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Saturday is Horror Day #19 – The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Host (2020)

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The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

Big Bob (Ted Levine) and his wife Ethel (Kathleen Quinlan) have packed up their family for a drive to California to celebrate their anniversary. Their kids include little Bob (Dan Byrd), Brenda (Emilie de Ravin) and Lynn (Vinessa Shaw) and her husband Doug (Aaron Stanford) and their infant daughter Catherine. Stopping at a ramshackle gas station in the middle of nowhere, the creepy owner tells Big Bob of a short cut through the desert that will cut a couple of hours off their trip. He decides to go for it.

The trouble begins when their truck, which is hauling a large RV, runs over a line of spikes that have been deliberately set. The axle is bent beyond any simple repair. To compound their problems, there is no cell reception. Big Bob tells Doug that the two of them will head out, Bob back to the gas station, Doug ahead to the highway. Little do they know that there are people in these hills, and they are far from friendly.

This film is a remake of the 1978 version, which I reviewed previously (SIHD #14). While Wes Craven is credited as a writer, due to the first film, this one has a different director and writers. It’s the same characters, same scenario, but updated, and with an actual explanation of this mutant family in the desert. At the beginning of the movie, we learn about nuclear tests performed in New Mexico, with uncertainty regarding genetic effects. Well, I’m here to tell you, they aren’t pretty.

It’s obviously a more updated film, as is reflected in the language the characters use, and also that they even have cell phones, which certainly wasn’t a thin in 1978. The blood is definitely more realistic, as is the make-up of the cannibals. The acting is better too. Of course, you have Ted Levine leading the way, how can you go wrong? I think the writers have tightened the action and done a good job of bringing the story into more modern times.

Look for the scene in the nuclear test site dummy housing (if you saw the last and worst Indiana Jones movie, there is a similar scene, but far more awful). According to the sign at the entrance to the fake town, this was courtesy of the Department of Energy. If you are interested in the actual atomic testing, I suggest you read Bomb by Steve Sheinkin, and also find books about Robert Oppenheimer and Richard Feynman.
This version was pretty well done. I was very pleasantly surprised, especially considered how bad the sequel was. I have hopes for the modern sequel and will let you know. I give this version a solid 4 Stars.
Host (2020)
 

During the COVID lockdown, six friends hire a medium to hold a séance via Zoom. Jemma (Jemma Moore) decides to prank her friends with a fake story about a boy she knew who allegedly committed suicide. Little does she realize that by disrespecting the spirits, she has unintentionally invited in a random spirit. Whether good or evil remains to be seen.

This is the first film I’ve seen that actually is set during the pandemic. I’m sure there will be more to follow, and books as well. This one is rather realistic looking, as the friends all gather on their laptops on Zoom, with the usual Internet mishaps and foibles. Freezing in place, losing the Internet… all things we’ve seen before and can relate to.

At first, some of the friends take the séance more seriously than others, as is obvious by Jemma’s ill-timed prank. The medium finds herself without Internet so they go on without her guidance. But then strange things begin to happen, and little by little everything falls apart.

The dialogue is realistic, and a portion of it is actually improvised, which also lends to the air of reality.

There is a definite scary vibe to this film as everyone tries to grapple with what is happening. I absolutely love the tagline: Someone new has joined the meeting.  How perfect is that?

This film is a Shudder original, and I think it was well done. I have a subscription to Shudder. If you enjoy horror films, I recommend them. They have classic horror films as well as newer ones, and some you’ve probably never even heard. I give Host a solid 4 stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #17 – Sinister

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 Sinister

Fame can be fleeting, as true crime writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawk) discovers. His last books have not achieved the success he’d hoped for, nowhere near the fame and fortune that Kentucky Blood brought. 

 

 

 

In order to work on a new book, Ellison uproots his wife and two children again, much to their disgruntlement. He insists that he needs to do this for the book, but they are less than understanding. In fact, they are prone to make fun of his failures, and warn him he better succeed this time. What Ellison hasn’t told even his wife, when she was concerned that they were living near a crime scene, is that they are living in the crime scene. Four members of a family were hanged in the back yard, and their daughter went missing. She’s still missing, in fact.

