Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg considers Rabid to be his “first epic”. And like
most good movies, it almost didn’t get made. After Cronenberg’s first feature Shivers (1975), was considered too edgy,
he struggled to get Rabid off of the
ground for a few years due to the CDFC not investing. Then, he almost backed
out of the project (originally titled Mosquito)
when it was greenlit due to doubting the premise. However, cooler heads
prevailed and Rabid, a film that’s
said by many to be a foretelling of aids, was made in Quebec
and Montreal on
a budget of just $560,00.00. The movie needed a name attached to it that’s
marketable, yet the production couldn’t afford a real actress. So, they hired
popular 70’s porn star Marilyn Chambers over their original choice of Sissy
Spacek. It worked out for the better in a sense, because you get to see Marilyn
Chambers nude several times. And Cronenberg, himself, stated that he wouldn’t
deprive his audience of not seeing Marilyn naked. You gotta appreciate a good
director who cares about his audience, don’t ya?
The 1970’s
is the best era for the Horror genre. Many timeless motion pictures have come
from that decade, including The Omen,
Jaws, The Exorcist, The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween.
It’s sad, but true that 1977’s The
Sentinel directed by Michael Winner is considered more of a cult film than
a classic. Perhaps, unfortunately, that’s why this Blu-ray release by
Scream Factory isn’t one of their more showy Collector’s Editions with an
artful cover and a plethora of extras.
I first stumbled upon Demon Seed about two weeks ago at the local flea market, where it was sitting in the "rare finds" section. I was drawn to the cover instantly because it looked sexy, and because I had never heard of it before. I read the (ridiculous) synopsis on the back cover, and even though I wasn't totally sold on it, I decided to give it a chance anyway. I mean, a woman getting impregnated by a machine? Really? I've seen movies where women have been raped by rednecks, Satan, demons, and monsters. But I've never seen a woman victimized by a machine, so I was eager to add that to my 'all the crazy crap I've seen' list. And, when I found out that it was based on a Dean Koontz novel of the same name, I was a little more interested and more willing to give it a shot.
STARRING- Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, and Harvey Stephens
DIRECTOR- Richard Donner
Synopsis taken from IMDb
Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the anti-Christ? The devil's own son?
Like last week, this Throwback Thursday review is of another great horror gem from the 70's. A lot of films back then were based on, or around religion, mostly because everyone always feared the world was going to end. Back then, people weren't as eager to dispel the Bible like they are today. The book of the same title by David Seltzer, was released the same year in which the film, The Omen was distributed. Having grown up in a religious household, these types of movies often got watched, and I still have the old tattered hardback copy of the book that was my Dad's. Devils and demons have always scared me, but The Omen didn't have that kind of hold on me.
RATED- R RUN TIME- 92 Mins WRITER(S)- Jeffrey Konvitz and Michael Winner STARRING- Cristina Rains, Ava Gardner and Chris Sarandon DIRECTOR- Michael Winner Synopsis taken from IMDb Not ready for marriage, a fashion model moves into an unbelievably nice Brooklyn Heights apartment, where scary occurrences turn into a much more frightening turn of events. The 1970's took on a different approach to horror films then we do today. The early to mid 70's gave us films like The Exorcist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Jaws. The entire decade is filled with great movies that have stood the test of time, and they achieved it by scaring their audiences. In the late 70's and early 80's is when comedy started sticking its head into the genre, but before that movies were more cruel in the sense that there was no comedic relief.
RATED- R RUN TIME- 80 MINS WRITER(S)- MARC LAWRENCE STARRING- TONI LAWRENCE, MARC LAWRENCE, AND JESSE VINT DIRECTOR- MARC LAWRENCE Synopsis taken from IMDb Lynn Hart is a disturbed young woman who escapes from a mental hospital where she was committed for killing her abusive father who raped her. Stealing a nurse's uniform and car, Lynn ends up in a small Calfornia town where she meets and shacks up with Zambrini, and old farmer who runs the local motel and roadside cafe. Zambrini also owns a group of pigs that he keeps in a pen behind his house who have somehow developed a taste for human flesh. When Lynn begins killing a number of men who remind her of her dead father, Zambrini helps her out by disposing of the bodies to the pigs. Investigating the disappearances, the local sheriff eventually becomes suspicious of Lynn's past and a private investigator, hired by the hospital to find her, slowly close in on Lynn.
