The rest of 2008 Pt. II

201) Trampa Infernal (1990) *: Here’s a fine Mexi slasher that came out just a bit late to the game and has never been translated or put on DeeVeeDee for US horror hounds, but trust me, she is a doosey. The guy’s got slightly modified Freddy Kreuger claws, the Michael Myers white face mask, and he’s woodland bound, pickin’ off teenagers a’la Jason. Cool big box cover art too, though it has been worn quite a bit. If you’re a schlock horror fan you’re seriously limiting yourself if you only stick to English language or even subtitled flicks, and this is a pedestrian enough number with a familiar plot to make for a good starting point.

202) Maniac (1980) **: The notorious and super bleak NYC shot sleaze piece. The brutality teeters on the brink of monotony with this one, but it’s such and uncompromisingly brutal and gritty portrait of a horrible, horrible man that you end up feeling like you just finished some sort of misogynistic marathon by the end of the flick…But in a good way, y’know?

203) Fear No Evil (1981) *: Can’t say I took much away from this one, something about a teenager who happens to have demonic powers being picked on in high school, that sort of thing. Really, all that stuck out was the soundtrack, which consisted mostly of Sire Records punk/new wave hits. It’s a totally by the numbers, forgettable, teen horror flick, but how many of those movies can boast Richard Hell or the Rezillos tracks on the soundtrack?

204) The Killing Kind (1973) ***: Well, I’m a sucker for this type of flick. I’ve used the expression excessively in my reviews, but “low key, 70’s dialogue based horror” is my bread and butter, and this flick fits that description to a T. A young man returns home after doing time for participating in a gang rape (!!!), but prison’s warped his mind a bit, and he starts going after those who put him in the pen in the first place. It’s interesting, because generally in movies when people get released from jail, the audience is usually sympathetic towards their crimes, like it’ll be an 18 year old kid caught stealing a car, something like that. When you play the rape card right out the gate, it really changes the dynamics of the film. And you gotta think, there’re a lot of rapes in this country, so rapists are let out of jail and probably go back to their moms all the time, but you never really see that story get told, y’know? And since this is really a paced, dialogue driven piece, it really takes the time to make you as uncomfortable as possible. It reminded me of the (also excellent) I Dismember Mama, which also focuses on an institutionalized male and his issues with women. Great stuff, but again, this is exactly the kind of flick I go for, so I’m not sure it’s for everyone.

205) Shockwaves (1977) **: Well I’ll be, the Citizen Cane of nazi zombie movies! I’ve only seen all the crappy knock offs, so I was surprised to see there was actually a minimal amount of effort put into sculpting creepy characters and not just sploshing green makeup and swastikas on the director’s friends and having them lumber after some nekkid chick. Yes, there’s actually suspense, a plot, and dare I say ATMOSPHERE at play in this one, and when you throw Peter Cushing in the mix, you might just mistake this with a real, live, actual movie, despite its sensational subject matter. Great watch.

206) Galaxy of Terror (1982) **: Wow, this one really caught me off guard. You look at the cover and you assume this might be some Good Times repackaging/retitling of an old b-movie with swiped cover art, but in reality this is a surprisingly gory/explicit Alien ripoff, complete with sophisticated death scenes and, yes, “the giant maggot scene.” Can’t go into too much detail on here, but refer to the cover and use your imagination as to where that scene’s going. Really weird this hasn’t been given a quality reissue, ‘cause gore/exploitation fans would eat this up for sure.

207) Two Evil Eyes (1990) **: The Romero bit is pretty underwhelming, in keeping with the rest of his output from this period (and it only got worse as time went on), but makes up for it with a great death scene at the end. Argento proves to be the master of his craft, though, and his sophisticated death scenes and trick shots make for a completely compelling main course.

208) Venus Fly Trap (1988) *: Pretty entertaining and corny revamping of House at the Edge of the Park where some street thugs crash the soc’s shindig, which they weasel their way into while sticking up a record store. There’s even a MOBY GRAPE reference during the stickup, which is probably the last thing you’d expect to see. Expect plenty of rape, horrific acting and a short running time on this one. Good stuff, for sure.

