WILD ZERO [1999]

Guitar distortion meets zombie bedlam in a Japanese love affair called WILD ZERO. Ace is a diehard rock ‘n’ roll junkie with a thirst for glory. One night, he attends a Guitar Wolf show with more on his “to do” list than throwing his fists in the air, head banging, and jumping around to his favorite band; Ace wants to introduce himself to the nightclub owner and prove himself as a performer. When Ace’s time to shine arrives, he finds the nightclub owner is already occupied with the members of Guitar Wolf. Through the door, Ace listens in on the confrontation ensuing and courageously bursts through to defend Guitar Wolf in the name of rock ‘n’ roll. Violences breaks out, but Guitar Wolf and Ace leave with their lives. Lead vox gifts Ace a mysterious whistle that will assist him in troubled times before vanishing. The following day, Ace disrupts a gas station robbery, revels in the company of Tobio, a beautiful bystander, and then rides off. Shortly after, Ace is greeted by zombies and learns the world is in a state of emergency due to a zombie uprising brought on by alien invasion. Ace teams with Tobio and Guitar Wolf to cease the unearthly carnage.

Zombie trash-heads rejoice for a wildly entertaining rock ‘n’ roll epic. I’ll go into this by saying that the only prior knowledge I had of Guitar Wolf was that they existed. Therefore, my opinion isn’t based solely on the band’s involvement. The band members’ parts as actors and musicians, though, positively magnify the excitability factor throughout. Zombie disarray and destruction is complimented immensely by a fantastic soundtrack, including other bands such as The Phantom Surfers, The Zeros, and Teengenerate. The characters (such as a kindhearted transsexual, a sleazy nightclub owner, and a tough, female arms dealer) all have unique, distinctive personalities that really help set WILD ZERO apart from other films in the zombie sub-genre; they’re obnoxious, out of their minds, and badass in their very own ways. The special effects are as absurd as they are awesome, with magical guitar picks, flying saucers, and laser beam eyes. Splattered brains, mutilated guts, and cleanly sliced fingers are just a few perks. While WILD ZERO feels much like a B-movie, it’s clear to see that writers Satoshi Takagi and Tetsuro Takeuchi invested plenty of heart into every element as proper tribute to classic zombie flicks and rock ‘n’ roll music. P.S. ROCK ‘N’ ROLL!

Rating: 10/10

Director: Tetsuro Takeuchi

Cast: Guitar Wolf, Masashi Endô, Kwancharu Shitichai
Country: Japan

MOTHER OF TEARS [2007]

During a construction dig in church grounds of the Italian countryside, a tomb with an attached urn from the early 1800s is discovered. The head priest steps in for closer inspection and reveals the findings belong to Mater Lachrymarum, a black witch. Since Mater Lachrymarum made up one-third of a powerful ancient evil group known as The Three Mothers, the priest is deeply disturbed by the event. He decides to send the urn to a museum directed by a trusted friend, Michael, who is also a scientist and an expert on magic. Before obtaining permission, Michael’s assistant cracks the urn open alongside Michael’s student/girlfriend, Sarah. Inside, the two women uncover three beautifully preserved mini statues, a medieval dagger, and a cloak with ancient writing painted on it. When Sarah leaves to retrieve a dictionary for deciphering, three demons appear to rip the assistant to shreds. When Sarah returns and sees the mess, she is forced out of the museum by a ravenous monkey and voices in her head. Soon the world rapidly transitions into a state of disorder with suicides, homicides, and demonic possessions. Research produces both questions and answers that lead Sarah on a supernatural path to cease the apocalyptic danger released from the urn.

MOTHER OF TEARS is a blood feast served hot by demonic forces, black magic, and illusion. I’ll be honest, having heard such severely divided reviews, I was both apprehensive and extremely curious about the movie. Once the film concluded, I realized I wasn’t prepared to take a stance; I felt as if I had woken up from a perplexing bad dream, and I needed time to register the overwhelming content. First of all, there are plenty of “jump-scares” to hasten your heartbeat and keep you on edge from the very beginning. The eruption of gore and savagery starts less than ten minutes in with an insanely brutal monster attack that’ll make your eyeballs pop out of your skull. Without a doubt, Argento has successfully delivered monumentally grotesque features throughout his career, and he ups the ante with this one. Violence is brought to life with the use of practical special effects and CGI. However, the CGI scenes are a little too unrealistic and off-putting. The story itself is unique, amplified with provocative religious illustrations and other wondrous imagery, but the plethora of otherworldly visuals can be a bit distracting. All in all, MOTHER OF TEARS is an artistic work that can be appreciated with a second viewing…if you have the patience and stomach for a double dose.

