The sheer balls these 70s filmmakers had, to exploit a serial killer while the bodies were still warm, all under the guise of "helping" to catch the bloodthirsty deviant.
Still, with no disrespect to the actual victims, 1971's THE ZODIAC KILLER (now available on Blu-Ray from AGFA and Something Weird) is an enjoyable piece of trash, for all the wrong reasons. Starting off with a title card practically saying this film was not made for awards and, instead, in the public interest, well, you mostly succeeded.
In a particle-board California community where every single man is apparently a misogynistic pig with a "bitch" ex-wife, a woman gets stabbed in the broad daylight as young children watch. I'm not really sure if this is the startling opening of the movie or a California tourism advertisement, but it's pretty effective on both counts.
As the supposed murderer reads off a generically psychopathic litany of stereotyped weirdness, the audience is meant to perpetually guess who the killer is; running through the large list of red herrings, is it the bitter postman put upon by harridans, the divorced daddy with a shrewish ex-wife or the one seemingly normal dude with a need to rant on about his future zombie slaves from the lost continent of Atlantis or some such junk.
Like a MGTOW spank-bank come to life, David Fincher it's not.
Still, when the Zodiac does appear on-screen, clad in his remarkably clean uniform with crosshairs on the front, it's darkly chilling to know that the acclaimed killer was probably in the theater, pleasuring himself to the clumsy filmmaking on bad film stock, languishing in the fictionalized outings of his silver screen alter-ego. That's gotta be a bigger rush than a double-murder on Lover's Lane, I'd suppose.
In addition to THE ZODIAC KILLER, included as a bonus feature is ANOTHER SON OF SAM (1977, written and directed by Dave Adams), which I know sounds like a wacky summer comedy about an inept serial killer and his dog pal going on a dingy New York murder spree, but instead is an equally garbage flick about a mental patient who knows some sweet speedboat stunts.
But, for the price of admission, it also features the public domain ramblings of lounge-singer extraordinaire Johnny Charro, whose concert footage is a might scarier than both films combined. – Louis Fowler Louis Fowler is a longtime contributor to ER and The Hungover Gourmet as well as The Lost Ogle, Bookgasm and The Impulsive Buy. THE ZODIAC KILLER is available from Amazon and Diabolik DVD.
Welcome to the first installment of Troma Tuesday, a new blog feature chronicling some of the highs and lows of the 40+ year old independent studio and their long list of productions and releases. First up, contributor Evan Romero takes a look at Troma's ambitious "epic" TROMA'S WAR.
TROMA'S WAR is Troma's most expensive movie to date with a budget of three million bucks. It's also the one that put the company in dire financial straits as the heavily-cut release (trimmed from 104 minutes to 87 to meet MPAA demands) was poorly received and wound up a box-office flop. But now, thanks to Blu-ray and DVD, the director's cut can be viewed by everyone.
But can it be enjoyed?
A plane crashes on an island, stranding the survivors. With no way of getting back to the mainland, the group, led by Taylor (Sean Bowen), must figure out how they're going to survive. But they have bigger problems: a group of terrorists have taken up residence on the island with diabolical plans to take over America be it via drugs or an AIDS epidemic started by "Señor Sida" (Paolo Frassanito)! With freedom at stake, the group must gear up and go kick some terrorist ass. Will they succeed in stopping the terrorist's plans? Or will freedom as we know it be a thing of the past?
When Troma shoots they either score big, or miss by a mile. In the case of TROMA'S WAR, the Troma team empty an AK-47 at point-blank range and fail to hit a single bullseye. An action flick made by Troma!? How can that fail to entertain?
Simple – by lacking all the ingredients that make a Troma movie, a Troma movie.
Over the top sex and violence? You won't find it here. Most of the violence comes from gunshot wounds that aren't much more violent than your average action flick. One would expect to find people LITERALLY machine gunned in half, people LITERALLY blown apart by shotguns, body parts galore flying about as terrorists meet death via rockets and grenades, and so on. Sure, it DOES have moments when a bit more of the red stuff is shown, such as when Siamese twins joined at the head are separated via machete, but the makeup effects are so laughably bad that it hardly matters. A makeup low-light comes when what appears to be cherry pie filling is used to simulate, I'm guessing, brain matter – and it is oh-so-obvious. A notch above that is a scene in which a guy commits seppuku: the guy's guts don't even spill out. Come on Troma, you're better than this.
How about humor? There are plenty of OPPORTUNITIES for it, but those opportunities are passed by in exchange for more shoot-outs. You can tell they were trying to be funny, but the comedy is just plain desperate. The highlight of the humor is a scene when a terrorist hiding amongst the trees farts, thus giving away his position and is promptly blown away. Come on now: my kid brother can think of better jokes than that.
But surely Troma wouldn't let us down in tastelessness! Unfortunately, tastelessness seems to have found some dignity: aside from the minor AIDS subplot, there's very little in TROMA'S WAR to anger the PC elite – I mean, unless a gag about a blind girl missing her targets counts. But when a baby makes it through a Troma movie COMPLETELY UNSCATHED, that Troma movie has failed.
