Bride of Re-Animator (1989)

...aka: Re-Animator 2

Directed by:

Brian Yuzna

There's something a little off about the tone of this disappointing sequel to Stuart Gordon's cult classic RE-ANIMATOR (1995), though it does have the occasional inspired moment. It barely touches on the H.P. Lovecraft novel (nothing new there), combines black comedy with some rather heavy handed dramatic moments and also seems like it to wants to parody Whale's classic Bride of Frankenstein at times. Insane, obsessive doctor Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs), as stone-cold-serious as ever, and his more straight-laced colleague Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) are back at work splicing together various body parts and still searching for a cure for death. Kathleen Kinmont is the beauty with a heart problem who ends up becoming the "bride," and David Gale's talking severed head is back in action yet again. Some of the fx are great, but this is nowhere near as fun, fresh or entertaining as the first film. It also never explains how Combs' character is back after clearly being killed in the first installment. With Fabiana Udenio as the obligatory love interest, Claude Earl Jones as a policeman and Johnny Legend as a corpse. Richard Band composed the music and the director scripted. It was available in R or un-rated versions with more or less gore, and was followed in 2003 by Beyond Re-Animator, also from Yuzna.

Director Yuzna (who was born in The Philippines) also made the much-better SOCIETY the same year and followed these two films up with the interesting-but-highly-flawed SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 4: INITIATION (1990) and the surprisingly good Return of the Living Dead III (1993), as well as many other later films.

★★

Blood Freak (1972)

Directed by:

Brad F. Grinter

A very shaky camera follows leather-clad 'Nam vet Herschell (Steve Hawkes) down the Florida turnpike, where he helps Angel, a stranded, bible quoting "seeker of the truth" in hot pants. The two go back to her place, where a hippie drug party hosted by Angel's cute, baby-voiced "far out" sister Anne is taking place. When Herschell ignores the advances of a woman, she informs him, "You're nothing but a dumb bastard who doesn't know where it's at, anyway!" Herschell ends up getting a job at the father's turkey farm, Anne gets him "hooked" on pot (illustrated by hilariously exaggerated Reefer Madness-style deep, wide-eyed drags) and scientists in lab jackets (who can't help but look at the camera immediately after reciting their ludicrous dialogue) trick him into eating chemicals that transform him into a turkey headed monster that gobbles, hangs people upside down, slits their throats and drinks the blood, all while dressed in flared bell-bottom pants! Oh Yeah! Camp Heaven! The best murder scene is a standout guy-getting-leg-cut-off-with-table-saw attack. Some real turkeys are beheaded, too, for additional gore. But the action stops cold when the on-screen, chain-smoking narrator (played by director Brad F. Grinter) reads preachy, Christian commentary off of cue cards on a desk in between loud coughing fits.

The big, muscular Hawkes (who starred in a couple of quickie Spanish-language Tarzan rip-offs as well) sports Elvis hair, thick sideburns and weird, blotchy skin (from what I've rear he was burnt up pretty badly at some point), and is one of the worst actors I can think of. Other cast members flub or forget their lines and often look directly at the camera and laugh! No one is credited with writing it on the version I have (the original VHS copy), but with lines directed toward Hawkes like, "He's strong, he's handsome and he enjoys being attractive to the opposite sex," I suspect he had his hand in there somewhere. Amazingly, this was originally given an X-rating in America.

The Something Weird DVD release is digitally remastered and super-stacked with goodies, including a gaggle of gory trailers and, best of all, two 'short subjects' featuring the two stars further embarrassing themselves. In The Walls Have Eyes (1969; self-described as 'skin noir') Hawkes and his drugged-out girlfriend 'Jody Baby' rendezvous at a scuzzy hole-in-the-wall only to fall prey to the perverted motel manager. And Grinter (who passed away in 1993) explains the virtues of his free-hangin' Florida nudist colony lifestyle in Brad Grinter, Nudist! Do NOT miss this movie.

