The Ghost Review

8/10

Barbara Steele is literally the queen of Italian horror, and this 1963 classic is another prime example of that point. Directed by Riccardo Freda, the film tells the story of greed, murder, and a revenge that one would have nightmares about. This movie is shocking, gruesome, and a great gem that is overlooked by many. 

As the film begins, we meet Margaret and John Hitchcock.  John is a doctor, and he is bound to his wheelchair. Margaret is having an affair with John's doctor Charles Livingstone, and she wants to get rid of John. Charles is very hesitant, but Margaret convinces him to let her go through with it. Charles then gives John a lethal injection, and he dies.  I really found this scene to be painfully sad, because John really did love Margaret, and he was completely helpless. 

As the film continues, the two lovers try to make the death of John seem as natural as possible, and we then see the will being read.  Charles and Margaret then look for the fortune of John's, but they cannot find it.  Regardless of this, the two of them believe that they're off the hook, but they were very wrong....  Even though these scenes are extremely slow, I could tell that things were really going to get good, because small occurrences started to happen occasionally.  

The actual paranormal scenes are very crazy in my opinion, and even though they're quite simple, I still found a lot of terror in them. The way that John's body comes back and haunts them was just done so well, because he had such a sluggish quality to the way he moved, and his face was cold as ice. I really feel that rather than the hauntings being physical, that the paranoia coming from the guilt of murdering him created these thoughts and images, which made them go crazy. Along with my experience of watching "An American Haunting"(which I already reviewed), I became very enlightened on what the reality of ghosts really is. 

Outside of the parts revolving around paranormal activity, there was some other scenes that contributed to the freakiness of the movie. What really gets to a viewer is the way the cinematography gets close ups of things so they become frightening. One of the greatest examples of this is the scene where Margaret is in the basement, and she sees a bunch of skulls.  The greatest virtue of what the filmmakers did was that after the shots of the skulls, the viewers get to see the reaction of only Steele's eyes, which gives a very raw depiction of fear. 

Another thing that I loved about this film was the cast. To start things off, it stars Barbara Steele, whom is slowly becoming one of my favorite actresses in the horror genre. She gives such a great performance in the sense that she can be very dark, and can give a very convincing portrayal of paranoia.  Peter Baldwin was also great as Charles Livingstone, because he was very stern, and often angry because of the darknesses in his life. "The Ghost" John Hitchcock was portrayed by Elio Jotta, and he was extremely fit for this role. His voice has such a haunting tone to it, and he went from a helpless old man to a powerful source of evil very proficiently. 

The climax of this movie was absolutely INSANE!  I couldn't believe how far things got, and the murder of a main character completely blew my mind.  The way it was done was so perfect too. Instead of just normal gore, the blood actually splattered on the screen, and there was a lot of it. I think it might have been one of the coolest kills in horror history because of its innovative technique, and the brutal emotions that were portrayed. 

The ending of the movie was very masterful and shocking. In these last few minutes, we see what really happened to Dr Hitchcock, and we see the insanity of Margaret hit a peak.  I love how sudden the ending is, because it doesn't add stupid fluff to ruin it.  It brought so many questions to my head, and I think that flow of imagination is the greatest result of a horror movie. 

PLEASE CHECK THIS MOVIE OUT FOR YOUR OWN GOOD. It is such an underrated and amazing movie, and it truly shocked me at many points. While some parts are mildly slow moving, they only do this for the build up, and I promise you that you won't be let down. 

Nightmare Castle Review

8.5/10

"Nightmare Castle"(aka "The Faceless Monster) is a 1965 Italian gothic film that was directed by Mario Caiano.  It starred horror legend Barbara Steele, and it is one of her most remembered movies. It was extremely shocking for its time, and I found it to be one of the coolest B-Movies ever.

