Pelts (2006) #372

"Pelts" is Dario Argento's second entry in the "Masters of Horror" series, a piece that has an equally creepy cast of characters but an even stronger story than his first offering with "Jenifer". Singer/actor Meatloaf stars as Jake Feldman, a fur trader and craftsman who is obsessed with an erotic dancer who won't give him the time of day. When one of his trappers calls him with an offer of a lifetime for a stock of perfect raccoon skins, Jake is forced to see what the old man is offering. But when Jake and his assistant arrive to buy the skins, they find that both the hunter and his son have died very gruesome deaths. Jake takes the pelts and brings them to his shop and has his team begin creating the perfect coat. But one by one the employees die horrible deaths as well. This does not stop Jake in his quest and takes the completed coat to the dancer's apartment where he coaxes her into having sex with him in exchange for the coat and the chance to model it at an upcoming fashion event. Afterwards, Jake falls victim the the pelts curse and soon the dancer is claimed as a victim as well.

Morale of the tale - never trap and kill a raccoon on scared land.....

What made this episode standout, in a positive way, is that each death was related directly to how the character was involved with the raccoon pelts. Watch for the connections!

Plague Town (2008) #371

"Plague Town" was a random film I picked up at my local video store (Scarecrow Video), a movie that I had never heard of before but one that looked promising enough. I felt that the first scene was interesting and that it set up several possible story lines but what followed was a complete and utter disappointment. Just because a movie has a low budget doesn't mean that the actors have to be untalented or over act their various parts. Simply because a movie has a low budget doesn't mean that the plot has to not make sense. Being low budget isn't an excuse! The lighting is fine, the make up is effective (especially for the character Rosemary), and the film quality is respectable. The rest of the film after the scene is nonsense and a waste of valuable movie watching time.


A dysfunctional family is attempting to take a vacation together in the middle of the Irish countryside. They miss their bus back to civilization after the two sisters get into a fight with each other. When night comes, the older sister leaves with her boyfriend and the two soon come across a local who becomes agitated and shoots the boyfriend as the older sister runs off into the woods. The father figure goes out to find help and is killed by two little girls wearing masks. The mother and younger sister are attacked by a mob of teenage children, with the mother being killed by being hit in the head repeatedly with a hubcap. Soon the sisters find each other and try to escape the weird little town with the weird population of mutant children and the adults who keep trying to have normal babies....

Retreat (2011) #370

"Retreat" is a suspenseful but simple film about a couple who are out on a tiny island with a single large cottage, trying to enjoy their vacation/work on their marriage when I bloodied solider collapses on the pathway to the house. The tension quickly builds when the solider, Private Jack Colman, tells the couple, Martin and Kate, that there has been a deadly epidemic released in England and elsewhere and that the three must quarantine themselves away in the cottage. The virus has a 100% kill rate and the victims are dying slow painful deaths as they cough up blood as their lungs quickly deteriorate. At first Martin and Kate do as they're told, but as Jack's behavior starts to shift and his story stops making sense, the two try to find a way out of their hostage-like situation and a means off the secluded island.

What makes this film work so well are the strong performances of the three lead actors. Cilian Murphy isn't a stranger to this kind of film, and Jaime Bell and Thandie Newton prove without a doubt that they also know how to play off the tension that is growing between the characters. This is a solid film that first time director Carl Tibbetts should be proud of and I can't wait to see if he creates any other tense, chilling films in the future.

Phantasm 2 (1988) #369

I'm a firm believer that Don Coscarelli never planned to turn "Phantasm" into a series and that a sequel only came about because the studio that he worked for demanded one and soon! It took nine years for it to come, but eventually the world was given "Phantasm 2". It appeared that the studio had other demands as well, including the recasting of the main character and no funky dream sequences or abstract events. This doesn't mean that "Phantasm 3" is any easier to follow! The sequel is almost just as loopy and bizarre as the first film. And like many sequels that came out in the 80's, everything had to be bigger than before; there are now different kinds of flying orbs, including a gold one with a targeting ray, and let's not forget Reggie's four barreled sawed off shotgun. Even though it has changes and it might not be the sequel that Coscarelli wanted to first give us, I thought it was a fun and enjoyable little movie.

