Review: Scorpion with Two Tails

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

Scorpion with Two Tails (aka The Scorpion with Two Tales;
Assassinio al cimitero etrusco; Lo Scorpione a Due Code)

Directed by Sergio Martino
Dania Film; Medusa Distribuzione; Publikampus;
Full Moon Entertainment; MVD Visual
98 minutes, 1982 / 2022
www.FullMoonDirect.com
www.MVDVisual.com

Not to be confused with director Sergio Martino’s The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail (La coda dello scorpione, 1971)  there are some Italian giallo genre that gets a chef’s kiss, when talking about the A-line of the likes of Dario Argento, Lucho Fulci, Mario Bava, etc. However, as with every genre, there is also the B-films, of which this is one. That is certainly not meant as an insult, but rather a statement of fact.

John Saxon

Like many giallo films of the period, they had some fading stars from the break-up of the movie studio system, in this case John Saxon (d. 2020) and Van Johnson (d. 2008). Saxon’s role is more of a cameo, and Johnson’s was probably no more than a couple of day’s work, and are in the film more for name recognition to sell for the Western audience. That being said, I do not know if their roles were longer in the television version (see below).

This film was popular in Italy under the name Murder in the Etruscan Cemetery, but I am willing to bet dollars to donuts (Lira to ciambella?) that they changed the name to the Scorpion one, even though it might make one from this side of the Pond go “henh?”, but I bet some marketing team believed that Americans are not educated enough to look beyond their own borders, and figure out the meaning of “Etruscan.”

Etruria is an area of Italy when it was a group of Nation States, that is on the west coast about halfway down the “boot,” across from the island of Corsica. They had their own language and rituals.

Elvire Audray

Joan (Elvire Audray, who looks like Julia Duffy during her “Designing Women” years, d. 2000 at age 40) is a psychic who has a dream her archeologist husband, Arthur (Saxon), who studies Etruscan history, will fittingly be murdered in an ancient Etruscan death rite. Of course, unlike real life but prominent in Italian giallo, she has the shining, as it were. And being a giallo, some of those visions include maggots. De rigueur.

I was bemused when one of the opening shots was of Joan walking across Fifth Avenue in New York, with St. Patrick’s Cathedral behind her; I do get the idea: standard religion  (relatively modern) vs. fringe religion (then). It is pretty common for Italian giallos to be shot somewhat in New York, such as Fulci’s The New York Ripper (1982; quack-quack). It was nostalgic to see not only the World Trade Center, but also 5 WTC, the building where I worked for a number of years around the time this was shot. Many other scenes were filmed in Italy, deep in real catacombs, caves and cemeteries. While Joan is in my home town, Arthur is in the Etruscan ‘hood. Also, like many releases in this genre, the film is both spoken in English in parts, and dubbed into the language from Italian in others, depending on who is speaking. For many of the Italian actors, even the ones speaking English, they are dubbed over in that language. This is made a bit obvious in a scene with Johnson, where the people he is talking to sound normal (dubbed), and his voice is echoey, as he obviously did not sign up for dub sessions. 

Van Johnson, Audray

Thing is, while Arthur is the good guy, Joan’s father, Mulligan (Johnson) is a drug and antiquities smuggler, though she is unaware of that part of their lives. Following the fruition of her dream, Joan travels to Italy with a work companion who has the hots for her, Mike (Paolo Marco). There, they meet the wonderfully named Contessa Maria Volumna (Marilù Tolo, who I remember as the whip-wielding Conchita in the 1968 classic, Candy). The Contessa hosted Arthur when he was murdered at her villa. Also helping in trying to figure out what is happening is Venessa Hull (Wandisa Guida, who starred in numerous Italian Sword and Sorcery films in the 1960s; this was her last film), and Nick (Jacques Stany, nee Stanislaski).

Joan is determined to investigate Arthur’s demise, and of course, this being a giallo, nothing is as it seems and neither is anyone. Who is the good guys, who is the dangerous ones? What is the meaning of the titular piece of ancient jewellery? In the meanwhile, we get to see some really amazing ancient sites and carvings in their natural settings.

As Joan scopes out events and people are turning up dead (again, giallo), as we slowly but surely delve into criminal activity, psychic dreams, and possibly reincarnation (shades of 1932’s The Mummy!). This could have gotten away with just the smuggling story and still be giallo, but that there is a supernatural element is a bonus for my worldview (wheelhouse?).

