Not quite the movie I was expecting coming from gore legend Herschell Gordon Lewis, the man behind blood drenched titles such as The Wizard of Gore, Blood Feast and Two Thousand Maniacs. The film focuses on the Man-Eaters an all-female biker gang that like nothing more than to terrorize there local community and get laid. They hold race offs to see who will get to gets first pick of the line-up of men back at their clubhouse for the upcoming orgy.
At about the films mid-point the main action begins… A rival gang tries to muscle in on their turf and they have to show them what a gang of girls can really do.
This is where the film really lets itself down… There just isn’t enough fake blood or gore in it. Compared to the other movies in the H. G. Lewis Collection this one seems tame. It has an 18 certificate but honestly I think it could get away with being just being a PG. The cover has a sticker on the front saying “Fully Uncut” I hate to think what a cut version would be like!
Being released in the 1960’s at the height of the Hells Angels biker gang craze this seems like a cheap cash in that was watered down to try and be a bit more mainstream. It could have been a great film if H. G. Lewis just let rip and put his style on it.
The print itself is very wobbly and the audio dips out at some points but it is an old b-movie so this is expected. The acting is also very much hit or miss but this is down to H.G. Lewis casting genuine bikers to play the Man-Eaters. The special features on the disc are nothing to write home about and include a few poster card filmography type things and a couple of trailer reals for both the H. G. Lewis and Tartan Terror collections.
Overall I really wanted to like this film but I just couldn’t I would recommend this is one to miss unless you are a die hard H. G. Lewis fan that just has to see all his work.
Rating: 2/10
The opening soundtrack for the movie is really good though…
Label: Palisades Tartan
Country: South Korea
Romance and vampires instantly brings about thoughts of the god-awful Twilight films that are plaguing the genre just now! But as Thirst is directed by Chan-wook Park (Oldboy/The Vengeance trilogy) I thought it would be a safe bet that it will be pretty good. I was not mistaken!
Basic plot is you have a priest (Kang-ho Song) who volunteers himself for secret project to test a vaccine that should hopefully wipe out a deadly virus. Things don’t go to plan though and the vaccine didn’t work and he virus ends up killing him, he didn’t stay dead for long though! A blood transfusion had taken place during his illness and the blood he was given just so happened to be from a vampire. As a priest he struggles with the burden of not wanting to kill anyone yet fulfilling his need for blood. Add into the mix Kim Ok-bin’s character and his faith tested even further when his more cardinal urges take hold and he enters into an affair with her.
One thing I enjoyed about this film is that there is a fair amount of gore and the best bit is that it doesn’t ever feel like it is just there for effect, as is sometimes the case with Asian horror movies.
Overall I found this film to be very enjoyable. Fans of Chan-wook’s work will not be disappointed as it carries a lot of the same style as his previous works. I loved how the priest really struggles to keep hold of his humanity while still needing to feed on blood. This leads to some very darkly comedic scenes, the best one is him lying on the floor siphoning the blood from a guy in a coma through an iv tube. Kim Ok-bin’s really shows her range in this film, seamlessly moving from the starting role of a shy house wife, so a sexually dominant adulterer to eventually a blood thirsty vampire. I would definitely recommend this film!
Rating: 9/10
Origin: USA
Label: Tartan DVD
He couldn’t live without a virgin’s blood….. …So a virgin had to die!
Paul Morrissey, Andy Warhol and Andrew Braunsberg team up again to take on the classic story of Dracula.
Udo Kier plays what could be the sickliest Count Dracula of all time! He needs the fresh blood of “wurgens”… without it he is edging closer and closer to death! The shortage of pure women in his homeland of Transylvania forces him to travel further a field for his meal. So the Count and his servant Anton (Arno Juerging) set off to Italy thinking that as it’s a Catholic country they will have a better chance of finding a virgin. Once in Italy they befriend an upper-class family who have fallen upon hard times financially. Their four beautiful daughters, who are presumed virgins, are of much interest of the Count. Their servant Mario (Joe Dallesandro) has unintentionally thwarted the Counts plans though by having his wicked way with the two daughters that were presented to the Count for marriage. The Count gets a bit bitey with the two un-pure daughters, in-thralling them in the process, but their blood gives him an upset stomach. Mario soon becomes wise to what the count is up to and sets about to kill him.
