Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Terrormovie I think most of us hardcore horror fans would agree that the state of most of the horror film industry lately…well, blows. Whether it's a studio film (and those are the worst offenders) or the indies, there is just not a whole lot out there that has made a huge impact on horror fans lately. The high expectations for recent films such as "The Devil's Rejects", "Land of the Dead", "The Amityville Horror" and so many others makes one wonder what is going on with horror these days? Documentarian and creator of the horror magazine "Are You Going?", Christopher P. Garetano has put together a fascinating, often irreverent, often deadly serious look at the world of the indie horror movie in his latest film, "Horror Business". And horror films fans should really take a look at this one.Garetano spent two years following the exploits and film-making of such indie filmmakers as Ron ("Necromaniac") Atkins, Mark ("Scare Me") Borchardt, David ("Catharsis") Stagnari, John ("Dark Night of the Soul") Brodie, animator John ("Chirpy") Goras and SFX makeup artist Tate ("Zombie Honeymoon") Steinsiek and the results are hilarious, encouraging and depressing. Garetano also interviewed such horror veterans as Herschell Gordon Lewis, whose advice to filmmakers is to make a movie FOR the audience, NOT for yourself and "The Devil's Rejects" Sid Haig who gives his opinion on when a horror movie goes too far. Cult movie critic Joe Bob Briggs offers his three rules of film-making which are hilarious, Troma king Lloyd Kaufman stops by and "Fangoria" editor Tony Timpone gives his insight on the state of horror today versus when he first started at "Fangoria".The film is not your typical documentary, filled with "talking heads". Garetano follows his subjects as they drive around their respective cities: Milwaukee in Borchardt's case and Las Vegas with Atkins. He visits in their homes, goes on-set, behind-the-scenes, meets family members. But the bottom line with everyone he speaks with is the drive and the passion it takes to make it even a little bit in the cutthroat film industry. He interviews some very young film fans and asks them what they want to be when they grow up and, naturally, they all want to make movies. He even opens his film with every young filmmaker's first experience – making a horror movie with their siblings or friends in their backyard with dad's movie camera.But then it's back to the reality – he talks with Canadian Brian Singleton who has had to return from Florida to live with his parents and try to continue his dream with no money. Mark Borchardt's mom is helping him finance his film. Some of the films being made are amateurish, others a bit more polished but at the heart of "Horror Business" is the degree of passion these artists feel about what they are doing. Some of the filmmakers are egotistical to a laugh-out-loud degree while others are quiet and more grounded and realistic about the business they have chosen to be in. One thing they all seem to have in common though, is a love for such classic horror films as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Last House on the Left", both films being mentioned by all of the filmmakers as having a huge impact on them when they were young.These filmmakers aren't poseurs or auteurs – they are regular guys who loved being scared as kids and want to scare moviegoers today. There are some brief discussions about why we enjoy being scared, how horror movies are a catharsis from the horrors of everyday life, how they show us our own mortality but basically Garetano has made a thoroughly entertaining film that takes us inside the minds of five disparate horror filmmakers and shows us what they go through to make their and our dreams (or nightmares) come true.By Elaine Lamkin

Slasherfilm Horror Business (2005) Director -Christopher P. Garetano Review by " Nightmare Child" Originally posted on Horror-Fanatics.comOur journey begins with a dream. Film makers are dreamers, and always will be. These are the first set of words that are uttered in Christopher Garetano's documentary Horror Business. As fans of the horror genre we often share the same dream. To be apart of that experience whether it's behind or in front of the camera. These movies had a strong affect on us as children and we grew up with it. We love it, we live it and we will do anything in our power to keep the genre alive. This documentary is a bold and daring look at the working world of low budget independent cinema. What drives a person to make their own movie? If you're interested in film making and the criticism behind a blood soaked genre, then Horror Business is a must watch for you. This documentary is gives in depth look at guerilla film-making. Featuring interviews with movie makers who dedicate their lives to entertaining themselves, and others.I am pleased to say that Horror Business is a must see. I've watched this documentary about 5 times prior to writing this review. Not all at once, but it just took me so long to come up with an idea for the review. Horror Business covers just about everything horror related. Everything from entertainment, marketing and actual down and dirty movie making. The documentary features interviews with many different film makers along with actors and other movie crew. While some of the credited cast are well known individuals, the rest run under the radar. Each person interviewed in Horror business share same love. We follow these independent directors as they explain why they make these pictures and why they continue working to do so. It wasn't apparent to me from the beginning but the more I watched Horror Business the more I began to realize why the poster says "movie making is NO WAY to spend a life". Some of the film makers shown in this documentary make these movies not just because they love doing it, but because they're stuck.They've invested so much time and money over the years that they just can't stop and take their life into another direction. This aspect of the film appealed to me most and I'm willing to bet that it's the key point to this documentary. The main drive isn't clear right away though. There are so many topics of discussion that you'll be left questioning what the reason behind this documentary is. I liked Horror Business a lot, I thought that it was a very well made picture. It took me a few tries to understand the point but I think I finally got it. The interviews are great, the music is good and the editing is fantastic. I love the horror genre very much and watching Horror Business was a huge realization as to why I'm so attached to it. It's like looking at yourself in the mirror and remembering the finer points of your childhood. Horror Business is the perfect title for this wonderful work of art.In this documentary Tony Timpone (editor of Fangoria magazine) mentioned that horror films are like therapy sessions. When you think about it, it's very true. I've heard this before from close friends of mine and I just so happen to agree one hundred percent. These movies bring something out of us that no other genre of film ever could. Fear can be fun, to be scared is like a going through a roller coaster. You get scared, but when it's all over you have a good laugh and want to go on again. Horror movies are just that like, they're fun to watch as long as they don't cross the line. I mentioned early on in this review that Horror Business pretty much covers everything that there is to know about the genre. One of the key discussions was about how far a movie could go. Are horror films dangerous? Can they go too far? These are just some of the many interesting questions that are presented in this documentary. Horror Business is a real in depth look at the reality of movie making. With all that said it's safe to say that this documentary should go into every horror collection. If you're into the idea of film making, acting or if you just love the genre, then Horror Business is a must see for you.

