Showing posts with label Exploitation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exploitation. Show all posts

Monday, January 9, 2023

#2,890. Skateboard (1978) - Leif Garrett Triple Feature

 





A 1978 sports drama directed by George Gage, Skateboard kind of sneaks up on you.

Not that it’s a great film, or at times even a good one. The story is simple and occasionally predictable, and some of the performances leave a lot to be desired. But its glimpse into the world of skateboarding in the 1970s, coupled with a spirited turn by veteran Allen Garfield, do their part to make Skateboard a lot more fun than it has any right being.

Hollywood agent Manny Bloom (Garfield) owes money to just about everyone, including his longtime financial backer Sol (Antony Carbone). Desperate for an idea that will make him some fast cash, Manny recruits a group of teen skateboarders to join a newly-formed skate team. Lured in by the promise of fame and fortune, the kids, including Brad (Leif Garrett), Tony (Tony Alva), Jason (Richard Van Der Wyk), and Jenny (Ellen O’Neal), jump at the opportunity

With his team assembled, and with the help of professional nurse Millicent Broderick (Kathleen Lloyd), Manny’s L.A. Racers hits the road. But when Sol orders Manny to pay him back sooner than later, Manny turns up the pressure on the kids, a move that could ultimately jeopardize their chances of winning an upcoming championship, the top prize of which is $20,000.

A lifetime character actor / supporting player, Allen Garfield takes center stage in Skateboard, and does a fine job as Manny, one of life’s losers who accidentally stumbles upon a good idea. When we first meet him, he’s climbing into his beat-up Datsun, begging it to climb the steep hill in front of his house “just one more time” so that he can get to the unemployment office. An overweight, balding gambler who hasn’t paid his ex-wife’s alimony in months, Manny Bloom isn’t your typical movie lead.

And, for that matter, Garfield isn’t your typical star. But he wins us over, dedicating his every waking moment to making the L.A. Racers a legitimate team. He’s a nervous guy, always kind of jittery, yet he takes care of the kids, and even pays them their portion of the prize money every time they win a competition, or show off their skills to a paying crowd.

Even when Manny is pressuring the kids unmercifully, which starts the day after Sol’s bodyguard, played by Sylvester Words, visits Manny in his hotel room and gives him a black eye, we at least understand him, and there isn’t a time when we’re not rooting for this character to get out of this pickle.

Kathleen Lloyd’s Millicent does what she can to talk some sense into Manny, and their scenes together are quite good. When it comes to the kids, the performances are more miss than hit, but most of them were professional skaters, not actors. Tony Alva, an original member of the Zephyr skate team and one of the key personalities featured in the 2001 documentary Dogtown and Z Boys, fares a bit better than Van Der Wyk, whose Jason is the star of the L.A. Racers. The exception is a young Leif Garrett, whose Brad ends up in the spotlight for the film’s finale (Garrett was one of the few teens who had acting experience, and was cast because he could also skate).

There really isn’t much to it story-wise. Skateboard hits all of the standard beats. It’s the scenes in which the skaters are front and center, showing off what they can do, that give the film its energy.

With an assist by Garfield, of course, who in this movie shows that he should have been given a few more shots at being a leading man.
Rating: 7 out of 10









Thursday, January 5, 2023

#2,889. Devil Times Five (1974) - Leif Garrett Triple Feature

 





You need a scorecard to keep up with all the different titles for this 1974 horror film. Released as Devil Times Five, it was also called People Toys, The Horrible House on the Hill, and on UK home video it was known as Tantrums. But whichever title you see it under, this is a low budget winner, a slasher movie about a group of murderous kids who lay siege to a vacation chalet in the snowy mountains of California.

A van carrying a bunch of troubled kids to a children’s psychiatric facility crashes in the snow, killing the driver and the adult supervisors. Left on their own, five children: Susan (Tia Thompson), David (Leif Garrett), Brian (Tierre Turner), Moe (Dawn Lyn), and Hannah (Gail Smale), who dresses in a nun’s outfit and poses as a sister, hike through the snow until they come to the vacation home of business tycoon Papa Doc (Gene Evans), who is enjoying a weekend getaway.

With Papa Doc on his brief vacation are his young wife Lovely (Carolyn Stellar); business associate Harvey Beckman (Sorrell Booke) and Harvey’s alcoholic wife Ruth (Shelley Morrison); as well as Papa Doc’s daughter Julie (Joan McCall), whose argumentative boyfriend Rick (Taylor Lacher) has turned down several offers to work for Papa Doc. Feeling sorry for the kids, the adults do what they can to make them feel comfortable until help arrives.

But strange things begin to happen. The phone lines are suddenly dead, meaning the police cannot be called. Also, someone has been messing with the generator. And to top it off, Papa Doc’s dim-witted handyman Ralph (John Durren) meets a gruesome end (which may or may not have been suicide).

Before long, the group realizes these youngsters may not be as innocent, or as harmless, as they seem.

The cast of Devil Times Five does a decent enough job, especially Sorrell Booke as the mild-mannered Harvey, who has a problem standing up to either Papa Doc or his wife; while Gene Evans makes for an unlikable host, a bully who is used to getting his way (those moments when Rick challenges him are pretty satisfying).

Led by Leif Garrett, who at this point in the ‘70s had already appeared in a number of movies, the kids also hold their own. Garrett is especially good as the unpredictable David. A scene where he and Harvey play a game of chess serves as a precursor to one of the film’s more memorable kills.

And it’s the kills where Devil Times Five truly distinguishes itself. The first to fall victim to these psychotic kiddies is Dr. Brown (Henry Beckman), the lone adult to survive the van crash, who woke up and followed the children’s snowy footprints to the house. Playing out in gruesome slow motion, Dr. Brown is beaten with hammers and stabbed with a pitchfork.

Based on what will happen to a few others, though, Dr. Brown got off easy! Everything from axes to rifles, fire to spears are used to dispatch the unsuspecting adults. Though for my money, it’s the piranhas (yes, piranhas) as well as the film’s final scene that stand apart from the rest.

You wouldn’t think a movie about killer kids would be as effective as Devil Times Five, but it works. And in a big way. A gritty, down-and-dirty horror film, it’s become a grindhouse classic!
Rating: 9 out of 10









Thursday, October 20, 2022

#2,843. Mountain of the Cannibal God (1978)


 




With 1978’s Mountain of the Cannibal God, director Sergio Martino dipped his toes into the Cannibal subgenre, which was growing in popularity at the time.

