The Hills Run Red hits DVD September 29, 2009, and I think fans of modern and classic slasher films would be wise to check it out. David J. Schow (who's been a horror screenwriter since the late 80s having been involved with A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child and Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, so he's no stranger to slasher films) is one of the writers, and he brings his familiar horror movie sensibility to the movie in a way that's one part nostalgic, one part familiar and yet still one part fresh. (Schow is joined by writer John Dombrow who both co-wrote the screenplay from a story by producer John Carchietta.)

Tad Hilgenbrink plays Tyler, a young filmmaker who's become obsessed with an 80s horror film that never quite made it to the theaters. The Hills Run Red is the name of the horror film within this horror film (and there's a quick bit of bright dialogue acknowledging that, yes, this is also the name of a Western from the 1960s). Tyler ropes his best friend and girlfriend, Lalo and Serina played by Alex Wyndham and Janet Montgomery respectively, into joining him on his quest, and eventually, they find Alexa, who acted in The Hills Run Red when she was a little girl; now she's grown up and is working at a strip club. Sophie Monk plays Alexa, and she's one to watch in the film. In fact, these four leads all sold their roles believably, and I enjoyed watching the four of them delve deeper into the mystery of this mysterious horror film.

Their search brings them back to the film's original shooting locations, and along the way, we go through a few twists and turns before the final plot point spools onto the screen. There are some surprises I'd like to keep from spoiling; I found most of them to be quite effective.

Babyface is the slasher/subject of The Hills Have Red, both the film within the film and the film itself. He seems to be cut from the Jason Voorhees cloth - he's a hulking figure, stomping through the woods and wearing part of a babydoll's face as a mask. The character's back story is revealed in the opening credits through a creepy and grimy sequence that left me surprised.

Surprise is perhaps the theme of my review of The Hills Run Red. This is a straight-to-DVD offering, and it's a modern day slasher, so if I'm being completely honest, my hopes weren't very high. However, I found myself really enjoying this movie, and I know it's something I'll be going back to for repeat viewings. Director Dave Parker has crafted a movie that's well-conceived, well-paced, and as far as I'm concerned, should be well-received.

Blame the zombies or blame Cthulhu.  Whatever the reason, Brother D swapped two voicemails sent in to MOZ Central from the Don't Look in the Podcast crew, and played the wrong one yesterday.  Remember in Episode 087 when Brother D and Miss Bren refer to a review of Zone of the Dead?  Yeah, THIS is the ACTUAL review!  Enjoy the review (and a small Zombie Beat update!)

Something that hasn't happened in a long time here at Mail Order Zombie happens in this week's episode - you'll have to listen to the four movie reviews to find out what it is!  In order, Miss Bren and Brother D review the Jeff Heimbuch movie The Ties That Bind, a short zombie movie based on a Brian Keene short story.  Upcoming MOZ webmaster Chris Toohey brings us the first installment of his Couch of the Dead, in which he presents an informal review of the David Decoteau movie Ring of Darkness.  Brother D flies solo to review Blood of the Beast, a Georg Koszulinski-directed movie from 2003 featuring clones, zombies and the fall-out of World War III.  The big review this week is a review of the movie Zombieland; Brother D and Miss Bren were joined by Zombie Hunter Tony and Headshot Heather for this review and discussion of the upcoming theatrical release.  (And if you count the call-in from the Don't Look in the Podcast crew from Horror Realm in which they talk about the movie Zone of the Dead, that gives us a FIFTH review this week!)  We still need your answers for the current Zombie Aptitude Test, and in the Feedback Discussion, not only is listener feedback highlighted, but the winners to two contests are announced!  Of course, no episode would be complete without the week's select zombie news in the Zombie Beat.

Mail Order Zombie feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/MailOrderZombie

Mail Order Zombie forums - http://www.popsyndicate.com/forums/viewforum/86/

Email us at MailOrderZombie@gmail.com or call us at 206-202-2505!

