Not done one of these for a while. Only three picks that deserve some boutique Blu-ray love this time around. It's the magic number. But seriously, though, it's because I can't be bothered to cover five this time. Still got PTSD doing that The Wicker Man review.
Blood and Roses (Roger Vadim, 1960)
After her tomb is disturbed by a fireworks display triggering an unexploded bomb, the ghost of vampire noblewoman Millarca Von Karnstein takes possession of her dead-ringer descendant Carmilla (Annette Stroyberg). Carmilla and Leopoldo (Mel Ferrer) might be a little more than just 'kissing cousins', but it's his fiancee, Georgia (Elsa Martinelli), which she finds herself thirsting for now. And so begins a potential affair between the two gorgeous babes while the odd servant gets bumped off.
Not the first adaptation of the most Frenchly named Irish man, Sheridan La Fanu's gothic novella, Carmilla, but it's perhaps the first to include its actual lesbian subtext; predating Hammer's own Karnstein films as well the ones from the European continent by almost a decade.
Roger Vadim had a great knack for casting beautiful women (notably those who married him) and making us think God created them, but boy is Stroyberg's acting equally as wooden as a stake in this. Still, both her and Martinelli (who wasn't married to Vadim) look like female perfection on film. It's all thanks to Claude Renoir's dreamily phantasmagoric cinematography, of course. Speaking of which, the film contains as an incredible dream sequence which may have inspired Tobe Hooper's terrifying window scenes from Salem's Lot (1979)
Caught this for the first time only just recently. While I find it baffling that any film with a less than 80 minutes run time still deems itself necessary to be a lethargically paced slow burner, I can't help but admire its innovative visual effects, as well as its mesmerising Bave-esque expressionism.
The Ghoul (Freddie Francis, 1975)
Set in the roaring '20s, two middle-class British couples leave a party and do the most spontaneously bourgeois (therefore, entirely stupid) thing imaginable: race to Land's End in the middle of the night. Being a horror film and straying away from the basic premise of the light-hearted adventure comedy Genevieve (1951), things don't exactly go to plan. One way or another, they all end up on the premises of former clergyman, Doctor Lawrence (Peter Cushing). He also happens to keep his Hare Krishna cannibal son, locked up in the attic - the titular antagonist.
This has a great cast of recognisable actors. The Champions' Alexandra Bastedo and Hammer siren Veronica Carlson sporting a perm, rep the cult sirens department. The aforementioned Peter Cushing needs no introduction, similarly John Hurt is also great in this as a creepy caretaker. For trash hounds like myself, it's a real buzz to see the Ian MacCulloch in this before he became the quintessential Brit with a stiff upper lip and a comb over in various Italian horror movies.
Near Dark (Kathryn Bigelow, 1987)
Small town farm boy Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar) unwillingly winds up joining a collective of vampires after falling for Madonna lookalike Mae (Jenny Wright). His sense of morality still prevails, however, which makes him yearn to be back on the farm with his father Loy (B-movie legend Tim Thomerson) and sister Sarah (Marcie Leeds). This might make him dead weight with his undead adoptive family, but he proves his worth after performing a daring rescue during a gunfight with the cops.
Part neo-western and part vampire horror, Near Dark is a great example of how to blend two distinctively different genres into something uniquely entertaining. As a result, Near Dark is often put on the same podium with Fright Night (1985) and The Lost Boys (1987) as one of the greatest vampire flicks from the '80s.
The film also features a bunch of recognisable actors from the classic sci-fi sequel Aliens (1986), including, none other Bill Paxton; who essentially became the face of 1980s cinema for genre heads like myself. Paxton is unforgettable as the sadistic and utterly quotable vampire Severen. Also features the killer theme Fight at Dawn by Tangerine Dream and the best version of the song Fever, in my opinion.
Although Near Dark has already received the Blu-ray treatment, it's largely out of print and far too expensive to grab these days. Having been blown away with Second Sight's 4K UHD release of The Hitcher (1986), it's only right this gets a similar treatment (hopefully, by Second Sight too), and would make for an excellent double bill.
And that's your lot.
All three of these flicks finally deserve a decent Blu-ray release, but I have been most eagerly anticipating one for THE GHOUL. Although it is awfully similar to Hammer's THE REPTILE (1966), I think this overlooked Tyburn production has its own distinctively gloomy atmosphere and is unrelentingly doom-laden. It also boasts another great Peter Cushing performance amidst a noteworthy cast,
ReplyDeleteIt's funny you should mention The Reptile (1966) as I always used to think Peter Cushing was in that film, until I revisited it again. You are right about The Ghoul's similarity to it, though.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed The Ghoul does get released, along with Tyburn's two other films. 88 films has been releasing some of Tigon's films over the last year or so. Hopefully, they could do the same with Tyburn, too.
Near Dark is up there with Miracle Mile and Long Kiss Goodnight in the best old movies I've watched in the past 12 months department.
ReplyDeleteMiracle Mile (1988) is definitely one of the best late pass movies for me too.
ReplyDeleteI copped the Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) 4K UHD not too long ago. Not seen it in over a decade. Might give it a watch this weekend.