DVD Review: Side Sho

Oh, those damn carnies! Can't they ever catch a break? Why is it that roadside attractions are always the setting for murder, mayhem and monstrosities in the movies? No wonder they no longer decorate the landscape any more. We've been hoodwinked and hornswaggled into believing we'll die if we visit one!

Anyway, here we have the latest side show horror film called creatively enough, Side Sho. For a minute there, I thought this was another one of Full Moon's "urban horror movies." But nothing of the like! I admit that as the film started, I had my doubts. But after about a half an hour, I was glad that I stuck around for the ride. Side Sho actually wound up being a decent little film. Not perfect and not great by no stretch of the imagination, but more than entertaining enough. The story follows a family, led by a photobug father who just has to take pictures of every roadside attraction he can find. Unfortunately, when he stops by this side show, he gets more than he bargained for, including a forest full of inbred ex-cons, a dog-boy and a handful of freaks. Oh yeah, and I did chuckle at the Evil Dead homage. Darn tootin', this here Side Sho wasn't half bad! I give it *** out of *****, fo sho!

DVD Review: The Lodge

Now, I don't know about you, but when I rent a gorgeous lodge for the weekend in a remote area, the last thing I feel comfortable with is having the lodge's owner hanging around the entire time. And I certainly wouldn't share a smoke with him and tell him how I just got some "afternoon delight" from my hottie girlfriend a mere 25 minutes after meeting him. Not only that, but the duchebag in question here also goes on to tell the creepy caretaker how his girl is an animal in bed. Hmmm, do you see anything wrong with that picture?

Despite the ridiculous dialogue and contrived attempts at creating an atmosphere of dread, The Lodge is not ALL that bad. Hell, I at least finished it! Although that may have more to do with the gorgeous scenery that was interspersed throughout the movie than with actually being interested in the plot. You know it's a tough sell when you turn to your wife and say, "Look at that beautiful brook," in the middle of a horror movie. As a matter of fact, regardless of how bad things got for the two main characters in the film, I kept saying to myself, "I would love to live there!" I guess that goes to show just how scary The Lodge is. The Lodge opens its doors to ** out of *****.