Like an Agatha Christie novel, there are way more characters than seem necessary, making the story a bit convoluted at times. This tends to drag the story out a bit, as one tries to follow who everyone is, and how they are associated with the main plotline. I believe this is a way to produce red herrings and exposition, but it sometimes feels ponderous. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more of the supernatural element than the smuggling.

The soundtrack is perfectly moody and has strong ties to the giallo genre, with a score by the well-recognized Fabio Frizzi (who did the same for a number of Fulci films, and even recently with Nightmare Symphony in 2022).

Giallos tend to have some of the best and long titles, and this is definitely one of them. Also as in many giallos, much of the dialogue is fraught and at high drama (I call it Telenovela style), like it is something out of an Anne Rice book (an expository example: “He opened the door! He walked inside the room!!”). There is also the nearly mandatory assassin in a motorcycle helmet or mask. This would be carried on in giallo-styled films such as Maniac Driver (2020) and Nightmare Symphony..

Extras for the Blu-ray and DVD are a Deleted Scenes section (19 min), which contain parts that were excised for the television version; it is in Italian with subtitles, including Saxon’s voice dubbed into Italiano. Also included are a bunch of Euro Trash Trailers. Skimpy, but good. I just wish they included English subtitles.

This is the first time this has been released in North America on Blu-ray and DVD, obviously taken from the original print, as the occasional film “noise” is present. It is also not “crispy clean,” having a slight fuzz to the original (yet still better quality than a VHS, where I originally saw it decades ago). Full Moon said this version was, “taken from the best source material available.” Previously, this was an 8-part miniseries on Rai Television (Radiotelevisione italiana}, and was cut down to this film length before being released in Europe outside Italy.

One of the oddities I have found is the random Confederate flag in the home of photographer Gianni (Franco Garofalo; d. 2019). All that being said, this is a fun film, drenched deep in the giallo formula. Being a giallo B-film, that is more than fine as I have an affection for films below the “A” grade.

IMDB listing HERE

Trailer is HERE

Review: The Kindred

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

The Kindred
Directed by Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow
Kindred Limited Partnership; F/M Entertainment; Synapse Films; MVD Entertainment
93 minutes, 1987 / 2021
www.synapsefilms.com
www.MVDVisual.com/
I know I saw this when it first came out, but honestly, I do not remember it at all. Happily, I will now get a chance to revisit it with fresh new eyes (among other sensory organs).

The film certainly begins with a BANG! Bodies fly, and EMTs are abused. And that leads to introducing our hero, researcher Dr. John Hollins (David Allen Brooks, giving off a Ryan O’Neal or William Katt vibes, or maybe it is just the hair). Seems his mom, another researcher of questionable studies of a gene called hemocyanin (according to Wikipedia, hemocyanin “are proteins that transport oxygen throughout the bodies of some invertebrate animals”; it is usually found in marine life), Dr. Amanda Hollins (a cameo by Kim Hunter, more famous for 1968’s The Planet of the Apes and especially non-horror but brutal A Streetcar Named Desire in 1951; d. 2002), is out of a coma and tells her son to destroy her research, and that he has an unknown brother named Anthony in a shade from Basket Case (1982), who also must be destroyed, which the viewer quickly learns why, but exposition must follow first.

David Allen Brooks

Amanda has a rival in bad toupee-wearing also researcher of human and non-human hybridization, ala Island of Lost Souls (1932)/The Island of Dr. Moreau (1995), Dr. Phillip Lloyd (Rod Steiger, better know to horror fans as the priest in 1979’s The Amityville Horror, but especially in the, again, brutal non-horror On the Waterfront in 1954; d. 2002). He is trying to steal Dr. Amanda’s research before John can do anything with/to it.

John goes to his mom’s house with his girlfriend, Sharon (Talia Balsam), in which Amanda turned his childhood bedroom into a laboratory. Just for the heck of it, he asks a bunch of his friends to join along (the fodder to be killed off?), and is also join by a mysterious British researcher of the bizarre that he meets at a funeral, Melissa (Amanda Pays), who seems to have her own agenda. In this way it becomes sort of a cabin in the woods type scenario. Meanwhile, there is something tentacled under the floorboards (trigger warning: pet endangerment)

Talia Balsam

The various Anthonys look a bit like a cross between It’s Alive (1974) and the alien in the poster from Xtro (1982), but with tentacles, as well as arms. Could this be a reference to Cthulhu?. But it’s the adult Anthony that is lurking around the property. Despite all the scientific lingo here and there, the base of this is obviously that it is a creature feature.

Without surprise, things pick up exponentially in the third act, and adult Anthony makes its presence not only known, but takes command, fighting the puny human folk. Who will win this life-and-death battle? I will say, there was way less of a body count than I was expecting.

