La Casa 4 [Witchcraft (Evil Encounters)/ Witchery/ Ghosthouse 2]

Despite all the titles trying to convince you otherwise the only connection this has to the other films in the series is that it’s set in a house. Not that the house has anything to do with the story in this one either, it’s actually about a witch who drags people through portals into hell where utterly horrific acts are rendered laughable by shoddy special effects work. Originally intended to be a Luigi Cozzi project, but he passed because he felt the script wasn’t up to scratch, which tells you exactly how good this is.

The New Mutants

Just can’t get away from the fact that everybody involved wanted to make an X-Men horror movie so the main character is a mutant whose power is to turn everything into a horror movie. That’s the level we’re at folks.

Amuck! [Alla ricerca del piacere/ Hot Bed Of Sex/ Leather And Whips]

It’s definitely Italian. The numerous extended slow motion sex scenes are certainly sleazy. The plotting is contrived and confused in a way that could be interpreted as mystery and, though it takes its time to finally turn up, there is eventually a stabbing. So it’s a Giallo, but barely.

I’m Thinking Of Ending Things

Acts as both a mouthpiece for Kaufman and a display of his superb grasp of generating an uncanny vibe.

Aenigma

Late period Fulci that bucks his usual M.O. with a mostly coherent plot and a boredom to lunacy ratio that gleefully leans into the madness. King.

Death Smiles On A Murderer [La morte ha sorriso all'assassino/ Death Smiled At Murder]

Struggles to function as its own story, but is particularly effective as a greatest hits of Italian cinema of the time featuring heavy handed gothic atmospheres, Klaus Kinski nonsensically swaggering about, spurious Poe references, a razor blade killing, special FX make-up that looks like whatever was closest to hand heaped onto faces, POV shots of a killer stalking victims that run slowly and finally all rounded off with some obligatory severe eyeball trauma.

The Swerve

(Frightfest Day 4)

A deep, dark scrape on the soul. Superb.

AV: The Hunt

(Frightfest Day 4)

Takes some balls to make a movie that says ‘every guy in my country is a fucking dick’ and furthermore then actually be right about it. The director of this clearly has planet sized balls.

Enhanced

(Frghtfest Day 4)

A film adaptation of the colour beige that managed to stand out at this year’s Frightfest simply by not being unwatchably awful.

A Ghost Waits

(Frightfest Day 3)

Quirky and fun, until it isn’t. When it’s quirky and fun it’s quite, quite brilliant, when it isn’t you can keep smiling about when it was and this will carry you through to the end.

Hall

(Frightfest Day 3)

Lives up to its name, long and featureless.

Two Heads Creek

(Frightfest Day 3)

Plenty of fun to be had.

Skull: The Mask

(Frightfest Day 3)

13 year old me would’ve dug it, old me says dumb shit like ‘The foley work was extremely lacking, ruining what is already a shallow parade of gore’.

Wish I was 13 again.

Dark Place

(Frightfest Day 2)

Anthology movie where the odd numbered ones were pretty good and the even numbered ones not so much. More odds than evens in this one though, so that’s ok.

Blind

(Frightfest Day 2)
Interminable risible shit.