Visceral Visions: The People Who Own The Dark

One of the elusive Paul Naschy films that I've wanted to see for a while now is the Leon Klimovsky directed Último Deseo, or The People Who Own The Dark, a post apocalyptic film shot in the seventies about a group of people trapped in a mansion as undead-like characters mill around outside.  Awesome news then (well, awesome minus one, as this is DVD only) that Code Red have just released the film to disc, with two versions contained therein.  Have ordered my copy straight away as it is limited to just 400 copies - already the scum profiteers have picked their copies up in order to resell on ebay at vastly inflated prices... Buy direct from Code Red and give your money to the guys who deserve it, not the profiteers!

*Update: You can read The Grim Cellar's review here.

Billy Liar

1963, UK, Directed by John Schlesinger
Black & White, Running Time: 98 minutes
Review Source: DVD, R1, Criterion; Video: Anamorphic 2.35:1, Audio: DD Mono

The original novel of Billy Liar, written by Keith Waterhouse, earned notable critical commendation on its release in 1959 prior to its adaptation as a stage play (co-written between the book’s author and Willis Hall). During its initial West End run it was Albert Finney who played the lead role of Billy Fisher, bringing a wider audience to the production as Saturday Night And Sunday Morning (also starring Finney) became a big hit. Finney's departure opened up a slot in the play for Tom Courtenay, an actor who would attract some acclaim for his part in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner before securing himself the part of Billy again for the movie adaptation of Billy Liar. The film’s narrative wasn’t too far removed from its literary counterpart: Fisher works at a funeral parlour in an administrative capacity while dreaming of greater things, particularly becoming an author of either comedy scripts or novels, whilst allowing his love life to become an increasingly tangled mess. He also has a tendency to fabricate the truth to others as his imagination runs largely unrestrained in addition to the apparent ongoing requirement for such manipulation to cover up his proclivity towards laziness and almost accidental dishonesty, for example his failure to post a batch of calendars on behalf of his employers leading to the absorption of the postal money into his own pocket. The story effectively snapshots one day in his life as he awakens one morning before work (his parents having great difficulty actually getting him up and on his way), endures the short working day before handing in his notice to take up the script-writing job that hasn’t quite made it to reality, tries to sort out the periodic incidents of difficulty with his multiple girlfriends, goes to a dancehall in the evening where a number of problems inconveniently collide, and makes a decision to head off to London with his favoured woman, Liz, at the end of the day after his gran dies.

There are a fantastic array of characters that either get in Billy’s way throughout, or become antagonised by his inconsistent ability to be honest: his mother and father for starters, the latter almost constantly shouting at the lad or doubting his ability to do anything, something which might have instigated Billy’s all-thought-no-action approach to life. At work we then meet his best mate, Arthur Crabtree (Rodney Bewes), who Billy ends up arguing with after telling a lie to Arthur’s mom, and beyond that there is Barbara, Rita, and Liz (Julie Christie), Billy’s three antithetical girlfriends. Barbara is an uptight virgin who won’t let Billy even touch her until they’re married, Rita is the promiscuous tart who’s relentlessly squawking and nagging him, primarily about the engagement ring that she doesn’t know is actually on Barbara’s finger, and finally Liz is the girl who likes to drift between towns, refusing to pin herself down to a place she cannot identify with. In most respects Liz is the girl most suited to Billy’s unpredictable strategy for dealing with life’s more mundane details, someone who similarly uses her imagination to free herself from the constraints of a humdrum existence. One crucial difference manifests itself as the separating factor between Billy and Liz however, and that’s the fact that Liz acts on her impulses while Billy doesn’t, and it’s that issue that will ultimately determine the outcome of their relationship - at least on the day focused on by the story. Billy’s daydreams are given life by cinema: reality is punctuated by episodes of mental wanderings as Billy imagines himself in a plethora of situations adopting roles preferable to that which he has to endure on a daily basis, from a surviving war veteran, to a reformed prisoner-cum-successful author, with the inhabitants of his ‘real’ life often making an appearance somewhere (spot Liz alongside him in one of his early fantasies before we’ve even met her, suggesting that she has a relevant part to play in his ideologies). These episodes don’t tend to be my favourite pieces in the film, however. What rises the film to a higher plane is the ongoing complexity of Billy’s relationships, these giving rise to beautiful moments of drama. The characters throughout appear to have their own agenda, merely getting caught up in Billy’s confused world where fact and fiction aren’t mutually exclusive concepts, and most of these characters are granted life by the astounding talents of a well selected cast. Whilst this film would most likely be categorised as a ‘drama’ it’s not without its frequent moments of amusement as Billy progresses from one awkward situation to the next and even when his gran dies the film refuses to get bogged down too much in melancholy. Hence Billy Liar remains an uplifting experience every time, featuring people whose actions can be scrutinised, dialogue that is fascinating despite familiarity granted over repeat viewings, and a gorgeous Northern ‘kitchen-sink’ appeal throughout. Stripped of glamour, but not beauty, Billy Liar is one of the greatest triumphs of sixties British cinema, and almost certainly one of the greatest irrespective of era or geographical origin.