The film picks up six years after the original, with Mike having spent the last few years locked up in an asylum. He fakes his recovery and makes his escape after having repeated dreams about a blond girl who will soon be in danger from the Tall Man. (I honestly thought it was the neighbor girl who's grandmother gave him a fortune telling). Mike meets up with Reggie who soon comes to believe Mike's crazy idea after his house blows up minutes before they arrive. The two load up on weapons and gear and head to the West Coast looking for the Tall Man and his minions. It's in the deserted little town of Perigord, Oregon, that the two find Liz and the Tall Man; along the way they also pick up a hitchhiker named Alchemy who Mike doesn't trust. Soon there are dead bodies, minions, flying orbs, the Tall Man, and fighting. Like most classic 80's horror movies, the villain is defeated and the heroes make their getaway only to be fooled yet again as the Tall Man has the last laugh.

DeepStar Six (1989) #368

"DeepStar Six" is a disappointing underwater horror tale that fails to deliver a satisfying monster or scares after such a large build up during the first half of the film. There is a fair amount of character development that takes place in the first act, so it's redeeming when someone dies by accident or some other means other than from the creature that's released from it's underground cave. And when the creature itself is finally revealed, the viewer is left screaming at the screen "That's it? That little thing?". The film is not nearly as interesting as "Leviathan" or the handful of other underwater themed films that came out during the late 1980's.


DeepStar Six is an underwater research station that is financed by the US military to install missile platforms on the ocean floor. During a routine excursion, the team finds a massive underground cavern at the site of a planned missile platform. They blow up the cavern and accidentally release an ancient beast that had been trapped within. It quickly kills the various crew members after finding it's way into the station itself. People panic, fight back, die, and eventually escape to the surface. Very standard fair without anything new to add.

Contracted (2013) #367

"Contacted" is an interesting film about the gradual physical, mental, and emotional decline of a woman who is infected with some sort of disease or virus with an unknown man after a one night stand; and when I say gradual, I mean over the course of three days. What makes this movie intriguing, besides the gross out effects and ailments that plague the main character is the fact that most of the characters are not likable, making this feel more realistic than it first appears. At first, you want to feel empathetic for the main character Samantha but she turns on everyone around her and refuses the help that they offer. She won't go to the police after her friend Alice tells her that the police are looking for the man she slept with because she doesn't want her estranged girlfriend Nikki to find out that she was with a man. Samantha's mother comes across as too overbearing and judgemental, Nikki is rude and abrupt, Riley is a creepy guy who has a crush on Samantha, and so on. The movie is about the three days after Samantha contracts whatever it is that she has and how quickly she breaks down from it. The final act is brutal and unforgiving which is exactly what it needed to be.

Before

and after

Frankenstein's Army (2013) #366

An instant favorite that I will watch time and time again, "Frankenstein's Army" is a non-stop action packed thrill ride of twisted monstrosities of mangled flesh and various machine parts. The film is a found footage movie and given that perspective it feels like a realistic chase scene through an enormous haunted house attraction. In fact, it may be best to think of the movie as a haunted house attraction that was made into a movie because it would explain how the camera operator was able to escape a horde of monsters time and time again by just going closing a door behind him. I was extremely impressed by the detailed sets and how vast Frankenstein's complex seemed to be; this was either a Prop Masters' dream come true or complete nightmare! Of course the main reason to watch this film is to see the many different types of odd creations that represent Frankenstein's army. There are so very creative and a few WTF monsters in this movie so keep an eye out!


A Russian reconnaissance team is on a mission in Eastern Germany near the end of World War Two and the mission is being recorded for prosperity for Mother Russia. The recon team stumbles across an old factory while looking for a team of Russian comrades who had sent out a distress signal. Inside the decrepit building they find an older man feeding some animals. They force him to lead them into the building but he quickly disappears and then suddenly their worse nightmares come out of the shadows, half-man half-machine hybrids with German markings and odd appendages used only for killing!

Lifeforce (1985)

Although it may not be any where as popular or scary as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or "Poltergeist", Tobe Hopper's "Lifeforce" is still a great horror film that is still fun to watch since it's release in 1985. As one of my personal favorites, I was thrilled when I was able to see the film shown on a large screen when it was selected as a feature film for the H.P. Lovecraft film festival; an excellent choice considering how Lovecraft wrote about monsters and creatures coming from the depths of space, older than humanity itself. It's suiting that the screenplay was co-written by Dan O'Bannon ("Alien") and that it took full advantage of Haley's Comet passing by around the time the film was made. The concept of vampires from space is nicely explored and brought to film in this movie, taking liberties with the vampire mythos that would have otherwise raised eyebrows from traditionalists like myself; they can still hypnotize and seduce their prey but they can do so much more!

