Tag Archives: Horror Movies

Blu-Ray Review: The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Miss Osbourne

Posted on by
1

MVD7208BR Jekyll_OsbourneWalerian Borowczyk’s The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Miss Osbourne is a straight up shot of arty nightmare fuel that will seep into your pores and haunt you for a while after viewing. The director takes the classic Robert Louis Stevenson tale and like the perverse Jekyll and Hyde here (played here by Udo Kier and Gérard Zalcberg), has his way with the it and creates a pretty stunning and memorable piece of work. This isn’t your garden variety horror flick of the week and nope, it’s not for the kids or easily disturbed at all.

During an engagement party for Jekyll and Fanny Osbourne (Marina Pierro), sexual violence and assorted murders take place over the course of one terrifying evening. Initially, women are targeted but no one is safe from the clutches of Hyde’s perversions. Despite the mansion’s visitors and staff being whittled down every few minutes, none of the well-heeled guests has a clue as to who’s the culprit. As the debauchery continues, Miss Osbourne gets a clue as she’s looking for a hiding spot and spies Jekyll going through his transformation in a can’t take your eyes off the screen scene. Does she flee the mansion and try to find help or at least attempt to escape with her life? Let’s just say Fanny is repulsed on one hand, curiously compelled on the other and the combination makes her want to take a dip into that bathtub full of chemicals. Continue reading →

Society Blu-Ray Review

Posted on by
Reply

Society BR-DVD SetWhile I missed out on seeing Brian Yuzna’s Society during it limited run, I’d been hearing quite a lot about this 1989 film over the years while still managing not to see it until a review Blu-Ray popped up in the post. The outrageous “body horror” flick packed with intentionally campy performances, icky practical makeup effects by the legendary Screaming Mad George and a finale for the ages makes for one of those films that will cling to one’s grey matter for a while. Those squeamish to gore or sexual themes will be reaching for something to barf in, but there’s a definite “last gasp” of the 80’s Reagen era excess in the film’s themes and overall tone. Plus there’s just an overall sense of pure insanity that makes the film seem like both the best and worst nightmare you’ll ever have.
Continue reading →

(Not So) Random Film of the Week: Humanoids From The Deep

Posted on by
10

Humanoids From the Deep MPIt’s pretty much a 60’s “B” flick dipped in the not for the kiddies gore and nudity of early 80’s slasher flicks. But on that level Humanoids of the Deep works. You’re pretty much getting The Horror of Party Beach and Creature From the Black Lagoon with a bit of actual horror, but the film is more notorious for its added in post-production scenes of icky, horny sea creatures molesting a few young actresses after whipping their bathing suits off. That caused a bit of a stir back when I saw this in 1980 with a few friends and I also recall a handful of people screaming and doing an exit dash at the film’s somewhat ALIEN-inspired final scene.

Back then I didn’t like the film all that much because of its extremes and that it felt like two different films crunched together at the expense of the better one. But over time it’s become something of a mash-up of intentional and unintentional comedy, eyeball-rolling “shock” scenes and yes, well-known cast members who didn’t realize they’d be starring in a rather mean-spirited exploitation moneymaker that would garner a loyal fan base. For me it’s more of a great guilty pleasure when I look at it now. Albeit with a big blood red caution buoy in the water if you’re squeamish or easily annoyed by gore and gratuitous nudity in a “roughie” manner.

Continue reading →

Three More Arrow Blu-Rays To Heat Up Summer

Posted on by
Reply

Arrow Video June 2015 Releases
 

Amusingly enough, Arrow and MVD have more than three new releases for June through August, but I’ll get the rest in a separate post as today is a bit haywire. Pit Stop, La Grande Bouffe, and Blood Rage all come to Blu-Ray in outstanding newly restored prints all ready for your viewing and collecting purposes. I’m actually thrilled about seeing Pit Stop make it to Blu-Ray as it’s a film I’d only seen once before on a beat up VHS copy of questionable quality. I haven’t seen La Grande Bouffe in years and I don’t think I recall Blood Rage unless I saw it under one of its other titles back in the 80’s. Well, catching up with these old film friends will be fun for sure.

