Flicks: Horror High (1974)

Horror High has one killer chemistry curriculum. And their cram sessions are to die for.

Not to be confused with "Return To Horror High" (1987) actor George Clooney's first film role prior to joining the cast of the Roseanne Barr TV show or the comedy remake in 2005 - the original Horror High was part I Was A Teenage Werewolf (1957) and part Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Take out Micheal Landon and good writing and you have: Horror High (1976).

Horror High aka "Twisted Brain" foreshadows Harry Kaufman's The Toxic Avenger (1984) in many important ways such as: featuring a bullied nerd gets who super powers (like hairy forearms) and then runs murderously amok plus, just like many Troma features, this movie was made on a shoe-string budget but was able to engineer some gory and realistic practical effects such as face melting.


At Horror High, they know the sure fire cure for acne and unsightly blemishes - boric acid!

If you pick the DVD, courtesy of Code Red who re-released the film in 2005, you will be treated to various commentaries including an interview with Austin Stroker.

The film is notable for the appearance of Mr. Austin Stroker who was featured in John Carpenters's original Assault On Precinct 13 (1976) and as MacDonald, the inside Establishment man turned ape collaborator, in Battle For The Planet Of The Apes. He also played Jeff Allen in the animated series Return To Planet Of The Apes in 1975. Unlike the previous Apes series films this one depicted ape society as a technologically advanced society, complete with cars, movies and television!

Stroker has appeared in 50 films and counting including Sasha Cranes' gory, low budget slasher Machete Joe (2010)

References:
IMDB, Horror High (1974)
IMDB, Austin Stroker
Doomed Groovies, Horror High
The Horror!, Horror High

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Flicks: S-VHS (2013)

Do you like scary movies? Yeah? Do you like really scary movies?

Sundance Film Festival 2013 is held in the frigid tundra of the isolated Utah winter. It occurs during that special time of year between New Year's and Valentine's Day when you pathetic hu-mons are quickly approaching your psychological breaking points due to strange, icy climate shifts and long months of mindless indoor activities.

To combat the creeping psychological effects of winter, a visual release in the form of a gory horror film, is quite in order.

This year, the sequel to the truly scary V/H/S from 2012, S-VHS, has been picked up for distribution by Magnolia Pictures as a direct result of being featured at Sundance. This is good news for horror fans and comes from both Fangoria and Variety.

To top this off, the auction for the distribution rights reportedly reached over $1 million USD as Magnolia beat out powerhouse horror distributor, Lion's Gate (Hostel, Cabin Fever, 2001 Maniacs, C.H.U.D. II - Bud the Chud) for the distribution rights.

This stand-alone sequel features the same anthology approach made by multiple directors who are presenting several stories that made V/H/S so entertaining. Simon Barrett (ABC's of Death), Adam Wingard (V/H/S), Eduardo Sanchez (original Blair Witch) and Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun) each write and direct segments in this feature. S-VHS is, as of today, still awaiting an official release date in US theaters but is, without a doubt, coming to a theater near you.

References:
IMDb, S-VHS (2013)
IMDb, Lion's Gate Releases
IMDb, Adam Wingard
Slashfilm, S-VHS Review

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Slash-Mess Day Two: A Lonely Place To Die (2011)

This Scottish "Deliverance" themed movie is even scarier than the American version.

This disturbing, independent Scottish film made by the British Gilbey Brothers starts slow but quickly gets serious. A Lonely Place To Die (2011) is a beautifully shot yet disturbing film released in the USA by IFC Films after a very successful run in the United Kingdom.^[0]

In it, a group of mountaineers hike miles into the lonely Scottish Highlands. They scramble across deep ravines, sheer cliffs and lush valleys before running into an even more life-threatening scenario. As the group climbs hundreds of feet up and down winding wildlands facing jagged rock faces that soar into the sky they encounter murderous madmen and a small child who seems to be their quarry!

The cinematography for the movie is astounding and panoramic. This is made all the more remarkable due to the fact that the camera men and crew were often required to scale even greater heights than the actors themselves climbed!

A Lonely Place To Die stars Australian actress Melissa George as Alison, a member of this mountaineering group that stumbles upon what they take to be strange sets of homicidal human hunters. These hunters appear to have set out well beyond civilization to stalk, shoot and murder random strangers. It is only later in the film that any context (i.e. the kidnapping) is applied to the insane situation. For the duration of the film the group is too busy to rationalize. Instead they ponder why, when or how they will be slaughtered in cold blood at the hands of total strangers led by the icy killer, Mr. Kidd, played by Sean Harris (Prometheus (2012) and the original series The Borgias).


Sean Harris's bone-chilling performance sets a new standard for the term "stone cold killer" as "Mr. Kidd".

While one set of hunters is sniping these unwary hikers ridge by ridge another set of hunters/stalkers is hot on their heels, ready and eager to carve them up. The movie features some very strange Deliverance (1972) styled delirium and rampages by these deranged hunters and their would-be prey.

A Lonely Place To Die also employs a great use of a unique soundtrack to enhance the overall spookiness of this insane situation. All of the performances are unusually good. The actors bring the tension of the scenes to a shocking life.

There's a low animal panic that rises from the beatific start of A Lonely Place To Die and moves quickly into the kill-or-be-killed thrill for these remaining survivors - survivors who are wounded and desperately running for their dear lives through the film.

NOTES:
[0] = A Lonely Place earned a whopping $25 million during in it's theatrical run with production costs coming in at $4 million - a $21 million dollar profit.

References:
IMDB, A Lonely Place To Die (2011)
IMDB, Deliverance (1972)
Wikipedia, Deliverance

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Flicks: The Ninja Squad (1986)

Rule #1 of Ninjitsu: always wear a head band stating you are, indeed, a ninja.

The Ninja Squad (1986) star Richard Harrison (not that one) is famous for two things. Number One, as being rumored during his time as a extra in Italy to suggest Clint Eastwood to Sergio Leone when the famed director was looking for a lead in "A Fistful of Dollars" in 1964. And, Number Two, as acting or starring in 17 unbelievably awful ninja-sploitation films from 1984 to 1988 sometimes starring eight films in one year.

These sixteen movies start with Ninja Thunderbolt (1984), then Ninja Champion (#1) and Ninja Holocaust(#2) both made in 1985. Some say a Holocaust would be enough to stem the tide of Harrison's ninja themed roles yet at the end of 1985 came Ninja Terminator (#3), another Hong Kong release exploiting the title from James Cameron's The Terminator from 1984 and nothing else.

Actually Ninja Terminator is regarded today as something of a camp classic. The over-the-top dramatic dialogue unfailingly illicits unexpected howls of laughter. "You betray the ninja empire?! Why did you no that, you reckon?" In what part of China is "reckon" a popular expression? Seriously. Someone needs to get back to me on this.

Harrison continued with his fifth ninja foray in Ninja Hunt(#4), our current feature Ninja Squad (#5) and Ninja Dragon (#6) all released in 1986. In 1987, Harrison went on to do Cobra vs. Ninja (#7), Hands of Death (#8), Ninja Operation: Licensed to Terminate (#9), Ninja Avengers (#10), Ninja Commandments (#11), Ninja Kill (#12), The Ninja Showdown (#13) and Ninja: Silent Assassin (#14) while also finding time to star in Hitman the Cobra a Chinese WWII period anti-Japanese film.

In 1988, Harrison starred in Ninja Powerforce (#14), Ninja Strike Force (#15) and The Power of Ninjitsu (#16) before making his final ninja themed movie Diamond Ninja Force (#17) the same year.

References:
IMDB, The Ninja Squad (1986)
IMDB, Richard Harrison

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