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HORROR 101: THE A-LIST OF HORROR FILMS AND MONSTER MOVIES VOL 1
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HOME - INTRO - REVIEWS - FEATURES - MYSPACE - BLOG - STAFF - CONTACT HORROR 101: THE A-LIST OF HORROR FILMS AND MONSTER MOVIES VOL 1
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A-C D-F G-I J-L M-O P-R S-U V-X Y-Z
(1957) This movie is a prime example of how a movie could be considered a sci-fi movie, when we here at the Krypt feel that it’s really a horror movie. But instead of continuing that eternal argument, I’m sure we can all agree that it’s a monster movie. I mean, you do have a giant praying mantis flying around terrorizing the country. Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get down to the movie. You can sure date this movie in the first opening sequences. First thing you have a map of THE WORLD, and then quickly showing us on one part of the globe a volcano erupts, it could have an effect on another part, far away. And so gives us our moral tale for today. Could this be one of those early pro-environmental films, trying to warn us of what we are doing to our planet? Or maybe just a way to exploit what’s going on in the world at that time to make a new monster movie? I’d like to believe that was the main reason for this movie. Adding in all the science-talk just makes it sound more real. The basic story is simple, like a lot of these types of movies. Due to a volcano eruption, a giant praying mantis is thawed out from an ice glacier and starts looking for food. The Air Force first tries to figure out just what they’re dealing with, and then how to deal with it once they discover what it is. But how do you do battle with a bug bigger and faster than your best air force fighter jets? For a young kid (and a grown man who still loves these types of movies) this movie is a real gem. Sure, it takes a while before we get to see the giant creature. But when we do, it’s well worth the wait. The mantis looks incredible. Granted, it might move a little slow, but I think the design and execution of this puppet is great. Where else can you see a giant mantis attack a city bus or an Air Force base, crashing through the buildings? At one point, there is a great shot of it climbing up the Washington Monument. Great effects work there. Of course, nowadays it would be all CGI. But even watching these “ancient’ effects today, I still thought they looked great, and didn’t take away any entertainment value for me. Like I said, you really have to watch this through the eyes of a child to enjoy it. And some of us, in our 40’s, can still do that. We still get that gleam in our eyes and smile on our faces, cheering on these massive creatures when they show up on our TV screens. I’m sure some of the younger audiences today, who were brought up on JURASSIC PARK and such, might be a little more apt to laugh or snicker at this movie than someone in their 40’s or 50’s would. Which is a shame. This was really the first genre picture for director Nathan Juran, but not his last. He would go out to direct other classic films, such as 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH and 7TH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD, as well as cult classic titles like THE BRAIN FROM THE PLANET AROUS and ATTACK OF THE 50FT WOMAN (where he actually used the name Nathan Hertz). But he also worked in a lot of genre TV shows, like LAND OF THE GIANTS, LOST IN SPACE, THE TIME TUNNEL and VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. He started his career as an art director and even brought home an Oscar in that field for the 1941 film HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY. So he might not have wanted to be remembered being connected with some of these films, fans like us never let these titles get lost in obscurity. We will always be watching them, and making sure that future generations can enjoy them as much as we have.
(1983) You couldn't have walked through the horror section of any respectable video store in the mid-80's, and not come across the big video box of RETURN OF THE ALIENS DEADLY SPAWN (pictured to the right). Of course, the real title was simply just THE DEADLY SPAWN, but who's really paying attention. And just by looking at the video box, you knew that it was going to be worth it. How could it be bad with the that monster on the cover on the box...three huge mouths, filled with teeth, and blood and body parts everywhere! Well now, thanks to the fine folks at Synapse Films, not only can you see this film in probably the best looking print ever, this DVD is filled with great extras. But more on that later. Let's get back to the film. Made in the early 80's, this low budget film was not your typical movie of that nature. This was one of those films that had a lot of talented people behind the camera, making it rise well above the moniker of a low budget 16mm movie. This movie really was team effort from the director, the writers, the producers, and the makeup department. They all had some great input, and came up with one great movie. The story is very simple. A meteor hits the earth, and these little aliens, looking like big slugs with bigger teeth, nest in the basement of a house nearby. There, they start to eat and grow. Anybody that accidentally comes down to the basement become a very tasty meal for this inter-galactic eating machine. The two boys that live there, one a 10-year old monster movie fan, the other a young college science major, try to take on this thing that is devouring they family. There are some great shots here, delivering some great moments of suspense, as well as gory horror. I just love the 'monster-mouth cam' where we can see the victim through the monsters mouth, with all those teeth munching down. Great stuff. They have also come up with a very original idea of a monster. This isn't your typical 'man-in-a-rubber-suit' running around. John Dods created this toothsome nightmare, and gave the horror genre one very memorable monster. This also shows that even with a low budget, if you have talented people working on the movie, you can still deliver a great movie. Even something as a simple effect of the baby spawns sliding across the water, looks great in the movie. Synapse Films released this on DVD, with a new digitally re-mastered transfer that looks simply incredible. As they point out in the commentary, there are scenes where you can actually see the blood, where in the old video transfer, it was too dark. Synapse has also filled the disc with tons of extras. You get two different commentaries. The first one is with producer Ted A. Bohus. The other has a group commentary which is extremely informative and entertaining. It features director/co-writer Doug McKeown, producer Tim Hildebrandt (who also did the original poster artwork), co-writer Tim Sullivan, actor Charles Hildebrandt, and John Dods, who was co-writer as well as creating this great looking monster. But there's plenty more here. There a photo gallery that has tons of stuff, from video box art, poster artwork, still shots, and much more. There's even a great shot of one of the movie theaters where the film played, showing some great promotional work that reminded me of the days of William Castle. There's also an outtake real and audition tapes, an alternate opening sequence, original trailer, and a comic book prequel to the movie. So what this all adds up to is one DVD that is a must for all horror fans. I can't see anybody watching this and not be completely entertained, and amazed at just how good this movie is. Directed by
Steven Norrington Okay folks, here’s one that the Sci-Fi vs Horror people can fight over. You have some people trapped in a huge corporate office building that are basically being stalked by a demented weapons designer and his latest toy. This toy, called the WarBeast, is a huge mechanical killing machine, with long razor sharp claws, a mouth with huge teeth, and can sense it’s target by their fear. Is it Sci-Fi? Horror? You decide. No matter what you decide, director Norrington gives us a nice view of both worlds. Though the ‘monster’ is a robot, it’s still one deranged creation and is as scary as some demon from some netherworld. Especially if it’s chasing you down the corridor. And since it’s running off a program, there will be no pleading with it. When it finds you…you’re done. But even more deranged than the WarBeast, is the creator, Jack Dante. Not sure if anybody could have given this character the same craziness and eccentricities that cult star Brad Dourif brings to the role. Once again, Dourif throws himself into this role, giving us yet another great performance by this very underrated actor. Anytime he is on screen, he’s fun to watch. You never know what he’s going to come up with. Even when just giving a little speech, he captures the audiences attention. The rest of the cast does a good job trying to keep up with Dante. Ely Pouget is the main lead, as the new boss taking over the difficult job of changing the public opinion of just what their company is really doing. John Sharian plays one of the rebels who has broken in to sabotage the company. Genre fans might recognize him from his other roles in THE MACHINIST, the werewolf movie ROMASANTA, not to mention small parts in many other films. Another genre favorite is William Hootkins. With roles in Richard Stanley’s DUST DEVIL and HARDWARE, and even back to the original STAR WARS, Hootkins’ performance is always there. But the real star of the film is the WarBeast. The makers of the film give us just enough glimpses to see this machine to know that it’s not one to mess with. From the whipping finger blades to the sounds of the metallic teeth pounding together, you know you are in deep trouble. There was an American DVD release, which is full frame and cut. This DVD release was put out by Entertainment In Video and is a region 2 PAL DVD, so you will need a region free player. But it is uncut and in the original 2.35:1 release, and looks really good. There’s so much you’d miss in the full frame version. Unfortunately, the disc comes completely void of any extras. No trailers or anything. This would have been nice to at least have some audio commentary from the director and maybe even Dourif. But shamefully not. But even with the lack of extras, it’s still a movie that is worth adding to your collection.
