The Eurotrash Film Pinncle Project - Castle Buzzerstein Strikes!

From our good buddy and Spanish horror enthusiast, Buzz! The ETFPP rolls on after a hiatus. Anyone with entries is welcome to pass them along as well. This is a nifty list with a heavy helping of Spaniard spookiness and even has one I have yet to see. I'll have to fix that!

1) The House That Screamed- one of the greatest euro gothics ever and the film (along with FBT) that kicked off the spanish horror boom..Serrador even manages to beat the Italian directors at their own game with the film containing two of the best gialloesque kill scenes ever put on celluloid!

2) Who Could Kill A Child?- hands down best damn spanish horror of the seventies..Prunella's last scene with blood dripping down her legs is unforgettable...and powerful! Very creepy & atmospheric..

3) Spirits Of The Dead- if you haven't seen Toby Dammit trust me folks you are *missing out*...a masterpiece! I've blown many of friends away with this one!

4) Perfume Of The Lady In Black- Deep thinking man's giallo with an outstanding Mimsy performance & a kicker of an ending! Polanski meets Bava....meets Aldo Lado!

5) Blood Spattered Bride- Inventive spin on Fanu's Carmilla with multiple viewings revealing new surprises each time. Easily one of the best european vampire films & required viewing for any spanish horror 101 class..

6) Short Night Of The Glass Dolls- another thinking man's giallo similar in style to Perfume Of The Lady In Black..If you're looking for a little something extra in your giallo, more than the standard/traditional formula, look no further than these two..

7) Planet Of The Vampires- Highly influential fun sci-fi spin on the vamp theme awashed with wonderful psychedelic day-glo colors. The movie is a nonstop procession of stunning visuals with many accomplished through a clever deep-focus mixture of miniatures & live action.. The costumes are brilliant, a leather-fetishist's idea of scuba gear with Draculaesque styled high collars that's the ultimate kicker! : )

8) Suspiria- a kaleidoscopic LSD drenched nightmare that I never get tired of watching.. This has always been my number one Argento and one of my favorite drive-in memories was catching this on the big screen..A psychedelic fairytale for adults!

9) What Have You Done To Solange?- The opening scene with the girls riding their bicycles while the image is saturated in red, accompanied by Morricone's beautiful enchanting score, for me, is the most haunting & memorable in all of euro-land..The film brings out certain emotions in me that I've never experienced with any other gialli and the first time I saw it it blew me away, and made me a giallo fan for life..It wasn't Dario who made me a giallo fan, it was Massimo..

10)Tombs Of The Blind Dead- No way I could leave off the Ossman and his amazing creation, the Templar Knights! This is up there with Serrador's two classics as the very best of the spanish horror boom and while all four films are essential viewing for any eurohorrorhead, I still feel like the first one is the strongest in the series.. Not to mention TOMBS has a strange vamp undercurrent running throughout not present in the other 3 sequels.. Always a *plus* with
me.. ; )

Eurotrash Film Pinnacle Project - David Zuzelo (me!)

At last, my own list. A lot of things could go on here, but this is what I came up with after whittling away at a list of over 100 essentials. These are not in any particular number order, each is a number 1 in my book.
Since the entries have stopped rolling in, I'll start tallying up the data this week!

House By The Cemetery: A line in the film has a tired and weary researcher proclaim “I've lost all critical perspective...” With this film, I have as well. This is the best Fulci horror film, and manages to cram in bizarre mannequin abuse, knife in the head splatter and a gothic ambience that equals many of the 1960's Italian spookfests. A fantastic soundtrack and all that splatter is tied up in a nice bow of arteries and gristle as one of the great monsters of european trash horror finally appears in the mashed and monstrously alive Dr. Freudstein. While the finale cops from Jorge Grau's earlier Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue a bit, it is downbeat and uplifting at the same time. House By The Cemetery is the best film from the crew that forged Fulci's splatter legacy.

A Virgin Among The Living Dead: One of the strangest films in the odd oeuvre of Jess Franco. A film shrouded in mulitple versions-including a rampantly available mutilated edition that saw Eurocine splicing in “zombie” footage by Jean Rollin to dilute the films strange atmosphere by injecting “real” horror. With a haunting score propelling along the strange tale of a young woman's return to her family estate-there is a real mystery to solve, but in this villa it seems reality is as distorted as a tenth generation video dub of the XXX edition of this very film. The world bends as love from beyond the grave and sexual bliss at scissor point collide to jab the viewer at every turn. A perfect film from Jess Franco.

Vampyres: Jose Larraz’ stunning sex and death film works as a straight up splatter film with two incredibly sexy leads, but there is more to the film than that. I’ve always seen this as a haunted house film as much as a vampire film and find it endlessly entertaining. Besides, have YOU seen a better pair of lesbian vampires than Marianne Morris and Anulka? If so, let me know! Bonus points scored when the title was released to DVD and contained a great commentary track with Larraz. When he practically shouts the words “Anulka’s POOOOSY!” I can’t stop laughing. Good to know the filmmaker loves his subject.

Thriller: A Cruel Picture: One of the best exploitation films to come from Sweden, I’m obsessed by Bo-Arne Vibenius’ masterwork. Slow motion death, a performance from Christina Lindberg that is great on both the surface (and what a curvy, beautiful surface it is) and in creating a character without using any words. Rough and raw, this one has hardcore sex, hardcore violence and puts the lead character through so much hell that by the end of the movie you can only sympathize with the horrible vengeance she wreaks. A great final sequence completes the ultimate Swedish Spaghetti Western cum Sleazeploitation.

Web Of The Spider: Antonio Margheriti remakes his own classic gothic horror, Castle Of Blood…only in color and with Klaus Kinski as Edgar Allen Poe! Talk about perfect casting! The opening Poe sequence is worth the price of admission, and once our hero enters the haunted mansion the film becomes a mesmerizing ghost story with all the trimmings. Michele Mercier may not be Barbara Steele, but she does an admirable job in a complicated role. Antonio Margheriti did everything from space operas to violent action and right on back to gothic horror-and this under seen and never properly presented film is one of his best.

Female Vampire: The second Jess Franco film on the list (I’m limiting myself here), this features an early and career defining performance from Lina Romay that is nearly flawless. Her Countess Irina is both sad and predatory, and those that come within her reach (har har) are drawn to her for both reasons. Lina Romay at her finest and an unforgettable Alice Arno performance collide with the score by Daniel White and the images that get up in your face quite literally, this is Franco’s best sex horror film.

Tenebre: I think of this classic Dario Argento film, my favorite of all his work, as a true milestone in my personal trip through trashdom. The film is slick on the surface, shiny and bright… yet is loaded with despicable deeds and shady characters so well that it becomes uncomfortable to root for any of them. A writer wants to cheat on his wife-and more. A journalist has gone over the edge-with an axe. The cops are barely able to keep up with any of the action-so much so that a fiction writer can do better than them. And let us not forget that there is one character with a secret that involves a transvestite! Argento’s camera prowls and puts the viewer right into the mind of one psychopath, while leading us away from another. The music is pure electronic adrenalin and the story moves along quickly.