SBIG

La coda dello scorpione (1971)

... aka: Case of the Scorpion's Tail, The
... aka: Scorpion's Tail, The
... aka: Tail of the Scorpion

Directed by:
Sergio Martino

I'm American so when dealing with foreign films (this one's an Italian-Spanish co-production), I'm willing to accept it when not all of the pieces fall exactly into place, especially in light that some things can become lost in translation from the original script to the English dubbing and/or subtitles. Nevertheless, this film leaves so many loose ends behind that it's difficult not to be feel a bit cheated at the end. It does however provide less-discriminate giallo fans with exactly what they want and expect to see, so it's not exactly a total washout, either. After an (obvious toy) airplane explosion kills her husband Kurt, London socialite Lisa Baumer ("Evelyn Stewart"/Ida Galli, who was used to much better effect in the underrated MURDER MANSION) is set to inherit one million dollars from an insurance policy. Not an ideal wife to begin with (she's in bed with one of her many lovers when she hears the "bad" news), we get the strong feeling that Lisa's days are seriously numbered and get an even stronger impression of this when an ex-lover who tries to blackmail her is knifed to death inside her apartment.

Lisa flees to Athens, Greece to both escape the killer and cash in the policy but is trailed by several characters; including Interpol agent Stavros (Luigi Pistilli) and insurance investigator Peter Lynch (George Hilton), both of whom seem to think that Lisa was somehow involved with planting explosives on the airplane. While in Greece, Lisa also meets up with her hubby's obnoxious short-fused mistress Lara (Janine Reynaud), who demands half the money... or else. Lara sends her "lawyer" Sharif (Luis Barboo) after Lisa with a switchblade, but Peter shows up just in time to save. A bit flustered, Lisa goes ahead and cashes the policy in, books an evening flight out to Tokyo and decides to spend her few hours left in Greece all alone in her hotel room. Big mistake. Someone dressed in the standard mad killer outfit (black outfit, leather gloves and mask), sneaks in, slashes her throat, guts her and walks away with her bag of money. A few more characters are introduced (including blonde Anita Strindberg as a journalist who hooks up with Peter), there are several more murders (including a memorable close-up eyeball gouging with a shard of glass) and the plot twists are laid on thick and heavy (handed). And, oh yeah... the scorpion of the title refers to a cuff-link left behind at the scene of an attack, which seems to have belonged to Lisa's (dead?) husband.

I know that gialli are known for their screwy storylines, but I had a difficult time dealing with some of the plot holes and multiple loose ends in the story. Some of the twists (particularly the identity of the mystery killer) are in annoying defiance to what we've already seen and don't make much sense. But as expected, the murder scenes are directed, lit and photographed with some style. The occasional cool green and red lighting brightens things up considerably. There's also one scene that Argento lifted wholesale for SUSPIRIA, as the killer teasingly tries to open a lock from between a crack in the door with a knife blade. Gore-wise, it is barely sufficient if you don't mind bright red blood. The cast is decent, with leads Hilton and Strindberg nice to look at, yet a little on the dull side. There's far less nudity here than in similar movies, with only Anita providing some brief topless nudity. Nicely scored by Bruno Nicolai. Overall it's about average from what I've seen in the genre.

★★

Cannibal Holocaust (1979)

Directed by:

Ruggero Deodato

As vile and disgusting as this film is at times, it is one that deserves at least some admiration, even from its detractors, because of its clever direction, the (then-)novel "found footage" story structure and the fact there's some sense and irony at work here, regardless of how obvious it all may be. The mood itself is also strangely intoxicating, with the gritty and palpable tropical locations all set to Riz Ortolani's beautiful and haunting music score. Naturally, most people probably tune in merely for the shock value (this film's reputation certainly preceeds it), and that's perfectly alright. The 'shock' pretty much remains undimished since it was released over 25 years later. Still it's refreshing to see a movie like this that's so well made that it can also stand on its feet in other important areas. It refuses to be shocking without at least attempting to provoke some thought in viewers while also being one of the ultimate litmus tests for even the most jaded of sick cinema freaks. It's also intelligent enough to know that it's about violence-as-pornography and not being sickening and exploitative just for sake of being sickening and exploitative.

