WHITE ZOMBIE (1932)

One from the golden age of horror... This film (more widely known as the namesake inspiration behind Rob Zombie's band, White Zombie) holds up remarkably well even now, an immensely watchable film that has earned its place in cult movie history. Shot in black and white and dating back to the 1930's this is probably the earliest of the zombie flicks I have seen.  No gore or special effects to speak of in this film, it has to rely on plot, dramatisation, musical score and acting and it comes across as a very solid film even from the point of view of a modern (well 80's horror fan) movie fan.

The plot follows a young man Neil who is moving up in the world and his soon to be wife Madeline on the island of Haiti, where upon arrival they are greeted by stories and a close encounter of the undead roaming the island at night and working in the sugar mills (Good to see someone smart enough to put those zombies to work... think of all that free labour going to waste in modern zombie films) ... What I like about the story line in this film is that it sits closer to the historical origin of zombies than the "Night of the living dead" style zombies which is a pleasant change. Madeline has also unfortunately attracted the attention of Charles a wealthy businessman from the island who decides that since he can't have her he will turn her into a zombie.

Some kind soul has been kind enough to upload a remastered version of this classic! check it out below!

Check out our review for Revolt of the Zombies

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THE SHINING

This is one of those moments that make being an hopelessly addicted horror fan worth it. There is nothing I can fault with this film. The film is of course an adaptation of genre leading horror novelist Stephen King's book of the same name, but it is IMMACULATELY filmed and executed by legendary director Stanley Kubrick who has a knack for creating atomspheres that are suspenseful and virtually "unearthly" (***my description for lack of any other words***). The characters are perfectly cast in this film. My understanding of Kubrick is that he is basically and obsessive tyrannical director who would push his cast to the point of breaking, but in this film it has worked perfectly. You can feel the tension of the characters who in the film are pushed to breaking point (in the film and quite likely reality).

This of course stars Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrence the asshole husband and wannabe writer who scores a job as a care taker of a hotel that shuts down over the winter season. The job works well for Jack as it lets him write his novel but also provides a steady paycheck to keep his family going. Mr Nicholson has carved a niche for himself in cinema history for playing the asshole (the Joker etc...) and in this film he does it very well, a little too well in fact....  it's quite unnerving.

Jack drags his wife and son up to the hotel where they will spend the season virtually hibernating in an awake state for the snow season. Cut off from virtually all other human contact they will have to survive in an insular environment till the summer thaw.

This is a hard film to review for fear of ruining surprises for you, but two major things happen … Jack starts to develop a "Cabin Fever" type response to being trapped inside the resort and starts seeing things that aren't really there and basically loosing his mind at a rapid rate, and Jack's son who possesses an ability, known as "The Shining" to see the atrocities that haunt the house realizes that the house is evil and begins to worry that his father will hurt them.

What follows is an enthralling documentation of Jack Torrence's descent into dementia and depending on how deeply you want to analyse the film, an analysis of the human psyche when put under pressure.

All I can do is recommend this film whole heartedly to you... and hope that you guys get the same reaction that I did out of watching this film.

For more great horror movie reviews be sure to check out http://www.gorenograhy.com on a regular basis!

NOSFERATU (1922)

Now we're going right back to the start of Horror cinema... Nosferatu!

I have to say this took me a couple of attempts to get into the right headspace to sit and watch this film but when I finally got my head right to sit down and appreciate it it was well worth it.

Some interesting background on this film was that while it was based on Bram Stokers "Dracula" it never gained legal rights to do so and instead of using the words vampire they are referred to as "Nosferatu" and instead of using the name Dracula they called the main villain "Count Orlok". They were still sued and as a result of copyright infringement all copies of the film were ordered to be destroyed. Thankfully at least a few must have survived for the movie to have remained in circulation until the digital age we now find ourselves in.

NOTE: I'm going to go into more detail with this plot as I'm sure any fan of the genre pretty much knows the story of Bram Stokers Dracula anyway, its by no means a comprehensive outline of the plot, lest it would become an essay length blog entry... but if you would rather no spoilers .. skip the next paragraph.

