You gotta be f***ing kidding. Strong thalassophobia warning!
"Whalefall" is a film adaptation of Daniel Kraus' 2023 novel of the same name, and a teaser-trailer was released just hours ago. Now, before we jump to any conclusions, let's just remember that we don't know the movie. It might turn out to be... whatever.
But this is hands down the most terrifying film trailer so far, ever. Sure, there have been attempts, but this one goes all the way. It's everything scuba divers ever dreamt of, and it's everyone's worst nightmare - in breathtaking, dynamic detail and action, the actual thing, 100% convincing, you're literally "in there".
Forget about "Tentacles", "20 Leagues Under The Sea" and "The Meg" - these two minutes alone immediately set a new standard for what animalistic undersea terror looks and feels like.
And, if this is just a teaser-trailer, then, OMG, what else does the movie have in store...?! It remains to be seen if it can keep up with this outstanding little preview. But, congratulations to the director, effects crew, editor, and everyone else involved, this chunk bitten off of "Whalefall" is already a huge success.
A team of photographers and models moves to an abandoned castle, to do a photo shooting for a horror novel. It turns out the castle is still inhabited, and the owner doesn't like his guests to roam around the catacombs. The long presumed dead Crimson Executioner returns to restore the rules of the house...
This is a review of the original Italian release of the movie with a runtime of ~87 minutes.
"The Crimson Executioner", also known as "Bloody Pit Of Horror" (in its shorter form), is a beautifully cheap and blunt Italian gothic horror movie. If you've ever seen some pages of legendary photonovel "Killing" (aka "Satanik" aka "Sadistik"), which happened to be first published roughly at the same time as "The Crimson Executioner", you have a good idea what to expect from this film.
Only in motion, and in color. In a nice medieval castle setting, with lots of beautiful women, and some pretty good looking men, we get an array of hardly very suspenseful situations, but the striking simplicity of it all is what makes it so enjoyable. There's little nuance in "The Crimson Executioner", everything notable happens center screen, in full lighting, with limited ambience. The visual finesse is roughly that of a porn movie, and it's the complete lack of artistic ambiguity that creates some powerful moments. This is most obvious is the color palette: Red, black, and white are very prominently used, giving the film an eye-popping high-contrast aesthetic that has a certain effect even if you're seeing only a still picture.
Add to that the shiny, artificial quality of 1960s movie make-up and fake blood, a little bit of wooden acting and action, some weirdly erotic (?) music that doesn't scare anyone, and the quite impressive selection of torture devices, and you get a nice, saucy fumetto nero, an Italian horror comic for adults.
It's not really an exciting movie - you probably wanna keep your remote control nearby, and maybe fast-forward a little, here and there. It's not really gory - if you're a gorehound, you will be disappointed. In fact, if you're looking for what is commonly known as a "good movie", then maybe just skip "The Crimson Executioner".
But if you're into 60s grindhouse, have a weak spot for horror comics (photonovels), and just enjoy watching reasonably bizarre movies, then this might be a gem for you - they sure don't make 'em like this anymore!
Verdict: Nice low-budget outrageousness for the connoisseur. 5/10
Barbara Steele stars in Antonio Margheriti aka Anthony M. Dawson's creepy and beautiful gothic horror movie about witchcraft, guilt, and revenge.
It's a perfect fumetto nero (Italian "dark comic") with sparse logic, but loads of darkness, candles, catacombs, coffins, and a beautifully grim conclusion. "The Long Hair Of Death" is one of those movies that completely delivers on its promise, easily as much as Mario Bava's iconic "La Maschera Del Demonio" ("Black Sunday", 1960). Fasten your seatbelt, it doesn't waste much time - it almost literally throws you directly into the hell of a burning at the stake!
Ouch. Yet another cultural icon has left the stage... When Brigitte Bardot appeared in Roger Vadim's "Et Dieu... Créa La Femme" ("And God Created Woman", 1956), she instantly became the ultimate image of the sexual revolution emerging in the 1950s, representing a sensual, confident persona that acknowledges her female attributes in a natural way. The image of a woman that neither suppresses her sexuality, nor uses it aggressively, but instead disconnects from such rules, and is an individualist. Throughout her acting career, Brigitte Bardot won numerous awards for her skills. After quitting acting in 1973, she made news as an animal rights activist, supporting Sea Sheppard Conservation Society, and creating her Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals. She made a number of controversial statements since the late 1990s, which caused her legal trouble, and tainted her image a bit. But at the same time, in a way, it just underlines her character, both on screen and in real life. Brigitte Bardot will be remembered and cherished as a symbol of beauty, pride, and independence.
