GoregirlsDungeon

Betsy Connell's story starts simply enough with a job interview for a nursing position. She successfully lands the job, which will take her to St. Sebastian, an island in the Caribbean. She is charged with the care of Jessica, the wife of wealthy plantation owner Paul Holland. Betsy meets her new employer and they travel by ship to their destination. Paul is cold and curt, but the man nonetheless intrigues Betsy. After arriving at the well-appointed home she meets Paul's brother Wesley, and it is quickly established that there is animosity between the two brothers. She settles down for the evening but is awaken in the middle of the night by the crying of a woman. She investigates the source of the sound and follows it to another building on the property and is frightened by the gaunt and silent Jessica. Not the ideal first meeting with her new patient! Jessica is in a permanent non-responsive trance that resembles something close to sleepwalking. With only good intentions, Betsy sets out to care for Jessica any way she can, but becomes entangled in the local customs as well as the family's sordid past.

Jacques Tourneur directed a formidable trio of films for Val Lewton including Cat People and The Leopard Man. Due to the snug budgets; directors were expected to complete these projects in an efficient manner. If you're not able to do the job in the allotted time another director replaces you. Seems a bit harsh, but nobody said the film industry was all fun and games. Considering the time and money constraints it amazes me how polished these films are. There is not a minute of wasted celluloid. Although I Walked With A Zombie is only 69 minutes long, it doesn't feel like corners were cut. The character development is excellent and the simple, but engrossing story is very effective. I Walked With A Zombie is full to the brim with memorable scenes I couldn't possibly do justice, so I won't. But there is one particularly clever scene I loved, where we are given information about the Holland/Rand family history when a calypso singer plays a little number entitled Shame and Scandal In The Family, and it's pretty catchy too! The cherry on top is the superb surprise ending. It is also beautifully filmed. Black and white photography adds a great deal to mood and atmosphere but it is all the little flourishes that Tourneur adds that make this film special. The sound of ceremonial drums in the distance, wind rustling through fields, a dark shadow of a man passing over the wall as Betsy lies in bed and a late night voodoo ceremony. Imagery that is stunning, subtle and haunting. The sets, props, light and shadow are all used to great effect. Not to mention, I adore the fashion of the 40′s. The clothing was so elegant and chic, even their nightgowns are high fashion. I was completely hypnotized by I Walked With A Zombie from beginning to end.

The characters are interesting and the performances are top-notch. Particularly notable is the lovely Frances Dee who plays Betsy Connell and Tom Conway who plays Paul Holland. During their journey to the island Paul says to Besty "It's easy enough to read the thoughts of a newcomer. Everything seems beautiful because you don't understand. Those flying fish, they're not leaping for joy, they're jumping in terror. Bigger fish want to eat them. That luminous water, it takes its gleam from millions of tiny dead bodies. The glitter of putrescence. There is no beauty here, only death and decay. Everything good dies here, even the stars." Okay, he might be stating fact, but freaking hell buddy, Cheer up! What a charmer! Regardless, the chemistry between these two works well. Even the films two "zombies" who remain in a silent trance throughout are perfect with their long lanky frames and gaunt faces.

This film was made in the 40′s so obviously a gorefest is unlikely. These zombies lack malice and have no hunger for human flesh. The horror elements are not shocking or grotesque, but work extremely well and add much to the films mystery and perfect mood. There is so much to admire here, in fact there really isn't anything I would change. I thoroughly enjoyed I Walked With A Zombie. Highly recommended!

'THE RED SHOES' is a supernatural tale with its center revolving around a pretty typical plot involving a mother alone with her daughter, struggling in the world. The reoccurring images you see in far too many Korean ghost stories are present here. There are pale faced girls with long black hair hanging in their face and cursed artifacts that bring misfortune to those that possess them. But there are enough unique touches paired with an intriguing performance by the lead actress that helps to elevate its status.

Sun-Jae unexpectedly goes home in the middle of the day to find her husband banging some other woman. She moves out on her own with her young daughter Han Tae-su to an inexpensive apartment near Goksung Station. She meets handsome young architect, In-cheol who is designing her eye clinic and the two embark on a relationship. On the subway on her way home Sun-Jae sees a seemingly abandoned pair of shoes she cannot resist picking up. The shoes bring the worst out in people, including her daughter who becomes obsessed with them on sight. When a friend is found dead and her daughters behavior becomes more severe, Sun-Jae and In-cheol will need to solve the mystery behind the cursed footwear before it's too late.

Bloody death scenes filmed in sterile white environments can be extremely effective. The opening scene of 'THE RED SHOES' is an outstanding example of this. There are some cherry props also. The main character is obsessed with shoes. The depth of the obsession is shown with a massive glass store display prop. The stacked glass boxes showcases each individual pair of shoes. The visuals are strong throughout. There are some respectable moments of suspense, but not nearly enough of them. Violence and gore is slim but I enjoyed what there was of it. The performances were strong and there is some interesting character development. I found the lead actress, Hye-su Kim fascinating. The love interest, In-cheol is very easy on the eyes. The problem is, that I liked the films individual pieces more than the completed work. I had a serious issue with certain "spooky" images. One in particular stood out because it is a carbon copy of something I've seen in at least two other films and seemed completely irrelevant to the story. Obviously added in for mood, it was totally ineffective. There are some predictable plot twists that also bog it down. The story is uneven and trips over its own feet, but ultimately for a ghost story it just isn't very scary. That said, I still think this is a really nice looking film with strong performances and enough special touches that it's worth a watch.

The action revolves around the Japanese garage punk band Guitar Wolf. A trio of coiffed, leather-bound super cool rockers. Ace, our main character is a wannabe rocker and number one fan of Guitar Wolf. One fateful night he finds himself in the middle of a gunfight between Guitar Wolf and an evil hot pant wearing wigged club owner. Guitar Wolf recognizes the lad as having a heart dedicated to the true spirit of rock and roll and makes him a blood brother and furnishes him with a "wolf whistle" to blow if he is ever in trouble. Trouble comes quickly in the form of UFO's and the living dead. Along the way we meet an adorable transsexual desperate for love and a bad ass female weapons dealer. Featuring guitar picks used like ninja throwing stars, a naked woman blasting zombies in the shower, slicing a UFO in half with a Samurai sword, more exploding zombie heads then you can shake a stick at, and of course, plenty of rock and roll, guitar punk sensibility. To enjoy "Wild Zero" you really have to throw out any misconceptions you might have that a film that suffers from bad editing, bad continuity, and a lack of coherent story could possibly be anything but awful. Wild Zero proves that a film can suffer these slings and arrows and still shine brilliantly. It's all about the Rock and Roll! The music in this film kicks some serious ass! It's just a whole bunch of awesomeness. For some additional fun the DVD includes a drinking game you can play while watching the film. A drinking symbol appears sporadically throughout the film like each time a character drinks, says Rock 'n Roll, or a head explodes. I can only imagine that the addition of alcohol would enhance the experience.