And yes my fellow gorehounds, THIS one contains some of Argento’s most harrowing set pieces and fountains (literally) of blood. A must.

Werewolf Shadow: Paul Naschy is a guy that has the balls to write himself the best roles in the world. Be he a wolfman, a hunchback or even just a bloke on holiday-he gets the girl(s) and always has fun. Fun is the way I look at his films and Werewolf Shadow is one fantastic mash-up monster movie. Let’s see what we have. Naschy returns as Waldemar Daninsky. He gets multiple beautiful women involved in his werewolf drama. He romances…. But the evil Countess Wandesa is on the scene. Paty Shepard is a great vampire woman to our hirsute heroes El Hombre Lobo and we get creepy tombs, hanging werewolves and yep…a throwdown that isn’t exactly long, but goes deep on satisfaction. Werewolf Shadow is the ultimate Eurotrash Saturday Afternoon Chiller Theatre for the big/little kid in all of us.

Return Of The Evil Dead: The Blind Dead are the coolest zombies ever. I’m not kidding, these guys are just plain menacing and original and feature one of the coolest designs in all of monsterdom. While I could simply put all four of Amando de Ossorio’s films on this list (or cheat and call them one), I will play by my own rules and take this one. The Templars are back and ready to rumble all over those that did them wrong. A bit lower on atmosphere, but higher on impact-this is action and trashy vibe all the way through. If you have not experienced this film, you should simply get them all. The music by Anton Garcia Abril is almost a special effect in these films, and never so much as in this particular entry. Ominous sounds backed up by perfect images… The Blind Dead films are classic Eurotrash monster movies-Return Of The Evil Dead is the monsters on the rampage.

Burial Ground: You may shake your head and wonder why Andrea Bianchi’s trashy zombie opus would be in a “pinnacle” list. But sit down in a theatre (or with a bunch of friends at home) and watch it. Unrelentingly sleazy, but in a fun way, we meet some goofballs that are in a big villa to hear from a professor about…something. Unfortunately for said professor, he is chowed down by some spooky looking zombies before he can tell them, or us really, what the hell is going on. But who cares? The characters are chased all over the place by some incredibly well made up zombies! They drop like flies amidst their own bickering…but they don’t just get caught by slow moving shufflers. These zombies use tools. They beat down doors, they hurl metal spikes like ninjas and just wait until they have to find a way to get a fools head off with a scythe! Perfect entertainment or silly spectacle? Both! You can’t take anything from Bianchi though, he handles it with his trademarked “wade in and wallow” style and it all comes to a screeching halt before it even gets to be 90 minutes old. Besides, you too will be scarred by Peter Bark and his mommy obsession! Bark is a “little boy” that wants to stay close to moms breast. Since those breasts belong to Mariangela Giordano I can’t blame him. But when he gets monstered up… he takes breast feeding to a new extreme.

Eurotrash Film Pinnacle Project - Paul Cooke

Today we have a Eurotrash Pinnacle entry from my brotha by anotha mutha, Paul Cooke! Fantastic choices, if you have missed even one of these, fix that my friends. You can read lots of Paul's reviews at Cinema Nocturna!

Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979) . Director Lucio Fulci’s awesome chunk blower. My most re-watched movie still to this day & I never tire of it. A spectacular set piece eye to splinter gore segment that will never be matched. The quintessential Zombie movie from the Italian horror scene.

1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982) . Young star Mark Gregory made Trash Cool. George Eastman makes big trouble & Fred Williamson gets to style & profile pimp stylee !. Christopher Connelly & a great bad guy turn from Vic Morrow as Hammer makes for an impressive Euro Action cast. A futuristic gang war Action flick supremely put up on the screen by Director Enzo G. Castellari.

Bronx Warriors 2 (1983) . Enzo serves up more of the same as the body count increases & body parts fly. Giancarlo Prete is Strike & alongside Trash they take on Henry Silva as the Bronx is invaded. Flame throwers & spiked clubs in equal measure against fists & guns. It’s clobberin’ time in the Bronx.

2019: After The Fall Of New York (1983) . The ultimate low budget Sci Fi fans ‘Wrestlemania’ moment. Michael Sopkiw as Parsifal rules the Post Nuke roost & Big Ape George Eastman is the cock of the walk. Big Ape gets to impregnate Valentine Monnier with his fertile seed to further mankind , but leave it to Michael Sopkiw to save the world. George Miller’s ‘Mad Max’ started it all but Sergio Martino Directed the magnificence of this ‘Fall’.

Yor: The Hunter From The Future (1983) . Reb Brown with stunt wig comes from the future to save the past in a four hour made for TV Epic from Director Antonio Margheriti. Producing more cheese than a field full of cows caught up in a tornado , but oh so wonderfully innocent in its fantastical charm. John Steiner almost steals the show with his pantomime turn as the Overlord but its Reb Brown who’ll win a place in ‘Yor’ heart if you get the chance to step into his world of dinosaurs & nasty Neanderthal’s , on the way to crossing swamp creatures & robots cast out from ‘Buck RogersIn The 25^th Century’.

Robowar (1988) . The Rebster is back screaming at the top of his lungs as Director Bruno Mattei goes ‘Predator’ - ‘Robocop’ style in the jungle. Another great cast that alongside Reb Brown includes Max Laurel , Jim Gaines , Catherine Hick land & Romano Puppo. Look for the infamous Bruno Falls as the Filipino setting includes a ubiquitous scene of a water fall. It defies logic in such a totally terrific trash way ya gotsta love it.

Contamination (1980) . Director Luigi Cozzi’s Excellent take on Alien as an extra terrestrial terror seeks to overrule the Earth with deadly exploding eggs. Ex astronaut Ian Hubbard , Ian McCulloch’s character , teams with a New York cop , played by Marino Masé , as they race against time to uncover the Alien presence. What follows is a stomach exploding aftermath of bloody brilliance. Cozzi’s intentional eye for detail of timeless setting with dress wear & vehicles affords ‘Contamination’ a future proofing for audiences to this day. A wonderful slice of Sci Fi hokum that explodes across the screen all to the accompaniment of super synchronistic rock group Goblin.

Rats: Night Of Terror (1984). One of the many great writing / directing collaborations of Claudio Fragasso & Bruno Mattei. A far fetched futuristic nightmare vision of man made disaster after the fall of the bomb. It’s a handful of human survivors against a humongous horde of rats with a cheesy big twist at the end to bring the house down.

