Quantcast
Channel: 1970s Archives - MOVIES and MANIA
Viewing all 897 articles
Browse latest View live

Full Circle aka The Haunting of Julia (1977)

0
0

Full_Circle

‘Come take your place in the circle… if you dare!’

Full Circle is a 1977 British-Canadian horror film directed by Richard Loncraine (Brimstone & Treacle) from a screenplay by Dave Humphries, based on a storyline by Harry Bromley Davenport (Xtro and sequel; Whispers of Fear), adapted from the novel Julia by Peter Straub (Ghost Story). It stars Mia Farrow, Keir Dullea and Tom Conti.

The film was belatedly released in the US by Discovery Films in May 1981 as The Haunting of Julia.

Julia Lofting (Mia Farrow), her husband Magnus (Keir Dullea), and daughter Kate (Sophie Ward) sit down to breakfast and Kate starts to choke on an apple. When the apple refuses to dislodge, Julia frantically reaches for a knife and tries to perform a tracheotomy. Kate bleeds to death.

full circle 3

Julia subsequently leaves her husband and moves to an old house in Holland Park. A room upstairs has a child’s possessions in it. As she unpacks, she finds her dead daughter’s clown doll with sharp, clanking cymbals and accidentally cuts her finger on them.

full circle 1

In a nearby park, Julia thinks she sees Kate, but the girl disappears. She hears strange noises in her house, blaming them on Magnus, who she believes is spying on her. The child’s possessions in the room cannot be photographed. A radiator in the house mysteriously turns on by itself. Later, Julia sees the girl in the park again, but finds a mutilated turtle and a knife where she stood.

Her sister-in-law Lily asks if her friends can use her house to conduct a seance. The medium, Mrs. Fludd, explains that spirits need to control someone to carry out physical acts. During the seance, she tells Julia to leave the house immediately. Moments later, one of Lily’s friends, Miss Pinner, falls down the stairs…

Reviews:

The Haunting of Julia, though frequently creepy, is a slow burn for sure. It provides no easy answers to the question of whether supernatural events are actually occurring. The ending is one of the most achingly beautiful and depressing of all-time.” Ryan Clark, Thrill Me!

full circle 2

” …after a rather lugubrious first half loaded with very loud echoes of Don’t Look Now, the picture accelerates into some highly involved plotting and has its fair share of nasty moments […] But the elegiac atmosphere Loncraine conjures up elsewhere is almost tangible.” Jonathan Rigby, English Gothic

Buy: Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk

“…a powerful and moving performance by Mia Farrow, the growing sense of unease that envelops the characters, a stunning score and a final scene that can raise where you were unaware you had hairs.” John Hamilton, X-Cert 2

X-Cert-2-British-Independent-Horror-Film-1971-1983-john-Hamilton-Hemlock-Books

Buy: Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk

“This film is one of the creepiest haunted house films of all time, despite a major flaw that shorts it out of perfection.” Charles Tatum’s Review Archive

“Mia Farrow is faultless in the part of Julia, and she is supported by some solid performances, including a couple of marvelous cameos by incidental characters. The score is notably evocative and the final moments of the film are devastatingly effective.” Harvey Fenton, Ten Years of Terror

Buy: Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk

“Glossy camerawork and mannered direction are unable to lend much tension or credibility to the tale…” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

Cast and characters:

  • Mia Farrow as Julia Lofting + See No EvilRosemary’s Baby
  • Keir Dullea as Magnus Lofting + Blind Date; BrainWaves; Black Christmas
  • Tom Conti as Mark Berkeley
  • Jill Bennett as Lily Lofting
  • Robin Gammell as David Swift
  • Cathleen Nesbitt as Heather Rudge
  • Anna Wing as Rosa Flood
  • Edward Hardwicke as Captain Paul Winter
  • Mary Morris as Greta Braden
  • Pauline Jameson as Claudia Branscombe
  • Arthur Howard as Piggott
  • Peter Sallis as Jeffrey Branscombe + The Night DiggerTaste the Blood of Dracula; Scream and Scream Again
  • Damaris Hayman as Miss Pinner
  • Sophie Ward as Kate Lofting
  • Hilda Fenemore as Katherine
  • Nigel Havers as Estate Agent
  • Samantha Gates as Olivia Rudge
  • Denis Lill as Doctor
  • Julian Fellowes as Library Assistant
  • Michael Bilton as Salesman
  • Yvonne Edgell as Mrs. Flood’s Niece
  • Robert Farrant as Receptionist
  • Oliver Maguire as Nurse
  • Susan Porrett as Mrs. Ward
  • John A. Tinn as Customer
  • Elizabeth Weaver as Mother in Showroom

full circle

full circle chs

Filming locations:

British Museum, Bloomsbury, London, England, UK
3 Holland Park, Kensington, London, England, UK – Julia’s house
Holland House, Holland Park, Kensington, London, England UK
Lord Holland’s Statue, Holland Park, Kensington, London, England, UK
Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London, England, UK – Julia exits Landrover
Cruciform Building, University College Hospital, Gower Street, London, England, UK

Running time and aspect ratio:

98 minutes | 2.35:1

Wikipedia | IMDb



All the Colours of the Dark (1972)

0
0

All the Colours of the Dark is a 1972 Italian/Spanish giallo horror thriller film directed by Sergio Martino (Mountain of the Cannibal God; The Great Alligator; Torso) from a screenplay by Ernesto Gastaldi and Sauro Scavolini, based on a storyline by Santiago Moncada (although Gastaldi has disputed this). It stars George Hilton, Edwige Fenech, Ivan Rassimov and Julian Ugarte.

Tutti i colori del buio (Italian title) aka Todos los colores de la oscuridad (Spanish title) has also been released as They’re Coming to Get You, Day of the Maniac and Demons of Dead (US Independent International titles).

The film’s soundtrack score was composed by Bruno Nicolai.

In the UK, the film is released on Blu-ray and DVD by Shameless on 12 June 2017.

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Jane (Edwige Fenech) lives in Putney, London, with Richard (George Hilton), her boyfriend. When she was five, Jane’s mother was murdered, and she recently lost a baby in a car crash. She’s plagued by nightmares of a knife-wielding, blue-eyed man and soon finds herself stalked by him too.

Richard, a pharmaceutical salesman, thinks the cure is vitamins; Jane’s sister Barbara, who works for a psychiatrist, recommends analysis; Mary, a neighbour whom Jane meets, promises that if she participates in a Black Mass, all her fears will disappear…

Reviews:

“As far as gialli go, All the Colors of the Dark is one of the very best. From the get-go, with a quietly terrifying fade to black view of an isolated river cutting to a disorienting nightmare which makes not one lick of sense, the viewer is made to feel just as unsure of their sanity as the heroine! The film does a superb job of identifying with Jane, throwing her into a whirlwind of horrific imagery which she doesn’t understand.” Casey Scott, DVD Drive-In

” …a very head-trippy, surreal and unique giallo flick (given its occult theme, not normally explored within the genre) that unfortunately is a little slow at times (something that is normally associated with the genre). The movie lacks much of the intrigue and plot twists that Martino displays in his better films…” Terrence Kelsey, Feo Amante

” …melds a Hitchcockian woman-in-peril/murder mystery plot with trippy, supernatural frills. Both aspects yield their own strengths. The devil worshipping horror stuff provides some unsettling imagery (particularly those skin-crawling hallucinations) presented in sumptuous scope photography, while Martino ratchets up the tension throughout the mystery angle, as the story takes some satisfyingly twisted turns.” Andrew Pragasam, The Spinning Image

“Special note must be made of Martino’s stylish and fluid direction. The use of stately locations in England helps to give the film an appropriately chilly quality, while the expert framing and use of colour ensures that the film looks good from beginning to end.” Troy Howarth, So Deadly, So Perverse

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

” …while this doesn’t play as sleazily as many of its counterparts, it’s still pulsing with sexuality. Likewise, the violence isn’t as gratuitous or elaborate as what you’ll find in a giallo, but there’s certainly a mean, grisliness to the film, particularly with the Satanic stuff. Transcending the clunkiness is a bit hard–even some of the surrounding performances are often as mechanical as a plot… Brett Gallman, Oh, the Horror!

” …All the Colours of the Dark is so chic it hurts. Great locations, awesome soundtrack, yeah, yeah, there could have been more gore, but Sergio Martino makes stalking seem cool again; not that it ever went out of fashion. A gorgeous leading lady and an effective villain make this Italian giallo worth a look-see.” House of Self-Indulgence

“Of these films Tutti i colori del buio is arguably the most alluring, containing as it does a crazed agglomeration of psychedelic effects to illustrate Fenech’s mounting paranoia […] Martino comes up with such arresting tableaux as an elderly couple frozen in death over their breakfast newspapers.” Jonathan Rigby, Euro Gothic: Classics of Continental Horror Cinema

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

Despite the requisite wooden acting and baffling plot-holes […] All the Colors of the Dark is an enjoyable piece of hokum that should please fans both of the giallo format and of supernatural horror. Packed with style, suspense and beautiful women, this Euro shocker is not to be missed.” Michael Mackenzie, The Digital Fix

Choice dialogue:

Jane:”These dreams I have are like horror stories.”

