Tales from the Crypt

Tales from the Crypt

Directed by: Freddie Francis

UK/USA, 1972

Horror Anthology, 92min

I’m still watching a lot of anthology flicks, and before the Crypt Keeper was a rotted corpse puppet on HBO (as played by John Kassir), he was Ralph Richardson. Legendary, majestic Ralph Richardson, or God from Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits if you love that flick as much as I do.

Deep down underneath the gothic atmosphere of the British equivalent of Jean Rollin’s beloved Pere Lachaise, Highgate Cemetery (where amongst others Douglas Adams and Karl Marx rest) the Crypt Keeper hosts a series of gruesome fates told to his blissfully unaware visitors. Five short stories and the interweaving wraparound with Richardson and leading cast are shared with us and I’ll be damned if this isn’t amongst the finest ever of Amicus anthology films. British anthology horror at its finest, and nobody did it better than Amicus.

Just like the successful TV series fifteen years later, this Amicus production takes its inspiration and stories from a bunch of Tales from the Crypt and Vault of Horror short form horror comics.  Five stories kick this racket, five stories right out of the pages of the EC comics Tales from the Crypt and Vault of Horror and it shows. These stories are everything that made those comics so damned controversial and amazing to start with. You know exactly what you are going to get with this fare, short and to the point horror with creepy atmosphere and ironic twists!

After walking astray in the vaults of the cemetery a bunch of people on the guided tour end up in an underground lair where the Crypt Keeper welcomes them. He starts to show them visions; visions that we pretty soon understand are their untimely demises. This is where the chills start to run down your spine.

The first story out sees Joan Collins once again reminding the audience why she was the hotness of the hot at the time this movie was made telling the tale of violent death and the way fate settles the score. And All Through The House starts with a murder and Collins panicking as she tries to rid all the evidence so that her young daughter doesn’t see what has happened… only to hear over the radio that an escaped maniac [Oliver MacGreevy] dressed as Santa Claus has escaped from the mental institute. Moments later she hears her daughter scream and guess who’s rapping at the window! Tense, fast and ferocious, what a splendid opener!

The second story Reflections of Death sees a scenario not to unlike H.P. Lovecraft’s The Outsider when Ian Hendry tries to find his way home after a fiery car crash. Short and to the point this is effective storytelling and it delivers a great climax!

The third story and undoubtedly the finest moment of this collection, is Poetic Justice starring Robin Phillips, David Markham and the majestic Peter Cushing. This tells the tale of predjudice and how two fancypants snobs go to extreme measures to rid themselves of the neighbor they presume is a dirty smelly old man. Cushing is  Arthur  Edward Grimsdyke, who still talks to his passed wife, is friendly to the neighbourhood kids and has a few dogs to many. Hence the neighbors, the Elliots presuming that his house is filthy and stinking of dog shit. Wnating to rid themselves of him as to up the value of their own property they scheme a diabolical plan to push the old man over the edge. A series of nasty valentines day cards are sent and realixing that the messages inside are not ones of love, Grimsdyke takes his own life… But one year later to the day, he arises from his grave to take his revenge. This entry is stunning, Cushing is fantastic and this is the epitome of EC horror. A masterpiece in it’s own right and comes with some fantastic moments of shock and awe.

W.W. Jacobs old classic The Monkeys Paw serves as inspiration and is even referenced in the fourth tale of horror, Wish You Where Here as Ralph Jason [Richard Greene] finds himself with a roublesome economy. Taking something of a last look at their many trophies purchased overseas on their many journeys abroad his wife Enid [Barbara Murray] notices an inscripture on one of their many statues… remember the wise words Carefull what you wish for? Well never did they ring more true than here as the economical problems become the least of their worries and a very shocking climax that for many years was cut from the movie startled the audience, has finally found it’s way back into the film. Blood and guts galore!

