Dead of Night (1977) – DVD Review

Once in awhile a horror anthology offers something different then a straight, feature-length film. This time I checked out Dead of Night. Well, it’s a rather mixed bag, bringing together several different styles of story-telling (one that’s not horror as much as fantasy) and doesn’t even bother trying to tie them together (like, say, Tales from the Crypt).

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Madhouse (1981) – DVD Review

Many times I’ve spoken about the giallo film, and how entertaining they can be to watch. Be it from Argento, Bava, Martino or any of the myriad of other directors who have entertained us fans through the years, there’s many things that tend to stand out in these sorts of films. The mystery, the motive, the unknown murderer and hot women are pretty much staples (though they’re not all always there), but, as with any genre, you’ll be sure to come across a few hybrids that try to mix outside styles with the staples of what works so well within the genres boundaries. Sometimes they’re horrible. Sometimes they’re very good. Madhouse, aka There Was a Little Girl, falls somewhere in the middle.

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Psychic Killer (1975) – DVD Review

Killers that use their minds instead of their bodies (and an assortment of weapons) are always the scarier (In my opinion) characters in films. They can do the most horrible things you’ve ever imagined, but they don’t have to actually be there. Of course this makes it rather difficult for the police as they try to deduce how random, seemingly unrelated victims meet tragic ends, without any way for a killer to get near them. More often then not, the murders are still rather generic, and the story crawls along as the killer seeks vengeance, or just a good time, while never really placing themselves in any jeopardy. Psychic Killer falls into this sub-genre , and gives the audience everything it could hope for in a low budget horror venture.

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Re-Cycle (2006) – DVD Review

Certain films do not come fast enough to the US shores, and when they do, we get them in the form of crappy remakes. Somehow Re-Cycle slipped through the cracks, and for this I’m thankful. Actually, I’d heard about this film awhile ago and imported a copy several months ago, and have watched it several times. Finally, Image has released the film in a region 1 format so all of us can finally enjoy what I consider the best Pang Bros. film since The Eye. Re-Cycle deserves all the hype it gets, and is one of the only Horror/Fantasy films that actually works. The Pang Bros. have put together a beautiful film while crafting an excellent story.

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