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Saturday is Horror Day #214 – The Creeping Flesh

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Creeping Flesh

Emmanuel Hildern (Peter Cushing) returns from the jungles of New Guinea with a marvelous find in the form of a huge skeleton, one he believes will serve to bolster his theory that evil is a disease that can be cured. His daughter Penelope (Lorna Heilbron) is overjoyed at her father’s return, and hopes to spend time with him, but he is quickly lost to his studies once more. On his arrival, he finds a letter from his brother James (Christopher Lee) who runs a mental asylum. James regrets to inform his brother that while he was gone, his wife passed away. And he has said nothing to Penelope, of course. The truth of the matter is that Penelope believes he mother died years ago and her father is not about to let her know the truth.

But he doesn’t realize how obsessed with the idea of her mother Penelope is, especially because she has

been forbidden from entering the locked room that was once her mother’s. But where there is a will, there is a way, and Penelope gains entrance.

In the meantime, Emmanuel has made an accidental discovery that he cannot quite explain – if the skeleton becomes wet, flesh begins to grow on the bone! Interestingly, his brother James is involved in his own dark experiments. And the two experiments are about to overlap!

While this film has the look and feel of a Hammer film, including Hammer’s two biggest stars – Cushing and Lee – it is not. There are also supporting actors Duncan Lamont, Michael Ripper, make-up artist Roy Ashton, and cinematographer turned director Freddie Francis.

Cushing plays the absentminded scientist well. He means well in protecting his daughter, but she finds out anyway, unprepared for the reality of her mother’s mental instability. We see flashbacks of her descent into madness, and we are led to believe that this was inherited by her daughter. I think the daughter’s own descent was a bit rapid, but considering the film is only an hour and a half long, understandable.

Sure, one has to suspend a certain amount of disbelief, such as water growing flesh on a skeleton, and the skeleton coming to “life” and wreaking havoc. But it’s a fun watch with a twist ending I didn’t see coming. If you are fans of Cushing and Lee, as I am, I recommend giving this a watch. I’ll give this film 3.75 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #210 – Glorious

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Glorious

After a painful break-up, Wes (Ryan Kwanten) hits the road as well as the bottle. Finding a remote rest area, Wes tries to get the only candy bar from an antiquated vending machine but is thwarted. A strange woman observes him and helps him retrieve the errant candy, offering him some strange advice – to clear out his back seat so he can sleep horizontally. The intoxicated Wes heeds her advice and gathers all the stuff by a fire pit, where he burns it. Satisfied, he heads into the rest area and promptly gets sick in one of two stalls.

Thinking he is alone, as there were no other cars in the lot, Wes is startled to hear a voice (J.K. Simmons)

coming from the other stall. Wes isn’t exactly in the mood for conversation, but the voice is persistent and even sympathetic.  All Wes wants to do is get his girl back, not trade life stories with a strange in a men’s room. Thinking there is something off about this strange man in the stall, Wes tries to leave but finds himself locked in.  The voice introduces himself as Ghat, and he has something important to tell Wes. He says Wes being there is no accident, and they have important business that needs to be taken care of together. In fact, the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

This film is most definitely unusual and very Lovecraftian in nature and does take place entirely inside a bathroom. And yet it manages to keep you guessing about what is really going on, who or what is Ghat, and how is Wes going to get out of this place intact? Is that even possible? And what’s going on with that glory hole? You might remember Ryan Kwanten from True Blood – he played Sookie’s crazy brother Jason Stackhouse. And everyone knows and loves J.K. Simmons.  Even though we never see him, just hearing his recognizable voice is enough to picture him.  Wes has to deal with his own demons, both literally and figuratively, and the outcome is never certain until the very end. It’s a short film but I think it’s definitely worth watching. I’ll rate this film between 3.5 and 4 Stars, mostly because of J.K.Simmons.

