The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

2.5 / 5 Jul '13
Tagline: After a decade of silence... The buzzz is back!
Directed by: Tobe Hooper
Written by: Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper
Actors include: Caroline Williams, Dennis Hopper, Jim Siedow
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Length: 97 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
What a yawn, and a long one at that. Now understandably it's not going to be as good as the original as sequels seldom are. Heck even judging this as a film unrelated to the series it's still a dud though. I just can't get over that Tobe Hooper was behind this sequel and Tom Savini did the effects so how did it go so terribly wrong? It's very cartoonish and the cannibal family in this act like the friggin' 3 Stooges. Since when did Leatherface shake his belly around and wiggle when holding a chainsaw? This is most definitely a comedy with some lame gore in it and not much else, it's just not funny and if you are going to play that angle at least throw in some laughs. The story is about an irritating female radio DJ (Caroline Williams) called Stretch who gets a phone call on her request line from two jackasses causing a ruckus. They won't get off the phone (if the other person hangs the phone up, doesn't that disconnect the line?) and they meet their fate when Leatherface chainsaws 'em up real good. Stretch hears it all and is pursuaded to play the tape on the radio by Lt. Lefty (Dennis Hopper slumming it huge time). Of course it gets her into trouble and soon the radio station is under attack by cannibalistic buffoons. I was a little amused that Bo in his "Sonny Bono wig" looks very much like a member of Oasis but that was the highlight of the film. It seems that some really like this film but I can't find much reason to join their plight so instead I'll say avoid!

Availability:  On DVD

The Frog, The Dog, and the Devil (1986)

 4 / 5  Jun '11 
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  Bob Stenhouse
Written by:  Bob Stenhouse
Actors include:  N/A
Genre:  Horror, Comedy, Western, Animation, Short
Length:  8 minutes
Banned:  Nope





 

Review:
This is quite visually stunning, the style of animation and the horror inspired touches really make this a goodie.  This flick came from New Zealand, and in 1986 it was even nominated for an Oscar for best short picture.  It shows a Man who tricks a Barkeep out of a bottle of booze, then starts hallucinating things almost like he's haunted or something.  It's very surreal yet there is so much going on that it's incredibly easy to digest.  Quite an unusual treat, it's very whimsical and imaginative ode to drunkards. 

Availability:  I don't believe it's on DVD but watch it here:

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

Inferno In Diretta (1986) aka Cut And Run

3 / 5 July '10
Tagline: The one story you won't be seeing on the 6 o'clock news!
Directed by: Ruggero Deodato
Written by: Cesare Frugoni, Dardano Sacchetti
Actors include: Lisa Blount, Leonard Mann, Willie Aames
Genre: Action, Adventure, Horror
Length: 90 minutes
Banned: Finland

Review:
Well in some way this is a sequel to Cannibal Holocaust, or at least it's very similar and from the same director. This isn't nearly as good as Holocaust, though I suppose it's nicely filmed. The plot is about a news team who suspect a member of Jonestown has survived and is hiding out in the jungle. Also they intend to hunt for the son of a TV Producer who has been lost in the jungle for quite a while and it has a cocaine smuggling plot too. The missing son is hilariously played by Willie Aames (Buddy from Charles In Charge) who is ridiculous when trying to act, it's almost sad to watch. This does have a lot of violence in it though nothing as extreme as in Holocaust, it does have a rather high body count I suppose (though I could have done with less poison dart death). One perk this does have is actor Michael Berryman (the creepy dude from The Hills Have Eyes) as a violent savage which is kind of neat. It's okay I guess when you add everything up but it certainly could have been much better.

