Reviews (21)

The Fury- another De Palma triumph!
The Fury is a great film that takes some elments from other films such as Carrie, and spins a totally different tale of violence and psychic powers. This was De Palma's first blockbuster movie- even if it didn't do as well as they thought at the box office. It's about a teenage boy named Robin who is kidnapped after a murder attempt at his father. The father (played by the magnificent Kirk Douglas) survives, and is still trying to find his son after 11 months. But the boy has psychic powers- which is the reason they want him in the first place. These "powers" psychically link him to a girl named Gillian (Carrie's Amy Irving), who tries desperately to help the father locate his son in an attempt to meet him.

But the experiments that the people who kidnapped him make him under-go have a strange effect on Robin- they turn him into a destructive beast who will stop at nothing to get his own way. Gillian also has destructive powers- if she touches someone at a certain moment, they will bleed, some a little, some a lot. And she can either use these for good, or for evil...

The father and Gillian search for Robin, and when they find him, he turns out to be a shadow of his former self. One who was once a good, fun-loving teen has turned into a monster that will kill to get what he wants...

While not as good as Carrie, it is a well done thriller by a master of suspense, Brian De Palma. The film has shocking moments that will make your mouth gape open, so be prepared. This is, all in all, a scary yet fun film.

Also recommended films by De Palma: SISTERS, PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, CARRIE, DRESSED TO KILL, BLOW OUT, BODY DOUBLE, and RAISING CAIN.

TOTALLY COMPELLING
Exuberant and glossy, this DePalma follow-up to CARRIE is a telekinetic feast. Incredulous and mind-blowing, this is a great pop movie with some fabulous DePalma sequences -- Amy Irving's flashback on the stairs is a dizzying and imaginative plot-mover; the opening assault will take you by complete surprise. In addition, there are some affecting performances mixed in among the hambone, but effective, performances of Kirk Douglas and especially John Cassavettes, who plays this role as if he is Rosemary's husband all grown up and evil. Carrie Snodgress is truly moving in a way too small role, and Amy Irving glows in those richly textured close-ups DePalma does so well. The story is compelling, if a bit convoluted, what with its undertone of doom and a special-effects romance that never plays itself out. If you love engrossing suspense/horror films, you can't miss with this one. Pino Donaggio's dense and lyrical score adds a mesmerizing dimension to the increasingly gory proceedings...And the finale is supremely satisfying.

Beautiful, bloody, and intense
This sci-fi horror espionage thriller has a weak script and clumsy plot but some beautiful horror set pieces. As with Brian De Palma's previous film, CARRIE, the focus here is a sweet young girl (Amy Irving) with awesome telekinetic powers. She's searching for her "psychic twin" captured by a secret government agency for use as a military weapon; Kirk Douglas plays the boy's superspy father who's also looking for him. As with CARRIE, you fall in love with the girl just as the most awful things start happening to her--and, this being De Palma, those awful things involve lots and lots of blood. The movie builds its tension slowly, leisurely, and then, wham, you're hit with some of the most intense horror sequences ever put on film. De Palma's a very smart director who's not all that interested in script or plot--he's just interested in orchestrating the terror sequences for maximum effect. If you give in to the film's sometimes quirky rhythms and oddball attempts at humor, it's quite a ride.

DE PALMA AT HIS BEST
Long maligned as an Alfred Hitchcock rip-off, Brian de Palma can rest on his laurels, having given us such visually stunning examples of horrific ballet. In "The Fury" there are so many scenes of intense but beautiful violence that you wonder where the imagery originated. While DePalma has often said he was influenced by the masterful Hithcock, he doesn't rip him off; he accentuates the master with his visually stunning style.
The slomo and quiet scene in which Carrie Snodgress meets an untimely fate is mesmerizing, even knowing what the ultimate outcome is; likewise the scenes where Amy Irving "sees" events that have or will happen. DePalma's camera swerves and sizzles. The lovely Fiona Lewis' demise is horrifically fascinating in its cruelty. (No, I'm not sadistic). The cast: isn't it fun to see scruffy Dennis Franz in one of his first roles as the gum-chewing, love my car cop? And Kirk Douglas, no longer a youngster, still looked amazingly fit and masculine in a role he would never get to play in today's youthful standards. Amy Irving is gorgeous and quite a good young actress; Andrew Stevens is handsome and effectively icy; Charles Durning and Carol Rossen appropriately vile; John Cassavettes is a devilish villain; and the almost forgotten Carrie Snodgress is a delight. Writer John Farris wrote the book which he adapted for the screen, and did a fine job. Too bad he waited so long for sequels---they probably won't get filmed, but they should. THE FURY is one of DePalma's best.

Very Little Suspense, Very Many Unintentional Laughs
When I was a young child in 1978-79 watching this on HBO I thought this movie was cool because people blew up in it and a fairground ride went spinning out of control.

25 years later, I watch it again and hardly anything is cool about it. The dialogue is laughable, Kirk Douglas is ridiculous as a geriatric James Bond who leaps out 4 story bedroom windows in his underpants, comandeers a shiny new Cadillac just to drive it off the end of a pier, and seranades his girlfriend with an obscene phone call.

John Cassavetes looks like he's trying to parody some Dr. Strangelove-type villian by walking around in a sling with a black glove on his useless hand, glaring at everyone and spouting the worst sort of "bad guy" cliches.

What else? Well, when Carrie Snodgrass goes flying through the windshield of a car, the windshield shatters like some plate glass saloon window from a low-budget Western. And there's plenty of blood in this movie, but not a drop of it looks real.

Andrew Stevens goes from lovable son to patricidal maniac without so much as a shred of explanation. Amy Irving escapes from a supposedly fortress-like prison by simply shoving a bunch of packages at someone and running out the backdoor. Oh, yeah, you know when Andrew Stevens is really, REALLY mad when the veins on his forehead pop out. Sometimes his eyes even glow blue. There's more, but what's the use recounting it?

I'll give it two stars because it's not the worst movie ever. But at times it really comes close. Isn't DePalma supposed to be a genius or something? ... Read more

Amazon.com

In this wicked thriller from 1992, director Brian De Palma shamelessly borrows from Alfred Hitchcock (as usual) and several other filmmakers to create a shock-a-thon that plays like a film buff's highlight reel from a dozen different thrillers. Taken on those terms it's a lot of fun to watch (though not for the faint-hearted), and multiple maniac roles for John Lithgow make it an irresistible shocker that isn't afraid to wallow in its own excess. Lithgow not only plays the evil Dr. Carter Nix, who is performing strange experiments on children, but he also plays the doctor's twin sons, Josh and Cain, who kidnap kids and bring them to their father's laboratory. Lolita Davidovich is a mother whose child has been abducted, but she won't give up without a fight. If this sounds repulsive, rest assured that De Palma focuses on the battle between the mother and the nefarious twins (this isn't a film about gratuitous child abuse), and film students will delight in the allusions to Hitchcock, Michael Powell's Peeping Tom, and Orson Welles's Touch of Evil, among others. It never makes much sense or adds up to anything truly satisfying, but thanks to Lithgow's wild performances Raising Cain is the kind of over-the-top thriller that grabs you for 95 minutes and holds you in its entertaining grip. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Description

Writer/director Wes Craven (Scream 1, 2 and 3) returns to the darkest shadows of Elm Street in the seventh film in the Freddy Krueger series. Winner of a Golden Scroll for Outstanding Achievement from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror, this spine-tingling tale reunites original Nightmare stars Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon as "reel" Freddy invades the real world, with deadly results. But don't worry, Freddy fans. It's only a movie...or is it? ... Read more

Reviews (128)

Very good!
This is very original, with the original Wes Craven spice. This enters when Heather is working on the seventh Freddy Kruegar movie with Robert Englund (who plays himself and Freddy Kruegar) and Wes Craven, when Freddy is trying to reach into the real world by Heather's son. She then tries to stop Freddy once and for all, before he kills again. Very good, very scary. Rated R for violence-related gore and language.

