The Grim Cellar

1987, US, Directed by Wes Craven

Colour, Running Time: 94 minutes

DVD, Region 2, Universal, Video: Anamorphic 1.78:1, Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0

Anthropologist Dennis Alan (Bill Pullman) chisels a reputation for himself by surviving for weeks lost in the Amazon (jungle rather than warehouse) on a pharmaceutical mission. A short while after returning he is requested to go on an expedition to Haiti to locate Christophe, a dead man who’s apparently been seen alive several years after his funeral, to discover more about a drug that can supposedly cause temporary death (or the appearance of it), allowing the victim to be revived later - the idea being to use it as a revolutionary anaesthetic to reduce life loss on operating tables. Arriving in the politically burdened, voodoo-fearing country he enlists the help of a woman, Dr Duchamp, who shows him an apparently real living ’zombie’, now incarcerated at the asylum where she works. Following enquiries they contact a shaman who claims he can concoct the drug Alan seeks - but for $1000. Unfortunately Alan has attracted the attentions of the aggressive police and a dictator called Peytraud who isn’t enthusiastic about the American’s presence and will go to any lengths to scare him away. After Alan and Duchamp finally locate Christophe wandering around a graveyard, Alan is convinced there is more to the story than just a poverty stricken asylum keen to acquire funding through publicity-seeking means.

Based on the (ostensibly true) Wade Davis book Wes Craven crafted one of the most intelligent ‘living dead’ films by taking an intriguing story and moulding a world that exudes a sense of mystery and the supernatural. Bill Pullman, generally better known for roles in comedies and romances, convincingly portrays an adventurer that is both daring and fragile, while Zakes Mokae is frightening as the despotic Peytraud - these performances combined with an engaging script help to capture viewer attention. This is supported by an appropriately funereal score that adeptly alludes to impending doom, an undercurrent of Alan’s quest (the summit being a chilling episode where he faces the ordeal of inhaling the very drug he seeks, followed by his own burial). The problem with what is otherwise a gratifying journey arrives in the last 15 minutes when Craven can’t seem to help himself taking Alan’s hallucinations into Nightmare on Elm Street territory with dead arms elongating out of prison cells, autonomous chairs and, most ridiculously, a Shocker-style charred antagonist attacking Alan (even the music becomes conventional slasher fare at this point). Removing this rubbish for the sake of some verisimilitude and a little more ambiguity may have resulted in a masterwork. As it is, you have a superb hour and fifteen minutes of immersion into a supernaturally oppressive world, followed by 15 minutes of disposable footage that was probably shot to make the product more marketable, undermining audience intelligence (where present) in the process. Either way, it’s still Craven’s best film in my opinion.

Serpent and the Rainbow was released on DVD featuring a grainy, slightly washed-out but otherwise decent picture with its original Dolby surround track (though it’s a pity it wasn’t upgraded to 5.1) that betrays the limitations of the era. The disc is the same in both the UK and US. Without a complete overhaul the presentation serves well enough and, aside from the terrible final act, I love watching this film and it stands up well to repeat viewings.

1971, Italy, Directed by Lucio Fulci

Colour, Running Time: 104 minutes

DVD, Region 1, Shriek Show, Video: Anamorphic 1.85:1, Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1

Perturbed by incomprehensible, kaleidoscopic nightmares of decadent sex, gory violence and, worse, hippies, Carol becomes implicated in the brutal murder of a neighbour because one of her dreams appears to match the nature of the killing exactly. Initially insistent that she hasn’t killed anyone she even begins to doubt herself as more of the revealed details comply with what went on in her head during slumber. But the revelation that her psychotherapist has been asking her to record the nightmares on paper as and when she remembers them suddenly opens up the potential suspects; even her own husband’s innocence comes into question. Plus there’s the mad hippy who turns up at police headquarters adamant that he’s the killer. Is it really so obvious that Carol is the murderer or has someone else scoured her notes and adopted the technique outlined in order to divert attention to her?

