Mini-Review

61 Days of Halloween- Mother’s Day

Posted on by bernardovillela

Most holidays worth their while encompass entire seasons, such as Christmas, for example. However, as you may have noticed there is a corporate push every year for us to think about the next holiday even sooner. While this has many negative side effects I figure I may as well embrace it.

Since Labor Day is really only good for college football and movie marathons cinematically it is as significant as Arbor Day, which means the next big day on the calendar is Halloween and we can start looking toward it starting now.

Daily I will be viewing films in the horror genre between now and then and sharing the wealth. Many, as is usually the case, will not be worth it so for every disappointment so I will try and suggest something worth while as well.

Mother’s Day

Rose Ross in Mother's Day (Troma)

Mother’s Day is a film with many problems. Firstly, it tries to introduce its three protagonists in two different time periods. First, you meet the characters very briefly in college and then separately ten years later.

A lot of screen time in this film is wasted. For example these friends waste a lot of time goofing and being drunk when they reunite and there is also an unnecessary very extensive prank scene from their college days which halts whatever forward momentum the film had built up.

Furthermore this comes after we are introduced to our villains and their M.O. so we are just sitting about waiting for them to strike anew so it becomes doubly painful.

As if you didn’t know going in that you’d get a lot of overacting in this film it goes beyond even what is expected. There’s also terrible example of the 80s work montage, bad scoring and introduced-to-the-mix-real-late ghost character, ghost in the literary sense not supernatural.

As if that wasn’t enough there is a grainy, poorly-focused twist-ending shot that adds insult to injury. Skip this one.

1/10

61 Days of Halloween- The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

Posted on by bernardovillela

Most holidays worth their while encompass entire seasons, such as Christmas, for example. However, as you may have noticed there is a corporate push every year for us to think about the next holiday even sooner. While this has many negative side effects I figure I may as well embrace it.

Since Labor Day is really only good for college football and movie marathons cinematically it is as significant as Arbor Day, which means the next big day on the calendar is Halloween and we can start looking toward it starting now.

Daily I will be viewing films in the horror genre between now and then and sharing the wealth. Many, as is usually the case, will not be worth it so for every disappointment so I will try and suggest something worth while as well.

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (Warner Bros.)

The Beast from 20,0000 Fathoms has many things going for it: First, it’s adapted from a short story by Ray Bradbury. Second, it’s very much a classic ’50s Sci-Fi film replete with a title that doesn’t necessarily make sense. Third, the creature is created by Ray Harryhausen, a cinematic legend. Fourth, rarely if ever will you see rear projection work as well in this era. Lastly, keep your eyes peeled for a young Lee Van Cleef, who would go on to parttake in the Man Without a Name Trilogy and other western classics.

However, there’s more to it than that. This film impressively builds the scale of events up. it begins with a seemingly isolated incident near the arctic circle and then our lead played by Paul Haubschmid (credited as Christian) seeks the paleontological community’s support and doesn’t initially find it. However, sightings are on the rise but still isolated and he is believed by the Doctor’s assistant and eventually others.

The climax explodes in scale as pretty much all of New York City is under siege when the dinosaur comes ashore. What makes it even more impressive is not only is there a drastic increase in the scale of sighting and destruction but it also slowly but surely ratchets up the sense of impending doom.

This film also like It! The Terror from Beyond Space does not overstay its welcome and this film clocks in at a brisk 80 minutes.

You also factor in two other aspects that sets this film apart just a little bit. First, near the end the danger of the beast is increased by the fact that it is now a plague-bearer so its destruction is two-fold. Secondly, while it’s never confirmed one of the theories about how it may have been jolted back to life is being frozen and then atomic radiation revived it, which brings in radioactivity to this tale as well. It was such an omnipresent factor in 50s cinema it was essentially a character and to add that to the rest just makes this a truly special film.

8/10

61 Days of Halloween- It! The Terror from Beyond Space

Posted on by bernardovillela

Most holidays worth their while encompass entire seasons, such as Christmas, for example. However, as you may have noticed there is a corporate push every year for us to think about the next holiday even sooner. While this has many negative side effects I figure I may as well embrace it.

Since Labor Day is really only good for college football and movie marathons cinematically it is as significant as Arbor Day, which means the next big day on the calendar is Halloween and we can start looking toward it starting now.

Daily I will be viewing films in the horror genre between now and then and sharing the wealth. Many, as is usually the case, will not be worth it so for every disappointment so I will try and suggest something worth while as well.

It! The Terror from Beyond Space

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like if the film Alien was made in the 1950s well then It! The Terror from Beyond Space is for you. When you boil it down the premise is the same: an alien being is on a spacecraft and is attacking the crew. The treatment is different, however, but no less compelling.

