I've really been getting into B-movies over the past two years, especially 80's sci-fi and horror movies. This thread is for all of us to discuss what B-movies we've watched recently or just talking about our favorites.
Earlier this week, I watched Night of the Creeps from 1986. It was a pretty fun romp and an awesome tribute to 50's B-movies. Tom Atkins knocks his role out of the park, playing a jaded detective with a dark secret. The main characters have great chemistry and you really buy them as average college students, something I could relate to being a small college freshman myself. The alien slugs are a great plot device and the effects are great, showing that horror movies are at their best when they give CGI the finger. I recommend it highly if you dig this stuff.
Like the Troma brand of the same era, the Puppet Master movies were the creation of Charles Band who created Full Moon Features, which was focused on exploitive horror movies. Like the Toxic Avenger, the Puppet Master movies were the staple franchise of the studio. The first movie in the series isn't very good, but the sequels gradually got better and even developed their own bizarre mythology and continuity. I recommend checking them out, though be warned the first movie has plenty of dull moments. The strangest thing is that the Puppetmaster series eventually became its own elaborate interconnected universe, something akin to a Marvel or DC multiverse, with many franchises coexisting and crossing over together, like Dollman. Full Moon's work may not be masterpieces, but I reccomend looking into the Puppetmaster for something just a little out of the ordinar.y
Rating: 2.5/5 for the first movie, 3.5/5 for the series
I've never seen any of the Puppet Master movies, but now I may check them out. Thanks, Indy.
Most of my favorite B horror movies were made in Italy during the 60s, 70s, and 80s: Suspiria, Tenebre, Blood and Black Lace, Black Sunday, Black Sabbath, Kill Baby Kill, Baron Blood, Lisa and the Devil, Zombie, Demons, Demons 2, House by the Cemetery, City of the Living Dead, and The Beyond are the first ones that come to mind for me.
The Toxic Avenger is one of those cult film darlings that I've never fully embraced. Lloyd Kaufman, the founder of legendary indie outfit, Troma Studios, shows promise as an out of the box director, but that potential is squandered by paper thin characters and no interesting villain. The more exploitive gore and sex scenes are just eye rolling in some cases as they seem to drive the movie more than the plot in some cases. What does strike me as impressive about the movie, however, is the socio political subtext Kaufman sought to deliver. Toxie represents the socially downtrodden and liberal movement of American during the era, something that had largely been downplayed and oppressed during the conservative Reagan era America that prided itself on opulence and tradition. Rating:2.5/5 stars
A touch of slasher flick, a hint of cop angst movie, a dashing of sci fi and decent portions of zombie and teen romance film, all lovingly bundled into a very underrated horror picture.
It's one that I still watch once in a while if I'm having a horror movie phase.
The female lead is a pretty strong character and Tom Atkins as the cop is the guy whose seriousness holds it all together. There's plenty of icky moments with the slugs. Memory tells me that there's just about the right level of romantic awkwardness from the lead characters (channeling the nerd v jock movie theme).
There's also a touch of sadness as the main characters best friend becomes plot fodder as soon as he's a couple with the leading lady. And where will that best friend be when the couple split up? That's right, possessed by zombie creating slugs. So, be sure to look in on your friends every now and again to prevent that happening to you.
About the only Troma thing I've seen was some of a making of documentary.
I've seen bits of the first couple, but never all the way through.
I'm not sure why that is. If only I had a post to blather on about it, I might find out...Ah, here's one now...
A lot of my early films were from the video store, so cover pictures and titles along with genre play a big part.
Toxie hits the undead, horror, low budget gore buttons well enough. So it's none of those. I think perhaps a slight cultural thing where it pushed itself a little too hard. Another gorefest, Bad Taste, builds up nicely where Toxic Avengers always seemed to be about the pay off. Perhaps I was just at the age there needed to be a little more from a movie than that (again this is based on what little I'd seen of it at the time).
Which isn't fair on the movie. On the assumption that it wasn't taking itself at all seriously, a number of the gore scenes work very well. There's occasional pointed social commentary thrown in too. From the documentary I saw, there's no doubt about the amount of effort Kaufman and his crew put in.
There was a funny moment, where Kaufman is talking about film making in New York. It's Troma and not Woody Allen who had been filming in the city longer (this is prior to Allen's travelogue around Europe). Yet, Allen was adored while Troma kept getting harassed by the police. It was said in a fun way without bitterness. Sure enough, they get pestered shortly afterwards.
There was a little splurge of Killer Toy movies around this time. Along with Puppetmaster we had Dolls in 1987 and Child's Play a year later. Like pretty much every horror sub-genre there was also Devil Doll in the '60s and one of the Dead of Night stories a couple of decades before that.
Puppet Master had an advantage in that a number of the puppets had specific ways of bumping people off, adding to the fun. I can remember one with a drill, another with leeches and possibly one that was just really strong.
For Fickles Fancy: Puppetmaster's cinematographer was Sergio Salvati who worked with Fulci on Zombi II and the Beyond.
Why yes, I did just look that up. Actually, while I'm doing that...yes, one of the puppets was just very strong.
They even retconned Leech Woman to be the wife of the creator of the puppets in the 3rd film. The funny part is that change contradicted the first two films.
Braindead/Dead Alive, which is directed by Peter Jackson early in his career, is one of the best horror-comedies out there. The gore effects are in the same vein as the Evil Dead movies, but take it to hilarious extremes. It's gorey slapstick at its finest. The main character is a schlubby mama's boy and his arc of learning to be his own man and grow a pair is great. Watching the movie does make you wonder what would have happened if Jackson had stuck to making horror movies instead of moving on to the LoTR franchise. He had a unique voice in the genre, and like his contemporary Sam Raimi, brought a sense of fun to the genre that is usually very self serious and grim.
I still chuckle at some of the bits, and I do mean bits (yuck!) in Braindead. There's another awkward, but sweet romance in between the gore and the Sumatran rat.
Bad Taste, mentioned above, was also a Peter Jackson film before a particularly heavy Tolkien hardback fell from a shelf onto his head.
I think you nailed with your mention of the Evil Dead and gorey slapstick.
It's a craft to get any emotional response from an audience. To be able to get two, contrasting, responses simultaneously is what sets these apart. There's the over the top shock at the gore at the same time as the reaction to the humour.
There's more to both films than that, but that's at the heart of them.
In my first year of law school I went to a Halloween Schlock-fest. One of the movies was 13 Ghosts. In the movie the family was told that they inherited their uncle's house, but the will stated that they could not sell the house. Immediately, I remembered from my properties class that such a provision is called restraint on alienation and is illegal. Then I thought "No, no, it is a schlocky horror movie and this is just a plot device to get them to stay in the house."
The Beyond Our heroine inherits a Louisiana hotel from her uncle. Desperate to make it work, she begins to renovate it with the assistance of the two housekeeping staff that seem to have come with it. What she isn't aware of is the hotel's recent gory history and it's location on one of the gateways to hell.
This takes many of the themes of the standard Italian giallo, with more of a straight horror overlay.
We have the emphasis on the set piece and the style of the shot, sometimes over the logic of the plot leaving such films as uneven, jagged and purposefully flawed. So, the cinematography ,location, and the score, and are all key elements of the film. to a degree you don't see too often elsewhere.
An example in The Beyond would be the hotel. It's part of the cast in a lesser, but still effective, way as the ballet school in Suspiria. It is where the majority of the film occurs and it's key elements of the rooms (think The Shining), the flooded basement (think The Evil Dead) and the excellent ending all play an important part.
The camera work is highlighted in sequences that you will also see all over later Raimi films, and elsewhere, and there's a lovely sepia flashback opening to the movie.
For me, the score is more problematic. I've not often been a fan of Italian horror scores. They seem to have been done on a shoestring budget and get in the way of the film. But getting in the way, is sometimes, what it's there to do, adding in noises and audio effects meant to chill, alarm or make an audience squirm (nails on canvas, spiders along floors etc.)
With all that attention on how the film looks and sounds, sometimes the plot can suffer. The premise is sound enough and the innovative gory pay offs are excellent. In fact, in the Beyond, they have that over the top quality that's enjoyed in so many other horror films.
But there is that disjointed quality to proceedings. Ironically, this can often be an added bonus as so often the main character questions their own sanity. The main character is often an outsider in gialli films, and this is no exception. We get a strong female lead (which are gems particularly back then). with a couple of classic lines, particularly regarding her life leading up to arriving at the hotel.
Where the plot seems to struggle, it can be saved by a strong leading couple and this, like Profondo Rosso, happens here with some brief, but vital, interaction between the pair.
Overall, it's a well worth viewing. Some of the scenes work better than others but that's to be expected when the film is working to a different beat than a standard plot driven movie.
But I'll scream if our lead keeps firing into the torsos of zombies when he knows that the shot to the head works...
The writer Dardano Sacchetti, would also be involved in the Demons films and the lead Catriona MacColl would appear in other Fulci works: The City of the Dead and The House by the Cemetery. No doubt these will be getting a look soon.
One last thing. I own two copies of this film. Not because it was so good or because it was so forgettable, I forgot I had it. But because all of these were part of a series of DVDs with black covers so it was hard to tell them apart.
So, I can see elements of both Evil Dead (camera work, gore, obligatory Lovecraft prop) and Toxic Avenger (gore and gore) stemming form this one this one.
There's possibly a Watchmen analogy in there somewhere.
Likewise there's a bit of the early exploitation revenge movies (I spit on your grave) in Toxic Avenger too.
I watched Fright Night for the first time tonight. It was pretty good and I love the nods to the Universal and Hammer Dracula movies. I also like the way they translated the concept of vampires to the modern era by making the evil vampire a sexual ladies man, making him a different level of creepiness.
Complete with the Roddy McDowell Stamp of Quality. It's not one I've seen more than once and that was a long time ago. Surprising really, as I don;t remember it being at all bad.
Possibly a combination of a lower rating that other horrors, the lighter touch, the nods to TV horror shows and Vincent Price that I wasn't following then and vampires being a bit hokey at the time - although Lost Boys and Near Dark perked them up slightly in the next couple of years.
As with The Beyond, we see familiar Gialli tropes here. A couple move to a house with a history in order for the husband to complete the research of his predecessor.
The could are outsiders to the area, as illustrated wonderfully by a snubbing from practically the only person they know there. The female lead suffers from a mental ailment that requires medication that she prefers not to take.
While the house has it's horrors, again underneath, it's gateway to another realm is nebulously connected throughout the film, coming into it's own in an ending that shows some Turn of the Screw roots.
Like the other films, the house becomes a central part of the plot. From the first scene that has enough gore to capture the audiences attention, through the sometimes haunting, sometimes gory middle to the nightmarish finale. It provides more than enough space for lots of eerie sounds, and frantic escapes.
The camera work is excellent throughout, adding to the tension the cast feel. The soundtrack is likewise heightened by muttering, laughing and unexplained noises that haunt the location. The rest of the score is much like the Beyond, but slightly less annoying probably because I'm now used to it.
Like the Beyond, we even have a protracted gory animal scene. This time it's a psychotic bat from the cellar that just will not die. Like the spider scene from The Beyond, it could have been a lot shorter.
