Description

At California's Malibu Beach, you'll find everything: hot, hunky, sun-bronzed surfers; bikini-clad chicks stacked to Pasadena; rock n' rollers; beatniks; booze; beer and something else--a hideous reptilian monster with a hunger for bitchin' babes. Dance to the rockin' tunes "Monster in the Surf" and "More Than Wanting You." Chill to the ghastly monster as it stalks its prey. Thrill as the surf-studs ride the big ones in a drive-in '60s romp that will scare the yell out of you! Great fun. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

It's no Creature from the Black Lagoon; nice DVD though!
For some reason, American International Pictures never properly exploited the huge potential crossover appeal of their highly successful beach party and horror genres (witness the tepid Ghost in the Invisible Bikini). Attempting to fill this void, kiddie-show producers Edward Janis and Joan Gardner concocted this mildly enjoyable, very low-budget beach/horror item (fondly remembered as Monster from the Surf on TV). The story is primarily a dysfunctional-family melodrama: it seems oceanographer dad (Jon Hall) is losing his grip because son Richard (Arnold Lessing, looking rather more than teenaged) is being distracted from his studies by the surf and sand set, and also apparently because frustrated, shrewish wife Vicki (Sue Casey) is stepping out on him. Meanwhile, an alleged "sea monster" is bumping off errant teens (the minute a stray couple heads down the shore you know they're toast). The production is 'enhanced' somewhat by the participation of puppeteer/voice artist/sculptor Walker Edmiston (who plays the crippled sculptor Mark, wrote the song "Monster in the Surf," and sculpted the creature's head) and more so by surfing photographer Dale Davis, who supplied some nice footage of hot-dogging tube action. Also on the upside: BG&TM offers probably the largest chunk of halfway-decent instrumental surf music to make it onto a movie screen during the craze years (Dick Dale, The Pyramids, et al. were usually not allowed to play their best [instrumental] stuff in the Beach Party movies). The main title theme, repeated throughout the film (minus the horrendous opening vocals), and a "spooky" reverb guitar-and-sax theme actually hold up pretty well today. No musical group is credited so apparently these and the vaguely Brubeckian cocktail/spy-jazz cues are courtesy of Frank Sinatra Jr. (yes, THAT Frank Sinatra Jr.) The movie also generates a modicum of sleazy Adults Only ambience, mostly thanks to Ms. Casey, whose cold-eyed, acid-tongued demeanor begs comparison with Meg Myles in Satan in High Heels, Tura Satana in Faster Pussycat, and other definitive "bad girl" performances. And trash film junkies will have fun snickering at the Edwoodian dialogue ("I still believe that a human clawed that girl to death, not a fish, no matter how big"); ultra-chintzy, overlit monster suit; and some of the least convincing rear-projection driving scenes ever committed to film (check the size and trajectory of some of those following/passing vehicles!). Unfortunately, the homely beach girls, lacklustre party scenes, and cringeworthy vocal numbers and 'blackout' jokes cause one to reflect only on how brilliantly these elements were handled by William Asher in the AIP series. Cult status or no, "More Than Wanting You" is just lame, and the singing hand puppet is, well, a singing hand puppet. According to several of the principals, the film was actually directed 'by committee' and it shows. The writing, performances, editing, and continuity are consistently amateurish (watch the white MG transform into a different auto as it heads over the cliff in the finale); plot points are telegraphed by obvious, heavy-handed dialogue; and nominal director and star Jon Hall (looking puffy and bug-eyed) overacts wildly throughout. Hard to believe he was once the debonair ladies' man romancing Maria Montez on-screen. SF/horror fans will groan at the cop-out ending and the entire picture will most likely disappoint straights expecting an actual Good Movie. However, Beach Girls and the Monster does offer a sizable chunk of cheese for low-budget schlock aficionados to snack on. Makes a great double bill with Horror of Party Beach (still MIA on DVD).
Yet another fine Image/Wade Williams presentation, Beach Girls is offered here in probably the definitive DVD edition. The source print has been transferred in anamorphic widescreen, matted at 1.85:1, and other than some light speckling and blemishing, and sporadic, barely noticeable lining it looks great, with generally excellent brightness, contrast, sharpness, and shadow/highlight detail (limited at times by the quality of the original cinematography). The full-frame BG&TM trailer looks a little dupey but still very good, with only some light speckling apparent, and the usual five bonus WW Collection trailers are included in a cookie. The disc also features an extensive gallery of stills, on-set candids, and advertising art (some of the photos are in color), and an underwhelming eight-page extract from the original script in Adobe PDF format. The Dolby Digital 1.0 mono sound is clear and full, the main menu is nicely animated, and there are informative liner notes by Tom Weaver in the keep case. One of the nicer packages in the Image/Williams series. Three stars for the movie, five for the DVD, equals four overall.

Five star sedative
This movie used to play periodically on late Saturday night Philadelphia TV in the 60s. My family and I must have watched it at least a dozen times without ever seeing the end. It got to be a real joke. We used to watch for it in the listings, and every time it would play we would gather together in front of the tube resolving to stick it through to the end, only to fall asleep once again. Twenty years later I finally got to see the end, but I won't ruin it for you.

Monster From the Surf
Monster From the Surf was this movies original title, I think it still is. I was shocked to know they changed it's name because I have been searching for this everywhere. Well I would not reccomend this to anyone no matter what type of movies you like. As a classic horror fan I was dissapointed to see this, they spend half the movie showing people surfing LITERALLY, watch for yourself it's actually almost half the whole movie showing clips of people surfing, looks like they stole the footage from somewhere, and to watch the whole movie and find out theres no monster but a guy in a suit was a huge dissapointment as well, I do love the design of the monster though. Horny directors try to get [rearend] shots of the gals in this flick and even breast close-ups while the girls are dancing! I mean come on, how horny do you have to be to sneak something up like that. There is no nudity in this film or much violence, if you want to call the "monsters" attacks violence. Theres not much I can say, just a jealous father getting his revenge whatever it may be, personally I don't care. But if your into collecting strange movies like me then I suggest you get it,. otherwise forget about it.

"There's a Monster in the Surf, yeah! yeah! yeah!
The above is the title to another song in this surf and monster opus of the California surf. After a girl named "Bunny" puts mustard on her boyfriends hot dog (he deserved it), he chases her but she gets away, right into the hands of Jon Hall (former Ramar of the Jungle) who is dressed up as a monster. It seems he resents the surf set for distracting his son from the scientific work which ole dad had planned for him. This is hokey stuff with bad acting, bad writing horrible music (although written by Chairman of the Board, Jr.) and girls whose wild bikinis are sometimes a little too stuffed. Still, its worth a look just for laughs. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Touch Not The Occult
Linnea Quigley, Michelle Bauer and Brinke Stevens are the most unattractive and unpopular girls on campus (believe it or not). But then they get a hold of a crystal ball and hold a seance.

