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Lucifer's Satanic Daughter (2021)
A fun if problematic psychedelic-fueled witchcraft feature
Taking a road trip together, a group of friends going out to visit a friend with the drug stash he shares with his friends, and as they spend the time getting high with the others at the house find that a witch has been released on a bloodsoaked rampage forcing them to try to stop it.
Overall, this was a decidedly tough film to get a handle on. Among the better features here is that there's a dementedly bizarre and over-the-top set of imagery that makes up a large part of the running time. The psychedelic camera work, off-kilter setups, and just plain outlandish concepts about growing up in a society of friends who go about their days wanting nothing more than the next spectacular LSD hit or other similar drugs are quite impressive, adding a vibrant energy to the chaotic first half. With everything here enhanced by the storytelling aspect of the group getting high, stoned, or wasted that it comes off with a matching synergy towards that kind of kinetic visual style, there's plenty of fun to go around in this regard. The other really fun aspect to be had with this one is the setup involving the returning witch camping to life and attacking everyone. The initial attack on the couple in the car is fantastic, working with their induced state to disorientate enough without even needing their supernatural powers which come about any way to help provide some impressive visuals and gory deaths a later encounter in the woods where one of the friends snaps and takes out a group member as a sacrifice to the witch is a great setpiece enhanced by its otherworldly aesthetics, much like an encounter in the cave home where it attacks another victim. With the big finale featuring chases on a broomstick, psychedelic-fueled encounters that make it impossible to tell what's happening, and some frenetic action and gore, these all give this a lot to like. There are some issues with this one that drag it down. The major problem with the film is a lethargic tempo that causes the running time to get stretched out far beyond what it should've been. The endless inserts about the trouble with drugs, metal music, and open-ended sex at the beginning that aren't all that necessary, the flashback scenes of their interactions with each other in the past rather than tell a simple story about it, or the interpersonal drama going on at the house are all fine in small doses that help to move the plot along and get to know everyone. However, this all manages to make for an overlong first half that paints a picture of drug-addled youth without much of any interest beyond their free-spirited nature and takes quite a while before anything actually happens. Another big factor is that even though this one brings about the inability to recognize the danger of what's going on with everything here taking place but not interrupting their partying or drug use. The group constantly wanders around the woods trying to find lost members of the party, head for a quiet place to get busy or go off looking for their significant other yet nothing comes about when the killings start. Even those who witness the incidents and survive don't get much interest in anything happening, and while it works with their altered mind preventing them from recognizing anything, it all feels more like a contrivance to focus on drug use than how people would genuinely react to the situation. It feels somewhat off-putting and tends to bring this one down overall.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, extensive drug use, Full Nudity, Graphic Language, and sexual content.
Go Away (2024)
An overall enjoyable and effective indie home invasion slasher
Gathering together for a family reunion, a family meets at a remote house in the countryside for a special dinner celebration only to find the festivities interrupted by a vicious gang of intruders forcing them to play a deadly life-or-death game to escape but a further intruder may disrupt everyone's plans.
This was a fun and enjoyable slasher effort. One of the film's better elements here comes from the rather solid setup that takes place here. With the whole affair coming about nicely with the events of the cold open setting up the gang of intruders and how they operate featuring the games and cruel twists that come about, this sets up the intruders and their malevolent ways quite nicely. While this all plays out, the rest of the setup here features the trials and tribulations of the family that ranges from unfaithfulness to secretive relationships and ulterior motives to everything going on with them that all provide a great setup to this one. That provides the film with a lot of fun to be had once it gets to the invasion where the intruders start taking over the house. Utilizing plenty of rather effective and brutal stalking scenes of the family being targeted in the house under the guise of a demented series of games, this develops a slew of effective and suspenseful sequences with the group trying to make their way through the night. With encounters spread liberally throughout the house and managing to bring about a lot of encounters with pretty much everyone involved, it adds quite a bit to the film as that allows this one to dive into a rather brutal series of kills that feature quite a lot of great gore. Overall, these factors provide this with quite a lot to like about it while there are several small factors to hold this down. One of the most obvious flaws here is the rather unlikable main family that takes a lot of the interest out of the main section of the film. Again believing that a bunch of people spending time yelling at each for petty problems and general douchebaggery behavior is supposed to make them sympathetic, instead, it does the opposite and causes a bit of a struggle to care about them going forward. As well, there's also very little about the invading group that makes sense with little to no explanation for who they are, what their purpose is, why they targeted the group, or how it all works together with the other killer in the area which doesn't really affect it that much but does hold it back slightly.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Brief Nudity, and a sex scene.
Broken Innocence (2024)
A far more flawed effort than anything even with some enjoyable aspects
Living in a tragic family life, a woman tries to deal with the abusive situation surrounding her parents that leaves her feeling abandoned and neglected which causes her to lash out at others leading to the realization that she can get away with murder and setting her off on a killing spree.
This was a massively underwhelming effort. Among its main problems is the way everything is just so disconnected and scattershot with the way it approaches the family dynamic. As it's supposed to be a continuous build-up of events over time leading to the snap and eventual realization of everything coming together to explain how it all leads to the killing spree, instead we're just dropped into the family dynamic with no build-up, no context, and little reason to care as a result. All we get is an angsty daughter snapping at everyone around her for the most indiscriminate means, a well-meaning mother who instead acts like a pushover due to the standoffish nature she portrays trying to keep the peace, and a father with an obviously secretive lustful desire to the daughter that strains the relationship with his wife. This works fine at establishing the motive later on as we get the backstory explaining everything about why she's distrustful of everyone and why she snaps the way she does, but it comes after the point we've lost interest in that due to the way we get dropped into a situation with unlikable people. That leads to the other big problem where it's just dragged out way too long for its own good with incidental elements that don't feel needed or necessary to the story. The endless therapy sessions that crop up without doing much of anything important in them, the mind-numbing hangouts with the daughter's best friend that don't really amount to much of anything about her, and the focus on trying to establish how the parents' needs are the main focus is on them rather than the daughter which is arguably far more important and intriguing. This causes the film to be far longer than it should be with the rampage coming across so late into the movie it's quite easy to forget what type of film it really is. As well as the other features involving the quest to seduce the handyman or trying to lean into his obsessive desires about his daughter drag this one out past the point of mattering about its positives. That doesn't distinguish from the fact that those positives are quite enjoyable. The more we learn about the true nature of what's going on with her damaged past serving as a fine prelude for the mind games she plays with everyone as what happened to her is a genuinely traumatic and disturbing incident that explains the behavior displayed completely. That she goes through such a convoluted and unhinged game makes all the more sense because of how she came to be from these incidents that lead to a scheme of a manipulative figure looking to strike back at those around her which includes the occasional murder attempt which are quite gruesome and bloody when they strike out of nowhere. Hence, the shock of it all comes together quite nicely. The frenzied and chaotic finale where the broken and shattered remains of what's happened to the both of them leaves this with some fun stalking and confrontations in play while also bringing about a logical way to wrap everything together so that the trauma of everything is handled rather well so it has some positive points about it. Overall, these manage to provide some enjoyable factors.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Violence, and intense themes of child sexual abuse.
Cryptids (2023)
An uneven if still enjoyable indie anthology effort
Hosting a new radio show, a shock jock listens in as callers give their encounters with different cryptids and other creatures of the world.
The Good Stor(ies): Scared-Hosting a special party with friends, a woman comes to believe that a series of strange encounters are the result of a series of demented child deformities known as Melonheads which are known to run wild in the area. This was a pretty solid way to get this one started. The initial setup with the party and how her fears about the children being out there as the cause of everything gives this a solid start, much like the brief bit of backstory we get to explain their presence and existence in the area. It all leads into the series of gruesome and brutal confrontations within the house and surrounding areas showing the creatures coming out and swarming the victims in a non-stop battle that has a lot to like with the atmosphere of it all and the carane needed to stop them. It feels short and flimsy without much explanation for everything but it's still a lot of fun.
The Forest Bride-Heading out into the woods, a legendary tracker and his assistant looking for a slew of missing persons in the area find a survivor which leads them back into the woods to track down the legendary creature that attacked her. Overall, this was a pretty decent if somewhat flawed genre effort. The central setup works well here with the idea of looking for the injured hiker and going further into the woods to track down the creature that injured her serves it quite well. The rescue mission itself and the discoveries made at that point offer up a rather strong storyline that has a lot to like. That it's so short and doesn't offer up a lot of context for what's going on gives this one a lot more ambiguity than expected with what's going on as things happen without explanation which is the main issue with it.