The film starts off showing the unhappy marriage between a scientist named Dr. Steven Arrowsmith and his wife Muriel.  Muriel walks into Stephen's lab as he is working, and he becomes angry with her. The scene then skips forward a little bit, and we see the affair of Muriel and her lover. The two of them seem extremely happy, but then Steven takes them both, and a chain of brutal horrors begin.  I really feel that this beginning was fast moving, and that the supposed build up was almost immediately.  Regardless, these scenes of torture were quite shocking for their time, and there is a surprising amount of bloodshed. 

After the hearts of Muriel and her secret lover are removed from their bodies, Steven marries Jenny, this institutionalized sister of Muriel.  He does this because Muriel's will was only giving to her, and he wanted some of the money.  Jenny tries to be happy in the house of Steven, but she begins to go crazy again because of terrifying nightmares she has.  While this plot line isn't really an original, it truly gives a lot of mystery that really makes the viewer wonder about what is going to happen. 

One of the great positives of the film is the cast. Barbara Steele was truly the real deal in Italian horror films, because she had so much depth in her performances. This is shown to a great extent in this movie, because she plays both Muriel and Jenny. The thing that I really love about this is that she never failed to confuse me as to which character she was acting as.  Paul Muller was also quite amazing, because he was extremely dark, and he gave off the vibe that something was up the entire time.  Laurence Clift was very likable as Dr. Dereck Joyce, because he had the best interest of helping Jenny, and would do anything to help her figure out what is wrong. 

I love this paranormal elements of this story a lot. The taking over of bodies makes one heck of a shock, and I feel that for 1965, it was a pretty innovative plot twist.  All of the actors conveyed these possessions very well, because you almost forget that they aren't themselves, and it's very freaky. After the possessions, the actual bodies even come back, and it is quite amazing how haunting the once peaceful Steele suddenly became.  In fact, the last fifteen minutes of the film created one of the craziest endings ever, because all hell broke loose, and a plethora of outrageous and gory occurrences take place.  This is the absolute perfect climax to a horror movie, and I am utterly impressed in every way. 

I definitely recommend this film to any fan of the classics, because it has the perfect amount of shock value to make you go wild.  While some parts were arguably slow, they really help the build up for complete hell, and they're easy to look past.  There was also great performances by everyone, especially Steele, and it was just one heck of a fun movie. 

Carnival of Souls Review

9/10

I honestly feel like when people make a movie, they think that it won't be anything special.  The cool thing is when even decades later, the film is still recognized by people as a masterpiece. One of the great examples of this is the 1962 thriller "Carnival of Souls." The film was never meant to be anything more than a B-movie, but even today, critics still hail it as a landmark in the genre.

The movie starts out with a terrible car crash.  Of all the people In the vehicle, only one comes out of the water in a reasonable time. This person is a girl named Mary, and she is shown to be deeply saddened and shocked by the events that had taken place. In the next few minutes, time skips forward a bit, and we see Mary trying to live her life normally.  She seems pretty good, and she goes for a drive. Things get freaky for her though, because she starts to see ghosts all over the place.  A battle now begins for Mary, and it is to beat the fear of these freaks surrounding her.

One of the things that I really love about this film is how subtle the horror is. There isn't attacks and gore, but there is true grit and terror.  The movie was made on such a small budget and I really appreciate this, because the film rocks!  The emotional toll that the ghosts are creating for Mary is extremely suspenseful, and makes such a feeling of isolation.  Actress Candace Hillgoss really helps this work even more, because she does so well at portraying the paranoia that she acquired. I also love the look of the ghosts, because they're simple and human like, but still creepy at the same time.  The makeup almost looks like the makeup that would soon be used in "Night of the Living Dead." A scene that showed all of these factors perfectly was when Mary is playing organ in the church, and she has visions of the carnival full of ghosts.  It is one of the most electrifying scenes parts of the movie, and I really loved it. 

I really like the organ soundtrack throughout the film, because it gives a haunting and intense feel.  Even when Mary is at the church, if the music comes on; I get a feeling that something weird will happen.  It also brings a weird trippiness to the movie, and I like that a lot. I really appreciate the instrument choice, because it wasn't common, yet it worked so perfectly.  The rest of the instruments are great too, because they bring such darkness, and the songs are extremely original. 

