Homicidal (1961)

4.5 / 5  Nov '09
Tagline: A WORD OF WARNING! Please don't reveal the ending of this picture or your friends will kill you - IF THEY DON'T, I WILL! - William Castle
Directed by: William Castle
Written by: Robb White
Actors include: Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, Eugenie Leontovich
Genre: Horror, Black Comedy, Thriller
Length: 87 Minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one hilarious black comedy, and shocking (well until about the halfway point where it's a dead giveaway) but still! It's about a murderous Nurse who is looking after an old Woman with a lot of money. It's very hard to review this actually because I don't want to give a thing away because it really must be experienced with as little information as possible. Heck William Castle threatened to kill anyone who gave the ending to this away! I can say it's surprising, it's dark, I laughed a ton, the characters are amusing and the lead character is simply stunning as a homicidal maniac! This film's gimmick was a 45 second fright break near the ending for patrons who weren't ready for it to leave the theater. Kinda weak on his scale of gimmicks but the movie more than made up for it in style and sheer entertainment. I was glued to the screen from the beginning to the ending, it really is one heck of a film and I'm kinda surprised that Castle had this in him! Definitely watch now and don't read any more for your own good...

Availability:  On DVD

The Tenth Victim (1965) aka La decima vittima aka La dixième victime

4 / 5   Nov '09
Tagline: It's the 21st century and they have a licence to kill
Directed by: Elio Petri
Written by:  Robert Sheckley, Tonino Guerra
Actors include: Marcello Mastroianni, Ursula Andress, Elsa Martinelli
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Length: 92 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:

One insanely weird '60s sci-fi picture from Italy featuring the appearance of Ursula Andress and a futuristic dystopian plot. In the future, there is a Government run program you can sign up for (especially if suicidal) which puts you in a game. There are Hunters and there are Victims, you must survive being both a total of ten times before you win a million dollars. Only a few survive as they are being shot at nearly constantly not to mention the Hunter takes in all the information about the Victim, and the Victim isn't allowed any info at all. Ursula plays a girl who is about ready to take her tenth victim (the title...ya dig?), and they've planned a big movie shoot to show her as she kills him. Of course this he we refer to isn't a dumb guy, and let's just say she's met her match. It's filled with bizarre futuristic music, weird costumes and set designs and all kinds of absurdity. It's no wonder this influenced "The Running Man" and the Austin Powers series (you'll see exactly what I mean). Definitely something intriguing to see but yet I don't think it delivered the excitement I was hoping for ultimately.

Availability:  On DVD

Rabid Grannies (1988) aka Les Mémés Cannibales

3 / 5  Nov '09
Tagline: Grandma, What a Big Mouth You Have!
Directed by: Emmanuel Kervyn
Written by: Emmanuel Kervyn
Actors include: Catherine Aymerie, Caroline Braeckman, Richard Cotica
Genre: Horror

Length: 90 minutes

Banned: Nope

Review:

Well I've wanted to see this 'un since I first heard the title, even though it's a Troma picture (consider yourself warned). It starts out with a bunch of bratty Children and Grandchildren out for the large inheritance of two elderly ladies. They all meet up for the old Ladies' birthday dinner when a mystery gift arrives from their Son who was already disinherited (because he worshiped Satan and got into trouble). The mystery gift contains some sort of smoke that is drunk by the old Woman and it makes them turn into ravenous demons (who look suspiciously like rubber Freddy Kruegers). They puss, bite and have ridiculous effects and powers to torment the relatives as they try to hide out in the house from them. It's very cheesy, very cheap, littered with bad jokes and has ridiculous characters and is over the top in every possible way...yet somehow it's kinda entertaining. It's bloody and silly all at the same time, so if you really love Troma movies this should be something you aim to see.