The plot, although often secondary, is more a series of missed opportunities as much as disjointed. The opening gore scene is followed by a quick introduction to two pivotal, yet removed cast members, before a quick move to the central plot, leaving a sense of juddering into the movie.
The female leads' nervous issues are not really used throughout as events overtake the possibility of madness. There's no explanation regarding the recalcitrance of their babysitter, mentions of previous visits, or any continuation of a potential relationship between the babysitter and the male lead.
Most of all, it's just hard to fathom how the antagonist could have got away with their actions for so long. The blood and noise for a start, never mind the person's motivations and drives.
But, there's that focus on the scene over the logic. There are a couple of real shocks in the film, and a nice use of foreshadowing too. The ending is also well worth the wait, both in tension and in the final scene that makes an attempt to tie up some loose ends, but leaves plenty of questions. The main plot has elements of the ghostly layered on top, and the questions leave a certain haunting, unfinished quality to the film.
I have a version with some teensy cuts still evident, but they do seem to be quite minor.
I re-watched the 1982 Swamp Thing movie again tonight. I actually liked it more this time around. I think it's because I've been watching a lot more B-movies lately and have come to appreciate some of the schlocky elements. In fact, as far as B-movies, it's actually a pretty solid movie and an underrated move in Wes Craven's career. The scenes of the swamp scenery are well shot and the setting really enhances the fantasy/horror elements of the character and story. Swamp Thing, in my opinion, was always at his most interesting when writers embraced his B-movie horror roots, which is why the Wein and Pasko runs are my favorite. This movie embraces this aspect of the character, giving a true to the source interpretation of the character.
A lost relic of 1988 is the movie of choice tonight, Pumpkinhead. Special effects wizard Stan Winston worked on this movie and the influence his time working on Aliens had on him is highly evident here. The creature design of Pumpkinhead is very reminiscent of the xenomorphs from the Alien movies and the dark setting and strobe lights remind me of the dark corridors in Aliens. Lance Henriksen, who is also of Aliens fame, gives a top notch performance in this movie, playing a grieving father who makes tragic choices in the name of vengeance and anger. The final scene is simply perfect and really hits you in the gut. Rating: 3.5/5 stars
I've seen this once a long time ago in a galaxy far far...no that's another thread. Anyway, like Fickles, I seem to remember it as not bad. One for me to check out again there. Thanks Indy.
Last night's viewing was Clive Barker's Nightbreed. I know this movie has a huge cult following, but it just never clicked with me. The tone is all over the place, jumping from dark fantasy a la Pan's Labyrinth to Frankenstein esque monster persecution. This disjoined elements come together into something intriguing and endearing, but don't resonate with me as other B-movies from the same era do. One interesting theme of homosexuality is present throughout the movie and is probably one of the few horror movies to ever tackle the subject in such an original way.
I don't entirely disagree with your assessment of Nightbreed, IL. It's a mess, but it's one of my favorite messy movies. It has a real vitality to it, and I really wish we could see Clive Barker's original cut, but that's probably not going to happen. And I do dislike the resurrection of the villain at the end, although IIRC it was a last-minute patch.
Clive Barker's director's cut is on Netflix, Fanfie! Check it out if you can. I have to say that I like the alternate ending more than the return of of Decker.
I agree with Fickles. It's a bit disjointed, and I'm not bothered about the lead. But there's occasional flashes of something lurking beneath its surface.
The strangeness of these beings who are so often hunted by man. The body horror and transformation with Cronenberg being quite creepy in it have stuck with me.
I have a soft spot for Night Breed, partly because I'm a huge Cronenberg nut, but I also liked the mythological world building aspect of it. There were all sorts of secondary materials out at the time it was released that fleshed the world out more, and more. I also really liked Cabal, the book it is based on, which did a lot more with Baphomet.
Speaking of Cronenberg, today's review is over what many consider his masterpiece, The Fly. Though it's remake of a movie from the 1950's, Cronenberg doesn't just create a carbon copy of the original and instead opts to tell a new story that still keeps true to the original's roots. A lot of people don't care for Jeff Goldblum's acting style, but I love it and it works wonders for him in this movie. His bumbling, awkward personality really contrasts with his more agressive,alpha male personality when he becomes the fly. Geena Davis is really good as the love interest and has great chemistry with Goldblum. The effects are top notch and the transformations make it the standard for Boddy Horror, along with John Carpenter's The Thing remake. I highly recommend checking this one out if you haven't seen it.
The most commercial of Cronenberg's horror films (paired with Dead Zone), it's an interesting transition for him, moving from the flat out body horror of the earlier films to the spark of more cerebral and understated horrors in later works. After the success of this film, he could have gone on to make any mainstream film he wanted, so of course he chose "Dead Ringers" .
A great film, and great performances (although, I'd say "Naked Lunch" was his masterpiece, FWIW).
There are so many good Cronenberg films. I'm quite fond of Scanners myself (that has Patrick McGoohan in it! and the ever entertaining Michael Ironside).
I was probably not in the right mood when I saw Naked Lunch, if I'm honest. I think I was just looking for a very straightforward movie to lose 90 mins in. Instead I picked Naked Lunch. A few years later, when I had read it, I went back to the film and enjoyed it a lot more.
The Fly was an excellent movie. Great chemistry, good dual sci-fi and horror plot and opportunities for gore. Goldblum can be a little hit and miss for me too. As he's really the same every time, it's obviously the casting director's fault.
I would be remiss in not mentioning any Japanese kaiju films in this thread and I'll kick if off by talking about my favorite film in the genre, Godzilla vs King Ghidorah. Imagine a typical Godzilla vs monster movie, but combine it with Terminator and Back to the Future. In this entry in the Godzilla series, mysterious strangers from the future come to Japan to tell them how to defeat Godzilla. However, they are secretly planning on taking over Japan using Godzilla's most fearsome enemy, King Ghidorah. Needlessly to say, time travel hijinks ensue and Godzilla and Ghidorah battle it out. This is one of the more bizarre, convoluted plots in the franchise, but I love it for that same reason.
Last night's viewing of choice was John Carpenter's classic Big Trouble in Little China. This movie is truly a testament to Carpenter's versatility as a director, as he blends action, fantasy, romance, and horror all into one movie. Kurt Russell is awesome as always, imbuing the character of Jack Burton with that right amount of self aware action hero wit that Bruce Campbell would later do with Ash in Army of Darkness. Kim Cattrall also does a decent job in a supporting role and its nice that the romance in this movie isn't cliched and ends with her and Russell's character riding off into the sunset together. The music score is also great, as is usually the case with Carpenter's films.
I don't think Big Trouble was much of a box office success. Shame, as it's a fun movie. Perhaps having something for everyone is why it didn't get the success it deserved.
I'd recommend Carpenter's Prince of Darkness for this thread.
If you can, watch the special cut for the European market, better known as "Zombi". I think it's even better than Romero's original cut.
I've wanted to see the original "Dawn" ever since I saw the remake, but it's never anywhere to be found on any channel I get. I like the remake, but you almost literally can't scroll through the guide on any given day without seeing it listed. It's definitely over-saturated.
All I can figure is the rights to the original must be exclusive to Netflix or some other service (none of which I subscribe to) because one channel had the original "Night" and "Day" but not a sign of "Dawn".
I've wanted to see the original "Dawn" ever since I saw the remake, but it's never anywhere to be found on any channel I get. I like the remake, but you almost literally can't scroll through the guide on any given day without seeing it listed. It's definitely over-saturated.
Yeah, I don't know how many times I've clicked on it to discover it was the remake rather than the original!
Tonight's viewing of choice was Westworld, a western/science fiction classic from 1973. Written and directed by Michael Crichton, it's clear this movie served as a prototype for Jurassic Park many years later, which is one of my all time favorite movies. The movie can also be seen as an inspiration for the Terminator movies as Yul Brynner's robot character is very similar to the T-800. There are some interesting questions raised about the nature of robot technology, though some may seem dated when viewed with 21st century eyes, However, one line that still stands out to me as brilliant is when one scientist points out that "they don't know how some robots work since some robots were made by other robots". This just adds to the creepiness of the robots, suggesting that they were almost reproducing as a species. All in all, it's a fun blending of very polar genres into a concoction that stands as one of the best science fiction works of the 1970's.
I'd heard a lot about Westworld before I ever got to see it. A clip or a still added to the anticipation. It was well worth the wait. As an aside into '70s Sci-fi, I saw Rollerball a month back, and it's still an excellent movie.
I love that the movie is very small scale. Unlike it's spiritual successor, Jurassic Park, Westworld opts to focus on only two main characters, showing how they go about each day in this artificial world before the park goes to hell.
Gather 'round, schlock hounds. Today's review isn't really a schlocky movie, but a classic that inspired many countless monster movies down the line: Creature from the Black Lagoon. Admittedly, I have never been much of a fan of the Universal monster movies. They are a bit too dated for my tastes, but CFtBL stands out as the best of the crop for me. Part of that may be due to my love for swamp monsters, like Swamp Thing. On the other hand, this movie was really ambitious for its day. One noteworthy behind the scenes tidbit is that the actor who played the creature, Ricou Browning, had to hold his breath underwater for all the shots, some of which were nearly 5 minutes long! The underwater shots are very well done for the period and still hold up by today' standards.
I've watched most of the classic movies down the years. Unfortunately all I really recall about the Creature were the good locations, the cinematography and a poor sequel.
If you're looking for something that doesn't date in the same way, try the German expressionist ones from the 1920s.
After a fairly disappointing Oscars show, I decided to watch another movie on my list, which happened to be Scanners. Directed by David Cronenberg, the movie features Cronenberg's love of body horror, but the gorier elements are largely downplayed in favor of a bizarre plot, even for sci fi/horror standards. While the movie's premise is deeply rooted in psychic abilities and "mutants", Cronenberg attempts to create a espionage-esque thriller, which ultimately serves to undercut the otherwise awesome concept behind the film. Revelations to the "mystery" come so late in the moviet that they feel of little consequence and only serve to raise the stakes of the climax.The characters are so bland and devoid of personality that I had very little interest in whether they survived through the end of the movie. Had the movie been played purely as a sci-fi horror hybrid, it could have been one for the ages, but it's ultimately forgettable, aside from a great performance by Michael Ironside.
There was an awesome episode of the Newsroom (The original one by Ken Finkleman), where Cronenberg was on a junket promoting Crash and all anyone wanted to talk about was the exploding head scene from Scanners.
The head exploding scene is truly a masterpiece of practical effects. It's too bad it's the best part of the movie and it's within the first 15 minutes.
The lead actor in Scanners (Look It Up Lad says it's Stephen Lack) is widely slated for being wooden.
And there's a definite lack of connection. But much later on, I realised that he's playing a derelict man who is emotionally repressed, unable to function in society and who has just found a way of dampening down those conditions even further through drug use.
So, I've no idea if it was intentional, but the utter lack of empathy he produces is ideal for the character.
Ironside is actually the more human of the two. His lust for power has urges that are all too familiar, but we are also reminded that they are based on insanity.
There aren't many good guys in this one. McGoohan's character continued experimenting on his own children when he saw the early results. Ironside's world would be one of scanner power, but with structures we'd understand. Lack's character would have oppression in a different form as his kind take humanity into uncharted territory.
