I Drink Your Blood (1970) aka Blood Suckers

3.5 / 5 Jan '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: David E. Durston
Written by: David E. Durston
Actors include: Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury, Jadin Wong, Rhonda Fultz
Genre: Horror, Exploitation
Length: 83 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well this is rather ahead of it's time and were it not for the cheapness, and terrible acting it might have actually been kinda creepy. The plot is about a cult of LSD crazed hippies intent on hiding out in a small town for a bit to lie low from the Cops. They can't stay anonymous for long as they rape a local Girl and her Grandpa comes after them. Grandpa isn't powerful enough and they drug him with LSD, he stumbles home where his Grandson finds out what has happened. The Grandson just happened to find a rabid dog and shoot it earlier that day, so he collects some blood and puts it into meat pies for the hippies. From there we are left with a Night of the Living Dead style film with rabies instead of zombieism (apparently LSD + rabies = murderous rage). It's pretty bloody and yet some of the effects are pathetic of course, there is real animal violence I warn thee but certainly not the worst I've seen. It could have been amazing but as is it's pretty darned amusing and sleazy, fans of campy films should take note.

Availability:  On DVD

A Serbian Film (2010) aka Srpski Film

4.5 / 5 Jan '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Srdjan Spasojevic
Written by: Aleksandar Radivojevic, Srdjan Spasojevic
Actors include: Srdjan Todorovic, Sergej Trifunovic, Jelena Gavrilovic
Genre: Horror, Drama
Length: 103 minutes
Banned: Australia

Review:
Well, this is the sort of film that seriously succeeds in being a disturbing horror film in nearly every sense of the word. It's got something to offend everyone, and it made me feel very uneasy and uncomfortable. It's difficult to watch because of subject matter, but since it's so well made and well acted it's almost more shocking. It's a film about a retired Porn actor called Milos who was known in the business for being able to get himself hard immediately. He needs money for his Wife and Son so he somewhat reluctantly signs on to do a mysterious art film. The thing is, they won't tell him what he's filming, he is just to show up and not ask questions. This will tackle just about any taboo you can think of, and it's stunningly horrifying. I did see "what happened" coming, it wasn't too surprising that way, but it was still mesmerizing none the less. I can't really "recommend" this, but if you can handle nearly anything in film and want to be disturbed you may want to see this one, I think it takes the cake.

Availability:  On Blu-Ray & DVD

Her Vengeance (1988) aka Bloody Rose aka Xue Mei Gui

4.5 / 5 Nov '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Ngai Kai Lam
Written by: N/A
Actors include: Ching-Ying Lam, Elaine Jin, Pauline Wong
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Length: 87 minutes (approx)
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one heck of a hilarious rape/revenge action packed Hong Kong film. Susan ticks off a group of bad guys when she has to ask them to behave in the night club she works at. To pay her back they take her to the cemetery and gang rape her. Now the copy I saw had questionable (yet comical) subs, so from this rape I think she got gonorrhea (though at first they call it A.I.D.S. yet they give the symptoms of VD)...at any rate she's not happy and neither is her vagina. She decides along with the help of her blind Sister and her former Brother-in-law (a wheelchair bound kung fu expert) to get her vengeance....even if it costs her more than it was worth. She lures these fellows out to deal them harsh and violent and bloody punishment and it's a real treat to watch. The person who made this must have loved Thriller - en grym film [Thriller: They Call Her One Eye], and the booby trapping scenes in this reminded me of Home Alone only of course way more inappropriate. I thought this was a laugh riot and it gave plenty of splatter and it's ridiculously easy to follow...this is a must for those who like excessive revenge films.

Availability:  On DVD
HER VENGEANCE

Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion (1970) aka Le Foto Proibite Di Una Signora Per Bene

3.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N//A
Directed by: Luciano Ercoli
Written by: Ernesto Gastaldi
Actors include: Nieves Navarro, Dagmar Lassander, Pier Paolo Capponi
Genre: Giallo, Horror, Thriller
Length: 93 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well this is a sleazy little giallo from Luciano Ercoli and probably my least favorite of his but still a fun flick. Let's see what I can explain here, Minou wears crazy wigs, she is newly married to a fellow named Peter who her sex obsessed friend Dominique (Nieves Navarro) set her up with. Dominique (who also wears a weird wig occasionally) thinks being raped would be splendid, she seems to be into fetish stuff and well having sex with anyone who is nearby. She also might have had a prior relationship with Peter before setting Minou up with him. Minou is being harassed by a Man who claims he has evidence against Peter that could put him away in jail, and they only thing he'll take in exchange for his silence is extreme sex with Minou. Weirdo still, Minou seems to kind of like it in way... Oh it's very bizarre and irresponsible in many ways, it's also groovy and has some hilarious disco sequences and memorable dialog and the actors are superb. This won't be for everyone, but fans of this style of Eurosleaze should be entertained.