Availability:  On DVD  also watch for free online here:  http://www.hulu.com/rabid-grannies

The House Where Evil Dwells (1982)

3.5 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: It Never Forgives Or Forgets
Directed by: Kevin Connor
Written by: James Hardiman, Robert Suhosky
Actors include: Edward Albert, Susan George, Doug McClure
Genre: Horror
Length: 88 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:

It begins in the past with a brutal (yet cheap looking) samurai sword slaughter in Japan as a Man catches his wife with another. Body parts fly (although once an arm is cut off...you can still see it under the cloth) before the slaughterer stabs himself in the gut (aka Hari kiri). Promising start right? Well fast forward a bit to an American family moving to Japan who of course just happen to rent the murder house (sound like 呪怨 [Grudge] is brewing?). The family even knows about the fact that it's supposedly haunted but they figure modern ghosts are friendly? Well the silly blue translucent ghosts invade the bodies of the new family at will...it's actually very PG silliness (especially with the twinkly music that happens when the ghosts appear...it reminds me of when it's time to turn a page in children's story books). Of course the ghosts want to recreate the slaughter and torment (bother) the new hosts of the house. At least some of the scenery and culture of Japan are shown and honestly it was fun to watch (despite the total lack of scares). Aside from the boobs and the initial slaughter (and ending) this feels very much like a Children's ghost story mixed with a comedy. Especially with the giant mechanical crabs! I think the premise is good, the actors are fine (especially pro Susan George) and the cinematography is decent (minus the ghosts), I just feel guilty for liking it somehow. Oh, and is it just me, or does the Brother (Edward Albert) look disturbingly similar to Al Franken?

Availability:  On DVD or watch it online for free here:  http://www.hulu.com/the-house-where-evil-dwells

The Beast With A Million Eyes (1955) aka The Beast with 1,000,000 Eyes

2 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: Screaming Terror!
Directed by: David Kramarsky, Lou Place
Written by: Tom Filer
Actors include: Paul Birch, Lorna Thayer, Dona Cole
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Length: 75 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:

Apparently before making the film the director came up with this title and an interesting ad to go with. Since they liked it he created the film around the ad and title, but when he showed it to folks they were disappointed. I guess the ad was more interesting than the actual product. It starts out with a bitter evil housewife complaining of jealous feelings for her daughter (they live out in the middle of nowhere near mountains). They have a mute mild pervert living next door (who they feed and are mean to), and a loud noise happens disrupting everything (and breaks the good china!). After the noise nature seems to be attacking (birds, chickens, cows etc)...well by attacking, I mean coming towards! Apparently that requires shooting the animal? I'm sure this spawned many of the later nature gone bad movies, but this really does lack horror nearly entirely despite the situation. Heck the beast doesn't even ever really show up except for in blurry form and it appears he has 2 eyes, and is a tiny plastic thing...and that doesn't happen until the last 3 minutes of the film (though it's voice appears after an hour). Not very rewarding at all unfortunately but still I sat through it so that should count for something?

Availability:  On DVD or watch it for free online here:  http://www.hulu.com/the-beast-with-a-million-eyes

The Norliss Tapes (1973)

3 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Dan Curtis
Written by: William F. Nolan, Fred Mustard Stewart
Actors include: Angie Dickenson, Roy Thinnes, Don Porter
Genre: Horror

Length: 72 minutes

Banned: Nope

Review:

Well considering this was brought to us by the same fellow who made The Night Stalker (Dan Curtis) this was rather dull. It was a failed TV pilot that was to be about a writer named Norliss who was busy making tapes to document his journey into disproving the supernatural and the like. Of course somehow something happened and the writer has disappeared so this tv movie is based around the first tape. This particular journey (and the only one I believe) is about a woman (Angie Dickinson) who sees her dead husband kill her dog. It's got to do with ancient scarabs, a magical ring, a blood sculpture vampire/zombies and immortality. None of it is scary, the effects are simply painting a guy purple...that means he's dead and frightening? Not quite. Also the boring melodrama and awful narration (read like film noir from the tape) made it even tougher to bear. At the end of the film yes it made sense and everything and they did do a reasonable job of establishing what would have been the show. Yet this opener was so lame I'd have never tuned in to watch another sadly.