martinreliision Christopher P. Garetano/Horror Business By Owen Keehnen of RacksandRazors.comLong Island based filmmaker Chris Garetano is known to many horror fans as the founding editor and driving force behind ARE YOU GOING? (www.areyougoingmovie.com) -- a zine focusing on all things relating to Indie Horror film-making. He's also made several film shorts -- one of which (INSIDE) was featured in the 2004 Fangoria Blood Drive series. Chris' latest project though may well be his crowning achievement. It's a fascinating documentary called HORROR BUSINESS. The movie covers the careers of five up-and-coming horror-movie loving directors – Mark Borchardt ('Coven'), Ron Atkins ('Necromaniac'), Dave Stagnari ('Catharsis'), John Gora ('Chirpy'), and Brian Singleton. It's a fascinating look behind the filmmakers and what drives them (and us) in this ongoing, crazy, and unshakable love of the genre. Watching this documentary it's also clear that the man at the helm of the HORROR BUSINESS has an equally deep and compelling love of horror.

gsevenpsycho Writing for Rogue Cinema has been a bit of an eye opener for me. I have to admit that, in the past, I've always watched movies and either enjoyed them, or didn't, without much thought to what went into the making of the movie itself. Well, in the past year or two, I've had my eyes opened as to the time and effort it takes to make even the smallest of movies and there's a movie out now that will help everyone to understand the independent film maker and what it takes to make a movie on your own, it's called Horror Business.Horror Business is a documentary that follows three filmmakers as they make their latest projects. The first Mark Borchardt is filming a movie called Scare Me, a horror story about an author battling evil. Horror Business follows Mark as he gets started writing and filming the movie and it's a great glimpse into the world of independent film, as Mark tells his mother that because she's given him money, she's a defacto executive producer on his film, and the behind the scenes footage of the filming is informative too, when the person who was supposed to run the camera doesn't show up, Mark calls on an extra who's run a camera before to do the filming for the night, explaining that the more experience you have in the film industry the more likely it is that you'll get to work if you find yourself on a movie set, which seems to be true!Next is Ron Atkins, a Las Vegas filmmaker who's filming his latest movie, Sins Of Government, a story that revolves around our government really being run by alien reptiles that have taken human form. Ron is a complete commando filmmaker, taking adversity in stride. His philosophy seems to be, just keep filming! Last, but not least, is David Stagnari, a New York film maker, who's film Catharsis seems to be the most 'artsy' of the lot, if that's indeed a word.The word of the day in all of the productions seen in Horror Business is 'work'. As an average moviegoer, you really don't get an idea of what goes into the making even a low budget movie. There are no dressing rooms, there are no divas, there's just a lot of people with a common vision who are working hard to get that vision on film, working twelve hours a day or more with little or no pay, these movies are truly labors of love and you really get to see that in Horror Business.If you've ever wondered about a person who would spend his time and hard earned money just to make a movie, or if you're one of those people whose currently saving their money with a vision in mind, Horror Business is for you. Chris Garetano's movie is a truly honest look at the independent film making process and the people behind and in front of the cameras. After seeing this, you'll never watch another low budget movie in the same way again, and that's a good thing. Horror Business is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen and whether you love horror movies or just movies in general, this will give you an idea of how much work can go into a movie and the love that film makers feel for their projects. It's called Horror Business and it's worth the time and effort you'll spend in finding it! Head on over to Horror Business Movie.com to get it today! And so, until next time when I'll tell you about my documentary, I'm going behind the scenes of a bakery, not because I think it'll be a good movie, just because I like the donuts, remember that the best movies are bad movies. Posted on Monday, May 01