Author Archives: Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Horror Films: Special Stuart Gordon Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films is all about letting the visuals do the talking.

This October, I am going to be using our 4 Shots From 4 Films feature to pay tribute to some of my favorite horror directors, in alphabetical order!  That’s right, we’re going from Argento to Zombie in one month!

Today’s director: Stuart Gordon!

4 Shots From 4 Stuart Gordon Films

Re-animator (1985, dir by Stuart Gordon, DP: Marc Ahlberg)

From Beyond (1981, dir by Stuart Gordon, DP: Marc Ahlberg)

The Pit and the Pendulum (1990, dir by Stuart Gordon, DP: Adolfo Bartoli)

Castle Freak (1995, dir by Stuart Gordon, DP: Mario Vulpiani)

Horror Film Review: The Pit and the Pendulum (dir by Stuart Gordon)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

AGCK!

That was my reaction when I watched the 1991 film, The Pit and the Pendulum.  Based very narrowly on several Edgar Allan Poe short stories, The Pit and the Pendulum takes place at the height of the Spanish inquisition.  Despite the objections of the Pope, Grand Inquisitor Torquemada (Lance Henriksen) is leading a reign of terror though 15th Century Spain.  In his torture chambers, Torquemada forces confessions from accused witches and other criminals.  The dirty prison cells are full of starving and beaten partners.  Witches are burned at the stake and explode while the crazed citizenry calls for blood and Torquemada tests out new torture devices.

Torquemada presents himself as being a grim and emotionless man, someone who is above all sin and who is allowed to sit in judgment of the people who are brought before him.  However, Torquemada is hardly the sinless figure that he portrays himself as being.  His actions are fueled by his repressed lust and his anger.  Maria (Rona De Ricci) has been brought before him, accused of being a witch and Torquemada is determined to get her to confess.  Maria’s refusal to be broken by Torquemada only increases Toquemada’s anger but, at the same time, Torquemada has also decided that he’s in love with Maria.  While Maria waits in the prison and takes advice from the witch Esmerelda (Frances Bay), Maria’s husband, Antonio (Jonathan Fuller), attempts to break Maria out of prison.  When Antonio is captured, Torquemada decides to try out his latest device, a swinging and sharpened pendulum that hangs in a pit….

The Pit and the Pendulum is not always an easy movie to watch.  I have to admit that I spent the majority of the movie with my hands over my eyes, not wanting to watch the extremely graphic torture scenes.  Like many of director Stuart Gordon’s film, The Pit and the Pendulum is gripped by an atmosphere of pervasive corruption and the movie captures the feeling of not being able to escape from the worst place on Earth.  Poor Maria spends a good deal of the movie naked and chained to various devices but Rona De Ricci gives such a strong and such a committed performance as Maria that, instead of being offended by the obvious exploitation element of the scenes, you instead find yourself admiring Maria and her strength.

It’s probably not a coincidence that Oliver Reed shows up in the film as a Cardinal because The Pit and the Pendulum, with its portrayal of blood frenzy and hypocrisy, is definitely influenced by Ken Russell’s The Devils.  The imagery is graphic and often disturbing but the most memorable thing about the film is Lance Henriksen’s intense performance as the evil Torquemada.  Henriksen plays Torquemada as being a hateful and self-loathing figure, a man who deals with his own demons by bringing his fury down on the innocent.  It’s a truly frightening villainous performance, one that carries shades of Vincent Price’s excellent performance in The Witchfinder General.

The Pit and the Pendulum is not an easy film to watch and I doubt I’ll watch it a second time.  In the end, it’s a disturbing film but one that definitely leaves an impression.

Horror Film Review: Monstrosity (dir by Joseph V. Mascelli)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Awwwwww, kitty!

Seriously, the best thing about the 1964 film, Monstrosity, is that it features a black cat named Xerxes.  Xerxes is not only a cute little kitty (and, seriously, who doesn’t love a black cat?) but Xerxes is also the best actor to be found in the entire film.  While everyone else is struggling to deliver their lines and not wander out of the shot, the cat delivers its meows with the skill of a pro and always hits the right mark.  If there was an Oscar category for best animal actor, Xerxes definitely would have been the one accepting the Oscar from the Breakfast at Tiffany’s cat.  Seriously, I hope Xerxes was paid well for this role.  I hope it opened up a lot of doors for Xerxes.  When animal actors get together, I hope that they take a few minutes to raise a toast and to praise a true trailblazer and a wonder performer, Xerxes the Cat!

Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn’t really live up to Xerxes’s work.  Xerxes was obviously doing the best that a cat could do to save this film but there is only so much that a cat can do.  At some point, the humans have to step up and make a little bit of effort as well.

Monstrosity, which is also known as The Atomic Bomb, tells the story of Mrs. Hettie March (Marjorie Eaton), a thoroughly unpleasant but very wealthy woman who lives in an isolated mansion.  Working in her basement is Dr. Otto Frank (Frank Gerstle), a mad scientist whose work in the field of brain transplantation has led to a lot of strange things happening at the house.  For instance, there’s a guy who has the brain of a bulldog.  There’s also a woman who wanders around the laboratory with a blank look on her face.  Still, Mrs. March is convinced that Dr. Frank will eventually be able to take her brain and transplant it into a younger and more attractive woman.

An ad is put in the classifieds, asking for a young woman to come work as a housekeeper at Mrs. March’s mansion.  Three women show up for the job, not realizing that they are actually being set up as candidates to become Mrs. March’s new body.  Nina Rhodes (Erika Peters) is from Austria and is the most level-headed.  Bea Mullins (Judy Bamber) is from the United Kingdom and speaks with such a thick accent that the viewer will automatically know that she’s not actually British.  Anita Gonzalez (Lisa Lang) is from Mexico and rarely speaks.  The women arrive at the mansion and soon find themselves at the mercy of the rich old woman, the mad doctor, and all of the failed experiments.

Monstrosity is pretty dumb and remarkably poorly acted, with Lisa Lang’s performance as Anita being the main offender.  (Bradford Dillman, who would go on to become a very busy character actor, provided the film’s narration.)  That said, Xerxes was a true star.  All hail Xerxes!

Live Tweet Alert: Join #FridayNightFlix For The Wedding Singer!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

 

As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on Twitter and Mastodon.  I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie!  Every week, we get together.  We watch a movie.  We tweet our way through it.

Tonight, at 10 pm et, #FridayNightFlix has got 1998’s The Wedding Singer, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore!

If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #FridayNightFlix hashtag!  It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.

The Wedding Singer is available on Prime!  See you there!

Horror on the Lens: Dementia 13 (dir by Francis Ford Coppola)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

(I originally shared this film back in 2011, 2019, and 2022 — can you believe we’ve been doing this for that long? — but the YouTube upload keeps getting taken down!  So, I’m resharing it today!)

For today’s excursion into the world of public domain horror, I offer up the film debut of Francis Ford Coppola.  Before Coppola directed the Godfather and Apocalypse Now, he directed a low-budget, black-and-white thriller that was called Dementia 13.  In a possible sign of things to come, producer Roger Corman and Coppola ended up disagreeing on the film’s final cut and Corman reportedly brought in director Jack Hill to film and, in some cases, re-film additional scenes.

Regardless of whether the credit should go to Coppola, Corman, or Hill, Dementia 13 is a brutally effective little film that is full of moody photography and which clearly served as an influence on the slasher films that would follow it in the future.  Speaking of influence, Dementia 13 itself is obviously influenced by the Italian giallo films that, in 1963, were just now starting to make their way into the drive-ins and grindhouses of America.

Speaking of giallo films, keep an eye out for Patrick Magee, who gave a memorable performance in Lucio Fulci’s The Black Cat.  Luana Anders, who plays the duplicitous wife in this film, showed up in just about every other exploitation film made in the 60s and yes, the scene where she’s swimming freaks me out to no end.  Other films featuring Luana Anders include Night Tide and Easy Rider, in which she played one of the hippies who unsuccessfully enticed Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper to stay at the commune.

As for Francis Ford Coppola, his career has had its up and downs but he’s a beloved figured on the pop cultural landscape and a director whose best films continue to inspire and influence.  He is currently filming Megalopolis.

October Positivity: Trust (dir by Angus Benfield)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The 2018 Australian film, Trust, tells the story of Daniel Rainwater (Keith Austring).

Daniel is an illustrator whose seemingly perfect life falls apart in just one day.  He loses his job and doesn’t even receive a severance package.  He discover that his wife (Lisa Carey) has been unfaithful and wants a divorce.  With no money coming in, he loses his home.  His children move in with his wife.  At one point, he develops a terrible rash on his face.  When he does get a new place to live, it’s a tiny apartment that is so cluttered and dusty that it looks like it should be on an episode of Hoarders.  When he gets a new car, he is involved in a terrible car crash and ends up breaking his leg in five different places.  When he finally gets the cast off, the first thing he does is fall flat on his face.  When he does get another job, he finds himself working in a warehouse….

Well, you get the idea.

At one point, one of Daniel’s friends informs him, “I think you’re going through a Job-like test.”

“Awesome,” Daniel replies.

Yes, Trust is yet another film based on the Book of Job but, as opposed to so many similar films, Trust actually has a sense of humor about itself.  Instead of resorting to melodrama, as so many other Job-inspired films do, Trust often finds the humor in Daniel’s various situations.  I mean, the guy just cannot catch a break.  Indeed, Daniel’s problems can often just as easily be ascribed to him having terrible luck as they could to an wager between God and Lucifer.  Daniel is the type whose laptop dies right before he needs to use it.  He’s the type who always locks his keys in his car.  He’s the type who gets drenched by a sudden rainstorm.  Daniel has a lot to deal with and he frequently gets discouraged but he never gives up and, as played by Keith Austring, it’s hard not to like him.

Yes, it’s based on the Book of Job and Job is a Rorschach test for how one feels about the idea of being tested.  Many see the book as a celebration of faith in the face of adversity.  Others see it and wonder why poor Job and his family (the majority of whom ended up dying) had to be put through so much for just a wager.  Trust avoids a lot of the issues inherent in the Job narrative by making Daniel’s problem more down-to-earth.  Daniel may have to move out of the house and he may not get to see his children as much as he likes but at least they aren’t killed by a plague.  Though Daniel eventually finds peace with all of his problems and realizes that they’ve helped to make him a stronger man and a better father, the film itself never feel preachy.  Trust is a well-directed and well-acted film, one that understands the importance of humor and humanity.

Late Night Retro Television Reviews: Highway To Heaven 1.3 “To Touch The Moon”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Thursdays, I will be reviewing Highway to Heaven, which aired on NBC from 1984 to 1989.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi and several other services!

This week, Highway to Heaven is determined to make you cry.

Episode 1.3 “To Touch The Moon”

(Dir by Michael Landon, originally aired on September 26th, 1984)

Oh my God, this episode.  Seriously, this episode was a real tear-jerker and a good example of how this show’s earnest and extremely sincere approach could make even the most predictable of stories emotionally effective.

This episode deals with two young boys living in Houston.

Arthur Nealy (Barret Oliver) is the son of a man who flew to the Moon as a part of NASA and then died when the plane that he was flying crashed.  (Before the crash, Arthur’s father got the plane out over the ocean and saved the lives of everyone who was underneath him.)  For most of his short life, Arthur has struggled with Leukemia.  After a year of being in remission, the cancer has returned and, as his doctor (Don Starr) tells his mother (Carrie Snodgress), there is no hope this time.  Arthur’s only wish is to “touch the moon” before he dies.