Back in a bit.

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Stuff Stuff.

Posted on by
2

stuffed cabbage round two 002 (Large)
 

“My hobby is stuffing things. You know, taxidermy. And I guess I’d just rather stuff birds because I hate the look of beasts when they’re stuffed…”

(You Know Who as You Know Who from You Know What, You Know When)

stuffing thingsOkay, so it’s not perfectly rolled golabki at all (and YES, I added a bit to a lot more pureed tomato before popping both dishes in the oven). But that what I do when my brain is boiling over at stupid stuff others do. I cook something to relax or pretend I’m cooking my problem to relax or something. Nope, I’m not going to eat all that stuffed cabbage. Some will go to mother dear and I’ll probably freeze the rest. Given that it’s only the second time I’m making this dish (using bits of a few online recipes just to mix things up) I think it’ll turn out as well as the first time or even better. Results will appear in about an hour and a half or so. Maybe I’ll put up a second post… but don’t bet on it. I have a few fish to fry before the evening is over (and I’m not talking about actual fish).

Um, anyone else want to come over for dinner? Sixteen pieces of stuffed cabbage can serve about four more hungry folks and I put some potato slices in both dishes just because I had two spuds left and they do go well with cabbage…

stuffed cabbage round two 003 (Large)

A Birthday? Greeting of Sorts.

Posted on by
Reply

Happy Birthday to Me MP 

It seems that yet another year has passed and I get to wake up and trip over stuff on the way to the bathroom before my morning coffee before dinking around as normal because I don’t run out naked and yell at the top of my lungs that it’s my special day. Whee. Actually, I was thinking yesterday about the best advice I’d ever gotten on my birthday (as that’s the most important thing you get after a certain age, folks) and I laughed because it was from a really drunk guy outside a bar I was walking past a long time ago. I’d just run into a friend leaving that bar who wished me a happy birthday and as I’m thanking him, that drunk popped up from the doorway he was in and yelled out to me “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAN!”

As we didn’t see him there until he yelled, the two of us pretty much jumped out of our skin as he grinned like a rather too happy Cheshire Cat. As we was putting ourselves back together I nodded out a thanks to my new “friend” who then decided to offer me some advice. “If you ever try anything you don’t like, man… make sure to do it TWICE (pause…) because YOU NEVER KNOW!” I gather he was speaking from too much experience in trying all sorts of things more than twice, but his words did stick with me from that point on. Granted, I haven’t tried a lot of things ONCE yet. But I guess that’s another reason people celebrate their birthdays. Eh, it’s been a fairly quiet day here so far. I had to work on my laptop (as in getting it back to working) and that turned out well enough that I’m doing this late post. I also see I got a lot of facebook greetings, so I’ll need to respond to those at some point. Well, some of you can consider this post a general response for now. I’ll take care of you all personally via fb reply in a bit.

For now, I need to stick my head in the oven and get that chicken I put in there out to cool. That bird is going with some rice and black beans I made and after that, I’m going to run like the wind (or walk quickly, as I hate running) down to Starbucks because I’d forgotten until just now that I get a free beverage on my birthday and I may as well take advantage of that. Of course, they’ll toss me out before I order because I never buy anything like the over-sweetened fancycchinos they sell to the masses who just don’t want an ordinary cuppa joe and my brain will lock up looking at the menu. Eh, I’ll just tell the barista I’m trying something new and it may need to be twice before the night is through. Yeah, I lead a reltively dull life these days, people. I’m saving my energy for potential future naps.

Film Review: Motivational Growth

Posted on by
1

Motivational Growth Blu-Ray Cover“The Mold Knows Jack, The Mold Knows…”

Talking about a horror movie about a huge talking fungus being the least oddball thing about it is tricky business. All I’ll say is Don Thacker’s unconventional psychological freak-out Motivational Growth needs to be seen to be believed. And even after you’ve seen it, you’ll probably still think you were hallucinating the whole thing. The film is one of those low-budget indies where the pure craft and ingenuity on display outstrip the meager budget and you’ll probably find yourself hooked in right from the start because you’re hit over the head right away with some truly striking, memorable visuals.

