The Prowler -aka- Rosemary's Killer 1981

Joseph Zito 'takes the path of least resistance' and delivers us something of an overrated plodding bug, but, we still mange to love it for all the right reasons. Of course, I'm speaking of Tom Savini's wonderful gore f/x. I guess Tom really did learn something in between fucking.

We start off in the early 40's with a girl named Rosemary who's writing a 'Dear John' letter to her boyfriend who happens to be away at war. Old Rose just can't seem to wait on him anymore and decides to cut his only lifeline, leaving him broken hearted. (Probably hoping he would incidently get caught in one of those 'blitzkreigs)

Well, the war ends. The good old boyfriend evidently survived, and is EXTREMELY angry. While the town holds a 'welcome home' party for the soldiers, 'mad Army man' finds 'backstabbing-bitch-girlfriend', and her 'Fuck him, I'll kill him too' lover making love outside in the dark. Of course, he does the only logical thing and shoves a pitchfork through the both of them.

Thirty-five years later, the same town is holding a party for a bunch of college graduates. I'll bet someone in an Army uniform (probably equipped with a pitchfork) will show up and pretend human bodies are hay.

All this sounds fairly good. And it is, but, it all happens within the first twenty minutes. The remainder of the movie features our two main leads (one who just so happpens to be named 'Rosemary'. hmmmm) plod around the area turning up clues as to who stalking the place. It really never elevates itself throughout the whole running time. It's kind of like a pair of pants that come half way down on your ass....you keep pulling them up, but they fall right back down, until eventually, they're around your ankles and everyone sees those zits on your ass. 'The Prowler' is what it is...one big zit that wants to pop, but there's just not enough pus in the corral to create the pressure.

All isn't lost. As I mentioned earlier, the f/x by Tom Savini are great. I wanted to like 'The Prowler' more than I do at this point. It has a sub-level of tension that barely allows you to stay awake through the film. It's painfully obvious who the killer is. Nevertheless, 'The Prowler' is one of those must see flicks if you're a fan of 70's-80's slashers. It's essential viewing. I think a lot of people have glamourized 'The Prowler' due to the special f/x - and the fact that it made the infamous Video Nasties list in the UK. Joseph Zito gave us a little more oomph with Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter in 1984, however.

So, what to do? Hell, don't as me.

Why, Cropsy? Why?

Wow, it's been over two months since my last post. I don't know why, really. I guess it could be described as lack of inspiration - but, I've managed to keep watching horror films and aimlessly waste my time in some way or another. So, in essence, nothing has changed.

The dog days of summer are haunching the legs of millions Americans - causing them to itch, whine, and bitch about how hot it is outside. It's the perfect weather to stay indoors and watch slasher movies. Imagine how Cropsy feels out there in that summer heat at Camp Blackfoot. The guy's smoldering anyway - ever since being the victim of a kids prank that left him charred from head to toe.




Old Cropsy can't seem to let things die, and his temper is hot. He's got a burning desire to get back at the kids who turned him into a roasted duck.(Not to be confused with Fulci's 'quacking' duck) The skin grafts at the hospital didn't take. No. No luck there. A proto-Freddy Kruger? Maybe?

C'mon, Cropsy! It's been five years since your accident. This group of kids had absolutely nothing to do with your little 'explosion' all those years back. Just leave 'em alone! I see there's no talking Cropsy out of sharpening his garden shears and stalking the camp once again. He knows Jason usually does the camp stalking, but he feels it necessary to prove a point.





Anyway, Cropsy kills. He does a little thing called the 'raft massacre' - Which is one of the most brutal scenes is slasher movie history. Tom Savini flaunts his stuff and catches another STD behind the scenes. There's George Costanza with hair, alongside the Fast Times At Ridgemont High nerd. There's a couple pairs of tits and a few asses. Yeah, we're doing good aren't we?

Great gore. Great score. Great atmosphere. Wonderful setting. Everything that makes a slasher movie a slasher movie. You can't call yourself George Costanza.

R.I.P. BRUNO MATTEI

As posted by the IMDB.

Bruno Mattei

Date of Birth

30 July 1931, Rome, Italy

Date of Death

21 May 2007, Ostia, Rome, Italy. (cancer)

Birth Name

Bruno Mattei

Mini Biography

Born in 1931, Bruno Mattei grew up in Rome, Italy where his father owned a small film editing studio. At age 20, Mattei started working odd jobs at his father's company as his assistant, then on to other small spots. Mattei wanted to follow in his father's footsteps as a film editor. Mattei found himself working as an editor for a number of directors whom included Roberto Bianchi Montero and Nick Nostro. Mattei claimed to have edited over 100 films in the 1960s and early 1970s.

After working with famed Spanish director Jess Franco, Mattei made his debut as a director with the drama, Armida, il dramma di una sposa (1970) under the alias Jordon B. Matthews. Mattei eventually had more pseudonyms then any working director in the world. He returned to editing before making another comeback in 1976 with two Nazi World War II exploitation films, Womens Camp 119 and SS Girls, both low-budget action dramas. Mattei followed this taboo-transgressing films with excursions into porno films and mondo "shockumentaries" all directed under his many pseudos. Concentrating on "shock value" with Mondo Erotico (1977), Libiodomania (1979) and Libidomania 2 (1980) to name a few. Always on the lookout for new exploitation, Mattei followed with "nunexploitation", with The True Story of the Nun of Monza (1980) a soft-core sex film, and The Other Hell (1980) a violent-sex thriller. Both of them involved a partnership with writer/director Claudio Fragasso who helped Mattei write and direct the back-to-back productions.

Starting under yet another alias, Vincent Dawn, Mattei directed _Virus (1981)_ (Hell of the Living Dead), a low-budged zombie horror picture inspired by other zombie cannibal movies such as Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Lucio Fulci's Zombie (1979) which was filmed in Spain with used jungle footage from New Guinea and a patch soundtrack from Goblins' Dawn of the Dead music, which was a minor hit in Italy and abroad.

After directing two women's prison films, starring Laura Gemser, Mattei moved to directing sword-and-sorcery flicks starting with _Seven Magnificent Gladiators, The (1983)_ . Both Mattei and Fragasso collaborated on the sci-fi/horror flick Rats - Notte di terrore (1984), inspired from the futuristic movies of the early 1980s which Mattei considers his best work despite working still with a low-budget. Mattei worked relentlessly through the 1980s with directing a pair of Spaghetti Westerns, some action flicks, and about half of Zombi 3 (1988) after Lucio Fulci was taken off production, though Mattei was not credited with directing it.

In the early 1990s, Mattei directed a series of erotic thrillers and a made-for-TV movie Cruel Jaws (1995) (TV) which was inspired by Steven Spielberg's own 1975 hit, 'Jaws'. Most recently, Mattei continues to direct with more than 50 Italian films to his credit. Though some people consider his films to be cheap, insipid, and technically inept from their low budgets and poor production values, Mattei remains an influential cult film director around the world for his radical filmmaking and willingness to direct anything new with any new taboo-breaking topic.

IMDb Mini Biography By:

Trivia

He is referred to in some circles as "The Italian Ed Wood" due to his constant usage of stock footage, soundtrack borrowing, bad acting and silly dialog within his productions.

Bruno Mattei is known for being a hack, but, true is true. The guy has given us a load full of cheese to ingest throughout his life. He will be missed.

TCM Interview (Paul Partain)

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE PAUL PARTAIN



About four years ago, I got a chance to ask Paul Partain (Franklin - TCM) a few questions. You can also find the interview on Justin Kerswell's great slasher site, Hysteria-Lives.co.uk. It's a shame we lost Paul to that dreaded 'C' word in 2005. He'll be greatly missed. I'm honored I got a chance to hear his thoughts about his role in one of the scariest films of all time.

Lunchmeat: First of all Mr. Partain, I wanna thank you for following through with the interview.

Paul: My pleasure.

Lunchmeat: Texas Chainsaw Massacre is probably on everybody's top 10 list. It is definitely in mine.

