shuklavinash Reviews

Badlapur (2015)

And rating it 1 is being generous!

[1/10 · 17 March 2020]

Sriram Raghavan, a big name in thriller comes up with an absolutely misleading title 'Badlapur', which is not just appalling, but also tries to justify and glorify the unjust behavior of a so called 'grief-stricken' husband Raghav (Varun Dhawan) for all the wrong reasons.

Simply put, the story, the sullen-eyed Varun Dhawan and Raghavan, all failed to impress me. Raghavan is living under an impression of being the Quentin Tarantino of India, No sir, you are far away from him! Tarantino is a legend, who doesn't glorify misconducts, but captures them all with a neutral eye. And Varun, you are no John Travolta, so just stick to some senseless comedies like Judwaa 2. Stop fooling the people in the name of thriller and neo-noir. This is a bleak and badly written film, with tonnes of objectionable scenes and senseless editing. What was the message after all? That all the grief-stricken husbands and fathers should become misogynists, rape women, kill them brutally, flirt with them or use them as sex toys?

I have serious doubt on the intentions of this teary-eyed protagonist (or should we call him antagonist?) Raghav, who pretends to be sad and shows his tears as an alibi of his emotions, but he has no qualms in behaving like a sex maniac when it comes to women, so he is a go-getter when it comes to wine, women and wealth. Yes, you see his dark career progress so rapidly!

At least Nawazuddin was true to his character. He was a born cheater, but somehow ends up accepting his mistakes and turns himself to the police, but what about Raghav? Does the name 'Badlapur' have anything to do with 'Adla-Badli', where Nawazuddin walks into a gentleman's shoes, whereas Dhawan ends up wearing a cheater's shoes?

If Badlapur is the standard of thrillers these days, then I must say that the thriller genre is on a downward slide and will soon die if directors like Sriram Raghavan keep strangulating it. It's utterly shameful to read positive reviews about this film, with people cheering it up as a revenge saga or something of a great value rather than actually realizing its shallowness, depravity and meaninglessness. As a viewer, I am ashamed to have watched this piece of junk, which is a living example of pathetic, putrefied and decayed taste of the audience of the new millenium.

City of Blood (1987)

This slasher will actually slash you with the knife of boredom!

[1/10 · 22 December 2019]

I remember watching City of Blood back in 2003 with my father. My Dad is always on a hunt for obscure thrillers and he somehow found it in one of the VCD libraries close to my house. I did not realize how sought after this flick has become and people are paying premium prices to buy it just to make their collection complete.

So, it was a lazy summer afternoon and my Dad and I didn't have anything to do other than eating salted peanuts. He verbally introduced me through Joe Stewardson (who I did not know) and his stellar performance in 1972 film 'My Life'. I saw Stewardson's photo on the VCD cover and almost became sure of his acting abilities by looking at his age. Well I must say that Stewardson didn't disappoint me.

We played the VCD and saw two tribesmen about 2000 years ago running through a pristine forest with one of them wielding a strange club following his victim. The victim finally ends up near a waterfall and is brutally bludgeoned to death by the other tribesman. The scene was unique and captivated both of us. We sat tightly expecting a great slasher.

Then the film cuts to the present times, where we have Joe Stewardson playing a medical examiner. His superiors assign him a task of investigating the brutal murders of some city hookers. Stewardson is himself recovering from the death of his wife and child and is all alone to fight away his aloofness, until he meets Abigail, a young hooker, who hasn't lost her soul and still listens to her conscience. Joe tends to find solace in her arms while he is caught up between solving the murder mystery of the prostitutes and fighting his own aloofness. He somehow manages to discover that the killer is using the same ancient club to kill the victims.

By the time Stewardson discovers the truth about murder weapon, we had almost forgotten that it had something to do with the movie. The movie had become too political, tiresome and boring for us. We were expecting it to take off from where it started, but it never took off. There is a throng of other actors as well, but the film remains stale to the very end. I don't really know what inspired Roodt to direct this film. It is neither a slasher, nor a political thriller and finally not even a tad entertaining. It sluggishly drags itself through the scenes and to the last frame.

I really had a fight with my Dad that day as because of him I had to spend more than an hour of my life to watch this crap. I could have eaten peanuts alone as doing so would be a better experience.

Readers, please avoid this piece of $hit at any cost. I warn those who are dying to buy this to make their collection complete. This is one rotten and senseless film that has nothing to do with entertainment. It is gloomy, boring, sluggish and utterly useless. The only good things about this film are the opening scene where one tribesman kills another and sincere efforts by Joe Stewardson. Apart from this, there is nothing here for you.

The Final Terror (1983)

The Final Eggar!

[9/10 · 6 August 2018]

Wonderful! As a routine check, I was going through the horror catalogs of the early 80s slashers and happened to stumble upon this hell of an atmospheric and one of the best backwood slashers! Those who are pigeonholing this work of sheer excellence with the more gruesome and necessarily body count oriented Friday the 13th, Don't Go in the Woods or The Burning should actually understand that these films have been only made to quench the thirst of gore freaks. Although they do have a bit of atmosphere, yet kill count remains the deciding factor.

The Final Terror is more serious and is at par with Jeff Lieberman's 1981 film 'Just Before Dawn'. I say this because both these films have ample scope of showing corpse after corpse with pools of blood, but they don't do so. They use silence, isolation, mystery and serenity of the forest as horror intensifiers. It's the sound of the waterfall, river or creek that continuously tells you the domain you are walking into. Its the echo that comes back to you validating that you are far away from civilization and one your own to save your neck! Even though The Final Terror doesn't have gruesome kills to show on screen, it certainly has some of the best images that burn permanently in your mind. The old style bus taking a turn into the forest, the old shack amidst wilderness devoid of human presence, the chicken in the cage clucking in the silence of the forest and the wolf's severed head in the cupboard (if you know what I mean). The antagonist here is unique and has perhaps inspired M.J. Bassett to create a similar looking antagonist in his film 'Wilderness'.

As far as the story is concerned, it is essentially a slasher tale. Some trainee forest officers set off into the wild to learn survival skills. Despite the caretaker and driver Eggar's (Joe Pantoliano) objection, the expedition leader Mike (Mark Metcalf) takes the troop to a restricted area. It is there when the members discover the horrors of the jungle, where they become the target of a mysterious figure, who is hell bent on decimating the intruders.

Personally, I admire this film for it's great visuals and believable nature. Murders are not forced on the viewers and what is shown there looks genuine and well-within the capacity of our antagonist. Overall, it's a very nice backwood slasher! You won't regret after watching it!

Evilspeak (1981)

God bless the 80s!

[10/10 · 6 August 2018]

I couldn't really put aside my urge to review this film. For me it falls in the 'so bad it's good' category. I mean we have seen a lot of horror titles from the early 80s, but this one takes the cake for it's genuine but hyper imaginative plot. I don't know how Eric Weston and the writers conceived this idea, but overall 'Evilspeak' is a solid entertainer and worth the money spent. I was so moved by its plot that Evilspeak and its character stayed with me for a long-long time and I really don't want to forget them for they are wonderful in their own right.

A nerdy but intelligent student in a military school Stanley Coopersmith (Clint Howard) is actually studying on a scholarship. Being an orphan, he has no background for tale telling. Since he is studying on scholarship, his classmates Bubba (Don Stark) and his gang of spoiled brats keep demeaning Stanley by addressing him with derogatory names. The management and the staff isn't on Stanley's side too as we see their coach (Claude Earl Jones) and Principal Colonel Kincaid (Charles Tyner) keep seeking opportunities to bereave Stanley from his general rights. Stanley often confides in Kowalski (Haywood Nelson), who somehow understands Stanley's miseries and unjust attitude of the others and school staff towards him. Once Stanley is punished for coming late into the class (a part of routine prank against him) and is asked to clean the cellar of the school. Once there, Stanley finds a 500 year old diary of Father Esteban (Richard Moll) written in old Latin. Stanley being a computer wizard translates the journal and to his amazement finds that the diary may contain solution to end his miseries in the most brutal way. As his research on the diary continues, Stanley becomes affirmed that he may have the key to unlock the doors of the netherworld to let the hungry evil spirits come to his assistance. When Stanley's research is over, he summons the evil spirit of Father Esteban to wreak havoc on those who wronged him.

Evilspeak is a collector's gem for everyone who is impressed by the horror films of the early 80s. The signature background music is simple and one of its kind and also unforgettable. I really wish Eric Weston should have made a sequel to entertain horror lovers like me, but I think Evilspeak was lost somewhere in the multitude of horror films that were released in the early 80s. However, unlike regular slashers that are loved for death scenes and gore, Evilspeak should be loved for its eccentricity. Despite being a slow-paced violent bonanza, I give it a 10 for the solid entertainment if offers for 97 minutes.

Halloween (1978)

Boogeyman's Gonna Get You!!!!

[10/10 · 4 November 2015]

So much has been said about John Carpenter's 'Halloween' that adding anything to it will be like adding a few drops of water to the ocean. People have their own opinions when they review 'Halloween', but I am going to share my own experiences that I had with 'Halloween'.

