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HALLOWEEN - 1978 - Director: John Carpenter I remember
watching the TV edit for this film when I was younger... I don't think
I have ever been or ever will be as scared as I was then. You
can say, "oh, that'll scare any teen-ager". Yeah, that
may be true, but it still scares the living Hell out of me years later.
Despite what your opinion on this movie is, you cannot deny the influence
it had on Horror going into the 1980's. Without this low-budget
film, there would be no "Friday The 13th" or "Scream"
for that matter. It's the story of Michael Myers. Michael
brutally murders his own sister when his is only six years old.
They lock him up for years and he finally escapes in October, 1978,
and immediately returns home and terrorizes a group of teenagers including
Jamie Lee Curtis. Compared to later "Slasher" flicks,
the body count in this one is low, but the tension created is incredible.
Carpenter does an amazing job as do the actors and actresss. This
movie would make Jamie Lee Curtis a household name and a true "Scream
Queen". Donald Pleasance is another reason the fear factor
is so high. He plays Michael's psychiatrist who knows the true
evil that lives within. Pleasance's performance is so intense,
you can't help but be afraid of this maniac on the loose. Since
then, there's been numerous sequels of this and many other series.
While this wasn't the first movie about a manical serial killer, it
will always be the biggest and the most likely the best. |
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HALLOWEEN 2 - 1981 - Director: Rick Rosenthal How can
you NOT do a sequel to this first movie after it made nearly 50 million
dollars on a budget of $325,000.... nice profit eh? While critics
panned this one, it was still one of the better movies of this genre.
It starts almost immediately after part one, where "Laurie Strode"
(Jaime Lee Curtis) is taken to the hospital. Myers finds out where
she is and begins another killing spree that surpasses the body count
from part one. Take into account that a slew of other films of
this nature have popped up, including "Friday The 13th", so
the competition to produce more bodies and blood was much higher this
time around. Donald Pleasance reprises his role of "Doctor
Loomis" with his consistent delivery. After a departure
from the Michael Myers storyline in Part 3, the series kicked in again
in 1988 and continues to flourish every few years or so. |
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HALLOWEEN 3 - 1982 - Director: Tommy Lee Wallace I don't
pretend to know what goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood, and this
one is still a mystery to me. John Carpenter, who co-created the
series in 1978 has nothing to do with this one, but instead turns over
the reigns to his former editor Tommy Lee Wallace. There's no
Michael Myers, Donald Pleasance or Jamie Lee Curtis. This is a
complete depature from that storyline, but instead focuses on a madman
who has created a Halloween mask that will kill millions of kids who
are instructed to watch a "special" commercial while wearing
them. Here's the silly part, each mask has a piece of Stonehenge
that give them their magic power. Tom Atkins (The Fog, Creepshow) plays
the lead role as a Doctor trying to put a stop to the madness.
Overall, it's not the worst I've seen, there's even some pretty scary
moments as well. The problem lies in the perception and disappointment
from fans of the first two films. In retrospect, it opened the
door for a triumphant and bloody return for Michael Myers six years
later in 1988. |
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HANNIBAL - 2001 - Director: Ridley Scott The sequel
to "Silence Of The Lambs" had the monumental task ahead of
it. How do you live up to the movie that won numerous Oscars and
was proclaimed by some the best Horror film of all time. Personally
I wouldn't go that far, but "Silence Of The Lambs" is easily
one of the most disturbing of all times. Hannibal also had the
task of replacing Jodi Foster as Clarice Starling who won an Oscar for
Best Actress. Julianne Moore does in fact replace her very well,
even though she didn't win the Oscar. In the sequel, Hannibal
finds himself being hunted by the his only victim to survive one of
his "sessions". Gary Oldman plays Mason Verger, an eccentric
millionaire who is scared beyond belief after Lecter drugged him, gave
him a knife and talked him into cutting off his own face... nice eh?
