The Evil Dead

USA, 1981
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor

The release of The Evil Dead on Blu-ray seems like a good excuse to revisit this iconic horror film. Ordinarily I'd hesitate to review such a well-known movie - for the simple reason that most horror fans will have already seen it.

But the film is now 30 years old, and I'm sure there's a whole new generation of horror fans yet to discover it, and others who may be wondering how the bluray holds up. If either of these sounds like you, read on ... for there's no doubt that it belongs on this site.

When the film was made, it was highly controversial - either being banned or given an X certificate in many countries. Unfairly referred to as a 'video nasty', it's far better than that description might suggest, and deserves a more educated assessment. This is a highly accomplished genre film that pushed the creative envelope in many directions, despite its low-budget origins.




The story has a ring of familiarity that horror fans will instantly recognise - a bunch of friends head to a secluded cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway, and thereafter die gruesome deaths one by one. I'm not giving anything away by saying this ... from the first few minutes there's no doubting what territory you're in. But don't let this synopsis put you off, because this is no Hollywood-sanitized, by-the-numbers horror film. For one it is genuinely scary, secondly it has a sly humour about it, and thirdly there is no pandering to conservative ideals of good taste. All of which sets it apart from the vast majority of U.S. horror films made in the 30 years since.

On arriving at the cabin, an old book is discovered along with a tape recording made by the previous occupants. The book is none other than The Book of the Dead, containing the necessary incantations to bring demonic entities back from the underworld. Unfortunately for the group, this is exactly what happens and mayhem ensues. And when I say mayhem, I mean utter ... fucking ... pandemonium. It's gory, twisted and taken to the extreme. Which is my way of saying its an incredibly good time.

 


Where the film saved on budget was obviously with the cast, who were all unknowns at the time, and for the most-part still are. The obvious exception is chisel-jawed Bruce Campbell who went on to carve himself into cult history with this role and the subsequent sequels.

Technically, the film's accomplishments are astonishing given that it was independently produced on a very limited budget. The camera-work is inventive (especially love the POV shots), and the effects are varied and effective. But what really stands out for me is the sound design - this is a movie that aurally envelopes you in the experience, the sounds being at least as disturbing as the visuals and ensuring that psychological tension is applied and maintained at all the right times. This is where the bluray really shines - I doubt the original mono sound mix could ever have sounded as good as this new DTS HD Master Audio surround-sound presentation. Play it loud!

 


As for the bluray transfer - I wasn't holding my hopes too high, given that the film was only shot on 16mm to begin with. And while the picture quality can't compete with new release studio films, it was still better than expected. The picture is clean and probably the best it could be ... and besides, the grainy low-budget look to the film adds an extra level of creepiness that suits the film.

For any horror fan this is a must-watch. It has an over-the-top level of creative gore, and is a genuine horror experience. Much more horror than comedy, it straddles the divide between traditional horror and the horror-comedy of its sequel, The Evil Dead II.The Blu-ray has many extra features and is worth picking up for the awesome sound quality alone.

Rating: 8.5/10. Highly recommended.

Angel Heart

USA, 1987

Director: Alan Parker
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Robert DeNiro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling
IMDB: 7.3

To take a break from the usual cult trash, obscure oddities and hyper-crazy foreign flicks, this week we revisit a true classic - one of my all time favourite films, Alan Parker's voodoo-infused neo-noir horror, Angel Heart.

Very loosely-based on the old time folklore surrounding blues-man Robert Johnson and his song Cross Road Blues, Parker's film (adapted from the novel Falling Angel), is a supernatural horror story wrapped within a film noir crime thriller. The result is a unique and fascinating film, enhanced considerably by a top notch cast and incredible production values.

Parker of course is responsible for many a fine film, despite not being the household name that he should be. Other films to his credit include Pink Floyd's The Wall, Midnight Express, Birdy, Mississippi Burning, Fame, and Evita - to name just a few in his diverse and award-winning career.

The film begins in the Harlem district of mid 1950's New York City, imbued with a seedy noir atmosphere through the use of a desaturated palette. It's only moments into the movie before we see the first macabre victim, while a suspicious stranger saunters from the dark alley swinging his cane.



Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) is a down-at-heel gumshoe with a love of cigarettes, bourbon, and pretty women. Preferring the comforts of the bottle to taking overly-dangerous or taxing assignments, he ekes out a meager existence relying on his charm and street-smarts to get by.

There was a time in the 1980's when Rourke was widely touted as one of the most gifted actors of his generation. And in Angel Heart it's not hard to see why - as this is perhaps his finest role.



One day he is contacted by a law firm representing their mysterious client Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro), who has an unusual assignment for him. It seems that a popular crooner named Johnny Favorite has reneged on a deal, and Harry is hired to locate him.

De Niro is another actor at the top of his game here. Although his part his small, the sheer malevolence implied through the simple peeling of an egg is one of the film's, and also De Niro's, most iconic scenes.




A series of clues lead Harry to New Orleans - a city rife with superstition and voodoo. Once again Parker nails the atmosphere ... the heat and humidity of the old South signaled by portentous cooling fans, dust, sweat, and omnipresent dripping water. The move from the cold climes of New York City to the heat of Louisiana is a crafty parallel of Harry's descent into hell.