Nosferatu follows the story of a young real estate agent, "Hutter" who is acquiring real estate in England  for the wealthy Transylvanian Count Orlok. As the commissions on the property deal will be big, he is asked to travel to Carpathia (In Transylvania)  see the Count in person.  As he gets close to the Counts abode the tour guides refuse to go any further. He does not take this as a warning, but instead presses on to visit the count. ... and of course falls under the vampires (I mean NOSFERATU) spell. Upon entering the castle he dines with the Count and cuts his finger , which stirs  up a blood lust within the count and he sucks the blood dripping from Hutter's finger. Its then Hutter realizes things are getting strange. Hutter stays in the house and is bitten in his sleep by the Nosferatu. He starts to fall under the spell of the Count. Hutter's betrothed, Eilleen whilst still back in England also falls under the spell of the Nosferatu from across the seas. Orlok is then transported to England via sea vessell (whilst killing most or all of the crew with a plague that seems to be carried by him.. and spread into the town where he bought his house) whilst Hutter also tries to escape the Castle but hits his head and is found by the villagers who keep him in an infirmary to rest him up, wasting valuable time and giving the Count a great headstart. Hutter eventually recovers and sets sail back home,  only to find England ravaged by an plague which the Nosferatu has unleashed on the town. Count Orlok is keen is keen to sink his teeth into Hutter's fiancé,  but Eileen has read in a forbidden tome that the way to defeat a vampire is to keep him distracted by feminine beauty until the sun comes up which she does (by default) and of course the Count vapourises into dust and the curse he's brought with him is nullified.

The movie itself is primitive and has no dialogue. You can kind of see the stuttering of the frames. The film is shot in Black and White / Sepia and in some places seems to have a strange green hue to it (I'm not sure if the restoration process did this or the original film)  The accompanying music is a recreation as the original score had been lost in time... But there in lies the charm of this film. The music that accompanies this film is quite hypnotic and other worldly in its own way and adds to the atmosphere of the film. Scenes are cut with script text laid out in old style gothic script which does help a lot, but also adds to the arcane feeling of this film. But like I said it did take me a while to get into the headspace required to appreciate this work, but I have a sneaky feeling this is the film that spark a new interest in vintage horror for me (Note: it most certainly DID!) 

Anyway here's a really neat, HD version of the film I've found on YouTube for your enjoyment so check it out!

For more great horror movie reviews be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com on a regular basis!

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)

This is  a wonderful movie for a few reasons.... It is expertly shot, produced and sequenced and for my money really holds the viewer gripped to their seat for the entire length of the movie, at no point is the viewer feeling like the pace has slowed down or bored. The star power in this one is at peak levels with Anthony Hopkins starring along side Jodie Foster as the Psychopathic Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clarise Starling respectively.

Secondly the film gets into the mind of serial killer like no other movie I've ever seen. I haven't read the book, so I can't tell you if it was author Tom Harris' knowledge of the killers' psyche or if the movie producers took it to a new level but either way they've really connected the viewer to the mind of the serial killer with Hopkins' character Hannibal Lecter.

The plot revolves around a young FBI agent (nearing the end of her training) who is obviously standing out from the current crop of students and is asked to talk to long time incarcerated serial killer / cannibal and psychologist Hannibal Lecter in the hopes of picking his brain about a new killer who they can't track down. Hannibal is as mentioned above a psychologist by trade and an expert in getting inside peoples psyche and a master manipulator, none of the other FBI agents have been able to get anything out of him but Clarise manages to find a soft spot in Dr. Lecter who helps her out in a cryptic round about way which leaves Clarise to have to get tot he bottom of both Lecters clues and the serial killer before he kills his latest victim.

This is one of those films that anyone into horror really needs to watch, it does have a reasonable amount of gore and violence but focuses in more on the psychological aspects and probably is closer to a thriller than a horror but either way the quality of this film will appeal far beyond the base of horror fiends and is a staple in may mainstream movie fans list of favorate movies.

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NIGHT OF THE LIVNG DEAD (1968)

This is George Romero's ground breaking zombie flick from 1968.   

