Video Nasty : The Driller Killer (1979)

One of the most infamous nasties, much because of the nifty cover art, which sent religious fanatics, hysterical crusaders of moral issues, and frustrated housewives alike into a frenzy. Now, this one must be REALLY sick with a cover like that, right?



Plot:

Reno is a confused artist who's about to face some hard times, and become a deranged, then crazy, then homicidal artist. He can't pay the rent, a really bad Punk band messes up his consentration to say the least, he has a fucked up love and social life, and his paintings?..well, they suck. Then he finds a new friend...an electric power drill, and goes on a rampage removing what...ahem..WHO ever is bothering him.



What's good?:

Abel Ferrara does a decent job directing this, but a better job starring as Reno. The style of the film is very 70's underground New York, and portraits it as a place you would never wanna live. The various characters underlines that as we are talking about some of the utmost human trash. The climax of the film is the infamous power drill through the head which is well made and bloody as hell.



What's bad?:

Slow pacing to the extreme which makes this a very boring 90 minutes. You sit and wait for the power drill scene from the cover, suffering through the deranged painters problems that you don't give a shit about, actually you'll catch yourself thinkin' you hope he puts that drill right through his own forehead rather sooner than later. In addition we have to suffer through the music from the incredibly bad Punk band, and get familiar with characters which is the kind of people we would like to keep at a good distance in real life, and wouldn't dream of dating any of the girls in the movie...well, unless you're on smack.

The Verdict:

Worth it only for the power drill scene which is what got it banned, but it could've been released with that scene cut out with no problems with the censors, but who would wanna watch this mess without that scene? To some degree it's also interesting to get a glimpse at New York during the time at it's most trashy, but that becomes dull after about ten minutes of it. All in all not a good start for actor and director Ferrara. I suggest you see the drill scene on Youtube, and forget about the rest of the movie, unless, you like me, is a Video Nasty completist. I got bored just thinking about having to review this movie, and guess what. Now, I'm done!..YES! :)



Rating:

2 (out of 6)

Video Nasty : The Ghastly Ones (1968)

One of the oldest entries on the banned list is Porn director Andy Milligan's The Ghastly Ones aka Blood Rites. The media warned to be aware of any title including Cannibal, Zombie, Savage, and Blood cause they were all potential nasties. Now, how do Porn directors usually do when they attempt to make a movie in a different genre?



Plot:

Some couples needs to spend the night at a mansion according to a will. Once there, they get killed off one by one. Whodunit?

What's good?:

Not much! There's some fairly bloody killings. A killer in a cloak and hood is hiding in the cellar and kills with a hayfork, a butcher knife, and a saw, and the family retard eats live rabbits. The music is orchestral and quite good, but I'm guessing that with the budget Milligan had at hand it's library music.



What's bad?:

Just about everything, as this falls into the so bad it's really bad category. The director can to some extent direct but still fails, much because the actors shouldn't be allowed to "act". I could care less about the whodunit plot, and I'm a big fan of whodunit's. A scene in the cellar when the killer "hides" from his prey is so stupid the victim must've been deaf, dumb, blind, and retarded. That however is nothing compared to the very ending which is so bad you will actually laugh cause it is possibly the most stupid line to end a movie ever!



The Verdict:

Only worth seeing for the gore scenes. They are quite bloody, disgusting, and well carried out. The rest is worthless, and it's boring and very amateurish. It takes about 55 minutes for something to really happen, besides the beginning, and when a movie is about 70 minutes long that should say a lot! Don't bother unless you have to see all the Nasties. However, the killings are not bad, so instead of a zero, it will be a...



Rating:

1 (out of 6)

Video Nasty : The House By The Cemetery (1981)

Next to Dario Argento, and Roman Polanski, Lucio Fulci is my favorite director, and this is one of his better films. Why it became a Nasty, and a banned one at that, is really out of my reach as other of his titles such as "Gates Of Hell", "The Beyond", not to mention "New York Ripper" has more of the red stuff, and the nasty stuff than..



Plot:

Lucy Boyle, and her son Bob moves into a new house, although new is an overstatement. Instead it would be correct to say it's very old, and very haunted. Bob soon finds himself a playmate in a little girl whom he saw inside a picture of the house before they moved in, alas..yes you're right..she's a ghost, but worse horrors is ahead as Lucy finds out there is a very real and very evil demon in the basement, and he wants to kill!



