DVD Boxset Review: Cult Terror Cinema 12 Movie Collection

CULT TERROR CINEMA - 12 MOVIE COLLECTION (3 DVD SET) (2010)

Mill Creek Entertainment http://www.millcreekent.com/

I do enjoy a Mill Creek Entertainment budget collection, I must say. They're a company known for bringing cult, horror and public domain schlock to the dirty, unwashed masses, and this set here is probably one their top five collections in my humble estimation. Do yourself a favor and also check out the following collections: CHILLING CLASSICS 50pk, PURE EVIL 50pk and the GOREHOUSE GREATS 12pk. American International Pictures (AIP), a company primarily known for low budget grindhouse cinema, biker, exploitation, and b-movie drive-in fare has recently been acquired by the fine folks at Mill Creek and the CULT TERROR CINEMA set is comprised of 12 AIP titles, a few of which are DVD debuts; while several others are out of print. So, lets dig in...

THE FILMS: THE BABYSITTER (1969), BLOODLUST! (1959), CARNIVAL OF CRIME (1962),THE CRATER LAKE MONSTER (1977), THE CREEPING TERROR (1964), ESCAPE FROM HELL ISLAND (1963), FLESHBURN (1984), THE HEARSE (1980), HORROR HIGH (1974), LAND OF THE MINOTAIR (1976), LURKERS (1988), THE TEACHER (1974)

THE HEARSE (1980) "There is a door between life and death and now, that door is open!"Directed by Charles B. Pierce/Starring Trish Van Devere, Joseph Cotton/Color/PG. Recent divorcee Jane Hardy (Trish Van Devere, THE CHANGLING) decides to move into her departed aunt’s home; her aunt was a practitioner of the black arts, a witch. Jane finds herself menaced by a mysterious black hearse and its driver. and is almost run-off the road by as she arrives in town. The film contains elements of the THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, THE CHANGELING, and BURNT OFFERINGS, and they came together quite well. I really enjoyed this film, TrishVan Devere is great and Joseph Cotton (LADY FRANKENSTEIN) appears as a  a drunken attorney. The ending is a bit confusing, but I recommend a watch this haunting tale of possession and witchery. RATING ***1/2 (3.5out of 5 stars)

THE CRATER LAKE MONSTER (1977) "A beast more frightening than your most terrifying nightmare!" Directed by William R. Stromberg/Starring Richard Cardella, Glenn Roberts, Mark Siegel/Color/Unrated. A group of archaeologists, including a pipe smoking professor (of course) discover cave paintings that prominently features a plesiosaurus-type creature, however, before the discovery can be documented a meteor slams into Crater Lake (ironic, no?) destroying this amazing discovery. Shortly thereafter the backwoods community of Crater Lake, Oregon experiences as rash of mysterious deaths. A long buried plesiosaurus egg, buried in the mud of the lake, has been incubated by the searing heat of the submerged meteor, and full grown dinosaur emerges – pure genius. The creature, obviously inspired by the classic Loch Ness creature, is pure schlocky awesomeness, done in true Ray Harryhausen stop motion style. For a schlocky 70’s B-movie the setting is great, making full use of the wooded area and scenic lake beauty, mist rolling off the water, scenic vistas, captivating stuff. Arnie (Glen Robert) and Mitch (Mark Siegel) the comic relief of the film steal the show, providing slapstick laughs and even a bit of emotional gravitas. A forgotten drive-in classic, if you love 70’s schlock and creature features you are sure to love THE CRATER LAKE MONSTER.  
RATING ***1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)

HORROR HIGH (1974) "The man who survived "Precinct 13? is back!" Directed by Larry N. Stouffer/Starring Pat Cardi, Rosie Holotik, Austin Stoker/Color/PG. High school nerd Vernon Potts (Pat Cardi, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES) is bullied to no end in this film; the school bully, the gym coach, the creepy custodian, even the elderly English teacher Ms. Grindstaff – geesh, what a loser, right?. The only person not shitting on him for some reason is the hot redhead, Robin, whom he has a major crush on. Vernon is performing an experiment on Mr. Mumps, a guinea pig, aimed on transforming the rodent in some way, and does it ever. The guinea pig is transformed into a ravenous beast that kills the janitor’s beloved cat that for some reason he takes with him to work, odd. In a crazed burst of violence the janitor beats the bejeezus outta Vernon, kills the guinea pig, and forces Vern to drink his own chemical concoction, wrong move. The elixir transforms skinny ol' Vern into a violent, super strong nerd bent on revenge ala Jekyll & Hyde. You never really see a clear shot of Vern once he's been transformed, I think it works for this low-budget revenge thriller. As the tagline would indicate, actor Austin Stoker (Ethan Bishop from John Carpenter's ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13) portrays Lt. Bozeman, the man in charge of investigating the string of murders. A really striking revenge thriller, good stuff. 
 RATING ***1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)