209) Night Train To Terror (1985) **: It was weird watching this flick, ‘cause as a kid this was THEE premier video me and my friends would clown on. I think they knew someone who did some special effects work on it or something? I dunno, but watching it now, with a broader knowledge of just how low movies can go, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable flick. It’s your basic horror anthology, with the premise being God and Satan on a train ride arguing over who has a stronger hold on man, and telling various stories to make their point. This actually isn’t too bad a premise, but couple that with some laughable dialogue and delivery, cheesy (but gory) special effects, and an overall schlock factor, and whatever good intentions that may have gone behind the premise just get thrown out the window and actually give the film even more of an inept quality. But don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a total Troma style knee-slapper; the intentions for a straight forward horror/exploitation piece are here, the execution just went a little screwy. But like I said, the effects, though crude, are Savini compared to a lot of stuff out there, and obviously I’ll take claymation over CGI any day. Put it this way: It’s definitely not a BORING movie, and I actually found myself surprised at how entertained I was overall.

210) Bigfoot (1970) *: Obscure schlock monster movie which manages to hit some surprising high notes while keeping firmly grounded as a genre picture. First off, the soundtrack is KILLER countrified SF style pscych, real laid back and heady. Then you got this RIDICULOUS scene where one of the guys dressed as a bigfoot wrestles a “bear” and gets hay and twigs stuck in his nappy, carpet like “fur.” Shoddy interior outdoor sets, tied up babes and biker footage-a-plenty rounds out a nice little slice of Americana. Definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of the genre.  

122) Satan’s Slave (1976) n/a: Can’t say I remember much of this one. Must not have been paying attention. Somewhat droll UK horror, from what I recall.

212) The Alchemist (1984) **: Underrated, somewhat-forgotten American horror with a relatively high production value is always hard to resist, but I think I was particularly smitten with this flick, and I’m not sure why. The film starts with a prologue where a man’s wife gets killed by a sorcerer, who then curses the man with eternal life as a half-demon-half-man creature. Flash forward to the 1950’s (FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER), and an unlikely pair of hitchhikers get stranded in the woods together. They spend some time developing the characters, and I actually like them for reasons beyond my understanding. Anyhoo, they stumble upon the demon-man’s cabin in the woods, and hijinks ensue. The effects towards the climax are actually pretty decent, and like I said, as a whole the film is pretty engaging for what it is. Definitely above par. This film resides in this weird realm, where it’s out of print, and never been on DVD, but it must have been a popular rental title back in the day, because it’s not particularly rare or sought after. I won’t go as far as to say it’s a “lost classic” or anything, but definitely entertaining

213) Scream For Help (1984) *: Fairly standard British suspense/thriller revolving around a step father out to kill his wife for the inheritance, and the daughter who stands in his way. They fucking LOVE stories about someone in the family trying to kill someone else in the family over there, don’t they? It’s about as exciting as this kind of flick can get, I suppose.

214) Black Magic Woman (1991) *: Mark Hammil plays with poor Apallonia’s heart strings, which if she was just Prince’s chick would be one thing, but she’s all into voodoo and shit in this movie, so as you might guess, things don’t turn out well for Luke. Uh, it’s trite shit, but I was able to sit through all of it, so that should count for something.

215) Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe (1974) **: Now that I’ve had some distance from my initial shock of the more infamous Coffin Joe flicks, I’m comfortable saying that not ALL of Marins work is gold. Don’t get me wrong, his best work is still fuckin’ platinum coated, diamond encrusted, total godhead, but a flick like this, that you really have to hunt down if you want to see, really doesn’t live up to his major works. The twisted effects are fairly lite, and Coffin Joe, the figure, is kind of downplayed. I mean, it’s a clever film and all, revolving around Marins helping his friends break a witch’s curse, which climaxes with Marins confronting his alter ego, Coffin Joe, but the execution and everything is just sort of…Lacking. Of course the only version available, to my knowledge, is the really rough print Something Weird Video did in the 90’s, so maybe if this flick had the same care put into its restoration as “The Coffin Joe Trilogy,” it would be easier to take. As it stands, this is just an adequate entry into library of greatness.

216) Legacy of Horror (1978) zilch: Alright, let’s get this straight, this is the Andy Milligan flick, not the corny Blood Legacy movie which sometimes goes by the same title. I didn’t watch this flick for a long time because those titles were so similar, and I kind of wish I kept it that way. Really, REALLY plodding “spend the night in a haunted house to get the inheritance” motif, made particularly mind numbing by the inept Milligan. From time to time I can find this guy’s stuff charming, but this one was just grueling.  