Gee, I wonder where he got the idea for Scream 3 from....
Don't get me wrong, this is a great movie and all, but it just can't compare to the predecessors. Even the ones that came after the original still were better than this one. At the times when I would expect someone to die, they didn't. In the past, just about everyone in the movie died except for maybe one person. In this everyone lived excpet maybe one person. It was a massive disappointment. I think he could have done a better job of ending the series. Plus it just shows how unoriginal Wes Cravens Scream3 is. It is pretty much the same idea. Movie on a movie set. Yawn. It could have been better.....so much better.

really great
this one is probably the best of them all.when i was about to get this movie i thought it would have like a whole lot of violence like the 2nd-6th.but it didnt.but whenever heather langenkamp's son,Miko Hughs,came in the movie just got kinda......cheesy.cause the kid dont know how to act at all.but other than that the movie was cool

Very Original!
As a new Nightmare movie is being made, actress Heather Langenkamp finds herself being stalked by "Freddy Krueger". Weird things start to happen when "Freddy" tries to leap from the movie, to the real world.

The idea for the movie is very original, because the setting is set in the "real world". In this movie, Freddy gets a new look, and the way it ended leaves a possible sequel. If you don't know what Robert Englund (he plays Freddy Krueger) looks like without the make-up, go see this movie!

Definitely the best since the first
A wonderfully done film with great performances by Heather Langenkamp and Miko Hughes. Miko Hughes performance sent chills down my spine. I can not believe this the same young actor who had an reoccuring role on Full House, one of the worst TV series ever. He is up there with Haley Joel Osment and Elijah Wood for great young actors. Heather Langenkamp pulls of the role to a "T". Her nightmares and the confusion they are causing between the lines of reality and dreams is something she has obviously done before, but she is more believeable now. The most chilling scene is when Miko Hughes, who plays Dylan, attacks his Mother, Heather Langenkamp, with his own version of Freddy's glove. In my opinion if a kid can pull off doing such a role, they cause more chills than adults, because in these kind of films you expect it to be an adult. Truly, a well crafted film, one of Craven's best. GRADE: A- ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Was that fuzzy mess on my TV really 'The Lodger' ?
As you can probably guess from the title of my review, the entire 3 stars for this DVD is for 'Sabotage'. This print of 'The Lodger' should be consigned to the garbage can where it belongs - it is totally unwatchable. This is such a pity since 'The Lodger' is easily Hitchcock's best silent work. There are at least two better prints available, one of which is a newly restored version that is amazingly good even on VHS, so get this one instead (I own a PAL VHS copy). Picture quality for 'Sabotage' is mercifully very good. Hitchcock was really getting in to his stride with 'Sabotage' and the film contains the infamous scene where a young boy, an old woman and a dog are sitting on a bus next to a bomb. The bomb slowly ticks away and at 1.45pm .... well, I suggest you see for yourselves - and as this is one of Laserlight's budget DVDs, you can afford to as well.

Great film, nice price
This is a great early Hitchcock film. The suspense is great. The editing and cinematography are classic Hitchcock. The opening of the movie is great with the jump cuts and the montage squence of the London blackout.

The film hits very close to home in this age terrorism. Although it takes place during the years leading up to WW II. It is very appropos today. The saboteur uses a boy to carry a bomb which goes off on a London bus.

Excellent DVD By Laserlight
Wow! This DVD has amazed me. I am an avid Hitchcock fan and have been interested by Sabotage's reviews for a long time. One day, while browsing the Alfred Hitchcock DVD Infomation Site (www.daveyp.com/hitchcock/), I came upon this DVD. I was stunned. One of the DVD's had Sabotage and The Lodger on the same disc! I was also interested by The Lodger. I went to the amazon.com site and started reading some reviews. One review mentioned that the DVD was worth getting for its price alone. I scrolled up the page, and behold, this DVD was selling brand new for 7.99$! I ordered it immediatly. Here are some reasons why I advishe you to get this DVD.

1. GREAT MOVIES: This goes without saying. Sabotage and The Lodger are two of Alfred Hitchcock's masterworks. Even if you are not a Hitchcock fan, you will still enjoy these movies greatly.

2. PRICE: 7.99$ is one of the cheapest prices you will find for DVD's.

3. PICTURE QUALITY: Sabotage has its faults in the Audio/Visual departement, but for a movie that is approaching its 70th birthday, it has great picture quality. I have rented some other DVD and VHS copies of it, but this is by far the best. The Lodger is not quite as good, but this movie is approaching its 80th birthday, so I will not be harsh.

I highly suggest that you should get this DVD.

Suspense, Suspicion,Conspiracy,Jealousy,Murder.....HITCH!
This review refers to the LaserLight Special Edition DVD of "Sabotage" and "The Lodger"......

Sylvia Sydney, who graced the screen for more than 70 years stars in "Sabotage". Younger viewers may remember Miss Sydney as "Juno" in Beetlejuice" or "Grandma" in "Mars Attacks". If you have never seen any of her earlier works(this one from 1936), you are in for a real treat. In this terrific thriller, she is Mrs. Verloc. A lovely woman who is slowly becoming suspicious of her husband's(Oscar Homolka) strange activites.And with good reason, he is involved in a deadly conspiracy.

It is the eve of WWII, and people in Britain are becoming aware of Nazi activity. Various occurences of Sabotage seem to be popping up around the cities. Small at first, a black out is the first sign, but when a bomb explodes and kills everyone on a bus, the evidence points to Mr. Verloc.Scotland Yard detective Ted Spencer(John Loder)is on the case and must catch the culprit before he kills again. And of course, along the way falls for the beautiful Mrs. Verloc. Hitch does a great job(as always) at keeping us involved with the characters, the story, and keeping the suspense going. You'll recognize his signature traits all through the film."Sabotage" is based on a novel by Joseph Conrad who also wrote "Heart of Darkness".

Where's Hitch....Sorry, the elusive Mr. Hitchcock does not seem to make an appearance in this one.

Next up is the film which was probably the first to firmly implant Hitch's style in his films as we know them. It is a Silent, made in 1927, the very scary "The Lodger".

A serial killer known only as "The Avenger" is loose on the streets. He is attacking beautiful young blonde women. Paranoia runs rampant through the city. When a mysterious stranger takes a room at the home of the Buntings, they begin to suspect his movements as being mighty similar to those of "The Avenger". The Lodger has taken quite a shine to Daisy, the beautiful blonde haired daughter of the Buntings. While Daisy's parents fear for her life, her boyfriend, who also happens to be a detective, is enraged with jealousy and is out to prove this mysterious stranger is in fact the killer. The city gets work up as well, and goes after the lodger with a vengance.

