Crowhaven Farm (1974)

3 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: A chilling tale of vengeance from beyond the grave.
Directed by: Walter Grauman
Written by: John McGreevey
Actors include: Hope Lange, Lloyd Bochner, Paul Burke
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Drama
Length: 74 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is a made-for-tv film and it truly does feel like one, it's very tame and talky but it's entertaining enough to get to the end of at least. Hope Lange plays Maggie Porter, a Woman who has just inherited Crowhaven Farm. She reluctantly goes there with her Husband Ben and she starts feeling deja vu. She also hears crying out in the woods and suffers from visions of witches which causes trouble with She and Ben. They couldn't conceive so when a 10 year old girl called Jennifer ends up in their care they decide to take her in. Something doesn't seem quite right with her, she seems rather fond of Ben but not so much of Maggie. Things get stranger still when Maggie learns that she is finally pregnant. The actors actually do a very fine job, and they are the real reason to bother with this one. Otherwise it's a bit mundane and predictable but it's not all that bad either. Not frightening but they at least provided a reasonable story. Not the worst of it's kind, but not the best either, worth watching on tv one day perhaps.

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

Witchfinder General (1968) aka Conqueror Worm

4 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: He'll hang, burn and mutilate you. He's the... witchfinder general
Directed by: Michael Reeves
Written by: Michael Reeves, Tom Baker
Actors include: Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy, Rupert Davies
Genre: Horror
Length: 86 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although it's not the best of it's kind, it's a very well done tale of a witch finder and it has Vincent Price in the title role...what more could you want? The sets, and cinematography are very nice, and the acting is decent as well. It's not the quickest paced film, but when it picks up it becomes pretty entertaining and even a bit bloody! The tale is of the Witchfinder and his assistant coming to town to accuse a Priest of witchcraft. The priest has a lovely Niece who is engaged to a brave young man who fights for Parliament. While he's away the Witchfinder betrays his Bride-To-Be and revenge is all he can think about. I appreciated that they did include some fun scenes of torture and cruelty. Pretty classic really, though I hate to say that I prefer it's copycat Hexen bis aufs Blut gequält [Mark of the Devil]. Thanks to tuukkis for suggesting that I watch this!

Availability:  On DVD

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

Night Of The Eagle (1962) aka Burn, Witch, Burn!

3.5 / 5 Dec '10
Tagline: Witch or Woman, What Was It?
Directed by: Sidney Hayers
Written by: Fritz Leiber Jr., Charles Beaumont
Actors include: Janet Blair, Peter Wyngarde, Margaret Johnston
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Length: 85 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is actually a charming little film even though at times it's rather dry and talky and it's not exactly scary though I'm sure at the time the subject matter creeped a few out. Norman Taylor is a charming young teacher, his students adore him and he has everything life could offer, even an adoring wife (played by singer Janet Blair). When he discovers his Wife has been engaging in the practice of witchcraft (he doesn't believe in it) he burns all of her protection gear. Well let's just say burning voodoo style stuff isn't exactly the best plan as they are sort of doomed from that point on. This has some pretty neat scenes and the visuals are positively lovely, even though parts are less than interesting the bigger picture is engaging enough to keep following it. If you are looking for straight up horror you might be disappointed but if you are looking for a neat little story that has horror elements than this is more for you.

Availability:  On DVD

The Witch's Mirror (1960) aka El Espejo de la Bruja

4 / 5 Dec '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Chano Urueta
Written by: Alfredo Ruanova
Actors include: Rosa Arenas, Armando Calvo, Isabela Corona
Genre: Horror
Length: 75 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Even though Carlos Enrique Taboada was only the screenwriter on this film, it's got his mark of quality all over it, what a wicked Mexican director. This film is very stylish (albeit cheap) and it's borrows from several popular stories like Les yeux sans visage [Eyes Without a Face], Frankenstein and Orlacs Hände [The Hands of Orlac] to name a few. It's about a Witch who has a mirror, she finds out that the Lady of the house Elena is doomed to die and nothing she begs the black arts for can save her. Her husband is responsible for her death, and shortly after he brings home a new Lady Deborah. Deborah isn't the nicest girl and she definitely disapproves of anything that reminds her of Elena in the house. Let's just say Elena has her revenge destroying the face of Deborah which is sort of where the next segment leads. I don't want to give more away here but it's cruel, sadistic and surprisingly exciting for the last bit. They may not have had much in the way of budget but they sure managed to make an entertaining and wonderfully satisfying horror film out of what they had.

