Red Midnight (2005)

A star reporter named Karen Marks (Christine Bonfanti) and her boyfriend Eddie (Michael Bruni) hurry off to a place called the Red Midnight Theater to hear the ranting of a popular psychic (Patrick J. Egan). He probes into Karens psyche and tells three different stories which are a part of Karen's terrifying experiences too chilling to be kept a secret.

The first story is titled Anathema about a lonely widower named John Kitano (Roger Woo) who joins an intwernet dating service to get over his depression of his dead wife Anathema (Jasi Cotton Lanier). He goes on outings with women for one nighters and other types of events but however his wife's ghoast haunts his house still and wants him all to herself. She ends up killing the women he dates leading the police suspecting that he is responsible for the murders as he becomes hypnotised by Anathema herself.

The second story is titled The Creation of Dr. Grecoz about a disturbed doctor named William Grecoz (Hugh Daly) who has an obsessive love for his son Billy (Shawn-Caulin Young) and he tries to love him more and wanting him to be loved back but it backfires so he kills his wife and creates gory events leading to death.

The third chapter is titled Pilgrimage in an eternal city of Rome, a Satanic plot is about to happen in the city streets as a cult follower named the Master (Maurizo Rapotec) kidnaps a nun and other people for sacrifices. However, a tough FBI agent named Lt. Angelo Santana (Joe Zaso) tries to track down this maniac before all hell breaks loose but he has a dealdy secret of his own.

After the stories are told Karen tries to leave the theatre but her nightmares seem to catch up to her as the audience aren't who they seem to be.

A no budget horror anthology in the same vein as The Horror Seasons but with much better chapters and more enjoyable. I find this one to be Cinema Image Productions best work so far as it's an enjoyable ride almost all the way though.

My favourite is the first chapter Anathema with the hauntings as it almost makes you jump with the ghost appearing and attacking plus towards the ending of the film was quite clever too. It's also a good look at internet dating as alot of the people aren't who they seem to be which is true in the real world of that type of dating. Lots of fun touches throughout this chapter which should please most fans of underground independent horror films.

I found the second chapter The Creation of Dr. Grecoz extremely disturbing and emotional as it made me teary between the hateful relationship with the father and son as well as the pleading in which it looked like a horror version of a Greek tragedy. While watching this one the thought will stay in your mind for a while thinking to yourself "Why is this happening?". However, it's not as disturbing as the story was supposed to be due to a lack of the budgeting on it.

The third chapter Pilgrimage kicked ass and had the best picture quality ever. It was filmed in Italy too which alot of horror films are shot. The action in the film was excellent. There many good twists and mysterious moments too and it all comes together in the end of the film which is one of the best moments ever.
The film tried for a gothic type of appeal and it almost works too. It's very imaginative seeing a fallen angel disguised as an FBI doing deadly deeds when he needed to. Plus we spot zombies towaqrds the end which gives this chapter a perfect touch.

The acting is nailed down well for this no budgeter. In the wraparound story, Patrick J. Egan does well as a performer at a theatre introducing each of the tales showing a good focus on his character in the film and looking highly entertaining.

In the Anathema chapter Roger Woo seems to do okay with his part as a depressed lonely one showing a good seriousness to his part in the film. He does well being expressionless and emotionless towards the end as if he really was hypnotised and came across as truly intimidating.
Stephanie Roy did her best playing the sympathetic friend in the film and can just pass as a character actress. It was a bit hard to tell alot of the talents in the film due to the type of budget this was made on but yet she speaks her lines across clearly. Sometimes she needed improvement in the odd spots of the plot.
Jasi Cotton Lanier really brought alot of terror and energy to her performance as the ghost of the dead wife just ready to go whenever she did a scene. She was truly a good horror character actress in my books.
Michele Marie Traina showed a great outrageous bubbly attitude for her part ready to get it on with her date and had the perfect looks too. She knew her part inside out as you can tell bringing the most energy out of the whole cast.
Brianna Shaughnessy totally knew how to portray as someone who is very sketchy with being disturbed by her phone ringing and acting way too easy. Reminds you as one of those flakey types that you don't wanna date again.
Tara Magalski showed a good self centered type of person really acting snappy and not wanting to be there. She made her part truly believeable and knew how to make you uncomfortable by watching on how she performs she did it that well.

During the Creation of Dr. Grecoz, Hugh Daly really knew how to show his pleading emotions as a disturbed one in the film and made his part so good that you'd want to try and sympathise as to why he did the evil deed he did. He shows perfect characteritics on set. Plus he had the perfect looks and appeal for his role and I couldn't see anyone else portraying his part.
Shawn-Caulin Young as the son showed perfect aggressions and emotional attitude really acting gutsy with what he had to do in the story. He portrayed it very intensely. He showed a great growly voice when he expresses his anger too which gave the film a perfect touch to it.