Handily, as this is a comics forum, it was good to see a scenario where powers came with a terrible price and the real(ish) world reaction to exploit those with such abilities. Zero spandex here.
Picking up on his earlier Stereo we have the trepanation scene and the idea of a gestalt of minds as being the way forward. Where experiences are shared through the mind, language becomes redundant and truths are laid completely bare.
It also gets points for highlighting the all too horrific drugs peddled in the 1950s as pregnancy aids.
So, it's one I see every now and again as I find more interesting themes in it. Partly due to Cronenberg's work around similar areas over a long period.
That's an interesting analysis. thot'. While it may not change my lack of enjoyment for the movie, it is an interesting way to view what Cronenberg was trying to achieve with the film.
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE...Highlander movie. Of all the Highlander movies, tv-series, and straight to DVD releases out there, only the first movie stands out as something special. Last night, I watched the movie and it still is as great as always. I love the duality of conflict that Conner Macleod faces as the flashbacks develop his backstory while still seeming like they serve to push the present day plot forward instead of the interjectory crap that we see in other movies (*cough Man of Steel cough*). The Kurgan is a very creepy villain and even when Clancy Brown is hamming it up to 11 in the role the viewer still fears for Conner. Sean Connery's role as Ramirez is defintely great too, even if his character's arc is very Obi-Wan Kenobi-esque in retrospect. Top it off with a bombastically glorious Queen score and you have one of the best, most original fantasy movies of the 80's.
Highlander is head and shoulders above the rest of the series that followed, no doubt, but the TV show actually had stuff to recommend it. Having a bigger sandbox to play in lead to some interesting explorations with mythology and world-building, and as my wife never tired of reminding me, Adrian Paul is a good leading man.
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE...Highlander movie. Of all the Highlander movies, tv-series, and straight to DVD releases out there, only the first movie stands out as something special. Last night, I watched the movie and it still is as great as always. I love the duality of conflict that Conner Macleod faces as the flashbacks develop his backstory while still seeming like they serve to push the present day plot forward instead of the interjectory crap that we see in other movies (*cough Man of Steel cough*). The Kurgan is a very creepy villain and even when Clancy Brown is hamming it up to 11 in the role the viewer still fears for Conner. Sean Connery's role as Ramirez is defintely great too, even if his character's arc is very Obi-Wan Kenobi-esque in retrospect. Top it off with a bombastically glorious Queen score and you have one of the best, most original fantasy movies of the 80's.
It's been a while since I did a review, but I'm feeling motivated today so here goes...
FLASH.....AHHHHH!!!! SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE! The 1980's Flash Gordon movie is one of those movies that is a work of genius that many don't notice on their first viewing. It's perhaps one of the finest examples of cinematic camp out there, yet it doesn't descend into self aware winking to the audience or parody at any point. It's so honest about what it is and relishes in the world it creates. Sam Jones as Flash is great and he brings that old school pulp hero looks and charsima to the table needed for a film like this. Max von Sydow is perhaps one of the greatest assets to this film. He plays the role completely straight and almost feels like he's stumbled out of a much darker movie, yet keeps the hamminess the perfect level to still be a fun villain. This visuals are a feast for the eyes and the bright colors not only are treat for kids, but can be appreciated by older eyes. Each world under Ming's domain has an individual look and personality and the court scene at the beginning has some great costume design that can still be appreciated today.
I find it apt that famed sci-fi reviewer, SF Debris, compared Blessed's portrayal of Vultan to Lando in The Empire Strikes Back. Both characters were initially going to sell out the hero to the bad guy, but ultimately have a change of heart later on, though a bit too late in Lando's case.
Meanwhile on Bespin, our heroes have just discovered that Darth Vader and his stormtroopers arrived before they did and control the cloud city. Han draws his blaster and fires...
Han: Hey! I shot him through the head. He didn't even react. Leia: Something else else's wrong. Your aim isn't that good. Han: Hey! Leia: Perhaps our host could tell us? Vultan: HA HA HA! IT'S BECAUSE I EVISCERATED HIM AFTER STUNNING HIM WITH MY SHOUTY VOICE! HA HA HA! Han: Thanks Vultan. Now about those repairs to the Falcon...
Here's where I lose a few fans: I watched Return of the Living Dead last night and didn't care for it. The main problem with the film is the characters. Every, and I do mean EVERY, character in the movie is unlikable, from the sleazy warehouse owner to the obnoxious punks that are supposed to be the zombie fodder. I know it's often cliche to have unlikable characters in a horror movie for the audience to experience satisfaction when the monster finally gets them, but what this movie fails to do is give us one central character to follow or sympathize with. Add in the fact that every scene involves every character screaming at the top of their lungs and I had a headache nearly half way into the movie. As far as the positives, the effects are top notch and zombies look fantastic. The score is haunting and perfectly compliments the ghoulish atmosphere. It's a shame that the characters weren't better or I may have counted this among my all time favorite zombie films.
I think I saw the first spin off before I saw this one. I think it had a couple of the same actors. But the original is much better.
Random memories:-
The very downbeat ending has stayed with me to this day. It's quite a change from so many films, even horror ones. It has that Cold War cultural chill to it too.
The zombies are very well done, and added something more Creepshow/ EC than Romero's shambling corpses. My memory tells me it was pretty well shot too.
There's a lot of dark comedy. The fates of the warehouse employees being memorable.
It is plot driven and coupled with the vein of humour means there's not much characterisation (or empathy) going on. I think the young warehouse person's girlfriend was supposed to be the one to empathise with? From your description, she may have screamed so much you wanted her zombied instead.
The disposable punks were pretty much a mainstay of loads of horror movies at the time. Seen here in graveyards or driving aimlessly around cities in various Italian horror movies.
It's one I've not seen for quite a few years, but I did quite like it.
I just pulled out the DVD. I immediately notice that Dan O'Bannon was involved at some stage in the screenplay.
I really should read back covers more often. For those stranded without wiki Dan O'Bannon wrote Alien, but also the great Dark Star. There was also Life Force somewhere along the way too.
His involvement probably shaped the tone of the movie. That physical comedy tied in with horror. The bleak mixed well with the humour.
As for the characters. Pretty much of their time. Actually, I think they had already been partly replacement by disposable serial killer victims from slasher movies by then
It's been a LONG time since I saw it, but I remember being underwhelmed. Though at the time, being a Romero devotee, I approached it with some hostility as some of the hype was built around it being the "Real" sequel to Night (Being Russo's story).
I also had an aversion to horror/comedy at the time (I similarly disliked Evil Dead II for the slapstick, but have been meaning to revisit for a while now that my tastes have evolved).
Still, it had Linnea Quigley strutting around in a state of undress, so hormonal teenage me will always have some affinity for this flick.
The pacing is very good. It's a zombie movie but it never overplays it's hand. There's a clear escalation of the threat through the acts. Each incident is connected firmly with what goes before it. It's far from rushed at any stage.
We get time to meet the cast before there's any zombie. There's only one (two if you count the canister) zombie for a good part of the film. It then escalates to the cemetery and then as it threatens to break out past the barricades.
This is paralleled in the deterioration of the two warehouse guys. It's a process that occurs across two acts of the movie.
Likewise, the cast grows and grows as if the incident is sucking everything inwards towards it. It's just the supplies warehouse, then it's the cemetery, then the paramedics (brought in nicely to help the warehousemen merging those two plots), the cops, then the barricades, then beyond...
There are set ups and payoffs that work well
The split dog on the induction with the payoff that bits of the things will survive.
The third stair, introduced in passing, but that causes a problem later.
The army advancement coupled with army foul up stories that lead to the quickfire the army really knows how to make things/ thump on the canister that starts everything off.
The cemetery/mortuary and medical supplies being next door is set up early on with each becoming important as we go.
Apart from the acme teens, the cast wasn't as bad as I thought. The thing I never understood was why so many cliché teen influences would hang out together.
Freddie provides the solution right at the start. Call the number.
It's the fear of getting into trouble and desire to cover things up that stops that happening. First from Freddie's warehouse partner and then the boss. Both are done well. Later it's the military.
This is a very good subtext for the movie. Particularly considering the implications of the ending. That foul ups can happen very easily, and that covering them up will only lead to something than won't stay hidden (or in it's canister in this case)
But those selfish motivations made them human. The 25 year friendship is really pushed to it's limit. The crematorium owner weighs that up noticeably at each stage. He's still weighing things up like that at the end where he's about to put his companion out of the misery that's to follow.
His girlfriend choosing to stay with him as he suffers.
The showing off/ insecurity of the head warehouse guy.
Everyone trying to do the right thing, but failing as things get out of their control.
The threat was removed from the shambling dead of Romero movies, the possessed Evil Dead and the somnambulist voodoo zombies from previous movies.
The zombies here clearly influence the creatures from more modern takes on the sub-genre.
Things that made me go "meh" Acme teens. A low budget skeleton, but still with eyes which wasn't that effective. The overly long military set up to pay off.
A low budget skeleton, but still with eyes which wasn't that effective.
Your mention of that skeleton reminded me that they used the same shot of that skeleton coming out of the grave for both a shot in the middle of the movie when the dead are rising and the final shot of the movie. It's the exact same scene!
Perhaps they were looking at other movies. The Evil Dead had a memorable hand bursting through the earth. They wanted to have something come up form the ground, but just couldn't think of anything original.
Or perhaps they completed the movie, then realised they had forgotten about anything coming up from the grave. $5 later and they have a skeleton ready to go!
I'm kind of cheating on this one and doesn't really count as "schlock" in the traditional sense of the word, but Galaxy Quest is just fucking awesome anyway. If Star Wars has Spaceballs, then Star Trek has Galaxy Quest. I actually think Galaxy Quest is the superior of the two spoofs. While Spaceballs seeks to do nothing but ridicule the concept of Star Wars, the roasting of Star Trek in Galaxy Quest is done out of nothing but love and it's clear the creators of the movie love Star Trek: TOS and all the campy fun that comes with it. Tim Allen might be the last guy you would expect to play a parody of William Shatner's Captain Kirk, but he nails the role, embodying a star revelling in his long past glory days and milking his fame to the very last drop. Sigourney Weaver is awesome as always, playing a character that pokes fun at how female characters are often badly written in science fiction, but the message is never beaten into your head like some other parodies do. All in all, it's perhaps the best love letter to geeks this side of Paul and I highly recommend it for the comedy loving Trekkie out there.
Loved Galaxy Quest on the first outing, but have found it suffers for me on subsequent viewings, while Spaceballs, as over the top as it is, still gets laughs every time (One of the last successful Brooks comedies in my mind).
This weekend's viewing was Evil Dead (2013). I'm a big fan of the original movies, but was pretty disappointed by this reboot. The movie takes itself way too seriously and the tongue in cheek black humor of the original movie is missing. The characters are all bland, except for the hippy Jesus guy who doesn't survive the movie. The climax of the movie is an odd bag for me. It seems to be trying to vere into the over the top gore of the original series, but the actual plot mechanics of what's happening in the scene don't synchronize with that tone at all. I would recommend checking it out if you're a hardcore Evil Dead fan, but keep your expectations in check. I really hope the Ash vs Evil Dead series isn't going to be following this movie's style.
