The Lamp Movie Review

Trailer here.

The Lamp or The Outing is a 1987 horror film directed by Tom Daley and starring Deborah Winters, Andra St Ivanyi and James Huston.

The film begins in Galveston, Texas in 1893. An Arab girl and her mother arrive there and the mother releases an evil jinn from her bracelet. It kills people. The girl takes a lamp and the bracelet with her and runs away. Cut to years later and three people are going to break into a house. An old lady lives there. She gets attacked by them. The burglars find a chest with a lamp inside it.  The old lady gets killed and the burglar rubs the lamp. He releases the evil jinn who inhabits the old lady. The burglars are all killed. The cops come and they seal up the lamp. The lamp ends up at the Museum of Natural Science in Houston. A man called Dr. Wallace(Huston) and his colleague examine it.

Alex(St Ivanyi) is Dr. Wallace's daughter and she comes to visit him. She sees the lamp and the bracelet. She figures out that the two are connected. The lamp starts to open. She puts on the bracelet and it glows. Alex has an ex boyfriend called Mike, who won't leave her alone. She is with a new boyfriend called Ted. Mike attacks him and gets thrown out of school. He threatens her and her friends. Alex asks her teacher, Eve(Winters), about the magic lamp. Her teacher tells her that it is called a djinn and it is evil. The class are going on a field trip to the museum. Alex wants her friends to visit it after dark and stay there for the night. They decide to do it. Alex visits the magic lamp and the spirit goes into her.  Her ex boyfriend Mike hears about this and he is going to stay there too.

One of the curators in the museum is visited by the jinn. He gets killed. Alex pretends that Ted is bringing her home when she speaks to her father. She then stays behind in the museum so she can let her friends in. She tells them that they can stay in the basement. Alex sees her ex Mike and his friend. She leaves the gate open for them. A security guard gets killed by the jinn. The group of friends split up. They start to get killed. Alex and Ted search for her friends. They find them dead. Dr. Wallace is worried about Alex so he calls home but there is no answer. He goes to the museum with Eve, who also happens to be his girlfriend. They look for Alex. Ted gets killed. Alex meets her dad. The jinn turns up in its true form. It wants Alex. They need to destroy it. It gets into Dr. Wallace. He ends up dead. Alex has to destroy it. She throws it into the incinerator. It explodes. The bracelet drops off her wrist. Eve is still alive. They leave the museum together and go off in a police car.

This was a fun film. There were some good moments. I liked the idea of the genie in the lamp and all that. Overall, this is worth a look for fans of 80's films. I will give it a 5/10.

Blood Tracks Movie Review

Trailer here.

Blood Tracks is a 1985 horror movie directed by Mats Helge Olsson and Derek Ford. It stars Jeff Harding and Brad Powell.

A man attacks his wife in front of his sons. She stabs him and he dies. She runs off into the wilderness with all of her children. Cut to 1985 and the family have been hiding for forty years. People are coming to the area. They are a movie crew who are going to shoot a music video. A rock band , Easy Action, arrive in Colorado to shoot their video. The locals warn them that there might be an avalanche. The film crew spot an old, abandoned factory and decide that it is a perfect place to film, even though it has been condemned. A few actresses turn up to star in the video. They are shooting when there is an avalanche.

Their pilot is called John(Harding) and he tells them that there is nothing to worry about.

The weirdo family are watching them. A guy called Nick is shooting footage in the factory when he gets hit on the head. Two others get caught in the avalanche and they have to be dug out.  Nick looks at his camera footage and realises that there are other people in the factory. They see a face. The sound guy, Dave goes to the factory to check the sound and he is killed. One of the girls, Carrie finds his stuff and goes back to tell the others that Dave is missing. Nick and Bob try to get the radio working so they can call for help.  Then they decide to go and look for Dave. They tell the others to stay together. Another one of the group gets killed by one of the psycho family. A girl is next. Nick meets a sticky end also,

Carrie gets captured by the family.

More people die as the family are determined to get rid of them. Carrie wakes up and tries to escape. One of the group contacts John on the radio but there is interference and he can't really hear but he tells her that he is coming. Carrie wanders around the factory but manages to get herself caught again and this time, there is no escape as she is killed. The family get into the cabin. John arrives and he talks to Bob. Bob fills him in about what is happening. John gives him some flares and he tells him to let them off if he hears a helicopter. Suzie is the next to be caught by the family. Bob goes to the factory once again but leaves a girl called Sarah with the flares. The family are killing once again. Sarah gets attacked but she manages to get to the snowmobile and she takes off.  She gets caught. John wanders into the factory and he gets attacked. He fights his attacker and manages to kill one of the weirdos. Bob shoots one of them.

