Nightmare USA Films Discussion Thread

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

The Demon Lover (1977)

The Demon Lover (AKA: Demon Master) is a surprisingly fun little entry into the satanic horror sub-genre.

The film centres around a group of impressionable teens who are members of a satanic cult headed by high priest Laval Blessing. One night whilst parting and drinking at Laval's 'castle' the group confronts Laval about his practices as leader, which ends up with them all walking out on him. However, you should never defy a high priest in a pact with Satan and who also has psycho-kinetic powers. Laval in a rage at his followers' abandonment conjures up a demon and uses his dark magical influence to insight his revenge.

The kills come thick and fast, and there was enough violent bloody kills, possession and manifestation effects along with plenty of cult iconography and chanting to keep me entertained throughout. A deep piercing electro score adds to the events nicely and the short running time means that the film never overstays its welcome.

Cheesy and a little OTT it may be, but The Demon Lover is also a hell of a lot of fun.

[Rondadoronron]

Dead and Buried – Gary Sherman (1981)

dead_and_buried_poster_01.jpgdead_and_buried_glc_01.jpg

Ernie: Welcome to Potters Bluff!


Dobbs: I was more than mildly insulted. Just because I'm a mortician she had the audacity to insinuate that I might have knowledge of the black arts!

Should not need much in the way of an introduction,and does go to show that there are some class acts in the book Nightmare USA.Pretty much a staple horror movie of the 80's video rental boom.My earliest memory of this film was seeing the Tv ads late at night for its initial cinema release.Then a few years later renting the video,Thorn/EMI I believe released it first.Since then its a film I have revisited many times and still find it a very UN-typical film considering the slasher craze was big at the time.
Screenplay written by Dan O'Bannon and directed by Gary Sherman (Raw Meat being another fav of mine) this is pretty much a flawless piece of horror fare (leaving aside it was originally intended as black comedy and some rather dubious gore SFX which were added later,although there are some really great effects by Stan Winston as well) this tale of resurrecting the dead in a wonderfully foggy and damp feeling seaside town is a creepy tale that has some great moments.
James Farentino as Dan Gillis is great as the local cop trying to solve the mystery,and there's a real feeling of paranoia , mistrust and dread as he gets closer to the secrets behind the missing bodies.Which leads us to Dobbs, the local coroner-mortician (Jack Albertson) who gives a magnificent eccentric performance.
Its a film which has an atmosphere and originality of its own that many have tried to duplicate but known have equaled,In fact there was no real need to gore the movie up,but hey that's what the audiences of the time wanted so that's what they got.And the opening scene of the photographer being burned alive while the culprits watch and film him is still I feel a memorable one and even today still shocking in its callousness.
Im sure most of you have seen this so im preaching to the converted,but its still a little underrated and deserves its cult status.

[PaulD]

This thread is utterly fab - gonna have to pick up a copy of Thrower's book when I get paid and will hopefully contribute to the thread.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by PaulD

This thread is utterly fab - gonna have to pick up a copy of Thrower's book when I get paid and will hopefully contribute to the thread.

You don't actually need the book to be able to contribute. I don't have it nor do i want it.

I have Bizarre_Eye, Ron et, al.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

The Demons of Ludlow (1983)

Bill Rebane's The Demons of Ludlow charts the revenge of a murderous Demon who inhabits a piano which has been brought out of storage by the townspeople of Ludlow in order to celebrate their bicentenary.

Immediately, the film brought to mind Carpenter's The Fog, what with the idyllic, isolated village community and its curse - that is fulfilled in this case when the piano is played.

However, unlike The Fog it is pretty much devoid of atmosphere and suspense. Rebane even ignores taking advantage of the beautiful local scenery to get some great location shots, and instead opts for plenty of overlong indoor scenes.

Whilst the film is fairly competently made and the re-occurring 'demon hand' effect is a nice touch, the overlong, predictable and sometimes dull bulk of the film takes its toll on the overall viewing experience. You can't help but feel that the film in a trimmed down form may have worked better as a anthology segment or that with a few minor tweaks could have been quite a bit better than it is.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Ludlow was the nadir of my early vhs collecting.

Back then it was boring to the point of

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Ludlow was the nadir of my early vhs collecting.

Back then it was boring to the point of

Yet it's still the best Rebane film I've seen thus far.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Yet it's still the best Rebane film I've seen thus far.

Check out Bill's "Blood Harvest" it has Tiny Tim in it. It is a fairly average rural slasher but Tiny Tim makes it into something else...

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

Check out Bill's "Blood Harvest" it has Tiny Tim in it. It is a fairly average rural slasher but Tiny Tim makes it into something else...

Despite the experiences I've had with Rebane's work so far, I may just do that.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Devil Times Five (1974)

A fairly effective and creepy 'killer kids' film, Devil Times Five deals with 5 sociopathic children who escape their psychiatric transportation and end up being taken in by some unwitting people who are holidaying nearby.

The children are able to lure the adults into a false sense of security with their feigned sweet and innocent behaviour before the film takes a darker turn and the crazed kids start dispatching their contemporaries in various creative and brutal fashions, but without losing their lighthearted and playful air, which makes it all the more disturbing and compelling.

The holidaying adults certainly have their own particular issues too, to the extent that when watching them perish at the hands of the psychotic children, you can't help but feel less than sorry for some of them.

Certainly a stand-out film in this particular sub-genre, Devil Times Five is a entertaining oddity that's worth checking out.