Tag: Giallo

Horrorfest 2022 Presents: Watch Me When I Kill (1977, Antonio Bido)


Hurray for more Italian giallo, which is one of my favorite horror sub-genres. Watch Me When I Kill is a semi sleazy, pretty brutal, film directed by Antonio Bido that also works as an effective murder mystery. Which is of course all giallos, and that’s why they’re fun to watch. Trying to guess who the killer is while people are being horribly slaughtered is an old giallo pass time that never gets old to me.

The bathtub kill is rather nasty, as is the face into the stew murder that ends with the lady getting her throat cut. The conclusion wraps up everything quite nicely, and the film has multiple surprises that I didn’t expect. While not as good as some of the more famous or better made giallos, this is still worth a view. I saw it thanks to Shudder, which may be my favorite streaming service.

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Horrorfest 2022 Presents: Le foto proibite di una signora per bene/ Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion (1970, Luciano Ercoli)


Luciano Ercoli’s Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion was definitely inspired by Alfred Hitchcock movies, and that’s fine. If you’re going to copy or borrow, do so from the best. I enjoyed this one quite a bit, as it is half giallo, half bleak porno where the main character, Dagmar Lassander’s Minou, is trapped in a web of blackmail and betrayal. She also fears being killed by her blackmailer, portrayed with slimy menace by Simon Andreu.

Susan Scott is also lively as Minou’s best friend, Dominique. There is a fantastically creepy rain scene involving a glass window is pure giallo, and some plot elements would easily be at home in any Hitchcock or modern day thriller. The sexual violence and uneasy aspects of what happens helped form the basis for later, more extreme giallos as well. I also am amused and pleased that Ennio Morricone also did the score for this, as he was a mighty busy fellow his entire career. What a legend.

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Horrorfest 2022 Presents: Who Saw Her Die? (1972, Aldo Lado)


The 1972 movie Who Saw Her Die? is mostly a slow burn giallo with a great creepy Ennio Morricone score that improves the movie. The film does have a good cast: George Lazenby, Anita Strindberg, and Adolfo Celi, all who elevate some dull material. I liked this movie, however I was expecting something a bit more exciting than what happened onscreen. Still Aldo Lane does his best, and this is a fairly solid effort.

If you can’t handle kids dying in a horror movie, perhaps you should skip this one. I think along with the much better Don’t Look Now it offers a window into 1970s Venice, a time and place I never got to experience. Half of this movie is a drama, the other a horror thriller that keeps you guessing, which is part of the fun of giallos. Lazenby is really good in this movie, at least a lot better than he was as James Bond. Props to the movie for making me actually have to figure out who the killer might be, too. Check it out.

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Movie Log 2022


You know the drill.

January:

  1. Return of the Street Fighter (1974, Ozawa)-82, Tubi
  2. Santa Sangre (1989, Jodorowsky)-91, Tubi
  3. The Guns of Navarone (1961, Thompson)-94, Netflix Instant Viewing
  4. The Witch Who Came From the Sea (1976, Cimber)-94, Shudder/Tubi
  5. Ichi The Killer (2001, Miike)-91, Shudder
  6. Dream No Evil (1970, Hayes)-60, Shudder
  7. Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood (1973, Speeth)-70, Shudder
  8. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979, Wise)-75, Hulu
  9. The Matrix Resurrections (2021, Wachowski)-86, Theater Viewing
  10. Dark August (1976,  Goldman)-80, Shudder
  11. Winterbeast (1991, Thies)-83, Shudder
  12. Fatal Exam (1990, Snyder)-71, Shudder
  13. The French Dispatch (2021, Anderson)-100, RedBox
  14. Beyond Dream’s Door (1989, Woelfel)-83, Shudder
  15. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009, Sommers)-54, Netflix Instant Viewing
  16. Carlito’s Way (1993, De Palma)-96, Tubi
  17. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021, Watts)-93, Theater Viewing
  18. Eternals (2021, Zhao)-60, Disney+
  19. Encanto (2021, Howard, Bush)-80, Disney+
  20. Massacre In Dinosaur Valley (1985, Tarantini)-70, Tubi
  21. Luca (2021, Casarosa)-92, Disney+
  22. Coco (2017, Molina, Unkrich)-98, Disney+
  23. Scream (2022, Bettinelli-Olpin, Gillett)-85, Theater Viewing

February:

