Whirlpool Movie Review

Trailer here.

Whirlpool is a 1970 thriller directed by Jose Ramon Larraz and starring Karl Lanchbury, Vivien Neves, Pia Andersson and Edwin Brown.

A man called Theo(Lanchbury) finds a boot in a lake. He is a photographer. He lives with his aunt Sarah(Andersson) who works in fashion. Sarah meets a woman called Tulia(Neves) and she invites her to stay with her. She tells her that Theo isn't really her nephew. Theo takes pictures of Tulia in the woods. She sees someone watching her and becomes scared. Tulia and Theo spend time together with Sarah. They play strip poker. Tulia and Theo end up spending the night together. Sarah isn't happy about it. Tulia dreams of her friend who was called Ronda. She dreams of Ronda and Theo together. Ronda has disappeared. Mr. Field(Brown)is investigating. Sarah tells Theo she wanted to have a threesome with Tulia, just like they did with Ronda.

 

Mr. Field goes to see Theo and he asks him some questions about Ronda. Theo had a relationship with her. Theo tells him that Ronda was going to Italy. Tulia looks around the house. She sees dolls nailed to the wall. The mysterious man is there too. Theo is buying drugs from a guy called Tom. Tom wants to have sex with Tulia and he almost rapes her. Theo doesn't stop him, he takes photographs. Tulia is very upset. The next day, Sarah and Tulia get naked and Tom photographs it. They have a threesome. Mr. Field is outside. He is watching. He makes a noise and Theo hears it. He goes outside and he finds Mr. Field and kills him. Tulia finds a key to Theo's darkroom. She discovers pictures of Theo and Ronda.

Theo arranged for the mysterious man to rape Ronda and he took photos of it. Tom stabbed her and killed her along with some other local man. Theo goes to kill Tulia now that she knows the truth. She runs off but he catches her and kisses her as he stabs her to death. This was a weird movie. I wasn't sure what to make of it and not much happened besides the sex scenes. There isn't a lot to it. It was okay. I will give it a 4/10.

Nightmares(1980) Movie Review

Trailer here.

Nightmares is a 1980 Australian horror film directed by John D.Lamond and starring Jenny Neumann, Gary Sweet and Max Phipps.

The year is 1963 and a young girl is in a car with her mother and a man. They kiss and she hates it so much that she causes the car to crash and it kills her mother. She goes crazy. Cut to the present day and the girl has grown up and is called Helen(Neumann). She is an actress and she is going to an audition. She meets a man called Terry(Sweet). A couple are having sex outside and someone is there. The couple are killed. Terry and Helen get close. Helen begins to act strangely. The killer is still on the loose. Who could it be? Helen is working on a play and the actors are starting to die, one by one.

Helen begins to have dreams about the murders. She tells Terry that she is scared. A critic tries to come on to Helen and she gets mad. He writes an awful review of the play. He is the next to meet his demise at the hands of the killer. Helen has more dreams about the murders. She goes to see Terry about it. The next day, she doesn't turn up at the theatre and Terry goes to search for her. Her apartment is wrecked. What is going on? Bodies start to mount up around the theatre. It is beginning to look as if someone who is part of the play is the killer. Helen is the killer and she goes to see Terry. She ends up stabbing him and makes it look as if he was the killer when it was her. The police believe her and she is free to go for another audtion....

This is a by the numbers slasher film with an obvious killer. It isn't too bad, though. You can just sit back and enjoy it. I do like Australian films so I was happy to see this. I think that it is worth a watch for fans of 80's slasher movies.I will give it a 5/10.

Schizoid Movie Review

Trailer here.

Schizoid is a 1980 horror movie directed by David Paulsen and starring Klaus Kinski, Marianna Hill, Craig Wasson and Christopher Lloyd.

A woman called Julie(Hill) writes an advice column in a Los Angeles newspaper. She is also getting a divorce. She attends group therapy. Someone is watching the women in her group. One of them is followed home and when she is out for a cycle, the person knocks her off her bike and chases her. He stabs her. Julie receives a threatening letter. Her soon to be ex husband is called Doug(Wasson). He also works for the newspaper. The group sessions are led by Dr.Fales(Kinski). He has an unsual relationship with his daughter, Alison(Donna Wilkes). Julie shows him the letter. He is having a sexual relationship with another woman in the group, Pat. Julie goes to the police with the letter and Lieutenant Donahue(Richard Herd) deals with it. The killer is following another person from the group. He follows her home and kills her.

The killer has his eyes on Julie. She gets another letter. She goes to the police again. She recognises one of the murder victims from her group. Julie has an idea. she wants to put a message in the newspaper to draw the killer out. The police set up a phone number so the killer can get in touch. Alison sees Julie with her father. She is not happy about it. She has a temper tantrum and she is angry with her father. Julie returns to the office and encounters Gilbert. He scares her. He spies on her in her apartment. He sees her in bed with the doctor.  The killer stalks another group member. He kills her in the hot tub. It turns out that Alison is the one who is sending Julie letters. Her father finds one of the words that she has been cutting out and using. He confronts her about it. She tries to kill herself. Julie stays with Doug while the phone line is being set up by the cops.

Alison spots Julie's advertisement in the paper. She calls her and she wants to meet her. She tells Julie that she is the one who wrote the letters. Julie asks her if she murdered anyone. Alison pulls a gun. The doctor calls Julie and she tells him that Alison is there. He rushes over there and Gilbert appears too. The doctor looks for Julie and he finds her and Alison being held hostage by Doug. He has Alison's gun. He shoots at the doctor. The police work out that the killer is Doug and they arrive at the office. Doug is bitter over the group. The cops arrive and Gilbert manages to open the door for the police. Alison stabs Doug with a scissors. The police enter as the others hug.

This is a good thriller. It is a mix of slasher and thriller and it is enjoyable working out who the killer is. There are lots of twists and turns, which is always fun. I enjoyed watching it and it is definitely worth a watch for fans of slasher films and 80's movies. I will give it a 5/10.