The Witch Who Came From The Sea (1976)

4 / 5 Oct '09
Tagline: Molly really knows how to cut men down to size!!
Directed by: Matt Cimber
Written by: Robert Thom
Actors include: Millie Perkins, Lonny Chapman, Vanessa Brown
Genre: Horror, Drama, Thriller
Length: 88 minutes
Banned: Was, isn't now
Country: USA

Review:
Well I've read about this film a fair bit, seeing as how it was once rated X and considered a video nasty. From reading about it I don't think I actually had a clue what to expect and anything I thought I knew was wrong. This isn't a vile disgusting horror picture, it's a depressingly surreal tale of child abuse. It's very '70s, some of the dialog and such will probably have you laughing and the acting isn't superb (though at times it's quite something). This made me feel as though I were in the twilight zone, it's really absurd in many different ways. Our lead character was well very abused as a child (it even says so on the back of the dvd case) by her father who was a Sea Captain. She definitely seems mentally stunted to the point where she's a little girl and refuses to admit anything bad has happened. As an adult now she has a drinking and substance problem and seems to have delusions about the television and castrating men. The only thing is, is it real or is she losing her sanity? It's not as graphic as one might think though the scenes of abuse are quite disturbing. This is something that wasn't exactly fun to watch but I was engrossed in the story none the less. One of the stranger video nasties indeed, and one I thought actually had a point (albeit a warped one).

Availability:  On DVD (but OOP)

Prince of Darkness (1987)

3.5 / 5 Oct '09
Tagline: Where are you...Christ?
Directed by: John Carpenter
Written by: John Carpenter
Actors include: Donald Pleasance, Jameson Parker, Victor Wong
Genre: Horror
Length: 102 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: USA

Review:
Oh boy, well a decent idea (providing logic doesn't strike you) that basically Satan is in a bottle and ready to influence people and so forth around it. A group of Scientists studying this feel the big impact as Satan's wrath is felt. Some of the insect scenes and deaths were quite cool, Carpenter at least makes things bloody. It feels like a gory made-for-tv movie what with the bad acting and the ridiculous dialog (I mean seriously bad) which takes away from this a fair bit. I also think the fact that I didn't like any of the characters made it a little hard to feel any sort of sympathy or terror. It's also rather long winded unnecessarily, but it's still pretty easy to watch. Look for a cameo of Alice Cooper as a murderous homeless dude, pretty nifty! It's too bad this wasn't better made and that better actors weren't used because this could have been something really special. As is, it's still worth watching on a blustery day, just don't expect classic Carpenter cuz this ain't it.

Availability:  On DVD

The Gate (1987)

3 / 5 Oct '09
Tagline: There's a Passageway - A Gate Behind Which the Demons Wait to Take Back What Was Once Theirs
Directed by: Tibor Takas
Written by: Michael Nankin
Actors include: Stephen Dorff, Christa Denton, Jennifer Irwan
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Kids
Length: 85 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: USA/Canada

Review:
I suppose for kids or those afraid of R.L. Stine books, this would work as a horror flick. It's very much a children's horror tale, a young Stephen Dorff is the star here when he and a friend find a crystal thing in the back yard. A hole opens up (which happens to be some sort of gate to a demon world). Since Dorff's sister was left in charge, after throwing a party they battle silly looking demons. Most are small little critters but somehow they form into zombie like people? Of course Dorff's dorky friend has a heavy metal album that somehow has all the mysterious answers to the pit, yeah uhuh. There is a small amount of gore and guts but I definitely think kids should be able to handle this, especially the way they ended this. I really wish I could go back in time and enjoy this more, but as was I did sit through it easily, so it's not that bad. Just not a serious horror film I would say!

Availability:  On DVD

Wolfen (1981)

3.5 / 5 Oct '09
Tagline: It Will Tear The Scream From Your Throat!
Directed by: Michael Wadleigh
Written by: Whitley Strieber
Actors include: Albert Finney
Genre: Horror
Length: 115 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: USA

Review:
This had many things going for it, it is stylish (when things are through the eyes of the "murderer" we get cool cinematography), it's bloody and it's well acted and well made. It's about a series of disgusting murders ripping through New York (beautifully scenery) where the victims seem to be ripped open. If you've read the title there is no real mystery here unfortunately. What is a mystery is the actual reasoning here, I mean it's fully explained but unfortunately very very stupid. Motive is important and this motive I simply don't buy. A lot of this is Police investigation which again is pointless if you read the title. The acting is decent (I happen to like Albert Finney, and the effects are well done and everything too. It's just overall such a disappointment when you get to the conclusion that the whole thing feels a lot less good than it actually was. The Howling did it so much better!