  1. (24) Leptirica (1973, Kadijević)-85, Shudder
  2. (25) The Child (1977, Voskanian)-55, Shudder
  3. (26) Son of Frankenstein (1939, Lee)-88, Shudder
  4. (27) House of Frankenstein (1944, Kenton)-60, Shudder
  5. (28) The Black Cat (1934, Ulmer)-92, Shudder
  6. (29) The Most Dangerous Game (1932, Pichel, Schoedsack)-84, Tubi
  7. (30) And Then There Were None (1945, René Clair)-85, Tubi
  8. (31) Cherry Falls (2000, Wright)-40, Shudder
  9. (32) Licorice Pizza (2021, Anderson)-100, Theater Viewing
  10. (33) Algiers (1938, Cromwell)-80, Tubi
  11. (34) Valentine (2001, Blanks)-70, Shudder
  12. (35) Eyes Of Fire (1983, Crounse)-90, Shudder
  13. (36) Clearcut (1991, Bugajski)-91, Shudder
  14. (37) De dødes tjern (1958, Bergstrøm)-93, Shudder
  15. (38) Il Demonio (1963, Brunello Rondi)-94, Shudder
  16. (39) The King’s Man (2021, Vaughn)-45, Hulu
  17. (40) The Premonition (1976, Allen)-55, Shudder
  18. (41) Alison’s Birthday (1981, Coughlan)-83, Shudder
  19. (42) The Harder They Fall (2021, Samuel)-91, Netflix Instant Viewing
  20. (43) Sonic the Hedgehog (2020, Fowler)-88, Hulu
  21. (44) Free Guy (2021, Levy)-90, Disney+

March:

  1. (45) Black Sunday (1977, Frankenheimer)-71, Hulu
  2. (46) Darkman (1990, Raimi)-90, Shudder
  3. (47) Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1995, May)-70, Shudder
  4. (48) Contagion (2011, Soderbergh)-87, Netflix Instant Viewing
  5. (49) Darkman III: Die Darkman Die (1996, May)-35, Shudder
  6. (50) From Hell It Came (1957, Milner)-63, Tubi
  7. (51) The Eagle Has Landed (1976, Sturges)-90, Tubi
  8. (52) Stalag 17 (1953, Wilder)-100, Tubi
  9. (53) Wilcyca (1983, Piestrak)-85, Shudder
  10. (54) Spencer (2021, Larraín)-90, Hulu
  11. (55) Paddington 2 (2017, King)-95, Tubi
  12. (56) The King of Comedy (1983, Scorsese)-85, Hulu
  13. (57) In a Valley of Violence (2016, West)-83, Netflix Instant Viewing
  14. (58) Nightmare Alley (2021, del Toro)-88, Hulu
  15. (59) X (2021, West)-93, Theater Viewing
  16. (60) Death On The Nile (2022, Branagh)-77, Theater Viewing
  17. (61) Massacre Mafia Style (1974, Mitchell)-81, Tubi
  18. (62) The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974, Sargent)-100, Tubi
  19. (63) Don’t Look Up (2021, McKay)-80, Netflix Instant Viewing
  20. (64) Cutter’s Way (1981, Passer)-95, Tubi
  21. (65) The Insider (1999, Mann)-97, Hulu
  22. (66) Hudson Hawk (1991, Lehmann)-55, Netflix Instant Viewing
  23. (67) Trouble Every Day (2001, Denis)-91, Shudder
  24. (68) High Tension (2003, Aja)-87, Shudder
  25. (69) Way Down East (1920, Griffith)-90, Tubi

April:

  1. (70) Rome, Armed to the Teeth/The Tough Ones (1976, Lenzi)-85, Tubi
  2. (71) Man On Fire (1987, Chouraqui)-80, Hulu
  3. (72) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990, Barron)-71, Netflix Instant Viewing
  4. (73) The January Man (1989, O’Connor)-45, Tubi
  5. (74) À l’intérieur (2007, Paradis and Dalle)-92, Shudder
  6. (75) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991, Pressman)-40, Netflix Instant Viewing
  7. (76) Hackers (1995, Softley)-75, Tubi
  8. (77) Double Team (1997, Hark)-75, Netflix Instant Viewing
  9. (78) Geronimo: An American Legend (1993, Hill)-90, Netflix Instant Viewing
  10. (79) Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022, Kwan and Scheinert)-100, Theater Viewing
  11. (80) Roxanne (1987, Schepisi)-90, Hulu
  12. (81) The Addams Family (1991, Sonnenfeld)-88, Netflix Instant Viewing
  13. (82) The Net (1995, Winkler)-65, Netflix Instant Viewing
  14. (83) The General’s Daughter (1999, West)-85, Netflix Instant Viewing
  15. (84) Rush (2013, Howard)-81, Netflix Instant Viewing
  16. (85) The Imitation Game (2014, Tyldum)-86, Netflix Instant Viewing
  17. (86) Return of the Killer Tomatoes (1988, De Bello)-83, Tubi
  18. (87) Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. (1990, Kaufman)-75, Tubi
  19. (88) Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016, Flanagan)-92, Netflix Instant Viewing
  20. (89) Army of the Dead (2021, Snyder)-80, Netflix Instant Viewing
  21. (90) Frontier(s) (2007, Gens)-75, Shudder
  22. (91) The Northman (2022,  Eggers)-94, Theater Viewing
  23. (92) The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022, Gormican)-87, Theater Viewing
  24. (93) Martyrs (2008, Laugier)-91, Shudder
  25. (94) Antropophagus (1980, D’Amato)-35, Shudder

May:

  1. (95) Easy A (2010, Gluck)-90, Hulu
  2. (96) The Devils (1971, Russell)-90, Shudder
  3. (97) Blade: Trinity (2004, Goyer)-45, Netflix Instant Viewing
  4. (98) Blackhat (2015, Mann)-81, Netflix Instant Viewing
  5. (99) Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022, Fowler)-92, Theater Viewing
  6. (100) The Devil’s Own (1997, Pakula)-57, Netflix Instant Viewing
  7. (101) Eaten Alive (1976, Hooper)-73, Shudder
  8. (102) A Beautiful Mind (2001, Howard)-60, Hulu
  9. (103) The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976, Gessner)-90, Shudder
  10. (104) Invasion U.S.A. (1985, Zito)-83, Tubi
  11. (105) Fatal Beauty (1987, Holland)-81, Tubi
  12. (106) Brannigan (1975, Hickox)-70, Tubi
  13. (107) Cat Ballou (1965, Silverstein)-95, Plex
  14. (108) The Good Dinosaur (2015, Sohn)-86, Disney+
  15. (109) Pig (2021, Sarnoski)-93, Hulu
  16. (110) Suburban Gothic (2014, Bates Jr.)-55, Hulu
  17. (111) Logan Lucky (2017, Soderbergh)-81, Hulu
  18. (112) The House That Jack Built (2018, von Trier)-80, Hulu
  19. (113) Splash (1984, Howard)-75, Disney+
  20. (114) The English Patient (1996, Minghella)-95, Pluto TV
  21. (115) Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017, Shizuno and Seshita)-70, Netflix Instant Viewing

June:

  1. (116) Slaughterhouse (1987, Roessler)-67, Shudder
  2. (117) Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008, Stoller)-90, Hulu
  3. (118) Top Gun: Maverick (2022, Kosinski)-90, Theater Viewing
  4. (119) Married To The Mob (1988, Demme)-85, RedBox
  5. (120) Iron Monkey (1977, Kuan-tai)-90, Tubi
  6. (121) 7 Grandmasters (1978, Kuo)-93, Tubi
  7. (122) The Freakmaker aka The Mutations (1974, Cardiff)-30, Shudder
  8. (123) Coffy (1973, Hill)-84, Tubi
  9. (124) Foxy Brown (1974, Hill)-85, Tubi
  10. (125) The Gunfighter (1950, King)-100, Tubi
  11. (126) The Unforgiven (1960, Huston)-85, Tubi
  12. (127) Texas Across The River (1966, Gordon)-53, Grit TV
  13. (128) Dick (1999, Fleming)-75, Hulu
  14. (129) Alligator II: The Mutation (1990, Hess)-35, Shudder
  15. (130) The Tall T (1957, Boetticher)-90, Tubi
  16. (131) The Beastmaster (1982, Coscarelli)-80, Public Library DVD
  17. (132) Singin’ in the Rain (1952, Kelly, Donen)-100, Public Library DVD
  18. (133) Hellbender (2021, Adams, Poser, Adams)-87, Shudder
  19. (134) Thirst (2019, Steinþórsson, Úlfarsson)-80, Shudder
  20. (135) Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018, Shizuno and Seshita)-71, Netflix Instant Viewing

July:

  1. (136) Creature with the Atom Brain (1955, Cahn)-71, Arrow Films Video Blu-ray
  2. (137) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022, Raimi)-73, Disney+
  3. (138) The Werewolf (1956, Sears)-85, Arrow Films Video Blu-ray
  4. (139) Zombies of Mora Tau (1957, Cahn)-58, Arrow Films Video Blu-ray
  5. (140) The Giant Claw (1957, Sears)-75, Arrow Films Video Blu-ray
  6. (141) Massacre Time (1966, Fulci)-85, Arrow Films Video Blu-ray
  7. (142) My Name Is Pecos (1966, Lucidi)-80, Arrow Films Video Blu-ray
  8. (143) Swing Time (1936, Stevens)-90, Criterion Blu-ray
  9. (144) The Gray Man (2022, Russo Brothers)-82, Movie Theater Viewing
  10. (145) Shaft’s Big Score! (1972, Parks)-75, Criterion Blu-ray
  11. (146) Bandidos (1967, Dallamano)-90, Arrow Films Video Blu-ray
  12. (147) Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary (1975, Moctezuma)-75, Shudder
  13. (148) Who Saw Her Die? (1972, Lado)-80, Shudder
  14. (149) Jason and the Argonauts (1963, Chaffey)-91, Tubi
  15. (150) Le foto proibite di una signora per bene aka Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion (1970, Ercoli)-85, Shudder
  16. (151) Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972, de Ossorio)-87, Shudder
  17. (152) Thor: Love and Thunder (2022, Waititi)-90, Theater Viewing
  18. (153) Eat, Brains, Love (2019, Flender)-75, Shudder
  19. (154) The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973, Hessler)-87, Tubi
  20. (155) Mosquito (1994, Jones)-56, Shudder
  21. (156) Without Warning (1980, Clark)-75, Shudder
  22. (157) Invaders From Mars (1986, Hooper)-80, Shudder
  23. (158) I Come In Peace/Dark Angel (1990, Baxley)-77, Shudder
  24. (159) Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge (1989, Friedman)-83, Shudder

August:

  1. (160) And God Said To Cain (1970, Margheriti)-75, Arrow Films Video
  2. (161) Walker (1987, Cox)-95, Criterion Blu-ray
  3. (162) Nope (2022, Peele)-98, Theater Viewing
  4. (163) Stepfather II (1989, Burr)-40, Crackle
  5. (164) Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957, Corman)-65, Crackle
  6. (165) AVP: Alien vs Predator (2004, Anderson)-70, Hulu
  7. (166) Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959, Kowalski)-45, Crackle
  8. (167) Misery (1990, Reiner)-94, Shudder
  9. (168) Needful Things (1993, Heston)-83, Shudder
  10. (169) Bullet Train (2022, Leitch)-87, Theater Viewing
  11. (170) Head of the Family (1996, Band)-60, Shudder
  12. (171) Uncle Sam (1997, Lustig)-75, Shudder
  13. (172) The Wolfman (2010, Johnston)-81, Tubi
  14. (173) The Toolbox Murders (1978, Donnelly)-75, Shudder
  15. (174) Son of Dracula (1943, Siodmak)-73, Tubi
  16. (175) Color Me Blood Red (1965, Lewis)-65, Tubi
  17. (176) The Predator (2018, Black)-75, Public Library Blu-ray
  18. (177) Blood Suckers from Outer Space (1984, Coburn)-69, Tubi
  19. (178) The Cannibal Man (1972, de la Iglesia)-84, Shudder
  20. (179) Mississippi Masala (1991, Nair)-90, Criterion Blu-ray

September:

  1. (180) Nadie oyó gritar aka No One Heard the Scream (1973, de la Iglesia)-85, Shudder
  2. (181) Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022, Miller)-90, Theater Viewing
  3. (182) Watch Me When I Kill (1977, Bido)-86, Shudder
  4. (183) Meatcleaver Massacre (1977, Lee)-35, Shudder
  5. (184) Mansion of the Doomed (1976, Pataki)-77, Shudder
  6. (185) The Wizard of Gore (1970, Lewis)-78, Tubi
  7. (186) The Oracle (1985, Findlay)-50, Shudder
  8. (187) The Fall of the House of Usher (1928, Jean Epstein)-90, YouTube
  9. (188) Storm of the Century (1999, Baxley)-90, Hulu
  10. (189) Barbarian (2022, Cregger)-93, Theater Viewing
  11. (190) Day Shift (2022, Perry)-75, Netflix Instant Viewing
  12. (191) Blood Hook (1986, Mallon)-35, Tubi
  13. (192) Pearl (2022, West)-90, Theater Viewing
  14. (193) Blades (1989, Rondinella)-75, Peacock
  15. (194) Blood Beach (1981, Bloom)-23, YouTube
  16. (195) Cemetery of Terror (1985, Galindo Jr.)-82, Shudder
  17. (196) Abby (1974, Girdler)-85, YouTube
  18. (197) The Batman (2022, Reeves)-94, RedBox
  19. (198) Fright Night Part 2 (1988, Wallace)-81, YouTube
  20. (199) Grave Robbers (1989, Galindo Jr.)-75, Shudder

