Deadly Dreams is a 1988 American horror film directed by Kristine Peterson (Critters 3; first assistant director:A Nightmare on Elm Street 5; Nightflyers) from a screenplay by actor Thom Babbes. Mitchell Anderson, Xander Berkeley and Juliette Cummins star.
Christmas Eve: Ten year-old Alex’s parents are shot to death. Now an adult, every night Alex dreams the same dream: cornered by a man wearing a wolf mask, a knife is brought to his throat, and then he wakes.
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Unfortunately, waking moments confirm his worst fears, and soon Alex is trapped in a tangle of suspicions, lies, and fear. Reality fades into terror as he is left alone to fight the relentless force that haunts his deadly dreams…
Special features: Brand new HD master | Interview with director Kristine Peterson | Interview with writer Thom Babbes |Trailers
Reviews:
” …Deadly Dreams is half surreal horror film and half twisty psychological thriller, with the twain really only meeting in the second of two grim twist endings. If it weren’t for the occasional helping of bare skin and blood, this could easily fit nicely with the wave of made-for-TV horror and suspense films that have become minor cult sensations in recent years…” Nathaniel Thompson, Mondo Digital
“Director Kristine (Critters 3) Peterson does a good job at combining the unintended laughs with some genuinely creepy moments. The flick may be uneven as heck, but because of that, it’s highly unpredictable and the audience is always off balance. She peppers the movie with a lot of the usual dream-within-a-dream jump scares you’d expect from a nightmare-fueled horror movie.” Mitch Lovell, The Video Vacuum
“After several brutal subconscious incidents – the best of which has a fab knife-through-pillows filleting […] Soon after this point, the plot takes a dramatic, fairly unpredictable twist before going hammer and tongs into the woodland finale where Alex learns the painful truth. Impressive as revelation is, it’s nothing compared to the staggering final surprise, one which lifts Deadly Dreamsfrom forgettable video territory to a low-budget gem.” Vegan Vorhees
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“More R-rated soap opera than horror, Deadly Dreams is the epitome of filler. Too many flashbacks. Too many dream sequences. Indifferent direction. If it wasn’t for the humorous sexual leanings (Coincidence? Indecision?), there’d be nothing much to do.” Joseph A. Ziemba, Bleeding Skull!
“Without overdoing the gore, Deadly Dreamsis still fun, keeping the violence but relying mostly on suspense and thrills. There are many dull moments throughout, but it’s worth it. A throat is slit, and all is revealed to show some plots that make deliciously perfect sense.” Josh G., Oh, the Horror!
“It’s too bad that Deadly Dreams is so GD lethargic, because there’s a decent movie in there somewhere, and when the film’s nasty side shows it’s enjoyable (and I’m not just talking about that spinning bed sex scene) (you guys, there’s a spinning bed sex scene). Unfortunately, it’s buried beneath a big pile of too many dreams and it’s not remotely “horror” enough.” Stacie Ponder, Final Girl
Main cast:
Mitchell Anderson (Jaws: The Revenge; TV series: Deadly Nightmares), Xander Berkeley (The Walking Dead; Salem; Candyman; The Guardian), Juliette Cummins (Slumber Party Massacre II; Psycho III; Friday the 13th: A New Beginning); Thom Babbes, Gray Ainsworth, Timothy Austin, Brent DeHart, Beach Dickerson, Troy Evans, Geoffrey Forward, Al Guarino, Jaime Kaplan, Michael Leopard, Gyl Roland, Lynn Philip Seibel.
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International release titles:
Spain – Delirio criminal
Finland – Deadly Dreams – todellinen painajainen
France – Rêve mortel
Greece (video title) – Kyklos thanatou
Italy – La morte viene in sogno
Mexico – Delirio criminal
Norway – Deadly Dreams – et ekte mareritt
Poland – Sny o smierci
West Germany – Träume des Wahnsinns
Hallucinations is a 1986 Americans hot-on-video horror film written and directed by teenagers Mark Polonia (Sharkenstein; Bigfoot vs Zombies; Queen Crab; et al), John Polonia and Todd Michael Smith (The Writers; Splatter Farm). The brothers reshot it on Super 8mm film in 1991, retitled Lethal Nightmare.
Three brothers, one of whom is mentally retarded, have disturbing and violent hallucinations while their mother is at work…
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SRS Cinema is releasing both Hallucinations and Lethal Nightmare on Blu-ray on August 15, 2017 in a limited edition of just 200 copies.
” …the sexual animosity, as well as the off-handed psychology, is what makes Hallucinations so impressive. And fascinating to watch. Unlike most Polonia productions, there’s never a dull moment. A gentle eeriness carries us through while we wait for the next gross-out effect. Ambient synths from a Halloween sound effects cassette drone while green light bulbs gradually replace all of the regular light bulbs in the house.” Joseph A Ziemba, Bleeding Skull!
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” …the brothers’ avidity and love for the horror genre is ever evident which makes the film competent enough to sit through for it’s hour long runtime. There’s a few amusing gore scenes, (albeit, ones that are cheesy as f*ck!) such as a dude shitting a knife, a guy wrestling with a deranged fetus, and some disembowelment.” Gore Pump’s Horror Dump
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“Really, the strength of the film is the Polonia brothers’ ability to do ANYTHING for the sake of cinema. I mean, there’s full-frontal male nudity, crying, gross-out shots that HAD to be uncomfortable to film, and you see pretty much everybody sitting on the toilet at one point or another. Basically, stuff that your average home-movie-maker wouldn’t dream of doing without an actual budget or production company backing.” Obscuro Films
“Various mysterious figures and monsters from horror movies (including Freddy Krueger and Chucky) appear in their visions to torture and kill them (and their cat) in various ways. There is some laughably bad acted drama concerning rivalry between brothers, love for their mom and their cat. The violence is borderline splatter, but too amateurish to make an impact.” The Worldwide Celluloid Massacre
‘Anthony didn’t ask to be brought into this world…’
The Kindred is a 1986 [released 1987] American horror film directed by Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter (The Power; The Dorm That Dripped Blood). Obrow also produced the film and co-wrote it along with Carpenter, Earl Ghaffari and John Penney. It stars David Allen Brooks, Amanda Pays and Rod Steiger.
The Kindred was released on January 9, 1987 and grossed $2.4 million.
A geneticist takes his assistants to his old family home to locate the deadly product of his late mother’s revolutionary research into rapid human evolution – his monstrous tentacled baby brother, before a mad scientist gets to him first…
Reviews:
“Where the film really shines is in the special effects department. Anthony is a combination of octopus, alien and a human being liberally doused with goo. And I mean LIBERALLY, there is so much ooze and goo flung about in this movie that I’m sure it was in short supply for other films that might have needed some at the same time. People are literally swimming in the stuff and it is nasty to look at too.” The Black Saint, HorrorNews.net
“It’s just that the script moves in fits and spurts – when the film opens, it’s intriguing. When that gets stale, the film switches gears and becomes a friends-in-house-with-unseen-terror flick – here it’s basically a monster-slasher. When that becomes a pinch tiresome, it flirts with body-takeover horror – including the film’s highlight when one character acquires a set of gills. And finally, it becomes Anthony’s show, with a huge showdown and critter-filled denouement.” Dan Gorman, Modern Superior
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“There is a human to fish transformation scene, rickety floorboards that lead to a subterranean pit of mini monsters, and a rousing climax that leaves Stieger covered in clear gelatinous goo. If you’ve somehow missed this once late night cable regular, do yourself a favor and track it down. The kill ratio may be low but the slime tide is remarkably high.” Kindertrauma
“This movie might have been a small classic of the era along the line of Night of the Creeps or C.H.U.D. or Pumpkinhead if only it had a little more energy and humor, and maybe a dash of gore or sleaze! There are some mutants that The Pawnbroker keeps around, which we see near the beginning of the movie, who add some of these qualities, but then we never see or hear about them again!” Ha ha, It’s Burl!
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“An adequate idea for a horror flick, ruined by bad pacing and a woolly plot. Not even mealy-mouthed Amanda Pays sprouting gills and fins can redeem this one.” Time Out (London)
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Cast and characters:
David Allen Brooks – John Hollins
Rod Steiger – Dr. Phillip Lloyd (End of Days; Modern Vampires; Mars Attacks!; American Gothic; The Amityville Horror; The Illustrated Man)
The film received a limited release in New York City on January 9, 1987, however the film had a theatrical release on July 16, 1987, in Australia. Currently, there has been no official DVD or Blu-Ray release.
Giuseppe “Pino” Donaggio (born 24 November 1941) is an Italian musician and film composer. A classically-trained violinist, Donaggio is best known for his collaborations with American director Brian De Palma, scoring films such as Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Body Double, and Raising Cain.
Born in Burano, Venice, Donaggio began studying violin at the age of ten. At the age of fourteen, he made his solo debut in a Vivaldi concert for radio. The discovery of rock and roll during the summer of 1959 diverted Donaggio’s classical career when he made his singing debut with Paul Anka. He then began to write his own songs and had a string of successes including ‘Una casa in cima al mondo’.
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His greatest hit was the 1965 song ‘Io che non vivo’, which sold 80 million records worldwide and was performed in English as “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” by the likes of Dusty Springfield and Elvis Presley.
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His first film soundtrack composition was for Nicolas Roeg’s British/Italian horror film Don’t Look Now(1973). Since then he has composed music for several Italian genre films, including Dario Argento’s Two Evil Eyes, Trauma and Do You Like Hitchcock?. He also composed the scores for a host of notable horror movies including Piranha, Tourist Trap,The Howling and Seed of Chucky.
‘They were perfectly trained for one task….manslaughter!’
Rottweiler: The Dogs of Hell, also known as Rottweilerand Dogs of Hellis a 1982 American horror/thriller film directed by Worth Keeter III starring Earl Owensby, Bill Gribble and Robert Bloodworth. The film was made and released as a 3-D film, with effects by Chris Condon.