Stamping on the old pan & scan video cassettes and TV broadcasts that we had to put up with in the distant past, Criterion’s DVD presented the film accurately representing its CinemaScope ratio (the 4:3 transfers were simply awful). It’s a decent looking image that could nowadays be improved I suspect, but is satisfying nonetheless. An informative commentary from the director, Courtenay and Christie accompanies a 15 minute TV featurette that focused on Billy Liar and another of Schlesinger’s earlier films, A Kind of Loving. Hardly in-depth but the package is rounded out by excellent liner notes by Bruce Goldstein, the founder of the company (Rialto) that rescued Billy Liar to provide a theatrical re-release 35 years after it was made. The British DVD lost the majority of the bonuses but obviously came in a lot cheaper. This disc/film remains one of the most valued entities of my movie shelves.

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

1998, US, Directed by Danny Cannon
Colour, Running Time: 100 minutes
Review Source: Blu-ray, Region B, Sony; Video: 2.39:1 1080p 24fps, Audio: Dolby TrueHD

Hard to believe that this was released a decade and a half ago, give or take a little.  I Know What You Did Last Summer was of course a big hit in cinemas, blazing hot in the smoke left by Scream, and you'd think the success had been preempted considering the speed with which this sequel was rushed into production.  Abandoning logic from the starting line, the second movie has Julie James consistently plagued by nightmares about Mr Fish-hook himself, Ben Willis.  Lucky for her then that she is invited on a trip to the Bahamas when her friend wins a radio competition.  Asking her old flame Ray along she eventually pairs up with the more geeky Will when Ray, unbeknown to her, runs into a little accident on his way to warn them of the terrors to come.  Arriving at the remote island they're rather perturbed to discover it's close of season (no wonder they were giving the f**ker away) and they're pretty much the only holiday (and love) makers there, aside from the resident drug dealer, hotel owner, and one or two other pieces of cannon fodder for later.  Not only that, it's just entering the rainy season and an endless streak of bad weather (not unlike what we're currently experiencing here as part of the UK's wonderful summer) hits the island, plus exit boats are cancelled.  Not only that, but Willis appears to have returned from the dead, fish-hook and raincoat intact, and this guy is real pi**ed at everyone.

