Movieline Online

Political films can be challenge to dissect.  Political films from another  country , with nearly five decades in-between, even more so.  But  Slap the Monster on Page One  (1972), despite being steeped in the social chaos of Italy’s “years of lead,” has become in many ways  more  relevant than it was at the time of release, mixing murder, conspiracy and press bias that not only  reports  on elections but proudly influences them. Gian Maria Volonté is cast as the ultimate anti-hero, Bizanti, editor of  Il Giornale  whose conservative readership the nation counts upon for fair and balanced coverage…or in simpler terms:  Fake News.  With several parties up at arms about the next election, Bizanti uses every opportunity to throw support behind his silent political partner (played with slimy zeal by John Steiner).  Even the unconnected rape and murder of a young student is played up for voter appeal, with a convenient culprit on display to satisfy the call for blood.  So when one reporter

Sci-fi and horror films from the late ‘50s were considered disposable trash at the time of the release.  But now, 60 years later…well, they’re  still  trash but with nostalgic appeal and some flashes of ingenuity that make them essential viewing for those with an affinity for the genre.  No matter how bland the actors, how hokey the monster or how illogical the script, there’s always a moment or two that make it all worthwhile.   Night of the Blood Beast  (1958) and  Attack of the Giant Leaches  (1959) are products of the Roger and Gene Corman movie making machine.  And while neither of them rank as full-blown classics, they’re both fast-moving, old-fashioned drive-in fare that give their all for 60 short minutes. Blood Beast  stirs together the plot of  The Thing  and  The Quatermass Experiment  to come up with the story of a returned astronaut who brings back a misshapen moss monster that traps a group of scientists at a remote mountain laboratory.  The twist?  The astronaut is also 

Horror and experimental films share a lot of the same DNA.  But their fans rarely swim in the same circles.  The intentionally obtuse work of filmmakers like Stan Brakhage and Kenneth Anger isn’t designed for mass consumption, yet their ability to break through cinematic barriers to produce stylistic, transgressive and often disturbing personal visions is  exactly  what horror movies have in mind.  The two genres rarely overlap entirely in a traditional Venn diagram (except maybe in the case of David Lynch), but  Dogra Magra , the 1988 adaptation of an influential early Japanese novel, is a good example of the successes and failures when they do. An amnesiac patient, Ichiro, is bounced between two doctors who both postulate the same theory on his mental state:  genetic memory has triggered him to murder his fiancé on their wedding day in a supernatural attempt to complete an ancient family scroll.  But with no memory of his actions  or  his true identity, Ichiro must solve the mystery

While other countries tried to duplicate Hollywood’s success by lifting ideas wholesale, Japan’s approach to cinema was similar to their modernization in general, cherry-picking elements that had broad appeal but retaining their distinct cultural identity.  Unlike Italy which relied heavily on exports playing throughout Europe, Japan’s relatively closed market meant that were making films mostly for themselves.  And their attempts at the burgeoning gothic horror genre in the 1960s stand as unique expressions of common folk tales amplified by new cinematic techniques  The Ghost of Yotsuya  (1959) is a curious mix of chanbara – or samurai film – and straight-up monster movie.  First performed as a kabuki play, the film remains a very set-bound, staged production for almost the entire running time as it tells the story of Oiwa, the scorned wife of Tamiya who leaves her to marry into a more successful family.  But after Oiwa’s death, her spirit returns to punish all those responsible for h

The term “instant classic” is obscenely overused in today’s Letterboxd film review culture.  Usually once the short-term enthusiasm for a particular release runs out of steam it settles into a more realistic “average” historical perspective.  But  Trick ‘r Treat  (2007) has, if anything,  improved  its reputation in the horror community since its premiere (on video, no less) 17 years ago.  A dark, gruesome and funny Halloween anthology, writer/director Michael Dougherty captures the essence of the holiday on screen in a way few other films ever have.   Bouncing between five different conjoined stories in the town of Warren Valley, Ohio, there’s an elementary school principal hiding a dark secret, a quartet of party girls looking for fresh meat, an urban legend prank gone wrong and a Scrooge-like Halloween hater who gets his comeuppance.  Meanwhile, the framing device introduces us to Sam, a pint-sized trick or treater who takes the holiday’s traditions  very  seriously.   Based on Doug

The original wave of J-Horror was a short-lived affair in its home country, growing out of the DTV market and capitalizing on the success of  Ringu  to launch a flurry of phantasmagorical spirits and supernaturally enhanced technology.  By the time Hollywood sent those same tropes boomeranging back to Japan the bottom had essentially dropped out of the genre.  But that time  in between  produced a number of interesting variations collected in Arrow’s limited edition Blu-ray box set  J-Horror Rising , a four-disc affair that gives proper exposure to lesser-known titles produced at the turn of the millennium. Shikoku  (1999) stars  Kill Bill ’s Chiaki Kuriyama as one part of a ghostly love triangle (she’s the ghost) brought back to take physical form and wreak unholy vengeance.   Isola: Multiple Personality Girl  (2000) mixes psychic powers, mental illness and spiritual possession as a woman tries to exorcise the meddling spirit of a dead scientist.   Inugami  (2001) is a tragic bit of f