Shot on Black and White film, and filmed on what can only be described as a shoe-string budget this film is singlehandedly responsible for bringing zombies as we know them today  (as opposed to the haitian/voodoo zombies in movies like White Zombie that had previously been depicted in movies until then) into the mainstream of modern culture and spawning countless zombie films just like it, some better and many immeasurably worse. It is also the earliest film I can think of that uses explicit gore, levels of gore which now have been rendered "cute" by todays standards but were revolutionary by late 60's standards.

Basically the plot revolves around a scenario where the dead are coming back to life and a small group of survivors are trapped in a farmhouse left to defend themselves with whatever weapons they can find, while the undead around them are literally "chomping at the bit" to take a bite out of them.

While much of  it now would be considered outdated and the special effects used rather plain this is still quite a watchable film and something that you could use to introduce your kids to the world of horror without traumatizing them. Featuring none of the over the top gore that the following films in the franchise (Day of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead etc....) were renowned for, this can probably be considered one of the safer films for the horror newbie, where I guess hardened gore-fiends might find the pace of this one a bit slow.

Over all its a great watch, and historically important to gain an understanding where the zombie infection first took a hold on mainstream cinema audiences

It is presented below in all its glory on you tube for those that haven't had the pleasure!

For more great horror movie reviews be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com on a regular basis

THE THING ... (1952)

The full title for this one is THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD .... .  but I've never really heard it referred to as that... so I'll call it "The Thing". It's essentially an adaptation of a short story called 'Who goes there?" from the 30's which was later done again by master horror director John Carpenter in 1982.

The plot revolves around a military operation in the north pole concerning a UFO that went down in the artic. Upon investigation the crew accidently blow up the craft but find the frozen remains of the alien nearby the site and take it back, with the intention of testing it.  However the "Thing" thaws out faster than they'd anticipated and escapes the military facility and slaughters a couple of military dogs in the snow,  but not without the dogs removing an arm off the "thing" which is taken back to be tested. Upon testing it is determined the arm belongs to a creature not of this world composed of materials closer to plant life than human flesh and blood. However the "Thing" can change shape and mimic humans which it does and then its up to the rest of the defence force personell on the base to stop the thing before it wastes them.

The movie itself is quite reasonable when considering it is a B & W feature directed in the early 50s. I have to say I found it quite enjoyable for what it is, but unfortunately it doesn't stand up against the later version done by John Carpenter (which I'd already seen) but like many movies of this era I still think its worth watching if only as a historical reference and to see how far Carpenter took the film. I should also qualify this by admitting I'm not a huge fan of science fiction and while this film was rated the best sci-fi of its year and is quite highly regarded,  I Just found it a little slow going. The film itself has very little horror, as lets face it most films of the time would have done, it also would have been cool to see the "Thing" a little more (though I guess the special FX standards of the time wouldn't have done it justice). This is by no means a bad film, I was just a little underwhelmed by it after having seen the 1982 version.

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FRANKENSTEIN (1931)

Its a quiet Saturday night in for me this week and I thought I'd put one something easier on the senses so I dragged out an old VHS copy of FRANKENSTEIN.

Since writing this blog I've gained an appreciation for the horror classics, and I have to say out of all the golden era (20s and 30s period) this is probably my favorite. This is one movie I have to say really works well on the VHS format, the picture probably wasn't shot in anything more high definition than a tape would have been and the analogue tape format really carries the soundtrack and dialogue of the film well.

I'm sure we all have a fair idea of the plot or have at least read the book so there's no huge necessity for me to outline the plot again. Boris Karloff (see also The Mummy) once again is cast as the creature and while I'm not familiar with anyone else acting in the film they all do a great job, movies as this one rely on dialogue and the interplay with light/shadows and of course the soundtrack and a great job is done in all areas.

Production values aside it rolls along nicely as a film, the visual quality seems ahead of the other monster films of the time and doesn't feel as slow paced as some of the other films of the generation. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it the whole way through. Another point to mention is that Frankenstein's monster is not an ambitious talk to recreate with the technology of the time as some of the creatures (universal monsters) look quite comical now where as in this case the monster is quite believable.

As with most films of this era there's no real gore or graphic violence so you can watch it with your younger children or elderly parents without the fear of upsetting anyone. I couldn't find a free online version of it but its available to stream on You Tube or I'm sure you won't have too much trouble finding it at a second hand store or Ebay or something

For more great movie reviews be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com regularly!

