THE BUNNY GAME (2011) Blu-ray Review

The Bunny Game (2011) d. Adam Rehmeier (USA) (76 min)

A down-on-her-luck prostitute’s (Rodleen Getsic) painful existence takes a serious left turn into Hell when she is abducted by a psychotic trucker (Jeff Renfro) who chains her in the back of his 18-wheeler to do with as he pleases. It’s a 76-minute assault on the senses and the soul, one that injects moments of such incredible intensity and honesty into its opening act that when I first viewed the film in 2013, I had already cleared a spot for it on my list of “most impressive releases of the year” before it had reached the 20-minute mark.

FULCI'S FINEST? CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD aka THE GATES OF HELL (1980) TURNS 45!!

CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (aka THE GATES OF HELL) (1980) d. Lucio Fulci (Italy)

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Tonight we're returning to the eerie and bonkers world of Italian horror with a film that defies conventional storytelling — Lucio Fulci’s City of the Living Dead, known to American audiences as The Gates of Hell. Following up on the success of Zombie the year before, City of the Living Dead marked a turning point in Fulci’s career, steering him away from the multitude of genres he had previously worked in, into the surreal, apocalyptic horror that would ultimately come to define his legacy within the genre.

PEEPING TOM (1960) – THE CONTROVERSIAL CLASSIC TURNS 65!!

PEEPING TOM (1960) d. Michael Powell (1960)

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A provocative psychological thriller and a daring exploration of voyeurism, Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom tells the story of Mark Lewis, a withdrawn cameraman filled with deep pain and dark secrets. Powell’s brilliant examination of the human urge to look, but not be seen looking, turns Mark’s camera into both weapon and mirror.

MANIAC (1980): 45 YEARS OF SWEAT, SPLATTER, SLASHERS, AND SPINELL!!

MANIAC (1980) d. William Lustig (USA)

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Wildly controversial and undeniably influential, Maniac (1980) is one of the most unsettling slasher films of the early 1980s. Directed by William Lustig and starring Joe Spinell - who also co-wrote the screenplay - Maniac follows Frank Zito, a deeply disturbed and isolated man driven by trauma, navigating the grim streets of New York City.

BATTLE ROYALE (2000) – THE J-HORROR CLASSIC TURNS 25!!!

BATTLE ROYALE (2000) d. Kinji Fukasaku (Japan)

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One of the high water marks of dystopian cinema, Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale takes place in a near-future Japan where a class of 42 students are forced by the government to fight to the death on a remote island. Blending social commentary with extreme violence, Battle Royale critiques government authority, youth alienation, and the sensationalism of media.

THE VAMPIRES OF 1970 (COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE LOVERS, DARK SHADOWS, DRACULA, NUDE VAMPIRE)

COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE (1970) d. Bob Kelljan (USA)
HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS (1970) d. Dan Curtis (USA)
THE VAMPIRE LOVERS (1970) d. Roy Ward Baker (UK)
COUNT DRACULA (1970) d. Jesus Franco (Spain)
THE NUDE VAMPIRE (1970) d. Jean Rollin (France)

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1970 was a landmark for vampire cinema. No longer confined to fog-shrouded castles or Victorian settings, vampires were reimagined through the lenses of filmmakers across the U.S. and Europe, allowing the vampire mythos to explore shifting cultural and political attitudes with more sex, skin, and blood on full display. Tonight we’ll be looking at five significant films released that year, each offering a unique and transgressive spin on the undead.

ROMAN POLANSKI'S REPULSION (1965): 60 YEARS OF MADNESS, SEX, AND SILENCE

REPULSION (1965) d. Roman Polanski (UK)

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Co-written and directed by Roman Polanski, Repulsion (1965) is a landmark psychological horror film that explores the mental disintegration of a young woman, Carole (expertly played by Catherine Deneuve), living alone in London. When Carole’s sister leaves her alone for two weeks, paranoia and terrifying hallucinations take over her world. Polanski's first English-language feature - and the first in his iconic “Apartment Trilogy,” followed by Rosemary’s Baby and The Tenant - Repulsion dives deep into themes of isolation, sexual repression, and psychological trauma.

