Okay, technically, a couple of these may not be classified as horror but rather thrillers; they’re worth sharing whatever the genre. Zombies, mind-benders, slashers and the paranormal are all featured below.

Please note: I haven’t watched these movies in their entirety yet, only the trailers.

COLIN (2008)
Written and Directed by Marc Price

Click Here to Watch the Trailer

Tagline: N/A

Synopsis: “Our hero Colin is bitten by a zombie; he dies and returns as one of the undead. We follow him as he wanders through suburbia during the throes of a cadaverous apocalypse. Through his encounters with objects, places and people, we learn who Colin was and more pertinently, what he has now become. Including a broad daylight zombie versus human street battle, an epic housebound siege and bags of gore. Colin is the must see Zombie phenomenon.” (Source: Nowhere Fast Productions)

My comments: What’s the major downside to loving Indie horror? The seemingly endless wait for films you’re dying to see. This is one of those movies that I heard about a couple years ago but still isn’t available for rent. I finally gave in and added it to my Amazon Wish List.

Read more at: Official Site | Facebook | IMDb | Netflix

I COME WITH THE RAIN (2008)
Written and Directed by Anh Hung Tran

Click Here to Watch the Trailer

Tagline: Can you find the path to redemption?

Synopsis: “Ex-Los Angeles cop turned private eye Kline travels to Hong Kong in search of Shitao, the missing son of a powerful pharmaceutical conglomerate boss. Enlisting Meng Zi a friend and a former colleague now working for the Hong Kong Police, Kline follows a faint trail left by the ethereal Shitao. The path leads to local gangster Su Dongpo and his beautiful, drug addicted girlfriend Lili. But Kline is distracted from his search, haunted by memories of the serial killer Hasford whose ‘body of work’ was the reason Kline quit the police force. Will Kline once again need to lose his mind to find his latest quarry?” (Source: Central Films)

My comments: I’ll admit this one looks somewhat all over the place; but, with a cast that includes Josh Hartnett and Elias Koteas, I have to watch it, someday, somehow. My attempt to buy it from an overseas seller on eBay failed miserably.

Read more at: Facebook | IMDb | DVD Outsider

BITTER FEAST (2010)
Written and Directed by Joe Maggio

Click Here to Watch the Trailer

Tagline: N/A

Synopsis: “A celebrity chef exacts revenge on a food blogger who torpedoes his career.” (Source: Glass Eye Pix)

My comments: Finally! This one’s available to rent or buy. The premise is one writers and critics should enjoy and, perhaps, think about whenever they start to trash someone’s work.

Read more at: Official Site | IMDb | Netflix

MONSTERS (2010)
Written and Directed by Gareth Edwards

Click Here to Watch the Trailer

Tagline: Now, It’s Our Turn to Adapt.

Synopsis: “Six years ago, a NASA probe returning to earth with samples of an alien life form, crashed over Central America. Soon after, new life forms began to appear, and half of Mexico was quarantined as an INFECTED ZONE. Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain “the creatures”… The story begins when a US journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through the infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.” (Source: Magnet Releasing)

My comments: I love a good alien movie, so when I first heard about this one last year, I added it to my must-see list. The low budget coupled with the more character driven sci-fi story – versus million dollar F/X and action – are right up my alley.

Read more at: Official Site | Facebook | IMDb | Netflix

VANISHING ON 7TH STREET (2010)
Written by Anthony Jaswinski and Directed by Brad Anderson

Click Here to Watch the Trailer

Tagline: Fear lives in the dark.

Synopsis: “From director Brad Anderson (Session 9, Transsiberian, The Machinist) comes VANISHING ON 7TH STREET, a terrifying, apocalyptic thriller that taps into one of humankind’s most primal anxieties: fear of the dark. An unexplained blackout plunges the city of Detroit into total darkness, and by the time the sun rises, only a few people remain—surrounded by heaps of empty clothing, abandoned cars and lengthening shadows. A small handful of strangers that have survived the night (Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo and newcomer Jacob Latimore) each find their way to a rundown bar, whose gasoline-powered generator and stockpile of food and drink make it the last refuge in a deserted city. With daylight beginning to disappear completely and whispering shadows surrounding the survivors, they soon discover that the enemy is the darkness itself, and only the few remaining light sources can keep them safe. As time begins to run out for them, darkness closes in and they must face the ultimate terror.” (Source: Magnet Releasing)

My comments: The director and the plot should make for one helluva film, at least that’s what I’m hoping. And I suppose the yummy Hayden Christensen doesn’t hurt. What?! He’s a good actor, too; I recommend LIFE AS A HOUSE and SHATTERED GLASS as proof (both are dramas).

Read more at: Facebook | IMDb | Magnet Releasing | Netflix

Do you know about any other must-see Indie horror movies? Then please share with the rest of us and leave a comment below. I’m always on the lookout for new ones!

Photo credit: Dave Dyet

4 1/2 stars out of 5

The plot is nothing new: a group of college students trek to a secluded cabin in the snow-covered mountains of Norway only to discover the area’s sordid history which includes torture, murder, and zombies. But not just any zombie. Nope. These are Nazi zombies!

There are reviews with remarks about the “boring first half” of the film but I disagree. I wasn’t bored for one minute of the entire 92-minute movie. I think the pacing works well and I am given enough exposition to leave me feeling like I am in-the-know before the brains hit the floor. However, once the kills begin, it’s a breakneck pace until the end.