Initial opinion of the sequel wasn't good and, looking at general online opinions now, it still isn't!  I watched it first of all via a TV broadcast about ten years ago, and I concurred with what I'd previously heard at that point.  Anyway, the Blu-ray was going fairly cheap online, and having picked up the US Blu-ray of the first film a couple of years ago (it's not, at time of writing, available on Blu in the UK for mysterious reasons) and finding it a source of primal enjoyment, I quite fancied checking this out again.  The film is riddled with cliché, a factor which once upon a time repelled me.  The teens are quite typical of the slasher arena, and every one of them is so corny they almost deserve to be blasted off into space.  The bad boy here is also a cut and paste job, copycatting anything from Halloween to Friday The 13th Part... whatever.  Strangely, however, what I found on this viewing was that the film goes down extremely well with several glasses of spirit: I haven't had so much fun watching a film for ages!  It's difficult to know with certainty whether they were serious when producing this nutball killer-stalks-good-looking-teens outing, but my suspicions that tongues were actually in cheeks were roused by the appearance of Jack Black as a white drug dealer who thinks he's black (still a twerp here, but an loosely amusing twerp for a change) and, more resolutely, Jeffrey Combs (Re-animator himself) appearing as the hotelier - very funny, particularly as the teen characters are all obliviously taking seriously a man we know is there for subtle laughs.  And of course, Jennifer Love Hewitt looked as hot as a branding iron back in these days, and she adorns an array of skimpy, tight-fitting outfits throughout (oddly, and frustratingly, retaining her bikini even whilst taking a sunbed - what, does she want tan lines?!?).  Add to this a bit of gore and some potty but enticing suspense sequences, this is a fun ride from start to finish, and well executed at that.  Whether I could say the same while sober could be another matter.

What's not quite so pleasing as Love Hewitt's shape and everything around it is this Blu-ray presentation - a very lazy disc from Sony.  The image is certainly colourful but rarely does it remind the viewer of a high definition transfer, not often rising much beyond standard definition in fact.  There is a softness throughout that makes this feel like a lost opportunity, particularly given the exotic cinematography and locations on display.  Conversely, the audio track is knockout, and possibly a step up from the DVD I would imagine.  Extras are absolutely pitiful: we get a crap music video of Love Hewitt embarrassing herself as a wannabe pop star, attempting to emulate every other boring modern pop video I've ever had the misfortune of catching; we get a two or three crap trailers; finally we get one of those pi**awful EPK things - five minutes of people talking sh*t, intercut with anything remotely exciting from the film we've just sat through.  The BD for the first film was much better, and more satisfying all round.  My advice: if you haven't got I Still Know... but want it, pick up the Blu-ray because the picture will be marginally better and the audio track is good demo stuff; if you have got the film on DVD, I hate to say it but it's probably not worth upgrading to this disc unless you can get it dirt cheap (at the same time as getting rid of your DVD for a roughly equivalent price...).

Teenage Wasteland: The Slasher Movie Uncut

2010, Author: J A Kerswell, Publisher: New Holland, Softcover, 208 pages

In case you didn't hazzard a guess at the topic based on the title, this tome is a study of the history of slasher movies, taking the reader through the beginnings and influences on the movement right up to whatever was going on around 2008/9 (unfortunately just missing out on Scream 4).  The read takes us right back to the beginnings of cinema through to the likes of The Old Dark House, Peeping Tom and a few others that led up to the real birth of the slasher (IMO) in Psycho.  It wisely whisks us on tours of the German krimi films, and of course the Italian giallo on route before taking time to consider what the Brits and Americans had to offer (including the film before its time, Black Christmas) before the modern version as we know it today was born in the Shape (sorry) of Halloween.  At this point it proceeds year by year along what is considered to be the Golden Age: chapters devoted individually to each year from '78 to '84.  Brief stops are made on the journey to focus a little on what was happening outside of America, before returning to take a more detailed look at the video age (where this type of film lingered on after box office had slowed down considerably) and the whole revival thing that Scream was effectively responsible for.  It concludes with short individual reviews of seminal pieces, which could serve as a 'tick-off' list for newcomers (if you're not a newcomer, you've probably seen all or most of these anyway).

