A throwback to 1950′s monster movies, it follows Miles Munson (Rifkin), a guy with a low sperm count. After seeing a doctor, played by the always amazing Ray Wise, he takes a pill to make his sperm stronger. Only, this backfires because every time he gets aroused he creates a killer sperm. That’s right, a killer sperm. The monster wad is a killing machine that pulverizes its victims. I had a blast watching cast members get facials from the ultimate B-monster. Rifkin was hilarious as Miles, and the rest of the cast was stellar as well. Hopefully fans enjoy this as much as I did because this is the type of balls to the wall late night classic that has been missing from cinema.

Jason Bene: I have spent nearly two years writing a column practically begging for someone to make the kinds of flicks that you would see on USA’s Up All Night and Monstervision back in the glory days of VHS. With his vignette, Adam Rifkin has taken the over-sized monsters from the atomic era and dropped it on the set of a Skinamax movie. The work that went into the set design and costuming to nail the period look has to be applauded as well. No CGI bullshit here, as The Chiodo Bros. (Killer Klowns From Outer Space) use stop-motion animation to give life to a whale-sized sperm that wants to ovulate with with the Statue of Liberty. Ray Wise has always been more than just a character actor, a guy who is mostly remembered for Swamp Thing, but his flickEndless Descent has always been my favorite. Like he did in Homo Erectus, Adam Rifkin is the jack of all trades as he plays double duty in front and behind the camera.

I Was a Teenage Werebear

Jason Bene: After winning the second season of Scream Queens, Gabby West was given a small part in Saw 3D that was downright subliminal. She brings her A game here in this homoerotic version of Beach Blanket Bingo that could be seen as a coming “out” party for filmmaker Tim Sullivan.

Donny Broussard: I Was a Teenage Wearbear took its notes from Frankie Avalon era beach movies and infused them with gay overtones that came off somewhat preachy, but that didn’t stop Gabby West from saving it from itself. She shines so much in this musical macabre that I can’t wait to see what she does next. Don’t get me wrong, this episode has its moments, but didn’t quite shine like the rest.

The Diary of Anne Frankenstein

Jason Bene: “99 Red Balloons!” Although I am not Jewish, my grandparents were huge fans of the musical Fiddler on the Roof and I can recite the lyrics line for line. I understand some of the “TRADITIONS!” that were going on. Meshugannah looked like a stitched-up version of Topol, and his weapon of choice, a menorah, could only be wielded by Jason Voorhees and Victor Crowley himself – Kane Hodder!

Donny Broussard: Adam Green is a master of the short film. He knows how to craft a truncated story and make it feel like a feature length picture. In The Diary of Ann Frankenstein we get Hitler bringing his own monster to life in hopes that he’ll be able to use it for his own bidding. Joel David Moore was absolutely perfect as Adolf Hitler, and his complete and utter control of the German language is nothing short of spectacular (Bobba Fett!). Kane Hodder is stupendously funny as Meshugannah (the monster), in one of his most entertaining roles to date. I can’t say enough about how much fun this segment is.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Visual

The audio came in loud and clear and the video looked fantastic. Facials never looked so good, right Jason?

Special Features

Commentary: The boys riff on their flick in a very entertaining way and you can also watch them in the corner of the screen so that it’s not just audio. Score!

The Making of The Diary of Anne Frankenstein: Mostly a collection of interviews with Green and the cast, this is a fun inside look at how they crafted this stellar flick.

Wadzilla Deleted Scenes: A collection of deleted scenes that give a unique perspective on the effects used in the film.

I Was a Teenage Werebear Behind the Scenes: A really well put together feature that offers up info on the films origins. Well done Tim.

I Was a Teenage Werebear Deleted Scenes: Most of these are standard issue except for the alternate ending.

Zom-B-Movie Deleted Scenes: A few disgusting scenes from Deathication, and some stuff cut from the flick as well.

There is also an interview from Comic-Con and some trailers as well.

The Flick:

Jason Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Donny Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray:

Jason Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Donny Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Check out Downloading and You here.