Richard to Barbara: “Beauty should be shown. Why hide yours under all this clothing?”

Richard to Barbara: “You must be the most unforgiving bitch in the world.”

Cast and characters:

  • George Hilton as Richard
  • Edwige Fenech as Jane Harrison
  • Ivan Rassimov as Mark Cogan
  • Julian Ugarte as J.P. McBrian
  • George Rigaud as Dr. Burton
  • Maria Cumani Quasimodo as Elderly Neighbour
  • Susan Scott [Nieves Navarro] as Barbara Harrison
  • Marina Malfatti as Mary Weil
  • Alan Collins as Lawyer Franciscus Clay
  • Dominique Boschero as Jane’s Mother
  • Renato Chiantoni as Mr. Main
  • Tom Felleghy as Inspector Smith
  • Lisa Leonardi as Girl with dog

Previous releases:

The film was released on DVD in North America on October 12, 2004 by Shriek Show.

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Filming locations:

Aldwych underground station, London, UK (platform)
Bishop’s Park, Putney, London, UK
Holland Park underground station, London, UK (entrance)
Kenilworth Court, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, London, England, UK
Wykehurst Park House, East Sussex (also in Demons of the Mind and The Legend of Hell House)

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Running time and aspect ratio:

94 minutes | 2.35: 1

Wikipedia | IMDb |

Image credits: CineMaterial.comHouse of Self-Indulgence | Multiglom | VHS Collector

 


The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970)

0
0

‘Stalked by fear and terror… day and night!’

The Man Who Haunted Himself is a 1970 British horror thriller film written and directed by Basil Dearden (Dead of Night; The Halfway House) from a screenplay co-written with producer Michael Relph and [uncredited] Bryan Forbes (The Stepford Wives).

The film was based on the 1957 novel The Strange Case of Mr. Pelham by Anthony Armstrong, initially written as a 1955 episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It stars Roger Moore (who cited as his favourite of his own films), Hildegarde Neil and Alastair Mackenzie.

Whilst driving his Rover P5B, uptight City of London worker Harold Pelham appears to become possessed and has a serious high-speed accident.

On the operating table, he briefly suffers clinical death, after which there appear to be two heartbeats on the monitor. When he awakes, Pelham finds his life has been turned upside-down; in his job as a director of a marine technology company he learns that he now supports a merger that he once opposed, and that he apparently is having an affair.

Friends, colleagues and acquaintances claim to have seen him in places where he has never been, and Pelham starts being followed by a mysterious silver car: a Lamborghini Islero. Does Pelham have a doppelgänger or is he actually going insane?

Buy Blu-ray + DVD: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

” …though perhaps somewhat middle-of-the-road compared to other British horrors of the time such as The Wicker Man or Don’t Look Now, it had an unforgettable power. It is very skillfully directed by Basil Dearden […] The cinematography is mostly workmanlike, but occasional inspired. The editing, in key sequences, is outstanding. Michael J. Lewis’ score is compelling, the jaunty main theme becoming a haunting element in the narrative itself.” Gary Dalkin, To the Last Word

“It’s an “A” certificate film, though, so don’t be expecting Hammer or Amicus style horror. This is more akin to a big budget version of an episode of Brian Clemen’s Thriller or Tales of the Unexpected, which in no way is meant as a negative. As a macabre and ironic footnote, director Dearden died in a car accident not too long after the film’s release.” The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth

” …somewhat tediously plotted, but it still manages to remain an interesting and well-made swan song from Dearden. For Roger Moore (who was Ian Fleming’s ideal James Bond), it’s a very atypical role, but he does an excellent job and it’s one of his finest hours in terms of acting. Hammer fans will recognize a lot of familiar character actors in smaller roles…” George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In

“The manner of his realization depends largely upon the hero’s personality, and since he is a man of regular, dull habits, the realization follows a regular, dull process—which is finally the shape of the movie. Any number of directors might have found in this a logical development of terror, but Dearden has merely found in it a poorly developed logic, and nothing even partly interesting happens to enliven its progress.” Roger Greenspun, The New York Times, September 4, 1971

Disc releases:

The film was released on DVD format in 2005 with a PG rating. The DVD includes special features including a commentary by Roger Moore and Bryan Forbes.

A new HD restoration from the original film elements was released in a dual-format package on 24 June 2013 by Network Distributing. The Blu-Ray disc is in 16:9 aspect ratio. Special features include – 34 minute music suite of Michael J. Lewis’s original score; a commentary track recorded in 2005, featuring Roger Moore and Bryan Forbes; the original theatrical trailer; four image galleries, including storyboards; and promotional material in PDF format.

Cast and characters:

  • Roger Moore as Harold Pelham
  • Hildegarde Neil as Eve Pelham
  • Alastair Mackenzie as Michael Pelham
  • Hugh Mackenzie as James Pelham
  • Kevork Malikyan as Luigi
  • Thorley Walters as Frank Bellamy
  • Anton Rodgers as Tony Alexander
  • Olga Georges-Picot as Julie Anderson
  • Freddie Jones as Dr. Harris, a psychiatrist
  • John Welsh as Sir Charles Freeman
  • Edward Chapman as Barton
  • Laurence Hardy as Mason
  • Charles Lloyd-Pack as Jameson
  • Gerald Sim as Morrison
  • Ruth Trouncer as Miss Bird, Pelham’s secretary
  • Aubrey Richards as Research Scientist
  • Anthony Nicholls as Sir Arthur Richardson
  • John Carson as Ashton

Wikipedia | IMDb | Image credits: The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth

Posted in tribute to the late Roger Moore.


Mama Dracula (1979)

0
0

Mama Dracula is a 1979 [released 19 November 1980] Belgian-French film produced, directed and co-written by Boris Szulzinger. The screenplay was co-written with Pierre Sterckx and Marc-Henri Wajnberg. It stars Louise Fletcher, Maria Schneider and Jimmy Shuman.

Mama Dracula, a character based on the true story of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, an enthusiast of rejuvenation baths consisting of the blood of young virgins, must come to terms with a shortage in the modern era. She invites scientist Professor Van Bloed from the USA to aid her quest for virgin’s blood…

Buy soundtrack CD by Roy Budd (Get Carter): Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“The photography and the settings are adequate but the farcical script never achieves the level of inventiveness required to get away with such a thin plot.” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

“Fletcher struts about in a feather boa and undergoes various costume changes but projects zero in the way of oozing sex appeal. Moreover, at age 46 and of rather broader figure, she is physically wrong for the part. Even with the film being played as the comedy it is, she never seems to get into the spirit of the burlesque.” Richard Scheib, Moria

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

“In places this verged on the amateurish in spite of the professionals before and behind the camera, doing nothing but demonstrate how crucial a decent script is to this kind of effort, which was unavoidably missing with Mama Dracula. If little else it offered a benevolence in its attitudes, though that only meant its teeth were blunted. Surprisingly lush music by Roy Budd.” Graeme Clark, The Spinning Image

“…a relentlessly camped-up embarrassment […] But the puerile result doesn’t have a laugh in it from beginning to end.” Jonathan Rigby, Euro Gothic

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

“Neither flashes of self-conscious technique nor the presence of Fletcher can raise this film above the level of its sophomoric humor and mediocre plot.” Alain Silver and James Ursini, The Vampire Film

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca

Choice dialogue:

Virginie: “I’d like to go kissy kissy bang bang with you!”

Cast and characters:

  • Louise Fletcher as Mama Dracula – Frankenstein and Me; Firestarter; Strange Invaders; Exorcist II: The Heretic
  • Maria Schneider as Nancy Hawaï
  • Marc-Henri Wajnberg as Vladimir
  • Alexander Wajnberg as Ladislas
  • Jimmy Shuman as Professor Van Bloed
  • Jess Hahn as The Detective
  • Michel Israel as Rosa
  • Suzy Falk as The Nanny
  • Vincent Grass as Fiancé
  • Marie-Françoise Manuel as Virginie
  • José Gral as The Innkeeper
  • William Del Visco as The psychiatrist

Wikipedia | IMDb | Related: Countess Dracula


Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1973)

0
0

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a 1973 American television horror film adaptation of Bram Stoker‘s 1897 novel Dracula written by Richard Matheson and produced and directed by Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis (Burnt Offerings; The Norliss Tapes; Trilogy of Terror), with Jack Palance in the title role. It was the second collaboration for Curtis and Palance after the 1968 TV film The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In the UK, the film was theatrically released by EMI as Dracula in 1974.

“Bistritz, Hungary May 1897”: natives in Transylvania seem afraid when they learn solicitor Jonathan Harker is going to Castle Dracula. Jonathan shows up, and finds the Count abrupt and impatient to get things done. He reacts very strongly to a photograph of Harker’s fiancée Mina and her best friend Lucy.

