I think you'll enjoy it, Nordy. I was proper gripped.

Had to get the Spanish import or pay €39 on Amazon for 101s release.

Don't 101 ship to Ireland directly?

V/H/S/85/ 2023.

No Wake.
A group of teens head out to a abandoned summer camp and take a dip in the lake but think there is something in the water as someone is taking shots at them.

God Of Death.
After a earthquake in Mexico, a group of rescuers discover something more sinister underneath a building.

TKNOGD.
A performance artist on stage to a small audience presents a live show only for it to go wrong while using new technology and a family reunion goes wrong when ambushed in a police raid.

Dreamkill.
A police detective is hunting a serial killer and slowly discovers how murders are happening before the actual murder and who is behind it.

I loved these movies and slowly warming up to V/H/S/ Viral, it does show how people can be creative with horror and in between the segments we have a story called Total Copy about government cover up of a shape shifting alien that could have been shown more. Aside from the gore fest that we love, for me God Of Death which the earthquake did happen in Mexico in 1985 was a better segment and has the feel of claustrophobia mixed in. At times I wasn't on the edge of my seat with these as I was with the previous films and this instalment can easily be a "now you have watched, that's it".

Attachment 249445

They do but they only had the limited edition and that's sold out I couldn't see the standard edition.

Wasn't it known as Tuff Turf over here on vhs?? ;) (New Kids ahem).

Phantom Of The Paradise. 1974.

Checked this one out last night with my horror buddy Annmarie and what a laugh we had with this, right at the start it was a case of "WTF" with the first group, then a guy coming on played by George Memmoli discussing a singer and William Finley making a piano rendition and makes a deal with the devil Paul Williams.

What follows mix between Phantom Of The Opera and Faust with Jessica Harper who we know from Suspiria plays the young singer who manages to capture the attention of our hero in this and the only one he wants to sing his songs. The movie is a visually and musically impressive rock opera with a healthy dose of horror and tongue in cheek humor. Brian De Palma cleverly conjures the basic outline of Leroux's novel and add elements of his other influences making the movie a subtle yet moving tribute to the book and movies that have been added in (there is a nod to Frankenstein placed in the film). Some of the songs were pretty catchy but not sure if a re-watch will happen or not.

Attachment 249451

Of course it will - it's a classic

Who am I kidding....it will happen :pound:

I love Phantom of the Paradise. :cool:

SUITABLE FLESH – Interesting roll call – Dennis Paoli, Brian Yuzna, Barbara Crampton. And actually, as a stab at updating the Empire aesthetic that plays on in cosy memory, it’s pretty convincing. Nods Miskatonic all over the shop; The HPL tale that it sort of gets away with is ‘The Thing On The Doorstep’, here distaff-ised and injected with a lot of shagging. Going back to that interesting roll call, Heather Graham is a psychiatrist whose run-in with an intense young man (played by Judah Lewis, who seems capable of slight Slater / Nicholson vibes) leads to tomfoolery with the Necronomicon, soul swapping and erotic thriller style rumpus. Batting for Azathoth, Bruce Davison slimes it as an outwordly letch whilst Barbara Crampton looks to have been very well preserved by all that re-agent from back in the day. Perhaps, Jeff Combs, you could’ve turned up with your patented psychopathic nerd routine, but aside from that I feel this is a hearty recommend.

THE PROWLER – Back to slasher basics (again). This one’s about war trauma that echoes through the ages. Everyone bops along to a big band at their forties graduation, but then we’re in the future - it’s the eighties - people are busting their moves to a shit version of ‘The Knack’ or something. Behind the scenes looms an intimidating figure decked out in camos. He wields a knife – guess what? One thing about ‘The Prowler’ is that being first wave, it doesn’t really have to try to be anything other than a slasher. A tendency to dally mars the pace, but then it turns the screw, things get tense, whether it’s a chase through an empty dorm or a faintly silly swimming pool struggle. More than anything, it’s about the grand guignol. What about that stab through the head that ends with his eyes whiting out? Pure horror theatre! People don’t shove it in your face enough these days. The film’s true star, Tom Savini, delivers by blade, by pitchfork, by shotgun, and in these moments of excess you feel something forming behind the camera lens, a kind of gloating, leering attitude that wants to slow things down and wallow in bloodlust. There’s even a pointlessly ‘Carrie’ bit at the end.

