quote:

ORIGINAL: paul.mccluskey

Watched Dark Shadows last night. Like all of Tim Burton's movies, it's visually great, and there is a lot of black humour throughout the film, but the idea of a vampire living in the 1970s was done better during that decade. Still, the cast are great, and it's a fun watch.

Bought a number of bizarre movies on DVD in HMV today: Blood on Satan's Claw, The Devil's Men (Peter Cushing as a Satan worshipper taking on Donald Pleasence), Castle of the Living Dead (European curio starring Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland), and the classic voodoo thriller Angel Heart.

quote:

ORIGINAL: losthighway

WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT
 
An effective British haunted house story based on the Pontefract poltergeist legend which terrorised the Pritchard family. The attention to 70's detail is excellent and the film is creepy with some pretty decent jumps. It's just a shame the CGI ending spoils proceedings a little. The extras are also pretty good with an interview with the Maynard family who supposedly experienced similar poltergeist activity in Coventry in 2011. I'm a total sceptic but it's nice that some effort has clearly been out into the extras. This is definitely worth picking up!

Overall: 3.5/5
 
LEATHERFACE: TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III

Just watched this for the first time and despite a promising start with obvious aspirations to be like NOES, it became rather tedious and the ending was rubbish! However, there was a fairly decent 2003 documentary included as an extra where everyone was very honest about the production of the film and it's poor box office. Basically studio fiddling ruined it from the sounds of things. Anyways, the uncut version is actually pretty brutal but the film as a whole is a mess.

Overall: 1.5/5
 
THE WALKING DEAD GAME: SEASON 1
 
Finished it this afternoon and it was excellent. It's actually better than the TV show as it maintains the emotional core at the centre of the comics which the TV version has only really hit on 2-3 times over 2.5 seasons. If you've got a gaming console I seriously recommend you get this. The ending is heartbreaking and I can't wait for season 2 to arrive.

Overall: 5/5
 
And finally, MANIAC remake is out in the UK on 15th March 2013. Good times!

quote:

ORIGINAL: paul.mccluskey

Watched Dark Shadows last night. Like all of Tim Burton's movies, it's visually great, and there is a lot of black humour throughout the film, but the idea of a vampire living in the 1970s was done better during that decade. Still, the cast are great, and it's a fun watch.

Bought a number of bizarre movies on DVD in HMV today: Blood on Satan's Claw, The Devil's Men (Peter Cushing as a Satan worshipper taking on Donald Pleasence), Castle of the Living Dead (European curio starring Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland), and the classic voodoo thriller Angel Heart.

quote:

ORIGINAL: paul.mccluskey

Last night, I watched Angel Heart. A film that requires patience as it is a bit slow, however it is a rather spooky film, and Alan Parker's direction is sharp throughout. Mickey Rourke delivers a compelling performance, and Robert De Niro was also excellent in my small appearance as Louis Cyphre.

quote:

ORIGINAL: dannyfletch

Have just bought a very strange sci-fi cult called Zardoz. I'm sure some of you on here have seen it. I haven't seen it in years so would like to hear some reviews and opinions?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mister Coe

Oh, and Paul... 'MY appearance as Louis Cypher...'

Mr De Niro, is that you? And if so, why are you making so many crappy films nowadays?

quote:

I have that DVD of Leatherface and it really was a mangled movie, though even if it's released form it's better than TCM: The Next Generation isn't it?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Nexus Wookie

quote:

ORIGINAL: paul.mccluskey

Watched Dark Shadows last night. Like all of Tim Burton's movies, it's visually great, and there is a lot of black humour throughout the film, but the idea of a vampire living in the 1970s was done better during that decade. Still, the cast are great, and it's a fun watch.

Bought a number of bizarre movies on DVD in HMV today: Blood on Satan's Claw, The Devil's Men (Peter Cushing as a Satan worshipper taking on Donald Pleasence), Castle of the Living Dead (European curio starring Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland), and the classic voodoo thriller Angel Heart.

