Movie Review: More Than Sisters

Probably one of the more interesting places to set the backdrop for a vintage fuck-film would have to be in a run-down mental hospital. Shaun Costello's, More Than Sisters takes full advantage of this very idea. Costello, the director of such porn classics as Dracula Exotica, That Lady From Rio, Fiona on Fire and of course, the incomparable Waterpower also takes on the role of John Bollinger, an unconfident guy with coke-bottle thick spectacles, whose very concerned for his wife, Susie Bollinger(Lynn Stevens). Susie seems to be flipping out because of an onslaught of sexually charged dreams. Leave it to Dr Allan Bannister (Jamie Gillis) to help rectify the situation with his own brand of medicine. This hospital , as you'd expect, isn't your average medical facility: The doctors fuck the nurses, the nurses straddle the patients, the patients suck off all of the above. No doubt, sexual healing is the best kind of "therapy".

Book Review: Death of a Transvestite by Ed Wood

The long awaited sequel to Killer in Drag is finally here. The immoral tale of Glen/Glenda is back and better than… other stuff. Death of a Transvestite begins in a prison cell where Glen is about to be lead down to the gallows and put death for his crimes. What, you ask? Didn’t Glen get away scot-free in the last novel? Luckily for us, the warden, priest and guards are in the mood for a story… Glen’s story.

BUY DEATH OF A TRANSVESTITE BY ED WOOD!

Taking a page from Bram Stoker and Dracula, this novel is written completely in epistolary style. Instead of the usual narrative, Wood uses newspaper articles, Glen’s confession tapes and other pieces of media to move the story along.

 

Probably one of the more interesting places to set the backdrop for a vintage fuck-film would have to be in a run-down mental hospital. Shaun Costello's, More Than Sisters takes full advantage of this very idea. Costello, the director of such porn classics as Dracula Exotica, That Lady From Rio, Fiona on Fire and of course, the incomparable Waterpower also takes on the role of John Bollinger, an unconfident guy with coke-bottle thick spectacles, whose very concerned for his wife, Susie Bollinger (Lynn Stevens). Susie seems to be flipping out because of an onslaught of sexually charged dreams. Leave it to Dr Allan Bannister (Jamie Gillis) to help rectify the situation with his own brand of medicine. This hospital , as you'd expect, isn't your average medical facility: The doctors fuck the nurses, the nurses straddle the patients, the patients suck off all of the above. No doubt, sexual healing is the best kind of "therapy".

The Movie Burrito: Volume 6 - Schlock and Awe

In this edition of Cinema Head Cheese’s The Movie Burrito, we have four brand-new DVD releases from Cinema Epoch, SubRosa Cinema and Wild Eye Releasing/MVD Visual.

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First up, schlock-master (and reality-TV star) Donald Farmer’s Scream Dream, starring the lovely Melissa Moore. The wicked lead-singer of a god awful heavy metal band possesses buxom beauty, Jamie Summers (Melissa Moore).There’s some blood, a couple pairs of enhanced teets but Scream Dream is truly a rough watch. It opens somewhat well with a topless minx getting chainsawed in her bed, but from there, it drops into a black-hole of ineptness .Don’t get me wrong, I live for movies like this, but Scream Dream is one of the poorest examples of “heavy metal horror”.Even eclipsing, Ferd and Beverly Sebastian’s, Rocktober Blood. The picture quality is also an area where this release fails - it looks like it was sourced from a 10th generation EP tape! Sound quality isn’t that much better, as it hums and buzzes like one of Grandma’s old vibrators. There is a great SubRosa trailer reel though!

Contest: Cannibal Girls DVD from Shout! Factory.

In honor of Halloween and our loyal Cheesers, Cinema Head Cheese is giving away three copies of one of the most anticipated horror titles of 2010, Cannibal Girls. These DVDs come courtesy of the great folks at Shout! Factory!

The contest is simple: Just email us, post on our website or even on our Facebook, in one word to 500 words, how bad you want a brand-spanking new copy of this cult classic. If you do email us at cinemaheadcheese@yahoo.com, be sure to title it, "Cannibal Girls Contest".

Winners will be announced in a few weeks. Good luck and have a very safe and fun Halloween!!

Movie Review: Feeding Frenzy (2010)

Through out the '80s and early '90s, Joe Dante's popular horror-comedy Gremlins had quite a bit of imitators. Some of these films actually turned out quite well (Critters, Ghoulies), but others were dreadful (Hobgoblins, Munchies, Beasties). Red Letter Media's Mike Stoklasa (Oranges: Revenge of The Eggplant) and Jay Bauman think it's time to bring the mini-killer creature flicks back with their own goofy and grisly entry Feeding Frenzy.

Hollywood Roadkill: Monster Mashups

In recent years, the horror movie industry has run out of ideas. We're seeing remakes of classic franchises, endless sequels and possibly the worst atrocity of all: the crossover. Alien vs. Predator was shot poorly and made a good guy out of the Predator. Jason vs. Freddy was long awaited and extremely disappointing. The Wolfman met Frankenstein's monster, King Kong faced Godzilla and Mel Brooks met Dracula. All hard to swallow.

These are a few crossovers that thankfully never made it to the big screen.