(1972) In the early 70's, Robert Quarry was set up to be the next big star in the horror genre, taking his place along side other greats like Vincent Price. In 1970, he played the title vampire in COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE, and followed it up the next year with the sequel, THE RETURN OF COUNT YORGA. Then in 1972, he was pitted against one of Vincent Price's most memorable characters, Dr. Anton Phibes, in DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN. But due to a contract he had with AIP, his options weren't that open. He was originally to play the vampire in the pilot episode of NIGHT STALKER, but AIP put a stop to that. That is a real shame, since Quarry really could have gone quite far. DEATHMASTER was the film that he made on his own, an independent production, after the Yorga films. Once it was finished, AIP swooped in and bought it cheap (with possible threats of lawsuits) for basically a tax write-off. The film had never been released on video, laserdisc, or anything for all these years. Yea, there was the bootlegs out there, but the prints were never really anything to write home about. So when Retromedia announced they would not only be putting it out on DVD, but also a digital re-mastered print from an original 35mm negative, there were a lot of excited people. At least I was. I had always been a fan of Quarry, and had wondered why the sudden drop off of horror movies in the 70's. The film opens with a coffin washing up ashore off the California coast, and being picked up by someone who seemed to have been waiting for it. Quarry plays the vampire Khorda as kind of a cross between Yorga and Charles Manson with his long hair and goatee, and long robes. He arrives at a house being used by a bunch of hippies, and with his philosophical questions and answers, he basically takes over the small commune. But then Peco, one of the followers, starts to question Khorda and his ways. When he tries to leave with his girlfriend, he discovers that Khorda's real self and that he is turning the others into vampires as well. Peco manages to escape, but without his girlfriend. He gets the aid of his friend Pop, an old jewelry making hippie, played by the very familiar John Fiedler, to help him rescue his girl and stop Khorda. Quarry is excellent once again in the role of a vampire. He's not just playing the same Yorga character again, but adding some extra flair to him. He definitely had the knack for those type of roles. With his blue glaring eyes, and that almost hypnotizing voice, he really gave off that feeling of a mysterious character, whether he was playing a vampire or not. Along with Quarry are a couple of other people worth mentioning. While most of the rest of the cast weren't the greatest actors, you do have John Fiedler who everybody will recognize, who has bit parts in tons of movies. But then there is also Betty Anne Rees, who would later star with Quarry again in SUGAR HILL. And then lastly, even though he doesn't seemed to be credited in the film, Bob Pickett plays one of the hippies in the commune. This is the same Pickett who was also known as Bobby "Boris" Pickett who gave us that song The Monster Mash. The film was directed by Ray Danton, who would go on to do YOUNG HANNAH - QUEEN OF THE VAMPIRES (aka CRYPT OF THE LIVING DEAD) and PSYCHIC KILLER. The print quality of this new disc is simply awesome, and is probably one of the best looking discs that Retromedia has put out. The extras include a 35mm theatrical trailer, as well as trailer for COUNT YORGA VAMPIRE and SUGAR HILL. There is also four different still galleries, including behind-the-scene shots of DEATHMASTER. There are also some radio spots and TV commercials. But the best part of the extras is the audio commentary by Quarry himself, along with Fred Olen Ray. Quarry gives us tons of interesting information about the making of the film, his association with AIP, and a whole lot more. For me, the commentary alone is worth the cost of the disc. It is really a shame that Quarry wasn't allowed to show us what he could have done in the horror genre. He really could have been right up there with the other greats. But we do have the few classic films that he was able to do. So I guess we'll just have to enjoy them over and over again. And maybe with these DVDs coming out, maybe his name will raise up a bit in the memory of horror fans. It should. (1975) Even after 35 years, this film is still as entertaining, as prolific, and just plain as much fun as it was all those years ago. Just by watching some of the reality shows on today, are we that far off from having our own Transcontinental Death Race? Based a story by Ib Melchior, Roger Corman and company turned it into campy & gruesome tale of a world gone wild. A world where the crowds cheer on these death machines to run down innocent pedestrians, and then even exploit the victims relatives. What a hoot. And as I said, are we really that far from that? The race starts from the east coast, traveling through the US, racing to be the first to reach “New Los Angeles”. The drivers also get points for running down pedestrians, the old and the young scoring the highest points. Although why anybody would even be outside during the race is beyond me. None the less, some of the “kills” are pretty gruesome for that time, even including someone’s head getting squashed like a melon. Could something like this really get made today? David Carradine leads the movie as Frankenstein, a super-engineered driver, with having many different body parts replaced over the years from various races. He is also the crowd’s favorite. Sylvester Stallone plays the Chicago mobster Machine Gun Joe Viterbo, with his race car brandishing a huge knife and two Tommy guns where the headlights are. Mary Woronov is Calamity Jane, with her bull-horned car. Nero the Hero, played wonderfully by Martin Kove with a lisp, shows that he’s a real man’s man. And lastly is Roberta Collins, racing for the Nazi party, with her trusty navigator “Herman the German”, played by future congressman Fred Grandy. If this movie had been made today, the marketing people would have had a blast with it. I could just see the toy cars and action figures that would have come out. Cars with exploding parts flying. And you would even get some extra pedestrians to be able to run down. Sounds like a lot of fun to me. When a group of rebels try to sabotage the race, and even take out the drivers, the government tries to cover it up by blaming the French. Even back then, it was okay to make fun of the French. At least that hasn’t changed over the years. This is a movie that can be entertaining on many different levels. Just taken at face value, it’s a great exploitation movie about a car race where anybody and everybody can die. The cars and the drivers are like something out of a pro wrestling match, with their generic characteristics and looks. But if you want to look closer, you can see a lot of social commentary coming through. Who knows if there were trying to make a point, or just make a quick buck. With Corman producing, I’m sure it was more of the later. This special edition DVD was released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment and looks beautiful. There is also a nice (but short, only 11 minutes long) featurette on the making of the film, which includes many people from the movie giving their thoughts. That list includes writer Charles B. Griffith, actress Mary Woronov, and of course Roger Corman. This would have been nice if they could have gone into great detail about the making of the film and other people that were involved. But for what it is, it’s pretty good. It just made me wanting more. There is also an audio commentary with Roger Corman and Mary Woronov. Anytime you get to hear Corman talking about any of his film is just a great time. Both have some great stories about this film and their careers in general. There’s been talk for a few years about a big Hollywood remake, with Tom Cruise attached to it. While I’m sure it would have a lot of fancy looking cars, I really don’t see them doing the “points for people” part. Can’t do that today…you might influence someone to go out and try that themselves. And then even worse, sue the producers for it.
DEATH SMILES AT MURDER (1973) One of Joe D’Amato’s first films, which stars Klaus Kinski. Well, kind of. Even though he has top billing, he’s only in the film for about 10-15 minutes. Plus the movie is a very strange and hard to follow just what the hell is going on. But this is an early Italian film, so remember that, and don’t think you’re watching some American film where all the points and details are laid out very nicely for you. It seems the main theme of the story is about a girl who is possibly a ghost who is getting revenge on different people who had wronged her. There are several moments when the girl appears as the decomposed corpse that are very effective, especially when she's in bed with a lover. That could really put a damper on the evening. But these sequences are used quite a bit and so are slightly over done. But then, there also seems to be sort of a plot with Kinski discovering a way to bring back the dead. So go figure. If you’re just getting into Italian cinema, you might want to stay away from this one for right now. Go get some Argento flicks, or better yet, pick up DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE. But if you’re well versed in this genre, you would probably enjoy this film. (2002) A troop of British soldiers are attacking the German front, and are being mowed down as they approach. Shouting, gunfire, and explosions are everywhere. And then it's the next morning, and we see a group of surviving soldiers make their way through the fog and stumbled upon a nearly deserted German trench. But things are a seemingly a little strange there. Right away, let’s just say that this movie isn’t the most original as far as the story goes. Most will know the ending long before it unfolds. So you could put that as a ‘bad thing’. So with that out of the way, I have to say that I really enjoyed this movie, even with that 'bad thing". I think the filmmakers did an excellent job with the set and atmosphere with when and where this film takes place. With all the mud, seemingly constant rain, and cold, it gave a very grim picture of what it must have been like back there in the early days of war. None of this crappy-looking CGI breath for these poor actors. It looked really cold for them. Now if it was CGI, then even more kudos to the makers since it doesn’t look like it. While a couple of the actors would sometimes go a tad bit overboard, I thought that for the most part, they all did a fine job. Laurence Fox does well as the Captain of this platoon, who not only slowing loses his men, but his mind as well. We also have one 80’s style gore sequence (with the help of modern day CGI), that is pretty interesting, really could have been left. One of the best sequences that will really leave an impression is the fate of one injured soldiers and some rats. Very grim, but I'm sure was something that very well happened back then. But the film does a very good job building the tension with the viewer, not knowing just what is hiding in the trenches. Could it be more German soldiers, or something much worse. There are plenty of night shots, where what atmosphere comes out even more. So where the film might have lacked in originality when it came to the storyline, I think it made up for it in the acting and the art direction. These poor actors must have had one tough time filming this movie, and their misery really shows through here. The DVD comes with deleted scenes and two different audio commentaries. While we wouldn't say that this is the best horror / war film that we've seen, it's definitely one that we enjoyed and would recommend you giving a chance.