One of the weirdos is called Lee and he witnesses Bob killing his brother. He kills Bob. It turns out that Suzie is still alive. She tries to escape. She finds John, who is badly injured. They use the radio to contact the helicopter. The weirdo mother fights with another of the group and she gets burned. John shoots Lee and blows off his arm. The survivors leave. This is a somewhat entertaining film. There isn't too much to it but there were some good scenes. It's pretty standard stuff. Now, you could make some comparisons to The Hills Have Eyes, but this film is nowhere near as good.  It is really average so take that into consideration before you watch it and lower your expectations. It's good for fans of 80's horror, like me. I will give it a 4/10.

Amityville: Mt. Misery Road Movie Review

Trailer here.

Amityville: Mt. Misery Road is a 2018 horror film directed by Chuck Morrongiello and Karolina Morrongiello. It also stars the same two people.

Charlie(Chuck Morrongiello) and his girlfriend Buzi(Karolina Morrongiello) are ghost hunters.

They find out about a place called Mount Misery Road which is said to be haunted. They decide to go to the area to film it and maybe see something supernatural. They talk to some locals about it.  A man called Kurt tells them about Mount Misery Road. He says that the name came from the original settlers. He says that strange things have been seen. A creature with red eyes has been spotted. He tells them that in the 1840's, there was an asylum near there and a patient called Mary started a fire and killed everyone in the asylum. Ten years later, another asylum was built and that burned down too. There were bodies found there and a hellhound is said to roam the woods. Kurt has researched it. He warns them to stay away. He tells them that people have disappeared up there. It is cursed.

Charlie and Buzi are not deterred by the warning and they meet with a local historian called Mike. They fly to Long Island to meet him. He also warns them about the haunted road . He tells them that they shouldn't go up there. He doesn't want any more deaths. He tells them that it is too dangerous. Charlie wants to go anyway. Of course, they decide to go anyway. They look for the asylum spot. They find a black cross. They find foundations of some old building and they think that it is the asylum. Buzi gets spooked and she wants to leave, but Charlie won't.  They get lost and Charlie disappears. Buzi is hysterical.

It gets dark and she is alone in the middle of the haunted road. Something runs after her and her camera falls. A guy walking in the woods finds her camera. Just then, Buzi jumps out but she is possessed or something. What can I say about this film? It's pretty bad. It is really cheap and there are a handful of actors. It is found footage style and really, not much happens. The acting is awful. This has zero to do with Amityville. The characters are paper thin and there is nothing much to scare you. It could have been a lot better. A haunted road sounds interesting, but tacking the Amityville name on to it and trying to pass it off as one of those films is just ridiculous. It isn't an Amityville movie at all. I was deceived by a cool cover yet again! This is getting a 2/10. Avoid- unless you are like me and you have to watch every movie with Amityville in the title!

The Blood on Satan's Claw Movie Review

Trailer here.

The Blood on Satan's Claw is a 1971 horror movie directed by Piers Haggard and starring Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden and Michele Dotrice.

The film opens with a dead body in a field. A local man called Ralph goes to see a man called The Judge(Wymark) and tells him about it. The Judge doesn't want to know. A man called Peter(Simon Williams) brings his fiancée Rosalind(Tamara Ustinov) to meet his aunt, Mistress Banham. Rosalind has to sleep in the attic. Peter hears her screaming during the night and when Mistress Banham comes to investigate, Rosalind injures her.  She falls ill. Rosalind is taken away. She has developed a claw instead of her hand.  Peter thinks that there is evil in the house. He goes into the attic and he sees something under the floor. It is a creature with a claw and it tries to grab him. Peter hacks at it and the judge arrives and sees that he has chopped off his own hand. The judge borrows a book on the occult.

He is going to London. The justice is in charge while he is gone. The Judge tells the justice, Squire Middleton(James Hayter) to keep an eye on things. A young child, Mark isn't feeling well. Two local girls ask him to come out. Reverend Fallowfield(Anthony Ainley) is worried because the children haven't been attending classes. Mark gets killed by the other youngsters. A girl called Angel(Hayden) tries to seduce the Reverend. She wants him to come with her. She tells him that they killed Mark. He is appalled and he rejects her. She tells her father that the Reverend asked her to take off her dress and touched her.

Two young boys take a girl called Cathy off. They start messing with her and suddenly all of the children appear. Angel is their leader. She puts a flower crown on Cathy's head . The Devil appears to them and Cathy is killed. The Reverend is taken away because of what Angel said. He is released when Cathy's body is found. Ralph knows that it was the children. Cathy was his girlfriend and he is distressed by her death.  The judge is called back and he wants to know what is going on.  The locals think that a young woman called  Margaret(Dotrice) is a witch and they are going to throw her into the river. Ralph sees them and he pulls her out. He brings her away and he sees a mark of the devil on her. The doctor will cut it off. She tells Ralph that Angel wants her. She runs off and goes looking for Angel. She gets caught in a trap, Angel leaves her to die as Margaret has lost her mark. She is caught by the locals. The Judge tells Ralph to tie her up and they ask questions, She tells them that tonight is important.  Ralph discovers that he has fur on him which is the mark of the Devil. The judge and the villagers go to stop Angel and her child followers. They find them, Ralph is there too. The judge and the others attack the Satanists. The Devil appears and the judge stabs him with a crucifix and burns him. Angel dies too. Ralph returns to normal.

This film is pretty good. It is interesting and there are some good scenes. It is folk horror and it does remind me of The Wicker Man in some ways. I kept expecting to see Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing in this! It does have a Hammer feel about it. If you enjoy Hammer films, then this will be right up your alley, as it is quite similar to one, I feel. Tigon did have some great films, though such as Witchfinder General and Curse of the Crimson Altar. I liked this and I enjoyed it so it gets a 6/10.

Someone's Watching Me! Movie Review

Trailer here.

Someone's Watching Me! is a 1978 TV movie directed by John Carpenter and starring Lauren Hutton, David Birney and Adrienne Barbeau.

The movie begins with a woman called Leigh(Hutton), who moves into a new apartment. She is working at a TV station. There is a man watching her in her apartment. He calls her at work. A man called Steve(Grainger Hines) asks her out but she isn't interested. Leigh arrives back at her apartment to find her door open. She goes to call the police and a man runs out. He has placed a bug in her apartment. She is at a bar when she meets a man called Paul(Birney). They have a conversation and they kiss. The watcher sees it. Leigh receives a telescope in the mail and a bikini. The watcher calls her . Paul thinks that she should call the police and make a complaint. The watcher is calling her all the time and following her. She eventually calls the cops, but their hands are tied as he hasn't done anything to her.

The watcher sends her a letter, pretending to be a travel company. The letter says that she has won a holiday. The person who sent it wants to meet her. He tells her that he will meet her in the car park. Leigh is suspicious and she brings a knife with her. She manages to drop it and she has to hide. The man appears but he doesn't find her. He sees her and Paul together . Paul decides that he will call the LAPD and talk to a police officer . The watcher calls her and she realises that he watching from the building across from her.  She talks to the police and tells them this. The police need evidence.  They go the apartment across from hers and arrest a man, but it isn't the watcher. Leigh thinks that the whole thing is over.

She receives another letter and she decides to take matters into her own hands. She and a friend of hers, Sophie(Barbeau) have walkie talkies.  Sophie watches from Leigh's apartment as Leigh goes across to the other building. She gets into the apartment across from hers and she finds his lair. There is a log of phone calls, a telescope. Sophie gets attacked.  Leigh comes back to her apartment and Sophie has disappeared. The police are starting to think that she is crazy. Leigh finds the bug in her apartment. Paul thinks that maybe it's a maintenance man. They settle on a building inspector called Herbert Stiles.  They find out that he could have messed with things in the building to frighten Leigh. Leigh goes to his house and she finds his equipment. Leigh calls Paul. Paul thinks that he is responsible for deaths of other women he watched. Leigh comes back to her apartment and she is attacked by Stiles. He tries to kill her and there is a fight. He ends up getting stabbed by Leigh and he takes a dive out of the window. He dies. Leigh's nightmare is over.

This was a very enjoyable TV movie. Of course, you know that it will be decent because of John Carpenter. I found it suspenseful and entertaining. The cast are good and I liked the story. Sometimes, these TV films can be more enjoyable that big budget ones. Carpenter did a good job here and it is amazing to think that this was just before Carpenter started filming Halloween. This isn't as good as that film. but it is worth a look if you like a decent thriller. I recommend it. I will give it a 6/10.

The Black Torment Movie Review

Trailer here.

The Black Torment is a 1964 horror movie directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring John Turner, Heather Sears and Ann Lynn.

The film opens with a girl running from something. She is caught and killed by an unknown assailant.

Cut to Sir Richard Fordyke(Turner) and his new bride Elizabeth(Sears) arriving to meet Richard's father. When they arrive, the workers are not so happy to see him. Sir Richard talks to the blacksmith, Black John(Frances de Wolff). There is definitely something wrong. Sir Richard's coachman asks the locals why they are so hostile. Black John tells him that there have been deaths in the village and people think that it has something to do with Sir. Richard. Richard's father has suffered a stroke and he cannot speak so he uses his hands. A lady called Diane( Lynn) is his father's carer. She is the sister of Richard's first wife who died a few years before.

