Triangle (2009)

3 / 5 Jan '11
Tagline: Fear Comes in Waves
Directed by: Christopher Smith
Written by: Christopher Smith
Actors include: Joshua McIvor, Melissa George, Jack Taylor
Genre: Horror
Length: 99 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
It's like Groundhog Day meets The Shining only not nearly as good as either. The story takes place with a group of friends going sailing, but things turn out for the worst once they hit a big storm and their boat overturns. Standing on the overturned boat they are relieved to see a big ship appear out of nowhere, though nobody seems to be greeting them as they climb aboard. Shortly after they learn that they made a poor choice as murder and mayhem take place. It's a psychological thing and although I get the basics of what is going on here a little more explanation would have been nice. It is a bit bloody, the story does intrigue and the way they tie some things together is quite clever. Although it isn't earth shattering and it's a bit unsatisfying it's still worth a gander, at least some effort was definitely put forth here and it's well shot, and the actors do a decent job.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane (1976)

4 / 5 Nov '10
Tagline: Ask Her No Questions And Nobody Dies.
Directed by: Nicolas Gessner
Written by: Laird Koenig
Actors include: Jodie Foster, Scott Jacoby, Martin Sheen
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Horror
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one unusual yet likeable '70s film with impressive acting and a compelling story. Jodie Foster is the star of this one playing a brilliant and independent 13 year old girl named Rynn. She's tougher than nails, and cunning all because she has to keep her secret...even if it means murder! It's not just a horror film, in fact it's very psychological and plot driven...heck in some ways it's a bizarre romance. Scott Jacoby (who played the lead in Bad Ronald) steals the show (which is impressive considering Foster's performance) as a dorky yet sweet magician called Mario who is Foster's romantic interest. She also has a problem with an obnoxious meddling neighbor/landlady and her perverted sadistic son Frank (Martin Sheen). In many ways this is exploitation, and apparently Foster didn't really like making this film because the director kept insisting on nudity from her (she was 14 I think at the time) but she resisted and her older sister was the stand-in for that scene. It goes where maybe one would think it wouldn't, but at the same time it's sort of a depressing film and a black comedy all at once too. Really quite a memorable and creative little film that deserves to be seen by any fan of '70s cinema, a really weird classic indeed.

Availability:  On DVD

The Terminal Man (1974)

3.5 / 5 Sept '10
Tagline: Harry Benson is a brilliant computer scientist. For three minutes a day, he is violently homicidal.
Directed by: Mike Hodges
Written by: Michael Crichton, Mike Hodges
Actors include: George Segal, Joan Hackett, Richard Dysart
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Length: 107 minutes
Banned: Finland

Review:
This was a rather strange adaptation of a Michael Crichton novel (that I've honestly not read) but I likely would after seeing this film. It's sort of trippy sci-fi with some definite lessons crammed into it. Harry Benson is an intelligent man, but from a result of a head trauma he suffers from paranoid delusions and seizures where he becomes extremely violent and attacks people. Doctors have figured out a way to correct this problem by toying with his brain, inserting some chips to shock the patient when the seizures come about. After the surgery Harry is getting frustrated with all of this nonsense and flees the hospital only for things to go from bad to worse. It's a very slow moving and deliberate piece, they could have whittled it down a bit and made a much more interesting movie but as it sits it's still quite worthwhile. The useage of colors (or rather white) and angles in the cinematography were fascinating, probably one of my favorite parts of the film. It also did make a few points and teach me a couple of things and it was very interesting to look at. It's sort of a psychological horror film in several ways, rather dark and depressing, best to watch on a gray or raining evening.

Availability:  On DVD

Twisted Nerve (1968)

4.5 / 5 Aug '10
Tagline: Cleaver. Cleaver. Chop. Chop. First the mom and then the pop. Then we'll get the pretty girl. We'll get her right between the curl.
Directed by: Roy Boulting
Written by: Roy Boulting, Leo Marks
Actors include: Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett, Billie Whitelaw
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Length: 118 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one nifty psychological thriller that was instantly entertaining and loveable. Martin Durnley (Hywel Bennett) is a strange young man of 22. His Mother treats him like he's a little boy, and his Step-Father seems to hate his guts and desperately wants him out of the house. Martin's brother is a mongoloid in an institution, and well Martin seems to have an alter ego as a 6 year old named Georgie (which drove our cat Georgie insane). Martin meets a beautiful kindly young librarian named Susan (Hayley Mills) who he becomes obsessed with. When his Father forces him out of the house he goes to live in at the house of Susan under false pretenses. Things seem to get worse because Susan and the others only know Georgie...when Georgie doesn't get what he wants Martin is the one they'll have to deal with. Let's just say Martin isn't the type of person you want to say no to. It actually maintained a really good level of tension and the acting was really impressive too. Definitely one of the better little known thrillers from the '60s, very surprising and cool.

Availability:  On DVD region 2

Raising Cain (1991)

3.5 / 5 May '10

Tagline: De Mented, De Ranged, De Ceptive, De Palma
Directed by: Brian De Palma
Written by: Brian De Palma
Actors include: John Lithgow, Lolita Davidovich, Steven Bauer
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Horror, Drama
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
It's not bad, though it's definitely not one of Brian De Palma's best. It features John Lithgow as Carter...and Cain and a few others. His Wife is concerned with the amount of time and attention he's giving to their daughter plus he's constantly monitoring him. When the wife meets up with an old boyfriend and sparks start flying things get rather dangerous. Especially when people warn her that her husband may be into recreating the experiments that his evil Father worked on. Lithgow is very over the top here yet he does a good job and really without him the movie would have very little. This does involve a few killings though we aren't exactly going to see much, it's more about the idea. It's also rather confusing in places as we see his hallucinations and various other things that we think are happening but later find out they aren't so. This leaves a slightly unsatisfying taste in the mouth yet at the same time...it's DePalma seemingly trying to borrow from Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch so of course it's weird. Oh well it could have been worse and at the end it made sense for the most part.

Availability:  On DVD

The Shout (1978)

4 / 5 Jan '10
Tagline: A film of intense perversity - the madness of the mind.
Directed by: Jerzy Skolimowski
Written by: Robert Graves, Michael Austin
Actors include: Alan Bates, Susannah York, John Hurt
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Drama
Length: 86 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Imagine if Robert Altman directed What About Bob?, only instead of a pesty Bill Murray insert some sort of intense demon like fellow who practices Aborigine magic. Like an Altman film this has absolutely beautiful scenery amidst the unusual psychological sort of horror. The evil fellow shows up in the lives of married couple Anthony (William Hurt) and Rachel (Susannah York) Fielding. Anthony plays the organ for church services and is obsessed with recording sound effects. Rachel is the devoted wife who seems drawn to this evil guy (or rather possessed by). When this new evil pest offers to show him a sound effect he'll never forget things are never the same. It really kept me guessing and the whole mood of the film is very uneasy, which I did like and the style was quite something too. I guess I wish it had a touch more clarity as id did leave several questions in my head anyhow. Still one of the more creative and strange thrillers one is likely to come across, definitely interesting. Thanks to cosmicnoiree for recommending it to me!

Availability:  On DVD in PAL format only