Availability:  On DVD

Schoolgirls In Chains (1973) aka Abducted

2.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: See It At Your Own Risk!
Directed by: Donald M. Jones
Written by: Donald M. Jones
Actors include: Gary Kent, John Parker, Stafford Morgan
Genre: Horror, Exploitation
Length: 86 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Meh, I kind of thought this would be better than it was, it's certainly a low budget exploitation film but it's not really as sleazy as I had anticipated. Two redneck moron brothers kidnap young ladies under the supervision of crazy Ma and keep them prisoner in the basement. They play games with the women that often lead to rape and torture etc and yes parts are a bit graphic but it all seemed so laughably poorly acted that it was hard to care or sympathize with anyone. It was dull enough that I felt like I was locked in their basement dying to get out. This is filled with misogyny and various things to offend various people but really it's nothing I haven't seen before more effectively made. There are a few things I suppose that were unique to this film like topless leap frog, and a needle in the rump of one of the girls, but if you like seeing women mistreated Bloodsucking Freaks is a far more entertaining venture.

Availability:  On DVD

The Beast Within (1982)

3 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: Kill me, please kill me... before it's too late.
Directed by: Philippe Mora
Written by: Tom Holland, Edward Levy
Actors include: Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Paul Clemens
Genre: Horror
Length: 98 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well this had some things going for it at least, the effects although cheesy were ambitious, and the concept was interesting though it's definitely just a monster movie. They also did through in some nice gratuity with gore and nudity and it had a kind of campy feel to it. From the cover it looks like a Teen Wolf sequel, but I assure you it's not. It starts back in the past with a woman being raped by a monster, flash forward seventeen years and the result of the rape, a boy named Michael is about to hit puberty. He's very ill though and nobody seems to know why, only he slips out one night and ends up learning that he craves hunting humans, particularly if they have a certain last name. It's entertaining and easy to watch, and you can tell that the effort was there, the thing is there are huge plot holes wide enough to drive a truck through that definitely require explanation.

Availability:  On DVD

Inseminoid (1981) aka Horror Planet

3 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Norman J. Warren
Written by: Nick Maley
Actors include: Robin Clarke, Jennifer Ashley, Stephanie Beacham
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Length: 93 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
In many ways this is an extremely cheap and silly Alien rip-off with moderately successful actors like Stephanie Beacham, Victoria Tennant and Judy Geeson (who does a fantastic job considering the circumstances). In it's favor it does have excessive gore (yay) and alien rape and some fun deaths. It's also so ridiculous and over the top that it's laughable and entertaining on a few levels. The plot involves a female crew member getting impregnated by an alien which causes her to turn into a psycho murdering her fellow passengers who want nothing more than an abortion for her. It's surprisingly ambitious, horror fans should be pleased with the deaths and blood (I was). The creativity is lacking obviously and this is not something that everyone will enjoy, particularly if you don't have a love of camp. Still entertaining at least, but it could have been so much more.

Availability:  On DVD

A Taste Of Evil (1971)

3 / 5 Jan '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: John Llewellyn Moxey
Written by: Jimmy Sangster
Actors include: Barbara Stanwyck, Roddy McDowall, Barbara Parkins
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Length: 73 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Considering this was a '70s made-for-tv movie that was written by Jimmy Sangster and produced by Aaron Spelling productions I thought this would be a winner! It's not, in fact it's a rehash of so many films seen previously and this particular retelling is very dry. It's about a young girl who is raped, then put in an asylum because she's in a catatonic state and has sever trauma from the accident. We catch up with her as she's coming home to stay, though she doesn't seem particularly well. See she keeps seeing her Stepfather dead in various places which is tormenting her to say the least. She also has an over-the-top nutty Mother (Barbara Stanwyck) does provide some campy laughter but not a heck of a lot else. I don't want to give more away in case you do want to watch this but let's just say I was underwhelmed. It did have a tidy conclusion and it made clear sense at least!

Availability:  Currently unavailable anywhere