This little gem from 1966 seems to have fallen by the wayside in the Hammer oeuvre. By today’s standards, it is quite dated, although I suspect it was in its own time. It is a period piece set in the English countryside in the 1800s where citizens of a small village are dying mysterious deaths. Granted, this zombie flick recycles the then overused Afro-Caribbean voodoo zombie–Romero’s zombies created by some unknown malevolence from our culture have not yet been created, or at least not in any film with wide viewership. The film opens to a strange dark room holding voodoo dolls and black men playing conga drums, presumably to generate the power needed for the voodoo rites to work.  Read more... (215 words, 1 image, estimated 52 secs reading time)

For those who are uninitiated, this French flick from 2000 chronicles the exploits of two women who have had enough of the male-dominated world in which they live. They are tired of being victimized and after an extremely graphic rape, they decide to take matters into their own hands. They set out on a journey to find and exploit men–kill if need be–the way they have themselves been exploited. It needs to be noted that the stars of this film are French porn stars, and this film contains hardcore pornography and violent at that.  Read more... (157 words, 1 image, estimated 38 secs reading time)

As far as the 1970’s to early 80’s zombie fare goes, one could do a lot worse than Lucio Fulci. Granted, he is no George Romero, and I don’t think he comes close to equalling the overall goodness of THE LIVING DEAD AT THE MANCHESTER MORGUE. However, Fulci has done something that none of his equals or even superiors have done and that is make a zombie fight a shark. Those of you who know this movie know what I am talking about. Like me, the first time you saw this scene you were probably too taken aback by it to fully appreciate it. Those who do not know this film, it is worth the watch if you are at all a zombie fan.  Read more... (219 words, 1 image, estimated 53 secs reading time)

A.K.A. DAY OF THE WOMAN, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE titillated me and my friends when we were emerging from our tweens. It was no easy task getting the VHS home. I had to rent it. My parents had to take me to the video rental place and rent it for me. It was our good fortune that the cover of the box was a plain black (if I am remembering correctly), and it was titled DAY OF THE WOMAN- very innocuous. It was also our good fortune that it was the unrated version. Not only did this version offer some of the sights that the R rated version didn’t, but the owner of the video store treated unrated films as he did G rated films. If they didn’t have a rating, they couldn’t be prohibited.  Read more... (411 words, 1 image, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)

This film holds a special place in my heart. Neil Marshall has thus far peaked with this movie. He has done what David Cronenberg hasn’t quite been able to do –though he comes close with “A History of Violence.” Neil Marshall has made a film that subtly offers the viewer a textbook session of psychoanalysis as the women delve deep and deeper into the very depths of their psyches. Their true selves arise as they probe the absolute depths of the cave system. Are the creatures they find really themselves? A rather hokey observation, I know. But that is the what Marshall gives us. Aside from the Freudian criticism, the film offers wonderful frights. It is a smart film that offers something for any true horror fan. It’s unfortunate that Marshall’s next foray into the genre was rather disappointing, thus ending is upward trajectory. We have to wait and see what he does next, though word has that it is not horror.

A.K.A. Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, this oft overlooked 1972 zombie flick from one off director Jorge Grau is truly one of the greats of the zombie subgenre. Admittedly, trying to capitalize on the popularity of Night of the Living Dead, Grau creates a film with great ambience and a unique perspective on the zombie. Grau, like Romero, offers far-reaching social commentary in his film. One could easily argue that the whole film is about the generation gap. The older generation, blindly sticking to ridiculous rules and societal conformity while the younger generation is worried more with environmental wellfare. The film opens with the protagonist leaving his antiques shop on his Norton motorcycle, leaving the smog-filled London. Exiting shots of pedestrians wearing masks juxtaposed with smoke stacks from the polluting industries. One of the odder elements of the opening shot is a naked, very buxom woman running across a busy street with one of her hands raised in a peace sign. With every jiggly step she takes, it becomes apparent that the subtext of this surprisingly smart film will involve the counterculture zeitgeist.  Read more... (317 words, 1 image, estimated 1:16 mins reading time)

Like many horror fanatics, I discovered the works of Howard Phillips Lovecraft at a young age and have since seen his influence in the works of Clive Barker, Laird Barron, Robert Bloch, Alan Moore, etc. Also, like many horror fans, I have always noticed that movies based on his works are godawful. There are of course the rare gems such as Re-Animator, and I will go out on a limb and say Dagon. Yes I know that Dagon the movie is much more “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” than it is “Dagon,” but it still stands out from the rest of the crap that are Lovecraft films. I have never really been able to figure out why Lovecraft films are so aweful. Possibly because they deal with unspeakable horrors and unnameable creatures. It seems like it would be quite the task to visually represent these subjective vagueries in any discernable fashion. Maybe it is because no real esteemed director has ever attempted one of his films, sorry Stuart Gordon. It is quite unfortunate, because I think that there is wonderful potential in stories such as At the Mountains of Madness, in any number of the “Cthulhu Mythos”, or maybe even in The Necronomicon itself.  Read more... (300 words, 1 image, estimated 1:12 mins reading time)

Everyone has that book or two or five that resonate with them more than anything else.  For me, the novel is a broad-sweeping, conspiracy theory, thriller by Theodore Roszak entitled Flicker.  Many of you may have come to know this title as the ill-fated Darren Aronofsky project.  It is considered one of the novels that are unfilmable, but then again so were Perfume and Naked Lunch.  One can very easily argue that these should not have been made either.  However, I don’t believe there is a director alive or dead that can handle the intricacies and the breadth of the book’s plot to do it justice in film.
Flicker is about art films; it’s about horror films; it’s about love; it’s about sex and lust; it’s about the perpetuation of the human race; it is about history; it’s about total annihilation; it’s about 600 pages long.  I will not argue that it is the most beautifully written novel I have ever read–that distinction probably lies with Lolita.  I will not argue that it is the most important novel I have ever read.  I will, however, argue that it is the most intriguing book I have ever read.  Roszak is best known for his books on sociology–having coined the term “counterculture.” For the horror fan, it serves as a sort of metafiction.  It shows the horror film world from the inside out, the outside in, every which way one could possibly look at the genre, Flicker allows all angles to become transparent, and that is only a small part of the novel.
It details what may very well be the largest conspiracy theory in history.  It weaves in pieces of Hollywood history–Orson Welles plays no small part in the plot.  Flicker provides solid, sexy intrigue from start almost to finish–the ending is absolutely perfect and totally original.  It is impossible to convey my true feelings for this work because I am guided solely by the overall feeling of intrigue and a general sense of well-being that I get when reading this book.  I have read it five times.  I will definitley read it five more.

This movie, released very limitedly in 1971 is still quite unknown by most.  Those that have taken the time and effort to hunt down a copy of this film will agree that those who haven’t, should.  Incredibly eerie, the audience is asked to decide whether the characters are intentionally trying to drive poor Jessica crazy–not a hard task since she is fresh from institution–or whether the characters and the rest of the small town that they inhabit are actually dead, zombies of a sort, I suppose.  It really isn’t important which scenario you choose, the real joy of watching Jessica is the strange ride you must take to get to the end.  It has a very eerie American Gothic-esque small town flavor that more than hints at some sort of perversion underneath the down-homey facade.  This film will never get widespread notoriety, I don’t believe that most would enjoy it.  I do, however, believe that most horror fans will.  I think you will appreciate some of the nuances that it offers and will be able to appreciate this small film for what it is–a thoughtful, creepy little flick accomplishes what it sets out to do–scare.  Give Jessica a shot.