Surprisingly enough, I had not heard of this film until last week. I was part of a discussion where this was brought up, and it automatically sounded like my type of flick. And, luckily enough, even though I've never heard of it, it is extremely easy to find! So, I had myself a movie night and checked it out. The transfer was very dark and gritty but, I don't mind that. I like some films more that way. I appreciate Blu-Ray and all it's technological advances it provides to our viewing pleasure but, some films just have a better effect when they're viewed in their grainy glory. For this type of movie, the quality was actually perfect. Not saying that I wouldn't wanna see it in Blu-Ray in the future though. It gives off vibes that are relevant to "Don't Look in the Basement" from 1973, and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" from the following year. However, both films came after the release of this one! So one's got to think that it's possible for this to have actually influenced them? I suppose we'll never know because, this motion picture is very low-key and underground. I don't know how many people have heard of it and, as I mentioned above, I just heard of it, myself. It starts off with some pedophilia and incest, and then murder. Lynn (Toni Hart) lives in her own state of mind, ignorant to the truth, because she's very fragile after having such horrors done to her by her own father. The sexual abuse depicted is more implied than anything. There's not much shown, and when dealing with such delicate topics, that's always a good thing. Lynn leaves to find refuge with the weird old man, Zambrini (Marc Lawrence), who locals pick on and condemn. Claiming he feeds humans to his pigs, Zambrini is always on the defense, and being an old man, he's very convincing. Although twisted and strange, there's hardly any gore shown. It's not a bloody movie, much like Texas Chainsaw. And it doesn't need it. It's actually very effective without showing much, (the way old school films used to do) before it became the standard to show everything and capitalize on the shock/gross-out factor. But, there is at least one "holy shitaki!" moment that involves a very close encounter with Zambrini and the sheriff, and a severed hand. Even though we get the feeling Zambrini is weary of Lynn, and knows there's something off with her, he still helps her dispose of her victims. Guess he's become somewhat of a master at it.
People in town say that they think his pigs only want to eat humans, and that they become the humans they eat. I'm not sure where this film was shot but, it the setting was perfect, and genuine. Despite how much I enjoyed watching this, it still has it's flaws. For example, it tends to drag on from time to time, and get a little dry and boring. It's also quite predictable but, it's effective. And considering that it was probably released ahead of it's time, I have to give kudos. Although I like it, I have a feeling I'd love it if I were around back in the day when it was released! Coming before so many other films like it, it puts things in new perspective. And it gets a nod from me for being original, and thrilling. The only character development we get is dialog. Even though we see both sides of both Lynn and Zambrini, there's not much in the way of growth between them, or for them individually. But, they're the type of people that you feel you know all about just by looking at them. There's a positive for all of the negatives that I can say about this movie but, that doesn't make it perfect. Really, this is just a good watch if you're into low-budget films from the 70's, and aren't looking for a masterpiece. It's entertaining, interesting, and even enjoyable. This is definitely one I'd break out from time to time. It really would make a good double feature with "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". If you haven't seen this one yet, go do so. It's not very long, and it's a trip into one of the finer ages of the horror genre. Not really scary, more suspenseful, you'll walk away loving it or hating it. Someone told me they didn't like it due to "lack of gore" but, that's never bothered me. Part of me thinks I'd be more critical if I wasn't such a fan of films from the 70's and 80's, and maybe that's true. Maybe it's hard for me to be unbiased with these types of pictures, although there's plenty of films from both decades that I loathe. Either way, it's not a bad watch, and maybe you'll even get turned onto a film you didn't even know about, and like it, just like me.
Suffering from weak plot, weird and underdeveloped characters, and some tediously boring parts, "Pigs" isn't the best thing you'll ever watch. I am a fan though, and I'm glad I was recommended this one, because it's my type of movie, at the end of the day.
RATED- R RUN TIME- 101 MINS WRITER(S)- ROB ZOMBIE STARRING- SHERI MOON ZOMBIE, BRUCE DAVISON AND JEFF DANIEL DIRECTOR- ROB ZOMBIE
Synopsis taken from IMDb Heidi, a radio DJ, is sent a box containing a record-- a "gift from the Lords." The sounds withing the grooves trigger flashbacks of her own violent past. Is Heidi going mad, or are the Lords back to take revenge on Salem, Massachusetts? Let me start off by saying how overdue we are for a good witch movie. Witches are creepy, if done right and I don't know if I'm the only one but they seem underused. Luckily Rob Zombie has changed that. Within the first five minutes of the film we see a handful of completely nude women including Sheri Moon Zombie. However, Sheri is the only attractive one of the lot. I never thought I'd praise someone on showing ugly women nude, but it really added to the authenticity of the witches. Witches are ugly, horrid women and shouldn't be portrayed as beautiful people, something a lot of people get wrong. While the movie is a bit predictable, it isn't entirely a giveaway. The story unfolds well and there are some bits along the way that you don't expect or foresee. Zombie doesn't rely on cheap pop scares with loud music and sudden movements. It's the subtle scares that haunt you and you remember. Although the movie takes place present day, yet again Zombie captured the feel of a good 70's horror film.