Book Review: Sex, Shrouds & Caskets by Ed Wood

A little Halloween treat for all you ghouls out there!

Be good to yourself, and each other.

—Jerry Springer

Gentle readers, we are in for a very special treat. Sex Shrouds and Caskets is Ed Wood’s treatise on sex and religion. Yes, you read that correctly. Set up like a series of essays on, “The shocking, revealing truth of what takes place sexually in our so-called civilized culture,” and how these truths relate to standardized religion, Shrouds is a tour-de-force of depravity.

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Beginning with Southern snake charmers, Wood introduces us to a young, unnamed swamp girl. She sees the local preacher, Theadore Jackson, and is instantly smitten with lust. Jackson preaches to the masses using snakes (well, Baptist snakes). Of course, the snakes eventually kill Jackson but that cannot lessen the startling point that Wood makes. He states that, “…one must also realize the symbol of the snake is always directed to the WOMAN – by the MAN!” Because the snake is a phallic symbol and men have phalluses and women, during normal, non-Wood sex, are receptive to phalluses… I think. Believe it or not, Wood’s doctrine becomes even more muddled from there. Wood attests that a majority of the religious groups in the country are based on homosexuality. He poses the following question to any moral, upstanding citizen (who paid $1.75 for this book of weird sex):

Six Degrees of Cheese: Six Films to Watch on Halloween

Ah, Halloween is upon us once again. The weather is cooling down, leaves are changing colors, haunted attractions return and most importantly...the horror film marathon begins! I watch horror movies repeatedly regardless of the time of year but during October it just seems much more meaningful. Everyone has their favorite horror film's but what if you could just pick 6 to watch on Halloween? Having trouble? Fear not dear cheeser for I've compiled a list of six films of the macabre to view during the season of the witch. Read at your own risk!

Versus: Innerspace vs. Osmosis Jones

Versus is designed to compare two or more similar movies or characters in order to determine who or what is the best version. I break it down by category and score each one on a scale of 1 - 5. The highest total score in the end wins. Even I don't know who will win until it's over. This is my game played by my rules. If you don't like it, tough noogies.

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Innerspace vs. Osmosis Jones

When I was in the sixth grade, my class earned the chance to spend the afternoon watching a movie. My teacher, Mr. Holly, brought in something that has stuck with me for many years. Innerspace was different and weird, and I loved it. Martin Short, Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid were all bonafide stars that were moving up the ladder. Years later, a similar idea come to light. It was half animated and half live action. It starred Chris Rock and David Hyde Pierce as the heroes and Bill Murray as their host. They were both good, but which was better? This is where I come in.

Book Review: Devil Girls by Ed Wood

Devil Girls is another of Wood’s novels that has been reprinted again and again and is quite easily accessible. It is also noteworthy as the first appearance of Sheriff Buck Rhodes, small town peacekeeper and globe-trotting do-gooder (he is also seen in Parisian Passions).

BUY DEVIL GIRLS BY ED WOOD!

The story involves the running of illegal and illicit drugs (chiefly heroin and LSD, which in Wood-speak turns from Lysergic Acid Diethylamide to Lost Souls Delivered). The drugs are being sent into the small town by Lark, the sadistic pusher, and carried by the drug-addicted girl gang of the title…the Chicks. Amid strife in the Chick’s organization (the leader Lila has escaped prison, through murder, and has come back to claim her territory from Dee) and the bumblings of a do-gooder preacher, Reverend Steele, Sheriff Rhodes, ex-junkie and hamburger joint owner Jockey and his hulking assistant, Chief, Wood manages to get off a well-plotted, if not exactly a well-told, story.

Movie Review: The Midnight Horror Collection - Puppet Master

For the past 35 years, producer, director and writer, Charles Band, has etched his way gradually into B-movie history. The Puppet Master series, - by itself - has given Band a consistent franchise, spawning similar films aimed at Band's audience (Dollman, Demonic Toys ,Gingerdead Man, Shrunken Heads). It still all leads back to the 1989 classic, Puppet Master. After recently releasing a Blu-Ray for the original film, in addition to a new Puppet Master film titled, Puppet Master: Axis Of Evil - Full Moon, in conjunction with Echo Bridge Entertainment are releasing some of the older - more popular - catalog titles. The first of which being, The Midnight Horror Collection: Puppet Master – soon to be issued in a convenient budget pack.

BUY THE PUPPET MASTER TRILOGY ON DVD

If you’re not already initiated with the Puppet Master story, it involves the plight of Andre Toulon (William Hickey) and his very loyal but deadly puppets. In the first film, Andre decides to put a bullet in his brain while confined in his hotel room by the sea - after discovering he's being stalked by some gentleman in trench coats. This doesn't go very well with his puppets. It makes them pretty angry actually. Now anyone entering the hotel - including a band of quirky psychics - has Andre Toulon's blood on their hands, in the eyes of the puppets.

Book Review: Side-Show Siren by Ed Wood

Ed Wood and the carnival. Those two seem to go hand in hand. Side-Show Siren features hallmarks of Wood topics. The unsuspecting reader gets trickshooting stuntmen (apparently patterned after Kenne Duncan), a giant creature called “The Abominable Snowman,” half-man, half-woman drag queens, lots of weirdo sex, strippers and oily perverted money grubbers. Who could ask for more?