Paul: E network says TCM is the #1, most recognizable title in the world. Even more recognizable than Debbie Does Dallas or Gone With The Wind.

Lunchmeat: As funny as it may sound, when I mention the film TCM to people who have already seen it, they always seem to bring up your character instead of Leatherface.
That sounds funny? Can’t imagine why. Leatherface was a big goober who never uttered a word. He merely grunted once or twice, wore his costume well and mostly didn’t drop the chainsaw.

Lunchmeat: I know you probably have been asked this before, but can you maybe give us a little insight on how you were chosen for the part of Franklyn?

Paul: I am more than happy to tell you all I know about it. Quite simply, I auditioned and auditioned and auditioned. The very first I heard about the project was from a lady at Theatre Unlimited, a dinner theater in Austin where I spent most of my free time acting or working on any crew that would have me. I now know they were reading mostly to fill the Hitchhiker role and indeed, that is the role I went to audition for. Alan Danziger had worked with Tobe Hooper on his prior feature, Eggshells, and Alan was pretty solidly cast as Jerry before I got there. Marilyn had locked up the Sally role, Jim was on board for the Father (He’s just the cook) and that left the Hitchhiker, Kirk, Pam and Franklin. Deciding on Kirk and Pam, as I recall, seemed to go rather quickly. There were several good looking pairs of “university age” actors to pick from and in listening to the readings and seeing who was read over and over again it seemed to me that Bill and Terri had a good shot at getting their parts after the first audition. As I mentioned, I went to the audition to try for Hitchhiker (I was told they were looking for a weird and crazy kind of guy….I can be weird and crazy, so why not). Although I am, and was even at that tender age, the world’s greatest actor, Hitchhiker was not for me and I found myself reading the parts that fed the lines to the actors who were reading for Hitchhiker, mainly our buddy, Franklin. Now, at this time, I had no way of knowing that Tobe and Kim had a friend of theirs in mind to play Franklin and that the part was all but cast. As the auditions went on and on, I found myself growing into the Franklin role and understanding him more and more and I think that Tobe and Kim were liking the directions I was taking Franklin in the readings, so they kept asking me to come back. One day, they decided, and viola, there it is, Franklin was forever wedded to Paul Partain.



Lunchmeat: The thing that I love about 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is the gritty, docu-style approach in which it was filmed. Many of the scenes actually looked real. It seems as if I heard somewhere that you guys went through some pretty rough extremes to complete some portions of the film. I'm just curious....what were some of the most grueling moments during the filming of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'?

Paul: Grueling? Surely you jest. I am a native Texan. Born and bred in heat and sizzle of the Llano Estacato. I thrive on rolling around the state in 100degree temperatures in an unairconditoned econovan with seven other sweating persons, chewing on raw sausage because some twit of a production assistant didn’t know she was supposed to buy the cooked kind. Grueling? Nay. Hot, yes. Add thousands of watts of light to an already hot dry windless set filled with decaying chicken bones and other pleasant set decorations and you have Gonzo Film Making! Could have been worse. I could have been in Tobe’s shoes, hanging upside down from the rafters in all of that trying to get just the right camera angle. Or I could have been one of the crew members enduring the same stuff as the cast, but unable at times to even breathe, finding that the back side of the lights gets damned hot and you have to move them to set up for the next shot and even if they cool down to room ambient, they are still above 100 degrees. I digress… There is a good line from a Johnny Rodriguez song that goes “ …yea it’s hot down in Texas,..but I call this my home. If I ain’t happy here, I ain’t happy nowhere…” Note to all northerners…if you can’t stand the heat. stay the hell out of Texas.




Lunchmeat: Excuse me if this question is a little personal, but there is this little rumor that you and co-star Marilyn Burns (Sally Hardesty) didn't see eye to eye on some things during the making of the film. Can you maybe give us a little insight on this?

Paul: You should never listen to rumors. The two roles were written to have that sibling rivalry going on. When Marilyn and I were on the set we were working. There was not a lot of downtime and chances for interaction. I think you should go back to your source and question that information. Remember, the good guys and the bad guys were separated throughout the filming so if you heard a story about the bad guys from one of the good guys question it. Same goes for the bad guys spreading rumors about things they were never in a position to know anything about. Marilyn and I happen to be friends. We had worked together on a film the winter before Chainsaw. Be careful what rumors you choose to repeat. Big difference between actors being in character and staying in character and the personal interaction or lack thereof that may or may not be witnessed by an outsider. Anyway, Franklin, on the set was supposed to be a whiny bastard and that is exactly what Franklin was…Paul Partain ain’t like that.….phbttttttt! so there!



Lunchmeat: In my opinion you had some of the best 'dialog' from the film. I was just wondering, in your acting mode did you add lib any of your lines or were they originally written in the script?

Paul: Franklin was probably the most well written of all the characters. Personal opinion. We didn’t deviate from the script very much. Sometimes, once we had the scripted scene complete, we would get to improvise. The best example of that is the scene in the old “Franklin house” where Franklin has a heck of a time getting in and then looks up at the noise upstairs and then goes rolling around the downstairs in a snit. The first part of that was scripted. The remainder, Tobe and I made up as we went along . That is an actor’s definition of fun.

Lunchmeat: I am not quiet sure if you can give me the info I'm looking for, but it is obvious that "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' was filmed on a somewhat constrained budget. Would you have any idea how the money for TCM was raised and maybe give us some of the ages of the other cast members at the time of the shoot?
Paul: How the money was raised was not something I had anything to do with. There are some good pieces of reporting out there on the subject. I recommend you take a look at David Gregory’s TCM The Shocking Truth. I think he gets it right.

As to the ages of the cast members, OK, here goes: Jim Siedow was probably mid forties or so. Marilyn and Teri, well, womenfolk don’t always come right out with their age, but Marilyn was a college graduate plus a year or two, Teri was either a Junior or Senior at St. Edwards University. Bill and Alan were a couple of years out of UT. Gunnar was about the same age. Ed Neal had graduated and been into and out of the Army (ours). Grandpa John was 17. Everyone at the graveyard scene in the back of the pick-up is now dead, as is the cowboy who says “ I’m gonna steal your girl”, Jerry Green. Most of those folks at the graveyard came from the contact at Theatre Unlimited. Just remembered, Ed Neal had the lead there in the play Bell Book and Candle a few months before Chainsaw. Think I worked lights on that show, or perhaps I just played with the lighting director lady…the memory fades.

Lunchmeat: Tobe Hooper is one of my favorite directors.

Paul: Mine too.

Lunchmeat: What kind of experience was it to work with Tobe?

Paul: I found Tobe to be (I always wanted to start a sentence like that …..Tobe, to be) a most focused and enthusiastic individual. Tobe had the vision and he had the ability to transmit that vision to the people who got to implement the nuts and bolts of the filming. Quite a trick.

Lunchmeat: The scene involving Franklyn, Leatherface, and Sally as you get ousted in the wheel chair is classic. Can you maybe tell us how this scene was accomplished? It looked so realistic.

Paul: That it looked realistic is hats off to Tobe and the crew. The whole thing was orchestrated and choreographed to the nth detail. The chainsaw was disabled, the clutch was out. I tested this on Tobe’s finger prior to shooting. Good sport. ……..Let me get back there in that place. …. It was a night shoot. The temperature had dropped off to the mid nienties. First part of the night was Marilyn running through the mesquite trees. Dangerous thorns about an inch to two inches long and sharp as needles all along the branches of the mesquite. Skimpy clothing, not much protection at all. Disastrous results that left everyone feeling her very real pain and left Marilyn wishing she had been blessed with a more boyish figure when navigating the thorn breaks. The path that Marilyn and I were trying to maneuver the wheelchair through was truly a rough trail. It was a very real struggle to get that chair to move and of course Tobe milked the scene for all it was worth. Marilyn and I were truly working hard and getting frustrated and were thankful when we got to the part where we actually had some lines to say and then out of the darkness comes the sound of that big saw cranking up and then there is the most God awful sight you ever want to see, eleven foot twenty seven inches tall, leather apron, somebody else’s face for a mask and that damned smokin’ chainsaw coming right at you. I am an actor, and so is Ms. Burns, but we did not have to do a lot of acting at that point. Marilyn hooked ‘em to parts unknown and I screamed my ass off. The shot, the first time we saw Leatherface, was as close to real as we all could make it. Now when the close up came for old Franklin’s demise, that was a bunch of fun. The camera was looking over my left shoulder. Most of the lighting was coming from a “sun gun” flash light in my hand. The deal was that Leatherface was to come into the light with the saw and take a swipe at Franklin again and again. Dottie Pearl, our make up lady was squatted off camera on my left and Tobe was in the same position off camera on my right. We all three had a mouth-full of red Karo Syrup (blood) and every time Leatherface came into the light, we would spit. The result is that with each pass, the apron and saw gets more and more bloody. If you look really close you can see drops of blood in the air. Very effective. At the end, Tobe had a cup full of blood and he threw the contents . Said it could have been when they hit the heart… As I recall that scene was a lot of fun and everyone was laughing when it was done.

