FRANKIE'S HALLOWEEN SPECTACULAR #9
21/10/21
ASYLUM OF DARKNESS – Guy escapes from an asylum and finds himself in a slightly wooden version of ‘Lost Highway’, in which faceless spectres and various rubbery monstrosities pursue him whilst he struggles to figure out the mystery of a blind man’s painting. ‘Asylum Of Darkness’ offers sporadic bursts of cheap prosthetic gore and very much keeps with the sozzled surrealism of the director’s other notable work (‘Beyond Dream’s Door’). Ultimately it fails to come to terms with its long run time (a highly tangible two hours, at least some of which is dominated by some very confusing conversations), but still I liked the heartfelt weirdness of this indie oddity.
22/10/21
BLOODY MOON – The reason I like ‘Bloody Moon’ is that it really does answer the question “what would it be like if Jess Franco did a cheap American-style slasher, and would it be amazing?” – well, a film this outrageously dumb has to fall a little short of ‘amazing’, but watching him dally with the mainstream with something quite linear but still steeped in his trademark seedy expressionism is quite gratifying. ‘Bloody Moon’ may be atypical Franco in a way, but is also a good introduction for those who can’t necessarily be arsed with his excesses (if you want those there’s plenty to choose from, see below).
KILLER BARBYS – This is Jess Franco being Jess Franco – rampant atmosphere, doesn’t make sense at all, attempts at eroticism that are just dull or slimy, and absolutely no f*cks given. The ‘Killer Barbys’ (sic) are a punk band who end up stranded in the crumbling mansion of a Princess Bathory type; various gothic goings-on ensue, along with bits of really cheap, rubbish gore. One line goes that most of this, from the lame humour to the overlong scenes of not-even-very-visible people shagging in the back of a Winnebago, is abysmal. But somehow Franco’s morbid poetry shines through it all. Somehow, he is able to weave a threadbare tapestry of decaying opulence, shots of grotesque little objects, and mist-shrouded exteriors, and make it seem far more alluring than anything else put out in 1996. Many others won’t share that view, but this is definitely one for the fans.
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