Availability:  On DVD

The Giant Spider Invasion (1975) aka Invasion of the Giant Spiders

1.5 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: Creeping!...Crawling!...Crushing!
Directed by: Bill Rebane
Written by: Richard L. Huff, Robert Easton
Actors include: Steve Brodie, Barbara Hale, Robert Easton
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Length: 84 Minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:

Wow, this is a baddy...the acting, the dialog, the effects, the story....all bad. After an explosion in the sky (or shooting star or meteor shower or whatever) happens, rocks fall from the sky, cows turn up in pieces and rocks with diamonds and spiders (that aren't giant except one 50ft jobbie) in 'em land on earth. When people start turning up dead well folks start to think they may have real trouble on their hands. A scientist along with a guy from Nasa work to try the problem while the irritating townspeople stumble about wondering about who they could sleep with if their ages differed. They do at least squirt the ketchup about in places and the scenes where the giant spider attacks the house are remotely amusing. This is one lame film, and it's not really even so bad it's funny unfortunately. Although it's only an hour and 13 minutes long it feels like it goes on forever, one to avoid unless of course you like garbage?

Availability:  On DVD (but OOP) or watch it for free online here:  http://www.hulu.com/giant-spider-invasion

Attack of the Puppet People (1958) aka Six Inches Tall aka The Fantastic Puppet People

3 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: Terror Comes In Small Packages!
Directed by: Bert I. Gordon
Written by: George Worthing Yates, Bert I. Gordon
Actors include: John Agar, John Hoyt, June Kenney
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Length: 79 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:

Tee hee, only seconds in and I now think I know where the X-Ray Spex got the idea for their awesome album cover Germfree Adolescents. This also appears to be the inspiration for the flick Dolls came from. It takes place in a doll factory where special dolls in tubes look an awful lot like real people. As we watch the man behind the dolls hire a woman because she has no family or husband (or experience) we just know that something bad is in the cards for her. Of course she gets shrunk and kept with his other shrunken people (because he's lonely...duh!) but soon they plan a revolt! Sure the effects are super cheesy (people standing in tubes from far away shots or photos in tubes up close) and it's not exactly frightening in any way. Here's a question, if the people in the tubes look exactly like people who used to work for him...wouldn't someone notice? Anyhow it's far from scary, it has very little to do with puppets but well at least it was short and easy to sit through!

Availability:  On DVD or watch for free online here:  http://www.hulu.com/attack-of-the-puppet-people

The Woman In Black (1989)

4 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: A spine-chilling ghost story
Directed by: Herbert Wise
Written by: Susan Hill
Actors include: Adrian Rawlins, Bernard Hepton, David Daker
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Length: 100 minutes
Banned: Nope

 

Review:

Everywhere I look people were saying this was scary so I knew I absolutely had to see it. I had to say that I felt let down, I mean there are parts that are atmospheric and even a tiny bit scary, but nothing that bowled me over or made me even feel uneasy. It's a long drawn out ghost story (seriously did this have to go on for so darned long) about a Lawyer who goes to a house on a Moore after a Woman dies to settle her estate. Everyone in town seems to be terrified of this woman and many advise him to stay away, but that doesn't stop him from going back...twice! The moores repetitively make noises (seriously how many times did we have to hear that to get the point) and he keeps seeing a strange woman. Most of the time is spent with this dull lawyer character (who isn't much of an actor) watching him play with the stuff in her estate...yawn! When things finally start happening I'm sorry but I just wasn't very afraid, but at least toward the end it really tried with at least one surprise. I do think this wanted to be scary, I think it set the right mood and everything, it's just the methods used were lacking (except the walking in the Moore...that one was creepy). I guess I just really expected more, but well maybe I'm a tough one to frighten?

