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La polizia brancola nel buio (1975)
A generally underwhelming and problematic genre effort
Following her strange disappearance, a man begins looking into his girlfriends' strange arrival at a small town that eventually leads him to a remote house occupied by a series of bizarre figures with a deadly secret that eventually brings a killer to the house knocking them off one by one.
This was a maddeningly ineffective and problematic giallo. Among the few positive points with this one is the ability of the film to at least work in the traditional genre elements somewhat effectively enough throughout here. The series of stalking scenes here aren't that bad, with the opening attack of the victim by the side of the road or a woman getting stalked in her bedroom while being spied on undressing and taking care of herself before going to bed, offering up some rather intriguing elements familiar with the genre. Both offer up clunky if still somewhat extended chase scenes featuring the unsuspecting victims going about their lives before running into the madman and being knocked off in silly-yet-brutal fashion featuring a slew of suspenseful stalking tactics and some fine nudity in the process. Other scenes, like a garden-set stalking scene or the killer taking out a victim in gruesome fashion before leaving the bloodied body to drown in a bathtub, make for equally sleazy and graphic encounters that set the stage for the wild finale that bring about some inventive twists for its positive points. Beyond that, there's just not much to this one that works. The main factor to be had here is the interminably boring and dull setup that has almost nothing at all interesting happening for long stretches. The whole idea of the disappearance taking place nearby and him coming to her aide to try to find her is a decent enough hook, much like the later investigation that turns up the family living in the remote house where he starts looking into the truth but it has just nothing all that exciting happening during this time. Dealing with a skeevy gardener making uncomfortable eyes at the young daughter, a scientist trying to make do with his latest discovery while being confined to a wheelchair, and the multitude of side characters that populate the house should've been a recipe for something to happen as he makes his way through the family uncovering what happened. Instead, everything is just undeservedly bland or drags on interminably with the outright worst of it being a dinner sequence that offers up nothing of any interest about anyone and never seems to end even with the notion of them being spied on the whole time. The other factor to this one is the general air of cheapness over everything here. The villa where everything takes place could've had some atmosphere but it's way too bright and cheerful to be effective at generating an air of danger, the flimsy effects give themselves away at nearly every opportunity with the outright goofy manner of their execution trying to look intimidating, and the whole presentation of the fabled machine that gets involved here is a straight mystery as we get nothing about what it is or how it works. The concept of the machine is such that it stretches credibility with how it even manages to catch the killer in the first place, and trying to place the actual figure doing the crimes at the point they were committed is a stretch at best and a gaping plothole at worst as it involves time-travel to pull off. It all comes together into one of the more underwhelming and bottom-tier gialli in the period.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Nudity, Language, and sexual scenes.
Zombi Holocaust (1980)
Surprisingly decent, gory zombie/cannibal film mash-up
During a routine autopsy, a medical student notices the cadavers are being eaten which soon turns her onto a mystery about a symbol on the victim that resembles a sign from a small island and heads there where the team encounter a strange doctor performing operations on the locals.
This was a pretty pleasant surprise. Among the better features of this one is that it feels like a great mixture of two big genres, namely the cannibal and zombie sub-genres. That it convincingly uses the tale-tell signs of the two makes this one a really entertaining and clever entry. The first half here gets the group ready for the trip to the island by showing the series of debilitating incidents around the hospital with the bodies having parts of their bodies removed and then devoured by the secret cannibal at the center of everything which soon involves the search into his home island all provides the kind of worthwhile starting point for what's going on here. The use of their strange symbols and ideology that helps put the pieces together about what's happening is a great touch, and when the group arrives there the island crawling with the cannibal tribe and the doctor there happens rather nicely in turn revealing the truth about the zombies in a not-exactly-new twist revealed towards the end. This leads into the series of wild antics on display once they start going through the jungle which is a big plus. The cannibals get the majority of the screentime as it's all about going to their home based on speculation of their existence and going through the events that take place here involving the group making it sagely through the jungle that's a true death trap for all involved. There's also plenty of gore in the film as this one has some pretty nice kills in it. There's a really impressive one where a victim is impaled from a trap that shoots up from behind to impale through the body rather than the other way around, with a severe series of dismemberments and skin devouring to follow, some really great impalements, surgical amputations and a rather shocking scene where a victim gets their face torn up by a rotating motorboat engine. That's not to include all the really wicked surgeries done in the film to test his experiments which are also quite impressive and really bloody. That there's also some really juicy skin-devouring really helps to make this one bloody and gory. The fact that it remains watchable all the way through to the end is another big plus, as this one doesn't really get boring and features enough action spots to stay interesting, and only without a big taste for cheese will this one fail. These all make it quite entertaining while there isn't a whole lot wrong with this one. One of the big ones is its incredibly high cheese factor as there's a lot of that in the film which can be evidenced by the general plot description. This also has marks for it in that category for its gore and general atmosphere which is a mark as this one revels so heavily in it making it something to be avoided by those who aren't that into that style. This one also has a problem in that it doesn't really make the big points from its meshed styles. For a zombie film, these don't really feel like zombies most of the time as they rarely do anything more than stand around and take orders and aren't in the film very long to begin with. They're involved in the last twenty minutes of the film and it doesn't really feature them a whole lot in that period. As well, there isn't a lot of time spent on the cannibal tribe getting to know them. All that's known about them is the name and island where they live which is basically it which means it needed more information on them. Otherwise, the cheesiness is the main problem with this one holding it back.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity and Language.
Morirai a mezzanotte (1986)
An immensely enjoyable giallo effort
While trailing his wife, a man comes across the fact that she's been killed which fingers him as the main suspect and tries to clear his name with a police detective and his daughter investigating the case only to learn that the prevailing theory of a long-dead serial killer returning might be the true killer.
This was a rather enjoyable genre effort with a lot to like. Among its better elements is a strong enough set up to offer a logical means of investigating the crimes. As the first half here introduces us to his wild and crazy outbursts which are incredibly difficult for him to get away from in terms of being the kind of incriminating evidence to paint him as guilty when she gets killed right after he goes crazy on her, setting up the kind of proper need for his investigation to keep going. The introduction of the investigator and his assistant who are looking into everything while we also get to see him meet up with the private investigator who's trying to put the crimes on the returning serial killer that was executed but the series of clues dished out match up with the suspect already thought to have committed everything which makes everything come off rather nicely for a general setup. This allows for some rather fine stalking scenes to come about once the bodies start dropping. The main stalking scenes here, namely the opening scenes of the killer taking out the wife as she goes about trying to take a shower or the victim who gets attacked going into her car that leads her into the set piece inside the local warehouse, serve the film rather nicely with some immensely fun sequences bringing about some tense stalking, creepy camera angles, and a brutal stabbing death as well. Later encounters like the killer trapping a department store worker inside or tailing the one girl back to her house that turns into a dream sequence offer up the kind of great sequences that have lengthier, more involved sequences full of high-quality stalking alongside the great kills. It's also here where the film goes for a strong addition to the investigation where the daughter comes across as the focal point following up on the idea of it not being the suspected resurrected killer but a human one as she and her friends give this a strong wrap-up with some fun sleuthing and a couple of fun deaths that leave this really fun overall. There are some drawbacks to be had with this one that hold it back. The main drawback here is the film's bizarre shifts in focus that leave the film immensely difficult to get a handle on the investigation. Since this tends to bring up the varying points of view between the abusive husband that's hard to sympathize with, a detective trying to look into the connection with the long-dead serial killer and then turns into the daughter's area to prove the killer is human which continually shifts everything along into different viewpoints and storyline tangents. There's some unexpected work here shifting it along as the characters disappear for long periods due to the change in focus that happens here, and also manages to give this the proper lead-in for the other issue here in the underwhelming resolution that tries to tie everything up with each of these disparate storylines but ends up bringing about some confusing work to make it come together with any kind of sense but never does anything with the material. These features are more than enough to bring it down somewhat.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Language, and Nudity.
