Mohawk

Ted "WE ARE STILL HERE" Geoghegan has another film out and ready to enjoy. I enjoyed MOHAWK immensely. While not a horror film like STILL HERE, there are some horrific moments for sure.

The story involves Oak and Calvin Two Rivers of the Mohawk tribe and Joshua Pinsmail, a British officer, late in the war of 1812. The officer is trying to recruit the Mohawks to help fight on the side of the British, but plans are hampered by the actions of Calvin putting the American enemy on their trail deep in the woods.

This is an action adventure with dramatic undertones. The balance struck by Ted Geoghegan is fantastic.

The strength of the film is really in the characterization, story, and the fact that you actually care about the characters and their actions. There are no obvious computer effects or bombastic scenes, yet I found myself riveted to the screen after the first five minutes.

The story is super tight and intense. It's not a big story - not in the slightest, but it's a powerful one. Native American involvement in the war of 1812 is very interesting indeed (some more on that can be found here) and this film is a small segment of that story talking about the Mohawk, the British, and the American's and how war tore them all to pieces. There's also a small, supernatural element that plays a part in the story, but don't walk into this thinking you're going to see a lot of that aspect. This is really a story about people and what they do to each other. The horror of war.

I guess the American's are the more horrid of the group, though Calvin does some rather bad things as well. I love the fact that the wrongs are rather balanced. There are no sides here that are "pure as the driven snow" - everyone has something they've done wrong.

The acting is frigging amazing across the board. Everyone give their all here - most likely pleased to be working with a talent like Geoghegan and a great script by him and Grady Hendrix. The fact that actual Native American people were playing Native American's made me very, very happy as well.

Hezekiah Holt

Man...I want to call out each actor here. They are all amazing. Ezra Buzzington's fantastic, driven American officer Hezekiah Holt is a definite stand out as is the giant, pro wrestler Jon Huber as Lachlan Allsopp. They are American's fighting for their country, but their actions are also driven by hate and disgust for the people they are fighting and anyone that helps them. It's a sad reflection on aspects of today's climate for sure.

Oak

But, I was in awe over Eamon Farren's British officer Joshua Pinsmail and the amazing and haunting Kaniehtiio Horn as Oak. They were fantastic on screen. The way they interacted with each other was grand as well. Believable and intense. I was hanging on every move and phrase they'd utter. And talk about powerful female leads! Oak is an amazing character - strong and majestic.

Now, there are some real moments of violence in here as well, horror lovers. Never gratuitous,  but some of them had me cringing for sure.

Am I gushing over this film too much? I hope not, but I just loved it.

This film is a must see. Period. 

Calvin Two Tivers

THE IRON ROSE

I'm a Jean Rollin fan. I get that his works isn't for everyone - totally makes sense. I've watched a handful of his films and love the strange storylines and pace choices. I'm all in. However, the IRON ROSE had me blinking blankly at the screen and questioning whether or not I was going to fast forward or simply switch films.

When I looked it up later, I saw that many sites bill it more as a fantasy rather than a horror film.

We have The Girl and The Boy who see each other at a party and make plans to go for a bike ride together. The ride around and play flirty games. It's very sweet. Then they decide to take a break from cycling for a bit and do a bit of exploring in this large, beautiful cemetery. Now, you may want to call shenanigans here, but I could totally see doing the same thing. The place was beautiful.

Here's where things run a bit off the rails. They decide to get some privacy by climbing down into this crypt and end up making love. Spoiler. :) Well, they stay down so long that day turns to night and all the visitors have left. They can't find their way out and slowly slip into a hysterical state as they try to find their way.

And they wander, pontificate, scream, explore.....

All the while, it's very pretty, but it's also so arthouse it hurts. I was happy that I got to see the film that was called out as one of his best. It is gorgeous. But, man is it an odd one! heh Knowing what I know now, I'd settle in for more of a fantasy or self exploration film and wouldn't expect horror elements. I believe that that is what confused me more than anything. I thought one of the characters was going to be the "villain" or that the dead would rise or something, but it really never goes there.

Françoise Pascal, though. My goodness. She's one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. She's amazing and mysterious and super interesting. 

There are some rather haunting images in the film as well. It never goes into "horror", but they can be creepy and scary in their own way for sure!

I do recommend watching the film, but make sure you check out some of his other films as well - like THE GRAPES OF DEATH or THE LIVING DEAD GIRL if you're looking for true horror. THE IRON ROSE is a beautiful and poetic film and well worth a viddy!

