Directors
Craig Singer Dark Ride
Mike Mendez The Gravedancers
The Butcher Brothers The Hamiltons
Richard Brandes Penny Dreadful
Takashi Shimizu Reincarnation
Jason Todd Ipson Unrest
J.S. Cardone Wicked Little Things
DVD Release Date: March 27, 2007
Rating: R
Running Time: 647 Minutes on 7 discs
The Movies
In November of 2006, After Dark Studios decided to come out with something that wasn’t totally unique to film fans – a horrorfest. A full weekend of films devoted to nothing but scaring the bejesus out of you and tormenting your mind so much so that you were afraid to sleep with the light off that evening. Their intention was not to show you horror that you come to expect of late. No, they wanted to rejuvenate the horror genre and present movies that showcased the frights horror films of the past ten years were too afraid to show.
For one weekend and one weekend only, After Dark presented 8 movies that were promoted as “groundbreaking new horror films”, as well as being “8 Films To Die For.” 500 theatres in 35 cities across the United States were privileged enough to entertain those horror aficionados who were tired of watching masked killers jump out of closets. After Dark, for one weekend at least, proved that a genre some fifty years old still had a pulse.
In this collection are seven of those eight films for the last one entitled The Abandoned actually received some fantastic reviews and was re-released into theatres on February 23. But the remaining seven are presented in one fantastic set bringing over ten hours of fear and blood.
All of the films deliver a little bit more of less depending on what kind of horror you may be a fan of. If you like Japanese horror, then of course you’d be drawn to Reincarnation which is a creepy movie much in the feel of some of Shimizu’s other work, but also sets itself apart. As with some of his previous films, you learn the back story right away and know what kind of horror you are dealing with. In Reincarnation, there’s a bit of a shroud over the fear that keeps you guessing which is a nice addition. And then there’s Unrest which isn’t technically Japanese horror, but when you watch it you’ll realize it feels like it fits the same mold.
Those are both great films don’t get me wrong, but the top three out of the entire set are The Hamiltons, Wicked Little Things, and The Gravedancers. What The Hamiltons brings to the table is a great deal of welcome confusion. Throughout, you aren’t quite sure what exactly is going on, but then all of a sudden one little thing triggers it and you are able to piece everything together. But believe me, you’ll still be proven wrong. And that is something I love about horror films that is rarely seen anymore, something that is pulled off almost flawlessly by directors the Butcher Brothers. The Gravedancers and Wicked are very solid films from start to finish, and neither needs a match to trigger a spark; they have great stories with a good amount of exposition being revealed so that you chance to relate to the characters and know who they are. (A nice amount of gore in these three films also rates them right at the top.)
The last two films Penny Dreadful and Dark Ride are good, but nothing more than popcorn flicks. These two are fun to watch and have their frightening moments, but there’s just not much to write home about. Penny feels like it just kind of starts in the middle of the film and we have to start playing catch up to figure it out. As for Dark Ride, it moves way too quickly to make you care if anyone lives or dies. Still fun to watch, but nowhere near the best of the set.
Patrick Renna Bill
Jamie-Lynn DiScala Cathy
Andrea Bogart Jen
Alex Solowitz Jim
Dave Warden Jonah
Five kids set out on a journey for New Orleans for Spring Break but happen to stumble across an old carnival across the way. Road trips always bring unexpected surprises, and this one is no different as Bill finds out about the reopening of a famous ride and convinces the gang to go there to check it all out. So stopping off in New Jersey, the group heads for the ride, but they have no idea what they are getting into.
Close to twenty years ago, the ride they are drivings towards – which is of course entitled “Dark Ride” – was the site of a series of gruesome murders. Bill, who also happens to sort of be the fifth wheel of the group, lays down the story of what went on in the ride while everyone sits around smoking it up and getting high. Sharing stories and laughing about the past murders, things are certainly not looking good for the group.
While Bill is doing his spiel about the ride, the actual killer, named Jonah, has made his way through the orderlies of his mental institution and is making his way back “home.” Jonah arrives back and finds intruders in his sanctuary so it’s only fair that he takes back what is his and his alone. The unwelcomed five better surmise an escape plan or they’ll all end up like the animatronics in the Dark Ride. (Cue the dum-dum-dummm music.)
