House of Whipcord, made in 1973 (released April 1974),  is one of the most significant British horror films of the 1970s, a bleak, grim and unsavoury slice of cinema that helped signal the end of the gothic and the rise of a decade of nastiness. It was roundly hated by the horror establishment, then – as now – suspicious and contemptuous of anything new and challenging. But for a new generation of fans, this was much more exciting than the old-fashioned films, such as The Ghoul,  being made by the likes of Tyburn in the mid-seventies.

Opening with a pointedly cynical statement to the hanging and flogging brigade: “This film is dedicated to those who are disturbed by today’s lax moral codes and who eagerly await the return of corporal and capital punishment”, the film tells the story of Anne Marie (Penny Irving), a French model who meets a young man at a party, and despite his name being Mark E. Desade (Robert Tayman, Vampire Circus), agrees to leave with him. Before long, she’s captive in a disused prison, where Mark’s parents (Barbara Markham and Patrick Barr) run a quasi-judicial punishment regime for girls who have strayed from the path of ‘righteousness’. Along with psychotic warder Walker (Sheila Keith), they strip, torture and abuse the girls in a hypocritical attempt to punish them for their sins’. But things soon start to fall apart, as Anne-Marie plans her escape…

With a sharply savage screenplay by David MacGillivray (Frightmare, Satan’s Slave) – his first horror film and first movie for Peter Walker in what would be a sometimes fractious relationship -House of Whipcord rises above the exploitative nature of the material, without compromising on the sleaze factor. Meanwhile, Walker delivers solid, no-nonsense direction. Irving and hardened exploitation starlet Anne Michelle get naked, there’s some gratuitous yet mild whipping and an overwhelming air of grubbiness, but the film nevertheless makes its point smartly, skewering the double standards of the so-called Moral Majority.

Of course, that same Moral Majority was out to get the film, and it suffered cuts at the hands of the BBFC – though less than you might expect, BBFC Head Stephen Murphy apparently appreciating the knowing attack on ‘moral reformers’. The movie received a couple of positive reviews in the press, such as Films and Filming: “Shows that something worthwhile in the entertainment-horror market can be done for the tiny sum of £60,000″. However, it was more memorably dismissed by Russell Davies in The Observer as “a feeble fladge-fantasy” and the Evening News: “as nasty an exploitation of sadism as I can recall in the cinema.”

Writing in his 1977 book Horror Films, genre fan and critic Alan Frank pronounced it to be “a silly and tawdry exploitation film with ill-conceived characters written as cliches … in a series of voyeuristic scenes of sadism and violence … British exploitation cinema at its lowest common denominator.”  In more recent years, however, the film has built a substantial fan following, and for many remains the definitive Pete Walker film.

Buy House of Whipcord on Redemption Blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk

Buy The Pete Walker Collection on Redemption Blu-ray Disc from Amazon.com

The film was re-released in the USA by United Producers as Stag Model Slaughter and later, with a misleading ad campaign that made it look like a soft porn film. The Photographer’s Models. In France, it was known simply as Flagellations.

“I’ve always thought that this film was going to be one of those seedy, underground 1970s sexploitation films with no plot and lots of naked women being whipped left right and centre. However, I’m pleased to say that while it is low budget, with the odd flash of unnecessary flesh it is also quite a reasonable little horror that at times can be quiet harrowing.” Spooky Isles

“An above average sexploitation/horror that has been put together with some polish and care from a fairly original script. The film is dedicated ironically to all those who wish to see the return of capital punishment in Britain, and it’s about a senile old judge and his wife who are so appalled by current permissiveness that they set up a gruesome house of correction for young girls. The only trouble is that the film undercuts its potentially interesting Gothic theme by some leering emphases, and the final result is likely to be seen and appreciated only by the people who will take the dedication at its face value” David Pirie, Time Out

Buy Making Mischief: The Cult Films of Pete Walker from Amazon.co.uk

Cast, in credits order:

• Barbara Markham … Mrs. Wakehurst
• Patrick Barr … Justice Bailey
• Ray Brooks … Tony
• Ann Michelle … Julia
• Sheila Keith … Walker
• Dorothy Gordon … Bates
• Robert Tayman … Mark E. Desade
• Ivor Salter … Jack
• Karan David … Karen
• Celia Quicke … Denise
• Ron Smerczak … Ted
• Tony Sympson … Henry
• Judy Robinson … Claire
• Jane Hayward … Estelle
• Celia Imrie … Barbara
• Barry Martin … Al
• Rose Hill … Henry’s Wife
• Dave Butler … Ticket Collector
• And introducing Penny Irving as Ann-Marie Di Verney

IMDb | Wikipedia | We are grateful to Wrong Side of the Art!, Temple of Schlock and Tumblr Lobby Cards for images above

Scriptwriter David McGillivray can be seen on the right hand

13 Sins, previously known as Angry Little God and 13: Game of Death, is a 2014 American horror remake of the 2006 Thai horror comedy/psychological thriller film 13 Beloved. The film is co-written and directed by Daniel Stamm (The Last Exorcism) and stars Ron Perlman (Alien: Resurrection, Rats), Mark Webber, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Christopher Berry, Stephanie Honoré, Rutina Wesley, Devon Graye, Brittney Alger, Tom Bower, Beau Brasseaux.

The film is released on VOD on March 14, 2014 with a theatrical release date of April 18, 2014.

Plot:

A bright but meek salesman (Webber), drowning in debt as he’s about to get married, receives a mysterious phone call informing him that he’s on a hidden camera game show where he must execute 13 tasks to receive a multi-million dollar cash prize…

Wikipedia | IMDb

The Border Lands is a 2013 British horror film written and directed by Elliott Goldner and produced by Jen Handorf. It stars Gordon Kennedy, Robin Hill, Aidan McArdle. The film is due for release on April 7, 2014.

Plot:

A team of Vatican investigators is sent to the British West Country to investigate reports of paranormal activity at a remote church.

Review Quotes:

“Sure, it’s a little rough around the edges. A couple of secondary characters never quite come to life, a revelation about one of the major characters seems a little unnecessary, and the climax veers towards Blair Witch territory, but for the most part The Borderlands succeeds admirably. Deftly balancing humour and shocks, it’s one of the best uses of found footage we’ve seen in a long time and one of the strongest British horrors of recent years. You may never go in a church again.” Iain Robertson, Starburst

“Instead of drawing so much on folklore, old ghost stories or menacing hoodies (although all these things play a part), the strongest element of The Borderlands’ identity as a British horror film is its central relationship. Deacon and Grey’s bickering, boredom and bonding has the easy chemistry of a flat-share comedy in the best possible way (the head-cam shots are occasionally a little reminsicent of Peep Show), and if we didn’t like the characters so much, their fear in the face of the unknown would be far less affecting. As it is, The Borderlandsis a tense, atmospheric chiller that will send a shiver down your spine and definitely make you jump.” Jonathan Hatfull, SciFiNow

“This is Goldner‘s first feature film and he accomplished something that most seasoned of directors completely fail on! Even the camera work is smooth compared to a lot of other found footage flicks.Goldner scares us with what we can’t or don’t see rather than splashing our eyes with cheap thrills.” Maven’s Movie Vault of Horror

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House of Mortal Sin (also known as The Confessional and The Confessional Murders) is a 1975 horror film directed by Pete Walker, and scripted by David McGillivray (House of Whipcord, Satan’s Slave), from a story by Walker. It stars Anthony Sharp, Susan Penhaligon (Patrick), Stephanie Beacham (The Nightcomers, Dracula A.D. 1972, Inseminoid), Norman Eshley and Sheila Keith. As with Frightmare, Andrew Sachs has a minor role.