Availability:  On DVD

The Woods (2006)

2 / 5 Nov '10
Tagline: Every high school has its secrets...
Directed by: Lucky McGee
Written by: David Ross
Actors include: Lauren Birkell, Agnes Bruckner, Jane Gilchrist
Genre: Horror
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well the biggest pro I can think of with this movie is main character Heather (Agnes Bruckner) who is charismatic and really carries the film. Everything else is pretty much uninteresting, particularly because it borrows pretty heavily from a much better film (Suspiria). Heather is a bad girl who likes to start fires, she is put in this special school out in the woods. The teachers seem very strange, and the classmates seem afraid or snobbish, depending on whom you go to. When students start disappearing Heather must find out the real truth about the school before it's too late! It unfortunately feels a big like an M. Night Shyamalan picture which I find off-putting, I really hoped it would be more like Lucky McKee's other film May. Oh well, it started off much stronger than it ended up, it was actually laughable in places and I don't think it's aim was to be silly. Oh and all of you Bruce Campbell fans take note, he appears in the film in a minor role but you will probably want to see it for that reason alone. It's not the worst thing ever, but I certainly had hoped for a heck of a lot more.

Availability:  On DVD

Superstition (1982)

2.5 / 5 Nov '10
Tagline: The victims who died were the lucky ones.
Directed by: James W. Roberson
Written by: Galen Thompson, Michael O. Sajbel
Actors include: James Houghton, Albert Salmi, Lynn Carlin
Genre: Horror
Length: 99 minutes
Banned: UK

Review:
In some ways I suppose I should award this points for trying some creative and gory deaths...but then I have to deduct them because they look so fake they are laughable. The plot is about a witch who is back from the dead for revenge because she was burned many years ago. She kills everyone in peculiar ways who live in a certain area, but only at night while the sacred cross is still in the pond, once it's removed it's open season! The characters are as wooden as heck, and I found it very hard to pay attention to despite the fact that they were shoving fistfuls of blood in my face. Considering there are so many other witch revenge films, this is one of the laziest and most contrived I've seen. At least it was aptly filmed, and if you only care about deaths then this might suit your fancy, I'd just hoped for a little more honestly. Oh and as a side note apparently this was originally on the police seizure list for the video nasty scare in the early '80s.

Availability:  On DVD

Leak (1981) aka Mystics in Bali aka Balinese Mystic aka Mistik

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: H. Tjut Djalil
Written by: Jimmy Atmaja
Actors include: Ilona Agathe Bastian, Yos Santo, Sofia W.D.
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Length: 85 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Gosh I'm not even sure how to rate this one, it is quite unlike any other horror film I've seen though it seems to share a bit in common with Shaw Brothers productions. It's also my first Indonesian film, and it did make one heck of an impression and from what I understand it's their first serious horror effort. It's about an American girl who comes to Bali to research black magic for a book she is writing. Her boyfriend introduces her to a Leak who is some sort of which creature with a changing face that feeds upon blood to obtain youth and has an obnoxious laugh (like Witchypoo). The Leak marks a spell on her body which turns her basically into a puppet and by the Leak's influence she ends up turning into various animals (like a pig and a snake). Things get even even weirder still when she starts borrowing her head (with lungs and guts attached) to attack people. The problem is that the first half of the movie is rather talky and dull, the extremely weird and creative and silly stuff comes towards the end. It's worth waiting for most definitely, also the funny transition between the movie's cheap digital video effects and the rest of it being filmed nicely on actual film is quite amusing. It's a film that is certainly unique, and also it taught me about the whole vampire witch with the flying head business which apparently is a theme in quite a few films. I think most will really like this or really hate it but it's worth finding out either way which you are.

