Fangs of the Living Dead(1969)Movie Review

Trailer here.

Fangs of the Living Dead a.k.a.Malenka is a 1969 horror film directed by Amando de Ossorio and starring Anita Ekberg.

The films begins with a man called Dr. Luciani who received a call from his fiance, Sylvia(Ekberg). She tells him that she has inherited a castle and a title of Countess. She has to go to the place to sign papers. She goes to the local inn and the locals in there are startled when she tells them that she is going to be staying at the castle. A local person tells her that Count Walbrooke is expecting her. He is her uncle. She meets him and she looks around the castle. Sylvia is visited by a servant, Blinka(Adriana Ambesi) who seems to be about to bite her when the count appears and he is really angry. He takes her away and whips her.

Sylvia realises that Blinka is a vampire. She wants to leave but the Count doesn't want her to. A relative of Sylvia's was called Malenka and she was burned at the stake for being a witch. Walbrooke tells her that she must never marry. He tells her that Malenka created vampires. He informs her that he is Malenka's husband and he is undead. He tells her of some family curse which means she has to stay at the castle and can't marry. Sylvia breaks off her engagement to Dr. Luciani. Luciani and his firend Max go to the castle to see her. She won't see them. The locals are superstitious. They know that something dodgy is going on. The Count is snacking on some of the local ladies. He wants to dine on Sylvia next.

The Count tells her to drink his blood. Syvlia rescues Blinka from the dungeon. Blinka tells her that there is a tunnel . She enters it but gets caught by a girl vampire called Berta.She runs but the vamp lady is on her heels. Sylvia goes to the inn where Luciani and Max are. She tells them about Berta.They talk to the local doctor about it and he tells them to get a sharp wooden stake and stake the vamps with it.The doctor, Luciani, Max go to Bertha's grave. The Count sends one of his henchmen to get Sylvia. Berta rises from her grave. The doctor tries to get her but she runs off. Sylvia is kidnapped and brought back to the castle.

Luciani talks to the Count. He gets knocked out by one of his sidekicks. The doctor and Max see Blinka. The Count tells Luciani that he has a plan. He is going to get Sylvia declared insane because he wants the castle for himself. Blinka warns Sylvia that the vampire thing is all a lie. Luciani kills the Count and he burns. A portrait of Malenka burns too. 

This is a film that is very light on plot. It is not bad in parts and I did like the ending. This is made by the same guy who directed Tombs of the Blind Dead, which is why I watched it. It is a fun Spanish movie and worth a look if you enjoy Euro horror. I will give it a 5/10.

Alligator(1980) Movie Review

Trailer here.

Alligator is a 1980 horror movie directed by Lewis Teague and starring Robert Forster, Robin Riker and Michael V. Gazzo.

The movie begins with a girl buying a baby alligator. Her father throws it down the toilet and it ends up in the sewer. Twelve years later, A cop called Madison(Forster)  is working on a case where the remains of a body have been found. A man who has a pet shop has been dumping dead dogs in the sewer. The alligator has been living on them and has ingested the chemicals which were used, resulting in it becoming huge and hungry. The pet shop owner has been bringing them to a pharma company who are using them in experiments. Madison is investigating them. He goes into the sewers to see what is going on. He brings an officer with him. They look around and spot the alligator and they run. The officer gets taken by the alligator.

Madison wakes up in the hospital. He wants to find his officer. He visits an alligator specialist, Dr. Kendall(Riker). She just happens to be the same girl who bought the alligator all those years ago. She is interested in finding it too. A journalist is poking his nose around and he is interested in Madison. He wants to know what happened to the officer and he goes into the sewers and meets the alligator who eats him for dinner. He had taken pictures, though, and the alligator is in them. The police and swat teams decide to go into the sewers and get the monster. Kendall shows up. The cops don't find the giant alligator. It breaks out of the sewer and roams the streets.

