Our editor-in-chief Nate Yapp is proud to have contributed to the new book Hidden Horror: A Celebration of 101 Underrated and Overlooked Fright Flicks, edited by Aaron Christensen. Another contributors include Anthony Timpone, B.J. Colangelo, Dave Alexander, Classic-Horror.com's own Robert C. Ring and John W. Bowen. Pick up a copy today from Amazon.com!

Posts by Rob Wrigley

Review: Flesh Feast (1970)

Submitted by Rob Wrigley on Thu, 2003-03-27 01:00

It's possible to make a good film involving mad scientists, South American revolutionaries, and Hitler. If one doubts that, then watch The Boys from Brazil. It may well to be possible to make a good film containing all the above, plus maggots. That question is left unresolved at the end of Flesh Feast (1970), a minuscule-budget shocker written and directed by Florida auteur Brad F. Grinter (Blood Freak), and starring former beauty Veronica Lake (Sullivan's Travels, The Blue Dahlia).(read more...)

Review: Cube (1997)

Submitted by Rob Wrigley on Sat, 2003-03-08 01:00

Cube, a 1997 film by Canadian writer/director Vincenzo Natale, was filmed on a single set, with a small cast, and a small budget. Part sci-fi horror, part experiment, part student film, it has all the markings of a silly, boring, and talky mess. That it avoids most of those pitfalls is a tribute to the crew and cast.

Seven strangers awake to find themselves in rooms of Cube: 14'x14' metal boxes with an exit in the center of each wall and ceiling. Some rooms are trapped with lethal sci-fi devices. None of the doors seem to lead anywhere but to other rooms. It's like something out of a computer RPG. They join together to try to find their way out, and slowly start to unravel the mystery of Cube.(read more...)

Review: The Church (1989)

Submitted by Rob Wrigley on Mon, 2002-12-09 01:00

One cannot help but feel disappointment on viewing Michele Soavi's second film, the 1988 film The Church (aka La Chiesa, Demons 3: Demon Cathedral). Produced by Soavi mentor Dario Argento, and written by the director, Argento, and Lamberto Bava, it promisese much. Despite its striking visuals, flashes of gore, and violent vignettes, it seems a let down compared to the rest of his work.

Restoration on an old cathedral reveals dark secrets from the past. When a seal is removed from the basement floor, evil is released once more. A group of colorful characters trapped inside the building and they become subject to the whims and tortures of the trapped evil.(read more...)

Review: Stage Fright (1987)

Submitted by Rob Wrigley on Tue, 2002-11-19 01:01

Sometimes, the test of a good director is not whether a director can make a great film from a good script. Rather, it is whether they can make a good film from a mediocre script. Lots of folks have made a decent Hamlet (see Michael Almereyda's Hamlet (2000)), but it took Julie Taymor to turn Titus Andronicus into a great film. With this in mind, we turn to Stage Fright (aka Aquarius, Delirium), the debut film from Neapolitan horror stalwart Michele Soavi.(read more...)

Review: Funny Games (1997)

Submitted by Rob Wrigley on Sun, 2002-11-10 01:00

There's a phrase they use down south, "too clever by a half" that may well describe Michael Haneke, director and writer of the Austrian thriller Funny Games. The film starts out as a tough, grueling tale of home invasion. It has a moment of grief as its centerpiece that is as heartbreaking as anything ever filmed. Then it throws a curve ball at the audience that unravels everything into a ball of hypocrisy.(read more...)

Review: Suspiria (1977)

Submitted by Rob Wrigley on Tue, 2002-10-15 01:01

While it may not be the scariest of films, Dario Argento's Suspiria (1977) is certainly among the most beautiful. Filmed on the last Technicolor system in Europe, and awash in colored lighting, it is a candy-coated confection and a grueling, bloody horror at once. It is like a dose of arsenic covered in cream.(read more...)

Review: Deep Red (1975)

Submitted by Rob Wrigley on Wed, 2002-10-02 00:00

Deep Red (AKA Profundo Rosso), Dario Argento's 1975 uber-giallo is, more than any other film, the cornerstone of the director's work. Written with the help of Bernardino Zapponi, shot in vivid, hyper-real color, and scored with ear-rattling rock-and-roll, it is a thriller like none before and few since.(read more...)

Review: Cannibal Apocalypse (1980)

Submitted by Rob Wrigley on Fri, 2002-09-27 00:00

If for nothing else, Antonio Margahritte's 1980 film Cannibal Apocalypse is famous for its huge number of AKA's. Released as Invasion of the Flesh Hunters, Cannibals in the Streets, Apocolipisse Domani, as well as near a dozen other variations, it is one of the most well known films of the Italian splatter films from the 70's and 80's. It is also one of the most enjoyable, accessible films from that era. Written by Margahritte and tireless screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti (Twitch of the Death Nerve, City of the Living Dead, Blastfighter) and starring a practical who's who of genre stars, Apocalypse is a film for every fan of Italian splatter.(read more...)

Review: Anguish (1987)

Submitted by Rob Wrigley on Sat, 2002-09-14 00:00

One of the most depressing aspects of the Slasher films of the 80's was its penchant for franchises. It was not enough to craft a scary film that could stand on its own. There also had to be a colorful killer and a vapid plot, both of which can be resurrected again and again is an endless series of sequels. While studios promoted these films as product, better, and more ambitious films languished without an ad-campaign or an audience. Case in point is Anguish (AKA Angustia), the 1986 film written and directed by Spain's Bigas Luna. Recently released on DVD by Anchor Bay, it is revealed to be an overlooked gem.(read more...)

Review: Blood Sucking Freaks (1976)

Submitted by Rob Wrigley on Sat, 2002-09-07 00:00

The best thing one could say about Bloodsucking Freaks is that it's a failed comedy. Director Joel M. Reed's 1976 sleaze classic manages to irritate the sensibilities of even the most jaded viewer. But in the end, it never manages to be truly offensive. Troma has released a 'collector's edition' on DVD, for those who can take it.(read more...)