217) Sundown (1990) *: Full moon schlock, redeemed only slightly by a lead role from Bruce Campbell and David Carradine playing Dracula. Painfully bright 90’s “hip” vampire flick which was dated 5 years before it was even made. I did get through it, so it could have been worse, but really, don’t bother.

218) Saturday the 14th (1981) *: I thought I saw this a bunch as a kid, but I guess it was the sequel I saw, as this jogged no memories watching it again. I dunno, it’s “fun” horror/comedy, there’s kind of a glass ceiling for this stuff. It’s okay for what it is, I guess.

219) Innocent Prey (1984) n/a: Not memorable. No literally, I have no recollection of watching this film.

220) Last House on the Left (1972) ****: I’m honestly kind of appalled I haven’t seen this before. Obviously it’s a classic, and I’ve heard about it for years, but I don’t know, me and this flick just never crossed paths. I finally ponied up and ordered a copy off Amazon, just like, “okay, what’s all the fuss about,” and damn. Just damn. Honestly, this is such a huge building block for horror and exploitation, I really can’t believe it took me this long to see it. It’s like listening to hard rock and heavy metal music for years, and then hearing a blues chord-progression and being like “ooooooooh.” Not much I can say about this one, really, other than urge others not to make the same mistake I did and not make this a top priority if you haven’t already seen it.

221) Abby (1974) *: With a tagline like “The Black Exorcist,” this really isn’t much of an exorcist clone at all, and honestly isn’t even that enjoyable, either as a blaxploitation or horror piece. I can say I was definitely bored throughout. It does have that low rent 70’s vibe to it, and the surviving film is way grainy, which gives it a cool ambiance in a way, but I doubt the average person will walk away with much from this one.

222) Las Vegas Serial Killer (1986) *
223) Hollywood Strangler Meets the Skid Row Slasher (1979) ***
224) Body Fever (1969) *: Well, they had this four pack of Ray Dennis Steckler flicks at this record store for like, $15 or something forever. I only knew the guy from Rat Pfink and Boo Boo (which wins the “looks like they had the most fun actually making this movie” award, pretty much for all time), but obviously the appeal of the same guy doing slashers just sounded like inept gold. And really, “Hollywood Strangler…” is the only one that really lived up to my expectations, but oh, how it did. The film manages to be bleak, inept, sleazy, and dare I say it, even artsy (ENTIRELY accidental) all at the same time. The base plot surrounds this guy who gets models to strip nude for him while he takes pictures, and eventually kills them. Simultaneously, there’s a woman in the same neighborhood offing hobos who bother her shop. There’s a certain hopelessness that kicks in when a movie is this formulaic. It’s kind of like the first hour of Maniac, where you’re pretty sure this movie is never going to end, and this guy is just gonna keep killing and raping and killing with no end in sight. This movie catches a similar groove, but in more of a bumbling way than a truly bleak or mean spirited one. Of course the main draw is the near-silent film like quality of the overdubbed dialogue. A bulk of the flick is monologues delivered by The Strangler, and a few lurid comments spit at the model girls. This gives the film a really sparse, minimalist quality that of course was more of an economic necessity than real, artistic choice, I’m sure, but it still, it’s a nice touch and gives the film a really unique quality. Las Vegas Serial Killer attempts a similar greatness, but falls way short, and Body Fever is a detective story that was fun in its cheapness, but failed to leave much of an impact. “Hollywood Strangler Meets the Skid Row Slasher,” though, that’s a great flick, highly recommended.

225) Flesh and Blood Show (1973) *: I’m kind of soft on these UK 70’s teen horror flicks, even though I know they’re mostly crap. This one reminds me a lot of that flick Horror Hospital, in tone and general schmaltzy, fabric-softener quality. Oh, except this ones based around the crap “killer in the theater” premise. Ugh, fucking gag me if I have to see another one of those…

226) The Burning (1981) **: You know, you watch enough bottom-of-the-barrel slasher flicks, you start to think “man, maybe I just don’t enjoy these anymore.” Then a movie like this comes along, that actually has some merit as a film, complete with a newly restored, widescreen print, and it’s like, “oh yeah, now I remember why I liked these movies to begin with.” There are just so many powerful, “edge of your seat” moments, sophisticated death scenes, and a well crafted story that instead of mentally going down your checklist of clichés, you’re just fully engrossed in the film the entire time. Really, there’s nothing “exceptional” about this film, and if this world was worth a god damn, this would be a standard slasher, but because there’s so much crap out there, and because there actually is some talent and hard work put in on behalf of the film makers, this feels like an absolute masterpiece.