Let's move on to the most important thing: entertainment. Is TROMA'S WAR, despite the lack of essential Tromatic ingredients, entertaining? Sadly, no. Everything is just dull and brings nothing new to the table, not to mention that shootouts are overlong and unexciting. I found myself yawning, checking the remaining runtime and being distracted by my front lawn all too often. The only reason I kept watching – aside from having to write this review – is because I wanted to see if one particular character, Marshall (Steve Crossley), the only character I found interesting, would make it through to the end. I won't tell you whether he did or not.
TROMA'S WAR is an utterly Troma-tose production. Lacking all the essential ingredients, WAR is comparable to O'Douls: only for those who can't handle, or don't want, the real stuff.
The Blu-ray release features audio commentary, an introduction by Lloyd Kaufman, an interview with Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Hertz, and more. – Evan Romero Evan Romero spends much of his time reading morally-questionable books and watching movies no sane person would touch. He is the vocalist/bassist for the punk band Porno Holocaust (you can find them on Facebook and listen to some demos if you’re inclined). You can read more of his reviews at ReelAtrocities.com or at PopHorror.com.
I hope everybody is enjoying the long Prez Day weekend. I'm trapped in the office working on a freelance project while a wintry mix peppers ER HQ (again) so Evan Romero has kindly chipped in and taken the promising looking EXTREME JUKEBOX off the teetering review stack. Take it away, Evan...
An Italian horror flick!? There was no lumberyard that could compete with the amount of wood I was sporting. But wait – released by Troma!? Ho ho! NOW we're talkin'! Firing EXTREME JUKEBOX up, I anticipated my TV screen to be running with glorious scarlet and Tromatic hilarity of overdose proportions.
So imagine my and my woody's disappointment when EXTREME JUKEBOX turned out to be a pretty mediocre flick, flatter than the disc it comes on.
Jessie Cake (Alessio Cherubini), lead singer of metal band Grave Tomba, idolizes singer David Crystal (Maurizio Lastrico) who vanished twenty years ago. Breaking into Crystal's house in Nova Springs, Jessie finds an unreleased single of Crystal's called "Emily Palmer Was Alive." Playing it awakens a masked killer who – you guessed it – begins offing people left and right. There's another killer, dubbed "Naughty Rocky Boy" by the police, who's slaughtering people as well. And there's also a third one that pops up once. Now, it's up to Jessie and his friends to stop the killers... even though none of them seem particularly alarmed about the killers killing people...
First off, I have to take issue with Lloyd Kaufman's introduction to this movie where he claims that EXTREME JUKEBOX is the most demented Italian film since DEEP RED. Um, no. There are FAR more demented Italian films than DEEP RED, and far more demented Italian films than EXTREME JUKEBOX. Come on, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST anyone?
Okay, moving on to the movie itself. EXTREME JUKEBOX is a bit hard to follow and feels like a rough cut. It doesn't seem to have any goal in mind, instead preferring to just be a collection of scenes loosely tied together to form a semblance of a plot. Many times I found myself wondering what exactly was going on. And it's not helped by the fact that several scenes in the movie serve no purpose. What was the purpose of the two guys browsing in a record store shown at various points throughout the movie? What about the discussion between Don Kappa (Pino Scotto) and Terrance Holler (himself) talking about rock 'n' roll? These scenes don't serve the "plot" in any way (at least no way I could discern), so it's safe to conclude they're just here to pad the runtime.
"But are the kills any good?" I hear you asking. Aside from one they're all pretty lackluster and a few even happen off-screen. So those looking for kills in the Grand Italian Tradition will be sorely disappointed. Your average American slasher contains more on-screen deaths (and more violent ones at that) than EXTREME JUKEBOX.
And for a horror film with heavy metal and rock 'n' roll pumping through its veins, the soundtrack is pretty weak. The heavy metal heard throughout is more like aluminum and we don't even get the benefit of a thumpin' and rockin' Italian synth score. So yeah, nothin' here will find its way onto your iPod or MP3 player.
But the biggest problem with EXTREME JUKEBOX is that it completely lacks energy and vitality. But that kind of seems to be the case with fanboy films: all passion but no clue how to channel it properly. And, though it's billed as a "comedy/horror," it isn't the slightest bit funny.
And I take SERIOUS issue with the fact that heavy metal babes are plentiful yet there is not ONE bare breast, ass, or beaver in sight. UNACCEPTABLE!
Overall, EXTREME JUKEBOX is more like MILD JUKEBOX. No comedy, minimal gore, aluminum instead of heavy metal, no bangin' Italian soundtrack and the energy level of a rock earns EXTREME JUKEBOX a place in the Dust Collector pile.
EXTREME JUKEBOX is presented in Italian with English subtitles and the Blu-ray extras include a trailer, a Making Of featurette (which is as dull as the movie), information on the Rainbow Project (a charity started by Pino Scutto and his fiancée), some "Tromatic Extras," and a photo gallery. – Evan Romero
Evan Romero spends much of his time reading morally-questionable books and watching movies no sane person would touch. He is the vocalist/bassist for the punk band Porno Holocaust (you can find them on Facebook and listen to some demos if you’re inclined). You can read more of his reviews at ReelAtrocities.com, or at PopHorror.com. EXTREME JUKEBOX is available at Amazon.