The dialogue is cheesy but there are references to some of my favorite American horror films – like The Evil Dead (1981) – and a few scenes are obvious homages to those movies so that let me know the writers (Tommy Wirkola and Stig Frode Henriksen) weren’t going for anything deep when they penned the script. Plus, the editing definitely reminds me of Shaun of the Dead (2004) and the buckets of gore are comparable to Dead Alive (aka Braindead, 1992), which, again, lets me know what sort of film it aims to be.

The zombie-in-charge scares me. He could think and command his minions. Shivers. The kills are wicked and imaginative. And the grossest part of the whole movie has nothing to do with zombies. It involves sex in an outhouse. That’s all I’ll say because the surprise is half the fun, er, repulsion.

Oh, for all you zombie / horror purists, these Nazi zombies do run, and they run fast!

Lastly, if you don’t like to read subtitles, I believe the DVD does offer English dubbing. Personally, I avoid dubbing at all costs, but to each his own. If you do watch this movie with the subtitles, they are well done: short lines and the font is easy to read.

Are there any other Nazi zombie flicks you suggest I watch?

WEB RESOURCES

Dead Snow (Død snø) official site | on IMDb | on Netflix | Purchase from Amazon

DISCLAIMER: This was my first experience with the Nazi zombie subgenre of horror films.

(Watched Instantly on 3/5/2010)

3 1/2 stars out of 5

The film contains three segments, each with its own director, and each with very different stories. There isn’t a lot of gore, as compared to what I’ve come to expect from extreme Asian horror, but there’s an abundance of bizarre imagery and creepy feelings. And for all us English-only folks, subtitles are provided.

The segments were presented in the following order:

Dumplings – directed by Fruit Chan (China), written by Lilian Lee

How far would you go – who would you sacrifice – to stay young and beautiful?

I enjoy finding scenes in new films to replace old ones stuck in my head. For example, the scene from It (1990), when the friends come together for dinner, never fails to flash in front of my eyes as the fortune cookies are placed on the table at my favorite Chinese restaurant.

Now when I attempt to eat won ton soup, Mrs. Li slurping down those dumplings comes to mind …and that’s not necessarily a good thing since I don’t long to test my gag reflex. Although, neither the scene from It nor the scene from Dumplings can beat the executive’s lunch in Audition (Odishon, 1999).

Dumplings is my favorite of the three segments for two reasons: First, the film addresses a topic all of us – okay, mostly women – wrestle with as the years start to pile up and the wrinkles grow more visible. Second, the sound effects are top-notch and used to 100% effectiveness.

On top of those two reasons, the actresses are excellent and the subplot carries a message almost as powerful as the main one. The last scene is a prime example of all these elements coming together. I moved away from the screen just a skoach during the last shot, which presents a character’s selfish acceptance reminiscent of the last scene in Teeth (2007), when Dawn is obviously at peace with who she is and what she has to do to survive.

A word of caution: If you cannot stomach child violence, even when it’s only implied, then you might want to skip this segment. I have a hard time watching babies and/or children abused or tortured or killed, but I made it through this film with only a mild case of nausea, which could be attributed to the excellent storytelling and direction.

Click to visit the filmmaker’s page on IMDb.

Cut - directed by Park Chan-Wook (Korea), written by Park Chan-Wook

How can you say you’re ‘good’ when you haven’t done anything ‘bad’…really, really bad?

Okay, I admit this is my least favorite of the three segments. The male protagonist is just a little too cold and the antagonist acts more silly than psychotic, which I suppose could be the actors’ interpretations of the characters. Whatever the reason, I couldn’t connect with the characters or the story. After watching twice, I’m not 100% sure whether this story takes place in reality or if it’s a dream. Or if it’s a movie within a movie.

In Cut, a film director, portrayed as being a good person, is kidnapped, along with his wife, by a former extra, who has some major mental issues. Scene-by-scene we see more of the director’s flaws as the psycho killer forces him into a decision any “good” person would be horrified to make.

The story flows at a smooth pace with adequate backstory, foreshadowing and flashbacks, so I feel I get all the necessary information. However, the end is where most viewers may scratch their head and question their decision to stick with this segment. The thematic elements of jealousy and revenge are pretty easy to spot and my gut tells me to take the entire film at face value: A good man stretched to his limit can snap and do bad things.

Click to visit the filmmaker’s web site.

Box – directed by Takashi Miike (Japan), written by Haruko Fukushima, based on the story by Bun Saikou

Can you live your life to the fullest if you’re tied to the mistakes in your past?

This segment scared me. It also made me think…a lot. I’m still not really sure if my idea of the movie is anywhere near what the filmmaker and writer intended; nonetheless, I’ve had fun trying to figure out the whole thing. And like I already mentioned, this segment is super creepy. The imagery and the atmosphere play off each other to create an undeniable feeling of discomfort and dread.

Box starts off in the midst of a female novelist’s recurring dream. The dream is about twin sisters, who perform in a circus sideshow, the finale of which features their male guardian – their father? – locking them each in a box then making them disappear. There’s some jealousy between the sisters; a hint of incest, if that is their father; and an innocent ploy for attention with horrible consequences.

That’s about all I know for sure.

The rest is pure imagination on my part, but I don’t want to ruin your chance to spend hours rehashing the story so I’ll stop there. I found Miike’s imagery breathtaking; full of emotion and believable even in the weirdest moments; but this is definitely the least gruesome Miike film I’ve seen to date.

Click to visit the filmmaker’s page on IMDb.

WEB RESOURCES

If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you can watch Three…Extremes here.

Or, you can purchase the DVD on Amazon.