"Camera Obscura" Review by Tim Hellman

'CAMERA OBSCURA': Four Stars (Out of Five)

An indie horror flick about a veteran war photographer with PTSD, that sees future deaths in the photos that he takes (on a vintage World War II era camera). It was directed by first time feature filmmaker Aaron B. Koontz, and it was written by Koontz and Cameron Burns (Koontz and Burns also served as producers on the film). The movie stars Charlie Denham, Nadja Bobyleva, Catherine Curtin, Chase Williamson and Noah Segan. It's a very creepy and disturbing little indie horror flick.

Jack Zeller (Denham) is a professional photographer, and war veteran, who's dealing with some severe mental issues (due to his time in Afghanistan). To help him get through these mental problems, his fiance, Claire (Bobyleva), buys him a vintage camera at a work auction. She then gets him a job taking photos for the real estate company she works for. When Jack gets the photos developed though, he starts to see images of future deaths in them. When those deaths start to become a reality, Jack becomes even more mentally unstable as he tries to figure out what to do about them.

The movie is extremely creepy, and it only gets creepier as it goes on. Denham gives a great performance in the lead, and he really makes you feel what it's like to go mad. You keep wanting the character to stop doing the things he's doing, as a result of his madness, but he keeps doing them anyway. It's a really disturbing and fucked up movie! Very effectively directed, and written, by Koontz and Burns. If you're a fan of fucked up horror flicks, you should definitely give this one a try.

"Siren" Review by Tim Hellman

'SIREN': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A feature adaptation of a short film segment (called 'AMATEUR NIGHT') from the 2012 anthology horror flick 'V/H/S'. It was directed by Gregg Bishop, who also directed a short segment of the 2014 sequel 'V/H/S VIRAL' (called 'DANTE THE GREAT'). The film was scripted by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (based on the short by David Bruckner and Nicholas Tecosky). It stars Chase Williamson (of 'JOHN DIES AT THE END' fame), Hannah Fierman (who also starred in the original short), Justin Welborn, Hayes Mercure, Michael Aaron Milligan and Randy McDowell. It tells the story of a group of guys out for a bachelor party, which goes horrifically wrong when one of them unleashes a man killing monster. The film is a lot of fun, and it's definitely in the same league as 'V/H/S' and it's sequels.

Jonah (Williamson) is about to be married to his beautiful fiance Eva (Lindsey Garrett). His brother (Milligan), and his two best friends (Mercure and McDowell), take him out for a good time before the big event. The strip clubs they go to are boring though, so they decide to check out a lesser known club; that another customer tells them about. Once there they realize the place is a lot different than anywhere else they've ever been to. When Jonah meets one of the girls, supposedly working there, he decides she needs his help and tries to rescue her. This turns out to be a deadly mistake.

The movie has a great premise (taken from 'AMATEUR NIGHT' of course); it's well made and effectively creepy also. I think Bishop did a fantastic job stretching the short into a feature length film, and the cast is equally as impressive. Especially Williamson and Fierman in the leads, but Welborn makes a great bad guy too. There's even some touching romance to the story, in a very bizarre and creepy way, with a great horrific twist at the end. I really like this movie.

Official Stills for the Upcoming "V/H/S" Spinoff Film "SiREN"

Chiller Films recently sent us over stills for the upcoming "V/H/S" spinoff film "SiREN". The film is based on the short film "Amateur Night" which was apart of "V/H/S". The film stars Chase Williamson, Justin Welborn, Michael Aaron Milligan, Hayes Mercure, Randy McDowell and Hannah Fierman.

"SiREN" hits theater in limited release on December 2nd and DVD and VOD on December 6th.

For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official website at: http://www.callofthesiren.com/

Plot Synopsis:

SiREN is a horror-thriller about Jonah, an apprehensive groom-to-be whose bachelor party turns into a nightmare when he frees a seemingly innocent victimized girl locked up in a supernatural sex club. Her ruthless handler and proprietor of the sex club will stop at nothing to re-capture his prize. Jonah struggles to rescue the girl only to discover it is he who needs to be rescued as he comes to the realization that she is a dangerous fabled predator who has chosen him as her mate.