Description

In this extremely explicit follow-up to ENTRAILS OF A VIRGIN, a doctor gets more than she bargained for after getting entangled with an evil Japanese Yakuza clan.

A woman commits suicide at a clinic after being brutally raped and injected with a drug called Angel Rain by the Yakuza. A young psychologist infiltrates the clan to avenge her senseless death and manipulates them enacting her own brand of violent justice. Unfortunately, the Yakuza finally catch her too, and her fate brings gruesome death and destruction to everyone involved.

Yet another gory Japanese classic from director Gaira, ENTRAILS OF A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN is a film definitely not for the squeamish. If you thought ENTRAILS OF A VIRGIN was over-the-top, wait until you see what surprises ENTRAILS OF A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN has in store!

Starring MEGUMI OZAWA KEN YOSHIZAWA KAZUHIRO SANO Written by GAIRA (KAZUO KOMIZU) Produced By HIROSHI HANZAWA and TOSHIO SATO Directed by GAIRA (KAZUO KOMIZU)

Not Rated 1986 Approx. 68 min.Color NTSC Dolby Digital Mono1.78:1 ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Lovely.
Guts Of A Beauty
directed by Kazuo 'Gaira' Komizu
1986, 68 mins.

Genre: Erotic Horror, says the package. What the eff? Erotic movies, horror movies, I know what they are *cough*, but erotic horror is something new to me. In the first ten minutes it's already obvious that Guts Of A Beauty fails to be either erotic or horrorific, let alone both. However, it's an amusing flick, and that's worth something.

The story is basically just there. There's not much development, not much of a start, nor really an end, so, to be honest, not much of a story at all. Therefore, a spoiler warning would be too much praise, however, be aware that I will unravel the plot in the next sentence. A female psychiatrist happens upon the filthy business of some girl-abusing and girl-selling (uh) Yakuza, who then rape and (accidentily) kill her, whereafter she returns as a hermaphrodite zombie with monster genitals and kills the Yakuza. The plot. All of it.

However, it's still amusing. No matter how crappy the effects look (a watermelon being thrown onto the ground is supposed to be a woman committing suicide, rrriiight, we're NOT falling for it), no matter how bad the story is, this film WILL entertain you for its full SEVENTY minutes. However, be warned, this movie just might be offending, and it's definitely not for kids (although that oral treatment was digitally pixelated to make it less clear what's happening - and of course, second base is far more offensive than hacking off a man's arm). If you're in for some nice gorn though, as I've heard it being described, Guts Of A Beauty is what you're looking for.

mos says:

Scares? non-existent/10
Gore? 5/10
Hermaphrodite zombies with monster genitals? Just one, and it's enough.
Fun factor? 10.1/10
Juicy watermelons? They're everywhere/10 ... Read more

Description

"They share the pleasures of the flesh, and unleashed the horrors of the grave!" screamed the ads. The beautiful Marianne Morris and stunning Playboy centerfold Anulka star as bisexual seductresses who roam the English countryside with an insatiable lust for the blood of mortals as well as the succulent bodies of each other. Director José Ramón Larraz packs this landmark adult hit with chilling atmosphere, shocking bloodshed and some of the most torrid sexuality of any vampire movie in horror history.

Also known as DAUGHTERS OF DRACULA, this controversial cult classic was butchered repeatedly by censors around the world. Blue Underground is proud to present VAMPYRES loaded with exclusive new Extras and featuring a stunning new transferthat restores all of the controversial gore footage missing from any previous version. This is the definitive edition of VAMPYRES! ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Kind of a mix of Hammer and Jean Rollin
A pair of bisexual women (Marianne Morris and Playboy playmate Anulka) living in a dark, decaying mansion have a craving for blood and sex. Hitchiking in long black cloaks, they lure men home and then take them to bed, slash them with knives, and dump the bodies, making it look like a car wreck. They like one guy so much they keep him around for days and he knows something bad is happening, but he's not sure what. Some people camping nearby also suspect that the women are up to strange things.... The violence is strong even though there's more blood than gore, plenty of sex and nudity, and some very lyrical, beautiful scenes. The ending throws a whole new, darker twist on the proceedings and ties it all together nicely. It has kind of a "Hammer Films" look to it, but the storyline is more along the lines of Jean Rollin. Even though the budget was small, this is a quality-looking film. The DVD looks great and contains a commentary track with producer Brian Smedley-Aston and director Joseph Larraz that's worth listening to - it's informative, and Larraz is hilarious and pulls no punches - ya gotta love the guy, even though he admits he's become a dirty old man (the comment during one of Anulka's nude scenes had me rolling on the floor). :) It's one of the most entertaining commentary tracks I've heard on a DVD, and a quality film besides.

Bosoms and bloodshed, a potent combination!
VAMPYRES (UK 1974): A motorist (Murray Brown) is lured to an isolated country house inhabited by two beautiful young women (Marianne Morris and Anulka) and becomes enmeshed in their free-spirited sexual lifestyle, but his hosts turn out to be vampires with a frenzied thirst for human blood...

Taking its cue from the lesbian vampire cycle initiated by maverick director Jean Rollin in France, and consolidated by the success of Hammer's 'Carmilla' series in the UK, Jose Ramon Larraz' daring shocker VAMPYRES pushed the concept of Adult Horror much further than British censors were prepared to tolerate in 1974, and his film was cut by almost three minutes on its original British release. It isn't difficult to see why! Using its Gothic theme as the pretext for as much nudity, sex and bloodshed as the film's short running time will allow, Larraz (who wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym 'D. Daubeney') uses these commercial elements as mere backdrop to a languid meditation on life, death and the impulses - sexual and otherwise - which affirm the human condition. Shot on location at a picturesque country house during the Autumn of 1973, Harry Waxman's haunting cinematography conjures an atmosphere of grim foreboding, in which the desolate countryside - bleak and beautiful in equal measure - seems to foreshadow a whirlwind of impending horror (Larraz pulled a similar trick earlier the same year with SYMPTOMS, a low-key thriller which is all mood and very little action, until it erupts into a frenzy of violence during the final reel). However, despite its pretensions, VAMPYRES' wafer-thin plot and rough-hewn production values don't really amount to very much, and while the two female protagonists are as charismatic and appealing as could be wished, the male lead (Brown, past his prime at the time of filming) is woefully miscast in a role that should have gone to some beautiful, twentysomething stud. A must-see item for cult movie fans, an amusing curio for everyone else, VAMPYRES is an acquired taste. Watch out for Bessie Love, star of the silent era, in a brief cameo at the end of the movie.

Originally released on DVD by Anchor Bay in incomplete form (29 seconds of carnage were accidentally omitted from one of the climactic sequences), Blue Underground's definitive disc - beautifully presented and packaged - restores all the missing footage to its rightful place. Picture quality is as good as the low-budget film stock will allow, though it's still a little grainy in places, and the mono sound is adequate. Extras include trailers, interviews with Morris and Anulka (both are older and wiser, yet still radiant), and a lively audio commentary with Larraz and producer Brian Smedley-Aston, along with an unexpurgated version of Tim Greaves' much-admired booklet 'Vampyres - A Tribute to the Ultimate in Erotic Horror Cinema', here presented in DVD-ROM format which this writer was unable to access.

NB. Blue Underground's DVD includes an insert which replicates vivid artwork for an Italian release print (OSSESSIONE CARNALE), featuring a prominent Techniscope credit. However, the movie wasn't photographed in any kind of scope format, and viewers are assured the disc's 1.85:1 ratio is correct.