Having become vocationally incarcerated within ‘genre’ film-making of various kinds Fulci resigned himself to being artistically confined, but only to an extent - he continued to apply personal vision, technical skill, and boundary-pushing to his work throughout the 70s (and, arguably, the first half of the 80s). Perhaps self-referentially the script for Lizard was entitled ‘The Cage’, the alteration arising due to the producers’ desires to jump on the animal-themed giallo bandwagon that Argento essentially popularised. The film revolves around Freudian themes with dream-induced imagery that supposedly represents what’s happening at lower levels of consciousness, the alleged control of one aspect of a person’s mind over the other (an ongoing struggle between the id and superego, supervised with varying degrees of success by the ego), the collision between sex, violence, and morality, and the practical implementation of psychotherapy in order to make sense of all of this. While Freud and his theories are often criticised they no doubt pushed psychological study into previously uncharted territory, helping eliminate the explanation of mental disorders as demonic possession (how problems of the mind were usually viewed up to that point) to take a more realistic scientific approach. There are pros and cons concerning Freud’s studies and conclusions, but it’s a testament to his innovation that his work is still taught in psychology today, and it also provides a rich source for films, something which the giallo more than most genres has embraced in many ways. Lizard makes engaging use of this, helping enhance a standard homicide story with an intricate examination of someone’s mind, offering the viewer plenty to cogitate. Whilst I think I marginally prefer Don’t Torture A Duckling, there’s much going on here to revel in - the prolonged chase of a woman through a deserted cathedral being especially well staged, the incorporated bat attack surely paying homage to Hitchcock’s The Birds, so similar is it to the assault that Tippi Hedren suffers in the attic. The perverse, macabre dreams themselves are also inventive, references to the work of Francis Bacon apparent (Fulci was reportedly a fan of his); the movie is a satisfying experience.

Media Blasters (on the Shriek Show label) released Lizard as a two disc SE a couple of years back, coming under fire because, due to the source material, the longer Italian version was of inadequate quality (it contained the US cut as a properly mastered principle feature on disc 1). Seeking new source material of the Italian cut to rectify this, eventually they put together another disc release (labelled ‘Remastered’) containing just that (though no US cut). People then complained because the new disc didn’t port over all of the extras from the previous SE but these days hardcore DVD collectors can be a bunch that’s difficult to please at the best of times. There’s some damage occasionally prominent here and the saturation is excessive but I’m reasonably pleased with the presentation, though it should be noted that varying sources appear to have been used to constitute this cut. Audio is provided in Italian mono, English mono, and an English 5.1 mix that is surprisingly enveloping with Ennio Morricone’s score, general ambience and sound effects work (dialogue almost always remaining centred). While it’s mostly the work of Italians, Lizard works well in English due to it being set (and partly shot) in London. The 40 minutes of interview focus firstly on why Professor Paolo Albiero is so enamoured with Fulci followed by more specific details and analysis of Lizard itself, including its censorship history. The previous SE is still available for the US cut and the alternative extras but the version here is currently the best way to see Lizard. An essential giallo purchase.

1972, Italy, Directed by Lucio Fulci

Colour, Running Time: 102 minutes

DVD, Region 1, Blue Underground, Video: Anamorphic 2.35:1, Audio: Mono

Deep in rural Italy the corpse of a murdered child has been discovered, prompting the authorities to rapidly pounce on and arrest their prime suspect, the town idiot, who had an argument with the dead boy and his friends earlier. Despite the fact that he buried the body himself and prior to its discovery had anonymously requested ransom via telephone from the boy’s parents, he insists the boy had already been murdered when he found him. During this time the villagers are becoming increasingly agitated, condemning the man before any kind of trial but, while he is still in captivity, another boy is found dead effectively proving his innocence. Meanwhile a rich and bored coquette (the profoundly horny Barbara Bouchet) is seen teasing one of the boys, elsewhere a self-proclaimed witch is sticking pins in dolls that represent each of the children, a punishment for their contempt towards a burial ground sacred to her. The suspects are increasing in number, the villagers become angrier, and the police struggle to find the town’s child killer as bodies continue to appear.