Availability:  Not on DVD as far as I can tell but you can grab it here:
Part 1:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X9UE0IGV

Part 2:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6M2Y1LGR

Part 3:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3SQPLTJ7

Part 4:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XXOGXPBM

Part 5:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CC8BX7QL

Part 6:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GIQXMFDI

*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!

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

4 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: See it with someone with warm hands!
Directed by: William Castle
Written by: Robb White
Actors include: Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long
Genre: Horror
Length: 75 minutes
Banned: Finland

 

Review:

Vincent Price starts us off as saying he's rented a haunted house for his wife's party of 5 strangers, whomever survives the night will earn 10,000 dollars each! They will be locked in at midnight and the caretakers will abandon them so they can't leave...spooooky! Nobody seems to know who the fellow throwing the party is, and nobody seems to know one another making for an interesting experience of course. The house is the main character, it has ghostly moving chandeliers, bleeding ceilings, acid vat, doors that close themselves and many other little quirks. The caretaker is even somewhat creepy (for the time mind you). It's gimmicky (it's a William Castle picture, of course it is!) but it's clear and concise, darkly funny and easy to watch. If you like Vincent Price then you will like this movie, I can almost guarantee it!

Availability:  On DVD or watch it for free online here:  http://www.hulu.com/house-on-haunted-hill

The Forgotten (1973) aka Don't Look In The Basement aka Death Ward #13

3 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: The Day The Insane Took Over The Asylum!
Directed by: S.F. Brownrigg
Written by: Tim Pope
Actors include: Bill McGhee, Jessie Lee Fulton, Robert Dracup
Genre: Horror
Length: 92 minutes
Banned: Iceland

 

Review:

I started through this once before but got bored and walked away. This time though, I made it! It's a very cheap (it was shot in 12 days with less than 100 grand) weird little flick that takes place in an experimental mental institution with kooky inhabitants (who are portrayed like demented violent children). One girl has a doll she treats as a real baby, one feller plays with toy boats, one is a Judge who uses axe therapy chopping wood (which ultimately leads to the Doctor's death). Then an older Nurse leaves and a Young Nurse steps in her place even though she hears about the fate of the Doctor. She fights to stay on staff (as the surviving Nurse doesn't want her aboard) and ultimately wins erm loses! I think in some ways the cheapness and strangeness adds to the atmosphere and actually makes it feel a bit eerie and desolate, but at the same time it leads to it's downfall. Considering this was a video nasty I'm a little surprised as the blood in here really looks like Ketchup, plus nothing too shocking actually happens. It could be much worse, but those looking for a gorefest will be disappointed! Asylum did a much better job with this premise!

Availability:  On DVD also watch for free online here:  http://www.classiccinemaonline.com/cinema/horror/dontlookinthebasement.html

Return of the Evil Dead (1973) aka El ataque de los muertos sin ojos aka Attack of the Blind Dead aka Mark of the Devil Part V: Night of the Blind Terror aka Return of the Blind Dead

3 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: Have they heard your heart beating?
Directed by: Amando de Ossorio
Written by: Amando de Ossorio
Actors include: Tony Kendall, Fernando Sancho, Esperanza Roy
Genre: Horror
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:

Although decently filmed, and some shots of the Blinded Knights are quite cool (usually the stationary shots) this didn't have the finesse of La Noche del Terror Ciego [Tombs of the Blind Dead]. It gives us a recap as to why the Blind Dead are blind (they were torched and blinded for committing human sacrifices) in case you didn't see the first movie you could start here. The legend is that as the town is celebrating the anniversary of terminating the Knights, of course they come back for revenge! It's got a few decent killings, a few eerie scenes (usually involving a little girl who's parents were killed) but for the most part it lacks momentum and surprise. It's kinda hard to explain why the first one was so much better, but this is at least still viewable at least! It's just very dark, very predictable and contains some recycled footage from the first one. If you want to go through the series then yes, you need to see this but it looks to me like seeing the first one would have been good enough (too bad there are still several more sequels to get through for me).

