November 23rd, 2009
1972 A Pete Walker Production
A group of actors go to the old abandoned Dome Theatre to practice for a touring theatrical show. A mysterious killer starts killing them off one by one and not everybody is who they seem to be.
First off I have never seen a horror film with so many boobies. I mean seriously there are a lot of them in this. Mind you, there is nothing wrong with that, but you should know that this film, made by Pete Walker, was one of the first to herald the horror exploitation genre in England. This is an example of why Hammer films started showing a lot of bobbies because they were trying to compete against films such as this. With all of that being said I actually think that this film isn’t too bad. I mean I have seen better, and I have seen worse.
The Flesh And Blood Show was written by Alfred Shaugnessy, and the screenplay itself actually really isn’t all that bad. The only major problems I have are with the ending and with some of the reasoning behind the behaviour of a certain character. I would think that the characters would have more of a reaction when it comes to finding out who the killer is rather than just standing there. I mean, if you found out such information would you be acting calm, or would you be getting the hell out of there as fast as
possible? The reaction Of Mike (Ray Brooks) to the first murder is pretty unbelievable. I mean the guy has never met the mysterious producers of the play and yet he is going to stick out his neck for them? Makes no sense to me. There are some rather predictable female characters in this such as the lesbain chicks and the wanton hussy, but this is after all an exploitation film., so I will let that go.
Pete Walker directed this and he does a decent enough job. I think his constant obvious boobie shots are pretty funny, because he doesn’t try to fit them into the rest of the scene at all. I mean they shout out at you like’ Here are the tits!’. I think just about ever actress in this flashes them at least one time so there are plenty to look at. The best scenes are when the theatre is darkened and something bad is about to happen. Also there is some tension 
because of the very setting itself: the theatre is very old looking and spooky with spider webs all over the place. The setting of the theatre on a peir during the winter season really adds to that feel of desolation. Walker also made other exploitation type horror films such as The Confessional and The House Of Whipcord.
None of the acting in The Flesh And Blood Show is spectacularly bad and you will recognise some of the people in this. Jenny Hanley, who plays Julia, is probably the best actress in this and is the only one who actually doesn’t show her boobs. I wonder if there is a connection there? She also starred in Hammer’s Scars Of Dracula so she took part in the British horror film wars directly. Tristan Rogers turn as Peter Weller isn’t spectacular but I instanlty
recognised him from General Hospital. Yes, Bloofer lady used to watch that. Patrick Bar is the best actor and plays Major Bell very sympathetically and it’s quite easy to feel sorry for the character.
All in all The Flesh And Blood Show is a decent example of the British horror exploitation genre of films and Bloofer Lady thinks it’s good enough to seek out and watch it, for no other reason than to see the progression that British horror films started to make in the early 1970’s.
Bloofer Lady
Posted in England, Miscellaneous |
November 21st, 2009
Since nobody even made a guess about last week’s photo I made this week a bit easier. And no, I’m not going to tell you what movie the last photo came from. If nobody makes a guess I don’t tell. So, if you want to find out at least try to guess, no matter how silly it is. Makes Bloofer Lady sad if you don’t. *sniffle*
Bloofer Lady
Posted in Uncategorized |
November 19th, 2009
We have all seen it but have been powerless to stop it. You go to a horror 
site and see a writer give the most god awful horror film a positive review even though you and everybody else on the planet thought it was awful. No matter how bad the film the reviewer will give the film a positive spin. Why does this happen and can you really trust what these people write?
Since I run my own blog/site I understand that it takes a lot of work to write articles. I also can understand that to make money off of such a venture would be very pleasant and nice. However, what I can’t understand is the need for kissing major ass in the horror community. Personally, I write movie reviews in order to tell others about what I have seen. Be it good or bad I am going to tell the truth about what I am reviewing because I want people to be able to come to trust my judgement. I feel that if I tell untruths and embellish things that I am not going to be trusted or respected. I would hope that a director or a screenplay writer would rather hear the
truth from somebody about their project than to hear a total lie. Constructive criticism can move you forward and make your future work even better. If all you get is positive feedback from everybody then how will you ever improve and move ahead?
