Vault Of Horror (1973)

Five strangers on an elevator find themselves in the sub-basement of an office building. It is there that they each share their recurrent nightmares: a brother (Daniel Massey) searches for his sister (Anna Massey), a neat freak (Terry Thomas) drives his wife (Glynis Johns) to the brink, a magician (Curt Jurgens) must learn the secret of a rope trick at any cost, a man (Michael Craig) schemes with his friend (Edward Judd) to defraud the insurance company and an artist (Tom Baker) seeks revenge on those who ruined his career. A follow up to Amicus's popular TALES FROM THE CRYPT (1972), this wasn't as well received. I don't know why as it's a more than decent horror anthology film. As with all omnibus movies, the quality is uneven but none of them are terrible and there's a thread of black humor in several of the tales. My own favorites were the brother and sister story with real life brother and sister Daniel and Anna Massey and the marriage anecdote with Glynis Johns and Terry Thomas. Horror fans should find something to their taste in one of the stories. With Denholm Elliott, Dawn Addams and Marianne Stone.  

The House Where Evil Dwells (1982)

In 1840 Japan, a samurai (Tsuiyuki Sasaki) returns home to find his wife (Mako Hattori) with another man (Toshiya Maruyama) and kills them both before killing himself. Jump 142 years later and an American family moves into the house which is haunted by the ghosts of  the samurai, his wife and her lover. Based on the novel by James Hardiman and directed by Kevin Connor (THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT). One would think it would be difficult to make a story about ghosts haunting the living tedious but this one accomplishes it. There is absolutely no sense of tension or dread or fear in the entire movie. The film culminates in the silliest of finales with an exorcism that's dull (the ghosts run away like spinsters being chased by mice) and then the ghosts enter the bodies of their American counterparts: the husband (Edward Albert), the wife (Susan George) and her lover (Doug McClure) and suddenly the two male protagonists are wielding samurai swords and doing judo while the wife eggs them on. It actually sounds more fun than it is. There's a lousy underscore by Ken Thorne which doesn't give the film the horror underpinings it needs. 

Man Friday (1975)

An Englishman (Peter O'Toole) has been stranded on a desert island for years. When a group of natives arrive on the island, he kills them all except for one (Richard Roundtree), who he keeps as a slave. Based on a play by Adrian Mitchell (who also did the screenplay) which in turn was based on ROBINSON CRUSOE by Daniel Defoe and directed by Jack Gold. It's an interesting if ill conceived re-imagining of the Defoe book. The story is seen through Friday's eyes and it becomes clear as the story progresses that it is the white man, not the native who is the savage. Detail is often rushed. For example, Friday speaks no English when he arrives but before you know it, he's speaking perfect English. When Crusoe visits Friday's island, he speaks English to the natives and they understand perfectly (or are we to assume Friday has taught Crusoe his native tongue?). The film has a certain charm and O'Toole and Roundtree (who's quite good here) play off each other wonderfully. Curiously, there are several songs in the film that make it feel like a borderline musical! But they sound more "pop" than indigenous. The lush cinematography (filmed in Mexico) is by Alex Phillips Jr. 

An Ideal Husband (1969)

At a dinner party during the London social season, a distinguished and admired member (Keith Michell) of the House Of Commons with an impeccable reputation is approached by a woman (Margaret Leighton). She holds in her possession a letter from his indiscreet youth that could ruin his career and marriage. Her price in exchange for the letter is his support of a fraudulent scheme. Based on the play by Oscar Wilde and directed by Rudolph Cartier. Second only to THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST in popularity among Wilde's plays, this production is serviceable with everyone dutifully going through their paces without ever going that extra mile that would elevate it over just another BBC production of a classic play. The one exception is Margaret Leighton whose manipulative Mrs. Cheveley weaves her spider's web to ensnare victims as she attempts to climb her way into acceptable British society. She's easily the most fascinating (at least as Leighton plays her) character in the piece. With Susan Hampshire, Jeremy Brett, Dinah Sheridan and Charles Carson.