BUY SIDE-SHOW SIREN BY ED WOOD!

The trouble begins at Duke’s carnival. This rollercoaster of a mystery begins with the death of the area’s circuit court judge. While visiting the carnival with his daughter and her boyfriend, the Judge is found murdered and mangled on the Ferris Wheel. The apparent brutality of the crime implicates Kari (or Karl, depending on where he shows up in the novel), the Abominable Snowman. Only, Kari is nowhere to be found. The police begin a manhunt. Wood describes the carnival in his unique fashion:

Movie Review: L. S. D. Volume 1-3

A young, introverted man, Shouji, is abducted by a group of sex-crazed women and is used as a disposable sex toy. He is drugged and forced to perform repeatedly by the members of the sex club. After his usefulness has been ‘exhausted,’ Shouji is stuffed in a cardboard box and left on railroad tracks with a suicide note. Fortunately for him, he recovers and escapes. Driven to the brink of insanity by the violations of the sex club, Shouji enlists the aid of a young woman, Yuka, to use as bait for the women that tried to kill him. Shouji hunts down these women, through all three volumes, enacts his carnal vengeance (as well as healthy doses of public humiliation) and summarily stuffs them in a cardboard box when he is done. Bondage, orgies and many more fetishes pepper the release.

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Movie Review: Renzu/Depravity/LSD

This box set release from NuTech features the following three programs. Each is dealt with individually.

Renzu: Tohru, a stand out soccer player, injures himself when he pushed his friend, the fiery redhead Asuka, out of the way of a moving car. He is injured in the process and can no longer play sports. Tohru is in love with Asuka and still a bit disdainful of the injury. While in the park, he attempts to force himself on the girl resulting in their separation. While away from her, Tohru in turn sleeps with his teacher and goes on a chick-hunting binge with a friend. The lure of Asuka is too great, however, and Tohru would do anything to win her back.

A pretty pedestrian release, without the flair of science fiction or battle-based hentai. There is a decent amount of sexual play, but it is hampered by the plotline. Only given one episode to play out, Renzu feels like it is building but we are cut off early and the story isn’t allowed to unfold.

BUY RENZU/DEPRAVITY/LSD, VOL. 2 ON DVD!

A nice transfer and keepcase, maybe a little lower than NuTech’s standards. It obviously felt while watching the piece that it was a ‘throw-away’ title, or filler for a box set. I would be interested, however, in seeing the rest of the story and a release of multiple volumes. What we are presented with is nice, has some good scenes but doesn’t follow through. The extent of the extras is a brief art gallery.

Book Review: The Work of Pat Cummings

Children’s literature writer and artist Pat Cummings, whose stories and art have made a great impact on the children’s literature world, had her artistic beginnings all over the world.

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Her father, Arthur Cummings, was an Army professional and the family was shuttled off from base to base all over the globe. Cummings’ exposure to the art and cultures of many different nations is quite visible in her artwork. Every new school was an invitation for Pat to use her artwork as an ice-breaker and business venture. In fifth grade she, “...did a healthy business selling ballerina drawings during recess.” From that point on she realized that she could become an artist and still make a living. She graduated from Pratt Institute in the mid-seventies and hasn’t stopped working as an artist since. Her early art career was mainly as a graphic artist, working with the Billie Holiday Theater in New York, painting and designing theater posters. She worked on a freelance basis for many other theaters, including Broadway shows, and all types of advertising campaigns.

Movie Review: Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy - Collector's Edtion

Let me start by saying, I am not a huge fan of the Nightmare On Elm Street series. The original film was fairly brilliant and quite frightening – easily one of Wes Craven's best films. The sequels didn’t portray Freddy Krueger as the true “monster” that he embodied in the first film. I’ve drifted back and forth over the years watching the series grow: the six sequels, Freddy Vs. Jason, the ill advised but inevitable remake and of course, Freddy’s Nightmares. Over the past 25 years, of all the popular movie monsters (Chucky, Jason, Pinhead, Michael Myers), Freddy has reigned supreme. Why not make an epic documentary on all things "Freddy", four-hours in length, and unleash it on all the Freddy-fanatics? Directors, Andrew Kasche and Daniel Farrands, thought that was an excellent idea - but will that bring in the non-fans or those folks in the middle (like myself)?

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Heather Langencamp (“Nancy” from the series) narrates Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy. Each film is represented in segments with some seriously creative clay animation at the opening of each “Nightmare” piece. All the films (even the lesser entries like “Nightmare II”) have some interesting production background. Some of the stand-out information I digested in the segment for Nightmare on Elm Street were the origins of the script. It’s based on a real-life tragedy that took place in the Philippines, involving a disturbed and sleep deprived youth. Another link to the story I found intriguing was that one of Craven’s childhood bullies also had an influence on the story. This brought a personal touch that I didn't expect. His name – Freddy. We’re also treated to surprising casting story; British actor, David Warner, was the original choice for “the gloved one” – not Robert Englund.

Vampire Circus and more coming soon from Synapse Films.

