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It seemed that my lot in life was to either have big parts in small films or small parts in big films. -Bruce Campbell

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Cheap Thrills (2014) Review

  When childhood friends who have fallen on hard times randomly run into each other at a bar they begin to catch up over a few beers. However, their visit is quickly interrupted by a strange couple who begins paying them large sums of money to do seemingly simple tasks. As the night goes on and the drinks keep flowing the tasks become much harder, and with that the pay outs become much larger. Soon the two friends are faced with the question... just how far are you willing to go for financial freedom?    

 Starring Pat Healy, Ethan Embry and David Koechner, Cheap Thrills is an entertaining adrenaline rush. It was twisted good fun with just the perfect amount of humour. Both Pat Healy and Ethan Embry gave fantastic performances. Playing the roles of high school friends who are desperate, Pat and Ethan's stories may be different but their end goal is the same... do whatever it takes to make some money. They were raw, intense, and truly made the viewers think. The film certainly made an impression on us and we found ourselves talking long after we watched the film. What would we do if put in that situation? Would we turn against our better judgement and do unspeakable things for cash? How far would you be willing to go? Does having children to support change your mindset? 

  Money stands out as the true horror in this film...not the dares or the gore, but the fact that when you throw dollar signs into the picture seemingly normal people can become monsters. What is that saying... "money is the root of all evil" ? It makes you wonder how it can truly affect us day to day. It clearly can give people a sense of power or lack there of depending on the situations they are faced with. This film made us question ourselves and wonder JUST how money has effected us in the past and perhaps how it will in our futures.

   Cheap Thrills is a definite must see. This film takes a thriller comedy and not only shocks its audience but gives them a lesson in morals while delivering some of the most cringe worthy scenarios we have seen in a while. Just remember to tell yourself.. money isn't everything.

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Cottage Country (2013) Review

Todd and Cammie are the perfect couple so naturally they want their vacation to be just as perfect, especially since Todd is planning to propose. However, their romantic plans take a dark turn when Todd's obnoxious brother decides to crash their cottage getaway. Not knowing how to deal with the increasingly bad situation, Todd lashes out.. with an axe! Now faced with a choice, Cammie and Todd have to decide whether they call the cops and end their perfect weekend or cover their tracks and get on with their happy future.

   Cottage Country was an entertaining dark comedy that delves into the lengths people are capable of going to when they really want something bad enough. It had a hilarious cast including Tyler Labine, Malin Ackerman, and Lucy Punch. We must say that we absolutely adore Tyler Labine as he stars in one of our all time favourite horror comedies Tucker and Dale vs Evil. We have to admit he was the reason we were drawn to this film in the first place. He's always a treat to watch and this film was no exception. We loved watching him attempt to handle all the horrible situations without losing his cool. Malin Ackerman was fabulous as well. As his doting, crazy girlfriend, Cammie was hell bent on having the perfect life and wouldn't let anything stand in her way. As ladies, we have all been in a particular situation where we want something so bad that we don't care how we get it... so in an odd way we can relate to her... minus the whole, well, committing murder part. 

   The scenery was beautiful in this film and was filmed in our motherland of Canada! In an odd way it was its own character in the film lending a sense of beauty and calm to an otherwise chaotic scenario.

   Now we know the whole cottage murder scenario has been kind of done to death and yes some of this film is predictable. However, that being said, despite its flaws and resemblance to some other films story lines, Cottage Country is a decent way to pass a bit of time. Don't take this film too seriously, it's an odd bit of fun and we think worth the watch.