 

Ellison is determined to succeed, no matter what. When he discovers a box of old home movies up in the attic, he thinks he might be on to something. The local sheriff had warned him when they moved in that they should leave, but he hasn’t listened. One of the deputies(James Ransone) is a fan of Ellison’s and offers his assistance with the case. All he wants in return is to be remembered in the acknowledgements as having been of assistance. Ellison decides he can live with that.

The more he studies the movies, the more strange things are happening. His son begins having night

terrors again. His daughter is drawing strange pictures. When his wife Tracy (Juliet Rylance) learns about the house being the crime scene, she is lived and wants to leave, but Ellison refuses.

Ellison encounters a scorpion and then a snake in the attic. And although the children are strictly forbidden from going into their father’s office or to look at anything related to his work, someone keeps going in there and putting on the home movies. When Ellison discovers a common element to the murders, he begins to think they may be connect, and that something truly sinister is at work here.

 

At first, I wasn’t sure there was anything out of the ordinary about this film, but I grew to like it more the more I watched. There is a definite creepiness factor here. I kept wondering if Ellison would end up murdering his own family, sort of like Ronny DeFeo in The Amityville Horror. Luckily that didn’t happen. But what did happen was creepier.

I disliked his wife and kids for their lack of support or understanding of his work. Especially the wife, since she’s a grownup. Like she thought she could control what he wrote or something. Suggesting he forget true crime and go back to fiction. She was obviously disgusted with the whole idea of murder. Okay, maybe it wasn’t her thing, doesn’t mean she shouldn’t try to tell him what to write.

That being said, that’s nothing against the film, just the character. There is solid production value here, good acting, and decent writing. You might recognize the sheriff from Law and Order as Arthur Branch. Also, look for Vince D’Onofrio in an uncredited role.

The ending doesn’t exactly explain everything, at least in any way that makes sense. But hopefully, the next film will. I give this film a pretty solid 3.5 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #16 – The Hills Have Eyes 2 (1984)

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 

The Hills Have Eyes 2 (1984)

While headed to a race, a group of bikers make the unfortunate decision to go off the beaten path in order to save time and get to the race before it starts. However, they soon find themselves being stalked by some of the locals, who just happen to be a family of survivalist inbred cannibals

Can this end well for anyone?

 

You know the saying, stupid is as stupid does. That pretty well sums up this film. Stupid people doing stupid things. Another saying goes You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. That applies here as well. The decision to take a short cut despite posted signs that warn travelers not to leave the paved road was a terrible one. Especially since they are familiar with the story of the family who came to an untimely end there and they actually know of the survivors. Not to mention that one of the people with them is actually a member of that family! She should have known better, right?

 

On top of an unbelievable plot, add poor acting and a terrible script. While Papa Jupiter died in the first film, apparently his brother, The Reaper, has come to take his place. He doesn’t speak, just grunts a lot, unlike his nephew, Pluto, whom I don’t remember speaking very much in the first film. The plot is contrived at best, and unbelievable. Hard to believe Wes Craven is responsible for this garbage.

I don’t recommend watching it, seriously. I gave the first film 3 stars. I’ll give this one a shaky 2 stars, maybe even 1.5. These people deserved to die for being so stupid. But not the dog. I hope the remake of this franchise is better. I’m going to give it a go.

Saturday is Horror Day #15 – Night of the Living Dead (1968), Brahms: The Boy 2

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Barbra and her brother Johnny make a yearly pilgrimage to their father’s grave on behalf of their mother, in order to place flowers on his grave, despite the fact that it’s a six hour round trip. And they only stay for a few minutes, while placing the flowers.

 

 

Johnny is a playful brother and likes to tease his sister by scaring her, telling her that people are coming to

get her. He points at a lone man who is slowly making his way through the cemetery, and tells her “They’re coming to get you, Barbra!” Laughing, he turns away, but his laughter ends abruptly when Barbra is attacked by the man. Johnny goes to her rescue, only to be thrown violently down, hitting his head on a tombstone.

