Nightmare Symphony © TetroVideo

      

    Nightmare Symphony is an upcoming giallo horror movie from directors Domiziano Cristopharo (House of Flesh Mannequins, Red Krokodil) and Daniele Trani. Produced by Ulkurzu and HH Kosova and written by Antonio Tentori (Nightmare Concert, Dracula 3D), the film will be released on Blu-ray and DVD by TetroVideo in 2021.

      Nightmare Symphony is an homage to Lucio Fulci’s Nightmare Concert/A Cat in the Brain, in which the director appears playing himself, a tortured horror filmmaker haunted by his own bloody horror film visions.

       In Nightmare Symphony, the filmmaker at the center of the story is played by Lady in White director Frank Laloggia. Domiziano Cristopharo’s movie focuses on a horror director who is struggling to complete his movie, while a series of gruesome murders happen all around him. Eventually he will be forced to face his worst and scariest nightmares.

      The movie also stars Antonella Salvucci (The Torturer), Antonio Tentori, Poison Rouge (AGP:Sacrifice), Pietro Cinieri, Irene Baruffetti, Edi Hasan Lushi, Halil Budakova and Merita Budakova (Virus: Extreme Contamination). The soundtrack is by Antony Coia (House of Flesh Mannequins) and includes the original main theme by Fabio Frizzi (City of the Living Dead, The Beyond).The practical effects are by Jacopo Tomassini (The Obsessed).

    This is probably the best call back to giallos of the 70's and 80's I have ever came across. If I didnt know better I would have thought this was a lost Lucio Fulci film. This is everything that a giallo should be! Terrific characters, wonderful story,  the fucking atmosphere!!! It even has a killer with a peacock head mask, a wonderful love letter to the craziness that is Italian murder mystery films. I had a great time with this one. Trying to figure out who the killer is, who was going to get offed next, who was going to accuse who next and why. Thrown in some familiar faces with some great talent and BAM. You get Nightmare Symphony. 

    Also, lets face it, giallos are a product of Italy. So who better to do it than an Italian? Domiziano took his love of the genre and put forth one hell of an effort here. I feel he accomplished what he set out to do. So many great tense scenes and a wonderful musical score to boot. This is certainly going to scratch that giallo itch for anyone who is looking for a giallo that hasn't been seen or talked about to death. There are so many great names attached to this project that you'll be hard pressed to find anything coming up soon to comapre it to. 

    Nightmare Symphony is slated to be released later this year through TetroVideo. If you love murder mysteries and peacock headed killers and boobs, than you want to see this. Trust me, I'm Some Guy.

Mother Noose Presents: Once Upon A Nightmare © A Buck Short Productions

    

 Like Tales From The Crypt? Than this film will be right up your alley. Mother Noose Presents: Once Upon A Nightmare is an upcoming anthology movie from A Buck Short Productions. It has a runtime of  1hr and 45mins and has Erin Brown also known as Misty Mundane. It's directed by Dan Beck, Eric E. Poe and Richard Tanner.

    This is a really fun horror anthology that is far more light hearted than most things I review, and to be honest it was a nice change of pace. The wrap around story is about a nasty witch, Mother Noose, who is trying to bring back her dead lover by telling twisted stories to a poor fellow who she has trapped in her lair. The opening credit scenes harken to little red riding hood, oh and there is a wolf with a hotdog dick, ya know, if you're into that kind of thing. Followed by a Hansel Gretel type story, to be honest that one was kind of reaching for that reference. Cinderella and the devil. Pinocchio. Ect. Ect. While the stories themselves are well know, I do like how they made each segment stand out with their own personal twists and takes on the stories.

    I do have an issue with the drastic changes in sound quality that are present throughout the film. However the acting was far above par for an indie release. There are a few gory parts that i was pleased with. I do wish that it was a bit more darker with its sense of humor and the overall ending to the wrap around story I felt could have been done differently. With that being said, if you're looking for a legitimately fun take on some well known fairy tales than you need look no further than Mother Noose Presents: Once Upon A Nightmare. Nothing too extreme but still dark enough to keep even the most hardened horror fan watching the screen. Don't miss out on this when it is released from A Buck Short Productions. Trust Me. I'm Some Guy.

Larva Mental © TetroVideo

    TetroVideo reached out to me last week to see if I would be interested in reviewing one of their titles. Well of course I was. TetroVideo has put out some extremely haunting films in the past. So you can imagine my excitement when I received my screener and found out I had been given the task of reviewing Larva Mental. Now I am not familiar with this one bit. This is me going in blind more or less because aside from a few teaser posts on Facebook, I know nothing about this other than the few screen grabs that were shared. I do, however, know of Mikel Balerdi a little bit through his Instagram and Facebook page. So I know that I am in for a blood filled, terrifying mind fuck. I also know that this movie will end up staying with me for a long time, such as most TetroVideo releases do. Their releases tend to frighten beyond the physical. Most of their releases mentally scar you. So are you excited to forever ruin your psyche? In the immortal words of Tanner James, I know I am, lets do it.

    The movie has a rough runtime of 61 mins. Its in, I believe, Spanish and my copy has no subtitles. Now while there is very little dialogue in the film, there are a few times where i feel they would be very helpful, mainly with the note that the female character writes. This is a mainly visual storytelling experience though. It's a graphic tale of loss, sadness and ultimately a beautifully downer ending. The director is widely known for extreme body performances, and its on display in this film. Fans of outsider art will definitely want to check this out, Mikel mixes real body performance with practical special effects and 99% of the time I can not tell what's real and what's effects. Its glorious, it's seamless, it's hauntingly disgusting. More than anything though it's very sad. I found myself really feeling sorry for Mikel's character. He obviously is unable to cope with the loss he endures in the film, that being the loss of the female character after she discovers a video of the lead playing around with a metal crucifix in a pig mask, its part due to drug use and part just madness. With a mixture of shame, drugs and rage at himself, he descends deeper into his world of self mutilation and horrifyingly disturbing hallucinations. The man's inability to deal with his loss, or his choice to feel the loss in such a visceral way, leads to his ultimate undoing and he is last seen laying next to our decomposed female character after having overdosed on drugs and a deep all consuming regretful sadness.

    Now while i sit here and say this is a sad story, don't get me wrong. This is brutal to sit through. I found myself trying to follow the sad story line of loss so as to not focus so much on the self mutilation our male lead does to himself. There is plenty onscreen for the fans of cock mutilation, self cutting and other forms of body performances to keep you glued to the screen. However, there is a lot more to this film than just a gross out or 'what-the-fuck-did-I-just-watch' factor. Its a real emotional journey that made me ask myself, if put in a similar position of loss would I punish myself or would my demons make me punish myself?

    The score is wonderful. Really sets the melancholy mood that is present during the films runtime. There is nothing that takes you out of the overwhelming sense of dread and nervous sadness that is tangible in this film. This is a great character study of a depraved person who is unaware of what exactly his world can do to people he cares for.

    TetroVideo, as I said at the start of this, puts out some projects that will stick with you for a long time. This is certainly one of them. Visually and mentally disturbing, Larva Mental is a film that will have you wondering what escaping your reality truly costs. Be on the look out for the release date of this from TetroVideo and don't be shy about checking out all their other releases. Trust me. I'm Some Guy.