Halloween Horrors Day 7 - Puppet Master III

What better way to celebrate Halloween than with those whacked out puppets from Full Moon? The Toulon Terrors are always fun-but I realized that I had not seen any of the series barring the (nearly perfect in my opinion) original in well over 10 years, possibly more. Come to think of it, I probably saw these sequels the day they were released on VHS and never again. I was going to grab number 2 off the shelf, but a lot of things appealed to me with this installment. The World War 2 setting, the fact that it was directed by David DeCoteau, a chance to watch a movie written by C. Courtney Joyner and seeing Richard Lynch playing a Nazi on the artwork screamed at me to pick it up.
Well, I'm glad I did.

After the amount of damage the puppets dished out in the first two installments I wondered at what exactly Toulon could be seeking revenge for-and once I found it the stage was set for a very different film from the previous entries. Our puppets are...heroic? Well, not exactly, but they are on the side of righteous vengeance and Nazi slicing and dicing-and that is a curious change. I loved the little critters as nightmarish mini-monsters and had my doubts I would cheer for them-but I ended up doing just that.

Andre Toulon is introduced as a puppeteer out to entertain some children with stories that paint Hitler in a negative light. Of course, this doesn't sit well and he is told to back off and perhaps give his six shooter puppets something different to blow holes in. Undeterred, Toulon continues his shows...sure, he figured that nobody would care. Of course, he had no idea that Nazi scientists were hard at work attempting to create perfect undead soldiers and the secret of his lifelike puppets was also spied upon and sought after by those same nefarious scientists. OOPS.
Once Major Krause (Richard Lynch dangling a cigarette menacingly) and Doctor Hess (Ian Abercrombie) get on his case it is not long until his wife is dead and he is under threat of death.
Enter...THE PUPPET CORPS OF DEATH!

Going in to hiding, Toulon wages war against the Nazis that have done him wrong-and the Puppets are all too happy to drill, smash, slash and barf leeches (!!) all over them in the name of their master. While it seems silly, the Puppet Master films don't shy away from the occasional bit of graphic carnage and I must admit that I love that little screw headed guy and the giant gaps of gore that he creates with his dreaded dome of doom. BzzzzzBLLLALRRRRGH!


Everything goes as planned, Toulon escapes and the Nazis are foiled (well, the 4 Toulon deals with at least)...but there are some tender moments too. In memory of his dead wife, Andre whips up the ever popular Leech Woman! See, we did not know that was his wife, but giving her that particular power is really bizarre don't you agree? Well...the psychology of Andre Toulon is an entirely different film I guess.


There is nothing in this film that doesn't work, from the simple scripting, the sparse Paramount backlot sets, the bare breasts, the blood...basically we have here a perfect sub 90 minute film. What Puppet Master III (hey, they use Roman Numerals!) really makes me remember is a time when the direct to video market held the most potential. The distribution deal with Paramount was huge for Full Moon, and it was difficult for any horror fan not to find these films as they spent a lot of time in the rental shops seeking out treasures old and new. While Full Moon would eventually degenerate in to endless regurgitation and re-used footage in it's later years, the productions such as the (at least the first 5) Puppet Masters, Subspecies, Trancers, Robot Jox and even Mandroid-which could have used a sequel-all feel much less jaded and genuine than the endless mock-busters and Saw clones that get dumped to DVD these days. Full Moon did it's own thing, and did it pretty well for a few amazing years. And that is what gives them a long life, because even after they began to knock off the Puppets with Demonic Toys or start to shoot on tiny versions of the budgets they once had-taking away the production values and pillaging the older movies, there were no series like Subspecies or Puppet Master. If they were made today, I fear we would not have the amazing actual puppets, just virtual CGI ones. I'm not that old or that cranky, but the physical effects in this film, even the dodgy ones, make it so much better.

Maybe the puppets are dull echoes of themselves now, but watching any production from Full Moon during this time period is a blast of energy that makes me happy to be a horror fan. While there were lots of amazing movies for genre fans in the 80s, I would not hesitate to throw the original Puppet Master on that list-and Puppet Master III is just as much fun!

And one additional note, I had no idea that PUPPET MASTER- AXIS OF EVIL is in post production when I watched this. So...this is a sequel to Puppet Master III directed by David DeCoteau?? Amazing how synchronicity strikes. Here is a promo video with a bit of behind the scenes information on this new film. Very exciting-lets see if the magic can still make the puppets dance.

Halloween Horrors Day 6 - The Hanging Woman

Nothing beats early 70s Eurotrash horror for the month of October, and the well timed Troma Retro release of Jose Luis Marino's La orgia de los muertos could not be more welcome. Before I even get to the movie I have to say that the DVD, with it's paltry asking price of $9.99 (retail!) is a real value. A second feature, Sweet Sound of Death is included as well as a batch of extras that will make fanatical fans drool. This includes commentary by Merino, interviews with Paul Naschy and Merino, trailer, a very nice still gallery and a Naschy 101 feature that is informative and rather funny at turns! I've paid 2.5 times this much for a bootleg of this film in years past... and it looks a bit better here. Grab it if you like a good Eurotrash film that features Paul Naschy as a gravedigger named Igor with a penchant for the dead.

