The Exterminator (1980)

4 / 5 Sept '09
Tagline: A one man army. A new kind of soldier in a new kind of war.
Directed by: James Glickenhaus
Written by: James Glickenhaus
Actors include: Samantha Eggar, Christopher George, Robert Ginty
Genre: Action, Horror
Length: 101 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This really does start out in an exciting and bloody manner and it manages to keep that pace throughout. The story is about a man who ends up going by the name of "The Exterminator" who was in a torture war situation before escaping. Then in the real world life is pretty ordinary until thugs at his workplace kill his best friend and he vows a violent revenge. From that point on we get some amusing deaths, strange situations and so forth, it's pretty decently paced. The biggest complaint is that the story is strung together inexplicably...I mean one minute we are talking to some fella, next he's hung on a pole or something, it just wasn't well assembled. Still he does use a flame thrower, many guns and this is a violent bloody treat in many ways. It's sort of like an ultraviolent superhero movie made with a lowish budget, some will love others will cringe.

Availability:  on DVD

Curtains (1983)

3 / 5 Feb '10
Tagline: Behind Every Curtain, Someone Is Watching...Something Is Waiting
Directed by: Richard Ciupka
Written by: Robert Guza Jr.
Actors include: Samantha Eggar, John Vernon, Linda Thorson
Genre: Horror, Crime
Length: 89 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Considering this is an '80s slasher starring Samantha Eggar I had expected more. This does have a few memorable moments, mainly involving our killer's weird mask and specifically involving ice skating (you really have to see that part). Some of the plot points are rather interesting too but unfortunately it's too clouded up with tedium. The idea is that Samantha Eggar plays actress Samantha Sherwood who is set to play the role of a crazy person in a production. For authenticity she checks herself into the looney ward, and her agent just leaves her there and tries to recast. She gets herself out, is pretty darned ticked but is especially mad when she learns that a crop of young pretty actresses are all staying together in a house to test for the role she figures is hers. Together all of the actresses roam about the house until slashed up one by one of course (which doesn't happen fast enough). Really it should work better than it did but unfortunately the sum of all of it's parts is only slightly above average.

Availabilty:  Never released on DVD but it looks like people are selling Bootlegs