Chupacabra Death Machines-After disappointing their bosses, a group of low-level drug-runners are kidnapped and left inside a strange warehouse where they're then systematically hunted down and killed by strange creatures for punishment. This was a wildly fun and enjoyable segment. The main storyline is a bit underwhelming and would have easily been expanded out into a full story offering just the bits and pieces here with how they come together and the other scenes of the group watching everything on their monitors. The attacks are brief but brutal, managing to get a lot to like while being let down just enough in its brevity and lack of context that it can only benefit from being expanded upon.
Trick or Beast-Following a series of animal attacks, a group of friends decide to head out on a monster-hunting mission to prank a friend of theirs, but when they realize the extent of their plan are faced with a monstrous creature. This was a solid if underwhelming genre effort. The central setup is solid enough and gets quite a lot to like with the group trying to pull off the prank on their friend which brings them into contact with the mysterious creature that serves as a great punchline to the whole situation. This one just ends up more as a secondary storyline with a creature tacked on at the very end with it being far more obvious about the prank they're trying to pull and how it all comes together that don't make this one all that exciting until the creature appears as it's taking way too long to get going, holding it back the most.
The Bad Stor(ies): Frogs Are Forever-Trying to make ends meet, a bizarre local in a small swamp town comes across a strange creature of local legend that displays far more unusual motions toward him than he's expecting. Overall, this one was more disappointing than anything. The preponderance of silly antics and general confusion over what's going on is the main issue here with the irritating lead that we're supposed to find quirky and lovable but just comes off as too odd for people to trust, his constant shiftiness and unease makes a lot of his comments seem far-fetched to the point of ridicule, and it's so shifty with it's camera-work it's hard to tell what's happening anyway as it's hard to make sense of anything going on here. The monster looks good and the scenes where we get to see the outcome of its attacks give this some solid moments but this comes off disappointing.
A Hopkinsville Encounter-Heading out to their relatives' house, a couple trying to spend quality time with their stepdad find that he's recovered a strange object from the area and plans to use it for their Halloween plans only to learn the horrifying truth about its contents. This was a rather solid idea that somewhat misses the mark overall. The main storyline here is solid enough and there's some fun mystery about the series of incidents that hint at something going on. It starts off fine enough. There's also some fun to be had with the revelation of the creature and the final encounter at the end which makes for some cheesy action at the house, which is what holds it up over a sense of brevity that renders a lot of what's going on confusing and hard to follow. By being so forthcoming with the lack of information it's hard to get invested by it but is what holds it down overall.
Infectious-Bored one day, a group of teens head into the woods for some fun only to encounter a carnage that they take to a friend of theirs for help figuring out what it is only to learn the deadly truth about it. This was a bizarre and barely worthwhile feature that only has one aspect going for it. The main factor with the segment is the solid gore involving the corrosive alien's blood that comes about in a couple of fun scenarios where the comical nature of the meltdown brings about some graphic scenarios, but otherwise there's not a whole lot to this one. The fact that there's a bizarre found-footage component to it that's not necessary and misses some important gags because of where the camera has to be positioned at that point, the old-school filter attached to it makes for a bizarre gag that doesn't need it, and with a brief running time that doesn't have time to explain anything leaves this somewhat problematic.
The Truth Serum-Hosting a new radio show, a shock jock listens in as callers give their encounters with different cryptids and other creatures of the world. As a means of setting everything in motion, this is a decent enough wraparound to get things going. The concept of the radio show to give people a means of calling in so that the stories are called become the segments featured here is a great touch, and the interactions with the co-producer give it a touch of levity that's fun enough overall. There's just not enough interaction elsewhere in between the segments to make for a fun time as it's just straight in to the next one without any time to breath or setup the next story so it all feels a bit rushed, and the final interactions are a bit rushed as well so it just seems to end without much resolution so it also ends on a sour note as well for it's few drawbacks.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.
Devon (2024)
A solid if somewhat problematic found-footage effort
After escaping from the situation, a woman recounts how her and a group of strangers were brought together by a strange internet ad to look into a missing person's case at an abandoned insane asylum only to encounter the fact that it's genuinely haunted and full of malicious spirits.
This was a far better-than-expected found-footage effort. One of the better features with this one is the rushed if still appropriate setup that manages to get everyone together and at the location. Given just a brief backstory on the asylum where everything is set which gives just a brief bit about what went on there and the scandals that went on at the location while it was in operation, how it goes about bringing the group of explorers looking into the case of the missing girl at that place is a solid enough touch. With the random group of kids coming together through the online ad asking for info about her and the belief at an easy payday exploring an abandoned location with their cameras and equipment, there's a generally solid and enjoyable setup here that has some fun with the group of obnoxious young people arriving at a creepy location that doesn't reinvent the wheel but gets the points across rather nicely. After this fine starting point, there's quite a bit to like here with the group exploring and moving through the darkened asylum. As we've already gotten the background on the terrible history that happened, the scenes here come off incredibly well with the idea of them slowly confronting genuine supernatural activity with the darkened hallways hiding things in the distance, locked doors preventing their exit and the strange clues found around the building that hint at something unusual within the facility. As things start to escalate with the strange personalized messages written on the walls, eerie whistling in the distance, and a slew of interactions with objections manipulated by unseen forces to prove their presence, it gives a chaotic energy to what's going on that helps add to the atmosphere immensely due to the close-quarter filming with the found-footage camera-work keeping things up-close and personal. Altogether, these all manage to give this one some solid points about it while there are some slight issues within this one. As mentioned, one of the main drawbacks is the fact that it tends to follow a lot of the formula and setup usually found in the genre where it runs through the expected motions involving a group of people coming to a location that proves to be genuinely haunted and getting in over their heads as the spirits start taunting with them. That gives the film a familiar setup once it starts to get rolling as the victims are tormented psychologically and physically due to the constraints of the approach and it doesn't offer up many genuine surprises that some will see coming quite easily so it's quite obvious what will happen. That's a bit more detrimental with the structure of going back to the interrogation scenes that try to make sense of everything that serves no purpose or point here, undermining why it was found-footage in the first place since she wasn't involved in the incidents nor was she there to videotape it so these just have no real purpose being here with how often they are interjected to slow down the pacing throughout here. These are what tend to hurt it the most.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.
Spookt (2023)
A solid and enjoyable indie effort
After a series of disappearances, a paranormal researcher decides to check out a supposedly haunted house in the area to debunk rumors about it being haunted by a demented local surgeon who lived there, and when she finds a fellow investigator there both try to look into the house's haunted nature.
Overall, this was a fairly fun and enjoyable indie effort. Among its better elements is the rather fun if formulaic setup here that presents this with all the necessary features to be quite likable. Offering the kind of starting point here with the backstory of the town and the doctor's handiwork that serves as enough motivation to get the kids to believe its reputation as well as bring her out to the town to investigate, the early stages of this start off well enough to establish this for a pretty decent grounding. When it brings up the local investigator that she teams up with who's also got her own agenda and reasoning for being there, the clash of styles and personalities at the beginning manages to create a contrasting approach to the investigation which makes for a solid enough time here. With the setup established and the girls working together with their own tactics and techniques, the slow-burgeoning build to the haunted nature of the house comes across just as well as their clashing personalities bring about their resentful nature towards the other. Spending time trying to one-up or debunk the other's techniques leads to an equally solid measure of encounters that range from the objects moving in the distance to voices whispering on their equipment, or the encounter when one of them is left alone in the house trying to sleep but is soon confronted by a demonic force preventing her from doing that. With the revelation about the doll that keeps reappearing and how it all leads into some great chases and encounters in the final half where there's quite a lot to like involving the revelations that come about and the different investigations being carried out that make this one immensely fun at points. There are some drawbacks to be had with this one. The main issue here is the generally sluggish pace that keeps this one barely moving along despite the brief running time. The idea of the two being at odds with each other over preferences, approaches, and tactics makes for a great idea, but it just makes for a rather lengthy amount of time before it starts going anywhere as we're trying to establish the bond that they eventually grow into throughout the film. This ends up making it loaded on the backend with action and encounters that happen here at the expense of the first half doing more setup than anything else as it's quite haphazard with how it's staged. The other issue here is how scattered the storyline is without focusing on the haunted investigation, introducing several other paranormal phenomena in the town to suddenly get involved in the film for no reason other than to have something else to do so it's somewhat unnecessary to have all these extra features in a haunted house story. Otherwise, this wasn't that bad overall.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.
