‘Don’t dare make New Year’s resolutions… unless you plan to live!’

New Year’s Evil is a 1980 American slasher horror feature film directed by Emmett Alston (Demonwarp) from a screenplay written by Leonard Neubauer for Cannon Films (The Godsend; Doctor Heckyl and Mr. Hype; Schizoid).

The movie stars Roz Kelly (Curse of the Black Widow; Full Moon High), Kip Niven (Night Gallery; Comedy of Horrors; 1996’s Summer of Fear), Chris Wallace (Don’t Answer the Phone!), Grant Cramer (Killer Klowns from Outer Space; Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies; Santa Claws), Luisa Moritz (Death Race 2000), Jed Mills (Kiss Daddy Goodbye; The Creature Wasn’t Nice), Taaffe O’Connell (Galaxy of Terror; Dismembered), Jon Greene (Don’t Answer the Phone! Schizoid; Maniac Cop).

The soundtrack score was composed by W. Michael Lewis and Laurin Rinder.

Plot:

New Year’s Eve is imminent and television’s most famous “punk rock” lady icon, Diane Sullivan (or Blaze as her fans call her), is holding a late-night countdown celebration of music and partying.

All is going well until Diane receives a phone call from an odd-sounding stranger claiming his name is Evil, who announces on live television that when the clock strikes twelve in each time zone, a ‘Naughty Girl’ will be punished (murdered), then the killer signs off with a threat claiming that Diane will be the last ‘Naughty Girl’ to be punished.

The studio crew takes safety measures and heightens security, but in the local insane asylum, a nurse is found viciously slaughtered at the stroke of midnight EST. The killer records his victims as he murders them and calls back the station each time playing the tapes back to prove he’s serious. There are many suspects as to who the mysterious killer/caller is; a crazed fan, a religious psychotic, or maybe it’s someone much closer to Diane than anyone could have ever expected…

Reviews [click links to read more]:

“While this movie isn’t in the least bit scary it is packed to the gills with early eighties goofiness. Loads of scenes of dancing ‘punkers’ pads the movie out to feature length while Kip Niven’s bizarre performance as the ‘eeev-villl’ serial killer on the loose is more comical than it is frightening. Most of this has more to do with the script than with his performance but he’s definitely deserving of some of the blame. The movie is fun though – there are a couple of moderately interesting kills…” Rock! Shock! Pop!

Buy: Blu-ray | DVD – Amazon.com

Blu-ray | DVD – Amazon.co.uk

“New Year’s Evil is a slasher that delivers some unexpected gifts. It has the unmistakable early 80’s Cannon Films feel and some characters who are a real hoot.” Cinema Du Meep

” … a seriously goofy slasher film, punctuated with too-long songs and laugh-out-loud lapses in character and filmmaker judgment. In other words, it’s a perfect film to watch in a group, preferably with plenty of beer on hand. It may be more of a footnote in horror film history than a genuine classic, but it’s really fun and well worth a look.” Film Monthly

“Niven makes for an unsettling, Mercedes-driving, psychotically giggling middle-class misogynist and, in the film’s most generically slasher movie sequence, gets to stalk a blonde teen who has been indulging in a bout of topless groping at a drive-in showing of Blood Feast. The elevator shaft climax is tense, and, although the focus is unusually on the killer, Kelly makes for a flawed, credible heroine.” Horrorscreams Videovault

“These were early days for the emerging slasher craze and the formula that would very soon take shape was still undergoing a process of fine-tuning, which in this instance meant there was a noticeable lack of gore and nudity. However, for all its failings, Alston’s low-budget film certainly entertained as it juxtaposed an eighties rock score with a series of contrived killings, played out to the darkest of unintentional comedy.” Peter Normanton, The Mammoth Book of Slasher Movies

Buy The Mammoth Book of Slasher Movies – Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

“New Year’s Evil is an endangered species – a plain, old-fashioned, gory thriller. It is not very good. It is sometimes unpleasantly bloody. The plot is dumb and the twist at the end has been borrowed from hundreds if not thousands of other movies. But as thrillers go these days, New Year’s Evil is a throwback to an older and simpler tradition, one that flourished way back in the dimly remembered past, before 1978.” Roger Ebert

“New Year’s Evil, despite lacking in traditional gore and nudity, has several things that set it apart; its fairly clever premise, its urban setting, an antagonist with more in common with a regular old serial killer (he’s a completely average guy who charms his victims, and has a straightforward MO) than a normal slasher, and it also has a badass soundtrack.” TV Tropes

“New Year’s Evil is dull and practically goreless. Worst of all, it has a depressing streak of misogyny running through it – with a lengthy diatribe by ‘Evil’ about why all women are sluts and need to be punished.” J.A. Kerswell, Teenage Wasteland: The Slasher Movie Uncut

Buy Teenage Wasteland book – Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“There are a few good scenes, but too much padding, and although the killer is supposed to be driving across to other time zones, he appears to have gone no further than the end of the block, a hundred yards or so from the last killing. Anyone expecting new wave music is likely to be disappointed, as the bands have more in common with Wishbone Ash than the Psychedelic Furs. Not a bad movie – it’s entertaining enough, and not as cheesy as some from the same era.” Jim Harper, Legacy of Blood

“The routine affair seems interminable, drawn-out as it is by the would-be punk numbers on the show.” The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

“The film starts off on a sour note with a completely bloodless, off-screen kill behind a shower curtain. However, the rest manage to find the camera’s eye (even if only slightly). The scares are nil, and part of the reason is that a lot of scenes just don’t make a heck of a lot of sense. For instance, after being ignored by his mom (and host of “New Year’s Evil”) after telling her of his big TV break, the overdramatic son takes a handful of pills and places a pair of red pantyhose on his head.” Oh, the Horror!

Some image credits: Cinema Du Meep | Held Over!

Cast and characters:

• Roz Kelly … Diane Sullivan
• Kip Niven … Richard Sullivan
• Chris Wallace … Lt. Clayton
• Grant Cramer … Derek Sullivan – Killer Klowns from Outer Space
• Louisa Moritz … Sally
• Jed Mills … Ernie
• Taaffe O’Connell … Jane
• Jon Greene … Sgt. Greene
• Teri Copley … Teenage Girl
• Anita Crane … Lisa
• Jennie Anderson … Nurse Robbie
• Alicia Dhanifu … Yvonne
• Wendy-Sue Rosloff … Make-up Girl
• John London … Floor Manager
• John Alderman … Doctor Reed
• Michael Frost … Larry
• Jerry Chambers … Clerk
• Barry Gibberman … Hotel Guest

The post New Year’s Evil – USA, 1980 – reviews appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

Arrow in the Head has reported that “After eleven days of filming last summer, production on director Deborah Voorhees’ film 13 Fanboy has now resumed for a twenty-four-day block of filming.” The movie also has a new poster:

‘Some fans love you to death.’

13 Fanboy is a forthcoming American slasher horror feature film co-produced and directed by Deborah Voorhees (who, as an actress, appeared in Appointment with Fear; Friday the 13th: A New Beginning; Innocent Prey) from a screenplay co-written with Joel Paul Reising. The Voorhees Film-Be Your Own Hollywood production stars Corey Feldman, Kane Hodder, Dee Wallace, Judie Aronson and Thom Mathews playing themselves.

Previously, we reported that Lar Park Lincoln (telekinetic final girl Tina Shepherd in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood) had joined the cast alongside actress Adrienne King, the very first final girl of the Friday the 13th film franchise.

Plot:

Former actors from the Friday the 13th movie franchise are hunted by a real-life homicidal psychopath who doesn’t understand that it’s all make-believe…

Cast and characters:

• Corey Feldman … Himself
• Kane Hodder … Himself
• Dee Wallace … Herself
• Judie Aronson … Herself
• Thom Mathews … Himself
• Deborah Voorhees … Herself
• C.J. Graham … Himself
• Jennifer Banko … Herself
• Adrienne King
• Vincente DiSanti
• Drew Leighty
• Tracie Savage … Herself
• Brad M. Robinson
• Timothy Skyler Dunigan
• Ron Sloan … Himself
• Donald Schell
• Rachael Christenson
• Hayley Greenbauer … Kelsie Voorhees

The post 13 Fanboy – USA, 2020 – preview updated with filming news and new poster appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

‘RUN – if you must HIDE – if you can SCREAM but…’

Don’t Answer the Phone! is a 1980 horror thriller feature film directed by Robert Hammer from a screenplay co-written with Michael D. Castle. The movie stars James Westmoreland, Flo Gerrish and Nicholas Worth.

On January 31, 2017, the film was released for a second time on Blu-ray, in a superior 4K transfer from Vinegar Syndrome. Special features:

• Scanned and restored in 4k from recently discovered 35mm original negative (not from a CRI dupe negative as was the 2013 Scorpion Releasing Blu-ray)
• All extras are included on both the Blu-ray and DVD discs
• Commentary track with writer / producer / director Robert Hammer
• Director introduction
• “Answering the Phone” video interview with star Nicholas Worth
• “For What It’s Worth” career retrospective with Nicholas Worth
• Isolated synth soundtrack by composer Byron Allred
• Original theatrical trailer
• Multiple TV spots
• Promotional still gallery
• 16 page booklet with essay by Fangoria‘s Michael Gingold
• Reversible cover artwork
• English SDH Subtitles

Buy: Amazon.com

Main cast:

James Westmoreland (The Undertaker and His Pals), Flo Gerrish (Schizoid), Nicholas Worth (Blood Dolls; Swamp Thing; Scream Blacula Scream), Rad Fulton, Ben Frank, Denise Galik-Furyey, Stan Haze, Gary Allen, Michael D. Castle, Pamela Jean Bryant, Ted Chapman, Chris Wallace, Dale Kalberg, Deborah Leah Land, Tom Lasswell, Mike Levine, Chuck Mitchell, Victor Mohica, Susanne Severeid, Paula Warner, Hugh Corcoran.

