A mark that you’ve made a great movie is when your film spawns a number of imitators. One such movie is The Exorcist. One such imitator is Beyond The Door. But whilst some imitators are pale and shoddy rip offs, this film is amazing. Starring esteemed actress Juliet Mills this deals with her possession and …
Continue reading Day 31- 31 Days of Halloween 2023- Beyond The Door (1974)
A genetic engineering professor is trying to further his knowledge by experimenting on humans and passing on the results to the leader of a circus freak show who has a glandular disorder which has affected his appearance. He actually used to be part of the act himself. This film is a doozy. There's so much …
I had heard so much about the original of Black Christmas from 1974 by the time I finally got to see it. Its reputation as being the main film that inspired the slasher movie sub-genre pre-Halloween was well established, with horror fans salivating over it and singing its praises to the heavens. 'Let's see how …
Continue reading The Gift That Keeps On Giving- What Makes Black Christmas So Darn Scary?
I saw The Texas Chain Saw Massacre at the cinema the other day. It's been a long road, but I feel like I've had my own personal journey with this horror masterpiece. After years of not being able to view the film, it grew in my mind to almost mythic proportions. When I finally got …
Continue reading Leatherface and Me- Growing Up With (and Without) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
It's 1974. A French starlet who isn't averse to modelling with no clothes on is seduced by an enigmatic young man who asks to take her home to meet his parents. However, his home appears to be some kind of old institution like a long forgotten prison. And this is exactly what it is. His …
Continue reading 31 Days of Halloween 2020- Day 16- House of Whipcord (1974)
***TRIGGER WARNING!!!*** This is a Pete Walker movie. In 1957 Dorothy Yates and her husband Edmund are convicted of murder and cannibalism (!) and sent to an asylum until the film's present day (1974). They are then released supposedly fully cured and living a quiet life. But are they? The answer, of course, is no! …
Continue reading 31 Days of Halloween 2020- Day 12- Frightmare (1974)
A Blaxploitation Exorcist rip-off. A pastor goes to Nigeria and accidentally unleashes an ancient malevolent spirit. Oops. His daughter-in-law back in America then starts to change from being a God-fearing, wholesome wife to becoming a possessed randy harlot. This film is such good fun. The pastor is played by William Marshall who was already known …
Continue reading 31 Days of Halloween 2020- Day 4- Abby (1974)
William Friedkin tells a great story in his autobiography about Warner Bros' marketing department and how they wanted to market The Exorcist on it's completion. The idea they came up with was a drawing of Regan's bloodied hand holding a crucifix (referencing the infamous masturbation scene) with the tagline 'For God's sake, somebody help her!' …
There is so much to love about Beyond The Door, the 1974 Exorcist rip-off made in Italy. Yes, it had a budget that was a tiny fraction of that of the William Friedkin classic but thats part of it's charm. It also copies similar scenes from it's parent movie with varying degrees of success. The …
Continue reading Soundtrack of the Week- Chi Sei aka Beyond The Door (1974)
Arnold Masters is in prison for a crime he didn't commit. His mother who had a tumour was due to be operated on but wasn't. The doctor due to undertake the procedure was then found dead in his office by Arnold, who was then framed for his murder. He tells his backstory to a fellow …
Continue reading Day 24- 31 Days of Halloween- Psychic Killer (1974)
Meathook Cinema 