Wrong Side of the Tracks
Director – Dustin Ferguson (Angry Asian Murder Hornet, Ebola Rex)
Starring – Clint Beaver (5G Zombies, A Taste of Phobia), Lia Havlena (Conjuring Curse, Nemesis 5: The New Model), and Breana Mitchell (Night of the Clown, Meathook Massacre)
Release Date – 2017
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “Keep telling yourself – “it’s only a nightmare!”
There has been several horror films in recent years that has tried to capture that Halloween essence. Some succeed while others fail miserably. Movies like Trick r’ Treat, The Barn, 10/31, and The Witching Season do a fantastic job. A few years ago the horror film WNUF Halloween Special was released and horror fans ate it up. The movie was made to look like an old cable television special that had a dark twist.
This has spawned a few films attempting to capture that cable access vibe along with that Halloween spirit. Director Dustin Ferguson put together a triple feature called WXIP – TV Channel 6 After School Triple Feature. I wanted to check them out during my October horror binge and decided to order a copy. The first in the set is 2017’s Wrong Side of the Tracks.
**Spoiler alert** The film follows two teenagers who are going to a show in town. They want to score some pot before the show but are unable to track some down until they meet a young man. He tells them they have some at his house on the other side of the tracks and convinces them to follow him. Once there he reveals that he is part of a cult who needs a virgin’s blood to resurrect their master. However, one of them is able to escape and head home. **Spoiler Alert**
I was in a bit of a slump after watching Ferguson’s Angry Asian Murder Hornets but I pushed on and I’m glad I did. I really enjoyed this film and how he tried to capture that public access style of Halloween content. It’s not on the same level as the quintessential WNUF but it was still very entertaining.
The acting in this one is solid but it’s nothing memorable which is pretty genuine of the film’s it’s attempting to be like. In some of the scenes the cast blends into the background but the highlight is the cheesy and campy fake television ads. These really pulled me in and the narration was on point. The voice acting for these really did take me back.
The story for this one is simple enough and almost plays like one of those “scared straight” television specials telling teenagers not to talk to strangers. It works and with the film being as short as it is the story doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. The commercials scattered throughout works as well as a way to keep the story interesting while catering to that nostalgic look.
Finally, this is not a bloody flick. The whole “made for television” aspect is soaked through the entire production so we don’t really get the blood and gore most horror films would deliver. Overall, Wrong Side of the Tracks is a fun first time watch and something I can see myself spinning in October as I prepare for Halloween but it’s nowhere near as fun as something like WNUF and The Barn.
Runway Nightmare
Director – Dustin Ferguson (Ebola Rex, 5G Zombies)
Starring – Ronne Angel (Tales from the Grave, Axegrinder II), Clint Beaver (Amityville Clownhouse, Nemesis 5), and Dawna Lee Heising (House of Pain, The Woods)
Release Date – 2018
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “She thought she had escaped, but the worst was yet to come”
Halloween is just a week away so I’m diving as deep as I can into as many horror movies as I can. I’m trying to get movies I’ve never seen before that I’ve had in my collection for sometime but a few new additions are getting tossed in my player because I’m just too excited to see them. I recently received Dustin Ferguson’s WXIP – TV Channel 6 Triple Feature in with his Angry Asian Murder Hornets. After I spun through the first film, Wrong Side of the Tracks, I had to have more and took a dive into Runaway Nightmare.
**spoiler Alert** The film follows the young lady that escaped the cult in the first film who returns home. Her grandfather becomes a drunk and during one of his drinking binges he tries to fuck her. She runs away from home only to find herself confronted by the cult once again. **Spoiler Alert**
I really liked the look and atmosphere that Wrong Side of the Tracks was able to pull off. I was really excited to see Runaway Nightmares and it was able to replicate that while giving us a continuation of the original story.
The acting in this one is more of the same as the first one. The cast does a solid enough job but the performance is meant to mirror those local public access movies from the late 80s and they do a decent enough job of that. The story for this one is a quick pick up from where the first film left off. We follow the young woman who escapes only to find her way back in their arms again. This is a great send off to those Halloween safety tip videos while adding in the Satanic Panic that swept suburbia of that time. The commercial breaks are fun and add even more to that atmosphere.
Finally, this one again follows the made for television trope fairly close and doesn’t deliver the blood and gore that most horror movies do. Instead, this one is all about that late night cable aesthetics. Overall, Runaway Nightmare is a great follow up to the first film and really does a great job building that nostalgia factor that most millennials crave. Check it out.
Asylum of the Devil
Director – Dustin Ferguson (5G Zombies, Angry Asian Murder Hornets)
Rating – 1/5
A late night of movie watching and writing. I absolutely love watching horror movies late at night and I love it even more when it’s a movie I’ve never seen before. I recently decided to dive into The WXIP – TC Channel 6 Triple Feature from director Dustin Ferguson. The first two films, Wrong Side of the Tracks and Runaway Nightmare, were solid films which only fueled my excitement for the third film in the collection.
**spoiler Alert** The film follows a woman who awakens in an asylum with no recollection of how she got there. The nurses are cold to her at first and then she meets the evil doctor running the place and his sinister intentions with her are revealed. **Spoiler Alert**
I was hoping the charm of the first two films in this set rubbed off on the third but this final installment really misses it’s mark. Honestly, the movie feels incomplete and just tossed in at the last second to make this DVD feel like you are getting more bang for it’s buck. It’s worth the price for the first two films but this one should have been left off.
The acting in this is the only constant between this segment and the previous films. We get that awkward amateurish performances from the cast that really drives home that made for television tone the film is going for. The story for this one has a solid start to what could be a pretty solid horror film but after the story is introduced it very quickly falters into a chaotic mess. It is clearly evident that this segment was never properly finished and just added to this at the last minute.
Finally, if you want the red stuff then this collection is not for you. This film, like the other two, is not a showcase for blood and gore. Overall, Asylum of the Devil has an interesting premise but fails to follow up with it. The short just exists with no real purpose. Skip it.