Book Review: Watts Collection by Ed Wood

Aahhh, the complications and tragedy of the Watts race riots in 1968 were nothing but story material to Wood. It is also rumored that Wood’s apartment was firebombed after the reading public got their hands on these two volumes and Toni…Black Tigress. Whatever the outcome, Wood provides a unique version of the riots and the participants therein. Watts… the Difference begins the two-part story and Watts… After finishes this particular epic.

BUY WATTS... THE BIG DEAL BY ED WOOD!

Rocky is a young black man in Los Angeles. Now, Rocky is a good kid… but through no fault of his own has gotten mixed up in a Black Panthers-type organization, one which he wants no part of. The organization, which has adopted Swahili as its language, is a separatist movement. Young Rocky is in way over his head. For a majority of the novel, Rocky is already a movie star and relating the riots to Angie.

Book Review: Orgy of the Dead by Ed Wood

“No one wishes to see a man dance!”

— Criswell

Orgy of the Dead (A. C. Stephen Productions, 1965)

If one is expecting this book to be a virtual adaptation of Wood’s Orgy of the Dead (1965) screenplay and film, rest assured. Although the film was an hour and fifteen minutes, there was only 22 minutes of dialogue. The rest of the time was spent with bad strippers in pseudo-supernatural dances being leered at by the infamous Criswell (of Criswell Predicts! fame and immediately recognizable to any Ed Wood fan). The novelization of the film proves to be quite a bit more entertaining. The book itself is a compilation of some of Wood’s short stories. This book even includes an introduction by Forrest J. Ackerman (who invented the term “sci-fi” and served as Wood’s self-proclaimed “illiterary” agent for a time). Many of the stories in Orgy were published previously or subsequently (owing to the nature of the smut-biz). One of Wood’s best shorts, “The Night the Banshee Cried” is included in this volume at no extra cost to you and is one of the Orgy of the Dead standouts. The book itself was fairly successful. In a past conversation with Forrest Ackerman, he related a story about Wood and Orgy. Ackerman stated that Wood would call him at all hours, sometimes drunk, and finally, to end the intrusions, Ackerman negotiated the deal with Greenleaf to publish Orgy of the Dead. Needless to say, Ackerman was not a big fan of Wood’s writing or subject matter.

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Book Review: Killer in Drag by Ed Wood

Killer in Drag (first printed as Black Lace Drag) and Death of a Transvestite (also printed as Let Me Die in Drag) are the seminal Wood novels. Written as a complete story, Killer in Drag is the first appearance of Glen, a transvestite hit man in his alter ego of Glenda (Death of a Transvestite is covered in a later review). Written in 1963, the tolls of porn and alcoholism were less evident and resulted in Killer being a highly successful and entertaining work (of course, Wood sold it outright and saw nothing in the way of a financial return). It is the most reprinted of Wood’s novels and deservedly so.

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Glen is a transvestite and, as Glenda, kills people for the sake of the Syndicate. Glen is very good at what he does. Glen takes an order to make a hit and Glenda shows up. After the job, Glenda meets with one Mr. Dalten Van Carter. He is her way out of the Syndicate… no more killing. That is, until Van Carter is assassinated. This sends Glen/Glenda on the run.

Percy Shelley: Poetry and Prose

Born in 1792 in Field Place, near Horsham in Sussex, England, Percy Shelley steadily rose in prominence and exposure to become one of Great Britain ’s most popular romantic poets and a noted atheist. Shelley was educated at Syon House Academy and Eton . Due to his flamboyant nature and disregard of most authoritative figures (which has been ascribed to his family’s fortune and his being spoiled) Shelley was nicknamed ‘Mad Shelley’ and later ‘Eton Atheist.’ While attending Eton, Shelley published his first work, a Gothic novel called Zastrozzi, in 1810. Later that same year, with his sister Elizabeth published Original Poetry by Victor and Cazire. In 1811, Shelley produced another Gothic romance novel titled St. Irvine, or, The Rosicrucian. At this time, Shelley was attending University College at Oxford . At University, Shelley continued the flamboyant and provocative nature that had gotten him into trouble in his earlier education. At this time, he co-authored a pamphlet, with Thomas Jefferson Hogg, called The Necessity of Atheism and both authors were expelled.

BUY SHELLEY'S POETRY AND PROSE NORTON CRITICAL EDITION!

BUY THE POETICAL WORKS OF PERCEY SHELLEY!

Return to The Angry Red Planet

Academy Award winning special-effects artist Robert Skotak (Aliens, Terminator 2) recalls the first days of school in his 7^th grade class. Everyone would rush in to school and regale the other students with tales of monsters, spaceships and evil villains. The movies that the children had seen over their summer vacation took precedence over reading and writing and, certainly, arithmetic. There was one movie in particular that captured the fancies of children and adults alike in the summer of 1960. It was a curious, ambitious combination of talents and artistry called The Angry Red Planet. “Angry was a big buzz movie that year,” remembers Skotak. He cites the film as an inspiration in the choice of his own career and a still-strong friendship with Angry’s director/co-writer, sci-fi legend Ib Melchior (Midnight Marquee Books has recently released Ib Melchior’s biography, penned by Robert Skotak, titled Ib Melchior: Man of Imagination). Between The Angry Red Planet’s strange Martian creatures, revolutionary Cinemagic process and non-stop action the stage was set for one of the most popular sci-fi cult films of all time.

