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Hello all! I'm just taking a little break from my Fantasia coverage to share some of these horror items from last week.

Choice Cuts.

Over the past few years, the Ontario-based company The Butcher Shop have become a special effects institution. Run by effects gurus Carlos Henriques & Ryan Louagie, they have lent their services to countless independent horror productions. And now, to give you an idea of their insane talents, here's an effects reel that just recently slashed its way online. Enjoy!

Collect Them All.

I recently received an email boasting these “Zombot” cards from Richard Raaphorst's Frankenstein's Army. Take a look!

Right-click to enlarge.

Never Stop Renting!

Here's a little mini-doc called Rent In Peace, which stops in at Thomas Video, the last video store left in Guelph, Ontario. Somehow, this little operation has outlasted even the big boys. Let's see how!

In & Out in One.

Here's something pretty cool. In celebration of the release of The Conjuring, Vice called upon four directors to each make a one-minute POV shot, based on something scary that happens at 3:07am. Here is director Jason Eisener's excellent entry “One Last Dive”.

Short, sweet and effective. That's pretty much everything you want out of a short film. Eisener also recently contributed to V/H/S 2, with his entry “Slumber Party Alien Invasion.”

Sieg Frank!

I've had some good luck this year tracking down titles on my wish list. First, Bio Slime finally received a DVD release from Media Blasters and then the Spanish thriller Blind Alley popped up on Netflix a short time after. Now, to complete the trifecta, Fantasia screened Frankenstein's Army last week and you can be damn sure I had a seat.

While filming a war propaganda film, a platoon of Russian soldiers fall upon a regiment of reanimated Nazis created by a mad scientist.

As you know, the road to this release for filmmaker Richard Raaphorst was excruciatingly long. His initial project Worst Case Scenario drew much interest after his promo footage lit up the Internet in 2006, but after several years of false starts, it was ultimately abandoned. Several years later, it eventually evolved into its current incarnation called Frankenstein's Army.

So, was it worth the wait? Well, I want to lead more toward yes. My main concern was if Raaphorst and his crew were actually going to deliver on the promise teased so many years ago. I'm glad to say those expectations were not only met, but exceeded. The creature designs in Frankenstein's Army were exceptional, providing quality and quantity, as it featured at least a dozen distinct undead abominations. If these guys ever need a job doing effects - oh, like say, the Wolfenstein movie adaptation for instance - all they'd need to do is walk into the interview with some of this stuff and they'd be hired on the spot.

There was also a level of authenticity, as well. It felt like nineteen-fourties Eastern Europe, and the constant pausing for film mag changes – as was the case with the equipment of the time – was a nice touch. This was some dark and demented stuff.

However, I am afraid I cannot lie to you. Everything else about Frankenstein's Army apart from the technical is pretty rough. The found footage format didn't feel particularly necessary, the story was lacklustre and the characters were fairly one-note. Things were good enough to move the narrative forward, but nothing more. Fortunately, Raaphorst was very smart to space out his monsters fairly evenly, instead of cramming them all into the back end, so I was never bored.

Karel Roden as Viktor Frankenstein at work in Frankenstein's Army.

Frankenstein's Army was kind of exactly what I was expecting, so I wasn't disappointed. As far as low-budget zombie flicks go, this is top-tier stuff. It may be ultimately empty, but I feel Raaphorst's almost ten-year-old vision remained intact. And he now has a warehouse full of spectacular toys to show off, as well. I look forward to seeing where he and his minions go from here.

Fantasia '13 Ici!

I'm off to Montreal today for the 17^th edition of the Fantasia Film Festival. My reviews should start piling in after I get the first few mammoth drinking sessions out of the way, but in the meantime, here's a preview of what I'll be catching over the next week.

This is the big premiere of the Fest. I've had good success in recent years with the opening film – with Red State and The Tall Man – so let's hope the streak continues.

The Lesson Of The Evil.

Takashi Miike tackles the taboo subject of school violence, but takes it a step further by having the teacher as the antagonist. If it is half as good as 2010's Confessions, then it will be time well spent.

The “creators of Reno 911” doesn't sell me, but the concept and Leslie Bibb & Paul Scheer do. After the dead seriousness of the first two films, I may need this to clean the palette.

I'm stoked to finally see this and weigh in on whether this series is getting better with age. That said, I know I'm going to love at least two of the stories by design alone.

Do I need to say anymore about how much I've been waiting for this? The long road ends Saturday night.

Rumour has it this just missed recently playing in Toronto, so I'm glad I'm at least getting to see this here. Most people would say the zombie genre is now far beyond its expiration date. I remain unconvinced.

Not a great poster, I'll grant you that. However, I enjoyed both Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil and A Little Bit Zombie, so this should be a similar amount of fun.

Horror Stories

South Korean anthology film. In.

I'm sure I'll check out a few others while I'm in Montreal, but these are the ones of the horror persuasion.

Oh, and as for all my brethren back in Toronto, there is a free screening of You're Next at The Lightbox tonight.

Get your ass over there and see it! NO EXCUSES!

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Hey guys. I just flew in from Vegas, and boy, are my arms tired (sad trombone noise). Here's a super-late edition of your weekly news round-up.

Meet Frank.

Check out this newly released red band trailer for Frankenstein's Army.

The creature designs on display here are quite spectacular, but mainly I'm glad to see that filmmaker Richard Raaphorst's vision will finally see the light of day. It has a been a long road since his initial concept hit the Web five years ago, but thanks to Dark Sky Films, the fruits of his zombie labour will be assaulting our eyeballs shortly. And hey, if there are any indie game developers out there that want to make some accompanying DLC, I'd be more than happy to look at that too. Frankenstein's Army invades July 26th.