DEEP BLUE SEA
(1999) In 1975, I had seen JAWS in the theater. I can’t remember another movie that I had seen before it, or since, that had effected me more than that movie. I had nightmares for weeks after seeing that film. With every movie since then that dealt with killer fish or just something in the water, I was always on edge. Was this going to have the same effect on me as JAWS did 24 years ago? The main plot in DBS deals with some mako sharks that have been genetically altered, making them bigger, and more importantly smarter. Of course, when the billionaire who is footing the bill comes out the Aquatica Research Laboratory to see some results, all hell breaks loose: Your typical storm hits, the sharks attack, people get eaten. But wait. Yes, even though the plot is pretty straightforward, and really isn’t nothing new, it doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining. This movie is really more of an action film than a horror film. But being that Renny Harlen directed it, that shouldn’t surprise anyone. There are times where you are clutching your seat, but it didn’t seemed to have the same terror effect that JAWS did, at least for me. The CGI effects for the sharks I thought were done quite well (See Below for Update). Some people complained that they moved too fast and were blurry. But if you’ve seen some of those shark attacks on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, these things don’t move too slowly. In DBS, when someone gets attack, it’s very brutal. The gore is really kept to a minimum, but it still has a very intense. The cast is relatively unknown, which was done on purpose by the makers of the film, so you wouldn’t know who was going to survive or not. The only real name here is Samuel L. Jackson, unless you want to count LL Cool J. The main hero, played by Thomas Jane, is a dead ringer for a younger Christopher Lambert. I would highly recommend this film to anyone, especially if you were not the type who is water-friendly, like myself. There enough bits of everything to keep everyone entertained, whether you are a fan of action, suspense, or just like killer fish movies. UPDATE: I've recently purchased the DVD and have to add a few comments. While watching it on DVD, somehow the CGI effects look way more cartoonish than when I first seen it at the theater. I still think it's a great movie and is well worth the watch. The DVD even has two different documentaries, as well as audio commentary by Renny Harlin and Samuel L. Jackson. All that for about $20.
DEEP RISING (1998) I never bothered with this film when it was at the theater. I didn’t expect much, mainly because it was made during the brief "Underwater / Monster / Creature" phase last year, that also gave us SPHERE and the made-for-TV-movie CREATURE. But I happened to come across the DVD and figured I’d give it a chance. The story is simple: A group of mercenaries, on a hired boat in which Treat Williams is the Captain, set out to rob a cruise ship, unbeknownst to Williams and his crew. But when they get there, they find the ship completely empty of passengers, other than their bloody skeletal remains. As they try and discover what had happened, they soon realize that they are not alone on the cruise ship. This film was written and directed by Stephen Sommers, and features an all-star cast. Joining Treat Williams, Kevin J. O'Connor & Famke Janssen (both who were in Clive Barker's LORD OF ILLUSION). O'Connor's character is the comic relief of the picture. Normally his type of character would be very annoying to me. But this time out, for some reason, I did find him very funny. Also in the film are Anthony Head, Wes Studi, Derrick O'Connor, Jason Flemyng, and Djmon Hounsou. The makeup and creature effects were done by Rob Bottin (who needs no introduction). Once again, Bottin comes up with a very interesting looking monster. While a lot of the effects were done by CGI effects, and at times looked a little cartoonish, for the most part they were done very well. There is one makeup sequence involving one of the creatures victims that had me sitting up in my Video Command Center (aka Lazy Boy) and hitting the back button on my DVD remote. I can’t remember the last time a special effect blew me away like that. With a beautiful blend of makeup effects and CGI, it's incredible. Definitely one of the most memorable movie moments of this year. This scene is incredible and alone is worth the money to rent this movie, guaranteed! The only complaint I would really have with the movie is the way it's advertised. As you can see on the first photo, the poster and box art make it look like an action picture. While the film does have action in it, come guys, let's face it. When you have a giant monster that is eating people, that sure sounds like horror to me. But then again, what do I know. But in my humble opinion, for a good old fashion monster movie, this is pretty damn entertaining. Don't start thinking about explanations and stuff, but just sit back and enjoy it. (1994) After many years of waiting for an American release of DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE, Anchor Bay finally puts it out. Of course, for some reason, they used the silly American title of CEMETERY MAN. Still don't understand that one, other than they figured your average joe movie shopper wouldn't know what they hell DELLAMORTE is. Shame, really. But then even weirder is that other than the American title on this print, all the other credits are the Italian ones. Anyway, let's get down to the movie. If you are a fan of Italian horror movies, zombie movies, or horror movies in general, then you need to see this movie. Yes, it's that plain and simple. There is something in here for everyone. It's a horror/dark comedy, that is filled with some incredible and wonderful imagery. The story might be a little tough to follow for some newer fans of Italian cinema since some things might not make sense at times. But all you need to do is just sit back and enjoy the show. Don't think too hard about it. Rupert Everett stars as Francesco Dellamorte, who is the caretaker for the Buffalora Cemetery. With his faithful, but dimwitted partner Gnaghi, he has a lot of extra work on his hands with this job. That's because the dead don't stay buried for long. After seven days, they return as the living dead. So Francesco has to dispose of them and put them to rest once again. This time for good. There's really no explanation as to why they return. They just do. And Francesco doesn't really want to make a big deal about it, since then they might close down the cemetery and then he would lose his job and his place to live. So life, and death, goes on. But then one day, he meets up with a young and beautiful grieving widow, played by the stunning Anna Falchi. And then things get really strange. The first time I seen this movie, it was a several generation bootleg, in Italian with no subtitles. The quality wasn't the greatest and really wasn't really sure what was going on, but I still fell in love with the movie anyway. The visual alone here were enough to capture my admiration. Yea, I was a fan of Soavi's from before, but the style he showed here was just incredible. The cinematography is amazing, especially with the beautiful use of slow motion. The music by Manual De Sica sounds very similar to what Tangerine Dream might have come up with. If often reminds me of the score they did for NEAR DARK. But De Sica's score here adds wonderfully to the mysterious world of Francesco Dellamorte. It's still one of my favorite scores. This release comes with all new featurette called Death Is Beautiful, which features interviews with Soavi, Anna Falchi, and makeup man Sergio Stivaletti. It's great to see Soavi back in the industry after all these years, and especially talking about this film. He gives us a brief history of how he got started in the film industry, learning his craft from different masters, such as Dario Argento and Aristide Massaccesi (aka Joe D'Amato). But unfortunately, the featurette is about 30 minutes long, with quite a bit of padding footage from movie.. I guess we all would all would have preferred a longer documentary, but for what it is, it's okay. But as we said, just the fact that Soavi was involved in the featurette, that's a nice start. I guess we're always wanting to have huge supplements on our favorite movies. But this will keep us happy for now. It also comes with a 8-page booklet (with only about 3 pages worth of text), that gives us a brief bio of Soavi, and the history of the source material which this movie was based on. So if you had never picked up one of those import releases, now is your chance. This film really is a must for all horror fans, especially if you enjoy the Italian way of doing things.