The final grim tale is all about the new boss in town. Nigel Patrick is Major William Rogers, a vile bastard with a sadistic streak and a passion for sicking his Alsatian dog on the inhabitants of the all male, blind ward he’s just become head of. Although George Carter [Patrick Magee] won’t have it, and after rallying his fellow inmates, the insane, or rather the blind, take over the asylum and Major Rogers get’s to taste his own medicine. If you have a phobia for razorblades, they you’ll probably faint when you see the razorblade infested walls of the tight corridors the callous Major is forced to walk.

With an all star cast, yes I think we can call it an all star cast as it houses many great British actors and actresses, Tales from the Crypt is something of a who’s who of UK low budget horror fare. Upon it’s release, Tales from the Crypt became one of the most successful films of the year in the US. Hence leading Amicus to continu with the great string of anthology anthology horrors that beaome something of a signature style of Amicus.  Another few years later a remake was planned by George A. Romero and Stephen King. Luckily they decided against it and instead came up with Creepshow another example of anthology movies that pay homage to both Amicus and the EC horror comic universe. 

Berberian Sound Studio

Berberian Sound Studio

Directed by: Peter Strickland

UK, 2012

Thriller, 92min

Ok, quick fix on this movie… Well it’s set in the seventies and about a typical stiff upper lipped British bloke, Gilderoy [Toby Jones], who travels to Italy to work with the sound design on director Santini’s [Antonio Mancino] new historically correct inquisition film The Equestrian Vortex – that’s exploitation horror to you and me and Gilderoy. 

Somewhere between the letters from mom, and being nauseated by the on-screen, off-screen atrocities Toby seemingly falls for Silvia [Fatma Mohamed] - whom producer Francesco Coraggio [Cosimo Fusco] warns Gilderoy has “poison in her tits”. The emotional detour leads him to becoming lost in his own imagination where the line between film and fiction is erased… 

Let’s be honest, Berberian Sound Studio is a tricky movie to grasp in one sitting, and there’s really no right or wrong analysis of this film, as everyone is going to read it their own way. This is one of those films that will split audiences in two halves. The ones who are angered because flips in and out of diegetic and non-diegetic audio, has a really trippy narrative and does all that it possibly can to mess with the audiences head, and the ones that simply take it for what it is – a curious thriller flipping in and out of diegetic and non-diegetic audio, has a really trippy narrative and does all that it can to mess with the audiences head. 

Oh! And Suzy Kendall get’s a credit as special guest screamer!

Let me put it this way, Berberian Sound Studio is fucking brilliant and mandatory viewing for fans of Eurohorror and Giallo. No it’s not a horror film, it’s more of a mental mind trip in with elements of Brian DePalma’s Blow Up, Coppola’s The Conversation, Dario Argento’s Suspiria and Michael Armstrong’s Mark of the Devil… and it’s also a movie about what you didn’t see. NO, this isn’t a Giallo homage, NO, this isn’t a Eurohorror homage, this is something quite different and indeed.

To sum it up, Berberian Sound Studio is like being really drunk and trapped in that scene of the sound engineers in Luigi Cozzi’s “Dario Argento – Master of Horror” creating sound effects and magic that we all associate with classic Italian genre fare. That’s where this movie takes place and if you do like those kind of movies, you will get a kick out of this mind expanding piece of cinema. 

Here’s that scene from Luigi Cozzi’s Dario Argento: Master of Horror which partially captures the essence of Berbian Sound Studio!

And here's the UK trailer:

Soon to be released by NjutaFilms on DVD and also screening at the MONSTERS OF FILM festival 26-29 September.

Grabbers

Grabbers

Directed by: Jon Wright

UK/Ireland, 2012

Horror/Comedy/Sci-Fi, 94min

Distributed by: Noble Entertainment

Tentacles are go! I love tentacle monster movies, and Grabbers is tentacles and aliens from another dimension galore. This is a real treat for fans of easy-going sci-fi with some laughs and sticky horror with a heart at the core.

