Eraserhead (1977)

4 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: Warning: the nightmare has not gone away
Directed by: David Lynch
Written by: David Lynch
Actors include: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allan Joseph
Genre: Horror, Drama
Length: 85 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
It's definitely something different...I'll give it that, somehow I expected it to be greater than it was. It's very much a nightmarish surrealistic film that takes place in industrial imagination land (possibly the future). Eraserhead is a strange fella, he has an angry Girlfriend who he impregnated and was forced to marry. The baby is unfortunately some sort of hideous mutant thing that cries and drives him crazy. This film definitely gave me the idea that David Lynch doesn't subscribe to the idea of regular families and children and so forth. Eraserhead is entertained by a singing cabaret lady with "moon" cheeks in the radiator which is probably the "best" part. It's filmed in black and white with unusual angles and so forth, very unlike anything else I've seen. It is a must see in the sense that it's quite influential to many other things and well it's innovative. This won't be for everyone, in fact I generally prefer a more straightforward plot but I still liked this and could appreciate it.

Availability:  On DVD

Krysar (1986) aka The Pied Piper Of Hamelin

4.5 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Jirí Barta
Written by: Kamil Pixa, Viktor Dyk
Actors include: Oldrich Kaiser, Jirí Lábus, Michal Pavlícek
Genre: Horror, Animation, Fantasy
Length: 53 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Wow what a grotesquely fascinating piece of work that is insanely detailed and visually spectacular. The version I saw was in Czech with no English subs or anything so any dialog was lost on me but it didn't seem to matter. I definitely understand the story (it is an old fairy tale after all), and the actions in this speak very loudly. They style is stop motion with lots of wood and carved items but with some real animals and items and even some really cool technics with paint and animation. The tale is about a greedy little town that is infested with rats who've stolen their valuables and are generally making life miserable. The Pied Piper shows up and is more than happy to lead the rats away, but when the people of Hamlin dis him look out! It's under an hour long and it's certainly stylistically reminiscent of Jan Švankmajer. This is one of the coolest looking fairy tales I've ever seen, I'd definitely see more from Jiri Trnka and I'd suggest you check this out too (though you might want to avoid showing this to wee ones).
 
Availability:  Not available on DVD

The Whip And The Body (1963) aka La Frusta E Il Corpo

3.5 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: The most deliriously romantic horror picture ever made!
Directed by: Mario Bava
Written by: Ernesto Gastaldi, Ugo Guerra
Actors include: Christopher Lee, Daliah Lavi, Tony Kendall
Genre: Horror, Drama, Romance
Length: 85 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well it is at least lovingly filmed and very elegant in nature. It's a shame the version I saw was dubbed (why couldn't Christopher Lee dub his own voice I wonder) as it was a little distracting. Lee plays sadist Kurt Menleiff who loves torturing and whipping and sexing. Kurt has come home after being away for a while to find his Father is less than happy to see him and his little brother Christian is married to Nevenka (his former lover and cousin). Christian just happens to be in love with another and Kurt still wants Nevenka. When Kurt turns up dead from being stabbed in the throat things get more interesting as fingers get pointed and Nevenka starts seeing the ghost of Kurt. His muddy footprints adorn her floor and he reaches out and scares her regularly but nobody believes her it seems. It's a rather interesting film as parts were cut out from nearly every release but finally it's been put together again for an uncut Euro version (which luckily is the version I saw). It's rather slow moving but it does become rather interesting as the plot thickens and the characters are rather memorable and the S&M is unusual too.

Availability:  On DVD

You'll Like My Mother (1972)

4 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: Run Francesca!
Directed by: Lamont Johnson
Written by: Jo Heims, Naomi A. Hintze
Actors include: Patty Duke, Rosemary Murphy, Richard Thomas
Genre: Thriller
Length: 92 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is a rather adorable little thriller thanks to great acting and a decent story. Patty Duke plays Francesca, a pregnant young Woman who's Husband died in the war. Before he died he mentioned that she'd like his Mother so Francesca goes out of her way to travel all the way to his Mother's house. It's the middle of winter and it's a tough journey so she's a bit disappointed when her visit is greeted less than enthusiastically. Mom lives with Kathleen, a slow girl who is rather treated like a slave and is quick to bitchery. She seems to feel that Francesca stole her remaining days with her Son and doesn't want her around. When the snow is so heavy that Francesca can't leave things get even more unnerving as she's forced to shack up in the house. It's well made, and the characters are appealing enough that you want to know what's going to happen. Definitely one of the better little surprises out of the '70s.

