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Reviews
The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
Last Rites.
This is pretty much the dungheap of the Hammer Dracula franchise. Too much going on that would suggest that this film in any way had to do with that chap from Transylvania. Much like watching an Avengers episode. Hey, it's got Joanna Lumley. And British Intelligence.
Whereas Dracula A. D. 1972 presented the Count in a modern-day London post-hippie faux-gothic setting, complete with cult enthusiasts, Satanic Rites merely takes that concept and tries to overwhelm the viewer. There's too much going on to suggest that you're watching a Hammer vampire flick. Bubonic plague? Yikes! Christopher Lee barely appears throughout most of the film, until about the three-quarter mark. Both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee seem to be going through the motions of trying to make this crap seem entertaining. Thankfully, this was the stake through the heart of the Hammer vampire franchise.
La planète sauvage (1973)
I don't like the Draags, but the Draags like me.....
Released in 1973, Rene Laloux's Fantastic Planet could best be described as a 72 minute trippy science fiction yarn with political overtones set to a sublimely funky beat. It's worlds away from Disney studios, and all the best for it. Set on the home planet of the Draags, the story involves the enslavement of human beings, called Oms. The main protagonist Om, called Terr, is brought up in a brutal, unsympathetic society where he is taught to resist free thought, and is a plaything, devoid of freedom. He eventually escapes his captors and joins an underground Om society where he becomes their leader. Together they fight the Draag order, and achieve independence. The hand-drawn animation, quite primitive by today's tiresome, ubiquitous over-the-top CGI, is at times a little underwhelming, but ultimately makes up for it with overall creativity. Trippy sequences abound. Add to that a great soundtrack by Alain Goraguer, which balances funky beats with spacey sound effects, to create something, along with the visuals, that could only have come from the early seventies.
Tutti i colori del buio (1972)
Not as good as ratings would suggest.....
Bought this film on blu-ray a couple of years back after watching the film on youtube. On a recent viewing, it's hard to understand the critical praise heaped upon this mediocre film. The opening "surreal" sequence is pretty much an ugly Bette Davis-Baby Jane look-alike, and lots of big bad hair. Nothing truly scary nor worthy of mention. The film borrows slightly from Rosemary's Baby, but the "satanic" element in the film is almost laughable. About as scary as Kenny Loggins fronting a satanic cult with bad make-up. Actress Edwige Fenech, although striking to look at, lacks the acting chops to truly lift her performance out of b-movie drivel. The music, by Bruno Nicolai, is pretty much the only aspect of the film I like. Otherwise, this film has not grown on me.
The Crow (2024)
Go as the crow flies and watch the original.
It may have more CGI crows than you can shake a stick at,(enough with the flying crows already!) but this flick is seriously lacking in what made the Brandon Lee original so good. Not so much a remake, as a modern "interpretation", this film fails on most levels. Not engaging enough in terms of action, or engaging as a love story. The film finally picks up pace after the one hour point! By then the viewer is pretty much lulled into sticking around for ANY semblance of this being worth sticking around for. There is ONE sequence in the film that could be considered worthy of the original. That's it! Skip the first hour of this film, and you might be somewhat entertained. Otherwise, do yourself a favour and watch the original. This is a pretty soulless attempt at resurrecting the spirit of the original film.
Risky Business (1983)
"I've Got A Trig Mid-Term Tomorrow And I'm Being Chased By Guido, The Killer Pimp".
If I could watch this film on a loop, I would.
Probably the most quintessential 80's film. Period.
Music-check.
Curtis Armstrong-check.
80's Hair-check.
I find myself returning to this film quite regularly, more than any other film of the 80's. For me it captures the spark of early 80's American moviemaking, before it got all blockbustery.
The characters, who are all in pursuit of the almighty dollar, mind you, make this film. They are young and have ambition. It's almost a glimpse of America before the yuppie 80's.
Definitely one of my all time favourite 80's films which still stands the test of time.
Grown Ups (2010)
Grown-Ups Needs More Growing Up.
