Columnists
Entries from August 2015
BY ERNIE MAGNOTTA
The notorious exploits of real-life,
Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein have inspired several horror films over the
years; three of the most well-known being Alfred Hitchcock’s immortal Psycho (1960), Tobe Hooper’s legendary The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and
Jonathon Demme’s Academy Award-winning The
Silence of the Lambs (1991). These three masterpieces took bits and pieces
of Ed Gein’s horrific methods and personality in order to help build their own
iconic cinematic villains. For instance, instead of wearing a female victim’s
skin like Ed did, Psycho’s Norman
Bates dressed as his own mother who the disturbed boy had an unhealthy
attachment to (Gein also had an unhealthy attachment to his mom). The Silence of the Lambs’ Buffalo Bill
planned to dress in the skin of his victims, but was not obsessed with his own
mother and, also, desired a sex change which Gein did not. (That film’s
Hannibal Lecter actually did dress in the skin of one of his victims, although
it seemed to be just a one-time thing for him.) Lastly, Chainsaw’s Leatherface also wore his unfortunate victim’s skin and,
much like Ed, decorated his home with human body parts. However, unlike Gein, Leatherface
used a chain saw, had a demented brother and father and could not function
within normal society. Right now, most of you are thinking that a more accurate
depiction of Gein’s atrocities has never been filmed. Not true. All you need to
do is to take a look at a lesser-known, but very well-made, low-budget thriller
called Deranged.
Written by Alan Ormsby (Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things, My
Bodyguard) and co-directed by Ormsby and Jeff Gillen, Deranged aka Deranged: The
Confessions of a Necrophile tells the gruesome story of middle-aged,
Midwest resident Ezra Cobb (Roberts Blossom from Escape from Alcatraz, Christine and Home Alone) who has lived with his religious and woman-hating
mother, Amanda (The First Time‘s
Cosette Lee), his entire life. When his mother finally passes away, Ezra begins
to slowly lose his mind. One night, he digs up her corpse and convinces himself
that she is still alive. The lonely and disturbed man eventually begins
exhuming more corpses which he uses to decorate his home. It isn’t long before
Ezra completely descends into madness and stalks fresh, young female victims. He
brings them back to his farm, dresses up in his mother’s skin and performs
unspeakable acts upon them.
Horror fans (and cinema buffs in general)
will be delighted to know that, although uncredited, the late, great filmmaker
Bob Clark (Black Christmas, Deathdream,
Murder by Decree, Porky’s, A Christmas Story) helped out quite a bit on
this film. Made for only $200,000.00, Deranged
was released in early 1974 by American International Pictures and grossed
$6 million at the box office. The powerful and disturbing Canadian-American production,
also features several highly recognizable faces from 1970s &80s Canadian
cinema such as Leslie Carlson (Videodrome,
A Christmas Story) and Marian Waldman (Black
Christmas, Phobia). Deranged also
benefits from a wonderful musical score (partly made up of Gospel hymns) by
talented composer Carl Zittrer (Children
Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, Deathdream)
as well as amazingly realistic-looking effects by legendary makeup artist/director/stuntman
Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead, Friday the
13th, Creepshow) in one of his very first cinematic efforts.
So, how does Deranged stack up against the Ed Gein-inspired movies mentioned
earlier? It may not have the amazing structuring and nail-biting suspense of Psycho, the well-defined
characterizations of The Silence of the
Lambs or the relentless terror of Texas
Chainsaw, but it does contain solid-enough characters (especially Ezra) and
the film builds quite nicely, culminating in an orgy of violent madness. Like
the three aforementioned classics, Deranged
is also filled with quite a bit
of black humor which helps immensely by giving audiences some much-needed
relief from the gruesome subject matter. Speaking of humor, the movie is mostly
carried by Roberts Blossom who gives a wonderfully balanced performance as
Ezra, making the dangerous and scary killer extremely funny in spots as well as
relatable and even likeable. No, the film is not in the same league as the
others, but it’s still an extremely well-made, engaging and creepy little movie
which is not only a much more (although, not completely) accurate depiction of
the life of Ed Gein, but also a film that deserves to be seen.
