The Sawyer Massacre

Iconic horror characters are here to stay. No matter if we are talking about legendary horror characters such as Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers or Leatherface, they all return now and then to fill our horror hearts with nostalgic moments. It´s not easy for film makers to come up with brand new horror characters, because you have to be able to make the character unique. A character that people will be fascinated in, and in some ways feel disgusted about as well. Since we talked about iconic characters earlier, we might as well get into one of the most legendary ones. And that has to be Leatherface from the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film from 1974. A film that have shocked audiences worldwide for almost 50 years, and is one of the true classics from legendary director Tobe Hooper ( who have made a lot of classics such as Eaten Alive, The Funhouse, Poltergeist and many others ). What made the original film of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre so unique from other horror films, was that the character of Leatherface had so much anger and a brutality we have not seen before. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre tells the story of Sally Hardesty ( Marily Burns ) who together with her brother and some friends visit the grave of Hardesty´s grandfather to investigate reports of vandalism and grave robbing. After the investigation, they decide to visit the old Hardesty family homestead. Their journey is about to become a true nightmare, on a level that no one could have imagined. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most classic slasher films ever made, and even if the film is getting closer to 50 years old, it is still a lot better than most slasher films released today. I really enjoy the sequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 from director Tobe Hooper as well. It is quite different from the original film, but really entertaining. We have had a lot of sequels, and prequels since then. Some of them i can watch just for fun ( the 2003 remake is actually not bad ), while others are just not that good. One of the things i have noticed over the last 5 years, is how many fan films are coming out, based on classics such as Friday The 13th and Halloween. Some of them are actually pretty good for being fan films, wich proves that fans have a love for the ground material. Speaking of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, for a while i heard about a fan film that had a campaign on Indiegogo called The Sawyer Massacre, an unofficial prequel to the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film. The film was recently released on YouTube so i decided to give the film a chance. Is this a really well made fan film, or is it not as good as i was hoping it would be?

On June 30th, 1965, Gene ( Bryley Michael Bell ) and a friend take Jimmy ( Jordan O´Neal ) to the Texas countryside to escape city life after a terrible tragedy. When they need to get supplies at a local gas station run by Rex ( William Instone ), they are told that they can´t get it at his gas station, but should head over to a farmhouse not far away from here. What they don´t know, is that this is no ordinary farmhouse.

When you make a fan film, you know it will be difficult to please everyone who loves the original film of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. You have a lot of pressure on you, since this film have so many fans worldwide. This is of course an unofficial prequel to the original film, so this definetely give the film crew some freedom to balance different ideas. And you can see that right from the beginning of this film, it is a little bit different from the original film. I actually think this is a good idea, instead of just following the original film and add something different. Let us get into the characters for a while, and let us begin with one of my personal favourite characters. And that is the character known as Rex, played by actor William Instone. When i saw the character of Rex for the first time and heard him speak, i immediately imagined that he would be perfect in a hillbilly horror film with a title such as The Hillbilly Banjo Hunter. Imagine the character of Rex shooting down zombies ( or a demonic scarecrow ? ), and now and then begin playing his banjo close to the corn fields, that´s a fantastic combination for a quality film. William Instone manage to deliver his dialogue in a charming way, and he really capture the hillbilly spirit with his character. Rex really belong in this film, and i would have liked to see more scenes with him. My second favourite is the Leatherface character, played by Scotty Parkin. He is actually not bad as Leatherface, and to see him kill victims in different ways is actually quite entertaning. When it comes to acting, one of the better acting performances comes from actress Alicia Jade as the character Loraine. Alicia is such a perfect match for this character, that i am actually quite surprised how good she does this role. I also have to mention actress Nika Louw as the character Alison, and i really enjoy her scenes with Alicia. You can tell that these two actors matched well during filming ( or they at least made it look that way ). Actress Trish D. Powell as the character Dixie is one of the most interesting characters, and is very easy to connect with. What about the horror elements in this film? It takes a while before we get into the actual horror scenes, and i can imagine that they wanted to introduce us to the characters. And that is actually a good idea, instead of just running into some butchery scenes from the very beginning. Once the slasher scenes kicks in, we do get some fun moments. So any problems with The Sawyer Massacre? The plot is not really that interesting, and nothing you will remember. I also feel that some of the characters you don´t really care about, and just want to see more kills instead. Since the budget is limited the practical effects have some good moments, but there are some scenes where you can tell that they could not do more because of the limited budget. I will say this, they did try and be creative and do what they could, and that is of course something worth mentioning on the postive note. Overall, i do feel that The Sawyer Massacre is a fan film that clearly loves the franchise, and they show that love clearly through the Leatherface scenes. Director Steve Merlo have made a technically well made fan horror film, and definetely give us a fan film that might actually be appreciated by fans of the franchise. The Sawyer Massacre show that if you have the love for a classic horror franchise, you can deliver something tasteful, and that is exactly what this film does. If there ever is a sequel made, i would love to do a cameo ( let´s hope director Steve Merlo see this, and hope for the best ).

