A Flipside afternoon for me with mixed results -
Sleepwalker - Not really for me, more Play For Today agitprop than horror movie. No real suspense at all, however to be fair it is well acted and directed - maybe it'll improve on second viewing. The extras include Insomniac - genuinely one of the most boring movies I've ever sat through, and a really engaging interview with Saxon Logan, who seems a sound guy (made me feel guilty for not enjoying his work more!)
Schlaken the Painter - now you're talking, not one but 3 excellent little pieces here. The main feature is a slow burner but well worth it for the creepy atmosphere and ghoulish suitor character (who could be the brother of that hag in the A Drop of Water segment of Black Sabbath). The cracking essay in the booklet made me appreciate this film even more - there's a fair bit going on. Also included is a nightmarish take on The Pit on the Pendulum (sans happy ending) and my favourite of the lot, a short film called the Pledge about 3 scumbags trying to get their highwayman buddy's carcass off the scaffold and reinterred in a Lords tomb. There's a really authentic archaic atmosphere here helped by a brilliant soundtrack by none other than Michael Nyman. Overall one of my favourite Flipsides so far.
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