I'm a casual Evil Dead fan (weirdly, my favorite is the much-maligned, overtly comedic Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn), so I was mildly curious about the remake. Thanks for the review, Stalgie. I think I'll pass.
On the other end of the spectrum, ED2: DBD is my least favorite of the series!
In regards to the remake, they definitely were trying to rely on fan service to bypass some of the faults of making the movie for a 21st century audience (over reliance on shock, lack of interesting characters, etc.). What's most surprising is that they even left in that scene from original which even Raimi himself said was too far.
I have to agree it's a pass. Evil Dead 2 has a lot of fans here. That simultaneous slapstick/horror combo is tough to beat.
I watched the Italian Nightmare City a couple of nights ago. Gearing up for Halloween. Where the veil between this world and others* is thin. Look! One has come through to our world... and has asked us to put a better film on. Bloody cheek!
*other worlds were retconned away by DC in 1986 and may or may not exist depending on when you are reading this sentence.
The Rocky films are arguably the greatest example of how a once respectable franchise quickly gave in to 1980s Reagan era patriotism and excess (see Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo films, for another instance). However, they occasionally dipped into the "so bad it's good" pool of movies, as is seen in Rocky IV. By God, this movie is so gloriously dated, that it's amazing. Cold War politics! 80's workout montages! Russians with Mortal Kombat death punches! I think that Dolph Lundgren's performance as Ivan Drago is actually one of the more interesting parts of this movie. Lundgren underplays his role to such a degree that it gives Ivan Drago such an intimidating presence on screen and the few words he does speak feel like they are filled with genuine malice and intent. Some of the other plot points do leave me scratching my head, such as Paulie's "female" robot maid, but that's the kind of goofy stuff that makes this movie great popcorn entertainment. In fact, I would even go as far as to say this is my favorite Rocky movie after the original on a pure entertainment level.
Yeah, "Rocky IV" is definitely a hoot-and-a-half. Sly's then-wife Brigitte Nielsen, playing Drago's wife, really rocks those 80s fashions.
"Rambo: First Blood Part II" and "Cobra" are among my biggest cinematic guilty pleasures as well. Both were directed by the late, great schlock-meister George P. Cosmatos. And to anyone who says that Cosmatos was only the "nominal" director, I say thee nay!
I don't think I've seen Rambo II. I did play the arcade game. You had an infinite amount of ammo that would mow down countless foes. I was told later that this pretty much matched the movie
Used to hate Rocky IV. As a kid who wasn't American, jingoistic American films in the early 80's really bothered me, and I had a hard time getting past them (I actually never saw Rocky V after this one). Now I can laugh at it excesses and besides, who doesn't love James Brown?
Arguably the most infamous of the Nightmare on Elm Street films, Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge is a strange animal. While it's a direct sequel to the first film, it pretty much throws most of the rules that are set up in Craven's work. For instance, Freddy can rip out of Jesse's body to kill people, but then Jesse is perfectly fine the next scene later and has blood all over them. Plus, Freddy is completely in the real world at one point and slicing kids up at a pool party. How did he get there? Are we to assume that all those kid are asleep at that point? Besides the weird gaps in the logic, there are actually some really impressive practical effects on the scene, especially for the aforementioned Freddy coming out of Jesse's body sequence. As many have pointed for years, the undertones of repressed homosexuality are pretty strong. Scenes of Jesse dancing very sensually to club music or leaving sex with his girlfriend to seek the help of his friend in his bedroom are pretty funny to watch now, but I'm sure they struck a chord with many gay Americans in the 80's. Plus, the climax involving Jesse's girlfriend kissing Freddy to free Jesse does seem to be symbolic of pushing Jesse back into the closet so to speak. Overall, it's a very uneven film with high ambitions thematically, but falls short in the script department.
I love me a good werewolf movie and The Howling is easily one of the best out there. Released in a 1981, this movie, along with An American Werewolf in London and Wolfen, really kickstarted a boom of werewolf movies that year. Joe Dante is one my favorite underrated directors and he really brings his A game with this movie. The film is dripping in bright, glowing colors from the sleazy streets downtown Los Angeles to the faint moonlight between the trees. Dante relies heavily on color to create mood and atmosphere, which reminds me a lot of Dario Argento's Suspiria. Dee Wallace is great as Karen White and brings a great sense of vulnerability to the role. However, the show is stolen by Robert Picardo as werewolf serial killer Eddie Quist. His line delivery is creepy as hell and he has a great presence on screen. The effects are top notch, especially when you consider how small the budget was. Picardo's transformation sequence is done with very few cuts or shots with poor lighting. It's a true testament to the ingenuity of well done practical effects. Give this one a watch!
Haven't watched "The Howling" for something like 20 years!
I do remember liking it, especially that stinger at the end, when the surviving werewolves are at a diner and the sexy female werewolf tells the unsuspecting cook she wants her hamburger "raw." LOL
I especially love how it's completely out of tone with the dark ending just a scene before. It's a perfect example of Dante's brilliant mixing of horror and comedy.
This Italian sci-fi was directed by Mario Bava, who is well known in the horror genre for influential movies such as Black Sunday and Twitch of the Death Nerve.
This film begins with the crew of the spacecraft Argos & Galliot investigating a signal of unknown origin coming from the planet Aura. There’s a familial link between the two ships to add some personal ties, with the Argo’s captain having a brother on the Galliot. That provides a quick payoff (although there would be more later) when contact with the Galliot is lost and the Argos also looks likely to crash land on Aura.
Visually, the sets of the spacecraft have the look of the sparsely furnished ships of classic 1950s sci fi movies. The uniforms of the crew would be completely lifted forty years later (if not before) to be the uniforms of the X-Men. One of the few differences is that the uniforms here have very high collars. With a title of Planet of the Vampires, I couldn’t help thinking that this would have something to do with the plot.
We’re introduced to a fairly large cast, and the identical uniforms do make a number of them seem interchangeable. It doesn’t take long to be shown why a larger number than usual is required. The Argos is pulled down to the planet’s surface, only to stabilise from the crushing gravity of the pull in the last moments, to land safely (if drained of energy).
On recovering, nearly the whole crew begin to attack each other (with a couple of quite convincing lunges included). This is where I thought those high collars would come in handy, with them having turned into vampiric creatures. But they don't and it turns out the collars are there to provide neck protection when the helmets are added for outdoor work, rather than anything supernatural. There aren’t actually any vampires in the movie. It was a title presumably chosen to capitalise on monster movies of the time.
The captain of the Argos manages to turn the tide of the sudden madness affecting his crew. They are left to try to rescue their colleagues from the Galliot, and investigate the unknown signal, on a hostile planet.
During the course of their investigations, they find a derelict alien craft with the skeletal remains of a race of giant beings. Yet, those giants aren’t the real horror on the planet.
So that’s the premise. It’s also pretty much the premise of the first half of Alien. There, a ship drawn to investigate an unknown signal from an alien planet. It suffers mechanical failures, leaving it there long enough for the plot to unfold.
Dan O’Bannon, the writer of Alien, was always pretty open about the sources for the film. If it’s your first experience of running across a film that has certain elements that have been lifted and dropped, it can be a little jaw dropping. But, in an industry where is happens constantly, his honesty was always light hearted and refreshing. I imagine this didn't go down well with a number of others who tried to conceal that they did exactly the same thing, in order to take all the credit.
But it’s not only the script of Alien where there are similarities. There are plenty of visual & audio links too. Alien looks like Planet of the Vampires with a much larger budget. Which is a huge credit to Bava. In Alien, the Nostromo comes to life as we see commands flicker across the reflection of a space helmet. The helmets are in similar key positions in Planet.
The distinctive look of the Space Jockey craft in Alien comes directly from the design of the Argos in Planet. The atmosphere and rock formations of Aura clearly resemble the hostile surface of Acheron/ LV-246 in Alien. Bava really makes the best use of his budget on the effects here. It’s a nasty looking place and you sympathise with the crew for wanting to get away as quickly as they can repower their ship. I particularly liked the clever camera angles and ship props to give the feeling that the crew were with a huge craft. Even the recorded voice of the Giants in Planet bears an uncanny similarity to the distress signal in Alien.
There are lots of little cues between the two films. It’s interesting that some of the clunkier bits of Alien are the edges of things from Planet that they didn’t quite drop in perfectly.
Extending the link between Planet and later films such as Alien (and therefore the likes of Galaxy of Terror, Aliens etc.), it also has strong connections to previous films, most noticeably the Thing from another World.
In both films we’re quickly, and as naturally as possible, introduced to a fairly large cast. Both films involve investigations of alien craft from a central location (ship/outpost) in a hostile environment. There are also similarities in the nature of some of the discoveries. While John Carpenter’s 1982 version of the Thing went back to Campbell’s 1938 story “Who Goes There?” for its source material, rather than Hawks' 1951 film, he does seem to have been quite familiar with Planet of the Vampires too.
But explaining why there is a definite need for all those crew members/ outpost scientists, takes us into the second half of Planet (and the other realted films too), where the crew discover the secrets behind their arrival and of the planet Aura.
We become much more familiar with certain of the crew as the film goes on, which is a plus. There are also a couple of twists at the end, giving it a memorable finish. Even at the finish, there’s a link to the later Alien franchise and the Thing.
In summary, this one is well worth watching in its own right and not just as an exercise to see all the influences within it. It’s well shot, with sets between classic ‘50s sci fi and classic Star Trek episodes.
It’s at its clumsiest right at the start. The script slightly loses the alien signal idea with pseudo-science and some future jargon right as we’re being introduced to the large crew. But both plot and characters become clearer.
There’s an interesting layering where there’s always something unknown to be revealed as the film progresses. These reveals are paced differently as the action can be played through a larger cast than usual, rather than having it forced through the perspective of a couple of characters.
Mario Bava wasn’t just responsible for a number of concepts behind modern horror films, but also some of the most successful sci-fi films too.
Planet of the Vampires is one of those movies I've heard a lot about, but still have yet to see. I know it was a big influence on Dan O' Bannon when he was writing Alien, so I imagine I'll like it a lot.
Aw, thanks. Sometimes I manage to figure out the settings on the random word churner.
Originally Posted by Kappa Kid
Planet of the Vampires is one of those movies I've heard a lot about, but still have yet to see. I know it was a big influence on Dan O' Bannon when he was writing Alien, so I imagine I'll like it a lot.
I was the same. That's why I've not gone into the second half of the film much, as I didn't want to spoil it. It does seem to be one of those "get around to one day" films.
Having a certain gialli influence (thanks Fickles!) on this thread also helped remind me to take a look.
As an aside, if you want to post a review here, please do! I like hearing what movies you guys love since I exposes me to stuff I may have overlooked or never heard of! (I'm looking at you Dave and Fanfie! )
Great review, Thoth. I love Planet of the Vampires, Bava was a genius.
Originally Posted by thoth lad
Having a certain gialli influence (thanks Fickles!) on this thread also helped remind me to take a look.
You're very welcome.