As the opening credits begin, we are introduced to a sinister looking pumpkin (Jack-O-Lantern) that looks spooky yet funny and harmless with its eyes, nose and jagged mouth lit by the candle inside. Looking at it for a few seconds, the viewers then begin reading the cast and crew names....Donald Pleasance in John Carpenter's 'Halloween', Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie.....P.J. Soles as Lynda...Nancy Kyes as Annie Brackett....then Featuring: Kyle Richards, Brian Andrews...and by the time you reach 'Irwin Yablans' and 'Debra Hill' part.....You are just shocked to see that the 'sinister looking pumpkin' you almost forgot is now so close to you that you have no chance to escape its evil eye! That's what Michael Myers is for me! That's the beauty of Halloween.....The evil sneaks close to you and the worst thing is YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO FACE IT!!!!

Michael Myers is faceless, but being faceless makes him more menacing and scary. The 'fear of unknown' is more bone-chilling than the 'fear of known'. Michael Myers is unpredictable. We know he is evil.....and he only wants to do evil for sure......but how would he do it? We never know this. He uses his silence as a cloak to hide his deadly yet unknown agendas.

Moving ahead in our lives, we always think it will be like that forever. Same old routine, going to college, working part time, chit-chatting with friends, teasing and gossiping. Life seems so easy, safe and enjoyable....Isn't it? But then a violent faceless 'shape' (Guess who 'The Shape' is!), whom we never thought of, shows up suddenly out of nowhere. His path of life, his point of view, his aim and his everything is entirely different from the common definitions and stuffs of life! You never noticed him (just like the sinister looking pumpkin) and remained busy in your daily chores, and eventually when he came very close....you realize that it's too late to escape death!

Halloween needs to be preserved for eternity. It's an amazing combination of horror, mystery, nostalgia and music and fortunately each of its aspects work so well that together they give us this towering masterpiece. John Carpenter taught me to believe in boogeyman. He taught me that they do exist. He taught me to keep an eye on the dangers that may be hiding in vicinity and finally he taught me to keep the lights on while watching 'Halloween'.

I really thank John Carpenter for making it way better than it was expected to be and for making something that has been scaring us for the last 37 years and I bet it will continue to do so till 'Horror' genre is alive.

Mortuary (1982)

No Zombies Here, A Decent Slasher Though.

[7/10 · 21 October 2014]

Last year, I was looking for some obscure horror films, when I caught a glimpse of 'Mortuary'. The cast was good, but I decided to download it only because it had Christopher and Lynda Day George in it. I never grew up beyond the early 80s and have watched tons of those famous and forgotten gems that were released between 1980 and 1990. I usually watch them because they give me a kick and throw me back to my childhood days, when the censor boards used to be so raw and wild. As far as 'Mortuary' is concerned, it has very little gore and few intense murders, but it's nothing compared to Lucio Fulci's classics like 'The Beyond', 'Zombie 2,' 'The New York Ripper' and 'A Lizard in Woman's Skin'.

'Mortuary' begins with a huge mansion with a swimming pool overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Yes guys! It's the Gulls Way Estate located in Malibu, California. The scene is picturesque, but what actually makes this scene outlandish is the marvelous synthesizer tune by John Cacavas. I really want to credit him for bringing a special flavor to 'Mortuary' as without his music, 'Mortuary' couldn't have become a mini-cult classic. Back to the story, so it begins with a young lass Christie Parsons (Mary Beth McDonough), who has just been back from somewhere around and probably witnesses her father Dr. Parsons (Danny Rogers) being smashed by a baseball bat by an unknown assailant. Dr. Parsons falls into the pool and drowns. A month later, everybody believes that Dr. Parsons, a renowned psychiatrist, fell prey to an accident but Christie still believes that it was a cold- blooded murder. Tensed and depressed, she develops a strange habit of sleepwalking. Christie's mother Eve (Lynda Day) also thinks that her husband died a natural death and often tells Christie not to over imagine. She thinks that Christie is a victim of trauma and whatever she says is just her imagination.

A few days later, Christie feels that someone is stalking her. She is not very sure about who he is, but believes that he must be the person who killed her father. Christie often opens her heart before her handsome boyfriend Greg Stevens (David Wallace) and thoroughly believes on him. One day Greg and his friend Josh (Dennis Mandel) happen to sneak inside Hank Andrew's (Christopher George) warehouse. Mr. Andrews is a respectable citizen and a popular man in the community. Trolling around, the friends discover that Mr. Andrews is conducting a séance with few women. Greg finds that one of the women is Eve, Christie's step mother. Josh tells Greg that he has come to Mr. Andrews's warehouse to snuck a pair of tires because he was previously an employee at Mr. Andrews's mortuary but got kicked out for his 'peeping' habits. Josh believes that Mr. Andrews owes him some money and stealing tires would even their accounts out. Leaving Greg behind, Josh goes to the adjacent room to collect tires. Suddenly, the door behind him closes separating him from Greg. A hooded figure with a huge embalming trocar springs out of nowhere and stabs Josh to death. The door opens and Greg finds that Josh is nowhere around. He also gets a glimpse of his van rushing out of the Mortuary premises and thinks that Josh left without him. With the help of Christie, Greg manages to get out and then discusses the incident with her.

Paul (Bill Paxton) is Mr. Andrews' son. He holds a silent but overwhelming obsession about Christie. He is not so bold to say this on her very face and is always uncomfortable to see Greg around her. Christie sympathizes with him because as a child Paul's family was a dysfunctional one and he was often punished by his parents. On silly mistakes his parents would lock him up with the dead bodies the horror of which gradually made Paul a psycho. Since nobody likes Paul due to his daft attitude, he usually finds solace in Christie who likes him the way he is. After Paul's mother (whom he loved dearly) committed suicide, Paul lost his mind and Dr. Parsons had suggested Mr. Andrews to put him in a mental asylum. Mr. Andrews, however, rejected his offer by telling him and the other community members that he alone can take care of Paul. Now a hooded figure with a white mask and a huge trocar is stalking Christie everywhere. Greg and Christie team up together to unfold the mystery behind those dramatic and illusionary episodes of stalking, which Eve strongly believes are the part and parcel of Christie's sleepwalking sessions. Their investigation leads them to Mr. Andrews' Mortuary where they may get all the answers they ever wanted.

I fell in love with 'Mortuary' at once and it has now become a guilty pleasure of mine. I can't put my finger specifically on what I like most about this flick, but I guess it has been filmed in brilliant locations and the Gulls Way Estate is surely something I wouldn't like to visit in the dark! Moreover, the roller disco scene and the absolutely soothing track 'Be My Lover' that plays alongside gives it a nice nostalgic touch. Actors have acted well but David Wallace needed more space here to show his talents. The storyline doesn't have much scope for David's character and leaves many questions unanswered. Howard Avedis begins it nicely and also introduces some sub plots (séance and the witchcraft scenes) that ultimately wash out somewhere and are never harnessed. Bill Paxton is great as usual and the way he maintains his plain face is worth a look. Overall, 'Mortuary' is a good return on investment and one of the decent ways to get drowned in nostalgia of those years we call early 80s. Wonderful!!

Scalps (1983)

Dark, disturbing and essential

[8/10 · 16 November 2013]

Digging the pile of low budget horror, I happened to find this piece of pure gold that shines even today. I knew Fred Olen Ray for an actor but with this one, Ray totally grabbed me in. I now salute him for his directorial abilities that gave us this masterpiece. The year is 1983 and like many others who praise the glory of the golden age of untamed slashers, most precisely the early 80s, I am going to sing my praises for 'Scalps'. Despite being a B flick, 'Scalps' is heavy on atmosphere and gore. The atmosphere is creepy and the nostalgic tune that plays during the run time is fairly engaging and makes one feel desolate. It goes along seamlessly with the striking visuals of the desert. People will say that deserts offer no scope for the urban horror where we usually have a killer who wears a mean nifty hat, muffler and a drenched raincoat, murdering the hapless victims to secure their body parts as the trophies of victory. NO! This one is surely different and a twist of supernatural combined with some good locations and a fully functional storyline make 'Scalps' unique among the other entries. The director drags us to the desert locale and shows the enormous amount of horror that is trapped there. Analyze 'Scalps' in the light of Wes Craven's classic 'The Hills Have Eyes' or Alexander Aja's remake of the same film, and you'll certainly understand my point. Deserts are cruel locations and those who have been pampered in the cities will have to learn to live again from the very scratch. Well here our actors aren't just freaked out by the tortures of nature, there is 'something' very strange in the air that's manipulating some of them to murder others and that 'something' doesn't just cease to exist as it has remained there for more than a century.