I wouldn't say I'm the greatest fan of this kind of movie, though I do have appreciation for the likes of Halloween and My Bloody Valentine.  Occasionally, if in the mood, this stuff can go down well (and let's face it, who doesn't want to see most irritating teens of the present generation 'get' it one way or another...) - I have a soft spot for I Know What You Did Last Summer, especially when the young Love Hewitt appears in frame, while the deeper and significantly nastier Maniac is a big favourite.  Generally though there are inherent limitations that can instigate boredom more often than not - this stuff goes through the motions and clichés pretty much like nothing else out there.  In light of that, the book makes for a reasonable pick-up over the course of a couple of weeks, its primary problem being a reflection of the very thing that it's talking about: repetition.  Once the history side of the text is over and done with, it winds up going through a routine with most of the films it looks at, which is: brief mention of plot such as masked or pissed off killer knocking off various (usually) teenage victims, before outlinging the box office takings as an indicator of how well it was received (unfortunately neglecting often to think about comparisons between how it was perceived at the time to how it is generally considered nowadays, but then this is probably supposed to be more of a historical approach).  I perhaps think that a film guide (i.e. chronological listings of films containing cast/crew/technical details alongside synopses and other titbits) may have worked better.  The writer does cover a lot, including quite a few pieces that I wasn't previously familiar with, although often he strangely neglects to opine in depth, opting instead to use (as aforementioned) the box office figures to demonstrate whether the film was really worthwhile or not.  And let's face it, who can trust the general public to pick out a great exploitation flick!  The other niggle I must mention - and something like this would be difficult for anyone to avoid given the limited focus - is the excessive use of the words 'slasher' and 'subgenre', something that occurs pretty much every paragraph and once you become aware of it you can't help but become a little distracted!  Perhaps it's just me...

Anyway, the book is colourful (perhaps too colourful - some of the schemes I suspect would be awkward for dyslexia sufferers), pleasantly laid out, and filled with fantastic film and video posters throughout, which is possibly the most attractive aspect of the book from my point of view.  The front/rear covers also fold open to reveal further imagery of interest.  The prose is fairly easy going, even if not especially stylish (hey, I can't talk, but this guy's getting paid for it - I aint!), and this makes for a book that you will likely want on your shelf if you have at least half a passion for the much loved/loathed stalk n' slash genre.  Note this review is based on the UK edition - it has also since been released stateside with the somewhat less 'cryptic' title of 'The Slasher Movie Book', just in case Americans wouldn't be able to figure out the contents based on the original moniker...

From Hell To Your Machine: Universal Monster Movies

One of my favourite DVD acquisitions over the years has been the Universal monster movie legacy set - with the busts of Bela Lugosi/Dracula, Lon Chaney Jnr/Wolf Man, and Boris Karloff/Frankenstein's creature visible through the transparent frontage, it looks absolutely cool on the film shelf.  Well finally Universal are putting out a package in the US of some of these films on Blu-ray in October of this year.  Containing Dracula (both the English language and South American versions), Frankenstein, Bride of..., The Mummy, Invisible Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon (in 3D believe it or not, allowing it to be seen as in its original theatrical projection so many decades ago), The Wolf Man, and Phantom of the Opera the nine film set is spread over eight BDs and comes with a 48 page book, plus there are plentiful extras (looking like they've been culled from the earlier DVDs).  Whilst this is very exciting, and the idea of seeing such classics as the Whale movies and Dracula mastered in full HD is positively mouth-watering, admittedly I've never been so bothered about the Creature... movie and Phantom..., although the idea of seeing the fifties monster movie in its native 3D (of course transferred for modern Real 3D technology) is interesting.  I would like to see some of the Dracula and Frankenstein sequels make it to Blu.  There is a similar boxed set coming out in the UK (1st October), which contains all of the above films including the Spanish Dracula, and very reasonably priced it is for pre-order.  Seems some of these are also getting individual Blu-ray releases in the UK around the same time.

On a related note, and similarly positive, is Universal's decision to release the spoofy but surprisingly effective Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein on Blu at the end of August, to include a featurette and commentary, plus DVD/Digital Copy of the film.  Of course this was previously released in the UK on DVD as part of a huge boxed set devoted to the duo, and on an individually available disc where it was coupled with the inferior ...Meet The Mummy.  Great disc nevertheless.

*Update: Universal are also releasing in the UK a limited edition Coffin Box of the above 8 disc set on Blu-ray, also on October 1st.  Looks pretty good.

