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Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
One of the most Disturbing, Shocking films I've ever seen...
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (originally finished in 1986 but not publicly released until 1990 due to complications with the MPAA) without a doubt in my mind is one of the most controversial, appalling and disturbing films that I have ever seen. Now a little background first, the movie is loosely based off of the real life crimes of convicted serial killer Henry Lee Lucas and his friend Ottis Toole. Now I say "loosely based" because Henry has said he's killed hundreds of people, which based on his low IQ I highly doubt, and it's never been truthfully confirmed that Ottis killed anyone so it's a good possibility that he never did, so in that sense the movie may be about as accurate to the real life crimes as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is to the Ed Gein case, but I digress.
The movie focuses on the daily life of Henry, who's currently living with his former cell mate Otis and his sister Becky. We find out almost immediately that Henry is a killer as Becky wants to know what he was put away for but Otis refuses to tell her. We find out from Henry first hand that he murdered his mother in cold blood when he was younger, and yet strangely feels no remorse from it, in a way signifying to us early on about his cruel, inhuman behavior.
The rest of the movie goes from bad to worse, with Henry only killing hookers at first but then slowly spiraling deeper and deeper into a world of depraved murder and insanity. Personally I think it's a very well crafted and expertly made film. There are long periods without music which really adds to the movies' gritty sense of reality and watching it almost feels like you're witnessing real life crimes, it's truly sickening, but at the same time you can't turn away.
I think this movie is very similar in tone to that of Taxi Driver (1976), and along with that film may have been part of the inspiration for Joker (2019), all of which feature a killer who is seemingly normal (though maybe a little awkward) by day but haunt the streets at night, growing increasingly detached from the world of reality and believing that some people are simply not fit to live, and that they actually deserve to die.
Now before you go and watch this film I'd like to inform you to proceed with caution, it's quite hard to watch and even harder to recommend due to it's highly disturbing and realistic depictions of murder, rape and dismemberment, definitely not recommended to those who are squeamish, easily offended or faint of heart, and probably shouldn't be viewed by anyone under the age of 17, at least that's my honest opinion. Also be advised this isn't exactly a horror movie either so don't let that turn you away, it's more of a biography, crime, drama than anything, however there are sequences in it that I'll admit are quite horrifying, especially the home invasion video tape scene.
Overall a very well done film and like I said, it's one of the most disturbing I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot), so if you're not afraid then go right ahead and watch, just heed my warning it's not a pleasant viewing and has scenes that will surely stick with you for the rest of your life. Thanks and stay safe out there.
The Toxic Slime Creature (1982)
Not terrible.
The Toxic Slime Creature is an incredible obscure, SOV horror film from the early 80's. As far as I know, no VHS or DVD copies exist anywhere, I actually watched the whole thing on YouTube. The plot revolves around a group of people working in a warehouse near the railroad tracks and suddenly a train full of toxic chemicals crashes crashes outside making the outside air unbreathable. The chemicals mix into the ground which creates this shapeless blob of slime that eventually finds its way into the building and starts killing off the crew one by one. As bad as it is it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be and actually has some pretty likable characters and the slime effects (while cheesy) weren't terrible either. As far as SOV horror movies go, this is far from the worst, and is actually kinda worth checking out if you're a fan of this kinda stuff.
Bad Taste (1987)
Bad Taste has Good Taste
Peter Jackson's Directorial debut "Bad Taste" is quite a treat, and shows viewers just how talented Jackson was even in his early days of filmmaking. The plot revolves around aliens who invade a small New Zealand town with the intention of harvesting humans and selling them as fast food throughout the galaxy. The New Zealand Government calls upon their first line of defense simply known as "The Boys" aka The Astro Investigation and Defense Service (A.I.D.S), a group of guys named Derek, Barry, Frank and Ozzy, and it's up to them to get rid of the extraterrestrial invaders and save the world. The movie (despite being quite gory and gross) is actually quite lighthearted and humorous, however you might be disappointed going into this expecting something as crazy or gory as Dead Alive. Even though it has a few flaws and obviously isn't as impressive as Jackson's later work, it's still a fun flick with enough slapstick and gore to keep the viewer entertained, and out of all of Peter Jackson's early films this one might be my personal favorite. If you're a fan of cult movies and cheesy horror comedies I'd suggest giving this one a watch, just don't expect something as groundbreaking and visually stunning as Lord of the Rings.
