Blacker Than The Night (1975) aka Más Negro Que La Noche

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Carlos Enrique Taboada
Written by: Carlos Enrique Taboada
Actors include: Claudia Islas, Susana Dosamantes, Lucía Méndez
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 100 minutes (approx)
Banned: Nope

Review:
I'm finding that I really do like Mexican horror lately, especially the films of Carlos Enrique Taboada, this being no exception. He has a rather unique stylish method to horror (often not showing the faces of who we are looking at), with elegant back drops and the stories often take a while to build up into something really horrific. The story is about Ofelia, a woman who's Aunt dies and leaves her a beautiful old house complete with strange housekeeper. Ofelia moves in her room mates: beautiful model Marta, average looking Pilar, and the also lovely Aurora. Aside from the fact that they don't seem to be getting along with the housekeeper very well the girls (minus Ofelia) seem to not like the black cat who comes with the house. Ghostly and strange things keep happening, but when the girls start dying suspicions turn to reality and even the housekeeper can't watch what happens next. It's not terrifying, and it's not extremely bloody but it is satisfying on a horror front and the characters are interesting and well shaped which makes this compelling. Very neato ghost story that seems to unfortunately be rather unknown, I found it to be a rewarding watch.

Availability:  On DVD

Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1931)

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: Put yourself in her place! The dreaded night when her lover became a madman!
Directed by: Rouben Mamoulian
Written by: Samuel Hoffenstein, Percy Heath
Actors include: Fredric March, Miram Hopkins, Rose Hobart
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Length: 98 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one creative adaptation of the Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde tale, I mean it's pretty true to the story and everything, it's just visually a different beast. Sometimes the film is shot from Jekyll's eye view, other shots are from different perspectives, and the way they managed to make the transformation occur is with different colored lights, and it's pretty neat. Even if their version of Mr. Hyde looks rather like a character from Planet of the Apes. This one is also different in that we spend a fair bit of time getting to know the kind and generous Dr. Jekyll before he even gets into his evil debautcherous territory. Jekyll has a fiancee and gee whiz are they happy together, they are going to have a wonderful life...except that Jekyll is obsessed with the duality of man. Of course as the story goes he invents a potion to allow his dark side to roam about. It's not all that dark though his "bad" behavior is far more entertaining then when we are just watching the love story portion. It's even more fun when he can no longer control his transformations. Certainly this is a charming and elegant version of this tale, though I do prefer the version Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920).

Availability:  On DVD

Inside (2007) aka À l'intérieur

3.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury
Written by: Alexandre Bustillo
Actors include: Béatrice Dalle, Alysson Paradis, Nathalie Roussel
Genre: Horror
Length: 83 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Unfortunately the version of this I watched was dubbed, and I can only assume that the subtitled version has less idiotic dialogue. The reason I'm complaining is that I think it was a much better film then they way it was presented to me. It's as bloody as hell, I mean I'd heard there was a resurgence in excessive French horror films but this is one of the bloodiest films I've seen. It's about a pregnant Woman named Sarah who is in a car crash, her boyfriend (or is it husband?) dies in the crash and she's left alone. Though a bit banged up she seems to be okay and even goes back home to rest before her baby's due date on Christmas. Then Sarah gets a knock on the door on Christmas Eve, when she won't open up she's shocked to find this angry woman has nearly punched her window in. It's a story of home invasion of the worst sort, a cruel vicious woman who is after one thing and one thing only...Sarah's unborn baby. It has quite a body count, several gross scenes with scissors and many other disgusting things that happen here that were fun to watch. My major problem (aside from the dubbing) was the stupid cgi unborn baby shots (really was that necessary?), and the fact that out of nowhere one person acts like a zombie (huh?). You'll have to watch to find out what I mean, but if you like graphic violence and gore galore this is something you'll just have to see. I know I'll watch this again when I get a subtitled version, if you get the choice watch it that way.

Availability:  On DVD

Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: It's a grand new Idea for FUN !
Directed by: Charles Barton
Written by: Robert Lees
Actors include: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Bela Lugosi
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Length: 83 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Now this is one heck of a Halloween movie, and a great introduction to Universal's monsters through comedy for youngsters and it's my introduction to the comedy team of Abbott & Costello. While I'm not enamored with them, they worked for this sort of slapstick. They primarily operate on the one sees a monster, the other doesn't believe it scenario which is cute even time after time after time. Abbott & Costello play delivery men delivering two crates containing Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein (not played by Karloff but still an excellent likeness). The Wolfman (played by Lon Chaney Jr.) is trying to incercept to prevent danger as he knows that Dracula & Frankenstein aren't exactly dead. In the castle they run into trouble as the monsters vanish, and although they don't really want to find them let's just say they pop up here and there. Nothing here to really frighten anyone though it does seem a tad darker than expected. It also really nails the whole atmospheric mood thing, very shadowy and cool. Anyone who loves the classic monsters should want to see this very fun outing, and it's very successful on every level.