Availability:  On DVD

Poison For The Fairies (1984) aka Veneno Para Las Hadas aka The Evil Fairies

4.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Carlos Enrique Taboada
Written by: Carlos Enrique Taboada
Actors include: Ana Patricia Rojo, Elsa María Gutiérrez, Leonor Llausás
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Length: 90 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I really didn't know anything about this going into it, and was I ever impressed. This isn't a gorefest, so if that's the sort of film you are looking for, turn away. This is beautifully filmed, stylish, funny and extremely original, and really quite the treat from Mexico. It's a period piece set in the '60s which is kind of neat. Flavia is new to her school, and quickly she befriends Veronica and before long the little girls are spending a ton of time together (I'm guessing they are like 10 or so). Veronica is an unusual little girl, she's obsessed with witches and does her darndest to convince her little friend Flavia that she is a powerful witch. Flavia has had enough of her piano teacher, she doesn't like lessons so led by Veronica the two summons the devil's help to send her far away. While Flavia is rather innocent and assumes that nothing will come of this she is horrified to find that her piano teacher actually dies. Soon she starts to believe Veronica is a witch, and Veronica is a manipulative little girl who starts pushing Flavia around. Let's just say things get a little strange and even surprising from there, but it's all purely engrossing. This child actors are superb, probably some of the best I've seen and I loved the story too. Well worth digging for this one, a really wonderful film that unfortunately it seems few have seen.

Availability:  Not Currently On DVD to my knowledge
Veneno Para las Hadas

The Initiation Of Sarah (1978)

2.5 / 5 Sept '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Robert Day
Written by: Kenette Gfeller, Tom Holland
Actors include: Kay Lenz, Shelley Winters, Tisa Farrow
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Length: 96 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well this was really a combination of Carrie and Revenge of the Nerds only I really loved both of those films and I thought this one was dull and mundane. It was a made-for-tv (expect no violence and no killing...it's a horror movie, what were they thinking?) about a girl named Sarah with unexplained powers (that are usually used for dunking people in water who piss her off), she belongs to an adoptive family that have a daughter her age called Patty. The sisters go off to college, Patty is beautiful and has a great personality to match, so she gets in the "cool" fraternity. Sarah is an introvert and a brain and frankly a bit strange so she gets into the lamer fraternity that doesn't seem to care about much of anything. Sarah's "den mother" (Shelley Winters) is into witchcraft and wants Sarah for some sort of old initiation (which had someone die in it last time it was performed). See not much is explained, and the payoff is very weak to say the least. Despite the fact that it's tolerable schlock and well acted it's still not really worth bothering with, I kept waiting for something exciting to happen but it never really reached that point. It certainly could have been worse but considering the premise it should have been so much better.

Availability:  Not on DVD

Cry Of The Banshee (1970)

3 / 5 Aug '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Gordon Hessler
Written by: Tim Kelly
Actors include: Vincent Price, Elisabeth Bergner, Essy Persson
Genre: Horror
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I suppose this is very much in the style of the Hammer period pieces, only it seems to contain more nudity and be rather derivative of several better movies. It also doesn't have the personality or the ability to make entertaining dialogue unfortunately. Vincent Price plays Lord Whitman, a fellow who enjoys killing many witches, which ticks off the lead witch Oona. Oona decides to take matters into her own hands by summoning a banshee to get revenge on Lord Whitman. It's really a hodgepodge of witchcraft, masque of red death, voodoo and another surprise that I somehow didn't see coming. Still it really didn't offer anything that several similar movies had to offer and although it's reasonably easy to sit through it felt like it was missing something. You might want to watch this if you've seen all the other Hammer knock-offs first but I wouldn't say one should rush out and grab this.

Availability:  On DVD