Regression Is Believing?

 

 (imdb)

REGRESSION-2015-In this cacophony of devil worship, incest, psycho-logical bather, cannibalism, religious fervor and characters with shitty attitudes, a police detective (an over wrought Ethan Hawke) and a psychoanalyst (David Thewlis) hunt for a satanic cult. A traumatized young woman (Emma Watson), a victim of the cult, may have an answer. 

Somewhere in this sick little horror thriller is a good story with a point but it's lost in the pretentious script, Hawk's weird acting and dull, guessable ending. Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar (THE OTHERS (2001)) seemed to be in over his head.

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You Are The Devil And You Are Bad!

 

 (themoviedatabase)

PRIME EVIL-1988-A 15th century monk renounces God for Satan and kills the monks who disagree with him. In the present, a group of devil worshipers, led by Tom (William Beckwith), sacrifice the daughter of one of their members. Then a bishop and a nun have a discussion about how the nun was almost a human sacrifice when she was a girl. They agree she (Mavis Harris) should go under-cover and join the evil cult. 

Meanwhile, Cathy (Ruth Collins), an ex-junkie/hooker has sex with her new boyfriend, Sam. A psycho maintenance man breaks in, kills Sam (despite him knowing martial arts) and kidnaps the woman for the cult. Then Cathy's social worker, Alex (Christine Moore) tells her boyfriend the reason she won't have sex with him is that her father used her in porno films when she was a child. A stupid cop (Glen James) investigates Sam's murder. Unfortunately, Alex's grandfather plans on giving her to the cult for a sacrifice. During a black mass orgy, a toy monster shows up and the nun kills it. Everyone turns old but Tom gets away. The acting is bad. 

Roberta Findlay was a so-so director but she was also the Director of Photography and she excelled at that so despite all its flaws, it doesn't look bad. One of the writers, Ed Kelleher also wrote INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS (1972) and SHRIEK OF THE MUTILATED (1974).

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Superstition, Perhaps. Baloney, Perhaps Not

(alarmy)

 

THE BLACK CAT-1934-Peter Allison (David Manners) and his wife Joan (Jacqueline Wells aka Julie Bishop) on their way to Vichgrad, must share their honeymoon rail car with Dr. Vitus Werdeghast (Bela Lugosi) who's on a mission of vengeance after having spent 15 years in a POW camp. When the talkative driver (Herman Bing) smashes up their cab, the newlyweds are forced to seek shelter in the art deco home of the sinister Hjalmar Poelzig (Boris Karloff), the very man Werdeghast (who has a fear of cats) has come to see. Joan is injured in the crash. Poelzig is a traitor who has built his domain on a killing field. Besides that, he stole Werdeghast's' wife and daughter. Un-fortunately, both are now dead. Poelzig even has her preserved dead body. 

But Karin, the daughter is now actually Poelzig's lover/wife/prisoner. Still, he seems to lust for Joan. When the couple wants to leave, they are prevented by Werdeghast's servant (Harry Cording). Later, Joan meets Karin and Poelzig punishes her. Poelzig is a devil worshiper who plans to have a black mass with Joan as the special guest sacrifice. Werdeghast rescues Joan and tells him his daughter is still alive. With the help of his servant Werdeghast overcomes Poelzig and skins him alive. But when he tries to help Joan, dummy Peter mortally shoots him. Husband and wife escape as Werdeghast blows up the castle. 

This sometimes-disturbing pre-code, Universal horror film shows director Edgar Ulmer at his finest. He seems to be pushing the envelope with some of the situations that are only implied. This is also one of Karloff's best villainous roles with Lugosi giving a good performance, but his demise is kind of a letdown (couldn't he or Karloff had lived at the end of at least one of their movies?!). 

John Carradine has a small role as a satanic organist. Some of the other uncredited cult members include King Baggott, Symona Boniface (from 3 Stooges shorts), Michael Mark and Andy Devine.

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I Run To Death…

 

 

 (imdb)

THE SEVENTH VICTIM-1943-Mary Gibson (Kim Hunter in her film debut) leaves a girls school to look for her elusive sister Jacqueline (Jean Brooks; THE LEOPARD MAN) in NYC. In a Greenwich Village restaurant, the owners tell her Jacqueline rented a room but never used it. She convinces them to unlock the room. Inside she finds a noose and chair. She goes to the police and then a lawyer, Gregory Ward (Hugh Beaumont) who just happens to be in love with Jacqueline. August (Lou Lubin), a shady PI says he knows where Jacqueline is but when they investigate, he's killed. 