Truth be told, he did more than “dip his toes”… he jumped in headfirst! Mountain of the Cannibal God is a violent, shocking, sometimes sleazy Italian horror film that’s also damned entertaining.

Susan Stevenson (Ursula Andress) and her brother Arthur (Antonio Marsina) travel to New Guinea to search for Susan’s husband, an archaeologist who disappeared during an expedition. With the help of Professor Edward Foster (Stacy Keach), who agrees to act as their guide, they journey deep into the jungle. Their destination: a mountain off the coast of Roka that the locals believe is cursed.

Along the way, they meet Manolo (Claudio Cassinelli), a friend of Foster’s who agrees to accompany them. The group encounters one danger after another as they draw closer to the mountain, yet it’s a run-in with the dreaded Puka tribe, an ancient people still practicing cannibalism, that may be their undoing.

Mountain of the Cannibal God features all of the goodies you’d expect to find in a solid ‘80s Italian horror film, from the superb score composed by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis to Martino’s stylish, occasionally flamboyant direction (the scenes set on a river are especially engaging).

Every bit as impressive as the technical aspects is the film’s international cast. The always-strong Stacy Keach (Road Games, The Ninth Configuration) does a fine job as Foster, who is battling demons of his own; while Swiss sex symbol Ursula Andress (Dr. No, Clash of the Titans) proves she’s just as tough as her male counterparts. At one point, she even fights off a python! Also solid is Claudio Cassinelli as the heroic Manolo and Antonio Marsinal as the slimy Arthur, while Sri Lankan actor Dudley Wanaguru makes a brief but memorable appearance as a government official who warns Andress’s character not to undertake the expedition.

Like all good Italian horror films from this period, Mountain of the Cannibal God is loaded with blood and gore, from stabbings and beheadings to a gruesome castration. Sadly (and in keeping with the norm for the cannibal genre of this era), Martino and his crew also include some real-life animal violence. A scene in which a python devours a monkey is tough to watch, but pales in comparison to the slaughter of a lizard, which is cut open, skinned, and carved into pieces as part of a jungle sacrifice, performed by natives to ward off evil spirits. Equally as unsettling is the film’s final act, set in the cave dwelling of the Puka Tribe, which features, among other things, soft-core porn, an attempted rape, and a (thankfully) brief moment of bestiality!

Whether or not Mountain of the Cannibal God is as shocking and upsetting as Ruggero Deodato’s notorious 1980 film Cannibal Holocaust is up for debate, but there’s no doubt that Martino’s opus of the extreme has, at the very least, earned its spot in the conversation.
Rating 7.5 out of 10








Wednesday, October 12, 2022

#2,835. Don't Look in the Basement (1973)

 





The original title of this 1973 S.F. Brownrigg-directed horror / thriller was The Forgotten, and in the end that makes a lot more sense than Don’t Look in the Basement.

I can’t say for sure, but I get the feeling the title switch happened years after the movie’s initial release, as a way to jump on the Don’t bandwagon of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, when films like Don’t Go In the House and Don’t Answer the Phone were making a splash. And since the basement in question doesn’t even come into play until the final five minutes of this almost 90-minute film, I think I may be onto something!

But never mind, because while Don’t Go in the Basement may be a micro-budget horror film with mostly sub-par performances and a flimsy story, it’s not a total disaster.

Nurse Charlotte (Rosie Holotik) was recently hired to work at a remote psychiatric clinic. Unfortunately, when she reports for her first day, she discovers that the man who offered her the job, the clinic’s chief physician Dr. Stephens (Michael Harvey), was recently killed in a tragic accident, and the person now in charge, Dr. Geraldine Masters (Anne MacAdams), was never informed that a new nurse was on her way!

Still, Dr. Masters decides to keep Charlotte on, and with patients like the prim and proper Judge Oliver W. Cameron (Gene Ross), the quiet but occasionally violent Jennifer (Harryette Warren), and the kindly, child-like Sam (Bill McGhee) to contend with, Dr. Masters needs all the help she can get.

But there’s more going on in this facility than meets the eye, and Charlotte will soon discover that she’s in quite a bit of danger.

Aside from brief fits of violence at both the outset (we witness the “accident” that took out poor Dr. Stephens) and the end, not much happens in Don’t Look in the Basement. Most of the movie deals with the patients themselves; aside from those already listed, there’s a nymphomaniac (Betty Chandler) who craves love; a former military man (Hugh Feagin) who believes an “attack” (by an unseen enemy) is imminent; and a crazy guy (Jessie Kirby) who gets a kick out of pissing people off.

Watching this unusual group of characters interact with one another does have its moments (a scene where the nympho throws herself at the Judge is particularly disturbing), but not enough of them to keep things flowing at an acceptable pace, and the movie’s “harbinger of doom”, the elderly Mrs. Callingham (Rhea MacAdams), who warned Charlotte that she needs to leave as soon as possible, is neutralized far too quickly (her tongue is cut out before the film’s halfway point, making her essentially mute through the rest of the movie).

Most of the performances are weak, though Anne MacAdams does a splendid job as the enigmatic Dr. Masters, as does Bill McGhee, playing one of the film’s few likable characters. And while things do move along sluggishly for a large portion of the movie, the ending is just insane enough to make it worth a watch (well, almost).

Don’t Look in the Basement is not a great film by any stretch, but it’s not the worst low-budget horror flick you’re likely to see, either.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10









Tuesday, October 11, 2022

#2,834. Madman (1981)

 





It all started during a campfire at North Sea Cottages, a special retreat for gifted children…

A 1981 low-budget horror film, Madman has gained a cult following over the years, and while the movie itself has a few weaknesses that not even die-hard genre fans can overlook, there’s enough here to make it a worthwhile entry in the slasher subgenre.

It’s the final night of summer camp, and everyone is gathered around a fire. Head counselor Max (Carl Fredericks) regales them all with an urban legend, that of a farmer who murdered his family, then was taken into the woods by an angry mob and hanged. But the farmer’s body disappeared the next morning, and there are those who say that, if you utter his name - “Madman Marz” - above a whisper, he will return and start killing once again.

