The Heroin Busters (1977)

"...I'm going to put a bullet in your asshole and that could be very messy."

Fabio is an undercover Italian police officer who has teamed up with an INTERPOL agent to break up an international drug ring specializing in the distribution of heroin. Fabio has to do the dirtiest dirt and dealer or junkie would do to obtain information and contacts for his partner who he commonly has to fight with in order to keep his cover. As Fabio rises through the ranks of the Rome drug ring things get messier and more violent for him and his partner until the entire city is in the line of fire and even the skies aren't safe during the finale.

The plot of THE HEROIN BUSTERS is a simple one but director Enzo G. Castellari handles the story written by frequent Castellari collaborators Massimo De Rita and Galliano Juso with such care that it comes out great. The slow start, which is some uncharacteristic for a Euro-Crime film such as this, is never boring thanks to the great performances from Fabio Testi (Four Of The Apocalypse) and David Hemmings (Deep Red). The two leads completely own their performances and fully embody their characters of the undercover cop and INTERPOL agent respectively. The action does pickup throughout the film and there is no shortage of violence or exciting chases, whether they be on foot through the city and on rooftops or in cars and motorcycles or in airplanes (look for Testi to do all of his own piloting during the airplane scene). The music is handled by Goblin so it goes without saying that the soundtrack is great.

THE HEROIN BUSTERS suffers from being rather monotone throughout. The only time the mood really changes is during a few brief surreal scenes when someone is tripping balls after shooting up. Outside of those sequences the feeling the viewer gets is the same throughout, even during the climax, which was fun to watch but that sense of excitement and nervous anticipation for something big to happen really wasn't there. This is by far my biggest problem with an otherwise entertaining and well put together Italian crime film. It may not be among my favorite films of the genre but I wouldn't doubt it is probably one of the better films on the technical side and it is, despite it's flaws, a very entertaining movie.

 7.5/10

The Whisperer In Darkness (2011)

I love H.P. Lovecraft. His ability to create an overbearing sense of fear and dread may very well be unmatched. Each page is a terrifying descent into madness. The life of the writer was a troubled one of poverty, never getting the notoriety he deserved. Of course he has since received his due credit as a true master of horror and science-fiction but the adaptations of his work for the screen is hit or miss at best. There have been great films made based off his writings such as Re-Animator from director Stuart Gordon (who has done several other HPL adaptations or works that are clearly inspired by him) but even this movie doesn't capture Lovecraft. There have also been the adaptations that are just plain crap such as every film version of The Dunwich Horror. Rarely has a movie adapted his work into a great movie that captures the spirit and essence of his writing. THE WHISPERER IN DARKNESS does just that.

For those of you not familiar with the story here is a brief summary. Albert Wilmarth is a professor at Miskatonic University in Arkham, Massachusetts. where he focuses on folklore and legends. Wilmarth has been corresponding with Henry Akeley of Vermont via letters for some time. Akeley claims that a group of flying crab-like creatures is terrorizing the area and specifically him and his farm. As the letters become more desperate Wilmarth is caught off guard when he receives a typed letter from Akeley with a much calmer tone inviting him to visit and discuss their findings on the matter. Wilmarth, who has been conducting research with various items sent to him by Akeley (not always through the mail since Akeley's mail is being interfered with), goes to the farm to discover the true interstellar nature of the situation and the horror he has walked in to.

That is the gist of it without spoiling the twists and turns. It is one of the longest stories by Lovecraft and it is entirely engaging and tense. The dread and paranoia builds with each letter you read between the two until the climax brings it all to a horrific end that leaves you wanting more. The film adaptation here, produced by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society (responsible for a brilliant silent film adaptation of The Call Of Cthulhu) does much of the same while expanding the story. Wilmarth is approached by Henry Akeley's son who pleads with him to take his father seriously. After showing Wilmarth, and several other notable minds, some photographs he leaves a phonograph recording with Wilmarth. This is said to be the creatures talking. Eventually the typed letter inviting the professor up to Vermont arrives and Wilmarth boards a train to oblige his host. When he arrives he is met by a man named Noys, who was sent by Akeley to pick up his guest since he was ill. When Wilmarth arrives he has a conversation with his host that leaves him uneasy, and then a subsequent conversation that tells the truth of what is happening. This leaves Wilmarth in a confused, terrified frame of mind that is only made worse when he hears mysterious talking in the middle of the night and sees shadows of things he could only dream of.

