For today’s scene that I love, here is the classic scene from 1980’s Inferno, Dario Argento’s follow-up to Suspiria. In this scene, Irene Miracle takes a fateful swim. I’ve seen this film several times and this sequence still creeps me out! Not only does it remind me of my own very strong fear of drowning but I also wish someone had been there to say, “Don’t do that, you’re going to ruin that pretty dress!”
This scene is Argento at his most dream-like and frightening.
For today’s horror on the lens, we have a real treat! (We’ll get to the tricks later…)
Long before he achieved holiday immortality by playing the father in A Christmas Story, Darren McGavin played journalist Carl Kolchak in the 1972 made-for-TV movie, The Night Stalker. Kolchak is investigating a series of murders in Las Vegas, all of which involve victims being drained of their blood. Kolchak thinks that the murderer might be a vampire. Everyone else thinks that he’s crazy.
When this movie first aired, it was the highest rated made-for-TV movie of all time. Eventually, it led to a weekly TV series in which Kolchak investigated various paranormal happenings. Though the TV series did not last long, it’s still regularly cited as one of the most influential shows ever made.
The Night Stalker is an effective little vampire movie and Darren McGavin gives a great performance as Carl Kolchak.
Enjoy!
Inferno (1980, dir by Dario Argento, DP: Romana Albano)
Today’s horror song of the day comes from Keith Emerson’s soundtrack of Dario Argento’s Inferno. I have to admit that, when I first saw Inferno, I thought that Emerson’s music was maybe a little bit too overdramatic for the film but, on subsequent viewings, it’s really grown on me.
Emerson did not have an enviable task, having to follow up Goblin’s soundtrack for Suspiria. But Emerson pulled it off, crafting a score that compliments Goblin’s earlier work while maintaining an identity of its own.
His title card was terrible so I’m using the New York Yankees. Why not? We have a haunted house theme in this story where Google speaker is involved. Alexa’s evil twin. The main character is at his house, which I believe is probably Levi’s residence because his films always take place there. He ask google speaker to help him, but she has turned…..EVIL!!!
The main character asks to google to turn the light back on upstairs and he sees…… a shape. This is kinda scary. Google speaker puts on license free music on for mood; so, evil or not- she is protecting Levi’s shoestring budget. I give him credit for editing in music.
The character unplugs the device and it still talks. It’s a good trope. I don’t hate on that. There is a guy in his house who has a cloak on, which is definitely bad. The shape approaches him. He begs google to turn on the light, but instead she goes rogue and turns off the lights.
I meant to watch a horror comedy, but oops – it’s just horror. I actually might put this in the thriller category because there’s an artificial intelligence working in collusion with the evil shape- is that like a google prime option? I mean I’m not saying that we should pay for google to do evil, but I mean….a little evil? Nothing permanent- mild evil like crappy salsa that never satisfies.
I do admit that I feel bad for Levi Morgan because he hasn’t done anything since 2023 and he’s doing some normal job now. His films are good enough. Levi’s not Hitchcock, but he’s better than Alex Magana and that’s important. I hope he makes it a vibrant hobby. Levi is just not great at writing. His scene angle setups and cinematography is not bad. Levi can make a scene suspenseful and I think he would be a good director of photography. He does need a writer. God doesn’t give with both hands and I would encourage him to pursue a career as a Director of Photography and Directing. I’m not gonna crap on him. He’s has talent and should focus on cinematography.
The first time I saw Jaws, this scene totally freaked me out. Every subsequent time that I’ve watched Jaws, this scene continues to freak me out. Even though I always know it’s coming, the brutality of it always takes me by surprise. This scene and the way it goes from mild comedy (“That’s a real bad hat, Harry!”) to terrifying horror without missing a beat is a reminder that Steven Spielberg definitely knows something about directing.
Poor Alex Kintner!
Everybody’s doing the zombie stomp….
For today’s horror on the lens, take a trip tot eh beach and dance to the sounds of the Del-Aires! And definitely, be weary of the hot dog monsters!
Enjoy 1964’s The Horror of Party Beach!
A serial killer known as “The Avenger” is murdering blonde women in London (which, once again, proves that its better to be a redhead). And while nobody knows the identity of the Avenger, they do know that the enigmatic stranger (Ivor Novello), who has just recently rented a room at boarding house, happens to fit his description. They also know that the lodger’s landlord’s daughter happens to be a blonde…
Released in 1927, the silent The Lodger was Alfred Hitchcock’s third film but, according to the director, this was the first true “Hitchcock film.” Certainly it shows that even at the start of his career, Hitchcock’s famous obsessions were already present — the stranger accused of a crime, the blonde victims, and the link between sex and violence.
