Sometimes when I’m studying these kick fighting movies, I get the distinct impression that no one involved in the movie has any idea what to do in between fight scenes. In Kick Fighter for instance, we are subjected to a birthday party for Kick Fighter’s sister. Continue reading “Kick Fighter (1989)”
Category: 1980s
Cannibal Ferox (1981)
A woman goes down to the Amazon with her brother and her best friend so that she can find proof that cannibalism never has occurred and is in fact just a cruel myth. But how do you prove a negative? Let’s say she goes down there and doesn’t see any cannibalism. What does that prove? Only that on that particular day at that particular time she didn’t see any. I was never real sure about whether she had thought through this whole thing as far as her research methods go, but since this is an Italian cannibal movie, I figured that the point would be moot soon enough! Continue reading “Cannibal Ferox (1981)”
Tenebre (1982)
I originally figured that since “tenebre” sounded a little like “tentacle” that maybe this movie was going to be about a giant squid. Then I discovered that it was an Italian flick so I figured that some giant squid was on the loose in Rome eating fashion models. It ended up being a fairly straight forward slasher flick where the murders were all related to a book that Anthony Franciosa’s character Peter Neal had written, called Tenebre.
Just because it was straight forward though doesn’t mean that it really makes a lot of sense. It’s another one of those Dario Argento flicks with a couple of shocking endings which exist because he again goes to the “there’s two murderers out there” gag that he used to better effect in The Bird With The Crystal Plumage. Continue reading “Tenebre (1982)”
Monster Dog (1984)
Monster Dog was written and directed by Claudio Fragasso. Claudio was a frequent collaborator with Bruno Mattei, but he also had a decent-sized body of work he did on his own. Beyond Darkness, Troll 2, and Night Killer all demonstrated what he could do without Bruno’s help.
With Monster Dog, Claudio tells the tale of a monster dog that is terrorizing the countryside and who may have some connection to music superstar Alice Cooper. Regardless of who else is involved, fans of the big name talent associated with this project will probably figure that his abilities can overcome the obvious obstacles the movie suffers from. But alas, I am sad to report that the unfortunate presence of Cooper was even too much for Claudio to overcome! Continue reading “Monster Dog (1984)”
Sorority House Massacre (1986)
Borderline incompetent slasher movie that cribs so halfheartedly from Halloween that it can’t even muster a full hour and fifteen minutes of movie before finally giving up.
It’s reasonable to expect the worst when you’re dealing with one of these nondescript stalk and kill movies from late in the slice and dice cycle and Sorority House Massacre easily fails to exceed those expectations right from the get go.
When the lead character, with her short feathered black hair that makes her look even more butch than Courtney Cox in that Springsteen video, first appears and delivers her lines as if she were on some serious anti-psychotic drugs, you realize that while the movie’s hair stylist must have been the first victim, you’re hoping he or she won’t be the last. Continue reading “Sorority House Massacre (1986)”
Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (1981)
Throughout the ages Man has been haunted by a single question: what the hell is an Etruscan? Is it some prehistoric warthog? An obscure religious sect that communes with trees and screws farm animals? French for trash can? Clearly, fear of the unknown is the scariest fear of them all! Continue reading “Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (1981)”
Bronx Executioner (1989)
Bronx Executioner effortlessly takes its place in the pantheon of awesome post-apocalyptic Italian movies set in the Bronx! And it does it without being particularly post-apocalyptic and not really being set in the Bronx! Continue reading “Bronx Executioner (1989)”