227) Tender Flesh (1998) *: Later period Jess Franco flick that you comes as a double feature with Lust for Frankenstein, a movie I actually like, in spite of myself. This one’s pretty decent, too. It’s a variation on The Most Dangerous Game with lots more kinky sex. I don’t know, there’s just something that’s still appealing about newer Jess Franco flicks, I can’t really put my finger on it. They’re crap, decidedly mediocre, but they somehow work; Definitely leagues better than what most modern day independent sexploitation film makers crank out.

228) Rock and Roll Frankenstein (1999) zilch: Shitty camp horror comedy. They even censor their own movie. What’s the point of doing a zero budget, straight to DVD movie like this if you can’t even show a dong getting ripped off by a hook? Stupid.  

229) Slime City (1988) *
230) Naked Fear (1998) zilch: These two flicks are by the same guy and come on a DVD together. Slime City is pretty ill, HEAVY Basketcase vibe, and still has that grimy NYC atmosphere of the 70’s/early 80’s, even though it’s a little late to the game. The plot is irrelevant, as it’s basically just an excuse to pull of some decent “green slime” goopy special effects. It’s low budget, but played straight enough to be enjoyable. Naked Fear is a bit of an attempt at more “serious” subject matter, and has something to do with the agoraphobic guy who can’t leave his house, and it quickly turns to a tepid “thriller.” Not really worth seeing.

231) Addicted To Murder 2 (1998) zilch: Yeah, I hate myself, fuck you.

232) Creep (1995) *: Here’s a mean spirited little number that sticks out in the mid-90’s like a sore thumb. There’s incest, gratuitous strip club scenes, THE BEST ENDING OF ANY MOVIE, EVER, and not one morally “good” character in the entire flick. One of those flicks where everything about it just seems unsavory, without ever having any truly explicit moments. Seems like a total product of meth.

233) Maniac Cop 2 (1990) *: Eh, Lustig’s at the wheel, why not? It’s an okay action flick. The scene towards the end where the maniac cop is on fire, just hugging other guys and setting them on fire is pretty intense. There’s like, five straight minutes where at least one person on screen is on fire. I may not know good cinema, but I know what I like.

234) Werewolves on Wheels (1971) **: Pretty fun bikersploitation drive in stuff. It’s no Psychomania, but there are some good moments.

235) Blaire Witch 2 (2000) zilch: Man, I remember poking my head in the theater when this flick came out, because it was playing between two movies I wanted to see, and I think I opted to walk out and just sit in the empty theater of the next movie I wanted to see before it started. So naturally I wanted to see if this was as bad as I remembered, and I was kind of let down by the level of quality. I mean, it’s a piece of shit, obviously, but it’s more like the 13 Ghosts remake or something than Gigli. So yes, if I’m let down that this movie wasn’t as bad as I wanted it to be, and just rested comfortably at mediocre.

236) Serial Killer Massacre (2000) *: Crap fans rejoice! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a straight to video turd that I’ve actually enjoyed watching (I’m kind of desensitized at this point), but this one’s a standout. It’s basically a twist on the Hollywood Strangler Meets the Skid Row Slasher, where two killers meet up to, uh, kill more, except the acting and dialogue is SO appalling it really needs to be seen to be believed. Like I said, I’m not often moved by these type of flicks these days, so for this to make an impact that’s saying something.

237) They Sleep At Dawn (2000) zilch: Ha, mildly entertaining vampire drug war epic mostly shot (presumably) in the back woods of Jersey with a shitty local black metal soundtrack. I mean, obviously the vibes are ill, but it’s still a piece of shit.

238) Female Mercinaries on Zombie Ilsland (1995) zilch: Crap. Just an excuse to show a bunch of cat fights. Not even any nudity, if I remember correctly.  

239) Don’t Torture A Duckling (1972) ***: Well color me late to the game, but this movie fucking RULES. I’ve always heard good things about this early Fulci outing, and it’s definitely in the upper echelon of his films. The story is your basic investigation into a string of murders of young boys, and like any good giallo, there are plenty of red herrings and death scenes. But something about this one really rises above its peers. In part, you’re always able to keep up with the story, which isn’t always the case with many “bog standard” giallos. Next, you actually CARE about these characters. I for one was particularly moved at the plight of the gypsy woman. It’s definitely what you’d call a “riveting” film. Highly recommended.  

