The Suckling (1990) Horror Mutant Baby Monster

The Suckling (1990) - Continuing on with the theme of pregnancy and baby horror I chose this little known and not very good entry into the sub-genre. The suckling may have some unintentional messages about the need for legalized prostitution, protections of a woman's right to choose, toxic waste cleanup and the dangers of illegal force back room abortions. Okay the writer director may not actually been making any statements at all but like any good English class the more you see in it the higher your grade. This film is not an exact fit for the theme because the monster grows so fast and is not a baby when it is doing the horror, but because of the ending I feel obligated to include it. It is not every day that the woman's condition is the same at the end of a horror birth movie as it is in the end.
  The film is a story sandwiched between two scenes that chronologically after the events. Starting the film is a plot outline in text that scrolls up the screen and then at the end the outcome for the main character who survived the ordeal.
    " On April 1st 1973 the most bizarre and macabre event in all of Brooklyn's modern history occurred. Twelve people, inhabitants of a reputed house of prostitution and illegal abortion clinic were killed. Only one occupant survived.
    When found by police she told a story so fantastical and horrific, she was believed to be insane. Authorities immediately placed her in an asylum.
    The most brilliant investigators spent years trying to solve this gruesome mystery, but to this day are still baffled.
    Could the rantings of a girl supposedly insane be true? The makers of this film believe so."
 Starting with the Girl (Lisa Petruno) having a double dream sequence that is amazing not in an original way but a cliche one. We certainly get that she is off her rocker right away as she imagines being rolled through a hospital and as she moves her groggy headed views are of nurses topless in rooms of patients disposing of them with axes. She wakes from the dream and starts another where she plods sleepily into the bathroom to get something from the medicine cabinet. When she closes the mirrored door a doctor is behind her and slits her throat. She wakes again and then the story starts. It is a bit off putting to have all this stuff before we get to the meat of the story. An outline and then these two tangentially connected dreams all to get to the real nightmare that is the story.
   There is a lot wrong with this movie, lets start with the characters, so many really unlikable characters that it is difficult to connect as the plot unwinds. You have the boyfriend Phil (Gerald Preger) who bullies the girl into going to an illegal abortion room in a whore house. Not only that but lies to her about why they are there. While the girl thinks they are there to talk, and she has no inclination to go forward choosing adoption over ending the pregnancy, he has other plans for her. Then there is Big Mama (Janet Sovey) a make up covered hefty who is willing to drug the girl and perform the abortion without her consent. Her son Axel (Frank Rivera as Frank Reeves in what is his first film role) who with a small man inferiority complex acts tough and bossy but really isn't. Candice(Susan Brodsky) the hooker from room five who through out the film is just the worst kind of irritant, constantly verbally abusing those around her with the anger only a forty something prostitute could posses. Along with this group of hideous beings is Customer #1 who besides liking a rotating dildo up the ass is just a dick to everyone around him. So many really offensive people that  it is quite difficult to pull for their survival. So when the killing starts besides Petruno's character and maybe the black prostitute Dawn there is no one you are pulling for. On top of this neither of those two characters show any agency of their own making pulling for them tough as well.
 
  The story is a fight for your life story versus a monster. The monster is the fetus taken from the drugged girl and flushed down the toilet. We get the drainage pipe view as the toxic waste outside (labelled toxic waste) trickles down onto the fetus giving it life and deforming it into a vengeful monster. It quickly grows in size, teeth and claws to a critter to be reckoned with. It seals the group inside the house by somehow putting membranes over the windows and doors. It travels through the pipes and after it grows too big the walls to stalk and kill the people in the house.  While this is going on the people in the house are at odds all the while. Axel and his complex feels Sherman the only other alpha man is challenging him too much. Prostitutes are at odds with Johns and the girl is freaked by everyone's willingness to kill her baby without her consent. When she finds herself trapped with these people she is pretty useless offering nothing to help in the situation. Since we are sure that the girl is the survivor it is just these horrible people in their horrible interactions being killed off one by one until we get to the climax of Phil, the girl and the baby monster who recognizes its mother. None of this is very enjoyable and really the view will mostly wanting this film to end. I can't recommend this film but there are some unique moments in it.
  Odds and Ends

•   There are some places where there was some humor in what is mostly a not so funny film. First there was the customer / prostitute interaction. They had him where a propeller cap that spins when he gets excited. She with her whip catching the dildo he is holding and snatching it away from him. Then the sound effects as she uses the dildo on him.
• Big Mama picking the remains of the abortion from her bent up hanger and then reshaping the hanger to hang up her lab coat.
• The death of one of the characters trying to get the creature but instead getting electrocuted until his head blows up is just great.
• The creature running towards its mother making baby sounds as it moves forward. The end of this scene hilariously unique so I don't want to spoil it.
• There are several places in the film where stop action animation was used but unfortunately never well done.
• The addendum scene in the mental hospital was mean spirited and really offensive. Rape is never a good thing to have to suffer through even if the rapist gets this due. 