The US military has bred and trained rottweilers, which have now escaped. And they are heading for a peaceful community named Lake Lure. What they did not count on, was the local sheriff (Owensby)…
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Reviews:
“It could have maybe done with one less side plot and a bit more on screen carnage, but there are a lot of deaths and a fair dose of the red stuff even if it’s just lazily sloshed around. Being originally made to cash in on the 80’s 3D boom, this is full of guns, hands and darts being poked and thrown at the screen too, which adds to the cheesy charm of it all.” David Brook, Blueprint: Review
“A classic killer dog film worth watching. The movie does have some flaws and slow spots, but overall it’s cool and enjoyable! […] some good attack scenes, a decent amount of blood (though I expected more since a rottweiler is a big animal), and a plausible enough storyline.” The Undertaker, Buried.com
“Tom McIntyre’s script takes forever to get yipping and Worth Keeter directs without building suspense or characters. Producer Owensby plays the sheriff but he’s one-dimensional. Inconsequential.” John Stanley, Creature Features
William Tobe Hooper (January 25, 1943 – August 26, 2017) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his landmark horror feature film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre(1973) which he co-wrote with Kim Henkel, for the mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot (1979) and for his collaboration with Steven Spielberg on Poltergeist (1982).
Tobe Hooper was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Lois Belle (née Crosby) and Norman William Ray Hooper, who owned a theater in San Angelo. He first became interested in filmmaking when he used his father’s 8mm camera at age 9. Hooper took Radio-Television-Film classes at the University of Texas at Austin and studied drama in Dallas under Baruch Lumet.
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Having initially made Eggshells in 1969, which he referred to as a “hippie movie”, by the early 1970s Hooper was working as an assistant film director at the University of Texas at Austin and as a documentary cameraman. He began to develop ideas for a horror film. He credited the graphic coverage of violence by San Antonio news outlets as one inspiration for what became The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (filmed in 1973, released 1974).
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The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1973) with Tobe Hooper directing
Although it was marketed as a true story to attract a wider audience and as a subtle commentary on the era’s political climate, its plot is entirely fictional; however the character of Leatherface and minor plot details were inspired by the crimes of real-life murderer Ed Gein, who was also the inspiration for Psycho(1960) andDeranged(1974). Hooper also collaborated with Wayne Bell on the experimental soundtrack for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
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Hooper’s 1976 film Eaten Alive was filmed entirely on the sound-stages of Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, California, which had a large-scale pool that could double as a swamp. Shooting on a soundstage contributed to the atmosphere of the film, which director Tobe Hooper described as a “surrealistic, twilight world.”
However, Eaten Alive eventually proved to be problematic for the director, who left before production ended, due to a dispute with the producers, an experience repeated on the Film Ventures International movie The Dark (1979). Instead, Hooper had a career boost with his work on the 1979 mini series version of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot (1979) which has become a landmark horror TV adaptation and it often cited as one of their scariest childhood memories by many fans.
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In 1981, Hooper directed The Funhouse (1981) for Universal Pictures but despite some notable imagery and great production values, it received mixed reviews. In 1982, Hooper found greater success when Steven Spielberg hired him to direct his production of Poltergeist(1982) for MGM. It was a major motion picture event, although some creative differences led to Spielberg himself taking over Hooper’s directing duties.
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It was three years until Hooper found work again. He signed a contract with Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus’ Cannon Group, and directed London-based sci-fi epic Lifeforce (1985), the tongue-in-cheek remake of Invaders from Mars (1986), and his black comedy-filled over-the-top sequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986). The latter was poorly received at the time but has found considerable favour since, critics and fans having had time to re-evaluate Hooper’s intentions.
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Tobe Hooper with one of the Invaders from Mars (1986)
Robert Englund had a minor role in Eaten Alive, and Hooper would go on to direct the horror icon again in Night Terrors (1993) and The Mangler (1995). Throughout the 1990s, the director continued working mainly in television, as detailed below, often in horror or sci-fi series.
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Tom Arnold and Tobe Hooper in Body Bags (1993)
In 2003, Hooper helped co-produce the reboot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for New Line. The movie took over $107 million at the box office and led to a 2006 prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, on which Hooper also served as a co-producer. Clearly, the influence of his seminal 1973 horror movie lived on via a younger generation of filmgoers and still does now with the release in 2017 of Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo’s Leatherface.
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Unfortunately, the director’s own Toolbox Murders (2004) and Mortuary (2005) were poorly received by critics and fans alike. Hooper’s final movie assignment was to be Djinn, a 2011 United Arab Emirates-financed production that struggled for a wider release.
Among his works outside of the movie world was the MTV hit mutant-filled music video for Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself.” In 2011 he co-authored a post-modern horror novel titled Midnight Movie in which he himself appeared as the main character.
The Funhouse is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist; Salem’s Lot; The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) from a screenplay by Larry Block. It stars Elizabeth Berridge, Cooper Huckabee and Miles Chapin.
The special makeup design of the monster was designed by Rick Baker and executed by Craig Reardon.
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A masked intruder attacks Amy as she showers (resembling the famous shower scene from Psycho). The attacker turns out to be her younger brother Joey, a horror movie buff, and his weapon is merely a fake knife. He has played the first of several practical jokes on her.
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Against her father’s wishes, teenager Amy visits a sleazy traveling carnival with her new boyfriend Buzz, her best friend Liz, and Liz’s irresponsible boyfriend Richie.
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At the carnival, the four teens smoke marijuana, peep into a 21-and-over strip show, heckle fortune teller Madame Zena, visit the freaks-of-nature exhibit, and view a magic show.
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Richie dares the group to spend the night in “The Funhouse”, which is actually a dark ride. After the park closes, the teenagers settle down inside the ride, at which point they witness the ride assistant, a silent man in a Frankenstein’s Monster mask, engage Zena as a prostitute. He experiences premature ejaculation, but despite his request Zena will not return her $100 fee. He murders her in a violent rage…
The ending recalls Chainsaw in its relentlessness… in this case the noise in the machinery room is similar to the effect of the buzzing chainsaw. It jars the senses and leaves you on the edge of your seat. Director Tobe Hooper truly lays the groundwork with the mechanized creatures, the deformed inbred monster, the creepy surreal barkers and more. A fine job is done of building up the suspense…” The Terror Trap
“Stylishly directed and wonderfully shot – the climax is fairly stunning – the film is also imbued with Hooper’s trademark black humor, and once again explores such themes as the horror of the American family and freak-show voyeurism. While certainly not as interesting or accomplished as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Funhouse is a cut above the average slasher film.” James J. Mulay (editor), The Horror Film, CineBooks
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“Taken on its own merits, The Funhouse is a great horror film, every bit the equal of Halloween or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in meaning and use of effective film technique. But seen in the context of Hooper’s career, it picks up even more steam. The childhood obsession with magic and monsters, a facet of Hooper’s life characterised in Poltergeist, Salem’s Lot and Invaders from Mars, plays a big role here, particularly in Joey’s bedroom accoutrements.” John Kenneth Muir, Horror Films of the 1980s
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“The Funhouse is a spitty movie, full of great expectorations. That is, there’s more drool on view than blood, which is a new twist for the horror genre […] For all the elegance of photography, pic has nothing in particular up its sleeves, and devotees of director Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will be particularly disappointed with the almost total lack of shocks and mayhem.” Variety, December 31, 1980
”Funhouse is a horror movie, not a really good one, but considering that its central horror is a standard monster (fangs, drool, stringy hair and a sour expression) who pursues four standard teenagers (dope, fornication, mopey expressions), it is not a really bad movie, either. Tobe Hooper, the director, was in there trying.” John Corry, The New York Times, March 14, 1981
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“The killer is pitiful if not exactly sympathetic, a nod to Universal’s original Frankenstein’s monster. Unfortunately, the film’s protagonists are not especially sympathetic either. Also, Hooper seems less interested in the set-up for the mayhem that is about to ensue, and more interested in cataloguing the weird and sinister people who people the carnival.” J.A. Kerswell, Teenage Wasteland: The Slasher Movie Uncut
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“While the director, Tobe (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) Hooper, ought to have moved on to better things, he is the master of this gore-and-sadism genre… The film features an excruciatingly tense final confrontation.” People Weekly, April 27, 1981
“Hooper’s treatment of the monstrous Gunther was reminiscent of his chainsaw-crazed predecessor, with the audience being swayed to sympathize with his repulsively misshapen form […] The film was reasonably well received with John Beal’s creepy score gaining universal commendation.” Peter Normanton, The Mammoth Book of Slasher Movies
Kevin Conway as Freak Show Barker/Strip Show Barker/Conrad Straker (The Funhouse Barker)
Wayne Doba as Gunther Twibunt (The Monster)
Sylvia Miles as Madame Zena
William Finley as Marco the Magnificent (Night Terrors; Silent Rage; The Fury; Eaten Alive; Phantom of the Paradise)
Shawn Carson as Joey Harper
Rebuka Hoye as Strip Show Dancer
Jack McDermott as Mr. Paul Harper
Jeanne Austin as Mrs. Ellen Harper
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Novelization:
A novelization of the screenplay was written by Dean Koontz, under the pseudonym Owen West. As the film production took longer than expected, the book was released before the film. The novel contains a great deal of backstory and characterization which was not used in the movie. It was later reissued credited to Dean Koontz.
Video Nasty:
In the UK, the film was unsuccessfully prosecuted as a ‘video nasty’ a few years after its cinema release. Some commentators have questioned its attempted banning, given that the film is fairly tame in comparison to other entries on the list, leading some to suggest it was mistaken for the infamous Last House on Dead End Street, which had also been released as The Fun House.
Spellcaster is a 1988 [released 1992] American horror film directed by Canadian Rafal Zielinski from a screenplay by Dennis Paoli (Dagon; The Dentist; Re-Animator; et al) based on a story by Ed Naha (C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud; Dolls). It stars Adam Ant, Richard Blade and Gail O’Grady.
Sergio Salvati (Crawlspace; The Beyond) was the cinematographer and John Carl Buechler provided the special effects monsters.
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Winning a trip to Italy via a Rock TV contest, Jackie (O’Grady) and her brother Tom (Pruett) join other winners Myrna (Demson), Yvette (Lind), Terri (Ulrich), Harlan (Zorek) and Tony (Modugno).