Wow, that was a stinker. This is basically Adam Sandler, together with some of his SNL pals, and Steve Buscemi (what the hell is HE doing in this turd-fest?) in a film that at it's core, is just downright unfunny. This reunion flick is bad on so many levels it makes the mind boggle as to how these types of films ever get made. If you find grown men rope swinging and bungee-ing into things hilarious, then you might enjoy this, otherwise, watch the trailer, you'll save yourself roughly an hour and forty minutes. This kind of looks like it might have just been a paycheck for those involved in the making of this film, because the script is certainly lacking in the comedy department. And this managed to score a 6.0....Hmmm.
Wonka (2023)
Pure Imagination.
Does not live up to to the original. But then, nothing ever will.
Overall, I enjoyed Timothee Chalamet's portrayal of Willy Wonka, which I felt captured the spark that Gene Wilder gave to the character. As prequels go, this is definitely good. Add to that some good tunes courtesy of Neil Hannon of Divine Comedy fame, as well as tunes from the original, and you get a film that is both entertaining, as well as heartwarming, which can be rather hard to come by in this day and age of CGI rendered blockbusters. The main focus here is the story. If you're a fan of the original film, definitely give this film a watch. I had low expectations upon viewing the trailer of the film, but after seeing it, was rather impressed. Here's to another chapter in the world of Wonka.
The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
The Power Of Christ Compels You...To Not See This Movie....
Oh my god, that was bad.....
Not just bad, but baaaaaadd.
If the filmmakers set out to create a film that captured the impact of the original film, then they have failed on an epic scale. This film starts out somewhat promisingly, then heads into almost complete boredom. Two school chums disappear for three days and then become possessed. By what? Nobody knows. Ellen Burstyn shows up just to give the film some acting chops. The exorcism scene looks about as scary as an AA meeting. Even the possessed suck at being possessed. Linda Blair shows up at the end of the film. Why? This film is a sad example of what current filmmakers "envision" their take on classic should be, without any idea of what made these films truly scary and original. My advice to the filmmakers is to not make any more. Leave this franchise, if there is one, alone.
Was this a Universal cash grab? > you betcha!!
Avoid.
V/H/S Viral (2014)
Avoid Like The Plague.
Having watched both V/H/S 1&2 and enjoyed them so much, I purchased both on disc. When I noticed that a third installment had been released a number of years ago, but to largely bad reviews, I thought I would finally give the film a chance and give it a go. It's safe to say that this is one mess of a film. Containing almost none of the horror element that made the previous films enjoyable and scary, and with more of an emphasis on a sci-fi element, along with weak stories and way too much shaky-cam, this is a real disappointment. Heed the negative reviews. The story involving the magician is probably the strongest segment.
Cannibal Girls (1973)
"If this roast was any fresher, it would get up and tell you itself..."
Directed by Ivan Reitman in 1973, Cannibal Girls is nothing short of b-grade drive-in exploitation fare. If you're looking for something more, look elsewhere. Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin star as the hapless couple who stumble upon the town of Farnhamville, whose inhabitants have acquired a taste for, you guessed it, human flesh! The film looks very early seventies, from the threads to the hair-don'ts. Apart from the opening sequence, there's very little gore in the film, which is actually quite nice compared to the bombast of gore in modern day horror films. The girls in question of the film's title are a part of a Farnhamville legend. The trio of flesh-eaters lured men back to their rural house for what they thought was a weekend of lovin', and ended up being on the house menu. The performances in the film are ok, with Robert Ulrich as the Reverend being the scene-stealing standout. Decked out in top hat and tails and looking like a dapper well- groomed Charles Manson, his darkly deadpan delivery is equally creepy and humorous. The film is as much a comedy as it is a horror film, much like Motel Hell(1980). Again there's nothing really special going on here film-wise , but if you're a fan of early seventies low budget horror, this is definitely worth a watch.
Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
Dracula Meets Swinging London!
