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518,760 | 8,239,592 | 1,080,981 | 8 | An interesting and informative documentary on Edie Sedgwick | This short , but compelling and illuminating documentary interviews a handful of people who knew Edie Sedgwick during her fleeting , but eventful and memorable burst of fame in the 60's . Among the folks interviewed are Edie's supportive brother Jonathan , her loyal friend Richie Berlin , photographer Nat Finkelstein , art gallery curator Sam Green , record producer Danny Fields , fashion designer Betsey Johnson , artist Gerard Malanga , and " Factory Girl " writer / director George Hickenlooper . We learn that Sedgwick hailed from a wealthy , yet disturbed family ( two of her brothers committed suicide and her father might have had an incestuous relationship with her ) , had been institutionalized in sanitariums several times as a little girl , craved both fame and attention in order to compensate for the love she didn't receive as a kid , Andy Warhol basically used her as a means to an end to make himself a celebrity ( although Warhol essentially invented post-modernism , Edie was nonetheless instrumental in his success ) , had her own singular style , glamorous persona and sense of irresistible charisma that made her an automatic star ( she was also a terrific uninhibited dancer to boot ) , and her romance with Bob Dylan caused her relationship with Warhol to fall apart . Edie's subsequent disintegration beget by her drug addiction is frankly addressed . As one interviewee notes , one of Edie Sedgwick's fatal flaws was that she was a frail and vulnerable damaged soul who never asked anyone for help . A poignant and sobering portrait of the original 60's It girl who was quite possibly the first performance artist of her time . |
519,059 | 8,239,592 | 24,055 | 8 | An entertaining 30's horror romp | The great Boris Karloff gives a typically splendid performance as Professor Morlant , a stubborn , dying Egyptologist who acquires a powerful ancient jewel that's supposed to make him immortal . Morlant comes back to life as a hideously disfigured murderous ghoul after someone steals the jewel from his tomb . Director T . Hayes Hunter relates the eventful story at a constant zippy pace , does an expert job of creating a beautifully eerie atmosphere in the first half of the picture , and adroitly blends elements of both horror and humor into a hugely enjoyable mix . The enthusiastic acting by the tip-top cast qualifies as another substantial asset : Cedric Hardwicke as conniving , treacherous lawyer Broughton , Ernest Thesiger as Morlant's disloyal servant Laing , Anthony Bushell as Morlant's irate nephew Ralph , Dorothy Hyson as Morlant's sweet , fiery niece Betty Harlow , Kathleen Harrison as Betty's dotty friend Kaney , Sir Ralph Richardson in his film debut as jolly priest Nigel Hartley , and Harold Huth as crazed Arab zealot Aga Ben Dragore . Kudos are also in order for Gunther Krampf's stunning black and white cinematography ; the spooky shots of fog-shrouded nighttime London streets are simply exquisite . The roaring , dramatic score by Louis Levy and Rupert Downing likewise hits the stirring spot . My sole complaint is that Karloff isn't in the film enough : Although prominently featured at the start , dear Boris alas remains off-screen for much of the action in the middle of the movie , but fortunately comes back with a ferocious vengeance for the rousing incendiary conclusion . That minor criticism aside , this feature overall rates as a good deal of vintage 30's golden oldie horror fun . |
518,919 | 8,239,592 | 116,604 | 8 | An excellent seriocomic Australian crime caper romp | A rip-snortingly good seriocomic Australian crime caper romp about Kev and Mick , who are a couple of slothful , shiftless , luckless , jobless , penniless , hopelessly dumb and perpetually beer-blasted couch potato twentysomething slacker meatheads who are constantly hard up for booze money . The dim-witted duo decide to reverse their misfortune by robbing a bank . Naturally , things don't go as planned , with a rival gang of clown-masked stick-up boys who've been holding up banks all over the city gumming up the works . This delightfully offbeat feature scores a 100 % smack dab on the money bull's eye thanks to its engagingly off-kilter sense of raucously wiggy humor , keenly observant feel for and genuine sympathy towards miserably impoverished , just barely scraping by bottom - of - the - socioeconomic - ladder lower-class people , uniformly bang-up acting , fluid photography , and commendably unpredictable loosey-goosey narrative structure . Writer / director David Caesar tells the whole manic story with dynamic , barn-storming panache and punchy , pacy , rat-a-tat-tat bravura style to burn , adroitly pulling off a difficult balancing act of laugh-out-loud uproarious comedy and quietly affecting low-key drama ( a subplot concerning the leader of the rival gang needing the stolen loot to support his junkie wife's drug habit proves to be especially poignant ) . The robbery itself is a marvelously tense and thrilling tour-de-force set piece . Best of all , Ben Mendelsohn as the hostile , dangerously temperamental Kev and Jeremy Simms as Kev's more laid-back , long-suffering bud Mick display a wonderfully edgy and oftentimes downright electric chemistry . While the main characters are unarguable losers , the film overall is a total winner . |
519,136 | 8,239,592 | 28,331 | 8 | Tod Slaughter is deliciously hammy in this immensely entertaining 30's low-budget horror quickie | Slimy and deranged Fleet Street , London barber Sweeney Todd ( a gloriously ripe and juicy serving of prime eye-rolling Victorian theatrical ham by Tod Slaughter ) murders costumers for their money and valuables . His baker accomplice Mrs . Lovatt ( a fine performance by Stella Rho ) disposes of the bodies by turning them into meat pies . Complications ensue when Sweeney tries to get the lovely young Johanna Oakley ( the fetching Eve Lister ) to marry him , which doesn't meet with Mrs . Lovatt's approval . Director George King relates the engrossingly ghoulish story at a constant swift pace and does a nice job of evoking a flavorful 19th century period atmosphere . Moreover , the game cast sink their teeth into the macabre material with obvious relish : While Slaughter clearly dominates the show with his marvelously over-the-top portrayal of the demonic and depraved Sweeney , there are still bang-up supporting turns by John Singer as Sweeney's eager young apprentice Tobias Rag , Bruce Seton as likable working class sailor Mark Ingerstreet , D . J . Williams as Johanna's stern father Stephen Oakley , Davina Craig as cheery maid Nan , Jerry Verno as Mark's helpful friend Pearley , and Billy Holland as smarmy , blackmailing fence Mr . Parsons . Technically , this picture is a rinky-dink shambles , with rough cinematography , scratchy sound , primitive fade-outs , and a mushy string score , but Slaughter's delightfully devilish full-blooded histrionics and a most amusing sense of pitch-black gallows humor both ensure that this film is a great deal of wickedly enjoyable fun all the same . |
518,520 | 8,239,592 | 453,533 | 8 | A very creepy and unsettling horror feature | Eager , but sensitive atheist medical student Alison Blanchard ( a fine and sympathetic performance by fetching blonde Corri English ) must overcome her own squeamishness about mortality while taking her gross anatomy class . Things get freaky when the unrestful spirit of the female cadaver she's supposed to dissect tries communicating with her from the beyond and starts committing a series of murders . Director / co-writer Jason Todd Ipson does an expert job of creating and sustaining a grim , intense and morbid atmosphere which becomes more increasing nightmarish and harrowing as the story unfolds . Moreover , Ipson keeps the tone relatively serious throughout ; he never lets the plot get too silly or spoofy at any point . This film further benefits from uniformly sound acting from a capable cast : English truly impresses in the lead , plus there are excellent supporting contributions from Scot Davis as the nice , charming Brian Cross , Joshua Alba as the thoughtful , superstitious Carlos Aclar , Jay Jablonski as the brash , happy-go-lucky Rick O'Connor , Derrick O'Connor as stern , no-nonsense instructor Dr . Blackwell , and Reb Fleming as helpful psychiatrist Dr . Carolyn Saltz . The gruesome and convincing make-up f / x are guaranteed to make you squirm . Both Michael Fimognari's slick , shadowy cinematography and Michael Cohen's spooky'n'shuddery score further enhance the overall eerie and unnerving mood . A most effective and hence recommended shocker . |
518,549 | 8,239,592 | 63,013 | 8 | An enjoyably silly piece of vintage 60's psychedelic kitsch | Oh yeah , baby ! Now this film may not be good in a conventional sense of the word , but man is it one hopelessly dated , yet charming and unintentionally amusing slice of swingin ' 60's camp silliness . Rock singer / songwriter , former smack addict , and onetime Mick Jagger main squeeze Marianne Faithful portrays Rebecca , a bored housewife who bails on her drab , stuffed shirt hubby , dons a spectacular skintight leather jumpsuit , hops on a shiny , powerful custom chopper , and drives halfway across Europe to reunite herself with her absolute to die for stud muffin college professor lover Daniel ( the ever-cool Alain Delon ) . This marvelously messed-up and ridiculous misfire boasts clumsy direction by Jack Cardiff ( who also did the often stunning garish cinematography ) , a groovy score by Les Reed , the gorgeous Marianne looking positively smashing both in and out of her clothes , plenty of funky oh-so-60's psychedelic visuals ( I especially loved the brilliant ruddy whirlpool with the silhouetted seagulls flying around it ) , a startling bummer of a surprise downbeat ending , and , best of all , Marianne articulating via voice-over all these incredibly dippy heavy sentiments on such worldly topics as war , tying the knot ( " Marriage is a little death " ) , love , obsession , and , naturally , the galvanizing , liberating feel of a mean machine throbbin ' between your legs ( shout it with me everyone : " My black motorcycle devil makes love beautifully ! " ) . Like , biker zen , dude . |
517,989 | 8,239,592 | 59,161 | 8 | A real amusingly awful stinker of a cheap sci-fi alien invasion wash-out | A bunch of evil and deadly aliens land in the remote woods of a sleepy rural community and terrorize the countryside . It's up to decent , clean-cut youth Stan Kenyon ( handsome , smooth-voiced John Ashley ) and his sweet girlfriend Susan Rogers ( fetching brunette honey Cynthia Hull ) to stop them before it's too late . Limply directed in a flat style and with an appalling lack of finesse by notorious Grade Z blunder wonder Larry Buchanan , with static cinematography by Ralph K . Johnson , lousy and unconvincing ( markedly less than ) special effects , a drawn-out and meandering narrative ( the pace plods along at an agonizingly gradual crawl ) , a numbing excess of dreary dialogue , stiff acting ( top thespic dishonors go to Warren Hammack as smug smartaleck Lieutenant Robertson and Tony Huston as the bumbling Corporal Culver ) , irritating inept comic relief Air Force officers , cardboard characters , an alternately droning or overwrought stock film library score , and no tension or momentum to speak of , this spectacularly shoddy lemon makes for an enjoyably atrocious piece of outright irredeemable schlock . The ugly , lumpy , lumbering titular extraterrestrial monsters are laughably pathetic ; they're obviously guys in hokey rubber suits covered with cheesy eyeballs and sporting painfully visible zippers ! Buchanan regular Bill Thurman pops up in a small part sans lines as an Air Force sergeant . An absolutely cruddy hoot . |
519,091 | 8,239,592 | 250,390 | 8 | A very lively and enjoyably over-the-top direct-to-video " Duel " variant | Boy , am I in the minority about this particular film . You see , I thought this movie was a lot of good , silly , rousing fun . Sure , it's a cheesy B-picture , but it does the trick and delivers the stirring goods , which makes it a solid film in my book . Okay , with that obligatory explanation stuff out of the way let's get on with this here review . After they accidentally cut off an ominous giant black pick-up truck on the highway , both dashing limousine driver Jim Travis ( firmly played by perennial straight-to-cable TV feature topliner Casper Van Dien ) and his fetching female passenger Sonia Walker ( the very cute Danielle Brett ) end up being relentlessly terrorized on an isolated patch of sticksville mountainside backroads by the pick-up's dangerously unbalanced and irritable wombat driver . Veteran director Sidney J . Furie tackles the admittedly trite " Duel " rehash material with commendable flair and aptitude , keeping the pace sprightly and unwavering throughout , creating a reasonable amount of tension , and staging several truly spectacular bash ' em , crash ' em and smash ' em up car chases and automobile stunts with smack dead on-target exciting results . Moreover , both leads turn in personable performances , the dialogue possesses real snap and wit , there are a few genuinely startling plot twists , the blaring rock score totally smokes , and , most importantly , we've got no pretense whatsoever to be found in a single fleet frame of this amazingly vigorous and galvanizing little beaut . |
517,920 | 8,239,592 | 138,610 | 8 | A very funny 30's comic short | The evil Dr . Wong ( essayed with lip-smacking sinister panache by Val Durand ) abducts prominent scientist Professor Edwin Millstone ( solid Wilfred Lucas ) . Blundering bank guards Monte Collins and Tom Kennedy search through Chinatown to find Dr . Wong and rescue the professor . Director Del Lord maintains a zippy pace throughout and pitches the wacky humor at an amusingly broad level . This cheerfully inane romp reaches its gut-busting peak in an alley way sequence in which our two nitwit protagonists meow like cats . Moreover , a monstrous apeman runs amok in the last reel and further adds to the infectiously goofy hilarity . Collins and Kennedy make for an amiably bumbling duo , with nice support from Phyllis Crane as Professor Millstone's fetching daughter . Both the jaunty , merry score and Benjamin H . Kline's crisp black and white cinematography are up to speed . Granted , this comic short sure ain't subtle or sophisticated in its buffoonish humor , but it's still a delightfully silly hoot just the same . |
518,994 | 8,239,592 | 90,006 | 8 | A lively and hugely enjoyable car chase romp | Cliff Robertson contributes one of his sturdy , pleasant , reassuring reliable old pro portrayals as Judd Pierson , a crusty , disillusioned crackerjack race car driver whose career has hit the skids . Despite the efforts of loyal , adoring , wide-eyed mechanic Casey ( a likably relaxed performance by boyish , fluffy-haired 70's teen heartthrob Leif Garrett ) , Judd's feeling pretty lousy because he's stuck doing death-defying stunts for a third-rate crash and burn thrill show traveling across New Zealand . So when gutsy , dedicated germ warfare disease researcher Christine Ruben ( lovely Lisa Harrow ) promises to pay Judd $3 , 000 to drive her through some treacherous winding backroads , Casey persuades Judd to accept her offer . But unbeknownst to either Judd or Casey , Ruben takes along a sample of a deadly virus she's been working on ; it's a top secret bug that the company she works for wants back by any means necessary . Naturally , a lethal team of assassins lead by the sublimely snooty slimeball Shane Briant give chase . Director Bruce Morrison , abetted by a briskly efficient screenplay ( said script Morrison co-wrote with James Kouf , Jr . and henry Fownes ) , Stephen McCurdy's jazzy , hard-blasting score , spirited acting by a fine cast , a sharp sense of dry , biting humor ( " There's nothing in our contract about leading us into the valley of death and getting out butts shot off " ) , beauteous New Zealand countryside scenery , and Kevin Hayward's handsome , gleaming cinematography , pumps up the pace and maintains a neck-snappingly fast sense of constant momentum . The awesomely well-mounted chase sequences are staged with lip-smacking verve and a camera gets affixed to the side of the wildly careening automobiles , thereby infusing the rousing proceedings with a jangly , punchy , invigorating vitality . Sure , this honey doesn't cover any fresh chase / action thriller ground , but it certainly goes through the familiar motions in a most satisfyingly dynamic and straightforward manner . In fact , this solid , neatly executed number would make a swell double bill with the somewhat similar and equally kickin ' " The Chain Reaction . " |
517,914 | 8,239,592 | 147,310 | 8 | A perfectly foul , harsh and disgusting Nazisploitation flick | All kinds of horrible stuff happens to the luckless lady prisoners at SS Camp 5 . Their fierce and sadistic Nazi captors either force the women to become prostitutes so they can sexually service Nazi officers and boost morale or use them as guinea pigs for barbaric scientific experiments . Director / co-writer Sergio Garrone certainly doesn't skimp on the leering low-grade sleaze : we've got plentiful gratuitous distaff nudity , two group shower scenes , an orgy , a few sordid soft-core sex scenes , and one very nasty rape . Moreover , Garrone delivers the raw , ugly and sickening brutality by the nauseating bucketful : Among the hideous sights on display are four would-be escapees being torched in an oven , various poor ladies having their legs set on fire , one gal has her head crushed in a vice , another gets repeatedly punched in the stomach with sharp brass knuckles , a third lass has flaming bamboo sticks placed under her fingernails ( ouch ! ) , and a fourth woman has her tongue torn out with a huge pair of tongs . This thoroughly fetid flick further benefits from the sound acting by a capable cast , with especially stand-out turns by foxy Pam Grier lookalike Rita Manna as feisty Jamaican Alina , Giorgio Cerioni as the humane Colonel Strasser , Serafino Profuma as cruel commandant Lt . Hans , Paola Corazzi as fetching blonde Edith , Patrizia Melegna as mean Nazi bitch Greta , Paola D'Egidio as the gutsy Deborah , Attilio Dottesio as quack scientist Dr . Abraham , and Paola Lelio as homely fat whorehouse madam Magda . Maurizio Centini's plain cinematography , the moody , melancholy , flesh-crawling synthesizer score by Vasili Kojucharov and Roberto Pregadio , and the grim , despairing tone all greatly add to the overall considerable sliminess and mean-spiritedness of this choice sick Italian Nazisploitation trash . |
518,792 | 8,239,592 | 184,386 | 8 | A hilariously horrendous horror anthology hoot | Writer / director Ron Ford thoroughly butchers three classic short stories written by H . G . Wells , Mary Shelley , and Rudyard Kipling in this extremely bad , yet often sidesplitting and hence strangely entertaining micro-budget omnibus outing . First and dopiest tale , " Crystal Gazing " - Nerdy , henpecked antique shop owner Winston Kale ( geeky wonder Greg Cannone ) becomes obsessed with an odd green crystal that enables him to see into an alien world . Naturally , his naggy wife Alice ( the insufferably shrill Oriana Nicole Tavoularis ) doesn't approve of Winston's fixation on this peculiar object . The surprise conclusion to this episode is a doozy . Second and most enjoyably trashy segment , " Cold Feet " - Unhappy husband-to-be Eric ( a solid performance by Michael Labarbera ) becomes infatuated with the tantalizing postcard photo of a luscious dominatrix ( well played by lovely brunette looker Veronica Carothers , who also portrays a stripper and a weird cat-faced humanoid creature ) , which in turn gets him in hot water with both his shrewish fiancé Virginia ( the awful Michelle Galles , who sports the world's worst artificially enhanced disproportionate lopsided breasts ) and overbearing father-in-law Wendel ( a perfectly jerky Joe Haggerty ) . This story delivers lots of tasty female nudity courtesy of Ms . Carothers and a smoking soft S & M-themed simulated soft-core sex scene . Third and most sublimely ridiculous anecdote , " Bestiality " - Evil mobster Harry Green ( the outrageously hammy Randal Malone ) has a werewolf curse placed on him by a powerful shaman ( the hopelessly wooden Craig Johnson ) after he takes a valuable gold ring that belongs to the shaman's tribe . This yarn offers the show's biggest unintentional belly laughs thanks to its excessive profanity ( the almighty f-bomb is dropped with amusingly absurd abandon ) , shoddy splatter , and a pathetically unconvincing simian lycanthrope . Jeff Leroy's hazy'n'fuzzy shot-on-video cinematography , the hit-or-miss acting , the cheesy digital ( far from ) special effects , Joe Woelfel's grating synthesizer score , the cruddy make-up , the tacky gore , and especially Ford's all-thumbs ( mis ) direction all further enhance the infectiously atrocious entertainment value of this uproariously terrible turkey . |
519,213 | 8,239,592 | 99,313 | 8 | An enjoyable little low-budget straight-to-video bleakly futuristic sci-fi flick | 2030 : In the grim greenhouse effect ravaged future psychotic android Quinn ( deliciously played to the fabulously freaky hilt by Bill Moseley ; Otis in " House of 1 , 000 Corpses " ) kills a few people in a rundown old TV station because grouchy owner Lathan Hooks ( a lively , although sadly brief turn by Ralph Waite ; the father on " The Waltons " ) is secretly giving information to a group of underground fighters who are opposed to the oppressive authoritarian Orwellian " 1984 " - ish government . Although this film suffers a bit from a muddled script by J . S . Cardone ( who also wrote and directed the superior " Shadowzone " ) and occasionally sluggish pacing , " Crash and Burn " still nonetheless rates as an engrossing and entertaining sci-fi action opus thanks to Charles Band's energetic direction , well drawn characters , solid acting from a sturdy cast ( the lovely Megan Ward makes for an engagingly spunky heroine while veteran character actor John Davis Chandler pops up in a nice bit as a crusty gas station proprietor ) , nifty stop motion animation by David Allen , pleasingly grody make-up f / x by Greg Cannom , and a stirring score by the indefatigable Richard Band . Good , modest Grade B fun . |
