The Rape of the Vampire (1968) Review

Director: Jean Rollin
Stars: Solange Pradel, Jacqueline Sieger
Genre: Horror

The directorial debut from Jean Rollin, the master of shirtless vampires, The Rape of the Vampire (Le Viol du Vampire) is a low-budget yet highly inventive and unique film that is beloved by Rollin fans but unfortunately overlooked by just about everyone else.

The plot can be a bit hard to follow for some, so much so that the film sometimes earns the descriptor of 'Surrealism" and Jean Rollin himself said that when the film was first released many audience members threw things at the screen in anger due to the fact that they didn't know what the film was about. It's truthfully not that hard to follow though, so long as you pay attention. The film is in two parts, since it was originally planned as a short film (part one) but was later expanded (part two) in order to qualify as a feature. The basic premise is this: three people go a chateau to cure four sisters of vampirism, which they believe is only a psychological disorder. Things go awry though when they realize that they are indeed vampires.

One reason why the plot is a bit confusing and seemingly nonsensical at times is because Jean Rollin lost the script very early in filming the second part. Which is why the first part (which was originally made as a standalone short film) is much more coherent than the second. So not only did the second part have the burden of expanding an already concluded story but it also was largely improvised due to the loss of the script.

It's not the story that will remain with you long after you watch a Jean Rollin film though, it's the odd atmosphere and beautiful imagery (and perhaps some vampire breasts as well) that you will remember.

This was the only film Rollin ever shot in black & white, and seeing it makes me wish he made more in b&w. Of course it was shot in b&w due to budget limitations (similar to why Night of the Living Dead, another low-budget horror classic released the same year, did the same) but I felt that the lack of color really complimented the atmosphere and imagery. Anyone who has watched a Rollin film (aside from those who foolishly wave it off as "trash") will know that Rollin was a master at creating a haunting atmosphere that can spark numerous emotions in the viewer from confusion to terror to somberness to arousal. Companioned by simply stunning imagery and cinematography. If Night of the Living Dead's camerawork achieved the feeling of claustrophobia then The Rape of the Vampire's achieved the feeling of the haunted and fantastical.

The atmosphere and imagery work together and compliment each other and imagery, at the end of the day, is a small part of the vast atmosphere. Another part would be the musical score. Many of Rollin's films are noted for their great soundtracks and his first film is no exception. Much of the music has a very jazzy sound, but perhaps more accurately a twisted jazz sound. Comparable to many No Wave Jazz bands that would later form in the 70s and 80s, such as The Lounge Lizards (who are very much worth a listen I may add). In conclusion it's a fantastically haunting soundtrack that builds on the atmosphere and is an impressive piece of work in its own right. 

Jean Rollin films are known for their level of eroticism. The Rape of the Vampire lives up to its name. It's not nearly as explicit as some of Rollin's later films, but there is nonetheless an abundance of vampires boobs and bushes.

I mentioned that this film was low-budget, and when I say low-budget I mean low. None of the actors had ever been in a film before nor had any prior training. The scene with the mob of people actually consisted of crew members rather than hired actors. And last but certainly not least, the four vampire sisters were played by only two people. Yes, you read that right. According to Wikipedia two of the sisters were played by Ursule Pauly, one was played by a stripper, and the fourth played by a mannequin. Amazing.

That being said, Jean Rollin did a very good job with such a small budget. He didn't entirely disguise the film's budget of course, you can still notice the budget limitations in action, but he certainly made the best of it and the final product is to say the least very impressive. Which brings me to the acting which is, as one would expect from amateurs, amateurish, but certainly not terrible. Jacqueline Sieger as the Vampire Queen was wonderfully creepy and delivered a pretty stellar performance. Her ghoulish face is certainly one that I will not soon forget.

The Rape of the Vampire also has a bit of history and scandal to it as well. It was released during the May 1968 events in France (which if your not familiar with here's a Wikipedia article) and French film distributors, fearing the box office, released not a single new film into theaters during that time. Thus The Rape of the Vampire was the only new film to be released during the May 1968 civil unrest in France. Which is a phenomenal thing itself but the film also, because of this fact, ended up being the most successful film in France that year. Pretty extraordinary.

The Rape of the Vampire is an essential film for fans of Jean Rollin, it's certainly one of his best, and is also a great place to start for those unfamiliar with Rollin's work. It's a great film when you give it a proper chance and deserves to be considered a classic of the genre.

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TerrorVision (1986) Review

Director: Ted Nicolaou
Stars: Diane Franklin, Gerrit Graham
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Science Fiction

TerrorVision pretty much defines what a cheesy 80s horror film is: a ridiculous premise, equally ridiculous fashion, awesome practical effects, MTV, a great soundtrack, and metal heads. (and W.A.S.P.!)

