One of the most off-the-wall bizarre horror movies I ever witnessed. Everything but the kitchen sink. Definitely stands a rewatch before I give it a full write up. This German produced low-budget horror involves the waking of a demon and an undead army, set to a rather boring cast of characters who are at long length slaughtered in a variety of absurd ways that each seem to outdo each other. Witness a panzer tank, chainsaw, skateboard and other unexpected instruments of death.
Independently made, written and directed by Don Coscarelli in 1979, Phantasm stands out among horror franchises in imagination, creativity, surreal and macabre atmosphere. Set around the events taking place at a cemetery and funeral home, Phantasm incorporates sci-fi and horror with an antagonist from another world transforming corpses into undead labor, pit against cool-dude muscle car musician, his kid brother, and their ice cream truck vendor friend, all as reluctant heroes. Bizarre as it may be, the plot foundation is much more developed than the supernatural slashers like Halloween and Friday the 13th which only ever sought to explain (and so badly you’d rather they didn’t) the origins of their villains as an afterthought.
Phantasm became a cult classic that introduced The Tall Man, played by Angus Scrimm (*August 19, 1926 – † January 9, 2016), aided by spherical killing machines. These chrome orbs have become instantly recognizable as one of horror’s most innovative devices to date. Several sequels followed, as Regie and Mike follow The Tall Man’s wake of desolated small towns across the US, exploring this weird inter-dimensional horror tale, rife with horror fan service and self awareness that keeps the story in the family.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantasm_(film)
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0079714/
François Hadji-Lazaro (*22 June 1956 – †25 February 2023) was a French actor, musician and producer. Hadji-Lazaro played in many bands such as Les Garçons Bouchers (1986–1995) and Pigalle (1986–2018). Hadji-Lazaro appeared in more than 20 films since 1987, including a lead role in Cemetery Man as Gnaghi
March 25, 1994 (Italy), April 26, 1996 (USA)
Francesco Dellamorte laments his name – Andre Dellamorte would be much better. He is the local caretaker at a small town cemetery in Italy, which entails an additional task beyond digging graves and keeping the grounds in order. Here, the dead return to life as flesh eating zombies and need to be put back where they belong, a second time. This black comedy is based loosely off of the popular italian horror detective comic, Dylan Dog, and involves romance, comedic relief from a bizarre sidekick, a very large gun, and a marvelous ossuary. Some of the best visuals, creative writing, and artistic delivery of the 1990s, and a must see for cemetery aficionados. The best black comedy since The Loved One.
Director: Michele Soavi
Writers: Tiziano Sclavi, Gianni Romoli
Stars: Rupert Everett, François Hadji-Lazaro, Anna Falchi
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109592
Two Thousand Maniacs is the 1964 follow up to Blood Feast by Herschell Gordon Lewis, ‘the godfather of gore’. One of the earliest examples of hicksploitation films, it was lauded by Lux Interior of The Cramps as an all-time great. It performed well in drive-in theaters despite being heavily cut down from Lewis’ abundant use of bright red blood, cannibalism, and torture with attention to detail and an over the top approach. This formula would establish itself as a classic in horror films to come, such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and attracted the admiration of a new generation of filmmakers like John Waters.
March 1984
Another State of Mind is a documentary film made in the summer of 1982 chronicling the adventure of two punk bands, Social Distortion and Youth Brigade, as they embark on their first international tour. Along the way they meet up with another band, Minor Threat.
The film follows the bands through New York, Montreal, Detroit, Washington DC and other cities, and some of the people they meet along the way, showing the diverse backgrounds, expressions and lifestyles of punks in the 1980s.
Writers & Directors: Adam Small, Peter Stuart
Stars: Mike Ness, M. Otis Beard, Dennis Danell, Brent Liles
March 17, 1974
Flesh for Frankenstein is a film by Paul Morrissey produced back to back with Blood For Dracula, sharing the cast of Udo Kier, Arno Jürging and Joe Dallesandro. The interpretations of these horror classics takes on elements of 70s softcore porn, arthouse style, eurotrash culture and schlock hammer horror. Though Andy Warhol’s name is attached to the releases, this is purely out of financial consideration, with little to no artistic contribution. Filming took place at Cinecittà in Rome with an Italian crew. It was filmed in 3D, which can be evident in certain scenes even in 2D viewings when objects extend towards the viewers perspective. Not only does the film achieve a distinct visual and artistic style, but the embedded social commentary takes a clear jab at squanderous bourgeois privilege.
Directors: Paul Morrissey, Antonio Margheriti
Stars: Joe Dallesandro, Udo Kier, Dalila Di Lazzaro, Arno Jürging
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071508
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh_for_Frankenstein
(aka La noche del terror ciego)
April 10, 1972 (Spain), February 1973 (USA)
Knights from the medieval era who were executed for black magic rise from the tomb to brutally murder intruders on their graves. Their only problem: they are blind! Nevertheless, the body count and creative death scenes is impressive. The plot is about as slow moving as the undead antagonists, but for low budget horror, we’re only here for a cheap thrill.
It has a succession of sequels with Return of the Blind Dead (1973), The Ghost Galleon (1974), Night of the Seagulls (1975). It’s success helped kickstart the Spanish horror film boom of the early 1970s
Written & Directed by Amando de Ossorio
Starring: Lone Fleming and César Burner