The Bloodstained Butterfly

I took in THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY (Una farfalla con le ali insanguinate - 1971) on SHUDDER recently and....I liked it? It's a strange little film and an interesting crime giallo (unlike some other more slasher giallo films) with a strong storyline that really keeps things moving, but in odd ways.

The spoiler free synopsis is that a young woman is killed and rolls down a hill in front of several witnesses. A man flees the scene of the crime and in true gialli style, we don't see who it is. The police investigate and the plot rolls out a series of trials to see if the man is guilty or not. Did he kill this poor 17 year old girl or is something else going on?

And things get rather odd from there. There are subplots all over and it's almost like watching two different movies at one time at one point. I was riveted as I tried to sort out what was happening and why. I was invested and I loved that I was!

Some giallo films are just a means to bloody endings of pretty men and women. There's some insane plot that has someone killing folks off one by one to hide their involvement in a crime or dastardly happening. There are often scenes of someone saying, "OH! It's YOU!" before being dispatched. However the Bloodstained Butterfly is really a straight crime procedural until the third act. An act that had me saying, "Wait...what?! Are you SERIOUS?!" out loud because I couldn't believe where things went. I really dug it.

On the production side, it's on more of the A list than the comical B list. The dubbing was well done, the camera work is rather good, and the acting is super solid. So, you won't be left giggling at comically goofy voice dubbing here. The director - Duccio Tessari - is probably best known for films like A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, but he also did a bunch of "sandal and sand" Hercules films in the 60s.

 It may not be my favorite giallo movie, but I was happy that I made time to watch it. It's solid and well worth a viddy! Check it!

Happy Birthday to Me

I usually do a spoiler free review, but I do plan on having a spoiler section in this review at the bottom of the page because it's warranted.

Now as I've said before, I'm a child of the 80s and grew up watching all the grand 80s horror on VHS back in the day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME was one of the nuggets from the era. It's been ages since I've watched it, so I tossed it on today as background viewing while doing some basic production work. I have to say that I had forgotten just how good it was - both story wise and just as a film in general.

Happy Birthday to Me came out in 1981 - a huge year for horror, really. We had AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, THE HOWLING, THE BURNING, THE BEYOND, FRIDAY THE 13th Part II, THE PROWLER, BURIAL GROUND, THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, and GHOST STORY to name a few. I believe this was a time of moving away from monsters and into the world of the slasher, but also trying to keep things smart and interesting. The early 70s had a series of "mean" and violent films. Items like LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, TEXAS CHAINSAW, and BLACK CHRISTMAS that really let the violence fly. However, there was another element that made it's way into the genre as well. A giallo element where the Who Done It aspects were played up. FRIDAY THE 13TH, ALICE, SWEET ALICE, WHEN A STRANGER CALLS, and the aforementioned BLACK CHRISTMAS played with the giallo who done it style is glorious ways. By the 80s, the trend was in full swing and movie after movie tried to outdo the twists and turns. Happy Birthday to Me follows in the wake wondrously.

The story is simple on the surface. A group of beautiful, well off college seniors gallivant around being the beautiful people they are. They live in beautiful homes and live beautiful lives and are all looking forward to their beautiful futures. However, someone is picking them off ten little Indians style and we're lead down a rabbit hole as we try to sort out just who the killer is as the lead, Virginia (Ginny) , starts to feel herself unraveling and remembering horrors from her past.

Now, I'm saving my spoilers for later. If you have not seen the film, DO NOT do a search for it or it will be ruined for sure. Of course, the film came out in 1981, so you most likely have either seen the film already or have seen some spoiler out in the world. The film offers something other than the end, however. The acting is rather good for one, with the likes of Melissa Sue Anderson (Little House on the Prairie)  and Glenn Ford working along side other staples of the 80s acting world and with a script that is strong and dialogue that never brings groans or laughs.  And the film does have a series of creative kills, but doesn't linger on the gore for long. It chooses to show a bit of splatter, but cuts away instead of reveling in the goo. I think that upped the level for me - taking it from "splatter flick" to more of a giallo mystery. It's definitely playing the giallo card in many ways! 

Check it out if you have not seen it. Like I said, on re-watch I remembered just how much I enjoyed what HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME brought to the table in the genre. 

Now, listen to the FANTASTIC Happy Birthday to Me theme. It still haunts me to this day. It's one of those iconic themes that is sprinkled throughout the film in a fun way and as the credits roll and it comes up....whew....

