YUMEJI (1991) Blu-ray Review

Scare-A-Thon Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 30
Total First Time Views: 15
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $3,132,30

Yumeji (1991) d. Seijin Suzuki (Japan) (128 min) (1st viewing)

A most unusual ghost story, this final chapter in Suzuki’s Taisho Trilogy is at first glance a biopic about painter and poet Yumeji Takehisa (Kenji Sawada), yet ends up being far less concerned with realistic depictions of the artist’s life and more with exploring the elusive boundaries between man and woman, life and death, objectification and obsession. Takehisa’s relationships, specifically those with three women, highlight key elements of human nature, and Suzuki applies his painterly vision to nearly every frame, weaving a hypnotic spell that lingers in the heart even as the images ebb and flow through the mind.

SAW (2004) Movie Review

Scare-A-Thon Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 29
Total First Time Views: 14
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $2,462.68

Saw (2004) d. James Wan (USA) (103 min) (4th viewing)

A pair of strangers, Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) and photographer Adam (Leigh Whannell) wake up in a grimy underground bathroom, each chained by his ankle to a drainpipe. Also in said bathroom are a dead body and two rusty hacksaws, too dull to cut through their shackles, but sharp enough to cut through… other things. As the narrative proceeds down its flashback-riddled path, we learn that they are captives of the Jigsaw Killer, whose calling card entails intricate scenarios designed to force victims to kill themselves or one another. It is in these flashbacks that the film’s power lies, depicting hellish scenarios and apparatus from H. R. Giger’s worst nightmares.

X: THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES (1963) Blu-ray Review

Scare-A-Thon Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 28
Total First Time Views: 14
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $2,349.76

X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes (1963) d. Roger Corman (USA) (79 min) (5th viewing)

When the brilliant Dr. Xavier (Ray Milland) concocts a serum to improve human sight, he stumbles upon a formula for X-ray vision. Inspired by its awesome medical potential, but shunned by his short-sighted colleagues, the doctor tests the potion on himself, only to discover that a side effect of his enhanced vision is the insatiable desire to look further and deeper, perhaps more than any mortal can bear.

WARNING FROM SPACE (1956) Blu-ray Review

Scare-A-Thon Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 27
Total First Time Views: 14
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $2,222.64

Warning from Space (1956) d. Koji Shima (Japan) (87 min) (2nd viewing)

As Japan is rocked by mysterious sightings of UFOs over Tokyo and large one-eyed aliens attempting contact, scientists collaborate to investigate the unexpected rise in extraterrestrial activity. Unbeknownst to them, one of the aliens has already assumed human form and is about to deliver a very important message that could be humanity’s last hope for survival.

VIOLENCE IN A WOMEN'S PRISON (1982)

Scare-A-Thon Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 26
Total First Time Views:14
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $2,140.32

Violence in a Women’s Prison (1982) d. Bruno Mattei (as Vincent Dawn) (Italy) (90 min) (1st viewing)

Convicted sex worker Laura Kendall (Laura Gemser) is sentenced to serve out her time at a remote penitentiary far from the prying eyes of good taste and housekeeping. Packed to the rafters with sadistic jackbooted watchdogs and overseen by the sneering warden (Lorraine De Selle) and her second-in-command Rescaut (Franca Stoppi), both depraved sexual deviants, Laura must create alliances with whomever she can if she is to survive her horrifying ordeal.

THE UNTOLD STORY (1993) Blu-ray Review

Scare-A-Thon Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 25
Total First Time Views:13
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $1,958.00

The Untold Story (1993) d. Herman Yau (Hong Kong) (96 min) (2nd viewing)

In 1986, a bundle of severed hands and feet are discovered washed up on a Macao beach. At the same time, Wong Chi Hang (Anthony Wong, Hard Boiled), the head chef at The Eight Immortals Restaurant is striving to have his name transferred over as the new owner, seeing as how the previous proprietor has mysteriously gone missing, along with his family. Detective Lee (Danny Lee, The Killer) and his squad of goof-off cops suspect foul play and proceed to stake out the joint, waiting for the suspect to make a slip. Meanwhile, the shop’s famous hot pork buns seem to have incorporated an intriguing new ingredient...

TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE (1990) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 24
Total First Time Views: 13
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $1,836.18

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) d. John Harrison (USA) (93 min) (3rd viewing)

Betty (Blondie's Deborah Harry), an attractive, chipper, middle-aged suburbanite, is making preparations for a dinner party. On the menu: the paperboy Timmy (Matthew Lawrence), who is none too wild about being selected as the main dish. In an effort to keep his host distracted and stave off his time in the roaster pan, the lad reads selections from a collection of stories, entrancing her with tales of mummies and grad students and not-so-dead scrolls, crippled millionaires and hit men and vengeful felines, gargoyles and artists and promises made in the dark….