From Hell To Your Machine: Black Sunday

As previously mentioned here, Redemption/Kino are exhuming Black Sunday for a restored Blu-ray release on September 18th.  This was, if I recall, the first video cassette I bought by the fledgling UK company back in the 90s, and the film grew on me to a point, around the turn of the millennium, where I decided not to watch it again.  Not because I had gotten bored with it; quite the opposite.  The dubbing drove me nuts, plus it was nastily cropped to fullscreen.  So I had the plan to wait until a version true to its source appeared on DVD - Image put out a nice edition in the early days of the digital format as part of their 'Mario Bava Collection', which was widescreen, but still dubbed in English!  It has also since been released by Anchor Bay as part of a boxed set, and very close to being definitive was a release in Italy by RHV (Ripley Home Video), which actually contained the Italian language track... BUT no English subtitles!!!  It also had a second disc of extras, and restored some previously lost footage to the film.  Here's hoping that Redemption have done their homework and get this one truly right.  They will also be putting out a double of Lisa and the Devil with both cuts so things look promising on the Bava front.

Prometheus

2012, US, Directed by Ridley Scott
Colour, Running Time: 124 minutes
Review Source: Cinema screening; Image: 2.35:1, Redcode RAW 3D (Digital)

So, was this film supposed to be a sequel to the Alien series? A prequel? Something vaguely related? Or something with nothing at all to do with the acid-blood monsters from the outer regions of the cosmos? Amidst the pre-release hype I began to lose track, thus - interested in the latest Ridley Scott sci-fi project either way - I stopped watching the trailers (which tend to show too much in my opinion) and finally sat back to enjoy a film whose direction I wasn't entirely sure of. To keep the plot down to spoiler-free level I would relay to potential viewers the following details: Towards the end of the 21st century two anthropologists have found further evidence in cave paintings that suggests ancient knowledge of planetary coordinates in the galaxy that could link mankind to his creator. Several years on and an intergalactic science mission is funded to determine the validity of the evidence - a long distance trip to another world aboard 'Prometheus'; in simple terms, a quest to meet the maker. Coming out of a two year hyper sleep, an exploratory expedition across the world's landscape does indeed reveal remains of alien activity on the surface (and beneath), however, the findings prove to be increasingly threatening and not quite as expected.

The opening minutes actually take place on a windswept alien domain and mysteriously set up a taster for what's to come: a humanoid consumes a compound that breaks down and transforms his genetic structure as a spacecraft takes off for the stars. This sequence combined with what follows epitomises what science fiction is all about in my eyes: it reinstates a sense of wonder about the future, the undiscovered universe, and its multitude of theoretically inhabitable planets. It creates such a tangible environment (no doubt helped along by the 3D projection - more on that below) that your consciousness is drawn into the world devised by the artists; you want to be a part of it. Despite the fact that it's a decidedly hostile terrain that is. There are some mutterings about this being a limited story, and that may be the case, but what it might lack in narrative complexity (which, as far as I'm concerned, isn't a cinematic pre-requisite anyway) it makes up for in wonderment and the sheer scope of its core concept. And to not be interested in such a concept - the question of mankind's origins (evolution is still only theory after all) - would require a head made of wood. Aside from the vastness of the question it asks, and partly attempts to answer, there are many science fiction trappings present and accounted for here, including the Alien series favourite, the inclusion of a human-like robot as part of the crew. Ironically, Michael Fassbender's android character is possibly the most fascinating out of the otherwise human crew - while his 'peers' are in hyper sleep he spends his months educating himself on human history. Essentially he's trying to find out as much as possible about his creators, just as they are about theirs. There are many more imaginative ideas revolving around technology (for example, the brilliant levitating reconnaissance devices that progressively build a holographic three dimensional map of any structure they're released in), the abundance of which endangers the focus of the film itself admittedly. Unlike many of today's Hollywood products, the characters aren't excessively dislikable (even the hard-hearted ship's commander played by Charlize Theron doesn't irritate like it should) and Noomi Rapace, who plays what is arguably the film's anchoring character, is refreshingly imperfect. The question you may be asking is, how does this film tie in to the Alien franchise? It's one I won't answer as I think this journey is far more rewarding when embarked upon without prior notice of what's likely to happen. I will, however, state that the final moments sent a cold chill through my nervous system: this is one film where I actually want there to be a sequel. It's pleasing to see Ridley Scott once again reshaping the science fiction genre, as he has on a couple of prominent occasions before.