So a family, composed of a military grandfather and a grandson who follows in his war-like footsteps, his sister whom pretty much sums up the 80s in an outfit and her metal head boyfriend, not to mention the oblivious swinging parents and a late night horror hostess in the vein of Elvira. The family gets a new satellite dish installed, except, to their surprise, an alien monster from another planet gets beamed through their satellite and materializes out of their television set!

Like I said, it's an absurd premise (which kind of reminded me of The Video Dead). The story fits perfectly with its era, back when Television sets were the most important piece of technology a family could worry about, rather than the cellphones and computers and tablets of nowadays.

The 80s were a time of great B-movie horror films, a time perhaps only comparable to the B-movies of the 1950s. The slasher genre was in full swing, horror films began to become self-conscious of just how cheesy they were, practical effects had evolved enough to look totally awesome and people did some crazy stuff with effects. Not to mention that the 80s were really the last decade where practical effects were the standard, until the 90s, and even more-so in the 2000s, where CGI is the new standard of special effects.

And the special effects in here are pretty damn awesome. Not only the monster effects and design bring TerrorVision visual pleasantries though. There's also some wonderful use of lighting, and every scene is complemented by some colorful lights. The film always gives off a purplish or bluish or sometimes even greenish glow. It's very reminiscent of the lighting in Creepshow. And lest us not forget the wonderful 1980s vibe the film has.

The soundtrack is pretty fantastic also (just listen to the title song), parts of it were composed by Richard Band and a few tracks by LA rock band The Fibonaccis. It's definitely awesome.

All the acting is fairly average, except for maybe the beautiful (and simultaneously ridiculously fashioned) Diane Franklin, whom gives a very memorable performance. 

If you like films like Killer Klowns from Outer Space then TerrorVision is your kind of film. It's campy, low-budget, hilarious, and pretty damn awesome when all is said and done. 

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Planet of the Vampires (1965) Review

Director: Mario Bava
Stars: Barry Sullivan, Norma Bengell, Ivan Rassimov
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction

Planet of the Vampires is a film that took obvious influence from sci-fi films like Forbidden Planet, and has given obvious influence to films like Alien and Prometheus.

With this film Mario Bava (Black Sunday, Black Sabbath, Kill Baby Kill) broke away from his more Gothic Horror and Gialli films and made a Sci-Fi Horror. When a crew crash lands on an alien planet they are greeted with hostility by an alien race who takes over the dead bodies of crew members in a weird sort of zombie/vampire fashion and threatens to kill the rest of the crew members and potentially even invade Earth.

The first thing you'll notice about Planet of the Vampires is that it appears to be another campy Technicolor sci-fi movie from the 60s; the type of film Barbarella makes fun of. And it is. But that's not all it is. It's obviously low-budget (Bava said that they only had two plastic rocks as props, and even that mirrors were used to create the illusion of there being more plastic rocks), the costumes and pseudo-technology reek of 60s cheese, the spaceships and control panels obviously do nothing more than light up and make futuristic noises, the misleading poster, the misleading title. It has all that, and some parts will probably bring you some unintentional laughs. But the film also has some impressive directing from Bava, an interesting style, and even a few moments of well-crafted atmosphere. 

The film has a constant present of colored smokes and mists (partly to mask the low budget props, partly because it looks awesome). Not only does it look pleasing but it also kind of sets a nice atmosphere, or at the very least a nice visual theme. The costumes are ridiculous and cool at the same time. The spaceships are awesome in a campy way. There's a scene where they enter an old alien ship (very similar to a scene in Alien) and there are giant alien skeletons laying around which not only gives off some great imagery but is also pretty damn creepy.

Along with the atmospheric smoke there's some wonderful use of lighting. Every scene has a different color to it, whether it be red or purple or green, and it not only adds to the atmosphere but it adds the the film's stylish quality in a very major and positive way.

There's quite a bit of blood and gore in here (it is a Mario Bava film after all). It looks nice in its bright-red paint sort of aesthetic. The make-up is pretty good; kind of reminded me of The Omega Man in a way, with the bright red blood and the vampires. Though, admittedly, Planet of the Vampires is, though an older film, still much more visually pleasing than The Omega Man.

The plot is pretty thin and has some twists that I'm sure surprise no one, at least not anymore. The characters are poorly written and terribly acted. Throw on top of that some terrible audio dubbing as well. Yeah, it's not exactly your most literary or dramatic or poetic film, but it's really not supposed to be. It's pulp through and through. 

Takes influence from the likes of Forbidden Planet and It! The Terror from Beyond Space, gave influence to films like Alien and Prometheus. It's an enjoyable film if you like this sort of stuff. A campy film but with a little extra. 

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The Burning (1981) Review

Director: Tony Maylam
Stars: Brian Matthews, Jason Alexander, Holly Hunter, Fisher Stevens
Genre: Horror, Slasher

The Burning is a Horror film released during the Slasher Boom of the early 1980s, made to capitalize on the success of Friday the 13th from the previous year.