The steward, Seymour(Peter Arne) welcomes the couple, though he seems a little cold. The newlyweds met Richard's father and Diane. Richard asks Seymour about the frosty welcome they received and Seymour tells him about the girl who was murdered recently. Her name was Lucy Judd. He tells him that the girl called Richard's name before she died. Richard tells him that he wasn't even in the village at the time the girl was killed. Seymour informs him that the tenants are superstitious. Richard gets a note which is a copy of the same note left by his first wife, who killed herself because she could not have children. He is very upset by this. He is looking out of the window when he sees a vision of his dead wife. He orders the servants to block up the windows. 

A maid gets attacked. A servant tells Richard that the saddle he ordered is ready, but Richard has not ordered any saddle. Things are getting very strange. He confronts the man who made the saddle and he is told that they had a conversation about it. He is told that the name of his first wife, Anne, has been inscribed on it. Elizabeth thinks that there is evil in the house. She says that Richard has changed since coming back. Richard vows to find out what is going on. A man called Colonel Wentworth(Raymond Huntley) comes to see Richard and tells him that the locals suspect that he is the killer of Lucy Judd. He says that there are witnesses who can place him in the area at the time. This is all very confusing to Richard.

Locals say they have seen his wife, Ann riding through the countryside chasing him and calling him a murderer.  Wentworth offers some soldiers to protect the family from the villagers. A maid goes missing and people think that he had something to do with it. They think that he is the Devil. Richard sees Ann outside once again and he goes after her on his horse. She follows him as he rides along. Elizabeth thinks that Richard has lost the plot. They argue and she asks him where he was. Richard leaves. Seymour sees him and is confused. He just went away. Now here he is again.  Richard's father is killed.

Richard asks Diane about it. She knows nothing. Richard is really losing his grip on reality. He calls for the doctor. Seymour tells Elizabeth that Richard is going mad. Ann was Seymour's cousin. He says that Richard inherited her fortune. Ann appears to Richard and she tells him that he is a killer. She wants him to kill himself.

Richard starts to see his dead father. He has gone mad. Elizabeth looks for him and he tries to choke her. She also sees the ghost of Richard's first wife. She gets Richard's gun and she manages to shoot Richard. The twist is that it isn't Richard. It was a trick. Diane was the ghost of Ann. She killed the dad and she and Seymour used Richard's brother who was an imbecile and was shut away. They made him act as Richard. Diane wanted to destroy Richard because of what happened to her sister.  Seymour is Ann's cousin and he thinks that the estate should be his. He fights with Richard. Colonel Wentworth hears all of this and knows that Richard is innocent. He stabs Diane. Richard stabs Seymour who falls out of the window to his death. Elizabeth feels bad for shooting Richard's brother. Richard tells her that he was in an asylum. Seymour found out and the plan was hatched. Elizabeth and Richard are relieved that it is all over and Elizabeth tells him that they will make the house happy once again.

This was a good film. I liked the story and the mystery. It had a good cast and the ending was decent. I recommend this one to fans of gothic horror  This does remind me of a Hammer production but it isn't. It is worth a look. I will give it a 5/10.

Late Night Trains Movie Review

Trailer here.

Late Night Trains a.k.a. Night Train Murders is a 1975 Italian thriller directed by Aldo Lado and starring Flavio Bucci, Macha Meril and Irene Miracle.

The story begins with two young ladies, Margaret(Miracle) and Lisa. They are travelling from Munich to Italy on the train to spend Christmas with Lisa's parents. There are two criminals on the train also. They are Blackie(Bucci) and Curly. They are causing trouble on the train and they have no tickets. They spot the two girls. The girls are messing with them and chatting to them. There is a woman on the train who is looking for someone to have sex with. Blackie obliges and they have sex in the bathroom. Curly attacks a train worker. Margaret and Lisa are horrified. They move away from the two criminals. The train stops in Austria because of a bomb threat and they try to call their parents. There is no answer and they have to catch a different train. The woman and the two criminals get on to it also.` The train is old and empty for the most part. Margaret and Lisa feel very nervous.