Blood for Dracula, also known as “Dracula cerca sangue di vergine… e morì di sete!!!” or “Andy Warhol’s Dracula” is Morrissey’s follow up film to “Flesh for Frankenstein”. Both films share the same key cast and even share some of the same sets.
Udo Kier once again steals the show here; he manages to portray the Count as fragile but still holding an air of menace about him.
Overall I found this movie very funny, while it may not the best vampire story out there if you don’t take it too seriously it’s a great watch! This film caused some controversy when it was released back in 1975 for the simulated sex scenes they seem rather tame to today’s viewer. Two of the sisters who have more than the normal “sisterly love” for each other and the sex/rape scene with the youngest daughter who is only 14 (Played by Silvia Dionisio who was 23 at the time) may have added to the controversy. Gore wise; it doesn’t have any of the severed heads or flying entrails that Flesh for Frankenstein is famous for, it is however still somewhat gory… The scene where the Count is vomiting up the un-pure blood or his gruesome death scene should please fans of gore! Where this film lacks in gore it makes up with in style… oh and sex scenes! I highly recommend this film to anyone who fancies something a bit different!
Rating: 8/10
Possibly my favourite line in the film…
Origin: USA
Label: Tartan Terror
“Life and Death are Meaningless…And Pain Is God”
Two couples travelling across the US in hopes of writing a book about off-beat roadside\sideshow attractions head off on some back roads to try and find the tree on which “Dr. Satan” (a local legend) was hung. On the way to site they pick up a hitchhiker, Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon)… Things go downhill for the group from then. Their car breaks down mysteriously but coincidently Baby’s house is not far away and so she suggests they go back to hers. When they get to the house they meet the rest of the “Firefly” family and are invited to take part in their bizarre Halloween traditions. After a while it becomes apparent that things are not what they seem! When they are about to leave the Firefly family show their true colours and that’s when the gore begins…
House of 1000 Corpses is an exploitation horror flick written and directed by the famous Heavy Metal singer Rob Zombie. As his directorial debut he set out to pay homage to all of the classic horror films he watched as a kid. This film ticks all the boxes for cheesy horror flick… oodles of blood, sexy women in distress, psychopathic hillbilly killers, grainy snuff-like footage and it even has a creepy clown (played by Sid Haig, perfect role for him!).
The soundtrack is a huge plus for this film, it has songs from Rob Zombie (no shock there!), The Ramones, Slim Whitman, Lionel Ritchie and various others.
Overall I think this is a pretty good film… I love gore and this film has plenty of it! If the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Last House on the Left and The Hills have Eyes got together for a horror film gang-bang…. House of 1000 Corpses would be the outcome! One fault I have with this film is the terrible ending, I thought the sequel would clear up the ending but it skipped it entirely. I wouldn’t say this film is for everyone but fans of blood/gore, grind house horrors or fans of Rob Zombie this is a must see! I would also recommend the sequel “The Devils Rejects”.
Rating: 7/10
Chaos
Origin: Japan
Label: Tartan Asian Extreme
“There are two sides to every woman”
Chaos (Also known as Kaosu) is a mystery-thriller from the famous J-Horror director Hideo Nakata.
A handyman gets involved in a kidnapping scheme thought up by the wife of a wealthy business man. The woman who believes her husband is having an affair thinks that this plan will help her find out his true feelings for her. In the spirit of realism she agrees to the handyman tying her up so when she is released the bruises will make the story more believable. Everything was going to plan until he goes back to the flat that evening and finds her dead. Shocking as this might be to add to it he receives a mysterious telephone call instructing him to get rid of the body or else they would call the police. Not wanting to get caught and charged for murder he takes her body out to the woods and buries her. With all that out of the way he goes back to his normal life until one day he thinks he spots the dead wife walking down the street… Is it just the guilt getting to him or something more sinister?
This was not the film I was expecting from the director of the original “Ring” and “Dark Water” films (Both of which have spurred US remakes). What it turned out to be was a nice little murder mystery which is a genre I normally enjoy. The storyline itself if played normally is hard enough to follow but as the film plays out in a non-chronological order… it skips back and forward through the overall timeline (See: Memento).