Special Features
“Ticket To Ride” Featurette – Here we have your behind-the-scenes feature that has everyone talking about what it was like to make the film; and it is an extra that seems to be a mainstay on almost every DVD you can purchase these days. This one places emphasis on the actors’ point of views then that of the writers or director, which makes it quite enjoyable because they didn’t have any insight into what happened. They were just told what would happen.
“Behind The Mask” Featurette – And this takes us further backstage as the special effects and make-up organization is probed and prodded. A short but interesting extra because it’s all about creating the props and disgusting things you’d find in a carnival funhouse and I love those things.
Deleted Scenes – There are ten deleted scenes and some of them are quite good so I’m not exactly sure as to why they left them out. Take a look at them and you’ll see what I mean because there is even one scene of Renna’s character Bill giving a serious talk about who Jonah is and how he came to be which was very good.
Storyboard Montage – A nice piece showing some storyboard drawings and then fading into their real-life counterparts showing how everything went from animation to reality. It’s a nice short piece set to some fun music.
Audio Commentary – Director Craig Singer and Producer Chris M. Williams join together to go through yet another film they have made together. After watching all these films and seeing most of them have commentary, I have to say that these two guys are the most self complimenting. They do rave about the actors and crew, but they are all about themselves and the “great casting” they did and wonderful shooting locations where you “can’t tell it’s a soundstage set.” Sure it’s not a bad watch with the commentary, but just be prepared for some self-love.
Dominic Purcell Harris McKay
Clare Kramer Allison McKay
Marcus Thomas Sid Vance
Josie Maran Kira Hastings
Tchéky Karyo Vincent
With the death of their long-time friend Devin, his funeral brings Harris, Sid, and Kira together for the first time in what seems like forever. Harris is present with his wife Allison and knows that Kira and her husband used to be a couple; but that is no longer an issue as the grief over their friend far outweighs it. Though Allison realizes this isn’t so much her place and leaves her husband to spend time with his old friends and reminisce about the good times.
After a few drinks in a pub, Sid thinks it’s a good idea to head back to the cemetery for some reason and say goodbye to Devin properly. Sid finds a creepy poem that was left on Devin’s tombstone and reads its words about living now instead of resting to every spirit around them. A few dance steps over the graves and the friends feel they have truly paid their respects in true Devin fashion.
Life returns back to normal afterwards as the friends go their separate ways and back home. But normalcy doesn’t last long as not only does Allison begin to think her husband may have rekindled things with Kira; but there are weird sounds in the house, doors opening for no reason, and the piano plays music when no one is sitting at it. Harris is stressed out from work and Devin’s death, but constantly gets a feeling as if there is something or someone behind him. As the random occurrences get worse, Kira ends up in the hospital due to an attack and Sid shows back up freaked out as well
Heading to a psychic by the name of Vincent, the group learns that their dance over the graves was more disrespectful then a joyous dance of celebration and three evil spirits are dead set on revenge against them. The spirits will continue to haunt them for the length of one lunar cycle or until the offenders to the graves are laid to rest. It’s been three weeks already, but the hauntings and torment will only get worse as the moon grows brighter. With the help of Vincent and learning more about exactly who was conjured up, the group may survive.
Special Features
Deleted Scenes – Twelve big deleted scenes that could have actually added even more depth to the film. They were good scenes, but it also helps that the film was not hurt by leaving them out. Sure it could have been better by not leaving them on the cutting room floor, but then it would have made the film a little too long.
Audio Commentary – Commentary from director Mike Mendez and his friend Joseph Bishara, a man who produced the film’s music. I highly recommend watching the film with this commentary as the two guys are quite amusing. The entire opening scene is ripped apart by Mendez because he wanted it out of the film, but the production company insisted on putting it in. As a matter of fact, Mendez almost rips the entire movie and it’s fantastic. But that’s not all because the two actually coach us through The Gravedancers drinking game with rules and everything. Never before have I heard commentary in which the participants were having so much fun.
“A Grave Undertaking” Featurette – Here is your basic “making of” special feature with the cast and crew giving their thoughts on the script and the fun they had during the filming. The filmmakers show a bit of the original trailer and discuss how it was culled from thrown together pieces from other films yet they came up with how they would film Gravedancers just from it.
“Making The Ghosts” Featurette – A behind-the-scenes look at each individual ghost in the picture and how they were created. This is an extremely cool special feature in that it goes from step one and really open-ended drawings to the sculpts to the painting which leads into putting the ghosts to life with actors and actresses. One of the oddest things to learn is that the actor who played the “Fire Kid” ghost was actually set on fire instead of it being computer generated. This is by far my favorite special feature in the entire set.