518,691 | 8,239,592 | 50,432 | 8 | A delightfully dippy and laughable giant monster riot | A lethal gigantic alien buzzard comes to our planet so it can eat folks and lay eggs . The military and a team of scientists join forces to stop the nasty thing . Director Fred F . Sears treats the silly story with remarkable seriousness and maintains a snappy pace throughout . The cast all play their stock cardboard characters with admirable sincerity : Jeff Morrow as stalwart hero Mitch MacAfee , Mara Corday as spunky mathematician Sally Caldwell , Morris Ankrum as the severe Lt . Gen . Edward Considine , Robert Shayne as the ramrod General van Buskirk , Edgar Barrier as suave scientist Dr . Karol Noymann , and Louis Merrill as likable , superstitious farmer Pierre Broussard . Both Mischa Bakaleinikoff's booming'n'bombastic score and Benjamin H . Kline's crisp black and white cinematography are up to par . The no-kidding straight tone , uproariously awful dialogue ( " I didn't invent this flying nightmare - - I just saw and reported it ! " ) , and especially that hopelessly ludicrous and unconvincing cheesy turkey puppet all add immensely to the overall campy hilarity . The scenes with the behemoth bird beast attacking people and destroying property are positively sidesplitting . An absolute hoot . |
518,540 | 8,239,592 | 220,136 | 8 | An enjoyably cheesy sequel to the excellent original | The diabolical devil doll returns to wreak more havoc . This time it comes to life and turns into a hideous scaly humanoid lizard beast which terrorizes several folks holding a lavish Halloween birthday party for little girl Tania ( cute Renata del Rio ) on a closed film studio . It's up to occult expert Julio ( the ever-amiable Pedro Fernandez ) to stop the foul fiend before dawn . He's assisted by sweet singer Mayra ( the foxy Tatiana ) and stern movie mogul Roberto Mondragon ( a perfectly huffy Joaquin Cordero ) . Director Rene Cardona III treats the gloriously ridiculous premise with total seriousness , thereby providing a wondrous wealth of often gut-busting unintentional campy humor . Moreover , Cardona III relates the silly plot at a snappy pace , manages to create a fair amount of creepy atmosphere , and pours on the gore with lip-smacking élan ( blood and goo literally flows , spurts and squirts all over the place ! ) . The clawed'n'fanged reptilian monster is an absolute riot ; he's a goofy-looking thing with a long tail , a big banana-like nose , and absurd pointy ears ! The lovably primitive ( markedly less than ) special effects are likewise pretty funny . Better still , the lovely Tatiana even performs a bouncy pop-rock number ! Xaxier Cruz's slick , fluid cinematography and Pedro Plascencia Salinas ' funky , syncopated score are both up to par . A real hoot of a schlockfest . |
519,395 | 8,239,592 | 85,694 | 8 | A nifty little early 80's college-set slasher flick | The seven lady members of the Theta Pi Sorority accidentally kill their overbearing shrew of a house mother Ms . Slater ( a memorably huffy Lois Kelsa Hunt ) and try to dispose of her body by hiding it in a filthy old pool . Unbeknownst to the girls , Ms . Slater has a hideously malformed son named Erik ( the creepy Charles Serio ) who doesn't take the news of his mother's untimely death too well . In fact , Erik proceeds to exact a harsh and bloody revenge on the girls by bumping them off in assorted gruesome ways . While it's admittedly routinely plotted and predictable , this cool little slasher feature still makes the cut thanks to Mark Rosman's stylish and assured direction , a respectable body count of nine , several gory kill scenes ( said murders include an iron rod in the torso , a steak knife in the neck , and a cane whacking to the head ) , sound acting from a capable cast , Richard Band's splendidly eerie and elegant orchestral score , a smidgen of gratuitous nudity ( the luscious blonde looker Eileen Davidson is notable in this department as the slutty Vicki ) , a reasonable amount of tension , Timothy Suhrstedt's lush , handsome cinematography , and a few inventive oddball touches ( a severed head in the toilet , the heroine confronting the killer while tripping on hallucinogenic drugs ) . Above average of its type and well worth checking out for fans of 80's slice'n'dice low-budget horror flicks . |
518,022 | 8,239,592 | 75,809 | 8 | A very solid & suspenseful 70's vehicular horror film | An admirably sober-minded entry in the demonic killer car fright film sub-genre , this surprisingly creepy and unnerving picture has a big , ugly , driverless black sedan terrorize the dusty , desolate desert armpit burg of Santa Ynez , New Mexico . It runs over several folks left and right before stalwart Sheriff Wade Parent ( an excellent , properly steely and courageous James Brolin , who ironically went on to become a spokesman for Amco ! ) forms a posse to track the evil automobile down and destroy it . The admittedly absurd fantastic premise stretches credibility to a near breaking point , but thankfully the plot's patent ridiculousness is successfully surmounted by Elliot Silverstein's smooth , plain , unfussy direction , Leonard Rosenman's ominous , menacing score , Gerald Hirschfield's gritty , panoramic cinematography ( the widescreen shots of the arid , sprawling desert terrain evoke a harrowingly palpable sense of isolation and vulnerability ) , a grimly serious , brooding tone that's rife with dread , despair and a particularly nerve-wracking sense of gradually escalating hopelessness , all-around bang-up acting ( Ronny Cox is especially fine as a weak , alcoholic deputy ) , realistically drawn warts-and-all characters , judiciously used special effects , and , most significantly , a remarkably solemn , mature and even complex script by Dennis Shyrack , Michael Butler and Lane Slate which refuses to explain the car's uncanny supernatural powers , therefor creating a marvelously ambiguous and very unsettling gloom-doom mood that's further enhanced by generous sprinklings of believably harsh unfairness and stark amorality ( both caring , compassionate original sheriff John Marley and Brolin's sweet schoolteacher girlfriend Kathleen Lloyd are killed while vile , hostile wife beater R . G . Armstrong helps save the day ) . The typically terrific Anchor Bay DVD for this genuinely scary and gripping 70's vehicular horror outing offers a gorgeous'n'gleaming letter-boxed presentation along with the theatrical trailer and a couple of nifty thumbnail bios . |
519,137 | 8,239,592 | 54,285 | 8 | A fun Italian mad scientist horror romp | Gorgeous stripper Jeanette ( well played by luscious blonde looker Susanne Loret ) has her face horribly disfigured in a car accident . Sinister , obsessive scientist Professor Alberto Levin ( a perfectly creepy portrayal by Alberto Lupo ) manages to restore Jeanette's beauty with an experimental serum , but naturally said serum's results are only temporary . Levin must murder several lovely young ladies for their cells in order to make the operation a permanent success . Director Anton Giulio Majano , working from a compelling script by Alberto Bevilacqua and Gino De Santis , relates the twisted story at a steady pace , maintains a suitably grim , serious tone throughout , and stages the rousing climax with considerable flair . Aldo Giordani's stark black and white cinematography offers a few impressively misty atmospheric visuals . Armando Trovajoli's spooky jazz-tinged score does the shivery trick . The make-up and special effects are pretty crude , but effective just the same . Loret and Lupo do solid work in the lead roles ; they receive nice support from Franca Parisi as Levin's loyal , jealous assistant Monique Riviere , Sergio Fantoni as Jeanette's concerned sailor ex-boyfriend Pierre Mornet , and Roberto Bertea as browbeaten mute servant Sacha . Granted , the poor dubbing and occasional slow spots detract a bit from the movie's overall quality , but this picture still sizes up as an enjoyable fright feature just the same . |
519,232 | 8,239,592 | 99,278 | 8 | An enjoyably lowbrow piece of diverting junk | Hard-nosed and demanding macho photographer Jack Hackerman ( excellently played to the fiercely rugged hilt by Ross Hagen ) and a handful of models go to a remote rural ranch to shoot pictures for a forthcoming calender . Things turn sour when a crazed cross-dressing misogynistic psycho dressed up like a nurse starts bumping off the ladies . Hagen , who both co-directed the film with John Stewart and co-wrote the amusingly tawdry script , takes a while to get the story going in the rather draggy opening half , but picks up steam and really starts cooking once the killings begin and goes for broke with a gloriously over-the-top explosive conclusion . Moreover , Hagen plunges into the delightfully deranged deep end with deliciously histrionic eye-rolling gusto as the giggly wisecracking transvestite nutjob . The murder set pieces are appropriately bloody and brutal . Better still , the female cast members are all quite sexy and attractive : Keely Simms contributes an endearingly sweet turn as the perky Cindy , the always ravishing redhead Juliette Cummins burns up the screen with her customary saucy aplomb as a naughty slut who gets slashed up in a bathtub after performing a sizzling striptease , Susan Jennifer Sullivan amuses as the fetching , but stand-offish Lisa , Lisa Axelrod is smoking hot as the lusty Jennifer , and gorgeously statuesque blonde stunner Dona Speir makes a brief appearance as bitchy veteran model Nancy Johnson . The guys are likewise solid : Gregory Scott Cummins as Cindy's possessive , hot-tempered boyfriend Johnny , Troy Donahue as Jack's loyal assistant Alan , and Hoke Howell as snoopy private investigator Lara . The flashy photo sessions with their shamelessly blatant blend of sex and violence are total trashy hoots . The slick cinematography by Thomas L . Callaway and Gary Graver gives the movie a nice glittery look . Stu Goldberg's groovy-rockin ' score hits the funky spot . A good deal of entertaining Grade B schlocky fun . |
518,965 | 8,239,592 | 120,380 | 8 | A very solid and enjoyable killer automobile offering | Stephen King's sole directorial effort " Maximum Overdrive " still qualifies as one of the single most horrible cinematic adaptations of his work to date . It's a total mess that's fatally undone by intolerably obnoxious nincompoop characters , sloppy plotting , and a simply dreadful sense of rancidly unamusing toilet bowl humor . Granted , the central premise - - a comet which brushes perilously close to the Earth's atmosphere somehow causes all the trucks to take on a murderously intelligent and malevolent sentient life of their own , with a bunch of demonic semis holding a motley assortment of people hostage in a besieged diner - - was promising , but King's messy , clumsy and horrendously diffuse ( mis ) direction and a narrative ridden with enough gaping plot holes to drive a Diesel through ' em failed to due said premise any justice . Fortunately , this second celluloid take on the short yarn " Trucks " rates as a markedly better and more effective picture : It's smart , absorbing and suspenseful , with sure , low-key direction , a tight , sharply focused script , a few nifty violent episodes ( a mailman getting gruesomely snuffed by a vicious tiny toy dump truck provides a blackly funny highlight ) , a refreshing paucity of both needless pretense and equally unnecessary razzle-dazzle , a commendably straightforward , matter-of-fact , down-to-earth sober tone , realistic sounding dialogue , a genuinely eerie atmosphere of total desolation ( the dry , dusty desert locations help immensely here ) , spare , unflashy cinematography , appealingly plain everyday country folks main characters , and a splendidly bleak surprise ending punching up the quality level to a finely high and well-sustained standard indeed . Timothy Busfield as an affable nice guy gas station proprietor and the fetching Brenda Bakke as the quick-thinking , level-headed heroine lead the uniformly solid no-name cast ( Jay Brazzeau is especially engaging as gentle , philosophical old hippie Jack ) . Moreover , this film mean business throughout and doesn't play fair , actually going as far as to bump off some of the more likable characters . It's this latter element of grim seriousness that makes all the difference , thus enabling a fantastic premise to acquire a reasonable semblance of plausibility which in turn puts this feature over as a good little fright flick . |
518,088 | 8,239,592 | 165,256 | 8 | A solid and satisfying martial arts revenge item | Karate master Kazuma ( the almighty Sonny Chiba ) gets severely beaten up and crippled by a vicious gang of thugs lead by evil rival Nikaido . Kazuma trains his loyal daughter Yumi ( a fine and moving performance by beautiful brunette Etsuko Shihomi ) in the martial arts so she can exact a harsh revenge on the pernicious bastards . Directors Yataka Kodaira and Yutaka Kohira maintain a steady snappy pace throughout and stage the copious brutal , blood-spilling and bone-breaking fight scenes with plenty of violent aplomb ( one especially thrilling set piece has Yumi single handedly taking out a pack of ferocious Doberman Pinchers ) . Hanjiro Nakada's snazzy cinematography makes nice use of shaky hand-held camera , funky freeze frames and strenuous slow motion . Shunsuke Kikuchi's groovy , rousing " wacka wacka " score likewise does the trick . The villains are a truly mean , nasty and hateful bunch , with the best one being a blind , white-haired swordsman . Shihomi makes for a strong and sympathetic tragic heroine whose sole reason for existing is to avenge her father . A bang-up little winner . |
518,737 | 8,239,592 | 63,090 | 8 | An utterly tasteless and hence hugely enjoyable Mexican horror splatter hoot | A kindly surgeon performs a heart transplant on his dying son . Naturally , there's a major glitch : said ticker was taken from a gorilla , which somehow causes the once nice kid to mutate into a brutal , brawny , bloodthirsty and hideously ugly apeman who embarks on a repulsively graphic crime spree , raping and killing wriggling topless women with sickening sadistic abandon . ( The apeman snuffs a few guys as well , so this flick can't be accused of being overly sexist . ) Clumsily directed without a single iota of restraint or subtlety by veteran trashmeister Rene Cardona , who also co-wrote the senseless script with his chip off the old schlock son Rene Cardona , Jr . , this sleazy , cheesy and remarkably vulgar gut-buster has more than enough gratuitous nudity ( the homely , lumpy lady wrestler heroine's shower scenes are especially nasty ) , ratty poverty-row production values , flat acting , terrible dubbing , extremely disgusting gore ( genuine heart surgery footage was used for the operation scenes , plus one poor guy has his scalp torn off ! ) , sluggish pacing , flabby , meandering plotting , marvelously messed-up dialogue ( " It's more probable that of late more and more you're watching on your television many of those pictures of terror " ) , and laughably amateurish make-up f / x to live up to its legendary status as a truly happening'n'horrendous hunk of scummy , low-rent , bottom of the barrel Grade Z south-of-the-border exploitation schlock junk . |
519,055 | 8,239,592 | 75,830 | 8 | A total bawdy hoot ! | Sweet hairdresser Penny Pittman ( a typically charming and radiant performance by lovely blonde 70's drive-in cinema starlet Candice Rialson ) discovers that her vagina can talk and sing . Penny's helpful agent / psychiatrist Dr . Pearl ( affably essayed by Larry Gelman ) turns Penny and her foul-mouthed speaking cervix ( who's affectionately named Virginia ) into an unlikely reluctant celebrity : Penny and Virginia appear as guests on Professor Irwin Corey's TV show , record a funky hit disco song called " Wang Dang Doodle , " have sex with a whole high school basketball team , pop up on a game show , and star in a musical porno feature surrounded by dancing and singing men dressed up in chicken costumes ( this latter particular jaw-dropping sequence rates as the definite gut-busting surreal highlight of the entire picture ) . Director Tom DeSimone , working from a cheerfully crass and silly script by Mark Rosin and Norman Yonemoto , milks a lot of infectiously naughty laughs out of the one-joke premise , maintains a zippy pace throughout , and keeps the raunchiness at bay by effectively creating a surprisingly zany and good-natured tone . Besides the talking vagina gimmick , we also get hilariously bawdy jokes about predatory lesbians , preening homosexuals , and , of course , sex . The ravishing Rialson just barely manages to retain her dignity in the rather thankless lead role and bares her lovely body as often as possible . The supporting cast is likewise up to par : Perry Bullington as Penny's clumsy nice guy lover Ted , Jane Kean as Penny's proud , supportive mother Eleanor Pittman , Rip Taylor as Penny's effeminate gay boss Mr . Jo , Cynthia Hoppenfeld as Penny's loyal best gal pal Linda Ann , Michael Taylor as hunky romantic stud Dick , and Robert Lipton as pretentious hardcore film director Jon David . Tak Fujimoto's polished cinematography gives the movie a nice slick look . Moreover , the boom mike dips into the top of the frame at alarmingly frequent intervals . A choice wacky chunk of vintage 70's lowbrow humor . |
518,742 | 8,239,592 | 59,215 | 8 | An uproariously campy 60's horror schlock hoot | A motley assortment of tourists are vacationing on a remote island . The group runs afoul of evil botanist Baron von Meser ( the ubiquitous Cameron Mitchell in top suavely sinister form ) and his lethal giant vampire tree ( ! ) . Director Mel Welles ( Mr . Mushnik in the original " The Little Shop of Horrors " ) treats the laughably ludicrous premise with total seriousness , thus resulting in a true so - schlocky - it's - downright - spectacular unintentional camp riot . The colorfully quirky stock cardboard supporting characters are especially amusing ; my favorites are feisty old bat Myrtle , eccentric botanist Prof . Jules Demerest , shrewish slattern Cora , and creepy mute servant Baldi . The great animated opening credits sequence , the poor dubbing , the completely inappropriate , but still cool jazzy'n'smoky cocktail lounge score , and the incredibly wild over-the-top gruesome ending are all likewise hilarious . Only the fairly slick cinematography manages to rise above the general ineptitude of this gloriously ghastly marvel . A total howler . |
519,050 | 8,239,592 | 63,097 | 8 | An entertainingly tacky piece of Mexploitation horror schlock | The legendary Boris Karloff ended his illustrious career by making four cheapie fright flick clunkers in Mexico . This is the token moody period Gothic horror entry from the bunch . Karloff gives a typically spry and dignified performance as Matthias Morteval , an elderly eccentric patriarch who invites several of his petty , greedy and backbiting no-count relatives to his creepy rundown castle for the reading of a will . Pretty soon the hateful guests are getting bumped off by lethal life-sized toy people who populate the place . Onetime Mexican sex symbol Andres Garcia of " Tintorera " infamy portrays the dashing police officer hero and Julissa looks absolutely ravishing as the sole likable female character . The clunky , plodding ( non ) direction , trite by-the-numbers script , ugly , washed-out cinematography , ridiculous murder set pieces ( a gross fat slob gets blasted right in the face by a miniature cannon ! ) , overwrought string score , morbid gloom-doom atmosphere , largely lousy acting ( Karloff notably excepted ) , cheesy mild gore , poor dubbing and rousing fiery conclusion all lend this enjoyably awful lemon a certain endearingly cruddy and hence oddly amusing ratty charm . A real campy hoot . |
519,266 | 8,239,592 | 75,838 | 8 | A very creepy and unnerving 70's low-budget killer kid horror item | Freaky 11-year-old Rosalie ( perfectly played to the eerie hilt by Rosalie Cole ) lives with her cranky widowed pop in the remote woods of the deep South in the 1930's . Strange , snotty and friendless , Rosalie has a most unsettling tendency to hang out in the local misty cemetery . Moreover , the creepy killer kid possesses psychic abilities that enable her to make objects move and a scarecrow come to murderous life . Worse yet , the evil child's late mother was an institutionalized lunatic and the deadly little darling can even resurrect the dead ( the scene where a snoopy old lady neighbor has her face gruesomely torn off by a zombie is especially tense and scary ) . When Rosalie's sweet governess Alicianne ( a personable performance by the very pretty and appealing Laurel Barnett ) discovers what's going on , both her and Rosalie's more sensible older brother Len ( a likable turn by Richard Hanners ) find themselves in considerable jeopardy . This culminates in a truly horrific and nerve-wracking climax where the two hole up in a ratty old tool shed that's attacked by Rosalie's supremely unnerving , rot-faced , dirt-covered shambling zombie pals . Capably directed by Robert Voskanian , this effectively spare'n'spooky low-budget rural shocker is a handy dandy combo blend of " The Bad Seed , " " Carrie , " and " Night of the Living Dead . " It works remarkably well thanks to a strong brooding gloom-doom rustic Southern atmosphere , some really unusual and imaginative cinematography ( the occasional use of off-kilter tilted camera angles is particularly good at creating and sustaining a genuinely disturbing nightmarish mood ) , a vividly rendered period setting , a superbly wonky , dissonant and discomfiting droning synthesizer score , solid and credible acting from a game no-name cast , the wonderfully ugly and upsetting zombie make-up ( the hideous undead ghouls look like they lurched off the set of a Lucio Fulci film ) , and a nice sprinkling of ghastly gore . Odd , intriguing and often frightening , this baby is well worth checking out . |