87m 29s
1.85:1 / Anamorphically enhanced
Mono 2.0
Optical mono [theatrical]
No captions or subtitles
All regions

AESTHETIC, SATANIC, INDULGING
YES, THIS IS A FLIM THAT RISES ABOVE THE REST IN THE VOLATILE TIME OF EROTIC VAMPIRE FILMS IN THE EARLY 1970'S. TWO VOLUMPTOUS, BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRES USE THEIR FEMININE TALENTS AND THE AGE OLD ONE NIGHT STAND AS A FACADE TO LURE OVER-ANXIOUS MEN TO THEIR BREATHTAKING, DECREPIT OLD COUNTRY HOME. THE MEN FALL ALL TOO EASILY FOR WHAT THEY THINK WILL BE A SEXUAL RENDEZVOUS WITH TWO STRANGE, DARK WOMEN. AFTER THEY ARE ENTERTAINED, THEY FALL VICTIM TO SAVAGE DEATHS, BLOODLETTING, AND HUMILIATION. THE BRITISH COUNTRYSIDE AND THE BREATHTAKING OLD HOME CREATES A SUPERIOR AMBIENCE THAT IS CONDUCIVE FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE, EROTIC, LURID FILM. THIS FILM WILL LEAVE YOU WANTING NEVER TO RETURN TO REALITY. DARK, EVIL, BEAUTIFUL, IMPERATIVE.

Share Pleasures of the Flesh...and Horrors from the Grave!
Okay, 1974's VAMPYRES admittedly has numerous nude scenes--full frontal female nude scenes, in some cases--that was a prerequisite for the sexploitation horror pouring out of Europe in the 1970s. And yes, the two female players have hourglass figures, ample bosoms, and beautiful faces. However, this British indie film, directed by Spanish auteur José Ramón Larraz, has a cinematic aesthetic that makes it stand out above its contemporaries as a horror film of true quality. Larraz does a fantastic job of directing, working in close conjunction with cinematographer Harry Waxman to ensure that nearly every shot of every scene is a balanced, well-framed image. In keeping with the spooky atmosphere of the moldering English manor house and surrounding grounds used for location shooting, production designer Ken Bridgeman maintains the perfect ambiance throughout. And unlike many other buxom sexploitation actresses of the era, erotic stars Marianne Morris and Anulka (Dziubinska) can actually act, and they do a superb job in making the eponymous characters both scary and sympathetic.

In addition to the outstanding efforts of cast and crew, the tight, well-written script is refreshingly new--even from this vantage point of some thirty years hence. Avoiding the usual vampire clichés, these VAMPYRES are really more like ghosts who have some inexplicable but insatiable desire to feed on the blood of the living. They don't have fangs, they can tolerate moderate sunlight, and instead of resting in musty old caskets, they sleep in a wine cellar during the brightest of the daylight hours. They also can eat, drink liquids other than blood, and seem to genuinely enjoy sex. And they even sometimes have sympathy for their victims, a characteristic that may lead to their ultimate downfall.

The myth of the vampire has always been regarded as sexual in nature, especially the intimacy of the flesh-penetrating bite on the neck. VAMPYRES carries this metaphor to the extreme, with heterosexual vampiric coitus portrayed as an intensely passionate, rigorous event that includes feasting on the blood of the non-vampiric partner. And the eponymous characters in VAMPYRES don't gently suck from two pricks in the neck; in the midst of sexual passion, they tear open their victims and lap up the crimson liquid with ferocious, writhing pleasure.

In short, VAMPYRES is an excellent British erotic horror flick that is superior to most others from its era of origin, and it can even stand up against many straightforward, non-sexploitation horror films. It is well written, well acted, and has high production values throughout--and all this in spite of a low, low budget. Director Larraz and his co-scripters have take an idea that they could play for camp or sheer sexploitation and, instead, deliver a thought-provoking look at indiscriminate and promiscuous sex, physical obsession, and guilt. And on top of that, they still throw in lots of delicious T&A.

The DVD from Blue Underground is a great buy. Not only does it present a widescreen restored director's version of this excellent film--transferred primarily from the original negatives--but it also has lots of cool extras. It offers a feature-commentary track with director José Ramón Larraz and producer Brian Smedley-Aston that is both hilarious--due to Larraz's frank use of English colloquialisms--and informative. And there are also recent interviews with Marianne Morris and Anulka Dziubinska, the film's beautiful stars; a lost scene recreated via production stills; U.S. and European trailers; and more. This is a piece of erotic artistic cinematic history that any serious horror fans will want to add to their collections.

Too slow
Even allowing for the fact that this film is low budget, and from the 1970s, doesn't make up for its monotony. Its mix of sex and cheap blood effects may have seemed avant-garde to some back then, but it sure doesn't cut any edge now. Except for a few thrills at the end, this film is like a long walk to nowhere (in fact, there are too many scenes in this movie of just that - long walks).

It's too bad really, because in the right hands, the story of two vampire seductresses luring passersby to their castle could have been creepy fun.

Not enough story, and bad direction make this a "passerby". Current interviews with the lovely female stars prove to be the most interesting part of this package. ... Read more

Reviews (140)

Excellent Film
What is so special about this film is simply that it is real. There are no supernatural events or episodes that would render it a cheesy movie. The acting is superb and worthy or note. People have been complaining about the end and that it is hard to figure out. You know what?? Those are the type of movies that succeed best. It gets you to think about what you have seen and explore many different possibilites. I recommend this to any horror fan

A very scary movie, but flawed
Session 9 is deliciously spooky. Brad Anderson revives some of the most cliche haunted house conventions with stylish direction, complex story layering, and enough plot twists to keep you curious and creeped out. The film is packed with great shots and beautifully framed images that will stick in your head days after you watch. Although the performances (especially David Caruso's) occasionally fall flat and the voice over technique is pretty silly, Session 9 is a must see for anyone who loves a good scary movie.

Atmospheric genius.
Session 9 (Brad Anderson, 2001)

Since Scream, America has been inundated with horror films that want to be hip and trendy. Leave it to Hollywood to overlook the hippest and trendiest of them. Session 9 is The Others without an A-list actor to lend it credibility; it's all about atmosphere rather than shock value. That will probably turn most horror film fans off, but the true aficionado will find a whole lot here to like.

The premise is a nice one: a team of asbestos removal workers, led by two guys with the unassuming names of Phil (David Caruso) and Gordon (Peter "My Name is Joe" Mullan), are hired to clear out an old asylum. The crew finds a series of tapes regarding a particular patient, and they start listening to them on breaks. The closer they get to the end of the therapy, the more tense things get in the real world.

It's probably no coincidence that there are a whole lot of visual similarities between this film and the computer game version of John Saul's series novel The Blackstone Chronicles. Certain scenes could have been lifted straight from the game, and the actors dropped in. That said, it's probably not a coincidence that the two offer the viewer the same atmosphere, a slow, relentless building of tension. What makes Session 9 different than The Blackstone Chronicles (and The Others, for that matter), is that the right questions to ask in the game are irrelevant at the climax of the film. Whether the ghosts are all in the workers' heads or not doesn't matter a bit, except as post-film coffee-table discussion fodder. Anderson hands us the set of questions we expect, and then answers them with the answers to a completely different set. It's a beautiful thing; tends to put off people who don't like surprises (or, at least, those who like their surprises to come within a predetermined set of choices; e.g. most fans of your average run-of-the-mill horror flick), but done right can propel a film to greatness. This one comes pretty close. **** ½

Creepy, creepy, creepy!
This has to be the creepiest movie I have seen since The Changeling. Don't be turned off by the presence of David Caruso, he gives a solid performance. But the star of this film is the little-known Peter Mullan, who plays Gordon. His character is in almost every scene, and he is entirely believable in all of them. He never hits a wrong note.

The setting is an old asylum where the guys are hired to remove the asbestos. As soon as they get there, weird things start happening that they can't explain. Comparisons to The Shining are inevitable, but--I believe--are misplaced. Where that movie was merely icky, this one is terrifying. I was exhausted after watching this movie, and I realized how tense I was throughout, but couldn't help it--I wanted to keep watching.