Sheri Moon doesn't play a ditsy blonde in this film like in "House of a 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects". Instead, she plays a normal girl living a normal life and is harrowed by sudden terror. We also get hints that she's an ex drug user but is currently clean. It was refreshing to see her play a different role. I'm not saying she's a great actress, but she tried her beautiful little heart out and did a good job. There's some scenes that are downright disturbing, such as a witch licking the blood off of a freshly newborn baby and then spitting in it's face several times. The church scene was pretty vulgar as well. I'll let you see what I mean for yourselves. It's great to see a new vision of witches and it's even greater to see scary witches. I'd hate to jump the shark here, but it is my belief that horror is making a HUGE comeback. With the awesome Evil Dead remake being as critically praised as it was, let alone the box office earnings, and other future promising horror films such as "The Purge" I think it's safe to say we're on a streak here. Not to mention Fox's new smash show The Following, A&E's Bates Motel and NBC's Hannibal all keeping their audiences watching. And don't forget The Walking Dead. The Lords Of Salem is one to add to that streak for certain. If you'd like to read another review in good favor of this film check out Hellbilly Hollywood's write-up. http://hellbillyhollywood.blogspot.com/2013/05/god-hates-lords-of-salem.html
While I stand by the fact that Rob Zombie's Halloween and H2 are complete crap, I am still a fan of House of a Thousand Corpses and The Devil's Rejects. So I think there's some hope for this one. I won't hold the Halloween movies against him, I still know he has some potential. I happen to think he's a good director with a good vision for horror movies, I just don't think he was the right guy to tackle Halloween.
This new trailer for The Lords Of Salem actually gives us some synopsis of the movie and dialogue. This looks to have some serious promise to it. It looks like it's going to be a twisted Rosemary's Baby. Hopefully it's as creepy as this new trailer makes it look. Just from looking at the scenery you can spot it as a Rob Zombie film, it definitely has his touch.
Every some odd years a horror film comes out that pushes the genre in a new direction, that comes up with a new way to terrify people. That stands out amongst any other horror film. In the year 1978 we witnessed the birth of the new face of horror. Halloween isn't the first slasher film, it's predecessors include Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) and Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974). However, Halloween is the one that terrified audiences into the transition of the slasher genre. The story goes that John Carpenter and Debra Hill wrote the script titled "The Babysitter Murders" about a masked man who stalks the streets on Halloween killing any babysitter he can literally get his hands on. John and Debra took this film to such studios as Paramount Pictures and others to only be declined. They were told the script is too scary and "no one will want to see it", but John and Debra didn't give up that easy. They decided they were going to release the film through an independent company called Compass International, independent film companies don't worry too much about reception and aren't afraid to take any heat. Halloween ended up breaking independent film records in grossing's and was a smash hit that everyone was going to see and talking about. Soon after the immediate success of Halloween, those same studios that declined Carpenter and Hill's script now saw the value and that people do want to see it.
However, after already being declined, John and Debra refused the studios' offers. So in the heat of not being able to buy the licence, those studios such as Paramount had to find another way to cash in on the slasher genre. That's how you get Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger, they're the studios' versions of Michael Myers. So yes to all you Jason fanatics and Freddy Fanatics, Michael is the grandaddy and Jason and Freddy are creative imitations. I love all of the Friday the 13TH and A Nightmare On Elm Street films and I've been there since the beginning, but Halloween takes the cake.
DID YOU KNOW?
HALLOWEEN WAS JAMIE LEE CURTIS' FIRST FEATURE FILM AND SHE WAS REPORTEDLY GETTING $8,000 FOR THE ROLE OF LAURIE STRODE.
Through all of the years both before Halloween was made and after, one thing remains true to this day and that is that Halloween is the golden standard, the measuring stick in which all slasher films and horror films in general are compared. It's the golden child of horror. Without Halloween we wouldn't have the slasher genre and we wouldn't have Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees. Halloween changed the playing field, it gave horror films a new opportunity to do something truly terrifying. Halloween is my favorite horror film of all-time and I truly believe it's the greatest horror film ever made. Just from the opening credits you knew you were in for something that was going to chill you to your marrow, that theme playing and plucking at your nerves as you felt the suspense instantly. This is what would become the greatest horror movie theme of all-time, everyone knows that theme. It's as common a part of music as the billboard charts. Even people who haven't seen the film know the theme and that says a lot. I remember the theme scaring the hell out of me, I knew this was something special right of the bat.
The opening scene of Michael's POV as he watches his sister Judith and her boyfriend go upstairs for a quickie is just downright creepy. You can smell the bad intentions little Michael has in the air. Soon after her boyfriend leaving Judith is brushing her hair when we see little Michael put his mask on and we watch him stab her multiple, multiple times until she's dead. Michael then walks out side and is confronted by his parents and we see that Michael is wearing a clown costume, which is funny because grown Michael was originally supposed to wear a clown mask but they changed that last minute. After seeing this scene there really isn't too much you can say, I remember glued to my seat and speechless.