Then, check out some shorts from the past here.

“I’ve been with the ‘Hatchet’ team from the very beginning and am honored and thrilled that Adam has handed me the reins on this third movie,” said McDonnell. “I grew up watching horror films and like Adam Green, I’m a true genre fan at heart. I have been waiting for an opportunity like this to step up and make my directorial debut with something I love and know inside and out.”

“BJ was not only the camera operator on the first two ‘Hatchet’ movies. He was there alongside me creating every shot, working closely with me to craft each scene, moment, outrageous kill, and performance,” said Green. “He is absolutely beloved by the entire Hatchet family and his experience on everything from huge studio films to smaller independent productions will ensure that he will do the franchise proud.”

Source: Variety

“I hope everyone is excited because he was the right person for it. It’s not a name that everyone’s going to know, but when you hear who it is, I think you’ll understand why I made the choice I did. What I can say is that he was my first choice all along, even when it came time to do the second one. At a certain point they wanted to do the second one and they didn’t want to wait for me, and this was the guy that I thought should do it. He’s been part of the Hatchet family the whole way, and I will tease just by saying that he was there for everything.

He’s the type of guy, he works on a lot of big movies, and if he’s wearing his Hatchet crew shirt, and if the guy on the crew for, like Transformers or whatever, tries to talk shit, he physically beats the shit out of him. I’m going to be with him the whole way; I’m going to be by the camera the whole time, protecting him, helping him, and I hope it’s the best Hatchet movie yet.”

He’s obviously vague on who, although the source thinks it could be assistant director Craig Borden, who’s worked on previous Hatchet films, as well as Taken.

It’s the closing night at the last drive-in theater in America and Cecil B. Kaufman has planned the ultimate marathon of lost film prints to unleash upon his faithful cinephile patrons. Four films so rare that they have never been exhibited publicly on American soil until this very night! What could possibly go wrong?

The four guys behind Chillerama (Adam Rifkin, Adam Green, Joe Lynch and Tim Sullivan) don’t want anyone to forget about this bygone era, and by using the long beloved “omnibus” format they have created an anthology that will sit comfortably next to Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow.

Zom B Movie

Jason Bene: Joe Lynch knocked his episode, Zom B Movie, out of the park. Imagine Planet Terror taking place at an old school drive-in where a case of  “demon semen” is being passed on from patron to patron. The stuff here is gory as black-lit, uber horny zombies throw down NC-17 undead sex and violence.

Donny Broussard: Jason hit the nail on the head. Lynch’s episode was well written, funny, and contained well developed and extremely memorable characters. The sex-crazed zombies harkened back to old-school zombies and ripped apart their victims with reckless libido fueled abandon. No person or object was safe from their terrifying pelvic thrusts. Also, setting the flick at a drive-in movie was perfect. Zom B Movie offered up the goods and then some when it cums to gore, over the top sexual antics, and contains well placed movie quotes that fit the plot like a tight ribbed condom. I can’t wait to see this again. Bring on the blue goo!

Jason Bene: What is sadly missing from modern cinema is that sense of authenticity when it comes to shooting on a real set. Here, Joe Lynch filmed his segment at a real drive-in in Southern California. The characters are just as important as the walking dead. Joe has definitely grown up since Wrong Turn 2: Dead End.

Wadzilla

Donny Broussard: Adam Rifkin’s Wadzilla is balls of gooey fun! A throwback to 1950′s monster movies, it follows Miles Munson (Rifkin), a guy with a low sperm count. After seeing a doctor, played by the always amazing Ray Wise, he takes a pill to make his sperm stronger. Only, this backfires because every time he gets aroused he creates a killer sperm. That’s right, a killer sperm. The monster wad is a killing machine that pulverizes its victims. I had a blast watching cast members get facials from the ultimate B-monster. Rifkin was hilarious as Miles, and the rest of the cast was stellar as well. Hopefully fans enjoy this as much as I did because this is the type of balls to the wall late night classic that has been missing from cinema.