'Scalps' begins with an old man with a shovel heading towards the Californian desert. Perhaps a gold digger, the old man falls prey to a possessed Indian artifact that somehow kills him. Now there is a team of 6 archaeologists. They decide to go to the Californian wasteland to dig up a few Indian artifacts. The project guide and museum curator Professor Machen (Kirk Alyn) is assigned a task to submit the inventory of historical artifacts he has in his museum and fails to join the others. As the Californian law prohibits the archaeologists to dig anything from an ancient Indian burial ground (aboriginal heritage), Machen asks the team members to dig the area secretively without letting anyone know. He also advises them to tell others that they are officially going on a field trip. Now a nostalgic and disturbing tune begins to play as we find the team members looking out at the silent dark brown hills that hold a sinister enigma within. We come across some striking visuals from the desert. The wasteland is vast and spooky, the hills seem to be looking at the unfortunate victims-to-be and the vegetation speaks a lot about its lowly and mean nature that doesn't have anything to offer to the detoured individuals. The members embark onto their journey and finally reach near the burial ground. One of the team members DJ (Jo-Ann Robinson) receives a psychic vision and tells her mates that they are in great danger. She tells them that they are in the domain of Black Claw, the infamous native Indian black magician who was buried there a century ago. She further tells that by digging the burial grounds, the team has earned the wrath and curse of Black Claw. Unable to deduce her visions, the others take her for a daydreamer. Unfortunately the mystery deepens for everyone when they hear drums playing several feet under the ground. They also hear tribal ceremonial music and vocals. A team member Randy (Richard Hench) along with his girlfriend decides to find the source of music and gets closer to the burial ground where he and his girlfriend witness a ceremonial fire that has no heat. The ceremonial fire belongs to the Black Claw, who possesses Randy. Randy goes on a killing spree and begins to murder the other team members with neolithic tools. How the others race against time to save their necks forms the rest of the story.

'Scalps' has ample gore and a few squirmy murder scenes, so it may be a fortune cookie for the gore freaks. The murder scenes are disturbing and dark. Some of the scenes are shot in dark but that's the point Ray wants to make. They couldn't have brought the dark and abysmal side of the desert (both natural and supernatural) so brilliantly If they had used artificial lighting. 'Scalps' is interesting and has some amount of hypnotic quality as well. 'Scalps' has a genuinely creepy and hypnotic score that will live with you for a very long time. Also the tribal music that plays near the burial ground is hypnotic. The visuals are such that they would throw you in the early 80s and you'll be forced to recall those olden days when things used to be so raw, natural and wild. The only drawback here is the editing. Viewers may find it difficult to understand why the day randomly switches to morning, evening and night. Overall 'Scalps' has a strong message behind it. It simply negates the concept of 'The White Man's Burden' showing that there is still something far more advanced than the White Men or the civilized world has ever witnessed. 'Scalps' has impressed me every time I have watched it, so I give it 8/10 for the horror, gore, atmosphere, dark humor and plot.

Adam Chaplin (2011)

The Mecca of Gore freaks

[10/10 · 22 January 2013]

After a long time I finally got something very entertaining to watch. 'Adam Chaplin' as the name suggests is the story of Adam Chaplin (Emanuele De Santi), who desperately loved his wife Emily (Valeria Sannino). They had a happy and complacent family life when his wife went into bad books of the demented and sadistic city mobster Denny (Christian Riva) and his equally animalistic sons Derek (Giulio De Santi) and Ben (Paolo Luciani). Emily had borrowed a sum of money from Denny but due to inability to pay her debt on time, she is brutally burned alive by Denny and his sons. Adam is living a secluded and sad life and is all set to exact revenge on the gangsters. For this Adam conjures a demon and promises to give his soul to it once his revenge is exacted. The demon makes Adam's right shoulder its residence and gives Adam supernatural strength to bring down his enemies. Armed with supernatural strength, Adam is now on the trail of his enemies and will not stop unless he has killed them all.

The story is fairly simple at heart, but is also bit different from the others because of the demon. Emanuele with his chiseled body and rolled up eyes looks threatening and different from most other protagonists. His brutal killings make him demonic and fearsome. The viewers may forgive his attitude for the cause he is after his foes. The gore is great and above everything, so you may literally want to take bath after the film is over. I enjoyed this film for its simple storyline and the presence of demon, who talks strange and makes Adam's enemies die of severe hemorrhage with blood imploding out of their bodies. This one is fun to watch because of witty one liners specially the ones spoken by the demon. The film uses bluish color tone for no apparent reason (maybe to induce creepiness?), which is a drawback. I believe it should have used the color scheme Alexander Aja used in 'The Hills Have Eyes' remake. The fights are brutal, violent and blood-soaked. Adam tops the punching chart with around five to six hundred blows in one go, making the pulp out of his foes. Denny's part is menacing and the viewers may find his actions very gruesome and inhuman. He and his sons behave like true psychopaths, who don't have a corner left for humanity in their hearts. So viewers will never empathize with them when they get fairly more than what they deserve. Another interesting character is Mike Carerra (Monica Muñoz), who is hell of a sociopath and doesn't like to talk to anyone. He is an Army veteran, whose list of war crimes is longer than the days he has lived on Earth. He is a killing machine and the gangsters deploy him to avenge Adam.

Emanuele De Santi is the new name in the world of gore, and 'Adam Chaplin' is like the Mecca of gore freaks. However, unlike Peter Jackson's 'Braindead', 'Adam Chaplin' has a serious storyline and every violent act has a genuine cause, so those looking for the tint of comedy in this will be somewhat disappointed. I am really happy to see Italy back in action. I really lament the death of Lucio Fulci, who I consider the enforcer of gore and violence in serious horror films. Ruggero Deadato is another name here, but he has confined himself within the limits exploitation horror. 'Adam Chaplin' is not an exploitation horror, as those who are punished are no Mr. goody-to-shoes. Overall, this is a great entertainer and we are hearing good tidings from Italy now. I hope to have a sequel of this with equally awesome actions or even more. I now remember the tag line that says "Nothing can prepare you for this extreme fight" and I guess Emanuele De Santi was right about this.

Murder Syndrome (1981)

A great hallucinogen

[8/10 · 16 January 2013]

If I had a time machine, I would prefer going back to the early 80s, especially 1981 and '82, which were the heydays of Horror. The time was one of the most splendid phase of the slasher and zombie genres and we certainly have enough of those films to revel upon. As I look down to the slasher genre, I see there were many that came out victorious and instantly garnered a decent cult-following. Some others were not so effective then, but found audience in course of time and certain others are still waiting for the right audience to get famous. I think 'Fear' aka 'Murder Syndrome' falls in the 3rd of the aforementioned categories.

I got a copy of 'Murder Syndrome' under the name of 'Fear' in 1994. Being a devoted fan of slasher and giallo, I keep digging the heap of such films to discover something precious. I love slashers, but only when they're accompanied with a sound atmosphere. 'Fear' has everything for a slasher buff like me. It's a great giallo with a twist of supernatural, some edgy psychological dilemma, effective dark humor, gore, nudity and a gruesome atmosphere. So you can choose what you want. Wake up man, It's 1981....What did you expect? Budget wise, the movie has a low profile, but the presence of a big Victorial-era mansion, lush outdoor locations combined with some good acting make 'Murder Syndrome' nifty. Freda seems to have invested his mind heavily in the plot that unfolds very rudely. The ending is almost a surprise and will leave you in shock. I think this was an experiment of mingling two alternate endings and surprisingly, both of them are nicely written.

Michael (Stefano Patrizi) is a successful actor. He has everything to be proud of; name, fame, and a beautiful girlfriend Deborah (Silvia Dionisio). During the weekend break, Michael decides to pay a visit to his mother Glenda (Anita Strindberg ), who lives in a palatial house, somewhere far away from the urban locale. Michael takes Deborah along, as he wants to introduce her to his mother. On the way to his home, Michael gets distracted with some flashes of events from his dark and forgotten past. Finally they reach their destination and are greeted by Oliver (John Richardson), the house butler. Michael meets Glenda but it seems she is living a secluded and lonely life. Deborah feels Glenda is acting suspicious, but she doesn't have anything against her. In the meantime a filming crew with director Hans (Henri Garcin) and 2 actresses Shirley (Martine Brochard) and Beryl (Laura Gemser) arrive at the mansion for Michael's latest movie shoot. The guests are given a cold reception by Oliver, who seems to be very superstitious. Once they settle inside the spooky mansion, strange events begin to occur. Beryl faces a murder attempt, where a strange figure with black gloves tries to drown her in the bathtub. Michael's behavior with Deborah begins to change when Deborah tells him about her dream, where she witnessed a black mass and a strange over-sized spider trying to devour her. Deborah emphasizes that she had been a part of the mass, but she isn't able to recall the exact time of the event. Then Beryl is torn open with a hunting knife, right beside the river bank. Hans manages to capture some snaps of the killer, but before he is able to disclose the killer's identity, he is brutally hacked to death with an Axe. Deborah and the Shirley are looking for some clues, when they accidentally stumble upon Hans' camera and some of those nasty snaps. However, Shirley gets killed by a chainsaw as she is in the photo lab trying to develop the prints. Deborah is left with no other option but to run for her life. Deborah runs across the estate and into the woods only to be stopped by Oliver, who may have some hints about the strange events going on in the mansion.

'Fear' is a great film with some of the great moments that left a deep impression in my mind. I keep this very close to me because it acts as a great hallucinogen for me. When I call it a 'hallucinogen', I mean to say that it is able to push you into a dream world, where you won't be able to differentiate between the real and imaginary. The acting is cut above most of the slasher films that oozed during the 80s. This is a smart and intelligent film from Freda and should be watched for what it is!

