The Curse of Wolf Mountain, “Co-Starring” Tobin Bell & Danny Trejo

Fortunately, for the producers of this film, horror fans have a long tradition of forgiving misleading titles. For instance, there is no “curse” in this film. The title evokes Wolfman vibes, but it is closer in spirit to Wolf Creek. There is also the matter of the famous above-the-title co-stars, Tobin Bell and Danny Trejo, who maybe have a combined ten or fifteen minutes of screen-time. So, adjust your expectations accordingly when David Lipper’s The Curse of Wolf Mountain releases today on VOD.

AJ has always been haunted by the feeling there was an evil presence with his parents when they fell to their deaths off Wolf Mountain. However, his mind still suppresses the traumatic events he possibly witnessed, even after years of therapy with Dr. Avery. They were close to a break through with hypnosis, but Avery was afraid further sessions could be dangerous, so he advises AJ to revisit the scene of his parents’ deaths, which sounds way safer, right?

At least AJ will not be alone. His wife Samantha insists on coming too. Then his brother Max decides to tag-along and his wife Lexi tags-along with him, and her sister Emma and her deadbeat boyfriend James tag-along with Lexi. Maybe the last two will be useful, since they are so randy and trashy, the slasher is sure to kill them first.

Weirdly, there is also a trio of hold-up men hiding out on Wolf Mountain too, but they will be no match for the masked killer. Their best hope just might be Ric, AJ’s dog-sitting slacker cousin, so it looks pretty grim.

Honestly, Tobin Bell’s early scene as Dr. Avery is probably of counter-productive reminder of his always intriguing screen presence and how under-employed it is in Wolf Mountain. It is also painfully clear Lipper and co-producer-screenwriter-co-star Keli Price could only afford a few days with Trejo, because his brief appearances as one of the fugitives do not last long. Price is okay as AJ, but Lipper is probably his own best asset in-front of the camera, playing Max.

Creepshow—The Series: Gray Matter & House of the Head

When it comes to horror pedigrees, this one is pretty intimidating. The original Creepshow movie was inspired by EC Comics, based on Stephen King stories, directed by George Romero, and co-starred Adrienne Barbeau and an uncredited Tom Akins. There was also a sequel that was okay. Still, the original film leaves some large shoes to fill, but at least King and Barbeau will both lend a hand. Comic books get sinister again when producer-showrunner Greg Nicotero’s series reboot of Creepshow premieres tomorrow on Shudder.

It seems like old times in a good way when the series kicks off with an adaptation of King’s “Gray Matter,” directed by Nicotero co-starring Barbeau as Rose, the kindly elementary school teacher and general store proprietor of a small coastal Maine town. Of course, it is Maine. Indeed, look closely at the notice board for a few Stephen King Easter eggs. A “Storm of the Century” is bearing down on the tiny burg, so most of the townspeople have evacuated, leaving only Rose, Doc, and [Police] Chief. They figure they will just kvetch their way through the storm, until teenaged Richie Grenadine bursts through the door, clearly in an agitated state.

Reviewers have sworn a blood oath not to reveal any details regarding the horrifying whatsit, so you will have to see for yourself. However, the real strengths of the opening story are the classic King setting and the first-rate cast. In addition to Barbeau, Gray Matter co-stars Tobin Bell from the Saw franchise as Chief and Giancarlo Esposito (who isn’t necessarily a genre specialist, but is always interesting on-screen) as Doc. Watching these three do their thing will always be great fun.

In contrast, there are no recognizable faces in The House of the Head, but it is sit-up-and-take-notice creepy. Young Evie’s imagination drew positive stimulus from her deluxe custom doll house, until a body-less head turned inside it. Suddenly, her family of dolls looks absolutely terrified and starts moving on their own. That head seems to exert an evil influence within the doll house and it scares the heck out of her too.

Screenwriter Josh Malerman’s premise is so ingeniously simple and altogether insidious, it seems amazing nobody did it before. Yet, he deserves credit for a fresh kind of doll horror. John Harrison’s direction is also tight, tense, and completely unsettling, while young Cailey Fleming is completely earnest and unaffected as Evie.

Gray Matter is an entertaining nostalgia trip for Creepshow fans, whereas House of the Head is one of the better TV horror anthology stories of the year, so far (along with “Legacy,” “Only Child,” and “Little Monsters” from Two Sentence Horror Stories and “A Traveler” from the latest Twilight Zone reboot). Based on the first episode, we’re optimistic the Creepshow series will prove worthy of its name and lineage. Regardless, Gray Matter and House of the Head are enthusiastically recommended for fans of King, the franchise, and horror anthologies when they start streaming tomorrow (9/26) on Shudder.

Shudder Exclusive: Belzebuth

Mexico is a very Catholic country, but also one that is plagued with violence. There are plenty of fears and anxieties rattling around their national collective subconscious. However, the shocking crimes Det. Emmanuel Ritter will investigate are far worse than anything committed by the cartels. Things get downright satanic in Emilio Portes’s Belzebuth, which premieres today, exclusively on Shudder.