Availability:  On DVD

Lady Terminator (1988) aka Pembalasan ratu pantai selatan aka Nasty Hunter aka Shooting Star aka The Revenge of the South Seas Queen

4 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: She Mates... Then She Terminates
Directed by: H. Tjut Djalil
Written by: Karr Kruinowz
Actors include: Barbara Anne Constable, Christopher J. Hart, Claudia Angelique Rademaker
Genre: Action, Horror
Length: 82 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:

So I'm guessing that in Indonesia that the The Terminator must have been really popular. This tale starts out to be one thing but definitely ends up another. It starts out with everyone warning to avoid "the sea queen", an Anthropologist goes on a trek to meet the sea queen and ends up having some sort of slug crawl into an unmentionable area. From that point on, she's imitating Arnold Schwarzenegger what with the robotic running, sideways glances and even some of the same catch phrases! I think the biggest difference is that Arnold wasn't screwing people to death! This is rather cheaply made and laughable in many places but they certainly tried their hardest. They filled it full of car chases, explosions, action sequences, fights and a whole bunch of red stuff! It's actually pretty darned fun to watch though I did find I was shaking my head in disbelief many times. I actually think this was better than the real 4th Terminator movie, heck this is on par with the 3rd one. If you can't get enough Terminator and want to see a naked female version (she does put on clothes after a while) then this should be turbo packed enough for most! A rather strange fan entry into the series but worthwhile for fans of the ridiculous!

Availability:  On DVD

The Believers (1987)

3.5 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: Nothing Can Stop Them. No One Can Help You. They Know Who You Are.
Directed by: John Schlesinger
Written by: Mark Frost, Nicholas Conde

Actors include: Martin Sheen, Jimmy Smits, Helen Shaver

Genre: Horror
Length: 114 minutes

Banned: Nope

Review:

This is a rather epic tale (clocks in just under two hours) about voodoo! When Martin Sheen loses his Wife in a freak accident, he moves into a rental and meets his new love interest. Sheen is a Detective and as such he's called to a rather unusual situation, another Detective (Jimmy Smits) is found frantic at the sight of the slaughter of a 9 year old boy. Also the Detectives have found several slaughtered animals that look like they've been used in rituals. When Smits lets out that his badge is missing and that "they can do horrible things to him" of course we know what's up but Sheen refuses to admit. He even fires his maid who is trying to protect them with spells because he thinks it's nonsense. Of course as the film goes on and more crazy things happen he has to admit it, but will he have enough time to save himself and his new girlfriend and son? Although it is really long I thought it was quite interesting (a bit too much filler though). It had some surprises, it tried and it was pretty reasonable really (even if The Serpent and the Rainbow is a better bet for a voodoo picture).

Availability:  On DVD

The Damned (1963) aka These Are The Damned

3 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: Come At Your Own Risk ... If You Come Alone!
Directed by: Joseph Losey
Written by: Evan Jones, H.L. Lawrence
Actors include: Macdonald Carey, Oliver Reed, Shirley Anne Field
Genre: Sci-Fi
Length: 96 minutes
Banned: Nope

 

Review:

Though I generally love Hammer films and I think the idea here was a neat one, I didn't love this movie. It took way to long to get to the actual story and it was as if the first half hour didn't count (minus a boring love story). A group of toughs with Oliver Reed at the helm are trolling about with Reed's sister Joan (not in real life, in the film). Joan meets a man she likes and escapes the toughs (Reed won't allow her to date) so she jumps into this guy's boat. When an accident happens and the couple wind up at this strange place with cold children things get stranger. The children seem so lonely, they are talked to through a television and have never met "warm people" before. Of course the couple are compelled to stay and help, but when Reed turns up at the same place (searching for his sister of course) things get weirder. I just wish this were more to the point, less romantic shmoo and less of the terrible theme song the toughs use (seriously bad bad bad). At least the second half of the film is way more interesting than the first half! It really could have been so much better, but instead it feels rather half arsed in my opinion.