THE BABYSITTER(1969) "She came to sit the baby... and ended up with Daddy!" Directed by Don Henderson/Starring Patricia Wymer, George E. Carey, Ann Bellamy/B&W/R. Deputy District Attorney, George Maxwell (George E. Carey) is in the middle of a case involving the prosecution of a murderous motorcycle gang member but has a hard time juggling the case with his complicated family life when he begins a tryst with the much younger girl, the titular babysitter, Candy (the super gorgeous Patricia Wymer). The girlfriend of the biker discovers the affair and blackmails George. What a bizarre film, a male fantasy mingled with a biker thriller of sorts, a lot of fun.
RATING *** (3 out of 5 stars)

BLOODLUST! (1959) "Maniac Hunts Humans in a Jungle Hell!" Directed by Ralp Brooke / Starring Robert Reed, Wilton Graff, June Kenney/B&W/Unrated.
Two young couples set sail for a three hour tour, and much like GILLIGAN’S ISLAND, they end up on an apparently deserted island, however, this island is not home to Ginger or Mary-Anne, the island is owned by Dr. Balleau, an eccentric nut with a passion for hunting humans. The teenagers, led by Johnny (Robert Reed, BRADY BUNCH) must escape Dr. Balleau (a great over-the-top performance from Wilton Graff) if they hope to make it off the island alive. RATING ** (2 out of 5 stars)

CARNIVAL OF CRIME (1962) "At the height of wild, frenzied, sensual pleasures... a murderer strikes and terror grips the city!" Directed by George Cahan/Starring Jean-Pierre Aumont, Alix Talton, Tonia Carrero/B&W/Unrated. A architect is attempting to complete his new building project at the expense of his relationship with his wife. After his unfaithful wife mysteriously turns up missing, the police suspect he is responsible for her disappearance. The architect must discover what happened to his wife to clear his name. RATING ** (2 out of 5 stars)

THE CREEPING TERROR (1964) Directed by Vic Savage/Starring Vic Savage, Shannon O'Neal, William Thourlby/B&W/Unrated. A spacecraft lands in a remote area outside of a small California town and a ridiculous looking, shambling alien creature emerges and promptly begins eating people. The Creeping Terror is widely considered to me one of the worst films of all time, giving PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE and MANOS HAND OF FATE a run for their proverbial cash. Fun fact: there’s a rumor that a more impressive looking monster was designed for the film only to be stolen mere days before shooting was to begin, thus resulting in the now infamous “pile of carpets” monster. If you love schlock, this is a must-see.
RATING **(2 out of 5 stars)

ESCAPE FROM HELL’S ISLAND (1963) Directed by Mark Stevens/Starring Mark Stevens, Jack Donner, Linda Scott/B&W/ Unrated. A Florida boat captain loses his license after an attempt to smuggle some Cuban refugees results in a woman dying in the process. When he takes up with the wife of a jealous man, it puts him in great danger when the man charters the captain's boat with the intent to kill him while on the voyage. RATING **1/2 (2.5 out of 5 stars)

FLESHBURN (1984) "A new kind of revenge!" Directed by George Gage/Starring Steve Kanaly, Sonny Landham, Karen Carlson/Color/R. Calvin, a Native American Vietnam veteran (bad-ass Sonny Landham, Billy from PREDATOR) escapes a mental institution where he was sent by four psychiatrists, who testified during his trial, having been brought up on charges after he deserted his squad based on spiritual beliefs, resulting in their deaths. After his escape he seeks revenge upon the psychiatrists, whom he stalks and kidnaps, leaving them in the scorching desert to die. The film is advertised as sort of a Native American RAMBO or DEATHWISH-type exploitation flick, and while it isn’t exactly that it is interesting watch. RATING *** (3 out of 5 stars)