Viewing this film as a digital 3D projection in a suitably advanced cinema is an incredibly gratifying experience (for the record I saw this at Birmingham's amazing Giant Screen, formerly branded as Imax) - the visuals and special effects of Prometheus are second to none, the planet and surrounding space created with inspiring design and realisation. A convincing landscape is made all the more so with the stunning addition of a natively shot third dimension (notably superior to a recent screening at the same cinema of the post-processed Avengers Assemble - or just Avengers to those outside England). With a potent surround mix this is a satisfyingly enveloping experience, one that should leave you walking out of the cinema feeling thrilled and in awe of what has been achieved here. This is something that is all too uncommon these days. Highly recommended as a cinema viewing, though I'll be in the queue for the Blu-ray too without a doubt.

The Dead

2010, UK, Directed by Howard J Ford, Jonathon Ford
Colour, Running Time: 105 minutes
Review Source: Blu-ray, Region B, Anchor Bay; Video: 1.78:1 1080p 24fps, Audio: Dolby TrueHD

There was a time when I was an obsessive zombie movie fan, tracking down just about anything on tape (this was the nineties by btw) where the flesh-devouring (or not) dead might be using up even a small amount of screen time. My obsession faded just prior to the time the phenomenon began taking off in a more commercial manner resulting in a proliferation of related movies to the point of saturation, and nowadays I specifically avoid anything containing walking cadavers. I recently broke the habit and picked this one up, however, as there were a few opinions that suggested it could stand out from the horde. Opening sequence is really promising: a shrouded man walks across an African desert; he looks dazed and exhausted by the heat (and whatever else he's had to face in the preceding hours). A reanimated corpse wanders by, attracted to living tissue, its near-severed leg barely carrying the weight above. The unperturbed man avoids it and carries on his journey, using his gun sparingly as he encounters more of The Dead. The days leading up to this situation are then recounted for the viewer: an outbreak of an unspecified infection has escalated the existing militaristic chaos in Africa, and the aforementioned survivor, Brian Murphy - an engineer for the U.S. forces - is on the last aircraft to make an escape attempt as bodies everywhere come back to life with a hunger for humankind. The plane goes down though, just off the coast, and Murphy has to retreat back to land amidst constant threat from the corpses that seem drawn to anything with warm blood. He finds an old car and gets the thing working again before taking off in search of another way out. Amidst altercations with walking corpses he picks up an African soldier, Sgt Dembele, the two reluctantly becoming friends on the adopted expedition of travelling to an airbase in the case of the American, whilst looking for the son of the African.

The plot is thin, but that seems to go with the territory in this subgenre - it's all about survival in the face of a relentless, fearsome enemy that is effectively a dead version of ourselves. The fact that death has become manifest is not enough though, as the sheer volume makes the problem ever more potent (indeed, with Earth's population reaching ridiculous levels, the idea of all living people eventually turning involuntarily to the opposing side poses an astronomical threat to remaining survivors). It could be argued that the plot is too thin: sometimes Murphy would appear to be heading from one encounter with reactivated corpses to another, the idea that he becomes aware of an airbase a couple of hundred miles away being of little significance to storyline depth. But, as I say, this goes with the territory; any random selection of the subgenre classics - Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Zombi II, etc. - is not likely to be especially different. What is apparent, in this era of super-slick film-making, is that this film does not appear to be aiming for über-cool style. Murphy himself is a middle aged guy of intelligence, but not one who would stand out in any crowd. He is, by his own admission, just trying to survive. He's not trying to show off to his unseen audience - there are no slow-mo shots (and thankfully shaky cam is kept to what it's best for - the action scenes - rather than being irresponsibly adopted to depict just about anything including someone drinking a cup of tea, as often seems to be the case in cinema/TV nowadays), no flashy poses, and no one-liners. In light of all this, the films feels all the more realistic. If there was a zombie apocalypse then it would probably be like this. The final act is rendered in a powerful splat of hopelessness, resulting in a shiver running through the nerves - the likes of which I've not experienced watching a zombie film for a very long time.

