Doomed Movieblog

May 2, 2008

Werewolf Moviethon Starts Tonight! (and some trailers)

Filed under: Horror Movies — richardofdm @ 9:47 am



Hey, I’m totally wolfing out in my local library, man. Don’t shush the wolf. Starting tonight, I’m going to be jumping headfirst into a 13 film wolf-out session. What’s that? There isn’t a full moon for two weeks? Well, dang it, I just figured this was the safest time, you know? Strike when they’re lease expecting it. (I’m saying all of this with a southern drawl, by the by.) Anyway, here’s the playlist for the moviethon (not in any order just yet):

The Wolfman
American Werewolf In London
Wolfen
The Howling
Ginger Snaps
Cursed
Werewolf Woman
Werewolf In A Girl’s Dormitory
Dog Soldiers
Night Of The Werewolf
Werewolf Of Washington
The Company Of Wolves
Werewolves On Wheels

Great site: Werewolf Movies

And now, to get us in the mood: The Flirts - Teenage Werewolf (I Was A)

And finally, here are some trailers for the flicks that didn’t make the cut.

My Mom’s A Werewolf

Teen Wolf

Teen Wolf Too

An American Werewolf In Paris

Howling 2: Your Sister Is A Werewolf

Howling III: The Marsupials

Howling IV: The Original Nightmare

Bad Moon

April 18, 2008

Duder Ex Machina

Filed under: Horror Movies — richardofdm @ 2:00 pm


Nafa, my friend (and bandmate) has contributed an article to Doomed Moviethon about the horrors of his life. No, it isn’t about his creepy uncle’s Speedo or getting beat up by his date for the prom. Actually, the article, “Duder Ex Machina: Yes, I am a Horror Weanee”, is about his fascinating and zig-zaggy journey through the world of horror movies. I strongly suggest that you read it immediately.

April 9, 2008

I ain’t braggin’ (but I really am).

Filed under: Horror Movies, Life Of Duder — richardofdm @ 1:38 pm

The reason I am friggin’ mentally break-dancing right now is because Doomed Moviethon was picked as “Site Of The Week” on American Movie Classics’ Monsterfest Blog. Tom Blunt wrote a bad ass piece on the DM and I couldn’t be any dang happier. And now, in order to keep my ego in check… (one of the worst photos of me ever taken):



Mutant (1984) - Quick Review

Filed under: Horror Movies, Quick Reviews — richardofdm @ 12:33 pm


Mutant
AKA Night Shadows
Directed By John ‘Bud’ Carlos
Released: 1984
Starring: Wings Hauser, Bo Hopkins, Jody Medford, and Lee Montgomery
Running Time: 99 minutes

After I picked up a big old bunch of Fangoria back issues a while back, I saw they had a cover story on Mutant. As I looked through the feature, I realized that not only had seen the film but it had creeped me out. In the heyday of my preteen horror consumption, I rented Mutant, enjoyed it, moved on, and had completely forgotten that I’d ever even seen it. Within no time, I picked this one up. God bless them there dirt cheap DVDs.

Two friends on a road trip (Hauser and Montgomery) get stranded in a small town that is besieged by its own zombified townsfolk. It’s a generic setup but it is executed very well. The zombie makeup is pretty rudimentary (blue-white face paint and blacked out eyes) until they roll out some of the more complicated and nasty effects. The unique skill of the zombies in Mutant is that their skin burns to the touch and they can friggin’ melt glass! This makes for a particularly wild moment for a character hiding in her car.

What I remembered most and what still holds up the best, is the tense showdown in the gas station at the film’s out of control climax. Though it stretches itself at 99 minutes, the pacing is still adequate and it is a very professionally made horror romp. Plus, all of the actors put a great deal of effort into their work here. Mutant is perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon movie, especially if that afternoon fades into dusk by the end of the film.

“You’re not gonna be quite so happy when you hear what I got in store for you, little darlin’.”


February 22, 2008

The Brotherhood Of Satan - Quick Review

Filed under: Horror Movies, Quick Reviews — richardofdm @ 10:18 am



“I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore.”