October:

  1. (200) Sole Survivor (1983, Eberhardt)-91, Shudder
  2. (201) Lady in White (1988, LaLoggia)-86, Shudder
  3. (202) Lust for a Vampire (1971, Sangster)-65, Tubi
  4. (203) The Vampire Bat (1933, Strayer)-72, Tubi
  5. (204) Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986, Gibson)-69, Tubi
  6. (205) Poltergeist III (1988, Sherman)-65, Tubi
  7. (206) Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965, Francis)-70, Tubi
  8. (207) Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990, Burr)-55, Tubi
  9. (208) I Like Bats (1986, Warchol)-75, Shudder
  10. (209) The Ritual (2017, Bruckner)-80, Netflix Instant Viewing
  11. (210) The Munsters (2022, Zombie)-70, Netflix Instant Viewing
  12. (211) Werewolf by Night (2022, Giacchino)-91, Disney+
  13. (212) The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here! (1972, Milligan)-65, Shudder
  14. (213) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003, Nispel)-80, Tubi
  15. (214) Prey (2022, Trachtenberg)-90, Hulu
  16. (215) Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022, Garcia)-50, Netflix Instant Viewing
  17. (216) The Other Side of the Underneath (1972, Arden)-85, Shudder
  18. (217) Footprints on the Moon (1975, Bazzoni, Fanelli)-85, Shudder
  19. (218) Shaun of the Dead (2004, Wright)-95, Movie Theater Viewing, counted cause first time
  20. (219) Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983, Spielberg, Landis, Dante, Miller)-75, Tubi
  21. (220) A Blade in the Dark (1983, Bava)-66, Shudder
  22. (221) Oculus (2013, Flanagan)-90, Hulu
  23. (222) Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla (1994, Yamashitaa)-70, Hulu
  24. (223) Fangs aka Snakes (1974, Names)-70, Shudder
  25. (224) Watcher (2022, Okuno)-86, Shudder
  26. (225) Road Games (1981, Franklin)-88, Tubi
  27. (226) The House of Seven Corpses (1974, Harrison)-60, Tubi
  28. (227) Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2001, Irvin)-70, Shudder
  29. (228) Manhattan Baby (1982, Fulci)-74, Shudder
  30. (229) Aenigma (1987, Fulci)-73, Shudder
  31. (230) The Raven (1963, Corman)-91, Tubi
  32. (231) The Flesh Eaters (1964, Curtis)-77, Tubi
  33. (232) Deathdream (1974, Clark)-84, Tubi
  34. (233) Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922, Christensen)-95, Criterion Blu-ray
  35. (234) Onibaba (1964, Shindô)-91, Criterion Blu-ray
  36. (235) The Cremator (1969, Herz)-99, Criterion Blu-ray

November:

  1. (236) Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II (1993, Okawara)-75, Hulu
  2. (237) Halloween Ends (2022, Gordon)-88, Theater Viewing
  3. (238) Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022, Appel)-93, Roku Channel
  4. (239) Morbius (2022, Espinosa)-50, Netflix Instant Viewing
  5. (240) Godzilla vs. Destroroyah (1995, Okawara)-73, Hulu
  6. (241) American Ultra (2015, Nourizadeh)-85, Netflix Instant Viewing
  7. (242) The Devil’s Backbone (2001, del Toro)-95, Criterion Blu-ray
  8. (243) Godzilla vs Megagurius (2000, Tezuka)-78, Hulu
  9. (244) The Pink Panther (1963, Edwards)-70, Tubi
  10. (245) A Shot In The Dark (1964, Edwards)-95, Tubi
  11. (246) The Return of the Pink Panther (1975, Edwards)-85, Tubi
  12. (247) Chain Reaction (1996, Davis)-66, Tubi
  13. (248) Siege aka Self-Defense (1983, Donovan, O’ Connell)-88, Shudder
  14. (249) Addams Family Values (1993, Sonnefeld)-90, Netflix Instant Viewing
  15. (250) Vigilante (1983, Lustig)-82, Shudder
  16. (251) The Vast of Night (2020, Patterson)-93, Amazon Prime
  17. (252) The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021, Rianda, Rowe)-96, Netflix Instant Viewing
  18. (253) Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001, Kaneko)-71, Hulu
  19. (254) The Lost City (2022, Nee Brothers)-70, Amazon Prime
  20. (255) The Menu (2022, Mylod)-86, Theater Viewing
  21. (256) Fire and Ice (1983, Bakshi)-77, Tubi