The cops look for it as it wanders around. Madison gets suspended because of a rich man called Slade(Dean Jagger). He is the one who has been bankrolling the experiments and he doesn't want the cops to discover what has been going on. The alligator ends up eating some more people and it heads for Slade's house where it wreaks havoc. It attacks his guests and Slade, killing them. Madison and Kendall realise it is going back into the sewers. Madison goes in after it. It comes at him. He sets a bomb and it attacks him. He tries to get out and is saved by Kendall. They escape and the bomb goes off , killing the alligator. Of course, this isn't the end of the story as there are baby alligators down there...

This is a fun monster movie. There is a huge alligator and lots of action. I think that you get exactly what you expect and that's okay here. It's entertaining and I liked the cast. I will give it a 5/10.

Don't Open the Door!(1974)Movie Review

Trailer here.

Don't Open the Door is a 1974 horror movie directed by S.F.Brownrigg and starring Susan Bracken and Larry O'Dwyer.

The movie begins with a woman called Amanda(Bracken) who gets a call to come and visit her grandmother, Harriet, who is not very well. A friend of hers called Nick(Hugh Feagin) comes to visit her and she tells him that she is going to her hometown of Allerton. She hasn't been there for thirteen years after her mother was murdered. Amanda witnessed it but the killer did not kill her too. Amanda goes to visit the grandmother and she meets Doctor Crawther(Jim Harrell). He tells her that Harriet is very ill. Amanda meets Judge Stemple(Gene Ross) and he tells her about a local  man called Claude Kearn(O'Dwyer). The judge tells her that Kearn wants her grandmother's house once she passes away.

Amanda is not happy about her grandmother's state of health. She calls Nick. She receives a weird phone call from someone who is watching her. Grandma mumbles something about a museum. Amanda goes to visit the local museum and she meets Claude. He shows her a mannequin that looks exactly like her mother. She finds this odd.  Afterwards, Kearn visits the judge and they talk about what the judge and Crawther did to Harriet. The Judge goes to visit Amanda and he tells he that he also wants the house. She refuses to sell it. He is not happy with her. Crawther is called to the musuem at night and he is supposed to meet the judge, He gets killed by Kearn.

Kearn is sick. He calls Amanda and he tells her that her mother was evil and that she deserved to die. Amanda is scared. A woman called Annie turns up at the house. She asks about Harriet. Amanda gets another phone call. Kearn threatens her. He wants her to do strange things for him while he plays with his doll. She calls Nick but he is busy and he tells her to get some sleep. Kearn spikes her drink and the Judge shows up . He gets hit on the head by Kearn. Amanda wakes up and she looks for Nick. Kearn calls her again. She tells him that he is sick. The Judge shows up and confronts her. She thinks that he is the one who called her. She tells him about the sick calls. The judge goes to talk to Kearn and meets his end.

Amanda is upset. Nick follows her and she kills him in a moment of madness. She has lost the plot and is crazy. The phone rings and it is Kearn. He won't stop calling her. Amanda just laughs now. She is mad. This was a fun film. It had an interesting story and some weirdness. I recommend it as it is enjoyable. I will give it a 5/10.

Happy Christmas!

Hello everyone from Amanda at Jigsaw's Lair Blog. I want to wish all my readers a Happy Christmas and New Year! I am taking a break over the festive period but I will be back in the New Year for more reviews. I have been making my way through some seasonal horror movies and of course, some non horror Christmas movies. Christmas Vacation is always on my list for this time of year along with classics like Gremlins, It's A Wonderful Life, Holiday Inn, Home Alone. Of course, Black Christmas from 1974 is always my favourite go to festive horror movie. It has everything that I want in a spooky Christmas movie. It wouldn't be Christmas without it.

Some others I like to watch are Silent Night, Deadly Night from 1984, Christmas Bloody Christmas, All Through the House, Christmas Evil, Don't Open Till Christmas, To All a Goodnight and more. So, I have a list ready and lots to watch. I hope that you all have a great Christmas and that you get to watch lots of movies. Don't forget that Die Hard and Lethal Weapon are actually Christmas movies!!! So include them in your Christmas list. Enjoy it, however you celebrate it and I will be back in 2026 for another year of movies!!

Grave of the Vampire(1972) Movie Review

Trailer here.

Grave of the Vampire is a 1972 horror movie directed by John Hayes and starring William Smith and Lyn Peters.