The Brotherhood Of Satan
Directed By Bernard McEveety
Released: 1971
Staring: Strother Martin, L.Q. Jones, Charles Bateman, and Ahna Capri
Running Time: 92 minutes

Here’s a nice and sweaty little movie for you. A vacationing family gets lost and unfortunately find themselves trapped in a strange town with a serious Satanic cult infestation. The Brotherhood Of Satan comes from television director Bernard McEveety who, unfortunately, never returned to the horror genre. The entire cast seems drugged with only Strother Martin going for the gold with his delirious performance as the leader of the Satanists.

There is a pack of weird children whose imaginations are harnessed for killing their parents and whose bodies will be the hosts for the souls of the members of the Satanic cult. Or something like that. You know what? That’s the best I can do there. This movie is so friggin’ weird that it feels like a dang science experiment with a few formulas missing. The Brotherhood Of Satan features lots of blood, corpses, and general Satanic mayhem but oddly enough, there is only some slightly suggestive sexiness.

Aside from being sampled in a My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult song, The Brotherhood Of Satan seems to have been doomed to obscurity. It’s too bad too, because the eccentricity and campiness are fighting cobra/mongoose-style for supremacy of this nutzoid bargain bin flick. Not to mention the fantastic cinematography by John Arthur Morrill (A Boy And His Dog). This film would make a perfect double feature with the 1975 Satanic Shatner flick, The Devil’s Rain.

—–

Here’s a toast to my “obscure” find at the used bookstore. I was pretty thrilled about this one until I found out it’s been on DVD for years. Okay, so maybe I haven’t heard of every single horror movie ever made. Fine! However, the VHS cover of my copy is of particular interest because it is one of the worst covers I’ve ever seen. The Sony Pictures tape ain’t got shit on this one. Now, behold the fugly Good Times Video VHS cover:

February 4, 2008

Night Of The Ghoul - Quick Review

Filed under: Horror Movies, Quick Reviews — richardofdm @ 3:54 pm

Night Of The Ghoul
Directed By Freddie Francis
Released: 1975
Starring: Peter Cushing, John Hurt, Veronica Carlson, and Ian McCulloch
Running Time: 88 minutes / 80 minutes (censored version)

The rightfully obscure Night Of The Ghoul suffers from AGS (Almost Good Syndrome). The film isn’t terrible enough to rip to shreds and/or laugh at. And yet it isn’t quite good enough to be even a minor classic of the horror genre. The ups and downs of this film are just too drastic and I was begging for this bastard to end. After a little research, I discovered that I had just watched the censored version! The one major gore scene (Ian McCulloch’s grisly demise) seems to be intact but some character development and some gratuitous nudity were apparently left out. Could these scenes have added to my enjoyment of the film?

There are some great actors in this film but nobody thought to give them a decent script to work with. Peter Cushing is a trooper and turns in a very professional performance despite his pointless character. The usually manic and frightening John Hurt seems bored with his flatly scripted perverted grounds-keeper bit. It’s nice to see Ian McCulloch (Zombie) but like everyone else, he isn’t given much to do. The soundtrack by Harry Robertson is a weak one more suited to a television horror serial than this. Camerawork is quite good and despite being a tad drab, the sets are appropriately gothic and are even well lit. Was it all to depend on the monster? The titular ghoul (played by veteran television and screen actor Don Henderson) turns out to be one of the most half-assed creations I’ve ever seen.

Director Freddie Francis seems to have peeked in 1963 with the awesomely creepy Paranoiac and it was all downhill from there. What was I expecting from the director of Trog anyway? Night Of The Ghoul is a wasted effort in almost every way and I highly doubt that by viewing a cut version that I’ve missed very much. No amount of gore, nudity, or character exposition could have saved this one for me. In the end, a film with almost interesting characters and an almost eerie atmosphere just doesn’t grab me. Kind of like the almost cannibalism of the almost ghoul.

January 15, 2008

The Pyjama Girl Case - Quick Review

Filed under: Horror Movies, Quick Reviews — richardofdm @ 3:39 pm

The Pyjama Girl Case
Directed By Flavio Mogherini
Released: 1977
Starring: Ray Milland, Dalila Di Lazzaro, Michele Placido, Mel Ferrer, Howard Ross, and Ramiro Oliveros
DVD Released By Blue Underground

I watched this late 70s Giallo last night. I wasn’t expecting much and I didn’t get much. First of all, Riz Ortolani’s music is perfect for a zombie splatterfest but this ain’t even close, folks. Actually, his shitty score robs this film of most of it’s power. The funk rhythms and trite female vocals are so completely unsuited for the depressing material that it’s not even funny. A film as trashy as The House On The Edge Of The Park actually benefits from a soundtrack like this but The Pyjama Girl Case is a much more serious film. Thankfully, cool lighting design and some awesome camerawork help rescue the ailing atmosphere.