Deranged has been released
as a special edition Blu-ray by the fine folks at Kino Lorber. The film is
presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and the high definition transfer
looks absolutely amazing (I’ve owned a copy of this film for 25 years and it
doesn’t look anywhere near as beautiful as this transfer does). The audio is
also excellent and the disc contains the original theatrical trailer as well as
an onscreen interview with Producer Tom Karr who candidly talks about many
interesting subjects such as not being allowed to film in Wisconsin, Christopher
Walken and Harvey Keitel both almost being cast as Ezra, and the possibility of
a Deranged remake. We are also
treated to not one, but two audio commentaries. The first, which is wonderfully
moderated by director Elijah Drenner (American
Grindhouse), features personable writer and co-director Alan Ormsby who
gives us a ton of terrific behind-the-scenes info as well as his recollections
of working alongside Bob Clark, Tom Savini and co-director Jeff Gillen. The
second commentary is by film historian Richard Harland Smith from Turner
Classic Movies. Smith gives a highly absorbing and exhaustive commentary which
not only covers Ed Gein and Deranged,
but every conceivable piece of cinema even remotely related to this subject
matter including Caddyshack! The
poster’s original, effective images and highly memorable tagline, “Pretty Sally
Mae died a very unnatural death!...but the worst hasn’t happened to her yet!â€, are
featured on both the Blu-ray’s sleeve and menu. The often overlooked film is a
real find for retro horror fans/lovers of early 70s cult cinema, and this
impressive Blu-ray collection is an absolute must.
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BY ERNIE MAGNOTTA
By 1988 Chuck Norris was firmly established
as an international action movie star who was spoken about in the same breath
as Charles Bronson, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The six-time
world karate champion had shown us his stuff in more than a half dozen
entertaining martial arts/action flicks such as Silent Rage (1982), Forced
Vengeance (1982) and Lone Wolf
McQuade (1983) before somewhat breaking away from his karate roots and
moving into almost pure action films the likes of Missing in Action (1984), Code
of Silence (1985) and Invasion U.S.A.
(1985). Although Chuck eventually tried his hand at comedy (1986’s Firewalker), his fans (including me) were
happiest at seeing him play the lone hero who kicks ass, takes names and makes
the world a better place. In 1988, we got our wish as Chuck continued his
successful association with now legendary film studio The Cannon Group and
starred in a brand new action film entitled Hero
and the Terror.
Directed by William Tannen (Flashpoint), Hero and the Terror, which was based on a novel by actor/writer Michael
Blodgett (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,
Turner & Hooch), concerns Homicide detective Dan O’Brien (Norris) who,
a few years earlier, had been given the nickname “Hero†due to “capturingâ€
notorious Los Angeles serial killer Simon Moon (Superman II’s Jack O’Halloran). Since then, O’Brien has been
mentally torturing himself because he believes that the praise he has received
is undeserved. He also suffers from nightmares that stem from almost being murdered
by the monstrous psychopath. While Dan and his girlfriend (Brynn Thayer from
TVs One Life to Live) are busy
preparing for the birth of their first child, Moon, who the media has dubbed
“The Terrorâ€, busts out of prison and picks up exactly where he left off,
leaving a string of bloody corpses in his wake. Can detective O’Brien not only
summon the courage needed to face this horrific madman once again, but, also,
prove to himself that he has the right to be called “Hero�
Hero and the Terror
is
a bit of a unique Chuck Norris movie in that it isn’t just the usual guy flick.
Besides being a well-balanced combo of action film and suspense thriller, it
also contains a mature, romantic subplot; not to mention the fact that Chuck (believably)
plays a more realistic and human character as opposed to the almost
indestructible supermen he’s portrayed in the past, making this film appealing
to women as well as men. Brynn Thayer, as Chuck’s girlfriend, helps this along
by giving a very likeable and sometimes humorous performance.
