[ChronoGrl]

So I've talked about the BEST of After Dark Horrorfest II and NOW...

The WORST of After Dark Horrorfest II - A Look Back

Nightmare Man




There's B-Grade horror and then there's b-grade horror.

This film is about a woman who receives a creepy mask and then thinks she's haunted by the Nightmare man, a demon that comes to her in her dreams... And then it becomes her reality...

I honestly have no issue with monster/slasher films, but the production value of this film was so incredibly low that everyone in the theater couldn't help but give way to laughter. The demon's mask was absolutely pathetic, and attempts to catch the victim were just... poorly choreographed... The dialogue was stereotypically bad, but not so bad as to be self-conscious parody... Just an all around bad movie. As in, I want that hour and a half back. WOW.

1/5

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Lake Dead





I mean, with a quality title such as this, how can this movie possibly be bad?!

...

So three sisters find out that the grandfather that they thought was already dead, wasn't until, well, he actually died and left them a motel in a remote location. They travel up to the motel for the weekend... And are hunted down with such poor direction that there is no suspense, horror, or slashing at all... Bad writing, TERRIBLE direction, and a really horrible poorly executed storyline.

.75/5


What truly offends me the most about both Nightmare Man and Lake Dead is that there have to be SCORES of indie horror filmmakers out there trying to catch a break, but it's this awful low-budget tripe that was hooked onto the festival circuit. At least Perkins' 14 has the excuse of being a "contest winner" - After Dark actually sought out and PURCHASED Lake Dead and Nightmare Man. Cinematic abortions that came too far into term. They truly should NOT have seen the pale lights of the cinema.

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Tooth and Nail





So the Earth has suffered through the apocalypse; fuel has been completely depleted and for some reason, the world's population is decreased by 2/3 in a matter of, oh, three years... yeah... So a group of local tools (seriously - tools; if you survive an apocalypse, I'd imagine that you'd be pretty badass... But not in Tooth and Nail) hole up in a hospital and are targeted by a gang of cannibalistic rogues.

The film covers SUCH quintessential horror themes as Post apocalypse and Society vs. Anarchy / Cannibalism... But... Yet... Executed... So... Poorly...

I find it difficult to believe that the Earth would be cut down by 2/3 in a matter of 3 - 5 years and that the survivors would be pathetic cultish victims (there are possibilities in here!)... Michael Madsen had a very, very small role... But not enough to keep this thing interesting. The redeeming value of this film are the action scenes... The rogue cannibals adorned themselves in viking gear and yielded delightfully pointy objects (spiked clubs and that whatnot)... They definitely tear through the hospital and turned this movie into a siege film... But not a good siege film. Not really worth your time.

2/5


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The Deaths of Ian Stone





The Matrix meets Dark City meets Groundhog Day... But not in a good way.

At first glance, the concept seems intriguing and well thought-out. The scares are fantastic. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the first 2/3 of the movie was possibly some of the best horror film bits that I have seen... ever.

The last 1/3 however... The movie seems to tack on inconsistent Hollywood themes as well as HORRIBLY written exposition and a poorly-designed and executed Monster. Considering how great the beginning of the movie was, the end was just... Terrible to take and ruined the rest of the film for me.

2.5/5 (and that's being generous)


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Unearthed





This movie doesn't try to do anything novel; Monster movie ripping off Alien 3. Yes, Alien 3. Didn't bother ripping off either of the good ones...

The script was poor, the direction horrible (the director made up for lack of budget by over-using the shaky cam), and the special effects were pathetic. I consider this movie essentially Alien 3 with slightly better CGI but in the desert on an Indian Reservation.

In short, Unearthed is a B Grade monster movie. Nothing more, nothing less. If you LIKE B-Grade monster movies and Unearthed happens to be on television and you have nothing better to do... then this is your movie. Not exactly my bag, though.

2/5