*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you have a horror movie fan in your family, then you know it's probably difficult to come up with a decent gift for them as they probably already own all the big title horror films on DVD or Blu-ray. Being a horror fan myself, I recommending lowering the quality bar and give your loved ones a B-horror movie. While I can't guarantee they haven't already seen these types of films, I can guarantee they probably don't own on the DVD or Blu-ray.
The Stranger Beside Me
(NR; 90 mins; $14.98; Mill Creek Entertainment)
The Stranger Beside Me is the 2003 made-for-television movie based on the true-crime thriller of the same name by Ann Rule. Directed by Paul Shapiro, the movie stars Barbara Hershey as Ann Rule, an ex-cop working for a suicide hotline in Seattle. In her spare time, she like to write true-crime stories. One of her closest friends is the serial killer Ted Bundy (played by Billy Campbell), though at the time she didn't know he was a murderer. Despite the fact, Bundy was a the #1 suspects in a string of murders and missing-women cases, Rule tried to convince herself he wasn't the killer, even though she did suspect him.
Final Thoughts
Like most made-for-TV adaptations based on books, The Stranger Beside Me is a watered-down version compared to Ann Rule's book. There are a lot of facts about the Bundy murders that are completely ignored. The movie feels more or less like a summary of the actual events.The picture and sound qualities are excellent.There are no special features or bonus extras. A Digital Code is included with the Blu-ray but it can only be redeemed on movieSPREE.
Overall, The Stranger Besides Me is an okay thriller. It's not great by any means but it's worth watching just for Barbara Hershey's performance alone. If you're a fan of Ann Rule's writings or if you're just a true-crime follower, then you might be interested in owning this Blu-ray.
It Hits The Fan! features 4 apocalyptic disaster movies on a two-disc set. The four movies are:
Tornado Warning (2012; 87 mins; NR) - Directed by Jeffery Burr, the film the centers Jack Lynch (played by Jeff Fahey) who teams up with meteorologist Gale Morgan (played by Kari Wuhrer) to unravel the mystery behind a series of green-tinted tornadoes that could be related to an alien invasion!
Judgement Day (2008; 95 mins; NR) - Directed by Justin Jones, the movie centers around the leaders of a small Louisiana town struggling to maintain order as a space anomaly is quickly approaching Earth. The cast features Stephanie Chavez-Jacobsen, Gigi Edgley, Shirley Brenner, Randy Mulkey, and Stuart Lafferty.
Chrome Angels (2009; 93 mins; NR) - Directed by Leigh Scott, the science fiction action flick centers around an all female biker gang lead by Lady (played by Stacey Dash), who find themselves trapped in a small town that's been taken over by androids. Paul Le Mat, Frida Farrell and Monti Domingue costars.
Ghouls (2007; 91 mins; R) - Directed by Gary Jones, this horror yarn centers around a college student named Jennifer (played by Kristen Renton) traveling with her father (played by William Atherton) and his girlfriend (Erin Gray) to explore their ancestral roots in Bucharest. However, things don't go as planned as there are some ancient ghouls that want to feed on their bloodline.
Tornado Warning (2012; 87 mins; NR) - Directed by Jeffery Burr, the film the centers Jack Lynch (played by Jeff Fahey) who teams up with meteorologist Gale Morgan (played by Kari Wuhrer) to unravel the mystery behind a series of green-tinted tornadoes that could be related to an alien invasion!
Judgement Day (2008; 95 mins; NR) - Directed by Justin Jones, the movie centers around the leaders of a small Louisiana town struggling to maintain order as a space anomaly is quickly approaching Earth. The cast features Stephanie Chavez-Jacobsen, Gigi Edgley, Shirley Brenner, Randy Mulkey, and Stuart Lafferty.
Chrome Angels (2009; 93 mins; NR) - Directed by Leigh Scott, the science fiction action flick centers around an all female biker gang lead by Lady (played by Stacey Dash), who find themselves trapped in a small town that's been taken over by androids. Paul Le Mat, Frida Farrell and Monti Domingue costars.
Ghouls (2007; 91 mins; R) - Directed by Gary Jones, this horror yarn centers around a college student named Jennifer (played by Kristen Renton) traveling with her father (played by William Atherton) and his girlfriend (Erin Gray) to explore their ancestral roots in Bucharest. However, things don't go as planned as there are some ancient ghouls that want to feed on their bloodline.
Final Thoughts
Besides from Chrome Angels, the other films on this DVD set were all made-for-Syfy, though Chrome Angels has aired on television under the title Cyborg Conquest. Ghouls is the only halfway decent movie of the bunch but it's filled with B-graded cheesiness and bad CGI effects. Chrome Angels is watchable but the plot is really stupid. Tornado Warning and Judgment Day are the typical silly disaster flicks that Syfy likes to produce for some weird reason.
The DVD collection has two movies per disc so don't expect top notch quality. There are no special features or bonus extras. It does come with a movieSPREE Digital Code.
Overall, It Hits The Fan! miss the mark by a mile when it comes to quality. If you like low-budget B-level movies with bad acting, then you might actually enjoy this DVD set.
Savage Nature
(NR/R; 6 hrs 1 min; $14.98; Mill Creek Entertainment)
Savage Nature has 4 deadly films on a two-disc set. The movie titles are:
Flu Birds (2008; 88 mins; R) - Directed by Leigh Scott, this horror flick is about a deadly virus that causes giant birds to become vicious predators. It stars Clare Carey, Lance Guest, and Jonathan Trent.
Monsterwolf (2010; 86 mins; R) - Directed by Todor Chapkanov, the plot centers around an oil company setting off an explosion that awakens an ancient monster wolf. It stars Robert Picardo, Leonor Varela, Jason London, and Griff Furst.
Wolvesbayne (2009; 92 mins; NR) - Directed by Griff Furst, the plot centers around Russel Bayne, a businessman (played by Jeremy London) becoming a werewolf after being attacked. With the help of an occult shop owner, Alex (played by Christy Carlson-Romano), he learns that a group of vampires are planning on resurrecting their queen, Lilith.
Headless Horseman (2007; 92 mins; R) - Directed by Anthony C. Ferrante, the movie centers around a group of college kids taking a shortcut to get to a party but end up in the uncharted town of Wormwood, the home of the Headless Horseman. It stars Billy Aaron Brown and Richard Moll.
Final Thoughts
The very worst on the Savage Nature DVD collection is Flu Birds, which is one of the stupidest moves I have ever seen. I don't recommend watching it unless you're playing a drinking game. The other films aren't too bad as long as you lower your standards quite a bit. All the movies were made for the Syfy channel so you have to understand the campiness was done on purpose by the filmmakers, who were clearly aware they were making B-movies.
There are two films on each disc. The picture and sound qualities aren't great but they're good enough. There are no special features or bonus extras. The DVD does come with a movieSPREE Digital Code.
Overall, I enjoyed watching three of the four films on the Savage Nature DVD. Sure, they're extremely corny but there a few good moments here and there. (Except for Flu Birds! That movies sucks!)
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