Reviews

This is another example of what can be done with great imagination and effort even when hampered by a low budget. "Deathdream" was a staple on late night horror shows of the 1970's and as such, I have seen it many times and think it is one of the better horror films of any kind. Andy, presumed dead in Vietnam, comes home to his family and devoted mother. The family cannot understand how this can happen but don't question it in the beginning. slowly, one comes to realize that something is just not right with Andy and then the film takes off. I won't ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it but the film is creepy, atmospheric, well paced and the type of film that you will remember probably your whole life. It is a bit depressing but you can overlook this and just enjoy the story and images that unfold before you. Hard to believe that the guy who directed "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things" had a hand in this gem! Rent it or buy it if you can find it. you won't be sorry!

I will say right off the bat that I AM NOT a Mario Bava fan. I don't know what it is, but I find his movies boring and extremely slow-paced. They are atmospheric and beautifully photgraphed but I can't find anything else I like about his films. There is one exception though and it is his horror anthology "Black Sabbath". I have seen this film many times and enjoy it every time I watch it. Scary, atmospheric and fast paced, it is a joy to behold and probably the genres best anthology film. The movie contains three stories the best of which are the first and third and the film is "hosted" by Boris Karloff in direct correlation to his "Thriller" TV series. The first story, "A Drop Of Water" is extremely scary and gives out quite a few chills. The second is entitled "The Telephone" and is pretty standard fare. The final installment is called "The Wurdalak" and stars Karloff. This final installment is fantastic as Boris plays a vampire who feeds off his own family. The story is absolutely beautiful to behold and reeking with atmosphere. All in all a well paced, fun, scary movie that should be a part of your collection. Bava's best!

Talk about your overrated movies! First of all, why is this even considered a horror movie? It falls more along the lines of mystery or suspense, though suspensful it is not! This film is so overrated, so boring and so slowly paced that it should be given to anyone who suffers from insomnia as man's greatest cure for that malady! Richard Boone is so out of place in this film, one begins to feel bad for him. The plot itself is unique, a cemetary employee who puts pins in purchased cemetary plots on a map and those people who have the pinned plots suddenly and mysteriously die. But it is carried along at such a snails pace, one finds him or herself not caring anymore about why and what strange "power" Mr. boone possesses. By that time, your well on your way to slumber land. This is more fitting as an episode of the incredibly overrated TV series "The Twilight Zone". It would fit right in with other boring, sleep inducing episodes that TV show spawned. Do yourself a favor and skip over this one at the video rental store and whatever you do, PLEASE do not waste your money buying it. Unless of course you suffer from lack of sleep and need a sure fire way to cure your insomnia. ZZZZZZZZZZZ!

One of the most enjoyable, free moving horror films of all time! A superior follow up to Universal's ground breaking "Frankenstein". Great sets, incredible atmopshere, superb acting and direction and wonderful dark humor! This film moves along so crisply and has so many memorable characters you simply will never forget it. An absolute must for your horror video collection! Hey Shotsy, you and me seem to be big WOR-TV fans! Long live "Fright night"!

No doubt that "Dracula" started it all. The first real, talking horror film that launched a genre and started a trend no one could imagine at the time. But truth be known, this is not a very good film. Bela does an ok job and utters some great cinematic lines, but the movie is without a doubt extremely slow moving and very wooden. After a promising and atmospheric start, the second half comes to an almost complete stop. The sets are impressive but the one, standing, non-moving camera work gives one the feel that a stage play is being filmed thus reducing the pace to almost zero. Dwight Frye's "Renfield" is a joy to behold but the cop-out ending when Dracula is staked OFF-SCREEN really puts the capper on a hard to digest viewing experience. I will give Tod Browning and "Dracula" kudos for launching Universal's horror factory but purely as a film, this one falls well below par. Universals next pic "Frankenstein" became a much deserved bigger hit then "Dracula" and as a matter of fact Universals follow up to Drac, "Dracula's Daughter" was a much better film then Lugosi's.

