What was the last movie you saw?

[Victoria Silverwolf]

The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (1967) aka The Blood Demon aka Castle of the Walking Dead (Die Schlangengrube und das Pendel, "The Snake Pit and the Pendulum")

German Gothic horror film starts with Christopher Lee quartered for murdering twelve virgins. He swears vengeance on the judge who convicted him and the woman who escaped from him (he needed thirteen) and was a witness against him. Thirty-five years later, a guy with a peg-leg (which plays an important part in the plot much later) is telling folks about the crime and punishment of Lee in rhyming couplets, in front of a big sheet of parchment with watercolor cartoons of the murders and execution.

Our hero is a guy who looks like the judge (but much younger) and our heroine is a woman who looks like the witness (and just as young.) They get invitations to go to Lee's castle, along with a priest who turns out to be a highwayman and the woman's maidservant. In residence is Lee's servant, who was hanged but revived. You see, the blood of the twelve virgins made an elixir that restored life, but thirteen are needed to produce eternal life. The servant revives Lee (the severed limbs from the quartering coming back together) so that they're both gray-faced walking dead (justifying one of the alternate titles.) For revenge, the hero gets the pendulum treatment (credit is given to Poe) and the heroine get the snake pit treatment, thus justifying the German title. Lee needs her to be in a state of extreme fear so he can use her blood to produce the elixir.

This thing has tons of atmosphere, much of it seemingly random and having nothing to do with the plot. (Why do they pass through a forest where body parts protrude from the trees? Don't ask me, but it's as spooky as heck.) It's all pretty much nonsense (and there's some really inappropriate happy-go-luck music on the soundtrack) but enjoyable creepy fun.

 

[KGeo777]

CITY OF THE DEAD 1960 -- Always a good one for October (or Candlemas Eve) with a lot of atmospheric black and white photography and a UK cast putting on fake American accents (it fooled me).

CIRCUS OF FEAR - 1966 - Another one I revisit now and then. A crime film rather than horror though.
Coincidentally both were directed by John Moxey and had Christopher Lee in them.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Fright (1971)

Prototype for the "babysitter in peril" subgenre of slasher films. Susan George is hired to watch the three-year-old son of a couple, not knowing that they're not married and the man isn't the child's father, but instead the woman (Honor Blackman) has just gotten a divorce from her husband, who tried to kill her, the baby, and himself, and is now in an asylum. OK, you know what's going to happen. First we get scary but harmless noises, then George's not-very-pleasant boyfriend shows up to bother her. (His response to her request to stop unbuttoning her dress: "Shut up.")

Boyfriend gets beaten to a pulp by the madman. When the lunatic brings him to the door, George accepts his story that he's "just a neighbor." The movie's most uncomfortable scene soon follows, when the insane ex-husband hallucinates that George is Blackman, and, in order to keep him from harming the child, submits to being raped.

While this has been going on, Blackman and her new gentleman friend and some other guy eventually figure out that something has gone wrong at home (telephone out of order) and get the cops to the place. The last twenty minutes or so is the cops staking out the place while the madman threatens to kill George and the boy.

With the homicidal husband and the aggressive boyfriend and the rape scene, I suppose you can see this as a study in male abuse of women. On the other hand, given George's purple minidress and its frequent undoing, you can see it as sleazy exploitation.

George suffers convincingly, but the lunatic changes unrealistically from calm, rational fellow to completely over-the-top maniac.

Not a pleasant thing to watch, and not a particularly good thriller, but it may be of historical interest, given the many, many films that followed its pattern.

 

[Randy M.]

'prince'? Don't you mean William Marshall? What a voice!

Yes. Yes, I did. How I could have looked at the IMDB page to confirm character names and still put in the wrong name for the actor, I don't know.

William Marshall. Duh.

 

[Jeffbert]

The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (1967) aka The Blood Demon aka Castle of the Walking Dead (Die Schlangengrube und das Pendel, "The Snake Pit and the Pendulum")

German Gothic horror film starts with Christopher Lee quartered for murdering twelve virgins. He swears vengeance on the judge who convicted him and the woman who escaped from him (he needed thirteen) and was a witness against him. Thirty-five years later, a guy with a peg-leg (which plays an important part in the plot much later) is telling folks about the crime and punishment of Lee in rhyming couplets, in front of a big sheet of parchment with watercolor cartoons of the murders and execution.

Our hero is a guy who looks like the judge (but much younger) and our heroine is a woman who looks like the witness (and just as young.) They get invitations to go to Lee's castle, along with a priest who turns out to be a highwayman and the woman's maidservant. In residence is Lee's servant, who was hanged but revived. You see, the blood of the twelve virgins made an elixir that restored life, but thirteen are needed to produce eternal life. The servant revives Lee (the severed limbs from the quartering coming back together) so that they're both gray-faced walking dead (justifying one of the alternate titles.) For revenge, the hero gets the pendulum treatment (credit is given to Poe) and the heroine get the snake pit treatment, thus justifying the German title. Lee needs her to be in a state of extreme fear so he can use her blood to produce the elixir.

