Damn, I have not posted a review or much else either, since last week of October 2021. I guess also it might have to do with me, kind of being a bit exhausted and worn down, after watching maybe a bit too many horror films (and only horror) for a whole month, and have not really picked up that much, on the horror viewing afterwards.
However, I have seen a couple of films, here and there. Not many that I would really put in the "great" movie category, but some sure turned out for the good, and that is always a nice little surprise.
Peeping Tom (1960) by Michael Powell
"Whatever I photograph I always lose."
Due to a rather "special" childhood. The young Mark Lewis (Karlheinz Böhm) has ended up as quite a lonely wolf, and who seems to enjoy spending most of his time, by living out his most wanted desires and fantasies, through his one true love, which is making private "home videoes".
Well, finally I got to see this psychological thriller, which I had in mind, during the last year October Halloween Challenge, but I just could not find the right time, so yeah, I am just glad I eventually got around to watch it.
As it sure were my kind of movie. And one which I think has held up, very well. And also surprised (in a great way) how it seems to have heavily influence several of my later favorite horror and thrillers, and also one which made me think of certain scenes in
Manhunter (1986), and yeah, it just made me enjoy Peeping Tom even more.
Surely, one of those I believe might climb even further, on the rating scale, with a later visit.
8/10
Nightmares (1983) by Joseph Sargent
One of many 80s horror anthologies, and which contains of 4 different 25-30 minutes segments. Where the first movie is about a heavy smoking suburban housewife, who decided to go against the warnings, of a serial killer running around in the local era, all in order to get another package of cigarettes.
Part 2, is about a very video game addicted teenager (Emilio Estevez, who constantly tries to overcome, a seemingly impossible level, but has absolutely no idea, of the outcome of his potential "reward", if doing so.
Part 3, we meet up with a priest (Lance Henriksen), who seems to have completely lost his faith, and is very eager to get away from his former work. However, destiny, seems to have some other plans for him.
The last part, is about a family being terrorized by a giant rat (a rather devilish one).
Not seen this, for, well ages. I mean, I first caught it, on late night cable (the nordic and now long gone version of Showtime), and where I soon tried to pick it up DVD, but found out that the out of print version, went for some absolute ridiculous high prices, and I was not about to spend that kind of money, for just one film.
However, a couple of years ago, to my pleasant surprise, the british 101 Films, decided to hand it out, both of DVD and Blu-ray, along with some neat booklet inside.
And I am glad it finally was re-released, and while maybe not among the top of the crop, of these 70s, 80s and early 90s horror anthology movies, I gotta say, I sure enjoyed re-watching some of the segments.
Part of me, always felt that the ones with Lance Henriksen being stalked and tested by some evil driver/car in the desert, was very much (in the same spirit) as
The Hitcher (1986), and the giant rat part, of course put me on the underrated
Of Uknown Origin (1983), with Peter Weller.
6,5/10Stripped to Kill (1987) by Katt Shea
A mysterious serial killer, lurks around in some sleazy strip bars and ends up killing female dancers during the nightly hours. Which makes the police put in some desperate plans, for trying to infiltrate the seedy business, by having one of their own, going undercover, in an attempt to lure the killer out from his hiding.This one, actually lived up to not only the title, but also the many movie posters, as this is one sleazy piece of late 80s erotica-slasher horror film.
So much tits and ass going on, you begin to wonder if it is more a softcore release, than a horror movie (not that I complain too much).
The always charming and sweet Kay Lenz, does her best, but the story and certain twists and turns, never quite reaches for what it seems to go after.
Still, my recent purchased and uncut German Blu-ray, looked and sounded great, maybe a bit too much, for these kind of "classics".
A follow up, arrived a few years after, and yeah, I did eventually waste my time on that one. And will not bother to bring it up once more, just a bad and lousy film, which I think Roger Corman produced, because they had some time and money left, also the same locations were re-used, and most of the "plot" were written within just a few days of time.
