Massacre Time (Lucio Fulci, 1966) Director of the Month Series 1.1

So yes, this is the first entry in what I hope becomes a weekly feature on Celluloid Terror, the director of the month series. In this I hope to pick a director each month and discuss one of their films each week. These directors will range from well known horror directors to modern day guys with a lot of hype surrounding them and even art house type fellas. If will be a good chance for you, the reader, to possibly discover some films from a director whose work you enjoy that you may not have known about (and this is great for me to as it will inevitably force me to dig deeper into director's filmographies) and it will help me keep up an (hopefully) interesting feature. I chose Lucio Fulci as the first director, not because he's my favorite director or that I love all of his work. I chose Fulci because he's well known and widely loved but has a wide array of films that many of his fans have overlooked along with having dabbled in many genres.

The spaghetti western became an international phenomena after the success of Sergio Leone's A Fistful Of Dollars in 1964. 2 Short years later Lucio Fulci made his debut in the genre with MASSACRE TIME (aka THE BRUTE AND THE BEAST) from a screenplay by Fernando Di Leo, king of the Euro-Crime genre. Starring Franco Nero who was fresh off the set of Django, the film that would make him a star, MASSACRE TIME is a story about vengeance and the meaning of family. Nero stars as Tom Corbett a gold prospector who returns home when a sadistic land owner, Mr. Scott, takes over his families ranch.

Upon returning home, Corbett finds his brother Jeff (George Hilton) is a lousy alcoholic who is on the bad side of many and his mother is distraught and wants nothing more than Tom to leave and return to safety. Tom confronts Mr. Scott only to be badly beaten by his son Junior and bloodied badly with a bull whip. Later that night tragedy strikes the family and the brothers Tom and Jeff vow vengeance on the Scotts until Tom learns of a rift in the family bloodline, one that will forever tie him to the Mr. Scott and his despicable son, Junior.

MASSACRE TIME is a well made if albeit predictable western that doesn't try to reinvent the mold that was still being formed when it was released. This film features the classic "stranger" character, the bar fight scene, a comic relief coffin maker (that was obviously taken straight from A Fistful Of Dollars and the movie that it was a remake of, Yojimbo, from acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa. Franco Nero dons all black on more than occasion which obviously makes the viewer think of Django. Nero is solid in the lead role, as would be expected but not seeing him as the most experienced gunslinger in town is a bit hard to look passed.

Lucio Fulci would go on to make a handful of westerns, some of them are better and more interesting than MASSACRE TIME but for a director still forming his style, in a genre still forming its style, MASSACRE TIME will go down as a respectable entry into the genre with a good cast and a typically satisfying score and a memorable soundtrack. Fans of Fulci's gore soaked horror works of the 80s will find plenty of blood and violence to enjoy here as well. Do yourself a favor and check out the beloved horror directors first western. 

6/10

The Blue Hour Triple Feature (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1971, 1965, 1969
Directed By: Sergei Goncharoff, Albert T. Viola, Marty Rackum
Written By:
Starring: Edward Blessington, Anne Chapman, Mary Beth Hughes
Color and B&W/220 Minutes/Not Rated

The Films
THE BLUE HOUR is a visually striking, oddly entertaining and just a bit out there story of a young girl with a clouded past who finds herself the victim of the seedy and strange side of Los Angeles. The main attraction of this set is, not surprisingly, the best film included from its writing to its direction and photography. The film is full of as much art house as it is sexploitation and deserves to be discovered and respected.

In ONE NAKED NIGHT a small town girl move to New York City to escape the prying eyes of small town life and to truly experience life. She quickly gets into the modeling community with the help of her friend and ends up in bed with her photographer after a night on the town with him. Her relationships begin to fall apart and she realizes that she moved to the city to escape the judgement from her old life but now must face the mirror and judge herself.

ONE NAKED NIGHT is a pretty decent little movie. The main girl is a likable girl, innocent and curious who finds out that not everything in life works out the way you planned and there will be plenty of setbacks that you have to deal with when trying to find yourself. I enjoyed this one a good bit.

If you like nude hippie girls enjoying their sexuality and freedom then THREE IN A TOWEL is for you. That really is all it is, with some Shakespeare narration over top. This movie is a rare one from what I can tell as I've been able to find very little information about it on the internet. This is a little known piece of hippie film culture that, while very simple, displays a large part in the free spirit nature of the 1960s.

The Audio & Video

THE BLUE HOUR looks very good, in its anamorphic widescreen transfer which does justice to the film's striking images. Colors are strong and bright without being over saturated and there is only a sparse amount of print damage. The audio is also strong with a bit of background noise in limited areas being the only complaint. ONE NAKED NIGHT looks very good overall. The black and white cinematography benefits from a clean print that has been kept in good condition over the years. Black levels are deep and whites never get too hot. The night time New York City streets look especially beautiful in this presentation. The audio track is just as crisp and clean as the picture with a well mixed track and no background noise to speak of. I don't think Vinegar Syndrome could have done better without it being on Blu-ray.

THREE IN A TOWEL is a mixed bag. At times the full frame transfer look reasonably good with natural skin tones and a clean print but it often goes right into a scene that is scratchy and a bit washed out. Dark scenes suffer from poor lighting and cinematography so they look green and blocky. The audio is fine, with background whirling and crackling present but not enough to become a real annoyance. 

The Extras
The lone extra is an original theatrical trailer for THREE IN A TOWEL

The Bottom Line
While the films vary in quality as they do on most multi-feature sets such as this, this is a strong offering from Vinegar Syndrome that will please fans of the label and of sexploitation films.