L'orribile segreto del Dr. Hichcock (1962)
One of the better Gothic horror efforts out there
Working in a London hospital, a doctor's sexual games with his wife go further than anticipated which results in her accidental death and his quest to remarry years later with a new wife, but she soon grows weary of his fascination to repeat the same games with her once again.
Overall, this was a fairly fun and enjoyable Gothic horror effort. One of the better aspects here is the fun setup that allows for all sorts of dark shenanigans to come about as it plays out. With a brief enough expose of his addictions and behavior towards her with the bits we get on his medical practice as well as the lengths he goes to so that he can fulfill his sexual desires of drugging her for their sessions, it paints a fairly solid mark on his personality which helps to understand the motivations once the later stages of the relationship emerge that comes from the arrival of the new wife. The dynamic at play with them growing increasingly more suspicious of her questions and attitude about what's going on at the house despite their calm approach and demeanor allows for some intriguing drama to develop over the first half as it tries to set up the storyline to come. As the film carries on and the relationship between them develops over time, her unhinged state continues to get worse with each passing encounter that takes place. From the sight of the strange figure darting from the house to the secret shack outside in the pouring rain which renders an accurate identification impossible, the belief that someone's trying to get into her room at night, and the discovery of a skull left behind in her bed, the initial stages of her arrival there provide more than enough to give the idea of something nefarious happening which is only exacerbated with the revelation of something genuinely being hidden from her despite protests to the contrary. This spark for her to go out and investigate everything naturally is a fantastic touch as the initial setpieces gaslighting her into not thinking too clearly about what he's doing which makes this one feel far more unnerving as time goes on. That comes about nicely in the final half where the atmosphere of the situation starts to manifest in some fun manners. With the full discovery of the contents within the family crypt and his behavior towards her finally starting to make some sense, these final moments bring about the true terror of his master plan and include some standout moments throughout the house and into the underground tombs as the race to save her is quite fun and frantic. This final half does have the lone issue with the film in that there's no need for the constant calls away from the house to go back to work at this stage of the game as the plan coming to fruition should be far more important and the whole thing unravels only because he's' too busy preoccupied with work to see it through even if he's keeping up appearances. The pace might also be an issue for some, but otherwise, there's far more to like here than not.
Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence and themes of necrophilia.
Maciste all'inferno (1962)
A spectacular mix of genres that comes off quite nicely
With their village in turmoil, the outbreak of violence against a woman suspected of being related to the witch who was sent to Hell a hundred years ago forces the muscle-bound hero to descend into Hell itself to battle the imprisoned witch and end the curse affecting the village and his friends.
For the most part, this was a fantastic mixture of peplum and Gothic horror. One of the finer features here is the ability to provide a fun narrative that sets both of these features into motion and does not have either one feel out of place. The initial introduction to the film concerning the witch burned at the stake, offering profane curses on the villagers surrounding her who are overjoyed when the flames are shown to consume the body before turning into a century-later time-jump with main action is a great main start. With the setup offering talk of strange supernatural activity taking place and people behaving strangely, the threat of the witch's curse regarding its toll on them sends the village into a genuine panic as they try to take out the one local woman who they suspect to be the reincarnated witch complete with the mob swarming after her and requiring aide from the hero himself is a fantastic Gothic horror starter setup with the talk of remote villages beset by supernatural action and blaming everything on a curse from years earlier complete with the kind of panic suitable for such a situation. This allows for the film to develop into more of its peplum origins as the original witch who instigated the curse must be retrieved from Hell and required to journey into the underworld to do so. Setting into motion the kind of prototypical quest setup where he must overcome a series of obstacles to complete his mission. Uprooting the sacred tree guarding the entranceway to Hell and battling past the creatures along the way, it sets him up for a mystical journey through the underworld where he battles past blazing walls of pure fire, removes huge wooden or stone objects from his path, and basically performs immense feats of strength in rapid succession to journey across the fire and brimstone landscape on his quest that provides some fantastic stunts alongside the thrilling action. With his journey impeded by the need to save others struggling in the underworld against other tortures being inflicted, there's a great series of action featured here including some chilling bits of the ethereal witch's taunts and laughter echoing throughout the landscape. This leads immensely well into the final half where the action comes together at a fantastic pace. The series of interactions and pep talks with other denizens offered the usual sense of courage and honor that had been his main purpose before being broken down by the ordeal. As this means one last ordeal confronting the witch and getting to return to the surface world to get everything sorted in a fun fashion, there's plenty of solid work here that makes this come off quite well. There are some issues here, mainly with some of the more bizarre setpieces that seem to disrupt the pacing more than anything. With the cutaways back to the couple accused of witchcraft and set to be burned offering up necessary context for the journey, it's a shame they don't do much to help keep the running time going similar to the interactions with the witch trying to tempt him with her beauty form that makes for a rather stupefying series of baseless and repetitive scenes that offer nothing. Likewise, the need for a slew of flashback scenes to past interactions that were accomplished with other actors in the role simply to get the running time up is a bit perplexing, and when combined with the cheesy low-budget look of everything here are what brings this one down.
Today's Rating/PG: Violence.
Sangue per Dracula (1974)
Surprisingly good erotic vampire film
Nearly dying in Romania, the sickly Count and his servant leave it behind and head to an isolated Italian villa where the owner tries to marry off his virgin daughters to him, but when he continues getting sicker finds the handyman thwarting his plans forcing them to battle for the family's safety.
This here is one of the best vampire films around. Among the better elements of this one is a rather strong setup that brings about a rather enjoyable storyline featuring a lot of great Gothic imagery and sleaze. The central idea of the Count being brought down in health due to his inability to suck the blood of virgins with his reputation preventing him from taking a bride and forcing the trip to the Italian countryside to change everything which brings him into contact with the family is a great way to bring this one along. It introduces the idea that the healing power of virgin blood to his health and mental state is a requirement and the necessity to drain blood from someone in that state is immensely intriguing for how it treats the creature and gives this a high-quality motivation for not only his trip to the house but also the rampant sleaze throughout here. Keeping up appearances with a fine cover story and a genuine motivation for why his appearances and sickly stature would go by unnoticed as well as just enough setup to explain the situation, the storyline here is quite fun and gives this something unique and creative from a simple vampire film. The fact that this one is so sleazy for a vampire film is something to enjoy. This offers up plenty of both male and female nudity here which is always nice from sex scenes, bathing sequences, having the women dress on-screen, and even throwaway sequences like the beginning where they disrobe for no reason other than to feature extra nudity makes for some real fun to be had as this one throws the female nudity around with great abandon. That also extends to the male nudity as well since this one takes the time to show that both participants are nude during the sex scenes and reveling in it the way that very few are comfortable with showing, which means that this one is an equal opportunity when it comes to showing it off. The sleaze also extends away from the nudity as it's got a lot of sexual antics to deal with the fact that there's an incestuous lesbian couple in here that is involved in a couple of sequences alone seals the film of most of its sleaze right there and coupled with the insane amount of nudity and the continuous frank conversations about virginity and sexuality in here, this here is a really graphic and sleazy kind of film. The other part of this that works is the last half of the film which works wonders here. This features a pretty nice selection of sleaze trying to corrupt the last remaining daughter into his corruption and the great realization scene where all the others realize what's going on as it's also where most of the violence comes in as well. The violence works here because it's a dry film up until then and then to be inundated with tons of graphic violence and bloodshed ensures some remarkable feelings from the film's ending. From a complete and utter dismemberment of all the limbs to a knifing and a couple impalings through the chest with a wooden stake, leaving a lot of blood flowing, there's a lot from these sequences. Also using some fun here is the great chase through the house, out into the garden, and continuing, which injects a lot of excitement into the film and the fact that the dismembering is done along the way is really great with some more fun to be had. All these reasons make this one enjoyable as this one only has one flaw to it and it's a little damaging but non-detrimental to the film. That is the fact that it plays fast and loose with conventional vampire storytelling. The vampire walks around in broad daylight only shielding his eyes but no other damage is done, being able to bite his victims on the neck and draining blood to turn into vampires should work for all victims yet here only virgins are turned while others do fall under his spell can't use his hypnotic powers on them otherwise. These here are quite different from usual vampire fare, yet keep the distaste for garlic, no reflection in the mirror, and a wooden stake through the chest to finish it off are still here. That it mixes them around is something some hardcore fans could get upset about, and the dragged-out pacing involving the inability to notice the obvious for how he's tempting and turning the daughters into vampires that no one notices could also be a factor here. Otherwise, that is the film's only flaw.
