Welcome back gentle readers. Well you got a dose of Indie Horror and to be honest, it wasn't bad. I am intrigued enough to delve further into John Bowker (Platoon of the Dead, Dreamwalkers, Beyond the Lost World: The Alien Conspiracy III, Housebound, The Seekers and Werewolf Tales) and as promised, there is a sequel. This is Abomination: The Evilmaker II a.k.a. Abomination.

I know, I know, there wasn't enough alternative titles this time around. This time around we catch up from the aftermath of the previous. Rachel (Felicia Pandolfi of The Evilmaker, Dreamwalkers, The Seekers and Bloodsucking Redneck Vampires) reached out with a psychic message (That old chestnut) to her sister Kathy (Kylene Wetherell of Dreamwalkers, Abomination: The Evilmaker II and Housebound), that it took her three days to get there? Were you crossing state lines or time zones, psi-sister? With a few flashbacks in sepia, we know this is images of the past.

Kathy seems to be picking up psychic resonance (vibrations or psychic energy residue of a paranormal activity) in and around the cabin. She is also exhibiting psychometry (The ability to discover facts about events and people by touching objects that were associated with them) as she makes her way into the cabin itself.

Remember, the girls were all here because Rachel thought Serena (Stephanie Beaton of Wicthcraft IX: Bitter Flesh, Zombie Gang Bangers, Witchcraft X: Mistress of the Craft, Monster in My Car, Eyes of the Werewolf, Witchcraft XI: Sisters in Blood and A Passion) had to get out after her divorce, so clearly girls' night or weekend in this case; the mini-van broke down and this was their only port of call.

Over 4 minutes of wandering around the cabin but there seems to be a lack of anything aside from flashbacks. No gore in sight. Kathy heads out to the culvert... of DooOoOOoOm!!

Rachel appears to axe Kathy a question and it was all just a horrible dream. Cue opening credits after 15 minutes in the film. Trying to make sense of her visions, Kathy confronts Mrs. Parker(Betty Griffith of The Evilmaker and Abomination: The Evilmaker II) who will have none of it and blames Rachel for everything. Goth girls: Bringers of Doom as you know.

Ex-Cop Charlie no longer pursuing the case that is months old, he still cannot believe what happened, let alone Kathy's visions. With a bit of Johnny on the Spot exposition we learn that Serena may have gone crackers and is shacked up in the local whacko basket.

Kathy will not be deterred and must find out what truly went on at that house.  Psychic Madam Vladmeria (Shannon Barksdale of Monster in the Garage, Dreamwalkers, Housebound, The Seekers and Bloodsucking Redneck Vampires) and friend Rebecca (Kelly Loux of Abomination: The Evilmaker II) thinks it's a bright idea to break into the cabin house and commune with the spirits. Yeah so you know this is going to go well.  Protection circle looks a little uneven, girls. Just an observation.

Kathy and Charles doing separate investigations as a body count starts building up as Rachel appears to be at the center of it all. Trapped between two realms as well as the paths of light and dark, perhaps Kathy is the only one that can save Rachel.

Upside to having full rights to your own material? Flashback candy, baybee!! Yes, this is handy for when you need to bring story, characters or simply move two stories closer together. Plus Bowker doesn't have to worry about greedy execs demanding more than what is due.

My final thoughts on this? While I really wanted to explore more with Stephanie Beaton's Serena, Kylene Wetherell's performance is sound, the story spirals into more supernatural happenings, the music is well-placed and the body count is as always with sequels higher. We have a decent ghost story in play and plenty to work with in spite of the budget.

Rather than rely heavily on gore gags, we have more camera angles, slight of hand and misdirection which builds better tension in my thinking.

That being said, I am almost wanting to own a copy of this just to re-render it but the pixels are just set too low. Methinks if they had a couple of 4K cameras it wouldn't be so bad. Again nothing wrong with the performances, story or continuation but this camera at such a low digital quality is killing my eyes.

Still my verdict stands, a follow-up to the previous and not too shabby at that. While it is a sequel, it really tries to explore beyond the previous and make its own way.

Howdy all. I'm back and want to explore Indie Horror once more. Now, now no need to run for the hills. After all, I am the one viewing this and not you. I found a name at random that sparked neurons in the old coconut. actor/writer/director John Bowker (directing: Dreamwalkers, Beyond the Lost World: The Alien Conspiracy III, Housebound, The Seekers and Werewolf Tales) and it donned on me. Platoon of the Dead.  Yeah that clearly we're college kids shooting with next to no budget, we have stormtrooper blasters and mix and match uniforms we got from Army surplus goodness??   Well he did direct and star in that but I found some Horror with his credentials and I wanted to see if he has the goods. This is The Evilmaker.