Tony Rizzo (Tony La Torre) is a tough kid who has been in trouble with the police numerous times and who is on the verge of being kicked out his apartment by his own grandmother (Penny Santon).

Mark and Jonathan meet Tony while the latter is standing on the side of the road and hitchhiking.  Former cop Mark doesn’t want to stop to pick up any hitchhikers.  Jonathan, being an angel who can basically do anything, forces the car to stop anyways.  Jonathan and Mark agree to give Tony a ride but, when they stop off to get breakfast at a diner, Tony promptly steals Mark’s car.  While Jonathan goes off to do angel stuff, Mark pursues Tony.

Eventually, Mark tracks Tony down to his grandmother’s apartment but, when Mark discovers that Tony’s parents abandoned him and that his grandmother doesn’t even want him, Mark doesn’t have the heart to take Tony to the police.  (Awwwww!)  Instead, he takes Tony with him to an address that Jonathan give him earlier.

The address is the Nealy House, where Jonathan shows up to give Arthur a birthday gift and introduces himself as being a friend of Arthur’s father.  (The implication is that Jonathan and Arthur’s father have been conversing in Heaven.)  Arthur asks his mother if Tony can stay with him for a few days.  Arthur’s mother agrees.  When Tony tries to later sneak out of the house, he’s stopped by Jonathan, who reveals that Arthur has cancer and who gets Tony to agree to be Arthur’s friend for a few days.

You can probably guess where this is heading.  Tony and Arthur end up bonding.  Tony lets down his tough exterior.  Arthur says that he wants his mother to adopt Tony after he dies.  One happy family montage later, Arthur collapses in his bedroom and is taken to the hospital where Jonathan visits him in his hospital room and shows him that death is nothing to fear.  Arthur stares out the hospital window and the camera zooms in on the moon, the implication being the Arthur’s spirit is now free to touch the moon.

“Your home, son,” Jonathan says, his voice cracking, “you’re  home.”

I mean, Good Lord!  I’m crying just typing this up!  And really, that’s the best review that I can give you of this episode.  It was heavy-handed and sometimes the performances felt a little awkward but it totally made me cry.  There’s not a hint of cynicism to be found here, nor are there any hints of snarkiness.  There’s just a lot of very honest emotion.

Next week, I assume the show will make me cry again.

Horror on TV: The Hitchhiker 5.22 “Cruelest Cut” (dir by Michael Robison)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Tonight’s episode of The Hitchhiker features Melody Anderson and David James Elliott as, respectively, a veteran prostitute and a polite young man who seems to be the rare honest person that the guy with the lantern was always looking for.  However, someone also happens to be killing men who talk to prostitutes.

This episode originally aired on November 18th, 1989.

Retro Television Reviews: Jennifer Slept Here 1.3 “Not With My Date You Don’t”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Thursdays, I will be reviewing Jennifer Slept Here, which aired on NBC in 1983 and 1984.  The entire show is currently streaming on YouTube!

This week, Jennifer helps out when it looks like both Joey and Marc are about to get their hearts broken.

Episode 1.3 “Not With My Date You Don’t”

(Dir by John Bowab, originally aired on November 4th, 1983)

I should start this review with an admission.  Though every episode of Jennifer Slept Here has been uploaded to YouTube, some of the uploads are a bit better than others.  That’s not the fault of the uploader.  The uploader undoubtedly used the best copy of the third episode of Jennifer Slept Here that they had available.  It’s just an acknowledgement that Jennifer Slept Here is a show that briefly aired 40 years ago and it’s doubtful that anyone, at that time, knew that a reviewer would need a good copy of the third episode to watch in 2023.  The 3rd episode of the show is available on YouTube but the sound quality is a bit muddy and I often struggled to understand all of the dialogue.  So, I’m just going to admit right now that I did the best that I could and if I misheard anything, I apologize.

