It's good to see modern retro productions that mimic the old horror films of the 30s, 40s and 50s. The monsters are very good and their scenes watchable. I did think the main character (the doctor) was mis-cast. He conveyed none of the menace or sense of evil or doom as in the classic horror films of the afore-mentioned decades. The story is decent and many scenes work but the film occasionally drags. Even the Dracula character (an obvious dupe of Lugosi) was nice to see. The women are good, especially the brunette who reminds me of Vampira. The blonde seems to be a good representation of the heroines of the 30s (think Madge Bellamy). Her wig was obvious. Lastly, the director couldn't seem to convey a sense of horror to sustain the entire film. Some scenes were very good, but maybe an experienced horror director could've done a lot more. Sometimes it seemed I was watching a local theater production of a play.
Reviews
11 Reviews
Renfield
(2023)
Nic Cage is the only reason to watch this mess.
26 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Old Dracula vs New Dracula. Old Dracula just needed blood to live. New Dracula eats bodies and rips them to pieces, drinking their blood and strengthening himself with intense supernatural power. He wants to conquer the world. Cage's performance is the only reason to watch this mess. Focusing on the human side of Renfield, he examines himself and attends a codependency group where he hopes to find himself and try to break his dependency on Dracula. There are some human interest stories involved that intertwine with what Renfield is going through. Dracula is destroyed and tries to build himself back up with help from his slave. There is a very boring segment in the first third of the film involving a local crime family and their involvement with the police who are corrupt. The second half picks up with more action and human interest. You might root for Renfield if you care for him at all. He proves himself to be a decent person who helps his fellow man with the help of his support group and the awesome power of Dracula's life-restoring blood. More Cage needed.
Death of Me
(2020)
Surprisingly good, but not excellent.
7 October 2020
If you are looking for movie in an exotic location with plenty of local color and native traditions, this is it. If you love a mystery, especially one derived of hallucinogenic dreams, alcoholic black-outs and Buddhist lore, this is it. If you like to be confused rather than being able to predict exactly what is going to happen next, this is it. If you like constantly asking your companion "what just happened" or "is that the same person as before?" this is it. There are so many "flashbacks" via digital video that are similar and make no sense. If you were killed and now are alive, what happened? And if you like it where one of the main characters mysteriously disappears, this is it. Also IMO the lead actress should have been replaced by Kelly B. Jones who was much more interesting and attractive. Better than I thought it would be. And the ending? Not so predictable.
Dream Demon
(1988)
Could have been so much better
10 September 2019
An interesting but old idea for a film is unfortunately a mixed bag. The director didn't know how to stage the scenes and the acting. The two leading ladies are certainly capable of better performances. This needs a better director with more expertise and a better written script. There are many good and spooky scenes in the film but they are interspersed with poor scenes and reactions that are clearly uncertain. Half of the movie is suspenseful but the other half lollygags due to dark humor and poor direction. As it is, the film might be improved with more crisp editing. There are too many things seen that make no sense or are old tired cliches. You are left with many questions about what you have seen at the end.
Night of the Dark Full Moon
(1972)
A convoluted mess.
25 June 2019
A casual viewing of this old cult favorite will not explain what's going on. The characters are frequently called by other names, and the unseen (until the last scene) insane killer calls himself Marianne. There are so many characters related to each other and so many people involved in the tragedy that it's hard to keep up with who-did-what and why. Jeffrey is a red herring, and we never know for sure if he is who he says he is, even though Diane checks his ID (which is a California drivers license). John Carradine is wasted as a mute who only rings a bell, grunts and writes on a pad to communicate. Mary Woronov is very likable, as is Astrid Heeren, but one I would have liked to see more of was a reluctant telephone operator played by Lisa Richards. In fact, in order to vaguely understand what I had seen, I had to reread all the information here. I am still not impressed with the result, which could have been so much better.
The Blood Beast Terror
(1968)
Improves with repeated watching.