Before Fulci hit comparative big time with the likes of The Beyond and Zombi 2 he meandered between genres, directing several gialli along the way. These have since gone on to achieve cult status and are among his best films, Duckling being no exception. The construction of the film as a whole appears to have been completed in less erratic circumstances than some of his later work, as much of it gives the impression of being technically meticulous with a weaving narrative and images that are regularly carefully and artistically composed. The villagers are morally questionable from the outset, eager to assault anyone that is even accused of the crime and at one point, one of the most sadistic, brutal and simultaneously touching moments of Fulci‘s career, actually beating a suspected woman to death with chains. It’s a shame about the model work at the film’s climax too as, without spoiling anything, the last death we see is ahead of its time for pure OTT nastiness but tarnished by the FX (though they were more than adequate for the early 70s). The film is aided by gorgeous locations that evoke European flavour abundantly and a sympathetic score by Riz Ortolani, a talented composer later providing distinctive and memorable tunes for Zeder, Cannibal Holocaust, et al.

Released several years ago by Anchor Bay in the US, Blue Underground recently acquired a selection of their back catalogue and have presented us with essentially the same disc again. Despite being old now the digital mastering has produced a generally pleasing image, though there is probably room for small improvement. If, like me, you had seen this for years on VHS (n’th gen.) then it’s revelatory. It’s a pity that an Italian audio track couldn’t be found but the English dub is practical enough and not distracting. The only extra is several text pages briefly encapsulating Fulci’s career. Duckling is among Fulci’s finer moments and this DVD is currently the best way to see it.

2007, US, Directed by David Fincher

Colour, Running Time: 158 minutes

Cinema screening, Image: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Filmstream 4:4:4, Audio: English language

Based on Robert Graysmith’s book and featuring the man himself as one of the primary characters (played charismatically by Jake Gyllenhaal), Zodiac chronicles real events from 1969 onwards delineating the exploits of the so called ‘Zodiac Killer’ mostly through the eyes of the media, police investigators, and Graysmith himself. Beginning with the shooting of two lovers the publicity-seeking killer repeatedly sends letters to the San Francisco police and newspaper, combining codes for them to decipher and generally playing games with them, ultimately demeaning the psychological comfort of everyone who is entwined in the case on a professional level. Graysmith, the newspaper cartoonist, is present at the editorial meetings when these codes are first received and, despite nobody really being interested in his opinion, becomes fascinated enough to attempt personal interpretations of the killer’s thought patterns, later on obsessively launching a near full-scale investigation of his own, at the possible expense of domestic relationships.

Having a trail of critically recognised work behind him Fincher’s output is going to be of note for the foreseeable future and one has come to expect something special from the man who gave us Se7en, Fight Club, The Game and, yeah, Alien 3. The problem for me with the material here is the impression that it doesn’t seem all that special. Comparisons to Se7en may be expected beforehand but this is quite a different movie. It is technically accomplished on virtually all levels, showcasing convincing performances throughout (including the supremely gifted Chloë Sevigny, one of my favourite actresses), realistic photography, relentless pursuit of detail, etc. But at foundation it’s only a serial killer story and with little attention to what happened to victims we’re essentially left with one (very long) investigation. The script invariably focuses on discussions regarding the killer but virtually nothing else (for example, character personal lives, other than how they’re affected by the case), and it becomes exhausting, though it’s very well written and executed. For me the film takes off a little when Graysmith pretty much (unofficially) adopts the case because the product becomes slightly more personal as the viewer is able to identify with his character probably more than most of them.

Without wishing to give too much away, assuming that some are not aware of the details of the actual case or book, the fundamental issue is that the source material never had anywhere to go, which is a problem in cinematic terms - though there are a couple of semi-dramatic sequences inserted along the way that help alleviate this drawback. It left me almost wondering why this book/story was worth putting so much effort into meticulously filming (again). As a thriller it’s a brilliantly made piece of work but it will numb the backside at two and a half hours and possibly leave you coming away wondering where the climax was, though perhaps the absence of a climax will cause some to wander away pondering on the material and maybe that’s part of the point? Anyway, if you like very talky, adeptly constructed thrillers then there’s a chance you’ll enjoy this.