Amanda Pays

That being said, this was quite the joy ride, with some excellent all practical and in-camera SFX (i.e., no CGI), with creature effects built by Michael McCracken; yes, the infamous watermelon scene is a great example of that (I won’t give it away). Throughout there is solid acting all the way around. Major cast choices for a B-film. Even Steiger, who has chewed his amount of scenery in his career (I once interviewed him a while back before even Amityville, and bombastic is the word I would use to describe him even off the set), mostly comes off as, well, “acting” rather than shouting, even though there is some of that, as well. It is also worth noting that one of the five writers of this film was Joseph Stefano (d. 2006), who wrote the screenplay of the classic Hitchcock game changer, Psycho (1960).

The extras start off with a commentary track with directors Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter, moderated by horror journalist Steve Barton. While it is occasionally hard to tell who is talking (other than gravelly voiced Carpenter), honestly, it does not matter. It is the contents, and this is a really good commentary with lots of information and stories, with emotion, rather than just a flat read. Worth listening to for fun information.

Rod Steiger

Next is “Inhuman Experiments – The Making of The Kindred” (52 mins.), an all-new featurette produced by Synapse Films for the Blu-ray. While it is typically generally chronological as many “Making Of” docs, from the genesis (let there be film) of the idea (e.g., changing the character of “Matt” to “Melissa”), but some of this is quite interesting, such as interviews with two of the leads (seeing what they look like now, as well as their stories, for example). My favorite parts were the stories about working with the actors, especially Steiger and Hunter. There is also a broad overview such as the SFX , the sets (which are quite phenomenal, done on the same soundstage as 1939’s Gone With the Wind), the music by David Newman (including being interviewed), and of course its place in culture. Originally, my idea was to skip around, but ended up watching the whole thing, despite the length. That says a lot.

And speaking of SFX, there is a special compilation of creature effects artist McCracken Jr.’s never-before-seen archival, on-set footage (18 min). The first half of this, I watched at 2x speed, but the second, when it became black and white grainy footage, when there was actual informative information, I turned it back to normal speed. It’s not brilliant thanks to the visual quality, but can be interesting for at least one viewing

There is also a still gallery and original storyboards, TV spots, the original theatrical trailer, the original video promotional trailer, and optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

While this has absolutely nothing to do with this film, in a-degree of separation, Marlon Brando has starred in the break-through releases with both Kim Hunter (Streetcar) and Rod Steiger (Waterfront), and he also was one of the leads in the similar thematic Island of Dr. Moreau.

Despite some visually dark scenes, the film quality itself is superb, which is not surprising considering it is a new 4K remaster of the unrated version, and the sound is quite sharp, with different versions of the tracks available in both 5.1 stereo surround sound and the original 2.0 mono theatrical mix.

With a mix of imagery and ideas amalgamated from other films, this one manages to have lots of pop power, and for those who like the ‘80s monster films, this is right up that alley.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Trophy Heads

Text © Richard Gary / FFanzeen, 2018

Images from the Internet, unless indicated

Trophy Heads                                           

Produced and directed by Charles Band

Full Moon / MVD Video

87 minutes / 2014

www.fullmoonstreaming.com

www.mvdvisual.com

In general, I don’t believe that genre fan would really argue that the films from Full Moon Entertainment – and Charles Bands’ in particular – are as cheesy as they come. This has been true since the VCR revolution in the early 1980s. Silly scripts, sometimes questionable acting and amateurish effects not only dominated throughout the Full Moon catalog, but fuck, does Band know how to direct or produce films that make all of that work so well. The Puppet Master, Trancers and Subspecies series alone would be perfect examples, but then add in the likes of Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988), The Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989), and so many others; it’s not just a bunch of crazy films, but rather a canon of so-bad-it’s-good cinema that every horror aficionado should know.

I’ll be honest with you, I’ve seen most of the golden age Full Moon catalog from essentially the late ‘70s through the early ‘90s (yes, on VHS), renting them with glee as they came out. Not all of them were keen to me (e.g., Castle Freak [1995], by one of my fave directors, Stewart Gordon, who… sorry, I’m jumping the gun, so more on this later), but I would not miss out on my chances to experience them because they were so much fun. As I’m writing this, even more Full Moon films keep coming to mind, such as Meridian (1990).