Gore and violence are minimal here, the mood is all that is needed. It starts out eerie and never lets up, even until the end.

If you are tired of all the slasher films masquerading as horror, and are looking for something that is genuinely scary, this is a good bet, especially if you are a fan of The Changeling with George C. Scott. They don't really make them like this one much anymore, so when they do, it is a real treat.

Brrrr...
Chilling.
And creepy. The setting. . .that PLACE. . .
Don't expect Oscar-calibur performances or story-writing. Just pay attention to the atmosphere -- the thought of having to be in a place like that. . .
Don't expect in-your-face blood and gore or ... teenagers getting mutilated.
It's a GHOST story. Everything is NOT spelled out, but heck -- let your imagination take over for a while. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Lost in Translation
The film starts off with the gruesome, ritualistic-style murder of a young girl that's more graphic and disturbing than anything you'd see on CSI.This accurately sets the stage for the disturbing, underlying plot: that there's a secret society of pathological killers operating just under the radar and they're committing incredibly unspeakable acts of all kinds - without conscience, for the sake of evil itself. While the film does keep you on the edge of your seat, I found myself asking the characters 'how could you be so stupid?; people going into potentially dangerous buildings alone, being forewarned about impending doom and yet still casting common sense aside and putting themselves in harm's way. If it wasn't for the the lack of intelligence of the characters portrayed in the film, this secret society couldn't stand on its own in more realistic terms.

Putting that aside, the film's native language is Spanish and much of the character's personalities and torment, (however their own doing they may be) are lost in the English overdubbing. ... Read more

Description

Honored at film festivals the world over and revered by tromites and tromettes worldwide, Terror Firmer is an unforgettable look into the set of one of Troma’s movies of the future! Featuring director Lloyd Kaufman in the role of blind director Larry Benjamin, Terror Firmer tells the story of a low budget film crew trying to make The Toxic Avenger Part IV, only to find themselves stalked by a sexually confused killer!A satirical schock-comic tro-masterpiece, Terror Firmer stands as the tro-magnum opus of blood, breasts, gore, satirical laughs that will stick with you forever! And that’s not even including the extra features!A second disc features the feature length making-of documentary, "Farts of Darkness," which is must-see viewing for anyone interested in making their own damn movie!With over two hours of extra features, Terror Firmer delivers the troma-riffic goods! ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Sick and twisted baaaaby!!
If your looking at buying this movie then you really don't need to read this review. You know exactly who Troma are and exactly what they do. Troma delight in making the sickest, most twisted, perverted flicks that can be put on film.

Terror Firmer is Troma's swansong (though im sure another will rear its ugly mutant head sometime) and easily sits beside "classics" such as, Tromeo and Juliet, Surf Nazis must Die, Cannibal:The Musical and Toxic Avenger. Definately one of thier best. Its gross, its disgusting, its hilarious and I love it!!

This is an excellent 2 disc set that is an easy buy for any fan of gonzo/horror/sexploitation/weirdo movies. ...

TERROR FIRMER: The One Troma Fans Have Been Waiting For!
TERROR FIRMER is one of Troma's newest films to be released and now it's making it's debut on DVD. I can't wait to get it. I haven't seen the movie but I know the straight plot of it: A low-budget independant film crew find themselves being stalked by a maniac killer. There's plenty of nudity, sex, Troma-tic violence, and bad cheesy acting in general...only from Troma, of course! Well, since I'm a big fan of most Troma movies, I'm giving this one 5 stars before I even watch it. Any Troma fan with a DVD player should just pick this one up!

Wheres my damn poster?!?!
Decent flick, but where the hell is the mini poster advertised on the front of the movie?

ioncetookatexantoawedding
this movie is bad even for troma. its not gross or shocking or funny. it's very long, i think about 9 hours. i wasn't offended or entertained, just bored and i got diarhea. troma fans are overwight. i bought this movie and i can't get rid of it. i can't sell it to stoners, give it away to homeless people, or trade it for a banana at lunch. it didn't even come with the free poster promised on the case. also it breaks your dvd players

Terror Firmer
A film writhing in dark humour, gore and a wonderful storyline, Terror Firmer is a must for anyone who loves Troma and anyone who doesn't. The film is one of the best black movies I have ever seen, and I recommend it to you, because it is fantastic and a classic. ... Read more

Description

When American author Edgar Allan Poe visits London, he is approached by British journalist Alan Foster, who becomes the target of a peculiar wager. Not believing Poe's assertion that all of his macabre stories have been based on actual experience, Foster accepts a bet from Poe and his friend Sir Thomas Blackwood that he cannot spend an entire night in the Blackwood's haunted castle. Once installed in the abandoned castle, Foster discovers that he is not alone, as he is approached by various beautiful women and handsome men, and a doctor of metaphysics -- who explains that they are all lost souls damned to replay the stories of their demises on the anniversary of their deaths! ... Read more

Reviews (15)

5 Stars Are Not Enough
This is a movie to rival Black Sunday with its candlelit, thick, gothic atmosphere. A writer spends the night in a castle populated with the living dead. Barbara Steele is once again cast as one of the undead and is a beautiful, tragic figure in this black and white masterpiece. Miss Steele is the defintive "living dead girl" in the era of gothic horror. The DVD is very good in both sound and picture quality. A must have for any fan of great gothic horror.

A Minor Masterpiece
A fine example of the Italian horror-film of the sixties mostly concerned with atmosphere. A journalist is spending the night in a haunted mansion to prove Edgar Allan Poe wrong on his theory of life after death (!). The investigation of the old dark house and endless walking down dark corridors make up for most of the running time, but then Barbara Steele shows up and after two minutes they're in love. Well, the story is actually quite good, almost tending towards a greek tragedy with adultery and three people dying within ten seconds. As we have come to expect from the Italian horror-cinema there are plenty of hints to lesbianism, necrophilia and algolagnia, but as usual it's rendered with a lot of taste and poetical manner. Fans of Bava's Black Sunday will be pleased to see not only the otherworldly Barbara Steele but also the stoical Arturo Dominici, who played Javutich, as Dr. Camus, who becomes the journalist's spiritual guide in the haunted house.
The DVD looks great, but the sound is mildly worn. It can occasionally be difficult to make sense of the dialogue. As a European I'm often annoyed by the lack of subtitles on many american DVD-releases.

that sexy gila monster! the true female horror star
that sexy gila monster, barbara steele!
she's a prime example of a great screen presence in (often) lackluster films.
but,
she reamins the sole great female horror star.
no, screaming bimbo here.
virtually all of her films are worth getting for her alone, but if you want a condensed list;
this one and black sunday are top 2.
then, nightmare castle and the terror of dr hitchcock (the longer british version).
enjoy

Supernatural Gothic Love Before Buffy & Angel
This is a fantastic film..I have it on a old vhs tape that i have had since the early 80s..I had recorded it off of a local tv midnight scary movie show called "Uncle Ted's Ghoul School"..I haven't have this on dvd YET but i will be getting it soonly you can bet on that..I wouldn't really call this a scary movie or a horror film..Though it does have that to it as well..This is more on the lines of "Ghost" set in a b/w gothic haunted mansion story..Has a campfire element to it too..It is mostly when it gets going a love story between a alive human..And a gothically HOT SEXY ghost living dead girl named Elisabeth..Played by the gothic temptress of scary movies Barbara Steele..If you never witnessed Barbara Steele's Magic i would strongly suggest that you see this movie..And while you are at also check out her horror classic "Black Sunday (aka mask of satan)" Buy them both and you will have the perfect scary movie double midnight feature."Castle Of BlOOd" is spOOkily filmed..The way this movie is filmed in glorious black and white is very creepy..The first scene is kinda boring though starts with Edgar Allen Poe daring a man to spend the night in the Haunted Mansion..Once you get past that opening scenes get ready for one of the best movies of this kind that you will ever witness..I am looking forward to seeing what all was added here..And i can only imagine how it will look on dvd..Barbara Steele's "Elizabeth" is kinda looks like Mortishia Addams drapped in white..Before the supernatural love story of Buffy and Angel there was this gothic love story between a mortal man and ghost of Elisabeth..Can they be together?? Watch the movie to find out..You will not be disappointed..And with these added scenes here it is sure to add to the exsperiance of watching this masterpiece of a film..Barbara Steele is more then erotic beautiful a gothic temptress......