Well, the girls become possessed by a succubus and proceed to strut around naked trying to seduce the guys. Some of the guys manage to maintain their cool despite the female heat and enlist an exorcist (a great character) to help restore the girls.

A simple plot and really just an excuse for plenty of feminine nudity, but still fun to watch even when the ladies aren't on screen. The exorcist is a real hoot as is the almost comedic medium who angers the occult in the opening scene.

Beautiful girls, funny characters and some bad acting with corny lines still manages to add up to a worthwhile package. Check it out.

late night goodies
Alright, first of all the plot is pretty ridiculous, the dialog is pretty cheesy, and the acting is atrocious, but this movie is lots'o'fun! The plot seems to be just a reason to get three of the greatest scream queens together and shirtless, but it is also a fun movie. It does have hints of DeCoteau's previous film, Sorority Babes In The Slimeball Bowl-A-Rama. Actually, it seems very similar to that movie which is probably why I like it as much as I do. Anyway, if you like those cheesy B-films from the 1980's, you'll love this. It has all the elements that make those classic "cult" movies so great.

Playboy meets the Three Stooges
This is a fun "B" movie and Michelle, Brinke and Linnea are in top form!

The two audio commentaries are fun to listen to. The Director starts off a bit serious, but becomes hysterical with laughter by the film's end. "Nightmare Sisters" is a return to the glory days of low budget film making. The production techniques are quite clever!

The audio commentary with Brinke and Michelle is very revealing. During the famous bathtub scene, Brinke manages to plug the latest movie she made with Linnea Quigley,
"Corpses are Forever."
What product placement!

It is also the only film where the Skirts have a song on the soundtrack, "Santa Monica Blvd. Boy."

"Nightmare Sisters" is for anyone with a sense of humor. ... Read more

Reviews (46)

A GOTHIC GHOST STORY THAT WILL HAUNT THE VIEWER...
This is a little heralded gem of a film and a chilling adaptation of James Herbert's spooky novel of the same name. With a star studded cast, the film does not lack for talent. Beautifully acted, this gothic ghost story is a wonderfully atmospheric, haunted house tale, sparely told.

The film begins with a turn of the century scene in Sussex, England with two children playing in the idyllic English countryside. They are fraternal twins, David and Juliet Ash. While playing, Juliet ends up drowning, and David, to his life long regret, is unable to save her.

Years later, David (Aidan Quinn) is a Professor of Psychology with a penchant for debunking so-called supernatural occurrences. After receiving an intriguing and pleading letter from a Mrs. Webb about ghostly apparitions at the rural manor home in which she resides, David goes there, only to be met by the Mariell clan, consisting of Christina (Kate Beckindsale), and her brothers, Robert (Anthony Andrews) and Simon (Alex Lowe). It turns out that Mrs. Webb is their old nanny, whom they all still call Nanny Tess (Ann Massey). She is clearly terrified of something that is going on in the house, and the Mariells all seem to be humoring her.

The Mariell siblings, at first, appear to be wildly eccentric Brits, but later seem to be more than just a little twisted, as it soon becomes apparent that all is not right in that household. There are things that go bump in the night, strange music is played, and the ghostly apparition of a young girl seems to glide about the house and grounds. Moreover, Nanny Tess always appears to be in a state of acute terror and is even so when the seemingly benign Dr. Doyle (John Geilgud) appears to give her a check up.

As a romance heats up between David and Christina, however, David appears to turn a blind eye to what is going on in the household. Even the apparently unwholesome relationship Christina appears to have with her brothers, especially Robert, initially fails to nonplus David. Too late, he realizes the nature of the evil within this isolated, rural manor house. In the end, it takes the force of something beyond the grave to save him from an almost unimaginable horror.

The acting is superb in this remarkably told tale of ghosts and things that go bump in the night. This is a well done, stealthily told, haunted house story that is sure to keep viewers glued to their screens. Kate Beckinsale gives a wonderful performance as the seemingly quirky and free spirited Christina. Anthony Andrews is excellent as the slightly sinister, oldest sibling, Robert. Alex Lowe is appropriately eccentric as Christina's off the wall brother, Simon. John Gielgud gives a terrific cameo performance. Aidan Quinn is effective as the erstwhile debunker who loses sight of his mission and is gulled into a false sense of reality.

The only reason I did not rate this film five stars is because the director acquiesced to some need to resort to cheesy special effects at the very end. The superimposed faces on the last fire scene was unnecessary and only served to cheapen what had, otherwise, been a very well done and spooky film. The DVD itself provides crystal clear audio and visuals but little else,

A startlingly fresh and spooky haunted house story
This movie is first of all a great haunted house story. If you don't think you like haunted house stories try this one. It's different and clever and eerie. It's also beautifully filmed and acted. Aidan Quinn does a fine job as David Ash, the skeptical investigator of things that go bump in the night who is still troubled by the death of his twin sister years before. Kate Beckinsale steals the show as Christina Mariel the "audaciously charming" girl whose home Ash comes to investigate. Their love story is well done. (When will Kate Beckinsale get the kind of notice she deserves? The lady continues to do superb work in every kind of role.) When you pop this into your VCR (please relaese this on DVD soon!) you're in for a real treat. You won't be safe from goosebumps until the final credits. . . and maybe not even then! See this film!

A bit long, but intriquing!
I really enjoyed this movie. It was an interesting ghost story with a few unforseen twists. Quinn plays a professor who likes to debunk supernatural phenomena as all just 'smoke and mirrors'. He's asked to come visit a stately manor house and check out three siblings'old housekeeper-nanny's complaint that the house is haunted. At first it looks like the nanny's imagining things, but after a day or two, Quinn begins to wonder if maybe the old woman isn't on to something evil. He begins to doubt his own thoughts regarding the supernatural. And worse- if there are evil ghosts at the old house, what do they want with him? There is some subtle clever dialogue in this movie that slipped right by some Imaginative Cinema Society friends of mine-and who were delighted when I pointed them out. See if you can catch them, too!

My only complaint is that it could've been tightened up a little, and come in with a shorter running time.

Haunted is a Horror
Aidan Quinn is usually better than this and in better films. Why he agreed to do this film is beyond me--maybe he needed the money. The movie is far-fetched and juvenile, silly when it's supposed to be scary. The only "horror" in it is the writing, acting, and directing. So take the advice of someone who loves Aidan Quinn and who likes a scary movie if it's intelligent: don't buy it. Watch Halloween instead.

Not haunted enough
Aidan Quinn, with his unearthly pale eyes and great handsomeness, would seem perfectly cast as a university professor exploring a case of a ghost haunting in a great English mansion; unfortunately, his harsh American voice seems wholly out of place in this period chiller. Though the movie is redeemed in part by its great wild ending (blunted in part by poor special effects), the director, Lewis Gilbert, seems to have little feel for the Gothic mode: the house itself isn't terribly scary (and doesn't even seem very large), and there's very little sense of atmosphere. All the nighttime scenes seem unusually well lit, for example. Perhaps to convey the decadent "Brideshead" atmosphere, Anthony Andrews is bizarrely miscast as Kate Beckinsale's brother, despite their twenty-five years' difference in age. ... Read more

Description

The Fully Restored Never-Before-Seen European Version!

