Not as good as Dust Devil but Richard Stanley's psychedelic imagery never disappoints. The post-apocalyptic atmosphere is, as others have said, a highlight.
Watched this when I was drunk and this is the review I wrote
" imo:
Mother of Toads (Richard Stanley): 7
I Love You (Buddy Giovinazzno): 8
Wet Dreams (Tom Savini): 6
The Accident (Douglas Buck): 4
Vision Stains (Karim Hussain): 5
Sweets (David Gregory): 6
framing in between segments aka Theatre Guginol (Jeremy Kasten): 5"
Not very in depth but I guess you get the general idea.
Unlike other reviewers, I was not a huge fan of Theatre Guginol. It reminded me of silly 00's horror and I'm just really not the biggest fan.
Being a fan of both Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, Mother of Toads was a talk treat for me. Just recently discovered Richard Stanley and I've got to say I enjoy him. At times the whole thing felt a bit cheap or silly but overall it was very enjoyable.
The second segment, I Love you, reminded of the roles of the husband and wife in Zulawski's Possession. Maybe not as cerebral but it had just about as much blood.
Wet Dreams was interesting although slightly confusing. Tom Savini, probably the biggest name in horror special FX, both directed and acted in this one. Wonderfully, I might add. First directing effort I've seen by him, but I hope it won't be the last.
The Accident was slow and had an air of the depressive along with an artistic flourish that resulted in it serving as rather something of speed bump. It may have worked better as a stand alone film because here it just killed the mood.
I was also not as enthralled by Vision Stains as other reviewers have seemed to be. It certainly had an original story but it ended disappointingly and I just couldn't get myself into it.
Sweets seemed to be something of a sort of surreal metaphor that addressed many different issues in a roundabout way, as well as keeping up with the general mood of the rest of the film despite the higher level of intellectualism. I did enjoy it, although I found some of it a bit silly and think it lacked full cohesiveness.
Overall Theatre Bizarre is probably one of the better horror anthologies I've seen in a long time.
According to my individual ratings it just barely averages out to a 6 but I feel like overall it was probably a solid 6, maybe even a 7.
I actually enjoyed this more than i thought i would, this being 90's Lamberto Bava- whom i was never a huge fan of (Delirium aside). Despite an incoherent plot it manages to stay engaging, doubtless aided by the wonderful cinematography of Luigi Kuveiller (A Woman in a Lizard's Skin, Profondo Rosso). The ending is quite charming as well. All around fun , especially for a giallo made in the 90s. Better than most of Argento's output during that decade.
Shot in South Africa, the location of this film lends a unique air of mystery to am otherwise fairly typical early 70's British thriller. While the story plays it safe, the scenery and camera work shines. the inside of the Bradley house is both chilling and gorgeous, and the beautiful lanscapes create an odd contrast to both the dark mansion, and the frightening plot. While it isn't the most innovative film, I can't help but feel that much of the negative reviews and ratings to cloud this film's online presence are the result of disappointment over the misleading film title.
This feels like it may have been an influence on Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin. Despite starting off this review with such a positive statement, Nightmares Come at Night is not exactly an undiscovered gem. There's a reason this erotic thriller is hard to find. Here, we have Franco at his most experimental- long, extended dance and strip scenes, gratuitous lesbian sex, constant use of the zoom function that can leave one dizzy, and a plot that is nearly completely incomprehensible. As far as I can gather our main character was working as a stripper when another girl, blonde, seduces and bewitches her. She forces our protagonist to come live with her in her (naturally) lavish mansion, where the girl begins having nightmares of bloodlust and murder. For some reason the blonde girl keeps calling the doctor even though it's pretty obvious she's the one causing the odd happenings. (this is somewhat cleared up later). Next door a random trashy couple is spying on the two girls. This also causes confusion as the neighbor girl looks almost exactly like the protagonist. Naturally infidelity abounds, but it feels more the product of an attempt at creating singe sort of tension than a real part of the story.
Nightmares Come at Night is Jess Franco at his most impressionistic, it's highly psychedelic and completely incoherent- and believe me when I tell you that I don't say that lightly, being a huge fan of Franco and Rollin and giallo fanatic. So as you can see I'm very used to the dreamlike, surreal nature of 60's-80's European horrors and erotic thrillers; and even for me this is a conundrum- but a pleasant one nonetheless as long as you aren't too analytical and you can enjoy the visuals.