December:

  1. (257) V/H/S/99 (2022, Flying Lotus)-72, Shudder
  2. (258) Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978, Edwards)-78, Tubi
  3. (259) Deliverance (1972, Boorman)-95, Netflix Instant Viewing
  4. (260) Fireworks (1997, Kitano)-96, Tubi
  5. (261) Boiling Point (1990, Kitano)-85, Tubi
  6. (262) Underwater (2020, Eubank)-76, Hulu
  7. (263) Autopsy (1975, Crispino)-73, Shudder
  8. (264) The Night House (2021, Bruckner)-88, Hulu
  9. (265) Violent Night (2022, Wirkola)-92, Theater Viewing
  10. (266) Murder Mansion (1972, Lazaga, Polop)-20, Shudder
  11. (267) Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022, Begos)-84, Shudder
  12. (268) Elves (1989, Mandel)-68, YouTube
  13. (269) Straight to Hell (1987, Cox)-82, Tubi
  14. (270) Dark Water (2005, Salles)-55, Hulu
  15. (271) The Black Phone (2022, Derrickson)-88, Peacock
  16. (272) The Quatermass Xperiment (1955, Guest)-75, YouTube
  17. (273) The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022, Gunn)-70, Disney+
  18. (274) Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022, Johnson)-96, Netflix Instant Viewing
  19. (275) Strange World (2022, Hall)-75, Disney+
  20. (276) Desperately Seeking Susan (1985, Seidelman)-90, Tubi
  21. (277) Anna and the Apocalypse (2017, McPhail)-85, Shudder
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Horrorfest 2021 Presents: Malignant (2021, James Wan)


After doing big time Hollywood franchise movies, James Wan returned to give us another freaky horror movie. In this case I’m not sure if Malignant is a great bad movie, a good movie, or a complete mess. However I dug this movie a lot, and it managed to creep me out and even scare me at times, which is more than I can say for a lot of horror movies.

Madison (Annabelle Wallis) begins to have nightmarish visions of murders in Seattle. Her sister, Sydney (Maddie Hasson) decides to investigate, and what she uncovers is both shocking and disturbing. James Wan creates a horror movie that is equal parts giallo, supernatural thriller, and body horror movie in one crazy, glorious package.

This movie should be viewed for the cop station scene alone, and also because it’s a giant homage to the films that clearly inspired James Wan. Plus George Young is actually really good as the one cop who mostly believes Madison, and the final act is utterly insane. Some may not enjoy this movie, yet I feel many such as myself will champion it years from now.

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Horrorfest 2020 Presents: The College Girl Murders (1967, Alfred Vohrer)


Sure The College Girl Murders is really goofy and seems to combine a giallo with a spy mystery movie, yet I still enjoyed it regardless. Someone is using acid spewing guns to kill women on a college campus, and a red hooded figure lurks in the background. Are the two connected? Watch and find out. The main villain’s scheme is actually clever, using a man in prison to carry out his assassinations.

Naturally two detectives are on the case, and they dig up a bunch of suspects. This being a slasher film of sorts plenty of people die, and the film has a rather high body count for being a 1960s movie. Some argue this is one of the earlier influences on later slasher films, and they may have a point. I overlooked some bad acting and simply went along for the ride, which includes some good set pieces and a cool ending.

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Horrorfest 2020 Presents: The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (1971, Sergio Martino)


Edwige Fenech certainly was a talented horror actress, appearing in many giallos. She is quite good in the entertaining film The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, a movie where a woman is being stalked by a crazed killer. There is a limited number of suspects naturally since this is a giallo, and yet I did not figure out the mystery early which is nice. Some parts of this movie work better as an erotic drama or thriller than a horror movie.