Director Ridley Scott (Alien) was able to portray Hannibal as sort of
a "victim" in this one as he was being stalked by professional
killers. This one doesn't have the luxury of the unique situation
of the first movie, but it still had a good enough twist to keep you
glued to the story. The "relationship" between Lecter
and Starling continues as Lecter still shows some emotion for her.
It's not as frightening as the first, nor as disturbing, but I venture
to say it lives up to anything I expected the sequel to. I won't
get into details, but I will say Anthony Hopkins deserves a hand for
his work in this movie. |
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THE HAND - 1981 - OLIVER STONE Oliver Stone
does a nice job with what could have been a really silly movie.
The idea of someone's hand being cut off and then going on a killing
spree has schlock written all over it. This is NOT the same movie
from 1960, this one involves a cartoonist (Michael Caine) who loses
his hand in a freak accident. It's more of a psychological thriller
of sorts and Stone "handles" it as such. It's more of
a study of what can happen to someone when they're livelihood is "torn"
from them without warning, and how the mind responds to such a traumatic
experience. This is true horror when someone is slowly losing
their mind and can't decipher from fantasy and reality. Stone
could have dealt with this a little better than he did, but overall,
this is a fun little thriller that can doesn't need to be taken so seriously.
Michael Caine, despite his goofy haircut, does a fine job. Hey, YOU
try wrestling with a rubber hand a make it look real!! |
||
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME - 1981 - Director: J.Lee Thompson You could
say this movie is more of a mystery than a "slasher" film.
It may be best known for starring Melissa Sue Anderson who played Mary
Ingalls in "Little House On The Prairie". Unfortunately,
she and Glen Ford were the only two that could remotely act in the entire
cast. To say this movie is confusing is an understatement.
Virginia, played by Anderson had gone through a traumatizing near death
experience and received some sort of experimental brain surgery that
causes her to blackout and see things. Director J.Lee Thompson
was certainly qualified, he directed the original "Cape Fear",
"The Guns Of Navarone" and many others. Unfortunately
the material wasn't probably worth his time, even if this type of movie
was extremely popular in the early 80's. As the story moves ahead,
you realize it's the basic revenge storyline based on class envy, and
even though the effort was made, it falls into the same category as
so may of the "slasher" films of this era. The movie
tries so hard to fool you that the ending comes off completely ridiculous,
which could actually anger some viewers by cheating them out of a remotely
logical ending. |
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HAPPY HELL NIGHT - 1991 The plot
isn't exactly original, a frat-house prank, a metal institute, and a
crazed killer. Something very bad happened 25 years before, so
bad that every time it's mentioned to somebody from that time, they
damn near wet their pants! They should have thrown in a spit take
for good measure. Actually, the killer is fairly disturbing, and
the gore is pretty nasty at times. The casting was a bit inconsistent,
some of the actors were pretty good, others were sooo bad you couldn't
wait for them to bite it!. The end of this one gets really dumb,
which is unfortunate as there was some pretty decent tension going.
There wasn't a truly stupid line to document here, but you'd
THINK people would learn NOT to stand against a door when there's a
guy running around the house with an ice-pick. Not a bad little
slasher flick, I was most disappointed with the potential that wasn't
capitalized on. |
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THE HAUNTING - 1963 - Director: Robert Wise A truly
frightening story of fear, the supernatural and the human psyche directed
by Robert Wise, who also directed classics like "The Sound Of Music"
and "Westside Story". This should give you an idea of
the quality of work here. Veteran actor Richard Johnson play Dr.
