Who Saw Her Die?Movie Review

Trailer here.

Who Saw Her Die? is a 1972 giallo movie directed by Aldo Lado and starring George Lazenby and Anita Strindberg.

The film begins in France in 1968. A child wanders off on her own into the woods. A figure takes her and kills her. She is buried in the snow. Someone in a black veil murdered her. Cut to Venice in 1972.  A father is waiting for his daughter, Roberta. She is arriving in Venice. Her father is Franco(Lazenby) and her mother is Elizabeth(Strindberg). Franco is a sculptor. A black veiled person is watching Roberta. A man called Serafian(Adolfo Celi) sells Franco's pieces for him. He gives Roberta a present of a necklace. The mysterious black veiled person is watching. Franco meets a woman called Gabriella and he leaves Roberta outside with the other children. He has sex and forgets his daughter. She is left alone when the other kids disappear. The killer approaches her. 

Franco goes looking her her. He asks the locals if they have seen her. He asks one of the kids who have her necklace. He asks the local priest, Father James(Alessandro Haber) but he doesn't know. Franco geos to the police. Roberta's body is found in the river. Franco and Elizabeth have a funeral. The Inspector is on the case. Franco blames himself. They end up talking to the father of another dead child but he isn't interested in talking about it. Franco asks around but there isn't much information. Franco finds a woman who might be able to help, but she is killed. 

Franco talks to a man who points him in the direction of Serafian. The inspector talks to him. The killer is dispatching anyone who might have information. Franco wants to talk to Serafian and he looks for him. He finds him dead. The killer is after Elizabeth. She has a letter that could incriminate him. Elizabeth runs to the church to Father James. Franco realises who the killer is. Elizabeth looks at the letter and also realises who it is. The killer is Father James. Franco turns up and he fights the priest. Somehow the priest ends up on fire and he falls out of the window. The case has been solved. Father James was not a priest at all.  Franco and Elizabeth head off together, glad that they have found who killed their daughter. 

This film reminded me of Don't Look Now and dealt with some similar themes. This isn't as good as that movie, but it is a good film. I liked the many suspects and the twists and turns that this had. It is a decent whodunit. I enjoyed it and I give it a 6/10.

The Murder Mansion Movie Review

Trailer here.

The Murder Mansion is a 1972 horror/thriller directed by Francisco Lara Polop and starring Analia Gade, Ida Galli and Andres Resino.

Fred(Resino) is on his motorbike driving along. He stops at a pub and he meets a girl called Laura(Lisa Leonardi) and she decides to go along with him. There is a woman- Elsa(Gade) who is also at the pub. She is waiting for her cheating husband, Ernest(Alberto Dalbes). Elsa is supposed to pick him up so they can sign some document. There is a couple who want it. Elsa ends up veering off the road. Fred and Laura meet a stranger on the road who gives them directions to a village. Elsa is wandering around and she sees shadows in the fog. She is scared and she runs. Fred and Laura end up crashing too. Elsa meets them and she says that someone is after her. The group seek shelter and come upon a large house. A lawyer and his wife are there along with another man who they had met on the road earlier.

Everyone is stranded there. A woman appears. She is Martha Clinton(Galli). It turns out that they are in an abandoned village. There is a weird chauffeur hanging around. Martha's aunt owned the house and left it to her. She tells them that there was a chauffeur working there but he died, along with the aunt. Elsa realises that she saw them in the cemetery. They hear a noise in the cellar and Fred wants to investigate. They all do and see scratches on the door.  People start to die . Fred goes down to the cellar and Laura joins him. He tells her that he found a crypt. Elsa wakes up and sees Martha who has changed into the old aunt and the chauffeur is outside. Are they ghosts?

Elsa runs down to the cellar and discovers dead bodies. Fred and Laura see Martha and the chauffeur. There is a fire in the cellar and everyone sees a dead body. Elsa is rescued by Fred. He wats to go to Milan but ends up creeping around outside instead. Elsa and Laura see the head of a dead woman and then they see Martha. There is something going on. Martha has been pretending to be her aunt. Fred gets hurt by the 'ghost' chauffeur. They have a fight. The chauffeur is in on the plan.  A man appears and shoots the baddies. He is Ernest who was in on the plan too. He wanted to drive Elsa insane. She already had a nervous breakdown and he wanted to send her back to the brink of insanity and get her money.Fred and Laura run for help. Elsa is left and she grabs the gun and shoots Ernest dead.