Opera (1987)
One of the better Argento efforts
Working on a new opera adaptation, a young singer takes over for the lead following an accident to the star and debuts on its opening night, but as the screening engagements continue she begins to be tormented by a crazed stalker while a strange series of murders strikes the people involved.
As one of the more impressive Argento films, this features a lot to like. As is usual, most of that comes from the astounding technical qualities on display that help to push this beyond the usual type of fair in the scene. The main aspect of that is the technical look of the film as the camera work is incredible, and might pass for some of the best of his career. A shot following a character walking along a hotel room hallway is done by moving over the furniture in the way and following them out is a real testament to the creativity to imagine such a scene. The other, more important highlight of the camera work is the incredibly well-thought-out shot of a crow flying over a crowded opera house attendees which is shown through the crow's eye view swooping and sweeping in a continuous, uninterrupted shot. Not only was it genius creatively, but it's also incorporated and pulled off quite marvelously. On top of that, the material in the opera house preparing for the production that takes place in the majestic opera house carries an air of dignity and grace that comes off quite well and is a great example of why he's such an impressive director. Some of the other trademarks of the genre are in full swing here, helping to enhance this one beyond just the stand-out technical aspects. The central storyline here is a great touch, adding a fantastic twist to an overtly familiar setup of the psychotic admirer taking his obsessive desire to see his favorite performer rise in the ranks of the theater world and take out anyone who stands in the way of that happening. It's a fairly fun way to compose the type of melodrama associated with the original story into a fully-fledged genre outing with the murders taking out the surrounding party in her inner circle bringing about a great touch for the inclusion of such stalking scenes later on with the idea taking centerstage once it becomes obvious that's what's going on. The fact that this is happening to a character like her who is far more broken and fragmented than she lets on, including the tragedies in her family past and the series of cold, professional relationships employed here that threaten to deter the ensuing investigation into the series of events surrounding the performances helps to make everything come together at a rather intriguing note and delivering a strong storyline. It's also quite effective at the other big aspects of the genre by including the gory, over-the-top murder scenes and flashy setpieces. The murders here are pretty good, not among the best of his career but certainly worthy of mention as one is stabbed in the throat with the tip of the blade puncturing through to the mouth, a series of stabs with a giant pair of scissors, being burned alive, and the centerpiece gunshot kill. After frantically trying to enter an apartment with several key characters by posing as a policeman, one of them looks into the peephole to see what he's shouting about, and the killer raises a gun to the peephole, and in slow motion, the bullet slides through the lock, into the eye and destroys a phone across the room. It is brilliantly executed, unnerving in its setting off a chain reaction of events afterward, and a perfect example of his predilection for flashy set-pieces. The killer also has one other innovative and memorable idea where they tie a piece of tape under the eyes attached with needles, forcing them open which is quite an inventive idea and brilliant in its conception. The way to expose the killer is one of the best ideas around and is executed quite brilliantly, leaving this with some strong action in the sequence as well as the other fine camera work present to give this a strong set of positives. There isn't much to dislike here but it does have some minor drawbacks. One of the major downfalls here is trying to make any sense of the finale which will result in one of the most throbbing headaches ever. There's a general sense of what was expected here, especially with the twist about how it evolves from the setup that came before and leads to the finale chase throughout the countryside, but to string the events together that are played out in the film sometimes requires great leaps of logic that shouldn't normally be true. It's not just a bad idea to include this sequence as it derails the momentum of the film trying to throw on more twist but its inclusion makes the film run on far longer than it should so it's not just a thematic issue but also a concept one as well, but as this is usual for his films shouldn't be much of a surprise. Plus, it's really the only complaint here beyond factors that aren't just personal preference issues featured within.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Language and Brief Nudity.
Ercole al centro della Terra (1961)
A far more effective peplum than outright Horror effort
Arriving in a small village, the legendary muscleman prepares to undergo his marriage to the woman he lives learns that she's afflicted with a strange disease that requires him to travel to Hell to retrieve a special object to cure her and return to the human world to save her.
Overall, this was a fairly strong peplum if somewhat lacking genre outing. One of the better features here is the rather fun way in which it sets up a believable storyline for either type of genre fare to emerge from. The arrival of the legendary hero and his friend to the village to set about marrying the woman he loves only to come across the news of her ailment that sends him on a dangerous quest is the type of simple-minded story for this type of feature. The deceit and treachery shown here that bring about furthering the need for the quest works nicely as it gives the human villain some touches on whether or not the whole thing will be worthwhile which paints him to be the perfect figure in these types of stories. The trickery that he uses to pull it off is quite ingenious with the revelation about her condition known already to the audience but not to him so the reason for everything taking place has some believable touches that help to make this rather fun. That allows for a strong setup to showcase the journey through the underworld which sets up the majority of the film. The usual series of trials and tribulations that must be accomplished to successfully complete his task allows for a solid bit of action fighting through the tangled mess of tree roots guarding a sacred apple, dispatching an indestructible rock monster, and passing ponds filled with fire among other such obstacles to overcome. With these all setting up the usually expected feats of strength and bravery atypical of the genre, there's a great sense of fun here seeing them play out with the kind of whimsical approach to the setpieces featured here including a slew of fantastical special effects to accomplish everything that he needs to make the scenes come off as thrilling and exciting. As well, with a highly exciting finale involving the race to get to his girlfriend and stop the evil ruler's plans getting some great action as well, there's a lot to like here. This one does have some big problems holding it back. The main issue here is the bizarre and disjointed storyline that tends to offer up some human villains only to tie everything together in a confusing manner. The whole point of the journey to the underworld is to save his love for his supposed wife from her condition, yet everything that transpires afterward to get the escaping daughter into the storyline as a reason to keep fighting makes for a highly convoluted means of continuing the storyline. It doesn't add much to the film, serves to eat up time it doesn't really need when a villain is already present in the film, and everything is then dropped so quickly it makes switching things up feel even more curious. With this section also feeling less like a genre effort overall and keeps the chills quite low in favor of a more adventurous feeling. These are what hold it back the most.
Today' Rating/PG: Violence.
Killing Birds (1988)
Disappointing, dull and almost unwatchable
Heading out into the woods, a group of students arrive at the home of a respected ornithologist for their study on birds being conducted nearby, but as they start to slowly disappear they find the living dead has awakened and trapped them there forcing the group to try getting away alive.
For the most part, this was a massively underwhelming and disappointing entry. Among its few solid aspects is a decent enough setup that allows for a solid enough setup for the group to get going to the location. The script and its eventual scenario are about the best thing about it, as it's a clever concept for bringing the dead into a situation as the initial prospects of the group arriving at the house to study the different birds living there and meeting the eccentric owner who relates the story about the house's history and how he got into the condition he is. This keeps the film going along quite nicely until it gets to the zombies arriving and returning to the house to seek revenge as the setup works to get them there and gives this a solid enough backstory to account for the rampage as having them come back against a group studying birds is really creative and shows that creativity and originality in the zombie genre. The other great part here is that this was pretty suspenseful when it wanted to be. The escape from the house and trying to start up the car is very suspenseful with the oncoming shadow, the frantic effort to start the car, the music playing in the background, and the background fog all combine together into one thrilling scene. The jump at the end works wonderfully as it did such a great job of setting up the thrilling race for survival that no matter how easily the jump can be predicted it still gets you. The opening scene is another great suspense scene with the unknown figure stalking the characters around the house, and a later scene where the group of students are awakened in the night to strange noises and see one of them battling something off in the distance against an unseen enemy, and the only light comes from a swinging light in the room that lights up only select portions of the room. That was perhaps the best part of the movie, as it was very suspenseful and did a great way of keeping things interesting. The gore we get is pretty good and is quite realistic as well as the decayed and rotten zombie make-up, giving this some decent enough positives. There isn't a whole lot wrong with it, but major detrimental factors hold it back immensely. The problems here all stem from the fact that this thing is boring. It's got a clever concept, but does nothing with it as instead of action we spend the majority of the time with the group simply standing around the house talking about their project or exploring the house trying to find some alone time and space for their romantic couplings. The zombies don't even show up until the last twenty minutes of the movie, making one wonder if this is a zombie movie due to the lack of traditional fare usually featured in the genre. The pace is sluggish as after the opening action the next exciting part is the end of the movie. That may be its biggest fault, as nothing happens for so long into the movie that many will turn it off before anything happens. Almost nothing happens, even with the zombie attacks. It's almost not a zombie movie, as the few we see, while looking great, play such a small part in the movie that it's nearly impossible to think of it as such which ends up being the biggest drawbacks to it.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Language and mild scenes of animal violence.
