Horror Scenes I Love: Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

A true American success story, Bruce Campbell first met and befriended Sam Raimi when the two of them were high school students in Michigan. Campbell first gained attention in Raimi’s Evil Dead films and he’s been a mainstay in Raimi’s films ever since. He’s also been a favorite of the Coen Brothers, Don Coscarelli, William Lustig, and scores of other director. Few actors can balance both drama and comedy with the adroitness of Bruce Campbell.

Campbell, of course, is best-known for his performance as Ash Williams, the S-Mart store clerk who lost his hand while spending the weekend at a cabin, spent some time in the past, and later earned the right to tell us all to say “hail to the king, baby.” Campbell’s ability to do often violent slapstick comedy, along with his ability to deliver the most absurd of dialogue with a straight face, came together to make him into a true pop cultural icon. Though Campbell has since announced his retirement from playing Ash (saying that, at his age, he can no longer physically spends hours a day getting beaten up), he remains a beloved actor to horror fans everywhere.

Today’s scene that I love comes from 1992’s Army of Darkness and it features Bruce Campbell at his best. All Ash has to do is remember three simple words and say them before taking the Necronomicon from its place. Of course, Ash being Ash, things don’t quite work out that simply….

Horror Novel Review: Dead End by R.L. Stine

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

First published in 1995, Dead End begins with Natalie making what seems like the right decision.

Realizing that her boyfriend, Keith, has had way too much to drink at a party, Natalie refuses to ride home with him. Instead, she joins her friends Carlo, Gillian, and Todd in getting a ride from their sweet and responsible friend, Randee. Seriously, Keith has already fallen down a flight of stairs and made the party awkward by throwing up all over the place. Drunks are so annoying!

Anyway, Randee is driving everyone home when a sudden fogs rolls in and makes it difficult to see the road ahead of her. Uh-oh! Better pull over until that fog clears up or your might — AGCK! Randee smashes into a car! And then she drives off, without even bothering to get out of the car and make sure that the other driver is okay! Natalie freaks out but all of her friends explain to her why they can’t run the risk of going to the police. I mean, Randee wasn’t even supposed to be driving the car! Someone else has a relative in the hospital! Todd’s father has just started a new job and it would be really awkward if his son got arrested for being a passenger in a car! Natalie eventually agrees to keep quiet about the accident.

But then, the next day, she discovers that the car they hit belonged to the mayor’s sister. And now the mayor’s sister is dead! Can Natalie and her friends keep the secret, even though there now appears to be someone stalking them and doing stuff like leaving spoiled meat around as a warning that they’re dead meat as well? Can Natalie figure out who the mysterious stalker is before all of her friends are killed? And will she be able to work out her relationship issues with Keith? Seriously, priorities!

If this sounds familiar, it’s because R.L. Stine pretty much just transported the plot of I Know What You Did Last Summer to Shadyside and he really didn’t bother to add any surprising twists or turns. The end result is one of the more forgettable entries in the Fear Street series. There is one nicely macabre death scene in which someone basically loses their face but otherwise, this is Stine on autopilot.

In the end, I guess the important thing is that the book reminds its readers not to drink and drive and that’s a good thing. As well, if a sudden fog rolls in, pull over. It’s just not worth the risk!

October True Crime: D.C. Sniper (dir by Ulli Lommel)

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Over a three week period, in 2002, a sniper shot 27 people in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., killing 17 of them. For that three week period, the nation lived in fear of an unknown evil that was traveling the highways and killing people seemingly at random. Even though the murders occurred in the area surrounding our nation’s capitol, there was very much a feeling that the sniper could turn up anywhere and at anytime. There was a lot of speculation about who the sniper was, with many theorizing that it was Al Quaeda while others argued that the killer was just another home-grown serial killer with a grudge.