1970 / 1971, USA, Directed by Bob Kelljan

Colour, Running Times: 93 / 97 minutes

DVD, Region 1, MGM, Video: Anamorphic 1.85:1, Audio: Mono

Count Yorga, Vampire: After a successful séance piloted by the eminent and charming Bulgarian immigrant, Count Yorga (Robert Quarry), Paul and Erica decide to drop the count off back home. They find he lives in a huge and relatively secluded (just off the freeway…) mansion but, afterwards, on their way to leave the grounds their van becomes jammed in a muddy track and, unable to shift it, they decide to sleep the night inside the vehicle. The next day Erica turns up with holes in her neck and looking slightly anaemic, but without memories of how she came to be in that state. Becoming involved due to her unusual condition a blood specialist, Dr Hayes (Roger Perry), begins to suspect that the count may actually be a real vampire and persuades a couple of friends to visit the mansion in order to find the truth.

The Return of Count Yorga: Count Yorga becomes infatuated with Cynthia, a young woman he meets at a fund raising event, and captures her to keep in his mansion hoping to build some sort of relationship. Having seen too much a deaf/mute housekeeper is persistently unable to persuade anyone what’s really happened to Cynthia due to a child, apparently under the spell of the count, who denies everything she says. Gradually Cynthia’s real love interest, Dr Baldwin (amusingly, Roger Perry again), comes to suspect the count and enlists the help of a couple of reluctant policemen to accompany him to the mansion where Yorga and his horde of undead women await…

Combining traditional elements with modern-day Los Angeles these two films manage to convey some effective atmosphere to the viewer on occasions. The first film contains some standout sequences, the van breakdown near the mansion being quite a classically spooky passage and later on the increasingly tense exchange between Yorga and his guests as they desperately try to keep him talking until sunrise in order to determine whether he is in fact one of the undead. The sequel is slow to start with too much time spent at a fund raising event that is embarrassingly under populated (around ten people are milling around in fancy dress costume) but the final act is great, Baldwin and the policemen lost in a mansion of seemingly endless corridors and rooms, chased by the horde of vampire slaves. Quarry is excellent as the titular creature; literate, elegant, and evil in his portrayal. Unfortunately gore and sex are kept to a minimum (ironic, because the first film was initially intended to be a soft core porno), so they seem a little lightweight in some respects, plus the undead women, while creepy at a distance, look a little silly in close-up. As a side note, I couldn’t help but think that the cackling undead woman later in Return… could easily have been an influence on Raimi for The Evil Dead. These two films are moody chillers with doses of humour injected here and there to keep you off guard and will provide a fun double bill.

MGM originally released Count Yorga, Vampire by itself but later kindly combined it with the sequel for this double-sided DVD release. Image quality on both is perfectly acceptable. The only extra is a trailer for each but, due to the fact that it’s two well presented films for the price of one, it makes a good buy.

1970, UK, Directed by Robert Hartford-Davis

Colour, Running Time: 79 minutes

BBC2 Broadcast, Video: 1.33:1, Audio: Mono

Discovering that a college friend, Richard Fountain, seems to have gotten into some trouble while staying in Greece, a party of Oxford students head off to locate and bring the politically embarrassing toff back to England. After some investigation it appears that Richard has become involved in sex, drugs and black magic (sounds like he didn’t need their help to me) and has developed an infatuation for a Greek babe with a fetish for biting necks to induce orgasm. Following a struggle with his drug influenced state, the Greek babe, and some locals who are quite interested in sex with one of the girls, they manage to get him back on a plane to the UK but the problems don’t seem to be over.

The film had a troubled production, being shelved for several years, censored, and having the director remove his name from the credits. Taking the premise of vampirism and providing a neurological, sexually-deviant explanation while building a chase story over the top and adding a touch of commentary regarding academic (and therefore, state) control over the individual seems reasonable enough, but it’s executed in a sloppy manner at times and it doesn’t seem to be sure which direction it wants to take the vampire concept. The opening discussion is an example of some of the inadequate workmanship, the editing resulting in an amateurish exchange between characters that makes it look like a Z movie (though perhaps sufficiently competent shots weren’t supplied to the editor to work with?). I did love the orgy sequence, kaleidoscopic images of people mating with each other, smoking pot, then murder, scored with psychedelic rock music. I also thought the Oxford dinner rebellious speech and consequential scuffle was memorable, plus the abundant location shooting lends an air of authenticity and visual appeal, but there are not enough pluses to make it a proficient film overall.

