Ichi the Killer (殺し屋１ Koroshiya Ichi) is a 2001 Japanese film directed by Takashi Miike (Audition) , written by Sakichi Sato, and based on Hideo Yamamoto‘s manga series of the same name. It stars Nao Omori, Tadanobu Asano and Alien Sun.

Plot Teaser

When a Yakuza boss named Anjo disappears with 300 million yen, his chief henchman, a sadomasochistic man named Kakihara, and the rest of his mob goons go looking for him. After capturing and torturing a rival Yakuza member looking for answers, they soon realize they have the wrong man and begin looking for the man named Jijii who tipped them off in the first place. Soon enough Kakihara and his men encounter Ichi, a psychotic, sexually-repressed young man with amazing martial arts abilities and blades that come out of his shoes. One by one Ichi takes out members of the Yakuza and all the while Kakihara intensifies his pursuit of Ichi and Ichi’s controller Jijii. What will happen as the final showdown happens between the tortured and ultra-violent Ichi and the pain-craving Kakihara?

As a publicity gimmick, vomit bags were handed out at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to those attending the midnight screening of this film. Similar bags were handed out during the Stockholm International Film Festival. Reportedly, watching the movie caused one person to throw up and another to faint.

In January 2009, The Norwegian Media Authority learned of this incident. Based on the incident and on the assessment that itsi nfliction of violence “is potentially harmful to children and adults” the film was banned in Norway. Any person caught screening or selling the film in Norway can face arrest with possible fines or imprisonment. The film has been banned in Malaysia since the movie’s distribution date. It later caused controversy in Germany and the film was banned for distribution there too. Private possession of the film remains legal. The film remains banned in all three countries as of 2009.

In the UK, 3 minutes and 45 seconds have been removed, the BBFC explaining:

“The Board’s main concern is with content which is likely to promote harmful activity. The Board’s Guidelines constrain, in particular, depictions which eroticise or appear to endorse sexual violence. Of specific concern are sexual images in a violent context which are designed to titillate. The Guidelines take account of academic research which indicates that violence when mixed with explicit sexual images (women forcibly stripped, shots which linger on naked breasts or genitalia during rape or assault) may produce a harmful response in some viewers. The scenes cut from Ichi the Killer include naked women being sexually mutilated or beaten or killed. They contain images of erotically explicit violence which have never been passed by the BBFC at any classification level.”

Director Takashi Miike reveals on the US Tokyo Shock DVD release that the semen used in the close-up during the intro sequence, when the film’s title raises out of a puddle of semen, is real.

Buy Ichi the Killer uncut on Blu-ray from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Reviews

“I doubt Miike even intended for us to enjoy Ichi the Killer, only to react to it. Films exist to stimulate emotional responses from their viewers, be them happy or sad, and in the case of Ichi the Killer, some mild form of flu-like nausea and disorientation. The layer of complexity, depth and psychoanalysis in Ichi the Killer runs deep and dark, but only for those brave enough to subject themselves to it.” DVD Verdict

“Ichi The Killer is a sexually deviant, anarchic, psychotic, unsettling, politically incorrect, side-splitting and blood-drenched hammer to the head. Sure, it dragged at times and Ichi needed a good kick in the face, but if you dig your Asian cinema and have a set of balls the size of mammoth rocks (yes, this applies to the ladies too), try to nab this crazy bastard…he’ll take ya for one crazy ass joyride and you’ll thank him for it.” Arrow in the Head

“A lot of what makes Ichi the Killer so special is no its violent tone but the way that Takashi Miike deals with violence in general. If you go into the film with a sense of humor and looking for more than just sadism or gore then you are sure to enjoy this film. Ultimately Ichi the Killer is an orgy of carnage that hits all the right notes and makes all the right incisions.” 10K Bullets

IMDb | Wikipedia

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Cthulhu is a fictional deity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft and first introduced in the short story “The Call of Cthulhu”, published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pantheon of Lovecraftian cosmic entities, the creature has since been featured in numerous popular culture references. It is one of the central Great Old Ones of the Cthulhu Mythos, and is often cited for the extreme descriptions given of its hideous appearance, its gargantuan size (hundreds of feet tall), and the abject terror that it evokes.

After its first appearance in “The Call of Cthulhu”, Cthulhu makes a few minor appearances in a few other Lovecraft works; “The Dunwich Horror”, “The Horror in the Museum and “The Diary of Alonzo Typer”. It is also referred to in “At The Mountains of Madness” and “The Whisperer in Darkness”

The physical appearance and dimensions of this mythical creature are almost secondary to the effect he has on mortal man but regardless, its appearance is described as follows:

“A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings. . . .”

“A monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind”

“a thing that cannot be described…the green, sticky spawn of the stars”

“…an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature”

“…a squatting octopus-headed thing”

“…many tentacled Cthulhu”

“…a monstrous creature resembling nothing so much as a squid, beaked and tentacled, with great yellow eyes, and with certain abominable approximations to the human form in its contours. . . . On the paws, feet, and head tentacles were curious claws — while the entity as a whole sat upon a great throne-like pedestal inscribed with unknown hieroglyphs of a vaguely Chinese cast”

Lovecraft’s rich mythology contained many deities, Cthulhu being one of the Great Old Ones (specifically their Priest) powerful, monstrous Gods from space who once ruled the Earth and who have since fallen into a deathlike sleep. Other Great Old Ones include Azathoth, Ghatanothoa, Shub-Niggurath, Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep and Yig. They attract the worship of wayward and insane cults but operate in different dimensions to humans ordinarily and with utter disdain. Cthulhu’s worshippers chant “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn” (“In his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.”)

These Gods are supplemented by Outer Gods and, post-Lovecraft, Elder Gods, created by writers such as August Derleth, who also founded Arkham House Publishing. It was Derleth who expanded upon Lovecraft’s descriptions and tales to develop an entire Cthulhu Mythos. Though Cthulhu is destined to once again rule the Earth, humans are doomed never to understand it, as it is ultimately beyond mortal comprehension.

A particular bone of contention is the correct pronunciation of The Great One’s name.

Cthulhu has also been spelled as Tulu, Clulu, Clooloo, Cthulu, Cthullu, C’thulhu, Cighulu, Cathulu, C’thlu, Kathulu, Kutulu, Kthulhu, Q’thulu, K’tulu, Kthulhut, Kutu, Kulhu, Kutunluu, Ktulu, Cuitiliú, Thu Thu, and in many other ways. It is often preceded by the epithet Great, Dead, or Dread.

Lovecraft transcribed the pronunciation of Cthulhu as Khlûl′-hloo and said that “the first syllable [of Khlûl′-hloo is] pronounced gutturally and very thickly. The u is about like that in full; and the first syllable is not unlike klul in sound, hence the h represents the guttural thickness.” According to Lovecraft, this is merely the closest that the human vocal apparatus can come to reproducing the syllables of an alien language.

Such is the relative ambiguity of Cthulhu, it has been interpreted in many different forms by artists over the years and in more recent times has become something of a pop culture figure, appearing on cereal boxes, as cuddly toys and on T-shirts. The Californian spider species Pimoa cthulhu, described by Gustavo Hormiga in 1994, is named with reference to Cthulhu. Two microorganisms that assist in the digestion of wood by termites have been named after Cthulhu and Cthulhu’s “daughter” Cthylla: Cthulhu macrofasciculumque and Cthylla microfasciculumque, respectively.