After rescuing Harker from the brides, the Count forces Harker to write a letter saying that he will be staying in Transylvania for a month. Harker climbs down the castle wall and finds Dracula’s coffin, but is attacked and knocked out by one of Dracula’s gypsy servants before he can stake Dracula. They later throw him in the lower levels of the crypt, where the brides attack Harker…

Dracula-1973-Jack-Palance-Odeon-Entertainment-Blu-ray

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“Palance’s take on Dracula as a weary, lovelorn immortal is another riff on Barnabas Collins and represents a departure from the two most noteworthy Dracula turns from the 20th century in Lugosi and Lee. Palance’s age and stateliness recalls the former, while his feral bursts echo the latter, but his performance is more than just a simple portmanteau of those two titans. There are moments of profound, human despair here…” Brett Gallman, Oh, the Horror!

“Drac has feelings… but this is what makes him all the more dangerous. Palance is as imposing as Christopher Lee with his stature and projects perfect menace as he throws grown men like their nothing.” Jeff Dolniak, Cinema Head Cheese

“Dan Curtis’ Dracula contains all of the elements to make a perfectly fine – and maybe even spooky – Gothic horror film. But the most important element of Bram Stoker’s story has always been – and will always be – Dracula himself. To get him wrong is to negate any of the elements that are done right, and to render the film both flawed and forgettable.” Tyler Smith, Battleship Pretension

“Palance is just terrific. He’s genuinely unsettling and gives such a great impression of an unstoppable force, plus a sense of great evil, but also agony with it, tormented by his eternal existence, and with quite a few moments where he seems to be in great mental and even physical pain […] Nigel Davenport is a refreshingly un-eccentric, down to earth Van Helsing, even though the character as written here is a bit wimp-ish in places, and the almost entirely British cast members are all solid…” Dr. Lenera, Horror Cult Films

“Jack Palance is unable to shake the image of the old warhorse of countless westerns and makes his way through the role with characteristic asthmatic wheeze. The performance is appalling – the scenes where Palance tries to demonstrate anger by throwing things around in a room are so lacking in threat, so lacking in anything except hammy melodrama, that the entire plausibility of the film collapses. The rest of the casting is not much better.” Richard Scheib, Moria

“Palance gives his all (and of course hams it up on occasion) with every line that he delivers and every physical attribute of the vampire king that he interprets. He is one of the most intimidating screen Draculas, and his technique brings a fresh, sympathetic vulnerability to the character, yet his animalistic growls and fits of anger make sure he remains scary.” George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In

Buy: Amazon.com

“Rather than ape the fairy tale artifice of Hammer, Curtis grounds his Dracula in the realism of Nineteenth century Europe. This yields mixed results. On the one hand, aside from a pack of German Shepherds doubling unconvincingly for wolves, the sober treatment renders fantastical events never less than believable. Yet the prosaic handling of several of Stoker’s most famous set-pieces cry out for a more magical, supernatural charge.” Andrew Pragasm, The Spinning Image

“The movie is quite well shot, using locations from Yugoslavia as well as those in England (Oakley Court, best known as the house from The Rocky Horror Picture Show is featured prominently) and using some nice compositions to build mood and atmosphere. The story plays out at a good pace and Curtis’ direction is more than capable here. This one really comes together nicely and it holds up well.” Ian Jane, DVD Talk

Cast and characters:

  • Jack Palance as Count Dracula / Vlad III the Impaler (Alone in the Dark; Craze; Torture Garden; et al)
  • Simon Ward as Arthur Holmwood (The Monster Club; Dominique; Deadly Strangers)
  • Nigel Davenport as Abraham Van Helsing (Phase IV)
  • Fiona Lewis as Lucy Westenra / Dracula’s deceased wife (Strange Behavior; The Fury; Blue Blood)
  • Murray Brown as Jonathan Harker (Vampyres)
  • Penelope Horner as Mina Murray
  • Pamela Brown as Mrs. Westenra
  • Sarah Douglas as one of Dracula’s wives
  • Virginia Wetherell as one of Dracula’s wives (Demons of the Mind; Disciple of DeathCurse of the Crimson Altar)
  • Barbara Lindley as one of Dracula’s wives
  • George Pravda as Innkeeper
  • Hana Maria Pravda as Innkeeper’s wife
  • Reg Lye as Zookeeper
  • John Pennington as shipping clerk

Filming locations:

Oakley Court, Windsor Road, Oakley Green, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK (Carfax Abbey)
Trakoscan Castle, Croatia

Wikipedia | IMDb | Image credits: Adelphi Posters


Adam West – actor

0
0

Adam West (September 19, 1928 – June 9, 2017), born as William West Anderson, was an American actor whose career spanned seven decades. He is best known for portraying Batman in the campy 1960s TV series Batman and its theatrical feature film.

From 2000, West made regular appearances on the animated series Family Guy, in which he played ‘Adam West’, the mad mayor of Quahog, Rhode Island. His role gave him a new wave of popularity and lead writer Seth MacFarlane claims to have gone out of his way to avoid typecasting West by deliberately not making any references to the caped crusader.

Beyond his most famous roles, Adam West’s extensive career included roles in a number of sci-fi/horror movies, beginning with an uncredited bit part in the Boris Karloff starrer Voodoo Island (1957) as ‘Weather Station #4 Radio Operator’.

West starred as an astronaut facing-off against a Sand-Beast in ‘The Invisible Enemy’, a 1964 episode of the original The Outer Limits television show. The same year, he was also in Bewitched (as Darrin’s friend Kermit).

Proving once again that light comedy was his forte, in Rod Serling’s Night Gallery TV series, West played Mr. Hyde in the tongue-in-cheek skit ‘With Apologies to Mr. Hyde’.

More TV work followed. The Eyes of Charles Sand is a 1972 TV movie about a young man inherits the ability to see visions beyond the grave. He helps a girl investigate her brother’s alleged murder. West played a doctor.

Poor Devil is a bizarre 1973 TV movie pilot for a comedy series that unsurprisingly remained unsold. Sammy Davis Jr. starred as “Sammy”, a demon from Hell who desires a promotion from working in the furnace room. Lucifer, played by horror veteran Christopher Lee, tells Sammy that he must first convince a San Francisco accountant named Burnett J. Emerson (Jack Klugman) to sell his soul. Adam West was the other star name in the cast.

One Dark Night is a lacklustre PG-rated 1981 supernatural horror film directed by Tom McLaughlin that sat on the shelf for a couple of years.

Zombie Nightmare (1986) is a hilariously awful Canadian heavy metal horror outing for body builder Jon-Mikl Thor. Sporting a moustache, West played an understandably weary police captain. The same year was also a police captain in The Last Precinct, a TV comedy series that attempted to nuance the inexplicably successful inane Police Academy movies. Horror-themed episode ‘Never Cross a Vampire’ featured Richard Lynch as an undead wannabe.

In the Tales from the Crypt 1993 episode ‘As Ye Sow’, West played Chapman, the head of a private investigation agency, hired by Hector Elizondo’s suspicious character to spy on his wife (see below).

He was The Galloping Gazelle in the two-part ‘Attack of the Mutant’, 1996 animated episodes of the R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps TV series.

In 1997, West played the Big Kahuna, a legendary vampire killer, in comedy horror outing American Vampire (aka An American Vampire Story).

In Seance aka Killer in the Dark (2001), West has a brief role at the end as a guardian angel/homeless man. The film concerns a preternatural spirit that haunted Jon (Corey Feldman) as a child and who is summoned by an ill-conceived séance to liven up a party only to unleash a litany of horrors and murders on the participants and anyone in his way.

2004 brought Tales from Beyond, a low-budget anthology horror movie in which West was a bookstore owner introducing the tales. MTV comedy-horror spoof Monster Island, which starred Carmen Electra (previously in the aforementioned American Vampire) provided West a more high-profile role as a mad doctor named Harryhausen.

Meanwhile, voice-overs for Scooby-Doo characters included Aloha, Scooby-Doo! and Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie.

As with many actors whose careers are stymied by being identified with a major key character, Adam West struggled to rid himself of his Bruce Wayne/Batman identifier, yet he managed to land a vast amount of roles and was always willing to work in even the lowest of low budget movies as he simply loved acting. And he was never afraid to be self-deprecating, surely his greatest attribute (just see his The Big Bang Theory appearance). We salute the campest caped crusader and the mad Mayor of Quahog.

Adrian J Smith, Horrorpedia

Wikipedia | IMDb


The Crimes of the Black Cat (Italy, 1972)

0
0

The Crimes of the Black Cat – original title: Sette scialli di seta gialla [“7 Shawls of Yellow Silk”] – is a 1972 Italian ‘giallo’ horror thriller directed by Sergio Pastore from a screenplay co-written with Sandro Continenza (Let Sleeping Corpses Lie) and Giovanni Simonelli. It stars Anthony Steffen, Sylva Koscina and Giovanna Lenzi.

The film includes a brief gory murder scene from Lucio Fulci’s A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971), also an Edmondo Amati production.

Plot:

Several fashion models are killed by a murderer who poisons a black cat’s claws with curare. Each victim is given a shawl as a gift, which is laced with a chemical attracting the cat.