I'm hoping Suitable Flesh gets a disc release soon, it's been on my radar since before Christmas. Delighted you loved it, Frankie. Anything with Heather Graham and Barbara Crampton is always on my radar. :lol:

The Prowler is probably my favourite slasher film. I'm waiting to really want to watch it again before i pick it up on Blu. It was one of the last films i saw on my old dvd player so together with all the other times i've seen it it's never been a priority purchase, when it really should be.

Sounds to be one of your faves as well.

Cobra. A hardboiled cop finds himself up against a cult of killers when protecting a witness. Sylvester Stallone stars in this mid 80s mix of action and slasher horror that's hugely flawed, but entertaining enough that I still go back to it every few years. :nod:

Ha ha, my favourite 'slasher' is the immortal 'A Night To Dismember', a film that really deserves a genre unto itself. 'The Prowler' is fairly high up there though. I guess it's just the vibe of lurking menace and the sense that it never leaves poker-face mode despite the flimsiness working against it. I caved and bought the old Blue Underground blu ray before xmas, but I know what you mean about holding off due to accumulated viewings - you'd think a 4K update or UHD would be round the corner, it'd be a natural for any boutique, including BU if they still have the rights.
'Suitable Flesh' is definitely worth a watch. Streaming stuff is fine, but then you find something you like and end up wanting a physical copy et cetera. A pick-up at some point.

I've never even heard of this. Not out on Blu and barely available on dvd. I doubt i'll be seeing it either.I see it's by Doris Wishman. Not someone who's work i'm overly familiar with. Double Agent 73 aside.

Wonder if it turns up on I-Player? :lol:

I'm still waiting for the Doris Wishman box set that was first announced back in May 2018!

Decemberdike # 25, 26, 28 & 30
 

The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962)

Dark Places (1973)

The House That Screamed (1969)

Mill of the Stone Women (1960)

Will be reviewed in The Gothic Thread following a second viewing in the coming days.

I really enjoyed all four. I especially had fun counting all the cars in 19th-century Holland during the outdoor shots in Mill of the Stone Women.

Be interesting to see your thoughts on Mill Of The Stone Women Dem, I was hesitant about it but certainly enjoyed it.

Of the four it was the weakest i thought. Not an awful lot happens that's anywhere near chilling during the first hour.

Dark Places meanwhile felt like a riff on The Innocents / The Turn of the Screw.

That's why i need to re-view them all. Get used to them a bit before going into any detail.

Dark Places wasn't the best film even though Christopher Lee and Joan Collins were in it and didn't exactly give me a chill or wow factor.

Angel Enforcers (1989, Godfrey Ho)

Four female police officers are tasked with tracking down a nefarious diamond theft. Well, that's what we start with anyhow :rolleyes::nod:
The usual madness (this time without any "added bits" ahem), as logic and sanity leave by the window. Lots of fighting, and boy I hope they pay their stunt folk a lot harumph.
Recommended to those who follow the Ho. :wise::pop2:

While transporting a truck full of drums of Trioxin a couple of bungling military fools accidently lose some of the drums. Later a couple of kids find one of the drums and as kids do they cant leave things alone and manage to release some of the gas within and they end up unleashing the undead on a unsuspecting town.

While the film is all action right from the get go it's not a patch on the first film which to me is one of the greatest horrors ever. Although we do have the same two from the first film they just don't have the chemistry they did first time around the over the top acting screaming and panicking was the fun and charm of both of them and while they try the same it just feels a little forced and faked.

The undead don't look like undead they look like people on masks and their walking is pretty terrible saying that there are some really fun effects like the legs walking around on their own and then the skin getting steamed off the torso of the same body.

Although entertaining even as a stand alone film not taking the first or the brilliant third film in the series into consideration this isn't one I go back to very often actually rarely ever. Attachment 249478

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Monster Brawl. 2011.

For the fans of wrestling, this has a assortment of professional wrestlers from Kevin Nash, Robert Maillet, Holly Letkeman and who can forget The Mouth From The South Jimmy Hart...and yes he does use his speaker. Set in a cemetery, a batch of monsters, Wolf Man, The Mummy, Vampire, Muck Man and Witch Bitch battle it out to be champion. Even from the title you know this isn't to be taken seriously but did bring in some laughs, even though Lance Henriksen is the voice of God and announcer and you get Art Hindle on commentary doing a bad J.R. impression.