(1974) Since I grew up in a small town in Michigan, I’ve always found this film to be very creepy. There were a few people in my town that could easily have been another Ed Gein. Something like that could have be going on, and nobody would have ever know. That’s the part that inspired Robert Bloch to write PSYCHO; that a small town America could be housing a terror that nobody was aware of. While there are many high points in this movie, I think the real highlight is the performance giving by Roberts Blossom as the demented Ezra Cobb. He does such incredible job, that it doesn’t even seem like he’s acting. With his beady eyes, and the things he does with his face, really pulling off the innocence and ignorance that his character has, Blossom gives one of the best performances of a demented psycho. The way the movie is filmed, in pseudo-documentary format, gives it an even more creepy feel to it, since it does seem like it is real. The other actors here don’t seem like actors either, but normal small-town people, not even expecting something like that could be going on amongst them. Though PSYCHO and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE were advertised they were based on Ed Gein, very little of it was actually true. As I said, the only thing that Bloch took from it for his novel PSYCHO was that someone could be that crazy and be living in a small town with nobody aware of what was going on. CHAINSAW did take it a little farther with the way the house was decorated and that Leatherface was wearing someone else face. But other than that, it didn’t really follow any other details. But DERANGED follows the story of Ed Gein pretty darn close. There is the fact that he digs his mother up and brings her back home, which Gein didn’t do. And other than changing his name from Ed Gein to Ezra Cobb, it stays very close to what really happened. And once again, that is very unnerving when you think about what he was doing back then in the late 1950’s. This has recently been released as a 30th Anniversary Special Edition in Germany. It is a PAL Region 2 release, so you’ll need one of those region free players. The quality of the print is very good, though it still has some grain and some scratch to it. But I think that really does add to the effect of the film. This isn’t a film that I would want to look brand-spanking-new. A film like this needs to be a little gritty. DERANGED was released in the States in a double feature DVD with MOTEL HELL by MGM in one of their Midnight Movie series. But unfortunately, it was the cut print. It was missing the sequence where Cobb spoons out an eyeball from a severed head, then saws the top off and removes the brain. But in this German release, that sequence is in the there. But the quality of that sequence is very noticeably different from the rest of the film. It obviously was taken from another source and spliced in. But that is a very little complaint. The DVD comes with several extras, including some rare behind-the-scene footage that was filmed during the making of the movie. There is no sound, but Tom Savini gives some audio commentary over it, which is pretty informative, when he’s not talking about being infatuated with a couple of the girls in the movie. In a day where just about every new movie being made has a documentary made about the making of it, it’s great to see some actual footage from this film that was made 30 years ago. There is also another feature, that I even hate to call a documentary. It’s basically the producer of DERANGED, Tom Karr telling the story of Ed Gein, standing in the grass, apparently where Gein’s house was. While it may be accurate, it’s still pretty lame. Karr tries like hell to give the performance of a reporter or an authority on the subject. He may be, but he comes across as just a bad actor. The last documentary is called ED GEIN: AN AMERICAN MANIAC, an older one which feature some footage of Plainfield Wisconsin, where Gein lived, narrated by Richard Sarno. It also tells the story of Ed Gein, but is more like what a documentary should be. It also comes with a cool 24-page booklet, but unfortunately the text is in German. There are also trailers on the disc. All the menus are in German, though are very nicely animated I might add, but are still very easy to navigate. You can watch the movie in the original English track, without subtitles. So it’s basically the same as the MGM version, except it’s uncut. If you are stickler for getting the uncut version, this really is the one for you. The extras are just icing on the cake. If you never picked up the MGM release, you really should invest the extra money and get this version. That is of course, that you can play import discs. Since this disc is still cheaper than what the uncut American video release was going for on eBay, so why not get it? (2005) Director Marshall has broken not one, but two well documented theories with his last two films. The first one was that if a film premiered on television (especially the Sci-Fi Channel) before hitting theaters or video, it meant that it was going to suck. Such as CHERRY FALLS, BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR, and the list goes on. So when DOG SOLDIERS was going to play on there, I never even bothered with it. But once it hit DVD, and quite a few people were giving it quite a bit of praise, I decided to take that risky chance and give it a rent. I went out and bought the DVD the next day. That's how impress I was with it. And as any seasoned horror fan knows, there just isn't any great movies about spelunking, caving, or whatever you want to call it. Oh sure, there might be some ones that are so bad they're enjoyable in a bad way, such as THE STRANGENESS or ALIEN 2: ON EARTH. But for a really good, not to mention scary films, they just don't happen. So when I started to hear quite a few positive rumblings about THE DESCENT, I figured there was no way that director Marshall could break those rules twice in a row. And he has done just that. The story is very simple. Six thrill-seeking women take a adventure exploring a cave. It was a big change to see basically an all female cast in a horror movie. While these are all tough and adventurous types, they still come across as very real people. So during this adventure, things go bad when they become trapped down in the cave. And then it gets worse when they discover that they are not down there alone. I'm not really claustrophobic, though I think I would be if I had to crawl through some tight spots, like in the movie. But even watching the movie, I could feel a slight bit of anxiety creeping up. And since the movie takes place close to being in the dark, you also have that element in there to add to the mixture. Marshall does an incredible job of filming what would have been damn near impossible to film on locations, to make this just about entirely on a soundstage. At no point was I doubting the reality of where they were. And even more shocking when you find out on the documentary that several of the sets were used over and over again, but just dressed differently. That is some amazing work from the set design people. Also, since most of the movie is in near darkness, Marshall does an awesome use of lighting and color schemes. Some times the light is red from flares or fire, sometimes green, and sometimes a normal white light. And the changing back and forth and the mood that these colors set is very effective. The make up for the creatures are a nice and effective job. They are similar to a few creatures, such as some nosferatu-type vampires, and the title character from another British movie CREEP. But none the less, still come across as very scary and something that you would not like to come across at any point, time, or place. It's been a long time since we've enjoyed a nice old fashion horror movie like this one. It will have the hairs standing up on the back of you neck, and even squirming in your seat during some of the tight squeeze sequences these women go through. As I'm sure a lot of people have heard or read about Lions Gate deciding to cut the ending of the film, making it less downbeat, and then trying to say that they director was involved in that decision. I think the only involvement was them saying "We're going to cut the ending or we don't release it...okay with you?" So for that reason alone, I would highly recommend you seek out the original British release, which you can get from our buddies at Xploited Cinema. But if that's not reason enough, there is more than just that in this 2-disc special edition DVD. First of all, you get two different audio commentaries. The first one is with the cast and director, and the second one is with the crew and director. So you get two very different types of story and information about the making of the film, both informative and entertaining (especially the one with the cast). There is also a making of featurette, extended scenes, outtakes, still galleries, cast and crew bios, trailers, and scene & storyboard comparisons. Lots of info here folks. Well worth every penny. So why bother waiting for Lions Gate to finally release their cut version, when you can own your own uncut special edition right now???
DESECRATION
(1999) Typically, American films are pretty straightforward. We tend to shy away from the European way of “style over substance” filmmaking. Most of the American-movie-going-public (also known as ‘sheep’) doesn’t like to have to think about the movie they’re watching. They want everything explained to them in detail, so they don’t have to ponder anything once they leave. They want a nice neat story, with a beginning, middle and end. Nothing confusing. For this reason, I don’t think DESECRATION would of made it big amongst the Blockerbuster / Hollywood Video crowd. By no means does this mean it’s a bad film. DESECRATION is almost more of a montage of nightmare-ish images than a straightforward movie. I give Tomaselli a lot of credit for making this type of movie, and not following what most low budget filmmakers are doing by doing typical slasher type films. The film is about a teenage boy who lives in a Catholic boarding school. His mother died when he was very young, which left him which some issues. After an accident with a nun and a remote control plane, things really start to get weird. You don’t really know if what you’re being shown is a dream (or nightmare rather), or if it’s really happening. There are several scenes with a faceless nun wandering around outside of people’s windows. That is a creepy image. There is also one of the priests teaching at the school that was very creepy. Not some decrepit old guy, but a young man who seemed like there was something else going on in his head. One of my favorite scenes is with a nun who is having trouble getting a candle to light. It’s a very simple sequence, but I found it disturbing. For the gore fans out there, while there isn’t tons of gore, there is one sequence with a nun and a pair of scissors that you should enjoy. There is also a very twisted scene with the young boy locked up in a small cage in a room full of oversized toys, while this mother squirts milk from a bottle at him. Pretty damn twisted. But I must admit a few negative points in the film. First of all, bloody and demonic nuns are nothing new to the horror genre. From Mattei’s THE OTHER HELL, to Fulci’s DEMONIA, to Baino’s DARK WATERS, this image has been used many times. So I can’t give Tomaselli any credit for originality when it comes to that part of the film. But I’m sure his religious upbringing had more do with him coming up with this than any other influences. The only other bad point would be the accident with the airplane and the nun. It was almost comedic. If that was the feeling that he was going for, it worked. But if he was going for that feeling, it really didn’t fit in with the rest of the film. My only suggestion would have been to show it either off camera, with shadows, or some other way. For a low budget film that was shot on 16mm, it was done really well. No shaky camera work here folks. Plus the quality of the print was very impressive. The film started its life as a 23-minute short film made back in 1996. Then after getting positive feedback, Tomaselli (pictured right) decided to make it into a feature film. The budget started at $30,000 and ended up at $150,000. Tomaselli’s uncle, Alfred Sole, directed another religious orientated theme movie, COMMUNION (aka ALICE, SWEET ALICE). It must run in the family. The best thing about this film is the promise that it shows for the director. He has finished his second film, simply called HORROR. From the look of the trailer, it looks very much in the same style of DESECRATION, filled with great imagery. One can only hope that when Hollywood comes knocking on his door, he holds onto that way of thinking and doesn’t get sucked in the void called commercialism. THE
DEVIL MASTER
