13 Ghosts (1960) Horror Ghosts

13 Ghosts (1960) - Producer showman William Castle brings us this simple but interesting tale of a family who move into a haunted house and get more than they expected. Supernatural and human threats create an entertaining film for all ages. Castle coming off his hit "The Tingler" more noted for its audience surprise than the story,  hired writer Robb White who also wrote "The Tingler (1959) and   "House on Haunted Hill (1958)" to pen the script. Never famous as a screenwriter it should be noted that he was a prolific writer of adventure novels from the mid 1930s until the late 70s and his novel "Deathwatch (1972)" is currently being turned into a film starring Michael Douglas called "The Reach (2014)" Castle, a man who brought the theater gimmick into popularity continued that trend in this film. Using color optics to create a viewer with a red and blue screen in it he added a way for the audience to filter out the ghosts if they found them too scary. Using the simple science of 3D at the time he created a gimmick in this interactive movie. Each time a ghost comes on screen there is a warning to the audience who can look into the blue or red side of their viewers to either see the ghosts or screen them out. You have to wonder who those few viewers were who went to see this film and chose not to see the 13 ghosts of the title.
  The cast has some interesting professionals starring child actor Charles Herbert. Martin Milner a movie and  television veteran playing a bad guy which was out of character for most of his roles. Margaret Hamilton most famous for playing Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West in the classic "The Wizard of Oz (1939)" gets to play at being a witch here also. A long career of over a hundred credits and in this film 21 years after her iconic role, she is making witch jokes to a child actor in a B grade horror film. It's a strange film that way with veteran actors who could be the top of the bill being thrown into what can only be seen as a pedestrian film.  Donald Woods an actor with over 130 credits is billed fifth in this movie.
  The story is about the Zorba family a down and out family who think they have had some unfortunate luck by inheriting the house of Cyrus's uncle Dr. Plato Zorba. Little do they know the house is haunted with 12 ghosts and those ghosts can not be freed until they are joined by a thirteenth. Mixed in is the subplot of the murderous lawyer who will stop at nothing to find the hidden money in the haunted house.
  Since an original viewer is not in the vaults of Soresport Movies an old pair of 3D glasses will have to be substituted. Opening with William Castle introducing the Illusion-O we move right into the Zorba family situation. It is a sad set up with Hilda (Rosemary DeCamp) calling her husband at work to say that their furniture is being repossessed. Even sadder is young buck asking his Mother "Why do they always take our furniture?" her reply "Because your Father is a wonderful man but just forgetful." It implies that that Cyrus (Donald Woods) is just not a very focused provider. Still the family makes the best of  Buck's birthday where he wishes he had a house with furniture that nobody can take away from them. Heart breaking but there is the added feature of a strange supernatural wind and at that moment a telegram informing him of the meeting where he inherits the furnished house. Unfortunately the story is his old uncle collected ghosts and now they come with the house. Cyrus also inherits a viewer so he can see the ghosts. So with the two kids young Buck (Charles Herbert) and teen daughter Medea (Jo Morrow) the couple move right in to find that the house comes with a housekeeper Elaine Zacharides (Margaret Hamilton) and a nosy lawyer Ben Rush (Martin Milner) around we get to see the supernatural end of the story quickly become apparent.
The majority of the film is ghosts, and there are plenty to get to. It drives the question of whether or not the family should stay. A tough question for a father protecting his family. It is obvious there are ghosts and the family knows they are there. Cyrus though must decide, if he leaves the house he loses it to the State but if he stays he puts his family in danger. The eternal optimist it seems or at least a man who feels trapped by circumstances he is slow to flee. As Cyrus learns more about his uncle and his collection of ghosts it makes it more reasonable that he should run and run fast. Some of this is played for laughs and some to create tension between the family members. Little Buck seems to know a whole lot about the ghosts most of it he learned from Miss Zacharides. She is played with depth and heart by Margaret Hamilton. She introduces the idea that there may be money hidden somewhere in the house which nicely counters the fear suffered by the family. They are desperate so the two counter ideas nicely set up the plot.
  The scariest ghost that of Plato Zorba is a man in a scary mask but what a great mask, all gruesome and rotted it is one that should be brought back for Halloween. There are some nice low angle shots in the film but for the most part it is pretty standard fare. The shot from above as Buck slides down the bannister is pretty good.
  The discovery of money and Ben's interest is a real turn in the film. It makes no sense that Ben would enlist Buck is probably the most unrealistic part of the film. Buck is not so keen on telling lies for Ben and it gets him wondering whether honesty is the best policy. As the story plays out we see the scheming Ben trying to get the family to leave so he can find the hidden cash before anyone else does. The plotting is well enough done though to seemingly thwart the lawyer's plans and it all plays out is what this writer would call an expected way. When all is said and done the viewer has seen a cool little horror film from a by gone error. Not particularly frightening but still interesting enough.A recommendation is being given to this film for not only telling a cool little story but also for the nostalgia of the film.Good acting by all and a very forgiving view of the child actor gives this a mild recommendation from Soresport Movies.
 

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Accepting Submissions! Have a film you wish to submit to our judges? Then please check out our WithoutABox page. We do give like previous entrants & local films! Help Wanted! We're looking for some folks to help out. Drupal savvy, social media mavens, web searchers, marketers and more. Please contact us BostonSciFi@gmail.com 40 for 40 First 40 To Get Thon Tix for $40 We're kicking our 40th year off with a special! The first 40 folks who send us a ticket order for this year's 'Thon will get each ticket for $40, less than last year and 15% off this year's Early Bird price, which is cheaper than regular prices. Not available on the web. Web sales start this Friday. Send check, payable to: Zeotrope Media 106 Jeremy Hill Rd Pelham NH 03076. Some new wrinkles coming this year will be workshops for filmmakers, a couple of parties as well as some surprises to be announced shortly. And now is the time to start sending in suggestions. Don't just limit it to 'Thon films. If you've read about something new or even seen something, send it along. It takes longer than one would think to assimilate these babies.

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The Parasite (1997) Horror Psychic

The Parasite (1997)  This small independent film has been sitting the Soresport collections for years and it was intended to be reviewed back to back with the Parasite (1982) was reviewed but we never got to it. So here is the deal with this film, it appears to be the story of how a psychic using her strong will can project that will into others making them do as she wishes. Not everyone find this amusing particularly the people she controls so the story is one of first showing that the power is real to the audience and to the characters surrounding the psychic; then showing how powerful that control can be through the plight of the victims. Finally we watch as those affected by this power fight back to try to regain control of their lives.
  The opening is after the first victim has had enough but before our main character and second victim is enthralled. We see victim 1, Charles Sadler (David W. Akin) as he attempts to write a suicide note. We see the struggle he is having internally as his hand quivers and stops writing. We don't know what his struggle is about yet so we only see him as emotionally unstable. When he reaches for a knife and slams it through his hand we begin to believe that control of that hand was lost and his pain brings it back under his control. In a low budget film like this there are some tricks that work to avoid costly special effects while giving the impression of them. In this early scene we see Charles raise the knife poised over his disagreeable hand. Cut to the grunt and the knife blade jutting out from the bottom of the table. Then to complete the illusion his bloody hand sitting on a pool of blood on the note.

  The promise of this opening is followed with the more mundane but necessary establishing of the main character and plot. We are introduced to Professor Richard Austin (David Gaffney), scenes of establishing him as a good professor with a promising research career ay the college, a loving fiancee to the beautiful Audrey (Marissa Hall). We meet his coworker  Professor John Wilson (Robert Taminga) who is a paranormal researcher because at one time frauds could actually get jobs researching the make believe. He introduces Richard to our antagonist Helena Voyich (Julia Matias) a psychic who is pushing the notion that through her strong will she can remotely control others. We are allowed to see her establish her powers on Audrey, using her powers of suggestion to have the young woman temporarily break off her engagement to Richard. Convinced Richard and Wilson embark on immediate experiments to prove the powers Voyich has expressed can be measured and documented. Richard so impressed agrees to be the subject of the experiments.

 Soon though he is getting warning from Charles while through a sequence we see cracks forming in his life. He is being controlled by the the psychic at the expense of his relationship, job performance and his own research. This section of the film takes too long with everything that was set up in the character building in the first third of the film being meticulously pulled apart in this third of the movie. Richard misses appointments, fails to file for his grants in time, begins to have dreams about his fiance that alienate him. Maybe this would have worked better if the acting was not so unconvincing. For many of the actors this was their only film credit and the less than stellar performances make the film less believable.

  Eventually we get to the discovery and climax third of the the film. Richard realizes that he is not only the subject of Wilson's research but that Voyich has put some controls on his that he find very unacceptable. This structurally works as the casting of the attractive Marissa Hall as Audrey nicely contrasts the plain looks of Matias as Voyich. Add to it the pernounce physical impairment of the psychic and the nature of the controls with the emotional confessions of Voyich and there is a real reason for the climax. This climax leads to a twist realization in the end of the film but unfortunately the second act drags a bit too much before you get to the more exciting third act. That with the unimpressive acting and it really pulls this film away from a recommendation here at Soresport Movies.

  There was one thing that stands out to ask the writer about the script. Considering the name of the film, Parasite and a couple visually queues I wondered if this film was originally meant to be more than just a film about an unstable psychic getting her way with men. Early at the party where she is introduced she is holding a strange box of some kind. Is there a physical parasite in that box? Then when Audrey is being mesmerized Yoyich puts her fingers near Audrey's ear and there seems to be a slight blue glow. Is this the introduction of an actual parasite. One has to wonder if the original story was more about some alien organism and was later rewritten. Attempting to find an email for the writer was challenging eventually Writer Patrick Roddy was found at his LinkedIn account (at least I think it was his). It will be an odd connection request where he is asked about his first film. Either way the film works for what it is, whether you take the psychic as a literal parasite using her powers to suck physical relationships from her male victims or is there had been some sort of alien parasite in the script at one time. Either way the plain acting and mundane script do not quite give the audience enough to want to see this again. So no recommendation on this film but still it gave me something to think and write about.

Oldboy (2003) - Thriller Revenge

Oldboy (2003) - This film has been on my "I need to watch it" list for quite a long time, having heard so many wonderful, fawning, excited and opinions of wonderment about this film that it seemed for sure when the viewing finally happened only disappointment could follow.  On IMDB this film has a 8.4 user rating so to say that it has an enthusiastic following is an understatement. So when I decided to pop it in last night I was a bit weary. I started watching the film and the English dubbing was on and it was so bad that changing to Korean with English subtitles was necessary just to begin watching. Once into the film I was amazed that this film is as good as people have been bragging about. It is an amazingly twisted story that not only is well set up and filmed but also has a dynamic that raises it above other films.
  Going in this film seems like one thing but by the end has transformed into something completely different. It has a unique structure where the viewer is set up to have a set of beliefs about the main character. Set up to be the unsympathetic character Dae-su Oh (Min-sik Choi) is a bit of a shitty person, a drunk and an absentee father. We meet him in a police station after being picked up for public intoxication abusive and his behavior does not immediately make him endearing. When he is bailed out by his friend No Joo-hwan (Dae-han Ji) he is an ass. While making a drunken phone call to his daughter, No Joo-hwan takes the receiver and when he turns around his drunk friend is missing. Next we get a series of scenes that make him the sympathetic character.
  Dae-su Oh has been abducted and he is next seen in a cell begging for his release. We through a sequence of scenes watch as he is kept captive for 15 years. Through cycles of grief in his captivity, to the insanity that comes with isolation to learning his wife has been murdered he is a lost soul without answers to why this is happening to him. A television his only eye into the world outside he loses his mind. His suicide attempts make you feel for his suffering, his physical training we think he only lives to get revenge on those who did this to him, his writing in his journal about all the people he wronged does nothing to get any answers to who but shows that he is a man who learns what a bad person he is. Escape is impossible and viewers have also the knowledge that his mind is also being manipulated through hypnosis. He is regularly gassed and cared for so he is alive but captive and trained to a schedule. The one thing he does that fight this control is trying to tunnel out of his cell through a hole in the wall behind his bed. When at last he removes one brick from the outer wall of his prison, enough to stick his hand out and feel rain for the first time in 15 years, the audience expectations are he is getting close to escape. He goes to sleep as the gas fills his room this time with a smile on his face. So when he wakes on a rooftop in a new suit with all his writing and personal items intact we are all on board with him being sympathetic character. We are also surprised since the buildup was all about him finally having a chance to escape so are expectations as viewers have to re-adjust.
  The story as it unfolds is Dae-su attempting to find out who it was that imprisoned him and why. We are into his story at this point and figure all that is to come is about his revenge for his incarceration. Writer Garon Tsuchiya does an excellent job at revealing the the details across the span of the film. One piece at a time small clues from his captivity are deciphered and he learns what he needs to know. Along the way we see him find love again with a much younger women, Mi-do (Hye-jeong Kang) a chef who surprisingly finds him attractive. When he finally finds out who and why and the villain (?) of the film is revealed Woo-jin Lee (Ji-tae Yu) we the audience realize that maybe we may have been cheering for the wrong person in this film. While leading us to feel that this is a film about Dae-su's vengeance we learn really this is a film about Woo-jin's revenge. The twists and turns in the final third of this film are mind boggling, after the first viewing you can see the foreshadowing in the early part of the film but on the virgin viewing it is a wonderful set of revelations. This dichotomy of characters and the cruel turns and surprising revelations make the first viewing of this film a singular wonder.
  The tatters of the end of this story are so sad, so profoundly disturbing that this viewer was left in awe at Dae-su's final decisions. Again becoming somewhat sympathetic because of the cruel event that have occurred he makes a decision which viewers can debate for hours after viewing this film.  It is not just that though, the decisions of Woo-jin after the loss of his beloved sister Lee Soo-ah are amazing. It is his vengeance against Dae-su that is the driving force of this film. It is he that was wronged and left empty that drive the events of the film. It is such a refreshing story in that in it we get established on one person as the victim of events but then realize that we don't know shit. Ultimately we can still sypathize with Dae-su but you have to love that the story challenges the viewer to understand that his is not guilt free. Refusing to spoil any of this film is important so that all of you go watch this film as it is highly recommended by this blog.