Later Mary sees 2 guys toting August's corpse on the subway. Ward has secret dealings with Dr. Judd (Tom Conway), under whose care Jacqueline seems to be. Things get very mysterious after this. Judd acts strange, Jacqueline shows up then disappears and it turns out Ward is her husband. Then local Poet Hoag (Erford Gage) says he'll find Jacqueline. Mrs. Redi (Mary Newton), the new owner of Jacqueline's cosmetic shop, tells Mary her sister is the one who killed August and warns her to leave town. Later sis reappears to explain things. This leads to a cult of devil worshipers, betrayal, forced suicide and an enigmatic ending. Isabel Jewel and Dewey Robertson are also in it. 

This dark and mysterious Val Lewton production was the directorial debut of Mark Robson (BEDLAM, ISLE OF THE DEAD) who'd make THE GHOST SHIP for Lewton the same year. Tom Conway (the real-life brother of George Saunders) played the character of “Dr. Judd” a year earlier in CAT PEOPLE. Some have theorized he's reprising the same role here although Judd was killed in CAT PEOPLE. Actor Erford Gage was unfortunately killed in WW 2 in 1945. In the middle 1950's Hugh Beaumont played the father (his first name was Ward) on TV's long running “Leave It To Beaver”.

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The Devil You Know...

 

SANANTIS: THE DEVIL'S MASS-1970-This is a documentary about Anton LeVay and his "Church of Satan". He's a slick snake oil salesman like any other phony religious leader. He talks a lot of mumbo jumbo when his whole point seems to be total sexual freedom. Satan's just a bystander. In interviews his "followers" seem high. Other people voice their opposition. The Satanic rituals shown (including nudity, boa constrictor and a whipping) seem staged for the camera. Although interviews with neighbors and priests try to make it seem like they are stupid, it's plain everyone can see through him. It ends with his wife saying "I understand he was tremendously busy during Halloween". It's the only movie director Ray Laurent who once worked with Ray Dennis Steckler, made.

                                           Some of LeVay's books...

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Is It Really The Last One?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE LAST EXORCISM-2010-A phony preacher (Patrick Fabian) goes to a rural Louisana farmhouse to perform one last exorcism on a young girl. He brings along a camera crew so once again we have a horror tale from the “found footage” genre which is fast being beaten to death by filmmakers. After the preacher does the ritual, things go from bad to worse with the girl (Ashley Bell) going crazy and terrorizing the crew while her redneck father insists another exorcism should be performed. She even slashes her dim wit brother across the face. The group has plenty of chances to escape but always finds some distraction to stay. When the girl is found to be pregnant incest is suspected.

 

Like most of this kind of story the herky-jerky camera work begins to wear on the viewer and the confused hectic plot goes on too long but I liked the unexpected ending. After this director Daniel Stamm worked on TV series called THE INTRUDERS. An unnecessary sequel followed.

 

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Silent Demons

HAXAN: WITCHCRAFT THROUGH THE AGES-1922-Another incredible silent movie!

Although it purports to be a documentary and there is a narrator who uses various pictures and charts to tell the story this in reality is a great horror film!!

Told in several episodes it traces the history of witchcraft, witch burning and how confessions were coerced from the witnesses and victims. Mind blowing scenes of hell include scary demons, a baby sacrifice and worshipers literally kissing the devil's ass. It's depictions explaining the various ways of torture are graphic for the time. Pretty shocking stuff for 1922! No wonder it was banned in the US and heavily censored in other countries.

This Danish production was the brainchild of Benjamin Christensen (who portrays the devil) a contemporary of fellow countryman the great Carl Theodor Dreyer (who made his own witchcraft trial movie in 1943). Two slightly different versions appeared later. One in 1968 had added narration by William S. Burroughs. Director Christensen later came to the US and made MOCKERY, a film about the Russian revolution, often considered one of Lon Chaney's weakest MGM films. After several other misfires he returned to his native Denmark.

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Whatever Happened to Emby Mellay?

Halloween seems to have passed me by!