A little sillier than Coffy, there's more comedic dialogue and it's not quite as emotionally charged, but I still have to give it the same rating. Just an absolute classic.
I was actually very pleasantly surprised. I didn't go into this expecting much as i've never been a huge Fulci fan, but I do enjoy him, and as far as Fulci this probably had tighter editing and a more straightforward storyline than anything else I've seen by him. The 'twist' was obvious the entire time but it didn't make the film any less enjoyable and there were no plot holes- maybe a first for him?
This film was less surreal than most and mainly focused on dark comedy and a simple crime tale, not much in the way of sets or cinematography, but it did what it set out to do, and with less stumbling than I've come to expect from the 'godfather of gore'.
All in all a worthy watch if you can get your hands on the BluRay edition.
This movie started off as fresh and hilarious, despite it's obvious low-budget setbacks. Sadly that didn't last, as the longer the film went on the more it dragged and meandered. I really wanted to give this a higher rating and I'm sad that I can't.
Probably the first misstep in MoH's second season. Was I surprised? When I saw that it was directed by Dario Argento?
At least it was better than Jenifer.
This is actually the most inspired i've ever seen Brad Anderson. So far one of the best episodes of Masters of Horror, the second season is looking really good to me. Not sure why everyone hates on it.
Sounds Like is similar to Anderson's earlier The Machinist, but more concise. Very similar in fact.
It also reminded me of Poe's The Tell Tale Heart.
I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't expect much out of this episode because I didn't recognize the director and the writer was Mick Garris- who has always disappointed me. But this was actually pretty engaging, scary, and original. One of the better episodes
Without a doubt the best episode of Masters of Horror so far.
The second episode directed by horror-comedy master John Landis, and better than his first.
Family is evenly paced, funny, and entertaining. This one is equal only to Carpenter's Cigarette Burns.
I had mixed feelings when I saw that the first episode of the second season of this anthology show would be directed by none other than Tobe Hooper. For one thing we all know how much raw potential he has but also how he tends to make some oddly disappointing directing decisions that leave his works sadly unfulfilled.
And for another this is his second addition to Masters of Horror (one of the few true masters really featured)- and his first one was good. It was decent but not great.
Seeing that this one was another collaboration between Matheson and Hooper had me pretty excited because the script for Dance of the Dead, Hooper's earlier episode also written by Matheson, was nice.
I actually had higher expectations for this episode than I did Dance of the Dead- for the first four minutes.
And then comes in that awful slow-mo hazy effect that he used so liberally in his other episode. Why he does things like this is beyond me but I immediately gave a great sigh and settled down, ready for another lukewarm serving from someone very adept and delivering below his potential.
Which was actually a blessing in disguise because now I was open to being pleasantly surprised. This time around the cinematography had a warm ambiance reminiscent of TCM. It was set in Texas, so maybe that's just what Hooper does best.In fact, the atmosphere seems to be an element that's missing in a lot of his films and is really done justice here.
The script was also tighter this time around- it probably did help that it was based on a short story rather than a Matheson original.
I started off this review with criticism but honestly The Damned Thing is a gem among later Hooper works and a cut above most of the episodes of Masters of Horror.
Great concept, poor execution. A few bad decisions watered down what could have been a pretty great episode. Which is why I give props to the writer, William Greenberg (also wrote Halloween: H20 to give you an idea of his skill and style), and am convinced that the director is the one who fumbled this one. William Malone, whom has directed nothing I have ever seen and now I don't plan on it. Also I really hate when they decide to use CGI for important things, it really cheapens the whole thing.
A nice, fun little collaboration. Lots of appearances from familiar faces including Wes Craven, Blondie, and Twiggy. John Carpenter is great as the quirky morgue worker in between segments and his first piece is probably the best in the anthology.
Tobe Hooper's addition was also surprisingly good, I really expected something more cringeworthy from late Hooper and although it wasn't exactly original it was still engaging and well made. Although I suspect Tobe probably isn't as good an actor himself as Carpenter seeing as how they placed him as morgue employee for all of ten seconds at the end.
Two Evil Eyes is a collaboration by two horror masters; George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead), and Dario Argento (Suspiria). Special effects are also provided by the top name in horror movies of the period, Tom Savini.
To top it off, both stories are based on works by Edgar Allan Poe, arguably one of the largest influences on works of horror, well... ever.
And the efforts of these great names quite lives up to expectations. In fact, it may succeed them if you are aware of the decline in the quality of output by both of these directors around this time period.