Snowpiercer (2013) Sci-Fi

Snowpiercer (2013) - From writer / director Joon-ho Bong who is known for The Host (2006) and Mother (2009); he is a writer and director who has proved to have chops.  Watching this film at the Brattle Theater in historic Harvard Square this viewer was involved but tepid in losing himself in the film. It could be the two teen boy sitting behind me who could not help but to comment each time something stretching the bounds of logic happened on screen. It could have been the way Joon-ho Bong keeps the audience off kilter by mixing violence with bits of humor. It could have been the inevitability of the story. It gives viewers an allegory attempting a big message of class struggle with violence and humor underwhelms in the end. Snowpiercer comes four years after his last film, so plenty of time has been spent getting this film together. The futuristic fantasy of the poor rising up to fight free of their allotted station in life seems a well worn track. Working for the first time with English speaking actors, and partnering with the Harvey Weinstein Company for US distribution this was a new experience for Joon-ho Bong and he has gone out of his way in interviews to say that the cut the American audiences are seeing is the one he wants them to see.
 Ed Harris) who created a track around the world in which it takes one year to complete a loop. Seen as crazy at the time of its building this self perpetuating, self contained ecosystem would end up being the last salvation for mankind. When the nations of the world attempt to cool the atmosphere with a revolutionary chemical. A way to fight global warming not through elimination of its causes but through new science, they accidentally freeze the planet. All life becomes extinct except for the travelers on the Snowpiercer. The wealthy who could afford the ticket live in luxury in the front of the train and the last refugees of the great freeze who fought their way onto the rear live in poverty. Bashing the audience over the head with the classes could be scene as overkill or is the director just creating the contrast needed to give the audience stakes?
In a future world there exists a train Snowpiercer, the vision of Wilford (
 Starring Chris Evan as Curtis, a reluctant revolutionary with a dark past who is mentored to leadership by Gilliam (John Hurt) too old to lead himself but not too old to move a younger man forward. Living at the rear of the train, the Snowpiercer, they are the lowest of the low. A caste who survive on protein bars (What are those bars made from?) and are subjugated to humiliations by the security forces. They are told all people have their lot in life and their lot is poverty in the last couple cars of this self contained ecosystem endlessly traversing the world. They are ruthlessly dealt with if they step out of line like when their children are taken never to be seen again. They are just the people who have to rise up and overthrow the order of things. Along the way though is an amazingly violent and trippy adventure through the train. Thinking about the setup as an allegory of how the wealthiest of the world want to secure their place by perpetually keeping the rest of us down seems the obvious idea. Controlling the security forces, the media, the food and water puts the poor in a place where they feel powerless to change things. It is the need for that change in the hearts of the characters on those last cars that drive the story. The cynical twist at the end was expected considering the structure of this film but it is the journey to the front of the train where the real value of this film lies.
  It seemed that there are nods to other films in this movie. It could be that the archetype of the story brings these thoughts, but the visual similarities and class absurdity seems like more than coincidence  The class struggle has been done before and there seems to be an amazing nod to one of this writers favorite film "Brazil". Not only is the wise man Gilliam named possibly for Terry Gilliam writer/director of that film but the comical portrayal of Tilda Swinton as Mason seems to be channeling the energy of Gilliam's work. As we traverse the train through violence and mayhem we are thrown for a loop as suddenly the dirty revolutionaries come face to face with the opulence of the upper classes. Particularly noteworthy is the scene in the school car where the children of the wealthy are indoctrinated into the cult of Wilford. From the lessons to the patriotic songs lead beautifully by Teacher (Alison Pill) to the hilarious propaganda video, to the sudden stupendous turn to violence, it all seeps with the influence of Brazil.
  The juxtaposition between the scenes of violent struggle and the lavish world of the upper classes is one of the strengths of the film. Designed to have the viewer easily side with the poor and Curtis with his desire to have his revolution reach the engine car, where all other attempts have failed. It does just that with brutal opposition all the way. Complicating the picture is the need for the key master, the man who designed many of the doors and locks, Namgoong Minsoo (Kang-ho Song). He has become a drug addict and can be bribed to get the revolutionaries into each car on their way to the front. He secretly has his own agenda for himself and his companion Yona (Ah-sung Ko) that is not revealed until the climax of the film. "The Matrix" feel at times is a bit overwhelming especially when they reach the engine room and we have the all too flat Ed Harris as Wilford talking things out with Curtis. Seems just like the scene where Neo meets the Architect and is cajoled to make a deal with the devil so to speak. Sometimes the best laid plans can go wrong because of the personal desires of just one of the players. Is it a good thing or should we expect such things.
  It is a singular mission that the poor have, too reach the engine room, to change the order of things. The influence and power of the ruling class first use force and then use bribery and if that does not work will again use force is a known technique through the history of class struggle. The end of this film like Ed Harris's performance is something that I could not understand completely. Flat and affect-less it is a disappointment after sharing the struggle that came before it. The final scenes are probably the most fantastical and meaningless of the entire film. A shame to have been barreling forward, full throttle on this ride only to have it come to the screeching halt it did. Having discussed the ending with others I could not come up with what would have been a better ending, simply because the plot sort of paints itself into a corner. The last image though was pretty ridiculous and off putting. I guess that this film is a recommend. There is something interesting and inventive on the journey this film takes the viewer on. It can't be a strong recommendation with that ending but still there is some value in the trip.

