They Have Changed Their Face (1971)

Unlike most of my posts, this review overview 
WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!

This is a very interesting, statement of a film that I had to give a little love to. They Have Changed Their Face has some horror elements, but it's really a statement about advertising of all things. It's an odd one. Director Corrado (Baba Yaga) Farina and his writing partner on the film Giulio Berruti deliver up a very interesting fairytale about the vampiric advertising industry and the consumerism it tries to send into a frenzy.

We have an odd business scene opening things up here where Alberto Valle is told that the owner of the company - Giovanni Nosferatu...yes....Nosferatu - wants to see him in his mountain villa right away. As Valle travels into the mountains and fog, things start to get strange. The locals don't speak to him and the rustic buildings seem to be falling into a horrid state. He meets a woman named Laura and she joins him for part of the journey. When they arrive at the villa, she says she'll wait for him and makes one more attempt to get him to come away with her instead of dealing with this business situation. He declines and makes his way into the villa.

I'm trying not to go detail by detail here, but there are so many fun details! :)

We see that guards travel around in little, European cars and find out later that there are eight of these cars in total. Cars are used to cover the massive grounds. Odd, but...it kinda makes sense. Valle meets Corrina, Nosferatu's striking, willowy secretary who has a haunting appearance. Ghostly almost. She says that Nosferatu will meet him for dinner and that he never leave his office during the day. When he finally meets Nosferatu (played by the awesome Adolfo Celi of THUNDERBALL fame) he's a bit taken aback when Nosferatu tells him he wants Valle to be the new CEO of the company.

Now, this is where I was expecting a ham-fisted vampire story. But....NOPE! It's anything but standard. Here's where things get very spoiler. The film takes it on that the vampire has switched from stalking prey in the dark of night to seeking out more consumer prey in the light of day. They are entwined in everything. Politics so that they can change laws around the things they sell...like LSD. They have religious representation now. And, they run advertising and consumer products like a well oiled machine. Sucking the money from consumers...and blood from time to time. They also groom people from birth to be various positions within the company.  Valle even finds a photo of himself as a baby in a large tome and sees that he's been called out as future CEO since the beginning of his life. Very deep and trippy.

Valle is repulsed by Nosferatu and his mob and vows to take him down however he can. He shoots Nosferatu many times and escapes the vampire, his secretary, and his car guards.

That is until he finds Laura and sees that Nosferatu has gotten to her - sucking her blood and changing her from groovy, topless, hippy roamer to up and coming secretary with a desire to settle down and have a family.

At that, Valle gives in and let's Corrina escort him back to the villa...where he sees that Nosferatu is alive and well and ready to shake the hand of his new CEO.



The movie kinda hit me. It's a big, dreamy metaphor of course, but it's well done and highly entertaining. You also only really have a cast of four and the interplay is very engaging.

I love Adolfo Celi as Nosferatu. He's always a grand, mafia-like character that's fun to watch. He was great in EYE IN THE LABYRINTH as well. A great character actor.  Giuliano Esperati's Valle was pretty great as well. Really real and playing the "man in a strange land" role believably and realistically. Francesca Modigliani was riveting even though she wasn't around much in her Laura role. She had these fantastic, large eyes that were mesmerizing. Sadly, she's only done this and one other film - The Sin in 1972.



The most curious character here for me was Geraldine Hooper as Corinna. She's birdlike and ghostly with a skinny frame and strange, almost alien face. I was confused because she actually played a man in Dario Argento's DEEP RED. Though, now that I write that, I'm not 100% sure of anything anymore. hehehe . She's striking and unusual and fun to watch on the screen. She has a haunting nature and plays sweet as well as she plays sinister.




So...that was long winded, but only because I found the film to be so very interesting. It's really not "horror" honestly, but it has a undertone of the horrific and gothic that I loved. If you'd like to take a gothic journey into the 1970s world of "FIGHT THE MAN!" filmmaking, you'll want to check out THEY HAVE CHANGED THEIR FACE.

J&B SIGHITINGS:    1

Blood Splattered Bride

Another quicky review. 

 

Based on Carmilla (loosely, I'd say...) , BLOOD SPLATTERED BRIDE skims across the line of giallo and sexploitation. 

Newlyweds are off to  a rocky start as they begin their new lives in the husbands family home. When a mystery starts to unravel and a mystery woman enters the picture, things start to get very...violent. 