Rated R: Full Nudity, several sex scenes, Graphic Violence, Language and a rape.
La settima tomba (1965)
A generally solid if unspectacular Gothic horror effort
Heading to a local castle, a gathering of heirs looking for their inheritance after the death of a wealthy relative are forced to stay at the house which brings them into contact with a curse involving their supposedly-dead heir coming back to stalk them which forces them to figure out what's going on.
Generally, this was a fairly solid and likable by-the-numbers Italian Gothic horror effort. One of the better features here is the strong setup that doesn't really set any new boundaries but works for this type of fare. The idea of the group of unscrupulous and greedy family members looking to gather their inheritance at a castle of their relative at a will reading to be held at the castle is one featured in quite a few genre efforts over the years. However, that still allows this one to work incredibly well at offering up the kind of solid starting point here by giving the group enough of a reason to get together at the location, providing a brief bit of history about their arrival with their intentions about gathering there, and also gathering a bit of information about who each one is that helps establish everything for later on. As this also manages to include the work done by the group while at the castle looking into the history of their relative and the bizarre lifestyle he led that involves radical experimentation, unusual collections, and twisted secrets that are all part and parcel of the genre, it fits into the genre rather nicely. The longer they stay at the castle, though, the more this one moves into the type of Gothic melodrama spiced up with random bits of proto-slasher/Giallo-style attacks that make the genre rather fun. The early scenes of the group staying at the house and looking around the castle grounds which enables them to learn about the true nature of his experiments in the underground laboratory trying to look into the leprosy diagnosis he has gives everything a great touch. That leads into the more involved sequences featuring the group holding a seance that goes into some rather extreme revelations during the experience and the group picked off one by one around the castle grounds leads to some immensely chilling sequences here. Enhanced rather nicely by the expected Gothic trappings within the house and the belief that the cursed relative is still alive and running after the family that includes the series of encounters involving the nightgown-clad women running through the secret passageways or looking for the killer with fiery candelabras, this all brings about some genuinely fun and chilling moments for a lot to like here. There are some big issues here that hold this one down. The main issue here is the overall expected and somewhat detrimental familiarity that runs throughout here being pretty much ruled by its cliches. It feels far more like a film that's going through the Gothic horror playbook about the family brought together by the confines of a strange death and looking to get their hands on an inheritance, find the truth about what's going on inside the house that's far more dangerous than anything that gathered them there and begin going through a series of encounters and confrontations that offer up the kind of setup that proves a far more human outcome than the supernatural. It's all pretty much the same as most other films in the style that includes a similar series of setups and doesn't differentiate itself from too many other films in the style either which hinders this one quite a bit. The slack pacing that leaves long periods without a lot going on here is another big factor where everything takes so long to get started with everyone standing around discussing their next step that it feels really slow-going at points. Otherwise, this is a rather fun time with these issues holding it back.
Today's Rating/PG: Violence.
Il mostro dell'opera (1964)
A really solid Gothic vampire feature
Troubled by strange dreams, a woman joins her traveling ballerina tripe as they make a stop at a Count's castle in the area for a show, but as they carry on with rehearsing for their big show find their charge to be a vampire looking to turn the group into similar creatures and must race to stop him.
Overall, this was a massively enjoyable Gothic horror effort. One of the biggest factors found here is the generally strong setup that generates the kind of old-school Gothic horror stylings that are part of the genre's history. Starting with the initial scenes of the troupe coming together to help their friend who is going through a series of bizarre dreams about a caped figure going around killing people, their whole backstage interactions that et to show off their friend dynamics, and the various personalities within the rest of the troupe that set up the kind of fine starting point that works quite nicely here. Not only odes that provide a great grounding for the multitude of storylines and subplots going on within the rest of the film once they arrive at the castle for the exhibition including the overt lesbianism for some fun moments but also how their professional jealousy overcomes their personal friendship as they spend the time goofing around while investigating the backstage parts of the castle. Once this moves into the series of interactions within the castle involving the group being whittled down while waiting for their final performance, this one starts getting really fun. As the main group continues rehearsing their performance on the stage inside the castle, the ability to continually splinter off and disappear allows for some fun moments with the group trusting the count's assistant while exploring that brings them into his capture or the inability to realize the count is watching them provide some great times before getting to the wild finale in the castle's basement. With this offering up plenty of solid Gothic-based action in the standout performance by the troupe featuring all sorts of great interactions and setpieces, the different confrontations with the vampire down in the chamber where the female vampires are chained up waiting for him, and the big action set piece to finally rid themselves of the threat bring this one to a thrilling, exciting finish. Utilizing the castle setting for its best aspects and having plenty of fun with the women running around in their nightgowns, this has a lot to like about it. There are some issues here that hold this one down. The main issue with the film is the outright slack pacing that slows this to a crawl at a point when it should be picking up speed. The series of background interactions that take place with the girls, bouncing around in flirtatious pranks, exploring the secret passageways of the castle, or going through the rehearsal part of their play serves this one nicely as a way to get to know the girls but also extends way too long for what it's trying to do. It leaves the vampire revelation until much later than it really should offering up the kind of sluggish start that saps a lot of the intrigue and thrills of this one more than it really should, especially with a lot of the action here being quite repetitive and involving the couples getting together or the inquisitive nature taking them out on tours. It doesn't hold this back much, especially compared to the flimsy pretext for the performance in the first place, but it's the main factor with this one.
Today's Rating/PG: Violence.
La vergine di Norimberga (1963)
Could've been in the Corman/Price/Poe series
Living in a giant castle, a woman is warned by her husband about the castle's past which was home to a ruthless, bloodthirsty warlord that soon enthralls her with his legend, but when she begins to see a strange figure around the castle grounds discovers the truth and tries to stop it.
