Weekly DVD Dissection
Just like last week, we get one promising title from Dimension Extreme ... and a whole bunch of low-end stuff. This week's DE title is 13: Game of Death, which is a Thai horror flick about an evil game in which the winner receives a whole lot of money -- but must withstand 13 horrific mini-games. Or something like that. Unlike most of the Dimension Extreme titles, this one hasn't gotten that much pre-release horror buzz, but it sounds like a potentially good time to me. Also today: Douglas Buck's remake of Brian De Palma's Sisters, and while I'd heard a good deal of dismissive things about the re-do, I actually kinda liked it.
By Scott Weinberg
If you're in the market for yet another movie in which a bunch of dumb youths wander into somewhere dangerous and then get slashed to ribbons, feel free to toss Wrestlemaniac into your queue. It doesn't add a whole lot to the slasher/survival sub-genre, but at least it's got a sense of humor and a half-decent body count. The biggest release of the day would have to be Sony's Bats 2: Human Harvest, which does not star Lou Diamond Phillips, but DOES feature one seriously insane premise. From the IMDb: "Set in present day Afghanistan, the sequel centers on a group of soldiers who endeavor to capture Fazul, a fanatical terrorist who has escaped into the maze of caves underlying the landscape of the country. As the troops spelunk, they encounter one major obstacle: genetically altered bats programmed to seek out flesh and consume it." Yes, mutant bats have something to do with terrorism. Awesome.
From the UK comes a not-bad wartime chiller called Outpost, which will please anyone who saw and liked The Bunker and/or Deathwatch -- only those were period-piece horror flicks and this one isn't. Certainly worth at least a rental. For the silly titles of the week we have Sands of Oblivion (which is more of a cheesy adventure flick than a horror, but it's close) and Hunting Creatures, which I can only assume is about a creature hunter. (Or several creatures who enjoy hunting.)
Oh, and the Leprechaun Triple Feature set comes out today. Don't even pretend you don't want it.
Next week: A few solid indies and a new eight-pack from After Dark Horrorfest.