After having produced Scars Of Dracula in 1970, it seemed that Hammer studios were tiring of their period Dracula films, complete with plenty of stagecoaches, mutton-chop sideburns and ultra-tight corsets with bulging cleavages. After a few efforts, such as Vampire Circus, Lust For A Vampire, Twins Of Evil and the most notable Vampire Lovers, Hammer set it's sights on producing a Dracula film set in modern day England. Swinging London to be precise. Having taken their cue from the Count Yorga films starring Robert Quarry, Hammer unveiled Dracula A. D.1972, my favourite Hammer Dracula film. The film is presumably set around the aforementioned year, although it seems rather late sixties in its depiction of somewhat hedonistic individuals in their late teens/early twenties looking for the next "happening". That is provided by one Johnny Alucard, who invites his small clique of friends to a Date with the Devil, a Bacchanal with Beelzebub, a Meeting with Mephistopheles....(you get the picture)...in a desecrated church. They all attend, and unknowingly partake in the resurrection of The Count. Hooray! Definitely more entertaining than previous Hammer Dracula efforts, the film succeeds by presenting the Count in a modern day London setting, although he pretty much only appears in the desecrated church to receive offerings from his acolyte Mr. Alucard. Add to that some cool threads and some groovy tunes early on in the film, courtesy of the group Stoneground, and this film is almost hip.....dated, but hip...
Definitely watchable.
The Exorcist (1973)
The first blockbuster horror film of the 70's.
Released in 1973, to both box office and critical acclaim, The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin, based on the novel by William Peter Blatty, remains the quintessential horror film of good versus evil. From the opening scenes of an excavation in Northern Iraq, we are introduced to Father Merrin, and his showdown with a demon-god, which will foreshadow events in the latter part of the film. Jump to the scenery of Georgetown,U. S. A., where we are introduced to Chris MacNeil, an actress, caring for her daughter Regan. Over a period of time, Ms. MacNeil is convinced her daughter is possessed by some unknown entity, and enlists the help of science to help her. When the scientists fail to help her child, Ms. MacNeil is forced to seek the aid of Father Damien Karras, a local priest, who upon hearing of her daughter's plight, explains to her that before an exorcism can be performed on an individual, it must first be approved by the Vatican. Upon arrival at the MacNeil residence, and the greeting with the demon-child, Father Karras is convinced that Regan is possessed. The Vatican approves the rite, and both Father Karras, along with the aforementioned Father Merrin, are both assigned with the task of exorcist.
What sets this film apart from all horror films before or since, are the performances . Ellen Burstyn (who should have won an Academy Award), Linda Blair (aided by the voice acting of veteran actress Mercedes McCambridge), Jason Miller, Lee J. Cobb and Max Von Sydow are all great in their roles. The special effects make-up, courtesy of Dick Smith, is both groundbreaking and shocking.
The most memorable music in the the film is the opening sequence of Mike Oldfield's overdub opus Tubular Bells, which was not specifically produced for the film, but supplies a creepy, ominous air.
Definitely in my top ten horror films of all time
The film spawned several inferior Italian knock-offs including Beyond The Door, Antichrist, Return Of The Exorcist, as well as the shot-by-shot Turkish remake, Seytan. There was even a blaxploitation take on The Exorcist called Abby, starring William Marshall of Blacula fame.
As far as the 1977 John Boorman sequel The Heretic...don't bother. It's tediously lame, laughable at times, and does not even come close to the original.
And lastly, Exorcist:Believer. A film that borrows the name, but completely does not deliver anything to live up to it's predecessor.
The Fog (1980)
"There's something in the fog...."
Don't let the detractors diminish this film for you, it's definitely well above average, and in my opinion, a strong follow-up to John Carpenter's 1978 classic, Halloween.
Released in 1979, The Fog can best be described as a vengeful ghost story set in a small coastal town in Northern California. The story involves a pirate leper colony exacting revenge on the seaside town of Antonio Bay for an atrocity committed one hundred years earlier. You see, Captain Blake and his crew of the Elizabeth Dane were promised residence by the town's forefathers in exchange for a large sum of gold. Their gold is pocketed by six conspirators, and their vessel is destroyed on the rocks due to the lack of a signal on shore, causing all on board to perish at sea. One-hundred years later as the town celebrates its birthday, unexplainable ghostly events start to occur, culminating in a mysterious fog bank appearing on the sea, ready to engulf the inhabitants of Antonio Bay....
