POE: Project of Evil (2012)

With the NFL Draft finally in the books, I can finally take off my Steelers 101 hat and take a break. While I still have some work to do with a total recap and undrafted rookie profiles, it will be nowhere near the intensity of the past three nights. With some extra time on my hands, I decided to venture into the mind of Poe for my next review. My selection for the evening was Brain Damage Films, POE: Project of Evil (AKA P.O.E. 2) from 2012.

Plot/ In this twisted horror anthology, eight talented Italian directors present their takes on the disturbing tales of Edgar Allan Poe, each in a very personal and modern way. Prepare to experience the terror of POE like never before!

Before I get deep into my review let me start by saying if you are a Poe purest you should stay away from this film. If, like me, you enjoy strange anthologies and love the master of macabre, than you may enjoy this one. Clearly art house cinema, this Italian entry has a lot to like, as it uses the classic Poe tales as a backdrop for surreal journey’s into the macabre. The acting is solid, the cinematography top notch, effects really work. Unfortunately, for many this is not the straightforward horror flick they will expect and much of the incoherent and bizarre interpretations will go over their heads. This one is clearly not for everyone as the combination of violence and nudity sit outside the typical world of Poe. However, in the end, I totally enjoyed it. This was one of the more original films I have seen in some time and one of the more intriguing art house cinema pieces that has made their way onto video store shelves. If you enjoy strangeness and can watch it with an open mind, check it out; it is worth it.

Maniac (1934)

After taking a day off from the blog to watch Alex Jones on the Piers Morgan show, I decided to jump back into it with something else from the Original Cult Classics set. While I have watched and reviewed much of that set, there are a couple of flicks left that I have not seen. One such flick is Maniac (AKA Sex Maniac) from 1934, which is said to be a loose adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe classics The Black Cat and Murders in the Rue Morgue.

Plot/ Don Maxwell is an ex-vaudeville ham, wanted by police, who has now found himself as the unlikely assistant to Dr. Meirschultz, a mad scientist in the business of reanimating corpses. Maxwell's gift of impersonation gets him and Meirschultz past the guards and into a morgue where they use a special serum to revive the corpse of a young woman.

OK, this is a bad movie, but it is definitely an entertaining one. Film in 1934, Maniac (AKA Sex Maniac) may be one of the first exploitation flicks out there, complete with some grainy semi-nude scenes toward the end. Yes, it has some over-the-top acting that while schlocky, does not reach the highest level of ham. The quality is grainy and at times blurry, and the storyline is incoherent at best. However, it is an entertaining watch, and it is worth watching just for the historical value. In addition, it is not even close to the worst film of the era, and measures up to many of the schlockfest B Movies of the period. Would I run out and buy it alone? No, but as part of the Original Cult Classics set, it fits perfectly. 

The Raven (2012)

 

 

As any reader of the blog will know, I am a huge Edgar Allan Poe fan. I have collected his writings, movies based on his material and even dressed like him. Honestly, his works have inspired much of who I am. With that in mind, I could not wait to sit down and watch The Raven in the comforts of my living room. Yes, I understand these movies are often a sketchy proposition, but as a fan, you have to watch.

 

 

Plot/ When a madman begins committing horrific murders inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's works, a young Baltimore detective joins forces with Poe to stop him from making his stories a reality.

 

 

When I saw that this movie was being filmed, I was really not looking forward to it. Do not get me wrong, I love everything Poe, but I feared that this one would fall into the category of Poe inspired films that fell short. Fortunately, my fears were wrong. This movie is much better than I could have imagined and was an interesting take of the last days of the literary genius. What I really liked was the dark and graphic way they combined different parts of Poe classics. These ideas within this layered story worked well with the solid acting, characterizations, and effects. More importantly, it portrayed Poe as a human and author, and did not try to create something more than he was. In the end, this was one of the better Poe themed movies that I have seen and one that should be seen. If you have not watched it, check it out.

Requiem for the Damned (2012)

I was going to did out The Wicker Man, instead, I decided to venture into the darkness that is Edgar Allan Poe. I love Poe and the deep stories he created. He was truly a genius and he was lost before his time. While The Raven is all the rage, I decided to venture into something different, the 2012 Indie entry, Requiem for the Damned.

Plot/ For nearly two hundred years his stories of the macabre have shocked and terrified audiences. And now, inspired by five of Poe's most terrifying tales, five filmmakers have banded together to create the ultimate tribute to the master: Edgar Allan Poe's Requiem For The Damned - featuring adaptations of : The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Murders in the Rue Morgue.

I will have to admit, as a Poe fanatic, I hate watching failed interpretations of his works. While, I personally enjoy some of the modern twists, they have to be done right, and that is often a tall order. In this flick, Allegheny Image Factory did their best to apply modern twists to his works, some worked, while some did not (The Tell-Tale Heart was bad, very bad). For me, the flick was uneven, scripting off and acting all over the place. Honestly, it had an extremely low budget almost student film type quality. I did like the surreal feel of The Black Cat (although, it was too over the top) and The Pit and the Pendulum was intriguing in what seemed like a post-apocalyptic world. Unfortunately, as a whole, this flick is flawed and definitely will not appeal to everyone, watch at your own risk!

Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)

As I was taking a walk into the early stages of Sci-Fi and Horror, I felt that my night would not be complete unless I ventured into the mind of my favorite master of terror, Edgar Allan Poe.  What a better way to close my evening but with a classic tale starring one of the greatest horror icons of all time Bela Lugosi, in the often overlooked 1932 adaptation of Murders in the Rue Morgue.

Plot/ In 19th Century Paris, the maniacal Dr. Mirakle abducts young women and injects them with ape blood in an attempt to prove ape-human kinship. He constantly meets failure as the abducted women die. Medical student Pierre Dupin discovers what Mirakle is doing too late to prevent the abduction of his girlfriend Camille. Now he desperately tries to enlist the help of the police to get her back.

I love movies based on the works of Poe (albeit loose adaptations), in fact, I can never get enough of them when I find them. Sure, some are better than others, but in same ways they always carry at least some of the flair that was woven into them decades before their transition to the silver screen. This adaptation, while running only about 80 minutes, is definitely worth watching. Filmed by Universal Studios, after their initial foray into horror, this flick features great set design and perfect atmosphere. The acting is solid, but it is Bela Lugosi that is amazing, captivating the screen during every second of his screen time. Yes, there are some flaws. Some of the cinematography is so-so and editing was uneven.  In the end, this is a classic early example of Universal Studios mastery and a film that is definitely worth watching.