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Showing posts from June, 2012

The Witches Mountain (1972)

Most movies TRY to make sense, while others come nowhere CLOSE to it... After breaking up with his girlfriend, Mario is sent on an assignment to take nature pictures in a remote mountain range.  When he meets the lovely Delia, the two find themselves entangled in a web of strange occurances, mysterious figures, and terrifying secrets centered around an old abandoned village ... This week, there were TWO winners during the " What Movie Wednesday " feature.  " The Witches Mountain " is the first of two movies that I watched, and will be reviewing. " The Witches Mountain " is a Spanish horror movie- originally titled, " El Monte de las Brujas ," that starts out interestingly enough... but quickly becomes confused and annoying. The premise isn't bad: an abandoned village house a coven of witches is discovered by a couple traveling.  The way the story is told, however, is rather disjointed and dull.  There isn't much logic from one

Horror Rises From the Tomb (1973)

Cheesy exploitation horror films can be fun when done right.  Unfortunately, not every cheesy exploitation horror film is done right... Centuries after a Warlock and his wife are beheaded, a group of friends finds the Warlock's head... and people start dying. .. " Horror Rises From the Tomb " is a Spanish horror film that lacks a lot of sense... and is more laughable than scary. The premise of a warlock coming back to life is an interesting one, but the actual storyline is lackluster, and full of holes.  I was often left scratching my head at some of the illogical events that occur in the movie.  One of the biggest holes in the film's logic is that the Warlock's head is buried on the same property as his body... which itself is buried in a marked tomb next to his wife.  This despite the fact that he was executed for witchcraft, and the executioners supposedly didn't want to make it easy to find his body.  Epic fail on the part of the executioners in my

Grave Questions: Brooke Lewis

When you're in the "business" of reviewing movies, you come across people in the industry that cover a wide spectrum of roles- from script writers, to producers, to directors, and performers.  Such was the case when my friend's over at " We Came From the Basement " interviewed a lovely lady by the name of Brooke Lewis several months ago.  While tweeting for their radio show that featured the interview, I got to talk a bit with Brooke via Twitter. As the photo at the top of this article shows quite nicely, Brooke is a beautiful woman- but she is much more than just a pretty face.  In addition to acting, she is also a producer (through her company Philly Chick Pictures), writer, and director in her own right.  She has also released at least one dance hit, has won numerous Scream Queen awards, and stars in her own web series as Ms. Vampy. Now, why would such a talented woman agree to answer my " Grave Questions "?  Because she's a brave per

The Embalmer (1965)

Sometimes, imported horror films are great... other times, not so great. Andrea is an Italian reporter investigating the disappearances of several girls in the city of Venice.  While trying to convince the police that the incidents are connected, Andrea soon finds himself in a race to save his new girlfriend, Maureen ... " The Embalmer " is a low budget Italian horror film (originally titled " Il Monstro di Venezia "), and it really shows. The premise is interesting and has the potential to support some real tense and creep moments, but this movie fails to come anywhere near fulfilling that potential.  The story is rather slow, with an all too easy to see solution, answered questions that could have made the story solid, and a rather depressing ending.  There are no real surprises or scares in the story.  The scenes of tourists sightseeing, and the scene with the Italian Elvis impersonator only helped to bog the movie down rather than movie it forward. Th

Crucible of Horror (1970)

I enjoy psychological thrillers as they can be more suspenseful and creepier than most slasher films. Edith and Jane Eastwood are tired of their mistreatment at the hands of the abusive patriarch of the family, Walter.  The two concoct a plan to murder him and make it look like an accident.  Too bad something goes wrong when the body disappears. .. The premise is one that's been done in many thrillers... and even in real life.  It's not wholly original, but there is potential for some great psychological unease.  Unfortunately, it doesn't really fulfill that potential, despite a couple of really nice twists.  I would have to say the biggest flaw is the pace.  The build up is really slow before you get to the actual murder- at which point, there really isn't enough time to give us the creeps properly.  Shortly after the body disappears, I was able to figure out how it was going to end after two shots clued me in.  This, unfortunately, took away from the ending'

Oops!

I made a bit of a mistake in my post yesterday when I reviewed " The Legend of Lucy Keyes ".  It's an error I'd like to take this opportunity to correct. Normally, at the bottom of my " What Movie Wednesday " feature reviews, I include a Shout Out to the people that voted for the featured movie.  Unfortunately, this week, I forgot to do so. So, better late than never, here are my Shout Outs to those that voted for " The Legend of Lucy Keyes "! Special Shoutout : I want to thank everyone that participated in my " What Movie Wednesday " feature Big thank you to the following people who voted for " The Legend of Lucy Keyes ": Redfeather Freeman; Jenny Deol; Shawn (from " We Came From the Basement "); Ricky Russel; Zoey Emily Onyx; Jason Wiggins; Tony Goodner; Maria Esparza; Loralee Judge Elgene Mang-Gyver Tiamzon; and @GeorgeTurner15 I also want to take this opportunity to announce that "