518,650 | 8,239,592 | 54,777 | 8 | Hammer's first and sadly only werewolf movie | Spain in the 18th century : Cruel tyrant Marques Siniestro ( a wonderfully wicked Anthony Dawson ) imprisons a poor beggar ( a fine Richard Wordsworth ) in the basement of his castle . The beggar degenerates into a deranged feral state and rapes a mute servant girl ( the stunningly gorgeous Yvonne Romain ) . The servant girl dies after giving birth to a little boy named Leon on Christmas Eve , which according to local superstition means that the unfortunate lad is cursed . Leon is raised by the kindly Don Alfredo Corledo ( splendidly played by Clifford Evans ) . The decent , but anguished young man Leon ( an outstanding performance by Oliver Reed ) goes to work at a wine cellar and falls for the lovely Cristina Fernando ( a charming turn by the comely Catherine Feller ) . Alas , Leon becomes a savage werewolf when the full moon comes out at night and terrorizes the countryside . Director Terence Fisher maintains a steady pace throughout , effectively creates a brooding gloom-doom atmosphere , and stages the werewolf attack scenes with considerable aplomb . Arthur Grant's sharp , vibrant color cinematography , Benjamin Frankel's moody , shuddery score , Roy Ashton's excellent make-up f / x ( the werewolf is genuinely frightening ) , and the rousing conclusion are all up to speed . Reed impresses in an early lead as the tormented Leon ; Justin Walter also does well as Leon as a little boy . Michael Ripper has a funny bit as a raving old drunk . Best of all , there's a touching tragic aspect to the story which gives this picture a surprisingly substantial amount of additional poignancy and resonance . A solid and satisfying fright feature winner . |
518,673 | 8,239,592 | 50,381 | 8 | A very enjoyable fantasy adventure | Brave and honest legendary strongman Hercules ( perfectly embodied by the brawny and handsome Steve Reeves ) joins the noble Jason ( solid Fabrizio Mioni ) and his Argonauts on a perilous quest to find the golden fleece . During their dangerous journey Hercules and company encounter a tribe of beautiful , yet lethal Amazons , a bunch of savage apemen , and the lumbering dinosaur that guards the golden fleece . Director / co-writer Pietro Francisco relates the absorbing story at a steady pace , handles the fanciful subject matter with admirable respect and sincerity , maintains a serious tone throughout , and stages the action scenes with reasonable gusto ( a lively climactic large scale battle is especially exciting ) . Reeves as Hercules makes for a touching and sympathetic hero as he wishes to be mortal and have human emotions so he can win over the favor of fair maiden princess Iole ( the lovely Sylva Koscina ) . Hercules ' feats of incredible strength are pretty nifty and stirring ; highlights include wrestling both a ferocious lion and an equally vicious bull , pulling a tree out of the ground by the roots , and knocking over enormous pillars . The good acting by a competent cast qualifies as another substantial plus : Giana Maria Canale as ravishing Amazon queen Antea , Ivo Garrani as the weak and pathetic King Pelias , Arturo Dominici as the evil , treacherous Eurysteus , Gabriele Antonini as the eager Ulysses , and Mimmo Palmara as the arrogant Iphitus . Mario Bava's gorgeous widescreen cinematography gives the picture an impressively expansive scope . Enzo Masetti's robust , rousing score likewise does the trick . A fun flick . |
518,487 | 8,239,592 | 72,331 | 8 | Good , schlocky 70's drive-in horror fun | Mild-mannered high school student Vernon Potts is a strong candidate for the Pencil Neck Geek of the Year Award . The thuggish jocks in his gym class are always ruthlessly picking on him and beating him up . His bitchy English teacher gives him mucho flack for only caring about biology and chemistry . Vernon's negligent , self-absorbed dad is so wrapped up in making a fast buck that he completely ignores the poor boy . Even the grubby , mean-spirited janitor constantly browbeats him . After being forced to drink a special liquid formula he created for a biology experiment , Vernon acquires the necessary power to violently turn the tables on his cruel tormentors . Wormy , sniveling mouse Vernon occasionally mutates into a hairy , club-footed humanoid monster which embarks on a grisly murderous rampage , brutally slaying everyone who ever treated him badly . The custodian has his face dunked in a steaming vat of sulfuric acid , the English teacher has her hand lobbed off with a paper cutter , and , best of all , the malicious blackmailing football coach gets messily hashed when Vernon stomps all over his squat body while wearing spiked running shoes ! Okay , I'll admit that this shoddily made low-budget male adolescent revenge horror fantasy clunker is so incredibly bad that it's often downright gut-busting , but I nonetheless thoroughly enjoyed it just the same . Larry N . Stouffer's ham-fisted direction is loaded with lots of laughably inept affectations ; his maladroit use of oddly tinted camera angles in order to capture and convey a creepy mood of impending menace in particular stands out as a tremendous source of inadvertent hilarity . Erstwhile child star Pat Cardi gives a nice , personable portrayal of the pitiably meek Vernon , but the rest of the cast , which includes the ever-smooth and ingratiating Austin ( " Assault on Precinct 13 " ) Stoker as the casually assiduous cop investigating the killings and " Don't Look in the Basement " ' s Rosie Holotik as the fetching heroine , deliver comically dreadful performances . ( Cardi and Stoker also appeared together in " Battle for the Planet of the Apes . " ) Even 70's football stars Mean Joe Greene , Calvin Hill and Craig Morton have no clue why they were even invited to this celluloid nightmare . Janis P . Valtenburg's chintzy , grainy , unsightly cinematography and the mandatory ghastly ending credits theme song ( a sad , haunting , unforgettably atrocious pop-slop ballad called " Vernon's Theme " sung by Jerry Coward ) are likewise hilariously atrocious . However , Don Hulette's funky , groovy , syncopated score does manage to hit the correct right-on happening spot . Good , schlocky 70's drive-in horror fun . |
518,238 | 8,239,592 | 59,045 | 8 | A nifty period action drama | Noble Viking warrior Rurik ( a strong and credible portrayal by Cameron Mitchell ) vows to protect the fiery Karin ( well played by the lovely Lisa Wagner ) and her spunky son Moki ( the charming Louis Polletin ) from the vile clutches of the savage Hagen ( a perfectly hateful Frank Ross ) and his army of nasty brutes . Director / co-writer Mario Bava takes a welcome break from his usual horror fare to deliver a surprisingly complex and low-key , but still occasionally exciting period action drama that's essentially a thoughtful and inspired variant on the classic Western " Shane . " Bava relates the absorbing story about revenge , betrayal and loyalty at a steady pace and stages the down'n'dirty fight scenes with considerable brio ( a protracted confrontation between Rurik and Hagen in a tavern rates as a definite thrilling highlight ) . Antonio Rinaldi's breathtaking widescreen cinematography takes full advantage of the beautiful seaside scenery . Marcello Giombini's robust , rousing score likewise does the trick . The cast all give sound performances : Mitchell excels in one of his best roles , with sturdy support from Wagner , Ross , and Jack Stuart as Karin's gallant husband Harald . Best of all , the main characters are refreshingly complicated and genuinely engaging . A fun film . |
519,171 | 8,239,592 | 72,348 | 8 | A likable , if rather lightweight 70's blaxploitation romp | Tough , two-fisted Italian Catholic priest Father Charlie ( well played with steely conviction by Lino Ventura ) and rugged ex-cop Lee Stevens ( a solid and charismatic performance by Isaac Hayes ) join forces to find out who's responsible for a recent bank robbery in which one million dollars got stolen . Naturally , these guys find themselves neck deep in all kinds of trouble . Director Duccio Tessari relates the fun story at a constant snappy pace , makes fine use out of the gritty urban Chicago locations , adds a few amusingly quirky touches ( for example , Father Charlie performs last rites on recently killed criminals ! ) , and sprinkles plenty of rousing shoot-outs and rough'n'ready fisticuffs throughout . Fred Williamson has a welcome change-of-pace bad guy role as the nasty Joe Snake , plus there are sound supporting turns by Paula Kelly as scared hooker Fay , Vittorio Sanipoli as smooth businessman Mike Petralia , William Berger as the hard-nosed Captain Ryan , and Luciano Salce as a disapproving bishop . Hayes ' funky , throbbing , soul-deep score hits the groovy spot . Aldo Tonti's slick cinematography likewise does the trick . While this movie is pretty tame and inoffensive compared to most 70's blaxploitation grindhouse fare ( there's no nudity , only mild profanity , and the violence isn't that graphic ) , the breezy tone and engaging chemistry between the well-matched leads make this picture an enjoyable enough diversion . |
519,400 | 8,239,592 | 93,443 | 8 | A hilariously raucous and original comedy blast | When it comes to gleefully broad , bawdy , lowbrow " Mad " magazine-style " to hell with good taste and proper decorum " - like zany goofball humor , this unfairly overlooked late 80's period horror comedy riot really takes the splendidly sophomoric cake , ravenously gobbles it up with a commendable lack of subtlety and restraint , and vomits it back up all over the audience with an outrageously deviant gleam in its winningly nutty eye . 1692 , the time of the Salem Witch trials : The local rigid , repressive , morally upright and seriously uptight god-fearing puritan residents of a small New England hamlet are whipped up into a furious witch-burning frenzy by the cunning money-grubbing judge Stuart Pankin and insatiably lascivious idiot mayor Dave Thomas ( the latter's hilarious portrayal of a leering , terminally on-the-make sleazy politician uncannily foretells former President Bill Clinton's notorious skirt-chasing antics ) . Little do the gullible townspeople know that both Hizzoners are behind a sneaky real estate scheme ; they're manipulating the yokels to barbecue certain folks so they can confiscate their land and make a bundle selling it at the highest possible price ( yep , there's some spot-on stinging satire on 80's yuppie corporate greed and self-serving amorality run grossly amok , plus lots of similarly on-target sideswipes at the religious right's expense , what with all the townspeople being exposed as boozing , whoring , two-faced hypocrites ) . Moreover , real-life lusty , man-eating witch Faith ( the ever-ravishing Barbara Carrera camping and vamping it up like nobody's business ) takes advantage of the mass hysteria by making sweet innocent baker Sara ( a radiant Kelly Preston ) look like a witch so she can have her salacious way with Sara's klutzy , but hunky husband-to-be ( amiable doofus Patrick Cassidy ) . Director John Moffit cranks up the uproariously lewd , silly , most politically incorrect and hence quite delightful poor taste buffoonery to the marvelously brash and dippy max , joyously stooping to many howl-inducing lows for the sake of a solid cheap laugh . Wimpy mama's boy priest Bud Cort goes blind and does a wicked Ray Charles impersonation . Puritans roast hot dogs while burning witches at the stake . A man cursed with flatulence backfires like crazy in a crowded church ; the same guy later has sex with a turkey ( ! ) and commits suicide . Sara's breads and cakes take on the obscene shapes of large breasts and erect penises . A Thanksgiving diner degenerates into a boisterous wild party complete with drinking , dancing , pot-smoking , and " Louie , Louie " blasting on the soundtrack . A tavern holds New England clam chowder women's wrestling matches . A solemn funeral procession gets rudely disrupted by a stray cat . Dr . Joyce Brothers is branded a heretic at a witch trial when she diagnoses the puritans as paranoid , homicidal , sexually frustrated lunatics ! My favorite gag has the delectable Barbara Carrera transforming into the spectacularly ugly and haggish Anne Ramsey , whose remarkable resemblance to a squat , gnarled , unsightly garden gnome is ingeniously taken advantage of here . Okay , so this ain't exactly a highly insightful and sophisticated work of refined cinematic art , but it's definitely rowdy , wacky , amusing and above all irreverent enough to still earn this particular reviewer's seal of approval . |
518,242 | 8,239,592 | 68,515 | 8 | Likable tongue-in-cheek comedy Western | Charming , blithely amoral devil-may-care rogue Jesse Smith ( nicely played to the suavely cool hilt by Richard Harrison , who also co-directed this film ) and peaceful , devout straight-arrow Mormon Lester O'Hara ( a lively and credible performance by Donald O'Brien ) are estranged half brothers who reunite after receiving a sizable inheritance from their deceased mother . The wildly contrasting mismatched duo get into all kinds of trouble while trying to claim said inheritance . Directors Harrison and Renzo Genta relate the story at a constant quick pace , maintain a lighthearted tone throughout , and pitch the amusing lowbrow humor at a very broad , yet still enjoyable level . Moreover , the plentiful outbursts of gunplay and fisticuffs are staged with considerable aplomb , with a fierce rough'n'tumble barroom boxing match between Jesse and a hulking brute rating as a definite thrilling highlight . Harrison and O'Brien display an engagingly spiky chemistry in the leads , with sound support from Gino Maturano as ruthless one-eyed bandit gang leader Poker , Anna Zinnemann as brassy prostitute Elena Von Schaffer , George Wang as an irritable Chinese restaurant owner , and Federico Boido as wily outlaw Blondie . Carlo Savina's bouncy , jaunty score further enhances the infectiously bubbly merriment . A perfectly amiable diversion . |
518,690 | 8,239,592 | 54,744 | 8 | A fun & enjoyable low-budget early 60's JD hoot | Five delinquent adolescents known collectively as " the Choppers " terrorize the countryside by stripping cars left by the side of the road with ruthless efficiency . The laughably clueless local yokel cops bumble , fumble and stumble around in fruitless circles until the discovery of a lone chicken feather at a crime site ( ! ) steers them in the right direction . Tautly directed by Leigh Jason , crisply shot in gorgeous black and white , further graced by hip slangy lingo ( " square johns " for decent law-abiding citizens , " bandits " for the fuzz ) , groovy music ( highly unlikely and sublimely geeky flash-in-the-pan wannabe teen scream idol Arch Hall , Jr . belts out a couple of endearingly goofy songs ) , solid acting , continuity errors aplenty , and snappy pacing , this funky little item sizes up as a good deal of trim , no-frills , mean'n'lean early 60's JD crime movie fun . Yummy blonde " Playboy " Playmate Marianne Gaba ( Miss September ' 59 ) looks quite delectable in her tight sweater and form-fitting skirt . Rotund veteran sleaze film character actor Bruno Ve Sota has one of his best-ever roles as Moose , a greedy , grubby , no-count , cigar-chewing junkyard owner who fences stolen automobile parts on the side . Scrawny chopper Rex Holman also portrayed a member of the lethal highway gang in " Panic in Year Zero . " Arch Hall , Sr . , who both wrote and produced this picture , pops up in a sizable supporting part as a smooth-voiced radio reporter and does marvelously mellifluous vocal work on the film's nifty trailer . Moreover , this flick scores bonus points for depicting the choppers as toxic products of messed-up families : Musclehead Torch has a pathetic drunk for a dad , Holman was raised by an aunt and uncle after his original parents dumped him when he was just a baby , and cocky ringleader Hall , Jr . is a spoiled rotten rich brat who's hungry for kicks . Those fine folks at Something Weird Video offer this baby on a terrific DVD double bill with the equally excellent and entertaining Arch Hall , Jr . rock'n'roll star vehicle " Wild Guitar . " Can you dig it , daddy-o ? I sure can - - and certainly did . |
519,112 | 8,239,592 | 357,585 | 8 | Beware the beautiful blonde babes from outer space ! | Flirtacious Lily ( the stunningly gorgeous Stefanie Von Pfetten ) and aggressive Constance ( the equally foxy Kim Poirier ) aren't your standard run-of-the-mill tasty hot blonde college babes . They are actually dangerously alluring and enticing extraterrestrials who have come to Earth to mate with human males . Unfortunately , these delectable intergalactic honeys cause men to freeze from the inside out while having sex with them . Plus they sprout icky tentacles when aroused and don't have navels . It's up to aimless slacker freshman Luke ( winningly played by Corey Sevier ) to stop them before they turn every last libidinous party hearty dude on campus into giant frosty popsicles . Director / co-screenwriter Matthew Hastings has an absolute infectiously inane ball with the enjoyably ridiculous premise , skillfully blending raucous humor and off-center horror into a highly amusing and entertaining synthesis . Moreover , Hastings keeps the pace speeding along at a brisk tempo , elicits spirited acting from a fresh , attractive and appealing young cast , and stages the shock scenes with rousing go-for-it aplomb . Daniel Villeneuve's crisp , fluid cinematography , the catchy , thrashin ' rock soundtrack , the nifty special effects , a smidgen of nudity , genuinely likable characters , the shivery'n'spooky score by Daryl Bennet and Jim Guttridge , the stirring conclusion , and a dandy surprise twist ending are all up to par . Elias Toufexis is an amiably goofy hoot as the sweet virginal Roger , Meghan Ory registers strongly as Luke's scrappy'n'spunky best gal pal Alex , former " Baywatch " TV show regular Nicole Eggert pops up as a feisty lady cop , and Richard Burgi jerks it up delightfully as a gruff homicide detective . Good , solid tongue-in-cheek Grade B sci-fi / horror fun . |
518,904 | 8,239,592 | 103,204 | 8 | More infectiously dumb fun | Stuck-up snob Holly Wells ( a lively performance by the cuddly Ginger Lynn Allen ) and ditsy sweetheart Candy ( an endearingly daffy Elizabeth Kaitan ) can't stand each other , but are forced to work together in order to stop a gang of escaped female convicts lead by the wicked Melanie ( outrageously overplayed with eye-rolling hammy brio by Julia Parton ) . Things get worse when Melanie mutates into the crazed green-haired monster Malathion . Once again writer / director Rick Sloane gets plenty of cheap campy chuckles from such naturally knee-slapping subjects as lesbians in prison , mistaken identity , and excessive misuse and overuse of hairspray . The game cast really go to town on their broad roles : Allen and Kaitan make for a winningly sexy duo , Jay Richardson is a total riot as the arrogant , yet blundering commissioner , Johanna Grika does a respectable job filling in for Jayne Hamil as the stuffy Miss Thelma Louise Devonshire ( the sequence with Miss Devonshire getting drunk , loud and unruly in a bar is absolutely hilarious ) , and the adorable Darcy DeMoss contributes an appealing turn as nice and honest reformed criminal Samantha . Robert Hayes ' basic , no-frills cinematography is strictly okay . Both Alan DerMarderosian's bubbly , spirited score and the cool-thrashin ' theme song hit the groovy spot . As an added bonus , the delectable Toni Alessandrini struts her scorching hot stuff as a stripper while Kaitan and Parton both bare their beautifully bountiful breasts . The zippy pace , lovably wacky characters , and frothy , cheerfully inane tone all ensure that this merry romp is a complete goofy hoot from start to finish . |
518,167 | 8,239,592 | 870,159 | 8 | A charming little documentary | Actress Stella Stevens , looking as lovely and vibrant as ever , candidly talks about portraying whore with a heart of gold Hildy in " The Ballad of Cable Hogue . " Stevens points out that the film was at heart a tragic love story , that star Jason Robards was a perfect gentleman , the vocal for the duet " Butterfly Mornings " was recorded a capella in a single take , and praises executive producer Phil Feldman for having the guts to stand up to director Sam Peckinpah . Moreover , Stevens doesn't pull any punches concerning Peckinpah : she relates that Bloody Sam lacked tact and maybe even common sense , how his hostile temperament made things difficult for everyone on the set , and reveals that Peckinpah was of short stature and dressed more like a cowboy than a director , plus he always wore his trademark mirror sunglasses to hide the fact that he was a constant lier . In addition , Stella discusses starting her career as a model and confesses that she prefers comedy over drama . Well worth a watch for both Stella Stevens fans and aficionados of " The Ballad of Cable Hogue " alike . |
517,934 | 8,239,592 | 76,271 | 8 | A genuinely creepy and superior 70's revolt-of-nature horror outing | After their original prey is killed off by insecticides , a bunch of lethal poisonous arachnids develop a serious case of the mankind munchies and start chowing down on the unsuspecting local yokel residents of the sleepy country hamlet of Verde , Arizona . Pitted against the deadly eight-legged little horrors are amiable veterinarian Rack Hansen ( a surprisingly solid and subdued performance by the almighty William Shatner ) and lovely , but feisty feminist entomologist Diane Ashley ( superbly played by the alluring Tiffany Bolling of " The Candy Snatchers " and " The Centerfold Girls " fame ) . Tensely directed by John " Bud " Cardos ( who also gave us the not half bad " The Dark " and the fine " Mutant " ) , with plenty of creepy atmosphere , a flavorsome country soundtrack , several truly flesh-crawling spider attack scenes ( the whole sequence where the spiders attack the townspeople in mass volume is extremely potent and unnerving ) , sharp cinematography by John Arthur Morrill , one doozy of a startling shock twist bummer ending , well-drawn and likable characters , a spooky score by Dorsey Burnette , and solid acting from a sturdy cast that includes the ever-reliable Woody Strode , Lieux ( " Grave of the Vampire " ) Dressler , and Hoke ( " Humanoids from the Deep " ) Howell , " Kingdom of the Spiders " rates highly as a superior 70's killer animal fright flick . |
519,345 | 8,239,592 | 68,491 | 8 | A really cool and enjoyable oddball 70's crime caper flick | This really choice and pleasingly idiosyncratic early 70's low-budget canine crime caper winner delivers the quirky low-key nickel'n'dime junk movie goods with mucho gusto and a welcome dearth of pretense . Irascible criminal mastermind Eddie , fed up with the gross constant ineptitude of his hopelessly fallible human cohorts , kidnaps and trains a sextet of non-error prone super-sharp Doberman pinchers to pull off an intricate bank heist . This funky little number hits all the necessary bases : we've got a speedy steady pace , competent , assured direction by Bryon Ross Chudnow , nifty gritty lowlife characters , solid pro acting , a crankin ' soulful heavy on the brass score by Bradford Craig and Alan Silvestri , exquisite crystal clear cinematography by Robert Caramico , a terrifically tense heist set piece , cheesy montages set to marvelously mawkish light FM tunes , and even a slight mild sprinkling of good old fashioned gratuitous sex and violence . Bonus points are in order for both the fabulously corny country-and-western theme song ( " They were the dog gonest gang that man did ever see " ) and the fact that each dobie is named after a notorious 30's Depression era criminal ( Ma Parker , Dillinger , Bonnie , Clyde , etc . ) . In short , this fun flick overall rates as the totally authentic gnarly article . |