Crown International Pictures released the low budget film on February 29, 1980 and by the end of the year, it had accrued $1,750,000 in distributors’ domestic (U.S. and Canada) rentals, making it the year’s 105th biggest earner.

Plot:

Former Vietnam vet and photographer Kirk Smith (Nicholas Worth) is a crazed killer who stalks the streets of Los Angeles, picking up young women and strangling them in lurid fashion. He repeatedly contacts Doctor Lindsay Gale (Flo Lawrence), the psychologist on a radio show.

Smith targets Doctor Gale’s patients, commits a murder while on the phone to her show (forcing her to listen to the victim’s cries), and eventually goes after Doctor Gale herself. Two goofy policemen attempt track him down…

Reviews [click links to read more]:

“Don’t Answer the Phone is uncomfortable at times; viewers expecting a fun slasher may be turned off by the often dire atmosphere. Yet it fails to maintain the realistic approach, as the movie has its fair share of ill-suited, over-the-top moments. While the production is often mired in such tonal inconsistencies, Worth elevates the gratuitous material with a memorable performance…” Alex DiVincenzo, Broke Horror Fan

“The performances are terrible, as are the writing and the direction…” Vincent Canby, The New York Times, 1980

“If you like really sick films, see this one… The ads made it look like another baby-sitter-in-distress movie, but it’s in a class by itself.” Michael Weldon, The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film

” …the covert suggestion that the female victims have ‘asked for it’ is particularly objectionable … so outrageously over-the-top, and so bizarrely eccentric as to be horribly fascinating and the final line of ‘Adios, creep’, delivered over a shot of Worth’s corpse floating in a swimming pool, is curiously resonant.” Phil Hardy‘s The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror 

“Boasting elements that were genuinely gripping and others that were straight up awful, the extremely gritty endeavour is repeatedly rendered tolerable thanks to the outlandish and wonderfully insane performance of one Nicholas Worth (Swamp Thing), the excellent synthesizer score by Bryon Allred (Night of the Comet), and a bevy of alluring victims who all screamed and thrashed about in a realistic and convincing manner.” House of Self-Indulgence

” … it’s much more interesting now as a time capsule of Hollywood Blvd. at its grimy apex […] The whole film has that wonderfully seedy L.A. vibe that continued to linger on into the mid-’80s, which would actually make this a great double feature with the 1978 version of The Toolbox Murders...” Mondo Digital

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“Despite its overall wretchedness, the film has managed to develop a small cult thanks to the undeniably fascinating performance of Nicholas Worth…” Cameron Vale, Amazon.com

Buy: Amazon.com

“Rather than create sympathetic characters – in a way that a film such as Halloween does, for example – it seems strictly to dwell on the suffering of the exclusively female victims…” J.A. Kerswell, Teenage Wasteland: The Slasher Movie Uncut

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Avoid Rhino’s censored and full-screen DVD

Trivia:

The film’s shooting title was The Hollywood Strangler.

The post Don’t Answer the Phone! – USA, 1980 – reviews appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

‘Evil wears many faces’

Texas Chainsaw 3D is a 2012 [released 2013] American slasher horror feature film directed by John Luessenhop from a screenplay written by Debra Sullivan and Adam Marcus, with later drafts by Kirsten Elms and Luessenhop.

It is the seventh film in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise and a sequel to the 1973 original film, immediately picking up where it left off (and including footage from the original).

Main cast:

Alexandra Daddario, Dan Yeager, Tremaine Neverson, Tania Raymonde, Thom Barry, Paul Rae and Bill Moseley.

On January 6th 2013, Variety reported that Texas Chainsaw 3D initially over-performed expectations, having taken $23 million at the box office and knocked The Hobbit:  An Unexpected Journey off the top spot.

The film attracted mostly women under 25, an audience breakdown apparently typical for horror pics. It received a C+ CinemaScore audience feedback rating, which is more positive than normal for the genre, however poor word-of-mouth reports soon ensured the film’s earnings rapidly plummeted. Overall, the movie took $47,241,945 worldwide on its brief theatrical run on a reported budget of $20 million.

Plot:

Twenty years ago, the town of Newt, Texas exacted vengeance on the Sawyer family for their role in assisting and concealing murders committed by the chainsaw-wielding maniac Jeb Sawyer, aka “Leatherface.”

The entire family was presume killed when Burt Hartman led the townspeople to burn down their farmhouse, but the Sawyer infant survived and was secretly taken away by two of the vigilante townies, Gavin and Arlene, and raised their daughter Heather. It’s not until she’s in her twenties that Heather learns that she’s adopted.

A lawyer for her grandmother tracks her down with word she’s been left an inheritance. Angry at her parents for lying to her, she sets out for Texas on a road trip with her boyfriend Ryan, friends Nikki and Kenny, and Darryl, a hitchhiker they pick up on the way…

Reviews [click links to read more]:

“This dumb, draggy sequel to the 1973 classic shoves a chainsaw at you in 3D every once in a while, but trips like a heroine with a sprained ankle over dumb plot twists, poor performances and inept would-be suspense scenes. A sole quality element is Daddario’s frequently-exposed taut midriff.” Empire Magazine

“The original Texas Chain Saw Massacre leaves audiences feeling hollowed out, dispirited and dissolute. Texas Chainsaw 3D is simply a bummer for being a big nothing.” Los Angeles Times

Buy poster flyer: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

“Credit writers Adam Marcus and Kirsten Elms with taking the story in a mildly surprising direction (the Sawyers aren’t so much homicidal cannibals as they are the victims of rural small-mindedness). But discredit director John Luessenhop for giving us 3-D visuals reminiscent of Jaws 3-D: That slab of meat’s coming right for us!” Village Voice

Buy poster from Amazon.co.uk

“Luessenhop’s movie dedicates too much time to a messy character story without enough worthwhile payoff to be a fun (albeit brainless) slasher film. Worst of all, the film refashions Leatherface as a character that is actually less interesting than he was waving his chainsaw and spinning around in frustration at the end of the original 1974 film.” ScreenRant

“There’s some vague sexual tension among the skanks, which is resolved by violence rather than orgasms, and there’s some knowing inside nods to the ridiculousness of the plot. The cliches keep on rolling, too. The violence is a ripoff of Saw movies. Even the 3-D feels old-timey.” Esquire

“Nothing about this movie makes sense; the fact that it is set forty years on from the original means that our leading lady should be nearly forty years old but is clearly about twenty and even Leatherface should be a seventy or eighty-year-old man but dashes about slaughtering people with his trusty chainsaw like a sprightly maniac over half his age.” Cyberschizoid

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Cast and characters:

• Alexandra Daddario … Heather Miller/Edith Rose Sawyer
• Dan Yeager … Leatherface
• Trey Songz … Ryan
• Tania Raymonde … Nikki
• Scott Eastwood … Deputy Carl Hartman
• Shaun Sipos … Darryl
• Keram Malicki-Sánchez … Kenny
• Thom Barry … Sheriff Hooper
• Paul Rae … Mayor Burt Hartman
• Richard Riehle … Farnsworth
• Bill Moseley … Drayton Sawyer
• Marilyn Burns … Verna Carson
• John Dugan … Grandfather Sawyer
• Gunnar Hansen … Boss Sawyer
• David Born … Gavin Miller
• Sue Rock … Arlene Miller

Technical details:

• 92 minutes
• Aspect ratio: 2.35: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital | Datasat

Timeline issue:

Original co-scripter Adam Marcus (also the writer-director of the execrable Jason Goes to Hell) told Agony Booth in 2018 why the timeline made no sense:

“For Texas Chainsaw, the studio wanted a direct sequel to the original film, so my lifelong writing partner Debra Sullivan and I started from that idea,” Marcus told the site. “We wanted to adhere more to the first movie. I love the first movie. Tobe Hooper loved our script, which was exciting. There was a certain reverence to what came before. I also loved the Jason character and the hockey mask, but there was no real mythology for Leatherface, and we wanted to create a mythology. With Leatherface, there was a really broken psychology there, like Frankenstein’s monster. For Debra and me, we wanted to tell the story of Leatherface’s imprisonment and his reverence for family.

Our draft took place in the early 1990s, but the finished film took place now, which makes no sense. The original film was in the 1970s, and the main character is in her twenties, which is why the script took place in the ’90s. It didn’t make any logical sense, and it’s frustrating. I was also trying to make the date in the script coincide with the release of Jason Goes to Hell.”

Trivia:

The film was initially known as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D.

The post Texas Chainsaw 3D – USA, 2013 – reviews and updated appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

‘There is nothing silent about nights in Paddock County.’

Edge of the Axe is a 1988 Spanish slasher horror feature film about a psychopath on a killing spree in a rural Californian community. The original title is Al filo del hacha

Directed by José Ramón Larraz [as Joseph Braunstein] (Rest in Pieces; Black Candles; Vampyres; Symptoms; Scream – and Die!) from a screenplay co-written by Joaquín Amichatis, Javier Elorrieta and producer José Frade.

The movie stars Barton Faulks (Future-Kill), Christina Marie Lane, Page Mosely (The Jigsaw Murders; Open House; Girls Nite Out) and Fred Holliday (Lobster Man from Mars).

Plot:

The rural community of Paddock County is being rocked by the crazed exploits of an axe-wielding psychopath, who stalks the night in a black trenchcoat and mask.

As the victims pile up, the authorities attempt to keep a lid on the situation, whilst computer whizz-kid Gerald and girlfriend Lillian seek to unmask the killer before the town population reaches zero.