Brigitte Bardot in "La Femme Et Le Pantin" ("The Female", 1958)
The Marchioness Bathory, a descendant of the legendary, cruel Countess Bathory of late 16th century Hungary, is struggling with her age and loneliness, while on the outside the villagers are kept on their toes by what appears to be vampirism killing the people. She develops ideas similar to those of her infamous ancestor, and soon some local girls go missing...
The blood runs in rivers in "Ceremonia Sangrienta", and justice will be spoken, thoroughly.
"The Legend of Blood Castle" aka "Blood Ceremony" (which is the literal translation of the original Spanish title) is a very loose variation of the actual historical story of Countess Bathory, who presumably killed a lot of young women. It's a low-, or, given the context, maybe mid-budget gothic horror movie with a fictional story that plays out a bit like a historical drama.
Director Jorge Grau, who would later go on to create great zombie-flick "The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue" (1974), really shows what he's capable of in this movie. From the time frame and content, one might expect a more flashy movie on first sight, like most Italian gothic horror movies are, but "Ceremonia Sangrienta" is a tad more moderate in pacing, and remarkably precise in direction and editing. It is flashy, but equal attention has been given to telling the story in a serious and tasteful way.
Tasteful, of course, might be a bit of a stretch for the "normal" viewer - there's plenty of gore, cruelty, corpses, and nudity. And it doesn't fall flat on its face. Not only is the exploitative element more or less effective for what it is, but it's also carried by the movie's very convincing storytelling, serious acting, and some amazing finesse in editing and composition that shows up here and there.
There is a particularly nice sequence, in which one of the victims appears in a nightmarish vision, that is lighted, edited and acted to perfection, and gives you the creeps. Did "Ceremonia Sangrienta" anticipate bits from "The Exorcist" (1973) and "It's Alive" (1974) here?
Also nice, and oftentimes a part of Spanish films, are strong female characters. It isn't as obvious as in, let's say "Death Walks On High Heels" (1971), but there are plenty of moments in "Ceremonia Sangrienta" where a female character is less two-dimensional than expected from such a kind of movie, with some nice dialogue or acting. Especially Lucia Bose, playing the lead role, gives a great, sometimes genuinely captivating performance.
The horror in "Ceremonia Sangrienta" doesn't 100% come from the dark shadows, hidden passages and cobwebs, so it might not be 100% "gothic horror" in a cinematic sense. But it's still gothic enough to satisfy in that regard, and it adds some giallo moments alongside the (fictional) "history horror".
The end result is a nice shocker, with some weaker moments, but far more brilliant ones. The devil, they say, is in the detail. In this case, the art is in the detail. "Ceremonia Sangrienta" is basically just low-cost default material - used pretty much to perfection. Money doesn't make good movies. Good work does.
Cult-icon actor Udo Kier passed away just yesterday.
He played in every kind of movie, from horror-schlocks "Mark Of The Devil" (1970) and "Flesh For Frankenstein" (1973), to R. W. Fassbinder's drama "Lili Marleen" (1981), to blockbuster "Ace Ventura" (1994) with Jim Carrey, to "Barb Wire" (1996) with Pamela Anderson, to Rob Zombie's "Halloween" and Dario Argento's "Mother Of Tears" (both 2007), and many, many more. Udo Kier took on many roles, big and small, demanding and trivial, and was never afraid to lend his talent to both very commercial, major productions, as well as low-budget and niche films. Through his varied work, he became a highly respected actor, and beloved cult-icon with a unique screen presence, the successful fusion of personality, independence, art, elegance, skills, and commerce.
The first sequel to Hammer films' successful "Curse Of Frankenstein" (1957), also directed by Terence Fisher, and equally entertaining.
"The Revenge Of Frankenstein", featuring Peter Cushing, Francis Matthews and Eunice Gayson, continues the story of Baron Frankenstein's attempts to create life, and expands it here and there. It's a classic of horror cinema just like its 1957 predecessor, with a great performance by Peter Cushing, nice British understatement, dedication to detail, precise direction, and some exciting scientifically (in)correct monster moments. Beautiful, creepy Hammer horror!