A deranged priest takes it upon himself to punish his parishioners for their moral transgressions: ”I was put on this earth to combat sin and I shall use every available means to do so.” And he does…

Reviews:

“McGillivray’s script is full of inventive ideas which were obviously meant to shock and stir up controversy. Having the villainous murderer a repressed and crazed Catholic priest in modern times brought a new and different kind of monster to the catalog of British horror, and he’s marvelously played by Sharp. A lapsed Catholic in real life, Walker uses the film as a comment on organized religion, as extreme and satirical as it may be, with Father Meldrum mauling his victims via poison holy wafers, flaming incense burners and rosary beads.” DVD Drive-In

Trailer as The Confessional Murders:

“The excess is toned down for some good old-fashioned psychological horror and when the blood does flow, it has more impact for its rarity. Having a great cast helps too – Anthony Sharp and Sheila Keith are superb as the mad priest and his housekeeper, while the ‘young’ generation of Beacham, Penhaligon and Eshley give it a contemporary rather than gothic feel…” Cinedelica

“Acidic black comedy, or typically crass 70s horror flick brought out with the sole aim of shocking a jaded public? The jury’s still out on House of Mortal Sin (aka The Confessional), but you can’t deny that it’s entertaining.” British Horror Films

“For added box office appeal, the grotesque violence is fleshed out with arbitrary evocations of blighted sexual liaisons. However, the director remains ham-fisted, the performances unfocused rather than maniacal and the script woefully contrived.” The Aurum Horror Film Encyclopedia: Horror

Wikipedia | IMDb | Thanks to the following for images: Island of Terror

The Legend of Six Fingers is a 2013 American found footage monster horror film written and directed by Sam Qualiana (Snow Shark: Ancient Show Beast). It stars Debbie Rochon, Lynn Lowry, Andrew Elias, Tiffany Shepis and Tim O’Hearn.

Bloody Earth Films will release the film on DVD and VOD on June 24, 2014.

Two filmmakers, Neil and Andrew, set out to make a documentary about a rash of domestic animal slaughters in rural Western New York. After interviewing several local residents, the filmmakers learn the Native American legend of Yá·yahk osnúhsa? – “Six Fingers” in English, a bipedal creature not unlike Bigfoot, so named because it has three fingers on each hand. Believing that Six Fingers is responsible for the animal slayings, the filmmakers set out on a terrifying journey into the woods to discover whether or not the creature exists…

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Night of Something Strange is 2014 American infection-themed horror film written and directed by Jonathan Straiton from a story by himself and executive producer Ron Bonk (Gut Pile, Satan’s Cannibal Holocaust, Sexquatch: The Legend of Blood Stool Creek). It stars Brinke Stevens (Nightmare Sisters, Cheerleader Massacre, Carmilla: The Lesbian Vampire), Nicola Fiore, Kera O’Bryon, Janet Mayson, Kirk LaSalle, Wayne W. Johnson, Michael Merchant, Toni Ann Gambale, Billy Garberina, Brett Janeski, Wes Reid, Rebecca C. Kasek, Trey Harrison, Tarrance Taylor, Alexis Katherine.

Plot:

Teenage friends out for beach week get unexpectedly detoured to a creepy motel where a deadly sexually-transmitted virus now runs rampant, turning those infected into the living dead…

IMDb | Facebook | Related: Shivers

Wrong Turn 6 is a 2014 American backwoods-themed horror film being produced by Fox Home Entertainment, directed by Valeri Milev, and based upon a screenplay by Frank H.Woodward. The film stars Sadie Katz (13 Girls, Scorned), Aqueela Zoll (Killjoy Goes to Hell), Chris Jarvis, Roxanne Pallet (Lake Placid 3), Raymond Steers, Harry Belcher, Anthony Ilott, Luke Cousins, Billy Ashworth, Rollo Skinner, Joe Gaminara, and Tabitha Luke Eardley.

Wrong Turn 6 is currently being filmed in Bulgaria…

Images on this posting are from previous Wrong Turn outings.

