Running a bit behind now but watched this one at the weekend as I switched from concentrating on unwatched Blurays to unwatched TV recordings in an attempt to clear out my set top box a bit.
A nice little British horror about a cannibal living in the London underground system who preys on passengers waiting alone on the platform at Russel Square tube station. A nice mix of gore and pathos from the monster man and a brilliantly funny performance from Donald Pleasance as the ill tempered police inspector. You also get a blink and you miss him appearance from Christopher Lee just for good measure.
Highlight of the film though was the monster’s only three words. “Mind the Doors!” which if you are familiar with the London underground will raise a smile.
Still behind schedule but hoping to catch up over the next few days. Decided it was time for some classic Shaw Brothers and this 88 Films Blu was sitting unopened so here we are. Excellent stuff of course as the Buddhist master tries to cure Gordon Liu of his angry man tendencies only to actually help him prepare for a bloodthirsty showdown with his treacherous nemesis and Mongol overlords with the help of some top notch dental extraction work. I’ll definitely be dipping back into the Shaw Brothers pond before the month is out.
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Another one recorded off the telly and a version of Dracula I don’t believe I’ve seen before. It stars Jack Palance in the title role and that man had the ideal face to play the Prince of Darkness. Turns out this was apparently made for TV which probably explains why it is very low on flesh for a 1970s vampire flick and a bit slow moving but it’s not too bad and, as I say, Palance was born to play it.
Thought I’d keep with Jack Palance and his British horror spell of the early 70s. Had this DVD sitting unopened on the shelf since I picked it up on special a while back. Incredible cast includes Trevor Howard, Suzy Kendall, Julie Ege, Diana Dors, Hugh Griffiths and Dame Edith Bloody Evans of all people. All doing parts far smaller than you’d expect. Well, let’s be honest, you wouldn’t expect Edith Evans in a low budget black magic horror flick full stop. Especially where she gets a wooden stake through the neck. But it’s all here along with Palance at his menace filled over acting best. It’s bonkers but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Still way behind schedule but pressing on and sticking with Jack Palance in British horror films of the early seventies. This one is an anthology film from Amicus and the Powerhouse Bluray is a great release. Some nice cinematography and a couple of good stories along with a slightly bonkers killer piano one. Palance is supposed to be British in this one but it took me a while to figure out that was the accent he was doing. Not brilliant but I have a big soft spot for these anthology films so I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Another 88 Films Bluray I had in the pile and a quite enjoyable one at that. A pregnant widow sets out to avenge her husband’s murder with all the blood and action you would expect but also some breasts where you wouldn’t necessarily. Plus a return appearance of the flying guillotines which is nice.
Not so much Blaxploitation as what Blaxtoitation was based on. Fantastic 70s fashions and a stylish which often belies its low budget. But the Curtis Mayfield soundtrack takes the whole thing to another level. Love it
No confusion with this one. It’s pure Blaxploitation. Isaac Hayes moves from singer to actor and does a half decent job of it as the black bounty hunter becoming the hunted when he takes out superpimp Gator. Highlight for me was seeing Lieutenant Uhura (Nichele Nichols) running a stable of hookers and using language that would definitely have got Mr Spock raising an eyebrow.
Saw this one way back when it was first released in a cinema on Charing Cross Road in London but really remembered almost nothing about it. Billed as Ozploitation on this 88 Films release but I’m not sure it quite fits that tag. It’s a genre film for sure but exploitation? Not really. Good cast though with Robert Powell, David Hemmings and Broderick Crawford and an intriguing story with a Rasputin link and some supernatural elements. Glad I revisited.
It’s gentrification gone mad and it’s Castellari so more than anything it’s Bang! Crash! and Kablooey! for the duration. There’s also Antonio Sabato chewing scenery and a great performance by Mark Gregory’s hair if not him. It may be mindless but it is also a lot of fun.
Anyone who uses the saying “flatter than a witch’s tit” has clearly never seen this film. There are lots of witches, all with their tits out and not a flat one among them. Yes, it’s a Witchy Horror Sexploitation mash up with every excuse to get the ladies’ breasts on show milked (pardon the pun) to the max. The whole thing looks like it was shot in a fortnight at most and apparently they had censorship problems in the UK. Can’t imagine why.
Picked up a whole bunco Shameless DVDs a while ago at three quid each so this seems as good a time as any to get around to them. And this one was quite a pleasant surprise. Still plenty of gushing red stuff as you’d expect from an 80s Italian thriller but the premise and character work has far more depth than you might predict. Plus you get Edwige Fenech so what’s not to like. A good one for me.
If Deodato’s film was a wee bit more cerebral than you’d expect this Castellari Post Acopalypse action fest most definitely isn’t. Fetish wear, extreme shoulder pads even for the 80s dummies exploding and stuntmen driving round and round the same sandpit. Brilliant. What genuinely took me by surprise though was the Templars initiation ceremony performed by George Eastman on our intrepid hero. All made Django Kill’s black shirts seem a bit tame.
Some other nice spaghetti western quotes were a bit less risque including the updated FoD shoot out, this time involving figure hugging see through plastic shielding.
Espionage thriller that is pretty low on thrills but an interesting premise of a scientist who has an accident on the wrong side of the Berlin wall and when he is well enough to be returned to the west he has been fitted with a steel mask and body which leaves doubt as to his real identity. A British film that does everything it can to appear American and does a pretty good job really. Low on action but engaging nonetheless.
Sick with a cold for over a week and internet down all over Christmas put a fatal dent in my attempt to complete Deucember this year but I kept going as much as I could and managed to get pretty close.
Sticking with my unopened Shameless releases I picked this one and found it a very pleasant surprise. Creepy and Rosemary’s Baby influenced with good central performances from Herbert Lom and Kelly Curtis. You can see Argento’s influence all over it to which is obviously welcome. Enjoyed this quite a bit.