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They settle into the rooms of an old castle, together with Cassandra (Bailey), a rock star playing along in the contest.
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Wanting to get a leg up on each other, they all try to sneak out and find the $1 million prize before it starts, to no avail. When the contest begins, they start to die one-by-one from a mysterious source within the castle..
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Reviews:
“Spellcaster‘s attractive cast, impressive effects and make-up, and relatively light delivery are about the only aspects of the film that make it watchable schlock for those who enjoy cheesy, b-movie horror. However, with a dumb plot and severe lapses in basic logic, it is a frustrating experience for anyone not completely pleased by superficial pleasures.” Vince Leo, Qwipster
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“Sure, it’s pure eighties cheese, but it’s damn tasty eighties cheese with goofy performances, a creative premise, and Adam Ant pulling in a memorable performance as Diablo. Memories have been kind and thankfully, Spellcaster is still an entertaining and demented horror film with a classic delving in to themes of greed and gluttony becoming the end of random yuppies.” Felix Vasquez, Cinema Crazed
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“Bad acting, bad direction and ridiculously bad editing. O’Grady and Bailey are probably the two most watchable performers in this whole mess. I’d make it three including Adam Ant, but he doesn’t even show up till near the end of the third reel.” Christopher T. Chase
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“Spellcaster was Rafal Zielinski’s second attempt at directing an Empire flick after the rather more engaging but equally pallid Valet Girls. His ‘hand me the paycheque’ mentality is on show throughout, with occasionally shaky camerawork from the usually dependable Sergio Salvati and multiple continuity errors rearing their ugly mugs, alongside the odd scene where it appears as though a certain actor has mistimed his/her lines but the director just can’t bear to sit through another take.” Dave Jay, Empire of the ‘B’s
” …has such a cop-out ending that the the film falls on its pie-studded face in spite of rich production values, good monsters by John Buechler and satisfying gory murders staged by director Rafal Zielinski. It’s a case of the film never taking itself seriously enough.” John Stanley, Creature Features
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Main cast and characters:
Adam Ant, Richard Blade, Gail O’Grady, Harold Pruett (Embrace of the Vampire), Bunty Bailey (Dolls), Kim Johnston Ulrich (Rumpelstiltskin), Michael Zorek, Martha Demson, Traci Lind, William Butler, Michael Deak, Donald Hodson, Marcello Modugno (Dial: Help), Dale Wyatt.
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Choice dialogue:
Rex: “Yeah, I’ve seen Lost Weekend!”
Filming locations:
Odescalchi Castle, Bracciano, Rome, Lazio, Italy (Night of the Devils; Castle of the Living Dead; Katarsis)
The latest horror and sci-fi related news stories from around the world are posted here, to peruse at a glance, plus details of all all the posts that have been updated daily on Horrorpedia, in one handy place.
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‘You’ll float too.’ It’s September and the most hotly anticipated theatrical release is undoubtedly the remake of Stephen King’s IT, due out on the 8th, in case you hadn’t noticed. We genuinely hope that Andres Muschietti lives up to the incredible amount of online hype it’s received. It’s not long to wait now folks!
Prior to the momentous occasion you may want to check out the longest (4 minutes!) trailer posted in advance of Pennywise’s much-anticipated marauding. Meanwhile, other movie house releases include:
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Jackals, which has been updated with a slew of reviews that are largely negative, unfortunately, but make up your own mind by taking a look at the trailer here
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The Vault – Dan Bush’s heist/horror hybrid receives a low-key US release from today and we’ve updated our coverage with four of the first reviews
We’ll also be adding our own review of The Vault soon. All we can say for now is that bank robbers cuss, a lot. And its very dark in old bank vaults. You’d expect nothing less…
Other September theatrical releases include:
Temple (2017) – Not to be confused with Scott Spiegel’s The Temple. This new Japanese set supernatural tale has been updated with the first trailer and reviews, which are pretty negative, so far. Read more
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Darren (Black Swan) Aronofsky’s intriguing mother! (now updated with a TV spot)
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The Limehouse Golem – expect lots of fogbound London streets and Bill Nighy grimacing throughout…
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Friend Request – ‘Evil is trending’ in this German produced movie filmed in South Africa.
Welcome to Willits – It’s amusing and icky so worth a look, but is also a tad heavy on the druggy culture references, which become tiresome.
Happy Hunting – Promoted as horror but more of a violent thriller. Here’s the trailer anyway:
Jeepers Creepers 3 is receiving a one day only theatrical showing on September 26 via Fathom Events.
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Cavity Colors has issued some eye-catching Maniac Cop 2 t-shirts and enamel pins. Visit their site for ordering details and our post to read about the movie itself. Remember, ‘You have the right to remain silent… forever!
The Domicile (2017) – has been updated with several reviews.
Incidentally, I watched Jared Cohn’s The Domicile (uninspiring title) yesterday via an online screener (thanks, October Coast) and although it generally looks great, boasts solid performances and has a couple of genuinely creepy moments, it loses its way in the second half as the lead character, a grieving playwright, repeatedly descends into alcoholic delusion (or does he?). Overall, the production seems rushed and a wasted opportunity because in earlier scenes it definitely has real potential. But before this comment turns into a review, why not check out the reviews already quoted/linked here
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The Corpse Grinders (1971) – Ted V. Mikels’ exploitation trash, erm, ‘classic’ gets a major Blu-ray upgrade courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome. Check out the specs here
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BloodBeat (1982). Or is it Bloodbeat or Blood Beat? The online title is one word so we’re going with that. Its bonkers by any title and recommended for those who appreciate somewhat incoherent yet amusingly head-scratching surreal (in the genuine sense of the word, not just weird) 80’s low budget fodder. Vinegar Syndrome is releasing a very welcome Blu-ray with a slew of extras. Details here
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Nightworld (2017) – updated with first reviews and more images. The reviews aren’t very positive but the imagery shows promise. Take a look here
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Leatherface (2017) – Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo’s prequel now has another poster (and one that at least finally matches the tone of the film, after several insipid designs). Plus, post FrightFest, we have a dozen review quotes/links to peruse in one handy place. The verdict? Check out the opinions here
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Trench 11 (2017) – The Canadian movie set during the horrors of war now has a trailer that can be watched here
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Psychos in Love (1986) – Gorman Bechard’s idiosyncratic indie black comedy cost a mere $75K in the mid-eighties and yet has an indie vitality and wit far exceeding that of many bigger budget efforts from the era (such as House). Vinegar Syndrome have gone to town with an incredible extras-packed Blu-ray release that shows their love for this oddball movie. Read more
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What the Waters Left Behind (2017) – This Argentinian horror apparently has the same vibe as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. The trailer and a sneak peek of footage at last year’s Cannes festival caused a big buzz. Click here to read about the intriguing plot and watch the trailer horror fans are talking about
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Demon Wind (1990) – Slapdash, silly, yet undoubtedly surreal in a good way, Charles Philip Moore’ s low budgeter is a must for Evil Dead fans and those who appreciate rabid regional horror made with genuine enthusiasm. Vinegar Syndrome (yep, it’s them again) have done the film proud with their upcoming Blu-ray + DVD combo. Details here
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Cut Shoot Kill (2017) – We have seen this one yet and the reviews are mixed. Here’s ten of ’em to peruse before you view Cut Shoot Kill
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Our Evil is Brazilian director Samuel Cunha Galli’s uncompromising brutal combination of a serial killer and a possession pic. However, despite the strong material, initial reviews have been positive. The Horrorpedia overview of this controversial movie is being updated daily with more critical opinions. Read the latest round-up here
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Mindhunter (2017, TV series) – There’s not been much buzz about this upcoming serial killer thriller series but it’s David Fincher (!) and looks great. Check out the trailer and a new teaser clip here
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The Terror of Hallow’s Eve (2017) – Todd Tucker’s loving homage to 80s horror (another one!) had its world premiere at FrightFest and here are the initial – largely positive – reactions from reviewers
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Voice from the Stone (2017) – This Italian set mystery movie looks lovely, if somewhat sedate in style. Our overview has been updated with more reviews, images and its British DVD release. And we love John Llewellyn Probert’s comment that this is “the kind of film you can safely recommend to elderly relatives who enjoy non-threatening gothic dramas where you don’t have to be awake throughout the entire thing to understand it.” Read what the other reviewers say here
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Eat Locals – This Brit comedy horror directed by actor Jason Flemyng has garnered both praise and derision from reviewers. There’s a review round-up here
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Beeline Creative presents Geeki Tikis 18 oz ceramic mugs based on six classic Universal monsters are due out in September. Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, and Creature from the Black Lagoon can be pre-order via Entertainment Earth for $16.99 each. News source: Broke Horror Fan
‘Your blood runs cold… your heart jumps into your throat.’
Too Scared to Scream is a 1982 American psycho thriller film directed by actor Tony Lo Bianco from a screenplay by Neal F. Barbera, based on a story by Glenn Leopold. Starring Mike Connors (who also produced), Anne Archer and Ian McShane.
The film is known for its cameo line-up that includes actors such as John Heard, Maureen O’Sullivan and Murray Hamilton. The title song “I’ll Be There” was sung by Charles Aznavour.
The police investigate a string of deaths that occur in a high rise apartment building in New York City. The affable night doorman is a strong suspect…
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Reviews:
“Too Scared to Scream comes across like a slightly demented TV movie but with the added benefits of some surprisingly gratuitous nudity, a fair bit of sleaze, a mountain of cheese and even a little gore thrown in too just to round things off nicely (I really can’t imagine this movie still sits on any of the star’s CVs though). So there’s plenty here to keep you entertained…” Hysteria Lives!
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“My only guess as to how people passed this up is that it’s not much of a slasher and the leads aren’t anything like the dead teenagers of the era. Mike Connors was TV’s Mannix and Ian McShane was a nobody at the time (an terrific nobody). It’s also not particularly scary, which—granted—is a problem. But McShane is totally bonkers here…” Miles Lemaire, CHUD.com
“You just have to handle the well-intended yet uninspiring bridges. Minimal blood, Too Scared to Screambrings out some cheese and sleaze anyhow, with the sugar daddies, breasts and rather silly end. Leaving us with shockingly stylish Psycho-similar pieces…” Josh G., Oh, the Horror!
