HALLOWEEN HORROR CHALLENGE MOVIE #7 - THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE CAMPUS CORPSE

THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE CAMPUS CORPSE (1977) aka THE HAZING
D. Douglass Curtis
SHREIK SHOW/ CODE RED
1.85

The potboiler released by Code Red is an unusual beast indeed. Billed as a horror film in some circles and a comedy in others, it really is neither. It is a bizarre attempt at a campus based thriller with a twist ending. 

The movie follows rising track start Craig Lewis (Jeff East, the spitting image of William Katt) as he starts at the best school on the continent. He foolishly agrees to pledge the big frat house, The Delts along with his new friend Barney (Charles Martin Smith, the "name" involved here since he was hot off of AMERICAN GRAFFITI). But during their hazing in which they are forced to run across country in their jock straps, Barney is badly hurt. By the time Craig returns, Barney is dead leaving the fellas to hide the body and come up with a plan to fake his death. Naturally none of it goes quite as planned. 

This is a very slight movie that wouldn't be on anyone's radar had it not been for the complete turnabout in the final act. I wont spoil it here, but it re-contextualizes everything that came before and is a bold and risky plot device. The acting ranges from OK with Jeff East doing his best to be a whiny bitch. The head of the Delts played by Brad David is particularly good. he does sociopaths really well, check him out in THE CANDYSNATCHERS for another great performance from him.

Ultimately the movie is nothing special, but it is diverting enough to check out once. Just don't expect a blood bath or laugh riot. 

Review © Andrew Copp

HALLOWEEN HORROR CHALLENGE Day #6 - RATTLERS

RATTLERS (1976)
D. JOHN MACAULEY
SOMETHING WEIRD VIDEO
FULL FRAME

This late 70's drive in favorite is a nice example of the "Nature Runs Amok" sub-genre of horror that was popular during that decade. Movies like WILLIARD or DAY OF THE ANIMALS were quite popular seemingly because of the success of JAWS. But if you look a little closer there is more there. These movies were mostly family friendly, PG rated affairs that were just scary enough for the whole family to check out. Making then drive in perennials for years to come. 

RATTLERS is hardly the best of the lot, it holds onto the cliches of the genre with an iron fist. But it IS a lot of fun. The movie opens with a particularly vicious scene of two little boys climbing rocks in the desert to find a "human skeleton" one of them saw. They happen upon the den of rattlesnakes and are bitten multiple times until dead. It was pretty rare for a movie to open with the double killing of kids, especially one rated PG. 

Our hero Dr. Tom Parkinson -insert your own distasteful joke here- (Sam Chew Jr.) is introduced in a hilarious scene where his assistant accidentally lets a cobra loose in their lab (that looks a helluva lot like a garage). Tom charms the cobra by waving his hand dangerously close to its mouth until it gets tired and almost falls asleep. Tom and his buddy discuss that the local Sheriff has asked him to come lend his expertise to these snake bite deaths. Tom is overjoyed at the prospect of earning a whole "Two Hundred Dollars!" for his work. 

Soon he discovers that there is a lot more snake bite deaths in this little town than anyone knew. We see a small farm get laid to waste by a whole pack of rattlers that kill all the livestock, the family and even burn down the place. They are destruction in action!

Tom is assigned a pretty, perky breasted camerawoman, (Elizabeth Chauvet) to which he immediately takes a big dislike. His chauvinism is loud and clear as he asked the Sheriff (Tony Ballen) why he can't have male photographer as this is "no job for a woman". he's not gay he just hates women. Once out in the field she just will not shut up about her place in the workforce and how she is better than the other people vying for her jobs until the point that Tom has to put her in her place and yells at her for all her beliefs. Go men!!!

A harpy of a woman calls the plumber because she has no hot water. She manages to get into the bath anyway while he works under the house. We see her bare ass in a reminder that PG used to get away with a whole lot more than it does now. You guessed it. The snakes attack him and crawl through the pipes to get her in the bathtub. One snake is not reacting well to being in the water and makes a break for it out of the tub and out of the scene.   

The dynamic duo of snake hunting search around and end up at an Air Force Base. The chopper pilot tells Tom about how they dumped and sealed some giant container in the local mines. It takes Tom a little while to connect the dots, but once he does he is NOT happy. Naturally the military stops cooperating with him at this point. 