This here is one of the best examples of the genre. One of the better elements found here is the strong setup involving the eventual mystery surrounding the actual goings-on at the castle. Starting everything off with the strange incident in the castle basement that brings about the discovery of the chamber and what happened there in the past which spurns her interest in what's going on here, giving everything the kind of worthwhile starting place that allows the film to wallow in the Gothic atmosphere. The story about the torturer who used to live in the castle and his connection to the fabled statue that started everything for her gives this one a great bit of leeway as the interactions with the deformed servant that lives there bring that along even further to give the story some credence. The sketchiness of his actions the more this goes on, making the husband question whether everything happening is all in her head or actually coming to life, causes quite a lot to like here as the series of revelations made about the connection to World War II finishes everything immensely well. Another of the main things this gets right is the incredible suspense on display. The opening is a fantastic example with the flowing gown-clad woman following the agonized cries coming from somewhere within the castle and leading her to discover blood flowing into the collection bowl beneath the Virgin of Nuremberg, a fabled iron maiden torture chamber that is now a museum. Opening the spiked door, she is horrified to see the body of a freshly dead woman inside, the corpse's eyes have been gouged out leaving ragged, bloody sockets. It's a fantastic scene, with the endless wandering through an enormous house during a raging thunderstorm, using only a candle for light until they stumble upon a rather shocking and horrific scene. This is really eerie, from the glimpses shown strewn around the house of various torture devices, some with the skeleton remains of victims still there all the way to the creepy and intense reaction to the eyeless corpse hidden in the statue. That goes hand-in-hand with the great sets in here, as every corner and crevice is filled with inky black shadows, pierced only by the glow of a flickering torch or flash of lightning. Thus the look of the film never approaches the surreal, instead remaining much more grounded in realism. That leads into the other great factor here as this one handily avoids the pitfalls of others out there in the genre and makes marvelous use of the huge, sprawling castle set. Even the outside scenes have a nice feeling to them as the spacious castle grounds mix well with the giant castle looming in the background. The later scenes in the crypt look great, and a very tense stalking scene in the darkness is masterfully played out due to the setting. The film also has a couple of really great shock gore scenes that are a lot more graphic than most others of the time, from the discovery of a victim stuck in a cage where a rat has gnawed away at her face, the initial discovery of the first victim and finally the killer himself unmasked, his face nothing more than a skull covered with the faintest suggestion of skin. These images are really quite out there for the time and make for some great moments. The sequences at the end with the torturer are just as good, being a little creepy with some graphic brutality stakes placed into the film to give it a little extra punch to what's going on. These are what really make the film enjoyable as the only real issue here is where the middle section investigating everything is paced enough to matter.
Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence.
Bloody Trip: The Equinox Killer (2024)
A solid if unremarkable middle-of-the-road genre effort
Heading out for a trip, a group of friends decide to rent a house in the countryside for a bachelorette party while several others look into finishing a movie of theirs, but when they realize the house is being used by a deadly cult preparing them for a special upcoming celestial sacrifice.
This was a decent enough genre effort overall. Among its best aspects is the generally fun setup that works fine enough to provide the kind of worthwhile setup before being turned on its head. Featuring the group going out for a relaxing weekend and wanting to find a way of having a fun time before a special bachelorette party splits them up serves it nicely enough, providing enough of a reason to get them out into the middle of nowhere as well as what's going to happen in the house. As there are some fun times here exposing who the group is and what brought them together in the first place as it all showcases their relationships and personalities quite nicely with the ability to bring together a nice friend group into a chilling situation and then gradually becomes far more immersive over the night as things start making sense. This setup brings about the kind of solid later scenes throughout here as the build-up to the whole thing is immensely fun. The whole thing about the figure observing the group from the distance as they explore the house and begin enjoying their time there makes for a solid bit of suspense to get things going, and the whole idea of being subjected to the strange invaders that start toying with what's going on around the house forcing them into a slew of defensive tactics to remain safe. These are fun enough until getting to the fantastic sequence involving the action home invasion as the masked assailants start dishing out brutal action and plenty of solid chasing around the outside of the house before setting up the brutal finale where the ritual the cult's been preparing for comes about. These all give this a great bit of action to leave a lot to like while there are a few issues that bring this one down. The biggest factor here is the general lack of urgency on the expense of the characters during what's going on. When they become aware that someone is actually on the property with them and that they are being hunted down, the scenes are handled with a genuine lack of urgency for their safety that it feels draining how they don't recognize what's going on. The inability to tell that they're in the crosshairs of danger even if not aware of the extent fully makes them immensely difficult to care about, similar to the later scenes involving them trying to make sense of the cult's actions when they're corned. Everything is somewhat spelled out about how the cult's preparations are about to go down, the fact that they just stand around waiting for something to happen or limply run away without taking it seriously, ruining this one significantly. Coupled with some budget limitations, these all hold it down.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.
You Shouldn't Have Let Me In (2024)
A solid and enjoyable genre effort with a few small issues
Arriving in Italy for a Bachelorette Party, a group of girlfriends rent out a manor house in the city for their celebrations which soon revolves around bringing the club owner who rents out the house back to party with them but when they discover his vampiric nature must try to stop his deadly plans.
This was a pretty fun and generally solid genre outing. Among the better qualities here is the impressive work featured here that brings about a rather fun storyline. Managing to mix a slew of general cliches into workable storyline beats, starting with the bachelorette party arriving at the remote castle-like manor house in a foreign country, the interpersonal relationships between everyone who all have their backstory with the group to deal with, and the gradual reveal of the mysterious owner's past that becomes incredibly more obvious the more it continues features a strong enough starting point here. The later points brought up here involving the discovery of his plan the more they remain at the house, from the mythical portrait that looks exactly like her to the arrival of the hunter going through the sacred artifacts trying to uncover the truth about the host and his minions, serves to further this overall setup quite nicely. That makes the film incredibly fun when dealing with the vampiric action featured here. As there's a solid build-up to that point in the first half where his attempts at worming into their party to allow his presence and try to win her over, the work here featuring the group hanging around the manor or heading out to the party that brings them in contact with the main vampire and his cronies makes for an intriguing setup which brings this into the fun final half where the vampiric activity takes place. With the creatures taking over the house and using their powers to run wild over the friends who are twisted and manipulated into falling victim to the creatures in several fun setpieces that utilize the folklore powers well. Including the amount of fine confrontations to try to stop them which brings some decent gore throughout this part of the film and some well-handled sensuality with the seduction attempts, these provide quite a lot to like here. The film does have some issues here holding this down. The main drawback here is the series of obvious cliches utilized to try to tell this story but doesn't do much to differentiate it from the pack by using them. The starting point of the mysterious woman arriving there trying to look for her missing daughter which never gets resolved, the group being unconcerned with their missing friend who's never shown up, the painting featuring the one girl who's a dead ringer for the friend, and the revelation about the hunter following them has all manner of familiar beats that crop up in so many other similar films makes it all feel quite familiar. The other problem here is a slightly confusing issue during the main party where the vampires start to take over and use doppelgangers of the group which is never explained if it's a visual hallucination, manipulating the whole scenario, or a shapeshifting ability. It can make it hard to tell what's happening since any of those factors being the culprit changes around the scenario drastically. Beyond these factors, it's what drags this one down just slightly.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and Brief Nudity.
Una lucertola con la pelle di donna (1971)
A highly enjoyable and intelligent giallo
Suffering from strange nightmares, a woman visits a psychiatrist for help with her condition which is soon overshadowed by her infatuation with a strange free-spirited neighbor that is soon found dead, bringing her into a deadly mystery to uncover what she saw before a killer strikes.
