ASCENSION (2013) Directed by James Hart - Venomous Little Man Productions

It's over a year since an outbreak of 'the sickness', which turned people into flesh-eating zombies. A small group of survivors from a rural village, Blakewell, aim to find hope within the wilderness the countryside has become.

Out on a mission, Tom (Laurence Saunders), Annie (Jacky Fellows) and Joe (Derek Melling)

are held up by three other survivors, but they react not with panic or fear, but a relaxed air; keen to make them part of their community. The aggressors, Alex (Debbie Nicholls), Carl (Sam Knight) and leader Eddie (Mark Rathbone) don't know if they should trust them, and when Eddie suggests he 'has his way' with Annie, and she calls his bluff and instigates the situation, then they are even more confused. The pair return and Eddie has decided that they will go with the group to their compound. 

There's no shortage of zombie movies out there, but this 30-minute short from Venomous Little Man Productions attempts something a little different with the subject, and manages to avoid the pitfalls and cliches of many in the sub-genre.

Directed by James Hart with a confidence that hides the fact it's his first credit, from a script by
Necropolis Rising author Dave Jeffery - the story originally appeared in the book, Alt-Zombie: The Alternative Zombie Anthology - Ascension manages to be both engaging and atmospheric, while also delivering some extremely gruesome gore along the way.

Unusually for a ultra-low budget film, the acting actually isn't too bad, and the cast give it their all, without coming across too self-aware and there's no evidence of overacting, which can be as bad as those who appear to be nervously reading the lines. Both Melling and Rathbone are somewhat veterans (they both memorably appeared in Alex Chandon's Inbred) and they both shine in their parts, Rathbone straddling a fine line between amiable and creepy wonderfully.The glorious locations emphasis the desolation of a situation in which an illness has wiped out society, and the survivors attempts to recreate a semblance of civilisation through 'ascension'. 

Although it's very well filmed, there are some issues with the soundtrack, rendering some of the dialogue quite low in the mix, but the fabulous score by Liz Comley is perfectly moody and complements the visuals without being overpowering or inappropriate (as is sometimes the case with horror). 

While Ascension takes place within horror themes, and as mentioned, features some fantastically gory effects (a massive credit to the team of Justin Becker, Carl Braid and Neil Stevens) it doesn't play on fear as one would expect. Instead, the fear is of the how we would manage faced with such an apocalyptic scenario. Maybe we would do what the survivors here do. But then again, maybe not.

You can purchase Ascension on DVD here.
Venomous Little Man Productions will be launching an Indiegogo campaign at the end of August to raise funds for anthology film Bad Medicine, due to star Barbie Wilde alongside Melling and Rathbone. Dig deep and help out indie cinema when it does launch.

Ascension trailer:

8 out of 10

Review: THE BATTERY

Just when you thought it was safe to come back to the DVD shelf, another zombie apocalypse film lumbers towards the shelves. But don't despair, dear reader! The Battery is, in fact, that rare breed which takes a well-worn premise and attempts to do something new.

Ben (writer/director Jeremy Gardner) and Mickey (Adam Cronheim) used to play in a baseball team together, but since the world has been ravished by a zombie outbreak, they have been on the road together. After staying three months in a house, escaping when it became overrun by the undead, they have spent every night sleeping where ever they can: rooftops, trees, cars, any place they might not be eaten. Ben, the stronger of the pair, wields his bat to see off any attack, while Mickey is a little more sensitive and can't bring himself to fight back, choosing instead to block his senses with music, wearing headphones almost all the time. After they find some walkie-talkies and stumble upon a transmission between two strangers who appear to have a safe haven, Mickey becomes obsessed with finding them. This is despite being told by both man and woman on the other end of the line that they would not be welcome. This causes even more friction between the mismatched pair, and could be their downfall.

