Death Moon

                          

"Death Moon" (1978) is a made for TV movie starring Robert Foxworth, Joe Penny and Barbara Trentham  about a werewolf that stalks and kills guests at a resort on Kauai, Hawaii.

                        

Jason Palmer (Foxworth) is an over achieving and over stressed businessman who according to his doctor, needs a vacation.  He decides to go to Hawaii where he is descended from missionaries.  He flies to a resort in Kauai where he tries to relax and forget about work.

                               

Something from his family's past is going to catch up with him here in Hawaii.  The ancient Hawaiians put a curse on his great grandfather and all his male descendants because he imposed his religion on them and made them stop practicing their "Pagan" religions. A mysterious Hawaiian woman is keeping track of Jason. Guests at the resort are being killed in the night by some savage creature.

                                

Jason meets Diane May (Trentham), a businesswoman there for a convention, who he falls for.  They do the tourist things and have an affair but she soon learns that Jason is not who he seems.

                              

Part horror movie, part police procedural, this movie is a fun made for TV movie.  The special effects are laughable but it is a 70s TV movie.  And come on - a horror movie filmed in beautiful Hawaii - you don't see many of those!

Black Sabbath

"Black Sabbath" (1963) is a trio of atmospheric horror tales hosted by Boris Karloff and starring: Michèle Mercier, Lidia Alfonsi, Boris Karloff, Mark Damon, Susy Andersen and Jacqueline Pierreux.

There are two versions of this film, the original Italian version and the American Version from American International Pictures (AIP) dubbed into English. The language is not the only difference between the versions, there story order is different and one of the tales is quite different between the two versions. Also, the music is different in both versions and there are some different story intros by Boris Karloff.

The three tales with the story order for the different versions in parentheses:

                           

"Drop of Water" (American 1 / Italian 3): Helen Chester (Jacqueline Pierreux) a nurse, is called in the middle of the night to a client’s mansion by the maid (Milly) who informs her the old lady is dead. Helen arrives at the mansion on the stormy night and is led through the decaying mansion filled with cats to the old lady’s room. There we see the dead old lady with eyes wide open and a grin of terror on her face. Helen’s job is to dress the lady for the caretaker the following morning but on the dead woman’s hand is a ring with a huge jewel that is calling out to her. Helen cannot resist and she takes the ring off her finger. When she gets home and tries on the ring, she is haunted by an increasing level of terror from beyond. This is my favorite story and the scariest and most haunting.

                           

"The Telephone" (American 2 / Italian 1): The young and beautiful Rosy (Michèle Mercier) returns home from a night on the town and someone keeps calling and harassing her. She soon discovers it is her ex-boyfriend Frank and he seems to be able to see her right in her apartment. In the Italian version, Frank is supposed to be in prison and has escaped plus Rosy’s friend Mary (Lidia Alfonsi) isn’t as innocent as she seems. In the American version, Frank is supposed to be dead, the revenge plotline is missing and it is more of a ghost story. Either way, the tension poor Rosy is experiencing is more than palpable and the story is filled with thrills and dread.

                            

“The Wurdalak” (American 3 / Italian 2): Nobleman Vladimire d’Urfe (Mark Damon) is riding his horse in the Italian countryside where by the river he discovers a headless corpse with a knife in its back. He rides further to the nearest house where he finds a family of siblings Pietro (Massimo Righi), Sdenka (Susy Andersen) and Giorgio (Glauco Onorato) and his wife Maria (Rika Dialina) and son. They confirm the dead man is an evil man who their father Gorca (Boris Karloff) had left 5 days earlier to find and kill. But, Gorca warned his family that if he should return any later than 5 days, they must not let him in because he will have been turned into a Wurdalak or Vampire. When he returns just after the fifth day, he is not the same and the family and visitor will soon find out who or what has really returned. Great acting by Karloff and constantly foggy and eerie atmosphere make this another standout in the anthology.

                           

As of this writing, the Italian version with English subtitles is the only version available on DVD but the American (AIP) version is available for streaming on Netflix.

“Black Sabbath” is an excellent example of atmospheric horror and great storytelling no matter which version you watch!

Frogs!

