Fangoria put out a calling: they requested that its fans get together a camera and some friends and create a great, old-fashioned horror flick.  What they got was tons of entries with films ranging from zombie attacks to hard-hitting suicide dramas.  Well, they've assembled the best of the best for this DVD, and here are my views:

"The Hitch"

Created by Drew Rist, "The Hitch" deals with the creepy, urban-legend tale of a serial killer on the loose in a small rural town.  It starts with a woman hitchhiker getting a ride from a semi-paranoid man in a truck.  Obvious to the viewer, one of them is the killer.  Well directed and well written, "The Hitch" is one of the better films.  Though the acting is a bit hammy, the nice bit of supernatural activity is a great touch which makes this one stand out just a bit.

***1/2 out of ****

"Inside"

While "The Hitch" (see above) and "Shadows of the Dead" (see below) show how well these films are, "Inside" shows just how bad they can be.  It's as if director Christopher P. Garetano just went nuts with the effects on the camera as well as the audio mixer.  Many times throughout, it's as if he is trying to shout "Look what I can do!"  In the end, this suicide pic comes off as some cliche college artsy film- all it needs is a crying woman and a clown flipping a pancake.

*1/2 out of ****

"Shadows of the Dead"

Probably my favorite, Joel Robertson's zombie short is probably the best as far as building atmosphere goes.  The story centers around a doctor working at a hospital during a full-on zombie apocalypse.  The living dead make-up is fantastic as is the build-up of tension... though, I will admit, the end is a bit confusing, though I've only watched it once.  Still, great filmmaking all together.

***1/2 out of ****

"Mr. Eryams"

B.C. Furtney's "Mr. Eryams" seems to be the crowd-pleaser, and it is easy to see why... though, it still has it's problems.  What is good is the interesting characters which populate the entire film.  The story centers around a woman whom hires a ghost hunter to rid her home of a very violent and mean-tempered ghost.  While this starts off well enough, towards the end the confusing plotline takes a total new twist, which really raises a lot of questions.  Though, this can be good or bad depending on how you view movies like this.  In the end, this one really has to be seen to be judged.

*** out of ****

"Song of the Dead"

"Song of the Dead," created by Chip Gubera, could very well be the most dissapointing.  While it certainly isn't bad, I was upset by the lack of payoff.  The little back story which scrolls up the screen in the beginning is very cool and could actually lead off to a very nice full-length film.  It deals with a man-made zombie outbreak much like "28 days later..." (including a bit of governmental cover-up) except the twist is that our central characters are out camping and have no idea that the apocalpyse is brewing in the city just down the road.  Sounds good, eh?  Just one problem... it's a musical.  Is this bad?  No- after all, even the song is memorable.  The problem is that if taken seriously, this could have been so much more.

**1/2 out of ****

"Disturbances"

Patrick Rea's "Disturbances" is so close to being good it hurts.  The problem lies with the cooky use of dolls and dead children.  That may sound creepy, but the use of dolls moving on their own is just horribly laughible.  Without giving away too much, a woman sits alone at home watching the news.  Periodically, shes goes to the bathroom only to be watched by what seems to be the ghosts of children.  This leads to nifty little twist much in the vein of "The Hitch."  Th problem is that half way through, this film manages to get repetitive (quite a feat for a ten minute short).  Perhaps, this could have been something special, but after watching "The Hitch," it just seems mediocre.

** out of ****

"A Man and His Finger"

Certianly the funniest (intentionally), Ryan Jones' and "Disturbance"'s creator Patrick Rea's "A Man and His Finger" is the story of a man whom accidentally cuts off his finger while sleepily chopping through some lettuce.  Of course, because it is a horror film, the finger comes to life... only it isn't evil.  Instead, it is actually quite nice, even cute.  I give this credit not only for its surprising ammount of really good humor but also for the fact that they actually get you to feel bad (even sad) for the finger.  Surprisingly adorable, though the end is abrupt.

*** out of ****

DVD Extras: **1/2 out of ****

I guess the interviews are alright (despite the fact that the film makers are not talked to), though commentaries and making-of's would have been much appreciated.

I'm gonna be blunt about this DVD.  I'm a big fan of independent filmakers, but watching some of these short horror films is often times toture or just plain under-constructed storylines, that feel forced.

The Rob Zombie introductions are funny and the featurettes are short, sweet and simple.  Not much to say beyond that.  If you like horror movies, you might be interested, if you love them, check it out, if not stay away from this collection.

This movie was pure ****! Plain all out and simple...

The 1st story was well enough, but then it went right down the drain about 4 minutes in.

The only story I thought was decent and had merit was the one with the girl who kills herself and the guy who goes back inside and realizes all of it.

The movie was defunct of dialouge through out much of it... and the ZOMBIE song thing was laughable at best... the whole movie was really something to question movies in general.

Who green lights this crap and can I have an interview?

That would be Fangoria's own branch off studio.  Thus far, they've managed to corrupt the genre much like Dimension Films has done lately.

Great magazine, but they should let the actual studios and independent filmmakers do the filmmaking.