Lunchmeat: At the release of TCM in 1974, did you have any idea that it would become the cult Icon in horror entertainment that it has become today?

Paul: Absolutely not. When it was released, I was amazed first of all that it got released, and then that it was as good as it was. It was good but films just don’t live for thirty years and still have the same effect on people. Chainsaw does. To this day, people see Chainsaw for the first time and are blown away. Me too.

Lunchmeat: There are millions of horror fans in the world today. I would imagine that portraying such a character in such a famous landmarked horror film would lead to a following. Do people seem to recognize you when you go out in public as being Franklyn from that 'Chainsaw' movie?

It helps that I am not in my twenties any more. When I was in my thirties, I had dropped a hundred pounds, grown back my mustache and had a full beard all the time from 79 to 95. Didn’t look much like the guy in the wheel chair. Still, some folks would hear my voice or place the name and then not really know what to do with their newly acquired information. I enjoy going to Fan conventions these days.. Been to two so far and it is wonderful to see fans of all ages come up and tell me all about how and when and where they were when Chainsaw scared the pants off of them. Remember, the people walking around today being called Grandpa and Grandma were the first to appreciate Chainsaw or as Tobe says to “enjoy the buzzzzz”. Last year the local paper did an article about Chainsaw and one of the ladies from my church put the clipping on the choir room bulletin board. Can’t say the singers or the deacons look at me quite the same any more.

Lunchmeat: Do you by any chance remain in contact with any of the original cast members?
Paul: Not by chance, on purpose.

Lunchmeat: I was just curious, when you're not getting cut to bits by a guy with a chainsaw, just what does Mr. Partain do in his spare time? Any future projects?

Paul: Thank goodness I am staying busy. Working all the time. For the last thirty something years I have been in the electronics business. It has been very good to me but this summer it was just time to try something different. I now have a fledgling construction business which allows me the luxury of once again auditioning for movies when they come along and plays when I can spare the extreme amount of time required. I am loving it all. I recently had a very small part in Kevin Spacey’s new film and almost auditioned well enough to get into The Rookie (truth be told, I blew the audition at The Rookie. Director John Lee Hancock turned my interpretation of one character around and I just did not shift gears fast enough) That same guy, John Lee Hancock, is directing the new production of The Alamo now and if I can get the chance to get in front of him again I will have the most greased set of acting wheels he has ever seen. Once an actor, always an actor. It’s kind of a disease.
Lunchmeat: And last but not least....what are your 10 favorite horror films?

Paul: 10 favorite? OK Chainsaw has to be on top. Silence of the Lambs is in there (we’re kin by producers). I really enjoyed Hannibal and Red Dragon. Watching the old Godzilla flicks is still a hoot! The Thing scared the stuffing out of me when I rode my bike to the Palace Theater downtown Georgetown Texas. I have a broad band-pass when it comes to film. I really like it and there just aren’t a lot of films that I don’t like something about. I think that is the key. If you really enjoy film, you can have a ball at any theater in any genre. Especially film that is made with a passion, a vision. Tobe once said about Chainsaw, that he and Kim just wanted to do a horror film right. I think they succeeded beyond our wildest imagination. Enjoy the buzzzzzzzz! Paul Partain, Austin, Texas` December, twenty ought two.


Lunchmeat: Mr. Partain, it has been an honor for me and everyone else to conduct this interview. You have gave us all many hours of entertainment. I wish you and your family the best in life and always remember...'The Saw if Family'.

Lunch's new tattoo

Well, it's not NEW, but it's not too old. What is it? Well, it's a demon head on a stick. Think 'mid evil'.

Canadian Slasher #4

HUMONGOUS starts out during a party in 1946 where a woman is raped by a drunk sex freak who intends to show his victim ''what she's been missing''. One of her male counterparts opens the kennel and her German Shepherd's come to the rescue, tearing the guy to shreds. Sure, he deserved it.

We skip down the road about thirty odd years while Sandy, Eric (David Wallace), Nick (Nick Wild), Carla, and Joy are at the end of their week-end getaway at their father's lake front home. They finish cleaning everything up and enter their father's yacht for the ride back.

As nightfall sets in, the fog rolls and makes way for some hard navigating. They soon see a shot from a flare gun and try and navigate the large boat towards the distress signal. To make a long story short, they hit some rocks after Big brother and Little prick brother fight over who has the bigger dick and Ka-Boom! The boat blows to pieces sending the passengers on board flying off into the water.

Everyone is accounted for except for Carla, but she's found the next day hiding in a boat. In the mean time, some giant bohemeth lurks the island and is quiet hungry. It seems as if his only source of survival (His mother) has died and the little problem of starvation comes into play. The sound of dogs once echoed throughout the island, but now every thing's dead quiet. Did he get hungry?

Humongous. Humongous. What to make of you. Paul Lynch (Prom Night) seems to have forgotten the fact that night scenes need SOME lighting. The night scenes are so dark that it's damn near impossible to tell what's going on. This is a big hindrance to what otherwise could have been a good viewing experience. Don't get me wrong, HUMONGOUS isn't THAT bad, but it's not that damn good either.

There are a few decent stalk and slash sequences and when punk-ass baby brother Nick gets his, it'll make you jump. It's hard to believe the makers of Friday the 13th part 2 didn't sue Lynch for his downright copied and pasted ending that involves our stalked final girl turning her back and pretending to be the killer's mother. She sweet talks him a bit and the rest is the equivalent of taking a shit in a dry toilet. You know you gotta, but you don't wanna.

There's not much to write home about. This venture just proves tho show that Paul Lynch couldn't make a good slasher movie if it bit him in the ass and sang the theme song to My Bloody Valentine to him. I know there's some die hard Prom Night fans reading this, and I seriously don't mean any disrespect, but true is true. It's not that good. Neither is Humongous.

Those damn Canadians are too confusing. If you're in the mood for a violent version of Scooby Doo that's too hard to see, then pick up HUMONGOUS.

I Drink Your Blood 1970

A band of Satanist hippies lead by Horace Bones roll into a town and begin terrorizing the local folk, raping a local girl after she sneaks in one of of their satanic rituals. Grandpa goes after the bunch of filthy hippies, but the hippies corner Grandpa, force feeding him a little LSD. His grandson doesn't take to highly by this and decides to get back at the hippies by feeding them meat pies infected with blood from a rabid dog. They turn into crazed lunatics and begin killing and/or infecting everything in their path.

Where to begin with this one. This is probably the most filthy grimy drive-in flick I've ever had the pleasure (or displeasure) of watching. I don't hate the film. The whole scenario is something that's made in a cheese factory, but the 'nastiness' of the film as a whole makes one want to take a shower after watching.

Bashkar (who was incidentally paralyzed not too long after I Drink Your Blood was made. He has since passed away) plays the ludicrous Horace Bones who's pretty much a man hell bent on power play using satanic rituals to brainwash his followers. They make their way into town and move into an abandoned house that's soon to be torn down anyway. The house is infested with rats and the group of hippies go from room to room impaling the rats on anything they could find, roasting them and eating them for a meal. Some nasty shit.

