Let's get it out of the way right from the start. The demon. It seems to polarize so many people. I don't mind the special effects. For the time, the creature and the smoke effects are okay. But should they have been used story-wise? If the first early sighting was cut, the film would have been improved massively. You would then be unsure as to whether something supernatural was happening or not, along with the main character. I could have lived without seeing the demon at the end too; it would have left an ambiguous end that would have been more satisfying. The star (Dana Andrews - bit of a girl's name there), writer and director were all against the inclusion of the demon. A studio ruining a perfectly good film - that's a shocker.
Now that's out of the way, what makes people watch and enjoy this film even now? Dr John Holden is sent to investigate a cult, led by the fantastically evil bearded Dr Julian Karswell (Niall MacGinnis). He soon finds himself cursed and has a date set for his death by demon mouth.
Dr Holden is typically cynical to start with, but slowly changes his mind through the course of the film. A scene involving the pointy bearded doctor supposedly starting a typhoon sets the seed of doubt. It is great to see him become more convinced and eventually try to relieve himself of the curse. The method of getting rid of the curse provides one of the cleverest and funniest parts.
Thrown in there, you also get a fantastic performance by Brian Wilde (Porridge, Last of the Summer Wine) as another deranged, near-victim of the demon. I was surprised at how good an actor he was.
It would be brilliant if they released a 'Director's Cut' of this as an extra. We know what the director wanted, so it would be possible. You could up the rating by another two or three points. 5/10 evlkeith
If you like this you could also try: The Haunting, Quatermass and the Pit, Dead of Night.
I saw this about ten months ago and it is one of those films that sticks in your head and you have to see it again. So I was quite excited with this DVD release.
The Pack (original title: La Meute) starts off with an atmospheric shot of a car driving down a road in the mist. Right, that's me sold on the idea. Anything misty and atmospheric and I'm there. In the car is chain smoking grunger Charlotte, played by the gorgeous Émilie Dequenne (Brotherhood of the Wolf - coming soon to Blu-ray). She is on a road trip for as long as her CD collection lasts and picks up a hitchhiker. If I was in a film there's no way in a million years I'd pick up a hitchhiker. It's bound to end in tears. And end it tears it does, but not as you would expect.
The film contains a large lady intent on hitting people with a piece of nail encrusted wood, a bisexual biker gang who all have an amusing little way of introducing themselves when we first meet them, zombie miners who are partial to blood, a strange 'milking/feeding' machine of indeterminate usage and most importantly there is a shack in it. Shacks are great. If that doesn't whet your appetite I don't know what will.
The bikers are a tad ropey in the acting department but everyone else performs admirably. Émilie Dequenne is spot on as the heroine and is probably the best advert for smoking there's been in a while. Philippe Nahon (Haute Tension/Switchblade Romance) makes an appearance as a retired cop who adds to the strange atmosphere. Yolande Moreau (Amelie) gets most of the best bits of black humour and is perfect as a backwoods farmer type. Plus she looks a bit like Pam Ferris with a bit of a face stretch. Which is a treat.
There is some gore within the film; the undead miners have a tendency to punch straight through people. Don't get your hopes up with the miners: they look nothing like the Northern National Union of Mineworkers miners that are probably in your head. They are more like a Guillermo del Toro creation, eyeless, noseless with large lower canines.
I think what brings me back to The Pack, and will continue to bring me back, is the atmosphere. Misty, rainy and bleak. The ending, shot in a cornfield is gorgeous and laden with lovely fog. Just what I like. (For more misty action see The Fog Season posts: The Fog, Silent Hill and The Mist.)
8/10
evlkeith
If you like this you could also try: Pan's Labyrinth, Castle Freak, Zombie Flesh Eaters.
Only just making it into the 80s Prison Season is Bare Behind Bars and I wish, I dearly wish, it had been made in 1979. Terrible. One of the worst films I've ever seen.
I'm going to dispense with any discussion of the political correctness of this film because if you're going to watch a film called Bare Behind Bars then you should know what to expect.
It is basically a soft porn film. With ladies going at each other as if they've been starved for three weeks and then let loose on a lady shaped piece of Pek chopped pork. Considering the amount of lady flesh on show it is the most unerotic film ever. There is one scene which strays into hardcore, but when the fella involved has got a droopy moustache and is covered in more hair than a mammoth, it doesn't make for pleasant viewing. The version I saw is cut but who cares.