On the plus side, all of the actors are excellent in this film. Dalila Di Lazzaro (Flesh For Frankenstein) turns in a stunning portrait of a woman whose life is spiraling out of control and who isn’t satisfied with any of her limited choices. I’ve only recently discovered Michele Placido (Plot Of Fear) and he is turning into one of my favorite Italian actors. His character, the mundane and dreamless Antonio, is so pathetic that it is almost frightening. Ray Milland and Ramiro Oliveros are great as the dueling detectives on the case.

Although it’s mystery is quite enthralling, The Pyjama Girl Case works more as a sex thriller (with some very lurid and unpleasant moments) than a typical Giallo. The violence is limited to a couple of brutal scenes and there isn’t much blood to speak of. The morbid factor is very high with the very public method of identifying the girl’s mutilated corpse. As for the plot, I had a tough time being able to tell if the film is poorly written or intentionally complex which means I probably just need to watch it again. This very haunting though quite flawed film will definitely find its audience but I doubt it will ever make any genre film fan’s top 10 Giallo list.

November 28, 2007

Who’s Who ~ Part 1

Filed under: Horror Movies, Movies Movies — richardofdm @ 1:53 pm

In the world of European genre cinema, I have a hell of a time remembering faces and names. I’m assuming that you do too so I decided to start putting together a list of faces, names, and very brief filmographies, just to help keep these wonderful folks straight in our minds. I’m skipping film roles in dramas, comedies, and arthouse pictures so that I don’t just turn into IMDB here. In this first part, I’m focusing on familiar faces from Italian Horror, Giallo, Spaghetti Westerns, and Poliziotto films. This is just the beginning so don’t expect to find a complete list just yet.


—

Florinda Bolkan

Florinda Bolkan

Notable Genre Films:

A Lizard In A Woman’s Skin - 1971
Don’t Torture A Duckling - 1972
Flavia The Heretic - 1974
Footprints - 1975
Last House On The Beach - 1978

The Florinda Bolkan Official Website

—

Martine Brochard

Martine Brochard

Notable Genre Films:

The Violent Professionals - 1973
Woman’s Prison - 1974
Eyeball - 1975
Murder Obsession - 1981
The Man Who Didn’t Want To Die - 1988

—

Gianni Garko

Gianni Garko

Notable Genre Films:

Have A Good Funeral My Friend… Sartana Will Pay - 1970
Light The Fuse… Sartana Is Coming - 1970
Cold Eyes Of Fear - 1971
Night Of The Devils - 1972
Seven Notes In Black - 1977

—

Dagmar Lassander

Dagmar Lassander

Notable Genre Films:

Hatchet For The Honeymoon - 1969
Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion - 1970
The Iguana With The Tongue Of Fire - 1971
Reflections In Black - 1975
So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious - 1975
Werewolf Woman - 1976
The House By The Cemetery - 1976

—

Maurizio Merli

Maurizio Merli

Notable Genre Films:

Violent City - 1975
Rome Armed To The Teeth - 1976
Violent Naples - 1976
Mannaja - 1977
Fatal Charm - 1977
Convoy Busters 1978

Italian Maurizio Merli Fan Page

—

Rosalba Neri

Rosalba Neri

Notable Genre Films:

99 Women - 1969
Slaughter Hotel - 1971
Lady Frankenstein - 1971
Smile Before Death - 1972
Amuck! - 1972
French Sex Murders - 1972

—

Ania Pieroni

Ania Pieroni

Notable Genre Films:

Inferno - 1980
The House By The Cemetery - 1981
Tenebre - 1982

—

Marc Porel

Marc Porel

Notable Genre Films:

Don’t Torture A Duckling - 1972
Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man - 1976
Seven Notes In Black - 1977
The Curse Of Ursula - 1978
Killing Of The Flesh - 1983

—

Luciano Rossi

Luciano Rossi

Notable Genre Films:

Django The Bastard - 1969
Death Walks In High Heels - 1971
Death Walks At Midnight - 1972
Death Smiled At Murder - 1973
Crime Busters - 1976
Violent Naples - 1976
Red Nights Of The Gestapo - 1977

