Tag Archives: horror

The Treadwell Brothers

December 16, 2024 Ken Miller 1 Comment

A sneak peek at a host of film zombies that are being created the old school way, which is just the way I like it!

A retro, practical-effects zombie! Woot!

THE TREADWELL BOTHERS is a low budget film that is in its preproduction stage and, hopefully, once finished it will find its way onto Amazon Prime. Maybe the movie will raise its rotting head on YouTube: I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. The two filmmakers behind this project, brothers David and Philip Fitzgerald, are currently trying out zombie makeup designs, doing lighting tests, and becoming accustomed to using their new camera – a Cannon Eos C300 mark II. Philip will be operating the camera and David will be making the zombies. Both brothers will be starring in the film, and Philip will be directing. David is the co-director and, though he is credited as David Fitzgerald for his makeup effects work, he will be using his stage name, William Fitzgerald, as his acting credit. Got all that? Cool, let’s move on…

The Fitzgerald brothers will play the titular TREADWELL BROTHERS

The plot will focus on characters dealing with a world that has just about managed to contain a zombie apocalypse. Society has fragmented, with pockets of survivors living in disparate communities. The protagonists are the Treadwell Brothers (played by the Fitzgerald brothers), who were ‘Cleaners’ during the war with the zombies. These Cleaners were operatives set up by the military, and they persevered even after the military’s capabilities had been degraded. Now, in this post-war world, the Treadwell Brothers continue to ply their trade, being paid in kind to keep stray zombies out of towns and other human settlements.

A shot from test footage taken of a zombie shambling near a disused railway — A shot from test footage taken of a zombie lurking near a disused railway

But there are other Cleaner teams out there, and one gang in particular has its own agenda. There’s also a twisted professor trying to create the perfect anti-zombie zombie, which he aims to use to destroy the other undead corpses… but the prof has begun tinkering with humans to perfect his super-zombie.

As the story progresses, the Brothers continue their debate regarding the origin of the zombie outbreak: one believes it’s some kind of biblical punishment, and the other says that it’s a man-made phenomena. Eventually, though, they will discover the outbreak’s true source…

But let’s focus on the zombie designs now, which are still in their preproduction stage…

There will be various ‘character’ zombies, including: Oiler Zombie, Mother Zombie, Baghead Zombie, Soldier Zombie, Hoodie Zombie, and Black Eyes Zombie.

This is the Oiler Zombie prior to painting. The finished version will be burnt on one side

David, who created the ghostly, bandaged demon-dog creature in the short film SQUEAK AND I’LL RUN TO YOU (2021), is building the zombies using various old school, retro techniques, including the direct-build method. He has taken inspiration from such makeup effects legends as Roy (TALES FROM THE CRYPT, THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES) Ashton and Jack (DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, WHITE ZOMBIE) Pierce, using materials like cotton batting (absorbent cotton pressed into pads or layers) that is impregnated with liquid latex to create dead skin. David says that one of his movie touchstones for this project is Fulci’s ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS (1979), and his Hoodie Zombie is inspired by Amando de Ossorio’s BLIND DEAD movies. He hopes the practical zombie effects will imbue THE TREADWELL BROTHERS with an Amicus vibe too.

CGI zombies, like those in WORLD WAR Z can be okay, but I prefer guys in zombie makeup and prosthetics! — CGI zombies, like the ones in WORLD WAR Z (2013), can be okay, but I prefer guys in zombie makeup/latex masks/prosthetics, just like the undead dude above!

So let’s feast our eyes on some zombie-tastic designs now!
(note: these are shots of in-progress creations, so the costumes haven’t been distressed and broken down yet, etc)

Early-stage Hoodie Zombie, when David was considering giving it a hanging jaw — Early-stage Hoodie Zombie, when David was considering giving it a very distinct hanging jaw

Then David decided to make the detached jaw effect more subtle and less grisly

Above: two shots of the later version of the Hoodie Zombie

Chest and ribs detail of a zombie, prior to painting

Cotton batting, impregnated with liquid latex, is used to create the zombies' dead skin — Cotton batting, impregnated with liquid latex, is used to create the zombies’ dead skin

