Spanish Poster & Lobby Card Fever!

When I was younger and living in southern Texas – from about the fifth grade until I graduated from high school – my parents would take my siblings and I into Mexico every weekend to visit and check on my grandparents. Sometimes we’d spend complete Christmas vacations and Spring Breaks there and the more we spent time there, the more I absorbed things from food, culture, television shows, and movies. Surprisingly, there was a lot of the American influence down there. I mean, I could watch every Hanna-Barbera cartoon known to man in Spanish. I could watch Garfield and Friends and Who’s The Boss? in Spanish. So why could I watch horror films in Spanish? Oh yeah, right. I wasn’t old enough to get into a horror film at the cinema, much less be allowed to walk into a cinema back in those days. One thing I used to remember doing – rather vividly – is thumbing endlessly though Monterrey’s local newspaper El Norte and staring longingly at the full page of ads for all of the little cinemas and grindhouses of the city. And back then there were ads ranging from American films to Italian films to Adult XXX films sprawled in black in white across that one page. So where am I going with this? Well, it so happens that as I was on the night shift tonight at work and looking through some horror articles online, I came across an a random one regarding Mexican/Spanish lobby cards and posters for American/European horror films and I was immediately taken back to the 80’s, lying on my grandmother’s bed and looking through the newspapers, trying to see how many horror ads I could point out. Here are a couple of them that I remember looking at as a kid and another reason why I long for the days when 80’s horror ruled!

 

Lobby card for Lucio Fluci's Zombie (title on this card is The Living Dead).  I remember this title but I remember seeing the ad that was a dupe of the now-infamous U.S. one-sheet.

 

 

One for Graduation Day. The title on this one reads Infernal School. The caption reads "Graduating wasn't just an obstacle, it was a killer!"

 

One for Creature. The tagline reads "For 2000 years it has been sleeping peacefully on Saturn's moons and now it's just awakened!"

One for All The Colors of the Dark. I think there's a typo in the title as the Spanish word for "darkness" or "the dark" is actually Oscuridad. The "B" here changes the definition to "Obscurity". So this actually says "The Colors of Obscurity"... which is quite funny. The inner caption reads "A Labyrinth of Terror, of Madness, Witchcraft and Death!"

 

 

 

Demonoid: Messenger of Death! Tagline reads "The hand from another world that comes to grab hold of you!" The title here is literally translated as Macabre: The Devil's Hand.

 

 

 

 



 

 

One for the classic Bay of Blood (Twitch of the Death Nerve). Here the title is actually Bay of Blood. Note the non-corresponding art on the top right. If you know your 70's/80's horror (Of course you do, why else would you be here?) you will note that art belongs to The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave. The tagline reads "The true essence of horror and panic will penetrate your mind!"

 

 

 

 

A really nice one for The Dark. Top caption reads "After the sunshine and the fog comes The Dark." Bottom caption reads "Beyond the terror, beyond the panic you will find...THE DARK."

 

 

 

 

One for Squirm or better known on this poster as The Infernal Worms.

 

 

 

 

One for the awesomeness that is the original Nightmare On Elm Street known in Mexico on some of the original promotional items/posters as Nightmare on Hell Street (Pesadilla En La Calle del Infierno) (which I personally prefer). The tagline on top is the exact one on the U.S. one sheet. The bottom caption reads "A camera films, finally, the inside of a nightmare."

 

 

 

 

These is for some of my all time favorites Friday the 13th Part 2 and Friday the 13th part V: A New Beginning. I like the slight differences in the taglines and titles. Here Part 2 reads "Just like a nightmare, the body count continues."  Later titles such as Part VI have the title as Tuesday the 13th as in Mexico that is considered the one "unlucky day". I added a few lobby cards, too. (I'd wanted to include some I found for Jason Lives but they wouldn't upload properly.)

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

And lastly, the Spanish lobby card for my all time favorite horror film Suspiria. The literal Spanish translation of the title, though, would be Scream.

 

 

 

 

 

There are several  that stick out the most in my head from those years (which I sadly, could not locate): The one for Madman known across the border as La Hacha Asesina (The Killer Axe), No Entres Al Bosque...Solo! (Don't Go In The Woods...Alone!), Supersticion (Superstition/The Witch) and Pesadilla known better to us as Nightmare or Nightmares In a Damaged Brain. As strange as this is going to sound, these bring back some of the best memories of my childhood as I did spend a lot of time looking through newspaper after newspaper just to see what I could find. As a horror fan, I would love to have some of these in my collection as now that I think about it, I don't have anything in Spanish in my vast arsenal. I hope that you enjoy these as much as I did. If you know of any websites where I can see more of these, feel free to comment!

 

Thanks for reading!



 

 

 

Horror Moderna: The Best of the 21st Century...So Far - Part 1

I’d like to take a moment to thank all of you for helping me get this blog up to the wonderful 10, 000 mark! (Actually as of today the site has over 10, 600 hits) You all are fantastic and have taken a keen and genuine interest in this blog and have blown it up over the last few months and for that I’m grateful. I’ve gotten many emails from my readers telling me how much they enjoy what I’ve presented here and as I promised – because the the ten-thousand mark has been met and thus surpassed – I’m going to strive to make at least one entry here at least once a week. It’s very satisfying to see that so many horror fans have come to this spot to check out my entries and to get to know me as both a writer and as a fellow horror fan. If you know someone who would enjoy reading this, I invite you to share it on Facebook or by word of mouth. If you’re a casual reader, I invite you to follow this blog so you can be updated every time a new entry is added. Thank you all again for making this blog what it is and cheers to another ten thousand reads!