The Secret of NIMH (1982)
Don Bluth's Masterpiece.
Wow, what can I even say about this movie? It's truly one of the most beautiful animated films ever made. The amount of detail put into every single solitary shot is just absolutely incredible. The plot revolves around the mild mannered Mrs. Brisby, a field mouse who's determined to move her family safely out of farmer Fitzgibbon's field before the plowing season starts. However there's one catch, her young son Timmy is sick with Pneumonia and moving him could be fatal. Not knowing where else to turn she goes to The Great Owl for advice who tells her to seek out the rats of N.I.H.M for help. From there on it's a race against the clock to safely move Mrs. Brisby's home before the farmers' plow demolishes everything in its path. In all honesty this is one of the greatest animated films I've ever seen and for good reason. Highly recommended!
The War of the Worlds (1953)
A Sci-fi Classic!
Though not that faithful to the original source material, War of the Worlds is truly one of the greatest Science Fiction films ever made! From Oscar winning special effects and miniatures that still hold up today to sound effects that are on par with Star Wars, everything about this film is truly phenomenal. With all the remakes and reimaginings to have come out over the years, none of them have even come close to being on par with this masterpiece. Highly recommended to all fans of classic Sci-fi, you won't be disappointed.
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Once you've seen it, you'll never unsee it...
Cannibal Holocaust truly is one of the most disturbing and uncomfortable films I've ever seen. Released in 1980, the movie has gained a reputation over the years as being one of the most controversial films ever made, and I think it rightfully deserves that title. Now this is a hard film to recommend, especially considering all of the brutal onscreen violence, rape, dismemberment, genital mutilation, and of course the incredibly hard to watch real life animal killings. However, whether you love or hate the film you can't argue that it's very well crafted. As with most Italian movies the cinematography is great, the soundtrack beautiful and the locations exotic. The tropical scenery truly is stunning to watch and music even greater to listen to.
The film focuses on a group of young film makers who venture out into the Amazon Rainforest to make a documentary on the local tribes, and as to be expected they never return. A professor is destined to recover the lost footage to put the story to rest and hopefully find out what happened to the crew. What unravels next is an example of one of the earliest found footage horror films ever conceived, made nearly two decades before The Blair Witch Project, and similar to that film the director strived to convince the audience that what they were seeing was real, so much so that he had the actors sign contracts to disappear from the media for a year to let the realism of the film sink in which later lead to his arrest, as the courts were convinced that the deaths depicted in the movie were genuine. However once he was able to get in touch with the actors and have them appear in court all charges were dropped, other than a small fine for the animal killings.
From its shocking visuals to its gritty realism Cannibal Holocaust is a very effective film that, like many people have said, is very realistic and has a much deeper meaning to it than one might think. Director Ruggero Deodato's intention (or so I think) was to make a film that deglorified our civilized society, showing the viewer that we, the civilized people, are the true monsters, not the cannibals. The movies' pessimistic tone and negative outlook on society actually makes for an overall depressing and unpleasant experience, a film that truly makes you feel bad in the end.
The movie has quite a sporadic fan base, with famous directors like Oliver Stone, Quentin Tarantino and Sergio Leone all supposedly being confessed fans of it. So much in fact that Oliver Stone payed homage to the film by replicating one of the most famous scenes in his movie Platoon (1986) and Sergio Leone wrote a letter of gratitude to Deodato complimenting him on the realism and the ability to produce such an effective and encaptivating movie. If you're looking for a fun horror film to watch with friends this is definitely not it. The movie is very dark and unsettling, making the viewer feel horrible after watching. Approach with caution, this movie is not for the squeamish, faint of heart, or easily offended and I suggest that those younger than 17 should avoid completely, only recommended to the most hardcore of horror fans and exploitation enthusiasts. You have been warned.