This was a weird movie, but there were plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. I like a good mystery film and this one will keep you entertained if you don't mind the weirdness. I recommend it and I will give it a 5/10.

The House on Straw Hill Movie Review

Trailer here.

The House on Straw Hill is a 1976 thriller directed by James Kenelm and starring Udo Kier, Linda Hayden and Fiona Richmond.

A woman called Linda(Hayden) is employed as a secretary by an author, Paul Martin(Kier). He is staying in Straw Hill. He has gruesome hallucinations. He is obsessed with locking the windows and doors. His girlfriend is called Suzanne(Richmond) and she leaves him. Paul sees himself bleeding. Linda arrives and is met by Paul at the station. Two locals are after Linda. They harrass her and Paul. He beats them up. Paul tells Linda about his routine. She has a picture of Paul and another man in her suitcase so she isn't all she seems. Linda goes outside exploring and runs into the two locals who rape her. They have a gun. She gets it and shoots both of them dead. Paul hears the gunshot. One of the locals isn't dead yet. He disappears from the field where he was shot.

The housekeeper gets killed.  Paul comes onto Linda but she rejects him. He calls Suzanne and asks her to come back. She arrives and Linda tries to seduce her. Paul catches them.  He ends up crashing his car into the river. Suzanne finds the dead housekeeper. She tries to call the police but someone unplugs the phone. She ends up dying next. Paul returns to the house and Linda is there. She wants to kill Paul as he stole a book from her husband and pretendeed that he wrote it. Her husband killed himself when he realised what Paul did to him. Linda is going to shoot him when she is stabbed by the local guy who was lingering int he field, half dead. He and Linda both die as Paul is left by himself.

This wasn't a great film. There wasn't much in the way of scares or thrills. It was interesting in some parts, but there wasn't enough to keep you entertained. The acting wasn't bad but to be honest, nothing much happens. I will give it a 4/10.

Venom Movie Review

Trailer here.

Venom is a 1981 thriller directed by Piers Haggard and starring Oliver Reed, Klaus Kinski, Nicol Williamson, Sarah Miles, Susan George and Sterling Hayden.

The film begins with a woman called Ruth and her son Philip. Ruth's father is Howard Anderson(Hayden) who is a very wealthy man. Working in the house is a maid called Louise(George) and a chauffeur, Dave(Reed). They are part of a scheme orchestrated by Jacques Muller(Kinski) to kidnap the kid and get money. Jacques calls Howard and tells him that he is filming a movie and he needs his expertise. Philip goes to a pet shop and he collects a pet snake which was supposed to be sent to the toxicology institute where Dr. Marion Stowe(Miles)is waiting. She has the pet snake instead. Philip has a black mamba.

Marion calls the police and she tells them what has happened. She tells them that the boy will die if he is bitten. Louise wants Philip to come with her and Jacques. The snake attacks her and bites her in the face. Howard returns home and Dave stops him calling the police. Jacques tells him that he is in charge. Dave locks Howard in the cellar. A policeman calls at the house and Dave shoots him. Jacques is angry with him. Louise is very ill. More police  and ambulances arrive at the house. Jacques talks to Commander Bulloch(Williamson). He tells him that he wants to leave. The snake emerges from its hiding place. It goes into the vent. Howard realises that it is a black mamba. He looks for it. The police cordon off the street. Marksmen arrive. Bulloch talks to Jacques. The criminal wants money and a car. Bulloch finds out about the killer snake. He wants to know who is in the house. Dr. Stowe shows up and she fills him in about black mambas.

Bulloch wants Marion to tell Jacques about the snake.She instructs him to call a man called David Ball(Michael Gough) who happens to be a snake expert. Jacques tells them that Louise will die if they don't send in a doctor with the antivenom. Marion takes it in and she is taken hostage. Bulloch finds an old entrance to the house. Marion tells them that snakes don't like the cold. She says that there should be no heating. The cops are working on getting the money. Ruth arrives home. Bulloch finds a way into the house and he takes Ball with him. Dave and Howard are in the cellar and Dave gets shot by Bulloch. The snake appears and it kills Dave.

Jacques is alone now as both his partners in crime have been killed by the snake. Bulloch and Ball are stuck as the snake is keeping them from entering the house. The snake catches up with Jacques and attacks him. Howard and Philip don't help him. There is a struggle and Jacques ends up on the balcony where he and the snake get shot. Howard and Philip are okay. Everything looks good until we see that the snake laid some babies and they are hatching.....

