Any month that offers Blu-rays of such indescribable strangeness as Leave Her To Heaven and The Passion Of Darkly Noon is a reason to rejoice. There is also James Whale’s wonderful version of Show Boat, offbeat Universal Horror films from the 1930s-1940s, not to mention Judy Geeson mating with an alien and Donald Pleasence turning college students into carnivorous plants. Life is sweet!
Leave Her To Heaven (Criterion) “There’s nothing wrong with Ellen. It’s just that she loves too much.” Jesus, is that an understatement in director John M. Stahl’s memorably twisted 1945 color melodrama starring the gorgeous Gene Tierney as Ellen, who is first seen by writer Richard (Cornel Wilde) riding a horse and furiously flinging her beloved father’s ashes on a mountain top. Ellen is beautiful but psychotically obsessive with her love for Richard, scheming and plotting to push away those he holds close so she can totally be alone with him. In one of the most blood-chilling scenes she rows out on a lake with Wilde’s crippled brother (Darryl Hickman) and calmly watches him as he drowns. Tierney’s astonishing performance deservedly garnered her an Oscar nomination. Stahl’s visual sense of space in the movie is just extraordinary. What a warped wonder!
The Passion Of Darkly Noon (Arrow) Before he was George Of The Jungle, Brendan Fraser starred as a maniacal religious fanatic named Darkly Noon who’s found practically unconscious in the middle of the road and nursed back to health by Callie (Ashley Judd). She lives deep in the forest with her mute boyfriend Clay (Viggo Mortensen), a coffin-building carpenter. Callie dresses in skimpy sun dresses while Darkly masturbates spying on her from his new home up in the barn. He fantasizes that his dead parents still talk to him, and he binds his body with barbed wire, paints himself red and, with a sword to “purify the forest,” heads toward the house. Weird circus folk and an elephant show up the next morning in this amazing crackpot classic by the visionary Philip Ridley (The Reflecting Skin).
Reefer Madness/Sex Madness (Kino) Two inadvertently hilarious 1930s exploitation films which supposedly existed to warn about the dangers of drugs and sex, but were really an excuse to revel in racy material. Reefer Madness has fabulous scenes with guys smoking pot and cackling like maniacs, and Sex Madness shows the dangers of venereal disease by including a doctor showing graphic footage of blisters and sores on genitals. These used to run as midnight movies in the 70s where the audiences would get baked and howl with laughter at the screen. Now you can hold a festival at home and amuse your friends with these loony wonders.
The Nightingale (Shout! Factory) Brutal but brilliant Australian revenge tale by director Jennifer Kent (The Babadook). Set in 1825 on the island of Tasmania, it’s about Claire (Aisling Franciosi), an Irish convict who has finished a seven-year sentence for theft but is still held in servitude to a sadistic officer- Lt. Hawkins (Sam Clafin). She was allowed to marry and have a child, but is trotted out to sing before the drunken troops. After a horrific night of unprovoked violence, Claire sets out after the Lieutenant with an Indigenous guide (Baykali Ganambarr), hellbent on revenge. The violence in The Babadook was internal and this is so external. As their journey progresses the two combative travelers pass by scenes of unimaginable horror- massacres of settlers, aboriginal bodies hanging from the trees- all part of the harrowing “Black War’ at the time. The imagery is haunting and the two leads are sensational. Think Walkabout but with extreme violence.
The Freakmaker (DiabolikDVD) A wonderfully warped mad scientist movie starring Donald Pleasence as a college professor doing secret experiments on students kidnapped by a deformed giant (Tom Baker), turning them into man/plant hybrids. Directed by Jack Cardiff, one of the truly great cinematographers (The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus), who had an interesting career as a director too (Sons And Lovers). Michael Dunn co-stars as a member of a “Freak Circus” nearby- with bearded ladies, alligator women, and a man who can pop out his eyes. There’s lots of time-lapse photography of plants growing, and some great mutant creations running around to make this sordid fun. If you have an old DVD of this (where everyone has an orange glow) you can use them now as coasters. This Blu-ray looks great, and has plenty of extras with Jack Cardiff and others warmly reminiscing on the making of the film.
Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 1 (Warner Archive) The incredible animator Tex Avery began working at Warner Brothers and then moved over to MGM where he formed his own animation unit and turned out some of the most bizarre, clever, witty batch of cartoons. This fabulous collection includes two of his masterworks- Red Hot Riding Hood (1943) with a jazzed-up version of the fairy tale set in a nightclub called “Grandma’s Place” and with a flashy woman chaser wolf and sultry singer named Red. Symphony In Slang (1951) where a hipster’s dialogue is hilariously translated literally on screen. It also includes one of my favorite of Avery’s character’s- Droopy Dog, a deadpan, slow-talking, slow-moving canine who always gets the better of his opponents. A blast!