Richie (Jimmy Steele), one of the campers, doesn’t believe this story, and shouts “Madman Marz” at the top of his lungs, only to spot a shadowy figure up a nearby tree as everyone is returning to camp. Unbeknownst to assistant counselors TP (Tony Fish), Betsy (Gaylen Ross), Stacy (Harriet Bass), Dave (Seth Jones), Ellie (Jan Claire), and Bill (Alex Murphy), Richie stays behind to investigate, setting in motion a chain of events that, before the night is out, will result in the demise of a good many people.

Directed by Joe Giannone (who also penned the screenplay), Madman gets off to a great start, with actor Carl Fredericks doing a fantastic job relating the story of Madman Marz; and Paul Ehlers, hidden behind a mask, also has his moments as the title character, a vicious, mindless killer who strikes when you least expect (one early kill, involving a rope, is as shocking as it is brutal).

The rest of the cast is so-so, and a few early sequences back at camp slow the pacing down; there’s a hot tub love scene, set to a schmaltzy romantic tune, that’s especially tough to sit through. Even when the killing starts, there are moments that feel drawn out, as if the filmmakers were trying to pad the runtime.As for the effects, they’re not the best, but are certainly better than what you’d expect to find in a low-budget horror movie, and the sequences set inside Madman Marz’s abandoned farmhouse are effectively creepy.

Topping it all off is the original song that plays over the ending credits, simply titled “Song of Madman Marz”. I absolutely love it, and rank it right up there with the title track from 1968’s The Green Slime as one of my all-time favorite movie tunes.
Rating: 6.5 of 10









Friday, September 23, 2022

#2,820. Brotherhood of Death (1976) - Brotherhood Triple Feature

 





I went into 1976’s Brotherhood of Death knowing that its cast featured a number of professional football players. Producer Ron Goldman (who also came up with the story) was friends with a handful of Washington Redskins, and convinced them to appear in his movie.

It was a good idea, using non-actors who nonetheless had some notoriety, but I admit, when I heard this, it tempered my expectations and didn’t give me much hope for the film.

Turns out I was both wrong and pleasantly surprised. The performances, by actors and football players alike, ranged from serviceable to good, but the characters and story grabbed me right from the get-go and held my attention throughout, leading up to a final showdown that absolutely blew me away.

After a run-in with a local KKK member (Ron David), Raymond Moffat (Roy Jefferson), his brother Junior (Haskell V. Anderson III), and their friend Ned (Le Tari), leave the town of Kincaid behind and enlist in the army. All three are shipped off to Vietnam, where they’re taught by their commanding officer, Capt. Quinn (Mike Bass), how to avoid the deadly traps set by the Viet Cong.

When their tour of duty ends, the three return to Kincaid, only to find things haven’t improved much for the black community. Initially, Raymond and the others, spurred on by their Baptist preacher (Ed Heath), rely on legal means to bring about change, convincing every African American in Kincaid to register to vote. But when the KKK, led by Harold Turner (Rick Ellis), resorts to threats and even violence to keep the status quo, Raymond, Junior and Ned decide it’s time to hit back… and hard!

Of the three main leads in Brotherhood of Death, only Roy Jefferson was a pro football player, and while his performance isn’t quite as strong as either Anderson’s or Tari’s, he certainly isn’t bad, and is especially believable in the last act, when things get rough.

There are elements of the story that also work well, and carry Brotherhood of Death above your typical exploitation film. The entire sequence involving the vote, where Raymond, Junior and the others are trying to bring about change the legal way, getting every black citizen in town to vote the racists out, was handled well, and had me rooting like hell for them (even if the results were a foregone conclusion).

But while Brotherhood of Death occasionally dabbles in loftier areas, the ending, a fight to the finish between our heroes (using their army training to their advantage) and the bigots, is 100% exploitation goodness, and is as satisfying as they come.
Rating: 8 out of 10









Wednesday, September 21, 2022

#2,819. The Brotherhood of Satan (1971) - Brotherhood Triple Feature

 





Shots of a wind-up army tank - a child’s toy - are interspersed with close-ups of a car being demolished by what we’re led to believe is an actual tank. We never see the destruction; from off-screen, we hear the occupants of said car, first their shock and confusion, then their agonizing screams as the vehicle is crushed with them inside. The chaos eventually subsides, and a young boy walks away from the carnage, strolling a short distance until he is met by three other children.

These are the opening images of 1971’s The Brotherhood of Satan, a horror film that ignores traditional narrative as it weaves the story of a Satanic cult and the mayhem it unleashes on a small desert community.

Widower Ben Holden (Charles Bateman) is driving down a secluded road with his daughter K.T. (Geri Reischl) and girlfriend Nicky (Anha Capri) when he happens upon the wreckage from the opening scene. Racing to the nearby town of Hillsboro to alert the police, Ben is instead assaulted by the sheriff, Pete (L.Q. Jones), and other locals. It seems that Hillsboro has been inexplicably cut off from the rest of the world for days now, during which time dozens of citizens were brutally murdered and a number of kids have gone missing. With Ben’s help, Sheriff Pete, his deputy Tobey (Alvy Moore), and kindly Doc Duncan (Strother Martin) try to figure out what’s happening in this normally peaceful town.

What none of them realize is a coven of Satan-worshipping witches has descended upon Hillsboro, and are luring the town’s children to a dilapidated mansion, where, in a few days’ time, they will participate in an ancient ritual. And the leader of this cult is none other than Doc Duncan himself!

Directed by Bernard McEveety and written by William Welch (credited) and L.Q. Jones (uncredited), The Brotherhood of Satan is a bizarre motion picture that, as its story unfolds, raises more questions than it answers. Yet I found myself drawn into it, and the weirder the movie got, the more intrigued I became.

And believe me, this movie gets plenty weird! While at home one evening reading from the bible, Hillsboro resident Ed Meadows and his wife Mildred are attacked and killed by their daughter’s doll; and the scene where the witches, all of whom are senior citizens, initially gather features both head-scratching dialogue and the brutal slaying of one of their number, Dame Alice (Helene Winston). The murder of Dame Alice is shocking in that it seemingly comes out of left field, with only a faint explanation of who this person was, and why they were killed. Then there’s Nicky’s peculiar dream, tinted in red and littered with dead bodies, that randomly pops up in the final act.