This was a good film. The cast is impressive. I will say that I felt that there isn't enough snake in it. I wanted more of it and some more killings. It was a good thriller though and it seems like it is more of a hostage drama than a thriller. It is worth seeing though and it has Oliver Reed in it, which is a bonus. I will give it a 5/10.

A Howling in the Woods Movie Review

A Howling in the Woods is a 1971 thriller directed by Daniel Petrie and starring Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman and Vera Miles.

A woman called Liza(Eden) is taking a break from her husband Eddie(Hagman) by going for a break to the town of Stainesville. She drives into the town where she grew up, but there is hostile welcome for her. A man called Mr. Henshaw(Ford Rainey) appears and she talks to him. His son Lonnie is there also. She doesn't really like him. She goes to see her stepmother, Rose(Miles). She discovers that her father has gone away and she can't reach him. Liza wants to divorce Eddie(Hagman), her husband. She discovers that the maid is rude to her and doesn't seem to want her there either. Rose has a son called Justin(John Rubenstein) and he is living with her. Liza asks him why the locals are behaving so hostile. Justin tells her that they are bitter because of the local mine shutting down. They lost their jobs and they blame the family for that.

Justin keeps an eye on Liza. Rose isn't too happy about it. Liza hears a howling in the woods at night. Eddie calls her and tells her he wants her back but she tells him she wants a divorce. Eddie is upset. Liza meets a local who is trying to shoot a dog which is wandering in the woods. Liza meets a little girl called Betsy Ann. She tells her that her mother doesn't want Liza there. Betsy tells her about her cousin Melanie who drowned. It's all very mysterious. The locals chat about Liza. A local girl called Sally(Tyne Daly) wants to see Liza. Her brother Lonnie tells her not to talk to Liza. Rose tells Liza that the little girl was just telling stories. When Liza sees her the next time, she won't talk to her. She has a bruise on her face. Liza hears the howling once again and she goes to the local store to look for some scraps of meat to feed the dog. She talks to it and gives it some food. It goes off crying. She follows it and it leads her to a grave. She tells the Sheriff, Henshaw.

Henshaw tells her that there was just a deer in the grave. Liza worries abiut her father. She isn't able to contact him and she thinks that something is wrong. She is going to go and visit him. Rose types out a message from Liza's father and arranges to have it delivered. Eddie arrives in town. Liza tells him what is going on. Justin is jealous of Eddie. He wants Liza. He is sleeping with his so called mother, Rose.

Eddie tries to get Liza to change her mind, but she won't. He decides to leave. Rose is getting worried that Liza will discover the truth. Sally asks Liza to come and see her. Eddie decides that he won't leave as she thinks something odd is going on. Sally tells Liza she wants to leave town. She shows her an annymous letter which says that a man in a green car killed Melanie. She tells Liza that the only man they knew with a green car was Mr. Spangler. He also had a dog. He came to town every so often.

She showed the letter to her father, Henshaw and the townsfolk took the law into their own hands.

They killed Spangler.

The town covered it up and then discovered that Spangler was innocent as he was somewhere else when Melanie died. The dog has been in the woods crying for his owner. The locals kill him. Liza wants to know who sent the letter. Eddie meets Liza and tells her that he thinks Rose wants her out. Eddie hears Justin and Rose arguing. Liza visits Sally again and she gives her the money to leave and get away from the town. Liza and Sally find a broken doll that Melanie had with her when she died. Liza says that the dolls was hers. She looks around in her father's basement and she is followed by Justin. She is afraid of him. She finds a part of Melanie's doll and she realises that Justin is the killer.  Justin attacks her. They struggle. There is a fight. Rose has a gun and she stops him from killing Liza. She confesses that she and Justin killed the dad.Justin killed Melanie. Rose doesn't want any more killing. She shoots Justin. Eddie arrives and he stops Rose from taking her own life. Rose is the one who sent the note about Spangler. He was a bad man. The police come and Eddie leaves. Liza decides to follow him and they get back together.

This is a fun film. I can't hek=lp but think of I Dream of Jeannie as Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman starred in that together also. They both do a good job here and it is an enjoyable TV movie. It is quite tame so don't expect blood or scares. All in all, you could do a lot worse than this film. I recommend it. I will give it a 5/10.

Fear City Movie Review

Trailer here.

Fear City is a 1984 thriller directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Tom Berenger, Billy Dee Williams and Melanie Griffith.