Markway, a scientist trying to prove the existence of spirits finds
a haunted house with a horrific past. He invites three other people
to stay in the house, knowing these people have some sort of connection
with the supernatural. The story mainly focuses around "Nell"
played brilliantly by Julie Harris. Nell has lived a sheltered
adult life, she has taken care of her sick mother for years until her
recent death, where she still feels guilty for. Wise uses lighting,
a spooky environment, and some disturbing sound effects to make this
one quite frightening. The movie is in black and white, which
really ads to the gothic feel of the movie. This movie was remade
in 1999 with stunning effects, but this one is more frightening and
much more interesting. The main cast was rounded out by Claire
Bloom and Russ Tamblyn, both of whom, along with Johnson and Harris
have gone on to have long illustrious careers in the business. |
||
THE HAUNTING - 1999 - Director: Jan De Bont A remake
of the 1963 classic had the luxury of updated special effects, but managed
not to live up to the original. They took some minor liberties
with the original story as well. Dr. Markway is play by Liam Neeson,
who's role has been reduced dramatically. This time around, he
tricks his guests into staying in the house, or at least not letting
them in on the whole story. Lili Taylor play "Nell"
as a much weirder and neurotic character. Again, director Jan
De Bont (Diehard) took liberties with the characters and played off
some insinuated situations from the original. Taylor's role was
good, but quite annoying, even though she was probably supposed to be.
Catherine Zeta-Jones plays the luscious "Theo" quite well,
and Owen Wilson was "Luke" in the remake. There was
much more emphasis on the special effects and the character development
suffered. This movie did quite well at the box office and was
accepted by most critics. |
||
THE HAUNTING OF HELL HOUSE - 1999 - Director: Mitch Marcus Please don't
confuse this with "The Haunting", "The Legend Of Hell
House", or "The House On Haunted Hill" because this story
is about as confusing as remembering which movie is which. The
movie is set years ago in the New England area and director Mitch Marcus
does a fine job of creating that atmosphere. Casting Michael York
as a mysterious college professor certainly helped give the movie some
credentials. Andrew Bowen (Mad TV) plays "James Farrow",
a well-to-do young man who's girlfriend isn't considered "wealthy
stock" so he hides his relationship with her. You really
have trouble feeling sorry for this chap when he finds out she's pregnant,
he arranges an illegal abortion then leaves her to die in her apartment...
nice guy eh? He's tortured by nightmares and ends up befriending
Michael York's character who has also gone through some horrific events.
Unfortunately this one was simply too slow and confusing to be very
entertaining. It never seemed to go anywhere and when you learn
what the two main characters did, it was hard to care for them.
The "hauntings" were just not frightening, even with an ample
amount of blood. I don't really have an explanation for why this
movie didn't scare me or keep my attention, I guess it just didn't have
enough punch to carry through. |
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THE HAUNTING OF MORELLA - 1990 - Director: Jim Wynorski You can
always count on Jim Wynorski for two things... breasts. Wynorski delivers
with such beauties as Lana Clarkson, Nicole Eggert, Gail Harris and
Debbie Dutch. Besides all the bouncing babes, this is actually
one of Wynorski's best works. He gets some great performances
by actresses that are normally used for their looks... which is unfortunate
because Clarkson especially is a real presence on the screen, and not
just by her looks. This is taken from an Edgar Allen Poe story
and deals with witches, curses and virgins. It starts slow, but stick
with it. There's lot's of blood, some nice throat-slashing and
a good amount of hot scenes. I thought is was blatantly obvious
they were using a body-double for Eggert. Good B-Movie Horror,
plain and simple. |
||
HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE - 1980 - Director: Armand Mastroianni Above average
"Slasher" flick that came out in the onslaught of this style
due to the success of "Halloween". This was Armand Matroianni's
directorial debut and he does a fine job using lights and shadows to
create some scary moments. The killer is stalking young women
who are to be married, for whatever reason, and the story focuses on
one young women played by Caitlin O'Heaney. The movie follows