Back in the 70s and 80s our local drive-ins and trashy movie theaters advertised heavily on the mom & pop radio station that played constantly in our suburban kitchen. So it wasn't odd to hear Phillies recaps and Four Seasons tunes lead directly into ads for the traumatizing THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN or the sounded-too-good-to-be-true freakfest SCREAMERS ("You will see a man turned inside out!") while chowing down on some sugar-bombed cereal or a mid-week Heart Attack Breakfast (bacon, eggs fried in bacon grease, white toast, butter, towering glasses of whole milk).
But two ads that still stick out in my mind are the over-the-top spots for BASKET CASE (you received a free surgical mask "to keep the blood off your face!") and Umberto Lenzi's cannibal gross-out MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY (aka CANNIBAL FEROX).
If I close my eyes I can still see the standard issue yellowish green appliances that dominated our small kitchen, the five burner stove, an inexplicable bowl of bacon covered with a paper towel, and the pot of half-regular/half-decaf coffee made who knows how many days ago that my parents would simply reheat in the microwave till it was gone. It should come as no surprise that I preferred tea for the entire time I lived under their roof.
And there I sit, hair parted in the middle, oversized tortoise shell glasses that would make A Flock of Seagulls proud, wiping away the drool as I hear – for the fifty-seventh time that week – "for what they have done... MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY..." as the bass vibrates the tiny transistor radio halfway across the kitchen table.
To tell you the truth, I'm not sure HOW the hell I missed out on seeing MTDS at the Super 130 Drive-In that weekend. It had been banned in something like 57 countries! What if the United States was next?! What was I waiting for?!
Fortunately, that banning never took place and MAKE THEM/CANNIBAL FEROX soon became a VHS gorefest staple thanks to the oversized Thriller Video box that depicted scantily clad victims, jungle savages with machetes and black & white stills that – as far as I knew – might as well have escaped from the set of a snuff flick. As the box copy read, "Too disgusting to watch. Too bizarre to resist." Damn straight.
While PSYCHO, RE-ANIMATOR, DAWN OF THE DEAD, BLOODSUCKING FREAKS and NIGHT OF THE CREEPS easily top my list of most seen horror flicks, I'd venture that countless viewings via VHS, laserdisc, DVD and theatrical revivals definitely push CANNIBAL FEROX into the Top 10, perhaps higher.
And you can add another viewing to the list thanks to Grindhouse Releasing's definitive (to date) Blu-Ray release which out cannibals every previous release of this gut-munching sinema classick.
If you've never seen CANNIBAL FEROX I'm not really spoiling anything by saying it plays out like most of its ilk: an expedition to prove/disprove cannibal rumors goes horribly wrong, our protagonists see some crazy shit, there's a smattering of guerilla-style NYC footage and some Mondo-esque animal cruelty (an unfortunate trademark of the genre that gives the flicks a somewhat sordid rep), and the inevitable retribution for what they have done which leads to some "who are the real savages?" moralizing and hand-wringing. Fin.
But of all the sleazy, gross, sweaty, grimy, sleazy and sweaty – did I mention sleazy? – 80s cannibal gut munchers, FEROX is far and away my favorite, though that seems like an odd word to use. Maybe it's the performance from Eurotrash icon John Morghen (Giovanni Radice) as Mike "Emeralds and Cocaine" Logan, a two-bit dirtbag who lit out of NYC with $100,000 in syndicate cash and leads our hapless trio into the misery that awaits them. Maybe it's the way the flick jumps from the harsh jungles to the urban jungle, packing in those cinema verite shots of late 70s/early 80s New York that highlight all the era's true sleaze epics. Perhaps it's the iconic Budy Maglione score that mixes jungle beats and prog rock rhythms into a haunting soundtrack for a road trip to hell.
Ahh, who am I kidding? Deep down FEROX plucks at my aging gorehound heartstrings and piles on the eyeball knifing, dick hacking, coke snorting, turtle thwacking, native torturing, penis chomping, boob hanging, castration cauterizing, hand chopping, skull popping and brain chomping with so little regard for the viewer's senses that it's exhausting. Don't believe me? The box features glowing endorsements from such trash luminaries as Rick Sullivan (GORE GAZETTE), Bill Landis (SLEAZOID EXPRESS) and Chas. Balun (DEEP RED, THE GORE SCORE) so you know you're in for a real treat.
Grindhouse Releasing's Deluxe Edition is a spectacular package that includes an uncensored, unrated director's cut with deleted footage, a remixed score, commentary tracks from Lenzi and Morghen, interviews with cast and crew, liner notes from Landis and Eli Roth (whose interest in the genre led to his own GREEN INFERNO), a bonus CD of the unforgettable soundtrack and even a feature length documentary on the rise and fall of cannibal cinema. – Dan Taylor Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and loves him some cannibal movies. For more on what we're watching, what's coming up at ER and when the next issue will hit the streets, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. CANNIBAL FEROX is available from Amazon.
