The horror genre gets a bad rap. Virtually all horror movies are dismissed out of hand when it comes to having something to say. Who can take a message out of all that blood and violence? Well when the world is bloody and violence, I say horror films are the perfect venue to tell some stories and in a graphic way. Undocumented, from first-timer Chris Peckover, uses the topical subject of illegal immigration in America as it’s setting. Don’t run away! While there is obviously some politics at play here, the film doesn’t delve too far into the seriousness of the politics, but it does perhaps give you pause to think about the situation, at least some aspects of it. The film follows a group of grad students making a film about illegal border crossings and those who take advantage of illegal labor. During a border crossing for their documentary, the group ends up getting kidnapped alongside the illegal immigrants by a violent border control group.

Welcome back to This Week In DVD. I had a root canal this morning. As always, if you see something you like, click on the image to buy it. Redline In the very distant future a group of retro racers who still use wheel-based vehicles take part in an ultimate race called Redline while dealing with the competition, organized crime and an alien group intent on ending the tournament forever. This Japanese anime is a blast, and fans looking for that elusive crossover between Cannonball Run and Animalympics should look no further. The film opens and closes with some wildly fun race sequences while the middle works to mostly setup the main storyline and relationships between the racers and two leads. Plus boobs!

A group of documentary filmmakers decide to shine a spotlight on the plight of illegal immigrants living in the United States. Their efforts bear fruit when they are given clearance to accompany an immigrant smuggler through one of his secret tunnels. It is there that the filmmakers get an unexpected, first-hand lesson on just how scary being an undocumented immigrant can be. They are kidnapped, along with a slew of migrants, by a sadistic organization of warped patriots who are hell-bent on punishing anyone who would dare take shortcuts to achieving the American dream. Forced to keep the cameras rolling, this film crew finds themselves suddenly making snuff instead of a documentary.

And the hits keep right on coming… and by “hits” I mean awesome movie announcements from Fantastic Fest 2010′s already incredible film schedule. The first wave of titles was announced last month and included several highly anticipated films like Let Me In, Ip Man 2, Golden Slumber, Outrage, Red Hill, and more. Earlier today the second round of titles was released, and as expected the list of upcoming movies represents probably the greatest gift to mankind since pizza. Fantastic Fest 2010 runs from September 23rd through September 30th. The official press announcement is below…