Rigor Mortis (2013) - Horror Supernatural

Rigor Mortis (2013) - aka "Geung si" - Hong Kong (original title) A perusing of the on demand in FIOS lead to the viewing of this fine and entertaining entry into the world of supernatural horror. Low expectations going into the viewing but the quality film making and cool if expected special effects made this film a pleasant experience.  We see a smoking man in the blood stained rubble and the soot covered lead and wonder how the hell we got to this point. This opening with the after affects of the third act we are lead from there back to the beginining. The color is bleached out of this film to enhance how the life has been bleached out of the people who live in the high rise tenement. This is public housing where residents are there because there because they are low on the economic ladder. They struggle to live and eat and find meaning in a hard life. Our lead character Chin, Siu-Ho (Siu-Ho, Chin) has come to this place to live. Once a successful movie actor his life has taken a turn down and he has come to this bleak place to die. More succinctly to hang himself. What follows is an adventure into the gap between life and death. An exercise in the struggle for a soul that has given up but still has a spark of goodness glimmering inside. In an early scene we seen our lead ready to die, he sees his former family, attractive wife, young son and we sense from the scenes of horror that they are no longer with him. He is grieving the loss and wants his life to end without them.

As much as the film is about Chin it is also about his new neighbors and about death and the need to let go of the past to move on from loss. As Chin, Siu-Ho hangs from the fan in his grimy apartment we see his life leaving him, but there is also a supernatural presence that is not him. It takes control of the dying man and only the intervention of neighbor Yau (Anthony Chan) not only casts out the spirit but saves the life of the actor. We are quickly introduced to the other residents, The unstable woman Yeung Feng (Kara Hui) who wanders the halls of the complex and has a history in Chin's apartment numbered 2442. She is crazy leading her albino child around and scavenging for food. Her story is a sad back story that explains the angry spirits in Chin's apartment. Yau the former vampire hunter and provider of rice for many of the residents of the building. He practices a magic of good and protects those he lives around. Countering him is the black magician Master Gau who always wanted to have more than just the good magic. Auntie Mui (Hee Ching Paw) kind old woman who reaches out to Chin after his suicide attempt. She and her husband the gruff Uncle Tung (Richard Ng) live a quiet life that will be changed forever through circumstances of the most unfortunate manner. There is also security guard the kind Uncle Yin (Hoi-Pang Lo). All the characters are well drawn and there is a personality to the group that lets us look into the life of this struggling community that tries to take care of itself.
  Gau with the promise to bring back the dead Tung to Auntie Mui starts a process theat he says will do what he says. Unfortunately his darker secret is that he secretly wants to make Tung into a Vampire. His penalty for doing such dark magic is apparent in the suffering he must endure, While this storyline goes on in the background we also learn the back story of apartment 2442. It is a sad tale of rape and murder that leaves the angry ghosts of two sisters seeking a way to enter the living and do harm. The scenes are graphic and just a bit gory. Spirits and magic are a part of this world and Chin learns the sad story. The first and second acts do a nice job of developing this world and there are several creepy scenes set to appropriate scary music to get the viewer involved and just a bit on edge. An American audience may struggle a bit with the early pacing but it is worth it to get to the third act.
  When the third act starts an shit hits the fan we get to follow Yau as he and Gau go head to head.  Like in the film Black Magic recently reviewed in this blog one is drawn to the darks side and the other has to counter him. It is actually a strength of this film that the sides are not black and white. The spirit world is present and there are both happy and sad spirits in it. Both Gau and Yau fight the evil ones at times together, but they do not agree and the methods to do that which leads ultimately to confrontation. They are both capable in their own way but black magic is about obtaining power and counter to white magic. We get to see Chin join on the side of good as the Vampire who was Tung is possessed by the spirits of the dead girls. There is some very cool and frightening scenes of fighting this spirit. This is more the hopping Chinese vampire, a living dead creature who will feed on the living but without the glamour of western vampires. The film is so very much worth watching to get to this third act. It is action packed and powerful with cool effects and surprising outcome. When all the story is told it, even with the twist ending that was not necessarily needed, it is a tale worth recommending. The Writers Lai-yin Leung and Philip Yung should be commended for the story and Director Juno Mak and Cinematographer Man-ching Ng have created a very cool look and feel for the film. So recommendations all around for this one.