The size of Cthulhu and its ghastly appearance have made it a difficult one to make the transition into film, though attempts were made in 2005’s The Call of Cthulhu and a 2007 film simply titled Cthulhu. More successful has been Cthulhu’s appearance in role playing games, animation (an appearance in The Simpsons and South Park), video games, toys and statuary. The H.P.Lovecraft Historical Society have regularly performed recorded and stage musical work based on Lovecraft’s world, including ditties relating to the Great One.

Daz Lawrence, Horrorpedia

Odd Thomas is a 2013 American mystery horror film based on Dean Koontz‘s novel of the same name. It is directed, written and co-produced by Stephen Sommers and stars Anton Yelchin as Odd Thomas, with Willem Dafoe and Addison Timlin as Wyatt Porter and Stormy Llewellyn.

Plot Teaser

In less than 24 hours, the city of Pico Mundo will awaken to a day of catastrophe. When Odd, a fast food chef with the ability to see the dead and sense impending danger, discovers a dark secret about a stranger in his town, he is compelled to unravel the truth. His soul mate, Stormy, and Police Chief Porter help him on his mission. However, in pursuit of justice, Odd´s action triggers a violent chain reaction that will not be stopped unless he commits the ultimate sacrifice…

In July 2013, it was reported that the release of the film had been delayed indefinitely because of legal action by Two Out of Ten Productions and Fusion Films against Outsource Media Group and others. The suit alleges that $25 million should have been spent on prints and advertising to support a release of Odd Thomas in the U.S., and another $10 million to partially refinance certain loans. It was released on DVD in the UK in February 2014. Filming was also stopped for several weeks due to financial problems.

Buy Odd Thomas on DVD from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

“Odd Thomas is Sommers’s best work in years, if not a decade, but it’s not the sort of triumph that’ll get him out of my doghouse just yet. But, to be fair, anything short of erasing Van Helsing from existence might fail to do that. I might still be a little bitter.”  Oh The Horror!

“Odd Thomas becomes solidly entertaining. The humor worked perfectly, the surprising moments were abundant, and the characterization and special effects showed a good taste. And so, with flaws and all, the film surprisingly managed to create positive impact, opinion shared by Koontz himself who said to be pleased with the adaptation of his work.” Always Watch Good Movies 

Wikipedia | IMDb 

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US one sheet

Mother’s Day is a 1980 American horror-thriller film, directed, co-written and produced by Charles Kaufman, brother of Troma Entertainment co-founder Lloyd Kaufman, who served as an associate producer for the film. It stars Nancy Hendrickson, Deborah Luce, Tiana Pierce, Holdem McGuire, Billy Ray McQuade and US TV star Rose Ross.

Plot Teaser

Abbey, Jackie , and Trina, who reunite every year to take a camping trip. Once while setting their vacation up in the woods, they find their trip turns into their worst nightmare when they are captured by a group of two partially insane punk/”hillbilly” hybrids: Ike  and Addley. The punks lead a comfortable life, living along with their mentally abnormal mother in an occult hovel situated amidst the wood. All through the movie, their mother goads her sons into acts of rape, violence, and murder. Eventually one of the women is severely brutalized by Ike and Addley, and the remaining two escape before the first dies from her sustained injuries. They soon regroup, arm themselves, and set out for bloody revenge against Ike, Addley, and Mother. After the girls take their revenge at the end of the film, as they are about to leave the woods they are attacked by the mother’s deformed sister, Queenie…

The United Kingdom’s film rating board (BBFC) rejected the film in 1980, banning it from distribution. The film was shown several times on the Horror Channel between 2006–08, with no cuts and is finally released on blu-ray uncut in 2014 by 88 Films.

In Australia, the film was originally passed uncut with an R 18+ in 1983 by the Australian censors but was later banned when reviewed in 1985. Fourteen minutes of the film were cut in Germany in order to keep the film from an X-rating.

A remake came in 2010,

Buy the blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk  and Amazon.com

Reviews

“Beautifully skuzzy and brazenly bizarre, Charles Kaufman’s original version of Mother’s Day is a deft mix of pitch black comedy and fairly effective and disturbing horror. The performances are wonderfully over the top and the locations amazingly filthy, giving this one a look and feel all its own.” Ian Jane, Rock! Shock! Pop!

“Make no mistake...Mother’s Day is not for everyone. It’s a demented and revolting exercise in sadism that makes you feel very uncomfortable, yet it’s done with such brains and heart that it stands tall above its many comparable knock-off’s. It’s tight, fast-paced, and very well done for its type. You become very concerned for the three heroines of the story, and for me this alone makes it a winner. These are characters with short but potent personal histories, and you CARE what happens to them.” DVD Drive-In

“While watching Mother’s Day, not only was I shocked that people have made a big deal about, but by the fact that anyone remembers it at all. Again, it’s similar to I Spit on Your Grave, but while that film was unflinching and sadistic in its depiction of rape and violence, Mother’s Day comes off as simply being cartoonish and weird. Yes, it’s unusual that Mother goads the boys into their strange shows for her entertainment, but the scenes are so weird that they become ludicrous. They are simply too odd to be disturbing.” DVD Sleuth

Wikipedia | IMDb

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Future-Kill  (aka Night of the Alien/Splatter) is a 1985 low-budget comedy science fiction-horror film directed by Ronald W. Moore, and stars Edwin Neal and Marilyn Burns from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Gabriel Folse. The poster for the film was designed by renowned artist H. R. Giger.

Plot Teaser

Texas University frat boys are held responsible for the accidental killing of the Anti-Nuke Mutants’ leader and must flee through the hostile parts of downtown Dallas, aided by friendly Mutant Julie. They’re mercilessly hunted by the psychopathic Splatter (Ed Neal), the Mohawk sporting mutant seeking revenge for the killing of his leader…

Marilyn Burns

Marilyn Burns was found dead by family members at her Houston, Texas home on August 5th 2014. She was 65.

Buy Future-Kill on DVD from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

“Despite its numerous flaws, despite its general silliness, I still found myself enjoying Future-Kill. Why? I’m not quite sure. Was it the Texas Chainsaw alums? Was it the “pew pew pew!” title placard? Was it the Escape From New York-like plonky synth soundtrack? It could be all of those things, or it could be none of them. While watching, though, I got the feeling that the impetus behind this movie was someone simply declaring, “Hey! Let’s make a fucking movie!”…and then they all got together and they did it. I like that.” Final Girl

“So, is the movie worth seeing. No. It is not bad in any interesting way. There is a certain Ed Woods feel to the way the movie was made. When you look past the movie to some of the background you really get the feeling that Moore was part hustler/ part con artist. H.R. Giger who did the art work for “Alien” was somehow persuaded to do a cover for the movie, apparently he was moved by Moore’s tearful assertion that the movie would be nothing without great cover art. I have to disagree with that, the movie is still nothing even with great cover art.” Bleak Cinema

“The list of what works in Future-Kill is far shorter than that of what doesn’t, so I’ll save the time of laying out all its flaws and just say that this is not a movie that has aged well by any stretch of the imagination. The acting is sub-par, the direction is bored, the music simply hurts to sit through and Ed Neal’s outfit is ridiculous. I really don’t get why he agreed to the role, other than to do a favor for a friend and try something different, since it’s so unlike Neal’s personality it’s almost laughable. A cold-hearted killer he is not.” Dread Central

Wikipedia | IMDb

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Countess Dracula is a 1971 Hammer horror film based on the legends surrounding the “Blood Countess” Elizabeth Báthory. It is in many ways atypical of Hammer’s canon, attempting to broaden Hammer’s output from Dracula and Frankenstein sequels. The film was produced by Alexander Paal and directed by Peter Sasdy, Hungarian émigrés working in England. The original music score was composed by Harry Robertson.