—

Anita Strindberg

Anita Strindberg

Notable Genre Films:

A Lizard In A Woman’s Skin - 1971
Case Of The Scorpion’s Tail - 1971
Who Saw Her Die? - 1972
Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key - 1972
The Two Faces Of Fear - 1972
Tropic Of Cancer - 1972
Puzzle - 1974
The Antichrist - 1974
Murder Obsession - 1981

—

Fabio Testi

Fabio Testi

Notable Genre Films:

What Have You Done To Solange? - 1972
Stateline Motel - 1973
Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse - 1975
The Big Racket - 1976
The Heroin Busters - 1977
Enigma Rosso - 1978
Contraband - 1980

—

I’m just getting started here, folks. This series will be as much for me as it is for you. If you see any titles missing or if the appearance of any actor is little more than a cameo, let me know. I intend to list even more European genre actors soon and more than just ones that appeared in Italian films. So keep checking in to see how the list expands.

October 30, 2007

Duder Halloween Blog Part 4: “Tentative Halloween Playlist”

Filed under: Horror Movies, Life Of Duder — richardofdm @ 2:16 pm


My wife LeEtta and I are preparing for our annual Halloween moviethon. This year, instead of taking off of work, we had the bright idea of just staying up all night watching movies and coming to work bright and early the next day. Brilliant? Dumb? We’ll soon find out. Anyway, here is a tentative playlist of films and Halloween specials we’ll be spinning this year. I can only hope that you are all planning your own moviethons. Good luck and Happy Halloween, y’all.

Vampire Circus

One of the horrors from my youth has finally come back to haunt me. I’ve been searching for this Hammer Horror classic for years now. I haven’t seen this films since I was maybe 9 or 10 years old but it already has a special place in my subconscious and from what I’ve read, it is a pretty good film. Trying something new at the beginning of a moviethon is pretty dangerous as a really awful movie could ruin the whole experience. This… is a chance… that I’m… willing… to… TAKE!

The Worst Witch

LeEtta introduced me to this totally inept, ludicrously cheap, and unexpectedly entertaining piece of 80s garbage. Something about this film warms my heart and at the same time tries to rip it out and feed it to me. From the painfully cute Faruza Balk to the God awful musical numbers to the zero budget video effects, The Worst Witch is amazing. Skip the regular TV series, it’s The Worst Witch TV movie that is the real prize. Tim Curry truly has no shame.

The Angry Beavers: The Day The Earth Got Really Screwed Up

This is easily the funniest Halloween special I’ve ever seen. While the Angry Beavers series was sometimes hit or miss, they pulled out all the stops for their 1998 Halloween episode. It’s the fictional horror movie hero, Oxnard Montalvo (voiced by Tom Kane), that never fails to crack me up. Of course, he’s not the only star of the show. Adrienne Barbeau as Toluca Lake and Peter Graves as the narrator and General Warning just push this one right over the top. The writing is dead on and the jokes and running gags never let up for a second.

Night Of The Demons

It just isn’t Halloween without Linnea Quigley. I can already hear her voice now: “I hope you invited some cute boys!” Though it is in my top 10 favorite horror movies of all time, I simply can’t bring myself to watch this on any other night than All Hallows Eve. The gore, the nudity, the snarky one-liners (”Run, Judy, run! See Judy run!”), the atmosphere, and the cornball characters, are all perfectly balanced in Night Of The Demons.

Hocus Pocus

You can blame LeEtta for this one. I used to hate this movie. Mostly because of the presence of the vile Bette Midler and the horse-faced Sarah Jessica Parker. However, repeated exposure to this film has caused it to invade my psyche and become something special. There’s tons of camp value to be found here with the metalhead and wannabe rapper bullies. Don’t forget Max… our hero. Holy shit, this kid is such a tool. There’s also Vinessa Shaw and Thora Birch who both grew up real, real good. Actress, comedienne, and voice of Peggy Hill, Kathy Najimy, steals the show with her mugging and dedication to slapstick. Oh, Hocus Pocus… I’m so embarrassed. Holy crap, the same guy directed Newsies!

Slumber Party Massacre

A tradition for several years now. Slumber Party Massacre must be watched on Halloween. Slumber party Massacre can only be watched on Halloween. Something about this trashy and cheesy Slasher un-classic just clicked in our brains and we added it to our ritual. I’m pretty confused by this film. How can so many wrongs make for such a great flick? Maybe 20 years from now when I’m still watching it every Halloween, I’ll finally know what makes it so awesome. Watch it and be prepared to hate me for recommending it.