Romero's next film after Two Evil Eyes was the appalling King adaptation The Dark Half, and Argento's the lukewarm Trauma. So if one is knowledgeable of this it would be nothing but natural to approach this film tentatively.
Fortunately, your fears will be calmed. The first half is titled The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, and is based on the Poe short story of the same name. Romero's adaptation is a fun and concise update. The storyline is engaging, easy to follow, well acted, well shot. I wouldn't say that it's going to blow your mind but it's certainly enjoyable.
Argento's effort, as would be expected, was somewhat more complicated. In terms of quality, plot, and appearance.
The Black Cat is, mainly, based on the well known Poe story of the same name. It also incorporates nods to other works by the author and the main character's last name is Usher.
The story is somewhat muddled and confusing, but that really comes with the territory when Argento is concerned. There are also a few questionable set choices but overall I really found the second half very enjoyable as well.
Overall I really think that Two Evil Eyes is a pretty damn enjoyable selection and probably more even than I've made it sound. It's better than its place in the filmographies of the respective directors would suggest as well.
Whoever made this movie has no idea what suspension of disbelief means.
Luckily the interesting presentation and (as Faris Ramli stated) breakneck pacing manage to overcome the numerous plot holes.
Also +1 star for the Suicide feature. They are fucking awesome.
Comments 26 - 50 of 206
Movie comment on Hardware
nick121235
Not as good as Dust Devil but Richard Stanley's psychedelic imagery never disappoints. The post-apocalyptic atmosphere is, as others have said, a highlight.Movie comment on The Theatre Bizarre
nick121235
Watched this when I was drunk and this is the review I wrote" imo:
Mother of Toads (Richard Stanley): 7
I Love You (Buddy Giovinazzno): 8
Wet Dreams (Tom Savini): 6
The Accident (Douglas Buck): 4
Vision Stains (Karim Hussain): 5
Sweets (David Gregory): 6
framing in between segments aka Theatre Guginol (Jeremy Kasten): 5"
Not very in depth but I guess you get the general idea.
Unlike other reviewers, I was not a huge fan of Theatre Guginol. It reminded me of silly 00's horror and I'm just really not the biggest fan.
Being a fan of both Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, Mother of Toads was a talk treat for me. Just recently discovered Richard Stanley and I've got to say I enjoy him. At times the whole thing felt a bit cheap or silly but overall it was very enjoyable.
The second segment, I Love you, reminded of the roles of the husband and wife in Zulawski's Possession. Maybe not as cerebral but it had just about as much blood.
Wet Dreams was interesting although slightly confusing. Tom Savini, probably the biggest name in horror special FX, both directed and acted in this one. Wonderfully, I might add. First directing effort I've seen by him, but I hope it won't be the last.
The Accident was slow and had an air of the depressive along with an artistic flourish that resulted in it serving as rather something of speed bump. It may have worked better as a stand alone film because here it just killed the mood.
I was also not as enthralled by Vision Stains as other reviewers have seemed to be. It certainly had an original story but it ended disappointingly and I just couldn't get myself into it.
Sweets seemed to be something of a sort of surreal metaphor that addressed many different issues in a roundabout way, as well as keeping up with the general mood of the rest of the film despite the higher level of intellectualism. I did enjoy it, although I found some of it a bit silly and think it lacked full cohesiveness.
Overall Theatre Bizarre is probably one of the better horror anthologies I've seen in a long time.
According to my individual ratings it just barely averages out to a 6 but I feel like overall it was probably a solid 6, maybe even a 7.