Funny story... I ended up marrying the girl who turned me down for the prom. I ended up not going, which left me feeling unqualified when it came to evaluating the authenticity of the 1980 slasher PROM NIGHT. Truth be told, I've always found the flick to be a bit of a bore, but maybe I'm just prejudiced. Luckily, Chuck Francisco was up to the task of picking up PROM NIGHT and taking it out for a spin on another Slasher Friday.
Prom Night – that whimsical evening where meaty chemical beakers, filled to spillage with hormones, pour themselves into the most absurd fashionable predilections of the day, practically guaranteeing cringeworthy corsaged portraits, that will only be good for a laugh looking back through time's rear view mirror. This magical evening also serves as the perfect window of vengeance for somehow slighted madmen, hellbent on grisly comeuppance. It's also the name of the middle movie in Jamie Lee Curtis's main slasher repertoire, before she punched the eject button to avoid typecasting (and ignoring her stint as Hitch in the excellent Aussie flick, ROAD GAMES – not precisely a slasher, per se).
PROM NIGHT is an example of what happens when wicked kids are left to their own devious whims in an abandoned convent. When hide and seek becomes so boring that it needs to be beefed up to include pretend killer and victims, perhaps the time has come to purchase little Johnny that Atari 2600 he so desperately craves. Once poor little Robin Hammond is scared backward out of a broken window and onward toward a grisly landing, the fates are all but aligned for mysterious revenge once these killer girls become nubile audience fodder. And so, flashing forward six years to high school prom night, it should shock no one when the four accidental OJ Simpsons receive ominous phone calls foreshadowing their certain doom.
MacGuffins multiply faster than bunnies at a carrot cocktail bar, in what may be PROM NIGHT's strongest feature – the mystery. The secret Santa slasher isn't obvious; there are several contenders for the crown. Could it be the escaped mental patient rapist, who was wrongly accused of Robin's murder, and horribly burned in the crash that resulted from the police pursuit? Could it be the Danny Zucco-flavored high school tough who has been kicked out of school by Principal Leslie Nielsen? Could it be Jamie Lee Curtis' Kim Hammond, because wouldn't that be novel? The killer-go-round is an entertaining endeavor punctuated by perforated teen flesh and a disco dance number.
PROM NIGHT belongs in the standard slasher tool belt among the tricks of the trade. Releases of the film have been plagued with muddy visuals and picture quality little better than VHS presentation levels (which was fine for the VHS release, but unacceptable thereafter). Synapse Films has worked tremendously hard to bring horror junkies a brand new 2k high definition transfer from the original camera negative that does this sleazy slasher proud. The picture quality isn't one hundred pristine, but that's very likely a fault of the condition of the materials available. (And honestly, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA this ain't.) Audio options include both a 5.1 surround mix created specifically for this Blu-ray, and the original mono for PROM NIGHT purists (if such beasts exist).
A bevy of special features have been included to sate the formal wear appointed lust of PROM NIGHT devotees (Prom Nighters?). The audio commentary track is an informational limo ride with director Paul Lynch and screenwriter William Grey. On tap for the after party is featurette THE HORRORS OF HAMILTON HIGH: The Making of PROM NIGHT, and a collection of extra scenes that were added for the TV broadcast. Exclusive to Synapse's Blu-Ray release are a sequence of never before seen outtakes, the original radio spots, and a motion still gallery.
Unlike many jockey football player prom dates, this PROM NIGHT special edition Blu-ray is the real deal, backing up its bravado with bona fide depth and bloody sincerity. It's easy to fall in love with this prom date – any horror fan would be proud to show it off.
Chuck Francisco is a columnist and critic for Mania.com, writing the Shock-O-Rama column. He is a co-curator of several repertoire film series at the world famous Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, PA. An avid beer brewer, rock climber, and video gamer, you can hear him drop nerd knowledge on the weekly podcast You've Got Geek, and follow him on twitter @CyanideRush. He recently wrote about Nazi Zombies, Spaghetti Westerns and American Hippies – just to name a few – in Exploitation Retrospect #52 (available from our website). PROM NIGHT is available from Amazon.
With Halloween just over two weeks away it feels like the fall is already zipping by. Before you know it we'll be stuffing our faces with turkey and watching viral videos of enraged shoppers trampling one another for that last Singing Snow Glow Elsa.
Good times, good times.
And you know what that means – the Holiday Horrors spirit will be kicking into high gear and trash film fans everywhere will be pulling out their copies of the SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT flicks and basking in the glow of Mickey Rooney's greatest performance while they fill their Wish List with Blu-Rays, books and the latest issue of Exploitation Retrospect ('natch).
But Christmas comes a little early this year thanks to our friends at Vinegar Syndrome (quickly establishing itself as the premiere label for trashhounds and sleaze aficionados).
November 18th (just in time for Thanksgiving gatherings with family!) brings the Blu-Ray debut of Lewis Jackson's CHRISTMAS EVIL (aka YOU BETTER WATCH OUT), a film we called "a movie just as effed up as it sounds" in last year's Holiday Horrors review. The disc also includes a DVD version if Santa hasn't delivered your Blu-Ray player yet.
No less a trash film authority than the one and only John Waters has long been a champion of the flick (his beloved commentary track appears on this as well as other special editions), so you know you're in for a real treat.
