I really didn't care for Red Dragon as it failed, like you said, to capture the characters' motives, complexities, and nuances in a way that the other films did, but it has been quite a few years since I last watched it. I really like The Silence of the Lambs and and Anthony Hopkins' performance. Sure, it's hammy, but the bizarre mix of Katharine Hepburn and Truman Capote (with a dash of HAL) works for me and makes him theatrically scary.

I haven't seen all of the Hannibal TV show, so can't comment based on the first season above saying what I have seen I thought was excellent and made me want to watch the rest. As such, that's probably something else for my Lovefilm rental queue.

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[15] Craze
Jack Palance dominates Freddie Francis’ Craze, overwhelming the film, a sly twinkle in his eye as he hams it up to sensational levels. Palance plays Neal Mottram, an antique shop owner whose basement plays host to a coven, worshipping at the altar of Chuku. The first ritual sacrifice to Chuku, a disgruntled member of the coven who feels they were overlooked for a position of authority, bears financial fruit almost instantly, leading Mattram on a frenzy of murderous sacrifices. Sadly the coven aspect is underdeveloped, disappearing almost completely during the middle act, feeling as if it’s been thrown in as a selling point for the promotion of the movie, rather than any fundamental reason related to narrative. Palance is such a preponderant force that any period when he isn’t on-screen the movie begins to lull. It has a lot of the charms associated with films from the period, the blood bears more of a resemblance to paint, and it feels very much like it could have been a Hammer production. Aside from Palance’s performance, and the occasional striking shot, very little else rises above competent.
:pumpkin::pumpkin::pumpkin:

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[16] Clownhouse
Revisiting Victor Salva’s Clownhouse with the knowledge of what went on behind the scenes, I was a little apprehensive that a movie I found creepy as a kid would become creepy for completely different reasons. Fortunately I found myself not reading into many of the signs people often cite as indicators, however Nathan Forrest Winters has an unmistakeably haunted look that you cannot ignore. I can’t help wondering if the notoriety wasn’t there, and none of it had happened, whether Clownhouse would have been more fondly remembered, in a similar way to films like Joe Dante’s The ‘Burbs. It’s effectively made, the score adding tremendously to the tension, and the cinematography is just menacingly sinister at times, one moment in particular when Sam Rockwell is in the basement turning the power back on, a clown is lurking in the background illuminated by the sparks. The relationship between the three brothers is endearing, you find yourself filled with dread when the clowns first enter the house, a breathtaking shot that looks straight out of Madman, or when Sam Rockwell’s character dresses up as a clown in order to scare his brothers and a clown can be seen walking past the window in a mirror image of his saunter. Those that are able to look past the film’s infamy will find a tense and effective experience, those unable to will likely find an odious one.
:pumpkin::pumpkin::pumpkin:

And thanks to Dem, I've just ordered The Pumpkin Karver and Satan's Little Helper. Both sound like a great double bill. I'm amazed I haven't actually seen Satan's Little Helper, I like a lot of Jeff Lieberman's output, and plan to watch Blue Sunshine this weekend. Both were very cheap too.

I like all the films there and actually enjoyed Hannibal Rising to some degree but really didn't get on with the Hannibal TV show. Mainly because Mads Mikelson has the charisma of a patio slab.

Really? I thought he was great. Comical, yet reserved. I thought he encapsulated the essence of Lector - a highly educated fellow who takes a sadistic pleasure in reading people and judging them accordingly.

Just judging from the first season, I also thought Mads Mikkelsen was excellent in the role, suitably intellectual, sadistic, and manipulative.

The way I look at it is, Salva did his time. It was an unspeakable act (especially considering he took advantage of the boy's confused state), but it is one that he was punished for. He should be allowed to continue to make films. Of course, if you feel so strongly about it (and I wouldn't blame you), you are free to boycott his films and explain why you are doing so.

To appreciate cinema, it is important to separate the art from the artist. There are many magnificent works of art out there created by truly reprehensible people, or by people with a very shady background e.g. The Marquis de Sade, Roman Polanski, Robert Blake.

Glad The Pumpkin Karver was cheap as i mentioned it has a low IMDB score. Hope you aren't disappointed with either film.

Craze is one i own and saving for my Decemberdike horror marathon where every film during December (a month where i am mostly off work) is new to me.

I agree very much. I wouldn't have revisited the film had I felt otherwise, and I'm glad that knowledge of what went on behind the scenes didn't impede my enjoyment of the film. I completely understand and respect that others can't though.

Blood Bath (1966)

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A case of a film’s tumulus history perhaps being more interesting than the film itself, although Blood Bath is certainly not without its charms.

Jack Hill and Stephanie Rothman deserve the bulk of the credit in creating what is essentially a gothic chiller from the bones of what started off life as a Yugoslavian spy caper, which was deemed un-releasable. After a couple of other parties had got their mitts on it and put their tuppence worth in it was down to the duo of Hill and Rothman to salvage this one from potential doomed obscurity and revamp it with the aid of Roger Corman as a tale about a maniacal haunted artist who believes he is a vampire and kills women and boils them in a vat.

Knowing the history of this one, you can at times see where the stitching has been unpicked and sewn back together but that in itself mainly adds to the at times ramshackle charm. Sumptuous black and white photography add to the macabre undertones and all things considered this is a fairly effective little shocker.

Watched
Star Trek Beyond
&
The Nice Guys

Enjoyed this 3rd outing for the new crew. Fairly rattled along imho, the references are there if you get them, but it doth nae distract or deflect from the film as a whole. Pegg's Scotty still grates though.....

70s set detective caper. first time I watched Crowe since walking out of A Beautiful Mind haha. He passable, great turn from gosling and the quine that plays his daughter (Angourie Rice) is a hoot. If folk had just told me twas the new Shane Black film......:lol: