Being Film #6 for Hooptober 2023 It’s not fair to classify Amicus as the poor man’s Hammer, but watching The House That Dripped Blood – a misleading title as there is nary a drop of blood to be found in this anthology film – but despite some game performances from Hammer regulars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing (as well as Denholm Elliot and Ingrid Pitt) … Continue reading Hooptober 10.0 – The House That Dripped Blood (1971)
Being Bonus Film #2 for Hooptober 2021
The second bonus film for Hooptober 8.0 is an early Amicus picture called The Skull. Amicus is kind of the lower rent little brother of Hammer, which isn’t to say they were bad: their speciality was really more the anthology film. The Skull feels a lot like them trying to do Hammer: it even stars Peter Cushing and features a cameo from Christopher Lee. It’s enjoyable, but I think after so many films – and so many Hammer films – this years I’m a bit burnt out. Nothing terrible, but nothing really special, either.
Continue reading “Hooptober 8.0 – The Skull (1965)”
Being Film #30 for Hooptober 2021
As we start to wind down the marathon, I decided to call another audible on my list. I had been on a kick with Hammer’s films, so why hit that particular well again? Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell was Peter Cushing’s last go-round as Victor Frankenstein, and Terence Fisher’s last film. A certain kind of fan might enjoy the paring of Darth Vader (David Prowse plays the creature this time) and Grand Moff Tarkin a few years before Star Wars, but for me this was a fun last hurrah to show that some mad scientists will just never learn.
Continue reading “Hooptober 8.0 – Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell (1974)”
Being Film #28 for Hooptober 2021
A real quick summary/review of the classic (I guess?) Indonesian horror film Queen of Black Magic goes something like this: Evil Dead and Hausu vibes mark this horror revenge flick as a young woman seeks revenge after being left for dead at the hands of her ex-lover and the village he incites to action after suffering black magic during his wedding to another woman. It looks to want to have its Feminist anti-patriarchy theme and eat its pro-Islam message too, which feels a bit convoluted but was still enjoyable to see the shoestring-budget sincerity shine through.
Continue reading “Hooptober 8.0 – Queen of Black Magic (1981)”
Being Film #27 for Hooptober 2021
Featuring Christopher Lee in a rare (if slightly excitable) heroic role, The Devil Rides Out is a great slice of near-cosmic horror. It may get more than a little heavy-handed with its pro-Christian themes trouncing the evil satanic cult (a touchstone of many of director terence Fisher’s films) but the pluses outweighs the few minuses for my money: this is a lovely shot film with some great visuals including a truly cool depiction of the Horned One himself, and an intense sequence involving our heroes in a circle of protection when the Angel of Death approaches. Things get weird in the best possible way.
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Being Film #26 for Hooptober 2021
This week I’m diving into some older fare, starting with a 1-2 punch of Hammer Horror. Though there is little in the way of horror and the mystery of Captain Clegg, or Night Creatures as it was released in the US is cleared up for audiences pretty quickly, I was surprised at how robust and fun a film it was. It’s a great starring turn for Peter Cushing, who whips out (with the help of some sharp editing) some sweet action moves as a town’s religious leader with a questionable past.
Continue reading “Hooptober 8.0 – Captain Clegg, aka Night Creatures (1962)”
Cinema Dual (TEST SITE) 