"Frogs" (1972) is a campy horror movie starring Ray Milland, Sam Elliott, Joan Van Ark and Judy Pace about the wealthy Crockett family that gets together around the 4th of July at their patriarch's mansion on their private island in Florida just in time for all of nature's creatures to attack!

Pickett Smith (Sam Elliot) is a freelance photographer / environmentalist who is canoeing around the swamps and lakes of Florida getting shots of nature under attack by human waste and garbage.  Clint (Adam Roark) and Karen Crockett (Joan Van Ark) are siblings out for a joyride in the family speedboat and they carelessly swamp Pickett's canoe.  They offer to bring him to Grandpa's house so he can get dried out.  Little does Pickett know what is about to occur on the island.

The Crockett estate is a beautiful southern mansion on its own island.  Jason Crockett (Ray Milland) is the crotchety head of the family who gathers his children and grandchildren to his estate for a couple weeks each summer.  During that time they have meals and play the same games according to all the family traditions.  Each of the family members seems to have issues but all gladly come to the island each year and takes his orders in hope that they will remain in the old man's good graces and thus his will.

As soon as Pickett arrives, he hears everyone complaining about all the frogs in and around the estate this year and how they keep them up.  Jason asks Pickett what poisons they can use to get rid of them. Well, over the week - Pickett keeps getting pulled in deeper and finds a love interest in Karen, all of nature's creatures in the area go on the offensive and start killing off the family members one by one.  There are snakes, spiders, lizards, birds, alligators and frogs all taking their turns going after the humans that have been poisoning their environments.  Who will get safely away from the island!  Will it be any better on the mainland?

"Frogs" is pure 70s horror fun!

Count Yorga, Vampire

"Count Yorga, Vampire" (1970) brings the story of vampires from the ancient times to the "modern" Los Angeles of the early 70s.

Donna has a party and has invited her deceased mother's lover, Count Yorga from Bulgaria.  He is conducting a seance in an attempt to reach her deceased mother.  When she becomes hysterical, he calms her by hypnotizing her and commands her to do anything he says whenever he says.  Paul and Erica offer to drive the Count home in their VW bus.

Upon arriving at the Count's estate gates, they are met by his manservant, Brudah, who lets them into the estate and up to his eerie mansion.  After dropping him off, the couple gets stuck in the mud on his estate and decide to sleep in the van.  They are attacked in the middle of the night but all they don't remember all the details but Erica is left with a bite mark on her neck.

She goes to see family friend, Dr. Hayes, who says she's lost a lot of blood and prescribes that she eat lots of rare steaks!  Later when Paul brings Michael (Donna's boyfriend) to Erica's house to investigate why they can't reach her, they find her house in disarray and Erica sucking the blood out of her cat!  Dr. Hayes is called in and he breaks the news to the men that they may be facing a modern day vampire.

This is a fun 70s vampire movie.  Count Yorga is dashing and mysterious as the vampire and he has a host of scantily clad female vampires doing his bidding.  For a good retro vampire thriller, check it out.

Lord of Tears

"Lord of Tears" (2013) is a haunting new horror movie that takes place in a crumbling old country mansion in the misty Scottish Highlands, starring David Schofield, Alexandra “Lexy” Hulme, Jamie Scott Gordon & Euan Douglas from writer Sarah Daly and director Lawrie Brewster.

 

 James “Jamie” Findlay (Euan Douglas) is a school teacher who inherits his family’s ancestral estate, Baldurrock House, in the remote Scottish Highlands when his estranged mother dies.  She also leaves him a letter reminding him of the reason he left the home and why he must never return there.  Upon reading the letter, Jamie’s subconscious memories start to surface and he is once again being haunted by his past.

 

James discusses his mother’s death and his growing concern about his past with his childhood friend and coworker, Allen Milton (Jamie Gordon) who assures him he is just going through the grief of losing his mother.  We also discover Allen is going through his own trials with the illness of his father. 

To discover what is behind his long lasting terror, James returns to his childhood home, a large, old mansion in the remote Scottish countryside.  Upon his arrival he meets Eve “Evie” Turner (Lexy Hulme), a beautiful young American woman who has been staying on the estate.  Evie is quite striking and extremely friendly and she quickly attracts the adoration of the lonely and increasingly terrified Jamie.  She helps him with his investigation to get to the root of his terror.