Saturday is Horror Day #208 – Berberian Sound Studio

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Berberian Sound Studio


Gilderoy (Toby Jones) is a British sound engineer hired to work on an Italian film he believes to be about horses, The Equestrian Vortex. But that illusion is quickly dispelled when he finds himself actually working on a horror film involving witches, priests, and torture. Not that either the producer, Francesco (Cosimo Fusco) or the director Santini (Antonio Mancino) will admit to that. In fact, Santini pompously proclaims it is not a horror film, it is a Santini film!

Things begin to go wrong from the outset. Gilderoy tries to be reimbursed for certain expenses he incurred on his way there, but is given the runaround. The room he was promised turns out to be a cubby hole within the studio. Uncomfortable with the film to begin with, Gilderoy’s only connection to reality are the letters from home he receives from his mother. But before long, the line between reality and film begin to become hopelessly blurred.

 

This film is probably not for everyone, but I found it very interesting, especially with the peek behind the scenes into the sound end of movie making. We never see the film that is being made, but we get a pretty good picture from what we hear. The various actors come to the studio to record their lines, and some to record unusual sounds that the characters make, such as a demon. I was fascinated to see what sorts of things were used to produce the sounds that correspond to what we see on the screen.  For example, someone being drowned was made by swishing clothing around in a tub of water. Gilderoy stabbs heads of cabbage to imitate a stabbing in the film. 

 

I’ll admit that while the concept is unique, the delivery is somewhat flawed and at times confusing. Gilderoy undergoes a transformation from the timid little man he was at the beginning of the film, but it isn’t really clear why he changes as he does, or why this horror film that everyone says isn’t a horror film affects him so. The ending itself it ambiguous and I had to look up an explanation. Still, I found it a very interesting film and I think it won’t disappoint. I’ll give this film 3.75 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #190 – Unhinged

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Unhinged

Rachel (Caren Pistorius) thinks she has problems, between her ex-husband, being behind on bills, and then losing her job. But she’s about to learn things can get a whole lot worse… and they do. While attempting to get her son Kyle (Gabriel Bateman) to school on time, because she overslept, she gets behind a truck with a driver who sits through one green arrow. She honks at him then angrily passes him. But she’s picked the wrong man to upset, as this man (Russell Crowe) has just killed two people and isn’t in the best of humor himself. He catches up with her and calmly requests an apology. She refuses, and now the game is on.

Russell Crowe gives new meaning to the term road rage. Of course, Rachel doesn’t know this when she

confronts him, but she quickly discovers just how unhinged he is. What makes this movie scary, in my opinion, is that I can see this happening. Road rage is real and becoming more and more common, unfortunately. Crowe’s character escalates it to a degree that is terrifying, and the people in Rachel’s life suffer for her actions. This sort of things could happen to anyone. My advice is to keep calm, no matter what, and consider that the person you are honking at might be a potential homicidal maniac if you push the right buttons. I found it amusing that Rachel threw her boss under the bus in order to save herself and her son. Wonder what happened when that came out? Definitely worth a watch. I thought Russell Crowe did a good job as the man, while I had little sympathy for Rachel. She was whiny and made bad choices.  I give this film 3.5 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #187 – Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy, Sharknado

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy

After murdering one family and attempting to kill a second, Jerry Blake (Terry O’Quinn) is sent to an asylum for people with mental health issues. Of course he wants out, who wouldn’t? Luck is on his side when he is assigned to a new psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Danvers (Henry Brown). Despite warnings from a longtime guard, Danvers – just call me Joe – trusts Jerry more than he should… and he pays the price for that trust.

Free once more, Jerry departs the Puget Sound area, relocating in Portland, Oregon. There he steals an identity of a dead man and masquerades as a psychiatrist, still dreaming of having the perfect family of his dreams. There he meets the divorced Carol Grayland (Meg Foster) who lives with her son Todd (Jonathan Brandis). Jerry holds group therapy sessions for the women in the neighborhood, including Carol and her best friend Matty (Caroline Williams), who works delivering mail and has a penchant for being nosy. Matty becomes suspicious when she sees that Carol is moving into a relationship with Jerry far too quickly, arguing that she doesn’t even know him. But love is blind, and Carol and Jerry quickly become engaged. It doesn’t hurt that Jerry has begun a relationship with Todd, who misses his father.