Fantasia 2013.

The Fantasia Film Festival made a few announcements this week. First, they unveiled the poster for the 17th edition of North America's largest genre film festival.

Originally conceived by Fantasia festival organizer Michael Ryan - who sadly recently passed away - and illustrated by Donald Caron, it brilliantly melds Greek Mythology with the Quebecois legend of Cheval Noir.

The second announcement is that the main venue of the festival is returning to its original digs at the Imperial Cinema, while the Hall Concordia is being renovated. I was initially sad to hear this, as the Hall is one of my favourite movie houses, but after seeing the pictures of the Imperial, I'm willing to give it a shot. How this affects the after party venue of the Irish Embassy, we shall have to see. 

Umm... I'm okay with this.

Fantasia runs from July 18th to August 6th and you can be sure I'll be there the first week to give you the play by play. Check back for a preview when the schedule is announced July 11th.

Big News.

This week, Rue Morgue announced that the guest of honour for Festival of Fear 2013 will be none other than Joe Dante! 

His contribution to the genre is huge, as he's one of the few filmmakers that was able to do straight up horror (The Howling), but also had a knack for being able to infuse genre with kid-friendly efforts (Gremlins, The Explorers). As you know, the eighties was rife with this kind of storytelling, but no one did it better than Dante. In fact, he is still doing it, as one of my biggest annoyances is that his 2009 film The Hole didn't get the audience it deserved. I hope they somehow manage to screen that during Festival of Fear because it's a gem.

Also, on the schedule is craftsman Don Coscarelli of the Phantasm series, Bubba Ho-tep and most recently, John Dies At The End.

and the talented and sexy duo Jen & Sylvia Soska.

If you haven't seen their recent effort American Mary, you definitely should. I'm hoping they'll be able to talk about their experience contributing with the ABC's of Death 2 project by then, as well. Festival of Fear 2013 runs August 22-25 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. For more info, click here. 

2013 Preview.

A new year is upon us, and with it brings a new crop of horror flicks to look forward to. Here’s what’s on my radar for 2013.

World War Z (Jun 20th)

All concerns and grievances aside, I can’t help but be excited for the world’s first zombie blockbuster to hit screens. The CG-laden trailer does recall I Am Legend, but I still remain optimistic. The original wonder script by J. Michael Straczynski has since been retooled to beyond recognizable, but at least it looks like the The Battle of Yonkers remained intact. Mainly, I just hope director Marc Forster has learned how to shoot an action scene since Quantum of Solace.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (Jan 25)

Even after failed attempts at fractured fairy tales like Red Riding Hood, Brothers Grimm and Van Helsing, I'm still looking forward to this one. I know the odds are stacked against it, but call it a guilty pleasure. I had a smile on my face through most of this trailer and it seems everyone on board knows what kind of project they are making here. Tommy “Dead Snow” Wirkola has a great sense of humour, and I'm hoping it carries over here. At the very least, action veterans Jeremy Renner & Gemma Arterton will likely make a kick-ass team.

Nurse 3D (TBD)

I was expecting this to hit last year, so again I reiterate, look at this poster!!!

Mama (Jan 18th)

Guillermo del Toro has a good track record playing sire to new talent, but I hope this one is more The Orphanage and less Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. I’ve been deliberately avoiding the trailer on this one, but  I do know the cast is great and the byline promising.

S-VHS (TBD)

A follow-up to last year’s analog horror anthology V/H/S, this year’s roster of filmmakers includes the likes of Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun), Eduardo Sanchez (Lovely Molly) and Simon Barrett (writer of You’re Next). It is premiering at Sundance in a few weeks, so I’m sure I’ll be seeing it here sometime in the fall.

Stoker (Mar 1)

Chan-wook Park, the director of the infamous Vengeance Trilogy is back with his first English language picture. As you would expect, it looks exquisite and is sure to include several deliciously grim twists and turns. Also, in my opinion, the only thing better than Nicole Kidman, is evil Nicole Kidman.

Horns (TBD)

Following in his father’s footsteps, writer Joe Hill sees his first project adapted for the big screen. Daniel Radcliffe stars in a story about a man who suddenly sprouts some pointy appendages following the death of his girlfriend. I enjoyed Piranha 3D as much as the next guy, but I am glad to see director Alex Aja return to his more sinister disposition.

There are of course no shortage of sequels in the pipeline, but based on past successes I am mildly interested in The Last Exorcism 2 and Insidious 2. And it goes without saying I am onboard for another go-round with everyone’s favourite killer doll in Curse of Chucky.

As far as remakes go, Carrie and Maniac show some promise, as does Jim Mickle’s redo of the Mexican cannibal flick We Are What We Are. More importantly though, I’ve decided to throw caution to the wind and just jump into this Evil Dead movie with both stumps.

Five films that I have seen that should hopefully be enjoying theatrical releases this year are You’re Next, Byzantium, Resolution, The Lords of Salem and Here Comes The Devil. All have my seal of approval, so be sure to catch them if they hit a theatre near you.

Lastly, I hear that Richard Raaphorst's undead Nazi opus Frankenstein’s Army is near to seeing the light of day. Apparently, a finished product has been seen by a chosen few. Hopefully, the almost ten-year wait (this is the project that the online sensation Worst Case Scenario eventually became) will be worth it.

Okay, here's to horror’s best and brightest came bring it this year!