the basic story-line of the "Slasher" and even has a couple
minor moments where the characters reflect on other scary films like
"Psycho". It's not the worst I've seen, and it does
move along pretty well. Might be best known for Tom Hanks first
movie appearance, he literally had only a few lines, but it was enough
to get him in the credits. |
||
HEAD OF THE FAMILY - 1996 - Director: Robert Talbot Definitely
one of Full Moon's more bizarre films. There's really no explanation
for this journey into the strange world of deceit, blackmail... and
a guy with a really big head. Yes, the "Head" of the
family is actually a man with a massive head and a small body who has
so much brain power he controls his other siblings, who also have extraordinary
powers. One of the local rednecks finds out the family is up to
no good and trys to blackmail them, only to find himself immersed in
their strange world. I'm not sure who to blame, or give credit
to, director Robert Talbot or writer Benjamin Carr. If you can
stand everyone talking with over-emphasized southern accents, and extended
periods of the lovely Jacqueline Lovell buck naked, you're probably
going to enjoy this film. There's a couple slow moments, but overall,
it's enjoyable weirdness that makes B-Movies fun to watch. |
||
HEARTS AND ARMOUR - 1983 - Director: Giacomo Battiato A sometimes
confusing, but very effective fantasy story. The basic premise
is a Holy War between the Christian's and the Moors. There's really
no "good" or "bad" side, but more evil characters
from both parties. Director Giacomo Battiato does a splendid
job with the characters. The knights and warriors all have a larger
than live persona and have more personality than most other films of
this nature, he's ahead of his time really as this one is more like
a "Mortal Combat" movie than the traditional "kights
and wizards" storyline. Tanya Roberts is part of the cast,
but is outdone by the lovely Barbara De Rossi. This one somehow
has stood the test of time, it's a timeless story. If you come
accross this one check it out, there's even enough action for today's
crowd to appreciate. |
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HEAVY METAL - 1981 This animated
movie is more Science Fiction or Fantasy than true horror, but some
of the stories cross over, and the violence and bloodshed gives it a
disturbing edge. It's basically a series of stories following
a mysterious glowing green ball that is supposedly the Evil of all evil.
This has become a classic overtime and the soundtrack is still
quite popular. The artwork in this was, and still is amazing,
imagine Disney on acid, that'll help explain things. It's nearly
impossible to go into detail, the stories themselves are much deeper
that I can put into words. It truly is a classic tale of Science
Fiction Fantasy/Horror with an erotic presence. The late John
Candy adds his voice and provides some hilarious comic relief.
Some of the artists on the Soundtrack are Journey, Sammy Hagar, Stevie
Nicks, Grand Funk Railroad, Don Felder, Black Sabbath, Cheap Trick and
Nazareth. This movie reflected the times and in my opinion was
an important building block for the early 80's onslaught of Heavy Metal
bands. |
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HELL NIGHT - 1981 - Director: Clive Barker Required
viewing for fans of the first "Slasher" movement of the late
70's and early 80's. Linda Blair, who was still typecast from the "Exorcist"
(and fresh off the hideous "Exorcist II) stars as one of 4 coed's
forced to stay in and old mansion as part of their college rush week's
"Hell Night". Of course there's a legend surround the mansion
about a deranged maniac who killed his family, and of course, they're
locked in over night. The quality of this film is better than most of
this era, it still holds up pretty well today. Besides Blair, Vincent
Van Patten and Peter Barton (The Powers Of Matthew Star) make this one
a little more legit than the average slasher film. Director Ted DeSimone
was known for his trashy exploitation films. There's plenty of stupid
moves made by the characters, as usual, and lot's of cheesy jokes. Blair
even won a "Razzie" for her performance, but consider what
she had to work with and she did as well as could be expected. If you
claim to be a student of Horror and havn't seen this film, well, you
havn't really done your homework then have you? |
||
HELLRAISER - 1987 - Director: Clive Barker The year
is 1987, "Slasher" flicks have seen better days and "Freddie
Krueger" was king with his overabundant smart-ass remarks, which
were funny, but has caused the series to lose it's fear factor.
