Tomb of Ligeia (1964)

Tomb of Ligeia (1964)

Country: UK

Director:  Roger Corman

Main Stars:  Vincent Price, Elizabeth Shepherd, John Westbrook, Derek Francis, Oliver Johnston, Richard Vernon

Storyline:  A man is lost without his wife, tries to cope with a new wife and drives them both mad.

Review (Spoils):  Verden Fell (Vincent Price) is lost and actual mad after the death of his wife Ligeia (Elizabeth Shepherd). In time he falls in love with one more but is its true love or is he trying to replace his first?

Verden is a quiet man who cares to be alone in general. He roams the ruins of an abbey and see’s visions of his lost dead wife Lady Ligeia. Lady Rowena Trevanion (also Elizabeth Shepherd) is intrigued by Fell and they fall in love.What she learns is that Verden is not all right in the head as he is a tad mad, and she starts to feel the ghost of Ligeia coming to get her (along with a nasty black cat).

This film is one of the Hammer Films done by Roger Corman around an Edgar Allan Poe story. The film itself is very bright and colourful. There are a number of scenes which you are not sure if it is a dream, happening or a vision within someone’s mind. The film itself works kind of like a work of classic gothic horror art.

Do not expect a lot of blood in this one until the ending but do expect some creepy scenes and dream sequences that build up the emotions and haunting of Ligeia. This film is mostly all about scenery, gothic senses and ghosts and of course a crazy out of this world clawing cat.

Rating:  Both Vincent Price and Elizabeth Shepherd steal the show in this film as the madness is created and hauntings of the mind take place. A close third place the mad cat that seems to appear in the film randomly to cause shit. We have some nasty claw marks, and this cat can jump! This film is a piece of art for the era, and it was really well done. I think this could be in the top lists of Vincent Price films of horror.

6/10 Beers!

Yacker

The Banana Splits Movie (2019)

The Banana Splits Movie (2019)

Country: USA

Director:  Danishka Esterhazy

Main Stars:  Dani Kind, Steve Lund, Celina Martin, Finlay Wojtak-Hissong, Sara Canning, Romeo Carere, Maria Nash, Naledi Majola

Storyline:  A young boy gets to see the Banana Splits show live in the studio for his birthday and it becomes a bloody nightmare.

Review (Spoils):  Rebecca (Dani Kind) is trying her best to live the life with her two boys after her first husband death and now she is married to a dick. When her youngest son Harley’s (Finlay Wojtak-Hissong) birthday comes up they get him tickets to see his favorite kid show live called the Banana Splits. They family all go together along with one friend to see the how live in the studio. We learn in the background the show is going through some rough times with other dicks and the characters are actual robots. This all becomes a revenge film as the robots start to take over the studio and start to kill off the grown ups. Sort of like Children of the Corn but the killer are fuzzy characters.

Kind of knew what I was getting into from the get-go when I heard they were making this film. I was not overly aware of the show itself as I was a 70s-80s kid, but I had a fair idea. The movie does start off pretty boring and lame to be honest and I gave myself a grown.  The mother does actions that just did not make sense with her dick husband and at the same time the setup of the robots screamed B movie. The film is very slow at the beginning but once you get to the halfway mark then you see the gory budget. Is it a scary film no, not all but man they do bring out the gore when its needed? For that I was happy and surprised.

We have fuzzy robots with Hanna Barbera voices killing, lollipop kills, a nasty bloody body saw, dick husbands, a melted burnt face, a beheading, stabbing my play key, a wicked nasty hammer to the head, eye pop, a wheel of ending with ripped off limbs, a nice stuffy wrestling match and of course a amazing gross run over. This film is not lacking on blood and gore once it starts.  Just must get around the lame character builds.

Rating:  Outside of lame storyline and poor character action this film is not terrible. Sure, I personally dislike robot horror films except for the very odd classic and this could have been some crazy killers in the suits. But the gore and blood kept the film moving and tried it best to get rid of the poor character actions and the dicks of the film. It was ok to kill off a nice hour and half and may revisit someday down the road for that odd kill scene.

6/10 Beers!

Yacker

The Most Dangerous Game (1932)

The Most Dangerous Game (1932)

Country: USA

Director:  Irving Pichel, Ernest B. Schoedsack

Main Stars:  Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Leslie Banks, Robert Armstrong

Storyline:  A mad game hunter strands a yacht on his island so that he can hunt them down for sport.