What's good?:

This starts off lovely with the scene from the pic right above, which might have had to do with it becoming banned as it is one of the nastier scenes, and signalises that "What do you do to make a woman stfu??..You stab her through the back of her head all the way through her mouth of course!"

This is one of Fulci's better films, and one of the about ten films he directed in his prime, that is the 70's and early 80's. The style is very Fulci which is something you'll recognize right away if you're familiar with his movies. He probably has the best and most creepy settings in Horror movie history, and was a master of extreme closeups to enhance the suspense.

The mood of the film is excitingly eerie, and yes this is definitely a haunted house flick with more than just a slight scare or two.

Excellent synth driven soundtrack by Walter Rizatti, the way only the Italians could do it.

Gore? There's plenty. The above mentioned stabbing, and the demon in the cellar offs various people in gruesome ways which Fulci of course turned into ultra bloody long sequences.



What's not?:

The film seems to drag on and get a little boring in places, and neither is it as fascinating and violent as his other early 80's ventures. The ending is also a little rushed, and could've been a lot better. I have plenty of ideas how it should've been ending, but I'll keep that to myself for now.

The Verdict:

A nice one from Fulci, quite scary, and pretty infamous back in the days for the knifing through the head scene. Still, it doesn't come close to some of his best films, and so..

Rating:

4 (out of 6)

Video Nasty : The House On The Edge Of The Park (1980)

I've had the pleasure of chatting quite a lot with Italian actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice aka John Morghen on the internet lately, and I've met quite a few celebs in my time, but no one who has as much love for his fans as Johnny, so this review is dedicated to him, and his great acting skills. In the grand tradition of the rape/revenge flicks I bring you...



Plot:

The film starts with a girl being sadistically raped and killed, and as we look closer we find that our old friend David Hess is the killer. To a mellow tune called "Sweetly oh sweetly" we witness Hess doing what he does best (on film) with no mercy. That first scene alone will make you question yourself if you are normal watching these kind of films.

Cut to Alex(Hess), and Ricky(Morghen)'s garage where a snob is getting his car fixed, and happens to make the fatal mistake of inviting the wicked Alex and the slightly retarded Ricky to a party at his house. Everything is peaches and cream until they get to the house, where the two evil villains starts showing their true nature as soon as there's women on the screen, and that means sex, violence, torture, humiliation, and rape.



What's good?:

The director Ruggero Deodato is most known for his jungle chunkblower "Cannibal Holocaust" which controversy also just about ruined his career, but he did manage to put this little gem out the year after CH, possibly because it took some time for the CH hysteria to catch on. This is also his best film after CH, and shows how great and versatile of a director he is. The setting and mood is perfect for the story..dark and very 70's including dancing to some wonderful Disco tunes provided by master composer Riz Ortolani, especially "Much More" which is a fantastic Funky Disco gem that will rock any dancefloor even now.



With David Hess as the villain it's impossible to lose, and when you add the other great character of Italian exploitation cinema John Morghen you got your dream team lineup for a good..uh...EVIL time. It's much of the same kinda character Hess played in LHOTL, but this one maybe even a little more sadistic and cruel.

The shock value here consists of a lot of sexual violence that the girls seems to enjoy to some degree, which is what made this a very dangerous film to the censors I believe. Especially when the under aged virgin Cindy appears, and is degraded in the worst possible way by Hess, including undressing her, then slicing her slowly with a razor.



What's not?:

It's another one that goes a little too far, and that's not really a bad thing, but once again you feel sick and dirty after watching it, and will feel the urge to take a shower, and maybe even quit watching Horror movies. That's not really a bad thing as films that challenges the viewer in that way takes a master director and a great cast, and crew to make.



The Verdict:

This unique and stylish, but extremely brutal film is a must have in any Horror fan's collection. It's Italian, it's demented and cruel, the directing and acting is incredible, so is the music, and it challenges the viewer to be able to continue watching it, or "should I turn it off". The portrayed to be under aged Cindy is very questionable, and if you don't react with disgust on how she's treated then you have no feelings. Few movies are as good at exactly that..contracting feelings...as this one. EVIL all the way, and the best rape/revenge film ever made.



Rating:

5 (out of 6)

Video Nasty : The Last House On The Left (1972)

Let's get into one of the real ugly Nasties. If it wasn't already well known, then who would've thought that the man behind great, but safe, movies such as "Scream" and "A Nightmare On Elm Street" was able to make something like this to literally kick start his career.



