I'm back from a convention a little early today, so I'm going to try to get a review in while I can. As soon as I got home last night, I hit the bed right away since I had to get up early enough to catch some more screenings. When I left today, the next three screenings were for movies I had already watched, so I headed back home. I'm going to miss a couple of late screenings tonight, but I need some sleep as I will have an extra busy day tomorrow. The first screenings Friday started out with a block of short films. I was going to skip them, but some vendors and guests were slow to set up, so I hit the short films instead. On of them, Pitfire Of Hell (2016), was rather long for a short film, so I decided I would go ahead and review it.
Jason (Jason Newlin) is teaching a writing class to a bunch of students. He gives them some homework to do, write a scary story. Simple, right? Karl (Jordan Campbell), Amy (Elizabeth Brehob), Erika (Samantha Michelle) and John (John East) decide to get together and head out to Amy's dad's cabin so they can bounce ideas off each other.
As it turned out, Pitfire Of Hell is something of an anthology. I have gotten used to having an anthology with different writers and/or directors lately, so I was a little surprised that this was written by co-writers Check Terrell and Bob East, who also directed. Each story has different actors in them, but sometimes the cast from the wraparound story also show up or are the main characters as well. The movie actually starts with a story, one being told at a drive-in theater, which we learn is just a story being told by Jason to his class. The stories range from serial killers, a ghost story, witches, and even a take on the Frankenstein story. The theme for the film festival is celebrating independent horror. Right up my ally, right? Pitfire Of Hell makes no bones about it being a horror/comedy film. It even says so below the title with "A horror film with humor." The Facebook page says it is a horror film above all else, but I felt it was a comedy first, horror second. There was hardly a serious moment in the film, and just when you think it might be getting somewhat serious, some cracks a joke or the tone changes again. As I mentioned in my last review, I'm not big on parodies, which to me, Pitfire To Hell manages to avoid doing. They are taking some well known horror tropes and injecting comedy into each, but I never felt they were taking the stories from any given film on the same subjects. My first impression of the film wasn't all that great, but as I think more about it since seeing it, I have lightened up some on it. At times the film was a little too silly for me, and I didn't always care for the quick editing. Like someone is talking so there is a close up of that person. Instead of including the other actor or actors when someone else speaks in the frame, there is a quick edit to that person saying one line, and then back to the first person.
The effects match the tone of the film. Never really all that gory and feel a little silly at times. The goriest that it gets is finding a head with a bloody neck. Usually all we get though is some blood. For what it is, it wasn't done badly or anything, but don't expect anything that will surprise you. The acting was a mixed bag really. The main cast wasn't too bad but each had good and bad moments. Elizabeth Brehob was my favorite out of the main cast, even though I thought she had the same problems as the others. For the most part, I did enjoy her acting and thought she was pretty darn cute. Perhaps my favorites over all though would go to Bryan Wilson and Shay Dickerhoff, who play Doctor F and Monster respectively. Ellie Church pops up for one scene, but isn't around too much. Still cool I got to watch yet another movie she is in though.
As you can probably guess, the take on the Frankenstein story was my favorite out of them all. Like the others, it was more of a comedy, but it made me laugh and smile more than any of the other stories. For those of you that like nudity, not that I'm against it by any means, there is plenty to be found in the witch story especially. I didn't find Pitfire Of Horror to be a great film, but it was okay for what it is. As I said, my first impression of it wasn't that great, but I find myself more willing to watch this one again sometime. Since I now have the DVD, I will have to do just that sometime. Possibly worth a watch, especially if you are looking for a horror movie you can just laugh along with.
3 out of 5 Those naked witches have me beat
Jason (Jason Newlin) is teaching a writing class to a bunch of students. He gives them some homework to do, write a scary story. Simple, right? Karl (Jordan Campbell), Amy (Elizabeth Brehob), Erika (Samantha Michelle) and John (John East) decide to get together and head out to Amy's dad's cabin so they can bounce ideas off each other.
As it turned out, Pitfire Of Hell is something of an anthology. I have gotten used to having an anthology with different writers and/or directors lately, so I was a little surprised that this was written by co-writers Check Terrell and Bob East, who also directed. Each story has different actors in them, but sometimes the cast from the wraparound story also show up or are the main characters as well. The movie actually starts with a story, one being told at a drive-in theater, which we learn is just a story being told by Jason to his class. The stories range from serial killers, a ghost story, witches, and even a take on the Frankenstein story. The theme for the film festival is celebrating independent horror. Right up my ally, right? Pitfire Of Hell makes no bones about it being a horror/comedy film. It even says so below the title with "A horror film with humor." The Facebook page says it is a horror film above all else, but I felt it was a comedy first, horror second. There was hardly a serious moment in the film, and just when you think it might be getting somewhat serious, some cracks a joke or the tone changes again. As I mentioned in my last review, I'm not big on parodies, which to me, Pitfire To Hell manages to avoid doing. They are taking some well known horror tropes and injecting comedy into each, but I never felt they were taking the stories from any given film on the same subjects. My first impression of the film wasn't all that great, but as I think more about it since seeing it, I have lightened up some on it. At times the film was a little too silly for me, and I didn't always care for the quick editing. Like someone is talking so there is a close up of that person. Instead of including the other actor or actors when someone else speaks in the frame, there is a quick edit to that person saying one line, and then back to the first person.
The effects match the tone of the film. Never really all that gory and feel a little silly at times. The goriest that it gets is finding a head with a bloody neck. Usually all we get though is some blood. For what it is, it wasn't done badly or anything, but don't expect anything that will surprise you. The acting was a mixed bag really. The main cast wasn't too bad but each had good and bad moments. Elizabeth Brehob was my favorite out of the main cast, even though I thought she had the same problems as the others. For the most part, I did enjoy her acting and thought she was pretty darn cute. Perhaps my favorites over all though would go to Bryan Wilson and Shay Dickerhoff, who play Doctor F and Monster respectively. Ellie Church pops up for one scene, but isn't around too much. Still cool I got to watch yet another movie she is in though.
As you can probably guess, the take on the Frankenstein story was my favorite out of them all. Like the others, it was more of a comedy, but it made me laugh and smile more than any of the other stories. For those of you that like nudity, not that I'm against it by any means, there is plenty to be found in the witch story especially. I didn't find Pitfire Of Horror to be a great film, but it was okay for what it is. As I said, my first impression of it wasn't that great, but I find myself more willing to watch this one again sometime. Since I now have the DVD, I will have to do just that sometime. Possibly worth a watch, especially if you are looking for a horror movie you can just laugh along with.
3 out of 5 Those naked witches have me beat
