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aka Computer Killers. Doctor Bloodbath.
"Our only chance is a freaky dwarf they've got here."Jason (Robin Askwith), a would be song writer, decides to leave the stresses and strains of the music industry for a holiday at a health farm. On the journey down he meets Judy (Vanessa Shaw), niece of one of the spa's owners. What they don't know is that Dr Storm (Michael Gough) is using the place as a front for his experiments on the guests, experiments in creating the ultimate zombies who he and he alone controls. As soon as they arrive at the mansion they both realise that something is amiss and they need to escape, but how? Could Frederick (Skip Martin), Dr Storm's maltreated assistant help?
A low budget horror, with Gough amongst others camping it up all he can, in this ludicrous, flawed, but enjoyable film, that throws everything but the kitchen sink into the mix.
aka The Ballad of Eskimo Nell.
"What I need is 90 minutes of good hardcore pornography..."
A director (Michael Armstrong) straight out of film school finds the only person who will hire him is Producer Benny U. Murdoch (Roy Kinnear). Benny puts him to work making Eskimo Nell, "the famous dirty poem". However complications ensue when each of the films backers wants a different film. To keep them all happy they end up making four different movies, a gay western, a martial arts musical, a porno and a family film. Whilst trying to prevent each backer from knowing about the other versions.
The film within a film concept, this time used to ridicule the process and the people involved in low budget British films at the time. Lady Longhorn is a caricature of Mary Whitehouse, Benny Murdoch is Tony Tenser, head of Tigon films and Louis Heyward, is the London representative of AIP. Your enjoyment of this is purely based on your interest in the movie industry. If you come looking for a bawdy romp, a la the Confessions films, you will be sorely disapointed, but if you are open to a low budget Carry On about the British film industry then you might find something to entertain you. I did say might!
"I think before you die, you see the ring... "
Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) investigates the mysterious death of her niece and discovers that she had gone to a cabin with some friends a week before her death. There they had watched a mysterious video. Seven days later, all the friends were dead. Rachel intreged, is compelled to track down the video and try and piece the mystery together. She finds and watches the tape herself, then receives a phone call telling her she will die in seven days. Now it's a race against time to dicipher the video, especially when her son Aidan (David Dorfman) also watches the film and falls under the same curse.
A remake of the successful Asian horror, this maintains the same pall of dread that the original did. Having seen and loved the original Ringu, I was loath to watch this, believing it to be a lame remake. But this version is sufficiently different to make the story its own. Its not just copying the original but develops on it subtly helped by the well crafted cinematography.
aka Wes Craven's The People Under the Stairs.
"Leave them alone. I've heard things about them, bad things."
A young boy nicknamed Fool (Brandon Quintin Adams) is persuaded to help burgle his landlord's house. Once inside he becomes trapped when the landlords (Everett McGill and Wendy Robie) return. Hiding in the rambling house, he finds they are keeping kidnapped boys there and when he befriends their daughter Alice (A.J. Langer), he finds out about the true horror inflicted on the children. He becomes determined to rescue them and expose the landlords and their wicked practices, helped by Alice and a boy who lives in the wall space Roach (Sean Whalen).
A nicely realised film full of suspence, with the odd bit of black humour as release.
"A guy turns up looking like a mime from hell..."
It's Devil's night in Detroit and Shelly (Sofia Webster) is raped, then her and her fiance Eric (Brandon Lee) are murdered. A year on and Eric is back for revenge on T-Bird (David Patrick Kelly) and his gang. Before moving onto the ultimate crime overlord Top Dollar (Michael Wincott). All this is watched over by local cop Sergeant Albrecht (Ernie Hudson) and Sarah (Rochelle Davis), a child the couple had taken under their wing.
A movie known by most for the death of it's star Brandon Lee on set, mere days from the end of filming. Considered by most as a haunting adaption from its comic roots, and others for its superficial plot, badly written screenplay and one-dimensional characters. Me I don't mind these, its not the worst comic adaption I've seen, the action is directed effectively and it moves along at a fine pace. A gothic masterpiece or a dark nightmare, you take your pick.
aka Blood Is My Heritage. Blood of the Demon.
"There's a power greater than science that rules the earth."
Nancy (Sandra Harrison), a rebel, is shuffled off to boarding school when her father re-marries. At the school she falls pray to science teacher Miss Branding (Louise Lewis), who experiments on her with regression therapy and hypnosis. Following a series of murders the police get involved, but only local doctor Mike (Paul Maxwell) seems to realise that a vampire is on the prowl.
Typical exploitation fare, it promises Dracula and blood and delivers neither! What it does deliver is a rock n roll musical number, some half-hearted acting and a bizarrely made up vampire. And there you have it, a true b-movie, and a particularly pedestrian one at that.
"This jack attacked me and then dropped dead."
Scott (Nic Rhind), the local bad boy returns to town from jail and meets up with old flame Jessie (Robyn Ledoux). Things are looking good, but then Scotts current girlfriend dies in his arms, a victim of some sort of parasite. Scott is immediately under suspicion of murder. Can jessie hide Scott long enough to help her figure out what's happening and prevent the parasite from taking over the town?
A film that combines a number of influences, from Shivers to The Hidden. It adds some effective special effects, but is hampered by uninspired acting (watchable but bland) and a formulaic plot. All in all an entertaining enough film, with a couple of nicely realised scenes, though as a whole is nothing special.
aka Computer Killers. Doctor Bloodbath.
