The Video Dead (1987)

Directed By: Robert Scott

Starring: Michael St Michaels, Rocky Duvall, Roxanna Augesen, Sam McClelland, Vickie Bastel

Subgenre: Zombies

Synopsis: A supernatural television spews forth zombies that attack the living.

Thoughts: The Video Dead is a slam dunk example of an average 80s movie with an amazing cover.  I faintly recall being tantalized by this cover in my formative years, and was eager to check it out when Scream Factory recently released it.

As you can expect the acting is pretty atrocious, even for an 80s zombie flick.  It’s not even worthwhile to discuss individual performances, because no one stood out.  They were all equally bad.  I will say that the zombies looked pretty cool.  The makeup was well done and some of the zombies had a great “look” to them.  Now, their behavior on the other hand, was a little different than most zombie flicks.  These zombies had feelings, and are looking for love and attention.  They also love dancing.  Weird, I know, but you just roll with it as you are watching.

Robert Scott wrote, directed and produced The Video Dead, and it was his first film.  It was also his second to last film, as he would go on to direct the 1990 movie Ratdog, which I’ve never heard of and has no details on IMDb.  That’s not to say the guy hasn’t been busy, he has an extensive resume as a second unit or assistant director.  His direction is better than the acting, and the storyline is unique enough to have intrigued me, but I can see why he has made his career as a second unit director.  He seems to have the technical skill but maybe not the finesse needed to helm a successful movie on his own.

The Video Dead falls into that category of so bad it is good that makes it fun to watch.  There are a lot of really bad zombie movies from the 80s, and while Video Dead isn’t great, the zombies look good enough to propel it past a lot of the other “bad” movies.  It’s on a double feature with TerrorVision and was recently released by Scream Factory.  Fans of 80s cheesiness should have this set on their radar already, but if you don’t, it’s worth a look.

 

Maniac (2012)

Directed By: Franck Khalfoun

Starring: Elijah Wood, Nora Arnezeder, Jan Broberg, Liane Balaban, America Olivo, Megan Duffy, Morgane Slemp

Subgenre: Slasher, Serial Killer

Synopsis: Frank Zito, a mentally unbalanced mannequin restorer, stalks women in LA looking for the perfect mate and replacement to his mother.

Thoughts: Maniac wasn’t my most anticipated movie of the New Year, but it was surely one that I was looking forward to seeing.  I was very intrigued to see how Elijah Wood channeled Frank Zito, who was originally portrayed by Joe Spinell in William Lustig’s disturbing 1980 original.  I was lucky enough to catch a screening at Texas Frightmare Weekend.

Elijah Wood was a pleasant surprise in his role, bucking his good guy persona for a twisted killer with mommy issues.  His nonsensical and ill-timed mutterings really sold him as someone that had lost touch with reality.  While Wood was the anchor of the movie, he was surrounded by a great supporting cast, especially Nora Arnezeder who plays Anna, the primary target of Zito’s affections.

Director Franck Khalfoun may not be a well-known name in the horror genre, but his collaborator Alexandre Aja certainly is.  Aja produced P2, Khalfoun’s earlier film, as well as the Maniac remake.  Aja’s career has been hit or miss, but mostly hits for me.  I loved High Tension and the Piranha and Hills Have Eyes remakes, but can’t argue that Mirrors was a missed opportunity.  Being the writer and producer on Maniac makes me believe that Aja is ready to deliver another great movie and I’m holding out hopes for Horns to be awesome.  Khalfoun certainly seems to be a protégé of Aja, as his work behind the camera really resembles Aja’s, although I don’t see the same flair that Aja has.

Maniac is a very powerful movie. It is extremely well made and very graphic at times, but it really transgresses a horror movie. The last time I watched a horror movie with this much impact was Martyrs.  Maniac is very much a dictation on Nature vs. Nurture, and puts on display just how Frank became as twisted as he is.  The movie is filmed from Frank’s perspective, which is fairly unique and also works very well for the movie.  On top of the first person perspective, Frank’s image is displayed through the use mirrors and other reflective surfaces, which makes for some very unique images.

I really can’t recommend Maniac enough.  I think it is one of the better remakes to come out in recent years.  I think if it weren’t for the very graphic nature of the movie, it very well could have garnered some award recognition, but we all know Hollywood is a little too queasy for that.  If you get a chance to see this, make the effort and attend.  It’s very well done and deserves your support.

