Cult cinema, physical media, and strange films
Notes from the darker side of the video shelf.
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, but the category also includes so many films that are truly un-classifiable.
Horror, Mystery, Crime
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…
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Mystery, Drama, Crime
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 ma
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Horror, Mystery, Drama, Crime
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.
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Thriller, Drama, Crime
One of the most notorious serial killers in history was the subject of this two part miniseries that aired in May 1986. A big part of the movie’s success is thanks to Mark Harmon’s alarmingly good performance as Bundy. The relaxed runtime also helps in showing just how much ground Bundy covered…
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Mystery, Drama, Crime
The mystery surrounding Jack the Ripper and his killing spree has fascinated amateur sleuths as well as bona fide detectives for well over a century. Much of said mystery stems from the fact that the killer was never caught and many theories have emerged as to his identity. The theory presented here is very well pieced together, very entertaining to watch unfold and certainly a juicy piece of conspiracy theory for those interested in the English elite in the 19th century.
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Horror, Drama, Crime
It’s the year 1922; Farmer Wilfred James works the land in Hemingford, Nebraska with his son Henry and is proud of his way of life. His wife Arlette has never taken to the farming life and she’s the owner of the land and intends to sell it for a large amount of money. Wilfred then plans to murder Arlette and convinces his son to aid him in this deed.
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Horror, Drama, Crime
“Resurrection” is a stylish thriller that practically never stood a chance, as it seems, with either critics or the general public as it was pigeonholed as a copycat of David Fincher’s “Se7en”. It played in theatres in some European countries but was relegated to Video in most other territories. That’s a shame since it really is a worthwhile flick in most respects.
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Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Dame Agatha Christie’s 1939 novel “Ten Little Indians” (which initial title was quite edgy (and it’s easy to google) and quickly changed to “And Then There Were None” when it was published in the US in 1940) is one of the Queen of Suspense’s most enduring piece of literature. It’s a remarkably grim novel whose basic plot has been imitated countless times and undoubtedly will continue to inspire more works for the unforeseeable future. In the 20th century there were four English speaking film ada
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Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Drama, Crime, Action
My favourite director is John Carpenter and I’ve spent an un-Godly amount of time devouring his work for more than 30 years. I’ve been rather hesitant at sharing my thoughts on his films on my blog as so much has been written about them and they’ve been fairly well dissected by many. But what the heck! I recently got into a Carpenter mood and viewed three of his early features and wanted to write a few things down. My personal favourite of his is “The Fog”. It’s not what I consider his best work
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Comedy, Mystery, Crime
Eccentric millionaire Lionel Twain invites five of the most renowned and respected detectives in the world to his isolated mansion for a dinner and a murder. Greeting them is blind butler Bensonmum who only receives help from a hired deaf/mute maid who has a long list of things she doesn’t do; among them cooking. Before the night is over Twain promises that a murder will occur and the five best sleuths will be completely stumped.
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