The first such victim, Paola, had been in a relationship with a blind composer, Peter Oliver (Anthony Steffen) who overhears a conversation he believes may help him track down the killer.

Oliver, aided by his butler Burton (Umberto Raho) tracks the cat to its owner, drug addict Susan (Giovanna Lenzi), who is murdered before she can reveal who has been using the cat…

Reviews:

“Italian exploitation directors are frequently criticised for their reliance on zoom shots, but here Pastore sets a new Guinness world record for overuse of this device, which is repeated to laughable effect during each of the subsequent murders.” House of Freudstein

“There are so many wonderfully cheesy snippets it’s a real shame the whole thing doesn’t hang together. The editing is appalling, and although some of it could be put down to a substandard video release, the film just doesn’t flow properly – its choppiness ruining all but the most obvious elements of the story.” Hysteria Lives!

“The murder scenes are handled with little imagination, on the whole but it has to be noted that the razor slashing at the end of the picture is one of the nastiest to be seen in a giallo of this vintage. The mean-spirited quality of the ending recalls another sloppy but endearing entry, Riccardo Freda’s The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire (1971), though Pastore’s film is handled with greater professionalism on the whole.” Troy Howarth, So Deadly, So Perverse

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“Memorable scenes include a corpse found propped up under a huge perspex dome and a hooded lady stalking the streets like something out of Orphée (1950). Unfortunately, the wildly pulsating zooms and heavy-handed editing effects preclude the sustained mood necessary to elevate the film from being a ‘mere’ entertainment.” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

Main cast:

Anthony Steffen – Killer Fish; Evil EyeThe Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave
Sylva Koscina – Dracula in the Provinces; Lisa and the DevilSo Sweet, So Dead
Giovanna Lenzi – Delitti
Renato De Carmine
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart – Death Smiles on a Murderer, Something Creeping in the Dark
Umberto Raho – The Sexorcist; Night of the Devils; Amuck
Annabella Incontrera – Stigma; Black Belly of the Tarantula; The Case of the Bloody Iris
Romano Malaspina
Isabelle Marchall
Imelde Marani
Liliana Pavlo
Lorenzo Piani
Irio Fantini
Shirley Corrigan – Dr. Jekyll vs. the WerewolfDevil’s Nightmare

Wikipedia | IMDb

 

 

 


Dream No Evil (USA, 1970)

0
0

‘Don’t go near the barn’

Dream No Evil is a 1970 horror thriller film written and directed by John Hayes (End of the World; Grave of the Vampire; Garden of the Dead). It stars Edmond O’Brien, Brooke Mills, Marc Lawrence and Michael Pataki.

Originally submitted to the MPAA as The Faith Healer, it received an ‘R’ rating. The film was subsequently edited and released as Dream No Evil with a self-imposed ‘PG’ rating. This latter version is the one currently available.

A young preacher’s assistant goes insane and becomes lost in a murderous fantasy of her own creation…

Buy: Amazon.com

Reviews:

“The murders are a tad on the bloodless side (again, the infernal PG rating), but there is at least one great death-by-scythe scene. Despite moments of genuine atmosphere (like the scene where O’Brien returns to life), this is just another tame 70’s psychological horror flick.” Mitch, The Video Vacuum

Dream No Evil is the very definition of random. One minute Grace is in a seedy motel full of passed out octogenarians, in the next she is dressed like Ann of Green Gables dancing an Irish jig while her father plays the accordion. Nothing makes any sense.” Jason McElreath, DVD Drive-In

” …has some voice-over narration that essentially gives away the game at a crucial point in the movie; you’re pretty much in on the truth of the situation before the first murder even occurs. Still, this is not to say that this movie doesn’t use some interesting approaches to telling its story, and there is a real surreal oddity that cuts through many of the scenes to help compensate for the extreme low-budget of the undertaking.” Dave Sindelar, Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

Dream No Evil achieves its strange disconsolate atmosphere without flamboyance. The emphasis is on feeling, with a tragic scenario in which the heroine’s struggle to find happiness is doomed because of her childhood.” Stephen Thrower, Nightmare USA

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca

Main cast:

Edmond O’Brien (Isn’t It Shocking?), Brooke Mills (Night Gallery, segment: ‘The Tune in Dan’s Cafe’), Marc Lawrence (From Dusk Till Dawn; Cataclysm; Pigs), Michael Pataki (Death House; Dead & Buried; Love at First Bite; et al), Paul Prokop, Arthur Franz, Donna Anders, Nadyne Turney, Vicki Schreck, William Guhl, Pearl Shear, Elizabeth Ross, Mary Carver, Jay Scott.

Trivia:

The film was also apparently released as Now I Lay Me Down to Die.

IMDb



Texas Schlock: B-Movie Sci-Fi and Horror from the Lone Star State – article

0
0

My name is Bret McCormick. Less than a year ago, at my 58th birthday party, my collaborator E.R. Bills became fascinated by the table conversation – reminiscences of bygone days in the bottom-of-the-barrel film industry of Dallas, Texas. “This needs to be a book!” he exclaimed. “It’s got historical significance!” My other good friend, Glen Coburn (of Bloodsuckers from Outer Space fame) and I laughed it off. But in the following weeks, E.R. persisted in encouraging me to put the history of Texas’ schlock filmmakers into print.

After my crash and burn from the cloudy skies of my schlockdom twenty years before, I wanted nothing to do with the movie biz. Most of my memories seemed to be bad ones. I was disappointed and for years I did not even watch movies. When people brought the subject of cinema up, I excused myself from the conversation as politely as possible. It took me many years to get enough distance from the betrayals of past partners and distributors to take a more philosophical approach.

However, in October of 2017, I plan to release my book, Texas Schlock: B-Movie Sci-Fi and Horror from the Lone Star State. In some ways, writing the book has been cathartic, an exorcism of old demons. Hell, I can even laugh about those days now.

Let’s step back first. I graduated from Brooks Institute in 1980. Always a fanboy, I began contacting the old school B-movie Texan directors I knew of and gathering interviews for a proposed book. This was by way of staying at least peripherally involved in the business while I figured out how to go about making a film of my own. Over the years I became friends with some venerable schlockmeisters; guys like Larry Buchanan, S.F. Brownrigg, Larry Stouffer and Russ Marker.

Larry Buchanan

Larry was an early influence on me. When my best friend Herb Hays and I were shooting 8mm monster flicks on the east side of Fort Worth, we saw his movies on late night TV and reveled in the fact that the guy had been able to secure financing for stuff like It’s Alive! When Herb’s dad told us the guy was from Dallas, we felt encouraged. With a 16mm camera and some actors we believed we could outdo Buchanan. And we fully intended to!

The Naked Witch (1961)
The Eye Creatures (1965)
Curse of the Swamp Creature (1966)
Zontar: The Thing from Venus (1966)
Creature of Destruction (1967)
In the Year 2889 (1967)
It’s Alive! (1969)
The Loch Ness Horror (1982)

S.F. Brownrigg

Brownie was the closest thing to a real mentor that I ever had in the movie business. I spent countless hours drinking with him in Dallas spots like The Wild Turkey, picking his brain, gleaning what I could from his wealth of production experience.

Over the years Brownie gave advice and rented me equipment to use in my own productions. We never seized on the right combination of financing and enthusiasm that would have enabled us to work on a film together, but he was a huge influence on my career.

Don’t Look in the Basement (1972)
Don’t Open the Door (1974)
Keep My Grave Open (1974)
Scum of the Earth aka Poor White Trash II (1974)

Robert A. Burns

One of the first filmmakers I attempted to contact in the early 80s was Robert A. Burns, art director on seminal horror genre flicks such as Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, The Howling and Re-Animator.

I got onto Bob through Mary Church, the lady who’d been production manager on his 1982 directorial debut Mongrel.

Though I tried many times over the years to establish contact with this very talented man, it just wasn’t in the cards. Sadly, he passed away in the early 2000s. His influence on indie horror lives on in a big way!

Larry Stouffer

I was a big fan of Horror High! When I learned the guy who’d directed that movie was appearing in a play at White Rock Lake, I waylaid him and tried to get him to agree to an interview. As I myself would later become, Larry was very bitter about the disappointments he’d experienced in movie production. In no uncertain terms, he told me to f*ck off.

A few years later, we worked together at Allied Film and Video in Las Colinas. Gradually, Larry warmed up to me and we spent a great deal of time on breaks talking about movies. He was particularly interested in screenwriting and went on to teach that at a school in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Horror High (1973)
Keep My Grave Open (1974) – assistant director

Russ Marker

While I was struggling to get my first project off the ground, a western movie town opened up south of Dallas. Some of my friends visited the place and told me the old guy running it was none other than Russ Marker, director of The Yesterday Machine and scripter of Night Fright (1967). I met Russ and chatted with him on a couple of occasions. His son, Gary Kennamer, wrote the screenplay for my fourth feature film, Highway to Hell.

The book I’ve written provides a lot of information on these guys that has never before appeared in print.