The entertaining film is loaded with even
more top-notch acting talent. To begin with, professional boxer turned actor
Jack O’Halloran is appropriately creepy as Simon Moon. O’Halloran never utters
a word and, instead, gets his character across through expressions and body
language alone. Next up, is the late, great Steve James (American Ninja, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, Weekend at Bernie’s II and
Norris’s Delta Force) as Chuck’s
cool, funny and fearless partner. Also, the legendary and sorely missed Ron (Super Fly) O’Neal (who also co-stars in
Chuck’s A Force of One) makes a brief
appearance as the mayor; the always welcome Billy Drago (Pale Rider, The Untouchables as well as Chuck’s Invasion U.S.A. and Delta Force 2) appears in a rare, normal role as a psychiatrist; talented
musician Murphy Dunne (The Blues Brothers)
gives an amusing performance as a hotel manager, and likable Jeffrey Kramer (Jaws, Hollywood Boulevard, Jaws 2) as
well as highly recognizable character actor Tony DiBenedetto (The Exterminator, Raw Deal) show up as
cops. The movie also features Joe Guzaldo (Chuck’s Code of Silence) as the mayor’s right hand man; not to mention
cameos by 9th degree black belt Bob Wall (Enter the Dragon and Way of
the Dragon which also featured Chuck), the beautiful Karen Witter (Out of the Dark, Buried Alive, TV’s One Life to Live) and Renegade’s Branscombe Richmond as a
thug. The fun movie boasts solid direction, decent characterizations and, with
the exception of the well-done and refreshing romantic subplot, is exactly what
you would expect from a late 80s action film.
Hero and the Terror
has
been released on a region one Blu-ray by Kino Lorber and is presented in its
original 1:85:1 aspect ratio. The beautiful HD transfer boasts sharp, crystal
clear images and the disc not only contains the original theatrical trailer,
but the trailer for Chuck’s enjoyable 1981 actioner An Eye for an Eye as well. If you’re yearning for an entertaining,
yet more mature Chuck Norris action-thriller, Hero and the Terror won’t disappoint.
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BY TODD GARBARINI
Just
after the school year ended in June 1984, I went to a friend’s house on a
Friday night to watch the premiere of Carlin
on Campus, an HBO concert of one of my favorite comedians, the legendary
George Carlin. When the concert was
over, my friend switched around until he reached NBC-TV. They were airing When A Stranger Calls, a 1979 thriller starring Carol Kane, Charles
Durning, and Colleen Dewhurst. I saw the
film from the beginning, and the first twenty or so minutes had me utterly captivated. It presented a scenario that I found to be
terrifying, and apparently so did Rex Reed, whose proclamation “some of the
most terrifying sequences ever filmed†was used in the newspaper ads. I thought it was so original – until I saw
Bob Clark’s frightening Black Christmas
(1974) four years later and saw where the “inspiration†may have come from. But my impressions of the film never left
me.
SPOILER
ALERT: If you don’t want the film’s plot spoiled, do not read this review any
further as certain aspects will be revealed.
Released
on Friday, October 12, 1979, Fred Walton’s When
A Stranger Calls pits babysitter Jill Johnson (Carol Kane) in the home of
Dr. Mandrakis (Carmen Argenziano) and his wife (Rutanya Alda) who are going out
for the evening. Their two children are
upstairs asleep. An hour later, Jill
gets a phone call wherein the caller hangs up, and then a second one where a
mysterious voice asks her, “Have you checked the children?†Initially she thinks this is a friend of hers
playing a prank, but after three more of these calls throughout the night she
calls the police who brush it off as innocuous. Several more calls of this nature compel her to call the police back,
and they agree to trace the call, which is a good thing as the caller is
calling from another phone line inside the house and, horrifically, has
murdered the two children she is in charge of baby-sitting.
