I'm running behind. Guess I'm gonna have to put in some work this weekend to get caught back up. That doesn't mean I haven't watched anything though...
The Body SnatcherIn a nod to the unethical medical experiments which were happening during World War II, this gothic tale covers a young medical student who discovers the doctor he is studying under has a ghoulish means of acquiring bodies: a carriage driver brings him stolen corpses, or possibly even commits murder to acquire them. What the young student doesn't know is that the driver also knows the doctor's darkest secret.
Murder, betrayal, loathing, and blackmail are all part of another Val Lewton-produced classic, though this time Lewton worked with a different director, and it shows. The dreamlike quality of Lewton's other films isn't present here; instead, we have the acting talents of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in the last time they would ever appear in a film together. Karloff is especially good here; it's worth watching just for his cunning eyes and wicked smile.
A Bay of BloodMario Bava's work was highly influential in reshaping Italian cinema, creating the giallo, and here giving a precursor for what would become the proper slasher film. Many of the elements that slashers are known for are found here, though it's not fully formed, so focusing on the exact tropes can get you in trouble. A Bay of Blood is more like a stepping stone between the giallo and the slasher, so while it's heavy on the gore, it misses steps and feels disjointed. The ending is both cruel and disturbingly satisfying though.
Basically there is a bay, and quite a few folks are interested in who is going to inherit the land around it, be it for development or to keep its natural beauty. But who is actually murdering the people around the bay? There are a lot of twists and turns here, almost to the point of ridiculousness. That said, Friday the 13th Part 2 lifted two whole murder scenes, and the body count is quite high. Do you want to see a lot of folks get killed? Well, here you go.
Kill, Baby, KillThis movie has been highly praised for its visual style, and it's often lauded as Mario Bava's greatest work. The gothic atmosphere is beautifully atmospheric, if a little heavy on the cobwebs, and the plot of a doctor sent to a remote village to perform an autopsy only to find out firsthand about the village's curse is so well put together that it made me want to rip it off verbatim. Seriously, that town is creepy in all the best ways...even if the cobwebs are a bit much.
Superstition meets science in Kill, Baby, Kill, but while superstition wins the day, the calm and collected mind of the doctor is what makes him the hero. It's a classic warning, where the brilliant skeptic is forced to confront his skepticism and the inability of science to always provide an immediate explanation, while those that manipulate supernatural powers instead find themselves consumed by those powers. Fear, sacrifice, torture, suicide, and a creepy little girl watching you from the window are all pieces of the puzzle. This movie is amazing.
Leprechaun 2This movie is not amazing. In fact, it's quite dumb, and I don't really have much kind to say about it. The plot has some ridiculously huge holes, the leprechaun's kills are just bizarre, and the constant rhymes he has to spout get old quick. That said, Warwick Davis was obviously having fun, so who am I to complain? I find these movies are best watched specifically to see him goof off more than anything else.
Dark WaterThis is what boredom looks like. Dark Water came from the 2000s obsession with remaking Japanese horror films for the American movie audience, but unfortunately this one is more an exercise in tedium than anything else. What was meant to be a dark and dread-inspiring atmosphere instead only feels drab and dull. Every now and again the film tries for a jump scare, but even these feel at most half-assed. And then there are the plot lines, where interesting side characters appear, and then the film does nothing with them. Why is Tim Roth lying about having a family? Who was that lady at work? How scummy is John C. Reilly? We'll never get to know.
The sad thing is, at times there are things here which could have made for an interesting tale, but it never seems to go anywhere. I feel more let down by this movie than anything else. The production is well done, the cast is excellent, but I guess the script just couldn't keep it together. I'm curious about the Japanese original though.
... roughly 65 years ago. I hate to even bring that up because I don't want to dramatize his death and what it cost my Mom's family. While not a definitive ghost photo... it is creepy. My wife doesn't even like talking about it. She watched me attempting to clean it off with no luck. In real life, the face was more detailed. You could see the outline of teeth, similar to how they look in a X-Ray. It slightly shows in the photos. This is the first time I've shared this...
), and was scared it'd be one of those, but if it's recommended I'll give it a go.