On the remote Irish island, Erin Island, peace and calm is the way of the world. But then, and there’s always a but, something falls into the sea just off shore, something from another world. Three fishermen go missing when the unseen something attacks them from out of the water. A new day dawns, and Garda Lisa Nolan [Ruth Bradley] steps of the ferry to spend a two week vacation from her regular position as Garda in Dublin, only to be met by her, for a fortnight temporary colleague Garda Ciarán O’Shea [Richard Coyle]. O’Shea nursing a huge hangover as he’s a raging alcoholic takes her right out to the beach where a pod of stranded whales – with vicious lacerations – have been swept ashore. Marine Biologist Dr. Adam Smith [Russell Tovey] has no sane explanation for the lacerations or why the whales have died… but the audience has already started putting pieces together as they know from the initial attack that there’s something out there in the water. (But not for long!) Later that night drunken fisherman Paddy [Lalor Roddy] tells Shea of the strange beast he caught in his nets the night before, a monster that he has captive in his bathtub at home. Not much more need be said before Paddy get’s back to his home and is attacked by the beast. After stomping it to what he thinks is to its death, he takes it to Smith who calls in Nolan and Shea. When the creature comes back to life and starts lashing out at them, they know they have a problem on their hands… a problem with two dozen tentacles and an appetite for human blood!

Grabbers is a fine piece of sci-fi horror meshed with Saturday afternoon matinee a dash of comedy. It's not to scary, not too much sci-fi, not to schlocky and not to demanding of its audience. It’s an easy ride and gentle fare with some really outstanding special effects.

Playing by all the rules, the movie takes its time to set up the lead characters – even tossing in a red herring to explain certain of their traits, keeps the alien space monster off screen as long as possible and when it brings it on, oh my god what a beautiful sight! As far as CGI monsters go this one is a real delight, the design, the way it moves and the way it is used is top notch.

The comedy angle is subtle, and plays off prejudice that Irish are drunks. Well in this case it works to their benefit, as being drunk is what can save the inhabitants of the small island from being eaten by the alien. Interaction between locals is fun and despite all their flaws and motifs for animosity, there's a mutual respect and affection for everybody when push comes to shove.

There’s something of a classic rom-com subplot where Shea falls for Nolan more or less from square one, and talking about squares, his rival is found in stiff British marine biologist Dr. Smith. Obviously Nolan shines a keen eye to Smith and Shea finds himself in a position where he needs to develop as a character to gain her heart… which he does when he decides to quit his alcoholism in an act of nobility so that he can save his fellow villagers.

Richard Coyle is getting some interesting and cool parts these days after playing second fiddle for a long time. Central characters of versatility such as Wallace in Outpost: Black Sun, Frank in the Pusher remake, and Garda Clarán O’Shea in Grabbers. He’s come quite far since being the goofy welsh lad on Coupling, and hopefully we will get to see him progress with further great parts to come.

Grabbers, out on DVD from Noble Entertainment now, perfect for the weekend.

And Soon the Darkness

And Soon the Darkness

Directed by: Robert Fuest

UK, 1970

Horror, 99min

How many “Lost gems” are there really out there? I find that every now and again, say every six months, a movie is released of which there’s little or less know, and after watching it I find myself with the same damned question! How the heck did this film slip off the radar, and why don’t more of us know about it?

And Soon the Darkness shouldn’t have been able to slip through our fingers as it’s more or less the lovechild of several predominate personas in horror and science fiction drama back in the sixties. Director Robert Fuest is certainly no stranger to low budget, low key thriller/horror fare with titles such as The Abominable Dr Phibes 1971, Dr. Phibes Rises Again 1972 and delightful occult “Lost masterpiece” The Devil’s Rain 1975 – which seems to be having a great revival right now. Fuest was also involved with UK Sixties pop culture secret agent sensation The Avengers and it’s follow-up series during the seventies. A quick glance at the screenwriters and you find Brian Clemens, also connected to The Avengers, The Persuaders, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad 1973 and even directed the Hammer outing Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter 1974. Finally, but certainly not least, Terry Nation, again connected to the previous two, through The Avengers, The Persuaders and also The Saint, but most importantly being the simple fact that HE IS the man responsible for Doctor Who’s all time archenemy, The Daleks.

