Die Sister, Die (1972) aka The Companion

2.5 / 5 Jul '11
Tagline: Go ahead and SCREAM AMANDA - it can't help you now!
Directed by: Randall Hood
Written by: William Hersey, Tony Sawyer
Actors include: Jack Ging, Edith Atwater, Antoinette Bower
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Length: 82 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Great title, not so great film unfortunately. It feels very much like a made-for-tv picture though in fact it's just a bland studio release. It's set up like a murder mystery sort of thing, but within a few minutes of the flick anyone should be able to tell exactly what is going on. Were it not for reasonably decent actors this would have been antagonizingly dull. Esther is hired to be a Nurse to a mentally unwell person named Amanda by her seemingly ordinary brother Edward. Amanda has two past suicide attempts and suffers from delusions and is generally cantankerous. Of course all of this has to do with a family secret, locked rooms and money and blah blah blah run of the mill. It's not satisfying on a horror front, it's not satisfying as a mystery and really it's just something that wastes time.

Availability:  On DVD

Stanley (1972)

3.5 / 5 Jul '11
Tagline: Tim has a pet rattlesnake. When Tim gets mad - Stanley gets deadly!
Directed by: William Grefe
Written by: William Grefe, Gary Crutcher
Actors include: Chris Robinson, Alex Rocco, Steve Alaimo
Genre: Horror
Length: 106 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:

Willard with snakes! Tim is a Vietnam Vet and a Seminole Indian who's bitter because his Father was killed by poachers so he lives in isolation in the Everglades with a bunch of rattlers. His best snake friend is Stanley who has a snake wife named Hazel and together then have three babies...touching right? Well for some odd reason everybody is after Tim's snakes. There is a local crime guy called Thomkins (Alex Rocco) who wants to make designer belts out of snake pelts...and guess who has the snakes he desires? There is also an elderly stripper who wants snakes so she can bite their heads off in her act (okay so the promoter is pushing her to do this but still). When they start advancing on his snakes he is compelled to take revenge using his dear slithery friends. It's most definitely an exploitation film, but it's got a degree of charm...my favorite part being a freeze frame of Thomkins before he jumps into the pool (you'll see what I mean)". It also taught me that snakes can float on quicksand (seriously can that happen?)? At any rate it's not the best animal horror film nor is it the most original but I still think it's worth checking out.

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

Le Femme Qui Se Poudre (1972) aka The Woman Who Powders Herself

3.5 / 5 Jan '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Patrick Bokanowski
Written by: Patrick Bokanowski
Actors include: Jean-Jacques Choul, Jacques Delbosc d'Auzon, Claus-Dieter Reents
Genre: Horror, Experimental
Length: 18 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well sort of hard to rate, perhaps I'm an idiot (which could very well be true) but I didn't get any sort of story for this. I'm very greatful that others have been able to provide the plot for this, for I sure couldn't find one. It's apparently about a witch who transforms people and tortures others. All I got was a bunch of blurry nightmarish imagery, sort of like an industrial music video. It's an interesting art project, and the combination of blurry shots and gray scale and masks and whatnot do make for some creepy visuals. The soundtrack is very appropriate too, it sounds like primitive industrial music which very much suits what is going on. Though my eyes were glued to the tv I wouldn't say I was afraid or anything, curious yes but that is about it. Let's face it, there aren't many films like this, definitely points for being innovative, many should see this, the style is quite something. Just at the end of it all I kinda felt like "what did I just watch"? If I were rating this as an art project I'd gladly award higher marks, but as a short film...not so rewarding I felt.

Availability:  Not on DVD

Something Evil (1972)

2.5 / 5 Jan '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Robert Clouse
Actors include: Sandy Dennis, Darren McGaven, Ralph Bellamy
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Length: 73 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Considering how famous Steven Spielberg is this little made-for-tv horror film was rather a curiosity. The big problem is that it's duller than dull, even at 73 minutes it feels like a two hour epic. The plot is about a couple (Sandy Dennis and Darren McGavin) with two children from New York who stumble upon this house in the country a few hours away that happens to be for sale. "Something Evil" appears to be possessing the house, as Marjorie (Dennis) keeps hearing a baby crying and she keeps questioning her sanity. Soon she believes a spirit is trying to possess her, but what could be going on and who is trying to possess her? Really the last bit of the film is rewarding and it made a good impression but it was too little too late. It's too bad this wasn't more interesting because it does have potential and the actors do a good job at least.

