Blogging about my passion
I mostly enjoy writing about films that fit into the category „Cult“ in one way or another. It‘s, frankly, where my comfort zone lies. It would be easy to just focus on horror films (by far the most films labeled „Cult“ are horror films) but the category also includes so many films that are really un-classifiable. Many of these movies are so truly enjoyable and you don‘t even know exactly why. These are often films that are considered very poor, very cheap, very amateurish and some are just plain old studio films that got panned or performed very poorly when released. This is the stuff I like to write about and I hope you like reading about.
I’m a fan of Rob Zombie. He makes hard hitting films that are tough but enjoyable to watch, has a definite and very appealing visual style and is truly spectacular at creating violent set-pieces that pack a punch. He has a knack for creating interesting and memorable characters. And he contributes some great music too.
From way back I remember seeing the phrase; “A portmanteau film”. It was associated with a film made by Amicus Productions that I had on DVD. It was a double feature release that had “Tales From the Crypt” (1972) and “Vault of Horror” (1973). For years that word, portmanteau, stuck with me without me knowing at all what it meant. Turns out it’s just a fancy alternative for Anthology film.
Amicus made seven portmanteau films in all and were active in the filmmaking business in the years 1962 to 1977. At it’s best the studio even rivalled the legendary Hammer Film Productions. I’m quite a fan of anthology films and decided to raid my collection and see what I had. Turns out I must have leant out my DVD of “Tales from the Crypt”/”Vault of Horror” because it was completely MIA but I do possess four quite good Blu-ray releases of Amicus films.
A massive storm hits a small Maine town and causes a lot of damage. The next day a lot of residents head to the local supermarket to stock up on supplies. Among them are David, his son Billy and neighbour Brent who has a fairly rocky relationship with David. As the folks go about their business a thick mist approaches fast and suddenly a deathly frightened man comes running into the store shouting that there’s something in the mist.
Nine members of an extremely rich and spiteful family spend an annual vacation on a small, and very rocky, Mediterranean island. Family patriarch Uberto brings his three children and their spouses. The ninth member is Uberto’s sister. There they indulge in adultery, binge drinking, bickering and general belittling towards each other.
Among them is someone with devilish designs…
A cannibalistic clan slaughtered members of Bobby’s family seven years before in the desert en route to California and he was fortunate enough to get out along with his sister, brother-in-law and his small baby and Ruby, a member of the clan who turned against her kin to help the city folk. Now Bobby is the owner of a motorcross team that’s scheduled to compete in or around the desert area where he lived through his horror.
I remember when “I, Madman” was issued on Blu-ray in 2015 I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. It’s stylishly set up as the film’s villain is introduced in the fictional world of author Malcolm Brand’s pulpy horror novel that’s gotten hold of Virginia’s imagination. As the film progresses the villain, in a variety of icky incarnations, appears in both the real world Virigina inhabits and in the fictional world she’s smitten with.
There’s a word you can look up on Wikipedia; Hitchcockian. Meaning; “Hitchcockian films are those made by various filmmakers, with the styles and themes similar to those of Alfred Hitchcock”. The master of suspense’s influence cannot be underestimated, and I doubt many filmmakers had as great an effect on the film industry (this is of course debatable). His filmography is huge and filled with classics in the suspense genre. Not a calendar year goes by without me visiting at least a few of the master’s films. Then there are also a few Hitchcockian thrillers that I’m quite fond of and I’d like to cast a light on two fairly forgotten titles. They’re both early 90’s flicks, definitely Hitchcock inspired and set in San Francisco.
Inside an isolated airport, a group of people learn that their charter flight has been grounded. Things don’t get any better when two guards escort convicted murderer Jack to the premises after their car skidded off the road. But soon things get even worse as the group discovers that some may not be who, or what, they appear to be. An alien invasion is taking place and it begins at this terminal.
At Dewitt University a scavenger hunt is about to begin. The game, which takes place at night, takes the contestants all over the campus looking for clues. The terror begins as one by one the female players are slashed by a maniac…dressed as the basketball team’s mascot bear!
I do have a very soft spot for “The Watcher” and view it regularly. Formula movies resemble comfort food in a lot of ways and can be just the thing to close off an average day and gets more than a passing grade as a decent time killer on a slow night.
