Hi-8 (Horror Independent 8)

Anthology films are kind of a gamble, sometimes the bad stories really drag a film down, other times, like Creepshow, VHS 2 and this film, the stories pretty much stand strong and create a solid whole. Hi-8 is a tribute to the low budget Horror genre, but it's so much more. I'm simply blown away by all the content and talent in this film, and even though it is micro-budget and low tech, it is high on imagination. It's simply an entertaining film that needs to be part of every fan's collection. Best segments belong to Marcus Koch, Ron Bonk and Todd Sheets, but all of them are fun and bring something fresh to the table. Kick back with some friends and some food and enjoy!!!

Recently got to see Hi 8 and I really enjoyed it. The whole VHS boom currently happening in fan circles escapes me in some ways. I do love the box art on those old VHS titles, but the quality is terrible and I cannot justify paying 80 dollars for an old tape that probably won't play much longer. Hi-8 was born out of a love for the time when VHS ruled the world, when distributors really needed product. So much that the majors and the minor studios could not keep up. So something strange happened... the fans got some cameras and started making films themselves! This resulted in the Shot On Video boom of the late 80s that lasted about 10 years before it all went to hell and VHS went the way of the Dinosaurs.

This anthology brings together some of the big names of the Shot On Video boom. It also brings in some newer guys who were inspired by the original Shot on Video directors. The end result is entertaining, though not 100% satisfying, with a few missed opportunities. Lets get the good out of the way first, the segments by Ron Bonk, Todd Sheets and Tim Ritter and all excellent no matter the format. Ron Bonk's segment had me laughing out loud, for all the right reasons, while still having some gory fun and a few scares. It plays with genre rules in a fun way, while staying true to them. Todd Sheets has been truly been making the most of his comeback. After a serious battle for his health, Todd has bounced back and his segment was the surprise of the whole film for me. Incredibly well made, with a riveting story crammed into 8 minutes or so. Out of everyone represented I can see perhaps the most artistic growth in this segment. It hits all the right buttons and seems like it could have been at home in Creepshow. Tim Ritter's segment is twisted, gory and the sleaziest of the 3. It tosses what we know about serial killer films on it's head and has a great time doing it. Not as over the top as Killing Spree, but it works hard to entertain. Just make sure the kiddies are in bed.

The segment by Brad Sykes is truly well made and intriguing until the last 5 minutes, and I have to admit, I got lost. I won't give any spoilers, but the end just did not make sense to me and failed to wrap up the story in a cohesive way. There's a segment by Tony Masiello that was inspired by the SOV films of yesterday, even using the names of directors like Sheets, Bookwalter, etc. I enjoyed it very much and you could tell Tony went to some effort to recreate the lighting and overall "vibe" of those early VHS movies. Donald Farmer has done better work than this but it is still amusing... I only wish that nagging girl would have gotten what she deserved. I had never heard much about Marcus Koch or Chris Seaver and their segments were very interesting to me for that reason.

Marcus has a group of people trapped in a garage during what I assume is some kind of alien outbreak or invasion or something and it would work a bit better with a stronger cast, but as it is, I enjoyed it for it's energy and the end is a riot. Chris Seaver created the one segment that I just didn't really grasp. While many in the audience laughed out loud, and one or two jokes even made me chuckle, the feeling I got was that it was a wasted effort. Not much story, it may have all been improvised, and the theme of rape for humor was lost on me and the friends I was with. It also was the least polished of the work on display, with bad sound and camera-work. maybe it was intentional, but it just didn't fit with the rest.

It's a bit uneven, like most anthologies made today, but I sure liked it a hell of a lot better than VHS, VHS 2 and that over-rated ABCs of Death mess. I recommend it for people feeling adventurous, for fans of the glory days of VHS gore and for people looking for a truly independent film experience that doesn't suck!

It's not everyday that you get a homage to the guys who pretty much invented DIY b movie filmmaker. So when I first heard that they were making an anthology featuring the likes of Tim Ritter, Todd Sheets, Donald Farmer, etc. I knew I had to give it a viewing sadly it took me nearly five years to finally give this thing a shot so here's each segment ranked from best to worst.

1. "The Tape" (Tony Masiello) - Without a doubt the best segment of the bunch, its pretty much a throwback to to the SOV days, with a video store employee finding a long lost SOV film. Fun with a nice and gory twist. It's really the only one that takes advantage of the video format.