The film opens with a grave opening. It is the grave of a man called Caleb Croft (Michael Pataki). He has come back to life. A couple called Paul and Leslie are in the graveyard and they hear the coffin opening. The corpse attacks them. It bites Paul's neck and it drags Leslie into the grave and rapes her. It then runs off to hide. An old guy goes to the cops and tells them what happened. Lieutenant Panzer(Eric Mason) is on the case. He visits Leslie in hospital and he shows her mugshots. She sees Croft in one of them and she gets upset. It turns out that in life he was a rapist.

Croft kills a woman. Leslie discovers that she is pregnant. The doctor tells her that the baby is not alive and it is not human. He wants her to have an abortion. Leslie will not. Panzer goes to the grave of Croft and he looks around. It is empty. Croft returns and kills Panzer. Leslie gives birth to her baby. It is a boy. The baby enjoys the taste of blood. Leslie cuts herself and draws blood for her son. The boy, James(Smith) grows up and his mother dies. He knows about Caleb Croft, who seems to be his father. He wants to destroy him. He enrols in school and he meets a classmate called Anita. Caleb is still killing people. A man called Professor Lockwood(Pataki) is teaching the class which is about the occult and stuff like that. Anita begins to talk about Caleb Croft.

A woman valled Anne(Peters) is a friend of Anita's. She is in the class also. James likes her more than Anita, They kiss. Anita wants to be a vampire and Professor Lockwood comes to see her. He is actually Caleb Croft. He promises her that he will make her a vampire. He ends up killing her. Anne finds her friend dead. Croft shows up and he confronts her. She screams. James hears her and he comes to help her. Professor Lockwood is having a seance. He chooses Anne as the medium. He calls his wife from the grave. Anita comes through. She wants to possess Anne. She tells everyone that Lockwood is a vampire. James takes Anne away. Lockwood faces the others. He admits to being Caleb Croft. He starts killing people. James and Croft fight. James tells him who he is. He kills his father. Anne comes and he tells her to run as he has become a vampire too. 

This film wasn't great. It was fun to watch, but I found it a little dull in parts. Maybe it just wasn't for me. I will give it a 4/10.

Blade of the Ripper(1971) Movie Review

Trailer here.

Blade of the Ripper a.k.a. The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh is a 1971 Italian giallo directed by Sergio Martino and starring George Hilton and Edwige Fenech.

Julie Wardh(Fenech) is a married woman who is on her way home when she gets stopped by a police man who tells her that there is a killer on the loose. She arrives home and she is met by a present from her ex lover, Jean(Ivan Rassimov). This makes her uncomfortable as they had an abusive releationship. She married another man to get away from him. Her husband is Neil(Alberto de Mendoza) and he is not the most attentive husband. Julie is having dreams of Jean. The killer is at large and he claims another victim. Julie meets her friend, Carol at a party and is introduced to a man called George(Hilton). They like each other immediately. They meet once again and then he turns up at her place. They kiss and get it on. 

Julie gets a call from someone who saw them together. The person demands money to keep quiet. Julie thinks that it is probably Jean. Carol tells her that she will go to meet the blackmailer in her place. This is a huge mistake as the killer is there and he kills Carol. The police investigate. They ask Jean to come to the station. Julie is convinced that he is the murderer. Julie informs them that she was being blackmailed. Jean has an alibi, so they can't hold him. George wants to take her away. The killer taunts Julie. He tries to kill her, but she escapes. She tells Neil what happened. They go over to confront Jean, but find him dead.

Julie is upset by the whole thing. The murderer gets killed by one of his victims so this makes her feel better.

She ends up being kidnapped by Jean, who has faked his death. He turns on the gas and runs off. She is rescued by George and a doctor. They arrive just in time. The doctor tries to save her. Julie is taken to hospital. The doctor later tells George and Neil that Julie has died. Jean is revealed to be working for George. He was hired to kill Julie and make it look like suicide so that her husband could get her life insurance money. Carol was killed so that George could get an inheritance. Jean gets shot by George so that there are no witnesses. Neil and George are working together. They think that they have covered all bases by giving each other an alibi for the killings. They are going to escape when they see Julie. She is not dead after all. She leads the police to them and they end up dying as the police chase them. The doctor figured out that there was something fishy and realised that the murderer was not the original killer but someone else, trying to make Carol's murder look like she was just another victim. Julie survives.