TerrorVision (1986)

Directed By: Ted Nicolaou

Starring: Chad Allen, Diane Franklin, Mary Woronov, Gerrit Graham, Bert Ramsen, Jon Gries, Randi Brooks, Alejandro Rey, Jennifer Richards

Subgenre: Horror – Comedy, Science Fiction

Synopsis: A family’s new satellite dish receives more than they bargained for when a voracious alien beams in and starts to eat everyone in sight.

Thoughts: Before going on to form Full Moon, Charles Band was behind more horror movies than you can imagine.  Some are icons of the genre and some just need to be seen to be believed.  TerrorVision is one of those movies.  It’s not a good movie, far from it actually, but there is something about it that just pulls you in and won’t let you go. It could very well be that the theme song is laced with subliminal messages, because once you hear this theme song, it will never get out of your head.  It’s like Halloween III, except worse!

The acting, if you want to call it that, is all over the top.  It was designed to be that way.  The swinging parents, crazy grandfather and totally 80s sister are all caricatures of real people.  The closest we come to a genre staple in the movie is Gerrit Graham, the swinging father, who appeared in a handful of other horror offerings (Demon Seed, Child’s Play 2, The Wasp Woman), but that’s not much of a surprise as this really isn’t a horror movie.  It’s much more a comedy with some science fiction thrown in for good measure.

Director Ted Nicolaou has directed quite a few of Band’s movies, but TerrorVision was one of his earliest.  He didn’t do a bad job with the obviously limited budget, and that earned him the right to direct such classics as Subspecies and Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys.  If you are a fan of Full Moon Pictures, it’s a safe bet you’ve seen a couple of his movies.

TerrorVision is one of the many excellent Scream Factory releases to come out recently.  It is part of a double feature with The Video Dead, and even though the two don’t have much in common, it made for a pretty interesting double feature.  TerrorVision isn’t for everyone, but it is one crazy movie.  If you’re fond of Full Moon’s crazier movies, check this one out, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about the theme song.

Cannibal Ferox (1981) (AKA: Make Them Die Slowly)

Directed By: Umberto Lenzi

Starring: John Morgan, Lorraine De Selle, Danilo Mattei, Robert Kerman, Walter Lucchini, Zora Kerova

Subgenre: Cannibals, Exploitation

Synopsis:  While attempting to discount the existence of cannibalism, a research party encounters drug dealers and a native tribe in the jungle.

Thoughts: The cannibal genre was in its heyday in the late 70s and early 80s.  Italian film makers were turning stomachs left and right with journeys into the depths of the jungle.  I’m no expert on the genre, but I’ve seen a handful of the movies.  Some are better than others, but for the most part, they follow the same path.  Arrogant Americans travel into the jungle for various reasons and are responsible for atrocities against the native tribes, which also happen to be cannibals.  A vicious form of vengeance involving severed body parts ensues.  It’s a great recipe to showcase some pretty nasty effects, and Cannibal Ferox does just that.  One thing that I have never fully understood about cannibal movies, is the need to feature the butchering of animals.  I’ve been around animals my whole life, so butchering one isn’t something that bothers me, I just don’t see what it has to do with the storyline.  It’s almost as if it is there up the gore factor and further turn stomachs.  It takes away from the storyline for me, but it is a trademark of the genre.

Most Cannibal movies feature a cast that the crowd is supposed to despise.  More often than not, they are not innocent victims.  Cannibal Ferox is no different.  What is a little different, however, is that they entire group isn’t totally reprehensible.  There are a few recognizable exploitation faces in Cannibal Ferox, including Lorraine De Selle (House at the Edge of the Park) and Zora Kerova (Anthropophagus and New York Ripper.) Playing a familiar role as the lead scumbag is Giovanni Lombardo Radice, who has been in a handful of Italian exploitation flicks such as City of the Living Dead, Cannibal Apocalypse and House on the Edge of the Park.  Overall, the cast comes together really well.

Umberto Lenzi fits the description of cult director to a tee and wears that description like a badge of honor.  His movies have run the gamut of b movies, including cannibals, zombies, gialli, westerns, sword and sandal epics, action movies, and everything in between.  While his movies may not always be impressive, his zeal to make movies is.  While I haven’t seen anywhere close to Lenzi’s filmography, he seems to make technically sound movies.  The FX in Cannibal Ferox are better than you would expect in a B movie, and are really a differentiator when comparing this to other splatter flicks.

Like many of its brethren, the gore and the on screen animal deaths landed Cannibal Ferox on the infamous Video Nasty list that so many of us use as a checklist for 70s and 80s exploitation movies.  It wasn’t until the 90s that it was available uncut here in the US, but it is pretty easy to find now days.  If this genre is your thing, this is worth checking out.  It stands a little behind Cannibal Holocaust, which is widely considered the benchmark for the genre, but it is a close second from what I have seen.