Barbra runs for her life but can’t get far in the car, because Johnny has the keys. She coasts as far as she can then runs to the nearest home. She enters the farmhouse and looks around but there is no sign of life. Heading upstairs, she makes a gruesome discover – a grisly corpse, looking much the worse for wear. Terrified, she runs, only to see headlights and then a man comes rushing in. His name is Ben and he needs gas and stopped there, seeing the gas pump behind the house. Unfortunately, Barbra has no idea where the key is. And the number of people outside only seems to be growing, as they work at getting inside, trying to kill Barbra and Ben.

 

It turns out that there are people hiding in the cellar. Mr. Cooper and his wife and ill daughter, and Tom and his girlfriend Judy. Cooper doesn’t see the point in leaving the cellar, but Ben says they’ll be sitting ducks there. As night falls, things go from bad to worse…

Director George Romero’s film started a trend in horror films that continues to this very day, namely the zombie film. Although over forty years old, this film withstands the test of time. It was a very low budget film, and the zombies were played by friends and relatives. I’m willing to bet you won’t soon forget the final ironic scene. Worth revisiting, for sure. I give it a solid 4 stars.

Brahms: The Boy 2

After a horrific home invasion, Liza (Katie Holmes) and Sean (Owain Yeoman) decide to make a fresh start somewhere else, so they move into the remote English countryside, along with their son Jude (Christopher Convery). Ever since the incident, Jude hasn’t spoken, communicating only with the use of his writing pad, and his parents are naturally concerned.

 

 

Delighted with their new home, they decide to explore the area around it. Jude spies a hand sticking up from the dirt. He unearths it to discover a most unusual doll. He takes it home and they clean it up. Jude seems to like the doll, which bodes well for his recovery, right? When asked his name, Jude writes that it is Brahms… and that the doll told him this. Of course his parents chalked that up to their son having a great imagination.

Or does he?

 

Jude seems to be growing more and more defiant after presenting his family with the rules according to Brahms. Of course no one in their right minds would go along with such rules. Not to mention it’s only a doll, right? But Liza becomes very concerned when she finds pictures Jude has drawn, showing him standing over the dead bodies of his parents, holding a shot gun. She confides her concerns to Jude’s therapist, with whom he remains in contact via Facetime

Jude tries to tell them that Brahms will hurt them if they don’t follow the rules. Accidents happen, but are they really accidents? Is Jude acting up in Brahms’ name… or is there something more sinister going on?

Liza is determined to get to the bottom of things. They live near a manor house known as Heelshire,

abandoned and desolate. Liza follows Jude there and discovers a small entrance that leads behind the walls. Later, the caretaker/man in the woods tells her about the previous family, whose son killed a young girl and then lived for thirty years behind those walls. What was the boy’s name, she asks. 

Brahms.

Liza knows she has to do something or she’ll lose her son – and maybe her whole family – forever.

This is the sequel to The Boy, which I recently reviewed. And what made the first film interesting has been completely changed, but into what?  ****SPOILERS FOR THE BOY ahead*** In the first film, the doll turned out to be just a doll, and Brahms was actually alive and living in the walls. Much creepier than believing in a strange doll entity, right? But in the second film, there is no such explanation, and it’s all on the doll.

How does that even work? I don’t know, but stretches credulity. The film itself isn’t badly made or directed, despite the thin plot. However, Katie Holmes doesn’t give a particularly strong performance. Christopher Convery as Jude is sufficiently creepy, and so is the caretaker, played by Ralph Ineson, whom I never could decide if he was safe or sound or batshit crazy.

At the end of the film, Liza discovers that this doll goes back a long time, which seems to negate the premise of the first film.  Although the two films share the same director, I think someone else wrote the second, which explains much. I’m not sure what sort of vibe they were going for, but if it was supposed to be scary, it failed. 

Okay, I just read something about the ending explained. Let’s just say, it missed the mark, at least for me. I hope they’re done with this franchise. There are better films to watch. I’ll give this 2.5 stars, and shaky ones at that.

Saturday is Horror Day #14 – The Boy, The Hills Have Eyes (1977) (x-posted at Full Moon Dreaming)

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Boy

In order to escape from a bad situation at home, Greta, an American nanny (Lauren Cohan) takes a job in a large house in a remote village in the English countryside. Upon arrival, she meets Malcolm (Rupert Evans), who works as the handyman for the elderly couple who have hired her. Although she is not open to any sort of relationship, he assures her that he won’t press, and she relaxes into a friendship with the likeable Malcolm.