 

Now, I know that maybe a few you are wondering why I'm writing about films released after the turn of the century if this entire blog is dedicated to everything with the decade twenty years preceding it. Well, for one, horror is horror and though my heart belongs to everything eighties there are a few gems here and there that I come across every so often that were released after the once-feared Y2K mark that capture my imagination and stay with me. I've actually been accused of being rather discriminative to all things modern in terms of horror and though I have my reasons for being so picky, I'm not completely closed to new experiences. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of engaging in an IM session with a reader of this blog and we got to talking about modern horror and films released since the year 2000. I have to honestly admit that I’m not really into ‘horror moderna’ – only because I’ve sat through a slew of them and am instantly turned off by the production values some of them have. The over-use of CGI, the cookie-cutter and copy-cat elements taken from other films, the great number of tired remakes of films whose originals still remain a hundred times their superior, and most importantly, the endless absurd and/or disappointing endings and lack of originality that have caused my disinterest in the modern horror film. Now, I know there are some of you out there who stand firm and back the modern horror film. But remember, we’re all fans here. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Everyone is entitled to their unique points of view and voice them. That’s what makes the horror community what it is - endless opinions and likes and dislikes that form the huge melting pot that it is.

 

Now, don’t get me wrong. I haven’t dissed them all entirely. I have had the opportunity to sit through a good number of them. Aside from the plethora of torture porn films that came in this strange unannounced wave – which I still to this day will not sit through as I feel they’re a complete waste of time, I have given many films a chance. So the person I was IM-ing with posed to me a very good question, Hey Linus, what do you think are the best films of this millennium so far? The question to me was so intriguing that I thought I’d devote an entire blog entry to answer it. Now, take note that I haven’t seen a great number of films that have been released – as a great number of them have come out of Asia and Europe – but out of the good number of them that I’ve seen, here are what I think are the best ones so far. I’ll put them in random order:

High Tension (2003): Directed by Alexandre Aja, this film is one of the better films I’ve seen in recent day and it remains one of my top favorites of the new millennium and conversely, the oldest film in this particular posting. And it was rated NC-17 upon its initial release? An NC-17 slasher film? Call me pink with barely controlled glee! Though it was numbed-down to an R-rating here in the U.S. when it was unleashed on the movie-going public, I was disappointed that I wasn't able to catch it upon its first run and had to wait until the DVD was released. I would have loved to have seen it uncut with a group of people just to watch the mixed reactions of the audience as this is not a film for everyone. The French horror scene, though fairly misunderstood in this country, is one to be rivaled in recent day and it’s slowly becoming a top contender with other films coming from other parts of the world. When two friends go out into the country to do some studying, they are unknowingly followed by a homicidal maniac who brutally kills the entire family, except the two girls. This films boasts some of the best and well-executed murder set pieces I've ever seen presented on celluloid  and the best use of a piano as a killing device! Lots of blood, lots of slicing, and lots of...well, lots of blood! Borrowing heavily from Dean Koontz’s Intensity (you can deny this all you want but its true as I've read the novel...twice), the film changes the story in its final act and delivers a plot hole so big that you either take it and run or cuss it out with a vengeance. I can already hear you saying, it was all a what?!

Though it’s fast paced and terrifying on a very visceral scale, the ending is completely absurd – and was completely ripped off as Identity used the exact same ending a couple of years earlier. I always tell people jokingly, If you've seen Identity you've seen High Tension!  But as far as the actual horror aspect is concerned, it delivers – and with both panache and undeniable gusto. Aja creates a very terrifying atmosphere, delivering on all levels and even throws a little girl-on-girl undertone to round it out wonderfully. If you’re a sucker for the films released during the golden age of slashers, you are in for a major treat. And if you’re as die-hard of a fan as I am, you’ll see a couple of nods to some of the old films, like a brilliant (and very frightening) homage to the memorable subway bathroom scene in Maniac, and the absolute best [i.e., disturbing] circular-saw murder you will ever see. As far as I’m concerned, this is considered essential viewing when it comes to horror of the new millennium [and French horror, period] and a great launching point for those looking for somewhere to start. Positively fantastic.

Sinister (2012): I was able to get a hold of a bootleg copy of this film by a friend mainly because I didn’t have the time to go into the local theater to see it and I was very curious about both the film’s premise and how Ethan Hawke was going to pull off a horror role. Let me say that I was pleasantly surprised. From the film’s haunting opening image to the horrifying revelation at its close, this film was a welcome entry into my mind and my collection. This is one of those films that I can honestly say that will restore your faith in the American horror film after so many duds that have been churned out with the past few years. If you’re a horror fan, like myself, who has ‘seen it all’ and who has the attitude and idea that ‘it’s all already been done’ - though true, you’re seriously in for a real treat. 
 

 

The film’s plot, while being very basic – Hawke, a famous crime novelist,  and his family move into a home in which a case of 8mm films and a projector reveal the murders of several families that have lived there in the past which all tie together in a shocking (but predictable) twist – builds a sense of impending doom and genuine terror. With the help of a local deputy - who is actually a longtime fan of Hawke's character - the two team up in hopes to discover the secret that lies within the house.  I really don’t say this about many modern horror films, especially ones that are American-made, but this one stayed in my head long after it was over and that’s what counts. It knew its mission was to scare and disturb and it did it with a subdued panache and it delivered one hundred percent. The film is actually frightening - I’ll say that with confidence. It manages to crawl under your skin and keep you on the edge of your seat. There is way the film dissects the Oswalt family, having a troubled past that culminates in this one house asking why here? The only downside I found to this great film was that I was able to figure out the reveal – and the ending – about three quarters of the way through. Normally, once I ‘do the math’ I lose interest in the film and fast-forward it just to see if I was right and then turn it off. But, not this time. I actually can’t wait for this to come out on DVD (as most of the film takes place in the dark and the copy I received was even darker). It employs many (and I mean many) clichés and a slew of set pieces and techniques that we’ve all seen and are very familiar with. The marketing campaign for the film was hokey, as well, relying way too much on the tagline, "From the producers of Paranormal Activity and Insidious". For me, that sentence was the film's own death wish because most people who've seen those two films could automatically (and unfairly) assume that this new one could very well be in the same category yet this one stands on its own. With that said, I will stick to my guns and say that this is one of the better horror films to come out in a really long time. (The DVD is scheduled for a February ’13 release. And *Thanks*, C.K., for providing me with a copy of this!).