Availability:  On DVD as part of the Hammer Icons Of Suspense Collection

Blind Beast (1969) aka Moju aka Warehouse

4.5 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Yasuzo Masumura
Written by: Rampo Edogawa, Yoshio Shirasaka
Actors include: Eiji Funakoshi, Mako Midori, Noriko Sengoku
Genre: Drama, Horror
Length: 86 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:

What a grotesquely fascinating and appaling film! It's about a blind sculpter who kidnaps a gorgeous model to pose for his newest innovation. Sculptures for the blind, yeah it doesn't make a ton of sense, but that is far from the point. Blind guy's Mom actually helps with this imprisonment (anything for Jr), and the model kicks and screams and tries to use cunning to escape. After a while she beings to co-operate and that's where things get super disturbing and freaky. This had to have been inspiration for the Guinea Pig series and several other pleasure as pain pictures. What really stands out here is actually the elaborate art studio that the model is contained in. I don't want to ruin anything but it's worth it just to see this creepy room, the set designers deserve awards seriously! As demented as this tale is there seems to be a greater message here, it's actually rather artistic and shocking at the same time. It give the viewer the feeling that we too are wound up in this insane little world and trapped in the crazy room. It's really twisted, but I'm sure those who like things twisted will fall madly for this one.

Availability:  On DVD

Razorback (1984)

3 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: It's waiting outside and it can sense your fear. No nightmare will prepare you for it!
Directed by: Russell Mulcahy
Written by: Peter Brennan, Everett De Roche
Actors include: Gregory Harrison, Arkie Whiteley, Bill Kerr
Genre: Horror
Length: 95 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:

I kind of hoped for more, a dangerous outback pig could really have been a somewhat scary film. It's just the giant monster pig they made was hilariously stupid looking (I mean think as big as Python almost). Also the characters were pretty irritating, especially the thugs (and I don't mean in a good way) all of the bits of drama were plain irritating. The story is about a noisy American reporter who goes over and rubs everyone the wrong way with her stupid questions. When the local thugs decide to teach her a lesson all is aborted when a giant pig comes rushing by. Then flash to her Canadian husband who goes to Australia to find out what happened to his reporter wife. Of course he ends up rooming with the thugs and at some point an attractive young love interest (go figure). I really thought this had potential but it left me feeling pretty bored by the end of it all. I guess they tried and a few of the scenes were kind of cool but it ended up not being enough for me.

Availability:  On DVD

Tenement (1985) aka Game of Survival aka Slaughter in the South Bronx

4 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Roberta Findlay
Written by: Joel Bender
Actors include: Joe Lynn, Mina Bern, Walter Bryant
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Horror
Length: 94 minutes
Banned: UK, Singapore, Canada
Country: USA

Review:
An ultraviolent flick about a group of thugs who were escorted out of an apartment building (because they've been trouble). Well big surprise, the Cops can't hold them so they are back to their weapons and back for revenge against the families in the building. It's interesting because the director took the time to establish personalities for the tenants and we get a chance to get to know them before they are terrorized. It's got drugs, rape, a broom handle death and well a bunch of stuff that ticked off the BBFC for 8 years before they allowed it to be released. It's kinda neat because the tenants aren't exactly helpless and they have to plan their own extreme Home Alone style revenge as the thugs taunt and kill their way up to the top floor. It's pretty exciting, lots of violence and action and it's really easy to get through if you like exploitation. Quite a bit of fun for the right demented person! Think of it as the 4th Death Wish movie instead, it's more fun than the real one.