Rating: DDD

P.S. You can watch this film on Sequanda Films very own YouTube channel if you want to check it out.

Blonde

Hollywood is no longer what it used to be. That´s what you hear when you talk to older people, who grew up watching Hollywood stars such as Bela Lugosi, Errol Flynn, Greta Garbo, Judy Garland, John Wayne, Grace Kelly and many others. Hollywood back in those days had a completely different atmosphere than today, and if you see some of the classics that these actors made in their careers, you will see what i mean. There is no doubt though, that one of the greatest stars of all time in Hollywood, has to be legendary actress Marilyn Monroe. Even if i watched a lot of movies since i grew up in the early 80´s ( born in 1977 ), i never really digged into Marilyn Monroe in my youth, not until i turned 30 years old in 2007. I remember that the Swedish TV channel SVT1 showed one of her classics known as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes from director Howard Hawks ( director of the classic John Wayne western Rio Bravo ). Since this was the first time i actually sat down and watched one of her films, i could tell why she was so loved on the big screen. She had a very unique way to act, and bedazzled the audience with her smile. Of course i have to admit she did look beautiful, and it´s easy to see why many were attracted to her. Since i am not a big fan of musical films in general, i will say this at least. There were parts of the Marilyn Monroe film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes that were charming. I have personally not seen any other Marily Monroe films, other than this specific film. There is no reason why, i just never took the time to discover what films she made. I did however see the great 2011 drama film known as My Week With Marilyn from director Simon Curtis. This film give us a look into the personal life of Marilyn Monroe ( played really well by actress Michelle Williams ), where we see some of the reasons why she struggled so much with fame and his private life. English actor Eddie Redmaybe also gives a strong performance as Colin Clark. This is definetely a very interesting film where you get to see a more private look into the life of Marilyn, and no one could have done this role like actress Michelle Williams does. A must see on streaming, DVD or Blu Ray, no matter where you choose to see it. A couple of months ago i read an article that a film was coming to Netflix called Blonde, that would tell the life of Marily Monroe. Not knowing much about this film ( i did not even see a trailer, how about that? ), i decided to go into this film with an open mind. Is this a very well made portrait of this Hollywood legend, or should you skip Blonde and watch My Weekend With Marilyn instead?

As a young girl, Norma Jeane Mortenson grew up being raised by her mentally ill unstable mother Gladys ( Julianne Nicholson ). One night Gladys tries to drown Norma Jae in their bathtub, but finally stop. Norma Jeane escapes to the house of her neighbor, Miss Flynn ( Sara Paxton ), who promises she will be fine. A few days later Norma Jeane is sent to an orphanage while Gladys is admitted to a mental hospital, having been declared unfit to raise a child. In the 1940´s, Norma Jean ( Ana de Armas ) becomes a pin-up girl under the stage name of "Marilyn Monroe". She finally get a breakthrough into an acting career, but the road to a glamorous lifestyle have a very dark, and painful reality ahead.