 

The House of the Devil (2009): Ti West’s film set in the 1980’s about a girl who takes a babysitting job to help pay for her new apartment is a fantastic delve into the long-forgotten sub-genre known as “satanic panic”, the endless films that came out during the Reagan administration having to do with everyday people living their lives worshipping the prince of darkness, the consequences that follow, and the innocent people who accidentally stumble onto/become involved in what comes next. This one is filmed with many elements that made the 80’s so fantastic and it works on all levels. It relies on mood and atmosphere to set its tone. From the opening scene (with Dee Wallace Stone!) until it’s strange (but yet predictable) closing, the film delivers an eerie mood of impending doom and does it with a style that completely imitates those films from back then that we hold in such high regard. So may touches that remind us of the 80’s (the disclaimer telling us that the film is based on true events, the opening title card freeze, the zoom techniques and stylistic touches in costume, sets and music) are used well and actually make me miss the slasher boom’s heyday.

The film actually manages to keep it simple and concentrate wholly on building suspense for the first half. It sort of plays like a modern Halloween keeping the gore to a minimum and relying on making you feel uncomfortable and frightened. Now, the third act is something to talk about as it does manage to induce a nightmarish feel just as we discover just what the hell is going on when we finally see why she'd been lured to that spooky house out in the country. The ending, though much too ambiguous for my tastes, did leave me thinking and I actually thought that the story concluded intentionally in the manner it did to provoke a possible sequel. I mean, let's face it, after the sheer terror that poor Samantha (Donahue) had to endure, I would have liked to have known just what happened to her once the end credits rolled and what ever became of that horrific night. At the time the film was released, there was even a clamshell promotional VHS floating around to keep in the spirit of the stylistic intent of the film and there were even several one-sheet posters released (with my favorite of the bunch being showcased above) each using classic 70’s and 80’s art techniques that made those classic films even better. The film is worth picking up as there’s a way West builds tension and fear that keeps you on the edge of your seat proving that he's a newcomer to watch out for. Topped off with great performances by Tom Noonan and Mary Waronov (and a fantastic debut from cutie-newcomer Jocelin Donahue) the film is memorable and a definite must-see. I’ve watched this more than a handful of times and it still gives me chills each time. 

The Descent (2005): I actually got to see this during its theatrical run back in 2006 (when it was released in the States) and was taken completely by surprise. The film follows a group of six friends, all women, who become trapped in a series of underground  caverns and then fall prey to a group of subterranean man-eating humanoids. Sounds absurd, yes? But wait, sit through it and you’ll have a different opinion.

Starting things off with a powerful (and memorable) opening scene, director Neil Marshall concentrates on mood and character development and as we watch the women enter as inseparable friends and end up fighting for their lives, and each other, we slowly feel their plight and begin to root for them a hundred percent. During some scenes in the film, you have to stop yourself and wonder, Could this really happen? Could there really be an underworld of sorts living below us that the human race is completely oblivious to? Could we really visit a place like this in real life and be confronted by something so terrifying beyond human comprehension? The settings are so real, so familiar. I mean, everyone has been to some type of National Park, some recreational place out and away from civilization where we "get away" to forget the rest of the world. A place we see as safe and wholesome. What if were confronted by an unknown evil, forced to fight for our own survival while at its mercy? The film actually makes you think, makes you ponder on the human existence and does it quite well.  There is an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia – and at times literally - and it’s presented on screen in horrific realism – and it actually manages to deliver the heebs on a grand scale. And speaking of the heebs, watch this movie and then look at the picture above - it will give you a good dose of 'em. (If you get the DVD, make sure you get the unrated version, as it contains the original ending that was altered for the American theatrical release.)

 

The Strangers (2008): From the moment I saw this trailer, I knew that it was going to rock my world. I made sure to see this in a theater back in ’08. A simple story that relies on atmosphere, mood and timing to make it one of the most frightening movies I’ve ever seen and one of the top-notch best this millennium has offered thus far. I've spoken with some horror fans about this one and there seems to be a divide down the middle with some of us on one side, saying it's a complete foray into urban terror while the others have the opinion that this film was built on endless unncecessary "jump scares" and empty shocks. A couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) whose engagement night suddenly takes a downhill plunge - which is actually portrayed quite well -  makes a turn for the worst as their home is invaded by a trio of masked people out to terrorize someone at random. There are scares aplenty, and some of the creepiest scenes you’ll ever see. Sure, I’ll admit that a lot of the movie is just clichés and re-used elements that we’ve seen over and over again but they’re put together to make a completely – in my opinion – original and very terrorizing story.  And by the way, after watching this you will never be able to hear Gillian Welch’s “My First Lover” ever again, period.