Christopher Lee gives one of his most unforgettable performances as Judge George Jeffreys, the infamous 17th Century witchfinder whose unholy obsession with a luscious wench (Maria Rohm of THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU) fuels a jaw-dropping spree of torture, brutality and flesh-ripping perversion. Howard Vernon (SUCCUBUS), Margaret Lee (EUGENIE), Maria Schell (99 WOMEN) and Oscar® nominee Leo Genn (QUO VADIS) co-star in this landmark epic of sexual violence and sadism, complete with a superb score by Bruno Nicolai (JUSTINE) and directed with spectacularly deviant glee by the one and only Jess Franco.

Blue Underground is proud to present the most complete and uncensored version of THE BLOODY JUDGE ever released, painstakingly restored from various European vault elements and now including such never-before-seen sequences as Maria Rohm’s forced-lesbian jailhouse encounter as well as additional nudity, bloodshed and what Christopher Lee himself calls "scenes of extraordinary depravity!"

EXTRAS INCLUDE:
* Bloody Jess – Interviews with Director Jess Franco and Star Christopher Lee
* Deleted Scenes
* Alternative Scenes
* Theatrical Trailers
* TV Spot
* Poster & Still Galleries
* Talent Bios ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Solid Horror Flick
Nine Lives is a solid horror flick. The style is similar to Hitchcock, and director Andrew Green delivers a couple of good scares. The acting is better than most films of this caliber, though Paris Hilton could concentrate more on wearing less clothes and talking less. However, in this case she was very well cast for the role she played.

Despite being a horror movie the director manages to keep the goriness to a minimum, so the R rating is more for psychological factors and nudity than anything else.

For cult fans of horror and Paris a must see. For those, who enjoy an occasional scare, but do not like blood and gore also a good flick. If you want to get stuck on realism, then you probably should not be watching horror movies to begin with.

Umm... snore
All I can say is that this movie was dull. It just never has any tension... nothing. The script just never seems to want to speed up, or make anything seem urgent, so instead we just get characters wandering around, and getting killed in very ungory fashions (all stab wounds, all very cheap looking). And the thing is, it had potential to be good. The cast, with the exception of Paris Hilton (more on that later) seemed very up to task. And the location, which honestly was not used enough, could have been very creepy, and very maze like, but no. The problem is that the script, which seems to want to avoid being a slasher, ends up falling flat. This one needed to be a slasher. It needed insane gore. It needed something! But as it is now, it's just a snore. And plot holes... well, lets just ignore the fact that things make almost no sense for a while, and yet everyone seems to figure it all out.

Now, about the main advertising bit for this film, Paris Hilton. She isn't a terrible actress, not by a long shot. And she does seem okay in this movie, but the rest of the cast seems better trained then she does, so she seems to fall a bit flat at times. And do you notice how, on the cover, she's dead center? Well, she is in the movie for a total of... oh, ten minutes. And the reason she gets killed makes no sense considering that they gave the killers motive as hating British people (long, dull story). She's American, she doesn't fake the accent (thank God) and doesn't fit in to the mold of the rest of the victims. Still, she does okay, but would probably do better against an American horror movie cast.

Over all, the movie is weak. It just never amounts to anything, and lacks the tension and suspense that all horror movies need. I am also still wondering how this movie got an R rating. There is hardly any violence (almost all off camera) and even then, nothing more than a little smeared blood. I can't remember there being a ton of swearing, and there is no nudity at all. Seemed like PG-13 fair to me. Probably wanted the R so people would possibly pick it up for a glimpse of Paris's body. Not in this movie people.

It's All About Paris
The only reason anyone watches this is for Paris. Duh, that's why I rented it and that's why she's plastered all over the box. Well, for the first half hour she's in it she's great. She's charming and silly as usual and she makes you smile. If you expect to get a rewarding and profound experience from watching the rest of this campy movie, dream on. Just rent it for Paris like you know you want to.

scary and suspenseful
paris hilton alone gets five stars but this movie low budget wise is pretty good and very scary. above average low budget horror movie.

SlOW AND BORING
I'm guessing that nine Lives was made prior to Paris Hilton's TV show and sex scandal and was released to take advantage of her recent fame. Even though she gets top billing, she is the first character to get killed in about the first 20 minutes.

The story, such that there is of it, concerns 9 friends getting together at a Scottish mansion far off the beaten path. kind of a 20's "Big Chill" gathering.

For the first 20 minutes or so they just sit around blah-blahing about their school days. One of them finds a book hidden in a hole in the wall. He begins to read it and then suddenly the pages all read "I have returned!" ohhhh...really spooky!

(...)

When he gets killed, the ghost jumps to the body of the person who killed him/her and the killing begins again.

The story is part ghost story and part slasher film and does neither one all that well. Of course the friends split up to find the killer making them fair game to get killed off easily.

It's not particularly scary and certainly not enough gore or inventive ways to kill to satisfy splatter fans. It's really quite dull with all the usual trappings: stuck in an old house.,..story prevents you from leaving, power and phone lines are out, cell phones don't get a signal...yadda yadda...

The people are so dull and so uninteresting that you're really hoping they all die.

And of course there is NO explanation as to just who Murray is, and why he "returned" to kill off these people. Oh. they throw in some half-hearted explanation but much is still unanswered.

Avoid this one, even if it does have Paris Hilton ... Read more

Amazon.com

A relic certainly, but a fascinating one, Der Golem is perhaps the screen's first great monster movie. Though it was actually the third time director-star Paul Wegener had played the eponymous creation, the earlier efforts (sadly lost) were rough drafts for this elaborate dramatization of the Jewish legend.When the Emperor decrees that the Jews of mediaeval Prague should be evicted from the ghetto, a mystical rabbi creates a clay giant and summons the demon Astaroth who breathes out in smoky letters the magic word that will animate the golem. Intended as a protector and avenger, the golem is twisted by the machinations of a lovelorn assistant and, like many a monster to come, runs riot, terrorizing guilty and innocent alike until a little girl innocently ends his rampage. Wegener's golem is an impressively solid figure, the Frankenstein monster with a slightly comical clay wig. The wonderfully grotesque Prague sets and the alchemical atmosphere remain potent.--Kim Newman ... Read more

Description

Dr. Johnson (Fred Williams) lives in bliss with his beautiful wife (Vampyros Lesbos' Soledad Miranda) until his unorthodox experiments with human embryos cause a medical committee to reject his findings and order him to discontinue his work. The unstable doc does the only sensible thing: slashing his wrists in the bathroom. Devastated, his wife vows to seduce and kill the three men and one woman "responsible# for the suicide. Erotic and chilling, this twisted shocker from the mind of Jess Franco (Exorcism, Eugenie) offers a catalog of carnal sins captured even more brilliantly in this digitally remastered edition, a must for fans of Eurocult cinema and classic prog rock/lounge music scores! ... 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