The
film then flash forwards seven years to Dr. Mandrakis’s new digs in Beverly
Hills. He has summoned police detective John
Clifford (Charles Durning) who handled his case. Curt Duncan (Tony Beckley), the killer, has
escaped from a mental facility. Dr.
Mandrakis wants Clifford to find him and take appropriate action to make sure
he doesn’t harm anyone else. Clifford is
only too happy to oblige. How he hopes
to succeed with this plan is not addressed. Incredibly, he confides this to a peer.
The
film is a feature-length version of the same director’s 1977 short film The Sitter, upon which the opening
sequence of the feature film is based. Unfortunately, once this sequence is over, the film moves in a
completely different direction, one that is nearly bereft of suspense until the
final reel. It’s almost as if the
remaining 80 minutes are there as filler before the credits role. Colleen Dewhurst is quite good as a woman
living in an apartment who attracts the unwanted advances of Duncan, who
appears meek and pathetic, but what single/divorced woman walks home alone at
night through dark areas and empty stairwells, only to get home and leave her
apartment door opened? One of the
biggest missteps the film makes is following the killer around and almost
painting him as a sympathetic character. How he became a monster who could kill two innocent children is never
addressed. In Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs (1991), the mere
presence of Hannibal Lecter left the audience frightened and on edge. That is not
the case with this guy, who was played by an actor who was terminally ill
during shooting and passed away in April 1980. His inability to emote anything that would instill fear plays against
the character.
Carl
Denham (Robert Armstrong) remarks in Willis O’Brien’s King Kong (1933) that “every legend has a basis of truth†and When A Stranger Calls is no
exception. A real-life case in March 1950 provided the basis for an urban legend
that persists even to this day and has become the inspiration for many
television shows and movies alike.
The
performances by those in the film are all quite good, especially Carol Kane as
the baby-sitter. The situation she finds
herself in at the end of the film has the elliptical storyline that has become
a common trope in the genre.
Dana
Kaproff, who
also scored Empire of the Ants
(1977), Death Valley (1982), and
innumerable made-for-TV movies including Wes Craven’s Chiller (1985) and Fred Walton’s I Saw What You Did (1988), the latter also revolving around a telephone,
provides an exceptional musical score that is deserving of a better movie. The score is available here
from Kritzerland on CD and is worth having even if you’re not a fan of the
film.
The
film inspired a 1993 sequel with Durning and Kane returning under the direction
of Walton. In 2006, a theatrical remake
was released.
The
Blu-ray from Umbrella is an Australian Region 4 disc that either needs to be played on an
all-region player or on a computer with a Blu-ray drive and software that
strips the regional encoding to permit playback. The image is good and has some grain, which
is expected for a film shot 36 years ago. If you’re a fan of the film and are able to play it back, this is a
decent release despite the lack of extras.
BY ERNIE MAGNOTTA
After his iconic battle against the
legendary Bruce Lee in 1972’s Way of the
Dragon (and with the encouragement of cinematic superstar and karate
student Steve McQueen), six-time, undefeated world karate champion Chuck Norris
felt it was time to move permanently into the world of cinema. In just a few
short years, he was already headlining low budget martial arts/action films
such as 1974’s Slaughter in San Francisco
(as a villain), 1977’s Breaker!
Breaker! and 1978’s Good Guys Wear
Black (his first box office hit). This success led to Chuck’s 1979 karate
classic, A Force of One. The cool and
entertaining film really started to get him noticed by action movie fans and
was quickly followed by The Octagon (1980),
an exciting and suspenseful ninja thriller. With Norris and karate/action movie
audiences now hungry for more, Chuck immediately started work on his next
feature, 1981’s highly enjoyable An Eye
for an Eye.
After his partner is murdered by powerful
international drug lord Morgan Canfield (played by the late, great Christopher
Lee), detective Sean Kane (Norris) is berated by his captain (Richard Shaft Roundtree) for using excessive force
in his quest for answers. Fed up with how the law works, Sean willingly
relinquishes his gun and his badge. However, Sean Kane doesn’t need a weapon.