The film gets off the a very...woman abuse sort of start. LOTS of potential triggers here for folks. It's really rather awful. Poor Maribel Martín is constantly getting her clothes ripped off or forced into amorous interactions. She's so sweet and lovely that I almost turned the film off because things start off in such a mean way. 

There is a lot of exposition and talking as the newlyweds roam around exploring and humping their way along. :::grin:::

However, as things start to unfold and the story gets rolling, the actions are more part of a larger picture and less masturbatory, so it becomes more interesting. The giallo aspects alone really start to engage you. I actually was trying to sort out what was really going on. 

We have a lot of the classic Italian tropes going on here. 

Testosterone men, animal cruelty, mistreatment of women, nudity, strange children, mysterious women, and an odd mystery begging to be solved. 

 The film was engaging and interesting, but I can't say that I'd watch again any time soon.

Dario Argento's DRACULA

I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time on this film.

People ripped it TO PIECES. They hated it. Laughed at it. But, I'm going out on a limb and saying...I didn't hate it. It's fine. It's watchable like a college play is watchable. I watched and didn't want my time back afterwards and that's saying something.

There's nothing new here. It's Dracula. But, there are some fun Argento-isms that I enjoyed seeing. The story moves along and things happen....:::shrug::::   There are some nekkid folks in it, blood and biting. Everything you'd expect. I think it was due to the extremely low expectations that I didn't walk away feeling this movie was all that bad. Especially when watching at home with a small glass of an adult beverage on my comfy couch via Netflix. It was a good time.

Now, there are HORRID things in here as well. Things they just should have masked with shadows, fog and darkness. The 3D. It's bad. It's cheap and bad and it should not be as prominent as it is. When it comes up, it's obvious and sad.


Asia "Yum Yum" Argento is still delicious, but she seems like she's playing well under her age range and it really doesn't work. The period clothing and hairstyle has an adverse affect on her charms as well, but she can vamp it up in true Asia style and it's fun. 








And...Rutger Hauer in a "what am I doing here?" portrait of Van Helsing is just...yeah. You have to see it. It's fun in and of itself. :)

The lighting is strange overall as well. It's such a bright film. However, I think I might get what Argento was going for.

If you look at old Hammer films, they have the same look at points. Bright and stage-like, the lighting is blown out and in your face. I thought....just for a moment...that Dario might be going for this bright look of the older Hammer films.

At any rate, the film was fun and I enjoyed watching it. I still would have LOVED to see a SUSPIRIA Dario era Dracula - I think that would be really wild. Toss this on if you're in the mood for some fun post-recorded dialogue, bad 3D and strange turns of events. It's fine.

Stake Land

I finally saw 2010's Stake Land and thought to myself, "Man! WHY did I wait so long to see this movie?!" It was great. Really, that's the review in a nutshell - GREAT!

The "real world" vampire film tells the story of Martin, a teen whose whole family is wiped out during the vampocalypes. He's saved by the vampire hunter "Mister" and is trained in the art of vampire killing. A road movie and buddy movie set in a world where the vampire virus has taken control. Sure, that's bad, but the backlash of religious cult leaders like Jebedia Loven may be even worse.








Connor Paolo (Martin), Michael Cerveris (Loven) and Nick Damici (Mister) do some great work in this film. Kelly "Comback" McGillis graces the screen with her presence and it's a sight to behold. She is grand and I'm glad she's doing more genre stuff - she's good at it. And, Danielle Harris has managed to wriggle her cute little self back into my good graces. :::grin:::  After hearing an interview, I was a little bothered by her. It's irrational, of course, but....   So, I saw her and narrowed my eyes waiting to be really bothered. But, it turns out that she did a great job as well and I didn't find her annoying in the slightest. I'll have to revisit some of her other works now that the spell is broken.

I like Jim Mickle as a Director as well. MULLBERY STREET was a lot of fun as well and it's fun to see the progression of his work and art.

The film hits a level that I really love - the "real world" level I spoke about above. It's the same thing that 30 Days of Night did. No, I'm not going to rant about sparklepires or things of that nature. I was going to mention the real world horror styles that make things a little more interesting. It's something people can relate to. What if scenarios that look realistic and not filmic. 28 Days Later instead of Zombieland. Colin instead of Dawn of the Dead. Of course, it's not to say that the film-style versions of these films are not good. They just look more like films and have scenes that are more film style that something you may see in the real world. I loved the approach Stake Land took, showing the vampires as diseased and animalistic with a drive to devour. Fun stuff.

If you have not already seen Stake Land, jump on it. It's rather fantastic. I wish more films like this had a broader release on more screens. Available on Netflix streaming at the time of this posting.