Along comes one of the sickest films it years directed by a fairly unknown
writer by the name of Clive Barker. A man opens a mysterious box
which unleashes the "Cenobites" who are angels to some, demons
to others. "Pinhead", played by Doug Bradley is their leader,
and easily one of the scariest monsters ever created. For those
who try to double-cross the Cenobites, death is the easy way out.
This one may be fantasy-based, but the religious overtones and sinister
delivery and appearance of "Pinhead" make this one incredibly
frightening. Gore fans will revel in this as you literally see
a man with no skin hanging onto life. It's hard to judge the influence
of this movie, their didn't seem to be an onslaught of copy-cats...
probably because it was so unique nobody could come close to replication.
Followed by a number of sequels. |
||
HELLRAISER V: INFERNO The very
capable Craig Sheffer (Nightbreed) plays a cop who inadvertantly opens
the gateway to Hell... which is NEVER a good idea by the way.
After a couple bad sequels, the series rebounds a bit with this strait
to video chapter of the Cenobites and Pinhead. Who incidentally
is barely in this one. It doesn't live up to the first or second movie
as far as the gore or fear factor, but it's not the worst thing I've
seen either. Relatively unknown director Scott Derrickson does
a job with images, and most likely a more limited budget than the first
three instalments. There's no real hero here as Sheffer's character
isn't exactly the nicest guy in the world. He cheats on his wife
with prostitutes, does drugs, and blackmails his partner... nonetheless
you still hope he turns things around. There's some decent scares
here, most of them are successful due to Sheffer's acting skills.
|
||
HELLRAISER: Hellseeker - 2002 - Director: Rick Bota The sixth
installment of Clive Barker's "Hellraiser" series welcomes
back the character of "Kristy Cotton", still played by Ashley
Laurence. However, her and Doug "Pinhead" Bradley's
airtime is limited and instead based around Kristy's Husband "Trevor",
played by Dean Winters. This is more of a "Thiller"
than the other films in the series and reminds one a lot of "Jacob's
Ladder" (different ending though). Director Rick Bota has
worked on some pretty impressive projects as a cinematographer, but
this is his second shot in the directors chair. His skills are
pretty impressive, the film looks great, a bit dark at times, but overall
sharp and clear. Fans of the original film and the series in general
may be a bit dissapointed at the lack of gore and action, but to be
truthful, it's not a bad film at all. If you watch these films
just for Pinhead, you might want to fast-forward. |
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HELLRAISER: Hellworld - 2005 - Director: Rick Bota Part 8 of
the series is made more for teens with a young good looking cast, modern
music and plenty of sex. Fans of the original are most likely not going
to care for this one. Visually it's well done, director Rick Bota does
a more than adequete job, but the storyline has really been stretched
at this point. The story is based on a group of kids who play an online
video game based on the Hellraiser films. I'm not a fan of this style
personally, but it does make for some interesting elements. Science
Fiction veteren Lance Herickson (Alien) literally saves this one from
being one of the worst in the series as far as storylines. |
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HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER - 1986 Within the
realms of underground Horror, this one seems to be a fan favorite.