This is a good film with a lot happening. There are a few suspects and two killers and I didn't figure out what was going on until the end. I did enjoy it, though and it was entertaining overall. I always enjoy a mystery and this is an above average one. I will give it a 6/10.

Bloody Pit of Horror(1965) Movie Review

Trailer here.

Bloody Pit of Horror is a 1965 horror movie directed by Massimo Pupillo and starring Mickey Hargitay, Walter Brandi and Luisa Baratto.

The film begins with a man called the Crimson Executioner. He is going to be executed and he swears revenge. He is put into a box with spikes and he dies. There is a seal placed on the box. His castle is where his evil deeds were performed. Years pass and the castle is abandoned. Some people come to see it. They look around. They are there because they are going to take photographs there. The owner is Travis Anderson(Hargitay) and he agrees to their taking pictures in his castle. The group are a writer called Rick(Brandi), the publisher, Mr. Parks, Edith(Baratto), who is his assistant, the photographer, Dermott and some models.

One of them gets killed in an accident. Others start to die when they see a man with a red hood. Travis talks to the group and he tells them about the Crimson Executioner and what happened. He tells them that he came to the castle for solitude. He sees Edith and he is drawn to her. The group find an iron maiden and they open it, only to find one of the models in it. She is dead. They realise the first death was no accident. Rick sends Dermott to get help. It turns out that Travis and Edith were engaged in the past. He was an actor. He disappeared from the public eye. Rick and Edith find one of the models caught in a web and a spider is coming for her. They can't save her. Rick tells Edith to escape. She and one of the others try to get out. Rick gets knocked out by a henchman.

Travis and Edith talk and he informs her that he is the Crimson Executioner reborn. He is evil. Dermott is dead. Rick is being tortured but he escapes. He fights the henchman. Edith tells Rick that Travis has the remaining group in the dungeon. More of them die. Travis takes Edith and ties her up. He is going to burn her. Rick appears and there is a scuffle. Travis gets impaled on his own poisoned trap. Rick frees Edith and they leave.

This is a fun film. There isn't too much in the way of scares of course. It has a decent cast and the story is okay. This is a cheaply made film but that doesn't really matter if you don't expect too much. I will give this a 4/10.

Eye of the Cat(1969) Movie Review

Trailer here. 

Eye of the Cat is a 1969 horror movie directed by David Lowell Rich and starring Michael Sarrazin, Gayle Hunnicut and Eleanor Parker.

The film begins with a lady, Danielle(Parker), being followed by a cat. She is unwell and the cat is watching. She goes to the hairdresser and she has a funny turn due to her bad health. Her stylist, Kassia(Hunnicut) calls her nephew, Wylie(Sarrazin). They decide to kill the aunt for her money. Kassia wants half of the money that Wiley receives. Kassia will do the deed when the time comes. Wiley has a fear of cats as he had a bad experience when he was a baby. A cat jumps at him and he throws it off and ends up electrocuting it. He has a brother, Luke who lives with the aunt. Wiley goes to visit her. She is surrounded by loads of cats. Wiley runs off.

Later, he meets his aunt in the park and they chat. He tells her that he doesn't like the cats. She is going to leave her money to the furry moggies. She eventually agrees to get rid of the cats so he isn't afraid. She treats Luke like dirt. All of the cats are lured into a car and Luke takes them away. Kassia says that she will stay in the aunt's house. Danielle is going to change her will and leave her money to Wiley. A solicitor arrives to deal with the will. One cat is left in the house. Wylie asks the solicitor questions about the will. Luke meets Kassia. Kassia isn't very impressed with Wylie's behaviour. Kassia is attacked by Wylie's ex. He thinks that it is funny.