Does this movie scare me? Absolutely. Growing up in rural Texas and living out in the country, this could easily have happened to my family, or anyone living around us, which only heightens the feeling of terror for me when I’m actually brave enough to sit in front of it. For me, yes, it's that frightening.  A second installment about the masked assailants following a family who moves on account of the failing economy has been in talks since the release of the first film. Hopefully it will come to fruition as there are rumors that Liv Tyler would possibly be returning. The unrated version of the film accompanies the theatrical version on the DVD, but I do feel I have to warn you – there is a notice at the start of the DVD before the initial menu comes up that claims there is a possibility of damage to your player if you choose to watch the unrated version.  I did, and suffered the consequences. Yes, my DVD player did not work again after this DVD came out of it – which spooked the shit out of me - and had to resort to buying another one. Coincidence? You be the judge.

The Cabin in the Woods (2012): Ok, I know that I may be risking a lot here by including this one, but I can’t help it as I think it came completely out of left field and knocked my socks off. Having waited since 2010, as had a million other horror fans, I gave up on the notion of ever getting to see this one because it seemed like it was destined to be just another horror urban legend. But then the wonderful news that it was going to be released after all was brought to light and once again I was excited. Was Joss Whedon going to make our wait worthwhile and give us the ‘perfect’ horror film? Was this movie going to rock our worlds like it had been promised for years and years and leave us begging for more? Was this going to be more ‘monster movie’ than slasher as I’d been reading? When it was finally released this past year, I began to see on Facebook from friends of mine that had gotten the chance to see it before I did and was disillusioned by how many people were actually giving it the thumbs down and countless ‘not worth seeing’ reviews. With this, I told myself that I wasn’t going to risk being disappointed and decided to do some research and actually read every spoiler that was available to me about this. I found a website that gave away the entire plot of the film and said ‘oh, what the hell’ and read it because I’d already decided that I wasn’t going to see it based on word of mouth (I should really know better, right?). What I read was absolutely fascinating and I immediately thought to myself how the bloody hell are they going to pull [the plot and ending] off?

So I made my way downtown and bought myself a ticket to make my own opinion. And was I surprised to end up being wonderfully surprised [Yes, I'm aware that previous statement is gramatically reduntant]. And I could understand why: all of these friends that had been dissing the film weren’t horror fans in the least come to realize that the movie had been made for die-hard fans like myself, complete with obscure nods to 80’s films [pay attention during the "basement scene"], references to “the rules” and wonderful tongue-in-cheek jokes that balanced out the horror scenes to make a film that comes completely out of left field in both originality and execution.   I don’t want to go too deep into the schematics of why I ended up loving it the way I did or analyze it completely but I’ll tell you that I may just review it here soon and give you exactly what I think of it. This has been described as a “love hate letter” to the entire modern horror genre that takes every conventional cliché and “rule” and totally turns it topsy-turvy and I couldn’t have said it any better. You go into it at the beginning expecting one thing and it screws with your brain until it becomes nothing like what you thought it would be - smart, savvy, and memorable.  

Inside (2007): I was introduced to this film by a friend whom I trade DVDs with who said to me, you have GOT to see this one! Normally I’m weary of trusting anyone else’s recommendations but his enthusiasm for this one drove me to sit at the computer and look it up. I began to research it and honestly, the cover of the U.S. Dimension Extreme release didn’t do anything for me as it appeared very ‘torture porn-y’. But before I completely dismissed it, I continued to read about its premise and the more I did, the more curious I became. So I made a few phone calls and within a few days, I had a copy of this in my hand. Known overseas as A l'interieur, this is the second French horror film on this list, and for very good reason. A pregnant photographer named Sarah (Alysson Paradis) is involved in a horrible automobile accident that tragically kills her fiancé leaving her alone just as the Holidays are approaching. Come Christmas, she is visited by a strange woman (an absolutely sexy woman named Beatrice Dalle) who knocks on her door and asks to use the telephone. What ensues is not only the most frightening and shocking home invasions ever captured on film, but one of the goriest and brutal films I’ve ever seen, hands down.

 My jaw hit the floor at the start of the second act and let me say that attempting to pick it up was a task as at every turn I was treated to one horrifying scene after another presented with such realism that it has to be beheld to be believed. I don’t think I’ve ever screamed out loud in pure terror as I have with this film and when I started putting together the pieces, the shocking twist – and absolutely disturbing ending - proved that I could still be blown away by a piece of cinema. This is one of those movies that I enjoyed so much that I don’t want to give away anything because you have to see it for yourself, especially for the final cryptic scene. I have to warn you though that this one is absolutely not for the faint of heart. Even for me, the gore hound, this was very difficult to sit through in its entirety. If you can make it to the end in one sitting, you're stronger than I am. Bring it on, France!  (*Thanks* Jay R., for recommending this one - and providing me with a copy!)

 

In My Sleep (2010): Well, I’m not sure I should actually place this in the “horror” category but it was close enough. I’m not going to beat around the bush or tell a fib, but the one and only reason I even took any interest in this one was because of the one-sheet art: an almost fully-naked man in a white bed holding a knife. That pretty much sold me. Why lie? So you can imagine how excited I was to not only see that Mr. Philip Winchester was in this film, but he spends a good ¼ of the film in just in freakin’ underwear! Now, I hate to be biased but if you know who this mega-hottie is, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. But, I have to be fair and say that after the first couple of minutes- which includes a nice opening scene of Mr. Winchester almost naked in a cemetery, the film had me in its grasp. Simple story: Marcus (played by Winchester) who has a strange sleep disorder called parasomnia which causes him to do things while he sleeps that he can’t remember later. Oh, and to top it off, he’s a nymphomaniac and a sex addict. Yep, a sex addict, and a sex addict who actually attends meetings. Are you fanning yourself yet? (LOL) Things take a turn for the worst, though, when he wakes up one morning to find himself covered in blood and hearing the police knocking at his door. It doesn’t help to find out that his best friend’s wife has been murdered. What transpires is a very interesting and surprisingly satisfying whodunit that relies on good storytelling and character development. Lacey Chabert is in this one as Marcus’ neighbor and though she plays the same character in practically everything she’s in – including this – she emits a likeable quality this time around. And did I mention Winchester walks around in his underwear [and by ‘underwear’ I mean snug boxer briefs] for a good ¼ of the film?!  

