Vampire Week Coming - V / V / XV

Venturing to view a variety of vampire visions it is this viewers vocation to pass verdict upon both victim and villain a like, neither virtue or vanity shall be vindicated as horror visitations of Vlad the Impaler stand vanguard with vinyl clad victors voyaging into the vigil beyond view.  Voila!

Verily I vow to voice my viewpoint and pass valuation upon these valiant ventures.

Vampire Weeks starts with...

Return To Horror High

It was Christmas 1996 when Dimension Film's released Scream to box office success and good reviews, it had a massive impact on horror and especially the slasher genera which had dried up after it's hay day in the 80's. It did this with the simply idea of been a self-aware slasher film posing the question 'what if the characters in a slasher film had seen all the classic 80's slasher film'. Though its impact on the genre at the time is undeniable I often feel it is miss labeled as been the first self-aware slasher film when films such as Student Bodies or todays subject Return To Horror High preceded it by close to a decade.

The 1987 films opens by telling us five years earlier the town of Crippen was shaken by a series of brutal murders at Crippen High School, the killer was never caught and the school became abandoned. Cut to the present where police are looking over the dead bodies of a film crew that had set up shop in the school to make a movie of the events, the only survivor is Arthur Lyman Kastleman (Richard Brestoff), the writer of the film. He explains to the police what had happened, this is our framing device for the rest of the film as we see the story of the film shoot, which was anything but smooth, from Kastleman wanting to make the film accurate to the events, the director who wants to make it to be a more subtle horror and a producer who want a blood and breasts filled slasher. Lead actor Oliver (played by a young George Clooney) walks out on the film to shoot a TV series, the lead actress complaining about how graphic a rape scene is and worse of all the killer has returned and is hacking his way through the cast and crew.

It is an interesting experience watching the film, such as one scene, a flash back from the schools principle about the events that had happened which is interrupted by the producer revealing it to be the film they are making, we get this a couple time, never knowing what is a flash back, the film in the film or a dream. I imagine this style could annoy some people but personally I loved it, it fit the tone the film set, which is to not take itself seriously at all.

There are some great scenes parodying slashers, such as the characters looking at a picture of a chainsaw in a book and commenting 'its been done' when discussing what weapon the killer in their film will use, or using the police interviewing Arthur to make jabs at how it isn't uncommon in slashers that body’s drop like flies yet no one notices untill the third act.

The film is funny too, one of my favourite running gags in the film is Officer Tyler, an unbelievably cute but perhaps somewhat clumsy policewoman constantly flirting with the chief by unbuttoning the buttons on her uniform, standing right up next to him notably trying to draw attention to her cleavage. This could have been really gratuitous if not for how adorable actress Maureen McCormick is in the role, and that she stays adorable when covered in blood is quite a feat.

The dialog is great as well, such as after a phone interview produces Harry Sleerik (played with a wonderful amount of sleaze by Alex Rocco) tells his assistant to send the interviewer a gift with this line; 'If she's a looker, send the douche-bag some flowers, if fat, just dump some candy on her.' Now how can you hear that without at least grinning to yourself?

I haven't spoken much of the actual plot as when it isn't following (and parodying) the standard slasher formula it delves into its own mad little world of move making and murder and I don't want to give much away.

A great little comedy horror film with a good cast that knew how silly the film was and just ran with it, everyone one screen looks like they are having a hell of a time with this one. Actress Lori Lethin is especially great playing pretty much every main female role in the film other than Officer Tyler, this is even joked about in the film when Arthur says to the police; 'Somebody doesn’t show up for work somebody else doubles up on that job, see we had one actress play three different characters, just plopped on a new wig!' Lethin plays the films heroin along side Brendan Hughes as Steven Blake making an enjoyable team you want to see get through this as they start to unravel they mystery.

Maybe not to everyones taste but I say if you can check this one out!

April Fools Day

I'm a fan of slasher films, of course I like the big three; Halloween, Friday The 13^th and A Nightmare On Elm Street, but in the glut of their heyday in the 1980's many get lost in the shuffle, which is a shame because there were some true gems out there such as Pisces, Chopping Mall, Christmas Evil and todays subject April Fools Day.

