Welcome

Welcome to Celluloid Scares - a blog about the darker, cheaper, sicker side of film. Here we'll have news, reviews and articles about all aspects of Cult and Horror cinema. We will cover everything from the skid row quickies from the 1930's to this week's latest genre releases.

WARNING: If you attempt to view any of the films mentioned in this blog, its best to do so with adult supervision or at least be on the wrong side of a 6 pack of cheap cider.


Wednesday 30 November 2011

Review: The Curse of Yig (2010)

I'm a huge fan of Lovecraft's and work and this is director, Paul von Stoetzel, second entry into the Cthulhu Mythos.

The bulk of this film takes place as a flash back within a flashback. The elderly nursing homebound narrator tells us from the time when she was a anthropology academic exploring snake lore in Oklahoma. Her investigations let her to a insane asylum in Guthrie. There Dr. McNeill told her some of the legend of Yig and its terrible curse . He told he had some proof of  the curse in the basement of the madhouse and would tell her the story after he showing it to her. He leads her down to a isolated cell where he pulls back the shutter to reveal the patient, a reptilian looking humanoid with mottled skin and a slit like nose.
He tells her the creature doesn't age and relates to her the tale of its origin:
The story then starts its second flashback and we see Walker Davis and his wife Audrey, 2 typical farmers who have left Arkansas to set up a new farmstead in the newly opened public lands. Well, they were typical all ways except for Walkers unnatural fear of snakes. While making camp, the couple try to avoid typical areas where these serpents are found. During their travels they meet a man who first introduces them with his tales to the Snake Gog Yig who protects its child, the snakes. This does little to improve Davis' ophidiophobia. During some bad weather they are forced to make shelter among some sheltered rocky area and there  Audrey stumbles upon a nest of rattle snakes. Much to Walkers horror, she kills them which in her husband's mind with invoke the wrath of Yig.
Eventually they reach their destination where they build a simple cabin and set to farming. After the first harvest, they have a party at Halloween to celebrate - however this is the time when Yig is most dangerous according to legend. After the singing and dancing finishes and their neighbours leave the couple retire. During the night, Audrey is woken by a terrible dream about the Snake God. She then hears a noise in the room and Walker lights a lamp and investigates. The illumination reveals the cabin floor in cover in rattle snakes. Walker collapses and the light goes out. Audrey is terrified and filled with panic. From the shadows a humanoid figure lurches towards her. Fearing that this is Yig looking for revenge, she grabs an axe that was beside the bed and strikes the humanoid over and over.

Friday 25 November 2011

List:: My 5 Fave Horror related themes

Cannibal Holocaust by Riz Ortolani.
When I'm asked my favourite horror them this is the one that springs to mind. It is written byJazz musician Riz Ortolani who previously won a Grammy and got nominated for an Oscar for his theme song in Mondo Cane. It is a beautiful haunting piece of music that totally puts you off guard with the juxtaposition with the extreme violence of the film.




Cape Fear by Bernard Herrmann.
It is without doubt that Bernard Herrmann is one of the greatest composers for films even. He his perhaps most famous for his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock for who he wrote the music for North by Northwest, Vertigo, The Man Who Knew Too Much and (his most well know score) Psycho. But it's his theme for the original Cape Fear which is my favourite of his. The brass used in it are like warning horns for the threat and danger that will soon emanate from villain, Max Cady. Seriously, it does send a shiver down my spine.




Suspira by Goblin.
Goblin are a progressive rock band from Italy who have collaborated many times with giallo director, Dario Argento. Of all those pieces, the one that stands out for me is Suspira. The music starts like a child's music box and then builds up adding more instruments and the creepiest whispering vocal ever.



Click to find out the last two....

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Review: The Devil's Rock (2011)

I have to admit I'm a sucker for a film with Nazi's and the Occult. Maybe, it stems from too many hours playing Wolfenstein as a teen but love movies like The Keep, Hellboy or even Indiana Jones. It's not just the occult but any horror elements will do, LIKE ZOMBIES. Despite how bad they were I had to sit through crud like Oasis of the Zombies, Night of the Zombies and Zombie lakes. All it took was a swastika wearing walking dead to do it. At least the recent Dead Snow many up for those earlier snoozers.

