Films That Matter
Ohm My God
Finding an intriguing milieu somewhere between the recent popularity in witch related films over the past decade (think The VVitch, Hereditary, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, and Weapons) and a spooky atmosphere somewhat reminiscent of the Stephen King room related 1408, Hokum (2026), written and directed by Damian McCarthy, is another worthy entry in the horror genre. In many ways about battling your own demons, Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) is a successful writer with a very troubled past – making him a bitter, cantankerous, and bluntly rude human being, he is currently writing the trilogy-ender to his successful Conquistador series (which serves as a bookend for this film). Suddenly haunted by his parents’ ashes sitting upon his mantle (as well as being hit with a form of writer’s block), he decides to fly to Ireland to spread them at one of the places he knows they loved – a kitschy inn called The Bilberry Woods where long ago they honeymooned.
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Missed the Bloody Cut: 2024 (Part 1)
October 1, 2024The first Missed the Bloody Cut horror selection of this 2024, here are some more horror movies that did not meet my strict criteria (a rating of 7.0 or higher). . . but are still entertaining films (horror fanatics may enjoy) that do not deserve to be fled from like a creature walking more slowly than a senior with a walker – and that are definitely worth a watch (just maybe not several re-watches).
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Regula as a Clock
The Torture Chamber of Dr. SadismSeptember 26, 2024Loosely based upon Edgar Allan Poe’s 1842 short story, “The Pit and the Pendulum”, the violently titled West German film The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (1967), directed by Harald Reinl, is a meandering 18th century set gothic horror mood piece starring the legendary Christopher Lee. For those of you who revel in the wild extravagance of how some of these European horror pictures have a list of different titles around the world, here we go – The Blood Demon, The Snake Pit and the Pendulum (perhaps an abandoned Indiana Jones title as well), Blood of the Virgins, and lastly, Castle of the Walking Dead. Now, reading that primary title, the first question might be... just who is this Dr. Sadism? And, of course, the answer that only makes sense is that it is clearly no one.
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On Your Toes
SuspiriaSeptember 23, 2024Alfred Hitchcock: “When we tell a story in cinema we should resort to dialogue only when it's impossible to do otherwise. I always try to tell a story in the cinematic way, through a succession of shots and bits of film in between.” It is quite clear that Dario Argento took this quote from the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, to heart when co-writing and directing his 1977 horror film Suspiria. An atmospheric mood piece, for much of its runtime, it plays as close to a silent film as you can get.
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Kill Gill
Revenge of the CreatureSeptember 20, 2024If you’re looking for a cool piece of trivia you probably didn’t know, Revenge of the Creature (1955), the sequel to the Universal monster movie classic Creature from the Black Lagoon, holds the distinction of being Clint Eastwood’s first feature film (a small role as Lab Technician Jennings... his second role for anyone asking – Francis in the Navy). Helmed once again by Jack Arnold, the story picks up quite promptly after where the original left off. Having heard of the impressive gill-man specimen that has been seen in an Amazonian lagoon, the Ocean Harbor Oceanarium in Florida sends off a small but well prepared team to capture the unknown species with the help of the Captain who helmed the first venture, Lucas (Nestor Paiva returning). After a bit of a struggle, they’re able to transport it back from the Amazon, chaining it in a tank in the above mentioned tourist attraction and zoology study centre.
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Pearl-Clutch
PearlAugust 12, 2024What do you get when you cross Dorothy Gale with the Wicked Witch of the West? The answer may just come in the 2022 melodramatic horror film Pearl, co-written and directed by Ti West. The approximately six decade prequel to West’s homage to the early years of the slasher subgenre of 1970s horror with X, this rewind throws us into the life of the titular Pearl, originally the slash happy elderly woman who we now see as a young woman.
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Star Pick with William Ragsdale
Fright TonightThe ChangelingOctober 31, 2023I was fortunate to be able to interview actor William Ragsdale on April 24th 2022, at the Cornwall and Area Pop Event (or CAPE). A most entertaining event each and every year, one of the highlights was a reunion of Ragsdale and Amanda Bearse – two of the stars of Tom Holland’s horror cult classic Fright Night (you can find their recollections of the film, as well as Ms. Bearse’s Star Pick interview here on Filmizon.com). It is also worth noting that Ragsdale returned for Fright Night’s sequel, and has continued working ever since... recently having a memorable three year stint on the excellent series Justified... while speaking of horror, he had a cool cameo in 2023's Renfield – back in the vampire realm once more. When our conversation turned to his favourite film, it did not take him long to highlight a horror classic – 1980's The Changeling, starring George C. Scott. This is what he had to say: “I love that movie [The Changeling]. When it came out I thought it was brilliant. It had strong performances from George C. Scott and Melvyn Douglas. For me, the shock stuff is not so great, I really love the ambience and how things are created... it is almost like how Guillermo del Toro builds his atmosphere. I really like feeling like this is a place I’m going into and hanging out. And, of course, that movie was all about that. If the setting is correct, I enjoy it – and The Changeling just had it.” It is also worth noting that he gave a shout-out to The Exorcist earlier in the interview as well.