MOTEL HELL (1980): 45 YEARS OF CRITTERS AND FRITTERS!!

MOTEL HELL (1980) d. Kevin Connor (USA)

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“It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent’s Fritters.” So runs the tagline for 1980’s Motel Hell (full Blu-ray review here), an endearing oddball combo of black humor and horror, featuring veteran character actor Rory Calhoun as Vincent, the proprietor of the Motel Hello, where the O on the neon sign keeps going on the blink. Vincent and his equally wacky sister Ida (a pre-Porky’s Nancy Parsons) make their living by ensnaring unsuspecting motorists to fill up the skins of their famous Farmer Smith sausages.

DEAD OF NIGHT (1945) STILL HAUNTS US | CLASSIC HORROR ANTHOLOGY

DEAD OF NIGHT (1945) d. Various (UK)

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Widely regarded as one of the earliest and most influential horror anthology films, 1945's Dead of Night presents a quintet of eerie and imaginative stories linked by a chilling framing narrative: an architect arrives at a country house, only to realize he’s been there before—in a recurring dream. As he shares this realization, the guests recount a series of supernatural tales involving haunted mirrors, ghostly hearses, creepy ventriloquist dummies, and more.

HOUSE OF USHER (1960): CORMAN + PRICE + POE = GOTHIC HORROR GOLD

HOUSE OF USHER (1960) d. Roger Corman (USA)
PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1961) d. Roger Corman (USA)

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Journey into the heart of gothic horror with House of Usher, Roger Corman’s moody and mesmerizing film version of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story. Released in 1960, Usher marks the beginning of Corman’s AIPoe series, his celebrated octet of Poe-inspired works, and it’s an atmospheric triumph of mood and style.

DAVID CRONENBERG'S SHIVERS (1975): THE BIRTH OF BODY HORROR?

SHIVERS (1975) d. David Cronenberg (Canada)

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1975’s Shivers aka They Came from Within is a wonderfully squirmy milestone in Canadian horror cinema... and horror cinema in general, in that it announced writer/director David Cronenberg to moviegoers everywhere, and the world has never been the same since.

WHEN STANLEY MET STEPHEN: 45 YEARS OF THE SHINING (1980)

THE SHINING (1980) d. Stanley Kubrick (USA)
THE SHINING (1997) d. Mick Garris (USA)
DOCTOR SLEEP (2019) d. Mike Flanagan (USA)

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The Shining (1980) remains one of the most iconic and unsettling horror films ever made. Based on Stephen King’s novel but wildly reimagined through writer/director Stanley Kubrick’s unique vision, this “masterpiece of modern horror” tells the story of Jack Torrance, an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic who takes a job as the winter caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel. As the unforgiving Colorado winter traps him, his wife Wendy and their son Danny inside, supernatural forces send them spiraling into madness and unforgettable terror.

"WHAT'S IN THE BOX?" - SE7EN (1995) TURNS 30!!

SE7EN (1995) d. David Fincher (USA)

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"This isn't going to have a happy ending."

In a decade saturated with onscreen serial killers, David Fincher’s 1995 thriller Se7en redefined the genre and left an indelible mark on modern cinema. Its bleak atmosphere, high-toned philosophy, and haunting narrative dared to confront viewers with uncomfortable truths about justice, morality, and human nature.

UNIVERSAL'S CLASSIC 1940s MUMMY MOVIES (HAND, TOMB, GHOST, CURSE) UNWRAPPED!!!

THE MUMMY'S HAND (1940) d. Christy Cabanne (USA)
THE MUMMY'S TOMB (1942) d. Harold Young (USA)
THE MUMMY'S GHOST (1944) d. Reginald Le Borg (USA)
THE MUMMY'S CURSE (1942) d. Leslie Goodwins (USA)

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Tonight we unwrap the 1940s Universal Mummy films! Leaving behind the melancholy tone of the 1932 Boris Karloff original, we were introduced to a new mummy, Kharis, a shambling and bandaged silent avenger played first by Tom Tyler in 1940’s The Mummy’s Hand, celebrating its 85th anniversary, and by Lon Chaney Jr. in three subsequent sequels, The Mummy’s Tomb, The Mummy’s Ghost, and The Mummy’s Curse.