Adam Noble Roberts

Anyway, I couldn’t help but smile and digress at this point, so let’s get back to the film at hand. Like the first Scream (1996), this is an incredibly self-referential a-nod’s-as-good-as-a-wink-to-a-blind-bat release, with a half-dozen of the ‘80s and ‘90s Scream Queens [SQ] playing some version of themselves in the present, being held captive by a basement-living nerd looney loser named Max (Adam Noble Roberts), and his over-indulgent, enabling, and equally crazy mom (the great Maria Olsen).

Max is concerned that the Queens of the movies he loves (Full Moon features are mentioned and shown, of course, such as Creepozoids; 1987) will be forgotten as they age, and insanely feels it’s his personal mission to capture them, and mount their heads so they will be forever remembered. Early on in the film, two of the SQ royalty get kidnapped: Linnea Quigley (here, Sister Quigley as she has bathed herself in the blood of Christ), and the seriously intelligent and deep voiced Brinke Stevens, as well as Lisa (Irena Murphy, who spends most of her time in the film topless). They are caged in Max and Mom’s basement, as the actresses’ own videos play, as well as the opening SQ’s death, Darcy DeMoss.

Michelle Bauer

Max and Mom have the SQs recreate a scene from one of their own films, no matter how poorly and inaccurate (a comment on the original films’ lack of aptitude?) and then uses that as a means to – err – immortalize them, in their own fashion. It’s actually weirdly and effectively creepy in that it’s not the characters that “die,” but these fictionalized versions of themselves. Some of the other SQs include the still lovely Michelle Bauer (always one of my faves in my own fanboy days), Denice Duff and later-SQ, Jacqueline Lovell.

These were the SQs of my youth, as it were, and Band is wise to find a way get them not only to have some new performances, but he also gets to promote his own Full Moon line, as most of these SQs were in his films, such as Head of the Family (1996) and some of the others mentioned above. Definitely a win-win situation for all involved, I would hope. Even the smaller roles are up and coming SQs in Full Moon flicks like the Evil Bong franchise (I’m not making that up).

Yes, there are also some stunning prerequisite cameos throughout the film. The one that will get a lot of notice is director Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator [1985], From Beyond [1986]) who plays a particularly obnoxious Harvey Weinstein-ish creepy version of himself (well, I hope it’s a version…), Carel Struycken (Lurch in the 1990’s Addams Family reboot) and the still lovely Kristen DeBell (Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Fantasy from 1976; Meatballs in 1979). Another Full Moon director of cult classics, David DeCoteau, has a brief bit as well.

These versions of the cast come across as humorously vain and often self-centered, be it unapologetically self-motivated on one side of the spectrum, to overly religiously fanatical and trying to share Jeebus with the world on the other. Now, I’ve actually had the opportunity to meet some of them in my life (mostly at Chiller Theatre Cons; see pics below), and they came across as friendly to both their fans and each other. These cartoonish adaptations is more feeding to an audience who imagines that they are like their characters, than what these actresses have brought to the screen, not to mention a generation of teen boys.

Maria Olsen

Max and his mom are actually quite fun characters, and both actors fulfill their roles with glee, which transfers to the screen. Both actors have just the right amount of twitches and reactions that enhance the characters while both mocking them, and making them somewhat pitiable. Max is as much a cartoon stereotype of a fanboy as these SQs are to their on-screen personas as presented here. And it’s pretty obvious that Max is not playing with a full deck, as he has quite intense conversations with the post-decapitated and stuffed heads. And we hear not only them chide Max, but have conversations with each other.

Oh, did I happen to mention that this is a comedy? While I complained a bit about the writing of the earlier fare, this one is actually quite smart while still being just a bit goofy. It’s definitely a step up in that way, especially the dialogue. There are definitely some serious moments, but even those can be taken with a beer, if one is so inclined (I never drink…alcohol).

Each of the deaths is quite different and shot well. And what’s more this is extremely entertaining, whether you’ve seen the originals or not, or whether you’ve heard of the cast or not (though shame on you if you haven’t learned your horror history).

There are some weird moments that make no sense to me, such as Mom wearing white to drag a bloody body, or one SC actually pushing Max, and then rather than fighting and taking away the weapon, keeps on running. Yeah, this doesn’t make logic, but again, it’s a Full Moon feature, so yaz takez what yaz getz, and have fun with it.

Brinke Stevens
(pic by RBF)

One important thing that Full Moon brought to the home market video is that they were among the first to add “extras” to the ends of the VHS, usually in the form of a documentary called the “Videozone.” It should come as no surprise and a pleasant reward that they continue the trend with this film’s own “Videozone”; they even use the same opening graffix (but the digital noise cleaned up and it’s been updated a bit). For 10:16, this is an enjoyable Making Of featurette with most of the main characters discussing working on the set, talks with the director, and with each other. The 22-minute “Uncut Footage” is less interesting behind-the-shooting, including rehearsals, and conversations among Band and some of the SQs, among others.

