Really Awful Movies: Ep 208 – Black Sabbath

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Mario Bava. Super Mario. Molto Mario. Mario the Magnificent. On this episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast, your genial hosts talk about Black Sabbath, the early 60s horror film anthology that gave Ozzy’s band, Black Sabbath, its name.

Black Sabbath, aka, i tre volti della paura (The Three Faces of Fear) is a three-part flick that’s harmonious, and lush in color. And to introduce the segments, none other than the legendary Boris Karloff himself.

The original Italian language version of Black Sabbath features the installments in this order: The Telephone (a lady of the evening is tormented by threatening calls from a former pimp), The Wurdalak, a vampiric tale of woe set in a remote cottage in 18th century Eastern Europe, and finally, The Drop of Water, in which a nurse purloins jewelry from a deceased old lady, only to be tormented from beyond the grave.

In 1958, the founders of American International Pictures hired Flavio Lucisano (a talent agent) to look for Italian crossover films. In 1963, AIP made a deal to distribute a bunch of Ital co-productions. Black Sabbath was one of them. There was a trend to make anthology films to keep costs down. And Black Sabbath was no exception, a film that was an 8-week shoot.

While not exactly showered with praise upon release, Black Sabbath has certainly found more defenders than detractors. In fact, Quentin Tarantino was influenced by the story structure for his film, Pulp Fiction.

So…tune in to the Really Awful Movies Podcast as we break down each of the segments. While The Telephone is seen as the slightest (probably with good reason) it nonetheless has a lot going for it and should not be overlooked. The Wurkalak, while long, has enough trademark Bava touches to make it memorable…and for us, the standout is the exemplary, timeless, The Drop of Water – a master class in sensory Gothic Horror.

Really Awful Movies: Ep 207 – Creep

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Ah, found footage. It’s usually crap. So when a barn-burner like Creep comes out, color us surprised.

Creep is a 2014 American independent found footage horror film directed by Patrick Brice, based on a story written by Brice and collaborator Mark Duplass. The film is Brice’s directorial debut, and boy is this one solid.

Creep premiered 2014, at South by Southwest, and was released on video on demand on June 23, 2015, by The Orchard prior to an international release via Netflix on July 14, 2015.

The film follows nebbish Aaron (portrayed by Brice), a videographer who answers an odd Craigslist ad, created by Josef (portrayed by Duplass). Josef is suffering from terminal cancer and wants to have a posthumous record for his unborn son. So far so good, right?

But not is what it appears to be.

Josef is, to say the least, weird. In the midst of one of Aaron’s early documentations, Josef gets naked and slips into the bath. Fine, you may say, the guy’s got The Big C and maybe he’s just cracking? But Brice and Duplass gradually reveal that Josef is a megalomaniac and yes, a creep.

Movies like Mike Leigh’s Naked, or the likes of My Dinner with Andre, rely heavily on strong performances/dialogue as there are so few characters. And here, the banter is highly naturalistic (much was improvised) and the acting’s top-drawer.

It really helps drive the cat-and-mouse dynamic between these two.

The New York Times said that Creep “is remarkable, considering its minimal means and surprising lack of bloodshed, given the genre.” Very true, but that doesn’t mean the scares aren’t there.

And Creep has just a terrific climax too.

Really Awful Movies: Ep 206 – Heavy Metal

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For the first time in the history of the Really Awful Movies Podcast we’re tackling an animated feature. On today’s episode, Heavy Metal, an anthology fantasy film that featured a bunch of scantily clad heroines and a bitchin’ soundtrack showcasing the likes of Sabbath, Sammy Hagar and Nazareth.

Heavy Metal is a 1981 Canadian-American co-production. The film was directed by Gerald Potterton, produced by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) as well as Leonard Mogel, who was also the publisher of Heavy Metal, a magazine whose French edition inspired this film.

Heavy Metal’s poster says it is a “universe of mystery,” but what kept it grounded was the the slew of familiar characters voiced by noted Canadian names like John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis, and John Vernon (re: the latter. In an early episode of the podcast we covered Curtains, as well as another the fun pic, Killer Klowns from Outer Space).

Despite being a cartoon, this definitely falls under the category of “not suitable for children” (Snarky Editor’s note: kinda like Woody Allen’s Upper East Side apartment?). Inspired by R. Crumb and his ilk from the 70s, this animated feature has all the kinds of stuff that makes being a teen boy all kinds of fun.

This is a superhero tale essentially. And that means it’s basically good versus evil. And what connects the different vignettes together is a giant green globule (wait, that sounds like what was left on the drummer’s stool in This is Spinal Tap!). This orb thing-y has a bunch of magical powers. And as a result, it’s coveted by everyone. If that story line sounds familiar, it’s the plot of about 50 post-apocalyptic films shot in Turkey. Give or take.

Made for 9 million and grossing 20, Heavy Metal was a modest hit…and it’s since become something of a cult classic (yes, that phrase is overused but here it seems to really fit).

So, come join us on this episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast. And check out new episodes of the show every Friday. THANKS!