Firstly, it bears mentioning that being made in the 1950s all the sci-fi trappings of the age are there to an extent but it is all very well done. Most of the would-be effects are shot practically and look pretty darn impressive from the planet to the launch to the spacewalk. The creature is also another great example of filmmaking at the time and is a really effective suit.

The claustrophobic environment of the tale is really what makes it excel. What kicks it off though is that this is a rescue mission and one man is being transported back to Washington to a face a court martial as he is suspected of murder and the stories of a monster are dismissed. This is a great dramatic device to kickstart the tale.

It also introduces a frame to the tale as the film starts and ends with a press conference first stating the mission of the newly launched ship and then announcing the findings the crew reported and placing an appropriate coda on the film.

Another interesting technique is that like in Jaws there are sparing glimpses of the creature at first. Only seeing its feet or the damage it left behind or hearing it down below the main level. It allows for the imagination to actively engage in the tale.

Once all the crew members believe there is a creature you almost always hear it or know where it is giving this creature near omnipresence in the tale which is rare.

The conclusion of this tale is also very satisfying not only in the clever manner in which the creature is defeated but also with the news conference coda which allows for one last scare in the film as only could be done in the 1950s. It is definitely worth viewing.

8/10

61 Days of Halloween- Hatchet for the Honeymoon

Posted on by bernardovillela

Most holidays worth their while encompass entire seasons, such as Christmas, for example. However, as you may have noticed there is a corporate push every year for us to think about the next holiday even sooner. While this has many negative side effects I figure I may as well embrace it.

Since Labor Day is really only good for college football and movie marathons cinematically it is as significant as Arbor Day, which means the next big day on the calendar is Halloween and we can start looking toward it starting now.

Daily I will be viewing films in the horror genre between now and then and sharing the wealth. Many, as is usually the case, will not be worth it so for every disappointment so I will try and suggest something worth while as well.

Hatchet for the Honeymoon

***Spoilers herein***

Stephen Forsyth in Hatchet for the Honeymoon (Reel Media International)

The customer reviews of Hatchet for the Honeymoon on Netflix were wildly varied such that it dissuaded me from seeing it for a while. The difficulty being that I don’t have much of a track record with Mario Bava aside from the breathtaking Black Sunday so it was hard to decide (True at the time now I’ve seen many of his films). It’s not like there’s an established relationship like with Dario Argento I know I will watch them all even if I have to grin and bear it through some.

Having said all that I will give this film a pass but if you haven’t seen Bava it is definitely not the title you should start off with. What is interesting about it is that it deals with a mutating madness. In fact, the film starts with our protagonist announcing via voice over narration that he is mad. We soon learn his modus operandi but we also eventually see that he is being compelled that with each murder he is unearthing part of a repressed memory of what happened to his mother.

Now what happened to her ends up being not so mysterious which is why there’s a twist in store after he kills his wife which makes this film interesting and watchable even through some of the somewhat messy cinematography and subpar sound work. Someone in this man’s life still has a hold over him.

Hatchet for the Honeymoon is by no means terrific but it is worth a gander if you are so inclined. It definitely makes up for some of its deficiencies with a deliriously myopic view of a madman where murder and mayhem are commonplace.

6/10

61 Days of Halloween- Crawlspace

Posted on by bernardovillela

Most holidays worth their while encompass entire seasons, such as Christmas, for example. However, as you may have noticed there is a corporate push every year for us to think about the next holiday even sooner. While this has many negative side effects I figure I may as well embrace it.

Since Labor Day is really only good for college football and movie marathons cinematically it is as significant as Arbor Day, which means the next big day on the calendar is Halloween and we can start looking toward it starting now.

Daily I will be viewing films in the horror genre between now and then and sharing the wealth. Many, as is usually the case, will not be worth it so for every disappointment so I will try and suggest something worth while as well.

Crawlspace

David Schmoeller on set with Klaus Kinski. (Empire Pictures)

Crawlspace is the kind of film that just misses. What is worse is that it wastes the talents of Klaus Kinski. He does as much as he can in a role that isn’t quite up to snuff for an actor of his caliber. The issue with the character ends up being one of the ones with the film. While the voice over is well written too much of what we know about our lead is learned through it, such that it renders more nebulous than necessary the one motif it leaves as mostly visual.

The set up is all well and good, to an extent. Things are little vague but you do get a quick kill and a sense of the mania that infests this man’s mind.

Although somewhat clumsily introduced the information we find and some of the scenes we watch are rather compelling. Particularly the confrontations with a man seeking justice for the death of his brother. Where things come apart for good are during the climax as there is a very awkward crawling chase through the ventilation system that takes far too long.

Aside from that the film spends an overwhelming amount of time with Kinski’s character, which is fine but there is not enough time spent with who we are supposed to root for at the end. Moreover, her one major appearance in the middle portion of the film, while intellectually accurate (maybe), doesn’t endear her to us. It’s a film that’s setting you up for a very macabre ending but then asks you to root for the same old, same old when it hasn’t really been earned.