Availability:  On DVD

The Tomb Of Ligeia (1964)

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: Even on her wedding night she must share the man she loved with the "female thing" that lived in the Tomb of the Cat!
Directed by: Roger Corman
Written by: Edgar Allan Poe
Actors include: Vincent Price, Elizabeth Shepherd, John Westbrook
Genre: Horror
Length: 81 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Another fun Poe/Vincent Price/Roger Corman film and in fact it was the last in this series with Corman & Poe. Verden Fell (Price who seems too old to be in the role but who cares) plays a reclusive man who meets and falls in love with and marries Lady Rowena (Elizabeth Shepherd). The only problem is that Verden was married before to a Lady Ligea who tragically died, and he's still obsessed with her. There is also a black cat who lingers about and seems less than welcoming, especially to Lady Rowena. After a while of this environment some strange changes start taking place with Lady Rowena's behavior as well, but what could be going on? It's very stylish and the scenery and ruins are superb to watch, the actors really make this easy to enjoy as well. It's not the best film in their series of collaborations but it's still quite good and worthy of a viewing.

Availability:  On DVD

A History Of Horror With Mark Gatiss (2010) BBC4

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: N/A
Written by: N/A
Actors include: Mark Gatiss, John Carpenter, Barbara Steele
Genre: Horror Documentary
Length: 3 hours (3 one hour episodes)
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well this Mark Gatiss is someone who shares many of the same horror opinions I do, so I found this particular series quite a bit of fun to watch though it didn't have much that I didn't already know to offer. The first episode focuses mainly on the '30s to the '50s, really the beginnings of American and British horror (it completely avoids most other films for some reason, the gaping hole being the German films of the time). It goes into Val Lewton (who for some reason Carpenter disses big time...I like Lewton), Lon Chaney and a brief summery of his horror works, James Whale and of course the Universal Monster films. The second episode focuses on the Hammer Horror age with close attention to that studio, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing and even into some Amicus anthologies that I love and even a Tigon production (The Blood on Satan's Claw). It definitely mainly focuses in on the UK but that is where most of the action was at that time. The third portion goes into slashers like Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the like, but it stops right after Halloween. Also since this set of episodes is so British centric I was surprised there was no mention of Pete Walker. At least they tried to talk to several people involved, and Mark takes us to several of the locations and throws in little tidbits here and there too. It's not comprehensive...it is just his favorite films and some of the details within so yes many areas are completely untouched but what it does cover is interesting and informative. Mark is a likeable host though where he and I disagree is that I think there is merit in the '80s slashers and so forth but heck I at least like every film I've seen mentioned on the list (and I'd seen most of them). Worthy of a viewing for fans of the genre, but if you like the new stuff this might have nothing to offer you.

Availability:  Airs on BBC4 from time to time

Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion (1970) aka Le Foto Proibite Di Una Signora Per Bene

3.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N//A
Directed by: Luciano Ercoli
Written by: Ernesto Gastaldi
Actors include: Nieves Navarro, Dagmar Lassander, Pier Paolo Capponi
Genre: Giallo, Horror, Thriller
Length: 93 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well this is a sleazy little giallo from Luciano Ercoli and probably my least favorite of his but still a fun flick. Let's see what I can explain here, Minou wears crazy wigs, she is newly married to a fellow named Peter who her sex obsessed friend Dominique (Nieves Navarro) set her up with. Dominique (who also wears a weird wig occasionally) thinks being raped would be splendid, she seems to be into fetish stuff and well having sex with anyone who is nearby. She also might have had a prior relationship with Peter before setting Minou up with him. Minou is being harassed by a Man who claims he has evidence against Peter that could put him away in jail, and they only thing he'll take in exchange for his silence is extreme sex with Minou. Weirdo still, Minou seems to kind of like it in way... Oh it's very bizarre and irresponsible in many ways, it's also groovy and has some hilarious disco sequences and memorable dialog and the actors are superb. This won't be for everyone, but fans of this style of Eurosleaze should be entertained.