Yet as unusual as it all is, I never once believed the events unfolding in The Brotherhood of Satan were as random as they seemed. I trusted that every odd image, every fantastic killing, every random interaction between two characters was another piece of a puzzle, and regardless of how long it would take to piece it all together, I was in it for the long haul.

It took two viewings (both in the same night) of The Brotherhood of Satan for me to decide whether or not my faith in the filmmakers was justified. Happily, it was, but that’s not to imply the movie is perfect. The scene with the doll-turned-killer has a handful of unintentionally funny moments, and tonally the film never really comes together, teetering between arthouse and exploitation without fully embracing either. But its unique approach, coupled with an unforgettably creepy final scene (that also featured a twist I didn’t see coming the first time through) do their part to make The Brotherhood of Satan a unique addition to the late ‘60s / early ‘70s Satanic craze, ranking alongside The Devil Rides Out and Rosemary’s Baby as one of the subgenre’s most unforgettable entries.
Rating: 8 out of 10









Saturday, September 17, 2022

#2,817. Black Mama White Mama (1973) - The Films of Eddie Romero

 





The first 20 minutes of Eddie Romero’s Black Mama White Mama play like your average women in prison flick. There are catfights, an extended shower scene, and a lesbian guard (Lynn Borden) who gets her jollies peering at the girls through a peephole.

Then, without warning, the story veers off in an exciting new direction.

Two of the prison’s most recent arrivals, prostitute Lee Daniels (Pam Grier) and revolutionary Karen Brent (Margaret Markov), are being transferred to a facility in Manila, where they’re to be questioned by government officials. Lee’ pimp, Vic (Vic Diaz), is a ruthless prick, and the authorities want to put him away for good; whereas Karen might hold the key to crushing the rebellion once and for all.

Handcuffed together, Lee and Karen are loaded onto a bus and sent on their way. But once on the road, Karen’s compatriots, led by Ernesto (Zaldy Zshornack), launch a surprise attack to free her, and in the confusion she and Lee slip away, spending the next several days hiding in the jungle.

Ordered by his superiors to recapture the duo as soon as possible, Captain Cruz (Eddie Garcia) of the Manila police force hires bounty hunter Ruben (the great Sid Haig) and his thugs to track down the escaped prisoners.

Lee and Karen, still shackled to one another, stay on the move, narrowly avoiding the law, the bounty hunters, the revolutionaries, and Vic’s cronies (who want to retrieve a briefcase full of cash that Lee swiped) every step of the way.

That’s a lot of story to cram into an 86 minute film, yet director Romero and his writer H.R. Christian (whose screenplay was based on a story by Joe Viola and Jonathan Demme) somehow make it work, keeping things flowing at a solid pace while at the same time giving weight to each and every character. Grier and Markov are strong as the escapees who have no choice but to team up, a la Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis in 1958’s The Defiant Ones (which also featured escaped prisoners handcuffed together). But unlike that earlier movie (and despite this film's title), race is never an issue between the two. They start out as adversaries (while in prison, they get into a fight and are thrown in “the oven” as punishment), yet Lee and Karen are never really enemies. They just have different goals: Karen wants to return to her friends in the revolution, while Lee’s intention is to get off the island as quickly as possible with the money she stole from Vic. The camaraderie between the two builds over time, and comes across as 100% genuine.

Also good is Sid Haig as the cowboy vigilante. His character is a hard-ass, but he’s also responsible for most of the film’s laughs (like when he’s cavorting with a subordinate’s two daughters as the poor guy sits in the next room, listening to everything that’s going on behind the closed door). In addition, Black Mama White Mama is both an impressive action film - with a handful of intense gunfights - and a solid thriller.

So while it may have started off as a run-of-the-mill prison flick, Black Mama White Mama ultimately proved, in true Eddie Romero fashion, it was a lot more than that.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10









Thursday, September 15, 2022

#2,816. The Twilight People (1972) - The Films of Eddie Romero

 





The Twilight People is Romero’s take on The Island of Dr. Moreau. What’s more, it’s a great version of that story, ranking alongside 1932’s Island of Lost Souls as one of my favorite interpretations of H.G. Wells’ classic novel.

While scuba diving off the coast of a tropical island, Matt Farrell (John Ashley) is kidnapped by Steinman (Jan Merlin), the chief henchman of scientist Dr. Gordon (Charles Macauley). For years, Dr. Gordon has been conducting a series of bizarre experiments, crossing humans with animals in an effort to create a “super race”.

Gordon intends to use Farrell as his next experiment, but when Gordon's daughter / assistant Neva (Pat Woodell) falls in love with the prisoner, she and Farrell team up to free the good doctor's “specimens” and, with them in tow, try to make their way off the island.

Despite its meager budget and reputation as a grindhouse classic, The Twilight People offers more than simple exploitative goodness. For one, as mentioned above, it’s a damn fine take on Wells’ novel, and director Romero dedicates a fair portion of screen time to building the personalities and relationships of his characters. Whether it's Farrell’s love affair with Neva or his mano-et-mano showdowns with the dangerous Steinman, we get to know our heroes (and villains) well enough to be completely invested in what happens to them.

Then there are Dr. Gordon’s “experiments”, the part human – part animal hybrids that join Matt and Neva on their journey to freedom. Primo the Ape Man (Kim Ramos), Kuzman the Antelope Man (Ken Metcalf) and Lupa the Wolf Woman (Mona Moreno) all get a chance to shine, but Ayessa the Panther Woman, played by the always amazing Pam Grier, is a definite highlight. Never uttering a word save some growls, Grier does a fine job making us both fear and admire her character, and though she appeared in The Twilight People a year before her star-making turn as the title character in Jack Hill’s Coffy, Grier’s screen presence is strong.

That said, nobody… not even the great Pam Grier… can top Darmo the Bat Man, played by Tony Gosalvez. Sporting wings that don’t look very impressive, Darmo spends the early moments of the escape perched in a tree, acting as lookout. The more I saw Darmo, the more I wanted to see him fly. Or at least try to fly. Then, towards the end of the film, I got my wish, and I was blown the hell away! Not that Darmo’s flights are particularly convincing; the effects are shoddy at best. But that doesn’t make these sequences any less awesome, and the final shot of the movie is one I guarantee you will never forget

A lot happens in The Twilight People, not the least of which is Eddie Romero solidifying his reputation as a first-rate storyteller. But it’s Darmo the Bat Man who steals the whole damn show!
Rating: 8 out of 10









Tuesday, September 13, 2022

#2,815. Brides of Blood (1968) - The Films of Eddie Romero

 





Brides of Blood is the second entry in Filipino producer / director Eddie Romero’s Blood Island series (though not a direct sequel to its predecessor, 1959’s Terror is a Man, this movie is set on the same island as that earlier film). Featuring enough blood and skin to keep the drive-in crowds happy, Brides of Blood looks, on the surface, like a schlocky, exploitative monster movie. But it's more than that.

