What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Frankie Teardrop]

RUNAWAY NIGHTMARE - Wow. Just wow. 'Runaway Nightmare' is amazing, and almost indescribable. Well, I can describe what happens in it, but I can't explain it. It makes narrative sense (sort of), but it's a film which lurks on the very threshold of sanity. Two 'worm farmers' are abducted by female cultists who live on a big ranch. The cultists decide to let their prisoners join them in their fight to retrieve some 'platinum' from the mobsters who stitched them up. But really, the whole thing is made up of people wandering about in a house saying and doing bizarre things. A vampire may or may not be involved (and might be just a painting, anyway). Yeah, it's that kind of movie. It took me a good thirty minutes to realise that this was all deliberate - at first it seemed like one of those lopsided gems whose weird charm is the result of total incompetence. There might be an element of that at work here, but 'Runaway Nightmare' is too consistent in tone and too referential (especially to film noir) to be a happy accident. I have to mention David Lynch. A lot of people get the Lynch out when they're trying to describe a strange cinematic atmosphere - it's often a lazy tactic, but I can see why people do it. Anyway, this actually does feel like a lost Lynch movie - it's practically the blueprint for the dislocated noir that characterised his work from Blue Velvet onwards. But this was made years before he started really doing that stuff. I'd put money on him seeing this and 'The Death Wish Club' before he made his post 'Dune' stuff. Anyway, 'Runaway Nightmare' is its own movie and is truly one of a kind. See it! Kudos to 'Vinegar Syndrome' for restoring both its print and its reputation, maybe now it'll become the cult classic it was surely destined to be.

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

RUNAWAY NIGHTMARE - Wow. Just wow. 'Runaway Nightmare' is amazing, and almost indescribable. Well, I can describe what happens in it, but I can't explain it. It makes narrative sense (sort of), but it's a film which lurks on the very threshold of sanity. Two 'worm farmers' are abducted by female cultists who live on a big ranch. The cultists decide to let their prisoners join them in their fight to retrieve some 'platinum' from the mobsters who stitched them up. But really, the whole thing is made up of people wandering about in a house saying and doing bizarre things. A vampire may or may not be involved (and might be just a painting, anyway). Yeah, it's that kind of movie. It took me a good thirty minutes to realise that this was all deliberate - at first it seemed like one of those lopsided gems whose weird charm is the result of total incompetence. There might be an element of that at work here, but 'Runaway Nightmare' is too consistent in tone and too referential (especially to film noir) to be a happy accident. I have to mention David Lynch. A lot of people get the Lynch out when they're trying to describe a strange cinematic atmosphere - it's often a lazy tactic, but I can see why people do it. Anyway, this actually does feel like a lost Lynch movie - it's practically the blueprint for the dislocated noir that characterised his work from Blue Velvet onwards. But this was made years before he started really doing that stuff. I'd put money on him seeing this and 'The Death Wish Club' before he made his post 'Dune' stuff. Anyway, 'Runaway Nightmare' is its own movie and is truly one of a kind. See it! Kudos to 'Vinegar Syndrome' for restoring both its print and its reputation, maybe now it'll become the cult classic it was surely destined to be.

Looking forward to seeing this, my copy landed the other day. Was going to watch it tonight but WITHOUT WARNING just landed on my doormat this mornig and i've been itching to see it again for quite some time.

[Frankie Teardrop]

Originally Posted by keirarts

Looking forward to seeing this, my copy landed the other day. Was going to watch it tonight but WITHOUT WARNING just landed on my doormat this mornig and i've been itching to see it again for quite some time.

I really hope you like it - I suspect you will. It's my film of the year so far, no doubt about it. Do a review of 'Without Warning' by the way, I'm trying to figure out whether I can afford it.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Nazi Zombie Death Tales (2012)

Harking back to the days of portmanteau horror Nazi Zombie Death Tales tells three stories about....well it's a fairly self explanatory title isn't it?

The first story Medal of Horror kicks things off superbly. A non combat soldier is sent behind German lines to rescue a general's daughter, kidnapped by the SS for their nefarious experiments.

Harriet's War is an interesting ghost story and Devils of The Blitz is a suspenseful tale of a woman trapped in a house during a blitz with something stalking her.

I thought Medal of Horror was the most fun, just as you think our cowardly hero is about to die at the hands of the zombie of Baron Von Richthofen, an ass kicking Japanese zombie pilot appears out of the sky and we are treated to a mad zombie brawl. I'm still laughing to myself as i type these words. Harriet's War is hampered by it's budgetary constraints but still has some striking imagery, and Devils of the Blitz probably comes off the best as it's a good old fashioned scare fest in a self contained easy to budget environment.