I don't know if I'd call The Hanging Woman a masterpiece, but it is excellent tiptoe through the undead turnips fun and a nice example of Spanish horror from that golden time. After a young woman attempts a little crypt theft only to find herself on the business end of a growling shadow we meet Serge Chekov...the nephew of the corpse that was too be robbed. As usual for this kind of movie, he finds himself in possession of a large house and all the weird servants that come with it. And a hanging woman.
Everyone needs one of those.

But the fun doesn't stop! With every hanging woman there should be a brightly colored fluid containing beaker encrusted mad sorcerers lab as well. Why not? A scheming countess tries to seduce our man to keep her around by using some funky hoodoo world spinning sexification as well. Maria Pia Conte nude and spinning around on my big screen is as fine as a sight as I've seen.


As if that wasn't enough that same countess is keeping around Igor the GraveRobber! Igor is played by beloved EuroTrash icon Paul Naschy who cranks up the crazy in this non-starring role. And even though he did not write or direct, Naschy STILL gets to do a pseudo-necrophiliac bit of sex biz with Maria Pia Conte! A charmed life that Mr. Molina has lived. Of course, Igor just decides the real thing is better and we are treated to Naschy being very ghoulish-not to mention meeting a particularly splattery end. Alaric would be proud...

The entire film plays out more like a mystery film for a good amount of the run time as murders happen and we start to think that the undead may be afoot. Once we get to a top notch seance gone wild routine, that is genuinely spooky, things really get rocking. And yes...there are zombies. Great zombies.
I love these zombies! Sure they don't have gardening tools or battle sharks, but they are still nifty.

While this is usually referred to as a zombie film, I'd argue that Zombie and Burial Ground are really what that label should be, this struck me more as a Plague of the Zombies style flick. The biggest strength of the film is that Merino manages to really make the characters likable (or unlikable if you will) before he whips out the promised Orgy of the Undead. I was really in to the film, even after seeing it several times, when the beautiful Dyanik Zurakowska is hiding in a burning crypt of creepies! I wanted to see Igor get his rightful comeuppance-and he sure does. Naschy sells his zombie necrophile / graverobber full throttle and makes Igor a nice little postscript to Gotho, The Hunchback of the Morgue.

And as much of an ass as Serge can be in this movie, I liked him. Going from a devilish cad making Zurakowska strip down so he can insult her (she even falls in love with him after this??) to fist slinging EuroHero smashing down a butler that can't make way for him to get some nookie, the guy is just what I like in my small town terror thriller. I'd be hard pressed to call Stelvio Rosi a favorite, he comes off as a low rent Jack Taylor here, but he is very cool in The Hanging Woman. I really wish that Jack Taylor had done this movie though...

Also, I have to give a lot of the credit for the atmosphere of this film to the score and WHERWHAWHIRRRRAOOO sound created by Francesco de Masi! Is this music on CD? I need it! While the film looks very classical, the music captures that look while still bringing an interesting funky bass to the mix as well. He did quite a bit of adventure movie scoring (westerns and spies especially), and the music really pushes the pace of The Hanging Woman with a firm hand. Great!

A steal at the price and a really good Spanish horror film, your need for nasty gothic cinema is met this Halloween if you swing with The Hanging Woman!

Yor vs. The Tentacles of Terror!

Some time ago I dedicated a lot of my blogging time to Il Mondo di Yor and found some original comics, posters and was even lucky enough to score a review of the infamous 4 hour television version by Ballistic Blood Bullets blogger Paul Cooke. Well, you can read that review HERE if you missed it. Thanks to a groovy Facebook pal I was pointed to a subtitled (!!) version that looks great and will be the most exciting view of the year I would wager.
I'm a huge fan of this nifty monster battling sequence that did not appear in the exported theatrical version-so I thought it would be fun to share! DIG IT BABY...it is Yor's World-he's the man!

Just another day in Yor's World...he's the man. But this is a world full of danger! And Corrine Clery in a hot cavegirl outfit.

Something slooshing this way comes...

"Well Ka-Laa, that slurping sound did not emanate from MY loincloth..."

BOO!

Holy Pigozzi, I get to eat the guy this whole planet is named after...YES!!

I am UROTSUKIDOJI!!

AIEEEEE....don't you want to eat Yor? He's the man!! Oh wait...cavegirl outfit? Too much?

"I might have formed a different strategy if I'd noticed that axe hanging from Yor's bel..."

"DAMMIT!!"

"Fine! That hurt, but would you whack the beautiful cavebabe...I don't think so you damn talking bo..."

"Nevermind."

"I've got a few arms left and you are going down blondie...you totally messed up that Captain America movie and even on Yor's World we know about Jack Kirby!"

Ka-Laa gonna knock you out....yeah mama said Knock You OOOOOUT!