Carpenter builds suspense very well, and with the inclusion of a driving, largely electronic-based score, tension is maintained throughout the latter half of the film. Add to that some good performances and some decent special effects courtesy of Rob Bottin (who plays Blake by the way) and you've got quite a scary film which is definitely worth checking out.
My second favourite John Carpenter film.
...E tu vivrai nel terrore! L'aldilà (1981)
My second favourite Fulci film.
Released in 1981, The Beyond, (aka Seven Doors Of Death) is pretty much the meat in Lucio Fulci's Gates Of Hell trilogy sandwich. If it were a sandwich.... In this case it's a film. A pretty darned good one at that.
The story which involves a young women inheriting an hotel in Louisiana, which just happens to stand on one of the seven gateways to hell. Sucks to be her. Anyway, the owner decides it's a bit of a fixer-upper and goes all out with the renovations. This is where all hell breaks loose. Literally. You see, decades previous, an occupant of this hotel, who stayed in room 36, discovered a key to unlocking this gateway, and was subsequently brutally murdered by a lynch mob. It doesn't take long for the gateway to open thanks to some messing around by the renovators.
Heavy on atmosphere, but at times not so cohesive on storyline, The Beyond succeeds by just being a creepy haunted hotel story. Add to that some gut-churning special effects, some eerily effective music by Fabio Frizzi, and it's easily my favourite of the aforementioned trilogy, starting with City Of The Living Dead, and ending with The House By The Cemetery.
Definitely worth a watch.
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
"Stay On The Main Road......"
Released in 1977, Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes can best be described as a desert survivalist take on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. This film doesn't even come close to the overall shock and relentless quality of TCM, but it definitely comes a close second.
The story involves a family on their way to sunny California who end up being stranded in the desert. There should be two rules to any type of film such as this. Stay on the main road, and do not bicker with dad while he is driving. Neither rule is followed, and the family ends up being prey for a group of scavenging, flesh-eating nomads whose gene pool has been genetically mutated several generations by nuclear contamination.
Not much of a vacation.
The film at times feels very made-for-tv (Craven would release the witchy made-for-tv film Summer Of Fear the following year) but makes up for it with fairly strong performances. There is not much gore in the film to speak of, but seeing that this film was made past the mid-seventies, it still probably shocked audiences at the time.
The only problem I have with the film is the lighting in the exterior evening scenes. Everyone seems to be almost perfectly lit by an electrical source, as opposed to having actors lit by a flame source , seeing that they were in the desert, with no obvious access to generators.
Overall, if you're a fan of seventies horror, definitely check this out.
Shivers (1975)
Night Of The Living Aphrodisiac Parasites.
Released in 1975, Shivers (aka They Came From Within) was the first commercial film by David Cronenberg.
The story involves the implantation of a genetically engineered sexual parasite into a not-so-chaste young lady living in a luxury high-rise apartment, located on an island, and the eventual spread of the parasite throughout the complex, and it's inhabitants. It's free love literally gone viral. The film plays like Night Of The Living Dead meets The Tingler (There's even a scene with a mother and her child, who attack a security guard, both looking vaguely like the mother and daughter in the basement of the house in Night Of The Living Dead). But instead of flesh-eating zombies, it's rather more small, roving groups of sex maniacs bent on passing on their parasites from tenant to tenant.
Is the film any good? Yeah. The only drawback is that the film, by today's modern standards, looks rather dated. The apartment complex does not really seem remotely modern nor luxurious, from the design of the building, to it's interiors. It all looks VERY mid-seventies.
As far as the special effects, they are handled reasonably well. The parasites, at times looking like bloody bug finger puppets, are not all that scary. The most effective scene is where one of the main characters, stricken by these parasites early on in the film, watches while lying in bed while multiple organisms undulate in his abdominal cavity. Creepy stuff. Mind you, this is four years before Ridley Scott's Alien.