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Edge of the Axe is being released on Blu-ray for the first time by Arrow Video in the US, UK and Canada on January 28th 2020. Special features include:

• Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative
• English and Spanish language versions of the feature
• Original uncompressed mono audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• Newly translated English subtitles for the Spanish soundtrack
• Brand new audio commentary with actor Barton Faulks
• Brand new audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues
• Newly-filmed interview with actor Barton Faulks
• The Pain in Spain – a newly-filmed interview with special effects and make-up artist Colin Arthur
• Image Gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Justin Osbourn

Reviews [click links to read more]:

The acting is ok but the twist ending is dumb. It’s one of those endings that doesn’t make any sense once you think about. The film features terrible country songs and one such song ruins what could have been a semi-creepy ending. Edge of the Axe is for the slasher completist only.” 80s Horror Central

“Slasher movie fans, particularly of the European stuff will find this one to be an enjoyable diversion. Deeply flawed as it is, it still offers some dumb fun and gore […] The kill scenes, though all done with an axe, are still gory enough to fit the shameless tone of the movie.” Bad Movies for Bad People

“[Larraz] injects some Argento-esque style into the murders to separate the film from its otherwise regional slasher trash roots. It’s sort of like taking a trip to northern California with a couple of schmucks, to one of these Redwood preserve towns, and occasionally a cut-rate giallo breaks out.” Cinema Gonzo

“The killer looks creepy in Michael Myers-like blank mask and rain slicker, and the movie transcends its budget. The beautiful summer-laden backdrops are visually picturesque and there’s enough plot expansion to relate to the main characters.” Hysteria Lives!

“This script and these characters are not good enough, and the computer business makes it harder to take seriously. But it looks good and the murder scenes are well done. I like the mask even though it’s basically a knockoff of Michael Myers minus hair.” Outlaw Vern

“The axe slayings seemed more visceral than I’m used to. The story has a soapy V.C. Andrews quality that I feel at home in. Doomed teen romances in California Mountain towns. Jose Ramon Larraz has arrived to the slasher genre and his vision of it is going to leave a lasting impression.” Scumbalina

“We get some grisly axe murders, regional hang-out horror, country music, goofy dialogue, ancient computer graphics, coca-cola product placement, booming synth score, I could go on forever. I love that our main character and his love interest communicate with each other almost solely via the only computers in the entire town.” Taylor Heider

“The kills are less graphic than most of the slasher ilk, but they pack some ferocity (particularly the novel opening one in a carwash). The film winds down instead of having a traditional slice and dice finale, but the conclusion is refreshingly cynical.” Teenage Frankenstein

“Larraz manages to create some tension from time to time but the film peaks with the opening axe ‘em up at a car wash and its climax appears slightly skewered once all of the red herrings are eliminated, with a motive so contrived and unlikely…” Vegan Voorhees

Cast and characters:

• Barton Faulks … Gerald Martin
• Christina Marie Lane … Lillian Nebbs
• Page Mosely … Richard Simmons
• Fred Holliday … Frank McIntosh
• Patty Shepard … Laura Simmons
• Alicia Moro … Rita Miller
• Jack Taylor … Christopher Caplin
• Conrado San Martín
• Joy Blackburn … Susan Nebbs
• May Heatherly … Anna Bixby
• Elmer Modlin … Reverendo Clinton
• Javier Elorrieta
• José Frade
• Christina Lane

Censorship:

The UK video release was censored by 26 seconds by the BBFC.

NB. Despite the film being listed online as a US-Spanish co-production, all the credits are Spanish and there is also no confirmation it was made for cable TV as is often stated.

Some image credits: 80s Horror Central | La Dama Rossa – the inferior quality reflects their VHS source prior to Arrow Video’s Blu-ray release

The post Edge of the Axe – Spain, 1988 – reviews, plus Arrow Video Blu-ray details and new trailer appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

‘They came out of the grave… To get revenge!’

Scalps is a 1983 supernatural horror feature film directed by Fred Olen Ray (Biohazard; Star Slammer; Evil Toons) that revolves around a vengeful Native American spirit.

The movie stars Jo-Ann Robinson, Richard Hench, Roger Maycock, Frank McDonald, Carol Sue Flockhart, Barbara Magnusson, Kirk Alyn (from the 1948 Superman serial), Carroll Borland (Mark of the Vampire), Cynthia Hartline, and Forrest J Ackerman (editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland).

Scalps was released in 1983 by 21st Century Film Corporation but in his book, The New Poverty Row Fred Olen Ray says that the distributors ripped the filmmakers off.

In the US, Scalps has been released by Retromedia as a 2,000 copy limited edition Blu-ray – available exclusively from Amazon.com – in 16×9 widescreen from a 2K HD scan of the 35mm negative, with censored sequences restored from an analogue tape source.

• Audio commentary by Fred Olen Ray
• Remembering Scalps: interviews with Richard Hench, Frank McDonald, Chris Olen Ray and Fred Olen Ray
• Trailer
• Scenes from Stegg Dorr’s unauthorised remake, Blood Desert
• Dustin Ferguson’s fan film Scalps 2: The Return of DJ

Plot:

Six college archaeology students work on a dig in the California desert, despite the warnings of a professor and the town drunk.

When the group digs around in a Native American burial ground for artefacts, they unleash the evil spirit of Black Claw. The spirit possesses one of the group and begins slaughtering them one by one…

Reviews [click links to read more]:

“Despite the low budget, Scalps has some pretty impressive deaths, a little too realistic some may say. The actual scalping scene is just as good as Savini’s in Maniac … These death scenes are made more powerful by the screaming, moaning, and thrashing of the actors … easily one of Ray’s darkest movies. A combination of desert landscapes and sinister soundtrack gives Scalps a gritty, nihilistic atmosphere.” Retro Slashers

“an entertaining enough slice of 80s horror for those seeking a painless 80 minutes of gore, bad hair, and desert madness.” DVD Drive-In

Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.co.uk

Special features:

• 2K Scan from the Original Negative with Censored Scenes Restored via Tape Sources
• Brand New Audio Commentary track with Director Fred Olen Ray
• Original 35mm Theatrical Trailer
• “Remembering Scalps” New 22 Minute Retrospective featurette with Richard Hench, Frank McDonald, Chris Olen Ray and Fred Olen Ray.
• Justin Kerswell on Scalps: A Slasher Experts View
• 88 Films Trailer Reel
• Reversible Sleeve featuring original poster artwork

“The main thing is of course the gore, and that’s graphic and sadistic. A realistic cut throat, a graphic scalping, something getting hit very hard in the back of the head, arrow-hits… it’s not as much as it seems, but gory and well made. The demon itself is quite… cheap and looks more like a bit more advanced Halloween-mask. But I’ll buy that, seen worse.” House of Ninja Dixon

Buy Scalps on 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD | Amazon Instant Video

“The sound and lighting might suck (or rule depending how you look at it) but the special effects are pretty gnarly! The throat slashing was very well done and the scalping is pretty decent, bringing out some Maniac vibes.” Rue Morgue

“It takes a while, but once the gloves are off Scalps does actually slip rather nicely into slasher movie territory … Admittedly, the possessed killer looks like the half-man half-ape in the seriously demented Mexican, wrestling horror flick, Night of the Bloody Apes (1969), but, naturally, that just adds to its cheesy low budget charm.” Hysteria Lives

“There are long shots of the lonely roads that cut through the barren desert wastelands of the Southwestern United States accompanied by eerie music and sounds, similar to the kind heard in Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The 16mm film used gives it a very soft look which helps set an atmosphere of gloom and dread.” The Trashy Horror Charlie Show

” … an inept piece of bare bones film-making. It’s notable for the rudimentary gore effects and the occasionally atmospheric soundtrack. But, as so it goes with most of his other 80′s horror/sci-fi outings, it’s advisable to watch it with friends. That way you can have more fun with the ‘bad movie qualities’ it has. Make this film better, and share the laughter.” Cult Reviews

Buy The New Poverty Row Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

The post Scalps – USA, 1983 – reviews appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

‘Don’t go down to the woods’

Bone Breaker is a 2020 British survival horror feature film about a group of friends looking for an extreme weekend, who get more than they bargain for when they mistakenly cross the land of the infamous Bone Breaker. What should have been a fun weekend has now turned into a fight for survival…

Written, produced and directed by Nicholas Winter (A Dark Path; Caged; Transhuman), the movie stars Lucy Aarden (Death Race 4: Beyond Anarchy), James G. Nunn (The Strangers), Rachel Bright and Ryan Winsley (Paintball Massacre; ABCs of Death 2).

Release:

Bone Breaker will be released by 101 Films International in 2020, on a date to be confirmed.

Cast and characters:

• Lucy Aarden … Ruby
• Rachel Bright … Emily
• James G. Nunn … Steven
• Ryan Winsley … Peter
• Jack Parr … Jason
• Ade Dimberline … Jonjo the Hiker
• Jade Colucci … Grace
• Sophie Jones … Rachel
• Ian P Campbell … Dean
• Mike Maley … Jason

The post Bone Breaker – UK, 2020 – preview appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

‘A night to die for’

Prom Night is a 2008 American-Canadian slasher horror feature film about an escaped killer murdering attendees at the titular event.

Directed by Nelson McCormick (The Stepfather, 2009) from a screenplay written by co-executive producer J.S. Cardone (Wicked Little Things; The Scare Hole; Shadowzone; The Slayer; et al), very loosely based on the 1980 film of the same name. The movie stars Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, Jessica Stroup and Dana Davis.

Plot:

Three years ago, Donna (Brittany Snow) watched in horror as an obsessed predator (Johnathon Schaech) murdered her family.

Tonight is her senior prom and although she’s anxious about the past, she’s excited to celebrate her future with her friends.

What Donna doesn’t know is that the deranged psychopath has escaped from the asylum. He’s returned to hunt her down, intent on killing anyone who gets in his way.

