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  #49841  
Old 15th June 2019, 02:09 PM
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Guy Carrell is convinced his father was buried alive so much so that it has become an obsession that is ruling his life and ripping his marriage apart.

On their marriage night Guy has an episode that will be only one of many and he cancels the newlyweds honeymoon plans and instead he dedicates all his time to building is own crypt equip with many way he can get out if his biggest fear becomes reality and he is buried alive. Emily fed up of feeling like a widow before her husband has even died makes Guy choose between her or the crypt and his obsession with death.

Shot with plenty of atmosphere between the beautiful old house and the foggy marsh lands around the estate exclusively at night it really sets up the tone. There is a fantastic use of colour here from the furnishings of the house the blood red candles to the lavish colours of Emilys dresses every colour so striking and beautifully used.

I used to always have nightmare growing up of being buried alive so this film had some unnerving moments for me. Great acting great atmosphere and a great story a wonderful film.

8/10
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  #49842  
Old 15th June 2019, 03:55 PM
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A young honeymooning couple are stranded when their automobile runs out of petrol. While Gerald heads to the nearest town to look for fuel his lovely wife Marianne is left alone to fend for herself but little does she know she is under the watchful eye of Dr Ravna from his estate on the hill. The couple finally find refuge from the worsening weather in a local hotel but the hotel has no guests and never does apart from Professor Zimmer who only seems to frequent the bar. A letter arrives at the hotel inviting the couple to Ravnas house for dinner but as soon as they arrived there is a feeling something is strange the couple feel completely entranced by Ravna and his family especially Marianne to the piano playing of Dr Ravnas son Carl. As friendly as the Ravna family are to the couple it appears that Marianne is the one that they are most drawn to. What is their plan for her?

Kiss Of The Vampire is yet again another film of the time shot beautifully with beautiful forests and amazing colours that pop off the screen to the creepy masks worn at the ball. Every scene is a wash with style and atmosphere from lavish furnishings and the multicoloured lighting that bounces off every surface in every scene it really does look beautiful at times.

Highly recommended.

8/10
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  #49843  
Old 15th June 2019, 05:43 PM
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She Creature (2001)

Set at the turn of the twentieth century, She Creature is a moody Gothic horror and the first of a series of made for tv films based on AIP creature features of old.

Similar in title only, She Creature is not a remake of the 1956 original but something else entirely. Mainly set aboard a ship where two carnie types (Rufus Sewell and Carla Gugino) are taking their newly acquired (Stolen) mermaid on a voyage from Ireland to America. Only for Gugino to become infatuated by the creature culminating in all hell breaking loose.

On the whole this doesn't feel like a tv movie as such. Production values are good as is the cinematography and the creature effects courtesy of Stan Winston are excellent. There's blood and boobs galore and some decent shocks too as well as notable turns from Sewell and the lovely Gugino.

As far as 21st century takes on classic Gothic horror go this is definitely up there.
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  #49844  
Old 15th June 2019, 06:17 PM
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The beast from 20.000 Fathoms.. 1953.

After testing a nuclear test in the Artic, a frozen dinosaur thaws out and goes on a little terrorising spree on Manhatten Island.

50s monster movie at its best, using non stop motion by Ray Harryhausen (Clash of the titans) and cinematography by Jack Russell (Psycho). There is some good acting from Paul Hubschmid, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway and Lee Van Cleef as a expert marksman. Admittedly with the film nowadays there is some noticeable flaws but they can be bypassed and still be enjoyed. 7 out of 10.
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  #49845  
Old 15th June 2019, 10:05 PM
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The Mule (2018)

Clint Eastwood directs, produces and more importantly stars in this true story of a former army veteran who in his later years (80's) starts running drugs for the Mexican cartel.

Largely action free but thoroughly engaging and at times gripping in it's unpredictability, Eastwood is a joy to behold and backed up by a superb ensemble support cast of Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña, Dianne Wiest, and Andy Garc*a.

The film is as much about family reconciliation, especially during the second half, as it is about drug running but in a way that actually adds to the dramatic narrative and the ending although downbeat is actually quite charming and in a way uplifting.

It felt a privilege to watch The Mule and see Eastwood in front of the camera and in fine form again. I would say for probably the last time, but i said that about Gran Torino in 2008 and then Trouble with the Curve in 2012, so who is to say he won't surprise us again?
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  #49846  
Old 16th June 2019, 10:32 AM
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Big backlog of unreviewed, so here are some sentences;

MAUSOLEUM – Eighties time capsule about someone’s show-room suburban existence being violently disrupted by a family curse and a decent flow of period effects work (which includes demon-face breasts at one point). Second viewing after a few years, and I have to say I had a lot more fun with it this time.