Grace (2009) Horror Pregancy Zombie

Grace (2009) - WARNING! Spoilers throughout, since so much hinges on the character development in this fine film, I want to talk about it so know I recommend it and watch it before reading my thoughts.  I was caught by surprised by the opening of this film. I had forgotten that the films opening scene is part of the last one too. The horror features of the film are present , a shot of a fly infested ceiling fan, the nude back of a woman as she seems to be in pain cringing away from us. Two bare feet splattered with blood, a black cat. this is it with excellent moody music by Austin Wintory bring us into the horror mood. It is not carried through this bit of horror film making but it is there just to stick the idea that this is not a sunny movie into our heads.
  Next we see our main character Madeline Matheson (Jordan Ladd) having sex in a disinterested way with her husband Michael(Stephen Park). As he grunts and thrusts she could be thinking, "I wonder if we should change the living room drapes". Of course this is before we the audience know that this couple has been trying for a long time to have a child. That they have lost two pregnancies already so more likely she is hoping that this is the time where the egg attaches and stays there. After the act she pulls her legs up and closes her eyes imaging the success we know she so desperately wants. Sure enough we see her next seven months later and she is round as can be, the acts worked and she is close to term but not quite there.
  Grace is a good film really doing some smart writing that fill out the main characters in ways that drive the motivations throughout the plot. Writer and Director Paul Solet fills the interaction that grace has with her in-laws with so much disapproval and frustration that there is no doubt what the dynamics are. Madeline is a vegetarian new age type who wants her pregnancy and birth to be the most natural way possible. She wants to eat healthily and to give birth in a birthing center and to be centered in bring her new life into the world. This is contrasted by Vivian Matheson (Gabrielle Rose) who is a powerful judge and super pushy mother in law. She doesn't approve of the food and the plans and without saying it clearly lets Madeline know. You know those people who won't say, this diet sucks, but instead suggest better ways of doing things. This is Vivian and she seems a force to be reckoned with. Her own issues surface with this pregnancy, a Mother who is finally losing her boy to another women. She has reached the age of being anywhere close to child bearing age and is feeling with this child her son will be gone from her forever. She is a woman who thinks she knows best and is not afraid to push at the new age younger woman. It is a really well put together power struggle. It bases both women in their own approaches and shows how the places where they come together are frayed.

  Complicating things further is the choice of midwife, Patty Lang (Samantha Ferris) is a former partner to Madeline from college. Okay this particular thing is a bit cliche but it creates this dynamic where Patty is still holding onto feeling for Madeline while she seems to have moved on. Michael does not know about this past entanglement and surely with his Mother's influence is not high on the birthing center idea. He would probably flip out if he knew that there was more than a teacher student relationship between Patty and Madeline. The way this movie is structured you have to wonder whether Madeline only got together with Michael in order to conceive. They do not seem particular in love and he really is not approving of her ways. It really makes you question why he got into this relationship. This question very quickly becomes irrelevant when an accident starts a string of events that move very quickly into the horror realm.
  Before that though there is amazing dig at traditional medicine. The intent is to drive wedges and it is again skillfully written. Having established Madeline's intent with her birth the scene is she has chest pain and is rushed to the hospital. In this scene the pushy Vivian sends her male doctor in to take charge while Madeline pushes to get her midwife to the scene. The male doctors jump to the conclusion that Madeline needs to be induce way too early in the pregnancy while she screams in protest they start making plans to do the procedure. The established medical structure ignores the patient's wishes and acts as if it knows best. When Patty arrives they are restraining Madeline as she protests and it is only the knowledge of the midwife and the threat of a lawsuit that stops the men.
  That kind of strain on a pregnant woman can not be good but it also sets Michael and Madeline arguing on the way home, leading to an car accident that kills Michael and kills the baby in Madeline's womb. She wanting this child more than anything, now a widow decides to carry it to term to be delivered dead at the birthing center. Again the music should be noted with the direction for the delivery scene is excellent. African drums building to a climax with Madeline's labor screams punctuating the birth. Then the quiet as she holds her still child and cries begging the heavens for her life. Patty going against her instinct to let her have time with the little corpse watches on a camera in the other room as miraculously the child comes to life.
  Having established that Madeline will not take the baby to the hospital she relies on Patty for care after the birth. Patty obsessing about her former lover starts it seems to make plans to be reunited with Madeline but is not ready to make it known to her yet. Madeline struggling with the new child soon realizes that this is no ordinary baby. Mothers milk is not going to satisfy its unique nutritional needs, Beef blood is not going to satiate the hunger of this little tyke. Mom has to give in o a more extreme form of feeding. Named Grace the baby not only has issues feeding but also smells maybe like a rotten corpse? You get the picture things about this dead then alive baby are very unusual and the depressed Madeline does all she can to deal with these unique conditions.
  The story moves to climax with grieving Vivian feeling her own need to continue to be a Mother. Hatching a plan with Dr. Sohn to get Madeline declared unfit she is so fucked up in her own way its sad. This sets up a very interesting final third to this film. Sohn trying to see Madeline and the baby, she really probably unfit with the bloody demands of Motherhood and Patty planning to take her away from it all. When the doctor finally corners her, she is anemic and worn from feeding little Grace without outside help. Things escalate quickly and Sohn, Vivian and Madeline will make decisions that can not be reversed. The imagery of these scenes is compelling and like with most of the film the music is dark and effective. This is a very darkly entertaining film and is most certainly recommended with the caution that it gets a bit bloody. The one drawback I would note is the corny epilogue tacked on to the end of the film, it was very unnecessary.
 

