Post by lordbloodrah on Mar 15, 2010 10:01:39 GMT -5
I watched "Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon" from 72, a Mexican film loosely based on E.A. Poe's "The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether." I found it in the Chilling Classics 50 movie pack of public domain movies. Quite enjoyed it! Strangely comic and nightmarish with good performances and great sets and costumes. Check it out for some laughs and a couple of chills...also a few moments of "WTF!!??"
I watched "Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon" from 72, a Mexican film loosely based on E.A. Poe's "The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether." I found it in the Chilling Classics 50 movie pack of public domain movies. Quite enjoyed it! Strangely comic and nightmarish with good performances and great sets and costumes. Check it out for some laughs and a couple of chills...also a few moments of "WTF!!??"
Hey, I know that movie, too. It's also known as The Mansion of Madness. I think it's supposed to be a bit of a surreal comedy. The director, Juan Lopez Moctezuma, gets really freaky with a bit of nunsploitation called Alucarda from 1975. There's a blurb on the cover of the DVD from the Psychotronic Film Guide that reads, "More blood, loud screaming and nudity than any horror film I can think of". That's a bit of an exaggeration, but there are some screamin' nude hotties here and they are often covered with blood. Good times.
The director, Juan Lopez Moctezuma, gets really freaky with a bit of nunsploitation called Alucarda from 1975. There's a blurb on the cover of the DVD from the Psychotronic Film Guide that reads, "More blood, loud screaming and nudity than any horror film I can think of". That's a bit of an exaggeration, but there are some screamin' nude hotties here and they are often covered with blood. Good times.
Post by Scary Gary on Mar 15, 2010 16:44:34 GMT -5
I finished The Company of Wolves last night. It was more a fantasy with horror elements then true horror. It was also, to my surprise, a bit of an anthology. The main story is a variation of Little Red Riding Hood. Throughout the movie, there are little side stories that are told to the protagonist (and to which we are flashed into). It is a rather artsy film, not great but can be captivating to the right sort. If you want to give it a try, I think you will know within the first 10 minutes if you are going to like it or not.
This afternoon, I watched The Descent. This was my second time watching it, and I find it still has a strong effect on me. The claustrophobic environment coupled with the things that go bump in the night really work well together. The version I watched was the "Original Unrated Cut". I didn't realize the US version stopped "prematurely". I knew the ending was different, I just didn't realize it was the exact same footage. I wonder if the sequel will address the difference or if it will just pick up where the US version ended off.
The Company of Wolves was based on a short story by Angela Carter in her classic collection The Bloody Chamber, which I read last year and quite enjoyed. All its stories are variations on classic fairy tales. She plays up the gore and sexuality (which have always been there to begin with) and really tinkers around with the roles of women in the fairy tale universe.
I started watching the movie on YouTube, but the aesthetic of the whole thing felt very 1980s in its style, which clashes with the timeless Gothic sensibility of Carter's work. I'm not a fan of Neil Jordan anyhow, so I figured I could safely give it a miss.
Hmmmm. Company of Wolves. I know I saw it when it was released in theaters and then again on cable a year or so later. Then that was it. I remember liking it at the time, that Angela Lansbury was in it, and David Warner played a werewolf. It seems so long ago. I'd like to revisit it after all these years. Isn't there a pretty gruesome decapitation in there somewhere? Maybe it's just that ever since The Omen, David Warner makes me think of decapitations.
off to see a free screening of Street Trash after work in the back of a pub
That sounds like a perfect evening. Why can't I find something like that?? Anyway, it's 2:45 am and I'll probably have to be up in less than six hours, but for some reason I'm compelled to watch Robert Quarry (RIP) in The Deathmaster from 1972. This is a film I've had in my collection for a long, long time, but it's cheesy wonderfulness (or wonderful cheesiness?) never gets old for me. The late Mr. Quarry as a Mansonesque vampire at the center of a commune seducing hot hippie chicks while his West Indian servant, Barbado, aids him in his conquests. It's all beautifully dated. Brilliant line of dialogue- Angry Biker Type: You know what you all are? You're all a bunch of friggin' freaks and honkies! Every damn last one of ya! I'm goin' to town to get me some steak and whiskey!
God, I would love to deliver that speech on celluloid!
Seventies hippie horror is such a fun subgenre! There's more out there than you realize.
Post by Scary Gary on Mar 16, 2010 11:21:07 GMT -5
Watching The Fog (1980). During the opening credits, I noticed the clock on the mantle - which was one of Mundays screen shots from the screen shot game on the old forum. I don't think this one was ever solved. I later saw the orange car near the shore which confirmed it.
Anyway, I really don't need to say much more about this classic. If you haven't seen it yet, you have got to ask yourself why not?
Anybody catch "Dead Snow"? A fun zombie movie from the Netherlands (I think?). Just watched it this weekend and had a great time with it. Also have been watching episodes of the old "Highlander" series with Adrian Paul. I know Ted is a fan of the original "Highlander" movie...Ted you should give the series a try! Also watched "Right at Your Door" and "Blue Thunder". (Either I really like Netflix direct to my tv... or not. Lot's of stuff to watch, but I'm spending too much time on the Lazy Boy recliner!)
Anybody catch "Dead Snow"? A fun zombie movie from the Netherlands (I think?). Just watched it this weekend and had a great time with it.
Yep, Dead Snow is a fun ride. The gory slapstick is reminiscent of the Evil Dead trilogy. It’s Norwegian. Those Scandinavians are putting out some good stuff lately, what with Cold Prey I & II (also Norwegian) and Let The Right One In (Danish). Swedish - I meant Swedish!!
Saw Alice in Wonderland last night and was surprised to find myself bored by the middle of the movie. Bored, in a Tim Burton film! That's not suppose to happen. I wasn't bored in his Planet of the Apes remake (just really ticked off that he'd made such a crappy movie).
Yes, Alice is full of pretty scenery and amazing characters. Yet, despite all the film's color and spectacle, it was a pretty lifeless thing. Like a Pod Person, this film displayed no emotions, no reason for you to be involved in the story for any reason.
This is strictly a cookie cutter Burton film, pretty looking, but overprocessed and rather bland.
Visit my blog, "The Shadow Over Portland," for horror happenings in and around the Pacific Northwest, and a few reviews and opinions at shadowoverportland.blogspot.com/