Damn i almost forgot about this film! I really must watch it. The premise is quite intriguing

quote:

paul.mccluskey
Last night, I watched Angel Heart. A film that requires patience as it is a bit slow, however it is a rather spooky film, and Alan Parker's direction is sharp throughout. Mickey Rourke delivers a compelling performance, and Robert De Niro was also excellent in his small appearance as Louis Cyphre.

quote:

ORIGINAL: dannyfletch

Have just bought a very strange sci-fi cult called Zardoz. I'm sure some of you on here have seen it. I haven't seen it in years so would like to hear some reviews and opinions?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Nexus Wookie

Reading your review for Django was an absolute pleasure Dr. Lenera! I too had lost a little faith in Tarantino if i'm honest (although i did derive a lot of enjoyment from his Kill Bill double bill) but Death Proof was a disappointment, and Inglorius Basterd's while entertaining, felt too much of a homage piece to other film-makers than something original as his earlier efforts. But you've really convinced me to go and see this. For that you have my biggest thanks.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dr Lenera

Having briefly read the posts on here last night I almost said "I bet Evil Bill has got a review of Zardoz knocking about".

And Bill, I'll get round to the Corman/Poe films one day, am caught up with doing stuff on HCF - Hitchcock's films [will start posting them on one of the Empire threads soon, it just takes time], Universal horror [almost finished], Godzilla, and will start Hammer soon.

Anyway, I did go see





Though it features lots of fine acting [we'll ignore Tarantino's frankly bizarre part] and even an appearance by Franco Nero himself looking distinctly younger than 73, the stand-out for me after Waltz is the guy who plays the most horrible, reprehensible human being I have seen in a film for ages. That guy is Samuel L. Jackson, and he makes his character so repulsive that I wanted to throw something at the screen, yet he makes him real too and we are even allowed to laugh at him. It's a truly outstanding combination of good writing and acting in a film which really does show the depths of human evil, an evil which really existed and shows mankind at its very lowest. That a film featuring such evil is also so entertaining is bound to upset the politically sensitive types. Tarantino doesn't do careful or sensitive, and can be criticised for going too far, but I think in a strange way Django Unchained has more to say about humanity, and is more able to say it, then worthy efforts like Amistad. I really think it could have done with a bit of reshaping and smoothing out, but Django Unchained really made me re-think my opinion on a filmmaker I had lost faith in. Yes, I feel happy to have been proven wrong.

8/10

quote:

ORIGINAL: DAVID GILLESPIE

From Beyond (1986)
Directed by: Stuart Gordon
Written by: Dennis Paoli, HP Lovecraft
Starring: Barbara Crampton, Jeffrey Combs, Ken Foree, Ted Sorel



From Beyond is a blast. It is short, hilarious and gruesome fun. There might be very little scares on offer but the story always holds your interest with a plethora of icky, imaginative creatures crawling around. The film rushes through at break-neck speed with almost no time to stop and take breath.

There are also some memorable sequences. For the men, we get to see the lovely Barbara Crampton dressing up in a selection of leather S&M gear and for the ladies, they get to see Ken Foree prance about in his tight, red pants. Ted Sorel also gets to use his expandable fingers to do something very naughty indeed to the naked Crampton. Jeffrey Combs is always a blast and really hams it up in the final quarter when he gets to suck eyeballs and chomp brains.

From Beyond is a welcoming return to the glory days of horror. It is the perfect companion for a night in with a six-pack and dodgy curry

Rating 7.5/10 Beer Movie Rating 5/5

quote:

ORIGINAL: Nexus Wookie

Reading your review for Django was an absolute pleasure Dr. Lenera! I too had lost a little faith in Tarantino if i'm honest (although i did derive a lot of enjoyment from his Kill Bill double bill) but Death Proof was a disappointment, and Inglorius Basterd's while entertaining, felt too much of a homage piece to other film-makers than something original as his earlier efforts. But you've really convinced me to go and see this. For that you have my biggest thanks.

quote:

ORIGINAL: DAVID GILLESPIE

From Beyond (1986)
Directed by: Stuart Gordon
Written by: Dennis Paoli, HP Lovecraft
Starring: Barbara Crampton, Jeffrey Combs, Ken Foree, Ted Sorel


Running Time: 86 mins

Certification: 18

The 1980's were a dream for fans of gory and gooey horror films with makeup effects, rather than CGI, being used to thrill the audience. Directors such as Sam Raimi, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg and George Romero all contributed genre classics throughout this decade.

Following up on the success of the hugely enjoyable Reanimator and with a significantly larger budget, Stuart Gordon revisits HP Lovecraft's work with From Beyond. It features all the winning ingredients of Reanimator including mad scientists, unholy creatures, gore, laughs and damsels in undress¡­.. I mean distress.