After Death (Oltre la morte) (1989)
Underrated Italian zombie goodness
After hearing about a deadly disease, a small group of soldiers heads to a Caribbean island to look for answers, only to find a gang of survivors from the army of voodoo-unleashed zombies running through the jungle and trying to stop the voodoo curse responsible for the attacks.
This was a massively fun cheesy genre effort. One of the better features here is how this one sets about its storylines which keeps this one going at a fast pace. The initial introduction of the voodoo clan running over the community as we're dropped immediately into the ceremony that resurrects the main zombie who targets the group of scientists on the island looking into the strange disease said to be over the island only for it to be revealed as the voodoo curse taking shape that brings them into construct with the deadly forces at their disposal. The second group coming to the island and checking out what's going on but getting involved just as much as the main group of survivors makes for a solid secondary storyline that brings the gang into contact with zombies at a feverish pace throughout the jungle. We get almost no scenes about the virus and concentrate the most on the zombie assault as it's just a wall-to-wall film with zombie attacks, dead bodies, and more that's great to see a movie like that. Seeing as how this is an Italian zombie film, the focus is also on the zombie make-up and gore, and once again, they rarely fault here. Tons of blood is shed here and it works in the film's favor including a particularly brutal face-rearranging and peeling, a countless amount of bites and scratches, and the gory mess each body is left in. There's a generous amount of damage from gunshots as well as blasting bodies to pieces or blasting heads apart so there is enough here for any gorehound to get into. The zombies themselves are great, being the usual Italian decayed-looking creatures while making them even more scary-looking is the fact that they all have a special look to them hardly any of the zombies look similar to another one, so they all have a distinct look to them. They all have differing body scars, dress, and overall appearance, with their clawed hands and teeth, make for a great effective creation. As these come about through a great bit of action to allow for everything to come about, this has a lot to enjoy about it. There aren't too many flaws here but it does have some factors. About the only thing to fault this film with is its total cheese-filled atmosphere with a setup more concerned with delivering action than anything else. The look of the zombies, the type of action featured here where everyone comes to continuously put themselves in danger to keep the film going, and what the storyline ultimately means for everyone with their storylines focusing on some banal reasonings that ultimately mean nothing with all of the different outcomes bringing about some flimsy setups. Given that it's all so goofy-looking and has a strange series of outcomes featured here, it all seems so silly and cheesy with its low-budget atmosphere which gives it a cheap overall impression. It's not the smartest film ever made, and it seems to be made only to appease the fans of the genre. That's about all wrong with this one as being made only for a select group isn't the worst thing in the world.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language.
Zombi 3 (1988)
One of the more underrated entries in the Italian zombie canon
After being stolen from a military base in the Philippines, a man infected with a deadly virus is found in a nearby hotel and is cremated, but his contaminated ashes fall back to Earth reawakening the dead forcing a group of soldiers and other survivors to stop it from spreading.
Overall, there's a lot more than expected to like with this one. One of the major features to like here is the quite impressive setup that brings about quite a lot of intriguing aspects. The main starting point involving the experiments on the virus, its subsequent theft by the terrorist group requiring the military to retrieve it, a terrorist getting infected seeking shelter at the hotel, and the subsequent discovery when the military catches up forcing them to dispose of the entire faculty. With this providing the cause for the outbreak as the ashes of the cremated bodies initially turning animals savage before bringing the dead to life, the starting point here is quite effective with it allowing us to get to know the main group as well as bringing up the high amount of action in this movie which is really good at making the film an exhilarating experience. The film never really bogs down anywhere as there really isn't any part of the film that will lose a viewer's attention, from shootouts to zombie attacks and chases meaning we get a lot of action in here. It's one of the most action-packed films in the genre so it will really be a pretty fast and fun film to watch. Many of them are quite entertaining, the best of which is a chase through a village that features many close calls, narrow escapes, and odd jumps that make it a nice suspenseful sequence. The odd jumps and suspense from the zombies make it a nice surprise when they show up, as it keeps the viewer on edge with the unusual amount of suspense that makes it a fun viewing experience. The bridge sequence alone is a marvelous example of the best part of the movie with the fog, the lighting, the score, all of it together with the action combined together to create a great scene. The film has a couple more great scenes like that as well, which are very interesting to watch. As well, since this is an Italian zombie film, the main focus is on the gore and makeup which is up to their usual standards. Blood is let loose with real abandon, providing a couple of stomach-churning scenes. The disembodied flying head scene is quite infamous and the shock of it is pretty genuine, a face-ripping is also really gory, and another neck-rip is pretty brutal. With the usual zombie horde masses gathered over their victims and pulling them down, there's also more gore there so this will no doubt please gore-hounds. The makeup is also passable with hideous scars covering much of their face, and rotting skin, it adds more to the traditional Italian high standards on zombie makeup belts. Another quite impressive feat was that the zombies themselves appear just as any good zombie horde should be as a never-ending threat to the characters. When they come on-screen, they are always a massive force that needs to be taken care of, always leading the heroes to deal with a small group of varying numbers in all the attacks. This perfectly gives it a threatening air that zombies need to be scary for a lot to like. There's a couple things to point out that hold it back. Firstly, there's more than one occasion where the zombies act un-zombie-like which is all plainly obvious due to the production history of this one. They use tools and weapons, engage in hand-to-hand fighting with a soldier, and get the upper hand a couple times actually while we also get a wrestling match between a zombie and soldier where they actually resort to wrestling where the zombie is pretty unconcerned with eating him, and misses several opportunities to bite the soldier. They are also incredibly acrobatic and can perform jumps, leaps, and other such moves with great ease which are decidedly not typical zombie behavior at all. Combined with its cheap look overall, these manage to bring this down overall.
Rated R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.
Rosso sangue (1981)
A generally fun and enjoyable slasher effort
After being severely wounded, a man is taken to a local hospital for surgery only to find that he's able to regenerate his wounds at a superhuman rate and escape the facility to embark on a crazed killing spree in a nearby town forcing a priest and a detective to try to stop him.
Overall, this was a fairly fun and enjoyable follow-up. The main feature of this one is the film's use of tying together the various storylines in place that get brought up here. The initial means of bringing the guy to the hospital after finding him with his guts literally hanging out and then being able to heal himself while the operation to save him is ongoing makes for a fine continuation of what was initially brought up in the first film. That continues throughout here as the eventual escape and rampage in the small town brings about a series of encounters that paint a fine picture of the regenerative properties that he's blessed with and get corroborated by the different conditions that help to give this a medically-based context. The secondary storylines here aren't that bad either and help to paint a solid picture of the crew racing to stop him or the lives of the everyday people in the middle of his rampage. The interactions with the priest who knows better and the detective trying to figure out how the whole thing takes place with his seemingly-invincible regenerative powers or the adults who are more concerned with a championship football game than anything else help to fill in other fun storylines throughout here. The idea of the police being a step or two behind and following the trail of carnage he leaves behind trying to solve where he's going and how to stop him keeps this one rumbling along nicely while also getting some fun moments thrown around. That leads nicely into the other big factor here with the film's series of brutal and graphic slasher-style setpieces showing the killer going on the rampage. Utilizing a solid mix of brutal hand-held weapons and his bare hands to emphasize his massive size and strength advantage over most normal people, the more involved and protracted sequences win out nicely here featuring the confrontation with the nurse, a battle with a meat butcher, and the stalking around the family house that plays nicely with several suspense tactics and storyline beats to be quite enjoyable. The shorter ambush scenes are based on more straightforward shock tactics with some decent gore gags all leading to the surprisingly fun cat-and-mouse stalking that plays out with the numerous participants being a lot to like here. There isn't much bringing this down but there are some slight drawbacks to be had with it. The main issue here is the fact that it's such an obvious and unrestricted ripoff of other films that it never truly feels all that original. The basic setup is a formulaic retelling of the same scenario from several other genre fare involving the outsider who knows everything and the hapless local law enforcement that can't stop him, the small-town rampage leading to the confrontation with the babysitter staying with the child, and a survivor forced to overcome physical limitations by a medical condition to overcome the killer. It's all immensely familiar and builds to a formulaic outcome so everything comes off like a genuine ripoff of other genre fare, and with the low-budget limitations at work are what hold it back.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Language, and children-in-jeopardy.
