WHO SAW HER DIE? (Directed by Aldo Lado 1972)

Another obsure cult giallo unearthed by the ever reliable Shamless Screen Entertainment. Who saw her die? was made in 1972, a year before Nicolas Roeg's classic Don't look now, but bears such an uncanny resemblance most viewers will probably think this is an obvious ripoff of the bigger budget Roeg film. Interestingly not so.
As with the later and far more unsettling Night Train Murders (also available through Shameless)Aldo Lado at once draws the viewer in with a fog of unease made all the more memorable by the haunting Ennio Moriconne score. A mysterious child killer in a black veil is on the loose in Venice and targets the daughter of the emotional trainwreck Franco(played admirably by temporary Sean Connery James Bond replacement George Lazenby)who takes it upon himself (and his moustache) to solve the crime. What follows is fairly standard Euro-thriller fare and revolves almost entirely around Franco searching for his child, however Who saw her die? is rarely dull and works on quite a few different levels other than straight forward horror. The acting in this film is also unusually good for its type and the creepy locations captured beautifully by scope master Franco Di Giacomo lend the film a poignant air of despair not dissimilar to Edward Woodwards lost at sea panic in Wicker Man.
So, another stellar release from Shameless. One of my favourites of theirs since Torso and a rather haunting little film. Now if I could only shake that slightly over-used Morricone theme song...

HALLOWEEN 2 (Directed by Rob Zombie 2009)

I wish this film had been bad in the way Zombie Lake was bad but alas, it's just abysmal in every way. I know I'm a bit late getting round to seeing this but while I was slightly ashamed to admit that I enjoyed Rob Zombie's first take on the Halloween franchise, I'm a bit embarrassed to even say I sat through this one! This film seems to consist of terribly executed scenes of unexplained flashbacks and dream sequences that appear to serve only as an excuse to have Zombie's wife Sheri Moon in the film a bit more. As with the first installment I found the use of Danielle Harris (who was a very young child in the original Halloween's 4 and 5)very strange. Not because I was used to seeing her as a kid, but because I wasn't used to seeing her running around topless, covered in blood. Sorry, but having been a fan of the early films these scenes leave a bad taste in the mouth and just don't sit well in the tradition of the original Halloween films. The violence in this film isn't interesting or original either, and unlike the over the top, comic book bloodshed and mayhem that soaked his previous films, here, it's just boring.
One redeeming feature (and the same can be said for all his films) is the cinematography and colour schemes are incredible, but this time, the film can't even be saved by his usually interesting retro rock n roll soundtrack, Even that falls flat. Sorry but it's really a struggle trying to find anything to recommend this. (even the usual dvd extras don't cut it)
Please don't give us a third film Mr.Zombie.

KICK ASS (Directed By Matthem Vaughn-2010)

Unlike the majority of watered down, CGI reliant big budget attempts at superhero remakes it's truly refreshing to see a film as unapologetic in its portrayal of in- your-face, no nonsense violence and hilariously overblown excitement. To start off with, it may seem that the basic storyline of Kick Ass isn't THAT original. But that's almost the point. Remember when American Pie first hit our cinema screens? Well, in a similar way, this film seems to be here purely to show you how a film of this genre should be done! The script is spot on, the usual teen humor is endearing (in a Superbad sort of way), the cinematography is almost too much to take in on first view and the characters are truly Hilarious throughout. Even the Bad guys.
Kick Ass is really something else though. It's a one off example of everything you would expect it to be and so much more. It was so refreshing to see Nicholas Cage going back to this style of stupidity I laughed pretty much every time he opened his mouth and his gun obsessed foul mouthed relationship with his 11 year old daughter Mindy (played incredibly well by Chloe Moretz) really defies words. The the two of them, as you will know by now, lead a double life as superheros Hit Girl and Big Daddy and it's not often scenes of bloodshed and carnage can leave the viewing laughing at the almost charmingly sincere respect they have for each other. One particularly intense scene involving Hit Girl reminded me a great deal of the infamously brutal 70's Swedish cult classic Thriller:A cruel picture.
One of the most effortlessly affective aspects of Kick Ass is it's ability to combine teen loser comedy with a full on visual assault of violence and superhero fantasy, and all at the same time as capturing an almost elegant sense of style and freshness in it's colour schemes and set pieces.
Top marks also have to go to 19 year old Aaron Johnson as David/Kick Ass and Superbad's truly charismatic Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Red Mist who hopefully we are going to be seeing more of in the near future.
Kick Ass really is a must see. Its hyperactive fun to the extreme and leaves you literally gagging for more. Thankfully judging by the closing scene, it may not be too long before Part 2.