Overall I did like this film. While it was not what I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised with it nonetheless. The story for this film definitely feels very Noir-ish to me and the twists and double-crosses really kept my attention for the whole film. While I had managed to work out what had happed before the end of the film, the final scene was pretty weak and didn’t really keep up to the standard of the rest of the film. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys puzzles as the first 3 quarters of this film are just that!
Rating: 6/10
Special Features:
The Tartan release comes with Nakata’s previously un-released “Curse, Death and Spirit”. This is three short ghost stories played back to back as a single feature. They are very unpolished but are a good watch as you can see the stylistic beginnings of Dark Water and the Ring series of films.
Origin: Denmark
Label: Tartan Video
Europa also known as “Zentropa” in the US is the third and final film in Lars Von Trier’s Europa Trilogy.
The film is set in a dystopian Germany just after World War II, in this version of events the American Army is in control of the country. Jean-Marc Barr plays the part of an idealistic American of German decent who travels to Germany to “show some kindness” to the German people who are being mistreated since the end of the war. When he arrives in Germany his uncle manages to get him a job as a sleeping car conductor for the Zentropa railway network. While working there he is seduced by the Company director’s daughter (Played by the fairly attractive Barbara Sukowa). She is a part of a pro-Nazi resistance group called “Werewolves” who are fighting back against the American occupation. As the film unfolds the idealistic American finds that he being pulled between helping the Werewolves or helping the Americans.
While mostly shot in black and white it does have some scenes that contain colour. Interestingly enough Von Trier has actors interacting with rear projected images. These scenes have the foreground in colour and the background in black and white or vice-versa this giving them a very surreal feeling.
Overall Europa is a brilliant film… It has a decent story line, the actors are great, the soundtrack\voiceover is hypnotically good and the visual style is mesmerizing! Von Trier has certainly ended the Europa Trilogy in style and cementing himself in my eyes as one of the best directors out there!
I would highly recommend this film anyone who is into world cinema.
Rating: 9/10
Origin: Denmark
Label: Tartan Video
Epidemic stars both Lars Von Trier and Niels Vørsel as writers trying come up with a screenplay at the last minute to present to a producer. The screenplay they are trying to write follows a renegade doctor who leaves the safety of his compound to go out and try and find a cure for an epidemic that has infected the world. But ironically it is the doctor himself who is spreading the disease! While this film is shot mostly following Lars and Niels while they set about researching and writing the screen play it is also inter-cut with scenes from the film they are trying to create. As a twist to the story while they are wrapped up in creating this screenplay there is a real epidemic spreading throughout the world!
The premise for this film is solid enough and I think it is a great idea but I feel that the real world epidemic and the fantasy epidemic needed to be expanded upon. The scenes from the screenplay that were shown during the film I found far more exciting than the “real world” footage.
Overall this film is below par but as the middle film of the Europa trilogy hopefully the final film can make up for this mistake! On the plus side it does have Von Trier in front of the camera and it is the first of many of his films to include Udo Kier.
One of the annoying things about this film is the “Epidemic” watermark that displays in big red lettering throughout the film. I don’t know who in their right mind would think that would ever be a good idea!!!
Rating: 3/10
Label: Tartan Video
Origin: Denmark
The Element of Crime follows the story of a detective trying to solve a series of gruesome murders. Fisher (Michael Elphick) is an ex-cop who was brought back in from his time away in Cairo to try and solve the case.
The film follows Fisher retelling the story of his two months in Europe during a hypnosis session when he had returned back to Cairo. The story takes place in a dark and dystopian version of a European city. This derelict European city is permanently shrouded in darkness and it never seems to stop raining. Fisher is trying to solve the case of the “Lotto Killer”, who is killing and mutilating young girls who sell lottery tickets. He was using his old mentor’s methods for solving the murder; these methods though were both discredited and controversial. These methods detailed in the book “The Element of Crime” suggest that one gets into the shoes of the criminal. Fisher manages to do this but finds he is becoming more like the killer than he would have originally wanted.