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” …director Tony Lo Bianco builds some adequate suspense and throws in some smelly red herrings.” John Stanley, Creature Features
Choice dialogue:
Cynthia Oberman, the cleaner [Victoria Bass]: “You’re a sour-faced, down in the mouth, lowlife motherf*cker. Excuse the expression.”
Vincent Hardwick [Ian McShane]: “I have no friends lieutenant, I take my solace in my books.”
The latest horror and sci-fi related news from around the world is here, to peruse at a glance, plus details of all the posts that have recently been updated daily on Horrorpedia, in one handy place.
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The most hotly anticipated theatrical release this month is undoubtedly the remake of Stephen King’s IT, due out in five days time on the 8th. Meanwhile, other movie house releases include:
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Jackals – Our coverage of this movie has just been updated with more review quotes/links. Reviews so far are largely negative, unfortunately, but make up your own mind by taking a look at the trailer here
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The Vault – Dan Bush’s heist/horror hybrid with James Franco is out via a limited US release and we’ve updated our again coverage which now features six of the first reviews
Temple (2017) – Our movie overview has just been updated again with the trailer, UK DVD release and more reviews, which are all negative, so far. Read more
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The Limehouse Golem – expect lots of fogbound London streets and Bill Nighy grimacing throughout…
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Friend Request – ‘Evil is trending’ in this German movie filmed in South Africa.
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Welcome to Willits – It’s amusing and icky so worth a look, but is also a tad heavy on the druggy culture references, which become slightly tiresome.
The Kindred is finally set to be unleashed on Blu-ray
Entertainment Weekly has reported that, having purchased the rights over ten years ago and then running into long-running legal issues, Synapse Films will finally be unleashing Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter’s The Kindred (1986), which stars Rod Steiger (The Amityville Horror) and Amanda Pays (Leviathan), on Blu-ray and DVD in 2018. Plus, Synapse Films’ version will apparently contain more gore than the original release.
President Donald May Jr. commented:
“Almost ten years later, I can now say that, yes, we are doing The Kindred, finally, for 2018. While we didn’t spend four years restoring it, it took us ten years to get out of all the legal mess to finally announce it again, ten years later. I could probably write a book as to what happened with The Kindred. [Laughs] We’ll do The Kindred on Blu-ray and DVD, because honestly it’s never been legally available on Blu-ray or DVD in the U.S. So, we’ll be the first company to actually release it.
Drew Barrymore’s production company, Flower Films, has begun work on a new hour-long horror anthology series titled Black Rose Anthology, which will air on the CW reports Deadline.
Each episode will be written and directed by women and will explore such themes as “guilt, jealousy, repression, paranoia, insanity, sexual obsession and survival through a modern and distinctly feminine lens.” The pilot episode of Black Rose Anthology is being written by former Scream showrunner Jill Blotevogel.
On October 6, 2017, Lakeshore Records is reissuing the Hellraiser soundtrack by Christopher Young as a 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition vinyl release, remastered from the original 24 track, 2 inch analog master session tapes.
The single LP gatefold release includes digitally restored original artwork and photography from the film’s archives. Furthermore, the disc sleeve features the long lost original theatrical sales sheet.
The record itself is 140g multi-coloured translucent red with black smoke vinyl.
Kaptain Kristian has produced a YouTube video for blinkist.com explaining why George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead accidentally became a public domain title in 1968 and how this impacted positively on the explosion of the zombie pop culture in years to come.
Prime Evil and Lurkers – Vinegar Syndrome is bringing two 1980s Roberta Findlay (Snuff) horror movies to Blu-ray + DVD on October 24.
Prime Evil: Nestled in a Manhattan monastery, evil is lurking. A group of devil worshipping monks are stalking the city, looking for victims to sacrifice to the dark lord in the hope of bringing satanic rule to the world! A stylishly photographed neo-gothic horror, Prime Evil packs in gore, nudity, and loads of 80s NYC locales.
Lurkers: When Cathy was a girl, she saw her deranged mother murder her father and only narrowly escaped with her life. Haunted by memories of her macabre childhood, her nightmares turn into a terrifying reality when she’s lured back to her childhood home, only to be transformed into a ‘lurker;’ members of the vengeful dead who seek to terrorize those who wronged them. Findlay’s suspenseful ghost story explores trauma and grief between moments of shocking violence.
Directed by: Roberta Findlay
1987-1988 / 173 minutes / Color / 1.85:1
Starring: William Beckwith, Christine Moore, Gary Warner
Features Include:
• Region free Blu-ray/DVD combo pack
• Newly scanned and restored in 2k from the 35mm original camera negative
• Commentary track for Prime Evil with Roberta Findlay (director)
• Original theatrical trailers for both films
• TV spots for both films
• Isolated soundtrack for both films
• Reversible cover artwork
• English SDH subtitles
Orgy of the Dead (1965) – Ed Wood Jr. scripted this trashy sexploitation movie featuring stripper monsters! Vinegar Syndrome unleash the Orgy of the Dead in glorious ghoulish digital high-definition quality on September 26, 2017.
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Horror novelist John and his girlfriend Shirley are taking a night drive, in search of an eerie graveyard that will hopefully inspire John to come up with his next story, but instead stumble into the wild rituals conducted by The Dark Master and his faithful servants. Taken prisoner, they’re forced to watch the shocking rites unfold as they await their fate!
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Written by the venerable Ed Wood Jr. (Glen or Glenda), directed by cult movie maverick, A.C. Stephen (Fugitive Girls), lighting and camera assistance from Ted V. Mikels (The Astro-Zombies; The Corpse Grinders) and starring Criswell (Plan 9 from Outer Space), Orgy is a campy, sexy, and thoroughly outrageous gem from the height of the ‘nudie cutie’ period.
Proudly presented by Vinegar Syndrome on Blu-ray for the first time in a widescreen 1.85:1 brand new 2k restoration from the original 35mm camera negative! Features Include:
• Region free Blu-ray/DVD combo pack
• Newly scanned and restored in 2k from the 35mm original camera negative
• Commentary track with: Rudolph Grey (Ed Wood Biographer) and Frank Henenlotter (Exploitation Filmmaker)
• “Impressions of Nadejda” – Interview with actress Nadejda Dobrev
• “Orgy of the Ted” – Interview with Ted V. Mikels
• Still gallery
• Cover designed by Earl Kessler
• Reversible cover artwork
• English SDH Subtitles
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Fright-Rags has launched three new ranges of horror apparel featuring IT, Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth.
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To coincide with Pennywise’s return in the new movie adaptation of Stephen King’s IT, Fright-Rags brings artist Robert Giusti’s ironic artwork for the original novel to clothing including T-shirts, baseball tees, and hoodies. Plus, $5 from every t-shirt sold during its first print run will be donated to the Hurricane Harvey relief fund.
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Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Rob Zombie’s Halloween Fright-Rags has made a new collection of shirts available. Naturally, Michael Myers features on the new designs, including a glow-in-the-dark version.
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The Fright-Rags Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth collection obviously features Pinhead, plus poster artwork reworked as a shirt design. Thenewapparel is available at Fright-Rags.com
Horrorpedia site updates:
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Leatherface (2017) – Updated with a behind-the-scenes promo featurette plus a FrightFest video interview with Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo. Our latest update also includes the new poster (above) and more reviews, of course. Check it all out here
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Ghost Stories (UK, 2017) – The first image (above) from the new comedy film adaptation of the successful stage play has arrived online. The movie is directed by Jeremy Dyson (The League of Gentlemen) andAndy Nyman (ABCs of Death 2: segment ‘A’; Black Death; Severance). The latter stars alongside Martin Freeman (Cargo; Hot Fuzz; Shaun of the Dead) and Alex Lawther. Read more
A Lionsgate trailer for The Crucifixion has arrived online, view here
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The Old Dark House (1932) – James Whale’ Universal comedy horror classic featuring Boris Karloff has been given a 4K restoration. Read more
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Gerald’s Game (2017) is the Mike Flanagan directed, Jeff Howard scripted adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name about kinky sex gone wrong. The film will debut on Netflix on September 29. Read more here
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The Evil Within (2017) The late Andrew Getty’s horror “masterpiece” has caused a flood of positive reviews that, whilst noting the film’s flaws, also praise its uniqueness and nightmare qualities. We watched it yesterday and can confirm that The Evil Within is a MUST SEE and a genuine cult item, for sure. More images and reviews have been added to the film’s Horrorpedia overview
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Pyewacket (2016) is a Canadian indie horror thriller in which a frustrated, angst-ridden teenage girl awakens something in the woods when she naively performs an occult ritual to evoke a witch to kill her mother. Our overview of the movie has just been updated with the poster and news that the film is being shown at this year’s TIFF. Read more and watch trailer
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Hitchhiker Massacre (2017) has been updated on Horrorpedia with new artwork (above) and a second trailer, in glorious Vimeo HD. Watch here
Jeepers Creepers 3 is receiving a one day only theatrical showing on September 26 via Fathom Events.
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Lyst (2017)has been labelled the most grotesque film in Norwegian history. Our coverage has just been updated with some brief behind-the-scenes footage of the crew setting up special effects shots. Watch and read more about Lysthere
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The School (2017) is an Australian supernatural thriller. Our coverage of the movie has been updated today to include a new poster (above). Read more about The School and watch the trailer here
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78/52 (2017) is a documentary film written and directed by Alexandre O. Philippe (Doc of the Dead). It looks at the iconic shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, the “man behind the curtain”, and the screen murder that profoundly changed the course of world cinema. The overview on Horrorpedia has been updated today with the trailer for 78/52Read more/watch trailer
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Cavity Colors has issued some eye-catching Maniac Cop 2 t-shirts and enamel pins. Visit their site for ordering details and our post to read about the movie itself. Remember, ‘You have the right to remain silent… forever!
