Review of Alfred J. Hemlock

Hello, FREAKS! Josh Mabe here. I’m sure if you follow any horror related pages on Facebook or Twitter that you have heard of this film. Ever since its debut to the film festival circuit, it seems to be all the rage. I mean almost everyone is talking about this short film. Obviously this peaked our interest here at Horror-Movie-Freaks, so we had to see it. But the big question is; Does the film live up to its hype? Take a look below to find out our thoughts on Alfred J. Hemlock.

 

Directed By Edward Lyons

Written By Edward Lyons & Melissa Lyons

Starring Renaye Loryman, Tristan McKinnon & Christian Charisiou

“When Emily’s boyfriend abandons her in the night, her only way home is through an alleyway where she is terrorized by the mysterious entity Alfred J Hemlock.”

 

 

 

AJH starts out with Emily being tossed out of a car in a dark alley by her jerk of a boyfriend after an argument. He drives away leaving her all alone,crying and hating her life. This when we meet the very mysterious Alfred J. Hemlock.  Hemlock comes in to free her of her empty life, but Emily decides that maybe life is worth living after all.

The first thing that really hit me about this film is the production value. The lighting and camera work on this 14 minute film is as good as, if not better than, a lot of the big budget films being released. From the shadows in the background, to the lighting of the actors, it was spot on. AJH also pulls off some very memorable scenes due to the brilliant look of the film . The first one that comes to mind is when Hemlock is skipping down the alley with an axe. Its creepy, haunting and beautiful all at the same time.

The second thing that I noticed was the sound. Sound is never an easy task when it comes to film making, but the crew on this film obviously knew exactly what they were doing. The minor background noises of the alley that can be heard, the volume levels throughout the film with the score and the dialog are all perfect.

The third thing, was the acting by the two leads in this film. Renaye Loryman(Emily) and Tristan McKinnon(Hemlock) did phenomenal in their roles. Emily’s character isn’t an easy role. She goes through a roller coaster of emotions in this little short. She goes from helpless, weak and ready to die, to strong, courageous and takes her life back by the end. In that journey, she literally  hits every character arch along the way.  And Renaye hits it with precision. Tristan as Hemlock is so memorable its amazing. The job he did building that character, with the mannerisms and voice, is nothing short of amazing. Hemlock has obvious hints of Johnny Depp, but it doesn’t come across as  a copy  like I was honestly expecting from the trailers I had seen. He used a some aspects of characters that Depp has played, but they are combined with Tristans own acting skills to make something new and original, while paying homage to some classic roles by Depp. Hemlock is a character that will not soon be forgotten.

As whole, this film is everything that a film maker dreams of creating. A visual masterpiece that grabs the audience from the start and doesn’t let go. I posed the question earlier; Does the film live up to the hype? The answer from me is a wholehearted YES! I have the chance in my work with HMF to view a lot of indie films, literally hundreds since the creation of HMF, and Alfred J. Hemlock has reserved a spot in my top ten horror shorts that I have seen. I am not alone in this either. Check out just some of the official selections and wins this film has received.

 

If you would like to know more about the film, please follow them on Facebook & Twitter, or check out the IMDB page.

 

 

 

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Movie Monsters: Slashers

Hello, FREAKS! And welcome to another episode of MOVIE MONSTERS thanks to, our friend and affiliate, Jeremy G Branch over at B Terrible Productions. In this episode he will delve into the history of the SLASHER in horror cinema. We hope you enjoy!

If you like what you see, please go visit Jeremy and B Terrible on Facebook & Youtube to see even more awesome content. From film discussions to reviews, they have it all.

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Corpse Cold: New American Folklore – interview w/ author John Brhel

CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE

by: Stephen Ingves

 

    With Horror Movie Freaks being big Indie supporters and some of us financially backing Independent films and other projects, we have been a part of and observed many crowdfunding campaigns. I have witnessed many varying degrees of success with these. Some just meeting their goals as their campaigns were set to end. Others requiring several campaigns to reach the financial level needed to move forward on a project. However, one particular Kickstarter campaign quite literally leapt off the page as I read the details. So a bit of further investigating was required to find out what made this project so unique and the funding such a success that it accomplished things I have never seen.

CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE is a beautiful, fully illustrated book that when complete will contain nearly two dozen scary stories written by authors John Brhel and Joe Sullivan & illustrated by talented artist Chad Wehrle. Ah but I have yet to mention the incredible part that had me so intrigued I felt the need to delve deeper to learn more! The books crowdfunding campaign launched on Sept 30….and the project met its goal…in just over THREE DAYS! But its momentum continues and to date, just over three weeks later it is OVER 600% FUNDED and that number keeps climbing daily with just over a week still to go! Can’t say I have seen too many campaigns with this level of success…OK I have personally NEVER seen one with this level of success! Their secret?…Well I’m not sure but I am certainly interested in learning more!

So Horror Movie Freaks is excited to be able to get a few minutes to chat with co-author John Brhel and not only learn more about the book itself but possibly his opinion on what he felt contributed to its resounding success in getting funded.

 

SI: Hi John! Thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule to talk with us at Horror Movie Freaks about your book CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE.

JB: Hi Stephen. Thanks for having me. It’s my pleasure.

SI: You must be pretty happy and excited with the way the funding campaign has gone. Can you tell us about CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE and what fans can expect to find within its pages?

JB: We are sooo excited. We can’t believe how much interest the book has received. It’s the best Halloween season we’ve ever had! CORPSE COLD is a fully illustrated book of campfire tales for adults. Put simply, it’s for people like us who grew up reading “Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark” and “Goosebumps”, and who still crave that style of story, and the illustrations often found within. Readers will find short stories based on urban legends and folklore, all accompanied by some really spooky black-and-white art from Chad Wehrle. Chad designed the covers for two of our previous books, “TALES FROM VALLEYVIEW CEMETERY” and “AT THE CEMETERY GATES: YEAR ONE”, and we’re happy to have him on board to bring our stories to life.

SI: Chad’s talent is certainly evident when you look at his work. Very eerie and macabre which I love.

JB: Chad is an incredible artist, and it’s a real treat to work with him.

SI: Were you guys interested in horror at an early age and if so what type of influence do you feel it has had on your writings?

JB: We’ve been into horror since as long  as we can remember. I read the “Scary Stories” books in 2nd and 3rd grade. Speaking for myself, I was into spooky stuff at an early age. I was a big fan of Scooby-Doo and the Ghostbusters. Tame stuff but still with that spooky vibe. We both got big into “Are You Afraid Of The Dark?” in middle school. And “The Twilight Zone” was certainly always on in my house. The stuff we consumed early on definitely had a big influence on our writing. We like spooky stories with fun twists, and all of those shows and books we grew up with had those. In fact, a lot of people have compared our stuff to “The Twilight Zone” and “Are You Afraid Of The Dark?”, which is a huge compliment for us.

SI: I would say so! You literally just took the words right out of my mouth as I was about to compliment you guys at the comparisons your work receives! That’s some amazing company to be mentioned in the same sentence with, congratulations! So with the funding campaign having gone so well on CORPSE COLD are you still looking for backers?

JB: Absolutely. The book is fully funded, but we are still taking what are, essentially, pre-orders now. There are certain benefits to backing the campaign (signatures, a custom bookmark, getting your name in the acknowledgments, the chance to have a character in the story named after you) that won’t be available when the book is available for regular sale.

SI: You certainly have some wonderful perks available that I would encourage all to check out and take advantage of via the link provided below. I know I have…Lol

JB: Thanks! Guess we’ll be seeing your name in the back of the book!

SI: Did you guys happen to do anything in particular or is there anything you feel you can attribute this level of success to in what you achieved with your crowdfunding campaign, especially in such a short period of time? Without giving away any secrets of course! 