However there are plenty of great horror moments scattered through the movie. The garden scene is a prime example of classic freaky giallo murder terror, proving to be most shocking. I also liked how the film lures the viewer into a false sense of security just before leaping up to grab their attention. Even though this flick isn’t quite as good as some of other giallos, I did really enjoy it. I hope to view even more of both Fenech and Sergio Martino’s movies at some point.

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Horrorfest 2019 Presents: All The Colors of the Dark (1972, Sergio Martino)


Edwige Fenech has that wide eyed, haunted look down pat, and she channels her character’s nightmarish journey in Sergio Martino’s cult film All The Colors of the Dark. One thing I liked about this movie is how you are not sure if anything is real, if Fenech’s Jane is going mad or if she is falling prey to evil. Martino clearly has an eye for visuals and he also is able to craft a film that has a high level of strange, the eerie just dwelling beneath the surface of what appears to be reality. There is a reason I enjoy giallos so much: they feature stylized violence but also make the viewer pay attention by offering up scenes that are engaging even if they do not add to the film’s overall plot. Well that and they have scenes that sometimes do not make any sense.

Despite being a tad dull at times I really enjoyed this movie, and I think another viewing is in order to discuss it’s twists and turns. Midway through the movie goes down a strange and rewarding path, and the ending was nicely done if a bit expected. I got some Rosemary’s Baby vibes, however I was also reminded of the belief that if it happens in a dream, it can happen in real life. While I don’t believe that, I often wonder if perhaps I am mistaken. Is it a nightmare if you are wide awake and it is happening before your very eyes? Are we doomed to create new mistakes that echo those of the past? And why in horror movies is it often always fall weather? Watch this movie and find out. Maybe.

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Horrorfest 2019 Presents: The Wax Mask (1997, Sergio Stivaletti)


The Wax Mask is a gory, violent update of two older movies: The Mystery of the Wax Museum and House of Wax. I have seen and liked the Vincent Price one, and I prefer it over The Wax Mask, largely because Vincent Price is better than anyone in Sergio Stivaletti’s movie. Which is too bad considering that Dario Argento was involved in producing the movie, and Lucio Fulci was supposed to direct. I wonder if that would have resulted in a better movie had Fulci not died. Oh well.

At least the special effects in this movie are neat, and the cast isn’t half bad. None of the actors stood out however. I did think some parts were really creepy, however the movie fails to sustain them. Plus the trailer gives away too much of the film, which seems to be the problem with most trailers. I think my rating for this movie is too high-it was a 7/10, but it should have been a 6 or something.

Horrorfest 2019: Never Sleep Again


Music Movies Horror Gif Shared By Gamand On Gifer
They are not paying me for promotional purposes. Yet….

Well it is time for another Horrorfest, especially since last year’s worked great and resulted in me reviving my love for horror movies. Every time I think I’ll stop doing these something causes me to continue, and in this case the magic of streaming services makes it possible I will be doing this until I finally die…or return as the undead. I thought about doing a list but that never works, so all films listed here are ones I have actually viewed, with reviews to bore-I mean, follow. Enjoy! PS: This was my 500th blog post. Very fitting, indeed.

This concludes Horrorfest 2019. I will unsticky this post when it is time for Horrorfest 2020. Thanks for reading.
Pre-October:

1. The Babysitter (2017, Demonic Cult)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/08/03/horrorfest-2019-presents-the-babysitter-2017-mcg/
2. Ready Or Not (2019, Crazy Rich People)-https://wp.me/pRBID-2mq
3. It: Chapter 2 (2019, Pennywise)-Work in progress I guess
4. Summer of 84 (2018, Slasher)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/10/20/horrorfest-2019-presents-summer-of-84-2018-francois-simard-anouk-whissell-and-yoann-karl-whissell/
5. The Ranger (2018, Slasher)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/10/20/horrorfest-2019-presents-the-ranger-2018-jennifer-wexler/
October:

6. Viy (1967, Demons)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/10/22/horrorfest-2019-presents-viy-1967-konstantin-yershov-georgi-kropachyov/
7. Under the Shadow (2016, Evil Spirits)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/10/24/horrorfest-2019-presents-under-the-shadow-2016-babak-anvari/
8. Twins of Evil (1972, Vampires)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/11/25/horrorfest-2019-its-hammer-time-presents-twins-of-evil-1972-john-hough/
9. Vampire Circus (1972, DUH)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/11/27/horrorfest-2019-its-hammer-time-presents-vampire-circus-1972-robert-young/
10. Final Exam (1981, Slasher)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/12/05/horrorfest-2019-presents-final-exam-1981-jimmy-huston/
11. The Love Witch (2016, SEX MAGIK)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/12/06/the-love-witch-2016-anna-biller/
12. City of the Dead (1959, New England Witches)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/12/06/city-of-the-dead-1960-john-llewellyn-moxey/
13. The Corpse Grinders (1971, KILLER CATS)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/12/16/horrorfest-2019-presents-the-corpse-grinders-1971-ted-v-mikels/
14. Cannibal Girls (1973, MEAT)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/12/16/horrorfest-2019-presents-cannibal-girls-1973-ivan-reitman/
15. Hell Night (1981, Slasher)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/12/17/horrorfest-2019-presents-hell-night-1981-tom-desimone/

16. The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1985, Slasher)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/12/24/horrorfest-2019-presents-the-hills-have-eyes-2-1985-wes-craven/
17. Hands of the Ripper (1971, Jack’s Kid)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/12/24/horrorfest-2019-its-hammer-time-presents-the-hands-of-the-ripper-1971-peter-sasdy/
18. The Mutilator (1985, Slasher)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2019/12/27/horrorfest-2019-presents-the-mutilator-1985-buddy-cooper/
19. Thirst (1979, Vampire Cult)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/01/14/2019-horrorfest-presents-thirst-1979-rod-hardy/
20. Stagefright (1987, Slasher)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/01/14/horrorfest-2019-presents-stage-fright-1987-michele-soavi/
21. The Wax Mask (1997, Giallo)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/01/21/horrorfest-2019-presents-the-wax-mask-1997-sergio-stivaletti/
22. De Lift (1983, Killer Elevator)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/01/23/horrorfest-2019-presents-de-lift-1983-dick-maas/
23. I Drink Your Blood (1971, Rabies)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/02/21/horrrorfest-2019-presents-i-drink-your-blood-1970-david-e-durston/
24. All The Colors of the Dark (1972, Madness)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/03/12/horrorfest-2019-presents-all-the-colors-of-the-dark-1972-sergio-martino/
25. One Cut of the Dead (2017, Zombies)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/05/01/horrorfest-2019-presents-one-cut-of-the-dead-2017-shinichirou-ueda/

26. Demons 2 (1986, UGLY BUGGERS)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/05/01/horrorfest-2019-presents-demons-2-1986-lamberto-bava/
27. Der Nachtmahr (2015, Creature Feature)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/05/01/der-nachtmahr-2015-achim-bornhak/
28. You Might Be The Killer (2018, Meta)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/05/01/horrorfest-2019-presents-you-might-be-the-killer-2018-brett-simmons/
29. Day of the Animals (1977, NATURE IS PISSED)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/05/01/horrorfest-2019-presents-day-of-the-animals-1977-william-girdler/
30. The Awakening (2011, British Ghosts)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/horrorfest-2019-presents-the-awakening-2011-nick-murphy/
31. Bloody Pit of Horror (1965, Torture and lots of it)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/horrorfest-2019-presents-bloody-pit-of-horror-1965-massimo-pupillo/
32. Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl (2016, Lesbians)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/05/07/horrorfest-2019-presents-sweet-sweet-lonely-girl-2016-a-d-calvo/
33. Mayhem (2017, VIOLENCE)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/05/07/horrorfest-2019-presents-mayhem-2017-joe-lynch/
34. Zombieland: Double Tap (2019, GO BIG OR GO HOME)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/05/11/horrorfest-2019-presents-zombieland-double-tap-2019-ruben-fleischer/
35. Jack Frost (1997, Killer Snowman)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/05/14/horrorfest-2019-presents-jack-frost-1997-michael-cooney/
36. Dark Water (2002, CREEEEEPY)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/05/14/horrorfest-2019-presents-dark-water-2002-hideo-nakata/
Halloween:

37. Happy Birthday to Me (1981, Slasher)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/06/03/horrorfest-2019-presents-happy-birthday-to-me/

Coda:

38. The Lighthouse (2019, WUT)-https://madman731.wordpress.com/2020/06/08/horrorfest-2019-presents-the-lighthouse-2019-robert-eggers/

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