Other features include:
New 4K restoration from 35mm elements
Three commentary track options with director Lewis Jackson, actor Brandon Maggart (father of Fiona Apple!) and the aforementioned John Waters
Archival video interviews with Jackson and Maggart
80s slashers are receiving the "classic" treatment these days, with such titles as CURTAINS (1983), GRADUATION DAY (1981) and PROM NIGHT (1980) all getting restored and issued in lovingly-assembled packages. We'll be covering more of those titles in the weeks to come but today it's up to Damn You David Zuzelo to peek behind the CURTAINS, see what's what and decide is this slice of Canuxploitation lives up to its rep.
The box proclaims that CURTAINS "is an absolute must see for slasher completists" and I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. Of course, as a completist myself, I have to say that you could apply this to ANY slasher film, since that is part of being a completist. I mean, SAVAGE WATER is a must see if you're a "completist"...
CURTAINS has sold a few of the big bulk packs of horror films because it has been so damn hard to see over the years, and its reputation as a unique entry in the slasher genre made the interest in Synapse Films' restoration of this Canadian production run high to say the least. Right out of the gate I can say that the disc has saved the film from the indignity of poorly transferred appearances next to copies of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD captured from YouTube, and that is a good thing. But can CURTAINS really live up to the hype? Well...
The film starts intriguingly enough as John Vernon plays Jonathon Stryker, a cocky (cue the Jeff Stryker jelly dong jokes) director who is looking to cast what must be his idea of the role of a lifetime in a piece entitle AUDRA. After we get the impression that veteran actress Samantha Sherman (Samantha Eggar) will be landing this obviously important role (because the trades say so), the leading lady is put into an institution. But it's a ruse! She simply wants to get methodologized into madness to get in touch with this mysterious character. But she gets more than she expected as her own sanity begins to slip and slide away in several eerie scenes that even involve random tickling. Hell, thy path is paved with tickling!
So, now Samantha is a real nut, and Stryker is going to cast his deranged dream lady by picking through some attractive ladies in a secluded cabin, running them through psychologically damaging paces such as touching each other's breasts for him and "Pirouetting into bed and skating on his face." I love this Stryker guy and it shows how you can forget how imposing John Vernon is physically - and he is just all asshole menace here. But wait... Samantha has left the institution and wants the role. And then, in comes an evil harpy-mask-wearing killer. Skating! Slashing! Off Screen! Who will survive, who will be Audra and better yet, when will I ever see a harpy skating with a small sickle ever again?
CURTAINS has an interesting problem. It starts strong and then settles into a very average and kind of boring psycho drama that would be a complete failure if it wasn't being held up by excellent performances, a great score, swift editing and a really cool location. The most noted image with the skating slasher is about as good as I could have hoped as well, though the skates she is wearing are... well, kind of brown bearish. That ain't bad, it just stood out to me as odd. But you may ask this reviewer why the mask was so cool, and the skates seemed silly. I guess it's part of being a slasher completist!
So, we have a big batch of excellent technical elements, but nowhere to go. Up until the 70-minute mark, when CURTAINS suddenly starts hitting its stride. Once the SUGAR COOKIES-styled drama fades and it becomes more interested in being an actual slasher film, it jumps into high gear! An extended chase scene from what we think might be a Final Girl is done to perfection. Using a maze of discarded theater props, we have multi-colored swatches of cloth (CURTAINS for you, FINAL GIRL!!) and hanging mannequins whose dingy skin tones are edited across from a hanging victim. Everything that was technically great about the boring parts carries over nicely and the payoff is solid when the killings and their motivations are finally revealed.
So, is CURTAINS essential? Nope, not by my account, but you will get to see a movie that is then revealed in the extras on the disc to have been troubled and no longer sits in the digital rubbish of obscure horror films. While I didn't find much of the dramatic action to be very effective, you are treated to John Vernon - who obviously took his job seriously - really giving it his all. Watch for him giving the "Oh yeah, I did that..." eyeball to Samantha Eggar! Priceless.
Extras include a nice bit of recollections on the making of CURTAINS that comes across as being very honest about the film's troubled production and just why it feels like you are watching two separate films; and it's all done with a no nonsense sense of candor. Even more interesting is the "Ciupka - A Film Maker In Transition" vintage piece that shows some shots from behind the scenes on CURTAINS with John Vernon that are a blast to see for any fan. Two audio commentary tracks are available to enhance the amazing story behind the CURTAINS... one that in the end may be more interesting than the show itself.
But we'll always have a skating harpy! – David Zuzelo David Zuzelo is the twisted brain behind the blog TOMB IT MAY CONCERN and the host of the new podcast CINESLUDGE. He is a frequent contributor to the ER blog and also wrote about Nikkatsu flicks for ER #52 (available from our website, CreateSpace and Amazon).
With Halloween right around the corner it's little surprise that the studios are trotting out their horror flicks for a movie audience looking to be scared silly. DRACULA UNTOLD – a new take on the Dracula legend that might end up dovetailing with Universal's rebooted monster universe – premieres this Friday, but we asked Chuck Francisco to take a trip back in time to the early 1970s for a look at the recent Synapse Films release of COUNTESS DRACULA.