THE BLUE HOUR triple feature is available HERE

Hanging For Django (Blu-ray Review) - Raro Video

Italy/1969
Directed By: Sergio Garrone
Written By: Sergio Garrone
Starring: Anthony Steffen, William Berger, Nicoletta Machiavelli
Color/97 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A

The Film
Johnny Brandon (Anthony Steffen) and Everett "Preacherman" Murdock are a pair of bounty hunters that have come to town to find a group of criminals an cash in on their capture or killing. While in the town they catch wind of Mr. Fargo, a local landowner who is running an illegal ring of smuggling people across the border from Mexico for cheap labor. Fargo has a nasty habit of murdering the whole bunch and dumping them in a ravine anytime someone gets suspicious. There is a massive $40,000 reward offered to the pair to capture Fargo but Brandon and Preacherman are on completely opposite pages and each has their own agenda with Preacherman only caring about himself and his wallet. 

HANGING FOR DJANGO also known as Una lunga fila di croci  (A Long Row Of Crosses) doesn't feature any hangings and is one of literally dozens of films to use the name Django in the title despite having nothing at all to do with Sergio Corbucci's classic film. What it does have is a strong cast including Steffen and Berger in the lead roles who are classic spaghetti western actors and Sergio Garrone (the 3rd Sergio) at the helm. Garrone had success in many different genres of Italian cinema making films to match the popularity of whatever genre was hot at the time. He may be best known for his time in the western genre and this film, while a bit sloppy on the story telling features a lot of action, some fun gun play and a weapon that is a cross between a Gatling Gun, shotgun and rifle.

Ripe with the classic characteristics of the genre, HANGING FOR DJANGO is violent, a bit silly, and handled capably by the cast and crew. Far from great and by no means a classic it is pretty damn decent and certainly entertaining.  

The Audio & Video
I read a review on another site prior watching this disc that absolutely tears the presentation of this disc apart. I have to say, I have no idea what they were watching. Raro Video brings HANGING FOR DJAGO to Blu-ray with a 2.35:1 scope widescreen presentation that does happen to be a 1080i transfer. That said, it isn't bad looking. Colors are decent, and facial details in the many close-up shots you'll see in spaghetti westerns actually feature pretty strong detail. Textures show some decent detail as well. I wouldn't say the image pops or is particularly strong overall but it isn't a disaster or even bad. I'd call it a decent transfer that has room for improvement.

There are a pair of audio tracks, one English and one Italian. Since these Italian productions didn't record live sound and featured casts assembled from all over the world, both tracks are dubbed and neither could really be considered the native language. I chose the English track which sounds okay, but a bit thin. The mix between dialogue and soundtrack is fine and overall it is very listenable. English subtitles are available for the Italian language track.

The Extras
The disc features a 15 minute mini-documentary on the film and its cast and crew. The packaging also includes a full illustrated booklet that features bios of the director, stars and an essay on the film.

The Bottom Line
HANGING FOR DJANGO is an entertaining spaghetti western that won't become a classic anytime soon and this disc probably won't win any awards but it will satisfy fans of the genre with a really decent overall product that I'm proud and extremely happy to have in my collection.

HANGING FOR DJANGO is available HERE

The Candidate / Johnny Gunman (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1964, 1957
Directed By:
Written By:
Starring:
Black & White/151 Minutes/Not Rated

The Films
THE CANDIDATE surrounds an up and coming politician running for senate and his sexual relationships along the way. Starting with a beautiful blond he meets working in a hotel who he takes on as his new secretary to the woman that he impregnates and arranges the abortion. There are court room proceedings, some laughs and even a home made sex tape.

THE CANDIDATE features a simple story and a simple presentation but the attractive girls, likable characters and timeless story of politicians that can't keep it in their pants makes this one hard to turn away from. It ends up being quite a bit more entertaining than the simple synopsis would lead you to believe.

JOHNNY GUNMAN is a noir type thriller about a pair of lifelong friends who look at each other as brothers who are feuding over mob territory now that the boss, their father, has died. Stuck between their greed, their women, their love for each other and their loyalty this is a quick moving piece that boils down to a knife fight in the streets they played in as kids. This film is a quick and easy noir to enjoy.

The Audio & Video
The first feature on this DVD from Vinegar Syndrome is THE CANDIDATE, presented in an attractive 1.85:1 widescreen print. There is a small amount of scratches through the print but otherwise the source material used was in great condition and the transfer here shows it. There is nice shadow detail and deep black levels. The audio on THE CANDIDATE is also good with intermittent crackling in the background but never becoming a distraction. 

JOHNNY GUNMAN has a nice 1.33:1 full frame transfer from quality source materials. The print has similar high qualities to the first feature on this set with even less print damage while the audio also performs highly with little to complain about. 

The Extras
The packaging features reversible cover art for whichever feature you prefer, other wise it is bare bones. 

 
The Bottom Line
The solid pairing of films and their good condition and presentation make up for the lack of special features enough to warrant a recommendation. 

THE CANDIDATE and JOHNNY GUNMAN double feature is available HERE

Corruption (Blu-ray Review) - Grindhouse Releasing

England/1968
Directed By: Robert Hartford-Davis
Written By: Derek Ford, Donald Ford
Starring: Peter Cushing, Sue Lloyd, Noel Trevarthen
Color/91 Minutes/Rated R
Region FREE

The Film
Peter Cushing stars as John Rowan, a well respected surgeon who is dating a gorgeous fashion model named Lynn (Sue Lloyd). At one of Lynn's hip parties, John gets into a fight with Lynn's photographer resulting in a hot lamp burning Lynn's face badly. Desperate for a way to restore his love's face, life and career, John begins researching theories and techniques on plastic surgery and tissue regeneration. John discovers a method the ancient Egyptians used that requires a new pituitary gland for the patient. After getting one from a  body in the morgue and doing his procedure, Lynn's face looks good as new... for a short while. 