Aswang (1994) Horror Pregnancy Vampire

Aswang (1994) - This is a story centered around a Filipino vampire myth called the Aswang a vampire with a long tongue that feeds on the fetus of a pregnant woman. The baby is either still born or may survive to become another creature, well at least that is the definition in this film. In the opening credits the myth is shown in shadow puppets with the appropriate horror oriented music by Ken Brahmstedt. It sets the stage for what is a pretty enjoyable little horror movie. I like when I get to see a common genre like a vampire film with a slant I did not know about. This one delivers with a slow building start and a chaotic and satisfying finish. There are a couple more movies out there with this title so pay attention to what you are buying so you see this one. The pacing works mostly because the film is a bit short in running time at 82 minutes. At a budget of $70,000 dollars the film makers Wrye Martin and Barry Poltermann certainly get their money's worth. Filmed in the midwest United States with mostly local actors you would worry that the film would suffer but the quality is most certainly passable.
  Katrina (Tina Ona Paukstelis) is a pregnant young lady looking to solve her problem through an arrangement with a wealthy man. He is Peter Null (Norman Moses) a rich single man looking for a heir to his fortune, an heir that Katrina can supply. In return she will come to the mansion for the birth and be well compensated for all her efforts. She arrives married in name to Peter in her seventh month of pregnancy. At the mansion we meet the sickly Mother Olive Null (Flora Coker) played with a simmering evil she is the matriarch of the vampire family. They all look human mind you it is only at feeding time do we see the cloudy eyes and hose like tongues. Also in the house is caretaker Cupid (Mildred Nierras) a Filipino nurse and protector for Olive. Katrina also learns that there is woman described as a touched sister Claire Null living in the small house out back and is warned never to go out there.
  I liked how subtly the script pushes at Katrina to warn her that things are not quite right with this family. At dinner in the house they are pushing an intoxicating cider on her without care for the fetus inside her. This leads to the disturbing scene where the Katrina passed out on the bed has her baby tasted by Peter. So uncomfortable a scene that the directors shot it first so figuring that if the actors could handle that they would get through the entire process. The scene plays so well because it is obvious there is no sexual connection between Peter and Katrina. She has a boyfriend and is selling their child to this family, it is strictly a business arrangement. So after drinking too much of the cider to see he writhing on the bed as Peter buries his head in her crotch it is very disturbing. Even creepier the next day when he reports to his mother that the baby is almost ripe, and it is a girl.
  When a trespasser on the land needs to be dealt with so we see how the Aswang can create a mucus sack around the victim and save the person for consumption later. This of course is never really explained in the legend. Do these creature eat live people as well as infants? Anyway the story really picks up pace in the second half as Katrina goes from feeling a bit uncomfortable with the group to waking up during a feeding time. The chain reaction from that propels the third act into its final crazy leaps that includes  an aswang hanging by its tongue, captivity in the crazy woman's house, a severed hand, fire, blood, birth and death It really is a great act and although Moses as Peter is a bit too over the top in his delivery it does not spoil the fun. So definitely a recommend from me on Aswang even with its flaws it is a very cool take on vampirism.

Odds and Ends

- Seemed like there was an ode to The Evil Dead (1981) in the film where we see the low to the ground camera shot as it travels out of the wood to the door of the small house which has a remarkable resemblance to the house in the Evil Dead movie. I figured it had to be on purpose but did not find anything online to confirm it.

- The epilogue scene that occurs 5 years later was probably unnecessary because it was pretty clear from Cupid's reactions in the final battle what was going to happen. Still the cloudy eyed Aswang child was creepy.

- Also known as "The Unearthing" I viewed the Aswang titled disc put out by Mondo Macabro

Year End Review (2103)

Year End Review (2013) - Another year has past and as it is for blogs we take a look back at the pleasures and pains of the time just completed. As I write this there are countless horror bloggers out there tapping away at their Best Of lists, lots of horror pod casters arguing about what should be the number one movie that came out last year. Having seen and reviewed almost every new scary film last year they are doing what we all do at times, evaluating the value of the art. Well I think I will take a different approach to the end of the year. I watched probably 75 horror, exploitation, semi porn presented as horror themed films last year and then wrote about 50 of them. Although it would not be too much a task to reread my thoughts and list the ones I liked best, it seems unnecessary with all that is already being published by others. Many of them more astute viewers than I and most of them better writers. So instead of yet another year in review for movies I have already seen and written about, I will share with you from the other input for ideas and talk to you about what I read this year.