Black Magic (1975) - Black Magic

Black Magic (1975) - Originally titled "Jiang tou" this Shaw brothers story of the consequences of the use of dark magic is a straight up tale for the most part. The Shaw brothers and their studio Shanghai were some of the largest producers of Martial arts films that made their way to Western audiences. Styling their studio like the old time studio, they signed some of the best talent in Asia to exclusive contracts and from 1925-85 produced over 1000 films. Noted by this writer for making one of my favorite martial arts film "Five Fingers of Death". Black Magic is the story of a practitioner of the dark arts who helps those who are willing to pay him with love potions and injury or death spells. His practice is successful since there is always someone looking to get a person to fall in love with them or seek vengeance of some kind. He is introduced through a scene calling for the death of a cheating husband and his mistress. The Magician Shan Jianmi (Feng Ku) needs primarily blood and hair from the victim and with his enchanter skull and some other ingredients can call upon the dark forces to make the spell happen. As we see him work we are also introduced to a good magician who seem stronger than Shan Jianmi and can stop him from succeeding. This dynamic will play an important role in the final confrontation of the film. We do see though that Shan Jianmi's magic is real and powerful in the opening scene.
The plot as it is involves a very wealthy woman Luo Yin (Ni Tien aka Tanny) who has her eyes on her construction architect Xu Nuo (Lung Ti), she is pushy and used to getting what she wants. Of course, he being engaged to Quming (Lily Li), Xu Nuo only spurns Luo Yin's advances which become ever more aggressive as she tries to create problems in his relationship. She is in turn sought by Lang Jiajie a shifty lout who brings our dark sorcerer Shan Jianmi into the picture. When Lang Jiajie (Lieh Lo) can not get anything but hostility from Luo Yin he seeks out Shan Jianmi for a love potion. The shiftless man does not have the money for the fee but figures once the wealthy widow falls in love with him he can use her money to pay. When the potion only last a day it is Luo Yin who has the upper hand. She then goes to the magician for a more potent potion to use on Xu Nuo.
 The story is mostly the repercussions of those actions. The pain and confusion of Quming and Xu Nuo's family as he first cancels the wedding and then takes up with Luo Yin. Through the middle section of the film it seems as if the family and his fiance can not pull him back from the power of the spell. With the help of a good magician there is an exciting and action filled third act where he is finally freed from the spell and the dark sorcerer is defeated.
  Although not the best film for special effects there are some that are noteworthy in the final scenes. A big drawback to the film is the strange soundtrack. Thrown presumably for western audiences it is a strange mix of horror tropes and sixties television movie tunes that strike all the wrong chords. When all is said and done this film though will get the nod from this blog. Nothing spectacular but just enough to keep the viewer engaged.

 

Unseen Evil (2001) Horror Protective Spirit

Unseen Evil (2001) - This a lower budget film about Native American burial site that has a spirit that seemed to be imprisoned by a tribe centuries ago. A place where the spirit possibly one of the four eagles that are Komeshtam'ho is incarcerated for some unknown reason. It is possible that the creature called Unseen is there to protect the riches buried in this cave. This part of the story was shown instead of explained and because of that it could be interpreted many ways. The whole setup may be a fiction, an finding much information about this supposed creation myth was all but impossible so the viewer should go along with the intro text of the film and take the scenes for what is presented. Opening after these scenes it is the 1990s and an expedition is setting out into the California hills to try to find that burial ground. What seems as straight up academic research quickly becomes a treasure hunt. Jenson has done the research necessary to find the site in the opening of the film. He is determine to find it but instead of study it to steal the gold and jewels of the site and retire to an island in the sun.He puts together a team which some of them know his plan while others do not.

  Our group consists of leader Dr Peter Jensen (Richard Hatch), Archaeologist Kate (Cindi Braun), Guide Dana (Cindy Pena) and two hired hands Mike (Frank Ruotolo) and Williams (Jere Jon). Very quickly into the hike to the site do the dynamics of the group change. Starting as a legitimate quest for knowledge signs seep into the behavior of the men that let the audience know that something is not right. Stopping at the rangers station Dana is friends with Ranger Chuck MacNeil (Tim Thomerson) and chats him up. What she does not know is that when he goes inside with Williams that things change. Wanting to keep things secret Williams knocks the Ranger out and cuffs him to a post. Now here you have a group with perfect cover, a couple of believable professionals in Dana and Kate but the men need to attack a Ranger creating a reason for the law to be involved. If they had just driven away their chances of pulling of the grave robbery would have been better. But with hot headed Willams in the group. there cover is immediately blown well at least for the viewers. Note that the one black character in the film is the hardest criminal of the bunch, hmmm..

  When resting on the hike and in the most awkward of set pieces Dana finds the gun that Jensen is carrying the gig is up and the women learn that this crew is not on the up and up. Its a bit too late though and at gunpoint and with hands tied the women are forced to participate. So the tension created when the viewers knew the expedition was a scam but the women in the group did not dissipates and is replaced by the tension of becoming prisoners. All of this will be trumped when they rob the burial ground and are attacked by the "Unseen".

  Survival film from that point on,  there is a bunch of this and that attempts to escape the creature. There is no mystery about anything after the creature makes its first kill of a group member. Seeking depth in the characters comes across hollow and the film is nothing particularly interesting. Will Jensen get away with his loot? Will the good characters survive? Will the creature get them all? Sure there are these questions as well as the ones that don't make sense like since this creature has been locked up in a cave for generations how is it that it knows to attack the groups van stranding them? The all too convenient return the treasure to the cave is the only way this one could have gone. Not particularly thought provoking or deep this simple story falls flat. Kate apparently can read hieroglyphs so well that all the exposition we need is given to us with ease. Then the ending and not the ending was too tiring to want to explain. No recommendation for this one from this blog. The choppy style and flat acting just dooms it. A one dimensional story with little subtext leaves the viewer just watching a series of some what connected scenes playing out a fantasy story but a story not really fleshed out.