In the final chapter titled Pilgrimage, Joe Zaso steals the anthology in his role as a fallen angel disguiseed as an FBI with a deadly secret as he showed a great tough attitude and cold speaking too. He brought what he had to do and it was like cicing on the cake. I'd find this one of his best performances ever on all the shows I've seen him in.
Giada Vadala knew her stuff as a blind Italian Nun showing a great nervous attitude on her behalf and really focusing well on her character. She made her part necessary to the horror story.
Maurizo Rapotec brought good energy to the set too as a wannabe cult leader preaching to Satan with a good strong voice and yet really knew how to act like a wimp when it comes to the lowdown. He had the right looks too for this part revealing himself and not looking like he's who he's cracked up to be.

There is a butt shot of Roger Wu's character walking naked in an apartment building during the Anathema chapter.
A nuns breasts are exposed in the Pilgrimage chapter performed by Giada Vadala.

There is a very gruesome chapter titled The Creation of Dr. Grecoz as a lady's eyes are plucked out as well as having a teens face scarred plus lots of blood.
Also in the Pilgrimage chapter there's flesh torn off the faces of corpses with maggots all over them and lots of blood.

The directing is by three different people for each chapter. Ray Schwetz directed the first one and does very well with the scenery going on with the ghost scenes and the other suspenseful moments.
There's many good takes with Richard Woo and Jasi Cotten Lanier showing lots of good haunting shots surrounding him like with him lying down sleeping and her crawling up on him and then he wakes up and she disappears.
There's a real stale dialogue between Woo and Stephanie Roy when she tries to encourage him to do internet dating in which the conversation doesn't look believeable at all. However there's a nice shot on Lanier looking over Roy and acting creepy like.
There's good camera shots panning in on Woo when he goes on the internet as well as showing the screen on the women spotted on the net.
Schwetz shows many good different takes on the supporting actress' Michelle Marie Traina, Briana Shaunessy and Tara Magalski having conversations with Woo while having their first date with him and spotting the different personalities on these three actresses which looks like a realisitci going on's on dating and not what it's cracked up to be. There's many great moments during this dating moment with Traina getting outrageous while she's eating which adds some nice humor to the story.
Next, there's nice blocking between Traina and Woo when they get lustful towardss one another at his house taking certain clothes off and then Woo breaking the moment with her having an attitude about which alos had good timing with Schwetz's direction.
There's a nice moment with Lanier rising up with a horror expression and killing Shaunessy with a computer monitor which looked very effective.
There's another great moment with Magalski in a house hallway walking to her room with Lanier storming out and pushing her to the ground as well as attacking her which looked truly intense.
There's a good dialogue between Peter Kim as a detective questioning Woo about some incidents on some deaths which looked quite good with close up shots on the two of them. However, sometimes the close up shots looked a bit out of synch.
Woo does well acting hypnotised walking inside the building with no clothes on as well as him showing an evil expression about to attack.

Brian Michael Finn for the second chapter was quite good directing the intensity between Hugh Daly and Shawn-Caulin Young as he knew how to make the scenario look upsetting between these two characters. There's lots of anger between the two of them as well as a good shot on Young holding Lindley Lee as the mother screaming intensely at Daly.
There's a good shot on Young pointing a gun but with the close up camera shot you can tell the gun is a toy.
There's a good tense moment with Daly in a room full of pictures with Young being disgusted with him and going into a rage at him.

The last chapter directed by Giovanni Pianigiani is the best by all means with the action and the twisted events. The black and white sequences were also well done.
There's a nice approach by Joe Zaso trying to find his way around Italy.
Zaso showed a perfect aggression asking for a room but however there's a moment when he gets physical towards supporting actor Riccardo Calvanese by hitting his head on the desk which looked a bit amaterish and could've been better directed. This film was on a tight budget which didn't help matters.
There's many good scene's involving supporting actress Giada Vadala as a blind nun praying at a church as well as finding her ways around along with good close up shots on her face when she's speaking.
Pianigiani shows a great camera shooting scene with both Vadala tied up looking nervous with Maurizo Rapotec doing his cult ceremony with her by opening her top with a knife and drawing blood on her. Good close up shots on that too.
There's a good misty shot on Zaso wearing a demonic mask.
There's a perfect close up shot on Zaso with his eyes red acting nasty with his hissing words towards Rapotec telling him that he is nothing and acting brutal towards him which looked very powerful. There's a reall strong dialogue between the two of them during this moment as Pianigiani really knew his stuff and making his direction a semi-gothic like type of fashion too.
Two thumbs up as I can't say anything else but watch it.

The music was composed by Function Zero as they have composed music for many other films by Cinema Image like Nikos and Machines of Love & Hate which some of their music was used in this one too. There's some good hissing sounds as well as drum beats trying to sound like heartbeats along with some cheesy synthesizer sad sounding music for the second chapter too.

Tanya: Are you looking at my boobs???

Sarah: You mean we aren't gonna fuck???