518,420 | 8,239,592 | 80,080 | 8 | A delightfully dumb lowbrow horror comedy riot | Amiable horny sailors Tom Buckley ( likable Bruce Fairbairn ) and Terry Wayne ( the equally engaging Trey Wilson of " Raising Arizona " fame ) are looking for some female action while on shore leave in the Philippines . The duo run afoul of droll vampire count Richmond Reed ( the ubiquitous John Carradine hamming it up with his usual eye-rolling aplomb ) and his three gorgeous sex-starved bloodsucking nymphets Cherish ( luscious brunette Karen Stride ) , Suzy ( comely blonde Lenka Novak ) , and Marcy ( deliciously voluptuous knockout Katie Dolan ) . Veteran exploitation feature director Cirio H . Santiago and screenwriter Howard R . Cohen offer a constant barrage of amusingly dumb jokes about such topics as eating duck , transvestites , the inevitable barroom brawl , and Bloody Mary drinks ( groan ! ) . This flick reaches its gloriously ghastly peak during a marvelously protracted ten minute orgy sequence set to crudely thumping and monotonous disco music that seems to go on forever . The cast have a field day with their broad parts : Fairbairn and Wilson make for affable leads , Carradine recites poetic dialogue with infectiously hearty gusto , and legendary Filipino B-movie favorite Vic Diaz is a gas ( literally ! ) as Pavo , a bumbling idiotic servant who desperately wants to be a vampire and suffers from severe flatulence ( he even backfires in his coffin ! ) . Better still , Stride , Novak and Dolan are all smoking hot babes who aren't the least bit bashful about baring their beautiful bodies . Both the competent cinematography by Johnny Araojo and Ricardo Remias and Jamie Mendoza-Nava's generic ooga booga score are suitably cheesy . The goofy ending credits theme song is absolutely priceless . Sure , this picture is total schlock , but it's way too good-natured in its campy stupidity to either resist or dislike . A hilariously dippy hoot and a half . |
519,446 | 8,239,592 | 68,481 | 8 | A nicely spooky 70's made-for-TV horror winner | Sweet young Diane Shaw ( a fine and sympathetic performance by the comely Belinda J . Montgomery ) is given a place to stay by the seemingly friendly Lilith Malone ( superbly played by the ever reliable Shelley Winters ) following the death of Diane's mother ( Diane Ladd in a strong cameo ) . Diane discovers much to her display that her mother was a member of an evil Satanic cult and made a deal with the devil to marry her off to the chosen one when she reaches legal age . Director Jeannot ( " Jaws 2 " ) Szwarc does a commendable job of creating and sustaining a compellingly eerie and mysterious atmosphere . J . J . Jones ' polished cinematography gives the picture a bright , attractive look . Lawrence Rosenthal's shuddery'n'spooky score likewise does the trick . The bang-up supporting cast qualifies as another major asset : Jonathan Frid ( Barnabas on " Dark Shadows " ) as Lilith's creepy mute chauffeur Mr . Howard , Robert Foxworth as charming architect Steve Stone , Abe Vigoda as sinister anthropologist Aliknine , Joseph Cotten as the amiable Judge Weatherby , Ian Wolfe as the kindly Father MacHugh , and Lucille ( " Private Parts " ) Benson as the flaky Janet Poole . The dark surprise ending is a real corker , too . A very solid and satisfying vintage 70's made-for-TV fright feature . |
518,257 | 8,239,592 | 80,081 | 8 | An enjoyably breezy'n'easy Crown International drive-in romp | Cocky , blustery , bored stiff country boy Bobby ( swaggering Bill Adler ) drives his souped-up van to Los Angeles in search of kicks and competition . Bobby falls a over teakettle in love with assertive , self-assured rival lady driver Moon ( adorable ' 74 " Playboy " Playmate of the Year Cynthia Wood ) and befriends hip , brawny greaser Chooch ( hulking David Hayward ) , Chooch's insatiable nympho carhop main squeeze Wanda ( cuddly , curly-haired perennial 70's B-movie cutie starlet Tara Strohmeier of " Hollywood Boulevard " and " The Kentucky Fried Movie " ) , wide-eyed naif Greg ( boyishly affable Dennis Bowen ) , and Greg's foxy gal pal Camille ( lovely brunette knockout Melissa Prophet ) . William ( " The Incredible Melting Man " ) Sachs ' airy , aimless , virtually plot-less episodic script follows the sextet's silly misadventures as they ride roller coasters at the amusement park , cruise the strip , disco dance to flickering strobe lights at the local clubs , play pinball at the arcade , race their mean machines , and fall in love under the twinkling California stars . Sach's throwaway direction lets the rickety narrative ramble in enjoyably ramshackle fashion , neatly capturing a righteously funky lowdown cool tone , offering up a highly satisfying plenitude of bare female flesh and simulated soft-core sex , and punctuating the sub - " American Graffiti " antics with frequent dashes of sophomoric humor . Uptight killjoy cop Al Zass ( balding dork Dana Gladstone ) winds up handcuffed to his police car on a sweltering hot beach . A busty babe flashes her breasts at the fuzz . A mysterious leather-clad motorcycle mama ( statuesque eyeful Di Ann Monaco ) picks up Greg so she can have sex with him . A grunting pig runs amok on Malibu beach . Ken Mansfield and Ron Wright's catchy humming score pulsates to a throbbing disco beat . Joseph Mangine's bright , shiny , neon-reflecting cinematography gives the groovy after hours action a glittering nighttime glow . Sure , this likeably brainless Crown International Pictures drive-in piffle never really goes anywhere , but it provides a good deal of oddly pleasing dumb fun just the same . |
518,998 | 8,239,592 | 418,778 | 8 | A supremely icky and unnerving Japanese horror creepfest | A burn patient at a dank , grimy , rundown and understaffed hospital gets accidentally killed as a result of malpractice one fateful evening . The doctors and nurses responsible for his death decide to cover up the incident . Another hapless fellow with a horrific decomposing rash gets brought into the hospital that same night . Pretty soon various staff members start acting crazy and die in assorted grisly ways . Writer / director Masayuki Ochiai relates the genuinely upsetting story at a hypnotically slow pace and does an expert job of creating an oppressively bleak and unpleasant atmosphere that becomes increasingly gloomy and nightmarish as the grim story unfolds . The cast all contribute uniformly excellent performances , with especially sturdy work by Shiro Sano as the coldly rationale and opportunistic Dr . Akai , Koichi Sato as eager young Dr . Akiba , Masanobu Yakashima as the guilt-ridden Dr . Uozumi , and Kaho Minami as stern head nurse Mrs . Shiozaki . Moreover , Ochiai doesn't skimp on the incredibly gross and disgusting graphic carnage : needles are jabbed in arms , internal organs turn into hideous goop , blood seeps out of ears , and bodies dissolve into foul liquid gunk . Hatsuaki Masui's dark , restless , shadowy cinematography and Kuniaki Haishima's spare , skin-crawling score further enhance the clammy and distressful tone . But what really makes this picture so powerfully spooky and frightening is its unsparingly eerie and unrelenting sense of creepy " what the heck's going on here ? " ambiguity . The surprise twist ending packs quite a jolting punch , too . A superior Japanese horror scarefest . |
518,080 | 8,239,592 | 76,191 | 8 | Good , cheesy , retro 50's monster-on-the-loose sci-fi / horror fun | Astronaut Steven West ( stolidly played by Alex Rebar , who subsequently quit acting to write and / or produce such dreadful , eminently disposable fright film tripe as " Demented , " " Home , Sweet Home , " " Terror on Tour , " and " To All A Good Night " ) returns from a successful Saturn mission with a mysterious degenerative skin disease which causes his skin to melt at an alarmingly accelerated rate . Steven escapes from a military hospital , ventures off into the quiet sylvan countryside , and goes on a grisly murderous spree , chowing down on an obese nurse's pudgy pus , ripping a fisherman's head off , disrupting a game of hide and seek being played by three obnoxious pot-puffing stoner kids , attacking a bickering elderly couple picking lemons late at night , assaulting a young married couple ( one of them is former " The Hills Have Eyes " cannibal clan member Janus Blythe ) in their cabin , and generally behaving like a big , nasty , butt-ugly liquefying nuisance . Hot on Steven's goopy , blood-drenched , severed limb-littered trail are true blue best buddy Dr . Ted Nelson ( the colorless Burr DeBenning ) , rigid ramrod General Michael Perry ( gruffly essayed by burly , rugged 50's B Western fixture Myron Healey ) , and earnest small-town lawman Sheriff Neil Blake ( amiable lug Michael Aldredge ) . Basically a chintzy , dopey and hokey retro 50's creature feature all sleazed and slimed up for the cheap thrill happy 70's drive-in crowd , this American International Pictures production delivers plenty of good , dumb , two-cent trashy low-budget fun . Director / writer William Sachs , who also gave us the racy teen sex comedy " Van Nuys Boulevard " and the goofy sci-fi spoof " Galaxina , " alternates between straight-faced scares and witty tongue-in-cheek buffoonery , sardonically parodying hackneyed monster movie conventions in a disarmingly affectionate manner that's gently mocking rather than smugly condescending in its flip , mordant tone . Despite Rebar's insipid performance , Steven West still makes for a strangely touching and sympathetic rampaging ghoul ; the oddly poetic shots of Steve lurching across the bright , sunny forest landscape and the remarkable sequence where he quietly contemplates his wretched , hopeless plight in an abandoned cemetery are unusually haunting and poignant , bringing a welcome dash of pathos to the titular beast that's both admirable and affecting . Rick Baker's gory , graphic , exceedingly hideous and ultra-gooey make-up f / x are every bit as gross and disgusting as they ought to be . Willy Curtis ' nifty cinematography makes especially adroit use of such always effective visual flourishes as slow motion , split screen and slow , stately fades . Arlon Ober's suitably melodramatic score , liberally laced with stinging staccato fuzz-tone guitar riffs , ain't nothing to complain about , either . Acclaimed director Jonathan Demme has a riotous bit as a leering , voyeuristic scuzzbag photographer who tries to force headstrong , strikingly gorgeous model Cheryl " Rainbeaux " Smith to take her top off . An admittedly inane , but still most enjoyable sci-fi / horror winner all around . |
518,566 | 8,239,592 | 68,599 | 8 | A super serving of 70's drive-in schlock | A trio of sexy young stewardesses have all sorts of misadventures as they travel all over the world : klutzy eager beaver rookie Toby ( an endearingly daffy performance by busty blonde babe Pat Anderson ) romances handsome doctor David ( likable Richard Young ) while being forced to contend with her meddlesome overbearing shrew of a mother ( a hilariously histrionic Naomi Stevens ) , perky expert martial artist Andrea ( the lovely Lenore Kasdorf ) searches for her missing boyfriend , and poor Sherry ( the cute Lyllah Torena ) gets abducted by a nasty narcotics and prostitution ring run by the nefarious Donald ( a perfectly slimy Ken Metcalfe ) . Prolific Filipino exploitation feature director Cirio Santiago , working from a blithely trashy script by Miller Drake , crams the wildly colorful and eventful 71 minute running time with abundant delicious female nudity ( the first topless scenes occurs barely a minute into the movie ! ) , seedy subplots , a funky-groovin ' prog-rock score , amusingly dumb lowbrow humor , several uproariously inept chopsocky fight scenes ( the blind assassin with the cane that fires deadly poison darts is a total riot ! ) , and a rousing all-out action-loaded conclusion . Moreover , Santiago maintains a nonstop zippy pace and a light , bouncy tone from start to finish . The three female leads are all quite attractive and appealing , with Anderson the stand-out of the bunch . Popping up in nifty minor roles are Vic Diaz as crooked cop Enriquez and Dick Miller as a friendly cab driver . Of course , this flick is completely silly and ridiculous , but that's exactly why it ultimately sizes up as an absolute sleazy hoot . |
518,592 | 8,239,592 | 116,393 | 8 | An excellent and underrated crime thriller | Honest black cop Michael Rhoades ( a fine performance by Mario Van Peebles ) takes a stand against a racist group of white vigilante police officers called the Phantoms and does his best to acquire the necessary evidence to bust these guys . Of course , Rhoades immediately finds himself in considerable jeopardy . Directed with real style and assurance by Mario and Melvin Van Peebles , with a strong script by Rick Natkin and David Fuller , a credible sense of pervasive moral baseness and corruption , a tough , gritty tone , slick cinematography by Rhett Morita , an engrossing plot , a moody score by Larry Brown , a provocative subtext about the abuse of power , a snappy pace , and several exciting action scenes , this movie makes the grade as a tense and compelling cop flick . The picture further benefits from sound acting from a top-rate cast : Josh Brolin as sadistic former marine Keith DeBruler , Cynda Williams as helpful FBI agent Anita Boyard , the always great J . T . Walsh as smarmy Lieutenant William Eyler , Stephen Lang as the slimy , venomous Moose Tavola , Sean McCann as venerable old-timer Clute Mirkovich , Melvin Van Peebles as wise , amiable veteran Andre Speier , and Bruce Smolanoff as hateful jerk Theo Jensen . A solid and satisfying film . |
518,079 | 8,239,592 | 384,833 | 8 | A good , goofy & enjoyably gory giant monster on the loose flick | I bought this immensely enjoyable little direct-to-video giant monster on the loose fright flick as an impulse buy at a local Wal-Mart for only five bucks and am glad that I did , for this funky little B-horror creature feature turned out to be a pleasant surprise . The basic plot centers on a motley assortment of folks being terrorized by a gigantic flesh-eating fish in the Louisiana bayou . Sure , the premise is admittedly asinine , but both director Mark A . Z . Dippe and his cast treat it with commendable seriousness . Because the silly story is taken seriously instead of done in some smugly patronizing cutesy-campy way , a sizable amount of tension is created and sustained throughout . Better still , the fish attack scenes are staged with considerable élan and are every bit as brutal and gory as they ought to be ( the definite splatter highlight occurs when one hapless victim gets gruesomely bitten in half ) . The fish monster itself is a really cool and gnarly-looking beast ; the CGI effects are remarkably up to snuff and the animatronic puppet is likewise fairly convincing . Moreover , the story wasn't as by-the-numbers predictable as I expected ; the shockingly abrupt and nasty demise of one character in particular was genuinely startling . Special kudos are in order for the uniformly excellent cast : Tory Kittle makes for a solid and engaging hero , lovely ladies A . D . Aubert , China Chow and Noelle Evans supply delectable distaff eye candy for male viewers to ogle , Raoul Trujillo is an absolute hoot as a crazed loner ' Nam vet , and character actors Muse Watson as a grizzled fisherman , the always amusing Richard Edson as an amiable stoner dude , and Mark Boone Junior as a cagey seasoned tracker acquit themselves well in colorful supporting roles . I also appreciated the picture's pleasing paucity of pretense ; it's a briskly paced 84 minute affair that right from the start rolls up its sleeves , spits on its hands , and gets immediately down to business with a laudably snappy straightforwardness . Granted , it's no classic , but it's nonetheless still loads of entertainingly inane goof-ball fun . |
518,442 | 8,239,592 | 89,630 | 8 | A nicely spooky and effective supernatural horror murder mystery thriller sleeper | Sensible , independent , down-to-earth young single woman Meg ( the reasonably pretty , but rather plain and refreshingly unglamorous redhead Heather Bolton ) purchases a used Jaguar Mark IV automobile that's haunted by the unrestful spirit ( expressively played to eerily mute perfection by the lovely Perry Piercy ) of the previous owner who was murdered in it . A mysterious man ( handsome , quietly menacing David Letch ) who might be the killer begins to stalk Meg . Capably directed in an effectively clean , spare , very low-key and no-frills style by Gaylene Preston , carefully scripted by Preston , Geoff Murphy and Graeme Tetley , nicely shot by Thom Burstyn and further graced with a beautifully classy and elegant orchestral score by Jonathan Crayford , this pleasingly subtle and understated supernatural horror mystery thriller weaves a highly spooky and unnerving spell on the viewer , slowly unraveling its tricky story at an admirably stately and unhurried pace while also neatly managing to avoid a standard cut'n'dried narrative trajectory . Furthermore , Preston gives the fantastic premise a semblance of believability by grounding said far-fetched tale in a plausibly banal and unremarkable evocation of grindingly drab and mundane day-to-day reality . With her spunky persona and attractively dumpy looks , Bolton makes for an extremely credible and appealing everywoman in distress . The conclusion is a genuinely harrowing white-knuckle nail-biter . A real sleeper . |
518,496 | 8,239,592 | 1,072,422 | 8 | Interesting short | Grief-stricken Derek ( a solid and moving performance by Edwin Navas ) feels guilty following the untimely death of his girlfriend Courtney Everly ( a haunting portrayal by Cara Mantella ) in an automobile accident . Derek seeks refuge in the woods to no avail . Instead he's tormented by ghosts , visions , creepy hillbilly hunter Otto Fisk ( essayed with hearty aplomb by Philip Covin ) , and the specter of Courtney , who encourages Derek to kill himself . Writer / director Dave R . Watkins crafts an intriguing and provocative cinematic meditation on guilt and forgiveness that benefits greatly from an eerie and uncertain ambiguous tone ( for example , the phantoms might be real or just imaginary products of Derek's troubled mind ) , the isolated backwoods setting , and a compelling story that doesn't culminate in the obvious expected conclusion . The slick cinematography by Dan Slemons gives the picture an attractive polished look while Daniel Solammon's shivery and throbbing score adds substantially to the uncanny mood . Kudos are also in order for the uniformly sound acting from the capable cast , with especially praiseworthy work from Ben Bailey as Derek's sympathetic friend Karl and Tom Thon as Courtney's angry father Mr . Everly . Worth a look . |
519,090 | 8,239,592 | 72,400 | 8 | A very strong and absorbing 70's made-for-TV end-of-the-world science fiction winner | This solid 70's end-of-the-world made-for-TV picture has a few striking similarities to William Girdler's " Day of the Animals . " Like that sturdy nature-gone-amok killer animal flick this feature amounts to a very effective and genuinely eerie effort . Stalwart , resolute father Peter Graves , his bookish chip off the old block science nerd son George O ' Hanlon , Jr . , and antsy daughter Kathleen Quinlan are camping in the High Sierras when a solar flair explosion occurs . The explosion wipes out most of mankind , leaving only a scattered minute handful of people left . Graves and his kids make a perilous trek to Malibu , California . They pick up dazed , shell-shocked , grief-stricken mother Verna Bloom and gutsy little boy Michael James Wixted , have their car stolen by a panicky guy , and fend off packs of vicious wild dogs along the way . John Llewellyn ( " The Night Stalker " ) Moxey's spare , no-frills direction lets the starkly plotted story unfold in a creepily gradual and unforced manner , eschewing any potentially credibility-killing flashy pyrotechnics in favor of a lean , stripped-down style that deftly creates and sustains a certain gritty plausibility . This in turn gives the film a quietly unsettling power that remains taut and absorbing to the very end . The convincing , laudably restrained performances by a fine cast , the tightly wound script by John Lewis ( " The Mechanic " ) Carlino and Sandor ( " Shark Kill " ) Stern , the plain , unadorned cinematography , the minimal , unobtrusive score , and an uncompromisingly downbeat ending that's capped off by a delicately optimistic conclusion all add considerable substance to this gently moving paean to the essential human need to survive and keep living . |
518,192 | 8,239,592 | 59,127 | 8 | One of Hammer's best and most enjoyable Dracula pictures | Alan ( solid Charles Tingwell ) , his wife Helen ( ravishing brunette beauty Barbara Shelley ) , Charles ( affable Francis Matthews ) and his spouse Diana ( the equally fetching blonde looker Suzan Farmer ) are traveling through the Carpathian Mountains . The two young English couples find themselves in substantial jeopardy when they run afoul of Dracula ( awesomely played with tremendously ferocious brio by the great Christopher Lee ) . It's up to hale'n'hearty no-nonsense priest Father Sandor ( a wonderfully robust and commanding portrayal by Andrew Keir ) to kill the evil bloodsucking undead fiend before it's too late . Ably directed with considerable flair and style by Terence Fisher , with a supremely spooky'n'stirring full-bore orchestral score by James Bernard , several well-mounted shock set pieces , beautifully crisp and polished widescreen cinematography by Michael Reed ( the stately prowling tracking shots are especially impressive ) , a constant brisk pace , plenty of eerie , misty , mysterious atmosphere , WARNING : Possible SPOILER ahead - a rousing conclusion with Dracula drowning in a frozen lake as the ice breaks around him , exquisitely verdant forest scenery , and bang-up acting from a first-rate cast ( Thorley Walters in particular shines in a brief , but memorable turn as Dracula's meek , weak-willed Renfield-like servant Ludwig ) , this strong and immensely enjoyable fright feature rates highly as one of Hammer's best-ever Dracula pictures period . |