Buy Wrong Turn: The Collection on DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Buy Wrong Turn 1 – 4 on Blu-ray from Amazon.com

Wrong Turn series on Wikipedia

Sources: Bloody Disgusting, Horror Society

We Are What We Are is a 2013 American horror film co-wriiten (with Nick Damici) and directed by Jim Mickle (Mulberry Street, Stake Land). It was screened at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. It is a remake of the 2010 Mexican film of the same name. The film stars Bill Sage, Julia Garner, Ambyr Childers, Kelly McGillis, Odeya Rush, Michael Parks, Wyatt Russell and Nick Damici.

A seemingly wholesome and benevolent family, the Parkers have always kept to themselves, and for good reason. Behind closed doors, patriarch Frank rules his family with a rigorous fervor, determined to keep his ancestral customs intact at any cost. As a torrential rainstorm moves into the area, tragedy strikes and his daughters Iris and Rose are forced to assume responsibilities that extend beyond those of a typical family. As the unrelenting downpour continues to flood their small town, the local authorities begin to uncover clues that bring them closer to the secret that the Parkers have held closely for so many years. While the town’s doctor who’s daughter was eaten by Frank watches, the daughters both decide to consume their overbearing father, by eating his flesh while still alive…

Horrorpedia opinion: While there is an inevitable backlash against any US remake of a ‘foreign language’ film, We Are What We Are shows the validity of such remakes. This is less a carbon copy than a new interpretation of the basic story, given a Southern Gothic make-over and arguably resulting in a superior film. It could be argued – and we accept that this is a contentious opinion – that remakes like this manage to improve on the story by giving a fresh look at the story. Not that all such remakes do this successfully, but when they do – as in this case – the resulting film is a potent, powerful variation that both compliments and expands upon the original story.

‘What’s particularly impressive about We Are What We Are is what it changes (which is a lot) and what it chooses to keep; the central core of both films is very similar and yet fascinating for different reasons. The film also boasts strong essentials in the cinematography and score departments, while Mr. Mickle acts as his own editor, and the result is two disparate subplots that slowly converge in clever and intense fashion. This is a sober and serious horror tale, but it does remember to include some jolts, scares, and seriously bloody bits, too. It’s just a tight little package, all told.’ Scott Weinberg, FEARnet

‘The best element of the picture is how Mickle slowly, painstakingly builds both suspense and grotesque horror. Mickle is a natural born filmmaker and there is seldom a frame or beat that’s out of step. In fact there’s something very peculiar at work here in just how rich his approach is since there’s a genuine attempt to humanize its characters in a way where we often empathize with their situation even when they’re engaging in utterly horrendous actions. This is in stark contrast to the original Mexican version where its characters are pretty reprehensible as human beings…’ Glen Klymkiw, Film Corner

‘The movie saves most of its modest number of jolts for its last quarter or so, which makes them all the more intense. They stick in your craw – and be warned, they’re not for the squeamish… Mickle’s version has all the American Gothic trappings, maybe even pouring it on a bit thick at times. Despite the generally somber tone, there are a few moments when he seems to be tweaking genre buffs’ memories of movies by the likes of Wes Craven and Tobe Hooper.’ Walter Addiego, San Francisco Gate

‘Mickle takes a slightly different tack altogether, using the Grau screenplay as a jumping point to set more of a mood piece, using the gore to accent the feeling of anachronism he sets up with the central family. The violence of Mickle’s We Are What We Are, builds slowly toward a shocking and gruesome finale worthy of any horror fan’s attention.’ Brandon A. DuHamel, Blu-rayDefinition.com

Buy We Are What We Are on Instant Video | DVD | Blu-ray from Amazon.com

Wikipedia | IMDb

W.H. / D.F.

The Orang Minyak is one of a number of Malay ghost myths. Orang Minyak literally means oily man in Malay.

According to one legend, popularised in the 1956 film Sumpah Orang Minyak (The Curse of the Oily Man) directed by and starring P. Ramlee, the orang minyak was a man who was cursed in an attempt to win back his love with magic. In this version, the devil offered to help the creature and give him powers of the black arts, but only if the orang minyak worshipped him and raped 21 virgins within a week. In another version it is under control of an evil shaman or witch doctor.