 

The couple who hired her are the Heelshires, and when they introduce her to their son Brahms, Greta is

shocked to discover that their “son” is a doll. An actual, doll. Although she is creeped out by this, she remains polite as the mother and father treat the doll as though he were real. They are going on their first vacation in many years and can’t wait to get away, leaving her with a list of rules that must be followed.

From the beginning, Greta finds the house to be spooky, and not only does she hear things behind the walls, but the doll seems to shift locations on its own. Some of her things disappear too, and once she finds herself trapped in the attic.

 

Some of the rules are even creepy, such as reading to Brahms in a loud voice. Also, he loves to listen to his music loud as well. The couple don’t throw leftovers away but freeze them instead. But when Greta contacts her sister who sent her there, her sister tells her she’s imagining things and to tough it out. Meanwhile, she finds herself being drawn more and more to Malcolm.

And then Greta finally discovers the truth. Now what’s she supposed to do?

At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of this film. I mean the idea that this old couple would treat a doll like a flesh and blood child, and then pay for a nanny just so they could go on vacation, seems absurd and maybe a little idiotic. But keep watching, and things fall into place. There are even well-placed subtle clues if you know where to look.

There is a certain creepy factor to this story which only adds to the atmosphere. What could have been something trite and stupid is actually rather unique, and it stands out from other horror films in not being the same old same old. This was definitely worth watching, and I give it a solid 3.5 stars.

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

While en route to California, a family vacation is sidetracked when the father decides to search for a rumored silver mine. Misfortune follows when their car runs off the road, stranding them in the middle of nowhere. The problem is they are far from anywhere, but they are far from alone.

 

 

There are people in the hills, uncivilized backwoodsmen who have an appetite for meat… of any kind. The situation quickly becomes a survival of the fittest, as the family fight for their lives against people who have no problem with killing everyone they see.

 

 

This film is an early Wes Craven, after his debut with The Last House on the Left. Like that, this film has scenes of harsh violence and there is a definite creepiness factor with this family of savages in the desert. It’s an interesting watch, especially for the 70’s, as the stranded family struggles to survive when there seems no help of rescue. Look for Dee Wallace as the mother with the young baby in this (you might remember her as the mother in ET).  I plan to watch the sequel, and then the updated versions, done in 2006. I do recommend watching this, and I give it a solid 3 stars.

 

Saturday is Horror Day #13 – Stonehearst Asylum, Mary (2019) – (x-posted at Full Moon Horror)

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Stonehearst Asylum

 

Edward Newgate (Jim Sturgess) is a new doctor who has gone to Stonehearst Asylum to obtain practical experience in order to complete his education. The asylum is run by Silas Lamb (Ben Kingsley), who has what Newgate finds to be an unusual method of treating his patients. He makes no effort to cure them, claiming that they are happier as they are. And he allows them the freedom of the asylum. Lamb’s assistant, Mickey Finn (David Thewlis) is rude and crude, with a twisted sense of humor. Newgate finds himself drawn to one of the inmates, Eliza Graves (Kate Beckinsale). She is beautiful and enigmatic, and he longs to learn more about her.

 

Wondering about Lamb’s methods and philosophy, Newgate explores the asylum and discovers more than he bargained for in the form of cells containing inmates who are locked up for some reason, including a man named Benjamin Salt (Michael Caine). They question who he is even as he questions them as to why they are there. But can he believe what they tell him? Can Salt be the real superintendent of the asylum?

 

Are the inmates really running the asylum?

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this film, based on a story by Edgar Alan Poe (which one, I have yet to discover). I figured out the twist right away, but after that, all bets were off. If you’ve ever seen the film Asylum, you might know what I’m referring to. Otherwise, I won’t give that away, although it’s fairly obvious early on.

