Movies
Brutal Massacre: A Comedy (V)
“What it does best, though, is give a somewhat insightful look into low-budget genre film making. It’s even been said that some of the flubs that are portrayed in BRUTAL MASSACRE actually happened to Mena on the set of MALEVOLENCE. In a genre where many directors get stuck in a rut over releasing rehashes of their same old schtick, I’m glad Mena tried something different with his sophomore effort. Sure, it’s not exactly the sort of step up I envisioned him to take but its certainly not a total misfire either.”
Late last year, while on my first set visit, I got a chance to chat with actress Josslyn DeCrosta. We were talking about how she landed her role and she mentioned she had just finished working on a film called BRUTAL MASSACRE. “Have you heard of it?” she asked me. Slightly embarrassed, I said “No.” Described to me as a mockumentary, her few comments gave me the impression that it was a cross between THIS IS SPINAL TAP and FULL TILT BOOGIE. In other words, the greatest mockumentary of all time and one of the best behind-the-scenes features ever made. Needless to say, the name BRUTAL MASSACRE has stuck with with me over these past few months.
Director Harry Penderecki (David Naughton) is a bind. Once upon a time, he was famous for delivering low-budget horror hits like The Fish Who Ate Flesh. However, his last few films have been huge flops in the states (“They’re big in Germany” he explains) and he’s lost a lot of credibility. But, he’s got a new idea for a film, a potential swan song of a slasher if you will. BRUTAL MASSACRE has to be hit for Penderecki, to show the world he’s still got the chops to make a great horror film. And he just might do it… if he ever gets through the hellish production.
My biggest concern going into the film was the overcrowded presence of genre favorites. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of these actors have been in the most influential and legendary horror films of all time. But its no excuse for a production to turn into the “Where’s Waldo?” of the horror world. Surprisingly, the cast never felt distracting and some actually gave good performances, particularly Gunnar Hansen, who delivers some truly hilarious moments as a disgruntled homeowner and obnoxious drunk.
If my initial concerns were proved wrong, then why does Steven Mena’s follow-up to MALEVOLENCE (a decent little Carpenter-esque film) not work as well as it should have? For starters, the comedy is a little uneven. Granted, there are some great scenes in here but there are many times where the dialogue sounds stilted because the characters are swearing like middle schoolers so they can sound grown up and look cool. Everyone seemed to be trying for laughs entirely too hard. This also contributes to the film’s inability to feel entirely genuine.
In documentary-style horror films like [REC] and CLOVERFIELD, you get a real sense of comradery between those in front of the camera and behind it. The characters never felt like a group of actors getting together to mess around and make a film; they had chemistry. Here though, no one ever comes off as entirely believable. The actors are good in the sense of their comedic timing and serving their purpose in moving the plot forward but their relationship rarely feels sincere. No one wants cheap jokes involving boom mics going in and out of the frame (which is thankfully nowhere to be seen during the 95 minute runtime) but the need for interaction between both crews is a must for the gimmick to work. Aside from an interviewer who sporadically pops up to question Penderecki’s methods and motivation, you never get the impression that a documentary is being made through most of the film. With the inclusion of fluid panning shots, Mena’s realistic approach comes off as entirely too slick and polished. Sure, the cops ask for the cameras to be turned off and they get shaken around a little bit here and there but no documentary crew is going to be able to get the scene composition you’ll see here, especially one that’s following the production of a rush-job film.
What it does best, though, is give a somewhat insightful look into low-budget genre film making. It’s even been said that some of the flubs that are portrayed in BRUTAL MASSACRE actually happened to Mena on the set of MALEVOLENCE. In a genre where many directors get stuck in a rut over releasing rehashes of their same old schtick, I’m glad Mena tried something different with his sophomore effort. Sure, it’s not exactly the sort of step up I envisioned him to take but its certainly not a total misfire either.
This week kicked off with the release of hippo horror movie Hungry at home, and four more horror movies have arrived for at-home viewing as we head into the final weekend of June.
Here are the new horror movies that released on Friday, June 26, 2026!