The movie plays out as expected with a showdown with the psycho General who was in charge of the whole operation that made the snakes go crazy. Tom really never does much of anything to save the day or help the cause. Usually the military guys come running in at the last minute to help out. Naturally Tom and the girl fall in love as she throws all her women's lib beliefs out the window to be with this woman hating jerk. 

The snake action here is surprisingly unsettling to watch as people are clearly, and over and over again, put well with in striking reach of these snakes for good shots. They were probably de-fanged, or at least one hopes they are. But also unsettling is the fact they kill many snakes on camera. No PETA monitored action here as snakes are hacked, shot and drowned for our entertainment. 

The unbridled misogyny is a little surprising too. The photographers portray of a liberated woman who just melts when she meets a strong man is just the leaping off point. ALL the women in the movie are harpies, bitches or just plain stupid. There isn't a decent strong portrayal of a woman anywhere in sight. 

RATTLERS is an entertaining, and sometimes outrageous little nugget of the time long past. In it's own way it is a little shocking too, and not always for the best. I need to watch STANLEY the other killer snake movie of the era to see how they stack up against each other. Or the Hong Kong KILLER SNAKES which is really over the top. 

Review © Andrew Copp

HALLOWEEN HORROR CHALLENGE MOVIE #5 - GANJA AND HESS

GANJA & HESS (1973) aka BLACK VAMPIRE
D. BILL GUNN
KINO - Blu Ray

This misunderstood art film is really very stylish and interesting. Thought to be a simple blaxploitation film for years, this is much more of a weird treatise on religion, myth, medicine and immortality. Directed by homosexual director BILL GUNN, this is also the last film to feature the late DUANE JONES of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD fame. 

Duane Jones plays Dr. Hess Greene a man who holds man degrees in various person bound arts. Even before the first image we are explained that Dr. Hess was stabbed by a special dagger three times one for The Father, one for The Son and one for The Holy Ghost. Dr. Hess has become a blood drinker, a vampire. His closest friend is fellow researcher, the suicidal George (played by director Gunn). George is tormented by the intricacies of life and death and teeters constantly on the edge. He is not aware of his friends new needs.

The first section of the film is titled THE VICTIM and deals with these two men's complex lives and relationship. It sets up Dr. Hess as a victim of his circumstances. After this each section of the film is numbered and titled accordingly. 

GANJA and HESS is really a movie about moments. As a whole I can see why the film was edited down from 113 minutes to a probably incomprehensible 78 min. There are lots of stretches that feel like they are going nowhere. Lots of conversations and things like language (bad language specifically) or how to hide dope rectally. There is also a LOT of nudity and sensuality that probably didn't go over well in the art crowd or even the exploitation crowd. Scenes like director Gunn taking a bath (and brushing his teeth in the water) that goes on a long time with his schlong in plain site.

But ultimately the film is about Hess, and Jones intense portrayal of the character. He is not a monster, but a man afflicted and Jones pulls out the stops to bring you into his plight. The film could almost be seen as a venereal disease or AIDS allegory (except AIDS hadn't reared its ugly head yet, and wouldn't for a decade or so). It is also about letting your freak flag fly. To not accept guilt for living a particular lifestyle or for having different needs. Dialogue throughout the film pertains to this. Such as


"Everybody is some kind of freak. Everyone I know is into something." - Ganja

" The only perversions that can be comfortably condemned are the perversions of others. I will persist and survive without God's or society's sanctions. I will not be tortured and I will not be guilty."
- Dr. Hess

Those are words to live by if I ever saw them. One should never allow themselves to feel guilty for their desires and needs.

More art film than horror film, there is still plenty of “frission” to be had from this quirky, extremely personal vision of modern horror.

I watched this on Blu Ray and it looks very interesting. Mastered from surviving 35mm prints as the vault negatives were the cut version it retains the super grainy feel and look of the era it was shot in. Clearly made for very little money all the flaws show up with added clarity in this version. But it does not distract from the overall power and ingenuity the film displays. 

Review © Andew Copp

Halloween Horror Challenge Movie #4 - HAUNTED (1977)

HAUNTED (1977)
D. Michael G. Degeatano

CODE RED DVD

This older drive-in style potboiler is one of the releases from Code Red that features ex-wrestler Maria as a host. Seems that most of the movies she hosts are really bad. Some so bad they are great like NIGHT OF THE DEMON or MARDI GRAS MASSACRE, but others like this one leave you wondering why they bothered to put it out at all. Even she comments after the movie on how futile and pointless it all was.

