Review - Castle Freak (1995 - Dir. Stuart Gordon)

(You may remember that I have already reviewed Castle Freak a fair while ago but it came up as Barbara Crampton's random selection in the FA Cup so I've passed on the reviewing duties to Doccortex for a second opinion - evlkeith.)

My first voyage into the world of the FA Cup of Actors and highly enjoyable it was too. I was fearing the worst as Castle Freak doesn’t exactly look like my cup of tea, but I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere, story and the fact that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a fairly standard horror offering, but what it lacks in originality it makes up for with straightforwardness and, it has to be said, sleaziness.

Having said that, I thought I was focusing on Jeffrey Combs for the FA Cup, and he is absolutely terrible in this. He’s wooden, joyless and displays such a lack of subtlety that I find it difficult to believe he is actually an actor. (I don't actually think he is - but he's still a quality horror icon - evlkeith.) Luckily enough however, I was supposed to be focusing on Barbara Crampton who strolls through the film with an air of class and confidence that led me to believe if she ever got her hands on the Castle Freak she’d kick hell out of him. She’s way better than this standard of film on this performance. I was going to knock a point off the score because of Combs, but Crampton cancels out his amateurishness.

To cut a short story even shorter…married couple John and Susan with their blind daughter, rock up at a spooky Italian castle that they’ve inherited. Surprise, surprise, a castle freak lives in the castle and all kinds of high jinks ensue when he gets loose. The freak himself is a somewhat pathetic villain in the truest sense of the word, but his makeup is believable and he atones for his slightly melancholic demeanour with a sneakiness and violent nature that he combines brilliantly with a creepy and sleazy side of his personality. At times he’s almost scary, but he certainly lives up to his name.

All in all it’s an entertaining package of spooky atmosphere, decent acting (apart from Combs) and amusing horror antics from the freak. It’s approaching an average viewing experience but not quite, so I’ll award Castle Freak 4.5/10, which sends Barbara into the next round of the FA Cup. It’s a well deserved victory and on this showing I’d look forward to seeing her in some meatier roles.

4.5/10  
Doccortex

If you like this you could also try:
Hell's Ground, From Beyond. 

Review - Night of the Living Dead 3D: Re-Animation (2012 - Dir. Jeff Broadstreet)

Jeffrey Combs faces Marc Singer in this first round match of the FA Cup of Actors and it's got the potential of having a scoreline that your average football match could have. (I'll tell you now that Singer's entry isn't looking promising.) Anyway let's see what Jeffrey Combs is like in a goalmouth scramble.

I thought I'd escaped these pesky undead shamblers for a while after last year's Year of the Dead season. But no. Up comes this abomination as Combs' entry. The DVD came with two pairs of 3D glasses, not the posh new ones that would mean I'd need to fork out a fortune on a new telly but the old red and blue ones. I thought - in my stupidity - that the 3D aspect, plus the presence of Jeffrey Combs, would at least make it fun. 

I gave up on the glasses after about fifteen minutes. The 3D isn't even as good as Friday the 13th Part 3 and it started to make my head hurt. Suffice to say all of the usual 3D fun and games is present; things are thrust at the camera with stunning regularity and predictability. The other downside of the process is that the colours look very murky and brown. It makes a dour experience even worse.

The first half of the film pretty much involves people chatting, normally in pairs. Establishing shots, then close-ups of the two actors abound. For ages. And ages. It wouldn't be so bad if what they were talking about was interesting. It's not.

I suppose I better get round to the plot. Gerald Tovar (Andrew Divoff, from the low quality Wishmaster) runs a mortuary. But - and I can't believe I'm back to writing this so soon - the dead come back to life and some flesh munching ensues. Along comes Gerald's brother, Harold (Jeffrey Combs) who is in debt and needs some cash desperately. As you would in these situations, he comes up with an organ harvesting idea. Throw in a scene of necrophilia - probably written by a thirteen year old lad - and you're in for a classy experience.