Make no mistake about it. "Dracula Vs. Frankenstein" is a truly awful film! Incredibly bad script and acting, horrible make-up and special effects and a bloated, close to the end Lon Chaney Jr. But you know what? This film still hold a special place in my heart. I don't take it seriously, never have which is probably the reason I can sit through it. Laughable, but a throwback to old Universal Horror films though on a sophmoric level. Zandor Vorkov as a curly haired, goateed Dracula? Come on, you have to love it! I think this movie holds a special place in my heart because I saw it so much on WPIX-TV's "Chiller Theater". Even as a young child this film didn't frighten me. It made me smile and chuckle a bit. If you want good "bad movie' fun then you really can't do much better then this camp classic!

I won't lie, I'm not a big Mario Bava fan. I don't know what it is about his films, but I just don't enjoy them. He and they are overrated in my opinion. I will say his films do have atmosphere and for the most part are beautifully filmed but the only one I can say that I really enjoy is "Black Sabbath". Boris Karloff hosts three tales of the supernatural and stars in the final story. All three tales are extremely atmospheric with the first and third being the best. The first segment entitled "A Drop Of Water" is truly frightening. The second entitled "The Telephone" is standard fare. The final tale starring Karloff is entitled "The Wurdalak". The horror master plays a vampire who drinks the blood of family members. This final tale is terrifying. All in all a great flick and as i said, Bava's best in my opinion.

This is my favorite Hammer Film! Wonderfully written, superbly acted! Peter Cushing is a joy to behold as the "not always playing with a full deck" Van Helsing. His memorable scene in which he exsises the vampires bite from his neck is brilliant! The set pieces and atmosphere are second to none and gives the film an entirely uneasy feeling yet the movie is so brezzy and fun! There are also quite a few chilling scenes which will stick out in your mind for a while after the conclusion. And what a conclusion it is! Fast paced, exciting and quite unique in vampire lore. David Peel is unique to say the least as the king vampire and although Dracula is not to be found in this one, SO WHAT!!! A brilliant film on all counts!

I am so glad that Mystery Science Theater is no longer on the air! Judging from some of the previous reviews by MST nerds it obviously brainwashed them to the point where they can't think on their own without the help of that silly, thank goodness it's gone show! Poor people! Anyway, "The Undead" is probably one of most underrated movies of all time! It's atmospheric, spooky at times especially for the youngsters and just a whole heck of a lot of fun! Striking old world images, imaginative if low budgeted scenery and a pretty unique concept and story. There are quite a few images you will surely remember! Do yourself a favor, view this one on your own and under "normal" conditions. You can't watch a competent film like this on that idiotic MST show because of the lame jokes and silly interplay. Trust me, you'll come away surprised by this one! One of my all time "Witch" movie favorites behind "Horror Hotel" and "Witchcraft", the Lon Chaney 1964 version that is! Buy "The Undead", you won't regret it!

I first saw this film on "Chiller Theater" way back in the early 70's and a couple of times since. I loved it! Genuinely creepy and atmospheric. Probably one of the most sincere, literate screen-tellings of the legend of the Yeti. Great direction and writing. Great story and wonderful acting. Peter Cushing and Forrest Tucker do a superb job on opposite ends of the Yeti spectrum. A wonderful film that should be part of your collection!

I really looked forward to seeing this film. I missed it the many times it was on when I was younger and had to make due with pictures from Horror books and magazines. I finally bought the film on video a few years back and watched it with great anticipation. Needless to say, I was very disappointed. I thought it was extremely slow moving, even slower then the usual slow paced films of the 1930's! I thought the acting left a lot to be desired. Warner oland went a bit over the top and hammed it up in my opinion and Henry Hull seemed to not care at all about his part. One thing I will say that I enjoyed about the film was the atmosphere and the London scenery, though it was almost always fog shrouded which was a nice touch in retrospect. As per usual, Universal loaded this one up with plenty of atmosphere and it's a good thing they did because that is what basically kept me watching the movie. As a big fan of Universal Horror, I really hate knocking something but this I felt was well below the Horror Factory's usually high standards of 1930's fright films.