Tenebrae (1982) . Director Dario Argento’s contemporary killer classic. Superbly filmed & supremely scored once again by Goblin. A sexually charged thriller that oozes pure perfection from every scene. A pumping soundtrack drives the insidious killer to a frenzied cacophony of kills right up to the incredibly original closure. Top marks for Dario and yet another that stands up to continued revisits.

The New Barbarians (1982) . More Post Nuke greatness from the Action master Enzo G. Castellari. Fred Williamson is bowman Nadir & eponymous bad boy George Eastman is One , who certainly gives a unique ‘one’ to hero Scorpion as played by Giancarlo Prete. In a world laid to waste garish outcasts with a taste for flesh rule but aided by Nadir & Scorpion the surviving good folk still have a chance. Another in the long line of Italian Eighties Action classics first uncovered on home video.

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project - Kimberly Lindbergs

Another outstanding entry from Kimberly of the amazing CINEBEATS blog. Note the love for David Z's favorite gothic horror... CASTLE OF BLOOD! If you have missed any of these, give them a look. For lots more of Kimberly's writing (and far superior layout to this ugly old blog)...be sure to click through and check out CINEBEATS.


1. Venus In Furs (1969, Jess Franco) Everything I love about Franco’s filmmaking style comes together perfectly in Venus In Furs, plus it also features Klaus Kinski in one of his sexiest roles.

2. Danger: Diabolik (1968, Mario Bava) Danger: Diabolik is my favorite eurospy movie and easily one of the sexiest and most entertaining Bava films.

3. Spirits of the Dead (1968, Vadim, Malle & Fellini) I wasn’t sure if I should include this since it’s probably considered more arty than trashy by some, but with Vadim involved I figured it would fit right in. Spirits is easily my favorite horror anthology thanks to the amazing cast and great directing by all the filmmakers involved. Alain Delon and Terence Stamp are espically memorable in the film, but Jane Fonda and Brigitte Bardot are also great. Fellini's segment is
my favorite, but the other two are equally entertaining.

4. The Diabolical Dr. Z (1966, Jess Franco) This Franco film just has so much going for it and I love the way it's shot. Miss Muerte is easily one of Franco's greatest creations.

5.Dorian Gray (1970, Massimo Dallamano) This is my favorite adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic story. Helmut Berger is the perfect Dorian and the movie is really sexy and sleazy, plus it has a great score and I think Dallamano does some really creative things within the film

6. 5 Dolls For An August Moon (1970, Mario Bava) Bava has made a lot of great films and I had a hard time narrowing down my favorites to add to this list, but 5 Dolls won out due to the great cast, intriguing
story line, fantastic score and Bava's stylish way of shooting all the action and mystery.

7. Tombs of the Blind Dead (1971, Amando de Ossorio ) Tombs of the Blind Dead is one of my favorite zombie films. I like the entire Blind Dead series, but the first film is a real favorite. The great story and Amando de Ossario's directing make it really entertaining.

8. Castle of Blood (1964, Antonio Margheriti) I came very close to adding Bava's wonderful Black Sunday (1960) to my list, but I decided to include this great and lesser known gothic chiller instead that also happens to feature the lovely Barbara Steele. I really like the story and Margheriti films it all beautifully, plus the erotic tension between Margarete Robsahm and Steele in the movie is very sexy. I also really like Margheriti's color remake of this film called Web of the Spider (1971) too.

9. The Frightened Woman (1969, Piero Schivazappa) The Frightened Woman is one of the most creative and interesting sexploitation films that I've ever come across. Dagmar Lassander is wonderful as the "captive woman" and Schivazappa's directing is really impressive.

10. Deep Red & Suspiria (1975 & 1979, Dario Argento) TIE I just couldn’t pick between the two so they both tied for 10th place. Argento has made a lot of great films, but these two remain my long time favorites and I love them both equally. Deep Red is a fantastic homage to Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up (1966) and Suspiria is just one of the most stylish horror films ever made.



Ten more honorable mentions that came really close to making my list: Black Sunday (1960, Mario Bava), Possession (1981, Andrzej Zulawski), The Great Silence (1968, Sergio Corbucci), A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971, Lucio Fulci), Gates of Hell (1980, Lucio Fulci), The House With Laughing Windows (1976, Pupi Avati), Zeder (1980, Pupi Avati), Succubus (1968, Jess Franco), Daughters of Darkness (1971) and Satanik (1968).

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project - Ade Salmon

Ade Salmon has one of the best design senses in the comics biz, and that is a fact. Toss in the coloring ability to make static images leap out of the page and you get pure gold. While you can find his work in 2000 A.D. and various Dr. Who projects (I still have to find his Cybermen tales)... I would point everyone that loves horror film in the direction of Salmon/Tinnell's nifty TERRY SHARP book available here. Some interesting Pinnacle selections here...check 'em out!

1. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST.
The first of three spags on my list - both my choices come from different ends of the spectrum. This is Leone's finest vision of the American ideal - it's a sprawling spectacular , beautifully filmed , bridging the gap between
both the Italian and American visions. Fonda is superbly cast out of his usual character and brings inestimable weight to the film. Charles Bronson's enigmatic Harmonica *could* be the perfect anti-hero. However I think
ultimately Sergio's film belongs to Claudia Cardinale - the only character able to adapt to the changes taking place.

2. DJANGO
Placing this second pretty sums up where my heart is in italian film ( for the most part). DJANGO is the flip side of OUATITW. It's definitely trashy and stars the ultimate italian spaghetti star - Franco Nero. Rugged , sparkling blue-eyes , with a smile to make the ladies drop their pants. The opening image of a lone Nero dragging a coffin through the mudflats is indeliably etched on my mind - it's one of spaghetti's truly iconic moments and sums up the genre to me. Stylish , viscereal and bloody - DJANGO is the best of the best dirty spaghettis and should really share my number one spot.

3. FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET.
Easily my favourite Argento. I love the pulsing opening drum beat - Michael Brandon's hipness - the sci-fi overtones and the great gay detective. Never boring - the scene where a character gets locked in the cemetery is straight out of Val Lewton. FOUR FLIES is frankly special.

4. THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED
It's the best Spanish horror I've ever seen - I still shudder at the finale. Looks like a Hammer film but plays with a distinct continental psychological edge and looks fucking gorgeous. I used to think that all Spanish horrors
were like Naschy's werewolf outings - a bit gonzo and daft - this set me straight I'm happy to say.My sort of sangria.

5. SHORT NIGHT OF THE GLASS DOLLS
I think this was either the first eurotrash film I ever saw - but that might of been DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS. No matter - SHORT NIGHT gave me hope all the genre would be as involved and interesting . I still wonder if it's truly a giallo - it skirts the genre but seems a little different. The idea of a man paralysed ( but awake) and awaiting vivisection! - adds immense drama to it.The occult subplot adds to the chill ROSEMARY'S BABY chill factor.

6. PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES.
First time I watched this I wasn't that impressed. Since then I've learned to love this like no other Bava. The black leather sixties sci-fi chique places this on a plinth of it's own. The film is bathed - I say bathed in Bava's paintstrokes and held together by the black leather glue. It's also confusing at times - yet keeps resurfacing to impress. A friend of mine fell asleep 20 minutes before the end - promptly woke up about a minute before
the credits and declared it a great film! Yeah it is...

7. DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE
Erica Blanc - wow. This is my hot tottie choice - her succubus is the best going. This is the perfect gothic cliche film - it's suitably lush to look at , has a cheesy plot and revolves around the star. Doesn't get better for this kinda thing.

8. NON HO SONNO (SLEEPLESS)
This could never be classed as Dario's finest film - in fact it's lack of class direction and slasheresque violence mark it out as downright cynical. Max Von Sydow brings an anchor of gravitas to the film amidst the violence.
Death by English horn particularly rough going. I can't tell you exactly why I liked this so much - maybe the thriller aspect , maybe the lack of style -though there is some great rainy scenes. I just rate this above the better
ackowledged of his ouevre.

9. MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN.
I was really excited to finally see the great release by Mondo Macabre of Giogio Ferroni's 1960 gothic. It looks lovely and has a typically sluggish pace. It very much reminds me of those 1950's wax museum films which were
always creepy. A good quality disc made a solid film really exciting.

10. DEATH RIDES A HORSE
I just couldn't leave a Cleef off the list. I love his SABATA persona - but this is my favourite of his spags. It's got a pulsing pace , is rather psychotronic in many sequences and is very well made. Even John Philip Law's
woodeness is worked to effect - a brilliant example of the genre.

Thanks Ade, now check out Terry Sharp having spikes with the great Eurotrash Icon...THE FEMALE VAMPIRE. My wall is proud to house this one...

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project - Douglas Waltz

From Doug Waltz we have a new entry with loads of great titles to peruse. He is also the author of a chapbook you have to read to believe! Just wait til you see the cover!!

From the man himself:

Douglas Waltz has recently taken a movie that never evolved into anything past a really cool poster and made it into a bizarre chapbook. BRUCE LEE VS. ILSA, SHE WOLF OF THE S.S IN THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE is available now with the coolest wraparound, widescreen cover ever made by artists Linc Polderman. Ten buck takes care of it all and send it off to Douglas Waltz, 1915 Douglas Ave. Kalamazoo MI 49007.

A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD - I love this movie. It's
beautifully shot, minimal effects. A cohesive, yet trippy storyline
from Franco and a case where the zoom shot takes on a wild life of
it's own.

ZOMBIE - I saw this at The Douglas Drive In when it first came
out. There is nothing like the memory of this splat fest playing
against the stars and making you freaked out enough to roll up your
windows in July in Michigan.

SUSPIRIA - This was playing with ZOMBIE. It's amazing to me that I
wasn't driven mad during this double feature. My sister still hasn't
forgiven me for dragging her along for this one. I think she was 12
at the time.

BLOODY PIT OF HORROR - This one typifies the basic Eurotrash
sensibility for me. We get an insane muscleman in his Crimson
executioner garb. whacking pretty people in the wildest ways. I
prefer to watch this really bad print I have of this flick. Adds to
the sleaze factor for me.

MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY - It was the mom and pop video boom. The box
for this thing dared you to watch it. I mean it had been banned in so
many countries. It had to be gruesome. It was and I've never needed
to see it again. That sucker is burned into my frontal lobes.

WOMEN'S PRISON MASSACRE - One sentence; razor blade on cork
inserted into woman's vagina. Nuff said.

TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD - The undead Templar Knights left such an
impression on me that I started researching the real thing. Now I'm a
true Templar junkie and read waaay too many history books.

HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB - Sure Paul Naschy is pretty well known
or being a werewolf, but this one seemed to fit so well. As the
reincarnated Warlock Aleric du Marnac he tears up the celluoid in
this one and I have a warm spot for it.

THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE - The first time I saw this
my jaw dropped. The lead guy who we saw murder women in the beginning
of the film is made out to be a hero because he catches the bad guys
who were out to drive him insane. Did anyone catch this, but me?
Weird.

TOWER OF THE SCREAMING VIRGINS - I have always made a bad habit
of buying films based solely on their titles. This one is so great
though. Jean Piat satrs as Buridan a war hero of France who goes to
discover why young men are turning up murdered in Paris. The answer
is mind bogglingly stupid, but the movie works. It's a cross between
The Three Musketeers and Erotrash to the nth degree. A true classic
that deserves an new audience.

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project - Bryan Senn

Film critic and all around good fella Bryan Senn goes the extra mile today with his Eurotrash Pinnacle entry. If he isn't taking a bath with a Franco film you can find him painting himself black and white and banging a drum somewhere on vacation.
Or...
You can go visit Bryan on the IMDB by clicking here! How long can I hold off starting a Senn Forum on the imdb? Not long!

Enjoy!

LADY FRANKENSTEIN: Nudity, gore, monster mating, gratuitous Joseph Cotten, and two creatures—one an ugly hulk with a penchant for slaughtering copulating couples, the other a “satisfier of strange desires”—make this one of the most unique and bizarrely entertaining Frankenstein entries to ever clamber off the cinematic lab table. Among its many charms are: 1) a close-up of Dr. F. pushing a juicy brain into his monster’s empty skull cavity with his fingers; 2) a creation sequence in which, for no discernible reason, a bevy of bats flit and squeal about the creature’s body on the operating table; 3) the creature’s face catching fire during the animation scene, with the good doctor promptly putting out the flames with a rag!; 4) former Mr. Universe (and Mr. Jayne Mansfield) Mickey Hargitay as an arrogant, sarcastic, cape-wearing police inspector; 5) the hulking, hydrocephalic-looking monster going on a rampage of murder (with naked nubile nymphs his seeming targets of choice); 6) Rosalba Neri seducing her dead dad’s assistant into donating his own brain for her experiment!; and on and on…

THE GREAT SILENCE: Along with THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, my all-time fave Spaghetti Western. The completely unique SILENCE offers: 1) A novel wintery landscape that seems bleaker than any seen-it-a-million-times-before dusty desert; 2) A damaged, silent hero who lets his Mauser do the talking. No need to blah-blah-blah when you can just point to your slashed throat, shrug, and shoot instead; 3) That cool-as-shit Mauser itself and some fine potato-shooting practice; 4) Some really oogey oooh-that's-gotta-hurt thumb-fu; 5) The subtle, almost likable villainy that is Klaus Kinski and his “girly shawl”; 6) The late, great Frank Wolfe as a comical sheriff who loses his horse, loses his prisoner, loses his life, and still wins our sympathy; 7) Vonetta McGee and her "body like a boy" (as noted by that irrepressible funster K2); 8) Morricone's absolutely haunting musical score. 9) Luigi Pistilli dripping slime while extorting everyone in sight and ordering brutal hand-burnings right and left; and 10) An ending that stands you up, slaps your face, then kicks you in the nuts while your jaw drops to the floor and you make noises like a squirrel.