I know that this latest Marilyn Monroe portrait have had a lot of different opinions out there, both from film critics and fans of Marily Monroe. And you should be able to express yourself, because we all have the right to feel different about a film. I can understand some of the issues that have been brought up about Blonde, since this is probably the darkest portrait of Marily Monroe we have ever seen. But you know what? I actually appreciate that they tried to give us a much more darker tone about her life, than we have seen in the past. The 2011 film My Weekend With Marilyn showed us certain moments of her rough life, but Blonde take this to a completely different level. If you were hoping to see a film with musical numbers, this is definetely not the film you are looking for. Blonde is really a deep dive into the most rough moments that Marilyn Monroe experienced in her amazing career, and she was a victim of both sexual abuse and mental abuse. I think we need to see a different image sometimes of reality, and not glamourize everything. She clearly suffered a lot, and knowing that she died so young with a lot of pain makes you wonder, was there no one else who could have done more to help her? But there are so many more issues that this film bring up, and especially the danger of living as a celebrity when you have no control of your own life. Actress Ana de Armas ( who is really good in director Denis Villeneuve film Blade Runner 2049 ) gives us a very honest portrait of Marily Monroe, and especially in the scenes where you see her suffering in pain. I also think that Ana manage to show us a different side of the Hollywood actress we have not seen before. The rebellious Marilyn who wanted to enjoy herself, and not only work. You have several good performances in this film from actors such as Adrien Brody, Xavier Samuel, Sara Paxton and others. Director Andrew Dominik ( director of the very well made Western film The Assassination Of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ) bring us a well made film, that have some deep psychological traumatic moments you would not expect to find in a film like this. You could basically say that this is not a biographical film of Marilyn, but more a portrait of her darkerst moments in life. If you don´t want to see this side of her life, you might as well skip this film. If you can accept a different portrait of her life, you definetely should give Blonde a chance on Netflix.

Rating: DDD

The Reef: Stalked

One of my absolute favourite places to be, is on a beautiful beach. Especially on a hot day, where you can enjoy your coffee, a couple of sandwiches and perhaps a beer as well. Not thinking about time or when you have to go, just enjoy the day as it is. Read some of the latest movie reviews in the newspaper, or perhaps in Empire Magazine ( my personal favourite movie magazine ). I always go swimming in the ocean, becuase i love the free space that you get there. No pool filled with people so you can´t swim anywhere. Don´t get me wrong, i enjoy swimming pool´s as well, but swimming in the ocean is more my thing. You never know if you will encounter any fishes or other sea creatures in the ocean, so if you go snorkling you might find some surprises. I have seen quite a lot of fishes now and then, but some of them don´t like to be near as you approach them. So what if you would encounter a shark, what would you do then? I think most of us would panic, wich is of course no surprise. Speaking of sharks, there are a lot of films out there outside of Steven Spielberg´s cult classic Jaws that can be found on DVD or Blu Ray. You have the traditional shark films, and then you have the crazy ones that may not make a lot of sense, but are entertaining anyway. I suppose it all depends on what kind of shark film you prefer, and there are several titles worth checking out. One of the better ones ( if you ask me ) is the 2010 shark horror film known as The Reef. Directed by Andrew Traucki ( director of Black Water, worth checking out ), The Reef tells the story of a group of friends, sailing to Indonesia. To get to their destination they have to sail through a coral reef. Their sailing boat is damaged and their journey ends. Using the supply they can get their hands on, they have to try make it to land. But there is a great white shark near by, and they have no other option but try and survive. The Reef is in no way a big budget film, but it is a well made shark film. The acting is good and i do think the shark scenes are effective. If you have not seen The Reef i suggest you pick up a DVD copy online, and give it a try. I was surprised to see that director Andrew Traucki have directed a sequel to The Reef, simply called The Reef: Stalked. Since i didn´t know this sequel came out on Blu Ray, i decided to pick up a copy while i picked up some other films as well. Is this a worthy sequel to The Reef, or should they have skipped this sequel right from the start?