The film is executed in a technically proficient manner, with strong gore effects, some pleasing landscape photography, and a handful of well orchestrated scare sequences. The Blu-ray itself is fairly average - the image is certainly good (it looks like it was shot digitally, but the imdb says otherwise) filling a widescreen TV (or projected image in my case), while the high resolution audio track is excellent: the atmospherics of the African wilderness really draw you in, coupled with an outstanding score by Imran Ahmad (making aggressive use of all five/six speakers). But those seeking extras will be disappointed to find a measly deleted scene, a poxy four minute featurette, and an audio commentary (all the same as the US disc if you think looking elsewhere will yield rewards). Not having enough time to go through the extras I already have for other films I'm not majorly concerned about this, but it does suggest lack of effort/interest on the part of Anchor Bay, who released it both here in the UK and the US. For a film that feels quite different from the norm (mainly due to the unusual location, à la District 9) with a couple of affecting central performances, and creepy, older fashioned slow-moving corpses, The Dead is certainly a dramatic, involving example of the genre that you might want to check out on Blu-ray (or DVD if you still haven't made the HD jump).

Two Evil Eyes

1990, US/Italy, Directed by George A Romero, Dario Argento
Colour, Running Time: 120 minutes
Review Source: Satellite Broadcast; Video: 1.78:1, Audio: Stereo

When it was announced back in the late eighties that George Romero and Dario Argento - who had previously collaborated to legendary effect on Dawn of the Dead - were to re-unite in the production of a horror based on the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, fans were understandably excited.  Neither were considered particularly to be in decline at that point.  Most recently Romero had bestowed the world with the wonderful Day of the Dead - okay, not well received upon initial release it would later go on to be appreciated and understood as a great piece of cinema by many - and the pretty decent Monkey Shines, a fairly original and engaging take on the man-vs-animal sub genre.  Meanwhile Argento had experimented with crossing the supernatural with his forte, the giallo, to materialise with some success Phenomena, soon drifting back into stylish giallo territory for Opera.  Not only that but the guys were bringing along special effects master Tom Savini (who'd worked on the last couple of Dead films at that point, amongst many other fine examples of the genre).  What the hell could go wrong?  Well, how about almost everything?  The film was a disappointment of the highest order, but it lingered around on video for years, then DVD from the likes of Anchor Bay (and more recently Arrow, whose disc strangely split the film into two distinct options from the menu rather than allowing viewing of the movie in its intended entirety), while nowadays it's available from Blue Underground on what looks to be a well produced Blu-ray.  Years after that initial drop in enthusiasm (I caught it on video rental around '92) I'd considered buying it a few times, thinking that it couldn't have been as boring as I originally remembered.  A recent satellite broadcast gave me the opportunity to check it out again without risking a few quid...

Comprised of two adaptations of Poe stories, Romero takes on the first - 'The Facts in the Case of Mr Valdemar', about a scheming wife and her illegitimate lover who are more than a little interested in the woman's dying husband's vast fortune.  Allowing the old codger to die prematurely before the legal issues have been ironed out they cart the body down into the (grim) cellar where a handy chest freezer becomes the poor guy's home for the next few days.  What they don't expect is to hear his whining voice haunting them from beyond the grave, followed by his eventual lumbering awakening as his corpse is apparently controlled by dark spirits in a quest for vengeance.  This opening story, stretching out its bareness to around an hour, is seat-fidgetingly boring.  The cast, crew, and eventual editor (Pasquale Buba, who surprisingly had previously edited the much more efficient Day of the Dead) appear to be in a trance-like state, and I hate to say but Romero's direction exhibits none of the drive that had previously been evident in virtually everything from Night of the Living Dead onwards.  None of the characters are likable, which doesn't help the maintenance of viewer consciousness, and even a handful of superior gore effects from Savini cannot save this piece.  The near ubiquitous scoring becomes infuriating, implemented in a distinctly unprofessional manner, and the whole thing smells like a bad TV movie.  An increase in pace, sparing use of a score composed by someone else, along with a substantial reduction in running time could have resulted in an improved film all round.