Jason Bene: I have spent nearly two years writing a column practically begging for someone to make the kinds of flicks that you would see on USA’s Up All Night and Monstervision back in the glory days of VHS. With his vignette, Adam Rifkin has taken the over-sized monsters from the atomic era and dropped it on the set of a Skinamax movie. The work that went into the set design and costuming to nail the period look has to be applauded as well. No CGI bullshit here, as The Chiodo Bros. (Killer Klowns From Outer Space) use stop-motion animation to give life to a whale-sized sperm that wants to ovulate with with the Statue of Liberty. Ray Wise has always been more than just a character actor, a guy who is mostly remembered for Swamp Thing, but his flick Endless Descent has always been my favorite. Like he did in Homo Erectus, Adam Rifkin is the jack of all trades as he plays double duty in front and behind the camera.

I Was a Teenage Werebear

Jason Bene: After winning the second season of Scream Queens, Gabby West was given a small part in Saw 3D that was downright subliminal. She brings her A game here in this homoerotic version of Beach Blanket Bingo that could be seen as a coming “out” party for filmmaker Tim Sullivan.

Donny Broussard: I Was a Teenage Wearbear took its notes from Frankie Avalon era beach movies and infused them with gay overtones that came off somewhat preachy, but that didn’t stop Gabby West from saving it from itself. She shines so much in this musical macabre that I can’t wait to see what she does next. Don’t get me wrong, this episode has its moments, but didn’t quite shine like the rest.

The Diary of Anne Frankenstein

Jason Bene: “99 Red Balloons!” Although I am not Jewish, my grandparents were huge fans of the musical Fiddler on the Roof and I can recite the lyrics line for line. I understand some of the “TRADITIONS!” that were going on. Meshugannah looked like a stitched-up version of Topol, and his weapon of choice, a menorah, could only be wielded by Jason Voorhees and Victor Crowley himself – Kane Hodder!

Donny Broussard: Adam Green is a master of the short film. He knows how to craft a truncated story and make it feel like a feature length picture. In The Diary of Ann Frankenstein we get Hitler bringing his own monster to life in hopes that he’ll be able to use it for his own bidding. Joel David Moore was absolutely perfect as Adolf Hitler, and his complete and utter control of the German language is nothing short of spectacular (Bobba Fett!). Kane Hodder is stupendously funny as Meshugannah (the monster), in one of his most entertaining roles to date. I can’t say enough about how much fun this segment is, so do yourself a favor and find a way to see this when it hits theaters or DVD.

Chillerama has the Killer Film “Seal of Approval” and is a Late Night Classic for the new millennium.

Jason: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Donny: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

“Hatchet III will likely start production early next year- at least that is the first potential time period where it seems all of the players involved could actually be available do it. ArieScope and Dark Sky recently had our first serious ‘let’s buckle down and get started ironing this out’ call since the third installment was green-lit a few months ago and we’re all thrilled to be making the next chapter in the franchise.”

Green continues, “The reactions to Hatchet II have been astounding and we’re all so blown away by how well the film did- even with the travesty of the movie being so unceremoniously assassinated by the powers that be during its theatrical run. Point is, the second film was such a big success critically and financially and the Hatchet Army was so happy with it that we have a lot of pressure to deliver on Part 3 and we want to raise the bar yet again. So this isn’t something we can rush into doing. Also, even if I indeed choose not to be in the director’s chair this time- you can bet I’ll still be standing over it doing everything I can to help keep the ship on course. ‘What’s the plot? Who’s in it? If you’re not directing it- who is?’ Too soon to reveal that stuff even if I already have some of the answers. Point is, the soonest it’s going to start shooting would be early 2012- which is actually not that far away now. Right now the major players in the Hatchet universe are all occupied with other projects, especially myself. There is a collective heart and tight knit family behind Hatchet and we’re not going to create the next chapter until we’re all available and ready to play. Thankfully, our partner and distributor Dark Sky Films totally gets that and feels the same way about doing it right as opposed to just doing it fast. For those that think it’s taking too long to get started, keep in mind that I waited 5 years between the actual making of Hatchet and the making of Hatchet II. I need to be ready and I need time to focus on my other stories and projects. Thankfully so many of my fans understand and appreciate that between every Hatchet film I also need something like a Spiral, a Grace, and a Frozen to feel creatively complete.”