15 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Having viewed "The Blood Beast Terror" I find that it is very enjoyable despite not being up to the standard of most Hammer films. One wishes the woman/moth creature was more fully developed. After viewing a restored HD version of the film I find it to be more interesting with repeated viewings. The acting is very good, especially the character acting of the Sargeant, the old coach driver who was terrified of the attack and the mortician proves to be a well-developed character. Vanessa Howard is very pleasing as the daughter of Peter Cushing who falls under the hypnotic spell of the entymologist. The ambience of the old hotel, the old house and river fishing sequence are refreshing and the sequence with the boy chasing butterflies grows more comical with each viewing. If you haven't seen it but once, try watching it again on a dark evening and see if you don't appreciate it more.
One of the few Dominique Dunne features.
4 May 2019
While it's nice to see Dominique Dunne starring in this made-for-tv film, I wish it could have been better. As a mystery, it reminds me of the Nancy Drew mysteries where the girl sleuth investigates and puts together clues. But it's very workman-like and could have been so much better with a better director. It has a Disney-like feel to it so the shocks are very mild. Wish she could have made more films than she did.
The Ganzfeld Haunting
(2014)
Disappointing.
21 April 2019
This could have been so much better with a better script. The characters, while somewhat likable, are irritating because they are constantly fighting against each other and throwing f-bombs throughout the whole film. Two of the characters are likely to party with drugs and alcohol, but eventually all partake. The only good parts were the flashbacks of the father (who I thought was the most interesting character and I would like to have seen more about him) and the lost sister. The effects showing them and the children were decently done but not that scary. There is a high level of tension that makes the film uneasy to watch. And when it's over you feel it wasn't worth it in the long run.
The Witches Mountain
(1973)
Boring.
26 February 2019
This is a film that really could have been so much more. It drags along and takes too long to do anything. The characters are not developed enough to really care about them. One thing that is good is the mountain scenery, winding roads and the mountain village the couple find. The witches part is interesting, but overall the acting is poor and the effects not convincing. The music is very strange which adds to the ambience, but this could have been done so much better with a better director and lead actor. Patty Shepard is nice, but she can't carry the picture. A better script of course could have helped. Unless you want to view the mountainous scenery, I suggest other films that are more scary or more convincing.
The Medusa Touch
(1978)
A thinking man's disaster story.
6 January 2019
Devilish, determined, destructive, manipulative, all these are descriptive of Richard Burton's character John Morlar who killed his parents, nanny and many others apparently by the force of his will. Although a tv movie, it builds slowly and methodically with forethought to a dreaded conclusion. Burton conveys a tortured genius who may or may not be in league with the devil to cause these seemingly natural disasters and deaths. Furthermore he seems to enjoy it more with each catastrophe. Finally he seems to be unable to control what he thinks and so the killer is driven to attempt to avert all this by striking down Morlar and putting him in the hospital. Since he was never dead but should by all rights be brain-dead, it is amazing that his brain functions continue to grow in intensive care--all because he predicted more disasters to come on the church and society.
The film was much better than I expected, for it kept my mind working along with that of the main character and the police inspector who was always a few steps behind and the doctor who was even further behind until the very end.
I recommend this for its British ambience (with a French detective inserted), some of the sense of the early 1970's and a mind who cannot cease to plan his way to the destruction of all people but himself.
House of the Witch
(2017 TV Movie)
A waste of time and money.
16 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
With a title like this, I hoped it would be another Blair Witch. It was not. The script is banal, the actors likable but characters dumb. Just another teen fright-fest that could've been so much better. Not scary at all. The CGI effects are cheap, which gives the entire film a cheap look. The house they used is not creepy at all. They certainly could have picked an older house. The first boy to disappear is never found or explained, so I was disappointed. There are a few other things at the end that weren't explained. No EMTs even though they found a couple of bodies? We've seen it all done better. Why doesn't Syfy spend a little more money on a script, a better director and go for decent acting at least.
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