As the night races towards its heart-pounding conclusion, the question becomes not who will be prom queen, but who will survive the killer’s rampage…

Reviews [click links to read more]:

“Not only is Prom Night an exercise in tedium, but it’s a creative wasteland as well. We know from the outset that Fenton is the killer, so we don’t even get a cheap murder-mystery. In the 80s, the least that a slasher film could offer was an interesting mask for the killer. But, since we already know who Fenton is, his disguise to elude the police is a black baseball cap. Wow, that is exciting.” DVD Sleuth

“The finale of the picture should be this grandiose showdown between good and evil, but not on McCormick’s watch. No, he likes to make even the simplest acts of behavior last about 900 years, constructing a conclusion that is absent even the slightest blip of tension and conflict.” DVD Talk

“It’s a basic slasher flick with no surprises, lazy jump scares & below par kills. The best thing about Prom Night is the acting, several of the cast do good jobs in their roles. Johnathon Schaech plays the killer Fenton with plenty of menace & the disconnect he appears to have to the killing adds decent levels of tension.” Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life

“The acting is neither noticeably terrible nor particularly good. Everyone, bar perhaps Schaech’s bug-eyed killer, just fades into the background. This isn’t going to hurt anyone’s CV, simply because you won’t be able to remember who any of the cast actually are. It’s slickly edited, and the setting looks reasonably pretty, but that’s about all that can be said for the flick.” Hysteria Lives!

“It’s entertaining, it’s well-made, the pace is good (we get a kill every 10 minutes, not too shabby), it has a cameo by Josh Leonard and the movie Can’t Hardly Wait, and there wasn’t a single point in the film where I was ready to throw something at the screen (except maybe the boyfriend scare. Come on!).” Horror Movie a Day

“J.S. Cardone fails to give us anything other than an entirely processed reading of the slasher film without a trace of irony, sarcasm or the generic self-awareness that either of these came with and the results disappear into the entirely humdrum. Cardone’s script fails to define the characters with any depth that goes beyond their perfectly made up good looks.” Moria

“Demonstrating little except the uselessness of a restraining order against a loony-tunes admirer, the movie offers less gore than the average Band-Aid commercial and fewer scares than the elimination episodes of Dancing With the Stars. But then, maybe I’m just not sophisticated enough.” The New York Times, April 12, 2008

“It’s a bore, even taking into account unintentional moments of humor that resulted in audience members jeering. This is a case study for Filmmaking Ineptitude 101. Director McCormack is so bad at his job that he can’t even execute an effective “boo!” moment – one of those things that even the worst horror movies seem to get right.” Reel Views

“The paper-thin mystery of the original Prom Night made for a fun diversion that’s entirely absent here. In fact, there are no twists anywhere in sight. The producers have gone for the most inoffensive garb they can get away with calling a horror flick, although it’s hardly that, with victims who, when stabbed a dozen or so times, bleed approximately enough to fill a shot glass and then cease.” Vegan Voorhees

“Granted the teens were all annoying, the music was horrible and the kills were rather tame, but I have to give credit where credit is due.  Even though the murders got a little repetitive (Schaech’s MO:  slash and run), Schaech did carve up someone about every eight minutes and managed to stack up an impressive body count before buying the farm.” The Video Vacuum

Cast and characters:

• Brittany Snow … Donna Keppel
• Scott Porter … Bobby
• Jessica Stroup … Claire
• Dana Davis … Lisa Hines
• Collins Pennie … Ronnie Heflin (as Collins Curtis Pennié Robinson)
• Kelly Blatz … Michael
• James Ransone … Detective Nash
• Brianne Davis … Crissy Lynn
• Kellan Lutz … Rick Leland
• Mary Mara … Ms Waters
• Ming-Na Wen … Doctor Elisha Crowe (as Ming Wen)
• Johnathon Schaech … Richard Fenton
• Idris Elba … Detective Winn
• Jessalyn Gilsig … Aunt Karen Turner
• Linden Ashby … Uncle Jack Turner

Filming locations:

• Los Angeles, California
• Newport, Oregon

Production companies:

• Screen Gems (presents)
• Original Film
• Newmarket Films
• Alliance (in association with) (as Alliance Films)

Technical details:

• 88 minutes | 89 minutes (unrated)
• Technicolor
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

The post Prom Night – USA | Canada, 2008 – reviews appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Friday the 13th is getting a limited edition steel book release from Paramount that includes “unrated footage and insightful special features”. Released on May 5, 2020, and available to pre-order from Amazon.com

Meanwhile, here is our previous coverage of this classic slasher:

‘On Friday the 13th, they began to die horribly, one… by one.’

Friday the 13th is a 1980 American slasher horror feature film directed by Sean S. Cunningham (Trapped Ashes; DeepStar Six; Case of the Full Moon Murders; producer of The Last House on the Left) from a screenplay written by Victor Miller and [uncredited] Ron Kurz.

The plot concerns a group of teenagers who are murdered one-by-one while attempting to re-open an abandoned lakeside campsite and stars Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, and Kevin Bacon (The Following; Flatliners; Tremors) in one of his earliest roles.

Prompted by the massive success of Halloween, the independent Georgetown Productions film was made on an estimated budget of $550,000.

The movie received mainly negative reviews from critics, but grossed over $39.7 million at the box office in the United States, and went on to become one of the most-profitable slasher films in cinema history. It was also the first movie of its kind to secure distribution in the USA by a major studio, Paramount Pictures.

Friday the 13th‘s massive box office success led to a long series of sequels, a crossover with the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and a series reboot released on February 13, 2009.

Buy Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection from Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Reviews [click links to read more]:

“Beyond the mystery and the story wait the visuals. And the visuals are something truly special. In addition to a great set location and wondrous natural lighting that helps create a dreadful atmosphere we’re also treated to special effects from maestro of realism, Tom Savini. Some of his death scenes are genius.” Addicted to Horror Movies

“Friday the 13th is no great movie and there were even better slashers from around this time.  The makers of the movie however realized its power and quickly capitalized on it by creating a bankable killer in Jason Voorhees and the rapid release of sequels (something that Halloween sputtered on). Basement Rejects

“There’s remarkably little T & A given what was to come, but the murders (especially Kevin Bacon’s bed spearing) are memorable and the denouement is a tour de force dominated by Betsy Palmer’s creepily grinning, unflatteringly dressed portrayal of Mrs Vorhees.” Horrorscreams Videovault

” … it is not only self-evidently made on the cheap but is almost completely lacking in style or invention. About the only interesting aspect of the film, really, is the slavishness with which it attempts to duplicate elements of Halloween: title, construction, even visual effects…” The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

“The blood looks very real, and no two deaths are alike. There’s also good suspense when the camera takes “killer’s eye view” and chases screaming victims through the woods. In the history of film, there are good imitations and there are bad imitations, and this one is good. Cunningham obviously recognised what made Halloween so successful…” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers

Buy Friday the 13th soundtrack on CD from Amazon.com

Cast and characters:

• Betsy Palmer … Mrs Voorhees
• Adrienne King … Alice
• Jeannine Taylor … Marcie
• Robbi Morgan … Annie
• Kevin Bacon … Jack
• Harry Crosby … Bill
• Laurie Bartram … Brenda
• Mark Nelson … Ned
• Peter Brouwer … Steve Christy
• Rex Everhart … The Truck Driver
• Ronn Carroll … Sgt. Tierney
• Ron Millkie … Officer Dorf
• Walt Gorney … Crazy Ralph
• Willie Adams … Barry
• Debra S. Hayes … Claudette
• Dorothy Kobs … Trudy
• Sally Anne Golden … Sandy
• Mary Rocco … Operator
• Ken L. Parker … Doctor
• Ari Lehman … Jason

Buy On Location in Blairstown from Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

The post Friday the 13th – USA, 1980 – New 40th anniversary steelbook news appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

Victor Crowley from the Hatchet slasher franchise is a horror icon so it comes as no surprise that NECA has finally created an action figure.

Fully poseable (of course), and including his hatchet (natch) and a bloodsoaked belt sander (!), the Victor Crowley figure will available in August 2020.

The post Victor Crowley from Hatchet franchise – action figure appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

The Torment of Laurie Ann Cullom is a 2014 American slasher horror feature film about a young woman who suffers from agoraphobia. Unfortunately, she soon realises her fear of the outside world is nothing compared to what she finds in her home…

Written and directed by Mark Dossett, the movie stars Shannon Scott, Vicky Schomp, Jacob Bradley and David Schomp.

Reviews [click links to read more]:

” …Dossett’s choices and Scott’s performance combine to produce something that, while not exactly ready for the multiplex, transcends the usual local-filmmaker output. Torment could hang with much of the stuff associated with the current crop of hip underground New Horror directors that thrive on barely-there budgets and shoestring crews.” Creative Loafing

” …the film was executed perfectly, great performances by a relatively unknown cast, (at least I don’t know them) and it stands as a great addition to fans of the genre anywhere.” Horror Fuel

“The Torment of Laurie Ann Cullom is a triumph for old school horror; a chilling out of body experience; a vehicle to show new horror fans how it used to be done; and a title that truly deserves to be seen by many.” Horror Society

” …a well-placed nod to Halloween, a villain who resembles Kane Hodder and a great soundtrack and musical score that effectively represent the era. There are creepy moments, scenes that are hard to watch and a well-paced build-up of events all surrounding a sympathetic lead character.” Morbidly Beautiful

Release:

The movie will debut on digital platforms via Terror Films on March 2nd, 2020.

When asked why he took so long to distribute his feature film debut widely (it was previously available via VHX), director Mark Dossett had this to say:

“I had four previous distribution offers before signing with Terror Films. I had everything from one distributor telling me they didn’t like the name of the film and they would figure it out once I signed. Another one quoted me on the phone their recoupable expense amount and then when the contract was sent, it was double that amount. So, at the end of the day, it all came down to trust. I didn’t trust any of them. After talking with Joe, I realised he and his staff were also indie filmmakers and that we would work together on everything from the poster to the trailer. That gave me the trust that I didn’t have with the others to go ahead and sign with Terror Films.”