Released in 1986 by Paramount Pictures the film could also be described as a dark comedy whodunit, mixing humour with a somewhat Agnatha Christie style mystery. The set up is several teens have been invited to spend the weekend leading up to April Fools Day at the mansion owned by mutual friend Muffy on an island just off the main land. On the ferry over a prank by two of the teens leads to one of the ferrymen been seriously injured and having to be rushed to hospital using the local sherifs boat, the sherif in turn has to take the only other boat to get back to the mainland, leaving the teens without a way off the island.

Once at the house the teens realise Muffy has set up lots of pranks around the house from dribble glasses, whoopee cushions, chairs with folding legs that will collapse if you lean back to doorknobs that will simply fall off when you use them. The pranks go down well as the night progresses and when the teens head off to bed we surprisingly only have one couple having sex, the others mostly falling into more pranks including an exploding cigar. One teen Skip sneaks off to the boat house to smoke a joint when a figure walks out the shadows.

The next day the rest assume Skip is just off goofing around someplace and it isn't till someone spots his dead body floating in the water that they start to become suspicious, one by one they start to go missing and body’s are found until only two remain, who is behind it all?  One of the ferrymen out for revenge, Muffy herself, or are the strange letters and newspaper clipping about an escaped mental patient more than another prank?

I really loved this film and it may end up on my favourite slasher films list, it's humorous especially in the first half as they fall into Muffys pranks but quickly descends into horror and suspense in the latter as the body’s pile up and the mystery deepens. It also deviates from the typical slasher formula in places, the character Nan is your typical last girlbut is found dead mid way through, stuff like this keeps you off guard even if you know the tropes.  And the cast is good, from the acting to the characters, I didn't find any annoying, they were all fun and likeable and interacted well with each other.

Now I should warn, the ending of this film is a love it or hate it kinda thing, I know people who can't stand it but personally  I love it. So I say, check it out and decide for yourself!

You Should Check These Out

Something a little different here, I watch a number of review shows and the like on the internet so I'm going to recommend some of the shows I like.

First Good Bad Flicks, though the name may suggest this is a 'so bad it's good' show it's more of a look at films most people probably consider bad but host Cecil Trachenburg thinks deserve's another look, or just obscure films most of us won't of heard of that he thinks people should check out. He also has a spin off series called Good Bad Games, the Exploring series which is a more in depth look at some films and WTF Happened Too... where he discusses certain elements of the films industry that just make he go WTF!

Below is a link to the Good Bad Flicks website and his Phantasm episode, one of my favoured films.

http://www.goodbadflicks.com/

Mr. Trachenburg is also one of the current hosts of the internet radio show Radiodrome, another of the current hosts is Petar Gagic who hosts the second show I want to tell you about, The Cine-Masochist. He reviews horror, action and exploitation films, so you will have heard of and some you wouldn't.  And his current intro on his videos is fantastic!

Below I have linked his video on Return Of The Living Dead, another of my favoured films.

The third show I want to talk about is Lost In Adaptation hosted by The Dom, as the title suggests this is a look at films adapted from novels and what changed, what stayed the same and which version is preferred by the host, he also has a review series that I am yet to check out, but having watched every episode of Adaptation and enjoying that immensely I'm looking forward to viewing these as well.

Below is the link to his episode on The Never Ending Story, and you might just find it shocking what happened in the latter half of the book as only the first was was made in to the film.

I may do another post like this some day but I hope you find something here you can watch and enjoy.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Dedicated to Leonard Nimoy.

I love this film, to me Star Trek II isn't just the best Star Trek film, nor just one of the best sci-fi film's ever, it is one of my all time favourite films due to its epic story that really raised the stakes for the Enterprise crew.

The film is less a sequel to Star Trek: The Motion Picture and is a continuation of the episode Space Seed from the first series of the show. Space Seed was about the crew of the Enterprise finding the SS Botany Bay adrift in space, a ship launched from Earth during the 1990's, on board they find Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban), a genetically engineered superhuman who once ruled a quarter of Earth. Khan and his crew, along with the help of the Enterprise's historian Lieutenant Marla McGivers attempt to take over the Enterprise, they fail but Captain Kirk shows mercy. Going against regulations Kirk chooses to drops them off on Ceti Alpha V instead of taking Khan and his crew to be imprisoned on Earth.  Ceti Alpha V is a harsh world but one suited to Khan and his fellow superhuman's skills that he can form his new kingdom over, he also allows McGivers, who has fallen in love with Kahn to go with them saving her from a court-martial. The episode ends with Spock noting it would be interesting to return in 100 years to see what Khan and his people have made of the planet.