Along the way we meet Toots Sweet (played by legendary blues-man Brownie McGhee), and Parker takes the opportunity to infuse the soundtrack with some authentic down-home blues provided by the likes of John Lee Hooker, Dr John, Bessie Smith, and of course Mr McGhee.




Its in this steamy environment that he comes across Epiphany Proudfoot (Lisa Bonet). Bonet is a revelation here, in this her first feature film. She channels a raw, earthy sexuality perfectly in keeping with the role, purring her lines with the bearing and poise of a Voodoo Priestess, all the while conveying a potent sexual availability.

I'm quite sure that no-one before or since has made a simple peasant dress look so good, and its no wonder that Harry is feeling a supernatural attraction to her.




From voodoo rites to fortune tellers, it's an investigation that will cause him to question his very identity, and may even cost him his soul. It doesn't help that all his leads are being systematically murdered in turn, as he finds himself being dragged deeper and deeper into a maelstrom of festering evil.



Of course its not long before he's got Epiphany into the sack for the film's notorious sex scene. A scene that resulted in the film receiving an X rating in America, despite it being not particularly graphic.

There's really only light nudity, although the actors do turn in a vigorous performance, and there's a whole crapload of blood involved. Maybe it was the sex and blood thing that the censors objected to. Or perhaps it is to do with the real identities of the characters?



Parker went to great lengths to ensure historical accuracy, and as can be seen by the attached screen shots the film looks incredible. In combination with the score and well chosen period music, a highly effective atmosphere is created.

There's only one rating I can possibly give this film. It has an excellent story, superb actors, great music, and incredible visuals. There's sex, blood, voodoo ... and even the devil himself. I can ask for no more ...

Rating: 10/10

Release info

On Blu-ray, avoid the Region B from Amazon UK as it has zero extras. Instead I recommend the region-free US Blu-ray, which has a bunch of extra features (although disappointingly, not as many as the Special Edition DVD).

Region A Blu	R1 DVD

Life Blood

USA, 2009
aka Pearblossom aka Murder World

Director: Ron Carlson
Starring: Sophie Monk, Anya Lahiri, Angela Lindvall
IMDB: 4.1

Writer/Director Ron Carlson is obviously a guy who knows what the fans want. And with Life Blood he has shown a commendable and refreshing lack of restraint in providing it. However, adjectives such as subtle, tasteful, or nuanced won't be required in this particular review.

The recipe is simple - hot lesbian vampire chicks doing what you want them to - toying with hapless male victims, sucking blood, and inbetween times getting it on with each other. Throw in a dash of gore, a few creative kills, and sprinkle with humor to bake up a tasty dish of wholesome exploitation.



But as any chef will tell you, the secret is in using quality ingredients, and this is undoubtedly a low-budget affair. The movie starts a little slowly, and its obvious early on that the acting and script are low budget. Luckily, it was only 2 minutes and 9 seconds into the movie before we see Rhea (Anya Lahiri) passionately kissing her girlfriend Brooke (Sophie Monk) ... so I hung in there.

The plot is suitably diabolical - basically the girls hit a New Years Eve party in 1969, things go awry, they get killed, God steps in and resurrects them, then transports them 40 years into the future ... as vampires.

Lesbian vampire angels to be exact - one good, one bad. Conveniently, the girls lost their clothes somewhere in the space/time continuum, so they're forced to wander the desert in their lingerie. Heh, don't you just love seedily contrived plot devices?



Oh yeah... turns out God (Victoria's Secret supermodel Angela Lindvall) is not only a woman, but apparently a lesbian vampire too. So God and Rhea have a bit of a vampiric pash before she sends her on her way.

As sharp-eyed readers will have noted, this is total trash - but deliberately so, and it never takes itself seriously. Unfortunately, the film doesn't pull the exploitation thing off particularly successfully - probably needed to get a bit more twisted. And for a movie that 1) Has a script with an undoubtedly exploitational tone, and 2) is firmly targeted at the male (or lesbian) demographic, the tameness of the lesbonics and lack of nudity is an unforgivable crime. This seems to be a trend with U.S genre movies these days, all promise and no delivery.



However, it does have its moments. Like when Brooke slithers up to the hapless gas station attendant, pout and boobs in full effect, and coos "You still wanna get up in this shit?". In fact, I have to give props here to Sophie Monk - who actually turns in a pretty good performance.

Now I could easily make a wisecrack here about her being the best actor in the film, and how that revelation might enlighten readers to the quality on offer here. However that would in fact be slightly unfair to Miss Monk, who really is quite good in her role and enhances the movie's appeal considerably.



While I applaud the intentions of the film-makers to make this seedy kind of exploitation horror flick, it's not likely to make anyone's best-of lists. It is however, good trashy fun at times - there is plenty of dark humour and twisted scenarios, although spoiled somewhat with lame and ineffective dialogue in some scenes. Genre aficionados will likely leave the table less than satisfied, and of course the popcorn crowd should stay far far away.

Rating: 5/10

Original Poster Art