A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN (1971) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 23
Total First Time Views: 13
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $1,755.36

A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971) d. Lucio Fulci (Italy/Spain) (104 min) (2nd viewing)

Carol Hammond (Florinda Bolkan), daughter of affluent London lawyer Edmond Brighton (Leo Genn), seeks out therapy to deal with both her insomnia and increasingly vivid, sexually tinged nightmares, the latter of which have begun to prominently feature her hedonistic next-door neighbor Julie Durer (Anita Strindberg). When Julie turns up demised in very much the manner that one of Carol’s dreams depicted, everyone – including Carol – is inclined to believe she is the guilty party. But when blackmail phone calls and stoned-out flower people start showing up on the fringes of Carol’s life, the local lawman assigned to the case, Inspector Corvin (Stanley Baker), begins to doubt that things are as simple as they seem.

THE SHADOW OF THE CAT (1961) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 22
Total First Time Views: 13
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $1,657.04

The Shadow of the Cat (1961) d. John Gilling (UK) (79 min) (1st viewing)

Wealthy Ella Venable (Catherine Lacey) is brutally murdered by her manservant Andrew (Andrew Crawford) at the behest of her cold-blooded husband Walter (Andre Morell) and the two, along with long-suffering housekeeper Clara, conspire to bury the corpse in the forest; at the same time, they produce a brand-new will and testament that conveniently leaves Ella’s fortune to Walter. So far so good, as far as murders go. However, the one spanner in the works is that Ella’s beloved feline, Tabitha, has witnessed everything and is seemingly intent on driving the trio insane and/or into their own shallow graves. The battle lines are now drawn, with innocent (and disinherited) daughter Beth (Barbara Shelley) caught in the middle of a full-on war of wills where humans tumble down stairs, drown in quicksand, suffer heart attacks, or fall from parapets while cats purr with demonic delight.

THE REDEEMER (aka CLASS REUNION MASSACRE) (1978) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 21
Total First Time Views: 12 
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $1,518.72

The Redeemer (aka Class Reunion Massacre) (1978) d. Constantine S. Gochis (USA) (83 min) (2nd viewing)

The most unusual thing about this most unusual fright flick is that while the plotline (six former classmates show up at their 10-year high school reunion, only to find themselves hunted down by a vengeful killer) seems to come straight out of the 1980s slasher handbook, The Redeemer actually predates such classics as Halloween and Friday the 13th, as well as their countless brethren, including Terror Train, April Fool’s Day, Slaughter High, Prom Night, etc., yet seems to go to inordinate lengths to avoid the clichés it couldn’t have possibly known were just around the corner.

QUEEN OF BLOOD (2014) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date: 

Total Movies Watched: 20 

Total First Time Views: 12 

Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $1,446.40 

Queen of Blood (2014) d. Chris Alexander (USA) (77 min) (1st viewing)

A semi-sequel of sorts to writer/director Alexander’s 2012 offering, Blood for Irina, with our titular undead (Shauna Henry) relocated from her previous urban environs to a mystical wooded glade. Based on the period clothing and rustic setting, one might even consider it a prequel except for the fact that it seems to exist in a no-time world where even speech is out of fashion. Yes, it’s a silent, independent, art-house, vampire flick intended as much a tribute to Werner Herzog and Terence Malick (in terms of pacing and attention to the natural surroundings) as it is to the films of Jean Rollin or Jess Franco.

POINT OF TERROR (1971) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 19
Total First Time Views: 11
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $1,374.08

Point of Terror (1971) d. Alex Nicol (USA) (88 min) (1st viewing)

Tony Trelos (Peter Carpenter), The Lobster House’s featured crooner extraordinaire, has dreams of becoming a big recording star. While sunning his finely chiseled body on the beach one day, he crosses paths with hot-to-trot Andrea Hilliard (Dyanne Thorne, four years before her breakout role as Ilsa, She-Wolf of the S.S.), wife of hotshot music producer Martin Hilliard (Joel Marston). Before you can sing the opening refrain of “Lifebeats” (and please don’t), Tony and Andrea are a not-so-subtle item, intended to drive the wheelchair-bound Martin off the deep end with jealousy. This queasy power triangle – in which no one really loves each other as much as they love themselves – persists until its breaking point (of terror!), and there will be no happy sing-a-longs come final call.