The Soldier Zombie's skull-head was made from Carte Lana wool paper, then covered in rubber and cotton batting — The Soldier Zombie’s skull-head was made from Carte Lana wool paper, then covered in rubber and cotton batting

Carte Lana wool paper can be made to look very skull-like. Note that these teeth haven't been given aged detailing yet — Carte Lana wool paper can be made to look very skull-like. Note that these teeth haven’t been given aged detailing yet

Skin texture is sculpted into the cotton batting before it completely dries... — Skin texture is sculpted into the cotton batting before it completely dries…

This is a rough, early-stage 'clay sketch' for a background zombie — This is a rough, early-stage ‘clay sketch’ for a background zombie

Sculpt of the Soldier Zombie's gnarly hand — Sculpt of the Soldier Zombie’s gnarly hand

This very effective-looking zombie hand was created by gluing the latex moulding onto a glove!

A look at the liquid latex & cotton ‘skin’ used for the zombies

Above: two more shots of the Hoodie Zombie

So here’s hoping that the Fitzgerald brothers start filming their undead opus, so we’ll get a chance to watch their wonderfully old school zombies shambling across the screen!

A zombie on the loose: this looks like a job for THE TREADWELL BROTHERS!

Moloch (2022)

December 11, 2024 Ken Miller Leave a comment

'Family can haunt you forever' — ‘Family can haunt you forever’

Starring Sallie Harmsen, Alexandre Willaume, Anneke Blok, Fred Goessens, Noor van der Velden and Markoesa Hamer. Written by Nico van den Brink and Daan Bakker. Directed by Nico van den Brink. Produced by Sabine Brian and Dennis Cornelisse. NL Film/Vrijzinnig Protestantse Radio Omroep (VPRO)

Betriek (Sallie Harmsen) and her mother become embroiled in supernatural events

Betriek (Harmsen) lives in an area close to the edge of ancient bogland. Her family has suffered from a history of tragedies, and Betriek starts to suspect that the deaths of her relatives are somehow linked to the local legend concerning a wronged servant called Feike who made a pact with the demon Moloch – or maybe the preserved female corpses recently discovered in the nearby peat deposits are part of the puzzle…

This Dutch movie uses its often foggy and gloomy swampy locations effectively, and employs the archeological dig aspects of the plotline to inject extra mystery into the story.

Matters become more intriguing once various normal people are somehow compelled to become would-be killers, attacking Betriek and her mother in trance-like states.

Betriek's mother is attacked by a possessed person — Betriek’s mother is attacked by a possessed person

With mask-wearing cultists lurking about, and the spirits of murdered women emerging from the misty peat bog, the answer to the movie’s central enigma is finally revealed, and – even though it doesn’t properly explain the behaviours of the possessed would-be assassins or clarify if there is a causal link between the supernatural plot elements and the local pagan folks – the finale does give viewers a suitably striking set piece ending to remember.

The acting is fine, the cinematography is good, the local cultists in their bull masks look cool, and the slit-throated sacrificial bog bodies provide the movie with some memorable imagery.

Above: two shots showing the atmospheric photography of the house in the film

You know, the more I think about it, the more I come to believe that any film featuring bog bodies is worth a watch!

Bewitched (1981)

December 6, 2024 Ken Miller Leave a comment

Arcane ceremonies await... — Arcane ceremonies await…

…including a scene where an evil spell-caster scoops a bowlful of blood from an urn that’s full of dead babies, viscera, and fluids!

Starring Ai Fei, Huang Chin-Shen, Lily Chan Lee-Lee, Fanny, and Hussein Hassan. Written by Sze-To On. Directed by Kuei Chih-Hung. Produced by Mona Fong. A Shaw Brothers production.

Stephen Lam (Fei) is arrested for the murder of his daughter, admits to driving a nine-inch nail through her head, is found guilty, and afterwards asks Bobby (Chin-Shen), the policeman overseeing the case, to listen to his story, swearing that it was Thai witchcraft that compelled him to do what he did. Intrigued, Bobby looks into these claims and is soon the target of black magic rituals himself.

An extended flashback reveals how Stephen went on holiday to Thailand, had relations with a local woman called Bon Brown (Lee-Lee), returned to Hong Kong and promptly disregarded his promise to return to her, prompting the woman to seek supernatural revenge via Magusu, an evil spell-caster (Hassan).