5/10

61 Days of Halloween- Genesis

Posted on by bernardovillela

Most holidays worth their while encompass entire seasons, such as Christmas, for example. However, as you may have noticed there is a corporate push every year for us to think about the next holiday even sooner. While this has many negative side effects I figure I may as well embrace it.

Since Labor Day is really only good for college football and movie marathons cinematically it is as significant as Arbor Day, which means the next big day on the calendar is Halloween and we can start looking toward it starting now.

Daily I will be viewing films in the horror genre between now and then and sharing the wealth. Many, as is usually the case, will not be worth it so for every disappointment so I will try and suggest something worth while as well.

Genesis

Genesis (Waken Productions)

If the aforementioned Aftermath is not your cup of tea you needn’t worry because you can still stream the prodigious talent of Nacho Cerda by watching Genesis. Immediately you are shown a list of awards this film has one so you are clued in that this is a different sort of ride.

While managing to be agonizingly beautiful this film will forever redefine the lyric by Elton John “If I was a sculptor…but then again, no” as a weird symbiosis between sculptor and statue is formed.

This is a film that redefines the living statue but also excels in filmmaking prowess. The original score and cinematography work in perfect harmony to heighten the drama of the tale. Here again the effects are great as we see a metamorphosis slowly building.

Through creatively lit and cut together dream sequences the subject of the statue is given meaning as this tale isn’t whimsical as many which feature the motif and adds additional information to the transformation scenes. These scenes end with a wonderful POV shot.

Again Cerda puts his protagonist alone and in solitary work so he need not speak. Here again Cerda creates sort of a gruesome fascination in what is going on in the film, in this film especially I was reminded of my first viewing of Hellraiser. Yes, I did just liken Cerda to Clive Barker that is the height of effectiveness that these short films reach.

While there may be a shot or two extra at the end that could’ve been judiciously trimmed or lost this is still a brilliant piece of work and one that can be appreciated by a much wider audience than Aftermath.

9/10

61 Days of Halloween- Aftermath

Posted on by bernardovillela

Most holidays worth their while encompass entire seasons, such as Christmas, for example. However, as you may have noticed there is a corporate push every year for us to think about the next holiday even sooner. While this has many negative side effects I figure I may as well embrace it.

Since Labor Day is really only good for college football and movie marathons cinematically it is as significant as Arbor Day, which means the next big day on the calendar is Halloween and we can start looking toward it starting now.

Daily I will be viewing films in the horror genre between now and then and sharing the wealth. Many, as is usually the case, will not be worth it so for every disappointment so I will try and suggest something worth while as well.

Aftermath

Aftermath (Waken productions)

Both this film and the next one, Genesis, are a prime example of why streaming video is an absolute boon and why Netflix and the studios should reach as many agreements as necessary to free up material for streaming. If more is available more hidden gems are available to stream.

Such is the case with the short films of Nacho Cerda. Now I will rarely do this but it bares saying that due to the subject matter and the disturbingly realistic way in which it is depicted viewer discretion is advised and there is no circumstance in which anyone under 18 should be watching Aftermath. The weak of heart and stomach need not apply.

There is no dialogue in Aftermath, with the quick cuts and pans at the beginning of the film combined with the classical music score there is a lyrical terror that mounts in this film. What is most affecting in this film is that there is no escape, redemption or refuge offered.

So you know what we’re dealing with here the film tells the tale of a woman who has died in a car accident and the events that transpire in a morgue when one deranged mortician is left alone with her and proceeds to both mutilate and defile her.

Both the practical effects and sound effects in this film are great and get under your skin before you even realize where this film is taking you. This is the kind of film that works on you psychologically because the terror is real and relatable and all you can hope for the victim is some sort of divine intervention and it doesn’t come. It’s the kind of film that will burn itself in your mind and it is masterfully crafted.

There is a sort of perverse refraction of visual themes between the first scene and the last and a cruel little twist that punctuates and compounds the terror that has just unfolded.

10/10

61 Days of Halloween- Homicidal

Posted on by bernardovillela

Most holidays worth their while encompass entire seasons, such as Christmas, for example. However, as you may have noticed there is a corporate push every year for us to think about the next holiday even sooner. While this has many negative side effects I figure I may as well embrace it.

Since Labor Day is really only good for college football and movie marathons cinematically it is as significant as Arbor Day, which means the next big day on the calendar is Halloween and we can start looking toward it starting now.

Daily I will be viewing films in the horror genre between now and then and sharing the wealth. Many, as is usually the case, will not be worth it so for every disappointment so I will try and suggest something worth while as well.