•••• Spoilers are below. Read on if you want to deep dive into the end of the film.  •••••

WOW! I had forgotten how the film ended! What a wondrous treat for me!!!!  Here I was, half watching while doing some low level production tasks and the end of the film comes looming up. I had remembered the very end scene with Virginia standing by all her dead friends, mother, and father with the sad little theme rolling and dusty party fading to black. However, I had forgotten the multiple twists - including the fantastic, Scooby Doo mask reveal! heheheheh 

So, watching...then Virginia uttering her little, "Now it's your turn you bitch..." line and I had to pay attention because I thought this might go into a final girl moment with someone who escaped death. But, NO! It's Virginia?!?!?! WHAT?!  So, being a horror fan, I switch gears into, "WAIT WHAAAAAAT?! Oh, it's not a final girl thing. It's an evil twin thing. COOL! I forgot!" More drama about the precious birthday, but I still didn't remember the full twists. We have our little knife skirmish, then BOOM! the Scooby Doo mask reveal! Again, I burst out with a comment - so happy about the way things were going in this marvelous third act.

We get a major update through exposition and flashback, but I thought it was done rather well. Quick and easy - wrapped up for us neatly. Then, ole nutsy Ann goes in for the kill, but is taken out by Virginia RIGHT before the cop investigating the disappearances stumbles in and utters, "What have you DONE?!" with Ginny finally over the edge and completely lost to the world due to what she's suffered through. Then...fade to black on Ginny - hands dripping with blood and murder weapon in hand - and in with the theme which is even more sad knowing that Ginny will probably spend the rest of her days in a padded cell.

WOW! Frucking DARK, man! hehehehe   I was blown away. It's really a fucked up little ending. hehehe  And, it explained things nicely. No, Ginny wasn't some bi-polar nutter. She was chloroformed repeatedly and Ann slipped in to kill. I loved that aspect. It explained a lot.

Was it a little WTF at the end? A bit. But, they really wrapped up a few things in a great way. We see Virginia's mother - drunk and angry hanging off the gate of the party her daughter wasn't invited to and we get to hear that she has a nasty bit of baggage in her past, but we don't know what it is at the time. The reveal and exposition at the end puts a lovely bow on that for us as Ann reveals that she and Virginia are half sisters.

Hell, I loved the whole of it!

What did you think? Are you a fan of this 80s classic? Let me know in the comments!

Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye

Sadly, GIALLOCTOBER FEST is coming to a close. I ended on a rather high note with DEEP RED, but added one more film to the lineup at the last minute. I thought it was going to be a toss away item, but it turned out to be a fun little Hammer horror-like gothic tale that I enjoyed.

SEVEN DEATHS IN THE CAT'S EYE was a lot of fun. No, it wasn't fantastic, but it was a perfect film for a cold, rainy day. This 1973 Antonio Margheriti (click it! Click it!)  directed giallo tells a rather simple tale of a family in an old castle in Scotland. Corringa returns to her Aunt's unannounced and finds herself in the middle of a small, family drama as her mother, Aunt, nutty cousin, and various guests and servants skulk around the drafty old place and plot. And....what is that hairy beast there lurking in the halls? No...not THAT one. THAT'S the CAT, silly. The OTHER one - the one that's as big as a man. Hmmmmm....

I thought the plot was going to be rather simple and it was, but not in the way I thought it was going to be. A complex series of murders left me rather confused towards the end after they scrambled what I thought they were going to wrap up with. There were also many lovely WTF?! moments that I found endearing. I can totally see myself tossing this on later this winter on some dark and stormy night, snuggling in with a whiskey, and just letting it play out as I smile.

Jane Birkin (...who I always think of as "That girl from the Agatha Christie movies"...) is sweet, lovely, and confused as the returned niece Corringa and American born Hiram Keller's (Fellini Satyricon ) nutty Lord James MacGrieff nails the striking madman expertly.  The awesome Anton Diffring's portrayal of the plotting doctor is fantastic, but he is always awesome - even when he's not playing a German commander or some such. :::grin:::



It's not getting much love on SHUDDER right now. People are railing against it. However, I feel it's well worth a viddy.

The Big Bad

I just caught an odd little film called THE BIG BAD and I enjoyed the hell out of it.  This genre film really makes an effort to be different and to bring that difference to the table in spades. It's a styled and crafted fairy tale for the time and it's well written and executed. I wish I had watched it around 2am or 4am like I did with THE STRANGE COLOR OF YOUR BODY'S TEARS.  That would have been perfect - this film has the same dream / nightmare quality to it.

Bryan Enk's Direction is fun. It has a little NIGHT GALLERY, 70s horror vibe to the whole of it. The camera is kinetic and wild as it takes in all of these strange sights and sounds. 