Linnea Quigley(pic by RBF)

Next up is a “Submit Your Head” feature shows what I believe are some of the backers’ heads treated the same way as the SQs in the bloody, green frame for 2:52. Note that while they are shown one by one here, they are presented in groups at the end of the feature. Along with Audio Options (stereo and Dolby Surround), there are 8 trailers of classic Full Moon features, many among those mentioned in the film, as well as the one for this film.

Last up (though second on the list of extras options) is the full length commentary, consisting of the director Charles Band, and stars Brinke Stevens, Darcy DeMoss and Jacqueline Lowell. Between them actually just watching the film, they definitely tell some great anecdotes about their lives, the shoot, and little pieces of details that make the factoids fun (such as info about a particular mask Max wears).

Michelle Bauer(pic by RBF)

An argument could be made that the victims are all Scream Queens and not Kings, but let’s face it, yeah, it’s sexist as hell, but the these films in the ‘80s were geared towards horny teen boys who would obsess over the female rather than the male. I mean, during the “Videozone” and commentary, Band consistently refers to these actresses as “the girls,” which I found to be…uncomfortable. Good thing he made such an enjoyable movie.

If the film feels episodic, it should come as no surprise as this release started out as a 5-segment web series, but it folds together quite well, and the fact that here are distinct acts works for the film rather than against it, helping to keep the attention of the viewer without having that jump cut feeling. While I may have my issues with some of the gender aspects, as I said, the end result is an enjoyable and well-written piece.

Review: Effects

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2017

Images from the Internet

Effects

Directed by Dusty Nelson

AGFA / Something Weird Video / Bududa Inc. / MVD Visual

84 minutes, 1980 / 2005 / 2017

https://www.americangenrefilm.com

www.mvdvisual.com

So-called snuff films became a focus in American culture during the late 1970s and early ‘80s, in large part, for two reasons. The first was due to some pretty bad films such as Snuff (1975), which supposedly had a real snuff scene at the end (any seasoned SFX fan could see that it was fake), and the Faces of Death series (which was also bogus when concerning humans). The other was the rising video boom that was desperately in need for film fodder for fans, and would take anything they could find and put it out there in the exploding video store market. Snuff, a film that probably would have easily passed into the mire of bad cinema along with the Face of Death, found new life and became shocking sensations that made national news.

This led to a series of “realistic” releases trying to ride the wave. Hell, no one would have probably even heard the word “snuff” if it weren’t for those reasons. But it did lead us to Dusty Nelson’s film, Effects. Thanks to a revival of the VHS craze from that period, which has now passed into the nostalgia phase, companies like American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) are putting out hi-def, Blu-ray versions of these very same films. In this case, thanks to distribution and legal issues, this film was not actually released until 2005 on DVD, and now this Blu-ray from a rare print (more on the quality later). Thing is, as bad as some of these releases are, I’m glad they are given new – err – life.

Joseph Pilato, Tom Savini

Essentially, in a convoluted way, the film plays with the notions of what is real, what is pretend, and what happens when they mix in the world of film (although there are some moments that seem like it’s television). This is what is facing the dating couple of special effects expert/cameraman Dom (Joseph Pilato) and actress Celeste (Susan Chapek); they – and others – are caught in a web of confusion, like the audience. How will this effect the director, Lacey (John Harrison), fellow actors Barney (Bernard McKenna), Rita (Debra Gordon) and Nicky (SFX wizard Tom Savini in one of his early acting roles)? The big question, however, appears to be how far would/should/could one go to make a film?

Though I’m certain they were just trying to keep current, it’s interesting to me how many then-current cultural signifiers they use throughout the film, such as someone playing the electronic game Simon, or all the drug references (e.g., lines of coke and Maryjane). Then there’s the clothing, such as the common place jeans-and-tees (with images like The Rocky Horror Picture Show logo from 1977). There are other small touchstones, similar to a take-off of the Bill Saluga classic, “You doesn’thave to call me Johnson” bit.  There are more references in here than in a Family Guy episode. Heck, there’s even a bit of a soliloquy from Shakespeare’s Richard II.

Susan Chapek

Speaking of the “looks of then,” it’s amazing how the look and pacing of the film is like porn films of the period. Yeah, there’s a couple of (female) nudie scenes, such as the then-obligatory and totally unnecessary-to-the-story shower scene that opens up the pic, but nothing that would really qualify as even softcore. And yet, the feel of the film, the pacing, acting and ambiance screams late ‘70s adult cinema.