Which leads me to The Devil's Rock, a low New Zealand horror. Set on the eve of D-Day, two Kiwi commandos are on a mission to destroy a German gun emplacement in the occupied Channel Islands. There they stumble upon more than just Nazis. Exploring the bunk that protects the gun they find scenes of extreme carnage with slaughtered Nazi's everywhere. It's there they discover Germany's last attempt to swing the balance of the war, to summon help from Hell.

Monday 7 November 2011

Review: Straw Dogs (2011)

It was 1971 when Sam Peckinpah shot his controversial film, 'Straw Dogs'. Starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George it was a story of an American and his English wife returning to her native village in rural England. It touched on a few themes that are now pretty common in Horror films - that of the stranger in a strange hostile environment with dangerous locals. We're seen this many times in films such as Deliverance, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Southern Comfort. What makes Straw Dogs different that others in the genre is that isn't set in the woods of rural America or the swamps of the Bayou but in Cornwell, England. A place you wouldn't associate with danger especially for UK and Irish viewers.

Sunday 30 October 2011

Happy Halloween!!

Ahh, once again it's that time again, so it's out with the razor blades and apples as another Samhain rolls in. Every year I usually do the same thing, a few beers and endless stream of gory seasonal horror movies. But this year it's going to be a little different but I am still hoping for a Halloween Bloodbath at my UFC 137 party. Yup - I've given it all up this year to see one of my favourite fighters, Nick Diaz, take on 'The Prodigy', BJ Penn.



Sunday 23 October 2011

List: Worst (or maybe Best) First Date movies

Ok first dates are all about first impressions. So what better to impress you potential new boy/girl or transgendered partner. So here's a list of films that will definably make a big impression. In no particular order:

1) Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS (1975) - Directed by Don Edmonds.
The hands down king (or should I say Königin) of the Nazi Exploitation genre due to the scenary chewing (though charismatic) acting of lead actress, Dyanne Thorne. Other that it's the usual uniformed affair - graphic torture, nudity and dodgy accents but the whole thing is so over the top it's hard to find it really that offensive (well almost). Some trivia, this movie was filmed on the sets of dire American comedy, 'Hogan's Heroes'.

2) Salo: 120 Days of Sodom (1975) - Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolin.
Based loosely on the light romantic novel by the Marque de Sade. A group of fascists towards the end of World War 2 take refuse in a castle bringing with them a selection of teenage boys and girls to amuse their sadistic appetites. You know when a film has a chapter called 'Circle of Shit', that it's not going to be fun for anyone.

3) Slaughtered Vomit Dolls (2006) - Directed by Lucifer Valentine.
Mindless, stream of consciousness spewed (literally) from the brain of a strung out crack whore. Hard to watch for all the wrong reasons but this didn't stop director, Lucifer Valentine, making this part of a vomit filled trilogy.

4) Pink Flamingos (1972) - Directed by John Waters.
Early John Waters film, featuring 350lbs transvestite, Divine, going on a quest to become "The Filthiest Person Alive". And before you ask, the dog shit scene was done for real.

5) Flowers of Flesh & Blood (1985) - Directed by Hideshi Hino.
Part of the infamous Guinea Pig series. No plot as such just as such just some demented  Samurai cutting up a body for 50 or minutes. This film first probably came to most peoples  attention with the story of pre-Tiger Blood, Charlie Sheen, informing the FBI that this was a  real life 'snuff movie'.

Click for the rest of the list...


Monday 17 October 2011

Review: Shark Night 3D (2011)

It's a great time for horror - never before would such straight to DVD crap be shown on the big screen. Honestly you can't be too hard on it, it's called 'Shark Night 3D' after all. I did expect the dumb, shallow annoying characters but what surprised me was the bad the CGI was. It looked like something from the Syfy Channel or  the dross that Asylum pump out. But what shocked me the most was them going for a 15A Cert (PG13 for you Yanks). It might have been more enjoyable it they upped the gore 100 fold and added some T&A and make it some sort of contender to Alexandre Aja's Piranha.

So it's a film that falls between 2 stools - it's not gory/violent enough for the real horror crowd and too cheap and trashy of main stream audiences.