This is the first on-screen offering from the acclaimed Lars Von Trier and forms the first film of his Europa Trilogy. Shot in a monochrome style and with the use of sodium light giving it a very yellow feel to the entire film. This really emphasizes the darkness of this nightmarish dystopian Europe.
Overall I did enjoy this film even though its plot is sometimes hard to follow. That being said the more I think about this film the more I want to watch it again! For being the first film from Von Trier I think it’s a solid outing into the genre of surrealist cinema! I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys their films a little weird or who enjoy unorthodox cinematic styles!
To anyone that does enjoy this film I would recommend the following:
This week will be a Lars Von Trier week… I will be reviewing the Europa Trilogy which was lent to me by Paragraph Film Reviews.
Rating: 8/10
Label: Tartan Video
Origin: USA
“To know death, Otto, you have to fuck life… in the gallbladder!”
This is strange reworking of Mary Shelley’s Gothic classic Frankenstein, it has a few new plot twists and plenty of gore!
Baron Frankenstein a scientist dreaming of creating a super race and with help from his assistant Otto he his turning that dream into a reality. They have built a sexy female but are still attempting to build the perfect man who is both attractive and sexually skilled. Once they have them completed they are planning on mating them to create the perfect children. While this is going on the Baroness, who is having an affair with one of her servants, is stuck looking after their two voyeuristic kids because the school they were in was too “common” for them.
Flesh for Frankenstein was the first of two films directed by Paul Morrissey and produced by the iconic Andy Warhol. The second film being Blood for Dracula both films cast Udo Kier and Joe Dallesandro as leading roles. Kier was brilliant in Flesh for Frankenstein; the look of enjoyment in his eye while he playing with internal organs creeped me out a little.
Originally it was presented in 3D but this Tartan release is only in 2D, I would love the chance to check it out in 3D though! If anyone has any info on how to get a hold of the 3D version please get in touch with me.
Overall this is a fun film, a nice mix of cheesy lines, fake blood, boobs and questionable subjects (The Baron and Baroness are siblings). It’s not a good film in the classical sense though, the acting is bad in places, the effects are totally low budget, plot is weak and the sound effects are laughable in places. But with all that said I have a feeling that’s maybe the direction they were going with this and I think that is where the film gets its charm. Would I recommend this film to anyone? Definitely! Anyone who likes cheesy horror movies will enjoy this film.
Rating: 6/10
Special Features:
There isn’t anything to shout about in the way of special features with this release. It comes with an audio commentary, production stills and screen tests.
Label: Tartan Video
Origin: USA
“Who do you believe?”
This documentary directed by Andrew Jarecki follows the 1980’s investigation into the alleged child molestation charges brought against Arnold and Jesse Friedman. Arnold a well respected and award winning teacher was arrested for possession of child porn magazines. During this investigation evidence arose that alleged Arnold and his eighteen year old son Jesse had molested and sexually abused youngsters that attended private computer classes at the Friedmans home.
This documentary is a mix of one on one interviews and archive home movie footage. The home footage was taken when the children were growing up and paints the picture of the family being completely normal. Then there is also home footage from the when they were allowed home to prepare their case for the trial, during this time you can see the stress it is causing and the cracks in relationship between the sons and their mother start showing.
Unbelievably this whole thing started life as a documentary on children’s party clowns. It just so happened that one of the three Friedmans brothers is New York City’s number one birthday clown, when Jarecki found this out he pretty much shelved that idea and “Capturing the Friedmans” was born.
Overall I found this documentary to be both shocking and thought provoking. While there is no question that Arnold is a paedophile I still found myself feeling sorry how the case was handled by the police and the media. Capturing the Friedmans left me with far more questions than it did answers. The main one being is “Was Arnold and his son sodomising young boys or where they just victims of a community witch hunt?”. This is definitely a film to watch with a group of people as it’s sure to provoke a lively discussion!
Rating: 8/10
Special Features:
The bonus second disc has around 150 minutes of extra footage; this includes Jareki’s original footage for the Clown documentary and unseen footage from the Friedmans home video archive. Also on the bonus disc is various extra interviews/Q&A sessions/New evidence and witness footage.
Tartan Review 