LAND OF THE MINOTAUR (1976) "Half man... half beast...trapped in a world forgotten by time!" Directed by Kostas Karagiannis/Starring Donald Pleasance, Peter Cushing, Costas Skouras/Color/PG. In this occult thriller a group of youths disappear while searching a hidden temple dedicated to the Minotaur near a small Greek village. A Catholic priest (Donald Pleasance, HALLOWEEN), a New York police detective, and the girlfriend of one of the missing persons team-up to search for the missing youths and uncover a pagan cult devoted to sacrificing victims to the Minotaur, led by Baron Gordon (Peter Cushing, HORROR OF DRACULA). The pagan statue of the Minotaur in this film is awesome, it’s anatomically correct and shoots flame from its nostrils, very menacing, but overplayed. Pleasance plays the Catholic priest version of his Dr. Loomis character from Halloween, and Cushing is more or less wasted in a thankless role, that of the least menacing villain in recent memory, the elderly cult leader. Unless you’re a Pleasance/Cushing completist it’s hard to recommend a sit through on this one. RATING ** (2 out of 5 stars)

LURKERS (1988) "Cathy's not scared. She should be... she's one of them!" Directed by Roberta Findlay/Starring Christine Moore, Gary Warner, Marina Taylor/Color/R. Cathy is a young woman whom endured a truly nightmarish childhood and is haunted by visions of the dead, including her murderous mother. She sees "lurkers", damned souls warning her of danger, telling her not to go back to her childhood home. The film has a bit of a low-rent THE BEYOND or THE SENTINEL feel to it, but it's a bit too meandering and overly long to keep my attention. Director Roberta Findlay, and husband Michael Findlay were pretty famous for a series of grindhouse-style sexploitation films, after her husbands death in ’77 she went on to direct hardcore pornos and again returned to the horror genre in the mid-80’s. Interestingly, Michael Findlay was killed in a helicopter accident on the roof of the Pan Am Building in NYC, slashed to death by the helicopters spinning rotor-blades during a botched landing.  RATING **1/2 (2.5 out of 5 stars)

THE TEACHER "After school... her lessons began with sex and ended in violence" (1974) Directed by Howard Avedis/Starring Jay North, Angel Tompkins, Anthony James/Color/R. Sean (Jay North, DENNIS THE  MENACE) is a recent high school graduate and takes up a sexual relationship with Diane (Angel Tompkins) his married teacher. A psychotic neighbor (Anthony James, UNFORGIVEN) is obsessed with the woman and is out to get Sean. The entire films kinda feels like a fleshed out softcore porn, I ain't complaining, just saying. Who hasn't fantasized about a teacher, and rarely are they as hot as Angel Tompkins, yowza. A crazy, fun exploitation flick that hits a few dark notes along the way.
RATING ***1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)

DVD: Not known for generous supplemental materials Mill Creek has made no exception  here, no special features. The 12 films are presented on 3 dual-sided flipper discs in black paper sleeves housed within the DVD case. I'm sure little money was invested into film restoration here, so I think we’re just lucky that these films are as presentable as they are, most of the films are 16x9 enhanced widescreen presentations, which is awesome. You get the usual array of ghosting, missing frames, digital artifacting, scratches, pops, cigarette burns, pretty standard stuff for theses budget collections, but only minor issues considering the grindhouse/drive-in origins of the films.

VERDICT: Mill Creek Entertainment has done it again, I had a ton o’ fun sifting through the cult, schlock, exploitation and B-movie’s films contained herein. For me the highlights were the gems THE HEARSE, HORROR HIGH, THE CRATER LAKE MONSTER, THE BABYSITTER, FLESHBURN, and THE TEACHER – worth the $10 price tag by themselves. One of the top 5 Mill Creek collections, great stuff, and a good consistent collection of obscure cult, schlock, and horror cinema. OVERALL RATING **** (4 out of 5 stars)

-McBASTARD

DVD Review: Mausoleum (1983)

MAUSOLEUM (1983)

"The Nightmare Has Begun!"

RATED: R
RUNNING TIME: 97 Min.
DIRECTOR: Michael Dugan
CAST: Bobbie Bresee, Marjoe Gortner, Norman Burton, Maurice Sherbanee, La Wanda Page

 

