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Slumber party massacre
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Slumber party massacre II
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SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN (1970)>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>POSSIBLE SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Saw this featured in a magazine when I was a young FD where it, CRY OF THE BANSHEE and COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE write-ups gave Me the serious urge to see how great they were (::sad:: none of them really are). Saw SASA a few years later on TV and found it pretty incomprehensible. Viewing on YOUTUBE, it's still pretty incomprehensible. So fragmented with several story lines; a almost Totalitarian Government, Missing body parts, a serial killer with vampiric tendencies, Govt coverups, Secret lab work, an almost Mr Spock method of persuasion etc. Biggest disappointment is Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Vincent Price are in the film and really just a tease. Peter has ONE scene and while good as always, really anyone could have done it. Chris seems distracted and only one scene with Vincent towards the finale. Vinnie just chew the scenery as only He could::love::, but not enough to save this. Also has Christopher Matthews (SCARS OF DRACULA), Michael Gothard (THE EVILS) and Yutte Stensgaard (LUST FOR A VAMPIRE). *1/2 |
Don’t go near the park
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The Unnamable
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MALIBU HIGH (1979). Coming from Crown Studios and a title like this, You would expect the usual low grade T&A, sketchy plot and "Comedic scenes". Not this time...>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Things don't seem don't seem to be going well for Kim (Jill Lansing in her first and last film)....She's flunking out of High School, not getting over Father's suicide, contentious relations with her mother (and also just about everyone else), can't get a job and Boyfriend dumped her for the rich girl in town. She decides She is going to turn her life around... Instead of buckling down, She ensures passing grades by seducing her teachers for blackmail, becomes a prostitute for $$,eventually moves up to a richer pimp and after killing a John in legitimate self defense, finds She's also got a knack for assassination::shocked::. Truly audacious and sleazy, MH is worth a look. *** |
Sole survivor
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Return of the Living Dead 1985
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THE OTHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT (1977). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Based on the popular novel by Sidney Sheldon, 20th Century Fox spent a fortune on this (almost three hours, exotic locales) convinced it would do big business. The only proviso they offered theaters was the theaters had to exhibit simeltaneously another Fox film which was costing a lot more money to make than a cheap Sci-Fi film should have been. A cheap SF film called STAR WARS... TOSOM certainly looks good, but such a campy mess of a film. Innocent Noelle meets a American Flyer working for the Canadian Air Force in pre WW2 Paris-John Beck is SO smarmy; You'd wash Your hands before and after meeting him -gets impregnated and abandoned by him. After "fixing" the problem, She becomes a famous film star and the mistress of a wealthy Greek Tycoon (all I could think of was Aristotle Onassis ). At the same time, Beck meets somewhat giddy Susan Sarandon (looking very adorable) and marries her using the same come on lines He used on Noelle. After WW2 ends, Beck has trouble keeping a job until He's hired by Noelle to be her personal pilot where She treats him with utter disdain. Of course, the old attraction picks up and the rest of the film reveals how they remove any obstacles. A mess, like I said, but I found this entertaining and while it's bad, it's still worth a watch. Marie -France Pisier is OK as Noelle, but She doesn't have the charisma to carry along the whole story, even with the frequent nudity (Alas, She is just a little too slim for my morbid tastes). As Noelle rises in the world, she reminds Me a lot of Joan Collins and actually, I think JC could have carried this quite well. Even other reviews of the film have mentioned this. *** |
Phantasm II (1988)
6.5/10 My first time seeing it. It was fun. Got to see it with a buddy who's familiar with the original. I laughed lots of times. Had some fun scenes with practical effects and melee fighting. We were surprised it was made as late as 1988. I think I got the TV ads for the original mixed up with the sequel. Compared to the original, it's much slower at the beginning and a much weaker narrative. Very disappointing that it didn't add anything to the lore of the original. We don't get to know the characters, as characterization is almost non-existent, and they aren't particularly strong exuding characters and actors. So it's really just a string of fairly fun scenes. |
When a stranger calls
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The Hills have Eyes (1977)
7/10 "The lucky ones died first" creates false expectations... especially as the first victim burned to death wtf... |
Damien: Omen II, 1978. 8/10
Directors: Don Taylor, Mike Hodges https://c.tenor.com/ceUL6mclpZIAAAAd/damien-thorn.gif |
REFLECTION OF FEAR (1972). Strange unsettling film, with an almost REPULSION-ish atmosphere throughout, but seriously stymied by a plot twist towards the finale that somewhat invalidates many of the themes brought up. The same plot twist was used in a 80's franchise- sorry, but I'm not telling which franchise it is::devil::. Good cast with Sondra Locke (creepy here), Robert Shaw (JAWS), Mary Ure (WHERE EAGLES DARE and Mrs Shaw), Mitchell Ryan and Sally Kellerman ::love::, the last two passing just a few weeks ago. **1/2
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Profondo Rosso/Deep Red (1975)
I am big fan of Dario Argento. I was surprised that in looking at his entire filmography somehow I skipped Profondo Rosso. And it turned out that I served myself the director's greatest work for dessert. Like Suspiria, this is the film that lands in my top horror movies of all time
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The Exorcist, 1973. 10/10
Director: William Friedkin https://64.media.tumblr.com/9146c3f0...fa15ce9c9.gifv |
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Thanks again for the rec! I adore 70's films. I am always searching for hidden gems. I really liked this. A Reflection of Fear, 1972. 7/10 Director: William A. Fraker  |