The scene where Grandpa comes home fried on LSD and hold kitchen utensils against his forehead constituting a set of horns is quiet humerous, but quiet disturbing once you shower off the layer of cheese.

Also known as Phobia, I Drink Your Blood had a pretty good run at the Drive-In back in the day and has since gained a small cult following. Is this film worth watching? Well, yes, if only once. The whole premise makes this one strange pile of dirt. This will definitely leave a layer of filth on ya folks.

Sure, go ahead and give it a whirl. OR, you could go outside and roll around in the dirt for a hour and a half and have the same experience.

Bloodstalkers (1979) on DVD

Anyone ever seen this? Ever even heard of it? A horror movie about a group of tourists in Florida who are attacked by a chilling group of backwoods psychopaths?

This 1978 slasher film is better than it should be. This could very well be the granddaddy of the backwoods slasher film. Deliverance (by many) helped kick-start the 'crazy backwoods family' plot line, but Bloodstalkers did it even before Friday the 13th. Now, I'm referring mainly to the kill scenes and the setup thereof, as we have a number of death scenes that were copied in some Friday the 13th flicks.

It's safe to say that the director of Bloodstalkers (Robert W. Morgan) was influenced by Italian horror guru, Mario Bava, as a couple of scenes were downright copied from such films as Bay of Blood.

This post isn't meant to be a review, but a catalyst to spark your interests. The director himself is now offering a newly released dvd of Bloodstalkers - complete with a personal autograph and blurb of your choice. The film also has a few extras and comes with a copy of the day to day diary of the shoot compiled and written by director Robert W. Morgan. All for just $19.95 - and this includes shipping.

Here's a link to the main site where you can purchase or order the dvd.

http://dvddrive-in.com/reviews/a-d/bloodstalkerspromo.htm

John Friedrich (Zorich) is Alive And Well!

Remember Zorich from The Final Terror? I did a post on him and what ever happened to John Friedrich sometime ago. Here's a cool article I've posted along with a recent pic of Friedrich.

If John Friedrich wants to revive a once-flourishing acting career, he's on his way. At the University of Hawaii Tuesday night, the youthful-looking 49-year-old attracted a crowd to analyze clips from his movies and unearth tidbits about major stars in the 1970s and early '80s. He hinted at his reasons for leaving Hollywood more than two decades ago and confessed his desire to return to what he considers "an unfinished chapter" in his life.

Sitting next to facilitator and UH professor Marc Moody and wearing gray slacks, a black shirt and the requisite lei, Friedrich shared behind-the-scenes stories about the acting process and working with some of Hollywood's biggest names in a stream-of-consciousness style that drew the audience from one anecdote to the next.

The peak of his career was the role of Frank Cleary in "The Thorn Birds" with Richard Chamberlain, Jean Simmons, Barbara Stanwyck and Rachel Ward. "'The Thorn Birds' was like you had finally gotten into the Ferrari," Friedrich recalled of the 1983 miniseries. "The level of acting was substantially higher. It's one of my great memories. Richard was one of the reasons I became an actor," he said of Chamberlain, whose work on the stage first inspired Friedrich.

The part had been offered to Friedrich's good friend Brad Davis, a household name at the time. "They were looking for a star, and I was not at that level yet," he said. But Davis ("Midnight Express") refused the plum role, insisting Friedrich would be better. The two had become close on the set of the iconic cop show "Baretta" and the movie "A Small Circle of Friends," Rob Cohen's ill-fated directorial debut.

Friedrich also recalled his brief time with Lana Turner and considered Stanwyck and Turner "a dying breed, just royalty. They really had a presence or a charisma that I haven't seen since. You can't not look at it."

An amusing story arose from the set of "Thank God It's Friday," about a dinner with Donna Summer. "So you sing disco songs?" he said to the mega-star at the time, who answered incredulously, "You really don't know who I am!" A friendship with Debra Winger also blossomed during that film. Later, Winger often called while shooting "Urban Cowboy," worried that nobody on the set liked her.

John Travolta traveled with an entourage even when he and Friedrich filmed "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble." But Friedrich said Travolta told his assistants to leave when it was time to shoot a scene, and focused intently "so that working with him was an absolute pleasure."

Friedrich got his start in 1975 at age 16 with Robert Blake on "Baretta." The rebellious teen left home the moment he started making a living as an actor. "My life took a 90-degree turn from that point," he said. "I got a good agent, and my ability to get work really took off."

Ambitions to attend Yale faded as offers flowed. He could go to college any time, his fellow actors told him. Consequently, he never went, something he still regrets. Had he attended college first, "I think my ability to last in the business would have been greatly enhanced."

When viewing clips from his movies in sequence, his range is especially evident in his ability to master accents totally unfamiliar to him.

For example: the role of Joey, an Italian kid from the Bronx, in "The Wanderers," a 1979 flop with Karen Allen that became a cult classic. Friedrich, a self-described kid from the San Fernando Valley, recalled that he'd never even visited New York City until he got the part.

"Those were just a terrifying first few days," he recalled, feeling sure the director would fire him. "I cried in the bathtub on many occasions."

Despite his impressive performance, shooting turned out to be a struggle. To make matters worse, the movie disappeared from theaters in about a month.

After "The Thorn Birds" and "The Final Terror" in 1983, he moved to New Mexico, met his wife and started a family, worked as a financial consultant and settled into what most people might call a normal life.

Gradually, evidence that he should consider reviving what he'd left behind began to emerge.

When "The Wanderers" was re-released on DVD two years ago, director Philip Kaufman publicly appealed to Friedrich to get in touch with him.

"Did I call him?" Friedrich asked the audience, laughing. "No!"

Asked what inspired such a dramatic departure, he answered, "Life happened." He indicated that his psychological state during a less-than-ideal youth was "tied to my ability to express myself as an actor; I came to the party because I liked the mask. This became more untenable as I matured."

But the fire never died. "I thought I could get the actor out of me, but I really couldn't," he said. Recently, he returned to the stage, playing the Donald Sutherland role in "Ordinary People" in an Albuquerque theater. About this time the unexpected letter from Moody arrived, inviting him to Hawaii.

"How do I reconnect with these talents and these gifts?" he asked rhetorically.

The first step, he's discovering, is to say yes.

It's good to know that John Friedrich is alive and well. I'm sure we'll be seeing him behind the camera soon. Probably talk shows first, then a return to acting.

Satan's Blade 1984

Once in a while the cinematic guru's of the world will come across a film that forever changes their lives. Not really, but it may change the next few minutes, but soon enough, we're back to behaving like we're three instead of in our mid-twenties, breaking social ties one has had for years just because we can - Going into cursing tirades for no reason and taking it extra hard on your sparring partner in Jui Jitsu class.

The first time I heard of Satan's Blade was on the mighty Justin Kerswell's site, Hysteria-Lives! I read the review and realized it took place during a snowy setting and that was all she wrote. At the time, I thought the old ma and pa video store in the next town might have a copy. I thought I had remembered seeing it there.

I finally got around to visiting the video store and sure enough there it was in its big box glory. What a great cover. Of course, we all know that the home video market is full of gorgeous flicks on the outside, but when the truth finally sets us free, we're left sitting there feeling dirty and alone like after the hooker leaves and takes your wallet with her.

So, I picked up the flick and done a little shopping with my wife. We ate some greasy chicken McNugget's and it was off to pop the tape in the vcr. Right away, the screen turns red for a moment. In a split second afterwards, we see a glimpse of a man talking. It was almost like an interview. Then, the screen turns black and everything looks like a movie.

To get to the point, Satan's Blade had a profound affect on me. Sure, the movie is as low budget as you can get. I have no idea why the director shot on 35mm instead of 16mm. Like some of the cast members have stated, Scott Castillo Jr.(director) spent more time trying to look like a big time director than actually putting the money where it needed to be.

Reading reviews on this movie, you would think there were no fans who liked cheesy horror. Satan's Blade is more than cheesy horror tho. The acting sucks and there's not much of a storyline, but Satan's Blade is still a disturbing slasher flick.

