Social Media Post: WIWLN Goes to Paris

"Stop! This is the Kingdom of the Dead"

Where does horror reside? One answer is in the abject. The abject is a place where we are exposed to transgressive objects - things that should not be or fewest things that should not be seen. Crossing into the abject is to abandon the known, familiar and welcoming for the unknown, unfamiliar and unwelcoming. As horror fans, we are often dedicated to exploring the abject from the safety of our friendly places.

 

Our own bodies are often the first exposure to this frightful realm. Knowledge of the whole unseen world under our skin can be both fascinating and frightening. The first sight (or taste!) of blood, seeing the exposed organs of a carcass or the pictures in my mother’s anatomy textbooks and the first time touching a corpse are cemented in my mind. These days, encountering a skeleton outside its meat envelope is no longer disconcerting, but being amongst the six million skeletons residing in the Paris Catacombs was a somber reminder of what awaits us all.

 

Dr. Pretorius toasts a freshly harvested skeleton's new life in The Bride of Frankenstein.

The Killer Victim - Social Media Post

 The Killer Victim

Two of the most common motives in revenge films are the Lex Talionis Adjudication and Survival Mode. Lex talionis is Old Testament, eye for an eye justice. An act of righteous retribution, delivered by the victims, balances the scales. In Survival Mode, the priorities are different. The victim must turn the tables on the killer to stay alive. 

Social Media Post: Horror Rises from the Tomb

Horror Rises from the Tomb (1973)

Spanish horror cinema from the 1970s is full of mind bending craziness. Screenwriter and director Jacinto Molina Alvarez, better known as Paul Naschy, holds an especially enduring place within that lunacy. His 1973 Horror Rises from the Tomb, (El espanto surge de la tumba) is an excellent example of his love of classic horror cinema and his “everything but the kitchen sink,” over-the-top storytelling. His script explores the eternal nature of evil and the power of good to overcome it. There are ancient warlocks and witches, multi-generational curses, bloody hearts being ripped out of living bodies, and plenty of other audacious delights.

Social Media Post: A Taste of Blood

A Taste of Blood , Argentina


Last week I got a chance to watch a pre-release screener of Argentinian vampire film Sangre Vurdalak, which has been on my watch list since 2020! The movie will be available in North America on Blu-ray and VOD on May 10th as A Taste of Blood. directed by Santiago Fernandez Calvete and based on Aleksey Tolstoy’s 1839 short story “The Family Of The Vourdalak.'' The film examines a family coming apart as they battle a monster whose main weapon is their love for each other.

 
Mario Bava previously filmed the “Family of the Vourdalak” in 1963 as part of his Black Sabbath anthology, with Boris Karloff giving one of his finest performances as Gorca, the family patriarch. Calvete has done an admirable job of updating the story and moving the setting to rural Argentina while keeping the elements the same as the source: a family waits in anticipation for the return of their father, worried that he has been turned into a vampire. There are a couple of pretty good scares, but also some heartbreaking moments, as the director points out that those who love us the most are also the ones that hurt us the most.

Releasing May 10, the film stars German Palacios, Tomas Carullo Lizzio, Naiara Awada, Lautaro Bettoni and Alfonsina Carrocio.

Social Media Post Eaten Alive! (1976), directed by Tobe Hooper

 Eaten Alive 1976 Tobe Hooper (Why is this crocodile still hungry?)

Eaten Alive! takes the viewer on a journey to the darkest heart of America that can be found the swamps of Texas. Tobe Hooper's first feature film after the iconic Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) invites guests to spend a night in terror at the Starlight Hotel, struggling to survive proprietor Judd’s swinging scythe and the hungry jaws of his pet crocodile in this underrated masterpiece.


First 15 minutes makes TCM appear demur as a young prostitute is ejected from her whore house for refusing to have anal sex with Buck (pre-Nightmare on Elm Street, Robert Eglund), who declares “My name is Buck and I’m raring to…” Seeking shelter at a local hotel, Clara (Roberta Collins) is slaughtered by disturbed Vietnam Vet Judd (Neville Brand) and fed to his crocodile. From this point forward, Eaten Alive! begins introducing a string of disaffected Americans, all searching for something or on their way to something better only to find their quests cut short at The Starlight Motel. Notable among the victims is distinguished actor Mel Ferrer, who also was in another Eaten Alive! - Umberto Lenzi’s 1980 cannibal fest. Also, Marilyn Burns (TCM’s Sally Hardesty!) again proves she was one of Hollywood's toughest actors as Faye, a suburban mom traveling with her child and neurotic husband.


Eaten Alive! featured veteran actors Stuart Whitman and Carolyn Jones (proto-goth-girl Mortician Adams from the The Addams Family TV series in the 1960s). Decorated World War II soldier turned actor Neville Brand turned in a thoroughly over-the-top performance as the bitter, paranoid and completely insane Judd.