Three Americans - research scientist Dr. Henderson (Kent Taylor); his beautiful but neglected wife Carla (Beverly Powers, credited as “Beverly Hills”); and young Peace Corps volunteer Jim Farrell (John Ashley) - make their way to a secluded tropical island. Jim, who wants to help the locals improve their quality of life, hooks up with pretty villager Alma (Eva Darren), who, along with her grandfather Arcadio (Andres Centenera), is the only native who speaks English.

Dr. Henderson is there to study the effect that nearby atomic testing may have had on the indigenous flora and fauna. He finds more than he bargained for when, the moment the sun goes down, the trees seemingly spring to life! Invited to stay in the spacious mansion of Esteban Powers (Mario Montenegro), a Spaniard who moved to the area years earlier with his now-deceased wife, the Hendersons come to realize there is more danger on this island than they ever realized.

As Dr. Henderson is busy collecting specimens, Jim makes a horrifying discovery: a fierce humanoid monster also calls the island home. The villagers, who are convinced this creature is a God, sacrifice young women to it in a bizarre nighttime ritual. When Alma is selected to be the monster’s next victim, Jim has no choice but to get involved.

A low-budget horror film (co-directors Romero and Gerardo de Leon shot the movie for about $75,000), the effects in Brides of Blood aren’t the best. The scenes where the trees come to life, grabbing at anyone who passes by, are sometimes more humorous than scary (the branches and roots are clearly controlled by strings), and the monster itself is bulky and awkward (though, in the final act, there is a damned impressive transformation scene).

When it comes to the “mystery” surrounding the monster, it isn’t much of a mystery at all. I had it figured out in the first half-hour. As for the blood (which even spurts from cut branches and vines) and boobs (the village sacrifices are stripped down, then tied to a post), it is at about the levels you’d expect from a movie of this ilk, and there’s even a native dance in the finale that’s as sexually suggestive as they come.

Yet, thanks to its well-developed characters, Brides of Blood rises above both its budgetary limitations and exploitative elements to deliver something much more substantial. Dr. Henderson and his wife Carla could have easily been your average, run-of-the-mill miserable couple; he the work-obsessed scientist who ignores his wife, she the sexually frustrated spouse who sleeps around. There’s even a troubling rape scene on board the ship, in which Carla tries to fend off an amorous crewman she had flirted with earlier in front of her husband (she happily succumb to the attack the moment this crewman gets rough with her). But Romero and de Leon, as well as writer Cesar Amigo, throw in a handful of intimate scenes between the Hendersons, where we see exactly why poor Carla acts out. At one point, she tries to seduce her husband, who is fast asleep next to her, and no matter how hard she tries, he will not wake up!.

Also well-handled is the romance that blossoms between Jim and Alma, and we even learn a little about Esteban, and why he ended up on the island. By rounding out its characters in such a way, aided in large part by exemplary performances, Brides of Blood pulls us in, then keeps us on the edge of our seats, wondering how it's all going to play out.

And for a film that, going in, you assume will be nothing more than a schlocky monster movie, making us care as much as we do is an impressive feat.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10









Sunday, April 17, 2022

#2,740. Family Enforcer (1976) - Quentin Tarantino Recommends

 





In the fall of 2019, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino – filmmakers extraordinaire and master cinephiles – got together at the Director’s Guild of America to shoot the breeze, and over the course of that conversation one of the many titles they discussed was the 1976 crime film Family Enforcer (originally released as The Death Collector). According to Scorsese, Robert De Niro caught this movie on television in the late 1970s, and was so impressed by one of its co-stars that he called Scorsese and recommended they consider him for a role in their upcoming film.

That movie was Raging Bull, and the actor was Joe Pesci.

Written and directed by Ralph De Vito (his only credit on both counts), Family Enforcer takes us inside the crime syndicate of Northern New Jersey. Fresh out of prison, Jerry Bolanti (Joseph Cortese) is looking for a job, and asks his old boss, wiseguy Tony Ladavia (Lou Criscuolo), to send a little work his way.

So, Tony asks Jerry to collect some outstanding debts, including over $26,000 that Bernie Feldshuh (Frank Vincent) owes Herb Greene (Jack Ramage), an associate of Tony’s. But the very night Jerry collects this debt, he’s shot and badly wounded by one of Feldshuh’s henchmen, kicking off a war between Jerry and Feldshuh that won’t end until one of them is dead.

While still recovering from his wounds, Jerry, at Tony’s urging, helps his two friends Joe (Joe Pesci) and Serge (Bobby Alto) steal $40,000 from a local supermarket. This, too, ends badly, causing Tony to wonder if Jerry is unlucky or playing him for a sap.

While discussing this film, Tarantino told Scorsese that, after seeing Family Enforcer, his first reaction was “Wow, this is like an exploitation version of Mean Streets”, and that is exactly the vibe it gives off. Focusing more on its characters than plot or story, Family Enforcer offers viewers a glimpse of mob life from the inside, and does so wonderfully. Joseph Cortese delivers a solid performance as Jerry, whose short fuse and no-fear approach to his job often lands him in hot water, but it’s getting to see Scorsese regulars Joe Pesci and Frank Vincent at the start of their careers that makes this one a winner (Vincent also landed a role in Raging Bull thanks to this movie, and you can see traces of Goodfellas Billy Batts in his portrayal of Bernie Feldshuh).

Much like Scorsese did with Mean Streets, Goodfellas, and Casino, writer / director De Vito mixes some humor in as well; one scene in particular, where a character passes gas in a car, had me laughing out loud.

I’m an unapologetic fan of mob movies, and Family Enforcer proved to be a pleasant surprise.
Rating: 8 out of 10









Thursday, April 7, 2022

#2,735. The Glory Stompers (1967) - Quentin Tarantino Recommends

 





In March of 1994, actor / director Dennis Hopper sat down briefly with Quentin Tarantino, who at the time was busy editing Pulp Fiction. Hopper had just co-starred in True Romance, which Tarantino wrote, and the two chatted briefly about movies.