Availability:  On DVD

Angst (1983) aka Fear

5 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Gerald Kargl
Written by: Gerald Kargl, Zbigniew Rybczynski
Actors include: Erwin Leder, Robert Hunger-Bühler, Silvia Rabenreither
Genre: Horror
Length: 94 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: Germany

Review:
I think the best advice I can offer here is to be careful about making the choice to watch this. It's by far one of the most disturbing things I've seen, it's ultra realistic feeling and it left me with a pit in my stomach. It no doubt influenced the style of Michael Haneke and several others. We meet up with a murderer as he's being released after 4 years in prison, but we know he's just on the prowl to kill again. After finding a suitably secluded house the assault begins, see I don't want to give stuff away but let's say it's horrifically brutal. It feels like we are watching a crime made all the more disturbing by the fact that nothing quite goes as planned. It feels spur of the moment, it feels like the sort of reactions that people would have in this situation. It feels hopeless and it's hard to watch yet it's gripping. The acting is excellent as I say you'd never know this weren't a movie were it not for our murderer's awful life story being told over top of violence. It really fits in the background information, it fits in the killers feelings (some of the dialog is actually from Peter Kürten aka 'Vampire of Düsseldorf'). If you want to see something that will burn horrible images in your brain and never allow you to forget, then you need to see this.

Availability:  Not on DVD currently as far as I know so you can get it here:
Part 1:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=R3OFMZSR
Part 2:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PVISVBNW
Part 3:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JV2HIF9J
Part 4:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ABRH9SXI
*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!

The Bat People (1974) aka Angel of Fear aka It's Alive aka It Lives By Night

2 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: After the sun has set and the night wind has died comes the hour of the bat people!
Directed by: Jerry Jameson
Written by: Lou Shaw
Actors include: Stewart Moss, Marianne McAndrew, Michael Pataki
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Length: 95 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: USA

Review:
A young couple (Dr. John & Cathy Beck who reminds me of Mary Tyler Moore) on their honeymoon end up sneaking off in a bat cave to make love. On their way to do so, Cathy falls into a pit and Dr. John is bitten by a bat. So instead of turning into Batman, after a vaccination he turns into a Bat man who violently attacks for blood (though we usually only see the lead in and the after shots of him sweating in bed). Bad '70s music and lovely scenery of snowy mountains and dark caves dominate this picture. Still this does seem like it goes on forever and repeats over and over again, and they really do scrimp on the good stuff. It seems like a heck of a lot more could have been done with this plot. Still really don't find this film to be as terrible as some say it is. It's more like buying a generic brand instead of a brand name, it's not as flashy nor as tasty as some, but the basics are all there...well all except reason.

Availability:  On DVD but watch for free online here:  http://www.hulu.com/the-bat-people

The Lift (1983) aka De Lift

4 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: Take the stairs, take the stairs. For God's sake, take the Stairs!!!
Directed by: Dick Maas
Written by: Dick Maas
Actors include: Huub Stapel, Willeke van Ammelrooy, Josine van Dalsum
Genre: Horror, Drama
Length: 99 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: Netherlands

Review:
Considering this is a serious film about a killer elevator, it's actually pretty entertaining! It has every death related to an elevator that one could dream up and everything! The big pitfalls here are that it goes on long (condensing would have been nice) and also a little less chatting and a little more deaths but those are pretty minor complaints. An elevator repair man is our lead along with a female reporter as they try to solve the mystery of why this elevator seems to be out for blood. Of course the Police are busy trying to blame people, nobody seems to take the elevator out of service despite many deaths being had and all the wrong people seem to be blamed. It's pretty darned amusing really, I'm quite glad I was able to get my mitts on a copy. I actually found out about this when I was a kid. I caught some special on horror films around the world and they showcased Dick Maas (who directed this 'un and the fabulously titled Amsterdamned) and I knew I had to see this. Interestingly enough in 2001 Mr. Maas remade this with a semi-famous cast and titled it Down.