So how come this movie slipped us by? Well in some ways it “rediscovered” in 2010 when Marcos Efron directed a US remake, adaptation featuring American lasses set in Argentina. Yeah, that one went completely past us without an imprint too… More the reason to dig out the original and 1970 Robert Fuest film based on screenplay by Brian Clemens and Terry Nation to see what this “Lost gem" has to offer up, and why.

A three-sentence quick fix is all you need to enjoy this little gem, and here it is: Two young women Jane [Pamela Francis, who also starred in John Hough’s seminal work The Legend of Hell House 1973] and Cathy [Michele Dotrice] are on a bike trip through France. After Cathy flirts with a man, Paul, [Sandor Elès] that they meet at a roadside café, an argument makes the women fall out with each other and go separate ways… But when Jane returns, Cathy is nowhere to be found.

The stranger in a strange land plot is a great one. Take people from one country, stick them in another where the hardly manage the lingo – even if its only French – and hey presto they are alienated and find themselves having severe difficulty communicating with their antagonists.  This device is used frequently in And soon the darkness, and in such a way that the lead character certainly feel the threat of the situations and not the actual meaning of what’s being said.

Quite often stupid reasons separate protagonists from each other, you know, the classic Oh I’ll pop over here whilst you go that way and look for that strange man… thankfully And Soon the Darkness separates Jane and Cathy in a logic way. A classic argument over who has the right to decide what their joint holiday is all about. After bickering Jane takes off leaving Cathy to lap up the sun and listen to pop music in a little secluded woodlands area just off the road. Way down the road Jane starts to see the error of her arrogance and stops at a rural roadside café as she awaits Cathy… but the wait will be long, as we already know something’s happened to Cathy.

This is where guilt comes into play. After her arrogant reasoning blows over, Jane starts to feel guilt. Cathy has gone missing and it’s her fault. Well not necessarily her fault, but she feels guilty for acting like a child and leaving her in the grassy nook of the roadside woods. This guilt is what drives Jane throughout the movie, taking her to places, into situations and talking to characters that she should perhaps have been more careful about. Guilt can drive characters to do completely irrational things if it’s in the goal of satisfying their conscience.

In a series of neat moves, that predates slasher traits a decade later, there’s a warning omen when an old woman [Hana Maria Pravda] warns Jane she’s travelling on “bad road!” a “Helper character” who delivers exposition and a seemingly crazy old mute  [Jean Carmet] who lives in a bust up shack just off the road. With this said, the disappearance of Cathy becomes even more menacing as there’s an apparent threat posed – she may be dead, and Jane might be next! The threat is enhanced as we learn of a previous murder of a young female tourist years earlier, and characters become even stranger in their behaviour. Made today, this would have been survival horror and we’d definitely had seen some torture porn along the way. But being a movie with forty-two years on it’s neck, And soon the darkness, is a classic old school mystery thriller with some rather tense and unsettling moments. The mind wanders easily towards Hitchcock and the great moods he created, as the questions keep being posed and are never answered until the very last moment. Slowly building up to that last minute shocking reveal, and an ending that I’m surprised didn’t earn this movie a wider reputation than what it has!

A lot of the tension comes through the matter of trust. Who is lurking in the woods, are the roadside innkeepers to rely on, can she really believe the story the English ex-pat [Clare Kelly] tells her, is Paul and his suspicious crime preventing theories trustworthy, and should she really put her faith in the help of the Gendarmerie [John Nettleton]. Who is friend, who is foe, your guess could be the last one you make.  The movie presents a gallery of shoddy characters as the plot thickens, and just when you start to decide where you have them, Fuest shakes things up and takes a swift turn in a new direction, quite often due to the paranoia that Jane is starting to experience.

Definitely a movie I’d recommend, and a delightful little thriller that really works. And Soon the Darkness needs to be brought back out into the daylight and re-discovered by fans of UK horror, and old school genre cinema.