Destroyer (2018)

A burned out Los Angeles police officer (Nicole Kidman) , who's estranged from her teenage daughter (Jade Pettyjohn), must confront the demons from her past when as a young police officer, an undercover assignment she was working on went deadly and horribly wrong. Directed by Karyn Kusama (THE INVITATION), this raw and gritty police thriller (shot on the streets of L.A.) is reminiscent of those 70s police films like THE FRENCH CONNECTION and SERPICO but also with Kidman in a complex and fierce performance, KLUTE comes to mind too. I don't think I've seen an actress go this far with a role since Charlize Theron in MONSTER fifteen years ago. Kidman's performance dominates the film (she's onscreen 98%) and propels it forward and Karyn Kusama takes care of the rest! It's a film rich in textured layers yet sadly, perhaps too painful and dark for mainstream success. One of the best films I've seen this year and Kidman's performance should put her in the front of the line in the upcoming awards season. The stellar cast includes Sebastian Stan, Bradley Whitford, Tatiana Maslany, Scoot McNairy and Toby Kebbell.  

Horrors Of The Black Museum (1959)

Set in London, a series of brutal murders of young women baffles Scotland Yard. A columnist (Michael Gough) who specializes in murder and crime taunts the police on their ineffectiveness. There's a reason he's so smug about it ..... he's behind the killings! Directed by Arthur Crabtree, this starts off promisingly and for most of its running time, it's quite intriguing but eventually it descends into silliness. Fortunately, the silliness is rather fun so it's still entertaining, you just don't take it seriously anymore. As the madman behind the crimes, Gough chews the scenery like a carnivore who's been on a veggie diet for months eating his first steak! Vividly shot in CinemaScope by Desmond Dickinson (Olivier's 1948 HAMLET), it's a quick watch at 1 hour and 18 minutes. Horror fans should be pleased. With Shirley Anne Field, Geoffrey Keen, sexy June Cunningham (who steals the movie) and Graham Curnow.  

Le Beau Serge (1958)

A sophisticated man (Jean Claude Brialy) from Paris returns to the country village of his youth to recuperate from a debilitating illness. He reconnects with his childhood friend (Gerard Blain), who has turned into a bitter and brutal alcoholic. Directed by Claude Chabrol, this was his first film and often cited as (one of) the first film of the French New Wave which would soon be followed by the likes of Francois Truffaut, Jean Luc Godard and Alain Resnais among others. This is a bleak film with only a glimmer of hope at the very end. The lives of these village people are wretched and has turned them into uncaring and unfeeling brutes whose only outlets seem to be sex and alcohol. Even the town's doctor and priest are ineffectual. Chabrol's view of country life seems authentic (he grew up in the village where it was filmed) and there's an almost documentary like texture to the movie. A very impressive directorial film debut though I don't know that I'd rank it among my favorite Chabrol films. With Bernadette Lafont, Michele Meritz (as Blain's wife, the only really sympathetic character in the film), Claude Cerval, Jeanne Perez and Edmond Beauchamp.

Alligator (1980)

In a pique of anger, a surly father (Robert Doyle) flushes his young daughter's (Leslie Brown) pet baby alligator down the toilet. Jump 12 years later and the alligator which has lived in the sewer system eating animal carcasses from an unethical lab doing secret hormonal experiments has mutated into a giant creature. Written by John Sayles and directed by Lewis Teague (CUJO). This homage to B giant mutation sci-fi/horror flicks from the 50s (TARANTULA, DEADLY MANTIS etc.) is more fun than frightening. Sayles doesn't take himself seriously and his screenplay is frequently amusing. I much prefer Sayles B movie screenplays like PIRANHA, THE HOWLING and this to his more "serious" stuff. The film recycles horror/sci-fi cliches but it knows it and even winks at us. But it also takes delight in surprising us.  When a child is put in danger, you think, "Oh, they're not going to dare kill the kid" so when the kid gets gobbled up, you're taken off guard. The film's highlight is a lawn wedding which turns into a feeding frenzy for the gator. The large cast includes Robert Forster, Robin Riker, Henry Silva, Sue Lyon (her final film role), Dean Jagger, Michael V. Gazzo, Jack Carter, Perry Lang, Bart Braverman and Angel Tompkins.