Head Cheerleader, Dead Cheerleader (2000) Horror Slasher

Head Cheerleader, Dead Cheerleader (2000) - Hand it to writer, director, producer Jeff Miller for making this attempt at a 'who's the killer?' slasher film. Even though it was painfully obvious that he had very little money and although ultimately not making a good film he certainly made a small independent slasher with a script that worked hard to keep the viewer guessing. Working each scene to create or reenforce a red herring or a foreshadowing he creates for a viewer no less than a half dozen suspects before revealing the killer. Coming out four years after Scream (1996) this film tries to capture some of the structure of that film but ultimately fails for obvious reasons. You could say this seems derivative of that famous and more professional production, and you would be correct. Maybe that last comment was not very fair but if this film was made for the same budget it still may have been an inferior product. Although the writing is solid in that it is efficient and plotted fairly well it fails to develop character beyond what is needed for the 'who is killing cheerleaders?' question. The work put in to get the audience questioning just about every characters as they interact with the final girl really interferes with the erotetic narrative in that there are so many false questions being posed that ultimately the gems of truth pointing to the fluid narration is lost.
Heather (Tasha Biering) our main character gets the most back story Her Father was the  first male cheerleader of the high school. He is gone and her Mother away on business is an absentee parent. Poor Heather has had a series of failed relationships with boys from not only her school but from the rival Airfield high school. This gives us a whole lot of possible killers, her current boyfriend Danny (Dan Roach), the footballer her Mother freaked out about Chris (Andre B. Walker), rival QB Jimmy (Kirk Bair), they all have motivations that are shown in the setup scenes. Each comes across as creepy rude or possessive in their own way to get the audience guessing. Adding to the list of people who were pushed as possible murderers were Jezabel (Amber Coker) the girl Heather kept off the cheerleader squad. The touchy feely football coach Cranford (Bobby Cerutti) who secretly tapes the cheerleaders locker room. Drifter old guy Hatterman who supposedly killed in the past and even the fat old sheriff who manages to be creepy talking about Heathers Mother. Most of the second act in fact is to introduce each suspect and then have them do something or have somebody throw suspicion on them.
   Mixed in are the kills first of poor Trish the freshman cheerleader off screen who is only shown as a head in a bag. Then the money shot of cheer coach Riley (Debbie Rochon) who is axed after taking a hot tub and talking on what is now a really antiquated cell phone. After she shows her beautiful breasts she has one lopped off and dies in a bloody mess. Why is it every time a character shows her body does she have to die. Sexualizing the murder of women seems to be a traditional thing to do in slasher films but it is hard to rationalize. You rarely see men exposing there bodies before having their junk lopped off. A few red shirts are introduced just to be axed to death without a fight, again one of the girls removes her shirt which apparently is a signal that she needs to die. (I might add that the twist at the end of this film put a very different perspective on these scenes, but I am not sure if the messaging of it is any better.)
  If you were going to pinpoint the main failure of the film it has to be the lead. Heather never quite carries the sense of jeopardy she needs to. Whether it is the writing or the acting she just falls flat. Even when the character knows that danger is all around her she acts as if she is not sure she is in danger. Examples of this are: She is at home for the night. She lives out in the boondocks and there is no easy way to get help. When she starts getting creepier and creepier calls from the killer she is reluctant to call the police and even though she has knowledge that her classmates are being killed she fails to give any details to the police when she does call. She just asks for a car to check around her house.Later she is threatened even more menacingly and then gets a call from her Mother from out of town, instead of saying anything to her Mom she says everything is fine. Things at this point are definitely not fine. The killer just called pretending to have her cat and threatened to kill it. It just does not make any sense. On a side note another thing that does not make a lot of sense, the football team players getting together to kill birds and cats and string them to the goalposts as a act that will psyche them up for the big game. What is that?
  The third act is the revelation of who the killer really is and the struggle to see if Heather will survive the night. Although there are some decent practical effects the unknown until now protector is not foreshadowed and the exposition needed to explain the character was tedious. The similarity of the scenes to those in Scream are too close to be by accident. The energy of the bad guy matches the energetic performances of that earlier movie. After all the red herrings smacking the audience in the face, it was disappointing that the seeds of the killer story were not sown during the second act. Then everything has to be explained. It is all out of left field.
  As a reviewer it is useful to see a film like Head Cheerleader because it helps you see more clearly what went right in  the smash hit like Scream. There is a reasonable body count for a slasher movie somewhere around seven or eight, still though this film left something out that it needed to be more successful. On top of the illogical wreck the third act was is the tagged on ending. A trope used during the film where the gloved killer is writing the names of the victims on a list under one of the three headings Killed, Stalked  or Called and we flash to the end of this after all the killing of the final act is over and we are sure the killer has been dealt with. To then suggest that the killer is still out there is something every viewer will call bullshit on. When all is said and done you can appreciate that Jeff Miller can execute a project like this but it still can't be recommended by this blog. Everyone has their own tastes and sure this film will be acceptible to some but there is no recommendation coming here.