So, would you rather be respected for telling it the way it is or become friends with movie studios and directors? I mean, what are those particular people ever going to do for you besides giving you free swag and maybe a blurb on a DVD cover? These people are not your real friends because most likely, especially in the case of the studios, they are using you and your site for publicity and a following as much as you are using them to gain some sort of popularity. It becomes this huge circle jerk of kissing ass that is not only obvious but a very sad thing to see. Perhaps, in the beginning, you were a regular horror fan, but now you have warped into this creature of the very system that you rail against in articles on you own site. You say down with the studios for making remake after remake, but when those films come out you give them good review after good review, despite the fact that you know they are total shit.
Having lived for quite a time in California I have always kind of known 
about the studios and how they operate. One hears things from time to time, and I have absorbed it and kept it stored in my brain because I knew that one day it would come in handy. You can’t trust them. No matter what they promise or what they say they can just as easily turn around and say something else. Do you really want you writing career and website purely dependent on these entities? They don’t even take horror fans seriously in the first place, because if they did they would be making better movies than the crap they have been churning out for a while now. The reason why they don’t take a lot of horror website writers seriously as journalists and the like is because they see how much ass a lot of them kiss. How can you be taken seriously when you let popularity within the horror community cloud your judgement as well as your writing itself?
Is the horror community the only place where this kind of behaviour is so prevalent? Of course not. However, it has always been a tight knit society and the film makers involved in it have, for the most part, been readily available to fans of the genre. The problem happens when a horror writer, or horror website owner, crosses the line of telling the news and reviewing films to wanting to be close friends with these filmmakers and stars. They will not say how bad the films are because they are afraid of losing the ‘friendship’ that they think they have with the person in question. In the end what is more important, this one sided imaginary friendship or the respect of others?
Bloofer lady
Posted in Rants On Horror |
November 17th, 2009
When innocently going about in your boat in the middle of the ocean do not board a well known missing ship that looks abandoned and spooky. It is guaranteed that something bad has happened upon it and that something equally as bad will happen to you as well if you board it. You might age rapidly, or even be raped by ghosts! Instead take some pictures of it and go about your merry way.
Bloofer Lady
Posted in Survival Tips |
November 15th, 2009
1964 A Hammer Production
An ancient monster named Megaera (Prudence Hyman) is terrorizing the 
village of Vandorf and turning its citizens into stone. Will the truth of her identity be found out in time by Paul(Richard Paco) and Professor Meister(Christopher Lee) before anybody else falls victim to her vicious gaze?
This, in my opinion, falls into the list of the better horror films made by Hammer, with the only weak point being the fact that it is very obvious who Megaera is almost right from the start of the film. I’m not going to say who it is in this review as to not spoil the fun, but you should have no issues in guessing. The production is top notch, the score is unsettling and the screenplay itself is well written. Add the great direction of Terence Fisher to the mix and you have a very well done film.
The screenplay of The Gorgon, which is by John Gilling, is quite good with the only issue being that of how easy it is to identify Megaera. However, I really can’t see how he could have worked around that since he would have had to include a lot more female characters in order to keep it such a secret from the audience. Those characters wouldn’t have been as fleshed out or believable so don’t hold any of the aforementioned against him. There are
some things that I am quite curious about, such as how did Megaera get to the Germanic village of Vandorf, but that won’t bother you at all once you become enveloped into the story. Bloofer Lady is of the curious sort if you haven’t figured that out already. The ending is pretty tragic and not very happy, which I actually enjoy. Not every horror film should end on an up note, and this ending in particular wraps everything up pretty tightly; you don’t feel cheated in any way once you get to it. Gilling also wrote the screenplays for the Hammer films The Mummy’s Shroud and The Pirates Of Blood River among others.
Terence Fisher does a really brilliant job directing this, as he does with every Hammer film. Fisher uses almost no super tight shots in this entire film. Rather than use a lot of dramatic angles and shots he lets the drama of the story tell itself. One of the only tight shots in this movie is when Megaera stares into a certain character’s face; it makes the scene that much more horrific. If he would have used more shots like that I don’t feel that the 
movie would be as dramatic as it is. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when Professor Heitz (Michael Goodliffe) goes into the darkened and abandoned Castle Borski in search of a mysterious voice that he hears. The camera follows his journey though piles of dead leaves and shadows at a distance allowing us to take in what he does and feel the dread and atmosphere of the place that much better. I really feel that Fisher was one of the best horror directors to ever live. and is finally getting the recognition that he so deserved while he was still alive. He also directed Hammer’s Horror Of Dracula, The Mummy and The Curse Of Frankenstein among many others. In my opinion he sure as hell directed films more skillfully than a lot of the hacks who call themselves horror film directors these days.
