While I decide about the next update, Crystar or horror video games, let’s take a look at a filmmaker friend of mine. Chris Seaver is a low budget filmmaker from Rochester New York who has not only been a friend of mine for over 11 years but is also one of the people who inspired me to keep making films. I first heard about Chris Seaver way back in 2001 when my brother Bryan and Andy Copp went to a horror film convention. While there they met a low/no budget film maker named Chris Seaver who sold his films on VHS. So my brother, being the cool guy he is, bought me one of the films knowing that I love watching a good shot on video film as well as making one. He returned home with many cool things for me that included a VHS of a film called “Friday The 13th Halloween Night” by a company called LBP (Low Budget Pictures). The film was about a group of kids having a Halloween party as Jason Voorhees (Friday The 13th) and Michael Myers (Halloween) murder and battle it out to see who is king of the slaughter, only for both to be outsmarted by the host of the party who sends them both to Hell. The film was packed with over the top acting and some fun backyard gore effects, and I found myself becoming a fan of this silly little flick and showing it to friends like Josh Weinberg, Brandon Womeldorff and Jason Gilmore, telling them this is the fun kind of film we should be making. After a few weeks, I found the director Chris Seaver’s email address on his company’s website and wrote to him telling him how much I enjoyed his film. Then told him about the films I had directed Werewolf of Ohio 1-2 never expecting much back besides a generic “oh thanks, here are some other films I made you should buy em,” but what I got back instead was a down to earth response taking the time to thank me for watching it and mostly talking about my films and how he would like to see them. After chatting via email for months, a horror convention called Fright Vision was coming close to town and Seaver was going to be there and told me that my crew of guys (Independent B Movie) should go and sell some of our films. We all talked about it as a group and decided it was a great idea and hurried and made VHS copies of our films Teen Suicide, Suicide 2, Twisted Batman, Werewolf of Ohio and Werewolf of Ohio 2, and lucky for us Andy Copp, my brother and Dr. Creep had got a table to sell hard to find films and Shock Theater merchandise and shared a small section with us. Our crew was Dave Wean, Sarah Yates and myself, and we had a blast meeting celebs like David Carradine, Donald Shanks, Bill Chapman, Lilith Stabbs and Robert Z’Dar, but most important to me was the time I got to hang out with Seaver who bought copies of my films and spent the weekend talking about productions and pushing me to make more films. The weekend was a bust for sales but the experience was amazing, and Seaver’s words that weekend made him a friend for life. Seaver and I remain friends to this day, and I still am a fan of his work.
The main reason for this update is to showcase Seaver’s new company WARLOCK HOME VIDEO, but in order to do that we must start with his roots at Low Budget Pictures or LBP as fans call it.
Chris Seaver began making films at the tender age of seven when he begged his parents for a camcorder for Christmas ’84 and quickly began making mini epic films with friends. Low Budget Pictures officially began in 1991 with the film Commando Kids, and grew into a cult film company in no time with films like Anal Paprika, Scrotal Vengeance, Mulva Zombie Asskicker, Flilthy Mcnasty, and From Almost Night Till Almost Day. LBP became so popular that companies like Tempe Home Video and SRS Cinema started to pick up and release titles that were coming out. LBP was running like a well oiled machine and had many films released every year that entertained with in your face humor and over the top characters. But like all good rides this zany film company came to an end in 2011 when Seaver decided it was time to walk away and start fresh, and boy did he! When speaking to Seaver I found out that is favorite film from the LBP years was Geek War, a film about a high priced VHS tape at a comic book shop that starts a war between geeks who must own it and impress a local hot chick. This film is closely followed by The Heather and Puggly series that follows two twisted sisters who fight the devil among other baddies. Some of my favorite films from the company include Deathbone, a funny barbarian spoof film that combines all the silly elements of Conan, Deathstalker and Beastmaster. I also like Scrotal Vengeance, a vampire film about Razor McBleed and an unlikely vampire hunter, and Carnage For The Destroyer, a film about a viking rock god coming back to kill a group of friends at a haunted house. This small write up for LBP could not give this company the epic amount of time I could spend talking about them but for now it will have to do, cause we have a Reading Rainbow date with a Warlock!