  This year I read 9 books and also read a couple magazine regularly so here they are in no particular order.

Paracinema Magazine - "The Magazine for people who love genre movies" is how they bill themselves and they really do cover a lot of the genre world. On Facebook at...  At six issues a year each one is jam packed with interesting pieces competently written on a wide range of genre favorites. Articles on Robocop & Reagan's America, Horror parodies of the 80's, Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creature's, Ken Russell's the Devil's, Assault of the Killer Bimbos, Found Footage and Mockumentary Horror, An entire issue on Revenge Films, another on Classic Horror, A Kill Bill issue, An interview article with Kelli Maroney of "Night of the Comet" by one of my favorite writers Chris Hallock (@ChrisDIYDriveIn), Then there are things like talking about Duality in the film "The Dark Chrystal" or "Lesbian Vampires and the Failure of Heterosexuality in "Daughters of Darkness" so much good writing about the obscure and famous films I love so much. Editor Christine Makepeace, (@paraXtine) does a fine job at putting together a wide lens approach to genre film making this one of the two subscriptions I keep.

Diabolique Magazine - "Horror for the Connoisseur" Another bimonthly that is worth your time, a good old fashion glossy that focuses a bit more on classical and period piece horror but is not afraid to step across to what is hot and happening in the horror world of today. The writing is a step above most magazines and the presentation is beautiful, this is not the magazine you read and throw out but more a saved reference for when you revisit films they have covered. Props must be given to the whole team that puts this fine magazine together. Contributing writers are excellent including at times Chris Hallock and Michelle Galgana (@m_galgana). Editor Brandon Kosters uses a fine eye in picking the high quality talent that appears on the pages. The Horror Unlimited Website is the place to find individual issues as well as many other interesting things. Subscriptions as well as individual issues can be purchased at the Diabolique Magazine website.

Books

Zombies: An Illustrated History of the Undead by Jovanka Vuckovic  (@JovankaVuckovic) - This is a really nice book I like to leave on a coffee table of my TV room because anyone can and should pick it up and browse through it. It is a great image filled history of Zombies in popular culture that is easily glanced through and enjoyed. More it is a pretty good read and you should take the time to read it at least once before leaving it out as a reference when someone brings up the idea that Romero was the first  to have a "true" zombie in film. Vuckovic a writer and director of short films.  The president of She Wolf Films is a significant figure in moving women to the forefront of the horror genre. Her website at...

Bitches, Bimbos, and Virgins : Women in the Horror Film by editors Gary J. and Susan Svehla - Furthering my feminist leaning through education I was fortunate to read this great history of women's role in horror films from the earliest to the Ass kicking. But this excerpt from the introduction captures it best. "... Bitches, Bimbos and Virgins is the history of women in horror cinema, profiling their evolution from coffee-making to scientist, from seductress and victim to kick-ass heroine, and finally detailing their emergence as well drawn characters who play important roles in horror movie history- past present and future." I really enjoyed this book and spent time viewing many of the classics used as examples to get the full impact of the words.

Shock Value by Jason Zinoman (@zinoman) "How a few eccentric outsiders gave us nightmares, conquered Hollywood and invented modern horror."  Just a wonderful book of the back stories of some of the great seventies horror directors and writers who changed horror films forever. The makers of such films of Rosemary's Baby, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Carrie, Last House on the Left,  Halloween, The Exorcist and Alien are interviewed and studied with great back stories of their relationships with each other. Wes Craven, John Carpenter, Dan O'Bannon, Tobe Hooper, George Romero, David Cronenberg all contributed to the changing of horror from ghost stories and monster tales to a more visceral reality based shockfest which holds to this day. The writer is excellent and the content fascinating and well researched. Lovers of horror should all read this book. It may be because I just finished it as it was the last book I was reading when the year ended but with it fresh in my mind I can say I loved it.

The Undead and Theology edited by Kim Paffenroth (@kpaffenroth) and John W. Morehead (@JohnWMorehead) - This is example one of how Twitter drives business. Somewhere in time I started following Kim Paffenroth, "Professor of religious studies by day, horror novelist by night" and when he hocked his book one day I took a chance and bought it. Broken up into three parts, Vampires, Zombies and Other Undead, each part is a collection of essays about the subject as it connects to theology. Although I found some of the essays very interesting like W. Scott Poole The Vampire that Haunts Highgate: Theological Evil, Hammer Horror, and the Highgate Vampire Panic in Britain, 1963-1974, and editor Paffenroth's Apocalyptic Images and Prophetic Function in Zombie Films there are other like the one on the Laurell K. Hamilton books that I have no interest in reading that I just could not connect to. As an Atheist I generally have an interest in the beliefs people are holding (better to see a burning at the stake coming than to be surprised when they knock down your door) Seeing this connected to popular culture was very interesting, so this book was a good way to learn something about how believers may approach horror without having to talk to anyone about religion. Morehead has a cool webpage at The Fantastique.