But Jerry is still as jealous as he ever was, and noticed the man who comes to see Carol (she lives across the street from him). Turns out it’s her ex and he wants a second chance. How dare he try to take Jerry’s family. Will history repeat itself?

This is the sequel to the first Stepfather, again featuring Terry O’Quinn, who plays an awesome psychopath. He has the strength of his convictions and will not let anybody get in the way of his endgoal – the perfect family. Even if he has to kill his current fiance/wife and find another. I am not a huge Meg Foster fan but she does okay in this, although I think she could have been a little more convincing. I disliked her nosy friend who got what she deserved by confronting a psycho. She should have thought that through a little bit better. And the ex was no loss either. If you liked the first, you need to watch the second. It’s enjoyable. I’ll give this film 3.5 Stars.

Sharknado

Unexpectedly freaky weather is headed to California in the form of a hurricane (which they never get).  But even worse, there are freak tornados as well, which have drawn up and carried hundreds of sharks, which is making life hell for the citizens of California!

Fin Shepard (Ian Ziering) owns a bar and is divorced from wife April (Tara Reid), who has a new 

boyfriend who lives in the house Fin once did, along with their two kids, Claudia (Aubrey Shea) and Matt (Charles Hittinger). Fin has an employee named Nova (Cassandra Scerbo) that he is close to as well as his Tasmanian friend Baz (Jaason Simmons) and a longtime customer George (John Heard). Fin is disturbed by the looming weather and worries for his family but no one is picking up. So he decides to head there to see if they are safe and ends up with passengers. However, the streets are far from safe, and the city is rapidly being flooded, panicking citizens attempting to flee. The sharks are feasting!

I’ve been curious about Sharknado for a while and finally decided to watch it. I knew it wasn’t going to be great moments in cinematic history, and it wasn’t. I suspected it wouldn’t always make sense, and it didn’t. But it was definitely entertaining if one doesn’t stop to consider logic. I kept wondering how a shark, thrown onto dry land, would continue to attack. Or how a shark would literally leap up after prey. Wouldn’t you think being sucked up into a whirling tornado and carried for a great distance would disorient you?  Just saying.

There is the drama between Fin and his ex. He’s jealous of April’s boytoy boyfriend and she’s jealous of Nova. The kids aren’t speaking to Dad and don’t want to evacuate the house after he arrives to save  him. Lord save us from California! But it’s fun to watch cause you never know what will happen. There is lots of blood and body parts and strangely impossible situations (I am skeptical that you can stop a tornado simply by blowing it up). But on the whole, I don’t feel cheated by the 87 minutes I spent watching this film. I’ll give it 2.5 Stars and I plan to watch more, so fair warning.

Saturday is Horror Day #167 – The Elevator Game, The Toolbox Murders (1978)

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Elevator Game


A young girl disappears after she attempts to play an internet game known as The Elevator Game.  Her brother vows to find her, refusing to give up, even if it appears that the police and his own parents have done just done. A group of high school graduates have an internet series that explores and debunks various urban myths and legends. But the series isn’t doing well, and the sponsor is breathing down their neck. They bring on an intern, Ryan (Gino Anania) but he doesn’t exactly receive a warm welcome, especially from the host of the series, Kris (Alex (Carlos).

The sponsor demands they upload something the next day, so Kevin (Liam Stewart-Kanigan) asks for ideas. Ryan suggests the Elevator Game, since it doesn’t require a budget, and the building where it originally took place is nearby. Kris is skeptical, but there are no better ideas, so off they go.