It becomes apparent to John that the gland must come from a living patient as it will be fresher and more able to do its job. Lynn pressures John into acquiring the gland she needs to regain her beauty. Of course this means John has to find women that can't be tracked as he has to murder them to get what he needs, and as the pressure on him from his lover mounts Cushing begins to break down. 

CORRUPTION could be viewed as a sleazier take on Eyes Without A Face and nobody would argue with you. It certainly is similar, but it is a different beast, in only for the fact that we get to see The Gentleman Of Horror himself, turn in to a crazed maniac that reminded me of a skinner, and less greasy version of Frank Zito from 1980's Maniac, played brilliantly by Joe Spinell. Of course this film was made over a decade earlier, but after its initial run it wasn't often available and was never seen by this reviewer until today. 

The film is better than you may expect from a short description as "a sleazier Eyes Without A Face". The performances are great, of course that isn't news for Cushing but Sue Lloyd is fantastic as the narcissistic lover who feels she can't live without her beauty and the supporting roles of Jan Waters as a prostitute, and Noel Trevarthen as Cushing's fellow doctor and fiancee to Lynn's sister. There isn't a bad performance in the bunch and the direction is also strong. Look no farther than the laser beam fight at the end of the film or the fish-eye photography when Cushing gets down and dirty.  

 
The Audio & Video
For their second Blu-ray release Grindhouse Releasing brings CORRUPTION to us with a new 2k restoration in a gorgeous anamorphic widescreen print that is free of any digital hiccups or missteps. There are no signs of edge enhancement, DNR, or unceseary tampering with the picture. Skin tones are natural, colors are balanced without any hot spots and detail level on textures and skin are strong. I love the way this disc look. The audio is also fantastic, with a perfectly clean track. There are no pops, hisses or distortions. While CORRUPTION is light on sound effects that will give your sound system a workout, you'll be able to enojoy the dialogue and score without any worry about poor mixing. 

Please note: Images taken from DVD copy of the film
 
The Extras
-Audio commentary with English Gothic author Jonathan Rigby  
-Alternate scenes for various international markets
-Video interviews with Billy Murray, Jan Waters, Wendy Varnals, and Peter Cushing
-Historical documents from the production including the director's original shooting script
-Liner notes
-Still gallery with poster art
-Trailers
-TV and radio spots
+MORE

The Bottom Line 
This is a great piece of horror and Cushing that has been lovingly rescued and re-introduced to the world by Grindhouse Releasing and I couldn't thank them more. Highly recommended.


CORRUPTION is available HERE

Night Tide (Blu-ray Review) - Kino

USA/1961
Directed By: Curtis Harrington
Written By: Curtis Harrington
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson, Gavin Muir
Black & White/85 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1

The Film
Johnny Drake is a US Navy sailor on shore leave played by a baby faced Dennis Hopper, the innocent and slightly naive young man wanders around the boardwalk attractions of Venice Beach until he meets a young woman named Mora in a bar. Their encounter is brief but Johnny invites himself to walk Mora home. Mora invites Johnny over for breakfast the next morning where the pair hit it off and begin to see each other a bit more often. Mora shows Johnny where she works as a sideshow attraction at the boardwalk as a mermaid who only charges 25 cents admission to get a glimpse of a siren of the sea. 

As Johnny and Mora get closer the people surrounding the pair begin to warn Johnny that his relationship with Mora may be putting him in danger. Johnny learns that she has had several boyfriends turn up dead recently and a fortune teller informs Johnny that his future is clouded with danger. Paranoia begins to set in with Johnny that perhaps Mora is an actual mermaid, or dangerous siren. Johnny's relationship with Mora quickly takes a turn for the worst during a Scuba diving adventure where violence and paranoia reach a boiling point. 

NIGHT TIDE was directed by Curtis Harrington and features some beautiful images throughout. There is a great image of Hopper jumping up on a high railing and doing a balance act on it after he walks Mora home the night they met that is beautiful. The film is a slow burn, featuring more drama than horror but it allows the hints and clues to build paranoia, not only within our star but the audience as well. The strongest point of NIGHT TIDE is Harrington's direction and the photography. It is a rather simple but nice looking film. It is interesting to see such a young Dennis Hopper long before he was Mad Dog Morgan or shouting about Pabst Blue Ribbon in what might be his first starring role. 

NIGHT TIDE is a solid film, a bit short on the thrills but is reminiscent of other early 60s films like Carnival Of Souls and would make a pretty neat double feature with that film. While not overly horrific, NIGHT TIDE is worth seeking out and will hopefully begin getting some more notoriety that it certainly deserves.

The Audio & Video
NIGHT TIDE makes its debut on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber and it looks gorgeous. The 1.66:1 widescreen transfer in full 1080p HD is sharp and clean, with just a bit of white speckling throughout. Detail levels are strong with the texture of fabrics and on some of the carnival attractions being exceptional. Black levels are deep and there are no signs of any DNR or edge enhancement. This is a great example of how older films can look great on Blu-ray. The 2.0 mono track is crisp and clear with no background noise. It is a simple track but sometimes that is all that needs to be done as it is pretty much a perfect audio track for the film. 