Not nearly as well known as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Eaten Alive! left a definite mark on popular culture. When released on VHS in England, it was declared a video nasty and removed from rental shelves in 1982. Quentin Tarantino referenced its opening lines in 2003’s Kill Bill: Vol. 1: sleazy orderly Buck introduces himself to the comatose Bride, “My name is Buck and I’m here to…”

Eaten Alive! is currently streaming on Shudder and Tubi.

Social Media Post The Blue Parrot

The Bloody Parrot 

Hong Kong’s Shaw Brothers Studio served as an introduction to Asian culture for many fantastic film fans. Their vast catalog spans several decades and multiple genres. One movie could be a mixture of several genres at once. 1981’s The Bloody Parrot is a great example of a melange of kung fu, horror, and straight up exploitation in one baffling film.

The Bloody Parrot's (1981) incoherent story serves only as a vehicle to showcase the excellently choreographed fight action that Shaw Brothers Studio was famous for around the globe. In its simplest terms, Yeh Ting Feng (Pai Piao), a wandering swordsman, goes on a quest to bury a fallen comrade. Along the way, he encounters stolen treasure, treachery, black magic, and even some romance. Battles break out every few minutes (and sometimes even faster!) as his foes attempt to stop him. In a weird gesture, they introduce themselves with a name derived from their weapon of choice.

The Bloody Parrot is pure eye candy for the viewer. The movie features an abundance of Peking Opera style acrobatics in the well choreographed fights and elaborate costumes. There is also plenty of gore as blood spurts, body parts are severed and maggots crawl on monstrous creatures. All this happens on amazing sets, from beautifully appointed courtesan’s bedrooms to a baffling underground maze of mirrors. There is always something to delight the viewer.

Another Shaw Brothers trademark is lots of (mostly unexplained) nudity. None of the characters give the odd, bare breast a second thought (or glance). Actress Jenny Liang regularly appears half dressed, from left to right, which adds a layer of bizarreness to her demonic possession scene.

As far as what all this means, that is up to the viewer to decide. The story may be an incoherent mess, but it is a well made incoherent mess.

Social Media Post; Blood of the Virgins

 Blood of the Virgins (Sangre de vírgenes), 1967, Argentina.

Writer-director Emilio Vieyra’s unusual, and slightly puzzling, attempt to bring old-fashioned gothic vampires into the modern world begins with a pre-credits prologue set in the past before jumping to the wild and decadent 1960s. Jealous and jilted vampire, Gustavo (Walter Kliche), kills the husband of his beloved Ofelia (Susana Beltrán) after she rebuffs him. He forcibly turns her into a vampire and calls her from her grave. After a creepy, animated title sequence, the action switches to a montage of what could be a film made by Argentina’s Instituto Nacional de Promoción Turística. Viewers spend next ten minutes following a healthy (and lusty) group of tourists visiting many of Argentina’s outdoor attractions and clothing-optional, swinging nightclubs. Stranded on the way to their next stop, the young tourists take refuge at the haunted villa where Gustavo and Ofelia reside. The vampire’s tragic love story reaches its crescendo as new love begins.

Like Gerardo de Leon’s The Blood Drinkers and Hammer’s Dracula A.D. 1972, Vieyra struggles to bring ancient vampires into the modern world. While not a perfect movie, Blood of the Virgins has much to offer for fans of vampire films, offbeat world cinema, and sexy-60’s exploitation. The film keeps viewers engaged in its highly entertaining, if baffling, story. Well worth watching, this oddity is currently streaming on Tubi.

Cherry Falls (200) Review

 My review of slash Cherry Falls is live here

Social Media Post The Curious Dr. Humpp

Another post from the unexplored world of South American Horror!

















The Banshee

The Curious Dr. Humpp (1969) is easily one of the most bizarre entries on this tour of Latin America horror movies! Argentinian director Emilio Vieyra's Dr. Humpp’s (Dr. Zoide in the original Spanish version) search for the elixir of eternal life among Buenos Aires' hedonistic youth is a brain-bending mix of sex, horror, and science fiction.
Vintage boutique sleaze vendors AGFA and Something Weird Video released a deluxe Blu-ray of this unusual film. Included on the disc is a freshly scanned 2k copy of the film in both the 87 minute English version and the uncut, original, Spanish-language version AND a commentary by exploitation auteur, Frank Henenlotter (BASKET CASE). Sadly, instead of SWVs usual ton of extras, shorts and trailers, there is only one “Salacious Short” and a handful of trailers.
With dialogue like “Sex dominates the world, now I dominate sex!” a talking brain in a jar and guitar playing monsters, The Curious Dr. Humpp might not be to everyone's taste, but for fans of bizarre world cinema, it is not to be missed.

X (2022) Film Review – X Marks the Spot

 My review of X is live here