Jessi Gotta wrote the story and stars in the film, which is interesting. I think she does a grand job in the role. The writing is very "fairy tale" and it hits a few fun moments throughout the storytelling. It's wild stuff. A little rough around the edges at times - sure, but well worth the view. It's highly entertaining.


Now, mind you, this is a lower budget feature and I'm sure people can poke holes in it left and right, tossing stones around in their glass houses. hehe  However, I liked the newness and the craft of the tale. I found myself smiling and thinking how nice it was to see something different roll through. I wasn't even second guessing where it was going. I was just happy to be along for the ride...wherever we were going.

The plot is rather straight forward. A woman is "searching for the monster that destroyed her family" so she can get her revenge. She meets a wild cast of characters along the way and goes deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole as she gets closer and closer to the monster she's searching for. But, what a strange journey our Alice - Frankie Ducane (Jessi Gotta) - takes along the way.

It's currently streaming on NETFLIX as of the time of this posting - check it out when you're in the mood for something that leans towards the strange and dreamlike.

Jessi Gotta's 2013 film - THEY WILL OUTLIVE US ALL - needs to be watched now! I need to check it out. It looks like she produced a short in 2014, but has not done anything since. I hope she hasn't stopped writing. I dig her voice.

Horror Podcasts

I listen to a fair share of podcasts. A lot, really. I fill my chore hours with podcasts to take my mind off of the task at hand...and to drown out the voices in my head. heheheh  I took a look at my growing list of podcasts recently when I found myself running short on iPhone space and thought, "Wow...that's a lot of horror podcasts in there. Maybe I'll spread the word about some of the ones I like today." So, here is the current list of items on my phone.

 
1951 DOWN PLACE
http://1951downplace.com/ 
A great HAMMER HORROR podcast. These three gents do a fantastic job of covering the Hammer offerings and dive into some of the backstories and details nicely.





THE BLACK TAPES
http://theblacktapespodcast.com/ 
This falls under story podcasts and I love it. THE BLACK TAPES is a paranormal serial, really, going over the Black Tapes - a series of cases of a paranormal de-bunker with an interesting past.

The Black Tapes is a weekly podcast from Pacific Northwest Stories and Minnow Beats Whale, and is hosted by Alex Reagan. The Black Tapes Podcast is a serialized docudrama about one journalist's search for truth, her enigmatic subject's mysterious past, and the literal and figurative ghosts that haunt them both. 
How do you feel about paranormal activity or supernatural? Ghosts? Spirits? Demons?
Do you believe?




DARK DISCUSSIONS
http://www.darkdiscussions.com/ 
Another cool group discussion about horror films and related topics. They are a lively bunch with a vast horror movie viewing history to pull from. Good conversations and some funny banter.




THE DRABBLECAST
http://www.drabblecast.org/ 
Not strictly horror, this story podcast offers up some fantastic literature readings. It's a "smart" podcast as well with some quick and nimble writing.

The Drabblecast is a weekly podcast featuring flash fictions from a variety of genres. Its singular message is that of off beat, funny, eclecticism. It is a paying fiction market, accepting submissions. The Drabblecast is the winner of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Parsec Awards for Best Speculative Fiction Audio Magazine.



DREAD CENTRAL DINNER FOR FIENDS
http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/41250/dinner-for-fiends-pretty-damn-good-horror-podcast/
Sadly, these guys don't "put out" as often as I'd like them to. hehehe They are REALLY funny and, while the audio quality can vary a bit, the content is always interesting and very humorous.





FACULTY OF HORROR
http://www.facultyofhorror.com/ 
THE FACULTY OF HORROR podcast is rather interesting in it's overall approach. It's more like a horror class in college with a bent towards women in horror and the roles of women in horror in various horror films and collections of horror imagery and tropes. They really do a grand job and it's always an interesting listen.

Tackling all things horror with a slash of analysis and research, horror journalists and occasional academics Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West are your hosts for brain plumping discussions on all things that go bump in the night.
Produced independently in Toronto, Ontario The Faculty of Horror is your best source for classic and contemporary horror film discussions that will haunt the libraries of your mind!

HAMMERED HORROR
http://www.hammeredhorror.net/ 
I used to LOVE the old MONDO MOVIE PODCAST and I was really sad when it ended. Listening to to fun English gents talk horror was a hoot. Well, HAMMERED HORROR brings it all back with two highly entertaining English gentleman talking and laughing about horror films whilst sipping adult beverages from time to time adding to the wild nature of the podcast. I love it. It's one of those, "MAN! These guys seem like they would be fun to hang with!" podcasts. :)



HORROR ETC PODCAST
http://www.horroretc.com/ 
These two may not put out podcasts regularly, but the content is well worth the wait in most cases. I keep them in my podcast list and I'm pleasantly surprised when I see a new podcast in the listing. They are just super busy, which I completely understand. One of them even makes actual horror movies, which I can get behind completely!  Very entertaining horror discussions.