The beautiful horror icon Barbara Steele also makes an appearance in the film, although she succumbs to a not-so-pleasant bath.
This film is my third favourite Cronenberg film. Rabid and The Brood, taking first and second spot.
Overall, it's worth checking out. Definitely watchable.
Zombi 2 (1979)
Zombies, Fulci-Style!
Released in 1979, Lucio Fulci's Zombie (aka Zombi 2, Zombie Flesh Eaters) remains a different take on George Romero's Dawn Of The Dead, and to a lesser extent, his previous zombie classic, Night Of The Living Dead. Gone are the visuals of zombies staggering through rural countrysides, or suburban shopping malls. Fulci brings the zombie film back to it's voodoo origins.
The story begins in New York, with the harbour patrol being called in to investigate a ship non-responsive to a distress call. Upon further investigation, the vessel appears to have no crew members on board. Except for a large hulking zombie.....Eventually a reporter, and the daughter of the ship owner, both cross paths and find out the original point of departure of the vessel, an island located in the Caribbean. They both decide to venture there to locate the whereabouts of the girl's father. It is there that they locate a doctor, who was familiar with the girl's father, and had been performing "zombie research" on both him and several inhabitants of the island, in hopes of curing those inflicted by zombification. His efforts literally do nothing, and the locals are transformed into Zombies Of The Caribbean. Not the grey-faced Romero zombies of his aforementioned first two zombie films, but a combination of pale-faced recently deceased cadavers, plus a number of Spanish conquistadors that rise from the ground in all their rotting, zombified glory. Scary stuff.
The special effects make-up is at times quite stomach-churning compared to Tom Savini's work on Dawn Of The Dead.
Not quite sure what Fulci was thinking with the Zombie vs. Shark scene...
The music by Fabio Frizzi is ok, with the main theme of the film being the most memorable composition.
Overall, I prefer Romero's Dawn Of The Dead for being THE landmark zombie film, but Fulci's walking dead gorefest in a tropical paradise remains a close second.
Race with the Devil (1975)
Hell On Wheels!
Race With The Devil, released in 1975, is pretty much the stuff of drive-in movie theatres.
A simple plot, involving two vacationing couples travelling in an RV, the male half of which witnesses a satanic cult ritual late one evening, culminating in the sacrifice of a female cult member. The couples flee the scene, only to be pursued by the devilish horde. They then alert the authorities of the atrocity, and spend the rest of the film dodging the minions of Mephistopheles, who appear quite normal and harmless, but harbour sinister intentions.
Both Peter Fonda and Warren Oates are standout in this flick, Loretta Swit and Lara Parker, as their partners, not so much. They spend their time screaming from time to time, and almost provide no assistance to their hubbies. Another standout is R. G. Armstrong as the skeptical sheriff. Paul Partain, who played Franklin in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, makes a blink-and-you'll-miss-him-almost-cameo performance.
The action is what you'd expect from a mid 70's horror/action/road flick. Plenty of car chasing, car dodging, car riding and car flipping, all without the aid of CGI! It's actually quite refreshing to see!
Pretty much only available as a two-fer blu-ray, paired with Dirty Mary,Crazy Larry. That's a shame because Race With The Devil deserves a blu-ray special edition of its own. Not a great film, but there's not a dull moment to be had. Quite entertaining.
It's definitely one of the films I'd like to see re-made.
Dèmoni (1985)
"They will make cemeteries their cathedrals, and tombs....your cities....."
Released in 1985 by Lamberto Bava (son of Mario Bava), Demons could best be described as The Evil Dead in a movie theatre, with a much larger budget.