This thing has tons of atmosphere, much of it seemingly random and having nothing to do with the plot. (Why do they pass through a forest where body parts protrude from the trees? Don't ask me, but it's as spooky as heck.) It's all pretty much nonsense (and there's some really inappropriate happy-go-luck music on the soundtrack) but enjoyable creepy fun.

I saw that with my brother several years ago. Both of us are Lee & Cushing fans. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

 

[KGeo777]

Dr. Sadism is the only pit and the pendulum story I can think of where someone manages to get out of the trap

Spoiler: spoiler

without help from others

THEATER OF BLOOD 1973 -- This is not one I watch often. It is just an uptown version of Dr. Phibes. You have the fiendish revenge schemes and an assistant, the police tagging along, but with a lot more dialogue for Price.

 

[Toby Frost]

I once heard a story that Vincent Price had always wanted to do Shakespeare, and playing a mad actor was the only way that he'd be able to perform the famous speeches on screen. I'm not sure if that's true.

Years ago, a friend of mine won a contest where you got to screen a film to your friends in a small cinema. He had a very varied group of friends and ended up screening Theatre of Blood. It went down pretty well, partly because it's so ridiculous and camp.

 

[HalaxyGigh]

SAW X (2023) The most acclaimed and possibly the best instalment in the horror series, somewhat unfairly maligned as "torture porn" when it has much more to offer besides the heavy violence, much like George Romero's zombie films in their day. It also focuses much less on the previous films' dense and convoluted plotting (which made the films rather like a big budget TV show requiring binge-viewing in order to follow everything, which would be a bit intense lol) and IMO is pretty accessible and easy to follow, without requiring prior knowledge. Having seen all of them, it also serves a great conclusion. So if you only watch one Saw movie, make it this one.

 

[KGeo777]

FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN 1967 -- My favorite of the Hammer Frankenstein films and perhaps the most gothic fairy tale in sensibility of all the Hammer horror films--it is like a twisted version of Cinderella.
The three hooligans are so cruel and yet witty. That terribly mean-spirited song that Anton serenades Christina with. And Peter Cushing's Frankenstein is the most likable in this version. It is funny that when he is court he is flipping through the Bible in boredom.

MALENKA - FANGS OF THE LIVING DEAD 1969. Wasn't good (and they commit the great sin of burning a really nice Anita Ekberg portrait--how could they do it--I am assuming it was an original painting) but has a few visual assets thanks to Ekberg, Diane Lorys, and the other bar maids. The amazing castle interiors and cinematography are what really stand out though. It is really nice how this is photographed. Too bad the story is terrible.

 

[AE35Unit]

Creepshow (1982)
Not sure if I've ever seen this before, I must have at some point...but anyway its fun, and Stephen King's cameo is hilarious!
Also his son Joe Hill is the 10 year old boy at the start

Funny trivia from imdb:

"Creepshow (1982)

While he was all business in his scenes, Leslie Nielsen had a fart machine in his pocket during the shooting. He would let it go off during rehearsals, and just before Director George A. Romero would call "Action," causing Ted Danson and the crew to crack up with laughter."

 

[AE35Unit]

Creepshow:Holiday Special
Werefolk attend a Shapeshifters Anonymous meeting and discover that Santa Claws (Satan's Claws) is out to kill all Shapeshifters. Weird fun

 

[Jeffbert]

Brass Target (1978) A fictional version of General Patton's death. Some very naughty U.S. Soldiers use a saboteur's scheme to steal a large gold shipment off a train. With too many loose ends, the ones at the top begin eliminating their underlings.

Mara (Sophia Loren) gets top billing(?), & has relations with the top guys in the gang. George S. Patton (George Kennedy) is ordered to attend an event at the Soviet Army's HQ. As much as he dislikes them, he remains polite, until the top Soviet General blames him for the theft of the gold, which belonged to all the Allied forces. Patton, in a rage, promises to recover the gold, and shove it in a certain orifice of the Soviet General's body. Thus, the thieves decide Patton must die, and it must seem like an accident.

Major Joe De Luca (John Cassavetes) is one of the top guys in the gang. I an not at all familiar with this actor. The Prisoner & Napoleon Solo are also in the cast, as is the guy who played Chess with Death.

Very intense drama! 9/10. My only critique is that GK's physique is definitely not like George Patton's.

 

[AE35Unit]

Jakob's Wife
A fun take on the vampire genre. Jakob is a priest, well a minster, and his wife changes after an encounter with The Master (basically a female Nosferatu, so, Nosferatina?)

 

[Jeffbert]

Cheyenne Social Club (1970) Two, count 'em, 2 cowboys go to the big city, where one of them has inherited a very profitable business. Turns out to be a house of ill repute, and he is the type to frown upon such things. He decides to fire the women, and turn the place into a hotel.

