Two of the creatures of the night that seem to be pitted against each other in horror movies are werewolves and vampires.  This was no different back in the 1970's than it is now... Elvira and Genevieve are searching for the grave of a medieval murderess and alleged vampiress when they are stuck in the middle of nowhere.  Fortunately, Count Daninsky lives nearby in a secluded castle.  He offers to help them search for the tomb... but only because within it may lay the key to curing of his curse.  It seems the Count is an immortal werewolf ... " The Werewolf vs Vampire Women " (original title, " La Noche de Walpurgis ") is a Spanish horror film that helped to create a horror movie boom in Spain . The premise is actually one that kinda makes me shake my head.  Not because it's stupid or anything- but rather because such pairings tend to lead to a rather silly movie.  And when one stops and examines this movie, it is rather silly... or course, th...

" Terrorpolooza 2012 " brought me in contact with a couple of films made across the pond, some a bit better than others... Women have been disappearing at a small Spanish inn, and soon the sister of one of the victims begins to investigate.  Will she uncover the dark secret of their disappearance... or will she join her sister? This is a hard movie to say much about.  It's far from great, but for some reason still worth watching at least once.  The story is fairly simple, but offers enough of a skeleton to hang meat on and flesh out.  Having said that, " It Happened at Nightmare Inn " falls slightly short of a full bodied piece of work. The characters of the two sisters running the inn are interesting, but the remaining cast seems to get introduced in order to simply die.  The heroine plays an unimportant part until near the end. At least the girls looked good, even if their acting wasn't the greatest. There isn't much in the way of blood or ...

The 1950's is known for cheesy monsters, hokey action, and mad science.  It was a time when the B-movie reigned supreme, and Japan was not immune to the fun... Interstellar hero Starman comes to Earth seeking the brain of Balazar, who is planning to invade the planet with mutants specially created by his evil scientists ... This movie is actually a re-edited collection of three one hour films that were part of the Japanese series, " Super Giant ".  The original series was filmed and released in 1958, while the re-edited film was released in the United States in 1964.  The " Super Giant " series, consisted of nine short films, with the last three comprising the material used in " Evil Brain From Outer Space ".  Since the three original films weren't really connected to each other outside of the presense of Starman, the American they had to be pieced together to tell a single story- result ing what was called "a non-ending cavalcade of ch...

Quite often, foreign horror films can bring something new to a horror fan's life... and sometimes not... Valerie lived a quiet life with her mother in a small town near Amsterdam.  After her mother is killed, Valerie begins to uncover secrets about her mother's past... secrets that someone doesn't want revealed. .. " Death in the Shadows " is a Dutch film originally titled " De Prooi ," and was the " What Movie Wednesday " winner this week. The story is actually pretty solid in its premise.  It offers ample opportunity for suspense and scares.  While there are some decent moments of suspense, the scares themselves are a little off.  I did like the fact that there were some attempts at a red herring here and there.  It's nice when a suspense/thriller does what it can to keep the viewer guessing.  Too bad, they didn't balance that out by giving actual clues to the identity of the real killer Most of the characters felt like fil...

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 ...

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...

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...

In my travels through the realm of horror movies old and new, foreign and domestic, I come across one that really engages my interest, and manages to entertain me from the first shot to the last.  Such was the case during this week's " What Movie Wednesday " feature... Albert Kovac has been sent by his boss to the Hauff villa to discuss the owner's will with him.  Upon his arrival, the owner's beautiful wife reveals that he's been dead for a year.  Soon, Kovac and the owner's daughter, Corinne, are trapped in a net of horror as forces from the grave seek their vengence ... " Terror Creatures From the Grave " is a really interesting Italian horror film- originally titled, " 5 Tombe Per Un Medium ", and was inspired by the writings of Edgar Allan Poe.  Once production was completed, Director Massimo Pupillo was dissatisfied, and decided that Producer Ralph Zucker should take credit... even though Zucker did no directing whatsoever i...

Western culture and Eastern culture.  Belief and disbelief.  The living and the dead.  These are often some of the themes used in the entertainment industry.  Sometimes to educate us, sometimes to amuse us... and sometimes to scare us. Melissa and Yul have gone to Hong Kong for their honeymoon, taking part in the "Hungry Ghost" festival.  They learn that it believed that only by offering a living animal will the dead be appeased when they roam during the full moon of the seventh lunar month.  This is a lesson that may just cost them their lives... and their souls... " Seventh Moon " was directed by Eduardo Sanchez- who brought us " The Blair Witch Project ".  While I wasn't too keen on that movie, I was happier with this outing.  While there is still some disorienting camera wobbling and spinning, it is at a more tolerable level in this movie. In fact, there is some pretty decent camera work done in this movie.  One particular scene th...

As part of my new series- called, " What Movie Wednesday ," people who follow me on Facebook and Twitter got the chance to tell me what movie to watch and review.  The people chose the Spanish made 1969 film, " The House That Screamed "... A young woman arrives at a French boarding school, and discovers a world ruled by a strict, uncompromising Headmistress, and a small clique of her "enforcers".  Mixed into this world is a the Headmistress' charming son, rebellious girls, and a dark figure stalking all of them one by one... When I come across foreign films, my interest is always piqued, and " The House That Screamed " certainly piqued mine.  This Spanish film was originally released under the name, " La Residencia "- with the English release being called, " The Boarding School ," and " The House That Screamed ". This film had a very gothic, moody, feel that reminded me heavily of the Hammer horror films ...

In this era of vampire soap operas (ie- " The Vampire Diaries "), and emo teen vampires (ie- " The Twilight Saga "), it's nice to see that at least the werewolves still tend to be pretty bad ass. Private Cooper and his squad are on a training exercise when they come across another squad that's been brutually slaughtered.  The lone surivivor- a Captain Ryan, hints that there was a secret agenda to the exercise as the group flees from a vicious attack. Soon, they're stuck in a cabin with a zoologist name Megan, as they're stalked one by one by werewolves... " Dog Soldiers ," simply put is a fun film to watch. There is some excellent camera work and shots in this film.  One of the best shots is when three werewolves show up behind Megan.  The lighting and the use of shadow made the shot just gorgeous to look at.  During the action scenes, there are some fabulous camera angles and movement that really helped to create a sense of urgenc...

As a horror fan, I love when a movie incorporates history into its story. Gregoire de Fronsac and his Iroquois partner Mani are sent to the french province of Gevaudan to hunt and capture a beast that has been attacking people.  During his investigations, Fronsac meets Marianne and the mysterious Sylvia.  As clues start to gather and Fronsac gets closer to learning the truth, he and his friends find themselves trapped in the clutches of a conspiracy that could shake the foundations of the nation... " Brotherhood of the Wolf " centers around a very famous and very real "beast" case from France.  Between 1764 to about 1767, a series of attacks by some beast were recorded around the very real province of Gevaudan.  By the end of the creature's reign, 113 people were killed, and 49 injured.  Many claim that it was a pack of wolves, a hyena... and even that Jean Chastel- who is famed as the slayer of the Beast of Gevaudan, WAS the beast. I'm not normall...