Pot Zombies (2005)

In addition, I have chapters on Justin Powers (Pot Zombies), Jacob Grim and Sal Hernandez (Dreadtime Stories; The Roommate), Jess Sherman and Mike Minton (CreepTales), Harold P. Warren (Manos: The Hands of Fate), Pat Boyette (The Dungeon of Harrow), Glen Coburn (Bloodsuckers from Outer Space) and others.

It’s the sort of book I would have loved to discover as a young fan. Who am I kidding? I’d buy this kind of book now if I happened onto it.

I’m grateful to Adrian J Smith of Horrorpedia and others in the fan community for expressing interest in and showing support for Texas Schlock: B-movie Sci-Fi and Horror from the Lone Star State.

Bret McCormick, Horrorpedia © 2017

Related: 

The Abomination (1986)

Bad Movies = Great Trash – article

B-Movie Baggage: Filmmaker vs. Distributor in a Fight for Survival – article

Ozone: The Attack of the Redneck Mutants (1986)

Repligator (1996)


Gums – comic book character (UK, 1976 – 1984)

0
0

‘Here it is… a shark worse than its bite!!’

Gums is a British comic character: a shark with false teeth.

In 1976, Jaws was all the rage with kids, and British comic Monster Fun – published by IPC – was quick to cash in on the trend.

At the beginning of February 1976, the 35th issue of the comic – which specialised in humour strips with a mild horror flavour – debuted a new strip on the front cover, usurping the previous main strip Kid Kong.

Gums was the story of a Great White shark off the coast of Australia that is terrorising locals – until, that it, his false teeth get stuck in a surfboard and are seized by surfer dude Bluey. Over the run of the strip, Gums and Bluey would battle for ownership of the teeth, with Gums retrieving his ‘choppers’ one week and Bluey snatching them back the next. The comedy came from the wacky schemes both used to secure the teeth.

Given that it was a one-joke strip, Gums was surprisingly entertaining and non-repetitive, and it’s toothless shark developed a real character that readers loved.

Initially illustrated by Bob Nixon (and later, Alf Saporito) and written by Roy Davies, Gums proved immediately popular, remaining the cover strip for the rest of the comic’s run. It ultimately outlived both Jaws mania and Monster Fun itself, transferring to Buster comic when MF was cancelled with issue 73, and the strip eventually ran until May 1984.

David Flint – this post first appeared on The Reprobate

Image credits: Comic Vine


Alice Cooper Marvel Premiere – comic book (USA, 1979)

0
0

Alice Cooper is a 1979 American Marvel Premiere comic book.

At the end of the 1970s, Marvel Comics were at the height of their pop culture popularity, and were making various attempts to cross over into the music world. The two KISS Super Specials were big sellers for them, which they followed with an unauthorised Beatles biography.

In 1980, Marvel also launched an ill-fated multi-media character, the Disco Dazzler (later just Dazzler), who existed both as a comic book character and a still-born musical act and film character for Casablanca Records (Bo Derek was lined up to play her on screen; the recording artist was never finalised, and the whole multi-media aspect was quickly dropped as disco fell out of fashion).

The oddest rock star / comic book crossover for Marvel was undoubtedly Alice Cooper, who starred in a single issue of the monthly Marvel Premiere comic book, which existed as a launch pad for possible new characters and a home for one-off stories. Unlike the KISS comics, this wasn’t a widely-heralded special edition, but simply issue 50 (October 1979) of an ongoing, regular-sized comic book, and so one that probably went unnoticed by any Cooper fan who wasn’t rummaging through the monthly comics at newsstands. Cooper himself was about to enter a career slump that lasted much of the 1980s.

Cooper’s management had, in fact, floated the idea of a comic book series based on his 1975 album Welcome to My Nightmare previously, though Marvel rejected it as too weird. The success of the KISS comics clearly opened their minds, as this story  – credited to Cooper, Ed Hannigan and Jim Salicrup as writers – is as deranged as mainstream comics could get at the time.

Inspired by Cooper’s 1978 concept album From the Inside (itself inspired by his experiences in a sanitarium while drying out from alcoholism), though it develops its own narrative – Cooper checks into hospital to dry out, but is mistaken for another patient (Alex Cooper, “a certified paranoid schizo with a radial tire fetish”), and is subjected to bizarre experimental ‘cures’ by Dr. Fingeroth and his assistant Nurse Rozetta. Other characters from the album’s songs turn up – the demented Vietnam vet Jackknife Johnny, murderous sweethearts Millie and Billie – as Alice attempts to prove his sanity, rescue his snake Veronica and escape the asylum…

David Flint, Horrorpedia – this post first appeared on The Reprobate


George A. Romero – film director (1940 – 2017)

0
0

George Andrew Romero (February 4, 1940 – July 16, 2017) was an American-Canadian (dual citizenship) filmmaker, writer and editor, best known for his gore-filled and satirical horror films.

Peter Grunwald, the director’s longtime producing partner announced that Romero died in his sleep while listening to the soundtrack of one his favourite films, The Quiet Man (1952), having suffered a “brief but aggressive battle with lung cancer.” Romero was attended by his wife, Suzanne Desrocher Romero, and daughter, Tina Romero. Such is Romero’s pop culture influence, even mainstream media such as Sky reported his passing.

Romero was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1940. He studied at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, graduating in 1960. He began his filmmaking career making shorts and adverts.

In 1968, Romero and co-writer John Russo persuaded friends to finance Night of the Living Dead, based on Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend (itself filmed several times). Filmed in black and white on a budget of just $114,000, it became one of the most successful independent films of all-time, pulling in $30 million, and a seminal genre-changing horror icon.

A decade later, Romero came up with the equally important consumers-as-zombies sequel, Dawn of the Dead (1978 – partly financed with Italian backing via Dario Argento) and remade by Zack Synder in 2004.

The claustrophobic and intense Day of the Dead (1985) split critics and was not as well received by the public (they thronged to the comedic silliness of the same year’s The Return of the Living Dead instead). However, major studio backing allowed Romero to bounce back with the epic, impressive and financially successful Land of the Dead (1990). The same year, Romero also scripted makeup maestro Tom Savini’s remake of Night of the Living Dead.

Two lower budgeted and more personal movies, Diary of the Dead (2007 – a take on the found footage phenomenon) and Survival of the Dead (2009), rounded out Romero’s vision of the ‘zombie apocalypse’; a horror sub-genre that has spawned countless imitations and offshoots, such as his own son’s project Zombies (2017).

Romero’s final credits are for writing his contribution to the 2017 seconds remake of Day of the Dead (2017 – directed by Hèctor Hernández Vicens) and co-scripting comedy horror Road of the Dead, shooting in 2018. A TV series, based on Romero’s Marvel graphic novels, Empire of the Dead, is also in development.

Away from his zombie universe, Romero also directed There’s Always Vanilla (1971), Season of the Witch (1972) and The Crazies (1973 and remade in 2010), Martin (1978 – a unique take on vampire mythology), Knightriders (1981), Creepshow (1982 – a comedic horror anthology written by Stephen King), Monkey Shines (1988), Two Evil Eyes (1990), Stephen King’s The Dark Half (1993), and Bruiser (2000). Romero also found time to pen the script for Creepshow 2 (1987) and direct a zombie-themed music video for rock band Misfits’ 1999 single ‘Scream’.

Adrian J Smith, Horrorpedia

George A. Romero in the 2013 documentary Birth of the Living Dead.

A personal tribute to George A. Romero

Sifting through the veritable mountain of tributes that have been flooding the internet since the announcement that the film world lost one of its truly great auteurs today, it seems to me that almost all of them miss a vital point : sure, the man, myth, and legend that was George A. Romero is among a small handful of people — Stephen King, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Bernie Wrightson — who re-defined and frankly revolutionized horror across all media in the late 20th/early 21st centuries; he was beloved by fans for not only his staggering body of work but also his warm and engaging personality and infectious, perpetually-youthful enthusiasm; and there’s no doubt that he will forever be regarded as The King of the Zombie Movie. These are all givens. But what most people fail to remark upon — perhaps because the aforementioned alone are more than enough to cement a legacy that, like his zombies, will never die — is that Romero was also one of the most important, and trailblazing, independent filmmakers of all time.

I’ll tell you who never lost sight of that fact for a second, though — all the celebrated indie directors who followed in his wake. Go on, ask folks like Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith or Edgar Wright (read the latter’s personal tribute here) where they’d be without the road map Romero set out for them, they’ll tell you: nowhere. When a guy with a background in commercial and industrial film production hustles up $114,000, heads out to a Pittsburgh-area cemetery in 1968, and makes a flick that not only changes the face of a genre forever but plays both drive-ins and “proper” movie-houses for literally years on end, it fundamentally alters the definition of what is possible, and gives birth to the notion in many eager young minds that, hey, maybe they can do this one day, too.