Nic ( Teressa Liane ) lost her sister Cathy ( Bridget Burt ) after her boyfriend Greg ( Tim Ross ) drowned her. Struggling to deal with all the pain and sadness, she decides to go on a kayaking trip with her friends Jodie ( Ann Truong ), Lisa ( Kate Lister ) and is suprised to find Annie ( Saskia Archer ) joining as well. They decide to do this kayaking trip in the memory of Cathy. Everything seems well at first, until they find out that something is following them out there.

The first thing that i have to say that this sequel does right, is to not copy the original film completely. There is a different plot here, and this is actually a good idea if you are going to make a sequel. Instead of just making a similar film to the first one, bring something else to the table. And this is exactly what this sequel does and i am thankful for that. I also like the idea that they don´t use another sailing ship in this film, but bring in kayaking instead. That gives this film a different look and a different feeling, surrounding the atmosphere of the ocean. The characters of this film are very easy to blend with, and they feel natural. I especially enjoy actress Teressa Liane ( who fans of TV series The Vampire Diaries will recognize, where she played the character Mary Louise ) in her role as Nic. You can tell she is traumatized finding her sister killed, and it affects her everyday life. So for her to go on a kayaking trip, with the memory of her sister drowning is of course a very big step. Teressa manage to balance her character in a realistic way, and is able to show emotions of the trauma she is carrying. Actress Ann Truong ( who played the character Shin in the Netflix TV series Cowboy Bebop ) is the cool character Jodie in this film. It feels like Jodie is in control with herself, and is able to deal with most situations in life. Actress Kate Lister ( who you will most likely recognize as the character Jeannine Murphy in the Netflix mini series Clickbait ) plays the role as Lisa. It feels like Lisa is the kind of woman you would love having at a tea party, she seems so easy to talk to, no matter what the subject is about. So how is this film from a shark attack perspective? I would say it´s actually not bad at all, better than a lot of low budget shark movies. It is not as good as the original film ( i just had to make that clear ), but that does not mean you should not see The Reef: Stalked. If you are a fan of shark movies, and especially films in this genre that have a bigger budget, i feel that this film have enough to offer to be worth a watch. Director Andrew Traucki have no problem getting back into this genre, since he knows how to make effective shark attack scenes. The Reef: Stalked is definetely one of the better shark films i have seen in recent years, and that alone gives you a reason to pick this film up on DVD or Blu Ray. I would love to see director Andrew Traucki return with another The Reef sequel in the future. Perhaps if he could do a sequel that takes place on a fishing boat, or how about a floating house? I guess we will have to see if he would consider making another one. What are you waiting for? Get your copy of The Reef: Stalked today, or i might have to send my missile sharks after you ( yes i did train some of them, in a secret facility in Norway, don´t tell anyone though ).

Rating: DDD

Revealer

A young generation of teenagers are living in the Tik Tok cloud. Everyone wants to be seen, and heard on video. There are of course good things you can do on Tik Tok videos, like inform people of problems of this world such as the environment, that´s it´s not ok to abuse someone. So i am all for content like that, as long as it is made to tell something important. How about funny content ? Absoutely, but since i am personally too old for the Tik Tok cloud, i prefer old school ways to deliver funny content. But let´s travel back in time for a moment, into the late 80´s. I was a teenager back then and we did not need Tik Tok or social media to have fun. We would ride our bicycles to the comic book store, or checked out the latest VHS movies at the local video stores. We bought movie magazines to read about the latest horror movies, and played our Vinyl records. The 80´s was a very unique time, when we actually spent time together, where friendship was on a completely different level than today. We did not have cell phones, but we did have skateboards and phone booths. We were very creative and always came up with ideas on how to keep ourselves busy. If someone would not show up on a time we decided, we could just find the closest phone booth and call to their home. Since i grew up having my grandmother Maj being a huge horror fan, she introduced me into horror in the 80´s. And it was from there i started discovering a lot of horror films, that i was actually too young to see. One of the films i especially remember seeing back then is a film called Maniac Cop from director William Lustig ( director of the violent 1980 cult classic slasher known as Maniac ). I remember my parents friends The Robertsson family bringing home this VHS tape from the rental store ( they always got good stuff since they knew the owner ), and i was able to watch it. Maniac Cop was a fun combination of action of horror, that tells the story of Officer Matt Cordell ( Robert Z´Dar ), who was unjustly imprisoned in Sing Sing prison for police brutality and closing in on corruption in city hall. Officer Matt is brutally murdered in the shower room of Sing Sing, and his spirit bring his dead body back to life, to revenge his death. Maniac Cop have a little bit of everything if you appreciate the combination of action and horror, and especially great characters. Legendary actor Bruce Campbell can be seen here, and i really love Robert Z´Dar as Maniac Cop. The sequels are worth checking out as well if you are curious to see the first film. Speaking of the 80´s, it seems that a lot of horror directors these days are definetely influenced by the 80´s, and one of the film i thought looked interesting is called Revealer. I loved the trailer, and i decided to give the film a chance on Shudder. Is this a film for true fans of 80´s horror, or is Revealer not as good as i was hoping it would be?