At one point green fluid spurts from evil Magusu's face — At one point green fluid spurts from evil Magusu’s face

We’re soon witnessing various rituals, including a ceremony invoking a Vegetable Basket Spirit, which is enacted in silence and stillness, helping the scene to stand out when compared to the usual hectic, noisy rituals seen in most Hong Kong horror films. There’s also a grisly sequence in a temple mortuary, where the chanting Magusu sticks a spike into the foot of a dead pregnant woman to make her sit up, then uses a candle to make oil drip from the fake-but-grotesque corpse’s nostrils. Yet another novel instance of weird witchcraft involves the dark sorcerer burying a needle-transfixed lemon under the tarmac of a street: every time a pedestrian steps on the buried object it triggers stabbing pains in Bobby’s chest!

Magusu burns the face of a dead pregnant woman so that dark oil will drip from the corpse’s nostrils — Magusu burns the face of a dead pregnant corpse so that dark oil will drip from the corpse’s nostrils

The standout supernatural sequence, however, is the remotely-fought confrontation between Magusu and a Buddhist monk. Director Chi-Hung nicely contrasts the bright, clean, expansive look of the monk’s Thai temple with the sorcerer’s dimly-lit, shuttered shrine room, as the two men utilise different arcane methods to counteract each other’s mystical might. With Magusu’s veins filling with green gunk, the black magician prays to a bat effigy on the wall, which becomes a ‘real’ bat creature that flies off and kamikazes into the monk’s ceremonial fan to wreck his ritual! This whole duel of mystic men is really well-handled.

The moving bat sculpture, before it becomes a 'real' bat! — The moving bat sculpture, before it becomes a ‘real’ bat!

A close-up of the glowing-eyed bat ornament that somehow comes alive

When the film’s finale comes, it is reliant on the sudden, handy intervention of the monk at an airport. The monk causes Magusu to become all slimy and develop blisters, which inflate like balloons and pop…

Above: three shots of Magusu falling victim to a monk, who makes the evil magician's skin blister and melt! — Above: three shots of Magusu falling victim to a monk, who makes the evil magician’s skin blister and melt!

…and then, somehow, the monk makes Magusu transform into an old woman…

Magusu, for some reason, turns into an old hag!

…and then… a bat-creature puppet crawls from the old crone’s mouth!

The bat-thing pushes itself out of the hag's mouth! — The bat-thing pushes itself out of the hag’s mouth!

The monk proceeds to pick up the (rather sweet-looking) bat and slip the lil’ critter into his pocket. End of story! This is a brilliantly bizarre finish to the film, utilising garishly fun, lo-fi effects, that drives home the fact that BEWITCHED is a continually diverting, enjoyable, and colourful Shaw Brothers horror yarn.

Pechi (2024)

December 5, 2024 Ken Miller Leave a comment

'Fear has a new name' — ‘Fear has a new name’

Starring Gayathri Shanker, Bala Saravanan, Dev Ramnath and Preethi Nedumaran. Written and directed by B. Ramachandran. Produced by Gokul Benoy and Shaik Mujeeb. Verus Productions & Veyilon Entertainment.

A guide (Bala Saravanan) warns a group of trekkers not to venture into an area of the Kolli Hills forest that is shunned by the local villagers because it is associated with the spirit of a witch called Pechi, but the tourists ignore his advice…

The trekkers really shouldn't pass this gate... — The trekkers really shouldn’t go past this gate…

This Indian film boasts attractively-shot footage of various forest landscapes, and it features such folk horror trappings as hanging effigies, a straw voodoo doll, and arcane symbols that fill a derelict woodland building.

Pechi herself is a short, wizened, wild-haired witch-hag who lurks about amongst the trees, gripping a club-like wooden staff, regularly turning herself into doppelgängers of the various characters stupid enough to trespass into her domain.

Pechi the witch! — Pechi the undead witch!

Above: two shots of Pechi as seen in an extended flashback

This production is a lightweight, rather gore-free Tamil-language film that remains watchable throughout, despite the fact it includes rather too many scenes of characters wandering off into the forest alone.