The Prey (1983)

Oh...Was that a slasher?

[4/10 · 28 November 2012]

I watched this film in 1992 on the suggestion of one of my friends. Since I am a big fan of 'Backwoods Horror', I decided to give it a try. The film began and I thought I was about to witness another Friday the 13th. It was after 30 minutes, when I realized that they shouldn't have released it as a slasher. Here is what it's all about.

The film begins with the stock footage of 1948 Northpoint wildfire, then it cuts straight to 1980, where we see a couple Frank & Mary enjoying their camp out. Moments later, Mary is shocked to see Frank's decapitated body and is brutally killed too. Nobody knows who did it. Then we come across 6 teenage campers Nancy, Joel, Greg, Gail, Skip and Bobbie heading to the woods. On the way, they meet forest ranger Mark, who asks them to watch out for the bears. As the teenagers go deeper and deeper in the woods, they become more isolated from the outer world. Little do they know that something horrible is lurking at an arm's length. The police department is investigating the disappearances of Frank & Mary and seeks help of the forest department. The senior forest officer Lester Tile may have clues regarding the disappearances at The Northpoint.

So did you enjoy the story? You may have, because I never included a single wildlife footage in it. This could have made millions if it were shown on Animal Planet. The plot has no unique value and the actors are some of the worst and dumbest in the stock, who fail to develop themselves during the course of run. I mean you never get empathy for them, and even after spending around 81 minutes with you, they all die strangers. The film is full of unrelated and forcibly included stock footage, whose color scheme doesn't match with the actual film. The only good footage I remember is of a snake working hard to swallow a frog. This footage underlines the movie title 'The Prey'. Watch it only if you are big fan of backwoods horror, otherwise this has nothing new to promise.

He Knows You're Alone (1980)

We want an equally engaging sequel Armand!

[9/10 · 26 November 2012]

'He Knows You're Alone' is one of the movies that I love to watch on Friday nights. The film is creepy, stylish and a genuine homage to John Carpenter's 1978 horror-classic Halloween. The film is heavy on atmosphere but less on gore. The killer here has a body of the Tall Man from 'Phantasm', and you may also mistake him for Michael Myers from a distance. The film is known for its ending, where it ensures the viewers that the killings won't stop and 'women' play a vital role in the making of a serial killer.

The film begins with Amy (Caitlin O'Heaney) bidding goodbye to her boyfriend Phil (James Carroll). Amy is planning for a good time with her mates and we are soon introduced to a bunch of irresponsible, alcoholic and fun-loving girls, who are all set to enjoy life to its fullest. It looks Amy has now changed her mind about Phil and is now planning to wed Marvin (Don Scardino) instead. Marvin works at a local mortuary. Amy begins to suspect that someone is stalking her. The stalker follows Amy relentlessly and it seems that the stalker had a bad past. The viewers come to know that our stalker had killed the girl he ever loved, because she was planning to ditch him and marry someone else. And now, the killer is stalking every bride-to-be and Amy is his next target. How Amy, Marvin and a dare devil detective decide to face the vengeful stalker forms rest of the story.

Armand Mastroianni has directed the movie with a nice approach. The cinematography is great and some of the locations are fairly creepy. I mean it seems that the killer may jump out of nowhere. This stalker may look like Michael Myers but has his own attributes. He IS where you NEVER expect him to be! The acting is good and nudity is almost missing. The lovers of gore and nudity may be disappointed a bit, but I am sure they'll enjoy the story. One of the assault sequences has also been copied in an Indian C-grader 'Khooni Mahal', directed by Mohan Bhakri. The tale has been well-played by the actors as they hold the script tightly and give slick performances. This film is an all-in-all entertainment and a perfect treat for the die hard fans of the slasher genre. This surely deserves an equally engaging sequel.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

My 2 year old kid loves it as much as I do!

[9/10 · 27 October 2012]

Whoa! I had been trying to arrange some time for the last few days to compose a review for this film. And today is the lucky day when I can praise it generously for what it is. The 'Chiodo brothers', not a common name in the late 80s were the ones who crafted this gem of a film. The film is bizarre to the core and forces us to imagine and get scared of a story that I know is impossible, but the truth is, it doesn't look impossible on screen! Only the Chiodos could have done this magic.

The film begins with a group of youngsters getting intimate near the woods. A duo Mike (Grant Cramer) and Debbie (Suzanne Snyder) witness a flash of light fall down a few meters ahead and decide to investigate. Their investigation leads them to a circus tent in the middle of the woods! The two go into the tent and find numerous pink-colored cocoons hanging oddly. The two discover that cocoons contain dead human beings, but before they could find out more, they are attacked by a pack of clowns and while one of them even fires the dreaded popcorn at the duo, the other manoeuvres a balloon to make a sniffer out of it! Mike and Debbie run for their lives and the scene cuts to several clowns heading towards Crescent Cone, the nearest town.

Mike and Debbie seek help of the police, but the station in charge Officer Mooney (John Vernon), a grouchy, foul-mouthed, teen-hating police officer refuses to buy their tale. However, Debbie's ex-boyfriend, Officer Dave (John Nelson) promises to help them. In the meantime, we come to know that the clowns are aliens, who are on Earth to harvest the human beings for food. For this they have several odd weapons. Now its up to Debbie, Dave and Mike to save this planet from the wrath of the killer clowns!

The film is hilarious and gives several reasons to laugh at its idiocy for eternity. The greatest asset of this film is its plot that seems so fresh and natural on screen. The film has several high energy scenes that are indigenous and are solely credited to the director. The film is highly unconventional and tries to focus on the comedic side of horror. My comment may not mean much to the readers, but you got to watch this flick yourself to judge it.

There are so many gruesome death scenes, but they are so clad in the crisp of comedy that they seldom induce tension. This flick is still popular among all the age groups and a 2 year old kid would find it as interesting as it may be for an adult. I mean to say it has everything to impress people of all cultures, age and nationality. This is hilarious enough as a comedy, smart enough as a sci-fi tale and creepy enough as a horror story. Highly recommended!

The Last House on Dead End Street (1973)

Decades Before August Underground Mordum...

[10/10 · 5 October 2012]

Personally I don't like exploitation and snuff films. I feel that they are grim and upset the viewer and impair his ability to discriminate between humane and animalistic. 'The Last House on Dead End Street' was released 5 years after Wes Craven's depraved exploitation classic 'The Last House on the Left', but this one surpassed the record of depravity that Craven had set 5 years before. I don't like praising this movie for it made me upset and empty for many months, but I need to be true while reviewing it. As I watched this flick, I kept repeating 'This is just a movie'. I confess I didn't do this when I watched Craven's 'The Last House on the Left', which bore the aforementioned tag line. Although an amateurish effort by all means and produced out of a budget sufficient only to buy a few sacks of potatoes, this film will rule your senses forever and will haunt you in your dreams. The film doesn't pick up instantly and waits until the viewer has grown suspicious about the actions of the misanthropes and begins thinking 'What are they up to?'. Their questions are answered when the protagonist begins showing his true color which is as black as death itself!

The film begins with Terry Hawkins (Roger Watkins, who closely resembles Quentin Tarantino), who has just finished his jail sentence for drug charges and is now looking for a new livelihood. He meets two cheese directors and now wants to try his hands with film making. Terry claims that he had earlier made few porn films but was unable to sell them. Terry and the directors want to try their hands with the new sensation of horror, Snuff films. They soon begin luring victims to a derelict and abandoned palatial building, where they are hacked, cut, drilled, decapitated, tortured, sawed and finally killed on screen. Their methods are so elaborate that they would definitely cause the viewers to puke on their nastiness. This goes on with several victims, until the viewers come to know that police had received a tip about their vicious and depraved deeds and they raided the place and arrested all the culprits and perpetrators.

This might look like a documentary of a failed man, but you must see it yourself if you have the nerves to watch and forget this stuff. I say again, you may watch it, but it will live with you forever. The murders and slaughterhouse scene may induce nightmares and arouse abhorrence. Yes, the protagonist wants that you should hate him. This is a hate worthy film, but I can't give it 'zero' on the basis of my own dislike. May be it was hard for me to throw this film out of my mind, but its penetrative and lingering nature is certainly something that keeps this one infinite miles ahead of the modern stinkers like Fred Vogel's 'August Underground Mordum' and Nick Palumbo's 'Murder Set Pieces'. This film actually lets you dive deep into the mind of a depraved killer and answers some of the questions like 'How are they different from us? and 'What is his motive?''. Roger Watkins is the guy who hides behind the name Victor Janos and many other pseudo names that show on the performer/production credits.

It's said that Roger Watkins had a planned budget of $3000 to make this film, but he spent more than $2,200 on amphetamines alone during the shooting and what remained was used to make the film. Unbelievable? Believe it!