Towards the end of their conversation, Tarantino mentioned that one of his all-time favorite Dennis Hopper films was 1967’s The Glory Stompers, in which the noted actor played Chino, leader of the biker gang The Black Souls. Calling it a “wacky, kooky performance”, Tarantino added “I loved you in that. You know, that is the beginning of you as Frank Booth in Blue Velvet right there”.

Story-wise, there’s not much to The Glory Stompers. Chino and the other Black Souls track down Darryl (Jody McCrea), leader of the rival gang the Stompers. They beat Darryl unmercifully, so much so that they are convinced they’ve killed him. Fearful of being arrested for murder, Chino abducts Darryl’s girlfriend Chris (Chris Noel), who witnessed the attack, and he and the Black Souls hightail it to the border.

But Darryl survives the attack, and with the help of aging former biker Smiley (Jock Mahoney) searches for Chino and the Black Souls, hoping to get Chris back before the fugitive gang disappears into Mexico.

Like I said, it’s not the most complex storyline, yet it’s Hopper who makes The Glory Stompers an entertaining watch. Infatuated with Chris (which, in part, led to the initial showdown with Daryll), Hopper’s Chino goes to great lengths to keep her to himself, preventing his fellow gang members (including Mouth, played by a young Casey Kasem) from having any alone time with her.

Naturally, this doesn’t sit well with Chino’s steady girlfriend Jo Ann (Saundra Gayle), and there are a few interesting scenes featuring her and Chris. Throughout the movie, we actually feel kinda sorry for Jo Ann, a woman in love with a guy who doesn’t seem to care much about anyone except his kid brother, fellow Black Souls gang member Monk (played by Lindsey Crosby, Bing’s youngest son).

In addition to the drama within the ranks of Chino’s gang, the occasional cutaways to Daryll and Smiley searching for the Black Souls brings an added - and quite effective – level of tension to the film (at one point, Daryll rides right past the Black Souls, who had pulled off the road to rest).

But it’s Hopper who makes The Glory Stompers so damned intriguing, delivering a performance every bit as manic as Billy in Easy Rider or his title character in the 1976 Australian film Mad Dog Morgan. From start to finish, The Glory Stompers is Hopper’s show, and he does not disappoint (During that same discussion with Tarantino, Hopper said his behind-the-scenes antics drove the film’s original director, Anthony Lanza, to quit the movie. So Hopper stepped in, thus making The Glory Stompers the first time he ever directed a movie).

Tarantino is such a fan of The Glory Stompers that he selected it to be one of the films screened at his very first QT-Fest back in 1996, and while there are aspects of it that make it a good movie, it’s Hopper who brings 
The Glory Stompers close to greatness.
Rating: 8 out of 10









Monday, January 24, 2022

#2,698. Four of the Apocalypse (1975) - Spotlight on Italy

 





Director Lucio Fulci had his share of trouble with the censors. Several of his movies, including The Beyond, The House by the Cemetery, and Zombie, were targeted for their violence, and ended up on the UK’s Video Nasties list, while 1982’s The New York Ripper so enraged the BBFC (The British Board of Film Classification) that they not only banned it outright, but ordered all prints to be immediately flown out of the country!

The blood and carnage in Fulci’s spaghetti western Four of the Apocalypse also raised a few eyebrows, and during its initial run in 1975 the movie never once screened in the United States. While the violence is, indeed, graphic, Four of the Apocalypse is a fascinating entry in the subgenre, and it deserved a much better fate than that.

Salt Flats, Utah, 1873. Four strangers: professional gambler Stubby Preston (Fabio Testi); pregnant prostitute Bunny O’Neill (Lynne Frederick); town drunk Clem (Michael J. Pollard); and cemetery worker Bud (Harry Baird) - who claims he can communicate with the dead – spend an evening spending time in the same jail cell. Fortunately for them, the same night they are locked up, a group of vigilantes rides into Salt Flats, shooting everyone in their path.

His town destroyed, the Sheriff of the now-deserted Salt Flats (played by Donal O’Brien) releases the quartet the next morning, and together the four ride into the untamed west, happy to have escaped with their lives. But a chance encounter with a vicious outlaw named Chaco (Tomas Milian) reminds them just how dangerous the frontier can be, and sets them on a course that will forever change the nature of their friendship.

Four of the Apocalypse features a handful of shocking scenes, most of which center on Tomas Milian’s Chaco. At one point, the bandit guns down two men and tortures a third - a sheriff - by skinning his abdomen (he eventually finishes the poor guy off with his own badge, plunging it straight into his heart). In addition, there’s a scene in which Chaco rapes Bunny, forcing Stubby, who has fallen in love with her, to watch the entire assault (though not graphic, this sequence is still very disturbing).

Yet thanks to the fine performances delivered by its cast, coupled with moments as engaging as they are unique, Four of the Apocalypse is a lot more than just another violent Italian western. Testi and Frederick have great chemistry together (aided, rumor has it, by a real-life romance between the two that started while this movie was in production), and both Pollard and Baird bring a genuine likability to their characters, despite their faults (Clem is a drunk and Bud is more than a little flaky). In fact, part of what makes Chaco’s reign of terror so upsetting is that it comes crashing down on characters we have grown to admire.

Along with the performances, Fulci and screenwriter Ennio De Concini concoct a number of very memorable scenes, chief among them a late sequence set in an all-male mining community, which bands together and does what it can to help Bunny when she goes into labor.

A well-acted (Tomas Milian is also superb as the villainous Chaco), smartly structured motion picture, Four of the Apocalypse is not only one of Lucio Fulci’s best films, but ranks right up there with Django, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, and Once Upon a Time in the West as one of my favorite spaghetti westerns of all-time.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10









Friday, January 21, 2022

#2,697. Killer Crocodile (1989) - Spotlight on Italy

 




An Italian schlockfest of the highest (lowest?) order, Killer Crocodile is a Jaws rip-off that’s so goofy, so hilariously over-the-top, you can’t help but feel some affection for it. 

