It Came From The Archives 23.1!

As you know, this blog was originally formed to archive horror VHS box art, but I'll be focusing on something of a similar ilk this week. In the early nineties, before Cockbuster shifted their focus away from B.S.I. (basic standard inventory) to new releases and used-sell-thru, they actually had a decent stock of older titles. Not only that, but before their VHS cases started adourning cookie cutter quotes like, “be sure to ask about our Rewards Program” or “we have the most New Releases around. Guaranteed!”, they actually had some personality. Before their short-sightedness caught up with them, BBV carried cases that featured synopses, trivia and even recommendations. For instance;

I used to wonder who wrote these. Was it someone (or perhaps a team of people) at head-office? Was it outsourced? Was it some crazy computer program? I always thought that writing those things would be the most amazing job.

For this latest set of archives posts, I'll be putting up these old sleeves for your perusal. I'm not really sure why I took these at the time. When we “rearranged things” (no doubt to make more room for new releases) I do recall carrying garbage bag upon garbage bag of these inserts out to the dumpster. However, I was attached to my horror section as much then as I am now, so I guess it's not really all that surprising that I snagged some keepsakes for myself. So, here's the first batch. Enjoy!

Be sure to come back tomorrow for Part 2.

DKTM 210

Hey folks! Once again, I am transmitting from the past as I attended one of my friend Serena's infamous drinking game movie nights on Saturday and knew I would be in no shape to post otherwise. Here's what I have for you this week.

The Black Museum IV

On Wednesday, I took a trip out to The Royal to check out a screening of this;

Photo courtesy Steven Landry.

Carnival Of Souls has a special place in my heart as it is one of the first films that I reviewed here for THS. Seeing it on the big screen was a joy and I believe I liked it even better the second time round, perhaps because I was focusing less on story and more on its voluminous dream-like qualities. This screening was put on by The Black Museum and in addition to the film, they also announced the first three lectures of their upcoming fourth semester.

I am so all about these, the first one especially. I really want to see how deeply Ms. West delves into the source of those half-dozen bundles of nasty we got during the 00's. For more info of The Black Museum, click here.

Mirror, Mirror.

This week, a new poster surfaced for Mike Flanagan's excellent haunted mirror flick Oculus.

A solid poster for a stellar movie. I do my best to steer you guys in the right direction - or least my perception of the right direction - but again, I must implore you. When this movie comes out April 11th, GO SEE IT. For those who missed it a few weeks ago, here's the teaser trailer.

Say Cheese!

I found these wonderfully creepy vintage photos on TheGhostDiaries.com this week. I think they put it best when they say, “what passed for everyday life 60+ years ago might send you running down the block screaming today.” Well, get your sneakers on.

I love that last one. It hurts my brain to think about what sequence of events could lead to that photo being taken. For the rest of the photo set, click here.

Hidden Horror: Addendum

After reading the one-hundred-and-one titles in Hidden Horror, I felt compelled to add a few of my own. For long-time readers, you're probably sick of hearing about some of these, but for those of you that have come across my humble scribblings recently, here are some underseen horror offerings that I think deserve way more love than they've received over the years.

Paperhouse (1988)

This is an early film from Bernard Rose, the director of the horror staple Candyman, and was adapted from the children's story Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr. I discovered this film during my video store tenure and I still praise it to this day. It's a thriller that relies on good storytelling and not big budget effects, something that's become an increasing rarity. Although the young lead's (Charlottte Burke) acting is sub-par at some points, a supporting cast that includes Glenne Headly and Ben Cross is solid and complimentary. The film is not overly scary - although it does have one of the best “jolt” scares I have ever seen - and with its captivating Alice In Wonderland-like imagery, it can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone. I keep bringing up this British gem because it STILL has not had any kind of domestic DVD release. Someone, somewhere has to step up. If it can happen for The Video Dead, it can happen for Paperhouse surely!

Mute Witness (1994)

I love this little suspense thriller from director Anthony Waller. After a clever setup, our protagonist Billy (wonderfully played by Marina Zudina) is thrown into harm's way almost immediately in what I still consider to be one of the strongest first acts in horror cinema. The perils of said character are enough to overcome some comic relief thrown in by way of Billy's bumbling sister and brother-in-law, who always seem to be one-step behind the action. An interesting factoid is a late cameo by Alec Guinness using footage that was shot nine years previous for an earlier version of the project. It was inserted in at the last minute when Waller needed additional material. While I admit the first half is superior to the second, I still feel this is a strong example of the genre and one that has been overlooked for far too long.

