Lo Squartatore Di New York (New York Ripper, 1982)
Director: Lucio Fulci
Writers: Lucio Fulci
Rating: 8.5/10
Fulci in top form in this exquisitely sleazy slasher.
Posted on 01/25/2012
Le Quattro Volte (2010)
Director: Michelangelo Frammartino
Writer: Michelangelo Frammartino
Rating: 9/10
Expansively constrained meditation of morbidity.
Posted on 01/23/2012
The Last Wave (1977)
Director: Peter Weir
Writers: Peter Weir, Tony Morphett, Petru Popescu
Rating: 8.5/10
Polished and well-executed journey into dream-time.
Posted on 01/15/2012
King Kong (1933)
Directors: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
Writers: Ruth Rose, James Ashmore Creelman
Rating: 5.5/10
Standard-setting, but with disagreeable standards.
Posted on 01/15/2012
Quella Villa Accanto al Cimitero (The House by the Cemetary, 1981)
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Writers: Elisa Briganti, Lucio Fulci, Giorgio Mariuzzo, Dardano Sacchetti
Rating: 8.5/10
Bizzare b-horror; approximately 40% of the dialogue is characters calling each others' names.
Posted on 01/12/2012
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Director: Richard Linklater
Writer: Richard Linklater
Rating: 3/10
Fairly wretched adaptation of an excellent Philip K. Dick story.
Posted on 01/08/2012
Mangiati vivi! (Eaten Alive!, 1980)
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Writer: Umberto Lenzi
Rating: 7/10
Fairly gruesome cannibal flick with a bit of "Jim Jonesploitation".
Posted on 01/05/2012
Violated (1984)
Director: Richard Cannistraro
Writers: Richard Cannistraro, Bennett Sims
Rating: 6.5/10
Rape-revenge flick that muddles its way through the genre, well-described as a "$400,000 date" for its inept director.
Posted on 01/04/2012
Witchboard (1986)
Director: Kevin Tenney
Writer: Kevin Tenney
Rating: 7.5/10
Entertaining b-horror, but somewhat restained in its absurdity.
Posted on 01/02/2012
Arrebato (Rapture, 1980)
Director: Iván Zulueta
Writer: Iván Zulueta
Rating: 10/10
Entrancing meditation on art, film, drugs, love; "everything connects to Arrebato".
Posted on 12/24/2011
Ŕ Bout de Souffle (Breathless, 1960)
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Writers: Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut
Rating: 8/10
Quirky and cutesy story of love.
Posted on 10/24/2011
The Boogeyman (1980)
Director: Ulli Lommel
Writers: Ulli Lommel, David Herschel, Suzanna Love
Rating: 8.5/10
At first glance it appears to be a crude amalgamation of "Halloween" and "The Exorcist" (as its box proudly proclaims), but it has an awkward coldness and confusion that is quite reminiscent of early Fassbinder.
Posted on 10/23/2011
Cannibal Apocalypse (1980)
Director: Antonio Margheriti
Writers: Antonio Margheriti, Dardano Sacchetti
Rating: 7.5/10
Interesting post-Vietnam cannibalism thriller that definitely has its charms, but overall is outshone by others from the same genre.
Posted on 10/22/2011
Last House On The Left (1972)
Director: Wes Craven
Writer: Wes Craven
Rating: 9/10
Torture/revenge flick that ranks above similar titles due to its detailed and well-played characters, as well as its thoughtful direction.
Posted on 10/22/2011
Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1979)
Director: George Barry
Writer: George Barry
Rating: 10/10
Sublimely oblique existential horror which borders (or becomes) avant-garde.
Posted on 10/21/2011
Tourist Trap (1979)
Director: David Schmoeller
Writers: David Schmoeller, J. Larry Carroll
Rating: 7.5/10
70s set-up of "Psycho"; interesting parts are slightly outweighed by cliche.
Posted on 07/12/2011
Dčmoni 2: L'Incubo Ritorna (Demons 2: The Nightmare Returns) (1986)
Director: Lamberto Bava
Writers: Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Franco Ferrini, Dardano Sacchetti
Rating: 9/10
Quirky gothsploitative zombie flick.
Posted on 07/12/2011
Marquis de Sade: Justine (Deadly Sanctuary or Justine) (1969)
Director: Jesus Franco
Writer: Harry Alan Towers (Peter Welbeck)
Rating: 8.5/10
Stilted dialogue, awkward pacing, and bizarre performances make this Marquis de Sade adaptation quite intriguing.
Posted on 07/10/2011
The Black Cat (1990)
Director: Dario Argento
Writers: Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini
Rating: 8/10
Somewhat harried in comparison to Romero's attempt [see below]; still, has numerous stylish scenes one one the best credits songs.
Posted on 07/10/2011
The Facts About Mr. Valdeman (1990)
Director: George Romero
Writers: George Romero
Rating: 8.5/10
Tight and steady execution of a classic horror story.
Posted on 07/10/2011
The Legend of Hell House (1973)
Director: John Hough
Writers: Richard Matheson
Rating: 9.5/10
Claustrophobic shooting, excellent atmosphere, archetypal plot.
Posted on 07/10/2011
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
Director: Wes Craven
Writers: Wes Craven
Rating: 9/10
Engaging b-horror; solidly shot throughout.
Posted on 07/10/2011
Solyaris (Solaris, 1972)
Director: Andrey Tarkovskiy
Writers: Fridrikh Gorenshtein, Andrey Tarkovskiy
Rating: 10/10
Ephemeral and mystical sci-fi.
Posted on 06/23/2011
The Fifth Element (1997)
Director: Luc Besson
Writers: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Rating: 8/10
Sci-fi that pays many tributes to 70s/80s English style.