This one ended up being quite a fun erotic giallo. One of the strongest elements present here is the incredibly overt and enjoyable amount of sexuality that's present throughout here. Delving into the psychological realms as frequently as this does in the attempt to explain and understand the recurring dreams which are always sexual in nature, whether it be in the middle of an orgy or other sexual dalliances with the suspicious neighbor allows for innumerous numbers for erotic softcore groping. Given the near-constant use of these scenes and other hedonistic sequences with an alarming frequency here, this contrast with her own stunted psychological issues and repression offers a great turn that makes the film rely on exploring these issues further. It also doesn't help that there are capable performers regularly showcasing these attributes. However, the psychological factors explored here are rather engaging, enhancing the central mystery. Since we're all deeply aware of her repressed condition as the meetings go into extraordinary detail hammering home the nightmares and dreams as the attraction to and destruction of vice and degradation, the idea that the wild, unhinged nature her neighbor represents compared to her is a big part of the film. Although there's a determined push towards the rejection of the lifestyle she leads by keeping the details of the crime hidden which amounts to a distressing feeling of abandoning the free-spirited lifestyle through violent means if possible, there's a lot to like about how this all ends up psychologically toying with her psyche in such a way that the burgeoning snap from sanity feels incredibly realistic and genuine. While these factors are quite fun, there's a lot to enjoy with the traditional giallo elements. The central investigation is well-handled here and is easily one of the finest in the scenes as everything not only comes to the forefront but is all rationally thought out. There are several cutaways back to the detectives on the case piecing together the clues and evidence from that night in an attempt to name and clear various suspects which are rather enjoyable since the means through which it gets solved come off nicely leading into the full reveal at the end. Likewise, the dynamic visuals and arresting concept at play, whether the impressive psychedelic dream sequences or the pounding suspense of a frantic escape attempt in an abandoned church trying to lose a crazed killer, keep this one fascinating and compelling throughout which keeps this one up over its flaws. There are some minor issues to be had here. The biggest of these factors is the film's psychological torment route that keeps the action to a minimum for fans of the higher body-count features. This one spends a lot of its running time engaging in trying to clear the story involving the mysterious dreams and how they connect her to the crime which causes a massive drop-off in terms of deaths or other activity. That causes the film to become quite talkative for some despite how well the story comes together since the journey here isn't geared towards revealing what's happened rather than bumping off tons of individuals to hide it. Even with a low-key finale that feels like an epilogue tacked on afterthought instead of generating a rousing close or finish that can feel like a slight letdown, these few issues aren't nearly enough to hold this down much.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, sexual content, Language, drug use, and violence-against-animals.
Bakterion (1982)
A slightly underwhelming but still really fun genre effort
After an accident in their facility, the staff of a government testing facility learns it was caused by a scientist's exposure to a deadly virus that has mutated into a deformed monstrosity that has escaped and begins terrorizing the city forcing them to call in the military to handle the situation.
Overall, this was a pretty fun monster-on-the-loose style genre effort. One of the better elements present here is the somewhat enjoyable setup that keeps this going along rather nicely. As this one starts immediately on the lab accident and the resulting aftermath that follows in terms of not just the internal investigation that reveals the actual escape and situation being presented so we know what's going on before the film starts with the police investigation into the disappearance and strange murders taking place, there's a frantic energy here. The use of the military intervention due to the presence of the viral outbreak and the potential for containing more of the area around him comes about logically with both sides coming together early on to provide a fun and fast starting point. As a result, there's a lot of fun to be had here with the work involving the creature rampaging through the community. The first scenes here where he attacks the date in their parked car or the housewife at home offer fine stalking scenes where the creature's point-of-view for the sequence not only keeps the identity a secret but also has the suspense of the concept. That provides the kind of starting point for bigger, more high-energy setups in the attack on the movie theater, chasing the stragglers from the church service, or the attack at the house that favors the idea of using the ferocity and intensity in his arsenal for some enjoyable outcomes. Since it all leads into the tense and suspenseful finale where they trap him in the underground sewers and try to put their plan into motion, it all comes together with solid and cheesy gore for a lot to like. There are some big issues here that hold it down. The majority of the flaws here are spent on the inherently sloppy and underwhelming military intervention into the story that brings about several big problems. This whole section is clunky and awkward with the cliched panic button-hitting-while-shutting-out-civilians angle that runs throughout the first half as the need to stop the viral spread which has some undermining qualities while also making no connection to quarantine being in effect which would've brought so many eyes to the area it renders the whole thing questionable. As well, this also highlights some rather dragging pacing as the constant conferences to get everything cleared up so all of this has plenty of issues with purpose and pacing. These factors are what end up holding this down.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, and Language.
Un angelo per Satana (1966)
One of the finest Gothic horror efforts
Arriving in a remote village, a restorer finds the area under extreme superstitious beliefs that begin affecting their way of life as well as the means of his stay, and when it's revealed the cause of everything might be the strange statue unearthed just before he arrived sets out to stop it.
This was a fairly fun and enjoyable Gothic horror outing. Among the better elements here is the fantastic way this sets up life in the village for everyone that comes unglued when he arrives under the influence of the curse. With his arrival punctuated by the setup of the fishermen recovering the strange statue and what it means to the rest of the village, the impending return of a family member who was off at school studying, and the suspected influence that comes together with these elements all make for a solid start to this one. The concurrent build-up about the history involving the statue and what he tries to accomplish with restoring the damaged object comes about with the two establishing a sort of relationship together based on him needing her to model for the restored statue that brings them together. That allows for some rather enjoyable moments as we see the influence overtaking her and setting off on a more fervent genre route. With it all starting in the restoration room when the vision of the witch returns to offer up a series of threatening messages that sets the ensuing chaos into motion, it generates the kind of exceptional starting point that feels in tune with the setting. As it slowly becomes apparent that a curse is enacted that's not just against the villagers but also generates a possession angle with the idea of the witch possessing the daughter with how she reacts to others around her with openly vicious flirtations that grow violent at the drop of a hat when it becomes time to start tormenting the locals. These include a series of encounters where she preys on their vulnerabilities and sensibilities while still offering up the kind of solid groundwork that comes about from the implications of the curse affecting her to act that way. It all comes to a fine head in the finale where the whole thing starts to become far more obvious about what's going on. As the possession takes hold and starts to affect relationships not just with the servant who gets seduced under her watch that impacts the boyfriend but also the way she starts in on the art restorer staying there while also taking care of the other women in the village through the other servant under her spell. It's all brought to a head with a fantastic finale full of great melodramatic Gothic action and reveals that feature some striking visuals and ideas about what's going on not just in the house but the village as well with everything given quite a fantastic space to breathe which brings about a lot to like. It does have a minor drawback in how the whole reveal comes about, with this one bringing up a villain out of nowhere to save face, and makes little sense as to what's gone on before trying to make the reveal come together. This is the main issue here as this is a great time overall.
Today's Rating/PG: Violence.
La cripta e l'incubo (1964)
A generally fun Gothic horror effort
Arriving at a friend's castle, a man discovers he's been called out by a friend to look after his daughter with the belief that she's becoming influenced by a witch returning from the dead to carry out a devastating curse, and as he continues his work finds the deadly secret at the center of everything.
This was a fairly impressive and enjoyable Gothic horror outing. Among the better features within this one is the massively enjoyable setup that allows this one to wrap itself up in the confines of the Gothic horror trappings rather effectively. Going with the all-too-familiar route of a stranger arriving at a remote castle in the countryside to deal with the instructions from a friend who urges him to look into a strange series of experiences with his daughter, the eventual uncovering of a centuries-long curse by an ancestor claimed to be a witch and burned alive for it starts to get the story going rather solidly. With a flashback to the whole proceedings giving this a proper context while also getting to see the sneaking around going on in the background of the castle that paints the guilty party as the actual perpetrators of the whole thing, there's a lot to like here in getting the film going with a proper starting point for the later madness to follow. That sets up the kind of interactions here that bring about the kind of stellar dynamics and interpersonal rivalries that make for great Gothic horror standouts. As we're already aware of the helper trying to help the curse come to fruition against the Count's back and the discovery into the family history starting up, there's a strong series of work here featuring the family trying not to get in each other's faces over mistakes or misunderstandings while the evil duo plot their revenge in the meantime. With this part bringing along fantastic Gothic imagery in the curse scenes where the nightgown-clad figure roams the billowing hallways of the castle or travels along hidden passageways through candle-lit rooms, it completes the picture incredibly well at capturing an authentically mysterious and chilling atmosphere to help make the possession scenes feel more impactful. The second half here takes this fine setup and brings about more of a solid retelling of the novel as the incorporation of vampiric elements into the Gothic horror setup brings about plenty of fun. Realizing that there's a potential discovery to the curse with the proof of the fabled painting that will hopefully put an end to everything by explaining the incidents and accidents around the castle and surrounding areas that are also affected by everything taking place which starts up some duplicitous means to get everything in motion leading to a strong and somewhat shocking climax that has a lot to like with it's more fervent action and sparkling Gothic atmosphere involving descending into underground crypts, dramatic reveals, and a fun outcome. This is the only issue here where it's a bit too long to get spelled out and get going with the main part of the storyline, which doesn't do much overall but stands out as the lone drawback.