Spooky, creepy, just plain 'ol fantastic !!!!
Wow ! This really packs a punch. Not to be missed by any horror fan. They do not make em' like this anymore (unfortunately !!). This is what a true horror movie is all about, extremely light on the gore and heavy on atmosphere, music score and sound effects. Just thinking about that "whispering wind" gives me the creeps ! Web of The Spider is an early 70's remake of this film, although fairly decent, does not come close to Castle of Blood. Do not miss this one folks ! Right up there (if not a notch above) Carnival of Souls and Black Sunday. Dare ya' to watch COB on stormy night with all the lights off !! Ga' head try it ! just Try it !!! ... ... Read more

Description

It's ten years after the kidnapping of Martin Bristol. Taken from a backyard swing at his home at the age of six, he is forced to witness the unspeakable crimes of a deranged madman. For years, Martin's whereabouts have remained a mystery... until now. When a bank robbery goes wrong, desperate felons Julian (Brandon Johnson), Marylin (Heather Magee), and Kurt (Richard Glover), scatter to meet up later at an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. Grabbing hostages Samantha (Samantha Dark) and her young daughter Courtney (Courtney Bertolone) along the way, the group has no idea that the house they've chosen for their seclusion is about to become a hunting ground - with them as the prey... ... Read more

Reviews (18)

oh malevolence
Hey Yall,im writing this review to warn people about the pro's and con's of MALEVOLENCE, 1st let me start off by saying(and im not trying to glorify myself) i think i know a thing or two about horror movies, being fans of true horror fim creators like, fulci,romero,carpenter,argento etc...,knowing how a horror film should be made,. in any case heres the review, prior to MALEVOLENCE'S release i heard so many praises to this movie about how "it pays homage to the 70's horror genre" and all that junk, i found the trailer online and i wasnt impressed at all , in my head i said to myself it looks weak but non the less the day it came out i bought it, excited to see the hype that surrounded it,then about an hour and a half later THOROUGHLY dissapointed.

Heres why: this sounds way closeminded and ignorant but i am into movies that have great gore scenes and lots of bloodshed(not that a movie needs blood and gore to be a good movie), and there was basically no blood at all in this movie, so the gore and blood factor isnt even an issue here, 2nd the acting was very bad, the actors tried to hard to make thier characters believable and that didnt work out for them, 3rd the movies pace is WAY to slow.

The CONS of the movie: The setting was great, the old slaughterhouse and farm was a great choice of location, especially whatever season they shot the movie in, it complimented the setting greatly in addition to being nicelooking already. 2nd the score of the movie added to the creepy setting of the film, the sound effects as well were a plus, 3rd: some camera shots were nicely done
oh i also forgot to mention that the killer in the movie was very lame and unoriginal wearing a pillow case over his head? although the idea of the kidnapped martin brolin watching his abductee comit murders in front of his eyes and following in his footsteps is a cool idea.

I will admit the movie did give me a feeling that i dont get from every movie i watch,the movie also is growing on me and i find myself wanting to watch it again here and there, but over all dont belive the hype of this movie and rent it before you buy, heres a list of some movies you all should check out before you even contemplate watching this, Mutilation Man,Man Bites Dog,The Deadly Spawn,Re-Animator,Near Dark,The Manson Family,Suspiria,The Last Horror Movie,Dead End,

Why The Bashing?
All right...I've read the Customer Reviews. I've seen the movie twice.
And I still don't understand.
Why are we bashing Malevolence? Detour, The Hazing, and The Amityville Horror remake have better customer ratings than Malevolence.
Malevolence bashers: Does this strike you as odd?
Honestly, I loved this movie. I thought this was a scary, smart homage to Halloween that found a series of effective scares and a gorgeous sense of atmosphere. Don't tell me you weren't impressed by the killer's lair. Ordinary junk has never seemed so threatening. And the Bone Deer...What a beautiful piece of work. It's the kind of minimalistic and brutally effective set piece that's been missing from modern horror. The masters of horror recognize the impact moments like this have. They get under your skin. I'm not saying Steven Mena is a Carpenter or Argento. But I think some of you would agree that he shows great promise. In his first outing, he created a film that has jumps, whose meanacing presence lingers when the film is over. These days, most Hollywood releases go for one or the other. I love the B-Movie Horror Flick as much as the next guy, but it's great to see a film that strips horror down to it's core quality: Primal Fear. I haven't been this excited by a small horror movie since Session 9.
Let's give Mena credit where credit is due. If you all want nothing but B-Movie, direct to video horror / Japanese imports (or poor American remakes of) for the rest of your lives, that's cool. But it's time to recognize that some directors are trying to give horror it's good name back, regardless of how successful we think they are (and on that, we all seem to differ.) Just remember: Rome wasn't built in a day

Not All That Malevolent
The recently released indy horror flick 'Malevolence' has, at its core, a very interesting concept.Unfortunately, this interesting idea is pushed into the background of the film and instead is turned into your run-of-the-mill slasher flick.

There are some good points to 'Malevolence'.The film's cinematography is quite good.There's good camera work and a nice creepy mood is prevalent throughout.The sets are well done and there are a few good scares too.But then the actor's have to speak and that's when this film goes to crap.

The script, while an interesting idea, is poorly written and the actor's don't help at all by being extremely annoying.Pile on the sometimes confusing editing and numerous continuity errors and the movie itself becomes irritating.'Malevolence' would have been better off telling the story of the young boy, Martin Bristol, who was kidnapped and trained to be a serial killer.But instead of concentrating on this interesting aspect of the film, it instead focuses on a few annoying bank robbers who happen to cross paths with Martin.

I had high hopes for the well-packaged 'Malevolence' but was disappointed.Its not the worst horror flick I've seen but its not the best.Either way I can't really recommend it.But the filmmakers do obviously have some talent.If they can get some better actors and find a more focused script, I think that they could produce a quality film.

I'm gonna cry
I was devastated after watching this film. Why? How? What do I have to do to get the scripts that I've written to film?

I've been writing for a few years now and constantly my scripts are ripped apart for minor illogical incidents. Yet, nothing as ridiculous and riddled as MALEVOLENCE.

AND THIS MOVIE HAS WON AWARDS!!

Where do I go? Where do I sign? How can I get my script turned into a movie?

Wow. Where do I start? First of all. MALEVOLENCE is Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Psyco, House of Wax, etc. etc. I don't mean, it's like them, it is them. The stories. The camera shots. The music. Complete rip-offs. You will see absolutely nothing new by watching Malevolence.

I understand that this is a first film by the director and the actors, but the acting is so over-delivered by everyone. Horrible scripting.

An argument before a bank robbery over the fact that the girl wanted a Snow White mask instead of the Werewolf mask. Completely unnecessary. An argument in a script to get across that the people are wearing characters masks... is not needed when you can see it visually.

A mother and her daughter are abducted and despite the fact that the daughter is able to wiggle from her restraints and run free, the mother can't. Yet, the mother, after watching her daughter run away being chased by a murderer and watching a brutal murder... she is apparently narcoleptic because she manages to SLEEP! Soundly... numerous times.