These wonderful great silent actors, bring us the fear and paranoia of these characters in all their wonderful actions. It's truley amazing how without words they can portray these feelings. Hitch's use of shadows and lights, camera angles, and his supberb direction really make this a great thriller. The added musical score for some reason is on the whimsical side, but somehow works for this film. The cast includes Ivor Novello as The Lodger, June as Daisy and Marie Ault and Arthur Cesny as The Buntings.

Looking for Hitch: A nose for news...in the first 5 minutes.(hard to spot but he's there.) He is also said to be in the mob scene near the end, it's possible but a little hard to tell in these dark scenes.

The LaserLight DVD is a good transfer of these old films. "Sabotage" looks excellent. The images are clear with barely of sign of age. No problem with the sound or dialouge. "The Lodger" is not in as good as shape though. The film shows the signs of it's age throughout, but none the less, is perfectcly viewable. I haven't seen any other DVD's of this one, so I can't compare. Any Hitch fan would be delighted with these movies, and they make a great addition for collectors.

Have a thrilling time with Hitch......Laurie

As of 2003,Laserlight is the best DVD, Keep your Laserdiscs!
IF you don't own a Laserdisc player, buy this Laserlight DVD. If you do own one look for the Laserdiscs!
"SABOTAGE": The Criterion Laserdisc is sharper and smoother with clearer sound than this DVD.
"THE LODGER": There is a Japanese Laserdisc that is much sharper and less choppier than this DVD.
Even better, watch the 35mm restoration of "THE LODGER" on the AMC cable network, complete with color tints. Why this version has not appeared on DVD yet is a puzzle to me. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A powerful and provocative film from the young De Palma
I saw both "Greetings" and "Hi, Mom!" back in the early 1970s at a college art theater, which was well before director Brian De Palma and actor Robert De Niro became big names. "Greetings" was De Palma's 1968 anti-war movie and "Hi, Mom!" was sort of intended as a sequel of sorts. In this 1970 film De Niro plays John Rubin, a Vietnam vet who returns from the war to settle in Greenwich Village. His big idea is to film the people in the apartment across the street and to sell Pepping Tom type films (where you even have to look through a the little windows in a little brick front to get the correct experience). Eventually John's obsession with making films gets him involved with a radical "Black Power" group. This results in two unforgettable sequences, the first involving what we would not call a Yuppie audience being subjected to urban guerrilla theater in the play "Be Black, Baby," and the second an act of urban terrorism that gives Jon a chance to say the film's title while smiling into a camera.

De Palma is clearly exploring the idea of breaking the barrier between actors and audience in the act of performance. I can appreciate this idea because every time I see theater in the round I keep watching the audience watching the play instead of just watching the play. Pay attention to De Palma's use of the split screen to explore the dual perspectives and get the audience watching the movie involved more involved in the equation as well. Repeatedly, it all comes down to point of view, meaning the point of view of the camera. This idea is reinforced by Jon, for whom life is not real unless it is on camera, a point most notably made in his sexual encounter with Judy (Jennifer Salt).

However, the most powerful part of this film is the "Be Black, Baby" sequences, and this is where you either find this film totally brilliant or grossly offensive. Throughout "Hi, Mom!" De Palma and De Niro have made the viewers party to Jon's voyeurism, albeit in more subtle ways than splatter flicks that let the audience see through the killer's eyes. Having persuaded (coerced?) us into this perspective, De Palma makes us pay for it in a most brutal manner. If you cannot appreciate the payoff of this sequence, and that could well be most of the people who bother to watch this film, then you are not going to be able to appreciate this film. But at the very least you should be able to understand not only what De Palma is doing, but why.

After that point the film section of the film seems quite anticlimactic. De Palma is trying to take his argument to the next level, but having been blown away by "Be Black, Baby," there is no way for the director and actor to top that moment. "Hi, Mom!" is a provocative film that provided me with one of the most memorable experiences in a movie theater that I have ever had. Watching this film again, this time knowing where De Palma and De Niro were taking me, really made me appreciate the purpose behind that powerful moment. Of course from the vantage point of today it is rather startling to compare this rather raw film with the slick Hollywood productions for which De Palma is best known, but this film is so powerful it is hard not to consider it his best work.

a trip out film
I was just gonna watch the film because I think RObert De Niro is one of the Greatest Actors Ever, but then the film takes on a behind the scenes of Being Black&that truly adds another factor to this film.it's a trip out film.

Hi, Bomb!
The most overlooked movie of the 1970's. Probably one of DePalma's best efforts. Also, a great example of DeNiro's early acting range. Funny, terrifying, brilliant. A great dissection of race issues, voyeurism, war, random violence, the family, and gender relations as well as a terrific homage to Hitchcock's Rear Window...

Strange Movie
Robert De Niro has played many odd ball characters in his day and perhaps none more so than Jon Rubin, in Brian De Palma's Hi,Mom! The movie begins with De Niro renting a run down apartment in the city where he can begin his new career. This career, he has decided, will be in the adult film industy. He tries to convinces a smut producer to give him a budget to film his neighbors in the buiding across from him. Eventually, he agrees so using a telephotolens De Niro begins recording their every move. Unfortunatly his targets(who have no idea they are being watched) are not very interesting. So De Niro begins to date a girl in the building he has noticed is lonely in an attempt to spice up his video. However, this does not pan out and De Niro's porn career is over. He turns his camera in for a television. This leads him to take a role in a play called Be Black Baby playing a police officer. It is being put on by some black radicals to illustrate to white people what it would be like to be black in contemperary America. The play is shocking and probably the most interesting part of the film. After the play is over De Niro returns to the girl from the building across from him and the movie ends in a melodramatic and bizarre fasion. This movie is definatly worth watching. This film put Brian De Palma on the map, and De Niro shows flashes of the brilliance that in years to come would create so many classic characters.

AWESOME
I loved it! This film is not only funny but also describes a serious issue like racism in a realistic way. And of course De Niro's performance! Incredibly powerful, especially when he played the police officer. This is definitely worth watching. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This terrific haunted-house thriller proved an unforgettable experience for 1960 audiences. Set in the mansion of a deceased scientist named Dr. Zorba, the story finds the late occult practitioner's nephew discovering a bunch of elusive spooks on the premises that can be seen only through Zorba's ghost-viewing glasses. Produced and directed by legendary showman William Castle, master of such garish, audience-pleasing gimmicks as flying skeletons and electric-shock theater seats, 13 Ghosts was hyped with an innovative process called "Illusion-O." Movie patrons were furnished with special, red-and-blue-colored glasses that allowed them to choose to see the titular specters or not. This DVD not only provides a working replica of the Illusion-O viewer but offers both a straight, black-and-white version of the feature (no viewer necessary) and a version with the film's original tinted scenes requiring the viewer for extra fun. Also included is Castle's own introduction, in which he explains the Illusion-O technique. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (33)

WILLIAM CASTLE DID IT AGAIN!
You may recall his 1958 horror thriller "house on haunted hill". Here is another treat for those who loves his style for ghost stories. William Castle I guess just has a knack for directing ghost movies. Most all of his movies were superb, not one boring. The film deals with a family living in an old ramshackle mansion haunted by 13 ghosts. But here's the mystery, One of the ghosts isn't real. And whoever that person is ,that's trying to get the family out of the house, is the murderur of the mansion's owner. A great movie with a cast worth watching. Enjoy this movie, And remember to buy more of Castle's films, They're all worth watching!