Vote for us at Podcast Alley at http://tinyurl.com/mozvote/

Support the show at http://www.tinyurl.com/mozsupport/

Family Movie Night - http://blog.fmnpodcast.com/
Don't Look in the Podcast - http://www.dontlookinthepodcast.com

The Ties That Bind - http://www.thetiesthatbindmovie.com

Patrick Swayze in Zombieland - http://tinyurl.com/swayzeland
Zombieland 2 and DVD news - http://tinyurl.com/zland2
We Will Bury You comic written by Brea Grant - http://tinyurl.com/breaburyyou
Left 4 Dead 2 banned - http://tinyurl.com/l4d2ban
LOLCats and Zombie Apocalypse - http://tinyurl.com/lolzombie
12 gadgets to survive the apocalypse - http://tinyurl.com/12gadget
Tom Savini's Death Island - http://tinyurl.com/saviniisland
Zombie Ammo Targets - http://tinyurl.com/zombietargets
Paul McCartney, Woody Harrelson and zombies - http://tinyurl.com/woodypaul

(Various production music produced by Kevin MacLeod)

Episode 86 of Mail Order Zombie has not one, not two, but THREE zombie movie reviews!  Brother D reviews Eat Me! from director Katie Carman and O.C. Babes and the Slasher of Zombietown from director Creep Creepersin, and Aaron from the Zedword Zombie Blog brings us a near-exclusive review of Survival of the Dead!  Also, Trent Haaga, a writer/producer/actor whose movies have appeared on Mail Order Zombie six times since our launch, swings by for an interview in which he talks about his start with Troma, his time at Full Moon, writing Feeding the Masses and Deadgirl, as well as his experiences attending an Eastern European zombie walk.  The answers from last month's Zombie Aptitude Test are reviewed (and remember, we're still accepting answers for this month's ZAT as well!), and Miss Bren joins Brother D during the backhalf of the show for this week's Feedback Discussion.  Brother D rocks the Zombie Beat this week, but not without his MOZ news team Need-a-Nickname Scott and his wife Tracey picking out the best of this week's select zombie news.

Mail Order Zombie forums - http://www.popsyndicate.com/forums/viewforum/86/

Email us at MailOrderZombie@gmail.com or call us at 206-202-2505!

Vote for us at Podcast Alley at http://tinyurl.com/mozvote/

Support the show at http://www.tinyurl.com/mozsupport/

Eat Me! - http://www.coldhandsproductions.com/eatmefilm.html

Maelstrom: The Zombie Opera on DVD - http://zombieopera.net/Maelstrom_The_DVD.html

Zombie Encounter & Film Festival - http://tinyurl.com/sfsnnj
5 Popular Zombie Survival Tactics That Will Get You Killed - http://tinyurl.com/5killed
Night of the Living Dead: Origins in 3D - http://tinyurl.com/origins3d
Zombies wanted for paintball targets - http://tinyurl.com/targetzombies
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Deluxe Heirloom Edition - http://tinyurl.com/ppzdeluxe
RiffTrax: Plan 9 from Outer Space ENCORE - http://tinyurl.com/plan9encore
Ron Jeremy in Blood Moon Rising - http://tinyurl.com/rjbloodmoon
Zombies invade Firestorm Cafe and Books - http://tinyurl.com/firestormzombie
Firestorm Cafe and Books - http://www.firestormcafe.com/
Left 4 Dead 2 boycott leaders fly to Valve - http://tinyurl.com/l4d2boycott1
Left 4 Dead 2 boycott leaders visit Valve HQ - http://tinyurl.com/l4d2boycott2
The Wildclaw Theater sponsors Zombie Bowling II - http://tinyurl.com/wildclaw2
My Zombie Pin-up - http://www.myzombiepinup.com/

(Various production music produced by Kevin MacLeod)

Steve and Gord from the Bonebat Show have been great friends of Mail Order Zombie, and we're definitely looking forward for to their milestone 2nd Anniversary Show on September 20th!