Cheerleader Camp (1988) Horror Comedy

Cheerleader Camp (1988) - Also called "Bloody Pom Poms" After watching the latest Lucky McKee film "All Cheerleaders Die" I decided to try another cheerleader based horror film. Cheerleader Camp is probably more notable for the people in it than its popularity. Featuring at least two former centerfolds Teri Weigel (Playboy April 1986) and Rebecca Ferratti (Okay maybe not a centerfold but in Playboy' Bathing Beauties) but not a T&A film at all. Director John Quinn says in the commentary that the story was inspired by a case in Northern California where a girl killed a classmate who made the cheerleading squad while she failed to. The film is also of note for starring former teen heart throb Leif Garrett a bit older and not so much a heartthrob at the time. On top of this is our lead the gorgeous Betsy Russell (of Avenging Angel fame, but still working in horror appearing in a couple of Saw movies) so we end up with a wonderful cast to look at. It is a slasher, mystery that unfortunately so transparent that the story loses effect. Really though it is part of the 1980s and the eighties had some wonderful low budget comedy / horror. I had hoped that this film would be a hidden gem, but unfortunately it wasn't. Right after the room mate pairing up was done at the Camp holding the cheerleader competition the film is too blatant in foreshadowing who the killer is leaving the viewer without a mystery and just watching the motions to get to the end.
   The first scene a dream sequence is filmed well with a dutch angle throwing the feeling into the slightly off.Shot at Bakerfield High it is designed to show the psychology of the main character Alison (Betsy Russell). From this scene we can sense there is quite a bit of pressure for the cheerleader. The story has a simple set up, five cheerleaders and a mascot drive out to a camp to participate in a cheerleader competition. When participants start showing up dead the characters need to figure out if the deaths are accidents or is there a killer among them.
  The team consisting of Alison, Pamela (Teri Weigel), Theresa (Rebecca Ferratti), Timmy (Travis McKenna) Brent (Leif Garrett), Bonnie (Lorie Griffin) and mascot Cory (Lucinda Dickey) arrive at the camp to find pushy coordinator Miss (Vickie Benson) already to assign rooms and enforce the rules. Very quickly the film is about the rivalry between the teams but in a strange way because they never really create a rivalry or develop the other teams. Instead the film uses focus on Betsy as a stressed or possibly murderous competitor. When the first competitor from another team is found dead by Betsy it looks like a suicide but there are some questions. The obvious red herring of the Betsy character and some of the interactions she has with teammates start to give away who the killer is. Its a bit of a shame because the film although low budget is trying to have some fun.
  There are some decent suspense at times like when Betsy gets trapped in the cooler with the dead body which sets up the next red Herring of someone in the camp crew possibly being the killer. We follow Betsy as she spies on Pop (George 'Buck' Flower) the camp handyman. While still they push the idea that Betsy may be a bit off her rocker. There is not tons happening early in the film it is a lot of buildup, setting up the rocky relationship between Brent and Betsy. Then showing several Betsy dream sequences and scenes to make us question her mental state we are being lead down can't be the one that is revealed later. First after a dream Betsy finds a dead rival cheerleader she saw in the dream. Then Betsy gets mad at Brent for giving time to Pamela and then has a dream about that. We have the kill scene of Pamela and everything is setting up that Betsy is the killer. Since though this is a horror movie the obvious path can't be the likely one so we can really dismiss Betsy as a suspect and think about who else would want to solve her "problems" for her. Who has shown enough empathy that maybe they are killing on her behalf?
   In the end although the film is cool it is really not great. Having figured out the twist way too early the viewer could be left not thrilled going through the less than complex third act to see the killer revealed. Seriously there were two kills going into the final act and because it is not action packed and exciting, it is instead people walking around the woods in the dark. There really is not going to be a recommendation for this film. The ending needed to be exciting and cohesive but it is neither;  it never really reaches the slasher variety scary. The big twist leaves you think "damn!" so much potential but never really leaving us satisfied. It is very close to being a recommendation but just not quite for me. I think older viewers of horror could tolerate the pacing but younger folks would be irritated at the slow stretches. Although rated R it is really a pretty tame film with a splash of gore, a flash of boob but compared to modern films really quite controlled. It also does not reach the action movies heights that would make the film worth recommending.
Odds and Ends
* The band playing at the camp is "Rigor Mortis Rigor Mortis", with Producer Jeff Prettyman's son Chris on drums.
* Each time we come into a dream we get this fade to a red background which was used in another film Daughters of Darkness (1971).
* The rap in the film may be nominated for worst attempt at rapping in film history.