We open with a wonderful twist bank robbery. It really threw me for a loop. The robbers make their way to a snowy resort in the hills where they hope to hide out for a while and meet their third partner. A double cross ensues and we set the cheese cycle in motion.

Of course, we have to have a bunch of horny females and two cute couples who just so happen to make their way to the same snowy resort. They enter the resort where there's an old woman at the front desk telling the legend of 'The Mountain Man'.

To cut to the chase, what sets Satan's Blade apart from other cheese-fests is that the director takes an ultra-serious approach to the stalk and slash sequences. There's a ton of Halloweenesque scenes that really hold up well when taking the movie in the right context.

The snowy landscape adds a ton of atmosphere. If the movie was set during the summer with a masked maniac on the loose, it wouldn't have had near the same effect. I've always been a big fan of a 'snowy slasher' and maybe this plays a big part in why I like the film so much, but like I said, there's a number of genuinely disturbing scenes that take place when the action starts.

The weapon of choice is obviously a knife, 'Satan's Blade' to be exact, and when the killer stabs his victims, the camera lingers steadily as the victim writhes in pain. It might sound like I'm giving this film more credit than it deserves. This is probably right, but when there's something good in a flick, there's no denying it. Aside from all the bad acting and straight forward camera-work, I actually turned the light on. I haven't did that with a flick in a long time.

While talking about Satan's Blade, one can't forget the piano score that's heard throughout the films running time. It's redundant, but alongside the location, the score is one of it's cornerstones.

One of the actresses in the film said that by the time the shoot was over, the film ended up costing around a million dollars. I'm not sure if this has been confirmed, but she also stated that a lot of money went into production no-no's. She stated that the director insisted on shooting in 35mm which by any standard shouldn't have been the way to go with a film of this caliber. Who knows, that may be the very thing that helps the movie out. The male lead said he never saw a dime. They weren't sure if the film had even been picked up by a distributor, not alone been released overseas.

Satan's Blade in an enigma wrapped up in a piece of ham and a depressing layer of mustard. You know there shouldn't be anything scary about it, but when scary scenes come about, it's just that more alluring.

In a nutshell - For the slasher completest, this is a must see. Whether you like it or not, you'll find one thing's for certain, every other film out there's no 'Satan's Blade'. A rare find for the rare mind.

Relative Fear 1994

Relative Fear should have been more than it is.(Those whacky Canadians) The potential for this film was there, but I don't think there was enough time for director George Mihalka (My Bloody Valentine) to do what he needed to do. Either that, or it was edited to shreds.

An insane woman has a baby that immediately is taken away from her by the state. At the same time the Pratman family nurse their newbord baby in the hospital room as crazy asthmatic grandpa and eccentric grandma come to gawk.

Peter Pratman is quiet the geek. The mother, Linda Pratman is an aspiring pianist and all seems well. We go down the road about four years and we find out that Adam Pratman is autistic. The boy doesn't speak a word. They hire a tudor who claims to have experience in dealing with austistic children, with a seemingly good track record. Accidents seem to follow little Adam around as crazy asthmatic grandpa is suffocated when someone pulls the hose from his oxygen machine. Grandma is killed when a dumbwaiter falls full speed downward, crushing her head to a pulp. One of Adam's little friends gets shot in the head when the the little tyke decides to show Adam his new gun. It just so happened to be the same little boy who makes Adam eat dirt.

Anyway, natch, it looks bad on little Adam, but it's not long before a police detective suspects the father as he was the one who found all the bodies. After harrassing the family a bit, the detective gets itchy and decides to make his way over to the Pratman house unannounced. Everyone's outside, but Adam lets him in. The cop searches around the house, but soon steps on some strategically placed toys and breaks his neck in a very unconvincing stair roll. James Brolin should have went out better than that.

Nevertheless, aside from Brolin's untriumphant death, we're in for quiet the surprise when it's found out Adam was switched at birth and is the son of the crazy woman we see popping him out at the beginning.

The twist ending really hits you hard and your left with that wtf? feeling. A relatively good movie that could and should have been more. The only reason I picked it up in the first place was because it was a buck, secondly, it was directed by the same director who did my favorite slasher flick of all time.

Little Adam stole the show. The casting people deserve some props here. A creepy little fart. There was something disturbing about him and those dull brown eyes.

Am I glad I spent that buck? Sure. A movie that would be good on a lazy Sunday evening.

Canadian Slasher #3

My Bloody Valentine 1981

I'm over a month late with this entry. I should have done a post on this during Valentine's week, but for some reason I didn't. I think I was in a moral crisis or some shit. Anyway, with slasher fans it's almost universal - My Bloody Valentine is the end all of the slasher film. It's agreed upon by almost everyone that this flick is as entertaining as it is broad. And we're willing to overlook Paramount's bad cut job when it comes to the slashing sequences.

My Bloody Valentine is a film that strikes a chord with me. It's set in a small dank mining town with your typical early 80's locals with bad wardrobes and even worse hair. [I'm skipping past the awesome opening sequence that involves what seems to be a sexually frustrated miner and his female counterpart.]


TJ's father owns the mines nestled beneath the ground of Valentine's Bluffs - That small dank mining town I mentioned earlier. A gray Canadian haze settles itself over the town like a blanket. TJ has since went out west and made his return upon really falling on his ass out there. He made so many mistakes and he wants Sarah back.

There's a slight problem because Sarah is now going out with TJ's best friend Axel. He explains to TJ that he went away - He didn't know where he was or when the hell he was coming back. TJ's reaction is that Axel is starting to sound like his old man and a nightly gathering at the junkyard almost turns into a scuffle.


In the meantime, the whole town is anticipating the first Valentines Day dance in 20 years. The reason there hasn't been a dance for so long is because twenty years ago, a man named Harry Warden went on a killing spree - murdering everyone responsible for leaving him and five other miners in the bowels of the mine without checking the methane level. The mine blew and here's Harry left all fucked up and eating the leg of one of his co-workers after being trapped underground for six weeks. All this just so happened on Valentine's Day and it was vowed by Harry that the same thing would happen if there was EVER another Valentine's Day dance.

Of course, the town sheriff still remembers the big mess twenty years ago and is still a little shell shocked in the pre-wake of the Valentine's dance. There's a local bartender who expels the legend of Harry Warden from his parched lips while the mining buddy cast play silly games with knives and make farting noises in light of all the bartender's serious hubbub.

There's a mood crasher when TJ's father gets a heart shaped box with a human heart in it. Without question the sheriff cancels the dance. The incident is kept quiet, but it's not long before Mabel (the dance organizer) is killed by a coal miner equipped with blue cover-alls, breathing apparatus and large pick ax. (Sort of reminiscent of Joe Zito's The Prowler)

The sheriff covers up Mabel's death [as well] after she's found stuffed in a running dryer at her laundry mat, burned to a crisp. The young cast of colorful characters are told Mabel died of a heart attack and become all sad at the cancellation of the dance, but TJ has a plan - He'll move the party to his father's mine! They'll have the party inside the rec-room! Of course, we all know at this point that Harry or someone will crash the party.

What comes next is some very good stalk 'n' slash sequences that for the most part take place inside a very atmospheric and gritty underground mine. The mine makes way for some really good scares and is a perfect place for a pick ax welding miner to hide in the nooks and cranny's thereof.

The tension between TJ and his 'best friend' Axel is halted for a bit when it's learned that someone has been killing off members of the party up top and underground. They both realize that Sarah and some others are trapped in the mine and that they better get there before Harry does.

For the first timer [who by chance hasn't read spoilers], there's a question of who the killer really is. Is it Harry Warden? There's some emphasis that the killer could be one of our main leads. There's some scenes that would give prelude to this thought throughout the whole film. It's up to the viewer to actually sift through the clues and figure it out for themselves.