An all time classic! One of the top notch horror films of the 1940's! Superb Universal atmosphere, superb performance by Lon Chaney Jr. I won't go into the story because we all know it. Let me just say that this movie is chuck full of atmosphere and it's fair share of thrills. If your a youngster, it will still scare you just as it did all those years ago. And for us older folk, it is a great throwback and full of nostalgia. Really makes you remember where you were as a kid the first time you saw it! Rent it, buy it, treasure it! One heck of an enduring classic!

I happen to think this is one of the more enjoyable films I have seen that was made in the 1950's. Deep down it is typical 50's "mutated monster" fare but it really is so much more. A strange mist overtakes an Alpine village and turns out to be a decapitating giant eyeball. It sounds pretty hokey I know and the special effects are poor but it was the 1950's afterall and there is a fair amount of blood that is featured which was a surprise to me. When the two hikers are found dead you can see their bloody, mangled faces. And in one decapitation scene you can see the blood flying. The performances are fine in this one including a robust performance from the great Forrest Tucker. Plenty of atmosphere in this one also. All in all I would highly recommend this one. It's a lot of harmless fun and when not taken seriously, as it seems to have been by some of the reviewers here, it is a highly enjoyable film.

OK, we all know that "Frankenstein" was the trend setter. "The Bride Of Frankenstein" was the superior follow-up and "Son Of Frankenstein" was the most literate. But of all the Universal Studios "Frankenstein" movies, my favorite is 1942's "The Ghost Of Frankenstein". I really don't know why, perhaps because this is the film I caught most often at midnight on "Fright Night" on WOR-TV. The movie itself is standard fare, but to me it is so breezy and so much fun I just enjoy watching it over and over again. Lugosi is great a Ygor the hunch back servant who is the monsters guiding light. Chaney Jr. is not the ideal frankenstein but he pulls it off here. Some great lines like Lugosi's "Look at the lightning, the lightning is your mother" he says to the creature. All in all, a lot of fun with a heavy dose of Universal charm and atmosphere!

At the age of 14, for some reason not known to me, my parents took me to see this film. I sat in the theater so terrified by what I was seeing. I have never felt that kind of fear before. The movie had such an impact, I couldn't sleep for days and to this day, I remember every scene of that movie! Dario Argento's "Deep Red" is a horror/suspense masterpiece that delves into the mind of madness. It is an unflinching journey that keeps you twitching in your seat, not knowing what is going to happen next. Your heart pounds, you begin to sweat waiting jaggedly for the next jolt! I don't think I have ever felt such an uneasiness while watching a movie. I have seen it since and still get the goosebumps as I watch it nervously knowing now what to expect but still not wanting to see it! Gorgeous photography and Italian locations, gruesome, heart-stopping murders, mystery, atmosphere and an incredible ending make this the ultimate film in the horror/suspense category. Last, but not least, is the musical score by The Goblins. A pounding rock-like organ soundtrack that moves the film along at a breathtaking pace. The music you will definately not forget! This is a taut and suspensful murder-mystery but beware the heavily cut rental versions. Try and locate the uncut 120 minute version or at the very least the 110 minute laser disc to video version. You won't be sorry. So many unforgettable scenes will keep you talking about this one for weeks and make it a movie you will never, ever forget! A classic!