BLACK SUNDAY: Mario Bava’s nighttime atmosphere, prowling camera, and moody lighting vividly creates a Gothic shadowland of doom and dread. Images such as a lantern suspended in total blackness or a face suddenly appearing out of the darkness both startle and chill. And standing at its center is the iconography that is Barbara Steele in her career-making first starring role. Steele’s mix of beautiful innocence and smoldering sensuality codified the good and evil that could drive men to their nirvana or to their doom (sometimes simultaneously). More than any other Eurohorror, Black Sunday weaves its potent spell to draw the viewer into a shadowy world of palpable evil, making it one of the most atmospheric, eerie and frightening horror films of the 1960s.

NIGHT OF THE HOWLING BEAST (aka THE WEREWOLF AND THE YETI): My favorite Naschy/Daninsky flick has it all: Brutal werewolf action, cruel mountain bandits, sexy cannibal cave-chicks, flayed-skin-as-poultice medical treatments, battling babes, and the friggin’ YETI, ferchrissakes!

RETURN OF THE BLIND DEAD: I love all the Templar films (well, apart from the is-he-an-actor-or-a-wooden-Indian Jack Taylor-starring, ship-in-a-bathtub misfire that is THE GHOST GALLEON), but the second of the Blind Dead quartet features the tightest script, best-drawn characters, most action, and a hear-a-pin-drop-a-mile-away suspense-laden climax that never fails to set my blood pumping.

REVOLVER: Perhaps THE most intelligent and involving Eurocrimer I’ve seen, with Oliver Reed and Fabio Testi turning in Oscar-caliber performances. But just because it’s smart doesn’t mean it’s a sissy movie, for it features some brutal, in-your-face violence and gunplay, and emotionally wrenching twists and turns. An atypical Eurocrimer that tops and transcends its genre.

SUSPIRIA: Argento uses color and sound and blood to make one of the most stylish and visually striking horror films ever made. Literally stunning in its visuals, SUSPIRIA is a breathtaking ride into an Old Europe nightmare. And standing at the center is none other than Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard!

HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB: My favorite non-Daninsky Naschy offers living heads on tables, heart-ripping, medieval hypnotism, castles and catacombs, fog-shrouded diaphanous-gowned Eurobeauties, bumpkin banditos, bleak wintry landscapes, and zombies! What’s not to love?

WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO SOLANGE? This is the one giallo that REALLY knocked my Eurosocks off. Lusciously photographed, clever, brutal, well-acted and well-cast, it’s a take-no-prisoners trip into the sleazy world of black-gloved killers.

THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE: The most coherent and clever of Argento’s giallos. And you gotta love a character who keeps the riff-raff out of his artist’s “loft” simply by removing the ladder to his door and raising housecats for meat!

MANHUNT: Henry Silva and Woody Strode are a pair of New York gangsters/hitmen sent to Milan to track down a small-time pimp (Mario Adorf). It turns out the family-oriented, middle-aged, well-dressed procurer is the HERO, lol (and a disturbingly likable one). Vicious action, a sleazy Silva, an unsmiling/all-business Strode, plenty of gratuitous nudity (including hippy go-go dancers… always a plus), a likable main character who draws you into his plight, and an exciting, brutal, and novel climactic “showdown” in a junkyard make this perhaps the most all-out entertaining Eurocrimer I’ve seen.

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project - Bob Sargent...VIDEOOZEs his list!

The tops of Today are from Bob Sargent, the big brain behind one of the best fanzines of all time, Videooze! Without this magazine, no Thriller-A Cruel Picture for me... You can chat him up anytime at Eurotrash Paradise where he moderates the water cooler discussion and shares sleazy movies about midgets, babysitters and Ursula's Sister.
Yep, the man is a giant (well, literally) amongst fans...check out anything he has listed you haven't seen yet.
Also, note the artwork in the banner is by Comix legend and monster maniac Neil Vokes. I am pretty sure this piece appeared in Videooze. Who cares, it is AWESOME...

HUNCHBACK OF THE MORGUE (burning rats, hunchback sex, and the Primordial!!)

DIABOLICAL DR. Z (Unca Jess cameo, the penetration machine, and those poisoned fingernails!!)

BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (style to spare, Cameron Mitchell's best, and that faceless killer!!)

NIGHT OF THE HOWLING BEAST (acrobatic werewolf, naked-sexy cannibal women, and that unbelievable torture-chamber flaying!!)

DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE (creepy Gothic castle, 7 Deadly Sins in-jokes, and Erika Blanc's exposed bellybutton looking like a target!!)

LADY FRANKENSTEIN (stripey-pants monster, gratuitious Joseph Cotton, and Rosalba Neri's erect nipples!!)

TENEBRAE ("filthy perverts," John Steiner acting crazy, and a picturesque death at the end!!)

KING OF KONG ISLAND (radio-mind-controlled gorillas, a mad lab in the jungle, and Brad Harris dancing like the whitest white man on the planet!!)

TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM (evil Chris Lee with a perforated face, the gay highwaymen, and the Forest of Hanging Corpses!!)

FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN ("fack deth in ze gall bladdah," gratuitous Udo Keir, and a nude Dalila Di Lazarro!!)

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project - Holger Haase

Today's Pinnacle list comes from a lovely giant of a man... Holger Haase! You can chat with him at Eurotrash Paradise anytime!

In honor of his German heritage AND the double "aa" in his name I hope he enjoys the Schnaastastic Violent Shit logo of the day ;) This is an interesting list and the first to include a Cozzi Star Wars rip off!

Take it away big fella...

STARCRASH (didn't think I'd leave that one out, eh?)
THE BEYOND
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (if I need to mention just one representative
of the series)
ZOMBI
SUSPIRIA
DEEP RED (need to stop with Argentos but am also inclined to enter
BIRD, FOUR FLIES, INFERNO and a bunch of others)
BLACK SUNDAY
HORROR EXPRESS

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project - Trailers!

While looking for a little Andreas Schnaas this morning I stumbled upon some great Eurotrash trailers up at Youtube. Here a few top titles for your morning trash fix! Please note, don't start these up at work-seriously. Eugenie De Sade has some raunchy bits to say the least!

This Japanese Tenebre trailer is something! What the hell is that final image?



And here is a nifty German trailer for Mario Bava's Twitch Of The Death Nerve



Jess Franco anyone? I really love this film, and the music is sensational. Actually, I'm shocked I haven't included it in my Eurotrash Film Pinnacle list...I think I need to fix that!



Bruno Mattei and his zombie epic...and this is one LONG trailer!! Spaghetti Western guncracks, Goblin music and lotsa wild action in Hell Of The Living Dead! "Stop wasting yer damn bullets you jerks!!"



