Topic: Danae's 2012 Horror

[Jimmy]

If the zombies are uniform soldiers and had green paint as make-up those scenes are from     Le lac des morts vivants... So my guess would be that it was another title in the weird history of Eurociné (a defunct french studio known for its poor films filled with nudity).

[Danae Cassandra]

They came crawling? slithering? out from under dead leaves in a forest, and later surrounded a girl in a cabin.  Again, these are included in the deleted scenes section of the special features.

The actual film has no zombies in it and nothing to do with them.  I can't see where an autumn zombie subplot would even fit in.

[Jimmy]

I'll try to watch Le lac des morts vivants (Zombie Lake) somewhere this month just to see if the added scenes come from it. I can give you a scoop about my review... this film is incredibly bad  

[Achim]

I really enjoyed Island of Lost Souls.  I hope you do too.

I watched it last night and quite enjoyed. Not having seen an old movie in a while I needed a short time to adjust, but then it was great! Charles Laughton plays the mad scientist wonderfully subtle (although there was one moment where the director had a beautiful subtle moment and then ruined it by having Laughton giving these obvious looks to the helper... , I am talking about the boat scene "the next morning") and the last 20 minutes must have been very scary to audiences in the 1930s! Excellent.

I think I've seen the remake of Night of the Hunter, but not the original.  It's now a Criterion release, though, so I'll pick it up eventually.

I wasn't aware of the remake. I owned the MGM release first but this being such a classic I upgraded to the Criterion.

[samuelrichardscott]

So my guess would be that it was another title in the weird history of Eurociné (a defunct french studio known for its poor films filled with nudity).

I love watching Eurocine trailers. Some releases have a Eurocine trailer reel in the extras which is worth a look like the Arrow release of The Devil's Kiss.

[dfmorgan]

Yabu no naka no kuroneko  (Kuroneko)

Directed By:  Kaneto Shindo

I haven't seen this but have his earlier film Onibaba which is beautifully atmospheric and on first viewing, many many years ago, scary. Have you seen Onibaba?

[Danae Cassandra]

Yabu no naka no kuroneko  (Kuroneko)

Directed By:  Kaneto Shindo

I haven't seen this but have his earlier film Onibaba which is beautifully atmospheric and on first viewing, many many years ago, scary. Have you seen Onibaba?

Not yet.  I have it here to watch though at some point.  I have read lots of good things.

[Danae Cassandra]

I really enjoyed Island of Lost Souls.  I hope you do too.

I watched it last night and quite enjoyed. Not having seen an old movie in a while I needed a short time to adjust, but then it was great! Charles Laughton plays the mad scientist wonderfully subtle (although there was one moment where the director had a beautiful subtle moment and then ruined it by having Laughton giving these obvious looks to the helper... , I am talking about the boat scene "the next morning") and the last 20 minutes must have been very scary to audiences in the 1930s! Excellent.

I loved Laughton's mad scientist.  I thought he was just about perfect in the role.  I know the scene you're talking about, and yeah, that look wasn't needed.  But still a really great film.

I think I've seen the remake of Night of the Hunter, but not the original.  It's now a Criterion release, though, so I'll pick it up eventually.

I wasn't aware of the remake. I owned the MGM release first but this being such a classic I upgraded to the Criterion.

After taking a look at the remake's trailer on youtube, I've definitely seen the remake.  It stars one of my favorite actors, Richard Chamberlain, but it's a terrible film.  I had this memory I'd tried to forget about it, but it's still there in the back of my head.  I think it's why I've put off picking up the original when Criterions are on sale.

[Danae Cassandra]

From Beyond the Grave

Year of Release:  1973
Directed By:  Kevin Connor
Starring:  Peter Cushing, Ian Bannen, Ian Carmichael, Donald Pleasence, David Warner
Rated:  PG

Overview:
Bolt the door, lower the lights and settle in for a stylish five-episode supernatural shocker possessed of a shivery all-star cast and drenched in evil. Welcome to Temptations Ltd., a decrepit antique shop whose unwary customers get more than they bargain for from the wily proprietor (Peter Cushing). Much more.

