It Came From The Dollar Tree: Murder Party (2007)

 

    Hello everyone, I am back with another installment of It Came From The Dollar Tree. I am happy to see that you guys are enjoying this series. I hope that with these reviews it can help someone decide to take a chance on some of these films. This past October, I had been looking at new horror films to highlight for my 31 on 31 series. I noticed as I was checking out others lists that Murder Party was on their lists. So, I began trying to find it to watch. Unfortunately, my searches were all for naught. It wasn't available anywhere outside of renting or buying the film digitally. However, I checked out a Dollar Tree near me and imagine my surprise of flipping through their film selection to find it there. My partner, Mandy, was shocked as I grabbed the film and put it into the cart. "Why?", they asked. "Need it for a new series that I am going to be doing.", I had answered. 

    You see, Murder Party was one of the first films that I purchased for this series. Actually I think it was the first film that I had purchased. This was a small idea that I was hoping I could do at some point. Fast forward to four months later, I had pulled the trigger on the series finally as I had amassed a collection of over 31 films from Dollar Tree. I mean if I was going to do this series, it made absolute sense to make it worth doing.

    After four months, I finally sat down to watch the film. Murder Party wa s released in 2007. It was written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier. It starred Chris Sharp, Kate Porterfield, and Tess Porterfield Lovell. The synopsis is as follows: A random invitation to a Halloween party leads a man into the hands of a rogue collective intent on murdering him for the sake of their art, sparking a bloodbath of mishap, mayhem and hilarity.

    When I looked at the DVD case, it proudly says that it's like Napoleon Dynamite meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre. After watching the film, I honestly cannot say that it's not wrong. I wouldn't really say that it's like those two though. It is it's own thing. It is an extremely underrated independent gem. It was honestly a lot of fun. The only downside that I had found with the film is that it took too long for me to find the film.

    There is a lot to love about Murder Party. It has a core group of characters that are so fantastic. Chris Sharp is Christopher, a man that is honestly really down on his luck. Okay, that's kind of putting it very lightly. This man is a loser. He's very much a pushover. At one point, he tells his cat to get out of his recliner and then caves when the cat refuses to move. That's how much of a loser he is. It may seem like I'm being harsh on the character. Nah, that's not the case. It actually plays into the charm of the film. If someone had to say that it's like Napoleon Dynamite, they could use Christopher as being the 'Napoleon Dynamite' of the film. He's very much the straight man of the film as he witnesses so much crazy later on in the film. After he finds an invitation just blowing on the sidewalk on his trip home from the video store, he eventually decides to give the party a chance. He constructs a sweet set of armor from cardboard. That's extremely quick thinking on his part. 

    After arriving at the 'party', Christopher quickly regrets his decision. He discovers it was all a ruse set by a group of deranged 'Art' students. This group is the biggest bunch of posers that I have ever seen in a film. They say that they want to be artists and such. But none of them except for one has any kind of talent whatsoever. Their whole plan is to commit a murder in order to impress Alexander (Sandy Barnett) and his friend, Zycho (Bill Tangradi) to receive a large arts grant from him. The students consist of Paul (Paul Goldblatt), Macon (Macon Blair), Sky (Skei Saulnier), Lexi (Stacy Rock), and Bill (William Lacey). Each of these actors brings an incredible performance that makes them each so memorable. They never come across as fully into committing their plan which is hilarious. They are all talk. At one point, they try to chase down Chris as he is able to get free. And the results is just so absurd. Then, they take the time to just sit around in a circle and talk. It just adds such a 'high school' party vibe to things. 

    The location for Murder Party also plays into the charm of the film. It's main setting is a factory somewhere in the city. Around the room, cardboard boxes are littered everywhere. That's why when there's the chase sequence - it's hilarious seeing each of them trying to be 'tough' in the pursuit. 

    This film knows exactly what it's trying to be: a horror comedy. It absolutely plays to it's strengths in a fantastic way. Never once did I wonder if the film was going to be over. It's paced out very well. The gore and effects were handled very well. They weren't completely as over the top that they could have been. And that completely adds to the film's charm as it allows us to focus on the characters. It ultimately left me loving the film. And it's something that I would gladly recommend to others as it shows that sometimes films don't have to have a huge budget to tell a great story.

It can be found over at VUDU and Tubi to stream.

Rating: 5 out of 5. 

Follow BlazinBlue's Horror Review on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you liked this, please leave a comment or recommend this to a friend.

