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Synopsis:
When his friend (Griffin Dunne) is killed on the moors of England, a man (David Naughton) who’s been severely mauled by the same attacker ends up in a London hospital, where he’s cared for by a pretty nurse (Jenny Agutter) and a doctor (John Woodvine) who tries to investigate what might have happened — especially as Naughton has a series of intense dreams and hallucinations warning him he will turn into a werewolf during the next full moon unless he kills himself.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Horror Films
• Jenny Agutter Films
• John Landis Films
• Werewolves

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “pet project of director John Landis… may be the most successful attempt to mix horror and comedy there has been,” given that “you’ll laugh even when you feel jittery”. He notes that “the young actors are appealing and energetic,” the “supporting players — many from the Royal Shakespeare Company — give the production class,” and “the settings are particularly well chosen for atmosphere and visual interest.”

In addition, he points out that “the music… is a lot of fun” and that “Rick Baker won a deserved Oscar for his corpse-ghost and werewolf makeup and his stunning work on Naughton’s transformation from man into beast.” Peary concedes that “the last couple of scenes, taking place in Picadilly Circus, seem ill advised” but “otherwise the picture is truly enjoyable and original.”

I’m not as big a fan of this film as Peary and many others (it’s a cult favorite, discussed in Peary’s Cult Movies 3) seem to be. The mix of horror and comedy feels incomplete and often sophomoric; for instance, the scene in which Naughton “steals” a cluster of balloons from a startled young boy at the zoo to cover up his nudity is simply icky. Meanwhile, I would strongly prefer more of Elmer Bernstein’s moody score in favor of the pop hits Landis chose to sprinkle throughout key scenes. Agutter is appealing as Naughton’s love interest, and Baker’s transformation effects are truly outstanding — but this one will primarily appeal to fans of werewolf flicks or Landis’s comedic brand.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Jenny Agutter as Alex Price
  
• Rick Baker’s special effects
  
  
  
• Good use of London locales
  

Must See?
Yes, once, for the special effects and as a cult favorite.

Categories

• Cult Movie

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review

Synopsis:
When a young man (John Amplas) who’s convinced he’s a vampire goes to live with his great-uncle (Lincoln Maazel) — who refers to Martin (Amplas) as “Nosferatu” — and cousin (Christine Forrest), he continues to carry out his carefully plotted blood-attacks, including invading the home of a woman (Sara Venable) having a liaison with her lover (Al Levitsky), and a lonely housewife (Elyane Nadeau) eager to start an affair with Martin.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• George Romero Films
• Horror Films
• Vampires

Review:
George Romero’s fifth feature-length film — after debuting with Night of the Living Dead (1968), then making There’s Always Vanilla (1971) [not listed in Peary’s GFTFF], Jack’s Wife / Season of the Witch (1972), and The Crazies / Code Name: Trixie (1973) — was this psychological horror film focusing on the logistics of vampirism (are they really repelled by garlic and crosses?), and questioning whether the “lust for blood” is actually all in the vampire’s mind (or truly a curse). Amplas makes a surprisingly compelling and sympathetic lead, convincingly portraying someone simultaneously young and “virginal”, and a decades-old misfit who has figured out what he believes to be the least invasive way to satisfy his needs (by quickly sedating his victims before attacking them).

Through atmospheric black-and-white flashbacks, we get glimpses of Martin’s desire for romance and intimacy — along with the inevitable bloodshed that ensues.

The scene in which Martin invades the home of a housewife (Venable) — assuming he’s “safe” to seduce her since he’s just watched her husband drive away for a trip, then finding out there’s a man in the house after all — is expertly directed, showing off Martin’s agility and quickness-of-mind. Only once Martin decides he wants to try to live a more “human” life do his faculties begin to fail him. While it’s far from perfect and occasionally clunky, enough works about this low-budget thriller (purportedly Romero’s personal favorite) to recommend it for one-time viewing by all film fanatics.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• John Amplas as Martin
  
• Good use of Pittsburgh location shooting
  
• Creative direction
  
  
• Donald Rubinstein’s highly evocative score

Must See?
Yes, once, as a most unusual vampire flick. Listed as a Cult Movie, a Personal Recommendation, and a Sleeper in the back of Peary’s book, and discussed at length in Peary’s Cult Movies 3 book.

