October Horror Movie Marathon - Page 168

bleakshaun · #**1671** 30th October 2017, 12:47 PM

Piranha
A couple go to a military testing facility and are eaten. Their friend goes to find them and unwittingly lets piranhas escape. Now she and a drunk have to stop them killing everyone.
Meh, its alright. The acting is fine, considering its another corman film. Boobs and blood are all that kept me going.
6/10

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BAKA · #**1672** 30th October 2017, 01:18 PM

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[17] So Sweet, So Dead
So Sweet, So Dead (aka The Slasher Is The Sex Maniac) has a killer targeting prominent women who are all having affairs, leaving photographic proof of their adultery at the murder scene. The killer seemingly an amalgamation of a wide range of giallo tropes, wearing black leather gloves, a stocking mask, fedora hat, a trench coat with the collar up, and randomly a scarf. There’s a self-awareness to the script, one character suggests that he couldn’t possibly be the killer because there’s no inheritance to made from killing his wife. There are sporadic moments of striking visuals, a murder by a pool with two swans in the background is beautifully lit and composed, and one scene where a character wipes steam from the bathroom mirror, revealing the killer behind her is particularly effective, but for the most part the cinematography is very bland in comparison to gialli of the period, but it is kept claustrophobically tight. There’s an interesting moral dilemma for the inspector investigating these crimes at the end, when he finds the murderer is targeting his wife, indicative of her infidelity, which gives the film a surprisingly odious turn.

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[18] 2 Masks For Alexa
I’ve been making a conscious effort to expose myself to more of the wave of Spanish gialli, films produced in Spain taking inspiration from the Italian giallo, or being marketed as such. I found it difficult to know where to start; many of these titles are hard to source. I’ve been eagerly awaiting Troy Howarth’s third volume of So Deadly, So Perverse, which is focused specifically on Spanish gialli, hoping to use it to navigate my way through an area of film that is relatively unknown to me. I did, however, spot a couple of Spanish gialli getting blu-ray releases this year, one of which was Two Masks For Alexa, from X-Rated Kult in Germany. It’s a very unique film, when the central premise becomes evident it almost feels a little Saw-like. Largely made up of flashbacks, of what led Alexa and Pietro into the situation they’re in, it feels a meditative experience, reflective, as the characters muse on their mistakes, and what potentially could have been. Rosalba Neri is often cast in such a role, possessing an almost supernatural beauty, but here she feels at her most human, imbuing Alexa with flawed mortality. The pacing can feel a little laborious at times, but I found myself utterly transfixed, and not in the least expecting such a restrained and distinct experience.

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[19] Absurd
Inspired doesn’t quite do justice to the relationship Joe D’Amato’s Absurd has with John Carpenter’s Halloween, it feels created to ape it, at every opportunity. It has its very own Dr. Loomis, here a Priest, played by Edmund Purdom, who seems to think he’s auditioning for Dracula. Musical cues feel directly lifted, it’s almost as if you can hear the actual score for Halloween lurking underneath the surface. In typical Italian exploitation fashion it pushes the boundaries, going for excess, providing our substitute for Michael Myers, played by George Eastman, with power tools. He’s even referred to as 'the Boogeyman'. They attempt to explain the inexplicable, regenerating cells, a nonsense that takes away from the mystery and the awe. Absurd does work in its own right however, there are some spectacular scenes that work exactly because of the lack of restrain; one character’s return from having their head baked in an oven, their hair singed off, and that final shot, both shocking and hilarious, the character’s arc awesome in its ridiculousness.

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[20] The Mutilator
When one character remarks on a missing Battle Axe from a wall mount, you know what you’re in for, and in this regard, Buddy Cooper’s The Mutilator doesn’t disappoint. At one point in danger of being lost in its current form, like Blood Rage, it has been lovingly restored and resurrected from obscurity (and woeful DVD bootlegs) by Arrow Video. They’ve done almost too good a job; you can see a prosthetic neck on one victim as their throat is slit. It’s reassuringly formulaic, in the way that most of the more enjoyable slashers from the ‘80s are. There’s just the right amount of gratuitous gore, the kills having variety in their implements, the aforementioned Battle Axe, a hook, the engine from a motorboat. The script is unintentionally funny, filled with clunky dialogue, woeful attempts at humour, it sort of becomes endearing. The film features an amazing, blackly comic closing kill, because there always has to be one final scare, no matter how outside the realms of possibility it is.