Not as much fun without William Castle's "Ghost Viewer"
Once upon a time there was a poor paleontologist named Cyrus Zorba (Charles Herbert) who learns he is heir to a mansion from his uncle Plato. So Cyrus moves his family, wife Hilda (Jo Morrow), son Buck (Donald Woods) and daughter Medea (Rosemary DeCamp), into the new digs. The problem is that Uncle Plato was a student of the occult who invented a nifty little device that captures ghosts. All of this is explained by Elaine, the old housekeeper, who is played by Margaret Hamilton (remember her, my pretties?). But the important thing here is that "13 Ghosts" was produced and directed by the inventive William Castle, which means there has to be a gimmick to get you to watch the movie.

For "13 Ghosts" the gimmick was the "Ghost Viewer" which worked with "Illusion-o." This was actually one of Castle's best bits. The movie was shot in black-and-white, but the thirteen ghosts (duh) were tinted in red. The Ghost Viewer had strips of red and blue plastic: watch through the blue, you could see the ghosts really well. If you freaked, you could look through the red "ghost remover" and they would disppear. Of course, on the video tape you can forget about all this. You can always see the ghosts--bodies, body parts and even a lion--although not too clearly. Talk about killing the fun. But then there is the "Bed of Death," so it is not a total loss. I have to think that "13 Ghosts" is one of the few Castle films where they could duplicate the gimmick, so hopefully one day someone will revive Illusion-o and the Ghost Viewer. Until then, this tape is a poor substitute that does not quite make it to camp classic status.

The orginal.
As the case with many other old horror films most people see the new one and think the old one's bad too, well I can say this film is far better then it's re make, it has some good jumps, and the classic message of becareful what you wish for.

Beware
Movie is a lot of fun with the Illusion-O effect, provided you get the ghost viewer glasses. I ordered a copy from Amazon in May 2004 and it did not contain the ghost viewer glasses. I returned it and they sent me a new one that also didn't contain the glasses. I suggested that their whole batch was bad. They responded that the problem was larger than they thought and they would straighten it out, but couldn't provide me with a copy with the viewers at this time, and would refund my money. I ordered a copy from an outfit in Canada (Tampoo.com) and it contained the glasses. I discovered that the flyer inside contained a panel for ordering more glasses that expired in December, 2002 that was not attached to the flyer that came with the Amazon copies. It appears that Columbia Tristar ran out of the glasses and are knowingly releasing copies of the DVD without them.

The Original Is Better Then The Remake
This old black and white ghost story was great fun. It reminds me of a MUNSTERS episode lol. Ofcourse it is better if you use the "Ghost Viewer" but still fun even if you do not. The remake was awful, stick to this original William Castle version. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It grows more quaintly silly with each passing year, but The Wedding Party can be enjoyed for more than Robert De Niro's modest screen debut. Brian De Palma's first feature is not entirely his own (friends Wilford Leach and Cynthia Munroe are credited as codirectors), and that may explain why this whimsical black-and-white comedy reveals no early hint of the Hitchcockian thrillers that De Palma became known for. If anything, it's a close cousin to De Palma's subsequent satires Greetings (which was actually released first) and Hi Mom!, which further capitalized on De Niro's fast-rising talent. Jill Clayburgh also makes her debut here, and while De Palma makes good use of idyllic locations on Shelter Island, New York, and Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, he employs all variety of low-budget techniques (fast-motion, unsynchronized sound, etc.) to cobble together a giddy chronicle of impending nuptials between an anxious pair (Clayburgh and Charles Pfluger) of Long Island lovebirds. De Niro (credited as "Robert Denero") is actually quite funny as the bridegroom's buddy, and Valda Setterfield gives a standout performance as Clayburgh's mother. It's a ridiculous mish-mash of familial mirth and mayhem, but with a budget of $43,000, De Palma showed enough directorial promise to win a theatrical release, three years after this film was made in 1966. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I love this movie!
This movie is such a classic!I especially commend the acting talents of not only Robert DeNiro, but that young Judith Thomas!She was robbed of her oscar in 1969 for her wonderful performance!

The Wedding Party
A great movie with an early Robert DeNiro who's great and everything he does and this is one of the first movies before he worked with Martin Scorsese and became a legend in Hollywood so enjoy this Bobby classic ... Read more

Reviews (60)

BEWARE! Laserlight Video version is a waste of plastic!
I cannot agree with most of the reviewers, here, about the movie itself. It's not that I dislike old movies; I'm actually a huge fan of movies from this era and of Hitchcock's later films. But, this particular movie has little to recommend it, in terms of entertainment value.

You can, at times, see shades of the greatness to come in Hitchcock's direction, but he hadn't reached anywhere near his peak, at this point. I found the acting to be stilted, wooden, and caricaturish; the pacing alternately inappropriately frantic and unforgivably plodding.

Judging from the reviews that specify the version, the Criterion Collection edition is quite a good transfer. Unfortunately, the Laserlight Video version is a waste of plastic; dreadful audio, grainy, alternately washed out and too dark, splices, skips, etc. It's the version currently selling for [$$], and isn't worth even that paltry sum.

Students of Hitchcock, buy the Criterion Collection edition, if you must own this film. Fans of Hitchcock, rent the Criterion edition, if you wish to satisfy your curiousity. Everyone, avoid the Laserlight Video edition, at all costs!

a great Hitchcock classic
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

The 39 steps, one of Hitchcock's most well known British films, is surely a great one bansed on the "wrong man" theme.

A woman claiming to be an intelligence agent trying to stop two men from taking a vital secret out England is killed in a young man's flat. She is holding a map and telling the man to go there. He finds himself falsely accused of her murder and now being chased by the killers and the police, while at the same time trying to stop the spies from leaving the country.

This is all I will divulge bevause I don't want to give any spoilers.

The acting is very good and the camera angles are some of Hitchcock's most famous. Look for Hitchcock's cameo appearance 7 minutes into the film. When a you see a bus, Hitchcock is the 'litterbug' in that scene.

The Criterion collection add some great special features to the DVD.

The complete Lux radio Theater broadcast of the story Scene-specific audio commentary by Hitchcock expert Marian Keane
Production design sketches
Parts of the original press book
A Janus films documentary on Hitchcock's British films

and of course a theatrical trailer.

The Criterion release is among the top DVDs ever engineered.
Do not waste your money on the Laserlight release of The 39 Steps. I doubt there are very many people who do not yet recognize the superiority of the Criterion Collection, but if you have any doubts as to the merits of the Criterion release, just compare this edition... and you will appreciate how remarkable Criterion's digital transfer of this film is. The audio commentary is interesting (though nothing extraordinary); what is special about this release is the clarity of the image (while remaining true to the original source material). Though I would contend that either Notorious or Rear Window is Hitchcock's best work, I could understand how one might judge The 39 Steps his best film. If you are only familiar with Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds, North by Northwest, et cetera, I would strongly encourage you to watch The 39 Steps, which expresses the more playful, less sadistic side of Hitch's work. To categorize this film as "early" Hitchcock, while factually correct, unfairly subordinates this film, as well as his other work from the 30s, as well as the early 40s, to the so-called "later" films, as if the latter were somehow more mature and evolved. In fact, one might argue that the opposite is true, that perhaps one finds alreadly in The 39 Steps the most profound testimony to Hitchcock's vision. Robert Donat gives a superb and charming performance in the role of the man wrongly accused. Madeleine Carroll, as in "The Secret Agent," is outstanding, and, next to Ingrid Bergman, is perhaps Hitchcock's best leading lady, no offense intended to Grace Kelly or Joan Fontaine.