It's all quite embarrassing really. The acting is pretty dire all round and makes this look immensely cheap. Despite that I found Divoff easier to watch than Combs, which surprised me a fair bit. Combs hams it up so much I half expected him to launch into a rendition of "Munch, munch, I want my lunch. Tea and breakfast too." (Many apologies for the highly obscure Porky Pig reference.) The worst offender in the acting stakes has to be Sarah Lieving. She wanders round - or even just stands - with the strangest baffled expression on her face. It looks like she's been given Xylazine just to get her through the whole sorry mess.

The effects are also poor. Surely one of the points of a zombie film is to see some poor hapless fellow have his head blown off with a shotgun. It's not that tricky. Make a fake body and head filled with all manner of loveliness. Add a blood pump or two. Then blow the head off. Gorgeous. Nope, not here. Rubbish CGI abounds. Saying that, the make-up effects on the zombies are not too bad. Standard issue, but professionally done.

There is one positive to this debacle. A scene that crops up about halfway through takes place in the crematorium and it is pretty atmospheric. You can almost smell the stench of rotting flesh - though sadly, this isn't helped by the overuse of buzzing fly sound effects. The points in the final rating all come from this one scene. Don't be fooled though, it really isn't worth the price of admission.

So my return to my rotting chums hasn't been the happy family reunion that it could have been. I was hoping for something along the lines of Dagon to come up as Jeffrey's entry but I suppose I've got to take whatever the random film generator throws at me. Now, you'd think from the rating that Combs is well out of the FA Cup. Just wait for Singer's entry and we'll see.
2/10
evlkeith

If you like this you could also try:
Having a look at any of the good entries from the Year of the Dead season. 

Review - From Beyond (1986 - Dir. Stuart Gordon)

When I recently rewatched Re-Animator, I was a little disappointed by it. My memory of the film, on its first release, was so much better. Whereas I saw From Beyond on video in the eighties and I could hardly remember a thing about it. Strange how watching it now, it's actually a pretty good film.

Based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft this is Stuart Gordon's second foray into Lovecraft territory (but not his last) after the aforementioned Re-Animator. I say it is based on a short story but in reality the nine page story forms the prologue to the film where we meet Crawford Tillinghast (the always excellent Jeffrey Combs) and Dr Edward Petorius (Ted Sorel) both larking around with a strange electrical machine that can stimulate the pineal gland in the human brain, allowing them to gain a sixth sense and 'see' the world around them as it really is. Funnily enough, this involves floating fish and creatures that rip your head off. The Beyond was never going to be filled with marshmallows, cushions and My Little Ponies, was it? Getting the prologue out of the way so quickly allows the director space to slightly embellish on the facts of the original story. And embellish he does...

Barbara Crampton. Leather gear. Not in the original story. But should have been.

Yep. Barbara Crampton appears again in a Stuart Gordon film but this time her role is reversed with that of Jeffrey Combs. She plays an ambitious psychologist, willing to go to any lengths to get what she wants. Her desires gradually drag her from fulfilling her job professionally into total insanity. Combs, meanwhile, is along for the ride (a ride which includes developing a filthy little head proboscis and an appetite for sucking human eyeballs out of their sockets - another embellishment).

Another horror icon appears in the form of Ken Foree. He plays an everyman kind of guy who even gets to prance around in just his undercrackers. A much lighter role than his one in Dawn of the Dead  then.

The cinematography and effects look stunning even now (well, most of them). Inspired by The Thing, the main creature is a mass of pulsating, morphing flesh. The creature's head, suspended on its spindly neck, is so convincing that it was a while before I actually considered how they'd accomplished the effect. It's fairly simple, but really effective. The stop-motion animation doesn't fare as well under not-co-close scrutiny. But as with films like The Gate and Hardcover it all adds to the atmosphere and appeal.

The recent Blu-ray from Second Sight is a joy to behold. The image quality and colours are a showcase for the Blu-ray format and the extras complete a very comprehensive package. (There's even an interview with Barbara Crampton looking back at the film, and she's still as gorgeous as ever. Maybe her involvement in these films has led her to become privvy to a Lovecraftian youth potion?) 