 

The settings are well done and very turn of the century, as 1899 is about to become 1900, which event

must of course be celebrated. I think it was well written, and has quite the cast. David Thewlis is quite the chameleon. He can play the sweet, mild-mannered Remus Lupin, or this maniacal madman who doesn’t ever seem quite right. Kate Beckinsale is a tragic figure as Eliza Graves, who supposedly bit off her husband’s ear, which is why she has been placed in the asylum. A fact that Mickey Finn doesn’t hesitate to bring up. Look for a funny moment when Newgate finds humor in Finn’s name.
 
While this film may not be filled with jump scares or the traditional trappings of horror, it has its own horror and creepiness factor, which leaves you wondering until the end what is going to happen. Guess if you like, but I bet you won’t see it coming. I give this a solid 4 stars.

 

Mary (2019)

David (Gary Oldman) and Sarah’s (Emily Mortimer) marriage is foundering on the rocks, after Sarah’s infidelity, but they are working at staying together, for themselves and for their two daughters. When David runs across a less than perfect ship for sale, he envisions their future as the owners of this vessel, which they will use for charter tours and which will provide for their future. Sarah wants to say no, but she’s not really in a position to go against David’s wishes, so she bites her tongue and agrees to the purchase, although it will take everything they have and then some.

They decide to take the family on a trial run/vacation, and head up toward Bermuda, along with the crew, which consists of David’s friend Mike (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and a young man named Tommy (Owen Teague). Tommy and the older daughter Lindsey (Stefanie Scott) hit it off right away, and it seems to be smooth sailing…

until it isn’t.

Sarah thinks she is seeing and hearing things, and Tommy thinks the masthead, which comes from the original vessel, speaks to him. Younger daughter Mary (Chloe Perrin), who is artistically inclined, is drawing strange figures, for no apparent reason. The further out to sea the ship goes, the worse it gets. Sarah is beginning to think there is an evil entity on this ship, and it’s after her family!

 

This wasn’t a bad film, but it wasn’t a great film either. Not really scary, maybe a couple of jump scares. My biggest problem is that the story behind what’s going on doesn’t really make sense to me or explain anything. The acting and directing aren’t bad (look for Gary Oldman’s manager in a small role at the beginning). But the story is definitely lacking, and if you can’t become invested in the story, what do you have? A movie that tries too hard and achieves too little.

 

If you’re a fan of Oldman, you might enjoy it. Or if you like creepy spirits on a ship in the middle of the ocean. I’ll give it a shaky 3 stars and say everyone meant well, but it just didn’t work well enough.

Saturday is Horror Day #12 – The Dentist 2 (x-posted at Full Moon Dreaming)

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The Dentist 2

Dr. Alan Feinstone (Corbin Bernsen), the murderous dentist committed to a mental hospital after committing a number of murders (not to mention tearing out his wife’s tongue) has escaped, thanks to an inattentive psychiatrist. Deciding he’s done with dentistry, and all that other stuff, Dr. Feinstone becomes Dr. Caine, and settles into the peaceful small town of Paradise, Missouri. But Fate is not done with our good doctor, not yet….

Upon his arrival, Dr. Caine goes to his bank to retrieve his false IDs (obviously he’s thought ahead and

planned for this eventuality). He ends up renting a cottage behind the home of his very attractive landlady, Jamie (Jilliam McWhirter). Unfortunately, the doctor’s cap falls off his tooth and he is forced to go to the only dentist in town. This dentist is sadly lacking in basic hygiene, to Dr. Caine’s dismay, and he has to lecture him on such simple matters as using gloves and sterilizing his instruments. To make matters worse, Dr. Caine has barely left the man’s office when the cap falls off! He can’t let that stand, and he doesn’t.

Now that the only dentist in town is dead, Dr. Caine finds himself pressured to pick up the late dentist’s practice, which he is reluctant to do. His romance with Jamie is going well, until he spies her in town with another man, and she seems far too familiar with this man to his taste. All the old feelings come rushing back.

As if this isn’t bad enough, there is a private investigator who has been hired by the doctor’s ex-wife to find him. She wants payback for what he did to her and her lover. It’s only a matter of time until the PI catches up to him. Meanwhile, a woman at the bank is suspicious of the new dentist and starts checking on him.