My Little Eye (2002)

This was made at the forefront of a subgenre that has now become saturated, but I still believe Marc Evans' jet black effort remains one of the best examples. The story unfolds in such a way that you are alongside the characters and therefore feel their unease and uncertainty as well as their isolation. This film is steeped in creeping dread that builds to sudden, and often unexpected, bursts of violence. For those who thought that Bradley Cooper's first foray into horror was Midnight Meat Train, you'll be surprised to see him show up here six years earlier. 

Altered (2006)

I discovered Eduardo Sanchez's sophomore effort while preparing for my Blair Witch Project tenth-anniversary coverage. I'm still shocked by how completely dismissed this film was when it was released. It is an ensemble character piece that unfolds really well and always feels fresh somehow. There is very little fat in this movie and apart from a few wisecracks and a segment where the sheriff shows up, it is played completely straight - a tough job considering the subject matter. A big highlight are the practical effects provided by Spectral Motion, who really brought it on this one. It’s fantastic stuff.

Ils aka Them (2007)

Of all the films that assaulted our senses during the French Horror Extreme of the 00's, I feel this effective home invasion flick from David Moreau & Xavier Palud is the least talked about. I can only assume its relative obscurity is due to it resembling a mainstream American effort that came out around the same time. When I got my hands on a DVD of this movie, I MADE everyone I knew watch it, as it a perfect example of smart, simple and tight filmmaking. The house and surrounding locations in the film are a production designer's dream and the fantastic sound design make it a thing to behold. Think High Tension without the gore and the audience splitting ending.

I left this list at five (believe me, it could've easily ballooned out of control as I can name just five Italian underrated gems) to keep things brief, but if you're looking for some more goodies, look up my “On The Shelf” section, as well. I haven't kept up with it recently, but features some cool horror indies like Splinter, Black Water and S&Man. I also recommend Time Out's Best 100 Horror List which I spent most of the last two years crossing off. Happy viewing!

Hidden Horror

A copy of Aaron Christensen’s Hidden Horror: A Celebration of 101 Underrated and Overlooked Fright Flicks arrived on my doorstep, and was devoured no sooner than you could say “cinephile”.

This is a fantastic compendium of genre titles that I guarantee will have even the most seasoned horror fan reaching for his to-watch list. I know I have at least a dozen newly discovered flicks to track down now. I also wager that you’ll turn a page and say, “oh, I remember that; that WAS a good movie” aloud on several occasions, as was the case for me with titles like Night Warning, Razorback, Frailty and Isolation. The films covered span almost the entire history of horror cinema, starting with 1920's The Penalty through to 2008's Eden Lake.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow

Possession

There are several reasons this was a joy to read, but the most prominent was the range of pundits that Christensen assembled for the project. Hidden Horror features published writers, professors, bloggers and filmmakers, thus the styles ran the gamut from academic to conversational.  Even though each contributor had his own voice, I was delighted to see that so many of these short essays started with some form of the phrase, “I remember the first time I ever saw…”

This infers a shared experience among all horror fans, which explains why some reviews in particular rang especially true to me. I, like J. Nelson Smith, discovered The Legend of Hell House by way of the band Skinny Puppy’s liberal use of sampling. I had the same problem as Steve De Roover tracking down Maniac when I was finally old enough to watch it due to its sudden scarcity in my suburban universe. I echo Charley Sherman’s sentiments in discovering just how disproportionate Kill, Baby… Kill’s (and Mario Bava in general) influence was/is in relation to its popularity.

The Eye

Tourist Trap

I was also glad to see that not only were three solid Canadian films represented here (The Changeling, Curtains & Pin), but they were also being championed by non-Canucks! It warms my heart (especially hard to do during this shitshow of a winter) to know that our genre efforts are making it beyond The Great White North.

Curtains

In addition to the titles that I’ll be looking up, there are also a scant few I may revisit due to some very compelling arguments from their trumpeters. When I watched Let Sleeping Corpses Lie and The Signal during the last decade, I recall being disappointed, but it is possible that the factors (the redundancy & pace of the former and the fractured tone of the latter) may not be so problematic several years on. I really am impressed with this book overall, as I only outright disagreed with two titles out of the whole book. That’s a stellar average, folks!

Hidden Horror is akin to visiting a video store manned by one-hundred-and-one enthusiastic employees. You may not know what you want going in, but you’re certain to leave with an armful of cinematic gems.

Trailer Tuesdays: Evilspeak

This week's trailer is for the 1981 Clint Howard flick Evilspeak.

Trailer courtesy of horrorpino.

I watched this last weekend by way of a crusty VHS tape I got from The Vault many moons ago. While Evilspeak does take a very long time to get going - it's a full thirty minutes before a computer is even mentioned - there is a lot to love here. You've got Clint Howard, who is so young in this that he actually looks half-normal, pre-Tron computer graphics, a surprising amount of gore and perhaps the most unexpected finish to a shower scene ever recorded on film. Plus, I give extra points to any movie that has a line, like “you guys broke my catapult!”

DKTM 209

Hey everyone. Hope you're enjoying The Olympics, if that's your thing. While the world's eyes are on Sochi, here's some horror-related stuff for the rest of us to take a gander at.

A Second Helping of Nasty.

This week I was elated to hear that Jake West has a follow-up to his fantastic doc, Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape. This one is called Video Nasties: Draconian Days and covers the madness that occurred after the 1984 Video Recording Act when horror entertainment became the whipping boy for seemingly every unsavoury act committed in the UK, and is playing Frightfest Glasgow in March. Here's the poster art.

Jake West's first doc was phenomenal and one of the most comprehensive sets I've ever bought, so I have high hopes for this one, as well. Here's hoping it becomes available soon.

Hell by Southwest.

SXSW announced its midnight lineup this week, and it looks super strong. In addition to Oculus - one of my favourites last year - the fest features new films from Adam Wingard, Eduardo Sanchez and that maniacal French duo of Maury & Bastillo.

Mike Flanagan's Oculus, Wingard's The Guest, Sanchez's Exists and Maury & Bastillo's Among The Living.

The fest runs March 7th-16 in Austin, TX. Click here to see the full lineup.

The Deep Dark.

Earlier this week, I came across this great Tumblr page curated by artist Fran Krause. Not only does he put up his own deepest fears in comic form, but also takes requests. Here are some examples.

That last one is a dream I have often - minus the braces part... (shudder). To check out the full site, and perhaps exorcise some demons of your own, click here.

WNUF Halloween Special.

Set on Halloween 1987, this faux news broadcast from public access station WNUF-28 takes us inside the infamous Webber house to investigate if it is indeed haunted.

This made a small splash when it released last year, but I just came across it this week, thanks to Trevor Henderson. Watching this, I was immediately struck by how authentic it looked. Everything about WNUF is steeped in the eighties, right down to the commercials and station identifiers. The meticulous attention to detail here is commendable and I had to marvel on several occasions about how stuff that should’ve been over-the-top was actually a pretty good representation of the time. God, the eighties were magical…

Seriously, this is the most convincing “retro-chic” production I’ve seen to date. It is not only the tracking lines and video construct, but also the content. Director Chris LaMartina must have had access to an archive of stock footage to pull from, as shooting ALL of the bits contained within would’ve been impossible on a low budget.

Aside from the joys of the aesthetic though, the story and events that unfold weren’t particularly scary. Whereas the BBC’s 1992 TV special Ghostwatch – which I am pretty sure LaMartina was trying to emulate here – had sizable creep factor, I felt this was going more for wry humour, as Frank Stewart (Paul Fahrenkopf) bobs between serious to sarcastic depending on who he’s interviewing. When you get right down to it though, not a lot happens, as it is a full hour before we even get into the house and the whole thing finishes rather abruptly. However, that’s not to say that all the bells & whistles won’t keep you entertained throughout.

I love the story behind how the filmmakers got their film out there, as well. They dropped random VHS copies at genre events around Pennsylvania last year as part of their “whisper campaign”. Due to the lack of publicity this project has received, WNUF is likely the closest thing that we’ve had to a “is it real or fake?” event since 1999’s The Blair Witch Project. Watching this cold, it would be tough to discern that this was made just last year, and even if you’re in on it, it’s not hard to pretend.

If you are a child of the eighties, this is a must-watch for nostalgia alone, even if it is more cheesy than scary. I tip my hat to LaMartina and company for a job well done in capturing an era near and dear to a lot of us out there.