The thugs get into their compartment and they have the woman with them. They are acting strangely. This worries the two girls. Curly is a drug addict. He shoots up and becomes crazy. The woman and Blackie start fondling each other etc and this makes the girls uncomfortable. Curly pulls out a knife. The girls are scared now. Curly tries it on with Lisa and she has to play along with him. There is a peeping tom on the train who they bring in and make rape Margaret. He gets away from them and heads off. Curly and the woman end up killing Lisa with the knife.  Margaret tries to run and she ends up jumping out of the window of the train and dying from her fall. Lisa is flung out of the window by the three criminals. Curly keeps a tie that Lisa had bought for her father.

Lisa's parents hear about the deaths of two young women on the radio. When Margaret and Lisa don't show up, they realise something bad has happened. The woman meets Lisa's father, who happens to be a doctor. She asks him to help her. The two crims accompany her. Lisa's mother recognises the tie that Curly has. She had been talking about it with Lisa earlier on in the movie so she knows that it must have come from Lisa. The peeping tom has an attack of conscience and he calls the police and tells them that the two criminals and the woman killed the two girls. Lisa's mother tells the dad about the tie. They confront the woman about it and she says that the two thugs did it and she was just a victim. The dad goes on a rampage and he kills Curly. Blackie runs, but he gets caught and shot. They are both dead, but the woman sees to have weaseled her way out of it. The movie ends with the police coming and we don't know if the woman is arrested.

I think it is obvious that this film is influenced by The Last House on the Left. It isn't as good as that film, though. There are some uncomfortable scenes in this. It isn't for the faint hearted. You know that something bad is going to happen to the girls, but it's still not an easy watch. I didn't like the ending. It was not satisfying to me. I think all three of the criminals should have been killed. It is one of those films that you won't forget in a hurry, but it really doesn't contain anything too awful compared to modern movies. The action doesn't happen immediately and it takes the film a while to get going. If it sounds like your kind of movie, then it is worth a look. I will give it a 5/10.

Terror At Red Wolf Inn Movie Review

Trailer here.

Terror At Red Wolf Inn is a 1972 horror movie directed by Bud Townsend and starring Linda Gillen, John Neilson, Mary Jackson and Arthur Space.

A college girl called Regina(Gillen) wins a holiday at an inn called The Red Wolf Inn. She arrives there and meets a handsome young man called Baby John(Neilson). He seems a little odd. They arrive at the inn and Regina meets Evelyn(Jackson) and Henry(Space), They are Baby John's grandparents. There are two other girls staying there too. They are Pamela and Edwina. Regina wants to use the phone but it is out of order. Regina has weird dreams. She goes downstairs to get something and Baby John comes along with a big knife. She is scared. She decides that she likes him, though. The next day, Evelyn tells Regina that Pamela has left. Evelyn is weighing the girls. Regina looks around and she finds a little house. She goes inside and she finds Pamela's dress.

A party is held for Edwina. She is leaving tomorrow. Baby John wants to talk to Regina. He likes her.

He tells Evelyn that he wants her. Evelyn isn't so sure about it. Henry and Baby John knock out Edwina and they take her down to the refrigerator. They cut her body up. Regina discovers that Edwina has gone. She is starting to wonder what is going on. Regina calls her mother, but Evelyn cuts off the call. Regina tries to leave but she can't. Baby John takes her back to her room. Regina asks him about Edwina. He won't say anything.  A cop comes to the house, but he is related to Evelyn and her husband, so he is no help. Regina gets her hands on the keys to the freezer. She sees human body parts. She escapes the house and runs to the beach. She sees a boat and swims out to it.  Baby John sees her. She finds a house on the shore and she tries to get help, but it is deserted. Baby John catches her.

Evelyn and Henry come along and they all take her back to the house. Baby John doesn't want to kill Regina. He gets her and tells her that they need to leave. He leads her outside but they get caught. The dog attacks Regina and John kills it. Evelyn tries to stop him from leaving. He goes to comfort her and then Henry goes to kill Regina. The movie ends with Regina making food for Baby John. Evelyn and Henry are dead and Regina seems to be the new chef.

This film was okay. I don't think that it is a great film. The story was decent, but the execution was not.  I wanted to like it more than I did. It is a low budget affair and there are no big names in this. I found it middle of the road but it is worth a look for fans of 1970's horror. I will give it a 4/10.

The Ghoul Movie Review

Trailer here.

The Ghoul is a 1975 horror film directed by Freddie Francis and starring Peter Cushing, John Hurt, Alexandra Bastedo and Veronica Carlson.

The film is set in the 1920's. A young woman called Daphne(Carlson) hears a voice calling for help. She sees a man who has hung himself. It is all a prank by her friends. They are having a party. Daphne has a boyfriend called Geoffrey(Ian McCulloch) and he wants to race his pal. They drive off into a fog. They get lost and run out of petrol. Daphne tells him to go and find some. She is left alone in the car. Someone is there, watching her. Daphne gets out of the car and goes looking for her boyfriend. A man comes alone and he asks her if he can help. She tells him no. She comes to a house but the man tells her not to go up there. He says that it is empty. She is spooked and runs up there. He hits her on the head with a rock.

