An experimental biological weapon is accidentally dropped into the water supply of a small city in Iowa. This deadly virus is code-named “Trixie,” and causes its’ victims to quickly become incurably insane and homicidal. The freshly infected townsfolk begin setting their homes and families on fire, interrupt softball games with rifles, and wander around randomly stabbing helpless people with pitchforks. The government quickly steps in to quarantine the town and cover up the mess that they created. The insanity of the situation is escalated when the soldiers begin shooting non-infected citizens who attempt to flee the town in cold blood.
Meanwhile, a small ragtag group of survivors including the town Sheriff (Timothy Olyphant) and his pregnant wife (Radha Mitchell) barely manage to escape into the now deserted outskirts of town. After killing a few soldiers and crazies along the way, the group makes their way out of town, but Trixie begins to infect them too. Why are all the good people dying?
Another year…another shitty remake. THE CRAZIES is the first in what I’m sure will be a long series of this year’s worthless horror remakes. And most disappointing of all is the fact that this remake had the most potential to be good. A remake of George A. Romero’s 1972 film The Crazies sounds like a good idea on paper. It’s a remake of a good film that was flawed. I am a big fan of Romero’s film, but I also think it clearly suffers from a low budget and bad acting. A big budget, modern remake of such a film could be a big winner, unlike a remake of a film that was already perfect (Psycho immediately comes to mind).
Continue reading ‘The Brain Hammer review of The Crazies (2010)’
Published by Brain Hammer January 12th, 2010
in DVD/Blu-ray RELEASES.
Gory greetings! Check out this weeks Brain Hammer approved horror dvd releases, all of which hit stores Tuesday 01/12/10: H2 – House On Sorority Row – The Riverman
Brain Hammer’s PICKS FROM THE CRYPT is the second installment of my two-part tribute to the late, great Hollywood leading man Christopher George. Hardcore horror fans should immediately recognize Christopher George from the number of legendary horror and exploitation flicks that he appeared in from the late 70’s right up until his untimely death from a heart attack in 1983.
In honor of the one & only Christopher George…LET THE BLOODSHED BEGIN!!!
Gory greetings horroryearbook alumni! Welcome to another exciting edition of IT CAME FROM THE MAILBOX, a column where your old pal Brain Hammer reviews whatever random crap the good folks at horroryearbook decide to throw my way.
This time around I was contacted directly by my old chum Sonny Fernandez. Sonny is the hardworking mastermind behind Down Twisted Studios. He currently holds the record for being the director whose films I have reviewed the most. I’ve already reviewed five of his past efforts in previous ICFTMB columns. You can check out those reviews here: Bleed, Aborted/Cold Blooded, The Last Battleground.
Y’all best put on your shitkickers! It’s time to take a twisted trip back to old west with Lee Vervoort’s GUN TOWN. The town in question is a backwoods tourist attraction that promises travelers a taste of the wild west. Back in 1979, an unfortunate accident involving alcohol causes the proprietor and sheriff of Gun Town – Frank Bailey, to snap and kill one of the tourists. Frank is later declared insane and serves 30 years in a mental institution. Things go from bad to worse for Frank when a fire breaks out at the asylum and leaves his face and body horribly burned.
Gory greetings! Welcome to another exciting edition of IT CAME FROM THE MAILBOX, a column where your old pal Brain Hammer reviews whatever random crap the good folks at horroryearbook decide to throw my way.
THE RIVERMAN is a film based on real life events that were recounted in the best selling book The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer, co-written by Robert Keppel. Keppel is a former criminal investigator who worked both the Bundy and Green River Killer cases. The film takes place in 1982 and highlights a frustrated young detective named Dave Reichert who draws the unfortunate assignment of working Seattle’s Green River murder case. Reichert turns to retired Keppel for help, and Keppel hesitatingly agrees. Things get interesting when Keppel receives a letter from non other than Ted Bundy himself, offering to help out with the investigation. Keppel then begins a series of taped interviews with Bundy that eventually lead to Bundy’s breakdown and confession to eight previously unsolved murders.
Published by Brain Hammer December 16th, 2009
in INTERVIEWS.
When most people think about Christmas and Christmas movies, great films like Miracle on 34th Street and A Christmas Story probably come to mind, but for most horror fans films like Silent Night, Deadly Night, the original Black Christmas and of course Christmas Evil are required Holiday viewing material.
It has been 30 years since Lewis Jackson wrote and directed Christmas Evil, and our own Brain Hammer chatted with him through E-mail, to find out what it was like creating the Christmas cult phenomenon.
Gory greetings horroryearbook alumni! This latest edition of Brain Hammer’s PICKS FROM THE CRYPT is the first installment of my two-part tribute to the late, great Hollywood leading man Christoper George. His incredibly prolific acting career started with playing a Warlock on an episode of Bewitched! From there, Christoper would go on to appear in numerous feature films including classics such as El Dorado, Chisum, and Midway, and several popular television shows including Wonder Woman, Fantasy Island, and The Love Boat!
Published by Brain Hammer December 1st, 2009
in INTERVIEWS and MUSIC.
It’s should be no secret to horroryearbook alumni that your old pal Brain Hammer loves Satan. I say it all the time. Any of friend of the Devil is a friend of mine…and one of my more interesting myspace friends is an INSANELY talented and demented motherfucker named insan0. insan0 is blowing the fuck up out of the underground with his unique brand of “Ultra Psychopathic Snuff Serial Killer Horrorcore Brutal Evil Extreme Satanic Death Murder Music.”
Published by Brain Hammer October 27th, 2009
in DVD/Blu-ray RELEASES.
Brain Hammer approved horror dvds hitting stores Tuesday 10/27/09: BLACK DEVIL DOLL, MESSIAH OF EVIL: THE SECOND COMING, GRAVEYARD DISTURBANCE, NIGHT OF THE CREEPS
Gory greetings horroryearbook alumni! Your old pal Brain Hammer is back from the grave with another batch of Brain Hammer approved PICKS FROM THE CRYPT! This time around I’m heading back to nature and throwing the spotlight on another terrible trio of criminally underrated backwoods bloodbaths. LET THE BLOODSHED BEGIN!!!
Published by Brain Hammer October 13th, 2009
in DVD/Blu-ray RELEASES.
Brain Hammer approved horror dvds hitting stores 10/13/09: Happy Birthday To Me – Hardware – The Stepfather
Published by Brain Hammer October 6th, 2009
in DVD/Blu-ray RELEASES.
After an old and rotting tree is removed, three young children accidentally release a horde of nasty, pint-sized demons from the hole in a suburban backyard. What follows is a classic battle between good and evil as the three kids struggle to overcome a nightmarish hell that is literally taking over the Earth.
The haphazard ingestion of a burger ridden with mad cow disease quickly leads to an epidemic of mad people disease and then the inevitable zombie apocalypse. A rather pathetic little loser (Jesse Eisenberg) known only as Columbus (named after his home town) narrates the entire film as he attempts to make his way back home to his estranged family who live across the country. Columbus has managed to survive the zombie outbreak by staying alone; something he had done long before the zombies arrived. He also sticks to a rigid set of rules that assure his safety and survival. His rules include cardio, always checking the backseat, and perhaps most importantly – the “tap tap.” Never tap a zombie to see if it’s dead, just shoot it again.
Published by Brain Hammer September 29th, 2009
in DVD/Blu-ray RELEASES.
Brain Hammer approved horror dvds hitting stores 09/29/09: THE NEW YORK RIPPER, STEPFATHER II