240) Tomb of the Blind Dead (1971) **: Now THIS is what Euro horror is all about! A straight forward tone, sophisticated death scenes, an actually interesting plot…Yeah, this is the kind of flick I need to see after watching too many incoherent Euro skin flicks in fast forward. Great stuff, and well worth the accolades it receives.  

24`) Don’t Go In The Woods (1981) *: I kind of felt like I should be enjoying this one more than I did. It’s not a bad movie, in fact, it’s a really great low budget woodland (duh) slasher a’la Friday the 13th, but I dunno, it just wasn’t doing it for me. The locations were great, the “feel” of the film was authentic, the death scenes were decent…I mean, why I LOVED The Burning and spaced out during this one I can’t really say, but who knows, maybe I’ll revisit it somewhere down the line and it’ll make more sense. As it is I felt it was just painfully average.

242) Virgin Among The Living Dead (1973) zilch: Man, and the winner of best title/worst actual movie goes to…Death Head Virgin, but this one’s right behind it. Don’t let the “living dead” fool you, this is more of a “greedy family clutching for the family fortune” flick than, uh, one you would want to watch. My boy Franco directed this one, and it’s a prime year for the guy, but I dunno, you’d never guess it from watching this one. Dullsville.

243) Blood Sabbath (1972) *: I found myself enjoying this one more than I probably should have. It’s kind of a fantasy/horror/lite skin flick revolving around a Vietnam vet wandering through the forest when he’s intercepted by some naked witches. I really have no fucking idea why, or what really happens afterwards, but there’s a lot of naked ladies jumping around in circles, and mock ritual type stuff. Harmless, but kind of fun.

244) Dead Pit (1989) *: Harmless enough “evil mental institution” type flick. I can’t really think of any GREAT versions of that motif, and this is no exception.
 
255) La Bimba Di Satana (1982) n/a: Eh, this one did nothing for me. Granted I was watching a grainy non-subbed bootleg, so it might not be fair to judge this one, but I dunno, I just don’t think I was in the mood for a generic Euro-sleazer at the time. I must have fast forwarded through most of it, ‘cause I don’t even remember the basic plot.

256) Guts of a Virgin 3 (1987) *: Sleazy Japanese exploitation revolving around a special agency of women who are able to torture men through giving them sexual pleasure…Or something. Definitely more for fans of torture/gore than sex (though you do get plenty of both). I mean, is kind of an “is what it is” type of flick, and seems more like the kind of flick you get if you want to show of how “brutal” and “fucked up” your tastes are. Not to say there aren’t those who legitimately enjoy this kind of stuff, but there’s just not much more to this movie than “yep, that guy sure is getting tortured.”

257) La Matanza De Cannibals (1993?) *: I’m not exactly sure about the title/year of production on this one, but this is what was written on the VHS bootleg I have. I thought it was a Mexican flick, but the IMDB page of the closest matching title says Spain, so who knows? It’s the kind of flick that makes you wonder what the fuck you’re doing with your life. It’s so “cult,” so underground, and so…stupid, that you feel like you’re smuggling contraband by watching it. I mean, it’s shot on video and there’s no subs, so it feels, well, I won’t go as far as to say watching a “stuff” film, as the gore effects and death scenes aren’t that impressive. Maybe it’s more like watching some neighborhood death metal kid’s home movies, I dunno. Cool flick, but it’s maybe more enjoyable from the kicks you get from watching a mondo obscurity than from the content of the film itself.

258) Night of the Demons 2 (1994) **: Here’s a personal favorite of mine, and I can understand if people think I’m crazy or hypocritical for liking such clearly tongue-in-cheek 90’s drec, but in a way I like to think of this as what slashers in the 90’s COULD have been if the market didn’t bottom out. There’s nudity, there’s gore, it’s very un-PC. Granted stuff like the “warrior nun” with chain-sickle crucifix is the sort of “funny” stuff you’d see in a Troma type picture, but moments like that are significantly outweighed by the more standard “dumb teens getting picked off” moments. I mean, a decade earlier this would have been completely unremarkable, but in the 90’s this was kind of against the grain. Oh, and the effects are pretty ill, too, at least I don’t recall any tacky CGI. I mean, it’s a crap film, but it succeeds in being crap in a time where other horror flicks failed at being good, and for that I think it’s commendable.