The Extras
-Audio commentary featuring director Curtis Harrington and Dennis Hopper - this track is several years old, having been recorded before both men passed away. They recount their time filming and some production details. Harrington recalls most of the details with Hopper chiming in just enough.
-Two part interview with Curtis Harrington clocking in at 55 minutes
-Original theatrical trailer

The Bottom Line
It is great to get films like NIGHT TIDE out on Blu-ray and even better when the release has great A/V quality and some cool features. If you're a fan of older offbeat horror films then I would suggest you check out this disc.

NIGHT TIDE is available HERE

The Awful Dr. Orlof (Blu-ray Review) - Kino Redemption

France/Spain/1962
Directed By: Jess Franco
Written By: Jess Franco
Starring: Howard Vernon, Diana Lorys, Conrado San Martin
B&W/86 Minutes/Not Rated 
Region A

 The Film
THE AWFUL DR. ORLOF is Spain's first horror film and takes on a classic of a doctor trying to bring life and beauty back to a loved one. In this case it is Orlof's daughter, and he uses his creepy assistant Morpho and beautiful Arne in his surgical operations. As the women disappear it is up to the somewhat inept police force to discover the true identity of the killer or killers that have been seen roaming the streets. 

THE AWFUL DR. ORLOF is a fairly traditional horror film not far from the bloodlines of Eyes Without A Face and bits and pieces of Frankenstein. It is a starkly filmed Gothic horror film with thick atmosphere solid performances throughout. And while this very well may be Franco's most easily accessible film to the average viewer, it is not without some of his signature touches. 

Spain's first horror film was a fine way of breaking into the genre with touches of classic horror and a jumping off point for a director that the country would come to shun.  

The Video
The beautiful black and white photography is represented beautifully on this transfer from Kino Redemption. The 1.66:1 widescreen presentation taken from a 35mm print has strong black levels and lovely detail on textures and skin. There is some speckling of dirt and dust throughout without ever interfering with the film. 

The Audio
Available in both French with English subtitles and an English dub track, the sound portion of the disc is another good one. From the somewhat startling and disorienting opening percussion track to the dialogue between the detectives, the soundtrack is steady and handled perfectly.

The Extras
Tim Lucas' commentary track is again the star of the extras, packed with tidbits of information on the cast and crew, filming locations and various other aspects of the film and Franco. 

The Horror Of Orlof - An interview with Jess Franco

The Young Dr. Orlof Chronicles -  A featurette on the making of the film

Jess What Are You Doing Now? - Friends and collaborators pay homage to Jess Franco

 Theatrical trailers

Photo gallery 

The Bottom Line
Kino Redemption have done a fantastic job on this set of Jess Franco Blu-ray releases and there is no reason that THE AWFUL DR. ORLOF shouldn't be in your collection!

THE AWFUL DR. ORLOF is available HERE 

The Dungeon Of Harrow / Death By Invitation (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1962, 1971
Directed By: Pat Boyette / Ken Friedman
Written By: Pat Boyette, Henry Garcia / Ken Friedman
Starring: Russ Harvey, Helen Hogan / Shelby Leverington, Arron Phillips
Color/168 Minutes/Not Rated 

Films
THE DUNGEON OF HARROW is the story of a pair of men who shipwreck on an island during a storm. After hearing the howls of wild dogs and the screams of a woman they trek further into the island territory when they are encountered by a large man and assaulted. They are brought to the castle of the island in varying condition, the captain exceptionally banged up. Soon they meet the Count of the castle who is quickly losing himself to delusions of an even madder version of himself who is able to summon creatures including giant spiders. While his captain is left laying in bed to rest, Fallon, the owner of the boat, is the guest of the house and quickly becomes exposed to the horrors within.

It doesn't take long to see how much this film resembles the gothic horror films from Roger Corman that are simply much better. This is a basement priced production and would be the 3rd feature on a drive-in bill that would feature The Pit And The Pendulum as the star attraction. While THE DUNGEON OF HARROW isn't a technically successful movie it is an ambitious one with set pieces within the castle looking better than they should. There is no star power here, or anything resembling a great horror film, there is even a rather stupid twist reveal toward the end but I can't help but admire the spirit behind this film that does manage a surprise or two during its duration.

In DEATH BY INVITATION Lise is a woman who has befriended the conservative Vroot family with the intentions of avenging her ancestor (who bears a striking resemblance to Lise) who was executed for being a witch by the Vroot family's ancestors. Lise is much more a free spirit and has little trouble luring the Vroot children of varying ages to spend time with her when she is able to enact her revenge. She tells a story of a an old tribe of women that end up eating the men after their attempted uprising and lets the blood spill. As the family mourns Lise gets in closer, providing her support for the grieving family until the father's suspicions come true.

Originally titled The Witch Story, DEATH BY INVITATION flashes images of the witch hunt throughout the film to remind us of Lise's intentions and furthering the madness on screen. Lise drives the film's sexuality without there being much skin shown at all, Shelby Leverington thrives in the role. While on the slow side the film has a bit of comic relief from a detective who thinks one of the kids of the family who went missing will simply turn up as a dope fiend in the city. There are some attempts at bringing a psychedelic vibe to the film at times but it never comes across. The film is nothing special but isn't a bad viewing experience.

Video
Dungeon Of Harrow is presented in an anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1 aspect ratio and looks like it comes from a source that has aged quite a bit. The image is soft with washed out colors and has some scratches, dirt and debris along with some natural grain. While not a particularly striking transfer it is certainly watchable.

INVITATION's transfer is rather clean, only marred by a light speckling of marks and black lines that don't distract. There are a few flashes of white marks in the upper corners at times but again those aren't distracting. The 16:9 anamorphic print is probably the best this film has looked since it was originally shot. 