When John Allen Muhammad and Lee Malvo were eventually arrested, it turned out that both sides were correct. Muhammad was an American-bred spree killer, a man who had a grudge against the entire world and who brainwashed a teenage Lee Malvo into serving as his accomplice. However, Muhammad also turned out to be a terrorist, someone who admired Osama Bin Laden and sympathized with Al Quaeda, even if he never personally had any contact with the group itself.

When Muhammad went on trial for the murders, there was never really any doubt that he would be found guilty and given the death penalty. There was also little doubt that Ulli Lommel would eventually make a movie about him.

Ulli Lommel was a German director who got his start working with the legendary Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Lommel starred in several of Fassbinder’s early films and went on to have a successful directorial career in Germany. Eventually, he came to the U.S., where he married heiress Suzanna Love and hung out with people like Andy Warhol. In the U.S., Lommel continued to direct. He was responsible for some of the first documentaries about punk rock. His film Cocaine Cowboys featured Andy Warhol playing himself. His horror films, The Boogeyman and the Devonsville Terror, may not have been beloved by critics but they both quickly amassed cult followings. However, after getting divorced from Love, Lommel seemingly disappeared until he reemerged in the 2000s as a director who specialized in cheap, direct-to-video true crime films. Lommel directed films about Richard Ramirez, Son of Sam, Gary Ridgway, the Zodiac Killer, and many others. While most critics dismissed Lommel’s later films as being exploitive trash, Lommel claimed that he was using the serial killer genre as a way to explore and expose the hypocricy of American society.

Myself, I love the idea of a crazy auteur so nothing would make me happier than to be able to declare that there was some sort of overlooked genius to Lommel’s later films. However, from what I’ve seen of them, I have to say this is a rare case where I find myself agreeing with the critics. For the most part, Lommel’s later films were trash. While I have no doubt that Lommel probably was being serious in his belief that his serial killer films had a deeper meaning, the majority of them were cheaply made and dramatically incoherent.

That said, D.C. Sniper actually is one of Lommel’s better serial killer films. A lot of that is due to the intense and intimidating performance of Ken Foree in the role of John Allen Muhammad. Foree is credited with co-writing the script and the scenes in which he discusses his resentments while staring straight at the camera are truly frightening and they probably do capture what was going on in Muhammad’s head at the time of the killings. The scenes between Muhammad and Lee Malvo (played by Tory N. Thompson) also have a creepy feeling of authenticity to them as we watch as Muhammad turns Malvo into a killer. In the scenes with Thompson, Foree plays Muhammad as being alternatively nurturing and fearsome and again, one gets the feeling that the scenes are probably close to the truth.

That said, it’s still a Lommel film, which means that the budget is low, there’s a lot of meandering shots of people driving from one location to another, and the majority of the film looks like it was filmed on a phone. When the film isn’t following Muhammad, it’s following an FBI agent (Christopher Kiesa), who is working undercover as a tourist. The FBI agents wanders around various D.C. monuments and takes pictures. We hear his voice-over, in which he explains that he’s more worried about his runaway daughter, who is apparently being turned into an “internet slut” by her boyfriend. At one point, the FBI agent stands at the Potomac River and wonders if George Washington would be considered a terrorist by modern standards. Lommel himself plays the FBI’s enigmatic partner, a detective known as the Cowboy due to his choice of headgear. As one point, the Cowboy promises that he will help the FBI agent find his daughter. The plotline is dropped after that and we don’t hear another word about it, leaving us to wonder why it was even brought up in the first place.

In the end, D.C. Sniper is good Lommel just because regular Lommel is so bad.

Horror Film Review: Challenge the Devil (dir by Giuseppe Vegezzi)

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Oh, where to start with the 1963 Italian film?