THE OLD WAYS (2020) Movie Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 16
Total First Time Views: 9 
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $1,141.12

The Old Ways (2020) d. Christopher Alender (USA) (90 min) (1st viewing)

When Mexican/American reporter Cristina Lopez (Brigitte Kali Canales) returns to her ancestral home of Veracruz chasing a story on witchcraft and faith healers, she becomes the subject of her own story. Kidnapped by a local “bruja” Luce (Julia Vera) and her son Javi (Sal Lopez), Cristina is held against her will for a terrifying reason: They believe she has a demon within her and won’t let her free until they exorcise the malevolent force… no matter what it takes. As she struggles to make her escape, she slowly comes to believe they may be telling the truth after all. Along with her captors and her estranged cousin Miranda (Andrea Cortes), Cristina’s fight for survival turns into a fight for her soul.

DEMONS (1985) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 17
Total First Time Views: 9
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $1,212.44

Demons (1985) d. Lamberto Bava (Italy) (88 min) (5th viewing)

Classmates Cheryl (Natasha Hovey) and Cathey (Paola Cozzo) blow off their nightly lecture to attend a free screening at the newly renovated Metropol Cinema, mingling with a wide array of individuals ranging from pimps (Bobby Rhodes) and prostitutes (Geretta Geretta, Fabiola Toledo) to amorous teens (Fiore Argento, Guido Baldi) to a cranky old married couple celebrating their anniversary (Stelio Candelli, Nicole Tessier) to a blind gentleman (Alex Serra) and his niece Liz (Sally Day), as well as a couple of “nice guys” George (Urbano Barberini) and Ken (Karl Zinny). As they all settle in to watch a new horror movie, the terrifying events in the theater begin to mirror those occurring onscreen, resulting in a cavalcade of bloody, gory, outlandish, and thoroughly whacked-out proportions.

NIGHTWISH (1989) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 18 

Total First Time Views: 10 

Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $1,301.76 

Nightwish (1989) d. Bruce R. Cook (USA) (96 min) (1st viewing)

A group of graduate students studying the science of dreams heads off to a remote mansion in the desert to partake in experiments of the paranormal variety, led by their fanatical professor (Jack Starrett) who hopes to communicate with entities beyond the veil. As the hours pass and unexplained occurrences arise, the researchers begin to wonder if they can trust the house, their instructor, their classmates, or even their own minds….

THE MANGLER (1995) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 15 

Total First Time Views: 8 

Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $1069.80 

The Mangler (1995) d. Tobe Hooper (South Africa/UK) (106 min) (1st viewing) 

Unlike The Lawnmower Man, this actually IS an adaptation of a Stephen King story. However, it’s about a possessed industrial laundry pressing and folding machine… so there’s that. Yes, you read that correctly, and in spite of the fact that you’ve got Robert Englund headlining (and reuniting with his Eaten Alive director Hooper) and Ted Levine, Silence of the Lambs’ Buffalo Bill himself, playing our lead, there’s no denying that everyone involved and/or watching is asking themselves, “Wait, so, it’s a haunted mechanical laundromat? How is that going to work?”

Answer: It doesn’t.

DISCOVER THE HORROR at the Chicago Public Library!!!

Howdy, folks!

Well, we're halfway through October and we're still kicking! In fact, tonight will be our third installment of Kicking the Seat's Friday Night Frights. This week's subject is the cult classic DEMONS, directed by Lamberto Bava and produced by Dario Argento! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmtybqMDV2E

ALSO:

Tuesday, October 20, from 7:00PM – 8:00PM, Jon Kitley and I will return to the hallowed halls of The Chicago Public Library for an encore ONLINE presentation of:

 DISCOVER THE HORROR!! 

THE LAWNMOWER MAN (1992) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 14
Total First Time Views: 7
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $998.48

The Lawnmower Man (1992) d. Brett Leonard (UK/USA) (108 min) (2nd viewing)

Dr. Lawrence Angelo (Pierce Brosnan) is a brilliant scientist obsessed with perfecting virtual reality software. When his experiments on animals fail, he finds the ideal substitute: Jobe Smith (Jeff Fahey), a slow-witted gardener. Dr. Angelo's goal is to benefit his human guinea pig and ultimately mankind itself, but evil lurks the guise of "the Shop," a shadowy group that seeks to use the technology to create an invincible war machine. When the experiments change the simple Jobe into a superhuman being, the stage is set for a Jekyll-and-Hyde struggle for the control of Jobe's mind and the future of the world.