It Came From The Dollar Tree: Cheap Thrills (2013)

 

    Welcome back to It Came From The Dollar Tree! Yesterday, I had the pleasure of checking out The Devil's Candy (2013). It was a hell of a watch. It also was a film that definitely showed a different side of Ethan Embry's acting chops. 

    Today, I have the pleasure of checking out another film featuring Ethan Embry, Cheap Thrills. Cheap Thrills was released in 2013 from Drafthouse Films. The film was written by David Chirchirillo and Trent Haag. The film was the directorial debut of E. L. Katz. 

    The synopsis for the film is as follows "A scheming couple put a struggling family man and his old friend through a series of increasingly twisted dares over the course of an evening at a local bar.". It's an incredibly simple concept. However, I spent a little bit of time thinking about the film. Mostly about a theme of the movie. How far would you go just to make money? How far would you let it take you? Would you lose yourself in your pursuit of the money? Would you let the pursuit of said money effect a friendship? Would you let that pursuit turn you into something your not? These are all the questions that I found myself thinking about during the runtime of the film. 

    A theme that struck me for the film is that its about humanity. In the beginning, we are introduced to Craig (Pat Healy) - a man that is literally down on his luck. He was once a writer, but now is forced to work at a car shop. He's happy with his family, but things are coming down on them because they are having difficulties making ends meet. They are on their last legs with potentially being evicted. And then the icing on this shit cake for Craig is losing his job. This whole situation is just one that's extremely relatable. He's trying his hardest to figure out a way of this hole he's found himself in. But ask and you shall receive, he has the chance to go home. But he's ashamed of things, so he goes to the bar. 

    At the bar, he ends up seeing an old friend - Vince (Ethan Embry). They seem like good friends. It's that bit of awkwardness of running into someone that you haven't seen in like forever. They end up reminiscing a bit and shooting the shit. But then they meet up with a couple (David Koechner and Sara Paxton) and find themselves trapped in a night that will change their lives forever. They will go through so much shit - all in the pursuit of money to appease this couple. During the course of the night, they find themselves asking those same questions I mentioned before. 

    The cast in this film is fantastic. Each and every one of them bring their A-game. Ethan Embry delivers a solid performance as that one guy that you used to know and be friends with - but underneath there's a lot of shit just bubbling. Pat Healy is the world's punching bag basically. He goes through such a wringer that I kept saying that it was time for him to just go home to his family. David Koechner is amazing as always. For the longest time, I didn't know who he was as an actor. I just remember seeing him pop up from time to time. But he just has such fantastic comedic timing. And then there's Sara Paxton. In this film, she is completely playing against type. Typically, we usually see her not in a villainous role. She's quiet and reserved while manipulating all of the events in the film for own amusement. 

    The 'games' that occur in this film start relatively simple. $100 for taking a shot. Or $200 for holding your breath. However, the deeper the rabbit hole goes. The more bizarre and out there it goes. To the point where there was one challenge that is asked of Craig and Vince that I had to look away. It was just too gross at that point. And I definitely disagree that something would taste like chicken. 

    In the end, Cheap Thrills is a very intriguing film when you dive beneath the surface of it. It is bold and doesn't pull its punches whatsoever. I would recommend it if you can find it. If have the opportunity of buying the DVD, absolutely for the commentary track alone as it opens the film up even more. 

Rating: 4 out of 5. 

Follow BlazinBlue's Horror Review on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you liked this, please leave a comment or recommend this to a friend.

It Came From The Dollar Tree: The Devil's Candy (2017)

    Welcome back to It Came From The Dollar Tree. Last time, we talked about The Final Girls. It was a fantastic film that if you haven't checked out yet, what are you waiting for? Now we get to look at our next film, The Devil's Candy.

    The Devil's Candy is a film that I had seen before I picked it up from Dollar Tree. It was released in 2017 and was written and directed by Sean Byrne. It is definitely a unique and fresh take on what a haunted house film can be. One can say that it definitely revels in its metal-ness. It's a story about a struggling artist finding the deal of a lifetime when him and his family move into a new home. It's a home that has a few skeletons in its closet and more secrets to uncover.

    The first time around I watched it, I was not sure what to make of it. It's something that just didn't click at first. It's a film that you do have to be in the right mood and mindset for. It is a film that is a bit of a slow burn. That was why the film didn't click for me the first time around. I was ready for a film that got me right from the opening moment. And instead, I didn't appreciate the story it was ready to tell. 