HORROR NEWS RADIO
http://horrornewsradio.com/ 
I'm relatively new to this podcast, but I dig it so far. Another group situation with lively conversations. What I've noticed so far is that these folks don't always agree on each others opinions and they are NOT afraid to let each other know about it! hehehehe  I've enjoyed people having debates on execution and the like - it makes it a more lively podcast indeed!





HYPNOBOBS / HYPNOGORIA
http://www.hypnogoria.com/html/podcast.html 
I love this podcast. It's fantastic. Jim Moon really knows his subject matter and I look forward to the podcast content every time. He covers a wide variety of offerings as well, which makes things interesting and highly entertaining. He covers film, literature, authors and more. His research is fantastic - a comprehensive coverage of the subject at hand for sure. One of my all time faves - especially when he does Christmas Ghost Story readings around the holidays!




KNIFEPOINT HORROR
http://knifepointhorror.libsyn.com/ 
Another favorite of mine, this horror story podcast is fantastic. It's presented in a very interesting way as well. Hardly any music or background sound effects. It's like you've walked into a room where someone is waiting for you. You sit down and listen to their story - a true telling of an even or happening in that person's life. Some of them are really chilling. Fantastic podcast.






THE NO SLEEP PODCAST
http://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/ 
For those who prefer a little more production in their story telling, there's the NO SLEEP PODCAST. Great acting and presentation for some truly creepy tails. Very NIGHT GALLERY in feel, these tales really do promote insomnia! :)

In the spring of 2010, a new forum appeared on Reddit.com. It was called “Nosleep” and the concept of this forum (or “subreddit”) was to be a place for people to post original scary stories about frightening experiences. It was an online version of telling spooky stories around the campfire.
A year later, as Nosleep was growing at a rapid pace, one member named Matt Hansen proposed the idea of doing a podcast where some of the top stories from Nosleep would be narrated in audiobook style. The response was quite positive and over the next few months a small group of members endeavored to put together what would come to be known as The Nosleep Podcast. On June 13th, 2011 Episode #1 was released.




PSEUDOPOD
http://pseudopod.org/ 
A wide variety of horror tales can be found here. PSEUDOPOD has been around for a long time and you can see why when you listen. It's really one of the best horror story podcast offerings out there.

WARNING: This is a podcast of horror fiction. The stories presented here are intended to disturb. They are likely to contain death, graphic violence, explicit sex (including sexual violence), hate crimes, blasphemy, or other themes and images that hook deep into your psyche. We do not provide ratings or content warnings. We assume by your listening that you wish to be disturbed for your entertainment. If there are any themes that you cannot deal with in fiction, that are too strongly personal to you, please do not listen.




THE SCREAM CAST
http://www.thescreamcast.com/ 
Horror discussion on the hip (...but not lame hip) side, these guys play well together and present a lot of interesting info and banter for sure. Lively and entertaining horror discussion. 

The ScreamCast is a podcast hosted by Sean Duregger, Brad Henderson and BJ Colangelo. It began as a celebration of one of our favorite Horror flick label, Scream Factory. Since then, however, we’ve moved into celebrating the many other boutique horror labels like Synapse, Vinegar Syndrome, Cult Epics and more.
With special guests, celebrity interviews, top 10 lists and reviews we celebrate all things retro, cult and fringe in horror!

 
THE SCRIPT
http://thescript.podbean.com/ 
These folks focus on the script of films and cover a wide variety of topics and films, not just horror related. They manage to focus on the script without being too dry about it, which is grand. This could be a super dry, saltine cracker of a podcast, but they manage to keep the conversation lively and interesting, bouncing from the film overview to how the script is structured. Very cool stuff.




 
WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE
http://commonplacebooks.com/ 
This is one wild podcast. It's played out like a small town radio station broadcast about the ULTRA-FRUCKING STRANGE goings on in NIGHT VALE, a location that one could look at as the place where every NIGHT GALLERY, TWILIGHT ZONE and RICHARD MATHESON story originates from! hehehehe  I love it! It's strange and fun and funny and the production is tight and crisp. ALWAYS entertaining. ALWAYS strange.

"The new dog park is now open. Remember, there are no dogs allowed in the dog park. Do not talk to the hooded figures that you may see in the dog park. Stay away...from the new dog park."   :)