Pick of the Week: WHO TOOK JOHNNY (2014)

I first heard about the disappearance of Johnny Gosch on a podcast a couple of years ago.  What caught me about it was that it was relatively unknown for me, so I didn't feel like I was hearing about something that had been rehashed over and over on other platforms, and because this case is like a cornucopia of conspiracy, police ineptitude, multiple missing children, and just general mystery.

Currently on Netflix, Who Took Johnny (2014) delves into the (now) 34 year old missing persons case of 12 year old Johnny Gosch .  The documentary's focus is Johnny's mother, Noreen, who has spent the last three decades trying to uncover what happened to her son.

I don't want to give a whole lot about the film away for you readers who haven't heard anything about the case, but I highly recommend this one.  Especially if you have an affinity for conspiracies and true crime.  It's equal parts crazy and heartbreaking because at the end of the day, a boy went missing and no one knows who is at fault.  Families were destroyed and to make it worse, Johnny's disappearance wasn't the only one that occurred in that area around that time (which is briefly covered during the documentary).  That's where the film starts to take a turn into sketch-land.

Disappearance and conspiracies aside, the film reveals how poorly the police handled the disappearance.  Whether it was unwillingness or inexperience, the Des Moines PD dropped the ball in the first hours of Johnny's disappearance (and for a long time afterwards), and it's very evident.  It's not hard to become a little mad and ultra-suspicious of what exactly happened in this whole tale.

Johnny Gosch Wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Gosch

There it is.  My pick of the week!  Give it a watch and come back and let me now your thoughts in the comments.  Or find me on Twitter: @TheStaceyBeth

Come back every Friday for my next PotW!

Horror Huddle with Stacey-Beth & Ash: Spirit in the Woods (2014)

(We apologize for the lack of current HH episodes- we've had some technological issues the last couple of weeks but we'll be back ASAP with new videos for y'all!)

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On this episode, we talk about 2014's "Spirit In The Woods".  You've probably never heard of it, and that's a good thing.  We don't mince words- this movie blows.  Watch us talk about how much.
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SYNOPSIS: "The fate of five local college students who went missing in the infamous Spiritual Woods is finally unraveled as previously unreleased footage is made public for the first time. Long thought to be dead, the truth turns out to be much worse."

Enjoy and leave some feedback!

Find us on Instagram: staceybethh || e.txcountryboy

Stomping Ground (2014)

Running Time: 1hr 20min

Release Date: March 8, 2016 (DVD & VOD)

Review by: Adam

 

Most of us have been there.  You’re meeting your partners’ family and friends for the first time; you’re nervous, skeptical, even worried.  Now toss in Bigfoot and you’ve got Dan Riesser and Andrew Genser’s “Stomping Ground.”  Ben (John Bobeck) and Annie (Tarah DeSpain) leave Chicago to spend Thanksgiving in Annie’s old hometown, bringing their relationship up the next level.  Quick to find out that his girlfriend might not be the person he thought he knew, “Big City” Ben learns of Annie’s drinking and partying ways and her love of Bigfoot hunting with Paul (Jeramy Blackford) and Jed (Justin Giddings).  Immediate tension grows between Paul and Ben over Annie, and drunken plans turn into reality as the group loads up the next morning to take “Big City” onto his first Bigfoot hunt.

You can learn a lot about a person by talking to the people they grew up with, and even more about yourself with how you handle it.  “Stomping Ground” takes you on that awkward journey of insecurity when dealing with your partner’s past, your future, and, oh, did I mention a SASQUATCH?!?  Co-writer and director Riesser takes a thriller and a rom-com and adds a splash of creature feature to make one of the more enjoyable Bigfoot stories I’ve seen in a while (“Harry and the Hendersons” and the “Jack Link’s” commercials are the only other ones on that list).  The players and the pacing all play their parts fantastically against the gorgeous backdrop of the woods of North Carolina, and I love being so invested into the characters that I almost forget where the story is heading.

“Stomping Ground” is a love story built on the back of a smelly, furry, Bigfoot.  Maybe it’s time to go on our own Sasquatch Safari.   

4/5

Check out the trailer below!

Out on DVD and VOD on March 8th!

Lyle (2014)

Running Time: 65 minutes

Release Date: July 12, 2014

Review by: Stacey

Usually if a movie mirrors too much of an earlier film and isn't a remake, we're gonna have some problems.  That would be said about director Stewart Thorndike's Lyle if it wasn't so damn good.  What we got was a modernized take on Rosemary's Baby without it feeling like a total rip-off.