Original Trailer
Storyboard Comparison – A short scene with a picture in picture showing the storyboard drawings and how they compared to the finished frames. Nothing too heart-stopping, but worth a look for the three minutes it’ll take.
Cory Knauf Francis Hamilton
Samuel Child David Hamilton
Joseph McKelheer Wendell Hamilton
Mackenzie Firgens Darlene Hamilton
The Hamilton children have lost their parents and must now rely on one another. It’s just the four of them and all they want is to try and be a normal family just like everyone else. There’s a slight problem in that they aren’t like everyone else and not only do they know, but others are starting to realize it as well. That is one of the main reasons they have lived in four different homes in the past two years.
Francis is the youngest and is trying to cope with being a teenager living under the order of his oldest brother, David. David is trying to maintain stability by making breakfast, earning the money, and trying to take care of everyone. Then there’s Wendell and Darlene, the twins who never quite fit in with the family as they do what they want whenever they want. Despite being different ages, there are a few other things that set them apart from everyone else.
David is hiding his homosexuality from the family and always brings home strange men. Wendell and Darlene are a little too close for brother and sister and always have hot young girls coming into the house. Francis still remains the awkward teenager trying to make heads or tails of everything. Bringing all those gay men and hot women into the house isn’t the problem either. It’s the fact that those people never get to leave the house. They get introduced to the fifth Hamilton – Lenny. The kids’ baby brother lives in the basement and he’s always hungry so he needs to feed; and he doesn’t have a taste for PB and J. Because it’s never “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” in the Hamilton household.
This horror entry mainly focuses on Francis and him constantly trying to find his place in the world, wondering why is so different from his siblings. They are so weird in many different ways and he doesn’t even know how he can be related to them. If only his mother and father were alive. His parents could surely shed some light on the subject as to why he’s so different. But it’s no worry because Francis soon begins to learn about his family and that he truly does belong.
Special Features
Deleted Scenes – Not so much deleted scenes but extended scenes considering there are about five of them and each one adds a good three to four minutes to some other scene already in the film. They could have done with leaving these in or keeping them out since what is shown doesn’t really have much affect to anything that happened.
Bloopers – Very short and not that funny. I’m really not sure why this was even included or more so considered bloopers. The bulk of it seems like two more deleted scenes that could have gone into that extra but instead they threw in maybe three clips of nothing and called it a gag reel.
Audio Commentary – The Butcher Brothers and Cory Knauf, who plays Francis, are together for the commentary on this film. The film itself is worth a second watch so I recommend trying it with the commentary because the three here give some good insight as to everything going on and how certain aspects of the twist are kept hidden for long periods of time.
Rachel Miner Penny Dearborn
Mimi Rogers Orianna Volkes
Chad Todhunter Alvin
Michael Berryman Gas Station Attendant
As a small child, Penny Dearborn was in a tragic car accident that knocked her unconscious. Upon waking up, she glanced out a window and watched as the police placed a sheet over the body of her father. In tears, she looked around and saw her mother smiling at her and telling her everything would be alright. But the slice in her mother’s throat and the blood pouring out quickly took her last breath and Penny watched her mother die right in front of her.
Now fast forward to Penny as a teenager and a woman who has been terrified of cars since that tragic day. So she goes everywhere on her bike. Her therapist Dr. Orianna Volkes thinks that the drugs are no longer the answer, and the only way for all of Penny’s fears to disappear is for her to get inside of a car and drive to the scene of the accident. At the start, they are pulling over every ten miles because Penny keeps hyperventilating and getting sick, but they eventually get on their way. The good doctor gets Penny into casual conversation and everything actually seems to be working. That is until nightfall when they hit a lonely drifter with their car.
Upon realizing he is alright, Dr. Volkes offers him a ride to where he needs to go. Sitting in the backseat of the car with his hood over his head and most of his face, the drifter says nothing and just takes in everything the women are saying. The girls actually get to where he would like to be dropped off without incident and he gets out and leaves them alone, or so they think. A few miles further down the road Penny needs to get out and throw up again and notices a horrible discovery: a sharp object the drifter had sticking out of the tire. He’s not done with them yet, and they know it.
