Of Unknown Origin Movie Review

Trailer here.

Of Unknown Origin is a 1983 horror movie directed by George P. Cosmatos and starring Peter Weller, Jennifer Dale and Lawrence Dane.

A man called Bart Hughes(Weller) is saying goodbye to his wife, Meg(Shannon Tweed) and his son Peter. They are going on holiday to her father's house. Bart is staying at home as he has a lot of work to get through. He is alone in their apartment. He hears noises. His dishwasher is broken and he calls a handyman, Clete(Louis Del Grande) who tells Bart that a rat could have damaged it. Bart sets some rat traps. One of his traps get mangled. He goes back to Clete for more advice. He arrives back from work one day to find that his mail has been shredded. He deides that he needs to upgrade his traps. The rat is watching him. Bart stars to research all about rats and becomes more and more obsessed with getting the rat.

Bart purchases some rat poison. He tells Clete that he found a rat in the toilet. He discovers baby rats so he realises that rat is female. Mother rat is watching him. She attacks him and the babies fall out of the box they are in. They end up in the sewer. Bart calls an exterminator. He also finds a cat and brings it into the apartment. By now, Bart has started to hallucinate about the rats. A rat attacks him in his bed and the poor cat meets a grisly end. Bart is falling apart at this stage and he cannot do his job. His assistant Lorrie(Dale) comes over to see him as they are close. She wonders what is going on with him. He tells her to leave.

The rat chews through the electrical wires. Bart has a baseball bat and he gos after it. It sttacks him. He gets away but all of his work papers have been shredded. Bart turns up at work dishevelled. His boss, Eliot(Dane)is not happy.He cuts him some slack though. Bart wants his wife and son to come home, but she won't come home yet. The rat chews through the phone line. Lorrie comes around to visit him but he tells her to leave him alone. Clete goes to see him and he finds Bart making his baseball bat into a weapon. Bart goes looking for the rat and finds it. It attacks him once again and this time he hits it. He kills it and looks around at his ruined apartment. His wife and son return and he has to explain to them what happened.

This was a good film. It is unusual and there is a lot to like about it. I liked the idea and it is creepy thinking about rats in your home.This really is about home invasion, but with rats instead of people.I recommend this and I will give it a 6/10.

Cry of the Banshee Movie Review

Trailer here.

Cry of the Banshee is a 1970 horror movie, directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Vincent Price, Hilary Dwyer, Essy Persson, Hugh Griffith, Patrick Mower, Elisabeth Bergner and Sally Geeson.

The film is set in England in the sixteenth century. A court has a young woman accused of witchcraft. Locals throw things at her. A local man tells the magistrate, Lord Edward Whitman(Price) that there is a creature killing his sheep. Lord Edward offers a reward for its head. Whitman is an evil man. A brother and sister are brought to him. They are peasants from the village. A howling is heard outside. They think that the two are marked by the devil and Edward stabs the boy. The girl is shot.Whitman's wife, Lady Patricia(Persson) is shocked and calls him a murderer. She says that their house is cursed. Edward's son, Sean(Stephan Chase) comes onto her and rapes her. Edward's other son, Harry(Carl Rigg) comes home from college. 

Maureen(Dwyer) is Whitman's daughter and she is having an affair with a servant called Roderick(Mower). Sean goes to the local inn and he tries it on with a serving wench, He and his pals accuse a girl of witchcraft. Maggie is her name. Sean wants to know about the local coven. He finds out that the leader is a women called Oona(Bergner). He rounds up a posse and they go to get the witches. Oona gets angry. Soldiers kill and capture more of the coven. Oona is spared but she is very angry and curses the Whitman family. She calls Roderick and she wants him to be her avenger. Sean gets killed after he hears howling and sees something menacing. Edward is upset. Oona is very happy. Edward thinks that it is some kind of mad dog. They see it and shoot at it.