Also of note, the credited assistant director — Alma Reville — would become Alma Hitchcock shortly before The Lodger was released.
Peter Brock (Michael Bryant) is the leader of a team of researchers who work for an electronics company that is trying to come up with a new recording technique to keep up with their Japanese competitors. Peter and his team move into an old Victorian mansion that is said to be haunted. After Jill Greeley (Jane Asher) thinks that she’s seen a ghost, Peter theorizes that the stone walls of the mansion have actually recorded everything that has happened at the location over the years, like a security tape. Some people, like Jill, are sensitive enough to pick up on the images of the past. Other people, like Peter, are so determined to use what he calls The Stone Tape to his own advantage that it leads to tragedy.
The script for The Stone Tape was written by Nigel Kneale, who was also responsible for creating Quatermass. As he did with his Quatermass stories, Kneale took an otherwise standard horror story and added an interesting scientific twist. Peter is a classic villain who makes the mistake of thinking that he can control that which he does not understand. Ghosts and spirits may just be recordings of past events but that doesn’t mean they can’t hurt you. There’s a lot of screaming in The Stone Tape but there’s also some very interesting ideas, good acting, and intelligent directing from Peter Sasdy. First broadcast by the BBC in 1972, The Stone Tape is a classic ghost story, creepy and clever with a killer ending.
Ever since the birth of film, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has been a popular subject for adaptation. Not only does the classic story of a good doctor who unleashes his evil instinct via potion serve as a potent metaphor for everything from sexual repression to drug addiction, but the dual role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has provides an excellent opportunity for an actor to show off.
The first film adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is believed to have been made in 1908. Two more version followed in 1912 and 1913 and then, suddenly, 1920 saw three different film versions.
The best known of the 1920 version is our film for today. This version is best remembered for John Barrymore’s powerful performance in the title role but it also holds up remarkably well as a work of cinematic horror.
1979’s Delirium takes place on the mean streets of St. Louis and the surrounding countryside. Crime is out of control and something has to be done about it! Thanks to Earl Warren and the Carter administration, the police are powerless to stop the criminals. (“Miranda rights my ass!” you can almost hear the film’s screenwriter shouting.) So, the wealthier citizens of St. Louis get together and hire a bald Vietnam vet named Eric Stern (Barron Winchester) to lead a paramilitary group of vigilantes. One of Stern’s men is another vet, Charlie (Nick Panouzis). Charlie suffers from PTSD and it turn out that being a part of a militia is not the best way to deal with war trauma. Who would have guessed?
Charlie snaps. He starts killing people, in both St. Louis and the surrounding farms. One victim is a hitchhiker who is dumb enough to hitch a ride from him and then to taunt him when he refuses to go skinny dipping with her. It turns out that Charlie’s been impotent ever since he came home from the war. He doesn’t respond well to jokes about it.
As Charlie claims more and more victims, both the police and vigilantes search for him. The police want to stop his rampage, The vigilantes don’t want Charlie to accidentally reveal their existence. The whole thing ends in violence, gun fights, and flashbacks in which Vietnam looks a lot like rural Missouri.
Delirium is a film that I first noticed on my list of Tubi recommendations a few months ago. I finally watched it last night and I have to admit that my first reaction was, “What the Hell was that?” Delirium is bizarre mix of slasher horror and vigilante thrills, the type of mishmash that one can only really find in a grindhouse film. That the budget was low is obvious in every shot. The wealthy conspiracy meets in what appears to be a hut. As I previously mentioned, the Vietnam scenes were clearly filmed in Missouri. The acting is largely amateurish, with the exceptions of the intense Nick Panouzis and the absolutely insane performance of Barron Winchester. The film was gory enough to have earned a spot on the infamous Videos Nastys list but, as is so often case, what was shocking in 1979 seems rather tame in 2024. I did like the conspiracy aspects of the film. The idea of a group of wealthy people putting together a vigilante squad without actually bothering to do any background checks on the people they recruited actually has a good deal of potential. The film is a mess but it’s a mess in the oddly fascinating way that many low-budget 70s films were. The mix of ambition and a low budget often led to watchable oddities like Delirium.
The main thing that really stuck with me about Delirium is just how annoyed and angry almost every single character in the film seemed to be. Even the cop trying to stop Charlie seems like he was pissed off about having to actually do his job. I guess St. Louis does that to people.
Through the Shattered Lens 