Despite all this I did enjoy it but you have to understand I was such a shark nerd as a kid and Jaws is probably is in my top 3 favourite films of all time. Add to this the influence of cheap cider then make up your own mind on how reliable my opinion is.I also have to add the film was pretty educational as I had never heard of 'cookie cutter' sharks before this film (another creature that needs to be added the the website, animalsbeingdicks.com).

Sunday 9 October 2011

Request of Film List ideas?

I'm going to do a weekly list of my favourite types of films - I'm going to kick it off in a few days with a 'Best First Date Movies' list. Considering the first film I saw with my better half was 'Ilsa She-Wolf of SS' then you'll get what I'm talking about. She said bring over anything that wasn't 'horror', I figured a good lawyer could get me off on a technicality with 'Ilsa'...

So post suggestions? It has to a genre that I can name at  least 10 films..

News: John Dies at the End

Don Coscarelli, the man behind the legendary Phantasm franchise, has a new film on the horizon. It's an adaptation of Jason Pargin darkly humorous horror novel, John Dies at the End. The story surround 2 Slackers and their encounters with an hallucinogenic drug that has a sinister effect on its users. Chase Williamson and Rob Mayes play the leads with supporting roles going to the more familiar faces of Paul Giamatti and Clancy Brown.

But it's not all good for Coscarelli as its likely that his sequel to comedy horror Bubba Ho-Tep is unlikely to happen. The film, titled 'Bubba Nosferatu: Curse of the She-Vampires' was to star Bruce Campbell who was to reprise his role as an aging Elvis Presley. Unfortunately, Campbell isn't willing to work with the director again in order 'to preserve their friendship'. Whatever that means. It's a pity as Paul Giamatti was also meant to star playing the Kings manipulative manager, Colonel Parker.

Trailer for  John Dies at the End:

Wednesday 5 October 2011

Mondo Robbery Part 1

Einstein said 'For every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction' - well in the world of exploitation films that isn't entirely true. For every big budget or successful film there is a reaction but whether that is equal or not is debatable. We're talking about 'rip off' films, those released to cash in on the success of the popular movie. These can be 'unofficial' sequels, titles designed to confuse viewers with the original movie or just blatant 'we have no copyright here' clones. The ironic things is that some of these productions are occasionally better than the original or at least just as enjoyable in a sideshow kind of way. For these reasons they've attracted legions of followers and collectors (here a 'legion' is defined as some where between 10 and a few dozen).

So let's have a look at the most notorious (and some of my favourite) of this unethical genre...

Monday 3 October 2011

A-Listers in B-Movies

Not everyone's first role is in a big Hollywood Blockbuster, infact most of today's 'stars' had to come up the hard way appearing in everything from commercials, TV shows or cheap B-Movies or Horrors. And it's the latter that we're looking at here. So roll out the rogue's gallery:

Brad Pitt

Before Pitt swished his way through Thelma & Louise, he had another bad boy character but this time in a bottom of the barrel, slasher film called 'Cutting Class'. And those of who were really paid attention might have noticed himself in an episode of horror anthology series, 'Freddy's Nightmares', titled 'Black Tickets'.

Thursday 29 September 2011

Review: The Maze (1953)

Gerald MacTeam and his fiancé, Kitty lead a happy, carefree life. That is, until, Gerald receives a telegram informing him of his great Uncle's death. He suddenly breaks off his engagement and moves to a old, spooky castle in Scotland that was left to him by this deceased relative. Not to be deterred by Gerald's strange behaviour, Kitty follows him to his new Highland Home.
On arrival, She is shocked by her former fiancé's appearance - he has aged significantly and acts in a nervous manner. Gerald allows her to stay but insists in locking her into her room at night. While there she hears mysterious sounds from beyond her door. Intrigued by this, she steals a key and follows the strange sounds. She is startled by a weird frog-like human creature/humanoid??? that she finds roaming the castle corridors. The creature too is frightened and while trying to escape falls from a window, killing itself. Only then can Gerald reveal what has been going on. He tells her that the abomination that she saw was his ancestor and the original master of the keep. When his Uncle dies it became his turn to look after it. Now that the creature is dead and Gerald's obligation gone, he is again free to marry Kitty.
This film was released back in 1953 in 3D and was directed by William Cameron Menzies who was also responsible for the sci-fi classic 'Invaders from Mars' and the 1936 film, 'Things to Come'.