Reviews (7)

vampire gangsters what a concept!
If quentin tarrantio and anne rice got together and made a vampire movie it would be similar to this film. The makers of the film have made vampires something to fear again in their descriptions of these sociopathic bloodsuckers who live on to feed on the blood of their victims.Another I love about the movie is some of the characters like the reaper, a chilling vampire hitman who's frightened of his neat freak psycho wife. Reaper's wife profanity-laced tirades against her husband are hilarious!The heroine of this movie, a vampire hitwoman who has vendatta against brutal vampire marcel and his girlfriend amy who turned her into a vampire are chilling in it's intensity.I love the dialogue of vampire gangsters Jimmy fangs and his crew who sound like they come straight from a episode of the sopranos.the scenes with Marcel and amy and their hostage, a born again christian who seeks to save amy's soul are great as well.There are no wimpy soul-searching vamps in this movie.All of the vampires in this movie are bloodthirsty who revel in their killing of the victims.Another plus of the movie is sometimes gorgeous camerawork in the movie and the scenes of bloodletting and gruesome violence are shocking but appropiate for this film. This is one of the all-time best vampire movie I ever seen with over-top violence, memorable characters, witty humor and great photography all add up to classic tale of vampiric horror with a dark comic edge.

Don't waste your $3.75 on this one.
I really dislike these low-budget movie projects. What a waste of $3.79.
With characters that try to be "The Sopranos" and The Godfather (1972) are a gang of New York hoods. Some sound Italian. They like to kill young people, but the difference with this gang is they are male vampires.
Heavy on profane language, loads of red corn syrup used for blood. Might be funny to some people, but just another low-budget dysfunctional film. But I do respect people trying to get into the film business.
Forgettable film.

Fresh Concept, You love it if your a B Horror movie Fan
Interesting concept for the plot, but not for the mainstream viewer. I would have giving it 5 stars BUT the twitching of victims was like Chinese water torture. Some movies have needless love scenes, this one has needless, and sometimes endless, twitching. The plot was quite refreshing compared to the endless rehashing of classic vampire tales. It was nice not being able to predict where the story was heading. If you like B Movie horror films, see this movie. But if you want/need the hollywood movie styling (a la Interview with a Vampire), keep looking.

A brilliant plot concept!!!
What would you get if you combined the Vampire and Mafia movie genres? Simply put, you'd get "Strange Things Happen at Sundown." The movie so smoothly and easily introduces the concept that if vampires did indeed roam the earth today that the logical progression in their history would be towards organized crime. It just seems to make sense for them. They are not romanticized like other vampire movies. They are portrayed as brutal drinkers of blood that possess no remorse or compassion until of course one of them falls under the charms of a born again Christian. It is a great blending of sadism and humor without over-doing either element. This film is not for the weak of heart as it is a definate gore-fest nor is it for those easily offended by naked, writhing, sensual, hot, erotic(phew I'd better stop), human females.

In closing the best compliment that I can pay this film is that it is a micro-budget movie that does a wonderful job of never reminding you of that fact as you watch the film. Enjoy!!!

Insane-o-rama Has Done It!
Tired of the same old stiff, boring vampires? Have I got a movie for you! "Strange Things" manages to innovatively depart from the norm with vampires that actually have something to say. Although this film does not take itself seriously, the filmmakers have not compromised their integrity in producing a quality film . What it does have is witty dialogue, plenty of gore, a damn fine musical score, captivating performances, and of course, scantily clad gals. "Strange Things" has the entire package. Kudos to Insane-o-Rama productions. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Superior Hammer Frank film
Right up there with Horror of Dracula(my fave Hammer) and The Hound of the Baskervilles, this Hammer gem has all of the lovely technicolor Victorian atmosphere and macabre tendencies exhibited by title character. Cushing, as always, plays the Doctor wonderfully. Ol Peter could always be counted on to make even the worst Hammer film tolerable.
Film is right on cue with regard to continuity. We are taken to the guillitione(its as if Terence just kept filiming right after "Curse") and the good doctor cheats death only to continue brain experiments while working as a doctor for the filthy rabble by day. SEQUEL:THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN

"One of Hammer's best, and most exciting productions."
With the success of The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Hammer, not wasting anytime, went into production, with this witty and thoughtful sequel, and which would set the pace for the following entries to come. The three main stars of this film, are, Peter Cushing, of course. Who reprises his role as Baron Victor Frankenstein. Cushing retains the warpish charm and sublime arrogance of Victor's first outing, but here he's allowed to deepen the character, bringing intresting new angles to light. The second star is the masterful, yet somewhat stately direction of Horror meserto' Terence Fisher, who returns to the director's chair , yet to bring another exellent Frankenstein film. Fisher imbues the film with his usual flair, and in a way trys to remake his classic orginal (but in a way lacks the pure poetry that it's predecesor achieved soo well.) Yet the film makes up for it, all too well. With what is the film's third, and main attraction: Jimmy Sangster's script, which is his most thoughtfuly written--and his best. Sangster's script for ROF is better in every way than his previous effort, with nice touches of black humor and some wry social commentary on the self-satisfied burghers of Carlsbruck. Sangster also manages to weave some neat ironies into his tale, not least that Victor literally becomes his own monster( note: also that his own transplant is the sole truly sucessful experiment in the entire Frankenstein series) Most satisfying of all is the thoughtful way, in which the film explores the real-world implications of Frankenstein's activites. Most previous Frankenstein movies treated the brain as if it were merely another organ, like a pancreas, without exploring the idea that these spare parts might have their own memories and agendas. The Revenge of Frankenstein meets this imminently logical concept head on, using it to develop a fresh, orginal approach to a myth cycle that badly needed it. With all the good to aside, I have to express on how sickly I have become on how Overrated this film is (most notably , the critics). Too many times have people and critics alike have stated this being the best of the Hammer Frankenstein series, not giving an ounce of respect to any of the other "Better entries" (yes, you heard me, better entries.) In my own estimation, critics have either bashed, or ignored the other entries , in calling them decidely weak and (oh, this is my favorite, "Uneven." And only paying homage, to "that almighty Revenge of Frankenstein." Clearly, this is not the best of Fisher, nor is it one of his personal works. I would place "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) ", at the top, followed by The Curse of Frankenstein in second, and Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell (1973), being equal, if not slightly better than "Revenge", puting Revenge in 4th place, and finnally Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), in 5th, being "slighlty" inferior to "Revenge"(marred down by the fact of the budgetary problems Hammer was having at the time(tacky looking sets). Though one could surely understand people Bashing the Non-Fisher entries, (The evil of Frankenstein & Horror of frankenstein) Lastly, these past comments concerning this film being overated does not mean I dislike the film. The film is "Exellent" indeed! But Im just soo discusted on how the other entries in the series are treated by critics, and people who don't show a fondness for Hammer, or merely the Horror film for that matter. (All in all, I highly recommend "The Revenge of Frankenstein, and without question, Hammer at it's best.