(1976) Directed by Donald G. Jackson & Jerry Younkins I picked up the video THE DEMON LOVER, put out by Unicorn Video, at a video store in Florida while on vacation strictly due to the box art. I later found out that this little film made back in 1976, was filmed in the city Jackson, Michigan, which is about 30 miles from where I grew up. But even if that was reason enough, I never got around to watching it. Then more recently, I picked up a copy of THE DEVIL MASTER on Regal Video. After doing a little research, I discovered that it was re-titled version of DEMON LOVER. So now that I have two different tapes of the same movie, I figured it would be a good time to watch the damn thing. I put in THE DEVIL MASTER version first. It’s the story of a group of hoodlums that look to be in their late 20’s, who are experimenting in the occult, lead by a dude that look kind of like the cowardly lion from WIZARD OF OZ. Apparently when they’re done drinking and partying, the girls take off their clothes and they have a little devil worshipping. Of course, we don’t get to see any of that. One of the members is fed up with their so-called leader and decides to leave, which causes everybody to leave. Then one of the members is found dead, killed as if by some “wild animal”. As the rest of the members fear for their lives, as one by one they meet a gruesome demise; the police are investigating the murders. The “demon” is somebody wearing a mask and what looks like some sort of bearskin. The always use lots of smoke and quick cuts so you don’t get too long of a look at it. Some of the murders are pretty bloody. Not gory, but bloody. The acting is simply terrible. Some of them are so bad that it’s entertaining, such as the guy playing the detective. But the rest of the cast is pretty bad. Of course you do have Gunnar Hansen playing a professor who’s an expert in occult studies, and only has one scene in the film. There’s another actor doing his best Frank Zappa impersonation, which is pretty good. If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn that was him. The characters names like Peckinpah, Frazetta, Ackerman, Ormsby, and Romero. One of the directors, Jackson, went on to do such cult items as HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN and it’s sequel, along with the ROLLER BLADE SEVEN films. Other than the party scene in the beginning, which had me on the floor laughing during the dancing part, the film is pretty forgettable. The acting is so amateurish that it takes any and all realism of the film away, making it really hard to enjoy other than on a camp basis. The main difference between the two versions is quite a bit. THE DEMON LOVER has almost all the blood cut from the film. The cuts are so bad that it’s really obvious that something was missing. Also there is a full-frontal nude scene in the beginning that is completely cut out. But the party sequence in the beginning of the film is much longer in DEMON LOVER than it is in THE DEVIL MASTER. Which really means that I’m going to have to keep both copies of this damn movie! (1973) Ah yes, another made-for-TV movie from the 70’s. Back in a time where you could have a made-for-TV about the offspring of Satan. Those were the days…. Wild Eye DVD has released another great little movie that might not be too well known amongst horror fans. But back in the 70’s, the television was filled with the horror genre. From the work of Dan Curtis, to the other major studios, horror was a big deal back then. You could also have a lot of stars or at least familiar faces in the film. Movie stars weren’t afraid to do a movie-of-the-week every now and then. It also wasn’t uncommon to have a satanic subject matter either. Some of which didn’t even have the happiest of endings either. That’s something that usually doesn’t happen to often these days. Folks don’t like their downer endings. THE DEVIL’S DAUGHTER is about Diane, a young woman who arrives home after the sudden death of her mother. We know from the opening sequence that her death wasn’t an accident, but something involving a cult of some sort. At the funeral, she is befriended by a Lilith, a woman who says that she was a dear friend of her mother’s. Lilith demands that she stays with her until she can find a place of her own. There, the young woman meets Lilith’s strange friends who all seem to know a lot about her. The longer she stays; Diane starts to think that the nightmares that she’s been having might have something to do with her host and her friends. But is it too late to do something to change what she has been dreaming about? Belinda Montgomery plays Diane, and is perfectly cast. She gives off that innocent and sad character thrown into a situation that she can not control. 70’s mainstay Robert Foxworth plays her love interest, while the loud Shelly Winters plays Lilith, another well cast member. Her butler is played by Jonathon Frid, fresh from his role from Dark Shadows. Other known faces are Joseph Cotton and Abe Vigoda. One of the strengths of the movies of those times were the actors. They really were there to give it their all. It didn’t matter if it was made-for-TV movie about Satan. It seemed more about acting than about not wanting to be associated with a certain type of movie or subject matter. I really miss that. I found this to be a pretty decent movie for that time, as well as even watching it today. Sure, it might be a little dated, but I think it still holds up today. Granted, you may see the ending coming before it gets there, but it’s still a cool ending. The quality of the new DVD release from Wild Eye is highly watchable. It doesn’t look like it’s been re-mastered or anything. But to be honest, I actually prefer my 70’s TV movies to have that look, like they were made some 30+ years ago. For me, it gives a sure spark of nostalgic. But for newer fans, the print is still good enough to watch and enjoy. Unfortunately, the disc comes with no extras whatsoever. THE
DEVIL'S GIFT
(1984) Nothing highly original, THE DEVIL'S GIFT is yet another variation of the "home invaded by evil spirits" genre. This time around, the family is infested by a demon that has managed to possess one of those creepy-looking little mechanical monkeys (same as was seen in the ads for Romero's MONKEY SHINES, wearing the goofy little outfit and holding onto cymbals that it bangs together)--and why someone would think this is the ideal "cutsie" toy for any child is totally beyond me (they certainly have the weird child-scaring effect that clowns exude). This toy has somehow been salvaged from a fire in the beginning of the film, ended up in a junk store, and is bought as a birthday gift for lucky little Michael. And not long after, strange events begin plaguing the family. Everytime the demonic toy is about to do something nasty, we see an orange glow come over its eyes...and when you hear the sound of its cymbals coming together, watch out...somebody (or something) has bit the dust. The little dude starts its antics by killing on a smaller scale. The house plants wilt and die, a fly drops dead, the goldfish ends up laying at the bottom of its bowl, pet doggie "Sparkle" ends up cold on the garage floor...and we're only getting warmed-up here, cuz the family members themselves are next (well, duh). The film tends to trudge along very predictably, leaving the viewer merely waiting for the repetitive close-ups of the monkey's soon-to-be glowing eyes and the revelation of who's gonna be taken out next. There's a couple of attempts on little Michael's life by his dad's live-in girlfriend Susan (she is possessed by the demon that has possessed the toy monkey...did ya get all that?) that are interrupted at the very last minute before the little cymbals can signal another success. Maybe the director is trying to insinuate that the father, "living in sin" as some would say, having shacked-up with some chick he's not married to (especially since she bought the toy in the first place) has invited tragedy into their home. Who knows. I really don't think this stuff is quite as "deep" as that, though... Dad (John Mendleson) prevents one "accident" by putting his
hand between the cymbals at the last minute as they're coming together. (I'd
like to say this is an edge-of-the-seat moment in the flick...but it ain't.)
Obviously realizing that the tragic events are linked to the toy, the father
makes some futile attempts to dispose of the monkey (experienced viewers will be
laughing it up, knowing damn well that putting a demon-possessed toy in a Minimal gore is seen only in brief dream sequences, wherein
we also get our only glimpse of the actual demon itself (big, furry, and
not-too-well-done), as it rakes its claws across daddy's face...which is, in
fact, the ONLY THE DEVIL'S GIFT is one of those oddball horror titles
released by the very prolific Vestron Video (a name well-known to seasoned
horror videophiles) back in the 80's that didn't appear to be anything
exceptionally noteworthy (judging from the box artwork and cast)...and really
isn't. I don't think I recall ever reading any printed review of the film, or
else forgot about it because the critic didn't have anything nice to say, and
offered no strong recommendation to check this one out. But...if you start
watching it, chances are you'll be interested enough to hang-out for the
duration (if nothing else, just to see if the morons ever figure out how to
destroy the Review by Jon Stone (1975) This movie was released on DVD a few years ago by VCI Entertainment in a bare-bones edition. It looked nice and was in 2.35:1, but that was about it. But now Dark Sky Films have re-issued with it, with a brand new transfer and some interesting extras. This is the film that originally I kind of laughed at the thought of Ernest Borgnine playing a evil character. From his days of McHALE’S NAVY to even more recently of doing voice work on SpongeBob Squarepants, I just couldn’t see him as a bad guy, let alone as some demonic force. But this film will change all of that. The film starts out with the credits showing over the beautiful and disturbing artwork of devils and demons. Then the movie opens at a local ranch house in the pouring rain. The family is waiting for the father to return. Ida Lupino plays the nervous mother, and William Shatner is the son. When the father does show up, he tells them to give Corbis (Borgnine) back his book, what rightly belongs to him. And then proceeds to melt away in the rain. The next day, Shatner goes to find Corbis at an old abandoned ghost town. This is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Borgnine plays the sequence so straight and almost friendly. But underneath that, you can sense the seriousness and deep evil of the character. And that is when he becomes scary. Shortly there after, the younger son of the family, played by Tom Skerritt, and his wife arrive to help. And then they learn, in a great flashback sequence, of the ancient curse that has been haunting their family for years and years. The film has an all-star cast that really brings up the film higher than it normally would, with this subject matter. You also have Eddie Albert coming in as an Occult expert who tries to help the family defeat this evil. Even 70’s regular Keenan Wynn makes an appearance as the local sheriff. Shatner does do his usual over acting bit, but not as much as he’s really known for. Yea, John Travolta is in the movie, as the front of the box proudly promotes. But he is really only in a few scenes, and has the eye-less makeup on. You can tell it's him, but barely. I'm not really sure why this film tends to get the "it's so bad it's good" moniker. Yea, Shatner is Shatner. But I think everything else is played pretty straight, and done well. And I still think Borgnine plays a great evil character here. Filmed in beautiful 2.35:1 ratio, giving us great wide landscape shots. Really puts the mood of being out in the middle of no-where. The makeup effects were done by Ellis Burman Jr. and are really some of the best melting effects that I’ve seen. Keep in mind, this was made back in 1975. But the effects are gruesome, gory, and realistic. The “eyeless” makeup are also the best I’ve seen. Usually the forehead it built out so much that it distorts the fact. But here it is kept to a minimum, and it gives truly a haunting image. And let’s not forget the demon makeup for Borgnine. A job well done for sure. But the real highlight is the melting effects. I don't know how long it must have taken them to shoot those scenes, but it must have been grueling for those actors. But none the less, the effect is the probably the best melting sequence I've seen using real actors. Truly unforgetable. This disc comes with audio commentary from the director Robert Fuest, being moderated by Marcus Hearn. My only complaint would be that at times Fuest gets caught up in the movie, since he had seen it in a long time. But that shows just how good it is. But Hearn does a good job bringing him back into job at hand. They cover everything from Fuest early career, to working with Vincent Price on the PHIBES movies to even working on the original Avengers TV series. Very interesting stuff. But other than the commentary, here is where the extras fall short. There is some very short newsreel footage from a marriage being performed by Anton LeVay, the leader of The Church of Satan. It is only a few minutes long. LeVay worked at technical adviser on this film. But it would have been nice to maybe get some interviews from some of the other cast members, such as Shatner, Skerritt, and even Borgnine. Though I do have to say that the box art for this DVD is awesome. Whoever they got to do the graphics on the front and even better the shot as Borgnine in his demon makeup on the inside of the sleeve.. But none the less, even just with those extras, the print looks amazing, and is worth every penny. If you are a fan of the 70’s occult movies, then this is a must. Actually, it should be a required viewing by any up-and-coming horror fan. Got to know your history. Sure, you might find some of the acting a bit overboard, I don't agree with most of that. Just see if you don't think Ernest Borgnine plays one of the evilest Satan worshiper out there! THE
DEVIL'S UNDEAD (1972) Cushing and Lee together again in this mystery / thriller, except this time they are on the same side. They team together to investigate the mysterious accidental deaths of the members of a wealthy trust fund, who are running an orphanage. This is definitely not one of the better Cushing / Lee films. It seems to have a lot of potential, but nothing really comes of it. This was the first and only film that was produced by Charlemagne, a production company owned by Lee and Anthony Nelson Keys, another Hammer alumni, who was one of the producer for many of their later films. The film was based on a book entitled NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT, which is the original title for the film as well. To be honest, neither title has really anything to do with the film, especially THE DEVIL’S UNDEAD.
