Lord of Tears film review (no spoilers) 2013

Kount Kreepy was kind enough (or was it really to torment me?) to drop off "Lord of Tears"for me to review.

Thanks to Lawrie Brewster the director for sending  this collectors DVD to review.

This movie fits the bill for creepy movies. The haunting imagery starts strongly right from the beginning and does not disappoint. The tone is like an impending doom that makes you wait and want to know more as the story evolves and has some twists toward the end that many won't see coming, but done in a way that is fitting with the story and characters. Based on urban legend as well as ancient myths gives it some historical setting. If one is a Jungian follower of psychology you could well find that this film will hit that deep seated nerve or collective memory.

There is a dark wintry feeling to the imagery and scenery with brief moments of faint hope for the main characters against a foreboding back drop. Lord of Tears relies on the camera work and ambiance instead of the special effects and CGI that too many films seem to rely on these days. Its like being taken back to when films could scare the crap out of you without the buckets of blood and fancy tricks.
(imagery courtesy of Lord of Tears on tumbler)

I hate comparing films to others as this one surely stands on it's own but for those looking for an idea or "its kind of like such and such" this film has elements of other films I've enjoyed immensely. Some films just stick with you for a long time after and Lord of Tears is no exception to that.

Visually it  has a lot of power and suggestion to it putting me in the mind of films like Ringu (or The Ring in English- a Japanese Horror film) or The Shining (When a building just sitting there gives you the creeps!)

Feeling wise it puts me in mind of Dagon or In The Mouth of Madness which fits in with the Lovecraft style and pace of the film. Given that the budget was from a Kickstarter campaign the film is great.

A part of the film struck a chord with me (I don't think its really a spoiler), the main character finds the taps in the bathroom turn on by themselves. Many moons ago I had stayed at a hotel that was allegedly haunted and awoke to find the taps on. Thinking about it this happened twice at two different locations and both were apparently haunted!

So enough said already. Get the DVD, it has some great bonus features including an interview with the Director who comes across as inclusive with his audience. He is like a tour guide of horror coming along with you for the ride and experiencing what you experience, he just has a few more of the answers and helps put it all into perspective.

Also there is a quick mention of the next project "The Unkindness of Ravens" about:

"Andrew Alburn, a homeless veteran suffering from PTSD is plagued by flashbacks, stemming from a traumatic event he witnessed while in the armed forces. He spends time in a highland retreat where he hopes to overcome his fear of ravens, the dark creatures that trigger and populate his visions. But in the bleak highlands of Scotland, his nightmares manifest into an enemy more powerful than he could ever have imagined." from Facebook

being a veteran myself I can't wait to see this. If Lawrie does it any justice like Dog Soldiers (portraying military characters as more than 2D cut outs) I'm sure it will be a good film.

Thanks for tuning in.- Evil von Scarry

Top Five Horror Bad Guys (Evil von Scarry's favs) series

Evil von Scarry's top 5 Horror Bad Guys and/or Monsters of Film. 

I was thinking of doing something like Hitler vs. Abbot and Costello vs. The Mummy but didnt need the political fallout, lol. So here goes with some of my personal pics for bad guys in horror and movie monsters in the spirit of upcoming Halloween. Well here we go in no particular order, except Pinhead he's the ultimate.

1/ PINHEAD (from Hellraiser- series, comics and novels) 

Pinhead is an evil notional leader of a group of Demons called Cenobites created by Clive Barker and also made famous in the Hellraiser series of movies. He is uber intelligent, makes Hannibal Lecter look like a pussy and has telekinesis. Need I say more? Pinhead in my opinion is THE horror baddie.

2/ The Blair Witch (from the Blair Witch Project 1 and 2, etc)
This movie set the bar for many other films and had a really creepy bad guy(girl) that for myself gave me the creeps. Myself I loved this movie others really hated it. But all of those fucking creepy stick figures made and with some kind of strange things going on puts this baddie on my list.Not to mention she can somehow make her victims immobilized to stand in a corner while it kills everyone else......