Availability:  Not on DVD

Home For The Holidays (1972)

3 / 5 Dec '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: John Llewellyn Moxey
Written by: Joseph Stefano
Actors include: Jessica Walter, Sally Field, Julie Harris
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Length: 73 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
An impressive cast and reasonable (though unsurprising) ending make this tolerable, but the wooden dialogue and the fact that they tried to cram too much into a tv movie work against it. The plot is about a sickly Father and his Daughter Alex (Eleanor Parker) who suspect his new Wife is poisoning him. They call all of his other daughters home to assist even though they aren't too eager. See their Mother committed suicide but they believe their Father pushed her to it for the most part so they aren't too eager to forgive. Daughter Christine (a young Sally Field) is the young sweet one, Jessica Walter is hilariously over the top as the alcoholic pill popping sister Frederica, and Jill Haworth plays the sister of many failed marriages Joanna. Step mom Elizabeth (Julie Harris) seems rather evil, and when the daughters start getting knocked off could she be responsible? It's a silly little murder mystery that is low on the murder scale (at one point someone is tapped with a pitchfork and dies...how does that work exactly?) that takes place over the holidays. There are definitely worse made-for-tv movies but there are better ones also.

Availability:  Not currently on DVD

Il Coltello Di Ghiaccio aka Knife Of Ice aka Detrás Del Silencio (1972)

2.5 / 5 Dec '10
Tagline:   N/A
Directed by: Umberto Lenzi
Written by: Luis G. de Blain, Umberto Lenzi
Actors include: Carroll Baker, Alan Scott, Ida Galli
Genre: Horror, Giallo, Thriller
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Meh...I'm actually usually rather fond of Umberto Lenzi movies but this one did nothing for me. It's a giallo indeed but it's missing the excess flair and nudity and violence. It involves a young Woman named Martha (relatively well acted by Carroll Baker) who is mute because of a railway tragedy that occurred when she was 13. She lives with her Uncle in the countryside, but when her cousin Jenny arrives things turn disastrous. Jenny turns up dead and soon they realize there is some sort of maniac killing young women around and maybe Martha could be next! It is a rather dry and humorless effort which didn't help with moving things along either. I also hate to say that there weren't really any surprises with this, I predicted what would happen and I was right, not too much fun in that. I really had expected more from this one but they can't all be winners!

Availability:  Not on DVD currently

Tower Of Evil (1972) aka Horror Of Snape Island

3.5 / 5 Sept '10
Tagline: They came, they saw, they died!
Directed by: Jim O'Connolly
Written by: George Baxt, Jim O'Connolly
Actors Include: Bryant Haliday, Jill Haworth, Anna Palk
Genre: Horror
Length: 89 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well this certainly has some things going for it, in fact I really did debate whether or not to give this a 4.0 or a 3.5, but it has some major problems too so I decided to go lower. First of all it's a rather cheap English production, and the miniatures are laughable, as well the background of water while they were "sailing", I mean come on. It starts out with finding a bunch of gory mutilated corpses on Snape Island, a mainly deserted area with a tower, but they also find a girl alive who stabs a fisherman to death. A group of sex obsessed archeologists wearing tight clothing take up partying on Snape Island to determine what happened, and if the girl was the murderer. They smoke up, drink and sleep around and occasionally hunt for lost treasure on the land. It's actually very entertaining and easy to watch though absurd and very unrealistic. The middle part of the film could have used a bit more violence considering how sensational the beginning was. It is a sleazy amusing little mystery that should please most, though the cheapness may keep a few from enjoying.

Availability:  On DVD

Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)

3 / 5 Jun '10
Tagline: Flesh crawls! Blood curdles! Phibes lives!
Directed by: Robert Fuest
Written by: Robert Fuest, Robert Blees
Actors include: Vincent Price, Robert Quarry, Peter Cushing
Genre: Horror
Length: 89 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although I did really like the first installment of the Phibes series, this didn't really work for me. It begins with Phibes waking up three years later and discovering that his house is demolished and his papyrus scrolls are missing. He finds the culprit and starts his trek to Egypt with his assistant Vulnavia in order to awaken his dead wife. Of course he needs to punish the folks who stole his scrolls which is where the fun comes in. The deaths are yes ambitious, over the top and completely implausible. Sure some creativity is involved and Price is quite enjoyable to watch but watching him go on length narration through a talk box (he can't talk) isn't very thrilling. It just seemed rather lackluster especially considering the talent involved, I was disappointed.