I felt it was pretty slow at times, but did leave you with a bad taste
in your mouth. This is one of those movies that may not seem very
entertaining while you're watching it, but will most likely stick with
you for some time. "Henry" is played by Michael Rooker
who teaches his buddy "Otis" played by Tom Towles (Night Of
The Living Dead 1990) how to be a bonafide killer. Otis's sister
moves in with him and falls in love with Henry, which creates some tension
for the viewer as you know what he's capable of but yet you want him
to find happiness. Personally I think the movies a little overrated
and the title is a bit misleading. Some of the crimes committed
reminded me of scenes from "A Clockwork Orange", but instead
of British punks they were American rednecks. |
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THE HIDDEN - 1987 - Director: Jack Sholder Humorous
Sci-Fi/Horror film featuring an alien being with the taste for destruction
and LOUD music. Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) brings his dry wit
to the project having just come off working on David Lynch's "Blue
Velvet", so he was probably still in a weird mood. He plays
an alien posing as an FBI agent sent to track down another alien who
"hides" in a human body until he uses them up. The story
has a little "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" feel to it as
you never really see any enemy. There's a ton of action infused
with dark humor as director Jack Sholder (Nightmare On Elmstreet 2)
doesn't take the subject so seriously. For a more scary version
of this concept see "Fallen" starring Denzel Washington from
1998. Other than a very 80's Pop soundtrack, this movie still
stands up today. |
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HIDEAWAY - 1995 - DEAN KOONTZ (writing credits) Nice thriller
about "crossing over" to the other side. Jeff Goldblum
plays "Hatch Harrison" a man who has a near death experience
only to cross paths with a homicidal maniac. Now Hatch can see
what the killer sees... and it ain't pretty. The all-star cast
includes Alicia Silverstone and Christine Lahti. Goldblum is believable
as always as everyone around him thinks he's losing his mind... but
only he knows how to stop the next murder. Jeremy Sisto plays
a great villain, you really grow to hate him, which in turn creates
more tension throughout the movie. Sisto and Goldblum have very
similar features, which lends to some very unique special effects as
the movie hit's it's climax. On the downside, it's a little slow
at times, and could have been cut down about 10 minutes or so.
Overall, it's a fun movie that can be taken seriously, but probably
shouldn't be. Director by Brett Leonard, who also directed "The
Dead Pit", "Virtuosity" and "The Lawnmower Man". |
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HIGHLANDER - 1986 - Director: Russel Mulcahy His name
is Connor MacLeod... He is immortal. That's part of the tagline
from this immensely popular Fantasy/Sci-Fi Epic movie that sparked numerous
sequels and a TV Series. It also kick-started the career of Christopher
Lambert, although he would be type-cast to this day. The story
itself is simple, but yet confusing. It's based on a group of
Immortal Swordsmen fighting for the ultimate prize. Actually they're
not quite immortal, the only way they can die is to be beheaded.
Some work together, like "Connor" and "Ramirez",
played by Sean Connery. Ramirez is much older that MacLeod, and
he finds him to teach him about who he is and how to fight. Director
Russell Malcahy does an amazing job with flashbacks to Connor's days
in Scotland and back to present day New York City. Everything
about the film has a huge feel to it, mostly because of the camera work,
and the Rock Opera Soundtrack by "Queen". This movie
is STILL popular despite some substandard sequels that actually took
some of the magic out of this film. The TV Series was probably
a more effective tool, even though it wasn't nearly as extravagant as
this film. |
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HOLLOW MAN - 2000 What would
you do if you were invisible? That's the question asked by this
big-budget thriller that is basically an updated version of "The
Invisible Man". Kevin Bacon plays Sebastian Caine, the leader
of a group of scientists who have successfully made numerous apes invisible
and brought them back. Caine decides he's going to be the first
human to be tested on, and not for the right reasons. Caine is
basically an arrogant asshole in the first place so when the experiment
goes wrong and he's stuck in the invisible state, he becomes belligerent
and spiteful. This one is full of action and suspense and incredible
special effects. The scene where one of the women dumps liters of blood
on the blood to watch for footprints is well... I'm speechless, it's
a LOT of blood. There are a few holes in the story as Caine seems
to become indestructible at the end, without any explanation.
There's no doubt that the effects carry some of this movie, but who
cares, it's an entertaining throw-back to classic horror movies.
Elisabeth Shue and Josh Brolin round out the respectable cast. |
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HOLLYWOOD CHAINSAW HOOKERS - 1988 - FRED OLEN RAY The title
should tell you all you need to know about this movie. This is
B-Movie Heaven! Campy, cheesy, tons of blood and a plot that makes
absolutely no sense. There's some funny humor in the form of our
hero, Private Dick, Jack Chandler and his wacky narration. This
is Gunnar Hansen's first role since the classic "Texas Chainsaw
Massacre" where he played "Leatherface". There's
plenty nudity ala Michelle Bauer and Linnea Quigley, two of B's best.