Categories

• Important Director

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review
• Combustible Celluloid Review

Synopsis:
When a doctor (Tom Atkins) helps a young woman (Stacey Nelkin) investigate the murder of her father (Al Berry) eight days before Halloween, he uncovers a plot by the nefarious owner of a novelties company (Dan O’Herlihy) to use Halloween masks to control kids all over the country.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Amateur Sleuths
• Horror Films
• Mad Doctors and Scientists

Review:
This third film in the Halloween (1978) horror film franchise is notorious for not featuring serial killer “Michael Meyers” and actually having nothing at all to do with the original film (other than showing clips of it on television in the background). Producer John Carpenter’s idea was to begin a series of Halloween (the holiday)-related films each year, starting with this one about masks, androids, shamrocks, and the power of Stonehenge (!). Unfortunately, the intriguing central premise — i.e., a silver medallion on many of the masks that will brainwash kids through a commercial airing on Halloween — neither makes much sense (what’s up with the bugs and other creepy-crawlies that come oozing out?):

… nor pays off effectively.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• A creepy premise
  
  
• Atmospheric cinematography
  

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re curious. Listed as a Sleeper in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review

Synopsis:
A virginal young woman (Nastassja Kinski) who has just reunited with her shape-shifting grown brother (Malcolm McDowell) and his housekeeper (Ruby Dee) in New Orleans falls for a handsome zookeeper (John Heard) who has helped capture McDowell when he was in panther-form — but when she learns about a dark family secret and her brother attempts to seduce her, her romance with Heard is put on hold.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Ed Begley Jr. Films
• Horror Films
• Incest and Incestuous Undertones
• John Heard Films
• Malcolm McDowell Films
• Nastassja Kinski Films
• Paul Schrader Films
• Ruby Dee Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary asserts that “Paul Schrader’s re-working of Val Lewton’s classic starts out reasonably well but then becomes an abomination”. He notes that “Kinski is well cast, Annette O’Toole is likable as Heard’s workmate:

… and some early scenes are quite eerie and erotic, but Alan Ormsby’s script becomes incoherent, the John Bailey [cinematographer]-Ferdinando Scarfiotti [production designer] visuals become too surrealistic, and Schrader completely forgets the subtlety, sensuality, and taste that distinguished Lewton’s film” — instead filling “the screen with nudity and gory violence that are antithetical to Lewton.” In a 2000 interview, Schrader apparently admitted that Lewton’s film didn’t mean much to him, and that he wanted “the movie credited as ‘A Paul Schrader and Fernando Scarfiotti Film'” — but despite significant narrative differences between the two films, there are enough scenes that are direct homages (i.e., the swimming pool scene) that it’s hard not to make comparisons.

Unfortunately, I’m in agreement with Peary that this more literal “version” is much less successful, and actually pretty icky. McDowell seems comfortable building on the theme of incest from his infamous turn in Caligula (1979), but why in the world would audiences want to hear him saying to Kinski, “We are an incestuous race; we can only make love with our own — otherwise, we transform.”? I get that this is the mythos behind the storyline, but it’s simply unappealing. Kinski is alluring, and good use is made of New Orleans settings — but this one isn’t must-see viewing.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Nastassja Kinski as Irena
  
• Atmospheric cinematography and sets
  
  
  

Must See?
No, unless you’re curious.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Spinning Image Review
• DVD Talk Review

Synopsis:
When a man (Bill Cone) is murdered by a woman (Kathy Lester) he’s just had sex with in a graveyard, his friends Jody (Bill Thornbury), Reggie (Reggie Bannister), and Jody’s younger brother Mike (Michael Pearson) begin an investigation in a nearby mausoleum, where a creepy mortician (Angus Scrimm) is wandering the hallways with nefarious plans.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Amateur Sleuths
• Horror Films
• Living Nightmare
• Orphans