Availability:  On DVD

Curse Of The Doll People (1961) aka Muñecos Infernales aka Devil Doll Men

3.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Benito Alazraki
Written by: Alfredo Salazar
Actors include: Elvira Quintana, Ramón Gay, Roberto G. Rivera
Genre: Horror
Length: 81 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is a rather enjoyable case of making the most with very little. This Mexican horror film seems cheap but considering they did wonders with the effects and it oozes charm galore. It's very shadowy and atmospheric, and rather engaging. It does go into a ton of talking in places which gets a little tedious but when it pays off it is most definitely worth it. The plot revolves around four men who are cursed when they steal a sacred voodoo idol (bad move). Soon some murderous dolls who come to life (or rather midgets with spooky masks) are coming after the four Men plus everyone in their family! The stab with large sharp looking needles, and the attack many times making it very fun to watch. It's not the most original nor is it the best creepy doll film but it's one worth investigating for fans.

Availability:  On DVD

Mad Monster Party? (1967)

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: At long last, a Motion Picture with absolutely no cultural value!!
Directed by: Jules Bass
Written by: Len Korobkin, Harvey Kurtzman
Actors include: Boris Karloff, Allen Swift, Gale Garnett
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Animation
Length: 94 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I can't believe I went my entire childhood without ever having watched this, I'd have loved it! Definitely a film for the whole family with musical numbers, many clever little nods to the Universal monsters and an insanely creative production. The concept is that Dr. Frankenstein has invented a new potion that will cause destruction. He's also the head of organization of monsters, so he rounds up all of his monster friends for a mad monster party. He also wants to announce his retirement and his successor! Be prepared to meet adorable versions of The Mummy, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, The Hunchback, The Invisible Man, King Kong, The Wolfman, Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Creature (from the Black Lagoon), Boris Karloff and Phyllis Diller. It's all made with the same style as the old Rudolph and Frosty christmas films (which I love) and even by the same people, this is just spooky instead! Even though it is very entertaining there are several jokes that are just too corny to laugh at and a few song and dance numbers that really could have been left out. Still a very visionary and enjoyable Halloween treat that any child should love (and many adults should like it too).

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

30 Days Of Night (2007)

3 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: They're Coming!
Directed by: David Slade
Written by: Steve Niles
Actors include: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston
Genre:  Horror
Length: 113 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well, conceptually this is an interesting take on vampires, the idea is that in Alaska they have a month (or 30 days of night) of darkness. The group of people who decide to remain behind and to not go on vacation are in for a real nightmare. See vampires have chosen to hide out in their little town because of it's darkness they have an all you can eat buffet. Now it's based upon a comic book that I've never heard of or read but I can't help but think that is the reason for the stupidly speedy vampires (it's laughable). The other issue I have is that the CGI adjusted vampire faces look positively silly, it's like they are dueling with video game characters instead of vampires. If they hadn't done those things it could have actually been a really good movie I think. Keeping them mainly in the shadows was wise (because of the awful effects), and having them mutter their own dialogue was creative, I'll give them that. It is bloody, it does have excitement, and it does go on a little longer than it should have but it is mostly enjoyable.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

Castle Of Blood (1964) aka Danza Macabre aka The Castle Of Terror

3.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: The living and the dead change places in an orgy of terror!
Directed by: Sergio Corbucci, Antonio Margheriti
Written by: Sergio Corbucci, Giovanni Grimaldi
Actors include: Barbara Steele, Georges Rivière, Margarete Robsahm
Genre:  Horror
Length: 87 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although this film is extremely elegant and beautifully filmed in atmospheric black and white it wasn't as amazing as I'd hoped. The story is a rather familiar one, Writer takes a bet that he can't last the night in a spooky castle on Halloween. This spooky castle happens to be in habited by the spirits of several murdered people who relive their final moments. They want to steal the Writer's blood in order to stay alive one more night. They aren't all extremely evil, one of the sexy ghosts (played by scream queen Barbara Steele) is trying to help him. The story is fine though it could have used a little punch and some scares might have been nice but that really describes my overall reluctance to watch many gothic horror stories. Still considering I did enjoy this, it was engaging even if most of it was because of the visuals. I would say it's one of the better of it's kind, I would just say that maybe it's not as wonderful as it's reputation had me believe.