259) Dracula (1931) ***: Y’know, you see a story reworked so many times, it’s easy to forget that you’ve never seen the original. This one came on cable really late at night, let’s say 3am, and it was just a perfect viewing experience, getting to see the source of so many different remakes I’ve seen revealed before me without like, intentionally setting out to see it. It’s a beautiful film, though, a “classic” in every sense, to the point where there’s nothing I can really say about it on a sleazepit like this. But I will say at least that it can still have an effect on a polluted mind such as mine, which is probably a sign of a truly well made film.

260) Pigs (1972) *: Y’know, sometimes Troma distributes a flick you like, and it’s almost offensive, like with Combat Shock, you’re just like “man, you don’t deserve this kind of treatment!” Then other times it makes perfect sense, like with Pigs. I mean, it’s an “okay” flick, it’s 70’s, it’s dirty looking, the “raped by her father” back story of the main female character lends the film enough trash cred, and the “killing people and feeding them to animals” theme might have even planted the seeds for Eaten Alive, but the acting is hammy in kind of a bad way, and there’s nothing really inventive enough about this flick that really stands out for me. Like I said, it’s a fine film, I probably should like it more, but it’s definitely closer to the kind of flicks Troma would go on to make than even the aforementioned Eaten Alive or any other really nasty 70’s exploitation.

261) Godmonster of the Indian Flats (1973) **: MOTHERFUCKING FREDERIC HOBBS! The only other flick I’ve seen from this guy was the great (and slightly headier) Alabama’s Ghost, and thankfully this one left me just as awestruck. Hobbs has a really slanted take on low budget exploitation that really evades classification. I mean, at base this is your basic drive in monster movie with a 70’s facelift, maybe akin to Don Dohler’s stuff, but the monsters are so fucked up, and it’s clear that Hobbs is trying to “say something” about drive in Americana with these flicks, in the same was as Paul Morrissey was with his Dracula and Frankenstein pictures, but Hobbs uses very different methods of course, much more surreal and post-psychedelic. Yeah, this is a really wild ride to go on, really, definitely recommended if you like your flicks more on the weird side of “fucked up” than the explicit.

262) Hitchhike To Hell (1977) **: I liked this one a lot. It centers on this guy whose mom is constantly on his case ever since his sister ran away from home. At some point the dude snaps, and starts picking up every hitch hiker he can, only to sexually assault and murder them as soon as they let on that they’re not up to the driver’s moral code. Essentially it’s a morality tale about the dangers of hitch hiking, and the plight of runaways (the police chief is often confronted with indifference from the families of the victims…Awwww!), but of course it takes the most tasteless and exploitative route possible to get to that “moral.” It’s 70’s grindhouse, straight up and down, and if you’re a fan of grainy film, hackneyed acting, and the sleazy ambiance that comes with these flicks, then step right up. Note, this one’s definitely not as explicit as you might imagine, but it’s a fun watch nonetheless.  

263) Devil Story (1985) n/a: I don’t know how, but I completely forgot everything about this movie. I think I watched too much trash in one day, it all kind of blended together.

264) Blue Voodoo (1983) *: Entertaining, but not quite innovative skin flick about this stripper girl “done wrong” by her man who goes into cahoots with a voodoo queen to get her revenge on the letch. Like I said, don’t expect anything too grimy, mean spirited or over the top (relatively speaking), but for a fun porno with supernatural/horror themes, this one does the trick.

265) Alien Prey (1978) *: A classic case of a bizarre premise that doesn’t parlay into a particularly memorable or interesting film, as a lesbian couple living in a townhouse together have their (dysfunctional) relationship disrupted by an alien disguised as a human. Like I said, great premise, and there are a few decent scenes, definitely worth watching if you don’t have anything better to do, but not really all that necessary. Actually, for a British flick this might as well be Last House on the Left, but yeah, it’s kind of just “okay.”

266) The Devil’s Exorcist (1978) *: Spanish horror that plays a lot like a Hammer flick with a much lower production value. It’s okay, but very straight forward, and not particularly exceptional in any way. Of course the version I watched didn’t have subtitles, but I somehow doubt that would change my opinion of the film.