It´s the summer of 1987 and Angie Pitarelli ( Caito Aase ) picked up an extra shift at the strip club she works at. Outside there is a demostration going on from evangelical Christians, where especially Sally Mewbourne ( Shaina Shrooten ), who have to tell Angie what a sinner she is. This does not affect Angie in any way, so she heads inside the strip club to get her own strip booth from owner Ray ( Bishop Stevens ). As Angie have done some dance shows for customers, something strange seems to be happening outside. She is about to find out, that what used to be an ordinary world, is no longer the same anymore.

If you are in the mood for a horror film that actually show some love for the 80´s, then you have found the right place to be. Revealer is not only a surprisingly fun horror film, but i love the colorful style that this film brings. It is as if you can sense the 80´s strip club atmosphere, while you are watching the film. Not only that, but you get the right kind of 80´s clothes, 80´s hair style and most of all a really good 80´s styled sountrack. This clearly shows that they really wanted to capture the right 80´s feeling so that the fans would be pleased. But that´s not all the positive i have to say, and this is where we get into the characters. There are especially two characters that i love, and especially the main character Angie ( played by actress Caito Aase ). Caito is really funny as the stripper Angie, and her comedy timing is surpringly good in several scenes. I love her satirical approach on everything towards evangelical people to the strip club owner Ray ( played by Bishop Stevens ). The other great character in this film is evangelican Christian protester Sally ( played by actress Shaina Schrooten ), who hates strip clubs and people like Angie. Shaina really capture the mentality of an American evangelical Christian in a very effective way. When the fun really begins in this film, is when we see something evil attack the strip club, as the rest of the world outside seems to be doomed. The apocalyptic approach matches well with the story. The snake creatures are actually quite effective, and the demonic beast works pretty well. We do get some brutal violence, but only towards the end. So what would i describe Revealer to be? In some ways it feels like a strip club version of Night Of The Creeps, Flashdance and the 1989 film Intruder. If you happen to enjoy all of those 80´s films, well you definetely found something to look forward to. Director Luke Boyce is clearly passionate about 80´s films, and he proves that by bringing us a film that is a pure love letter to horror fans of the 80´s. It may not be perfect, but i see so many positive details to be pleased about this film that i definetely recommend Revealer. If you want to have a good time, Revealer is the film to choose. I am definetely picking up a DVD copy, and so should you,