SUSPIRIA (1977)

Well this was certainly a strange one...  Directed in 1977 by Dario Argento (later responsible for Demons in 1985) .... I really like this film, the colors in the filming are amazing and really help dramatize the whole affair nicely. Its quite a striking affair too, standing out as probably the only film I've seen that comes across in quite a manner. Visually speaking, the vivid colors give it a surreal / otherworldly feel to it. It's hard to describe but I found myself quite mesmerized by the visual imagery. I don't know that much about filming techniques, but I guess you'd have to see it to understand.

The plot itself revolves around a young lady Suzy who is accepted into a performance art school in Europe (Germany) and arrives late one night to see another student fleeing from the building. Co-incidently Suzi is not able to get into the building until the next day and decides to spend the night in a hotel nearby. Said fleeing student is then subsequently murdered along with her friend she has confided in in a gruesome double killing.  Suzy returns the next morning to the aftermath of the killing and some strange goings on in the academy.

The usual teething problems of gaining acceptance amongst her peers are present but there is something much nastier, an occult evil, lurking beneath the surface of what appears to be a prestigious academy, a mystery which Suzy tries to get to the bottom of.

I have to say its an enjoyable film but could be a little slow paced for the hardened gore fiends but I found it unique and entertaining. I'll definitely be rewatching it to see what else I can get out of this film, as I suspect there'll be more aspects to the plot that will be unearthed on a second viewing..

The gore levels besides the first two murders are not too extreme (though they were probably considered extreme for the time) nor does it live up to the marketing hype as the scariest film ever (I always laugh when I see those by-lines on movie covers/posters), so it won't make your non-horror friends loose their lunch, or think you need to be institutionalized either.

For more great horror movies be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com on a regular basis!

THE MUMMY (1932)

I thought it was time to fire up the old VHS player and give this one a spin. These old VHS tapes do have a certain charm, Its strange to think some guy probably paid a lot of money for this back in the day (as indeed I did too back in the 90's) and now I find myself  having to sift through a couple hundred of them which I got for next to nothing.

This was one such treasure, with child like enthusiasm I fed it into the "state of the art" 6 head, Hifi VCR and went back to the couch to absorb this film in all its grainy, black and white, VHS glory.

Realistically this film is obviously dated but I think its an interesting watch the story and plot line holds interest and the dialogue is excellent. As a child of the 80's glory days of horror its hard to go back and put myself into the mind of someone watching this in the 1930's would this film have frightened audiences back in the day? hard to say.... there's some chilling dialogue but overall its an easy watch.

The film revolves around a group of archaeologists who unearth the mummy of the Egyptian Phaoroh, Imhotep... (in much the same way I unearthed these VHS tapes) and inadvertently resurrect him by reading out from the ancient scroll of Thoth. Played by horror legend Boris Karloff the mummy returns as an Egyptian character named Ardeth (spelling???)  instructing the archaeologists on where to find the treasures of Imhotep's tomb. My only real criticism of the film is that its hard to follow how the Mummy came back as the Egyptian Ardeth and why the scientists would even listen to him in the first place.... but regardless the Mummy is set on finding his long lost lady love from Ancient Egypt whom he believes has been re-incarnated as a modern woman.

Overall a cool watch and shrouded in what can only be described as an old world charm that only these vintage era horror films can have.

For more great horror viewing be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com 

THE EVIL DEAD (1981)

One of the all time greatest horror movies, I cannot say enough good things about this movie. Directed by Sam Raimi (who has directed a lot of movies and TV in his time after this... including Spiderman, the Hercules TV show in the 90's and most recently Ash vs the Evil Dead amongst many others) and starring Bruce Campbell as Ash the hero of the film..... This is almost the perfect horror movie and definitely falls within my top 10 horror movies of all time.