Simon Pegg, George A. Romero and Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright

Here’s the damndest thing of all, though — Romero affected this fundamental shift not just once, but twice. Ten years on from Night of the Living Dead, he doubled-down on his claim to cinematic immortality with Dawn of the Dead, a rising tide that lifted any number of boats along with it. Just ask Tom Savini. Or Ken Foree. Or Goblin. Sure, they’d all done fine work in the past — and would continue to do so — but would any of them have risen to legendary status absent their involvement with Romero’s masterwork?

While we’re at it, let’s try to imagine the contemporary horror landscape had Romero never happened: there’s no 28 Days Later, a film that made its mark by dint of its open flouting of Romero’s unwritten-but-so-effective-everyone-else-followed-them “rules.” There’s no Zombie (or Zombie Flesh Eaters, if you prefer). There’s sure as hell no Walking Dead.

Like any number of artistic standard-setters, then, Romero gave birth to a veritable slew of either outright imitators on the low end or more slick, mass-audience-friendly progeny on the high, and surely others (thanks to an infamous copyright indicia oversight) profited from the fruits of his imagination, either directly or indirectly, more than he ever did himself — but if he let that bother him, he certainly never showed it: George was indie to the core, and while he did some damn fine work for the studios intermittently over the years (The Dark HalfMonkey ShinesCreepshow), after returning to the by-then-an-industry he’d created with Land of the Dead, he couldn’t wait to get back to his low-budget, DIY roots.

Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead may not have been as well-received as Night or Dawn or Day of the Dead, but do yourself a favor in the coming days as you program your home-viewing Romero marathons: watch ’em again with an open mind and tell me that they don’t feel like the work of a guy who’s absolutely in his element, making the kinds of movies he wants to make, saying the things he wants to say, with an admirable lack of concern for commercial considerations.

And while you’re perusing through his unjustly-less-celebrated works, don’t forget to give Martin a go and silently weep for what the vampire genre could have become if it had chosen to follow Romero’s lead rather than Anne Rice’s; enjoy the ethereal and intriguing admitted near-miss that is Season of the Witch; frighten the living shit out of yourself with The Crazies, a film every bit as prophetic as his zombie tales; check out Knightriders for proof positive that he could step outside horror altogether and produce a damn-near-sprawling moody character-driven drama tinged with understated melancholy. There’s a lot to choose from, and all of them are “master-class” offerings on how to do a whole lot with very little by way of resources — other than the two most important, vision and will.

Others have commented — and will continue to do so — on the expert analysis Romero offered on subjects ranging from racism to consumerism to sexism to Cold War and post-9/11 “security state” paranoia in his films, and it’s no secret that he proudly wore his “social justice warrior” bona fides on his sleeve well before that term became either a badge of honour or an intellectually lazy, reactionary insult, depending on who’s using it.

Suffice to say, though, that even the most politically conservative viewer would have to admit that what Romero’s perspective revealed was a guy who understood that horror is most effective when it’s rooted in the world we know, and when it both reflects and lays bare certain uncomfortable truths about our society, indeed or reality, that we’d rather not talk about. George understood, intuitively it seems, the words of the late, great Walt Kelly — “we have met the enemy, and he is us.”

This writer would humbly suggest that we lost a whole lot more than the father of the modern zombie movie. We lost a pioneering independent filmmaker, an insightful social and political commentator, and a singular artistic talent. We lost the best there is at what he did, and I don’t think any of us would begrudge him getting back up from the dead for a minute in the least, if only to take a well-deserved victory lap.

Ryan Carey – a version of this personal piece first appeared on Ryan’s blog Trash Film Guru

Related: Birth of the Living Dead (2013) | Doc of the Dead (2014)


Martin Landau – actor (1928 – 2017)

0
0

Martin Landau (June 20, 1928 – July 15, 2017) was an American film and television actor. His career took off in the 1950s, with appearances that included a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959). Later, he had famous roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and mid-70s British sci-fi series Space: 1999.

Landau was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1928. His family was Jewish; his father, an Austrian-born machinist, scrambled to rescue relatives from the Nazis. Aged seventeen, Landau began to work at the New York Daily News, where he spent the next five years as an editorial cartoonist until his decision to focus on acting. By the 1950s, he was working regularly on TV in series such as The Outer LimitsThe Twilight Zone and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

Landau’s first appearance in a horror film was in the obscure TV movie The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre (1964), notable mainly for it being scripted and co-directed by Psycho writer Joseph Stefano. Terrified of being buried alive by mistake, a woman puts a phone in her crypt to be able to call home if she needs help. She dies and nothing happens. One day, the phone suddenly rings. Paranormal investigator Nelson Orion (Landau) is brought in to investigate.

In a 1966 episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Landau was up against Robert Vaughn and David McCallum playing Count Zark, a Thrush agent, who operates from Transylvania and has developed a worldwide menace involving bats nicknamed ‘Operation Nightflight’. Evil Zark’s castle even had a moat filled with piranhas! With Landau in full-on heavy accented Lugosi mode, it must be assumed that Tim Burton or one of his associates may have recalled this deliberately OTT performance when casting for Ed Wood (1994), not that they mentioned it publicly.

A 1979 television version of Edgar Allan Poe‘s The Fall of the House of Usher gave Landau the opportunity to ham it up as none other than Roderick Usher himself. As if naturally, this romp led to a slew of early 1980s horror/sci-fi roles in low budget but fun alien invasion movies Without Warning (1980, with Jack Palance), The Return (1980) and The Being (1980 but released 1983), plus slasher Alone in the Dark (1982, alongside Donald Pleasence and Jack Palance, again).

Rounding out the 1980s, Fred Olen Ray cast Landau in his science fiction action movie Cyclone. But it wasn’t all ‘B’ movies, critically acclaimed roles in Tucker: The Man and His Dreams (1988) and Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) led to an upsurge in Landau’s career that culminated in the aforementioned performance as Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood. Landau studied Lugosi’s career extensively and excelled as the drug-addled Hungarian horror icon (“This is the most uncomfortable coffin I’ve been in!”).

Five years later, Burton’s Sleepy Hollow provided the actor with an uncredited cameo appearance, as a nod to his earlier lauded performance, and he voiced Mr. Rzykruski in the same director’s animated and exquisite Frankenweenie (2012).

Adrian J Smith, Horrorpedia

Wikipedia | IMDb


Dear Dead Delilah (USA, 1972)

0
0

‘You pay for the whole seat – you only use the edge!’

Dear Dead Delilah is a 1972 American Southern Gothic horror film written and directed by author John Farris (Masters of Horror: ‘I Scream. You Scream. We All Scream for Ice Cream’; The Fury; When Michael Calls). It stars Agnes Moorehead, Will Geer and Michael Ansara.

Nashville: The stern matriarch of a family that lives in a huge mansion finds that a killer is hiding in the house, searching for a $500,000 fortune rumored to be hidden there and chopping off the heads of anyone who gets in the way…

Reviews:

“Moorehead, whose last film this was, is the one gem. She wears a brown wig and the only cast member who speaks in a Southern accent that sounds genuine. Her constant frowning facial expression is entertaining and helps enliven this otherwise poor excuse of a film with every scene that she is in […] The film does boast some graphic murders that seem well ahead of its time in the grisly department.” Scopophilia

“At times it has the cardboard drive-in vibe of S.F. Brownrigg (Don’t Look in the BasementDon’t Open the Door) but its flashes of dreamy surrealism, and taste for broad soap opera theatrics also brings David Lynch to mind. It is a bit rough around the edges (me likey) but it truly accomplishes some striking moments of eerie weirdness. Best of all, the various deaths of the conniving family members are as strong as anything in Bay of Blood or Friday the 13th.” Lance Vaughan, Kindertrauma

” …it’s cheap, uninspired, flaccidly directed, and what very few interesting ideas it has are poorly handled. It was another of those movies that came in the wake of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane) in which an older actress graces a horror movie with her presence; in this case, Agnes Moorehead, who seems to be on autopilot here (it would be her last movie).” Dave Sindelar, Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

“Director-writer John Farris spends a lot of time focusing on the family strife, but it is pretty apparent who is behind all of the killing when it all starts to go down (hint: when only certain characters know about another certain character’s criminal past, they just might be the killers).” William S. Wilson, Indiana Junkie and the Temple of Box Office Receipts

“One of the lower profile entries in the grand guignol cycle begun in the 1960s, Dear Dead Delilah is bloody fun all the way, boasting some wonderfully gory murders, and hammy acting all around. One gets the feeling Moorehead had a ball with this, her final film.” The Terror Trap

Main cast:

Agnes Moorehead (Frankenstein: the True StoryHush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte; The Bat), Will Geer (Seconds), Michael Ansara (The Manitou; Day of the Animals; It’s Alive), Dennis Patrick (House of Dark Shadows; Dark Shadows TV series; The Time Travelers), Anne Meacham (The Gardener; Seizure), Robert Gentry, Patricia Carmichael, Elizabeth Eis (Dark Shadows TV series), Ruth Baker, Ann Gibbs, John Marriott, William Kerwin (Playgirl Killer; writer of Love Goddesses of Blood Island and co-writer of Sting of Death).

