Cult Labs - What Films Have You Seen Recently?

It's been ages since I last posted in here so will post up some recent watches with thoughts, courtesy of my Letterboxd page (have watched a load more with all this but wrote nothing about them so left them out):

The Body Beneath (1970)

Despite the poor production value, acting that ranges from over-ripe ham to shoddy, the poor camerawork and the constant sound of the camera motor whirring through the soundtrack Andy Milligan's UK-shot gothic vampire flick is oddly endearing both as a piece of film-making and a time capsule snapshot of Britain. Kudos to the BFI (and Nicholas Winding-Refn) for rescuing this cinematic curio from obscurity)

Dial: Help (1988)

Utterly barmy killer phone film (yes, honestly) from Ruggero Deodato. Surprisingly enjoyable regardless of how ridiculous it is. The scene where a subway molester is killed by hundreds of coins flying out of a phone box at high speed has to be seen to be believed.

The Killer Reserved Nine Seats (1974)

9 friends with individual grievances and rivalries gather in an abandoned theatre and are picked off one-by-one by an unknown assailant in this gothic giallo which takes its cue from Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians. Some tense scenes and a great gothic setting combine to make a thrilling giallo which was clearly an influence on Michele Soavi’s more slasher-inflected Stagefright.

Death Laid An Egg (1968)

What the cluck did I just watch?

A really peculiar avant garde giallo, magnificently edited with a fantastic (and oddly jarring) score. One I definitely need to watch again.

Maniac (2012)

Despite being a fan of both William Lustig and 80's scuzzy grimy NYC films I never really warmed to the original MANIAC, the infamous shotgun scene withstanding. I doubt the world really needed a remake of that film but I was pleasantly surprised with this. Owing a debt both visually and musically to Drive it's a very different film, shot from the POV of Elijah Wood's Frank Zito who takes on the role with a more sinister and convincing approach than Joe Spinell. Shot slickly but with a nasty edge it's a really great modern horror film and well worth a look.

The Sacrament (2013)

I really like Ti West's films generally but this did nothing for me. The faux-documentary approach was better than the standard 'found footage' style we usually get but it didn't work - possibly due to me not being engaged in the film but I kept getting distracted by the fact that one camera was covering all the shots in the scenes at the same time which wasn't logistically possible. You spend most of this film waiting for 'the Jonestown moment' instead of caring about what happens to the characters and just feeling bored by it. Really didn't care for this film at all and it's probably quite offensive to the relatives of the Jonestown victims to be honest.

Don’t Let Him In (2011)

Late-night Horror Channel drivel. Shot like a mid-nineties BBC drama even though it was filmed in 2011. No tension, scares and full of characters acting unbelievably stupidly just to progress the plot. Some of the special effects were pretty well done though, hence the half star.

Blue Ruin (2013)

Phenomenal and gripping tale of amateur revenge. Blows genre conventions out of the water and favours the "show don't tell" approach to storytellng with minimal dialogue and fantastic visuals. One of the best films of this year. Highly recommended.

Evidence (2013)

More Netflixploitation. Police use camcorder footage shot at the scene of a massacre to figure out the killer, making it a combination of traditional cinematic techniques and found footage. Usually I loathe found footage films but this at least has the courage of its own convictions in terms of it being clear who's shooting the footage at all times (even though it suffers from the typical ''oh just put the camera down and run!'' issues of the sub-genre, which it actually justifies in the final act). The director gets too bogged down in the 'frozen in time' effect and sweeping pans which actually jar with the audience rather than complimenting the film and it throws in a couple of last-minute twists which are bold, audacious and rather silly but it's an enjoyable hybrid of police procedural thriller and slasher film and the perfect accompaniment to a takeaway pizza.

Cannibal! The Musical (1993)

Just couldn't get into this at all and really didn't find it anywhere near as funny as it should have been.

The Last House in the Woods (2007)

Wearing its cinematic influences on its rouge-stained sleeve, this 70's inspired Italian horror isn't exactly groundbreaking or even particularly well made but it's certainly diverting enough and it's heart's in the right place. Watch it with the poor English dub for that authentic disconnected feeling of 70's Italian horror.

The Washing Machine (1993)

Enjoyable erotic giallo from Ruggero Deodato which seems a bit like an Italian attempt at Basic Instinct. Ridiculously stupid English title though, no idea why they couldn't have translated the Italian title of Deadly Vortex. Great Claudio Simonetti score too.

Zombie Lake (1981)

Wow.

Stage Fright (2014)

Really odd slasher/musical hybrid. Minnie Driver plays the Janet Leigh Pyscho-role, not out of an attempt to take the audience by surprise by probably due to budgetary constraints and to put another recognisable name on the poster alongside Meat Loaf. It's amusing and a little all over the place but it's ambition should be applauded and there are plenty of references to the works of Dario Argento and Brian DePalma.

Guest House Paradiso (1999)

Following Rik Mayall's passing I'd been working my way through all 3 series of Bottom and had been amazed at how well it still stands up. Like a Beckett play written by perverts it's depiction of two men who hate each other stuck together in a miserable life of loneliness and bollock-punching is full of hilariously crude moments and Rik Mayall truly shines as a master of physical comedy - not just in the bollock-punching stuff but in the way he really inhabits the character of Richard Richard, all slithery and greasy. So when Guest House Paradiso came on tv last night I decided to give it a watch, having not seen it for years. Sadly, it's utterly terrible in every regard. Every joke falls flat and Rik and Ade just don't even seem to have their hearts in it. I know it's not technically Bottom: The Movie since their characters and names are different but this basically looks as if two people saw Bottom and thought "Oh, that looks easy. We could do that!" without understanding what made the original series so great. Notable also for being Vincent Cassel's lowest hour.

Escape from Tomorrow (2013)

The story and idea behind the film is still arguably more interesting than the film itself but that doesn't stop it from being an eerie, paranoid portrayal of a man's breakdown while at Disneyworld. Really well shot with some great performances although there is some distracting greenscreen in there which takes you out of the film although I'm not sure this was unintentional to be honest. It's a bit all over the place in terms of narrative but again, this might very well be intentional due to the character's POV. Definitely worth a watch though, especially for fans of guerilla filmmaking given that the film was shot completely under the radar, without permits at Disneyworld.

The 10th Victim (1965)

Italian precursor to dystopian violent game-show films like Battle Royale, The Hunger Games, The Running Man etc. Boasts spectacularly eye-popping 60's pop-art set design and an odd and amusing campness alongside fairly broad slices of satire with good performances by both Ursula Andress and Marcello Mastroianni. Mildly let down in not knowing whether it wants to be a futuristic sci-fi film, a romantic comedy or both but still very much worth a watch for Italian genre fans.