Matt(Berenger) and his friend Nicky(Jack Scalia) run a stripper management company together. Someone is on the streets attacking strippers. They go to hospital to see the latest victim. She tells them what happened. The attacker cut off her fingers. Matt was a boxer and he accidentaly killed his opponent in the ring. He has been haunted by that ever since. He is at a strip club with  a cop called Wheeler(Williams) comes in. He is investigating the stripper attack. He asks Matt about it. A stripper called Loretta(Griffith) is Matt's ex girlfriend. He is keeping an eye on her. Another stripper gets attacked and she gets cut. The psycho writes down his attacks. Wheeler talks to Matt again. Loretta is very upset about it. Nicky wants to go out and find the guy. Matt talks to a rival agency and he asks the guy if he is in on it but he isn't.

Wheeler tries to figure out why the person is attacking these women. Matt and Loretta have sex. Another girl gets attacked and this time, she dies. The two agencies come to an agreement. They are going to get the killer. Nicky sees a man in a strip club with a knife in his pocket. He and the club owner get the guy alone and they beat him up before they realise he isn't the one. Matt goes to see Loretta but she is on drugs, unable to cope with everything. Another girl gets attacked and killed. Matt is angry because none of the girls are showing up for work. All the clubs are losing customers. Nicky's girlfriend is almost attacked by the killer. He beats Nicky up. Wheeler takes Matt into custody. He beats him up. Nick is in hospital. Matt gets bail and goes to see his pal.

Matt goes to see a mob boss, Carmine and asks his advice. Carmine tells him to take of the guy himself. Matt gets ready. He combs the streets. Loretta is in a bad way and she goes out alone looking for her dealer. She finds the dealer dead. The killer stabs her in the leg. She maces him and runs. Matt shows up and he and the killer fight. Matt beats him so badly, the guy dies. The police show up as Loretta called them. Wheeler lets Matt go as he has done them a favour in catching the killer. 

This film is good. I liked the cast. Everyone was good in their parts. There are some decent scenes and I like the story. Berenger is good as the boxer turned stripper manager. Williams plays his part well, as does Griffith. I recommend this one. It is well worth your time. I will give it a 5/10.

Night Terror Movie Review

Trailer here.

Night Terror is a 1977 TV movie directed by E.W.Swackhamer and starring Valerie Harper, Richard Romanus, Michael Tolan and Nicholas Pryor.

The movie begins with a woman called Carol(Harper), who is moving house with her husband and children. She and her husband Walter(Tolan) are going on a road trip first. The kids are staying with Aunt Vera. Carol drives to a motel and she waits for Walter as they are going from there together. Walter gets stuck at work so she is alone. Vera calls her and tells her that her son is very sick and has to go to the hospital. Carol tries to book a flight to Denver but there aren't any, so she decides to drive there. She leaves a note at the motel for Walter and she sets off. Carol needs petrol so she looks for a gas station. The nearest one is closed so she drives along looking for another. She sees a police man who has pulled over an odd looking man(Romanus), who just happens to be a killer and a weirdo. She asks the cop where she can get gas but the killer uses the opportunity to shoot the cop dead. He aims the gun at Carol, but she is saved by the gun jamming. She jumps back into the car and takes off. He follows her.

Carol drives along and the killer follows her. She tries to flag down other drivers, but to no avail. She manages to lose the killer and she finds an emergency phone. She talks to someone but gets too worried to tell him her location. She knows that the killer isn't far behind her. She has to push the car to a gas station, which is also closed. This time, she breaks in and she gets the key to the pumps and fills the car. She meets a homeless guy who is sleeping in there at night. She leaves, as the killer is coming. That night, there is heavy rain and she has to stop. She sees a car with a man in it(Nicholas Pryor). He is drinking and he tells her that he can't go anywhere in the rain. She tells him about the killer but he thinks that she has imagined it. The killer has pulled up behind them. The guy goes out to talk to him and gets shot dead for his trouble. Carol takes his car and heads off. The next day, she runs out of petrol and has to knock on someone's door.

She speaks to an old man who tells her that the nearest phone is four miles away. He has a son, but he is working and he has the keys to his truck, so there is nothing he can do to help. Carol walks off. She sees an old truck and it pulls over to give her a lift. She doesn't realise that the driver is the killer. He is driving the old man's truck. She realises that the man doesn't have the keys and she knows who he is. They struggle and she falls out. She manages to grab his gun and she throws it at him and takes the truck. He shoots at her, but she runs him over. She sets the truck on fire, hoping that a helicopter might see her. The truck explodes into flames and she does get spotted by a helicopter in the area. The movie ends with Carol at the hospital with her son and husband.