.

Professor Harold Monroe (Robert Kerman) travels to South America in an effort to locate four young documentary filmmakers (three men, one woman) who disappeared somewhere along the Amazonian river basin. What he finds instead are a stone-age tribe oddly apprehensive to white man and the skeletal remains of the crew, along with some film cannisters. He returns to the city and watches the horrific contents of the cans with some producers, who want to air the footage on TV... until they discover just how graphic and unsettling the footage actually is. Deodato spares the viewer very little and his roaming POV camerawork meticulously and lovingly captures graphic acts of dismemberment, disembowelment, cannibalism, castration, gang-rape, (un-faked) animal mutilation and many other hideous acts. I truly hate seeing 'mondo' death footage (newsreels of real people actually being shot in firing lines, etc.) and the animals being killed (there's an extremely hard-to-watch shot of a hissing muskrat being repeatedly stabbed in the throat as well as well as a turtle being decapitated and gutted), but they are the strongest of the key imagery at work in this film.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST is its unflinchingly nihilistic worldview and its condescending and downbeat attitude toward 'civilized' man. The fact that the filmmakers incite the natives to begin with through violence, rape, humiliation and their own sanctimonious attitudes speaks volumes about where this film is headed content wise. Once I get enough reviews on here I plan on throwing on my Horror 100 list; the best of the best from 1950 - 1990. Expect this title to be on it.

★★★1/2

Blood and Lace (1971)

Directed by:

Philip Gilbert

If you enjoy seeing once respected actresses past their "prime" in sleazy starring roles, then seek out this sickie with the talented Gloria Grahame (co-star of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, and an Oscar winner for THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL and highly impressive in many terrific film noirs of the 1950s) as the abusive Mrs. Deere. To save money at the backwoods orphanage she runs, Gloria and the sadistic handyman (Len Lesser) kill their charges and store the bodies downstairs in a padlocked walk-in freezer. Melody Patterson (Ranger Jane from the "F-Troop" TV show) looks way too old for the role of 17-year-old Ellie Masters, who's sent there after her prostitute mother and one of her tricks are killed by being whacked upside the head a few times with a hammer. The masked, facially burned sick-o responsible for that crime (who actually bears a striking resemblance to Freddy Krueger right down to the striped sweater!) and a sleazy, sex-offender police detective (Vic Tayback, best know for playing diner owner Mel on the hit TV show "Alice") show up to complicate matters. Yeah, the plot is overloaded to the max with all kinds of sick stuff and this is strictly a gutter trash exploitation movie, but Grahame (an underrated character actress if there ever was one) does a very good job in her commanding/icy role, it's fairly colorful and well photographed and there are a few surprises to the story. Not as surprising though as how this movie, with lots of brutality directed toward children (one even has his hand chopped off with an axe!), el cheapo "red paint" blood gore effects, implied rape and incest and overall bad taste, earned a PG rating.

With Milton Selzer, a young Dennis Christopher and Louise Sherrill. The film was released to video by a small label called Cinefear (who also were the only ones to release the blaxploitation possession film ABBY), but it very hard to find these days. It's also never been out on DVD, though an excellent print of the film has pop up up occasionally on cable.

★★1/2

Come With Me, My Love (1976)

...aka: Come With Me, My Ghost

...aka: Haunted Pussy, The

...aka: Stay With Me, My Love

Directed by:

