O’Hellige Jul! or Christmas Cruelty! is brainspawn by Magne Steinsvoll and Per-Ingvar Tomren who co-directed and also starred in this movie, which is in fact a product of couple of friends who decided to make the movie and present it as Norwegian horror movie in a country whose horror scene is not so big, rather small but they provided couple of really exceptional horror movies like Skjult, Rovdyr or legendary Lake of the dead. This is trash gore fantasy in its totality and almost childish made. It is about serial killer called Serial Santa (played by Tormod Lien), who rapes a mother and kills a baby with a saw in the beginning of the movie, later on he goes on rampage on couple of unsuspecting hard rockers, friends who celebrate and are getting drunk. Now, this movie is totally trashy magnificent little jewel only for die hard horror fans, made by horror fans. Killer has no particular reason for killing except flashbacks of his sexual and murder fantasies. Gore and murder scenes are tongue in cheek but enough gory to make your inner bloodhound howl with delight. This movie has neither head nor tails so do not suspect any coherency or something sensible or smart, this is pure trash inspired by christmas spirit hehe. Killer looks good in his mask, I must admit that, but if you are into christmas slashers, rather go watch Black Christmas, or Silent Night, Deadly Night. This one could easily play at Varaždin Trash film festival and be well received there.
I love horror and am an avid collector of horror movies but sometimes, just sometimes I run into something that is possible to love only by true die hard horror fans. Blood Shack is one of such movies. This one is about a cottage with an ancient curse on it, like settlers killed native American tribe chief’s son and so they were dismembered and anyone who tries to stay a night in that cottage will die dismembered. Fast forward to now, meetl Daniel, crazy cowboy who is a hired worked by Carol, who just inherited that land and also that cottage. As it usually goes, there are brutal murders around and seems that the tribe chief’s ghost is back killing everyone who enters the cottage. Well, this movie is total freaking trash and only a true horror enthusiast like myself could stand all hour and ten minutes watching it. The killer looks like ninja and grunts some odd sounds killing and stabbing with something that looks like ninja or samurai sword. Actors are total desperation, Carolyn Brandt and Ron Haydock are a tiny bit above others but it is like I collect people in front of my neighborhood store and make movie with them. If it were parody, that would be awesome, but it is not. But, it is a proto slasher movie before golden era of slasher with enough bloody moments, so it is welcome in my collection.
Everyone who reads this webzine already know that H.P.Lovecraft is my favorite horror author of all times. I also love works of so called Lovecraftian Circle, meaning writers who were his friends or contemporaries and those who continued his cosmic horror style in their short stories and novels. Well, but I also love horror movies. And I love when it has that Lovecraftian cosmic horror vibe. Well, The Devil Below didn’t disappoint me. The story evolves around group of five explorers with leader Arianne who are looking for town called Shookum Hills which disappeared in the seventies with thousand miners and inhabitants. Legend says that they were digging and drilling hole to Hell like the one in Siberia and then something happened with underground fires burning still to this day. As it usually is, our heroes do not take local people warnings to their brains, find the lost city and then troubles start when they unleash something sinister from under the earth, something set on replacing humanity with other inhabitants. This is action packed sinister horror movie with lots of running, parts of mock found footage parts and nightvision, the only thing that lightly disappointed me was the finale under earth in the caves which was somehow to psychodelic and not directed and filmed to my taste, could have been better done, but I think that they did it on purpose because they were hiding lack of money for better prosthetic or CGI effects on monsters. The ending is satisfying and somehow bleak, just how I like it. Actors are so-so. Veteran Will Patton who plays local chief of security and ex miner looks somehow confused maybe due to lack in this character script development. Other young actors are Alicia Sanz as Arianne, main character, known for her tv roles in ‘El Cid’ and ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ tv series. She is somehow too wooden and not so convincing. Others like Adan Canto or Chinaza Uche are too thin, so the acting is not so good as it could have been. The movie was directed by Bradley Parker who worked on visual effects on ‘Ad Astra’ and ‘Loki’, also being assistant director of second unit on ‘The Batman’ and ‘War For The Planet Of The Apes’ and directed ‘Chernobyl Diaries’ which was a fine movie to my taste. Story is written by Stefan Jaworski and Eric Scherbarth. This is an average movie by some standards, but I loved it and I love Lovecraftian cosmic horror themes, so I give maybe bigger rate it deserved.
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