Interesting side note - Klaus Kinski, Billy Idol, and Anthony Hopkins were all considered for various roles in this film, with Hopkins actually being offered the role of Col. Colin Caine, but turned it down for his own reasons.


During an historic space shuttle mission to investigate Haley's Comet as it passes by earth, the joint US/UK team of astronauts discover a large, 150 mile long alien space craft caught in the comet's gravitational pull. Upon inspecting the supposedly derelict spacecraft, the crew finds hundreds of dried up bat-like creatures and three human like figures in suspended animation within glass like coffins. The crew take the humanoids, two male and one female, back to the space shuttle...and that's when everything goes astray! Mission control loses it's signal contact with the shuttle and an emergency rescue mission is sent up to see what's wrong. The rescue party finds the ship nearly destroyed by fire but the three humanoids and the glass containers are untouched; the rescue team returns to Earth with the three aliens.

Once on Earth, the Female alien wakes up and steals the "lifeforce" of those around her, leaving behind a trail of dead bodies that eventually come back to life and need to feed in the same fashion as she did, otherwise they end up exploding. The commander of the original shuttle mission is soon found in an escape pod, and he admits that he set the shuttle on fire to kill the aliens and keep Earth safe. It's soon discovered that he is psychically linked to the Female vampire. It's now up to him a few brave souls to enter London, which has become infested with the zombie vampires, to find the three Space Vampires and kill them before their "plague" can spread across the world.

Author's Note - 365 Reviews

Today I celebrate working on my blog for a solid year. While tomorrow is its actual anniversary, today marks the 365th review of a horror movie that I have watched and hopefully enjoyed. I have selected Tobe Hopper's 1985 horror movie "Lifeforce" to mark this special occasion, because like my blog, the film has its sexy moments, it's thrilling parts, plenty of action, and a fair serving of WTF moments. 

Of the course of this last year I have discovered my new found love for French horror, a renewed appreciation for Japanese horror, the chance to revisit childhood favorites, and saw many new horror titles that I had either wanted to see or stumbled across by pure accident. 

I plan to continue watching and reviewing horror films although I might not do so once per day, seeing that I have other projects I would like to focus on and explore. I still have a healthy list if movies I've seen that I want to talk about and an even longer list if films that I still want to see. I'm excited to see where this blog takes me in the future and how long it continues to entertain and inform my audience. 

To everyone who has read an entry or two over the past year, thank you! And to everyone that had given me their support and feedback, a hearty and gracious thank you to you as well. This project would not have been nearly as fun without you!

Madhouse (1974)

1974's "Madhouse" marked the last film that Vincent Price made for AIP (American International Pictures). The film itself was considered a box office failure and many critics claimed that it was the end of the low budget horror movies of the 1970's as pictures like "The Exorcist" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" soon took over movie screens across the nation. "Madhouse" did feel a bit redundant at this point in Mr. Price's career. How many times can he have a cheating wife or a girlfriend with a sordid past. Or how many times can he play a character with a struggling career wanting to make a comeback or demand the respect of the audience or critics? "Madhouse" is a who-dun it murder mystery, a prelude of sorts to the modern day slasher flick.

Paul Toombes is a washed up horror actor whose career spiraled out of control after his fiancée was murdered and he was committed to an insane asylum after being cleared as the prime suspect. Years later, Toombes is hired to star in a television series in England, portraying his famous Dr. Death character that made him famous in his past. Before filming even begins, people around Toombes are found murdered in similar styles that characters in Dr. Death films had been killed off. Evidence stacks against Toombes as the body count climbs and he is forced to race against the clock before the killer is finally revealed.

Theatre of Blood (1973)

Being a huge fan of Shakespeare, it was really fun seeing Vincent Price delivering so many great lines and soliloquies in the 1973 horror film, "Theatre of Blood", and is now my favorite Vince Price film. This was one of Vincent Price's favorite movies as well because it gave him the chance to deliver such lines after finding it difficult to be cast in a Shakespearean play or movie since he was typecast to horror films. The film is fun, campy, violent, and very clever in my opinion. It feels very 70's and British, which in this case is a wonderful thing. At times it does feel a bit redundant but overall it's a thrill ride that plays an unique sense of tribute to the Bard.