Lady Patricia is not well. She knows that there is a curse on the family. The locals think that she is evil. Edward figures out that Oona is behind his son's death. He and his lackeys look for her. They torture her friends. Roderick kills Patricia. He is some sort of animal. The local priest and Harry look for Oona. Meanwhile. Edward discovers Roderick with his daughter and goes mad. He throws Roderick in the dungeon. Oona arrives at a tomb where Harry and the priest are waiting. They see her curse Maureen. Roderick breaks out of his prison. Maureen is looking for him. Roderick attacks her. The priest intervenes. Harry kills Oona. Maureen doesn't die. Edward is looking for Roderick. He is coming for Maureen. She lets him in. Edward tries to kill him. Roderick turns into the creature/banshee. Maureen shoots him and she and Edward leave with Harry. 

Edwards goes to see Roderick's grave, but the body is not there. Edward is horrified. He finds his son and daughter dead in the carriage. The carriage driver called Bully Boy is also dead. Roderick is in the seat now and he takes Edward and his two dead children off with him. This film was pretty good. It does have a Hammer feel about it. Price is good, as always, and it feels like he is taking some inspiration from his character in Witchfinder General here. I'm not complaining though. He does his job well and he is surrounded by a good cast. This is a lot of fun and it is well worth watching. I will give it a 6/10.

The Zero Boys Movie Review

Trailer here.

The Zero Boys is a 1986 horror movie directed by Nico Mastorakis and starring Kelli Moroney and Crystal Carson.

The film begins with a group of paintballers called The Zero Boys. They are champions at it. They decide to go into the woods for a vacation. They are Casey, Steve,Rip, Trish(Carson), Sue, Jamie(Moroney)and Larry. They go to a cabin and they decide to stay for the night. It is Rip's birthday and they are up for fun. Someone is watching the house. Trish sees someone looking at them. Steve and Jamie find a human bone, Trish tells the group that someone is watching them. They decide to go. The car won't start. Jamie sees a guy with a knife. The phone isn't working either. Steve and the others get weapons to protect themselves. Larry and Rip spot someone. They also find a mass grave with loads of human bones. They discover a video of a girl being tortured. 

The girls find a trunk in the house, which contains a dead body. Trish goes upstairs and she is grabbed by a man. The guys return from looking around and they see Trish being tortured in the barn. They try to get in to save her, but she has gone. The phone rings and the psycho is on the line. He is not happy. Trish is thrown into the house through a trapdoor. She isn't dead, just traumatised. Steve asks her about who took her. The group discover that their truck is working. They decide to go out to it.  Larry gets killed.  There are two killers after them. The rest of the group are chased  by the killers and they have to use their paintball skills to fight. It turns out that there are three killers in the end.

This is a fun film. It's a mix of slasher movie and action movie but it works well. It is directed by the guy who also directed the infamous Island of Death. A fun fact about this film is that is used the same sets as Friday the 13th part 3. It isn't as good as that movie, but it is worth a watch and I'm giving it a 5/10.

The Long Hair of Death Movie Review

Trailer here.

The Long Hair of Death is a 1964 horror movie directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring Barbara Steele, George Ardisson and Halina Zalewska.

The film begins with a woman called Adele Karnstein who is accused of being a witch and is being taken to her death. Her daugher, Helen begs for her mother's life. She goes to talk to Count Humboldt about it. The execution goes ahead anyway. The witches curses the Count and his nephew, Kurt(Ardisson). She is burned at the stake. Helen decides to avenge her mother but Humboldt throws her into the river to shut her up. Adele's other daughter, Lisbeth(Zalewska) is taken in by the Count. She grows up and Kurt likes her. She doesn't want him. Count Humboldt thinks that Adele's curse is coming true. Kurt agrees. He knows that the witch was innocent. Lisbeth goes into a secret passageway and she sees Humboldt talking to his brother's corpse. She tries to get out of there before he sees her. Kurt wants to marry her. She has no choice. She despises him.