I liked this film. It reminded me of Duel but it wasn't as good. I liked the premise and I liked the actors. Harper does a good job playing a woman who is relentlessly pursued by a psycho. We get to see the killer early on and we know what will happen to her if he catches up with her. It is a fun thriller with good tension. I recommend it. I will give it a 5/10.

Open 24 Hours Movie Review

Trailer here.

Open 24 Hours is a 2018 thriller/horror directed by Padraig Reynolds and starring Vanessa Grasse.

A girl called Mary(Grasse) is applying for a job at a gas station. She was in prison for setting her boyfriend on fire. He was a serial killer and a lunatic. She gets the job and she has to work the night shift. She is having hallucinations. She thinks that she sees a figure watching her and it is James, her ex boyfriend. She tells her friend, Debbie, about it. Mary had to watch some of the murders and she is traumatised by it. She starts her shift and meets another employee called Bobby. He shows her what to do and everything. Someone attacks Debbie. Bobby goes off and Mary looks around the place. She thinks that she sees someone and she has a vision of James on fire. Bobby comes back and they chat. They get around to talking about James. She tells Bobby what happened. She found body parts in the basement and James threatened to kill her if she told anyone. She set the house on fire while he slept.

Bobby leaves but his truck breaks down on the way home. Mary gets a call. There is music on the line. It is the same music that James played down the phone to her when he was going to murder someone. Mary discovers Debbie's licence in the bathroom and the toilet overflows with blood. James appears and he tells her that people are going to die. A woman comes into the gas station and Mary thinks that she is the same woman who called her earlier in the evening. Debbie's car is outside and 'you like to watch' is written on it. Mary tries to call Bobby but he has left his phone at work. She suddenly sees Bobby and Debbie. They are tied up. The woman comes up to her with a picture of her daughter. She blames Mary for the murder of her daughter by James. She has a knife and she attacks Mary. Mary locks herself into the stockroom.

The woman breaks in and wants to kill Mary, who hits her with a bottle. Her parole officer, Tom, shows up and he shoots the woman. He tells Mary that James has escaped from prison. James appears and he hits Tom over the head. Then he goes to set her on fire. She wakes up and realises that it was just an hallucination. She is tied up with Debbie and Bobby and Tom. James kills him in gruesome fashion with a sledgehammer. He smothers Debbie. He is going to burn Bobby alive when someone turns up at the gas station. Mary gets free. Bobby tells her that there is a gun in one of the lockers. He tells her how to load it.  The customer calls the cops. A truck driver wanders in and James kills him.

Bobby gets the gun from Mary and they try to escape. The cops come. James kills Bobby. Mary tells the police that James is after her. James shoots the cop and Mary runs. She runs into a shack outside and finds a shovel. She hits James with it and runs back into the gas station. He is after her. She finds a deer's head with antlers and she impales him on it. He dies. She collapses and when she wakes up, he's gone. How could he have survived that???Cut to some time later and Mary is working in a hair salon. She thinks that she sees someone watching her. Is it the psycho ex boyfriend???

I enjoyed this film. I liked the premise and it was fun. It isn't the best film ever, but I found it entertaining. There isn't much originality here, but that doesn't matter. There is lots of blood in it and some tense scenes. I think that it is better than a lot of newer films that I have watched. I'm more into older films, but this one surprised me. It is an above average horror/ thriller and I definitely recommend it. I will give it a 5/10. 

The Hands of Orlac Movie Review

Trailer here.

The Hands of Orlac is a 1960 horror/thriller directed by Edmond T. Greville and starring Mel Ferrer and Christopher Lee.

Stephen Orlac(Ferrer) is a concert pianist. He is very famous and he has a great career. He is on a plane when it crashes and he is injured. His hands are in a bad way. In a strange coincidence, there is a strangler being executed that very night. Stephen is brought to the hospital and a man called Professor Volchett(Donald Wolfit) is brought in to operate on him and give him new hands which just happen to be the executed mans. When Stephen wakes up, he is naturally very upset to find out what has happened to his hands. Six months later and he is dismayed to find that he can't play the piano the same way. Stephen has an idea that the hands he has are not his. His girlfriend, Louise(Lucile Saint-Simon) wants to get married. Stephen is at a funfair and he tries out the strength machine. He finds that he has really strong hands. He knows that this isn't right.

