With its subjective direction, gory kills, and curious-artist-in-danger plot, it may be tempting to dismiss Lamberto Bava’s second feature, A BLADE IN THE DARK, as a derivative mix of two of Dario Argento’s classics, DEEP RED (1975) and TENEBRAE (1982). But when you consider Bava’s maturing sense of suspense while delivering a host of nasty, blood-soaked particulars, the film becomes a bit more difficult to assess, especially when compared to his downright awful directorial debut, MACABRO (1980).

Bava’s pedigree–serving as a protege of sorts to Dario Argento while being the son of Mario Bava, the man who pretty much put giallo thrillers on the map–is never as evident as it is here. A composer sits alone in an isolated house, working on the soundtrack for an upcoming thriller. As he immerses himself in the creative process, he begins to experience some top-shelf heebie-jeebies of his own. Soon, he finds himself trapped in a film within a film, his own surreal life unfolding like a scene set to the very score he was hired to compose. Some of the sequences come off head-scratching one minute and hilarious the next, but Bava consistently instills an air of danger around a number of ugly murder sequences. Little details – a thatch of a victim’s hair caught in a wire fence, slashed Penthouse nudes, and the click-click-click of the killer’s utility knife–form a muscular frame for the film’s sour mix of graphic physical violence and quiet, stylized creeps.

The killer’s identity seemed pretty damn obvious to me from the get-go, but the ‘how’ and ‘why’ are more important than the ‘whom’. However, when you’re dealing with a slasher film that runs 108 minutes, a heavy dollop of misogyny can go a long way, and A BLADE IN THE DARK is more than happy to oblige in that department. Most of the victims are pretty females, some who grace the screen for mere minutes before being brutalized via a range of shiny, sharp-edged weapons. 

Despite its director admitting the film is a parody of gore films, A BLADE IN THE DARK is a cruel, uncomfortable experience. But that’s kind of the point, isn’t it? Though Bava’s career would arguably peak two years later with DEMONS (1985), and the genre would later normalize the kind of mean-spirited murder sequences on display here, his work was rarely as distasteful, intriguing, or disturbing as it was here. 

#unclean&unseen #abladeinthedark #lambertobava #macabro #demons #darioargento #tenebrae #deepred #giallo

Little known fact: I actually saw JAWS in the theater. My crazy-ass parents took me to it when I was a year old…and I fell asleep during it.

Therefore, I was certainly glad to read an article over at Bloody Disgusting that the film is getting a re-release this summer to coincide with it’s golden anniversary. The film serves as the genesis of the ‘summer blockbuster’, as many have tried and failed to replicate its tremendous success over the last 50 years.

My advice? Find a theater with good speakers. In addition to John Williams’ iconic soundtrack rightfully snagging an Oscar, the film also won an Academy Award for Best Sound.

JAWS is set to terrorize you all over again the week of August 29th. Click here to check out Bloody Disgusting’s original article.

#horrorhappenings #jaws #johnwilliams #50thanniversary #academyawards #bloodydisgusting

Damn, what a deal we have for you today!

Today’s flashback is from the original theatrical run of John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN, during which they actually gave away copies of the tie-in novel to audience members! As some of you may know, the film had a very sluggish theatrical run that started in October 1978 and was still traipsing through cinemas two years later, as this advert features double bills with MOTHER’S DAY and THE EXTERMINATOR, both of which debuted in September 1980.

Considering the novel, originally penned by Curtis Richards and released a bit belatedly in 1979, went on to become quite the spendy artifact, this giveaway was a smart method to entice horror hounds into theater seats.

#fearflashbacks #halloween #tieinnovels #johncarpenter #curtisrichards #mothersday #theexterminator

Today, we have one of the stop-motion models from Tim Burton’s MARS ATTACKS! I saw this little guy in recent years at the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle. Definitely check the place out if you’re ever in the city.

I still have lots to share from the museum so keep an eye out for more posts in the coming weeks and months!

#fearflashbacks #marsattacks #timburton #museumofpopculture #mopop #seattle

There’s something deliciously fucked up about this. For everyone who knows what’s really in room 237, this one’s for you.