Cast and characters:

• Jason Abbott … Mr Morgan
• Jacob Bradley … Jake
• Mark Dossett … Sheriff Parks
• Dave Schomp … Ben Cardener
• Vicky Schomp … Regina Cullom
• Pat Schwehm … Diner Patron
• Shannon Scott … Laurie Ann Cullom
• Connie Stewart … Waitress

Filming locations:

Florida

The post The Torment of Laurie Ann Cullom – USA, 2014 – reviews and release news appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

‘This panda means business’

Pandamonium is a 2020 British horror slasher feature film about a panda-mask wearing serial killer stalking victims at an office party.

Written and directed by Mj Dixon (Bannister DollHouse; Cleavers: Killer Clowns; Hollower; Legacy of Thorn; et al), the Mycho Entertainment production stars David Hon Ma Chu, Oriana Charles, Dani Thompson (Pumpkins; Cute Little Buggers; Christmas Slay; et al), Will Jones (In Search of Fear; I Scream on the Beach!) and James Hamer-Morton (Dead Air; Dead Love).

Plot:

The guys on Level 6 like to work hard, and party harder; that means the best booze, the finest drugs and hottest women money can buy.

Unfortunately for them, the strippers they’ve just hired have come with an unwanted guest. It’s Jacob Jakushi, the infamous ‘Stripper Ripper’ with an oversized panda mask and a taste for exotic dancers has these girls in his sights and he’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants. It’s now strippers vs. panda-headed serial killer as they fight to survive the office party from hell…

Release:

In the UK, 101 Films has released Pandamonium on DVD and VOD.

Reviews [click links to read more]:

“A lot of the dialogue appears to have been re-recorded and fails to synch up to its surroundings. Beyond that, though, this is a fun slasher flick. The comedy is uproarious, the kills are fun, the characters are likable and the cast is quite good. Flawed but absolutely worth checking out…” Film Threat

“PandaMonium is slick, stylish and sadistic. A cut above the rest. It’s booze, drugs, girls, and gore in this horrifying independent horror-comedy. Sick scares and grotesque fun. A superb slasher flick. This ain’t no Kung Fu Panda.” House of Tortured Souls

“Basically, the film seems to be blissfully aware of its own formula but makes the most out of it by throwing its characters into unusual situations and finding original (and often quite hilarious) ways to resolve them. Plus, while the film’s played totally straight, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and without going either the parody or the moronic route the outcome is pretty much as funny as it’s gruesome and violent.” Search My Trash

” …Pandamonium is a solid slasher with just enough humour to offset the gore. The best laugh involves a reference to a particular song by Talking Heads. I’m sure you can guess which one. Martin Payne (Millennial Killer) and Annie Knox are also quite funny in the prologue. Until it turns bloody that is.” Voices from the Balcony

Scroll down for YouTube reviews

Release:

Pandamonium premiered at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on January 18th 2020.

Background:

Writer-director MJ Dixon had the following to say about the film:

“Pandamonium is our first foray into a more comedic approach to horror, of course, that’s not to say it doesn’t take itself seriously at times. There’s still a message in there as well as tons of tension and scares to keep slasher fans happy. It’s something new for us and I just hope that people have a good time with it, I know we had one making it.”

Cast and characters:

• David Hon Ma Chu … Jacob Jakushi
• Oriana Charles … Arielle Walters
• Dani Thompson … Jasmine Sands
• Will Jones … Daniel Prince
• James Hamer-Morton … Damian Hook
• Lee Mark Jones … Dick Tremain
• Charlie Bond … Cindy Glass
• William Marshall … Timo Gasto
• Chloe Badham … Aura Dawn
• Derek Nelson … Jason Facile
• Tatiana Ibba … Bella Rose
• Annie Knox … Snowy Winters
• Martin W. Payne … Phillip Tanterton
• Pablo Raybould … M.R. Rutherford
• Charlie Clarke … Carol from HR

The post Pandamonium – UK, 2020 – with first reviews appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

Scream Factory is releasing The Hills Run Red on Blu-ray for the first time on June 16, 2020. The special features will be announced in May.

Meanwhile, here is our previous coverage of this underrated slasher.

The Hills Run Red is a 2009 American slasher horror film directed by Dave Parker (It Watches; The Dead Hate the Living) from a screenplay written by David J. Schow (Abbatoir; Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III; Critters 3 and 4). Sophie Monk, Tad Hilgenbrink and William Sadler star.

Plot:

Tyler is obsessed with the horror film ‘The Hills Run Red’, considered the scariest movie ever made, with the deranged serial killer Babyface in the lead role. However, the film’s director, Wilson Wyler Concannon, disappeared years ago and there is no known copy of the movie. Tyler’s obsession with the film leads him to neglect his girlfriend Serena.

When Tyler discovers that Concannon’s daughter Alexa works in a nightclub as a stripper, he decides to meet her and ask about the lost film.

He visits Alexa and asks her about the project. As she gives him a nude lap dance, the audience sees Serena cheating on Tyler with their best friend Lalo. Alexa informs Tyler that the movie might be in her father’s home in the woods…

Reviews [click links to read more]:

“Along with being a solid horror entry in its own right, The Hills Run Red pays tribute to the films that inspired it, making it doubly rewarding to fans, who’ll surely smile at the odd reference to yesteryear, all as they’re being terrified anew by the slaughter playing out before their eyes.” 2,500 Movies Challenge

Watch Bloodbath & Beyond review on YouTube

“What starts off as a potential “young people stalked in the woods” flick mutates into something much more original, twisted, sick and plain entertaining around the halfway mark. Once Concannon shows up, very much alive and well, this rollercoaster takes a whole new direction and very soon you’re forced to abandon what you think is going to happen and just sit back for the ride.” Dread Central

“This maniacal, gory, and smart slasher is exactly what we need more of in the sub-genre. While it does try its hand at being a “Scream” wannabe in some instances, that doesn’t affect what is a maddening, sick and entertaining slasher film with a great new slasher, some interesting horror villains, and a wicked premise that provides us with chills, thrills, and gory, gory kills.” Cinema Crazed

“The Hills Run Red has a solid and interesting, if not entirely original, premise and a terrifying antagonist in ‘Babyface’ but it suffers from a script that’s not nearly as clever and knowing as it thinks it is and some poor plot development. While not a completely wasted opportunity, given the promise it had it ends up feeling a little too much like the prosaic slasher flick that we’ve seen a million times before.” Gore Press

“The killer, lumbering about the woods in a pretty nifty mask made of a broken dolls face does look pretty intimidating, eerier than your average boogeyman, but he too falls prey to genre clichés towards the end of the picture, where you’ll not be in the least bit surprised even by the ‘twist’ that the filmmakers thrust upon us as the end credits role.” Rock! Shock! Pop!

“While The Hills Run Red isn’t blazingly original, that’s not the point with this film. It’s a flick for film geeks by film geeks, horror film geeks in particular. A lot of times, when a film is too self-referential or pandering to “that 70’s/80’s vibe”, I’m usually coughing into my sleeve by the end of the first reel. But in the case of The Hills Run Red, all the tropes work.” Screen Anarchy

“Really, the biggest knock against The Hills Run Red is that it doesn’t offer anything new; then again, slashers have always been caught up in the conundrum of being criticized when they simply rehash and then bashed when they try something new. This effort plays it safe, and it succeeds in delivering what audiences should expect from it (nudity and gore).” Oh, the Horror!

“It becomes another Texas Chainsaw wannabe with an overabundance of psychos, sleaze, unimpressive motives and a downbeat twist ending. And so it ends up in three-star land, a respectable showing for any B-movie of the stomp-and-kill ilk, perhaps a bit of a disappointment for genre aficionados who were hoping for the mooted next great horror icon…” Vegan Voorhees

“It delivers enough bloody mayhem and twists to keep your interest doing a good enough job to distract you from the fact Schow’s script tries to be a little bit too smart for its own good when attempting to deliver its “taking your art one step too far” message in the finale.” The Video Graveyard

Cast and characters:

• Sophie Monk as Alexa – Blood Feast [2016]; Life Blood
• Tad Hilgenbrink as Tyler – Amusement; Lost Boys: The Tribe; Grave Situations
• William Sadler as Concannon
• Janet Montgomery as Serina
• Alex Wyndham as Lalo
• Ewan Bailey as Sonny
• Joy McBrinn as Belle
• Raicho Vasilev as Babyface
• Mike Straub as Gabe
• Hristo Mitzkov as Jimbo
• Ekaterina Temelkova as Sherri
• Danko Jordanov as Actor Babyface
• Itai Diakov as Teen Babyface

Filming locations:

Bulgaria

The post The Hills Run Red – USA, 2009 – reviews and Blu-ray news appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

‘The stranger on the phone… is in your house!’

When a Killer Calls is a 2006 American horror-thriller feature film about a babysitter that begins receiving threatening phone calls from a man.

Directed by Peter Mervis (Snakes on a Train; Dead Men Walking) from a screenplay written by Steve Bevilacqua (War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave; Supercroc; Hillside Cannibals), The Asylum production stars Rebekah Kochan, Robert Buckley, Mark Irvingsen and Sarah Hall.

The movie is a mockbuster take on When a Stranger Calls (2006), itself a remake of the 1979 chiller of the same name.

