Alice in Wonderland (1966)

4 / 5 Jul '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Jonathan Miller
Written by: Lewis Carroll
Actors include: Anne-Marie Malik, Michael Redgrave, Peter Sellers
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Length: 71 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is a pretty fascinatingly surreal and psychedelic version of the Alice in Wonderland story. It's shot in black and white in a gothic style, and the cinematography is quite lovely. It features music by Ravi Shankar and a fantastic cast, particularly Anne-Marie Malik in the role of Alice. It was filmed as a TV play of all things, and it's surprisingly well made. What I found so unusual was the character of Alice who yes is a rather inquisitive but here she is stern and extremely flip...moreso than in any other version I've seen. She seems downright pissed off at the wacky people in wonderland and irritated by everything around her. At the same time the contrast makes the story and characters seem even more absurd which is pretty cool. I'm not completely sure how this qualifies as a horror film, but perhaps some of the imagery is a bit grotesque and it is maybe a tad creepy. Just the same a very interesting version of the classic story that really should be seen by any fan of the story, or for those who like unusual '60s flicks.

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:

The Fall Of The House Of Usher (1928) aka La Chute De La Maison Usher

3.5 / 5 Apr '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: James Sibley Watson, Melville Webber
Written by: Edgar Allan Poe
Actors include: Herbert Stern, Hildegarde Watson, Melville Webber
Genre: Horror, Surrealism
Length: 14 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Even though I've seen other versions of this tale, I've got to say that this was incomprehensible. Maybe I'm a moron, or maybe it's just entirely unclear, and they got carried away with surrealism. It's spectacular as far as the visuals go, the interplay of light and dark and shadows and movement are impressive. The technics used with the layering and reverse cinematography and so forth are also very notable for the time. It's elegant and even creepy, perhaps the not knowing helps this. Still I couldn't help but want more from the actual story, even for a short film. It's something to see on an artistic level most definitely but I thought it was lacking in some departments.

Availability:  On DVD as part of this set:

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

Eraserhead (1977)

4 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: Warning: the nightmare has not gone away
Directed by: David Lynch
Written by: David Lynch
Actors include: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allan Joseph
Genre: Horror, Drama
Length: 85 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
It's definitely something different...I'll give it that, somehow I expected it to be greater than it was. It's very much a nightmarish surrealistic film that takes place in industrial imagination land (possibly the future). Eraserhead is a strange fella, he has an angry Girlfriend who he impregnated and was forced to marry. The baby is unfortunately some sort of hideous mutant thing that cries and drives him crazy. This film definitely gave me the idea that David Lynch doesn't subscribe to the idea of regular families and children and so forth. Eraserhead is entertained by a singing cabaret lady with "moon" cheeks in the radiator which is probably the "best" part. It's filmed in black and white with unusual angles and so forth, very unlike anything else I've seen. It is a must see in the sense that it's quite influential to many other things and well it's innovative. This won't be for everyone, in fact I generally prefer a more straightforward plot but I still liked this and could appreciate it.

Availability:  On DVD

Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders (1970) aka Valerie a Týden Divu

4 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Jaromil Jires
Written by: Vítezslav Nezval, Jaromil Jires
Actors include: Jaroslava Schallerová, Helena Anýzová, Petr Kopriva
Genre: Horror, Surrealism, Fantasy, Drama
Length: 73 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one unusual surrealist fairy tale/nightmare that is about a thirteen year old girl named Valerie who is reaching puberty. It has something to do with vampires (who I give credit as they are actually rather creepy and Nosferatuesque), and magical earrings and maturing but it's not a clear cut storyline. It's just insanely imaginatively put together, and visually it does remind me a bit of the works of Alejandro Jodorowsky and the plot is somewhat similar in a way to The Company of Wolves. It's rather controversial as the actress playing Valerie is a very beautiful 13 year old girl and there is nudity involved here. Yes it's artful, and it's not necessarily "distasteful" but it did surprise me to be honest. This film is very dream like and it's one of those films you just have to ride out and not question in order to truly enjoy but I didn't mind. It's sort of creepily and magically captivating and it really has made me curious about other Czech films. Recommended for those looking for an entirely different film about growing up.