Edward Lionheart is a passionate Shakespearean actor who has just completed his final season of performances. When it comes time to receive his naturally expected award for the "Critics Circle Award for Best Actor", he is stunned and personally humiliated that he lost unanimously. After grabbing the award that was awarded to him, Lionheart gives an impassioned rendition of Hamlet's third soliloquy before jumping off the edge of the building and into the water below. Years later the critics are being killed off one by one by Lionheart, each in a fashion that resembles a death scene from a Shakespearean play; with each death following the order of the plays that Lionheart appeared in during his final season. Lionheart is able to trick each critic into believing that he's someone else before revealing himself and delivering a delicious quote from Shakespeare as he makes his killing blow. Believing Lionheart to be dead, the prime suspect is Lionheart's daughter. To prove her innocence, Lionheart reveals himself to one of the critics and allows him to live, just so he can tell the police that it is Lionheart who is behind the murders. With just one critic remaining, the police narrow in and trap Lionheart before he can make his escape. Like a true artist, Lionheart knows how to make the ultimate exit.

Favorite moment - I love the scene in which Lionheart is playing Shylock from "The Merchant of Venice", and how he plays with the critic who has been tricked into reading the role of Antonio.

Lionheart as Titus

Lionheart as Shylock

Lionheart receiving his award at last

Witchfinder General (1968)

"Witch Hunter General" delivers a drastic change in mood, the level of violence, and the kind of character that Vincent Price portrays compared to any of his earlier films. The innocent and campy effects are gone and have been replaced with scenes of torture and streaks of red paint that supposed to be blood. The film feels too adult and R rated for Vincent Price to be in but it was just the first of many that would showcase the esteemed actor in such a dark manner; I simply wasn't ready to see him as a lecherous, dirty old man who exchanges promises for sexual services. The film itself feels like it belongs on cable TV and shown during a midnight time slot.


Matthew Hopkins is the Witch Hunter General, dealing out his sense of justice from town to town by judging and executing those accused of witchcraft. He is assisted by John Stearne, a man who loves torture more than any man should. They cross paths with a young Roundhead named Richard Marshall while they are on their way to the interrogate Richard's fiance Sara and her uncle. Sara gives herself to Hopkins in order to stop her uncle's torture, but when Hopkins leaves for other business, Stearne kills the man and rapes Sara. When Richard Marshall finds out, he swears to kill Hopkins and Stearne, tracking them down as they continue to reap sexual favors and killing innocent people accused of being witches.

Matthew Hopkins, the Witch Hunter General

Hopkins and Stearne torturing Sara

Richard and Sara's wedding

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

I have read and I'm a huge fan of Richard Matheson's story "I am Legend", a story that has now inspired three different film versions. While each version attempts to recreate the intense and terrifying world that is described in that book, the first film that attempted to do so failed horribly. Richard Matheson himself was hired to co-write the script but soon left the project in disgust over how his story was being twisted and treated. "The Last Man on Earth" is ultimately a plodding, slow, ridiculous mess starring Vincent Price as Dr. Robert Morgan. Price's narration and acting feel tired and phoned in, as he also knew how much the script had been altered from the original story. The film is made even more difficult to watch due to the low film quality that makes it seem like the movie was originally filmed as a silent movie or shortly after they were able to add a suitable soundtrack to films.


Dr. Robert Morgan is the last normal human on Earth. Everyone else has been turned into vampire-like creatures that walk around and faintly moan like zombies at night. Dr. Morgan spends his days tracking down and killing the vampires, dumping their bodies into a fire pit. He eventually meets Ruth, a woman who may or may not be infected. Dr. Morgan's hopes are dashed when he finds out that she is infected. He finds a cure for her but it's too late when Ruth's friends come and save her and kill him for his actions against the vampires.

The Tingler (1959)

"The Tingler" is the second film to come out in 1959 that was directed and produced by William Castle and starring Vincent Price. This time around the movie opens with a monologue by Mr. Castle, who is speaking directly to the audience, encouraging them to scream out loud because it just might save their lives. Castle had installed a buzzer to the bottom of many of the seats in the theaters that were screening "The Tingler", which would go off at the right moment. A silhouette of the Tingler creature was also made to move in front of the movie projector to indicate that the creature was there in the theater itself. While full of gimmicks, "The Tingler" isn't nearly as dull as "The House in Haunted Hill" although the effects in the movie were just as silly. The one exception is a scene where the water in the sink, bathtub, and a hand rising from the blood filled tub are filmed in color against a black and white setting. The film itself was purposely filmed in black and white just so this scene could have that moment of intensity and awe.