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[21] Mountaintop Motel Massacre
Mountaintop Motel Massacre has a dark heart, a mean-spirited slasher calling to mind the likes of The Redeemer and Alice, Sweet Alice. There’s an immoral blackness, the opening slaying of a child’s pet, followed by another pet being fitted for a noose to serve as sacrifice for some bizarre satanic ritual. The film effectively uses animals frequently to unnerve the viewer. The local Priest is toting a bottle of alcohol rather than a bible, and one character’s challenging of religion serves to add to an air of hopelessness, even the protagonists are distasteful examples of a wretched humanity. Evelyn’s traversal of the catacomb-like tunnels under the motel, cobweb strewn, roots hanging, is a striking visual, one sickle death, spectacular in its practical effects pay-off shot. It’s occasionally stupid, and the acting is often dire, but Mountaintop Motel Massacre emotes to the viewer, giving an experience beyond the practicalities of its parts. An absolute gem of slasher cinema that is criminally underrated.

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[22] Twisted Nightmare
As a slasher enthusiast it is always a joy to discover a slasher that you’ve never seen before, especially one with a backwoods camp setting. Twisted Nightmare nails its visual aesthetic, from the fashion and hairstyles to the night-time scenes, an arresting mix of blue-hued darkness and an abundance of billowing fog. There’s an unmanageable cast of detestable characters, often you find yourself wondering which one that was getting killed, or trying to remind yourself of how they related to the group. The kills are only sporadically striking, a supernaturally electrified fence sequence is of particular note, but mostly it’s pretty run of the mill, they do however have a frequency that aids the pacing tremendously. The look of the killer is a little inconsistent, occasionally striking awe, but mostly looking hokey. It attempts to end with an explosive finale, but it all feels a little flat and contrived.

Not completely up to date porting them over here, but I do have just 6 more films to watch and review. Very excited for tonight and tomorrow. Loads of trash food and drink to keep me awake. I've been working through Stranger Things 2 over the past couple of days too, four more episodes to go, hopefully two tonight and two tomorrow, and it'll be finished on Halloween night.

Demdike@Cult Labs · #**1673** 30th October 2017, 04:34 PM

October 29th

Flesh Eater (1988)

It's virtually impossible to be too unkind towards a film in which Bill Hinzman reprises his role of 'graveyard zombie' in this low budget, often clumsily acted, T&A gore fest.

Basically that's the film. It's set on Halloween, Hinzman rises from the grave and kills and zombifies all he comes across. It's impossible to get behind any of the cast because they are just there to be slaughtered in all manner of ways as Hinzman goes from farm to farm, meaning eventually there are zombies everywhere and we appear to be back in Romero's Night of the Living Dead territory with locals taking pot shots at anything that moves.

When you know a film's heart's in the right place you can still find it enjoyable as i do with Flesh Eater.

Recommended to special audiences.

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

A New York police constable is sent to the village of Sleepy Hollow to investigate the murder and decapitation of three of its citizens. Once there he learns of the mythical ghostly Headless Horseman whom the locals are sure is the killer.

Tim Burton perfects his love of all things Gothic in Sleepy Hollow, from the misty and foreboding woods to the numerous jack o' lanterns lighting the way. His greatest creation being the Horseman itself. A dark scary figure riding a pure black stallion, sound systems positively thunder whenever the horse charges into a scene.

Johnny Depp leads an outstanding, mainly British cast in this Halloween classic.

Susan Foreman · #**1674** 30th October 2017, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

October 29th

Flesh Eater (1988)

It's virtually impossible to be too unkind towards a film in which Bill Hinzman reprises his role of 'graveyard zombie' in this low budget, often clumsily acted, T&A gore fest.

Basically that's the film. It's set on Halloween, Hinzman rises from the grave and kills and zombifies all he comes across. It's impossible to get behind any of the cast because they are just there to be slaughtered in all manner of ways as Hinzman goes from farm to farm, meaning eventually there are zombies everywhere and we appear to be back in Romero's Night of the Living Dead territory with locals taking pot shots at anything that moves.

When you know a film's heart's in the right place you can still find it enjoyable as i do with Flesh Eater.

Recommended to special audiences

This film was forever ruined when Vipco renamed it 'Zombie Nosh'!