Homicidal

Jean Arless and Eugenie Lenotovich in Homicidal (William Castle Productions)

Homicidal is worth seeing for showmanship alone. William Castle was one of the great marketers in the history of cinema. Aside from putting together an impressive resume of hits he also had some of the legendary gimmicks in the history of the medium.

His marketing genius is shown in full force here in his response to Hitchcock’s Psycho. First, there is Castle himself introducing the film but there is also a “Fright Break” in which three quarters of the way through the film a clock appears on screen to countdown a minute allowing anyone who is too scared to keep watching the film to leave.

Having said all that the film is very much worth seeing. It has a twist that I fell for hook, line and sinker. What’s more is that it is alluded to very theatrically in the end credits. If you’re into film pairings you should see this one and A Blade in the Dark back-to-back.

It also is bloody for its time and is bloodier than its predecessor and has a very different kind of twist in store than Psycho had. Interestingly enough this film does have a MacGuffin of its own which plays out very quickly compared to its predecessor. Comparisons aside it is a film that ends up standing on its own and it worth watching based on its own merits.

8/10

61 Days of Halloween- The Stuff

Posted on by bernardovillela

Most holidays worth their while encompass entire seasons, such as Christmas, for example. However, as you may have noticed there is a corporate push every year for us to think about the next holiday even sooner. While this has many negative side effects I figure I may as well embrace it.

Since Labor Day is really only good for college football and movie marathons cinematically it is as significant as Arbor Day, which means the next big day on the calendar is Halloween and we can start looking toward it starting now.

Daily I will be viewing films in the horror genre between now and then and sharing the wealth. Many, as is usually the case, will not be worth it so for every disappointment so I will try and suggest something worth while as well.

The Stuff

Frank Telfer and Colette Blonigan in The Stuff (Larco/ Anchor Bay Entertainment)

The one word that can be used to describe Larry Cohen’s film The Stuff is “Wow.” Now this is a word that can be used in a bad thing or a good thing and in this case it is definitely good.

If you’ve heard of Larry Cohen (or even if you haven’t) this is the film to watch as an introduction. It is so annoying to watch people think they have a “scary story” and botch it up so badly. The Stuff is a perfect example of what Larry Cohen does. He works with low-budgets and knows he has a cheesy premise most times but has no delusions of grandeur and works with it as opposed to against it and yet because of that manages to make his point.

He skates the fine line between horror and comedy perfectly. This movie is a perfect introduction to his style and it’s a whole lot of fun. Not only do Cohen’s films not take themselves seriously but they manage to layer subtext in smoothly and easily whereas “real horror” so often fails to do. The Stuff is filled with laughs, the occasional gross-out and great ensemble acting featuring Michael Moriarty as Mo Rutherford the man trying to find the secrets of the stuff, Paul Sorvino as Colonel Malcom Grommett Spears and original SNL cast member Garrett Morris as ‘Chocolate Chip’ Charlie.

It is funny but yet is also an apt satire of 1980s in many ways but also by having this food being a living organism which consumes those who eat it it falls into the horror realm. It also leads to one of the great lines in the film “Are you eating it or is it eating you?” Watch it now!

8/10

61 Days of Halloween- The Curse

Posted on by bernardovillela

Most holidays worth their while encompass entire seasons, such as Christmas, for example. However, as you may have noticed there is a corporate push every year for us to think about the next holiday even sooner. While this has many negative side effects I figure I may as well embrace it.

Since Labor Day is really only good for college football and movie marathons cinematically it is as significant as Arbor Day, which means the next big day on the calendar is Halloween and we can start looking toward it starting now.

Daily I will be viewing films in the horror genre between now and then and sharing the wealth. Many, as is usually the case, will not be worth it so for every disappointment so I will try and suggest something worth while as well.

The Curse

Wil Wheaton in The Curse (Trans World Entertainment)

Granted, this like most adaptations of Lovecraft is quite changed but from those I’ve seen so far this has been the most faithful. Lovecraft is often described as un-filmable and it’s interesting to note that a few people will reportedly step up to the challenge in the near future, namely Guillermo Del Toro with At the Mountains of Madness (currently scrapped but rumors persist) and Ron Howard with a Lovecraft-inspired tale.

As for the film at hand it is based on “The Colour Out of Space,” which is quite an eerie tale scribed by the master of supernatural fiction and this movie captures that. Yes, there are some very cliché things in this film and David Keith couldn’t direct a PSA but yet this movie manages to work mostly due to the handling and quasi-faithfulness to the tale.

The movie is just freaky. It scared me quite a bit and I don’t scare easily. It’s not too proud to be grotesque. Had Claude Akins and Wil Wheaton not been in the cast it might have been just another hackneyed contrived 80s slasher film but their performances coupled with a unique and affecting score make it work.

I was quite uncertain as to whether I wanted to see this or not. Now I’m glad I did.

If you are interested it is available as a combo-pack on both Amazon.

9/10