News

Review: THE EDITOR is a Bloody Good Time!

Published

9 years ago

September 3, 2015

Giallo, the beloved Italian horror sub-genre that served as the predecessor to the Slasher movie, continues to permeate in popular culture. Influencing auteurs from Brian De Palma to Hideo Kojima. Throwback films like Berberian Sound Studio and The Strange Color Of Your Body’s Tears continuing to drop within the last few years. The Editor serves as the culmination of any genre: the satire! Fittingly from the Canadian film collective Astron-6, the demented/hilarious minds behind the exploitation/revenge film salute Father’s Day and the 80’s fueled sci-fi/action parody, Manborg. Now they set their sights on Giallo and 70’s thrillers, with The Editor.

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The story concerns Rey Ciso (Adam Brooks, co-writer/director), a brilliant film editor who lost his prodigious career when he accidentally lopped off the fingers on his right hand when the pressure became too much while editing. Presently with prosthetic fingers, he’s doomed to edit low-budget Giallo movies while stuck in a loveless marriage with his former starlet wife, Josephine (Paz de La Huerta) while pining for his enthusiastic assistant, Bella (Samantha Hill). When the oft-annoying cast of the film Rey is editing start dropping like flies on grey velvet, with their fingers cut off like his own, he becomes the main suspect in the killings. Inspector Peter Porfiry (Played by co-writer/director Matthew Kennedy) investigates with increased obsession and incompetence due to his own connections to the case. Hounding Rey to no end, sure either due to his own malevolence or madness, the editor is the true culprit. Now, Rey must prove his innocence… unless he actually is insane and on a murderous rampage!

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The film hits upon just about every Giallo trope with blunt force strength. The killer being the atypical masked, trench-coat wearing figure with leather gloved hands. Glowing eyes in the dark. An absolutely delightful prog-synth-score ala Goblin or Fabio Frizzi. Every character seems to have a razor on them. Inexplicable sex scenes, the funniest involving Inspector Porfiry, his wife, and an anniversary cake. Political incorrectness is the norm, with women being slapped by men as casually as a high-five. Many scenes serving as well placed homages to the repertoire of Argento, Bava, and Fulci. Especially in the increasing surreality and illogical nature of the story, which in itself becomes a focus of the plot. Like Rey says, “We are all editors of our own reality” and what our eyes and ears see cannot be trusted. His editing station soon becomes a window to nightmarish visions, and every character involved without he mystery seems to have a different recollection on things…

The genre-centric supporting cast makes for a great backbone to the tale. Udo Kier appears as a succinctly creepy sanitarium doctor who describes most things as ‘weird’. Astron-6 co-writer Conor Sweeney plays Cal, the eccentric supporting actor for the film within the film. He has a large collection of knives/blades, and with each death, seems to get a bigger shot at the spotlight. Laurence R. Harvey stands out as a soft-spoken priest (Or ‘wizard’ as he’s repeatedly called by Porfiry) who knows a dark supernatural history to the world of editing. All make for players that fit different archetypes, with many acting strange for the sake of creating red herrings and clues that lead nowhere. As is typical in these sorts of mysteries.

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The Blu-Ray/DVD comes packed with interesting special features. Such as a making-of documentary showing the hard work and effort that went into making such a film. As well as a short explaining the bizarre origins of one of The Editor’s posters, audio commentary, and several deleted scenes among other featurettes.

On its own, The Editor stands as a horror-comedy that can rely on eccentric characters, splatstick, and purposefully over-the-top dialogue (“It’s all so stupid, it makes me want to shoot you!”) to make a film that can be enjoyed even by casual horror hounds. The comedy is affectionate to the absurdity of the genre, and moviemaking itself. Much of the humor simply amping up the bizarre tropes and cliches to their illogical insanity. The movie is a bit more slowly paced than previous fare, but if you’re a fan of Astron-6 and Italian horror in general, the pay-offs are always worth the violent results. The Editor is a fun watch for fans, and those who are looking for a gateway into the crazy, bloody, sexy world of giallo!

The Editor comes out September 8th on Blu-Ray/DVD from Scream Factory!

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Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

Published

19 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks.

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story.

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did.

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD.

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind.

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Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

Published

1 day ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

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News

Morticia & Wednesday Addams Join Monster High Skullector Series

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Believe it or not, Mattel’s Monster High doll brand has an immense following with both young and not-so-young collectors.

In that same vein, the fan base for The Addams Family is also very large. Now, the two are collaborating to create a line of collectible dolls that celebrate both worlds and what they have created is a combination of fashion dolls and goth fantasy. Forget Barbie, these ladies know who they are.

The dolls are based on Morticia and Wednesday Addams from the 2019 Addams Family animated movie.

As with any niche collectibles these aren’t cheap they bring with them a $90 price tag, but it’s an investment as a lot of these toys become more valuable over time.

“There goes the neighborhood. Meet the Addams Family’s ghoulishly glamorous mother-daughter duo with a Monster High twist. Inspired by the animated movie and clad in spiderweb lace and skull prints, the Morticia and Wednesday Addams Skullector doll two-pack makes for a gift that’s so macabre, it’s downright pathological.”

If you want to pre-purchase this set check out The Monster High website.