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Dear Fred:
I recently
discovered your site and was enthusiastic, being a TRUE fan of horror
films and a contributor for several genre magazines. I was a French
correspondent for Famous Monsters of Filmland in the early Sixties
and co-founded the French mag "L'Ecran Fantastique" in 1969
and one of the organizers of the annual Paris Festival of Horrorand
SF Films from 1972 to early 1980's.
You are
ABSOLUTELY RIGHT in your speculation that MY BROTHER HAS BAD DREAMS
is an alternate title for Robert J. Emery's SCREAM BLOODY
MURDER...but the story is complicated.
About twenty
years ago I met Michael Weldon in Paris during one of his trips in
Europe and told him what follows about this film. But apparently he
forgot my explanations, or didn't understand what I said (in my
broken English) and in his book PSYCHOTRONIC VIDEO he published
totally wrong credits/synopsis under his entry for SCREAM BLOODY
MURDER. In fact he melted TWO DIFFERENT FILMS in the entry.
Following is
the explanation...
In 1972 a film
by the title of SCREAM
BLOODY MURDER was shown at the Cannes Festival Market. It was
directed by Marc B. Ray and starred Fred Holbert, Leigh Mitchell, and
Angus Scrimm (under his true name of Rory Guy) in an early role. It
was very bloody. The next year, 1973, it was re-presented at the Film
Market in a cut version renamed CAPTIVE FEMALE. Later, it was
released on video in France as "Le Manchot" (literally
"The One-Arm Man"). But, the same year 1973, ANOTHER
picture called SCREAM BLOODY MURDER was also presented at the Cannes
Market. It was directed by Robert J. Emery and starred Nick Kleinholz
III, Marlena Lustik, and Paul Vincent. After his Cannes showing, this
film apparently totally disappered from the Earth's surface. For
years I tried to locate this second SCREAM BLOODY MURDER, without
success - and, as I told you, the fact that the PSYCHOTRONIC BOOK
melted the two films in one was another problem, as many other film
writers simply recopied the false informantion for their own
"reference" books.
Then, some
years ago, the second SCREAM BLOODY MURDER re-surfaced under a new
title, MY BROTHER HAS
BAD DREAMS. Even if the first one was presented in Cannes Film
Market one year before the second film, BOTH were produced the same
year (1972) in the same country, and with the same title!!!
But the story
doesn't stop here. The Marc B. Ray's SCREAM BLOODY MURDER (aka
CAPTIVE FEMALE) was based on a screenplay by Marc B. Ray and Larry
Alexander. The following year, 1973, an apparently similar story by
the same writers was used (and credited) for a film called THE
SEVERED ARM directed by Thomas S. Alderman!!!
Well, I think
the problem is solved now...
Sincerely,
Jean-Claude
Michel
Hi Fred,
I first saw HARDGORE
at a Times Square grindhouse back in the mid-70s and
the print that was screened credited the director as Michael Hugo.
The only reason
I noted the director at the time was because it was the
same name as a cousin of mine. Of course, it's highly likely that Michael
Hugo was just a pseudonym for whomever.
A couple of
years ago, I managed to get a VHS bootleg of the
film, but the
copy does not contain any screen credits apart from the main title,
which looks to have been freeze-framed, possibly to cover up print
damage. As far as I know, the film has never had an official VHS
release and any bootlegs floating around are from old 16mm prints.
So there you
have it. Hope I could be of some help.
Thom
Parkinson
Hi,
My name is
Patty. I run the website on William Girdler (www.williamgirdler.com).
I see you've been to my site already.
I noticed you
wrote that Pat Patterson committed suicide over DR.
GORE.
May I ask where you read that? It's not what I thought, but it's
just as believable as what I've heard.
Thanks,
Patty
Breen
Hey Critical Condition,
Recently
visited your website for the first time and loved it. Great
job. Wanted
to ask a trivia question of you. Unfortunately,
if I knew
the answer, I
wouldn't bother asking.
When I was very young (I'd guess
around ten
or eleven
years old) I caught a movie on t.v. of the (I think) 70's drive-in
horror variety. As
these were my favorites (natch) I
spent a great Sunday
afternoon watching it. About the only thing I can remember about the film
is the ending. The
main character is a woman who has been getting sucked
deeper and deeper into
this satanic coven throughout
the running time of
the film (a'la "ROSEMARY'S
BABY").
At the end of the film she is surrounded
by the black
robed coven who chant "Hail, Diane, Princess of Darkness,"
over and over as she screams and the closing credits
roll. I think
somehow she inadvertently made a pact
with ol' Lucifer and was stuck as
his bride or some such
thing. Obviously the details I have to go on are pretty fuzzy.
I can't remember the name of any of the actors in the
film nor
what exactly
took place before that final scene.
If I remember correctly,
it really freaked me out of my
little mind. It was probably the first
horror film I'd ever seen
where evil, in the end, triumphs over good (and
in a big
way at that). Up to that time I'd been ensconsed in the works of
Univerisal studios and various Vincent Price films
where I was actually rooting
for the monster the whole
time only to see him wind up dead or mutilated
or whatever
by the roll of the closing credits. This
sucker was different
and the impact on me was extreme. All these
years later, I can still
hear those united voices chanting
as if I'd only watched the film yesterday.