Reviews [click links to read more]:

“Do not, under any circumstances, rent this abomination of film making. I’m giving it my highest condemnation: it makes Manos: The Hands of Fate seem tolerable. I’ll have to go through my previous 200 plus posts, but I believe that’s a first for The DTVC.” Direct to Video Connoisseur

“it’s better than the movie it was created to cash in on, so that’s gotta be worth something. It’s pointless to say “If they had just done this or that then it would be a good movie” because it’s pretty obvious that any merit an Asylum film has is purely by either accident and if they were really interested in making good movies they probably could have made one by now.” Horror Movie a Day

“The only daring instance that occurs here is that there are two on-screen murders of young children, a taboo usually not crossed even in the pits of exploitation horror, but that doesn’t make it a good film. As it is, it’s backed into a corner by the number of cliches it depends on. Let’s see a babysitter film where it’s a guy looking after the kids for a change.” Vegan Voorhees

” …the finale feels like it’s trying much too hard for that ‘disturbing and unsettling’ feel […] Plus the entire explanation for the killer is pretty ridiculous with us not getting enough back story for it to make any sort of impact. When A Killer Calls isn’t great, but it is watchable…” The Video Graveyard

Cast and characters:

• Rebekah Kochan … Trisha
• Robert Buckley … Matt
• Mark Irvingsen … The Madman
• Sarah Hall … Chrissy
• Christian Hutcherson … Ryan Hewitt
• Derek Osedach … Frank
• Carissa Bodner … Molly
• John Rasile … Gianluca
• Chriss Anglin … Mr Walker
• Tara Clark … Mrs Walker
• Louis Graham … Charlie
• Isabella Bodnar … Mrs Hewitt
• Cheyenne Watts … Girl Victim
• Peter Mervis … Police Officer
• Leigh Scott … Police Officer

Filming locations:

• Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, California

Technical details:

• 91 minutes
• Audio: Dolby Digital
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35: 1

The post When a Killer Calls – USA, 2006 – reviews and movie free to watch online appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

For Jennifer is a 2020 American horror feature film about the titular character’s search for answers to the whole Jennifer franchise conundrum.

Written and directed by Jody Barton (actor in Blood Craft; Ugly Sweater Party; 13/13/13; et al), the movie stars Dominique Swain, Tiffani Fest, Felissa Rose, Rich Finley, Hunter Johnson, Meghan Deanna Smith and Charles Chudabala.

Review:

To Jennifer (2013) kicked off this franchise from James Cullen Bressack (Blood Craft; Bethany; Blood Lake) who shot the entire film via an iPhone 5 – the first of its kind. Influenced by found footage terror flicks, To Jennifer documents the story of Joey, a scorned boyfriend who sets out to find and confront his cheating girlfriend, Jennifer, which leads to some intensely frightening results.

The sequel, 2Jennifer (2016), introduced the viewers to Spencer (Hunter Johnson, who also wrote and directed this), an aspiring young filmmaker who claimed to have Bressack’s blessing for this new movie about a sainted Jennifer as seen through his eyes. Unfortunately, Spencer being a highly unhinged psychopath took the film down a very dark path leaving a bloody trail of carnage behind.

From Jennifer (by Frank Merle) took a completely different turn by way of the new Jennifer (Danielle Taddei) – an overly ambitious actress who is willing to do anything for internet fame and domination. By enlisting a “bodyguard” and holding crazy casting calls, From Jennifer proved to be ample and enigmatic fun.

Jody Barton, who has appeared in a few of the previous Jennifer films, puts the final puzzle together in a collaborative strategy to connect all the dots from To Jennifer to current day with For Jennifer.

As the gang celebrates Jennifer’s (Tiffani Fest) birthday, a gift left behind is actually a copy of 2Jennifer, introducing the horror blogger to Spencer and his madness while creating that second instalment. Believing it to be completely real, she takes it onto herself to not only make a horror film but go hunt for answers as to who is stalking her with these horrific reinventions of the former Jennifer films.

Collectively, old cast members and storylines return to the threshold in a stirring twist of events, which puts the new Jennifer into a brutal scenario of right vs. wrong and what is the true meaning of sheer horror?

The chaotic ending will not only delight but freak you out in a Walking Dead/Negan premise of “anyone is expendable” – all the while, as laughter ensues. It’s another lively jaunt into the world of Jennifers and dread. Never write off a Jennifer!

Meredith Brown, MOVIES & MANIA

Cast and characters:

• Dominique Swain … Randi
• Felissa Rose … Jennifer Smith
• Madeleine Wade … Jamie
• Lanett Tachel … Stefanie
• Meghan Deanna Smith … Stephanie Hart
• Frankie Cullen … Chilli
• Martin Harris … Martin
• Rachel Hardisty … Darlene
• Jennifer Nangle … Jenn
• Gregory Blair … Greg
• Tiffani Fest … Jennifer
• Monika Ekiert … Helena
• Brittney Grabill … Bridget
• Danielle Taddei … Jennifer Peterson
• Don Barris … Don
• David Biedrzycki … Gus
• Jody Barton … Doug
• Charles Chudabala … Charlie
• Hunter Johnson … Spencer
• Maryjane Green … Maryjane
• Noel Jason Scott … Noel
• Christian Ackerman … Partygoer
• Lily Thaisz … Tiffany
• Alexander T. Hwang … Alex
• Reyna Meree Velarde … Reyna
• Chuck Pappas … Chuck
• Audriena Comeaux … Audriena
• David Wesley Marlowe … Ray
• Alex Napiwocki … Partygoer
• Rich Finley … Joey
• Jeffrey Lee DuPree … Partygoer
• Jonathan Makabi … Partygoer
• Hootan Atefyekta … Partygoer
• Kathleen W. Hwang … Partygoer
• Eric Hollerbach … Eric
• Robert Van Guelpen … Scott
• Paul Stephen Edwards … Paul
• Adolfo Valdivic … Partygoer
• James Van Fleet … Partygoer
• Brian Simpson … Red
• Nick Kekeris … Gene
• Rod Vizcaina … Partygoer
• Jillian Gallagher … Prison operator
• Gilda DuPree … Partygoer

The post For Jennifer – USA, 2020 – review appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

Blood Rage is a 1983 [released 1987] American slasher horror feature film directed by John Grissmer (Scalpel aka False Face, 1976) from a screenplay written by Bruce Rubin [as Richard Lamden].

The movie stars Louise Lasser (Frankenhooker), Mark Soper (Graveyard Shift II), Marianne Kanter (who also produced this and Dark August in 1976), Julie Gordon and special effects makeup artist Ed French (Amityville II: The Possession, Sleepaway Camp, The Stuff).

The soundtrack score was composed by Richard Einhorn (The Prowler; Eyes of a Stranger; Don’t Go in the House; Shock Waves).

Although the film was shot in 1983 as Complex and then retitled Slasher, it was given only a limited release theatrically in the United States by the Film Concept Group under the title Nightmare at Shadow Woods in 1987. It was released on VHS by Prism Entertainment the same year under the title Blood Rage and this is the title it is now best known by.

The Nightmare at Shadow Woods version is missing an early scene where Maddy visits Todd at the mental hospital but includes a swimming pool scene not found in the Blood Rage version. The Nightmare at Shadow Woods version had a budget US DVD release in 2004 by Legacy Entertainment.

Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

On September 29, 2015, Arrow Video released an uncut composite Blu-ray + DVD version with all the footage from both versions. On 23 January 2017, the same release is issued in the UK too.

Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Plot:

Todd and Terry are twins. They are blonde, cute, bright and identical in every respect, with one exception. One of them is a murderer. This starts one night at a drive-in theatre when a teenager was slaughtered in the back seat of his car while his girlfriend watched. Todd is found guilty for the heinous crime and is locked away in an asylum.

Years passed and Terry lives happily with his mother (Louise Lasser), who smothers him with enough love for two sons. All is fine until Thanksgiving when they receive news that Todd escaped. Terry goes on a killing spree to ensure that Todd goes back to the asylum.

His first kill is his mother’s fiancée, when he chops off his arm with a machete, before stabbing him to death. Meanwhile, Dr Berman and her assistant, Jackie, go out in search for Todd.

Jackie meets a sticky end, when he is stabbed by Terry. Dr Berman also suffers the same fate. Whilst in the woods looking for Todd, she comes across Terry, who cuts her in half with the machete, leaving her to die…

Reviews [click links to read more]:

“Nearly all of the deaths are inventive and gory thanks to French’s work. It brings this weird balance of realistic carnage to over the top acting and dialogue that somehow works. Though Terry’s affinity for cranberry sauce has become the tagline and mantra of Blood Rage, it can really be summed up with the cheesy, simple line, “The turkey was perfect!” Bloody Disgusting

“This fantastic slasher film impresses with some very ballsy gore; everything from bloody severed heads and split open brains to women chopped in half and guys stabbed in the neck with barbecue prongs.” Strictly Splatter

“The gore, like almost all films from the 80’s does look very dated and if you look closely, you can see how they achieved different effects. But there are some inventive kill scenes; the first kill in Blood Rage is a little kid taking an axe to the face of a guy whilst that guy is getting lucky… little cock blocker! The bad acting and crazy music bring the film down a lot…” UK Horror Scene

“It’s all rather amusing yet somehow cruel at the same time, and it’s this element of mean-spiritedness that runs consistently throughout the film and hurts it to a degree … never quite knowing how to react in certain scenes had me a little alienated and made some of the funny stuff seem almost tacky or inappropriate.” Hysteria Lives!

“The acting was all quite good, and they only terrible acting I can really pinpoint is by Marianne Kanter as Doctor Berman, Todd’s doctor. Just look at her acting in her death scene to see what I mean. The rest are all quite good, even if the “mom” character was pretty over the top.” HorrorBid.com

Choice dialogue:

“The turkey was perfect!”

“It’s not cranberry sauce!”

“Well, I want you to make love to me.”

“God, that’s horrible! How can they show that on TV?”