And here is one for the future, I hope. Argento has been spotty at best lately, but this tiny preview was better than all of Jenifer in my opinion.

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project - Nick Frame

Today we have a really wild and varied list from Nick Frame at DVD TRASH-one of the best DVD update blogs in the sleazy and weird universe. If you haven't checked it out, do so post haste! Heck, you can see Black Emmanuelle's Box over there!

Take it away Nick...

In no real order and this list would probably change daily, but hey:

1. The Beyond - A true horror classic and one of the best Fulci
movies ever, add in the superb score and you have a masterpiece in my
opinion. Also it was the 1st Fulci movie I ever bought on DVD (The
Anchor Bay Tin Edition) and the anticipation of receiving this was
palpable. Wish they would bring back the tins!

2. Profondo Rosso - Argento at his best and that Goblin score,
fantastic!

3. Cannibal Holocaust - Much maligned for it's more questionable
scenes, but at the core it's a fantastic film, that demands to be in
every horror fans collection.

4. Eccezzziunale ...Veramente - An Italian comedy trash classic,
although not seen by many outside of Italy, if you know the language
or culture at all then track this one down.

5. Milano Calibro 9 - Di Leo has made lots of Italian crime flicks
but this really blew me away when I saw it. Great cast with superb
turns from Gaston Moschin and Mario Adorf in particular.

6. Kriminal - Lenzi brings this ultra hip fumetto to life and
although only released in Italian, it's another DVD to track down if
you know the language.

7. L'Insegnante - An Edwige Fench Italian sex comedy, that was a
mainstay of the late night Italian TV schedules when I was younger
and she certainly opened my eyes a little wider!

8. Zombi 2 - What more can be said? Another Fulci goretastic classic.

9. Kilink Istanbul Da' - The Turkish Kriminal/Diabolik rip off, but
great fun and totally politically incorrect. Recently brought out on
DVD by Onar Films and they should be applauded for doing so.

10. Four times that night - Bava has made many classics, but of all
the films I've watched recently this was so enjoyable and just so
different from Bava's usual style but at the same time totally
enthralling!

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project - Rod Barnett

Here is a list from Eurotrash Paradise member, Rod Barnett. I love that Wild Wild Planet is on here. Antonio Margheriti is one of my favorite directors and amongst his sea of amazing works, Wild Wild Planet stands as one of the more unique entries. If I had to choose straight up simply out of Antonio's catalog I would be stumped. A three way tie between Yor-Hunter Of The Future, Web Of The Spider and...well...nope, I could not do it! Be sure to go to Antonio Margheriti's page, done by his son Edoardo at AntonioMargheriti.com today.

From Rod we have...

1. BLACK SUNDAY
2. INFERNO
3. WILD WILD PLANET
4. TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD
5. ZOMBI
6. THE BEYOND
7. CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST
8. DEEP RED
9. LADY FRANKENSTIEN (yes, me too! But only the full length cut!)
10. DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project - John Szpunar

With an assist from Bruce Holecheck, I'm glad to bring everyone a list of the top eurotrash films from Barrel Entertainment's John Szpunar. Barrel has released some amazing discs over the years (the Darkness deluxe disc has to be one of the most complete packages ever produced on the format)... You can learn more about their swag at the Barrel Entertainment Website. This is an interesting list, there is one VERY great trash title that totally slipped my mind. How that happened I'll never know, but that is what the lists are for!! Take it away John...

Off the top of my head, and in no particular order:

Cannibal Holocaust - Well, OK. This one will always be number one. First saw this many years ago on a bootleg tape courtesy of Donald Farmer, complete with trailers for Body and Soul and the mind-blowing Shocking Africa (which probably should make this list for the amazing score alone). At any rate, this *really* is the only cannibal movie you need to watch, if you know what's good for you. "I recognize these teeth!"

The Gates of Hell - To *hell* with the snobbish City of the Living Dead moniker! This one will always be The Gates of Hell to me, complete with that blue title card from the Paragon video release. Actually, I remember looking at the movie listings in The Detroit News and the ad for this one made my head spin. And when I finally got to see the film, it spun again, courtesy of that crazy drill. "He's a sick and lonely kid..."

Zombie - Another Fulci movie... Sue me! The shark attack more than makes up for any lull in the narrative. Come to think of it, the shark attack looks the narrative straight in the eye... and spits. "I was born on a boat."

Deep Red - I love Suspiria, but I think that this is Argento's finest hour. Profondo Rosso took all of the best twists and turns (and absurdity and violence) from the "Animal Trilogy" and combined them with a taste of what was to come.

Zeder - My favorite Avati film. Not loud, gory, or over the top-- it's all about atmosphere here, and Zeder heaps it on in healthy portions. This one freaked me out when I first saw it, and still does today.

Fascination - Jean Rollin's best-realized vampire opus. Well, in my opinion at least. Brigitte Lahaie has never looked better with a scythe.

Addio Zio Tom - I am not proud, but I have to include this-- if only for the reason that this is one film that I NEVER thought could get made. Period costuming, ridiculous, raciest dialogue, and a cast of thousands bring to life this strange, sordid, hateful slice of exploitation history. See it once, shame on you-- me. See it twice-- won't get fooled again...

Possession - Euro-trash at its pseudo-intellectual peak. Wait-- it's still peaking! What's that? An octopus? And it's slithering toward us? What does it all mean? It means that someone kidnapped Cronenberg's brain, decided to dose it with acid, and give it to David Lynch as a consolation prize for losing an arm-wrestling match with Sartre. To crib Chas. Balun: "See Zombie. Eliminate Fulci / shark reference." Aw, shucks, I'm only kidding...

Mannaja - Back to the good stuff. Entertainment with a capital E, Mannaja is my all time favorite Spaghetti Western. Maurizio Merli bursts from the screen with a hatchet-full of revenge. And when O'Brien gives his speech near the end... To quote a conversation with Jim Van Bebber: "YOUR favorite Spaghetti Western?!? I know what you're going to say, man... BLADE!" MORE than enough said.

Nekromantik - Low budget German semi-adaptation of Greg Irons' / Tom Veitch's The Clean Up Crew. With a sentimental twist. I could go on about metaphors (dead corpse being a lost love, etc.), but why bother? Everyone has an opinion on this one. Semiotics, come and bite me.

And that, as they say, is my top Euro-Trash Ten.

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project - Neil Vokes

Neil Vokes drops in for his list of ten top Eurotrash films. If you have yet to experience Neil and his artwork, you need to make sure to go to the online home of Neil's recent projects HERE. You can check out The Wicked West, The Black Forest or just bug him (as I do) for a return of his character EAGLE as soon as possible! You can read lots more bio stuff at Comicspace right now as well.

INFERNO--probably my fave Argento (SUSPIRIA is a very close 2nd) and I think I just love the style of this because it reminds me of my beloved Bava-which isn't that surprising considering his actual involvement in the film.

HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD --perhaps not Euro "trash",but it's my list,so there ;o)
Another Bava and a great one-my favorite peplum next to Steve Reeves' HERCULES (which,yes,Bava worked on-lol) And it has Christopher Lee vs Reg Park,baby!

LADY FRANKENSTEIN --a given on any ETPer's list,in my opinion,if only for the magnificent Sara Bey/Rosalba Neri's nipples! (Bobby T and I did a sort of love/lust poem to her in the recent TWW2)

BLACK SUNDAY --Bava's masterpiece! And in glorious B & W!! A continuing inspiration to my storytelling and one of the films I'd take to that mysterious desert island if I had to take only ten films (and a dvd player...and a generator...and...;o)

WHIP AND THE BODY --BAVA! CHRISTOPHER LEE! BAVA!! DALIAH LAVI! WHIPS! ...BAVA!!!
...well...you get the point...;o)

NOSFERATU IN VENICE --not a great flick,but it has style to spare (you wanna make an atmospheric horror movie? Venice is the go to place,baby!) just add K2 throwing priests out a window onto a metal grating and gratuitous female nudity and you have the ingredients...;o)

DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE --I haven't watched this in a few years so today this is on my list,but I might change my mind tomorrow-it was one of the 1st to pop into my head when asked,so it must have made an impression-I can still recall the style,Erika Blanc and Daniel Emilfork (so great in CITY OF LOST CHILDREN-born to play the Vulture in Spider-Man ;o) so...

HORROR EXPRESS --Lee ("It's a fact. And there's no morality in a fact.") and Cushing ("Monsters? We're British,you know!") and Telly ("Ahhh, we got lots of innocent monks!") against an ancient evil living in a missing link who fries your brains while on a scenic train trip...classic!

FEMALE VAMPIRE/EROTIKILL/THE SWALLOWERS/BARE BREASTED COUNTESS,etc...--Lina Romay in her "masterpiece"...say-no-more...:o)

SPIDER'S LABYRINTH--I'm still pondering this one,but it's fresh in my mind and Hell...it's a visual feast,that's for sure!

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project-Bruce Holecheck

Bruce Holecheck, the inside man on the DVD world, sends along his list of top 10 Eurotrash films today. Tenebre slides up the ladder with two votes out of three lists (a good vote gents)... Nice to see one of my favorite action films on the list as well-I remember this one time...sitting and talking with Mike Sopkiw...ah, nevermind.

Take it away Bruce!

Ask me tomorrow and you'll get a different answer. Besides, ten doesn't really cover it. These are ten favorites that simply popped into mind first, presented in alphabetical order.

After the Fall of New York - Fast-paced, gory post-nuke romp about a Eurocult supercast of do-gooders (including Michael Sopkiw, Big George Eastman and Romano Puppo as hero, primate and cyborg, respectively) fighting to save the world's last fertile woman. Not the first I saw in the short-lived, much-loved subgenre, but my favorite due to its nonstop slate of macho posturing.

Burial Ground - Relentlessly nihilistic dead pic with a lot to set it apart from the norm, including a sleaze level you usually don't find in these outings, appropriately creepy and unique zombie masks (that're just dripping with worm-life), ultra-nasty violence set-pieces (nipple rip!) and a take-no-prisoners finale. Add some of the most unintentionally hilarious dialogue ever ("This cloth smells of death!") and an impossible to forget man-child, and you have a perfect night's entertainment.

Dr. Butcher, M.D. - A real riot, this one. Taking the "kitchen sink" approach, we're served a meaty stew with boastful mad scientists, illegal organ harvesting, scoop-hungry journalists, spread-eagle crotch-shots, bloodthirsty jungle savages and hyperactive zombies who aren't afraid to pull a knife on ya'! I actually prefer the DR. BUTCHER edit with its quicker pace, silly opening and new soundtrack (possibly composed by a retarded chimp with a broken Casio), but I'm sure there are purists out there who support the ZOMBI HOLOCAUST original. Either way, it's essential.

Female Vampire - Lina Romay and her bedpost are guaranteed to give you zipper-burn in this lyrical, surreal, sexy outing from Spain's prolific uni-tooth wonder, Jess Franco. The planets must have been aligned when this was made, because for once all of his elements seem in sync; even you Francophiles out there have to admit it's rare to see his elements congeal like this.

Nekromantik 2 - This strangely poignant and morbidly romantic account of the darker sides of human desire remains provocative viewing to this day, which shouldn't be a surprise considering it was purposely designed to alienate horror fans. Not your typical entry for a Eurotrash Top Ten list, but I find its mixture of sordid subject matter with arthouse posturing to be fascinating and addictive.

Once Upon a Time in the West - Trash? Art? Classic? It's not an argument I feel like getting into, but no matter how you slice it, Sergio Leone's masterful epic (his love letter to the dying days of the Old West) is a must-see.

Tenebre - Argento at his peak. Much praise is ladled upon SUSPIRIA, but for my money this cold, calculated giallo beats it, severed hands down. An absolute feast of tight scripting, virtuoso camerawork and some of the most jaw-dropping scenes of cinematic carnage you'll ever witness, with a frantic climax that actually feels justified. The "paint the wall red" bit has reached legendary status, and may possibly be the single most iconic Eurotrash sequence to me.

Violent Protection - While Umberto Lenzi's horror offerings were usually pretty hit or miss (I love his CITY OF THE WALKING DEAD for all the wrong reasons), the crime flick is where he excelled, as evidenced by this police thriller with perennial mustache Maurizio Merli beating the living hell out of anyone who gets in his way. Add an addictive soundtrack, shocking murders (death by bowling ball!) and chase scenes that put Hollywood's best to shame, and you have one of the genre's greatest entries.

Who Could Kill a Child? - Unfortunately overlooked due to its rarity, this Spanish horror paints a bleak picture of a couple vacationing on an isolated isle who soon discover its children have gone berserk. The titular conundrum comes into play as the pair fight for their survival, in one of the most tense, frightening, practically unbearable showdowns of all time. A real haunting film, and one you won't easily forget.

Zombie - The one that pushed me off the diving board. The legendary eye gouge was unexpected and completely changed my life, starting my search for the best and bloodiest around. In retrospect, that may not be such a good thing after all...