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS (Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa 2009)

I had my doubts about this film but boy was I wrong! I'm not going to say much about this as it really does need to be seen to be understood on any level as it's one seriously demented piece of cinema. And a hugely entertaining and hilarious one at that! If neither Ewan McGregor or Jim Carey get Oscars for this I would be very surprised as both of them give career defining performances. This is one strange and highly entertaining film!

SHUTTER ISLAND (Directed by Martin Scorsese 2010)

The trailer for this film gave the impression of it being a spooky psychological horror film, however it's not particularly scary or shocking. Nor is it really a classic. Ben Kingsley is the standout character in the film, and a surprisingly powerful performance from DiCaprio has finally convinced me that he is slowly becoming Jack Nicholson. With a superbly dynamic cinematographic opening sequence and the interesting use of Max Von Sydow and Michelle Williams in small but memorable roles, I found Shutter Island to be an enjoyable and interesting hour and a half but I can't say it begs to be watched again any time soon, though revisiting it may give away a few more clues to the twist ending, which, suprisingly I didn't actually see coming!

HOUSE OF THE DEVIL (Directed by Ti West 2009)

I got pretty damn excited about this film when I saw it at Frightfest last summer and the wait for the DVD release is finally over. (Not to mention an extremely cool but highly limited retro VHS collectors edition in a suitably over sized plastic box)
House of the Devil isn't a particularly easy film to review, but I wanted to bring some attention to it as it really needs to be seen. I'm pretty sure it's one of my personal favourites of recent years.
Ok, so the story couldn't be simpler, Samantha (played by Jocelin Donahue) gets a job as a baby sitter as a solar eclipse is taking place. Little does she know that her new clients Mr and Mrs.Ulman (Mary Woronov and Tom Noonan) plan to use her in a satanic ritual. And that's pretty much it.
However, as I'm sure you have already heard, House Of The Devil immediately separates itself from the recent flock of horrors as it is a deliberate throwback to the 80's, including it's soundtrack, cinematography, artwork and wardrobe. Certain scenes brought Carrie to mind, and others elements of the first two Friday the 13th films along with numerous others.
Luckily, these are all attributes not flaws and bring together something pretty original and memorable. House of the Devil certainly lingers in the mind long after viewing.
The DVD came out on Monday (15th March) and I'm just hoping Ti West does a decent audio commentary and mentions the French girl in the audience at Fright Fest who told him he was the next Roman Polanski.

TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (Directed by Amando De Ossorio 1971)

I find certain horror films hard not to go on about and this is most definitely one of those movies. Tombs of the Blind Dead is the first in a four part series of films (along with Return Of the Blind Dead, Night Of The Seaguls and Ghost Galleon)that tell the story of the resurrection of The Templar Knights, blind hooded zombies on horseback who hunt their victims by sound (including by heartbeat). The settings and atmosphere throughout this film are incredibly creepy and can certainly pack quite a punch 30 years later. Just watch for the scene were the templars attack the passangers of a train towards the end. the idea alone of shooting this scene just as the sun is coming up over the countryside is breathtaking. The dvd of the first and superior addition to the series comes with a dubbed and heavily cut UK version and the fully restored Spanish version.(Which really is the only way to see this film as it's certainly a classic of it's kind and it looks superb.)
The other three films in the series are a bit hit and miss but if you like interesting European horror from the 70's and 80's you could do a lot worse than to check this one out! It has pretty much everything you would expect or want from horror. And it's not been remade. Yet.