Rabid

I tossed Rabid on recently thinking that I'd half watch while doing other tasks. I remembered it being somewhat slow and very "70s" in it's pace. The fact that it was David Cronenberg didn't sway me - I was thinking that it was one of his early works and was just ok. I was wrong. It's really rather good.

We have the yummy,  "porn actress gone straight" Marilyn Chambers playing Rose, a girl who is badly injured in a motorcycle accident with her boyfriend. She's trapped under the cycle and suffers some major injuries. The accident happens next to the Keloid Clinic - a plastic surgery clinic that is trying some new skin graft treatments. Needless to say, something goes really wrong with the procedure and the outcome and Rose is turned into a vampire-like creature with a need to feed. Her feeding - unique in and of itself - transfers a rabies-like disease into it's victims. Chaos ensues.

The great thing about Rabid is the build. We have a bad situation with Rose that causes an even worse situation that builds to a wild climax. Throughout we're treated to a great story that plays out well, interesting characters and acting that carries everything expertly. We also get to see some of that grand, David Cronenberg body horror madness. Medical creepiness and sickly body horrors that I found myself shuddering about from time to time.




Rabid isn't your typical 70s schlock. If you have not sen it or have not viewed it in a long while, you may want to check it out. It's bound to please.

Nox Arcana - Night of the Wolf

Great video for NOX ARCANA "Night of the Wolf".

It has some great, cinematic shots and effects.

Happy Halloween!

HALLOWEEN LIST 2012: VAMPIRES

Vampires. Vampires that are designed for adults, not teen girls. Now, there's nothing wrong with Twilight-pires that glisten...if you're a romantic, a teen, or just have that sort of taste for film. But, the Twilight-pires are not made for the likes of THE HORROR SHOW. No my friends, we have stronger tastes. A taste for lust. A taste for blood. Maybe a little more lust, I dunno.

And...to the list!

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Blade
If you like vampires, you've already seen this film. But, re-watch it.
Half human, half vampire killing vampires? Yes, please!



Vamp
The wondrous Grace Jones leads a pack of vampires and uses a strip club as perfect honey to catch their flies - men. This pre-dates FROM DUSK TILL DAWN by ten years.



30 Days of Night
Alaska is the perfect spot for vampires during the long, dark winter.



Near Dark
Vampire with western / trailer park undertones. A fantastic film by Kathryn Bigelow.



Twins of Evil
Sexy, dubbed twins find out that their uncle is a witch hunter. One good, one naughty - the twins soon find out the real threat to the town is a vampire. Hammer Horror goodness!



Thirst
An epic vampire film from South Korea. This film is a prize and must be seen. Park Chan-wook's masterful direction and the acting of Song Kang-ho and Ok-bin Kim are pure gold.



The Vampire Lovers
The delicious Ingrid Pitt stars in this little lesbian love triangle vampire tale. Another Hammer Films classic. It's slow, but filled with great scenes and lusty feelings.



The Hunger
Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie and Susan Sarandon. BOOM! Slick, stylish vampire lives.


Salem’s Lot
This made for TV King based film is rather great. Now, it's dated in parts, but the story is solid and there are some scares throughout. Well worth a view.



From Dust Till Dawn
A strange and fun film. Half of the film plays as a crime story and the other half vampire fights in a bar. Add Tarantino and Clooney and you get gold.



The Night Stalker
The beginning of Carl Kolchak's adventures chasing monsters. The reporter tracks down a killer...who's a vampire. I could not find a trailer, but this promo will give you a taste! :)



Let the Right One In
The original Swedish version of the film. Oscar is bullied and alone...until he meets the cold and mysterious Eli. The cold, Swedish landscape is as chilling as Eli's thirst for blood and company.



Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
Ok, Kids, I know...I know...Buffy was a TV show you watched. But, back in the EARLY days of film, it was a movie. Like, one you saw in a theater. :) This is a solid film worth seeing.

VAMPIRE WEEK Movie List

Well, it's VAMPIRE WEEK, but I think TWILIGHT has ruined the vampire experience for me. :)
In an effort to get it back, we're tossing in a BUNCH of movies that you will want to watch to flush the Pattinson out of your mind.

Werewolves or Vampires?

                                                

On my drive into work, I thought about how the mainstream agenda has ruined (...well, almost ruined...) my love of zombies. I've been a zombie lover for ages, but the recent rise of "zompopularity" has me crawling back into the grave when it comes to the living dead. I've taken to dipping back into the waters of DAWN OF THE DEAD, ZOMBI,  RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and THE BEYOND to avoid the swell of BS zombie, low budget fair.

