After Dark Horrorfest, commonly known as “8 films to die for” is an annual horror festival that began in 2006 and features eight feature length horror films. Since the initial Horrorfest in 2006 it has become somewhat of a cult hit, each year cranking out more thrills and chills. Unlike a typical film festival, Horrorfest doesn’t take place at just one location; it actually plays in dozens of theatres across the country, with more being added all the time.
Over this series of reviews I will be chronicling released from different years of Horrorfest, which originally played in January of 2006. There are as the name suggests eight different films, all dabbling into different elements of horror, gore, and the supernatural. I really enjoy the concept of a horror festival on a national level, and it really gives a chance for aspiring writes of the genre to do something unique and outside the realm of cliché that has engulfed the genre so often.
Although in the past I have rarely seen an independent horror film that has captivated my imagination or even thrilled me, I am keeping my mind open to the possibility that the ever growing Horrorfest really will be the difference maker in the genre. So without further delay, how do these films fare?
Films
The Graves follows the story of two sisters, Megan and Abby Graves who are going on their last road trip together before life takes them in different directions. The pair stops in Arizona which eventually leads them to Skull City, a former Gold Mining town which is rumoured to be haunted. After some initial intrigue the sisters soon discover that the town and its inhabitants are purely insane. Tourists are getting slaughtered by blunt weapons and no one seems to care, including me.
The films seemed to have some appeal in the beginning but that was quickly put to rest as it played out. The story itself is flat, dull, and well… boring. The story becomes repetitive quick, and the enormous villain isn’t even scary, especially considering he can be outran by just about anyone in the film. But instead they all die by his hammer in the same fashion as one and other. Nothing made this movie bearable; everything from the acting to the plot was disappointing on all levels. Let’s hope Zombies of Mass Destruction can save this disc.
Zombies of Mass Destruction is the second film in this double feature release, and I can tell you without further delay that it is the better of the two, but still nothing to be gawked at. I am a huge fan of zombie films dating back to the original Romero films, and up to present day winners like AMC’s The Walking Dead. So to put it bluntly I am extremely critical of zombie films, and the genre has been put to shame one time to many by poorly done, overly clichéd releases. Will Zombies of Mass Destruction be any different?
The premise is pretty simple; an island community is under attack by flesh eating zombies and with nowhere to run the only option is fighting back. The film itself is an interesting mix of comedy, satire, and excessive gore. Somehow the filmmakers even throw politics into the mix, hence the pun in the title. I will say that I was surprised by the film, but not always in good ways. When compared to the big guns out there, this film is completely unpolished and more of the top than usual. I like my zombie films to focus on character development, a feeling of claustrophobia, fear, doubt, and revelations. Whereas this movie goes the complete opposite, you never learn to feel for any of these characters and the writes alienate so much different religious groups, and even sexual orientations. The movie has no real focus and does poorly to create any suspense or horror, another independent failure.
Video
These two releases have a few differences in the video department, the winner being Zombies of Mass Destruction. I’ll speak on that film first, which during well lighted scenes is extremely well rounded and clear. But during night scenes the film seems to go bi-polar and completely drops the ball. The color becomes washed out, the grain becomes horrendous, and all details become lost. At the end of the day Zombies of Mass Destruction is passable but nowhere near impressive. The Graves on the other hand does very little to impress. Large portions of the film are filmed on a handheld so you can’t expect much out of it, but very little is done to touch it up. This is most apparent during night shots, which encompasses a large portion of the film which is mostly grainy and washed out. The only time I felt there was any quality in the video was during well light day shots, and nothing more.
Audio
Both films are brought to us in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, and both films fall short in the audio respect. In this case Zombies of Mass Destruction is the worse of the two, and is extremely front heavy, and becomes incredibly drowned out during any scenes of heightened volume, overall a harsh soundtrack. The Graves on the other hand didn’t leave me with as much complaints, my major one being the ambient noise brought on by the handheld camera. Ultimately neither film impressed me in the audio department.
Special Features
The Graves
- Audio Commentary with Brain Pulido – Probably more interesting than the film itself, but that isn’t saying much.
- Audio Commentary with Francisca Pulido and Adam Goldfine – To be honest this audio track would have better been omitted, there is nothing of vague interest mentioned here.
- The Graves: Behind the Screams – I always like to get a look behind the scenes, and while this isn’t very in depth it does give you a nice feel for what went into the movie.
- Sound Designing The Graves – A rather dull feature that touches into the audio aspects of the film.
- Plan to Actual
- Spot The Gnome
- Auditions
- Trailer
Zombies of Mass Destruction
- The Making of Zombies of Mass Destruction – A rather un interesting look into the making of the film, which features a short dialogue and some more pointless information.
Final Thoughts
Both of these films were disappointing, and for different reasons. One was boring, predictable and completely unpolished. The other had its moments but butchered the zombie genre even more than has already been done. Both films had half decent video transfers and disappointing audio ones. The special features are what you would expect from a release of this calibre, weak. With all things considered this disc is completely disappointing, and I wouldn’t recommend it even as a rental.