DIE
MONSTER DIE! (1965) Based on the story by H.P. Lovecraft, THE COLOUR OUT OF SPACE, Boris Karloff as a man who is harnessing the radiation from a fallen meteorite to make his garden grow to new heights...and life. Nick Adams plays the love interests of Karloff's daughter, played by Suzan Farmer. After his wife, played wonderfully by Freda Jackson, has been turned into a monster from the radiation, Karloff decides to destroy it, but is it too late? This is one of those films that I remember seeing from my childhood, that I still think holds up today. I remember the "Zoo from Hell" really gave me the creeps during the first viewing. This is another great DVD put out by MGM on under their Midnight Movie selection. The movie is great quality, and is presented in 2.35:1 ratio. The DVD also comes with the trailer. Not too much for extras, but at this price and this quality, you can't go wrong.
(2002) This film broke a sure fire pattern as how to tell when a movie is going to be terrible. Before a film came out on video (or theaters for that matter), if it played on TV, this is always a bad sign. For example, take CHERRY HILLS, WISHMASTER 2, and LOS MUERTOS: VAMPIRES 2. These films were all shown on cable months before the video release. But DOG SOLDIERS played on the Sci-Fi Channel, in I believe an edited form, a month or two before it came out. So I didn’t really give it that much thought. How good could it be if they sold it for a TV presentation? After been given some high praises from a couple of 'respectable' sources, we figured we'd give it a whirl. Well, like I said, it broke the pattern. The basic story is about a group of Army grunts that are in a combat training mission when all goes to hell. They come across what’s left of a Special Forces unit that has been wiped out by something pretty damn mean, leaving no bodies, but few organs scattered about and lots of blood. The soldiers end up making to an old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, trying to make their stand until morning. Yea, one could draw upon some similarities to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD…a bunch of people trapped in an isolated house, defending themselves against werewolves instead of zombies. There are even a couple of people that we question whether they might be “changing” sides, so to speak. But even with these, I don’t think it detracts from the movie. Although on one interesting note, back in late 80’s at a convention, Tom Savini was talking about the new remake of NIGHT that was being worked on. He said that one of the ideas that they had was to make it in both color and black and white, with the black and white footage being the zombie’s point of view. Well, in DOG, that is exactly what they do. And it does add a nice effect for the movie. They do a good job of not showing too much of the creatures early on, showing a little more each time. These werewolves are the same type as in THE HOWLING, walking upright on the back legs. While they are very menacing, I’ve always preferred the four-legged types. It’s just kind of hard to see these creatures moving that fast. But that’s just me being picky…to each his own. The only recognizable face to me was that of Sean Pertwee. I fondly remember him from TALOS THE MUMMY. Here he gives another great performance, although a little bit more restrained than in TALOS. The rest of the characters are good, with Liam Cunningham playing the hard-ass Special Forces commander who is trying to set new standards in being an asshole. The rest of the team play well off each other, filling out the cast rather well. The film is filled with it's share of action and tension as the team try to hold their base as the enemy slowly closes in, taking them out one by one. The film also does a great job intertwining the action genre with horror really well. As stated in the documentary, this is a army movie with werewolves. There is also some humor in the film, but none of the stupid kind that seems to be prevalent in horror films of late. The DVD was released by Artisan and comes with a few extra features. It has audio commentary by producers David Allen and Brian O'Toole. There is also a great little featurette that runs close to 20 minutes. It features interviews with the major cast, the director and producers, and even special effects man Bob Keen. It's pretty cool, and shows a lot of behind-the-scenes information. It also viewable in both widescreen and full frame, and comes with the trailer. We found this one to be very entertaining, and a nice changed to a lot of the more recent crap, such as the highly overrated GINGER SNAPS. Another nice addition to the collection.
DON'T GO
IN THE HOUSE
(1980) A rather distasteful, vulgar horror film that is highly exemplary of the output that started surfacing in the meager 80's and is worth a look simply for its somewhat nostalgic value. In fact, the film was released in 1980, the same timeframe that we were treated to MANIAC and THE BURNING, and altogether these make for one hell of an unattractive threesome sharing numerous similar motifs (incinerated victims, madmen being subjected to justice for their crimes via pseudo-supernaturally-resurrected victims) but one cannot be certain as to which film came up with these themes first (not that anything about these el-cheapo gorefests could be considered original anyway), and this particular instance utilizes the ol' DON'T title that Hallmark started in the seventies and by now had been overused to the point to tedium. The all-too mandatory psycho of this outing suffers from painful memories of having his arms burned by his mother when being punished, gas burners on the stove proving to be highly-effective when it comes to disciplinary action (long before we had 'Time-Out'). As if the unappealing child abuse flashbacks aren't bad enough, the results of such bad treatment are mindlessly-equated to the grown son therefore having an obsession with fire, to the point he installs a crematorium within his home, complete with asbestos suit and flamethrower. The success-rate with which he easily
lures women into his home and the fiery chamber is more than ludicrous.
Exhibiting little or no attractive qualities whatsoever (he's a goofy-looking
nerd who talks about his mama non-stop), he none the less has no problem with
pick-up lines like "Why dontcha lemme give you a ride home?" almost
immediately following initial introductions...so therefore the viewer is usually
left feeling little or no sympathy for a slew of young women who end up looking
like giant Slim Jim's The "ugliness" of DON'T GO IN THE HOUSE hinders any possibilities of enjoying this flick via unintentional hilarities...the "Mama's boy" theme and insinuations of repressed homosexuality (he's called a "fag" throughout the entire film) make for an overly-crass treatment given to the overused PSYCHO storyline. Throw in some really obnoxious disco music and silk shirts a la SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, and what you've got here is a really sick little flick that'll have most viewers scowling with extreme displeasure by the time its ninety-some minutes has mercilessly assaulted us. Although a mandatory addition to the collection only because of it's DON'T-series status, the ads tell it like it is..."YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!" Reviewed by Jon Stone
DON'T OPEN THE DOOR (975) The young and headstrong Amanda Post, played by Susan Bracken, arrives to see her dying grandmother after a mystery phone call. She hasn't been back to the house where she grew up in 13 years, after her mother was murdered during the night. Once she arrives there, she finds many strange things going on, and has many questions. Such as why her grandmother isn't in the hospital. And why is there a judge and the owner of a local museum both have their hearts set on getting the house when the old lady dies. But she doesn't seemed to take shit from any of the locals who are trying to tell her what is best for her grandmother. The characters that she finds in her grandmother's house when she arrives are about as sleazy as you can get. First the Judge. Not sure if he really is a judge, but that's why everybody calls him. He is played by Gene Ross, a regular to Brownrigg's films. He even had little parts genre classics in FRIDAY THE 13th: THE FINAL CHAPTER and HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS. In this film though, he is in dyer need for someone to cut the last two strands of hair from his otherwise balding forehead. But none the less, Ross plays character with so much sleaze that if you were to touch him, your hand would probably come away greasy. The other strange character in the film is played by Larry O'Dwyer, who is the owner of the museum in town. He also fits of the part of a local small town creep perfectly, who seems to have a thing for dolls, both big and small. Soon after spending time in the house, Amanda starts receiving phone calls from someone with a whispering voice, who seems to be watching her from inside the house. Well, after a couple of shots of the mysterious caller, we know who it is. But why is he in the house? And what's with the dolls? Once the music started in the very beginning, I would of sworn this film was Italian made. There are some great camera shots, and a lot of atmosphere going on here. And one of the great things about this movie, is that even after the movie is over with, you're still not sure what is going on! Some may call it poor writing, but I found it very interesting that the story wasn't the biggest part of the film, but the characters and the way it was filmed. This film may not be for everyone. But if you enjoy those bizarre little low budget films from the late 70's, you will get some enjoyment out of this film. VCI Entertainment has done another great job bringing us another low budget classic, that probably looks better now then it ever has. While still a tad bit grainy in bits, it's gives it that feeling of the 70's drive ins. But the quality is still pretty damn impressive. The disc comes with a bio of the director Brownrigg, the original theatrical trailer, along with a few other horror trailers.