Any ideas
on what this might be? Any
info you could share would be
greatly appreciated. I've
recently begun reviewing
several flicks from early
childhood via the wonderful
medium of
DVD ("THE BEAST MUST DIE!," "ASYLUM",
"HORROR EXPRESS",
etc.) and would love to try and track
this puppy down
on disc or tape just to see how it has
stood the test of time. Please get
in touch at your convenience. Thanks
in advance for your time and consideration.
I look forward to hearing
from you.
All the best,
Matt
Pinkerton
I
first thought the film was the 1973 supernatural thriller WARLOCK
MOON (aka BLOODY SPA) starring Joe Spano and Laurie Walters (as
Diane), directed by one-shot wonder Bill Herbert. I was wrong. Turns
out that it was a 1972 made-for-TV flick called THE
DEVIL'S DAUGHTER starring Shelley Winters and Belinda Mongomery
(as Diane), directed by Jeannot Szwarc (SOMEWHERE
IN TIME - 1980). Matt found the film on eBay and now has his
childhood memory problem resolved. - Editor.
Hey There,
I stumbled on
your excellent web site and couldn't help noticing that you seem to
have a talent for identifying those almost-forgotten horror movies
from god knows when. Maybe you could help me with one that has
stumped quite a few people so far. Many years ago, probably in
the early 70's or thereabouts, I saw a real low-budget
suspense/horror film (with a cast of two) set in an isolated
farmhouse somewhere in the hills of California. The plot
involved a young, newly-married couple who had just moved in to this,
their first home. He goes off to work every morning, leaving
her all alone. At first everything is idyllic, and then the
weirdness starts (of course). Every day, after he leaves, she
starts hearing a child crying, which leads to our leading lady
searching desperately for the child. She tells the husband
about this and he questions her sanity. The crying continues,
and each day she is able to get closer and closer to the source
before the crying stops. Finally, she determines that the
crying is coming from a big, old, abandoned shed at the back of the
yard. Once inside the crying gets much louder and more
insistent. She searches frantically through all of the old
tools and whatever and finally finds the source of the crying: a
pickled foetus in a mason jar.
Please tell me
that I really saw this, and it wasn't just a bad dream from eating
anchovy pizza.
Thanks,
Scott
Smith
I
haven't got the slightest idea. Can anyone out there help Scott?
Email me and let us know! - Editor
Hello! I have
the answer to Scott Smith's query regarding the horror movie about a
farmhouse where cries of a baby are heard. The wife goes to
investigate the cries and finds the cries are coming from mason jars.
This is the 1972 made-for-TV movie "SOMETHING EVIL",
directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Sandy Dennis and Darrin
McGavin. I have a copy on VHS.
Chris
Hanson
Hamilton,
Ontario
I
tried to pass on Chris's email address to Scott, but his email
address has changed. Scott, if you are reading this send me an email
by clicking HERE. - Editor
Just caught
your website. Laughing my ass off. Good stuff.
Best,
Steve
Latshaw
Hollywood
California
I
hope you know that I'm just kidding when it came to reviewing your
films (i.e. BIOHAZARD: THE
ALIEN FORCE - 1994 and JACK-O
- 1995). Any film that gets made and released gets props from me,
even if I don't care for them. I did like DEATH
MASK (1998), though I haven't had time to write a review for it
yet. Check www.imdb.com for Steve's
incredible output as screenwriter!!! - Editor
Help!!! Horror
Film Question:
I'm not sure
what this place is all about but I'm
gonna ask this question anyways. I'm trying to find out what a
certain horror film is that I
have a memory of from childhood. The only memory I
have of it was of some sort of a hole in the ground that was some
kind of pit or pool of lava perhaps. It was full of zombies or some
sort of living dead type monsters which were red I
believe that would just swim around in the pool. Whenever a person
would get pulled into the pit they would become one of these
creatures. This is the creepiest memory i have of any film ever and I
can find no trace of it anywhere on the internet no matter what I
type. I try zombies and lava pits and pools and everything but no
results. Do you know of any way for me to find any clues about what
this film was?
locussolu@aol.com
Sounds
like a film called THE PIT (1981)
about a psycho boy who throws his enemies ointo a big hole in the
woods occupied by monsters that chew them to pieces. It a Canadian
film directed by Lew Lehman and starring Sammy Snyders, Jeannie Elias
and Sonja Smits. It is also known under the title TEDDY. If this is
not the film that you were thinking of, let me know and I will do
further research. - Editor
Thank you very
much for your response. It was a pleasant suprise. I'm not quite sure
whether this is it. I'm purchasing it off eBay for a couple bucks
just in case, but my best bet is that it is not it. Because like I
was saying my memory is of them being red, slimy, mutalated people
swimming around in some sort of opening in the ground. So they were
in a place filled with liquid and if I remember correctly they seemed
to be burning in agony, so it seems as if it was some sort of lava. I
don't recall any goblin type things and I don't believe the hole was
in the woods, it may have been in the floor of some building. I
recall people approaching the hole and the things inside would reach
up and grab them and pull them in and then once inside they would
become one of these things. Though I saw this probably around fifteen
years ago at a friends my memory of it is still pretty clear because
it left such an impact on me. I know that alot of things frighten
people more when they are kids and they just look back and laugh but
i do not believe this is one of those cases. I don't remember how
much of it I watched. I dont know wether it was some made for tv
thing or what but it was so powerful that I assume it was a film. I'm
also purchasing SHOCK WAVES off eBay
because of someone describing the poetic manner in which the zombies
would pull people in with them, though I do not recall them being
dead Nazis with goggles at all. So I'll see what happens with "THE
PIT" cus theres still a possibility that it could be it cus
it is the closest , and if theres anything else you can find out I
would appreciate it tremendously because as you have probably noticed
I have developed an obsession with finding this, which I've actually
had for many years but up until now I had no idea how difficult
actually finding the film could be. But if I ever do find it i will
be extremly satisfied.