    This time around, I went into it with a complete open mind. I knew that it was going to be a slow burn. But as I've been watching the film, I realize that it's an incredibly unique tale. Typically in these haunted house films, we have a standard formula by now. A) Family moves into new home. B) Spooky things begin to slowly happen as things begin to bake. C) The spooks hit a breaking point with the family. D) Culminates in a pretty formulaic ending where everyone survives. However this isn't the case with The Devil's Candy. 

    Speaking of the film outside of the spooks and unsettlingness, this film has a heart to it. This is a movie with a family that I found myself caring for. Ethan Embry plays Jesse Hellman. He's the father and struggling artist in this piece. I have seen Embry in other films. I mean I remember him in Vegas Vacation and Can't Hardly Wait. But it wasn't till years later, I started taking more notice. Specifically I remember seeing him in Don Coscarelli's Incident On and Off A Mountain Road episode of the Masters of Horror. His performance in that was absolutely incredible as it took the 'typical' performance that we had known him for and spun it completely on its head. In this film, I felt for his character. I was able to see the struggles he was going through as a father and wishing to provide for his family. It's so relatable as I find myself in that situation. Shiri Appleby plays Astrid Hellman. She's our mother in this tale. She delivers such an incredible performance as well. And then we have Kiara Glasco as Zooey. I haven't seen much of her other performances, but this one was fantastic. That consists of our family unit and everyone is so believable together. It's a true family unit. And the hope that this family feels when they find a new home. It's something that I can relate to as have gone through that recently myself. 

    Now something that definitely differentiates this from other films is that we have another part of the equation with the character of Ray Smilie, played by Pruitt Taylor Vince. This is a truly intriguing performance from Vince. It has many layers to it. He's someone that previously lived in the house that is now owned by the Hellmans. He's someone that does have a few quirks about him. It's unsure if it's due to the 'force' that resides at the house or not. But the thing that is extremely clear is that Ray is still a child at heart that was lost within a monster. And that made him a prime candidate to be influenced by the 'force' of the house. It's not necessarily a true villainous role as there is a bit of a tragic stance on the character. 

    I have mentioned that there is a 'force' in this film influencing our characters. That is true. What is that force? Honestly, it's something that is never fully explored. It just has a hold on Jesse and Ray. It connects the two characters together in a way that is a bit unsettling. One point in the film, there is something that happens with Ray. And this 'force' then inspires Jesse to add this to his new painting that he's working on. 

    All of these different elements to the film work together in such a unique way with an unforgettable ending. It allows the story to be told in such a new fresh way. I found myself going through and feeling everything for the family. They go through so much in this film. It's some time to the point where it's a bit heartbreaking to see Jesse go through everything he goes through, especially placing myself in his shoes as a parent. For some, this may not be a film for you. But if you go in with an open mind and prepared that it has some heavy material, you may appreciate it. It's definitely a film that I won't forget. 

Rating: 4 out of 5. 

Follow BlazinBlue's Horror Review on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you liked this, please leave a comment or recommend this to a friend.

It Came From The Dollar Tree: The Final Girls (2015)

    Hello everyone, whose ready for more It Came From The Dollar Tree? First, I want to say thank you all for showing so much support for this series. This was a series that I thought would be a fun one, especially after seeing all the available titles at Dollar Tree. I also seen a few people mentioning that they had picked up one of the films and then went on to regret it. So, I thought this might be a good way of taking a look at the films so that I could maybe help someone that was on the fence about a film. After I released the second installment, I dropped a poll on Twitter. I haven't figured out how to do polls for Facebook or Twitter yet. So follow me on Twitter to participate if you're interested in voting for a future installment. The results of the poll were pretty darn conclusive and The Final Girls was the winner. But stay tuned as the runner up, The Devil's Candy, will be featured next. 

    The synopsis for The Final Girls: "When Max (Taissa Farmiga) and her friends reluctantly attend a tribute screening of an infamous '80s slasher film that starred Max's late mother (Malin Akerman), they are accidentally sucked into the silver screen. They soon realize they are trapped inside the cult classic movie and must team up with the fictional and ill-fated "Camp Bloodbath" counselors, including Max's mom as the shy scream queen, to battle the film's machete-wielding, masked killer. With the body count rising in scene after iconic scene, who will be THE FINAL GIRLS left standing and live to escape this film?".

    The Final Girls was a film that was released in 2015. It was a film that I had heard a little bit about because the buzz was that it was good. Now I tend to take things with a grain of salt when I hear good buzz because films are an interesting beast. One person may come to love a film that another may find it missed the mark for them. It's honestly depends on the experience a person has with the film. So in my experience, I find it better to go into films with an open mind. And that's what I did. 