A criminal named Carlo lands in Italy and soon finds himself being pursued a group of gangsters. An extended shoot-out leads to Carlo being serious wounded. Carlo stumbles into a church, where he is met by a monk who used to be an friend of his. Carlo explains that he has been blackmailing a Beirut crime lord and now the crime lord’s men are after him. Unfortunately, Carlo gave all the evidence to an exotic dancer and now he needs the evidence back but, obviously, he can’t show his face in the streets. The monk goes to a nightclub and, after watching several different cabaret acts that have nothing to do with the rest of the film, he finally gets a chance to talk to the dancer. The dancer is also an old friend of his but hasn’t seen him since he became a monk and she demands to know what led to this development in his life. The monk tells her the story of his past, in return for her giving him the evidence.

In the distant past, the monk was a part of a motorcycle gang led by wannabe gangster Gian (Mario Polletin) and a failed poet, Gugo (Giorgio Ardisson). One day, Gian, Gugo, the future monk, and their respective girlfriends decided to break into an apparently deserted castle, where they decided to have a wild party. Of course, to them, a wild party meant playing the bongos and drinking wine. However, it turned out that the castle wasn’t totally deserted. There was an old man (Christopher Lee) living in the castle and the old man explained that the love of his life had died years before and that her body was somewhere in the castle. If Gugo and the gang found her body and brought her to the old man so that he could give her a decent burial before his own death, the old man would give them the castle. The greedy and drunken gang agreed but they soon discovered that the castle was full of secrets and the old man was not quite who he claimed….

Challenge The Devil is a thoroughly disjointed film, one with a plot that is almost impossible to follow. Some of that is because of the film’s troubled production history. Originally, the film was titled Katarsis and it was simply about the gang coming across the castle and meeting Christopher Lee. However, after the film was shot, the production company went out of business and the film’s new owner decided to re-edit the film and tack on the scenes involving Carlo, the dancer, and the monk. None of the new scenes fit with the style of the old scenes and, indeed, all of the nonsense with Carlo and the dancer means that the film’s main story doesn’t even get started until after about 20 minutes of filler. Of course, it should be noted that even the original version of the film doesn’t look like it was that good. This was director Giuseppe Vegezzi’s only feature film and he shows very little natural ability when it comes to framing shots or creating atmosphere.

But what about Christopher Lee, you may be asking. He’s fine. I mean, Christopher Lee is imposing and his physical presence is so strong that he even makes an impression in a bad film. But Lee only gets a few minutes of screen time. For his part, Lee said that this was one of the film that he did for the money and he never actually saw the finished product. I don’t blame him. This one is for Lee completists only.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Charles Band Edition

Posted on October 4, 2023 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 is Charles Band, the legendary founder of Full Moon Pictures!

4 Shots From 4 Charles Band Films

Meridian: Kiss of the Beast (1990, dir by Charles Band, DP: Marc Ahlberg)

The Creeps (1997, dir by Charles Band, DP: Adolfo Bartoli)

Puppet Master: The Legacy (2003, dir by Charles Band, DP: Marc Ahlberg)

Evil Bong 888: Infinity High (2022, dir by Charles Band, DP: Alex Nicolaou)

Horror Film Review: Waxwork II: Lost In Time (dir by Anthony Hickox)

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

1992’s Waxwork II opens with the finale of the first Waxwork. The cursed waxwork is burning to the ground, taking out the monsters within, along with Sir Wilfred (Patrick Macnee) and Wilfred’s army of do-gooders. Only Mark (Zach Galligan) and Sarah (now played by Monika Schnarre) are able to escape. Fleeing the burning building, they manage to catch a cab. Sarah wonders what they’re going to do now. Mark replies that they’re going to go back to school and pretend that none of this ever happened.

Good luck with that! It turns out that one other thing did escape from the waxwork. A disembodied hand follows Sarah home and murders her abusive stepfather. Sarah manages to drop the hand down the garbage disposal, destroying it but also destroying the only proof she had that she didn’t kill her stepfather. Sarah is put on trial for murder and the jury does not appear to be impressed with her “It was a supernatural creature” defense.

What she and Mark need is proof that the waxwork was full of monsters. Fortunately, a trip to Sir Wilfred’s house reveals not only a recording of Sir Wilfred explaining how there’s an alternative universe known as the Kartagra but also a compass that can be used to find portals into the Kartagra. Mark and Sarah enter the Kartagra, searching for proof of Sarah’s innocence.