But before we meet The Warlock, we should take a few moments and talk about LBP’s most iconic character and all around #1 primate that all the chicks dig, Teen Ape! Teen Ape is a walking talking ape man, who has the attitude of a 70’s pimp and the foul mouth of a docked sailer. He not only fights crime but also has time to make it with the ladies and even smack them around a little. Anal Paprika 2 was his first full film appearance, and he was more toned down and was more of a breakdancing hero who didn’t even talk. But what many fans may not know is that in 1991 Teen Ape made his first ever appearance in a short film called “I Was A Teenage Ape” that is locked in the vaults of LBP and has not been seen by the fans and never will! In his many film adventures Teen Ape has fought vampires, goblins, zombies, demons and even Mulva in a sword fight! Teen Ape’s final public fim appearance was in 2007 in the film Wet Heat where he is sent in to save the president of show business from a post apocalyptic gang of weirdos, but his real final flick was one produced by Troma in 2009 that is sitting in their vault called “Teen Ape vs. The Monster Nazi Apocalypse” in which Teen Ape teams with many more LBP favorite characters as the fight a resurrected Hitler and his new army. But good news for Teen Ape fans like me, Seaver has talked about doing a new film that’s 100% fan funded called “Teen Ape: Balls Deep.” So if you’re looking at wanting to help Teen Ape come back to your home TV screens then you should help donate to the films budget at http://www.warlockhomevideo.com/projects.html.
Now it’s time to dive into the world of shot on video horror and flash back to walking down the horror aisle of your favorite video rental store checking out the amazing VHS cover art for films with titles like “Igor and The Lunatics”, “Don’t Look in The Basement” and “The Town That Dreaded Sundown” and then reading the back of the boxes with descriptions telling you just how epic the film you could be renting is. Nothing can take away those memories of the horror section at places like K&L Video, Accent Video, West Coast Video and even Blockbuster and renting films on the weekend and watching them with friends or my brother and finding gems among laugh out loud turkeys. VHS Horror films will always have a special place in my heart. Not only in my teens did I have one massive horror tape collection but I used to also have a yearly event called “Horror Movie Marathon” that had me and friends watching horror films all day and night! One of the first Marathons I ever held was at my parents basement (aka Independent B Movie Studios) and early that morning Brandon Womeldorff and I drove around to second hand media stores Replay Media and Second Time Around and bought tons of cheesy horror films on VHS stuff like Demonoid Messenger Of Death, Terror on Tour, Devils Gift, Christmas Evil to name a few and then bought tons of potato chips, cookies and pop and invited over Matt Hoffman, Josh Weinberg, Jason Gilmore and Dave Wean and we all sat up all night eating junk food and watching bad horror films, oh the good old days. No matter how much the world tries to tell me Netflix and streaming movies will never take the place of late night tape/dvd switching with a group of your closest friends. VHS holds a lot of magic for many people my age not only with rentals it also sparked the boom of shot on VHS horror films that swept the nation when camcorders became more available to the masses and falling into the hands of people who just wanted to make their own movies. While many were bad their was an equal amount that were fun watching experiences. And for those who long for the days of amazing shot on Video Horror films, one company has come to the rescue and unleashed the flood gates of retro and nostalgia VHS goodness and thats Warlock Home Video!