The Battery (also known as Ben & Mickey vs. the Dead, making it sound more like a comedy) is that rare breed of film in which not much actually happens, but is engrossing and entertaining nonetheless. Aside from the occasional zombie attack, the majority of the film is made up of the men bickering and ruminating on what might be happening outside of the rural New England countryside they are roaming. While it's not a comedy, there's still some humour to be had along the way, often coming from the pair's differences, and, in one particularly brilliant scene, when the sexually frustrated Mickey is under siege from a young female zombie. Thrusting her body (think Cool Hand Luke) against the car window, he can't resist taking matters into hand and having a dirty rummage.

The film is most like The Walking Dead in its more talky parts, but that's not altogether a bad thing. Gardner, as both director and actor, has made a brave choice in focusing on the realism of 'just getting on with things' while everything else has gone to pot. There are long scenes where nothing happens, the characters contemplating, or just talking, filmed boldly in long, static, takes. The finale particularly shows great ingenuity. When working with such a low budget (apparently $6000), he makes no attempt to over stretch and in doing so the finish product is incredibly moving; claustrophobic yet full of tension. The real evil to be wary of, as is always the case, is not those who want to eat us, but our fellow man. 

It's ambitious, but it works. It won't be a mainstream pleaser - like the slower episodes of the TV series, the pace will put off many, but those who get it will savour it. A cult classic for future generations.

9 out of 10

Review: Before Dawn (2012)

Back in April I attended the rather ill advised (or at least badly organised/advertised) "MancMonCon". The highlight was seeing a 15 minute preview of Before Dawn, yet another indie zombie movie. I read the blurb and took the chance. Little did I know the director/star of said film was none other than TV soap vet Paddy from Emmerdale, Dominic Brunt. I was aware before this that he co-ran (with co-star Mark Charnock - Marlon) the annual Leeds Zombie Festival, but not about his aspirations as full blown horror star/director. Even from this short extract I was blown away by Brunt's take on the genre, and I finally managed to catch the full film at Grimmfest in Manchester, where the cast & crew were interviewed on stage afterwards by Starburst Magazine's Paul Mount (of Paul Mount's TV Zone fame).

Alex (Brunt) and Meg (Joanne Mitchell) are having marriage problems, and in an attempt to save their union have left the kids with Meg's mum, Eileen (Eileen O'Brien) and rented a cottage away from it all in the middle of the Yorkshire moors. Alex is trying desperately to have Meg to himself, even hiding her phone as the constant interruptions threaten their peace. When she goes out jogging and is attacked and bitten by what seems to be a rabid stranger, any thought of peace goes out the window as it becomes apparent that all is not right with the outside world.

The film marks Brunt's directorial debut and he does a fantastic job of creating a believable, real world scenario juxtaposed with a horrific zombie apocalypse. Hints that something is wrong are given from the very beginning; a distant scream, an abandoned car, but they are more than just clumsy plot pointers, they ease us into the nightmare scenario. The undead threat here are of the 28 Days Later rage filled variety - with a neat little twist in that they appear dormant until roused by anything nearby - and are truly terrifying. Alex's first encounter with one in the garage is brilliant - tense and exciting. An interesting development brought in later in the film (as well as plenty of exposition) by a cameo from Shameless star Nicky Evans (who looks like he's been transported from the set of a 70s grindhouse film) causes Alex to make a decision that can only be made by a man so desperate to save what he can of his life. Had this just been a regular marriage in crisis film it would have been powerful enough, the added zombies and gore (of which there is a surprisingly large amount) amps the tension. It is probably the scariest zombie film for a while, and it doesn't fall for the cliches of "oh here's a gun - blam! blam!" What we have here is more akin to kitchen sink horror, those involved have never had to fight for their lives before so wielding a weapon is not second nature.
The music compliments the visuals perfectly, idyllic then aggressive when it has to be, and everyone involved should be very proud and happy with the result. While I can't see it being a crowd pleaser (it is far too downbeat for that) it deserves a major release and success.