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

If you call yourself an American, then you will be watching this, the most important Halloween special of all time. I have a vague memory of this bringing me to tears in front of an ex-girlfriend many years ago. She was understandably freaked out (but probably just annoyed) with me. Wow, how emo is that? Anyway… You can’t go wrong with It’s The Great Pumkin, Charlie Brown. You just can’t. LeEtta says she can watch this one year round and I’m sure that’s just part of what makes it so great. And when did people stop saying “Tricks or treats!” when they knock on someone’s door?

Halloween

When all is said and done, you have to go back to the original.

The House By The Cemetery

Anyone who knows me will probably tell you I’m totally gaga slappy over Lucio Fulci’s The House By The Cemetery. I feel that I have to end things with something splattery and this film does just just that. And it’s not just your average gore flick either. Fulci also manages to pack more claustrophobic atmosphere and bizarre hoopla into the house of Dr. Freudstein than you can shake a stick at. I don’t know if everyone will understand but know this: The House By The Cemetery is my second favorite horror movie of all time. Wow. Okay, so maybe that doesn’t mean anything to you but damn it, I LOVE IT!

October 24, 2007

Duder Halloween Blog Part 3: “33% Horror Con Attendee”

Filed under: Horror Movies, Life Of Duder — richardofdm @ 11:51 am



So yeah, I went to my very first horror convention last weekend. Screamfest in Orlando seemed like an appropriate place to start. First impression: Well, it was less embarrassing than an anime con, that’s for sure. I’ve attended 5 anime conventions over the last 8 years or so and they left me feeling disappointed, depressed, and pretty stuck up. It was weird walking around thinking: “Wow, I’m too cool for this.” Now, I think everyone around me was probably looking at me and thinking: “Wow, this guy is a fucking tool.” At a horror con, I didn’t get this feeling. I felt just as dorky as everybody else with my snobbier instincts (mostly) in check.

I quickly discovered that you can do one of three things at a horror convention:

1. Get in line all day to get autographs.

2. Get in line all day to watch films/attend q&a sessions.

3. Go shopping in the vendor room and go home.

I went for number 3 and managed to get these DVD bootlegs:

Four Flies On Grey Velvet
Beyond The Door
Night Of The Creeps
Blue Monkey
Vampire Circus
The People Who Own The Dark

There was a booth selling old issues of Fangoria (some for $5 apiece). I picked up two from the mid 80s (issues 42 and 45) that are grand reads. Oh and I got a free Masters Of Horror poster (which got ruined in the rain the following day) and I passed out some Doomed Moviethon stickers. Okay, “passed out” isn’t really accurate. I placed them in strategic locations throughout the day and they were gone later. Hopefully, that means they were picked up by random people and not thrown in the garbage by the Screamfest staff or something.

However, I have to wonder if I’m doing something wrong. My anime convention experiences have been awful and this, my first horror con, was a major meh. Is it because I’m in Florida? Or perhaps, it’s because I’m not particularly social at these things. I did manage to recommend Umberto Lenzi’s Eyeball to a couple of girls who probably thought I was flirting with them. And I did strike up a brief conversation with a duder that works at Green Shift who had a stack of about 10 bootlegs in his hands.

The best part of the whole experience happened in the vendor room. I was stuck behind somebody taking a picture of a duder in a costume when I looked a row over at this female mannequin in a red corset. My timing couldn’t have been better. I had looked just in time to see this really tall guy with glasses and long black hair hug the dang thing.

First, he looked around really timidly to see if anyone was paying attention then he snuck his arm around the waist of the mannequin. And with this really sad look on his face, he went ahead and put his other arm around it and full on hugged the lady mannequin. Finally, he let go and shuffled off looking very defeated.

So other than the shopping, I think my attendance of Screamfest was a complete bust. Maybe if I had gone for the entire three days and dedicated one of them to standing in a dang line, I might be more satisfied. Having some autographs or a photo of me standing with some horror movie legend might improve my outlook on conventions. I also think I’d have more fun playing vendor. Who knows, folks, perhaps you’ll see a Doomed Moviethon booth one day at some random horror con. Whoa.

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