A plague sweeps through the town. Lisbeth tells Kurt that he needs to do something about it. Count Humboldt feels like he is going to die. A lightening strike hits Helen's grave. She returns. The Count does indeed die. Helen comes to the house and says that she is Mary(Steele). She says that she was in an accident. Lisbeth tells her that she can stay. Kurt takes a shine to her. Mary and Kurt flirt and Lisbeth isn't happy. Kurt kisses Mary and tells her that he loves her. Lisbeth finds out and she confronts him. He doesn't care and he and Mary get together. She sees it. A servant is sent with a message to get escorts for Mary so she can leave. He is killed by Kurt, so won't let Mary go.

Kurt tells Mary that he will kill Lisbeth so they can be together. He puts poison in her drink. That night, they go to Lisbeth's room and they think that she has died. Kurt takes her to the crypt and puts her into a coffin. A priest comes down and he locks the gates. They are trapped in there. They manage to escape through a secret passageway. Kurt retrieves Lisbeth from the tomb and places her in her bed. The Next morning, Kurt sees the servant, Grumalda go into the room and she says that Lisbeth is fine. Mary thinks that she is aware of their plan. Kurt is taunted by Lisbeth. One of Kurt's men Von Klage says that he heard a noise in the crypt and he has seen Lisbeth in the chapel. Mary tells Kurt that he needs to do something about Grumalda and Von Klage.

Kurt sees Lisbeth and he is spooked. There is a party at the castle. Kurt is on edge. People have seen Lisbeth and he is starting to panic. He goes to the crypt and Lisbeth shows up. Mary also shows up. She is actually Helen and she and Lisbeth planned it. Lisbeth was dead all along. She leaves Kurt to Helen. Helen torments him and he runs off. He has gone mad. The locals put Kurt into a bonfire by mistake and he can't escape. Grumalda knows he is there but she does nothing to help him. Von Klage asks Lisbeth to set fire to it and she does. Kurt burns alive as Helen fades away.

I liked this film. There was a good cast and the story was interesting. These Italian gothic horror films are always entertaining and this one is no different. I enjoyed it and I will give it a 5/10.

House on the Edge of the Park Movie Review

Trailer here.

House on the Edge of the Park is a 1980 horror film directed by Ruggero Deodato and starring David Hess, Annie Belle, Christian Borromeo and Giovanni Lombardo Radice.

Alex(Hess) is a psychopath who is driving around New York looking for victims. He meets a woman and he rapes and murders her. He meets his pal, Ricky(Radice) who wants to come with him. Ricky tells Alex that the cops were looking for a car, but he took it and hid it. A couple pull into a parking garage where the two men work.Tom(Borromeo) and his girlfriend, Lisa(Belle) want help with their car. Alex tells Tom that he can't do it. They begin chatting and they mention that they are having a party. The two guys are invited to the party, which is in New Jersey. Alex brings along some things that he can use to murder people. 

They arrive at the house which belongs to Gloria(Lorraine De Selle). Another two people are there too-Glenda and Howard. They are all out for fun and thrills. Alex comes on to Lisa after seeing her in the shower. She runs off before he can do anything. Alex realises that the others are cheating his friend Ricky at poker. This makes him angry and a fight breaks out. Howard and Tom are beaten up by Alex and Ricky. Alex brings out a straight razor and holds it to Tom's neck. He forces them to play poker again and this time, he sits in. Ricky wins. Alex decides to have some fun with the rich folks. He tells Ricky to choose which girl he likes. He picks Gloria and tries to rape her. Howard tries to stop them, but he doesn't get far. Alex ties him up.