According to legend, in the 1960s the orang minyak lived around several Malaysian towns. The orang minyak of the 1960s was described as human, naked and covered with oil (supposedly to make it difficult to catch). However, there were also stories of the orang minyak where it was supposedly supernatural in origin, or invisible to non-virgins, or both. The mass panic has also led to unmarried women, typically in student dormitories, borrowing sweaty clothes to give the impression to the orang minyak that they are with a man. Other defense supposedly include biting its left thumb and covering it in batik.

Reputed sightings of the orang minyak, or events later ascribed to it, have continued with reduced frequency into the 2000s.

In 2005, there were cases reported of rapists covered in oil roaming around, armed with knives. 

In 2012, the residents in Kampung (Village) Laksamana, in Gombak, Selangor Malaysia claim to have seen and heard the orang minyak around the vicinity of the Pangsapuri Laksamana and Jalan Laksamana 1. The village had been buzzing with sightings of the two paranormal creatures for the last 10 days.

This creature, in its general nature, behaviour and supposed origin would seem to be very similar to the Grease devil of Ceylon.

The legend has appeared in a number of films, including:

Sumpah Orang Minyak (1956), directed by P. Ramlee

Serangan Orang Minyak (1958), directed by L. Krishnan

Oily Maniac (1976), from the Shaw Brothers, directed by Meng Hua Ho

Orang Minyak (2007)

Pontianak vs Orang Minyak (2012), directed by Afdlin Shauki

Wikipedia

Deliver Us from Evil, previously titled Beware the Night, is a 2014 American crime-thriller horror film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, directed by Scott Derrickson and co-written with Paul Harris Boardman, based on a 2001 book entitled “Beware the Night” by Ralph Sarchie and Lisa Collier Cool.

The film stars Eric Bana, Olivia Munn, Joel McHale, Sean Harris and Édgar Ramírez. It is set for a July 2, 2014 release.

Plot:

Ralph Sarchie, a New York cop who meets a renegade priest when he is pulled into a case which the priest convinces him, against the officer’s religious beliefs, is demonic related. Together they work to solve the case and combat the paranormal forces working against them…

Wikipedia | IMDb

Starry Eyes is a 2014 American horror film written and directed by Kevin Kolsch, Dennis Widmyer. It stars Alexandra Essoe, Amanda Fuller (Red, White & Blue), Noah Segan, Fabianne Therese (John Dies at the End), Shane Coffey, Natalie Castillo, Pat Healy (The Innkeepers), Nick Simmons, Maria Olsen, Marc Senter, Louis Dezseran.

A hopeful young starlet uncovers the ominous origins of the Hollywood elite and enters into a deadly agreement in exchange for fame and fortune…

“Cementing Essoe’s performance is the masterful direction and writing of Wdmyer and Kolsch. There’s a subtleness to the film, even when it dips into full on gore late in the third act, that just puts it a cut above it’s modern horror contemporaries. The pair crafted a well thought out tale and were able to present it in a completely organic and masterful way.” The HD Room

“Starry Eyes is elevated immeasurably by its leading lady, but the darkly insightful screenplay also “nails” the Hollywood aspirant archetype perfectly, the flick never stays in one place for too long, and it closes with a third act that works as psychological horror, Grand Guignol, and a nightmarish tragedy all at the same time. This might not be the first time you’ve heard the “deal with the devil” set-up, but hey; Starry Eyes deftly illustrates the ways in which Hollywood can turn a sweet, fractured girl into a egomaniacal monster.” Scott Weinberg, FEARnet

“An undeniably ambitious film, Starry Eyes isn’t always fluid in navigating the many elements of its Hollywood horror show. There’s quite a lot to take in, as the filmmakers are plainly attempting to pack the film with all the monstrousness they and their team have likely experienced in the trenches. The result is partly ironic, as the character suffering so much to be a star doesn’t feel as if she fully gets the spotlight, despite a gross, gripping journey and a superb turn from Essoe.” Samuel Zimmerman, Fangoria

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Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal is a 2001 American horror thriller directed by Jorge Montessi from a screenplay by Wade Ferely. It stars Zak Santiago, Monika Schnarre, John Mann and Rutger Hauer.