Stephen calls Volchett but he isn't there. Louise and Stephen go to the French Riviera for a break. The cat won't go near him and shortly after, it is found dead.  He tells Louise that he is afraid of himself. He puts his hands around her neck. He thinks that he is losing it. Stephen goes off by himself to Marseille and he wanders into a hotel. A magician called Nero(Lee) is staying there. He has an assistant called Li-Lang(Dany Carrel). She is afraid of Nero. She meets Stephen and they talk about Nero. She tells Stephen that she is afraid of him and that he is a madman. She comes onto Stephen. Stephen goes to a club called The Blue Monkey where Li-Lang performs. He watches her and Nero watches him. He is setting something up. Louise arrives at the hotel and asks for Stephen. Nero tells her that he is there. Stephen meets Li-Lang and she tells him that she will meet him in her room. 

Louise meets him when he gets back from the club. Nero is eavesdropping on their conversation. Stephen tells Louise that his hands are the killers hands. Louise thinks that he is imagining it. He tells her to leave. Li-Lang shows up and Stephen tells her that he is leaving but Nero bursts in. He tells Stephen that he knows who Orlac is. He tells him that the killer was a friend of his and he makes fun of Stephen. Stephen returns to the villa. He tries to get back to normal. He starts playing the piano. He and Louise get married. They are happy together. Stephen decides that he is going to play in public again.

He receives a package and in it are gloves with the killers name on them. It causes him to lose his confidence. He cannot play. He throws the gloves into the river. Stephen gets a call looking for Louis Vasseur, the killer. Louise gets a visitor from a woman who is talking about her husband. She tells her that her husband died in bad circumstances and that he left a message for Stephen- it says not to trust what belongs to him. Louise goes to a clinic to get a break from it all.

Nero is behind the message for Stephen and the wife. Stephen tells Louise what has been happening. Nero wants money. Li-Lang doesn't want to help him, but he threatens her. Louise confronts Li-Lang and she asks her what's going on. Li-Lang confesses all. She makes a deal with Louise to go to the police. Nero overhears this. Nero calls Stephen and he says that he wants to talk. He tells Stephen that Louise is planning to put him into an asylum. Louise's godfather wants to know more about Vasseur and he gets Stephen's prints on a cigarette case and hands it to the police for investigate. Stephen thinks that Louise might be plotting against him. The police think that she is in danger. They arrive at the villa and meet Stephen. He hasn't killed Louise. He disappears. Nero murders Li-Lang. The police are after him but he runs off. Stephen finds him and confronts him. There is a fight but the police grab Nero. They tell Stephen that the fingerprints they found from the cigarette case are his own. The hands that he received belonged to an innocent man. It turns out that Vasseur was not guilty so the hands are not evil. The movie ends with Stephen playing the piano once again.

This is a good film. I like the cast and the story is interesting too. Christopher Lee plays a good villain in this film. It is interesting to see him in this early role. I would recommend this if you enjoy old horror movies. There isn't much in the way of scares, but it was made in 1960, so you can forgive that. There is enough in it to entertain. It is certainly worth your time. I will give it a 6/10.

Outback Movie Review

Trailer here.

Outback is a 2019 Australian thriller directed by Mike Green and starring Lauren Lofberg and Taylor Wiese.

The tale begins in Sydney. Wade(Wiese) and his girlfriend, Lisa(Lofberg) get a car and are going to drive around Australia. They are arguing. They visit a beach and Wade gets stung by a jellyfish. Lisa wants to go to Ayers Rock. They drive to the outback and their GPS sends them into the middle of nowhere. They are in the desert. Lisa wants to head back to the main road but Wade says that they are going on. The GPS keeps rerouting them and they get lost. They find time for some chatting about their relationship while this is happening. They decide to walk to a ridge to see if they can spot a way out. It begins to get dark so they can't drive until the next morning.

Wade's leg is getting worse from the sting. They walk along for a while, but then have to rest. Lisa gets stung by a scorpion. Wade sees a plane and he goes off to get some help. Lisa wakes up and she is alone. They both search for each other. Wade makes his way back to the car but it doesn't work. Is anything going to go right for these two?? Wade wanders around in the heat, looking for Lisa. Lisa makes a video on her phone . Wade becomes sicker as time goes on. His leg is in a bad way. He starts to cough up blood so you know his time is running out. Lisa finds him and he tells her that the battery is dead in the car. He tells her that she should go to the car for shelter. She doesn't want to. Wade becomes very sick and he passes out. Lisa has to drink his urine to survive. She makes her way to the car but there is a snake in it. She has to come out. On the sixth day, she is found by a woman. Wade has died. Lisa makes it out of there alive.