Doris Wishman

In Kenmare City circa 1925, Randolph (Jeffrey Hurst) catches his wife and his best friend in the act. After standing there watching them go at it until they finish, he shoots his friend dead. When his wife takes off her ring and throws it at him, he shoots her, too. Then he points the gun to his own head and pulls the trigger. After that black-and-white opening sequence the film jumps ahead to 1976 and it's now in color. A young woman named Abby (Ursula Austin) moves into the same apartment where the 50-year-old antique bed the couple was killed in during the first scene still sits. She meets her very, uh, friendly neighbor Tess Albertino (Annie Sprinkle) and then strange things begin happening. She hears heavy breathing, wind starts blowing her hair around, the lights go out, a bottle of sleeping pills appears out of nowhere (which she feels compelled to keep eating) and next think she knows she's being visited by the horny ghost of the scorned, love-hungry dead husband. He seems to want a mate to share eternity with in the afterlife and gets mighty jealous when he sees Abby fooling around with anyone else. Her first lover is electrocuted after a ghost hand pushes a radio into the bathtub. When Abby's date Bill (Ed Marshall) comes over to "comfort" her, he's pushed out the window. A ghost hand reaches out and stabs Abby's third (female) lover. A wedding band appears on Abby's finger and she can't get it off. Can the ghost persuade Abby to keep eating the pills until she passes on or will it continue killing everyone Abby screws (i.e. basically anyone who enters her apartment). On two different occasions, the film drifts away from the main storyline to show pouty-lipped Vanessa Del Rio, her blonde roommate (Nancy Dare) and several guys (including CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST star Robert Kerman) going at it.

Directed and produced by exploitation queen Doris Wishman under the alias "Luigi Manicottale," this is basically a typical 70s porn with some light horror content. Sadly, it is lacking Doris' gonzo camera-work where she pivots the camera around in weird directions and films potted plants and stuff. The only two touches really indicative of her usual style is a close-up of feet walking up stairs and someone walking around in a park. The ghost effect used is the negative image overlapping you often see in cheaper ghost movies from this time. As to be expected, the acting is dreadful and good for a laugh or two. So is some of the dialogue (including some silly voice-overs). Then again, it's just a porn so there's no need to be too critical. It's mainly about sex. There's plenty of that, but it's pretty standard/dull stuff and this is a forgettable effort from the popular cult director.

★1/2

Class of Nuke 'em High (1986)

Directed by:

Richard W. Haines

Michael Herz

Lloyd Kaufman

Another loud, obnoxious, rude, crude, in-your-face horror-gore-comedy from Lloyd Kaufman and the other fine folks at Troma. Unlike their 1984 cult hit THE TOXIC AVENGER, much of the humor misses the mark and annoys more than it amuses. At Tromaville High, a New Jersey school built near a nuclear power plant, the entire student body start going through strange physical changes. No, I'm not talking about puberty, just your garden variety biochemical mutations thanks to a leak at the plant. Green gunk gets into the water supply and those whose ingest it turn into sadistic, vulgar and destructive "cretins" who adopt a punk aesthetic, dress in leather, ride through the hallways on their motorcycles, screech, scream, sing, talk back to their teachers and start destroying school property. Yep, they're all about anarchy and being anti-establishment, amongst other things. They also sexually assault, beat, maim and kill students and teachers without blinking an eye. Thrown into the mix are "good" All-American kids Chrissy (Janelle Brady) and Warren (Gilbert Brenton). After being coerced into toking on some toxic reefer at a party, virginal Chrissy becomes 9-months-pregnant virtually overnight with a mutant baby, while Warren starts blacking out, mutating and going around town killing criminals and bad guys. Eventually, Chrissy gives birth in the school's restroom by throwing up a tadpole that quickly transforms into a giant spiked lizard monster. Said monster hangs around in the basement in time for the big finale.

It's basically just juvenile crap, but it's fast-moving and energetic juvenile crap that moves from one mean-spirited set-piece to another so fast you don't have much time to get bored. Horribly overacted by much of the cast, of course, but the special effects are pretty good and it doesn't skimp on gore. The best effect is a hand forced down someone's throat and the creature design on Chrissy's "baby" is well done. There's a great theme song, too, and The Smithereens even appear to play at an indoor beach party.

Also in the cast are Robert Prichard as the lead punk and Pat Ryan as the obese power plant president. Followed by a pair of substandard subhumanoid sequels; CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH 2: SUBHUMANOID MELTDOWN (1991) and CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH 3: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE SUBHUMANOID (1992), which were filmed back-to-back.

★★