Availability:  On DVD

Horror Express (1972)

4 / 5 Apr '10
Tagline: Can it be stopped?
Directed by: Eugenio Martin
Written by: Arnaud d'Usseau, Julian Zimet
Actors include: Christopher Lee, Telly Savalis, Peter Cushing
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 90 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although I enjoyed the story and the actors and everything I think the cheapness with which this was made hindered the film unfortunately. That being said it's probably Eugenio Martín's most accomplished film but I've enjoyed most I've seen from him. Anyhow this one borrows heavily from The Thing From Another World [The Thing] along with several others but I thought it was quite fun anyhow. A Professor (Christopher Lee) finds some bones that he thinks may be the missing link, so he transports them on the Siberian Express. While on the train he meets his acquaintance Dr. Wells (Peter Cushing) who is very interested in the Professor's specimen. On the way the monster thaws out and starts attacking the passengers and it even takes on their memories! It's pretty thrilling in many ways actually and Lee & Cushing are a treat to watch as always. It's not the most original idea surely, but I thought it was a really entertaining film none the less, definitely worth giving a try to.

Availability:  On DVD

Three On A Meathook (1972)

2.5 / 5 Mar '10
Tagline: A Padlocked Shed, Hooks of Cold Steel -- a Maniac on the loose
Directed by: William Girdler
Written by: William Girdler
Actors Include: Charles Kissinger, James Carroll Pickett, Sherry Steiner
Genre: Horror
Length: 78 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
So this is William Girdler's (The Manitou) debut film and boy is it cheap...I mean it looks like Herschell Gordon Lewis must have had twice the budget and gore effects then this had. The thing is, although it's relatively poorly made it's still relatively ahead of it's time (especially when you consider this predates The Texas Chain Saw Massacre by two years). Although today this seems very formulaic there really wasn't much of a formula to follow at the time so I give credit to Girdler on that account too. The plot is about a young Man named Billy who is desperate for some Lady attention. When he stumbles upon four lovely young ladies he offers them a place to stay for the night. See Mother is dead, and Father isn't too pleased about this, in fact he warns Billy never to bring Woman home because of his "issues with Women". After the girls are brutally slaughtered (including one of the first horror decapitations I believe) in ketchup Billy wakes up the next morning to their corpses not having a clue what happened. When he gets drunk to forget in a club he passes out and wakes up in the bed of a nice young waitress. They end up being fond of one another and so he invites her and her friend to his house for the weekend but will they survive? It actually nearly shares it's plot with the film Frightmare which is rather strange...I actually give credit to the plot for being decent. It's only the budget, acting, effects and large dull parts that make it less than a fun film to watch. Oh and I should mention, we have a few performances from quite the band American Xpress, quite ridiculous! Oh and when the band isn't on screen prepare for ridiculous AM '70s songs nobody has ever heard and for good reason.

Availability:  On DVD

Night Of Fear (1972)

4 / 5 Feb '10
Tagline: Hunted and Trapped, Her Nightmare Is Just Beginning!
Directed by: Terry Bourke
Written by: Terry Bourke
Actors include: Norman Yemm, Carla Hoogeveen, Mike Doorsey
Genre: Horror
Length: 54 minutes
Banned: Australia

Review:
This was actually a really cool discovery from Australia, this was meant to be the pilot episode for a 12 part tv series called "Fright". The problem was, they deemed this episode too gory for airing and it was banned even in Australia and the show never stood a chance. Consider that this was made in 1972 and it predates The Texas Chain Saw Massacre by two years it's actually impressively fresh. After a young blonde woman (who even somewhat resembles Marilyn Burns) is basically tricked off the road by a vicious disgusting killer. It's mainly one big chase scene as she fights for survival against impossible odds and even finds herself in his dirty disgusting shack (that is rather similar to Leatherfaces). It's really rather exciting and disturbingly serious and to the point (at under an hour run time) and really it is one of the more shocking made-for-tv things I've ever seen. I'm amazed this isn't mentioned more, very cool and if there were more in the series I'd make a point to find them.