(1972) This 1972 movie was based on a BBC TV series from 1970-1972, which dealt with a governmental agency called Doomwatch, that is in charge of watching for problems in the environmental areas of the world, like companies polluting water and such. In this film, Ian Bannen plays Dr. Del Shaw, a member of Doomwatch, who goes to the remote island Balfe to check on the pollution content of the water, after some oil was spilled there a year ago. But when he arrives, what he does find is a village full of very unfriendly people, who seemed to be hiding something from the outside world. While not really a horror movie per say (then why am I watching it, you say?), it does star Ian Bannen. I really enjoyed him in FRIGHT and in one of the segments in FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE. And the film was directed by Peter Sasdy, who really made his name in the horror genre working for Hammer in the early 70's. He had directed COUNTESS DRACULA, TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA and the much underrated HANDS OF THE RIPPER. He also directed some of the episodes from Hammer's TV series. And then lastly, the DVD was only $11, so how could you go wrong with a 70’s British movie for that price? But beyond all that, the movie is kind of similar to THE WICKER MAN, with an outsider coming to a remote island only to find a village-wide cover-up of some sort. Bannen does a great job as the Dr. Shaw, trying to help the people while consistently coming up against the brick walls of the community. Judy Geeson plays a school teacher who is not a local, and decides to help Bannen discover the mystery behind all the strange happenings. The film does a good job in the portrayal of the islanders who refuse to take any help from the outsider world. They are afraid of losing their little community. Plus it doesn't help when the local priest is convincing them that what is happening to them is some sort of vengeance from God for some past sin. The film does seem like a made-for-tv movie, or something that our favorite Prof. Quatermass would be showing up at any more. Or Dr. Who for that matter. But that is not a bad thing now is it? I’ve always enjoyed British tv series, as well as a lot of their films from the 70’s. And this one is no different. The payoff isn’t as big as one could hope, but for me, Bannen only is worth the watch. But then, that’s just my opinion. The DVD was put out by Image Entertainment as part of their Euroshock Collection. It is in 1.33:1 format, with no extras. (2005) I've had a hell of a time with this review. I have even gone back and re-watched the film a second time. Upon my first viewing, I did enjoy the film for the most part. It seems to be Argento was trying to pay homage to Alfred Hitchcock and his films. The plot is taken from basically two of Hitchcock's films, REAR WINDOW and STRANGER ON A TRAIN. This is no spoiler, since it's pretty obvious, especially with STRANGERS. Elio Germano plays Giulio, a young film student. The apartment he lives in has a window that faces another apartment complex, somewhat like in REAR WINDOW, where he can watch many of his different neighbors. There is an opening sequence with Giulio as a young boy, which seems to serve no purpose other than to show us that he likes to spy on people. And then a murder takes place in the apartment across from his window. Giulio starts to believe that the murderer has taken a hint from Hitchcock's STRANGER ON A TRAIN and that there is another murder that will take place. So he starts to investigate on his own. Elisabetta Rocchetti plays Sasha, the girl across the street that keeps Giulio glued to the window, and you can understand why. Roocchetti was in the last two Argento movies, and also Sergio Stivaletti's THE WAX MASK. So the problem is that the plot is pretty easy to figure out, even if you haven't seen the Hitchcock films, mainly since the characters tell you what their plots are. So that would leave the only way to make this film interesting, is to build up the suspense. There are times when Argento does that, but I almost feel it's mainly due to his own style that is seeping through, not by trying to imitate Hitchcock's. But then there's not enough to really hold that suspense throughout the film. And then there's the ending. It was one of those where I sat up in my chair and thought, "That's it?" It tries so hard to be suspenseful and trying to be like Hitchcock, but in the end, it doesn't. And that's very disappointing. The script really needed some fine tweaking. During the last 10 to 15 minutes, I was thinking that something was going to come out of nowhere and really hook you. But it just doesn't happen. It ends just like you think it's going to. Instead of the usual type of music that Argento is known for in his suspense/thrillers, this time out he used composer Pino Donnagio. If you're expecting another type of score like from Goblin, you will be disappointed. But Donnagio, as always, creates a nice score for the film. But I felt that it just didn't fit Argento's style. And that may be one of the problems with this film. I was expecting an Argento film. Not a Hitchcock film, or one trying to be like Hitchcock. I think that if he would have kept the same plot, but made it with more of his usual style, it might have been more enjoyable. His look, feel and style of filmmaking would have covered up the plot holes, or would have at least made it easier to forgive. But....if it's any consolation, I did enjoy this film better than his last one, THE CARD PLAYER. So I guess the bottom line is that if you are a fan of Argento's films, you should enjoy this one. And it's much better than those films he made in the 90's, by far. The film was released by Studio Canal, in a PAL region 2 disc. The movie is in widescreen (1.85) and looks great. There is English dialog, but with forced French subtitles.
(1968) I'm getting to be very jealous of newer fans of horror movies these days. I remember saying up late one night to tape a copy of this movie when it was being shown on TNT. Yea, we did have timers on our VCRs then...but you could never trust those things! Like a lot of these Hammer movies, finding them on video was very hard, and usually were taking whatever copy we could get our little hands on. But now this film, in all of it's glorious color, can be found at the local Best Buy for under $20. Darn kids today...they don't know just how easy they have it! Okay, enough complaining. Let's get down to business. This was the third Dracula film from Hammer that Christopher Lee honored us with. And as usual, Hammer gives us a great cast to fill out their usual set designs. While in the previous Hammer / Dracula film (DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS), Dracula didn't have any lines, or as Lee likes to say, none that were worth speaking. But here, he does have a couple of lines here and there. But Lee still gives a strong performance, giving Dracula a very menacing look, and one not to piss off. The film starts off on a bit of a confusing note. A girl is found dead in the church bell tower, hanging from inside the bell, blood flowing. Since Dracula hasn't "risen from the grave" yet, who killed her? Apparently the town is still under the evil spell of Dracula, even though he was thought to be destroyed years ago. When the monsignor stops by the town and sees the terror in the townspeople, he takes the local priest up to Dracula's castle to end the reign of evil. But while the monsignor is doing the prayer-thing, the other priests falls and lands on the ice, cracking it. This just happens to be where our Count is still trapped after the end of the last movie. And when the blood from the priest's wound seeps into the ice, and the mouth of Dracula...well, you know. When the Count finds his castle desecrated, with a huge cross on the front door, he wants revenge on the monsignor who did it. So Dracula and this priest, who is now under Drac's control, head off to the town where monsignor lives, so he can get his revenge. The Monsignor is played wonderfully by Rupert Davies. He gives the character a lot of charm with his very straight-forward way of thinking, almost bull-headedness. Veronica Carlson plays his niece, who Dracula sets his eyes on for revenge. Her boyfriend is played by Barry Andrews, who works at the pub/bakery. While he does an adequate job, I've never cared for him that much for some reason. He just doesn't have that much personality in the role. Of course, his boss is played by the always entertaining Michael Ripper. Once again, Ripper gives another great performance. You'd think that playing so many of these little characters that he'd repeat them over and over again. But Ripper always gives a fresh performance, and is always nice to see here. Barbara Ewing plays the barmaid, and while not as stunning as the normal Hammer fare, she does quite nicely with the role. Being such a die-hard fan of Hammer films, it would be almost impossible for me to give this film anything but high regards. While I wouldn't consider it better than it's predecessor, DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS, I still found myself being very entertained while watching this on DVD. The look of the film, the familiar faces, the music...how could you go wrong. The only bad thing about this release is that while the film looks really nice, the DVD is barren of any extras besides a trailer. It would have been really nice to have seen (or heard actually) audio commentary by Carlson and / or director Freddie Francis. But I guess we shouldn't really complain that much. At least the film has been release, and it looks great as well....So go buy it! Dark Sky Films have released two double feature DVDs containing some great nostalgic sci-fi movies from the late 50's / early 60's. If you have ever seen the film IT CAME FROM HOLLYWOOD, you've seen parts of these movies. The only bad thing about these films is that they might have a selective audience. If you're looking for top-notch special effects or great acting, or even great stories, than you are going to be disappointed. But if you are looking for a fun way to kill a few hours, and take a trip back to the time with these types of movies and serials ruled for young fans of the fantastic cinema, then these movies are just for you. One of my favorite parts of these DVD releases is the way Dark Sky has put these out. The DVDs start out with ads for Drive-in's and the snacks. Real nostalgic classic stuff here. Younger fans probably won't get as much entertainment out of them as I did, but maybe they'll get a clue to the way things use to be. In any case, they're fun to watch even now. Plus, just like the drive-in days, before the movie starts, we have some coming attractions. These just happen to be movies that Dark Sky has put out, but it cool the way they set them up this way. And even between the movies, there are intermission shorts were are also cool to see. Below are reviews of each of the movies featured on the 2 double feature discs. INVASION