We've gathered movie reviews, interviews and zombie news for Episode 85 of Mail Order Zombie, the only zombie and horror movie podcast based out of the Pacific Northwest!  Tempe Entertainment's The Brass Ring, directed by William Schotten, and Zombie Abomination: The Italian Zombie Movie Part 1, directed by Thomas Berdinski, are lined up for their Headshot reviews.  Brother D interviews Revenant Magazine's Geoff Bough, and Miss Bren chats with Eric S. Brown, author of Season of Rot and World War of the Dead.  We're still accepting answers for the current Zombie Aptitude Test, or ZAT (and last month's ZAT answers will be reviewed next week in Episode 86).  We had some very interesting questions posed, and Bren and D spend some time going over everyone's emails and voicemails in the Feedback Discussion in the backhalf of the episode.  And pay special attention to the Beat this week - there's a contest or two nestled amongst the week's select zombie news!

Mail Order Zombie forums - http://www.popsyndicate.com/forums/viewforum/86/

Email us at MailOrderZombie@gmail.com or call us at 206-202-2505!

Vote for us at Podcast Alley at http://tinyurl.com/mozvote/

Support the show at http://www.tinyurl.com/mozsupport/

Eric S. Brown - http://www.myspace.com/esbrown4

Zombie Abomination - The Italian Zombie Movie - http://italianzombiemovie.com/

George Romero on MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/OfficialGeorgeRomero

James Cheetham - http://www.myspace.com/jamescheetham
Horror Realm - http://www.horrorrealmcon.com/
Hollywood Horror Film Festival - http://hollywoodawards.com/horror.html

Will It Kill a Zombie? - http://www.zombiecommand.com/news/kill-zombie/
13 Most Bad Ass Zombie Killers - http://tinyurl.com/13badass
The 20 Weirdest Zombies Movies Ever Made - http://tinyurl.com/20weird
Resident Evil reboot? - http://tinyurl.com/rereboot
Injectable brain gel - http://tinyurl.com/brainfertilizer
Atlanta Zombie Symposium - http://tinyurl.com/atlzombie
Robert Kirkman talks about The Walking Dead on TV - http://tinyurl.com/kirkmantv
Fort Zombie announced - http://tinyurl.com/fortzombie
Dragon*Con Thriller record attempt - http://tinyurl.com/thrillerattempt

(Various production music produced by Kevin MacLeod)

The following are the entries from August's Zombie Aptitude Test Extra Credit contest. Please take the survey beneath the pics to help choose a winner! This survey will be open until September 21st, 2009. Good luck to all the entrants!