After the closing of LBP a little over a year went by and the Seaver camp was quite the fans had no news of a new Teen Ape, Bonejack or Deathbone adventure…all we got was quite time. Then in 2012 the TV screen lights shone as news of a new retro shot on video company was opening up (or is that back up?) and that the company was releasing titles both on DVD and VHS! At first a character called E.W Swackhammer appeared as the one time owner of Warlock who wanted to bring back the glory days of 80’s and 90’s shot on video films and into the hands of fans the world over, but he quickly went to the waste side as it was clear as day that this company was the brain child of Chris Seaver with the help of The Warlock (a hooded mastermind of the macabre) they set out for VHS domination! At launch they had amazing titles from the past like Death Metal Zombies, Evil Night and Amerikill and then also had some new retro style films with Death O’Lantern and Die-B-Que, and fans ate these titles up buying them on both VHS and DVD! Warlock traveled around the convention circuit and had films not only for sale but also screening, spreading their message. Many titles were to follow some new retro shot and many original old school flicks marking this companies spot in VHS collecting history. In 2013, they plan on not slowing down and when speaking to Seaver we got a little sneak peek at whats to come with titles like Phantom of the Grind House, Blood From A Minotaurs Skull, Sexsquatch 2, Death O Lantern 2, Dracula Vs Frankenstein and more retro titles are planned the coming years seem promising for fans of shot on video epics! Oh and one other thing I should say is that the cover art for Warlock releases are top notch and some amazing stuff, so make sure to take a look at them as well.
Before we take a look at the films released by Warlock, I had the chance to speak to The Warlock himself and ask five questions….and no more, for he is a busy man looking through the vaults filled with old VHS & Beta tapes and unused scripts, and trying to pick the best ones to bring to the fans. So with this in mind let’s call this “5 Questions With The Warlock” and begin shall we?
Me: How Does it feel to be back, after Warlock’s long hiatus from distribution of films?
Warlock: After being unearthed from my crypt, I felt putrid, wretched and full of maggots. As for the release of the films it felt like bringing a former deceased lover back from the grave!
Me: What are your three favorite films that have come out so far during Warlock’s rebirth?
Warlock: I cannot choose my favorite. It is like choosing your favorite way to die. They all are delightful. If I must choose I would have to say Die B Que because it was our earliest effort, Death O Lantern because it really captured the spirit of the season, and Sexsquatch because I am the star.
Me: So what do you think about this new interest in shot on video films and VHS collecting?
Warlock: I feel that VHS collecting is the most brutal of all hobbies. It is not for the weak at heart. Everything old becomes new again at some point in time.
Me: So what do you know of Teen Ape?
Warlock: I know that he is an enigma. A man of few words and all action. quite possibly the only mere mortal capable of being on the same level of brutality and carnage as the Warlock.
Me: What do you see in the future for Warlock? And can you give us any sneak peek of any upcoming titles?
Warlock: The Warlock does not divulge and secrets from his future. As far as future titles, keep up to date with upcoming releases at www.warlockhomevideo.com.
So after those brutal answers form the master of the macabre, The Warlock, let’s take a look at the films of Warlock Home Video! I will give each film’s plot a quick write up, tell you a little about the killer, compare it to some other films and tell you the director. So let’s get ready to dive into the wild world of shot on video films!
Evil Night (1994)
Jimmy is a geek who is being picked on by the cool kids led by Peter, who on the night of his big party plays a mean prank on Jimmy that leaves him humiliated and injured thanks mostly to Jennifer who is the bait and is the one who leads him to his head trauma. Jimmy returns home and with his chem set decides to make a toxic drink that will make him slip into madness and make him ready to get REVENGE on all those who have made him the fool and the butt of jokes. But revenge does come with a price when your main target is as smart as you. The killer is Jimmy a crazed drugged up nerd who is wearing a long black rode and a giant smiling evil clown mask. Fans of films like Slaughter High, Horror High, Prom Night, Toxic Avenger and other films of nerds getting revenge will enjoy this film for the fun back yard splatter effects, over the top acting, and a clown masked killer. Best Kill is the exploding cigarette that takes off the top of its victim’s head that then splats on the wall! Directed by Todd Jason Cook.