Audio
The audio track on HARROW is another passable job but just barely, most likely due to the original nature of the recording. The track is free of any cracking, hissing or pops but the dialogue is very muddy and buried beneath the soundtrack. Luckily once you've boosted the volume loud enough to understand the dialogue you can leave the remote alone as there are no major unnecessary spikes in volume.

DEATH BY INVITATION has a much better 2.0 Dolby Digital mix. Dialogue is always clear despite some minor background hiss and crackling. The soundtrack is a bit on the flat side but it sounds like it is true to the original mix. 

Extras
There is a commentary track for DEATH BY INVITATION from the podcast group The Hysteria Continues where they discuss the sparse background information on the movie and some of the cast and crew's history. It isn't super informative but it is a lively enough track to warrant a listen and is a nice addition. 

The Bottom Line
 While I wouldn't call either of these movies winners on their own, they somehow work as a double feature and would work even better in the middle of a horror marathon. These are two flicks from the drive-in era that have had shoddy lives on public domain discs and it is nice that they get a decent representation here from Vinegar Syndrome at a price any collector will love.

THE DUNGEON OF HARROW / DEATH BY INVITATION Drive-In Collection Double Feature is available HERE

Anatomy Of A Psycho / The Lonely Sex (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1960, 1959
Directed By: Boris Petroff, Richard Hillard
Written By: Jane Mann, Don Devlin / Richard Hillard, Stephen Ripley
Starring: Ronnie Burns, Pamela Lincoln / Mary Gonzalez, Karl Light
Black & White/137 Minutes/Not Rated

The Films 
As Duke Marco is sentenced to death for a murder, his younger siblings who were raised by him must deal with his death. Chet, the youngest, believes that Duke confided to him and only him that he was innocent, and sets out on a path of vengeance against those responsible for putting his brother to death. Despite his sister's pleas to stop, and see Duke for the hoodlum he really was Chet attacks the DA's son and the judge's son, even letting his own friend die after a fight to set up the DA's son with a murder charge himself. 

ANATOMY OF A PSYCHO is a decent little thriller that would probably have been better suited for production 10 or 15 years later when it would have been full of excess that makes these types of revenge films entertaining. As it sits, it is a fine film, that isn't really bad at all, just tame. Tameness is it's biggest flaw. The fight scenes are almost comical at times (especially the one leading up to a large fire) in how over acted they are, but that is more a sign of the times than a flaw of the film. ANATOMY OF A PSYCHO is best summed up in one word, decent.  

THE LONELY SEX begins with a newspaper heading "Sex slaying in memorial park" and cuts to a man walking down the street, peering into a window to spy on a woman undressing from her black lingerie and fishnets. The man is ever vigilant to make sure he isn't caught, but he never once glances away. The man is Mr. Wiler, a tenant at a boardinghouse run by Annabelle and her father, a doctor. Mr. Wiler has an attraction to Annabelle and doesn't keep it a secret. We are soon introduced to another man, a loner that spends his time in a shack where he lives or spying on beautiful women in the park. When he offers one of those women, Annabelle, a flower and she laughs in his face his weak mind responds with brutal violence and he begins choking and striking her repeatedly. After letting her go, he stalks her again, this time capturing her and locking her in his shed. The deranged man goes to Annabelle's father seeking help for his own damaged mind when he reveals that he has kidnapped her. Wiler and the doctor go to rescue Annabelle and Wiler decides to go one step father.

THE LONELY SEX is a rather bland psycho sexual thriller. There was some potential early on but it quickly becomes nothing more than a sit-and-wait affair for the girl to be rescued, while the deranged man escapes to the confines of a church with his life until the police come. The short film movies at a brisk pace to prevent the movie from dragging but a boredom still manages to creep in by the end of the film.

Video
Aside from a few short moments of damage ANATOMY OF A PSYCHO has a very nice looking print. The black and white transfer is sharp and features a healthy dose of natural grain. Vinegar Syndrome did a really nice job here. 

 
THE LONELY SEX looks nice for the most part. The black and white 1.37:1 transfer is clean and sharp, with some scratches and dirt present but nothing distracting. There are some moments towards the end of the film where the source material was damaged and you can notice skips in the frames. Nothing major, and Vinegar Syndrome did a nice job.

Audio
ANATOMY has a clean and clear audio track. Dialogue and music are nicely mixed and provide an all around enjoyable listen. 

 As with the video on TLS the audio isn't bad either. There is some hissing and crackling in the background but dialogue comes through loud and clear.

Extras
Barebones.

The Bottomline 
While this pair of thrillers probably won't keep you on the edge of your seat, they will give you a bit of insight into exploitation films a good decade before they exploded into what we picture them as today. And on top of that neither is particularly bad, just nothing exceptional. Recommended, even if only to see how exploitation films have evolved.

ANATOMY OF A PSYCHO / THE LONELY SEX Drive-In Collection Double Feature is available HERE 

Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Last Days & Wrap-up

Before I run down the last few days of the challenge I have to give a shout out to the unofficial sponsor of my month's viewing, Wild Eye Releasing who generously sent me a bunch of DVDs to check out and one I had already seen I was able to give away as a prize. Wild Eye is responsible for releasing lots of weird, trashy and independent horror, sleaze, comedy, and other types of crazy movies. Whether I loved the movie or I hated the movie I knew I was in for something different and for that reason alone Wild Eye is a company worth checking out and supporting.

The 26th and 27th of the month had no viewings for various reasons so there was really no reason to update until now. I got back on track on the 28th with 4 flicks.

