Tweet
Released by: Wild Eye Releasing
Released on: December 16th, 2014.
Director: Ron Bonk, Donald Farmer, Marcus Koch, Tony Masiello, Tim Ritter, Chris Seaver, Todd Sheets, Brad Sykes
Cast: Vanessa Nocera, Alaine Huntington, Mike Malloy
Year: 2013
Purchase from Amazon
The Movie:
In an era where anthology horror films made by the young guns of the genre scene are getting not only high profile Blu-ray releases but also theatrical runs, it warms the heart to see many of the pioneers of the shot on video horror movie gathering together (with a few newer recruits thrown into the mix) to lend their talents to a project like Hi-8 (Horror Independent 8). The concept? Shoot an anthology movie using analogue gear, avoid digital effects, CGI and green screen work and capture live sound. In a sense, this is a chance for the guys who gave us a plethora of trash classics to go back to their roots, each director telling a story between eight and ten minutes in length. These stories are worked into some bookend segments directed by Brad Sykes of Camp Blood fame in which a few low budget filmmakers and their foxy leading lady encounter some trouble while shooting in a strange location.
The first story is Switchblade Insane from Tim Ritter, the man who gave us Killing Spree and Truth Or Dare? A Critical Madness to name only a few. This short tells the story of a woman married to a serial killer. When she finds out about his hobby she doesn't get repulsed but is instead turned on to the point where she joins in, but of course, this can't and won't end well. It's gory, gratuitous and way over the top, just as you'd expect from Ritter.
Story number two is A Very Bad Situation, directed by Marcus Koch who is more prolific as an SFX guy than a director but he did helm 100 Tears, which is probably the best 'scary clown with a giant fucking cleaver' movie to come around in some time. A few people are holed up inside a garage as something has happened outside. Comets have landed and people are turning into infected zombie like killing machines. A man shows up, they let him in, and he gets very aggressive… wondering if one of the women in the garage is infect. This can't and won't end well either and again it's pretty gory with a great final set piece featuring some awesome old school creature effects.
Tony Masiello directs story number three, The Tape. Here a man who leaves the video store he worked at for years with a box of tapes to remember it buy comes across an obscure SOV horror film entitled 'Bloodgasm.' He becomes so obsessed with it that he can't take his eyes off of it, even when his curvy, buxom lady-friend tries to fuck him blue. When he learns that the movie was unfinished he tracks down the man behind the project to help him bring the project to a close. Can or will this end well? Of course not. Masiello also throws in serious dollops of goofy gore effects to nice effect here, this one was a kick.
Moving right along, SRS Cinema head honcho Ron Bonk, the guy who directed City Of The Vampires and Strawberry Estates, directs Gang Them Style. Here is a tale in which two guys show up in the middle of a zombie apocalypse to save a grandmother and her fellow seniors from an approaching zombie horde. This one is done very much tongue in cheek and with a great sense of humor. It's fast paced, completely zany and the humor actually works quite well here.
Story number five, that'd be Genre Bending directed by Chris Seaver, a man responsible for writing and directing scores of low budget straight to video stuff over the last dozen years or so including the Filthy McNasty movies and Terror At Blood Fart Lake! It's another humorous entry, this time with a curvy dark haired BBW so into her tanning that she doesn't notice the stalker peeking at her outside. When that stalker turns out to be harmless, a big black guy bursts into her kitchen attempting to rape her - in her own strange way, however, this self-centered slice of super thick booty manages to turn the tables on her assailant. Sort of. This isn't much of a horror piece but it's pretty entertaining and sometimes pretty funny.
Todd Sheets, who gave us the Zombie Bloodbath movies along with such masterpieces as Goblin and Zombie Rampage, helms the sixth story simply titled The Request. This is more of a brooding piece in which a DJ celebrates a strange anniversary with some help from a strange caller. It's actually remarkably subtle given the type of movies that Sheets is known for, and it's all the better for it. This is an effective little thriller with a clever twist and nice production values that still makes good use of the SOV aesthetic in interesting ways.
Donald Farmer, the man behind Demon Queen, Cannibal Hookers, Savage Vengeance and a load of other low budget wonders, directs the seventh and final story entitled Thicker Than Water. Here a hormonal woman struggles to deal with the reappearance of her boyfriend's former flame. In true Donald Farmer fashion, things start to go pretty haywire…
This anthology is all over the place in terms of what works and what doesn't, with each short having its own pro's and con's worn fairly proudly on its respective sleeve. Tim Ritter's opening salvo is nasty, gory and bound to offend while Sheets surprisingly goes for a more subtle and cerebral approach. Koch does well with his surprise ending thanks mainly to the effects work more so than the actual twist (it's a bit predictable) while Masiello's self-aware piece rightfully pokes fun at obsessive 'VHS hipsters' will throwing in heaping helpings of homemade gore effects. It's all pretty fun and while the production values are understandably (and even intentionally, when you think about it) subpar, this project simply wouldn't work if the filmmakers were given massive budgets and digital technology to work with. As a throwback to the glory days of SOV horror, you can't get a whole lot more authentic than Hi-8.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The 1.33.1 fullframe video is stretched to 1.78.1 widescreen on this DVD, and that's not a good thing as it messes with the compositions and makes everyone look wider than they should. Aside from that, the video quality here is authentically analogue. Expect quality to vary from one story to the next and expect all the deficiencies inherent in the formats used for the anthology to stick out like a sore thumb - but that's the point. Goofy and completely unnecessary stretching issue aside, this'll do.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo soundtrack is decent enough, but again, this is done in the style of the directors' older movies, so expect wind noise here and there and some level bumps. For the most part though, the levels are properly balanced and you'll have no trouble understanding the dialogue.
The extras start off with a commentary track from producers Brad Sykes and Josephina Sykes that literally sounds like it was phoned in. Seriously, the audio quality here certainly leaves room for improvement. The track itself is decent, as they go into detail about how they got everyone involved on board for this project, how everyone agreed to play by the 'SOV rules' to bring in something authentic without resorting to digital means to achieve it. Lots of info here about budgetary issues, effects work, locations and how to secure them with or without permits, casting, and quite a bit more. It's an active and interesting track worth listening to if you can get past the sound quality problem.
The disc also includes a fifteen minute featurette entitled, appropriately enough, The Making Of Hi-8 that is made up of some fun behind the scenes footage and discussion with the Sykes as to the rules involved in the project and how the individual shorts came to be.
Rounding out the extras are a still gallery, a trailer for the feature as well as trailers for a bunch of other Wild Eye Releasing titles available now, static menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
Hi-8 is a pretty fun throwback to the glory days of shot on video horror films made by those who were either there personally or who at the very least 'get it.' Much of the material has a sense of humor to it but more often than not the comedy works. The shorts are pretty erratic so expect wild tonal shifts and jarring differences in theme and execution, but that's half the fun of something like this. Wild Eye presents the movie in a puzzlingly stretched widescreen format but also includes some decent extras. A really fun release overall.
