I have been thinking about this for awhile now. Finally getting around to writing about it. When 8 Films to Die For was first launched, the premise was that here are movies that were not mainstream enough to get theatrical release, yet good enough that they deserved theatrical release in some manner. Not just a noble concept, but one that worked well.

So here we are in 2009 and we have After Dark Horrorfest 8 Films To Die For III. With the following lineup of films: Dying Breed, Autopsy, The Broken, Slaughter, Perkins 14, The Butterfly Effect:Revelations, From Within, and Voices.

I have to admit, I have not yet gone out and checked out these movies. Matter of fact, there are some old 8 Films that I still need to see. But there are two films in this list that I want to mention a bit more in depth. Most of these films are exactly what (I feel) the 8 Films series was creaeted for. But then we have a film in here called Autopsy.

All that matters right now is that it stars Robert Patrick. The story isn't my issue. But this film has an actor that is a veteran of many, many films as well as television. He was part of the death throes of the X-Files, if you recall. Now, I may be wrong here, but if you have a big name star in your film, you must have some muscle behind your movie.

The other one is Butterfly Effect: Revelations (also listed sometimes as Butterfly Effect 3.) So this one is the third in a series of films, the first of which was a fairly decent theatrical success. A movie which was probably made in no small part based on the name being able to recoup the production costs. Seems that is a big way Hollywood works after all, why go with something original when you can rehash something. This movie seems completely contrary to the concept of 8 Films To Die For. It should be a direct to video release because it is living off the name of its original theatrical success. Claiming this is a film that should be seen and is worthy of theatrical release is ridiculous. If so, then why didn't the parent company who had the succesful original do just that?

In my opinion this lineup has 2 films that shouldn't be here. Not based on quality, but on concept. 2009 should be 6 Films To Die For. There are plenty of films out there that fit the category and criteria they set up with the first series of 8 Films To Die For. Go back to that and showcase talent that deserves showcasing. Good or bad, that is for the viewers to judge on their own, but stars and theatricaly released sequels should not have any place in this series.

At least that is my 2 cents (or $15 more like since the DVDs are usually $15)