The second story is based (again, loosely) on 'The Black Cat', and directed with more flair by king of the roving camera, Argento.  A flamboyant artist is repeatedly bugged by the black cat that his partner has let into their apartment - no matter what he does he can't get rid of the persistent moggie.  Following the butchering of his partner the artist walls her into a concealed section of their home, but getting away with murder will be cast under the shadow of a meddling cat... The centre performance by Harvey Keitel is suitably angry, and pushes this one a bit closer to 'entertainment' than Romero's segment ever got.  Argento also displays a touch of style here and there (e.g. the pendulum perspective in the opening minutes), reminding us of the presence of an auteur.  Aside from similar issues with the music and to a lesser extent the overall pace, the main problem is probably caused by the first story - by the time the second one kicks off the viewer is already bored to hell and not especially interested in anything that the screen might throw at them next.  I get the impression that each director was granted an hour time slot and they possibly had to fill it regardless, and with threadbare materials this was always going to result in a slow lumbering blob of a film.  The fact that neither director has managed to put out much worth a damn since Two Evil Eyes also suggests that both had in fact begun their decline into mediocrity around this point, a factor entirely symbolised by the effect (or lack thereof) of this film.  I'm glad I saved my money.

Upcoming stuff (Shout Factory etc)

Shout Factory look like becoming one of the forerunners in Blu-ray exploitation: it's been a while since their line of Roger Corman B movies arrived (a great selection that included Forbidden World and Galaxy of Terror) but new announcements under its 'Scream Factory' brand include (note that this is all in the US territory, and they may be region locked as were the former Corman discs) Halloween II and Halloween III Season of the Witch (haven't seen this for nearly twenty years) special editions in September, with audio commentaries and featurettes on each disc, plus both containing limited edition posters in the first 500 copies (surprisingly II also contains an additional disc - DVD - of a rarely seen television version of the movie).  Beyond that they will be bringing John Carpenter's They Live to Blu (let's hope they pick up Prince of Darkness too), the slasher crazed Terror Train (something I'll be picking up), Tobe Hooper's pretty decent Funhouse (already got the Arrow of this one), Phantasm II (the rights to this series in the US are spread all over the place, so a boxed set seems unlikely - still cherish my old Anchor Bay UK DVD set), and one of Wes Craven's boring flicks - Deadly Blessing.  There are a couple of other minor titles to be released in the same series: The Island (Peter Benchley's 1980 pirates-on-a-mysterious-island film rather than Michael Bay's slicker science fiction action ride) and the 1982 serial killer-stalking-mother/boyfriend/son film Death Valley.  Shout are to be commended for digging up some of the less likely stuff for HD restoration, that's for sure!

I'm hoping to catch Prometheus at Birmingham's Giant Screen (formerly branded as an IMAX cinema) in the next couple of weeks, but pre-orders are being taken for various editions of this over at Amazon.com already (nothing on Amazon UK as yet).  It was of course shot in 3D (as the film world goes kinda 3D crazy) so there'll be all sorts of permutations on this one.  On the subject of Ridley Scott Bladerunner is being released (US again) in a 45th anniversary incarnation - I thought my five disc f**king set was the ultimate edition!  Anyway, upgrades on the previous set appear to be minor in disc content at the moment (though the book packaging looks kinda nice).

Remember Riccardo Freda?  He was part of the golden age Italian Gothic horror movement, being involved as he was with the direction of I Vampiri (which appeared towards the end of the fifties) and The Ghost.  One of his most notorious films has never been properly available on disc: The Terror of Dr Hichcock, with Barbara Steele in a pretty classic Gothic tale of the supernatural and suggested necrophiliac lust.  There is an Italian only disc on the Medusa label, and I believe there was a lacking DVD of the short version floating around the US from a company called Video Dimensions.  I used to own the UK Stablecane video cassette before selling it as VHS effectively died at the end of the nineties, and have been eagerly awaiting a decent digital release of this ever since.  Well it could be on the horizon, but who has picked it up?  Bloody Mya Communication, the company with so many interesting films in their roster, almost all of which have been pretty roughly treated.  And with those guys we may as well forget about a Blu-ray.  Oh well, be thankful for small blessings - looks like forking out a lot of money for substandard product... (I hope I'm proved wrong).