In 17th Century Hungary, Countess Elisabeth Nádasdy (Ingrid Pitt) and her bed companion and steward, Captain Dobi (Nigel Green), are snubbed in a will at the expense of the young and the too old to benefit. The Countess takes it rather better than Dobi as she has recently discovered the secret to ever-lasting youth, a quick bath in the blood of murdered young girls. Alas, the fridge is empty of such commodities and the effect is disappointingly short-lasting, so she keeps her hold on Dobi whilst enlisting him to furnish her with the required local young ladies. Her rejuvenated young self takes advantage yet further of the situation and embarks on a sexual affair with simpering Lieutenant Toth (Sandor Elès), the son of a famous general who is eager to similarly make his mark.

To stay in her youthful state, it begins to require ever more victims and the trail or bloodless corpses is beginning to arouse suspicion. To throw locals off the scent, she assumes the identity of her daughter, Ilona (Lesley-Anne Down) who has been absent for some time, squirreled away by her mother in a hut in the forest, lest anyone find it odd that they are surprisingly similar age –  but not before the resident of the castle library, Fabio (Maurice Denham), begins to suspect something dodgy is afoot, not least when he nearly stumbles upon an unfortunate meeting between local busty prostitute, Ziza (Andrea Lawrence), Toth and the Countess, an encounter which Ziza doesn’t fare well in.

Upon finding that actually only virgins prolong the youthful appearance, yet more attacks take place but it’s all too much for Fabio who realises he must inform Toth – alas, too slow and he meets his end at the hands of Dobi who has been blackmailed into protecting the Countess any way he can. A slightly hurried marriage is arranged between Toth and Elisabeth but lo’! Ilona makes a surprise appearance. The congregation can only stand aghast as Elisabeth’s ageing/marrying/slaying dilemma begins to unravel before them.

A particularly strange entry into Hammer’s canon, at a time when their star was still shining brightly. Playing rather more like a historical yarn (more-so than the likes of Rasputin) than a horror film, let alone a vampire film, there is much to admire here but it’s ultimately a disappointing, unsatisfying experience. Director, Sasdy, proved himself to be a director of some style in Hammer’s own Hands of the Ripper from the same year but Countess Dracula suffers from being overly ponderous, seemingly unable to decide on historical accuracy, breasts or geysers of blood – eventually it panics but too late for a discernible resolution.

Those expecting fangs, fog and fluttering bats will certainly be disappointed – this concentrates on the Countess’ plight, as she sees it, giving all the characters a decent fist of stating their moral standpoint but it becomes unnecessarily wordy and redundant relatively early. It’s difficult to root for the Countess, killing and preening; Dobi shows real promise as a character but is reduced to a stooge; Toth is a sap of the highest order and needs a good telling off leaving only a librarian and a prostitute as characters of real interest.

Though an exotic vision and alluring mysterious both on-screen and in ‘real life’, only the truly brave of heart would call Ingrid Pitt a great actress, though she is served well by good ageing effects courtesy of Tom Smith, who worked on several Hammer films and onto the likes of The Shining and Return of the Jedi. Indeed, Pitt herself was a replacement for Diana Rigg who ultimately declined the role. Elès (Evil of Frankenstein) presumably makes the cut due to being Hungarian, whilst Green (The Masque of the Red Death) shows real promise but was sadly cut down at the age of only 47 the following year. Denham essentially channels Merlin and Lesley Anne-Down ultimately has very little to do – far more interesting is ravishing Andrea Lawrence, who hopped, skipped and jumped from On the Buses to I’m Not Feeling Myself Tonight to Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell.

The rather unconvincing mountains of Eastern Europe are, of course, Pinewood Studios, but the interiors are perhaps the film’s greatest achievement, a feast for the eyes of a believable castle and various castes of life that exist in and around – it’s a real shame that the fascinating world they live in is still somehow bland, despite gory murders and sumptuous sets. Though there is,naturally, a reasonable amount of nudity, the murders are relatively few on-screen though there are some juicy moments involving a hair-pin and a nicely judged scene of Elisabeth bathing which is more wistful than gratuitous.

Harry Robertson’s (here as Harry Robinson) score plays well alongside the relative drama on-screen, a mix of studious  orchestral sweeps and the use of a Hungarian cymbalom (same ball-park as a harpsichord) to add some flavours of the unknown environment. The dialogue is largely forgettable, aside from some ‘common slut from the whorehouse’ chat and Ziza uttering a barely credible ‘juicy pair’ line but there is something about the film which lingers in the memory and, though not especially a success, a mark of Hammer’s bravery that this appeared when it did.

Daz Lawrence, Horrorpedia

The entrance to Hell (or more accurately, entrances) has been designated at  various locations on the surface of the Earth from ancient times right up to the present day. They have acquired a legendary reputation for being entrances to the underworld due to their remote location, often in regions of unusual geological activity, particularly volcanic areas, or sometimes at lakes, caves or mountains.

Legends from both ancient Greece and Rome record stories of mortals who entered or were abducted into the netherworld through the gates of Hell. The god Hades kidnapped the Goddess Persephone from a field in Sicily and led her to the underworld through a cleft in the earth so he could marry her. Orpheus traveled to the Greek underworld in search of Eurydice by entering a cave at Taenarum or Cape Tenaron on the southern tip of the Peloponnese. Hercules entered the Underworld from this same spot. Both Aeneas andOdysseus also visited the underworld. The former entered the region through a cave at the edge of Lake Avernus on the Bay of Naples; the latter through Lake Acheron (with friendly local ferryman, Charon) in northwest Greece.

In Israel, The Twins Cave in the Judean hills outside Jerusalem have revealed evidence of pagan rituals linked to the underworld and may have been thought to be an access point for Persephone’s journey to the underworld.

In the medieval period, Mount Etna on Sicily was considered to be an entryway to Hell, understandably perhaps considering the regular eruptions and in a similar vein during this period, Icelanders believed their own Mount Hekla was also a gateway, beginning in the 12th century, after its 1104 eruption. Benedeit’s 1120 Anglo-Norman poem Voyage of St. Brendan mentions the volcano as the prison of Judas.That reputation continued with further eruptions; after the 1341 eruption, there was a report that people saw birds flying amidst the fire—birds, some thought, that must really be swarming souls. Even in more recent times, Hekla has maintained its diabolic status, as some superstitious folk have claimed that it’s a spot where witches meet with the devil.