                           

Lurking on the estate is a tall, eerie, quite dapperly attired figure with an oversized owl head and long talons for its fingers.  What is the significance of this creature that Jamie knows he has seen in his childhood and adult nightmares?  The depth of his terror builds as he uncovers the truth of what happened at Baldurrock House and what is yet to happen.   

 

Director, Lawrie Brewster, has endeavored to make his film "Lord of Tears" in the vein of classic British chillers like "The Wicker Man", "The Haunting" and "The Innocents".  The multi-talented, Sarah Daly not only penned the screenplay, she also wrote and performed some of the hauntingly beautiful vocal pieces on the soundtrack as musical artist Metaphorest.

 

Lawrie Brewster - Director

After working hard to make a polished horror film that created a unique and uncanny antagonist, the Owl Man, which drew inspiration from classic mythology and lore, ancient history and modern legends, the dynamic duo of Lawrie Brewster and Sarah Daly have been working overtime over the last year to get this film released.  They conducted a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, found additional funding and formed their new production company, Hex Media and along with producing partner, Dark Dunes Productions, successfully released the film this month.

Sarah Daly - Writer

Certain scenes from “Lord of Tears” will remain with you long after first viewing.  The wonderfully talented and beautiful Lexy Hume steals the show in some of her scenes especially her scene where Evie is performing an extravagant dance for Jamie in the main room.  Evie’s classic beauty is featured most in the scene where Jamie is in the swimming pool and she enters down the spiral staircase to join him – with the haunting melodies and vocals that Sara Daly (Metaphorest) has provided, the scene really shines.  The scenes of Moloch, the Owl Man, are truly eerie and the first time Jamie sees him appear in the forest brought chills down my spine. 

 

“Lord of Tears” is a supernatural and psychological thriller that knows how to build suspense and terror.  With very little blood, lots of uncanny imagery, characters we care about and a house that is a character in itself, the filmmakers were able to craft a very scary film which reminds me of the atmospheric horror chillers of my youth that I have always enjoyed the most in the horror genre.  

 

If you enjoy classic horror movies that immerse you into eerie atmosphere and build an uncanny sense of suspense, check out “Lord of Tears” – you won’t be disappointed.

 

"Lord of Tears" had its World Premiere on 10/25/2013 at the Bram Stoker International Film Festival. You can order the special collector’s edition DVD or Bluray, soundtrack CD and other Owl Man goodies direct from the Hex Media's website.

"Lord of Tears" trailer

The Abominable Dr. Phibes

"The Abominable Dr. Phibes" (1971) starring Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten & Hugh Griffith  is about a disfigured doctor / scientist that is out for deadly revenge on the 7 doctors that failed to save his wife.

Dr. Phibes (Price) is a doctor and mad scientist that is terribly disfigured after an automobile accident which caused his beloved wife to die.  He lives in an art deco styled house and keeps himself entertained by playing his organ along with his strange looking orchestra and his beautiful and silent assistant Vulnavia (Virginia North) and performs lavish musical dance routines much like a weird Broadway musical!  When not applying his fake face and entertaining himself in his visually stunning home in over the top outfits, he is planning and carrying out the tragic deaths of the team of incompetent doctors that failed to save his wife's life.

Dr. Phibes is very creative in making the deaths follow the Ten Plagues of Egypt from the Old Testament, including death by bees, bats, locusts and much more.  The Scotland Yard inspector who is investigating all the murders adds a comic touch to the horror of this film.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie!  It is visually stunning and a feast for the eyes!  The story is inventive and the characters are engaging.  This is now probably my favorite Vincent Price horror film!

Dolls

"Dolls" (1987) is a campy horror movie starring Ian Patrick Williams, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon & Carrie Lorraine about two groups of travelers who get stranded during a storm and end up at the mansion of an elderly doll maker and his wife.

