Starring Helene Remy, Tina Gloriani, Walter Brandi, Isarco Ravaioli, Gino Turini
Directed by Renato Polselli
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
After a grotesque vampire assaults a ballerina exploring his ancient castle, her fellow dancer tries to get their troupe to believe that she's been victimized, and becomes a new target for the vampire.
This Italian horror effort has some style and interesting ideas to impart, chief of which is the vampire and his consort not only suck blood for sustenance, but to maintain their youth. Otherwise they appear in gruesome creature makeup with bulbous head and fingers. Brandi is okay in the title role of the vampire, but is more a cruel monster than a stately count, and is not given much opportunity in the screenplay to give his character much depth. The dancers, who are ballet-trained, but work out most often to jazz music, are lovely and the focus is entirely on Remy and Gloriani as the vampire's victim and her friend, the only one to suspect what's happened to Remy. Gloriani really has the central part, but Remy probably gives the better performance, using a cool voice and nuanced stare once she's been bitten. The film looks to have been highly influenced by Hammer's Horror Of Dracula, using Peter Cushing's ingenuity with a pair of candlesticks as the chief weapon against its own vampire, and utilizing a similar ending. The photography is well-done, with some effective scenes in shadow, and I enjoyed Aldo Piga's music which is most effective at the climax, although a sequence in which the leading ladies stalk each other accompanied by a jazz piece didn't really work for me. I also found the first half of the picture to flow better than the second, which slows pace and drags somewhat, before finding its energy for the climax.
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Friday, September 27, 2019
Saturday, September 21, 2019
The Fungus Among Us (2018)
Starring Gabriela Pedraza, Jamie Trevino, Stephanie Marie Baggett, Stefanie Jo Saenz, Natalie Wise
Directed by Joshua Kennedy
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
An all-girl gang kidnap a young woman and hide out in an abandoned house south of the Mexican border, unaware that a deadly supernatural creature will soon be stalking them.
Young auteur Joshua Kennedy delivers a mashup of classic horror and exploitation in his latest production, filmed in black and white, and full of classic movie references, apparently most inspired by Russ Meyer's Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill. I've never seen Meyer's film, but with plenty of attractive ladies in the cast, and a full-fledged catfight, other reviewers have made the connection.
Although the picture's black and white photography is part of Kennedy's homage to the period he's paying tribute to, it certainly works well within the boundaries of the film, adding mystery and mystique particularly during the driving sequences in which we only see bright headlight beams penetrating the darkness. It also adds some monochromatic spice to the appearance of the feisty ladies in the cast, setting off blonde Stephanie Marie Baggett against the other brunettes visually, as well in the story when it's revealed she's made a major mistake.
While the action's going on, the ladies are watching the classic B-movie Horrors Of Spider Island on the television, which thematically with its cast of ladies being stalked by a spider monster has similarities with the plot of this picture, a nice addition that foreshadows on the TV what's to come in Kennedy's movie, in another sly tribute by the director.
Kennedy regular Marco Munoz also makes an appearance as the scruffy and uncouth male leader of the gang who has had relations with more than one of the ladies, leading to more tension and struggles between the women. Saenz, as the gang's victim, and the heroine of the piece, subtly shows off her smarts and resources in a nice performance. Pedraza and Trevino square off over Munoz in the well-choreographed catfight with convincing determination by both actresses, and Wise, brandishing an imposing serrated knife, makes a fearsome impression.
The appearance of the fungus, often showcased in green-tinted sequences, is effectively used in the film, quite similar to the alien growth in the '60s sci-fi flick Mutiny In Outer Space. Sound effects and makeup on its victims heighten the menace of the fungus, that moves under its own power and goes from slight movement towards its first victims, to a rapid expansion and spread near the climax.
Tom Milligan provides some eerie musical themes to set the film's early tone, and classical hits are also excerpted for maximum effect as the tension builds. The combination is not as effective as a full score would have been, but Kennedy also uses the silence on the soundtrack in between to the film's advantage in some key moments.
Clocking in at a brisk 45 minutes, I felt the movie started a little slow with its focus on the bickering characters, but once the fungus shows up, things pick up rather nicely and it becomes a taut suspenseful work. Kennedy's love for the material shows, I think the photography is first rate, and his cast does a nice job of selling a seamy story, making the picture seem just like the kinds of movies they used to show on late night television.
Directed by Joshua Kennedy
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
An all-girl gang kidnap a young woman and hide out in an abandoned house south of the Mexican border, unaware that a deadly supernatural creature will soon be stalking them.
Young auteur Joshua Kennedy delivers a mashup of classic horror and exploitation in his latest production, filmed in black and white, and full of classic movie references, apparently most inspired by Russ Meyer's Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill. I've never seen Meyer's film, but with plenty of attractive ladies in the cast, and a full-fledged catfight, other reviewers have made the connection.
Although the picture's black and white photography is part of Kennedy's homage to the period he's paying tribute to, it certainly works well within the boundaries of the film, adding mystery and mystique particularly during the driving sequences in which we only see bright headlight beams penetrating the darkness. It also adds some monochromatic spice to the appearance of the feisty ladies in the cast, setting off blonde Stephanie Marie Baggett against the other brunettes visually, as well in the story when it's revealed she's made a major mistake.
While the action's going on, the ladies are watching the classic B-movie Horrors Of Spider Island on the television, which thematically with its cast of ladies being stalked by a spider monster has similarities with the plot of this picture, a nice addition that foreshadows on the TV what's to come in Kennedy's movie, in another sly tribute by the director.