 

oh Joy!
 

There are a few others that I’d like to mention but for the sake of keeping this article readable, I’ll be writing a second entry for this and share with you all what I think are some of the best stuff that's been made in the 21^st century. Feel free to share your opinions or what you think are the best ones so far and leave comments as I’d love to hear what you guys have to say. If you guys have any suggestions or can lead me to any hidden gems - again, anything but torture porn - I'd welcome them. Again, thank you all for the 10, 000 hits – you guys are fantastic!

The House on the Edge of the Park (1980)

One of the things I love the most about films from the other side of the world, particularly Italy, is that most of them come with reputations that have followed them throughout the years. If you’re a die-hard horror fan, you’re totally aware of a little list coming from the United Kingdom called the “British Board of Classification Department of Public Prosecution’s List of Video Nasties” (or “The DPP list” for short), a list of 74 films that were banned overseas for their graphic content and subject matter. If you’re a horror fan, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Some of them are upheld with gusto and others fall flat on their face, depending on your own individual tastes. If you know the list well, you’ll wonder why some of them were even banned since they’re pretty tame, making it obvious that the persons prosecuting said films never took the time to watch them in the first place. 

This particular list has been somewhat of a challenge for horror fans that spend their time – and sometimes, their hard earned money –  to collect every single film on the original list. Some of them are hard to find since they haven’t received proper DVD treatments and collectors sometimes have no choice but to hunt down hard-to-find out-of-print VHS releases. I, myself, have 37 of the 74 films on the list, but only because some of them on the list are either of no interest to me or are so hard to come by that they aren’t worth hunting down.

Growing up in rural Texas in the 80’s, I don’t recall ever seeing this title sitting on the shelf of any grocery store or mom and pop video house. I didn’t even hear about this film until the early turn of the decade just as I’d been starting my collection of Euro-shock films – I didn’t get into collecting them hardcore until about 2004 but I had to start somewhere, did I? I read an article online about it and was immediately fascinated by the film’s concept and knew that I needed to hunt it down. I looked at a few sites over the internet but couldn’t find it – since, at the time it hadn’t been released properly on the DVD in the States – and I found one NTSC VHS version on eBay but it was going for ridiculous money so I passed. About a year and a half later, I was living in Missouri and whilst shopping at a best buy in Independence I picked up a DVD compilation with the title, “Great Horror Classics vol. 8” released by a little company known as Echo Bridge Entertainment. It was being sold at a very low price and the reason I’d picked it up was because it had Don’t Look In The Basement!. As I was at the cash register, I took a look at the list of films on the DVD and I practically shit my pants to read that House on the Edge of the Park was included. So that night, whilst on the graveyard shift at the local Courtyard by Marriott, I finished my work as soon as I could, popped this into my laptop and sat back. And did I mention that the DVD case labeled the film as being uncut and unrated?

The first thing I was treated to after the prologue was a fantastic montage of New York City, Twin Towers and all, with one of – if not the – smoothest and most memorable disco tracks ever to be dubbed onto a horror film. As I said in my reviews of Cannibal Ferox and New York Ripper there is something just fantastic about Italian exploitation films and their soundtracks that just run a shiver of awesomeness down my spine. This one which I lovingly refer to as “Do It To Me Once More” – since I don’t know it’s original title – is so great that once you hear it for the first time, you’ll want to listen to it again and again. But before this review goes into controversial length, let’s get to the film itself.

Die-hard exploitation fans already know this one well. The film opens up with the great David Hess playing a thug named Alex who follows a girl home from a disco and rapes her in the back of her car and leaves her dead. From the start you’ll wonder if you’re actually watching The Last House on the Left – part 2 as the character of Alex is pretty much a doppelganger of Hess’ character Krug from the original LHOTL (Just as his character in Hitch-Hike is, in actuality, both of those characters). Once he leaves the girl for dead, he and his cohort Ricky (Giovanni Lombardo Radice (John Morghen) in his first role) are out to find a place “to boogie” and while in an auto repair shop come across and meet Tom (Christian Borromeo of Tenebre and The Pleasure Shop on 7^th Avenue) and Lisa (Annie Bell), a young couple who are having car trouble and come hoping that their shop is open and offer them money to give it a fix. When Alex and Ricky can’t get to the disco because of the inconvenience, they’re immediately invited back to the couple’s posh home to join a party that’s already underway. When they get there they meet Gloria (Lorraine Di Salle – Cannibal Ferox), her boyfriend Howard (Gabriele Di Guilio), and Glenda (Marie Claude Joseph).  After an icebreaker of some disco-dancing consisting of a horrible semi-strip tease for the ladies by Ricky and a poker game gone horribly awry, Alex pulls out a straight razor on the group and the fun begins.  Now, before I go on, I have to touch on the subject of Ricky’s dance. Seriously, this is one of the funniest and most preposterous full-body dry-heaves in horror history. It’s that hilarious that you’ll want to rewind it and watch it a few times. Though the top honor still belongs to Crispin Glover’s character in Friday the 13^th – The Final Chapter, but this one comes in very close second. If his intention was to induce any sort of arousal, it’s an epic fail of mammoth proportions, even on this end of the viewing spectrum. And that’s pretty bad, because Ricky is pretty darn cute.