Availability:  On DVD

Bloody Birthday (1981)

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: Have a bloody good time!!
Directed by: Ed Hunt
Written by: Ed Hunt, Barry Pearson
Actors include: Lori Lethin, Billy Jayne, Elizabeth Hoy
Genre: Horror
Length: 85 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I'd watched this somewhere around my 10th birthday and couldn't remember it all that well, so yesterday for my 30th it seemed to be the right choice to watch again. I really did enjoy it but then again murderous children are pretty frickin' entertaining, especially Elizabeth Hoy as little Debbie and Billy Jayne (Scott Jacoby from Bad Ronald's step-brother) as little Curtis. The story revolves around three children who were born on some sort of solar eclipse but for their 10th birthday they seem to go on a sadistic killing spree. This is wildly entertaining and the killings are often quite fun and in the spirit of slashers like Friday the 13th, so horror fans should be quite amused. Particularly because of the style and emotion the children show....very memorably evil and over-the-top in a really great way. This one is also noteable for having comedienne Julie Brown in a smaller role but she repeatedly strips if that is your type of thing. Well worthy of a birthday viewing for any horror fan, I seriously doubt I'll ever forget this one again, charming!

Availability:  On DVD

Monster Squad (1987)

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: Call them for a monster-ous good time.
Directed by: Fred Dekker
Written by: Shane Black, Fred Dekker
Actors include: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Stephen Macht
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Kids
Length: 82 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although I've never seen this as a child (I wish I had but somehow I knew nothing about this movie until Jon introduced it to me) I really did enjoy this. It does bear some similarities to The Goonies, I liked this quite a bit better but perhaps that's because it's horror themed. The story is about a group of youngsters who call themselves the Monster Squad. Their specialty is (you guessed it) monster knowledge and they meet in a little club house and so forth. When their favorite monsters come to life they must do something, but what? It's very entertaining and to the point plus Stan Winston's effects are quite impressive (especially with the Creature from the Black Lagoon). The little nods to the original Universal monster pictures were what made this one seem extra special. Really a very adorable film that children should love and so should adults, great idea for a Halloween film.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

50 Worst Movies Ever (2004)

3.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: N/A
Written by: Brandon Christopher
Actors include: Carlos Larkin
Genre: Documentary
Length: 60 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well this was an interesting countdown of crap, much of this I didn't know much about, a few of the films I'd seen and quite a few I have in various box sets to watch. The way they've put it together is from clips of the films with narration, some have more time spent on them then others. It's curious why some of the films they chose to have rather large uninteresting info on, yet some of the tales that sound fascinating only get a few seconds of time. None the less, it's a combination of bad horror/exploitation/sci-fi mainly with some other major uh-ohs thrown in. Of course you'll see major flop movies like Ishtar, Leonard Part 6, plus many Edward D. Wood, Jr. which are all expected. They throw in some bad movies that are campy and entertaining like The Killer Shrews, Spider Baby and my personal favorite on the list Bloodsucking Freaks. It's strange though because some films one would expect to be on here aren't, (Manos: The Hands of Fate for example) but it all comes down to personal taste. At least this introduced me to several films I'll never want to see as well as several I've bought that I'm not going to rush to put in the player. It's likely far more entertaining than watching most of those movies plus they don't spoil any (although it may not be possible) for the audience. Entertaining little countdown, nice to see a worst list rather than yet another best list.

Availability:  Not On DVD

Orphan (2009)

3.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: Can you keep a secret?
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Written by: David Johnson
Actors include: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Length: 123 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well, having just seen the wretched film Case 39, I was expecting this to be basically the exact same idea. It was, however this one is far superior, it's not as predictable (though it's not exactly surprising) and they actually bothered to explain what was happening which I appreciated. At any rate, a couple who have a deaf little girl and a little boy are having a hard time after a stillborn comes there way. They decide to adopt, so they go to an Orphanage and find Esther, a particularly unusual and bright 9 year old girl sitting off by herself. They fall for her and take her home and adopt her, and at first everything seems perfect. From there it basically goes into a retread of The Bad Seed only there is something different about this tale. It's not the most horrific film ever, in fact yes it's more of a thriller but I have to give it credit, it's over 2 hours long but it held my attention. That being said, in no way did it need to be that long but just the same probably worth a viewing on a rainy day.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