The most famous of medieval gateways, however, was St Patrick’s Purgatory in Lough Derg, Co. Donegal, Ireland. Here, it is said, St. Patrick spent time contemplating his doubting flock when a vision of Christ appeared, pointing out the entrance to Hell (Purgatory) and the doom and anguish that awaited such folk. Over the coming decades, Catholic pilgrims sought out Purgatory on Station Island to such an extent that by the 17th Century, local officials sealed off the Satanic cave to prevent it from attracting the wrong sort of visitor. Such was the lure, this did little to dissuade pilgrims and even today, religious types will enter the cave for up to three days at a time, performing their vigil alongside a fast to atone for their sins as close to their potential agony as possible.

Away from Europe there are many examples of people pointing the accusatory finger at various local places of interest. In China, Fengdu has a long history in the Taoist tradition of being a portal to Hell. The 2,000-year-old City of Ghosts, located in Chongqing municipality, has a particularly charming route to everlasting misery; firstly, the soul of the recently departed must cross the Bridges of Helplessness to have their virtue judged, then face the Mirror of Retribution at the Ghost Torturing Pass and either become immediately reincarnated or face a series of torments before reaching the Wheel of Rebirth. Those who are undecided can take a moment to take in the vastness of the largest image carved into rock, the 138 metre-high and 217 metres across, Ghost King. In truth, much of the mythology surrounding this area is very much based in tourism (who’d have thought?)

Staying in Asia, Japan had its own volcano which ushered souls into the fire eternal, Mount Osore, a region filled with volcanic cauldrons located on the remote Shimokita Peninsula of Japan’s Honshu island, is literally named “Mount Fear”. With a small brook running to the neighbouring Lake Usori that is equated to the Sanzu River, a river that deceased souls needed to cross of their way to the afterlife. The Sanzu River, or “River of Three Crossings,” is believed to be the boundary between the realms of the living and the dead. Local fungi known as “skull mushrooms” add to the gloomy tone of the place. On the island of Kyushu, Japan, another area has a similar reputation, the blood-red sulphurous Pools of Beppu. Several of these pools have such hot water within them that they were used for torture purposes in past years.

The cave systems of Belize have been described in Popol Vuh, the Mayan text, as Xibalba, the entrance to Hell for newly lost souls. These texts described rivers of blood and scorpions, and a vast subterranean labyrinth ruled over by the Mayan death gods, the demonic “Lords of Xibalba.” Since their rediscovery in 1989, the caves of Actun Tunichil Muknal have become a popular destination for explorers. There are numerous landmarks that make this network particularly interesting, including a vast chamber of stalactites known as the “Cathedral.” Amongst scattered fragments of pottery and bone, one of the more notable discoveries is the skeleton of an 18-year-old girl. Believed to have been ritualistically murdered in the cave as a sacrifice to the Death Gods, she has been nicknamed the “Crystal Maiden”; over the 1,000 years since her death, her bones have calcified to create a shimmering, crystal effect. Although riverboats full of tourists now regularly explore these grottos, they are advised not to touch any of the relics for fear of reawakening the restless dead.

Over in America, local legend tells of Hellam Township, Pennsylvania, sitting upon the Seven Gates of Hell. No fewer than two local legends attempt to explain the “Seven Gates” of Hellam Township. One of the better-known myths ties them to an insane asylum on the town’s outskirts, which supposedly burnt to the ground in the 19th century. According to this particular legend, the inmates – most of them criminally insane, of course – escaped, only to be recaptured using a series of tall fences and secure gates. Many were beaten to death by guards in the process. This story falls down somewhat at the stage where it is discovered there was never an asylum in this area. The other tale sees a local doctor who once lived in the town. This man (by some accounts a Satanist, by others merely eccentric) was said to have designed a series of strange gates on his land, which followed a winding path running deeper and deeper into the forest. Where stories agree, is that those who pass through the gates in order will find themselves transported straight to the underworld.

Even as recently as this year, in the ancient Phrygian city of Hierapolis, now Pamukkale in southwestern Turkey, an area has roused suspicion amongst locals (and the Daily Mail) that the Devil’s lounge is closer than you might think .The evidence for this points the finger at an archaeological dig which uncovered statues of Pluto and Kore, the diabolical Gods, as well as the carcasses of dead birds, allegedly killed instantly by noxious carbon dioxide fumes. This echoes ancient accounts from the Greek geographer Strabo (64/63 BC — about 24 A.D.), who said: ‘This space is full of a vapour so misty and dense that one can scarcely see the ground. ‘Any animal that passes inside meets instant death. I threw in sparrows and they immediately breathed their last and fell.’

Equally modern is the breathtaking fiery pit known as The Door to Hell at Derweze, Ahal Province, Turkmenistan.The Door to Hell is noted for its natural gas fire which has been burning continuously since it was lit by Soviet petrochemical engineers in 1971. The fire is fed by the rich natural gas deposits in the area. The pungent smell of burning sulphur pervades the area for some distance. The fire, boiling mud, and orange flames in Derweze’s large crater (with a diameter of 70 metres) attracts many onlookers, though the President of the country has demanded the hole be filled in, lest it drain any of his nation’s lucrative natural resource. Regardless, over 40 years on, the flames show no sign of receding.

There is one more place of interest which perhaps came closer than any to being proven to be the entrance to Hell. Around 1990, it was reported on various internet sites that whilst digging a  putative borehole in Russia which was purportedly drilled so deep that it broke through into Hell, or at least close to it. The legend holds that a team of Russian engineers purportedly led by an individual named “Mr. Azzacov” in an unnamed place in Siberia had drilled a hole that was 9 miles (14 km) deep before breaking through to a cavity. Intrigued by this unexpected discovery, they lowered an extremely heat tolerant microphone, along with other sensory equipment, into the well. The temperature deep within was 2,000 °F (1,090 °C) — heat from a chamber of fire from which (purportedly) the tormented screams of the damned could be heard. That recording, however, was later revealed to have been a cleverly remixed portion of the soundtrack of the 1972 Mario Bava movie, Baron Blood, with various effects added. Warning – the following Youtube clip contains some attempted Christian brainwashing towards the end.

Alas, the so-called “Well to Hell” has since been debunked but not before various spin-offs appeared – these included a 1992, US tabloid Weekly World News published article which was set in Alaska where 13 miners were killed after Satan came roaring out of Hell. Other alternative stories included an alleged story where Jacques Cousteau quit diving after hearing “screams of people in pain” underwater. Another story told of one of Cousteau’s men fainting in terror after hearing screaming voices in a trench in the Bermuda Triangle.

Daz Lawrence, Horrorpedia, round the corner from Hell.

http://www.entrances2hell.co.uk/

Sweet Home (スウィートホーム Suwīto hōmu) is a 1989 Japanese horror film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and produced by Juzo Itami. It stars Nobuko Miyamoto, Shingo Yamashiro and Nokko. Dick Smith supplied the extensive special effects. Producer Itami took the film from Kurosawa to reshoot and replace scenes for the video release and TV screenings.