Surprisingly Peter Cushing and Edward Woodward were roped in to help, both receiving notable billing in the opening credits, and both similarly being on screen for only a few minutes each. They add a touch of class to something that barely deserved it (Woodward’s turn as a slightly-too-enthusiastic professor explaining the perverse nature of certain sexual behaviour is pretty good). Imogen Hassall also did a suitable job of playing the silent but noticeably mad Greek goddess (unfortunately Hassall committed suicide a few years later). BBC2’s screening was a rough looking cropped print of what I believe is the edited version. Something Weird, the American label, did their best to make this worth picking up on disc by combining it with the 1965 low budget film, Blood Thirst, and quite a few extras, but don’t expect to enjoy it too much.

2007, UK, Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

Colour, Running Time: 99 minutes

Cinema screening, Image: 1.85:1 HDV & Super 16/35, Audio: English language

Several months after the outbreak of a virus that has caused rabid madness in those contaminated on a mass scale, all but wiping out the population of Britain, smalls pockets of survivors have taken to living in adopted secure dwellings. A vicious attack on one such group forces a father, overwhelmed by terror, to leave his wife at the ferocious hands of the Infected. Eventually he discovers the huge US operation deployed to effectively contain the problem and repopulate safe areas and, within the safety of a military protected island, he is reunited with his son and daughter. Distraught at their father’s story about having to leave their mother to die, the two kids sneak off to the mainland to locate their old home and retrieve a photo of their believed-to-be-dead mother. The army manage to track them at the house but unexpectedly the mother is also found, still alive. Taking her back to the labs for examination they realise that she is technically contaminated but without displaying the acknowledged symptoms. Unwittingly they have brought back a time bomb into the safe zone and all hell is about to break loose. Suspecting a genetic anomaly that could hold the key to a cure one of the officers takes it on herself to protect the boy at all costs, for the possible sake of mankind.

I was a little dubious: a new director, a poster that claimed with unprecedented innovation, ‘There is no escape’, and a sequel to a successful film hinting at purely financial interest. Aside from one or two complaints (the usual contemporary over reliance on shaky camera work during action) I was pretty wrong: the opening set piece, utilising the score from the first film to devastating effect, starts off reasonably calm with the accepted melancholy of a group of secluded survivors, leading to an Infected attack which progressively builds with such intensity and terror that you’re gripped almost immediately. The escape of Robert Carlyle’s character is one of the most exciting and frightening sequences I’ve seen for years. Carlyle was a surprising addition to the lead cast that helps add a touch of value to what might otherwise have easily been misconceived as a quick knock-off. The presence of the US military in Britain for the purposes of situation quarantine is unnerving to say the least; I’m not sure if that was intended, but the eventual outcome of this - Code Red - is disturbing and horrific. It’s amazing to think that this particular sub-genre can be executed with such credibility.

Exhibiting a gritty, dirty look (I believe a certain amount of 16mm was used as well as DV) the violence and gore have been turned up to 11, some scenes so gruesome it’s quite surprising to witness them in what is essentially a mainstream film. Almost everything before it, cinematically, has been taken and multiplied for impact. The aforementioned opening is basically the core of Night of the Living Dead shot in a contemporary style and condensed into ten minutes. The brutality of 28 Days Later is enhanced to macabre excess. Even Dawn of the Dead’s cheesy helicopter-blades death is outdone here with the chopper massacre of a hundred or so Infected. The militaristic policies are frighteningly believable and only add to the terror - the result is a bloodbath. Being so close to the action (i.e. seated near the front at my cinema) and surrounded by the potency of a (probably slightly too loud) crushingly aggressive soundtrack (the score complements the onscreen action amazingly well), this proved an extremely immersing experience for me personally - it will probably be remembered as one of my favourite theatrical experiences. Oh, and the conclusion couldn’t be much better… Zombie Cinema just got much more terrifying, horrific, and nasty. Brilliant!

