DASHCAM (2022) Towards the end of Dashcam, the protagonist, Annie (Annie Hardy), asks, “God, why do you hate me?” Anyone who watches this movie longer than a few minutes will immediately know the answer to that question. Annie is such a self-centered, aggressively annoying character one wonders if the writers (Rob Savage, Gemma Hurley, Jed Shepherd) were intentionally trying to repel viewers. A new form of cinematic self-sabotage? Recording her life on a live streaming platform, Annie goes to London to visit her friend (Amar Chadha-Patel), but her vacation turns upside down when she gives a car ride to a strange elderly woman, and all manner of horror is unleashed. There’s a decent idea somewhere in this mess, and director Savage does a good job at employing the best out of the “shot-on-a-phone” gimmick that’s been played to death. Sadly, the POV video is so chaotic and disjointed that it’s difficult to tell what’s happening; the mythology behind the horror is underwritten and confusing, building to a “What Just Happened?” climax. A major disappointment from the makers of Host. D
THE DEAD NEXT DOOR (1989) A crude but well-intended love letter to George Romero by Akron, Ohio filmmaker J.R. Bookwalter, this low budget, gore-filled romp is so energized by its subject matter it’s hard not to find it endearing despite its limitations. A year after the walking dead have taken over, a government-issued Zombie Squad is ordered to wipe out the never-ending zombie invasion. The squad is sent to Akron where, in between blowing zombies to pieces and fighting off a militant religious group that sees the undead as holy, they must find a serum that could hold the key to curing the zombie virus. The Day of the Dead inspirations are obvious – there’s even a Bub-like smart zombie – with a lot of the story focused on the special FX, most of which are good, considering the small production budget. Shot over four years, Dead Next Door is slight but enjoyable splatter-tainment aimed at the hardcore zombie aficionado. Bruce Campbell dubbed the voice for the character named Raimi. Look for, “Romero is king,” graffiti and a character named Dr. Savini. B–
MANHATTAN BABY (1982) Perhaps Reigning King of Spaghetti Splatter, Lucio Fulci’s, last semi-classic, Manhattan Baby follows an American archeologist (Christopher Connelly) who accidentally releases a malevolent spirit following the opening of an Egyptian tomb. The entity latches itself onto the archeologist’s young daughter (Brigitta Boccoli), and, once back home in New York City, begins wrecking havoc on the family and those close to them. The story is a mess and makes little sense, but the ceaselessly inventive Fulci makes it (mostly) work with a surreal quality that, like his previous films, places the plot in a heightened, dreamlike state. Surprisingly lacking the director’s trademark gore (there is a juicy bird attack near the end), this makes for a decent companion piece to Fulci’s other love letter to NYC, The New York Ripper. Funny bit: a babysitter is named Jamie Lee. B–
SHE FREAK (1967) Disillusioned waitress, Jade (Claire Brennen), looking for a little excitement, gets a job with a traveling carnival, but quickly discovers her revulsion towards the place’s sideshow human oddities. After she seduces and marries the wealthy owner (Bill McKinney) for his money, she begins treating the carnival employees with distain, an act that seals her fate when the sideshow “freaks” retaliate against their abuser. A starchy, tie-dyed remake of Tod Browning’s Freaks, but unlike that 1932 classic, She Freak is lackluster in both story and execution. Brennen is undeniably charismatic and the lowbrow production quality lends the movie a quaint Herschell Gordon Lewis feel. Unfortunately, the whole film rests on its shock ending and never quite gets off the ground, but anybody who’s seen the Browning film will know what’s coming. C