Originally Posted by Kappa Kid
As an aside, if you want to post a review here, please do! I like hearing what movies you guys love since I exposes me to stuff I may have overlooked or never heard of! (I'm looking at you Dave and Fanfie! )
Thank you, KK. I'll contribute something soon. And I second the encouragement for Dave to post a review, too.
This Dario Argento directed horror revolves around a book titled The Three Mothers, a girl in New York who searches for the truth behind it, and her brother in Rome to whom she writes.
The film is comfortable enough in itself to let the first five minutes involve nothing more than having our leading lady, Rose, read a book, write a letter and go to post it.
The book is the Three Mothers, providing us with the framework of the film as well as a link to Argento’s previous Suspiria. The book tells of an architect/ alchemist who created three buildings to house the three mothers. Houses from which they would bring pain, tears, and darkness to the world.
The letter is to Rose’s brother, telling him of her fears that she is perhaps living in one of the buildings. This will bring in the brother, Mark, later on.
The posting of the letter lets us see the building in question, establishing it as a centrepiece that you’ll see in a number of gialli. It also introduces us to the reluctant bookseller next door, who sold Rose the book, and to provide her with a chance to investigate further.
Those investigations lead us to the building’s basement. From the first moment of the film, the lighting looks excellent. Colour themes and shadow run throughout the length of the picture. There’s a red theme used later that I’m not a huge fan of, but that’s mainly because it’s a bit bold and obvious compared to the lighter ones used earlier on.
The easy paced pan of the camera as Rose leaves her building is the first indication of the craft of the cinematography and editing.
From the unexpected whole immersion in the environment Rose finds in the basement to the smaller things such as overhead voices and subtly introduced everyday fears, Inferno really strives to provide an experience to trigger all the senses.
Weather fluctuates, distinctive smells are experienced and pains from the prolonged and gruesome to the sharp and quick are felt. All are seen with the use of some impressive camera work. It’s never jarring, never showy and often very innovative. The lovely locations and sets are filled with accumulated clutter. Lots of visual stimulation from the bookshop to the library.
Combined, the technical aspects of the film really make it a pleasure to watch.
There’s often the habit of having set pieces in this sort of film that can lead to some lovely scenes, but also to a failure of connection between them. Having the plot focus on the book early on, provides something to hang the set pieces onto, preventing it from meandering too much.
There is a device that would be the basis for a whole film if made by a US equivalent. Here, it’s just a moody backprop. It looks lovely but they get wrong on purpose just so they can amplify the effect.
The movie does sag a bit in the final third. A character is introduced to provide a link between the information Rose has and her brother, who has been asked by Rose to come to her aid.
It’s not that we don’t get some nice scenes with this character. In fact, her involvement leads to the fleshing out of a couple of other characters. But her, and their, involvement in the film at that stage robs it of a lot of pace. The plot could have been pushed forward in a number of other ways and their subplots could have been resolved earlier.
The horrors are, as usual for Argento, well ahead of their time. There’s the slasher movie, before there were slasher movies. There’s the sensory, rarely done better than these films. And there’s the phobic, homing in on specific fears. These are technical fails (no CGI in those days) but a bit of imagination is all that’s required.
In summary, this is one I’d definitely recommend. It showcases a number of the strengths of this genre, while mostly overcoming a few of the weaknesses.
It clearly has a higher budget (20th Century Fox at the start) and is a technical progression over previous work.
It's clear Thoth and I did not quite see eye-to-eye on the film:
Quote
Italian horror filmmaker Dario Argento's best film, Suspiria, had been an international hit which even broke the American market. Unfortunately, this degree of success left Argento's next film, Inferno, caught between commercial expectations and artistic ambitions.
And, reportedly, Inferno's story did not come together as easily as it had for Suspiria, because Argento's under-appreciated Suspiria co-writer, Daria Nicolodi, felt exhausted and frustrated from her previous experience. At some point, Argento and Nicolodi outlined a sweeping horror epic which would have been covered across three films: the saga of The Three Mothers. Mater Suspiriorum (mother of sighs), manifested in Germany, had already been confronted and destroyed in Suspiria; Mater Tenebrarum (mother of shadows), manifested in America, would be the force behind the events of Inferno; Mater Lacrimarum (mother of tears), manifested in Italy, would have appeared in a third film which was never made, after Nicolodi refused to collaborate with Argento on any more scripts.
Inferno's New York City setting was possibly a calculated move to appeal to a wider audience, especially since Argento had financial backing from a major American studio for the first time in his career. The fanciful qualities of Suspiria are somewhat lacking in this sequel, due as much to the more mundane setting as to Nicolodi's decreased creative input (she does not have a screen writing credit on Inferno.) Indeed, the unfocused plot owes more than a little to a pair of NYC-set horror novels which had already been made into films by this time: Rosemary's Baby and The Sentinel; the sinister apartment building populated by grotesque characters seems all-too-familiar. The nominal protagonist is the inquisitive brother of a tenant who has died while pursuing her obsession with The Three Mothers. And yet he disappears for long stretches of the film, although this is actually a good thing, because he is played by an unappealing himbo named Leigh McCloskey; this sort of casting feels like a disastrous attempt at second-guessing what American viewers wanted to see.
Inferno's good points lie entirely in Argento's cinematic technique. The bright cartoon colors of Suspiria are set aside in favor of an extensive use of red and blue filters, and the crystalline results are often breath-taking. Many of Argento's individual compositions and set-pieces (with some uncredited special effects by Mario Bava) are quite impressive -- particularly one sequence set during a lunar eclipse, in which a thoroughly unsympathetic man is nearly devoured by rats, only for his presumed rescuer to kill him with a meat cleaver. But the film doesn't hold together; it feels more like the work of a precocious but undisciplined film student, rather than the work of a seasoned veteran, which is what Argento was by this time.
Even the music, usually a vital ingredient in an Argento film, is a letdown. In the place of Italian rock band Goblin, we have pioneering British rocker Keith Emerson; good idea on paper, except that Emerson was past his prime by then, and Inferno was but one in a string of uninspired Emerson film scores. The best Emerson can manage here is a pastiche of Jerry Goldsmith's theme music from The Omen. Selections from the work of 19th Century opera composer Giuseppe Verdi are not enough to compensate.
Worst of all is Inferno's resolution: when Mater Tenebrarum finally reveals herself to the protagonist, she delivers a long and frightening speech which appears to anticipate a fate for the protagonist similar to that of his female counterpart in The Sentinel -- becoming trapped and enslaved by the supernatural forces within the building. But instead, he simply runs away, and escapes with ridiculous ease, Mater Tenebrarum doing nothing to stop him. Was this another instance of second-guessing the preferences of American viewers? Inferno has a surprising amount of admirers who consider it Argento's greatest achievement. I personally believe that it barely edges into the category of "qualified success", a loose collection of brilliant moments which do not add up to a satisfying whole. Fortunately, a return to form was just around the corner in Argento's next film, Tenebrae.
I'm not as versed in Italian horror cinema as others here, but I feel that Fulci was as good a place to start as any, especially since I wasn't going to watch anything with actual animals being killed (*cough Deodato cough* ). I found Zombie (or Zombi 2) to be a very solid entry into the 80's zombie movie subgenre. The mixing of Caribbean voodoo into the mythos was clever twist, especially considering that this was originally going to be a sequel to Romero's Dawn of the Dead. The effects are also top notch, especially for the iconic zombie vs shark fight underwater. I also liked the scenes of zombies rising from there graves, because you really get a sense of decay from the visuals, such as the empty eye sockets and worms crawling over them. Fabio Frizzi's score is also fantastic, combining Universal monster-esque gothic tones with 80's John Carpenter snynthesizer melodies. It fits the movie perfectly and really enhances the atmosphere. The gore effects are very well done and I would NOT recommend watching this if you are squeamish, especially with eyeballs.
I was just reading an interview with Gino De Rossi. He did some uncredited work on Zombi 2 (not to be confused with Giannetto De Rossi who is credited with work on the movie). Gino did a fair bit of work with Fulci, including the House by the Cemetery reviewed earlier, and City of the Living Dead which I don't think I got round to yet.
He comes across as a nice guy. Looks back with a cringe at Cannibal Ferox snake thing. But what stays with me is the things he made possible, effects wise, on really limited budgets.
He also worked on Pirhana 2, as did James Cameron who, of course, directed the sequel to Alien, written by Dan O'Bannon who was involved in Return of the Living Dead above.
He also worked on Piranha 2, as did James Cameron who, of course, directed the sequel to Alien, written by Dan O'Bannon who was involved in Return of the Living Dead above.
And Return of The Living Dead was an unofficial sequel to Night of the Living Dead, whose sequel, Dawn of the Dead, had it's own line of unofficial sequels, starting with Zombi/Zombie 2!
I might give it a rewatch too. I've got Critters, City of the Dead (I get the feeling I watched it, but just didn't post a review) and another Italian one kicking around.
Back on his European home turf after his unhappy experience making 1980's "Inferno" in America with major-studio funding, Argento rebounded artistically in spectacular fashion. While I still believe 1977's "Suspiria" to be his true masterpiece, "Tenebre" ranks a very close second on my list. And then only because Argento seems to be trying to work outside of his hyper-stylized comfort zone. In this story of a novelist specializing in murder mysteries whose life becomes a nightmarish replica of a scenario he might have devised himself, the director's limitations as both a writer and a director of actors are brutally exposed: the plot is full of improbabilities and is nearly done in by an over-gimmicky climax, while the cast (headed by Tony Franciosa and including genre veteran John Saxon, as well as Argento regular Daria Nicolodi) turn in almost uniformly wooden performances. The exception is a cast member who has no dialogue at all: Eva Robins, a European LGBT icon who claims to have been born male but developed female secondary characteristics at puberty; to have her playing an evil seductress in the killer's silent flashbacks is brilliantly subversive casting. For subversion ultimately seems to be the intent of the movie: the extensive use of point-of-view Steadicam photography implicates the viewer as a voyeur; the deliberate over-lighting makes everything look impossibly shiny, pristine and antiseptic, creating a hyper-real visual style enhanced further by a limited color palette of blues, whites, greys, and blacks -- punctuated, of course, by the bright red of the murder victims' blood. More to the point, Argento was born into show business (his father was a film producer, his mother was a fashion model), and he appears to have (perhaps unconsciously) tapped into the gradual blurring of the borders between society and showbiz. To have done that way back in the early 80s is an amazing exercise in predicting the future. That, in my opinion, is why this is a transcendent movie despite the hair, costumes and music being very much of their time. Fashions come and go, but society -- with its pathologies and repressed psychoses -- stays frighteningly constant. And that's the scariest thing of all.
John Carpenter is one of my idols, but I'll be the first to admit that he kind of...lost his mind after 1994, for lack of a better word. His films just didn;t have the same creative flare that they used to and his gradual critical failure led to his eventual retirement in 2011. However, I do think that Escape from L.A. does have its moments and is closest to Carpenter in his prime. Kurt Russell is back as the ass-kicing Snake Plissken from Escape from New York and embodies the film noir meets spaghetti western mash up that makes the character so much fun. While some criticized the movie for being too derivative of the first film, I find that Carpenter's satire of his own movie works wonderfully. Characters like Pam Grier as a transgender gang leader and Bruce Campbell as psychopathic Beverly Hills plastic surgeon are too insane to not love and laugh along with. The CGI effects are terrible even for the time, but I can overlook them since Carpenter had nearly 4 months of production shaved off by the studio and he was forced to put the film out without final edits. The ending is also damn near perfect. "Welcome to the human race" has got to be one of the best ending one-liners in cinematic history!