Review (Spoils): After bragging on a yacht and having drinks about great hunt Bob (Joel McCrea) has his day as it crashes into some rocks and sinks. As the only survivor as many drowned or got eaten by sharks Bob makes his way to an island. On the island of course he meets other survivors from past crashes like a beautiful woman named Eve (Fay Wray) and her drunken brother. As they learn from a high mansion on the island Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks) is a rich madman game hunter who has been trapping them here so that he can release them into the jungle to hunt them done as an animal.

This storyline has been redone several times in the horror and thriller genre, but I do believe this one of the first film along this line taken from the novel. It is one of the films that you really only feel for Eve as to be honest the rest of the men are ego’d or just a plain mess. Count Zaroff plays a great villain, and his troop of servants look like something from a Karloff film but lack any sense of scares. The true scares within this film to be honest is the shipwreck at the beginning of the film. This just might be on of the most classic horror shipwrecks of this time era as the shark attacks are awesome. It just might be my favorite part of the film in general.

The film gives us lots of chasing in the jungle and setting up traps as Eve and Bob are the prey. We have wild dogs hunting them down, gun shots, bow and arrows, sharks, people flying in a great comical way off the boat, a slurring drunk man and some great make up on the jungle men servants. Plus, that fancy door knocker just rocked!

Rating:  We have seen several films that ripped off this one as this was the first one along the great hunt of people. I personally will hold the movie up as per respect as it has been remade and copied over the years so beers for being one of the firsts. But at the same time there really is only so much screaming and running around in the jungle and swamps you can take in a hour. For some fun they could of threw in some jungle animals or maybe even that crazy centaur from the painting. But as being the first to do this I will honor that.

6/10 Beers!

Yacker

Crescendo (1970)

Crescendo (1970)

Country: UK

Director:  Alan Gibson

Main Stars:  Stefanie Powers, James Olson, Margaretta Scott, Jane Lapotaire

Storyline:  A graduate student travels for her masters in a late composer’s work. She goes to back to his estate and learns about the families dark past.

Review (Spoils):  Susan Roberts leaves New York to finish her thesis on the late composer Henry Ryman. She gets invited to his old manor which is still looked after by his wife Danielle and their son. While she is staying there, she learns that there is tension within the family and the staff members. While she tries to focus on her work (which seems she does not do a lot of) she learns about a past woman that’s resembles her.

Not a monster film like many of the Hammer Films but instead it’s a creepy dark horror. We have the very beautiful Susan gracing the film doing anything but her actual work, swimming, her hair, changing outfits and of course drinking with the family. As she is inspecting the manor for her thesis, she gets the full-on invite from the wife to explore everything. She takes it all in and hears random music played on the piano and of course you know the of mannequin that resembles her. You know normal stuff!

We have the sexy Stefanie Powers, axes, wheelchairs, lots of needles, blood, creepy family members and mannequins. This film is not a gore fest, but it does remind me of a class Italian style horror film with even the topless scenes.

Rating:  Randomly found this gem by accident and glad I did. This film is actually well done very well and like I said above it remind me a lot of something from Dario Argento would do. We have the beautiful Stefanie Powers (have I mentioned this enough yet?) and both James Olson and Margaretta Scott creeping you out as you try as a viewer figure out who is the nuttier. Sure, there is not a lot of blood in the film but with the nudity (classic Hammer) and the craziness there is enough to make this a gem.

6/10 Beers!

Yacker

The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

Country: USA

Director:  Roger Corman

Main Stars:  Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles, Dick Miller, Myrtle Vail, Karyn Kupcinet, Toby Michaels, Jack Nicholson

Storyline:  A lone man before he gets fired from a flower shop learns that certain fly trap flower when fed blood can make the store successful.

Review (Spoils):  A small flower shop located in skid row is run by Gravis (Mel Welles) and he needs to make the shop successful. When he threatens to fire Seymour (Jonathan Haze) due to his lack of abilities, he gives him one more chance to prove him wrong. Seymore find a Venus flytrap and at the same time cut his finger. The next day the flower is growing bigger, and it is impressing Gravis. Through time and love connections with Audrey (Jackie Joseph) (which he named the flower Audrey Jr.) he learns the more blood it gets the bigger the plant becomes. As things go sideways Seymour learns that the plant can talk and demand to be feed. This leads to mysterious deaths and huge crowds for the flower shop but when will it stop?

As you can tell from my hundreds of reviews and film collection, I love movies that go out there. This is no exception and a classic Roger Corman film (my favorite is Bucket of Blood) full of zany characters and crazy effects. Sure, many of the characters lines are way out there and you have horror icon Dick Miller eating flowers throughout the film, but this all is very entertaining. Jackie Joseph is cute as a button through out the filmand has some crazy one liners of the bubble head, but Jonathan Haze is just classic. We have a flytrap that just keeps growing, talks in a large echo voice even when the flower is not open and classic body parts being dropped and feed. Even some fun scenes of throwing sponge rocks that kill. This really is a classic drive-in film.  

