It’s ironic that the talk this weekend is the opening of The Exorcist: Believer, when the really brilliant, nightmarish film about demonic possession is also premiering- When Evil Lurks by the Argentine director Demian Rugna. Demian Rugna’s previous film- Terrified–…
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When people get stressed or anxious or depressed they reach for anything to alleviate the pain. Some grab a handful of pills. Others surrender to the pipe or a bottle. Some stretch for a loaded syringe. Or use an entire…
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With the death of Generalissimo Francisco Franco in Spain in 1975, the lifting of the stranglehold of censorship suddenly offered filmmakers the ability to push boundaries. Director Eloy de la Iglesia (Cannibal Man, Murder in a Blue World) turned out two…
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Necrophilia is not a subject I’m very familiar with. When I played doctor as a child I never wanted my patients to be that still. But recently I heard a wild rumor about a secret group called the Matterhorn Society, founded in…
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Fall never felt so refreshingly sweet, with these restored crackpot classics on Blu-ray this month. From the sleaze classic Nightmare, to Frank Henenlotter’s inspired and deranged Bad Biology; Nicolas Roeg’s creepy Don’t Look Now; a crackling paranoid thriller 3 Days…
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I guess I’m happy for the success of Barbie at the box office. At least it got audiences back in theaters. And it’s a win for Greta Gerwig, who I’ve been rooting for ever since I saw her in Frances…
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Talk about going down the rabbit hole. I just finished this terrific book about Italian exploitation director Umberto Lenzi (Seven Blood-Stained Orchids/Orgasmo/The Tough Ones/Cannibal Ferox) by Troy Howarth called “Make Them Die Slowly” and I was catching up with other…
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I was saddened by the death of Oscar-winning director William Friedkin, and pleased by the outpouring of sympathy by actors and other directors who recognized his genius. I met him on the set of To Live and Die in L.A.…
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Talk about an eclectic and surreal month of Blu-rays this month. From a cult classic with a hilariously hambone performance by William Shatner, to a mommy dinosaur destroying London to reach her offspring, to the ultimate Bruce Lee film; a…
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Winter Kills is a brilliant 1979 paranoid political thriller by novice director William Richert, which got great reviews but was pulled from theaters after a short run. It also has garnered a well-deserved cult following. Jeff Bridges plays the brother of an assassinated…
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