How many epics did FRITZ LANG do?

Christopher Roth (2010)

Acclaimed horror author Christopher Roth feels the need for change. His gruesome ideas are beginning to tun his dreams into nightmares. Deciding to write a romantic novel Roth and his wife Catherine head to a remote house in Umbria, Italy. Soon after a young couple are found brutally murdered in the woods near the Roth's rented home. The idyllic getaway soon becomes a place where Christopher Roth's nightmares will become horrific reality.

This fine Italian film is a slow burning affair, taking its time to unfold and allowing the story time to breathe like a fine wine. The film has a top notch cast for a modern horror film. Out go the usual vacuous, faceless teens ripe for the slaughter and in come excellent Spanish actor Joaquim De Almeida as Roth and the lovely Anna Galiena as his wife Catherine. Like me you may remember Galiena from her outstandingly erotic turn in Patrice Leconte's The Hairdressers Husband. Hollywood veteran Ben Gazzara also adds prescence to the early parts of the film.

Maxime Alexandre (High Tension) takes on the directing duties and combines it with his normal director of photography role, In this Alexandre shows a beautiful eye for the camera, his photography allowing us a glimpse at the beauty of the Italian countryside which is a stark contrast to later scenes of the bathroom murder, a scene shot in a clinically sterile white environment. Whilst mentioning murder its only right to praise Alexandre for using the master of make up Gianetto De Rossi. De Rossi's graphic kills are like bloody sketches from a bygone era in todays largely sanitized world of the CGI effect.

The films stately pace during the first hour will probably put people off but anyone who enjoyed films such as The Dark Half could do worse than have a look at this fine example of a modern giallo.

I watched Slaughter High (Arrow) last night and apart from the terrible PQ, loved this film in a funny way. The acting was poor, the script even the director admitted was very poor, but there was just a charm to the whole thing that I can't explain..............doubt it will ever get it, but a Blu Ray release would be great.:)

Good commentary as well.

Though Waddell and Bryce are totally WRONG about funnyman. It's a fantastic movie! :nod:

What Films Have You Seen Recently?
 

This sounds right up my street Dem. Thanks for the well-written and informative review. I'll have a look later but is it readily available on DVD?

Just had a look and it's only £2.27 from here:

Christopher Roth - Horror DVDs at Play.com (UK)

Cheers tele, I'll be picking that up shortly.

Slade in Flame, a rags to riches biopic of a bunch of working class heroes who belt out a noise remarkably similar to Slade and get picked up by A Major Label before the stresses of fame and success take their toll. Less pretentious than The Doors and more kitchen sinky than Almost Famous, this is a smart confident film, well directed by Richard Loncraine, who has a great eye for locations and steals a memorable De Palma style tracking shot for the film's opening. Slade themselves are not half bad, and the rest of the cast is fitted out with a young Tom Conti doing a prototype Hugh Grant, as well as three actors from Performance including the great Johnny Shannon ('allo Chas!) as a small time cabaret agent-cum-gangster. Well worth seeking out...

http://www.saintvespaluus.com/slade_...me_poster1.jpg

Vic, how many people are you on this forum? Picked this up a time ago with the soundtrack cd included. Great little film.

Ha, ha... well, I was embarrassed cos I had this film on the planner for a good 6 months before finally forcing myself to watch it. Clearly I'm not a Slade fan but it worked just fine...