Today's Rating/PG: Violence.
Il paese del sesso selvaggio (1972)
A fine starting point for the Jungle-Cannibal style
While on vacation in Thailand, a photographer is accidentally swept up into a primitive tribe of jungle-dwellers who take him hostage and plan to kill him, but after being saved by their leader's daughter is forced into the customs and way of life with the tribe and their brutal society.
On the whole, this is a solid if problematic start of the genre. One of the film's bright spots is the means through which it demonstrates a rather intriguing lifestyle for the main character rather than an overabundance of exploitation tropes. Rather than focus on torture and cruelty for the sake of sensationalism, this one presents itself more as a retelling of life in the village that he has to follow to not get killed following his meeting with the villagers' daughter who takes a liking to him to save him from being killed. This starts the film on a nice note as the means of being inducted into their society and winning them over that comes about rather nicely overall. With this in place, the film's worth is centered around these customs and experiences while inside the tribe as he has to deal with their way of living to not be killed. Since the daughter is so enamored with him that she orders him not to be killed but must still be put through the paces as a member of the tribe, there's a fine sense throughout here of the harsh conditions he goes through with their fishing system, ritualistic ceremonies, and punishment ordeals that must be played out where he finds himself systematically going through prodding with arrows, beaten with sticks, and exposed to the elements by being left tied to a stand left out in the blazing sun. While all of this is quite fun and enjoyable, it also highlights the one main issue that some might find fault with as there's not much in the way of genuine exploitation. As the film focuses more on the idea of him trying to become acclimated to their tribal customs and way of life, this ends up making the film play out like an adventure drama about this bizarre tribe in the middle of the jungle rather than a group of people encountering savage flesh-eating cannibals. This decided lack of focus on the sensual material normally featured in the genre is a product of its time by being the first but can make the film feel like it's plodding along without much of anything happening. Even with this, though, there's still a big feature to overcome that would work itself into the genre to come with the scenes of useless and inhumane animal cruelty featured. Downplayed considerably compared to what would come later on, the scenes of a monkey being strapped down and scalped or capturing a wild pig to then later dismember and devour it are immensely unsatisfying to witness as while the pig is at least off-screen with the remains paraded about after the fact the other scene is shown in full-detail which is incredibly hard to stomach. It would be understandable not to follow through with it just for this, but these factors bring this down altogether.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, violence-against-animals, Rape, and Language.
A.A.A. Massaggiatrice bella presenza offresi... (1972)
A generally fun and likable middle-tier giallo effort
Determined to move out of her suffocating family, a young woman agrees to follow her friends' advice to put an ad for a prostitution service, but when a series of murders strikes her clients forces her to decide whether to continue the lucrative business or follow her family's sentiments.
There's more to like than expected with this Giallo offering. Among the better aspects on display here is the surprisingly fun and enjoyable setup that provides the film with an intriguing central premise. Though the idea of a woman willingly entering the world of escorting and prostitution on her own accord to get away from domineering, conservative parents is a bit far-fetched, that this generates a strong-minded and resourceful woman with her own set of goals and desires that won't be pushed or bossed around is commendable. Always being able to stand up for herself and her self-worth against the browbeating of her conspirator makes for an interesting and enjoyable figure to be around while the central premise is played out. As well, there are also some likable qualities with the rather interesting attack scenes throughout here. Since the film plays with the idea of the killer striking her clients just after he meets with them rather early on, there's some fun early setups involving the cloaked killer suddenly appearing out of nowhere to strike and slit the victims' throats. A brief yet still suspenseful cat-and-mouse stalking scene in a darkened apartment and a secondary chase by the police to catch the killer offer up somewhat enjoyable scenes here with the few action scenes coming into play that give the film some solid bits of excitement. Combined with the fun nudity in the various couplings, these are enough to like here that holds this one up. This one does have some issues that bring this one down. The main drawback here is the film's detrimental investigation sequences which are highly underwhelming and problematic. There's so little to how the investigation that's conducted here would logically point out the killer through the methods employed here as they're barely functioning police work and there's so few of these scenes to begin with that this part of the film feels lacking. As well, the lack of suitable red herrings means that the killer is quite obvious and early to guess as well as being so simple to guess the motive based on these factors that a lot of the film feels like heading towards an inevitable outcome that takes a lot of fun out of this one. These factors do hold this one back the most.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, sex scenes, and Language.
Devil's Knight (2024)
A quite fun period-set creature feature
In the middle of a massive war, the King of a small kingdom sends out for a group of professional monster hunters to help deal with a slew of monstrous creatures living in the woods that have been trouble for other hunters over the years and set out to finally kill the fabled creatures.
Overall, there's a lot to like with this one. One of the better aspects featured here is the strong and impressive setup that allows for a lot of solid period-set action. The main setup of the war throughout the kingdom involving a slew of creatures attacking their soldiers and holding the King under such duress that he sends for a group of monster hunters to stop the creatures leading to them working their way through the kingdom to finally take it out gives this a strong overall starting point. While we get tons of excessive characters and brief appearances along the way, the fact that there's a lot of great work here in getting the different relationships established not just within the Kingdom with the Royal Guard and the rest of the guards but also the monster hunters gives them some personality for later on. That provides the film with plenty of exciting battle scenes featuring the different groups battling the monsters or other threats in the area. Initially introduced fighting a horde of rebellious hooligans in a local bar and handling everything cleanly, their struggles against the different creatures in their struggle to get to the final creature terrorizing the local woods. This has some great action and bloodshed in the confrontations ranging from numerous sword battles against the creatures slicing them to pieces which offers up the gruesome make-up work on the various kills and the creature costumes used here with the different creatures shown to be distinct and memorable enough to be quite likable. These are all that work nicely here although there are some factors here that bring this one down. Among its biggest issues is the series of random, useless characters brought on board simply because the origin status requires a series of cannon fodder characters to be slaughtered. This has way too many people here that serve no purpose being either background characters in random scenes or just getting served up to the creatures to be slaughtered which leaves everything so cluttered that it takes a while to figure out what's going on. Taking so many one-shot figures or recurring characters that we're trying to keep track of in regards to what their purpose is in the kingdom as the simplistic main story here would have provided this with a lot to like only for the cluttered first half to make it a bit more troubling having these extra moments that aren't necessary here. The other factor with this one is the last act that manages to add in more than necessary here to be quite a confusing addition to the storyline. Slaying the main monster far too early than necessary and returning for a feast in celebration, it includes a rather bizarre storyline about the group getting taken prisoner after a duel and then forced to defend the castle from a secret monster held captive by a traitorous member of the cabinet that has a lot to like but it's tacked onto the film as if from a different movie entirely by just inventing problems for them to deal with for no reason. Combined with the somewhat obvious low-budget limitations present at times, these really hold it down.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language.
Eldritch USA (2023)
An incredibly fun comedic zombie apocalypse effort
Trying to improve his lot in life, a down-on-his-luck guy and perfectionist brother working at a news station who cover the story of a cult able to bring people back from the dead, and after an accident requires their help to bring him back which soon turns into an unforeseen apocalyptic scenario.