    This film is fun. Absolute fun. Whenever I'm in a bad mood and need to change my attitude, I turn this on. If I'm bored and unsure of something to watch, I can turn this on. This is a film that is just so damn rewatchable. I have seen it a lot of times and I still find it's because this is a film that is certain of itself. It is an absolute love letter to the genre. I mean come on, look at the slasher that is featured in 'Camp Bloodbath'. It's 100% a take on Jason Voorhees. It wears its inspirations on its sleeve in such a beautiful way. The more that I think about the film, I keep thinking back to Airplane!. That was a film that is still an enjoyable film to watch with tons of rewatchability. This is the horror genre's Airplane. 

    One of the major reasons why this film works so well is its cast. Taissa Farmiga, who you may know from American Horror Story. She is so lovable in this film. You can't help but feel for her when she's dealing with the loss of her mother. And then the way she is called to arms over the course of the film is incredibly strong. Alexander Ludwig gets to play against type. Typically, he would be played as the love interest that's a bit of a jock. In this film, he is the love interest but he's a complete goof of a character. It's great seeing him getting to exercise some comedic chops. Alia Shawkat is so fun to see play off of Farmiga. The chemistry of their friendship shines through so well. Nina Dobrev gets to show a slightly different side than we are typically used to from her. She gets to be a little more bitchy, but its because she's afraid of letting people in. Malin Akerman delivers such an astounding performance, in my opinion. In the beginning of the film, she's so earnest and wanting to do right by her daughter but unsure of how to go about giving her that best life. Then the film flips the script with her second role and it's interesting. There are many layers that are given to that character over the course of the film to see her develop in a way where she cares so much for Farmiga's character. They really are the heart of the film in a fantastic way. We also have Adam Devine and Thomas Middleditch. Both of these guys are just fun when they are on screen. They are enjoying so much chewing the scenery. Honestly if the film's cast had been changed one little bit, it may not work as well because this cast is such an ensemble. 

    Yes, the film is PG-13. That's one of the things that I have seen some people complain about. I think this is another of the film's charms. The way that it just plays everything against expectations makes it so unique. There's not really any gore in the film and that's okay. That's honestly not what it's about. So if you are looking into the film for gore, go check out something else. But if you check in the gore expectation at the door, you may come to love the film.

    At this point and time, I have to say that I love this film. I would definitely recommend it. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and check it out. 

Follow BlazinBlue's Horror Review on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you liked this, please leave a comment or recommend this to a friend.

    

It Came From The Dollar Tree: The Frankenstein Theory (2013)

    

  Welcome back to It Came From The Dollar Tree! The series where I take a look at the films that may be available at your local Dollar Tree. Last time, I had the pleasure of checking out They Reach (2020). It was an interesting little indie film. 

    Today, I take a dive back into my Dollar Tree collection and came out with - well, it's a film. That's definitely something that I can say about it. It's probably not a good way to start this, is it? Brace yourself as we take a trip into the cold with The Frankenstein Theory from 2013. 

    When I first saw the cover for The Frankenstein Theory, I was a bit interested. I mean it literally has a good look at what I was guessing the Monster would be. It immediately gives you a great idea of what the film is going to be. But the question is - does it really though? Pushing aside my thoughts of negativity for it, I was sold on the film because it pitched itself as being from the creators of The Last Exorcism. The Last Exorcism is a film that I haven't yet covered here on the blog, but will be in the future. However, it is a film that I do enjoy. 

    What is The Frankenstein Theory though? To sum it up in a nutshell, it's The Blair Witch Project with the Monster as the stand-in for the Witch. Yes, that is exactly how I would sum it up. While The Blair Witch Project is a success, this film is something that didn't work for me. To start off though, I was very open minded when I first started the film. It was establishing the ground work and was taking its time. Jonathan Venkenhein had talked his friend Vicky and her documentary crew in documenting their journey to follow in Venkenhein's family's footsteps. He wanted to prove that his theory was right - the story of Frankenstein was based in fact, did happen, and that the Monster is out there in the world today. After they start their journey, they begin to run into 'issues'. And yes, that's including dealing with someone that was very clearly on Meth. Actually that whole sequence is pretty dang entertaining. 