Availability:  On DVD

Dying Room Only (1973)

3.5 / 5 Oct '09
Tagline: She's Alone. No One Believes Her. And There's No Way Out.
Directed by: Philip Leacock
Written by: Richard Matheson
Actors include: Cloris Leachman, Dabney Coleman, Ned Beatty
Genre: Thriller
Length: 74 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: USA

Review:
This is one of the most frustrating flicks ever. See it's all very exciting at first, a really big mystery, then as we think it's coming together it's really not going to give us much of anything. It's so intense leading up to that one practically has to sit on their hands, then to have no real pay out? Well that's just disappointing. What it's about is a young couple, Cloris Leachman and her hubby Dabney Coleman go into a crappy run down diner where folks are rude to them. Then Cloris goes into the restroom, comes out and finds her husband missing. The locals are shall we say less than helpful and we all know they are hiding something. Now this being a made-for-tv movie, I wasn't expecting much in the way of horror and really there isn't much. It's suspenseful sure, but I warn thee this isn't exactly fulfilling. Still it does have some creepy moments and the general feeling of being unsettled works very well here. If the pay out were better well this could have been amazing, but as it isn't only decent.

Availability:  Not on DVD as far as I'm aware so get it here for free:
Part 1:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=80RX74XW
Part 2:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PS5K4LL4
Part 3:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1WYX890K
*as far as I know this is unavailable everywhere, if you are the owner of the copyright and wish this to be removed, I will do so immediately thanks & enjoy!

Brainscan (1994)

2.5 / 5  Oct '09
Tagline:  Wanna Play? I Dare You
Directed by:  John Flynn
Written by:  Brian Owens
Actors Include:  Edward Furlong, Frank Langella, T. Ryder Smith
Genre:   Horror, Sci-Fi
Length:  96 minutes
Banned:  Nope
Country:  Canada, USA, UK

Review:
I dunno if it's because technology has so far advanced from when this movie was made, or if I'm not a teenage boy and maybe that's what kept me from liking it, but something did. It's got obvious rip-off's of A Nightmare On Elm Street and a few others mixed in and it's all mostly stupid. [Artist40581]'s best buddy forever (seriously) recommends a new game he heard about in Fangoria. He calls the number to initiate and suddenly he's watching the screen and he is thrust into the body of a murderer and told not to leave clues. When he's finished he finds out that the murder is all too real, then a silly looking punk creature (mimicking Freddy in many ways) comes to let him know the score and tell him he has to get rid of witnesses. The effects are laughably bad, the idea is pretty silly and there is even a love interest in this, erm yeah. I really disliked this on every level, it was predictable to the core and way too long (even at an hour and a half).

Availability:  On DVD

Rocktober Blood (1984)

2 / 5 Oct '09
Tagline: He's back from the dead with a message from Hell!
Directed by: Beverly Sebastian
Written by: Beverly Sebastian
Actors include: Tray Loren, Donna Scroggins, Cana Cockrell
Genre: Horror
Length: 93 minutes
Banned: Canada, Iceland
Country: USA

Review:
In the spirit of Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare comes a less hilarious entry into the rock singer/horror genre. This time a ridiculous metal singer named Billy Eye is on a murderous spree (they name that he's killed 23 people I think...we see only 2 killings). When a groupie he wrote a song called "Rainbow Eyes" for fingers him for the crimes, he's put to death. Then as the groupie is now fronting his band many years later he's back for revenge...or is he? It's cheesy killings, bad effects and hilariously bad rock songs (I'll never get "Rainbow Eyes" out of my head ever again). There is even a reporter from MVTtv and such, super hip! The ending isn't even an ending, and it gets boring about 15 minutes in, but those who like to drink and watch bad movies with friends will want to find a copy of this. It's never been on dvd so a vhs rip is the best you are gonna get (not that it probably matters with something of this quality). I've seen worse but I've definitely seen better.

Availability:  Not ever on DVD as far as I know so download it for free here:
Part 1:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DY84GL7L
Part 2:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OXU0PLPL
Part 3:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=N7DCKX4Z
*as far as I know this is unavailable everywhere, if you are the owner of the copywrite and wish this to be removed, I will do so immediately thanks & enjoy!

Possession (1981)

4 / 5 Oct '09
Tagline: She created a monster as her secret lover!
Directed by: Andrzej Zulawski
Written by: Andrzej Zulawski
Actors include: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, Margit Carstensen
Genre: Horror, Drama
Length: 127 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: France, West Germany

Review:
Well BThompson was so nice as to actually send me the real dvd so I could experience this one. It's screwed up...I mean fans of surrealist arty dramas may be grossed out and fans of horror films may be annoyed at the arty dramaticness of it. It takes a while to get going, firstly we realize that a woman is leaving her family for a lover. But when we find out that there is actually a third more "charming" suitor things get shall we say bloody disgusting. My complaints include: too arty, too much screaming (probably 1/3 of the movie) and lack of explanation. Still this has: the element of surprise, gross gore, and great acting. Really this is going to wildly vary from person to person but I enjoyed the idea (it makes me think that Clive Barker may have watched this before making Hellraiser). This does classify as one of the most strange flicks I've ever seen though and that counts for something! I liked it...I think, it was at least something creative and something unique!