Can
anybody help him out. I'm stumped on this one even though my brain
says that I should know this. We've all had obsessions and we know
how it feels when we cannot get the right answer. If you think that
you know the answer please click here
to send the answer. - Editor
UPDATE:
The film turns out to be the very bad horror/comedy LITTLE
DEVILS: THE BIRTH (1993).
Fred:
I was reading
your review on "RAVAGE"
and was very glad to see an unbiased account of the movie. I wrote
and produced it. When I say produced, I mean that lightly. It was
very difficult at that time to get budgeting for an SOV movie. I am
currently working on a one called "CRIME
FAMILY",
another action movie. It is being shot on DV (Canon XL1S) and I am
directing. This one won't have as much blood, but it does have a lot
of action. The acting, I believe, is up-graded. Anyway, I am looking
forward to having you critique it when we are done. If you would like
to check out our progress go to www.crimefamily.scriptmania.com.
I would invite any criticisms or helpful comments before the damage
is done. We sincerely want to make the best movie that we possibly
can. Thanks very much for your time.
Bryon
Blakey
I
checked out the website and I must say, Byron, that it looks very
promising. Everyone should click on the above URL to see the movie in
progress. - Editor
Fred,
I emailed you
before about a couple of titles I was searching for, SPINE
and HAVE A NICE WEEKEND. I
recently picked up HAVE A NICE WEEKEND from a local Family Video
store and they ordered a used copy of SPINE for me. I'm still waiting
to receive it. I've been having a lot of luck lately with finding the
really rare things. A couple I'm still searching for are MONSTERS
& MANIACS (a horror compilation tape) and Andy Milligan's THE
GHASTLY ONES. Also, I have a copy of Donald Farmer's DEMON
QUEEN that doesn't have box art. I'm happy with the print I
have, I would just like to get a cover for it. Do you know anybody
who has this flick with box art?
Thanks,
Mario
D.
The
GHASTLY ONES can be purchased from Movies Unlimited (www.moviesunlimited.com)
for $18.99. I have attached a poster and a little-seen ad
mat for the film. I did find one place that was selling MONSTERS
& MANIACS: it is (URL
address withheld for Mario's sake),
but they want over $50.00 for it. Not a good price for a 1988 VHS
tape, especially since it came from the infamous Donna Michelle
Releasing Group. Good luck with DEMON QUEEN. Why anyone would even
want to own this film is beyond me. Has Donald Farmer ever made a
good film? I hear he moved to France and is making films there now. I
could find no copy available, not even from eBay. If someone out
there reading this would like to part with their video box of DEMON
QUEEN, please email me here and
I'll get the message to Mario. I think it's Mario's lifelong
ambition to collect the worst films imaginable. God, I love this
guy!!! - Editor
Fred,
I'm glad you
liked the "WICKSBORO INCIDENT"
and gave us
a good review. "THE LOOKING GLASS"
will be completed
sometime in the fall, and I look forward to your
response on that one. To sum it up, as a filmmaker,
my priority is the 'story'. As I'm sure you
know, the story takes a back seat in most of the films
of today, overtaken by quick pacing and visual effects.
I grew up in the seventies, and the influence
of the films of that time is a large part of who
I am as a filmmaker. And believe me, I have many stories
to tell!
Wish you well,
Richard
Lowry
For
those of you who haven't seen WICKSBORO, I recommend that you do so.
Director Lowry has made a minor masterpiece that blows THE
BLAIR WITCH PROJECT away. - Editor
Hey Fred,
This is your
bud Mario. How's it going? I've been finding a lot of good rare and
unusual movies lately. A few things I'm still on the hunt for are
REVENGE OF THE TEENAGE VIXENS FROM OUTER SPACE ('80s sci-fi comedy),
MOONSTALKER (rare late '80s slasher), and Roberta Findlay's TENEMENT
(aka GAME OF SURVIVAL). Be sure to keep your eyes open for these.
Also, do you have the original Sun Video VHS of LAST
HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET? I'm looking for this to go with my DVD
since I collect alternate cover art. BTW, I wholeheartedly disagree
with you on this movie. I always loved it. Oh well, to each is own. Right?
Thanks,
Mario
D.