3/ "that fucking girl in the well" from The Ring  based on the Japanese book/film Ringu:
 well lets just say you watch this tape and get a mysterious phone call after the film is over with a message that says " 7 days" in a really creepy voice. You have 7 days until TFGITW comes to get you. She does not stop, you can't kill her and no known mojo can protect you. Seeing her come out of the well or even talking about it still gives me the willies and goosebumps.


here is the cursed film (from the movie), if you get a phone call dont fricking call me!

4/ Leatherface (from Texas Chainsaw Massacre)


Leatherface is a creepy crazed cannibal with superhuman endurance and can take alot of hits without flinching! There was alot of flap about this film being based on a true story and people trying to figure it out. I'll give it to you. He is loosely based on serial killer Ed Gein. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre changed the horror genre irrevocably in 1974 and created a huge stir. Horror films would never be the same again. It served as an inspiration for countless other films and genres of horror. Leatherface will be in the annals of horror history along with Nosferatu, The Mummy, Wolfman, etc. 

5/ Dracula ( as played by Bela Lugosi)- 

to myself the absolute iconic Horror bad guy is Dracula as played by Bela Lugosi in many films. Dracula had many powers such as hypnosis, transformation (mist, vampire bat), super strength and speed, superior intellect and his suaveness would make the Dos Equis guy look like a chump.  Culturally and cinematically the film Dracula in 1931 changed the world as we know it forever! Muhahahahahahaha!


Far from a comprehensive list this is just my humble top 5 favorites of horror. 


Stay tuned for other top pics from other contributors before Halloween. -Evil von Scarry

International horror films

Lately we've ( in the Western Hemisphere)  been seeing more horror releases from "overseas" mostly Europe and Japan. In what used to be an American dominated film genre there are some mentions that should be put out there from what had been previously unexpected sources. The U.S. is still the power house of horror films and the waning golden standard, however Japan is a damned close second if not the up and coming champion. Europe has been putting out some quality horror films lately as well and a worthy contender but not on the same scale... yet.

Some might argue though about Italian films (in the 1980's) such as " Demons " from Lamberto Bava (1988) or Cannibal Holocaust (1980) by Ruggero Deodato that did have an impact this article is more in the vein of the last decade. As many know horror films in popular genre seem to be cyclic in mass release. So onward and outward. Were going to mention a few that have had some good popularity lately in the U.S. market which is surprising as anything not from Hollyweird usually faces an insurmountable hill trying to reach American audiences.

Norway- deserves 2 good mentions - Dead Snow (from IMBD)
"A ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies." I didn't care about the subtitles as this movie had everything that makes zombie horror great stuff and has a really great fight scene finale!

Another called "Troll Hunter" though not really a proper "horror" film was another excellent film.

France- had a really popular release lately entitled "Le Horde" is another great zombie film










Luxembourg - Feardotcom , not my fav but not a bad rental was from this land of tax free smokes, cars and gas.
Spain- REC and REC2 (American remake being called Quarantine) - Spain of late has been grinding some of the good stuff out lately. Also Pan's Labyrinth- which in my opinion should be in the horror and not fantasy catagory. Watch it and you'll probably agree.

Im sure there are alot of other films out there many of the buffs would say, "but what about this and that" well write your own damned blog then, lol. Japan was not mentioned either as that country has already been putting out some really scary stuff for quite awhile now but in case your unfamiliar with films from the Land of the Rising Son may I recommend the following:
Ju-on (re-filmed by the same guy for American audiences and known as The Grudge), jeez did that movie give me the willies. And Ringu that was freakin creepy as well. Tokyo Gore Police, Ichi the Killer and many, many more. The Japanese can give anyone a run for their money and do it well.

If your one of our many international readers and feel we've left anything out that needs to be reviewed feel free to let us know and we'll get on it.
Thanks for tuning in and stay scared. -Evil von Scarry