Availability:  I don't believe this is on DVD

The Blood Spattered Bride (1972) aka La Novia Ensangrentada

3.5 / 5 Jan '10
Tagline: The revenge of a young bride on her wedding night!
Directed by: Vicente Aranda
Written by: Vincente Aranda, Sheridan Le Fanu
Actors include: Simon Andreu, Maribel Martin, Alexandra Bastedo
Genre: Horror
Length: 101 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This was an unusual ghostly vampire picture that seems to break many rules. In some ways it's quite similar to Hammer's story of The Vampire Lovers but there is a good reason for this. They are both based upon the story "Carmilla" though stylistically the two are quite different. This Spanish take (although no Spanish language edition likely exists according to the box) is rather dream-like and surreal. Very much in the style of erotic Eurosleaze although the artistic touchs make it somehow slightly tasteful I suppose. A young couple to be wed shacks up at his family's home only something strange is going on there. The portraits of the Females in the family have been placed in the basement and one particular painting has the face cut out of it. The bride-to-be has visions of this blond woman and beings having violent fantasies. The girl seems to be some sort of masochist as her husband-to-be is rather pointlessly cruel to her. There is a fair bit of nudity here and even lesbianism as the blond woman appears in reality things get more complicated. Considering that this is such a hybrid of styles it does have some gruesome blood and the story is interesting (but slow). It should satisfy most though one does have to be rather patient and willing to accept the dream-like state of everything. It's an unusual take on the vampire theme but I think it could have been edited down to be quite great instead of rather good. Thanks to Infofreak for this recommendation!

Availability:  On DVD

Gargoyles (1972)

3.5 / 5 Dec '09
Tagline: They're coming for you!
Directed by: Bill L. Norton
Written by: Elinor Karpf, Steven Karpf
Actors include: Cornel Wilde, Jennifer Salt, Grayson Hall
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Length: 74 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This was unique in many ways as well I can't think of another horror picture about gargoyles, particularly considering this was a made-for-tv movie. Stephen King named this as one of his favorites, which is actually somewhat surprising really. See it starts out amazingly...it's creepy, there is a skeleton from a gargoyle that looks rather real. The old Man who found it was telling his story to our main characters (a Man and his inappropriately dressed at all times daughter) when suddenly the roof of his shack crashes in and flapping noises are heard in the air. As the Man and his daughter try to escape a live gargoyle attacks their car (seriously exciting stuff) but then it gets beyond stupid. First of all I need to mention that the gargoyle effects are friggin' terrible...some of the worst I've seen. They resemble the Creature from the Black Lagoon only cheaper and more plastic looking. Oh and did I mention that they talk and read books...yes I mean the gargoyles. I really wish it had stayed with it's exciting first half into an exciting conclusion. Instead it was laughable, sad and even boring...I was seriously dying for the 74 minutes to be up! It's just too bad because it seems like so much more could have been done with this one, but as is still worth a gander.

Availability:  On DVD

A Warning To The Curious (1972)

4.5 / 5 Dec 09
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by: Lawrence Gordon Clark, M.R. James
Written by: Lawrence Gordon Clark
Actors includes: Peter Vaughan, Clive Swift, Julian Herrington
Genre: Drama, Horror, Short
Length: 50 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I had no idea how much The Woman in Black borrowed from this, but it certainly did. It's part of the series of UK short films that aired yearly in the "Ghost Story For Christmas" grouping. It's just 50 minutes long but it's really clever somewhat frightening and very much to the point. It's about three crowns, the legend goes that as long as one isn't disturbed that all will be fine. Over time, two have been destroyed by various natural disaster issues and only one remained. There was a family in charge of guarding this buried crown but as soon as this hobby archaeologist discovers that the whole family is dead he digs up the treasure. Im not going to tell you what happens from there on but it's effective, great acting, exciting and well it teaches a good lesson. I'll definitely watch more in this series as this was a load of fun though I should mention it's not related to Christmas in any way aside from that being the title of the series.

Availability:  On DVD