Another saving grace for My Bloody Valentine are the high production values. A glossy look can sometimes hurt a film of slasher ilk, but the grimy mine overshadowed any Hollywood 'effect' it otherwise would have had on the film. The acting is quiet good to boot. Paul Kelman (TJ) is the dark haired mysterious type who could very well be hiding some sinister secrets. Neil Affleck (Axel - TJ's ex-best friend) is the blond haired blue eyed mixture of disgruntled manhood and empathy. Lori Hallier (Sarah) is the catalyst for our little love triangle amongst friends. She's a blond haired blue eyed, buxom blond who's torn between her first love TJ, and her rebound love Axel.

Axel is truly made a fool by TJ and Sarah. He's the fall guy for both TJ's and Saraha's riff between each other. Director George Mihalka takes John Beaird's script and does the best he can. It's a shame this movie didn't do all that well at the box office upon its initial release in 1981. This is truly a good film, even aside from the gore sequences lying on the cutting room floor.

If there was ever a war cry from slasher fans around the world, it's for an all out uncut collectors edition dvd packed with extras. Hell, if Texas Chainsaw Massacre II can get a release called the Gruesome Edition, My Bloody Valentine should be able. [I love TCM 2 btw.]



To sum it up, MBV is a film that can't be missed by slasher fans - even slasher fans of the Scream generation. Even younger fans should find something good in this Canadian slasher whether its shred to bits or not. An atmospheric upbeat slasher film that's never tedious and never boring. My Bloody Valentine is the epitome of what the slasher film should require.

Tell Tale Heart 1960

This is my favorite cinematic take on Poe's wonderful story of the same name.

A mentally unstable librarian discovers that the woman he is infatuated with has dumped him for another man - His best friend. (No spoiler here) In a fit of rage, he murders his rival, burying the body under the floorboards in his home

The murder goes undetected, but Edgar can not silence the sound of the beating heart of his victim, which echoes louder and louder, driving him insane.

Lawrence Payne gives a masterpiece performance as 'Edgar' - The shy rich man who falls head over heels in love with Betty Clare - (Played gracefully by Adrienne Cori) - [a new girl in town who moves next door to Edgar] goes homicidal on his best friend Carl Loomis. (played by the debonair Dermot Walsh)

What makes this one different than all the rest is the acting and sheer fact that for such an early year, it has one of the darker elements of the lot. This is definitely worth picking up. The Alpha Video version (on dvd) is of decent quality that may have been tweaked a hair. It was released in 2004 and probably swings for about five bucks at a dollar bin somewhere.

Hider in the House

He sees you. He hears you. He knows you. He lives with you. And you don't even know he's there.

A pre-bugged out Gary Busey is a resident psychopath, (Tom Sykes) in a very strange performance that will ultimately make you pull back the shower curtain before taking a piss. Not really, but I like Busey. I would however hide in the shower if I saw him coming towards me.

After his release from a state institution, Tom finds a cozy new place to call home: a secret place he builds in the attic of the Dryer family home. No, not Fred Dryers family. Hunter would have found him and let Dee Dee have a round or two with him with her golden vibrator.

Sykes definitely knows how to hide. As a child Tom would escape his parents violent outbursts and abuse by hiding in the most remote areas of the house - until he finally gets tired of being burned with cigarettes and torches down the house with them in it.

Now Julie and Phil Dryer (Mimi Rogers who's smokin' and Michael Mckean - better known as Lenny) have a new tenant in their newly built dream house. He's the creak when they think it's the wind. He's the noise they blame for the dad's awful farting problem. He's the rat in the attic.

By setting up an elaborate microphone system in the attic, he's able to hear every word they say. He knows more about the Dryer family than Fred Dryer knows about them. Tom is now part of the house and his obsession with Julie unleashes hidden demons trapped in a mind that's trapped in an attic.

Tom finally makes himself known to Julie after he finds Phil at a restaurant and sets up a plan to have her meet him at the same hotel he uses as a sex place with his mistress. After the fur flies and Phil gets caught in the act, Phil is told to leave. Tom strategically places himself in the middle of a schoolyard fight between Julie's son and some monkey-bar punk. Julie appreciates Tom stepping in and little by little, Tom starts to come around.

Things go a little hazy in Julie's eyes when Tom teaches her son some new defense techniques that involves viciously hurting one's opponent by means of nut blows, knees and elbows. Things are set in stone when finally, Tom shows how screwed up he his by almost refusing to take no for an answer in regards to a date with Julie.

The film as a whole deals loosely with the psychological aspect of a bad upbringing - Almost similar to a 1970's film called Bad Ronald - about a guy who lives in the walls of the house in which new tenants move in) Tom's arms are riddled with scars from cigarette burns. The conclusion of his visits to his shrink have him worried. He's afraid he'll 'loose control' again. The shrink talks nice, but isn't too keen on the notion of having him released. I wouldn't let Gary Busey roam the free world either. His teeth are too big.

What sets this movie off from the rest of the 'I'm crazy because I was abused as a kid' movies is the fact that at heart, Tom is a big old Teddy Bear. He really doesn't want to hurt anyone. His motives are pure in his own mind, but those damned old memories seem to trigger his rough temper. All he wants to do is lead an all American life equipped with a wife and kids. Tom actually is a character to be pitied. I truly never saw him as a villain until the finale.

There's not much slicing and dicing going on, but the movie as a whole has a few slasher undertones. I guess one could classify it as such. I classify Moon Pies as a great breakfast, so I don't really know.

One thing I do know is that a dog, an ill fated exterminator and Julie's friend get killed and buried. Another thing I know is that this movie is quiet entertaining. Busey gives a wonderful performance and really doesn't have to act too much because as we all know, Busey is crazy anyway. Roger's is smoking as usual and reminds me for the world of my beautiful wife.

If you're a fan of psychological horror films as well as slasher films, you can't go wrong. No masterpiece, but no pile of trash either. I'll admit - the scenario is quiet outlandish - Not many people would look over the fact that some crazy man is living in the attic, but it makes way for some good stuff on celluloid. By the way, this is/was a made for television film that debut on the USA network back in the day.

Bad Lieutenant 1992

He has survived on the streets for twenty years. He's a gambler... a thief... a junkie ... a killer and a cop. Now he's investigating the most shocking case of his life, and as he moves closer to the truth, his self-destructive past is closing in. Harvey Keitel gives us a truly searing performance an an out of control police detective on a collision course with disaster.

First of all, Abel Ferrara is a hit or miss director. Either the viewer is turned on by what's on screen, or they're completely turned off. I have been a fan of Ferrara's for quiet some time now - Ever since seeing Driller Killer at age ten. The name Abel always struck a chord with me. Who knows? It could have been the biblical reference.

Bad Lieutenant is a film that one can't help but think comes from the inner depths of Abel Ferrara's soul. If one didn't know better, they would think the film as a whole is probably an analogy of his personal life... his inner demons.

While not a horror film (in general), this movie depicts the hidden horrors that seemingly good people keep locked away. It's a commentary of the mask wearers of society - Weak people in a body of someone having authority. When one thinks of an authoritative figure, we automatically think of a self willed leader - Someone who has it all together inside and out. We never see beneath the uniform or the tough persona, and take for granted that these people are always going to be our sociological pillars.

We very rarely see past the badges and the colors. We can look into these people's eyes and seemingly look past all the cries for help, until they're finally let out of the bag and we're left disappointed and out of hope. "How could THIS person do THAT?"

The Lieutenant (played wonderfully by Harvey Keitel) is a despicable person. He's a crack addict, a heroine fiend, an alcoholic and a sex freak. He steals batches of cocaine from crime scenes and sells it to the local drug pushers. He's a gambler. He owes tons of money to a bookie who's described to have killed families and babies, yet he still manages to bet against his cop buddies on the 1991 MLB playoffs.

Throughout the entire film, Ferrara gives us deeper glimpses into The Lieutenant's life of drugs, lust, and depravity. It's not long before we stop despising the cop and start feeling sorry for him. He's truly no different than a homeless junkie on the street. If not for the badge, that's exactly what the Lt. would have been.