Brand new 4K transfer from the original camera negative
Two versions of the feature: Pieces, the US theatrical version, and Mil Gritos Tiene La Noche, the original uncensored director s cut, presented in Spanish with original score by Librado Pastor [Blu-ray exclusive]
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
Original English and Spanish Mono Audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
5.1 Vine Theater Experience
Alternate Re-score by composer Umberto
Brand new audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues
It s Exactly What You Think It Is! brand new featurette offering up an appreciation of Pieces by various filmmaker fans
Brand new interview with art director Gonzalo Gonzalo
The Reddest Herring extensive interview with actor Paul Smith, including a discussion of Pieces
Audio Interview with producer Steve Minasian
Image Galleries
Theatrical Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Marc Schoenbach
Collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Michael Gingold
Soundtrack CD featuring the entire original score
100-piece jigsaw puzzle replicaPieces of Juan a career-spanning interview with director Juan Piquer Simon
The Domicile (2017) – has been updated on Horrorpedia with several reviews which can be read here
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The Corpse Grinders (1971) – Ted V. Mikels’ exploitation trash, erm, ‘classic’ gets a major Blu-ray upgrade courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome. Check out the specs here
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BloodBeat (1982). Or is it Bloodbeat or Blood Beat? The online title is one word so we’re going with that. Its bonkers by any title and recommended for those who appreciate somewhat incoherent yet amusingly head-scratching surreal (in the genuine sense of the word, not just weird) 80’s low budget fodder. Vinegar Syndrome is releasing a very welcome Blu-ray with a slew of extras. Details here
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Nightworld (2017) – updated on Horrorpedia with first reviews and more images. The reviews aren’t very positive but the imagery shows promise. Take a look here
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Trench 11 (2017) – The Canadian movie set during the horrors of war now has a new Raven Banner trailer that can be watched here
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Psychos in Love (1986) – Gorman Bechard’s idiosyncratic indie black comedy cost a mere $75K in the mid-eighties and yet has an indie vitality and wit far exceeding that of many bigger budget efforts from the era (such as House). Vinegar Syndrome have gone to town with an incredible extras-packed Blu-ray release that shows their love for this oddball movie. Read more
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What the Waters Left Behind (2017) – Updated on Horrorpdia with the first poster and news of the world premiere at the Sitges film festival in Spain. This Argentinian horror movie apparently has the same vibe as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. The trailer and a sneak peek of footage at last year’s Cannes festival caused a big buzz. Click here to read about the intriguing plot and watch the trailer horror fans are talking about
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Demon Wind (1990) – Slapdash, silly, yet undoubtedly surreal in a good way, Charles Philip Moore’s low budgeter is a must for Evil Dead fans and those who appreciate rabid regional horror made with genuine enthusiasm. Vinegar Syndrome have done the film proud with their upcoming Blu-ray + DVD combo. Details here
Our Evil is Brazilian director Samuel Cunha Galli’s uncompromising brutal combination of a serial killer and a possession pic. However, despite the strong material, initial reviews have been positive. The Horrorpedia overview of this controversial movie is being updated daily with more critical opinions. Read the latest round-up here
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Mindhunter (2017, TV series) – There’s not been much buzz about this upcoming serial killer thriller series but it’s David Fincher (!) and looks great. Check out the trailer and a new teaser clip here
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The Terror of Hallow’s Eve (2017) – Todd Tucker’s loving homage to 80s horror (another one!) had its world premiere at FrightFest and here are the initial – largely positive – reactions from reviewers
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Voice from the Stone (2017) – This Italian set mystery movie looks lovely, but is somewhat sedate in style. A ‘slow burner’ as is oft said. Our Horrorpedia overview has been updated with more reviews, images and the film’s British DVD release. And we love John Llewellyn Probert’s comment that this is “the kind of film you can safely recommend to elderly relatives who enjoy non-threatening gothic dramas where you don’t have to be awake throughout the entire thing to understand it.” Read what the other reviewers say here
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Eat Locals – This Brit comedy horror directed by actor Jason Flemyng has garnered both praise and derision from reviewers. There’s a review round-up here
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Beeline Creative presents Geeki Tikis 18 oz ceramic mugs based on six classic Universal monsters are due out in September. Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, and Creature from the Black Lagoon can be pre-order via Entertainment Earth for $16.99 each. News source: Broke Horror Fan
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Halloween Headtrip!
Featuring wonderfully lurid and brightly coloured limited edition packaging designs by Orlando Arocena, nineteen Twentieth Century Fox and MGM Home Entertainment horror releases are being issued to celebrate Halloween with gorgeous new collectible Blu-ray and DVD packaging.
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The titles below and more will be available at major US retailers for a limited time and while supplies last beginning on September 12, 2017…
• 28 Days Later
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
• Black Swan
• Carrie (1976)
• Child’s Play
• Devil’s Due
• The Fly (1986)
• From Hell
• The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
• Jeepers Creepers
• Jennifer’s Body
• Joy Ride
• Killer Klowns from Outer Space
• The Other Side of the Door
• Poltergeist (2015)
• The Return of the Living Dead
• Victor Frankenstein
• Wrong Turn
• Young Frankenstein
Screamplay is a 1985 American low-budget horror film directed by Rufus Butler Seder, who also stars, from a screenplay co-written with Ed Greenberg. It also stars Eugene Seder, Katy Bolger, Basil J. Bova and Ed Callahan. Underground filmmaker George Kuchar has a cameo role.
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Aspiring screenwriter Edgar Allen (Rufus B. Seder) arrives in Hollywood carrying his most valuable possessions: a battered suitcase and a typewriter. Edgar Allen’s best attribute is his wild imagination. He imagines scenes so vividly for the murder mystery he is writing that they seem to come to life… and they do!
As mysterious gruesome murders pile up, Edgar must confront aging actresses, rock stars and the police in a bleak setting of broken dreams and hideously broken bodies in Hollywood. As the line between reality and imagination becomes more blurred, Edgar, convinced the only way to be a real writer is to suffer, is driven slowly mad…
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Reviews:
“I drew comparisons to the early Sam Raimi oddity ‘Crimewave (1985)’, as they both adopt the stylings of a classic era of film, with the similar over-the-top caricature characters and set pieces, dialogue and filmmaking techniques. However, they use them in such a way that hasn’t been done before, to create darkly comic horror films ripe with manic energy and 80’s violence.” Attack of the Coach Potato
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“With its hand-wringing performances, gloomy music, bizarrely perverse screenplay, neo Underground attitudes and a modicum of sickly snide satire, Screamplay is genuinely unusual.” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror
“It’s a film that is easy to get affection for since it seems to have heart and effort put into it, but it sadly isn’t that entertaining and except the look of the film, the rest isn’t done very well which is probably due to lack of experience and budget. I’m gonna guess that Troma picked this up because they loved what they were trying to do…” Cinema Terror
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“Director Seder, like any creative filmmaker hamstrung with a tiny budget, employs such tried-and-true effects as rear-screen projection, forced perspective, and multiple exposures to create a unique and vivid cinematic universe, somewhat overcoming the tired story and lacklustre acting.” TV Guide
Transylvania Twist is a 1989 American comedy horror film directed by Jim Wynorski (CobraGator; The Wasp Woman; Chopping Mall; et al) from a screenplay co-written with R.J. Robertson (The Haunting of Morella; Not of This Earth; Forbidden World).
In 2013, director Jim Wynorski said this film “comes closest to my personality and was the film I had the most fun making. It was the show I never wanted to end.”
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Dexter Ward (Steve Altman) discovers that his apparently dead uncle (Jay Robinson) is not actually dead. Dexter is then sent to find and bring back The Book of Ulthar, a book of great power capable of unleashing terrible evil in the wrong hands.
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Dexter’s search leads him to aspiring singing star Marissa Orlock (Teri Copley), who is about to be informed of the death of her father Marinas (Howard Morris), and her inheritance of Castle Orlock in Transylvania. Dexter goes with her to the castle.
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Victor Van Helsing (Ace Mask), a professional vampire hunter, accompanies Marissa and Dexter to the castle as the executor of her father’s estate. Unfortunately, Count Byron Orlock (Robert Vaughn), and his three adopted-daughters – who are also vampires – are already at the castle…
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Reviews:
“It’s a decent spoof with spooky sets and something that’s appropriate to watch with a younger crowd, or those wanting to see the scenes involving the big horror franchises or see Angus Scrimm’s amusing cameo. It has its share of quality scenes, but as a movie falls a tad short of one that you should add to your collection, unless you’re a hardcore spoof fan.” Brett H., Oh, the Horror!
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“The horror-movie spoof Transylvania Twist isn’t an entirely successful cinematic endeavor, but at least half its gags manage to score, and, coupled with the fact that it doesn’t stoop to bottom-basement toilet humor, this is enough to warrant a slight recommendation.” Jack Sommersby, eFilmCritic
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“A witless series of verbal and visual puns, non sequiturs and movie-fan in-jokes…” John Stanley, Creature Features
Choice dialogue:
Yellow cab driver in Transylvania: “Hey, in New York you got your junkies. Here, you got your zombies. What’s the difference? They all look like Keith Richards anyway.”
Dexter Ward: “I was gonna be a lawyer but I couldn’t stand the sight of blood.”
Marissa (possessed): “Your mother sews socks in Hell!”
Von Helsing: “Don’t ask me young fellow. Vampires, I know. But this Lovecraft stuff is out of my league.”
‘The hospital where your next visit… will be your last’
Visiting Hours is a 1982 Canadian slasher horror film directed by Jean-Claude Lord (The Vindicator) from a screenplay by Brian Taggert (Trucks; Omen IV; Poltergeist III; Of Unknown Origin; et al). It stars Lee Grant, William Shatner and Michael Ironside.
In the UK, Visiting Hours is released as an uncut Blu-ray + DVD combo by Final Cut Entertainment on 18 September 2017.