Long
time no hear. Boy, your taste in movies is still the same. Thank God
for that. As far as the titles you mention, the only one that I know
is available is Findlay's TENEMENT. I saw it up for auction a couple
of weeks ago on Ebay. Sorry to say that I do not own the Sun Video
version of LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET. I had a very bad dupe of it
that I picked up at a convention. I recently purchased the Barrel DVD
of the film and, I must say, my opinion of the film has changed a
bit. I don't like it as much as you do, but it is better looking and
more understandable in it's clear DVD form. I may change the review
on my web site (something I don't normally do; I usually stick with
my first impression) based on the DVD version. - Editor
Hello from Jay
(Beyond Dream's Door) Woelfel,
Hello there, I
just ran across your review of my first feature BEYOND
DREAM'S DOOR
and wanted to thank you.
Thanks
especially for saying you're glad it was shot on film, because at the
time especially I/we who made the film wanted to shoot on film and
found a way to afford to do so. You also like the music and I'm
happy to say the the new DVD
features an isolated score and is remixed in 5.1 stereo that improves
the movie a good deal, especially I think the acting in the film
since now you can hear them much more clearly than we were able to do
at the time. In fact the release version was a very rough mix
that I immediately redid at the the time and have now really redone.
As to my
ability to display imagination in some of my follow up films, as you
probalby know, my desires to be creative have frequently been limited
by uncaring producers and too short post production periods and I
feel I've now separated myself from those problems and also had the
chance to do the music for one of my own films again with my current
film GHOST LAKE. (
You do not mention IRON
THUNDER,
a film I think is one of my best.)
As to errata
type of things, the film was made with a student production crew, but
was not posted by the university or truly a student film--though the
difference seems small to many it was important one for me and us who
made it, but no real offence taken. Technically it was shot at
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, as Ohio University is a different and
rival school that does have a film department.
Here is a link
to the distributor site of my current film--originally intended to be
my follow up film to Beyond Dream's Door, it finally got made in a
way where I have final cut of the film and we've taken the time to
make our, though still smallish, money go where it should.
http://www.americanworldpictures.com
They
have a trailer linked to the site so you can see a bit of the film
as well. Oh, I did not choose the headbanger music in the
trailer and there is none of that in the movie itself which should be
finished by July (2004) and released later this year.
At any rate
it's nice to see Beyond Dream's Door remembered and I've passed along
your review to others who made it, many of us are still making films
to this day and that is kind of where it all started for us.
Best
regards and thanks,
Jay
Woelfel
It's
nice to hear from a director that's proud of the films he has made.
Too many time we hear directors complaining about how lousy their
films turned out because of studio tampering or short shooting times.
Mr. Woelfel is to be congratulated on turning out, in what I think,
is one of the finest independent shockers in a long time and I can't
wait to see GHOST LAKE. The reason I didn't mention IRON THUNDER is
because I haven't seen it yet. I won a copy at auction on eBay and
will be reviewing it very soon. I have made the required changes to
my review of DREAM'S DOOR to reflect the errors that Jay pointed out.
I only wish all filmmakers took the time to write reviewers and point
out mistakes and/or thanks for writing a good review. My hat's off to
Jay for taking the time to make this reviewer a happy man! - Editor
Hello, Fred.
Hello. I'm
trying to find the title of a 80's horror movie I saw several years
ago.Here's what I know:
1. The basic
premise of the film is vintage slasher.
2. I think it
was a student film of some kind. The credits said that it had been
filmed in Oklahoma. I believe that is was filmed in Tulsa, but I
can't say for
sure.
3. In the
movie, the sheriff is played by the real-life professor of the Oklahoma
film class. We tried to contact this man after seeing the movie and he was
deceased. I can't recall anything about him other than the fact that
he did live
in Tulsa, OK.
4. The plot of
the film had to do with a series of murders on campus that are unsolved.
The "sheriff" has a daughter that is either attending the university or
teaching in some capacity. Eventually, the daughter discovers some
kind of cult
history that relates to the murders. The last scene I remember has the daughter
(and maybe the sheriff, etc.) in a field. There is supposedly some kind
of pagan/satanic ritual going on.
5. The
"daughter" appears to be way too old to be attending
the school. I don't know
how she ended up in this student production. She constantly refers
to the sheriff
as "Daddy". This is somewhat comical because the
"sheriff" is pushing the
age limit for a law enforcement officer as well.
As I mentioned,
Fred, this was an EXTREMELY cheesy movie. On par with the production
values of BLOOD
LAKE (1987)
if you've ever seen it. Any help you can provide
will be greatly appreciated. My friends and I have been trying to locate
this movie or more info about it for several years.
Thanks!
Bryan
Hix
The
plot sounds like the shot-on-video production called BLOOD
CULT (1985).
It was
filmed in Tulsa, Oklahoma as was its'
sequel REVENGE
(1985) and
many
say it was the first shot on video flick to be released expressly
for the home
video market. BLOOD
was directed by Christopher Lewis, who also directed REVENGE,
and THE
RIPPER (1986).
All
films are available on DVD from
www.amazon.com. - Editor
Hi again, Fred.
I just wanted to drop you a note and thank you for your help. I know
it sounds a little dumb, but you absolutely made my year! The film
we saw was
indeed BLOOD
CULT.
