Cult Labs

Go Back   Cult Labs > Film Discussions > General Film Discussions

Like Tree179018Likes

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #32821  
Old 8th June 2015, 09:16 AM
Frankenhooker's Avatar
Seasoned Cultist
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Brizzle
Default

I watched From Beyond for the first time in about ten years, it didn't disappoint. I still find the plot a bit nonsensical, but there's so much wit and invention thrown at the screen that it's easy to forgive it's faults.

Barbara Crampton in bondage gear + Ken Foree + an unhinged Jeffrey Combs = fun time.

I'll whisper it quietly, but I think I prefer From Beyond to Reanimator.
Reply With Quote
  #32822  
Old 8th June 2015, 09:21 AM
keirarts's Avatar
Cult Addict
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Barrow-in-furness
Blog Entries: 14
Default

Dr Jekyll's mistress

No actual sign of A Dr Jekyll or any real reference to Robert Lois Stevenson's book in this one! A young woman heads to her uncles castle for Xmas. Little does she realise that her uncle was a protege of the late Dr Orloff. Xmas seems to be mainly involved with dealing with her drunken mother little realising that her uncle has resurrected her Dad as some kind of Frankenstein abomination that he's sent out to murder women... because.
This ones somewhat earlier and seems to be a German/Spanish co-production. The old Arrow dvd has added Tits shot primarily for the French audience and the B&W photography and superb locations actually help sell this one as a lurid and fairly decent little chiller.
Reply With Quote
  #32823  
Old 8th June 2015, 11:28 AM
Frankie Teardrop's Avatar
Cultist on the Rampage
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Leeds, UK
Default

DISCOPATH – Dude's killer instinct is triggered by disco music in this seventies-set period horror. It starts in New York and ends in a Canadian girl's school. It's difficult to know what to make of 'Discopath'. One quite interesting thing about it is that, although it lays out an unambiguously silly premise and occasionally lurches towards black humour, the tone is weirdly dour. For a film which sounds like it might've been conceived at Troma HQ 'back in the day', it registers very few gags. In fact, there are bits which seem really brutal and disturbed. The director throws a lot of influences at the screen – 'Maniac', that whole grungy early eighties New York thing, Argento, Franco maybe, seventies French cop thrillers – some of them stick. The bits in the girl's school have a spare looking Euro artiness about them, and the disco scenes are an opportunity to indulge in set piece pyrotechnics and vivid lighting. I must say, the attention given to the 'seventies look' is pretty tremendous – the film really looks convincing. After it shifts gear into police investigation mode, 'Discopath' loses a bit of momentum, but the sketchy run time (seventy mins approx) prevents this being that much of a problem. An odd one. I liked it. How about you?

SPRING – I'm into low brow genre trash as much as the next guy, but I'm struck by the number of recent films which seem to be taking horror in a more sophisticated direction. That's not a necessary evolution – but it is interesting. Stuff like 'Under The Skin', 'Honeymoon' and 'Spring' stand out because they speak a different language, without being particularly 'arty' or 'underground'. The difference is, these films talk about the nuances of relationships and explore feelings which are more complex than primal. 'Spring' is basically a romance with transformations and tentacles, and really puts the 'love' into 'Lovecraft'. It's the tale of a dude who leaves town after his mother's death and goes back packing throughout Italy, where he meets a beautiful and mysterious scientific researcher. Things look pretty promising until her ominous secret is revealed. 'Spring' is just great. It's a slow burn for sure, and whether it works for you or not will depend on how much you buy into the characters and their apparently doomed affair (spoiler alert, though – it has a happy ending). To its credit, the horror bits don't feel incidental, which could've been a problem given the tonal balancing act. In fact, the only note that falls flat is the brief scene in which the whole back story behind the researcher and her true nature is delivered in a kind of info-dump. But this is a minor aside. The last half an hour of 'Spring' is really poignant and emotional, and the resolution is life affirming. How many horror flicks can you say that about? I really do recommend this one, particularly to sentimental types who have room in their lives for both Mills and Boon AND 'Forced Entry' (lolz). In all seriousness, it is good, you should see it.
Reply With Quote
  #32824  
Old 8th June 2015, 11:40 AM
bizarre_eye@Cult Labs's Avatar
Moderator Alumni
Cult Labs Radio Contributor
Good Trader
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: The Black Lodge
Blog Entries: 3
Default

Sold! and Sold!

Looking forward to checking both of those out at some point, Frankie.
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #32825  
Old 8th June 2015, 01:59 PM
Cult Veteran
Good Trader
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: summerisle
Blog Entries: 21
Default

Watched
The Fury (1978, Brian De Palma). Never liked Andrew Stevens, this is probably why. An odd film, made up of bits and (set) pieces, whilst never really containing the tension supposedly in the story. Spotted a young Dennis Franz as well.

Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (TVM, 1973).
Great to see this again, though print awfully dark cough. Superior to remake etc etc...