267) The Sentinel (1977) **: Here’s a “supernatural thriller” revolving around a haunted house that’s actually really quite good. Basically you got this model, who’s trying to mellow out after an attempted suicide, so she shacks up in this apartment that’s supposed to be empty except for a blind priest up stairs, but it turns out to be this gateway to evil, yadda yadda, you know how these things go. I think the big draw here is the makeup effects by Dick Smith, who did all the ill shit on The Exorcist. The effects, makeup and otherwise in this film are excellent, way above par, and the story is paced, while keeping your attention every step of the way. This is a great example of a film that doesn’t just pander to the lowest common denominator with exploitative film techniques, and still manages to satisfy genre enthusiasts. I wouldn’t go as far as to call this “thinking person’s horror,” because there’s nothing too pretentious or deep going on, but there’s still more substance here than your average trash horror flick. Definitely give it a shot if you need to cleanse your palate of z-grade sleaze.

268) Ritual of Death (1990) **: After seeing the Coffin Joe flicks, I’ll pretty much watch any Brazilian horror I can get my hands on, and this flick, though obviously going for a completely different thing than Marins’ films, is a decent gore/sleaze fest from a dude who I guess mostly did porn up to this point. The plot centers on some guy who fucked with some artifact or something who transmutates into this possessed killing machine with predictable results. The mutation scene is actually pretty gross and effective, as are a lot of the evil rituals. Definitely one to look for if you have more outré tastes in sleaze. I’d fucking kill to see Satanic Attraction, which has a trailer on here. What a masterpiece that one looks like.

269) Alien 2: On Earth (1980) *: Dopes trapped in a cave waiting for an Alien thing to pick ‘em off one by one. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not too keen on the “group trapped in a small space” method of horror, I dunno, I just feel kind of claustrophobic or something. Not that that’s this film’s main problem, I mean, it’s a shitty Italian sci-fi horror flick, it’s loaded with problems, but thankfully there’re a few good death scenes snuck in to keep things interesting. Not great, probably not even good, but watchable.

270) House AKA Hausu (1977) ***: Like anyone who’s ever seen this film, I was pretty floored. The story of a bunch of school girl’s going on vacation at this spooky mansion is secondary, as what makes the film so engaging its unhinged effects, set design and general look. It’s kind of like a really warped, psychedelic, Japanese version of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, or maybe a Saturday morning kid’s show version of Evil Dead. I don’t know, I mean, I see A LOT of “weird” movies, so it takes a lot for one to really stick, and this one here is definitely some “must see” cinema.

271) Bloodsucker Leads the Dance () *: Kind of dull Italian horror story about a pack of thespians who, on their final day performing together, get invited at a unit to come entertain a count at a creepy old castle. You can pretty much guess where this one leads. Nothing really sticks out with this one, pretty “bog standard” Euro horror stuff, but watchable nonetheless.

272) Criminally Insane (1975) **: Great flick that manages to bring a really low rent Paul Morrissey/John Waters vibe while still working as a “straight forward” 70’s exploitation piece. In other words, it doesn’t get too far off the rails in its portrayal of sleazy realism, but it’s definitely weirder than your average drive in faire.  

273) The Outing (1987) *: Cornball slasher about an evil genie, and the unfortunate pack of random teenagers trapped in the museum made to suffer its wrath. The effects are fairly sophisticated for this sort of thing, and the film adequately delivers in the gore/death scene department. Decent, watchable late 80’s slasher, straight up and down.

274) The Whip and The Body (1963) ***: Love this movie. LOVE IT. Possibly my favorite Bava flick, and I fucking LOVE most of his movies, so that’s saying a lot. The basic plot goes that this sadistic aristocrat (Christopher Lee) returns home and starts riling up the placid life of his brother and his wife, whom the sadist used to have a thing with before she was married. The story takes a supernatural turn after the sadist is found dead, and his ghost continues to terrorize the homestead, particularly his ex-lover/brother’s wife. Like most of Bava’s flicks, the atmosphere is captured masterfully, and visually this is pure bliss, start to finish. The S&M stuff is particularly evocative and not really handled as exploitatively as you might imagine. Powerful stuff.

275) The Beast Must Die (1974) **: Decent little horror/mystery number revolving around a bunch of people from various walks of life cooped up in a mansion, Clue style, with the premise later revealed that one of them is, in fact, a werewolf. It’s British, so expect a bit of class and some decent acting.  