Braindead (1992)

The twisted world of Sir Peter Jackson

[10/10 · 4 October 2012]

'Braindead' as the name suggests, is a zombie film. But wait! This doesn't make it like any other zombie film. In fact this is the powerhouse of a splatter! As a gatekeeper of the cinema hall, I request all the haters of gore go home and welcome all those who love the twisted tale of splatter and walking innards that set history in the world of splatter. People had seen gore before 'Braindead' was released, but what sets this one apart from the other gore films is that 'Braindead' falls into the 'comedy horror' genre. Since it's no disturbing stuff, the lovers of splatter may revel this twisted tale for years together.

The film begins with the scene of Skull Island, where we come across a New Zealand zoo-officer (Bill Ralston) who has dared catch a Sumatran Monkey with the help of local guides and poachers. The spear-wielding tribal inhabitants show unwelcoming attitude towards the intruders and follow them. Fortunately they happen to take the monkey along, but the zoo-officer gets bitten. The poachers lose no time in decapitating and beheading the helpless zoo-officer for his sole good, for they fear that the monkey's bite would transform him into something bizarre! The monkey reaches Wellington and is kept in a zoo.

Cut to Wellington, we meet a young man Lionel Cosgrove (Timothy Balme), who lives with his over-possessive, domineering, and snobbish mother Vera (Elizabeth Moody). Vera loves making Lionel work for hours together and keeps him engaged in several odd jobs. It so happens that Lionel begins his first affair with a dashing Spanish belle Paquita (Diana Peñalver) and the two decide to visit a local zoo. Vera is suspicious about Lionel's objectives and follows them. Unfortunately, Vera gets bitten by the same Sumatran Monkey and Lionel somehow brings her home.

Vera objects to this relationship calling Lionel irresponsible and unapologetic. The next day the bite begins showing its effect and Vera dies. Moments later we see Vera's corpse animating back to life, but this time she has become more like a rotting corpse or more precisely a zombie. Lionel somehow believes that his mother could be cured and does everything to keep her alive. The townspeople believe that Vera has died and gather at her funeral. That night Lionel visits her grave and exhumes Vera's corpse. He is hampered by a pack of hooligans who think he is a body snatcher and beat him mercilessly. Vera's corpse comes out of the grave and infects the hooligans and a priest Father McGruder (Stuart Devenie). In order to hide his mother's tale, Lionel has to make arrangements for all the zombies at the basement of his palatial house, he has inherited from his family. But his uncle Les (Ian Watkin) has his own plans about this inheritance. How Paquita and Lionel try to reunite against all the odds and fight away a pack of several hundred zombies forms the crux of the story.

'Braindead' is a perfect splatter entertainer in all sense. The film captures some of the more bizarre and disgorging images that may leave the viewers in discomfort. I think they spent most of the budget on fake blood because gore and splatter are the ingredients that set the viewers' mood. Also, it has some of the wittiest dialogs I've ever enjoyed listening to. I remember I liked Tom Holland's 'Fright Night' for its witty dialogs and its credibility as a next door tale. 'Braindead' too is close to any other credible next door tale, except that Lionel's house is the home of raging and murderous zombies. Now there are zombies of all age and sizes and Lionel's interaction with them is more of a spectacle. The scene where Lionel deals with the zombie baby is ludicrous and a great stress buster. People may berate this one for its offensive imagery, I still say that gore hounds and the admirers of bizarre and twisted have an ample scope to quench their thirst! So before planning to watch this one, here is a sample for you:

Paquita: (Screaming) Your mother ate my dog!

Lionel: (Taking dog's fur out of Vera's mouth)...Not all of it!

Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)

High-Octane Awe Inspiring Violent Entertainment

[9/10 · 2 October 2012]

After a long wait, I finally happened to watch this on-the-face film. 'Hobo with a Shotgun' is what it actually wants to be; violent, awesome and wonderfully paced film. I've seen many cursing this film and dastardly pinning down Rutger Hauer for his role, but they should remember that this is what grind house is all about. You can't expect a 'Titanic' here! James Eisener is all set to dethrone Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez with this great high-octane film, that has a conventional story packed with unconventional violence and jaw-dropping gore. This however doesn't make it sick. The gore has been well adjusted with the film and takes place in full swing where desired. The film fully delivers what it wants and brings back great memories from the past when we loved reading tales of sanely crusaders.

A Hobo (Rutger Hauer) comes to a city called 'Hope Town' that has been reduced to a 'Scum Town' by the ruling mafia family of The Drake (Brian Downey). The drake family rules the town with an iron fist and have made it a living example of shambles! People are killed, looted, butchered, mutilated, tortured, massacred, raped and mistreated big time and Drake's equally sadistic sons Ivan (Nick Bateman) and Slick (Gregory Smith) set out on streets to spread terror across the town every now and then. The Hobo decides to bring justice to the town and gives up his dream to begin his own lawn mowing business and purchases a Shotgun instead, that becomes the patent symbol of our Hobo throughout the film. How our Hobo seeks a way to restore law and order in the city and free the town from the clutches of the evil mafia family forms rest of the story.

This is a great effort by James Eisener. The film looks bit off-the-tone but sets mood gracefully, once it's on and running. The gore scenes are an attraction and certainly promise an awesome grind house entertainment. The camera work is appealing and special effects are praiseworthy. Rutger Hauer and Molly Dunsworth are perfect in their roles and so are Downey, Bateman and Smith as villains. This is a serious stuff and will be always remembered with respect in the world of grind house cinema.

Bad Taste (1987)

One of the most memorable treats!

[10/10 · 1 October 2012]

I love Peter Jackson for his bizarre creativity. Bad Taste, Braindead, Meet the Feebles are all bizarre in their own way. As I love splatsticks, I worship 'Bad Taste' for the position it holds in the world of splatter cinema. Peter Jackson has a strange way of using gore. His gory sequences are seldom disturbing and overuse of fake blood makes the gore look like a comedic device, which should be laughed and laughed upon for eternity! So what's the story about 'Bad Taste'? This is a typical B-film but is slicker and more tongue-in-cheek than any of the films that fall into the category of extreme cinema. Jackson's tales never let the viewer lose interest in his films. Perhaps Jackson is such an artist who can make murder look like plain humor! Considering the limitations Jackson faced both financially and technically during the filming of 'Bad Taste', the film looks as great as Taj Mahal to me.

The tale is fairly simple at heart. The Astro Investigation Defense Service sends 4 men Ozzy (Terry Potter), Derek (Peter Jackson), Barry (Pete O'Herne) and Frank (Mike Minett) to a town 'Kaihoro' (Food-town in Maori?) to discover the reason behind unexplained disappearances of the townspeople. The men find blood splattered everywhere with no trace of the townsfolk. The place looks like an abattoir, as Barry tells Derek on his radio.

The men soon come to know that the town is plagued with zombies, who will kill anything that comes their way. Detailed findings lead the men to the whereabouts of the zombies where they have all gathered for a meet. The meet is hosted by their chief Lord Crumb (Doug Wren). The men come to know that Lord Crumb and his zombie force are actually extraterrestrial beings in the guise of humans and have plans of harvesting human meat for their own intergalactic food franchise. So the dead townsfolk are now in the boxes, ready for the alien consumption! The men also find Giles (Craig Smith), a donation collector in a drum, soaked in spices and free him. Watching for the right time to strike, they all take positions and open fire at the dawn. Causing heavy casualties, the men force Lord Crumb to retreat in his home-faced-UFO. However, Derek has plans of his own that are more sinister than Lord Crumb could have ever imagined.

The film as you can see is based on hyper-imagination. Jackson however makes this work. 'Bad Taste' has great comedy scenes and an appealing atmosphere. Thanks to Jackson's hometown Pukerua Bay and the New Zealand lush belt, where this flick was shot. These locations add good atmosphere in the film and shaky camera work at places makes the viewer dizzy. Over-the-top splatter plays a special role here and gives enough reality to the film. So if you're a kind of person who loves to puke on the nasty, give this a try. I am sure you won't be disappointed, and don't forget to watch Peter Jackson's evil twin Robert!

Uninhabited (2010)

Fizzy and Forgettable

[3/10 · 30 September 2012]

Ever since the tale 'And the sea will tell' by Vincent Bugliosi and Bruce Henderson became a bestseller, numerous attempts have been made to discover the horror behind uninhabited islands. This Australian film comes straight from the director Bill Bennett, who successfully directed his critically and publicly acclaimed flick 'In a Savage Land.' Bennett, however, disappoints this time.

Beth (Gerlandine Hakewill) and Harry (Henry James) set off for a vacation to spend an idyllic time at an uninhabited island somewhere in the Coral Sea, off the eastern coast of Australia. Once there, the couple is fascinated by an appealing tropical climate, turquoise waters, white sands and pleasant winds. Led by their basic instincts the two begin combing the island and finally discover an old house and an abandoned grave with a name 'Coral' on it. They also become victims of lunatic shark-hunters, who tie the couple and leave them to die. The couple is however saved by an unseen entity, who forces the lunatics to take to their heels. The apparition's presence in the island is validated by 'her' sobs in the air.

Further investigation leads Beth to a diary, which belongs to someone who came to the island long back. The diary accounts the history of island claiming it to be haunted by the spirit of a girl named Coral. The diary says Coral worked for a fishing crew at the island a century ago, and once got a deadly stone fish sting. She was subsequently raped by other men of the crew. Now Coral turned into a ghost and had since been avenging her death by killing anyone who comes for spending vacation in this tropical paradise.