I was expecting it to be fairly gruelling with some torture scenes. There are probably worse torture scenes in The Antiques Roadshow. One scene of the inmates being hosed down goes on for an eternity and the worst you get is a bit of whipping, where the whip sound is comically not in sync with the whip.
The only half decent thing in the whole film is Nurse Barbara. Watch the clip below for her best scene. Don't be fooled though. It's really not worth watching for her antics alone, even if they do involve an amusingly shaped pineapple. Bear in mind that I rented it on the strength of that clip and the promise of a bit of sleaze. It is just so boring. I just wanted it to end after about thirty minutes. I was clock watching (that's clock watching, it is a women in prison film) all the way through.
I debated whether to give it a rating of 1 on the strength of Nurse Barbara and the sleazy music but seeing as though I wouldn't sit through it again, ever, for anyone, I thought I'd better go with the first obscurendure 0. This film may have had a place in the early 80s but it is pointless now and should be buried and forgotten, not released on Blu-ray. Pathetic. 0/10 evlkeith
If you like this you could also try: Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia, Notting Hill because you deserve it.
Crikey. Where to start with this one. Well, it's the first winner of the Werner Herzog obscurendure award because it is very obscure and a major test of endurance at 124 minutes, but it does have its good points.
Visually, this Polish film is a treat. If you took any still frame from the film and showed it to me, I'd think it looked just my cup of tea: bleak, atmospheric, haunting and dreamlike. Occasionally, there are spots of vibrant colour within the grey surroundings and it looks stunning.
Józef's father has been sent to a sanatorium and when he goes to visit, he finds a crumbling, overgrown, rundown hospital. He sees his father. Time goes a bit funny. Then we're into a massive dreamlike sequence. Of which I understood nothing.
Like Shakespeare, I understand all the words, but string them all together and I haven't got a clue. I know I'm a thick northerner, but this film is surely impenetrable and virtually inaccessible to 99% of the population. Of the 1% left they probably wouldn't want to watch it either. But somewhere there will be someone who understands and enjoys it. Someone very clever. Not me then.
The beautiful final images remind me of The Beyond. I wonder if Fulci had seen this film and homaged/thieved from it. Glad he did though. Way better film. I don't feel qualified to give The Hourglass Sanitorium a rating. Most people would give it a 0 and not get through 20 minutes of it. A very small percentage may give it a 10, I don't know. I think, based on it being gorgeous visually, I'll give it a... 2/10
At first sight Angel-A looks like it may have a great deal of gritty potential, however there is little or no grit on show in this fantasy based, romantic drama. I'm not sure I should have liked it as much as I did, but Angel-A is a light hearted, fun packed fairy tale that held my attention to such an extent that I watched it in a single sitting, which is unusual to say the least for me.
The plot is simple, and basically you know what will happen about twenty minutes into procedings. But there's an innocent charm about the film that makes you think it could have been made in the 1950s and shown on a Sunday afternoon throughout the 1970s between episodes of Randall and Hopkirk and Highway to Heaven. Don't expect a rollercoaster ride, this is a much gentler experience.
The majority of the acting is shared by the excellent Jamel Debbouze and Rie Rasmussen who make the most of the opportunity and clearly enjoy the limelight. Debbouze is especially impressive showing his vulnerability, passion and positivity at various stages of the film. The main supporting actor is the city of Paris and Besson uses a range of shots and angles to present Paris as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with the lack of colour adding a richness and atmosphere to the cinematography. The soundtrack is also worth a listen.
This is essentially a cinematic 'chillout', so if you're in the mood for something slower paced and relaxing, sit back and enjoy one of the few fantasy/romance dramas that actually delivers. Having said that I don't think I've seen any other fantasy/romance dramas. 7/10
Doccortex
Dr Holden is typically cynical to start with, but slowly changes his mind through the course of the film. A scene involving the pointy bearded doctor supposedly starting a typhoon sets the seed of doubt. It is great to see him become more convinced and eventually try to relieve himself of the curse. The method of getting rid of the curse provides one of the cleverest and funniest parts.