Death Metal Zombies (1995)
A small town is being stalked by a serial killer wearing a Richard Nixon mask who is killing at random. Brad Masters is a metal head who is in a small band, has a hot blonde girlfriend Angel and is a super fan of the band Living Corpse who is doing a special one of a kind song give away on the radio. Brad wins the contest and listens to the special song with a few of his friends. The song has a message in it that turns them all into flesh eating zombies and are ruled by Living Corpse! Now Angel must find away to survive, find a way to save her friends and stop Living Corpse’s plan to destroy the world. The villains in this film are the zombies,Nixon Killer a masked madman who wears a suit and a Richard Nixon mask and Living Corpse a rock band who’s lead singer is some sort of demon. Fans of Toxic Zombies, Hard Rock Zombies and Red Neck Zombies should like this no budget zombie romp for a rocking metal soundtrack, great backyard gore effects, boobs, satanic band members, zombies and a masked killer make this one a fun watch for no budget fans. Best Kill in the movie has a guy get stabbed in the butt as he sits down then has a zombie punch through his chest. Directed by Todd Jason Cook. This is a Chris Seaver recommended film!
Amerikill (1999)
Woodbridge Valley is a small town that has a killer on the loose called Jester Face! A group of High School friends who are horror film fans and filmmakers are shocked by the killings, and these real life deaths are affecting the group’s next movie when lead actress Natalie starts to question if she should act and watch horror flicks. And when Jester Face sets his sights on the group of friends, what is to come of them and the group’s next epic shot on video film? The killer in the film, Jester Face, is a white masked killer who wears a jester hat and a long black robe. Fans of Scream, Urban Legend, I Know What You Did Last Summer, My Bloody Valentine and other who’s the killer films should enjoy this flick for its quick wit characters, blazing punk/ska soundtrack, fun backyard gore effects and a fun plot. Best kill is a girl who falls face first into tree limbs while trying to escape the killer and pokes her eye out. Directed by Chris LaMartina.
Death O’Lantern (1986/2012)
Sleepy Hollow has a legend about a pumpkin headed killer named Stingy Jack who must steal five more souls before Halloween night after he takes the life of a teen. Phoebe, a horror fan and her friends from Sleepy Hollow High get the news and are amazed by the death and spend time talking of horror films and death. As Jack claims more lives, Phoebe finds the truth of his legend and must stop him from freeing himself of his curse by killing six kids and being able to walk the Earth. But will Phoebe and her horror club be able to stop this supernatural killer or will they just become one on the unlucky six? The killer in the film is Stingy Jack, a unworldly killer with a pumpkinhead and robe. Fans of Sleep Hollow High, Pumpkinhead, Ernest Scared Stupid and Monster Squad will love this nice throw back film with a fun plot, great one liners, zany characters, top notch retro backyard effects and a cool killer. Best kill in the movie is when Jack rams a lit candle stick through the back of a guys head and it pops out his eye. Directed by Rudy Bellafonte. This film is recommended by Chris Seaver and Myself!
Die-B-Que (1986/2012)
Party animals DJ and Rick are throwing a huge BBQ party and have invited all their friends over for some fun times. Moonbeam and her boyfriend Brody are deep in love and don’t really want to be at this get together. When a sick rat takes a leak in the beer and on the meat at the cook out, the hosts and the rest of the party goers turn into flesh eating zombies! Will the lovebirds escape with their lives? Killers in the film are zombies and an infected rat. Fans of Marion Playhouse Theatre, Frankenstein Stalks and Dr. Freak Vamp Killa will enjoy this film for its on purpose bad acting, silly make up and gore effects and goofy plot. Best kill scene in the movie is when the party guests are infected and puke up nasty green goo and then all die only to return as zombies. Directed by Jackson Furley.