The story begins with two scientists attempting to stimulate the pineal gland with a mysterious device called The Resonator. Dr Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel) is the creator of the device that allows those within range to glance into other dimensions. Pretorius is arrogant, narcissistic and eager to push forward with the experiments. His assistant, Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) is more reserved and warns that they should tread more carefully after a close encounter with a flying, slug-like creature.

After complaints of strange noises by neighbours, the police find Tillinghast fleeing the building with an axe in his hand. Pretorius is found decapitated in the laboratory with the blame being placed on his work colleague. Tillinghast is rushed to a mental hospital and is treated by the beautiful, Dr Katherine McMichaels (Barbara Crampton). After listening to his story, a brain scan reveals that the scientist's pineal gland has indeed grown to an abnormal size. McMichaels returns to the laboratory with the scientist and Detective Brownlee (Ken Foree) to inspect the Resonator. When the device is activated, Pretorius appears but is made out of some sort of protoplasmic matter. He informs Bubba, Crawford and Katherine that there is a world that exists that is more pleasurable than our own reality. When he attacks them, Tillinghast manages to shut temorarily turn off the power. Rather than take the scientist's advice, McMichaels returns to the Resonator keen to experience the addictive effects of its power. A deformed Edward returns from beyond, rips off her clothes and attempts to devour her mind. Meanwhile Bubba and Crawford run to the basement to shut off the power for good but are attacked by a huge and rather grumpy, worm monster. Although they succeed in cutting the power supply, Tillinghurst is badly wounded. His pineal gland swells to such a proportion that it pops out of his head like a finger. McMichaels realises that the Resonator must be destroyed before Pretorius finds a way to open the portal for good.

From Beyond is a blast. It is short, hilarious and gruesome fun. There might be very little scares on offer but the story always holds your interest with a plethora of icky, imaginative creatures crawling around. The film rushes through at break-neck speed with almost no time to stop and take breath.

There are also some memorable sequences. For the men, we get to see the lovely Barbara Crampton dressing up in a selection of leather S&M gear and for the ladies, they get to see Ken Foree prance about in his tight, red pants. Ted Sorel also gets to use his expandable fingers to do something very naughty indeed to the naked Crampton. Jeffrey Combs is always a blast and really hams it up in the final quarter when he gets to suck eyeballs and chomp brains.

From Beyond is a welcoming return to the glory days of horror. It is the perfect companion for a night in with a six-pack and dodgy curry

Rating 7.5/10 Beer Movie Rating 5/5

quote:

ORIGINAL: evil bill

quote:

ORIGINAL: DAVID GILLESPIE

From Beyond (1986)
Directed by: Stuart Gordon
Written by: Dennis Paoli, HP Lovecraft
Starring: Barbara Crampton, Jeffrey Combs, Ken Foree, Ted Sorel



From Beyond is a blast. It is short, hilarious and gruesome fun. There might be very little scares on offer but the story always holds your interest with a plethora of icky, imaginative creatures crawling around. The film rushes through at break-neck speed with almost no time to stop and take breath.

There are also some memorable sequences. For the men, we get to see the lovely Barbara Crampton dressing up in a selection of leather S&M gear and for the ladies, they get to see Ken Foree prance about in his tight, red pants. Ted Sorel also gets to use his expandable fingers to do something very naughty indeed to the naked Crampton. Jeffrey Combs is always a blast and really hams it up in the final quarter when he gets to suck eyeballs and chomp brains.

From Beyond is a welcoming return to the glory days of horror. It is the perfect companion for a night in with a six-pack and dodgy curry

Rating 7.5/10 Beer Movie Rating 5/5

Great review of a excellent Lovecraft Film, and one superb cult classic horror, which leads me on too:
CORMAN/POE the AIP years.

Prince Prospero (Vincent Price) is an evil tyrant who hates his citizens and thinks nothing of burning their village to the ground. Holding a weekend get-together for his noble acquaintances, he discovers that the Red Death has manifested itself in the village around his castle. He kidnaps the beautiful Francesca (Jane Asher), her lover Gino, and her father and keeps them in the castle with him. Prospero is a Satan worshipper as well and forces the princess, Juliana, to brand herself with an upside-down cross and sets his falcon on her when he feels like it. All the while, the Red Death decimates the land outside the castle. Prospero orders his guests to attend a masked ball and, amidst a general atmosphere of debauchery and depravity, notices the entry of a mysterious hooded stranger dressed all in red. Believing the figure to be his master, Satan, Prospero is horrified at the revelation of his true identity.