The cat pays a visit to Danielle. She realises that all of her cats have returned. She spots Wylie and Kassia together. She hears them talk about killing her. The cat is watching. Danielle signs the will. Her wheelchair malfunctions. The cat comes along and it pushes her down the hill. Luke saves her. Kassia wants to see the will. Wylie sees the cats and he thinks that they are there to protect his aunt. Kassia sneaks into the aunt's room and gets a look at the will. She is ready to kill Danielle. The cat stops her. She sees all of the kitties entering the house. They crawl all over Wylie. He shuts down from fear. It turns out that Luke and Kassia are in it together. She tells Luke that the cat stopped her from killing Danielle. He says he will do it.

Luke takes Wylie down to the cellar. Kassia is getting some meat to distract the cats but she gets covered in blood. The kitties want some human meat and they chase her causing her to fall to her death. Luke tries to kill the aunt. Wylie regains his senses. He hides the aunt from luke who shut off her oxygen. Wylie confronts Luke and his aunt. He isn't afraid of cats anymore. He decides to leave and Danielle and Luke are left in the house with the cats.

This film was enjoyable but there wasn't much to it. It was a bit light. It could have been more suspenseful. The ending wasn't the best, either. I did like all of the cats of course but they are not evil or anything, as they are always portrayed in these movies. The cats were the good guys!This film is definitely worth a look and I will give it 5/10.

Killer Party(1986)Movie Review

Trailer here.

Killer Party is a 1986 horror movie directed by William Fruet and starring Martin Hewitt, Ralph Seymour, Joanna Johnson, Paul Bartel,Woody Brown and Pam Hyatt.

Phoebe,Vivia(Sherry Willis-Burch) and Jennifer(Johnson) are college students who want to get into a sorority. The sisters from the sorority are going to use an abandoned house for hell night. The housemother, Mrs. Henshaw(Hyatt) checks it out first to see if it is safe. She ends up getting killed. The three pledges have to perform different tasks for the sisters. Jennifer meets a guy called Martin(Seymour). He likes her and he asks her out. She doesn't want to. He warns her not to go to the old house. The initiation is taking place in there and the three girls go. There are noises all over the house. Things start moving around. Vivia says that she is going to the basement and she ends up locked in. Everyone goes down there and finds her going to be killed. It is just a prank.

Martin and Vivia like each other.  The three pledges get into the sorotity. There is going to be an April Fools party in the house and they want Vivia to play a prank. A pledge died in the house years before. Jennifer is nervous about the house. A guy called Blake(Hewitt) is there and he is fixing the lights. He likes Jennifer and he asks her out. Martin and Vivia get closer. Strange things happen in the house. A professor gets electrocuted. People start to panic. Jennifer becomes possessed. She is scared and wants to go. Someone kills a girl with a trident. More people die.

Vivia and Phoebe see what is going on and they run. Jennifer appears but she is not herself.She tries to kill them. They climb out the window. Jennifer drops Vivia from the window. She faces off with Phoebe. Phoebe hits her with a stick and stabs her. Jennifer dies but the spirit passes into Phoebe. The cops come and Phoebe is put in the ambulance with Vivia. We know by the look on her face that she is going to kill Vivia. Vivia realises it and screams. This film is fun. There are some good scenes in it. I always enjoy these 80's horror movies. I will give it a 5/10.

Whirlpool Movie Review

Trailer here.

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

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

 

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

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

Nightmares(1980) Movie Review

Trailer here.

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

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

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

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

Schizoid Movie Review

Trailer here.

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

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

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

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

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

Clown in a Cornfield(2025) Movie Review

Trailer here.

Clown in a Cornfield is a 2025 horror movie directed by Eli Craig and starring Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Will Sasso and Kevin Durand.

The film begins in 1991 with a girl who is playing with a jack in the box. A clown pops out. She runs into the cornfield and gets attacked by something. Her boyfriend follows her and sees her bleeding. He gets killed by a clown. Cut to present day in Kettle Springs. Dr. Glenn Maybrook(Abrams) is moving to Kettle Springs with his daughter Quinn(Douglas). He is the new doctor in the town. There is an old creepy factory called the Baymen Corn Syrup Company which got burned down. A teen called Rust meets Quinn. He is a local and he is a little odd. He walks her to school where she meets the cool kids. They are Janet,Tucker, Matt, Ronnie and Cole(Carson MacCormac). She slots into their friend ground easily.