A good episode and satisfying end for Khan and his people, but little did fans at the time know that fifteen years latter they would see the after math of Kirk's blatant disregard for the rules. Producer Harve Bennett watched every episode of the original series in preparation for Star Trek II and gravitated towards the character of Khan, choosing to bring him back for the villain, writing the first treatment for the film.

In the film we see Chekov aboard the USS Reliant, doing survey work to find a planet suitable for testing 'the genesis device', he and his Captain beam down to what they believe is Ceti Alpha IV, at first they find what they expect, a desolate desert, but soon discover some cargo containers. After exploring the containers and Chekov's realisation that these are the containers from the Botany Bay they are captured by Khan, who explains that Ceti Alpha IV exploded, shifting the orbit of V making it this uninhabitable wasteland. After seeing most of his crew die at the hands of parasite creatures, including McGivers who Khan had married, he has vowed revenge against Kirk, blaming him, now him and his crew have stolen the USS Reliant he sets out to have his revenge.

There is so much to the film I don't even know where to start, as well as the themes of revenge and the past coming back to haunt there is also themes of age, loss, obsession and sacrifice, and they are all woven into a tight knit story. Khan is a great villain, never believing what he is doing is wrong or evil, he thinks his revenge is just and never realises how consuming his obsession has become.

The space battles are awesome too, not the high speed jet like battles but slower, more nautical like two submarines, the tension builds and builds and I'm on the edge of my seat no matter how many times I watch it. The first time Reliant attack the Enterprise, nearly destroying her the dread is high and the moment where Kirk agrees to discuss their surrender is a shocking moment, we rarely see Kirk at the end of his rope like that.

Oh course the famous KHAN! scream is one of the films most famous moments, and despite how it has been parodied over the years in context the scene is epic, the video of the scene is at the bottom, check it out yourself!

Oh course one of the most memorable and shocking scenes was Spock sacrificing himself to save the ship, followed by his funeral and Kirks moving eulogy. Even though I know he comes back to life in the next film I still tear up ever time Kirk says; 'Of my friend, I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human.'

I could go on all day about what I love about this film, I haven't even mentioned Savvik, David and Kirk's emotional scene at the end of the film, the scenes when Kirk, McCoy and Savvik beam aboard Regular I, and so many other great moments. This is a film I recommend everyone watch, even if you are not a Star Trek fan!

Pumpkinhead

Keep away from Pumpkinhead,

Unless you're tired of living,

His enemies are mostly dead,

He's mean and unforgiving,

Laugh at him and you're undone,

But in some dreadful fashion,

Vengeance, he considers fun,

And plans it with a passion,

Time will not erase or blot,

A plot that he has brewing,

It's when you think that he's forgot,

He'll conjure your undoing,

Bolted doors and windows barred,

Guard dogs prowling in the yard,

Won't protect you in your bed,

Nothing will, from Pumpkinhead.

(poem by Ed Justin)

You might question why a monster called Pumpkinhead does not in fact have a pumpkin for a head, well don't because this film is awesome!

Directed by special effects giant Stan Winston and released in 1988 Pumpkinhead has, despite mixed review at the time, gone on to attain a cult following and it's easy to see why. Staring the always great Lance Henriksen and sporting some, unsurprisingly awesome practical effects this is a film that's great fun for both horror and monster movie fans.

We start with a scene in 1957 where Pumpkinhead is hunting a man accused of murder, he attempts to get help from a house he passes but no one will fearing the creature will kill them as well. When Pumpkinhead finally catches and kills the man it is witnessed by a young Ed Harly. Flashing to the present where the now adult Ed is a single parent running a shop with his young son Billy.

Tragedy strikes when a group of teens stop at the shop, two riding off on their dirt bikes, when Ed is off running an errand Billy is accidentally hit by one of the bikes. The guy riding the bike drives off fearing jail time due to the fact that he has been drinking, most the others go to find a phone to call for help while one stays with Billy. Ed returns and takes his son home to treat his wounds but it's to no avail and Billy dies.