Sean Kane is a weapon! Seething with rage and hell-bent on revenge,
Sean, along with a grief-stricken father (the sorely missed Mako from Conan the Barbarian and Chuck’s Sidekicks) of one of Canfield’s recent
victims, sets out on a quest to find the mysterious drug kingpin and bring him
to his knees.
Directed by Steve Carver (Big Bad Mama and Chuck’s Lone Wolf McQuade), An Eye for an Eye, which was the last film to be made by famed
independent film studio Avco Embassy Pictures (The Fog, Phantasm, The Exterminator, The Howling), was written by
William Gray (Prom Night, Humongous)
and James Bruner (Chuck’s Invasion U.S.A.
and The Delta Force), and shot
entirely on location in San Francisco, California.
The nicely paced, entertaining and well-structured
film is filled with solid direction as well as memorable and diverse
characters; not to mention wonderful performances. As is usually the case with
his engaging action films, Chuck Norris is cool, a bit humorous and totally
believable as a courageous, but dangerous hero. It’s also no surprise that the
legendary Christopher Lee brings a touch of diabolical class to his villainous role
while the great and always reliable Richard Roundtree delivers another solid
performance. The rest of the top-notch cast shines as well. Academy Award
nominee (for The Sand Pebbles) Mako
is extremely lively and witty, making his character the perfect sidekick for
the low-key and semi-serious Chuck; Matt Clark (The Outlaw Josey Wales and Chuck’s Walker, Texas Ranger) delivers a wonderfully balanced and subtle performance
as fellow cop McCoy; beautiful Maggie Cooper (TV actress turned news
commentator) does well with her role as Chuck’s love interest; three time WWWF
(now WWE) Tag Team Champion Professor Toru Tanaka (The Running Man and Chuck’s Missing
in Action 2: The Beginning) is completely convincing as a deadly and
intimidating Bond-like henchman; the lovely Rosalind Chao (TV’s Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) gives a
powerful, but, unfortunately, brief performance as a news reporter; Stuart
Pankin (Arachnophobia) is quite comical
as an effeminate pimp and, in their brief roles, Terry Kiser (Weekend at Bernie’s, Walker, Texas Ranger) is warm and
likeable as a cop while action movie regular Mel Novak (Chuck’s A Force of One) exudes slimy evil as a
street snitch. The simple, yet intriguing story moves along at a fast clip and
the skillfully directed action sequences (especially the very suspenseful chase
scene between Rosalind Chao and Professor Tanaka as well as an exciting
helicopter attack that could rival a Bond film) will no doubt keep you
watching. Add to all of this a kick-ass musical theme by talented composer
William Goldstein (Chuck’s Forced
Vengeance) and you have an early 80s action/adventure that is a real joy to
watch.
An Eye for an Eye has been released
on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber in a brand new, HD, anamorphic (1.85:1) widescreen
transfer and although the film shows some slight grain in the darker scenes,
the movie is otherwise crystal clear and the colors are vibrant. I love this film
and this is the absolute best I’ve ever seen it look. Needless to say, it’s a
tremendous improvement over the previous DVD release. The region 1 disc also
contains a very informative audio commentary with director Steve Carver who not
only discusses numerous aspects of the film’s production, but also talks about
many interesting things such as working for Avco Embassy and how the late
Professor Tanaka was really taking those hits and kicks Chuck was dishing out
in the big finale. Carver also has some wonderful and fascinating things to say
about Chuck Norris, Christopher Lee, Richard Roundtree, Mako, Toru Tanaka and
the rest of the talented cast. The disc features the original theatrical
trailer (“White Lightning is back!â€) along with a trailer for Chuck’s enjoyable
1988 action-thriller Hero and the Terror (also
on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber).
If,
like me, you’re a fan of Chuck Norris’s early 80s martial arts/action films, I
highly recommend this Blu-ray release of An
Eye for an Eye.
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