519,444 | 8,239,592 | 54,691 | 8 | A fun low-budget 50's " The Most Dangerous Game " copy | Johnny Randall ( a solid Robert Reed ; the father on " The Brady Bunch " ) , Betty Scott ( tasty blonde June Kenney ) , Peter Garwood ( the likable Gene Perrson ) , and Jeanne Perry ( fetching brunette Joan Lora ) are four teenagers who find themselves trapped on a remote secluded and uncharted tropical island run by the evil Dr . Albert Balleau ( essayed with deliciously slimy relish by Wilton Graff ) , a real sadist who gets his sick kicks out of ruthlessly hunting humans in the jungle with a crossbow . Written , directed and produced with a modicum of competence by Ralph Brooke , this flick gets off to a rather slow and talky start , but eventually culminates in a tense , gripping and surprisingly violent last third . Richard Cunha's rough , grainy , yet fairly polished cinematography and the booming'n'bombastic stock film library score are both up to speed . Veteran character actress Lilyan Chauvin ( Mother Superior in the seasonal slasher classic " Silent Night , Deadly Night " ) pops up as Balleau's faithless wife Sandra . The scene where one of Belleau's pernicious flunkies gets dunked into a vat of acid rates as a definite gruesome highlight . Granted , this scrappy little B-flick quickie sure ain't no cinematic gem , but it's still much better and more enjoyable than its undeservedly lousy reputation would suggest . |
518,644 | 8,239,592 | 72,424 | 8 | A really fun and enjoyable vintage 70's yuletide TV special | Santa Claus ( robustly voiced by the ever-exuberant Mickey Rooney ) gets a bad cold and decides to take a year off . Ms . Claus ( given an endearingly warm voice by Shirley Booth ) sends bumbling elves Jingle Bells and Jangle Bells along with baby reindeer Vixen to go out into the world to find plenty of holiday cheer in order to persuade Santa to go ahead with his usual routine . Meanwhile , the constantly feuding Miser Brothers further muck things up . This delightful Noel family musical television program from Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin , Jr . , the same fine folks who gave us such sparkling gems as " Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer " and " Frosty the Snowman , " offers a winning mix of good-natured humor and several highly catchy songs . However , it's the marvelously campy antics of the Miser Brothers who make this show a prime piece of hilarious entertainment : George S . Irving is deliciously manic as the cantankerous overgrown brat Heat Miser while Dick Shawn is camp perfection as the smarmy hambone Snow Miser ; their scenes are a complete sidesplitting joy to watch and the jaunty burlesque songs they both heartily belt out are simply awesome . Rhoda Mann likewise impresses as the folksy matronly voice of Mother Nature . The funky stop-motion animation and the light , upbeat tone further enhance the overall merry charm of this lovely little beaut . |
517,932 | 8,239,592 | 128,451 | 8 | A nicely sick and sleazy piece of low-budget Southern-fried Satanic trash | Unhappy and discontent suburban teen Bobby ( expertly played to the obnoxious hilt by Stephen White ) lives in abject misery in the Florida suburbs . He's relentlessly browbeaten by his overbearing stepfather ( a marvelously hateful Eldon Macham ) and equally nasty shamelessly flirtatious tease of an older step sister ( a perfectly bitchy Joyce Molloy ) . Fed up with all this abuse , Bobby runs away from home and winds up being savagely sodomized by a gang of greasy gay guys . The evil homosexuals leave Bobby clad solely in his underwear on the side of the road . Luckily for Bobby he's saved by a nearby Satanic cult . Attractive lady cult member Sherry ( the luscious Kathleen Archer ) gets the hots for Bobby , but cult leader Simon ( superbly essayed with mucho suavely slimy aplomb by Robert C . Ray II ) thinks Bobby is too much of a weak , passive wimp to cut it as a worthy member of the cult . So Bobby escapes from the cult's dangerous clutches ( killing four guards in the process ) and exacts a harsh revenge on his stepfather , step sister and the foul gay goons who brutally raped him in order to prove he's got the right tough stuff to qualify as a soldier in Lucifer's army . " Satan's Children " is a sensationally sick , twisted and depraved doozy of a low-budget 70's drive-in horror flick . Writer / director Joe Wiezycki relates the deranged story in a tight , snappy , straightforward manner that ensures that there's never any dreary lulls to speak of . The stark , no-frills style of the picture , best epitomized by John " Mak " Makinen's plain , grainy photography and Ray Fletcher's odd , spare , droning score , adds an immediacy to the warped proceedings that's both skin-crawlingly creepy and strangely compelling in comparable measure . The final image in this film is very scary and disturbing , concluding things on a shockingly nihilistic note that the Devil himself would approve of . Those fine freaky folks at Something Weird Video offer this hardcore ferocious piece of deviant Southern-fried sleaze on an ideal DVD double bill with William Girdler's laughably lousy debut feature " Asylum of Satan . " |
517,929 | 8,239,592 | 483,779 | 8 | A really enjoyable low-budget sci-fi / horror flick | Three attractive young couples go to a remote peaceful island off the coast of New England for a weekend frolic . Things turn sour when a crashed meteor creates not only a fierce storm which traps the kids on the island , but also unleashes a lethal humanoid alien creature that goes on a murderous rampage . Writer / director Steven Charles Castle crafts a really nifty , lively and entertaining Do-It-Yourself low-budget Grade B indie sci-fi / horror romp : the acceptable acting from a game no-name cast , a reasonably brisk pace , the likable characters , a generous smattering of splatter , the sharp photography , a cool rockin ' score , a tight 74 minute running time , and the startling downbeat surprise ending are all pretty solid and up to par . Granted , both the tacky CGI effects and silly guy - in - an - obvious - bulky - rubber - suit monster are admittedly cheesy , but they possess a certain clunky charm that's impossible to dislike . Better yet , there's a raw energy and infectiously wholehearted go-for-it enthusiasm evident throughout that's both endearing and enjoyable in comparable measure . Overall , this engagingly modest picture amounts to good , cheap fun that's pleasingly reminiscent of such funky 80's items as " Nightbeast " and " The Deadly Spawn . " |
519,037 | 8,239,592 | 76,214 | 8 | A pretty creepy & effective 70's made-for-TV killer animal fright flick | This nicely creepy and enjoyable 70's made-for-TV killer animal horror item centers on a nest of lethal and poisonous ants which are unearthed by a construction crew working on a posh lakeside resort . The ants proceed to attack a few folks and trap a handful of others inside . Among those trapped in the resort are feisty elderly owner Myrna Loy , her comely daughter Lynda Day George ( who also dealt with a larger array of deadly critters in " Day of the Animals " ) , rugged construction foreman Robert Foxworth ( who later faced off with a murderous misshapen mutant bear in " Prophecy " ) , jerky sleazeball businessman Gerald Gordon and his lovely partner Suzanne Sommers of " Three's Company " sitcom fame , health inspector Steve Franken , and sexy drifter Karen Lamm . Trying to rescue the people trapped inside are construction worker Bernie Casey and fire chief Brian Dennehy . Capably directed by Robert Scheerer , with a tight script by Guerdon Trueblood ( who wrote " Tarantulas : The Deadly Cargo " the same year ) , several truly skin-crawling ant attack scenes ( the sequence where Sommers gets munched is a definite highlight , plus a little boy has a close call with the ants as well ) , a nice snappy pace , and uniformly sound acting from a fine cast , this baby makes for a most satisfying and occasionally harrowing little scarefest . |
518,094 | 8,239,592 | 54,668 | 8 | An enjoyably bizarre Mexican sci-fi / horror oddity | 1661 : Evil and unrepentant sorcerer Baron Vitelius d'Estera ( well played with suitably dour relish by Abel Salazar ) gets burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft . Before he dies the Baron vows to return 300 years later to kill the descendants of his executioners . In 1961 a passing comet resurrects the Baron as a grotesquely malformed brain-eating humanoid beast with pointy ears , a swollen face , fangs , and a long forked tongue who embarks on a brutal rampage . Capably directed by Chano Urueta , with a gloomy tone , a novel and inspired script by Federico Curiel and Adolfo Lopez Portillo , a steady pace , a lively ooga-booga shivery score by Gustavo Cesar Carrion , a gloriously hideous monster , several nifty quirky touches ( the Baron keeps the cerebrums of his victims in an urn so he can snack on them ! ) , stark , fairly polished black and white cinematography by Jose Ortiz Ramos , and solid acting from a cast that includes familiar south-of-the-border fright feature stalwarts German Robles , Luis Aragon and Ariadna Welter , this truly peculiar item makes for hugely entertaining viewing . The laughably hokey English dubbing and endearingly chintzy ( not so ) special effects only add to this picture's considerable loopy charm . A pleasingly offbeat one-of-a-kind weirdie . |
519,258 | 8,239,592 | 59,100 | 8 | A nice 60's horror movie blend of vampirism and Satanism | Writer Paul Baxter ( likable William Sylvestor ) and his newfound model girlfriend Karin ( ravishing redhead beauty Tracy Reed ) meet elegant French aristocrat Arman du Moliere ( a supremely suave and sinister portrayal by Hubert Noel ) while vacationing in rural Brittany . Moliere turns out to be a vampire who abducts Karin so she can be a human sacrifice for the Satanic cult that he's the leader of . Director Lance Comfort , working from a nifty and inspired script by Lyn Fairhurst , relates the compelling story at a steady pace , ably creates a creepy atmosphere , and offers a strong evocation of the remote rustic region . The solid acting from a sturdy cast rates as another substantial plus : Sylvestor and Noel are fine in the leads , with good support from Carole Gray as lusty gypsy Tania , Diana Decker as perky socialite Madeleine Braun , Peter Illing as the huffy , yet laid-back Inspector Illing , and Victor Brooks as the helpful , hard-nosed Inspector Hardwick . Reginald H . Wyer's vibrant cinematography , Bernie Fenton's spooky'n'shuddery score , and the rousing conclusion all further enhance the entertainment value of this enjoyable 60's fright feature . |
519,346 | 8,239,592 | 275,056 | 8 | An offbeat and haunting documentary about the 1989 Russian invasion of Afghanistan | Richard Stanley's strange and experimental 32-minute avant garde documentary about the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and the subsequent formation of the Taliban eschews standard narration in favor of simply presenting the events with a series of oddly lovely and often startling images . Immo Horn's dazzling cinematography offers a wondrous wealth of breathtaking visuals : a white crescent moon in the clear night sky , a bright orange sunset , soldiers fishing in a sparkling blue river , extraordinary sweeping shots of mountainous vistas , armed soldiers marching across the parched desert , soldiers stockpiling weapons , guns , tanks and cannons being fired , and the ruined flaming wreck of a destroyed tank all possess a strong and arresting cumulative power that's impossible to shake . Simon Boswell's beautifully haunting and moody score likewise impresses as well . Essentially a quirky and coolly meditative visual tone poem ( in fact , a Surfi poem serves as the sole bit of narration in the entire picture ) , this singular documentary makes for a very powerful viewing experience . |
518,511 | 8,239,592 | 32,404 | 8 | A fun little Grade B mystery potboiler | Sly , suave Oriental sleuth James Lee Wong ( the always excellent Boris Karloff ) investigates the murder of fierce shipping tycoon Cyrus P . Wenthworth ( a brief , but memorable turn by Melvin Lang ) and uncovers a plot to smuggle contraband bonds into the country . He's assisted by gruff , hard-nosed cop captain William " Bill " Street ( a perfectly huffy portrayal by Grant Withers ) and perky reporter Roberta " Bobbie " Logan ( the delightfully spunky Marjorie Reynolds ) . Competently directed by William Nigh , with a tight , clever script by Michael Jacoby , a flavorsome score , acceptable cinematography by Harry Neumann , a constant snappy pace , plenty of sharp , witty dialogue ( the sarcastic rat-a-tat banter between Street and Logan is often quite funny ) , a couple of rousing well-staged action scenes , and a pleasingly trim 67 minute running time , this film makes for a hugely enjoyable diversion . The sound acting by the supporting cast helps a lot : Gary Usher as Wentworth's laid-back rival Paul Flemming , William Stelling as Fleming's affable son Dick , Catherine Craig as Wentworth's sweet daughter Cynthia , Wilbur Mack as sleazy blackmailer Matthews , and Kenneth Harlan as shady chauffeur Ludlow . Moreover , it's a real treat to see Karloff in a juicy change-of-pace non-horror lead role . An entertaining romp . |
518,272 | 8,239,592 | 86,014 | 8 | A nifty 80's horror anthology outing | This omnibus affair offers four scary tales altogether . First and most tense story , " Terror in Topanga " - Chainsmoking housewife Lisa ( well played by the lovely Christina Raines ) finds herself being stalked by a vicious escaped psychopath when she goes out late at night for a pack of cigarettes . This vignette culminates in a positively harrowing conclusion , plus boasts neat cameos by familiar character actors Anthony James as a store clerk and William Sanderson as a gas station attendant . Second and coolest yarn , " Bishop of Battle " - Cocky whiz kid arcade rat J . J . Cooney ( a likable portrayal by Emilio Estevez ) reaches the thirteenth level of the tough video game the Bishop of Battle ( voiced with sinister aplomb by James Tolkan ) and finds himself in considerable jeopardy when the game becomes dangerously real . Several gnarly punk songs by Fear on the soundtrack and the funky special effects make this one a total blast to watch . Third and most exciting segment , " The Benediction " - The always excellent Lance Henrikson gives a typically fine and intense performance as MacLeod , a Catholic priest who loses his faith and subsequently has a frightening encounter with an evil satanic black pick-up on a lonely stretch of desert road . This absorbing " Duel " variant makes effectively eerie use of its desolate isolated setting and is highlighted by the startling sequence in which the pick-up bursts forth from the ground . Fourth and most freaky anecdote , " Night of the Rat " - A suburban family are terrorized by a huge demonic rodent that invades their home . Richard Masur and Veronica Cartwright excel as the unhappy bickering married couple , child actress Bridgette Anderson is remarkable as their sweet little girl Brooke , and Albert Hague contributes an engaging turn as folksy exterminator Mel Keefer . This story builds plenty of tension and offers a truly creepy and unsettling atmosphere that's slightly marred by some unfortunately shoddy ( not so ) special effects towards the end . Director Joseph Sargent maintains a brisk pace throughout and stages the shock scenes with commendable efficiency . Craig Safan supplies an appropriately spooky'n'shuddery score . The slick cinematography by Mario DiLeo and Gerald Perry Finnerman gives the picture a smooth glossy look . A fun fright feature . |
519,330 | 8,239,592 | 50,251 | 8 | An excellent and enjoyable Japanese science fiction alien invasion winner | A rural town gets completely destroyed . The military investigates and discovers a giant bird-like robot that levels everything in its lethal path . The robot belongs to the Mysterians , an alien race who want a piece of land and human women to mate with . The military refuses to comply with the aliens ' requests and declares all-out war on the Mysterians . Director Ishiro Honda , working from a compelling script by Takeshi Kimura , relates the engrossing story in a pleasingly straightforward and unpretentious manner . Moreover , Honda does a fine job of maintaining a steady pace and effectively creates a serious tone . The thrilling action set pieces and impressively prodigious sequences of mass destruction really hit the stirring spot . Akira Ifakube's robust , rousing , full-bore orchestral score , Hajime Koizuma's vibrant , expansive cinematography , and the nifty special effects are all likewise solid . The cast all contribute sound and credible performances , with especially praiseworthy work by Akihiko Hirata as diligent tragic hero Ryoichi Shiraishi and Takashi Shimura as the wise scientist Dr . Tanjiro Adachi . Essential viewing for fans of Japanese science fiction . |
518,532 | 8,239,592 | 32,390 | 8 | A fun 40's poverty-row Bela Lugosi horror cheapie | The bitter and vindictive Dr . Paul Carruthers ( essayed with deliciously wicked aplomb by Bela Lugosi ) creates huge monstrous killer bats so he can get revenge on his employers who used and exploited him . Carruthers gives his victims a special shaving location that attracts the bats . Smartaleck newspaper reporter John Layton ( winningly played by Dave O'Brien ) and his amiable photographer " One-Shot " McGuire ( an engaging performance by Donald Kerr ) investigate the killings . Director Jean Yarborough , working from a compact script by John Thomas Neville , relates the story at a constant brisk pace , stages the bat attack scenes with a reasonable amount of flair , and adds a few inspired touches of amusing black humor . This film further benefits from the spirited acting by its sturdy cast : Suzanne Kaaren makes a nice impression as the pretty and charming Mary Heath , Arthur Q . Bryan huffs and puffs to a delightful degree as irascible newspaper editor Joe McGinty , Yolande Mallot supplies some tasty eye candy as cute French maid Maxine , and Guy Usher contributes a fine turn as arrogant corporate bigwig Henry Morton . David Chudnow's suitably overwrought melodramatic score and Arthur Martinelli's fairly polished cinematography are both up to par . However , the giant bats are hilariously hokey looking and markedly less than frightening . That sole criticism aside , this movie overall rates as a highly enjoyable fright feature quickie . |
518,273 | 8,239,592 | 72,209 | 8 | A really cool and enjoyable Aussie cult biker winner | Someone is picking off members of the outlaw biker gang the Grave Diggers after one of their number witnesses the assassination of a politician at an outdoor rally in a public park . Straight-laced undercover cop Stone ( stiffly played by Ken Shorter ) infiltrates the club in order to protect them and find out who the killer is . Director / co-writer Sandy Harbutt astutely pegs the whole empowering feeling of doing your own thing , refusing to buckle under to the status quo , and the sense of pure unbeatable strength riding a mean machine with your closest mates gives you . Moreover , Harbutt shows the bikers in a positive and sympathetic light without ever exploiting or glamorizing them in the process . In fact , the strong bond of loyalty and camaraderie amongst the Grave Diggers is truly touching and heart-warming . The cast members who portray the Grave Diggers look , act and sound like the genuine gnarly article , with especially stand-out turns by Harbutt as tough , charismatic leader the Undertaker , Hugh Keays-Byrne as the scruffy , yet sensitive Toad , Vincent Gil as the crazed Dr . Death , Rebecca Gilling as the Undertaker's sassy moll Vanessa , James H . Bowles as the grubby Stinkfinger , Bindi Williams as the laid-back Captain Midnight , and Roger Ward as the rowdy Hooks . Helen Morse likewise does well as Stone's fetching , but long-suffering girlfriend Amanda . Only Shorter's bland acting as Stone leaves something to be desired . Graham Lind's gritty , but polished cinematography offers plenty of striking visuals : Toad tripping on acid in the park , an impressively massive biker funeral procession roaring down the highway , and the stunning climax in an empty cemetery . Billy Green's groovy hard-rocking score hits the funky-jammin ' bull's eye as well . But what makes this picture so special and resonant is that it has the pungent stench of gritty authenticity about it . So take the trip and check it out , mate . |
518,672 | 8,239,592 | 922,642 | 8 | An effectively grim and grisly end-of-the-world sci-fi / horror outing | The time : the immediate near future . Society has fallen apart as the direct result of a sudden and unexpected gas shortage . A ragtag group of survivors led by the wise and kindly Professor Darwin ( an excellent performance by Robert Carradine ) seek refuge in an empty and abandoned hospital . Said group find themselves in considerable peril when a deadly band of savage nocturnal cannibals called Rovers attack the place on a nightly basis and pick them off one at a time . Writer / director Mark Young depicts a plausibly bleak and brutal vision of the future that might be right around the corner . Moreover , Young relates the absorbing story at a steady pace , builds a strong sense of dread and plenty of nerve-wracking tension ( the Rovers ' attacks on the survivors are quite vicious and horrifying ) , maintains a properly bleak and desolate tone throughout , and further spices things up with a few nice lashings of gore ( gruesome highlights include a bloody throat slicing , a meat cleaver in the head , and an especially nasty acid facial ) . Better still , there's no silly obtrusive humor to detract from the severity of the harsh survival-of-the-fittest premise . In fact , the plot makes a potent and provocative central point about the fine line between civilized beings and wild barbarians . The sterling acting from a sturdy cast helps matters a whole lot : Rachel Miner as the spunky , resourceful Neon , Rider Strong as the mean , selfish Ford , Nicole DuPort as the humane and sensible , yet tough and resilient Dakota , Michael Kelly as the surly , malcontent Viper , Alexandra Barreto as Ford's timid girlfriend Torino , Emily Catherine Young as the mute , fragile Nova , Michael Madsen as the calmly malevolent Jackal , and Vinnie Jones as the feral Mongrel . Gregg Easterbrook's shadowy , prowling cinematography makes the most out of the dark and claustrophobic setting . Elia Cmiral's shivery , rattling , hard-rocking score likewise hits the bull's eye . A solid and satisfying movie . |