Choice dialogue:

Delilah Charles [Agnes Moorehead]: “How can I destroy people when they’ve already succeeded in destroying themselves?”

Delilah Charles [Agnes Moorehead]: “There’s no hatred burns like the hatred of the chronically weak!”

Filming locations:

Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Wikipedia | IMDb


The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh (Italy/Spain, 1971)

0
0

The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh – Italian: Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh  is a 1971 Italian/Spanish giallo murder mystery film directed by Sergio Martino (The Great AlligatorTorso; All the Colours of the Dark) from a screenplay by Vittorio Caronia, Ernesto Gastaldi and Eduardo Brochero, based on a storyline by the latter.

The letter “h” was apparently added to the name “Ward” when an Italian woman named Mrs. Ward threatened legal action over the original title’s potentially damaging her good name. The film was released as Blade of the Ripper in the United States, and is also known as Next! or The Next Victim.

In Vienna, Julie Wardh, a mentally fragile American socialite and heiress to the Wardh’s retailing fortune, becomes the victim of a secret conspiracy between her husband, her ex-boyfriend, and her new lover, who plot to kill her and frame it as either the work of a random serial killer who’s been stalking the city, or a suicide.

Her husband, a financier, hopes to collect the life insurance money to pay off debts. In return for his help in the scheme, Julie’s lover has Julie’s husband dispatch his cousin so that he can become the sole heir to a fortune that they’ve inherited jointly.

Julie’s eccentric ex-lover, a sadist and struggling photographer who keeps exotic pets, is interested only in the money so he can begin a new life overseas, but he’s shot dead in a double cross before he can enjoy his ill-gotten gains. The random serial killer also meets his death when one of his victims fights back, endangering the elaborate scheme. Will Julie succumb to this dastardly betrayal by those closest to her, or will the conspiracy founder?

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“Ernesto Gastaldi’s fills his script to the brim with beautiful people doing terrible things to each other to create a plot overflowing with twists, brutal murders, and a hefty dollop of kinky sex. The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh is short on sympathetic characters and often strays from believability during its overheated finale, but fans of the genre won’t care because Martino keeps the film stylized in the extreme.” Donald Guarisco, AllMovie

“Fenech is great as the confused Julie who can’t keep her eyes and hands off her new boyfriend George. Rassimov suits the part of her sadistic ex Jean like a glove, and her surreal dreams of their violent relationship are great. The classic gloved stalking killer theme works well, and as usual Martino bring his tricks to the table.” Jason Meredith, Cinezilla

“With many twists and clever plot devices, there’s a sufficient level of suspense that helps the colorful film maintain its entertainment value. Martino delivers an intriguing travelogue of exotic locations and alluring imagery, which depicts the characters as the superficial jet setters without any cares. Blending the intense music of Nora Orlandi with arty and erotic visuals, the film has a very misogynistic edge to it, with beautiful women (often nude) being slayed in gory fashion.” George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In

“This has everything you could ever want from the genre: beautiful Eurobabes being menaced by a homicidal killer in classic giallo garb, liberal steals from Hitchcock (given a delirious reworking, naturally), sex, nudity and suspense, a suitably velvety soundtrack (courtesy of Nora Orlandi) and so many twists it’ll leave you gasping for air! Next! also marked Edwige Fenech’s ordination as the Queen of the giallo…” Justin Kerswell, Hysteria Lives!

“The story is consistently engaging and the characters prove to be interesting, even if they emerge as a pretty unsavoury lot on the whole. Martino captures the “swinging jet-set” feel of earlier gialli by Umberto Lenzi but mercifully does not spend too much time on vapid party scenes and the like. Things take a pretty grim turn pretty much right off the bat, and the assorted plot twists are expertly spaced out so as not to overwhelm the viewer.”Troy Howarth, So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi (Torso) offers many twists and turns along the way to the end, a red-herring laced whodunit, you definitely won’t see this ending sneak up on you, that’s for certain, this one is right up there with Sidney Lumet’s shocker Deathtrap (1982)! A stylish giallo laced with pulse-pounding eroticism, sexualized violence and dizzying cinematography, it just doesn’t get much better than this, a top-tier thriller from start to finish.” Ken Kastenhuber, McBastard’s Mausoleum

Cast and characters:

  • Edwige Fenech… Julie Wardh (Hostel: Part II; The Case of the Bloody Iris; Strip Nude for Your Killer)
  • George Hilton … George Corro (All the Colours of the Dark)
  • Conchita Airoldi … Carol Brandt [as Cristina Airoldi]
  • Ivan Rassimov … Jean
  • Manuel Gil … Dr. Harbe [as Maurice Gillas Pou]
  • Carlo Alighiero … Commissioner
  • Alberto de Mendoza … Neil Wardh
  • Marella Corbi … Victim who escaped from the killer
  • Miguel del Castillo … Medico Spagnolo
  • Luis de Tejada … The Inspector
  • Pouchi … Victim in the shower [as Pouchie]

Wikipedia | IMDb

Image credits: Project DeadpostVHS Collector

New and Future Releases on Blu-ray, DVD, digital download and in movie theaters

Must-See Horror Movies

Worst Horror Films of All-Time

Highest-Grossing Horror Films



Effects (USA, 1978)

0
0

‘Making movies can be murder’

Effects is a 1978 American horror film written and directed by Dusty Nelson (Necromancer), based on a novel by William H. Mooney. It stars horror FX maestro Tom Savini (From Dusk Till Dawn; Night of the Living Dead [1990]; Dawn of the Dead), Joe Pilato (Day of the Dead), and John Harrison (Tales from the Darkside: The Movie).

A filmmaker (John Harrison) is making a low budget horror movie in rural Pennsylvania. During the course of production, the cinematographer (Joseph Pilato) and a female gaffer (Susan Chapek) begin to enter into a romantic relationship. Unbeknownst to them, the film’s director is secretly making a snuff documentary with an unwilling cast and crew…

Effects is released on Blu-ray on August 22, 2017, via American Genre Film Archive (AGFA). It was transferred in 4K from the only 35mm print in existence. Charles Forsman designed the reversible artwork above. Special features:

  • Audio commentary with John Harrison, Dusty Nelson, and Pasquale Buba
  • After Effects making-of documentary with optional commentary track
  • Ubu and Beastie short films
  • Liner notes by Joseph A. Ziemba of AGFA

Reviews:

” …the film plays like a good example of the (then-waning) grindhouse era, mixing violence and sexy bits to hang them up on a rather thin storyline […] And while the film isn’t perfectly structured by any means, it does feature a highly original and rather exciting finale, plus in a macabre way it does anticipate today’s fascination with reality TV.” Mike Haberfelner, Search My Trash

“The multi-layered script must have been good for everyone to jump onboard with good intentions, but what results on-screen is only half-successful. Approaching subject matter like a snuff film, which is surefire exploitation material, writer/director Dusty Nelson seems instead interested in creating a “what is real, what is fantasy?” mindf*ck for the audience.” Casey Scott, DVD Drive-In

“I really enjoyed Effects up to a point. I loved how director Dusty Nelson got you wrapped up in the minutia of low budget filmmaking. Having been on a few film sets before, a lot of what I saw rang true. In fact, once the “plot” involving snuff films kicks in (about an hour into the movie), it actually kinda ruins everything.” Mitch Lovell, The Video Vacuum

” …though the Pittsburgh-based production is of interest, utilizing several George Romero regulars on the technical side […] the film itself lacks any sense of the dramatic.” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

Production:

Shot in 1978, the film received its world premiere at the King’s Court theater in Pittsburgh on November 9, 1979. The film was signed up by International Harmony and received a limited distribution before the company went bankrupt.

Buy DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

In October 2005, Effects received an official DVD release by Synapse Films.

Trivia:

Also known as The Manipulator.

Wikipedia | IMDb


Pino Donaggio – film composer

0
0

Giuseppe “Pino” Donaggio (born 24 November 1941) is an Italian musician and film composer. A classically-trained violinist, Donaggio is best known for his collaborations with American director Brian De Palma, scoring films such as CarrieDressed to KillBody Double, and Raising Cain.

Born in Burano, Venice, Donaggio began studying violin at the age of ten. At the age of fourteen, he made his solo debut in a Vivaldi concert for radio. The discovery of rock and roll during the summer of 1959 diverted Donaggio’s classical career when he made his singing debut with Paul Anka. He then began to write his own songs and had a string of successes including ‘Una casa in cima al mondo’.

His greatest hit was the 1965 song ‘Io che non vivo’, which sold 80 million records worldwide and was performed in English as “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” by the likes of Dusty Springfield and Elvis Presley.

His first film soundtrack composition was for Nicolas Roeg’s British/Italian horror film Don’t Look Now (1973). Since then he has composed music for several Italian genre films, including Dario Argento’s Two Evil EyesTrauma and Do You Like Hitchcock?. He also composed the scores for a host of notable horror movies including PiranhaTourist Trap,The Howling and Seed of Chucky.