Seed by Ania Ahlborn (@aniaahlborn) - Another example of how the Twitterverse effects our choices. Again I am not sure how I came to follow writer Ania Ahlborn but at some point I decided to read something she wrote. I picked up Seed and enjoyed the dark tail of Jack Winter a man running from his past until it catches up to him and threatens everyone he holds dear. Ania, not one to go soft on an ending, pushes towards an inevitable conclusion that  the reader wants to turn out okay, but is always nagged by the atmosphere of the story which says nothing good happens in the end. If there was a draw back in Seed I would say that the character Jack never takes ownership of his own power. He seems defeated by the thing is his past the entire story making the final wonderfully dark finish a fore gone conclusion. Far be it from me to pretend I know how to write a novel, but I can say how the story and its characters made me feel and Jack seemed defeated without a fight right from his first realization that his past was back. Whatever effort he was going to make seemed destined to fail. Certainly that contributes to the dread factor the book a carries but I want that real hope before the dark ending. I liked the book enough that I purchased and read a second, "The Shuddering". See her at her website

The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn (@aniaahlborn) - Fast on the heels of finishing Seed I started in on this one. A fantastical story about people going missing in the ski mountains of Colorado. Based heavily in the characters relationships of love lost and renewed and the choices that get us into uncomfortable situation The Shuddering is a monster lovers book. Highlighted with sharp descriptions of creatures that appear with the snow and feed while they can; it is a monster tale for anyone who spend time in a winter wonderland. The story centers around a brother and sister and their friends meeting at their father's mountain getaway one last time before it is sold. Strained relationship abound as people who have separated and drifted apart are mixed back together years later with unresolved feelings. Worst than that there is something(s) in the forest and they are hungry. Basing the story around the human characters Ahlborn pushes the story forward with their longing and grudges and regrets while at the same time creating an external threat that trumps all these feelings. Ania again is a master at the hard ending, besides who wants there horror books to end "happily ever after"? The plot moves well although more of an explanation of the history of the threat could have made the book more enjoyable. As in the case with Seed the threat is presented but never really explained, which I suppose is a valid approach. There is nothing worse than a character know it all trying to explain why and how something is happening. It makes me long for a bigger story though where I get to learn abut the conspiracy that must exist in these small mountain towns that loose dozens of lives every some number of years. Good book worth the price. Now if I can just get Ania to sign a copy for me.

 Dario Argento: Mediane Libri - This lovely picture book of Argento's films is short on text but makes up for in stylish presentation, behind the scenes photography, Movie posters and high gloss finish. It is basically a picture filled filmography that I impulse bought at The Coop when I wanted something to look at while I ate lunch at the Border Cafe in Harvard Square. I should probably make note of the Editor and art director Max Serio for putting this together. If you are an Argento fan as I am this is worth the $15 dollars or so that it costs.


- The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle: By Lou Schuler (@LouSchuler) and Alwyn Cosgrove (@alwyncosgrove) - I got this with the accompanying women's version for myself and daughter in the hope we would be better at staying in shape. Now she is a Captain on the Mount Saint Mary's Women's Rugby team and lifts regularly. I on the other hand am more in the shape of round. Funny thing is I read my version of this book while she did not. Now I am not saying that I have practice the principles, I can barely force myself into the gym a few times a week before slacking off again. The one draw back I saw in this book was that to do free weights under this regime I would need a lifting buddy. Since a lot of the theory is about pushing limits and changing routines there just seems to be an assumption that there is someone there to spot. Maybe this year I will try to execute some of what I learned.

 Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson  - I love Bill Bryson from the first thing I read "A Walk in the Woods" about his idea to walk the Appalachian trail, to his informative and hilarious adventures in Australia with "In a Sunburned Country" to his "A Short History of Nearly Everything" he is a thoroughly entertaining writer with a self effacing humor I really enjoy. So when I picked up this book at a yard sale for 25 cents I was thrilled. It is about traveling around England and it is very enjoyable. Not for everyone because the exceptional descriptive detail after a while will leave your head spinning about where on the island he is. Still the historical information and low adventure stories are wonderful if every now and again you pull out a map to orient yourself to the reading. On Facebook at...

A later addendum is I forgot that I also read Dan O'Bannon's wonderful book on screenwriting.