Special Features
“Behind The Screams” Featurette – Almost everyone imaginable who’s part of the cast and crew chime in and give their thoughts on making Penny Dreadful. The focus from the participants seems to be that the reactions they get from people who have seen the film is that everyone puts themselves in the character’s shoes because the events are things that could happen to anyone. Not much going on in this feature, but it wouldn’t kill you to watch it.
“Sanity” Music Video from Stay Away
Teaser Trailer
Yûka Nagisa Sugiura
Karina Yayoi Kinoshita
Kippei Shiina Ikuo Matsumura
Tetta Sugimoto Tadashi Murakawa
Back in the seventies, a professor went to a hotel with his camera and proceeded to murder his entire family and others for a grand total of eleven dollars. Thanks to the camera he brought along with him, he recorded the entire thing on film. Well, with the help of the press and the fact that there is video evidence of it, then it’s only right that a film be made about the story and what better place to do it in then the actual hotel where it all happened? At least they can go there to get a feel for the place and find out all they can in order to make the film as realistic as possible. They have no need to worry though because they’re going to have some unexpected help.
Famed Japanese director Ikuo Matsumura wants to create those events in his film entitled Memory with young Nagisa Sugiura coming in to audition. She is a relatively unknown and hopes to get the part, but isn’t expecting much until she gets a call back from Matsumura asking her to star in his creation. He casts her into the part of a little girl who was actually the daughter of the murdering professor. It’s then that the images begin appearing before Sugiura’s eyes and in her mind. Before even seeing what this little girl looked like, she already has seen visions of her all over the place. And to top it all off, the little girl is holding one of the creepiest looking dolls ever seen. So the fear that Sugiura is experiencing is not to be taken lightly when she even sees the doll sitting by itself almost everywhere she goes.
While searching the hotel and seeing some of the places the murders took place, it is then Sugiura finds the camera with the video evidence of the murders. More and more people begin seeing visions of ghosts from the storied past of the hotel they are filming in. As the ghosts become more evident, people are starting to transform into those who are no longer living. What originally seems like the hotel has drawn back people who once lived other lives; in all actuality it’s the souls of the murdered who are trying to regain theirs. And Suguira must quickly figure a way out of the entire situation before she actually becomes the role she is playing in the film.
Special Features
Deleted Scenes – A good number of deleted scenes here with optional commentary from the producer, director, and lead actress. Nothing really that needed to be left in the film, but there is a decent alternate opening.
“The Making Of Reincarnation” Featurette – Your basic stuff here, but there is just way too much of the creepy doll from the film in this. It’s actually an entire hour for this special feature and is a fun watch so I’d be sure to check it out. It also comes complete with some rockin’ Japanese music.
“Memories Of Reincarnation“: Interview With Takashi Shimizu – This segment is more than just Shimizu’s thoughts on this film itself for it takes you back through his entire life. He explains how he wasn’t intending to make horror films when he first started in the business but had always liked scary stories so he had no choice. Rather short and to the point but still has some interesting stuff in it.
Director Introduction – All of 45 seconds from Shimizu saying the film is not like Ju-On or The Grudge, but has more an element of mystery to it. Seriously, that’s it.
Corri English Alison Blanchard
Scot Davis Brian Cross
Joshua Alba Carlos Aclar
Jay Jablonski Rick O’Connor
Alison is new to medical school and wants to become a doctor more than anything. Right away, though, we learn that she is not the only one vying to become a doctor, as she and three other students are assigned a cadaver to examine in Gross Anatomy. Their assignment is to figure out everything they possibly can about the cadaver from how old it is, how she died, where it came from, any internal problems, and so on and so forth.
From the start, Alison does not get the best aura from Norma. Norma is what the group named their cadaver making it a bit easier to talk about it in discussion. Norma is very young and has cuts, which appear to be self-inflicted, all over her body. The group surmises that she was perhaps a very disturbed individual. Instead of just leaving her work in the lab, however, Alison takes it home with her since she can’t get these thoughts about Norma out of her head.
Alison does what anyone in her situation may do and talks it over with her therapist since it wouldn’t be too smart letting her professor or classmates think she was insane. Insanity wouldn’t garner much merit as a reason for her thoughts when unlikely ends start coming to all those who have come into contact with Norma. Students, teachers, the guys who handle the bodies right when they come into the morgue, all end up dead in some horrible tragic way. It is then that Alison realizes she must figure out what happened to Norma and why. Thanks to a budding relationship with one of her cadaver partners Brian, she has a bit of help. The only problem is that they need to do it quickly because since they were in direct contact with Norma, roaming the dark, long, creepy halls is not necessarily safe anymore.
