Re-Animator (1985)
Given that 1985 saw the release of both Re-Animator and Dan O’Bannon’s The Return Of The Living Dead, it’s a shame to reflect that the splatter horror has never really enjoyed a sustained level of output. Periodic stops and starts have whetted the appetite but have usually been followed by a series of sequels of decreasing quality and all too infrequent original output. I think this is a real shame, as splatter horror as a sub-genre naturally lends itself to a cross between the niche and general viewer. As well as being great for horror output in itself, this realisation of a duel market is also why splatter horrors, when done properly, can be among the most original, inventive and damned well enjoyable films going. Read more
Tenebrae (1982)
After the candy-coloured supernatural nightmares of Suspiria and Inferno, Tenebrae marked director Dario Argento’s return to the graphic murder mysteries with which he made his name as a director. It tells the story of American crime novelist Peter Neal, who comes to Rome to promote his latest book; soon after his arrival, however, he discovers that a murderer is on the rampage using his novels as inspiration and leaving pages from them at the crime scene. Along with his PA Anne, Neal is drawn into the investigation as the bodies start to pile up… Read more
Black Lagoon show #1 - Fulci and the Gates of Hell
In the first Black Lagoon podcast, we’ll be discussing Lucio Fulci’s “Gates of Hell” trilogy - City of the Living Dead, The Beyond and The House By The Cemetery. Following the world-wide success of Zombie Flesheaters, Fulci tried to take the Italian zombie film into a completely new direction with these films, and we’ll be discussing how far he succeeded. Read more
Cloverfield (2008)
The theme of the ‘common man’ is a recurrent one in poetry, the idea being that an untrained mind (as opposed to, oh, the massive genius of the poet let’s say) has a purer, more honest, richer and therefore more interesting experience than a mind bogged down by intellectual matters. Unhappily, that patronising assertion is alive and well in the entertainment industry, as manifested in the current obsession with “user generated content”. Read more
Podcast