By the 1970s Hammer Studios faced an increasingly difficult cinematic horror landscape, leaving them empty coffered. A red tide of bloodlust swept across the American movie market, breaking over with Romero's Night of the Living Dead in 1968, then growing steadily more splatter-centric as films competed to up the ante. Stuck between the dagger-equipped doors of shifting snuff sensibilities and the lethally spiked backing of the English censors, Hammer was quickly being engulfed in an iron maiden of irrelevance. Far from being an inert body to rest in piece, Hammer unnaturally extended their life by drastically increasing the one element they had unrestricted control over: the nudity quotient.
Branching out from the reliable stable of Dracula and Frankenstein (who no one wished to see in the buff), Hammer decided to water the seed of a much lesser known (at the time) monster, this one actually real. Despite the title, COUNTESS DRACULA details the exploits of Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who believed that bathing in the blood of virginal girls was the key to eternal youth. By most reckonings the true countess tortured and murdered at least 600 girls before meeting a horrific brand of justice that would make Edgar Allen Poe giddy (ok, maybe morose and misanthropic). The writers at Hammer keep the primary thrust intact, but come at it from a slightly different angle.
COUNTESS DRACULA sees the titular Elizabeth, a shriveled old woman (the lovely Ingrid Pitt hidden beneath heavy makeup), recently widowed. We open on her late husband's funeral and are quickly whisked ahead to the execution of his will. Of those gathered to receive the good stuff, only one is an outsider: the upstanding Lt. Imre Toth (Sandor Eles, who was also in personal favorite THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN). Toth is the son of the late count's army BFF, and is bequeathed all of his horses, the stables, and the adjacent cottage. This angers Captain Dobi the castle steward, who himself receives only a paltry amount. Played by leonine British actor Nigel Green (Hercules in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS!), he has been in amorous waiting for the lady Elizabeth to be single and open to his advances for twenty years. Green's performance is the deepest and most engaging of the film.
After an angry outburst against a servant slings a splash of blood on her face, the countess comes to realize that the blood of young girls will return her to youthful vitality. Now, with the help of her maidservant and Dobi, Elizabeth conspires to compulsively kill young girls to remain youthful, kindle a romance with Lt. Toth (whom she is enamored by), and arrange the kidnapping of her daughter in the countryside so that she can continue impersonating her. It's a complex spider web of deceit, and all of the moving pieces guarantee that the plot will come crashing down around the characters in spectacular fashion (which it absolutely does), but not before there's plenty of lovely nudity to titillate and tease.
While this isn't as maligned a title as something like CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER, it does nonetheless belong to that later Hammer era which is generally looked down upon in a poor light. This has always seemed odd to me, as the films themselves continue to come with far more lavish gothic trappings than their budgets would ever belie, and the style is always substantive. COUNTESS DRACULA has gotten more adoration recently in retrospect, and deservedly so. This is a solidly tense love triangle murder fest, with interesting and quirky characters, lavish sets and costumes, and all the nudity you could shake your stick at (just don't do so in public).
On the technical front, Synapse Films offers up a vividly color saturated transfer which retains the rich film grain texture that pings the nostalgia pleasure points of all true genre film lovers. A superb feature detailing the cinematic life of Ingrid Pitt (who only recently passed away in 2010) is the best of the special features offered. Also included are a commentary track featuring Pitt, director Peter Sasdy, screenwriter Jeremy Paul, and author Jonathan Sothcott, an archival audio interview with Pitt, reversible cover art, and more. This release is a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack, so you can enjoy it in pretty much any setup at your house unless you're still rocking a solo VCR somewhere.
COUNTESS DRACULA has a very specific Hammer fan niche to which it appeals. Those folks should race to pick this up before it's bled dry out of print, as should anyone who enjoys the stylish vibrancy of Hammer horror or those who are still exploring all that the studio has to offer. If you're generally not a fan of Hammer then this is certainly a pass, though I earnestly suggest you give earlier films from their house another go.
Chuck Francisco is a columnist and critic for Mania.com, writing Shock-O-Rama. He is a co-curator of several repertoire film series at the world famous Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, PA. An avid beer brewer, rock climber, and video gamer, you can hear him drop nerd knowledge on weekly podcast You've Got Geek, and follow him on twitter @CyanideRush. He recently wrote about Nazi Zombies, Spaghetti Westerns and American Hippies for Exploitation Retrospect #52 (available from our website). COUNTESS DRACULA is available at Amazon.
Few films of the VHS era ever spoke to me quite like Joel Reed's hysterical BLOODSUCKING FREAKS (aka THE INCREDIBLE TORTURE SHOW).
Thanks to its softcore antics, seedy veneer, absurd plot, outrageously ridiculous gore effects and over-the-top acting from everybody involved it never fails to entertain.
And now it's coming to home video in all its sleazy, re-mastered glory!
June 3rd is officially Ralphus Day as Troma releases (unleashes?) a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack featuring:
High-Def Transfer from the Original Materials
Widescreen 1.85:1 Presentation and Dolby 2.0 Stereo
New Bonus Features including interviews with Eli Roth and wrestling star Chris Jericho (?!)
