Tag: Famous directors

Really Awful Movies: Ep 263 – An American Werewolf in London

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Welcome to John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London, a very fine (and very timeless) piece of lycanthrope cinema.

Two American backpackers are sightseeing in some far-flung reaches of Yorkshire. Tired and hungry, they come upon a pub called The Slaughtered Lamb, whose denizens are not the most welcoming sort. In fact, our heroes David and Jack, feel like they really don’t belong, and it’s not just a cultural thing. The place is a bit sinister. One of the barflies tells the two young men to “stay off the Moors.” They pay for their drinks and bounce quickly, heading into the dark night.

Suddenly, a creature of the night tears at the them. Jack is mauled down to his flayed skin. David wakes up in a London hospital with quite the tale to tell, yet nobody at Scotland Yard is interested in hearing it.

He does, however, have a friendly ear in nurse Alex (Jenny Agutter). The two hit it off, but David is starting to exhibit strange feelings…especially come full moon.

An American Werewolf in London is one of those rare species of horror film, one with comedic elements that work exceedingly well to complement the bloodiness. David Naughton is exceptional as the wide-eyed American. Rick Baker’s effects are one-of-a-kind.

Join us every week on the Really Awful Movies Podcast, as we discuss our favorite genre classics, predominantly horror. Subscribe!

Really Awful Movies: Ep 262 – Raising Cain

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This John Lithgow-starring, Brian De Palma-directed thriller is set around Valentine’s day. On this episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast, a take on this “demented, deranged, deceptive” De Palma flick, Raising Cain.

Lithgow portrays multiple characters/multiple personalities. He is a child psychologist, Dr. Carter Nix, who is kidnapping kids to use for nefarious purposes (not explained, adding to the air of mystery here).

Against this backdrop, a hell of a lot of family infidelity drama, worthy of a Woody Allen film.

Nix’s wife is an oncologist, Jenny (Lolita Davidovich). Jenny is two-timing Nix, having an affair with (of all people) the widower of a cancer patient she’s treating! It’s an insane premise, and if you are a fan of the equally cheesy Netflix series, You, you won’t be put off by the Lifetime Movie fromage on display at times here.

Raising Cain winds an interesting narrative, as Nix is painted into a corner and has to plot schemes to extricate himself, while the police try to get a handle on what’s going on with the missing kids, as well as missing moms.

While hardly peak De Palma (that would be The Phantom of the Paradise, Carrie and The Untouchables(On the podcast, we have yet to talk De Palma, although we did reference The Phantom of the Paradise on several occasions).

Lithgow really embraces the different roles, and shows off considerable acting chops, despite falling into the odd embarrassing / laughable scene.

Raising Cain definitely stands apart as a worthy, intriguing little misfire.

On this episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast, we watched different versions of the film (there are two, both of which were released on Blu-ray. One was a fan re-cut, and the other was the more incoherent theatrical release).

Do yourself a favor and watch the re-cut. It’s far far superior.

And don’t forgot to subscribe to the podcast, uploaded for your listening pleasure every Friday.

 

Really Awful Movies: Ep 253 – Mexican Santa Claus

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Mexican Santa Claus as it’s known colloquially (sometimes known as Santa Claus vs. the Devil) is a  wild and woolly 1959 Mexican fantasy Christmas sci-fi film directed by Rene Cardona and co-written with Adolfo Torres Portillo.

The Cuban-born Cardona was a hugely influential figure in the so-called Golden Age of Mexican Cinema (but of course, fellows like us know him for the stupendous, Night of the Bloody Apes – the title of the 1972 English language version of the 1969 Mexican horror film La Horripilante bestia humana)

In this film, Santa Claus, our merry old elf, works in outer space (on the moon, actually) and does battle with a demon sent to Earth by Lucifer to ruin Christmas by “making all the children of the Earth do evil.”

Here, Santa has a weird silver palatial abode that’s not unlike Dr Phibes’ lair. He spies on children with a variety of implements that capture voice, sound, visuals, etc.

He really DOES know when you’re naughty or nice, sleeping or awake, etc.

Instead of Mrs Claus, Santa’s associate is Merlin the Magician, complete with conical hat and a bunch of soporifics and invisibility potions. What? And instead of elves toiling away year-round, building toys in some North Pole factory, Santa has enlisted the help of a bunch of kids “of all colors and creeds,” to work for him, and who wear the most ethnically stereotypical garb imaginable.

Mexican Santa Claus was lampooned on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 but we knew about it years ago, through the fantastic Suspect Video. We miss that as a physical bricks and mortar store, but luckily it lives on to provide you with all your obscure blu-ray and DVD needs.

Join us as we are full of the holiday spirit, and Christmas cheer. And what better way to celebrate the holidays than with this oddball south of the border, uh….classic?

And be sure to subscribe to the Really Awful Movies Podcast, and to pick up a copy of our book, Death by Umbrella! The 100 Weirdest Horror Movie Weapons.