Operation Blood Hunt

If someone would have asked me:- Daniel what is the perfect dating movie to watch together on a date? I would know exactly what to answer and that would be:- It needs to be a war movie combined with horror, where nazis fights zombies or vampires and i promise your date will be the happiest ever. I am fully aware i should be a dating expert and perhaps i will be at some point, i just have to figure out some things first but im sure it will be alright. For example figure out what Hawaii shirts i should be wearing while meeting dating couples, a first good impression is important they say. Speaking of war movies combined with horror this is one of those combinations that i really enjoy personally, and even if not every single film released that combines these two genres have been good there are some really good ones you should check out. You could go for the 2002 war horror classic Deathwatch from director M. J. Bassett that takes place during the year of 1917 during World War I where soldiers confront something evil in the trenches. A well made horror film that not only works well as a war movie but the horror scenes are effective as well as the acting performances are solid. I would also recommend the 2018 war horror film Overlord from director Julius Avery ( this is in my opinion his best feature film so far ) and this film was one of my personal favourite horror films of 2018. The story takes place during  World War II when American soldiers during D-Day is sent to destroy a radio-jamming tower that´s located in a small village taken over by nazis. They discover a secret bunker where nazis have been doing experiments on the villagers, turning them into zombie like creatures. Overlord is a war hero movie that is really effective both as a war movie and a horror movie as well. The combination matches very well together and i especially think the nazi experiments with the villagers is where Overlord really give us horror fans a real treat. Good acting performances, great costume design and great action scenes as well. Overlord is actually worth owning on a physical copy. Speaking of World War II horror films i actually sat down to watch a film in this genre called Operation Blood Hunt, a film that seems to combine classic war scenes but adds werewolves into the mix as well. When you hear a combination like that you know there is a possibility that this could be fun. Is this film a great way to enjoy the weekend with some ice cold beer and some snacks included, or should Operation Blood Hunt been thrown into the trash to soon be forgotten? 

                                                                                                                                                                 The Reverend Conte ( Quinton "Rampage" Jackson ), accompanies a ragtag group of military rejects to a remote South Pacific Island to investigate the disappearance of Marine units said to be in the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Ever since i saw the trailer of Operation Blood Hunt i knew this would be a film for me. Who doesnt want to see a war movie taking place during World War II and have werewolves included? It is exactly that kind of combination that may sound completely insane for some people, but for me this makes perfect sense. This film really have all the B movie ingredients you can think of. You have dialogue that no one can take serioysly where characters just seems to be placed here to be a team of soldiers. You have body fights, weapons, even bodies being torn apart as the werewolves attack. If you can accept that this film is made on a limited budget and not take it seriously at all, there are things to appreciate about Operation Blood Hunt. Let´s talk about the positive details first what i especially appreciate with this film. The werewolf costumes looks pretty cool and they look quite large as well. When we actually see werewolves fight against soldiers this is where this film finds it´s rightful place. I especially love one character in this film and that is the bad ass female character known as Heirani ( played by actress Sonia Couling ). It is nice to see actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers ( who i remember from the 2004 historical action film Alexander with Colin Farrel ) in this film as well as actor Quinton "Rampage" Jackson ( probably most known for his role B.A. Baracus in the 2010 film version of A-Team ). Now, we have to talk about especially two negative details i feel could have been fixed easily. In some scenes they play modern music in a film thats supposed to take place during World War II. Why would you add that unless there is a good reason? I also feel that the costume design could have been done better to match with the time period. Im not saying each character is wrongly dressed, but in some cases it becomes pretty obvious. At the end of the day i feel that Operation Blood Hunt have enough of entertainment to be recommended, especially for those who appreciate this genre on a limited budget. Director Louis Mandylor ( who you can see as the character Chaplain Glover in the sci fi horror film Doom: Annihilation ) is clearly inspired by the werewolf classic Dog Soldiers but make a different fun twist with this story. A film that may not be groundbreaking in this genre but still have enough power to please the audience.