Of these other projects, his Chillerama is set to be released this Fall, and his Killer Pizza is being set up at a major studio, is it won’t be an indie.

Look for the film this Fall.

The Diary of Anne Frankenstein follows Adolf Hitler as he seizes Doctor Frankenstein’s secret journal and uses it to piece together the perfect killing machine to help him win World War II.

Source: ArieScope Pictures

“Hot on the heels of the successful VOD and DVD release of Hatchet II, Dark Sky Films today announced it has given the green light to the production of HATCHET 3. The film, centered once again on the genre’s most fearsome new villain, Victor Crowley, will be produced by ArieScope Pictures and Dark Sky Films, a subsidiary of leading independent producer and distributor MPI Media Group.

Writer-director Adam Green said: “We already had a possible storyline for HATCHET 3 worked out before we began shooting Hatchet 2 so my cast, crew and I are beyond excited to see that the story and legacy of Victor Crowley will indeed continue. For a little indie movie that I dreamt up when I was just eight years old, it has been absolutely surreal to watch it turn into a modern-day slasher franchise.”

Greg Newman, Executive Vice President of Dark Sky Films, said: “It has been our intention from the beginning to make the HATCHET story an episodic one. Adam Green created a horror icon in Victor Crowley, and we’re pleased that Crowley will live on in future installments of the franchise.”

HATCHET 3 will continue the saga of Crowley, the “Bayou Butcher,” who first made his gruesome mark in 2007’s groundbreaking Hatchet. Adam Green’s HATCHET 2 sequel became the first unrated independent horror film to be exhibited by a major chain (AMC Theatres) in more than 25 years when it opened last fall. Strong early sales from Hatchet 2’s new DVD release have further solidified the franchise’s enduring appeal.

With cast and other production details to be announced shortly, HATCHET 3 will continue where the story left off in Hatchet 2, as a young woman sought revenge on the malevolent monster that killed her family while they were fishing in Louisiana swamp country.

HATCHET 3 will be produced by ArieScope’s Cory Neal, producer of the previous two hits. In addition to the Hatchet films, ArieScope’s other productions include Frozen, Spiral and Grace.”

Cory Neal said, “We are thrilled to again work with Dark Sky, the company that has been so instrumental in the success of this growing franchise.”

See, fans: it pays to buy DVDs and to support your favorite films. What would you want to see in this sequel?

That’s right! The director of Frozen and Hatchet has released two new stills from Sexy Nightmare Slayers.

From his ArieScope website:

On Monday March 7th don’t miss ArieScope’s first episode of SEXY NIGHTMARE SLAYERS premiering exclusively on Comedy Central’s Atom.com.  Rileah Vanderbilt (FROZEN, SABER) and Clare Grant (WALK THE LINE, SABER) star as two angels who protect children from the monsters under their beds, the ghouls in their closets, and all kinds of other freakishly fun bad guys.  The pilot episode was directed by Adam Green.

“It’s no secret that I love doing web videos so when Atom.com approached us to do something, we were very excited to work with them,” Green told Dread Central. “We have come up with something that is kind of like Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Evil Dead II. We had total creative control so you’re going to be seeing stories filled with hot chicks, cool monsters, and lots and lots of monster goo.”

The Film:

The ‘Golden Age of Gore’ was when horror films went out theatrically with either no rating or simply the words ‘No One Under 17 Will Be Admitted’. Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 got spanked on the fanny by board members for a comic book style gore gag that was too red for their liking and the producers were forced to release it unrated, something that has not happened since until the release of Adam Green’s Hatchet II.