As for the episode itself, it opens with Joey rehearsing asking out a classmate in front of his mirror.  Jennifer materializes in a red dress that is to die for.  Joey asks Jennifer where she’s going to go in that outfit and Jennifer says that she’s just going out.  To be honest, Joey’s question is a good one because, seriously, where does Jennifer have to go?  She’s a ghost!

When Jennifer finds out that Joey is feeling nervous about asking pretty blonde Linda (Viveka Davis) to go on a date with him, she decides to help him out by going to school with him.  This makes sense because, as we all know, there’s nothing more attractive than a teenage boy who wanders around his school talking to himself.  Anyway, with Jennifer’s encouragement, Joey asks out Linda but she informs him that she already has a date ….. WITH MARC (Glenn Scarpelli)!  Marc is Joey’s annoying best friend.

Joey’s parents set him up with a blind date, who I think was named Eileen (Megan Daniels).  At least now Joey can go on a double date to the movies with Marc and Linda.  (Yeah, there’s no way that won’t be awkward.)  However, Eileen turns out to be a punk rocker with multi-colored hair, who yells at the movie and  totally embarrasses Joey in front of Marc, Linda, and Jennifer (who decides to tag along in ghost form).  Eileen decides that the movie sucks and leaves.  Linda asks Marc to go get her some more popcorn and, after he leaves, she immediately moves over to Marc and starts hitting on him.  Jennifer is scandalized, saying that Linda has no morals.

Later, after the date, Joey is feeling pretty proud of himself when Marc suddenly shows up and accuses Joey of “stealing my girl.”  This brings their friendship to an end.  Yay!  Seriously, Marc is a dork!  Joey needed a better friend.  Jennifer, however, is upset that Joey is allowing Linda — a girl with no morals! — come between him and his dorky friend.

The next day, in school, Jennifer decides to take actions into her own invisible ghost hands by grabbing Linda, shoving her up to the chalkboard, and then grabbing Linda’s hand and forcing her to write that she lied on the chalkboard.  Apparently, the reason she lied was to get Joey to buy her tickets to a Rick Springfield concert but don’t quote me on that.  This where that muddy soundtrack kicked in and made it difficult for me to follow all of the conversations.  All I know that Jennifer forced Linda to write, “I lied” and then Jennifer added, “Springfield tickets” underneath Linda’s admission.  So, that would suggest Linda either wanted to see Rick Springfield or maybe Dusty Springfield, depending on the depths of her musical knowledge.  Or maybe she actually wrote Springsteen on the chalkboard.  I really couldn’t tell.  The important thing is that Joey dumps Linda for being dishonest and he and Marc are friends again.

Even when it came to the parts that I could understand, I wasn’t a huge fan of this episode, largely because I felt it was way too judgmental of Linda.  I mean, really, the only thing that Linda did was flirt with a guy who she hoped would take her to a concert.  It’s not like she was married to either Marc or Joey.  In fact, she only went out with Marc once before hitting on Joey so it’s not like Linda was really even dating either one of them.  Ann Jillian’s outfits were cute but this episode just didn’t work for me.

Horror Scenes I Love: Peter Lorre in Tales of Terror

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Born in what is now Slovakia, Peter Lorre began his acting career in Europe, appearing on the stage and making quite an impression when he starred in Fritz Lang’s M.  When the Nazis came to power, Lorre was one of the many film artists who left Germany.  At first, he moved to France but, in 1934, he set sail for the United States and continued his career in Hollywood.  A popular character actor, Lorre appeared in such classic films as The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Maltese Falcon, Mad Love, Arsenic and Old Lace and Casablanca.  Though his role in Casablanca was small, he still played a key role when he gave Rick the letters of transit.

He also appeared in several horror films, often opposite his good friend Vincent Price and Boris Karloff.  In this scene from 1962’s Tales of Terror, Lorre and Price challenge each other to a wine-drinking contest.