When I read the synopsis and reviews on Amazon, etc., I nearly
fell out of my chair laughing! I had no idea there was a sequel...if it's half
as good (read bad) as the first one, it should become one of our new favorites.
The sheriff was played by Charles Ellis. That is how I confirmed that this
was the one. One of my friends remembered the name from when we
first saw the
vid and the description mentioned that the man who had played the
sheriff is now
deceased. My hat is off to you for incredible knowledge regarding these movies.
I sincerely thought that I would never know the name of this movie. We had
watched it more than 10 years ago! Again, thanks so much for taking
the time to help out. I can't wait to buy both pieces
on Amazon and pop 'em into the DVD.
Best Regards
Bryan
Anything but PUPPET
MASTER.
That's all I get when I do a search. I'm looking for a cheezy (at
least that's what other people think) puppet horror movie. They come
out of the tv and kill people in unusual, yet graphic ways, i.e. they
pull some girls spinal column out and use her head as a puppet. Can
you help me?
Stacey
The
film that you are looking for is director Joe Castro's
unbelievably-bad TERROR TOONS. Castro
has directed other bad films such as CEREMONY
and LEGEND OF THE CHUPACABRA.
My advice would be to poke one of your eyes out with a pointed stick
and call it a day. - Editor
Dear Mr. Adelman
First off,
thanks for providing all of us hungry for something other than
that crap Hollywood churns out a place to come and enjoy when movies
didn't depend on the prettiest actors and CGI to generate entertainment.
Actually, I
have been enjoying your site for some time, and it got me looking for
films such as THE SEVERED ARM
and THE TOY BOX, both of which
I have found via DVD and finally watched. Granted, low-budget is
usually a mix of
enjoyment and disappointment, so it is an acquired taste.
Being a
filmmaker myself, I'm hoping that the new crop of independent filmmakers
coming out learn from Hollywood's mistakes. You don't need a big
budget, or the sexiest stars, or the latest special effects. All you
need is bulldog tenacity and imagination, and you'd be surprised at
what fun ensues.
Keep up the
good work!
Wilbur
Scott
PS: I love the
FILMS ON THE FRINGE page! Perhaps one day one of my films will
show up on it (I don't know if that'd be a good thing, though!)
Thanks
for the kind words. I'm also tired of the Hollywood pablum that we
have to pay $10.00 to watch in theaters while there's so much good
stuff out there waiting to be seen but without a distribution deal. Send
me one of your films and I'll make sure that it gets on the FILMS ON
THE FRINGE page. Are you the same Wilbur Scott from Michigan
who directed THE CORPSE? If so, I would love to see this short film
or any film you have directed. - Editor
Hi!
Are you
familiar with a rather tame horror movie from the
50's or 60's that I remember seeing on local TV afternoon
movie shows? The plot was something like this:
A young woman
is riding in a car with her boyfriend (psychologist?)
and she starts screaming because they are
approaching a house that she has recognized from her
frequent nightmares. She didn't know the house really
existed until the car ride. Eventually they learn
that she experienced a terrible murder or other crime
when she was in the house as a child.
I've been
trying to learn the name of this movie for years.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Mrs.
Fizzywig
The
movie you are thinking of is TERROR
IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE (1958) which is still available on DVD and
VHS from Rhino Video. You can buy it on www.amazon.com.
It's tame but was well known at the time of it's release because it
was the first film to contain subliminal messages inserted at certain
times, with quick flashes such as "Visit The Snack Bar" and
"Buy More Popcorn" inserted in the film for one or two
frames. Not enough for the eyes to see, but just enough for the brain
to register. It was found to be unlawful and the practice was stopped
immediately. More information can be found on this film at www.imdb.com.
The film was shot under the title MY WORLD DIES SCREAMING but was
released under the other title. - Editor
While your
comprehensive site has turned me on to several films that I
intend to rent, I have some reservations about the juvenile nature of
your criticism. Must everything be compared to something else, and judged
on the basis of similarity to another thing... There are only so
many plots out there (especially in the extreme film genres), and as
to the "boring" nature of much of the fare you pan, I
think this says
more about your attention span than any properties inherent in the
work. Need you be so childishly perjorative and dismissive? Maybe watching
ALL of those films has deprived you of patience and perspective...
I do agree with
a lot of your positive assessments, however.
Give NEKROMANTIK
another look...
Joseph
"God" Jordan
"Childishly
perjorative and dismissive" is a critical term. I am a critic.
Thererfore, I wear that tag proud. As for me giving NEKROMANTIK
another look: forget it. Either people love it or hate it. I happen
to fall into the latter category. I found it amateurish, boring and
extremely overlong and I can assure you that watching ALL those films
have not deprived me of patience
and perspective. Just the opposite, actually. I know how much sweat
and time it takes to make a film no matter how bad it is. While some
turn them out like chattel (take Todd Sheets for example) others only
end up making one film in their life time. The only thing I ever
liked that Jorg Buttgereit directed was an episode of LEXX
titled "791". He hasn't done very much since then.