FILM QUOTE
DR. LOOMIS: I MET HIM, FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT. NO REASON, NO CONSCIENCE, NO UNDERSTANDING; EVEN THE MOST RUDIMENTARY SENSE OF LIFE OR DEATH, GOOD OR EVIL, RIGHT OR WRONG. I MET THIS SIX-YEAR-OLD CHILD, WITH THIS BLANK, PALE, EMOTIONLESS FACE AND, THE BLACKEST EYES...THE *DEVIL'S* EYES. I SPENT EIGHT YEARS TRYING TO REACH HIM, AND THEN ANOTHER SEVEN TRYING TO KEEP HIM LOCKED UP BECAUSE I REALIZED WHAT WAS LIVING BEYOND THAT BOY'S EYES WAS PURELY AND SIMPLY...*EVIL*.
15 years later, we're introduced to a Laurie Strode played by a young Jamie Lee Curtis. Carpenter drilled it into you from the first time you see her that she's pure at heart and a kind, loving person. And thus making us so scared for her when she has to face the monster that is Michael Myers. We don't find out that Michael is Laurie strode's brother until the sequel, because that wasn't Carpenter's first idea of where to go with the film. Laurie Strode is a great character and played perfectly and convincingly. We're introduced to Dr. Sam Loomis played by Donald Pleasence, he's driving to a mental institution with a new nurse, telling her how dangerous Michael is as they slowly start to realize that the inmates are lose. Loomis goes to check on the situation and Michael soon after sneaks away in Loomis' car. Loomis adds such dimension to this film, it wouldn't be the same without his character. Having been Michael's psychiatrist, he knows how Michael thinks and becomes the hero of the film, the only one who can take Myers down.
I remember the scene where Michael is outside of Laurie's class window watching her, and when Laurie sees him. Truly chilling scene. Downright creepy. As Loomis predicts, Michael has come home on Halloween. 15 years after he murdered his sister. Back to do it again. There's just so many things about this film that work, it's a work of art. A masterpiece. Halloween is to horror what The Godfather was to drama. The white mask, so daunting and cold, creepy. A blank canvas for you to project your worst fears.
DID YOU KNOW?
ALL THE ACTORS WORE THEIR OWN CLOTHES, SINCE THERE WAS NO MONEY FOR A COSTUME DEPARTMENT. JAMIE LEE CURTIS WENT TO J.C. PENNY FOR LAURIE STRODE'S WARDROBE. SHE SPENT LESS THAN A HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR THE ENTIRE SET.
The kills in this movie were nothing short of frightening. The thing about Michael is that he can be anywhere and doing anything. Watching you, studying you and preying on you. Myers is an alpha male with no heart, no soul, no emotion and no motive. Motivated only by his desire to do very bad things. I think that another thing that makes this movie stand out is that all of the kills stand out and are memorable. You recall every one of these kills because they're sprinkled with a big dose of suspense and the fact that Michael is such a mystery makes it even more terrifying. When he dresses as the ghost, acting like Lynda's boyfriend, I think every audience was terrified and metaphorically crapping their pants. Especially after watching how brutal and scary the death of Lynda's boyfriend was, and possibly the most iconic and memorable at that. Leaving him impaled to the wall with a butcher knife inches off the ground. As he creeps up on Lynda as she's on the phone and the music kicks it it's truly nail biting suspense.
The scene where he kills Annie is also a very terrifying scene. She goes to her car to see that it's locked, so she goes back inside the house to get her keys. When she returns and gets into the car she realizes that the door wasn't locked like it had been moments before. Michael comes up from the backseat and murders her ruthlessly. This is a scene where if you have a girl with you, she's squeezing the hell out of your hand and or turning her head. And the thing is, I don't even think it's the scariest part of the whole ordeal with Annie, I think his stalking her was scarier, how he was watching her in her house, while she was doing laundry and even killing her dog.
FILM QUOTE
LYNDA: [CONCERNING ANNIE] THE ONLY REASON SHE BABY SITS IS TO HAVE A PLACE FOR...
LAURIE: [REALIZING SHE FORGOT ONE OF HER SCHOOL BOOKS] SH*T.
ANNIE BRACKETT: I HAVE A PLACE FOR *THAT*!
LAURIE: I FORGOT MY CHEMISTRY BOOK.
