ALLELUIA! THE DEVIL'S CARNIVAL [2015]

Director Darren Lynn Bousman returns to the colorfully outlandish horror-musical world of The Devil's Carnival in Alleluia!
The original film followed three closely connected stories, whereas this one mostly focuses on Lucifer himself looking to start a full-out war with the big prick above and his angelic cronies.
There's an interesting side-story about a angel's fall to Hell but it heavily detracts from the main narrative at hand and vice versa.  One of my slight gripes with the first film was it was too damned short and now this one runs for 15 minutes too long as it struggles to shape into a coherent story.  Still, it's a delightfully entertaining romp that will excite fans of the Repo! or the original Carnival and one should be glad anything this bizarre even exists.

3 brand new smiles out of 5

The Stuff (1985)

You'd be forgiven for thinking it's little more than a rip-off of The Blob (1958) based on the title and cover art, but it's not like that at all. It could be praised as a satire or commentary on the gluttony of the food industry, but mostly I enjoy it because it's Larry Cohen (he wrote, produced and directed) having fun with cheap effects and allowing Michael Moriarty of Q (1982) to once again make the sci-fi silliness not only palatable but hugely enjoyable. Not to be outdone, Paul Sorvino plays his role with real aplomb.
The willingness of consumers to ignore the niggles of common sense and accept any crap they're fed if it's dressed up in colourful packaging isn't just a haunting, fictional concept, it's happening in everyday life.

3 unhealthy McStuffies out of 5

THE DEVIL'S CARNIVAL [2012]

Director Darren Lynn Bousman & writer Terrance Zdunich (Repo! The Genetic Opera) return to the dark  rock opera world in The Devil's Carnival.

The first in a proposed series of 3, the film clocks in at 56 minutes, leaving you wanting more as soon as the credits being rolling.  It's dark, twisted and morbidly entertaining with just enough colorful, zany flair to keep it from getting too morbid.  Like in Repo!, it's painfully obvious that Bousman & Zdunich have seen Forbidden Zone one too many times but it never takes away from the enjoyment of this experience.  

3½ Aesop Fables out of 5

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

The first time I watched Repo I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The second time I watched it I began to like it for its uncompromising bat-shit craziness. With each subsequent viewing I fell even more hopelessly in love with it for the same reasons as the first and second time.
It’s the visual equivalent of a blood-soaked comic book found on the corpse of a Goth, post-car crash, lying by the roadside, found and filmed by a Terry Gilliam fan on his way to a Rocky Horror theatre production. It's a rock opera about... and... with... yea, that too. The trailer can do the work.

4 vultures guessing out of 5