    But it's not till they get to the Canadian outdoors that the film starts to falter. It spends more time with its cast talking, instead of attempting to develop any sense of threat. And it's in that instance, the film drags on so much. I was left wondering when the hell The Monster was going to show up. There's only so much time with the humans that one can take in a film called "The Frankenstein Theory". It has Frankenstein in the title. By the time, it came to a close there is a glimpse of The Monster but ultimately what was the point. It was too little too late. 

     I cannot fathom as to why they thought this was a good idea. Yeah, the first half of the film is good. It managed to draw me in. But not having more of The Monster in the second half feels like a huge miss. Immediately after the film finished, I googled The Frankenstein Theory and saw what it was to look like. What The Hell! You have a take on The Monster that looks pretty damn good. It's interesting and very unique, in my opinion. Why not feature it more? Were you so afraid of breaking your 'found footage' reality? It just absolutely boggles my mind. If they had used The Monster more, the film would have worked so much better. 

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Follow BlazinBlue's Horror Review on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

    

It Came From The Dollar Tree: They Reach (2020)

    

    Hello everyone, Matthew here with a new series here at BlazinBlue's Horror Review. It's one that I have been working on for a while now. The idea for it started last year when I started finding films at my local Dollar Tree. I had been looking here and there at them - seeing if I could find any horror movies. I have been able to find quite a few over the months. At this point, I believe my collection has amassed to 30 or some. Some of them are well-known names. Others are more of the indie variety. So on that note, here is our first installment of It Came From The Dollar Tree with a look at the film, They Reach (2020). 

    They Reach is a film that I first became aware of back in 2020 during the COVID lockdown. My partner, Mandy, and I had been going through horror movies at the time. We were trying our best to find some way of spending those nights where couldn't do anything but stay inside. Looking back at those times, I guess watching those were our way of coping with the real-world horror we were dealing with ourselves. I found myself searching and trying to find anything that would stand out. Thankfully, one of the lists that I had come across had recommended the film. The only issue was that the film hadn't been released yet. 

    Cut to two years later, I had been doing my weekly search through Dollar Tree's selection. The cover for the film was a very Stranger Things-esque vibe. It had immediately caught my attention. I read through the synopsis: "In 1979, a young girl stumbles upon a possessed tape player. She unknowingly unleashes a demonic entity that haunts her family while slowly dragging the small town of Clarkston to Hell." At this point, the films were still $1. So I figured it couldn't hurt to check it out. It sounded interesting. Plus, I was still pretty oblivious to the fact that this was a film that I had heard about years earlier. 

    The cover for the film honestly is a bit misleading. While it pitches the film as a bit of Stranger Things-esque, the film in my opinion feels very much more Evil Dead inspired. I mean the original poster that I had seen was just a recorder sitting on a table. That image alone screams Evil Dead. And for me, that's not a bad thing at all. 

    Mary Madaline Roe stars as our heroine, Jessica Daniels. She's someone that is trying to figure herself out. At first, it seems like her father is trying to push being more 'girly' on her. But she's a total nerd and by the end of the film is able to embrace it. Morgan Chandler plays Sam, one of Jessica's friends. He's a bit of the friend that is crushing on her and doesn't know how to go about telling her. But he's one of the people that is able to see Jessica for who she is. And then there's Eden Campbell playing Cheddar. Cheddar is someone that isn't afraid of saying what's on their mind. She's a bit goofy comedic relief. Each one of these actors delivers a pretty solid performance in this film. 

    The older actors in this film all manage to deliver solid performances as well. Some of them could be considered to be chewing the scene and hamming it up. But honestly, that is okay. It adds a certain charm to the film. 

    There were quite a few moments in this film that I managed to find creeped me out. That's something that's a bit refreshing. Most movies that I watch aren't able to creep me out. I guess it's because I watch so many different horror movies that I could be desensitized a little bit. However, it's in the simplest moments where I found myself jumping. And what's a film about demons with some demons? This is a film that is definitely more of an indie horror. They did the best with what they had and that's fantastic. There are some effects in this film that were really eye catching. 

    For the most part this film really works for me, it doesn't overstay its welcome. It knows exactly what its going for and accomplishes it. There are some that may say it falters in its finale. I don't see it. I guess those people were expecting the film to go bigger in its ending. But that's not what the film is. They Reach is a film that's small and intimate. It's a film that harkens back to the films of old. And it has a nice charm about it. Is it perfect? No, but it's okay. This is one that I'd return back to on a rainy day. Heck, I just turned it back on to listen to the director's commentary. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Follow BlazinBlue's Horror Review on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you subscribe, you can receive updates to your e-mail.