MICROBUDGET MASSACRE:
The Sacramento Horror Film Festival Edition
Hysteric Eric takes a look at Indy Films-Festival Style!

Congratulations to the Sacramento Horror Film Festival (http://www.sachorrorfilmfest.com/) in their inaugural year. We wish you continued success and growth. Those who braved the trek to the Colonial Theatre in Sacramento were barraged by a variety of films, horror entertainment personalities and technical presentations on aspects of horror. I didn’t make it to everything, but I liked what I saw…

In Criticized, an unstable indie filmmaker takes a critic hostage after a scathing review. It’s a primal urge we can all relate to, and makes the film immediately gripping. Darkly comic and extremely unsettling in the slow build up to its’ ultimate act of violence, Criticized is an 18 minute short that accomplishes a lot in its limited time.
Believe me, it’s a weird, uneasy, but slightly exhilarating feeling when you’re planning on reviewing some films, and roll in at 10:30 in the morning to see Criticized. Let me consider what to write…
In the short, the filmmaker has kidnapped the critic that savaged his film, “The Ultimate Terror” and has him cuffed and duct-taped in the bathtub, and he’s obviously not very happy. He wants a retraction. In his review, the critic said a knife in dude’s movie seemed about as dangerous as a paperclip. And so in the chilling payoff, he does something disturbing to him with that paperclip in a not exceedingly graphic, but finely edited scene.
Of course, the details are what sell it, and they have the character’s dialogue down cold—the reviewer’s entertainingly scathing review (“I’ve seen more exciting tax returns”) and later change of heart, the finer points of the pathetic filmmaker’s struggle and blindness to things outside “the project”. The situation is extreme, but the actions are true to the characters. Makes a good decision not to show the fake film. Suitably creepy music and generous use of close-ups (like they had a choice!) generate the requisite claustrophobia. No critics were harmed during the making of this movie.
3 ½ Stars! For info check out the site at: http://www.Criticizedmovie.com.

The Golden Age they fits more in half an hour than most movies wish they could do in 90 minutes and makes you enjoy every last nasty thing. It’s 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag, and I mean the good kind of shit. Lots of nudity, torture and gore; and all of it absolutely crucial to the plot. Really, no missteps are evident in this swift swim through the sewers of director Cullen Carr’s imagination; he has made a hilariously sharp and brutal little gem.
The very grisly intro sets things up, with a cheap but effective videotape of the cult leader “playing” with his hostage. The scene-stealing Kyle Holman’s charismatic cult leader is played as a fabulously over the top southern beatnik Charlie Manson type. Holman appeared in Hide and Creep, another film I terrifically enjoyed, although in almost the reverse of the role he plays here.
For a while the film switches into smart-ass exploitation flick mode. The main character gets fired from his job, but not before he buys one of them new-ish VCR things. He finds his girlfriend in bed with his best friend, goes on a months long drunk, and is pulled over by a cop. He throws a botlle at a cop smack-dab in the face. Fleeing on foot, he is picked up by the mysterious and sexy lady owner of the video store. She is more than she appears, and she appears to be a very eager beaver.
When we meet the cult leader again later, it cruelly reminds us that we are seeing a horror movie. Don’t want to tell you any more, but spider has found a new fly. Oh, yeah, director Carr is the main character and he’s excellent, as he’d better be, being on screen throughout as he is. Damn good puking scene, too.
The Golden Age refers to the film’s time-frame, the video nasty 80s, when you could see a movie in your home for the first time, and so many were first exposed to a world of movie horror previously unimaginable. Full of nods to the horror genre (the kids watching the real snuff film think it looks fake), and even featuring a startling well-staged nod to Cannibal Holocaust. The main character starts to think the chick is weird when he sees the period horror movie posters on her bedroom walls, like Fright Night, Toxic Avenger, (and some others that may be fudging the 86 timeline just a tad.) Made with obvious affection. Even looks like they shot on film. More, please. http://www.myspace.com/goldenagemovie.