LYNDA: SO WHO CARES? I ALWAYS FORGET MY CHEMISTRY BOOK AND MY MATH BOOK, AND MY ENGLISH BOOK, AND MY, LETS SEE, MY FRENCH BOOK, AND...WELL WHO NEEDS BOOKS ANYWAY. I DON'T NEED BOOKS, I ALWAYS FORGET ALL MY BOOKS, I MEAN, IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER IF YOU HAVE YOUR BOOKS OR NOT...HEY, ISN'T THAT DEVON GRAHAM?
Then of course Laurie goes and gets suspicious as to why all of her friends are disappearing and not answering their phones. She pursues them by going to Annie's house and in lies the epic conclusion to the best slasher film to ever grace the screen. So many memorable scenes that're frightening and shocking! Laurie hiding in the closet as Michael destroys the closet door to get inside and get at her. Him sitting up in back of her while she weeps with her back turned to him. Dr. Loomis coming to save the day and running Michael off, saving Laurie but also leaving her completely traumatized. She is forced to accept the fact that she was face to face with the boogeyman. Loomis discovers Michael's body is missing and realizes that you can't kill pure evil and that sooner or later he'll be back. This film ends with you seeing Michael's POV as he watches around the neighborhood, adding to the scares and suspense of this is his heavy breathing, sounding vacant and sinister.
Halloween went on to spawn 6 sequels, none of which lives up to their predecessor but are enjoyable. In 2007 Rob Zombie did the remake of Halloween to generally negative reviews.
DID YOU KNOW?
INSIDE LAURIE'S BEDROOM THERE IS A POSTER BY JAMES ENSOR (1860-1949). ENSOR WAS A BELGIAN EXPRESSIONIST WHO USED TO PORTRAY HUMAN FIGURES WEARING GROTESQUE MASKS.
Halloween isn't a film that's replaceable. It isn't going anywhere and there's no outdoing it. It cemented it's feet in the horror genre over 30 years ago and hasn't aged a day. Michael Myers is at the forefront of horror icons and will forever remain there. He's somewhat of a pop culture phenomenon, with merchandise of just about any thing you can think of and especially some awesome action figures and collectibles. Another thing about Halloween that makes it special is that it isn't known for the cliche's that usually tag along with slasher films. I blame Freddy and Jason for the cliche's, everyone in Halloween seemed like real people, not imbosols who trip when fleeing from the killer.
Halloween was achieved on such a low budget and yet it was done with a genius that you can't buy or fund. People often claim they don't have the "means" to make a good horror film, like they don't have enough of a budget or they don't have the right actors, and that's where they go wrong. You don't have to have an Oscar winning cast or a unlimited budget to make a good horror film, those are excuses. Being talented and being able to tell a scary story is all you need and that's what John Carpenter understood.
FILM QUOTE
[INTO PHONE]
DR. SAM LOOMIS: YOU'VE GOT TO BELIEVE ME, OFFICER, HE IS COMING TO HADDONFIELD...BECAUSE I KNOW HIM! I'M HIS DOCTOR! YOU MUST BE READY FOR HIM... IF YOU DON'T, IT'S YOUR FUNERAL.
To say that Grimm Reviewz remembers Halloween is kind of an insult. I don't remember it, I celebrate it. Movies like this are why we like this genre, and despite all the bad ones us horror goers have to sit through, one like this comes along and makes it all worth it. We will always remember The Night He Came Home.
RATED- R RUN TIME- 109 MINS WRITERS- OVIDIO G. ASSONITIS AND ANTONIO TROISO STARRING- JULIET MILLS, RICHARD JOHNSON AND GABRIELE LAVIA DIRECTOR- OVIDIO G. ASSONITIS Synopsis taken from IMDb Juliet Mills plays a young pregnant woman in San Francisco who is going to have the devil's baby during her strange possession. Richard Johnson shows up to help her...but what does he really want?
Beyond The Door is an Italian-American horror film also know as "Chi Sei". It's most commonly found in the UK under the title "The Devil Within Her", and in this version you get 15 minutes of extra footage not shown in theaters. Luckily for me, I got to see it under that presentation. So it was no holds barred.
Due to the film being about a possessed woman, the film got labeled as a Exorcist rip-off. Warner Brothers even filed a lawsuit against this film for copyright infringement. The lawsuit failed. However, Beyond The Door is held accountable for paving the path for several other Exorcist rip-offs.
If there's one thing that scares me above all others it's possession. Possession scares the hell out of me, it's the one thing that (if done right) will make me cringe and even have trouble sleeping. I'm certain that part of this is due to me being traumatized by The Exorcist as a child. When I was about 5 or 6 years old I snuck out into the living room where my parents were watching The Exorcist, and I watched some parts of it. And I kid you not, I didn't sleep at night for the whole summer. I'd stay up until 7 or 8 o'clock in the morning or until it was daylight and then I'd sleep.
Since then I've been terrified of possession, especially since I came from a religious family.