Bug (Shout! Factory) Gimmick-master William Castle (The Tingler) wrote the screenplay and produced this sci-fi film about an earthquake which causes these prehistoric cockroaches to spit out of the earth and confound and frighten a scientist (Bradford Dillman) when he discovers these indestructible critters can light fires with their bodies and set people ablaze. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc, this also co-stars Patty McCormack (The Bad Seed). The Blu-ray has audio commentary by film historian Troy Howarth.
Hell Riders (Vinegar Syndrome) Gilligan Island’s Tina Louise plays a blackjack dealer from Las Vegas driving through the desert who gets attacked by a bunch of bikers- the Hell Riders. The leader of the gang (with really bad teeth) is Snake (Ross Alexander) who tries to join forces with another biker gang. The leader of that gang says: “For fucks sake- you got a screw loose or something? Who do you think you are- Adolf Hitler, Rommel, Bela Lugosi– all rolled up in one shit-covered gob?” Tina makes it to the town and is attended to by kindly Dr. Dave (Adam West). When she asks him what the town is like he replies: “Living in Ramsburg is like waiting for a patient to die.” The bikers terrorize the local diner but Dr. Dave beats up Snake and forces them out of town. They return later, throw the Sheriff and Dr. Dave in jail and go on a murderous rampage. Finally, the townspeople pick up rifles for vengeance. Tina Louise and Adam West were paid $10,000 each and most of their scenes are close-ups so that stand-ins could run around in the rest of this ludicrous and must-own 1984 film.
Cannibal Apocalypse (Kino) Terrific Italian gut-munching zombie movie (filmed in Atlanta), directed by Antonio Margheriti (Castle Of Blood) and starring John Saxon. The film is about Vietnam veterans who return home with an infection that transforms them into hungry cannibals. This is the gory, uncut version from a 4K restoration and comes with a documentary on the making of the film and a video tour of the film locations. (The film is also known as Cannibals In The Streets and Invasion Of The Fleshhunters, but any way you slice it, it’s damn tasty).
Malabimba- The Malicious Whore (Vinegar Syndrome) A 1979 film by Andrea Bianchi (notorious director of Burial Ground and Strip Nude For Your Killer) about a young girl who gets possessed by the devil and her new wanton ways rub off on the whole family. With plenty of hardcore inserts and girl-on-nun action that will send you straight to hell. Newly restored from the original 16mm negative.
Universal Horror Collection 4 (Shout! Factory) Another fun set of B-thrillers from the Universal vault. Night Key (1937) stars Boris Karloff as a kindly old scientist whose creation of a wireless alarm system is stolen by a ruthless businessman. He decides to get revenge by using a gizmo he created to bypass alarms and break into stores to leave an ominous threat “What I create I can destroy!” Unfortunately, a criminal known as the “Kid” kidnaps him and uses his device to plunder the city. Night Monster (1942) is set at a spooky, fog-shrouded gated mansion with an incredible array of weird characters- a hunchback doorman, a creepy butler (Bela Lugosi), a horny chauffeur, the crippled, wheelchair-bound owner (Ralph Morgan), a suspicious mentalist, a loony relative, a housekeeper scrubbing blood from the stairs every morning. Then three doctors show up (one being horror regular Lionel Atwell), not to mention a horror writer (Don Porter) and a female psychiatrist (Irene Hervey). Oh right, there’s also a shadowy monster that roams the grounds at night. The Climax (1944) Boris Karloff has a field day as psychotic Doctor Hohner, who stalks the Vienna opera house, still haunted over Marcellina, an opera singer who mysteriously vanished 10 years earlier. When a talented new singer- Angela (Susanna Foster) shows up with an uncanny vocal range similar to Marcellina, Dr. Hohner resorts to hypnosis to stop her from singing on stage in this Technicolor thriller. Turhan Bey is wonderful as Angela’s devoted boyfriend (he gets so excited for Angela on opening night he accidentally eats the program). House Of Horrors (1946) is my favorite of the bunch. It’s about a mad sculptor (Martin Kosleck) who rescues a deformed, giant, killer (Rondo Hatton) out of the river, and then sends him to go and kill all the critics who were hateful to him. Hatton, who actually suffered acromegaly (a disorder of the pituitary gland possibly exacerbated by a mustard gas attack in World War II) is effectively sinister as the “Creeper.” There is an excellent 22-minute documentary on Rondo Hatton, and a loving tribute to him on the audio commentary too. All these Universal titles just look astounding on Blu-ray.
April Fool’s Day (Shout! Factory) A 1986 slasher movie with a difference (and you really can’t discuss it without ruining the surprise). A group of college friends party at island mansion of a friend on April Fool’s Day weekend and all start getting bumped off by an unseen killer. Sorry, Agatha Christie. Deborah Foreman plays the hostess who may hold the key to what’s going on in this wildly enjoyable film directed by Fred Walton. There was something so refreshing about this film for audiences who suffered cookie-cutter slasher film fatigue. I wish I could say more but, trust me, it’s a lot of fun.
