THE REFLECTING SKIN, BABY BLOOD, & SINGAPORE SLING: Forgotten Horror Gems of 1990

THE REFLECTING SKIN (1990) d. Philip Ridley (UK)
BABY BLOOD (1990) d. Alain Robak (France)
SINGAPORE SLING (1990) d. Nikos Nikolaidis (Greece)

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After the excesses of the 1980s, the horror genre struggled to redefine itself, leaving the door open for a handful of international auteurs to collectively veer off the well-lit path, and plunge into something stranger, darker, and defiantly uncommercial. The year was 1990, and the filmmakers in question were less interested in cheap thrills and more committed to unsettling viewers on a deeper, more lingering level. Tonight, we’re celebrating the 35th anniversary of three such releases, Baby Blood, The Reflecting Skin, and Singapore Sling, movies that remain essential viewing for the modern horror fan who craves something bold, transgressive, and artfully off-kilter.

 

Fool's Views (7/28 – 8/3)

Pardon the delay. I've had a lot on my mind lately...

Howdy folks,

This week marked the mad dash of banging out reviews for Scream Factory’s awesome “Summer of Fear” as well as a long overdue return to the multiplex to check out a few of the flicks that had been generating some positive buzz. Happy to say that of the four big-screen features imbibed, all were worthwhile and two will likely land in my top 10 list for 2014 (Boyhood and Guardians of the Galaxy).

As part of this year’s ongoing Robert Redford festival, I was given the chance to introduce the femalien to the joys of 1973’s Oscar winner for Best Picture, although I’ll come clean that I only made it 20 minutes into 1960’s Play of the Week version of The Iceman Cometh starring Jason Robards; I’m not a huge fan of the four-hour play anyway, and our young Redford is just so very terrible as Parritt. This guy was on Broadway? Wow. To paraphrase Monty Python and the Holy Grail, he got better.

Also, being as I am in the throes of rehearsals for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s season opener, Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club, I thought it might be fun to shine a light on a few of my favorite fellow reviewers’ thoughts for this week’s Civilian offerings (and one semi-horror flick). Follow the links provided and you will find my own sentiments captured with grace, eloquence, and in greater detail than I can afford at present.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

SINGAPORE SLING (1990) movie review

Singapore Sling (1990) d. Nikos Nikolaidis (Greece)

One rain-soaked night in a timeless, nameless land, a man arrives at the doorstep of a secluded house in the woods with a bullet in his shoulder. Two voluptuous women, having just returned from digging a hole in the backyard, take him in. What follows is a surefooted combination of jaw-dropping, exploitation-rich, often direct-address narrative content (kidnapping, murder, sexual S/M games, madness) with Aris Stavrou’s pristine black-and-white noir-styled cinematography.