Grimmfest: Brunt, Evans, Mitchell and digital FX man Neale Myers

Before Dawn is expected to have a DVD release early next year, with a possible cinema run too but until then it is doing the festival circuit. Make sure go and see it. More than highly recommended.
9 out of 10

Review: Night of the Living Dead 3D: Re-animation (2012)

Another day, another zombie movie. In this sort of prequel to director Jeff Broadstreet's 2006 3D remake of Night of the Living Dead, Andrew (Wishmaster) Divoff plays Gerald Tovar, jr (the character Sid Haig played in the previous film), a mortician who has inherited the family business when papa died. Trouble is, Gerald has an aversion to fire, so has not been cremating bodies like he should be, leading to a back log of corpses. One of daddy's secrets was accepting and disposing of chemical waste from the military, and Gerald has kept this lucrative sideline, but instead of incinerating, he stores the bags with the bodies. When some waste comes in contact with the rotten pile, the dead begin to rise again, much the annoyance (at first) of Gerald. Adding to his problems are prodigal brother Harold (the wonderful Jeffrey Combs) begins sniffing around for some inheritance money. There's a sort of sub-plot involving a Sarah Palin-type (Denise Duff) and some not too subtle humour aimed at the right wing side of American politics (as I'm British, I'll plead ignorance of such things to stay on the safe side) but it's the undead you want to see, and when they do appear there is some fun to be had. There's also a bizarre drug induced sequence with the mortuary assistant, a lovely goth looking girl named DyeAnne (Robin Sydney from The Gingerbread Man) who claims to have necromantic tenancies, handyman Russell (Adam Chambers, who played a different character in 2006 film) and newly employed embalmer Cristie (Sarah Lieving) which doesn't really add anything other than the chance to watch Robin get down to her undies and ride a corpse.

The story really has very little to do with the original George A Romero story (although it does manage to reference it when the brothers begin to talk about the 'problem'; "Are they shamblers or sprinters?" "Slow.." "Ahh... Romero Zombies!") which is a blessing, at least. Would we really want another re-hash of the same story? However, the zombie sub-genre is getting very tired now, and even the interesting story we have here can not save it. Nor, sadly, can the 3D effects. While it is fun to have shovels and shotguns pointed out of the  screen at you, they should embellish, not replace the enjoyment of the film.

Had it not been for the two fantastic genre favourite leads, this may well have been an arduous watch. As it is, it is at least entertaining if a little drawn out. The effects range from fantastic to the annoyingly awful, with too much emphasis on CGI gore. A lot of the 3D effects were rendered in CGI too which while it works, leads the image to look a little too layered, and false rather than the natural vision 3D should provide.

It's worth checking out, and try and watch it in 3D as you will at least get the most out of what is on offer. I'd imagine watching it 'flat' would drop it down a point at least.
The Blu-ray has several interesting special features (which are in 3D too, bonus!) including one on the creation of the CGI 3D effects which is worth a look). If you have the hardware to watch this in the extra dimension, it's worth a rent certainly, or wait for the price to reduce and check it out. Personally, I manage to snag it from Amazon for £8 as a pre-order (last I checked it was still at that price). Try and avoid the anaglyph DVD version though to get the best out of the 3D.
6 out of 10

Retro review: The Dead Don't Die (1975 TVM)

Death Row, Illinois State Penitentiary 1934, Ralph Drake (Jerry Douglas) is awaiting his date with old sparky, with him, his brother, Don (George Hamilton). Still pleading his innocence of murdering his wife, he makes Don promise to try and clear his name when he's gone.

After a quite harrowing and clinical execution scene, we skip 'a few years later' to Chicago and a dance marathon organised by shifty promoter Moss (Ray Milland). It was at one of these events Ralph's wife met her demise. The couples dance for days on end in the hope of prize money, and we witness the lengths some of the couples go to in order to win, including eating over their partner's shoulders and being dragged literally off their feet to stay in the game. It turns out Ralph has some money owed from Moss from previous wins, and Don, being next of kin, gets it.