The Cellar Door is a satisfying abduction drama, low-budget but well-crafted horror with gore and even a little comedy.
In the opening, the captive of a serial killer has her last brutal moments of life shown with that annoying 28 Days Later speeded-up camera technique. Thankfully, that’s dropped after the credits for a more realistic approach.
We see the sociopath Herman following two women, one of who, Rudy, ends up the new tenant in a wooden and metal cage he’s constructed in his cellar. “I got a A in shop class,” he tells her.
Actress Michelle Tomlinson is decent in a difficult role, her desperate attempts at escape and psychological manipulation an emotional roller coaster, in contrast to the mostly calm but deeply disturbed Herman.
He clips her nails, collects her bodily fluids in mason jars and is fascinated by her tampon. But to write him off as merely an impotent mama’s boy would be a disservice to James Dumont, who shades his portrayal of Herman with many emotions, from self-righteous anger to good-natured curiosity.
Both leads handle themselves well, and the film is scary but not revolting. It had a good long burn to it. The sameness of the scenes in the small cellar are broken up by Rudy’s friend looking for her in the outside world, and Herman shopping for tampons, “for my girlfriend.” Herman has a run-in with a clerk who doubts he even has a girlfriend. She’ll be sorry.
At one point, he wants Rudy to stick her arm out of the box, so he can apply a tourniquet and give him a blood sample. She refuses, and he gets some blood the old-fashioned way. He also wants to know when she started using tampons, and for her to wear a wedding dress.
Out of necessity she tries to develop a bond with Creepo, at least until she can escape. She tries to develop some control of their lopsided power relationship and take advantage of Herman’s sexual inexperience.
The audience is given a chance to root for Herman when some annoying evangelicals drop by and walk through the conveniently open door. He dispatches them with appropriate harshness. I don’t know if it was coincidence, but two girls left the theater during this scene.
Eventually Rudy works a nail free, and things come to a bloody seat-of-your-pants finish, but telling you any more would be no fun, so just see it for yourself.
SOV? I guess, but it has a nice warm look to it. Sometimes shot on video stuff has obvious and artificial-looking light sources, but not Cellar Door. Good solid entertainment for those with weird taste. (My friend Dave says they used mealworms instead of maggots.) Lookit here: http://www.cellardoorthemovie.com/.

Suspense of Belief was a family affair, the filmmaker Rick Barnhill noted at the film’s opening at the Sacramento Horror Film Festival. No less than 17 relatives were in it, including his mom! Now that’s using your natural resources!
The main character is a horror movie nut that loses his parents at a young age, and grows up into a surly gorehound. When he finally gets grandma to cough up the bread to make his horror epic, his harsh behavior alienates the crew and his friends.
The film-within-a-film bits were very good, and well integrated into the story. Is this a real murder, or just the movie they’re making? It’s an old trick, but it still works when done well. With knowing gestures to guerilla filmmakers, like when they have to rush to finish the film in time for the festival.
Meanwhile, the young director’s having hallucinations of monsters, different Day-Glo painted creatures that briefly pop out at him at inopportune moments (made by Sactown’s own effects group Gorb-X). Is it all in his head, or is there more going on than meets the eye? I don’t want to give up too much more, but the clever story ties everything up very neatly at the end.
It’s technically assured, with an unpredictable but familiar plot, and fun to watch. I’m sure Barnhill was tired at the screening, but the deadpan humor of the director seemed to be reflected fairly well through the lead, who does a good job being both menacing and vulnerable.
Aside from a few sound problems (this was a non-color corrected rough cut), you wouldn’t have known until Barnhill told the audience that he had been filming on Friday for the Sunday afternoon premiere, and had just finished burning the DVD at midnight. Rock on, brother! Somebody fund his painkiller movie!
For more info on the movie investigate this link: www.myspace.com/suspenseofbelief.