Cinematic Sadomasochism for Fall Weather: Ryan's Horror Gives Back Picks

           It's time we talk about October, the best month of the year. It often brings joy and beautiful fall weather to us, but it also yields a lot of events for many creators. This October was no different; between school and work, we had a lot on our plates! However we were able to leave space for our favorite challenge of all

        We did Unsung Horrors’ annual charity challenge Horror Gives Back! In case you aren’t aware, Unsung Horrors is a podcast covering horror films with under 1000 logs on Letterboxd. They truly have opened our eyes to lots of fun and interesting films, and offer incredible insights to the genre as a whole. Erica and Lance are amazing hosts, and they played a major part in us meeting each other!

        As for the challenge, the goal is to donate $1 (or any amount) per horror film you watch in October to a Best Friends Animal Society fundraiser, or to a local charity of your choosing. There are prompts given for each day to give you some ideas, however it isn’t mandatory to stick to them. We are dorks and decided to follow them almost verbatim. 

        Here are some more picks we made this month...

        Universal Horror – The Last Performance (1929): Starring Conrad Veidt in a romantic comedy as a creepy magician in a love triangle, director Pal Fejos aims for the screwball amusement. Finding something from Universal that I hadn't already seen was difficult but Veidt's magic hands are worth viewing before he left for Germany to continue his film career.

        Sequel – Psycho 2 (1983): Sequels have a history of not going well in general. Psycho 2 is the exception. Tony Perkins is effectively hawkish to not devalue the original role of Norman Bates; his attention to detail is incredible. Somehow he yet again comes off as empathetic as the intense twists in plot unfurl with Vera Miles's role as Lila giving the film balance and trajectory. 

        Phillipines – Blood of The Vampires (1966): Vampires wreak havoc amidst a couple trying to sort out their romantic inclinations and oh yeah! the devil shows up to add some spice to things. Thoroughly forgettable, but there's worse and cursed family films tend to be heartwarming as morality plays that the vamps might be enticing. Good ultimately triumphs over evil...mostly.

        Birth Year – Without Warning (1980): Jack Palance, Martin Landau, and Cameron Mitchell in an outdoor alien gorefest. Directed by Greydon Clark, this is probably his best film with a mostly straight face. Joysticks and Wacko are two of his comedies that work well enough for my money. Now go save yourself some time and watch Satan's Cheerleaders, it's his shining moment of combining high school antics and devilish deeds.

        1990s – See You In Hell My Darling (1999): Directed by Nikos Nikolaidis of Singapore Sling fame, See You In Hell My Darling dives into a dreamlike soft focus Lynch infused love story with a handful of actors, making it a tight and workable storyline. The trio of lovers find every way to screw each other over to gain access to hell. Purgatory problems abound the interpersonal components are a highlight and cinematography is beautiful. If you enjoyed this then Sweet Bunch and The Wretches Are Still Singing are worth investigating.

        Vampires – Vampire Hookers (1978): Poor John Carradine, he's a small treat for his endearing nature but this film is a mess. There's a laugh here and there but it's just so on the nose with cheeseball humor that. You'd better be in a good mood to ingest otherwise it's an unrepentant flop. View at your own risk of time lost.

        1950s – The Black Pit of Dr. M (1959): An excellent supernatural gothic mood piece that Unsung Horrors did an episode on. Cinematography steals this film that happens to have actors. I'll take this kind of classy beauty any day and veg out a bit no matter the plot. If something is so beautiful does it always matter what the dialogue is? I'm uncertain. A lovely film ultimately.

        Spain – A Candle For The Devil (1973): Spain's Eugenio Martin is a treasure; The Fourth Victim is Carroll Baker love for days and Horror Express we all know and adore. But then there's A Candle For The Devil, his most accomplished work. A duo of women killing female tourists for their less than puritanical/religious standards is a setup that works incredibly well here. Kim Newman and Sean Hogan are two of the finest on the commentary for this release by 88 Films. 

        Unsung Horrors Rule – Mama Dracula (1980): Louise Fletcher is Mama Dracula, flanked by two flighty campy vamps for constant banter that shouldn't be alright, but they're too lovable to not. The sheer amount of vitriol and anger from reviews on Letterboxd makes the film a must see. It's not a good film, but the intentions are good; Fletcher is really nonplussed by most of the other actors and frankly the more annoyed and unnerved the better. It's not Milligan-esque but not entirely far off. 