The film suffers from lack of content. Since the content is meager, several unnecessary sequences have been added. The photography is great but gets less attention from the director. The director could have used the silence of island for building a great atmosphere, which unfortunately 'Uninhabited' falls short of. The ending is fizzy and doesn't explain much about Beth's future. Harry dies in a jiffy and his part ends abruptly. I don't think its a good idea to be so concise when it comes to direction. I would anytime prefer to read 'And the sea will tell' or watch 'BBC's South Pacific episodes' instead of watching this somewhat childish and awkward creation or film, if this could be called one.

Fruits of Passion (1981)

A Confused Tale

[4/10 · 29 September 2012]

I never had a chance to watch Kinski much, but I think what he had given to us with 'Aguirre - The Wrath of God', 'Woyzeck', 'Fitzcarraldo', 'Nosferatu' and 'Cobra Verde' is something that makes him matchless. His cadaver looks may haunt any mainstream viewer for weeks together. Now, I praise Kinski for his artistic abilities and menacing performance, but I never intended to see him in this trash called 'Les Fruits de la Passion'. I think that the frequent run-ins with director Werner Herzog spoiled Kinski's career. Herzog knew to redeem Kinski's talent, while the other directors didn't. Shuji Terayama tries to copy Pauline Reage's erotic fantasy novel called 'The Story of O', but has needlessly added his own style and symbolism for the sake of making this soft core porn film a piece of art. Direction wise this is an okay flick but mistreats the audience with lame sequences that either don't mean much or are entirely awry.

The film begins with a wealthy western Sir Stephen (Klaus Kinski), who comes to Shanghai with his mistress (or lover?) 'O' (Isabelle Illiers). Sir Stephen is an aging businessman, who has an insatiable hunger for sex. Since he himself is engaged physically with numerous women, he wants 'O' to serve herself at a local Chinese brothel to strange customers. The brothel owner 'Madam' (Pîtâ) is a transvestite or at least this appears the way she dresses herself and speaks with the prostitutes. Sir Stephen wants to test 'O''s love for him by watching her make love with several intolerable men. Someone is a butcher who reeks blood while the other wants to make love cuckooing like a bird! Sir Stephen hopes that 'O' will completely surrender herself to make her partner (Sir Stephen) happy. But you see, there is a condition here. Sir Stephen thinks that 'O' will only physically belong to some man at a point of time, but will mentally remain involved with him every time.

After testing 'O' with several men, Sir Stephen decides to retest 'O' and makes love right before her eyes with his another french girlfriend Nathalie (Arielle Dombasle) while 'O' is leashed in chains! While Sir Stephen is engaged in sick games, the peasants and labors are uniting for a revolution. Unfortunately, Sir Stephen goes in the bad books of the revolutionaries, when he decides not to aid the revolution. While Sir Stephen feels himself torn between Nathalie and 'O', the kindhearted 'O' finds solace in the arms of a young Chinese revolutionary, who secretly loves her. The film ends with Nathalie leaving Sir Stephen and heading to Europe and 'O' fainting when a fortune-teller tells that Sir Stephen killed the very revolutionary who made her feel true love and was trying to kill himself when he was fortunately saved. The fortune-teller hands 'O' a note that says 'She is free to go wherever she wants.'

While the film teems with heavy symbolism and vivid imagery, some of the sequences are hard to perceive. For instance, there is a story associated with almost every prostitute of the brothel. Also, Shuji Terayama must have been nuts to show the lovers as fathers as in one of the scenes we see baby O's father magically transforming to Sir Stephen who encircles (and thus limits) her and walks out. In another scene a prostitute dominates his client with lashes. Soon we see him transforming into prostitute's own father. Then there is a drowned piano and floating dead bird which are uselessly and forcibly included. This was rather an unnecessary film that came in 1981. Shuji Terayama could have excelled had he invested into horror, which was at its zenith during the early 80s. Kinski surely degrades himself posing his tuberculous body but is effective as an actor. Illiers has one of the most innocent faces I've ever come across while Dombasle looks like a failed-actress-clung-to-a-millionaire. Personally I don't think Kinski's chemistry works out as good with the other directors as it works with Werner Herzog. So this berated film of a berated actor fetches 4 on 10. Once again Kinski proved that he didn't mind selling himself 'For A Few Dollars More'.

Graveyard Shift (1990)

Intensely Yours!

[8/10 · 27 August 2012]

Graveyard Shift speaks a lot about director Ralph Singleton's ability to make a great splatsticks and cheesy flicks. Perhaps this is as gory and bizarre as the novel itself. I believe Stephen King has a guardian angel that is always atop his head, inspiring him bring out the most unusual horrific thoughts. As far as the budget is concerned, GS is mediocre but the way this tale has been presented makes this film bit outlandish. The plot is simple, but the cause is freaky. The cinematography is great and gives a strange sullen atmosphere to the movie. The film has enough offering for the gore-hounds, who would love this flick for splatter reasons. The plot would have worked well even if it were incorporated in any of anthologies like 'Tales from the Darkside aka Creepshow 3.

A run down textile mill is restarted by a firm. The owners appoint a grouchy and malevolent supervisor Warwick (Macht) to make new recruitment and keep the production on the go. The exterminators, specially Brad Douriff discovers that the mill is infested with rats. The population of the rodents is so high, that they have dug big holes in the mill premises. We soon watch John Hall (David Andrews) taking role of a night shift worker. Others are astonished to see John take the night shift. The shift has a notorious past, because it took the life of old workers. We also come to know that the deaths have something to do with rats. Andrews soon assumes his responsibility and is time and again bugged by the presence of rats. He manages to fend some of them with an empty cola can and sling. John is bullied by his fellows Danson (Divoff) and Brogan (Polizos), but he wants to keep his profile low. John also shares some pleasant intimacy with his co-worker Jane (Kelly Wolf), which is despised by Warwick. Time goes by and other incidents of disappearances take place. Searching for the clue, the exterminator Douriff scans the nearby graveyard and discovers a tunnel. Before he could track the channels, he is crushed under a tombstone. Warwick compels the workers to participate in the extermination program. Unfortunately, the team stumbles upon a chain of interconnected tunnels, that lead to a nearby graveyard. One by one the workers are killed by something unimaginable, that rests and breeds inside this tunnel waiting for the good time. However, John still has his time for the final showdown.

The film succeeds in taking the viewers to discomfort. Unlike any other ambiguous horror farce that is trashed out in the name of horror, this doesn't lose grip. A newbie to horror may take it for a slow starter and soon start pigeonholing this gem of a film with other inferior squibs. This film has a strange atmosphere, that gets tedious and intolerable due to the presence of rats. Well, consider yourself working past midnight at a mill with no ventilation, heavily enervated and badly perspiring. Then to add to your troubles, you are alone, and furthermore you are surrounded by several hundred rodents, that are smelly and also HUNGRY! How do you think you'll react to this? Well watch GS to believe it. Cheers to Ralph Singleton!

Just Before Dawn (1981)

The latest synonym of 'Horror'

[10/10 · 27 August 2012]

'Just Before Dawn' is one rare slasher that has impressed me every time I watched it. The reason lies in its penetrative and intense backwoods atmosphere that disturbs me deeply. Jeff Lieberman has always applied a simple but methodical approach to make the viewers uneasy. His 'Blue Sunshine' could be classified as both simple and bizarre at the same time. The antagonists of Lieberman's films often suffer from anguish and kill for the sake of enjoyment. The creepy and campy atmosphere, persistent sound of the nearby waterfall, and finally the above average performances by Gregg Henry, Chris Lemmon, Jamie Rose and Deborah Benson give this movie a constant momentum avoiding any element of boredom. The film has very less gore and almost no nudity, making this perfect by all means. One can bet that Lieberman doesn't want to make his creation famous with the help of nudity and gore, so the lovers of these stuffs would be somewhat disappointed. On the contrary, the movie seems inspired by the atmosphere of John Boorman's legendary 1972 film 'Deliverance', that involves hillbillies somewhat similarly. However, this doesn't make JBD a copy cat as it teems with originality and deploys a simple plot to please and astound the viewers.

Two hunters Ty (Mike Kellin) and Vachel (Charles Bartlett) are out in the woods drinking and exploring an old abandoned church after a successful hunting trip. The men are in high spirits when Ty catches the look of a horrendous man (John Hunsaker) looking down at them through the roof hole. Ty leaves Vachel behind to trace the man down, but is shocked when his truck rolls towards him and he barely escapes injury. We soon witness a grisly figure cutting Vachel open to the groin with a serrated machete. The figure menacingly laughs while Vachel cries in pain. Ty watches in horror when he finds the figure putting on Vachel's clothes and looking at him with fiery eyes. The scene soon cuts to Warren (Gregg Henry), Constance (Deboraeh Benson), Daniel (Ralph Seymour), Jonathan (Chris Lemmon), and Megan (Jamie Rose), who are in a camper heading towards the wilderness to have a great camping adventure. On the way they are warned by the forest ranger Roy (George Kennedy) about the dangers of the wild. Roy persuades them to go back but meets no success. Ahead they meet Ty, who is out of his breath, drinking and trembling. In a palsied voice, Ty narrates his horrible experience to the teens and urges them to take him along. The teens however refuse his request and set out to the woods. Ty, left behind, gives a satirical laugh while he watches the grisly man climb up Warren's camper.