2. "A Very Bad Situation" (Marcus Koch) - This one suffers from its two short run time, but, it's glorious use of practical effects towards the end makes it the second best of the bunch. Plus it also has Joel Wynkoop in it, so that helps.

3. "The Scout" (Brad Sykes) - Not really sure much about the story for this one, but, its helped by some really impressive gore at the end and the fact it takes place in the desert.

4. "Thicker Then Water" (Donald Farmer) - A really impressive effort from Donald Farmer, about a mans insane wife/gf who doesn't want to take the risk of his past gf getting in the way of there new relationship.

5. "The Request" (Todd Sheets) - This one seems to be the most dramatic of the bunch, I was sorta zoned out during most of it, but, it has a really nice twist.

6. "No Budget Films Presents..." (Brad Sykes) - The wraparound segment that plays between the actual eight segments, I'm not really sure what the point is for it, as nothing is really explained in it why any of it is happening, but, it has some nice effects towards the end.

7. "Switchblade Insane" (Tim Ritter) - Average tale of a husband/wife serial killer team, or is it? Has some nice gore going for it, but, that's sadly about it, a rather unimpressive effort from Tim Ritter.

8. "Gang Them Style" (Ron Bonk) - A throwback to 80s action films with a zombie twist, but, its sadly rather goofy and uninteresting. Played for obvious comedic effect.

9. "Genre Bending" (Chris Seaver) - It starts out somewhat interesting with a woman being stalked by a obviously strange and unbalanced man, but, it gets really stupid really fast and I just found no interest in it.

Of the eight segments including the wraparound the first two are the only ones that seem to get really ambitious with the concept and go for it, as for enjoyment the first five all together are worth the watch everything for six on done is just a waste of time. Overall, I'm glad to have finally gave this a watch, the final result is sadly a mixed bag, that I'm not for sure pays tribute to the bygone formats of VHS and Super 8 as it thinks it does, but, still some enjoyment to be found regardless.

The kings of Microbudget films join together in this rare Horror treat!! Hi-8 is an anthology type of film much like Creepshow, Tales From The Crypt and Deadtime Stories. Many times these types of films are short films thrown together with no real reason. Not the case here. Sure, it is still a bit uneven, but when you have 8 directors, technically 7 because Brad Sykes does double duty making a segment for the film AND the connecting story that goes between each story. I actually thought the connecting story was the weakest. It just didn't make sense or tie the other stories together in any way. I may have had some guys break into an old b=video store and find a bunch of old tapes, and the individual movies would have been the tapes they found, or something similar.

Quality of each film ranges from really good to passable. One is pretty terrible, but I think it was on purpose. Tim Ritter, Brad Sykes, Marcus Koch, Ron Bonk, Donald Farmer, Todd Sheets, Chris Seaver and Tony Masiello are the directors.

As for the stories, they were pretty much all over the place. I liked the diversity. I also liked the rules of Hi-8 shown at the end. Should have shown that at the start I think, it would have been fun to see how close each director followed the rules. It was great to see all the old school gore effects as well. No CGI at all. And I for one am very thankful.

Some standouts are "Gang Them Style" from director Ron Bonk. It's a funny story of a guy saving his Grandmother from the Undead. Tim Ritter keeps things gruesome with his "Switchblade Insane" segment. It follows Tim's formula of domestic darkness, this time though the husband and wife end up teaming up: The family that slays together stays together. Marcus Koch "A Very Bad Situation" seemed to have a blast with his segment featuring a pretty nifty monster and some good tension. Did I mention I am a sucker for rubber monsters? Todd Sheets "The Request" shocked me, creating what I think is probably the best looking segment technically, and showing restraint in his story of a late night DJ who gets some very strange phone calls. It got under my skin a bit and was probably the most professional looking story. Chris Seaver has a segment that is best described as over the top, more humor than Horror, but still ended up winning me over just for the tone and insanity of the whole thing. And Donald Farmer is here too! More domestic terror on tap, with a poor guy who is dating the worst excuse for a girlfriend in the world! There are some I am forgetting, but the whole thing really is a fun time. It's like a K-Tel Party Album from 1978 only better! I know they had a limited VHS release but it is out on DVD now and I found it at Amazon. Fans of creative, old school style Horror should check this out for sure!