You
are correct that there are only so many plots out there and many of
them are recycled. What sets one apart from another is a sense that
the director is trying to do something different with it. In
NEKROMANTIK, the only sense I got was that Buttgereit was going for
the gross-out factor. I've seen it done better and I've seen it done
more entertainingly (is that even a word?). When the mag Film Threat
raved about the film, I went out and rented it. I stand by my review
and would not change a thing about it. Just like Dirty Harry said in THE
DEAD POOL: "Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has
one." (It's one of my favorite quotes).
Thanks
for viewing my website and voicing your opinion. That's the reason
why I started this website in the first place. I know that not all my
reviews are going to be agreed with, but it is MY opinion and should
not be taken as everyone's opinion. One man's feast is another man's famine.
This
is the first time I've been called juvenile and childish, though.
Don't think I like it too much.......but coming from someone with an
email handle of "genocideshow" and the middle name God, I
can see why you like NEKROMANTIK. - Editor
Hi!
I am searching
for a movie from the 80's I think, in the martial arts genre but i
don't remember the title (or actors).
I wonder if you
could assist me with some information if possible. I saw the movie in
the 80's on VHS
and I
just remember some fragments out of it. I remember that I
liked it though :-)
It is about a
group of "ninjas" that are guided by a handicaped master in
a wheelchair. Suddenly one day the ninjas starts to get killed one by
one by a sniper that shoots them. If I
remember right one time a killing was scened with a sniper shooting
from a roof in an industrial area. Through most of the movie the
sniper's identity was not revealed (maybe at the end). That's pretty
much what i remembered from this movie. I think it was an American
movie with American
actors. The man in the wheelchair was (maybe?) bald
and/or had sunglasses (not sure)
Do you possible
know what movie this is? Would be fun to know if you do :-)
Greets from Sweden,
Daniel
H
That
film you are thinking of is KILL SQUAD
(1981). The sniper turned out to be the guy in the wheelchair and he
had his head cut off by an axe that was stuck to a barn door after
the last of the remaining heroes kicks him into it. I loved this film
and I do own a copy of it. The biggest name in this flick was Cameron
Mitchell. The film was directed by Patrick Donahue. I hope this helps
joggle your memory. - Editor
Hey Fred,
Just came
across your site and I'm
eating it up. Really great stuff. You know it annoys the hell out of
me that you have to put some magic search words to come across a site
like yours. I've searched under exploitation , gore, and a million
other combinations and never saw your site which is the type that I
was looking for. (I'm shaking my head). Oh well.
I have a
question that has become a lifelong mystery and all I
can do is describe the scene and hopefully the archives in your brain
will come up with it. I was going to say it's pretty obscure but hey
c'mon that's why I'm here.
It was an old
vampire flick. Can't give you a year, or tell you the studio, Hammer
etc, but it was old because I was a kid and I'm
in my forties now. So definetly 35 years old at least.
The scene was
of a female vampire in her coffin you know taking a nap and I
remember it was in the hallway of whatever building and it was like
on an angle. In other words it wasn't laying down horizontally, maybe
90% vertical as if it was leaning against the wall. So someone comes
along to stake the vampire and holy fire hydrant once the staking
starts the blood is flying like John Holmes juice after a round with
Seka. I mean up in the air down the hallway it had to go ten feet up
as this guy is pounding away. You've seen a million more pictures
than me but I've
seen my share and like you I
want to go absolutely nuts when something is censored or they will
not show the actual staking , stabbing whatever. I've always liked
erotic horror, (Argento, Hammer stuff, Older Italian and Spanish
horror films where the woman are beautiful and usually die in sexy
ways. I do like the staking, stabbing etc to be completely uncut
uncensored especially if it's done in an erotic way. If this brings
to mind many a flick be my guest a recommend some for me)) So this
scene is pretty vivid in my memory. It might be because I was just a
kid that I seem to remember the geyser of blood and maybe now it
would more tame but i doubt it. I remember it was pretty over the top
blood especially for that time but being so young i wasn't as
observant of the name of the movie as i would be if I was a little
older and turning into the lifelong horror nut that I
am today. The scene I remember the name of the movie no chance.
Thanks Fred I
hope I
have jogged your memory and you can come up with this for me and it
would be really cool to get some suggestions from you for flicks that
you might think I'd like. Man i wish I could look through your
selection. Thanks a lot
Alex
Can
anyone help Alex out here? My mind is drawing a blank. Email me HERE
with an answer so poor Alex doesn't have to suffer anymore. It sounds
like a Paul Naschy film to me, but I'm probably wrong. As far a
search engines go, I'll never pay for something that I can get for
free. That's word-of-mouth. You get the best people and make the best
friends that way. - Editor
I have been
looking for the 1969 TV
movie SEVEN
IN DARKNESS for
years. It is a unique disaster movie about a plane crash whose
survivors are all blind. It features Milton Berle in a dramatic
role! Do you have this one in your collection?
Marc
Russo
SEVEN
IN DARKNESS has never had a release on video or DVD. It's not even
available as a dupe on eBay. It had
the distinction of being the first Movie Of The Week on ABC and I
remember watching it as a 12 year old when it first aired. If I find
a copy of it somewhere, you'll be the first to know. - Editor
Best
horror site ever! Hands
down....but I
see no thoughts on one of my favorite slashers from the early 80's.. "MOTHER'S
DAY"
by Kaufman...