1945, UK, Directed by Charles Crichton/Alberto Cavalcanti/Basil Dearden/Robert Hamer

Black & White, Running Time: 103 minutes

DVD, Region 1, Anchor Bay, Video: 1.33:1, Audio: Mono

Invited to a country house for a mysterious social gathering, architect Walter Craig feels an uncanny sense of deja-vu when he meets the other guests. He tells them that he already knows each of them because he has dreamt about that exact situation on a recurring basis, to a point where he progressively recalls more details from the dream before they are about to happen in reality. As his story is vehemently refuted by a present psychologist, the other guests feel encouraged to relay their own tales of the inexplicable: a racing driver’s car crash leads him to have a hallucinatory experience that proves to be prophetic; a girl finds a secret room while playing hide and seek with friends, subsequently discovering what may be the ghost of a child; a man whose antique mirror reveals another location and time in its reflection, but only he can see it; a pair of competing golfers whose desire to prove themselves to superior to each other continues even beyond death; finally, the psychologist’s own story of a ventriloquist whose dummy appears to acquire a personality of its own, with homicidal results. But the day’s events are not the summit of Craig’s visions as he warns that his dream then turns to a nightmare and this is what he apprehensively suggests is to happen at the gathering.

An early example of the anthology film (a sub-genre later coming into its own in the 60s/70s with the likes of Amicus products) Ealing’s Dead of Night has survived to become a minor cult piece for a few good reasons. There are admittedly aspects that are silly and dated (some of the dialogue as well as character/actor reactions to various situations), but in equal measure there are aspects that function efficiently. The antique mirror segment is quite unnerving while the sandwiching story provides an involving and classically atmospheric set up. The chapter about the ghost boy could have been improved with a more convincing lead (the girl playing the part comes across as rather feeble) and the golfing story, while intended to provide comic relief, is out of place and simply not funny (though that’s not to say it wasn’t in 1945). The best part, as often acknowledged by viewers, is the tale of Hugo the malevolent dummy. It’s never established whether the dummy really has acquired a supernatural spirit or his owner has simply gone insane and that’s part of why it works so well. Hugo is also quite a sinister looking thing and scenes such as his owner slapping him round the face during a ‘disagreement’ are both chilling and strangely dramatic. The film’s conclusion is unlikely to astound nowadays but it probably caused a few people to walk away with philosophical ideas formulating in their minds back in the 40s.

Almost a bare-bones disc in the US, Dead of Night looks quite good, though the picture quality varies once or twice possibly indicating the utilisation of more than one source. It’s available on a 2-discer with another British film, Queen of Spades (1949), making it well worth a purchase but there’s also a UK disc containing Dead of Night by itself, though I’ve heard that the image is inferior.

(original title: L’Ultima Preda del Vampiro)

1960, Italy, Directed by Piero Regnoli

Black & White, Running Time: 81 minutes

DVD, Region 2, Salvation, Video: 1.30:1, Audio: Mono

A party of dancing girls are travelling via minibus with their marginally dishonest manager (they leave behind them a trail of unpaid hotel bills) through the mountains when a violent storm prompts them to detour to the nearest castle for shelter. The master of the place, Count Kernassy, initially goes to reject their presence until he notices that one of the chicks resembles a long lost love of his, immediately causing him to change his mind and offer them accommodation. Warning them not to leave their rooms at night one of the party inevitably decides to explore, soon winding up dead by next morning. Rather unhappy about this the remaining girls decide to carry on with their dance practice the following day regardless, one of them cheering everyone up with your run-of-the-mill striptease. But forced by the relentless storm to stay longer at the castle the surviving vixens are about to realise that both their deceased friend and the host are not entirely alive, nor dead.