Rating: DDD

Azrael

One of the things that almost every single film have to incude apart from costumes, make up and the direction of the film itself is that we need to have dialogue to get to know our characters. If the dialogue is well written and matches the characters well, it definetely helps the film become more interesting. Of course to be able to make the dialogue work properly the acting performance itself should be solid ( hopefully really good if the story is well written ). But what if the film have almost no dialogue at all and the actor ( or actors ) have to use body language and facial expressions in the entire film? That is exactly what the survival drama film All Is Lost from director J.C. Chandor ( director of the recent cinema release Kraven The Hunter that´s clearly a box office bomb ). Released in 2013 this film tell the story of a man who tries to survive out at sea after his sailing boat hits a floating container. The sailing ship is repaired as good as he can do but still have problems holding together through rough weather. At one point his sailing ship can no longer go on and its sinking while he uses his inflatable life boat. A well made survival drama that really capture the fear and desperation of a man who is loosing all hope. If you love survival films in general and want to see a unique film in this genre than this is the film i would recommend for you. Legendary actor and director Robert Redford deliver once more a powerful acting performance and proves you can make a solid film on a limited budget. I have to mention what makes this film unique is that the dialogue is extremely low so Robert Redford basically act with his body and face expressions. Speaking of very little dialouge i heard last year about a horror film called Azrael, that was supposed to be unique for barely having any dialogue at all. I had a feeling this could be a different horror experience so i just had to check this film out and picked up a blu ray copy. Is this the perfect way to start of 2025 when it comes to horror films or is Azrael not as good as people were saying in the horror community?

In a world where no one speaks, a devout female-led community hunts down a young woman named Azrael ( Samara Weaving ) who have escaped imprisonment. Azrael is due to be sacrificed to an ancient evil in the wilderness, but fights for her own survival.

I think it is very important to know that this horror film is in many ways inspired by biblical pages, so if you are going into this film you might as well know that this is a faith based horror film. With that being said i can honestly say that does not affect the quality of this film at all, in fact it actually makes perfect sense why they would use this in the film when you see how the world have turned. These forest areas where people have builded their own society on junk that they have found, looks like something out of a Mad Max film but without the desert. The post apocalyptic feeling can clearly be seen through the whole film and i do feel they did a really good job capturing the feeling of hopeless souls, not knowing if they will survive the demonic beasts out there wandering around. Speaking of these demonic creatures, i have to say they did a really good job on the practical make up effects on these creatures. Not only that but when these creatures feeds on human flesh you actually get to see them eating from the body through effective practical make up effects. So what about the characters? Since there is basically no dialogue in this entire film it means each actor has to use their body language and facial expressions. I would say basically the whole cast does a great job with what they have to work with ( it´s not easy acting without dialogue ) and the character that really sticks out is the lead character known as Azrael ( played by actress Samara Weaving from the very entertaining dark horror comedy Ready Or Not ). Not only does she act well physically but especially her facial expressions works really well. I actually don´t feel like i have to say anything negative about any specific details of Azrael, this is in fact a better horror film that i expected. Azrael is a raw,dirty and well made horror film that clearly show if you build an actual film set on a limited budget it looks way cooler than any CGI effects. I also really appreciate that they really worked hard to make the practical make up effects look this good. Combine all of this with a religious undertone and you have a horror film that not only stands out but actually feels interesting. Director E.L. Katz ( director of the 2019 TV series of Swamp Thing ) is clearly what we need in the world a horror if he continue making quality films such as this. No need to wait any further you pick up a physical copy of Azrael as well.