BUY THE ANGRY RED PLANET ON DVD!

Jumping into the story without the benefit of a credit sequence (more on that later), The Angry Red Planet opens on Earth. The ship that had been sent to Mars is finally returning… but something is terribly wrong. The ship returns with only two crewmembers surviving from the original four. Dr. Iris Ryan (Nora Hayden), the beautiful heroine, must recount what happens in a spine-tingling flashback while Earth’s scientists race against the clock to try and stop whatever parasite is attached to Gerald Mohr, the ship’s captain, from killing him. Injected with sodium pentathol, Dr. Ryan is forced to conquer her amnesia and recount the story of their planet-side visit, where the humans are nothing more than insects, bothersome irritants that need to be eliminated. In an unusual cinematic move for that particular era of filmmaking, a woman was the movie’s hero. Nora Hayden’s character saved the day, brought the ship back to Earth and provided the missing information to save her captain’s life. The Angry Red Planet has proven itself a unique slice of science fiction in many different capacities.

Movie Review: Dead Air

Well, for every good idea there is a rip off of that good idea. I’m not sure what came first, but Dead Air is so incredibly reminiscent of Pontypool that I can’t imagine that one wasn’t influenced by the other. Unfortunately, for Dead Air, it comes up on the short end in the comparison.

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Dead Air is slick, that’s for sure, but comes across as forced. Television actor Corbin Bernsen’s sophomore directing debut has all the right beats in all the right points, but the overall presentation suffers from a lack of originality.

Book Review: Too Fat to Fish by Artie Lange

Artie Lange is a fascinating guy. He's had the world and his career by the balls for almost a decade. Though he may not be an instantly recognizable name to some, he's been the best part of The Howard Stern Show since he took over for Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling. I didn't pick up the book until after his bizarre suicide attempt almost a year ago. After reading all that Artie's been through, I can understand why a guy like him feels depressed.

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Like most comedians, Artie Lange isn't just a non-stop ball of jokes. He's a regular guy who got to pursue an amazing lifestyle. Unfortunately, he hit several speed bumps along the way.

Movie Review: Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)

As I sat in the theater alone, I think that I enjoyed the movie experience more than the actual movie itself.  It was great to go to the movies early in the afternoon on a Friday, and not have to deal with cell phones or crying children and their parents.  Having said this, Paranormal Activity 2 wasn’t that bad but it wasn’t that good either.  One of the complaints that I had about both movies is that the family relationship is too perfect to begin with-I mean there isn’t any arguing or fighting or even any bad days before the demon arrives.  This lack of “normal behavior” of everything going too perfect is even more noticeable in the second edition.  The mixed family in Paranormal Activity 2 gets along perfectly.  There are no issues between the stepmother, and the daughter nor are there any issues in general.  You won’t hear any money concerns, or any normal everyday problems in paranormal world.   Perhaps everything is just too perfect.  Then, when the demon arrives everything goes haywire.  The family just falls apart so easily, and the tension is made to feel even more overwhelming due to the perfectly perfect family relationship before.

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Movie Review: Pandora's Mirror

For several years, I’ve been an admirer of adult film director Shaun Costello. Shaun is the talented creator of such 35 mm Porn classics as More than Sisters, Hot Dreams, Midnight Desires and the film I’m about to review for you Pandora’s Mirror – starring adult film legend Veronica Hart and the late-great Jamie Gillis. The strange thing is though, I never knew –up until a few years ago- that I was a fan of Costello’s work, because this mans name had never been attached to his productions. It was the year 2005 when a bootleg adult film company had exposed this. Costello was using numerous pseudonyms for his features - Warren Evans, Russ Carlson, Helmuth Richler, Nicholas Berland, to name a few – where he was able to maintain some degree of anonaminity. Now, thankfully, Costello’s films are receiving legitimate releases in the best possible quality –utilizing the only remaining masters- via the Denmark based company, Pink Flamingo Entertainment. More importantly though, all features are director approved, by Costello himself.

Movie Review: Forced Entry

Adult films are rarely known for their potent narrative. The crossing of genres - Horror, action, science-fiction - in current porn is quite rare. Aside from the occasional Vivid production (which are mostly parodies), you don't see this too much – if so, it’s executed poorly. In the '70s and even the early '80s , their were many prime examples. One early example of a film that truly crosses two genres, is Shaun Costello's (Midnight Desires, Hot Dreams, Passions Of Carol, Pandora's Mirror and the amazing, Waterpower). Forced Entry - starring Costello's friend at the time, and porn legend, Harry Reems (Deep Throat, Devil in Miss Jones).