Daphne wakes up in a shack. The man is there. His name is Tom(Hurt).He tells her that he didn't want her to go up to the house. She tries to escape and he chases her. She meets another man called Doctor Lawrence(Cushing). She tells him what happened. He offers her tea and a room to sleep in so she can recover. Tom is the gardener. Geoffrey's pal is stuck in his car. Tom decides to push it off a cliff. He just laughs. Dr. Lawrence tells Daphne about his life. He was in India. He was a priest. His wife and son were part of some odd religion. She wants to go, but he tells her that she has to wait until the fog lifts. There is a weird housekeeper called Ayah. That night, Daphne is killed by someone. The weird housekeeper cuts up her body. Dr. Lawrence seems to be in on it.

The police find Geoffrey's pal.  Geoffrey identifies the body. He wants to find Daphne. The police don't seem interested in finding her. He looks around while a friend, Angela(Bastedo) drives to the house. She almost crashes into Tom and she gets knocked out. She wakes up in his shack. Tom tells her that she isn't leaving. Geoffrey comes to the house and he enters. He gets caught by Dr. Lawrence. He finds one of Daphne's buttons and he knows that something is wrong. Lawrence lies and tells him that she got the bus. He also says that Angela probably did too. Geoffrey leaves, but he isn't happy. Tom tells Lawrence about Angela. She knows too much. Lawrence tells him to bring her up to the house. Angela fights against Tom.

Geoffrey hasn't left. He finds Tom's shack. He asks for help with his car. He also asks him some questions about Daphne. Tom won't answer. Geoffrey chases him. He falls into the marsh. Tom also falls in. Geoffrey gets out but Tom is stuck. Geoffrey asks him about Daphne and he confesses that there is a monster in the house and it needs to be fed. It eats human flesh. That is why Daphne was killed. Geoffrey confronts Lawrence. Lawrence breaks down and he says that the monster is his son. Geoffrey goes into the room where it is but gets killed by Ayah. Tom somehow survived being stuck in the marsh. He is after Angela. The monster is on the loose and it kills Tom after Angela bashes him with a statue. Lawrence shoots the monster and then himself as Angela escapes.

This is a decent film. Cushing is great in his part, as always. The story is good. It is a little light on horror, but that's okay. It is directed by Freddie Francis who gave us so many great films such as Paranoiac, The Evil of Frankenstein, Dracula Has Risen From The Grave and many more. The acting is pretty good overall. Hurt pays the part of the creepy gardener well and Cushing plays a villain with his usual flair. I recommend this to fans of Cushing and 70's film. I hadn't heard anything about this before I watched it. I don't ever see much about it so if you can find it, it is worth a watch. I will give it a 5/10.

Funeral Home Movie Review

Trailer here.

Funeral Home is a 1980 horror movie directed by William Fruet and starring Kay Hawtrey, Lesleh Donaldson and Barry Morse.

Heather(Donaldson) is a young woman who arrives at her grandmother Maude's(Hawtrey) house to help her. Maude is converting her house, which was a funeral home, into a bed and breakfast. There is a weird guy called Billy(Stephen E. Miller) who lives there and works as a caretaker. A couple arrive at the house. They are called Mr. and Mrs. Browning. A man called Mr. Davis(Morse) is staying there too. Maude has someone locked away. The local cops are searching for a missing man. They ask Maude and she says that her husband disappeared too. Heather meets a local man called Rick(Dean Garbett). They like each other. Mrs. Browning tries to come on to Billy. She laughs at him. Maude discovers that Mr. and Mrs. Browning are not actually married. She is a religious woman and she wants them to leave.

They refuse to leave. That night to go for a quiet drive to a local quarry and they get killed. Rick and Heather go on a date. Heather discovers that the basement door is locked. She and Rick try to find a way in there. They get in and look around. Someone is there. They get out before Maude can catch them. She tells Heather not to go into the basement. Rick tells Heather that they used to go to the funeral home when they were kids and that her grandpa caught them and pushed them in there. There were dead people. Rick tells her that her grandpa was a mean man. Heather is at home when she hears noises coming from the basement. She sees Maude and she is talking to someone else. Maude knows that someone was watching. She comes looking for Heather, who pretends to be asleep.