The supporting cast is quite good at keeping a balance for Hillgoss' performance.  Sidney Berger plays the slimy neighbor of Mary named John Linden. He is great because he is partly comic relief, partly annoying, and occasionally a nice guy.  Frances Feist gave a very safe performance as a sweet old lady named Mrs Thomas. She didn't reach any acting achievements in the performance, but she was extremely enjoyable. Herk Harvey was absolutely horrific in the role of "The Man." He had such a perfect walk for the part, and the faces he could make were terrifying. He was an amazing pick for the ghost in my book. 

The ending of this movie was one of the most shocking and brilliant things I have ever seen. There was such a craziness in the carnival part, and as the ghosts chase Mary, there is a feeling of claustrophobia that made me sick. Then directly after, my mind was blown even more when there was a complete plot twist. So many films owe to this ending, because it set a huge standard for the genre. 

Overall, this movie was genius.  It took a budget lower than most films, and made a complete masterpiece.  I have trouble even calling this just a "movie," because it is really a gorgeous piece of art. I highly recommend it to any fans of horror, because it definitely deserves a spot in a list of the greatest horror flicks ever made. 

  

The Bloody Pit of Horror Review

6.5/10

The 1960's were quite the time for B-Movies in the horror genre. They were cheesy, fun, and often hysterical. "Bloody Pit of Horror" is no exception to this, because it is about as corny as you can get. Along with this though, you do get a really morbid film that I enjoyed in a sense.

The film starts out in the 17th century, with the execution of a man in red. It is heard that he had been a sadistic person, and he was killed in a spiked tomb. His body is meant to stay in this tomb, and before he died, he said that he would one day get revenge. The scene is cool, but the costumes are near laughable.  The criminal's cloak makes him look like a character in that old arcade game "Rolling Thunder." 

The movie then skips to the 1960's, and a group of people are looking for somewhere to take model photographs. They find a castle that they believe to be empty.  As they walk around, they find out that the building is in fact inhabited. At first, the owner tries to immediately kick out the posse, but he then changes his mind and let's them stay the night. They begin to work on their modeling in he lairs of this castle, and seem to be having the time of their lives.  What they don't know is what lies in the walls of this building, and the fact that crazy things are about to happen to them.

This film is a typical Italian B-Movie of the time for many reasons. There is terrible voice overdubs for the characters, a lack of plot, a trippy soundtrack, beautiful women in bikinis, and a lot of laughs.  It is in no way a well made film, but instead of being crappy, it's more of a "so bad it's good" movie.  It's so funny to see these people actually taking themselves seriously, regardless of the fact that they're in one of the most absurd movies ever made. 

Much to my surprise(not really), the man in red came back.  Even though the film jumped three  hundred years, "The Crimson Executioner" is supposedly still alive, and looking better than ever.  I nearly cried laughing when I saw him, because he looks even more hilarious shirtless. It's almost like a cross between Aquaman and a professional wrestler.  He can't possibly be scary because of this, but he's still an enjoyable villain. 

Regardless of the cheesy surface of the film, it still stands to be one of the most sadistic films of its era. There is burning in ovens, lava poured on bodies, etc.  The torture was way ahead of its time, and it is one of the few parts of the movie that makes it stand out from others. There is also some decent gore for a 60's film, and while it is tame now, it must've been shocking during its original release. 

The last quarter of the film is quite a climax, as the main character Rick is trying to save everyone from the killer.  There is some big fighting, and it is kind of exciting. The actual ending was quite predictable though, with a happy realization that two of the people got to live. 

Overall, I enjoyed this film for its awesome cheesiness.  This isn't going to be something for everyone, because not a lot of people actually enjoy these low quality movies. I felt that the movie was really sick and twisted, yet hilarious at the same time. If you like B-movies, then check this out, but if not, definitely skip it because it will disappoint you greatly.