Alex brings Gloria to Ricky but Ricky doesn't want to rape her. Alex isn't impressed. Glenda turns off the lights. Alex leaves Ricky in charge and goes in search of Lisa and Tom. He beats up Tom and rapes Linda. He wants her to mess around with Glenda. A girl called Cindy calls at the house. Alex tells Gloria to let her in. Gloria gets out and runs for help. Ricky chases her. He says he doesn't want to hurt her and they end up having sex.  Alex messes around with Cindy. Gloria tries to talk to Ricky about the police. Alex catches her and Ricky tells him they should leave. Alex won't. He cuts Cindy. Ricky isn't happy with that and tries to stop him. Alex stabs him. Tom pulls a gun and shoots him in the leg and then shoots him again. It turns out that the girl Alex killed was Tom's sister. It was all a set up to get Alex. Tom shoots him again and kills him. He falls into the swimming pool. Howard is going to kill Ricky but Gloria stops him. Tom calls the police. 

This is a brutal film. It is nasty in parts. There is a lot of violence and rape in it. It reminds me of Last House on the Left, which also starred Hess. He is good at playing a bad guy. This film will stay with you for a while afterwards because it is intense, but it is definitely worth a look. Deodato is more famous for Cannibal Holocaust, but I prefer this one. Just be warned, that it is not for the faint hearted.

I will give it a 5/10.

Killer Workout Movie Review

Trailer here.

Killer Workout a.k.a Aerobicide is a 1987 slasher film directed by David A. Prior and starring Marcia Karr and Ted Prior.

The film begins with a woman called Valerie, who has a tanning bed accident and gets badly burned. Cut to a fitness club where the owner is Rhonda(Karr), who just happens to be Valerie's twin sister. One of the customers ends up dead after a killer comes into the women's changing room. The body is then stuffed into a locker where it is found. Lieutenant Morgan(David James Campbell) is on the case. He asks Rhonda and her employee, Jaimy about the dead girl. There is a new employee starting work on the same day. His name is Chuck(Prior).Chuck starts fighting with a guy and has a kiss with the guys ex girlfriend, Debbie.

A group of youths spray paint the fitness club.Unfortunately for them, the killer is lurking and murders them.After this, more people meet their end inside the club. It becomes dangerous to even go in there at this point! Jimmy offers to help Rhonda. She refuses his help. Chuck finds a shrine that he has to Rhonda and he fights Jimmy yet again. It's getting a bit pointless at this stage. Morgan discovers that Chuck is a private eye and he is there to find out what's going on. Chuck tells Morgan to Jimmy is a weird guy. He shows him the pictures that Jimmy took of Rhonda. Jaimy is the next to die. Jimmy and Chuck have another run in. This time, Jimmy kills him.

Morgan calls to see Rhonda and tells her that he knows that it is Valerie. He thinks that she is the one killing. He takes her in, but he gets a call about Jimmy. He thinks that he might be the killer and there is a showdown. Morgan asks him why he is covering for Rhonda but Jimmy escapes. He goes to the club to talk to Rhonda but she shoots him dead. Rhonda is happy for him to take the blame for the killings. Morgan isn't so sure about Jimmy. He takes Rhonda out to the countryside and tells her some story about his dad. He is going to kill her because he knows that she will not pay for what she has done. She is the murderer. Rhonda hits him with a shovel and she kills him. Rhonda is a hero to her customers. In her office, she has her murder weapon and she smiles as she thinks about how she got away with her crimes.

This film isn't great, but it isn't totally terrible either. There are lots of boobs, bums and fights, if they are your thing. The music is decent enough. Lots of flexing also! The story isn't bad and I enjoyed it for what is is- a middle of the road slasher film with enough to entertain. I will give his a 4/10.

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.

Horror on Snape Island Movie Review

Trailer here.

Horror on Snape Island or Tower of Evil is a 1972 horror movie directed by Jim O'Connolly and starring Jill Haworth, Anna Palk, Bryant Haliday and William Lucas.