#killermemes&comics #theshining #room237 #jacktorrance #wendytorrance

It’s tough to discern what went wrong for director Roger Christian’s feature film debut, THE SENDER. Despite regular showings on cable in late 1983, the film seems to have eluded many horror fans who usually defaulted to more popular genre fare of the time such as THE BROOD (1979) or DRESSED TO KILL (1980) for their mental-health-gone-wrong fix. This indifference first plagued THE SENDER during its theatrical run, which netted only a little over a million dollars. When you’re inquisitive enough to peel back the film’s layers, you find out that its misanthropic blend of enigmatic science and surrealistic violence is probably what torpedoed it from the start.

In short, THE SENDER isn’t a happy film. It starts with an amnesiac filling his pockets with rocks and wandering out into a lake to commit suicide and ends with a suggestion that the same character will repeat the story’s entire ordeal again. In between all this, the nameless protagonist’s doctor finds out that he’s inherited from his mother a terrifying ability to project his nightmares into other people’s reality. I know what you’re thinking: dude, this could totally be an influence on A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET! Admittedly, there are some peculiar similarities, but THE SENDER is preoccupied with the claustrophobic emotions of reality while Wes Craven’s 1984 classic concentrates on the wide open playing field of the dream state.

Director Roger Christian has had a dizzying career of extremes, ranging from Academy Award-winning production design for STAR WARS to helming the harangued Scientology sci-fi disaster, BATTLEFIELD EARTH. Here, he shows some nice directoral touches that primarily serve to bolster the film’s unsettling is-this-real-or-a-dream undercurrent. Meanwhile, composer Trevor Jones, fresh off of John Boorman’s dazzling Knights of the Round Table rip EXCALIBUR (1981), provides a mix of maudlin and jittery cues to tap into the emotional core of the story. 

I originally slated THE SENDER to be part of the “One-Sheet Wonders!” section–its poster’s use of imagery, color, and sinister taglines is commanding–but the film is far too interesting to be represented by its marketing materials alone. Check it out for yourself on a dark, rainy night and see if it haunts your dreams, too.

#unclean&unseen #thesender #rogerchristian #trevorjones #excalibur #starwars #battlefieldearth #thebrood #dressedtokill #mentalhealth

I remember seeing this poster in a video store back in the mid 80s. Despite the fact there were much newer, more lucrative genre titles to promote at the time, I can see why the owner decided to keep it up. Let’s face facts: a big-ass picture of Michael Berryman, who played the brutal ‘Pluto’ in the film, is one of the better horror film marketing ideas Hollywood has had in the past 50 years. The result is striking and invites the moviegoer to check out the poster’s more subtle details.

And for those who don’t know, this film also set off a decades-long friendly rivalry between directors Wes Craven and Sam Raimi. Details can be found on Wikipedia here.

#onesheetwonders #thehillshaveeyes #michaelberryman #wescraven #samraimi

I guess maybe the marketing blitz for THE BEAST WITHIN (1982) worked a little too well.

You gotta admit that the “this-is-really-nasty-shit-and-don’t-tell-us-we-didn’t-warn-you!” shtick was a bold move by MGM/UA. People are suckers for reverse psychology, so I’m surprised the film fizzled at the box office after just a few weeks and barely recouped its $5 million budget. Fast forward a few decades and I’m convinced this kind of approach would have worked better in the torture porn era of horror (think HOSTEL, THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE, etc.) from the early part of the 21st century.

#fearflashbacks #thebeastwithin #mgmua #tortureporn #box office #hostel #thehumancentipede

The only thing I love more than posting bad horror reviews from brain-dead critics is posting complimentary ones by astute journalists. Case in point: today’s review of George A. Romero’s MONKEY SHINES, which floundered at the box office despite a good amount of buzz, meticulous editing, and decent critical assessment. Studio tampering with Romero’s ending, as well as other pressures put upon him by distributor Orion Pictures, made the director reassess his career and return to making independent films.

#fearflashbacks #monkeyshines #georgeromero #orionpictures

When all else fails, just give people what they want.

Today, is a poster of one of the most iconic moments in horror history: Jack Nicholson’s improvised “Here’s Johnny” bit from Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING.

Taken from Fangoria Poster Magazine #3 (1988)

#onesheetwonders #theshining #jacknicholson #heresjohnny #stanleykubrick #fangoria