The story is as you may of guessed: a bunch of teenagers at summer camp being chased around the woods by a murderer. This time the murderer happens to be an old camp caretaker (nicknamed Cropsy, based apparently on an urban legend) who was involved in a burn accident years ago when a prank went wrong.

The plot is standard and most everything about the film is very conventional for the genre. The characters are what you'd expect them to be, the killer's motives are typical. It's a slasher film after all.

At first we don't get a good look at the killer, Cropsy, we only see parts of his body at first and never his face; similar to how 1950s monster movies never revealed the monster until the end. The killer doesn't even talk in this movie. This all creates a bit of mystery and suspense and build-up, but it hardly makes for a memorable slasher villain. Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger he is not.

The special effects were done by the fabulous Tom Savini (notable for his effects work on titles such as Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Friday the 13th). He does, as expected, a splendid job with the gore. And there is quite a bit of gore in here, so much so that this film is even sometimes labeled as a Splatter film. The raft scene, perhaps the film's best scene, has decapitated limbs and fingers flying around. It's pretty great and it looks awesome too. There aren't really any stand-out kills I can remember. All the kills are pretty average and forgettable, aside from the wonderful gore that accompanies them. 

The killer's design is nothing special--like I said, it's not exactly a memorable villain. He kind of reminded me a bit of Vincent Price in House of Wax. I guess because they're both burn victims. Again nothing special. Savini said he was only given three days to work on the killer's design which is perhaps why it's not all that it could of been.

Slasher films are notorious for their bad acting, but with The Burning that stigma doesn't exactly hold true. Don't get me wrong, there's no stellar performances here but all of it is pretty solid. This film also marks the screen debuts of three renowned actors: Jason Alexander (who went on to play George Castanza on Seinfeld), Fisher Stevens (went on to have roles in films like Short Circuit and Hackers), and Holly Hunter (who is perhaps best known for her roles in a number of Coen Brothers films). It's pretty cool to see these stars before they were stars. And so young too! Jason Alexander is definitely the charm of the film. He's a joy to watch and not only is his acting good but his character is also likable (due, likely, to the energy that his acting brings to the character).

The score was composed by Rick Wakeman (former keyboardist for the band Yes). It's a very good score though a very conventional one. It's the type of score you'd expect to see in a lot of slashers and gialli. It's good though and very listenable.

Overall The Burning is not the worst that the 1980s had to offer in the way of slasher films, though not the best either. A pretty average film with some cool moments. Definitely watchable and potentially enjoyable for fans of slashers. 

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It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) Review

Director: Edward L. Cahn
Stars: Marshall Thompson, Shirley Patterson, Ann Doran
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror

It! The Terror from Beyond Space is a black-and-white Science Fiction Horror film straight from the Cold War Space Age. Directed by Edward L. Cahn whom may be remembered for his other work in the genre such as Invasion of the Saucer Men, Zombies of Mora Tau, and Invisible Invaders.

The story concerns a crew of astronauts who are returning to Earth but, much to their dismay, an Alien from Mars snuck onto their ship and it wants to kill them all.

The film is perhaps most notable for being, along with Planet of the Vampires, one of the primary influences on Ridley Scott's Alien. They share very similar concepts and plots. But It! The Terror from Beyond Space, though really the first of its kind in that it's essentially a monster movie on a spaceship, feels an awful lot like it's The Thing From Another World in space. And I'm sure the film took a lot of inspiration from the highly influential 1951 film.

The film does have a level of camp to it, but then again what 50s sci-fi film doesn't? It's camp appeal really only comes from it's dated special effects and scientific inaccuracies, but the film never really feels too cheesy. It's never overly unintentionally funny and it can actually be viewed and enjoyed as a serious piece of work. 

The special effects are as you may expect them to be from a low-budget 50s sci-fi monster movie. The monster/alien, whose design isn't anything special by the way, is obviously a man in a rubber suit, the spaceship looks like cardboard, etc, etc. But, like anyone who frequently views 50s films of the fantastical, you learn to get past all that.

The character development is minuscule, the acting is passable at best, the story goes very little further than its concept (i.e. alien on ship killing people), and there's a sort of romantic sub-plot going on that is so thin that you'll hardly notice it (which is a good thing, because romance has no business in a sci-fi horror). I thought it was kind of neat how the monster slowly worked his way up the spaceship (the ship is essentially a tube with rooms stack atop one another) until he had the crew trapped on the very top to make their last stand.

It's perhaps not as good as the film that inspired it (The Thing From Another World) nor as good as the film it inspired (Alien) but for anyone who enjoys 50s b-movies of this nature It! The Terror from Beyond Space is a pretty awesome film. 

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