Mimic (1997)

Directed By: Guillermo del Toro

Starring: Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Alexander Goodwin, Giancarlo Giannini, Josh Brolin, Charles S Dutton, F. Murray Abraham, Norman Reedus

Subgenre: Science Fiction-Horror

Synopsis: Genetically engineered insects designed to kill disease spreading cockroaches continue to evolve and mutate rapidly.

Thoughts: Bugs make my skin crawl, so when I watch a movie like Mimic, I pretty much start the movie creeped out. In addition to the insect focal point, Mimic is filled to the brim with creepy atmosphere, tense scenes and that damn clicking noise that the Judas Breed makes.  I don’t know what it is about that particular noise, but it makes the hair on my arms stand up.  It is very reminiscent of the sound from Ju-On (which is another very freaky movie) and is used to great effect in Mimic.

Guillermo del Toro was still a pretty unknown commodity when he set about making this film, so it is surprising that he pulled a rather impressive cast for Mimic. Mira Sorvino and Josh Brolin both played major parts of the story and did excellent jobs.  Mimic also features a couple of heavyweights in supporting roles in Charles S Dutton and F Murray Abraham and a pre-Boondock Saints Norman Reedus.  Mimic is worth watching for the cast alone.

From the very early stages of his career, del Toro showed a knack for fantastic storytelling and a very impressive eye with the camera. His work has always skirted the borders of horror and fantasy, but I think Mimic is much more in the horror sci-fi realm.  It’s a great example of his early work and just part of what I consider an outstanding resume. We haven’t been treated to a Guillermo del Toro movie since 2008’s Hellboy sequel, but that is set to change with this summer’s mega release Pacific Rim, which I am TOTALLY psyched for.

So, with Mimic, you have a great cast, an outstanding early example of a star director’s work, and a solid story line in a creepy setting, what’s not to like?  For me, not much.  I love this movie and am not sure why it doesn’t get more love.  I do think that the Director’s Cut is a far superior film to the theatrical release, so maybe that initial run was reason for its poor reputation (or lack of a reputation really). If you haven’t had a chance to check out the DC yet, the Blu Ray can be found rather cheap, usually less than $10. I highly suggest revisiting the movie if it’s been awhile, just keep a can of Raid handy.

The Lords of Salem (2012)

Directed By: Rob Zombie

Starring: Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Davison, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Ken Foree, Judy Geeson, Patricia Quinn, Dee Wallace, Meg Foster, Maria Conchita Alonso

Subgenre: Supernatural

Synopsis: A mysterious record signals the return of a Coven of witches in Salem, Massachusetts.

Thoughts: After helming the Halloween remakes, Rob Zombie vowed to return to something original and different than he directed before.  I am a much bigger fan of his original work than I am of his Halloween work, so I was thoroughly excited to see what he had in mind.  I’ve gone out of my way lately to avoid trailers and spoilers on movies that interest me, so I went into Lords with very little knowledge of what it was about.  Right away, you could see Zombie was paying homage to the 70s, much the same way that Ti West has done with his movies.  The picture has a gritty feel and the color is washed out, making you feel as if you’ve been transplanted into a Jean Rollin film.

The Lords of Salem is filled with great performances.  I know that not everyone is a fan of Sheri Moon Zombies acting, but she really killed it in The Lords of Salem.  She sets the table and establishes her character in the first half of the movie, and then rides that out in the second half, where she doesn’t have a lot of dialogue.  Bruce Davison does an excellent job in a supporting role and serves to drive the storyline in a believable way.  I’m not overly familiar with Davison’s work and can only recall his role as Senator Kelly in X-Men 2, but his filmography is extensive and he was nominated for an Oscar in 1991 for Longtime Companion. 

Davison is not the only Hollywood veteran in Zombies cast; Meg Foster plays an unsettling role as Margaret Morgan, leader of the coven of witches returning to exact their revenge.  Her acting is accompanied by a rather terrifying visage.  She is rail thin and not pleasant to look at, which plays to great affect for a witch.  Judy Geeson, Patricia Quinn and Dee Wallace also steal every scene they are in as sisters that appear to be involved with The Lords of Salem as well.  In addition to these great performances, genre stalwarts such as Ken Foree, Sid Haig, Michael Berryman and Udo Kier also have roles.