“Deborah Ballin is a controversial middle-aged TV journalist, who is campaigning on air on behalf of a battered woman who murdered her abusive husband, claiming justifiable defence against the so-called victim. But her outspoken views championing women’s rights incense one of the studio’s cleaning staff, closet homicidal psycho (and misogynist) Colt Hawker whose deep seated despising all all things female occurred from seeing his mother throwing boiling oil in the face of his abusive Father when he was a small child (and who’s M.O. is to photograph victims he stabs as they’re dying ). So much so that he decides there and then to shut her up… permanently!
Managing to beat her home, he soon dispatches her maid Francine, before turning his rage onto her as she come home (greeting her in only wearing her jewellery and make-up). Despite the brutal injuries he lashes out on her, she manages to survive and is rushed off to hospital. But undaunted he catches up to her in hospital and disguised as a florist… he enter the building to continue his mission to finish her off… along with anyone else who gets under his skin.”
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Reviews:
“Visiting Hours more closely resembles the polished, eccentric thrillers of early Brian De Palma than a true slasher, celebrating structural conventions of the genre even while deviating from its gimmicks.” William P. Simmons, DVD Drive-In
“The film has some strikingly perverse images – like the scene where Michael Ironside slashes an old lady’s oxygen tube and sits taking photographs as she expires; or the killing of Harvey Atkin by Ironside shoving a rubber ball into his mouth and taping it shut. On the minus side, the film never amounts of anything more than a series of stalking and pursuit sequences – ones that continue almost without interruption for 90 minutes.” Richard Scheib, Moria
“Although the movie is about fifteen minutes longer than it needs to be, Visiting Hours still manages to carve itself out a spot as an above average slasher thanks to two key factors, this first of which is Ironside’s relentless performance. He’s a big guy and he uses his size to his advantage here…” Ian Jane, Rock! Shock! Pop!
“Visiting Hours more closely resembles the polished, eccentric thrillers of early Brian De Palma than a true slasher, celebrating structural conventions of the genre even while deviating from its gimmicks.” William P. Simmons, DVD Drive-InImage may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
“The movie has a bit of a thoughtful undercurrent with its shallow musings on violence and abused women. One of the running threads involves Grant’s insistence on non-violence, which is of course tested by her traumatic experiences; the ultimate resolution of the film has some interesting psychological implications, I guess, as you’ll question just who “won,” really.” Brett Gallman, Oh, the Horror!
” …the picture as a whole is slick and professionally done. Somehow this doesn’t help matters much though, and the overlong running time makes the hurt even worse. Stephan Dupuis and Michele Burke, a dynamic effects duo if ever there was one, are credited with the movies special makeup effects, but unfortunately aside from some slight scarring on Ironside’s face they don’t seem to be any.” Caelum Vatnsdal, They Came from Within
“While Ironside (Scanners) contributes a memorably depraved performance, Visiting Hours is a fairly repugnant film that seems to share its killer’s attitude towards women. Director Jean Claude Lord does manage to build some effective suspense sequences, but overall his direction is hyperactive – as is the annoyingly insistent musical score by Jonathan Goldsmith.” James J. Mulay (editor), The Horror Film
“As conflicted as it occasionally seems and as unfocused as the feminist view-point is, it’s a really sharp thriller with slasher overtones that is probably the best of a rather scant subgenre.” Thomas T Sueyres, Video Junkie
“Jean Claude Lord’s may resort to so many of the clichés associated with the slasher phenomenon, but it also introduces a cast of strong women who are prepared to fight for their lives rather the usual stock of teen fodder. Visiting Hours couldn’t be described as a gory piece, but Lord wasn’t adverse to lingering over his death scenes…” Peter Normanton, The Mammoth Book of Slasher Movies
“Visiting Hours skips from genre-to-genre like a frog with ADHD, never sticking with being a slasher film, or an anchorwoman-in-peril thriller, or boring hospital soap. At times it manages to straddle all three at once. Make no mistake, this is no Halloween II. Or Hospital Massacre.” Vegan Voorhees
“The second half is very clever and exciting, leading to an awesome final girl chase at the end and a great final fight, as well. Really, this is more of a suspense-thriller than a slasher movie. Granted, there are quite a few bloody kills throughout, thanks to Mr. Ironside and his huge switchblade, but they are really drawn out. The focus here is on the suspense than the kills thankfully and it makes for a very watchable, edge of your seat type thriller.” Ronnie Angel, Slashed Dreams
“The problem with this film is that the clichéd script, stock situations and overwrought, over-insistent direction simply exploit Grant and her plight as a means of generating shock and suspense in the most perfunctory way imaginable.” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia
” …it is a slasher flick through and through, playing on a common fear (this time of hospitals) and featuring cat-and-mouse antics between the chaser and chased. It is also interesting as it pits liberal feminism against macho right-wing bigotry – a battle that was happening for real in America at the time.” J.A. Kerswell, Teenage Wasteland
In the US, the film was released theatrically by 20th Century Fox in May 1982. It was released on DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2006. It was released by Shout Factory along with Bad Dreams as a double feature DVD on September 13, 2011 and as a Blu-ray on February 18, 2014.
In the UK in 1982, The Visitor was passed with an ‘X’ certificate by the BBFC following 1 minutes and 10 seconds of cuts as follows:
Cut to edit a scene where Colt traces his switchblade knife across Lisa before slashing her shirt
Cuts to shots of Colt stabbing Sheila and to her pained facial expression
More cuts in the same scene with Colt kicking her Sheila to get a response for the photographs he is taking of her.
This censored version was released on VHS by CBS/Fox in 1983 yet was still briefly listed as a ‘video nasty’ in September 1984. However, it was dropped from the list in November 1984.
In 1986, the cut cinema version was passed ’18’ without further by the BBFC for a CBS/Fox video release
On British television, ITV broadcast the uncut version (perhaps unknowingly?) in 1989 and were subsequently rebuked by the British Broadcasting Standards Authority.
Slaughter Highis a 1986 American-British independent slasher horror film written and directed by George Dugdale, Mark Ezra and Peter Litten. The Steve Minasian and Dick Randall production stars Caroline Munro, Simon Scuddamore and Carmine Iannoccone.
On October 30, 2017, the film is released as part of Vestron Video Collector’s Series from Lionsgate, uncut for the first time onlimited-edition Blu-ray.
Special features:
Audio Commentary with Co-Writers/Directors George Dugdale and Peter Litten
Audio Interview with Composer Harry Manfredini featuring Isolated Music and SFX Selections
Going to Pieces – Featurette with Co-Writer/Director Mark Ezra
My Days at Doddsville – Featurette with Actress Caroline Munro
Slaughter High closely follows the tropes of many other slasher films of the period and is mostly notable for the casting of Caroline Munro in the lead female role and the distinctive jester’s mask worn by the killer. It was originally titled April Fool’s Day.
In an American high school populated by the usual jocks, hot girls and outcasts, Marty Rantzen (Simon Scuddamore) is most firmly the latter, the atypical, bespectacled nerd, good at complicated sums, not so good on basic human interaction.
Come April Fool’s Day, Marty can’t believe his luck as he is lured by school sex siren, Carol (Munro) into the girls’ locker room for a baptism of shower-based sex. Alas, this is not the case and whilst disrobed and expectant in the shower, the curtain is pulled to reveal the school jokers armed with video recording equipment and a fire extinguisher to put a dampener on Marty’s dreams and his dignity down the toilet (which is literally where he’s heading, face down, thanks to his tormentors dangling him in).
He is ‘rescued’ by the arrival of the military instructor-like sports coach (played by Marc Smith, best known for his voice acting, of note his redubbing on Dario Argento’s Four Flies on Grey Velvet, and Deep Red) who does little to sympathise with Marty but does insist all the boys responsible report for detention that afternoon.
Cleaned up, Marty is given a joint by arch bully Skip (Carmine Iannaccone) as an apology, though it is in fact laced with something less desirable. Sometime later, when Marty is diligently conducting solo chemistry experiments, he tries the joint and immediately rushes to the nearest public convenience to vomit.
In his absence, Skip (even shirking detention, the rotter) enters the lab and rigs the experiment to blow up in Marty’s face. This does indeed have the desired effect but in the mayhem of the detonation, Marty knocks a jar of acid over himself, the net result being a half destroyed school and a hideously disfigured and broken nerd.
Some years later (anywhere between five and ten), Marty has disappeared from public life, doomed to a lonely existence as a scarred, damaged and apparently insane man. Meanwhile, his school ‘friends’ are enjoying their reunion, which happens to be on April Fool’s Day. Deciding to revisit their now closed school, though the corridors are still roamed by the old janitor, whose portrayal sets the racial equality movement back several decades.
As the kids get down to drinking, smoking, snorting high jinks, the janitor is lifted off the ground by a jester-masked figure (actually played by co-director Ezra) and impaled on a coat hook. So begins a one-by-one slaying of the gang in occasionally inventive ways (intestinal explosion by tampered-with beer is a highlight) in a school which for reasons which are unclear, houses both a bath and a bed. The jester figure is, of course, Marty, eager to exact his revenge, though he leaves his beloved Carol until the end…
Slaughter High is a prime example of the problems which can arise from transatlantic co-productions. Supposedly set in an American school, all the locations are obviously leafy Britain, the population of students and staff also British but tasked with adopting US accents. The resulting fake accents aren’t awful but are all underpinned by the hopelessly forced insistence that in no way is the wool being pulled over our eyes.
A former Victorian sanitarium was used for filming (therefore, it did indeed have a bath in situ), so the visuals feel very cramped and footage was clearly shot in just a smattering of locations, again giving the impression that something is being kept from us.
The April Fool’s Day setting does leave the audience with that ‘one last gag’ feeling always looming on the horizon, though this could have been even more lumbering, the title having to be changed from April Fool’s Day to Slaughter High due to a genuinely unfortunate timing issue with the better-known film of that title just pipping it to the release post. Some prints retain the original title and have the replacement hastily tagged on as an apparent afterthought – Vestron’s Japanese release didn’t even bother with the afterthought.
There is a certain irony of the film revolving around a date that so fuels the plot, time and continuity being haphazard throughout, from the eye-narrowing anniversary reunion timing to the incredulity-testing age of the students – Caroline Munro clocking in at 36 years-old at the time of filming and many of her co-stars well into their twenties at least.