 ANECDOTAL: This film holds a warmly nostalgic place in my horror-filled heart. In the magical era that was the Mid-80’s my folks rented a laserdisc player along with a few memorable flicks, MAUSOLEUM (1983) and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974). I may have been 12 years of age, way too young, and I can trace my love for the macabre to this particular weekend. From a young age I recall seeing slashers and horror films fairly regularly; FRIDAY THE 13th (1980), HALLOWEEN (1978), and once I only HEARD the film I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978), and it scarred me. My folks, or an uncle, someone surely irresponsible put it on at a time when I should have been asleep, but wasn’t, and couldn’t for all that night. I heard (only heard) the film from my bedroom down the hallway, and it disturbed. I could not fathom what the hell was going on in that film. What are they doing to her? What is she doing to them? What is that awful 60’s hippy song, and do I hear a boat? What? The next morning I ventured to the living room and saw the iconic VHS cover art, and vowed …someday. Years later I picked-up the Millennium Edition of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, it wasn’t until 2008 that MAUSOLEUM would finally make it ways to DVD. When I found it I was so excited I started sweating profusely, I’d long ago given up hope of seeing this forgotten gem, the demonic nipples contained within, and there it was before me.

SYNOPSIS: Susan Nomed (demon spelled backwards, really?) is a gorgeous, 30 year old blonde and the heir to a family fortune. But, the women of the Nomed family are also heirs to something else all together, and ancient and evil curse. As demonic possession overtakes her Susan is consumed by a nightmare of lust, murder and terror. Can Susan free herself from the demonic forces before everything she loves is destroyed?

THE FILM: The film opens at that greatest of set-pieces, the cemetery. A 10-year old Susan, visiting her mother’s grave with her aunt runs away in a fit of hysterics and is drawn to an eerie mausoleum. Once inside she is bathed in green light, because it’s the 80’s, don’t worry about why - she just is, and it works. It’s eerie, cheesy, and wonderful. She descends through the catacombs towards a crypt. The overhead camera work in this sequence is really enjoyable as it sweeps above the archways, the labyrinth bathed it a green glow, very eerie. Arriving at the crypt she is enraptured by a mysterious, hooded figure and her soul is touched by a demon, the same demon her family has endured for centuries. The invocation is interrupted by a homeless man who looks into the face of the hooded figure and is overcome by searing pain, he rushes outside and his head explodes. Years later, while making the annual trip to her mothers grave, the now gorgeous, 30-year old Susan played by Bobbie Bresee,(GHOULIES, SURF NAZIS MUST DIE) is again drawn to the fateful mausoleum, here the possession is seemingly completed, as it appears to have been dormant the last 20 years. Coinciding with these events, her aunt, who is familiar with the family curse and fears the worst, and her clueless husband, played by Marjoe Gortner (FOOD OF THE GODS, EARTHQAUKE) notice her unusual behavior, and implore her to seek the help of her therapist. Also noticing her suspect behavior is Elsie, the maid, played comically by LaWanda Page (ZAPPED! and FRIDAY), who upon encountering the demonic shenanigans, runs from the house in a fright. Susan, in perhaps my favorite sequence, goes about seducing and killing Ben, the gardener, but not before an extensive and comical montage of his hectic workday. It’s an odd sequence to say the least, but I loved it, very 80’s. There are a number of gory deaths in MAUSOLEUM, and the FX work from John Carl Buechler (GHOULIES, FROM BEYOND, DOLLS) is quite good for a lo-budget 80’s film. That being said, this print of the film is cut, and a lot of the gore removed, implied or abbreviated. Nonetheless, we are treated to some amazing rib ripping sequences, levitation, glowing green eyes, and some demonic transformations, including the infamous, demonic-faced, carnivorous breasts, I kid you not - worth the price of admission alone. Also used to great 80’s effect is the use of colored lighting that lends an eerie atmosphere to the film.

DVD: MAUSOLEUM comes by the way of BCI’s Exploitation Cinema Double Feature DVD series, paired with BLOOD SONG (1983). The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, mono audio. The print fairly awful as when BCI Eclipse obtained the rights to the film they could not find the original film and sound elements and had to use an inferior, damaged print. So, you get a lot of cigarette burns, missing frames, scratches, hisses and pops, particularly during the open credit sequence. It’s all very grindhouse and adds an enjoyably gritty element to the viewing. Star Bobbie Bresee also provides a decent commentary recalling a lot of interesting facts, such as the fact that during her sex scene the producers set up bleachers on set for crew members to come an watch.

 VERDICT: It’s hard for me to be impartial when it comes to MAUSOLEUM, it’s laced with fond nostalgia and childhood wonder, not to mention my first glimpses of the female form in its voluptuous, nude glory, albeit obscured in a few bits by gargoyle-faced demonic breasts. While nowhere near an epic possession film as THE EXORCIST (1973), its aims is much lower, and I think hits it outta the park with its modest, low-brow intentions. A MUST SEE! ***1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)