The acting in this is very top notch. Peter Cushing is excellent as always as Dr. Namaroff; he puts his all into his role as a man who is trying to guard the identity of Megeara. Lee is very blustery as Professor Meister and I really enjoy seeing him in this because he uses his physical presence to intimidate the other characters into giving him what he wants. I mean the guy is tall, wouldn’t you let him have his way? Carla is played by Barbara Shelley in a
very innocent way, which is how she should be portrayed. If Carla was seductive or menacing then the character wouldn’t have worked at all. I love the fact that there are two different actresses actually playing Megeara. I think this idea works way better than if they put a ton of make-up on one actress to try to make her appear horrific. There are no sex kittens in this particular Hammer film so look elsewhere for the cleavage shots because you won’t find any here.
Bloofer lady really likes The Gorgon and thinks that you should seek it out and watch it. Not only is a great Hammer film it’s an example of the fact than an effective horror film does not need buckets of blood to work.
Bloofer Lady
Posted in Hammer |
November 14th, 2009
The Final joins the most recent edition of After Dark Horrorfest: 8 Films to Die For® Lineup
Los Angeles, CA (November 13, 2009) — After Dark Films CEO Courtney Solomon has announced that After Dark has acquired the teen revenge thriller The Final after inking a deal with Agora Entertainment. The film is the sixth title to be included in After Dark’s latest installment of Horrorfest: 8 Films to Die For. Joey Stewart makes his directorial debut working from a script written by Jason Kabolati. The film stars Marc Donato (Degrassi: The Next Generation), Jascha Washington, Whitney Hoy, Lindsay Seidel and Justin Arnold. Jason Kabolati of Agora Entertainment produced while Edward Lewis Von Hohn and Bill Randle served as executive producers on the film.
In The Final, the scenic Workley Ranch in Rocky Branch, TX, becomes the setting for retribution and revenge. In the midst of a wild costume party, five previously powerless and picked upon students are giving a “Final Exam” with just one question: “What did you do to deserve this?”
“This haunting and vengeful film is a perfect addition to this year’s line-up. Anyone who has experienced the difficulties of high school will find themselves empathizing with both the nerds and the popular kids alike“, stated After Dark EVP Stephanie Caleb.
Director Joey Stewart went on to say, “The Final is about being picked on, bullied, and tormented, and the retaliation and revenge that it incurs. As the characters feel that life has no meaning, they make a pact for revenge that will teach these kids a valuable life lesson. It’s about what happens when people are pushed to the brink of despair, and the consequences that the responsible parties must face.”
Posted in Horror News |
November 13th, 2009
This is a new weekly feature on Horror Crypt; I post a still from a horror film and you try to guess what movie it is from. If you guess it correctly I will be very impressed with your horror film knowledge!
So, what movie is this scene from?
Posted in Uncategorized |
November 11th, 2009
I realise that this subject does not fit neatly into the horror genre but it is 
about a show that I love, so stick with me. Last night I watched the abomination that is the modern interpretation of the classic 80’s sci-fi show V. In fact it was so awful that I couldn’t manage to stay awake for the ending, and I feel violated because the original V is one of my warm and fuzzy memories from growing up.
Before I go any further I am going to tell you what the original V series was basically about. For the sake of time and clarity I am not going to go into a total rundown because I kind of have a life and I don’t want you to have to read overly long sentences describing how human faced lizards shove guinea pigs into their mouths. The original V series was about a group of aliens who came to Earth under the pretense of peace. However, they were really lizards in disguise who wanted our water and who wanted to eat us. Yummy, am I right? The entire TV series deals with the human resistance battling them so they don’t make dog chow out of all of us.
Now the original V was a cheese fest; the acting was often over the top and
some of the sub-plots were of the soap opera variety. Despite this, or because of it depending on your point of view, the show worked. It was actually a lot of fun to watch the aliens plotting evil stuff and the humans trying to kill them. It was made during the end of the Cold War so I personally see it as sort of a metaphor for the US vs. the USSR. There was a lot of anti-USSR propaganda in films and tv back then so it is not that hard to see it that way. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why it worked so well was because of the Cold War. The more I think about that explanation the more it personally makes sense to me. Just replace the lizards with soldiers and you have another sort of Red Dawn. Instead of ‘Red Scare’ you have ‘Lizard Scare’.