That being said, much of the cast and crew are part of the Pittsburgh area film group, which included George A. Romero (RIP). Many of the cast and crew were in front or behind (or both) the camera on numerous Romero releases. In fact, one of the lead actors, Pilato, would play a pivotal role (and have an iconic scene) in Day of the Dead (1985).

Filmed in a pre-MTV period, by the standards of even a couple of years later, the camera is quite static, with long shots and dialogue that keeps the story at a steady pace, as we get to know, although not necessarily like (which is the point), most of the main characters. The camera pretty much sits there, or just lazily cuts from character to character.

Debra Gordon (Bernard McKenna in mirror)

Along with the languid pace until the last 15 minutes, even though there are some decent moments of tension throughout, the film bleeds out rather than spurts. I wish the story was a bit clearer as it was happening, but even with all the character build-up, there isn’t much to connect to with hardly anyone. This is not helped by the very grainy visuals (shot in 16mm) and spotty sound, but I’m glad to have had a chance to see this almost-lost piece of cinema history from a very specific period of time.

The first extra is the 59-minutes documentary After Effects: Memories of Pittsburgh Filmmaking (2005; Red Shirt Pictures), directed by Michael Felsher, in which Felsher interviews the cast and crew 27 years later in Los Angeles. The arc is how the director and his team first got into making indie films (then called guerilla filmmaking) including and documentaries and commercials, and grew into raising the funds and gathering all the threads with enough cojones to make Effects. Also featured and interviewed is the late, great Romero (d. 2017). There are also some cleaned-up clips both visually and audibly from the film that I wish had been the whole film proper. Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to the prospect of watching this long featurette because I thought I was going to be bored by it for the hour, but it’s actually quite well done and kept my interest throughout. There is an additional After Effects full-length commentary with the director. Much of the talking is about the distribution deal that squashed the original film, and how it eventually came out. It’s also the link between Effects and After Effects. Not overly exciting stuff, honestly, but somewhat interesting in its historical perspective. To be truthful, I made it through about the first 20 minutes.

Next up are two rare shorts. The first is the 12-minute Ubu (1973), an experimental picture directed by John Harrison, who plays the director in Effects. He actually has a few really nice credits under his belt, including the 2000 mini-series version of Dune. Here, we meet the titular Ubu, who is the tyrant of a Dark Ages version of Poland (or, as the marionette narrator states, “that is to say, nowhere”). It’s definitely a piece for its time, in a period of paranoia about the Nixon Administration. This is followed by Dusty Nelson’s 15-minute Beastie. Chris (Paula Swart) is hitchhiking and gets picked up by George (Steve Pearson). They instantly start a relationship, and we follow it until… well, I’ll not give it away. It’s also a story of its generation, which seems to be just-post-hippie.

Last up is the 2005 full-length commentary with Nelson, Harrison and Pasquale Buba, who all make up the production company, Bududa Inc. It’s a quite decent combination of technical matters, anecdotes and intentions. They work really well together, and it shows in the way they respectfully let each other finish their own bits, such as positing what the film is actually about: “…What’s real and what’s not, and if you don’t know the difference, does it matter?” Even though it’s hard to tell who is telling what story, it really isn’t important because it’s the content of the tale that matters. It was interesting throughout.

In some ways Effects reminds me of Maniac (also 1980, and name checked in one form or another in the documentary sides, which is not surprising considering Savini also worked on that one), which also had an appearance and – err – effects by Savini. I would recommend any fan of the VHS or Pittsburgh film school to see Effects, because it is an important piece of work, even with its occasional wonkiness.

Review: Blood Slaughter Massacre

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2015
Images from the Internet

Blood Slaughter Massacre

Directed and edited by Manny Seranno
Mass Grave Pictures / Devarez Films
Wild Eye Releasing / MVD Visual
113 minutes / 2013 / 2015
www.wildeyereleasing.com
www.mvdvisual.com

One subgenre of the recent trend of slasher films is homage to the “video nasties” of the 1980s, when video was king and horror and porn were the top renters. Most do a decent job, but it’s rare that anyone gets it this accurate. It’s obtuse (he’s killing them why?), with a large body count of mostly teenage girls (think Slumber Party Massacre [1982]), a masked and silent killer of some girth who likes to pose in hallways, and cops with issues.