Plot:

Mari and Phyllis from the suburbs are ready for some adventure in the big city, and after much time spent trying to get their parents to give in, they do. Off they are to see their favorite band "Bloodlust", but, as they're almost home, little do they know there's some extremely cruel villains waiting in the wings with a different kind of bloodlust of their own. The escaped Krug (David Hess), and his demented gang of girlfriend, friend, and little brother are about hoping to find some teenage girls to rape and murder, and on this night it's their lucky day. They kidnap poor Mari and Phyllis, and submit them to some, if not the, most degrading, sexually perverted, and sadistically violent treatment ever on celluloid. Will the girls escape? Well, no..they die, but then a very unexpected twist comes along.



What's Good?:

First of all David Hess. He is the most perfect and sickest villain in the history of the Horror movies, and although he is known as a real nice guy off-screen, in these movies he is so believable that it wouldn't surprise me if he's recieved threats on the street from people after they've seen his movies. As far as perfect casting goes it doesn't get any better than Hess as the bad guy. He's also quite a good songwriter, and does most of the soundtrack in this movie, which is very Country and Western inspired, but at the same time there's something eerie and insane about Hess' songs which are perfect for the overall mood here. "And The Road Leads To Nowhere". Indeed!



Wes Craven did a fine job directing this, and it's his best film to most hardcore Horror fanatics, and the reasons are of course the violence, torture, rape, murder, and so on and so on. We find out real early on that the poor girls don't have a chance to survive because the villains in this flick has no, and I mean NO mercy!

The best thing about the film however is the mood it creates, and the feeling it leaves you with after seeing it. While it goes on you will not be sure if you're going to be able to take it, and if you do there's the "reward" of feeling like you need to take a shower after seeing it, because it's one of those few gems that makes you feel sick and dirty for having watched it.

The revenge twist is also great, and you'll be rooting for the parents as the villains gets what they deserve to the max.



What's Not?:

This is a perfect rape/revenge film, and it's so good at what it sets out to do that there is no flaws. The only thing is it might be a bit too much to get through, so this is by no means suited for Sunday afternoon family entertainment. Also, women beware! I've never met a female who hasn't been highly sickened, shocked, and offended by this one, and that's real talk.



The Verdict:

This is what a true Video Nasty is all about, and is one that deserved to be one. There are plenty of more violent, gory, and bloody flicks out there, but the way you feel when and after seeing this is matched by very few. It's tagline "Keep repeating it's only a movie" might be needed for the viewers, but fact is it isn't only a movie, because this type of stuff, and worse, happens somewhere in the world every day, and that adds even more to the Horror that's already there. A film where the victims have no chance of survival, and the villains show absolutely no mercy or remorse is a realistic and ultimate nightmare. Top notch, but hard to watch, so...



Rating:
5 (out of 6)

Video Nasty : The Werewolf And The Yeti (1977)

It's a full moon right now, so what better than to review a film about one of those guys who goes Oooooooooo when it's that time of the month, and conviniently enough there's a Video Nasty featuring one of those fellas.



Plot:

Waldemar and company goes on a quest to the snowy mountains of Nepal to find a Yeti aka an Abominable Snowman, after having seen a picture of one, showed to him by his Professor friend who not only wants to explore the Yeti, but also capture it. The Nepal locals warn about more than the Yeti. It also happens there's some kinda Demons lurking in the area. Our friends ignores all warnings, and sets out for the mountains to be killed. Waldemar happens to get lost, and finds a cave, only to be captured by two cannibalistic nymphets who, after they tire of having Waldemar as a sex toy, transforms him into a werewolf. Now with a werewolf AND a Yeti loose in the hills, surely the fun, and the killing, will begin?



What's good?:

The plot is quite cool, the direction and acting is not bad, the music fits the moods and ranges from noisy orchestral to vintage synth, and easy listening, fx and makeup are quite funny but not bad, and there's plenty of violence like man impaled on a stake, slow slashings slicing and dicing away on human skin, sexual violence, and attempted rape. Demonic curses, and frantic werewolf attacks.



What's not?:

The editing seems rushed in places but maybe I have a cut version since mine runs at 84 minutes, and the imdb says it's supposed to be 94, but maybe that's an error because my copy seems to have plenty of violence and gore, and if there's more, well then that's quite intriguing. It's a pretty average Horror flick, not bad but not that good either, and the side plot of fighting a tribe could have been cut down if not out as it seems very out of place, and ruins the potentially scary mood of the rest of the film. And what about the Yeti? He arrives only towards the end of the film in due time for a bloody showdown with the werewolf.