Attachment 249479

Adventures of a Taxi Driver (1976)

Amiable enough saucy comedy starring Barry Evans as a London cabbie forever on the pull.

Some creditable names pop up such as Judy Geeson, Diana Dors, Robert Lindsay as well as comedy regulars Liz Fraser, Stephen Lewis, Brian Wilde and Henry McGee but Adrienne Posta steals the show as Evans long suffering 'bird'. Also it's fun seeing Jane Hayden, sister of Linda, who must have been busy.

As i said, amiable enough smut but not exactly laugh out loud funny.

The Indicator Blu-ray is average at best as far as image quality goes.

Angel Guts 5: Red Vertigo 1988, Takashi Ishii)

Rather grim wee pinkku.
A nurse has the worst day possible, then things go downhill past ...
Luckily only 73 min, I felt at points that I was watching some Asian Mike Leigh flick ahem.
Hmmm.



Day Of The Cobra (1980, EG Castellari)

Franco Nero gets out of jail and is tasked with a mission that may reveal the architects of his demise. Some fun here and a rather insistent ST made this one a hoot. He wanders about in an outfit that reminds me of Closeau cough. Oh, and Sybil Danning pops up now and then. Great theme songs also ... :nod:

The Vatican sends their head exorcist to Spain where he must battle a demon who has possessed a small child. Although there are members of the Vatican that are trying to discredit Fr Amorth the pope has faith in him and the demon has asked for Fr Amorth personally. While in Spain it becomes clear the Church are trying to hide something and that's why they are trying so hard to remove him.

This really surprises me I was expecting the usual rubbish possession film but what I got was an interesting take that felt a little different maybe mainly due to Russell Crowes great performance. Fr Amorth is a tough customer but he also has a sense of humour which is another weapon in his arsenal cause they devil hate jokes [emoji23]. Another positive was that they didn't go down the jump scare route I didn't find it creepy I just found it entertaining and interesting that might sound like a negative but its not it just felt natural rather than forcing scares.

Great acting good story nice setting and Russell Crowe riding around on a vespa in red shades F*** YEAH.

Expect nothing you may enjoy this one too.Attachment 249495

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To Faith No More.

Attachment 249497
PANIC IN YEAR ZERO (1964)

Ray Milland and his family are lucky enough to be up in the hills when Los Angeles and other places around the world are hit by a series of nuclear explosions.
Taking the initiative straight away, Ray heads off to various shops to buy supplies of food, fuel and weapons. Aware that very soon supplies will run short in stores by fleeing people in panic, and that the threat of people willing to cause them harm is very real..

Good movie, focusing more on a families attempts to escape up in the hills than showing any bomb devastation.
Ray Milland has his head screwed on tight as he takes charge to keep his family safe from anything and anyone. A man with a constant plan.

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

I watched the full four hour cut all in one go last night and for the most part it flew by. The additional characterisation makes it a much better film than the original version and the films best parts usually involved discourse, especially scenes with Henry Cavill's Clark Kent, Amy Adams' Lois Lane and or Diane Lane's Martha Kent, whilst Ben Affleck came across a lot more personable Batman.

Where the film became a chore were the monotonous CGI shit fest action scenes of which there were f*ckin' loads and more often than not identical. Somebody should ban Snyder from going near a green screen ever again. Even the scenes on Paradise Island with the Amazons were bloody green screen. What the hell happened to location shooting. It all looked so artificial and really grated at first but you know, when it's four hours you kinda' get used to it.

Aside from this i quite enjoyed it.

It wasn't just me who thought the 4 hours flew by, this is up for a re-watch at some time

7 Seconds (2005)

Over complicated Romanian set and shot actioner with Wesley Snipes and Tamzin Outhwaite. Something about a heist gone wrong and the theft of a newly discovered Van Gogh. Who knows? Who cares?

Danny Dyer's mate Tamar Hassan plays a Romanian henchman.

Watching this dvd made me decide it's better to plan what i want to watch rather than leaving it until last thing and picking any old crap off the shelf out of sheer frustration. So that's what i've done before tea. Carefully selected crap off the shelves. :D

I have the two-hour theatrical version and the relative brevity works in terms of pacing but is detrimental to character and relationship development.