Rating: DDD

Rippy

Back in the early 2000´s i worked at a high school with disabled students, this was one of the greatest jobs i have ever had. Even if most of the students were going through rough moments most of them were much happier than other students. We did school trips together and we even did camping trips outside of school. One of my working collegues at this school was a man named Wieland and let me tell you he was such a fantastic guy. Not only were he amazing to the disabled students but he also treated school staff fantastic as well. One of the things i learned from Wieland was that in the 80´s he travelled to Australia to backpack in the Australian wild life. One day he brought pictures from his journey there and how amazing that journey was. The only thing he really complained about was sleeping out in the wilderness and waking up with scorpions outside the tent that they set up. And there was not only one of them near by but several scorpions. So he took a twig he found near by just to remove scorpions so they could get out of the tent safely. I can´t even imagine how scared i would have been myself, i never liked seeing scorpions at animal parks. Either way i am grateful to have shared some good moments with Wieland and his Australia trip was really interesting. Speaking of Australia most of my readers know i have some favourite horror films from Australia and especially the films Wolf Creek and Rogue. But there is one horror film that´s considered to be a cult classic known as Razorback from director Russel Mulcahy ( probably mostly known for his most beloved film Highlander from 1986, a film i am a huge fan of ). Razorback is like a classic monster movie except here we have an enormous boar attacking civilians. It´s a fun cheesy horror movie that´s not meant to be taken seriously. Last year i saw a trailer of a low budget horror film called Rippy about a killer kangaroo killing people in the Australian wilderness. It sort of reminded me of Razorback except this is a kangaroo instead feeding on human flesh. Of course i had to check this film out since this looks like something in my taste. Is it possible Rippy is the best way to start of this new year or is this a low budget film that most likely will be forgotten?

Out in the middle of a small Australian society some kind of animal have attacked humans who have no chance to defend themselves. Sheriff Maddie ( Tess Haubrich ) is investigating the murders of found bodies not knowing who is behind these horrific murders. As the investgation goes on and more bodies are found, she is about to witness the beast herself.

If you don´t like horror films taking place mostly in the wilderness than this is most likely not the film for you. However, if you appreciate a horror film using real nature instead of a lot of green screen than you might actually appreciate what this film Rippy was trying to do. This feels like a thowback to animal horror films of the 70´s like Grizzly where no one is safe, and i think making this film taking place in the Australian wild life is a great idea for a horror film. Kangaroos have been used in other films before such as in the terrible family film Kangaroo Jack fom 2003 ( how many of you actually remember this one? ). Thankfully Rippy is far more entertaining to watch compared to Kangaroo Jack so lo let´s dig into what i appreciate about this film. I think the companionship of the small town community in this film fits well with the plot of this film considering everyone is a possible victim. When they work together for survival it helps the battle between humans and this demonic kangaroo become more fun. Some of the practical make up effects on certain bodies looks charming when we see bodies ripped apart, just like we used to see in VHS horror films of the 80´s. I feel that lead actress Tess Haubrich as the character Maddy is just enough cool to look like a strong female character, while she still can show she can be vulnerable. Legendary actor Michael Biehn ( who is fantastic in both The Terminator and Aliens ) as the character Schmitty brings enough charm to please both his old school fans and new ones as well. I also have to mention actress Angie Milliken as the tough character Donna, exactly what this film needed. Ok so now to two issues with this film and i feel that the CGI effects of the kangaroo is not that strong. In fact, in some scenes when it attacks humans it doesn´t feel as effective as if someone in a costume ( like they used to do with werewolves in the 80´s ) would have looked cooler. Same thing goes with the CGI attack effects from the demonic kangaroo, if that would have been done more practical it would have looked much more effective. When i look at the whole picture surrounding Rippy i feel that this is a nice throwback to monster films of the 80´s and i really appreciate the effort they put into this film. It´s a very simple film made with passion for B movies and you can tell director Ryan Coonan tries to bring back that nostalgic feeling with films such as Razorback. If you want to have a good time and just enjoy a B horror film made for the fans of this genre, Rippy should be a great time at home with pizza and some beer. Flesh eating beasts in Australia? That´s good enough for me to come visit the country, let´s hope i get an axe there just in case i get into trouble.

