Frankenstein’s Army: Ding! Your New Guilty Pleasure is Ready…

Posted on May 30, 2013 by geelw

OK, class: clipboards out! Let’s see now:

Cheesy “B”-movie title and “found footage” plot played dead semi-seriously? Check! Nice old-school PRACTICAL effects for the creatures (whee, no CG!) Check! Actors playing Russian and German soldiers not speaking in their native tongues (thus making it easier for lazy Americans who refuse to get more language into their lives and may be of those descents to get what’s going on without all that subtitle readin’)? Czech! No game license to ruin the film (or make it better because the game is awful and rushed to market)? CHECK! Well, this one’s looking like a gory good time, so on the “watch it when it comes to cable or go borrow the inevitable Blu-Ray/DVD” list, I suppose. Richard Raaphorst’s nifty little horror flick should be an instant cult classic once it gets the audience it deserves, so step right up and keep this one on your own list when it hits theaters and On-Demand on July 26, 2013.
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Random Film of the Week (Trois): Sisters

Posted on May 29, 2013 by geelw

Sisters “There was NO body because there was NO murder!” is a great line, folks. Use it wisely, as it’ll either get you in or out of a lot of trouble depending on when and how it’s spoken. Anyway, I must be losing my mind because I really thought I did this one as a RFoTW already. But it was either a dream I had about writing it up (hey, it happens every so often!) or perhaps I’d referenced this great 1973 flick in another film article from a while back.

Before we begin, a note (la!): there’s a 2006 remake of this Brian De Palma horror classic that’s a must to avoid, as it reworks too much, has some odd casting choices that don’t work and ends up being more annoying than scary. See it if you must, but not before checking out the original first. Of course, If your eyebrow has locked itself in a stiff “Oh Really?” position (meaning you’ve seen The Black Dahlia), trust me – from the second that incredibly loud (and incredibly brilliant) Bernard Herrmann main theme kicks in, you’ll be shocked into your seat and unable to look away… Continue reading →

Random Film of the Week(end): Reptilicus

Posted on May 12, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, horrormovieshows!)

After the successes of Godzilla and other Japanese and American giant monster movies in the 1950’s it seems that a few other countries wanted to get aboard the money train and come up with their own flicks featuring mutated reptiles or other gigantic beasts. Now, Denmark is the absolute last place I’d think of when I think “giant slimy lizard terrorizing the masses!”, but it seems that a combination of national pride and the over-eagerness of its Danish producers to make a big splash onto the scene brought the world Reptilicus … and TWO versions of it, to boot.

If you were a kid growing up in the US in the late 60’s and 70’s, this one was a staple on a few TV channels across the country, popping up either in the afternoon or evening and sometimes late at night to not scare you at all. In fact, I can recall seeing this as a kid and being baffled, then bored, then amazed at how bad and cheap the movie looked, but still watching it to the very end each time…
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Random Film of the Week(end): The Baby

Posted on January 19, 2013 by geelw

(Thank you, NoMoreHeroes!)

As far as commercial horror flicks of the 1970’s go they don’t get more disturbing than The Baby, a completely bizarre 1973 gem you have to see to believe. And even after you’ve seen it, you’ll probably want to watch it again just to make sure you weren’t having a really wild nightmare. Granted, the film has a few major flaws, some of which come from the writing and pacing. But chances are you’ll be so thrown off by some of the surreal acting and completely insane scenes that you’ll forgive this one for its faults.

It’ll definitely stick in your head for a while afterward, especially if you don’t see the surprise ending winding up to knock you right off the couch. Anajette Comer plays Ann, a social worker who is given the case of Baby, a 21-year old man kept in diapers and an oversize crib by his overbearing mother played by the gorgeous Ruth Roman (channeling Joan Crawford, Joan Collins and Liz Taylor) and two very pretty, very sexy yet verrrrrry peculiar sisters (Marianna Hill and Susanne Zenor). For sheer squirm in your seat value, the film scores big by tossing assorted mental and physical abuses into your lap and letting you figure out where the hell it’s going before taking a big U-turn into WTF territory… Continue reading →