Plot Teaser

A small film crew visits the old, abandoned mansion of famous artist Ichirō Mamiya, who left several precious frescos inside his house. The team wants to restore and publish the paintings and film a documentary about Yamamura and his arts. The team includes Kazuo (Shingo Yamashiro), his daughter Emi (Nokko), producer Akiko (Nobuko Miyamoto), photographer Tagushi (Ichiro Furutachi) and art restorer Asuka (Fukumi Kuroda). After they enter the mansion, paranormal events betray the presence of a poltergeist. Soon, Asuka is possessed by the infuriated ghost of Fujin, Ichirō’s wife. The team discovers a makeshift grave where a toddler is buried. The boy is Ichirō and Fujin’s son, who fell into the house’s incinerator one day and burned alive. Since then, Fujin’s ghost haunts the mansion, killing any trespassers…

FX Prep

The game of the same name and the movie were simultaneously released so it’s not really clear if the movie is based on the video game or vice versa. Further complicating the debate about which came first: Sweet Home’s trailer is both an advertisement from the movie, and a sales pitch for the Famicom game. It includes scenes from both.

Sweet Home has never had an official DVD release anywhere.

Reviews

“Kurosawa shows himself fully capable of directing a fast-moving, sharply edited roller coaster of a film. It may not be terribly original, but the characters are engaging and the script is well written, providing an interesting variation on the traditional Japanese “vengeful female spirit” concept. The final third is fantastic, as Akiko takes on the role of surrogate mother, the only way she can hope to fight the grieving maternal demon that haunts the house.” Flipside Movie Emporium

Film/Game Trailer:

“Despite its unsurprising plotting, Sweet Home is action-packed, thrill-packed and effects-packed, resulting in a more than entertaining haunted house ride.” Tom Mes, Midnight Eye

“I love this film a great deal. Its everything you’d want in an old schoolhaunted house tale. Hidden rooms, scary ghosts, dark secrets and just a touch of humor. Its a creepy little film, that has a few scares and more than it’s fair share of tension. Its damn near perfect. Honestly the film haunts me at times with the any shadows I see coming from a dark room making me wonder if they are going to claim me.” Unseen Films

Wikipedia | IMDb

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For Elisa (original Spanish title: Para Elisa) is a 2013 Spanish horror film directed and written by Juanra Fernández,, and stars Ana Turpin, Ona Casamiquela, and Luisa Gavasa . The film’s name is a take on the Beethoven composition Für Elise.

Plot Teaser

When college student Ana (Ona Casamiquela) agrees to work as a caretaker for the mentally challenged Elisa (Ana Turpin), she initially sees it as just a way to pay for a post-graduation trip. Ana sets about her job, as she doesn’t believe Elisa is too overly difficult to care for, only to soon realize that Elisa’s overbearing mother Diamantina (Luisa Gavasa) is more than just an eccentric and wealthy matron. Diamantina is also mentally unstable and kidnaps Ana with the intention of keeping her in the house forever…

Filming for Para Elisa took place during August 2012 in Cuenca, Spain.

Buy For Elisa on DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Reviews

“When the violence happens, judicious cutting saves us from witnessing the full gory details, but the foley artist’s effects take no prisoners, making the stomach turn with shocks that are much more effective through implication. Throughout Ana’s ordeal, the claustrophobic atmosphere of the apartment interior is expertly rendered by effective lighting design and a brilliant musical score by Pascual Vasquez.” Horror Hot House

“For Elisa should have been a modern masterpiece and a great throwback to classic horror. Instead, it is an utter disappointment that retroactively spoils a good setup and will leave you frustrated at just how unoriginal it is. It’s not a film that lingers in the mind for very long, which is probably for the best.” BloodGuts

“For Elisa is beautifully shot with camera angles and lighting techniques that conjure memories of suspenseful works of the 1970s. The aesthetics are absolutely amazing, as each shot is crystal clear and respectfully artsy. You don’t require an IQ of 150 to understand the intricacies of the filming process, but you can see that a blueprint was developed for the shoot. One glance and it’s abundantly clear that a very gifted cinematographer, editor and camera man were hire to handle the task. For Elisa is too beautiful to be shot by anything other than a true professional.” Addicted to Horror Movies

Wikipedia | IMDb

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Death Spa (aka Witch Bitch) is a 1989 American horror film directed by Michael Fischa and starring William Bumiller, Brenda Bakke, Ken Foree and Merritt Butrick.

Death Spa was Merritt Butrick’s final film. He died of AIDS-related toxoplasmosis in March 1989. He also starred in Fright Night 2.

Plot Teaser

The new fitness club in town has everything a health nut could ever want: a variety of workout machines, classes taught by friendly (and frisky) instructors, and a state-of-the-art computer control system for maximum client comfort. Unfortunately it s also possessed by the evil spirit of the owner s dead wife, and before long every dumbbell, leg press, and rowing machine becomes a deadly weapon for her to enact bloody vengeance on the club’s beautiful members…

Buy Death Spa on Blu-ray/DVD combo from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

 Reviews

“There is no redeeming value to Death Spa. No intrinsic message or moral we can take away from it, unless you count “don’t use workout machines tied to Skynet” as good advice. Is the movie any good? Not really, although as an hour and a half time waster you could do much worse. I give the filmmakers high marks for trying to do something different with the horror genre even if they don’t always succeed. Then again, there’s only so much you can do with a movie about man-eating treadmills.” DVD Verdict

“You have some good kills, gratuitous nudity including a great shower scene, and that special kind of cheesy goodness that only seems to come from 80’s movies.  And even when the movie completely shifted gears on me I still had fun with it.  This is one of those wacky movies that works well as a serious slasher movie and still works when it becomes more like a Night of the Demons cheesy gore fest.”  Gutmunchers

“Delivering a generous helping of both gore and female nudity (lots of beauties in this one) is only half of the battle. The other half is defeated by an overly complicated plot, poor lighting, terrible acting and ridiculously awful dialogue, which turn this into a laughable mess in no short time. ” The Bloody Pit of Horror

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Witchhammer (Czech: Kladivo na čarodějnice) is a 1970 Czechoslovakian drama film directed by Otakar Vávra. It is considered Vávra’s magnum opus. The original title, Malleus Maleficarum, is also translated as Witches’ Hammer or Witchhammer.

The story of the film is based on Václav Kaplický’s book Kladivo na čarodějnice (1963), a novel about witch trials in Northern Moravia during the 1670s. The black-and-white allegorical film, full of symbols, follows the events from the beginning until the trial and execution of the priest Kryštof Lautner. Unwillingness to stop the evil in the beginning only encourages the inquisitor to graduate his accusations and use torture. The vicious circle scares everyone from resistance.

These trials started when an altar boy observed an old woman hiding the bread given out during communion. He alerted the priest who confronted the old woman. She admitted that she took the bread with the intent to give it to a cow to reenable its milk production. The priest reported the incident to the owner of the local estate who, in turn, called in an inquisitor, a judge specializing in witchcraft trials. Boblig von Edelstadt, the inquisitor, commenced an ever-escalating series of trials, eventually involving hundreds of people. In the end, 112 people were burned at the stake.

Broadly speaking, this is the filmed European version of Arthur’s Miller’s political side-swipe at McCarthyism , The Crucible, similarly all wrapped up in 17th Century Witchfinder’s clothing. Derivative or not, this is powerful, often shocking stuff, so much so that the Czech authorities did not want the film to be shown in Prague because of its political connotations. It was restricted to the cinemas in small towns just outside of the capital.