Dugdale and Ezra combined again on the curious if ultimately beige Living Doll (1990) with only the latter evidently staying in the industry, though with little in the way of breakout hits. Co-director Litten had slightly more lasting influence, his special effects creature work seen in RawHead Rexand more significantly culturally as the co-creator of the non-more-80’s Max Headroom.
Caroline Munro is sadly miscast, still radiant but a sore thumb as a school girl and barely more believable as an airhead actress who is just about savvy enough to avoid the casting couch of leering movie producer, Manny (played by actual film producer Dick Randall of Don’t Open Till Christmas and Pieces frame; never one to miss a trick, a poster for the latter movie hangs behind him in his office). Munro appeared in the film off the back of The Last Horror Show, before 1987’s Faceless and Howl of the Devil signalled her all but withdrawal from the genre until recently.
Scuddamore is far more serviceable in his role, a believable nerd whose character is let down by innate dumbness, belying his academic genius. Given a large school as his lair, it is weakly and unrealistically dressed, leaving him to bookend the film as Ezra, rather meanly, does the jester-masked stomping around. Sadly, aged only 28, Scuddamore took his own life in November 1984 – shortly after filming his parts – through a drugs overdose.
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With a masked killer, illegal substances, lithe teens and variable morals, it is fitting that the score is composed and performed by Harry Manfredini, a huge nod to the film’s primary influence, Friday the 13th. Manfredini is one of the luckiest of composers for horror films, his career largely pivoting on his work on the 1980 slasher classic, a score which, in truth, consists of piled-high stingers, pilfered exaggerated strings and the oft-repeated killer’s theme and little else of interest. Here he is rumbled somewhat, a clearly more meagre budget revealing his work to be perfunctory at best, at worst cringe-worthy tripe.
Somehow, despite all this, Slaughter High is strangely rewarding viewing. Perhaps it’s the carefree, glitch-ridden production values; perhaps it’s the contact threat of Munro relieving herself of her flouncy, voluminous dress suit (she doesn’t, instead the main nudity is, surprisingly, male and full-frontal). It’s possibly the fact that it sticks to the slasher rulebook so rigidly, the viewer can put in the least effort imaginable to watch… although the ending will jolt even the most heavy-lidded audience out of its slumber with its ridiculousness.
Daz Lawrence, Horrorpedia
Other reviews:
” …wonky transatlantic accents and a plot which fuses gimmicks from Terror Train and The Burning to come up with an apparently serious rerun of National Lampoon’s Class Reunion (1982) […] The murders (featuring poisoned beer, acid baths and electrified bedsteads) tend to reduce victims to semi-comic smoking messes…” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror
“Inspired by many earlier (superior) films, there’s hardly an original device in the entire thing. Credit to the writers for coming up with some gross methods of dying, though. The cast are hardly outstanding and Harry Manfredini provides another highly annoying score.” Jim Harper, Legacy of Blood: A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Movies
“The mask is amazingly effective […] The setup is perfect as is the location […] The kills are very cool and some are pretty innovative. I particularly liked the lawnmower death. They are quite bloody too. I loved the creepy music! It’s no shock that Harry Manfredini is to thank for this awesome score. The effects are actually quite good.” Ronnie Angel, Slasher Dreams: The Ultimate Guide to Slasher Films
Former Holloway Sanitarium, Virginia Water, Surrey (also used for Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Bark at the Moon’ video and Jack the Ripper TV mini-series in 1988).
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is a 1988 American supernatural slasher horror film and the fourth film in the ANightmare on Elm Street series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin (Devil’s Pass; Deep Blue Sea; Prison) from a screenplay by Brian Helgeland and Scott Pierce. It stars Robert Englund, Lisa Wilcox and Danny Hassel.
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The $13 million film was released on August 19, 1988, to generally mixed reviews, grossing over $49.3 million in the US, making it the highest-grossing film in the franchise until the release of Freddy vs. Jason (2003).
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Kristen, Kincaid, and Joey have been released from Westin Hills and are living as normal teenagers. However, Kristen believes Freddy is coming back and summons Joey and Kincaid into her dreams; they warn her that dreaming of Freddy might cause his return.
The next day, Kristen meets up with her boyfriend, martial arts enthusiast Rick Johnson, and their friends: Rick’s sister Alice; Sheila, an asthmatic genius; and Debbie, a tough girl who doesn’t like bugs.
That night, Kristen stays awake to keep from dreaming, but Kincaid falls asleep and awakens in a junkyard, where Freddy is accidentally resurrected. Kincaid tries to fight off Freddy, but Freddy kills him. He then tricks Joey into thinking a model is swimming in his waterbed before attacking him.
At school, Kristen panics when she notices Joey and Kincaid are missing and is knocked out. She is nearly attacked by Freddy when the school nurse wakes her up. She later tells Rick, Alice, and Alice’s crush Dan Jordan about Freddy.
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At dinner, Kristen notices her mother Elaine had slipped her sleeping pills, and she falls asleep. In her dream, Freddy overcomes Kristen’s attempts to repel him and forces her back to his home. Being the last of the Elm Street children, Freddy goads Kristen into calling on one of her friends, so that his fun can begin anew…
Reviews:
“Despite its general predictability, The Dream Master is surprisingly inventive; the scare tactics work well (special mention to the cheesy Pizza with screaming heads of the dead for Pepperoni) and obvious plot contradictions are eliminated by a logical script. Robert Englund is in good form yet again…” Karen Krizanovich, Empire
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“Harlin’s arsenal of conceits and visual effects—pirouetting overhead angles, dancing trigonometry formulas, a pizza flavored with tiny human heads, a lot of fancy play with a water bed, and much, much more—keeps it consistently watchable and inventive.” Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
” …Dream Master is probably the most fun a viewer can have with the series. The deaths are completely imaginative, the special effects top notch, and the acting is solid on all accounts. It is also probably the most quotable entry of the series. It is entertaining as hell. Nonetheless, part of me wants Freddy scary again.” Kevin Sommerfield, Slasher Studios
“Freddy, for his part, sleepwalks through the action, delivering his tired witticisms. Somewhere in the middle of the film, I wanted to buy Freddy a collection of bon mots by H. L. Menken or Dorothy Parker. His way with words leaves a lot to be desired here. This film is light on special effects, too, though some of them are clever.” Krell Laboratories
“I appreciate that the film, like the rest of the series, relishes in the freedom Wes Craven’s original idea gives it and the sheer imagination on display. And I love that it’s clearly having a good laugh with it, with a sense of humour that’s contagious. Yes, it’s shit. But it’s good shit.” Chris Scullion, That Was a Bit Mental
“The only real payoff is at the end, when all those tortured souls trapped in Freddy’s putrid body break out like rampaging acne. Otherwise, the chills are few and far between, as are the laughs. There are also rehashes from previous Nightmares and sly steals or references to other films, including Lifeforce, The Purple Rose of Cairo, The Fly, Aliens and Ninja III: The Domination.” Richard Harrington, Washington Post
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“It does stumble a bit at times, though – particularly during its first act, which focuses on the characters from Dream Warriors, who are given no love by the screenwriters. Overall, however, this is one of the most entertaining movies in the series, and a great celebration of 80s cinematic decadence.” Nerds on the Rocks
“Freddy Four was the last of the first six Nightmare movies that has more scares than laughs. It follows a familiar Freddy formula. I do appreciate the continuation of the series from film to film, even if it is short lived in the fourth edition. Dream Master’s has its memorable kills. The cockroach motel is a comedy classic…” Jason Minton, Without Your Head
Beyond the Seventh Door is a 1987 Canadian horror film written and directed by Croatian-born B.D. Benedikt. It stars Yugoslavian-born actor Lazar Rockwood (Witchblade) and Bonnie Beck (Friday the 13th: The Series; Don’t Turn Out the Light; City in Panic).
Boris (Lazar Rockwood), an ex-con and career thief convinces his ex-girlfriend Wendy (Bonnie Beck) to help him rob her wealthy boss’ castle. But when Boris discovers that the eccentric millionaire has booby-trapped the building, they’ll have to survive six riddle-triggered rooms of homicidal mayhem in order to claim the treasure…
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In the US, Intervision is releasing Beyond the Seventh Door on DVD for the first-time on October 31, 2017, with the following special features:
Audio Commentary with Writer/Director BD Benedikt and Actor Lazar Rockwood, moderated by Paul Corupe (Canuxploitation.com)
Beyond Beyond the 7th Door: Interviews with Writer/Director BD Benedikt, Actor Lazar Rockwood, and Canuxploitation.com’s Paul Corupe
The King of Cayenne: An Appreciation of Legendary Toronto Eccentric Ben Kerr
Reviews:
“This film succeeds on its surprises. On its twists, turns and unexpected moments deep underground. I may have already told you too much. I knew nothing about it when I tuned in. But, I got caught up in Mr. Rockwood’s face and the promise of “treasure”. You should find a copy and watch it. It is low budget. None of the rooms are epic rooms that will make your jaw drop but they’re all interesting.” Dan Budnik, Bleeding Skull!
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“A no-budget obscurity from the dusty bottom row of the VHS shelf, Beyond the Seventh Door is a strangely mesmerizing low budget Canadian thriller that matches high concept plotting with one of the most bizarre performances seen in a professionally mounted production.” Canuxploitation!
“As most people who have seen this movie will point out, Rockwood’s weatherbeaten mug, scraggly black ‘do, copious hand acting and curious ESL line readings eerily presage the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau. If you enjoy rubbernecking, watching this awkward guy stumble through a gamut of homemade Legends of the Hidden Temple gags makes Beyond the Seventh Door a really entertaining crapheap.” Scrambled Face, Letterboxd
‘Cathy’s not scared. She should be… she’s one of THEM!’
Lurkers is a 1987 [1988 release] American horror film photographed, co-edited and directed by Roberta Findlay (Prime Evil; Blood Sisters; The Oracle; Snuff) from a screenplay by Ed Kelleher (Shriek of the Mutilated; Invasion of the Blood Farmers) andHarriette Vidal. Producer Walter E. Sear composed the film’s soundtrack score. It stars Christine Moore, Gary Warner and Marina Taylor.