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LUST FOR A VAMPIRE (1970). This sequel to THE VAMPIRE LOVERS gets lots of criticism from just about everybody, particularly those who worked on it. The biggest detractors were Director Jimmy Sangster (replacing Terence fisher), Actor Ralph Bates (replacing Peter Cushing)and nominal Star Yutte Stensgaard, with the script and the inclusion of "Strange Love" sung by "Tracy" getting the most complaints. Although Yutte tries hard, she is clearly out of her depth and Ingrid Pitt would have had the chops and charisma to carry it off. However, She was filming COUNTESS DRACULA at the time and it was felt She might be too old (at 32, no less::confused::). So, not one of the better Hammers , but honestly, it really isn't that bad. Some decent atmosphere, Suzanna Leigh as the voice of reason is pretty good and DJ Mike Raven has presence, even if his voice is dubbed -::confused::- and the close ups of bloodshot eyes clearly belong to Christopher Lee. Of course, the biggest draw for "Youngsters"-in age and in "heart"- is the MANY showcases of the three "B's"... namely, Beautiful Bare Breasts. Can't ever recall any of the films from the studio, even in the more relaxed '70's having so much nudity. *** |
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April Fool’s Day
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IN THE SHADOW OF KILIMANJARO (1986). Missed this in the theaters and got a disc from VIDEO SCREAMS. An area around a Kenyan mine is experiencing a severe drought and mysterious murders which are revealed to be hunger/thirst racked mobs of baboons! Cast gives it the old College try (particularly John Rhys-Davies), but the whole thing is so reminiscent of JAWS and the finale, while intense, ends up silly. Not bad, but could have been better. **1/2
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Trilogy of terror
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Don’t Look Now (1973) ★★★★½
Say what you will, but the best seventies films had an aesthetic that has since then never been rivaled or paralelled. There is a lot to say about this film. I don't know if the story it was based on was set in Venice. I kind of hope it was not, because it would make it a stroke of genius. The setting gives the story an undeniable beauty. Maybe one of the best commercials for visiting Venice, outside the season. From there, it's a small leap to the storytelling and the performances by the actors. Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland share a chemistry that I cannot remember seeing in a romcom or a self-professed romantic movie. It shows two people that really love each other and both deal with their trauma in a different way. Julie Christie's character seems to want to embrace her trauma, while Sutherland's character seems to want shut himself off. Only to see it turn into something that would now be considered close to PTSD. For a horror, it has a relatively small death toll. But the final kill does offer a beautiful scene. With a Saw-like quick editing, suggesting his life flashing before his eyes. A beautiful story. Well recommended. |
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And like You, I'm very pleased the Board is up and running. Good to see Your reviews again::smile::...Sculpt, Hammerfan and Bloof...where are You? SEASON OF THE WITCH (1972). Early George Romero film that was marketed as a Horror movie and all but disappeared. Watching it again on YOUTUBE, it's better if You view it more as a character study. An unappreciated Wife/Mother decides to spread her wings and may have bitten off than She could chew. Very much a Woman's Lib film, it has some unnecessary scenes and vagueness that Romero could indulge in during his early period. But worth seeing and better than I remember it being. *** |
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Slugs (1988) ★★★
This was 80s horror fun in all it's zany glory. A goofy premise that somehow manages to deliver on the gore side and some fun, over the top kills. Pity this movie's Evan Stone did not get a more graphic kill. Needless to say, a bit of chemical waste is involved and the city is putting up a mall there, because of course they are. And it all ends with a spectacular finale and a bit of sequel bait. Hurray. Ps: Between this one and Alligator, there are a few films with sanitation people. Maybe Ray Patterson was more crooked than we all thought he was. |
The house where death lives
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Silent scream
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The slayer
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MAYBE I'LL COME HOME IN THE SPRING (1971). I saw this on its TV premiere while in Third Grade and really liked it, even if I didn't understand all that was going on. Runaway Sally Field returns home after deciding sleeping rough, panhandling, dumpster diving and watching her hippie Boyfriend freak out during a Drug episode (David Carradine would be the perfect choice for this) are not the best way to live. However, old tensions with her "square" parents and her younger sister don't always make things easy. Campy so many years from now, but has held up pretty well. Sally Field has long hair in the beginning and looks very much like a young Linda Ronstadt (who by coincidence, sings the theme song::shocked::!). ***
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Curfew (1989) ★★
This turned out to be a crossover between a poor man's Cape Fear and Of mice and evil men. With some teenage drama to*boot. It went through pretty much all the clichés, with no memorable kills. A lot of dull machetes. Pun intended.* The only thing going for it is that I have seen worse. And it makes for good material for a Cinema*Snob-episode. |
Cat’s Eye (1985) ★★½
A trilogy of Stephen King short stories that shows one thing. When Stephen King-adaptations hit the mark, they are brilliant and when they don't, they are pretty silly. This one was more on the silly*side. Not that it was all bad. The final story - with a very young Drew Barrymore - had a good build up and the scene on the ledge was kind of intense. And I wonder if the second story featured an uncredited cameo by Jamie*Farr. |
Happy birthday to me
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Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984) ★★★★
Bloodbath at the House of Death was a brilliant British horror comedy with a good concept, laugh out loud moments and good kills. With characters that would not be out of place in Clue and a tone later returning in the Scary Movie*franchise. The kills look good (with the tin opener kill being my personal favorite), but even there, the focus was noticably more on the humor than on the horror and the*scariness. As a comedy, it genuinely works with a fair share of laugh out loud moments. Wether it's with the nod to Alien or the 12 days of Christmas parody. And a few others. And a partridge in a pear tree. |
Hellraiser (1987) ★★★★
During the premiere, Clive Barker's mother felt tears well up when his name appeared on the screen. His response: things only go downhill from here,*mum. And it sure did. With gore and sadism and bondage, S&M, backstabbing and deceipt. A classic in the monster/gore genre. Simple as that. You opened it, we*came. Sometimes, that's all you*need. |
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