        Michael Ironside – Mindfield (1989): Ironside does himself no favors in this film, mostly because he can't carry the load for a sub-par script. His acting is fine but the plot of this experimental CIA program schlock is rough. Christopher Plummer however makes an appearance and is the best part of the film (who doesn't love him, I'll never know). He's one of the finest actors and together with Ironside makes for a worthwhile view. Not bad, not great. Moving on.

        Ghosts – Ghost Writer (1989): You should be watching Kenneth J. Hall's best film Linnea Quiggley's Horror Workout instead of this but fine, here you are. Audrey and Judy Landers are damned fun in this ghost story. We get George Buck Flower and Jeff Conaway (whom I dislike immensely), but recover with Dick Miller. The music for this is incredible; Landers had a curious music career and most of the songs are on YouTube thankfully. The film is a simplistic murder mystery and nothing special, however it's screwball fun so I have no complaints. Gone With The Wind by Audrey Landers is a music video that you MUST see (and the song is even more important!). Think Heart meets Debbie Gibson but drunk on mai tai's at a sports bar that happens to have a small hardwood dancefloor. Descriptive enough? Fine, your homework is to watch the film Videoman from 2018 by Kristian Soderstrom (one of the nicest people ever), which is a film about a crotchety VHS collector and a struggling secretary who find love amidst the most dire circumstances.

        Physical Media – The Killing Kind (1973): Lordy, this is up there with extremely bizarre films; if I'm declaring this it should be a cautionary tale. It's a bizarre and violent film including trauma inflicted by a group of guys forcing another man to gang rape someone. The film takes some very twisted turns as the main character has a thoroughly inappropriate relationship with his mother (Psycho level stuff but to the extremes) as we see him unfold into murderous rage. Simply put, there's nothing I'm aware of that goes to the specific places and perspectives in this film. Is that a good thing? Sort of, originality being the most redemptive quality. Curtis Harrington's directing contains some of my favorite films and his friendship with Kenneth Anger is where I discovered him. Wormwood Star specifically is worth seeking out as an introduction to the artist Marjorie Cameron. The Killing Kind is exactly Harrington's style of prodding the audience for reaction, though his talents are best displayed with Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? and What's The Matter With Helen. Watch this film.

        1960s – The Mummy’s Shroud (1967): Low rent Hammer mummy story. Fun overall in the right mood but nothing particularly outstanding. Somehow I gave it a 3 star rating and a like which in retrospect was overly kind. Moving on.

        Australia – Bloodmoon (1990): Barbed wire is for Cannibal Corpse songs, not this film. It's underwhelming Australian horror; there's not much meat on the bone of this forgettable film, and that's a damned shame. A song or two help the film along but it's just not enough.

        In Memoriam – David Soul for Salem’s Lot (1979): An overall enjoyable Stephen King adaptation by Tobe Hooper, but my positive take on Salem's Lot should be prefaced that I love King's The Langoliers and Rose Red more than is healthy so this kind of apologist take on Salem's Lot isn't without bias. David Soul is remarkably good and flanked by James Mason, Bonnie Bedlia, Geoffrey Lewis, the Fred Willard and little Elisha Cook Jr. It's the best soup with the right ingredients. Skip the modern Lot and enjoy the original!

        Series Episode – Dracula’s Daughter (1936): It's Pre-Code lesbian vampiric psychiatric melodrama. Watch this film. Moving on.

        Pick a Lance – Lance Kerwin in A Killer In The Family (1983): This is a made for TV movie starring Lance Kerwin, Eric Stoltz, Robert Michum and James Spader. They're all in a fuss trying to come ot terms that their dad is probably a murderous psychopath (but he's still dad to them). The End. 

        Bleeding Skull! – The Last Slumber Party (1987): It's not Captives, however for SOV backwoods filmmaking, this scalpel slasher has some heart. I'm glad Bleeding Skull gave it love, less that RiffTrax tried to upstage it with a commentary. 