But, as Alex watches from the sidelines, he looks like he doesn’t like one bit of Ricky getting all the attention. Hello, is that jealousy calling? So what does he do? He takes Lisa over to the kitchen to work his magic on her. When she rejects him, Alex grows tired of the situation not going in the way he wants it to so he turns the tables and makes the group pay. Acting as Ricky’s coach – since it’s apparent that he’s a few floats short of a parade and pretty naïve in the sex department – he coaxes his partner to cohort in sexually violent atrocities and acts of humiliation that terrorize the group.  

The rest of the film becomes scene after scene of humiliation and sexual titillation.  It does push envelopes but only manages to push them to just the end of the table. Why this was so outlawed and banned is still a question I’d love answered. Though the BBC had issues with glorified sexual violence, this one, in some respects, was more bark than bite. There were boobs-a-plenty and even male nudity to an extent, but it really doesn’t deliver in the exact manner that you think it’s going to. When you really sit down and analyze the film, it’s never explained why Alex goes on his rampage. It would have been great to see what his motivation would have been. And though you have to take it at face value – in other words, Alex did it because he could – there has to me something more in his backstory that would explain what would drive him to do the things he did to the group.

And it all reaches the boiling point once the character of Cindy is introduced. By no fault of her own, she is thrown into the vortex of Alex’s disturbed mind and sadly, she gets the brunt of it. This scene on its own is probably the most difficult to watch, as Alex disrobes her, humiliates her, and slices her naked body with the straight razor over and over again as the others watch in horror. For being the 70’s I could only imagine audience’s reactions to this. But, here is where the film takes its pivotal turn. Ricky sees what is happening and attempts to be the voice of reason to Alex’s disturbed mind. He tells Alex that one day he is going to go too far, that he is going to someday be unable to stop and tries to convince his friend that there is still time to turn around. But Ricky himself goes too far, by reminding Alex about “the girl from last year” – obviously referring to the start of the film and the altercation between Alex and the girl he followed from the discotech. This becomes the final straw for Alex and it is at this moment when everything goes awry. In a fit of rage, every ounce of Alex’s anger culminates into one strong swing of the razorblade and without even thinking (possibly) he slashes Ricky right across the chest, knocking him to the floor.   Ricky, in total shock and disbelief, lies there with blood on his hands and on his body and Alex slowly begins to break, and here is where everything unravels. Alex, instead of taking responsibility for his own actions, tries to pawn them off on Ricky as being the cause of what just happened. Why did you make me do this, Ricky?  And speaking of this scene, it’s here where Alex begins to show an emotional side not previously seen – In the scene where Ricky attempts to rape Gloria and Ricky barks back at Alex, Ricky apologizes for having yelled at him, and Alex accepts his apology and kisses him on the cheek, not once, not twice, but three times. He goes on by telling Ricky – as Ricky is lying on the floor covered in blood – that It’s always been just you and me, kid and You can’t leave me now, Ricky. It makes you wonder just what kind of a relationship they really had. Especially since it was hinted at in the beginning of the film, when Alex becomes jealous when Ricky dances for the group and gets all the attention.

But here is where the film finally reveals its twist. As Ricky lies there in his own blood, Tom secretly goes over to a drawer and pulls out a gun and pulls it on Alex, telling him that the entire night had been a setup and that the girl that Alex raped in the beginning of film was, in fact, Tom’s sister. Do you smell pre-meditated revenge? I think so! If you paid attention at the beginning, Alex takes a pendant that the girl was wearing and places it on himself. So it’s here that Tom takes up all of his nerve and shoots Alex in the leg, then the shoulder. But the best part of all, the coup de grace, is when he takes the final shot and shoots Alex in the groin! What transpires here is one of the most frightening, most disturbing screams in the history of horror cinema and you have to experience it for yourself to believe it. It will stay inside your head for hours after you’ve heard it and it’s one of the effective scenes in the entire film.  Alex, gasping his final breaths, manages to climb out of the pool and it is here where Tom rips his sister's pendant from the killer and reclaims it, tossing him back into the water. Once Alex is face down in the pool, Tom hands the gun to Lisa, who takes a shot at him. She, in turn, hands the gun to  Howard, who takes his chance in taking his own revenge for Alex having tied him up for most of the film. Once Alex is finally dead, Howard, offers the gun to Gloria, who refuses.

Once the denouement begins, we still see Ricky bleeding inside and Howard goes to finish him off, Ricky pleads for him to shoot him, to which Gloria convinces him not to do it. The film ends here but you are left to wonder about the deeper aspects of the film: Did everyone that attended the party know what was going to happen and know that Tom and Lisa had the entire night planned? Were the other members that were present family members/friends that had hoped to get revenge on the death of Tom’s sister at one point or another? If so, were they really willing to risk their own safety and lives for the sake of retribution? As interesting as those musing are, for me, the biggest question of all is: How did {Tom and Lisa] know who Alex was in the first place? Did they see the murder occur? Were they all at the same disco that night and just happened to remember his face? How was it that they knew exactly where to find them and how is it that they were so confident that the duo would actually accept their invitation? I know that your suspension of disbelief has to be in its highest mode if you’re going to pose these questions, but all in all the film works, even if it does on the smallest level. For the reputation the film has carried throughout the decades, it isn’t as bad as it’s made out to be. But don’t let that stop you from watching it at least once. It’s a great piece of cinema made in a style that isn’t made this way anymore. The Shriek Show disc was beautifully re-mastered – in Anamorphic Widescreen - in both picture and sound and it looks fantastic. The major difference between the version on the EB disc and this disc is that the EB disc has the original Italian title cards in place and the latter replaces them with ones in English. There is an interview with Hess himself that’s a little on the bizarre side – watch it and you’ll see what I mean – that is worth watching. And for those of you who are wondering, both prints are uncut.