Special Features
Audio Commentary – Director Jason Todd Ipson and Editor Mike Saenz join together to go through the film with you. I simply did not get much from this commentary and found it to be just two guys talking with one another about topics not pertaining to the movie. Best to leave this commentary on mute.
“Behind The Scenes” Featurette – The cast and crew give their thoughts on the parts they played and how they felt about the film itself. An interesting bit about the hospital actually being haunted and Ipson gave the crew a warning when they first arrived not to wander off because they would legitimately get lost. There is also a good bit on the make-up and special effects showing how the cadavers and different injuries were created. Sure, it’s mostly common knowledge, but it’s still fun to watch.
Lori Heuring Karen Tunny
Scout-Taylor Compton Sarah Tunny
Chloe Moretz Emma Tunny
Geoffrey Lewis Harold
Many years ago in a small mining town in Pennsylvania, children worked underground in the mines as cheap labor. Their bodies made it easy for them to fit in between tight crevices and go places adults could not. But when it comes to business and making sure that money is not lost, the heartless owner of the mine has an explosion ordered underground without making sure all the children are safe and sound. Tons of rock and fallen debris has made the mine into a tomb for those children. But that won’t last forever.
Karen Tunny’s husband has passed away and she learned he had a house up in the hills of Pennsylvania. Packing up her two children Emma and Sarah, she moves up to the home to start fresh and hopefully begin a new life on their own. Sarah is already not too fond of the idea as she considers the entire town as being “creepy.” Not to mention her mother almosts hits a man in the middle of the road with her minivan. After screeching to a halt Karen gets out and notices he has disappeared.
Upon meeting some local kids, Sarah learns the dark secret about the town’s history and what happened to the children in the mine. The man who let the kids die actually still holds control of the mountain and almost every house on it including the Tunnys. Sarah also is told that these kids still haunt the woods as zombies killing anyone and everything they see. Karen learns that these are more then just stories and that her and the kids may want to get out of town, uh, like, now.
Special Features
Audio Commentary – Director Joe Cardone and Lori Heuring, the actress who played Karen, give their thoughts on how the story came about and the enjoyment they got while filming. Cardone goes through a good ten to fifteen minutes at one point on shooting in Eastern Europe and why he chose to go back there as he had for some of his other films. He actually gives some great insight throughout while Huering simply throws in a word here and there. It’s worth a listen just for Cardone’s part alone; so if you ever feel like watching the film again, check it out with the commentary.
The Video
Each film is presented in 1.78:1 Widescreen Format and look great. They all actually are very spot on with color presentation and how dark and light portions of each one should be shown. I was extremely pleased with the quality of these films because each one looks sharp and is just a joy to watch. The one thing I did notice, and I don’t know if it was just my set or what, is that sometimes the letterbox bars at the top and bottom of the screen would turn from black to dark gray and then to light gray and back to black again randomly. Like I said, it could very well just be my set and maybe it’s defective or something, but I noticed it on every DVD.
The Audio
The films are all heard in 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 Audio and also sound fantastic. Even though the films themselves weren’t always the best, I sincerely enjoyed the background music in all of them. The composers created some wonderful scores and each one adds to picture. All of the cuts, scrapes, blood gushes, screams, glass breaks, and everything else to make you jump sound crystal clear as well. The sound editors are able to handle the effects, music and dialogue without any hiccups; the effects never drowning out the dialogue or overpower the viewer. Oh, and be advised to watch Reincarnation with subtitles, unless you are fluent in Japanese.
Special Features
Trailers – Besides those included in the special features sections above, each DVD comes with the trailers for all the entries into the After Dark Horrorfest collection, as well as an advertisement for the weekend horror extravaganza.
The Inside Pulse
There is no reason any horror fan shouldn’t pick up this collection. Sure they aren’t all gems, but they’re still fun to watch and if you decide to watch everything at once then you’re getting an entire weekend of entertainment. The DVDs that lack sufficent special features are made up for on other discs. You just can’t wrong with these seven films proclaimed as breathing new life into the horror genre, because they were right. This is just a huge horror set filled with tension, jump scares, mystery, and lots of gore.