Distraught Ed seeks out the Old Witch in the hills so she can help him summon Pumpkinhead, she agrees and once Ed has dug him up from the graveyard in the old pumpkin patch they send him after the teens.

Thats the set up but there is so much more to the film, though we don't get a proper look at Pumpkinhead till about midway though the film (and I must add he is a fantastic creation), he is built up though the 1957 scene and though a creepy little poem we hear some kids sing showing that he has become a bogey man and legend. Lance Henriksen gives a great performance as Ed Harley, in just a few short scenes we see how close he is with his son, and even though he is responsible for Pumpkinhead going after the teens, most of whom are innocent and did everything they could to help his son, you are still sympathetic, and when the character shows regret for his actions you don't completely judge him because we see the pain he is in and and that he isn't thinking clearly. One short scene I loved is not long after Ed and the Old Witch have summoned Pumpkinhead, Ed's driving back and you can already see the worry and regret he's carrying, but then his son appears in the car next to him and says 'why did you do it daddy?', we don't know if it was a ghost or an hallucination brought on by Ed's own regret, it's short and effective scene.

There are some more twists in the film and of course some great death scenes but I don't want to give anything else away. There are sequels, one stand alone story that just follows similar themes with a monster called Pumpkinhead and two more that follow on from this film with Lance Henriksen returning, I haven't seen any but will be checking out all the sequels as soon as I can.

I love this film and can't recommend it enough, if you get a chance check it out!

Lifeforce

After I started this blog a friend recommended Lifeforce as a film I should talk about, I hadn't seen it before but as luck would have it I was taking a weekend trip to London and The Prince Charles Cinema was screening the film just a couple hours after I arrived.

Based on Colin Wilson's 1976 novel The Space Vampires, Lifeforce was directed by Tobe Hooper, a man known for many horror film's including Poltergeist and perhaps most famously the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Released in 1985 the film starts with the crew of the space shuttle Churchill, a joint UK and US team on their way to research Halley's Comet, only to find an unidentified structure hidden in the tale of the comet. The structure appears to be an alien ship, miles in length, when a small group of the astronauts venture inside the discover the petrified remains of bat like aliens as well as three humanoids in suspended animation, one woman and two men. They decided to bring the humanoids and one of the bat's back to earth for study.

We cut to days latter when another shuttle is launcher to find out what happened to the Churchill which never returned to Earth and all communications ceased. It appears a fire broke out inside the ship with the only survivors been the three humanoids still in their suspended animation pods.

After researching the humanoids in London the female, called Space Girl in the credits, wakes up, killing a guard by sucking the Lifeforce out of him leaving him as the human version of a raisin. She kills more people across London before disappearing. Soon the guard she killed comes back to life and sucks the Lifeforce from another much the way Space Girl had to him, leading to the belief that these creatures are the origin of the vampire mythos.

Now we follow SAS Col. Colin Caine (Peter Firth) and the Churchill’s only human survivor Col. Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback), who's escape pod landed in Texas and has developed a psychic link with Space Girl as they search for her in hope of preventing her infection more to become Space Vampires.

This is a good film but not prefect, sometimes the talking scenes can feel a bit wordy and a couple times characters seem to be explaining what we can already see, this could just dialogue the didn't transition well from the novel but having not read it I can't comment, ultimatly it dosen't bother me but I know others who it does. That been said the film has a lot going for it, Firth and Railsback are great in their respected roles, with Carlsen seeming to descend into madness and obsession with Space Girl while Caine keeps his cool despite the madness going on around him. Also of note is Mathilda May as Space Girl, possibly one of the most beautiful women ever she delivers a great performance despite having little to no dialogue till the third act, in fact her early scenes are her walking around nude but thanks to cinematography and music she has an other worldly and unsettling presence. There are many good performances in the films and in the later half Patrick Stewart has a small role as Dr. Armstrong.

There are some great effects but two stand out in particular, first is when the guard comes back to life, the animatronic for his shrivelled up body looks great, its moments can look clunky but I think it adds to the horror of what has happened to the guy. And second is a great scene where blood drains from two body’s and forms the shape of Space Girl, it just looks cool.

This film is worth a watch, as well as some good performances and effects, the direction is solid building lots of atmosphere and dread, but what else do you expect from Tobe Hooper?

Lifeforce is available on Blu-Ray from Arrow video.