Review:

Satanic metal rocker Slade Craven is performing a concert – in the cargo hold aboard a 747 commercial flying machine. This means the cockpit is now the mosh pit. The first-ever airborne heavy metal gig is also being simulcast on the Internet, or “world wide web.” Shortly after take-off the show begins, with Craven looking like a cross between Marilyn Manson and that white-faced vampire thing in Subspecies (1991). In the background, a law-pursued hacker manages to hack his way into the web TV’s mainframe to watch the concert for free.

During the show something goes wrong besides the concept; Craven shoots the pilot – and personal baggage is NOT stored safely in the overhead compartment. Seems an imposter Craven – a real devil-worshipper – is hijacking the plane with the plan to crash it into a specific church in Kansas, reputed to be the gateway to Hell, thereby letting out all the stink demons. (No wonder Dorothy wanted out of that town so bad).

The hacker sees all of this on his screen, as does the FBI, and the race is on to save a plane load of really stupid-looking Goth rocker fans from a fate they deserve for dressing so stupid.

Wild twists and cool shifts in plotting turn this preposterous premise into a real headbanger. At the very least, no one can accuse Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal (2001) of being clichéd. FYI: The ending is worth three times the DVD rental. I won’t spoil it so as to not ruin your heavy metal dreams. And hey, death metal songs to sing along with!

Jeff Gilbert, Drinkin’ & Drive-In

Wikipedia

Sheer Filth is a 2014 book, published by FAB Press and edited by David Flint. It is a ‘remixed and remastered’ version of the original Sheer Filth fanzine that was published between 1987 and 1990.

Sheer Filth specialised in coverage of exploitation and cult cinema, vintage erotica, extreme music and pulp fiction. The book edition is a 240 page collection that includes the bulk of the original content, plus several additional pieces by Flint that were either published elsewhere or had never been seen in print before.

The book was made available in three editions: the standard softcover, a 150 limited edition hardcover and an ultra limited Collector’s Edition of just 34, which includes both the hardcover and softcover, together with an original copy of the fanzine, contained within a brown paper bag. This edition sold out within a few hours of going on sale.

The book was published on April 9th 2014.

The contents of the new book are:

 Filthy Thoughts (introduction)

David F. Friedman: Sultan of Sleaze
A King in Babylon: David F. Friedman interviewed
Sad Eyed Lady (cartoon)
Archaos: Circus Extreme
Sex Cinemas in the UK

Corpse Fucking Artist: Jorg Buttgereit interview
Sex is Fun

The Amazing Colossal Films of Samuel Z. Arkoff (interview)
Some Reflections on the Disappearance of the Cum Shot
Death Disco
That’s Carry On
The Adventures of Lucky Herschell (interview)

Are You Ready… for Eddie?
Lower Bodily Functions at the Cornerhouse
Printed Matter (book reviews)
De Sade’s Juliette; or, the Misfortunes of Censorship
Dirge Talk

Yama Wack Dunce Prong (cartoon)
The Green Goddess: Pamela Green interviewed

The Horror of Party Beach
SPK Despair
Psychic TV: The First Transmission
Coil: Followers of Chaos Out of Control
Confessions of a Sex Maniac: Tuppy Owens interviewed
Pleasure pain Series
Cicciolina In Action

Festival Fever
Cartoons
Betty Page Queen of Glamour
The Mighty Klaw!
The Classic Films of Irving Klaw
The Devil in Miss Jones
On the Bongo Beat
100% Heater-O-Sexual Rockin’ Filthy Discs