There are lots of shots of people peering around tree trunks

The movie has a fairly elaborate backstory for the witch (who is taking the lives of her victims to extend her own lifespan), ends with a final revelation that is a bit rushed and not particularly convincing, and features a weird, bandaged-up, black-haired, fanged wooden doll in several scenes. Actually, this doll is a memorable prop that I think should’ve been used more in the film.

Above: two shots of the weird wooden doll (that was used to house the spirit of Pechi) — Above: two shots of the weird wooden doll (that was used as the receptacle to house the spirit of Pechi)

Okay, let’s have one final look at Pechi the undead witch hag…

A character thinks he has his arm around an injured friend... but it's actually Pechi! — A character thinks he has his arm around an injured friend… but it’s actually Pechi!

In My Mother’s Skin (2023)

November 17, 2024 Ken Miller 3 Comments

Starring Felicity Kyle Napuli, Angeli Bayani, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, James Mavie Estrella, Beauty Gonzalez and Shion Hayakawa. Written and directed by Kenneth Dagatan. Produced by Bianca Balbuena, Stefano Centini and Junxiang Huang Epicmedia.

Do not trust this 'fairy'! — Do not trust this ‘fairy’!

During the Second World War in the Japanese-occupied Philippines, a well-off merchant, who is accused of hiding a stash of gold, decides to seek help, leaving his wife, daughter and son to fend for themselves in their large, isolated home. The daughter, Tala (Felicity Kyle Napuli), encounters a ‘cicada fairy’ (Jasmine Curtis-Smith) dwelling in a derelict, chapel-like jungle shack. This fairy persuades Tala to allow a cicada to crawl into her ill mother’s mouth, which seems to heal her at first, but a large, fleshy cyst develops on the mother’s back… and soon she begins to lose her humanity, eats the pet dog, and pleads to be locked up so that she can’t harm her children. Tala realises that the seemingly friendly fairy can not be trusted, but when her brother, Bayani (James Mavie Estrella), then accidentally shoots himself in the stomach, she’s forced to return to the fairy’s hut-chapel to plead for help again…

She's rockin' a pretty cool headdress! — The ‘fairy’ is rockin’ a pretty cool headdress!

IN MY MOTHER’S SKIN, a Philippines/Singapore/Taiwan production, has a persuasive aura of doom, which is accentuated by the movie’s score. Catholic imagery abounds, with the family home full of statues and other Christian iconography. The ‘fairy’ character, interestingly, resembles a fantastical parody of the Catholic concept of the Virgin Mary. Her striking, gilded costume has a headdress resembling a fan of sparkly insect wings, and she at first comes across as benign and helpful when Tala meets her in the wooden shack in the forest, which has stained glass windows featuring images of ‘angels’ with insect wings.

Tala bows before the ‘cicada fairy’ in her chapel-like shack in the jungle

The film is like a Filipino Guillermo del Toro production, mixing fantasy folktale elements with horror. The horrific aspects of the film include the mother becoming a veiny-faced cannibal with an extendable tongue. Tala uses her animalistic mother to deal with a violent would-be robber at one point, telling the man he can find the hidden, stolen gold in her mom’s bedroom. This crook, of course, gets killed and munched on by the mother. A fantastical component of the tale involves a golden, glowing fruit that the ‘friendly’ fairy instructs Tala to eat. Tala refuses to do this, and horror comes to the fore again as soon as Tala returns to her home, finding Bayani’s severed head lying on the floor and her long-tongued mother waiting to attack her.

Memorable moments include the fairy biting off the head of a bird, and glimpses of the youthful-looking fairy’s true, wizened visage.

Tala's mother becomes a long-tongued killer — Tala’s mother becomes a long-tongued killer

It all ends depressingly, with the newly returned father hugging his son’s severed head and crying, as the movie strives to appear deeper and more meaningful that it actually is, though IN MY MOTHER’S SKIN definitely possesses some rather striking imagery, with the ‘fairy’ character proving to be, without a doubt, the film’s most interesting element.

Under the Shadow (2016)

November 12, 2024 Ken Miller Leave a comment

The djinn, seen as a creepy floating sheet!