Rating: DDD

Ash And Bone

Psychological horror, or thriller films can be found in many different genres with very different plots. What matter´s is that they manage to bring out the psychological elements and make them work, and there are actually some film titles that comes to my mind. Psychological films that take on family subjects are definetely something i am interested in, since there are so many ways a family can break, unless you have a steady ground. One of my personal favourites has to be the 2001 psychological thriller known as Frailty. This is one of those films i highly recommend everyone to see, because it is one of the best in legendary actor Bill Paxton´s amazing career. He actually have the lead role in this film, and he also directed this film. Frailty tells the story of father Meiks ( Bill Paxton ), who in the summer of 1979 said that an angel have visited him, and told him that God want him to "destroy" disguised demons, who may look like humans but are actually demons. Meiks tells his both sons Fenton and Adam that their father has to do this, no matter if it seems wrong. While Adam claims that he begin to see the visions of his father, Fenton feel that there is something wrong with his father. As Fenton starts to question what his father is doing, Meiks believe his son needs to be punished and locked in darkness until he see the truth. Frailty is one of those films that is difficult to watch, because you don´t want any child to see their father killing people, or hurting his own child. Bill Paxton gives an amazing acting performance, and really manage to bring out an acting performance that is very difficult to portrait in such a powerful way as he does in this film. I suggest you pick up a copy of Frailty on DVD or Blu Ray today, no matter where you can buy it online. If i say the name Harley Wallen, you might recognize the name very quickly. And i would not be surprised, because Harley have given us several quality films such as Eternal Code, and especially the really good TV series Tale Of Tails ( go watch this TV series on Tubi ). It seems that Harley is just becoming more popular for each year, so i have a feeling that he have a lot of treats to deliver his big screen audience. For quite some time i have heard about a new film that he have directed called Ash And Bone, that seemed to be a psychological horror film. Not knowing much about the plot or any of the characters, i was given a chance to see the film. Is this the film that will take Harley Wallen´s career on a whole new level, or is this film not as good as i was hoping it would be?

Cassie Vanderbilt ( Angelina Danielle Cama ) is a rebellious teen who does not want to travel outside of Detroit, with her father Lucas Vanderbildt ( Harley Wallen ) and his partner Sarah Vanderbildt ( Kaiti Wallen ), Cassie´s stepmother. They travel to a cabin outside of detroit to get away from the city life, while Cassie clearly don´t want to be here. She escapes to a local bar where she finds out about a local urban legend, about an odd family living in a big house. Cassie becomes curious to see if the urban legend is true, if this family really are ass odd as they say that they are. She is about to find out, that once you enter the property of the McKinley family, you will never be safe again.

One of the first subjects that Ash And Bone clearly bring up early in the film, is the subject that a lot of families have gone through. And that is rebellious teenagers, wich most of us have gone through when we were young. So you can understand the character Cassie, she has a lot of things to struggle with in her mind. I do think this was a good way to introduce the family, by showing us a realistic scenario that a lot of parents have gone through, or experience at this moment. It gives us a chance to get to know the characters a bit better. Cassie played by wonderful actress Angelina Danielle Cama ( who you might recognize from the Harley Wallen film Eternal Code ), is a really good match for this character. Angelina manage to capture the right kind of emotions, that a rebellious young teenager would have at her age. I also think her costume for the character fits very well, where she is clearly drawn to the metal scene. Director Harley Wallen plays the character known as Lucas, and he is such a loving natural father. Harley have no problem getting into this role, and it feels like he knew exactly how to portrait Lucas, and it almost feels like he did not even have to do any rehearsals. Actress Kaiti Wallen ( playing the character known as Sarah ) proves once more why she is so good in front of the camera, and deliver one of her better acting performances that i have seen her do. The thing i especially love about Kaiti is that she can do so many different kinds of characters in films, and still manage to balance each one in her own unique way. Legendary actor Mel Novak ( known from classics such as Game Of Death with Bruce Lee and A Force Of One with Chuck Norris ) as the bartender Louie, is without a doubt one of his best acting performances in many years. I wish we would have had more scenes with him, since it would have been interesting to know more about his personality. Wonderful actress Erika Hoveland as the mentally disturbed character May McKinley is so damn good, that i would love to meet her someday and personally thank her for this performance. When it comes to the plot and the horror elements in Ash And Bone, i would say that this is the most ambitious film that director Harley Wallen have made in his career so far. This film is much darker than we are used to see him do, and much more brutal. How is the psychological level in this film? A bit too soft to be honest, i would have liked to have more. But this does not mean that Ash And Bone will leave you disappointed, if you are a horror fan. There are elements here that surprised me, especially the urban legend that turns out to be true ( in the film, not in real life ). I have seen several Harley Wallen films, and i can easily say that Ash And Bone is his most professional film so far, with both strong characters and give us a fascinating story. There is no doubt in my mind, Ash And Bone is a film that will please the horror community, and definetely surprise some people as well.

Rating: DDD