A brief prologue sets the scene nicely, if not particularly subtly: “A woman’s womb is the gateway to Hell”. In a society where morality is judged by class, appearance and intelligence by those who feast so extravagantly they employ face-wipers, the lowly women of a European town are being tormented for sport. So desperate are the lowers classes for food that they re offering up their milk-free cows to the Dark One in return for a bag of peas to avoid starvation. This is cause enough for Chief Inquisitor Boblig of Edelstadt (Vladimír Šmeral), a replacement for the ex-Witchfinder, Hutter of Sumperk (if nothing else, this is a superb film for names), to come charging into the town to fight for justice, Godliness and reason. Unfortunately for the locals, this includes not a little torture.

A cut-away to a face cast in shadow informs us throughout of the moral situation, necessarily a heady mix of religious fervour and violence. The flight of witches into the town (a rare mental image provoked of a very basic idea of witchly behaviour) is not enough to provoke disgust and fear – they are “smeared in the marrow and fat of babies”. The posturing of Boblig and his ultra-religious rhetoric is surprisingly at odds with many, interestingly the Church who become concerned after initial complicity that their own are in the firing line as soon as a homeless wretch. Such is the Inquisitor’s power, no-one dare stand up to challenge his decrees.

The social divisions become yet clearly as we repeatedly see the upper classes feasting and boozing, often to the point of apparent boredom whilst the suspected witches are forced to give bizarre confessionals to acts that they are frantically making up on the spot to avoid torture.

This is sadly not the best way out of their predicament and they are forced to suffer the rack, thumbscrews and the boot, all displayed in surprisingly graphic  shots. These lead to even further horrors at completely believable trails where they are required to thank their tormentors for their judgement before being burned alive. At another courtroom exchange, one of the accused can hold back no longer: “I was made to acknowledge my guilt! I was tortured for nine days.” The Inquisitor fearing he’s rumbled responds, “That’s a lie. She was interrogated with the usual application of thumb-screws and boot”.

Ultimately it is revealed that both Boblig and the Church are as bad as each other, Boblig jealous that he can achieve happiness only by force, the bishop and the nearly respectable Deacon Lautner (Elo Romanc) alarmed that their long stranglehold on the town and their own judgements are being questioned and usurped. Clearly there is only going to be one winner.

Of course, there are no breakout stars from the film, no-one went on to conquer Hollywood and although the film is one of the few of the celebrated director to find its way onto an American dvd, there has not really been any groundswell of reappraisal in recent years. However, this can sit comfortably alongside the likes of Witchfinder General and Mark of the Devil as a disturbing account of real events, rivalling them even in the shock stakes, surprisingly graphic in its depiction of torture and also a healthy amount of full-frontal female nudity.

Of course, on a very serious level, the film appeared just a couple of years after the Prague Spring, a freeing of the Czech citizens from the dominant rule of the Soviet Union, a clear allegory, warning against an unchecked society. The realism of the film puts it in the upper league of witch-hunting barbarism flicks and, alas, still has a message for society today.

Daz Lawrence, Horrorpedia

The Pyx (also known as The Hooker Cult Murders and La Lunule) is a 1973 Canadian supernatural thriller film directed by Harvey Hart and starring Karen Black and Christopher Plummer. It is based on the 1959 book of the same title by Montreal author John Buell.

Plot Teaser

A motorist witnesses a woman falling or jumping from a tenement building. Police arrive on the scene and find a crucifix and a small metal container (a pyx). While investigating the death, a detective in the city of Montreal enters the world of prostitution, drug addiction, conspiracy, and the occult. As the investigation continues, it is revealed that the dead woman is Elizabeth Lucy, a prostitute and heroin addict. Suspects in Elizabeth’s death are soon murdered one by one, and evidence of occult ritual begins to surface, leading to a confrontation with a cult leader who may be possessed by Satan himself.

The music was composed by Harry Freedman, with actress Karen Black lending her vocal talents.  Karen Black used a body double for all the nude shots of her filmed from behind.

Buy The Pyx on DVD from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Reviews

“A unique and chilling ’70s obscurity, The Pyx is a terrific little film that well deserves rediscovery. Complex and disturbing, it’s not your typical fright film. Don’t let the less-than-outstanding tech scare you off, this one is definitely worth seeking out.” DVD Verdict

“Though the direction is well handled and at times very atmospheric, this production is not without its fare share of flaws, with its pacing being its most glaring shortcoming. There are far too many moments that tend to drag and this prevents any momentum that does occur, from sustaining.” 10K Bullets

“A slow, complicated thriller with an intelligent storyline – and some intriguing insights into Catholic guilt – The Pyx is structured like a film noir (a main character is found dead at the onset with the action constantly shifting back and forth in time). Not for all tastes, but for the right fans, this is a wonderful mystery that’s well worth finding.” The Terror Trap

Buy They Came From Within from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Wikipedia | IMDb

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The Pact 2 is an upcoming 2014 American horror film. It is a sequel to the 2012 original and is directed by  Dallas Richard Hallam and Patrick Horvath. It stars Camilla Luddington , Patrick Fischler, Scott Michael Foster, Haley Hudson, Mark Steger, and Caity Lotz.

A UK release is currently November 14th 2014.

Plot Teaser

The Pact 2 is set just weeks after Annie Barlow’s deadly confrontation with the Judas Killer. In this elevated sequel, we meet June, a woman whose carefully constructed life is beginning to unravel due to lucid nightmares so awful they disturb her waking life…

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When Michael Calls (also known as Shattered Silence) is a thriller-drama television movie directed by Philip Leacock and starring Elizabeth Ashley, Ben Gazzara and Michael Douglas. It was adapted from John Farris’ 1967 novel of the same name.

Single mother Helen (Elizabeth Ashley) is going through a relatively amicable divorce from Doremus (probably over his name – played by Ben Gazzara from Anatomy of a Murder and Bloodline) but otherwise lives a perfectly humdrum middle-class American life on a cosy farm in New England with her young daughter, Peggy. Flitting around in the background is her nephew, the equally inoffensive Craig (Michael Douglas – yes, that one – in a very early film role) who is a psychiatrist working with emotionally troubled youngsters in the town.

Aside from the by-numbers fraught post-marriage arrangements, the only blot on the horizon are a series of phone calls Helen keeps receiving. Not the heavy-breathing sort, these are an entirely different level of weird – they are coming from Craig’s long-dead brother. Michael had perished in a Vermont snowstorm over a decade ago after running away from home; this sent Craig and Michael’s mother into a spiral of mental illness, leading to a short spell in an asylum before she committed suicide. The phone calls begin as confusing and progress to alarmingly intense. Not only that but the calls spark a wave of family members being murdered, leaving Helen to doubt both her sanity and who exactly is at the end of the phone.

This oft-remembered TV movie, held by some in the same esteem as the likes of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and Bad Ronald, rests on two principles:

1. Telephones were now the most terrifying household appliance since showers (When a Stranger Calls, Don’t Answer the Phone, Black Christmas)

2. A good percentage of American children were medically mute (Candy Snatchers, Suffer, Little Children)

The latter in this film is a slightly goofy device for spanning out the drama an extra few minutes but the first comes with a real sting – the killer line being a young child sobbing to Helen, “I’m dead, aren’t I?” It really works, though a tough crowd may claim that beyond the odd line like this, there’s little substance and a pretty thin cast numbers-wise. It is worth remembering that this was only a TV movie and is still stronger than many appearing on the silver screen.

