Dethcharm

VAMPIRE'S KISS is the perfect Nicolas Cage movie. Those familiar with Mr. Cage's career, know that his particular talents are on full display here. He plays a man named Peter Loew, who - allegedly - encounters a beautiful vampire (Jennifer "Flashdance" Beals), and slowly becomes one himself, while completely unraveling mentally.

The result is a glorious performance, to say the least!

He yells. He screams. He jumps. He contorts. He gyrates. He becomes a living cartoon character!

Watching as he destroys his own apartment is a revelation!

You simply MUST see / hear Loew recite the alphabet to his psychiatrist! And, it just gets better from this point!

No one on God's green Earth can go bug-eyed quite like Mr. Cage! No one! In fact, he even eats a bug! A cockroach! The man truly suffers for his art!

The big question with this film has always been: Is he really turning into a vampire, or is he crazy? Actually, it hardly matters. It's all about Nicolas Cage, and his rare gift.

Special mention must go to Ms. Maria Conchita Alonso as Loew's assistant. She bears most of the brunt of his antics.

WARNING: Nothing can possibly prepare you for the final 40 minutes of this film!

Well, except for, perhaps, some LSD...

THE UNTAMED is that rare horror film that actually brings something different to the table. Very different. On its face it's a drama about a married couple, filled with domestic strife and violence. But, at its heart, it's a tragedy, playing with themes such as loneliness, unfulfilled love, and addiction.

It's also a Lovecraftian nightmare.

Alejandra (Ruth Ramos) goes through the motions of her marriage to her vile, pig of a husband, Angel (Jesus Meza). Her life is a stale, deadening existence. One day, through strange circumstances, Alejandra meets a friend of her brother, named Veronica (Simone Bucio), who takes her to a place where she will be changed forever.

Of course, This is no fairy tale, so, things take a turn into the bizarre, and the disturbing.

Yes, there is nudity, as well as a few - somewhat - graphic sexual situations, but they are essential to the plot, and used in ways that are far from titillating.

If you lament the fact that there just aren't many original ideas anymore, this movie might restore your confidence...

Directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury take us back in time, to the 1950s-60s. Those days of innocence and... the Sawyer family.

LEATHERFACE is a prequel that shows what led up to the horrific events of Tobe Hooper's gruesome masterpiece. While nothing can top the original TCM, this movie does unveil a believable backstory. There's plenty of obligatory gore, and some rather twisted scenes, including a disgusting "threesome" in a trailer. The splatter-rich finale will satisfy true gorehounds.

Special mention must be made of the great Lili Taylor as the relentless Verna. Her "motherly love" will send a shiver up the stoutest spine! Stephen Dorff is also good as the vengeful Sheriff Hartman.

Bloody great cinema for the carnage connoisseur...