Kennedy regular Marco Munoz also makes an appearance as the scruffy and uncouth male leader of the gang who has had relations with more than one of the ladies, leading to more tension and struggles between the women. Saenz, as the gang's victim, and the heroine of the piece, subtly shows off her smarts and resources in a nice performance. Pedraza and Trevino square off over Munoz in the well-choreographed catfight with convincing determination by both actresses, and Wise, brandishing an imposing serrated knife, makes a fearsome impression.
The appearance of the fungus, often showcased in green-tinted sequences, is effectively used in the film, quite similar to the alien growth in the '60s sci-fi flick Mutiny In Outer Space. Sound effects and makeup on its victims heighten the menace of the fungus, that moves under its own power and goes from slight movement towards its first victims, to a rapid expansion and spread near the climax.
Tom Milligan provides some eerie musical themes to set the film's early tone, and classical hits are also excerpted for maximum effect as the tension builds. The combination is not as effective as a full score would have been, but Kennedy also uses the silence on the soundtrack in between to the film's advantage in some key moments.
Clocking in at a brisk 45 minutes, I felt the movie started a little slow with its focus on the bickering characters, but once the fungus shows up, things pick up rather nicely and it becomes a taut suspenseful work. Kennedy's love for the material shows, I think the photography is first rate, and his cast does a nice job of selling a seamy story, making the picture seem just like the kinds of movies they used to show on late night television.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
The Monster And The Ape (1945)
Starring Robert Lowery, George Macready, Ralph Morgan, Carole Mathews, Willie Best
Directed by Howard Bretherton
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A scientist hires an industrial agent to mass produce his remote controlled robot, but his former colleague is out to steal the robot and make an army of them for more nefarious purposes.
An okay chapter play from Columbia Pictures, the serial stars Lowery as the heroic agent, who survives more fisticuffs and accidents than many a serial hero, opposed by Macready, whose sinister voice and delivery make him a capable villain. The drawing power of the serial however is its two "monsters," including the robot known as "The Metallogen Man," whose strength is displayed in some nifty effects, including picking up Lowery like a rag doll, and later effortlessly knocking down support beams in a factory setting. The Ape, according to IMDB, played by Ray Corrigan in a gorilla suit, is a zoo gorilla which Macready and his cohorts continually smuggle out of a local zoo, in order to murder and commit mayhem. Corrigan really gives an excellent performance, making the beast convincing and continually resisting being led anywhere, reacting to the smells around him. Although both monsters are used well enough, the rest of the serial is average fare, not helped by comic relief from Willie Best, playing his usual timid stereotype in scenes that are at best unfunny and at worst offensive.
Directed by Howard Bretherton
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A scientist hires an industrial agent to mass produce his remote controlled robot, but his former colleague is out to steal the robot and make an army of them for more nefarious purposes.
An okay chapter play from Columbia Pictures, the serial stars Lowery as the heroic agent, who survives more fisticuffs and accidents than many a serial hero, opposed by Macready, whose sinister voice and delivery make him a capable villain. The drawing power of the serial however is its two "monsters," including the robot known as "The Metallogen Man," whose strength is displayed in some nifty effects, including picking up Lowery like a rag doll, and later effortlessly knocking down support beams in a factory setting. The Ape, according to IMDB, played by Ray Corrigan in a gorilla suit, is a zoo gorilla which Macready and his cohorts continually smuggle out of a local zoo, in order to murder and commit mayhem. Corrigan really gives an excellent performance, making the beast convincing and continually resisting being led anywhere, reacting to the smells around him. Although both monsters are used well enough, the rest of the serial is average fare, not helped by comic relief from Willie Best, playing his usual timid stereotype in scenes that are at best unfunny and at worst offensive.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy (1955)
Starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marie Windsor, Michael Ansara, Dan Seymour
Directed by Charles Lamont
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Bud and Lou finds themselves caught in ancient Egypt between a gang eager to loot a mummy's tomb for treasure, and the followers of the mummy, not to mention the ancient living mummy itself.
The last of the "Abbott and Costello Meet The Monsters" series doesn't have much of a connection to Universal's Mummy films of the past, changing the name of the mummy from Kharis to Klaris, and costuming him in a fairly routine outfit, played by a growling stuntman. That's too bad in many respects, but the film is still quite enjoyable and entertaining, with some clever gags concocted out of the Egyptian setting, and it showcases one of the comedy duo's best routines, in which the two try to hide a cursed medallion in the hamburgers they are eating. The music selections are atmospheric, and the supporting cast good- Windsor as the leader of the gang is enjoyable, and Richard Deacon, playing it straight as Klaris' cult leader, cuts a different figure than we're used to from his appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show, where he was invariably the butt of the joke. Despite the fun and merriment, one wishes for more of the trappings of the earlier Mummy films, but it had to be clear by the time they made this that the classic monsters days at Universal were long since past.
Directed by Charles Lamont
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Bud and Lou finds themselves caught in ancient Egypt between a gang eager to loot a mummy's tomb for treasure, and the followers of the mummy, not to mention the ancient living mummy itself.
The last of the "Abbott and Costello Meet The Monsters" series doesn't have much of a connection to Universal's Mummy films of the past, changing the name of the mummy from Kharis to Klaris, and costuming him in a fairly routine outfit, played by a growling stuntman. That's too bad in many respects, but the film is still quite enjoyable and entertaining, with some clever gags concocted out of the Egyptian setting, and it showcases one of the comedy duo's best routines, in which the two try to hide a cursed medallion in the hamburgers they are eating. The music selections are atmospheric, and the supporting cast good- Windsor as the leader of the gang is enjoyable, and Richard Deacon, playing it straight as Klaris' cult leader, cuts a different figure than we're used to from his appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show, where he was invariably the butt of the joke. Despite the fun and merriment, one wishes for more of the trappings of the earlier Mummy films, but it had to be clear by the time they made this that the classic monsters days at Universal were long since past.