La donna del lago (1965)
Far more intriguing mystery/thriller than an outright giallo
Arriving in a small lakeside village, a writer desperately looking for a former flame to help rekindle his passion learns that she has died under mysterious circumstances and is unsatisfied with the outcome, probing him to look deeper into what happened in the area leading to severe danger.
Generally, this was a massively disappointing and underwhelming genre effort without much going on for it. It's rather unfortunate that's the case with the majority of this one operating under an immensely intriguing mystery that might not hit the highs of the traditional giallo established later on with it more of a disappearance of a woman he was immensely infatuated with than a series of bizarre murders no one knows anything about. Setting up more of a psychological unraveling with the whole experience offering more of a fracture of his sanity than anything else with the way everything comes about the more he digs into the strange behavior of the villagers and the unraveling mystery about everything the more he stays keeps this one intriguing with the clues continuing to add up. Focusing on these factors with the kind of central mystery here is a great touch with it all being enhanced by moody flashbacks detailing the supposed events or the more artistically leaning production that conjures up a wholly engrossing setup in the first half. After that, there's not much to this one overall. The whole thing quickly becomes obvious that it's all designed more as a mood piece than a body-count stylized stalk-and-slash feature which means everything that happens here is geared more toward introspective analysis than actual genre material. Spending an immense amount of time generating endless conversations about the incident that spelled her fate, what each of the clues ended up meaning, and how the pieces fit together with his hazy memory of the situation all brought together leaving this one more of a sluggish affair than anything else. It doesn't help much that the repeating process of the dream sequence to help figure out the pattern of what's going on as the constant interaction occurring only to find out it was all a dream with him being startled awake doesn't always come off that interesting for everything going on, especially when it keeps happening. It's the main factor holding it down.
Today's Rating/PG-13: Mild Violence and sexual scenes.
La polizia brancola nel buio (1975)
A generally underwhelming and problematic genre effort
Following her strange disappearance, a man begins looking into his girlfriends' strange arrival at a small town that eventually leads him to a remote house occupied by a series of bizarre figures with a deadly secret that eventually brings a killer to the house knocking them off one by one.
This was a maddeningly ineffective and problematic giallo. Among the few positive points with this one is the ability of the film to at least work in the traditional genre elements somewhat effectively enough throughout here. The series of stalking scenes here aren't that bad, with the opening attack of the victim by the side of the road or a woman getting stalked in her bedroom while being spied on undressing and taking care of herself before going to bed, offering up some rather intriguing elements familiar with the genre. Both offer up clunky if still somewhat extended chase scenes featuring the unsuspecting victims going about their lives before running into the madman and being knocked off in silly-yet-brutal fashion featuring a slew of suspenseful stalking tactics and some fine nudity in the process. Other scenes, like a garden-set stalking scene or the killer taking out a victim in gruesome fashion before leaving the bloodied body to drown in a bathtub, make for equally sleazy and graphic encounters that set the stage for the wild finale that bring about some inventive twists for its positive points. Beyond that, there's just not much to this one that works. The main factor to be had here is the interminably boring and dull setup that has almost nothing at all interesting happening for long stretches. The whole idea of the disappearance taking place nearby and him coming to her aide to try to find her is a decent enough hook, much like the later investigation that turns up the family living in the remote house where he starts looking into the truth but it has just nothing all that exciting happening during this time. Dealing with a skeevy gardener making uncomfortable eyes at the young daughter, a scientist trying to make do with his latest discovery while being confined to a wheelchair, and the multitude of side characters that populate the house should've been a recipe for something to happen as he makes his way through the family uncovering what happened. Instead, everything is just undeservedly bland or drags on interminably with the outright worst of it being a dinner sequence that offers up nothing of any interest about anyone and never seems to end even with the notion of them being spied on the whole time. The other factor to this one is the general air of cheapness over everything here. The villa where everything takes place could've had some atmosphere but it's way too bright and cheerful to be effective at generating an air of danger, the flimsy effects give themselves away at nearly every opportunity with the outright goofy manner of their execution trying to look intimidating, and the whole presentation of the fabled machine that gets involved here is a straight mystery as we get nothing about what it is or how it works. The concept of the machine is such that it stretches credibility with how it even manages to catch the killer in the first place, and trying to place the actual figure doing the crimes at the point they were committed is a stretch at best and a gaping plothole at worst as it involves time-travel to pull off. It all comes together into one of the more underwhelming and bottom-tier gialli in the period.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Nudity, Language, and sexual scenes.
Zombi Holocaust (1980)
Surprisingly decent, gory zombie/cannibal film mash-up
During a routine autopsy, a medical student notices the cadavers are being eaten which soon turns her onto a mystery about a symbol on the victim that resembles a sign from a small island and heads there where the team encounter a strange doctor performing operations on the locals.
This was a pretty pleasant surprise. Among the better features of this one is that it feels like a great mixture of two big genres, namely the cannibal and zombie sub-genres. That it convincingly uses the tale-tell signs of the two makes this one a really entertaining and clever entry. The first half here gets the group ready for the trip to the island by showing the series of debilitating incidents around the hospital with the bodies having parts of their bodies removed and then devoured by the secret cannibal at the center of everything which soon involves the search into his home island all provides the kind of worthwhile starting point for what's going on here. The use of their strange symbols and ideology that helps put the pieces together about what's happening is a great touch, and when the group arrives there the island crawling with the cannibal tribe and the doctor there happens rather nicely in turn revealing the truth about the zombies in a not-exactly-new twist revealed towards the end. This leads into the series of wild antics on display once they start going through the jungle which is a big plus. The cannibals get the majority of the screentime as it's all about going to their home based on speculation of their existence and going through the events that take place here involving the group making it sagely through the jungle that's a true death trap for all involved. There's also plenty of gore in the film as this one has some pretty nice kills in it. There's a really impressive one where a victim is impaled from a trap that shoots up from behind to impale through the body rather than the other way around, with a severe series of dismemberments and skin devouring to follow, some really great impalements, surgical amputations and a rather shocking scene where a victim gets their face torn up by a rotating motorboat engine. That's not to include all the really wicked surgeries done in the film to test his experiments which are also quite impressive and really bloody. That there's also some really juicy skin-devouring really helps to make this one bloody and gory. The fact that it remains watchable all the way through to the end is another big plus, as this one doesn't really get boring and features enough action spots to stay interesting, and only without a big taste for cheese will this one fail. These all make it quite entertaining while there isn't a whole lot wrong with this one. One of the big ones is its incredibly high cheese factor as there's a lot of that in the film which can be evidenced by the general plot description. This also has marks for it in that category for its gore and general atmosphere which is a mark as this one revels so heavily in it making it something to be avoided by those who aren't that into that style. This one also has a problem in that it doesn't really make the big points from its meshed styles. For a zombie film, these don't really feel like zombies most of the time as they rarely do anything more than stand around and take orders and aren't in the film very long to begin with. They're involved in the last twenty minutes of the film and it doesn't really feature them a whole lot in that period. As well, there isn't a lot of time spent on the cannibal tribe getting to know them. All that's known about them is the name and island where they live which is basically it which means it needed more information on them. Otherwise, the cheesiness is the main problem with this one holding it back.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity and Language.
Morirai a mezzanotte (1986)
An immensely enjoyable giallo effort
While trailing his wife, a man comes across the fact that she's been killed which fingers him as the main suspect and tries to clear his name with a police detective and his daughter investigating the case only to learn that the prevailing theory of a long-dead serial killer returning might be the true killer.
This was a rather enjoyable genre effort with a lot to like. Among its better elements is a strong enough set up to offer a logical means of investigating the crimes. As the first half here introduces us to his wild and crazy outbursts which are incredibly difficult for him to get away from in terms of being the kind of incriminating evidence to paint him as guilty when she gets killed right after he goes crazy on her, setting up the kind of proper need for his investigation to keep going. The introduction of the investigator and his assistant who are looking into everything while we also get to see him meet up with the private investigator who's trying to put the crimes on the returning serial killer that was executed but the series of clues dished out match up with the suspect already thought to have committed everything which makes everything come off rather nicely for a general setup. This allows for some rather fine stalking scenes to come about once the bodies start dropping. The main stalking scenes here, namely the opening scenes of the killer taking out the wife as she goes about trying to take a shower or the victim who gets attacked going into her car that leads her into the set piece inside the local warehouse, serve the film rather nicely with some immensely fun sequences bringing about some tense stalking, creepy camera angles, and a brutal stabbing death as well. Later encounters like the killer trapping a department store worker inside or tailing the one girl back to her house that turns into a dream sequence offer up the kind of great sequences that have lengthier, more involved sequences full of high-quality stalking alongside the great kills. It's also here where the film goes for a strong addition to the investigation where the daughter comes across as the focal point following up on the idea of it not being the suspected resurrected killer but a human one as she and her friends give this a strong wrap-up with some fun sleuthing and a couple of fun deaths that leave this really fun overall. There are some drawbacks to be had with this one that hold it back. The main drawback here is the film's bizarre shifts in focus that leave the film immensely difficult to get a handle on the investigation. Since this tends to bring up the varying points of view between the abusive husband that's hard to sympathize with, a detective trying to look into the connection with the long-dead serial killer and then turns into the daughter's area to prove the killer is human which continually shifts everything along into different viewpoints and storyline tangents. There's some unexpected work here shifting it along as the characters disappear for long periods due to the change in focus that happens here, and also manages to give this the proper lead-in for the other issue here in the underwhelming resolution that tries to tie everything up with each of these disparate storylines but ends up bringing about some confusing work to make it come together with any kind of sense but never does anything with the material. These features are more than enough to bring it down somewhat.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Language, and Nudity.