She also manages to wiggle her way into a closed closet, despite having her hands tied behind her back.

The mother knows there is a crazed knife wielding murderer out there and her daughter is missing, yet she never gets emotional until she finds her daughters shoe.Then, she whimpers, for a second and they cut to the next shot and she's fine again.

Oh, of course, the knife wielding murderer slaughters everyone he comes in contact with, but of course he decides only to restrain the ONE guy who can save the say.

Just because you turn the music of really loud every time GUNNYSACK face appears in the woods, doesn't make it scary.

Neither is a wall display of bones and a large animal head. Which is never explained... I might add.

Our killer is a major weeney who gets cold-cocked by a 12 year old girl and knocked out by a chair to... HIS BACK?

At the end of the film, the camera is set on a close up of 2 officers who says things to elude that they are looking upon a devastatingly huge amount of corpses and the numerous amount of missing person cases to be solved... and the camera pulls out to show 7 bodies. An 8th is brought out.

I'm sorry. Lately I've been really upset at the weak quality of movies that we are being subjected to. There are so much better scripts and movies to be made out there and the studios aren't looking past themselves and their friends and it's appalling.

There are many many many writers out there with original ideas and far better scripts. PLEASE STUDIOS... look harder!! FIND THESE PEOPLE AND QUIT CHEATING US with run of the mill trash.

Shades of "The Shape"
This film is a return to the halcyon days of the 80’s slasher era.Everything has an 80’s vibe to it from the cheesy music, stilted acting, cheap camerawork.Was this intentional?If not, I feel a little sorry for Mena but if you grew up in that era like I did then Malevolence is a nice little treat.Mena’s style reminds me of Dante Tomaselli, another talented indie horror filmmaker.Both are capable of instilling genuine dread and a creepy atmosphere despite what is an obvious micro-budget.If done well, movies like this make things look even scarier since the cheap film quality makes it look so REAL.

The opening scene shows us 6-year-old Martin Bristol in 1989 being kidnapped and having to witness his kidnapper brutally murder a woman.Bristol is reported missing and never seen again.Flash forward 10 years later: In a nearby town, a group of bank robbers pull a heist, highjack a vehicle with woman and son in tow and high-tail it into the countryside.Little do they know that they have stumbled into the home of Martin Bristol, now all grown up and a full-fledged killer.

Admittedly, “Malevolence” is derivative of many slasher films most notably Halloween, Psycho and TCM.The bank-robbers stumbling into the wrong house plot also bears a strange resemblance to another recent movie named “Dead Birds”.However, I refuse to slam the movie because of this.If anyone cared to watch the special features section, they would hear Steven Mena acknowledge that his film resembles past slashers and say that he was intentionally paying homage to them.I totally agree with Mena’s point that anyone who makes a slasher these days risks making a derivative movie since the genre has been done to death.Which, when you think about it, makes Carpenter’s Halloween such a powerful achievement in retrospect.Released over 25 years ago, it has been studied, manipulated and copied to death yet none of those imitators are able to make a film as scary or as powerful as Carpenter’s.Mena’s film is no exception.

So no this is not a terribly original movie but it does qualify as a creepy, suspenseful entry in a well-worn genre.There is however one thing I find original in this film: we actually get to see “behind the mask”, the villain’s face at the end of the movie in a close-up that lasts for several seconds.Nice touch.

The special features are an immense treat: we get cast member interviews, deleted scenes, a photo gallery, rehearsal footage, trailers for several of the horror classics that Mena was inspired from such as “Halloween”, “Evil Dead” and “Hellraiser” and last but not least a half-hour feature on the making of the film which profiles the actors, set locations and Mena’s acknowledgment of having used several slasher films as influences in what stands as an extremely interesting look into indie DIY filmmaking.Steven Mena’s exactly the type of passionate horror geek the genre needs more of.Give his film a try, you just might like what you’ll see.
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Description

A notorious bank robber kills his wife and flees the police, only to be captured by a mysterious group of figures in an abandoned town. His beautiful daughter, Lila Lee (played by the late Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith), receives a letter stating that Lila’s father is near death and that he needs to see her.

Sneaking away at night from her minister guardian (EATING RAOUL co-writer Richard Blackburn, who also writes and directs), Lila embarks on a terrifying journey to find her father that leads her to a mansion run by Lemora, a seemingly loving woman who cares for a group of gypsy children and a witch-like servant. Once the terrifying secret of Lemora is revealed, Lila must uncover what happened to her father and fight for dear life as she tries to escape the clutches of the undead! LEMORA: A CHILD’S TALE OF THE SUPERNATURAL, one of the most beloved horror cult classics ever made, makes its home video premiere with this stunning presentation from Synapse Films. Mastered directly from the original 35mm camera negatives (thought to be lost for over thirty years) and mastered in High Definition using a Spirit DataCine® Telecine System, LEMORA is presented with never-before-seen clarity and detail that will leave you breathless. You may have seen LEMORA in the theatres but you’ve NEVER seen it like this!

SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:
- New Uncut, Uncensored Anamorphic (1.78:1) Widescreen Transfer, Supervised and Approved by Director Richard Blackburn
- RSDL Dual-Layer Edition for Optimal Image Quality
- Audio Commentary from Director Richard Blackburn, Actress Lesley Gilb and Producer Robert Fern
- Still Gallery Including Rare On-Set Continuity Photos
- Chapter Selections
- Bonus Trailers
- Liner Notes ... Read more

Description

Killer Nun

From the Secret Files of the Vatican! Uncut! Uncensored! Unholy!

Legendary Swedish sex bomb Anita Ekberg (LA DOLCE VITA) stars as sister Gertrude, a cruel nun who discovers depraved pleasure in a frenzy of drug addiction, sexual degradation and sadistic murder. Joe Dallesandro (ANDY WARHOL'S FRANKENSTEIN),Lou Castel (A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL), Alida Valli (SUSPIRIA) and the lusous Paola Morra (BEHIND CONVENT WALLS) co-star in this notorious 'Nunspolitation' sickie based on actual events that took place in a Central European country not many years ago!

Branded as obscene around the world and banned outright in Britain, Killer Nun has been completely remastered from original vault elements and is now presented with all of its blasphemous sex and violence fully restored for the first tme ever n America! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Life after death? How about love after death...
In 1987, German art-house director Jorg Buttgereit unleashed "Nekromantik" on an unsuspecting festival circuit provoking waves of outrage and the film to be banned in several countries, including his own. Meanwhile, the film was gaining a rabid cult following from fans of depraved and trash cinema who clamored for a sequel. In 1991 Buttgereit submitted to the demands of the underground and filmed Nekromantik 2, a film so depraved and dangerous in its insinuations it was actually seized by German authorities folowing its premiere back in 1991. Having seen the original Nekromantik several years ago, I never bothered trying to find the sequel due to the profound unease the first film had left on me. Given Barrel entertainment's recent packaging of Nekromantik 2 in a 2-disc deluxe edition, curiosity got the best of me and I knew I had to give it a try.

Nekromantik 2 opens up with a flashback of the climactic scene of the first film, where Rob commits suicide. That scene is replayed in all its glory, and it remains quite the shocker. Meanwhile, a young single lady living in Berlin (the gorgeous Monika M.) has been reading several newspaper clippings about Rob's suicide and decides to dig up his body from the morgue. She drags the corpse back to her place, making love to it on a regular basis and lavishing all of her attentions on it. Unil one day she meets a guy named Mark, a reclusive type who earns his life dubbing adult films. As their romance blossoms, Monika's anguish over her having to choose between her two lovers escalates. Monika's torment and final "decision" leads to one of the most shocking climaxes ever put on film, a scene of bodily violation so intense that I found it even more shocking than the one in "Cuting Moments" and perhaps even Nacho Cerda's "Aftermath".