Review:
This cult favorite by 25-year-old writer-director Don Coscarelli spawned several sequels and has legions of dedicated fans who consider Scrimm’s “The Tall Man” to be one of the great horror villains of all time:

However, I personally find Phantasm to be a mess of a movie — to the extent that I started talking back to it at a certain point, simply out of incredulity at the choices being made:

“That guy just fired a pistol near his own head to kill off the mutant creature that’s pounced on top of him — good thing he was okay with only having a few inches to spare in his aim!”

“Why are we suddenly back in the mausoleum again?”

“Where do all these guns keep coming from?!”

Coscarelli clearly seems to be aiming for a form of giallo in his use of atmospheric cinematography and Goblin-esque music (as well as a windshield shattering at one point), but can’t seem to make up his mind which horror film tropes he wants to settle on, ultimately simply throwing them all in — including killer hooded dwarves:

… a blind seer:

… a disembodied finger:

… a (seemingly) self-driving car:

… the discovery of meaningful old sepia-toned photos in a cluttered antique shop:

… a chase scene through the dark woods:

… and death-after-sex:

In addition, there’s a brief time/space warp sequence that presumably gives Pearson all sorts of insights into what the Tall Man is ultimately aiming for:

… as well as a truly random musical interlude:

… and a special effects sequence — a lethal silver ball hurtling straight at a bad-guy — which nearly all viewers seems to agree is one of the film’s highlights (too bad there’s no rhyme or reason to its nifty if terrifying existence).

Finding out that Phantasm originally ran over three hours helps to explain the many narrative fragments that simply don’t cohere. I understand that this film was originally conceived through dreams by Coscarelli, and should be viewed as a nightmare-like tale. But for those who prefer narrative cohesion, you’ll want to stay away.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Highly atmospheric cinematography and sets
  
  

Must See?
Yes, once — but only for its strong cult status. Listed as a Sleeper and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Spinning Image Review
• Moria Review

Synopsis:
When J. Edgar Hoover (Broderick Crawford) dies suddenly in 1972, his secretary (Ellen Barber) rushes to shred his massive “personal files”, filled with secrets about numerous political elites — including Robert Kennedy (Michael Parks), Martin Luther King, Jr. (Raymond St. Jacques), FDR (Howard Da Silva), JFK (William Jordan), and others. Meanwhile, a former FBI agent (Rip Torn) reflects on his years of service to Hoover, as well as the “open secret” of Hoover’s deep friendship with his closest aide (Dan Dailey).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Biopics
• Blackmail
• Broderick Crawford Films
• Celeste Holm Films
• Dan Dailey Films
• Jose Ferrer Films
• Larry Cohen Films
• Political Corruption
• Rip Torn Films

Review:
So-called “guerrilla filmmaker” Larry Cohen — best known for directing It’s Alive! (1974) and God Told Me To (1976) — was bold to make this openly critical film about notorious FBI head J. Edgar Hoover at a time when Hoover had only been dead a few years, and politicians were understandably leery about having the skeletons in their closets exposed.

Thanks to ingenuity and grit — as well as former First Lady Betty Ford’s appreciation for Dan Dailey, in what ended up being his final role:

— Cohen managed to direct this movie in many of its original locations, including casting Hoover’s actual barber and waiter:

Unfortunately, the film itself isn’t all that satisfying or comprehensible unless you happen to be an American history buff with knowledge of the various rapid-fire events unfolding between the 1920s and 1970s; as noted by Janet Maslin in her review for the New York Times, the movie “hovers midway between soap opera and expose”, and “mostly barrels along at a flat, uninteresting pace, with no big scenes to give it any structure.”