Marina, the Fire-Eating Mermaid I always make it a point to listen to it on my waterproof iPod while I drown dem sailors...	Clint K. I listen to Mail Order Zombie every week while working. I mow lawns commercially almost every day to help fund my filmmaking. It's kinda hard to tell what I'm doing in the pic because I had to take it myself, but it's me on my lawnmower.
Ghastly Guy Ghastly Guy relaxes on his roof while listening to the latest episode of Mail Order Zombies! While listening he basks in the nippy triple-digit rays of Texas summers and puts away a cold one. Not to mention, while on the roof he's out of the reach of Zombies; making head phones less dangerous!	Jeff M. I love to listen to the podcast at work. I am a Physical Therapist Assistant in a nursing home and the work can become quite stressful, not to mention depressing, sometimes. There's nothing better than putting on the earphones and sitting quietly at the computer to write my patient's notes and listen to you two and the rest of the family while I'm writing. Attached is a photo that I had a co-worker snap of me with some of my "equipment." Yes, those are artificial limbs that three of my patients let me borrow for the shot. Don't worry, the three of them aren't shambling around on one leg while I use their valuable prosthetics for my own pleasure! All three were in bed, resting quietly.
Coffeemug I listen to MOZ while working nights at a local outdoor shopping mall. Yeah, I know security is always the first to go in zombie movies, but here I am at day break.	Coffeemug's workplace
Slug Yes, it's me, Slug. Yes, I was in the shower. Yes, the water was on. Yes, I was only wearing my headphones. No, you can't see any nudity.	Slug (cont'd) Here is a before shower pic...you can see the showerhead.
Michelle M. My family and I went on a little trip this past weekend, and I did a lot of the driving. My iPod and MOZ kept me sane, laughing and awake; and also from driving off of the interstate! So, since you guys were a big part of my weekend, my husband took my picture listening to you in this "strange" place. I won't tell you where it is, but maybe you can figure it out once you take a look at the picture!	Third Coast Zed Well... from May until August of 2008 I enjoyed my MOZ while bombing down the highway on my motorcycle. In desperation, I took a job that was far enough from my shed that I could listen to the entire episode, stop for a quick coffee and still have a few nickels to go on the bike. It was a rough time, but every Friday morning's commute was made better by my MOZ fix. Only thing is, at the time, everyone's favorite living impaired was just beginning to make his presence known, and I would have to slow down from ludicrous speed so I could hear his call.
Zombie Farmer and Timmy I don't know about the coolest place to listen to the show but this might be the most unusual....I listen to MOZ while brushing Timmy's Teeth!	Headshot Heather Sometimes when work has got me stressed, I head up into the mountains for a little target practice & the melodious tones of Brother D & Miss Bren on the Mail Order Zombie podcast.

Click Here to take survey

The Post Script breaks format this week - instead of a book review, Miss Bren interviews Rhiannon Frater, author of the As the World Dies trilogy in this week's show.  Brother D brings in two more movie reviews when he casts his Headshot-delivering critical eyes at Clint Keller's Road to Oblivion and the "animagic" special Mad Monster Party.  Dr. J is back with a new installment of Med of the Dead, and because it's a new month, there's a new question-of-the-month with the Zombie Aptitude Test.  The Feedback Discussion holds down the backhalf of the show (where Wayne Kotke has a special brief message for Brother D), and the Zombie Beat brings in the beginning of the show with the week's selected zombie news courtesy of MOZ Cub Reporter Need-a-Nickname Scott and a special guest.

Mail Order Zombie forums - http://www.popsyndicate.com/forums/viewforum/86/

Email us at MailOrderZombie@gmail.com or call us at 206-202-2505!

Vote for us at Podcast Alley at http://tinyurl.com/mozvote/

Support the show at http://www.tinyurl.com/mozsupport/

Killer Keller Pictures - http://www.killerkeller.webs.com
TWSS Productions - http://www.twssproductions.webs.com

Rhiannon Frater - http://rhiannonfrater.blogspot.com/

Zombies demand healthcare - http://tinyurl.com/zedhealth
Steven Schlozman, zombie expert - http://tinyurl.com/Schlozman
Left 4 Dead 2 'Dark Carnival' campaign at PAX - http://tinyurl.com/l4d2carnival
Revenant: The Premiere Zombie Magazine, Issue #0 - http://www.revenantmagazine.com/Issuezero.htm
Robert R. Best, author of Lakewood Memorial - http://www.robertrbest.com
The real reasons Pittsburgh is the most livable city - http://tinyurl.com/zpittsburgh
Haunting Kira - http://www.hauntingkira.com/
Zombie Cop appears on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" - http://tinyurl.com/zcopCSI
Dead Air - http://www.deadair-movie.com/
The Walking Dead Google map - http://tinyurl.com/wdgmap
Zombies to attack Sherman Oaks wedding - http://tinyurl.com/zedwedding

(Various production music produced by Kevin MacLeod)

On Monday, August 31, Episode #105 of Dread Media hit the podosphere at http://www.dreadmedia.net.  In addition to some guy named Brian Keene appearing on that show, Brother D joins Desmond Reddick for Part Two of the Summer Knights wrap-up/roundtable!