This film is pretty simple. There isn't a lot to the story, but it is worth a look. The outback is a scary place if you get stranded and this story revolves around that. The characters are okay but you don't really care that much if they survive. At least, I didn't. I liked the idea of it and it was entertaining so I will award this one a 5/10.

This House Possessed Movie Review

This House Possessed is a 1981 TV movie directed by William Wiard and starring Parker Stevenson and Lisa Eilbacher.

The film begins with a couple looking around the grounds of a house. Someone is watching them. They get sprayed with water. The TV is on inside the house. A singer is on it. His name is Gary Straihorn(Stevenson). He collapses from exhaustion and ends up in hospital. He has a nightmare. A nurse helps him. The TV in the house is showing what is happening to Gary. Gary asks the nurse, Sheila(Eilbacher) to come and stay with him as his private nurse. He decides to rent a house. They go and look at the creepy house from the beginning of the film. They look around. The house is unique. Gary loves it. He wants to buy the place. They move into it.

One night, Sheila is woken up. She hears a voice calling Margaret. She goes outside and Gary finds her. He starts to get headaches. Sheila goes into town to get his medication. A local woman calls her Margaret. The woman tells her that she shouldn't have come. Sheila finds a weird doll and hears music playing in the house. The voice calls Margaret once again. Gary and Sheila talk. He wants to know more about her, but she seems reluctant to open up. They share a kiss. Tania shoes up at the house. She is Gary's ex. Sheila isn't one bit happy about this. She goes into town and bumps into the local woman who calls her Margaret. They go to the library and the woman says that there was trouble in the house.

She is an old lady and she knows all about it.

Back at the house, Tania and Gary are close. Sheila is upset over it. The house isn't too happy either. Tania is in the shower when blood comes out of it. She gets stuck in the shower and she panics. After that, she leaves. Sheila is happy and she and Gary continue their relationship. She tells him that she can't remember the first seven years of her life. She was found wandering around and she was put in a foster home. The old lady from the library, who is called Lucille, calls her and says that she has information for her about the house. Sheila goes to her shack but there isn't anyone there. She leaves a note for the old lady.

Gary asks Sheila to marry him and she accepts. Gary's manager, Arthur, wants him to go back on tour. He agrees. He is going to take Sheila with him after they get married. Arthur ends up being killed by a mirror. Gary is bewildered. He and Sheila investigate the house and they find out that there were two owners before Gary. Sheila tells him about the voices that she heard. His headaches get much worse.  The old lady shows up and she says that she was Shelia's nurse for the first seven years of her life.  She tells her that the house killed her parents. It didn't want Sheila to leave. The house kills the old lady. Sheila tells Gary that they need to go. The house shuts itself up and the phone is dead. The cold air comes on and it suddenly stops. Hot air takes it place. The house starts collapsing. Gary wants to set fire to the house so they can escape. They do manage to escape but the house isn't done with them. The house tries to get Gary but Sheila pleads with it to let them go. It does so.

This is an okay film. It has Parker Stevenson in it, which was interesting. The story itself is not bad and this is really more of a thriller than a horror movie. There isn't much blood or violence really. It is quite tame. It is a TV movie, so you don't expect anything too scary. I will say that it is a mystery and that it kept me watching until the end. I did enjoy it and I will recommend it. I will give it a 5/10.

The Rental Movie Review

Trailer here

The Rental is a 2020 horror/thriller movie directed by Dave Franco and starring Dan Stevens, Alison Brie, Sheila Vand, Jeremy Allen White and Toby Huss.

The movie begins with two couples- Michelle(Brie) and Charlie(Stevens) and Josh(White) and Mina(Vand). They have rented a house for the weekend. They drive up there and they meet the landlord's brother, Taylor(Huss). Taylor seems a little odd. They think he is racist or something. Taylor drops off a telescope. Mina has a problem with him and she doesn't like him. They all have a party and Michelle goes to bed and Josh passes out while Mina and Charlie have sex in the shower. Someone is watching them cheat on their partners. Mina discovers a hidden camera in the shower. She realises that someone saw what they did. Charlie says that they can't call the cops or Josh and Michelle will find out what they have done. They can't find their dog. Josh thinks that Taylor did something to it. Taylor arrives to fix the hot tub. Josh accuses him of taking the dog. Mina tells him that she knows what is doing. He doesn't know what they are talking about. He wants to call the police. Mina tries to stop him. Josh beats him up and knocks him out. Someone is filming this. That person finishes Taylor off.