TBH, and I hope you don't take offense, KK, but I've never understood the appeal of most of John Carpenter's movies (having said that, I do think his 1982 remake of "The Thing" is as underrated as the original is overrated, and there's only one Carpenter movie that I outright hate: "Vampires.")
I love his reimagining (it's more of a readaptation of Who Goes There? than a remake of the Hawks film) of "The Thing". The practical effects are arguably the greatest ever used in a horror movie and I don't think many movies have reached that level of cinematic ingenuity and creativity.
I was reading an old '80s film mag, containing an interview with Carpenter. Big Trouble had recently not been a big hit, and he was thinking of packing it in. It didn't read as an egotistical strop. Just that he'd worked really hard at a few movies that hadn't paid off. Perhaps he could see it being harder to get the finance in the future, and was just burned out a bit.
I'm sure I've seen Vampires. Once. No memories of it other than "Don't watch it again."
Having said that, I found Ghosts of Mars to be a decent, contained B movie. That was after Vampires.
There are quite a few of his movies I've liked. Dark Star is a favourite. Then there's The Thing and Prince of Darkness, through Big Trouble to They Live.
I wasn't that impressed with Escape from LA. It was one I was looking forward to, and the campy tone, cheesy effects and similar riffs to the original didn't work for me. There were some nice shots at society, but they weren't really enough for me.
I've seen a lot of new stuff lately, but have been too lazy to post about it. Since I have cabin fever from being trapped at home right now, I guess I can bring myself to write something up.
How do you make a follow up to Hitchcock classic like Psycho without people decrying the burning of a sacred cow? Richard Franklin definitely had the deck stacked against when he made Psycho II , but I personally think the movie is phenomenal! Anthony Perkins returns as Norman Bates, who is being freed after 20 years in prison. He returns to the Bates Motel only to find it under the management of the sleazy Mr. Toomey (Dennis Franz). Soon "Mother" starts calling and the whole Psycho cycle begins anew! Perkins is phenomenal in the role again, playing the character as both familiar yet oddly much more sympathetic. We get the sense that he would probably have been a normal functioning citizen after his release if not abused by the people in town after his return. The plot is full of terrifying twists and turns which I won't spoil here, but needless to say, it will leave your head spinning! Check this one out!
Also, on Fanfie and thoth's suggestions, I checked out Dario Argento's most celebrated film, Suspiria. Holy crap, this movie is gorgeous to look at! Argento's use of bright colors, especially red, and technicolor processing makes everything pop out, look some kind of demented funhouse, which is fitting since the film is about a ballet academy run by witches. The soundtrack by Goblin is also phenomenal, giving it almost an Exorcist or Halloween vibe, especially in the opening sequence with the rainy drive through the streets. I'm definitely going to check out more of Argento's stuff now!
I haven't seen Psycho II in something like 25 years, but I remember thinking very highly of it. I actually think the original is one of Hitchcock's most overrated films because of what I perceive to be reactionary attitudes towards women and (more insidiously) LGBT people. That's what made Psycho II so refreshing, it fleshed out Norman and the environment that shaped him, so it complements and enhances the original.
All of the Psycho sequels were pretty good. Psycho II and its twist were the best. III was a bit more standard slasher fare, though I recall it had a dark comedic flare. IV was made-for-TV and served as a prequel--I thought it was rather well-done. All were buoyed by the continued involvement of Tony Perkins.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the current Bates Motel series airing on A&E and which just started its fourth season. The series focuses on Norman and his mother Norma re-imagined in a modern setting and would itself be a prequel to the events of the first film. We see Norman's descent into mental illness in the setting of a town that itself is full of secrets. The actor who plays Norman is a worthy successor to Perkins. And the Norma actress is as versatile as any I've seen and has a gift for providing the show's comic relief at points even as she shows all the layers of the over-protective mom character. I definitely recommend it for binge-watching, wherever it may be available.
Co-written and directed by Walter Hill, Streets of Fire was released in 1984 between his involvement in the two Alien(s) movies, and after he directed the hit 48 Hours. It has much more in common with The Warriors, a film he co-wrote the screenplay for and directed back in ’79.
I read that Hill had intended The Warriors to be more clearly set in a near future, with certain comic/pulp additions. However, pressure for a release pushed the movie out earlier, and those additions had to be shelved. He eventually got to do add them in his Ultimate Cut of the film (which I’ll get round to seeing shortly).
But it looks as though he did get to try out at least some of those concepts in Streets of Fire.
The film looks great. It has a rundown retro future look set firmly around the 1950s, with the cast also basing (but with kinks) their clothing in that period. The sets are impressive, in part, due to its over $14 million budget. You get a sense of the city the characters live in. It’s almost a character in its own right, much in the way it was in The Warriors. It’s like a slightly less rainy Bladerunner in places.
There’s nothing wrong with Hill’s directing either. It’s a well shot, professional job. But why was this a bit of a clunker?
Our story begins with a singer (Diane Lane) returning for a benefit gig. She’s kidnapped by a biker gang led by Raven (Willem Dafoe). In the audience is the sister (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) of someone the singer used to be close to. She contacts him with a simple message that he’s needed. Our hero (Michael Pare) returns to town to rescue the girl.
So that’s tidy enough. In addition, we get the singer’s manager and now boyfriend (Rick Moranis), an ex-soldier, mechanic sidekick (Amy Madigan) and a local bartender (Bill Paxton).
So, it’s not a terrible cast either. It was fun to see the casting links back to The Warriors with Van Valkenburgh and forward to Aliens with Bill Paxton.
But the whole thing is let down by the script. The dialogue is incredibly wooden. Every character is supposed to have an arsenal of wisecracks at their disposal. But they are all lines in isolation, resulting in absolutely no believable connections, and certainly no chemistry, forming between any of them.
Rick Moranis is probably the best example of this, forced to churn out mechanical put downs in his role as unsympathetic manager. Moranis is also caught between another of the film’s flaws. The film is a mix of action and romance with musical and interludes and a little comedy. It falls firmly between all those stools, and the dialogue doesn’t really change between any of the genres. Characters such as a super fan of the singer and a passing band are added to the cast. All just add weight to the film’s flailing around as it’s sinking.
Van Valkenburgh comes out best, but even she struggles with the terrible dialogue. It’s a shame she becomes more of a supporting cast member after her function of getting the hero involved is over.
Not that the plot doesn’t have its share of problems too. Despite being both boyfriend and manager, Moranis has to be convinced to pay our hero to mount a rescue. Worse still, Moranis knows exactly where the kidnappers have taken her. Don’t call the police or anything Rick. Later still, they pay an informer to tell them that the singer is still being held in the same place Moranis knew about.
It’s a bit of a shame. Moranis’ character used to live in the city. Both he and the singer have worked hard to get out. He’s conflicted, knowing that no matter how much money he gets he'll not escape his past. And he knows that he can only keep hold of the singer for so long. Lots of possibilities, all squandered. I had to look up to check it was the same Diane Lane playing the singer. It’s a very understated performance here, and not in any good way. Our hero certainly looks the part. He's clearly capable of beating up the bad guys. But his lines could have been delivered by any similarly sized piece of cardboard.
I can see there being a lot of ideas behind the film, and visually a lot of that works. But it fails badly in the writing, and I doubt it took long for word of mouth to sink it at the box office.
Streets of Fire was a huge disappointment to me, because I enjoyed The Warriors so much! I also love some of Walter Hill's other movies, especially the noir thriller Johnny Handsome and the action western The Long Riders.
I agree with Thoth that the script was badly in need of rewrites, but I also felt that Hill's direction was unusually under-confident; maybe he was overwhelmed by the project. Or maybe it was so close to his heart that he couldn't distance himself properly from it.
I have the soundtrack on audiocassette some is it is quel frommage, but in a good way, and some of it is just great!
In the age of director cuts, Hill added in some comic book style inserts and other visuals. Reaction was mixed, but Hill said he wanted to add them at the time, so this version is the one you would have got had he been left alone at the time.
I'll report back with a review. I also read that a couple of the characters from Streets of Fire appear in a much later film. So I'll have a look for it.
Combine a famous series of murders with the American market placement and you’ve got a great title for a movie.
Directed and co-written by Lucio Fulci, this is one I hadn’t seen before. I’m vaguely aware that it had a certain reputation, and that it was banned for a number of years.
It’s a combination of slasher flick and psychological thriller with giallo sensibilities. There’s some exploitative bits thrown in to make it a bit more for mature viewers, but we are talking early ‘80s here. There’s definitely an attempt to capture a sleazy NYC here.
I can see why it made people a bit uncomfortable. The emotional drives of the serial killer are more Hannibal Lecter than Halloween. It feels more like a rougher ‘70s film than the slicker, and duller, American slasher films of the ‘80s. The usual female slasher movie victims have a more unsettling element than usual, due to the quality and nature of the effects in the death scenes. There is “ripper” in the title after all, so certain deaths and misogyny are inherent in the title. Personally, I was just looking at the technical effects rather than being caught up in considering the gender of the victims.
The plot revolves around a series of murders committed by someone with a voice like a deranged Donald Duck. This is apparently a nod to an earlier film. Initially silly, its distinctive qualities make it creepy as the film progresses.
The film keeps the viewer guessing as to which of the cast is behind the killings. Is it the mathematician boyfriend of the only victim to survive? Is it the surviving victim herself, sometime prone to hallucinations? Perhaps it is the psychologist the police bring into the case to find the killer? Is it the doctor who keeps the tape recordings his wife makes in their open relationship? Or could it be one of the men the wife finds herself with, one who was near the survivor when she was attacked?
Either the film overplayed its hand early on, or I’m a lucky guesser when it came to the culprit. But it did make me think twice later on, just before the final reveal. The reasons behind it all had the farfetched plot jumps that we’ve seen in other Italian films. But I liked the various possible killers, even if it did slow the overall pace down a bit.
The film does add in a touch of titillation, that often really shows its age. But simultaneously, it goes deeper than most, in giving the viewer a, mostly incidental and non-exploitative, glimpse into the sexual lives of each of the cast. It’s there to provide some underpinnings to potential suspects, but also helps to make the characters more human.
Investigating the murders is our standard burned out police detective. It’s well played by Jack Hedley, as the script allows for solid interaction with his suspects and colleagues. The detective is also involved with one of the victims. As he attempts to save her, we see an out of breath middle aged person, trying to find a way into a building, rather than an action hero or a super cop. It’s a small, but good touch.
The cinematographer on this one was Luigi Kuveiller, who also did Deep Red and there are a few good camera effects used here.
In summary, elements of the film undoubtedly upset those who are outraged as a hobby, and who want some attention in their lives. But behind that is a competent film that brings certain Italian qualities to a movie firmly aimed at more of a US market.