Too bad there isn't room for Cannibal Apocalypse, Mountain of the Cannibal God, Massacre in Dinosaur Valley, The Wild Beasts, Pieces, Possession, The Great Silence, Cutthroats 9, 1990 The Bronx Warriors, The Big Racket, High Crime, Colt .38 Special Squad, Emanuelle in America, Emanuelle's Revenge, Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals, Anthropophagous, Erotic Nights of the Living Dead, The House that Screamed, House by the Cemetery, Cemetery Man, Contamination, Seven Women for Satan, Satan's Blood, The Blood Spattered Bride, Hitch-Hike, Hunchback of the Morgue, Return of the Blind Dead, Night of the Sorcerers, Horror Rises from the Tomb, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, Eugenie: the Story of Her Journey into Perversion, Macumba Sexual, A Virgin among the Living Dead, Vampyres, Giallo in Venice, The Night Evelyn came out of the Grave, Perfume of the Lady in Black, Twitch of the Death Nerve, The Slasher is the Sex Maniac, Deep Red, Opera, Inferno, Cut and Run, Manhunt, Night of the Devils, Legend of Blood Castle, Devil's Wedding Night, Dracula's Great Love, New York Ripper, The House with Laughing Windows, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, Diabolik, Eyes without a Face, Thriller and about a million others...

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project-The Hungover Gourmet Dishes!

Dan Taylor, the mad genius behind The Hungover Gourmet and Exploitation Retrospect gives us his top ten Eurotrash films today-a fun mix of "classics" drenched in trashy goodness. Give his sites a chance and if you EVER get to try this mans pulled pork sandwich you'll be a hungover gourmet fan for life. Promise.

I'm thinking of Pulled Pork while contemplating the greatness of Demons-Lamberto Bava and Dan Taylor should be proud. Yum. Demons... I mean..uh..pork.

1) NOSFERATU: Not just my favorite Herzog/Kinski flick, but the first
Kinski flick I ever saw.
2) THE GREAT SILENCE: I'm no Spaghetti Western fan, but this is a
standout with Kinski stealing the flick as a vicious, vicious villain.
3) HUNCHBACK OF THE MORGUE: Maybe the definitive Eurotrash movie.
Naschy stars as a vengeful, lovesick hunchback who hooks up with an
evil scientist.
4) THE BEYOND: As much as I love other stuff from Fulci, I really
consider this his masterpiece.
5) TENEBRAE: Argento at his "paint the screen red" finest.
6) NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIES: My all-time fave DAWN OF THE DEAD rip-off. I
think it's brilliant but many hate it.
7) DEMONS: Still remember seeing this in the theater and being blown
away.
8) RETURN OF THE EVIL DEAD: The second of the Blind Dead flicks, it
just nudges out the first and fourth entries in the series.
9) HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB: More kitchen sink cinema from the mind
of Naschy.
10) CANNIBAL FEROX: Crazoid jungle gut-munching with a brain-pounding
soundtrack.

Eurotrash Pinnacle Project-The Groovy One!

Here comes the lists...these are the top 10 Eurotrash Films from a wide variety of viewers-and when I think of a man with wide interests, Curt Purcell comes to mind. Check out his GROOVY AGE OF HORRORS blog if you don't believe me... Also, you can read three chapters of his novel-which celebrates the groovy edge of fairy tales-by going here!

Some great choices with a focus on horror here. The Groovy guys vibe is strong on the Naschy-and I agree with his assessment of Night Of The Werewolf. Julia Saly is easy on the eyes in that film for sure (how do you like that for deep critique???)-and it was one of the first Naschy films I found, hidden under the title of The Craving on US Video.

VAMPYRES--the sheer enthusiasm of the girls in combining sex, violence, and blood drinking

NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF--the best Daninsky, to my mind; Naschy's own
directorial remake that improves on an already awesome eurotrasher,
WEREWOLF VS. VAMPIRE WOMEN

WOLFMAN NEVER SLEEPS--my first Naschy, and still a sentimental fave

DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE--Erika Blanc, her costumes, her character, and the
way she switches between succubus and demon

BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE--my personal favorite Argento

OPERA--I saw this back to back with BIRD, and the amazing violence of
this one really made an impression

EROTIC RITES OF FRANKENSTEIN--Franco's mind-boggling sexy monster rally

FEMALE VAMPIRE--speaking of Franco, this one's just awesome . . . ah, Lina!

ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER--Fulci's super-groovy proto-giallo, a personal
fave.

KILL BABY KILL--gotta have a Bava, and this one looks so fantastic;
the most beautiful gothic I've ever seen.

The Eurotrash Film Pinnacle Project begins!

As I mentioned a few days back, I'll be compiling lists of top 10's from various luminaries of the fan world, as well as people like me... the average joe that just loves to watch his trash films and chat 'em up. What I'm hoping to do is figure out what the fans of Eurotrash film like the most-count up the repeats and rank up some stats. While it is simple, the actual numbers in and of themselves are a diversion really. I hope these lists will work for you as they do for me... a shopping list of things you have yet to see. Maybe a reason to dig out an old VHS or DVD and rewatch it-intrigued by the high regard others have for it. Or perhaps...just maybe, to see that you aren't alone in your like of some obscure film or another.
But what is meant by the term Eurotrash Cinema? For me, this phrase comes from Craig Ledbetter's ultra important, and still a great read even with the gap of years in publishing, ETC magazine. Craig came into my reading world at a great time, after being lured down the Euro Horror highway by writers like Tim Paxton (and the host of Monster! International scribes including Tim Lucas and Dave Todarello), Bob Sargent (ah, Videooze-where I first read of Thriller-A Cruel Picture) and Chas. Balun (with his Gorezone articles)-it was ETC that really got me obsessive. With a range as wide as could be, this magazine was gold on every page. Not to mention that you could easily drop a letter into the mail and get back an enthusiastic response from Craig about...well, anything!
What ETC showed me was that there was a lot more than Fulci and splatter out there... you had sleazy French sex romps, midgets vs. babysitters (well, that was all Bob's fault) and a world of bizarre action films to be discovered. That wide range is the tack I'm taking here. European Trash Cinema isn't Italian Horror, it isn't even horror exactly. It is disposable films, that by the sheer oddness, the crazy don't give a shit wackiness and yes...the stunning craftsmanship that can go into a movie all at the same time. It is about personalities like Paul Naschy that can write themselves into always having sex with a hot woman, even if they are playing a hunchback! It is about directors like Max H. Boulois that just want to tell stories like OTHELLO, THE BLACK COMMANDO! And yep, it is about nudity, violence, bad language, naughty situations and as much spaltter as you can take.
But don't forget it can be about Mario Bava and his careful lighting and inventive camera that roves and rips through tales of terror that will stay with you not just after you go to sleep, but forever. Or Jean Rollin and his one of kind beachfront property that only his vampires and virgins can inhabit.
It is about thrills-made in Europe. Spys, Robots, Black Gloved Maniacs, Naked Women, Groovy Chicks, Swinging Dicks (lots of those on show-ask Howard Vernon)...
It is about the things that make me smile when I'm staring at an 11th generation dupe of some Eurocine film I've long wanted to see (and in a language I don't understand) AND about the digital revelation of seeing the edges on Naschy's werewolf mask.
It's Eurotrash baby...just enjoy it.
So, tell me your favorites and I'll tell you mine. Tomorrow...we start!