Shortly after that is when the story ends in Lovecraft's short story. In the film we are only about halfway as they expand the story in to a vintage style creature feature while maintaining the integrity of the story and film. Wilmarth sets out to stop the evil plans of the small cult and monsters he's encountered at all costs. After receiving some help from a young girl who's father is mixed up in this mess he finds the hidden lair and does his best to destroy it.

THE WHISPERER IN DARKNESS is a largely successful film and adaptation. The two biggest flaws in the film are rushing through the correspondence between Wilmarth and Akeley in the beginning. The story is set at this point and the feeling of dread is established. In the film it comes across as an after thought and any chance of setting up tension early is wasted. The other is fleshing out the monsters at the end. Lovecraft has a very "less is more" quality to his writing and seeing only glimpses or shadows of the monsters would not only be more effective it would have kept their very low budget CGI look hidden. That said, the movie is able to create that fear in the viewer and the monsters being fleshed out isn't a major deal breaker. The company is able to create a beautiful looking film that is very reminiscent of the period it's set in on a tight budget. A large concern I had coming into the film was the acting. The company's other feature film, the aforementioned The Call Of Cthulhu, was a silent film. Dialogue was of no concern. My fears were to put to rest early when Matt Foyer began his excellent portrayal of Albert Wilmarth. He was a true stand out. The rest of the cast was on point too. This was just a well made independent film on all levels.

While this film is far from perfect, it does a nice job of feeling like an early talkie without being corny about it. It isn't a perfect adaptation and some decisions made in the production are questionable but damn if it isn't a really good one. You can easily see the love and respect the whole crew has for the source material. Whether you're a fan of Lovecraft or just interested in a great horror/sci-fi movie that is different from most things being made these days you need to check out THE WHISPERER IN DARKNESS.

8/10

Father's Day (2011)

The resurgence of 70s and 80s exploitation inspired films over the last five years since Tarantino and Rodriguez's Grindhouse  has been a mixed bag to say the last. While there have been some very entertaining films there has been an equal amount of crappy films that just have no idea what it is they're try to recreate.  FATHER'S DAY has been a highly anticipated release experiencing delay after delay until the release to Blu-Ray and DVD has finally made it to us.

10 years ago a series of strange murders hit the town (what happens to be Tromaville thanks to Troma's distribution of the film) where fathers were the victim. Not only were they brutally murdered with entrails being ripped out being a popular form of torture among various others but each and every father was anally raped. The man responsible, known only as Fuckman, has left families broken and lives destroyed and now a decade later he's back. Father John is a priest who is sent by his head priest who is on his deathbed to track down Ahab, an eye patch wearing loner who had a run in with Fuckman as a child and spent 10 years in prison for killing him. They are joined by a male teen prostitute named Twink to find out why the violations and murders have started again. Ahab becomes very personally involved in the job again when his little sister, who has now grown up in to a beautiful and sexy stripper, has been abducted by Fuckman. After a cat and mouse chase, Ahab slaughters the madman in a manner that makes the curb stomp scene from American History X look like a fight on the playground.

That should be the end of it, right? Justice has once again been served as Ahab saves the day with his companions and gets the girl. No dear reader, that is in fact not the end of it. And as ridiculously over the top the movie was up to this point, with seemingly endless gore and plenty of gratuitous nudity in a story that makes you giggle like Beavis and Butthead, we are about to throw all logic and coherence out the fucking window. Take what you had: a murderous madman with a penchant for raping the behinds of fathers, a trio of vigilantes and a hot stripper in distress and add in Satanic cults, heaven and hell, Lloyd Kaufman, demonic giants, more strippers, baby smashing and incest. Oh yea, the shit hits the fan (surprisingly not literally) in the third act.

This film was made by Astron-6 a group of 5 Canadian filmmakers who decided to team up under this banner and make these ridiculous films influenced by the sleaze and cheese of old 42nd Street that has become all the rage these days. The technical side of things is what it is- the direction is solid as the team shows they can make a decent movie. The special effects which are on display quite often are nice, with a lot practical effects mixed in with only a handful of CGI. What may be the strongest point of the film is the synth-driven score that adds a level of moodiness to the film that really helps balance out the humor. The writing is the obvious weak point here. While the story is ridiculous enough to work there are moments of dialogue that are just bad. This film could have easily been as atrocious as it was fun. I don't know if Astron-6 gets away with towing the line like this in their other films as this is my first exposure to the group but they were playing it dangerously close to almost having a movie that makes me want to punch myself in the face repeatedly. Instead they made it work, and that is the important part.

Does FATHER'S DAY capture the feel and character of a exploitation film from decades gone by? No. It certainly tries to just like many other films these days that just don't quite seem to get it, but they're among the ones that still ended up making a movie that was just plain fun.