AND there's a
weird movie called 'PANIC'
I've
never seen anyone review...all I
remember is a mutated zombie-like man on the cover, I
think he was in the sewers or something... it looked like it was from
the 80's...I
have yet to see it online after years of searching...
Mike
Sosnowski
MOTHER'S
DAY is one of my favorite horror films of the 80s. It's a great
slice of early 80s Americana and twisted family values. I usually do
not do reviews of films that have had a theatrical release, which
MOTHER'S DAY had. But that's not really the reason I haven't reviewed
it. One
of the actors in it
is a good friend of mine. He still acts in films today. I don't
review films with friends in them as not to seem biased. I own both
the VHS and DVD versions of this film.
PANIC
on the other hand is another story. This is a 1976 Italian-made
piece of crap originally titled BAKTERION. It's deadly-dull and would
only get a couple of lines for review on my "Short Reviews For
Sucky Films" section on my web site. By the way, it stars the
late David Warbeck. I do have this on VHS. I bought it from a Mom and
Pop video store that was going out of business for $2.00. - Editor
I found your
site doing research on early photographs some match in the search
process.
My wife loves
these old gaggers for some unknown reason probably why she tolerates
me. and We enjoyed reading about films we never heard of she finds
hers at $1 DVD and Video basket sales so they are pretty much PG.
I have watched
plenty of them and wondered why I watched but wondered even
more why anyone would have made this film.
Keep up the
site we will be visiting and possibly purchasing a few of these
titles.
Bill
and
Jo Ann Lewis
Bookwizards
1857
Provine St.
Fort
Worth, Tx 76103
staff@bookwizards.com
Glad
you like the site. It's the first time that I've heard the films
called "gaggers" though. - Editor
Re:
SCREAM BLOODY MURDER
This film was
shot under the title, "Matthew".
Bill
Reynolds
(The
newlywed guy that Matt brained at the stream with a rock... that stream,
by the by, was colder than hell; runoff snow (November) filmed in the
[Big] Tajunga Canyon area.)
Thanks
for the info,
Bill. Good to see that you are still around. Got any other stories
about the film? - Editor
Hello again, Fred.
In terms of the
character, Matthew: My understanding was that he was originally to
have been a much younger person though, I'm not sure where that would
have gone in terms of holding the hooker hostage. Still,
somehow Freddy (Holbert) wound up reading for Marc (Ray), he saw him
in the role and as a project of this kind was want to do, the
creators started making changes right and left (again, as I
understood it all.)
One of the more
graphically gory shots was cut from the picture. It involved
Matthew's axing Mack to death. The scene called for a CU on the
back of Mack's murdered head and the axe coming down upon it.
The prop head of Mack had been fitted with a fresh calve's brain and
when the blade popped the skull... well, there it was to have been in
living blood-red color. The team couldn't pull it off however,
so the shot, though filmed, was dropped and in doing so, created that
rather jumpy cut just after Matthew's final swing of the axe.
Another shot
that had to be deleted: After Matthew takes me down (in the stream)
with the rock, I had a final line up to him, "You hit me,
man." (Clever dialogue back there in the early 70s.) --
which was cut, probably due to my Shakespearean-like delivery (we're
talking facetiously, now) and the scene went right to him pounding me
to pulp and letting me 'plop' into the snow runoff that made up that
stream in Big Tujunga/Sunland (in November!). Anyway, I'm down
for the count and Freddy tosses the rock away -- a sponge actually,
cut like a rock. You may have noticed a jump cut there too,
because that sponge went part way up the bank, rolled back down into
the stream and began floating along with the current. (Is it
me... or, would that tend to dissipate the validity of that
particular stone as being a killing weapon?)
Marc B. Ray,
our director, later wrote for the New Mickey Mouse Club (go
figure). Our cinematographer Stephen Burnum, went on to film
the likes of "Rumble Fish", "Apocalypse Now",
"St. Elmo's Fire", "The Untouchables" and
"Hoffa", for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.
Thanks for you
interest in the pic. I'd love to see someone snap up the rights
to it, do a proper digital clean up and transfer it to disk.
The VCI package is, apparently, a mess; from the descriptions I've
read online, it sounds like someone found as clean a VHS copy
as they could and just dubbed it across.
Finally, under
the heading, 'Who'da Thought?'; our film, which went through at least
four title changes, often has its director misnamed (throughout the
Net). Credit sometimes goes to Robert J. Emery who, coincidentally,
shot another film called SCREAM BLOODY MURDER right around the same
time in 1971/72. Because of this, both directors will at times
end up on the same bill; Robert J. Emery and Marc B. Ray. Marc
however, is the solely responsible for the version with Fred Holbert.
I don't know
where any of the cast and/or crew is today. At the time, it was
a job, I shot two (different) days, and slid on down the road.
I didn't keep in touch with anyone from the production.
The only other
time you'd have gotten a peek at my kisser in a feature came by way
of a brief on-camera stint in BLACULA, also
from 1972. (I'm the cop who kills his girlfriend and,
demonstrating little brilliance, rushes the vampire who proceeds to
kill me via knocking the crap out've me.)
Bill
Reynolds / Lex (is THAT a 70s name... or what???)
