Nightmare USA Films Discussion Thread

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

Where's today's review B_E and it's twenty reposts and links scattered across the forum. The little MTDSs and I hunt the forum daily in a weird version of "Where's Wally" looking for them.

I watched something last night, but have not had time to throw together the remnants of a review yet. Hopefully later today

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

Where's today's review B_E and it's twenty reposts and links scattered across the forum. The little MTDSs and I hunt the forum daily in a weird version of "Where's Wally" looking for them.

Post of the day!!!

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Deadly Games (1982)

Keegan returns to her home town in order to try and solve her sister's murder. Whilst there, she herself narrowly escapes the same fate at the hands of the same killer. She then attempts to hatch a plan to discover who the killer may be, despite her and us knowing that it is between two Vietnam vets; one of whom is the town's sheriff, the other a local theatre proprietor.

Just another film in a long line of slasher films, there isn't much that makes Deadly Games stand out amongst the crowd, save for reoccurring board game playing and an ending that sort of leaves you hanging a little. There is a also a bit of a giallo vibe where the killer is concerned, whereby we are exposed to lingering close-up shots of the all in black clad and gloved killer, as well as plenty of heavy breathing and some pov shots.

Whilst hardly original Deadly Games is at least mildly entertaining, although it is victim to the usual overly padded script and poor acting; the lead in particular, who at first comes across as a little quirky, soon becomes an annoying waste of celluloid.

Deadly Games is certainly a mid to low tier entry into the sub-genre and is pretty unremarkable.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Demented (1980)

Despite a manic and brutal opening scene where our protagonist is cornered, attacked, and then gang raped in a stable by a group of men, the remainder of Demented unfortunately fails to live up to its opening montage.

The bulk of the film consists of Linda (Sallee Young) coping with her post-rape trauma via lots of unconvincing and dull dialogue exchanges with her slimy uncaring husband (played by Harry Reems) who is more interested in sneaking off to bed his mistress than tend to his wife's needs.

Linda's trauma begins to take the form of paranoia and apparent delusions, where she experiences masked figures breaking into the house to try and get her. Everyone dismisses these claims as nothing more than a symptom of her ordeal, and when taking into account the particular actress' poor delivery and unconvincingly annoying emoting throughout you wouldn't blame them.

However, it is in the third act where the film changes gear a little as these masked adolescents break-in with the intention of spooking and raping Linda... but something snaps inside her and she turns from unconvincing whiny rape victim into calculated killer, dealing out cool and collected vengeance on her tormentors.

Demented is a film which you really need to stick with to get the full benefit of, as despite an explosive opening and very tepid middle portion which drags a great deal, the final segment is certainly a welcome change in pace despite it being far from mind-blowing in the revenge department.

[Rondadoronron]

wizard_of_gore_poster_01.jpg

Montag the Magnificent: [to the theater audience] I am Montag, master of illusion! The fire of the laws of reason! A magician if you will. But then... what is a magician? A person who tears asunder your rules of logic and crumbles your world of reality so you can go home and say: "Oh what clever tricks he has. What a sly deceiver"... and go to sleep in the security of your own, real world.

Ive recently watched the blu ray of Herschell Gordon Lewis funky gore opus,and I have to say its an incredible experience,I doubt the cinema audience at the time never saw it in this hi-def quality.Never mind the gore effects looking even more splattery than before but Montag's moustache takes center stage as star attraction of this movie.I believe its his facial upper lip warmer that his power flows from,not only hypnotizing his audience but also putting the viewer of the film itself into some kind of trance.in fact the film does have a dreamlike or trance quality that gives it an other world quality.
Ray Sager as Montag the Magnificent is the Lawrence Olivier of the gore movie,his performance has to be seen to be believed ,he delivers every line with such conviction either that or he was off his tits at the time.
Another highlight is one of the victims outfits,the lady who has the gigantic hole punch put thru her stomach has the most amazing gaudy orange attire I have ever seen this side of a Slade concert,in fact im sure Noddy and the boys would of killed for such an eye catching outfit,still at least it matched her stomach intestines which flowed out of her.
Stilted dialogue and even more stilted camerawork with some great wooden acting are all part and parcel of the Herschell Gordon Lewis experience,I don't care because the dames are all hot and the guys suits are shineier than a lighthouse.And Herschell Gordon Lewis never flinches from showing the gory goods,he knows he can't deliver suspense or fear so opts for gross out and god bless him for that.
Another of my fave Lewis movies (by god I luvs them all I tell ya's) ,besides if it was a choice of an evening with Montag or that twonk David Blaine Im with Montag the Magnificent .

Montag the Magnificent: What is real? Are you certain you know what reality is? How do you know that at this second you aren't asleep in your beds dreaming that you are here in this theater? Ah, yes... it all seems too real. Well, haven't you ever had a dream that seems so very real... until you woke up? Then again, how do you know that you ever did wake up? In fact, perhaps when you thought you were waking up... you had actually just begun to dream! You see what I mean, don't you? All you lives... your pasts... your rules of what can or cannot be may all be part of one long dream from which you are about to awaken and discover the world as it really is!

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Great review, Ron.

The Wizard of Gore is one of my fav HGL flicks.

[Rondadoronron]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Great review, Ron.

The Wizard of Gore is one of my fav HGL flicks.

Have you set a time limit for your reviews? or are you just gonna wait till you can take no more asphyxiate yourself while wanking with a orange in your mouth?

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Rondadoronron

Have you set a time limit for your reviews? or are you just gonna wait till you can take no more asphyxiate yourself while wanking with a orange in your mouth?

I'm just going to keep on going. I can foresee the reviews maybe thinning out as I watch less Nightmare USA stuff and splice in other film fare to cater for my potential shifting viewing habits, but it's hard to tell really at the moment and will be completely dependent on my moods and amount of free time.

At this moment in time however, my mindset is to continue on with Napoleon costume on standby until I get through all the films I have yet to see (which is about another 200). I have had to skip a fair few so far due to certain issues (mainly unavailability) though so that will also effect things a little.

As for the last part to your query, that's just a regular Sunday night for me.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Trip With the Teacher (1975)

Four college girls are on a field trip with their teacher in the desert when their bus breaks down. Fortunately three bikers find them and offer to help them get to safety and their bus fixed. However things soon take a turn for the sleazy as the bikers harass the girls then assault the teacher, before towing the mini bus to a remote cabin and running over and murdering the driver before holding the girls hostage. How far should a teacher go to protect her students?

Famous for being one of sexploitation legend Zalman King's first features, Trip With the Teacher unfortunately gets a bit lost in the sea of sexploitation / horror / hostage films and pales in comparison with Last House on the Left, Last House on the Beach and House on the Edge of the Park among others, especially when you consider this films lack of those most exploitative elements - sex, nudity and violence.

The film itself is fine but nothing apart from King's deranged performance as Al the mad biker really stand out in this crowded genre, except the plot device of motorcyclists which together with the groovy seventies soundtrack somehow gives certain scenes an Easy Rider feel to them. This is more or less the film's main redeeming feature as it doesn't offer much in the way of dramatic tension or excitement, so if you own any of the films i've mentioned in these couple of paragraphs, you'd be far better watching them than this half hearted effort.

[Rondadoronron]

I wonder if your IQ will drop?