Return From The Ashes (Kino) Deliciously clever 1965 suspense tale concerning Michelle (Ingrid Thulin), a wealthy Jewish doctor living in France before the occupation by Germany in 1940. She marries Stanislaus (Maximilian Schell), a poor but scheming Polish chess whiz. Michelle is rounded up and shipped off to a concentration camp by the Nazis and is thought to have died. Meanwhile, Stanislaus has begun a steamy affair with Michelle’s unscrupulous step-daughter Fabienne (Samantha Eggar). After the war, a broken and physically altered Michelle returns, but can’t face seeing her husband in this state. Fabienne spots her on the street and notices the resemblance to “Michelle” and conceives of a plot for this woman to impersonate the “dead woman” for a sizable inheritance. After that the twists and turns take breakneck turns in this intelligent thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson (Cape Fear).
Inseminoid (Shout! Factory) A space crew exploring a mysterious planet discover some strange glowing crystals and they bring them back to the ship. Suddenly, many of the crew begin to die in spectacularly gory ways. Judy Geeson (bravely) plays a crew member who gets impregnated by alien life on the planet and gives birth to some toothy creatures who attack other members of the team in this outlandish 1981 shocker by British director Norman J. Warren. This gorgeous-looking, uncut, disc comes with a fascinating 90-minute documentary about Warren.
Show Boat (Criterion) Bride Of Frankenstein director James Whale’s stunning version of the musical based on the Edna Ferber’s novel. Set on a traveling riverboat show where the young daughter (Irene Dunne) of the Captain dreams of her own stardom and ends up running off with a handsome but incorrigible gambler (Alan Jones). Helen Morgan plays the popular singer aboard who is hiding the fact she is mixed race. The dynamic Paul Robeson plays a deck hand named Joe, and his version of “Ol’ Man River” will take your breath away. Whale’s cinematic brilliance with the material makes you wish his career wasn’t so limited by the studios he worked for. Just unforgettable.
Endless Night (Kino) A little-seen 1972 British version of one of Agatha Christie’s stand-alone novels (and a personal favorite of hers). It stars Hywell Bennett as Michael, a dreamer who makes his living as a chauffeur. He accidentally meets a beautiful young heiress Elle (Hayley Mills), falls in love, marries, and is able to build his dream house. But her conniving family descend on them (Lois Maxwell plays her disapproving stepmother and George Sanders her lawyer). Also, Elle’s best friend Greta (Britt Ekland) shows up and moves in on them, much to Michael’s misery. But who is the weird elderly woman they meet in the woods, with two cats on a leash, who warns the couple that danger is coming for them? The more you read Christie the more modern her take on pathological killers. This was well-directed by Sidney Gilliat (and is faithful to the book), but because it did so poorly in the UK never made it to America. It so deserves a second chance, if just to hear one of the last scores composed by the great Bernard Herrmann.
Night Of Open Sex (Severin) Anyone fascinated by the prolific career of Spanish director Jess Franco should immediately acquire the astonishing two volumes by Stephen Thrower about his life and career- Murderous Passions, and Flowers Of Perversion. (Thrower is on several of the extras on the disc). I’ll admit I was never one way or another about Jess Franco until I was set right by director Frank Henenlotter, an ardent fan of Franco, who opened my eyes wide to his dizzying genius. And it really helped me appreciate oddball titles like this one, shot in the Canary Islands. Franco’s girlfriend and muse- Lina Romay plays an erotic entertainer (she is seen writhing nude on the hood of a car in a club to a wildly enthusiastic crowd at the beginning of the film). The amoral protagonists of the film include a pimp boyfriend, a swinger couple, a mysterious figure called the “General”, and a strange, mustached private investigator (Antonio Mayans), fond of wearing Hawaiian shirts, who only smokes butts from the ashtrays. He kidnaps Romay and they head off, having sex and trying to de-cypher some books to find hidden loot stolen from the Nazis. There’s also a nasty bit with a curling iron. Yes, it is that cracked.
Cries Of Pleasure (Severin) Another lurid, loony oddity from Jess Franco’s 80s period in Spain, which opens with a nude man floating dead in a swimming pool. A mentally-challenged mute is sitting by the pool strumming on a guitar and through his mind we flash back to what led to this murder. The victim was a wealthy womanizer- Antonio (Antonio Mayans), who invites his new girlfriend Julia (Lina Romay) to his seaside villa boldly in front of the sexy servant he is also sleeping with. There’s also the lady of the house- Martina, who is just being released from an insane asylum who is also nymphomaniac. Antonio plans to kill his wife with sex and then inherit her money. Meanwhile the mute lounges in the background, playing his guitar and musing that he “likes to watch them naked, doing dirty things.” Stephen Thrower hosts a fabulous extra showing all the striking architectural landmarks in Portugal that repeatedly showed up in Franco’s films.
You can certainly see your expertise within the work you write. The world hopes for even more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to mention how they believe. All the time follow your heart.|