From the looks of it, this should have been an adequate Hammer horror film. Oliver Reed plays the lead role. Some hot blond chick plays the hallucinating sister. And the whole movie is about a scandal. Works for you? Well, it didn’t quite do it for me.

Oliver Reed plays a man whose sister believes she is seeing her other missing brother. This so-called brother proves the be real, and shows up knocking at their door. The only problem, of course, is that it’s rather clear he has a completely different head than the missing brother. But who pays attention to things like facial bone structure anyway?(read more...)

Frank Henenlotter, the director of Frankenhooker and other films I've had the pleasure to see, is someone I'd like to meet. If his movies are any indication of his character, there isn't a pretentious bone in the man's body. He's a master in the art of grindhouse exploitation sleaze. His stories invariably involve seedy characters set in even seedier locations engaging in the seediest actions imaginable. And this is what sets Henenlotter's work a step ahead of the pack, because he's got a wonderfully demented imagination. Add to this a twisted sense of humor, a determination to offend, and a dash of social commentary. The end product is still garbage, but it's garbage of the highest grade.(read more...)

I appreciate the enthusiasm with which Van Helsing was done - really. I enjoyed Stephen Sommers' previous two Universal reworkings (The Mummy and The Mummy Returns), and I've seen interviews with the guy. He has nothing but unbridled affection when it comes to the classic scare shows. However, as it is with so many films, passion just isn't enough; this is a clunky, ridiculous film that wouldn't pass muster as even the barest of homages.(read more...)