From sea to shining sea, Hatchet was hailed as the flick that would bring us back to a time when the genre walked with a confident machismo and certainty about itself. The body count was generous and the gore was gushing as it brought back memories of what was great about 80′s slashers. I enjoyed it but I did not feel like it revived anything. Too many people had it built up in their minds that a new horror icon was born with Victor Crowley and the ugly hillbilly had not even made it to round two. Rome was not built in a day, and neither was Frankenstein, Norman Bates, or Michael Myers.

Like in Halloween II and Friday the 13th Part II, we pick up immediately after the events of Hatchet as Marybeth [Danielle Harris] escapes the clutches of Victor Crowley [Kane Hodder] and is whisked away to a cabin by one-eyed Jack Cracker [John Carl Buechler]. In flashbacks, she is told how Thomas Crowley cheated on his dying wife and that his pregnant mistress was slapped with a curse that turned baby Crowley into a freakazoid. Wanting revenge for the death of her family, Marybeth seeks the help of Reverend Zombie and a group of hunters who are promised cold hard cash for the head of the swamp thing.

Sometimes overexplaining a mythology takes away from the mystery of the evil within and can bog a movie down and disrupt the pacing. The exposition, along with some wooden acting and pacing, hurts the beginning after a rousing prologue where a man gets disembowled and choked to death by his own intestines.

Does Hatchet II master the fine art of making sure the ‘Grand Guignol’ setpieces bring down the house and have the audience screaming for more? A beheading while having sex; a chainsaw splitting two people in half while in the air; a face sliced off; an axe to the rectum; and a skinning that would make Pinhead grin from ear-to-ear went down with thunderous applause.

In 1988, John Carl Buechler’s Friday the 13th Part VII was castrated by Jack Valenti and his crusaders; and we still have not seen the unedited version. He and his pal Kane Hodder got the shaft on that picture, but Adam Green’s chunk blower makes up for that injustice and in the same breath brings back old-school horror in the tradition of The Prowler and The Burning.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: Dark Sky Films’ SD version of the film is really solid. In day time scenes, you’d be questioning if it’s HD. The blood red is rich and colorful. The only complaint – and it’s minor (since it’s SD anyway) – is in some of the darker scenes, like the climax, it’s a little murky.

The DD 5.1 mix booms.

Commentaries: Two tracks. One with Adam Green, his cinematographer, and make-up FX artist Robert Pendergraft, which is obviously a technical look back at the production that has a rapid pace and good info. The other has Green again and his actors Kane Hodder and Tony Todd. This is another decent track, especially when Green talks about the film’s theatrical release.

Behind the Screams: This thirty minute documentary covers the production with on-set footage and interviews.

The disc ends with a few Trailers and TV Spots.

The Film: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The DVD: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Hatchet II picks up right where the 2007 original film ends, as Marybeth (Danielle Harris from Halloween) escapes from the clutches of the deformed, swamp-dwelling killer Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder from Friday the 13th sequels). Marybeth returns to the Louisiana swamps along with an army of hunters to recover the bodies of her family and exact her revenge against Victor Crowley.

Re-read our Hatchet II review here and interviews here, as well.

Source: Dread Central

HATCHET II – a Dark Sky Films production written and directed by Adam Green, creator of 2007’s hit Hatchet – was set to a fall breakout release. AMC Theatres booked screens in top U.S. markets, while Green and other iconic cast members scheduled simultaneous midnight and opening-weekend appearances at theaters around the country. In response to the intense and vocal demand of fans, the much-anticipated sequel opened at special midnight screenings on Friday, October 1, 2010.

Outraged horror fans and supporters of independent cinema instantly began a campaign via the Internet, Twitter, Facebook and other outlets to have the film released. Dark Sky Films immediately moved into action, working feverishly to bring HATCHET II to fans in its complete, uncompromised version – the way the film was meant to be seen. The movie will be available as Video on Demand on Comcast and Time Warner systems on December 1, 2010.”

Check out Killer Film’s review here, now in a few days, go out and rent it! Still no word on a Blu-ray/DVD release, but it’s safe to imagine it is not too far off.

Source: Dark Sky Films