JB: We made a deal with the devil, hehe….Actually, we just did a lot of pre-planning and promotional outreach to blogs, websites, podcasts etc. and bought some ads. I work in PR and social media for my day job, so I’m used to making press releases, contacting media outlets and running social media accounts. Chad has a big following on Instagram, so that certainly helped. And it seems that the more backers we’ve picked up, the more people find us directly on Kickstarter. It’s just a snowball effect.

SI: Well I certainly want to congratulate you guys on an amazing job getting the word out there. Your recipe for success is definitely a ton of hard work! Just as we have connected on FB and Twitter, I’ll ensure we connect with Cemetery Gates and Chad on Instagram. Have you guys worked together on other literary projects that you can share and recommend to fans?

JB: We have co-written four books prior to CORPSE COLD, as well as many random one-off short stories. We’re actually in the process of writing another book for the winter. It’s tentatively titled “HER MOURNING PORTRAIT AND OTHER PARANORMAL ODDITIES”, and it’s a collection of weird/supernatural stories about love and relationships.

SI: That actually sounds like a pretty interesting and intriguing topic! Is there anywhere fans can view more of the artwork and writings that go into your books or possibly more about your influences and what you guys enjoyed reading while growing up?

JB: I would definitely follow us on social media. You can find us at facebook.com/cemeterygatesmedia and at @cemeterygatesm on Instagram and @CemeteryGatesM on Twitter. We post to these channels regularly. Also you can visit our website at cemeterygatesmedia.wordpress.com for info on our books and new blog posts. We regularly post about things we liked growing up – everything from “The Monster Squad” to “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow”.

SI: All links to your website and social media can be found below. If I may ask do you also enjoy horror films? If so do you have a favorite movie or sub-genre that you can share with us?

JB: We love horror films. My favorite horror movie is probably “The Ring”. I really like urban legends, and that movie had not only a really cool urban legend-based concept, but everything from the cinematography to the music was just so damn eerie. Beyond that, I’m a big fan of The Shining, Halloween, The Omen, Poltergeist and a whole host of other horror movies.

SI: Fantastic! A man after my own heart as many of those are extremely high up on my list of favorite horror classics! Is there anything I may have missed or something that you would like to add and close with?

JB: Our Kickstarter campaign ends at midnight on Halloween, so there’s still time to pre-order a copy of CORPSE COLD and get some fun perks!

SI: Sounds great! I can’t encourage everyone enough to jump aboard and back this book while also claiming some of these awesome perks! Thank you so much John for taking the time to talk with us at Horror Movie Freaks! Congratulations is certainly in order for what you guys have accomplished so far and we wish you all great success moving forward.

JB: Thank you for having me, Stephen, and for the kind words.

    A huge thanks to all that took a moment to enjoy our time with author John Brhel and had the opportunity to learn more about CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE as well as the talents of author Joe Sullivan and artist/illustrator Chad Wehrle. Please take a minute to check out Cemetery Gates Media FB page and give it a like. All the links for their FB page, Instagram and website are included below. The link to the Kickstarter campaign is also below so please don’t forget to check that out and claim one of the many great perks available. #SupportIndieHorror   #HorrorUnited     

 

Kickstarter Campaign for CORPSE COLD: http://kck.st/2yeCmJx

Website: cemeterygatesmedia.wordpress.com

Facebook: facebook.com/cemeterygatesmedia

Instagram: instagram.com/cemeterygatesm

Twitter: twitter.com/CemeteryGatesM

 

Also please enjoy a few examples of talented illustrator Chad Wehrle’s work below – 

 

Black Dog

 

Woman Campus Green

 

Casket Mother
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Wreak Havoc Horror Film Fest: Reviews Pt. 2

Hello, Freaks! and welcome back for my second part of the reviews from the Wreak Havoc Horror Film Fest. I just want to start by saying that I hate it, but I did not get to see all the films on the second night. I had prior obligations at my job, and I simply could not make it in time. That being said, I did get to see some really good films before the night was over. Lets start, Shall we?