The Halloween season can no longer be contained to the months of September and October, with “Summerween” becoming a thing in recent years. Essentially, it allows for Halloween to bleed into the warmer Summer months, and the first ever Summerween movie has arrived.
The Asylum released Summerween onto Digital outlets today.
In the film from writer/director Ryan Ebert, “On Summerween, a former circus clown escapes a mental institution to return to his abandoned mansion and hunt the teens partying there.”
Cole Chapleski, Chase Breithoff, Logan Roe, Sophia Sabol, and Clint Morrison star.
Director Ryan Ebert is the man behind a string of recent indie horrors we’ve covered, including Shark Side of the Moon, The Jolly Monkey, Jurassic Reborn, and Predator: Wastelands.
A witchy coming-of-age story from Dark Sky Films, Camp is now playing in select theaters.
Check your local listings to find a theater near you.
Camp is from writer-director Avalon Fast (Honeycomb, The Serpent’s Skin).
“Emily is the root cause of two devastating tragedies very early in her life, and she feels the weight of these accidents as though cursed. At her father’s suggestion, she takes a position at a summer camp for troubled youth to ease her guilt. When Emily arrives, she is welcomed by the other counselors, who accept her as she is and surround her with peace and forgiveness.
“As Emily begins to believe in a new kind of life, she starts to hear a voice whispering from deep in the woods — one that urges her to go home, and one that may be impossible to ignore.”
The film stars Zola Grimmer in her screen debut alongside Alice Wordsworth, Cherry Moore, Lea Rose Sebastianis (Castration Movie Part 1 & 2, In A Violent Nature), Ella Reece, Austyn Van de Kamp (This Too Shall Pass), Sophie Bawks-Smith (Honeycomb), Izza Jarvis, and Aiden Laudersmith.
Producers Tyler Perry and Jason Blum have joined forces for Peacock Original Strung.
The film is now streaming only on Peacock.
“A talented violinist takes a prestigious job as a music tutor for the gifted daughter of an influential and enigmatic family. As she becomes entangled in their opulent world, unsettling secrets begin to surface, forcing her to question her safety, her dreams, and even her sanity.”
Malcolm D. Lee (Scary Movie 5, Space Jam: A New Legacy) directs from a script written by Alan B. McElroy (Wrong Turn, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers).
Chloe Bailey (“Swarm“), Lynn Whitfield (Jaws: The Revenge), Lucien Laviscount (“Scream Queens”), Anna Diop (Us), Coco Jones (Vampires vs. the Bronx), Langley Kirkwood (“Banshee”), and Romy Woods star in Peacock’s Strung.
Produced by Diablo Cody, director Meredith Alloway’s Forbidden Fruits brought a new coven of witches to the big screen earlier this year, and it’s now streaming on Shudder.
Lola Tung (“The Summer I Turned Pretty”), Victoria Pedretti (“The Haunting of Hill House”), Alexandra Shipp (Tragedy Girls), Gabrielle Union (Breaking In), and Emma Chamberlain star in Forbidden Fruits, released by IFC and Shudder.
Free Eden employee Apple secretly runs a witchy femme cult in the basement of the mall store after hours. But when new hire Pumpkin challenges the group’s ‘girl boss’ ways, the women are forced to face their own poisons or succumb to a bloody fate.
“Forbidden Fruits grabbed me by the neck the very first time I read it,” Diablo Cody said. “It’s one of the craziest, most creative, beautifully bonkers projects I’ve ever worked on.”
Meagan Navarro writes in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Forbidden Fruits may not necessarily forge new terrain in the teen satire space, but Alloway brings so much style and energy to her well-cast single-location stage play adaptation for the Gen Z crowd.”
The film is an adaptation of playwright Lily Houghton’s stage play Of the Women Came the Beginning of Sin and Through Her We All Die. Alloway and Houghton co-adapted.
This week’s new release roundups are presented by HUNGRY.
All aboard the swamp tour from hell – this hippo isn’t playing games…
HUNGRY is now available on Digital. Watch it now!
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