Then, I remembered my other loves from long ago - werewolves. WAY back, I did IRC werewolf text chat role play gaming and it was a lot of fun. Wolf lore taken to political realms, lost loves growled about and a general wild feeling that was grand. Movies like THE HOWLING, WOLF,  and AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON fueled the imagination and had me...howling for more. :)

 

Role play text turned a corner with AOL and werewolves were given up for Vampires. VAMPIRE: The Masquerade was a base for some awesome, online vampire gaming. I was a typing fiend - sometimes "playing" three different people at once as I helped to weave stories of lust, revenge and blood. Eventually, the large group of 15 or 20 on AOL became a smaller group of 5. That group fell away leaving me and a woman playing, her husband giving up because we typed too fast and had the story (CLEAN, mind you! No silly, sexting action) moving along way too fast for him to keep up. The End of the first set of stories would have made for an amazing TV show end or a wondrous trilogy wrap up. Sadly, efforts to start a second batch of vampire dramas fizzled and flailed out of being with a whimper.

With my recent sadness about zombies came a renewed interest in werewolves and vampires, though TWILIGHT has had me leaning werewolf-ly and away from the prissy vampire clans. TRUE BLOOD has not helped the cause for me remembering a love of vampires either. I may be one of five people who think the dialog and acting are something I'd think I'd see in a high school production. (Send hate mail to idontcare@void.net) 

DOG SOLDIERS

NEAR DARK

UNDERWORLD (NOT Twilight) had some grand vampire on werewolf action. Big fights between the suit and tie vampire styles and the t-shirt and jeans, rough wolf crew. I've always loved that separation - vampires looked at as dapper and refined and werewolves looked at as feral and bestial.  There are some fun variations on that theme, however. NEAR DARK and 30 DAYS OF NIGHT had vampires acting more like animals and it worked really well. WOLF showed how the animal nature of the wolf can be directly associated with the world of business.

People tend to take sides on the werewolf or vampire question. They generally prefer one to another, routing for one side to dominate the other. This ties in directly with the type of person you are. Do you like sipping wine in a quiet room chatting with friends as you flirt with a young lovely from across the room or sipping a cold beer in an outdoor patio setting...eating steaks...and pawing at your sexy, curvy mate?

Personally, I can't wait for werewolves to come back into fashion. At least, until it becomes SO mainstream that you start seeing titles like ATTACK OF THE STRIPPER WEREWOLVES on Netflix streaming. Then, I'm out. I was hoping the inclusion of werewolves in TRICK 'r TREAT would have pumped a little life into the werewolf movie world, but it's relatively small, cult following didn't fan the flames much.

NY MAG posted a nice little sum-up back in 2010

http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/topic/63426/

The HORRORPHILE posted something back in 2007 as well

http://www.horrorphile.net/debate-battle-vampires-or-werewolves/

In my searches, most of the debate articles pre-date 2011. Hmmmm...

THE HOWLING

Seeing as the awesome HOWLING came out in 1981 (JEBUS!) and the cool DOG SOLDIERS came out in 2002 , I'm hopeful that we'll see some good werewolf action in 2012! IMDB has some possible nuggets listed for a 2012 release.
http://www.imdb.com/list/-Irb8XBKi7E/




GROWL is coming out in 2013 and stars BATTLESTAR GALACTICA's Katee Sackhoff.  
We'll see - the director's (Sxv'leithan Essex) other credits are a short and "Headbangers Ball"

I, FRANKENSTEIN is also a 2013 release that I'm thinking might be VERY cool seeing as the likes of Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy and Miranda Otto are attached to it.

Sadly, DOG SOLDIERS 2 is in purgatory or development hell - erased from the world. Maybe this is actually a good thing. My rekindled love of werewolves won't go the way of the zombie loves in my life. I'll keep my wolves close, snuggling up with the classics and modern fair like THE HOWLING, GINGER SNAPS, DOG SOLDIERS, TRICK 'r TREAT, THE WOLFMAN, CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, COMPANY OF WOLVES, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, WOLF and 2010's THE WOLFMAN (Yes, I liked it!) and be happy that it has not been as tainted as the zombie genre! 

English accent from a time long gone?

Against a tree in the woods breathing in the night air?

What do YOU lean towards -  Vamp or Wolf? And...why?

GINGER SNAPS

THE HOWLING