First was GOLD. This is a weird movie that apparently didn't get shown in the US until very recently despite it being over 40 years old. This is the story of a hippie commune, full of love, nudity, drugs and sex being terrorized by the local law for all of their raunchy indecency. It was made on the fly it seems, with little budget or pre-planning and a lot of drug use. It actually isn't bad and is interesting to look at from a historical standpoint of that time and culture.

Next up was DEAD SUSHI. This movie is a freaking blast, that will have you smiling the entire time. The plot is a basic Kaiju plot with an evil corporation experimenting in drugs that will bring back animals from the dead. Well it works on sushi and the sushi grow teeth, spikes and sharp blades and begin flying around killing people. It is hilarious, and total tongue in cheek fun. This description doesn't even begin to describe the total shenanigans that occur during the very quick 91 minute runtime but you'll have to see it for yourself.

What would this month be without a little Russ Meyer action? I didn't get to see as many as I would've liked, especially since this challenge just screams out for his movies but I did manage to get one in at the end. I'd never seen it before so I popped in the DVD of MOTOR PSYCHO. The story isn't anything you've never heard before, a group of motorcycle riding weirdos terrorize passing cars on a desert road. The women in the cars are of course big breasted and beautiful as women not of that nature seem not to exist in Russ Meyer's world. I'm okay with his world. The movie is a good tale of revenge and has a rather violent finale with TNT. Very enjoyable stuff.

I couldn't decide what to watch after that so with plenty of beverages in hand I popped in XTRO 2. I'm a fan of the creepy weirdness that first movie offers but the second is just crap. Having nothing at all to do with the first Xtro, XTRO 2 is sort of like a really bad Alien ripoff... except that it is more like a ripoff of an Alien ripoff. What a shitty movie.

The 29th featured just one movie, and it would be the final Wild Eye movie of the month. THE DEATH OF ANDY KAUFMAN is an independent documentary digging into the possibility that Kaufman faked his death. This isn't really an exploitation movie in any sense but Kaufman kind of exploited people with his act, and hell, he may be exploiting all of into thinking he's dead... not sure what he'd get out of it than his own satisfaction but whatever. The documentary is okay, probably as good as I could hope for given it's seemingly DIY nature. There is a lengthy interview with Kaufman's brother and a rundown on Kaufman and his history and life. The film never gets deep enough into the idea that he did fake his death or "finding the real Andy Kaufman" and who he truly was. It scratches the surface but could've been so much more.

And on to the final day...

KEOMA was on tap. This is a sort of trippy, psychadelic, dream-like spaghetti western that is great. From Enzo Castellari's direction to Franco Nero's performance as the titular character I love this movie.  Check it out the next time you watch a western. And the image won't upload so no poster... whammy.

And the challenge comes to a conclusion with THE LOVE GARDEN. I won't say much about this now because it is part of a disc review I have coming up in a few days but it is an absolutely textbook definition way to end an exploitation marathon.

THE WRAP UP

Total Films Watched - 64
1st Time viewings - 59 (92%)
Average Film Score - 5.6/10
Best First Time Viewings - Ms. 45, Godzilla vs. Hedorah, Emergency Squad, My Dear Killer
Biggest Surprise - That I had as much enjoyment with Nazisploitation as I did.
Biggest Disappointment - The Iguana With The Tongue Of Fire
Thoughts To Sum It Up - There was a metric ton of shitty movies this month and it really drained me at times. From a disappointing giallo to unbelievably shitty shot on video horror fare this month was a struggle. There were some great movies though and putting a big dent in my "to watch" pile is always a good thing. I probably should have planned out what I wanted to watch instead of winging it but where's the fun in that? (Where's the fun in this?) The exploitation fun rolls right on into May with disc Reviews coming from Synapse and Vinegar Syndrome. And a new branch of Celluloid Terror is coming. WOO! Thanks for following along this month.

Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Days 22 & 23

First up was a western that seemed like it would be fun at least, even if it wasn't totally original. BARREL FULL OF DOLLARS, also known as Coffin Full Of Dollars co-stars Klaus Kinski and falls in to all of the cliches of Spaghetti Westerns without any creative energy really driving it. Most of the action and performances are phoned in and it was really a mediocre effort all around.

Next up I rounded out a trilogy I've loved all month with CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH 3: THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE SUBHUMANOID. This one falls right in line with each of its predecessors. There is more ridiculous off beat humor, gross out moments and great Troma flare. I'd rate the series from best to worst - Part 1, part 3, part 2, but they're all very entertaining and among Troma's best productions. Consider me excited for part 4.

And these 2 days were rounded out with THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY, a giallo from director Duccio Tessari. This was a solid giallo, with much of the story coming through courtroom testimony and flashbacks from those testifying until the final act. I'm glad I've finally checked this one of the list.

Oh and while this has nothing to do with the challenge, the new Tom Cruise flick OBLIVION sucks. Don't waste your time on it.

Today's Rundown
Barrel Full Of Dollars - 5/10
Class Of Nuke 'Em High 3 - 7.5/10
The Bloodstained Butterfly - 7/10

Exploitation/B-Movie-Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Days 18 & 19

Probably going to be doing 2 days per post for the rest of the challenge, so here are days 18 and 19...

After watching Chained Heat I was in the mood for some more Women In Prison fare and decided to watch the other two movies in the triple feature DVD set with CH. RED HEAT was next, once again featuring Linda Blair in the lead role. When she is visiting her boyfriend in Germany she is kidnapped and sent to an East German prison where she has to deal with all the crap that comes along with it. It isn't until months later that her boyfriend finally discovers the truth of how she disappeared and sets to break her out. RED HEAT is a let down. The framework of a good WIP flick are there but the meat of it all is bland and boring. It never exploits the situation or East German setting enough and the ending is a set up for nothing. Not terrible but like I said, a let down.