Continuing with a new wave of gothic films helped along by Hammer’s successful Dracula and Mario Bava’s visually powerful Black Sunday, this is a messy, amateurish, steaming pile of undead dung that also happens to be a little bit entertaining in its naivety and attempts to create an aura of foreboding doom. The girls themselves are quite easy on the eye and they contribute a number of highlights, the aforementioned striptease being one, as well as the wandering naked vampire girl (who we don’t see an awful lot of thanks to some well placed shadows); it was probably very warm in this castle… The film moves along at a slow pace and features lots of creeping around corridors while unfolding a relatively conventional story making it something of minor interest at best. As a fan of this particular sub-genre though, I had to pick it up.

Released in the US by Image a few years ago this later UK disc is slightly better specified containing as it does the unrelated modern short film Blood. This is sort of an art house piece that combines industrial sound design with dreamlike imagery and is probably responsible for getting this disc an 18 certificate, because that certainly wasn’t due to the main feature itself. Playgirls… looks rough around the edges, soft and out of focus sometimes, though watchable. Only the English dub soundtrack is included, this perhaps adding to viewer amusement on occasion (although I’d argue that the script isn’t entirely the work of idiots). Being something of a rarity it’s quite nice to own Playgirls… on DVD, though it will only intermittently excite you…

2006, US, Directed by Alexandre Aja

Colour, Running Time: 103 minutes

DVD, Region 2, Fox, Video: Anamorphic 2.35:1, Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1

On a road trip to California the Carter family are cutting across the desolate New Mexico desert when someone or something lays a trap for them that blows out their tyres, causing them to crash and pretty much writing off the car. The father and son-in-law Doug head off in different directions to try to find help while the rest of the family stay at the caravan in the blistering heat, able to do little more than wait. But then one of their dogs is found almost disembowelled, the dad doesn’t return from his expedition, and Doug finds a huge crater containing scores of abandoned vehicles. Finding little else Doug heads back to the caravan where he and the rest of the family try to get some rest, hoping that the dad will appear, but a brutal attack is launched on the group by a number of horrifically disfigured homicidal mutants that have been living and breeding in the hills since nuclear testing in the vicinity ceased decades before.

Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes (1977) was hard hitting for its period and can still have impact today, but while he continues to make anaemic genre movies Aja has emerged, remaking Hills to have pretty much an equivalent impact on today’s imperturbable audiences, hence it is all the more gory and relentlessly gruelling. It wastes no time in hinting at the terror to come with an opening axe attack probably like you’ve never seen before. The storyline follows the original quite closely but there has been effort to enhance the historical background; I particularly liked the discovery of a test village where some hideous inbreeds still hang out, this both improving the mythos and facilitating geographical variety which is otherwise difficult for a film set entirely in the desert. The caravan attack is similar to Craven’s but much more grotesquely violent - it’s amazing and ironic to see a film such as this passing uncut at the hands of the BBFC where the tamer (by comparison) original movie was once banned by them. How times change! The lead protagonist (Doug) goes through physical and emotional hell on his journey, taking most viewers along with him. The film may be too nasty for some but, as far as modern horror is concerned, it does its job very well. I’m not a huge fan of Hills ‘77 so I’d say this is a rare occasion when a remake can be considered not only a worthwhile undertaking but a better film altogether.

The Fox disc features a highly detailed and colourful image (Hills boasts attractive cinematography and landscape work) combined with an aggressive surround track serving the movie more than adequately. The UK DVD is longer than the theatrical cut, or ‘unrated’ as it was labelled in the US. If you really want the softer edit then it’s available on R1, but not here. Most fans will want the ’unrated’ version anyway so there are no complaints. Aja is a genre director of note, previously shooting the controversial (primarily due to its denouement) slasher Haute Tension (available in the UK as Switchblade Romance); he pulls no punches with Hills.

