Is this- a) A beautifully acted, nuanced and sensitive portrayal of the horror of the Nazis and those unlucky enough to have crossed paths with them? or b) A badly acted slice of exploitation resplendent with terrible dubbing and almost no budget? I'll give you a clue- look at the film's name! This is also …
Continue reading Day 2- 31 Days of Halloween- The Horrifying Experiments of the SS Last Days (1977)
I'm loving going through the Yorkshire Evening Post's archives to reveal the ads used to publicise a film's release. I fondly remember seeing these as a kid- little glimpses into a film's grittiness and sleaziness when I was too young to actually see the film. The other day I stumbled upon the original ads …
Continue reading See John Carpenter’s Halloween. Win A Toaster
On visiting the Ventura nuclear power plant, journalist Kimberley Wells (Jane Fonda) and her cameraman Richard Adams (Michael Douglas) find themselves witnessing and experiencing a major emergency when something goes wrong with a turbine malfunctioning causing the plant to go through the procedure of an emergency shutdown. This shows that the plant isn't as safe …
The news that I've been waiting for for many years has finally come to fruition. William Friedkin's masterpiece Cruising is coming to Blu Ray in Spring 2019. And not just that but the company handling the release are none other than the amazing Arrow Films. I couldn't be happier. This release should exceed all expectations. …
Continue reading It’s Almost Here! Cruising Hits Blu Ray in Spring 2019!
Whilst it's widely thought that it was John Carpenter's Halloween that initiated the slasher genre those who actually know anything about horror know that it was actually Bob Clark's Black Christmas made in 1974. In fact, Clark and Carpenter worked together on a project after Black Christmas was made. Clark said to Carpenter that he …
I learnt about When A Stranger Calls after seeing the excellent horror film compilation Terror in the Aisles. I then saw the full film and was blown away. I bought the bare bones American DVD release years later and thought that was the best cineastes would get regarding this film. So I was thrilled when …
Continue reading Blu Ray Review- When A Stranger Calls (1979)
The sequel to George A Romero's Night of the Living Dead shows that the zombie epidemic has gotten much worse and society is on it's knees. Two television workers plan to escape with two SWAT team members in the TV station traffic helicopter in search of...whatever they can find that's better than their current situation. …
Continue reading 31 Days of Halloween- Day 31- Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Katharine Ross plays a woman going to London with her partner (played by Sam Elliott at his homoerotic best) for a job interview. Whilst riding on a motorbike in the countryside surrounding London they are almost crashed into by a Rolls Royce. The owner apologises and, as their bike has been damaged, they are put …
Continue reading 31 Days of Halloween- Day 28- The Legacy (1978)
An earthquake uproots cockroach-like bugs that can set fire to things and, more importantly for a horror film, also to animals and humans. But never fear, a biology professor played by Bradford Dillman is on the case. This great little 70's B movie is directed by Jeannot Szwarc (who would go on to make the …
When I was growing up I loved the Nanny State Public Information Films. They were akin to state produced horror shorts extolling the dangers of everything from playing near rivers to mixing different types of tyres on the same vehicle. Beware The Rapist is an American PIF (called Public Service Announcements or PSA's over there) …
Continue reading 31 Days of Halloween- Day 21- Beware The Rapist (1979)