Availability:  On DVD

Der Todesking (1989) aka The Death King

4 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: N/A

Directed by: Jörg Buttgereit

Written by: Jörg Buttgereit, Franz Rodenkirchen
Actors include: Suzanne Betz, Gerd Breitung, Ingo Buesing
Genre: Horror, Surreal
Length: 74 minutes
Banned: Nope




Review:
This is most definitely an unusual film but not too unexpected if you are familiar with the works of Jörg Buttgereit. It's surrealistic in nature, and it's really seven little segments divided up by days of the week. In between it's spliced with scenes of a corpse decomposing which is gross but but fascinating. The theme is death, murder and suicide...anything very depressing. It at least does have a dark sense of humor which makes it rather entertaining to watch. I think the best segment was the bridge, it actually made me feel nervous! Very effective little film that manages to disturb and horrify without being downright gross (okay so except the decomposing corpse). The music was actually quite fitting too, it seemed to add a lighter tough. Recommended for people who are looking for a different sort of horror film with a bit of an artistic touch.

Availability:  on DVD

The Grandmother (1970)

4 / 5 Feb '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: David Lynch
Written by: David Lynch
Actors include: Dorothy McGinnis, Richard White, Virginia Maitland
Genre: Short, Experimental
Length: 34 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one strange puppy of a flick, it's not logical in many ways yet it's easy enough to watch. It's sort of like the animated side of Monty Python meets real life surrealistic dark fantasy with some grotesque things thrown in. It seems to be about a boy who has abusive parents who grows a grandmother from a seed. Grandma doesn't talk...she whistles, but they seem to love each other anyway. It's only a tad longer than a half an hour but it's quite memorable. There certainly aren't many like this, and I give it credit for being quite effective, it's just really rather strange. Thanks to Colum for recommending this to me, worth it if you dig weird stuff.

Availability:  On DVD as part of this compilation

Kitchen Sink (1989)

3.5 / 5 Jan '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Alison Maclean
Written by: Alison Maclean
Actors include: Theresa Healey, Peter Tait, Annagretta Christian
Genre: Horror
Length: 14 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Very unique, stylish and surreal little short film from New Zealand. A woman sees a hair sticking out of her kitchen sink and she tugs on it, after much struggle she pulls out a mini monkey man thing. She throws it in water and it expands to human size and it sort of goes on from there. It was elegantly shot in black and white, and it really is one of those "what is going on here" sort of pictures which makes it quite interesting. If you come seeking answers...well you won't really find them but I do think it makes an interesting statement on obsession with changing people. Pretty neat little flick that made me think perhaps the folks who made Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus.

Availability:  Not on DVD I don't think

Le Femme Qui Se Poudre (1972) aka The Woman Who Powders Herself

3.5 / 5 Jan '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Patrick Bokanowski
Written by: Patrick Bokanowski
Actors include: Jean-Jacques Choul, Jacques Delbosc d'Auzon, Claus-Dieter Reents
Genre: Horror, Experimental
Length: 18 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well sort of hard to rate, perhaps I'm an idiot (which could very well be true) but I didn't get any sort of story for this. I'm very greatful that others have been able to provide the plot for this, for I sure couldn't find one. It's apparently about a witch who transforms people and tortures others. All I got was a bunch of blurry nightmarish imagery, sort of like an industrial music video. It's an interesting art project, and the combination of blurry shots and gray scale and masks and whatnot do make for some creepy visuals. The soundtrack is very appropriate too, it sounds like primitive industrial music which very much suits what is going on. Though my eyes were glued to the tv I wouldn't say I was afraid or anything, curious yes but that is about it. Let's face it, there aren't many films like this, definitely points for being innovative, many should see this, the style is quite something. Just at the end of it all I kinda felt like "what did I just watch"? If I were rating this as an art project I'd gladly award higher marks, but as a short film...not so rewarding I felt.

Availability:  Not on DVD