Rating:  I dug this film but than again I do like Roger Corman in some ways. Was it amazing no not at all but it was just entertaining if you can get over some of the silliness? Jackie Joseph and Jonathan Haze are the stars of the film outside of the comical Audrey Jr. voice begging to be feed. Looking for a classic B horror film this is pretty classic. Now Feed ME!

6/10 Beers!

Yacker

The Doll 2 (2017)

The Doll 2 (2017)

Country: Indonesia

Director:  Rocky Soraya

Main Stars:  Herjunot Ali, Luna Maya, Sara Wijayanto, Maria Sabta, Ira Ilva Sari, Rydhen Afexi, Mega Carefansa, Shofia Shireen

Storyline:  After a tragic accident a young mother uses her daughters’ doll to try to bring her back to life.

Review (Spoils):  A young family are involved in a tragic accident in which their only daughter dies. The mother grieve drives her into endless depression. One of her best friend’s have her try to talk to her daughter by doing a seance with the doll that survived the accident (why they kept the ugly thing no idea) which starts to lead the mother going insane thinking she is now being haunted by her own daughter.

Very much like the first film this one does not stray far from the script. The storyline is your typical jumping out scares and yet again lots of a long hair young girl haunting the mother. The doll itself looks like something from a carnival I have no idea why the parents would let such a thing exist in their house. I love creepy looking dolls but this one is not creepy just odd. Secondly there is a lot of what is your fucking problem man going on this relationship and you feel for the mother.

Okay a few things about this series I can say is man they can bring on the fucking gore. This one once it gets going to not lacking on the red stuff and better than the first film the special effects are actually done very well and not much CGI. We have more glass in the skin than I can count, ugly doll, lots of knives stabbing, possessions, great special effects of possession, this movie loves the eyes gouge, puzzles and of course lots and lots of blood period.

Rating:  Maybe its just the Northern American in my customs and believes but if I was the mother or the even the daughter, I think there would be a lot of fuck you dad going on in mind. The ending was not what I would suspect and to be honest seemed like wow you’re a push over. But man, the gore, blood and special effects in this film (if you can get over the pushover storyline) is pretty decent and worth checking out. This series is a surprise to me as I do not hate it. Is it amazing no , but it is something that I would recommend a true horror fan to check out.

6/10 Beers!

Yacker

The Girl with all the Gifts (2016)

The Girl with all the Gifts (2016)

Country: USA

Director:  Mike Carey

Main Stars:  Sennia Nanua, Fisayo Akinade, Dominique Tipper, Gemma Arterton, Glenn Close

Storyline:  During a zombie fungi plague the lab gets under attack and they must survive with a lone child who is infected.

Review (Spoils):  Young Melanie (Sennia Nanua) is being held along with other children within a locked down area in which the existing humans are experimenting on them one by one. The children have special memories but yet seem to be inflicted with a zombie disease that causes them to crave flesh by smell. As things become out of the control and more people get infected, we learn that it was a plague that came from a fungi pod plants that caused this all to happen.

The bases of the story is simple, some of the group are assholes and others are feeling sympathy for the children and the infected. As they try to survive in this new world, they get bitten one by one as they travel from area to area to get help. The plot is really that simple as we learn more about the plague and how it started and works as they move along.

The film has gore believe it or not. We have lots of bites, blood and some gory flesh. We have great zombie make up and the film is filled with kid zombies.

Rating:  I am going to lay out right here I do not like fast moving zombies never have and prob never will, but this film was not bad outside of that. The make up was good and the acting was decent. Sure, the plot was pretty light, and it can be boring in travel times across the wasteland but overall, it was not bad. The ending of the movie was also very interesting and glad the storyline will end there. This is not a bad modern zombie tales even if they are fast running zombies with a growling hunger.

6/10 Beers!

Yacker

Truth or Dare (2018)

Truth or Dare (2018)

Country: USA

Director:  Jeff Wadlow

Main Stars:  Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey, Violett Beane, Hayden Szeto, Landon Liboiron, Nolan Gerard Funk, Sophia Taylor Ali, Sam Lerner, Aurora Perrineau

Storyline:  A group of teens head out to Mexico and get talked into playing Truth or Dare by a stranger

Review (Spoils): A small group of typical teens head up to cut loose one last time in Mexico. Oliva (Lucy Hale) is your typical cute and semi intelligent girl who hangs around a bunch of losers and gets talked into hanging out with a very charismatic eyed boy at the bar. He leads them all to a run-down mansion where he talks them into playing Truth or Dare. This leads to him being honest that it was all a trap and now he can escape, and they are now all cursed.  