Nail Biter
"39 Steps" is the last of Hitchcock's British nail biters. He took his style to Hollywood after this one. All the elements of a Hitchcock thriller are here. We have the mistaken man plot. Our hero has stumbled on a den of spies. He must prove his innocence and thwart the theft of military secrets and escape Scotland Yard from London Music halls to Scottish moors. The Hitchcock blonde is Madeline Carroll and her stocking scene must have been tough for American censors. Hitchcock learned his craft from the German expressionists and you can see the darkness of that genre in this gem. In the top twenty of best movies ever made, I recommend 39 Steps.

Criterion does it again...
I just ordered the Criterion Hitchcock "set" which includes "The 39 Steps", a movie I've watched many times over the last 20 years, but NEVER in a form this crisp and well-transfered; it's been restored beautifully, and as with all the films("My Man Godfrey" and "The Lady Vanishes", to name two)that have been kicking around with duped, grainy, fuzzy prints for the last 60-some years that were FINALLY restored-it's almost like watching a new movie-even if you'd thought you'd memorized all the dialogue and action! There's just so much that's missed in a bad print. Here, we have Hitch at his finest....there just isn't a dull second in this film. It's really as sure-fire as any movie ever made, in terms of entertainment. I believe this too was Hitchcock's first huge breakout international hit, although happily for us, he didn't "go Hollywood" for another 3 years or so(and gave us the later "Lady Vanishes"-another Criterion must-have).

One caveat: if you're like me(hopeless film buff), you often get these Criterions for not only the fantastic quality of the print but for the often illuminating audio tracks, usually provided by experts of one type or another; I've never quibbled with any of them before, but I have to say, don't expect Marion Keane's wall-to-wall droning to be worth it. There's generally two kinds of film "discussion"(not counting the sort where the actual director or actors gab, which we get with new films): the sort that's superb, like Rudy Behlmer's on "Adventures of Robin Hood"-an amalgam of film history, film technique, on-the-fly biographies of the actors you're watching, tidbits about the production locations, etc.etc.-nd then there's the OTHER kind:
film "semiotics". In other words, a commentator turns a smashing, hugely exciting and entertaining movie into a dull excercise in psychoanalysis. Virtually NOTHING is said about any of the particulars of "The 39 Steps" that isn't a parsing of the symbolism, the framing, that sort of thing. That stuff's there, of course, and I'll hand it to her that the speaker *does* mention Robert Donat's acting several times(it's excellent, of course!)-but you know, for all her blather about the poignancy of the scene of the Crofter's wife, you'd think that she might bother to tell us the actress' name(Peggy Ashcroft), the fact that this was one of her few films, that she was a huge stage star eventually, etc. The sort of thing that other audio tracks do so well. ... Read more

Reviews (477)

A great modern adventure!
This is the last entry in the "Evil Dead" series, but folks, this is NOT a horror flick, it is a fantasy comedy adventure. This deals with "Ash" ( Bruce Campbell) who was sucked into another time, in the medieval times. Now he must get a unholy book called " The Necronomicon" so he can get back home but when his idiocy gets in the way, he unleashes a army of the dead and now Ash with the rest of King Arthur's men must fight back.

A brilliant, entertaining and hilarious final in the awesome Evil Dead series with wit, humor, skill, good special effects and great battle scenes. Sam Raimi is a genius of a filmmaker, Bruce Campbell is definitely a great actor portraying a lovable moronic hero. Like i said, this movie isn't a horror flick, it's really a Fantasy comedy adventure and doesn't have gore like the last two flicks but this movie is also enjoyable for the whole family. I own this movie on DVD in 2-versions such as the Cut U.S. version with happy ending and the Director's cut with alternate ending, this is a must see movie.

Also recommended: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, The Princess Bride, The Neverending Story, The Dark Crystal, Conan The Barbarian, The Crow, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, In The Army Now ( Pauly Shore), The Flight of Dragons, Return of the King, The Last Unicorn, Gladiator, The Wizard of Oz, Excalibur and Mulan.

Great, Fun Film.
ARMY OF DARKNESS is the third film in the EVIL DEAD series. The first movie in the series, EVIL DEAD, was a strictly horror film containing a humorous moment every now and again. EVIL DEAD 2 was basically a dark comedy interlaced with a few moments of horror. ARMY OF DARKNESS is neither; it's an action/adventure flick filled with comedy and just a touch of gore.

The movie begins where EVIL DEAD 2 ended: Ash has been transported to the 13th century and is surrounded by the Army of King Arthur. He is assumed to be a member of a rival army and is taken prisoner. After defeating a couple of Deadites in the pit, he is declared to be the prophecized hero who will rid the kingdom of the evil that has befallen it. However, Ash, being the befuddled hero he is, makes things worse and almost destroys any chance he has of returning home.

ARMY OF DARKNESS is hilarious. It's filled with comedy and all sorts of literary and pop culture references from The Three Stooges to Gulliver's Travels to JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS to Frankenstein. I found myself laughing about every three minutes and some of the one-liners just rock: "Give me some sugar, baby" and "I'm going to cut your gizzard." Of course, this movie isn't for everyone. There are some people who would be offended and some who would see this movie as garbage. However, I see the movie as pure genius and great fun. Whatever.

A Bad and Tasteless Film
This by far is the worst film I have ever seen. Sure, I've had my fair share of bad films, but this one tops them off. The acting stunk in a very big way. I expected this film to scare the socks off of me, but, instead I was shaking my head in full on disgust at the Comedy Relief Film instead of being a true horror flick. Don't waste a second of your time on this film and don't waste your money on it either.

Great cheesy cult horror film - choose the edition wisely
I've seen the U.S. theatrical cut of this film a number of times, so I bought the Director's cut (ASIN B00005QW4K) when it first came out. I finally got around to watching it recently, and I've got to say, I'm pretty disappointed with this particular edition. If you want to see the director's cut, I'd recommend you go with the "Boomstick Edition", which also includes the U.S. theatrical release.

There were a number of flaws in this particular DVD. The first thing I noticed was really bad pixellation in many scenes. They did a great job in many cases of cleaning up any scratches or flaws in the source film, but then they did a really bad job of DVD compression. I'm sure the other editions aren't any worse on that score, and hope that they're better.

Also, this cut is actually missing some of my favorite scened and lines. The worst offense is that the line "Good, bad - I'm the guy with the gun" (which for me has always epitomized Ash) was replaced by "I'm not that good". In the commentary, Campbell and Raimi actually note that they prefer the "Good, bad" line... So why not include it in the "director's cut"?

They also deleted an early fight scene, just after Campbell's arrival, and went back to what was apparently the original ending. I really liked the ending in S-Mart, though. I also found the editing on the windmill scene in this edition less cohesive than the theatrical release.