Young Judy is traveling with her father and stepmother through the English countryside.  The stepmother is played by Carolyn Purdy-Gordon and she is delightfully cold and evil to her sweet stepdaughter.  They seek refuge from the storm at the Hartwicke's mansion and discover the elderly couple is very eccentric but welcoming and that every room is filled with handmade dolls and toys made by the man.  Judy is very intrigued by all the toys but the dolls of course are more than they seem.

Shortly thereafter, three more people arrive, mild-mannered Ralph and the two British punk rock girls that he picked up hitchhiking in the storm.  Everyone gets a meal and a room and they all settle in for the night.  The night is when everything starts coming alive, including all the dolls in the house and they aren't nice innocent dolls either, they are filled with evil!

I really enjoyed this movie!  It is campy and fun.  The Gothic English mansion is nice and eerie and having everyone end up wandering the huge house at night brings the requisite scares.  The toys are eerie and scary too.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness

"Dracula: Prince of Darkness" (1966) is a classic Hammer horror film starring Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley & Andrew Keir.

In the late 1800s, two unsuspecting English couples are visiting the Carpathian Mountains on vacation.  They are going to visit the town of Karlsbad but the local priest tries to warn them away.  Since it is already on their "program" they go anyway.  However the carriage driver strands them 2 km from their destination because it is getting dark and he doesn't want to be caught near the castle that he won't admit is there.  A driver-less carriage soon arrives and whisks them to Count Dracula's castle where his manservant greets them and says he welcomes travelers per his dead master's instructions.  Little do the tourists know that they may not be leaving the castle tonight or any night!

This is a great vampire classic filled with plenty of spooky atmosphere!  We have a castle with hidden dungeons filled with a resurrected vampire.  Christopher Lee is brilliant as the evil and ever silent Dracula.   

Haunted

"Haunted" (1995) is a spooky old fashioned haunted house horror film starring Aidan Quinn, Kate Beckinsale, Anthony Andrews and John Gielgud based on James Herbert's novel.

Professor David Ash (Quinn) is an American living and teaching in post World War I England.  He has written a book debunking ghosts and the supernatural. He receives a letter from elderly Nanny Tess who lives at Edbrook estate with the Mariell family- siblings Christina, Robert and Simon, begging him to visit to help her figure out what is haunting her at the estate.

David goes to Edbrook and discovers that the three Mariell siblings have a rather peculiar relationship.  They seem a little too close.  David takes a liking to the highly flirtatious Christina much to the dismay of overbearing older brother Robert.  None of the family believes what Nanny is seeing is real.  David doesn't at first but little by little he starts to also see and encounter unexplained phenomena on the estate.  He also starts to see sightings of his twin sister who died when he was young.  Is he haunted by something at the house or just haunted by events in his past?

This is a great haunted house movie.  Lots of roaming around the large mansion and estate.  There is a good scary atmosphere throughout and it will keep you in suspense until the unexpected end.

Sweet, Sweet Rachel

"Sweet, Sweet Rachel" (1971) is an ABC Movie of the Week horror / thriller starring  Alex Dreier, Pat Hingle, Louise Latham and Stefanie Powers.

Rachel Stanton (Powers) returns home to her palatial seaside mansion one evening to watch in horror her husband, seemingly in a trance, run toward and through the window to die on the seaside rocks below.  She then receives a phone call from a mysterious female voice reciting all the cards that are spread out on the table.

Filled with grief, Rachel seeks the help of ESP expert, Dr. Lucas Darrow (Dreier) to help her solve the mystery.  In the meantime, she starts seeing visions of things and feeling a power that is making her do things she doesn't want to do.  The Dr. and Rachel both believe someone used ESP to kill her husband and to go after her.

Out of the blue, Rachel's aunt and uncle Arthur and Lillian Piper show up at Rachel's house and insist on staying so they can take care of her during her time of need.  Their daughter Nora, who was in love with Rachel's husband, also keeps popping up.  Lillian has psychic powers of her own and Dr. Darrow is immediately suspicious of the aunt, especially after they start keeping her in the house for her own good and keep the doctor away from her.

This is a good made for TV thriller.  Stephanie Powers does a great job as a woman being assaulted from psychic forces.  There are lots of shadows and a wonderfully mysterious setting and atmosphere that permeates the movie.  Plus, it keeps you guessing until the end!