I’ve always thought that one of Rob Zombie’s greatest strengths as a film maker was his creative eye behind the camera.  He seemed to be somewhat hampered in his Halloween work (mostly due to studio demands), but he had some wildly creative imagery in his work on House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects. He showed in The Lords of Salem that he still has that eye and his trademark imagination as well.  He really captured the look of the 70s and infused it with some rather creepy images. 

At this point, you would think that I was ready to crown The Lords of Salem as a rousing success and an amazing movie, but while the acting and cinematography were top notch, I thought the movie had its share of issues.  While the heart of the story was interesting, I didn’t think it was flushed out enough to sustain the entire movie.  It was evident what the climax was going to be and I didn’t find the journey to be enough to keep me interested.  If it weren’t for the fantastic acting, I may have been one of the several people that walked out of the theatre during the movie.  I also felt that this movie was a bit of a rant against organized religion by Zombie.  I’m no stranger to images that most would call offensive, but Zombie really pushed the envelope and seems to declare war on Christianity, so much so that it seemed to detract from the storyline.

The Lords of Salem has already shown itself to be a very divisive film.  Many are declaring it brilliant.  I don’t agree.  I think it was very ambitious and I think that Rob Zombie made the movie that he wanted to, but I think it falls rather short of brilliance.  I wasn’t entertained by the movie, but yet I was intrigued by it at the same time.  It has been a movie sitting in my head since watching it last Thursday night, and I’ve run the gamut of emotions from hating it to pondering its brilliance.  It’s this range of emotions that has me eager to see it again, but for now, I have to say I am in the middle of the road on this one, and will certainly say it is not for most viewers, but don’t let that stop you from experiencing it yourself.

Evil Dead (2013)

Directed By: Fede Alvarez

Starring: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore, Phoenix Connolly, Bruce Campbell

Subgenre: Demons & Possession, Gore & Shock

Synopsis: Five friends head to a secluded cabin for the weekend in an attempt to help one of them break her heroin addiction.  They find a mysterious book and unwittingly unleash a vengeful demon.

Thoughts: It’s an unwritten rule that all remakes suck. History shows that such abominations as John Carpenter’s The Thing, Cronenberg’s The Fly and Savini’s take on Night of the Living Dead were some of the worst movies ever.  Wait, what? Are you telling me that some remakes ARE worthwhile? To be honest, I have never been one to instantly hate on remakes.  There have been remakes since the genres dawn.  Hell, Frankenstein and Dracula are remakes! I do agree that Hollywood has been a little ambitious of late with the remakes, but I like to take each movie and judge it on its merits, rather than discard it because it is a remake.

OK, now to the remake at hand, Evil Dead.  Much like other remakes of revered movies, news of the Evil Dead remake caused a lot of moaning and groaning.  However, pieces of information started to make it sound better and better.  The lack of CGI was considered a plus by most fans and once Evil Dead premiered at SXSW in Austin, fans were clamoring to see the remake.

The story is similar, but it’s really up to the viewer to see this as a remake or a sequel.  Many of the same “incidents” occur throughout the movie, but there is also Ash’s old car left to rot behind the cabin.  Even Director Fede Alvarez said this was up for interpretation!

At the onset of the movie, I wasn’t really impressed with the cast.  They really looked like a derivative of every horror movie you see, a group of young people with the stoner, nerd, pretty girl, etc, but as the movie progressed, they really delivered.  All of them. Make sure you stick around until the very end to see a very special cameo as well!

Director Fede Alvarez makes his feature debut here and does so with a splash into the blood filled pool of the horror genre.  I had previously watched Alvarez’s short Panic Attack and was just waiting for him to get his chance, and boy did he deliver.  Alvarez keeps Evil Dead moving at a break neck pace and spews just about every bodily fluid you can think of at the audience.  Once the movie started, I envisioned The Joker’s infamous line “And…Here…We….Go!” because the movie kept the pedal to floor once it started.

I’ve mentioned the FX already, but it goes without saying that this is a very, very gory movie.  Watching it in a theatre full of people was a great experience as we all groaned together during scenes throughout the movie.  While the poster refers to this being terrifying, I wouldn’t go that far.  There really are not that many scary scenes, but there are a hell of a lot of scenes that can make you uncomfortable.

I really consider Evil Dead to be a wonderful addition to the series, whether you consider it a remake or sequel.  Horror fans have embraced it and flocked to the theatre to see it, all but ensuring that we shall see more of the Evil Dead in the future.  It’s not a perfect movie, but I highly recommend going to the theatre to see it.

The Prospector’s Curse (2012)

A little over a year ago, I posted a press release for The Prospector’s Curse.  Well, I was just able to view the final product and am happy to say this is a winner!