Am I glad I re watched this one to do this review, for I am now totally in love with this awesome horror film(it's always been a favourite Poe film), it is a true Classic, and as far as i'm concerned, it's Producer-director Roger Corman's best film of his career, aided by the wonderful surreal cinematography of Nicolas Roeg, who would go on and direct his own films like Performance, Don't Look Now and The Man Who Fell To Earth, which are classics in there own right. The Gothic setting and set's where all filmed in Britain, and once again this looks like a mulit million dollar film, not the low budget affair that it was, it also has a  Shakespearian tone with a very dark Satanic under current that bubbles up i9n some truly unevereing scenes. Another great surprise is that this is the only one of all his Poe films, where the  plot adaption is from the original Poe story, though for a full length feature film it had to be expanded, but it's screenwriter Charles Beaumont did this without taking it out of the bounds of Poe's dark vision.

Add to this Vincent Price gives away one of the most stunning performances of his career, he just oozes evil in fact a career best, with superb deep dialogue, that let him tear the screen apart, and for me no one will ever in any remake match or even come close to his lord of evil. Now this could have become to much ham if Vincent was left to just burn the screen down with his almost Shakespearian rants of foul evil venom, but this is a story of good versus evil at it's heart. So just to help we have Jane Asher giving an incredible performance as Francesca, the beautiful good village girl who refuses to be cowed or corrupted by the suave, satanic lord. Though so waif-like and fragile that she could almost be a child, the beautiful redhead has the courage of her convictions and the real dignity of innocence, to combat this evil force. Like in an early scene where she is roughly undressed by handmaidens and forced into a hot bath in order to become more ladylike,this is a pretty steamy sensual scene yet, Francesca still has that innocence and dignity intact as the evil lord leers at her in her wet towel, it is here we know he will lose, and she will save her people. There is also a fine supporting cast that are all British, like  Hazel Court as the would-be Bride of Satan Juliana,Hammer's resident scream queen, though she has little to do here, it is still good to see her in this classic, and also of note is Patrick Magee as the corrupt Alfredo who is on form here adding to the fun. 

All in it is Corman's direction that takes us on this dark Gothic journey, with his filmmaking techniques no longer even slightly looking low budget ,for it is obvious that he has developed a taste for great use of colour, lighting which add to it's dark surreal atmosphere. This truly the work of a master of horror, a director/producer who knows his genre, and who is never afraid to experiment, with some great knock down dead scenes, that like nightmares will linger in your head long after you watch this masterclass of gothic horror.The final images of the film set during the masque are breathtakingly full of coloured rooms that add to the corruption that surrounds the evil lord, as the camera takes us on a hell ride towards a blowout ending.With the excellent chilling dwarf's revenge on Alfredo during the masque,as chilling as anything which came before in films such as Freaks(1932).With it's striking visuals, an intriguing plot, good acting, suspense, plenty of atmosphere, and some striking dream-like imagery' it can be compared to Bergman's Seventh Seal. Yes i've mentioned these classic's, and I could name a few others that i'm sure some of Corman ideas came from, but in the end this is a Corman film, that like Carpenter, Romero, and Argento who came after him, you know when you see his name in the opening credits there is no other like him. This is a Corman/Poe masterpiece, a superb horror film that has not aged, as it looks as good as it ever did, in fact I want/need a Blu-ray of this one, as good as ye old DVD disc is with it's Dolby surround soundtrack, which I nearly forgot to mention, it's bloody brilliant, enough said get this classic if your a true fan of horror.10/10  

quote:

ORIGINAL: paul.mccluskey

Arrow have announced new releases on Dual Format Blu-ray and DVD.