Director Fred Olen Ray seems to have no intentions of being serious,
the "Chainsaw Cult" is completely silly, but provides some
of the schlock that makes this one a bonafide cult classic! |
||
| HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB - 1972 - Director: Aured Obligatory
naked victims, tacky special effects, and anti-inquisition pot shots
abound in this routine Paul Naschy fare. A knight and his female accomplice
are beheadedfor demonology, then are brought back from the grave by
descendants of the two, amid multiple murders, sexual antics, and dismemberment.
Naschy and Cohen make an interesting couple, to say the least, as their
modern characters, but the ancient models are just as fun to watch,
especially in the sex scenes. In the end, the monsters are done in by
a charm depicting the "Hammer of Thor" which actually looks
like the jewel worn by the Worshipful master in a masonic lodge, which
Naschy probably picked up at some flea market for this film. Of course,
by this time, damned near all of the cast is dead as well. Interesting
sidenote, naschy, known for his werewolf rolkes in Spain, plays a vampire/ghoul
(never determined exactly what), while his female assistant plays a
ladt werewolf for a switch. Worth a look just to see Line, Cohen, Cantudo
and the like in varied degrees of undress. |
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HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL - 1999 - Director: William Malone Loosely
based Thriller of the 1958 version offers up some genuine scares.
A multi-millionaire invites a group of people to a Mansion and offers
up a cool Million for anyone who stay's the night. Steven Price
is named after Vincent Price, who played the same role in the 58' version,
and is not ordinary Millionaire. He owns a famous amusement park
and has a nasty habit of scaring the living daylights out of people.
This one gets moving pretty fast as the group is literally locked in
the house that had served as a Metal Institute years ago. Jeffery
Combs plays Dr. Richard Benjamin Vannacutt who ran the asylum years
ago and was well-known for his alternative methods of therapy.
I think you can see where this is going, and yes, on paper it looks
silly, but thanks to a big budget and some big stars, this one creates
some genuinely creepy and scary moments. The cast includes, Geoffry
Rush (Quills), Chris Kattan (Saturday Night Live), Model/Actor Taye
Diggs, Peter Gallahger and numerous other fairly well-known actor and
actresses. |
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|
HOWL OF THE DEVIL - 1987 - Director Jaquintio
Molina (Paul naschy) This film
was plagued with problems though admitted only of Naschy's better works.
First there was a conflict, very heated in Spain, over who actually
wrote the script, actor salvador Sainz or director Naschy, which made
them avowed enemies, since I think, appeased, and created a big scandal.
Second, Naschy duplicated the Frankenstein monster makeup off the Karloff-Jack
Pierce image which is still under copyright by Universal, delaying the
release of the movie in the United States and keeping it out of the
theatres, which was the film's original target area. With all this in
mind, it is amazing prints are still circulating of this, in Spanish
or other languages, but it may be a good thing as it has all the trimmings
of a typical Spanish horrorfest. Disgruntled stage actor, Naschy, lives
the life of a recluse similar to the deranged actress in the old classic,
Sunset Blvd., raising and abusing his nephew (played by naschy's son)
after his brother (a more successful actor of horror films), dies. The
boy hates his uncle and creates a fantasty world of mazes and monsters,
holding imaginary conversations with virtually every old screen monster
from Mr. Hyde to The Phantom Of The Opera. In the meantime, people start
dying. The question is who is doing it? Is it the kid...or is it Naschy...who
has some sexual quirks of his own, liking to pick up whores and dress
as monsters before having sex with them...or are the monsters doing
it all? In the midst of this, you have more fur than in a rug factory,
more tits than in a titty bar, an ample supply of blood, and some genuine
surprises. Naschy has a marathon task in playing the devil, fu man chu,
bluebeard, rasputin, frankenstein, mr hyde, the wolfman, the phantom
of the opera, the hunchback of notre dame and many more characters.
