Category Archives: Horror

1988 Films, Amanda Donohoe, Comedy, Horror, Horror-Camp, Horror-Comedy, Hugh Grant, Ken Russell

The Lair of the White Worm-1988

Leave a comment

The Lair of the White Worm-1988

Director Ken Russell

Starring Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant

Scott’s Review #15

60029656

Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: C+

The Lair of the White Worm (1988) is a very strange film.

Set in Scotland, it tells the tale of a giant snake skeleton found in the ground that leads to a series of strange events.

A wealthy Lady, brilliantly played by Amanda Donohue, begins a sinister plot to sacrifice the townspeople.

The film is campy and way over the top, though Donohue is delicious and seems to have fun with the role of a slithering, sexy, bisexual creature.

The gloomy ambiance is fantastic, mixed in with many psychedelic sequences that entertain.

It’s a somewhat fun, late-night B-movie, to be sure, but the plot did not seem to make much sense to me, especially in the final act.

Lair of the White Worm (1988) is a trippy experience to say the very least. I may need to see it again.

1972 Films, Gore, H.G. Lewis, Horror, Horror-Camp, Independent, Independent Horror

The Gore, Gore Girls-1972

Leave a comment

The Gore, Gore Girls-1972

Director H.G. Lewis

Starring Frank Kress, Amy Farrell

Scott’s Review #12

60000102

Reviewed May 14, 2014

Grade: B+

The Gore Gore Girls (1972) is a fun, late-night, campy horror film by the “Godfather of Gore”, H.G. Lewis.

An unknown assailant is hacking strippers to bits using very unusual methods. An investigator is hired to find out whodunit.

It’s an entertaining experience and I love the use of the whodunit mixed in with horror. I enjoyed the outcome when the killer was revealed.

Influenced by John Waters (even the music seems identical!) it’s a hearty viewing of wildness, merriment, and debauchery.

Comedian Henny Youngman appears, though he later denied being in the film.

The strippers are over the top and unique and the investigator (sort of a Sherlock Holmes type) is wonderful to watch.

Quite a low budget as the audio is tough to hear at times and the video fuzzy, but this only enhances the fun.

Continuity errors for miles, but it hardly matters.

1970 Films, British, British Horror, Horror, Horror-Camp, Independent, Independent Horror, Slasher

Girly-1970

Leave a comment

Girly-1970

Director Freddie Francis

Starring Vanessa Howard, Michael Bryant

Scott’s Review #11

70132676

Reviewed June 14, 2014

Grade: B-

Girly (1970) is an unusual British horror film about an affluent, bored family, clearly deranged, who kidnaps victims and forces them to become “members” of the family by participating in game-playing escapades for their delight.

The premise of the film is appealing and intriguing as to how it will play out. The family members (Mumsy, Nanny, Girly, and Sonny) are played with gusto by the cast but are never over the top.

My favorite is “Mumsy”, wickedly played by British actress Ursula Howells.

The film itself has a fairy tale quality to it with the sets of the house they share. The main victim (a male gigolo) is a miscast (too old, not sexy enough) and begins a cat-and-mouse game of trickery, plotting the family against one another until the inevitable bodies pile up.

The film loses steam midway through and the ending is not satisfying.

Why the victims are not able to escape the vast property is weak (a 7-foot tall flimsy fence??).

“Curious” film that becomes a tad boring towards the conclusion.

1968 Films, Horror, John Cassavetes, Mia Farrow, Ruth Gordon, Scott's Top 100 Films, Scott's Top 20 Horror Films, William Castle

Rosemary’s Baby-1968

Leave a comment

Rosemary’s Baby-1968

Director Roman Polanski

Starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon

Top 100 Films #8     Top 20 Horror Films #4

Scott’s Review #9

60002403

Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: A

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) is not only a great film, it’s a masterpiece. Easily one of my favorites in the horror genre, it’s also towards the top of the list of my all-time favorite films.

The beauty of this film is the power of suggestion and subtleties. It has none of the blood, gore, or standard horror frights one might expect.

It doesn’t need them.

The audience knows something is off by clues that are given throughout the film. The closed-off room in the young couple’s apartment, the sweet, but a bit odd elderly neighbors, a strange suicide, a mysterious, horrid smelling, good luck charm. Rosemary’s due date (June 6, 1966- “666”).

The strange, dreamlike conception scene is intense and surreal. Her husband- claiming Rosemary passed out from too much alcohol- begins to become a suspicious man following the incident, but we are confused by his involvement- what are the neighbors up to, we wonder? Are they sinister or simply innocent and meddlers?

In a sinister scene, Rosemary gnaws on bloody raw meat, catches her reflections in the glass, and is horrified by her behavior.

Mia Farrow is frightfully good as the waifish, pregnant, Rosemary, who loses, instead of gains weight.

The film also has a couple of real-life eerie occurrences: the building setting (The Dakota) is where John Lennon was shot and killed, and Director Roman Polanski’s wife, Sharon Tate, in a cameo, was murdered shortly after filming by Charles Manson.

Rosemary’s Baby is similar in theme to other devilish/demon films like The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976).

This is a film that must be seen by everyone and only shines brighter with each subsequent viewing.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Supporting Actress-Ruth Gordon (won), Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

1967 Films, Gore, H.G. Lewis, Horror, Horror-Camp

The Gruesome Twosome-1967

Leave a comment

The Gruesome Twosome-1967

Director H.G. Lewis

Starring Elizabeth Davis, Gretchen Wells

Scott’s Review #8

60001958

Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: B+

This offbeat treat is an incredibly strange, super-low-budget horror film from influential director H.G. Lewis.

This film is an enjoyable, campy, midnight-movie type of experience. The acting is completely over-the-top and played for laughs, purposely.

It felt like watching a horror version of a John Waters film and the atmosphere and acting style surely influenced Waters.

Shots were added to fill the running time to warrant a film release. KFC and Michelob products are placed and one favorite scene is a sorority-type slumber party as the girls danced while eating KFC.

The 7-minute intro of the talking foam heads is wonderfully strange and not to be missed.

While campy, there is one intensely gruesome scene towards the beginning of the film and a must-see for cult horror and/or late-night film fans.