Mark and Sarah go from one universe to another, meeting iconic horror characters along the way. Just as with the exhibits in the first film, each universe features it own set monsters and its own distinctive style. For instance, Mark finds himself suddenly cast in the role of Henry Clerval, best friend of Baron Frankenstein (Martin Kemp) and the lover of the Baron’s wife, Elizabeth (who is actually Sarah). Of course, the Baron has more to worry about than his wife cheating with his best friend. There’s also the angry monster living in the basement and the angry villagers that are due to start pounding on the front doors of the mansion.

Later, Mark finds himself in a black-and-white recreation of The Haunting of Hill House, working with a researcher (Bruce Campbell) and two psychics to investigate reports of a ghost at an old house. Mark must bring peace to the ghost while avoiding all of the slapstick complications that one might expect when Bruce Campbell shows up as a paranormal researcher. While Mark is dealing with that, Sarah is floating in space, trying to protect the crew of her dingy spaceship from an acid spewing alien.

You get the idea. Waxwork II is essentially an affectionate collection of homages to other, better-known horror films and it must be said that Waxwork II does an excellent job of recreating each film, from the crisp black-and-white of haunted house scene to the grittiness of the Alien sequences to the over-the-top swordplay of a trip to a medieval world. There’s even a trip to the mall from Dawn of the Dead! Wisely, Waxwork II doesn’t take itself particularly seriously, with many scenes developing into outright comedy. Zach Galligan gives an enjoyable and nicely modulated comedic performance, even holding his own with Bruce Campbell.

At 104 minutes, Waxwork II runs a bit too long for its own good but it ends on a sweet note that nicely wraps up the entire saga. It’s a film that works as both a continuation of Waxwork and as an entertaining film on its own.

Horror Film Review: Invisible Agent (dir by Edwin L. Marin)

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In 1942, the world was at war and everyone, whether a soldier or a civilian, was expected to do their part for the war effort. That included the best and the brightest of Hollywood. Stars like Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, and Henry Fonda enlisted in army. Others sold war bonds and narrated patriotic news reels. Even the Universal monsters did their part for the war effort, with the Invisible Man becoming the Invisible Agent in the 1942 film of the same name.

Invisible Agent opens in 1940, with Frank Griffin, Jr. (Jon Hall), the grandson of the original Invisible Man, being confronted by a Nazi (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) and a Japanese spymaster (Peter Lorre) at his print shop in Manhattan. They want his grandfather’s invisibility formula. At first, they offer to pay him for it. Then, when Frank refuses, they threaten to chop off his fingers. Frank manages to escape with both his fingers and the formula. As Frank later tells the Americans, he’s not willing to give the formula to anyone because he knows how dangerous it can be if not used properly. As far as Frank is concerned, the formula must never be used again. Frank does say that he might change his mind under extraordinary circumstances.

The film cuts to a series of headlines announcing that the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor. The circumstances are now extraordinary and Frank agrees that it is time to use the formula for the war effort. But he agrees to do so on the condition that only he be allowed to take the formula. Frank becomes the Invisible Agent, taking the formula and then parachuting into Nazi Germany. Unseen, Frank searches for information about Nazi spies in the U.S. and the details of Germany’s plan to bomb New York. Along the way, he meets Maria Sorenson (Ilona Massey), a wealthy German woman who is lusted after by the members of the German high command but who is actually working for the Resistance. Frank also finds himself, once again, coming across the two men who previously threatened him in New York.

Here are the positive things about this film. Invisible Agent has an intriguing premise. The Nazis are such monsters that even the once fearsome Universal monsters are joining the effort to take them down. The film also features two intelligent performances from Cedric Hardwicke and Peter Lorre, both of whom bring some unexpected shadings to their villainous roles. The opening scene in Manhattan plays out like an intense film noir and, once the action moves to Germany, director Edwin L. Marin keeps things moving at a steady pace.