The film begins with two men coming to an island. They discover a dead body. They look around and find more bodies. A girl is there and she is hysterical. She stabs one of the men. The other man survives. She is taken to an asylum. Superintendent Hawk(Lucas) comes to see her but she is catatonic. Dr. Simpson(Anthony Valentine) hypnotises her. He wants to find out what happened to her. He brings her back to her arrival on the island. A man called Mr. Bakewell(Dennis Price) organises an expedition to the island to find treasure and artifacts. The archaeologists are Rose(Jill Haworth), Nora(Anna Palk), Dan(Derek Fowlds), Adam(Mark Edwards),Gary(John Hamill), Des(Robin Askwith), Brom(Gary Hamilton) and Dr Simpson. A man called Evan(Haliday) is also going to the island to find out about the girl's story. Evan talks to a fisherman called Hamp(Jack Watson) who will take them to the island. 

Hamp's brother and sister in law lived on the island. They had a baby but it died on the island. The group looks around the island. Des is the first to meet a bad end, followed by another girl. Gary gets it next. They realise that someone else is on the island. Nora sees something later and she screams and faints. It's a body. The others come and find her. Their radio gets wrecked and their boat is destroyed. Hamp talks to Adam. The corpse is Martha. She died six months ago. Hamp says that Saul was mad but he wouldn't kill anyone. The others think that he is in the caves. Hamp says that he only saw Martha when he dropped off supplies. The men search the caves.  Hemp tells Brom that there is gold in the caves and Saul knows where it is. Rose hears noises. She looks around and she sees a man. Nora is confronted by Saul and he throws her off the lighthouse.

Adam, Rose and Dan are going to blow up the rocks to find the caves. Evan is in there too. He finds statues.  Brom sees a statue too. He is looking for the gold. He takes stuff from the caves but he ends up dead when Saul catches him.  Evan finds the maniac and he shoots at him. The others show up and they hear the shot. Saul shows up and he kills Dan. Evan shoots him dead. Evan has a boat hidden on the island. Hamp is stabbed by Saul and Martha's son, Michael, who survived. Michael is after Rose. She manages to set him alight. Everything burns as the survivors escape. The tower explodes. 

I liked this film. It was fun. These 70's horror films are always entertaining. There is an impressive cast in this. The story was interesting and I liked the ending. I would recommend this one. It has enough to keep you watching until the end. I will give it a 6/10.

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.

Slash Dance Movie Review

Trailer here.

Slash Dance is a 1989 horror movie directed by James Shyman and starring Cindy Ferda.

The film begins with a girl called Alice who is supposed to audition for a part. She looks around but there is nobody there. She searches for someone and a killer emerges and murders her. Cut to a cop called Tori(Ferda). She works undercover. The Captain isn't impressed with her work. Her partner is called Jeff and he likes her. She beats up two men in a ridiculous scene where she is dressed as a bag lady.  We discover that her sister, Janet, died of an overdose. A drug dealer is responsible so she shot him. Another women shows up for an audition and she goes the same way as the previous girl.

A weirdo called Amos(J. Buzz Von Ornsteiner) works at a local theatre. He frightens the girls who come to audition .Tori is assigned to the case. She will go undercover and audition for a show in the theatre. Two local women ask Tori to help them track down a girl called Alice. The Captain wants Tori taken off the case but Jeff tells him that she has already started. Tori goes to the theatre and she sees Amos. A famous director called Logan Bridger(James Carroll Jordan) is going to be directing the show. The stage manager is called Rupert. Tori is lucky enough to be chosen for the show. Jeff shows up and he tells her that the captain wants her off the case. She asks him to pretend that he can't get in contact with her. Logan also likes Tori. He asks her out. They kiss.

One of the other girls called Holly gets attacked. Tori asks Amos if he did it. He tells her it wasn't him. Amos finds a rubber knife in the prop department and he is going to use to play a trick .Unfortunately, someone replaces it and when he pretends to stab himself, he really does and he dies. The cops are called in. Amos' brother talks to the police. The previous owner of the theatre died under suspicious circumstances. He left the theatre to his son, but he died so now his other son Oliver has it, but he wants to close it. Tori finds that her gun is missing. The killer shows up and he is after Tori. The killer turns out to be Logan. He says that the man who owned the theatre in the past did awful things to him. He hung him as he wanted revenge. He kills Oliver. He tries to kill Tori but she throws a stiletto at him and manages to hit him perfectly on the head! He chases her and they have a struggle. She manages to hit him and kill him with a saw. The film ends with another girl coming for an audtion. I guess he wasn't dead.