Carry-On

There is a tadition that keeps coming back every single year during the Christmas holiday online and that is the discussion:- Is the 1988 action classic Die Hard a Christmas movie or not? I swear i have seen this discusson go online for almost 20 years at least and this was before Facebook even existed where people discussed this on forum pages instead. In my personal opinion i would say it´s a Christmas classic even if you don´t get to see lots of snow or perhaps you don´t get to see lots of traditional Christmas food either. Die Hard may be one of the greatest action movies of all time honestly and there are so many things to appreciate about this film, no matter if you agree or disagree that this is a Christmas movie. First of all you have the character of John McClane played brilliant by action icon Bruce Willis who does a lot of really cool action scenes in this film, but i also love his sense of humour as he makes fun of the terrorists before killing as many as he can. You also have the brilliant performance from legendary actor Alan Rickman playing the terrorist leader Hans Gruber with his evil smile and sharp dialogue. There are also other fun side characters such as the sleaze bag Harrry Ellis ( played by actor Hart Bochhner ) who looks like Donald Trump Jr high on cocaine all the time. The action scenes from director John McTiernan are really fun and very effective as well. If you for some reason have not seen this film you simply have to, Die Hard is a true 80´s classic and should be bought on phsyical media. I do really enjoy both Die Hard 2 - Die Harder and Die Hard - With A Vengeance as well and i actually don´t mind Die Hard 4.0. But let´s not talk about the last Die Hard film from 2013 known as A Good Day To Die Hard, they never should have made it honestly. Speaking of similar films such as Die Hard a film called Carry-On was released on Netflix that seemed to be like Die Hard 2 with some differences of course. At least there were people online comparing this film to Die Hard 2 this definetely caught my attention. Also that this film stars Taron Egerton from the wonderful The Kingsman films, where i especially loved the first film. Knowing im a big fan of action films in general of course i had to check this film out. Is is possible that Carry-On is a future action classic or is this a Netflix film that no one will probably remember?

Ethan Kopek ( Aron Tegerton ), a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Los Angeles International Airport, has become cynical and unambitious after failing the police academy by concealing his father´s criminal history. On Christmas Eve, his pregnant girlfriend Nora Parisi ( Sofia Carson ), encourages him to reapply and pursue his dream. Instead, Ethan requests his supervisor, Phil Sarkowski ( Dean Norris ), assign him to manage the baggage-scanning lane, hoping to demonstrate his merit for a promotion. During the shift, Ethan receives an earbud, through which he is contacted by a ruthless mercenary, The Traveler ( Jason Bateman ), who orders him to let a specific carry-on case pass through the scanner, or Nora will be killed. At first Ethan think this is a joke until The Traveler proves his being serious. This is the beginning of a nightmare for Ethan, and if he makes one mistake his future family may be gone for good.

Even though i can understand why some people would be reminded of Die Hard 2 in certain scenes of Carry-On i can honestly say this film reminded me of a completely different film. How many of you remember the psychological thriller Phone Booth from 2002 by legendary director Joel Schumacher ( his best film after Falling Down in my opinion )? You could say that Carry-On follow a similar pattern as Phone Booth did, where one man were chosen to follow some rules or people would be killed if he leaves a phone booth. The difference in Carry-On is that the main character Ethan is told to let a bag through custody control and he is forced to make sure that happens. The psychological aspect of this story is actually the most interesting part of Carry-On, how far are you willing to go to make sure no innocent people will be killed for your mistake? Are you willing to take any chances at all just in case it could cause more damage? The performance from lead actor Taron Egerton is pretty solid and i do feel he handle his character Ethan well in this situation. I would also say he does a good job on his action scenes. The strongest acting performance is in my opinion Jason Bateman as the Traveler and i love his cocky attitude towards Ethan. I think this was the right approach for a villain who clearly is not stupid and knows how to play games with people. And Jason himself must have had fun playing this character since he seems to take his character seriously. It takes a little while before the action scenes themselves kicks in so don´t expect this to be a fast gripping action feast, but once Carry-On get onto the right track there are some fun moments to appreciate. In general i would say Carry-On manage to be entertaining enough for me to recommend this film, especially if you enjoy action thrillers in general. Director Jaume Collet-Serra ( who dircted the really fun shark action film The Shallows, worth checking out ) clearly know how to handle this genre well and use a whole airport effective to match the story and the characters. For a 2 hour action film i think Carry-On have enough power to please the Netflix audience. It may not be as good as The Kingsman but still deliver a good time, especially if you love Christmas related films. I don´t know about you but i definetely feel like spending a whole day at an airport thanks to Carry-On, that has to be a good sign right?