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5

Grade: A- 93%

More Good Stuff From Hammer
Halloween is a good time to dip into the classic horror library, and there are few classics better than the Hammer horror films. Revenge of Frankenstein is the sequel to Hammer's successful Curse of Frankenstein. Peter Cushing returns as the good doctor. Having escaped the gallows 3 years prior, Dr. Frankenstein is living and practicing medicine in Germany under the name Dr. Stein. He splits his time between a successful practice and treating the poor. Of course he has not abandoned his research in creating life. His work with the poor serves as a good source of "materials". In this film he transports the brain of a disfigured assistant into a new body. Unfortunately, all does not go smoothly and Dr. Frankenstein once again becomes a wanted man.

I like the course Hammer took with the Frankenstein films. They focused on the "real monster" instead of resurrecting the same creature over and over. Cushing is always a pleasure to watch and he plays the role perfectly. The picture quality on the DVD is very good and is presented in widescreen format. There are some very minor scratches, etc. visible here and there, but they are minor and I doubt the film has ever looked this good. Colors are fairly sharp and clear, though not quite as good as the Warner release of "Curse". The sound is crisp and audible with virtually no hissing. There are virtually no extras on the disc save for a couple of stills and a trailer.

If you are looking to start a Hammer library, this disc should be high on your list just behind the aforementioned "Curse of Frankenstein" and "Horror of Dracula".

The revenge of Hammer productions
In this addition to the series Dr. Victor Fankenstein (Peter Cushing) escapes hanging and is soon back to his old tricks. While walking through a graveyard the supposedly deceased Frankenstein comes across a grave robber and greets him "Good evening, I am Frankenstein" resulting in the robber having a heart attack and falling into the open grave!
Frankenstein soon gets back to practising medicine under the alias Dr. Stein; but a medical student soon discovers his true identity and threatens to expose Frankenstein unless he takes him on as his protege. Frankenstein reluctantly agrees and the pair soon embark on their first experiment- transplanting the brain of a partially paralysed man into a healthy new corpse (that doesn't sound right). Peter Cushing is good, the production atmospheric and the script above average. Not a classic, but recommended to horror fans nevertheless.

Dr. Stein
We pick up at the end of The Curse of Frankenstein where Dr. Frankenstein had been sentenced to death and is being led to the guillotine. He escapes with the aid of a cripple, Carl, which he has promise a new body for helping him escape. Later a Dr. Stein has opened a clinic where he treats the poor. He continues his experiments in a secret lab where he has assembled a body for Carl.

As Dr. Stein practice flourishes, the local medical council is offended that he will not join their "group." The council visits Dr. Stein and tries to persuade him to join but he refuses. One of the council members Hans recognizes him at Dr. Frankenstein and decides to assist him. Dr. Stein and Hans give Carl a new body but when his brain becomes damage in a brawl, he turns into a cannibalistic monster.

We have another wonderful performance by Peter Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein/Stein.

The transfer to DVD is excellent. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great sequel
This non-related sequel is so sweet-natured, so tame and family orientated that to assume otherwise is completely ludicrous. There is nothing in this movie that could possibly rate it above a PG, max. I wouldn't even have reservations letting younger children watch House 2.

A new house has a 20-something yuppie called Jesse (Arye Gross) move in with his girlfriend Kate (Lar Park-Lincoln). His friend Charlie (Jonathan Stark), a music agent, arrives with his new diva discovery Jana (Amy Yasbeck) to help him thru the unfamiliar first few days. The house is where Jesse's parents were killed when he was just a baby and it full of many curiosities.

Crafted in a bizarre gothic-Aztec style the house itself is a marvellous set and the many rooms and passages are as mysterious to us as they are to Jesse. Sitting on one of his many mantelpieces is a crystal skull that fascinates him for some reason. He even misses his housewarming party while studying the skull's history.

His studies lead him to dig up the grave of his great, great grandfather, or Gramps (Royal Dano), where he discovers the old coot isn't dead just in limbo. The person who possesses the skull is granted eternal youth but it also warps the space-time continuum within the House.

Gramps comes home with Jesse, is more enthralled by Kleenex boxes and TV than the mysteries around him and ducks for cover whenever someone from another time comes to steal the skull. Just like the first movie different rooms lead into different time zones. Jesse and Charlie have many hilarious adventures battling caveman, dinosaurs, Aztecs an evil cowboy called Slim. The one that killed Jesse's parents and betrayed Gramps over a century ago.

House 2 has so much careless abandon and zany plot twists that it is totally impossible not to love this movie. The huge success of the first movie meant that this one was put into production literally and hour later and Ethan Wiley was given the budget and green light to do whatever he wanted. How often does happen today? Usually it would make for a bad movie considering this was the first movie Wiley directed. But it makes for an unusually cute and light-hearted supernatural romp.

One of the weaker aspects of this sequel is that it has more SFX and animation by Phil Tippet's stop-motion workshop and less by Dreamquest. The matte paintings are gorgeous but the dated dinosaurs look hokey in a few shots. If you can just squint during these moments you won't notice.

Bill Maher from TV's "Politically Incorrect" even manages to show up as a music producer who is interested in Yasbeck and mighty suspicious of Jesse's antics. John Ratzenberger (this makes both movies star one of the "Cheers" barflies) appears as a repairman/adventurer who assists Jesse and Charlie battle some Aztecs. Look out for Kane Hodder (Jason) in an ape costume. Jesse adopts a fluffy, little baby pterodactyl and a strange creature called a Caterpuppy, a cross between...well you know. You need an open mind and a suspension of disbelief to swallow the outrageous goings on in this movie.

The commentary is better than the one on the first movie. Ethan Wiley and Cunningham get on well and have no quibbles pointing out how crazy the film is. They discuss the budget, tell tales of the late Royal Dano and explain how many of the effects were pulled off within the constraints of the budget. One of the most interesting things they mention is that even tho the movie was stuck in between The Color Purple and Beverly Hills Cop II the kids still preferred House 2 as their fave movie of the summer. But because the movie didn't have it's own opening weekend, unlike the original, it wasn't as successful. Didn't stop 2 more sequels being made. A theatrical trailer is also included.

Much like the first film the picture has been brilliantly transferred onto DVD. The 1.85:1 anamorphic picture looks super with very few glitches. Colors are rendered with pleasant accuracy and you wouldn't believe the low-budget origins when judging this picture. There is some grain during darker scenes but other than this the movie is looking great.

The Mono soundtrack is not terribly engaging and most of the film's sound is centre-channel biased. But there's no hiss or pop to worry about. It may be Mono but it's clean and fresh sounding to me.