Nekromantik 2 has much of the same art-house feel that the first one does but on a noticeably higher budget. Many scenes of necromancy are played in a slow-motion dream-like haze with a beautiful piano score in the background. This technique works quite well in decreasing viewer disgust, almost convincing the viewer that loving the dead can be...well, beautiful. Sometimes, however, I found the artistic touches to be a little too forceful. In one scene, the camera zooms in on a snail as we watch it inch by inch crawling across a tombstone in the graveyard. The scene is well done but one has to wonder what the point of it really is. Most pretentious of all is the inclusion of a short and utterly strange black and white film about two people discussing the evolution of birds. While watching this drawn-out scene, I could practically imagine Buttgereit frantically yelling in his director's chair "ART! ART!".

There was something strangely appealing about watching Rob, the jilted suicidal wanker of the first film, finally finding true love as a corpse. I also liked the character of Mark. Although the guy earns his living dubbing adult films, he might be the only Buttgereitt character ever to not come across as a degenerate sicko but instead is a warm, caring soul who believes in true love. Even through some of the glitches, I couldn't help but feel that I was witnessing the work of a truly gifted artist. The problem with the Nekromantik films though is that they're such sick cinematic puppies that lavishing too high praise could be misinterpreted by others as tantamount to endorsing necromancy, cat-bashing, rabbit-skinning and seal clubbing. Although I believe Buttgereitt went a little too far by including real-life seal autopsy footage in the film, I still admire his unwillingness to tone down his style in the face of the huge protest his films have garnered in his country.

The second disc is packed with extra features such as theatrical trailers for all of Butgereitt's films, interviews with cast and crew, the amazing musical scores to both Nekromantik films and 25-minutes of behind-the-scenes footage where Buttgereitt and crew explain in fascinating detail how they created the corpse and managed to make it look so authentic.

Does not have the same tone as it's predecessor
This sequal picks up where the last film left off with a young nurse who moonlights as a necrophile, she reads about Rob's death and goes straight to the grave to dig up the remains and take him back to her flat. Sick scenes of corpes bonking follows but one night she meets a young porno film dubber who is goofy looking and she falls in love, but all this romance leads to a shocking climax. the film is well made but it is ruined by us being subject to real life footage of dead seals being cut open, the cover is nice and we also get a nice CD with it too.

Love Story?
If you are expecting a retread of "Nekromantik" and its intense, disturbing scenes, you will be disappointed. This sequel contains very little of the imagery of disgust that was at the forefront of the first film, choosing instead to focus on the blossoming love story of a female necrophile, her living lover, and the torment experienced over the fact that she is more attracted to a corpse. That said, "Nekromantik 2" is still a prime example of decadent German cinema and the peculiar workings of director Jorg Buttgereit. It contains all the nuances of his other work although scenes seem to go on too long, indicating that some tightened editing was in order. This is even more evident in the excellent audio commentary track where the director and others mention the editing issues. The DVD presentation is superb and contains the usual trailers, biographies and interesting behind the scenes footage. This version also contains a "bonus" CD of the soundtrack for both films. In all, I would recommend "Nekromantik 2" to fans of the first film, those who are really into German cinema, and to those looking for truly depraved video. It is unfortunate that, for whatever reason, Amazon does not carry the first film. ... Read more

Description

Jonathan Harker, a student of vampires, ventures to Dracula's castle and attacks him. The revengeful vampire leaves his dark abode to prey on the family of his attacker's fiancee. The only man able to protect Harker and his fiancee is Dr. Van Helsing, a friend of Harker's. As a fellow-student of vampires, he's determined to destroy Dracula. ... Read more

Reviews (92)

The epic Hammer version of Van Helsing versus Dracula
"The Horror of Dracula" is perhaps the finest film produced by the Hammer Studio. At the very least, it epitomized the Hammer style at its best. Peter Cushing as Dr. Van Helsing gets a welcome respite from playing Victor Frankenstein while Christopher Lee quickly enter screen immortality as Count Dracula in one of the few Hammer films that allowed the vampire to have recognizable dialogue instead of inarticulate animalistic howls and the like. Jimmy Sangster's script streamlines Bram Stoker's novel, eliminating the Renfield character and subplot, and taking a more direct approach by having Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen) come to Castle Dracula for the purpose of staking the Count. After Harker's initial attempt fails, Van Helsing has to save his friend's soul and then protect Jonathan's fiancée, Lucy Holmwood (Carol Marsh), her brother Arthur (Michael Gough) and his wife Mina (Melissa Stribling), as Dracula's hit list grows. The names of the characters are the same as Stoker's novel, but the relationships have certainly changed. The strength of this film is Cushing's Van Helsing, a character as dynamic as the vampire he pursues. When Dracula is dispatched it is because the good doctor's brains are backup by some compelling physical action. Bernard Robinson's set designs for Castle Dracula belie the fact this film was produced for under $200,000 and the script's overt violence and subtle eroticism certainly plays to the strengths of director Terence Fisher. Of the eight Dracula films produced by Hammer, "The Horror of Dracula" is definitely the first and the best.

"An all time classic with the best bloodsucker to date"
Terence Fisher's Dracula is without doubt the most superior version of Stokers Gothic chiller ever to grace the screen. After the success of "The Curse Of Frankenstein" in 1957 Hammer decided to remake Dracula and although it is debatable whether the Hammer Frankenstein is better than the 1931 version Hammers Dracula is most certainly superior to the Lugosi in almost every way. Christopher Lee makes his debut as the King vampire oozing eroticism and fear and although his scenes are brief every time is rivetting. Peter Cushing is also excellent as the enegetic Van Helsing hell bent on destroying the Count at any cost. Wonderful sets by Bernard Robinson and an the excellent three-note score by James Bernard is now a classic piece of horror music. This is romantic horror, which is not as scary as later adaptions but it still remains the closest to Bram Stokers novelbringing out the underlying sexual overtones in the story that were never touched before. The final scenes of Lee and Cushing physically duelling in the castle are also classic horror scenes up there with "the Exorcist" and others. This is British horror at its peak and very best.

The best in the entire Hammer series!
Definitely the best of all the Christopher Lee Dracula films. The sequels do not live up to this film, mainly because they do not contain all of the original characters such as Lucy, Jonathan Harker, and of course, Van Helsing. This film sticks with the original Bram Stoker novel with these characters. The only person missing is Renfield, plus nothing is ever mentioned about Dracula being able to turn into a bat, a werewolf, or mist. Yes, this was 1958 before visual effects were what they are now. But, in the Bela Lugosi film, at least mention is made of these things.

Lee is smooth as the Count, and Peter Cushing is a delight at Professor Van Helsing. These two were great together in other films, and it is too bad Cushing did not continue into the sequels (with the exception of the present day setting films). He would have made those films better and much more entertaining to watch.

A must have for any horror film fan.