The plot is fairly simple, a woman riding the subway is given two complementary passes to a film being shown at a theatre called the Metropol, by someone resembling a scrawny looking cyborg from the first Terminator film (there's even a Terminator film poster in the theatre's lobby at a certain point early on in the film.) They arrive at the theatre with other patrons, one of whom decides to try on, and eventually cuts herself on, a metallic prop mask hanging from a motorcycle in the front lobby. Ooooh, bad idea. The patrons then head inside the theatre to view the film presented for them. It's basically a yarn involving Nostradamus, and his prophecy involving demons. (There are more Evil Dead similarities, even in the film they're watching, including a book resembling the Book Of The Dead, as well as a Bruce Campbell lookalike!) As the film progresses, the lady with the cut to her face heads to the ladies room, only to experience the worst pimple ever, and succumbs to demon possession. The rest of the film is basically all theatre patrons becoming attacked and possessed, and eventually decimated, by two sole remaining patrons in a motorcycle theatre mowdown.
Although there's some cheesy dialogue, there's plenty of action and above average special effects, to lift this from b-movie drivel, into something truly watchable.
The score, by Claudio Simonetti of the group Goblin, is just ok. It's largely predictable mid-80's synth-driven pop. The inclusion of pop and metal artists in the soundtrack, however, really propels the film, like Dario Argento's film of the previous year, Phenomena.
Overall, I prefer The Evil Dead as a film. Demons is definitely still a fun, entertaining ride. Definitely worth checking out.
Phantasm (1979)
A late 70's cross-genre horror flick.
Released in 1979 by Don Coscarelli, Phantasm remains arguably one of the few wholly original horror films of the late 1970's.
Most American horror films at the time, if not concerned with zombies or the supernatural, were utterly forgettable. Phantasm brought new life to the genre of horror. Here was a film produced on a modest budget, that took a sinister mortuary, added a creepy mortician and brought it all into the sci-fi age. Not Star Wars, (the Jawa-like creatures in the film were completely coincidental) but something more frightening, like the stuff of nightmares. The story deals with grave robbers from outer space (no, not Plan 9 From Outer Space, thankfully) with an arsenal of metallic spheres complete with an array of power tools, bent on shrinking the recently deceased into enslavement on their home planet. Whew! Thankfully, the protagonists have it in for them.
The film looks and feels late seventies on a limited budget, from the muscle cars to the special effects , but makes up for it in originality and overall fright.
Definitely in my top ten horror films of all time.
Halloween (1978)
The Original Slasher Film That Remains A Classic.
Released in 1978 by director John Carpenter, Halloween remains the quintessential slasher film. What makes this better than many of the films it influenced, is how well made this film is. Produced on a low budget, but hardly looking it, the film succeeds based on the efforts of the filmmakers.
The story, which deals with three high school friends being terrorized by a masked killer on Halloween, could have easily been the stuff of schlock, but everything from the script, to the performances, to the camerawork, are all top-notch. The music, composed by Carpenter, is also a highlight. Simple piano notes with minimal electronic flourishes create an atmosphere which perfectly suits the film.
What I particularly admire about this film is the lack of excessive gore, which some would argue is an essential element to any slasher film. Carpenter simply replaces shock value with genuine suspense, and it ultimately pays off.
Definitely in my top ten of favourite horror films of all time.
Chi sei? (1974)
"Who Are You?!!!...."
Released in 1974, Beyond The Door (aka Chi Sei?, The Devil Within Her) is a story of the supernatural that borrows certain visual elements from The Exorcist, minus the religious aspects , a bit of inspiration from Rosemary's Baby, and adds a laid back Californian vibe. Call it Rosemary's Exorcist On The Streets Of San Francisco. This film certainly rode a box-office wave of largely Italian produced Exorcist knock-offs (Antichrist and The Return Of The Exorcist being other examples, along with Seytan, a Turkish shot-by-shot rip-off).
Is Beyond The Door a great film? No. Is it godawful? - far from it. There's some cheesy dialogue, and some not-so-state-of-the-art special effects. On the plus side, there are some interesting film techniques utilized in the film, including multiple image layering, as well as the use of still frames throughout the film.
The music, by Franco Micalizzi, is almost devoid of anything you would associate with a film with supernatural overtones. He almost steers clear of anything of that nature. There's almost an early seventies laid back,funky, r&b vibe to his compositions, and I quite admire that.