Mr. Davis is looking for his wife who disappeared in the area. He knows that she came to Maude's. He asks Maude about it and she denies it. He talks to Billy about it. Heather overhears him. She tries to get back into the cellar. Mr. Davis is murdered. Someone buries him. Heather wonders where he went. The cops get a call from someone who is looking for Mr. Browning. A local girl sees the bodies in the lake.  This brings the cops to Maude's door.  Heather tells Rick that there is someone in the basement. Rick decides to look around. Billy wanders down there and gets killed.  Rick and Heather enter it and they find him. Maude appears and attacks Rick. She has gone insane. She tries to kill Heather too. The cops come and they find that Maude has had grandpa's corpse down in the basement. It turns out that she killed him and his girlfriend. Mr. Davis' wife was the girlfriend and when Maude discovered that her husband was having an affair, she killed them both. She also killed the missing people in the area. She is taken away.

This is an okay film. There were some good moments and some not so good ones. It is worth a look if you like 1980's slashers, but it is not one of the best. I found it okay but I wouldn't want to watch it again, really. I can think of better ones. I will give it a 4/10.

Troll Movie Review

Trailer here.

Troll is a 2022 Norwegian monster movie directed by Roar Uthaug and starring Ine Marie Wilmann and Mads Sjogard Pettersen.

The film begins with a girl climbing a mountain with her dad. It is called the Troll Peaks. There are legends of trolls who were turned into stone. She sees the faces of the trolls in the mountains. Cut to the Atlantic coast, Norway. That same girl is older now and her name is Nora(Wilmann). She is working as a paleontologist. She and others have been called in to investigate the deaths of workers in the mountains. They were drilling into it and the whole thing exploded. Nora wonders what is going on. She is the one who thinks that something odd is happening. There are shapes in the ground that look like footprints. The others think that it is ludicrous. The prime minister is involved and he sends a soldier called Captain Holm(Pettersen) to help them.

Nora meets with some military personnel who have video footage of some sort of creature. It seems to be roaring. The  team can't believe that it is a creature. Nora tries to tell them that it is. She wants to find out. She is made into a scientific advisor. She and the prime minister's aide, Andreas, go to find clues.

They go to a house which was ripped apart and they ask what happened. The owners of the house say that they heard weird howling. What could it be? Andreas and Nora visit her father. He has gone crazy. He is obsessed with trolls. Nora tells him about their find. He believes that it is a female troll.

They see it finally. There is no denying that it exists now.

Nora, her father and Andreas talk to Captain Holm. They want to go with him to get the creature. The army gets ready to attack it. Everyone waits and the troll emerges. The army are ordered to fire on it. They can't hurt it. It gets very angry.  Nora's father tries to talk to it. He gets hurt and dies. The others come up with plan to destroy it. The troll shows up at a theme park. People panic and run. The army and Nora play bells through a loudspeaker. The troll hates the noise. News of the troll goes all over the world. The prime minister decides to use missiles to get it. Andreas resigns and he joins Nora to try and get at the truth. They find out that the royal palace is built over the home of the troll king who was slaughtered along with his family. The troll is trying to go back to its home to be with its ancestors. Nora's dad found out about this and he was discredited.

They realise that sunlight can kill the troll. They need to stop the missile. Andreas has a friend who he asks to help stop the missile. It works. Captain Holm helps too. Nora and Andreas get a skeleton of a dead troll and they take it. The troll follows. It is very angry. The missile is back online as Andreas's pal gets found out. The army distracts the troll with lights as it is after Nora. It is upset about seeing the skeleton and Nora realises this. She turns off the lights to try and save it, but the sun comes up and destroys it. Everyone is delighted but Nora and Andrea think that there might be more. They seem to be right as something is coming back to life in the original mountain.

This was a really fun film. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I liked the idea of the trolls being woken up after a long time and coming back to get revenge etc. It is very entertaining. If you like a good monster movie, then this will be right up your street. It's good to see these kind of movies are being made in countries other than the US. It might be in Norwegian, but subtitles are okay. Don't let that put you off. I recommend this one if you can find it. It is well worth your time. I will give it a 6/10.

Havenhurst Movie Review

Trailer here.

Havenhurst is a 2016 horror movie directed by Andrew C. Erin and starring Julie Benz, Fionnula Flanagan and Danielle Harris.

The film begins with a girl Danielle(Harris) who is with her boyfriend in an apartment in New York. He gets killed and then she is chased and taken away. A woman called Jackie(Benz) is a recovering alcholic who moves into the same apartment complex. It is run by a woman called Eleanor(Flanagan) and her weird son, Ezra who is the caretaker. Eleanor takes people into her apartment complex who have had problems in their lives and she helps them turn their lives around. Jackie is a friend of Danielle's and she wants to know what happened to her friend. She asks around but she can't find out anything. She meets a child called Sarah. Her parents are bad people. One of the other tenants have been asked to leave. She is attacked. Jackie hears her screaming and she goes to see what is happening.

