Shameless Self Expression

Set in Greece, Irish priest Donald Pleasence and a bunch of students uncover a Satanic cult that worships a talking statue of a minotaur. Peter Cushing plays the cult leader, while Costa Skouras (aka Kostas Karagiorgis) is Pleasence’s P.I. friend who helps him out.   Also known under the more generic but more accurate title “The Devil’s Men” . Apparently Donald Pleasence was originally cast as the villain in this 1976 horror pic but wanted to change things up and play the hero. As directed by Kostas Karagiannis (seemingly his only non-Greek film) and scripted by Arthur Rowe ( “The Magnificent Seven Ride!” and a lot of TV), he probably should’ve passed on the film altogether because it’s a pretty dopey affair. It might not be as bad as its reputation, but that may be because I’ve seen a lot of films that are even worse . There’s a moment or two that isn’t too bad, but a long, long way from being good.   Director Karagiannis has an annoying thing for Franco-esque zoom l...

Jasen Fisher is Luke, whose grandmother Helga (Mai Zetterling) tells him bedtime tales of witches, who she claims are very real. While staying at a hotel in England, Luke unwittingly discovers a coven of witches having an annual meeting, led by The Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston). Luke overhears them discussing a plan to turn the world’s children into mice by poisoning chocolates and lollies! Rowan Atkinson is the unpleasant hotel owner, while Jane Horrocks plays Miss Irvine, a witch and secretary to The Grand High Witch. Charlie Potter plays the gluttonous Bruno, with Bill Paterson and Brenda Blethyn as his ghastly parents.   Director Nicolas Roeg (the haunting horror-mystery “Don’t Look Now” ) and screenwriter Allan Scott (ditto) do a pretty damn good job of adapting the sometimes gleefully nasty Roald Dahl novel in this 1990 film version. I tend to think Dahl’s blend of child fantasy and darkly amusing grotesquery fares better in book form, but I liked this as a 10 year-o...

AKA “Night Creatures” . Set in the late 1700s, Captain Collier (Patrick Allen) leads a motley crew of Royal Navy men appointed by the crown to investigate the supposed smuggling activities going on in the small coastal town of Dymchurch. The locals believe that the ghosts of the supposedly dead Clegg and his crew haunt the town at night, but Captain Collier has no time for such superstitious nonsense. Peter Cushing plays the Reverend Dr. Blyss, a nerdy, mild-mannered and pious town elder. Other townsfolk are played by the likes of Martin Benson, Jack MacGowran, Yvonne Romain, Oliver Reed, and Michael Ripper as a ghoulish-looking undertaker. David Lodge plays one of Collier’s nastier crewmen, and the seemingly always elderly Sydney Bromley meets a foul end early in the film. Milton Reid plays a hulking mute who was once abandoned by Captain Clegg.   Easily Hammer’s best pirate film, this creepy, atmospheric 1962 film from Peter Graham Scott ( “The Cracksman” , “Mister Ten Per Ce...

The Earth was essentially destroyed by nuclear war. In the post-apocalyptic landscape ruled harshly by The Omega and its sadistic leader Prosser (Donald Pleasence) one man – yes ONE MAN – takes a stand against tyranny. He is The Rider (Robert Ginty), so named because…well, he rides a bike I guess. Persis Khambatta turns up as the daughter of a rebel movement who seeks The Rider for urgent help. Fred Williamson plays an aide to the rebel leader.   Another Italian-made post-apocalyptic exploitation flick, this 1984 film coming from American writer-director David Worth (Director of “Kickboxer” ). In addition to the usual “Mad Max II” vibes, the major aesthetic influence here appears to be Just Jaeckin’s wacky and kinky but uneven “Gwendoline” . Either that or “Gwendoline” took inspiration from this film, as I believe both films came out the same year. At any rate, they’re both on about the same level of quality, which is to say it’s not quite able to be recommended but it sure ...