I actually think I liked the sequel to The Dentist better than the original. Maybe I’m just used to his particular brand of crazy. Or maybe it’s just fun to see what he’s going to do next.  He is at war with his own nature, wanting to do good but unable to control that little devil inside of him who enjoys inflicting pain. It doesn’t help that he moves from LA to smalltown Missouri, and he doesn’t really understand the people who live there. (There actually is a Paradise, Missouri, by the way, across the state and close to Kansas City).

There’s something I’ll never understand about people in horror films, the ones who figure out someone isn’t who they claim to be. And the ones who figure out who they actually are (eg crazed dentist/killer). Why in the world would you let that person know you know who they are? That indicates some kind of a death wish, in my book. Personally, I’d just smile, never let them know I know, and get the hell away from them to alert the authorities. But of course that doesn’t happen, does it? Look for Clint Howard in a small role in this film.

All in all, not a bad watch. I’ll give it a solid 3.5 stars. Wonder if there will be a Dentist 3? Guess we’ll have to wait and find out.

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 #10 – The Flesh and the Fiends, The Thompsons

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Flesh and the Fiends


In 1828 Scotland, medical research and anatomy studies depend on having cadavers to study. Dr. Robert Knox (Peter Cushing), an eminent surgeon, purchases bodies from a pair of ne’er-do-wells, Burke (George Rose) and Hare (Donald Pleasance), who are not above robbing a grave in order to supply the good doctor.

 

 

Before long, the lazy pair discover that they can get corpses without the trouble of digging them up and get more money for the fresher bodies, namely by killing people on the streets in the middle of the night! Dr. Knox remains oblivious to what they are doing, and never questions their methods,  although his assistants do. When Dr. Knox’s niece Martha (June Laverick) comes to stay after an absence of three years, she catches the eye of Dr. Mitchell (Dermot Walsh), while student Chris Jackson (John Cairney) becomes enamored of a young woman, Mary Patterson (Billie Whitelaw), who is known to frequent pubs and likes to have a good time.

 

Burke and Hare come under suspicion as people begin to turn up missing. How long can Dr. Knox turn a blind eye to their shenanigans?


I am a long-time Peter Cushing fan and was thrilled to find this film I wasn’t familiar with, on Shudder. It has the feel of a Hammer film, although it isn’t one. Peter Cushing is great, as always, and I enjoyed watching Donald Pleasance play the creepily sinister William Hare. The film is based on the true story of Burke and Hare, and can also be seen in The Body Snatcher, with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The Flesh and the Fiends is a little known, underappreciated gem among horror movies. It has a definite dark and creepy atmosphere, and is well worth viewing, especially for the performances of Cushing, Pleasance, and Rose. I’ll give it a solid 4 stars.

The Thompsons


The Hamiltons, now going by the Thompsons, have had to move on, their dark family secret having been uncovered. Knowing little of their late parents’ past, their only clue is the name of a village in England, and the name Manderson. So it’s off to Europe for the Thompsons!

 

 

Unfortunately, they run afoul of a couple of robbers, and Lenny is hurt. Now it’s imperative that they find him help as soon as possible. Francis finds the small village in question, and the pub where he may find Manderson. But again, things go awry, and he gets more than he bargained for. Turns out the Mandersons are kinfolk, and that’s not all they have in common.

 

The second movie begins where the first one ends, picking up in the middle of events as we find Francis trapped in a box, and of course he has to explain what led to this. Cue flashbacks. The entire movie concerns finding these relatives, who are even more sadistic and bloodthirsty than their American cousins, and who have their own plans for them. In particularly, for Darlene, as she seems to be the last hope for the continuation of their bloodline.

Frankly, the plot is thin at best, with not much more than the Thompsons vs the Mandersons. Mainly an excuse for fighting and bloodletting…. and more fighting and bloodletting. That wears thin quickly. The writers seem intent on showing the Thompsons in a more favorable light than in the first film, as if they are trying to make them out to be human. They’re not vampires, they have a disease, one that requires them to have a diet of blood. 

 

Honestly, there just isn’t a lot of meat to this one, and I found myself getting bored. Certainly not scary. The first movie wasn’t great, this one is barely decent. And I’m being kind here. I’ll just give it a soft 2 stars and suggest you find something else to watch. Like The Flesh and the Fiends.