Cast and characters:

• Louise Lasser … Maddy
• Mark Soper … Todd / Terry
• Julie Gordon … Karen
• Jayne Bentzen … Julie
• Marianne Kanter … Dr Berman
• James Farrell … Artie (as James Farrel)
• Chad Montgomery … Gregg
• Lisa Randall … Andrea
• William Fuller … Brad
• Douglas Weiser … Jackie / Radio Announcer (as Doug Weiser)
• Gerry Lou … Beth
• Ed French … Bill
• Dana Drescher … Little Girl
• Brad Leland … Teen Boy at Drive-In (as Brad Williams)
• Rebecca Thorp … Teen Girl at Drive-In
• Bill Cakmis … Maddy’s Date
• Keith Hall … Young Terry
• Russell Hall … Young Todd (as Ross Hall)
• Lauren Myers … Baby
• Amanda Ball … Baby
• Ted Raimi … Condom Salesman
• Matthew Carlisle … Hospital Attendant
• Kevin Williams … Hospital Attendant
• Dylan Riggs … Slasher (uncredited)

Filming locations:

Jacksonville, Florida

Trivia:

Blood Rage should not be confused with the 1979 film Bloodrage (aka Never Pick Up a Stranger).

We are deeply indebted to Critical Condition for some images above.

The post Blood Rage – USA, 1987 – reviews appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

‘The most popular sorority on campus… They’re dying to get in!’

Butchered aka The Hazing – is a 2003 American horror feature film directed by Joe Castro (Terror Toons and sequels; The Summer of Massacre; Jackhammer) from a screenplay by Eric Spudic (Creepies and sequel; Maniacal; Aquanoids).

Plot:

Two teenage girls are desperate to get into the most popular sorority on campus. Their final pledge is to spend the night at an abandoned Halloween Spooky House. The sorority sisters have all kinds of scary plans for the girls. Unfortunately, what they all don’t know is that there is psychotic killer squatting in the building…

Reviews [click links to read more]:

“with its fairly high body-count of nine, we never have to wait long for the next bloody set-piece to come along! If there is any problem with this it’s that the film’s tendency to dwell on the nastiness for so long means that there comes a point where it becomes impossible to avoid the fact that what we’re watching is actually just a dummy getting pummelled…” Horrorview

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk

“The acting is hilarious, the camerawork and editing is decent and flick looks very cheap. The plot is very unoriginal, I like that the filmmakers choose to play it straight, there’s no intentional comedy in this but there are several scenes of unintentional comedy.” Independent Flicks

” …this is just another stupid teen slasher, made watchable by a lot of gore and Phoebe Dollar. The only reason I was even remotely interested in this movie in the first place is because it’s directed by Joe Castro, who is pretty reliable for delivering on gore, and this movie is no exception…” The Retarded Vacuum

Buy Screen Entertainment DVD: Amazon.co.uk

” …there are some amusing kills, including a machete in the mouth and a repetition of the bashed-in head as seen in Maniacal. Cheap and cheerful with a definite love for its genre, just in need of a cash injection.” Vegan Voorhees

“The gore is plentiful and varied, with many different nasty gashes, face carving, head smashing, disembowelment, etc. Castro shows off his special effects but forgets to make a proper movie.” The Worldwide Celluloid Massacre

Cast and characters:

• Susan Smythe … Lynette – Deadly Culture
• Juliet Bradford … Barbara – Bloody Tease
• Phoebe Dollar … Jenny – Sunset Society; Rat Scratch Fever; Orgy of the Damned; Hell’s Highway
• Elina Madison … Daphne – Evil Bong 777; Frankenstein’s Bride; Satanicus; Halloween Party; Chop; Ding Dong Dead; et al
• Christopher Michaels … Anthony – Jackhammer; Delta Delta Die!
• Adam Crone … Darren
• David Alan Graf … Andrew Braxus – Devil’s Night; Face of Evil; Horror House; Evil Unleashed; Demon’s Kiss; et al
• Ben Belack … Brent
• Jerry Kokich … Homeless Man
• Kelsie Lynn … Ghost Girl
• Tracy Ray … Rebecca Epstein

Trivia:

This film should not be confused with the 2004 movie of the same name (aka Dead Scared).

MOVIES & MANIA provides an aggregated range of opinions and reviews from a wide variety of sources, plus our own reviews, in one handy web location. We rely solely on the very minor income generated by affiliate links and internet ads to stay online and expand. Please support us by not blocking ads on our site. Thank you.

The post Butchered aka The Hazing – USA, 2003 – reviews appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

Death-Scort Service is a 2015 slasher horror film directed by Sean Donohue (Cannibal Claus; Die Die Delta Pi; Joe Vampire) from a screenplay co-written with Chris Woods (Chaos A.D.; Make Them Die Sleazy!; Bleed). It stars  Krystal Pixie Adams, Amethist Young, and Bailey Paige.

In Las Vegas, a group of escorts become the focus of a serial killer intent on brutally murdering them all…

Funding for the movie was partially raised through an Indiegogo campaign and the film was released on October 13, 2015. A sequel, Death-Scort Service Part 2: The Naked Dead, has been released.

Reviews [click links to read more]:

” …functions primarily as an attempt to keep the carnival-scumbag vibe of vintage H.G. Lewis, David Friedman and Doris Wishman alive and well. I think it is well aware that its acting is pitiful, that its production values have none and that its transgressions are kind of an art-house experiment in bad taste.” ComingSoon.net

” …there’s absolutely nothing about Death-Scort Service that’s subtle; it hits you repeatedly about the head and neck until the final credits roll. Sometimes it’s with nudity, sometimes it’s with violence. Occasionally, you get both. Again, that’s definitely not a complaint. I found myself enjoying the flick even when I felt dirty, which, I guess, is a compliment.” Todd Rigney, Dread Central

“I think that a little more time spent introducing the victims would have added more weight and clarity to the story. I get that this movie is fast-paced, but a little more info on these gals would have gone a long way.  All in all, if you have enjoyed other films from Sleaze Box then you will definitely dig this nudity filled, gore soaked throwback…” Blaine McLaren, Mondo McLaren

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

” …the film is full of on screen kills that take us back to the S.O.V. days.  Most are gruesome with crude practical effects but shot in a way that it makes it fun. Overall, Death-Scort Service is the f*cking slasher film for the ages. The film is so f*cking dirty that you will need to shower after watching it.  If you like em sleazy then look no further.” Blacktooth, Horror Society

Cast and characters:

• Krystal Pixie Adams as Michelle
• Amethist Young as Gwen
• Bailey Paige as Erica
  Ashley Lynn Caputo as Missy
• Sean Donohue as John #1/Strip Club Patron #1
• Cayt Feinics as Jamie
• Bob Glazier as Buddy
• Lisa Marie Kart as Beverly
• Joel D. Wynkoop as Angus
• Joe Makowski as Mysterious Driver
• Jessica Morgan as Tara
• Alice Reigns as Julie
• Evan Stone as T.V. Personality
• Paula Tsurara as Candy
• Amanda Welch as Dakota
• Geneva Whitmore as Pamela
• Chris Woods as John #2/Strip Club Patron #2

Filming locations:

Tampa, Florida

The post Death-Scort Service – USA, 2015 appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

‘John will never eat shish kebab again.’

Happy Birthday to Me is a 1981 Canadian slasher horror feature film directed by J. Lee Thompson (10 to Midnight; Cape Fear) from a screenplay written by John C. W. Saxton, Timothy Bond, Peter Jobin and [uncredited] John Beaird. Produced by John Dunning and André Link (My Bloody Valentine), the Cinépix production stars Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford, Lawrence Dane and Sharon Acker.

The film’s make-up effects were the work of Tom Burman (Cat People; The Beast Within; Prophecy; The Devil’s Rain; et al).

Plot:

At the Crawford Academy, Virginia’s group of friends start to go missing years after horrible events that happened to her as a child around her birthday…

Reviews [click links to read more]:

“Directed by journeyman Thompson in a ponderously academic style, full of crane shots and shock cuts, and boasting expansive production values, Happy Birthday to Me is a lacklustre addition to the teenage horror cycle initiated by Halloween (1978).” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

“Shameless in its conventionality and ludicrousness, and brazen enough to pull off the ‘what-the-fuck-ending’ it assaults/cheats us with, Happy Birthday To Me is a moderately entertaining ‘old-school’/vintage slasher which makes attempts at originality with its wildly implausible twists and turns, moments of gothic horror, macabre humour and gruesome kills.” James Gracey, Behind the Couch

“It’s an above-average slasher, although it overstays its welcome at 111 minutes. While I appreciate the character building – something that many slashers lack – many of the characters are nothing more than irredeemable brats waiting to be killed. With so much fat that should have been trimmed, the pacing suffers.” Broke Horror Fan

“A slasher audience wants insane (but not cheesy) violence, young hot naked females, blood, gore, a fun story and a badass killer. HBTM has none of those things. There’s very little violence, the killer is weak, zero nudity or even attractive females, only a handful of blood, zero gore and the story is long-winded and overly complicated.” Happyotter

“The performances hit the mark, with Anderson showing a darker side to the sweet daddy’s girl most know and the ‘top ten’ giving us fairly believable (if not necessarily loveable) teenagers, with taxidermy fanatic Alfred, easily the most intriguing. Whilst the running time could be trimmed slightly, the film manages to maintain its momentum…” UK Horror Scene

” …there’s nothing to be said for the acting, direction or story, which is monumentally stupid, dependant throughout on a frail girl to kill and carry the bodies away so they can’t be found, taking time out along the way to dog up a casket and haul away the contents.” James Harwood, Variety, May 13, 1981

“On the one hand, this is one handsome devil of a horror film, with well crafted photography and characters drawn beyond the airhead regulars associated with sharp-object wielding killers. The Yin to this Yang is that it thinks above its station to some degree, attempting to spread its wings beyond the boundaries of what the audience most probably expected back in the day.” Hudson Lee, Vegan Voorhees