Go to the head of the horror class if you can predict who'll join the ranks of the doomed from among this role call of distinguished British actors: Ian Bannen, Ian Carmichael, Diana Dors, Lesley-Anne Down, Margaret Leighton, Donald Pleasence, Nyree Dawn Porter, David Warner and more. A mirror. A medal. A snuff box. An ornate door. All unleash novelty surprises for the characters – and you – in these wickedly horrific tales From Beyond the Grave.

My Thoughts:
This is a fun and entertaining anthology film from Amicus, starring the great Peter Cushing.  He's one of my favorite actors, so I wanted to get at least one of his films in this month.  It's got a nicely creepy atmosphere, especially the blue room in the fourth story, and some pretty good acting (especially Cushing, but Donald and Angela Pleasence are also quite good in their roles).  The opening sequence, as the camera moves through an overgrown graveyard, is also very well done and sets an appropriately eerie stage for the film.  There isn't a lot of gore - while there's plenty of death, the camera cuts away from the act of killing.  I personally kind of like this, because it forces the film to rely on telling a scary story.  Recommended for fans of Amicus, Hammer, or classic horror in general.

Bechdel Test:  Fail

Overall:  3.5/5

[Danae Cassandra]

The Masque of the Red Death

Year of Release:  1964
Directed By:  Roger Corman
Starring:  Vincent Price, Hazel Court, Jane Asher, David Weston, Nigel Green, Patrick Magee
Rating:  Not Rated

Overview:
Death and debauchery reign in the castle of Prince Prospero (Vincent Price), and when it reigns...it pours! Prospero has only one excuse for his diabolical deeds – the devil made him do it! But when a mysterious, uninvited guest crashes his pad during a masquerade ball, there'll be hell to pay as the party atmosphere turns into a danse macabre!

My Thoughts:
Vincent Price is also one of my favorite actors, and I have loved every one of the movies he and Roger Corman did based on Edgar Allan Poe, so naturally I wanted to get one of these in this year.  Like the others, Masque did not disappoint me.  Price was a wonderfully sinister, cultured, cruel Prospero, and Corman's direction is solid and unobtrusive.  The supporting cast is darn good as well, which can't always be said of a film with Price, but here it can be.  The sets and costuming were colorful and lavish, especially for a Corman film (but in the interview extra he relates how he got sets from either Becket or A Man for All Seasons so it makes sense) and with Nicholas Roeg as cinematographer there is a great use of light and dark in the film.  This is a great film for any fan of Price, Corman, classic horror or Poe (for even if the script is padded, the masquerade stays true to Poe's story).  Highly recommended.

Bechdel Test:  Pass, but barely  (one conversation between Juliana & Francesca about Hell, Satan and losing one's soul)

Overall: 4/5

[Dragonfire]

I think I saw some of this one on tv last year.  I liked what I saw.

[Danae Cassandra]

Ju-On

Year of Release:  2003
Directed By:  Takashi Shimizu
Starring:  Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Misa Uehara, Takako Fuji, Yuya Ozeki
Rating:  R

Overview:
An eerie tale of a family who is brutally killed in their own home leaving behind an evil spirit lurking in the shadows. When an unknowing homecare worker enters, the spirit is awakened and a terrifying chain of events begins, passing through all those who step foot in this dark house.

My Thoughts:
Wow.  We just watched this for the first time and I'm still processing the film.  Unlike everything else I've watched this month, there were some definite jump moments here, some places that were really startling.  I really enjoyed the film, especially how it made the viewer think and try to work out exactly what is going on.  I have the two sequels (Ju-On 2 & Ju-On: White Ghost/Black Ghost) so I may have to watch them this month as well.  Good film.  Recommended for any horror fan who doesn't mind subtitles.

Bechdel Test:  Pass

Overall:  3.5/5

[Danae Cassandra]

Terror! Il castello delle donne maledette (Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks)

Year of Release: 1973
Directed By:  Robert H. Oliver
Starring:  Rossano Brazzi, Michael Dunn, Gordon Mitchell, Simonetta Vitelli, Christiane Rücker
Rating:  Unrated

Overview:
South Pacific star Rossano Brazzi plays the crackpot Count Frankenstein whose latest creature is a goofy, dome-headed Neanderthal man he's brought back to life and cleverly named Goliath. Typical of monsters, Goliath also has the hots for Frankenstein's new squeeze, Krista (Christiane Royce), who likes to bathe in milk. Things turn ugly, however, when Genz, a horny necrophiliac dwarf, is expelled from the castle for leaving his footprint at the scene of a recent grave robbery and promptly makes friends with Ook, a second Neanderthal man who just happens to be passing through town. Out for revenge, Genz then lets Goliath loose who ends up going head to pointy-head with Ook for a good old-fashioned monster rumble...