Movie comment on Body Puzzle
nick121235
I actually enjoyed this more than i thought i would, this being 90's Lamberto Bava- whom i was never a huge fan of (Delirium aside). Despite an incoherent plot it manages to stay engaging, doubtless aided by the wonderful cinematography of Luigi Kuveiller (A Woman in a Lizard's Skin, Profondo Rosso). The ending is quite charming as well. All around fun , especially for a giallo made in the 90s. Better than most of Argento's output during that decade.Movie comment on House of the Living Dead
nick121235
Shot in South Africa, the location of this film lends a unique air of mystery to am otherwise fairly typical early 70's British thriller. While the story plays it safe, the scenery and camera work shines. the inside of the Bradley house is both chilling and gorgeous, and the beautiful lanscapes create an odd contrast to both the dark mansion, and the frightening plot. While it isn't the most innovative film, I can't help but feel that much of the negative reviews and ratings to cloud this film's online presence are the result of disappointment over the misleading film title.Movie comment on Les cauchemars naissent la nuit
nick121235
This feels like it may have been an influence on Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin. Despite starting off this review with such a positive statement, Nightmares Come at Night is not exactly an undiscovered gem. There's a reason this erotic thriller is hard to find. Here, we have Franco at his most experimental- long, extended dance and strip scenes, gratuitous lesbian sex, constant use of the zoom function that can leave one dizzy, and a plot that is nearly completely incomprehensible. As far as I can gather our main character was working as a stripper when another girl, blonde, seduces and bewitches her. She forces our protagonist to come live with her in her (naturally) lavish mansion, where the girl begins having nightmares of bloodlust and murder. For some reason the blonde girl keeps calling the doctor even though it's pretty obvious she's the one causing the odd happenings. (this is somewhat cleared up later). Next door a random trashy couple is spying on the two girls. This also causes confusion as the neighbor girl looks almost exactly like the protagonist. Naturally infidelity abounds, but it feels more the product of an attempt at creating singe sort of tension than a real part of the story.Nightmares Come at Night is Jess Franco at his most impressionistic, it's highly psychedelic and completely incoherent- and believe me when I tell you that I don't say that lightly, being a huge fan of Franco and Rollin and giallo fanatic. So as you can see I'm very used to the dreamlike, surreal nature of 60's-80's European horrors and erotic thrillers; and even for me this is a conundrum- but a pleasant one nonetheless as long as you aren't too analytical and you can enjoy the visuals.
Movie comment on Foxy Brown
nick121235
A little sillier than Coffy, there's more comedic dialogue and it's not quite as emotionally charged, but I still have to give it the same rating. Just an absolute classic.Movie comment on Coffy
nick121235
Coffy is an icon...Movie comment on Quando Alice ruppe lo specchio
nick121235
I was actually very pleasantly surprised. I didn't go into this expecting much as i've never been a huge Fulci fan, but I do enjoy him, and as far as Fulci this probably had tighter editing and a more straightforward storyline than anything else I've seen by him. The 'twist' was obvious the entire time but it didn't make the film any less enjoyable and there were no plot holes- maybe a first for him?This film was less surreal than most and mainly focused on dark comedy and a simple crime tale, not much in the way of sets or cinematography, but it did what it set out to do, and with less stumbling than I've come to expect from the 'godfather of gore'.
All in all a worthy watch if you can get your hands on the BluRay edition.
Movie comment on La mala ordina
nick121235
Not as good as Caliber 9Movie comment on Shut Up and Kiss Me
nick121235
This movie started off as fresh and hilarious, despite it's obvious low-budget setbacks. Sadly that didn't last, as the longer the film went on the more it dragged and meandered. I really wanted to give this a higher rating and I'm sad that I can't.Movie comment on Masters of Horror: The Washingtonians
nick121235
I expect this to be silly and... suck... but it was actually strangely good. Mostly just fun.Movie comment on Masters of Horror: We All Scream for Ice Cream
nick121235
I expected better from Tom Holland.Movie comment on Masters of Horror: Valerie on the Stairs
nick121235
It has a certain charm...Movie comment on Masters of Horror: Pelts
nick121235
Probably the first misstep in MoH's second season. Was I surprised? When I saw that it was directed by Dario Argento?At least it was better than Jenifer.
Movie comment on Masters of Horror: Pro-Life
nick121235
Pretty good episode. Not as good as Cigarette Burns but one of the better ones. There hasn't been a miss in season two yet.Movie comment on Masters of Horror: Sounds Like
nick121235
This is actually the most inspired i've ever seen Brad Anderson. So far one of the best episodes of Masters of Horror, the second season is looking really good to me. Not sure why everyone hates on it.Sounds Like is similar to Anderson's earlier The Machinist, but more concise. Very similar in fact.
It also reminded me of Poe's The Tell Tale Heart.
Movie comment on Masters of Horror: The V Word
nick121235
I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't expect much out of this episode because I didn't recognize the director and the writer was Mick Garris- who has always disappointed me. But this was actually pretty engaging, scary, and original. One of the better episodesMovie comment on Masters of Horror: Family
nick121235
Without a doubt the best episode of Masters of Horror so far.The second episode directed by horror-comedy master John Landis, and better than his first.
Family is evenly paced, funny, and entertaining. This one is equal only to Carpenter's Cigarette Burns.