Basement Cult Classic
Okay - Inheritence time. Man with new wife moves into old family home. A weird party. GGG Grandpa is an old time Indiana Jones. Him and a partner make and amazing find in the form of an old crystal skull with jewled eyes.
The young man reads g-grandpa's journals and decides to dig the old man up - after thinking that the treasure is buried with him.
So, he goes out and digs up the old fart - who turns out is not too happy to have been disturbed. The Grandpa cusses and shouts and almost kills his g-grandson. In the end, they become friends and the grandpa is in posession of the skull - it gives immortality to its posessor. Grandpa hasn't exactly held up all that good while in the coffin... I think he was supposed to have been dug up shortly after being buried, but his buddy was killed before it happened. Anyway, there is a thing with dimensional portals and all kinds of people trying to grab the sacred skull.
John Ratzenburg (the postman from Cheers) is an electrician who happens to sideline as a trans-dimensional adventurer. The Evil mean old partner of grandpa comes to get it. FUN FUN FUN.
This movie kicks much ... Funny, not scary.

he he.. they just keep cummin n cummin
House 2 was an OK movie, it was more silly than scary but still an OK flick. Story is This guy goes not to the original house but
a different one. He sees a picture of his G G G Great grandfather on the mantle next to a placeholder that once held a mystical glass skull.
The movie is kind of quirky and it tries to explain what exactly
the power of the glass skull does, (I think it brings the dead back to life)
Anyway Royal Dano plays grandpops and I forget the name of the other guy who play his mean double crossing partner
Anyway the movie jumps back and forth in time zones with bizarre
looking characters and don't forget the cute lil dinosaur bird that stole the skull
I recommend it ... Read more

Amazon.com

Leaden horror costumer that takes its tenuous starting point from the classic Gaston Leroux novel of the same name. The twist in this variation is that the Phantom was raised by telepathic rats in the subterranean caverns beneath the opera house. Thus our feral Phantom (Julian "Ratboy" Sands) develops an obsessive love for up-and-coming diva Christine (Asia Argento), and sets about to seduce her to his dark, rodent existence. Although beautifully photographed, with lots of ornate period detail to catch the eye, this is largely a by-the-numbers supernatural horror story with scant gory set pieces as diversions. Fans of Dario Argento will yell "Rats!" and all else will merely shrug. And why are the rats telepathic, anyway? Screenwriting credits go to Gerard Brach, best known for his many collaborations with Roman Polanski, most notably Repulsion. However, none of his absurd sense of humor comes through in this film, which really needs it. A shame all around. The DVD includes a short interview with the film's star, Julian Sands, as well as a photo gallery, some dispensable making-of clips, spliced together to appear as a featurette (mostly in untranslated Italian) and a very informative article from Fangoria Magazine. --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (57)

Dario Argento's worst effort
This is easily Dario Argento's worst movie. It's got very little of his signature traits (most notably the cinematography), Ronnie Taylor's assistance (from Opera) doesn't help a lot either. It's biggest asset is easily Ennio Morricone's awesome musical score.
What we do get however, is some over the top gore (well served, of course) but for this movie it simply doesn't apply. It seems also that handling romantic situations isn't Argento's cup of tea. The love story between Christine and the Phantom gets more ridiculous as the movie progresses. The brothel scene is a bit hard to take. And finally, the humour misses big time.
That said, a bad Argento film is not a total bore at all. Julian Sands is good as the phantom and is not to blame for the movie being unsuccessful, the music is wonderful and we at least get a very original take on this often filmed classic.

my least favorite dario flick
I recently saw Darios' Phantom of the Opera after hearing all of the bad reviews on it. The film is not bad, rather its just not what we've come to expect from Dario. There were a number of things that I didn't like, the lighting being the first. The film is just too bright and direct, you never get drawn in. When you watch 'Suspiria', you forget your watching a movie and become mesmerised by what you're watching and hearing on the screen. This film never quite accomblishes that. The second thing i don't like about this film is the fact that Julian Sands is in it. I HATE JULIAN SANDS. The third and final thing i didn't like was the score. I became extremley excited when i saw that Enno Morricone did the music, but it doen't draw you in or create any kind of atmosphere. That being said there are still traces of Argentos' brilliance as a director. The camera work is outstanding (as always), the editing is tight and the set pieces and locations are top notch.
Summing up, this movie is not one of Darios' best, it just lacks atmosphere. It's still not a bad film, just the first Argento movie i've seen that isn't mind blowing (the same can be said about Morricones' scores).

Could have been a whole lot worse.
The Phantom of the Opera (Dario Argento, 1998)

Okay, so both Julian Sands and Asia Argento are pretty standard definitions of sex on a plate. Put them together in one of history's finest love stories, add in a director whose work is called 'operatic,' you've got a formula for success.

The existing reviews of this film seem to be polarized. There is the crowd who liked either the book or the loathsome Rice/Webber monstrosity that managed to mass-hypontize Broadway into thinking it was worthwhile. They all hate the movie. And then there is the crowd who worships Dario Argento. They... well, like the movie. Kind of. And there are a core of fans who think it's the best thing since sliced bread.

I think I fall into the middle section. I thought it was enjoyable, if a bit amateurish (Asia Argento's lip-synching in the singing scenes is quite painfully amusing, for example). A very interesting take on the story. Argento keeps to gore to a minimum here, at least, for Argento, preferring to take the 'operatic' moniker and apply it to the cinematography, the performances, etc. It works well enough, but it just doesn't say 'Argento.' One wonders if there were another fledgling director under whose name they were planning on releasing the movie (e.g., Demons, directed mostly by Argento but bearing the name Lamberto Bava); Asia, perhaps?

In any case, one of my rules of film viewing is 'never pass up a chance to see Asia Argento naked.' And this is one of them. ***

Makes Phantom of the Mall look good!
The Phantom? Of the Opera? Raised by rats in the sewers? Bwa-ha-ha! From the man who practically introduced Euro-Splatter to America, comes a film you'd expect from a Wes Craven/Roger Corman team-up, not to mention a Director's Daughter leading role that makes The Godfather 3 look good in comparison. I tried to laugh, but this film is so bad it passes funny and slams right into painful. If you want to see Julian Sands in a great role, just rent Warlock again. "I am not a man. I am a rat!" - Julian Sands, completely destroying his acting career.

Not typical Argento, but I liked it
I really enjoyed the artistic feel of this movie. It really did remind of something that could be considered Felliniesque. I liked their take on the Phantom and also enjoyed the irony that was laced through the Phantom's methods of dispatching his victims. There were a lot of scenes in this movie that can only be described as interesting. If your looking for pure Argento or a movie that is traditional in it's portrayal of the Phantom story then you may be disappointed. But for just pure interesting movie watching I would recommend it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

BORING, POORLY MADE DRIVEL
Everytime I watch a bad low-budget film my admiration for guys like John Carpenter and Tobe Cunningham grows.Considering that many film makers have a larger budget than Carpenter had on Halloween it's quite disillusioning that they don't show 1/10th of the skill.This boring, sleep inducing mess was actually made in 1995, looks like it was made in 1975, and is just now being released on DVD in 2005.A woman named Rebecca lacey owns a bed & breakfast that is evidently haunted.She summons a ghost hunter (Out of the yellow pages I guess) named Scott Griffin (Jeff Rector) to investigate and he's accompanied by a skeptical writer Justin (George Saunders).

