Customer Reviews

Decrepit Crypt of Nightmares 50 Movie Pack

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

MAXIM MEDIA's "Pendulum Pictures" horror films are distributed exclusively by MILL CREEK ENTERTAINMENT. These movies are a throwback to the early '60s type of drive-in theater gorefests that were once popular with teens. If you're looking for big-budget state of the art special effects and top rank actors this series may not be right for you. Fans of murder, mayhem and maniacs will not be disappointed by this up-to-date collection, however.

To see where it all began, check out 50 MOVIE PACK: DRIVE-IN MOVIE CLASSICS from MILL CREEK ENTERTAINMENT. Many of the original slasher movies are here, in full grossed-out color!

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The alphabetized program list below includes 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings, original theatrical names (where applicable) year of release and principal actors for each title.

(2.8) Before I Die (2003) - Brock Richards/David Lee/M. Catherine Holseybrook
(3.3) The Bewitching (2006) - Beverly Lynne/Tezz Vancey/Steve Reaser
(5.8) Blood Sucking Babes from Burbank (2007) - Heidi Brucker/Danilo Mancinelli/Mira Rayson
(???) Burning Dead (2004) - D. Vincent Ashby/Cindy Pain/Brian Canada
(3.4) A Candle In The Dark (2002) - Alexandra Ackerman/Shelby Barendrick/Trish Christensen
(2.4) Catholic Ghoulgirls (2005) - Mark Brown/Ally Melling/James Hudnall
(???) The Crate (2005) - (no actor data) College students and a crate of evil
(3.5) The Crawlspace (2006) - Jason Hastings/Julian Peck/Chris Schwartz
(???) Dead 7 (2002) - Courtney Burr/Janet Tracy Keijser/Tanya Dempsey
(1.9) Dead Body Man (2004) - Eddie Benevich/Desiree/Peter Blessel
(2.6) Dead is Dead (1992) - Mike Stanley/Connie Cocquyt/Rob Binge
(3.0) The Dead Live (2006) - Tom Hughes Jr./Mike Jones/Emily Hughes
(???) Demon Slaughter (2004) - Adam Berasi/Vic Badger/Peter Blessel
(2.4) Dominion (1992) - Carol Barta/Frank Dunlay/Auggi Alvarez
(2.0) Edgar Allan Poe's Madhouse ("Madhouse") (1991) - (no actor data) Three Poe-inspired short stories
(1.9) Goblin (1993) - Jenny Admire/Kim Alber/Dana Cheney
(3.1) Goth (2003) - Phoebe Dollar/Laura Reilly/Dave Stann
(2.2) Hellbound: Book Of The Dead ("Cadaver Baby") (2003) - Jeff Dylan Graham/Elizabeth North
(2.5) Hell's Highway (2002) - Phoebe Dollar/Kiren David/Jonathan Gray
(???) High Desert (1993) - Edward B. Glinski/Tyleen Roberts/Ron Jason
(1.0) Hip Hop Locos (2001) - Unodoz/J10/Jose E/Richard Sanders
(5.1) Hollywood Vampyr (2002) - Trevor Goddard/Nora Zimmett/Jeff Marchelletta
(???) I Dream of Dracula (2003) - Michellina Shafranski/Jae Mosc/Maria Bolaris
(4.3) I Hate You (2004) - Marvin W. Schwartz/Bill Santiago/Paul Rusanowsky
(3.0) Invitation (2003) - Ryann Davey/Brad Etheridge/Rick Kunzi
(2.3) Las Vegas Blood Bath (1989) - Ari Levin/Rebecca Gandara/Barbara Bell
(3.4) Matthew ("Scream Bloody Murder") (1973) - Fred Holbert/Leigh Mitchell/Robert Knox
(4.6) Mayhem Motel (2001) - Matthew Biancaniello/Lorene Scafaria/Sara Berkowitz
(2.2) Nightmare Asylum (1992) - Lori Hassle/Matt Lewis/J.T. Taube
(3.2) Off The Beaten Path (2004) - Todd Hansen/Carrie Sizemore/Jessie Welsch
(1.8) Prehistoric Bimbos in Armageddon City (1991) - Holly Starr/Stephanie Malone/Jenny Admire
(3.1) The River: Legend Of La Llorona (2006) - Ronnie Alvarez/Joel Bryant
(???) Scarlet Fry's Junkfood Horrorfest (?) Six short stories hosted by Scarlet Fry
(2.8) Serial Killer (2002) - Adam Berasi/Vic Badger/Pamela Sutch
(4.7) The Shunned House (Italy-2003) - Emanuele Cerman/Michael Segal (in support)
(2.7) Slasher ("Blood Cult") (1985) - Juli Andelman/Charles Ellis/James Vance
(3.4) Suburban Sasquatch (2004) - Bill Usher/Sue Lynn Sanchez/Juan Fernandez
(6.4) The Summer of the Massacre (2006) - Michael Baughan/David Hood/Jeannette James
(3.0) Tales of Terror ("Dr. Shock's Tales of Terror") (2003) - Kristen Brochetti/Mark Newman/Mark Standriff
(2.2) Terror Toons (2002) - Beverly Lynn/Lizzy Borden/Kerry Liu
(2.8) Thirteen ("City In Panic" (1986) - David Adamson/Lee Ann Nestegard/Ed Chester
(2.4) This Darkness ("This Darkness: The Vampire Virus") (2003) - David Everritt/Jenevieve Frank/Dylan O'Leary
(3.1) Toe Tags (2003) - Darla Enlow/Marc Page/Larry Scott
(4.1) Up For Rent (2006) - Sharon Savene/Shania Patricia/Daniel Cohn
(???) Vampire Hunter (2004) - Sean Gallimore
(???) The Veil (2005) - Michael Himsworth/John Chance/Richard Chance
(5.1) When Heaven Comes Down (2002) - Emily Albright/Robert Z'Dar/Dominica Wasilewska
(???) Wishbone (?) - Tiffany Lancia/Joe Palumbo/Melody Bielawski
(1.9) The Witching (1993) - Auggi Alvarez/Mike Hellman/Frank Dunlay
(2.0) Zombie Rampage (1989) - Erin Kehr/Dave Byerly/Stanna Bippus