Rating: 6/10

Director: Dario Argento [SUSPIRIA, INFERNO, TENEBRAE]

Cast: Asia Argento, Adam James, Cristian Solimeno
Country: Italy|USA

SATURN 3 [1980]

A dreamland is transformed into a battle zone for superiority and sexual gratification in SATURN 3. Adam, Alex, and their dog Sally lead a utopian lifestyle on Saturn’s third moon. They work and play happily distanced from a congested planet and its often shuddersome occupants. The slight interference of Adam’s wonderment is the only issue; it’s apparent he worries that his younger comrade/lover will one day grow curious enough about Earth to leave him behind and delve into its offerings. Adam’s concern is intensified when Captain Benson invades their domain and becomes obsessed with stealing Alex away for his personal pleasure. Ultimately, Benson has arrived to build a replacement scientist, a robot soon called “Hector.” However, since Hector’s actions rely on Benson’s evil and primitive thoughts, Hector develops into an outlet for Benson’s frustration. The captain causes his creation to go on a murderous rampage, and Adam and Alex must destroy the man-made slaughterer before facing death in space.  

SATURN 3 is a science fiction thriller that will engulf you like a black hole. For starters, Elmer Bernstein’s futuristic score, filled with an array of sounds ranging from brass to xylophone, will positively catapult you into a completely new dimension. The gigantic space station in which the crew resides is steel-colored, but brightly illuminated with fluorescent white light and primary colors that establish a gorgeous, spellbinding backdrop. In contrast to the enchanting visuals is Hector, potentially one of the most fearsome killers in motion picture history (by my standards, at least). The villainous robot is faceless, erratic, and nearly unstoppable. Primal desire is the driving force behind the more emotional scenes in the film, which are surprisingly NOT boring. Although the love triangle concept may seem overdone, the drama is actually compelling due to the characters’ perfectly conveyed personalities. Fawcett, in particular, impresses as an intelligent, strong-willed contender. SATURN 3 implements a dynamic of cinematic layers for an out-of-this-world expedition.  

Rating: 10/10

Director: Stanley Donen

Cast: Farrah Fawcett, Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel
Country: UK

THE GATE [1987]

THE GATE is a terminal for the wicked to unleash Hell on suburbia. Two inquisitive adolescents, Glen and Terry, cannot resist the powerful urge to treasure hunt in the newly exposed hole in the backyard ground of Glen’s home. The excavation of a tree has provided a whole new world for the boys to explore, until Glen is ordered by his father to fill the void. Although Glen is disappointed, he and Terry at least have a prize to crack open from their dig: a crystalline rock. The same day of the tree’s removal, Glen’s parents discuss their three-day trip and the terms and conditions their kids must abide by, as they apprehensively decide to leave Glen in the supervision of his naive, sixteen-year-old sister, Al. The first night of their parentless vacation, Glen and Terry finally break the rock apart, which prompts a foreign message to appear on the notepad lying underneath it. After Glen and Terry read the script aloud, the evening takes a turn for the worse, and the two following days reveal evil demons, monsters, and zombies that have escaped from Hell through the passageway the boys accidentally created. Heavy metal guides them on their quest to conquer.

THE GATE tells the story of a fantastic horror adventure that you’ll undoubtedly want to pass along to future generations. You will be captivated from the very beginning with Glen’s distressing nightmare, a mere foreshadow of the grim days ahead. The mischief and nonsense leading up to the more frightful moments inject a lot of extra life into an already sensational plot-line. Glen’s snappy comebacks in back-and-forth combat with Al and her bratty, unsympathetic acquaintances are priceless, right along with Terry’s extensive air guitar performance. When the terror kicks in, the situation becomes not only insanely creepy, but tragically depressing. The demons deliberately terrorize Glen, Terry, and Al based upon their past experiences and fears; the beasts use the vulnerability of the innocent humans to dig deep into their minds and hearts for maximum impact, even producing manifestations of dead loved ones. The abundance of monsters take on all shapes, sizes, and numbers, ranging from a group of foot-tall devil babies to a single, four-eyed lizard creature the size of a house. Glen proves himself as an ultimate warrior using clever tactics to defeat the tourists from Hell in a legendary battle of good vs. evil.

Rating: 9/10
Director: Tibor Takács [NOSTRADAMUS, RATS, SPIDERS]

Cast: Stephen Dorff, Christa Denton, Louis Tripp
Country: Canada|USA