Forced Entry, has some interesting history behind it. This film is essentially one of the first - if not the first - features to combine graphic violence with hard-core sex. Forced Entry tells the depressing story of Vietnam veteran (Harry Reems, in an exceptionally skuzzy role), traumatized by flash-backs of his tumultuous tour-of-duty. This certainly doesn't help with the fact that he is also a psychotic and hates woman. His tools of destruction are a gun, a very large blade and his penis. This movie is not an easy watch. It's hardly comparable to Grandmothers Lust or some random Bukkakke offering – it’s just a different type of disturbing. Forced Entry was shot on 16 mm, around 1972-1973 in one day; and is known as one of Costello's most famous "one day wonders". The editing and the insertion of horrific Vietnam war stock footage gives Forced Entry such an authenticism it's hard to erase it from your mind. Forced Entry is gritty, grimy and startlingly voyeuristic in its presentation. You can literally smell what’s on the screen. It has an intensity and realism that will knock - similar films with higher budgets and longer shooting schedules - on their ass.

Video: Jeff Dolniak Interviews Lance Henriksen

At the recent International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival at Madcap Theaters in Tempe, AZ, Jeff Dolniak hung out with one of our favorite actors, Lance Henriksen.

Lance was a great guy and lots of fun. Watch the conversation here.

Oh, we're sorry about that damn cricket.

Find Lance Henriksen on Amazon.com

Movie Review: Mission of Darkness/My Life As.../Queen & Slave (Box Set)

In another of NuTech’s Mix and Match Box Sets, the following three volumes are presented. Let’s take each of them individually.

Mission of Darkness

At a longer 45 minute run time than most hentai episodes, MoD overstays its welcome a little. A phallic-shaped alien fires something at Earth and, destroying a space shuttle en route, the thing lands. We learn it is a giant, free form tentacle. It is attracted to female pheromones and goes on a killing spree, impaling women, filling them with its space ooze and causing them to explode. Not too much is done to the tentacle until the military figures out that it is also impregnating men. Men! Now, the greased wheels of government kick into action and something must be done about the beast.

BUY MISSION OF DARKNESS/MY LIFE AS.../QUEEN & SLAVE ON DVD!

The bright idea was to hire every hooker in the land and line them up for the tentacle. Let it have its way with each of them and hopefully burn the thing out via over sexing. What the government failed to realize, though, is that the tentacle gathers strength and grows every time it has sex.

Movie Review: E. L. (Box Set)

Finally, a NuTech release with a great story and some hot hentai action that doesn’t rely on degradation! In the year 2030, nuclear war devastates the Earth. The survivors started the Megaro Earth Project in order to save humanity. This Project was, essentially, a domed city. Insert our villain, Gimmick of Black Widow, opposing the project. Lady sniper, EL (Shelbee Myrne) is recruited and leads a team of heroes.

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In 2030, nuclear war broke out over the environmental pollution issue. Many people lost their lives due to radioactivity. The people, who survived the barren Earth, started the Megaro Earth Project to save human existence. In a last hope for survival against nuclear war, a city was built in a dome in order to save civilization. The city itself is outfitted with camera “eyes” recording the ins and outs (pun intended) of life in Megaro.

Movie Review: Leatherman Box Set

Cruz is a biker. He is a hot biker. He is a hot biker who is also a thief. There you have it in a nutshell. Cruz, in the opening episode, seduces a woman named Shisui. Shisui is, apparently, put into a sex-coma due to Cruz’ passionate biker ways. While she is down for the count, Cruz empties out the company safe and rides off into the sunset.

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Shisui’s boss is not very happy, to say the least. It seems Cruz has stolen something that is vital to the company and could damage them greatly. Shisui is sent after Cruz. Now, this storyline crops up from time to time, but isn’t the focus of the show.

The real story tells the sordid tale of Cruz, the biker from a couple paragraphs above, who will sleep with any woman alive. He spends a few days with a nun (yes, nun), some UFO watchers, nurses, etc. The entirety of the show is spent watching Cruz ride around on his bike and bed a succession of women.

Movie Review: Assault Of The Sasquatch (2010)

Does Bigfoot exist? Scientists, scholars and ordinary folks alike wonder this decades old mystery. This giant "man-ape" has captivated, and at the same time caused terror for residents of the pacific-northwest. Whether you think Bigfoot (or Sasquatch) exists ;is up for discussion, but one thing is for certain, this curiosity is alive in movies. The two most notable films in the Bigfoot genre are Legend Of Boggy Creek and (shockingly enough) Harry and the Hendersons. We've seen several other attempts at the cinematic Sasquatch in Creature from Black Lake, Boggy Creek II - one of the better Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes, in my opinion- ,Shreik Of the Mutilated - where our furry pal wears a white coat as a "Yeti," the wonderfully tasteless gore-fest, Night Of The Demon -a British Video Nasty, that really delivers on the "nasty"- and the recent abomination, Abominable, starring Lance Henriksen. Not too long ago, Chiller - a horror film channel on cable owned by NBC - showed Sasquatch Attack. Shot in 2009,by director Andrew Gernhard, Sasquatch Attack, now has a new title for its DVD incarnation, Assault Of The Sasquatch.

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Movie Review: Pontypool

Pontypool is an ambitious effort. It is smart, atmospheric and filled with enough tension and paranoia to keep most intelligent horror fans happy. There is a downside, though. The film may be a bit too smart and its plot conventions come across as a bit confusing.