Murders In The Zoo (1933) aka El Asesino Diabólico

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: A. Edward Sutherland
Written by: Philip Wylie, Seton I. Miller
Actors include: Charles Ruggles, Lionel Atwill, Gail Patrick
Genre: Horror
Length: 62 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This was actually a surprising film in that it goes where one wouldn't think it would (heck in the opening scene we are watching a Zoologist sew someone's mouth shut). It's surprisingly graphic, and the nature of the killings in this is rather impressive (most are animal related deaths), especially when you consider this was made in 1933! A Zoologist who has a cheating wife and several enemies goes to town on those who've wronged him or ticked him off. He's a rather well written hilariously evil character that is easy to be amused by, certainly reminiscent of later Vincent Price roles. Where the film goes wrong is obnoxiously clumsy and befuddled reporter (Charles Ruggles) who chews up way too much air time and although I'm sure he was intended to be funny he's very far from it. Once you ignore that character the film is pretty wonderful though, and it's only just a tad over an hour long so it packs a lot of punch in a short time. Oh the other downside I feel I must mention, there is an impressive ending sequence revolving some fighting lions and other big cats. Back then they didn't have animal's rights activists for filming so they really did hurt some of the cats from my understanding, which is one hell of a shame. Still well worth a viewing, there aren't many like this, especially this ambitious, quite a film!

Availability:  On DVD

Massacre In Dinosaur Valley (1985) aka Stranded In Dinosaur Valley aka Nudo E Selvaggio

2.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Michele Massimo Tarantini
Written by: Michele Massimo Tarantini
Actors include: Michael Sopkiw, Suzane Carvalho, Milton Rodríguez
Genre: Action, Adventure, Horror
Length: 88 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Extremely lackluster and halfassed "cannibal" movie (though there is very little cannibalism. There is however a ton of nudity if that is your thing you might enjoy this? A fellow who acts much like McGuyver wants to go to Dinosaur Valley (which is dangerous what with the cannibals and man eating fish etc) so he manages to catch a plane ride with some models. When the plane crashes down off course they must struggle for survival despite clashing personalities and everything attacking them. They did try a little with blood near the beginning but it became clear that it was nothing more than a jungle porn really as it raged on. It's cheesy but not enough to really be funny, so it is probably one of the least entertaining of it's kind, yet I was still able to sit through it. At least the scenery is nice right? Oh well, another failure but for super big fans of this sort of thing it might be worth a gander.

Availability:  On DVD

Leak (1981) aka Mystics in Bali aka Balinese Mystic aka Mistik

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: H. Tjut Djalil
Written by: Jimmy Atmaja
Actors include: Ilona Agathe Bastian, Yos Santo, Sofia W.D.
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Length: 85 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Gosh I'm not even sure how to rate this one, it is quite unlike any other horror film I've seen though it seems to share a bit in common with Shaw Brothers productions. It's also my first Indonesian film, and it did make one heck of an impression and from what I understand it's their first serious horror effort. It's about an American girl who comes to Bali to research black magic for a book she is writing. Her boyfriend introduces her to a Leak who is some sort of which creature with a changing face that feeds upon blood to obtain youth and has an obnoxious laugh (like Witchypoo). The Leak marks a spell on her body which turns her basically into a puppet and by the Leak's influence she ends up turning into various animals (like a pig and a snake). Things get even even weirder still when she starts borrowing her head (with lungs and guts attached) to attack people. The problem is that the first half of the movie is rather talky and dull, the extremely weird and creative and silly stuff comes towards the end. It's worth waiting for most definitely, also the funny transition between the movie's cheap digital video effects and the rest of it being filmed nicely on actual film is quite amusing. It's a film that is certainly unique, and also it taught me about the whole vampire witch with the flying head business which apparently is a theme in quite a few films. I think most will really like this or really hate it but it's worth finding out either way which you are.

Availability:  On DVD

Case 39 (2009)

1.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: Some cases should never be opened.
Directed by: Christian Alvart
Written by: Ray Wright
Actors include: Renée Zellweger, Jodelle Ferland, Ian McShane
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Length: 109 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Yikes, well there aren't too many nice things to start out with here, I made it to the end of the movie and it had a budget. There, I'm done. The story revolves around child abuse case worker Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger looking rather shoddy) who is overworked, and then her boss dumps Case 39 on her. It involves a little girl who won't eat and looks gaunt and terribly abused. Emily is concerned enough that she gives the little girl her cell phone number, so when she receives a desperate call for help from the girl she rushes to her aid and saves her. Then the little girl convinces her that she should stay at Emily's until she has a new family found for her. While I won't tell you what the rest is about I will tell you that immediately it's obvious what is going on so if they are trying to play "mystery" it's a huge failure. It also fails entirely to scare in any possible way, it fails on a psychological level, heck it fails all around in big ways. At least it was laughably stupid so I got a slight bit of entertainment out of how cliche it was, but I can't find much of anything to recommend here.