This was the fifth horror film that Vincent Price had appeared in and this is when he earned the moniker as the "Master of Menace".


Dr. Warren Chapin has discovered a parasite attached to the spine of every human that is responsible for the tingling sensation that people feel when they're scared. He becomes obsessed in wanting to know what real terror is like and even tries some LSD to see if he can enter a terrified state of consciousness. Meanwhile, a deaf and mute woman that Dr. Chapin had prescribed some sleeping pills for has died; her husband, an owner of a movie theater that screens only silent movies, is actually the murderer. Dr. Chapin performs an autopsy on the wife and removes her Tingler, which is still alive. The Tingler breaks free and runs amok within the theater, causing terror and panic. Dr. Chapin is able to capture the creature and announces that the only way they can contain it is to place it back into the deceased body in which it came from. Doing so temporarily animates the corpse, which gets it's revenge on it's former husband.

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

William Castle was a famous director who added gimmicks and effects to some of the movie theaters where his films were shown. While this added to the viewing experience to those that went to those theaters, it's a shame that Mr. Castle didn't have the faith that his films were scary enough to stand on their own. Or maybe he did realize that his films weren't that scary and that they needed all the help they could get! A great example of where one his films fails to deliver any real scares is his original version of "House on Haunted Hill". Starring Vincent Price, this film lacked the same intensity and thrills that "House of Wax" had, which was made six years earlier. "House on Haunted Hill" had a great premise but the effects in the movie feel more like set up for the effects and gimmicks that took place in the theaters. As a combined piece of performance art, "House on Haunted Hill" excels while as a horror movie, it's merely adequate.

Seeing this version does increase the entertainment value and appreciation of the 1999 remake.


Frederick Loren is an eccentric million who is throwing a party for his fourth wife's birthday. He has rented an old, haunted house and has invited five guests to come and stay the night with the promise of paying each guest $10,000 if they stay until the morning. One of the guests is actually the owner of the house, who takes the group on a tour and tells them about the various brutal and violent murders that have occurred at the residence over the years. Nora Manning, an employee at one of Mr. Loren's companies, begins to explore the house and witnesses various ghoulish sights. Later that night, when the party truly begins, Mr. Loren gives each guest a loaded pistol for protection. Loren's wife, Annabelle, tries to convince the group that her husband is insane and it trying to kill her. Everyone becomes weary of him as well as the events happening in the house. It is soon revealed that Annabelle is having an affair with one of the invited guests and this is the perfect oppurituninty to kill Mr. Loren. So who will kill who, and will it be the living or the dead that strikes the fatal blow?

House of Wax (1953)

In the 1953 film "House of Wax", Vincent Price gets the chance to turn in a devilish performance as a deranged wax sculptor bent on revenge on those who profited from his supposed "death". Having a large portion of screen time, Vincent first appears as a sympathetic character who loses everything he ever cared about (his wax creations) and returns as the sly and devious killer who masks his deformities with a wax mask of his own. I was surprised at the level of violence that was in a film from this time period and the number of murders that Vincent's character made. The film is presented seriously and only one character comes across as cartoonish. The version I saw was in color and the production looked sharp and clean.

Author's Note - Vincent Price

This week is dedicated to the master of macabre, the one and only Vincent Price. Vincent Price may have been a versatile actor but he will always be remembered for his horror movies that ranged from being brilliant to downright comical. And of course he is forever immortalized as the narrator for Michael Jackson's "Thriller". His recognizable voice, lean and towering physic, and his devilish grin made him a perfect choice for the various roles of horror films in the 50's, 60's, and 70's.

Kill Theory (2009)

"Kill Theory" falls into the group of movies in which a single stranger forces a large group to do horrible things to each other with the promise that one of them will be able to leave the horrid event alive. These other films include "Vile" and "Hunger".  In "Kill Theory", a group of friends are forced to turn each other to prove the point that sometimes you have to kill your loved ones in order to survive. The unseen killer had been convicted of manslaughter when he had to cut the rope and kill two or three friends below him while they were out mountain climbing. To prove his point that he was innocent and had to do it, he finds a group of friends out at a remote summer house and sets up traps to ensure that they don't escape and are forced to play his demented game. As always, favoritism comes up as well as feelings of being bullied and former flings come to light, testing the loyalty and will power of the group. Some die early on while others stick it out and last longer than you might imagine. The movie has some heart churning moments of betrayal and keeps things interesting. Most definitely worth watching at least once.