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Mum and Dad Review

 Bludgeoned and chained, Lena awakes to a living nightmare. Brought to a house of unspeakable horror by her new found friend Birdie, Lena has unwillingly become a member of a so called 'family.' Governed by a sadistic couple known as 'Mum and Dad,' you are expected to do as you're told or be subject to Dad's fiery temper. Lena decides its best to play ball for these psychopaths, but just long enough to win over their trust.. then ultimately her freedom.     Mum and Dad was one of the most enjoyable English made indie horrors we have seen in quite some time. Not only did we enjoy the concept, but it was well acted and incredibly disturbing! Scene after scene we found ourselves actually voicing our disgust. Trust us, that's a good thing... when a movie can make us look at one another with the WTF face, we most definitely have a winner!      We wouldn't say 'Mum and Dad' is disgusting in the sense that it is overly filled with guts and gore (don't worry gore hounds, there is some gore)..but it's not what the film focuses on for its scares. The way this film makes your skin crawl is really just in the simple daily behavior of the 'family.' To them watching porno at breakfast together is normal..and in turn creates a very uncomfortable experience for the viewer. This film's budget was estimated around 100,000 British pounds which is pretty low. So it just goes to show you that budget doesn't always matter. Even though it was minimal, it still packed just as big a punch as a heavily spfx film.     The character of 'Dad' by far was the stand out one for us, with his chubby exterior and kind English accent you would never suspect him of such unspeakable acts. Perry Bensen did a fabulous job and we really hope to see him in more films. We know he will certainly be haunting our dreams for a while! So if you are looking for an entertaining and disturbing movie about a family more fucked up than your own.... this is the film for you. Don't say that we didn't warn you though, watch with caution as this film is bound to leave you feeling just a little dirty.

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I Spit On Your Grave 2 Review

The modeling world can be a tough one to break into, and Katie quickly learns this the hard way. At a free photo session things go from bad to worse when she is kidnapped, raped , and tortured. After suffering for what seems like an eternity, she escapes her sadistic captors, but instead of going home plots a savage revenge.

 We have to say we didn't care for this one as much as the original remake. It lacked a form of creativity that was present in the first. This was not only present in the plot, but also in the revenge killings. We felt the first one empowered the woman. It showcased her strength and cunning in order to take the men down that made her suffer. However, this one did not. The torture scenarios themselves were predictable. They felt forced and seemed like cheap shock value. The real treat was during each of her vengeful kills, the lead character would repeat the EXACT words the captors said to her throughout her suffering, and that was just plain corny. This film was waaaay too focused on her going through the horrific ordeal then the actual revenge...which lets be honest, is why everyone wanted to check this film out in the first place. We were hoping once again for that perfect balance that the first film had, but no such luck. 

  The true pain in this film was not what we were witnessing, which don't get us wrong was horrific, but the acting and just plain stupidity of the main girl character was at times too much for us to bare. For instance, after going through SO much torture there were times she was incredibly trusting to complete strangers. Horror movies do tend to include things that don't make sense or that wouldn't happen in a real life situation, but in this movie it just feels extremely out of place and led the film into a repetitive, predictable circle. Taking into consideration that this is the second film in the series, we expected a certain level of intelligence from the main character... but that wasn't what we got. We appreciate the idea of a model/photographer situation gone wrong. It is a topic that hasn't been touched on much and is one that should honestly be taken as a warning to models out there trying to make it!

  We honestly wouldn't recommend this film.  However, if you are in need for a good revenge film check out the original or the 2010 remake.

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[thefrankenfemmes]

Horror is the removal of masks.

-Robert Bloch

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Big Ass Spider (2013) Review

   When exterminator Alex (Greg Grunberg) is bitten on the job, he heads to the local hospital for some minor treatment. While there, he discovers that a giant alien spider has escaped a military lab and seeks to destroy Los Angeles. Being the spider expert that he is, Alex joins forces with the military to stop the arachnid before it's too late. 

  We must admit that we DO NOT like spiders and sometimes shy away from movies about them... but the title on this one sold us immediately! We thoroughly enjoyed this movie, it had all the makings of a great creature 'B' film. It was action packed  and absolutely ridiculous. The military aspect and the cheesy, over the top special effects gave it a real classic feel. The hilarity in this film is consistent from beginning to end and is especially present in the dialogue between Alex and the Hospital security guard Jose. 

  Jose, played by Lombardo Boyar, was definitely the stand out character in this film. He absolutely nailed the bumbling side kick role, yet makes out as just as big of a hero as our main character. In a successful 'B' film we think humour plays a key role, but so do the little things, such as- Cameos. There is a great cameo in this film and if you're a 'B' horror fan like us, you will know Lloyd Kaufman when you see him!

  Big Ass Spider also had its fare share of scares for us. Remember when we said we didn't like spiders... well seeing those legs coming through the air vents and hearing those creepy crawly sounds really had us covering our eyes, and ears. Of course, as the spider grew we weren't as squeamish...just thankful that spiders aren't actually that size! 

  Overall Big Ass Spider is just what you would expect with a name like that. Action packed comedy and horror combine to create one hell of a flick! We assure you this film definitely delivers, you won't be let down.