'Fear will find you' — ‘Fear will find you’

Starring Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi, Aram Ghasemy, Arash Marandi and Soussan Farrokhnia. Written and directed by Babak Anvari. Produced by Oliver Roskill, Lucan Toh, Donall McCusker and Khaled Haddad. A Wigwam Films production, in association with Creative Capital and MENA Film, supported by Doha Film institute.

In the 1980s, during the Iran-Iraq War, young mother Shideh (Narges Rashidi) must look after her daughter Dorsa (Avin Manshadi) alone when her doctor husband Iraj (Bobby Naderi) is assigned to work in a war zone.

Soon Shideh and Dorsa find themselves haunted by a creepy spectre. A neighbour claims that the entity is a djinn, which has been carried there on the unexploded Iraqi missile that has slammed into the top of their apartment block.

Produced by British film company Wigwam Films, this international coproduction (UK, Jordan, Qatar, Iran) expertly builds its atmosphere of unease, akin to a tale from M. R. James.

I liked the choice of locale – Tehran during the conflict between Iran and Iraq – which allowed us to watch a creepy story that featured interesting cultural details, such as the fact that women in this patriarchal society could be punished for not wearing a headscarf – and owning something as innocuous as a Jane Fonda workout videocassette was strictly prohibited.

The different cultural environment also means that we get to encounter a supernatural/folkloric being from another belief system, in this case a djinn. I love the idea that the djinn is snagged from the sky and brought down to earth via the intervention of a missile!

The djinn spirit itself is fleetingly seen as an out-of-focus man, but mainly it is represented as a floating sheet (often resembling a chādor veil), as the stresses of the war build and Shideh is forced to confront the supernatural presence to save her daughter.

Well worth seeking out.

The Strange World of Planet X (1958)

July 30, 2024 Ken Miller 2 Comments

Starring Forrest Tucker, Gaby André, Martin Benson, Alec Mango, Wyndham Goldie, Dandy Nichols and Richard Warner. Screenplay by Paul Ryder, based on the book by Rene Ray (which was a novelisation of the 6-part television series also written by Rene Ray). Directed by Gilbert Gunn and produced by George Maynard.

'Every second your pulse pounds they grow foot by incredible foot!' — ‘Every second your pulse pounds they grow foot by incredible foot!’

Also known as COSMIC MONSTERS and THE STRANGE WORLD, this b&w British science fiction horror movie tells the story of experiments with magnetism that unleash cosmic rays that turn a hobo into a burnt-faced strangler and enlarges all the local bugs.

This modest production meanders at an unhurried pace to start with, though it’s interesting to check out the mixed acting styles on show here, with Forrest Tucker, as scientist hero Gil Graham, delivering a dependable performance, whilst most of the Brit actors surrounding him come across as really quite stilted. French actress Gaby André, playing fellow scientist Michele Dupont, injects a little Gallic exoticness to the mix, and Martin Benson adds a smidgen of mystery to proceedings as the visitor ‘Smith’, who turns out to be a Klaatu-like alien on a mission to warn Graham and the others that their meddling with Earth’s magnetic field will have deadly consequences.

Michele Dupont (André) and Gil Graham (Tucker) are work colleagues who become fond of each other

After rather too many scenes set in the local pub, the plot thankfully kicks into gear, once all the cosmic ray-affected insects, grubs, millipedes, spiders and even a newt become monster-sized and do battle with soldiers in the woods next to the lab. Woot!

There are a few pub scenes in this movie — There are several pub scenes in this movie

Michele realises that this is a giant insect egg!

The filmmakers certainly include a diverse bunch of critters in this flick, that’s for sure, including a larval dragonfly and cockroaches. Les Bowie, who supplied the special effects (lots of magnified close-ups of creepy crawlies, etc), does a quite decent job, especially if you consider what little time or money he must have had to bring his low budget wonders to the screen.

Watch out! It's a big larval dragonfly! — Watch out! It’s a big larval dragonfly!

The best moment comes when a huge spider fights with a giant cockroach, as the heroine, trapped in the spider’s web, looks on in fear. This sequence is achieved using rear projection, and it looks pretty cool, with tree branches and white strands of prop spider web strung over the rear projection screen, adding a sense of depth and dimension to the visuals. But, when Gil runs up to save Michele, the rear projection image (of the spider) is turned off for some reason, so that the blank rear projection screen can be clearly seen beneath the prop webbing. But, hey, it’s a memorable creature-tastic sequence all the same!

