Alice in Wonderland (1966)

4 / 5 Jul '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Jonathan Miller
Written by: Lewis Carroll
Actors include: Anne-Marie Malik, Michael Redgrave, Peter Sellers
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Length: 71 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is a pretty fascinatingly surreal and psychedelic version of the Alice in Wonderland story. It's shot in black and white in a gothic style, and the cinematography is quite lovely. It features music by Ravi Shankar and a fantastic cast, particularly Anne-Marie Malik in the role of Alice. It was filmed as a TV play of all things, and it's surprisingly well made. What I found so unusual was the character of Alice who yes is a rather inquisitive but here she is stern and extremely flip...moreso than in any other version I've seen. She seems downright pissed off at the wacky people in wonderland and irritated by everything around her. At the same time the contrast makes the story and characters seem even more absurd which is pretty cool. I'm not completely sure how this qualifies as a horror film, but perhaps some of the imagery is a bit grotesque and it is maybe a tad creepy. Just the same a very interesting version of the classic story that really should be seen by any fan of the story, or for those who like unusual '60s flicks.

Availability:  on DVD

Incubus (1966)

3.5 / 5 July '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Leslie Stevens
Written by: Leslie Stevens
Actors include: William Shatner, Allyson Ames, Eloise Hardt
Genre: Horror
Length: 78 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This reads sort of like a student art film, there are a few technical mistakes sure but it's actually quite visually stunning. The tale is about Kia, a succubus which means she lures bad men out to the sea and steps on their heads and drowns them. She's tired of drowning bad men and collecting their souls, so she wants to collect an innocent man. This is where the kindly Marc (William Shatner) comes in. He goes to church, lives with his sister, and lives a good life. When he sees the gorgeous Kia he isn't tempted by her sexual promises but rather he wants to make a real relationship with her. Of course she resists, and things get a little sticky from there once she summons the Incubus! Actually there is a scene where the Incubus is coming out from the earth that is pretty impressive and even creepy. Since this didn't appear to have much of a budget the effects are simple and mainly done with lighting but it's still quite effective. This is quite an interesting film that could have been amazing if a few things were different but instead it's a visually appealing cautionary tale. Oh I should also mention that the dialog in this film is Esperanto (something I've never seen before) and since the original print was lost I believe the only available version is dubbed with big black bars in the middle of the screen unfortunately. Still worth a viewing though.

Availability:  Not On DVD

Eye Of The Devil (1966)

3.5 / 5
Tagline: we've got your number!
Directed by: J. Lee Thompson
Written by: Robin Estridge, Dennis Murphy
Actors include: Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Donald Pleasence
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Length: 96 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is a rather elegant picture with beautiful black and white photography really quite well made. Sharon Tate actually makes her first appearance here even though I think they dubbed over her voice oddly enough. What it has also working in it's favor is that it's actually rather creepy...some of the imagery is impressive and eerie. It's sort of a precursor for The Wicker Man in some ways, it's about Philippe de Montfaucon who is summonzed back to his hometown castle leaving his wife and children behind. Of course they get lonely and show up at the castle, but something isn't quite right. Especially when his wife walks in on some sort of black magic rite with everyone in hoods. It's better than I had expected yet the lead character is so square that it's kind of annoying in some ways unfortunately. Still a stellar story and really they did do a good job making it unsettling which I liked. Recommended but maybe not something to rush out and try to see.

Availability:  Not currently on DVD
Eye of the Devil

Operazione Paura (1966) aka Kill Baby Kill aka Curse Of The Living Dead aka Don't Walk In The Park

4.5 / 5 Mar '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Mario Bava
Written by: Romano Migliorini, Roberto Natale
Actors include: Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Erika Blanc, Fabienne Dali
Genre: Horror
Length: 85 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I really quite liked this one, elegantly shot, beautiful usage of colors plus the story is fun too. We go to a very unusual town where strange deaths keep happening that are neither accidents nor suicides though they appear as such. We watch a girl jump onto a spiked iron fence to start out with (so we know we are in for a treat) and from there Dr. Eswai is called to perform the autopsy where they find a coin in the heart of the girl. From there we meet various strange people in the town with strange beliefs and some investigation is going on. In the meantime more brutal deaths are taking place, the culprit must be stopped...but who is it? It's filmed in the style of a giallo though it really isn't one I suppose, still it's very elegant and it's obvious that Mario Bava was behind this film. It still has the gratuitity that horror fans will seek, the interesting story and mystery that some will want to solve and it's gorgeous to watch, how could you say no? I do think this is available in several cheapo versions that are probably missing chunks of the story so make sure you get a legit copy because this is one you won't want to miss.

Availability:  On DVD