Now, as I stated in the opening to this rant I did not stay awake for the entirety of the first episode of the new V. I tried my best, believe me, but it seriously put me to sleep. Instead of the aliens looking like different types of humans, these new versions of them all looked model perfect. The reasoning 
behind this was given so that Earthlings would trust them more. I would trust them less if the aliens all looked perfect so that is strike one against it. I know that should be a minor quibble but it really bugged me for some reason. Perhaps because it was just an excuse for the producers to make yet another TV show full of pretty people? Then there is the acting. So much of it was either wooden or just plain bad so I really couldn’t get into the characters at all. Here is a shout out to Scott Wolfe; please, for the love of God get some acting lessons, you need them. Lastly, they totally changed some of the characters, left some out and made one specifically into an annoying as hell teenage boy. One of my favorite characters from the original series was Robin, the chick who got knocked up with the alien’s baby. Now she’s Logan, a horny teen boy who keeps staring at alien cleavage.
When it comes down to it the new V show doesn’t work. Could it be because of the acting or the screenplay? Or maybe it’s something deeper; we don’t have the Cold War around any longer to make this new V seem as relevant as the old one did.
Bloofer Lady
Posted in Rants On Horror |
November 9th, 2009
When you are driving at night in the desert on a lonely highway do not pick up hitchhikers. Do not feel sorry for them and pull over, even if it’s raining! If you do not only do you put your life in danger you may also get your loved ones killed. The hitchhiker won’t be a dirty hippy looking for a free ride to Berkeley, or a war vet looking for a ride to the next truck stop, instead they will be a psychotic killer bent on harming you! Act casual and just drive by them. If the person behind you picks up the hitchhiker it will not be your problem.
Bloofer Lady
Posted in Survival Tips |
November 7th, 2009
1976 Dan Curtis Production
A family spends the summer in a large country house that they think they 
have rented for a steal. Unfortunately the bargain that they make with the evil abode will cost them more than just money.
Burnt Offerings is a really cool horror film I must say. With a minimum amount of gore, and no boobies, it accomplishes the task that it has set out to do; scare the hell out of me. Actually, I find this story about a possessed house to be more frightening than the majority of the gore-fest filled crap that is coming out right now. There is something to say about using subtlety and psychological terror to get a point made in a film.
The screenplay by Dan Curtis and William F. Nolan is set at a pace that eventually moves faster and faster throughout the film. A little event here and a little event there add up to the coming horror that awaits as the film progresses. Strange things start to happen after the family arrives at the house; the pool area suddenly becomes like new, dead plants start to come back to life and Marian’s (Karen Black) behaviour starts to grow more and more odd with the passing of time. Also, I liked Ben’s (Oliver Reed) past memories of his mother’s funeral being brought to him by the evil of the
house, like it’s intent on driving him insane so that he can’t stand in the way of it’s possession of Marian. No doubt about it this is a very well written screenplay, which should come as no surprise seeing that it’s written by the creator of Dark Shadows and The Night Stalker, and also by the man who wrote Logan’s Run.
This is directed by Dan Curtis so it has more of a tv movie kind of feel to it than of a regular film. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing at all, but if you have ever seen any of his other productions this won’t look out of place to you at all. I really love the look and feel of the house and it really seems strangely spooky even before the weird stuff starts to occur. There is just something about it that is off. My favorite scene in the whole film is the last one involving Oliver Reed because it comes unexpectedly and makes me sit straight up every time I watch it. It really is a shocker!There isn’t much 
blood or guts in this film, except in one scene, which makes that particular incident even more horrifying. If they had used more in the movie I don’t think the ending would have the impact that it does.
Oliver Reed does an excellent job playing the father Ben and I love watching him in this. The scenes in which he tried to get it on with Karen Black make me want to fan myself quite exhaustively I must say. If you enjoy him in this you ought to look into the Hammer films that he starred in when he was younger, because his performance in this reminds me heavily of those. Karen Black is also really good in this and she’s creepy as hell as usual. There is just something about her eyes which always freaks me the hell out when I see her in a film. She is also in another Dan Curtis film called Trilogy Of Terror, among other things. It’s really cool to see Bette Davis playing spunky Aunt Elizabeth in this. She’s my favorite
character and seeing Davis transform into a sickly victim of the house is really sad because she is so likable.
Bloofer lady thinks that Burnt Offerings is one spooky film! It is a great possessed house tale that needs to be seen in the dark with a big bucket of popcorn by your side. It will make you never want to rent a house ever again!
Bloofer Lady
Posted in America |