I am a extreme fan of horror. I can usually find something worthy in even the worst low budget B&C grade campy horror movies. However this collection of 50 movies is absolutely without question the biggest waste of money I have ever spent. Every single movie in this set is a complete WASTE time, and each gets an F-. You will only sample the first 10 to 15 minutes of each movie before you shut them off; yes, they are that bad.

The video transfer is absolutely terrible (a VHS Cassette played 100,000 times has better picture quality than these DVD's), the audio is bad, the acting is beyond unbearable, and the stories are less than laughable.

I absolutely guarantee that anyone who has given this set above 1 STAR works for Pendulum Pictures or is some how affiliated with this Company; this set is not worthy the 1 star I have given it. I only take the time to write this review to prevent others from being COMPLETELY RIPPED OFF!

The acting is horrible. The special effects are cheesy. The music is grating. But these films have heart. These filmmakers did not have huge Hollywood budgets, but they had a sense of fun. They remind me of the days when there was no "You Tube" or Blockbuster. Back when the way to watch movies at home was to go to the "mom-and-pop" video store, we used to rent "silver label videos". These videos were cheaply made horror films that were independently produced and printed with silver labels with red print. We used to go to different stores just to find different silver label videos. We used to have silve label video parties where we would watch these cheap, cheesy movies instead of the high budget Hollywood films and, despite the terrible production values, we had fun. These movies remind me of the days of VHS and BETA and the old mom-and-pop video stores with stacks of obscure "silver label" videos. This collection provides for many silver label video parties. It really brings back memories of the 1980s and the early days of video. I believe many of these filmmakers grew up watching silver label videos like "Creeptales" (Available on other sets like this) and they enjoyed just having fun with these videos. Enjoy and hearken back to 1980s cheese done in 21st Century style.

It's hard to believe that so many people bought this dvd that have no interest in independent horror movies, just to run on here and complain about the acting and sound...lol. Anyway, for those who have attended an indie film festival or are lucky to have indie theatres in your area, this is like 5 festivals in one collection for less than the price for two people to go see another remake of Texas Chain Saw Massacre or Halloween or whatever else Hollywood has decided to remake for the umpteenth time. If you're looking for something different, you got it in this collection.

I would say there are 10 really good films in this collection that most people would enjoy. They follow the Hollywood pattern you're familiar with and we know pretty well. I mean, I see a movie like Matthew, Dead 7, or Invitation and I consider I have got my money back. But I will say that the complaints of others are not totally off base. Some of the movies are really shamefully put together and i would have liked for Pendulum to have just left them out of the collection altogether because they were an embarassment to the other well made films, but in my opinion, there are only 4-5 that meet that description. The fun part is going through them all and finding what you like. Hell's Highway and Goth are two good ones that come to mind that were a lot of fun to watch.

Cautionary note: Some of the films in this collection show graphic scenes of violence, especially serial murderers torturing women. There are also scenes of suicide which are shocking and graphic. I only mention this because I don't believe young children should be exposed to these images.

Overall, the collection was much. much better than expected. By reading the negative reviews here, I thought these are going to be totally unwatchable movies. I found the majority of them to be very entertaining. I have several Tromadance dvds that can't come close the films that are in this collection. For those tired of the same old same old, I think this collection provides you with a nice look at alternative cinema at an affordable price.