The movie plot revolves around the plight of a group of young adults (maybe early to mid 20's) who go on a camping weekend away and stumble across an old tape recorder which contains recordings of ancient incantations recited from the fabled "NECRONOMICON" the book of the dead from Sumerian mythology. Upon playing the reel to reel tape player the incantations stir something sinister in the forest surrounding the cabin in which the group are staying in. The said evil that is stirred causes its victims to become possessed by an ancient evil which seeks to destroy the group and turn them to its dark ways

I've seen this movie many times in the past and it never fails to entertain me, as some who've been paying close attention to this blog might know I'm really into the Necronomicon and anything to do with it will pique my interest. This film whilst taking some liberties in regards to the original text ......... was probably the most apt description of the evil that the book describes and was a landmark in terms of gore and special effects for its time. I've seen some describe the movie as a black comedy,,, in my opinion, its not  a comedy.... BUT there are some filming techniques and gore effects which may make it seem a little 'hammy' but I consider it a serious horror film and a right royal gore-fest at that!

The Camera angles are superb, the filming techniques were amazing for the time and the gore stepped it up a level from all films of the time , especially considering the movie was done on a rather small budget (as Sam Raimi was unknown at the time) and with the exception of the Italian gore flicks of the late 70's/early 80's the movie really stepped up the gore level within the horror genre at the time...  the "Tree Rape" scene set about a huge motion of controversy and from what I understand gained the film an "X" rating (tho i can't confirm this) in some countries.

Really all I can do is recommend that you MUST see this film........

HALLOWEEN (1978)

Halloween is one of my all time favourate films, not just me but the horror world in general applaud this film as one of the all time classics of horror. It was shot in 1978 by John Carpenter (on a slim budget of $300,000 I understand) and grossed over 70 million worldwide, and no wonder ... It is a captivating tale, brilliantly shot and produced and as a slasher / horror / suspense flick it keeps the viewer engrossed and on the edge of their seat the whole way through this experience.

I'm probably going over familiar ground with most horror fans in detailing the plot but it focus' in on Mike Myers who brutally stabbed his sister to death as a child and was subsequently institutionalised for the following 15 years. He is then scheduled for a court appearance at age 21 (I assume) to assess whether he should be let out into the world but Mike somehow escapes (I'm not sure how he got out and I will concede this to me seems to be a bit of a plot hole) to return to his home town of Haddonfield where he starts preying on the teenagers of the town.

I guess this follows on from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho in many ways but is the next generation of slasher flick with actual blood and some level of gore. It's by no means extreme, but it's a film that can cross over into the realms of non-horror fans quite well. Main star Jamie Lee Curtis (who oddly enough is the daughter of Janet Leigh of Psycho fame) as Laurie is stunningly beautiful and everyone in the film holds their ends up well meaning the film is believable and immensely watchable

I have to give props out to director John Carpenter as its a unique method of filming and his films always seem to be brilliantly executed and captivating from start to finish. I can't say enough good things about this film except that if you haven't watched it, go out and buy it now, its a must for any horror collection and if you haven't seen it in a while chuck it on again and relive the magic.

For more great horror movie reviews and stuff be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com on a regular basis!

DIARY OF A MADMAN (1963)

To be honest I hadn't heard of this film, I was really just looking for "Ozzy Osbourne" songs to listen to on youtube, but since this one came up in my search results I thought I'd give it a shot.... And why not? I quite like what little I've seen of Vincent Price films. While this one may or may not be considered "Horror" by todays standards, it is a pretty cool little viewing experience....... hardened gore fiends may or may not dig this as it does not have any real horror or violence (well very little violence) but touches on darker themes in a similar way to what Alfred Hitchcock did with his movies. Its also a movie that you can watch if you've got kids around without fear of scarring them for life which can be a good thing too for the parents out there. "The most terrifying motion picture ever created?" I think not, but still a great film.

Starring Vincent price as Simon the magistrate who prior to his death is possessed by an evil spirit, which attaches itself to him from a meeting with a deranged killer. Simon rekindles an interest in sculpture to quell the bad dreams. The subject of his artistic musings, Odette takes a shining to him and the pair decide to get married but the evil spirit that is trying to take a hold of Simon is getting stronger and this is where the things gets strange

The dialogue is a charming old world style affair and the plot holds water rather well, this is a well shot and executed film and quite captivating.