Attack the Block (2011) Horror Aliens

Attack the Block (2011) - I first saw this film at the Boston Science Fiction Festival / Marathon and liked it immensely. Defined character arcs small though they are, and snap quick pacing made it a really enjoyable. It is a small tale of a group of kids on the verge of being thugs who learn that the community that will be their target is more than a bunch of victims. After watching it again last night I think that still holds up as an enjoyable small budget science fiction film.
 The youth of this development are tweens and teens who are disengaged from the community, lead by 15 year old Moses (John Boyega) the prowl the neighborhood looking for trouble. They mug fellow resident Sam (Jodie Whittaker) and in general act like they own the subsidized housing. Dressed in hoodies and carrying weapons they are intimidating in numbers. Still they are not the real threat older and more dangerous young men like Hi-Hatz (Jumayn Hunter) grow and sell drugs and carry guns so these kids are really trying on a role that they are not quite ready for. There are a couple of even younger boys who aspire to hang with Moses and his crew to give an even better contrast to the setting. It is a story about consequences. The actions the boys take make the story move and they in the rush to be tough guy cost people their lives.
 This is a film with a simple setup that is well executed. After showing us the boys are callous in mugging poor Sam they see a meteor come crashing down from the sky and go to investigate it. It is the decision by the teens of the Block that drive the story Moses leads his friends to the site of where one of the creatures landed and they proceed to kill it and carry it around like a trophy. Like the boys in Lord of the Flies they have done a manly thing but parade like children. Along with Moses is Jerome (Leeon Jones), Dennis (Franz Drameh), Pest (Alex Esmail) and Biggz (Simon Howard) and little do they know that the blood of that alien creature will attract a far more deadly gender of the species.
  Those creatures dark as night with glowing rows of teeth descend on the Block in search of the female already killed by the boys. Her scent on the boy's clothes is a scent that the creatures do not mistake and they come in force seeking out the kids. A fight for survival ensues where the eyeless beast stalk and kill those they smell the female on while the boys do there best to survive and figure out how to deal with the situation. Mixed in this mess is Sam who ends up taking a change on her former assailants and joining the cause. There is also a subplot with Hi-Hatz where he comes after Moses for damaging his car again consequences for actions that started as just a bit of teenage fun.
  In the end Moses and Sam hatch a plan to blow the aliens up and work together towards that end. Now I am not saying this is a great movie but I find it really enjoyable. You have a kid learning lessons and adults who go from fearing him to understanding he is on the cusp of becoming a criminal but with the right support can still be redeemed. There is a recommendation for this film as some good light science fiction that has a bit more to the story than just the aliens.

Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary (1975) Horror Vampire

Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary (1975) - Christina Ferrare probably known as a Max Factor spokesperson a former fashion model she has worked in TV and fashion. Later she might be seen for her working as a frequent guest on the Oprah cable TV network cooking and sharing recipes.In this early work which she has many credits on IMDB; she stars as Mary a vampire traveling through Mexico struggling to find love and success while still meeting her need for blood. It is a strange tale where she has managed for many years to survive on her own as a painter of some notoriety while at the same time leaving a trail of bodies drained of blood. The turning point for Mary is when she meets Ben (David Young) a charming hitchhiker who is easy to fall for. Now she must balance the desire for blood with the counter desire to not eat her lover. After the first scene of there meeting the film gives us the goods on Mary, we see her turning her flirting charms on a man she has picked up in a bar.  She drugs the victim with a dose of something she keeps in a locket around her neck. She stealth-fully slips it into his drink and waits for it to takes effect. Then with a pin knife she keeps her hair up with she deftly punctures his jugular and drinks her fill.
  Director Juan Lopez Moctezuma does some interesting stuff with a story by Don Henderson, Malcolm Marmorstein and Don Rico even though there is not a lot in it. The story is pretty basic, we join the main character after she has established her life as some what successful artist, who uses already has a method of killing and drinking that has worked for her. There could be another story here that would also be interesting enough for a movie. I thought of the film "Let the Right One In", where the vampire creature was an 11 year old looking creature. She had to deal with the logistics her underdeveloped body created for her. I kept thinking that the more interesting time of Mary's life must have been her tween to teen years for Mary when her father had first left. Did she always need to drink blood and if so did her Father supply her? How did she cope when he was gone? When her Dad realized he could not stay was it because she was still not infected with this form of vampirism and his desire to drink was too great to stay around his still normal daughter? What was it like to develop the need? How did she survive in those early years before becoming a beautiful woman? Unfortunately this is not that story but instead the story of when she was almost found out.
  More though and this was indeed interesting it is a look into a time in Mary's life when she chose to love knowing that the cost would put her at risk. When she meets Ben and they become lovers the "seduce and kill" method she had been using to feed becomes much more difficult. Its just hard to explain to your partner that you need to leave alone for several hours every week or so. Also it changed her mobility and she was more stationary in the time of the film, shrinking the hunting grounds and making the similar deaths of the victims more noticeable to the police. So this could be the story of how love doomed Mary, but it is even more than that. At around this time Mary is stalked by a masked man in a green Mustang who kills and feeds in a similar was. This only makes the trail for the police more obvious and creates a climax that can be guessed. Ferrare does a very good job capturing the internal struggle as her life pattern sort of falls apart. She is in anguish over the desire to feed but not wanting to lose her love to that need. Young is a bit cardboard as the man in her life but has his own issues as they stay together.
  The police on Inspector Cosgrove (Arthur Hansel) of the FBI on loan to the Mexican Lieutenant Pons (Enrique Lucero) are smart enough to see that Ben has been around the locations of most of the murders. In an act of amazing sexism they never connect Mary in the same way but focus on the American drifter as their main suspect. He was on the beach when a fisherman died. He was in the town where the female hitchhiker was killed and where someone killed the morgue worker. He was at an art exhibit of Mary's work when Greta (Helena Rojo) was killed and drained of blood. Still Mary is not the focus but instead her boyfriend. Speaking of Greta, it was such a heartfelt death in this film porttrayed with excellent warmth by the two actresses. She for years longed for love with Mary and sent Ben out from the party to buy tequila in order to get Mary alone. Mary upset that Ben vanished thought he might have abandoned her and in her dismay is comforted by Greta. As Greta expresses her love for Mary with a kiss Mary for the first time gives into desire and feeds from someone she knows. It really is so well done by Ferrare and Rojo and a crucial turning point in the film.
 This connection is something even the dumbest of police can't miss, but unfortunately for Ben they are blind to the idea a woman could be the killer.  When the police decide to tail Ben the third act unfolds rather quickly. Mary also under that surveillance needs to feed but is hard pressed to find a time when she can. She is oh so tempted as Ben sleeps next to her but instead attempts to sneak out. All kinds of crazy happens from here on out as Ben chases after Mary and masked killer is hot on her heels, with that the cops are also chasing. Up into the hills of Mexico where the masked killer is revealed and some of the story behind Mary's condition is heard. In the end though this can not truly be anything but a tragedy. I won't spoil it since it is a more rare vampire story and many of you might want to see it. It is not the greatest of films but I say worth recommending for its unque take on the genre.
Odds and ends
 - Mary's art was painted by Rosa Rosenberg
 - The director went on after this film to make a couple other films I know, the incredibly screamy and strange "Alucarda" and "The Mansion of Madness"
 - One of the victims actress Susana Kamini plays a main character in Alucarda.
 - The masked killer ends up being one of the greatest character actors in history John Carridine, he really is a bit player in that we only see his face in the last sequence and thus I suspect he was hired for his name.
  - The copy I have of the film comes with both a 3D and normal version of the film. Neither of the versions are widescreen and the 3D version was too dark to enjoy.
 - Although in the scenes where she connects with other actors, Ferrare's portrayal is solid there are other times where she has to be the cold killer. In some ways this makes sense. She is a predator when she needs to feed but still wants to have another connected life when the desire is not so great. Still in the last act the way she seems almost helpless as she is chased by the masked killer seems really out of place.

Satan Claus (1996) Horror Killer Santa

Satan Claus (1996) - Straight to video and with good reason for this poorly done meaningless kill fest from the 90s. Listen, I try to give every film I write about the benefit of the doubt. I figure someone wrote, organized and made the film and that takes effort. You just don't wake up and make a film you have to work at it. I just wish the makers of this film had tried a bit harder. Mostly I wish they had hired someone to do lighting; someone who appreciated that the audience will need to see the picture to enjoy it. I know a lot of transfers to DVD loose some of their brightness but it is damn near impossible to see things filmed at night in this movie and it almost all set in the night.
Its a story of a serial killer dressed as Santa Claus who is decorating his Christmas tree with the body parts of  the victims. All the while calling and taunting the police who sit around in the dark waiting for calls instead of actually doing anything. It sort of like the set of Barney Miller, where people come in and there are conversations and then they leave again, but the cops never do much just talk and talk. Except in this film the conversation is not funny and poorly delivered for the most part. I think what the writer Simonetta Mastarda was going for was something like this: " A cop driven to the edge by a maniacal killer struggles through his personal grief to avenge the murder of his wife before more victims pile up." Its not what was delivered but at least there is some basic plot beyond the laughing killer Santa.
  The film starts with a woman doing some sort of ceremony to Satan. I say woman because the only thing you can see in the shot is just the smallest bit of outline on her arms as she waves them around, other wise being fully robed it would be difficult to know. Director Massimiliano Cerchi masks the voice so it sounds like a man. From there we get right into the killing. A woman is walking home at night and a bit nervous looking around as she goes. Santa (Robert Cummings) come up fast and talks to her, she is nervous but answers his pleasantries with confusion. He pulls out an hatchet and chops her head off, off screen. A neighbor screams, then we hear Santa singing Jingle Bells as he leaving. The next scene we get introduced to the three cops who sit in their dark office, Captain Ardison (Barie Snider), Lt. Lisa Red (Daisy Vel) and Sgt. Todd miller (John Romanelli), the victim we learn is Ardison's wife and this starts the game of cat and mouse where the cops almost never leave the room and the killer runs amok on the streets to kill at least three more people.
The subplot concerns the second victim and tangentially connected characters. Steve (Robert Hector) is a nice guy who works doing charity work and lives with Maman (Lauretta Ali) a (possibly Haitian) woman who is psychic and feels something bad brewing. Steve while collecting money for charity sees the girl he has a crush on Sandra Logan (Jodie Rafty) and her boyfriend right before, off and away from him the boyfriend is killed by Santa. Running to the noise he comforts Sandra becomes a witness.Steve also happens to be good friends with Lisa so it ties him in more.
  There is more plot to this but at its heart it is Santa calling the Capt. and harassing him and then promising to kill again. With each kill the killer puts some more body parts onto a Christmas tree and upping the ante when not getting enough attention from the police. The big twist is out of no where and I guess that is really all you should watch this film for. There is really no predicting it and in the end it all feels about nothing. One of the strange things about this film is that to establish the police station they have this shot of two police cars on the street. Not strange in itself, establishing shots are common in movies, what is strange is that every time we are going to have a scene in the station we get that same shot. They must show it seven times in the film. The acting is very amateurish with the possible exception of Rafty who seemed to be trying. Still she and most everyone else in this film only have this as a credit on IMDB. Now I won't be recommending this film, in fact I had some thin places in my notes and thought I should take a second look for the details but could not bring myself to actually watch this again. So if you choose to see it, don't blame me.