L'orribile segreto del Dr. Hichcock (1962)
One of the better Gothic horror efforts out there
Working in a London hospital, a doctor's sexual games with his wife go further than anticipated which results in her accidental death and his quest to remarry years later with a new wife, but she soon grows weary of his fascination to repeat the same games with her once again.
Overall, this was a fairly fun and enjoyable Gothic horror effort. One of the better aspects here is the fun setup that allows for all sorts of dark shenanigans to come about as it plays out. With a brief enough expose of his addictions and behavior towards her with the bits we get on his medical practice as well as the lengths he goes to so that he can fulfill his sexual desires of drugging her for their sessions, it paints a fairly solid mark on his personality which helps to understand the motivations once the later stages of the relationship emerge that comes from the arrival of the new wife. The dynamic at play with them growing increasingly more suspicious of her questions and attitude about what's going on at the house despite their calm approach and demeanor allows for some intriguing drama to develop over the first half as it tries to set up the storyline to come. As the film carries on and the relationship between them develops over time, her unhinged state continues to get worse with each passing encounter that takes place. From the sight of the strange figure darting from the house to the secret shack outside in the pouring rain which renders an accurate identification impossible, the belief that someone's trying to get into her room at night, and the discovery of a skull left behind in her bed, the initial stages of her arrival there provide more than enough to give the idea of something nefarious happening which is only exacerbated with the revelation of something genuinely being hidden from her despite protests to the contrary. This spark for her to go out and investigate everything naturally is a fantastic touch as the initial setpieces gaslighting her into not thinking too clearly about what he's doing which makes this one feel far more unnerving as time goes on. That comes about nicely in the final half where the atmosphere of the situation starts to manifest in some fun manners. With the full discovery of the contents within the family crypt and his behavior towards her finally starting to make some sense, these final moments bring about the true terror of his master plan and include some standout moments throughout the house and into the underground tombs as the race to save her is quite fun and frantic. This final half does have the lone issue with the film in that there's no need for the constant calls away from the house to go back to work at this stage of the game as the plan coming to fruition should be far more important and the whole thing unravels only because he's' too busy preoccupied with work to see it through even if he's keeping up appearances. The pace might also be an issue for some, but otherwise, there's far more to like here than not.
Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence and themes of necrophilia.
Maciste all'inferno (1962)
A spectacular mix of genres that comes off quite nicely
With their village in turmoil, the outbreak of violence against a woman suspected of being related to the witch who was sent to Hell a hundred years ago forces the muscle-bound hero to descend into Hell itself to battle the imprisoned witch and end the curse affecting the village and his friends.
For the most part, this was a fantastic mixture of peplum and Gothic horror. One of the finer features here is the ability to provide a fun narrative that sets both of these features into motion and does not have either one feel out of place. The initial introduction to the film concerning the witch burned at the stake, offering profane curses on the villagers surrounding her who are overjoyed when the flames are shown to consume the body before turning into a century-later time-jump with main action is a great main start. With the setup offering talk of strange supernatural activity taking place and people behaving strangely, the threat of the witch's curse regarding its toll on them sends the village into a genuine panic as they try to take out the one local woman who they suspect to be the reincarnated witch complete with the mob swarming after her and requiring aide from the hero himself is a fantastic Gothic horror starter setup with the talk of remote villages beset by supernatural action and blaming everything on a curse from years earlier complete with the kind of panic suitable for such a situation. This allows for the film to develop into more of its peplum origins as the original witch who instigated the curse must be retrieved from Hell and required to journey into the underworld to do so. Setting into motion the kind of prototypical quest setup where he must overcome a series of obstacles to complete his mission. Uprooting the sacred tree guarding the entranceway to Hell and battling past the creatures along the way, it sets him up for a mystical journey through the underworld where he battles past blazing walls of pure fire, removes huge wooden or stone objects from his path, and basically performs immense feats of strength in rapid succession to journey across the fire and brimstone landscape on his quest that provides some fantastic stunts alongside the thrilling action. With his journey impeded by the need to save others struggling in the underworld against other tortures being inflicted, there's a great series of action featured here including some chilling bits of the ethereal witch's taunts and laughter echoing throughout the landscape. This leads immensely well into the final half where the action comes together at a fantastic pace. The series of interactions and pep talks with other denizens offered the usual sense of courage and honor that had been his main purpose before being broken down by the ordeal. As this means one last ordeal confronting the witch and getting to return to the surface world to get everything sorted in a fun fashion, there's plenty of solid work here that makes this come off quite well. There are some issues here, mainly with some of the more bizarre setpieces that seem to disrupt the pacing more than anything. With the cutaways back to the couple accused of witchcraft and set to be burned offering up necessary context for the journey, it's a shame they don't do much to help keep the running time going similar to the interactions with the witch trying to tempt him with her beauty form that makes for a rather stupefying series of baseless and repetitive scenes that offer nothing. Likewise, the need for a slew of flashback scenes to past interactions that were accomplished with other actors in the role simply to get the running time up is a bit perplexing, and when combined with the cheesy low-budget look of everything here are what brings this one down.
Today's Rating/PG: Violence.
Sangue per Dracula (1974)
Surprisingly good erotic vampire film
Nearly dying in Romania, the sickly Count and his servant leave it behind and head to an isolated Italian villa where the owner tries to marry off his virgin daughters to him, but when he continues getting sicker finds the handyman thwarting his plans forcing them to battle for the family's safety.
This here is one of the best vampire films around. Among the better elements of this one is a rather strong setup that brings about a rather enjoyable storyline featuring a lot of great Gothic imagery and sleaze. The central idea of the Count being brought down in health due to his inability to suck the blood of virgins with his reputation preventing him from taking a bride and forcing the trip to the Italian countryside to change everything which brings him into contact with the family is a great way to bring this one along. It introduces the idea that the healing power of virgin blood to his health and mental state is a requirement and the necessity to drain blood from someone in that state is immensely intriguing for how it treats the creature and gives this a high-quality motivation for not only his trip to the house but also the rampant sleaze throughout here. Keeping up appearances with a fine cover story and a genuine motivation for why his appearances and sickly stature would go by unnoticed as well as just enough setup to explain the situation, the storyline here is quite fun and gives this something unique and creative from a simple vampire film. The fact that this one is so sleazy for a vampire film is something to enjoy. This offers up plenty of both male and female nudity here which is always nice from sex scenes, bathing sequences, having the women dress on-screen, and even throwaway sequences like the beginning where they disrobe for no reason other than to feature extra nudity makes for some real fun to be had as this one throws the female nudity around with great abandon. That also extends to the male nudity as well since this one takes the time to show that both participants are nude during the sex scenes and reveling in it the way that very few are comfortable with showing, which means that this one is an equal opportunity when it comes to showing it off. The sleaze also extends away from the nudity as it's got a lot of sexual antics to deal with the fact that there's an incestuous lesbian couple in here that is involved in a couple of sequences alone seals the film of most of its sleaze right there and coupled with the insane amount of nudity and the continuous frank conversations about virginity and sexuality in here, this here is a really graphic and sleazy kind of film. The other part of this that works is the last half of the film which works wonders here. This features a pretty nice selection of sleaze trying to corrupt the last remaining daughter into his corruption and the great realization scene where all the others realize what's going on as it's also where most of the violence comes in as well. The violence works here because it's a dry film up until then and then to be inundated with tons of graphic violence and bloodshed ensures some remarkable feelings from the film's ending. From a complete and utter dismemberment of all the limbs to a knifing and a couple impalings through the chest with a wooden stake, leaving a lot of blood flowing, there's a lot from these sequences. Also using some fun here is the great chase through the house, out into the garden, and continuing, which injects a lot of excitement into the film and the fact that the dismembering is done along the way is really great with some more fun to be had. All these reasons make this one enjoyable as this one only has one flaw to it and it's a little damaging but non-detrimental to the film. That is the fact that it plays fast and loose with conventional vampire storytelling. The vampire walks around in broad daylight only shielding his eyes but no other damage is done, being able to bite his victims on the neck and draining blood to turn into vampires should work for all victims yet here only virgins are turned while others do fall under his spell can't use his hypnotic powers on them otherwise. These here are quite different from usual vampire fare, yet keep the distaste for garlic, no reflection in the mirror, and a wooden stake through the chest to finish it off are still here. That it mixes them around is something some hardcore fans could get upset about, and the dragged-out pacing involving the inability to notice the obvious for how he's tempting and turning the daughters into vampires that no one notices could also be a factor here. Otherwise, that is the film's only flaw.