Ashley is little more than adequate as the rather slight lead female, her soon-to-be ex-husband coming across as a good egg all round (played by a far stronger Gazzara). Douglas is, naturally in convenient retrospect, the strongest card though is given such a sappy character that it’s almost quite exciting when he starts smoking. Director Philip Leacock was an old hand at television drama to say the least; Bonanza – check, Gunsmoke – check, Hawaii Five-O – check, Buck Rogers and so on, the man was a television Goliath. Equally as deft was the writer of the original novel, John Farris – aside from his career as one of the greatest exponents of Southern Gothic novels, he also wrote two successful screenplays, Dear Dead Delilah and Brian De Palma’s The Fury. The TV movie is adapted for the screen by James Bridges, also extremely accomplished with a typewriter but also as a director, his most famous film being The China Syndrome.

Screened as one of ABC’s Movies of the Week, it was rather bafflingly released as Shattered Silence on DVD in quite appalling quality, adding to the sinister grime but doing little raise its profile, doomed forever to be ‘that film with Michael Douglas smoking, on the phone to his dead brother’.

Daz Lawrence, Horrorpedia

Viy (Spirit of Evil or Vii, Russian: Вий) is a 1967 horror film produced by Mosfilm and based on the Nikolai Gogol story of the same name. It stars Leonid Kuravlev and Natalya Varley.

Plot Teaser

A young priest is ordered to preside over the wake of witch in a small old wooden church of a remote village. This means spending three nights alone with the corpse with only his faith to protect him…

Originally a Ukrainian folk story, this was officially the first Soviet-era horror film released in the USSR. Some of the ‘witch’ scenes and the ending where Viy appears were toned down due to technological limitations as well as then current restrictions on Soviet film production.

A modern version starring Jason Flemyng was in production for several years, being released in 2014. The 1990 Serbian version of the film, called “A Holy Place” was shown during the Fantasia Festival 2010.

Buy Viy on DVD from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Reviews

“I cannot rate this title enough to those who love vintage horror, something a little bit weird, lovers of the gothic, and fans of the creature feature, Viy brings it all to the screen in its own inimitable way. The entire piece recreates the atmosphere of a dark gothic painting with the limited sets working in favour to achieve a very strong stylistic statement. While the plot develops like a fairytale the set resembles one too. No restraint has been shown in holding back on the OTT gothic set garnishing either, which of course works in perfect harmony with the story.” The Gore Splattered Corner

Watch Viy:

“Running a tight 72 minutes, this film never overstays its welcome and wisely leaves the viewer wanting more. The second and third witch attacks are among Ptushko’s finest work, as the witch rides her coffin in circles through the air, monsters pour from the walls, giant hands erupt from the floor, and “Viy” himself makes an appearance for the grand finale. The rest of the film is a skillful example of the balance between wonder and dread, with religion playing a prominent role from the opening moments to the final, ironic closing lines.” Nathaniel Thompson, Mondo Digital

“If you can stand the slow start, prepare for a movie that will blow you away during the last half. This is a masterpiece, a pure masterpiece.” Ninja Dixon

Wikipedia | IMDb

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Madhouse is a 1974 British horror film directed by Jim Clark for Amicus Productions in association with Samuel Z. Arkoff’s American International Pictures. It stars Vincent Price, Natasha Pyne, Peter Cushing, Robert Quarry, Adrienne Corri and Linda Hayden.

Vincent Price plays Paul Toombes, a long-in-the-tooth actor who has made a particularly successful career as Dr Death, a recurring villain in a series of wildly popular horror films. He has been aided and abetted in this franchise by Herbert Flay (Peter Cushing), who has served as the writer of his films. At the height of his career and a fifth film in the bag, a party is thrown where he announces his intention to marry his fiancée, Ellen. It’s at this juncture that blustering film director, Oliver Quayle (Robert Quarry) informs him that she was quite a star on the porn scene. As she flees in tears, Toombes follows but finds his beloved future wife has been brutally beheaded (is there any other way?) and there is some doubt as to the role Toombes played in the act – regardless, he is despatched to an asylum for twelve years, returning refreshed and ready to return as Dr Death again in a new British-made television series based on the character.

His fame has not eluded him and his is stalked by young Elizabeth Peters (Linda Hayden) on the ship to England and then at Herbert’s pile in the countryside, desperate to become his leading lady. Sadly, she meets her end via a garden fork and once again, there is a cloud of doubt as to whether it was Death/Toombes or someone masquerading as either who committed the crime. Lurking in the bowels of Chateau Flay is his Herbert’s wife, Faye (Faye Flay!) played by  Adrienne Corri (A Clockwork Orange, Vampire Circus), who is now bewigged, horribly burned but scatters memories of her times on Toombes’ like confetti.

The madness progresses and filming is stilted and punctuated by regular deaths, arguments and wistful reflections of Toombes’ greatest film moments, courtesy of film clips shoehorned into the plot. The finger points squarely at the beleaguered actor but there are herrings for all in abundance and the breathless and slightly wonky ending will leave you guessing to the last moments.

The draw here is, of course, the pairing of Price and Cushing. That AIP and Amicus fluffed their role in proceedings is not particularly surprising – the Americans flex their muscle by squeezing in as many clips of their works as they can credibly manage (The Raven, The Pit and the Pendulum, Tales of Terror, Haunted Palace, House of Usher, Scream and Scream Again and Masque of the Red Death are all on-show, also giving Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff – both dead – a brief run-out) whilst the British contingent somewhat haphazardly manage to conspire to make the most obvious and foolproof plot as ragged and endlessly revolving as possible.

Is it over-written? Well, it’s partly based on Angus Hall’s novel, Devilday (1969), though you’d scarcely guess, Death replacing ‘Dis’ and Price’s angry, confused dedicated actor slightly at odds with Hall’s fat, guilty sex-pest.. The rarely seen again Ken Levison and Greg Morrison are credited with the screenplay but even Robert Quarry’s name is thrown into the mix, his journeyman career at least being apt (he plays up the role further by appearing as his own Count Yorga at one of the regular party scenes – Cushing finally donning some fangs in similar get-up).

Lovely Linda Hayden is surprisingly underused, as is Cushing – conversely, the bit-too-silly sub-plot of Faye in the cellar and the stilted nature of the film, clogged up with some ineffective wandering about and even Michael Parkinson cropping up to interview the famous star, make for an unbalanced film, coming at both the end of Amicus’ reign as one of Britain’s guiding lights of horror (it still isn’t as disappointing or frustrating as Monster Club, their death rattle) and AIP’s run of horror successes, leading them to parody their own output with Old Dracula and Abby.

Other titles considered for the film were The Return of Dr. Death and The Revenge of Dr. Death. It is possible that neither title was used because the producers did not want the film to appear to be a sequel to some other film, as well as another, unrelated, film called Dr. Death, Seeker of Souls had been released by another company (Freedom Arts Pictures Corporation) not long before. A shame as both titles would have been more fun than Madhouse, a rather too literal accusatory finger point at Toombes.