If you're in the mood for some serious batshit "WTF drugs were they on" horror movies, check out The Howling III: The Marsupials. Contrary to that title, the film does not actually contain any were-kangaroos. In fact, this film has almost nothing to do with Joe Dante's original classic, though the same could arguably said for the second film in the franchise as well. The film follows a young female werewolf living in the Australian Outback who escapes her abusive clan and flees to the big city and joins the crew of a werewolf movie. At the same time, a biology professor and part-time werewolf researcher (just roll with it) is trying to track down the last of the were-thylacines (the werewolves have pouches in this movie) to study them before they are hunted to extinction. The movie has brilliant satire throughout, but it can never quite mesh these two plotlines quite well, resulting in a pretty bland third act where the characters are just roaming the Australian outback without really much to do. The effects are also not quite on par with Dante's either, frequently failing to use shadows and better angles to mask some of the limitations of their practical effects. It's a fun movie to poke fun at, but I do admire it's somewhat misguided ambition to take the werewolf genre to the next level. Unfortunately, it just misses a few key steps along the way.
While I consider myself reasonably well-versed in the work of Argento, Fulci, and Bava, the more workmanlike Martino doesn't command the same degree of mystique as the first three, so his films are not as readily available on home video. Internet to the rescue -- YouTube has several of his movies (at least for the time being) and yesterday I watched one of Martino's most (in)famous works, "All the Colors of the Dark", starring his frequent leading lady Edwige Fenech (who was married to Martino's brother Luciano at the time).
The movie doesn't have the crazed intensity of the best work of Martino's rivals, but I think it is a solid piece of craftsmanship. AtCotD is frequently (and unfavorably) compared to Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby", but I think a more accurate comparison would be "Repulsion." Either way, Martino succeeds in creating the requisite living-nightmare atmosphere, what with Fenech having to contend with a remote, absent husband (George Hilton), a creepy blue-eyed stalker (Ivan Rassimov), a sister who may have a sinister private agenda, and a strange new neighbor who inducts her into a devil-worshipping cult (cue the animal sacrifice -- IMO the most uncomfortable moment in the film -- followed by the drinking of blood, then the cult orgy, and then the human sacrifice. The question then becomes, did any of this really happening or is it all a paranoid delusion of Fenech's? And when the movie threatens to fall apart near the end with a too-tidy "Psycho"-esque resolution, Martino and screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi pull a brilliant bait-and-switch that leaves the viewer as uncertain of Fenech's ultimate fate as she is.
I will definitely be watching more Sergio Martino movies (for as long as they're available) and posting about them in this thread.
Arguably the one of the best Hammer films never made by Hammer , Horror Express is actually my favorite pairing of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. The film's plot is very reminiscent of The Thing and concerns a frozen creature getting loose on a train during transport and taking over the bodies of the passengers. There's a great sense of mystery and tension, aided by the haunting score and beautiful set design. You can never go wrong with Lee and Cushing together and we even get Telly Savalas joining in on the fun, wearing what I can only describe as something even Cruella De Vil would turn her nose at! The effects are actually pretty solid for their time, particularly the bleeding eyes. Rating: 3.5/5
Also, this score is just too beautiful to not share!
Apologies for overlooking your great review, thoth. I just saw New York Ripper about a month ago and loved it. It's defintely one of Fulci's best (and sleaziest) flicks and actually maintains a pretty solid mystery for a while. The ending is actually surprisingly bittersweet for a giallo as I actually had some sympathy for the killer.
This is my first Mario Bava flick, though I had already seen several of his son's films before. Compared to Lamberto, Mario's work is a lot more moody and stylized, which fits into that transition period of horror in the 60's. There's a nice mix of the moody expressionism that marked the Universal monster flicks as well as the more visceral gore that the Italian horror scene came to be known for under the likes of Fulci and Argento. The story isn't anything special, but it's atmosphere makes it a very enjoyable watch.
Well said, Kappa, and I agree with you for the most part, though if I were to give "Black Sunday" a rating, I'd be more generous and give it at the very least a 4/5.
We are definitely on the same page on Barbara Steele, though.
The plot gets a bit murky at times, especially in waffling between whether the antagonists are witches or vampires, so I found some parts to be a bit convoluted and plodding.
That's not to say that it hurt it enough to keep me from overall enjoying the film though, especially near the end.
I'm not sure how many fans of westerns we have around these parts (hey Cobie!), but I love me a good spaghetti western! When it stars Franco Nero and is directed by Lucio Fulci, that's just icing on the cake! Massacre Time/The Brute and the Beast is an underrated gem in Fulci's early career catalog. Franco Nero isn't quite playing Django again even if he does do some pretty awesome ass kicking near the end of the film. The real star of the film is actually George Hilton as Nero's booze guzzling brother who delivers all the best one-liners and gets the best stunts in the action sequences. Check this one guys!
God damn Mario Bava, you magnificent madman. You may not have had me over the moon with Black Sunday, but Danger: Diabolik is already one my all time favorite movies and it's only been a few hours since I watched it! This is a wonderful blend of unabashed camp, groovy 60's psychedelia, and a sensuality that's damn near tangible. John Phllip Law's sharp blue eyes could cut diamonds with every glance he throws at the camera and he's probably the most charismatic villain as hero I've seen on the silver screen. His chemistry with Marisa Mell crackles in every scene they have together, even in scenes with little to no dialogue. That's some damn good directing, Mr. Bava. Greatest comic book movie of all time? I think so. Eat your heart out, Nolan.
It ain't quite Fast Times at Ridgemont High and while this film came out the same year as Amy Heckerling's comedy classic, The Last American Virgin is a criminally overlooked gem in the realm of 80s teen sex comedies. Director Boaz Davidson imbues the film with a sense of honesty and reality that a lot of the more irreverent films of the era tended to lack.
Gary and Rick's relationship is one I'm sure most people have seen play out in their lives, be it through themselves or a close friend. There's a sense of tragedy by the end of the film that really caught me off guard. It's a rejection of the "everything works out" resolution typical of the likes of John Hughes' scripts and offers a more grounded exploration of adolescent relationships.
I love the aesthetic of the film, a glorious transposition of American Graffiti-esque Americana to (then) present day Los Angeles. It never comes across as kitschy and really underscores the similarity in culture between those two decades. Add in the fact that the film has a kicking soundtrack featuring Devo and REO Speedwagon and you've got yourself a winning aesthetic.
The Last American Virgin was made by the guys who went on to own the Cannon Group. The guys who offered Stallone silly money for a film about arm wrestling. The guys who wanted "that Stone" woman meaning Kathleen Turner from Romancing the Stone, but got Sharon Stone who the production crew hated so much, they peed in a giant cauldron prop she had to be in. The guys who, when things got bad at the end, gave us a hollowed out Superman film (that I admit not to have seen). But they tried to expand their range with the likes of Kurosawa, Cassavetes and Mailer.
Most importantly, they gave Tobe Hooper a three film deal and one of those was Lifeforce!
I'm sure the plot of Last American Virgin was taken from a film they had already made in Israel, when they rose to prominence there. That could explain why it's a bit different to the US films in the same theme. As Kappa says, that ending strikes out on its own path of teenage heartbreak.
It stars, and the reason I probably ever saw it, Diane Franklin. She was in Bill & Ted's excellent adventure and the quite dreadful Better of Dead. But, before Last American Virgin, she co-starred in the Second Amityville film, one that focused on the breakdown of the relationships in the house, with supernatural overtones.
Gary and Rick's relationship is one I'm sure most people have seen play out in their lives, be it through themselves or a close friend. There's a sense of tragedy by the end of the film that really caught me off guard. It's a rejection of the "everything works out" resolution typical of the likes of John Hughes' scripts and offers a more grounded exploration of adolescent relationships.
The story is depressingly realistic. I appreciate it for its artistic quality and realism, but I prefer watching movies to escape FROM reality
The creaking noise of a coffin lid can only mean that the Vault of Schlock has been opened. So while one of you goes to get a bucket for the remains, lets take a peek and see what was down there. Comments welcome, but do shout to be heard over the screams of the dying...and the already dead.
Night of the Creeps Puppet Master Toxic Avenger Braindead The Beyond Fright Night The House by the Cemetery Swamp Thing Pumpkinhead NightBreed The Fly Godzilla vs King Ghidorah Big Trouble in Little China Westworld Creature From the Black Lagoon Scanners Highlander Flash Gordon Return of the Living Dead Galaxyquest Evil Dead (2013) Rocky IV A Nightmare on Elm Street II The Howling Planet of the Vampires Inferno Zombie Tenebre Escape from LA Psycho II Suspiria Streets of Fire New York Ripper The Howling III: The Marsupials All the Colours of the Dark Horror Express Black Sunday Danger: Diabolik The Brute and the Beast The Last American Virgin
I'm a huge B-Z grade horror/sci-fi/mystery/fantasy movie fan and have strong opinions about them too. I try to watch at least one every two weeks. If anyone's looking for an easy place to find them, the Amazon Prime channel has SO many.
I've seen a bunch of the films on thoth lad's list and was wondering why I'd never commented in this thread. And then I went back and looked at the first post and saw that it was about Night of the Creeps, and I *small voice* haaaaated that movie, so I mustn't have wanted to bring everyone down with my first post.