We're virtually given no backstory on any of these characters and one gets the feeling like you missed the first 15 minutes of the film they way you're tossed right into things.Right away Scott is led to the attic and busts open the floorboards to find some old, ornate box called the Asmodean that can open a gateway to hell.Rebecca explains she bought the house and everything in it including a room which had something that looked like an altar.Evidently that alone wasn't enough to dissuade her from buying the creepy dump.Soon bumbs in the night and voices are heard and Scott seems to suffer a kind of mental attack with strange visions while Justin is visited by a beautiful ghost who says they were lovers in another life.We learn that the old owner, Richard Locke, was some kind of satanist who murdered his wife for flirting with another man at a dinner party and then killed himself.The ghost visiting Justin is Locke's wife and he's trying to use Justin to return to our world and unleash "The Darkening".

The biggest problem with Black Gate is that the makers simply want us to accept everything no questions asked.It's because they can't tell us just what a "darkening" is or how Justin's relationship with the spirit will be used to free Locke from Hell.The acting is subpar throughought with Rector hamming it up and the rest basically sleepwalking through their parts.The special effects are amateurish at best and the film just looks cheap.I'm not sure if its due to a bad transfer or what but you do feel like your watchng an old film from the 1970's.A very dull and dry look.

In the Tradition of 70's TV Horror!
This movie, although by no means a masterpiece, was a really great movie for a rainy afternoon.If you are a fan of 70's TV Scary movies, and like haunted houses, mortals in love with ghosts, evil books discovered under the floorboards of the attic, psychics, and moonlit cliff shots, then this is a movie worth seeing. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

For Fans Only
Unless you are a hard-core Roger Corman or Jim Wynorski fan, stay away from this movie, especially the DVD version. It is in 4:3 format, and obviously taken from the VHS tape master. Very, very poor video quality.

It's also just a dreadfully boring movie. At just over 80 minutes long, it feels like it's twice that long. You know a movie is bad when the commentary track is more interesting than the movie itself.

For those of you who read the previous reviews, and might be interested because you think you are going to see "all" of Nicole
Eggert - sorry to disappoint you, but she uses a body double in those scenes. Don't feel bad, though; hopefully I just saved you from wasting your time and/or money on this movie.

A movie for Nicole Eggert's fan
The movie is a classical horror movie but it is entertaning. It is quite good if you are a fan of the gorgeous Nicole Eggert because she plays two roles, the mother Morella and the daughter Lenora (main character). A must-have for every Nicole Eggert's fan (I am)!

Good Tongue in Cheek Horror Flick
I was pleasently suprised by this classically gothic little horror film. Like all films that Roger Corman has either produced or directed this one is a little overplayed; but there is an element of style throughout. The Corman standards are here: naked, big-busted, serving wenches, the damsel in distress, the young hero, and some genuinely disturbing horror scenes. The sets are atmospheric and the writers of the movie have expanded on Edger Allen Poe's tragic perspective that filtered through most of his poetic works like Annabel Lee and the Raven. Not to be taken too seriously but nicely done. Nicole Eggert is perfectly cast as Lenora as has never been more beautiful. David McCallum does a splended job as her "haunted" father. All in all a good effort on a small budget.

A must see for Nicole Eggert fans
This film is an opportunity to see ALL of Nicole when she was just blosssoming into the "actress" she is today. Her performance on-screen is something not to be missed!

The Worst Movie Ever Made
I rented this movie for 99 cents, and I think I was ripped off even at that price.

The acting was terrible, the plot predictable and boring. The only thing that I enjoyed was this nightgown that the lead character wore, and even then it was out of place, seeming more like it was there for the "skin" and to make the character more sexy than for plot development. Edgar Allan Poe was claimed as the person who wrote the story, and he is probably rolling over in his grave, this movie is so horrible! Everything is out of place and/or ridiculous. The lead character hops into bed as soon as she falls in love, which was NOT done at that time. Nudity was frequently done to "save" the movie, but if this movie were to do that every time this movie needed a boost the characters would be nude the entire way through.

Needless to say, this movie stank. If it's not worth paying 99 cents to rent it, it's not worth buying, unless you like to rag on bad movies, which it is perfect for. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Even the gore is bland and boring
This movie proves that gore alone does not satisfy, especially when the gore is as bland and unsatisfying as that found in this first release from the guys at Media Blasters and Shriek Show. The box this film comes in isn't bad, though; it actually makes the movie sound promising to a gore-hound such as me. The selection of extra features included on the DVD also led me to believe that the movie was one I could sink my teeth into, quenching a little of my perpetual thirst for horror in the process. Unfortunately, things go downhill quickly as soon as you open the box. Director Terry West seems proud of this movie, and that makes me feel a pang of guilt when I declare Flesh For the Beast one of the most boring, bland, uninteresting horror films I've ever seen.

All of the action in this low-budget disappointment takes place inside a haunted mansion. The back-story to the plot, as if it really even matters, revolves around the man who built the house originally (it was a house of ill repute, by the way) and his acquisition of a certain amulet resembling a frog who has just been flatted by a steam roller. Sergio Jones plays John Stoker, a man who bought the house five years ago and has been trying to rid it of its ghostly manifestations. Our would-be heroes (or nitwits, as the case would be) are the latest team to try and bring peace to the house; unfortunately, most of them end up trying to "get a piece" (if you know what I mean) and forget all about trying to restore peace. Yes, the house is haunted, and yes, our main characters each run across something not human; strangely enough, these so-called parapsychology "professionals" never even entertain the notion that the naked women they find in this "empty" house are anything more than real women desperate to make mad, passionate love to them. There is a lot of gore, none of which is impressive in the least, and basically you just sit there counting the minutes hoping every single character in the movie dies a horrible death. Lo and behold, there is a plot twist toward the end - I have to give the writers credit on that point; it's actually quite a trick to pull off a plot twist in a movie that has almost no plot to begin with.

I know this movie did not have a large budget, but the special effects are just not very good in the eyes of this horror lover; the blood works, but blood is easy; the disemboweled guts are acceptable; the whole cannibalism thing offers a little satisfaction; but the makeup and masks worn by the "ghosts" did not impress me at all; the best looked like they had been bought at the nearest retail outlet store. I actually suffered through the 30-minute-long featurette included on the DVD, as well, and the guys actually went into great detail on the whole special effects work; seeing how it was done made it even less impressive after the fact. I think the biggest weakness this film has, though, is the acting. If each actor had carried copies of the script around with him and read each line directly from the page, I think it would have been an improvement over the wooden, disaffected performances turned in by virtually everyone (except Ruby LaRocca, who actually does a pretty good job playing the silly character she portrays). Scares? Frights? Forget about it; there is nothing remotely frightening in or about this movie. On a final note, I have to say that even the DVD is exceptionally annoying. The first screen to come up after the legal notices featured four unlabelled medallions; the first one gave me a quick clip of a woman screaming at me, the second one ended up making me watch all the legal junk again, and the third eventually took me to the actual movie menu. I don't know what the fourth selection might do, and I have no desire to find out. My copy of DVD will almost surely remain inside the darkness of its case from now until eternity.