It's Founders Day in Kettle Springs. The group have a YouTube channel about a killer clown, Frendo.  Glenn meets the local Sheriff Dunne(Sasso). Quinn heads off to hang out with the cool gang. We discover that Quinn's mother died of an overdose and that is why they moved away.  Cole confesses that his sister died too and then they kiss. Glenn isn't happy about it. Tucker sees a clown at the front door. He sees a jack in the box in his house. The clown kills him. Cole's dad, Arthur(Durand) is the mayor of the town. He makes a speech at the Founder's Day parade. Someone wrecks the parade. Sheriff Dunne thinks that Cole and his gang did it. He throws them in jail. Matt is the next to find a jack in the box. The clown comes for him next.

Cole gives Quinn a jack in the box. They meet Rust who is hunting. He warns Quinn to be careful.  Cole takes her to a party where they meet Janet and Ronnie. They wonder where Matt and Tucker are. Cole and Quinn are getting closer but it doesn't happen. Something is up with Cole. A girl comes out of the cornfield. She is covered in blood. Everyone thinks that it is a gag. Matt's head comes flying out of the corn. They all realise that it is no joke. Frendo is coming for them all. Rust shoots at the clown and hits him. Quinn goes to take his mask off to see who it is. There are more than one. Lots of clowns emerge from the cornfield.

It seems as if all the adults in town are in on it. The doctor sees that Quinn is not at homeand he searches for her. The others are hiding from the clowns. Glenn gets caught by the clowns and they want him to help with the clown who was shot.  Rust meets the gang and he sets up a trap for the clowns. The group are going to call the police. They flag down a police car. Sheriff Dunne arrests Cole. The three girls have to reach a house with a phone. The clowns are after them. Janet gets killed by one of them. Glenn stabs one of the clowns in the neck. Quinn and Cole get caught by the clowns.  Mayor Hill is the leader of the clown gang. He tells them that he wants to keep the town old style. He hates the new generation. He will kill his own son. He reveals that he burned down the factory. He wants Cole gone. Glenn drives in and kills two clowns. The Sheriff is after Quinn. She ends up killing him. Rust saves Cole and they kiss. It turns out that they are gay(where did that come from?). The clowns are dead except one and they hit that with the car as they are driving away. The movie ends with Quinn leaving for college. There is a jack in the box in her car, but she tosses it away.

I was disappointed with this film. It didn't deliver. It was obvious that the town were in on it and it just felt silly when I heard their motive for the killings. The kids in it were obnoxious and I didn't care if they lived or died. It just wasn't anything special and I felt let down by it. I was looking forward to it but I wouldn't watch it again. I will give it a 4/10.

Orca (1977) Movie Review

Trailer here.

Orca is a 1977 thriller directed by Michael Anderson and starring Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson, Bo Derek and Robert Carradine.

A ship is at sea. They spot a shark and they want to capture it A diver falls into the water and a shark is coming. An orca kills it. A woman called Rachel Bedford(Rampling) is giving a lecture on the orca.She is an expert on them. In Newfoundland, a man called Nolan(Harris) is trying to catch an orca. He shoots a female and catches it but they end up killing it and it was pregnant. The male is upset. They throw the baby into the sea. The male orca is after them. It hits the boat. The crew try to move the dead female into the sea. The orca kills one of Nolan's crew. The other orcas mourn the dead female. Nolan contacts Rachel and she tells him that the orca has followed him.

A man called Jacob(Sampson) shows up. He is a hunter. He tells Nolan that the whale will remember what he did to the female. The orca sinks a boat. The local fishermen aren't happy. The fish are being scared away. Rachel tells Nolan that the orca wants to fight him in the sea. Nolan tries to draw it in. He says that he understands the whale's pain. He lost his wife and baby when they died in a drunk driver accident. The orca causes more destruction. The locals want Nolan to kill it. He decides to face it. Rachel warns him not to do it.