518,244 | 8,239,592 | 403,407 | 8 | A refreshingly offbeat and original vampire horror picture | A race of genetically enhanced vampires called the Brotherhood has peacefully coexisted with human beings for 300 years . Crazed renegade vampire Brother Edgar ( superbly played with frightening intensity Leo Gregory ) starts preying on human beings and plans on changing the natural order of things by infecting everyone with a lethal mutant virus . It's up to dour , compassionate vampire Brother Silus ( a fine portrayal by Dougray Scott ) and tough , but kind-hearted human police captain Lilly ( a splendidly hard-nosed performance by Saffron Burrows ) to stop Edgar before it's too late . Writer / director Glenn Standring offers a fresh and intriguing spin on the standard vampire premise which eschews the usual bloodsucker lore in favor of cleverly blending elements from the horror , alternate reality science fiction , and police detective action thriller genres into an inspired , arresting and imaginative synthesis . Moreover , Standring relates the absorbing story ate a slow , yet steady pace , maintains a grim'n'gloomy Gothic atmosphere throughout , and still manages to deliver the expected graphic gore and exciting action set pieces . Better still , Standring brings a maturity and intelligence to the material that's admirably adult and sophisticated in its sensibility . Kudos are also in order for the uniformly excellent acting by a tip-top cast : Scott and Burrows do stand-out work in the lead roles , Gregory makes for a lively and formidable villain , plus there are sturdy supporting contributions by Stuart Wilson as the wise , pragmatic head vampire Brother Augustus , Scott Willis as the sarcastic Detective Jones , and Stephen Ure as disgusting toady Frederick " Freddy " Sykes . Leon Narbey's moody cinematography gives the film a nifty gray and grimy look . Anne Dudley's brooding score likewise does the trick . A pleasingly different and creative fright feature . |
519,080 | 8,239,592 | 200,515 | 8 | An enjoyably cruddy piece of slasher schlock | This deliciously cheesy howler gets off to a rip-roaring start with busty blonde babe Sally ( luscious Meredith O'Brien ) doing just what you think with her nerdy boyfriend Vic ( the extremely dorky Vinnie Bilancio ) . Of course , right after they're finished both of them are brutally butchered by maniacal machete-brandishing psycho the Clown ( the pitifully unscary Shemp Moseley ) . Sensitive Tricia ( Jennifer Ritchkoff ) , nice , considerate Steve ( Michael Taylor ) , jerky , irritable , foul-mouthed Jay ( the supremely annoying Tim Young ) , and stuck-up Nicole ( foxy blonde Betheny Zolt ) all go camping in the same sylvan area where a rash of gruesome murders have occurred throughout the years . They find themselves stranded and on their own in the woods after their tough tomboy guide Harris ( Courtney Taylor ) gets offed . Writer / director Brad Sykes shamelessly trots out all the tried'n'true slice'n'dice clichés ala " Friday the 13th " : we've got the nutty old guy ( wildly overplayed by Joseph Haggerty ) warning the young adults to stay away from Camp Blood ( naturally said warning is ignored or else there wouldn't be a movie ) , shaky hand-held camera-work for the killer's point of view stalking shots , the scary urban legend-type story told around a campfire , and even the ever-popular " have sex and die " routine . The tacky , unconvincing gore , Jeff Leroy's crude , fuzzy , static , washed-out cinematography ( the ugly color in this picture looks dingy and dismal throughout ) , the laughably amateurish acting from the lame no-name cast , a generic ooga-booga spooky'n'shivery synthesizer score by Ghost , the dreadful excessively profane dialogue , the draggy pace , a talky script , the nonexistent tension , and the incredibly obnoxious characters all further enhance the lovably lousy charm of this endearingly crummy hoot . |
518,944 | 8,239,592 | 72,219 | 8 | A nicely eerie , intelligent and involving 70's sci-fi / horror made-for-TV flick | Although her sweet , caring schoolteacher husband David ( the fine George Grizzard ) had a vasectomy three years ago , successful painter Ann Collins ( marvelously played with meticulous focus by the lovely Barbara Eden of " I Dream of Jeannie " fame ) has somehow managed to become pregnant . Even weirder than Ann miraculously having a bun in the oven is the radical shift in her once normal , now increasingly flipped-out behavior : Ann starts putting way too much salt on her food , gulps down steaming hot black coffee by the gallon , develops a peculiar predilection for freezing cold temperatures , reads sociology books by the dozens , starts talking in an odd unidentifiable foreign tongue , and becomes cranky to the point of being downright hostile . Is Ann going crazy ? Or , more disturbing , is the rapidly developing fetus she's carrying some kind of alien creature with potentially malevolent intentions ? This frightfully effective and absorbing made-for-TV domestic sci-fi / horror hybrid mixes elements of " Rosemary's Baby , " " The Exorcist " and " The Stepford Wives " into a highly creepy and compelling synthesis , cleverly mining a fine line in flesh-crawling thrills from its quietly unnerving central theme : The placid tranquility of a bland , everyday , affluent upper middle-class suburbanite setting gets totally ripped asunder by inexplicable otherworldly occurrences which defy logical categorization and hence can be neither controlled nor comprehended through ordinary means . Lee Philips ' low-key , rather pedestrian direction inadvertently works in the film's favor ; his lack of flashy cinematic flourishes and pretty mundane style greatly enhance the movie's vivid and convincing evocation of a plain , average , nothing fancy or unusual environment . Richard ( " Duel , " " The Night Stalker " ) Matheson's script is typically sound : intelligent , insightful , mature ( e . g . , when David first finds out about Ann's condition he accuses her of being unfaithful ) , mysterious and paranoid , with the fantastic premise made believable and intriguing by grounding it with acutely observed , true-to-life , three-dimensional characters and an uneasy tone which remains pleasingly enigmatic and ambiguous to the very end . Eden and Grizzard are excellent in the leads , making for a thoroughly plausible and appealing middle-aged couple . David Doyle as a kindly , helpful amateur hypnotist , Nehemiah Persoff as a bewildered doctor , and Joyce Van Patten as Ann's concerned , sympathetic best friend contribute sturdy supporting performances . The surprise conclusion with the baby's actual origins finally being revealed packs a socko startling punch . Eerie , understated and above all proficiently done , this nifty chiller diller rates as a serenely unsettling little scarefest . |
518,100 | 8,239,592 | 46,066 | 8 | A gloriously ludicrous laugh riot | When it comes to hilariously horrible high camp howlers , this exceptionally abominable micro-budget atrocity really takes the cruddy cake . First off , there's the stupendously silly plot : Mad scientist Dr . Arana ( essayed with hammy élan by Jackie Coogan ; Uncle Fester on " The Adams Family " ) conducts evil experiments in the remote Mexican desert of Zarpa Mesa : he turns a bunch of lovely ladies and malformed male midgets into lethal predators by injecting them with spider venom ! A motley bunch of folks run afoul of said freaks when their plane crashes in the immediate area . Hopelessly incompetent directors Ron Ormond and Herbert Trevos make a total fumbling hash out of the dumb , talking and meandering script . Hoyt S . Curtin's monotonous scores uses the same irritating two chord flamenco guitar riff ad nauseam . Pompous stentorian narrator Lyle Talbot prattles on incessantly sans rhyme and reason . The scratchy static cinematography by Karl Strauss and Gil Warrenton doesn't help matters any as well . The game , but lame cast struggle valiantly with the ridiculous material : Robert Knapp as stalwart airplane pilot Grant Phillips , Mary Hill as the snippy Doreen Culbertson , Richard Travis as wealthy jerk Don Mulcahey , Harmon Stevens as the hearty , cracked Dr . Leland Masterson , Chris-Pin Martin as the superstitious Pepe , and Samuel Wu as sinister loyal stoical servant Wu . Moreover , Dr . Arana's bevy of beautiful babes supply lots of delicious eye candy . Tandra Quinn in particular as the wickedly enticing and animalistic Tarantella is especially alluring ; her crazy seductive dance in a smoky bar qualifies as the definite highlight of the whole movie . A hokey giant puppet spider shows up to further add to the gut-busting cheesiness . Sure , this flick is incredibly awful junk , but it possesses a certain clunky sincerity which in turn makes this unintentionally uproarious kitsch hoot strangely entertaining in its very jaw-dropping crumminess . |
518,434 | 8,239,592 | 422,401 | 8 | A wildly entertaining tongue-in-cheek indie horror splatter treat | A motley assortment of folks go on a tour of a remote backwoods New Orleans , Louisiana swamp area . Of course , our group runs afoul of the vicious , deranged and murderous Victor Crowley ( Kane " Jason " Hodder under lots of impressively grotesque make-up ) , a hideously deformed sick hick who doesn't cotton to any interlopers on his land . Writer / director Adam Green pays loving homage to retro 80's type down'n'dirty horror exploitation fare : we've got gleefully graphic and over-the-top unflinching gore being poured on by the gallon ( grisly highlights include a spine being torn out , someone's head getting twisted off , decapitation by shovel spade , and a memorably nasty belt sander to the face gag ) , a handy helping of tasty gratuitous bare female breasts , a delightfully ugly and unhinged larger-than-life local legend villain , endearingly broad stock characters , an amusingly crude sense of raucous humor , and an infectiously enthusiastic feeling of pure go-for-it gruesome fun . The sincere acting from the game cast rates as another major plus : Joel David Moore as the mopey , nerdy Ben , Deon Richmond as Ben's affable , happy-go-lucky best friend Marcus , Tamara Feldman as the forlorn , but feisty Marybeth , Mercedes McNab as the ditsy Misty , Joleigh Fioreavanti as the luscious , stuck-up Jenna , Parry Shen as obnoxiously hearty tour guide Shawn , and Joel Murray as smarmy amateur soft-core porn filmmaker Shapiro . Popping up in nifty bit parts are Robert Englund as abusive redneck Sampson and Tony Todd as ill-tempered tour guide Reverend Zombie . Will Barratt's slick cinematography , Andy Garfield's shivery , spirited score , the funky rubber make-up f / x , and the roaring alternative rock soundtrack are all on the money excellent and effective as well . Granted , this flick doesn't do anything fresh or groundbreaking with its standard premise , but it does deliver the enjoyably trashy goods with a certain rowdy wit and giddy energy that's impossible to either resist or dislike . A total blast . |
518,481 | 8,239,592 | 68,371 | 8 | A really enjoyable monster mash | A race of evil aliens ( they're actually giant cockroaches who inhibit the bodies of recently deceased folks ) call upon the ferocious three-headed dragon King Ghidorah and sharp-beaked bird beast Gigan ( he's got a huge buzzsaw in his belly ! ) to destroy us puny helpless humans so they can take over the planet . Luckily , the almighty Godzilla and his spike-backed gigantic porcupine pal Anguirus come to the rescue . The opening third of this creature feature romp is pretty slow , talky and rather tedious , but fortunately things start to seriously cook when the monsters engage in an incredibly lengthy , violent and vigorous anything-goes fight ( the definite highlight occurs when Anguirus runs its spikes repeatedly into King Ghidorah's torso ! ) . Moreover , the expected protracted mondo destructo city stomp sequence likewise totally hits the satisfying spot . Akira Ifukube's robust , rousing orchestral score constitutes as another substantial asset . Ditto Kiyoshi Hasegawa's crisp widescreen cinematography . The lovably rinky dink miniatures and hokey rubber monster suits possess their usual chintzy charm . The scenes where the behemoth beasts roar and rumble at each other prior to mixing it up with considerable go-for-it gusto are hysterically funny . Overall , this Godzilla outing provides a good deal of infectiously inane and outrageous fun . |
518,135 | 8,239,592 | 89,826 | 8 | A satisfying conclusion to this hilariously raunchy series | Those rowdy sex-obsessed lads at Angel Beach High are about to graduate . They lock horns once again with their old nemesis Porky ( a perfectly nasty Chuck Mitchell ) , who wants our gang to throw a big championship basketball game and force Meat ( amiable Tony Ganios ) to marry his homely daughter Blossom ( the amusingly gawky Wendy Feign ) . Director James Tomack nicely recaptures the often uproarious sense of hysterically raucous'n'raunchy humor which made the first film such a gut-busting hoot . Better still , this movie doesn't skimp on either the riotously ribald comic set pieces or tasty female nudity : the lovely Rose McVeigh as sultry biology teacher Miss Webster engages in kinky roleplaying with a fellow teacher and gorgeous blonde babe Kim Evenson ( Playboy's September 1984 Playmate of the Month ) bares her beautiful breasts as yummy Swedish foreign exchange student Inga . Plus a bunch of guys expose their butts for the ladies . Moreover , there's a surprisingly warm and touching sweetness to be found amid all the blithely lowbrow tomfoolery . The cast all essay their parts with tremendous aplomb : Dan Monahan as the giddy Pee Wee , Kaki Hunter as the cheerfully naughty Wendy , Nancy Parsons as strict authoritarian gym teacher Ms . Balbricker , and Eric Christmas as meek principal Mr . Carter are all especially delightful . Robert C . Jessup's polished cinematography , a terrific golden oldies soundtrack , and Dave Edmunds ' catchy , vibrant score further enhance the overall solid quality of this enjoyable closing chapter in this hugely entertaining series . |
519,261 | 8,239,592 | 76,144 | 8 | A really fun and enjoyable seriocomic Australian road movie romp | Cocky , fun-loving , smart-mouthed and libidinous womanizing American hellion Tex ( puckish , tousle-haired Joseph Bottoms ) and his shy , quiet , more serious and grown-up Aussie pal Alby ( affable strapping behemoth Grigor Taylor ) are a couple of bored stiff carnival workers who are eager for some fun and excitement . So they quit the carny life and go hiking across the countryside searching for thrills . The young guys get more than they bargained for when they meet aggressive homosexual drug dealer Arnold ( bullish , brutish John Clayton ) , beat the freak up , and steal both his substantial wad of cash and smokin ' souped-up Corvette . Pretty soon Tex and Alby get into further trouble when they cruise the hot , sunny beaches , pick up sweet , fetching female thumber Lynn ( the astonishingly cute Judy Davis in her spunky film debut ) , swing with sexy , wild'n'loose night club singers Sugar and Spice ( exuberantly played by Sandra MacGregor and Wendy Hughes ) , resort to robbery when their money runs out , and try to evade being nabbed by both the police and an understandably vengeful Arnold . An amiably rowdy , raunchy and rambunctious seriocomic road movie meditation on the youthful need to lead a free , easy and spontaneous " do whatever you want " existence , this picture starts out rather sluggishly , but thankfully gains snap and momentum as it plugs along . Igor Auzins ' nimble direction , a catchy , neatly percolating discoid score by Sherbet , Dan Burstall's luminous cinematography , the richly verdant rustic scenery and gorgeous sandy seaside locations , relaxed , charming chemistry between the engagingly roguish Bottoms and the more subdued Taylor , a pleasingly tight'n'trim 82 minute running time , and a rousing last reel car chase ensure that this likably scruffy shaggy dog yarn remains a perfectly mellow and enjoyable diversion all the way down the line . |
518,777 | 8,239,592 | 93,624 | 8 | Good cheesy 80's horror gore fun | A bunch of mostly obnoxious and grossly unappealing teens go to a creepy , remote , rundown old mortuary located nearby a cemetery to attend an anything-goes all-out Halloween party being hosted by freaky occult-obsessed oddball Mimi Kinkade and her vacuous , boy-hungry bimbette friend Linnea Quigley . The loutish , profane , beer-guzzling , sex-happy dipstick dimwits hold a séance as a joke ( very bad idea , ' cause the desolate old dive is naturally said to be haunted by demonic spirits ) . Of course , that ill-advised séance awakens those decidedly grumpy and hostile evil spirits , who gruesomely kill and possess a majority of the kids , turning them into ugly , fanged , clawed , boil-faced murderous ghouls who wreak the usual grisly havoc throughout the duration of an especially long , dark and harrowing night of pure terror . Yep , this is essentially your umpteenth vigorously graphic and unrelenting wall-to-wall cheap shock-ridden " Evil Dead " rehash , replete with closed-off , there's no easy way out claustrophobic single self-confined setting , outrageously excessive splatter set pieces , an incessantly pounding hum'n'shiver synthesizer score , a total sense of gloom'n'doom-laden grim nightmarishness , and vibrantly in-your-face manic careening cinematography ( the expected headlong rush-inducing hyperactive hand-held camera-work , smooth , sinuous tracking shots , crazily tittled camera angles , even the camera on a dolly doing a gracefully gliding 180 degree figure eight ) . Fortunately , Kevin S . Tenney's slick , assured , stylish direction keeps the extremely threadbare and derivative proceedings thundering along at a speedy clip ; moreover , Tenny gives the film an attractive polished look and effectively creates a certain crudely energetic and enthusiastically grotesque spooky ooga-booga carnival funhouse atmosphere . However , Steve Johnson's marvelously gory and imaginative make-up effects are the true star of the show . Bloodthirsty highlights include disgusting fat slob Hal Havins ( who played a similarly irritating obese ahole role in the immortal " Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-A-Rama " around the same time ) having his tongue bitten off , Quigley shoving a whole tube of lipstick in one of her breasts ( yow ! ) and gouging a guy's eyes out while she's making love to him ( double yow ! ) , a libidinous teen couple getting offed while doing exactly what you think in a coffin ( the chick has her neck snapped while the dude has his arm chopped off ) , Kinkade setting her hands on fire , and , in the film's single most nasty scene , a mean old man has his throat slit from the inside out after eating an apple piece laced with razor blades . The trashy'n'thrashy rock score likewise smokes . And then there's Kinkade's incredibly wild , sexy and uninhibited demon dance , a sizzling number accompanied by a flickering strobe light and startling jump cuts that Kinkade choreographed herself . Okay , so this overall doesn't amount to anything more than a completely mindless and pointless , albeit quite nicely mounted and enjoyably vulgar hunk of blithely sleazy fright flick junk , but if you're in the mood for entertainingly brain-dead lowbrow horror scuzziness this cheerfully crass and juvenile dross does the trick just fine . |
519,360 | 8,239,592 | 72,245 | 8 | An entertainingly trashy piece of 70's chopsocky blaxploitation schlock | Feisty Dianna Jackson ( a winningly spunky performance by gorgeous former " Playboy " Playmate Jeanne Bell ) goes to Hong Kong to take out the evil heroin ring that murdered her brother . Dianna's assisted by friendly karate master Joe ( amiable Chiquito ) , faces opposition from undercover narcotics agent Elaine ( lovely , buxom blonde babe Pat Anderson ) , and romances cocky , ruthlessly ambitious Charlie ( essayed with supremely arrogant aplomb by Stan Shaw ) while plotting her revenge against nefarious drug kingpin Sid ( an effectively slimy Ken Metcalfe ) . Director Cirio H . Santiago , working from a blithely trashy script co-written by none other than Dick Miller ( ! ) , crams the lively and eventful 72 minute running time with a plethora of gratuitous distaff nudity and loads of badly staged martial arts fight scenes ( Bell is clearly doubled by a squat guy wearing a giant Afro wig ! ) . The definite sleazy highlight occurs when a topless Bell singlehandedly beats up a bunch of thugs in her hotel room . Felipe Sacdalan's raw , grainy , scratched-up cinematography , the clumsy use of strenuous slow motion , the funky-groovin ' score , the laughably inept fight choreography , and the surprisingly gruesome conclusion add immensely to the overall scuzzy fun of this deliciously cheesy grindhouse exploitation hoot . |
518,380 | 8,239,592 | 68,367 | 8 | A nicely eerie and haunting giallo winner | Successful sculptor Franco Serpiere ( a solid performance by 007 oneshot George Lazenby , who looks gaunt and worn ) and his adorable daughter Roberta ( sweetly played by cute redhead Nicoletta Elmi of " Bay of Blood " and " Deep Red " ) are spending some quality time together in scenic Venice , Italy . Roberta gets brutally killed by a lethal vicious lunatic . Franco finds himself in considerable danger when he investigates her savage murder . Director Aldo ( " Night Train Murders " ) Lado , who also co-wrote the engrossingly dark and complex script , relates the intricate story at a slow , but steady pace , expertly creating a creepy , edgy , yet elegant tone and staging the murder set pieces with impressively grisly and stylish aplomb . Ennio Morricone's supremely eerie and unnerving score makes especially effective use of a ghostly angelic children's choir . Franco Di Giacomo's beautifully crisp and polished cinematography offers plenty of sumptuously smooth gliding tracking shots and evokes Venice in a strikingly misty , breathtaking and atmospheric way . The uniformly fine acting from a sturdy cast qualifies as another major asset , with especially praiseworthy work by Lazenby , Elmi , Adolfo Celi ( the Bond villain in " Thunderball " ) as friendly art gallery owner Serafian , Anita Strindberg as Franco's concerned estranged wife Elizabeth , and Rosemarie Lindt as Franco's lusty lover Gabriella . Excellent zinger of a shocking surprise twist ending , too . |