A Never Before Seen Deleted Sequence
And, a Original Title Sequence for Sardu, Master of the Screaming Virgins
July brings a 30th anniversary Blu-Ray Edition of THE TOXIC AVENGER but as great as that flick is (and it definitely put Troma on the map) it can't hold a candle to BSF for me.
While waiting out a torrential downpour here on vacation I decided to use my free time to check on the ER blog and discovered it had been a shocking two-plus months since I'd posted an update.
Granted, I have the usual annual excuses like my January through April work schedule to go along with some personal events, but I'm still surprised I hadn't posted anything in more than two months.
Things seem to be starting to return to "normal" and ER 52 is even nearing completion despite an intended release date of Fall 2013 (I always tend to be a little optimistic on those print dates) – hopefully you'll all think it was worth wait.
Anyway, just wanted to pop in, let you know we're still kicking and drop a few pieces of news and notes while I drain some PBR and watch the really large palm tree outside wave back and forth in the storm...
Brian Harris, Tim Paxton and Co. have released another issue volume of the mighty Weng's Chop and it's a doozy. But don't take my word for it. Jason Beck of Post-Modern Trashaeology has a great review of the new issue (complete with a nice shout out to ER and his review of issue 51).
Looking to bulk up your Halloween viewing list? Need even more frightfully good sinema to add to your shelves?
Then be sure to check out our recently launched Dan's Funky Finds ebay store. We'll be adding original movie posters plus tons of zines and vintage mags in the coming months (including about 20 years of 60s/70s/80s PLAYBOY) but right now we're unloading gently used and new DVD and Blu-Ray titles.
Current items for sale and auction include:
MASTERS OF HORROR 10 Episode Lot featuring 9 DVDs worth of installments from directors like Tom Holland, Larry Cohen, John Landis and Dario Argento
SLASHER, a 2010 "kids in the woods" horror throwback from Unearthed Films
Definitely looking forward to the March 26 release of the FROM BEYOND Blu-Ray from the fine folks at Scream Factory (which you can pre-order from Amazon).
Like me you probably already have the 2007 DVD release but here's a tempting lineup of new bonus features that will be included (along with all the bonus features from the original disc)...
ALL-NEW SCREAM FACTORY EXTRAS:
Audio Commentary with writer Denis Paoli
MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS – A look at the film’s extensive Make-Up & Creature Effects with Special Effects Creators John Buechler, Anthony Doublin, John Naulin, and Mark Shostrom
PAGING DR. MCMICHAELS – An interview with Actress Barbara Crampton
A TORTURED SOUL – An interview with Actor Jeffrey Combs
AN EMPIRE PRODUCTION – An interview with Executive Producer Charles Band
EXTRAS CARRIED OVER FROM THE MGM 2007 DVD RELEASE:
Audio Commentary with director Stuart Gordon and the cast
THE DIRECTOR’S PERSPECTIVE - interview with Stuart Gordon
THE EDITING ROOM: LOST AND FOUND - Gordon Stuart and MGM restoration team interview
So I guess I'm double-dipping and grabbing the Scream Factory LIFEFORCE Blu-Ray after all.
Here's the skinny from today's announcement...
***LIFEFORCE and THE VAMPIRE LOVERS - Street Date Announcement & More!***
The special effects "kitchen sink" extravaganza LIFEFORCE from Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Funhouse) and THE VAMPIRE LOVERS from Hammer Film Productions both unleash on April 30th! You can pre-order them now at ScreamFactoryDVD.com.
These two wild cult favorites debut for the first time on Blu-ray. LIFEFORCE will be presented as a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™ & DVD combo pack that boasts the rare original theatrical version of the film (available on the Blu-ray disc only) and its longer international cut, plus newly rendered retro-style artwork and a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art. THE VAMPIRE LOVERS will be available as a blu-ray only and features the original theatrical key art.
EXTRAS for LIFEFORCE:
- Both Theatrical & International Versions of the film (Theatrical cut available on the Blu-ray only.)
- New Commentary with Director Tobe Hooper
- New Retrospective with Cast & Crew including Star Steve Railsback, Tobe Hooper and others!
- Original vintage “Making-Of Lifeforce” Featurette
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spot
- Still Gallery
- And more to be announced!
EXTRAS for THE VAMPIRE LOVERS:
- Feature Length Commentary with Roy Ward Baker (Director), Tudor Gates (Writer) and Ingrid Pitt (Carmilla) moderated by Jonathan Sothcott.
- Excerpts from the novella Carmilla, that inspired the film, read by Ingrid Pitt
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- New Interview with Madeline Smith (Emma)
- New Interviews with Hammer Films Scholars
- Original Radio Spot
SPECIAL OFFER: Those who order LIFEFORCE from us directly ScreamFactoryDVD.com will receive an exclusive 18”x24” poster featuring the newly commissioned artwork. Only 300 posters will be printed, so these are available while supplies last.
Check back here within the next couple of months for updates on the extras for LIFEFORCE and be on the lookout for Amazon pre-order links for both titles coming up soon.