The story begins promisingly enough with a very well acted prologue. An Indian maiden is stripped bare and set off on her horse to die. Turns out the soldiers and townsfolk all conspired to kill her and lied about the charges she was sentenced over. Cut to modern day and the town has become a dilapidated tourist trap. Resided over by an old man (Aldo Ray) his psychotic wife (Virginia Mayo) and his two sons. Seems the lady of the house never got over an affair she had with old Aldo's brother when they were all much younger and has driven herself insane with the good memories of loving this man. This man she can never have because he up and vanished one day. The kids hate their father and disrespect him at every turn. Into this mess comes a young woman (Ann Michelle) who sets the delicate balance of the house askew. The eldest son decides to put mom into a nursing home and sell the land. Meanwhile mysteriously a phone booth has been installed in the cemetery next door. A phone-line to talk to the dead.

The problem with HAUNTED is that it is slow. People talk a lot, and the town has a weird atmosphere to it. But as for action, there literally is none. Nothing scary happens until well past the one hour mark and then it is so little that you are shocked when the movie is over.

Review © Andrew Copp

HALLOWEEN HORROR CHALLENGE movie #3 ZOMBIE BABIES

ZOMBIE BABIES (2012)
D. EMMON HARDIMAN

ALTERNATIVE CINEMA

Shot On Video

I really try to not do bad reviews just for the sake of writing shitty reviews. I also tend to shy away from filmmakers working on the same budget level I have just because I don't want to be a dick to people. But sometimes shit just happens and you end up watching something like ZOMBIE BABIES.

This ultra low budget flick is about a couple of redneck idiots who decide to open a makeshift abortion clinic/slash vacation getaway. A group of inane dudes all with very pregnant girlfriends arrive and most of them get on screen coat hanger abortions. But the problem is the rednecks also have a moonshine still in the basement filled with radioactive slop that brings the fetuses back to life.

Never mind the fact this movie was already made as THE SUCKLING in the late 80's or a big plot device is lifted wholesale from REDNECK ZOMBIES. This movie fails on almost all the levels it sets out to attempt. I'm not even gonna rag on the out of focus photography, inconsistent sound and special effects where you can see the puppeteers as much as the rest of the cast. I'd let all that shit go if it was actually funny or scary or just irreverent enough to recommend. But it is none of those things. The dialogue, being performed largely by non actors, is endless and painful. The humor consists of many variants of shit being expelled onto people, and lots of sex humor that just ultimately degrades the actors and finally the audience for watching it.

I am struggling to find something positive to say, so Ruby Larocca is good as usual as is Kaylee Williams who really should choose her projects a little more in line with her talent. Shawn C. Phillips is once again on hand playing a big fat guy; sweating, exposing himself and just basically being degraded. The dude is a funny guy, I just wish he would stop letting directors make fun of him on screen.

There is a very weird pre-natal sexual vibe, running through the movie with one Zombie Baby getting his asshole licked until he shits on the dude doing it, and Ruby almost swallowing a severed baby dick that comes all over her face when she pulls it out of her mouth. The scenes are clearly aiming to be shocking, but just come off as unpleasant and a more than a bit unsavory.

Just when you think the movie is feeling like it has been on for hours and hours, they clearly run out of money when one scene cuts to comic book art to fill in the action and it mercifully ends on what should be a shock ending, but happens so fast it is meaningless.

To say I can't recommend this is an understatement.

Review © Andy Copp

HALLOWEEN HORROR CHALLENGE Day 2 THIRST (2009)

Last night I unofficially launched my Halloween Horror Challenge with the couple of HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR episodes I watched. Tonight is the first feature film in the challenge this year. And yes I am fully aware that I am a week ahead of schedule, but I want to try to get as many in as possible this year.

THIRST (2009)
D. PARK CHAN WOOK

FIRST LOOK PICTURES

2.35

This very quirky vampire comedy is a strange creature indeed. Coming from the director of OLDBOY one expects it to be left of center. But this films throws the compass out entirely to find its own unnatural bio-rhythms.