The Lurker prosthetics and makeup effects were provided by Ed French (Necropolis; Breeders; Blood Rage; et al).
In New York, a young female classical musician is haunted by flashbacks of her dead mother and visions of dead people floating…
Reviews:
” …lots of dialog padding, gratuitous nudity and special effects which actually aren’t too bad, given the obvious budget limitations associated with the film. Lurkers is almost interchangeable with any of Findlay’s latter day horror cheapies–see also Blood Sisters or Prime Evil–yet there’s this nebulous likability which surrounds the film’s visual style…” George Pacheco, 10K Bullets
” …rather than just being a copycat, the film does offer a lot more than one would expect for such an under-recognized film. The tone and pace remind me of another lesser known movie that was made the same year. Ghosthouse (1988)like The Lurkerswas able to slowly build the tension and fear without losing the viewer. There are not many jump scares but instead relies on creating the time of horror scenes that sit with the audience after the credit roles.” Melissa Antoinette Garza, Scared Stiff Reviews
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” …Roberta Findlay was a hell of a photographer and editor, obviously hampered by low budgets and bad production conditions, yet still doing the best with the things she had, arriving at a nearly documentary feel, a naturalistic look on New York that can suddenly dissolve into a backyard version of surrealism.” The Horror!?
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“Besides the Kill Baby, Kill-esque sinister girl in white (whose creepiness dissipates with each utterance in her thick Bronx accent), Findlay throws together a set-piece involving a sledgehammer-wielding assailant (Tom Billett, Blue Vengeance) and a street gang who move in synch not only to terrify Cathy into entering her old apartment building, but surely also to further pad the film…” Eric Cotenas, DVD Drive-In
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“Lurkers almost pulls itself together in about the last twenty minutes after Christine Moore goes into the party. Here Roberta Findlay creates a decadent atmosphere that seems to be harkening back to her p*rn days (albeit more mildly) – with her opening doors into people engaged in threesomes, lesbian scenes, S&M, a crucifixion, as well as a man being beaten up for a deal gone wrong.” Richard Scheib, Moria
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” …Lurkers is moody, and deliberately paced (perhaps too deliberately), and has endearingly cheesy special effects. The performances aren’t great, but are typical for exploitation films of the eighties, even though this film isn’t particularly exploitive. It doesn’t really have a lot of scares, but it does have a nice mood…” Jeremy Biltz, DVD Talk
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“With a more complicated satanic conspiracy than usual and even a few genuinely clever touches (interpolated scenes of Warner picking up a barmaid are not the character-underlining padding they at first seem to be, but actually set up a mildly neat twist), this stands out among Findlay’s dull credits.” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror
“Findlay is not known for having much use for story, which Lurkers actually possesses — okay, so it’s in piecemeal, but a start is a start. Her touch is all over this one: rough setups, questionable angles and unbalanced performances. For what it is, Lurkers looks pretty good, benefitting from the decade’s love of bright colors…” Rod Lott, Flick Attack
“The film has a bit of a low-rent The Beyond or The Sentinel feel to it, but it’s a bit too meandering and overly long to keep my attention.” McBastard’s Mausoleum
“This is Findlay’s most effective horror film, and had a much higher budget than her previous efforts. Author Maitland McDonagh and actress Debbie Rochon make uncredited cameos.” Brian Albright, Regional Horror Films, 1958 – 1990
Christine Moore (Prime Evil; Thrilled to Death), Gary Warner (Godzilla [1998]; Prime Evil; Thrilled to Death), Marina Taylor, Roy MacArthur (Rejuvenatrix; Liquid Sky), Peter Oliver-Norman, Nancy Groff, Tom Billett, C.K. Steefel, Dana Nardelli, Lauren Ruane, C.C. Banks, Gil Newsom, Eva Baumann, Ruth Collins, Annie Grindlay.
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Choice dialogue:
“Really Steve, you’re just such a worthless f*ck!”
I, Desire – aka Desire, the Vampire – is a 1982 American made-for-TV supernatural horror film directed by John Llewellyn Moxey (The Night Stalker; Home for the Holidays; The City of the Dead) from a screenplay by Robert Foster. It stars David Naughton, Dorian Harewood andMarilyn Jones.
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David Balsiger (Naughton), a Los Angeles law student working as a coroner’s assistant, falls in love with an attractive strange woman (Jones)…
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Reviews:
“In some ways I, Desire makes a great reverse companion piece to An American Werewolf in London. It also fits keenly beside Paul Schrader’s 1982 take on Cat People, with its constant rotation between fascination and fear of the erotic. As a television movie, it is limited from going to certain extremes, but if you read between the lines it has more to offer than many current attempts to tackle similar material.” Kindertrauma
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“Decent atmosphere owes much to TV’s 1974-1975 Night Stalker series; Naughton delivers a pleasant enough performance.” Terror Trap
“Aside from a few obvious twists, I, Desire is a great little movie. I have loved David Naughton since he was a werewolf in sheep’s clothing and he doesn’t let me down as the hunky vampire hunter […] The supporting cast is just as good (Marilyn, where have you gone?) with Dourif stealing the diner scene with so much scenery chewing you’d think he was bulimic.” Amanda Reyes, Made for TV Mayhem
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“I, Desire does a decent job at times building the suspense through the visuals, but it does look very cheap […] I, Desire comes off as a bit of a rip off of something like Kolchak: The Night Stalker. The movie has its moments and will scare younger viewers.” JP Roscoe, Basement Rejects
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Main cast:
David Naughton –Waking Nightmare; The Hatred; Sharknado 5; American Horror Story; Cool as Hell; Hallows Point; Big Bad Wolf; Mirror, Mirror III: The Voyeur; Ice Cream Man; Body Bags; Amityville: A New Generation; The Sleeping Car; An American Werewolf in London
Dorian Harewood – Gothika; Godzilla: The Series; Pacific Heights; A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
Marilyn Jones – Monsters TV series; Tales from the Darkside; V; The Love Butcher
Barbara Stock – Charmed; The Twilight Zone TV series
Arthur Rosenberg – House of Frankenstein [1997]; Cujo
James Victor
Brad Dourif – Herbert West: Reanimator; Chucky movies; The Control Group; Malignant; Spontaneous Combustion; et al
Blood Sisters is a 1987 American supernatural slasher horror film written and directed by Roberta Findlay (Prime Evil; Lurkers; The Oracle; Snuff). It stars Amy Brentano, Shannon McMahon and Dan Erickson.
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In 1974, a young boy murders his prostitute mother and one of her clients with a shotgun…
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1987: As part of a pledge initiation, seven sorority girls attempt to brave the night in the now abandoned house.
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Unbeknownst to them, their boyfriends have rigged the building to scare the ladies witless. Sorority sister Linda (Amy Brentano) is in charge of the affair, and orders the pledges on a scavenger hunt.
The young women face a triple threat – the increasingly more dangerous frat boys’ practical jokes, a real psychotic killer and the possessed brothel itself…
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Reviews:
“Think cheese; think sleaze; think dialogue that could get you arrested- then double it. Blood Sisters is, quite literally, the dog’s bollocks when it comes to bad (as in baaad, and dangerous to know) slasher flicks. It’s cheap; it’s cheerless; and you could make a lasagne with it, but, really, could you resist a ‘haunted whorehouse of horror’…” Hysteria Lives
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” …the effects are bad – check the crappy doll that takes a tumble over the banister – and the acting talents of the young starlets could’ve been refined somewhat, but it fills a hole if you want a decent unintentional laugh, but for slashtastic thrills, go for The Initiationinstead.” Vegan Voorhees
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“The film’s director, Roberta Findlay is a colorful raconteur, I am assured; and when it came time to deliver in the sleaze department, she certainly tried hard. There’re only a few tidbits of flesh here-and-there and even then, it’s often delivered in a bizarre, if not boring, manner.” HorrorNews.net
“If tons of big hair, bad synth music, outrageous overacting, odd nudity, and goofy violence sounds like heaven, Blood Sisters is a must-purchase. But for those viewers who want a little more to their bad horror movies, there is really very little to savor about this one.” Casey Scott, DVD Drive-In
“Well-constructed shot transitions, indirect lighting, solid composition, all are hallmarks of a sensibility at work that makes this look far better than most movies of its period and format. […] The girls all have realistic, grounded personalities, and their exploration of the house proceeds organically and coherently…” Nathaxnne Walker, Letterboxd
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“Roberta claims she slapped this movie together to avoid owing the IRS a lot of money, and if that’s the whole truth, then, uh, well, thanks IRS for giving her a reason to share a piece of herself with us! I loved her cinematography, lighting, makeshift FX/gags and the glimpse of her artistry when it comes to shooting sex scenes…” Hollie Horror, Letterboxd
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“Every stereotype of girl arrives there, nerdy girl, trashy girl, won’t stop talking girl, snobby girl, plus some other girls who apparently are so dispensable that their names aren’t even mentioned. I believe in the credits they’re referred to as big haired victims#1-4. Take count as they all kinda look alike in the set’s bad lighting.” Lost Highway
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” …has a unique low budget charm that endears itself to me. And, honestly, can you really hate on a film with a big scary house (perhaps the film’s best asset), prostitute ghosts, a slasher in a big silk nightgown, and a bevy of babes who are willing to get topless?” William Wilson, Video Junkie
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“A combination of The Nesting (1980) and Hell Night (1981) – both, perhaps significantly, also by ex-p*rn makers – this begins as a somewhat clumsy ghost story and turns into a perfunctory body-count picture.” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror
Availability:
Blood Sisters was released on DVD on October 12, 2004 by Shriek Show with an audio commentary by Joe Bob Briggs and an interview with Roberta Findlay.
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Choice dialogue:
“We just wanna go up there and scare those little pledges out of their little panties.”
“Eat my shorts, tampon breath – I really saw something!”
“And now like any good horror film, the van won’t start.”
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