You know you’re in for a treat when a movie starts with a graphic hammer murder. You know you’re in for something really special when said murder features the following twists: · One of the intended victims, sleeping in bed, turns face up just before the attack. · The murderer decides at the last moment to use the claw-side of the hammer. Thus begins Blood and Lace (1971), a film in which a hammer blow to the back of the head just wouldn’t suffice, so we get a hammer claw to the face instead... Read Full Story
As perverse and poetic a horror movie as you are likely to find, The Horrible Secret of Dr. Hichcock (1962) is Riccardo Freda’s masterful ode to love, loss and necrophilia. Freda’s best film and a gothic masterpiece by any standard, the movie ranks with the best work of Mario Bava, Antonio Margheriti and Camillo Mastrocinque. But whereas those directors generally cloaked their horrors within supernatural themes and highly stylized visuals, Freda strips away all pretenses by largely eschewing... Read Full Story
Lone Wolf and Cub 2: Baby Cart at the River Styx Less a movie than a symphony of highly visceral and intensely poetic violence, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx was my first foray into the legendary Japanese gekiga (graphic novel) that spawned six movies, four plays and a TV series. The ongoing tale of disgraced former Shogun executioner Ogami Ittō and his toddler son Daigoro, who wander 18th century Japan battling foes of every shape and size, Baby Cart at the River Styx may... Read Full Story
IT'S definitely a full moon in the werewolf genre.
This year sees a redo of the horror classic The Wolf Man, which has just been undergoing reshoots after reports the creature looked 'daft' and 'too cuddly', and there's also talk of remaking An American Werewolf in London (whose metamorphosis sequence is still regarded as incredible) and Teen Wolf.
And we'd better not forget the upcoming Twilight sequel New Moon with its 'wolf pack' of Quileute tribe members who can transform into wolves... Read Full Story
The first full-length feature of cult legend Michael Reeves (he had directed portions of 1964’s Castle of the Living Dead ), The She Beast (1966) is an interesting though far from perfect addition to the 1960’s witch revenge cycle. Its sometimes deft, often clumsy combination of horror and comedy is off-putting to many, but ultimately the film contains just enough powerful scenes to unveil Reeves as a top-shelf writer/director. He would go on to direct the fascinating sci-fi/horror hybrid... Read Full Story
In terms of unbridled wackiness, Hindi movies are tough to beat. I thought Mexican horror films could be over the top until I saw Veerana (aka Vengeance of the Vampire ), a delightfully schlocky and at times surprisingly effective horror-comedy-musical (all labels are equally valid) that moves at breakneck speed from cobwebbed tombs and disfigured demons to sunshiny songs and rotund comedians. Hidden amidst the endless zooms, zany sound effects, reverberating sopranos and inept comic relief... Read Full Story
Bloody, sexy and cheesy in the extreme, the films of Paul Naschy are horror’s equivalent to comfort foods – they have no nutritional value, but they’re awfully tasty. Horror Rises From the Tomb (1972) was Naschy’s first film with director Carlos Aured, who would helm much of the former weightlifter’s output in the 1970’s. Equal parts Black Sunday , Night of the Living Dead and The Brain That Wouldn’t Die , Horror Rises From the Tomb is a loony mishmash that typifies the Naschy recipe: Take... Read Full Story
CHILDREN possessed by dark forces are a long-standing and iconic feature of the horror genre - with examples including The Omen series, Poltergeist, The Exorcist, The Bad Seed, Rosemary's Baby, Children of the Corn, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and The Reaping.
The latest title to delve into the hellspawn theme is The Devil's Child aka Joshua , a tense psychological thriller directed by George Ratliff (Hell House) and released on DVD on February 16.
Seemingly perfect Manhattan parents... Read Full Story
The Crying Women (La Llorona) of Mexican folklore has been a staple of South-of-the-Border supernatural cinema since 1933, with The Curse of the Crying Woman (1963) being one of her finest film incarnations. Using as a template the classic Universal horror films and -- by extension -- the silent German Expressionistic films, Mexican horror films of the late 1950s and early 1960s are loaded with the crepuscular atmosphere of their esteemed models, but up the ante with either borderline creepy... Read Full Story
In 1982, a fresh-faced 15-year-old Skinny – who was indeed skinny – plunked down a precious five-dollar bill and received his ticket for Friday the 13th, Part III . In early 2009, a haggard 41-year-old Skinny – who is not so skinny anymore (but I’m working on it) -- hit the play button on his HD DVR and viewed the same film. Separated by a quarter century, the reactions were not dissimilar: “What a piece of unmitigated dreck,” sighed 41-year-old Skinny. “That sucked,” squeaked 15-year-old... Read Full Story