With that said, I felt much better informed after following up by watching an actual documentary about Hoover, which filled in many gaps, and helped me understood writer-director-producer Larry Cohen’s intent to highlight the rampant corruption (no surprise!) behind just about every political situation and figure in U.S. history — and how Hoover managed to keep his position for decades due to his savvy intelligence. Among many scenes, we see young Hoover (James Wainwright) taking over the FBI just after the Palmer Raids:

… Hoover’s desire to give the FBI both respectability and authentic clout:

… the deep mistrust Hoover held for women (Ronee Blakley, Celeste Holm) who were romantically interested in him at various points in his career:

… the role Hoover’s hovering mother (June Havoc) may have played in his personality and/or sexual orientation:

… Hoover’s frustration at suddenly being the underling of a much-younger RFK (and how he managed to reassert his authority):

… Hoover’s close alliance with Joe McCarthy (George Wallace):

… and Hoover’s lifelong addiction to gambling, which may have led to his avoidance of dealing with the Mafia.

Note: You’ll have to give wide berth to the appearances of the actors playing various Big Names in History here, who look almost nothing like their real-life counterparts (see if you can guess who’s on screen in each of the stills below):

(1. FDR, 2. LBJ, 3. MLK.)

Note: I haven’t (yet) seen Clint Eastwood’s 2011 film J. Edgar, starring Leonardo Di Caprio in the title role, though I’m especially curious now to check it out in comparison.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• A boldly scathing (for the time) look at Hoover’s instrumental role in shaping the FBI
  

Must See?
No, though of course it’s worth a look if you’re interested in Hoover and the FBI. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Through the Shattered Lens Review

Synopsis:
After sending their 11-year-old son (Daniel Holzman) to stay with a family friend (William Wellman, Jr.), a man (John Ryan) and his wife (Sharon Farrell) go to the hospital so Farrell can give birth to their second child — but things quickly go awry with Farrell’s unusual mutant infant, who turns out to be murderously self-protective, and kills numerous people while seeking the security of its own home.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Evil Kids
• Horror Films
• Larry Cohen Films
• Living Nightmare
• Mutant Monsters

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “cleverly written and directed” cult film by Larry Cohen is “at once terrifying and repugnant.” He asserts that it “deals with the relevant issue of doctors indiscriminately giving women unsafe drugs, but only so it can use the shameful baby-as-monster premise, which Cohen exploits to the nth degree.” I disagree that Cohen’s conception of a mutant baby on a rampage is “shameful”, given that his film — while silly, sloppy, often too slow, and badly made in some ways (how can the baby kill and wreak havoc so quickly?!) — carries multiple layers of meaning and subtext within its surprisingly complex storyline. Peary concedes that “at least Cohen has us rooting for the baby by [the] film’s end”, which hints at the fact that a form of connection has been made by those closest to the baby — but most definitively not by the host of outside actors who have ulterior motives for wanting the creature destroyed (ranging from covering up inhumane medical practices to wanting to study the infant).

Peary points out that Ryan — a classically trained actor who spent many years of his career on stage — gives a “surprisingly fine performance”; indeed, he elevates the entire script up a notch, particularly during the touching moments near the end of the film. I like how the L.A. River Basin is used as a metaphorical watery womb for Ryan and his baby to bond within and emerge from (albeit to a fatally hostile crowd). Equally sympathetic and nuanced is Farrell as the creature’s mother, who knows something is “not right” but is ignored by the men-in-power around her throughout her pregnancy, during the birth process, and after her baby has gone missing. I agree with Cohen’s choice to not show much of Rick Baker’s mutant baby design, instead hinting at Its demonic appearance through quick flashes without dwelling on It; appropriately enough, It exists primarily in the shadows. (Cohen has cited Val Lewton’s horror films as an influence, and this makes sense.)

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• John Ryan as Frank Davis
  
• Sharon Farrell as Lenore Davis
  
• Good use of Los Angeles locales (including the L.A. River Basin)
  
• Rick Baker’s special effects and make-up work
  
• Bernard Herrmann’s score

Must See?
Yes, as an unusual cult film.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• And You Call Yourself a Scientist Review
• Moria Review