There are two versions of the film, a 108-minute uncut English export version, and a U. S. theatrical version at 98 minutes. Frankly, the added footage in the uncut version does nothing to truly make this film any better, but it does perhaps showcase how the filmmaker intended it to be presented.
Overall, it's not great, but then it's not truly terrible.
Definitely watchable.
Shadow of the Hawk (1976)
Quite a good supernatural thriller/adventure film.
Don't know why this films' rating is so low, it's actually quite good. Pretty much only available as a two-fer alongside the much inferior Nightwing, Shadow Of The Hawk actually deserves a blu-ray special edition of its own.
Set around the mid-seventies, the story centres around Old Man Hawk, played by Chief Dan George, the shaman of his village, who is at odds with a sorceress, who is causing pestilence and death in his village. He alone ventures forth into the big city, but collapses in a city street. It is while briefly hospitalized, that he meets Maureen, played by Marilyn Hassett, who shows a keen interest in helping him seek the aid of his grandson Mike, played by Jan Michael Vincent, to defeat this evil that has been brought upon his village. The film could best be described as a supernatural thriller/adventure film, with a PG rating. There's definitely a sense of creepiness to this film, especially the pale-faced white-haired spirit that the sorceress conjures to try to defeat the characters in various parts of the film.
There's almost a plainness or made-for-tv kind of quality to this film, but in my opinion, the story and performances outweigh these drawbacks. Definitely worth a watch.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
My third favourite horror film of all time.
Produced in 1978 by George Romero, Dawn Of The Dead is the best zombie film ever made. Released a decade after Romero's Night Of The Living Dead, the story doesn't so much pick up after the first film, but begins with a television studio in chaos, with a national emergency being declared, since zombie hordes have overrun major cities. The four main characters in the film- two SWAT team members and two television studio employees- decide to escape the zombie carnage via helicopter, and locate a suburban shopping mall. It is there that they decide to take refuge, but upon further inspection, notice that they are not alone. The mall is littered with zombified shoppers.
Whereas the first film had its moments of black and white fright and carnage (mostly in the latter half of the film), Dawn Of The Dead presents the living dead in blood drenched colour. Special effects make-up maestro Tom Savini provides the gore on a level not seen in the first film, nor in any other zombie flick up to that point, for that matter. The four leads in the film provide strong performances, and there is plenty of action throughout.
The music, produced by the group Goblin, is a bit hit-and-miss. Some of the pieces have too much of an action film feel to them, while others fit the film perfectly. There's also some incidental music throughout, echoing compositions from the first film.
As far as versions of the film go, the extended cut is my favourite. The Argento, or European cut is basically the theatrical cut with more of Goblins' score throughout, minus both the goofy mall Muzak and the zombie meets helicopter propeller blade scene.
Overall, this is still my favourite zombie flick, and my third favourite horror film of all time.
The Evil Dead (1981)
"Why have you disturbed our sleep....awakened us from our ancient slumber?"
It's quite clear that director Sam Raimi had aspirations above making a b-movie with The Evil Dead. A limited budget was one thing, but an independent spirit and drive to produce a film that at first semblance could be considered schlock, but at its heart was truly frightening, was another.
The plot of the film is very simple. Five college kids head into the wilderness to a cabin for some r & r, who through no fault of their own, stumble upon an archeologists' tape recording of an ancient Sumerian incantation, which unleashes demonic forces, long since dormant. Dont'cha hate when that happens? Anyway, four of them slowly succumb to demonic possession, except for our protagonist hero Ash. Think multiple Regans from The Exorcist, minus the potty mouths, add a sense of humour and a whole heap of blood and guts, and that pretty much gives you an idea of what ensues.
My only problem with the film are the continuity flubs, most notably Scotty's hair, which in one scene could be one length, and in the next scene, wow, magical haircut!
The full moon matte cuts that are poorly executed in the right hand corner of the screen early on in the film are another drawback.
Overall though, this film remains a blood-stained document of what happens when creativity and drive meet budgetary constraints, all in the name of producing something that would be a step up from any previous film depicting the demonically possessed.
Definitely in my top ten of favourite horror films.