Your review is making me seriously consider buying the extended version.

It's definitely one i'll return to and makes the original Whedon version redundant.

I do feel they missed a trick not playing the song Born to Be Wild when the villain Steppenwolf was on screen.

Although I know they took their name from a 1929 German novel, I found the villain's name slightly amusing because of the musical link.

The Snyder cut feels superior to the Whedon cut in every possible way. And for my money doesn't feel much longer. Positively flies by. It sets up a universe I'd like to see more of so its a shame that that version of the DCU is now done.
I love Man of Steel, thought it was a superb take on the origin story, sadly the sequel BbS was a dire mess of a film. Which is why it was a joy to see Snyder pull things back together with his Justice League.

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It's a bit cliche!

They could have been obscure and played the Hawkwind song instead

Raven (1996, Russell Soleburg)

Burt Reynolds caper.
Some dudes go on a mission, some dudes don't come back.
A year later, we find out that Burt isn't one of them. Some dudes are still waiting for some tech from said mission, so send some dudes after him. Stuff blows up.
Was fun to watch him play this kind of role, though it's rather rote compared to his performance the previous year in The Maddening :nod:
Ahem.

Night of the Devils (1972)

I'd seen this a couple of times previous and never really got on with it. Basically because it's not Bava's Black Sabbath (1963) segment The Wurdulak which is one of my all time favourites of Gothic horror.

As you may have guessed Night of the Devils is also based on Tolstoy's story The Wurdulak but is set in the present day or at least the present day in 1972.

I guess it must be a case of third time lucky as i really enjoyed it last night. Although not Gothic it's certainly Gothic tinged set as it is in a remote woodland home, populated by a creepy family, including Agostina Belli's lovely daughter, who right from the off when they are burying a bloodied corpse in the trees obviously have something to hide when Gianni Garko turns up at dusk, his car having broken down. I won't say what the secret is but those who have seen Bava's film will know anyway.

Director Giorgio Ferroni allows the story to develop in a slow burn style. For the first hour there's not an awful lot of horror going on other than a bit of strange mystery and Garko attempting to get his car started whilst falling in love with Belli (Busy fella), but it is infused with hallucinogenic flashbacks of strong gore and T&A melded together by an eerie composition from Deep Red's Giorgio Gaslini which give the film a surreal edge until the final third when Garko aside, one and all seemingly become....

Maddeningly i enjoyed Night of the Devils so much i'd now quite like the recently released Blu-ray from Raro / Radiance Films even though the US Raro dvd i viewed had excellent image quality anyway.

Doppelganger (1993, Avi Nesher)

Drew Barrymore caper.
When the names that comprise KNB are in the credits, you sit up a bit I've found.
An aspiring writer takes in a new roomate. She ... has a past ahem. What he eventually learns about it is ... unique cough :nod:;):rolleyes::nod:
I will recommend this one, if only in that seeing it through is an experience. His writing partner is a scream, in an old fashioned sort of way imho. An oddity.

Gang War in Milan (1973)

Antonio Sabato plays a Milanese greengrocer (for want of a better word) who acts as a notorious pimp at nights. When Phillipe Leroy's French drug lord tries to do a deal with him to sell heroin via his girls. Sabato refuses as his cut would be a meager 30% which brings about a turf war between Sabato and other Sicilian gangs as well as the French crime lord.

One of director Umberto Lenzi's none gore films, although there is some strong violence along the way such as electro torture and breast mutilation. Lenzi gives us a solid if unspectacular crime saga where we are supposed to root for a pimp. Really? He's probably the least amoral of any character. Although Sabato does play him with a certain amount of sleazy charm and he even manages to date Marisa Mell, who sadly is wasted in little more than a few elongated cameo appearances.

There's also a lack of car chases which definitely goes against Gang War in Milan, but plenty of bullet strewn shoot outs and one or two nice plot deviations and twists. Ultimately Gang War in Milan is an enjoyable film but nowhere near the top of the Poliziotteschi genre.

I rewatched the Raro US dvd to see if i wanted to upgrade to the new Raro / Radiance Blu-ray. With the dvd looking as nice as it does and the films none classic status, i'll probably just stick to the dvd.