OF THE NEPTUNE MEN Every cult fan knows the name of Sonny Chiba. Whether it be from his days in THE STREET FIGHTER movies, the other countless martial arts / action films, or even his role in the more recent KILL BILL movies, Sonny Chiba is a name that every cult fan knows. INVASION was one of the earlier films of Chiba, where he stars as Space Chief, a sci-fi version of Batman, protecting the world against alien invaders. Of course, he flies around in a cool little space car, shooting the bad guys with lasers, and protecting the world, and of course little children from danger. But since he has this little costume on, with a helmet and face mask, no one knows the real identity of this super hero. When aliens from Neptune, looking more like pipe welders (as they were called in IT CAME FROM HOLLYWOOD) decide they want to invade our planet, Space Chief jumps to the rescue. Though, I found it hard to believe that it would to be too hard to stop them, since they moved very slow with they're costumes on. But still, the look of them looked pretty cool. The fight scene in the beginning when Space Chief takes on about 5 of these aliens is a riot. While this film seems to be made directly for the younger audiences, since the huge involvement of several young boys in the cast, they still do a pretty job here. Granted, the effects can be a little dated. But even watching it now, I think the special effects with the spaceships are done pretty good. There are scenes with the ships flying over the cities blowing stuff up. There are some nicely done matt shots and models that are pretty effective. Granted, this isn't WAR OF THE WORLDS. But you can see that while this might have been made for the kiddies, they still tried to produce a well-made film. I can see a lot of younger fans eating this stuff up, even today. Especially when that great 'hero' music starts up every time Space Chief comes on screen. Gotta love it. PRINCE OF SPACE PRINCE OF SPACE is a little tougher to get through, but that's only because of the alien invaders this time out. Instead of cool costumes like the Neptune Men, the invaders from the planet Krankor just have funny hats, big noses, and one of the worse evil laughs in cinematic history. But the plot is very similar to NEPTUNE MEN. The local shoeshine boy is actually the hero Prince of Space, who also has a rocket ship that he flies around in, protecting humanity. Once again, if you've seen IT CAME FROM HOLLYWOOD, then you've seen bits of this movie. Not only do these aliens look funny, but they're pretty stupid as well. Every time they shoot at the Prince with their lasers or whatever, it has no effect. And it each, the Prince tells them that they're weapons will not have any effect on him. But yet, they still keep trying and trying. And each time has the same results. You'd figure they'd finally get it. Once again, this features some pretty cool, but old fashion, special effects with the miniature spaceships and moon bases. But fans of this type of films will still get a kick out of it. Even if you can't enjoy the primitive special effects, you should be able to enjoy the cheezy, and poorly dubbed, dialog. Films like this is what kept Mystery Science Fiction around so long. Much like NEPTUNE MEN, PRINCE OF SPACE was made for the little kids growing up in the 50's/60's, when space exploration was at it's most popular. So there was a lot of 'what ifs' going through those little minds. And movies PRINCE and NEPTUNE just added fuel to the fire for those youngsters. And while we never were invaded by alien beings, with neither big noses or pipe welders' hats, these films sure help those kids with their imagination and dreams. CREATION
OF THE HUMANOIDS These next two films are much harder to get through. There's a lot of talking in here, and not too much action. In the beginning narration, we find out that after an atomic war, most of humanity was killed off. But then we created robots to assist us in our daily living. And of course, what would any normal society be without prejudices against a different type of people...the humanoid robots. So much so, there's even the Order of the Flesh & Blood, keeping the 'clickers', what humanoids are called by ones who don't care for them, in check. I love the fact that the hats these guys wear look very similar to the hats worn by confederate soldiers in the Civil War. Hhmm.... The movie really tries to give us an understanding of being different, of being prejudice against another for whatever reason, and to make us think of mankind's future. This film was made in the early 60's, when computers, atomic research, space programs, and all of that technology was taking off at an alarming rate. So there was a lot of people thinking about the outcome of all of this. And would human nature ever really change. Looking around today....guess not. But this movie does feature some interesting tidbits. Famed makeup artist Jack Pierce, known for creating the classic Universal monsters, does the make up here. While it basically consists of blue-ish/grey skin makeup (someone was in charge of the silver eyes), it was still cool to see his name up there in the credits. Also, one of the names in the credits stood out....Dudley Manlove. First of all, I was thinking of how someone could have a name like that, other than maybe a porn star, but then realized who that was once his character started talking. I can never forget his voice. Mr. Manlove was in Ed Wood's epic film PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE, playing the alien invader who calls humans stupid. Like I said, his voice was easy to remember. The main star of the movie is Don Megowan. While he seemed to work mostly in the western films, Hammer fans might have recognized him, or at least his name, from playing the creature is Hammer's first attempt a television show, called TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN. Anton Diffring played the mad doctor, while Megowan's make up make him look more like a guy who went through bad wisdom tooth operation. Like said, this movie is a little tougher to get through, since there's not a lot of action. But what we do get instead is some great dialog. You'll hear terms like "a magnetic integrator neuron duplicator". Sounds pretty impressive, huh? And there's some of that great dialog between some of the characters. Right after discovering that a human had been killed by a humanoid, one member of the Order of the Flesh & Blood looks at his partner and says, "This is something, isn't it?" The reply, "Yes. It's something." Gives you goose bumps, doesn't it? The print quality is a little grainier here. But it really it doesn't really hurt the film. Actually, I think it gives it more of a nostalgic feel. Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible looking by no means. It is just not as crisp as all other Dark Sky films usually are. WAR
BETWEEN THE PLANETS Like HUMANOIDS, this is also much tougher to get through. The only saving grace to this film is the set designs. From the spaceships, to the amazing alien planet, there was a lot of work done here. Plus, like Mario Bava's PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES, there is a lot of use of colors. But unfortunately, there's not a lot of action going on here to keep you interested. It's very talky. A lot of talk of danger, but we really don't get to see much of it. Giacomo Rossi-Stuart plays Commander Rod Jackson. And could we get any more of a manly name for him? Plus, he fits the part even more so. Any more male hormones in that guy and he would have exploded. I love the fact that every time he takes off his space helmet, his big hair is still perfect. What a hoot. He worked a lot in the Italian film industry, working in quite a few of the genres. But he also worked some some of Italy's finest horror directors as well. He worked with Mario Bava in KILL BABY KILL and KNIVES OF THE AVENGER, and also worked with Joe D'Amato in DEATH SMILES AT MURDER. In another interesting note, apparently the assistant director on this film was Ruggero Deodato. He did this shortly after starting out on his own as a director. Of course, it would be a few years before he gave us those yummy cannibal films. The space crew are out to tackle a alien force that is causing havoc on Earth. When the discover the source of the evil force, an alien planet, they are amazed to find out that the planet itself is the alien. Once again, there are some great set designs at this point. They obviously spent a lot of time making the film at least look good. There are also some unintentionally hilarious moments with toy spacemen flying around on wires above the alien planet's surface. You can even see the wires here, as well in some parts with the real actors in their space suits. But for me, that just added some more entertainment. You really have to be die-hard fan to get through this film. Either that or one of those purveyors of bad movies. They are cool to see, but would probably be more enjoyable in a group viewing, and maybe with some cinematic enhancers. (1941) It's surprising to me that after all these years, I had never gotten around to seeing this version of Jekyll & Hyde. So once Warner Bros. decided to put it out with the 1932 version on the same disc, now I had my chance. I have always loved the '32 version with March, so I was curious to see what Tracy was going to do with it. I knew they kept the makeup to more of a minimu |