A classic film of dark, ominous foreboding
This excellent horror film is by far the best of all other Dracula screen adaptations. No other film of this type approaches this Hammer production for drama, color, storyline, atmosphere, music score and acting. The movie is a straightforward narrative of the attempt to destroy the dark prince of the undead that becomes a struggle for survival between the resourceful, erudite Dr. Van Helsing and the frightening, evil Count Dracula. There are graphic bloodletting scenes, tense, scary moments and buxom ladies who become Dracula's victims. The film moves at a brisk pace towards its conclusion as Van Helsing races against time and Dracula to reach his castle before dawn or lose him and Mina Holmwood forever in the vast catacombs and underground passages. James Bernard's eerie, haunting music expertly suggests the tension and horror of the proceedings

The Blood Is RED and The Fangs are Bared!
This picture is seminal in that it is the first partnership between Christopher Lee and the wonderful Peter Cushing in the Hammer Dracula series. Arguably the best of the series. This film still holds the power to shock today--despite the lack of heads being ripped from their torsos. From the first moment, one is transfixed by the Scarlet Blood dripping over the tomb with "Dracula" engraved upon the crypt lid. This was very alluring in the 1950's. Vampirism and colour were a very new thing indeed. Peter Cushing while maintaining some semblance of humanity is every bit as ruthless to destroy Dracula as Dracula is to destroy those who dared to violate his sanctum. Though not completely faithful to the book, one will find this movie an enjoyable and frightening venture into the Hammer world of Horror. I am only waiting for the equally terrible: Brides of Dracula to be released on DVD. The immediate sequel to Horror of Dracula, though missing Lee as Dracula, this film is even more inspired in its images of horror. And it is a master stroke to have one of Dracula's disciples: David Peel, actually appear with blond hair. The perfect angel, which makes him the perfect devil when he suddenly transforms. Peter Cushing is also in Brides of Dracula. Hurry and release this terrifying film (one of the top five best vampire films ever done!).

IN CHRIST JESUS: THE LIVING GOD,

W Braithwaite
*Gospel John Ch. 1; John 3:16-18*

Email: wbraithwaite@tampabay.rr.com ... Read more

Amazon.com

Without question, 3-D technology has come a long way since the days ofred and green cardboard glasses, and Haunted Castle offersdelectable proof. This half-hour digitally animatedfeature--also available in The Ultimate 3-DCollection, which includes two other films and the H3D"i-glasses" hardware needed to generate the 3-D imaging--tells the storyof a young rock star facing the Faustian offer to sell his soul for fameand fortune.

The tale is a foil for the effects, of course, but a decent foil withabove-par music and excellent animation and effects, from torches totrees, gargoyles to guitars. The sound is terrific, enhancing the senseof depth with a seamless DTS surround-sound mix that works well even inheadphones. --Michael Mikesell ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Amazing Stuff
Out of watching about ten different IMAX movies this is my favorite one. The visuals are amazing and the music is breathtaking. The story is ok but for IMAX movie standards its really good. Besides that I think that is a terrific product.

Incredible DVD, but the music makes it
I first saw Haunted Castle as a feature at the IMAX in New Orleans, LA. The imagery alone was enough to astound, but the music that follows the story added a dimension that no pop-up graphics could. The band which supplies the music, Arid, also performs a live set at the end. The lead singer Jasper stars as the film's lead character in a sticky situation. You will love this DVD, even if only for the music. And guaranteed you'll be left wondering who that enchanted voice (and face) belongs to long after the credits roll.

movie Fine 3D Ain't
I bought this movie to watch it in 3d on a front projection system with a 6 foot wide screem . I bought the recommended 3d equipment to see it, and while it almost works it was disappointing. They need to get the bugs out. You can watch this movie in 2D and its entertaining but it would really be impressive in the 3d mode it was intended for. I am sending the equipment back and the three other movies that came with it..If this equipment is improved I'd like to try it again.

Can you say¿ obsessed?
The first time I heard about this movie was on IMAX. I'm like cool, Haunted Castle. So I went and saw it and it was the best I had to see it again. When I first heard it was on DVD I'm like, hurry hurry- I need to get this. I got it and it was the best. My only complaint is you can't view it in 3D unless you have a what-chu-macall-it video system. This is the tightest DVD.

Stunning effects, stunning music
Haunted Castle is a beautifully crafted movie with stunning graphics and 3D effects. It's fun and entertaining, especially when compared with other, more conventional 3D movies.

But the sparkling gem in this movie is the music, most of which is provided by Arid. Their music can only be described as beautifully melodic and enchanting - pure magic!

I guarantee you'll want to check out their album once you've heard their music in Haunted Castle.

And if you want to learn more about them, check out AridCentral on the web. ... Read more

Reviews (82)

Werner Herzog creates the ultimate vampire.
Nosferatu was originally a German expressionist film, much in the style of "The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari. Moody, extremley gothic, and very scary, shot in Germany in 1922. Max Schreck played the part of Nosferatu, aka Count Orlok, the ugliest, scariest Dracula in cinematic history. Orlak is tall and skinny, shriveled, actually, with elongated limbs, and long, sharp claws for hands. He is ancient as well. We have no leading man type here, a la Christopher Lee, who was actually a sex symbol back in the late sixties, or handsome Bela, Frank Langella, or more recently, Gary Oldman. Orlak is the combination of an evil old man, mixed with a rodent. His ears are batlike, his eyes, wide and scary, a beak nose, and his full lips hide long, ratlike fangs. He is bald as well. Klaus Kinski captured Nosferatu to a tee, although Klaus is well, flat out not as ugly as Schrek. the story is virtually Dracula retold, including Harker's trip to Transylvania, the Count buying Real Estate, the Count lusting after Lucy, and Lucy's sacrifice. There is a hidden eroticism in the final scene with Lucy that must be seen to be believed. Lucy, by the way, is portrayed by the ever sexy Isabelle Adjani, and she portays a perfect damsel in distress, who knows what she must do. The contrast in Lucy's beauty, compared to Orlak's hideous repulsiveness, only adds to the erotic chemistry that is on the screen during their scenes together, especially when Lucy is first confronted by the lustful old vampire, and he demands her love. During the famous, final scene, we see Orlak consumate his vampiric love, in full detail. Lucy almost seems to be enjoying it. Orlak must have Lucy, even if it means that his very existance is the price to be paid, so he enjoys his night of bloodlust, and lovemaking to the fullest. The movie is atmospheric, and well acted throughout, although the Van Helsing character seems a bit powerless. Then again, aside from Lucy's sacrificial beauty, what can stop the evil Count Orlak.....Highly recommended.

Cerebral, dream-like horror
Nosferatu unfolds like a languorous, disturbing dream. The images have an hallucinogenic, archetypal quality: mummified human remains in an ancient tomb; the figure of a woman sitting on a beach studded with tombstones; a dead sea-captain lashed to the wheel of a deserted sailing ship.

Like Kubrick's The Shining, Nosferatu is less a standard genre film than a singular expression of a filmmaker's vision. Writer-director Werner Herzog began with F.W. Murnau's expressionist classic, mixed in elements from Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, then set about creating a meditation on the vampire myth. What would it really mean to live forever, and be compelled to feed on the blood of others? What of the unspeakable boredom? The longing for companionship? For normalcy? For death? As played by Klaus Kinski, Herzog's Dracula has spent hundreds, if not thousands of years alone with these thoughts. He is the ultimate poster boy for German angst. If not for the skill of his performance and Herzog's direction, he might have lapsed into self-parody.

There are shots that all but reproduce moments from the silent classic - right down to the overwrought body language. But Herzog, Kinski, and the rest of the cast (including Bruno Ganz as Jonathon Harker and Isabelle Adjani as his wife Lucy) keep it in check and keep it beautifully stylized, so it all works.

Probably due to the involvement of American studio 20th-Century Fox, Nosferatu was shot in both English and German versions. Both are on this double-sided DVD; comparing them is instructive, since there are non-trivial differences in the visual construction of both films. Most critics agree (and I concur) that the German one is superior.

Finally, to get an idea of whether you will like this - or any - Werner Herzog film, take the Armageddon-Matrix test: if you hated Armageddon because it was empty and overblown, but kind of liked The Matrix because of its ideas, then you may like Nosferatu. If, on the other hand, you thought Armageddon rocked, but only kind of liked The Matrix because it was slow in places, then don't even think about it.