Entertaining horror and smut hybrid
Well, what a pleasant surprise this one was. After reading all the negative reviews of this film I wasn't expecting much. Well, I felt Flesh for the Beast was much better than other reviewers gave it credit for. This movie is a cheap mixture of horror and erotica that undoubtebly would appall many but I liked it. Then again I'm a person who has been known to scour my video store's bins in search of seduction cinema titles to see what Misty Mundae and friends are up to next so maybe that's just me.

6 young individuals (5 males, 1 female) are invited to the mansion of John Stoker. The mansion was first built many years ago by Albert Fisher, who used to peddle drugs and prostitutes on the carney circuit. Fisher built the mansion to serve as a brothel, for all intents and purposes. Rumors of dark pagean rituals forced him to close doors. A rumoured occultist, Fisher soon dissapeared, never to be found again. But the house and its rumoured paranormal activity remain. Stoker informs them that his mansion is haunted and enlists their services to exorcise and clean it of all paranormal activity.

As noted softcore smut director director Terry West explains in the extras his goal with this movie was to recreate the spirit of euro-sleeze horror of the 70's. Although filmed in America, all of the action takes place inside a mansion which enables West to achieve his goal. The mansion looks great and is absolutely creepy; a labyrinth of tunnels, foyers, red curtains and gothic furniture. The film is liberally sprayed with huge doses of gore and nudity. The recurring premise is that whenever one of the male members of the crew searches a room for paranormal activity, there lies awaiting a beautiful women who never hesitates to take off her clothes and engage in intercourse (and following that, decapitation). As a matter of fact the nudity and sex scenes are the best realized of the whole film which is not a surprise given the director's past film credits.

I do understand why many people dislike this film. The look is very cheap, akin to a BBC t.v. production. The acting of course is horrendous, especially from the mansion's host who you think would have been hired to do a half decent job given the big role he has in the film. But worst of all are sheer moments of stupidity such as peeing in a toilet bowl without lifting the seat up first, and people engaging in intercourse without pulling down their pants! The sheer cheapness of this film bothered me for the first twenty minutes but once the filmmakers started piling on the nudity and the gore I found it effectively entertaining. Although many aspects of the film are bad, it doesn't fail to entertain or grab viewer attention. So lap it all up fans of trash cinema, this ain't high art but it's definitely great sleaze!

ugh. no really. ugh.
Flesh for the Beast begins as a Rose Red rip-off about a big house that has served, during its long and illustrious career, both as (a). a whore house and (b). a lunatic asylum. as one might suspect, given this limited information, "The Fischer House" is fiercely haunted--in that squidgy way that is bound to make your dry cleaner cringe. a team of paranormal investigators are brought in by the building's new owner, ostensibly in hopes of bringing "peace" to the establishment and making it livable once more. but this team's fate is sealed at the opening scene, wherein we learn that the team leader is a big, cautious, sane, intelligent...black man* with an overdependence on technology, a "bad feeling about this," and a fear of guns.

so i said to myself, "Self, now there's a guy who's going to end up crucified to the ceiling in an arbitrary and nonsensical fashion that will never be accounted for."** i was rather disappointed in Lead Black Guy (whose name now eludes me), really, because he's set up to be the hero--and even if he wasn't going to be the "hero" per se, i was at least hoping to see him do something more interesting than oh, say, die like a choad somewhere off camera.

at any rate, you've got all the other stereotypical "horror" characters present too: Creepy Homeowner with a Cane and a Facial Scar, Uptight Blonde Psychic Who Will Probably Morph Into Someone Hot and Horny The Moment She Lets Her Hair Down and Quits Fainting, Skinny Little Weenie Guy with a Camera and a Suicidal Penchant for Kleptomania, and let us not forget Dork in a Knit Cap Who Wishes Something Interesting Would Happen. but i would argue that what this movie really needed in order to shake up the plot was a good homo. that's right--this flick needed a stouthearted gay man, because as this movie dramatically underscores, straight men are MORONS who cannot be trusted to think their way out of a wet sandwich wrapper when presented with a naked woman.

allow me to explain. as it turns out, this spooky old building is still home to a few of the original working girls-now-turned-succubi. these flesh-hungry ex-whores spend their respective afterlives first seducing and second chomping their way through the digestive tracts of any and all male visitors to the Fischer House. what this means is that this movie is chock full of badly choreographed, comical sex scenes followed by disembowelment--and let me add that the disembowelment and subsequent gruesome death takes FAR longer than the nookie. not one of the doomed boys depicted could hang on for more than 8 seconds, making me suspect that the casting call for this movie was held at a rodeo. cripes, guys. i could keep a one-armed handstand longer than that--and i've got a bum elbow.

in short, Flesh for the Beast was two hours of brief and sloppy boinking followed by a soft-tissue buffet--thanks to the inability of any given male to think beyond a neatly-waxed landing strip.

ONLY FOR THE TRUE HORROR FANS
People are sheep and idiots. Go watch Jessica Biel MAYBE slip out of her top in a remake (oh, I'm sory... reimagining) that spits on the roots of the modern independent horror genre. Flesh for the Beast puts Hollywood crap to shame and proves that the director is NOT a one trick softcore pony. HMMMM... one has to wonder how many frustrated filmmakers who can't get their own careers going visit these places and poo poo hard working creators who have the gumption to get their movies made. This movie is as much an homage to Euro horror as Kill Bill is to martial arts and funky 70s revenge movies. The script, lighting, cinematography (beautiful and award-winning, by the way... the naysayers who attack this aspect show their true motivation) deserves praise.

lots of flesh for this beast
ok i have read the reviews i have seen the film, the verdict well its not quite as simple as 1 ilike the film 2 i hate the film truth be told this is a sleazy trashy cheap film as noted by almost every other reviewer in favour of it or otherwise but here is the catch this was made not by a studio hollywood or otherwise but was actually made by a dvd lable called shriek show who speacialize in releasing sleazy gory euro horror this film was made soley for the fans of this lable so if you dont know or dont like the type of films that this lable releases you simply will not like this as its done in the style of all the old hardcore euro sleaze epics as for the rest who are familiar with the lables output you should have no trouble with this i liked it for what it was and found it was able to deliver what it promissed sex and gore unlike a certain film made by a famous rock star this one really delivers the goods as long as you dont expect the greatest film of all time and take it for what it is a cheap not very original but sexy gory fun ride you may also enjoy it ... Read more