517,910 | 8,239,592 | 499,464 | 8 | A fun low-budget straight-to-video horror / action romp | A group of vampire hunters called the Nine get the various vampire clans to agree to an uneasy pact . All goes well for a spell until the evil Countess Elizabeth Bathorly ( a deliciously wicked portrayal by the gorgeous Christina Rosenberg ) breaks the pact . The rugged Rufus King ( nicely played with assured macho aplomb by Thomas Downey ) , assisted by the wise , leery Jacob Van Helsing ( the excellent Rhett Giles ) and the hard-nosed Gracie Johannsen ( a very strong and impressive performance by ravishing redhead spitfire Eliza Swenson ) , brings the Nine back together for a major showdown with Bathorly and her vicious female minions . Writer / director Leigh Scott relates the convoluted , but compelling story at a steady pace , stages the occasional stirring action set pieces with considerable brio and skill , offers a few fresh and inventive twists on standard vampire lore , and sprinkles a reasonable amount of grisly gore . Moreover , Scott does an especially solid job of creating and sustaining some interesting conflicts amongst the well-drawn and engaging main characters . Further kudos are in order for the sound and spirited acting from a game cast , with particularly stand-out work from Jeff Denton as fearsome , haughty bloodsucker Rafe , Amanda Barton as Bathorly's fierce , aggressive right-hand gal Darvulia , Rebekah Kochan as the brassy , hot-tempered Trixie McFly , Sarah Lieving as helpful , sympathetic vampire ally Alex Devereaux , Tom Nagel as naive , eager rookie vampire killer Tattinger , Justin Jones as grotesque ghoul Maximillian , and Scott as enigmatic bloodsucker leader the Old One . Both Swenson's funky , spooky score and Steven Parker's sharp cinematography are up to snuff . A hugely enjoyable flick . |
518,632 | 8,239,592 | 68,364 | 8 | A choice cheesy chunk of vintage 70's soft-core drive-in exploitation camp trash | The film that got the whole 70's drive-in exploitation soft-core cheerleader comedy genre ball rolling - - and boy what an endearingly dippy start ! The plot , such as it is , revolves around the five highly active and naughty cheerleader squad members of Amorosa High School in California who help a sweet virginal sixth new member get her cherry popped . ( Interestingly enough , a majority of 70's cheerleader pictures take place in California , thereby suggesting that the Golden State was a veritable hotbed of blithely brash'n'brazen anything-goes hedonistic activity . ) As usual , it's not the story that really counts ; what makes this blissfully braindead affair so worthwhile are the following things : A ) a nonstop barrage of eye-popping gratuitous nudity , B ) an incessantly lewd'n'crude sense of humor ( I loved the toe sucking gag ) , C ) tirelessly moronic dialogue ( " You look like a hag from the rag bag " ) , and D ) an upbeat , spirited , lighthearted air that ensures that this inane beaut is a quick , peppy and most satisfying diversion . Stephanie Fondue , Denise Dillaway , Jovita Bush , Sandy Evans , Brandy Woods and Kim Stanton are all quite cute , shapely , sexy and appealing as our titular hot young honeys - - and they happily doff their duds a lot , too . The sex scenes happen at regular intervals of roughly ten minutes and take place in an amusing assortment of unlikely places : a car wash , a fast food joint , the driver's seat of a moving school bus ( ! ) , even on somebody's front lawn . The technical credits are strictly so-so : the acting is generally flat and dreadful ( top thespic honors go to Patrick Wright for his deliciously hammy turn as the lecherous macho dude football coach ) , plus both Paul Glicker's adequate direction and Richard Lerner's basic , scratchy cinematography ( the constant use of wipes and freeze frames is lovably primitive ) are merely passable at best . However , David Herman comes through loud and clear with an infectiously zippy score which alternates between eardrum-splitting fuzztone-drenched acid rock and zesty bubblegum pop slop ( the too-goofy-for-words catchy theme song " I Like What You're Doing to Me " won't get out of your head for a week ) . Too cheerfully dopey to hate , " The Cheerleaders " rates as a very agreeable and enjoyable beginning for the admittedly slight , but always entertaining 70's cheerleader movie sub-genre . |
518,864 | 8,239,592 | 63,272 | 8 | Crazy psychotic 60's stripper chick a-go-go , baby ! | Sweet stripper Lila ( adorable redhead Susan Stewart , who has a really cute funny foreign accent ) gets turned on to LSD by a creepy hippie guy . The bad acid causes Lila to go lethally bonkers . She takes various lecherous men to her grotty warehouse love nest , kills them , and hacks up their bodies with a meat cleaver . Director William Rotsler gleefully pours on the abundant gratuitous nudity and tacky gory violence ( the blood looks just like red paint - - and probably was exactly that ) . Laszlo ( " Easy Rider " ) Kovac's garish , kinetic cinematography , a couple of lengthy simulated sex scenes , the wonderfully wiggy psychedelic freak-out sequences ( poor Lila has horrific visions of a laughing fat jerk holding bananas and dollar bills ! ) , some pot smoking , the hypnotically funky theme song , and the hilariously dated hip slang ( " Groovy pad you got here ; it's a little kinky , but it's out of sight " ) are all completely far-out , man ! Busty'n'lusty 60's skinpic starlet Pat Barrington of " Orgy of the Dead " fame performs two sizzling hot bump'n'grind numbers on stage to a rowdy crowd . Russ Meyer film regular Stuart Lancaster has a nice part as a wannabe helpful psychologist . An enjoyably sleazy soft-core psycho sexploitation hoot . |
518,923 | 8,239,592 | 271,237 | 8 | A nifty made-for-TV supernatural chiller | Affable , but broke Stu ( winningly played by Luke Perry ) , his easygoing friend Tommy ( the equally solid Dan Cortese ) , Stu's fetching fiancé Julia Lee ( lovely Polly Shannon ) , and their nerdy pal Gus ( an amusingly geeky David Hewlett ) go on vacation in Bermuda . They rent a rusty old junker of a boat crewed by scruffy Captain Louis Morgan ( excellently played by Dorian Harewood ) and spunky first mate Charlie ( the delectable Olivia d'Abo ) for a fishing expedition . Problems arise when the boat breaks down in the middle of the ocean . Things get worse when our motley bunch stumble across the legendary missing ocean liner the Queen of Scots , board her , and discover much to their dismay that the ship is haunted . Director Lewis Teague maintains a steady pace throughout , stages the shock scenes with reasonable aplomb , and really pulls out the creepy stops in the hair-raising second half of the film . Ric Waite's sharp , agile cinematography , Lawrence Shragge's spooky'n'shuddery score , and the genuinely engaging characters are all likewise up to speed . As an added bonus , both Shannon and d'Abo spend a fair share of their screen time wearing skimpy bikinis . A fun and effective made-for-TV fright feature . |
518,313 | 8,239,592 | 1,276,405 | 8 | A fun and affectionate homage to 80's horror slasher cinema | This highly entertaining short feature begins with nifty trailers for " Creepshow 2 , " " A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 : The Dream Master , " and this particular movie . Then the simple , but effective and engrossing plot proper kicks in : Cute teenager Tracy Donahue ( a nice performance by pretty brunette Vikki Hallauer ) gets terrorized in her suburban home by a crazed and dangerous maniac ( hulking behemoth Christian Chavira ) who's escaped from a mental hospital . Writer / director Dakota A . Thomas wrings a reasonable amount of tension from the story , delivers a few cool moments of gory violence ( I especially dug the dead pet on the bed gag ) , and displays a winningly sincere passion and enthusiasm for 80's fright fare ( for example , the lunatic wears a hockey mask ala Jason in the " Friday the 13th " pictures ) . The cool 80's rock soundtrack , vintage radio spots , and vinyl albums all neatly evoke the era . Hallauer does a solid job in the lead role ; she receives fine support from Alice Atkin as her paranoid mother . Moreover , the polished cinematography and snappy editing are both quite sound and impressive ( Thomas also shot and co-edited this film ) . In addition , this movie deserves bonus points for its pleasingly grim and nasty bummer ending . All in all , it's a most enjoyable and promising debut effort . |
518,926 | 8,239,592 | 72,260 | 8 | A choice trashy chunk of 70's Crown International drive-in junk | Shy , awkward , virginal 18-year-old Sean Roberts ( an engaging performance by Jay North of TV's " Dennis the Menace " fame ) becomes involved with sexy , enticing , aggressive 28-year-old teacher Diane Marshall ( gorgeous blonde babe Angel Tompkins ) . The couple are relentlessly terrorized by deranged Vietnam veteran psycho stalker Ralph ( a typically creepy and intense portrayal by perennial bad guy thespian Anthony James ) , who blames Sean for the accidental death of his brother Lou . Writer / director / producer Hikmet Avedis offers an enjoyably tawdry brew of sizzling soft-core sex , grimy violence and scrumptious gratuitous nudity in this mostly lightweight and playful drive-in diversion . Nice supporting turns by Ned Flory as Sean's cranky dad Joe , Marlene Schmidt as Sean's sweet mom Alice , and Barry Atwater ( the ferocious rampaging vampire in the classic made-for-TV horror gem " The Night Stalker " ) as the amiable Sheriff Murphy . John Cassavetes ' mother Katherine and Gena Rowlands ' mother Lady make an amusing appearance as a pair of snippy old gossiping biddies at a posh restaurant . Alfred Taylor's competent cinematography , the hilariously mawkish cocktail lounge ballad theme song , Tompkins ' pleasingly frequent mouth-watering nude scenes , Shorty Rogers ' funky , syncopated score , and the startlingly downbeat conclusion add substantially to the overall trashy fun . |
518,121 | 8,239,592 | 93,654 | 8 | An excellent , exciting and underrated 80's action thriller sleeper | Amy Madigan is one of my all-time favorite unsung actresses : She's pretty in a modest , corn-fed sort of way , has one of those dry , throaty , worn-out alto voices which I personally find to be very sultry , and her often short , faded blonde hair ain't nothing to sneeze about , either . Furthermore , Amy also possesses a forceful , dynamic , wholly arresting screen presence , a goodly amount of fortitude , and has flair to spare . In short , Amy's my kind of girl , a gutsy , brassy and even sexy little spitfire who rarely ( if ever ) is given the full credit and attention she deserves . Fortunately , this bang-up action thriller features the terrific Ms . Madigan in peak plucky'n'punchy form as Barbara Cutter , the tough , but tender wife of marine helicopter pilot Rob ( winningly played by Daniel Hugh Kelly ) . Rob discovers that faulty helicopter parts have caused two fatal chopper " accidents . " Rob gets rubbed out by a pair of deadly thugs ( one is nicely essayed by great , prolific , underrated fat guy character actor Maury Chaykin ) who are in the employ of a ruthless , penny-pinching , cornering-cutting evil general ( a perfectly detestable John Colicos ; Balter on " Battlestar Galactica " ) who in turn is in cahoots with a bunch of illegal black market whirlybird thieves . Barbara and her son Johnny ( a surprisingly strong and tolerable turn by child actor Robin MacEachern ) , the latter of whom has some incriminating evidence of the below-par helicopters hidden in his toy robot ( ! ) , survive the hit and hightail it into the woods , seeking refuge and protection from Rob's reclusive , tight-lipped Vietnam veteran survivalist buddy Ben ( the always outstanding Michael Ironside ) . This surprisingly involving and exciting action thriller pip benefits substantially from Mario Azzopardi's proficient and energetic direction , a constant snappy pace , exceptionally stirring and well-staged action sequences ( Barbara's climactic showdown with Colicos is especially rousing ) , top-notch acting from a sound cast , and a zesty , hard-driving score by the tireless Brad ( " Just Before Dawn , " " Fright Night " ) Fiedel . However , the glorious Amy Madigan clearly dominates - - scratch that , completely owns - - this film : Her gritty , explosive and thoroughly sympathetic portrayal of a courageous , take-charge , no-nonsense action heroine really hits the socko spot and makes this movie worth seeing for her superlative performance alone . |
518,818 | 8,239,592 | 76,055 | 8 | An offbeat , original and underrated 70's drive-in gem | Naive young lady Christine Delaplane ( a solid and sympathetic performance by the luscious Alisha Fontaine ) goes to New Orleans to find her future and winds up getting a job as a stripper at a local seedy dive . So far , so familiar . But the story takes a surprising and unexpected departure into more fresh and intriguing cinematic territory after Christine has a drink with some drug in it and flashes back to the past where she was one Gertrude " Trudy " Dix , a sweet virgin who worked at a fancy bordello run by classy and kindly madam Countess Willie Piazza ( finely played by Virginia Mayo ) in the early turn-of-the-century French Quarter . Although she's set to be auctioned off to any rich pervert who pays the highest price for her , Gertrude nonetheless falls in love with nice guy pianist Kid Ross ( the always excellent Bruce Davison ) . Director / co-writer Dennis Kane and co-writer Barney Cohen concoct a dandy yarn that makes the most out of a limited budget , soaks up plenty of deliciously tangy and colorful Big Easy atmosphere , offers a fascinatingly intricate juxtaposition of the past and present ( for example , every last cast member has dual roles in the picture ) , and even provides a touching ( if occasionally too mushy ) central love story between the two engaging protagonists . Of course , we also get the usual steamy soft-core sex and tasty female nudity , with a sizzling striptease in a giant wineglass rating as a definite erotic highlight . Adding some extra spice to an already tasty celluloid gumbo is a good dash of voodoo complete with snakes , pounding primitive drums , and frenzied tribal dancers . The supporting cast comes through with a bevy of exquisitely beautiful women : Lindsay Bloom as the bawdy Big Butt Annie , Laura Mischa Owens as the frosty Ice Box Josie , Ann Michelle as kinky , disloyal junkie Coke-Eyed Laura , and Becky Allen as the fiery Bricktop . Lance LeGault positively oozes smarm as evil lecher Tom , William Simms is properly nasty as brutal bar owner Aaron Harris , and Vernel Bagneris contributes an amiable portrayal of cocky legendary jazzman Jelly Roll Morton . The handsome cinematography by Jerry Kalegeratos makes pretty frequent use of dewy soft focus . Dick Hyman's flavorful score likewise hits the swinging soulful spot . Quirky , different and ambitious , this neat little sleeper is well worth a look . |
518,306 | 8,239,592 | 403,358 | 8 | A strikingly novel , strange and ambitious , if slightly muddled and overblown horror-fantasy stunner | Now , here's a truly offbeat , startling and incredibly thrilling genre-blending oddity : a dark , serious and surreal horror / fantasy / action / end-of-the-world apocalyptic work of astonishing visionary cinematic sweep and imagination that's at heart an oddball allegory on Flawed Good Vs . Alluring Evil . Two rival factions of supernatural beings which include witches , vampires and shapeshifters known collectively as the Others after years of nonstop fighting call a truce which lasts for several centuries . The good Others are called the Light and are members of the Night Watch . The bad Others are called the Darkness and are members of the Day Watch . Both police forces keep the other group in line . In the early 21st century the truce gets violently disrupted by the arrival of a special other who could possibly change the fate of the world . It's up to Night Watch cop Anton and his shapeshifting owl partner Olga to protect this special other from the nefarious clutches of Darkness . You got that ? Well , I'm not so sure I completely understand the story as it's told by director / co-screenwriter Timur Bekmambetov in a bracingly flashy and hyper-kinetic style . While the furious pace , stirring action set pieces , roaring rock score , gorgeous mind-blowing visuals , remarkably effective CGI effects , and rapid-fire editing ensure that this film's quite engrossing and exciting on a purely visceral level , both the pretty murky plot and the rather thin characters get a little lost amidst all the wild and frantic fireworks . Still , there's more than enough sheer headlong energy , eyeblistering bizarre imagery , insanely creative weirdness ( people walking through walls , two opposing generals freezing their armies in time in mid-battle , a dangerous alternate dimension referred to as the Gloom , and so on ) , and go-for-it incendiary bravura style to make this baby a real blast to watch . |
519,287 | 8,239,592 | 388,230 | 8 | A tense , tough-minded & truly terrifying backwoods indie horror item | Now , this is exactly the way a horror film should be done : tense , gritty and grimly serious , with a strong sense of conviction , a winning paucity of pretense , and no silly and unnecessary humor to either detract from or take the edge off of the raw , rattling , kick-you-in-the-gut pure terror and shocking brutality that's richly evident in the film itself . A motley quartet of desperate crooks - - craven Julian ( Brandon Johnson ) , gutsy Marylin ( Heather Magee ) , callous Kurt ( Richard Glover ) and abusive Max ( Keith Chambers ) - - almost bungle a bank robbery . Max gets wounded and Kurt is forced to commandeer the car of mother Samantha ( Samantha Dark ) and her daughter Courtney ( Courtney Bertolone ) at gunpoint in order to get away . The hoodlums and their hostages all hole up at an old abandoned house located in a remote rural woodland region . Said rundown abode turns out to be the home of a murderous hooded maniac who most definitely doesn't take kindly to any unwanted trespassers on his property . Naturally , things go from already pretty bad to much , much worse from here on in . Writer / director / producer Stevan Mena does an ingenious job of blending elements of a rough crime thriller with a creepy backwoods horror flick with truly frightening and unnerving results , carefully setting things up in the leisurely opening act before hitting the viewers hard with jolting outbursts of extremely abrupt , brutal and horrifying violence which are presented in a nerve-wrackingly stark , graphic and disturbing manner . Moreover , the pleasingly tight'n'trim 85 minute running time ensures that the movie bangs along at a suitably snappy pace , the tone is bleakly no-nonsense throughout , the spooky and unsettling atmosphere builds to a devastatingly nightmarish fever pitch in the gut-wrenching third act , and the solid no-name cast all give uniformly excellent and convincing performances . Kudos are also in order for both Tsuyoshi Kimoto's sharp , shadowy cinematography and Mena's nicely spare'n'shivery synthesizer score . While it unfortunately falls apart quite a bit in the rather flat conclusion , this commendably harsh and hard-hitting low-budget fright feature overall still packs one hell of a ferociously nasty and lingering knock - the - air - out - of - your - lungs wallop . |
518,803 | 8,239,592 | 123,982 | 8 | A poignant portrait of a doomed May-December romance | Shy and thoughtful 16-year-old misfit punk skateboarder Michael ( an excellent performance by Noah Taylor ) has an ill-advised stormy romantic fling with Sally ( touchingly played by Gillian Jones ) , a lonely and troubled 42-year-old woman who's a friend of his mother . Written and directed with praiseworthy frankness , insight and sensitivity by Geoffrey Wright ( who later gave us the terrific " Romper Stomper " and the equally fantastic " Metal Skin " ) , with gritty , yet polished photography by Michael Williams , a spare , rattling score by John Clifford White , superb acting from the two leads , and a heart-breaking , uncompromisingly downbeat conclusion , this stark , tight , wholly credible and absorbing little drama commendably avoids both easy sappy sentiment and lurid sensationalism while relating its moving story of a doomed May-December romance . Raw and realistic , this fine hour long feature ultimately delivers a very strong and lingering emotional gut punch . |
518,332 | 8,239,592 | 173,807 | 8 | A hilariously horrendous hoot | Obviously made to cash-on on the popularity of such vigilante action pictures as " Death Wish " and " The Exterminator , " this uproariously awful crud looks like it was shot on a paltry budget of roughly fifty bucks . After beginning with some badly staged Vietnam war combat footage , the story proper kicks in : Crazed traumatized ' Nam vet automobile mechanic Mike ( a simply terrible performance by Antoine John Mottet ) can't stand all the rampant crime in his strife-ridden urban neighborhood , so he starts violently rubbing out assorted low-life scum like rapists , drug pushers , pimps , street gang members , and mobsters . Mike's fellow ' Nam vet best buddy Lt . Roger O'Malley ( a sleepwalking Christopher Mitchum , who sports a bushy mustache ) naturally turns out to be the cop determined to nab Mike . Boy , does this gloriously ghastly garbage possess all the right wrong stuff to qualify as a real four-star stinkeroonie ; we've got slapdash ( mis ) direction by James Bryan ( who also blessed us with the similarly shabby splatter slasher schlockfest " Don't Go in the Woods " ) , uneven stop'n'go pacing , ragged editing , laughable tin-eared dialogue ( " I'm the king , " a nasty would-be rapist sneers to a whimpering female victim ) , ratty cinematography , lots of clunky Vietnam flashbacks , pathetic acting ( Aldo Ray hams it up to a dreadful extreme as a corrupt police commissioner while Renee Harmon as a pesky journalist renders all her dialogue borderline incomprehensible with her heavy foreign accent ) , a cheesy generic synthesizer score , ineptly handled action scenes , and an annoyingly abrupt ending . Moreover , this marvelously maladroit mess offers several sidesplitting moments of inspired camp : Mike likes to stuff live grenades down people's pants and two teenage junkie babes get a serious case of the pot giggles while smoking grass together . A total gut-busting riot . |