Now the promo page does look like it was cut with Windows Movie Maker or a decent budgeted porno but let's not be too quick to judge. With intro titles and music we get a tad more melodious and decent font for actors. 3 minutes of wind instruments, piano and credits is a bit long. Sorry I yawned a bit from that.

Our lead character is Serena (Stephanie Beaton of Wicthcraft IX: Bitter Flesh, Zombie Gang Bangers, Witchcraft X: Mistress of the Craft, Monster in My Car, Eyes of the Werewolf, Witchcraft XI: Sisters in Blood and A Passion) has barely escaped an insanely abusive relationship. No really, this guy makes Ike Turner and Mike Tyson seem calm by comparison. With a freak-out light show, a unearthly voice, blood spattered in the house, I'm thinking counseling is just not going to cut it. Was it all just a dream? Nope was three days later.

Cut to Serena hanging out with her friends after her break-up. Oh, now I see. That was eluding to events not yet transpired. Okay. Thought she was dating Ed Gein. No it turns out she just got divorced from an unhappy marriage.

 

Serena's mom, Mrs. Parker(Betty Griffith of The Evilmaker and Abomination: The Evilmaker II) is visted by spooky Goth girl Rachel (Felicia Pandolfi of The Evilmaker, Dreamwalkers, The Seekers and Bloodsucking Redneck Vampires) at the request of Serena. Don't worry, Mom. She just has bad poetry, the smell of clove cigarettes and far too many Sisters of Mercy and Cradle of Filth ablums. Besides Rachel is out during the day so we can almost rule out vampire. Unless she's a thousand years old or really good sunblock.

Rachel is getting Serena out of the house, boost her spirits and maybe give her a reason to live. An outing is really what she needs. They're off for a road trip and some time with friends. Snagging friends Tyler (Dori Schwartz of Monster in My Car, The Evilmaker and The Seekers) and Cindy (Arlene Henry of Monster in My Car, The Evilmaker and Abomination: The Evilmaker II) so it's a girls' weekend. Could hit a bar and scoop up some boys. Maybe just zone out on some films. Could invoke a cacophony of spirits from an book bound in human flesh and inked in human blood. Sky's the limit. What? It's Horror and that leaves a pantheon of scenarios that can and will happen.

Yes male sexist readers, there's nudity. God forbid you be here for the plot.

Naturally the minivan craps out so it's off the highway and on a near deserted gravel road. Yeah because those treks always pan out well.   Just walk back the highway, let Serena flash some leg at the vehicles, you'll be at a garage and tow in no time.  They dink with the Mystery Machine for a spell but none of them know if it threw a rod, if it needs oil or hell maybe a belt broke.

Serena hears a voice from nowhere calling her name and is reasonably creeped out by it, so off to hang with the girls in their time of crisis. Time lapse and clearly they are tired of waiting for a good samaritan. You'd think there would be a perv in a muscle car at least offering Serena and Rachel a ride in multiple meanings.

The girls hoof it for a spell when Rachel hears the voices. To be fair, they may just be in her head but I am thinking otherworldly. I'm be packing cold iron and salt for my next road trip. Maybe some silver as well. Voices from the culvert aside, they better make tracks before the sun dips down or travel will be even more difficult. None of them are packing water, flashlights or even an emergency road kit. Don't mock those kits by the way. They have at least some road flares. Magnesium burns is probably going to hurt a lot.

With a bit of walking, the girls find a cabin with plumbing, electricity and being the good girls they are, they just break-in. WHAT??!!!

Yup, enjoy their booze, sleep in their beds and have a bath or two. Um, I really hope the three bears come home and straighten them out. Stephanie Beaton and Felicia Pandolfi's performances really stand out and they are busting ass in scenes so yeah. Not bad at all.

Topping off at 97 minutes, there is room for improvement, sure but not a huge amount. Director may consider wireless mics for the actors to wear, blocking needs a bit of work and exterior shots do seem to last longer.

Overall with a limited budget, this is mostly location based and the abandoned house works well enough. Music score provided by Tim Brassfield sets good tone. The girls give off the vibe of being creeped out. I would say at least two cameras and a shotgun mic would help as well. Other than that, you got a creepy film that you let unfold and you might just enjoy it. Yes there is a sequel and yeah I just might review that as well.