Saturday is Horror Day – Suspiria (1977), Train to Busan

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 Suspiria (1977)

On a dark and stormy night, American Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) arrives at the prestigious German ballet school where she has been accepted as a student only to be told by a voice over the  intercom to go away. Just as she arrives, she sees another young woman rush out of the building, who mutters some strange words before disappearing into the night. Suzy Bannion returns the next day to a much better reception.

 

From the beginning, Suzy shows herself to be strong-minded, a trait not necessarily desirable at the

school, which seems to be oddly controlling. Since a room is not immediately available for her, Suzy makes arrangements to sleep elsewhere and is settled in before going to her first rehearsal. There she falls perilously ill. Despite her protestations, the autocratic dance mistress pushes her until she collapses. The proprietress of the school, Madame Blanc (Joan Bennett) is very solicitous and Suzy is cared for the school’s Professor Milius (Rudolf Schundler) who puts her on bedrest and a bland diet, although he prescribes wine to build up her blood. While she is asleep, someone has gone to her lodgings and brought her things back although Suzy was very clear that she did not want that!

Strange things are happening at the school, including an infestation of grotesque maggots on the floor just below the attic, which necessitates the girls on that floor sleep downstairs in a makeshift dormitory arrangement. Suzy befriends another girl, Sara (Stefania Casini), who tells her a story about a strange snoring noise. Sara wonders where the teachers go at night, since they all leave at 8:30, and what do they do?

 

The blind piano player for the school is cruelly dismissed by the dance mistress, and ends up meeting a horrible death. Suzy and Sara are determined to get to the bottom of whatever is going on at this school But at what price?

This movie was recommended to me, I forget by which site, as a  horror gem, but for the life of me I am not sure why it has garnered such great reviews. The sets are uniquely strange, and the cinematography isn’t bad, sometimes rather effective. Ditto for the background music, with performances by a group called Goblin. The plot is more shocking than scary, and that has to be some of the worst movie blood I’ve ever seen. Straight up looked like red paint.

 

And the acting… oh, the acting…. Sorry, but it was horrible. I think I could do better, and I don’t act. Joan Bennett you may remember from Dark Shadows. I also remember her from an old version of The Man in the Iron Mask. But her delivery has always been rather stiff and stilted, and nothing has changed there. Apparently, this was her last film. The lead, Jessica Harper,  turned down in a part in Annie Hall to do this film. I wonder how she felt about that later.

I read that the actors spoke different languages while shooting and all was dubbed into English later, which accounts for the bad sound of the dialogue. The ending doesn’t provide a satisfactory explanation of what just happened. I leave it to you whether to even bother watching. I’ll just give it a shaky 3 stars out of 5, and hope that the 2018 remake is better.

Train to Busan

Su-an Kim is a young girl who lives with her father, as her parents are currently separated. Her mother lives in Busan, and Su-an misses her greatly. But her father is a busy man, and he doesn’t have time to take her to visit her mother. Seems like he doesn’t have time for a lot of things. Su-an secretly telephones her mother and says she wants to see her the next day, and swears she can take the train alone. Her father overhears, and tries to placate her by giving her her birthday present early. Turns out Dad wasn’t paying attention, and Su-an already has a Wii. So he finds himself agreeing to take his daughter to Busan to visit her mother.

As the train prepares to leave, a young lady manages to climb aboard, but she seems to be in a bad way. And as the train pulls out of the station, something very odd seems to be happening.

 

What began as a simple train ride becomes a fight for survival, as people become rabid zombies right before everyone’s eyes. And this strange phenomenon is happening everywhere. Why and how did this start? And how can anyone survive/ Is there any place that is safe?

 

This was a very unusual zombie film, and I loved it. More than a simple horror film, it is about people and about survival, about working together for the common good. But the situation also brings out the selfish and the brutal in people, who can only see as far as their own needs. Everything in this Korean film is excellent, from direction to acting to story to cinematography. I am looking forward to seeing the sequel.

Word of advice – keep some Kleenex handy for this one, you’ll need it. I give this film a very strong 5 star rating.