 

There is a set of rules that must be followed, after which they will supposedly see the “Fifth Floor Woman”. But if the rules are not followed exactly, she will tear you apart. So they enter the building and begin their quest to find this woman, and see the supposed Red World she comes from. But nothing happens, and half their footage is lost through a technicality, so they decide to call it a night. But the night is actually just beginning…

 

I thought this wasn’t a half-bad horror movie, and I thought it was worth watching. Granted, there is no explanation of the Red World, and the Fifth Floor Woman, but perhaps a sequel is in the works that will be more forthcoming. That being said, it’s far from perfect, although the actors did a good job. My biggest complain is that the actor playing Kris was too over the top, and not in a good way. And judging by what I saw of their web series, I would never watch it. But then again, it’s not real. I think you’ll enjoy it, for the most part. I’ll give this film 3 Stars.

The Toolbox Murders (1978)


Terror abounds in an apartment complex when a masked man with a toolbox murders women with his tools.

To put it bluntly, this was one terrible movie, which is why I didn’t even finish it, and it’s only an hour and a half long. Cameron Mitchell plays the apartment manager, who is not happy about the murders and is baffled at how someone is securing entrance. He played brother Buck on the High Chaparral.  Tim Donnelly plays a detective on the case. You might remember him as Chet from Emergency. Pamelyn Ferdin plays a teenage who is abducted, and her brother, played by Wesley Eure is more worried about her than their mother, played by Aneta Corsaut, who played Andy’ girlfriend Helen in the Andy Griffith Show. Pamelyn was a child actress with a number of credits.

That being said, the acting was horrible., for the most part, and the writing atrocious. Directing was bad. I realize this was the 70s and films weren’t quite as graphic as they are not, but even so, this as badly done and had horrible timing. The beginning of the film is just a gorefest. From what I read, the rest was a snooze fest. I happen to like Cameron Mitchell, so I’m sorry he felt he had to do this. If you want to see him in something scary, watch his episode of Night Gallery called Green Fingers, along with Elsa Lanchester.

My advice it to avoid this film entirely.

Saturday is Horror Day #163 – Late Night With the Devil

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Late Night With the Devil

It’s the 70s, and Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) is a late night TV talk show host who is determined to compete against the Tonight Show for ratings. But he never quite succeeds, no matter how hard he tries. He has his own sidekick, Gus (Rhys Auteri), as well as his own band. It’s Halloween, and he has some special guests lined up for the occasion, including a psychic Christou (Fayssal Bazzi), a woman who wrote a book about conversations with the devil, June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon) and the girl who is the subject of her book, Lilly (Ingrid Torelli) as well as skeptic Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss). Christou seems fraudulent at first, fumbling with his “psychic” impressions, until he hits on one that resonates with the host. Mysterious afflicted suddenly, Christou is rushed to the hospital, to everyone’s horror.

Lilly comes off as very bratty and an attention-seeker. Haig has an ongoing offer to anyone who can prove

the existence of the supernatural. When the audience clamors to see June bring out the so-called entity inside of Lilly, the one she calls Mr. Wriggles, she reluctantly agrees. And then things get even darker…

When I saw the trailer for this film, I admit I was intrigued and couldn’t wait to see it, hoping I wasn’t seeing all the best scenes. I was not disappointed. This is rather unique in horror films, and very entertaining. It captures the feel of late night talk shows from the 70s, and David Dastmalchian does a great job as the main protagonist. Everyone does well, including the Ed McMahon-like sidekick, Gus, who tries to warn Jack not to meddle with things, that he is in over his head. It’s well-written and well-acted and directed, and leaves you in suspense as to what is going to happen.  I haven’t touched on everything in the film, because I don’t want to give spoilers. I highly recommend this film and I’ll give it 4.25 Stars

Saturday is Horror Day #11 – Nosferatu (1922) – (x-posted at Full Moon Dreaming)

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 Nosferatu (1922)


A young married man  named Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) is sent on a business trip by his employer Knock (Alexander Granach). The purpose of his trip is to help finalize the sale of a house in England to a distant customer, Count Orlok (Max Schreck) in Transylvania. Although missing his wife Ellen (Great Schroder). Hutter dutifully makes the trip. But the closer to the Count’s home he gets, the more the people become nervous and afraid for him. He can’t even get transportation all the way to his destination, as the driver refuses to go any closer. But as he sets out to walk the remaining distance, a carriage appears, and its strange driver beckons to Hutter to get in.

