Dressed to Kill (1980)

After taking a few days off to work on some different prospects, it was time to jump back into some reviews. To me, it is often a challenge to find something fun and intriguing to watch, as much of today’s horror is so uninspired or rehashed, there is always hope though. In the end, I decided to take a trip back a few decades and watch the classic thriller Dressed to Kill from 1980.

Plot/ A mysterious, tall blonde woman, wearing dark sunglasses murders one of a psychiatrist's patients, and now she goes after the high-priced call girl who witnessed the murder.

I remember when this one originally came out and the stir it caused with some of the erotic elements that were littered throughout. Today, many of these elements are still visible as the film aged extremely well. While many say this is a Hitchcock rip-off, and there are some similarities, I feel an overwhelming nod to the classic giallo’s of Argento. The stylistic camera angles, the lack of dialogue with an atmospheric score, and some artistic uses of blood and camera effects make this extremely enjoyable. More importantly, the acting, characters and storyline really work together. In the end, this is clearly one of the better thrillers from the 1980s, and a movie that must be seen. 

Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

Fishing sucked tonight (for the third time in a row). Honestly, all that was caught was one small Bluegill. Oh well, you cannot win them all, right. However, when I was at the lake, I gave some thought about what I wanted to watch tonight. Originally, I was leaning toward something about Jack the Ripper, or maybe even Satan, but I could not place a title readily in my head. Instead, I decided to stick with the 1980s after finding some satisfaction with my last selection, Humanoids from the Deep. This time, I decided to hit the slasher genre with the 1982 classic, Slumber Party Massacre.

Plot/ An eighteen-year-old high school girl is left at home by her parents and she decides to have a slumber party. Little do they know that a murderer with a propensity for power tools has escaped and is at large, and eventually makes his way to the party.

This is a true slasher classic. Released in 1982, it was one of the handfuls of films that started the slasher franchise idea. Like the others, this one features everything that made the 1980s slasher flicks king. There is the body count, the blood splatter, a few tense moments and of course the gratuitous nudity (even though it was written and directed by women- Amy Holden Jones and Rita Mae Brown). Honestly, one can watch the first five minutes and realize the era that this one was made it, and just how far moviemakers have fallen down the conservative spiral. There are some down areas where the low budget shows through and it does lack the over-the-top gore (there is at least some) that was commonplace in that time, but it is what it is, a all-out horror flick that never tries to hide that idea. In the end, this is one of the better slasher flicks out there and an entertaining piece of nostalgic horror. If you love horror, or slashers check this one out, it is definitely worth while.

Enjoy Your Stay At The Horror Hotel

After starting my One Step Beyond series and stumbling onto that 1960 British version of The Tell-Tale Heart, I have been in an extreme nostalgic mood with horror this week. Last night, I sat down and watch the 1960 Christopher Lee classic  Horror Hotel (one of Lee’s best non-Hammer performances next to Horror Express (1972) and The Wicker Man (1974)). The premise of the story is about a college student who goes to do research in a small town and promptly runs into strange goings on.

Synopsis: After listening to a lecture by Professor Alan Driscoll (Lee) about the town of Whitewood, Massachusetts set in 1692 where a local witch, Elizabeth Slwyn was burned at the stake, a student, Nan Barlow, decides to do a term paper on the subject. Nan drives to Whitewood to get whatever information she could get on the subject from what’s available in the towns records dating back to the 17th Century about witchcraft in general and the Slwyn case in particular. Getting instructions from a reluctant local living in the area, Nan drives into the town of Whitewood and checks into the Raven Inn where she meets the owner Mrs. Newlis and her mute helper Lottie,. Unknowing to her, she was about to meet a fate reserved only for someone like her, an innocent girl, that was needed for the Witches Holiday of Candlemass Eve (the fabricated Satanic mocking of the Church).  Ironically, Candlemass Eve is actually the celebration of Christ in the Temple (shame on those who thought it was actually a Satanic Holiday).

This early witchcraft and satanic movie predated both Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist, yet, remains one of the best of the genre despite having a much lower budget to work with. In all, it is an eerie and spooky film about the practice of witchcraft and takes an honest look at the subject by covering some of the 300-years that transpired between the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 to the beginning of the 1960's. The black and white cinematography does a tremendous job at setting the mood throughout the film. At times, Whitewood just cries for a foreboding breath of fresh air and the eeriness permeates through the fabric of the town in an almost Lovecraftian way. Although I have seen this movie several times, I have to say that there are some elements that hit a nerve, with even the soundtrack making my skin crawl a bit. It is definitely a movie worth watching if you haven't yet had the chance.

One thing that must be mentioned is the similarities between Horror Hotel (Also released as The City of the Dead) and Psycho. Change out the characters of Norman and Mother, and the stories are virtually identical. However, I will admit that the idea of witchcraft and Satanic rituals against the creepily dark New England backdrop created a visual backdrop in my mind.