Gregory Hatanaka’s Until the Night is a messy, raw, and strangely compelling dive into human desire, boredom, and emotional self-destruction. At its core, the film follows Robert, a writer who hasn’t written much lately but is fully invested in a toxic mix of drinking, smoking, and a reckless affair with Elizabeth, a married woman whose own life feels equally hollow. Their rekindled connection is passionate yet destructive, like two storms colliding with nowhere to go.
Read MoreHot Wax Zombies on Wheels (1999) #RetroReview
Hot Wax Zombies on Wheels is one of those films that exists purely to confound, amuse, and occasionally disgust in equal measure—and it succeeds spectacularly at all three. Directed by Michael Roush, this low-budget horror-comedy delivers a plot so bizarre that it almost feels like the filmmakers dared each other to see just how many insane ideas they could cram into 83 minutes. At its core, the movie follows a small fishing village thrown into chaos when two eccentric beauty salon operators roll into town, offering hot wax hair removal that has a truly unexpected side effect: anyone waxed becomes a hairless, horny zombie obsessed with spreading the curse of bare skin.
Read MoreTrail Cam Sasquatch (2025)
Trail Cam Sasquatch, directed by Mark Polonia, sets out to deliver a tense survival horror experience in the deep woods of Pennsylvania, where strange sightings of hairy creatures and UFOs have the region on edge. The premise is intriguing: a stranded woman joins a hunting party, and what begins as a routine trip quickly turns into a fight for survival against savage Sasquatch creatures. The film’s atmosphere is one of isolation and creeping dread.
Read MoreAmor Emanuelle (2023)
Amor Emanuelle, directed by Nicole D’Angelo and Gregory Hatanaka, is the third entry in Cinema Epoch’s Emanuelle series, and it’s a film that defies conventional storytelling in ways both maddening and oddly compelling. The story centers on Emmy, a young escort whose life takes an unexpected turn when she is approached by CQ, a mysterious and magnetic woman offering her a position in an elite business that promises wealth and intrigue. At first, the opportunity seems seductive, but Emmy quickly realizes that CQ’s motives are cryptic, and her new world is far stranger than anything she has encountered.
Read MoreAmong Them (2018)
Kevin James Barry’s Among Them is one of those small, scrappy independent thrillers that manages to do a lot with very little. Reportedly based on a 90-page script written in just two days and filmed with minimal resources, it’s a testament to how far atmosphere, tension, and committed performances can take a film—even when the budget doesn’t stretch far. The setup is classic: after a robbery gone wrong, two criminals and their hostage hole up in a desolate seaside motel during the off-season.
Read MoreThe DeMarco Crew (2024)
Gregory Hatanaka’s The DeMarco Crew is another entry in his long-running line of low-budget, crime-fueled thrillers—this time diving headfirst into heist territory with a touch of personal drama. At just over an hour, it’s brisk, loud, and packed with the kind of scrappy energy that defines much of Hatanaka’s work. The film follows Dean DeMarco, a master thief with a crew that’s as loyal as they are reckless.
Read MoreNight Cops (2023)
When it comes to low-budget action flicks, few directors embrace the chaos quite like Gregory Hatanaka. With Night Cops, he delivers a brisk, no-nonsense cop thriller that feels like a throwback to the VHS days of tough talk, gunfire, and grit — for better and for worse. At just over an hour, Night Cops doesn’t waste time.
Read MoreDark Deeds (2022)
Gregory Hatanaka’s Dark Deeds is a sleek, intoxicating thriller that blends drama and mystery with his signature exploration of passion. The film follows a veteran detective, played with grounded gravitas by Nino Cimino, who finds himself drawn into a web of desire and intrigue when a woman—portrayed compellingly by Cassandra Schwiebert—becomes a suspect in a string of murders. Hatanaka’s strength has always been his ability to capture raw, human passion, and here it shines.
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