Jackie tells her friend Tim(Josh Stamberg) about it. He is a detective. She asks him to look into the tenant who she heard screaming. Sarah appears in Jackie's apartment and she has a key that Ezra gave her. She also has one of Danielle's cameras. Sarah's foster parents are taken away by unknown people and meet their end. Jackie finds Danielle's map of the building. She gives it to Tim. Jackie begins to go back to the booze. She looks at the pictures that she found of Danielle's camera. She thinks that there is a secret door in the laundry room. She opens the door and she finds an old office. There are files on people. She discovers that the building belonged to H.H.Holmes, a serial killer. She gets an eviction notice.

Jackie calls Tim and tells him about the secret office and who the building used to belong to. Sarah gets taken by someone. Jackie confronts Eleanor. Eleanor says that she won't be leaving the building. Jackie is grabbed by a man and she ends up finding a passage. She falls into a huge oven and she gets out just in time. She finds Sarah and they both try to escape. Sarah escapes, but Jackie pulled back inside by another of Eleanor's sons called Jed. He is a killer and he has been taking care of people who don't live up to Eleanor's standards. Jackie is no different. She gets punished for her drinking. The film ends with Tim coming over there with the cops to find her, but there is no evidence of her being there. Sarah is asked to join Eleanor and her two weird sons and she agrees.

I wasn't crazy about this one. It is a middle of the road horror film. The actors were okay and the story wasn't too bad, but I just didn't love it. The ending wasn't great either. Sometimes, you watch something and you don't love it or hate it. It is just alright. This is one of those films. For that reason, I will give it a 4/10.

Demonic Toys 2 Movie Review

Trailer here.

Demonic Toys 2 is a 2010 horror movie directed by William Butler. It is a sequel to the original Demonic Toys. It stars Alli Kinzel, Selene Luna and Lane Compton.

The films begins with someone putting the toys back together. The person manages to put Oopsie Daisy and Jack Attack. They are given to someone else for money. Cut to Dr. Lorca who has purchased the evil dolls. He is meeting an antiques expert, Mr. Butterfield(Leslie Jordan) and a student Cailtin(Kinzel) from the university, about a castle in Italy. He wants to look around the castle. The owners are going to give it to the Italian government as a museum. Lorca has his fiancée, Lauraline, with him.  She has her stepson, David(Compton) with her. There is also a psychic called Lilith(Luna). They go inside and see a toy that has been found. It is called Divoletto. Lilith sees awful sights when she touches the doll. They all have to stay overnight when their cars disappear. Divoletto lets itself out and it spots the other toys and brings them back to life.

Lauraline is having an affair with Lorca's helper, Eric. She is working with him to trick Lorca so she can get her hands on the doll. They are going to switch it and take the real one and go off together. Lilith wants to hold a séance. Of course, nothing bad ever happens when a séance is held in a creepy old castle! Eric gets killed as he tries to replace the doll. The other toys help Divoletto to kill him. Lilith realises that the doll has been switched. David and Caitlin explore the castle. Lilith sets up her séance and the castle starts to shake. A spirit is calling out. It is called Fiora and she enters Lilith. David and Caitlin are underneath the castle and they find an old exorcist journal. Butterfield meets the killer toys and dies. Caitlin reads the journal. An exorcist performed rituals on a lady who owned the castle.

Lilith talks and the toys listen. She tells Lorca that the doll is a replica. Oopsie Daisy attacks David. The toys kill Lauraline. The rest of the group runs away from the dolls, who are out to get them. Lorca wants all of the toys. He is angry because of the switched doll. David has survived his encounter and he punches Lorca. He and Cailtin run off. They meet Lilith and head for the dungeon. Lorca has lost his mind and he chases them with an axe. He gets attacked and dies at the hands of the toys. Lilith summons the spirit of Fiora and she fights the toys. David kills Divoletto. A devil creature comes to kill Lilith. David kills the toys. Lilith fights the creature and she sends it back to wherever it came from. It says it will return. David packs the remains of the evil toys into urns and leave them in the castle. There is something evil still there though, as they leave.

This is a weak film. The acting is bad and the film just wasn't very good. I did enjoy the toys and they were better that the rest of the cast. If you liked the other films, then maybe watch this for completion, but there isn't much here to entertain you. I found it so so and I wouldn't want to watch it again. I will give it a 4/10.