 

Born Again

When a group of bumbling Satanists has their summoning ceremony go terribly right, they’re left to face the decidedly holy shit consequences.

I have seen a lot of short horror-comedies and so few work well, that it is a real treat when one comes together perfectly. I thought the story was set up really well, the actors did great, the costumes looked good, and the setting was perfect. Its one of those films I want to show to everyone. The twist at the end is so good, you just have to see it. If you see this film playing at a fest near you, check out out. you wont be disappointed.

Directed by Jason Tostevin

Check out the IMDB Page for more.

 

 

 

 

The Corner

As far as babysitting jobs went, this one was about as routine as it gets. The kids were fed, the teeth were brushed, the bedtime stories were read, and the “Just five more minutes??” requests were hushed. But when Joli finally sat down for some quiet time in front of the television things didn’t get dull – they got deadly.

This was a simple, yet effective, short film. I like that. Sometimes films can try to drag on a bit too long, even when you are talking about short films. But this one knew what it wanted and got right to the point. I think the set up and delivery of the story was done quite well, and I loved the “Clown” setting of the room. You may also notice a familiar voice on the phone. That was done by the very lovely, Felissa Rose. Very fun little film, that I would recommend checking out if you get the chance.

Directed By Jaysen P. Buterin

For more, check out the IMDB Page

 

 

 

 

Dry Blood

A drug addict re-locates to a cabin in the mountains to try and get off the drugs, before long he starts experiencing intense hallucinations.

This is one of those films where if taken at face value, seems to be just average..But once you really think about it, it actually has many layers to it that are really quite interesting. I want to revisit this film as soon as I get a chance to. The more I have thought about the film, the more I like it. I love the effects in the film. From the practical effects to the CGI, they work really good. The headless girl is down right CREEPY! The only place this film lacks for me, is with the acting.  While not horrible by any means, it just wasn’t were it needed to be, for the high quality of the screenplay. I loved the script, and with better acting to really drive the story home, I could see this film being high up on my list of favorite films. It has some brutal moments as well, which I LOVED seeing. I don’t want to spoil the film, but a few of the deaths are really great. HIGHLY recommend checking this one out.

Directed By Kelton Jones

Check out more on the IMDB page

 

 

 

 

In closing, I really want to thank Dan Sellers, Sammie Cassell, and everyone else that help make this film fest happen. We had an amazing time, and can’t wait for next years festival. If you have a moment, please go check out their facebook page and give them a like. Wreak Havoc Horror Film Fest, Wreak Havoc Productions

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DVD GIVEAWAY!

Are you FREAKS ready for another HMF Giveaway???

Thanks to Breaking Glass Pictures we have a copy of THE BASEMENT DVD to give to one of you lucky freaks out there. All you have to do is go to our Facebook Page and LIKE & SHARE the giveaway post. Thats it. We will draw out the lucky winner this coming Sat at around 10pm ET.

Be sure to check out the BGP website to check out all the other awesome films and projects they are working on!

 

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Feature: CONFESSIONS of a HOMICIDAL PROSTITUTE (2016)

Lilith is a young prostitute who had been abused from very early on in her life. She went from killing her father to protect her mother, to a foster home after foster home until she fell into a dark world of prostitution. One extra beating by her pimp sets her off on a killing rampage like no other…and the bodies start piling up.

 

Director:
Emir Skalonja

Writer:
Emir Skalonja

Stars:
Michael Balch, Kay Baun, Fattie King

For more on the film, and to purchase please visit the Fox Trot Productions Website

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Feature: THE PLAGUE (2016)

​Six people find themselves trapped in Love Canal, Niagara Falls, an old toxic waste site, and witness the first hours of the plague that brings the dead back to life.

TRAILER:

To purchase this film, CLICK HERE!

Director: Emir Skalonja

Writers: Devon Metzger (contributing writer), Emir Skalonja

Stars:
Kay Baun, Kailyn Burke, Greg Hinaman

To view more on this film, check out the  Fox Trot Productions Site

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