Again, I'm going to jump back to some hidden personal views that's obviously been thrown in by Abel Ferrara in regards to his own life. First off, the drug depictions were right on the money. For someone to capture the gritty NY lifestyle accompanied by the dirty essence of sexual depravity, they would have had to experience at least some of it. "Yeah, yeah. A good director would do some studying."

I'm not saying Abel Ferrara is a drug addict alcoholic hooked on women and gambling, but I'm sticking with my story. There's an overlapping of Catholicism that adds an even more disturbing outlook when we have the raping of a nun in which the Lt. is assigned to the case.

The whole scenario allows the Lt's actions to be completely overshadowed, giving the viewer a little time to actually take the Lt.'s side when he questions the nun about how she could forgive her attackers for what they had done to her. She actually knows the name of her attackers but won't give their names to the police.

The religious angle seems to stick hard with Ferrara. Throughout a number of his films the Christianity angle has been exploited - either showing disdain and then redemption, or redemption then disdain. I think Bad Lieutenant reflects on a man's weaknesses and how an overhanging of the 'forgiveness' alignment can allow one to feel remorse through all the drugs and alcohol.

There's a scene depicting a hanging Jesus - being crucified as he screams in agony. We see him as a weak vessel, but in all actuality,(in Christianity) he's the Man in charge. It's kind of a reversal of The Lt.'s life. Here he is supposed to be the strong man in charge, yet he is so weak and despicable on the inside. We have the Jesus figure being pathetically weak on the outside, yet inhumanly strong willed on the inside. The two roads eventually meet when we realize that dying on the cross was Jesus' choice, just as the illogical sex games, drug use and gambling was the Lt.'s choice.

Throughout the film, The Lt. comments on the Catholic church calling it ''a racket''. Later on when the Lt. gets in too deep with the bookie, he enters the church in one of his drunken hazes. He calls out to Jesus and He appears. The Lt. crawls to his imagined Jesus figure. The figure stretches his arm almost mechanically the closer the Lt. crawls to him on the floor. He kisses the feet of the figure only to wake up and realize that it's the the feet of an old black woman.

In this epiphany he learns the identity of the two kids who raped the nun. In a sudden turn of forgiveness, he locates the two kids, smokes crack with them, gives them $30,000 and sends them away Scott free on a bus to an unknown destination stating their lives will ''never amount to shit in this town''- referring to NY.

It's a look at a sudden burst of redemption and self appointed righteousness. Throughout the entire film we never know the Lt's name. All he's addressed by is simply Lieutenant. He's stripped of an interpersonal identity, living life with what his outward appearance stands for - the badge, the suits. We also never learn the identity of the bookie the Lt. owes all the money to. He goes by the name Large which is also a symbolic gesture. LARGE, which is a metaphorical deity (in terms of the Lt. being at the mercy of him in regards to the large amount of money he owes him) seems to have the Lt's life in his hands. The Lt. hasn't paid up and who knows when he'll collect?

The Lieutenant's family seem to have no identity either. This is metaphorical in that the Lt. doesn't actually know his family. He has been involved with his cop lifestyle and moonlighting as a sex fiend and junkie for so long that he does the same as a typical drug user and gambling alcoholic. His mother lives with him (his ex-wife living in another home) but never speaks throughout the entire film. This is also a representation on the upbringing the Lieutenant had growing up as a child.

The ball game that we see throughout the entire running time is also somewhat of a miracle in itself - The Mets coming back after being THREE games down against the Dodgers is representative of a mini miracle. It's also metaphorical in that it's NY against NY. It's almost a simile on how NY is a city that is at odds with itself - everyone trying to beat each other - their own neighbors and friends. This could represent the eventual lack of faith not only with the games, but the Jesus in general.

What happens next one can pretty much estimate. This is certainly a film that can't be enjoyed by the subject matter. It's not a film that's pink a fluffy and round around the edges. I think one would have to have had some external form of experience with religion and addiction - whether sexual or alcohol and drugs, it would be hard to relate to this without experiencing one or the other. Rarely, a film will make me shudder at the thought of it or absolutely set me on the same shelf with it. Bad Lieutenant does the latter. (No, I'm not a raging alcoholic or heroine junky or sex freak. It's the religion thing)

A very depressing film with tons of metaphoric actions and camera-work. Abel Ferrara pulls the art house curtains, but opens them enough to let us peek through without them getting in the way. Not since Fulci's New York Ripper has the dirt of New York rubbed off on me and managed to stay for so long. Harvey Keitel's best performance as well as Ferrara's best. Not one to miss if you're a fan of emotional cinema. Masterpiece cinema.

The Unborn 1991

Brad and Virginia (Brooke Adams) will do anything to have a baby. When a renowned infertility specialist, Dr. Meyerling (played by James Karen of ROTLD fame) finally helps them conceive, they think their troubles are behind them. The husband can finally relax and tell his friends he indeed isn't a blank-shooter, but a loaded .44 magnum instead. Well, maybe a .25 automatic.

Plagued by a variety of strange symptoms as her pregnancy progresses, Virginia learns that Dr. Myerling isn't an obstetrician; he's a genetic engineer. And he's now determined to 'breed' bigger, stronger, smarter babies. If it wasn't for breeding 'smarter' babies, I'd almost swear that Dr Myerling made Arnold Schwarzenegger - but Dr. Jack Kevorkian takes all the credit for that mess.

Virginia's desperate search for answers leads to the shocking revelation that not only isn't the baby hers, it's not human. It actually belongs to Micky Rourke.

In the tradition of the It's Alive! films and others like Rosemary's Baby, we have a carnivorous baby which ultimately eats its way from its mother's womb. The mother also suffers from severe symptoms during pregnancy and takes on a number of moody personalities.

The Unborn is your typical late 80's early 90's 'horror' flick. It does have a number of good scenes, but it could have done a little more. But, not only were some scenes downright disturbing, the film as a whole has a very uneasy atmosphere that helped me stay the course.

I'm not a true fan of films like this, but The Unborn did manage to keep my interest even tho I've seen the same thing a dozen times before. I also liked seeing James Karen in another serious role. I've always been a big fan of Karen and seeing his name on the box is the main reason I picked it up. He's the ONLY reason to watch Tobe Hooper's Invaders From Mars btw.


While definitely not one of best films ever, it's certainly not a bad one. In fact, it's well worth the buck rental. The director (Rodman Flender) did a good job with the visuals. The DP also did a good job Did it leave a lasting impression on me? Well, yes and no. A scene that involves Virginia picking her disposed creature-baby out of the local dumpster in a sudden turn of guilt after her underground abortion stuck with me. Not only this, but there's the opening scene that involves a pregnant woman seemingly eating bloody meat from the fridge in one of those 'I can eat a horse' binges. The husband seems to think all is fine. *It could have been sauce*

To sum it up, The Unborn will keep your head afloat even if it's just enough to breath. For all the blank-shooters out there (I'm not poking fun, I could very well be a blank-shooter myself), don't go to Dr. Myerling. Now, I haven't heard anything on the sequel, but I'll confess - I didn't even know there was a sequel to The Unborn. Hunting it down will give me something to do between griping. It evidently made a little money or there certainly wouldn't have been a sequel. All in all, check it out.

Class of Nuke em High

Troma has put out some of the most wretched and vile cinematic 'entertainment' ever seen on film. Starting off with where the Toxic Avenger left off, we have a nuclear leak thats making its way into the local high school.

A group of ex-honor society students have been hideously transformed into drug crazed bikers with a pension for fowl language, rape, and violence. Shy young couples turn into lust crazed sex weasels. And a putrid, flesh-eating slime monster lurks in the basement. Just another day at Tromaville High!

Discipline soon crumbles, morals go out the window and mega-volt rock n roll maddness takes over the student body. As the hideous radioactive creature in the school's basement continues to grow, so does every immoral activity on the face of the earth.


This movie was a sign of the times then, but even more so today. As the threat of nuclear annihilation threatens our civilized societies, the children suffer the most. There's a general lack of hope for the world, which soon turns people into non-worrying individuals without a conscious.