Availability:  On Blu-Ray & DVD

The Devil's Gift (1984) aka Il Dono Del Diavolo

1 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Kenneth J. Berton
Written by: Kenneth J. Berton, Hayden O'Harra
Actors include: Bob Mendelsohn, Vicki Saputo, Struan Robertson
Genre: Horror
Length: 90 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well, I have seen worse movies, this one is at least laughably abysmal. Most of it is mundane talking about changing the oil in one's car or something similar, or ridiculously over the top family love-ins and friendly touching. The most entertaining part of the film is watching the Father in the family interacting with their neighbor friend Pete (they seriously want to have sex with one another though that has nothing to do with the movie or it's plot). Anyhow, Father and Stepmother have a son Michael who likes to play with Star Wars toys and watch generic cartoons (that we get to watch for a while because they had nothing better to fill the time with). When Michael's birthday hits Stepmother buys him one of those ugly cymbal monkeys from an antique shop. The monkey spends lots of time giving evil glares on the verge of clapping his symbols together. For whatever reason he is making the Stepmother attempt to kill the family dog and son? Who knows, it was cheaper than hell, duller than dirt and there wasn't any payoff. It's a big ripoff of Stephen King's "The Monkey's Paw" only it's the most boring representation dragged out over an hour and a half imaginable. Return this gift to sender (couldn't resist), it's got absolutely nothing going for it.

Availability:  Not on DVD

Poison For The Fairies (1984) aka Veneno Para Las Hadas aka The Evil Fairies

4.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Carlos Enrique Taboada
Written by: Carlos Enrique Taboada
Actors include: Ana Patricia Rojo, Elsa María Gutiérrez, Leonor Llausás
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Length: 90 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I really didn't know anything about this going into it, and was I ever impressed. This isn't a gorefest, so if that's the sort of film you are looking for, turn away. This is beautifully filmed, stylish, funny and extremely original, and really quite the treat from Mexico. It's a period piece set in the '60s which is kind of neat. Flavia is new to her school, and quickly she befriends Veronica and before long the little girls are spending a ton of time together (I'm guessing they are like 10 or so). Veronica is an unusual little girl, she's obsessed with witches and does her darndest to convince her little friend Flavia that she is a powerful witch. Flavia has had enough of her piano teacher, she doesn't like lessons so led by Veronica the two summons the devil's help to send her far away. While Flavia is rather innocent and assumes that nothing will come of this she is horrified to find that her piano teacher actually dies. Soon she starts to believe Veronica is a witch, and Veronica is a manipulative little girl who starts pushing Flavia around. Let's just say things get a little strange and even surprising from there, but it's all purely engrossing. This child actors are superb, probably some of the best I've seen and I loved the story too. Well worth digging for this one, a really wonderful film that unfortunately it seems few have seen.

Availability:  Not Currently On DVD to my knowledge
Veneno Para las Hadas

Bloodrage (1979) aka Never Pick Up A Stranger

3 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: If he wants you.... he'll get you
Directed by: Joseph Zito
Written by: Robert Jahn
Actors include: James Johnson, Judith-Marie Bergan, Jerry McGee
Genre: Horror
Length: 81 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well I really wanted to like this a whole lot more than I actually did. It is rather low budget and it does contain many gritty shots of New York in the '70s which I like. It's just that they managed to find an entire cast that have zero charisma, it's particularly annoying in the lead character that we follow around for the entire movie. It actually starts out relatively strong, we meet Scott, a fellow who is tricked by a Prostitute. When she starts to demand money for her time (he didn't receive anything) they start to push each other around until an accident occurs and she dies. It's actually pretty well made at this point, and it's bloody and even has a bit of a sense of humor. From that point on though there isn't much to look forward to. Scott moves to New York to "blend in" and he realizes that he hates everyone but loves killing. From that point on it's as dry as a bone and although a few killings happen they aren't very interesting. Although yes I can see that it is similar to Maniac in a way, it's not nearly as interesting at all, nor is it as demented. At any rate for a cheapo killer film it was okay, just not the exploitation classic I'd hoped for.

Availability:  Not on DVD