When I read peoples reviews of certain films and TV shows, I cannot help but laugh or at the very least, chuckle. Not that my opinions are better then anyone elses but at least mine are rooted in sensibility and hopefully, reality. So when I read the reviews for this movie, I was laughing out loud! So hard, my wife was wondering what movie I was watching! For any SANE, NORMAL person to even remotely compare this trash with not only a horror classic but an all around film classic like "Night Of The Living Dead", then they surely must be committed! And soon!!! CSPWDT is a decent, amateur effort but that is as far as I will go. Bad acting, bad directing, attempts at comedy that don't work, long, long, long boring stretches of inactivity make for a hair pulling event. It also makes the movie terribly difficult to watch. I will say that the last 10 or 15 minutes are good, with the dead rising and terrorizing the theater actors, but that is the whole movie! Before that happens you have to sit through about 70-75 minutes of dreck and boredom! "Night Of The Living Dead" was pure terror and pure excitement right from the get go. It pulled you in instantly and never let you go. It was 98 minutes of pure horror, excitement and a never ending trip through hopelessness and despair. Right up to the classic ending. So PLEASE, PLEASE do not listen to any comparisons between the two movies! "Night" is a pure, enduring classic while "CSPWDT" is pure trash and boredom. Avoid this one if you can and only rent it if you can get it cheap!

I read about this movie for years and looked at still pictures in horror movie books. I couldn't wait to see it. Besides, it was a Hammer Film, how could I go wrong? Well, the answer to that was simple. I went wrong by buying the movie! This was a letdown to me. Boring, drawn out and very limited in the chills department. Hammer's zombies did look good and the color photography was striking but that is about all the good I can say about the movie. Perhaps I was expecting too much and anticipating the movie to be like "Night Of The Living Dead", which it is not! "NOTLD" is far superior in every way! Maybe I am unfairly comparing it to "NOTLD", I don't know. all I know is this movie to me was very boring and one of the few misses on Hammer Films resume.

This movie has been elevated to such a high pinnacle of praise, it makes me wonder one thing. WHY??? Perhaps because it is a Mario Bava film, I don't know but it sure confuses me. I have watched this film several times trying to figure out what people see in it, and I can't! OK, it is extremely atmospheric, a Bava trademark, and the black and white photography is beautiful but that's it! To me, it was not scary, it did not raise a single goosebump and the acting is well below par even for so called Horror goddess Barbara Steele. You might want to watch it just to say you have seen this "cult masterpiece" but other then that, there is no reason to. You'll forget about it very quickly!

A true masterpiece and a perfect example of how imagination and desire can overcome a small budget in film making! "Horror Hotel", aka, "City Of The Dead" is one of my all-time favorite horror classics. Beautiful black and white photography, a stock pile of atmosphere, a literate script, terrific acting and chills galore! I have seen this gem many times, first when I was very young and caught it on the Late Show. It has had an effect on me everytime I see it. The plot seems familiar I am sure, a witches cult is operating in a small New England town but there is much more then that! From Christopher Lee to the chilling witch hunt and stake burning of the opening to the climatic battle with the coven in the graveyard. Outstanding! Mist and fog drown this small town and what strikes me most is that this entire production was studio bound!!! no location shooting, all done in a studio and it comes off without a hitch! I happen to have a copy of this film on video that I cherish. It's not a newly remastered, pristine copy. It's a copy that seems to have been copied from a television broadcast and I love it! It looks grainy, old, had pieces of hair and dirt on it and I wouldn't trade it for the world. It brings back great memories of films shown when I was young in the 60's and 70's and adds an extra dose of charm and atmosphere to the film. A true classic and one I highly recommend!

This is typical 1950's B movie fare but I think it is a few notches above the rest. Ok, the acting is a bit hammy and campy even with the talents of John Agar, John Carradine and Jean Byron. The idea of the film is unique. Aliens, invisible to humans land on earth, inhabit the bodies of the dead to take over the planet. There are some stretches of boredom as frantic scientists and military personel try and figure out a way to combat the "invisible invaders", but at certain times this movie can give off a few chills. The reason for this is because at certain times, the movie resembles "Night Of The Living Dead" some 9 years earlier. The scenes of the "invaders" rumbling around as the recently revived dead are quite effective. The dead are almost as convincing as they were in "NOTLD". They roam around seemingly with no purpose though they do have one, arms outstreched, emotionless faces with darkened eyes. Quite effective and chilling in certain areas. Rest assured this movie is not "NOTLD" and pretty much is typical B fare but it does provide glimpses of a soon to come clasic and can give you a chill or two. I'd say rent it or better yet, buy it for your collection. It's fun!