The Class of Nuke Em High is nothing more but an outlandish commentary on nuclear power and the seemingly irresponsible ways it's used. I remember watching this flick as a kid. I was almost asleep when it came on, but years later, got the chance to watch it again. There's no story really. The mutated kids who were once A students run amuck and now sell radioactive weed that gives a hard on so big, it will destroy a house - It's responsible for a woman who becomes pregnant over night to some squid-like creature which eventually gets sucked down the sewer by a frantic flusher. There's your mutated 'good guy' who takes revenge on one of the goons by shoving his fist totally down his throat Just Before Dawn Style. There's Tweaked out female bikers who like to enter the boys bathroom and force them into oral sex and a good spanking. Teachers loosing their hair overnight. There's a white guy dressed and painted like someone from an African tribe that sports a bone through his nose. Kind of reminds me of a TBN Telethon.

It seems as if the main man behind the nuclear facility doesn't give a ''wet fart'' what the situation is and does away with a suggestion to shut down the school. He's afraid of all the bad publicity, but it doesn't matter that innocent children are going to be hiddeously transformed into rock n roll genetic freaks.

What can be said about this flick? Ludicrous, ridiculous, funny, disturbing, sick - Everything reminiscant of Lloyd Kaufman. If you have nothing better to do on a sunny saturday afternoon, grab a copy of Class of Nuke Em High. You'll feel funny for a day or two after, but one thing I've noticed about Troma films is that they definitely make an impression on you. Good or bad, it's an impression. I've yet to see part 2. I'm going to dig that up later. I hear it's better than the first.

Lloyd Kaufman is a man of very little taste. This film as well as all his other films should be a testimony to exactly how far he has dropped on the Class Meter.

Coincidence By The Cemetery

I was watching Joyride the other day. (Paul Walker) I noticed that he and his brother's name are Lewis and Fuller. I never really paid any attention to this, but Louis Fuller was Lucio Fulci's American pseudonym. I thought that was a very cool hat tip to the Godfather of Gore. A lot of people haven't noticed this. The people who I've mentioned this to seem to think it's a coincidence.

To start it off right, this film is one of the most vile and utter pieces of Italian trash to ever climb from the cesspool of Italian cinema. The cannibal genre is a mixed array of cinematic happenings that deal with a variety of different 'types' of cannibals - Cannibal Ferox just so happens to deal with the 'jungle cannibal'.

For instance, there's your back-woods cannibal types that are depicted in such films as Cannibal Campout, Lunch Meat, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There's your 'Brings back strange disease from the war' cannibals as depicted in Cannibal Apocalypse - Another Italian sleazefest made by the Italians and co-starring Cannibal Ferox star Giovanni Lombardo Radice and John Saxxon of all people. There's your Hannibal Lecter types - This type of cannibal is usually based on evidence from real police files. An usually articulate man with supreme taste, and an appetite for the grand. There's also your homosexual cannibals such as Jeffrey Dahmer - who ingests human flesh because they're lonely. I see no correlation between this well formed depravity and loneliness, but I'm sure there's some Freudian pseudo explanation that says there is.

Now, we refer back to the most popular form of 'the cannibal' - Your primitive jungle dwelling cannibal . Throughout the seventies and early 80's, there were two main players in the Jungle' cannibal genre that pretty much opened up a whole new can of worms, but also closed the lid some years later. Umberto Lenzi and Ruggero Deodato - Those two names should be synonymous with extreme violence, cinematic rapes, latex gut munching, but most sadistically, live animals being killed for 'shock value'. Both men claim that they never filmed any killing of live animals - and that the producers shot those scenes after their job as director was finished.Whatever the case may be, the slaughtering (or set-up of the harm or killing) of live animals for the purpose of shocking someone in a film is going too far if you ask me.

Cannibal Holocaust is probably most notorious in regards to scenes of torture and cinematic violence. But a lot of people disagree, saying they were most disturbed by Cannibal Ferox.

Ferox starts off in that typical Italian fashion. We have an Anthropology student who denies the fact that cannibalism ever existed. She's convinced that mad tales of flesh eating are just that - mad babbling folklore created by the civilized man to give the jungle a stark legacy.

Our story revolves around three NY college students who set out to the jungles of Columbia to disprove any talk of cannibalism or the practices thereof. Gloria (played by Lorainne De Salle of House on the Edge of the Park), Rudy, Gloria's brother (played by Brian Redford), and Patricia (Zera Kerowa of New York Ripper fame) get everything set and enters the outskirts of the jungle via off-road vehicle. Right away, things get off on the wrong foot as the jeep gets stuck and they're forced to foot their way through the wilds of Rio.

A few minutes later, the crew run into two small time New York drug dealers who just so happen to be lofting around the jungle floor when they're attacked by natives. Mike Logan (Giovanni Lombardo Radice - House on the Edge of the Park, Cannibal Apocalypse, The Gates of Hell, The Church) and his injured friend Joe, run into the crew and ask them for help.

Of course, the crew obliges. Little by little they learn of Mike's lust for cocaine and that there's more to he and Joe that meets the eye. It's soon learned why Mike and Joe are running from the natives. It seems as if Mike has a knack for violence - especially when fueled up on cocaine. The rape and murder of a native Indio girl by white outsiders doesn't go over to well with the villagers and it's a race through the jungle to find a way out. Not only this, but Mike is also responsible for torturing a Portuguese tribesman to death in search of emeralds. Mike's quiet the nice guy isn't he?

What follows are scenes of gratuitous violence accompanied by a sense of sexual depravity and drug induced paranoia. One by one, the crew are dispatched in some god-awful ways. To be honest, the gore sequences in the film aren't harsher than most gore films of its ilk. Where Cannibal Ferox steps foot into depravity (besides the torture and hinted rape) is the set up of actual on-screen animal killings which range from a gutted crocodile and turtle, to the feeding of a bound anteater to a very large python. If this isn't enough, we have a live pig which is gutted in bloody fashion by the cinematic hands of Mike Logan. As stated by Giovanni Lombardo Radice, a stagehand was given the job to actually slaughter the animal. He also states that during this scene, he tries to avenge the poor pig by pressing hard on a ceramic bowl that was to catch the blood - nearly severing the stagehand's wrist.

Cannibal Ferox is labeled one of the nastiest films of all time - and rightly so. An on-screen castration- Hooks through a woman's breasts - Hand severing - Decapitations - The rape and murder of innocent villagers - This film shouldn't be watched by anyone who is offended by such atrocious on-screen events. By this, I mean people who actually, eat, sleep and breathe.

It seems as the Italian cannibal genre grew older, the demonic imagination of filmmakers involved in the genre escalated to monstrous heights. Earlier films like Umbero Lenzi's Eaten Alive! (which uses the same music for Cannibal Ferox) also depicts scenes of animal cruelty and gang rapes, but the film as a whole isn't nearly as brutal as Cannibal Ferox. Jungle Holocaust, an earlier cannibal entry by Rugerro Deodato, is actually more of an adventure film than just a bunch of shock sequences strewn together. Personally, the adventure theme should have been the main attraction to these types of films. The jungle setting makes way for some good action sequences.

Going back to the topic of discussion, Giovanni Lombardo Radice stated to me in an interview that he regretted ever starring in Cannibal Ferox. He says that it has haunted him for twenty-five years. Being remembered as Mike Logan is a huge disappointment for Giovanni. To tell you the truth, I can't blame the guy for feeling this way. But, didn't he read the script beforehand?

To sum it up, Cannibal Ferox is a film that should be viewed at least once just to see that everything you've heard has been true. Very few films live up to their legend status, but this is one of those exceptions. I have no idea how anyone could possibly enjoy the movie. To tell you the truth, I think that anyone who even considers such a film 'fun entertainment' should be checked for mental incapabilities.

*This film boasts at being banned in 31 countries - not only on the movies cover, but also in the Guinness Book of World Records. I think Umberto Lenzi should be banned and maimed - and gutted like the animals in his films. I have no idea what the international rules were/are for the killing of animals for the sake of entertainment, but I'm sure there was hot water to follow. It's hard to imagine such a film being made today. PETA would have a field day.