The first film however, is one that is not bad, but do not go in, expecting too much either.
5/10Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987) by Lee Harry
"You tend to get paranoid when everyone around you gets dead."
Due to a rather traumatizing event as a child, having seen his older brother Billy, all dressed up as a murderous Santa, the now all grown up Ricky Caldwell (Eric Freeman) has gone through some dramatic changes himself, especially whenever Christmas is about to arrive. And this has caused him to get locked up, and also making sure that the local shrinks, is never out of work (13 different at least, very few still alive) and will be very busy at this time of the year.Well, I had to spend some "quality" time on the classic Christmas movies also, and I just decided to ditch the usual and overplayed ones, that is always shown on tv, every year. This one however, I doubt will ever arrive as a "family" classic, but damn it, I just love me some hilarious cheesy and bad horror films, every now and then.
And Silent Night, Deadly Night 2, is up there among the very "best" of them.
Of course, I should probably start up with the original, but hey, 2/3s of the sequel, is made up of clips and glimpses from the first one, well, beside the fact that I am pretty sure, a lot of them actually were edited out, lots of the violence and nudity that is.
Not seen, for almost a decade, which is just too long.
The film is probably the most infamous one, of the whole franchise, much due to the sudden rise of Youtube and all these popular uploads with one-liners from trashy b-movies of the 80s (like Troll 2, OOOOOOH MYYYYY GOOOOOOD" or "GARBAGE DAY!", which seemed to hit off, straight away, back in 2006-07.
I think that kind of videos, gave a lot of awful (and really awful I mean) a sudden "thumbs" up, but I think it also made sure that some gems, like Troll 2 and Silent Night, Deadly 2 would be presented to a whole new audience. But the negative thing, is of coruse that for every "Garbage Day", you would end up with tons of horrible b-movies, that just never lived up to that classic or hilarious part/line scene from Youtube, and where the rest of the film, were just so bad, it was impossible to sit through the entire time.
Anyway, Silent Night, Deadly 2, manages to pick up on the classic campy one-liner, and is one that has lots of hilarious and unforgettable moments of bad cinema at its very best.
Like the scene with an older guy in the Humprhey Bogart raincoat, ending up getting killed by an umbrella, now that is comedy gold. I laugh so much at the facial expressions going on, the quotes and when the umbrella pops up, the moment it starts to rain.
Of course, the real star of the film, is not the one liners or the killings, but Eric Freeman, who delivers such heavy eyebrow action, and intense acting, that it is kind of a shame, that he did not get way more time onscreen.
Because if there had been a little more Eric Freeman show, this sequel might have even gone beyond the original, at least in the entertainment part.
The mentioned Freeman delivers some absolute hilarious and ridiculous one-liners, and sometimes I almost had to re-wind, in order to make sure I heard the right thing.
Something about a squirrel gettings his nuts squeezed, during a very intense match of the wits with his doctor.
Freeman should have just gone all the way out, and made way more of these funny b-movies, even though I remember seeing him in a smaller part, in the rather poor and boring Linnea Quigley late 80s slasher (not even remembering the title), but that I got on a 3 movie pack, on Blu-ray, but beside that, I do not think I have seen Eric in anything else.
I gotta mention, that I did catch up with the rest of the Silent Night, Deadly Night sequels, and yeah, I will just leave it like that. I truly hated some of them, and none where ever as funny or enjoyable as the first two films, just bad, in almost every kind of ways. The worst part, is that they were boring as hell, well, maybe except the last one, with Mickey Rooney, that actually were almost, a little surprise. The others, I threw straight down the garbage bin.
6,5/10I have a few others, but that will be posted another time. Hopefully, my horror viewing, might pick up a bit, as I guess sometimes you just need a little change or variety in what you end up watching, from time to time. But I always do come back to horror films, and hopefully 2022 might have some new and unseen gems in the hiding.