Happy Helladays (1987/2012)
The year is 1987, and 12 year old orphan Alistair is being raised at Omega Pi sorority house and is made fun of by the sisters for his weird appearance with huge pop bottle glasses, greasy slicked back hair, annoying voice and short stature. But things get out of hand on Christmas Eve when the sisters shove a slice of pizza in his face and then boo him off the stage at his Christmas recital. These actions drive the little creep over the edge and he decides that its time for revenge as murder is his answer to his bullying. How many PI sisters will live and will his mother Nikki be able to stop his rampage? Killer Alistair is a short nerd kid with huge glasses and is wearing a Santa suit. Fans of Silent Night Deadly Night 2, Black Christmas, Christmas Evil and Santa’s Slay will enjoy this flick for its killer holiday theme, creepy weird killer in a Santa suit, funny dialogue, wicked backyard effects and fun soundtrack. Best kill of the movie is when the killer sings in a high pitch making the young woman he is tormenting bleed from her eyes, mouth, ears and nose and then puke up her insides. Directed by Rudy Bellafonte. This film is recommended by Chris Seaver.
Werewolf Of Ohio (1999)
Josh is a young man whose family has been killed by a werewolf called The Wolf Man causing Josh to become obsessed with getting revenge. So he hires the help of a film student to follow him around and video tape his quest/ He also gets the help of The Wolf Hunter a man who kills werewolves for a living, the spirit of his dead sister who speaks to him via his mind and an all seeing gypsy who knows the secrets of the beast. While the heroes search for the Wolf Man he spends his time killing townspeople, will Josh and friends be able to stop this blood thirsty monsters rampage or will they become just more victims? The film’s baddie is The Wolfman, a werewolf who wears flannel and a robe who stays a wolf forever. Fans of Blair Witch Project, The Wolf Man, Silver Bullet and Werewolf will like this film for its classic looking werewolf mask, its found footage style flow, its backyard effects and its hammy acting. Best kill in the movie is when one of the lead characters has his guts ripped out by The Wolf Man. Directed by Matt Brassfield.
The Dingleberrys (1987/2012)
Phoebe and the Sleepy Hollow High Horror Club are at it again when some unknown object crashes to Earth. Inside are four nasty little talking turd monsters who kill victims by pooing on them. Phoebe and friends are not alone when they get the help of a intergalactic bounty hunter named Quasar who is armed with piss shooting pistols. Can they stop these stinky poo monsters or is the whole world going to be a toilet bowl for these nasty little critters? The monsters is the film are four poo monsters all with different looks that range from Woody Allen to a wise Chinese Master. Fans of Ghoulies, Critters, Munchies and Troll will love this film for its tiny puppet creatures, over the top plot, poop jokes, fun Ed Wood like sets and over the top deaths & acting. Best kill in the movies is when the four Dingleberrys attack a goof metal head in his kitchen and poo him up. Directed by Rudy Bellafonte.
The Sadness (2006)
A young college girl finds the murdered body of her neighbor and sees the killer exit the house. The next day she makes the mistake of talking about the killing on her two best friends collage radio show drawing the killer out to of hiding and slaughtering a path of brutal murders to silence them once and for all in the late night hollow hallways of the school. Oh did I mention he films the dead bodies of the females he murders and keeps the tape as a reminder of the act? Will the friends be able to survive the killers rage? The films killer is The Sadness, a tall man who wears all black, wears a red and black mask and a black wig. Fans of See No Evil, Halloween 2 and Cry Wolf will like this film for its creepy late night collage setting, solid backyard gore effects, cheesy acting, boyfriend & girlfriend drama and a 80’s style killer. Best kill in the movie is when The Sadness sneaks into a woman’s house wakes her up and stabs her in the bathtub, then video tapes the aftermath. Directed by Matt Brassfield.
Sexsquatch (2012)
Joe is a young man who’s friends and family are throwing a lake party for so that he can loose his virginity and his dream girl Jennifer is his choice. But in the woods around the house lurks Stinkfist, a Sexsquatch from another world who has an appetite for butt rape and murder. One by one the friends are dying & being raped but the party continues, until Joe and his remaining friends must have a showdown with one horny Stinkfist. Do they stand a chance? Will Joe get laid by Jennifer? And what surprise character joins in the final fight? The killer is Stinkfist a bigfoot like creature who is covered in brown fur and talks like a hip foul mouthed teen. Fans of Night of the Demon, Shriek of the Mutilated, Capture of Bigfoot and Bigfoot will love this movie for its fun characters, over the top sexual nature, returning characters from both Warlock and LBP films and gut wrenching gore. Best kill in the movie has Stinkfest rip the intestines out of a dude and chokes him with it. Directed by Chris Seaver. This is the first official new Warlock film.