Availability:  On DVD

Blue Velvet (1986)

4.5 / 5 Jun '10

Tagline: The Most Talked About Film of the Decade
Directed by: David Lynch
Written by: David Lynch
Actors include: Kyle MacLaughlan, Laura Dern, Dennis Hopper
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Length: 120 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well fortunately this isn't too weird, in fact it's actually rather easy to follow for a David Lynch film. We follow nosy mystery lovin' Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) who stumbles upon a severed ear in a field. He brings it to the local Police Man who's daughter Sandy (Laura Dern) assists Jeffrey with details about the case. Jeffrey becomes so obsessed he actually breaks into the house of a singer named Dorothy (Isabella Rossellini) who is suspected to be involved with the ear somehow. He of course starts to piece things together and ends up in a strange relationship with Dorothy and several frightening underworld figures. Dennis Hopper plays an absolute psycho called Frank Booth who is one of the big bad guys of course, but it's a performance I doubt anyone will forget. It's one heck of a strange and bizarre mystery to be wound up in and it's an entertaining film as it all unfolds. You aren't going to get the answers to everything...it's not that kind of film. You will get a film that is extremely stylish, often darkly funny and tense and strange. Recommended even to those afraid of Lynch, heck I really hated Lost Highway but this I like!

Availability:  On DVD

Killer Party (1986) aka The April Fool

3.5 / 5 Apr '10
Tagline: DEADicated to the class of '86.
Directed by: William Fruet
Written by: Barney Cohen
Actors include: Martin Hewitt, Ralph Seymour, Elaine Wilkes
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I liked this a heck of a lot more than I was expecting to. I mean it's very very cheap, the first 3/4 of the film is basically a cheesy '80s comedy featuring several likeable girls trying to join a sorority with absolutely 0 horror in it. It's based around April Fool's Day and it even had the title to prove it at one time, but they were afraid of people confusing it with the 1986 film April Fool's Day so instead we have Killer Party. This was actually 90 percent filmed in 1978 but they ran out of money so it wasn't finished until 1984, but then it sat on the shelf for another two years before actually getting released. There are pranks, bad '80s tunes and some pretty silly jokes to be had along the way.The thing is, the girls they cast are quite interesting, their wacky outfits and hijinx makes it entertaining enough until it actually gets to the good stuff. The horror element in this case comes in the last 15 or so and it involves demonic possession and that part should please just about any horror fan. It's not the most original flick but I was really pleased with it and the effects for the demon part were quite enjoyable. Unfortunately this isn't available on DVD that I know of but it's actually rather charming considering most think of it as one of the worst films of all time.

Availability:  Not available on DVD that I know of
Killer Party [VHS]

Slaughter High (1986)

3.5 / 5

Tagline: Take a Trip Through the Halls of Horror!

Directed by: George Dugdale, Mark Ezra

Written by: George Dugdale, Mike Ezra

Actors include: Caroline Munro, Simon Scuddamore, Carmine Iannaccone

Genre: Horror

Length: 91 minutes

Banned: Nope

 

 

Review:

This definitely has a lot going for it, and a lot wrong with it. See the deaths in this slasher are superb...things I've always wanted to see in graphic detail and well done. The acting is laughably terrible for the most part, it's very cheap (minus the effects) and predictable as heck. The good news is, it knows exactly what it is, has a good sense of humor and some serious gratuity. The idea is a recycled one, an April Fool's Day prank played on a nerd by the cool kids goes horribly wrong and the nerd ends up disfigured and wanting revenge. When the cool kids find themselves all invited to a reunion in a deserted area and nobody claims to have sent the invites they start to think maybe something is wrong. Well they know something's wrong when one by one they end up dead in gruesome ways. Were the ending not so stupid I would have awarded this an extra .5 star, but let's face it...it's a classic but only in the sense that it's bad but immensely entertaining.

Availability:  On DVD

Demons 2 (1986) aka Dèmoni 2

3.5 / 5
Tagline: The nightmare returns
Directed by: Lamberto Bava
Written by: Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava
Actors include: Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, Nancy Brilli, David Edwin
Genre: Horror
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well I'm not so sure this was a necessary sequel it still offered some good moments. Somehow one of the corpses of the demons from the first one is brought back to life and a young girl gets possessed watching a documentary on the matter. Then she goes o to terrorize the entire apartment building she lives in. It's an odd way to bring the film back really but at least it's nearly the same film as the last one be that good or not. The gore is here but not as impressive as before and it's not quite as amusing but I suppose if you are into this kind of thing you'll want to see this one too.

Availability:  On DVD