I
live for emails like this! - Editor
I
just wanted to say thanks for a decent and honest review of MASTER
BLASTER.
Not the original title by the way. When I wrote it it was called GAME
OF CHANCE.
I sold the script while in the hospital after getting my right arm
mangled by a shotgun blast in an airboat. Hence, the leather arm
guard you see me wearing throughout the film. The ending, WHICH I
ABSOLUTELY HATED! by the way, was changed by the producer that bought
the script from me in the hospital. It underwent a major re-write and
it was a very difficult shoot for me.
I auditioned
for the role of Hawk after just being out of the hospital a couple of
weeks. I was discharged on January 15th and was doing the pool hall
fight 2 months after getting shot.
I've been in
the biz a lot of years. Done a lot of films. Both big and small. Read
a lot of critics trashing the work with no concept of behind the
scenes. Directors, writers, producers, language barriers, no money,
impossible odds etc...
I make no
excuses...It is what it is...but I just wanted to express my thanks
for an honest and pretty accurate description.
Happy
Thanksgiving
Jeff
Moldovan
Original
writer of Game of Chance( Master Blaster )
Jeremy
Hawk
By the
way...The actress I did the," love scene with under the
tree," had really bad breath and banner planes flew through the
shot every 5 minutes. She was also cast because she was dating one of
the producers. Who is now in a Mexican jail...
Again,
I live for shit like this! Thanks, Jeff, for the background
info. Great stuff. - Editor
|
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Hi There,
I've just spent
a very enjoyable hour combing through your fantastic web-site
and thought I'd just convey my admiration,
it beats the hell out of any
other horror/exploitation sites I've seen! I've been delving into the world
of regional American cinema recently and found your reviews a wonderful
source of information, giving me pointers for many more unexplored avenues.
Thanks!
Also found
myself in agreement with many of your opinions - some of the most obscure
films can yield the greatest pleasures, especially if you've done
your homework and watched all the classic major titles already -
sometimes all it takes is a single bizarre idea coming at you out of
left field to make a film worthwhile. And discovering these neglected
treats is part of the fun - the old hunter-gatherer instinct in
action I suppose!
Anyway,
congratulations for putting in so much good work. By the way, I write
on horror films myself (I edited 'Eyeball', a British film mag, and
wrote a book on Lucio Fulci's films, called 'Beyond Terror'). I see
you liked Fulci's
Zombie and The Beyond, so check out my publisher's web-site if you'd
like to know more (www.fabpress.com).
Best wishes and
apologies for the fragment of e-mail flotsam before this!
Steve
Thrower
Hey...
Stumbled
onto your profile of George "Buck"
Flower while I
was searching
for his address...I
worked with Buck
on "RADICAL JACK"
and was psyched to see your
page on him. I
called
him tonight to ask if he had ever seen your profile
on him
which he hadn't. (He just got a computer recently
I think.) Any
way, I am forwarding the page address to him and hopefully he'll
get in touch with you.
Yours,
Paul
Schnabel
Uncle Fred:
Nice that
somebody remembers my fifteen minutes in the business.
I'm normaly not
too bright, but on computers my stupidity really shines.
I'm fairly
competent on the telephone though. Feel free to call me at (phone
number removed for privacy reasons).
I'd love to
talk to you.
Buck
Flower
Hello:
Just wanted to
drop you a note to say thanks for giving such a strong review for SATAN'S
CHILDREN. I
played the role of Simon in the feature (if one wants to call it
that). Your review of my performance was very generous, all
things considered.
I now call
Seattle my home, just about as far from Florida as you can get
(unintentional, I assure you, but possibly subconsious), and still
occasionally act in films and commercials (no one seems to need a
6'6" actor these days who plays heavies). If you look
veeerry quickly, you may see me in a couple of Twin Peaks episodes,
and in the background of some bigger films like Raise the Titanic,
Airport '79, Assasins - that sort of thing. I spend most of my
days as a full-time professional writer, and have won a few awards
for screenplays and one novel. No deals so far, I'm
afraid. But one stays busy...
In any event,
many thanks to you. Much success in your website. I just knew
that somewhere that film would resurface in the future. Now if
I can just keep it away from my kids...
Sincerly,
RC
Ray II
Hi...!
I didn't know
where exactly to post this, whether you have a forum/discussion
group, or perhaps a "need to know" section. I will say that
in a search for the title of a MudMan/Monster movie in which the mud
man's hand is caught in a cabin door and crawls off, we ran into dozens
of people who remember this movie and scores of people that want to
own it or see it again. It was the hardest search I've ever
done on the
internet, and it took the collective memories of lots of people to solve
the mystery. I
thought a few people at your site might be interested in this. Can you
pass it to the correct page or link. Let me know.
Thanks --
smeltfisher@hotmail.com
MudMan movie
solved! After a lot of research by a lot of avid detectives,
we've concluded that we're all remembering the same movie about
a Mud Man/Monster and a hand that gets chopped off in a cabin door.
It was a Canadian-produced 1978 TV
pilot for CBS
called "THE
WORLD BEYOND",
directed by Noel Black and one of the stars was JoBeth Williams.
Although currently unavailable on video/dvd, a few of us have |