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Pontypool is based off the series of novels by screenwriter Tony Burgess. Now, to be fair, with the limitations of film, the idea of Pontypool is a difficult one to get across. Burgess does his best and the end result is very impressive. Bruce MacDonald’s direction is top notch as well. It helps that I’m a sucker for one location movies. Intrinsic claustrophobia is an effective tool and MacDonald and Burgess are right on the money. Pontypool is, thankfully, a departure from the standard infected person/zombie sub-genre and works on multiple levels.

Movie Review: Dead Snow (Blu-Ray)

Those damn Norwegians. Seriously, man! Why can’t I just be left alone with my own cool ideas? I mean, Nazi zombies… I thought I had the market cornered. Raise a little cash, make a movie about Der Fuhrer’s shambling undead and rake in the cash.

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Damn Norwegians. Not only did they make my movie, but they made it better than I could have.

I dug Dead Snow. From beginning to end, plot hole to plot hole, physical impossibility to physical impossibility, this film just rocked. Set in modern day Norwegia (I kid, its Norway , even though I did go to public school), a group of hikers go to a cabin to drink, carouse, get laid, etc. While there, they find a stash of Nazi gold from the time during World War II when the Nazis occupied the small town. Taking Nazi gold doesn’t sit well with the indigenous Nazi zombie population and, well, you can garner the rest. What Dead Snow becomes, though, is a fun as hell, Raimi-esque gorefest filled with slapstick humor. What works so well about Dead Snow is, once the undead Nazis get going, it speaks in the universal language of the horror film. Gore, blood, gore, entrails, blood and some more blood.

Score on Blu-Ray! Never Sleep Again on DVD!

A few DVD releases on the Cinema Head Cheese radar from Cult Epics and CAV. Click the images to enlarge.

Back Room Blues: A Tribute to Smut Palace Insanity

by Heather Drain

You’ve seen it; we’ve all seen it. (Well at least those of us enough huevos to admit it.) You’re at the local video store and greeting your line of vision is the back room door, it’s seclusion promising you sights that may tantalize you, turn you on, or even scare the living bejeesuz out of you. What carnal delights await you in the 18+ video room?

Well unless you have time traveling powers or an exceptional video store, you will be greeted with scores of generic faces and bodies being pried open and splattered with semen. Worst of all is that none of these porn clones have the decency to even look like they are into it. At all. It’s like getting psyched up for a blind date with an exotic stranger and being greeted by your old Science teacher naked and with a dingus up his butt. Gross, wrong, and ultimately disappointing.

Movie Review: I Spit On Your Grave (1978) and (2010)

As a cult film fan, I subject myself to many horrible things in the name of cinema. Many times it's worth it, as a layer of humanity is revealed, or I learn to think about something in a very different way. Sometimes the experience is empty but still entertaining, if a bit icky. And sometimes you wonder why you bothered.

The rape-revenge film is a subset of revenge films. A woman is raped, sometimes killed, and someone - a husband or the woman herself - takes revenge on the rapist, subjecting him/them to some sort of ironic end that makes the audience applaud and feel good about watching someone castrated or otherwise mangled and murdered. I'm not judging here, because I'd never be able to cast the first stone, as it were.


Buy the original I Spit on Your Grave on DVD or get the remake on DVD or Blu-Ray on Amazon.com


A couple of weeks ago, I won a seat to a double feature of rape-revenge films. Indeed, it was the originator of the sub-genre, "I Spit On Your Grave" and the remake of same. The directors of both films were in attendance to give some justification to their films. (In my opinion there is none for the remake, but I'll get into that in a moment.)

21st Century Grindhouse: Blood Moon Rising on Blu-Ray in November!

This November, the CHC Crew are going to be pretty happy. The very first Blu-Ray release that we were involved with will hit store shelves. Blood Moon Rising, starring Ron Jeremy, Laurie Love and Neal Trout (and written and directed by Brian Skiba) will finally be available in that 1080 goodness that makes us drool. Produced by our very own David C. Hayes and featuring Jeff Dolniak & Kevin Moyers, BMR is a throwback to the era of the grindhouse film. So, to fill you in, we’ve prepared a short history of the exploitive genius forefathers that paved the way for this new release. 

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The grindhouse is actually a uniquely American term that stood for a theater, or drive in, that would show exploitation films. These exploitation films rarely had big stars and contained, not surprisingly, more lurid subject matter. Teenage gangs roamed the silver screen, followed by vampires and werewolves, large-breasted Nazi she devils, fifty foot spiders and anything else the American sub-conscious could wrap it’s fears around. And don’t expect to recognize the actors… at least not at first. The grindhouse was home to the lowest of the low budget. Directors like Dwain Esper, H. G. Lewis, Ed Wood and many others would present material that decent, hard working and “normal” folks just wouldn’t get. It was lurid… it was disturbing… it was, well, a helluva a lot fun. The 1940s brought us burlesque in the grindhouse, adding that age-old staple of full frontal female nudity that we have, now, come to demand from our exploitation film masters. The 1950s graced us with the giant, irridated monster that ate small, God-fearing towns and were a result of atomic energy (like the kind used to destroy innocent civilians in Japan) gone awry. The 1960s brought us the counter culture, flickering from our silver screens, as teenage gangs, oiled up and angry, were ready for a fight. And don’t forget out pot smoking, free love motorcycle gangs… they were in on the action as well. In the 1970s, the grindhouse even made us think a little as we cringed in our seats. Metaphysical pursuits, religion and the transmutation of not only body, but soul combined to scare our pants off time and time again. In the 1980s, the mindless, soulless killer of youth, the slasher, came to prominence. Scarier in it’s simplicity, our nightmares were haunted by shambling, unkillable, butchering machines… and you cannot reason with a machine. The 1990s, sadly, brought us nothing. Home video had boomed to such a point that the drive-in and grindhouse were pretty much things of the past.