WOLF CREEK & HOSTEL TURN 20: HOW 2005's SHOCKERS CHANGED HORROR HISTORY

WOLF CREEK (2005) d. Greg McLean (Australia)
WOLF CREEK 2 (2013) d. Greg McLean (Australia)
WOLF CREEK (2016-17) d. Tony Tilse/Greg McLean (Australia)
HOSTEL (2005) d. Eli Roth (USA)
HOSTEL: PART II (2007) d. Eli Roth (USA)
HOSTEL: PART III (2011) d. Scott Spiegel (USA)

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Tonight, we’ll be discussing two films that helped change the face of horror when they hit screens in late 2005, both from young and hungry writer/directors who wanted to make a splash... or splatter, as the case might be: Wolf Creek from Australian Greg McLean and Eli Roth’s Hostel.

THE BODY SNATCHER & ISLE OF THE DEAD - BORIS KARLOFF + VAL LEWTON IN 1945

THE BODY SNATCHER (1945) d. Robert Wise (USA)
ISLE OF THE DEAD (1945) d. Mark Robson (USA)

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Producer Val Lewton, the master of atmospheric horror, collaborated with legendary actor Boris Karloff in 1945 on two memorable films: The Body Snatcher and Isle of the Dead. Both films showcase Lewton’s signature blend of psychological tension and poetic visuals, while allowing Karloff to deliver some of his most nuanced performances. They remain standout entries in both men's careers and in the horror genre at large.

THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975): FEMINISM, FEAR, AND THE HORROR OF PERFECTION!!

THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975) d. Bryan Forbes (USA)
REVENGE OF THE STEPFORD WIVES (1980) d. Robert Fuest (USA)
THE STEPFORD CHILDREN (1987) d. Alan J. Levi (USA)
THE STEPFORD HUSBANDS (1996) d. Fred Walton (USA)
THE STEPFORD WIVES (2004) d. Frank Oz (USA)

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Sexy and funny, inflammatory and spooky, director Bryan Forbes and screenwriter William Goldman’s adaptation of Ira Levin’s bestseller The Stepford Wives is that rare animal: a socially relevant yet thoroughly entertaining sci-fi/horror thriller. Frustrated NYC photographer Joanna (Katharine Ross) moves with her family to the idyllic Connecticut suburb of Stepford. Before long, the liberated lass observes that the local female population is a submissive, domestic lot, unnaturally preoccupied with fulfilling their husbands’ every passing desire. 

DARIO ARGENTO'S DEEP RED (1975): MURDER, MUSIC, MADNESS, AND MIRRORS!!

DEEP RED (aka PROFONDO ROSSO) (1975) d. Dario Argento (Italy)

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David Hemmings plays a English jazz pianist in Italy, who after a late-night set, witnesses a brutal murder and feels compelled to unravel the mystery. Considered by many to be the apex of the giallo subgenre, this is Argento in his 1970s prime, with dazzling, dizzying camerawork capturing beautifully violent - if occasionally nonsensical - set-pieces, all couched within the driving rhythms of prog-rock band Goblin (their first of numerous sonic collaborations).

THE DESCENT (2005) AT 20 - CLAUSTROPHOBIC HORROR AT ITS FINEST!!

THE DESCENT (2005) d. Neil Marshall (UK)
THE DESCENT PART 2 (2009) d. Jon Harris (UK)

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After a tragic accident, six friends (Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, MyAnna Buring, and Nora-Jane Noone) reunite for a caving expedition. Their adventure soon goes horribly wrong when a collapse traps them deep underground and they find themselves pursued by bloodthirsty subterranean creatures.

MARIO BAVA'S PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES (1965) - ZOMBIES IN SPACE!!

PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES (1965) d. Mario Bava (Italy/Spain)

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A forgotten classic that blends the cosmic terror of space exploration with the eerie atmosphere of a Gothic haunted house, Mario Bava’s groundbreaking 1965 sci-fi/horror effort Planet of the Vampires presents a visually striking and deeply unsettling narrative whose influence reverberates throughout the genre, notably 1979’s smash Alien.