Hutter finds the castle eerie and the count peculiar. But business is business, and once he is done he can


return to his beloved wife. While going through some papers, Hutter accidentally drops a miniature of his beloved, which the Count picks up. The odd nobleman seems quite taken with Hutter’s pretty missus, to his consternation. Things get even eerier when at night, he spies the Count loading coffin-shaped boxes onto a wagon, all by himself! When Hutter investigates during the day, he discovers the Count lying in a coffin, and realizes he has to get out of there as soon as possible! But he is stricken by a strange illness, and begins to wonder if he will ever make his way home.

Ellen anxiously awaits her husband’s return, in the company of her husband’s friend, Harding, and Harding’s sister Ruth (Ruth Landshoff). In the meantime, the Count has acquired passage for himself and his boxes on a ship bound for England. But strange things begin to happen on this vessel. Sailors grow sick and die, but no one can determine the cause. And when the ship pulls into the port, there is no one left alive.

 

The village begins to be troubled by mysterious deaths for which the citizens find a scapegoat – the increasingly erratic Knock, who has fallen under the Count’s spell, albeit from a distance, and who looks forward to the master’s arrival.

Hutter returns at last, to Ellen’s relief, and she finds the book he was reading while in Transylvania, Nosferatur, which gave him such terrible nightmares. He warns her not to read the book but she can’t help herself, and finds herself drawn to the mysterious Count. According to legend, only a beautiful maiden can break the curse of Nosferatu, by keeping him in thrall until the cock crows, and with her blood. Ellen knows what needs to be done…

This is the German film that started it all, the first cinematic version of Dracula, even before Bela Lugosi enchanted us so so me years later. Director F.W. Murnau has given us a cinematic classic. The reason  it wasn’t called Dracula, even though it’s taken from the novel by Bram Stoker, had to do with problems with the Stoker estate  This film is silent, and being silent, of course everything is told in the actor’s actions, as well as the dialogue cards. To those unused to silent films, the action may come across as melodramatic and over the top. But even almost a hundred years later, Nosfterau has a presence that can’t be denied. The music, the cinematography, the editing, as well as the performances, add up to a classic horror film which stands the test of time. This is my first time viewing it, but won’t be the last. One of the scenes which impressed me was the arrival of the ship, an ordinary event, and yet so not ordinary considering what is about to unleased on an unknowing city. Next time I’ll watch it at night, I’m sure it will add an element of gothic horror.

I recommend this film, and give it a solid 4 stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #4 – Black Christmas (2019), Stoker (x-posted at Full Moon Dreaming)

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Reviewed by: Julie Lynn Hayes

Black Christmas (2019) – Hawthorne College is going on Christmas break, and all the students are 

preparing to leave for the holidays, including the Mu Epsilon sorority. The ladies of the sorority take their sisterhood very seriously, and are especially protective of one of their number, Riley (Imogen Poots). Three years before, Riley was drugged and attacked by a member of a campus fraternity. Despite naming her attacker, nothing was done to him, and Riley’s veracity was questioned, leading her to doubt herself and never put herself forward. Three years have passed since then. The sorority sisters plan a little revenge in the form of a musical number they perform for some of the college students, which accuses the frat of condoning what happened. Needless to say, the boys aren’t happy.

Hawthorne College is not particularly forward in its thinking, and evidence of this can be found in the form of Professor Gelson (Cary Elwes), who teaches the Classics. Just listen to him speak for a few minutes, and you can see that he is the type of chauvinist women have been fighting against for years, with his men first attitude. There is a petition being circulated to have him fired, which the boys are not happy about, and neither is the Prof.