2007, US, Directed by Sam Raimi

Colour, Running Time: 139 minutes

Cinema screening, Image: 2.35:1 Super 35 (VistaVision for FX), Audio: English language

On the run from the police a hapless crook escapes into a scientific test facility where his molecules are accidentally fused with those of sand - it later turns out that this is the same guy that may have shot Peter Parker’s uncle several years ago, rather than the villain Spider-Man allowed to die. Simultaneously, a meteorite hits Earth releasing a symbiotic alien entity that latches on to Parker, a malevolent life form that integrates with its host and begins influencing it. Facing mounting personal problems with his separation from Mary-Jane, attacks from an unforgiving Harry Osbourne (AKA the new Green Goblin) and wrestling an angry inner drive for revenge against his uncle’s killer, now affectionately known as Sandman, the mutated hero begins to realise that his behaviour has been changing for the worse and manages to rip the alien from his body, only to find later that it has crawled onto another victim, a rival photographer whose dishonesty has been exposed by Parker, to give birth to the monstrous Venom. Venom and Sandman both want Spidey dead and join forces to destroy him.

Well I’ll make myself unpopular: it seems there have been a lot of internet opinions suggesting Spidey 3 is a mess but I enjoyed the latest chapter. It certainly is a little long and could have done with the removal or trimming of one or two obtrusive scenes (there is probably too much emphasis on Parker’s romantic life). But as superhero story combined with soap opera (which the Spider-Man comics effectively are) it generally works well enough - the story contains multiple parallel threads, most of which gradually come together. I would complain about the liberties taken with the Gwen Stacy character (a subplot designed to cause a rift between Parker and MJ) - Stacy died at the hands of the Goblin in the original comic story and her implementation here is unfaithful. Non-readers of the comics, however, wouldn’t find a problem with this, but as a big fan of the comic through the 70s and 80s it does make me wonder why she was used in this way.

The action sequences are exciting (though I do wish Raimi would stop having Spidey fight unmasked), particularly on a cinema screen, and again the violence is a little excessive for smaller kids. With most of the relevant cast and crew involved from the first two movies there is suitable continuity that helps blend it with the other films. I think people probably want to dislike this film partly due to the widespread popularity of the series but, aside from a few unnecessary minutes (I couldn’t quite get my head around the extent to which Parker’s Venom-influenced ostentatious activities were exaggerated), it’s a nice continuation of the character’s adventures. Oh, and Bruce Campbell has another great cameo!

2006, US, Directed by Gil Kenan

Animation, Running Time: 87 minutes

DVD, Region 2, Sony, Video: Anamorphic 2.39:1, Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1

In an American suburb the local kids are terrorized by a bitter old man whenever they step on his property or let their toys fall on to his lawn, causing a real stink on Halloween when kids like to go trick-or-treating. One boy in particular, DJ, is suspicious of what goes on in the old man’s spooky house, setting up a telescope in his bedroom and generally becoming obsessed. As his parents shoot off for holiday, er, sorry - vacation, and the old man himself is taken away by ambulance, DJ enlists the help of his fat friend and the local babe (if you’re 13 or under of course) as they begin to realise that the house itself seems to have a mind of its own, apparently ‘eating’ anything that it can. The police understandably don’t believe a word of it, so the youngsters decide to take the matter into their own nicely modelled hands - they start formulating a plan to break in.

Coming across as a modern mix of The ‘burbs and The Goonies, Monster House is a fairly creative CGI movie showcasing advances in technology to quite astounding effect. The story itself is not groundbreaking but the characters are a joy to watch. The script is executed at a slower pace than expected by the usual roundup of ’stars’ who do an adequate job with the material. Rendering has reached such heights that the visuals could almost pass for stop-motion photography if the character movements themselves were not so smooth, which almost makes one wonder if the film could just have been shot as live-action utilising CG special effects (especially considering the extensive use of motion capture, which is not true animation). Made using an innovative 3D process for its original theatrical screenings, the technique has stimulated plenty of inventive virtual camera work that helps draw the viewer into the action even in 2D. There seems to have been a little influence from Tim Burton here also, the score itself coming across as a Danny Elfman imitation on occasions. An acceptably delightful film.

The digital transfer, while not as sharp as expected (probably due to the fact that they deliberately added ‘film grain’ in post-production), is delectable - the images created by the Sony team are often quite stunning and they are well represented here. The surround mix is equally absorbing making the disc a good demonstration piece for your system whether you enjoy the film or not. Should you be brave enough yet it’s also available on superior Blu-ray Disc but on either format Monster House is quite a fun ride.