Posted on 06/23/2011
The Dead Pit (1989)
Director: Brett Leonard
Writers: Gimel Everett, Brett Leonard
Rating: 9/10
B-horror that blends many tropes of other 80s b-horrors without becoming bland; starts to unravel slightly near the end, but overall an excellent effort.
Posted on 06/22/2011
Mansquito (1995)
Director: Tibor Takács
Writers: Kenneth M. Badish, Ray Cannella, Boaz Davidson, Michael Hurst
Rating: 6.5/10
Vaguely interesting "The Fly"-esque premise, ultimately suffers from the "Sci-Fi Channel syndrome", but cannot compare to something like Shark Attack 3: Megaladon.
Posted on 06/22/2011
Cyber Tracker (1994)
Director: Richard Pepin
Writer: Jacobsen Hart
Rating: 8.5/10
Surprisingly enjoyable over-the-top mish-mash of 80s sci-fi tropes.
Posted on 06/22/2011
Zombi 2 (1980)
Director: Lucio Fulci
Writers: Elisa Briganti, Dardano Sacchetti
Rating: 10/10
Classic of the genre coupled with the best soundtrack of the genre.
Posted on 06/10/2011
Zombie Holocaust (1980)
Director: Marino Girolami
Writer: Fabrizio De Angelis, Romano Scandariato, Marino Girolami
Rating: 7/10
Blend of cannibalism/zombie with some nice gore, but isn't shot or directed too well and feels more like a cut-rate "Zombi 2".
Posted on 06/10/2011
Poor Pretty Eddie (1975)
Directors: Richard Robinson, David Worth
Writer: B.W. Sandefur
Rating: 8/10
"Hicksploitation" flick exploring racism and relationship; pervading quirkiness thanks to a great electro-acoustic score and odd characters.
Posted on 06/08/2011
Samurai Cop (1989)
Director: Amir Shervan
Writer: Amir Shervan
Rating: 9.5/10
Sublime b-cop flick: awkard, ridiculous, enchanting.
Posted on 06/05/2011
Baron Blood (1972)
Director: Mario Bava
Writer: Vincent Fotre
Rating: 8/10
Nicely done Italian b-horror, suffers (or benefits) from heavily accented and poorly edited dubbing.
Posted on 06/05/2011
Deadly Obession (1989)
Director: Jenö Hodi
Writers: Brian Cox, Jenö Hodi, Paul Wolansky
Rating: 8.5/10
B-slasher that slightly stands out with its decent direction and absurd plot.
Posted on 06/05/2011
Ax 'Em (1992)
Director: Michael Mfume
Writer: Michael Mfume
Rating: 5.5/10
Astoundingly cut-rate horror flick shot on VHS (?); most dialogue is incomprehensible.
Posted on 05/24/2011
Alien Dead (1980)
Director: Fred Olen Ray
Writers: Fred Olen Ray, Martin Nicholas
Rating: 8/10
B-horror that is surprisingly engaging; heavy "Night of the Living Dead" influence but with unique small-town Florida flavor.
Posted on 05/24/2011
Cataclysm (1980)
Directors: Phillip Marshak, Tom McGowan, Gregg C. Tallas
Writer: Philip Yordan
Rating: 8.5/10
Bizarre and disjointed horror/detective/Satanic b-flick.
Posted on 05/05/2011
The Ninth Configuration (1980)
Director: William Peter Blatty
Writer: William Peter Blatty
Rating: 9/10
Well-executed psychodrama concerning the Vietnam War, PTSD, Christianity, and psychology.
Posted on 05/02/2011
Scream 1-4 (1996, 1997, 2000, 2011)
Director: Wes Craven
Writers: Kevin Williamson (1-4), Ehren Kruger (3),
Rating: 6/10
Somewhat entertaining horror franchise that almost succeeds in providing a satirical overview of the genre, but is ultimately mishandled. [Note: Do not watch Scream 3]
Posted on 04/30/2011
Syngenor (1990)
Director: George Elanjian Jr.
Writers: Michael Carmody, Brent V. Friedman
Rating: 4.5/10
Lackluster horror/sci-fi that only has a few campy redeeming qualities.
Posted on 04/30/2011
Na Srebrnym Globie (On The Silver Globe, 1988)
Director: Andrzej Zulawski
Writer: Andrzej Zulawski
Rating: 10/10
Fantastical philosophic sci-fi with plenty of extended soliloquies and superb set/costume design; well worth many viewings.
Posted on 04/27/2011
Demon Seed (1977)
Director: Donald Cammell
Writers: Robert Jaffe, Roger O. Hirson
Rating: 8/10
Somewhat derivative AI-centric sci-fi, but has a bizarre enough premise to make it worth watching.
Posted on 04/25/2011
The Blob (1988)
Director: Chuck Russell
Writers: Chuck Russell, Frank Darabont
Rating: 7/10
Decent take on the Blob; some excellent effects, but ultimately the characters are flat and the dialoge is lacking.
Posted on 04/25/2011
The Hidden (1987)
Director: Jack Sholder
Writer: Jim Kouf
Rating: 8/10
Above average sci fi/cop thriller; all aliens love speed metal and Ferraris.
Posted on 04/25/2011
The Funhouse (1981)
Director: Tobe Hooper
Writer: Lawrence Block
Rating: 8.5/10
Fantastic carny portrayals in a classic Florida teen slaughter B-horror.
Posted on 04/23/2011
Nightmare (1981)
Director: Romano Scavolini
Writer: Romano Scavolini
Rating: 9/10
Well-executed B-horror/suspense from Florida; plenty of quirks and latex gore.
Posted on 04/23/2011