Smartly, the introductory murder(s) scene (you think I may be giving too much away? Have you ever seen the genre before?) takes place around 1974 in a town called Havenwood (a perfect ‘80s film locale name), so that way the “10 years later” main story could actually take place in the ‘80s rather than just referencing it. With the exception of some small LED CSI­-style flashlights, the sets are excruciatingly accurate, which is also wonderful.

Matt W. Cody

For the main part of the story, we meet Shaft-style leather jacket-wearing, 5-O’Clock shadowed, alcoholic detective James Fincher (Matt W. Cody, who looks familiar though I don’t recognize any of his credits from IMDB), recently separated from his wife (Melissa Roth, who does a convincingly great job in the role), and daughter. Fincher had been injured as a beat cop by the killer 10 years before, and now he’s an on-and-off the wagon drunk. His partner is Cobb (Byron M. Howard) who sticks by his pal, but has a secret, natch. And the head cop is angry at them, of course.

Now, this next part is both good, and creepy in real life: the actresses who play the teen girls are supposed to be 15, and for once most actually look the part, even though (as the director states in the commentary) they are all in their 20s. What’s disturbing is that most of them appear topless if not nude, including some sex scenes, so it’s sort of ”barely legal” stuff for which I was not comfortable. On a lighter note, but just as seriously curious, that they managed to find this many young actresses without tattoos is admirable, unless they removed them digitally. [I have been informed by the director that only one female cast member had a tattoo and it was physically covered with make-up. I love the Internet... - RG]

That brings us to the next point: as far as I can tell, being an “’80s film,” the effects appear to be all appliances, with no digi, which is what I like to see. Digital effects are fine, but I like the physical challenge of carnage. Just take a look at Carpenter’s version of The Thing (1982); it’s a stunning piece of work without any CGI. There’s a lot of gore here with that ‘80s syrupy kind of blood, and enough spray and blades to make Tom Savini say, “You welcome.” The film also stays true to the look of the ‘80s with just enough fuzzy images to imply VHS – especially with the blurry red-lettered credits at the end – to make it cheesy, fun, and respectful at the same time.

Danielle Lenore, Carmela Hayslett-Grillo

The two teen female leads are also wonderfully cliché (i.e., modelled on the period). The focus of the clown masked killers attack at the party is Danielle (Danielle Lenore), the “Jamie Lee Curtis” of the film, if you will. She’s the shy girl who you know is gonna get “(wo)man-up” by the end, as these things tend to follow. Her best friend, the tough and hot girl with the heart of gold, is Carla (Carmela Hayslett-Grillo) in the “Rose McGowan” (Scream) sidekick position. If anyone survives the night (most of the film takes place in a single day rotation) of the blood slaughter massacre (the more I say that title, the less sense it makes, but still is a totally wicked-cool name), it’s going to be one of these two.

While the soundtrack is new, they did well in getting that piano-plinking sound for the anticipatory moments (e.g., “let’s go check out that strange noise…”), and gathered a bunch of long-hair rock songs that so fit into the ‘80s motif that you’ll swear you’ve heard it – or something like it – before. Again, excellently executed (pun intended).

No matter how I describe any one element of the story (including the ending, which I will not give away), you’re seen it before if you are a fan of the genre, and that’s part of both the point and the charm of the film. And yet, there are some nice unexpected twists and turns. This is one of the rare releases that if I saw it without any previous knowledge, I would have said it were from that period. It’s that bad, which is a very high compliment coming from where and what I’m trying to say.

There are a stack of extras, some successful, some not. There is a Behind the Scenes featurette (not), some extended and deleted scenes (mostly not) and some fake trailers that inspired this film and music video (successful). There is also a nice commentary track with the director, the cinematographer Louis Cortes, and SFX / make-up / AD Lindsay Serrano.

This is definitely a hoot for a Throw-Back-Thursday, or a Saturday Night get-together for some laughs, some memories of videos-gone-by, or just a chance to see a three-second cameo by director James Balsamo. No matter what the reason, if you’re a VHS horror junkie from or of the period, this’ll hit the ahhhh spot.

"Street Trash" producer Frank Farel interviewed 1987

Text by Richard Gary, 2015
Image from Videowave, 1987

Street Trash is a semi-classic low budget indie horror film from the 1980s. The plot revolved around people drinking a cheap booze reminiscent of Thunderbird called Viper that was found sealed inside the wall of a liquor store. Problem is, when people drank it, it affected them badly, from melting to blowing up real good.

I was present for the shooting of this interview on a Cable Access show called Videowave. As the shows get digitized, they are generously making clips available for the public. So, from March 1987, here is Farel discussing is yet-to-be-released film. The trailer for the film is beneath the clip, followed by a free link to the whole film.