Kang Ho-Song stars as a priest named Sang Hyeon, who chooses to go to a secluded hospital to be part of an experiment to help cure a deadly disease called EV. In doing so he understands he takes the risk of dying from the communicable virus. But during the process he ends up with something worse. He becomes a vampire, but yet is still carrying the disease as well. He becomes a martyr figure to all those suffering from fatal afflictions, all of whom ask him to pray over them in hopes of a cure. They even camp out in tents like an I-Phone sale in hopes of him laying on of hands. Working the hospital he meets a family he spent a lot of time with when he was an orphan child. Because the eldest boy Kang Wu ( Ha-Kyun Shin) has what appears to be cancer. Sang ends up living with the family and falling into a torrid affair with Kang Wu's wife (and former adopted sister) Tea-Ju (a blistering performance by Ok-Bin Kim). Soon there is murder being plotted and more characters entering the Living Dead fold.

While this is a vampire film, and therefor already part of a VERY tired sub-genre, there is NOTHING normal about THIRST. Tonally it is a bizarre and quite gory black comedy. But under the surface it is thematically about poison relationships, weather they be between couples or even one's relationship with God. The vampirism is treated much more like a medical virus that brings out the worst in each character. Making them MORE of what they already are. Sang-Hyeon is a gentle God fearing man at the start and slowly, almost against his will becomes a monster who will kill to satiate his lusts. Tea-Ju on the other hand takes to being a monster quite easily, lying, cheating and ultimately killing, a lot, to meet her new needs. 

But even with all the heavy thematic elements the film still succeeds at being funny and scary too. It never tries to be a knock you out scare fest. Instead the movie is a slowly creeping up kind of nasty scare that candy coats the bullet with quirky humor.

A great change of pace horror film for those looking for something quite a bit different.

Review © Andrew Copp

HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR Take 1

HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR (1980)

D. VARIOUS
SYNAPSE FILMS

Full Frame

This TV series from Britain is finally making it's debut stateside with all of the footage intact. All appearances in the U.S. were shortened and had the naughty bits cut for broadcast. There are thirteen episodes all with different casts and directors. I will review them as I actually watch them.

The first episode is called WITCHING TIME and deals with madness and a modern day incarnation of a witch. A man in his thirties who scores horror films for a living suspects (rightly so) that his wife is having an affair. One evening while she is away boning the local doctor a freak storm happens and our hero finds a red-headed woman asleep in the stable. She claims to be a witch from the sixteen hundreds. Soon she is turning his already messed up life into a mockery. He calls his friend the Doctor for help but it only convinces the both of them he is losing his shit. Soon the witch has seduced him and claimed him as her own. Just in time for his wife to come back around out of concern. Then things get really weird for everyone.

The lead character is a whiny little goofball, making it hard to be too concerned with him. But the fact that both the wife and her lover are concerned about him and try to do what they can to help is a nice touch. Instead of the wife and lover teaming up to kill the husband, then spend a great deal of time trying to help his disturbed frame of mind. It is a nice sideways look at a typical situation for these kinds of films. The finale gets a little silly as fire, water and voodoo dolls all come into the mix. But over all it is a fun, if a bit silly, entrance into the show.

The next episode is called THE THIRTEENTH REUNION and is directed by Hammer stalwart Peter Sasdy. This entry deals with a reporter for the local women's magazine who is assigned a story on the local weight loss guru. She meets and almost falls for a heavy guy who takes a pill he was given from the Guru and goes batshit crazy driving off the road and into a tree. She teams up with an amateur sleuth and they investigate the killing. They soon discover there is something much more sinister than just weight loss going on. Think a modern, somewhat higher tech BURKE AND HARE.With some implied cannibalism thrown in for good measure.

An early scene in this episode involves the Guru leading a group therapy session, Here he berates a middle aged, heavy set women for her weight problem, screaming at her that she is “fat and disgusting” and how her husband could never want to be around “Such a fat cow” like her. While the show spends most of the time being a fairly straight forward horror/thriller piece it never hits the repellant heights of this disturbing scene again. It is cruel, unpleasant and downright upsetting to watch. You REALLY want to see him get some sort of comeuppance before the piece is over.

These first two episodes are vastly different from each other in approach and content. I am quite interested to see how the other eleven play out.

Review © Andrew Copp