Screwball Italian horror from producer Dick Randall (The Mad Butcher) and distributor Harry Novak (The Sinful Dwarf), FRANKENSTEIN'S CASTLE OF FREAKS also stars sword & sandal muscleman, Gordon Mitchell (Atlas Against the Cyclops), "the Italian Peter Lorre" Luciano Pignozzi (billed here as "Alan Collins") and the dubiously named "Boris Lugosi" as the fun-lovin' Ook.

My Thoughts:
Okay, it's not like I didn't know what I was getting into here - between the title, the overview, and the release coming from Something Weird Video, there were plenty of warnings.  This is bad.  Oh, man, was this bad.  Now, I'll admit I haven't seen a lot of versions of Frankenstein, but any other is going to have to work very hard to be worse than this one.  The acting and writing are terrible, the dubbing is laughable, and the film is cheesy, kitschy, and sleazy but I honestly expected more gratuitous nudity to make up for this basically being utter trash.

I guess the answer to whether or not you want to watch this mess depends on how much you like bad 70's exploitation films.

Bechdel Test:  Pass

Overall:  1.5/5

[Danae Cassandra]

Corpse Bride

Year of Release:  2005
Directed By:  Tim Burton
Starring:  Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson
Rating:  PG

Overview:
An Academy Award® nominee and National Board of Review Award winner as 2005's Best Animated Feature, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride carries on in the dark, romantic tradition of his classic Edward Scissorhands and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Set in a 19th-century European village, this stop-motion animated feature follows the story of Victor (voiced by Johnny Depp), a young man whisked away to the underworld and wed to a mysterious Corpse Bride (voiced by Helena Bonham Carter), while his real bride Victoria (voiced by Emily Watson) waits bereft in the land of the living. Though life in the Land of the Dead proves to be a lot more colorful than his strict upbringing, Victor learns that there is nothing in this world – or the next – that can keep him away from his one true love. It's a tale of optimism, romance and a very lively afterlife, told in classic Burton style.

My Thoughts:
I love this film and I try to watch it every October.  I love the dark, Gothic atmosphere, the colorful view of the afterlife, the wonderful stop-motion animation, and all of the homages and references to other films that one catches on repeated viewing.  While the story is pretty simple and straightforward, the great character designs and their exquisite animation, good voice acting, and all the little details really make this an inventive, fun movie to watch.  Recommended for anyone except very small children and people who hate Tim Burton.

Bechdel Test:  Fail

Overall:  4/5

[Danae Cassandra]

Vampire Secrets

Year of Release:  2006
Directed By:  Diana Zaslaw
Starring:  no one, really
Rating:  Not Rated

Overview:
At the mention of the word "vampire," images of bloody fangs, dark capes, and a man with a hideous, spooky laugh immediately come to mind.

These conventional images, born from countless vampire films over the years, are most commonly associated with Irish writer Braum Stoker and his iconic 1897 novel Dracula. However, despite the popularity and influence of this celebrated nineteenth-century tome, the vampire myth dates back more than 1,000 years, long before Stoker ever put pen to paper. In this fascinating journey through time, THE HISTORY CHANNEL® uncovers the ancient folkloric origins of blood-craving creatures from beyond the grave. Learn how the vampire myth is strongly rooted in Eastern European lore, but how it has played a prominent role in the ancient cultures of Greece and China.

From wooden stakes to garlic apotropes to ancient burial rituals, VAMPIRE SECRETS explores how this long-standing myth has been interpreted by different cultures around the world.

My Thoughts:
I found this to be a pretty decent piece from the History Channel.  I put this on while I was doing some work today.  It takes an overview look at the legends of the vampire and how those legends have changed over time, as well as historical people who have contributed to these legends (Stoker, Vlad Tepes, Elizabeth Bathory).  It's a bit dated, since it talks about Anne Rice's novels but not the subsequent rise of paranormal romance or the Twilight phenomenon, but overall worth a watch if you're looking for a bit of Halloween-related non-fiction TV.

Bechdel Test:  N/A

Overall:  2.5/5