"But...but...Fabrizio De Angelis didn't produce this...not the eye!!"

Bloop.

I can't even joke, Corinne Clery in action!!

Let's just sing Ka-Laa's world from now on!

"Awww...Yor alright pal."

"Eye will not be forgotten...ARRRRGH! Some doofus named Z shall forever love me...."

Leatherface Comics

After rewatching Leatherface this week for Halloween Horrors I dragged out the comics series adapting the film from Northstar Comics. Splattery to say the least, this series is bizarre-but intriguing to fans of the film and especially of interest to me since I've never read the original Schow script.
The first issue features art by Kirk Jarvinen and is very close to the opening of the film, but features some great dialogue that I'm imagining came from the original screenplay. Check out 'fredo in action.


The series then takes a really odd turn as the artwork is taken over by Guy Burwell. This change is jarring, and Burwell is perfectly good at what he does, but it feels totally uneven given the first issue. Also, scripter Mort Castle changed up the very way the adaptation was being done, adding captions and even odder-an inner monologue for Leatherface.
While it is fun and I really enjoy it as a peek into the original early drafts of a movie I really like, it stands as more of an obscure footnote in TCM history than anything else. Here are a few key bits....enjoy and click for bigger images.

promo art for #3

an example of 'face's dialogue...blah.

I love this line!!
a short version of the original ending
The little girl doing the killing in this scene is removed, but it sure brings on the gore.An excellent Vince Locke promo piece for the Northstar Adaptation of TCM that was not released.

I want this shirt...and the mask too!

Halloween Horrors Day 5 - Skinned Deep

Halloween Horrors 2009 just got WEIRD. Skinned Deep is the giant latex brained beartrap of a film that rips off everything from Texas Chainsaw Massacre to The Road Warrior produced, written and directed by Gabe Bartalos. His name value, mixed with the AWESOME looking monster on the cover (who goes by the name Surgeon General) had me hooked. I expected it to be gory-it is. I expected it to be packed with make-up mayhem and bizarre set design-it is. But I could not have expected to see a nude man running down a city street WITH A GIANT BRAIN PROSTHETIC ATTACHED TO HIS HEAD while onlookers gawk at the sight.
And that is not even the weird part, that was just funny.

In brief, since there is virtually no plot, an "All American" family of goofballs that would appear to be The Bundys from Married With Children and are "cleverly" named The Rockwells stumble in to the trap of another family that would appear to be The Family from TCM. After a quick dinner sequence everyone is dead (with the youngest boy being bisected!) with the exception of oldest daughter Tina. She is wanted and "loved" by Brian-The motorcycle loving lad with the giant brain. She tries to escape. Surgeon General, Brain and Plates (Warwick Davis) kill some folks...and an elderly biker gang challenges the group to a duel to the death.
End.


Now, this is nothing special really...but the devil is in the details and Bartalos piles on cool little bits at every turn. Plates is a midget (albino?) that hurls plates-from a cool little back holster! Next Stop folks...EL TOPO! Surgeon General rocks and even has a visor HUD that looks like it wanted to be ROBOWAR instead of Predator! Brain waggles his dong for the amusement of the audience!! Uh...yeah. Also, the sets are great given the budget, the newspaper holding room is especially nifty and features the easiest escape route I've ever seen in a film. Cameras spin from the ceiling, blood flies, a young boy is chopped in two in what I'd call a tribute to Andreas Schnaas though I bet Bartalos would punch my nose in for it...fun.

Forry Ackerman even has a cameo! Just don't get me started on the elderly bikers-when one dude whips off his shirt for battle things get really scary. Thankfully he keeps his pants on.

Special praise has to be given for the final 15 minutes of the film, once THE CREATOR is revealed I am in awe of these effects. Imagine The Crimson Executioner in a little Peplum skirt that says "DYNO-MITE" if you can. THEN IMAGINE HIM WITH NO FUCKING HEAD! I have to watch the making of stuff, because...I just can't believe it. And don't even get me started when his stomach tears open and Belial 2 pops out! Wow.


Skinned Deep is best described as a promo reel gone awry. The time spent working with Frank Henenlotter rubbed off on Bartalos-whose make-up works I love, but I kept thinking this was Texas Chainsaw Massacre as directed by Porn Auteur/Agitator Rinse Dream with the production team of Sam Sherman and Al Adamson sitting back and chuckling that someone actually loves Brain of Blood! I've seen "this film" many many times, but never have I seen it done with the warped energy that pops out of the rubber, foam and faux blood of Skinned Deep. While it does drag a bit in spots and could have easily been 30 minutes shorter, this is the kind of film that defines the phrase "a new twist on an old tale" with every frame. You want tension, terror, horror, scares or even laughs that make you feel comfy in your love of horror films? Avoid.
But if you, like me, wonder what kind of films are hopefully unearthed by SOMETHING WEIRD DIGISIGNAL in the year 2166 as odd points in the genres history? THIS IS FOR YOU!