Not for nothing does its cover brazenly warn, “Uncut. Uncensored. Unconscionable.” Chances are you’d agree with all three, but the average person isn’t likely even to complete its trailer. Shot on video, “The Burning Moon” is not only a gorehound’s delight, but a German gorehound’s delight. To put it another way: those with framed covers […]
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Night School
Remembered all these years for introducing us to Aussie actress Rachel Ward (“Against All Odds”), the horror film is finally available on DVD, courtesy of Warner Archive. She’s one of many pretty people in danger of losing her head at the titular institution — not figuratively due to a punishing course load, but literally due […]
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Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore
It’s also about much more than the trilogy, following Lewis’ entire career, from his start in nudie cuties (ripping off Russ Meyer with “The Adventures of Lucky Pierre”) to those no-budget horror gross-outs that made him both a fortune and a reputation as a beloved trailblazer — an indie spirit whose influence can be felt […]
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Master of the World
It’s now available at ClassicMoviesNow.com through MGM’s made-on-demand program, with no frills attached, but the important thing is that it’s out at all … assuming you’re a Price checker. If you liked his AIP vehicles adapting Edgar Allan Poe, you’ll probably feel the same about this AIP vehicle adapting Jules Verne — two novels, to […]
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Bad Dreams / Visiting Hours
“Bad Dreams” centers on Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin), the lone survivor of a Jonestown-esque religious cult that ended in a blaze 13 years ago, when its charismatic brainwasher of a leader, Harris (Richard Lynch, “Invasion U.S.A.”), soaked everybody in gasoline a lit a match. She’s spent the entire time since in a coma. Almost immediately upon […]
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Source Code
The less you know about the plot, the more pleasurable the experience. Without spoiling anything, however, its Escher loop of a story plops Jake Gyllenhaal’s Everyman character aboard a commuter train, where his government mission is to give him eight minutes to find a bomb that then will explode. If he can, they can find […]
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Stake Land
In this film by director/co-writer Jim Mickle (“Mulberry Street”), the monsters are a mix of zombies and vampires. The characters call them “vamps,” but if not for the fangs, you wouldn’t think “bloodsuckers” at all. You may, however, think “horses,” because I swear the sounds of their attack-mode hiss contains an equestrian whinny. Co-writer Nick […]
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Limitless
Then a chance meeting on the street with a former in-law introduces him to a wild, new experimental drug called NZT-48 that unlocks all of the brain’s synapses to make you super-smart and super-productive before the effects wear off. Suddenly, he’s not only on a creative spree, but making a fortune playing the stock markets, […]
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Take Me Home Tonight
It’s a tribute to the 80’s teen comedy , set in the latter part of that decade; it absolutely revels in those years, as the way-fun music video amid the extras attests. If not for its fresh-faced stars of today, the film could very well pass as a product of that era. Having a hand […]
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Oblivion
1. It’s from Full Moon Entertainment’s heyday of straight-to-video fare. 2. When’s the last time you saw Siamese twin poker players, identical right down to the eye patch? 3. Andrew Divoff (“Wishmaster”) plays dual roles, including the lead villain, a reptilian green guy named Redeye.4. Julie Newmar portrays a madam, but basically does it as […]