Anyway you guys can see for yourself below:

don't forget to check out http://www.gorenography.com for more great horror flicks and revddiews

PSYCHO (1960)

This is the first horror movie I ever saw... I wouldn't so much call it horror as it is now 'cute' by today's standards but still a really cool film. Of course directed by master film maker Alfred Hitchcock.

The film follows the exploits of a young real estate secretary who absconds with $40000 (a lot of money back then) entrusted to her real estate agency by a rich Texan. As fate would have it her road trip ends up stopping at the fateful "Bates Hotel" on a dark and rainy night. She then finds herself the object of the affections of one Norman Bates, hotel manager, taxidermy afficionado, and man child with very serious mother issues. I won't go too much further into the plot of the film for fear of ruining it for the first time viewer

The film itself is extremely well shot and executed and while there is virtually no gore, the mood created, dialogue and music all contribute to a very suspenseful and engrossing watch. I guess there in lies the challenge to create a genuinely engrossing thriller with virtually no explicit gore and Hitchcock was the master.

I'm not sure what horror films that came before it would have shown in the way of how the mind of a killer really works but to my knowledge this is the first film of its kind and may have invented the slasher genre, I'm sure the Friday 13th took some influence from this film as well as the many Simpsons references (Skinner and Agnes) ... you know you've had an influence on popular culture when you make into the Simpsons! Even the harsh string arrangements (violin or cello I assume) used in the background of the knife murder have become a part of modern culture and used to create a mood of fear in many movies since.

The good thing about this film is that you can watch it with your horror loving offspring, without scarring them for life, like some of the other films reviewed on this site would do. This is a film I would recommend for anyone, not just horror movie fans, do yourself a favour and watch it!



For more great movie reviews check out http://www.gorenography.com

DAY OF THE DEAD (1985)

Day of the Dead

Day of the dead marks George Romero's third outing into the world of the undead the first of course being Night of the living dead waaaaay back in 1968, then Dawn of the Dead in 1978 and now this one...

From what I gather Night of the Living Dead gained some notoriety for its gore content, well this would have given those same cry babies a coronary attack! The gore content has been upped ten fold from NOTLD and is another step beyond Dawn of the Dead, the gore and special effects are looking great which results in one hell of a blood bath, and fun ride for the viewer!



The movie itself fasts forwards to a point where zombies have taken over much of the free world the last remaining humans some military and some research staff have been isolated in a military bunker / research facility type thing and trying to figure out how they are going to survive. Despite the fact the undead have decimated the world population the research staff are still conducting experiments on how the zombies work, and trying to domesticate them. This of course sits at odds with the military staff, and results in tension between the last of the humans and creates a cool sub-plot to the story. In a way this is really cool as it analyses the zombies and allows the viewer to understand what makes them tick, their memories of their past lives and the instincts that keep them hunting human flesh. I think its a good departure from the first two films and gives the horror fan a more cerebral look at the zombie. Some might think the film is a little slow paced, as it is fairly long... but for the conclusion of the original zombie trilogy I think its fitting.

Over all its a fun, but more intelligent look at the brainless undead creatures we have all come to love. Definately worth a watch for any gore / zombie fan!

We managed to find  a good copy of this on you tube so go check it out while you can!

Also be sure to check out our reviews of George Romero's work on later films Night of the Living Dead  and  Dawn of the Dead


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THE EXORCIST (1973)

Well.... It's Easter Sunday here in Australia and what better  way to celebrate than with a screening of one of my all time favourate films, The Exorcist?

Obviously a film I hold in such high regard is never going to get a bad review... but seriously this movie is a must see for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the horror genre.

Based on the 1971 novel of the same name, the Exorcist followed quickly to movie theatres in 1973
and of course gained a reputation as one of the most extreme films ever made, and in my opinion is still up there.... I have the extended directors cut of this film so its hard to be sure what was included in the original but this holds up very well on DVD, the image capture and resolution is sharp as ever (as opposed to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

It is also important to take into account that the era in which this movie (along with Rosemary's Baby and The Omen) was made, religion was a lot more powerful, spectre like entity that hung over the heads of much of the western world and a movie like this would have struck fear into many a god fearing movie goer and inciting outrage from the church at large. As someone that grew up catholic and with a life long interest in the occult I think its very important movies such as this were made....