ONE OF THE FILMS ON THIS BOX SET CALLED SCARLET FRYS JUNKFOOD HORRORFEST, FEATURES CALICO COOPER (ALICE COOPERS DAUGHTER) IS WORTH THE PRICE ALONE, THESE INDIE FILMS HAVE HEART, PLENTY OF GORE AND LAUGHS WORTH CHECKING OUT.

(Your mileage may vary...) I liked these independently made flicks. But I can understand how they might not be for the regular consumer of mass media. So buyer beware....

Watching these movies reminded me of a book I read earlier this year; "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor" by Bruce Campbell. It's in part an autobiographical account of how he and his buddies (such as Sam Raimi and his brother) made similar independent films in their youth - such as the "Evil Dead" series of movies. It's clear from reading this book that making such independent fare is hard work and in no small degree something that they put their heart into. The same I imagine was true for the people who created the films in this set and the "Catacomb of Creepshows 50 Movie Pack" (I bought both).

I noticed that several of the other reviewers made comments along the lines of - "I could do this" or "My kid could make this".... My suggestion if that is true; get your stuff together and go for it! Who knows - maybe someday we will seeing a major blockbuster you made.

Have had some decent luck with these multi-pack movies, but this particular selection was so full of low budget(no-budget?) movies, poor acting, terrible scripts, etc.

Yes, there are some very bad (as in awful) 1-2 star movies in this collection. A few, like SUBURBAN SASQUATCH and NIGHTMARE ASYLUM are nearly unwatchable. However, there are quite a few 3-5 star movies as well. I will list the 4 and 5 star movies only, as they are my favorites. <<< (4 star) >>> SERIAL KILLER- A sick, disturbing tale w/ a twist ending. THE CRAWLSPACE- A SAW clone w/ a killer called "the Director" tormenting his victims. HIGH DESERT- Psycho-biker, Frank kills without mercy, then gets what he deserves. WHEN HEAVEN COMES DOWN- Serial killer known as "the Savior" sends many to the afterlife. MATTHEW (aka: SCREAM BLOODY MURDER)- 1970s gore classic about a maniac dispatching everyone he meets! SLASHER- Decent story about a killer who leaves a gold medallion calling card. Unfortunately, the sound conks out 2 thirds through! WISHBONE- A hideous knick-knack grants wishes at a terrible price. Many deaths! THIRTEEN- Serial murders w/ an AIDS connection. <<< (And now, the 5 star) >>> HELL'S HIGHWAY- Lucinda, the seemingly unstoppable hitch-hiker / killer on a rampage! HELLBOUND- A woman attempts to bring her sister back from the grave. Bad idea! THE VEIL- A 156 min. zombie epic! Great stuff, especially the giant zombie encounter. INVITATION- A group of childhood friends are reunited as adults. Death ensues! TERROR TOONS- The madcap adventures of Dr. Carnage and his go-rilla cohort, Max Assassin. Bloody, ridiculous fun! DEAD 7- Meth dealers dump a dead body down a mine shaft, only to be stalked and killed! DR. SHOCK'S TALES OF TERROR- 4-story anthology, complete w/ daffy host! THE SHUNNED HOUSE- 3 H.P. Lovecraft tales combined into one twisted film. Awesome! I HATE YOU- Serial-killing stand-up comic sets out for fame and fortune (includes trailers and alt. endings!). SUMMER OF THE MASSACRE- Sort of a british TCM, w/ a gibbering killer named "Hammerhead" causing havoc! UP FOR RENT- 3-story anthology w/ necrophelia, a nerdy killer, and humor. GOTH- A girl named GOTH shows two wanna-be's what true darkness is all about. My personal favorite. These movies make this collection a bargain...

This is probably the worst DVD BOX SET I have ever purchased....And I am enjoying every minute of it. Although I did not get the full version of this set (due to a Millcreek production error, one that forgot to include Disc 1 of the set), I got it cheap enough to enjoy the contents without many complaints. But there are a few.

For starters if you are a fan of YouTube or internet videos, then you will like this set. If you are not, do not waste your money. If you do not like seeing really fat and ugly girls naked, do not waste your money. If you do not like Ron Jeremy, do not waste your money. The only reason for the last comment is because of the film "Hells Highway." IT was hillarious to watch Ron get his "Special member" chopped off. That scene alone was worth the $10.00 I spent on this set.

These aren't Hollywood type horror films, this is underground stuff. If that's your cup of tea you will dig this, if it's not you won't. I liked the majority of the films on this box set. I also own the "Tomb of Terrors" set. When I bought this I went in with an open mind and I wasn't disappointed.