Thirst (1979)

3.5 / 5 Jun '11
Tagline: Surrender to an Unholy, Insatiable Evil.
Directed by: Rod Hardy
Written by: John Pinkney
Actors include: Chantal Contouri, Shirley Cameron, Max Phipps
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Length: 93 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although this isn't the fastest paced flick, nor is it the bloodiest flick ever it does have some unique qualities that keep it from biting. It's an Australian vampire picture from the '70s (which isn't very common), and there is a definite gothic feel to it. The plot is about a young woman called Kate (Chantal Contouri) who is kidnapped by a strange blood cult. Oh did I mention that Kate happens to be the direct descendent of Countess Elizabeth Bathory? What is so interesting is this blood cult I mentioned, see they have some sort of human cow factory thing set-up. Folks wander around in a daze like mindless zombies before being chosen to be drained of blood which goes into milk cartons for mass distribution. Kind of a neat idea on the 'ole blood trade/vampirism thing right? It is a shame that with such a good idea they couldn't have made a more thrilling movie. It just sort of explains itself and then the last half is pretty boring and forced feeling plus some more historical detail would have been nice. It also could have used more blood (there is very little actual horror in this, more conceptual I guess), and maybe a twist could have helped. Oh well as it is, it's still worth checking out, I found it pretty interesting, it just could have used some tweaking is all.

Availability:  On DVD

Dracula Bites The Big Apple (1979)

4 / 5 June '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Richard Wenk
Written by: Fred Olsen
Actors include: Barry Gomolka, Peter Loewy, Steve Rubell
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Musical, Short
Length: 22 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is admittedly very campy and silly but with a musical/disco themed Dracula short film in New York from the '70s...what the heck do you expect? Dracula runs out of blood in Transylvannia, so he and Renfield (who looks spun out on something) pack in the coffin and take on New York. It's most certainly a comedy, in fact it really is very funny in parts what with the whole fish out of water scenario. Our story also takes Dracula to Studio 54 because he heard hot blooded folks would be there (har har), but of course he can't get in because he can't dance. It's far from scary, and on a horror front aside from the theme it isn't the most effective but judge it on it's merits alone and I think it's pretty entertaining. I wish there were more quirky little short films from the '70s like this one, definitely a lot of fun indeed. On a side note, this short film helped Richard Wenk fund his full length '80s flick Vamp which I also quite enjoy.

Availability:  Not on DVD but watch on youtube: 

Harpya (1979)

3.5 / 5 Apr '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Raoul Servais
Written by: Raoul Servais
Actors include: Will Spoor, Fran Waller Zeper, Sjoert Schwibethus
Genre: Fantasy, Short, Animation, Horror
Length: 9 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I've sorta been worried about reviewing this one because I can't really tell you what went on. I can tell you that it's absurd and strange, and that the Harpy creature is freaky but you can probably already see that from the picture. What I can tell you about the plot is that a Man who is strolling comes across some sort of crying from the fountain. He thinks he's found a Woman (I think) but it ends up being this Harpy thing. He takes it home and it is endlessly demanding and obnoxious and it seems to be sort of holding him prisoner in a way. It's a very short film, and the imagery will certainly stick with you (or at least it has me). Still I can't help but think a hint of clarity could have went a long way. Oh well, still something to see for the person who has seen everything.

Availability:  Not on DVD as far as I can tell

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

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

The Plumber (1979) aka The Mad Plumber

4 / 5 Aug '10
Tagline: The Australian New Wave Has Come
Directed by: Peter Weir
Written by: Peter Weir
Actors include: Judy Morris, Ivar Kants, Robert Coleby
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Length: 77 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
So it would appear that The Cable Guy was entirely ripped off from this one. The big difference being that Jim Carrey in his film was just obnoxious, the plumber in this film was disturbing. A couple are adjusting to their relatively new apartment and their new situation (the wife has decided to stay home and study for a bit while the husband works). When the wife is home alone she gets a knock on her door from the plumber, he just needs to check her pipes you see. Next thing you know he's claiming the pipes are rotted and need to be replaced. Before long he's mentally tormenting her in her own home and the bathroom has turned into total destruction. He's writing song lyrics in her shower and performing in her bathroom, watching her change and various other creepy things. Just watching him interact with her is extremely uncomfortable. It's actually a relatively well made film and it was really short (77 minutes) but originally it was shot for tv. Still it packs quite a punch, and well it would make most people think before answering the door to a plumber!

Availability:  On DVD as a bonus when you buy:

Salem's Lot (1979)

4.5 / 5 Dec '09
Tagline: The ultimate in terror!
Directed by: Tobe Hooper
Written by: Stephen King, Paul Monash
Actors include: David Soul, James Mason, Bonnie Bedelia
Genre: Horror
Length: 183 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Definitely one of the better King adaptations, this one manages to actually be creepy, have an interesting story and keep quite true to the novel so just about anyone should be able to enjoy this. As the story goes the creepy Renfield appears in a small little town opening an antique shop in a haunted house. Also former inhabitant (an now famous author) Ben Mears returns home to write a book but is fascinated with the haunted house being taken over by Renfield. Our other main character is teenager Mark who just happens to know be a horror addict with extensive knowledge about monsters (convenient). Of course the two skeptics must come together to solve the Renfield mystery before the town is doomed! The atmosphere is great, the fact that it is 183 minutes long (the DVD version anyhow) and it never slows or becomes dull speaks volumes about how great this film is. It even has some rather surprising parts considering this was a made-for-tv movie! Extremely effective and one of the best vampire films I've encountered, I wish there were more like this 'un!

Availability:  On DVD