Assault of the Killer Bimbo
Salon Kitty
Go, Johnny, Go: Johnny Legend Interview
Behind the Green Door
Extremes in Art and Music
La Religieuse
Robert Bresson and the Angels of Sin
I Know You Are But What Am I? Pee Wee Herman
Urotsukidoji
The Selling of Chesty Morgan

Shadows in the City
Bring Back Those Lusty, Busty Babes
Robert Crumb: Sex, Death and Big Thighs in the Comic Strip
The Bride and the Beast
That Divoon Gal Jayne Mansfield
Film Reviews

Satanists, Cannibals, Aliens & Sex: Norman J. Warren Interview
Post Porn Modernist: Annie Sprinkle Interview
Doing Rude Things: David McGillivray Interview
The Filthography

Buy Sheer Filth book from Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Call Girl of Cthulhu is a forthcoming 2014 American comedy horror film directed by Chris LaMartina from a screenplay by himself and Jimmy George. The film is “inspired” by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. It stars David Phillip Carollo, Melissa O’Brien, Nicolette le Faye, Dave Gamble, Helenmary Ball, Sabrina Taylor-Smith, Alex Mendez, Craig Peter Coletta. Horror genre veteran George Stover (The Alien Factot, Nightbeast, Vampire Sisters) makes a cameo appearance.

The filmmakers raised $27,750 on crowd funding website Kickstarter - click the link to watch video

It is the sixth feature film from Baltimore based production company, Midnight Crew Studios, whose previous movies include Witch’s Brew and President’s Day.

When a virginal artist falls in love with a call girl, she turns out to be the chosen bride of the alien god Cthulhu. To save her, he must stop an ancient cult from summoning their god and destroying mankind…

IMDb | Tumblr | Twitter | Promo photo by Josh Sisk

WH

The Mad Doctor is a Mickey Mouse cartoon released in 1933. The short’s horror overtones made it unusual for a Mickey Mouse cartoon. Some theaters refused to show it, believing it to be too scary for kids. At one time, for this reason, it was banned entirely in England.

The short’s title character later had a cameo in the Roger Rabbit short, “Tummy Trouble”, in which he was seen on a picture. The Mad Doctor was also the basis for, and title of the second level in the game, Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse (for Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Sega CD and PlayStation (as Mickey’s Wild Adventure); a depiction of the Mad Doctor level is used as the cover art for the game.

This cartoon is in the public domain, and can be found on many low budget VHS tapes and DVDs

Plot:

A mad scientist, Dr. XXX, has captured Mickey’s dog, Pluto. Mickey tries to rescue him before the doctor can perform his grotesque experiment: attaching Pluto’s head to the body of a chicken in order to see if a puppy will hatch from an egg (that is if the end result will “bark or crow or cackle”). Mickey battles his way through booby traps and animated skeletons before eventually getting caught and strapped onto a table to get cut open by a buzzsaw, forcing Mickey to suck in his belly, trembling. The scene then fades to Mickey asleep in bed and suddenly woken up by a fly, whose buzzing resembles the whirring of the spinning blade. Not yet realizing the events were only a nightmare, Mickey shouts for Pluto, who eagerly jumps onto Mickey’s bed with his doghouse and chain still attached to collar.

Wikipedia

WH

How to Make a Monster is a 1958 American horror film released by American International Pictures (AIP). The film is a follow-up to both I Was a Teenage Werewolf and I Was a Teenage Frankenstein. Like Teenage Frankenstein, a black & white film that switched to color for the final moments, How to Make a Monster was filmed in black & white, with the entire last reel filmed in colour.

Pete Dumond, Chief Make-up Artist for 25 years at “American International Studios,” is pink-slipped by the new management from the East, Jeffrey Clayton and John Nixon, who plan to make musicals and comedies instead of the horror pictures for which Pete has created his remarkable monster make-ups and made the studio famous. In retaliaton, Pete vows to use the very monsters these men have rejected to destroy them. By mixing a numbing ingredient into his foundation cream and persuading the young actors that their careers are through unless they place themselves in his power, he hypnotizes both Larry Drake and Tony Mantell, who are playing the characters Teenage Werewolf and Teenage Frankenstein in the picture Werewolf Meets Frankenstein currently shooting on the lot.