The commentary by Campbell and Raimi was very good, since those two have a long history together, and really seem to have loved making this movie. Still, though, it was clear that they could see some of the same issues I mentioned above, leaving me baffled as to why they didn't work together to make this edition a true reflection of what they think the "best" version of "Army of Darkness" would be.

Good bad im the Ash with the gun.
Army of Darkness is such a fun movie to watch, What more could you want from a movie. I first became a fan of this movie because of Evil Dead 1&2, they where pretty good movies but when Army of Darkness came out it was five times better than the first two movies put together. The real reasson this movie did so well is because Bruce Campbell a.k.a Ash played his part damn well, and because of that we the fans of his movies where happy to see him come back to the big screen. If you don't like slap-stick comedy or horror movies you will not like this film, but if you do your in luck because Army of Darkness is the cult classic movie you've been waiting for. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Though he had made comedies with Robert De Niro (Hi Mom, Greetings!), a horror movie (Sisters), and a rock musical (Phantom of the Paradise), it wasn't until this 1976 film that Brian De Palma truly announced himself as the heir to Alfred Hitchcock. Written by Paul Schrader, this film is an homage to Vertigo, with its own stylish twists and turns. Cliff Robertson plays a businessman who, while traveling in Italy, meets a young woman (Genevieve Bujold) who is a dead ringer for his late wife, who had been killed in a kidnapping years earlier. As he woos and wins her, the vibes get creepier and creepier because, well, something's not right about this woman. Interestingly, this film came out the same year as De Palma's Carrie, a much more successful movie at the box office. But it was this movie that, for all its flaws, proclaimed De Palma as a stylist with a sure-handed command of visual storytelling. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Amazon.com

Cross Alfred Hitchcock with a carnival showman and you might come up with William Castle, the low-budget horror king of the exploitation gimmick. Homicidal is arguably his best film, a devious little Psycho knockoff with all the right ingredients: a sleepy Southern California town, a beautiful blonde with icy eyes and a thing for knives, a mute old woman in a wheelchair, and a deep, dark secret involving a repressed, awkward young man still haunted by the abuses of his dead father. Ever the cinematic carny, Castle pulls a trademark gimmick just before the climax: the clock-countdown "Fright Break," for anyone "too frightened to see the end of the picture." What the film lacks in tension it makes up for in startles and shocks. Castle is no Hitchcock, but he adds an insidious twist that pays off even if you see it coming.

The DVD also features the seven-minute documentary "Psychette: William Castle and Homicidal" and the not-to-be missed original trailer. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Description

The Skin Game
Number 17 • The Ring
Jamaica Inn
Murder!
Sabotage • The Lodger
Blackmail • Easy Virtue
Rich & Strange • The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
The Farmer’s Wife ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Brentwood omitted some facts
For the price, enough good films on this set to make it a worthwhile purchase. HOWEVER, the manufacturer Brentwood, decided to omit the fact that 2 of the films are silent movies. Personally, I find a big difference between a silent and spoken dialogue film, and I believe this was no accident. I sent the comapny an email regarding this, but as with most online customer service, the recepient most likely just mumbled "f**k y**" and deleted the message.

Early Hitchcock
The director's art is revealed in these early classics. 1920s-1930s, from the silent era to early sound. primitive yet brilliant artistic mastery from one of the great masters of mystery.

Passable quality, spotty movies
Here, in one neat bundle, are presented 10 very early Hitchcock films, from classics such as the early version of THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and THE LADY VANISHES (one of my favorites) to more obscure films such as YOUNG & INNOCENT and JUNO & THE PAYCOCK (????).

I haven't watched them all yet, but here is what you get. Five two-sided DVD's, each side with one movie. The movies themselves are available in 2.0 sound or 5.1 "virtual" surround. There are "scene selections", which involve only a few chapters per movie. And that's about it. The quality of the transfer is not first rate, by any stretch. You would probably be able to get better quality on one of the Criterion editions, but you'd pay quite a bit more. If you plan to watch over and over...go that route. If this is a curiousity for you, then these DVDs will fit the bill nicely and economically.

I won't go into the movies themselves. These are early, pre-Hollywood Hitchcock films, and even the weakest of the bunch have many great Hitch moments. I feel like for the price, you simply can't beat it (hey, less than $2 a movie!!). And any serious film student ought to have THE LADY VANISHES on their list! ... Read more

Description

The masters of modern horror - George Romero and Dario Argento - bring you an unprecedented pair of shockers inspired by the talesof Edgar Allan Poe.

In Romero's The Facts In The Case Of Mr. Valdemar, a conniving wife (Adrienne Barbeau of THE FOG) and her lover use a hypnotic trance to embezzle a fortune from her dying husband, only to receive some chilling surprises from beyond the grave. Then in Argento's The Black Cat, a deranged crime scene photographer (Harvey Keitel of RESERVOIR DOGS) is driven to brutal acts of madness and murder by his girlfriend's new pet. But will this cunning feline deliver a final sickening twist of its own? ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Two horror greats in one film.
While George A. Romero and Dario Argento worked together on the production of Dawn of the Dead, this was the first movie the two actually 'worked' on together as directors. Each contributed a short film based on a story by Edgar Allen Poe. Romero adapted The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar while Argento chose The Black Cat. Romero's comes first and it is routine EC comic style stuff, solidly made yet hampered by pacing that is a tad too methodical. But the payoff is worth the trip and the cast (Adrienne Barbeau, Ramy Zada, and Bingo O' Malley) contribute nice work. Argento's segment is far more energetic, a surreal trip into madness as a crime scene photographer (Harvey Keitel) is driven by his art to kill his live-in girlfriend's black cat. Of course the cat returns, again and again, and things get even worse in that surreal nightmare way that only Argento can pull off. Not content to just adapt The Black Cat, Argento also tosses in references to other Poe stories; namely The Pit and The Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, Bernice, and several characters have famous Poe names (Usher, Pym, etc.). If he didn't go overboard, then he wouldn't be Argento, now would he? Blue Underground has done another first rate job with this wonderful disc. The maligned movie has never looked or sounded this good and the extras are more than worth the bonus disc. Romero and/or Argento fans will love it. Recommended.

Animal-Handling AND Masonry: Components for Perfection
When directors get together, they have the potential to make interesting things happen. When great directors join forces and decide to take on a project, even better results areexpected. It honestly doesn't matter what type of material they're doing or if the viewing population has tasted it time and time again. They, the silver screen's version of power coupling, know their art, understand the little versions - or perhaps perversions - of atmosphere that balance the viewing scales, and have the most cards to play when it comes to forging complete pictures. Unfortunately, both don't always deliver a knockout punch like you'd like.

In this initial piece, it's a story you've heard before. An older fellow with dollarsign-laced pockets decides to marry a younger woman. People jeer it in the community and friends seem appalled by it, but attraction is attraction and a little IWantATrophyWife-itus is sometimes what wealth is all about. In our tale, we join an ex "airline hostess" and her much older husband as he's teetering on that painful plateau just outside of dying. Plans are in the works on how to acquire some of his fortune before his estate and the long years of "settling" are addressed, with hypnosis and the application of falsified doctor reports working fairly well. It all seems to be going splendidly, too, and three million dollars is all set to arrive in two weeks - providing the wife, Jessica, can keep her husband around that long. As movies would have it, however, he dies and the planning gets worse and worse and worse until....