House of Bones (2010) - Horror TV Movie

House of Bones (2010)  - Television movies and network shows have gotten good at those draw you in opening sequences, I see it a lot on shows like Supernatural where the horror opening is really scary and compelling. House of bones has such an opening with a young boy showing a couple older kids his Father's prized Babe Ruth signed baseball. The callous boys decide they want to hit the ball and unfortunately it goes all the way across the street into the yard of a spooky old house. The younger boy knowing his behind is at stake is forced to conquer his fear and go and retrieve the ball. The music is spot on as the tension grows near the old house. Not only is it old large and scary but already has a reputation as a haunted place. Close up of toys abandoned in the yard, then the reaction of the frightened boy when he sees the ball flush against the front door. He musters his resolve and moves slowly towards his prize but as he nears the front door opens with a creak and the ball rolls just a body's length into the foyer. The kid spooked tuns to leave but suddenly is again facing the ball. He tries to turn and leave again but again finds himself further onto the porch. Now stretching into the house he reaches the ball always cautious to keep his feet outside the threshold. Success and the stands and turns to leave. Then a force lifts him up and pulls him into the dark of the house, leaving only the marks of his dirty fingers on the door frame where he tried in vain to grab hold. It's a less then original opening but was well executed and there was hope that this TV movie would be something a bit better than most.
Unfortunately the rest of the film falls into used up tropes and cliches that have been around for years. The energy of the opening is quickly forgotten as the film builds the character who will later be the victims of the house. Quentin French (Corin Nemic) is the host of a haunted sites cable show that is currently hitting the skids, arrogant about its popularity he is none too pleased that from now on he will have to go on location for a more reality based exploration of ghostly mansions. Going on ahead of him are his crew, lead investigator and fx man Greg (Marcus Lyle Brown) cinematographer Simon (Collin Galyean) helper Bub (Kyle Russell Clements), Producer Tom (Ricky Wayne) and recently hired psychic Heather (Charisma Carpenter) add in young Realtor Sara (Stephanie Honore) and we have the primary players for the film. The early scenes with Quentin getting demoted and the crew setting up at the haunted house are mundane for the most part but little quirky happenings pop up just in time for cuts that obviously were meant to be used to go to commercial.
  I think the biggest problem with this film is the fact that the house, its history is the main character. What this means for the viewer is when shit starts going down and poor Bub is lost pulled into the walls of the house there is a giant need to tell us what the story of the house is and who all the previous owners were. This expository talk is always from the one cast member who has done the research explaining it to the others and in most cases is just tedious to listen to. Movies are about showing not telling and killing the pacing of a film almost always happens when you have to tell the story. Then of course is the inexplicable necessities of having a psychic to confirm the house is evil, and numerous deaths before the smart survivors come up with a one line solution to save themselves. It is not that this film is not mildly entertaining but damn the explanation of what the house is and how to deal with it are so simple and unquestioned by anyone in the place that the viewer is left thinking they are all a bunch of dopes.
  The twist ending is less than satisfying but there are some decent things about the film also. The music fits really well and the acting is quite passable. A bit television geared but hey this is a made for TV movie so its what you get. In the end I was more disappointed than entertained and probably will not revisit this one.