8/10

The Life And Death Of A Porno Gang (Blu-Ray Review)

Serbia/2010
Directed By: Mladen Djordjevic
Written By: Mladen Djordjevic
Starring: Mihajlo Jovanovic, Ana Acimovic, Predrag Damnjanovic
Color/112 Minutes/Not Rated


The Film
In the last couple of years Serbia has become infamous for the shocking cinema it has turned out. Most notably is A Serbian Film which nearly turned the horror community on it's head and had internet forums fighting like school girls. Was it artistic? Was it garbage? Did it have any merit or was it simply meant to disgust? Well now we have another film from the area getting a wide American release on disc that we will inevitably be reading the same type of comments about on message boards. 

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A PORNO GANG is the story of Marko, a young film school graduate desperate to make his first feature film. Growing tired of life at home, having to entertain his father's friends including his own ex-girlfriend, Marko lands a job as a porno director. The porn industry is tied in with some shady people and when he uses money meant for a traditional sex tape on a more artistic adult film his mob boss is pissed and Marko has to leave town. He gathers a group of friends he's made while making porn and they form a traveling  "porno cabaret" going from town to town and village to village performing live sex acts and living out of their wildly painted van. Money is tight and some villages chase them out of town so when Marko meets a man who wants him to film snuff movies for big bucks with willing participants, Marko can't say no.

The group makes the snuff films whenever their "producer" has a willing subject, using the porn shows as their main day to day job. Things get more dangerous with the murders as they're approached to perform it live in front of a high paying audience in a Snuff Theater. Between the group's personal health and drug problems, the authorities crashing down on them and more mob problems the group begins to crumble.

Shock value can be a valuable tool in an exploitative film such as this. However when a film relies almost entirely on shock to carry the film it all falls flat and leaves the viewer with only the bad taste that the shock has and nothing of any substance to wash it down. THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A PORNO GANG is chock full of shock value. From endless amounts of nudity from the entire gang, and swapping of used needles and STDs, to beastiality and animal cruelty this film isn't a nice one. The question is if it uses shock to grab the audiences attention for something greater. This isn't a horror film about a monster that blood and gore can be used as shock to add to the entertainment value. This is a film solely about people and their time spent together so the shock value really needs to lead to something. A perfect example of this is in Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust. I personally feel director Mladen Djordjevic fell short on this task. Marko is a character that for the entire film we're waiting for a profound breakthrough or something bigger than a traveling fuck fest. He's educated and has a good mind but we never get to see him use it. The ending may give us a very small glimpse but it could have been more. THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A PORNO GANG may fall short of being a great film but there is more than enough here for fans of this type of movie to find a couple hours worth of entertainment.

The Video
The Special Edition Blu-Ray of THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A PORNO GANG comes to us courtesy of Synapse Films in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation in full 1080p HD and is all region. The picture quality is very good overall. The intended look of the film includes a documentary style at various points throughout that don't look as crisp as the more traditional scenes but even those still look good. This is another great transfer from Synapse.

The Audio
The film is presented in it's native Serbian with English subs in a DTS-HD 2.0 stereo track that is clean and clear of any hiccups or distractions. Levels are fine and steady. The subtitles are spot on and a breeze to read along with.

The Extras
Made In Serbia - This is a feature length documentary from the film's director on the Serbian adult entertainment industry.
"Making Of" Featurette
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer

The Bottom Line
Synapse Films knocks the ball out of the park here with another stellar package. The movie will certainly divide audiences and their feelings towards what they've seen but one thing no one will be able to discount is the top notch release the film was given.

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A PORNO GANG is available HERE

Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man (1976)

The opening ten minutes to this film are a lawless (literally, as there were no permits) three bike motorcycle chase through crowded downtown Rome during rush hour involving a pair of crooks and a pair of cops. This introduction to the film is a punch in the face for what is about to come.

Alfredo and Antonio are a pair of policemen who are inseperable partners. They work together, ride together and live together. They work for a special division of the police force that takes down the sleaziest criminals Rome has to offer. While Alfredo and Antonio are the good guys, and are incredibly likable in what they do, their tactics certainly aren't by the book. The duo is a cocky, womanizing pair of shoot first and say "fuck the questions" hardasses. They seem to be endlessly reprimanded for their actions and attitudes but it doesn't stop them from taking down the baddies however they please. They have no problems putting the public in the line of fire because their extremely dangerous training techniques ensure they won't miss. Antonio and Alfredo are assigned a mission to track down a Mr. Pasquini and LIVE LIKE A COP, DIE LIKE A MAN follows their frequently violent and sometimes sexy adventure that leads to a climax that is appropriately explosive but in a low key "been-there-done-that" attitude.