But, like a bad penny, you can’t keep your true monsters down. With that said, we give to you… Blood Moon Rising on Blu-Ray. Coming this November!

Movie Review: Stan Helsing (Blu-Ray)

I really can’t believe I made it all the way through this. The owners of the Scary Movie franchise, or the creators of Date Movie and Disaster Movie and whatever Movie Movie is out there should thank the heavens above, because Stan Helsing has set the bar so low that even the Arizona legislature could pull off a better show. Uugh, let’s get this over with.

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Stan Helsing (Steve Howey) is a slacker that works in a video store. He is descended from the famousVan Helsing that killed Dracula and a group of poorly spoofed movie monsters needs to end the bloodline. When I say poorly spoofed, I mean really bad. How about a Jewish Michael Meyers (because that makes so much sense), a Pinhead dart rip and a Jason-esque character among others? Whatever. So, Stan gets stranded, with his friends, in a weird little town on Halloween where Leslie Nielson, in drag, manages to say some stupid dialogue.

The Ed Wood, Jr. Acting Method

Edward D. Wood, Jr. The name alone implies a B-grade director, hack screenwriter and novelist (no matter how prolific) and inept producer more concerned with bringing his pictures in for paltry sums than making quality films. Another phrase applies to the illustrious Ed Wood Filmaking Process... good character actor. What the... ? Is he insane, you ask yourself? No, I am not insane. A critical examination of Wood's performances will more than explain the claim that Ed Wood Jr. was a good, effective character actor (with a few exceptions).

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Upon arriving in Hollywood in 1948, Wood's first "showbiz" job was, believe it or not, as an actor. He played the role of the Sheriff in a dinner theater production of The Blackguard Returns. By all accounts, Wood performed admirably working only for beer and pretzels. This is where he made the acquaintance of Crawford John Thomas, who was also a performer in The Blackguard Returns. The two actors turned themselves into film producers almost overnight and created Wood-Thomas Productions. Their first project was The Streets of Laredo (1948) and became not only Ed Wood's writing anddirectorial debut, but also his debut as a movie star, playing a cowboy. The project was never finished. In what available footage there is of Laredo , Wood performs admirably. He is upstaged by his horse, but dies when shot in the belly very convincingly. Moving on.

Movie Review: Someone's Knocking at the Door (Blu-Ray)

What a freaking trip. I mean, seriously, there are some good drugs going around the indie horror scene right now and I feel a little left out. Chad Ferrin’s Someone’s Knocking at the Door is a case example of that. Playing like a micro-budget, but meaner, version of Jacob’s Ladder, the film is exactly what you’d expect from a Vicious Circle release… except weirder.

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In a nutshell, a group of medical school students do a lot of drugs. Always looking for their next high, they stumble upon the pharmacological therapy and study of a married pair of convicted killers, John and Wilma Hopper (the always creepy Ezra Buzzington and Elina Madison) that would, literally, screw people to death. Somehow tapping into the energy of these long dead murderers, the medical students begin to drop like flies. Violated flies, but flies nonetheless. The carnage is intense and, like any good creep-fest, things are most definitely not what they seem.

Movie Review: The Longest Yard (1974)

Football. Football. Football! When there are no games on Sunday, you’ll have to look elsewhere to get that pigskin fix. Look no further than the classic 1974 comedy The Longest Yard. Directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Burt Reynolds (he was seriously funny in his day) The Longest Yard is, quite possibly, one of the best films made about football to date. It was so good, in fact, that the remake starringAdam Sandler, Steve Austin and Goldberg, doesn't hold a candle to the original. Burt (who played for Florida State and was even drafted by the Baltimore Colts) plays Paul Crewe, football superstar sent to prison for stealing his girlfriend’s car. While there, the warden (Eddie Albert) realizes who Crewe is and plans to have him coach a team comprised of prison guards for a competition. This idea doesn’t fly with Crewe and, after being challenged, Crewe says he can put together a team of inmates to actually beat the guards. After seeing a practice and being afraid of how far along the inmates are coming, the warden offers an early release to Crewe if he throws the game. Crewe has a tough decision to make, but the self esteem of his inmate team is more important and the inmate team goes on to play some tough ball.

BUY THE LONGEST YARD (1974) AT AMAZON.COM

The Longest Yard works on a few levels. As a comedy, it ranks very high on the laugh scale (if you doubt me, just wait for the world’s funniest “football to the groin” scene in all of film history) but, more subtly, the film works as a pretty powerful drama. We get up close and personal with some prison inmatesthat have given up on everything, until they are presented with a chance to prove themselves on the field.