Buy: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Cast and characters:

• Melissa Sue Anderson … Virginia “Ginny” Wainwright
• Glenn Ford … Doctor David Faraday – The Visitor; Great White Death
• Lawrence Dane … Harold “Hal” Wainwright – Rituals
• Sharon Acker … Estelle Wainwright
• Frances Hyland … Mrs. Patterson
• Tracey E. Bregman … Ann Thomerson
• Jack Blum … Alfred Morris
• Matt Craven … Steve Maxwell
• Lenore Zann … Maggie
• David Eisner … Rudi
• Michel-René Labelle … Etienne Vercures
• Richard Rebiere … Greg Hellman
• Lesleh Donaldson … Bernadette O’Hara – Abnormal Attraction; Swamp Freak; Curtains; Funeral Home; et al
• Lisa Langlois as Amelia
• Michel-René Labelle … Etienne Vercures (as Michel Rene Labelle)
• Richard Rebiere … Greg Hellman
• Lesleh Donaldson … Bernadette O’Hara
• Earl Pennington … Lieutenant Tracy
• Murray Westgate … Gatekeeper
• Jérôme Tiberghien … Prof. Heregard (as Jerome Tiberghien)
• Maurice Podbrey … Doctor Feinblum
• Vlasta Vrana … Bartender
• Walter Massey … Conventioneer Leader
• Griffith Brewer … Verger
• Allan Katz … Ann’s Date (as Alan Katz)
• Ron Lea … Amelia’s Date
• Terry Haig Terry Haig … Feinblum’s Assistant
• Karen Stephen … Ms. Calhoun
• Louis Del Grande … Surgeon
• Nicholas Kilbertus … Anesthetist (as Nick Kilbertus)

Filming locations:

Concordia University, 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montréal, Québec, Canada (Crawford Academy)
647 Rue Main, Hudson, Quebec, Canada (Virginia Wainwright’s house)
Phoenix, New York, USA (vehicle stunts)

Technical credits:

111 minutes | 1.85: 1 | Metrocolor | Mono

Production and release notes:

Principal filming was completed in September 1980.

The movie was picked up by Columbia Pictures and released in North America on 15 May 1981.

UK cinema and 1986 RCA/Columbia video releases were culled from a longer print with slightly gorier footage of the weight-lift and shish kebab death scenes, plus the original music score.

The initial 2004 DVD release from Columbia Pictures featured a new soundtrack and completely different cover art (not original poster art), which most slasher fans did not appreciate. In October 2009, Anchor Bay released a DVD with the original poster art as the cover and utilised the film’s original score.

The post Happy Birthday to Me – Canada, 1981 – overview and with more reviews appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.

The New York Ripper – original title: Lo squartatore di New York – is a 1982 Italian giallo horror feature film directed by Lucio Fulci (A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin; Zombie Flesh Eaters; City of the Living Dead; et al) from a screenplay co-written with Gianfranco Clerici, Vincenzo Mannino and Dardano Sacchetti. The score was written by Francesco De Masi. The movie stars Jack Hedley, Almanta Keller, Howard Ross, Alexandra Delli Colli and Paolo Malco.

The film was banned in many countries or only released after heavy editing. Whilst most of Lucio Fulci’s other films have been released uncut in Britain, The New York Ripper remains censored to this day, even for its 2011 DVD and Blu-ray releases, although it can be easily bought uncut via Amazon.com

In 1982, real-life British serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, nicknamed ‘The Yorkshire Ripper’ had only recently been apprehended, so any film about a serial killer with the word ‘Ripper’ in its title became even more contentious, had it not already been rejected by the British censors, the BBFC.

Plot:

New York: After the dismembered body of a local prostitute is found by an old man walking his dog it becomes clear that a maniacal killer is on a killing spree.

Dispatched to investigate is grizzled, bitter Lieutenant Fred Williams (British actor Jack Hedley) who after visiting the young woman’s landlady is given his only lead; the victim had recently been talking with a man who had a voice like a duck (presumably an in-joke reference to Fulci’s 1972 rural anti-religious giallo Don’t Torture a Duckling?).

Before the world-weary detective can investigate these bizarre claims, another young woman is viciously attacked and killed aboard the Staten Island ferry, providing the audience’s first introduction to the killer who not only sounds like a duck but a very famous duck – Donald.

Warned by the Chief of Police (Fulci himself in one of his common appearances onscreen) not to reveal details to the public for fear of causing mad panic, Williams learns that the quack-voiced foe has been trying to contact him, leading to plot-length taunting by the killing after each victim is slain.

Further hideously lurid murders take place – including a nasty green-lit fatal bottle assault on an adult entertainer – and suspicion falls on well-known drop-out called Mickey Scellenda, already convicted for drug and moral offences and with tell-tale missing fingers. Fay Majors (Almanta Keller) becomes the lynch-pin to the case, surviving an attack and confusing the issue by believing the killer is actually her boyfriend.

The Ripper’s attacks become ever-more frenzied and increase in regularity but just as the net seems to be closing in on the killer, has Williams got the wrong man/duck?

Buy uncut Blu-ray: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Review:

Having already covered many genres with often stunning results (the tour-de-force western, Four of the Apocalypse, and landmark living dead film Zombie Flesh Eaters to name but two), Fulci returned to the giallo genre for the first time since 1977’s The Psychic (aka Sette Note in Nero) but with a considerably colder heart and with outrageously graphic sexual violence, most of which is shown on-screen, though graphic stills suggest that even the director excised some scenes from the most intact prints.

Containing just about everything that then head of the BBFC, James Ferman, objected to in films, he allegedly ordered the print sent for certification in the UK to be escorted back to the airport where it could be flown to safety, away from sensitive British eyes. The Ripper remained uncertified for cinema screenings and unreleased on VHS. Ferman never let go of his hatred for this and several other controversial films, and years later in a Channel 4 documentary entitled Sex and the Censors, he declared it to be ‘irresponsible’.

Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.com

The move away from Fulci’s early ’80s gothic template (City of the the Living Dead, House By the Cemetery; The Beyond) and relocation to the urban squalor of New York permeates the resulting film with an atmosphere of despair and filth (reminiscent of The Driller Killer and Maniac) before the killer and his motivations even begin; it’s a cinematic sickie that is utterly without remorse.

Accusations of misogyny were flung at Fulci and his co-scripters way as the graphic scenes of women’s’ bodies slashed and mutilated under the veil of what can only be described as a very thin plot, rather pointlessly winds its way to a revelation that is the cinematic equivalent of a shoulder-shrug.

The New York Ripper is one of Lucio Fulci’s most frustrating films. A sometimes gifted artist behind the camera, he resorts to slasher men-as-brutes/women-as-victims sensationalism and crudeness at the expense of a hole-filled plot and unremarkable acting and electing to ruin any tension (and promote unintentional guffaws) by giving the killer the voice of a cartoon duck.

On first viewing, this trashy giallo is actually rather entertaining, more due to novelty than genius – repeated viewings show it to be increasingly baffling and desperate. Though other films of the 1970s and 1980s were similarly morally dubious and little more than an excuse to titillate an easily pleased audience, few do it with such brazen garishness.

On the plus side, we are given an excuse to listen to a score by Francesco De Masi, usually to be found as the writer for euro-crime poliziotteschi films (Napoli Spara) or Italian westerns (Arizona Colt). Although great fun and an excellent listen (click below for a sample), it’s an odd mismatch to a film that though required viewing for gorehounds, is essentially a ‘greatest hits’ of sexist splatter effects with Donald Duck quacking away in the background.

Daz Lawrence, MOVIES & MANIA

Latest release:

On June 25th 2019, Blue Underground re-issued The New York Ripper in a new world premiere 4K restoration from its original camera negative, completely uncut and uncensored, and fully loaded with exclusive new extras.

• Audio Commentary with Troy Howarth, Author of Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and His Films
• The Art Of Killing – Interview with Co-Writer Dardano Sacchetti
• Three Fingers Of Violence – Interview with Star Howard Ross
• The Second Victim – Interview with Co-Star Cinzia de Ponti
• The Broken Bottle Murder – Interview with Co-Star Zora Kerova
• “I’m an Actress!” – 2009 Interview with Co-Star Zora Kerova
• The Beauty Killer – Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci
• Paint Me Blood Red – Interview with Poster Artist Enzo Sciotti
• NYC Locations Then and Now
• Theatrical Trailer
• Poster & Still Gallery
• Bonus! The New York Ripper Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD by Francesco De Masi
• Bonus! Collectable Booklet with a new essay by Travis Crawford

The Exclusive Limited Collector’s Edition includes Blu-ray Feature & Extras, DVD Feature & Extras, Soundtrack CD, collectable booklet, reversible sleeve, and 3D lenticular slipcover (first pressing only).

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Cast and characters:

• Jack Hedley as Lt. Fred Williams
• Paolo Malco as Doctor Paul Davis
• Almanta Suska as Fay Majors [credited as Almanta Keller]
• Howard Ross as Mickey Scellenda (Mikis)
• Andrea Occhipinti as Peter Bunch [credited as Andrew Painter]
• Alexandra Delli Colli as Jane Lodge
• Cosimo Cinieri as Doctor Lodge [credited as Laurence Welles]
• Giordano Falzoni as Doctor Barry Jones, Coroner
• Daniela Doria as Kitty
• Cinzia de Ponti as Rosie – Ferry victim
• Zora Kerova as Eva – Sex show performer [credited as Zora Kerowa]
• Josh Cruze as Chico [credited as Johs Cruze]
• Antone Pagan as Morales [credited as Anthon Kagan]
• Chiara Ferrari as Susy Bunch
• Barbara Cupisti as Heather

The post The New York Ripper – Italy, 1982 – overview and reviews appeared first on MOVIES & MANIA.