Three stories, short of budget but big in the ideas department. Especially in their creature design. Nazi Zombie Death Tales isn't for everyone, but is well worth taking a chance on for those who can appreciate micro budget fodder.

[Frankie Teardrop]

NIGHTMARE AT NOON - Thought I'd get in on the slight Mastorakis vibe that's been going on a bit recently (thanks Dem et al). I'm really glad I did - this is exploitation action trash gold. A township is besieged by some kind of US government biochem experiment (rather offensively embodied by Brion James as 'The Albibo') which results in the locals doing a sub-Romero 'Crazies' routine with added extra 'green blood'. Wings Hauser and some guys lead the fight back. I imagine that the average MTDS wet dream might contain slightly more 'blowing shit up' (together with some unspeakably cthulhoid roughieness), but yeah, shit does blow up. This is about all you'd want out of an eighties video rental pick up. In fact, it exemplifies things. The dregs of a thousand otherwise fruitless teenage nights in must have been sizzled, electrified and justified by this blizzard of meaninglessness. I'd go as far as to say that exactly that happened to me, once - but,... in a weird way, it's almost like this film doesn't exist - apart from in the imagination, as a projection of what this kind of film is supposed to be like. You know, they never pan out the way they're supposed to - but this one does. Typical, but so strangely unique, its own parallel world. This is what eighties trash was meant to be like. IT wasn't, but THIS is.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

You sound hooked Frankie.

You'll be gagging for more Mastorakis goodies come this time tomorrow. I can honestly say i've loved everything of his i've seen and there aren't many directors you can say that about.

[Frankie Teardrop]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

You sound hooked Frankie.

You'll be gagging for more Mastorakis goodies come this time tomorrow. I can honestly say i've loved everything of his i've seen and there aren't many directors you can say that about.

True dat

[trebor8273]

Horror express

Said it before one of my favourite horrors and the film that got me into horror, watch it 3 or 4 times a year. Cushing and Lee are on top form as usual. For me a classic, with tonnes of atmosphere and a great score. 10/10

Prom night 2 hello Mary Lou

Years since I have seen this all I could remember is that I thought it was a lot better than the first. Watching it again it is! This takes a more supernatural theme than the first as the character of Mary Lou able to possess people and has psychic powers. Some great deaths and scenes(the rocking horse is one). Over the top and very enjoyable will buy again if it gets a blu ray release. 9.5/10

Next up some Chucky fun

[Buboven]

Just finished A Lizard In A Woman's Skin. Despite very strong opening sequences this becomes increasingly disengaging. 5/10.

The trailer made it look a lot better than it actually is!

[keirarts]

Without warning.

A young David Caruso hooks his buddy up with his girlfriends best friend and they all head out to the middle of nowhere as teens are want to do in these types of films. Naturally their warned off by the creepy old sod at the gas station, here played by the legend Jack Palance, and naturally the warning does sod all good as Caruso is horny and looking for some outdoors fun with his lady.
Rather than the traditional drooling backwoods sociopath to contend with, theres something a little different out in this wilderness. An unseen alien force throwing what can only be described as 'spunky shuricans' at whoever happens to be wandering about. The shurican thingys are some sort of biological weapon that attach to whoever they hit and tentacles burrow through the skin in the kind of gloopy special effects mess that was popular at the time. Naturally the kids must try and avoid becoming victims, unlike the numerous other random folk wandering about including Cameron mitchell and a scenery chewing Martin Landau as a nutty veteran who seems to be inventing his own set of rules about the alien as the film progresses. We also get appearances from Neville brand and Ralph meeker.

The film is directed by Greydon Clark who also directed the nutty yet entertaining the return previously to this (and also recently issued on blu) and would also direct a personal favorite of mine WACKO, one of my favorite horror spoofs. The producer Daniel Grodnick (who is also one of the writers) also produced TERROR TRAIN the same year. While that was a big hit this film seems to have petered out with some bad reviews.

A shame as this is a ridiculous and schlocky piece of fun that is well worth a watch. It looks fantastic thanks to cinematography from Dean Cundy and the alien when it appears looks mental in a charming way. The dialogue is at times terrible with the now immortal line "aliens aint human you know" and the whole endevour is 90 minutes of fun that looks to have been completely stolen in places for PREDATOR!

Until now the film has been incredibly difficult to obtain. I'd seen the film previously on a dodgy VHS bootleg some many years ago and since then has been like rocking horse s***. Sadly its scream factory so region locked but if you can play it then you should buy it.


Finsihed up the night with A BOY AND HIS DOG, which looks phenomenal on blu-ray. The films itself is still a classic of the post apocalypse genre with a superb central performance from Don Johnson. Especially good to revist the commentary as L Q Jones is fantastic. Not only a legend in the field of acting but a first rate director as well. Lets not forget the talking dog as well or the underground colony of god fearing dystopian mimes.