The verdict:

This is the first and only Paul Naschy film I've seen, and it doesn't make me wanna rush out to get the rest of his catalog, but never the less it's easy to see why he's a legendary Horror film maker, that he's a professional who knows his trade well, and one of Spain's best genre directors.



Why this became a Video Nasty I can partly understand because it has a little grim sexual violence and some cannibalism to boot, and those were the main things to get a film banned since the anti Video violence crusaders were mostly feminists who could've used a bit of s&m induced sex every now and then to calm them down. It's strange that it stayed on the banned list, and wasn't released in a cut version instead but I guess the cannibalistic sex and degrading of women put a stop to that, but hey..IT'S ONLY A MOVIE! Pretty hard to get nowadays so if you see a copy on VHS grab it right away because this is a nice addition to any Horror, and Video Nasty, collection.



Rating:

3 (out of 6)

Video Nasty : Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)

So, how do I review a movie that's been reviewed a billion times on and offline, without it becoming a boring read. Well, I don't know, but I'll give it a shot.

Zombie Flesh Eaters is one of the most infamous Video Nasties, and is special in a few ways compared to the other ones. It's one of the very few Nasties that has no sexual violence,which seemed to be the main reason why most of them was banned. It has however enough of the other criteria, which is Cannibalism.

Originally planned to cash in on the success of Dawn Of The Dead aka Zombie, the producers named this project Zombie 2. They wanted Enzo G. Castellari to direct it first, but since he was too busy or unwilling, they turned to Lucio Fulci, a very talented director of anything from Western to Giallis in Italian cinema, who they figured would do a good job since he had included quite a lot of rough violence in some of his earlier films. With Lucio running things the movie became quite different from what the Producers had planned, but never the less was and is a big commercial success to this day.



Plot:

A ship arrives in New York, and the Police soon finds out the very hard way that there's a Zombie starving for human flesh aboard. the Police manages to shoot the Zombie so that he falls overboard, but did they shoot it in the head?

The daughter of the boat owner, Anne Bowles, played by Mia Farrows younger sister Tisa, and a reporter, rents a boat to take them to the tropical island Anne's late dad was working at to try and find out what's going on. At the island it's getting increasingly ugly as there seems to be more and more Zombies appearing, and we know how easy it is to become a Zombie, you only have to be bitten by one to become one.
Our heroes soon find out that the way to get rid of Zombies is to shoot or strike them in the head, and once they know that they will make it off the island alive, right?



What's good?:

Plenty of nasty gore scenes. Eyeball violence, Zombie eating shark as opposed to the other way around, loads of bloody gunshots to the head and body, tearing, carving, and eating intestines and flesh. Intriguing plot about how Zombies first came about possibly due to some kind of Voodoo curse. Good acting, and great direction. Excellent soundtrack by Fabio Frizzi. The rising of the zombies from their graves is one of the best and most classic scenes in Horror movie history.



What's Not?:

I have a hard time finding something that's not in this one. It's been criticized by some for it's slow pacing though.



The Verdict:

This film isn't really about Video violence gross out at all, but about the start of the Apocalypse as written in the book of revelations, "The dead shall walk the earth..", and so forth. A lot of people, including yours truly, got introduced to Lucio Fulci, and Italian Horror as a whole, through this movie, and it is arguably the best Zombie flick of all time. Fulci's style is full of beautifully grotesque images that shows no mercy but shows the viewer dead in the face all it's gruesome details no matter how intense. Compared to it's American counterparts this film is rather slow moving but that fits the plot perfectly, and makes the shocks way more intense when they do happen, as opposed to what a faster paced movie would. Frizzi's synthesized soundtrack is also perfect, and enhances the feeling of it being a story about the start of Armageddon, something which we know it is as we see the Zombies invade New York. Yes, I guess the Zombie on the boat didn't get shot through the head after all. It's good there never was a sequel because the ending is perfect and it leaves the viewer to think about what it would actually be like if this would happen for real. One of the best movies of the Video Nasties, and although it has quite a lot of violence and gore I think the censors totally overlooked the message behind the film, and the quality of it as a work of art. This is one of those rare films that gets better with every viewing, but the lack of budget, and a few shortcomings on the acting side of things, keeps it from being among the very best of the Horror genre. that said it is DAMN close, so..



Rating:
5 (out of 6)