Availability:  Not on DVD as far as I know

Hausu (1977) aka House

5 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Nobuhiko Obayashi
Written by: Chigumi Obayashi, Chiho Katsura
Actors include: Kimiko Ikegami, Kumiko Ohba, Yôko Minamida
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Childrens, Drama....???
Length: 88 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: Japan

Review:
Well coming up with a rating for this was difficult, I mean it is amazing in some ways and astounding in others. At first I thought, what the heck have I gotten myself into? It's a bizarre live action cartoon with insane jokes and strange little girls with personas not unlike the Powerpuff girls or something (one is fat, one is into karate etc). Then things get more surreal as it goes on, parts are animated, they can somehow see memories roll by like film and comment. I can't even begin to describe the things one will see in this film, but when it really gets strange is when it becomes a horror film. See the group of girls are going to stay with on of their Aunts in a big house. Things get weirder and weirder and let's just say it looks as though Pufnstuf goes to the blood bath with deaths one couldn't even imagine. I really have no way to describe this, I can only say hold out and make it through the film because you won't believe what's in store. I think my favorite part was fluffy white cat Snowflake, such a great pianist! I had no idea that a film like this even existed and I doubt there are any more like it. I'd say this would be a great children's movie, but I think one could be arrested just for saying it!

Availability:  Not on DVD as far as I can tell but you can grab it here: 
Part 1:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NI7U0TG9
Part 2:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TXWY4XHQ
Part 3:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0DR2VLO6
*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!

The Killer Shrews (1959)

3/ 5 Nov '09
Tagline: All that was left after...THE KILLER SHREWS!
Directed by: Ray Kellogg
Written by: Jay Simms
Actors include: Ingrid Goude, James Best, Ken Curtis
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Length: 69 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: USA

Review:
Oh dear, well I started watching this a few years ago but shut it off due to lack of shrews. This time I was more determined to see them attack and by golly I made it through. It's about a Captain and his Mate who stumble across a remote island where scientists have been working on a new breed. Killer Shrews! See with the population booming, they need to find a way to decrease the natural resources being consumed. In other words, I think the idea is that these new shrews will take out some of the population. Now this is a public domain film, so in other words you can find this for free or cheaply most places. Considering this fact it's not too shabby, but it takes a while to get going (it takes about 20 min before the big shrews show up), lots of scientific chatter and the like. It's also filled with several silly stereotypes, the actual shrews are laughable, usually dogs in costumes (also sometimes the shrews are played by puppets). The noises they make are quite ridiculous, almost like snakes or something and they have poison spit! If you like bad films, then you'll probably enjoy this one even though it's at least very short and simple to follow. There are many worse cheesy films from the time but this one is far from great, kinda worth it just to see the silly giant shrews.

Availability:  On DVD or watch for free online here:  http://www.archive.org/details/The_Killer_Shrews

Death Weekend (1976) aka The House By The Lake aka Fin de semaine infernale

4.5 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: It began with a rape. It ended with a massacre!
Directed by: William Fruet
Written by: William Fruet
Actors include: Brenda Vaccaro, Don Stroud, Chuck Shamata
Genre: Exploitation, Thriller, Horror
Length: 87 minutes
Banned: Finland, Sweden
Country: Canada

Review:
Sometimes I'm really proud to be Canadian, particularly now that I know one of the great exploitation films comes from my homeland, this one! It's got elements of The Last House on the Left though this film was entirely deadpan and doom filled. It very likely influenced films like Death Proof and Funny Games. This was clearly a low budget film but still it packed one heck of a lot of punch even from the opening car chase. This has a car chase, dangerous boat activity, the trashing of an expensive house, violence galore and evil ugly thugs. A Dentist takes a young model (who is a car enthusiast) back to his house, but on the drive there she drives his sweet car. The only problem is that when a group of thugs want to race, they were beaten...but a girl. Let's just say that these thugs never give up and are entirely irritating and mean to the bone. It's exciting, intense and has tons of everything one could want from an exploitation flick and even surprises. This is a real gem, hopefully more folks find out about this 'un.

Availability:  Not on DVD as far as I'm aware but you can download it here: 
Part 1:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T2LH25W0
Part 2:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2PLKUSV7
Part 3:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZSC699IV

*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!