a_baron

This is an Italian film or at least is set in Italy although all the cast speak flawless English and there appears to be no overdubbing. That is hardly surprising because the international cast includes Americans as well as Germans. It's only a pity it didn't include decent acting.

The film begins with an horrific murder, and frankly it's amazing they got away with this sort of thing in 1964, especially the torture/death scene in which one of the victims has her face forced onto a red hot metal surface.

At this time, cigarettes were if not universal then ever present. "Kiss me, darling" is one line. And choke on that nicotine? Be serious.

So what do you need to know about this film? Well, it has rather a lot of mood music, very few police officers at the scenes of the murders, and none of the forensic boys at all.

There is a twist in the end, sort of, but only if you last long enough to watch it.

The "Halloween" franchise started in the 1970s; the "Friday 13th" franchise in 1980. Whether or not Michael Myers or Jason Vorhees are dead and buried, their spirits live on. "Berkshire County" takes place on Halloween when a group of psychos - one of them a child - invade a large house in a fairly remote area where our teen heroine is babysitting two infants.

The villains wear pig masks - again, not original, but of a slightly younger (sort of) franchise - and it is her task to fight them off, which she does with remarkable courage and vigour. The final scene is, hopefully, a dream sequence, most likely the gateway to a sequel which may or may not materialise. The soundtrack isn't bad but where it differs from the original "Halloween" is our girl's ritual humiliation at the beginning of the film, something that has absolutely nothing to do with the plot, but here is a warning for you, ladies. If a guy asks you to do this anywhere except in the privacy of your own bedroom, walk away.

Bad Frank, terrible film. Was this piece of trash really nominated for 21 awards and even worse, did it really win 19 of them?

Frank is a man who has a past he would rather forget, a past he has broken away from. Suddenly he is reunited with that past when he agrees to take part in a drug deal. Unknown to him, the guy who is buying the drugs decides to pay for them with bullets, which results in two dead drug dealers and an emotional breakdown for Frank.

This leads him to decide to tip off the police; as his father had been a police officer, that is an easy step. Unfortunately for him, the walls have ears, and the dude has his wife. So what does Frank decide to do? Kidnap the man's daughter, of course.

As the drama unfolds it becomes clear that Frank's past has less to do with criminality - the financial type - than with rage that results in violent explosions. Obviously this can't end well. Sadly, that summary sounds a lot better than the actual film.