Unfortunately, Invisible Agent has one huge problem that it cannot overcome. Jon Hall gives a remarkably charmless performance in the title role, flatly delivering his lines and showing very little in the way of personality. When you’re not seen for the majority of the film, it’s important to have a voice that’s full of personality. That’s one reason why the previous Invisible Man films benefitted from the casting of actors like Claude Rains and Vincent Prince. Jon Hall, on the other hand, just comes across as being dull. He gives a boring performance, whether visible or not and, as a result, Invisible Agent falls flat in a way that the previous Invisible films did not. There’s no real stakes in his turning invisible because there really wasn’t much to him to begin with.

Still, I thank the Invisible Agent for his service.

Previous Universal Horror Reviews:

Horror on the Lens: Svengali (dir by Archie Mayo)

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In this atmospheric film from 1931, sinister singing teacher Svengali (John Barrymore) used hypnotism to not only turn Trilby O’Ferrall (Marian Marsh) into the most popular singer in Europe but he also takes control of her mind. Trilby’s former boyfriend, Billie (Bramwell Fletcher) attempts to break Svengali’s hold over her, with results that are …. well, you’ll have to watch the movie.

And really, you should watch the movie! There are moments of dream-like beauty to be found in Svengali, with my favorite being an extended sequence in which the camera seems to float above the streets of Paris. John Barrymore gives one of his best performance as Svengali, playing the role with a mix of menace and sly humor. The film keeps you guessing as to how much of Trilby’s actions are of her own free will and how many of them are due to Svengali’s influence.

(Interestingly enough, Barrymore’s Svengali is a dead ringer for the infamous Rasputin.)

With its dark humor and its “arty” style, Svengali struggled with audiences but it has since been recognized as one of the best of the early psychological thrillers.

Enjoy!

October Positivity: Under Arrest (dir by William Field)

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to the past …. kind of.

I say “kind of” because, even though the 1983 film Under Arrest takes place in the 20s, 30s, and 40, it’s obvious that the production didn’t have the budget necessary to really splurge on getting all the period details correct. All of the characters wear slightly old timey clothing but they’ve all got haircuts that come from straight from the 70s and 80s. One or two vintage cars make an appearance but otherwise, Under Arrest takes place in a world where the characters tend to a lot of walking. To be honest, if not for the film’s narration, the viewer could easily assume that the film was supposed to be taking place in 1974.

It starts out as something of a gangster film. We’re told that Phil Thatcher (played by Paul Martin) was one of California’s most notorious criminals. Having watched the film, I can only guess that California had an extremely elastic definition of “notorious.” Phil does commit some crimes. He steals a lot of things. He carries a gun with him, though he does mention that he’s never used it. That said, he’s hardly John Dillinger or Clyde Barrow or Pretty Boy Floyd. He does manage to escape from a few reform schools but, for the most part, he’s a passive participant in these escapes. Everyone else does all the work and Phil just kind of goes along for the ride. For the most part, Phil is a well-mannered thief who had a bad habit of trusting the wrong people.

At one point, Phil mentions that jail felt more like home than his actual home did. It’s hard not to blame him for feeling that way because every prison in the film is surprisingly clean and pleasant. Phil does meet one cruel loan shark, a man called Patrino (Richard Moll). And Phil is forced to break rocks in the sun, though he also gets to hang out with all of his friends while doing so. Halfway through the film, Phil has a moral reawakening when he reads a bible that was sent to him by his mother. This leads to Phil abandoning all of his plans to escape from prison and instead, he writes letters to everyone that he’s stolen from and promises to repay them. Phil says that he’s prepared to finish out his sentence and accept his punishment but has he really changed or has he just realized that the prison is the nicest place in California?