The group find Taylor dead. They decide what to do. They search the place for cameras. They take the body away. Michelle hears the shower turning off and on. Josh pushes Taylor's body into the sea. Michelle sees the video of Mina and Charlie in the shower. They are being filmed by the unknown killer. Michelle is angry and hurt and she decides to leave. She confronts Charlie and then she drives off. She ends up hitting a tree and she finds a trap that has burst her tyres. Someone comes. Charlie looks for her and he sees a message that she has sent. He finds her dead. He gets hit by someone. Josh tries to break down a locked door in the house. He finds a secret room with cameras and stuff. He gets a text from Charlie's phone with footage of Charlie and Mina talking about what they did. Then he sees the video of them in the shower. He gets attacked by the killer, who has also killed Charlie. Josh dies. The killer chases Mina and she falls off a cliff. The movie ends with the man clearing up all of his stuff from the house. He removes his cameras. The dog comes back to the house showing that it was fine all along. The killer sets up his cameras in another house, suggesting that the killings will start again. He spies on a couple and attacks them while they are asleep.

This film was not very good. I don't know what Franco was trying to do here. It is not a horror movie really. It is more of a thriller with drama thrown in. I found that there were little to no scares and that the movie wasn't very interesting overall. I didn't care for the cast very much and I didn't really care if they died or not. The Mina character was annoying and I was glad when she fell off the cliff. Whatever this movie was trying to do, I think that it failed. It was all over the place and it should have stayed either a drama or a thriller. I found some of it tedious and when something did happen, I just didn't care anymore. If you like thrillers with some drama , then this might be for you. I didn't like it. It wasn't for me. There just wasn't enough in it to keep me interested. The cast weren't particularly great either, in my opinion. This gets a 3/10.

Rent A Pal Movie Review

 

 Watch trailer here.

Rent-A-Pal is a 2020 thriller directed by Jon Stevenson and starring Wil Wheaton and Brian Landis Folkins.

 The movie begins in 1990 with a man called David(Folkins), who is looking through dating videos. He looks at various women. He lives with his mother, who is old and ill. He is her carer. The company that supplies the dating videos are called Video Rendezvous. David is hoping for a match but there is none. He is told that he should record a new video to get more interest. David isn't very confident with women and it shows when he records his video. He discovers a video called Rent A Pal and he is intrigued. He takes it home with him. He decides to watch it. There is a guy on it called Andy(Wheaton) and he wants to be pals with David. David doesn't know what to think about it and he stops it but it comes back on again. Andy talks to David about his life. David begins to reply.

David gets a call from Video Rendezvous telling him that he has gotten some interest from a girl. It turns out to be a mistake and David is very upset over it. He goes back to Andy and they talk about what happened. Andy tells him stories about things that happened to him. They interact more. David starts to play it constantly. They play games and they swap stories. They become real friends. David ends up masturbating to Andy's sex stories. He gets caught by his mother. He goes mad and he has a fight with her. She is very upset. Andy laughs. Video Rendezvous calls and tells David that he has a match. Her name is Lisa(Amy Rutledge). They agree to meet for a date. They do and they get along very well. She likes David and he likes her. He is happy. He goes to tell Andy about it. Andy isn't very happy. He tells David that he won't have time to talk to him anymore.

David feels guilty about leaving Andy and he decides that he isn't going to see Lisa. His mother goes missing and he panics. Lisa shows up and she helps him find his mother. They bring her home and David invites her in. They chat and they kiss. The TV comes on and Andy comes on screen. He isn't happy. Lisa asks David about it. David gets mad at her and she leaves. The next day, she calls him and she wants to talk. He cuts her off. He discovers that Andy is missing. The video has gone. His mother has cut it up. He hits her and leaves her on the floor while he goes to Video Rendezvous to get another. Andy comes back up on the screen. He tells David that he doesn't need his mother. Andy pushes her down the stairs and leaves her there. Andy tells David that he is there for him. He is playing on all of the TV's in the house.Lisa shows up and sees what he has done to his mother. He tries to kill her, but she stabs him and escapes. He stumbles to the basement and Andy talks to him. He tells him that he has to say goodbye as David dies.

This is a weird film. I did like the premise, though. I thought that the idea of the sinister video was interesting. This was a tad slow in places and there wasn't enough suspense in it for me. It wasn't scary or creepy at all, but I suppose this isn't meant to be a horror movie. I think that it could have been a lot better overall. I did enjoy Wil Wheaton as the sinister Andy. He did a good job in this. So, I found it middle of the road and I think that it is an interesting watch, but slow. I will give it a 5/10.