I actually have never heard of this movie until a couple of weeks ago. I was looking for some posters online and stumbled into some posters for movies I haven't seen, and when I saw the poster for this film I knew I had to watch it. If the poster creeps me out, I'm down to give it a watch. Then I got the idea to watch the trailer for this film and within 20 seconds I was creep'd out. I knew this movie meant to scare you, they weren't going for cheese or easy going, they were going for the balls. Luckily Netflix delivered the movie soon after and I was able to torture myself with one more possession movie.
Now as I mentioned, this movie is said to have ripped-off a few scenes from The Exorcist, but I liked this movie and I liked the way it was done. Yeah, some scenes were close to what happened in the movie, like the head turning scene, but it was done in it's own way. They took the idea and did their own way of doing it, it wasn't a direct rip-off. Some similarities, but not a rip-off. They borrowed a few tools from The Exorcist to do this movie but the story was all new.
The scene where she's throwing up didn't really look green to me, it looked more black. But supposedly it was green pea soup although in The Exorcist the puke was alot lighter in color. So either it was the lighting making the throw up look dark or it wasn't green pea soup.
The thing that I think scares me the most about possession movies is the voice. That raspy, sick sounding voice. That cackle of a laugh. You can hear it whenever you think of this film or any other possession movie with a good sound voice to scare the hell out of you. In this movie the line that stands out in that voice is one Jessica repeats several times; "Whooooo aaare youuuuu?"
Jessica looks creepy as hell, she looks sweaty, dirty and in need of a shower as well as a good brushing of her teeth. She's taunting and malevolent, and she scared me pretty good. Something about women being possessed always makes it scarier. For some reason possessed men just don't do anything for scares or entertainment.
I liked how we saw the progression of her possession. She was a good, loving mother of two and then she starts to become angry and aggressive. We see her take it out on her family and they all know something funny's happening to their mommy. And her husband doesn't know what to do, but to me, he acted a little light. If it were my wife and mother of my children acting that way I would have gone for the best help possible right away. I wouldn't have waited around in a stupor for things to progress.
When she becomes full-on possessed is when the movie starts to really pick up and get scary. She's a vile woman when she's possessed, as most possessed people are I guess. Then her ex-boyfriend and Satan worshiper it makes the plot twist a little, questioning what was going to happen.
The climax is satisfying and the ending was pretty good. Very unsettling. I didn't see the final shot coming. Totally shocked me. I'm a fan of this movie and will be looking to own it. Exorcist rip-off or not, I didn't mind this film at all, and it scared me.
This film 2 sequels but neither of them are official sequels. They're other films marketed under the name "Beyond The Door" title to cash in on the name. Mario Bava's Italian horror film, Shock, was put under the title Beyond The Door 2 (1979). Beyond The Door 3 (1989) was shot in Serbia and has Ovidio G. Assonitis is credited as a producer. But neither sequels have any ties into the first Beyond The Door, the sequels are stand alone films that are added to the first film as sequels. They have no connection to each other.
RATED- PG RUN TIME- 91 MINS WRITERS- LARRY COHEN STARRING- JOHN P. RYAN, SHARON FARRELL AND JAMES DIXON DIRECTOR- LARRY COHEN Synopsis taken from IMDb Heavily pregnant Lenore Davis tells her husband, Frank, that she is in labor. They leave their eleven-year old son Chris with their friend Charley and they head to the Community Hospital. Lenore feels that something is wrong and delivers a monster that kills the team in the delivery room and escapes through a skylight. Lieutenant Perkins comes to the hospital to investigate the murder and the press divulges the identity of the parents. Frank discovers a dark secret about Lenore and the baby.
Larry Cohen comes out swinging with this tongue-in-cheek horror film. Cohen, who'd later make The Stuff (1985), did two sequels to It's Alive. The sequels are titled It Lives Again and It's Alive 3: Island of the Alive. I haven't seen these sequels yet, but you bet your ass I'm getting to them.
One thing you gotta love about Larry Cohen is that he's big on slapstick horror. He throws the cheese one high and runs with it and makes it work. While I don't consider his movies to be masterpieces they're very entertaining. It's Alive has been dubbed the title of classic and until recently I've never seen it.
The hospital scene is one of the best horror scenes from the 70's, totally shocking. It's notorious. The birth of this mutant is grisly. It makes me cringe to think of that actually happening in real life. And it's definitely not something that a pregnant woman should watch. It'll put alot of horrors in your head.
Something that I found amusing and got a few laughs from me were the attack scenes. Where you see the baby's POV and he's crawling through grass and bushes and attacking people. His vision is blurry and cheesy, but it was a good touch. My favorite is when this little ugly thing attacks a milk man.