Ritter’s involvement in this whole evil affair began when his family was the victim of an unspeakable atrocity. He is still haunted by the death of new-born infant son, who was mercilessly bludgeoned by a nurse, along with the rest of the maternity ward. Of course, we can guess she was in fact possessed by a demon, because we are watching Belzebuth on Shudder. Five years later, the bitterly widowed Ritter is called to investigate the mass murder-suicide of an elementary school class. Although it seems open and shut, Ivan Franco, a Vatican-trained FBI pathologist soon finds links between the school massacre and the hospital infanticide, as well as a subsequent case of mass murder at a public swimming pool.

Initially, Ritter scoffs at the supernatural, but he soon sees some freaky things he cannot dismiss. He also starts pursuing Father Vasilio Canetti, an excommunicated priest rumored to conduct black masses. Both his spooky facial tattoos and eye witness accounts placing him at the scene of the crimes a few days prior make the defrocked Father a highly suspicious person-of-interest. However, Ritter and Franco will have to contend with genuinely demonic perils when they discover the true purpose of the horrific crimes.

It is hard to believe Portes was previously known primarily as a director of comedies. Even though his debut, Meet the Head of Juan Perez, had some morbid elements, it is still a world removed from the soul-choking tension of Belzebuth. Frankly, this film is terrifying. The public atrocities it depicts might be too much for some viewers, especially in light of real-life tragedies, but the tone is never exploitative. Instead, it considers issues of good and evil with all due seriousness and urgency.

Father Canetti is also one of the most intriguing and unsettling horror movie characters of the decade. Tobin Bell (best known as Jigsaw in the Saw franchise) will make your blood run cold and your head spin before upending all your assumptions with his unforgettable performance. Frankly, his work as Canetti is a prime example of why there is a need for more prominent horror movie awards.

Joaquin Cosio is almost as memorable portraying Ritter, covering a considerable emotional spectrum, under extreme circumstances. He also develops some solid cop-buddy chemistry with his long-suffering partner Demetrio, nicely played by Jose Sefami. Tate Ellington rounds out the strong ensemble, handling all the investigative and religious business quite convincingly as the virtuous Franco.

It is hard to scoff at the term “Satanic Panic” after watching Belzebuth. It is worth repeating: this is a very scary film. Highly recommended for fans of supernatural horror, Belzebuth starts streaming today (8/29), exclusively on Shudder.

The Sandman: From the Executive Producer of Black Panther

Stan Lee is the king of executive producers. Just look at his imdb credits. He is listed as an executive producer on every Marvel production, plus several other superhero franchises he has helped shepherd along. Awkwardly, he has also lent his name to a few Syfy original movies. Remember Harpies, with Stephen Baldwin? You also probably missed this TV horror flick that coincidentally happens to share a title with one of rival DC’s cult favorites. Try not to fall asleep during Peter Sullivan’s The Sandman (trailer here), which releases today on DVD.

As a burlesque photographer, Claire Blake is not great parent material, but she is all her niece Madison has left when her brother Colton dies under mysterious circumstances. It turns out the late Blake was the prime suspect in a string of murders, but we know from the prologue it was really the Sandman. Apparently, it has some sort of connection to Madison, but the cops and social workers just assume she is the traumatized child of a serial killer, even though the murders continue after Colton’s death, but whatever.

Eventually, Claire will start to figure out Madison is connected to something very dangerous. The shadowy government operative Valentine might be way ahead of her. In contrast, Wyatt, her formerly cool boyfriend-turned-jerkweed lags way behind the beat. Yet, there might be hope if Claire can get Madison to child psychologist Kellyanne Conway for some emergency head-shrinking.

It is always frustrating when a horror movie is too lazy to abide by its own rules. Does Madison have to be asleep for the Sandman to manifest itself or not. Decide yes or no—and then stick with it. Wyatt’s complete personality one-eighty is also problematic. Of course, the boring central characters do not help either. Probably the most interesting figure in the entire film is Amanda Wyss as the good doctor. Frankly, Tobin Bell from the Saw franchise is criminally wasted as Valentine. Still, it should be conceded, Richard Gleason came to play as the arrogant Dr. Cushing (a hat tip to Peter?).

Ironically, the one area where Sandman exceeds expectations are the monster effects, but that is where we are most inclined to be forgiving. Nevertheless, the sandy bogeyman is surprisingly impressive. It looks ominous, but there is no personality to go with it. The people do not have much personality either. Haylie Duff gives a semi-functional performance as Claire, but she definitely wasn’t straining herself for this part.

Somehow Sandman manages to be both predictable and illogical. The tech team should feel confident putting it on their resume, but most of the cast and Stan Lee (who has probably never seen it) would prefer to forget it. Not recommended, The Sandman is now available on DVD.