This Romero addition to the power duo has some serious flaws in it. The plot is thin, the effects are a little drowsy, and what seems to start off well dances down the corridors of lackluster architecture. Honestly, it's a good thing that things happen the way they do in these tales, because the atypical plan thrown into this type of movie would normally end up with someone going to jail for a very long time. Money or not, you wouldn't want to bury someone in your own backyard with a couple of bullet holes in them and you wouldn't want them kicking it with you ice-cream and getting freezer burn. This is worse than that in some ways, however, because it seems to say that a master in his field and Savini can't get together and make something that hasn't been seen a hundred times over. Instead of illustrating a story the way an audience knows they can, they take a Poe idea, splash a little effect work on it, and somewhat go through the motions.

In Argento's version of The Black Cat, things play out a lot better. Our focal point, a man with a gruesome day job, brings home a little hatred and finds himself in a not-so-happy position of trying to conceal what he's done. When things get a little stressed and push come to shove (and hack and slice), it seems that things can get a little ugly at home. This seems especially when you're the owner of a cat you hate and don't want to keep up with, and moreso when you're half of a marriage that will ultimately self-destruct. Without giving all the gray matter away, this ultimately becomes a testament to revenge going awry, why you should treat animals a little bit better, and why post-it notes are a good thing if you don't want to leave out any small details to a crime.

In my personal opinion, the Argento piece is a short film made in gore heaven. Not only does it make a show of force with all its little pieces coming together and working out all-too-well, but it also gives little shout-outs to other Poe stories as well.
And then the eye candy begins to make its rounds.
The first effects, mutilated bodies, birth even better effects. The deaths seem to get worse and worse until, in one place, I saw something that I could almost feel because of the way the image evoked words like "pain." Still, it didn't stop there. With little kitties doing things little kitties shouldn't do; hairless, nasty, and bathed in the debris brought to you by a mind that has imported images of this variety time and again, it gets even more graphic. And that's all I really ever wanted.

Combine that with build, a good plan that twists until it morphs into something horrific that the main character couldn't foresee, and nice acting and you can even overlook Romero's shoddy addition to this collection. Simply be warned that it does have a little kick in the "gruesome" department.

The Evil Eyes are crossed---but it's still good stuff.
I have to confess: I was thrilled beyond words when I heard Blue Underground was releasing this 1991 collaboration between two of my favorite horror masters, George Romero and Dario Argento. I bought the DVD sight-unseen, having only seen a few snippets of sequences from the second story in this two-movie collection, Argento's adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Black Cat".

I had seen those snippets as part of a larger Argento documentary called "Dario Argento: an Eye for Horror"---and they were ghoulish indeed! Harvey Keitel impaled on a stake? Mewling, hairless baby cats walled up with a gore-caked corpse, 'Cask of Amontillado' style? The gruesome final finishing touch---death by merciless, razor-sharp pendulum---that even Poe himself had shied away from?

I had to have it, just for the Argento work alone! As for the Romero adaptation of "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar", well how could you lose, with the evil mastermind behind "Night of the Living Dead" helming up a short movie about a miser left in hypnosis after death?

Blue Underground has done an excellent job with their Limited Edition DVD: the DVDs themselves are nicely decorated with two of the more chilling sequences from the film, and the material on the bonus DVD (including---hey!---a tour of make-up guru Tom Savini's home!)is worth the price of admission alone. It's a handsome DVD, and a nice addition to any horror movie aficionado's collection.

As for the movies---well, they're not what I had expected, highly uneven, and not the best examples of either Argento or Romero's work. But they're enjoyable, gory, ghoulish fare, with Romero's piece more subtle and stylish and Argento's entry an over-the-top assault on the senses that pays tribute to some of the nastiest of Poe's nuggets, including "The Black Cat", "Lenore" (ah yes, her lovely 32 teeth! nice touch, Dario!), "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Cask of Amontillado", "The Tell-Tale Heart", and even a glib nod to "The House of Usher".

Taken together, the two pieces that comprise "Two Evil Eyes" give the film a "Creepshow"-like feel, not surprising given that Romero helmed that movie. Romero's piece here has been unfairly savaged, and while it seems sedate in comparison to Argento's gory Italian Grand Opera, it's a stately, stylish little chiller. Adrienne Barbeau plays the crafty youngish wife of financier Valdemar (played to the hilt by Bingo O'Malley, who gave me the creeps!---he also shows up as Stevie King's dad in the Meteor episode of Creepshow), who plots with her hypnotist lover to get rid of the sick old man and abscond with a fortune.
Not surprisingly, things don't go as planned; look for an opening shot right out of "Night of the Living Dead" and a scene-chewing contest by movie veteran E.G. Marshall and Barbeau (who holds her own).

But it's really Argeno's sanguine little number you should check in for. Ostensibly an adaptation of "The Black Cat", it features Harvey Keitel as a demented crime photographer whose lifestyle and pre-occupations would make his "Bad Lieutenant" character cry for his mommy. It's not Dario at the height of his game, but it's wicked, depraved, gory stuff.

All told, these two shorts make a jolly, gory little evening of Poe-vian goodness. Break out a nice cask of Amontillado from your cellar (don't mind the knocking from the other side of the wall), open up a tin of caviar for your trusting black cat, put a blanket over your pet raven's cage, and enjoy two horror masters having some fun with their medium.

Good horror, great directors
This movie is based on the writings of Poe. The first film is okay. It drags a little, but once things pick up it gets very interesting. The second film is probably the BEST horror short ever made. If you're a fan of episode horror films, (Creepshow, Trilogy Of Terror and the like), then this is a MUST HAVE DVD. The extras alone are worth the purchase. It's a limited edition, so make sure you snag it up before it's gone!

for completists only
I bought this movie only because I am an Argento nut and wanted to have everything he has done. His segment is the only reason I gave this three stars; Romero's segment is a real let-down. I can't even believe it was made by the same guy who made Dawn of the Dead and Martin! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

And all along it was a YIDDISH COMEDY!!!
As every film buff knows, this is the schlock horror movie that later became the hit Broadway musical of the same name. Like the musical, this was never intended to be a scare -- it was done tongue-in-cheek and is really a spoof .

I had heard of this movie, but did not see it until after viewing the musical. What surprised me was the amazing amount of Jewish humor in the original. Mr. Mushnik, the flower shop owner, speaks with a decidely Yiddish accent, and is constantly making puns like "Aloha -- OY!" Then there's Mrs. Shivah (her name refers to a Jewish funeral custom), who is always buying flowers for some relative who died. Never mind that traditional Jewish funerals don't use flowers -- it's a good gag. So is Seymour's hypochodriac mother, who is the exact opposite of the usual Jewish Mother -- she DOESN'T want Seymour to get married, but if he does, he should at least get a girl with a really serious disease, not this healthy Audrey he brings home. The dinner at Mom's is hilarious -- everything she serves is some sort of home remedy. Cough syrup liquers, cod liver oil soup.... kosher, but YECCCCH!!!!

