I watch a surprising amount of prison movies. It's not that I have any special affinity towards prison, but the setting makes for an easy method to tell tales of violence, drama, and survival against harsh odds often imposed by other people. Prison makes for an exploitative arena, though the films that focus on it, … Continue reading Scum (1979)
Let's get a few things straight right off the bat. There is no banshee; the title is only connected by a line a character mutters early on in response to a distant wolf howling. Also, despite that it was a period horror from American International Pictures and claims so on the poster, this is not … Continue reading Cry of the Banshee (1970)
In 1969, America went to the moon. To top us, the British made a movie about aliens on the moon coming to us in 1967. I'm still thinking we got the better end of the bargain here, but I don't blame the UK for trying! Meteors fall in formation in a field in the English … Continue reading They Came from Beyond Space (1967)
Did you know that in the world of genres, subgenres, and microgenres, Lesbian Vampire is a specific designation? In fact, it covers an interesting mix of film, novels, and even stage productions that range from humor to exploitation to dramatic portrayals of LGBT+ alienation. It's got pedigree in vampire literature too, both in the 1872 … Continue reading Vampyres (1974)
As in this girl has special powers due to how she came to be, not that she's giving out presents or anything. Though admittedly, it would be kinda nice to get a present right now. I mean, who doesn't love free stuff? In the very near future, the world sucks. Athlete's Foot has basically evolved … Continue reading The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)
This movie is about beautiful space vampires that suck the life out of you. In short, yes, it is about your ex. The story of Lifeforce involves a British space mission to study Halley's Comet but discovers an enormous spacecraft hiding in its tail. The astronauts investigate and discover long dead bat creatures and three … Continue reading Lifeforce (1985)
It's always nice to see the Hammer name on something, and here it is. Plus, it's on a gothic horror film, so it's like Hammer was coming full circle and trying their hand once more at the kinds of films that made them famous. Daniel Radcliffe is a widower and lawyer who is trying to … Continue reading The Woman in Black (2012)
This is not how to treat your family. Ellie and Joyce Ballantyne are two old sisters living in rural England. Ellie seems to be on the simple minded side, possibly always childish but also possibly sliding into dementia. Joyce appears to be the primary caregiver and one who sets the rules. From time to time … Continue reading The Beast in the Cellar (1970)
Peter Cushing is almost a modern day Jack the Ripper in this cheesy psycho killer flick from a very 1960s England. Cushing plays an aging surgeon with a much younger fashion model girlfriend. They go to a swinging party, but Cushing's not a hip cat and doesn't want a sleazy photographer taking pictures of his lady naked … Continue reading Corruption (1968)
Woo, portmanteau movies! Only horror ever seems to do these. That's a shame, as they're a great way to convey a series of shorts together. Asylum is one of these films. The framing story features a new doctor going through a job interview at a mental institution where one of the previous doctors went insane. … Continue reading Asylum (1972)
Movie Reviews by a Mook 