The Prospector’s Curse pays is an homage to both the Spaghetti West and classic ghost stories and throws in a good dose of comedy as well.  There was an unmistakable Evil Dead influence with the Prospector, both in the way he looked and the way he moved, which isn’t a bad thing at all, it was one of my favorite parts!

Perhaps the most exciting news is that Director Josh Heisie is aiming to make this a part of an anthology that visits different B movie genres such as a “Film Noir thriller, a 1950s style Creature Feature and a psychedelic slasher flick.” Very cool idea indeed!

If you get a chance to take a peek at The Prospector’s Curse, make sure and take it, it’s well worth the 15 minutes.

 

 

Theodore “Tubby” Ellsworth and Jack Smith are two criminals on the run, lost in the untamed wilderness. When they stumble across a mutilated prospector, dying on Indian ground, they promise to give him a Christian burial.  The fugitives break their oath and steal the old man’s gold…but that night, the Prospector’s corpse returns to make them pay!

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The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1985)

Directed By: Wes Craven

Starring: Janus Blythe, Robert Huston, Tamara Stafford, Kevin Spirtas, John Bloom, Michael Berryman, John Laughlin

Subgenre: Survival, Cannibals

Synopsis: Two of the survivors from the first movie return to the desert for a dirt bike race and run into what is left of the clan of misfits that attacked them before.

Thoughts:  The Hills Have Eyes Part II may very well be one of the most maligned horror movies of the 80s.  I had heard truckloads of negative feedback so when I saw it pop up on Netflix, I knew I had to watch it to judge for myself. After finally viewing it, I was trying to find ways to be positive about it, but the more that I thought about the movie and replayed it in my head, the worse it got.

What really kills this movie is the incredibly asinine storyline and script.  While there are countless horror flicks out there with subpar plots and cheesy dialogue, this one takes the cake.  This bad boy has plot holes a plenty and even a dog that has a flashback to the first movie.

The cast really wasn’t all that bad, but I don’t think a cast of Oscar winners could save this movie.  Genre favorite Michael Berryman returns as Pluto, which is a highlight, although the scenes where he stole the dirtbike were a little over the top.

Wes Craven said he made this movie for one reason, and one reason only; to make money.  He was beyond broke when the opportunity came up, and took it without thinking twice.  Since then, he has apologized many times for this movie.

Another very popular name in the movie business did the music for The Hills Have Eyes Part II, although I think Harry Manfredini used his tracks from Friday the 13^th and just removed the ch-ch-ch riff.  The similarities in the music are striking.

There’s not much reason to check this movie out unless you are just curious to see how bad it really is.  I have run across a few fans of the movie out there, but not many. 

Slaughter High (1986)

Directed By: Mark Ezra, Peter Litten, George Dugdale

Starring: Simon Scuddamore, Caroline Munro, Carmine Iannaconne, Donns Yeager, Gary Martin, Billy Hartman, Michael Saffran

Subgenre: Slasher

Synopsis: Years after playing a prank on the class nerd that ended violently, the offending classmates are invited to a school reunion where they die horrible deaths one by one.

Thoughts: The 80s are littered with slasher movies that weren’t quite good enough to take a place at the upper echelon of the genre.  Slaughter High is one of those movies.  It isn’t the worst 80s slasher I have seen, but it isn’t really anything special either.  It features a pretty interesting killer sporting a jester mask, which was probably the coolest aspect of the movie and some creative kills but the script and acting are the downfall of the movie.  Bad acting is nothing new to the horror genre, but Slaughter High just wasn’t strong enough to make me overlook it.

The cast of Slaughter High consists mostly of unknowns who never made a big splash in the film industry.  The lone exception to this is Caroline Munroe who has starred in many genre films, as well as several science fiction and action movies.  Munroe worked with the likes of Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Paul Naschy and Jess Franco.  Needless to say, there are many more impressive movies on her resume.  It’s also interesting to note that Simon Scuddamore, who played Marty, committed suicide shortly after the film was completed.

Direction for Slaughter High was a collaborative effort by the same team that wrote the story and script, but most accounts credit Goerge Dugdale as the primary Director.  The movie was initially titled April Fool’s Day, based on the prank at the beginning, but the title had to be changed when it was discovered that Paramount would be releasing a movie with the same title the same year.  It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Harry Manfredini did the score because I’m pretty sure a horror movie didn’t get made in the 80’s without him adding the music.

Slaughter High is watchable, but not great.  Slasher fans should seek it out if they already haven’t, but there is a lot better 80s fare out there.