Sangaree (1953)

After the Revolutionary War, a dying General (Lester Matthews) bequeaths his Georgia plantation to the man (Fernando Lamas) he raised as his own. But the General's daughter (Arlene Dahl) won't accept this without a fight, even if she has to take it to the courts. Based on the best selling novel by Frank G. Slaughter and directed by Edward Ludwig. Nobody remembers Slaughter much these days but he was a doctor turned writer whose novels were popular best sellers through out the 40s, 50s and 60s. It was shot in the 3D process so naturally we get things tossed at us from knives to barrels. As a 2D film, it's still fairly entertaining. Lamas is a bit of a dullard (pity Ricardo Montalban wasn't cast) but the film has two Technicolor assets: the flame haired Arlene Dahl and the raven haired Patricia Medina who both look spectacular. The film has pirates and the plague to spice up the proceedings. With John Sutton, Francis L. Sullivan, Tom Drake, Willard Parker and Charles Korvin.  

The Ghost Of Sierra De Cobre (1964)

At the behest of her blind husband (Tom Simcox), a woman (Diane Baker) contacts a paranormal investigator (Martin Landau) to investigate phone calls her husband is getting from his mother ... who's buried in the family crypt! Written and directed by Joseph Stefano (PSYCHO), this was originally intended as a pilot for a TV series called THE HAUNTED with Landau as a sort of "ghostbuster". The pilot didn't sell (reputedly too frightening) so additional footage was shot, the ending changed and turned into a feature length movie which has developed a cult reputation of sorts. While you can feel it's padded out, for most of its running time, it's an above average ghost story. The crisp B&W cinematography by Conrad Hall (IN COLD BLOOD) is superb and doesn't have that flat look that most films shot for TV in the 60s had. This looks like a feature. There's a neat score by Dominic Frontiere (HANG 'EM HIGH). With Judith Anderson in Mrs. Danvers mode, Nellie Burt and Leonard Stone.

House Of Frankenstein (1944)

A deranged scientist (Boris Karloff) escapes from prison along with his hunchbacked companion (J. Carrol Naish). He travels to the old Frankenstein castle where he hopes to find Dr. Frankenstein's records and thus continue his experiments. Directed by Erle C. Kenton, this is a rather silly entry in the Universal monsters franchise but diverting nonetheless. Not content with just one "monster", the film gives us three: Dracula (John Carradine), the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.) and the Frankenstein monster (Glenn Strange). If they had thrown in The Mummy, they could have padded out the film's running time to a full 90 minutes. The Dracula sequence almost feels like a prologue rather than an integral part of the narrative (just as well as Carradine is no Bela Lugosi) which focuses more on the Wolf Man and Frankenstein monster. For fanboys of the Universal monsters only. With Elena Verdugo, Lionel Atwill, George Zucco, Sig Ruman and Anne Gwynne.

Suspiria (2018)

Set in 1977 Berlin, a young American dancer (Dakota Johnson) arrives to study at a prestigious dance school run by a mysterious group of women led by Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton). After one of the dancers (Chloe Grace Moretz) disappears, strange occurrences begin to happen that suggest the school may be more than what it is. Loosely based on the 1977 Dario Argento film and directed by Luca Guadagnino (CALL ME BY YOUR NAME). Those expecting a remake of Argento's classic giallo are bound to be disappointed. Guadagnino's film actually owes very little to the Argento film. Guadagnino goes in an entirely different direction and is a re-imagination of the Argento film, not a remake. Indeed, it's closer to ROSEMARY'S BABY than the original 1977 film. I expect the film will be as polarizing as Aronofsky's MOTHER. You'll love it or hate it. I loved it. I love Argento's film too but comparisons are futile as they are different creations. This is "art house" horror done in six acts (literally) and an epilogue and already I have read reviews throwing the word pretentious at it. God forbid a horror film has more ambitions than fright. Tilda Swinton takes on three roles. In addition to the ballet school owner, she plays a male psychiatrist and a decaying witch. The film's original lead, Jessica Harper, has a small role as the psychiatrist's wife. Radiohead's Thom Yorke did the underscore. With Mia Goth, Angela Winkler, Elena Fokina and Renee Soutendijk.