First up is George A. Romero's Knightriders, which will be available on 22nd April. Extras include:

- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary with George Romero, Tom Savini, John Amplas and Christine Romero
- The Genesis of a Legend – Star Ed Harris remembers his first leading role
- A Date with Destiny – Co-star Tom Savini reflects on Knightriders
- Medieval Maiden – An interview with actress Patricia Tallman
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nat Marsh
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author and critic Brad Stevens, an archival interview with Romero and a new interview with composer Donald Rubinstein, illustrated with original archive stills and posters

Next is Motel Hell, due on 13th May. Special features are:

- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the film
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary with director Kevin Connor moderated by Calum Waddell
- Another Head on the Chopping Block: Interview with star Paul Linke
- From Glamour to Gore: Interview with co-star, and former Playboy Playmate, Rosanne Katon
- Ida, Be Thy Name: A look back at Motel Hell’s frightful female protagonist Ida Smith – and the secrets of creating a convincing slasher siren, with Scream Queens Elissa Dowling and Chantelle Albers, genre commentator Staci Layne Wilson and critic Shelagh Rowan-Legg
- Back to the Backwoods: Director Dave Parker (The Hills Run Red) speaks about the importance of Motel Hell
- Original Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jeff Zornow
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kim Newman, illustrated with original archive stills and posters

Brian De Palma's psycho-thriller, Blow Out, will be available as both a limited edition steelbook and standard edition on 27th May. Special features at the time of going to press are:

- New, restored digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Brian De Palma
- Original Dolby 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Black and White in Colour: An Interview with cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond
- Rag Doll Memories: Nancy Allen on Blow Out
- Return to Philadelphia: An interview with Producer George Litto
- A gallery of on-set photos by photographer Louis Goldman
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Atkinson, a conversation between Quentin Tarantino and Brian De Palma and more to be confirmed!

Finally, Spider Baby, dubbed "the maddest story ever told", will be available on 24th June. Extras at the moment include:

- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the main feature, available in the UK for the first time
- High Definition transfer of the feature approved by director Jack Hill
- Isolated Music and Effects track
- English SDH subtitles for deaf and hearing impaired
- Audio commentary featuring Jack Hill and star Sid Haig
- The Hatching of Spider Baby – Interviews with Jack Hill, Sid Haig, star Mary Mitchel, fan Joe Dante and more on the making of the film
- Spider Stravinsky: The Cinema Sounds of Ronald Stein – The composer of ‘The Terror’ and ‘Attack of the 50 Foot Woman’ among others is remembered by Harlene Stein, Jack Hill, American Cinematheque’s Chris D. and others
- The Merrye House Revisited – Jack Hill revisits the original house that was used as the main location in the film
- Alternate opening title sequence
- Extended scene
- Gallery of behind-the-scenes images
- The Host (1960) – Jack Hill’s early short film featuring Sid Haig in his first starring role [30 mins]
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humpreys
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by artist and writer Stephen R. Bissette, and more to be confirmed!

quote:

ORIGINAL: paul.mccluskey

Arrow have announced new releases on Dual Format Blu-ray and DVD.

First up is George A. Romero's Knightriders, which will be available on 22nd April.

Next is Motel Hell, due on 13th May.

Brian De Palma's psycho-thriller, Blow Out, will be available as both a limited edition steelbook and standard edition on 27th May.

Finally, Spider Baby, dubbed "the maddest story ever told", will be available on 24th June.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dr Lenera

quote:

ORIGINAL: evil bill


CORMAN/POE the AIP years.


This is a Corman/Poe masterpiece, a superb horror film that has not aged, as it looks as good as it ever did, in fact I want/need a Blu-ray of this one, as good as ye old DVD disc is with it's Dolby surround soundtrack, which I nearly forgot to mention, it's bloody brilliant, enough said get this classic if your a true fan of horror.10/10  

Agree with every word of this, your love of this masterpiece positively spilling onto the page, the bit that really wowed me as a kid was the walk through the differently coloured rooms. A shame that after the Poe films he didn't maintain the really high standard of direction - I wish he would have gone further down the experimental style of this movie - and actually concentrated more and more on just producing.

quote:


 
George Fenton’s score rarely seems absent, often having a sole violin movingly evoke Mary’s emotions, in a film which overall isn’t quite as touching as it tries to be. The script, which could have really done with being polished by another writer, seems to cleverly parallel the original novel at times, to the point where it probably helps if you have read it, but later inconsistently changes events in it. There is an undeniable awkwardness in Mary Reilly, which remains a rather compromised movie, but it has a lot of good qualities, and, though its poor reception has probably put paid to this, I’d like to see Frears dabble in this sort of thing again, because he’s rather good at it, to the point where, though it’s a shame Burton or Polanski didn’t end up making Mary Reilly, I’m not convinced it would have been that much better. Anyway, isn’t it about time we had a new version of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde on the screen?

Rating: 7/10