This is one that is essential viewing if you’re a fan at all of Italian exploitation cinema. I’m not sure how available the SS disc is, as I haven’t seen it on store shelves for a least a year. I do know it’s on Netflix so if you get  a moment, seek this one out. It’s worth looking at and will remind you of the days when exploitation cinema was at its absolute best. Oh, and if you don’t know already, there will be a House on the Edge of the Park – Part 2 coming out either later this year or next year. 

Yes, you read that correctly. David Hess was originally attached to the project but sadly passed away a few years ago. From what I’ve read, HOTEOTP part 2 will take place thirty years after the original, with Ricky – Yes, Radice will be reprising his role -  having served his time in prison for the events that happened in the original and the film taking place just as he is being released. Ricky will once again get mixed up with the wrong people and repeat the cycle all over again. Surprisingly, Rugerro Deodato will sit in the director's chair for this sequel, which honestly, I'm excited about. If you’ve seen the original and love it as much as I do, you just have to be curious on how this is going to be pulled off. We’re not holding out breaths, though, since films like these always end up being duds. But for this one, I think I’ll keep my fingers crossed. 

A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

I’ll be damned if anyone's going to challenge me on what I’m about to say, but us kids that grew up in the 80’s were the luckiest on the planet. It was a great time to be alive and no time period since has even come close to paralleling it, regardless of what anyone will say. We had the best television shows, the best music, the best video games, the best fashion (Wait, scratch that…lol), and most of all, the best fright flicks. There was an endearing cheesiness in them that, while at some point they were expecting to be taken seriously, always ended up in some campy terrain, miles and miles away from where the original intention of the film ever planned on going. This one was no exception, especially since it was supposed to ride on the coattails of its brilliant predecessor. 
  

I know that right now you might be thinking, Why is this guy reviewing a sequel when he hasn’t even touched on the original?, since I wrote the original Friday the 13^th’s entry on here before even saying a word about Part 2, but I was watching this a few nights ago, again (lol), and it’s been on my mind since. I have many fond early memories of this film, but more because of its advertising campaign since I didn’t actually get to see the movie itself until the early 90’s, once it was on home video. I won’t go into the details of my encounter with the original NOES because then I’ll stray from talking about this installment, as I watched both of these films for the first time within months of one another, but the first time I ever came into any sort of contact with this entry was during, if I remember correctly, the autumn of 1985, just as I had entered the seventh grade.

My first encounter with this was its 30-second television spot. There was already buzz on the junior-high playground regarding the first film as it was being dubbed “the scariest movie you will ever see” and the name of “Freddy Krueger” was already becoming a classroom-name and of course, I hadn’t had the chance to see it. One, because I was big fraidy cat at the time – though there was a strong stirring curiosity inside of me – and two, I had strict parents who would have never let me sit through something like this of their own accord. So by this time, the sequel had come around. What always stayed with me was the image of Jesse saying “There’s something inside of me!” and that was enough to creep me out back then and I couldn’t watch the TV spot after that as Jesse’s voice managed to always crawl up my spine and give me the chills. Little did I know that his now-famous scene – and subsequent line of dialogue - was a euphemism for something I would soon identify with well. Along with the image of Freddy jumping out from the bushes to terrorize the kids, the spot would be something I’d never forget.

One day the following summer while cruising the video rental section at the old Highway 83 location of the H-E-B grocery store in Weslaco , Texas , as the parentals were doing their shopping, I took a gander of the poster art of this for the first time. In the mid-80’s the H-E-B video department had a little newsletter of sorts where you could read about all the new releases – both at their stores and in the theaters – with little gimmicky offers and coupons inside the 8 ½ X 11 inch-sized advert. But, what I remember most is that when you opened the entire newsletter (as it was comprised of four full-sized pages put together), it folded out into an almost full replica of the poster art of whatever movie was being featured at the time. Though I did manage to collect a few of them, the ones that I will always remember are Ghostbusters – which was my favorite one of all – and A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge.

We all know the plot so I won’t go into it very much because I’m confident that at least a whopping 95% of you reading this have already seen it multiple times – I’ll actually be surprised if someone hasn’t seen this. A new family moves into the old Elm Street house where a young boy named Jesse is having visions of Freddy Kruger in his dreams. When his girl-friend Lisa (note the hyphenation) comes over and finds a diary belonging to Nancy Walsh from the first film talking about the same man he is seeing while he sleeps. What transpires is Freddy attempting to possess the body of young Jesse and having him commit crimes in the real world instead of people’s nightmares, as was laid out in the original NOES. As Freddy tries harder and harder to manipulate Jesse to commit violent acts in real-time on his behalf, the more Jesse tries to figure out exactly what’s going on inside of him and fight back. With the help of his friend Lisa, he manages to fight off Freddy once and for all. Or does he? That’s pretty much the basic premise of the film.

Now, I don’t want to sound like a total geek, but as you’re watching this you can’t help but Jesse as the first male scream queen. Boy, does that kid have a set of lungs. And he does it with such sincerity and energy that at some point, you have to admit that he can out-scream Jamie Lee Curtis on any given day. There hasn’t been a guy in horror history who has since matched the belts let out by this kid and I’m more than sure no one ever will. With his boyish good looks, blonde hair and blue eyes, there’s a sweet, innocent charm to him that you can’t resist and before you know it, you’ve fallen in love with him and are rooting for him for the duration of the film. Played with absolute flair by Mark Patton, you soon come to realize that Patton is Jesse, a sort of extension of himself in more ways than could have been known at the time. There’s a realness to him that comes off as if he were the kid next door you only came into contact with but never took the time to get to know, the friend you’d see in school from afar but never talk to.