 

 

 

 

Review: The Deadly Spawn: Millennium Edition

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2014
Images from the Internet

 

The Deadly Spawn: Millennium Edition
Directed by Douglas McKeown            
Elite Entertainment
81 minutes, 1983 / 2012
www.thedeadlyspawn.com
www.mvdvisual.com

When this direct-to-video film first came out, it was a divisive moment. The general public saw this as a piece of cheezy shit to be mocked and used as an example of bad cinema. For the fan, especially a newbie to the nascent VHS home market, it was a touchstone moment in indie cinema that was one of the leaders in the explosion in micro-budget horror, opening the door to what was to come. And y’know what, it’s a pretty damn fine film.

My issue with it was that the tape looked terrible: grainy and too color saturated that made the creature and gore look unclear, especially since many of the scenes take place in a dark basement. So much was viewed through my squinted eyes trying to figure out just what was going on.

In a scene that could have come straight out of the original The Blob (1958), two campers find a fresh meteorite that apparently has a stowaway in the form of a multi-headed creature with massive rows of teeth and a hunger for blood, which helps it grow and reproduce. After the subtextual homoerotic tenters become spawn fodder, the blind creature finds its way into a suburban basement, where, for a while, people seem to be constantly going down to the basement (where are the Ramones when you need ‘em?) and are chomped on in various, and graphic and enjoyable fashions.

Although obviously a puppet-like appliance that apparently takes four people to operate, the creature looks great, having rows and rows of sharp teeth, looking much better in this release taken from the original 16mm print than the faded and fuzzy VHS one. The use of primary colors, the gore, and the creature are all clearer for personal enjoyment. There has been some controversy over an earlier Synapse released DVD version that is reported to be even clearer than this Blu-ray, but as I never saw it, I’ll go with what I have seen.

The story itself is kind of slim, as we are introduced to quite an extended New Jersey family (the state where this was filmed). In the house are a husband and wife (supplying the only shot of a mild milf midriff though a lacy nightgown). Their high school age son, Pete (Tom DeFranco), is a science nerd, presented in a positive light. The younger son, Charles (Charles George Hildebrandt), who is around Bar Mitzvah age, is also highly bright and probably easily identifiable by the presumed target audience, a horror film and effects fanatic (and the lead role in the film). He has cool 1950s-‘60s indie film posters on his bedroom wall. Then there are the visiting aunt and creepy uncle (who gets the best kill in the picture). The New Agey vegetarian (i.e., mocked) grandmother lives a few blocks away, and we meet her and her biddies – er – I mean buddies for social (herbal) tea and non-meat goodies. Lastly, we are introduced to the older son’s possible love interest, Ellen (Jean Tafler) who is as bright as he is, their clueless friend Frankie (Richard Lee Porter, wearing overalls like he just stepped out of a hillbillies cosplay), and the friend’s possible love interest, Kathy (Karen Tighe, a Farrah Fawcett type you actually want to see in the see-through nighty). Of course, a large cast means a larger amount of victims, so it’s all good.

Just about all the effects, by John Dods, from faces being chewed off to small-but-toothsome slithering eel like offshoots (an idea borrowed in Cloverfield [2008], perhaps?) are done with practical appliances, rather than then-crude digital effects. This gives it an interesting appeal that’s the equivalent of seeing a thrashing punk band like the Heartbreakers (JT, not TP), and thinking, I could do that; let’s make a movie!

Like much of the films of the period that used unknown actors, and for many here this is their only IMDB credit (including the director), the acting is occasionally iffy, but the filmmaking itself is actually very well done. With an inexperienced cast, a creature needing many handlers, an often confined space, and a budget of spit and tape, they manage to make a turning point production that deserves the accolades it has received, especially as the years roll on. However, whoever designed the décor of the house, be it a real one or just a set, deserves to be put in a pillory for making us look at the world’s fugliest wallpaper throughout. One eyesore after another! Obviously not much of the cost of $25,000 (equivalent to $60,000 in 2014) went into this aspect.

Extras include a dopey opening with producer Ted A. Bohus (who, for some reason, is better known than the director), commentary track, gag reel, interesting backstage slide show, some pointless images of a Deadly Spawn comic book (the whole comic, that would have been nice), local television coverage from the ‘80s, and the casting tapes.

Despite the controversy, and whether you buy this or the previous DVD, the film itself holds up after all these years, and in fact is more enjoyable over time. As the person I watched this with said, “This is awesome; how did I not see this before now?”