The orca is waiting. Orca destroys Nolan's house. It bites off the leg of his friend. Nolan is ready to fight. Rachel goes with him and Jacob does too. The orca is ready to go. It leads them to a certain spot where there is ice. Everyone is nervous. One of the crew gets knocked into the water and killed. Nolan hits it with a harpoon. Jacob is the next to die as ice falls on him. The ship hits an iceberg and starts to sink. The orca strands Nolan on a piece of ice. Nolan slips into the water and the orca kills him. Rachel is left and the orca goes on its way, having satisfied its revenge.

This was a fun film with an impressive cast. I was actually on the side of the orca here. It was right to want vengeance! There were some good scenes in this one and creature features are always enjoyable! This is entertaining and well worth your time. I will give it a 5/10.

Brainscan Movie Review

Trailer here.

Brainscan is a 1994 horror/sci-fi movie directed by John Flynn and starring Edward Furlong, Frank Langella, T. Ryder Smith and Amy Hargreaves.

Michael(Furlong) is a teen who lives on his own when his father is away for work. His mother died in a car crash and his leg was mangled. He has nightmares about it. He likes loud music, horror movies and video games. He gets into trouble at school for showing his horror movies to others in a group so the principal tells him that if he wants to show anything in the future, he will have to give it to him and he will see if it is suitable. Michael has a best friend called Kyle(Jamie Marsh) and he tells Michael about a new game called Brainscan. Michael doesn't think that it will be anything great but he orders it.

 

Michael spends his time spying on his neighour, Kimberly(Hargreaves). She knows that he is watching her. Kyle wants to play Brainscan but Michael insists on trying it first. He has to call a number to get the game. Meanwhile, there is a murder in the neighbourhood. Michael sees the police there, led by Detective Hayden(Langella). He tells Michael to go home and stop looking at the crime scene. Michael receives the first disc of the game. He starts it. The first stage is that he has to think like a killer and see a murder. He is instructed by a voice which tells him that he has to break into a house and kill a man. He is told to take the guys foot as a trophy. Michael wakes up from the game and thinks that it was intense. 

He tells Kyle about it. Michael finds out that there was a murder for real and it is exactly the same as the killing in the game. He goes to the crime scene and meets Detective Hayden again. The cop sends him away. Michael searches for the severed foot and he finds it in the fridge, He calls the Brainscan phone number but it isn't available. The game calls him. He asks the person on the phone what it going on. A man comes out of the game. He is called the Trickster(Smith). He tells Michael that he committed the crime himself. He tells him that there was a witness and he has to kill them. Michael takes the foot into the woods and tries to bury it. A dog discovers it and runs off with it. Michael gets it back and buries it.

Kyle calls to see him and he wants the Brainscan game. Michael refuses. The Trickster appears again. He wants him to play the second disc. Michael says that he is going to the police but he ends up playing the game again. This time, he films himself. He wakes up and he watches the video. He sees himself leaving and he finds a bloody trophy in the fridge once again. Kim calls to see if he is ok. The Trickster comes back and tells him that Kyle knew things about him and he could have been dangerous. Mike is upset as he has killed his best friend. Hayden calls to see him. He is suspicious. The Trickster gives him another cd and tells him to watch it and find a clue that he missed.

Hayden finds some burnt stuff in the fireplace and he takes it with him. Michael plays the game again. He goes to the crime scene to find something that he left behind. The police are there and Trickster diverts them so that Michael can look. The principal catches Michael and he is going to get the police but he gets killed before that can happen. Michael runs off. The Trickster wants him to kill Kimberly next. Michael doesn't want to. He decides to turn himself in but doesn't. He goes to Kimberly but can't kill her. Trickster shows up and he tries to stab him. Trickster swallows Michael. He becomes evil and he is going to kill Kimberly when she tells him that she loves him and that she has been watching him too. Trickster comes out of him. Hayden shows up and shoots Michael.

Michael wakes up. The game wasn't real. He meets Kyle and they go to a party. He looks for Kimberly and he asks her out. She says maybe. They kiss. Michael goes to see the principal at school. He gives him Brainscan so he can look at it. Trickster appears and he laughs. The film ends with the dog bringing the severed foot from earlier to Michael's house.

This film was okay. I didn't think that it was very good really. Furlong didn't show any acting skills at all. The whole thing just didn't work for me. The idea was pretty good but the execution was not. I was disappointed. I will give this a 4/10.