So much has been written and said about this film by Val Lewton student Jacques Tourneur that I couldn't wait to see it. What a complete letdown! Outside of Dana Andrews stoic performance, this film just reeks and is nowhere near deserving of it's status as a Horror classic! The keyword here is BOREDOM, BOREDOM and more BOREDOM! Sleep inducing dialogue, stretches of inaction that drive you to the brink of throwing the film out the window and an absolute, laughable, obviously rubber demon!!! What an incredible disappointment. Probably the biggest film disappointment I have ever had. PLEASE save your money at the video rental store and by NO means buy it! You'll be screaming for a refund! In fact, it will be the only thing to scream about with this film except for your shrieks of boredom!

Another person said it best in a previous review, "Vampyr" is a masterpiece of suggested horror with truly frightening and disturbing scenes throughout. A warning in advance. This is an extremely slow moving picture. It seems to drag and usually that really bothers me but this movie is so full of images, it makes up for it. The movie is subtitled but it hardly matters since there is so little dialogue. The movies unfolds in a strange dream-like state and stays that way throughout. Your not really sure if it is day or night. There are many memorable scenes also. The policeman sitting in his chair moments before his shadow also sits down, the infamous dream burial sequence induced by a blood transfusion and so many more! If you like wonderful images and camerawork as well as a few chills, this film is for you! Highly recommended!

After hearing about this movie for years, I was finally able to grab it on video when Anchor Bay released it. Though somewhat less than I expected, this was still an imaginative, well done little chiller. I'll spare you the plot synopsis, etc... as it has already been well covered by other reviewers but I will say a few things that I really liked about the film. ATMOSPHERE!!!! Tons of atmosphere throughout this movie. Great location scenery and a feeling of uneasiness throughout. A truly unique new villian, or villians in this case. Skeleton corpes of dead Templer Knights who track their victims through sounds because their eyes were plucked out by birds when they were executed in the 13th century. And one "gimmick" that really works for me is seeing the Templers persuing their victims, whether it be on foot or horseback or train, in slow motion. A highly effective touch to the movie. I would say, go out and rent this and maybe even buy it for your horror collection because you will be watching it more then once.

What an absolute waste of film and peoples time! Long looked upon as a cult classic with tons of noteriety, this movie fails on every count and that's even when you go in watching it knowing it is a goof and you can't take it seriously. No worthy plot to follow, bad acting-no that's being too kind, absolutely awful acting. The dark humor is so bad you don't laugh, and absolutely no chills what-so-ever! A complete waste of time. Please DO NOT rent this and by all means DO NOT buy it! You might as well throw your hard earned money in the trash! Better yet, donate it to charity! Finally, as for Lon Chaney Jr's performance? It stinks! It's so bad it is laughable but out of respect for this horror veteran, you try and hold the laughter in. If you truly want to see Chaney's best film performance then somehow find 1964's "Witchcraft". Now that's a performance! As for this drek? Bury it! QUICKLY!!!

This humble fan of Boris Karloff's Thriller will side with the great horror writer Stephen King who calls "Thriller" the scariest show ever on television. Well, I will back off a little from Mr. King as "One Step Beyond" get's my vote as scariest TV show followed by "Ghost Story/Circle Of Fear", but "Thriller" ranks right up there with the aforementioned two. It's been a while since I have scene many of these episodes as they really haven't run anywhere on TV that I has acces too. Most of my memories come from the 1970's when local station WOR-TV aired the show. Recently I saw an episode on video entitled "The Premature Burial" and man, even at age 30 plus, it scared the pants off of me and made the goosebumps rise! Erie intro by Boris Karloff, moody black and white photgraphy, creepy scripts and big name stars make this a TV gem! I cannot recall the name of this particular episode but I believe it was directed by and starred Ray Milland and it was about "Jack The Ripper". I haven't seen it in years but I still remember it from seeing it in the 70's. scary and proof positive that this show was memorable and has staying power. Highly recommended!