276) Mighty Peking Man (1977) **: Enjoyable and kind of bizarre Hong Kong monster flick, very much on the King Kong tip. Basically, this babe gets stranded on an island, befriends a giant monkey, who protects her on the island, but then when civilization comes looking for the girl, they take the giant ape with them and shit starts poppin’ off. There’s a very cool Saturday morning Technicolor overload look to this film which makes it quite entertaining. Good lite entertainment if that’s what you’re after.

277) Dak Bangla (1987) **: Here’s a Ramsay family “Bollywood horror” flick not yet re-released by Mondo Macabro, but hopefully they get to it soon, ‘cause the boot I saw didn’t have subtitles. I mean, it’s not like you REALLY need subtitles to enjoy these flicks, ‘cause it’s really more about the fun music, and just taking in the kind of screwball take on horror these flicks offer, but obviously it’d be nice to know what’s going on beyond “Oh, there’s a mummy…And now they’re dancing.” Still pretty enjoyable, though.

279) Mansion De Las Vivantes (1985) *: I dunno, these 2nd tier Franco flicks are all kind of becoming indistinguishable at this point.

279) Sexo Sangriento (1981) *: Extremely lurid Spanish horror. Basically, three gals on vacation (?) stay in a house with a crazy lady and bad stuff happens. Fairly typical Euro sleaze, memorable pretty much only for the copious nudity and sewing-needle-up-the-vajay scene. Eh, there are worse things to be remembered for.

280) Born of Fire (1983) zilch: Pretentious, “surreal,” “erotic,” artsy shit. Basically just made me irritable.  

281) Creature w/ The Blue Hand (1967) n/a: Man, I don’t remember this one at all.

282) Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) **: This one’s kind of odd, because I always hear it referred to as a “spoof,” but the humor was lost on me, I guess. It really just reminded me of a Hammer style horror flick. I know it’s a Polanski flick and all, but I dunno, like I said, I didn’t really see anything too special in this.

283) The Shrieker (1998) zilch: Another instance of not really knowing why I bothered watching something in the first place. More Full Moon garbage. The “making of” segment that runs in the beginning of the film that completely gives away the movie was kind of chuckle worthy, though.

284) Donnie Darko (2001) zilch: I saw this flick when it came out on video, before it had the Hot Topic stigma it does now, and at the time I thought it was crap. Figuring enough time had passed, and being in a position to watch it again, I gave it another spin, and I think I like it less now than I did then. Absurdly embarrassing dialogue, hokey “FUCK. HAPPY” themes, BAAAAD CGI…I mean, really, what IS there to like about this film? I’ll give it the non-linear way the story is revealed is kind of interesting, but the look and tone of the film is just so mired in that cutesy/creepy, low rent Tim Burton DeRaNgEd quality that it makes me want to kick in the fucking TV screen. Of all the crap that I watch it really takes something this pretentious to REALLY make me angry.

285) Black Magic Terror AKA Queen of Black Magic (1979) **: Holy shit, this was made in ’79? Some of the effects are surprisingly tasteless (in a good way) for the ‘70’s, especially considering this was a Hong Kong flick. The story of this flick revolves around a woman who loses her virginity to this dude on the promise of marriage. He bails on her and marries some other chick, causing the first one to attempt suicide. This misanthropic hermit intervenes and teaches her the black magic skills she needs to reap her (and his) vengeance on the fiend who spurned her and her village as a whole. It’s honestly pretty damn good. Horror movies like this, where the appeal is more their “exotic” factor than content are often pretty damn boring, and are interesting more from the perspective of a genre curio than an enjoyable film, but that’s not the case with this flick, which manages to be very entertaining throughout.

286) Demonic Toys (1992) zilch
287) Demonic Toys vs. Dollman (1993) zilch: Yeah, I don’t really know why I do this to myself either. What next, a Puppet Master marathon *shiver*.

288) Night Terrors (1993) *: Eh, by now you should know that these post-Hellraiser attempts to sculpt “adult” horror by blending eroticism and hackneyed surrealism just don’t work for me. This shit was rampant in the early 90’s, and could probably comprise of a legitimate subgenre if anyone actually enjoyed watching these type of movies enough to put the effort into cataloguing them. Oh, and of course Tobe Hooper is attached to this, as well as Robert Englund, and if you put those two together and take into account when this was made, you should know you’re in for trouble.