When he’s released on parole, the newly religious Phil is told that he has to find a job or he’ll be sent back to Folsom. Good luck with that! Actually, the film brings up an important point about why it’s so hard for some people to stay out of prison. Making employment a condition of parole and/or probation may sound like a good idea but it’s extremely difficult for someone who has a record to find a job. That was true in Phil’s day and it’s still true today. Will Phil be able to find a job or will he be sent back to prison?

Under Arrest is based on a true story. The real Phil Thatcher not only found a job but also started a prison ministry. It’s not a bad story but the film itself suffers from low production values and amateurish acting. As so often happens with films like this, good intentions could not make up for poor execution. Still, the film does make an important point. What’s the point of a society locking people up if it’s going to just abandon them once they’re released?

Late Night Retro Television Reviews: Gun 1.1 “The Shot”

Posted on October 3, 2023 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 Tuesdays, I will be reviewing Gun, an anthology series that ran on ABC for six week in 1997. The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!

Produced by filmmaker Robert Altman, Gun was an anthology series that followed one gun from person-to-person. Each week would feature a new cast and a new story. The show itself didn’t catch on but, because of Altman’s prestige, is still managed to attract some prominent and interesting guest stars during it’s 6-episode run.

The first episode, for instance, brings the gun together with Daniel Stern, Ed Begley, Jr., and model Kathy Ireland.

Episode 1.1 “The Shot”

(Dir by James Foley, originally aired on April 12th, 1997)

The first episode of Gun opens with an unnamed dumbass purchasing a pearl-handed, .45 semi-automatic pistol. When he takes it home, his kids are impressed but his wife threatens to kick him out if he ever fires the gun in the house. Next thing you know, the dumbass is pretending to be Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver and pointing the gun at the television. The final shoot-out from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly leads to the TV getting shot. The dumbass returns the gun. Later, that night, someone breaks into the gun store and steals the gun.

Who stole it? It turns out that it was just a guy who spends his time holding up convenience stores. Unfortunately, his next attempt at a convenience store robbery does not go well, largely due to one aggravated customer. Harvey Hochfelder (Daniel Stern) is already in an agitated state before the robbery even begins. He just wants to leave Los Angeles for Virginia but, before he can leave, he had to stop off at the slowest convenience store in L.A. Harvey loses it as soon as he realizes that the robbery is going to mean his escape to Virginia is going to be even further delayed. When Harvey’s wife (Kathy Baker) enters the store, the robber is startled into first shooting at Harvey and then dropping the gun. The robber runs outside and tries to steal Harvey’s car, with Harvey’s son and dog in the back seat. Harvey grabs the gun and chases the robber down. The robber crashes the car and Harvey holds him at gun point until the police arrive.

Harvey becomes a celebrity. He even appears on the cover Newsweek, with the simple headline, “American Hero.” Hollywood wants to make a made-for-TV movie about what happened in the convenience store, with Harvey playing himself and Kathy Ireland playing his wife.

Unfortunately, the friends of the robber are not happy that Harvey “fingered our homie” (yes, that’s actual dialogue) and they decide that they want to get revenge on Harvey. When they force his car off the road and then pull guns of their own on him, Harvey diffuses the situation by offering them roles the movie. Everyone wants to be a star!

Finally, the day of filming has arrived. Under the guidance of the film’s director (Ed Begley, Jr.), Harvey prepares to climb into bed with a lingerie-clad Kathy Ireland….

Suddenly, Harvey is back in the convenience store, getting shot multiple times by the robber and expiring as a security camera records his final moments. His entire time as a Hollywood star was just a dying fantasy which, honestly, was kind of obvious just by how cartoonish all of the Hollywood scenes were.

Well, as far as first episodes are concerned this was really, really …. bad. Anthology shows are always a bit hit-and-miss and this episode was definitely almost all miss and no hit. As good a character actor as he may be, Daniel Stern overacts to such an extent in this episode that it’s difficult to really have much sympathy for Harvey and the episode’s final twist largely fell flat.

The first episode of Gun is an almost entire …. dare I say it? …. misfire.