TOUCH OF SATAN-1971-In a pre-credit sequence a deformed old lady (Jeanne Gerson) kills a rural police officer. Later a guy named Jodie (Michael Berry) is traveling to California when he turns into a road and stops to eat his lunch by a lake. There he meets Melissa (Emby Mellay in her only movie). She talks about her father's walnut farm and then invites Jodie for dinner. Her parents don't exactly seem enthused to see him and talk mysteriously about what Melissa can and can't do. When Jodie agrees to stay the night he meets grandma Lucinda, the same disfigured old lady from before who clutches a doll and mumbles a lot. When Jodie and Melissa go to town for groceries and get a cold reception from some fellow shoppers, Melissa says it's because she's a witch!

Flashbacks (featuring perennial hillbilly Robert Easton) reveal the truth. In the 1870's Melissa made a pact with the devil to save her sister (the deformed old hag Lucinda) from being burned at the stake. When Lucinda kills another cop things kind of get weird for Jodie who refuses to believe the story. He finds out the truth in the twist finale.

This is a pretty low budget outing but I kind of liked it. It's full of unanswered questions and strange dialogue (like Melissa suddenly saying "This is where the fish lives" while looking at the lake) and although it's mostly talk it doesn't really drag as the running time is fairly short.

Director Don Henderson also made THE BABYSITTER and WEEKEND WITH THE BABYSITTER. The old age make-up was provided by Joe Blasco who later did early Cronenberg and ILSA movies.

I'm not sure if it's available on DVD but Mystery Science Theater has used it, where a lot of people learned about it. I first saw it on late night TV in the early '80's.

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Philippine Horror

DAUGHTERS OF SATAN-1972-In this Philippines shot horror film, a guy (Tom Selleck) brings home a painting of three witches. His wife Chris (Barra Grant) resembles one of them and seems bent on suddenly killing him. She toys with a dagger when his back is turned and almost suffocates him with some burning gas. A doctor (Vic Silayan) tries to convince hubby that his wife is possessed. The picture comes to life and shows the witches actually being burned at the stake. Later Chris is hung topless above some spikes and whipped by the head of a coven.

There's too much talk and the acting by the two leads isn't very good. The ending is dumb too. It does features Vic Diaz, a comedian who played villains in many Philippine productions. Director Hollingsworth Morse made very few movies but did lots of TV episodes including F-TROOP, HR PUFNSTUF and MARCUS WELBY.

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The Devil's Bride Rides Out

THE DEVIL'S BRIDE-1968-Excellent black magic tale from Hammer features Christopher Lee as The Duc de Richleau, on the side of good for a change trying to save the soul of his deceased friend's son (Patrick Mower) from the evil Mocata (Charles Gray) and his circle of devil worshippers. Nike Arrighi is Tanith, another would be convert and after she dies Mocata wants to transfer her soul to a little girl. Even a winged angel of death makes an appearance. It's very well made by the great Terence Fisher but some might be disappointed by the very happy ending. Lee's serious tone keeps everything from falling apart but some of the characters act a little to hasty playing right into the villains' hands. Also with Leon Greene and Paul Eddington.

The screenplay is by Richard Matheson and based on an novel by Dennis Wheatley. 1968 was another busy year for Lee who also starred in DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE, CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR and THE BLOOD OF FU-MANCHU. Also known as THE DEVIL RIDES OUT.

"I shall not be back but something will..tonight..."

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More Like A Tough Watch

HARD RIDE TO HELL-2010-A group of friends are terrorized, tortured and killed by a bunch of blood drinking devil worshippers who ride motorcycles in the Texas desert. They are eventually rescued by a knife salesman named Bob (Brent Stait from the ANDROMEDA TV show)). Top billed Miguel Ferrer is their one eyed leader called Jefe'. Everyone screams a lot and it's too dark to make out what's going on sometimes (not always a bad thing). It also features Katharine Isabelle from the GINGER SNAPS series of films. Director Penelope Buitenhuis made mostly TV movies before this direct to video horror.

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Darkness

DARKNESS-2002-Interesting little horror film that never got the big screen attention it probably deserved (especially considering the state of horror films these days).

An American family moves to a house in Spajn that turns out to be haunted. The mother (Lena Olin) and the daughter (Anna Paquin) fight a lot. The father (Iain Glen) has a psychotic episodes and the young son (Stephan Enquist) draws weird pictures. It turns out the house was built by some devil worshippers decades before in a failed attempt to end the world with the murders of 7 children. Yep, you guessed! They’re going for round 2! Giancarlo Gianni is their grandfather.

This not a typical gory horror film and uses suspense and good acting to carry it. Not for everyone I guess. Director Jaume Balaguero made another horror film I'd like to see called {REC].

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