stevesinger-2001

Heather (Emily McKinley Hill) is a young woman who is living her life with her girlfriend and friends when a man comes up and gives her a box. The box contains the ashes of Catalonia, someone who she was very close with in her teenage years. Heather has been asked to bring Catalonia's ashes back to her home to allow her parents to give her a proper burial. Trying to be helpful, Heather agrees and takes the box with her to meet Catalonia's parents. But everything doesn't go quite the way Heather hoped...

"Bishop's Cove" is an intense, punch in the gut horror flick. It is brutal, shocking, and violent. Hill gives an incredibly brave performance, and Heather is put through the ringer. It goes to unexpected places and pretty much nails the ending. My biggest complaint is the lighting -- much of the film is shot in very low light, many times so low that it's hard to even see what's going on. And it is distracting -- for example, there are intense scenes with important dialog but we can't help but think, "Yeah, OK, but I'd really like to see who is talking and what's going on." It's distracting... part of me hopes the director pulls back the film and brightens up the darker parts and re-releases it.

But overall, a really good horror flick that I have no trouble recommending if you're into intense, extreme horror.

As "Gates of Flesh" begins, we see a group of four young people running into a building, desperately trying to escape some form of plague or something that is raging outside. A quick flashback gives us some backstory, and then the rest of the movie, we see the group trying to figure out a way to escape and also deal with the possibility that one of them has fallen victim to whatever is out there...

As mentioned in my title, "Gates of Flesh" is actually a pretty effective knock-off of "The Evil Dead." It's nicely claustrophobic and creepy, and even when you are settling into it, the movie throws you some curve-balls that you likely won't see coming. For a low budget film, lighting and sound is pretty good, the cast of unknowns does a pretty nice job with the material, and the makeup is pretty outstanding for the budget.

Solid recommendation for this little horror flick.

Indie horror is having a renaissance these days, and "The Fetus" is a wonderful addition to it! The story begins with Alessa (Lauren LaVera from "Terrifier 2 & 3") and Chris (Julian Curtis) discover that Alessa is pregnant. Chris is less than thrilled, but Alessa is totally freaked out because she thinks her body is different and won't react normally -- and, no surprise, she is correct! She insists that they go see her father (Bill Mosely, almost unrecognizable behind a bushy beard) and so off they go...

"The Fetus" fires on almost all cylinders. It's scary, gory, gruesome, a little funny... everything you'd want from a little indie horror flick. The acting is top-notch -- Bill Mosely is, as always, wonderful and Lauren LaVera continues to be a revelation in everything she's in. It was nicely original, took some twists and turns I didn't expect, which is always so refreshing. And even for such a low budget film, the practical special effects were a hit.

If you're an indie horror fan -- and if you're not, you should be -- check out "The Fetus" when you get a chance!