An Evening With My Great Aunt Bedelia (1993/2012)
Edith is a small thrift store owner who finds out that her rich grandma has just passed away and the reading of her will is being held at the family house. When she arrives with her boyfriend, she finds that she is only left a book while her creepy Great Aunt Bedelia is left the money and the house, and when she meets the lover of her Grandma she learns that her Great Aunt is really a demon who feeds on human souls. Now Edith must find the clues and power to put an end to Demon Bedelia once and for all. The films monster is Great Aunt Bedelia who is a hairy chested woman with curly black hair and a black dress who transforms into a demon when she needs to feed. Fans of films like Night of the Demons, Rabid Grannies and Rock ‘N’ Roll Nightmare will enjoy this film for its amazing soundtrack, fun backyard effects, demon killer, landmark sets and cheesy acting. Best kill in the film is when the Demon plays games with a young child then chases him home only to pop his eyes out! Directed by Tobe Lerone.
Bloody Red Lips Of Blood (1989/2012)
Two lesbian vampires pick up girls at the local rock club and drain them of their blood. But they make the mistake when they kill the daughter of Professor Bartel who now is working on finding out who his child’s killer is when he don’t think the police are working fast enough. With the help of his daughter’s friend Amy they track down and want revenge on those who took a loved one away from them, but will they succeed or will they find out that revenge has a price? The film’s killers are Karen and Lisa who are vampire lovers who wear 80’s style outfits and have long sharp fangs! Fans of Titanic 2000, Embrace Of The Vampire and To Sleep With A Vampire will like this film for its lesbian vampire themes, bloody boobs, use of a NES, fun storyline, backyard gore and no budget acting. Best kill in the movie when one vampire bites her female victim in the shower. Directed by Nigel Cheeseball.
Warlock has a little something for all horror fans from zombies, slashers and vampires to demons, bigfoot and aliens making sure that fans of no budget shot on video horror have many baddies to choose from. This company has quickly became one of my favorite no budget companies, and I always look forward to new releases being added to the list. Plus it was an honor when they asked to release two of my older films Werewolf of Ohio and The Sadness both on VHS and DVD, and I hope more films of mine from the past to present will come out from this fun company. Not to mention the fact when Warlock rereleased Werewolf of Ohio convention Fright Night Film Fest who had booked Baron Von Porkchop all ready also added me as a director to the guest list!
While I have been very productive on making the TV show Terrifying Tales of The Macabre, I have been behind on my film making. In fact the last film I was making was called “It’s In The Crawlspace,” and a few production issues has set it back to the point of years being on the shelf. The film started in 2009 and just as of late looks like it might see the light of day in 2013. So to keep myself still in the film making world I have set my sights on producing and have put money in such films as Filthy Mcnasty 4, Church of the Eyes, Depression The Movie, Babysitter Massacre, Return to Blood Fart Lake, Consumption of the Heart, Sexsquatch and even Wolf Hunter 2. Doing this helps keep my creative mind fresh and I get to see films of my friends like Henrique Couto, Chris Seaver, Andy Copp and Matt Hoffman come alive and makes me feel good helping these guys make art. I have been speaking about coming back and filming a few new films but only time will tell if this really happens, so keep your eye to this blog for any update on that.
![babysitter massacre[3]](https://rottenink.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/babysitter-massacre3.jpeg?w=80&h=512)
I hope this entry found some of you wondering about Warlock Home Video, and I hope many of you will take the few extra moments and check out their website and maybe even order a DVD or two of these fun shot on video horror adventures. While they are not Citizen Cane they sure as hell all deliver on a fun cheesy watch, until next time stay creepy my friends.
Rotten Ink 