Availability:  On DVD

White Zombie (1932)

4 / 5
Tagline: The Dead Walk Among Us!
Directed by: Victor Halperin
Written by: Garnett Weston
Actors include: Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, Joseph Cawthorne
Genre: Horror
Length: 69 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: USA

Review:
I actually thought this was rather atmospheric and neat, the shadows really worked to their advantage in this one. It's obviously one of the first major zombie films and a good one at that. On route to be married a young couple is intercepted by their new friend Mr. Beaumont and they are convinced to stay with him. Beaumont takes a liking to the female and gives her a zombism potion to appear dead so the fiancee would take off. At the same time the area is littered with zombie workers as well they work slowly but ask no pay, the scenes in the work environment were the creepiest. They actually do a decent job making their zombies give us the creeps. As the woman comes back Beaumont is alarmed to find that she's emotionless...like a zombie, but when the zombie potion maker decides he has an alternate use for the female well things get nasty. It's a pretty easy to get through film, it's short, it's creepy and it clearly lays out zombie motives and ways using Haitian voodoo and such. This is a must for horror fans and zombie film fans, sure it's rather dated but it's more than worth your while.

Availability:  On DVD or watch for free online here:  http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-3254015135505259329&ei=_WQTS-XEJKCOqwLm--zyDg&q=white+zombie+1932&hl=en

Night of the Demons (1988)

3 / 5
Tagline: Angela is having a party, Jason and Freddy are too scared to come. But You'll have a hell of a time.
Directed by: Kevin Tenney
Written by: Joe Augustyn
Actors include: Billy Gallo, Linnea Quigley, Amelia Kinkade
Genre: Horror
Length: 90 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: USA

Review:
I actually initially saw this flick at a party and half paying attention I quite enjoyed it. This time around I was sitting squarely in front of it and somehow I was puzzled why I had really liked it the first time. The acting is atrocious (not that it's that uncommon for a horror flick but this is subpar for even that style), the characters are one-dimensional and downright annoying. It takes over half of the movie for anything to happen and when it does it's too little too late. They do try a bit with their gore effects (some nice eye gouging and demon effects) so on that note it does work. Also as a Halloween film it makes sense because the whole shebang takes place at a party in a cursed former Funeral parlor. A group of moronic friends gather to dance and party but they soon realize that the spirits of demons are infecting people and making them kill! There is some definite nudity here and some hilariously bad (and predictable dialog) and a boy who is way too obsessed with his sister's rack. I think this is the sort of thing that will go over best with many drinks at a party, paying attention to it may only annoy you (or at least that was the final effect with me). It could be worse but it could have been oh so much better, I'm afraid of what the sequels will look like!

Availability:  On DVD

Casa d'appuntamento (1972) aka French Sex Murders

2.5 / 5
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  Ferdinando Merighi
Written by:  Paolo Daniele, Marius Mattei
Actors include:  Anita Ekberg, Rosalba Neri, Evelyne Kraft
Genre:  Giallo, Horror, Thriller
Length:  83 minutes
Banned:  Norway
Country:  Italy/West Germany

Review:
Well...now there are cheap yet effective giallo films, and then there is this one. It's got a Humphrey Bogart look-alike as a detective, some of the cheapest cutaway gore effects one will ever see (likely) and stupid psychedelic color flash repeats when some deaths occur. I mean if your effects suck why show them over and over again in different colors, wouldn't you try to conceal your ineptness? Really though the cheapness and bad dialog (and lady slapping) is amusing in places but it's not enough to keep the momentum going on this borefest. The mystery does kinda come together I suppose but it's far from engrossing in fact it's probably all around one of the worst of the genre that I've come across yet. Oh and did I mention there is a plot with mad doctors doing experiments on eyeballs? Yeah erm, only diehard fans of this sort of cheap stuff will be interested, I'd say avoid!

Availability:  On DVD

Fear in the Night (1972)

3 / 5
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  Jimmy Sangster
Written by:  Jimmy Sangster, Michael Syson
Actors include:  Judy Geeson, Joan Collins, Peter Cushing
Genre:  Thriller, Horror, Drama
Length:  94 minutes
Country:  UK

Review:
I too really like Images and Les Diaboliques, but somehow this film which combines elements of both is duller than dull.  It takes a severly long time before anything happens and when it does it's pretty darned predictable.  I was more interested with getting to the end (which some claim is a real surprise) because it was so uneventful.  The idea is that a young blonde teacher (who even looks like Susannah York) moves to a small town to be with her husband at a boys school.  The one-armed headmaster (Peter Cushing) and his snotty wife (Joan Collins) also play a part in this and they share the general grounds.  The young blonde teacher is pretty naive and known to have had a little breakdown so it's a bit of a case of "is she crazy or is someone trying to get her" only I didn't really care whatever way it played out.  They did throw some different things in there but no scares, not much in the way of blood and it seemed to drag on and on.  Not my choice for a good Hammer film but I suppose it came together in the end (if you haven't seen any of the movies it borrows from ).

Availability:  On DVD (OOP except in the UK though)