The sorority sisters begin to receive strange text messages, allegedly from the account of the university’s founder, Calvin Hawthorne. Disturbing and strange messages. Then the sisters begin to disappear.

This film is a loose remake (at least I assume it’s intended that way ) of the 1974 Black Christmas, as both take place on a college campus and involve a sorority whose members are being killed. I reviewed the first version earlier, and while it was no great shakes in the horror department, it possessed a certain charm which this version lacks. The first film had some quirky, a bit off-the-wall characters, including the Laughing Policeman, and the weird House Mother. In the new version, there is no House Mother, and the police have much less presence. Although the newer Black Christmas looks better, that is deceptive. The plot is actually worse than the first one *****POSSIBLE SPOILERS***** In the first one, a killer hides in the attic and comes down to kill the girls. In this one, there is a, for lack of a better word, cult among the fraternity brothers, based around the statue of the founding father (please, don’t confuse him with the Founding Fathers), and some sort of magic involving black gunk (still don’t know what that was). Hooded figures with bow and arrows and creepy masks.

At the heart of this story is a basic man vs woman theme, in which the sorority sisters must show they are woman, hear them roar, and defeat the evil gender. If this sounds like a hokey premise for a film, trust me, it is. The only name in the cast is that of Cary Elwes (are you so hard up for money?). As soon as I realized he was in the cast, I assumed he would end up as the bad guy, especially after all the chauvinist nonsense he was spouting. The film isn’t really what I would call scary, it’s largely about Riley redeeming herself for her previous inability to have power over her attacker. It’s about getting even, and women refusing to be less than men. But as a horror film, it leaves something to be desired. I’m going to give this one two stars. My honest advice is to look for something better to watch.

Stoker

Tragedy strikes on India Stoker’s 18th birthday when her beloved father Richard is killed in a freak accident, leaving India (Mia Wasikowska of Alice in Wonderland) and her mother (Nicole Kidman) behind. During the funeral, India spies a strange man, watching from a distance. Later, at the house, he introduces himself to her as her Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode of A Conspiracy of Witches), come home. An uncle she was not aware she even had.

India is a solitary teen, preferring her own company to that of others. She never seems to fit in, which makes it especially  hard now that she has lost the person she felt closest to. The boys at school tend to tease her, making crude sexual innuendos and nicknaming her Stroker. One boy, Whip, is better than the others, and helps her out of a difficult situation.

There is something about India’s handsome uncle that draws her to him, and he is obviously obsessed with her. He follows her constantly, looks out for her, and steps in when she needs his help. They are birds of a feather, and they are drawn together, like magnets. And yet India dislikes him at the same time, no matter how attractive he is. But when she sees her mother flirting with him, India becomes jealous. The question is is she upset that her mother can show interested in someone who isn’t her father, or is she jealous because Charlie is hitting on India’s mother?

What are the boundaries of family love?

Stoker 1Stoker is an interesting psychological study which explores the various relationships among the main characters. India and Charlie, India and her mother, Charlie and her mother, in particular.  ****SPOILERS AHEAD*** It isn’t until the end of the film that we learn where Charlie has been, after the discovery of the letters he wrote to India for years (having never met his niece), which were hidden from her. Letters speaking of his love for her and his plans for their future together. These letters were written from the mental institution where Charlie resided for some twenty years after killing his little brother when he was a child.

 

The attraction between India and Charlie is definitely sexual in nature, and there is a palpable sexual tension there. When India ends up killing Whip, who tried to assault her, Charlie helps her bury the evidence, which is when India learns this is not his first rodeo. Afterward, as India showers, she masturbates to images of Charlie killing Whip.

stoker8

 

The film is well made, and was directed by Chan-wook Park, known for his films The Handmaiden, Thirst and Oldboy. I’ve seen The Handmaiden and Oldboy, and highly recommend them. I will be watching Thirst soon. Stoker was written by Wentworth Miller, whom you might remember as an actor from Prison Break.

Altogether a lovely and dark film about a seriously dysfunctional family. I think I’ll give it 4 stars.