Rounding out that DVD set was JUNGLE WARRIORS, which brings the prison aspect in to the jungles of South America when a group of models on a photo shoot get captured by a drug lord. This is good old fashioned fun with cocaine... and barrels of it. A lot of shootouts, Woody Strode taking out people with a bow and arrow in the middle of a machine gun war, decapitations, naked women. It sounds like a lot of fun, and it is but the WIP aspect is lost amongst the shuffle of other things and that hurts it.

Day 18 was rounded out with THE BABYSITTER. This film from 1969 is the story of a DA in a loveless marriage who falls for the new babysitter. A fun loving, carefree spirit who just wants to have fun and listen to music. The fact that she's a young, leggy blond with a penchant for getting naked doesn't really hurt either. While the man and the babysitter have their fling they're being followed and photographed by a woman who is part of a biker gang that is going to use the pictures to blackmail the DA into letting her boyfriend and leader of the gang out of his murder charges. This movie was better than I expected it to be. There is some violence in the murder scene, some lesbianism and talks of blackmailing the DA by exposing his lesbian daughter (this is the '60s), potential pedophilia as I'm pretty sure the babysitter's age was never clarified and she could easily be a high school girl and tacos. Nothing to rush out of your way for as you pretty much get what you expect when you read the synopsis but it isn't as hammy as it all sounds so it is a worthwhile watch.

Day 19 sucked and booze wasn't going to save it.

Early in the day I watched R.O.T.O.R., a killer robot cop flick from the late 80s. It could have been as cool as Chopping Mall but instead it was about as cool as getting prodded in the ass by robots. So bad it's good? So bad it's fucking awful. It wasn't the worst movie I've seen all month but it is among the worst.

Then later that night I decided to give PUPPET MASTER: AXIS OF EVIL another viewing, hoping it was better than the first time I saw it when I was more than a few beers too deep. Well, I was relaxing with a couple beers, what I feel is the best recipe for a successful Puppet Master viewing, and I don't know if I could have been more bored. It is a shame too because I don't think the puppets move and look as bad as most people do, and there is actually some above average acting and direction for a Full Moon (especially modern day Full Moon) picture but pacing killed this thing, as there is none. Nothing happens until over an hour into the movie and even then it is so little that it just pisses you off. It wasn't as bad as ROTOR though.

Today's Rundown
Red Heat - 5/10
Jungle Warriors - 6.5/10
The Babysitter - 6/10
R.O.T.O.R - 3/10
PM: Axis Of Evil - 4/10

Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Day 13

First up for day 13 was GORGO. I had just received the Blu-ray in the mail and popped it in. This is an early 60 giant monster flick from Britain. While it is a decent picture it pales in comparison to most Japanese monster movies of the era. I did find the "Gorgo promotional tour" scene to be pretty cool and show how people will spend money to see any type of "freak" even if it is exploiting the beast, person, or what have you.

I only watched one other movie but it is a favorite of mine that I find to be a perfect mix of exploitation, social commentary and fun. DEATH RACE 2000 is one of the best movies the 1970s had to offer and is much more than just a car race to kill people that became a remake. With a cast that includes David Carradine, who is top notch here, to Sylvester Stallone and cult favorite Mary Woronov and with direction from Paul Bartel (Eating Raoul) this Roger Corman production has stood the test of time to be an influtential film that entertains from start to finish.

Today's Rundown
Gorgo - 6/10
Death Race 2000 - 10/10

Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Day 11

It was an unplanned Kaiju day today. Giant Japanese monsters made up the entirety of day 11.

First up was the only Godzilla film from the Showa era that I hadn't seen, GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH. Hedorah is a monster made up of sludge, and smog and all forms of pollution that are plaguing Japan and he seems to be nearly unstoppable. He creates sulfur burns on humans and if he passes too close they drop dead. Hedorah passes through solid objects and decays them like acid. Hedorah is pretty much a wrecking ball that is ready to totally decimate Japan, even Godzilla can't stop him. It takes the teamwork of mankind, science and Godzilla to finally inflict pain on the smog monster. I don't think I've ever seen Godzilla get more personal with the fight than after this one, he really let loose. This is the trippyest Godzilla movie I've ever seen, a definite reflection of its time. Really enjoyable flick.

I followed that up with another 'Zilla flick, one I hadn't seen since it ran on cable when I was a kid. GODZILLA VS MEGALON is pretty slow going in the beginning. Megalon is pretty much useless in the beginning, just a big lumbering monster with no real mission other than to squash houses, and the Jet Jaguar plot is pretty much just thrown together but it all becomes worth it in the end. The end battle is up there with some of the best tag team wrestling matches of all times. I'd give it an easy 4.25 or 4.5 stars. While Megalon and Gigan are destroying Jet Jaguar, just pummeling him ala the greatest heel factions in wrestling history using the numbers to their advantage, Godzilla is walking up to the fight like a man on a mission. His facial expressions and body language were nothing short of Stone Cold Steve Austin and I half expected to hear the glass break and then the entrance music to come on as Godzilla comes in and starts to turn the tables. The fight told a story by itself, like the best wrestling matches do. It was excellent. Hell, even the celebration by Godzilla and Jet Jaguar was something out of WWE... All it was missing was a beer toss to Godzilla and a final Stunner on Jet Jaguar from Godzilla. Overall not the best but damn that last fight was a lot of fun.