Selected filmography:

Wikipedia | IMDb


Exorcism (Spain, 1975)

0
0

‘A theme that has thrilled audiences all over the world, now terrifyingly set forth:’

Exorcism – aka Exorcismo – is a 1975 Spanish horror film directed by Juan Bosch [as Joan Bosch] (Bloody Sect; The Killer Wore Gloves) from a screenplay co-written with Jordi Gigó [as Georges Gigo] (Devil’s Kiss) and Jacinto Molina. The latter stars, using his screen name, Paul Naschy, alongside Maria Perschy,  María Kosty and Mercedes Molina [as Grace Mills].

A young woman (Grace Mills) participates – unknowingly – in a satanic ceremony and becomes possessed by the spirit of her late father. A priest (Paul Naschy) must save her from evil…

Reviews:

“When Father Naschy isn’t busy making coffee or collecting “odd” things, he’s trying to help this very dysfunctional family, and eventually performs a classic exorcism (he even hallucinates a rubber snake popping its head through the kitchen faucet!). There is some uninspired gore and nudity, and several ensuing murders occur to keep the thin plot moving along…” George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In

“No stranger to traditional gothic imagery and supernatural themes, Naschy proves himself the ideal character actor to make the priest image successful. In a plot more concerned with sensationalism than character, the director pours on mood and pseudo psychological arguments, taking full advantage of conventional supernatural underpinnings to squeeze tension and shock from his lewd story and themes.” William Simmons, Sex Gore Mutants

” …the third act is a fairly pitiful Exorcist rehash distinguished only by some quite good horror make-up applied to Molina. That the film is fearful reflection on modern youth is made obvious when the resident police inspector equates streaking (!) with Devil worship…” Jonathan Rigby, Euro Gothic

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

“The picture blatantly rips off The Exorcist only at the very end, during Father Dunning’s exorcism of Leila, which is executed much the same way though the make-up effects are impressively creepy for such a modestly-budgeted film, especially its use of demon-eyes contact lenses and the vividly conveyed implication that Leila’s body, fully-possessed, is rotting into putrid meat like a corpse.” Stuart Galbraith IV, DVD Talk

“It opens well enough with a satanic orgy unfolding on a beach, evocatively filmed through torches. And there are a few striking compositions here and there (usually involving the rites and demonic iconography) courtesy of DP Francisco Sanchez. But this film is competent, and that’s about it. Eventually it becomes a rather dull series of expository scenes…” Robert Monell, I’m in a Jess Franco State of Mind

“From the dried face and transparent slime running from her lips, to the nasty eye lenses, this is just awesome and very well-made. If you turn your expectations down a little bit and doesn’t expect gore and nudity, Exorcismo is a decent and cozy Spanish horror-thriller with a very fine performance by everyone, and Naschy in the front row of course.” Fred Anderson, Ninja Dixon

“Viewers hoping for a satanic shocker are likely to be disappointed. Overly talky, Exorcismo offers few big moments, but they are there […] Atmosphere comes less from director Juan Bosch than composer Alberto Argudo.” Rod Lott, Flick Attack

“Generally entertaining (if too subtly paced), this picks up some steam towards the last half hour and culminates with the girl’s obligatory showdown with the cloth. Good possession makeup during the finale.” The Terror Trap

Offline reading:

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

Trivia:

Paul Naschy’s voice was dubbed by Jack Taylor for the English language version of the film

Main cast:

Paul NaschyMaria Perschy (The Blue Eyes of the Broken DollThe Ghost Galleon; El Espectro del Terror), María Kosty (A Dragonfly for Each Corpse; The Night of the Sorcerers; The Dracula Saga), Mercedes Molina [as Grace Mills] (The Werewolf and the Yeti), Jordi Torras, Luis Induni, Roger Leveder, Joan Llaneras, Marta Avilés, Juan Velilla, Florencio Calpe, Dora Santacreu.

Filming locations:

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
England, UK

IMDb

 


Haruo Nakajima – actor

0
0

Haruo Nakajima (中島 春雄 Nakajima Haruo) (January 1, 1929 – August 7, 2017) was a Japanese actor, best known for portraying Godzilla in twelve consecutive films, from Godzilla (1954) to Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972).

Nakajima was born in Yamagata, Japan. He was considered by many to be the best suit actor in the long history of the franchise. At the time, Toho’s visual effects director, Eiji Tsuburaya considered him completely invaluable, and he was employed to essay the roles of most of the kaiju (Japanese monsters) during his career as a suit actor.

Eiji Tsuburaya takes time out with Godzilla

After twenty-four years, Nakajima retired from suit acting, when the studio cycled him out of their contract actor system, having been split into several subsidiaries in 1970.

He stayed employed by Toho for several years, and was transferred to a job at their bowling alley, located on the studio lot.

Selected filmography:

  • 1954 – Godzilla (Godzilla, Newspaper Writer)
  • 1954 – Tomei Ningen (Invisible Man)
  • 1955 – Godzilla Raids Again (Godzilla)
  • 1956 – Rodan (Rodan, Meganulon, JSDF Officer)
  • 1957 – The Mysterians (Mogera, JDSF Officer)
  • 1958 – Varan the Unbelievable (Varan)
  • 1958 – The H-Man (The H-Man, Fishing Boat Crew)
  • 1960 – Secret of the Telegian
  • 1960 – The Human Vapor
  • 1961 – Mothra (larval Mothra)
  • 1962 – King Kong vs. Godzilla (Godzilla)
  • 1963 – Matango (Matango)
    1963 – Atragon
    1964 – Mothra vs. Godzilla (Godzilla)
    1964 – Dogora, the Space Monster
    1964 – Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (Godzilla)
    1965 – Frankenstein vs. Baragon (Baragon)
    1965 – Invasion of the Astro-Monster (Godzilla)
    1966 – The War of the Gargantuas (Gaira)
    1966 – Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (Godzilla)
    1967 – Son of Godzilla (Godzilla; water scenes only)
    1967 – King Kong Escapes (King Kong)
    1968 – Destroy All Monsters (Godzilla, Baragon, Military Adviser)
    1969 – Latitude Zero (Gryphon, Manbat, Giant Rat, Lion)
    1969 – All Monsters Attack (Godzilla)
    1970 – Space Amoeba (Gezora, Ganime)
    1971 – Godzilla vs. Hedorah (Godzilla)
    1972 – Godzilla vs. Gigan (Godzilla, Comic Book Publisher, Defense Forces Officer)

Wikipedia | IMDb


Asylum of Satan (USA, 1972)

0
0

‘Love slaves of Satan tortured to blood-dripping death’

Asylum of Satan is a 1971 [released 1972] American horror film written and directed by William Girdler (The Manitou; Grizzly; Three on a Meathook; et al). It stars Charles Kissinger, Carla Borelli and Nick Jolley.

A young woman is held against her will in a mental asylum by the sinister Dr. Specter and his masculine-looking assistant, Martine…

Buy DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

” …Asylum of Satan is a little unknown gem. The acting in the film is ok at best, Carla Borelli does a pretty decent job as Lucina, and Charles Kissinger is menacing and disturbing as he portrays both the evil doctor and the demented nurse Martine. The music is a fine mixture of creepy, brooding music to upbeat 70s rock which fits great into the movie.” Repulsive Cinema

Asylum of Satan isn’t exactly a film I’d consider “exciting”; it’s more often directionless and frequently dead boring. So why does it remain so watchable? It’s all in the mugs. Much like Mark of the Witch, another occult-themed regional rarity, Asylum floats around on an odd plain of surreal haziness, heavily sprinkled with quirky characters and unique faces.” Joseph A. Ziemba, Bleeding Skull!

” …an awkward, bizarre debut riddled with bad dialogue, clumsy compositions and cheap special effects.” Brian Albright, Regional Horror Films, 1958 – 1990

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca

“Besides making no sense whatsoever, Asylum is a pretty enjoyable ride. Borelli is a lovely heroine, there are some noteworthy makeup effects (the scarred demon in a rocking chair is a highlight), and the mansion location posing as the asylum is quite eerie and atmospheric. But Girdler can hardly be called an overlooked genius (like, say, S.F. Brownrigg).” Casey Scott, DVD Drive-In

“Ed Wood probably would have done a better job. And so would his actors have. The performances in Asylum of Satan are uniformly cringe-worthy, but not in that “fun” or “camp” sort of way: they’re just flat-out listless, unprofessional, and bad. As is the script, As is the uninspired camera work. As is the painful musical score. As are the sets. As is the pacing.” Ryan C., Trash Film Guru

“Just when you are about to nod off into sleep, Asylum of Satan does something entertaining, be it poison gas, a snake attack, a severed head, a zombie, or a Satanic rite. Most of the action is the girl trying to escape and her fianceé trying to rescue her. After its 78 minutes have come and gone you are left with a decent example of late 60s/early 70s exploitation cinema.” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

Filming locations:

Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Trivia:

The film’s working title was The Satan Spectrum.

Michael Aquino, a member of the Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan, served as a technical adviser. A devil-worship costume from Rosemary’s Baby (1968) was used during the finale.

IMDb


Viewing all 897 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images