In recent years, the title has been used several times: for a song on Rob Zombie’s 1998 debut solo album, Hellbilly Deluxe; for a TV movie in 2001; for the name of the 2004 album by The Cramps; for a documentary on special make-up effects applications in 2005; and for an 8-minute short film in 2011.

“How to Make a Monster owes its superiority to the prototypical I Was a Teenage Werewolf to a combination of speed and wit on the one hand, and the engaging, well-drawn character of Pete Drummond on the other. In marked contrast to most AIP movies of the time, How to Make a Monster zips right along, aided by the fact that its premise allows it to incorporate action scenes from Teenage Frankenstein vs. the Teenage Werewolf whenever the main plot starts to bog down. And the comedic elements are surprisingly funny for 1958, relying more on sly jabs at the foolishness and absurdity of the movie business than on the juvenile slapstick more typical of late-50’s B-movies.” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting

“Unfortunately, the novelty of the film-within-a-film angle is not enough to carry the picture. The movie is more of a murder melodrama than an honest to goodness monster flick, and the details of the investigation grow tiresome. That’s not to say there aren’t some enjoyable scenes.” Exclamation Mark

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Like a Doll (Comme une Poupée) is a 2014 French short horror film directed by Joseph Catté.

“Toying with gender roles, madness and horror, Joseph Catté’s new short film Comme une Poupée (Like a Doll) is a good example of how to make something impressive out of very little – in this case a single actress (Pauline Helly), a story by Roland Topor (author of The Tenant, another psychological gender swap study) and a lot of blood.

The result is an impressive, beautifully constructed and effective five minute short film that should have you wanting to see more from Catté.”

David Flint, courtesy of Strange Things Are Happening

The Snare is a 2014 British horror film written and directed by C.A. Cooper. It stars Eaoifa Forward, Dan Paton, Rachel Warren, Renate Morley. The film is due to be released in the Spring.

Plot:

Three students head to the seafront for a drunken weekend, only to be imprisoned on the top floor of their holiday apartment by a malevolent paranormal force…

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WH

In Ghana, cinema was always popular and most large towns had splendid large cinemas that were left over from the days of British colonialism. Unfortunately, as spare parts for the cinemas’ 35mm projectors began to become harder to source, the theatres began to close down. By the mid-1980s films on VHS had become the main source of movie entertainment. Small operators took films out to be shown in the villages and small towns, often using gas-powered generators if there was no electricity supply. Local artists were hired to hand paint posters for these mobile video showings, using flour sacks as a cheap and easily obtainable alternative to canvas. The number of mobile video ‘cinemas’ declined in the mid-nineties due to the greater availability of television and video; as a result the painted film posters were substituted for less interesting/artistic posters produced on photocopied paper. The origin of the horror movies below is an international mix but some are from nearby Nigeria and may well be Nigerian artwork rather than Ghanaian.

We are grateful to a vast number of online sources – too many to mention – but Ephemera Assemblyman in particular

Croc is a 1976 horror novel written by David James.

One of the few US novels in the ‘nature strikes back’ subgenre, the novel was first published by Belmont Tower books, and was later picked up by pulp specialists New English Library for the UK in 1977.

The novel plays on the urban myth of alligators living in the sewers of major cities – the same myth that would fuel the film Alligator a few years later in 1980 (to confuse the issue, there is also a novel called Alligator, by Shelly and Paul Katz, published in 1981, which is unconnected to the film).

The blurb for Croc states: “The crocodile was racing past him, and Reamers only had time to look up as the beast’s mouth opened wide, then closed with a sickening sound around the torso of one of the men.”

Like many books of this type, Croc is a fast paced, fairly trashy but undeniable entertaining read.

DF