Rating: DDD

Phil Herman´s Unearthed

I remember back in the early 90´s at the VHS rental store Videomix i used to discover all kinds of horror VHS films that i have never heard of. At least not when it came to certain horror films that were clearly made on a lower budget, i would usually rent the most interesting titles if the films looked like fun. I can still remember some of the VHS covers of these films and they looked wonderful. For example it was here i discovered John Carpenter´s anthology horror comedy Body Bags, where legendary director Tobe Hooper worked on this film as well. This film didn´t get a cinema release across Sweden so landed on VHS instead. Body Bags tell 3 very different stories and i personally feel that each story have something for true fans of anthology horror to enjoy and i have to say the casting of this anthology horror film is great. Not only do you get John Carpenter as the presenter The Coroner but you also have legendary actors such as Stacey Keach, David Warner, Robert Carradine, Sam Raimi, Peter Jason, Alex Datcher, Debbie Harry, Roger Corman and of course Mark Hamill himself. Incredible cast and i feel that they all give their characters something special in this film. Over the years i have returned to Body Bags after it was released on blu ray on Shout! Factory and i think it still holds up to this day. Speaking of horror anthology films we could probably discuss for hours on what our favourites are and i personally love both Creepshow and Creepshow 2. I try to look at lower budget anthology films as well such as the 2016 anthology horror film known as Holidays. A film that tried to tell different stories regarding the most beloved holidays that we celebrate every year. Worth checking out if you have not seen it and should be easy to find for a good price on DVD. Recently i got an oppurtunity to sit down and watch a new horror anthology film called Phil Herman´s Unearthed. Since i am a big fan of anthology horror in general of course i was curious to see what this film would bring to the table. Is this one of the better films of this genre this year or did it not deliver as much as i was hoping it would?

4 different stories told by several different directors in an anthology horror film presented by the mysterious Doom ( Christopher Kahler ) where no secrets will be hidden anymore. This is the moment each story will tell exactly what happened to different people under different circumstances.

As with most anthology horror films it is very important to be able to tell different stories and try to make each story interesting or at least fun to watch, depending on what kind of horror anthology you are making. In the case of Phil Herman´s Unearthed i would have to say this film susprised me quite a bit. I have seen other films from director Phil Herman in the past and i have to say this might be his most serious film so far. Just the fact that this film actually tries to give us characters that you remember is a good sign, since in some anthology horror films it´s easy to forget characters unless you make an effort to make us care. The first story is a perfect example called The Ties That Bind. I wouldn´t call this a horror story but rather a criminal story surrounding a missing woman. What really works in this story is the great chemistry between actors Joseph Martin Jauch as Detective Hermand and Lillian Lamour as Detective Grier. Every scene where they have dialogue together is where this segment gets more interesting as they investigate this case. This doesn´t mean the other characters in this story are bad in any way, but the screen chemistry that Detective Hermand and Detective Grier carry with them is exactly what this story needed. The next story is called Look Towards The Sky and is basically an alien abduction story and you might think this will be predictable. Actually there are a few surprising details but the best part is actually the abduction scenes. The third story called Clean House starts off like a silent movie but turns into an exorcist segment where the demon actually knock down the priest with a bible, this specific scene was actually fun to watch. The last story called Highway Rivalry is where the real horror kicks in with some brutal violence and practical make up effects as well. If i had to choose what story i didn´t feel as connected with compares to others i would say that Clean House is the segment i felt could have been stronger. The presenter of each story known as Doom is a fun performance from actor Christopher Kahler who looks like he walked out dead from a wrestling grave. Phil Herman´s Unearthed manage to tell very different stories and make this anthology horror film feel unique in the sense that the diversity among these stories are so far away from each other. I personally feel this was a really good idea for a film such as this. I also have to mention how much i appreciate the serious tone that director Phil Herman  approach in this film, i would love to see him do something more similar in the future and see what he might be able to do with the right script. Phil Herman´s Unearthed is a feastful treat for true fans of the anthology horror scene and clearly show that this genre is still filled with passion for telling stories, no matter what kind of horror fan you are.