The Damned (1963, Joseph Losey) Network UK dvd.
A film I get more out of every time I rewatch it. Ollie in houndstooth! "Black Leather Rock"! Evil scientists/govenrment types!! Lovely looking print as well....

The Ninja Squad (1986, Godfrey Ho) Hollywood dvd.
Appalling dubbing adds to the sheer mayhem of Ho's masterpiece imo. A young man is trained in the ways of the ninja, only to find that honour is in short supply when he returns home......for fans of "bad" cinema and the action genre alike...

Murder By Moonlight (Micheal Lindsay-Hogg, 1989)
A UK/Spanish cooproduction, featuring Celia Imrie and Brigitte Nielsen!!
Worth it alone for the accentzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ahem. Not as awful as Space Fury
__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

[B]
"... the days ahead will be filled with struggle ... and coated in marzipan ... "[/B]
Reply With Quote
  #32826  
Old 8th June 2015, 02:13 PM
Cult Veteran
Good Trader
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: summerisle
Blog Entries: 21
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by keirarts View Post
Night of the assassins

Franco delivers more traditional gothic chills in this tale of a group of wealthy relatives heading to an old mansion to hear the reading of a will. The group are a greedy, venal bunch and gradually they are killed off by a masked man one at a time.
This ones based on the classic British country house mystery's mixed in with sadistic euro-horror. It's dripping with gothic atmosphere and is even set on a dark and stormy night! This is one of Francos better efforts and worth seeking out.
Love this, in fact I'm going home to stick it on ahem!! And it's also one of my favourite Rallizes songs as well haha cough.

PS Samurai Cop SOLD W2YM!!!!
__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

[B]
"... the days ahead will be filled with struggle ... and coated in marzipan ... "[/B]
Reply With Quote
  #32827  
Old 8th June 2015, 03:21 PM
Nosferatu@Cult Labs's Avatar
Cult Don
Cult Labs Radio Contributor
Good Trader
Senior Moderator
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: The Land of the Prince Bishops
Blog Entries: 4
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop View Post
DISCOPATH

SPRING
Excellent stuff, Frankie – I'm going to check out both of these because they sound like films I'd really enjoy.
keirarts and Frankie Teardrop like this.
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #32828  
Old 8th June 2015, 03:39 PM
Mojo's Avatar
Cult Acolyte
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Default

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
Not the Corman classic, but an earlier ( and cheaper! ) version from 1950, this was one of the earliest UK movies to earn an H for Horrific certificate. Judging by the acting, I would give it an H for Hammy.
Still, it does have a very creepy looking hag, who guards her lover's rotting severed head, so I guess it was pretty strong for its time. The fiery climax is impressive too.

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES
More reimagining of a classic story, this is Hammer's one and only take on Sherlock Holmes. The cast is impeccable and, combined with the look of early Hammer, this is a joy to watch.
The pq on this Arrow blu ray is fantastic. That, combined with a superb set of extras, makes me wish Arrow could release all of Hammer's back catalogue!
Reply With Quote
  #32829  
Old 8th June 2015, 07:58 PM
Demdike@Cult Labs's Avatar
Cult King
Cult Labs Radio Contributor
Senior Moderator
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Lancashire
Default

Dressed to Kill (1980)

Brian De Palma's stylish giallo-esq shocker which has more than a passing nod to Hitchcock's Psycho, whilst utilizing the gory shock tactics of Dario Argento. The low budget gore making the film feel seedier than it actually is.

It's not all referential though, De Palma adds terrific flourishes of his own such as the museum set piece and effectively layering the tension levels so as to catch you out when you are least expecting it.

Still gripping viewing 35 years on, Dressed to Kill is highly recommended.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg dressed to kill.jpg (96.8 KB, 0 views)
Reply With Quote
  #32830  
Old 8th June 2015, 08:02 PM
Nordicdusk's Avatar
Cult Master
Cult Labs Radio Contributor
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Ireland
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs View Post
Dressed to Kill (1980)

Brian De Palma's stylish giallo-esq shocker which has more than a passing nod to Hitchcock's Psycho, whilst utilizing the gory shock tactics of Dario Argento. The low budget gore making the film feel seedier than it actually is.

It's not all referential though, De Palma adds terrific flourishes of his own such as the museum set piece and effectively layering the tension levels so as to catch you out when you are least expecting it.

Still gripping viewing 35 years on, Dressed to Kill is highly recommended.

Dressed To Kill is a great film only watched it again recently when I picked up the Arrow Blu ray.
__________________
Reply With Quote
Reply  

Like this? Share it using the links below!

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



Our goal is to keep Cult Labs friendly. If you feel discouraged from posting by certain members' behaviour then you can e-mail us in complete confidence.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2
All forum posts are contributed by members of the site; Cult Labs cannot take responsibility for all content posted on the site. If you have an issue with content posted on the site please click the 'report post' button.
Copyright © 2014 Cult Laboratories Ltd. All rights reserved.