A team of well-meaning researchers heads into the swampy marshes of a tropical island, trying to determine whether or not someone is dumping toxic waste into the water. But there’s more than poisonous sludge in this particular swamp; it is also home to an enormous crocodile, which is less than hospitable to strangers. 

Joining forces with Joe (Ennio Girolami), an experienced crocodile hunter, the researchers set out to destroy the mammoth croc. Unfortunately, the killer reptile seems to be always one step ahead of them. 

We get our first glimpse of the title creature less than a minute into Killer Crocodile, and it’s not the least bit impressive. In fact, you’re more likely to chuckle than scream whenever the monster pops its head out of the water. Even more ridiculous than the crocodile is the movie’s dialogue, some of which is side-splittingly hilarious, and there are moments that were clearly “inspired” by Spielberg’s 1975 classic (aside from a scene in which one character fires a rifle at the charging beast - a la Roy Scheider’s Chief Brody - the score by Riz Ortolani often sounds like it could have been co-written by John Williams). 

The attack scenes in Killer Crocodile are the film’s most inspired moments, and the gory effects, the work of frequent Fulci collaborator Giannetto De Rossi (Zombie, The Beyond, etc), are a definite highlight.

Killer Crocodile may not be a good movie, but it’s damned entertaining! 

 Also, keep an eye out for Hollywood legend Van Johnson (The Caine Mutiny), who appears in a handful of scenes as a corrupt judge.
Rating: 7 out of 10







Thursday, October 21, 2021

#2,644. Nightmare (1981)

 




Writer / director Romano Scavolini’s 1981 horror film Nightmare is one nasty little slasher!

George Tatum (Baird Stafford), a diagnosed schizophrenic committed to a psychiatric ward for mutilating a Brooklyn family, has been the subject of an experiment designed to curb - and eventually eliminate – his violent tendencies.

Convinced the treatment was a success, the hospital discharges George, who, soon after his release, steals a car and drives from New York to Florida so he can stalk single mom Susan (Sharon Smith) and her three kids.

Even by ‘80s standards, Nightmare is a brutal picture; before arriving in Florida, George makes a pit stop in South Carolina, where he murders waitress Barbara (Kathleen Ferguson), first slashing her throat (not the greatest effect, but good enough to make you cringe) and then stabbing her repeatedly. Scavolini doesn’t shy away from nudity either; at one point George takes a nighttime stroll down New York’s infamous 42nd Street, where he visits a porn theater and watches a live sex show.

Overall, Nightmare is an effective slasher, with some strong gore scenes (though I don’t believe for a minute the producer’s claim that Tom Savini handled the effects; the quality is nowhere near his standard), and fans of ‘80s horror will probably enjoy it as much as I did.

But go in knowing that Nightmare is not for the squeamish. Unlike other films, this movie deserved its spot on the UK’s Video Nasties list!
Rating: 8 out of 10







Monday, October 4, 2021

#2,627. Spookies (1986)

 




The first time I saw the low-budget horror film Spookies, I knew nothing about its history, and I have to admit I thought it was a goddamn mess (though not a total failure).

Originally titled Twisted Souls, Spookies tells the story of Kreon (Felix Ward), a sorcerer who lures unsuspecting victims to his remote mansion so he can feed their souls to his beloved, Isabelle (Maria Pechukas), who has been in a coma… or suspended animation… or maybe even dead (it’s not really explained) for 70 years.

His latest targets are a group of friends, including Duke (Nick Gionta), Richie (Peter Iasillo Jr), Meegan (Kim Merrill), and Carol (Lisa Friede), who arrive at the mansion expecting to attend a wild party, but instead find themselves facing off against monsters, zombies, a Spider Woman (Soo Paek), and even the Grim Reaper (James M. Glenn).

Most of what works in Spookies, especially the make-up effects (the scene with the Spider Woman is impressive), was lifted from Twisted Souls. The brainchild of writers / co-directors Frank Farel, Brendan Faulkner and Thomas Doran, Twisted Souls centered on the friends and their misadventures inside the mansion. Unfortunately, legal troubles with the financiers arose during editing, and as a result, additional footage (the subplot involving Kreon and Isabelle) was shot (by a different crew), specific moments were lifted from Twisted Souls, and the two were spliced together.

Thus, Spookies was born

So what was the final result of all these backroom shenanigans? Well, to sum it up for you, the added scenes with Kreon and Isabelle are bizarre and nonsensical, while the Twisted Souls sequences are goofy, occasionally entertaining, and clearly devised by fans of the genre.

So, in the end,Spookies is only a half-decent horror flick, but that still makes it better than some.
Rating: 6 out of 10







Sunday, October 3, 2021

#2,626. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)

 




Dario Argento’s directorial debut, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage was a box-office hit, and set the standard by which all future Giallos would be measured.

Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante), an American writer living in Rome, witnesses the attempted murder of Monica Ranieri (Eva Renzi), wife of a well-known art dealer (Umberto Raho). Because this assault bears some similarities to a string of recent killings, police inspector Morosini (Enrico Maria Salerno) questions Dalmas, whose memory of the event proves unreliable.

Yet Dalmas remains haunted by what he saw, and believes he holds the key to solving these horrific crimes, even if his continued involvement in the investigation means putting both his life and that of his British girlfriend Julia (Suzy Kendall) in the greatest of danger.

Along with featuring many of the tropes that helped define the Giallo (the killer wearing black gloves, erotic subtext, bloody kill scenes, etc), The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is an incredibly stylish film; Argento wasn’t afraid to shoot in the dark (the nighttime chase scene, set in a bus depot, is intensely exciting), and there’s one shot towards the end of the movie - a fall out of a window - that’s flawlessly executed.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage may not be the first Giallo ever made (Bava’s Blood and Black Lace predates it by six years), but is, without question, one of the best.
Rating: 10 out of 10






Tuesday, August 3, 2021

#2,594. Daughters of Darkness (1971)

 






At first glance, director Harry Kumel’s Daughters of Darkness looks like a run-of-the-mill exploitation film (the movie opens with a sex scene, set on a train). But with its multi-layered characters and stylized approach to the material, it quickly becomes apparent this vampire flick has more in common with an arthouse production than it does your typical bit of Eurosleaze. 

The recently married Stefan (John Karlen) and Valerie (Danielle Ouimet) are honeymooning in the seaside town of Ostend, Belgium. Because it’s the off-season, only one other guest has checked into the spacious hotel: the Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory (Delphine Seyrig), who is sharing a room with her assistant Ilona (Andrea Rau). 