The teens camp at a remarkably serene location filled with the constant sound of waterfall and packed with lush greenery. Everything seems to be as normal as any other camping excursion with an exception of a perverted killer, who is constantly on the trail of his young preys. That night they are disrupted when a local old man (Hap Oslund) comes along with his family holding a gun, and furiously advises the teens to leave at once because he thinks that they are doing no good in the wild than 'raising the devil'. The youngsters pay no heed to the old man's words and continue camping. Next day, Jonathan becomes the first target of the hillbilly, who cuts down the rope bridge forcibly facilitating Jonathan's fall. Soon Megan and Daniel become his targets, when they are stabbed in the old church. Finally, Warren and Constance are left with no option than to face their enemy.....or enemies? Well, there are so many twins around here!

JBD is a great effort by Jeff Lieberman, and I personally find it more interesting and menacing than other backwoods tales like Sleepaway Camp, Cabin Fever and even Evil Dead, which all try to intensify the horror aspect with the aid of explicit gore. Surprisingly, JBD is very mediocre on gore. Here the viewers are afraid to see the clash between two different cultures, the one inculcated in the city while the other tamed in woods. Like 'The Shining', JBD has some amount of hypnotic qualities, which I suppose are due to the breathtaking locations, the placidity of nature and the fear of wilderness. JBD really comes at par with the other horror gems of 1981 like 'Dead & Buried', 'Dark Night of the Scarecrow', 'The Burning' and 'The Beyond' in terms of horror. 10/10 for Mr. Lieberman!

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981 TV Movie)

Made for TV (Timeless Viewing)!

[10/10 · 7 May 2012]

I never recall myself getting so wild with the 'Scarecrow' tales. 'Dark Night of the Scarecrow' is one such masterpiece that has no budget to boast but simply a great attitude that brings a win-win situation to both director and the audience. Frank de Felitta is a miraculous man and has proved that the scarecrows don't just scare the crap out of birds! The background music adds tension to the plot and is one of the most haunting soundtracks I can ever think of. The artistry lies in the way scarecrow has been pictured and this solely makes the story alive. J.D. Fiegelsen (The godfather of scarecrow sub-genre and also the author of 'Audrey Rose') has penned down the script with a meticulous and fervent mind that itself is a terrific combination. What impresses me most is that DNOTS was a TV movie! They don't make like this anymore nowadays. The plot revolves around few townsfolk who kill a mentally-challenged and nitwit Bubba for no apparent reason, but someone who lives in the sky and writes our fates decides to wreak havoc on the culprits and settles the scores in bizarre and supernatural ways.

Buba Ritter (Larry Drake) is a retarded but fully-grown up man, who lives with his mother Mrs. Ritter (Jocelyn Brando) in a small town. He befriends a little girl Marylee (Tonya Crowe) and it seems that they both are on the same note and love each other's company. Marylee and Bubba spend their time playing near a windmill in the lemon-yellow fields. Their friendship is despised by the town's mean mailman Otis (Charles Durning), farmer-cousins Philby (Claude E Jones) and Harliss (Lane Smith) and gas station attendant Skeeter (Robert Lyons) and they are only looking for a good time to punish Bubba. One day while playing with Bubba, Marylee is mauled by a ferocious dog and falls unconscious. Bubba is attacked by the dog but he somehow manages to save a fainted Marylee and takes Mary to her mother. The news spreads like a fire and Otis quickly assumes that Bubba might have raped and murdered the girl. Otis, Skeeter, Philby and Harliss promptly form a lynch mob and go after Bubba with a pack of hunting dogs. Mrs. Ritter realizes that her son is in danger and she disguises Bubba as a scarecrow and plants him at a field. The lynch mob arrives and the dogs sniff Bubba out in no time. Otis and his friends empty their revolvers on poor Bubba. Minutes later, Otis is informed that Marylee had only fainted and is alright after medical care. In order to make the murder look like a self-defense assault, Otis puts a pitchfork in dead Bubba's hands to make appear as if he were about to attack them and was therefore killed in response.

The murder is prosecuted in court where on the grounds of zero proof, the culprits are somehow able to save their necks. The district attorney Sam Willock (Tom Taylor) doesn't believe on Otis and his friends, and promises to send them to the death row, if he ever finds a clue. Otis and his friends want to keep their misdeed a secret but its not very long when Harliss mysteriously falls into a chipper and is shredded to pieces. Philby notices a scarecrow in his fields and is horrified. On Philby's tip, Otis decides to take the matter in his hands and burns Mrs. Ritter's house. A few days later Philby, under mysterious circumstances perishes inside a grain silo and Skeeter goes insane with fear and is ultimately killed by Otis. Otis appears to be a pedophile and is after Marylee. He also accuses Marylee of orchestrating the scarecrow murders, which she denies. A game of cat and mouse begins where Marylee is chased by Otis and they finally land on a pumpkin patch. A plowing machine in the patch animates all by itself and begins to follow a running Otis. Otis soon finds the Bubba scarecrow before him and realizes that he is impaled by the same pitchfork he ever put in Bubba's hands as alibi.

DNOTS is one of the best Halloween films that follows a simple plot, has a weird atmosphere and crazy soundtrack. I never get satisfied watching it once and can watch it all day long. It has some magic that keeps you tied to your seat. Unlike splatter films, the film has very little gore and takes inspiration from evergreen horror milestones like Halloween and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It is noteworthy that Halloween and TCM also have very little gore, but they boast on the effect they cast on the viewers. DNOTS certainly is a great combination of fear, anxiety, insanity and trauma all seasoned in the curry of devilish Halloween atmosphere. The portrayal of rural culture adds great taste to the movie, where empty fields, chippers, plowing machines, grain silos and pumpkin patches have been used as horror intensifiers. DNOTS simply rules!

Slaughter High (1986)

Now this is something!!

[7/10 · 23 February 2012]

To begin with, How would you like acid being splashed on one's face, a javelin poked near crotch, someone being strangulated and then nailed to the door, a beer that explodes innards out and a beautiful body dissolving slowly in acid. Well if you are into punk depiction of death 'Slaughter High' is for you. Indigenous attributes set this one apart from many contemporary slasher flicks, and it's fun watching the English apply American accents to sound Americans. Unlike most of the slasher flicks that fail to hold you tight during the entire course, 'Slaughter High' promises relentless fun and violence. The Jester mask, though not very horrid, is creepy enough.

Marty (Scuddamore) is a plain fool. He is such a loser that no girl would like to spend her time with. Marty soon becomes a victim of college prank, when a popular college girl Carol (Caroline Munro) cajoles him to make love under the shower, while intentionally letting the pranksters shoot Marty nude on the camera, of course without Marty's knowledge. Marty is insulted, beaten and also has his head drowned into the commode. His troubles end when the college coach (Smith) saves him and condemns the wrongdoers to hard labor in the gymnasium. The ring leader Skip (Inannaccone) wants to settle scores with Marty and rigs his chemistry practical apparatus to explode on Marty's face. The trick works and Marty collapses on floor. To make this worse, an acid jar turns down splashing a liter of hazardous liquid on his face, thus horribly disfiguring him. Most of the wrongdoers show remorse at Marty's burns and it appears that Marty is taken to a hospital for treatment. Several years later, these students get an invitation to show up for reunion at the same old college building. They find the building in serious disrepair awaiting demolition. They somehow get adjusted to it but a crazy 3-horned jester is stalking and finishing them in brutal and bizarre ways.

So what all does it take to make a nice shock movie? Well, watch 'Slaughter High' and you'll know. The movie is cheesy to the core with all the English actors pretending to be Americans. The setup is great and so is the atmosphere. It looks strange to see a crowded college building go deserted with time. The dim lit corridors remind me of Nazi concentration camp shown in 'Wold3D' game. It's the sheer sense of isolation, that rules the mind whenever any such set up comes before in real life. For example, I really fear walking on long and silent corridors at night. This movie needs to be enjoyed instead of being reviewed. So folks, enjoy the hip hop ride with lots of stylistic murders and gore.

August Underground's Mordum (2003 Video)

Simply Pathetic

[1/10 · 18 February 2012]

Fred Vogel must have been high on amphetamines, when he decided to go for 'August Underground's Mordum'. It's really a shame watching people apply sleazy and depraved methods to gain popularity. AUM is nothing but a load of crap that contains the real elements of stench. If they really wanted to draw a profile of deranged killers, they should have watched and analyzed the character of Michael Rooker in 'Henry - The portrait of a serial killer', or Ted Levine's portrayal of 'Buffalo Bill' in 'The Silence of the Lambs'. I now understand that directors like Fred Vogel and Nick Palumbo (with his Murder-Set-Pieces tale) are trying to pretend sicker than Rugero Deadatto (At least Deadatto is sensible) with their version of violent, pathetic and depraved tales. Many people would praise AUM for its disturbing nature, but there is a difference between 'disturbing' and 'disgusting'. Watching cannibalism on screen is disturbing, but watching pedophiles and 'castrators' celebrating on screen is simply disgusting. I even consider Roger Watkins of 'The Last House on the Dead end Street,' better than Vogel and his indifferent plus insensible crew.