So, From Beyond is far better than I remember and goes to prove that it's sometimes worth going back and seeing initially forgettable films again. (Can't see that I'll bother with Ong-Bak 2 though.)
7/10
evlkeith



If you liked this you could also try:
Re-Animator, Dagon, The Whisperer in Darkness.

Review - Re-Animator (1985 - Dir. Stuart Gordon)

When I saw that Re-Animator was being shown at the festival this year, I was surprised to realise that I had only seen it once before, when it was first released. I remember enjoying it at the time and thinking that it was really excessive. Which is good. With that in mind I was looking forward to seeing it again on the big screen.

Based (very loosely) on a story by H.P. Lovecraft, Re-Animator is an important landmark in horror cinema. I can see why I thought it was excessive. When the final scenes in the morgue kick off, there is some quality zombie action. A headless corpse and the previously attached head of Dr Hill are heavily involved, including a scene of severe dirtiness where his head is lowered between Barbara Crampton's naked legs. Dirty little tinker. I can't remember that being in any of Lovecraft's books.

Watching it now though, after such films as Braindead and Inbred, it all seems quite quaint and dare I say, tame. Granted, your average person would still probably think it has a certain harsh quality and turn it off in disgust, but in the horror world it doesn't go far enough for my tastes.

Re-Animator has dated. The special effects are not totally convincing now. Dr Hill carrying his own head is the worst offender. The monstrosity looks more like Dr Hill, carrying his own head, sat on a Tesco's shopping trolley. The sets also look completely cheap; the high camera angles don't help matters. It all looks a bit like it was filmed in the Crossroad's morgue. (Trust me, there was one. Benny was lurking around in there all the time. Not sure what he was up to...) Saying that, we don't need a remake; Re-Animator is a pleasant reminder of simpler times.

It is still eminently watchable. The ubiquitous Jeffrey Combs is in it. He could make an episode of Glee watchable. Maybe not. If you haven't seen this for a while be prepared for a slight disappointment but then sit back and enjoy some of Stuart Gordon's best work.

7/10

evlkeith

If you like this you could also try:

Dagon, Castle Freak, Return of the Living Dead, Return of the Living Dead 3, Braindead.

Review - Fortress (1992 - Dir. Stuart Gordon)

I originally bought this to be part of the 80s Prison Season. Then I saw when it was made. Grande pantaloons. Never mind, I'll review it anyway.

Made by Stuart Gordon in the time between Re-Animator and the career killing Space Truckers when the studios trusted him with bigger budgets. The budget can mostly be seen in the look of the fantastic Fortress prison. There is a sense of scale and verticality that is not seen in other prison films. 

Death is always close by: either by falling off a retractable bridge, another inmate pushing you into the laser bars on the cells or death by Intestinator. Ah, the Intestinator. Virtually the only reason for the film's existence. The Intestinator is implanted into the inmates when they first enter the Fortress. If you cross a yellow line you get pain. Cross a red line and your intestines suddenly appear on the wrong side of your skin accompanied by a loud bang. Very funny.


I've never been that keen on Christopher Lambert (Highlander)  and I'm still not after this film. He's a bit of a personality bypass. Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator, Castle Freak), meanwhile, is great as D-Day. Looking like a male version of Professor Twelawney, he draws you into the film's world with his mechanical tinkerings. You really don't want him to die. I'm not telling you whether he does or doesn't. Kurtwood Smith is fairly creepy as the Prison Director, Poe. Not as good as his top sweary performance in Robocop, but not too bad.
  

  

Stuart Gordon knows how to make a fun film and he probably should have gone on to greater things, but without Space Truckers we wouldn't have had Dagon. Which would have been a shame.
6/10
evlkeith




If you like this you could also try:
Screamers, Nemesis, Escape From New York, The Hidden.

Review - Necronomicon (1993 - Dir. Christophe Gans, Shusuke Kaneko, Brian Yuzna)

Necronomicon is an anthology based (loosely) on H.P. Lovecraft's work, with three parts, each directed by a different director. Brian Yuzna also directs the linking sections with the ubiquitous Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator), in subtle facial make-up to play the part of Mr Lovecraft.