This is a bad film. It could have been a lot better. The name was funny but the film didn't live up to it.

There wasn't a lot of good acting. The dialogue was terrible in parts.The story didn't even make a lot of sense and it just felt silly. I don't mind low budget but this was just too bad. I couldn't watch it again. I will give it a 3/10.

Christmas Horror- the good and the bad part two!

In my last post, I listed my favourite Christmas horror movies. Now, I am going to list some that wouldn't be my favourites, but that I enjoyed. I also will list some that I didn't love. Let me start with some of the ones that I found entertaining....

Elves

This 1989 Christmas horror film is bad, quite bad, but at the same time, it is entertaining. There is something endearing about it and that makes it better than it is. It is a simple tale of a Christmas elf who is awakened during a blood letting ritual by a teen and her friends. Yes, it is a weird mix of elves, Nazi plots and a girl who is a cranky teen. It is a funny film because the elf looks bad and the plot is crazy, but it will make you smile, so I recommend it.

Krampus

This 2015 Christmas horror movie is a lot of fun. We all know the character and that makes for some festive frights. It's partly comedy and partly horror. There is a lot to like about it. It is one of the better Christmas films. I enjoyed it and I recommend it.

Rare Exports:A Christmas Tale

This film is from 2010 and it is from Finland. In this film, Santa is evil and people have to try and stop him from being defrosted in a block of ice. A man and his son try to stop him from coming back to life and killing the local children. This is a weird movie and it is partly a comedy. I don't usually like horror comedy very much, but it works here. This is an unusual take on the evil Santa so have a look if you want something different.

Terrifier 3

I don't think I need to say much about this. Everyone has heard of the third installment in the franchise and you should watch this if you liked the other two. Art the clown is demented, as usual and he is basking in the Christmas spirit in this film. He is murdering his way through the festive season and this will delight you if you enjoy some yuletide gore. Highly recommended.

Now, there are a few others that I enjoyed and I am not going to get around to each one. Here a few more that I liked. Jack Frost(1997) is a fun take on an evil snowman. Home for the Holidays is a 1972 TV slasher film set around Christmas. Silent Night, Bloody Night(1972) is another slasher film which has a Christmas theme. He Sees You When You're Sleeping is a decent Christmas slasher from 2024. All Through the House is a fun Christmas slasher film from 2015 which is worth watching.

Now, anthologies are always fun and these Christmas horror anthologies are worth watching. The first one is  A Christmas Horror Story(2015). Holiday Hell is another one from 2019. I liked some of the stories. All the Creatures were Stirring(2018) is another anthology which has some pretty good stories.

This is where I tell you about the bad films that I saw. Now, I just didn't enjoy these very much. I wanted to but some had poor acting and others were just bad.  Better Watch Out is from 2016 and I thought that it would be better, but I didn't like it much. Red Christmas(2016) is bad, in my opinion. I didn't like it. It's a Wonderful Knife(2023) is a mix of horror and comedy and it fell flat for me. I didn't get it and I didn't like it. Secret Santa(2015) is another horror/comedy and it is drivel. Pure drivel. I disliked it immensely. The last film that I will put on the list is one from 2022. It is called Nutcracker Massacre. The premise was interesting and I liked the poster, but the film didn't really deliver .

I am going to include two more films that are not Christmas films, but should be included because they are related to the festive season. New Year's Evil from 1980 is ok and worth a look as is Bloody New Year from 1987. Weird film, but worth a look as it is one of the few New Year horror films out there.

So, that is my list of Christmas horror films. Of course, there are some that I haven't included but you will have more than enough to keep you going. I hope that you have a Happy Christmas and as always, thank you for reading and following Jigsaw's Lair!

Christmas horror -the good and the bad!