A love-letter to the shot-on-video horror scene of the late 80s/early 90s, Hi-8 (Horror Independent 8) sees several pioneers of home-made horror teaming up with some of their modern-day counterparts to bring us a diverse anthology shot entirely on lo-fi, pre-HD formats; as such, it's similar in vein to recent horror talent showcases V/H/S and The ABCs of Death— only filmed on a much tighter budget. Although this lack of cash is evident throughout, a wealth of imagination and creativity ensures that this collection of the macabre, while varyingly wildly in quality and style, still manages to be a fair amount of fun as a whole, the enthusiasm and energy of the film-makers shining through each and every frame.

As is customary with such films, Hi-8 opens with a wraparound story (the appropriately named 'No Budget Films presents…'), which sees a pair of young film-makers, Travis (Paul K.) and Brett (Baker Chase), shooting their own horror video starring hottie Andrea (Danielle Nicole Rosario, looking fine in Lycra running gear); this is interspersed by eight gruesome 'shorts', each shot by a different director…

In 'Switchblade Insane', directed by Tim Ritter (Killing Spree), a loving housewife discovers her husband's dirty little secret and decides to join in with the fun. But is everything as it really seems? This sleazy, gory tale quickly sets the demented tone for the whole project, offering up plenty of blood, some gratuitous nudity, and a delightfully deviant twist.

'A Very Bad Situation', by Marcus Koch (100 Tears), sees a shower of meteorites falling to Earth, turning people into hideous creatures. A claustrophobic, paranoia-laced tale with decent performances and topped off with a wonderfully yucky transformation scene, this is one of my favourites of the whole bunch.

'The Tape', the directorial debut of visual effects artist Tony Masiello, has VHS collector Tim (Travis Hoecker) uncover a rare SOV horror obscurity entitled 'Bloodgasm'; becoming obsessed by the gory, no-budget tape, he and his girlfriend set out to meet the maker of the splattery flick, but get more than they bargain for. I enjoyed this one for the gruesome, snuff-style, giblet-fondling effects seen in 'Bloodgasm', but the ending of the story isn't as strong as I would have liked.

'Gang Them Style', directed by Ron Bonk (City of the Vampires), is a tongue-in-cheek homage to numerous cult movies that sees Snake Plissken-wannabe RJ "Mongoose" MacReady (Wes Reid) attempting to save his grandmother and her OAP pals during a zombie outbreak. With lots of references to classic horrors and plenty of gut-munching, this is very silly and lots of fun.

'Genre Bending' by Chris Seaver (Mulva: Zombie Ass Kicker!, Terror at Blood Fart Lake) is definitely the strangest segment, a 'WTF?' tale of stalking and rape-reversal that defies adequate description. Worth watching for the leering weirdo who simply wants to know the time.

In 'The Request', by Todd Sheets (the Zombie Bloodbath trilogy), all-night DJ Magic Matt West (Brad Westmar) receives strange phone calls, apparently from his dead lover Lillian. Is it simply a cruel prank, or does Lillian really have a special request for her ex? With a solid central performance from Westmar, and oodles of atmosphere, this one looks set to be one of the best, but is let down somewhat by its rushed Creepshow-style/EC-inspired ending.

'Thicker Than Water', from Donald Farmer (Cannibal Hookers), sees Ted (Mike Malloy) finding out just how insanely insecure his current partner Emily (Alaine Huntington) is when she reveals that she has his ex-girlfriend Lauren (Vanessa Nocera) tied to a chair in the garage. It's a rather routine tale of torture that benefits from a strong psychotic turn by Huntington.

The last tale is 'The Scout', helmed by Brad Sykes (who also directs the wraparound story), which stars Mark Sadr and Alexis Codding as low-budget film-maker Adrian and aspiring actress Madison, who break down in the desert while scouting for locations. After an argument, Madison storms off, but returns later to find Adrian missing. Finding his video camera, she watches the recording, with shocking results. This tale lacks logic, but with Codding looking great in a tight vest and shorts, who cares?

A mixed bunch, to be sure, but there's more than enough enjoyment to be had for those who, like me, are suckers for independent horror and horror anthologies in general.