The director of the infamous Cannibal Holocaust Ruggero Deodato directs this intensely violent and surprisingly funny Euro Crime flick that is written by arguably the king of the genre Fernando Di Leo. This film has a snarky sense of humor to it that straddles the line of making the viewer feel bad for laughing along with for the police duo's actions but never quite crosses that line. The humor is well timed and never gets so tongue-in-cheek that it makes you roll your eyes, the violence makes sure of that. From hostage situations, to shootouts and car chases, the blood spills and murder (including our heroes) is on tap. The key here is that you never scoff at the protagonists for their questionable actions because they are simply reacting to the heartless nature of Rome's grimy underground. You don't have to look any further than the opening scene for that to ring true. Genre film vet Ray Lovelock (Antonio) and Marc Porel (Alfredo) shine. Is their deeper meaning in their relationship than just friends and partner? It's possible, but the duo brilliantly leaves it extremely vague so that it doesn't become a plot point. They an asskicking team that takes no prisoners (literally) and it doesn't matter what else they may do in their free time (other than women).

LIVE LIKE A COP, DIE LIKE A MAN is violent, funny and just pure entertaining. It has more memorable characters than it probably should due to some villains being extremely cruel in their limited screen time and it will immediately become one of your favorite Euro Crime films.

8.5/10

Matango- Attack Of The Mushroom People (1963)

A group of seven pleasure seekers take a trip on board a sailing yacht to escape the noise and craziness of Tokyo for a while. The group consists of the yacht owner, a writer, a famous singer, a young female student and a sailor and captain. A violent storm threatens to sink the boat  and after a night of trying to weather it the boat is left badly damaged with no sails or rudders and a fried radio. After several days adrift at sea the crew lands on a seemingly deserted island that is lush with mushroom growth. While searching the island for possible inhabitants and food the group sees a small pond that seems to be man made to catch rain water and a beached shipwreck. The group finds the ship tattered and weathered and covered in mold and fungus, with signs of radiation testing. With the ship as their only shelter, and supplying their only source of food in a couple cases of canned goods, the group cleans the fungus and decides to live there until they can fix the yacht and attempt to get rescued.

Shortly after moving in to the boat the group is attacked by a mysterious being but they are unable to capture him before it flees. The group becomes increasingly on edge with their situation. Hunger, isolation and several of the men fighting over the women leave the group at odds with each other. As alliances are made and plans hatched the captain of the yacht leaves with the slightly repaired ship to try to reach help. Days later the ship returns to shore abandoned with a note written on the wall informing whoever was to find it proclaiming the deaths of the group and the captain's own inability to reach help and his demise at sea. The group begins to break down totally at this point and some run off into the mushroom forest and begin to eat the mushrooms which were left alone due to the threat of being poisonous. The addiction of the mushrooms consumes the group and the true horror, and beauty of the island is revealed.

MATANGO is a finely crafted piece of fantasy. Director Ishiro Honda, best known for creating and directing Gojira (Godzilla), shows his talents again here with a tense and surreal experience. What begins as the classic tale of survival that covers many human conditions such as greed, the search for freedom and happiness, jealousy and love and lust turns into a dreamlike, monster filled nightmare that touches on the deepest of human emotions and desires. The acting from the entire cast is on par with each actor playing their roles fine. There is little doubt in my mind that the shipwrecked plot with this group of characters had a huge influence on the character ensemble for Gilligan's Island. The special effects and makeup for the Mushroom People is really good and the creatures have a great, true fungal look to them. I think The Toxic Avenger may owe a small debt of gratitude to one of the designs. My biggest problem with MATANGO is that the real selling point is the mushrooms and how long it took for them to come in to play in the film. The payoff is great when it happens I just wished they had introduced the effects of consuming the 'shrooms earlier and given us a bit more of them.

All in all, Toho has another cult classic with MATANGO that is much more than a "man in rubber suit" type of monster movie. The themes touched on involving the ultimate search for serenity give the film a much deeper and personal meaning than most fantasy movies can even dream of. There is a significant cultural impact that reached deep with the Japanese community at it's time of release as it was almost banned due to a resemblance in the design of the makeup to the victims of the Atomic Bomb in WWII. I can only see this film getting better with subsequent viewings and I recommend it to anyone looking for a visually entertaining and thought provoking piece of fantasy horror.