Rating: DDD                                                                                                                                                        

20 Years Anniversary Review Of Saw

Horror franchises have been around for a very long time in Hollywood and it seems some of them will never end as long as there is an audience for each film. To be able to keep a franchise alive you need a character that especially made a powerful impact on the audience. A perfect example of one horror franchise that still continue to this day is the horror franchise known as Dracula. I have seen the 1931 film verison of Dracula, a film adaptation of Bram Stoker´s classic book Dracula and even if this is not my favourite film in this horror franchise i think is well made and especially a wonderful acting performance from legendary actor Bela Lugosi. I personally feel that the Dracula legacy really got respect when legendary actor Christoper Lee stepped into the role as Cound Dracula in the 1958 horror film Dracula. A must see if you especially love vampire films and Christopher Lee portayed Dracula in 10 different films, where 7 of them was for the classic British company Hammer Film Productions. If i have to choose a Dracula film that i personally feel is one of my all time favourites i would have to choose the 1992 horror film Bram Stoker´s Dracula from legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. This film have everything you could wish for, especially if you are a big Dracula fan like myself. There are of course other Dracula films we could talk about but let us more forward to more modern times and talk about a franchise that started back in 2004. High School Musical might be your first guess even though that film was released in 2006? Hopefully not because we are actually talking about the horror film known as Saw from director James Wan. I still remember the very first time i witnessed Saw in cinema in the city of Gothenburgh and it was quite a different experience from any other horror film at that time. It was a huge hit worldwide and of course we got a lot of sequels over the years. I have seen every film in this franchise and i can honestly say i am a big fan. Since this year is a 20 years anniversary of the very first Saw film i decided that this would do a 20 years anniversary review of Saw and see if i still appreciate it or if i have changed my mind over the years. Is this still a very solid horror film or have this film aged more and lost some of the cinema magic along the way?

Adam ( Leigh Whannell ), a photographer, awakens in a dilapidated bathtub with his ankle chained to a pipe. Across the room is oncologist Dr. Lawrence Gordon ( Cary Elwes ), and between them is the corpse of an apparent victim holding a revolver and a microcassette recorder. Both men find a tape in their pockts, and Adam retrieves the recorder. Each tape is recorded with an unknown voice of a man named Jigsaw ( Tobin Bell ). They must follow the rules of their tapes, or Adam will be killed or Dr. Gordon´s wife will be murdered. The game is about to begin.

When a horror film released 20 years ago works better than most horror films released in modern days you know this is no ordinary release. Saw is not only more original than most horror films in the last 20 years it also have a very interesting concept. How would you react if you were trapped knowing you could die unless you follow the rules and play the game correctly? It may not sound original when you read this but once you see how complicated each game is and what you have to do to survive you soon realise this is far more tricky than you ever would have imagined. Each trap is constructed very detailed and the level of creativity in each room can clearly be seen. I especially appreciate the creepy doll Billy who looks like Nikki Sixx after a hidden cocaine birthday party gone terribly wrong. And that unique doll design match perfectly to the character and is exactly what this film needed to give a strong powerful impact of pure evil. The character of Jigsaw ( played by legendary actor Tobin Bell ) is also a strong reason why this film is so effective. Even if we don´t get to see the character of Jigsaw all the time we do get to hear his voice and Tobin Bell does a fantastic job delivering a voice that you will never forget. The police investigation run by Detective David Tapp ( played by legendary actor Danny Glover ) works really well with the plot and i have to say since i have seen plenty of police investigations in many films, in Saw they really do this on a much more effective level than most ordinary police films. Danny Glover does what he knows best and that is to portrait a police officer that have gone through more than most people could handle. Legendary actor Cary Elwes proves as always that he is one of his generation´s finest actors and deliver his character Dr. Lawrence Gordon in a stylish and exquisite way. The horror scenes in general are very effective and you can tell director James Wan have a vision how to use many different infuences of horror and combine it together to make Saw feel unique and far more intelligent than most big studio horror releases. Im not surprised at all why the Saw franchise have survived as long as it have in the horror community and Saw proved how you start a franchise in the best possible way. Not only a future horror classic but a film that may show future generations why you don´t need a big budget to make quality horror. Saw is definetely a must watch especially on physical media, unless you prefer watching streaming.