One thing that I find funny about this movie is that the father, Frank, seems to be the only real character. He's the only one acting as a real person would, feeling emotional pain and mental strain from what's happened with his baby boy. To make it worse he wife starts acting like a lunatic. Frank is the only one with his head screwed on tight, the guy acts on rationality and emotion. Everyone else put on over-the-top performances adding to the goofiness of this movie. Since it's intentional, I accept it.
One thing that upsets me a bit about this movie is that you don't actually see the baby. You hear him growl and attack people, you even hear him cry. But you never see him. There's one shot where you can see him but he's in the shadows, so you can't draw out any real details of him. However, there are plenty of pictures floating around online. Just a shame you have to go online to see what the ugly bastard looks like.
The policemen soon discover that the baby's been using the sewer system to get around (which made me laugh) and go after him. I liked the scene between Frank and his son. Frank has a real reaction and has a heavy decision to make. He's in a tough spot.
Overall I was amused and entertained by this film. I wasn't overly impressed but it was a good movie. It's one you could watch in the dark by yourself or one you could watch with friends and have a few laughs and jumps. I was a bit disappointed by it because I heard so much about it that it didn't meet my hype expectations. I feel like there was more to the story and we were cut short and only got part of it. The finale could have gone out with a louder bang.
RATED- R RUN TIME- 80 MINS WRITERS- TI WEST STARRING- TOM NOONAN, KARL JACOB AND VANESSA HORNEFF DIRECTOR- TI WEST
Synopsis taken from IMDb Part of a "special" late-night television program...Four friends on their way to a wedding find themselves marooned on a mysterious farm. Creatures of the night awaken and the undead rise, as a night of relentless horror...Begins!
I'm glad that finally I got to see this film! This was one I was looking forward to for a long time. As some of you know I'm a big supporter of Ti West, I think he's got a phenomenal taste for horror and an amazing eye for directing.For those of you who don't know him or aren't familiar with him, he's the director of The House Of The Devil (2009) and more recently The Innkeepers (2011). Both of which are superb movies.
He was also the director of Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever (2009), and a movie called Trigger Man (2007) and The Wicked (2001), both of which I haven't seen yet but plan on getting to soon.
The Roost was ranked #5 out the top 10 horror films in 2005 by Bloody-Disgusting.
One of the awesome things about The Roost is that part of this film was shot in Wilmington Delaware, where I currently live. This made me want to see the movie even more.
The movie starts off profound, with a guest appearance from Tom Noonan playing the host of a low budget, old school horror TV program. He was such a good actor for this role. He looked and acted so awkward and this made him very convincing, this guy can pull off horror roles. Ti West's vision as well as Noonan's performance makes this opening scene my favorite part of the movie. It really had the feel of a local horror TV program. If it were a real show I'd watch regularly.
The movie picks up after The Horror Host (Tom Noonan) introduces it in his eerie but impressive way.
When the official movie starts I instantly liked the grain feeling of the film, making it look old and aged, while maintaining being modern with its characters.
The acting in this movie isn't that good, but it's far from bad, considering how much bad acting their is in horror these days. The characters seem entitled to their roles so I give it the grace of having convicted actors.
This movie had some good humor in it, it was comical in parts to lighten some tension at points. Doing this lightens the mood of the film, showing you it's a fun movie as well as a throwback to 80's horror. I'd even say the films grain filter makes the film look like a 70's flick.
I was surprised how good the effects were in this film, it's clearly low budget, but they stretch the budget well. The gore was very much present and so were the scares.
The zombies in the film were exactly what I expected, old school and a reminder of old zombie flicks. I liked the way they looked and acted.
The bats in this movie were also menacing and fierce, they creeped me out. I am not a personal fan of bats, though however, I am obsessed with Batman. The bats in this movie were violent and malevolent, if they were around my house I'd hit the road...
In the conclusion of this movie I was satisfied but I wasn't compelled like I was with The House Of The Devil and The Innkeepers. I thought this film was very well made and impressive, better than I was ever expecting. But it was far from the best that I've seen Mr. West do and know he's capable of. You can tell this was one of his older films, he's had plenty of time to smooth out the rough edges since then.
In 1974 author Jeffry Konvitz made a landmark novel in the horror genre that was passionate, enthralling, compelling, gracefully written and brilliant. It was chilling to the core and it was one of the greatest books I've ever read. It keeps you guessing and doesn't let up on plot twists and shockers. It's a book any fan of horror fiction can easily fall in love with. It's smoothly written and paints the picture perfectly.
I actually was introduced to the movie adaptation (1977) of the book starring Chris Sarandon and Burgess Meredith years and years ago when I was a young kid. I remember the movie scaring the hell out of me but it left such an impression on me that I became obsessed and it remains my favorite Haunting movie to date. It wasn't until years later that I realized the movie was based on a novel, so I bought the book and just read it. I don't know if I was happier that the movie was identical to the book or vise versa. There are a few minor differences but at their core they're one in the same.