All I know is within the first five or ten minutes of fake TV shows I saw what looked like a fake TV commercial for a fake anime adventure/shooter hybrid game called Starr Mazer. My eyeballs did a double-back flip and I wrote that name down in the notepad I keep nearby for reviews. If it was just animation created for the film, it was a genius move on Thacker’s part. If it was an actual game, well… I had to find out what I could play it on. When I looked up that fake game later, I found that there actually IS an anime adventure/shooter hybrid called Starr Mazer. In fact, it’s also one of Thacker’s many side projects.

But let’s keep the rest of this review about this bizarre, near brilliant film… Continue reading →

Film Review: CUT!

Posted on by
2

CUT MPJust when you think the modern Hollywood horror film has been all tapped out, along comes one of those movies that keeps you guessing even if you think you know what’s coming. Director/co-writer David Rountree tosses some tasty ideas into his chunky horror stew that will keep you hooked in and guessing right up until the double (or is it triple?) back-flip ending. It’s tricky to discuss the film in detail without spoiling a few of its twists and turns, but if you’re paying attention you may see a few of the surprises coming.

That said, if you go in with expectations of yet another slasher film, it’s a good sign that the movie shoots you down a few predictable paths before whipping the red carpet from underneath you much more than you’d think. Rountree also stars in the film as Travis Simon, an employee of a film equipment rental shop who works with Lane (David Banks), an ex-con with a rather nasty disposition and a particularly unsettling hobby. When Travis decides to make a low-budget horror film with Lane’s help, let’s just say things go predictably awry and downhill fast. A little accidental death during the making of their film doesn’t deter the pair from continuing their project and in fact, spurs Lane on as he starts taking things a bit too seriously. Continue reading →

MVD Visual Wants YOU To Get Motivational Growth!

Posted on by
10

Motivational Growth Blu-Ray Cover
 

Well, after seeing the trailer for this February DVD/Blu-Ray release, so do I. And you thought you had problems getting and sticking to your simple New Year’s resolutions. Poor, strange Ian Folivor above needs to get his entire life in order and thanks to a chunk of talking mold in his rather nasty-looking bathroom, he gets the chance. Of course, this being a horror film, all sorts of things go wrong and there will probably be a few bodies hitting the floor before all is said and done. Which is exactly how it should be in cases where a talking mold takes up residence in one’s bathroom.


 

Coming on home video from Parade Deck Films, Motivational Growth is written and directed by Don Thacker and stars horror veteran Jeffrey Combs (as the voice of the mold), Adrian DiGiovanni as Ian as well as a bunch of other actors you may or may not know who may or may not survive the film. Or their characters may or may not survive. You know the drill, but horror comedies like this are always more entertaining in my opinion because you’re laughing and cringing for all the RIGHT reasons. MVD Visual ships this one out next month, but you can pre-order it here if you’re into this sort of thing.

Motivational Growth MVD Visual 

Since you’re read this far, that must mean you are, so you certainly don’t need any motivation from me at all, right? Ha, I thought so…

Random Art: It’s Not Really A Day Off, As I’m Still Breathing…

Posted on by
Reply

Inkomplete WIP 

Yuck. Between the cold weather outside, the home being too toasty (hey, at least the heat is on, but yikes, does it get steamy up in here!) and someone who moved back in recently with his nasty smoking habit (who needs to quit before he gets beaten senseless or drops dead himself), I’m a bit under the weather today.

(Thanks, chshaw87!)
 

Well, it’s not THAT bad, but past experience tells me that if I get too occupied with cranking out work when I’m starting to get sick, I usually end up this way in a few days. Anyway, I’m going to go out for a short walk (I ran out of aspirin and need a refill), pop back in to get some resty-rest and be back tomorrow with more intelligent things to say. Have a tree in the meantime.

See you all tomorrow. Or perhaps later if I pop up and feel less froggy and possessed.