The hotel’s concierge (Paul Esser) claims he remembers the last time the Countess stayed there, and even though it was 40 years ago, she doesn’t look as if she’s aged a day! 

 Is the Countess a vampire, and if so, why is she so determined to befriend Stefan and Valerie? 

Gorgeously shot by cinematographer Eduard van der Enden, Daughters of Darkness is as much a character study as it is a horror film. Seyrig brings a likability to the Countess, even though we realize early on there’s something sinister about her (she’s immediately smitten with Valerie, and goes out of her way to impress the young bride), and Karlen shines as Stefan, whose secretive nature may be masking a dark side that his new wife knows nothing about (he refuses to tell his mother that he’s married, and a day trip to Bruges reveals that he’s fascinated by death). 

While it does move slower than your average ‘70s horror film, Daughters of Darkness nonetheless offers viewers more than a few cheap thrills, and those with patience will find it a rewarding experience. 
Rating: 7.5 out of 10








Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Capsule Reviews - July 27, 2021




Cataclysm (1980) – Also released as The Nightmare Never Ends, this cinematic dreck had three different directors, which might explain why it doesn’t make a lick of sense. Cameron Mitchell stars as a police detective investigating the murder of his neighbor, a concentration camp survivor who, prior to his death, asserted that a jet-setting, twentysomething playboy (Robert Bristol) was also the Nazi commandant who murdered his family some 40 years ago! Turns out, this guy isn’t your average playboy / former Nazi; he’s actually a demon from hell! The film (if you can call it that) also focuses on a writer (Richard Moll) whose newest book, God is Dead, has stirred up quite a bit of controversy. The writer’s wife (Faith Clift) is a devout Catholic, and believes the book will only bring them trouble. She’s even convinced the nightmares she’s experiencing are a warning that Satan is near. How do these two storylines connect to one another? Beats me... and I’ve seen the damn thing! The performances are dismal (even the usually reliable Mitchell and Moll are wooden at best) and the story so choppy and confusing that you can’t make any sense of it. Scenes from this movie were supposedly pieced together to form a segment for the 1985 horror anthology Night Train to Terror. Well, I’ve never seen Night Train to Terror, but here’s hoping they used as little of this movie as possible. Rating: a generous 2 out of 10












Field of Lost Shoes (2014) – Director Sean McNamera’s Field of Lost Shoes is a well-realized, though overly melodramatic motion picture centering on of an actual incident from the American Civil War, where young cadets from the Virginia Military Institute fought and died in the 1864 Battle of New Market. The cast is impressive; though he appears in only a few scenes, Tom Skerritt makes an impression as Ulysses S. Grant, as does Jason Isaacs, who portrays General John C. Breckenridge, commander of the Confederate forces at New Market. Also quite good is Keith David as Moses, the slave and chief cook at the Institute, and the younger cast members, including Luke Benward, Zach Roerig, and Josh Zuckerman, do a fine job as the cadets called into action. In addition, the settings and costumes are quite good, and do their part to bring this era convincingly to life. Alas, the movie is a bit too sentimental at the end, and it’s assertion that many cadets were anti-slavery is undoubtedly a fabrication, added to make its central characters more sympathetic. Field of Lost Shoes has its positives (in addition to the performances and production design, the battle scenes are thrilling), but as an historical account of a real-life, tragic moment in American history, it falls a little short of the mark. Rating: 6 out of 10












French Quarter (1978) – An incredibly bizarre yet surprisingly intriguing exploitation film, French Quarter stars Alisha Fontaine as Christine, a young woman who, after the death of her father, heads to New Orleans in search of employment. When her new job as a stripper / waitress doesn’t pan out, Christine decides to move back home, but first follows the advice of the barmaid Ida (Virginia Mayo) and visits a voodoo priestess, who proceeds to drug the poor girl. While knocked out, Christine has a dream in which she’s a hooker in the Jazz Age, whose virginity is about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Though she works for Countess Willie Piazza (Mayo again), Christine –named “Trudy Dix” in her fantasy – meets and falls for talented jazz pianist Kid Ross (Bruce Davison), who would like nothing more than to rescue his new love from her chosen “profession”. Aside from Davison and Mayo (both are quite good), the acting in French Quarter is weak; even Fontaine falls flat more often than not as the lead. I also thought it was a bit odd that, while in a drug-induced state, Christine dreams not only of herself and Kid Ross, but concocts a number of side stories involving her fellow whores, including Coke-Eyed Laura (Ann Michelle) and Big-Butt Annie (Lindsey Bloom), who get into all sorts of mischief on their own. Yet despite its flaws and the occasional exploitative moment (there’s a lesbian scene that pops up out of nowhere, adding nothing to the story), French Quarter gets points for originality, and for offering something a bit more interesting than the standard fare. Rating: 6 out of 10








Tuesday, June 29, 2021

#2,592. The New Gladiators (1983)

 




With The New Gladiators, Lucio Fulci took a stab at a futuristic sci-fi / action film (a la Escape from New York), with a premise similar to that of Schwarzenegger’s The Running Man.

Rome, 2072: two rival networks, each specializing in real-life violence, are locked in a ratings battle. To win over a global audience, the World Broadcasting Service has devised a new program that harkens back to ancient times: an all-out, gladiator-style fight to the death starring death-row inmates, including Drake (Jared Martin), a proven champion who has been accused of brutally murdering his wife’s killers.

But as Drake will soon discover, the network executives have already determined the final outcome of this new "show".

With cheesy but awesome set pieces (the opening shot of a futuristic Rome gets things off to a fun start) and the always entertaining Fred Williamson in a supporting role (playing one of Drake’s fellow combatants), The New Gladiators showed a lot of promise early on, some of which was realized (the clip from the long-running series “Death Bike” was a blast, as was another program that featured a pendulum).

Unfortunately, the behind-the-scenes intrigue (network execs vying for power, Drake trying to find out if his new show will be on the level, etc) takes up a large chunk of the movie’s midsection, and these moments aren’t nearly as interesting as the violence-fueled sequences.

But the opening is strong, as is the finale (both bolstered by Fulci’s special brand of blood and gore), and the futuristic setting, even when it isn’t convincing, is always appealing.
Rating: 6 out of 10