In the end, he gets killed while doing the nasty with Caroline Munro
and it is revealed the boy is the culprit...or is he? In a climax right
out of Rosemary's Baby, the devil emerges, informs the boy HE is the
real father and the son is in fact, the Anticrist!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is
all better than it sounds, believe me. |
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HOUSE OF WHIPCORD - 1974 - Director: Pet Walker The Posters
and promotion for this film are a bit misleading as they try to put
this film into the "women's prison" exploitation category
that was big in the 70's. In reality it's more of a thriller about an
old jail posing as a clinic that has actually become a prison for young
women. Yes, it sounds a bit kinky but the acting and suspense make it
more of a mystery, even the nudity is handled with more class than films
of this genre. This truly is a case of the lunatics running the asylum.
The elderly geriatric justice who once ruled supreme in the jail is
now blind and is being taken advantage of by the psychotic female matrons.
They have the women capture and bring them before the judge for trial,
convincing him that corporal punishment is the only option. They don't
get carried away with the actual beatings and killings, but rather with
the outside characters and the mystery contained inside the walls. The
acting is better than average, and even though a bit slow it's still
watchable today. |
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THE HOWLING - 1980 - Director: Joe Dante This film
is still known for it's outstanding special effects, some of which still
havn't been matched today. This movie certainly added a twist
to the old "Wolfman" story. TV Newswoman Karen White
(Dee Wallace-Stone) goes on a retreat after a run in with a serial killer...
unfortunately the residents of this colony, or "pack" do nothing
to calm her nerves. This movie re-invented the Werewolf story
and spawned numerous sequels (most of them bad) and numerous copy-cats
and hybrids. The story come from a book by Gary Brandner that
is eqully as enjoyable, from what I've heard anyway. Ironically,
a year later "An American Werewolf In London" would hit the
screens, furthering the popularity of Werewolves. |
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THE HOWLING 2 - 1985 - Director: Pilippe Mora Even the
presence of Horror legend Christopher Lee couldn't help this one live
up to the original... in fact it falls considerably short. I won't
give away plot (like it matters here) but this one does have ties and
starts off from where the first one ends... except it's literally 5
years later in real time and even though part one was big, we could
have used a little more of a refresher. There was a sense of early
erotica here as B-Movie Queen Sybil Danning in "Stirba", leader
of a group of werewolves living in a castle and morality is not a consideration
to say the least. Danning looked spectacular in this one, but
unfortunately there's not enough to keep you interested. Unfortunately,
this series would only continue to slide downwards. |
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THE HOWLING 3 - 1987 - Director: Philippe Mora As wild
of an imagination as I have, I couldn't get into this. Instead
of a traditional "Werewolf", the monsters in this one are
a breed of marsupial, almost like a wolf meets a kangaroo, incidently
the movie si based in Australia. This is just a bad ideas, especially
when they show a female, still in human form giving birth, and the little
one making his way to the "pouch". How this series went
downhill so fast is a shame. I hope I'm missing something and
this is a parody... if it is, director Philippe Mora doesn't get it.
For obvious reasons, some video stores don't carry this one. Bad
script, baad acting, and bad special effects. |
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THE HOWLING 4 - 1988 - Director: John Hough After two
horrible sequels, the series goes back to the original formula.
While "Part Four" doesn't live up to the original, it's a
welcome return to a good old fashioned Werewolf story. The cast
is certainly upgraded with Michael Wiess (Pretender) taking one of the
leads. The story is almost the same as part one, where a couple
are on retreat and they run into some of the locals, who have some very
healthy appetites. Director John Hough (The Legend Of Hell House)
does some decent work, although there's some pretty cheesy dialogue.
How many times can the main character Marie (Romy Windsor), whimper
and whine "I heard HOWLING last night." I THINK most
people know what movie they rented! |
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