All of this gets lost in the musical rewrite, which went from Yiddish theater mode to Motown. That was funny, too -- but if you are into collecting old Jewish humor, then the original "Little Shop" should definitely be on your shelf. I give it five stars, not because it's a great cinematic acomplishment (it's not!) but because I see it as a part of Jewish-American cultural history. And besides, it's funny!

GoodTimes' Little Shop DVD is the one to beat
Unfortunately, Little Shop of Horrors and every other Roger Corman Filmgroup production lapsed into public domain years ago and have generally been available on VHS and DVD only in poor-quality editions ranging from merely bad to atrocious. (The only Filmgroup features to get a decent official or semi-official release so far are Bucket of Blood, Beast from Haunted Cave, and Night Tide.) After researching every DVD version of Little Shop of Horrors available (there are at least eight!) I played a hunch and went with GoodTimes to replace my VHS copy, and I'm very pleasantly surprised at the overall excellent quality of the source print. When I saw the "preserved using the best available elements" line at the beginning of this disc I thought 'yeah, right,' but I have to admit that this is the brightest, cleanest, sharpest (if not exactly razor-sharp) print of this film I've ever seen. The black level, contrast, gray values, and shadow/highlight detail are fine, and physical damage is limited only to some very light speckling and blemishing (!!). On the downside, the transfer itself seems to be somehow deficient (low bit rate?), causing areas of flat white or smoothly gradated grays in the image to exhibit some very faint but noticeable pixelation or banding, especially during the opening credit sequence (areas of flat color seem to be DVD's Achilles Heel). The casual viewer probably won't notice this phenomenon unless it's pointed out, but it's there. That said, the superior quality of the source print more than makes up for this one barely noticeable flaw; this is still most likely the best edition yet available of this classic 'sick humor' gem and well worth the bargain price. It definitely blows away every TV print and cheapjack PD video version I've ever eyeballed. Grab this before it goes out of print.
The movie itself still entertains tremendously today, a funny, goofy (dare I say charming?) horror-comedy that basically plays like a stage farce (most of the action takes place on one or two sets). The story is essentially a remake of Bucket of Blood with a change in locale and a few fresh twists. This time Jonathan Haze portrays everyschlep Seymour Krelboine, who lives with his alcoholic hypochondriac mother (she listens to KSIK radio) and works at Mushnick's skid row flower shop. Seymour (temporarily) finds fame, fortune, and romance by nurturing (and eventually murdering for) an exotic talking cannibalistic plant. Mel Welles, in his finest hour (literally), steals nearly every scene with his droll portrayal of perpetually exasperated Gravis Mushnick, and Jackie Joseph (Andy Griffith Show, Who's Minding the Mint) seems born to play pretty, ditzy Audrey. Corman regulars adding to the fun include Dick Miller (Walter Paisley in Bucket of Blood) as Fouch, a flower-eating client, John Shaner as a sadistic dentist, and 14th-billed Jack Nicholson (featured prominently on most tape and disc box art) as his masochistic patient. Shot on a shoestring in just three days (at least all the interiors), Little Shop holds up better than many big-budget comedies of the day (anyone watched Story of Mankind lately?). Much credit must be given to Charles B. Griffith, unsung hero/architect of the AIP/Allied Artists/Corman style. His list of credits reads like Corman's greatest hits: It Conquered the World, Attack of the Crab Monsters, The Undead, Not of This Earth, Teenage Doll, Bucket of Blood, Beast from Haunted Cave, Wild Angels, Death Race 2000, etc. Griffith's clever, witty screenplay is a model of late-50s sick humor, working in a dead-on Dragnet parody, some wonderful malapropisms and bits of wordplay, lotsa Yiddish humor, and a handful of his patented icky-creepy moments. (Griffith also voiced the plant, Audrey Jr., played a few walk-ons, and directed some second unit scenes, all uncredited.) Fred Katz's memorable score is alternately goofy and spy-jazzy, and, unlike some of Roger Corman's other attempts at comedy (e.g. Creature from the Haunted Sea), I find his touch just right here, ably supporting Griffith's verbal bits with complementary editing patterns (check Sgt. Joe Fink and Det. Frank Stoolie's hilarious introductory scene). Lighter in tone and a bit broader and more farcical than Bucket of Blood (which I personally prefer), Little Shop, judged on its own terms, is still fresh and engaging, though the low budget is obvious at times. I'm not sure how fans of the Broadway show or movie musical will react to the original (I admit to being a purist myself), but if they share a taste for low budget horror or 50s-style sick humor they'll probably find it an offbeat treat.

Roger Corman's florist-shop bloodfest classic
Roger Corman's original LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is a classic cult B-movie that is full of classic one-liners and immortal performances.

Jonathan Haze is fantastic as the nervous Seymour, who grows the Venus Fly-Trap plant (whom he calls "Audrey Junior") and ends up supporting it's flesh-eating habit. Jackie Joseph plays Seymour's long-suffering girlfriend Audrey, while Mel Welles plays Seymour's eternally-flabergasted employer Gravis Muschnick.

But it is Myrtle Vail, as Seymour's mother, that gives perhaps the most hilarious performance. She is superb. Newcomer Jack Nicholson (yes, THAT Jack Nicholson) is fantastic in one of his early roles as a pain-addicted dentist fanatic.

Later musicalized as a long-running Broadway musical (starring Ellen Greene as Audrey) which was later made into a successful film.

Cheap film a curiousity
Created on a shoestring budget using pre-existing sets, this film was made in 3 days. It was a tongue in cheek film. But, the best thing about it is it inspired a great off-broadway musical which in itself inspired the wonderful musical film. But, if you are a cult film fan, Corman's flick might interest you. Otherwise, the cheap effects, horrible script and unispired direction will leave you out for blood. This is a public domain film and never looks wonderful. Watch for Jack Nicholson in a small role!

The Perp is a Plant
If you liked "The Young Frankenstein", you'll love Roger Corman's 1960 cult classic, "Little Shop of Horrors":

The film's about an incompetenet "Dragnet" cop duo of Sgt. Joe Fink and Frank Stoolie who investigate the mysterious Skid Row disappearances of a bum, dentist, thief and a ... [woman]. The perp is a plant with a buddingappetite for blood. This tongue-in-cheek horror movie flowers with the performance of a young Jack Nicholson* (as the masochistic undertaker) while blooming with plot characters such as Gravis Mushnik, the greedy plant shop owner and Mrs. Shiva, whose relatives just keep on dying...

Mind you, this is a low-budget film, so the film quality of this B&W is not crisp. In fact, Roger Corman only paid the actors a one-week salary, rehearsing them on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then filming them on Thursday and Friday! But these actors and Fred Katz's background music really score over any budgetary contraints! As it turns out, this low budget film will later re-sprout as a 1980 Off-Broadway smash and then turn into the Academy Award winning 1986 musical film version. (Personally, I feel the plot is better in Corman's original but the 1986 version has outstanding lyrics and special effects.) So, if you like your horror films with an irreverent twist, then you'll be sure to enjoy this film.

See "Bucket of Blood" also by Charles Griffith and directed by Roger Corman; "Little Shop of Horrors" with Rick Moranis, Steve Martin and Bill Murray; and, Young Frankenstein with Gene Wilder and Madeline Kahn.

* By the way, Jack Nicholson's feature film career began with Roger Corman's "Cry Baby Killer" and evolved into a 10-year collaboration between these two. ... Read more