518,280 | 8,239,592 | 85,918 | 8 | An enjoyably schlocky 80's low-budget horror exploitation hoot | Lovely and sweet young Susan Farrell ( a respectable performance by deliciously voluptuous blonde bombshell Bobbie Bresee ) suffers from an especially nasty family curse : she gets possessed by the spirit of an evil and lethal , yet enticing distaff demonic spirit that takes over the first born daughters of every line in her family . Pretty soon Susan just ain't acting like herself anymore ; she starts seducing and murdering various guys . It's up to concerned psychiatrist Dr . Simon Andrews ( nicely played by Norman Burton ) to save Susan's soul before it's too late . Director Michael Dugan does a sound job of creating and maintaining a flesh-crawling ooga-booga atmosphere , pours on a handy helping of juicy gore ( the definite splatter highlight occurs when Susan levitates a guy and sends the man falling to his death from a three story balcony onto a glass table ) , tosses in several moments of hilariously campy humor , and has the luscious Ms . Bresee bare her insanely hot body at pleasingly regular intervals . The game cast do their best with the rather silly material : the ever-cool Marjoe Gortner as Susan's loving , but busy husband Oliver , Laura Hippe as Susan's worried Aunt Cora Nomed , and Sheri Mann as helpful demonic possession expert Dr . Roni Logan . LaWanda Page ( Aunt Esther on " Sanford and Son " ) provides gut-busting lowbrow comic relief as superstitious black maid Elsie . Maurice Sherbanee likewise amuses as creepy , lecherous Mexican gardener Ben . Robert Barich's polished cinematography makes occasional inspired use of a fluid gliding Steadicam . Jaime Mendoza-Nava's spooky'n'moody score does the shuddery trick . John Carl Buechler comes through with a marvelously grotesque make-up design for the hideously ugly female demon ; the foul beast's drooling , fanged , snarling breasts are particularly funky and memorable . Granted , this flick certainly isn't a subtle and sophisticated work of cinematic art , but it does overall pass muster as a highly entertaining piece of cheerfully cheesy trash . |
519,381 | 8,239,592 | 279,919 | 8 | A very enjoyable Bigfoot documentary | The meteoric success of " The Legend of Boggy Creek " not only led to two sequels , but also beget a flood of like-minded documentaries all striving to both provide photographic evidence of the ever-evasive creature's existence and bilk bucks from the wallets of innumerable drive-in theater patrons . " The Legend of Bigfoot " is such a cash-in , right down to its title which suspiciously echoes " Boggy Creek " ' s moniker . Actually , this appealingly earnest and engrossing effort manages to be highly enjoyable thanks mostly to the delightfully rough , tough and oh-so-gruff rugged outdoorsman presence of Ivan Marx . Marx , a hunter , trapper , tracker and all-around man's man in excelsis , embarks on a vigorous , determined , unflagging cross country pilgrimage to track down and confirm the veracity of that much beloved sylvan beastman of longstanding myth . Marx travels all over America from the Oregon coast to the Colorado Rocky Mountains to Sasquatch's mating grounds in the Artic Circle . It's Marx's clearly honest and unfeigned commitment to finding Bigfoot which gives this feature a significant lift out of the rut . It's especially a pleasure to hear Marx's crusty say-it-like-you-see it musings on mankind's intrusion on nature , his disdain towards shyster businessmen's crass commercial exploiting of Bigfoot , occasional self-deprecating remarks ( " Here I am a grown man runnin ' around the woods chasin ' after some fairytale " ) , cynicism concerning the so-called experts ' offensive arrogance , and brilliant deductive observations about Bigfoot's migratory nature based on the behavior of other animals . Moreover , Marx's delving into Native American folklore concerning Mr . Over-sized Pawprints is interesting and informative ( other Indian names for ol ' big'n'hairy include the Oh-Man , Bushman and Stickman ) . The excellent cinematography captures the breathtaking beauty of the North American wilderness with stunning clarity and precision . Harry Stuart Winer's brisk direction , a script which supplies a winningly sincere blend of skepticism and speculation , and Don Peake's liltingly melodic country score round off the goodies to be relished in this infectiously full-blooded cinematic ode to a faded , rapidly disappearing , adventurous all-American frontier spirit . |
517,954 | 8,239,592 | 63,330 | 8 | A hugely enjoyable early 60's Mexican horror flick | Four archaeologists take a sacred idol from a holy temple . Evil and powerful voodoo priest Zandor ( robustly played by Quintin Bulnes ) puts a curse on the four men and their loved ones . The guys are stalked and killed by lethal dolls armed with sharp poison needles . Director Benito Alazraki maintains a brisk pace throughout , elicits spirited acting from a fine cast ( the lovely Elvira Quintana is especially good as occult expert Karina ) , and expertly creates a supremely spooky atmosphere . Enrique Wallace's stark , grainy cinematography and the brooding score further enhance the overall creepy mood . But it's the film's ruthless open season on everybody grimly serious tone that gives this picture an additional eerie and unnerving edge ( the doll autopsy scene in particular is a definite ghoulish highlight ) . The doll people , portrayed by midgets in macabre masks with their victims ' faces on them , are truly freaky and unsettling creatures . Zandor's hulking rot-faced zombie servant is likewise really cool and grotesque . The sequences in Zandor's underground lair totally smoke . A fun and worthwhile fright feature . |
518,099 | 8,239,592 | 68,425 | 8 | An enjoyably dreadful piece of sci-fi schlock | An evil lethal bright orange yellow fireball comes to earth and goes on a rampage in a remote lakeside area ; the flaming thing rolls over various hapless folks and reduces them to ashes . It's up to nerdy scientist Dr . Iane Thorne ( blandly played by Marvin Howard ) to figure out a way to stop it before it's too late . Writer / director Harry Essex , who also wrote the scripts for the classic 50's fright features " It Came from Outer Space " and " The Creature from the Black Lagoon , " pukes forth a 50's style micro-budget clunker that boasts all the necessary bad movie vices to qualify as a real four-star stinker : the flat acting from a lame no-name cast ( flash-in-the-pan 70's drive-in flick starlet Maria De Aragon in particular just takes up space as fetching love interest heroine Jeanne ) , sluggish pacing , ragged editing , rough , grainy cinematography by Robert Caramico , meandering narrative , a roaring , overwrought score by Robert Freeman , several ludicrous touches ( the fireball stalks people before it kills them ! ) , and a hackneyed " it ain't over yet ! " ending all combine together to create one laughably lousy and leaden lump of a total stiff . Only Doug Deswick's surprisingly nifty special effects manage to impress . A shamefully unsung crud anti-classic . |
518,906 | 8,239,592 | 262,753 | 8 | Gloriously ludicrous trash | An evil , clawed , cackling witch woman unleashes a savage humanoid snake monster that embarks on a brutal killing spree in a major city . The ever-suave Richard Harrison has to fend off several assassins who want his magic ring and must find the witch in order to stop her . Meanwhile , fetching lady reporter Helen fears that she might be the snake monster . Once again singularly all-thumbs writer / director Godfrey Ho does his customary slipshod cut'n'paste hackjob of haphazardly combining two separate films together with a flagrant disregard for both cinematic artistry and narrative coherence . For example , take the totally nonsensical sequence with Harrison picking up an attractive American hitch-hiker ( she naturally flashes her breasts in order to get a ride from Richard ) . Harrison takes the lass to a movie theater , she performs a striptease for Richard , they proceed to make love , and the chick even attempts to kill him while they're in the middle of doing just what you think . Moreover , we've also got a constant swift pace , lots of graphic , yet cheesy gore , a few pulsating disco tunes blaring away on the soundtrack ( one gal gets attacked by the monster while dancing in her living room to a pounding disco tune ! ) , gaudy cinematography , sleazy soft-core sex , ineptly staged martial arts fights , laughably lousy dubbing ( an Asian police officer sports an utterly incongruous plummy British accent ! ) , tasty gratuitous female nudity , plenty of slithery snakes , a mysterious blind flute player , a riotously pathetic rubbery beast , and a fiery over-the-top conclusion . All these choice cruddy ingredients add up to produce one hilariously awful , but still hugely entertaining mess of a gut-busting schlock howler . |
518,522 | 8,239,592 | 165,720 | 8 | An enjoyable period martial arts action romp | Three brave and noble warriors form a group called the Dream Sword who travel across the countryside to vanquish all kinds of evildoers . The Dream Sword eventually create their own dynasty . Rival wicked clans join forces in order to defeat the Dream Sword . Director Chao-Yung Li , working from a complex and lively script by Hsiang Kin Chu , crafts an exciting , engrossing and opulent period martial arts action / adventure treat about betrayal and the thirst for power . Li stages the stirring and plentiful fight scenes with considerable rip-snorting brio and skill ; the guy who wields a mean and deadly axe puts on an especially impressive display of furious bloodspilling carnage throughout . Moreover , our motley trio of protagonists are a genuinely colorful and likable bunch while the villains are suitably nasty and hateful ( the cunning and deceitful beautiful lady with the bouquet of killer projectile flowers is a total pip ! ) . The lavish set and costume designs give this picture a breathtakingly epic look . Ching Piao Yeh's handsome widescreen cinematography , the sound acting from a capable cast , and the lush , rich , thrilling orchestral score are all likewise excellent and effective . A fun flick . |
519,181 | 8,239,592 | 98,068 | 8 | An odd , intriguing and strikingly original horror black comedy winner | The cosy suburbs in the blandly conventional 50's . Awkward and introspective little boy Michaal ( a nicely subtle and low-key performance by the extremely scrawny and tiny Brian Madorsky ) suspects that something is seriously amiss with both his square , stern dad ( a supremely creepy Randy Quaid ) and cheery mom ( a delightfully chipper Mary Beth Hurt ) . They seem so average and respectable on the surface , but underneath their giddy ordinariness they might be hiding a very dark and disturbing secret . Directed with great style and assurance by character actor Bob Balaban ( it's his most impressive directorial debut ) , written with considerable wit , insight and ingenuity by Christopher Hawthorne , further enhanced by stunning virtuoso cinematography by Ernest Day and Robert Vidgeon and graced by a superbly shuddery score by Jonathan Elias and Angelo Badalamenti ( the use of blithely bouncy mambo music on the soundtrack is an especially nifty touch ) , this genuinely spooky and unnerving horror black comedy treat works exceptionally well as both a frighteningly accurate and surrealistic depiction of the grim nightmarishness of childhood and a wickedly spot-on satire of the placid 50's emphasis on stuffy normality and repressive conformity ( " We have to fit in " ) . Balaban does a stellar job creating an appropriately icky , upsetting and mysterious atmosphere , wisely allowing the deliberate pace to build towards a rather predictable , but still shocking and shattering conclusion . The uniformly terrific performances are a substantial asset , with particularly praiseworthy work by the great Sandy Dennis as a daffy concerned social worker and Juno Mills-Cockell as a weird , mischievous nonconformist girl Michael befriends . Offbeat , intriguing and above all strikingly original , " Parents " gets my highest possible recommendation . |
519,131 | 8,239,592 | 228,196 | 8 | A very neat and enjoyable sci-fi / action / Western hybrid winner | The time : The bleak near future . The place : The desolate town of Hartford City . Noble lawman Jack Holt ( the solid Frank Stewart ) gets killed by several goons who work for Hawk ( a perfectly sinister Loren Blackwell ) , an evil insurance company mogul who governs over the burg with an iron fist . Jack's easygoing musician brother Wade ( excellently played by the amiable Daniel Chapman ) tries to avenge his death , but gets arrested and spends five years in jail . After he gets sprung from prison , Wade returns to Hardford City to settle the score with Hawk . He's assisted by gutsy gal pal Annie Northbride ( a nice'n'sexy turn by fetching blonde looker Ruth Collins ) and loyal former cellmate Bunky ( a wonderfully engaging portrayal by John Scott ) . Director Tom Garrett , working from a clever and inspired script by John McLaughlin ( said script mixes elements from the action , Western , and science fiction genres into a pretty tasty and imaginative synthesis ) , makes the most out of a limited budget : he stages the thrilling action set pieces with considerable flair , maintains a steady pace throughout , and , most of all , does an expert job of crafting a funky , hazy , impressively hip style which oozes 50's type rockabilly cool from every snazzy frame . This film further benefits from fine acting by an appealing cast : Chapman does well as the supremely likable reluctant hero , British novelist and former " Fangoria " magazine film journalist Philip Nutman almost steals the whole show with his spot-on performance as Hawk's mean , gum-chewing right-hand man Tough , and Karen Rizzo makes a favorable impression as friendly bar owner Star . Adam Goldfine's crisp cinematography gives the picture an attractively polished look . Chapman's twangy , harmonic countryish score also hits the tuneful spot ( Chapman even wrote and sings a few tuneful songs that are featured on the soundtrack ) . 80's splatterpunk horror writers John Skipp and Craig Spector briefly pop up as a couple of - - what else ? - - splatterpunks . Offbeat and original , this quirky little number sizes up as a highly worthwhile and unjustly neglected sleeper . |
518,383 | 8,239,592 | 58,753 | 8 | A nifty 60's witchcraft horror feature | Vengeful witch Vanessa Whitlock ( strikingly played by the slim , sharp-featured Yvette Rees , who looks like Barbara Steele ) gets resurrected in the present day after her grave is desecrated by land developers . Vanessa , assisted by angry warlock Morgan Whitlock ( a fine , forceful performance by Lon Chaney , Jr . ) , exacts a harsh revenge on the Lanier family , whose ancestors buried her alive 300 years ago . Director Don Sharp , working from a compact script by Harry Spalding , relates the absorbing story at a steady pace . Moreover , Sharp does an expert job of creating an eerie , misty , midnight-in-the-cemetery gloom-doom atmosphere , stages the shock scenes with commendable gusto , and delivers a few nice murder set pieces . The sturdy acting from a solid cast qualifies as another significant asset : Jack Hadley as the smart , rationale Bill Lanier , Jill Dixon as Bill's charming wife Tracy , David Weston as Bill's likable son Todd , Diane Clare as the fetching Amy Whitlock , Marie Ney as the fragile , elderly Malvina Lanier , Viola Keats as the scared , superstitious Helen Lanier , and Victor Brooks as the puzzled Inspector Baldwin . Arthur Lewis ' crisp , agile black and white cinematography , the grimly serious tone , Carlo Martelli's spooky'n'shuddery score and the thrilling fiery conclusion are all likewise up to speed . A worthy and rewarding fright flick . |
518,462 | 8,239,592 | 76,535 | 8 | A hugely enjoyable fantasy adventure romp | One of a handful of modestly budgeted , but enthusiastically pulpy fantasy action-adventure features based on Edgar Rice Burrough's hugely enjoyable boys ' own novels ( other entries in this particular cycle include " The Land That Time Forgot " and " At the Earth's Core " ) , this characteristically cheap'n'cheerful romp gets by on the basis of its game , go-for-it , a - thrilling - cliffhanger - every - five - minutes 30's serial-style dynamic momentum alone . The strictly serviceable plot centers on a gallant motley quartet who venture to a remote , mysterious , untouched by time Artic island populated by rampaging dinosaurs and warring tribes of primitive cavemen . Aided by a lone foxy , friendly cave babe ( David Bowie's luscious onetime girlfriend Dana Gillispie in tight , skimpy , clingy leather Frederick's of the Stone Age apparel that shows off a lot of her fine , fabulously full-figured physique ) , our brave foursome travel the perilous countryside in search of a missing explorer ( beefy series regular Doug McClure sporting a bushy beard ) . Patrick ( Son of John ) Wayne does a pretty fair Clint Eastwood impersonation as our intrepid mighty macho man main hero , although he's clearly upstaged by the beauteous Sarah Douglas ( Ursa in the first two " Superman " movies ) as a feisty lady photographer , Thorley Walters as a hearty anthropologist , and Shane Rimmer as a crusty alcoholic airplane pilot . Kevin Connor's spirited direction keeps things moving along at a brisk , unflagging tempo , ably abetted by John Scott's rousing full-orchestral score and Alan Hume's picturesque cinematography . Furthermore , the bargain basement special effects are lovably shoddy , veteran villains Milton Reid and David " Darth Vador " Prowse make perfectly pernicious last reel appearances as two evil primordial baddies , and with the exception of some mild violence and equally tame profanity the film overall sweetly captures a certain good-natured innocence that's actually quite endearing in its undisguised naiveté . In short , this one's loads of nice , zippy , never-a-dull-moment lively and eventful fun . |
518,309 | 8,239,592 | 73,820 | 9 | An excellent , very entertaining and even quite frightening 70's made-for-TV horror anthology treat | The always arresting and outstanding Karen Black displays impressive and exceptional range and skill in this hugely enjoyable three story made-for-TV horror omnibus outing . In the first pretty good tale Black essays the role of a shy college professor who gets seduced and blackmailed by a scheming male student ( nicely portrayed by Black's then real-life husband Robert Burton ) . Black deliciously sinks her teeth into a juicy duel part in the really blah second yarn as both a severely repressed spinster and her shamelessly slutty twin sister , respectively . However , it's in the third , final and most justifiably famous vignette that Black truly shines as a frustrated young woman who's at constant loggerheads with her domineering mother . Said young lady winds up being terrorized in her apartment by a savage and unrelenting Zuni fetish doll which comes murderously to life . This latter segment qualifies as an absolute tour-de-force of raw , ferocious and positively harrowing tension ; it's a tightly wound and fiercely effective twenty minute assault on one's nerves with an especially creepy and downright chilling conclusion . Moreover , the Zuni fetish doll's hideously guttural grunting'n'groaning is profoundly unsettling stuff ( said freaky noises were made by prolific bit player and voice actor Walker Edmiston , who was strangely uncredited for his fantastic vocal contribution ) . Director Dan Curtis , working from a smart script by William F . Nolan and Richard Matheson , further aided by Bob Cubert's supremely spooky score and Paul Lohmann's polished cinematography , expertly maintains a snappy pace , elicits fine performances from a bang-up cast , and supplies plenty of hair-raising suspense throughout , reaching a stupendously scary zenith in the third and most frightening story . Despite the frankly tepid quality of the first two stories , this picture still deserves its classic status for the tremendously terrifying potency of the third and most unforgettable segment . |
519,217 | 8,239,592 | 88,044 | 9 | A splendidly sleazy 80's teen revenge thriller exploitation pip | Linda Blair was at the height of her 80's trash exploitation fame when she starred in this delectably down and dirty grindhouse sleaze howler as Brenda , an over-aged high school " bad girl " senior who's the leader of the tough all-girl gang the Satins . Trouble rears its ugly head when the Satins run afoul of a brutish all-guy street gang called the Scars ( led by pockmarked sneering Neanderthal Robert Dryer ) . These detestable no-count hoodlums not only viciously rape Brenda's innocent deaf mute sister Heather ( a very cute and endearing Linnea Quigley ) , but also toss Brenda's pregnant best gal pal off a bridge to her death . Man , are these guys real nasty customers . But have no fear . After sitting in a bath tub topless and dragging on a cigarette while lost in deep thought , the spunky and resourceful Brenda decks herself out in a clingy skintight leather jumpsuit and breaks out both a crossbow and some bear traps with the specific intent of hunting down and killing the vile subhuman scum . Director Danny Steinmann , who also blessed us with the criminally underrated early 80's psycho slasher gem " The Unseen " and the fifth " Friday the 13th " picture , really pours on the scorching sleaze with this choice chunk of 80's low-grade dreck . All the correct sensationally scuzzy elements are ripely abundant here : polished production values , a roaring rock score , plentiful graphic violence , profanity-ridden dialogue , a catfight , the expected gratuitous high school girls ' gym locker room shower sequence , a harshly drawn-out , explicit and unflinching rape scene , and a generous sprinkling of bare female flesh ( besides the luscious Linda and the adorable Linnea , the equally hot Rebecca Perle and Suzee Slater also show us their stuff ) . Moreover , we also get gleefully hammy overacting from a game cast ( John Vernon in particular has himself a rip-snorting ball as the cranky , foul-mouthed high school principal ) . Overall , " Savage Streets " sizes up as a hugely enjoyable and satisfying serving of topflight tacky and raunchy 80's exploitation action revenge thriller junk . |
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