I could go into more detail about other elements of this film because there’s a lot I could talk about, like how New Line put this into motion without Wes Craven’s participation because [Craven] didn’t like the idea that Freddy was manipulating someone to hurt people in the real world and that the original intent of the first film was to have a happy ending, but I know there’s one question you’re probably asking yourself right now: When is he going to talk about what he’s not talking about? And if you’re a regular follower and reader of this blog, you know exactly what that is.

Yeah, yeah, blabbity-blah, the gay subtext. There’s been much debate over the years among fans of the series regarding if everything we’ve seen and read about was all done with intentions in mind. All I’m going to say about that is watch the documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy and your questions will be answered. When I first viewed the film as a sophomore in high school just before Christmas Break let out – now that I think about it, why were we allowed to watch a horror movie in the first place? – and though I was a little scared…okay, I was scared plenty (there, I said it) – I didn’t get it until I watched it for the first time on video by myself almost five years later in the summer of 1993. Maybe because I was younger at the time and watching it with a bunch of teenagers who weren’t really paying attention to the movie anyway? Possibly because I was watching it all alone in the dark within a different atmosphere and a much different frame of mind? Let’s face it, just the beginning of the film in the scene where we’re introduced to Jesse for the first time where he wakes up, sits on the edge of the bed and adjusts his junk? That should have been my clue. As the film progresses, there are more and more clues as to where this films wants to subliminally lead you. Everything from the perfect casting of the obvious over-the-top hotness that is Ron Grady (slickly played by Robert Rusler) and the whole on-screen hunk-to-geek ratio that is practically irresistible, the scene where Jesse cleans his room and dances to the tune of the wonderful “Touch Me (All Night Long)” by Fonda Rae and Wish, to the (random!) scene in the S&M bar where Jesse runs into his coach and scene in the shower that follows. The latter immediately pose the questions, How did Jesse even know there was an S&M bar in his town?, How did he know where it was?, And how would he ever have known that his coach would be there?

If you really look at it from an “alternative” standpoint, Grady and the coach are key elements in the film when it comes to Jesse. Grady is the one boy - and friend - Jesse looks up to and though never stated blatantly in the film, you know Jesse had an unmistakable crush on Grady. And you have to admit that Grady not only knew, but was okay with it as he proved to be Jesse's protector and confidant. Jesse went to Grady for everything, including the times he was punished at school while on the field, and including the time when making out with Lisa at the pool party went wrong and Jesse flees to seek refuge at Grady's house. And to have Jesse arrive after bedtime and get to catch a glimpse of his friend under the covers, shirtless, and get the opportunity to share a bedroom with the object of his silent affection? Yeah, I thought so. And if you ask me, I think the coach had a stiffy for poor Jesse, which would explain why he always gave the poor boy hell. And I think Grady knew that, as well - why else would he defend him? And Freddy wasn't any help, either. And "Freddy" had to have been a metaphor for Jesse's repressed homosexuality. Freddy did his share of scaring Jesse, degrading him, telling him "You can't beat me" over and over again, adding to his pain. The whole "There's something inside of me!" statement not only makes perfect sense now, but it actually resonates and gives the entire film an entirely new meaning. Lisa urges him to fight it, which could be viewed as a message with a meaning much more profound than just a line of dialogue in the film, since Jesse - from what I perceive - was fighting feelings that were not only confusing to deal with but also having to life with the fear of said feelings being taboo and unacceptable at that time - which, if you grew up heterosexually-challenged in the 80's, you know exactly what kind of pain I'm talking about. The producers of the film claim that the subtext was not intentional at all but the writer claims otherwise - as stated in the documentary. But once you've seen it with all of those little hidden messages brought out to light, subsequent viewings have you trying to pinpoint them all - and they're all there. It's great discussion material and I was happy when it was a subject of conversation on the Elm Street documentary that's on DVD. If you're even a remote fan of the series, it's essential viewing. The documentary is over 4 hours long and covers everything regarding the entire series in its entirety, film by film. And though Grady doesn't make an appearance (sadly - as I'd love to see what he looks like now and hear his opinions on this), Jesse does and it's a wonderful highlight. 

If this isn't in your collection already, it sure as hell should be. I do admit that the film does have its flaws, but there's many reasons to overlook them. It's worth seeing time and time again and not only does it remind us of how great the eighties really were, but it's a reminder of how silent certain areas of society were and their silent plight to be seen, heard and ultimately, recognized. We're so used to certain groups of people being abundant and accepted in modern society, but it wasn't always that way and this film establishes that. This film opened up so many doors within the minds of us closeted boys. We got to see that we weren't the only ones struggling to fight feelings we knew hadn't been accepted yet and those pains of having to find ways to deal with them. I do consider this an important film in may respects just because the subject matter was dealt with in a manner that hadn't been done before. And if you've had the joy of watching this - as I know you have - you have to just love the final scene, where Jesse and his pals having survived the onslaught, get back onto the bus thinking that everything is over and that life is going returning to normal. Then, BAM!, from out of nowhere, Freddy's glove pierces through his friend and the camera freeze frames on Jesse's magnificent scream of doom. There will never be a scream in horror history as prolific as Jesse's final note of sheer horror. It's monumental, it's epic, it's one of the best the eighties had to offer.