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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. |
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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. |
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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] |
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PS Samurai Cop SOLD W2YM!!!!
__________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] [B] "... the days ahead will be filled with struggle ... and coated in marzipan ... "[/B] |
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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! |
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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. |
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Dressed To Kill is a great film only watched it again recently when I picked up the Arrow Blu ray.
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