I saw this when it first came out and really enjoyed the first section, directed by Christophe Gans. I’ve seen it to buy for a while on DVD, but it’s always been really expensive, especially since I wasn’t that bothered about the other two segments. Finally, it has come down to a vaguely reasonable price. I was slightly nervous that my memory would let me down and it would all be rubbish.

Luckily, the Christophe Gans section still works today. Easily the best part. It has the right feeling for a Lovecraft tale and he’s worked miracles with what must have been a small budget. There are some ropey, very early CGI shots but the practical effects are great with some greasy tentacles and a huge one-eyed monster (oo-er).  Atmospheric throughout and a beautiful final shot. Christophe Gans was obviously destined for greater things.

The second section by Shusuke Kaneko is okay. It still retains the feel of Lovecraft, plus David Warner is in it. What is actually happening is fairly obvious from the start and the way that a young lady falls for an obviously mad older doctor, who just happens to be freezing cold to the touch, is a tad preposterous. Not the best of chat up lines: ‘Here. Feel my hands. They’re freezing cold. Are you intrigued to find out what else is a bit chilly?’ Works for him though so I can’t knock it. Standard issue but enjoyable.

Brian Yuzna has directed and produced some great films: Return of the Living Dead Part 3, Society and Re-Animator. The third section of this film seems to be the start of his tone becoming more unpleasant, with characters who you don’t care about, which carried on into his later films, such as Faust. He was probably ahead of his time as many modern horror films follow this trend now. The main problem with this section is that it doesn’t have a Lovecraftian feel and the creatures are laughable. It is a shame that the three parts get progressively worse.

The linking sequences in the library are fun, but rubbish. The ending is bonkers, but it does make you think that a full film involving Lovecraft killing monsters would be great. Definitely needs Jeffrey Combs to play him though.

As a total package, there’s a lot of Lovecraftian fun to be had. No section is truly awful and you could do a lot worse for a Friday night horror.

6/10 (1st section 7/10, 2nd section 6/10, 3rd section 4/10)

evlkeith
  

If you like this you could also try:
Re-Animator, Silent Hill, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Return of the Living Dead 3.

Review - Castle Freak (1995 - Dir. Stuart Gordon)

A low budget shocker from the director of Re-animator, Stuart Gordon, this loses the comedy of Re-animator and plays it straight. Well fairly, Jeffrey Combs has a couple of theatrical moments which raise a smile. You have to let him off though; he makes any film/tv programme at least watchable and he is 'genrely' ubiquitous. 

He plays John Reilly who, with his wife and blind daughter, inherits a castle in Italy. The film starts with the death of his son, a fairly standard beginning then, that brings on all kinds of emotional problems. Add a Kaspar Hauser like Castle Freak into the mix - kept in a cellar by his mother who repeatedly whips him with a chain adorned with nails - and bring on the fun and games.

The titular Castle Freak is a brilliant creation not shown in his entirety until the end of the film. In the early stages he is shown in the dark or as a shadow. Then he dons a natty bedsheet for a costume that has a hole ripped for one eye to peek through, possibly his best look. Finally, you get to see him in his naked scarred glory and you also find out that he hasn't got any middles. Or tongue. Poor fella. When he's charging around the castle at the end he is genuinely scary.

There is one scene that leaves a nasty taste in the mouth and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. The scene involves Mr Freak biting a prostitute in areas that are generally covered up in polite society. You can possibly justify it by saying that he is only copying what he has seen before, which is backed up by him later whipping the housekeeper. Plus he is an equal opportunites freak. He kills as many men as he does women. I still can't say it was comfortable watching a very harsh cumulo nimbus scene though.

Saying all that makes it sound like a veritable festival of gore. It's not. Virtually none. Strangely it doesn't need it. It's disturbing enough without it. Considering the low budget this film is actually better than it has any right to be. And it contains two fantastic moustaches on two police guards just for a treat.

6/10

evlkeith

If you like this you could try:
Re-Animator, Dagon, Necronomicon.