This was a fairly fun if somewhat problematic genre musical. One of the better features of this one comes from the fine setup that allows for a great context of the relationships involved so everything comes across with the proper context. Going in-depth on their relationship with the brother, getting everything handed to him without even trying, being respected and loved at work, and taking everything he wants including what is his more reserved and quiet brother also includes times where it seems to happen just for the sheer thrill of taking something his brother wants. This allows for a great starting point depicting how their lives are played out gives the accidental death and need for resurrection to give him back his shot at a normal life which is enhanced quite nicely with the hilarious songs that come in offering more of a clue into their psyche explaining what's going on. That offers the perfect counterpoint for the interactions that take place once the resurrection occurs and their relationship starts to change. With everything here coming across nicely with the central accident and the ensuing resurrection ceremony taking place in the middle of nowhere to make sure it goes off rather nicely, there's a strong start for the series of interactions that take place here introducing him back into humanity following the process with the station workers, the family members, or those who are in his immediate vicinity that delivers some hilarious confrontations trying to keep the zombie side from getting more prominent in his personality. It all leads into a strong finale offering the full extent of their plans in fine form. Realizing that their undead nature makes for a strong conflict with the more civilized means the rest of the world is trying to impose on them, the two set out to right the wrongs offered against them by the resurrection attempt that sets them off on a different path holding the cult hostage and bringing the friend group back together to stop them. This more mystical-based finale with the spell-casting, occult rituals, and use of cursed objects brings about some intriguing action. However, it does depart from traditional zombie fare that's somewhat expected here. It's more of an expectation issue than anything. Still, beyond that, it's really the main issue here beyond the tolerance for the musical bits interjected here that helps to bring about the comedic tone as well.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language.
Adam Chaplin (2011)
An immensely fun gorefest but not much else
Sending off on a criminal spree, a man armed with super-human abilities from a deal with a demonic figure goes in search of the criminal boss that was responsible for the death of his wife years earlier leaving a trail of carnage in his wake that brings the two together for the final showdown.
This is an immensely tough one to get a handle on. On the surface, the main point of this one is the unrelenting and over-the-top gore which makes this rank in the upper echelon of such content in the entire genre. The series of bashings, beatings, dismemberments, slicing, decapitations, and overall bloody mess of a body left behind is somewhat fun to see play out but does take some rather underwhelming factors about how unnatural and unrealistic a lot of this is where the brutality on display moves the film along is the main and only selling point featured here. This approach might be quite appealing for most out there as the nonstop nature is a major contributing factor even though that does become one of the big problems associated with the film. The lack of a storyline here is a huge factor to overcome, basically amounting to the flimsiest of excuses to include a series of brutal and graphic violence for very little reason so the carnage just becomes a mindless blur of flowing blood, splattered bodies, and demonic incantations. It does get saved somewhat by the series of impressive visual tricks that show far more technical trickery than expected as the slow-motion strikes, hyper-speed brawls, and avant-garde lighting all make it look really impressive, but there's still way too much repetition going on to completely overcome this.
Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Violence, Extreme Graphic Language, and Nudity.
La casa della paura (1974)
Enjoyable enough as it is but still quite problematic
Recently released from prison, a troubled woman forced to make ends meet takes a job at an apartment building where she learns the truth about the previous tenant who ran afoul of a strange satanic cult and now believes that she's being targeted next forcing her to find a way to stop them.
This one had its moments but was still decent enough overall. One of the few engaging elements present here is the fact that this one goes for a rather fine mystery as to what's the culprit behind the disappearances. After being provided with the fine opening scene, the resulting sense of mystery bandied about due to the rather overt case about the disappearances building up around her and the strange visions of the masked killer tormenting her that spurns on the true investigation. Since this runs alongside the scenes of the devious doctors running through their plans with each other in the secret basement, this adds quite a lot to the overall story attempted here as there's some fine work to be had at this point in the story. Likewise, the inclusion of the red-masked killer working for the group helps to give this one some solid horror elements that are played up together into a decent whole here, making for a decent enough story here which really ramps up in intensity in the later half here. The second half brings about a bit more action as the early setup provides some great impact. As we get to see the cult's intentions finally coming together as the exploits of the cult manage to bring about an investigation into the strange dreams she has that tie everything together, it all leads to the revelations that are shown here leading through the series of interactions with the group. As the flashback gives us a chance to see the torture inflicted by the red-masked psycho which features some great whipping and torturous devices being utilized that also gets some solid nudity included here as well. The fun finale has some more action involved with the addition of a car chase throughout the countryside and a final trip to the cult's hideout for a grisly Satanic ceremony that wraps this up rather nicely. Alongside the typically-impressive nudity usually featured here, these here manage to hold it up somewhat. Although it does have some flaws to hold it back. The main factor to be had against the film is the generally underwhelming and bland pacing that manages to focus more on the origins of the cult's obsession with her than anything else. Going more for a slow-burn approach that gets pretty in-depth on how they treat their own, who they target, and how her activities around the apartment leave her in their crosshairs ends up causing the film to be far more dull than expected with very little happening for long periods. The series of clues that focus on her looking into the former tenants with her friend manages to last quite a while here involving the duo going around talking to others trying to find out the truth about what happened at such a glacial pace that there's so little actual genre material going on for a large part of the running time. There's also the immensely stupid and confusing storyline with very little going on that makes any sense. There's so little explained here about the cult, how they plan to operate, sacrificing others, or how everything is supposed to be a secret when everything they do is so blatantly obvious that there's not much chance of them trying to get away with their plans. Even how they expect clues to disappear when left out in the open as a big mystery about the disappearing bloodstain left in the apartment is a big giveaway here as that investigation ties into the killer's reveal later on as that never goes anywhere so everything is just difficult to figure out on top of not having a lot of action to help it out. With a weak look and production style, there are a lot of issues with this one bringing it down.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, and Language.
I vizi morbosi di una governante (1977)
A likable enough if somewhat problematic Gothic-tinged giallo
Gathered together at a remote castle, a woman brings her friends together to visit her grandfather's estate and try to catch up and indulge in some lighthearted sexual fun, but when they realize that a deviant killer is loose in the castle killing the one by one must find a way to stop him.
This was a decidedly average if still enjoyable enough giallo. Among the better features here is a strong and generally likable setup that manages to mix together some decent erotic ventures alongside the general degradation of the group. Getting together at the castle to have some fun provides enough of a chance to see the friends engaging in all manner of perverse games and overall degenerate behavior as the group splits off at the slightest hint for all manner of intimate couplings that include staged erotic displays for a charades game or indulging in object enhancement during their sexual liaisons with each other. This goes nicely alongside the fine work to keep them isolated at the lavish Gothic castle where everything takes place. This makes for a great juxtaposition involving sleazy imagery and a general sense of degeneration while inside the isolated mansion featuring the usual assortment of Gothic trappings. When this one turns into more overt slashing sequences with the genre conventions employed, it becomes a somewhat more enjoyable effort. The inspector investigating everything is a big part of that with some impressive attributes here looking into the series of bizarre deaths being committed, being smart enough to piece some clues together, and generally seeing through the indifferent atmosphere of the guests. These actual scenes featuring a shadowy figure emerging out of the darkness and striking a gruesome blow to kill the intended victim and then proceed to pluck out their eye post-mortem make for some grisly imagery at times and plenty of intriguing scenes showing the killer spying before striking and leading to a decent enough final hal where the killer starts taking them out in more involved actions. Overall, these provide this with enough to make for a likable genre effort although there are some big issues with this one holding it back. Among the main detriments featured here is an absolutely glacial pace that focuses far more of the running time on these sexual shenanigans rather than dealing with the slashing aspects of the genre. As the first half introduces us to the group and shows them hopping into bed with everyone at the drop of a hat and then indulging in extended sex scenes with plenty of fondling and other such activities, there's an extended piece of time doing anything but knocking the cast off which leaves this feeling immensely slow-going and sluggish to get going with a lot of the action taking place in the finale because of this. The other issue here is the film's generally cheap and flimsy look, from the castle setting and presentation to the gore effects and its overall presentation which shows off every inch of this one's middle-of-the-road status that keep this from reaching the upper parts of the genre.