This film has annoying teens but not many horror films do not. But this helping has a fun supernatural feel to it and the concept is fun. Sure, the CGI facial grin is lame and computer voice overlays but the idea and the way it flows works with the curse. The film reminds me a bit of the Final Destination series but it’s a little refreshing with the curse and ties of its past.

We have stupid facial CGI expressions, broken necks, lame teens, teen drama, burnt arms, broken hands, nasty pen in the eye, tongues, lots of puke, lots of dares and the awful truth of teenage friends.

Rating:  Sure, this film can have some lame parts such as wow that chick got sober fast and the truth, truth is also a bit cheezie but the over all curse is cool. Lucy Hale plays a good lead and is about the only one of the characters that you care about. Much of these types of films the storyline goes sideways halfway through for the main plot backstory but this one is not bad. This is a fun film and kind of holds it together even when the film goes a little off the rails on cheese.

6/10 Beers!

Yacker

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

Country: USA

Director:  Adam Robitel

Main Stars:  Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Caitlin Gerard, Spencer Locke, Kirk Acevedo

Storyline:  Dr. Elise Rainer goes back her childhood past as she faces the haunting that started it all in her childhood home.

Review (Spoils): Dr. Elise Rainer (Lin Shaye) this time is venturing upon nightmares of her childhood and past when she first witness, she had the gift. This leads to her abusive father, her mother’s horrible death and the connection between herself and her young brother. Ohhh and some ghosts/demons.  Much like the other films she has a feeling and before you know it, she back at the old ranch in her home taking on the original demon ghost that started it all for her.

Yet again when I start these films, I get confused is it Sinister, Insidious or the Conjuring that I need to connect too. Too many of these films started at the same.  But I do have to say this one had me intrigued from beginning to end even if the love connection was cheesy with the young nieces and her sidekicks.

This film gives a great backstory to this long-winded series and the actual key ghost was interesting and had some great effects. Not much on the blood and gore on this one but if lands well will the childhood tales and the demon ghosts. We have minor neck blood, some haunting key ghosts, a hanging, some beatings and lots of neck braces chained to a wall.

Rating:  Lin Shaye is always a delight and she needs to be placed in a horror hall of fame for the tons of films she has done for this genre.  Yeah, the nieces seemed a bit cheesy to the story line, but I guess they had to build a family connection. But the backstory is really what makes this film stand out for the series.  This is dripping in plot more than blood and gore, but the ghost effects are pretty well done in this one.

6/10 Beers!

Yacker

The Black Sleep (1956)

The Black Sleep (1956)

Country: USA

Director:  Reginald Le Borg

Main Stars:  Basil Rathbone, Akim Tamiroff, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnston, Patricia Blair, Phyllis Stanley, Sally Yarnell, John Carradine

Storyline:  A mad doctor uses a drug called the black sleep so that he can do brain experiments to help discover a cure for his wife.

Review (Spoils): Sir Joel Cadman (Basil Rathbone) loves his wife more than anything and when she is ill from a brain tumor, he will do anything to find a cure for her. He starts to kidnap victims and uses a drug called the black sleep to place them under as he works on their brains. He studies the brain so that he can understand how to remove the tumor from his wife. During this the victims are not dead but put under and of course victims of madness themselves after the operation. Nothing better then to do is keep them locked up in a prison in the dungeon of the home.

This film is just madness once it does get going. There is a lot of back and forth explaining plot and character development and of course the whole brain idea on how it works. Once the plot starts to loosen up and they stumble upon the madness of the past victims that is when the horror of the film starts to shine.

We have within the film lots of liquid goo brains, some nice knife cuts along the skull, crazy wackiness of a crazed man with a cane yelling Kill!, burning body, Tor Johnston in his prime,a melted face madman and a crazy lady with a crazier laugh and even crazier hair. The whole film near the end is melt down of maniacs.

Rating:  This is indeed an all star cast but it was lacking in long story telling until the last 30min. Yes, the film was dule for the first while but once you get past that and they start to open the fireplace that leads to the dungeon then the fun begins. The final scene yes can be comical as it just ends with a finale that you can literal yell at the screen… oh come on now!” But the maniacs are worth it. Lon Chaney Jr. does not quite shine in this one as he plays also one of the victims but more of servant, but Tor Johnston comes in with his white eyes and greatness.

6/10 Beers

Yacker