AUM revolves around the lives of 3 dim-witted but ruthless killers, who have their house basement full of abducted and ill-fated victims. The killer trio Vogel, Crusty and Maggot specialize in torturing their captives in the most offensive, intolerable and heinous ways. Some are about to be castrated, while the others (including a little girl) are either manhandled, raped or brutally molested. The gloating killers would shoot this all (as we assume from the shaky camera-work), and give viewers a reason to hate them, curse them and condemn them to the worst possible punishment. The trio loves inflicting wounds on their victims or simply make them do unspeakable things. The film runs for about 77 minutes and by the time it ends with the ascertained murder of Fred, the viewer has lost interest in it. Carrying torture to extreme levels and trying to be as bizarre as possible, AUM makes no sense at all when it comes to direction, acting, and screenplay. The dialogs are plagued with the 'F' word, which one or the other killer keeps ranting throughout the sick ride.

I really wonder when people like Vogel call themselves film actors. directors or scriptwriters. They are infantile and need to take lessons on decency and morality at a kindergarten. AUM is an overrated and uselessly hyped sick and senseless film, which is big zero in a nutshell. This doesn't deserve a rating at all.

Phantasm (1979)

The Personification of Fear.

[10/10 · 9 February 2012]

'Phantasm' has always been close to me, and I don't remember a single week, I lived without it. What make 'Phantasm' different are slow off-the-tone and sometimes absolutely fast nightmarish sequences, that kill the crap out of you. The film is remembered as a cult-classic now, and there is a fairly good reason behind it. After watching this film, you'd feel like you'd just lived a nightmare to the fullest. The 'Tall Man' is one of the most haunting villains one would ever wish to see for real. Don Coscarelli is a great craftsman, who has the ability to get down to the sub-conscious levels and explore the underlying fears of the human mind. It's been more than 30 years now since its release, but it holds a charisma that wouldn't fade with time. This truly is non-degradable.

The film begins with Morningside cemetery, where Tommy is busy making love with a vampiric blonde. Moments later, the scantily clad blonde transforms to a vicious looking old man, The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm). The Tall Man kills Tommy and we soon land at his funeral. Jody (Bill Thornbury) and Reggie (Reggie Bannister) are friends, and members of a band. They are here because Tommy was their friend and a band member. Jody's brother Mike (Michael Baldwin) is prejudiced with a thought that Jody would abandon him in near future. Long back, after the demise of their parents, Mike was looked after by Jody. Mike doesn't want to lose Jody but his fears torment him. He sneakingly follows Jody and Reggie at the funeral and notices something strange at the Morningside. He also gets a glimpse of the unholy undertaker of the cemetery. The Tall Man, takes Tommy's dead body back to his hearse after the attendees leave. Mike wants to find cure for his trauma, and seeks help of a local fortune teller, who asks him to give up his fears regarding Jody. Mike is followed by ghoulish dwarfs, who are after him for no apparent reason, or this is what Mike thinks. Jody disregards Mike's strange story about the Tall Man. Agitated by the belief that his fears are not baseless, Mike heads to the cemetery. There he is chased by the Tall Man and his henchmen, satanic spheres and ugly dwarfs. During the fracas, the Tall Man happens to cut his finger that squirts yellow goo instead of blood. Mike takes the finger along and shows it to Jody as evidence. Jody, Reggie and Mike join hands to finish the Tall Man and his minions. They eventually discover that the Tall Man is an inter-dimensional being, who has a portal to his own scorching and hellish world at the Morningside cemetery. The Tall Man harvests townspeople and enslaves them by transforming them into dwarfs. Everything goes on surreptitiously until our men decide to have their final showdown with the Tall Man.

'Phantasm' is more like a dream than a movie. You must have dreamed something bizarre at least once in your life, and 'Phantasm' is the same eccentric trip to the unknown depths of metaphysics. Don Coscarelli has made use of heavy symbolism to show the nihilistic worth of a matter or incident. The disappearance of money and magic box, gloomy mortuary set-up, silence prevailing inside the mausoleum, the dwarfs and their journey to other dimension and finally the angel of death in disguise, 'The Tall Man' are all symbolic. Mike is a victim of his own fear, the death itself. He believes Jody would leave him someday, but Jody, as Reggie tells Mike, had already died in a car crash. Was Mike unable to accept Jody's death due to inherent attachment with his brother? Did Jody already die before these bizarre incidents? We can't really know and neither could anyone. This freaky ride is enough to create a long lasting terror as 'Phantasm' is more like a doorway between the two worlds. The first world is our own mundane world, which we can see and perceive, while the other world is located in a different dimension, which has its own laws and regulations, but certainly all the otherworldly incidents and beings can neither be understood nor analyzed with rational eyes. 'Phantasm' has been crafted with a non-noetic expertise and we should remember that it all started in our own world. 'Phantasm' qualifies itself to be a perfect cult flick, with one of the greatest atmospheres and vivid representations of death. The 'Phantasm' sequels were loosely aligned with the main story, where the Tall Man has been depicted as an evil force that misuses the powers solely for diabolic purposes. This film offers a great combination of 'Body (Jody, Reggie, and Mike), Mind (The Tall Man is actually the personification of fear and death), and Soul (the dwarfs, who are condemned to the hell forever). Don't even think about missing this film, because this would sure have a great impact on you and would give you a deeper insight about the real horror that always stalks and ambushes life.......The Death! So.....Your Funeral May Begin Anytime Sir!

Unhinged (1982)

Definitely a genuine slasher.

[8/10 · 8 February 2012]

'Unhinged' is one of those movies I would suggest a slasher addict to keep close to himself. This is a rare and underrated gem that can surpass most of the slasher tragedies made today. 'Unhinged' is a serious movie and it's surprising that IMDb has only 2 credits listed for the director Don Gronquist. It's really amazing to think that such a good director couldn't make it big in the tinsel town. Anyways, this movie isn't really ahead of its time, but has those moments that would keep you to the edge of your seats until it reaches the climax. The climax is more chilling and grotesque than you could have ever imagined. Like a typical 80s flick, 'Unhinged' revolves around 3 teenage girls, who on an unfortunate day fall pray to a vicious household in the woods. 'Unhinged' isn't entirely a backwoods slasher, but follows similar set-ups from time to time. I might have been 4 years old when this movie was released, and I somehow feel good to think that I was born during horror boom.

Terry (Laurel Munson), Nancy (Sara Ansley) and Gloria (Barbara Lusch), 3 college friends are on their way to a music concert, when they are caught amidst heavy downpour. The girl somehow loses control on the wheel and the car crashes down the road. They survive and awake in a house, where they are tended by a homely and seemingly compassionate belle Marion (Jannet Penner). Marion is Mrs. Penrose' daughter and remains heavily and conventionally dressed most of the time. Mrs. Penrose (Virginia Settle) is not very good to Marion and keeps being profane with her. Marion seems submissive and caring to her invalid mother. Mrs. Penrose tells the girls of her male abjection at the dinner. She won't allow any men go around in her house. Marion tells the girls that once her mother caught her father molesting a young girl and had since been a victim of hatred. Obviously Mrs. Penrose' marriage failed and she separated from her husband. Gloria, one of the 3 girls is somewhat injured and is recuperating at the Penrose mansion. Terry notices strange sounds emanating from upstairs, which she claims to be the sound of a man 'doing himself'. Before things could be cleared, Nancy is brutally murdered by an unseen killer, who hacks her down with a large scythe in the woods. Her death remains a mystery to the other girls. After few days, a resting Gloria is murdered mercilessly on her bed. Terry is dubious about Penrose family, but doesn't have anything to allege. Terry would soon know the mystery of Penrose family and the hapless victims.

'Unhinged' has no more than 3 murders to show on screen, but they entirely reflect the swift and cold-blooded nature of a serial killer. The murders are graphic and disturbing. 'Unhinged' has a great set-up but seems to be short of budget. The backwoods pinch adds value to the plot and atmosphere. I personally prefer atmospheric horror than gory ones. First of all, this film uses vibrant colors and desolate locations to ratify the presence of an evil entity lurking around and in the woods. The background score is wayward, and creates tension when plays. The mansion (Pittock mansion) is fairly eerie and looks like a devil's shelter in the vast expanse of unforgiving woods. 'Unhinged' is a genuine slasher that gives us a chance to look into the hidden personality of a killer which may pop out just like a bolt from the blue at any point of time. 'Unhinged', by all means would prove to be a nice asset for a horror buff, who is after classic horror. The only similarity it holds with other slashers is the bad acting by teenagers, but that's nothing new for a slasher flick. Jannet Penner has simply bore the whole burden on herself and propels this boat sail at a considerably nice pace. She alone has superimposed most of the other actors. So if you are into serious horror, logical climax, creepy and discomforting atmosphere and dementia for the sake of dementia, give 'Unhinged' a try.