Cruel & Unusual (2014)

Running Time: 95 minutes

Release Date: April 5, 2014 (Taiwan)

Review by: Stacey

 

If you've seen this before you're probably thinking "what the heck, SB, this isn't a horror movie"- and you're totally right, it's not, but the shit these characters had to go through was pretty damn scary.  And I can do whatever the heck I want on my blog. YEAH.  Canadian thriller, Cruel & Unusual, is like a weird mashup of Carnival of Souls and Groundhog Day that takes an interesting turn by the final scene of the film.

Killer Mermaid (2014)

Running Time: 94 minutes

Release Date: May 1, 2014 (Serbia)

Review by: Stacey

 

Killer Mermaid aka Nymph aka Mamula- whatever the hell you want to call it, clearly SCREAMS SyFy Original.  The title (because Americans needs shit spoon fed to them), the tagline, the cover art...it makes me sad.  Let me just tell y'all right now, don't let the name fool you, the film isn't exactly what you think it is.

Video Review: Exists (2014)

Chris and I join together again on my new, spacious patio in the damn Hill Country of Texas to review Bigfoot flick, Exists!

Feel free to leave comments telling us how much we suck or rule.  Or if there's a movie you'd like to see us review!  

Also, don't forget to sign up on the right hand side of the page with your e-mail to receive updates whenever a new post goes up!

Watch and enjoy!

 

 

A Good Marriage (2014)

Running Time: 102 minutes

Release Date: October 3, 2014

Review by: Stacey

Okay, this movie isn't exactly "horror" but over here at To Avoid Fainting, I love any and all forms of dark films, and since this one is based on Stephen King's novella of the same name, I couldn't pass it up.  I'm going to assume that most of you know that there have been many adaptations of King's work- some great (Carrie and The Mist) and some not great at all (Thinner and Desperation).  Where A Good Marriage falls is right on the cusp of the latter.

The Hunted (2014)

Running Time: 89 minutes

Release Date: Oct. 10, 2013 (Screamfest) and Sept. 9, 2014 (VOD & DVD)

Review by: Stacey

Looks like we're back on the found footage trail this week with Josh Stewart's (The Collector, The Collection) directorial debut film, The Hunted.  I ain't even gonna lie, I love me some Josh Stewart, so naturally I was pretty excited to hear he had written/directed and would be starring in a new horror film.  I'm not even going to go over the "found footage" debate because I already discussed that in my last post for The Houses October Built.  I will say that while The Hunted suffers a few pitfalls of the genre and some of the mistakes that usually come with first-time directors, this film had more good than bad.

The Houses October Built (2014)

Running Time: 91 minutes

Release Date: October 10, 2014

Review by: Stacey

I'm one of the few that actually enjoys a good found footage film (see: GOOD) and I'll get down on any film that is centered around the Halloween holiday itself.  After much internet buzz, my old man and I decided to sit our asses down and rent The Houses October Built, not to be confused by the documentary bearing the same title by the same director.  By the end credits, we were more disappointed than spooked.

Tusk (2014)

Running Time: 102 minutes

Release Date: Sept. 6, 2014 (TIFF) & Sept. 19, 2014 (US theatrical release)

 Review by: Stacey

Let me start this review off by saying that I've never loved or hated Kevin Smith and his numerous film projects (with the exception of Clerks and Clerks 2).  I barely watched Red State last month, which I had heard was his contribution to the horror genre when it fact it was not horror at all, a lot of people hated it and it wasn't that good.  Except for Michael Parks.  So, when I heard that Smith would be making a film based off a weed-riddled conversation they had on one of his many podcasts revolving around a man being turned into a walrus and starring Michael Parks, I was like "FUCK YEAH."

What we got was an eye-opening look into WTFworld.  

Blood Glacier (2013)

Running Time: 98 minutes

Release Date: September 6, 2013 (TIFF) & May 2, 2014 (US limited release)

Review by: Stacey

Blood Glacier.  The name alone reeks of cheesy B-grade horror.  I've been hearing the name float around in the horror community the last few weeks but surprisingly, didn't hear many reviews on it.  I imagined it was a movie about a killer glacier so I tried to distance myself as much as possible from it.  Then I saw it was put up on Netflix and decided to bite that bullet and sit down for a watch.  Wait, researchers (in a desolate, cold wasteland known as the Austrian Alps, fighting off otherworldly monsters that use humans or anything it lands on, really, as incubators?  Wait a minute...did John Carpenter make this?