Good remake!
Remakes don't get much better that this, lets give a round of applause to the drictor, it's hard to make a remake of a classic film. So the film follows the story of the orignal, some guy goes to see Dracula, who he later bits( the guy goes crazy). Dracula later takes a ship to England and starts a rampage of death. This film does not have as much action as the first but it's still fun to wach. Make-up for Dracula rocked. Worth every penny.

The Classic Art-House Version of Dracula
For our second outing between Kinski and Herzog we find that the director has chosen to remake, or rather retell, his favorite film of all time - 'Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens' by F.W. Murnau (1922), while at the same time adapting more of the original Stoker novel into the remake, using the original name of Count Dracula (Kinski) instead of Orlok and injecting his own take on the story of Dracula (in German), which for all intensive purposes is a story about 'tragedy' and Herzog has correctly identified this main theme that would help levitate this entry to one of the all time great art-house horror films with images of Kinski's vampire often filling many film magazine pages and posters. In fact, it is Herzog's most commercial and accessible film to date. It was this telling of the Dracula story that influenced Coppola to remake the Stoker novel entirely into a film. It was not the first time Coppola had been influenced by Herzog. Coppola learned from Kinski and Herzog in "Aguirre: Wraith of God" that guerilla film making while going up a jungle river would be just what he needed for his version of Conrad's "Hearts of Darkness" (Apocalypse Now).

The usual Kinski/Herzog display of frustration is more subtle in this film than all the others probably because the beautiful Isabelle Adjani keeps Kinski distracted long enough for him not get angry with Herzog's cruel daily shoots to 'get it right' and deliberately making the actors and actresses angry for their performances. Here everyone just looks deathly sick and move extremely slowly. Even Adjani looks paler than Kinski at times. For some reason this has given Herzog a more controlled approach to this film with certainly less improvisation and 'on the spot' acting than any of his other collaborations with Kinski. Here we see a mix of Herzog's favorite - Tarkovsky's slow shooting style while cutting in shots of water (Herzog uses a bat in slow motion) and some sort of strange cinematic art house presence that we would see in many of Andy Warhol's productions. Herzog also gets the lighting just right and the cinematography is sublime - watching Kinski materialize from the darkness is again some of the most memorable images in art house cinema ever. Herzog also brings coffins en masse for display. Black coffins play a major role in the design throughout the film. Later on during a plague thousands of rats covering a city become central to Herzog's eye for capturing horror (a formal dinner takes place among hundreds of rats because the diners have the plague and wish to make the best of it before they die) - again extremely visionary and talented. Adjani puts on an amazing performance while remaining stunning under all the white. In one classic scene where she is confronted by Kinski she looks and acts more scary than Kinski almost performing him off the screen. The ending is an erotic take on the original film with Kinski touching Adjani all over, but the acting is excellent. The final twist comes as a shocker and is a bit funny. The end scene is like something out of a great Western and looks spectacular. Also the strange atmosphere of holiness is found throughout this film more than in any other Herzog/Kinski collaboration. The use of Orchestral sounds makes it all the more eerie while at the same time retaining that spirited electric connection to the presentation of madness that Herzog and Kinski are so well noted for.

'Nosferatu the Vampyre' is probably one of the most original art house horror films ever made even though the subject matter has been beaten to death, however it still ranks up there as one of the best versions of Dracula you can see. The DVD transfer is good and crisp. The aspect ratio is 1.85:1 and there are a lot of extras including director's commentary. By the way you can get the Kinski/Herzog box set of 6 films for a few quid extra than this stand alone DVD. Go look for it.

Belief and Science Clash
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979)

Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht directed by Werner Herzog, is really a color remake of the 1922 film Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens directed by F.W. Murnau. There are a couple of name changes: Count Orlok became Count Dracula; Jonathan's fiancée Nina became Jonathan's wife Lucy. The original film was silent and in black and white, where the 1979 version is in color and is in German with English subtitles.

However the plot is close to Bram Stoker's book on Count Dracula which has a very similar plot line and story. F.W. Murnau bought the movie rights to the film; however these rights were owned by Bram's widow Florence and she refused to allow the use of the name and storyline. Even though Murnau had changed the major names of the main characters (Count Dracula, Thomas and his wife Ellen) and location enough similarity remained that Florence took the case to court and in July of 1925 the German court ordered all the copies of the movie destroyed. However a few copies did manage to survive.

While the film starts off slow it shows spectacular scenes of an ocean voyage, and waterfalls experienced during Jonathan (Bruno Ganz) Harker's journey to Count (Klaus Kinski) Dracula's castle. The contrast with his return trip is startling, since he was healthy when he started, but on the return is very sickly and barely alive. The Count's journey is very stark, his companions' death and rats board another ship, which glides into port with no one left alive on board except the rats. As the rats depart the ship one reminded of the story of Ben, where the rats were everywhere and out of control.
An interesting dilemma in this film is the direct confrontation of belief in the existence of the supernatural and sacramental with belief in the rationale of science. Science was believed to able to explain away rationally anything that happened out of the ordinary. Yet here it could not produce an answer for Lucy (Isabelle Adjani) Harker. The way that this was shown was that after consulting with the town physician, Lucy broke and crumbed the Eucharist around Jonathan to keep him locked into a chair in a corner all night, while she became the sacrificed lamb to save him from the Count and death. While she did this out of her love for Jonathan, her sacrifice resulted in the final demise of Count Dracula and her own death. Yet Jonathan in essence lives on to carry the legacy of the living dead, alive yet not fully. The last that is seen of Jonathan is when he is released from his imposed prison, by the removal of the broken host around him, he declares that he has much work to accomplish he mounts a horse and rides off. ... Read more

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Vincent Price brings a theatrical flourish to the role of Roderick Usher, a brooding nobleman haunted by the dry rot of madness in his family tree. This being Poe, there's a history of family madness and melancholia, a premature burial, and a sense of doom hanging over this gloomy, crumbling mansion. Roger Corman sold stingy AIP pictures on the concept by claiming "The house is the monster," or so goes the oft-told story. True or not, Corman (with the help of his brilliant art director Daniel Haller and legendary cinematographer Floyd Crosby) creates an exaggerated sense of isolation and claustrophobia with the sunless forest and funereal fog that holds the house and its inhabitants prisoner in a land of the dead. It doesn't quite look real (some of the effects are downright phony, notably the apocalyptic climax), and none of the costars can hold a candle to Price's elegant, haunted performance (often speaking in no more than a stage whisper), but it's a triumph of expressionism on a budget. Shot in rich, vivid color and CinemaScope, from a literate script by genre master Richard Matheson, this is stylish gothic horror in a melancholy key. It was such a success that Corman reunited his core group of collaborators for the follow-up The Pit and the Pendulum the very next year. Corman's "Poe Cycle" was born.MGM's widescreen disc also features commentary by director-producer Corman, his first-ever such contribution. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (37)

Lavish Gothic horror`
This was the first film that Roger Corman made, when he hit upon the idea of adapting the Edgar Allen Poe classics, and it's the best one. Apparently, it was a huge success when first released, and it still retains much of it's power. Vincent Price plays the tormented Roderick Usher, last in the line of a cursed family living in a crumbling mansion. An outsider comes with the intention of marrying his sister, and soon the horrible truth is revealed. Much of the film looks beautiful, colours are deep and lavish, and the set of the house is suitably creepy, with ghoulish portraits of all the hideous Usher ancestors lining the walls. The cast is small, and Price chews his way through his part as ever, with many flowery speeches and gestures, but the film still delivers, especially in the spectacular fiery climax. Obviously, they aren't making them like this any more, and it all looks a bit dated, but as an example of 60's costume horror, it looks great.

classic VINCENT PRICE at its best
Vincent price is the "Lord of Horror" according to me. The Fall of the House of Usher is a classic horror movie that is very enjoyable. A great story, just great.