John O'Hanlan (James Stewart) is the guy who inherits the business, while Harley Sullivan (Henry Fonda) is his friend. Jenny (Shirley Jones; funny how she was to be Mama Partridge, given some of these other roles). Clay Carroll (John Dehner; how many time was he the villain in THE WILD WILD WEST? edit: Wiki indicates just 2) is the only other actor I knew.

a drama/comedy. Quite entertaining.

 

[Randy M.]

Cheyenne Social Club (1970) Two, count 'em, 2 cowboys go to the big city, where one of them has inherited a very profitable business. Turns out to be a house of ill repute, and he is the type to frown upon such things. He decides to fire the women, and turn the place into a hotel.

John O'Hanlan (James Stewart) is the guy who inherits the business, while Harley Sullivan (Henry Fonda) is his friend. Jenny (Shirley Jones; funny how she was to be Mama Partridge, given some of these other roles). Clay Carroll (John Dehner; how many time was he the villain in THE WILD WILD WEST?) is the only other actor I knew.

a drama/comedy. Quite entertaining.

My dad and I went to see this because Stewart and Fonda. It was the kind of enjoyable hokum that cropped up between movies featuring younger stars back in the '60s.

 

[Jeffbert]

Winchester '73 (1950) A cowboy wins a marksman competition with the prize of a 1 of 1000 Winchester '73, complete with a plaque on the stock commemorating the event, which was a Centennial 4th of July celebration. But, the guy who was 2nd place, steals the rifle, and later is forced to trade it for supplies.

Grandpa Walton has the role of Wyatt Earp, and requires all weapons be surrendered and kept in his office. Thus, the thief, Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally; not familiar with him) had to flee without any weapons, but the stolen prize.

Lin McAdam (James Stewart) wins the prize, his friend High-Spade Frankie Wilson (Millard Mitchell; 3rd film I have seen him) pursue Brown. Story focuses on the many men who come to possess the prize, even if for very short times.

Many prominent stars appear here.

8/10

 

[KGeo777]

FRIGHT NIGHT 2 - Haven't seen this since 1990. It's not remotely close to the original and suffers from a meandering script. The ingredients are there but just handled without the combo of humor and horror and pacing. Brad Fiedel helps, and the cast is good--Traci Lin is alright--she reminds me of Gretchen Corbett in a way. Julie Carmen was a very good choice for the sister of Jerry Dandridge but she doesn't have much to do and her character lacks humor. One thing that surprised me was the werewolf is played by Jonathan Gries--who was the wolfman in the Monster Squad.
Too bad it wasn't more focused but I have seen worse sequels.

 

[Jeffbert]

Shenandoah (1965) A Sothern land-owner wants nothing to do with the war between the States, until his youngest son (Phillip Alford) who, while fishing, found a Confederate cap floating along, and decided to wear it thereafter, is taken as a Confederate soldier by the Northerners.

Charlie Anderson (James Stewart) is that land-owner, who given he wants nothing to do with the war, nevertheless, gives his daughter in marriage to Sam (Doug McClure), a Captain in the Confederate Army. Also, knowing his son, age 16, is going around wearing that cap he found, which should, I think, have irked the dad, if not also he should have thought doing so was very foolish.

Spoiler

So, the boy being taken prisoner with actual Confederate soldiers, dad forsakes his farm, takes all but one of his other five sons, and goes out, hoping to talk to Union Officers and secure the boy's freedom. Failing that, he, stops the train transporting POWs Northward, releases all of them, and burns the train. Now he has acted as a Partisan a spy, a saboteur, given he and those with him wear no Confederate uniforms. Moreover, one of the Union Officers to whom he had spoken, and to whom he had identified himself, earlier, was on that train, and he foolishly allowed that man to leave peaceably.

...

Eventually, the boy escapes, and makes his way home. Happy ending. But here I am thinking what must eventually occur; the victorious Union will demand the lives of all those who wearing civilian clothes, engaged in activity reserved for uniformed soldiers.

As such, I must rate this film no more than 6/10.

 

[alexvss]

Killers of the flower moon (2023). The real story of the atrocities that happened with the Osage tribe--native Americans that found oil in their lands in the early 1900s.

Three and a half hours long, and it doesn’t feel long. Not a scene goes to waste and you’re never bored. Dialogue is on point.

The acting is also phenomenal, especially the performances of Lily Gladstone and Robert de Niro. De Niro’s acting is a no-brainer, but Gladstone just made her name as an actress with this movie. She’ll probably receive a lot of nominations and accolades. Leo di Caprio also delivers. That put, I didn’t like Jesse Plemon’s role very much. And I like to think it’s not his fault: it’s the writing of his character that I didn’t like.

Strongly recommended.

 

[KGeo777]

SCREAMTIME 1986 -- A UK horror anthology film with a New York wraparound story. I had seen it before, it is well-directed and acted but the stories are just terrible and without irony.