The Beast Within (1982)
Philippe Mora does has made lots of very strange movies in his underrated career, some good, some truly awful. This is one of the better ones. If you analyze the plot too much the holes become big enough to drive…
Crime Zone (1989)
An agreeably stark and rough post-apocalyptic little Sci-fi b-grade film by Roger Corman’s Concorde productions, which depicts a neon-glazed future where citizens are put into categories as they carry out daily routines, are run by strict rules (like state-sanctioned sexual…
The Terrornauts (1967)
Amicus were a well-known film company during the 1960s and 1970s who made a number of anthology horrors that continue to be well-regarded amongst fans. It transpires that they tried their hand at a number of other genre efforts during…
4/20 Massacre
A group of five women go camping in the woods to celebrate a friend’s birthday over 4/20 weekend. But when they cross the turf of an illegal marijuana grow operation they must struggle to survive the living nightmare. Written and…
The Big Gundown (1966)
This is absolutely one of the best so-called spaghetti westerns ever, after Sergio Leone’s films of course, and it rates very highly among all westerns. Unlike many other non-Sergio Leone westerns, the cinematography, camera-work, etc., are all very good and…
Stalker (1979)
Andrei Tarkovsky is a rarity among filmmakers in that he creates films that resemble elaborate (and always smartly written, beautifully shot and superbly acted) puzzles. The pieces are always scattered, and Tarkovsky relies on his viewer to bring the final…
The Mysterious Monsters (1975)
“The Mysterious Monsters” deals with the search for creatures science is not yet prepared to confirm the reality of. The elusive “stars” of this film are Big Foot, The Abomidable Snowman and The Loch Ness Monster. I actually saw this…
Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (2014)
Everything in zombie movies has been done to death (see what I did there?). And yet, here comes a movie that actually adds to the genre whilst simultaneously disgusting me and making me belly laugh. And not one of those…
Africa addio (1966)
Africa Addio, more commonly known as Africa Blood & Guts (so named by infamous exploitation distributor Jerry Gross), is undeniably masterful at holding one’s attention. But it makes the sleaze and sensationalism of Mondo Cane seem like something produced by…
Bucktown (1975)
Blaxploitation flick about a man (Fred Williamson) who travels south to bury his brother but learns that the place is being run by a bunch of crackers (redneck white folks). After the cops try bullying him, the man calls in…
Master Of Your Own Cinematic Destiny
It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. Invictus by William Ernest Henley This week myself and other members of our…
Nemesis (1992)
This sexy, slick, sci-fi, shoot them-up, is a bit unpolished, but sure is fun to watch. Kick-boxer Olivier Gruner is so busy bucking them down he hardly has time to show some love round house kick style. The movie takes…
The Legend of Bigfoot (1975)
This movie is about 90% stock footage of animals with a really dull voice-over talking about Bigfoot. If I had a dollar for every time he said the name “Bigfoot” throughout this 92 minutes of coma inducing stock footage, I…
Residue (2015)
I’m just about never the one to complain that a movie is ‘too slow’. 4 hour silent Russian epic? Sign me up! But this movie got the better of me. I’m fine with slow if there’s a purpose. Letting a…
The Human Vapor (1960)
Ishiro Honda is best known for his Kaiju films, which is rather a shame because he made many other fine and creative movies. This scifi/horror mix a good example of one of his more intimate, darker and multilayered creations and…
#WomenDirectors
In the past few years, public demand has grown for more women directors to helm projects in a field typically dominated by men. While gender equality is the primary motivation for this effort, the movie-going public particularly stands to gain…
Murder-Rock: Dancing Death (1984)
After the blockbuster success of dance movies Fame and Flashdance, Lucio Fulci, Italy’s ‘King of Gore’, decided it would be a good idea to cash-in on the craze, so in 1984 he gave the world Murder Rock, a giallo style…
The New York Ripper (1982)
Though reviled by even some of the most ardent Fulci supporters, LO SQUARTATORE DI NEW YORK is actually one of the Italian maestro’s best works. The film belongs to the Italian “giallo” genre, a brand of thriller which emphasizes flashy…
The Haunting (1963)
THE HAUNTING(1963) is an important horror film because it is one of a tiny handful of films within the tradition that genuinely unsettle the viewer. Are the events at Hill House for real, or are they happening on the inside…
Baron Blood (1972)
Baron Blood is one of my favourite Mario Bava films. As usual, Bava seems dismissive of things like story, character and acting, and concentrates on creating a memorable mise-en-scene, which makes a lot of the juxtaposition of the old and…