Thanks to everybody who ordered the new issue of Exploitation Retrospect: The Journal of Junk Culture & Fringe Media!
We are officially SOLD OUT of the initial print run of the issue and, as somebody who still has a few hundred copies of the final issue of The Hungover Gourmet sitting around, that's a great feeling.
But just because we're sold out doesn't mean you're out of luck. A second printing of the issue is under way and we should have copies in hand by Thanksgiving. We're currently taking pre-orders for that second pressing, so if you want to guarantee you'll get a copy be sure to reserve one now.
In the meantime, small quantities of ER #51 are available through indie bookstores like Quimby's and Atomic Books.
I originally thought that the move from DVD to Blu-Ray would be an excuse I could use to upgrade from my current VHS/DVD deck to a Blu-Ray machine with WiFi. Unfortunately, my wife doesn't seem to buy the argument that "all this stuff is coming out on Blu-Ray" so I need to invest in a player. Until I wear her down I'm happy to have folks like Chuck Francisco of The Midnight Cheese who are willing to checkout stuff like Frank Henenlotter's awesome slab of 90s trash, FRANKENHOOKER.
Not many films have the balls to just lay it all out there for you in the title. This is especially true when the film in question is a horror-comedy depicting a crazed electrical genius who attempts to reconstruct his mulched fiancé from the body parts of 42nd Street working girls – who themselves exploded after smoking his vice-pioneering "super crack".
The electrical genius in question is Jeffery (played by James Lorinz), a wholesome Jersey boy, devoted fiancé and full-time tinkerer. In fact, it is his tinkering which sets this whole tragedy spinning in the first place. You see, Jeffrey modifies a gift for his soon-to-be-father-in-law, turning an ordinary gardening tool into a remote-controlled, fiancé-dicing implement from hell. Still, no harm-no foul, until well-meaning daughter Elizabeth plays with the remote control while her back is to the mower. Yup. Particularly funny is the completely tactless reporter covering the story of the birthday gift gone awry.
As you can imagine, this tragic turn of events sends Jeffery into a depression spiral. He's determined to bring Elizabeth back, but he only managed to save her head – the rest of her body was so badly destroyed as to be unusable. Applying liberal amounts of drill bit to stimulate his own higher brain functions (c'mon folks, the flick's called FRANKENHOOKER), Jeffrey comes to the conclusion that if he can find a prostitute with the perfect body, kill her with his super-powerful version of crack, attach his beloved's head and hit that body with a record thunderstorm's blast of electricity, then everything will be right as rain.
As you can imagine everything doesn't go as planned. The prostitutes find Jeffery's super crack, wrestle it off of him and street walkers explode like it's the Fourth of July.
While James Lorinz's performance is exceptionally hysterical, once she's reanimated from a mish-mash of prostitute parts, Elizabeth's (Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen) awkward stumbling, shuffling, jerky Frankenstein monster movements and crazy, twisted lip, spasmodic motor-mouth becomes the center ring attraction. It seems that mixing up so many hookers wasn't such a good idea as Elizabeth's first impulse is to take the subway to 42nd Street and look for a paying john.
I'm not even doing FRANKENHOOKER's plot justice. It's absurdist to the 10th degree and completely hysterical. It's the type of film you subject unsuspecting friends to and for which they love you (most times). There isn't a better time to consider checking it out than with this Blu-Ray release. The transfer is from vault archives and looks fantastic. There are a few scenes where there's a very slight, barely noticeable texture to the look. I mostly noticed this during the scenes in Jeffery's New Jersey home, but oddly not during the scenes in his garage-based science lab. If anything, it adds to the film in my opinion. It's almost like a filter over the film, painting a sharper contrast between normal life and the lives of those in the 42nd Street scenes. The electricity effects look wonderful and really pop in every instance. It makes we want to watch WEIRD SCIENCE on Blu-Ray to see if the same is true there.
However, not everything was meant to be seen it quite this high a clarity. Some things which would otherwise blend in fine stick out here just a little more than they otherwise would. Two things specifically caught my attention, both during the prostitute party scene. The first is a serious case of cottage cheese ass that I don't remember being visible in my VHS copy. The second is that the ten frame switch between the prostitutes and their exploding dummy bodies is clearer and those bodies look a little papier-mache-like. These little gripes are small potatoes when stacked up against the chance to own FRANKENHOOKER in such a clean, sharp release.
There are a few nice special features packed in for you to check out. A Salad That was Once Named Elizabeth is a question and answer session with Patty Mullen, who played Elizabeth/Frankenhooker. She has a fun time answering the questions and is still very pleasing on the eyes There's also a very enlightening make-up effects featurette entitled A Stitch in Time. Surprisingly, the most compelling bonus features center on Jennifer Delora. You might remember her from the hooker party scene as Angel, the working girl with the curly red hair. The interview with her quickly devolves into her ripping on her co-stars without holding back. This is the kind of good stuff that we rarely get to see on a modern release and there's also a collection of Ms. Delora's photos from the set, which provide a cool insider look behind-the-scenes of this 20th century trash classic.
FRANKENHOOKER on Blu-Ray will be available to add to your collection on November 8th. WANNA DATE? – Chuck Francisco
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