So, Christmas is coming once again and it is a time for some good seasonal horror films. I know that it is time for some heartwarming movies too, but I am going to concentrate on some festive scares. Now, I have my favourites and then there are others that I like but don't love. So, let me begin with these frightful holiday movies which might delight or make you cringe...

Black Christmas

I am referring to the 1974 version, of course. The remakes are not for me. This classic slasher film is a fantastic watch. It is atmospheric, creepy and fun. There is a great cast, including John Saxon and Margot Kidder. The kills are all good. The premise is great. A killer in the attic is downright creepy and the noises coming from him make you uneasy. His calls to the sorority girls are horrible and the fact that he is calling from inside the house is definitely unsettling. This film is THE best Christmas horror film, in my opinion. It is my favourite Christmas horror movie of all time. So, if you haven't seen it, do so immediately. It won't disappoint!

Silent Night, Deadly Night

This 1984 film was controversial when it was released because of the content. It seems funny to us now, but people didn't like the idea of a killer Santa Claus. This film is quite mean, really. The beginning has a weird grandpa who tells his grandson , Billy, that Christmas Eve is the scariest night of the year. That is enough to warp any child but there is even more to come. Billy's parents are murdered by a psycho dressed as Santa Claus. Then he is thrown into an orphanage run by a horrible nun. She warps poor Billy even more. He ends up working at a toy store and he seems to be getting along well, but when he has to dress up as Santa for work, he snaps. This prompts him to go on a rampage. He just kills everyone. He loses it and goes to the orphanage to get the evil nun. His brother Ricky is still living there and he sees his brother. Billy dies and his brother seems to take up his cause. This film is dark in tone and definitely not feelgood. You can understand why Billy is a bit unbalanced but when he snaps, then he is full on psycho. There are some good kills and some great scenes. I really recommend this one. There were sequels, but most of them aren't good. Part two is worth a look, though.

Christmas Evil

Christmas Evil is a 1980 horror movie and you can tell from the title that it is another seasonal frightfest. This one has a man who decides to become Santa Claus and punish those who are bad.

This man is not respected by his work colleagues. He is resentful. It all comes to a head and he decides that is going to go around town killing those who he considers bad. He becomes more and more unhinged as he goes along and he ends up in a bad way at the end. It is a good offering for this time of year and I recommend it.  You could read into everything and come up with all sorts of meanings in the film, but I just like it because it's fun. 

Don't Open till Christmas

This 1984 British film is an interesting one. It is about a Santa serial killer who is making his way 

through London killing those he meets. A woman called Kate sees her father murdered by the killer and she tries to figure out who did it. A cop is on the case and he talks to Kate and they investigate. The movie is about Harris trying to catch the guy, who murders lots of people dressed as Santa. There are some good kills here and it is an interesting murder mystery story with a Christmas twist. The ending is fun and this will satisfy any horror fan.

To All A Goodnight

This slasher film from 1980 is about a killer Santa Claus at a finishing school. A group of girls and their boyfriends are staying there over the Christmas holidays and someone wants to kill all of them. It is directed by David Hess who you might remember from Last House on the Left and House at the Edge of the Park. He is a bad guy in movies but he does a good job here. It is a decent film despite bad reviews. I enjoyed it and I include it in my Christmas watchlist. If you enjoy a Santa slasher, then give it a try.

Christmas Bloody Christmas

Christmas Bloody Christmas is a recent Christmas horror movie. It is from 2022. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it is a good film. I really liked the idea of a robotic Santa Claus killing people. It is a fun movie about a woman and her friend who are terrorised by a defective robot Santa Claus. There is a lot of gore in this and the kills are pretty good. It is a rarity - a newer movie that I like. I  had to include it here. I definitely recommend adding this to your Christmas list. 

Now, I don't want to make this post too long, so I am going to break it into two parts. There are some other titles that I want to include and I will do so in the next post. In the meantime, have a look at these movies. There is something for every horror fan.