I closed out the night with WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS, directed by the legendary Ishiro Honda. This is the story of a giant human-like beast terrorizing the seas, and he bares a striking resemblance to another gargantua that was thought to be dead in the forests of Mt. Fuji. The team of scientists responsible for the Mt. Fuji monster, who was very peaceful and never hurt humans, try to clear his name from this new sea monster until they come face to face. This was another winner, with high entertainment value. The contrast between the two Gargantuas was great, and you've never seen any Kaiju move like these beasts do. They're fast and agile which is a nice change from the slow plodding pace that usually comes to being weighed down with heavy rubber suits.

Today's Rundown
Godzilla vs Hedorah - 7.5/10
Godzilla vs Megalon - 6/10
War Of The Gargantuas - 7/10

Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Day 8

A pair of Spaghetti Westerns led off the viewing, both of which were released back in December to capitalize on Django Unchained. These have about as much to do with the original Django as Tarantino's movie does.

DJANGO KILLS SILENTLY is best described as "serviceable". There is really nothing special going on here and George Eastman as the title character doesn't come off as any sort of real legendary western hero. Even during the climax when it finally seems like the Django character in this flick is going to have a special moment he is quickly put into a compromising situation and has to rely on others. But like I said, it isn't all bad, it just isn't exceptionally good. There are many of the classic spaghetti western cliches which keep it entertaining enough even if it becomes a checklist of cliches.

Then there is DJANGO'S CUT PRICE CORPSES and this is a prime example of a cool title with a movie that doesn't live up to it. A rather lame and tame western that would maybe be okay at the end of a SW triple bill after you've seen a couple good ones and already have your western appetite satisfied. While neither of these movies are particularly bad and it wouldn't be fair to say they're not worth checking out but there are hundreds of other Spaghetti Westerns worth checking out before you get to these. The price (around $5 or $6 for a nicely presented DVD) is right though.

I planned to watch more but it didn't happen... until tomorrow dear readers.

Today's Rundown
Django Kills Silently - 5/10
Django's Cut Price Corpses - 5/10

The Great Silence (1968)

Sometimes when you first discover a movie, whether by accident or recommendation, it sticks with you. Everything about it lingers in your memory until you visit it again and again. It takes a special type of film to do that. THE GREAT SILENCE is one of those films for me.

Silence is a mute gunslinger with the fastest draw in the west. He has been left scarred and unable to speak after a violent childhood incident that took the life of his parents. The man is hellbent on righting the wrongs done to innocent and helpless victims. In the snow covered frontier of Utah the nasty Loco (Klaus Kinski) leads a group of bounty hunters to prey on a group of persecuted outlaws who have taken refuge in the hills, coming out only when they need to for food. The outlaws are hiding because their crimes aren't serious enough to condemn them to death despite the bounty on their heads. Silence is the only man that can stop the corruption within the town that effects every single person one way or another.

The town's new sheriff does his best to try and turn this town around to become a more civilized America where all races live in peace and murder isn't a profitable living. The town's Justice Of The Peace is deep into the corruption forcing innocents into a life of crime to get a price on their head for his bounty hunters to kill and split the profits. Silence is hired by such a man's widow to take down Loco who has captured the entire group of mountain refugees and is holding them hostage waiting for Silence in an epic showdown.

The plot of THE GREAT SILENCE doesn't seem too far off from many other westerns of this period or any other. The difference lies within the details. Silence (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is our main protagonist however he is similar in many ways to our lead antagonist Loco. Both men charge for their services despite their principals, and both men refuse to draw their gun on the other man first to avoid jail. Silence tries to bait Loco into drawing first as is his trademark style of picking the fight but not starting it. Loco is as smart as he is ruthless and doesn't fall for it. It really is the meeting of two master minds, two sides of the same coin if you will. Kinski played in quite a few westerns but this is without a doubt his finest role in any of them and an argument can be made that it is his best ever. The sadistic cockiness Loco even when he seems beaten is perfect. Trintignant is just as good without speaking a word. He conveys emotions brilliantly with just facial expressions and his pistol, which despite what the sheriff thinks, is incredibly accurate.

Director Sergio Corbucci (Django, Companeros) is a master of the western, probably the second most famous spaghetti western director behind only the great Sergio Leone, and proves it here. His incredibly skilled and stylish direction coupled with Silvano Ippoliti's gorgeous photography that captures the scope of the blizzard stricken landscape is a match made in heaven. Ennio Morricone's score is one of his finest efforts for any western and fits the incredibly somber tone of the film perfectly.

THE GREAT SILENCE is not a typical western, in fact it has been described as the "anti-western". Everything you know about westerns, Italian or not, is turned on its head. Spoiler Alert The ending which includes every single sympathetic character in the film being mercilessly killed is a day ruiner. There is no heroic triumph of good over evil here folks. This is simply a depiction of how nasty life can be and was in the old west. Our hero is mutilated and then shot dead preceding a bloody massacre. The ending was such a downer that producers made Corbucci film a "happy ending" which is included on the DVD. And while that ending is just fine and dandy it is the downer ending that completes this film as it should be. End Spoiler.

This film is stunning both visually and thematically. It is crying out for a Blu-ray release and a wider audience. While this is widely considered one of the finest spaghetti westerns produced it still needs to be more widely known. This is a masterpiece of filmmaking that stays with me long after each subsequent viewing. For no reason at all I will find myself humming the score or picturing the wide shots of Silence riding his horse through the snow covered hills. THE GREAT SILENCE is in my personal top 3 westerns.