Rated Unrated/R: Full Nudity, Graphic Violence, Language, and sex scenes.
Haunt Season (2024)
A fine enough seasonal slasher effort
Joining a special haunt attraction, a woman becomes part of their nightly celebrations as they open for the Halloween season performances, and as she tries to make friends with the group finds their mysterious disappearances are the result of a strange killer knocking them off one by one.
This was a massively enjoyable and likable effort with a lot to like about it. One of the better elements with this one is the overall setup offering a far more involved behind-the-scenes look at the operations and series of interactions within the haunt. With the new girl immediately going through the orientation process and is taken behind the scenes of the operation which includes the group getting ready for the day's work including make-up and props which gives us a chance to see the group's interactions and banter in addition to seeing how they operate on a typical night, this offers up the kind of camaraderie that develops between them that helps to make the later encounters feel far more worthwhile and chilling. As this also includes the series of mysterious disappearances to some of the regulus backstage which the audience is aware of as being done by the killer but not to the characters, the clues mounting up afterward makes for a fun time here. When it comes to some high-quality stalking scenes, there's a lot to like here as well. With a cold open showing the reason for the new recruit with the killer taking out the worker backstage, it sets off on a series of solid genre stylings with other fine ambush-style confrontations including the one worker outside their workplace or taking out the Escape Room owner inside one of the exhibits. This leads nicely into a solid series of genuine chasing scenes with the standout victim being chased through an arcade and surrounding parts of the facility. It all leads into the wild and over-the-top finale where the killer goes crazy and offers up a slew of wild slashing scenes against anyone and everyone unaware of what's going on until the guests become aware that there's nothing fake about the situation and have to flee causing this to be a pretty wild and chaotic series of events involving great gore and brutal kills. These offer up a lot to like overall although there are a few drawbacks here that bring it down. The main issue here is a bizarre and problematic killer that has some real problems, from the idea of picking the scrawniest member of the group and trying to suggest they're responsible for the whole thing based on how random the whole thing feels. With very little information about who it is that would logically lead us to believe they're the killer or even what their motivation is with the whole thing being glossed over other than a massively underwhelming notion about performing a ritual of some kind that's so rushed through it's nearly impossible to care about the impact much less how it's all a non-reveal anyway, this all comes off as a massively underwhelming being the main point of this one. Combined with the general low-budget approach that might be somewhat problematic, these are enough to lower this one somewhat.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.
The Town Without Halloween (2024)
An immensely effective kid-friendly genre effort
Living in a small town, a group of friends goes through a series of trials and tribulations before Halloween that is soon revealed to be a ploy by dark forces conspiring to ruin the holiday season forever and set out to figure out the clues about what's going on to save the town from the dangerous figures.
On the whole, this was a massively enjoyable and likable genre effort. One of the better elements present with this one is the incredibly fun setup that provides a great chance for a lot of fun to be had throughout here. Offering a great idea involving the kids trying to go about their normal lives preparing for the holiday and being thrust into a strange mystery involving mysterious creatures appearing in the town, a strange legend about the town's history celebrating the holiday through a bizarre ritual, and the strange plot to now keep the town from celebrating, this is a generally solid start to the story. As we soon get to see that the adults are being taken over and brought under the ploy of the Mayor who's in the pocket of a dark figure leading the charge to cancel the holiday, it's got a fantastic base to launch into the group's mission to look into what's going on. As this goes along and the friends come together to look into the series of clues about the strange situation, this one moves into a nice mixture of clue-solving and encounters with the diminutive creatures that are shown under the control of the leader. These scenes manage to bring about some fun scenes where the town goes crazy while under the influence of the slime distributed by the leader or the adventure scenario presented to get the kids around town battling the different creatures out to stop them and make sure everything is fulfilled. With a fantastic family-friendly approach that makes everything suitable for just about any age to enjoy things and plenty of practical effects that help to add a fantastic holiday aesthetic this all creates a fantastic genre effort of the style. There's not a whole lot to hold this one down as it does have a minor issue. The main factor present here is the family-friendly approach doesn't allow this one to take the kind of chances it wants to do and keeps it tame when it could've gone much further with a harsher rating. With the kids never going to be in trouble based on their ages and the setup that keeps them front and center as the primary driving factors of the storyline, there's never going to be the kind of genuine thrills or fear to be gathered by the creatures or the mysterious figure at the center of everything that makes them almost bulletproof and lowers the thrills to be gathered from them. As the meltdowns never get graphic and all confrontations take place off-screen, these are potentially bound to disappoint if you're expecting anything harsher which is the main fallback.
Rated Unrated/PG: Violence, Language, and adult references.
Trophy Heads (2014)
An immensely fun and cheesy genre effort
Living with his psychotic mother, a deranged movie fan decides to start leaving a different legacy than he has and kidnaps the scream queens he loved in his youth to recreate his favorite scenes with them against their will only to kill them at the end, forcing them to find a way to stop his plans.
Overall, this was a fairly fun genre effort. One of the stronger efforts with this is the generally impressive psychological character study here that gets this one involved in a chilling enough setup. Getting to know the main lead and the relationship dynamic he has with his mom gives everything its main focus, whether it be the deranged mindset that allowed the hunting and gathering to go on or the highly deranged obsession with the films that fostered his desire to take the movies literally. Seeing how the loser lifestyle has left him living like a pathetic antisocial virgin stuck in his mother's basement watching everything over and over again until he formulates this particular plan is a fine way to delve into his particular psyche to concoct and pull off the type of plot featured here. As they continue with the capture and recreations of the various films from their career, the taunting and tormenting the disembodied voices pull off with their quips and comebacks to how it's all taking place complete the picture incredibly well. This sets up the film's main focus where it focuses on a rather loose interpretation of famous sequences involving the main characters and their past movie careers. Featuring cheesy and somewhat silly abduction scenes that are silly enough for what they are, the main series of encounters that take place here involve the fateful recreations as best they can which allows for a solid series of scenes here. Starting with the initial sequence with the alien abduction, the chase through the woods, or the flashlight-driven search through the compound, the sequences in place here are quite intriguing with how they manage to bring about the idea of the whole thing being done as a cheap imitation of the original sequence if not being an outright recreation. That makes the brutality displayed during these segments quite nice as everything is changed around into a new outcome as the action takes place throughout here as the comedy of the situation helps to add another fine layer over everything, making for a really fun time here. There are a few minor drawbacks to be had with this one that hold it back. One of the main flaws here is the film's odd structure of how the various women get introduced into the storyline which comes off rather bizarrely. With the idea of the girls getting kidnapped at random and forced to stay chained in the basement until it's their time, interrupting everything to then go kidnap someone else and keep them locked up before going back to someone they had kidnapped before, there's a decidedly unconventional structure here that comes about with not having them together the whole time. Abducting the girls and forcing them to go through everything knowing what's going on from the very start is a much better use of time here instead of having to repeat the idea every time someone else comes into the equation. As well as some rather obvious low-budget limitations that are in place here, these are what bring the film down.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and Nudity.