KNIFE OF ICE (1972) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 13
Total First Time Views: 7
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $927.16

Knife of Ice (1972) d. Umberto Lenzi (Italy/Spain) (91 min) (1st viewing)

After her parents are killed in a horrific train accident, young Martha Caldwell is rendered mute from the shock. Decades later, Martha (Carroll Baker) resides with her protective uncle Ralph (George Rigaud) at his Spanish villa, still unable to speak but enjoying a relatively normal if sheltered life. When her cousin Jenny (Evelyn Stewart) shows up for a visit, the family is targeted by a black-gloved sex maniac who may also be a member of a Satanic cult. With the body count rising along with the number of suspects, Martha and the police attempt to uncover the killer’s identity before it’s too late.

JACK'S BACK (1988) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 12
Total First Time Views: 6
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $831.84

Jack’s Back (1988) d. Rowdy Herrington (USA) (97 min) (2nd viewing)

In 1888, a homicidal maniac known as Jack the Ripper was responsible for the murder of anywhere from five to 14 murders in the Whitechapel and surrounding areas of London. A century later, a copycat is echoing the Ripper’s modus operandi down to the finest details throughout the red light districts of Los Angeles, leaving a trail of bodies and nary a clue. When a med school student, John Westford (James Spader), stumbles across the latest crime scene in progress, he finds himself the killer’s next target, arousing the interest of twin brother Rick (also Spader) who discovers that he might know the murderer’s identity through an unexplained psychic link. Unfortunately, Rick also finds himself to be the LAPD's number one suspect, and only with the aid of John’s fellow classmate Chris (Cynthia Gibb) might he be able to find the Reborn Ripper and clear his name.

IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (1995) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 11
Total First Time Views: 6
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $735.02 

In the Mouth of Madness (1995) d. John Carpenter (USA) (95 min) (3rd viewing)

“Do you read Sutter Cane?”

Called in to investigate the disappearance of popular horror writer Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow), insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) attempts to determine whether or not the whole thing is a huge publicity stunt. Meanwhile, the release of Cane’s latest novel coincides with outbreaks of violence and maniacal behavior among the reading populace.

HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND (1960) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 10
Total First Time Views: 6
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $668.20

Horrors of Spider Island (1960) d. Fritz Bottger (West Germany) (84 min) (1st viewing)

Hotshot producer Gary Webster (Alexander D’Arcy) and his assistant Georgia (Helga Franck) assemble a cast of seven dancers to, ahem, flesh out the ensemble of a cabaret act in Singapore. When mechanical mishaps send their plane into the ocean, the hapless band paddles for hours until they come across a seemingly deserted tropical island; upon arrival they discover an abandoned shack – except for the corpse hanging in a gigantic spider’s web, that is! Having cleared away that unsightly mess, the ladies make themselves at home while Gary wanders off and gets himself bit by one of the oversized arachnids, transforming into a hideous three-toothed monster with an insatiable thirst for scantily clad females.

GHOST SHIP (2002) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 9
Total First Time Views: 5
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $601.38

Ghost Ship (2002) d. Steve Beck (USA) (93 min) (3rd viewing)

In 1962, a young girl (Emily Browning, six years from playing Babydoll in SuckerPunch) witnesses a horrific accident on board the luxury ocean liner Antonia Graza that leaves its entire crew and passenger list on the R.I.P. list. The action then flashes forward a few decades to Captain Murphy’s (Gabriel Byrne) salvage crew being enticed by Canadian weather spotter Ferriman (Desmond Harrington) into tracking down the floating tombstone, with the promise of a big payday in gold bullion waiting within its deserted hull. Of course, being that this is a haunted house movie on the briny waves, as soon as they arrive at their destination, all manner of bizarre and macabre imagery begins to crop up, much of it ultimately lethal to their existence.

MOTHER OF TEARS: THE THIRD MOTHER (2007) DVD Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 8
Total First Time Views: 5
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $512.16

Mother of Tears: The Third Mother (2007) d. Dario Argento (Italy) (102 min) (3rd viewing)

When an ancient urn is unearthed in Viterbo Cemetery outside Rome, the contents are shipped to prestigious artifact gatherer Michael (Adam James); in his absence, team members Sarah (Asia Argento) and Giselle (Coralina Cataldi-Tessi) open the contents to discover a trio of primitive statuettes, a crafted dagger, a red tunic, and… a whole passel of trouble. After Giselle is gruesomely (and graphically) murdered, Sarah and Michael find themselves on the run as a series of violent incidents are triggered throughout the city, with hordes of cackling eyeliner-loving females, misshapen demons, and random screeching monkeys sweeping the land.