Although in his interview with Parkinson, reference is made to the actor having once played The Invisible Man (in The Invisible Man Returns), the history of the actor, though endlessly flashed on-screen through some slightly interminable ruses, still falls rather flat – with the actors clearly nearer the end than the beginning of their careers, a more joyous, celebratory tone would have served better. At times it becomes a bit, well, depressing. Director Jim Clark never helmed a film again, stepping into the editor’s office and doing a cracking job on the Oscar winners like The Killing Fields and James Bond films like The World is Not Enough.

There are two particular highlights, however – Prcies stunning and iconic skull make-up by regular Hammer artist George Blacker is superb and still raises a shiver of delight 40 years on. Equally stunning is Douglas Gamley’s score, as thunderous as ever, the timpani player no doubt in need of a lie down afterwards. Gamley is one of the great under-sung voices of British horror, a force of nature who could grab you by the throat and lead you through a film and leave you battered but overjoyed. Listen out for Vincent himself singing at the film’s conclusion.

As feared, the film underperformed badly at the box-office, AIP essentially washing their hands of horror ever after. It has struggled for positive reappraisal in recent years but Price’s aged ham performance and Cushing in unpredictable form, it’s difficult to be too hard-hearted about it.

Daz Lawrence, Horrorpedia

The Guest is an American psychological thriller film, directed and edited by Adam Wingard, and written by Simon Barrett. The film stars Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe,Brendan Meyer and Lance Reddick. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 2014. Wingard and Barrett similarly work together for their previous film You’re Next. The film will receive a wide release on September 17, 2014, and will open London’s Frightfest in August 2014.

Plot Teaser

Still struggling over the loss of their oldest son, Caleb, to the war in Afghanistan, the Peterson family finds some solace when an unexpected visitor knocks on their door. David, a steely eyed and charismatic soldier who was recently discharged, is welcomed into their home when he comes to fulfill a promise he made to his fallen comrade. Siblings Anna and Luke are at first reluctant to accept David’s presence, but he soon wins them over by scoring kegs for Anna’s friends and roughing up some bullies from Luke’s school. Though he appears to be the perfect houseguest, a mysterious and sinister chain of events causes Anna to question whether David is actually whom he claims to be…

Reviews

“Hot off the success of You’re Next, director Adam Wingard is back with another great homage/deconstruction of the kind of eighties movies you’d find on the shelves of your local video store- when such a thing existed. Think of this as The Bourne Identity, crossed with The Terminator, with a healthy dose of Halloween thrown in for good measure. If this sounds bug nuts insane, that’s only because it is- in the most awesome way possible.” JoBlo.com

“Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett have really outdone themselves with The Guest, with chilling black comedy and astounding visual panache it is the most fantastically entertaining action flick of recent memory; it might just be the most unexpected comedy of Sundance 2014.” Film Threat

“The Guest ends up as less of a fully satisfying film and more of a passport for Wingard, Barrett, and the cast to run wild in a well-crafted, but somewhat empty playground.  Sure, that may make for some crowd-pleasing moments, but not necessarily a lasting impression.” Culture Crypt 

Wikipedia | IMDb

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Poster art by Tom Chantrell

The Lifetaker is a 1975 British psychological horror film directed by Michael Papas and starring Terence Morgan, Lea Dregorn, and soon-to-be Blue Peter presenter Peter Duncan.

Plot teaser:

A deceived husband (Terence Morgan) engages his wife (Lea Dregorn) and her young lover (Peter Duncan) in a series of deadly games…

The Lifetaker had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where it was both lauded and criticized for its controversial themes of sex and violence and the corruption of youth. According to Papas, the film was scheduled to be released across the UK, but the managing director of EMI distribution cancelled the release after viewing the completed film due to its controversial themes.

Peter Duncan joined Blue Peter in 1980, and shortly afterwards it was revealed in a tabloid newspaper that Duncan had appeared nude in the The Lifetaker. The BBC refuted that he was ever a porn star in The Times. Whilst he does appear naked, the film is certainly not porn.

Reviews:

A stylish and erotically charged tale of obsession…. not only the quintessence of the kind of film they don’t make anymore, but is also radically unlike the kind of film they made even then.” Julian Upton (editor), Offbeat: British Cinema’s Curiosities, Obscurities and Forgotten Gems (Buy at Amazon.co.uk, an essential read!)

“Excellent Roeg-esque UK thriller… this dark, exotic morality piece is stylishly mounted is capably acted and has a suitably unflinching finale.”  Giallo Goblin

IMDb | Michael Papas website | Tom Chantrell poster artist

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The Editor is an upcoming comedy horror film from Canada’s Astron-6 (Father’s Day) collective. It stars Udo Kier, Laurence R. Harvey and Tristan Risk.

Plot Teaser

Once revered as the greatest editor of all time, an editing accident reduced him to a ridiculed amputee.  When his co-workers are murdered one after another, the editor is the prime suspect!
Has he lost control of his psycho-sexual subconscious like a modern day Dr. Jekyll or Wolfman?  Not even he knows for sure!

Astron-6 co-founders Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy and Conor Sweeney will attend the Celluloid Screams festival in Sheffield this year as special guests and present The Editor as opening film. There will also be a retrospective screening of Astron-6 short films, both of which will be followed by Q&As.

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‘If you have the guts – he wants them!!’

Nightbeast is a 1982 American science fiction/horror film directed by cult Baltimore director Don Dohler. It is a remake/sequel of sorts to Dohler’s first film The Alien Factor. It stars Donald Leifert, Tom Griffiths and George Stover.

Plot teaser:

Most of the cast of The Alien Factor reprise their roles in Nightbeast. It features opening credit effects by Ernest Farino (who created the title effects forThe Terminator, The Abyss and Terminator 2: Judgment Day) and the creature was created by John Dods who has since provided special effects for Ghostbusters II, Alien Resurrection, and The X Files. Additional Makeup Effects were by Amodio Giordano. Parts of the music was written by J.J. Abrams.

Nightbeast had a budget of $42,000, a relatively large amount for a Don Dohler film.

A British VIPCO video release, the film was included on the lamentable Section 3 “liable for forfeiture” list as covered on Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide Part Two, Draconian Days

 Buy Nightbeast with Blood, Boobs & Beast from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“If you’re looking for a serious sci-fi movie, you’d be looking in the wrong place with Nightbeast. If you’re looking for cheesy, schlocky, consistently low budget special effects and a montage of gunfire, then you can’t go wrong here.” Internal Bleeding

“Certainly, I shook my head a lot during this film, I even scratched it a few times, but at no point did I want to bash it off a wall. It entertained me and it didn’t outstay its welcome, to expect anything else of the movie would have been foolish. It’s far from a classic, it isn’t even very coherent, but with a just few thousand dollars Dohler made a movie that was much more entertaining and enjoyable than a lot of $100 million sci-fi movies I’ve seen.” To Obscurity and Beyond

“Well Nightbeast is probably not going to change your life, but if you are in a serious need of some real 80s entertainment of the weird kind, you can’t go wrong with Nightbeast, cause they don’t make em’ like this anymore.” Hog-Wild Howls

Don Dohler

Wikipedia | IMDb

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