Movie comment on Masters of Horror: The Damned Thing
nick121235
I had mixed feelings when I saw that the first episode of the second season of this anthology show would be directed by none other than Tobe Hooper. For one thing we all know how much raw potential he has but also how he tends to make some oddly disappointing directing decisions that leave his works sadly unfulfilled.And for another this is his second addition to Masters of Horror (one of the few true masters really featured)- and his first one was good. It was decent but not great.
Seeing that this one was another collaboration between Matheson and Hooper had me pretty excited because the script for Dance of the Dead, Hooper's earlier episode also written by Matheson, was nice.
I actually had higher expectations for this episode than I did Dance of the Dead- for the first four minutes.
And then comes in that awful slow-mo hazy effect that he used so liberally in his other episode. Why he does things like this is beyond me but I immediately gave a great sigh and settled down, ready for another lukewarm serving from someone very adept and delivering below his potential.
Which was actually a blessing in disguise because now I was open to being pleasantly surprised. This time around the cinematography had a warm ambiance reminiscent of TCM. It was set in Texas, so maybe that's just what Hooper does best.In fact, the atmosphere seems to be an element that's missing in a lot of his films and is really done justice here.
The script was also tighter this time around- it probably did help that it was based on a short story rather than a Matheson original.
I started off this review with criticism but honestly The Damned Thing is a gem among later Hooper works and a cut above most of the episodes of Masters of Horror.
Movie comment on Masters of Horror: The Fair Haired Child
nick121235
Great concept, poor execution. A few bad decisions watered down what could have been a pretty great episode. Which is why I give props to the writer, William Greenberg (also wrote Halloween: H20 to give you an idea of his skill and style), and am convinced that the director is the one who fumbled this one. William Malone, whom has directed nothing I have ever seen and now I don't plan on it. Also I really hate when they decide to use CGI for important things, it really cheapens the whole thing.Movie comment on Body Bags
nick121235
A nice, fun little collaboration. Lots of appearances from familiar faces including Wes Craven, Blondie, and Twiggy. John Carpenter is great as the quirky morgue worker in between segments and his first piece is probably the best in the anthology.Tobe Hooper's addition was also surprisingly good, I really expected something more cringeworthy from late Hooper and although it wasn't exactly original it was still engaging and well made. Although I suspect Tobe probably isn't as good an actor himself as Carpenter seeing as how they placed him as morgue employee for all of ten seconds at the end.
Movie comment on Due occhi diabolici
nick121235
Two Evil Eyes is a collaboration by two horror masters; George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead), and Dario Argento (Suspiria). Special effects are also provided by the top name in horror movies of the period, Tom Savini.To top it off, both stories are based on works by Edgar Allan Poe, arguably one of the largest influences on works of horror, well... ever.
And the efforts of these great names quite lives up to expectations. In fact, it may succeed them if you are aware of the decline in the quality of output by both of these directors around this time period.
Romero's next film after Two Evil Eyes was the appalling King adaptation The Dark Half, and Argento's the lukewarm Trauma. So if one is knowledgeable of this it would be nothing but natural to approach this film tentatively.
Fortunately, your fears will be calmed. The first half is titled The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, and is based on the Poe short story of the same name. Romero's adaptation is a fun and concise update. The storyline is engaging, easy to follow, well acted, well shot. I wouldn't say that it's going to blow your mind but it's certainly enjoyable.
Argento's effort, as would be expected, was somewhat more complicated. In terms of quality, plot, and appearance.
The Black Cat is, mainly, based on the well known Poe story of the same name. It also incorporates nods to other works by the author and the main character's last name is Usher.
The story is somewhat muddled and confusing, but that really comes with the territory when Argento is concerned. There are also a few questionable set choices but overall I really found the second half very enjoyable as well.
Overall I really think that Two Evil Eyes is a pretty damn enjoyable selection and probably more even than I've made it sound. It's better than its place in the filmographies of the respective directors would suggest as well.
Movie comment on Boy Crush
nick121235
The first two stories were great. The rest were okay.Movie comment on Cult of Chucky
nick121235
It was actually surprisingly good.Movie comment on Open Windows
nick121235
Whoever made this movie has no idea what suspension of disbelief means.Luckily the interesting presentation and (as Faris Ramli stated) breakneck pacing manage to overcome the numerous plot holes.
Also +1 star for the Suicide feature. They are fucking awesome.
Showing items 26 – 50 of 206