Fangoria Blood Drive (2004)
Cut-Off Shorts
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Buy Fangoria Blood Drive on DVD.
Released by Koch Vision, this new DVD collects the
seven best films from Fangoria Magazine's recent short horror film
competition. The seven films total about 60 minutes. It seems that
Lawrence, Kansas is now the most horrifying place on Earth, as the best
two of the seven winners hail from there.
The Hitch
A killer is loose in Texas and a truck driver (Bryan Massey)
picks up a stranded photographer (Luisa McDaniel). The ride is
uncomfortable and neither one completely trusts the other -- with good
reason. And isn't the trucker's wife sleeping a little too soundly? This
okay, shot-on-video production has some nice visual touches. Created by
Drew Rist. (12 minutes).
A Man and His Finger
My favorite. While chopping lettuce, a Lawrence,
Kansas man (Cliff Starkey) accidentally hacks off his finger and finds
that it has a mind of its own. It contains not a lick of dialogue and
makes wonderful use of sound effects and music (by Pam and Ryan Jones).
Obviously inspired by "Evil Dead II," this very funny film has its own
gruesome magic. Created by Patrick Rea and Ryan Jones (8 minutes).
Inside
Shot in Northport, New York, this arty, experimental film packs
a disturbing sound design and sudden, shocking images of maggots, blood,
dead bodies, etc. It apparently has something to do with a mass suicide.
Created by Christopher P. Garetano (8 minutes).
Shadows of the Dead
This well directed, but not terribly interesting
or original, zombie story hails from Lakeland, Florida. It even has the
usual radio report explaining the zombie rules that we all know so well
(everyone who dies will come back to life; you can shoot them in the
head, etc.) Created by Joel Robertson (9 minutes).
Mr. Eryams
Another well-directed film, this one comes from Los Angeles
and is set in a haunted house. A sexy young woman (Laura Leigh
Hofrichter) elicits help from a kind of supernatural advisor (Jesse
King), but the tables are soon turned. It's a bit overwritten and/or
overacted, and the punchline isn't exactly clear, but it has some good
bits. Created by BC Furtney (12 minutes).
Disturbances
A young woman (Melanie Rashbaum) finds that her
television doesn't behave. It keeps turning itself back on, turned to a
bizarre news report. This is the collection's second-best work, also
from our man in Lawrence, Kansas. Created by Patrick Rea (5 minutes).
Song of the Dead
Finally, a new take on a zombie flick. After a wordy
opening crawl about mosquitoes and terrorists and government cover-ups,
a couple of zombies deep in the woods break into song! Shot in Columbia,
Missouri. Created by Chip Gubera (4 minutes).
This new DVD also comes with a couple of entirely unrelated extras: a
30-minute sit-down interview with creature maker Stan Winston (Aliens,
Jurassic Park, etc.) and a 16-minute studio "tour" featuring Clive
Barker. Rob Zombie appears and narrates the menu options. If you
highlight Winston's glasses on the menu screen, you're treated to
another 16 minutes with Winston, but this time you get a peek at his
workshop and the various creatures he's created.
MPAA Rating: NR
Date: July 23, 2004