But if everyone's willing to let that character defect slide, I'll pop in with my thoughts on some of the films already reviewed anyway:
Night of the Creeps: It's been years since I've seen it but the only thing I remember about it is my dislike for it. I just checked IMDB and I gave it 3/10 there so that jibes with my recollection. Although there must have been something about it I appreciated to give it at least a 3 (I am not skimpy with my 1s I assure you). I just re-watched the trailer and think what I must have liked about it was the overall "80s-ness" (I love a film that is very much of its era) and what I disliked about it was... everything else - the acting (especially Chris), the poor-man's zombies threat, Tom Atkins (I'm not a fan), etc. I think I remember the plot being all over the place too, and I do remember hating the ending now, but don't remember which one I got. (My IMDB score: 3/10)
Fright Night: I love this movie! I first saw it many, many years after it was released (I think around the time of the remake) and thought it was so much fun. It had so many great elements - a cool story, good acting (Chris Sarandon in particular), amazing special effects (this is legitimately one of the most horrifying vampire faces ever), effective humor, fab soundtrack, everything. The one thing that stood out to me above all others though was just how G.A.Y. this movie was! The homoerotic subtext was off the charts. I know Jerry's meant to be pining for Amy all movie but you can't tell me that his real attraction isn't to Charley. And that scene between him and Ed in the alley is almost like every cruising encounter I've ever had! (My IMDB score: 9/10)
The Fly: Another great movie! I don't have much to add other than it was a big leap forward for Cronenberg after his earlier films IMO (although I haven't seen Videodrome yet). (My IMDB score: unrated for some reason)
Big Trouble in Little China: This is a sentimental favorite from my childhood. I don't think I'd ever seen anything before like it when I first saw it - crazy monsters, secret societies, powerful wizards, hidden passages... and all just behind a normal city street! The humor is great, the action is great; it's just an all around fun adventure story. I think that a modern viewer might criticize it for leaning pretty heavily into Asian stereotypes but I think it's so over the top it sort of subverts them in a way. (My IMDB score: 8/10)
Creature from the Black Lagoon: This is one I haven't seen in a long time but I distinctly remember four things about it: 1) it takes forever to get going and then just sort of ends; 2) the native South American crewmen all only exist to die; 3) it is absolutely crying out for an updated remake; and 4) I kind of enjoyed it anyway. Oh, and I remember the underwater shots being excellent too. This film is pretty good and I have a soft spot for all of the Universal monsters but I think what strikes me most about this film is its potential. A good writer/director could make an excellent remake of this. Personally, I'd keep it in its period setting but lean more heavily into the horror and *spoiler* do a third act twist that killed off all of the main explorer/scientist characters and focus on a motley handful of the South American crewmen left (who had heretofore been background characters) outwitting and surviving the creature. (My IMDB score: unrated for some reason)
Flash Gordon: In my memory this was a fun, cheesy adventure film (with an excellent soundtrack) but I just checked IMDB and I only gave it 6/10 so there must have been some things I didn't like about it (I give 8s, 9s and 10s to even "bad" movies if I enjoyed them enough). Maybe I was just in a bad mood that day because I feel like it deserves at least a 7 for all of the over-the-top costumes and sets and acting (Brian Blessed!) and so on. One thing that I hold against this movie is that I first saw bits and pieces of it when I was a small child (like under 5) and I remember being forever scarred by the scene where some guy puts his hand into a tree stump and some creature inside stings him! Like, even to this day I'm wary about where I put my hands! (My IMDB score: 6/10)
Galaxy Quest: This is a pretty good movie but I am not the fan that nearly everyone else around me is (I remember even being forced to watch it with my family one Christmas). The concept is great and the actors are all fun (particularly Chris Rockwell) but I just remember it not being as funny as I wanted it to be. And the aliens annoyed the HELL out of me! God they were grating! I have found it hard to watch Enrico Colantoni in anything else ever since. (My IMDB score: unrated for some reason)
A Nightmare on Elm Street II: Another one I haven't seen in a long time but I think I remember this as being an OK, sort of middle-of-the-road horror film. I do remember appreciating it for how different it was to the other Elm Street movies though (I think I saw this one after a lot of the other ones). I think I must have been too young to appreciate any gay subtext in it though because I don't remember any of that. I'll have to give it a re-watch. (My IMDB score: unrated for some reason)
The Howling: The werewolf is probably my favorite monster in all of horrordom and this is obviously one of the best werewolf movies ever (although that is not saying much). I love the story and how it moves from the gritty, 'dangerous' city to the supposedly quiet, peaceful countryside only for us to realize that the true horror was in the countryside all along. The twists upon twists at the end are all great and the special effects are obviously first rate too. This is a fun and sometimes scary horror movie - my favorite kind. (My IMDB score: 7/10)
Inferno: This is probably the film I saw most recently on this list (like within the last year), but I'm having trouble remembering much about it! haha I gave it a good IMDB score though so there must have been a lot in it I enjoyed. It's an early Argento so I automatically know it must have had a fantastically colorful visual design, an intrusive and over-the-top but fun score, and horrific but excellent suspense and death sequences. OK, I just watched the trailer and all of that was as I remembered (the Central Park murder was one I had unjustly forgotten because it was a great one). I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with stories that shift the POV character as the previous one gets killed off. On the one hand, it's usually a great and unexpected twist, on the other hand, sometimes I liked that character dammit! haha I think this one suffers slightly for that reason. The final guy was nowhere near as interesting or sympathetic as the previous two girls IMO. (My IMDB score: 8/10)
Suspiria: If I ever divorce my husband the main reason will be because he saw 10 minutes of this film and declared it the worst movie he had ever seen! haha Needless to say, I disagree! I love it for a lot of the same reasons I love Inferno - cinematography, sets, costumes, music, story, suspense, death scenes, etc. This is the sort of movie that needs to be sort of 'experienced' rather than 'watched' and I wish more movies were like that sometimes. (I know some people consider it heresy but I am actually *really* looking forward to the remake too. I love the director and cast and it looks fantastically creepy!) (My IMDB score: 8/10)
Black Sunday: Another fave! I think this might have been the first or second Bava I ever saw. I think Ann and I discussed our love for him in another thread here many years ago but I can't seem to find it. I absolutely *love* the atmosphere in this one! Like, I could watch 10 more movies on those spooky sets with those fake tree branches scratching against the windows while that smoke machine swallows everyone in fake fog! I'm a real sucker for these sort of period piece horror films. Any movie that has characters riding in a horse drawn carriage through a moonlit forest has me at hello! I think I recall the plot for this one being fairly simple but Barbara Steele makes up for it with her scenery-chewing theatrical presence. What an icon! (My IMDB score: unrated for some reason)
So that's all the ones I've seen from the above list. I've definitely been meaning to check out some of the others though. Hopefully a few are on Amazon Prime or Netflix.
(And I don't hold your dislike of "Night of the Creeps" against you. Put it this way -- I bought a cheap used copy of the DVD years ago, and it's still sitting around unwatched, even though I have good memories of the film. So maybe I don't like it quite as much as I thought.)
On Fright Night -- yes, indeed, I agree those are some of the very best special effects ever seen in a horror movie. Digital schmigital! Bah, humbug, kids these days...grumble, grumble.
On Inferno -- I think I described the color scheme as "crystalline" in my review. It's certainly a great-looking film, and Keith Emerson's score is adequately rousing (if blatantly derivative of Jerry Goldsmith's masterful score for "The Omen.") My two big problems with it are that the male lead is very unappealing (his 1970s-going-on-1980s look doesn't help) and the ending is a cop-out, the latter something very rare in even the weaker Argento movies.
On Suspiria -- I agree, it is the kind of movie where the sheer ingenuity and intensity of the visual aesthetic transcends all of its flaws in its lack of a solid plot structure. I still consider it Argento's masterpiece, and probably always will.
On Black Sunday and Mario Bava overall -- I vaguely, but fondly, recall our discussion of Bava. As it happens, though, the new So What Are You Watching Thread has some recent thoughts of mine on Bava. I'll go bump them right now.
Thanks for that packed post with all your reviews Blacula!
I think of Videodrome more with Naked Lunch than of the Fly. It's got that kind of subtext to it. The guy who put his hand into the log in Flash Gordon was Peter Duncan. He was one of the presenters in the hugely popular Kid's show Blue Peter over here. The Peter in the title of the show is no relation. It's was quite a thig at the time. Peter Purves, of Doctor Who fame, was another Blue Peter presenter. That all round, genre mixing works well for Big Trouble in a way that never really paid off for Buckaroo Banzai.
AH: I agree with you re: Inferno. The “hero” was a bit of a dud and I think I remember being let down by the ending too. I wish I could find our Bava discussion by the way but the Search function only goes back 10 years. It can’t have been that long ago can it?!
TL: Blue Peter seems like such a seminal show for UK kids. I spent a number of years there, it’s weird I never saw an episode.
P.S. I’ve discovered that Amazon Prime has both Horror Express and The New York Ripper on it so I’ll be back with my thoughts on both of them soon.
I recall Horror Express being made on the back of another movie that had the train and also starred Tele Savalas (Look it up Lad tells me it was Pancho Villa). So, Horror Express got the budget to stretch a bit more as a result.
Some Bava banter back and forth between you guys here:-
^ Thanks TL. I saw that discussion but am sure our first discussion about Bava was longer ago than 2016. I remember discussing other of his movies too. Or maybe I’m wrong? How soon is ‘too soon’ for early onset dementia?
^ I think it was even older than that too but I am impressed with your sleuthing skills TL. Move over Batman, we've found the new (Legion) World's Greatest Detective.
P.S. Preview of my 'The New York Ripper' review to come:
I watched the first 5 minutes last night before getting interrupted by a long phone call and Holy Moley! can I not wait to watch the rest. The 70s New York setting was on full display which I loved (I love looking at all the background buildings and fashions in period on location filming) but more than that, the acting/dubbing was some of the hilariously worst I've seen in a long time! Like, the very first scene has a man out supposedly enjoying a walk with his dog, but it's like he and his voice-over actor have never interacted with a dog before in their lives. They look and sound SO insanely unnatural! And then in the very next scene some woman has the most ludicrous bike 'accident' ever filmed. If this film continues at this rate I'm in for a treat.
^ I think it was even older than that too but I am impressed with your sleuthing skills TL. Move over Batman, we've found the new (Legion) World's Greatest Detective.
Take that Imaginary Batman form World's Finest who got to join the Legion! Fah! Legion! Not a patch on Legion World!
I ran searches on gialla, bava, argento and Italian. "Italian" was a mistake, but after 100 threads of how hot Italian men apparently are, I found the film ones again.
Apologies for not being completely on topic, but I was just beginning my reread of this issue. What do you all think about this horror-movie-homage cover to LSH v4 92 by Alan Davis, featuring a gigantic Gates cradling an unconscious Triad?
I'm not even going to risk shorting out the Mr Pot to the foyer tannoy system with than one
Originally Posted by Invisible Brainiac
What do you all think about this horror-movie-homage
It's a light hearted mash up of drive in genres of the 50's, although it doesn't really bring out much in the way of horror. Attack of the 50' Gates meets the fleeing mobs of any number of movies like Godzilla/ X The Unknown/ Beast from 2000 fathoms (no burning buildings though) meets the monster carrying the damsel (in this case one handed like Colossus of New York rather than the standard two hand carry in the likes of Fire Maidens from Outer Space). The size of additional figures varies across posters, and is quite often in inset panels. The three figures on the bottom right here are about the size of Cult of the Cobra . The little UFO in the top right is about the size of a planet in a War of the Worlds poster.
Nah, he wanted to torture Triad by giving her back pain.
50' Gates was relaxing against the ruins of a recently destroyed building, when the first of the osteopath bills arrived. "To the shuttle!" he gasped, realising he had met his match in the litigious people of Earth.
Awwww. Daria's pairing with David Hemmings in Deep Red was a great partnership. one of my favourites. She did an interview in Dark Side Magazine not that long ago.
She claimed that the whole concept and structure of the Three Mothers Trilogy was entirely hers, based on stories she'd grown up hearing from her grandmother. I believe her.
Been a long while since I've done a post here, but in the past year, I've been re-visiting the works of of France's poet of Gothic horror, Jean Rollin. Any fans of his here?
Also been hip deep in the works of one of the masters of Eurosleaze, Jess Franco! Recently re-watched his 1972 tribute to horror comics: The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein. Boasts some impressive scope framing, gorgeous locations, and a knack for old school horror imagery (cheap skeletons in robes will never NOT be awesome!!).
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I know it was a big influence on Dan O' Bannon when he was writing Alien, so I imagine I'll like it a lot. ![[Linked Image]](http://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/planet2.jpg)
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). I found ![[Linked Image]](https://i.gyazo.com/3fcf9d26f3315c4d903ae188c36a9fef.png)
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Argento's use of bright colors, especially red, and technicolor processing makes everything pop out, look some kind of demented funhouse, which is fitting since the film is about a ballet academy run by witches. ![[Linked Image]](http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mK-Nn6FzvAdJYd1Vbrs1nxQ.jpg)
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