Rated R: Full Nudity, several sex scenes, Graphic Violence, Language and a rape.
La settima tomba (1965)
A generally solid if unspectacular Gothic horror effort
Heading to a local castle, a gathering of heirs looking for their inheritance after the death of a wealthy relative are forced to stay at the house which brings them into contact with a curse involving their supposedly-dead heir coming back to stalk them which forces them to figure out what's going on.
Generally, this was a fairly solid and likable by-the-numbers Italian Gothic horror effort. One of the better features here is the strong setup that doesn't really set any new boundaries but works for this type of fare. The idea of the group of unscrupulous and greedy family members looking to gather their inheritance at a castle of their relative at a will reading to be held at the castle is one featured in quite a few genre efforts over the years. However, that still allows this one to work incredibly well at offering up the kind of solid starting point here by giving the group enough of a reason to get together at the location, providing a brief bit of history about their arrival with their intentions about gathering there, and also gathering a bit of information about who each one is that helps establish everything for later on. As this also manages to include the work done by the group while at the castle looking into the history of their relative and the bizarre lifestyle he led that involves radical experimentation, unusual collections, and twisted secrets that are all part and parcel of the genre, it fits into the genre rather nicely. The longer they stay at the castle, though, the more this one moves into the type of Gothic melodrama spiced up with random bits of proto-slasher/Giallo-style attacks that make the genre rather fun. The early scenes of the group staying at the house and looking around the castle grounds which enables them to learn about the true nature of his experiments in the underground laboratory trying to look into the leprosy diagnosis he has gives everything a great touch. That leads into the more involved sequences featuring the group holding a seance that goes into some rather extreme revelations during the experience and the group picked off one by one around the castle grounds leads to some immensely chilling sequences here. Enhanced rather nicely by the expected Gothic trappings within the house and the belief that the cursed relative is still alive and running after the family that includes the series of encounters involving the nightgown-clad women running through the secret passageways or looking for the killer with fiery candelabras, this all brings about some genuinely fun and chilling moments for a lot to like here. There are some big issues here that hold this one down. The main issue here is the overall expected and somewhat detrimental familiarity that runs throughout here being pretty much ruled by its cliches. It feels far more like a film that's going through the Gothic horror playbook about the family brought together by the confines of a strange death and looking to get their hands on an inheritance, find the truth about what's going on inside the house that's far more dangerous than anything that gathered them there and begin going through a series of encounters and confrontations that offer up the kind of setup that proves a far more human outcome than the supernatural. It's all pretty much the same as most other films in the style that includes a similar series of setups and doesn't differentiate itself from too many other films in the style either which hinders this one quite a bit. The slack pacing that leaves long periods without a lot going on here is another big factor where everything takes so long to get started with everyone standing around discussing their next step that it feels really slow-going at points. Otherwise, this is a rather fun time with these issues holding it back.
Today's Rating/PG: Violence.
Il mostro dell'opera (1964)
A really solid Gothic vampire feature
Troubled by strange dreams, a woman joins her traveling ballerina tripe as they make a stop at a Count's castle in the area for a show, but as they carry on with rehearsing for their big show find their charge to be a vampire looking to turn the group into similar creatures and must race to stop him.
Overall, this was a massively enjoyable Gothic horror effort. One of the biggest factors found here is the generally strong setup that generates the kind of old-school Gothic horror stylings that are part of the genre's history. Starting with the initial scenes of the troupe coming together to help their friend who is going through a series of bizarre dreams about a caped figure going around killing people, their whole backstage interactions that et to show off their friend dynamics, and the various personalities within the rest of the troupe that set up the kind of fine starting point that works quite nicely here. Not only odes that provide a great grounding for the multitude of storylines and subplots going on within the rest of the film once they arrive at the castle for the exhibition including the overt lesbianism for some fun moments but also how their professional jealousy overcomes their personal friendship as they spend the time goofing around while investigating the backstage parts of the castle. Once this moves into the series of interactions within the castle involving the group being whittled down while waiting for their final performance, this one starts getting really fun. As the main group continues rehearsing their performance on the stage inside the castle, the ability to continually splinter off and disappear allows for some fun moments with the group trusting the count's assistant while exploring that brings them into his capture or the inability to realize the count is watching them provide some great times before getting to the wild finale in the castle's basement. With this offering up plenty of solid Gothic-based action in the standout performance by the troupe featuring all sorts of great interactions and setpieces, the different confrontations with the vampire down in the chamber where the female vampires are chained up waiting for him, and the big action set piece to finally rid themselves of the threat bring this one to a thrilling, exciting finish. Utilizing the castle setting for its best aspects and having plenty of fun with the women running around in their nightgowns, this has a lot to like about it. There are some issues here that hold this one down. The main issue with the film is the outright slack pacing that slows this to a crawl at a point when it should be picking up speed. The series of background interactions that take place with the girls, bouncing around in flirtatious pranks, exploring the secret passageways of the castle, or going through the rehearsal part of their play serves this one nicely as a way to get to know the girls but also extends way too long for what it's trying to do. It leaves the vampire revelation until much later than it really should offering up the kind of sluggish start that saps a lot of the intrigue and thrills of this one more than it really should, especially with a lot of the action here being quite repetitive and involving the couples getting together or the inquisitive nature taking them out on tours. It doesn't hold this back much, especially compared to the flimsy pretext for the performance in the first place, but it's the main factor with this one.
Today's Rating/PG: Violence.
La vergine di Norimberga (1963)
Could've been in the Corman/Price/Poe series
Living in a giant castle, a woman is warned by her husband about the castle's past which was home to a ruthless, bloodthirsty warlord that soon enthralls her with his legend, but when she begins to see a strange figure around the castle grounds discovers the truth and tries to stop it.
This here is one of the best examples of the genre. One of the better elements found here is the strong setup involving the eventual mystery surrounding the actual goings-on at the castle. Starting everything off with the strange incident in the castle basement that brings about the discovery of the chamber and what happened there in the past which spurns her interest in what's going on here, giving everything the kind of worthwhile starting place that allows the film to wallow in the Gothic atmosphere. The story about the torturer who used to live in the castle and his connection to the fabled statue that started everything for her gives this one a great bit of leeway as the interactions with the deformed servant that lives there bring that along even further to give the story some credence. The sketchiness of his actions the more this goes on, making the husband question whether everything happening is all in her head or actually coming to life, causes quite a lot to like here as the series of revelations made about the connection to World War II finishes everything immensely well. Another of the main things this gets right is the incredible suspense on display. The opening is a fantastic example with the flowing gown-clad woman following the agonized cries coming from somewhere within the castle and leading her to discover blood flowing into the collection bowl beneath the Virgin of Nuremberg, a fabled iron maiden torture chamber that is now a museum. Opening the spiked door, she is horrified to see the body of a freshly dead woman inside, the corpse's eyes have been gouged out leaving ragged, bloody sockets. It's a fantastic scene, with the endless wandering through an enormous house during a raging thunderstorm, using only a candle for light until they stumble upon a rather shocking and horrific scene. This is really eerie, from the glimpses shown strewn around the house of various torture devices, some with the skeleton remains of victims still there all the way to the creepy and intense reaction to the eyeless corpse hidden in the statue. That goes hand-in-hand with the great sets in here, as every corner and crevice is filled with inky black shadows, pierced only by the glow of a flickering torch or flash of lightning. Thus the look of the film never approaches the surreal, instead remaining much more grounded in realism. That leads into the other great factor here as this one handily avoids the pitfalls of others out there in the genre and makes marvelous use of the huge, sprawling castle set. Even the outside scenes have a nice feeling to them as the spacious castle grounds mix well with the giant castle looming in the background. The later scenes in the crypt look great, and a very tense stalking scene in the darkness is masterfully played out due to the setting. The film also has a couple of really great shock gore scenes that are a lot more graphic than most others of the time, from the discovery of a victim stuck in a cage where a rat has gnawed away at her face, the initial discovery of the first victim and finally the killer himself unmasked, his face nothing more than a skull covered with the faintest suggestion of skin. These images are really quite out there for the time and make for some great moments. The sequences at the end with the torturer are just as good, being a little creepy with some graphic brutality stakes placed into the film to give it a little extra punch to what's going on. These are what really make the film enjoyable as the only real issue here is where the middle section investigating everything is paced enough to matter.
Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence.
Bloody Trip: The Equinox Killer (2024)
A solid if unremarkable middle-of-the-road genre effort
Heading out for a trip, a group of friends decide to rent a house in the countryside for a bachelorette party while several others look into finishing a movie of theirs, but when they realize the house is being used by a deadly cult preparing them for a special upcoming celestial sacrifice.
This was a decent enough genre effort overall. Among its best aspects is the generally fun setup that works fine enough to provide the kind of worthwhile setup before being turned on its head. Featuring the group going out for a relaxing weekend and wanting to find a way of having a fun time before a special bachelorette party splits them up serves it nicely enough, providing enough of a reason to get them out into the middle of nowhere as well as what's going to happen in the house. As there are some fun times here exposing who the group is and what brought them together in the first place as it all showcases their relationships and personalities quite nicely with the ability to bring together a nice friend group into a chilling situation and then gradually becomes far more immersive over the night as things start making sense. This setup brings about the kind of solid later scenes throughout here as the build-up to the whole thing is immensely fun. The whole thing about the figure observing the group from the distance as they explore the house and begin enjoying their time there makes for a solid bit of suspense to get things going, and the whole idea of being subjected to the strange invaders that start toying with what's going on around the house forcing them into a slew of defensive tactics to remain safe. These are fun enough until getting to the fantastic sequence involving the action home invasion as the masked assailants start dishing out brutal action and plenty of solid chasing around the outside of the house before setting up the brutal finale where the ritual the cult's been preparing for comes about. These all give this a great bit of action to leave a lot to like while there are a few issues that bring this one down. The biggest factor here is the general lack of urgency on the expense of the characters during what's going on. When they become aware that someone is actually on the property with them and that they are being hunted down, the scenes are handled with a genuine lack of urgency for their safety that it feels draining how they don't recognize what's going on. The inability to tell that they're in the crosshairs of danger even if not aware of the extent fully makes them immensely difficult to care about, similar to the later scenes involving them trying to make sense of the cult's actions when they're corned. Everything is somewhat spelled out about how the cult's preparations are about to go down, the fact that they just stand around waiting for something to happen or limply run away without taking it seriously, ruining this one significantly. Coupled with some budget limitations, these all hold it down.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.
You Shouldn't Have Let Me In (2024)
A solid and enjoyable genre effort with a few small issues
Arriving in Italy for a Bachelorette Party, a group of girlfriends rent out a manor house in the city for their celebrations which soon revolves around bringing the club owner who rents out the house back to party with them but when they discover his vampiric nature must try to stop his deadly plans.
This was a pretty fun and generally solid genre outing. Among the better qualities here is the impressive work featured here that brings about a rather fun storyline. Managing to mix a slew of general cliches into workable storyline beats, starting with the bachelorette party arriving at the remote castle-like manor house in a foreign country, the interpersonal relationships between everyone who all have their backstory with the group to deal with, and the gradual reveal of the mysterious owner's past that becomes incredibly more obvious the more it continues features a strong enough starting point here. The later points brought up here involving the discovery of his plan the more they remain at the house, from the mythical portrait that looks exactly like her to the arrival of the hunter going through the sacred artifacts trying to uncover the truth about the host and his minions, serves to further this overall setup quite nicely. That makes the film incredibly fun when dealing with the vampiric action featured here. As there's a solid build-up to that point in the first half where his attempts at worming into their party to allow his presence and try to win her over, the work here featuring the group hanging around the manor or heading out to the party that brings them in contact with the main vampire and his cronies makes for an intriguing setup which brings this into the fun final half where the vampiric activity takes place. With the creatures taking over the house and using their powers to run wild over the friends who are twisted and manipulated into falling victim to the creatures in several fun setpieces that utilize the folklore powers well. Including the amount of fine confrontations to try to stop them which brings some decent gore throughout this part of the film and some well-handled sensuality with the seduction attempts, these provide quite a lot to like here. The film does have some issues here holding this down. The main drawback here is the series of obvious cliches utilized to try to tell this story but doesn't do much to differentiate it from the pack by using them. The starting point of the mysterious woman arriving there trying to look for her missing daughter which never gets resolved, the group being unconcerned with their missing friend who's never shown up, the painting featuring the one girl who's a dead ringer for the friend, and the revelation about the hunter following them has all manner of familiar beats that crop up in so many other similar films makes it all feel quite familiar. The other problem here is a slightly confusing issue during the main party where the vampires start to take over and use doppelgangers of the group which is never explained if it's a visual hallucination, manipulating the whole scenario, or a shapeshifting ability. It can make it hard to tell what's happening since any of those factors being the culprit changes around the scenario drastically. Beyond these factors, it's what drags this one down just slightly.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and Brief Nudity.
Una lucertola con la pelle di donna (1971)
A highly enjoyable and intelligent giallo
Suffering from strange nightmares, a woman visits a psychiatrist for help with her condition which is soon overshadowed by her infatuation with a strange free-spirited neighbor that is soon found dead, bringing her into a deadly mystery to uncover what she saw before a killer strikes.
This one ended up being quite a fun erotic giallo. One of the strongest elements present here is the incredibly overt and enjoyable amount of sexuality that's present throughout here. Delving into the psychological realms as frequently as this does in the attempt to explain and understand the recurring dreams which are always sexual in nature, whether it be in the middle of an orgy or other sexual dalliances with the suspicious neighbor allows for innumerous numbers for erotic softcore groping. Given the near-constant use of these scenes and other hedonistic sequences with an alarming frequency here, this contrast with her own stunted psychological issues and repression offers a great turn that makes the film rely on exploring these issues further. It also doesn't help that there are capable performers regularly showcasing these attributes. However, the psychological factors explored here are rather engaging, enhancing the central mystery. Since we're all deeply aware of her repressed condition as the meetings go into extraordinary detail hammering home the nightmares and dreams as the attraction to and destruction of vice and degradation, the idea that the wild, unhinged nature her neighbor represents compared to her is a big part of the film. Although there's a determined push towards the rejection of the lifestyle she leads by keeping the details of the crime hidden which amounts to a distressing feeling of abandoning the free-spirited lifestyle through violent means if possible, there's a lot to like about how this all ends up psychologically toying with her psyche in such a way that the burgeoning snap from sanity feels incredibly realistic and genuine. While these factors are quite fun, there's a lot to enjoy with the traditional giallo elements. The central investigation is well-handled here and is easily one of the finest in the scenes as everything not only comes to the forefront but is all rationally thought out. There are several cutaways back to the detectives on the case piecing together the clues and evidence from that night in an attempt to name and clear various suspects which are rather enjoyable since the means through which it gets solved come off nicely leading into the full reveal at the end. Likewise, the dynamic visuals and arresting concept at play, whether the impressive psychedelic dream sequences or the pounding suspense of a frantic escape attempt in an abandoned church trying to lose a crazed killer, keep this one fascinating and compelling throughout which keeps this one up over its flaws. There are some minor issues to be had here. The biggest of these factors is the film's psychological torment route that keeps the action to a minimum for fans of the higher body-count features. This one spends a lot of its running time engaging in trying to clear the story involving the mysterious dreams and how they connect her to the crime which causes a massive drop-off in terms of deaths or other activity. That causes the film to become quite talkative for some despite how well the story comes together since the journey here isn't geared towards revealing what's happened rather than bumping off tons of individuals to hide it. Even with a low-key finale that feels like an epilogue tacked on afterthought instead of generating a rousing close or finish that can feel like a slight letdown, these few issues aren't nearly enough to hold this down much.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, sexual content, Language, drug use, and violence-against-animals.