DEAD & BURIED (1981) Review: Grotesque SFX & Unjustified Moral Panic
Yes, it’s grotesque but Gary Sherman’s direction remains effectively creepy, Stan Winston’s SFX is impressive 40+ years later – and Joe Renzetti’s soundtrack is to die for!
Reviews
Stephen King’s CAT’S EYE (1985) Review: A Different Animal Altogether
Directed by Lewis Teague, and written by acclaimed horror novelist Stephen King, Cat’s Eye is a horror anthology film comprising three segments: “Quitters, Inc.”, “The Ledge”, and “General”.
“Through the eye of the cat, a twisted tail of macabre suspense from the author of Carrie, The Shining and The Dead Zone.”
Octaman (1971) Review: Mexican Horror Heap from the Nuclear Trash!
Who doesn’t adore Mexican sci-fi/horror cinema? Whilst consuming everything from 1968’s The Batwoman to 1970’s Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters, I stumbled upon the poster for Harry Essex’s Octaman and I knew I had to track down a copy of this 1971 creature feature! There was something reminiscent about the humanoid octopus… As it turns out, I was already quite familiar with Essex’s monstrous creation! Even if you haven’t seen this movie, you’ve likely seen the titular creature.
“Horror heap from the nuclear trash!”
Day of the Stranger (2019, UK) Review
I’m going to be honest here; I don’t really know what happened in this movie. I mean I think I do, but I’m not entirely sure. So, apologies in advance to the filmmakers who obviously put so much work into this psychedelic (often referred to as “acid” or what I’ve dubbed “twistern”) western filmed primarily in Wales. A bounty hunter is hired to collect a…demon gunslinger? Story points are integrated into the plot just as they are in most movies, other than the great Godfrey Reggio’s experimental eye candy, sure. But do they add to the proceedings or just further confuse the world that’s been created?
“Better the Devil you know.”
Verotika versus Rabid ’77
Ladies and gentlemen, in this corner we have the classic 1977 David Cronenberg film, Rabid. In the opposite corner, we have the Glenn Danzig opus, Verotika. Is one a better film than the other? Will the cult classic crush the newcomer or will the Master Misfit cut new horror film ground based on his comic book kingdom?
If you’re like me, your interest in anything Danzig related was piqued the moment it was announced he was working on a movie. Unfortunately, the promise faded with ever passing time…
“Pray it doesn’t happen to you.”
“Feeling a little inadequate?” Tank Girl, Riot Grrrl
Tank Girl’s protagonist is a sexually-liberated, confident, independent woman who, quite literally, spits in the face of her oppressors. Kesslee doesn’t want to beat Tank Girl, he wants her to join him. But she refuses to be co-opted by the mainstream. It’s the fault of riot grrrl, of course. There’s a bold, alternative spirit to Tank Girl, thanks in no small part to its soundtrack.
“In 2033, justice rides a tank and wears lip gloss.”
You Ain’t Got to Pull That Blacula Shit With Me. Black Vampires in: Vampire in Brooklyn and Blacula
“You ain’t got to pull that Blacula shit with me.” The line is an attempt to link what seems to be a half-hearted star-vehicle with something else: blaxploitation. By simultaneously comparing Murphy’s ’90s effort with its ’70s predecessor, whilst slyly digging at the older genre’s foibles, the gag it is a somewhat noble, if pithy, effort to give Vampire in Brooklyn more heft.
“Interesting. I’ve been stabbed, and I’ve been hanged, and I’ve been burned. Even broken on the rack once, but I’ve never been shot before. Kind of itches a little!”
Straight to Hell (1987, UK)
It’s fair to say that Straight to Hell isn’t widely considered to be one of director Alex Cox’s best films. Some people may even consider it to be his worst.
However, whilst its creation, cast, setting and gonzo punk style, make it an undeniable curiosity, it is its adaptation and reclamation of popular genre style, that may make Straight to Hell Cox’s most notably cine-literate film. For the uninitiated: Cox was the punk filmmaker who made it big early on, blew it nearly as quickly, and has steadfastly done his own thing ever since.
“A story of blood, money, guns, coffee, and sexual tension.”
Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 (1987, Japan)
Animated by Hideaki Anno, Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01’s plot centers on Koji, an engineering student who accidentally discovers the Madox-01; a heavy mechanised, armoured exoskeleton. This military weapon, successor to the Madox-00, is equipped with a large array of weaponry and was designed to fight against heavy armoured vehicles. Glancing through the conveniently included instruction manual, Koji climbs into the Madox-01 exoskeleton.
“I…I’m not ready yet!”
Guyver: Dark Hero (1994, USA)
Of all the bad films I have had the guilty pleasure (and at times displeasure) to watch, none have be as sentimentally close to me as Steve Wang’s live action take on the Japanese Manga; Guyver. A sequel to 1991’s The Guyver (itself a mediocre Americanized take on the source material), Guyver: Dark Hero was everything its predecessor should have been. Granted many might think this is just Power Rangers with blood and gore, but for its minuscule budget it contains impressive practical effects and brilliantly choreographed wirework.
“The Zoanoids weren’t the failed experiment. The Guyvers were. The aliens created the Guyvers to fight their wars for them. The humans rebeled. Out of control. The Guyver is nothing more than a weapon…”
Endgame (1983, Italy)
Let’s get right to it; is this movie the final installment of The Bronx Warriors trilogy that includes 1990: The Bronx Warriors and Escape from the Bronx, or not? The short answer in my opinion is no, it most definitely is not. It bears no resemblance, nor any connection to the previous films that I could detect; though it is supposedly set in New York, I don’t recall any reference to it in the dialogue.
“For an ENDGAME champion in the year 2025, there’s only one way to live. Dangerously.”
Dead 7 (2016, USA)
“Larger than Life!”
Wow, if there ever was a less promising tagline for a zombie Twistern, I can’t recall it. Hopefully, whoever came up with it will work on expanding their creative writing skills. BTW, I know that’s a reference to a Backstreet Boys song, but still. How do I know? Well, I didn’t; I looked it up and I’m choosing to take the word of the Interwebz. It’s right 100% of the time, isn’t it?