Availability:  On VHS

Crowhaven Farm (1974)

3 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: A chilling tale of vengeance from beyond the grave.
Directed by: Walter Grauman
Written by: John McGreevey
Actors include: Hope Lange, Lloyd Bochner, Paul Burke
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Drama
Length: 74 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is a made-for-tv film and it truly does feel like one, it's very tame and talky but it's entertaining enough to get to the end of at least. Hope Lange plays Maggie Porter, a Woman who has just inherited Crowhaven Farm. She reluctantly goes there with her Husband Ben and she starts feeling deja vu. She also hears crying out in the woods and suffers from visions of witches which causes trouble with She and Ben. They couldn't conceive so when a 10 year old girl called Jennifer ends up in their care they decide to take her in. Something doesn't seem quite right with her, she seems rather fond of Ben but not so much of Maggie. Things get stranger still when Maggie learns that she is finally pregnant. The actors actually do a very fine job, and they are the real reason to bother with this one. Otherwise it's a bit mundane and predictable but it's not all that bad either. Not frightening but they at least provided a reasonable story. Not the worst of it's kind, but not the best either, worth watching on tv one day perhaps.

Availability:  On DVD

Fascination (1979)

2 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Jean Rollin
Written by: Jean Rollin
Actors include: Franca Mai, Brigitte Lahaie, Jean-Marie Lemaire
Genre: Horror, Porn
Length: 80 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I'm shocked how terrible I thought this was, I mean it has a pretty stellar reputation! This is very much focused on being an "erotic" film and the horror/vampire bits seem rather an after thought. Even for eroticism it's poorly done, it's so darned wooden that it's hard to believe Brigitte Lahaie had an actual porn career. On the plus side, it's nicely filmed with a decent camera but I think that's about all I can say. The plot is about a thief who barges in on a castle for refuge that contains two Lesbians. The Women tease him and warn him of their upcoming group activities involving many Women coming over. Of course he ignores the warning and suddenly finds himself much in demand. It's just so gosh darned boring and sex filled that I didn't care about any minor plot details they bothered to give us. I actually hated this, it just seemed so gosh darned pointless but since it is so well liked by others I guess you'll need to find out for yourself...but don't say I didn't warn you.

Availability:  On DVD

Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders (1970) aka Valerie a Týden Divu

4 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Jaromil Jires
Written by: Vítezslav Nezval, Jaromil Jires
Actors include: Jaroslava Schallerová, Helena Anýzová, Petr Kopriva
Genre: Horror, Surrealism, Fantasy, Drama
Length: 73 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one unusual surrealist fairy tale/nightmare that is about a thirteen year old girl named Valerie who is reaching puberty. It has something to do with vampires (who I give credit as they are actually rather creepy and Nosferatuesque), and magical earrings and maturing but it's not a clear cut storyline. It's just insanely imaginatively put together, and visually it does remind me a bit of the works of Alejandro Jodorowsky and the plot is somewhat similar in a way to The Company of Wolves. It's rather controversial as the actress playing Valerie is a very beautiful 13 year old girl and there is nudity involved here. Yes it's artful, and it's not necessarily "distasteful" but it did surprise me to be honest. This film is very dream like and it's one of those films you just have to ride out and not question in order to truly enjoy but I didn't mind. It's sort of creepily and magically captivating and it really has made me curious about other Czech films. Recommended for those looking for an entirely different film about growing up.

Availability:  On DVD

Witchfinder General (1968) aka Conqueror Worm

4 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: He'll hang, burn and mutilate you. He's the... witchfinder general
Directed by: Michael Reeves
Written by: Michael Reeves, Tom Baker
Actors include: Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy, Rupert Davies
Genre: Horror
Length: 86 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although it's not the best of it's kind, it's a very well done tale of a witch finder and it has Vincent Price in the title role...what more could you want? The sets, and cinematography are very nice, and the acting is decent as well. It's not the quickest paced film, but when it picks up it becomes pretty entertaining and even a bit bloody! The tale is of the Witchfinder and his assistant coming to town to accuse a Priest of witchcraft. The priest has a lovely Niece who is engaged to a brave young man who fights for Parliament. While he's away the Witchfinder betrays his Bride-To-Be and revenge is all he can think about. I appreciated that they did include some fun scenes of torture and cruelty. Pretty classic really, though I hate to say that I prefer it's copycat Hexen bis aufs Blut gequält [Mark of the Devil]. Thanks to tuukkis for suggesting that I watch this!

