Conan the Barbarian lit the fuse for an explosion of cheaply-made, scummy knock-offs that found their way into fleapits and (mostly) video rental stores for the next half-decade.
Read More »Guilt and Enjoyment in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
“There have been times when I’m eating a meal and feel guilty I’m eating a meal.” — Leslie Van Houten, California prison inmate and former member of the Manson Family. (1) How do you continue to live after doing something ...
Read More »Samuel Fuller and The Big Red One: An Oral History
Samuel Fuller on location in Israel: photo provided by Kelly Ward “A film is like a battleground.” – Samuel Fuller in Pierrot le Fou Samuel Fuller was driving in Los Angeles when the news came over the radio. It was ...
Read More »Ramshackle Pleasures of the 1980s Video Shop
I was born in 1975. It turned out to be perfect timing to witness the golden age of video, making me old enough to remember — just about — the appearance in the early-80s of those first few dark and ...
Read More »Daughters of Darkness (1971): Blue Underground’s 4K Release
A Euro art-horror evocation of the Elizabeth Bathory legend filtered through a gothic libertine lens, Daughters of Darkness is one of the most gorgeous horror stories of its era (or any other for that matter). This sumptuous tale unfolds around ...
Read More »Arrow Video FrightFest Digital Edition 2: Dune Drifter and Alien on Stage
While writer director Marc Price’s science fiction feature Dune Drifter (U.K., 2020) may not have a huge budget, it certainly doesn’t feel like anything is missing on screen. The space opera offering serves up taut suspense, an engaging story, and terrific performances.
Read More »Alex Kahuam Talks About His Unforgettable Short Film Red Light
Red Light (2020) is the passion project of director Alex Kahuam, actor Ted Raimi and producer Marco De Molina. A real deal guerilla indie effort, clocking in at nine-plus minutes, Kahuam’s production keeps you riveted from the first frame until ...
Read More »Arrow Video FrightFest Digital Edition 2 Reviews: The Returned and Stranger
Argentinian horror film The Returned (Los que vuelven, 2019) is set in 1919 in the jungles that border that country and Brazil, where something supernatural and sinister resides, far beyond the understanding of the wealthy landowners who exploit the area ...
Read More »Budgetary Constraints: The Films of Micro-Budget Auteur Ron Ford
Micro-budget filmmaker Ron Ford. In a career that has spanned over thirty years, and looks to go even a few more decades, Ron Ford should be known in genre-movie circles far and wide. He isn’t, though. Despite being a pioneer ...
Read More »Unrelenting Bleakness: No Blade of Grass Fifty Years Later
Civil unrest as a deadly virus spreads across the planet. Citizens fleeing large cities in panic as travel restrictions are enacted. Rationing enforced as society begins to crumble. Governments not to be trusted. One may think this is a routine ...
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