8/10

TWINS OF EVIL (Blu-Ray Review)

England/1971
Directed By: John Hough
Written By: Tudor Gates
Starring: Peter Cushing, Damien Thomas, Madeleine Collinson, Mary Collinson
Color/87 Minutes/Not Rated

The Film
By 1971 Hammer had become a huge name in the world of horror and were arguably the most important studio for our beloved genre at the time. They had much success with their Dracula and Frankenstein franchises and launched the career of Christopher Lee to international fame while giving veteran actor Peter Cushing perhaps his most notable roles. TWINS OF EVIL is another great piece of gothic horror from the British film company.

Frieda and Maria (Playboy centerfolds Madeleine and Mary Collinson) are twin girls sent to live in the village of Karnstein with their uncle Gustav Weil (Cushing) after the death of their parents. They find Karnstein is far different from their home of Venice in how uptight conservative and strictly puritanical it is. Weil is the leader of a local witch hunting group called "The Brotherhood" who is well known around the area for hunting down young women and burning them at the stake for their pact with Satan, which they usually have no proof of. Weil is also at odds with Count Karnstein, a sadistic man who secretly practices black magic and seeks the darker pleasures that only the devil can offer.

After growing tired of the superstitious, uptight nature of her uncle Frieda pays a visit to the Count and falls prey to him and his vampire ways. Frieda now tries to keep her condition secret from her sister and uncle so she can continue to see her lover and stay free of her uncle's lynch mob. The Count has a plan to switch the girls in order to allow Freida to live freely as her more innocent sister and have Maria burned at the stake. A local musician named Anton who studies the history of superstition uncovers the diabolical plan and gets The Brotherhood on his side to save Maria and take down the vampire lovers.

TWINS OF EVIL was directed by John Hough who is probably best known as director of the classic exploitation film Dirty Mary Crazy Larry. This was only Hough's second feature film before he went on to a very busy career during he 70s and 80s and continuing even to today as a producer. Hough skillfully handles the characters, especially Cushing's Gustav Weil who will do a complete 180 on you and it is totally believable with Hough's direction. Aside from Cushing the acting is all very good, never being too hammy which many genre films of this era can be guilty of. Even our twins who are realistically there as gorgeous eye candy for the most part play their respective roles with grace and play very well off of each other. David Warbeck (Fulci's The Beyond) plays the musician Anton with a great sense of urgency and it works out well.While being rooted in the gothic horror that Hammer is best known for, TWINS OF EVIL also reaches a deeper level with it's work within the witch-hunting area and the obvious questions it raises towards how the church handles certain situations. This is very reminiscent of the excellent Witchfinder General aka The Conqueror Worm. The most surprising thing about this film is how the finale really ramps up the violence and gore factor. Hough really made our lynch mob scene violent and awesome.

The Video
Synapse Films releases TWINS OF EVIL on Blu-Ray in beautiful 1080p High-Def. The original aspect ration of 1.66:1 is maintained and it looks phenomenal. Skin tones look lively (or... undead? ha!) and natural while the blood reds pop off the screen. The blacks are deep and dark and you can feel the murkiness of the European countryside and the dampness of the Count's castle. Simply an outstanding transfer.

Please note that screen grabs are from the DVD copy of the film. 

The Audio
The DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono track is a pleasure to listen to. Dialogue levels never have to compete with Harry Robertson's excellent score. No hissing, crackling or any other noise debris to report. There are English subtitles available. 

The Extras
The Flesh And The Fury: X-Posing Twins Of Evil - This feature length documentary chronicles the history of Hammer all the way back to Sheridan Le Fanu's story of Carmilla up to the production of  TWINS OF EVIL which owes a certain bit of gratitude to the "original lesbian vampire story". Clocking in only a couple of minutes shorter than the film itself, this is chock full of information and history from historians and cast and crew. We'd be better off if every film released on disc had this sort of supplement.



The Props That Hammer Built: The Kinsey Collection - Author and Hammer historian Wayne Kinsey gives us a tour of his collection of props from various Hammer films, which of course is filled with all sorts of information on the pieces and films they come from. This is a very cool featurette that all of us geeks will enjoy and make us all jealous. 
 
Deleted Scene

Isolated Music and Effects Track 
Theatrical Trailer
TV Spots
Motion Still Gallery
DVD Version of the Film

The Bottom Line
A year and a half after I learned of it's planned release I finally get to see the final product. Yes, I've been waiting for TWINS OF EVIL on Blu-Ray since December of 2010 and I have to say that Synapse Films not only made the wait worth it, they blew my expectations out of the water. The documentary alone is worth the price of admission, and it's a special feature! This is a packed release of an expertly restored film and I have no doubt it will be among my favorite releases of 2012. 

TWINS OF EVIL is available HERE