Back at his hotel, Don is met my a mysterious woman, Vera (Linda Cristal) who warns him to leave. Looking out of the window, he spots what looks like his brother. Not believing his eyes, he chasing him into an old antique store, but is stopped by Levenia (Joan Blondell) and the store owner, Perdido (the ever sinister Reggie Nalder). A struggle ensues and  Perdido is killed. Struck unconscious by Levenia, Don wakes in Vera's flat and it warned again to leave, this time she says it's because of a man called Varrick. She tells him he killed Perdido, and she saved him. Going to the funeral parlour he finds his dead body, which suddenly starts talking. Only it's not Perdido's voice, it is that of Varrick who can resurrect and control the dead. He goes to the police, who try to check his story, but find no trace of Perdido in the funeral home, and on going to the store, there he is, alive and kicking, but looking a little grey.
Don heads back to Moss, who tries to convince him that maybe he's being set up, just as his brother was.

The Dead Don't Die is a rare made for TV film, the first perhaps to deal with zombies, and is very rarely seen (if at all in the UK - I had to get a copy that was sourced from a US VHS). Like most of the TV films of the 70s, it's not very long, but in it's brief running time manages a few creepy moments and the climax in a meat storage facility is brilliant and atmospheric, with a nice twist in the tale.

It was directed by veteran Curtis Harrington, who had made the early Dennis Hopper classic, Night Tide (1961), Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972) and the fondly remembered Ruby (1977). It is Harrington who we have to thank for James Whale's Old Dark House (1932) being available. As an personal friend of Whale, he paid for the dupe print to be made before all the elements deteriorated completely. You can spot him in the party scene in the brilliant Whale biopic Gods And Monsters (1998).
It was also written by Robert Bloch, who should need no introduction.
Like a lot of the 70s TV movies, this is peppered with star names, mostly those who could no longer get work in Hollywood, sadly. Worth watching out for are Reggie Nalder, instantly recognisable from his genuinely scarred face. Nalder appeared in two of my favourite episodes of Boris Karloff's Thriller (1961), namely The Return of Andrew Bentley and The Terror in Teakwood. He was also in Michael Armstrong's infamous Mark of the Devil (1970) alongside Udo Kier and Herbert Lom, and it's rarely seen sequel. Another face worth watching out for is the 50 foot woman herself, Yvette Vickers, whose tiny part is a prospective dancer.

It's a shame these films don't get a proper release as I imagine seeing this in a properly lit print would be wonderful. Some scenes are so dark you can only see the teeth of the actors. Not at all flattering when one of them, James McEachin, is coloured! A very above average TV film. 7 out of 10.

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night!

This is a new film based on a comic book, which I'm sorry to say I had not much knowledge of going into the film. Now that can be a good thing, as I had no preconceived notions of the character, or indeed what to expect. I think in this case, it helped. The film isn't a complete waste of time, at least.
Brandon Routh is the title character, a private dick who narrates Sam Spade style over the convoluted but entertaining plot of the warring undead.
He's joined by another Superman Returns cast off, Sam Huntington, his soon to be zombie partner. A lot of the humour misfires, but it's an entertaining couple of hours and a neat introduction to the character. It made me what to check out the comic books at least. Sadly, the originals are all Italian, and the Dark Horse reissues are doctored to remove his sidekick who bears a resemblance to Groucho Marx. There are a couple of visual nods to this character in the movie, with Marx Brother posters, etc.. While the subject of vampires and werewolves fighting isn't a new one, it certainly adds a couple of twists.
Looking into this after watching, I found another film was based on the same source (although with a different character) namely, the wonderful Dellamorte Dellamore (Cemetery Man) so there's a film that has gone to the top of my "re-watch" list.
I can imagine the fans of the original comic having the usual hissy fits that they have when ever anything is adapted to the screen, but like I said, coming in cold I thought it was a good film, if not a great one. Certainly one I'd watch again on a wet Sunday.