The Sentinel is about a young and gorgeous model Alison Parker, who is still overcoming her emotional situation after her father passes. She decides to pick up her life by moving out of her boyfriends apartment and into a New York Brownstone building that's just what Alison needs to get away from her issues and clear her head. But things as usual, are too good to be true as Alison starts to realize how weird her neighbors are, an old man named Charles Chazen and a lesbian couple living below her. She also starts to get woken up in the middle of the night by heavy footsteps in the apartment above her.
After complaining to the landlord she comes to discover that there is no one else in the apartment building but her. But she refuses to believe the people she met are mere figments of her imagination and decides to investigate what's going on. But as she does she starts to get splitting migraines that eventually start making her immobile. Is she crazy and haunted by the guilt she has over her fathers death? Or is she being toyed with by greater forces involving heaven and hell, good and evil?
I suggest you watch the movie if you haven't seen it and if you haven't read the book I highly recommend it. This book is a 1 million copy bestseller and is a staple in horror literature.
It starts slow, steady, and builds up gradually and takes you through every cloudy thought and illusion Alison has, eventually leaving you with no option but to not put the book down and keep reading. The suspense is fantastic and the chills and creeps are good, they keep you scared of what's to come next and yet you're excited to get there and find out anyway.
As the story unwinds and it all adds up I was also very impressed with the characters and how well written they were as well as their character development.
So do me a favor, if you're in the mood for a good book and don't have one yet picked out to read, pick this one. You won't be let down.
After reading The Sentinel I jumped right into The Guardian (1979) which is the sequel to The Sentinel, and I was shocked to see that it was even better than it's predecessor. Why it was never made into a movie I have not idea but I consider it one long over do. But more on that next month when I review it...
RATED- PG RUN TIME- 104 MINS WRITERS- DARIO ARGENTO, LUIGI COZZI AND MARIO FOGLIETTI STARING- MICHAEL BRANDON, MIMSY FARMER AND JEAN-PIERRE MARIELLE DIRECTOR- DARIO ARGENTO
Synopsis taken from IMDb Roberto, a drummer in a rock band, keeps receiving weird phone calls and being followed by a mysterious man. One night he manages to catch up with his persecuter and tries to get him to talk but in the ensuing struggle he accidentally stabs him. He runs away, but he understands his troubles have just begun when the following day he receives an envelope with photos of him killing the man. Someone is killing all his friends and trying to frame him for the murders...
I had heard of this movie and almost bought it at Best Buy about a year ago but never did. I believe I ended up buying a CD instead. But here we are a year later and it arrives via snail mail from Netflix. I was interested to see this film because after all it is a Dario Argento film. If you don't know who Dario Argento is then look him up and start watching his movies. ESPECIALLY Suspiria, I consider Suspiria t be Argento's masterpiece.
So I sat down in the comfort of my parents living room and we all watched Four Flies on Grey Velvet in the dark and in the company of my favorite crowd to be around (my family and girlfriend). And while I can't say that I walked away disappointed, but like other Argento films this has a few things about it that eat at me. He's a good director with a good style but sometimes the acting in his films is unbearable. I heard him say that he doesn't give his actors and actresses direction before a shoot, he just puts them in the scene and lets them act how they want to react to the situation. That's a downfall, because some actors need direction, otherwise you get like what you have here in Four Flies on Grey Velvet, where it looks like bad acting. I think he should let them interpret it their way and do a take with his direction, I think he'd get better results.
I liked the plot alot, thought it was good and promising. I also thought some of the deaths were pretty awesome. Especially the end death right before the credits, brutal.
The lead character gets so paranoid due to the stalking that he beats up a cop in a hood because he thinks he's the stalker. This got a few laughs out of me but honestly you can't blame the guy, I probably would have done the same. You can only take some much...
The stalker/killer in this movie wears a creepy mask, especially in dark scenes where you can see the mask and it's expression, and even though it's not a scary mask it sure as hell looks creepy. Argento did a good job with picking the mask. Very common and non threatening, and that's what works about it and actually makes it creepy.
However, I saw the twist (killer) coming a mile away. I don't know if this is due to me having good intuition or if it was just poorly executed, but I knew from about 20 mins in who the stalker/killer is and I was right. I wasn't the only one either, my sister guessed it as well.
The special effects in this film were good for their time, like all Argento films, even if the kill looks fake it's just shot in a way that makes you feel it in your gut.
I wouldn't say I loved the film but it was enjoyable and I can see where it gets it's classic reputation from. Even though I predicted the ending I still found it entertaining. I've seen better though. And I don't understand the PG rating. They need to change that.