Availability:  On DVD

Das Wachsfigurenkabinett (1924) aka Waxworks

3.5 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Paul Leni, Leo Birinsky
Written by: Henrik Galeen
Actors include: Emil Jannings, Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss
Genre: Horror
Length: 83 minutes
Banned: Nope





Review:
Visually this is a stunning movie, the sets are divine and ever so detailed, and the costumes are perfection. The film is hand painted in various colors that switch between scenes and add a degree of interest to the picture. It's probably the first horror anthology that I've come across. The story that ties the three segments together is about a museum with wax figures that needs someone to write back stories for them. So this fella creates stories of what happened to each of the three figures. The first one is the longest (and the least entertaining), is about a Sultan who falls for the Baker's wife, but the Baker isn't exactly going to go away quietly. The second story is about Ivan the terrible, it was quite interesting thanks to Conrad Veidt's excellent acting. Ivan likes to watch people die from poison, he has an hourglass that represents the time they have left that he adores watching. When he orders the execution of the Chemist who makes the poisons things get a little difficult. The last story is only like 5 minutes long, and it's about Jack the Ripper (or rather Spring Heeled Jack as they call him). The last tale feels like they weren't even trying which is too bad because definitely interesting films have been made from this story. Pretty neat in some ways but the actual stories themselves are what is wrong with this one. Still worth a watching for early film fans, it's impressive to see what they accomplished visually.

Availability:  On DVD

Mosura (1961) aka Mothra

3 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: EARTH QUAKES AS MONSTER SEEKS TINY MATES!
Directed by: Ishirô Honda
Written by: Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichirô Nakamura
Actors include: Frankie Sakai, Hiroshi Koizumi, Kyôko Kagawa
Genre: Sci-Fi
Length: 101 minutes
Banned: Nope





Review: 
Although it's a very beautifully filmed Toho production...and I do mean production (nearly epic) it's rather dull. The first 45 minutes of the film are nothing but talking and completely Mothra free. When Mothra does show up it doesn't really do much except cause destruction with it's wingspan and oddly later in the story when it's flapping about there isn't even a breeze? The plot is about an island that had radiation tests performed on it. The people are tiny, and two little singing Princesses were kidnapped by Men who forced them to sing in an entertainment show. The singing girls sing mainly about Mothra who is summoned to come save them from their captivity. It's a strange one, I mean what were they smoking when they came up with the idea of a radiation victim giant savior Moth? Oh well, it's colorful and nice to look at, just difficult to get through the first half of it and the second half is just silly.

Availability:  On DVD

The Love Butcher (1975)

3 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: He turns a quiet neighborhood into a slaughterhouse.
Directed by: Donald M. Jones, Mikel Angel
Written by: Mikel Angel, James M. Tanenbaum
Actors include: Erik Stern, Kay Neer, Jeremiah Beecher
Genre: Horror, Exploitation
Length: 85 minutes
Banned: Nope






Review:
Considering it's a no budget sleazy slasher it's actually relatively entertaining...or at least the first half was snicker worthy. Definitely the makers of this film loved Psycho and well who doesn't. The plot is about a man who usually goes by Caleb and wears a balding cap and some googly glasses. He's a polite Gardiner who seems to only tend to the gardens of attractive young females. Caleb has a secret in the form of a murderous alter ego brother he dons for some killing action. The murder weapons...gardening tools of course. Be prepared for many scenes of Caleb arguing with a wig that is his brother. Although I did laugh a fair bit it really does peter out towards the middle and ending and turn into something rather dull. That really is a shame because it is a better film than your average cheap slasher, they did put some personality into this. Worth it for exploitation fans but it definitely wears old before it's 85 minute run time.

Availability:  Not on DVD

Der Todesking (1989) aka The Death King

4 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: N/A

Directed by: Jörg Buttgereit

Written by: Jörg Buttgereit, Franz Rodenkirchen
Actors include: Suzanne Betz, Gerd Breitung, Ingo Buesing
Genre: Horror, Surreal
Length: 74 minutes
Banned: Nope




Review:
This is most definitely an unusual film but not too unexpected if you are familiar with the works of Jörg Buttgereit. It's surrealistic in nature, and it's really seven little segments divided up by days of the week. In between it's spliced with scenes of a corpse decomposing which is gross but but fascinating. The theme is death, murder and suicide...anything very depressing. It at least does have a dark sense of humor which makes it rather entertaining to watch. I think the best segment was the bridge, it actually made me feel nervous! Very effective little film that manages to disturb and horrify without being downright gross (okay so except the decomposing corpse). The music was actually quite fitting too, it seemed to add a lighter tough. Recommended for people who are looking for a different sort of horror film with a bit of an artistic touch.

Availability:  on DVD

The Grandmother (1970)

4 / 5 Feb '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: David Lynch
Written by: David Lynch
Actors include: Dorothy McGinnis, Richard White, Virginia Maitland
Genre: Short, Experimental
Length: 34 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one strange puppy of a flick, it's not logical in many ways yet it's easy enough to watch. It's sort of like the animated side of Monty Python meets real life surrealistic dark fantasy with some grotesque things thrown in. It seems to be about a boy who has abusive parents who grows a grandmother from a seed. Grandma doesn't talk...she whistles, but they seem to love each other anyway. It's only a tad longer than a half an hour but it's quite memorable. There certainly aren't many like this, and I give it credit for being quite effective, it's just really rather strange. Thanks to Colum for recommending this to me, worth it if you dig weird stuff.

Availability:  On DVD as part of this compilation