        Animal Attacks – The Meg (2018): Jason Statham is also in The Beekeeper, where he not only shows his tender and caring side but kills scam artists instead of spending time in the water with a shark. Shark attack films don't exactly have a high bar, especially since Jaws and a few select Italian rip-offs exist. The Meg is fine, I am fine, everything is fine, but truth be told Statham is really the only reason to even venture in these waters.

        1980s – Gothic (1986): Ken Russell perfection! I mean it sincerely; he's really outdone himself and rate this among his finest. Gabriel Byrne, Julian Sands, and Natasha Richardson take on the Lord Byron/Percy and Mary Shelley hangout to concoct horrors that become all too real with the help of ya know... drugs. Gothic has and will continue to be a testament to Russell's ingenious use of familiar scenery and settings, as well as giving healthy license to the actors to create a very special film. 

        Karen Black – Out of The Dark (1988): Listen, I'm all about Bud Cort in roles beyond Harold and Maude. Out of The Dark is a direct to video slash-fest; it's simple and effective with the clown masked killer out for murder of phone sex workers. Also Glenn Milstead/Divine is a detective in this so...naturally you need to witness this.

        Mexico – Hell’s Trap (1989): Pedro Galindo III's better film is Vacation of Terror 2: Diabolical Birthday. Go watch it. Now that fantastic title is out of the way... Hell's Trap. It has teens in the forest schtick and a crazed Vietnam vet on the prowl. I didn't mind this as a nice one off viewing, but it doesn't have the charm I found in The Forest. That said, it is by all means a 2 star or above enjoyable watch. 

        Hail Satan – Evil Ambitions aka Satanic Yuppies (1996): It's really bad, however the post satanic-panic 90s SOV stuff does have a charm to it. Just know that blending politics and the corporate world into a devil cult mystery with 8% sleaze is acceptable. Director Michael D. Fox also made Chickboxin' Underground and Live Nude Shakespeare so... you've been warned.

        Black & White – The Night Walker (1964): A William Castle film with Barbara Stanwyck (a legend), this has moves (especially in regard to nightmare sequences) but overall is a bit shaky in the knees as to plot. It's safe to say the poster art is far too good for a film far too average. 

        Made for TV Movie - Schalcken the Painter (1979): The story of a painter's deep desire to love someone pursued by another, Schalcken the Painter has beautiful cinematography that captures your attention from the start and doesn't let go. Visually this is quite a special film, however the acting and plot leave something to be desired. It has slow moments but the dreamlike qualities are on par with some works from Jean Rollin and Jean Pierre Mocky if that's your sort of vibe.

        1970s – Satan’s School For Girls (1973): Charlie's Angels are going deep undercover to unfold a coven within a college for girls. It has all the right elements for a great romp, and I highly recommend if you're up to this sort of film. It's fascinatingly dark but seductive at 78 minutes, and you'll likely want more. 

        The Sweetest Taboo – The Vampire’s Night Orgy (1973): Klimovsky equates to exceptionally great films, it's vampire craziness but includes Jack Taylor (and frankly every film should have Jack Taylor).

        Gothic Horror – The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945): Anything involving Dorian Gray is a go for me so it's no big surprise that this 1945 slow burner was enjoyable. The featured draw was the young Angela Lansbury, whom most of us know only from Murder She Wrote and maybe a handful of other roles. Her vibrancy here is electric and she alone is worth watching this film.

        Slasher – Found (2012): Older Brother Slasher problems plague the life of a youngster. Graphic and indulgent, I didn't mind this but wouldn't seek it out either. 

        Hammer Time – Fear In The Night (1972): The last Jimmy Sangster film for Hammer and notched from Les Diaboliques framework, Fear In The Night has some giallo DNA going on in moments and Joan Collins hanging out with Peter Cushing just seems too good to be terrible. It's a trauma piece of processing grief as well as contending with a brain that is incompliant for peace and quiet. I'd consider this a successful film in what it aims to be.

        Viewers Choice – Akelarre (1984): Outstanding Spanish folk horror set in the Spanish inquisition intending to compare it with to Franco's regime, the burning times are all too terrible but the film weaves the stress of the condemned and those around them into something unique. Newly restored by Severin and included as part of the All The Haunts Be Ours Vol. 2 set, available now! You know you want this spectacular box set that includes 4 interviews, a commentary for the film, and short film titled "Love From Mother Only". Buy now or face future regret. 

Ryan L.