Original Cinemaniac

Movie Reviews by Dennis Dermody

The Houses of Doom

            During the 1980s, the Italian film industry began to wind down. But TV reached out to three directors- Lamberto Bava (Demons) (who eventually had to bow out), Lucio Fulci (The Beyond) and Umberto Lenzi (Cannibal Ferrox) to create made-for-TV horror…
Read more

RIP Paul Morrissey

            I can’t tell you how hard it was to hear about the death of underrated director Paul Morrissey at 86. His films had such a profound effect on my life. Morrissey transformed Andy Warhol’s filmed “art” films into somewhat plotted…
Read more

High Tide

            Out in theaters now is an absolute gem of a film- director Marco Calvani’s High Tide. It stars Marco Pigossi as Lourenço, a gay Brazilian on a work permit in the country, living in Provincetown in the guest house of…
Read more

Viva La Muerte

            Out now is a remarkable, remastered Blu-ray (from Radiance)- director Fernando Arrabal’s 1971 surrealist masterpiece Viva La Murete.              Fernando Arrabal (who turned 92 this year) is a Spanish author, poet, playwright (he’s written over 100 plays), artist and filmmaker. Along…
Read more

Cruel Britannia

            I have a real fondness for British horror movies…everything from Hammer Studios to Amicus to Pete Walker’s disturbing shockers to the gory fun of films from Tigon and Norman J. Warren. But the mouth-watering new collection of “Three Killer Thrillers…
Read more