Rating: DDDD

The Demon Disorder

I am a huge fan of physical copies of films and i always will be. It all started back in the very early 90´s when i started to buy VHS films. I would look for different titles and check in diffrent video stores if they had something different than the usual rental store. Movieline was of course my favourite movie store in the city of Gothenburgh ( they had several thousands of VHS films for sale ) and this was the store where i usually would pick up especially horror films. I remember that it was in Movieline i found my copy of the horror film Zombie Nosh, a low budget zombie movie that used a lot of practical make up effects and was actually a fun watch. It was also at Movieline i got my very first VHS copy of the 1986 horror comedy Night Of The Creeps where slugs from outer space take over human bodies and turn people into zombies. I would highly recommend both films no matter if you get them on DVD or blu ray. but if you get Zombie Nosh released from Vinegar Syndrome you do get some nice special features included. As you probably could imagine after the VHS era ended i collected DVD´s instead and continued to support physical copies. Even until this day i do support films and especially from distribution companis like Studio S Entertainment, Njutafilms, Arrow Video, Vinegar Syndrome, 88 Films, Second Sight Films, Umbrella Entertainment and many more. I mentioned Umbrella Entertainment which is a distribution company from Australia who release older ( and new films ) filled with special features that you won´t find on any ordinary DVD releases from the past. I have bought several of their releases such as Fire In The Sky, Things To Do In Denver When You´re Dead and The Mothman Prophecies with Richard Gere. Each month they release new titles so i try to stay updated on what´s coming out. This autumn i picked up a blu ray copy of the Australian horror film The Demon Disorder released by Umbrella Entertainment. This film seemed to have an interesting plot plus i am a fan of Australian films in general so i was quite interested in what this film would bring to the table. Is this the horror film to watch this upcoming Christmas weekend or is this not as good as i was hoping it would be?

Graham Reilly ( Christian Willis ) is running his own workshop in the middle of nowhere in the Australian landscape, ever since he left his family´s farm after his father George Reilly ( John Noble ) passed away from an illness and seemed to be possessed by an evil entity. His brother Jake Reilly ( Dirk Hunter ) unexpectedly shows up at Graham´s business asking him to come back home. It seems that the past is catching up on this family and they need to deal with it now.

If you may remember the body horror films of legendary director David Cronenberg such as the 1977 horror classic Rabid, i can without a doubt say that The Demon Disorder is clearly inspired by the films of this masterful director. The Demon Disorder doesn´t focus on what´s trending or not in this world, this feels like a respectful throwback to the body horror films we love from the past. There are several details i feel they have managed to do well in this film so let us begin talking about the practical make up effects. You can tell that they really did a lot of work on this film creating flesh creatures as well as some kind of demonic figure all done practical with so many wonderful details. And i really love that they actually made an effort to make this a practical special effects film, like they are actually shooting something that seems alive and only using a little bit of CGI effects. The transformation of the demonic creature coming out of a human body and turning into a beast is not only one of the better practical make up effects i have seen this year but it also shows the level of creativity we don´t get to see very often these days. Another positive thing about The Demon Disorder is how this film tries to tell the story how brothers try to reunite to deal with their past. I feel that actors Christian Willis and Dirk Hunter both put on great acting performances as the battling brothers where you can tell they are both struggling with how their ill father George ( who is played by legendary actor John Noble ) behaving very strange and dangerously attacking his sons. The horror scenes in general are quite effective and i do feel that there is a certain atmosphere in this film that matches the dark story of this struggling family. If i wanted to find flaws with this film i probably could if i wanted to, but why even try when i think this is a well made directorial full feature film from director Steven Boyle ( who have done practical make up effcts for many years in several well known films ). I would love to see Steven Boyle to continue making body horror films and see if he can build further into this universe because he is clearly the future in this specific genre with the level of creativity he have in his mind. The Demon Disorder is without a doubt one of the more interesting horror releases this year for trying to bring back a genre that seems to be fading away. Definetely worth buying on physical media from Umbrella Entertainment and especially if you are a big fan of director David Cronenberg´s earlier work.

Rating: DDD