The plot follows the unearthing of a occult deity, PAZUZU in Iraq. (Pazuzu is the god of all fevers and plagues in Sumerian mythology) and posesses a young girl, Reagan with obviously horrifying consequences in both the possession itself and the following attempts to exorcise said demon from the young girl.

Not being alive at the time of release of this film its hard for me to say what exactly offended everyone, there is a fair level of horror / violence and coarse language in the film, but I suspect it hits more at the heart of the Christian faith and exposes the ugly side of faith and more importantly the seldom used ritual of the exorcism itself. Whether or not you believe, this film will certainly make you think twice, and that's the mark of a great film.

The movie itself is well acted, well thought out and perfectly executed.... there is really nothing that anyone can fault with this film, all in all one of the greatest horror movies ever made.

In fact, would recommend anyone to go and get the deluxe edition of the movie with as many extra's as possible as its all interesting and provides a valuable insight into the making of such a land mark film. If you have seen this film before, see it again there are many finer points that come out with a second or third viewing as well.


I couldn't find a streaming version of this on youtube but its well worth going out and getting a copy to own or mail ordering it.!

for more great horror movie reviews and other stuff be sure to check out http://www.gorenography.com

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

Just got myself a swanky new big screen television so what better way to kick things off which this horror classic?

Upon loading the dvd into my player and starting the film up it becomes apparent how far visual technology has come in the last 40 years, on a hi-res screen this movie does appear much grainier than the films we have now. Originally shot in 1974 by director Tobe Hooper,  this really upped the ante in terms of onscreen violence... despite this it still did very well at the box office, but many cinemas refused to show the film due to the graphic violent content featured.

Don't let that take away from the film though. Once you let your eyes settle into the almost VHS like quality of the movie it seems to fit perfectly. I remember this movie from my childhood as being a landmark in horror when I saw it way back in the late 80's (which was when I started watching horror movies) and it WAS a landmark effort back then almost single handedly establishing the slasher genre in horror.

The film centers in on five teenagers who get stuck in country Texas and find themselves falling victim to a family of demented cannibals, the viewer of course can work out what happens from there without me ruining the plot. This is another immensely watchable film which went on to become one of the classics of the horror genre and a must see for anyone with even a passing interest in horror. One of the main protagonists, the hulking retarded son who wore human skin as a face mask went on to become one of the most iconic horror movie figures in history, Leatherface.

The promo for the film says it was based on a true story.... take that with a grain of salt ... although Leatherface is based some what on the exploits of real life serial killer Ed Gein

In 1986 Tobe Hooper returned to direct a very worthy sequel to the movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 which of course I have reviewed as well!

Again this was  hard one to find on Youtube, but its very easy to find at any DVD store or order online and as far as I'm concerned it's a must have for any self respecting horror collector anyway

WHITE ZOMBIE

One from the golden age of horror... This film holds up remarkably well even now, an immensely watchable film that has earned its place in cult movie history. Shot in black and white and dating back to the 1930's this is probably the earliest of the zombie flicks I have seen.  No gore or special effects to speak of in this film, it has to rely soley on plot, dramatisation, musical score and acting and it comes across as a very solid film even from the point of view of a modern (well 80's horror fan) movie fan.

The plot follows a young man Neil who is moving up in the world and his soon to be wife Madeline on the island of Haiti, where upon arrival they are greeted by stories of the undead roaming the island at night and working in the sugar mills (Good to see someone smart enough to put those zombies to work... think of all that free labour going to waste in modern zombie films) ... What I like about the story line in this film is that it sits closer to the historical origin of zombies than the "Night of the living dead" style zombies which is a pleasant change. Madeline has also unfortunately attracted the attention of Charles a wealthy businessman from the island who decides that since he can't have her he will turn her into a zombie.

Some kind soul has been kind enough to upload a remastered version of this classic! check it out below!

History has not been kind to this film as it has gone widely unnoticed, in fact it is  but more widely known for being the inspiration behind the name of Rob Zombies first band "White Zombie" than it is for being an actual film... but do yourself a favour and check it out :)

for more great horror flicks and reviews check out http://www.gorenography.com