GRAVE ROBBERS – Groping for a descriptor and all I can come up with is ‘oddball’. It’s about a small-town necrophilia ring operating out of an evil family’s mortuary and walks a wavering line between horror and surreal black comedy. Possibly the makers had in mind an audience made up of fans of fare such as ‘The Deathwish Club’ ie its quite ‘niche’.

THE UNNAMABLE – What has this to do with Lovecraft (or Beckett, for that matter)? It’s surely the living essence of eighties teen horror with its haunted houseful of ‘Miskatonic U’ studes being mercilessly slashed by a cloven-hooved banshee demon thing. Found it as dull as I remembered it from VHS days, though time has furnished it with the undeserved glimmer of curdled nostalgia.

SILENT RAGE – This one’s got Chuck Norris losing it around a scientifically reanimated undead maniac. It’s nothing more than a lightweight slasher retread, but it’s a pretty joyous one. Even though it skimps on truly lurid content, it manages to distill something about eighties trash a la the more screwball likes of ‘Nightmare At Noon’.

THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS – I don’t really like gialli, but this one’s OK. It’s got the usual plodding investigative aspect, but there’s a sleazy vibe and an array of bad-taste red herrings such as a burns victim who must be evil cos he’s ugly. Apart from that, I can’t remember much about it. Sorry!

SCARED STIFF – Was expecting it to be a bit of a yawn, but I persisted, always willing to make room for forgotten eighties junk I haven’t seen. I thought it was pretty good actually, a faintly cheesy slow burn with requisite period aspects (rock video heroin, Native American supernature) until it pulled the rug with a crazy fx blow-out at the end. Enjoyed.

KOLOBOS – Mmm, a film I’d seen two or three times over the years but didn’t have much recall of beyond a sense of “pretty good, a bit weird, Italian lighting, surprisingly gory”. Whilst that summation applies, I found myself losing patience with it this time around. The interesting aspects ultimately struggle against a flagging pace and a lack of real atmosphere.

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT – That notorious divider of opinion, Lars Von Trier, has gifted us a slasher movie. Not really, but he does use the figure of the serial killer as a vessel for a grim meditation on the relationships between aesthetics, desire and violence. Most of this is Matt Dillon in dialogue, but the film doesn’t flinch from exploitative gore. I didn’t get into it until the last hour (it’s long), but from that point it worked for me. Prefer the likes of ‘Melancholia’ and ‘Antichrist’ in terms of his recent stuff, though.
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  #49847  
Old 16th June 2019, 10:53 AM
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Some choice cuts there, Frankie.

I really enjoyed Grave Robbers. One of my highlights of the year thus far...
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  #49848  
Old 16th June 2019, 11:01 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs View Post
Some choice cuts there, Frankie.

I really enjoyed Grave Robbers. One of my highlights of the year thus far...
It's one I'll go back to. Don't really feel I squeezed enough juice out of it on first viewing, so to speak... all the elements were there, but I couldn't quite dig it as a whole. It's a quirky one, for sure.
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  #49849  
Old 16th June 2019, 11:58 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop View Post
Big backlog of unreviewed, so here are some sentences;


KOLOBOS – Mmm, a film I’d seen two or three times over the years but didn’t have much recall of beyond a sense of “pretty good, a bit weird, Italian lighting, surprisingly gory”. Whilst that summation applies, I found myself losing patience with it this time around. The interesting aspects ultimately struggle against a flagging pace and a lack of real atmosphere.
I watched this at the end of March (Just checked) and quite liked it, but now two and a bit months later i can't remember a damned thing about it. That really can't work in it's favour.

A film which was genuinely instantly forgettable.
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  #49850  
Old 16th June 2019, 02:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs View Post
I watched this at the end of March (Just checked) and quite liked it, but now two and a bit months later i can't remember a damned thing about it. That really can't work in it's favour.

A film which was genuinely instantly forgettable.
Weird how some flicks are indelible and others vanish without leaving the merest imprint. Even more so with Kolobos, a film I've watched numerous times almost just to find out what actually happened in it. It shouldn't be so forgettable, after all - it sort-of pioneered the whole reality TV approach of some flicks later in the noughties, and not many American films of its era were referencing Euro horror stylistics. But it kind of floats about and doesn't do much until the gore hits.
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