Michele, stuck in the web, watches as the enlarged spider fights the giant cockroach — Michele, stuck in the web, watches as the enlarged spider attacks the giant cockroach

THE STRANGE WORLD OF PLANET X is definitely a cheap and threadbare production, but Tucker brings some much-needed verve to his role, thus preventing the film from becoming too stilted as we wait for the monsters to show up. Along with this production, Tucker also added his gruff, American vigour to the UK-made sci-fi-horror films THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN (1957) and THE TROLLENBERG TERROR (1958). The fact that he was in these three flicks means that I can’t help but rate Tucker highly! What a dude!

Tucker as scientist Gil Graham in THE STRANGE WORLD OF PLANET X

Ultimately, this movie is worth a watch, as it also features a wobbly flying saucer saving the day by blasting the (model) science lab to bits, and the film includes a brief, surprising moment of gore too, as we see a soldier getting his face eaten by a killer bug!

A bug eats a soldier's face! — A bug eats a soldier’s face!

Here are some lobby cards…

Here’s a US poster for the flick…

The poster claims 'this ravaging death overruns the earth...' but the whole story is set in a small UK village! — The poster claims ‘this ravaging death overruns the earth…’ but the whole story is actually set in a small UK village!

Finally, this is a COSMIC MONSTERS promotional sheet that used to form part of a Seven Arts Associated binder. Seven Arts Associated was a television syndication distributor and they published a yearly binder in the 1960s, which showed the films that would be available for television airing/syndication. These binders were sent to the television stations. Anyway, I like the COSMIC MONSTERS artwork used for this promo sheet…

I love the giant spider illustration! — I love this giant spider illustration!

Unearthly Stranger (1963)

July 2, 2024 Ken Miller Leave a comment

'Terrifying... weird... macabre!' — ‘Terrifying… weird… macabre!’

Starring John (THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN) Neville, Philip (THE SHINING) Stone, Gabriella (CASINO ROYALE) Licudi, Patrick (VAMPIRA) Newell, Jean (RETURN TO OZ) Marsh and Warren (THE TROLLENBERG TERROR) Mitchell. Script written by Rex (BLOOD OF DRACULA’S CASTLE) Carlton, based on an idea by Jeffrey Stone. Directed by John (OUT OF THE DARKNESS) Krish.

Jean (WILLOW) Marsh plays Dr. Mark Davidson's secretary, Miss Ballard. But who is she really? — Jean (WILLOW) Marsh plays Dr. Mark Davidson’s secretary, Miss Ballard. But who is she really?

A group of British scientists work on a way to project their minds to other worlds (this is never shown or explained) but it turns out that aliens have already learnt how to project their minds to our planet.

The story is set at the Royal Institute for Space Research

Dr. Mark Davidson (Neville) records his outlandish story — Dr. Mark Davidson (John Neville) records his outlandish story

The main protagonist is Dr. Mark Davidson (Neville), who is married to Julie (Licudi), a pretty Swiss woman with some odd traits, including the habit of sleeping with her eyes open and being able to hold hot objects like oven dishes with her bare hands.

Julie can pick up a really hot casserole dish with her bare hands and doesn't feel any pain — Julie picks up a really hot casserole dish and doesn’t feel any pain

Mark seems rather too unwilling to accept that his wife is not human (even though he is at first suspicious), but he’s so in love with her his judgement is clouded. Finally it is revealed that Julie is, in fact, the physical ‘creation’ of an alien’s mind projection: she is actually flesh and blood whilst the alien focuses on keeping her ‘real’, but the alien’s concentration can falter, which is why she forgets to blink and sleeps with her eyes open, etc.

UNEARTHLY STRANGER is a nicely-shot, inexpensive, b&w, low key British science fiction movie with some memorable moments, most notably when the wife ‘Julie’ cries with emotion because Earth children can sense she’s alien… and her tears eat into her skin like acid. This is an effectively-handled sequence, a striking visual idea that illustrates how the alien Julie is so upset she is physically scarred by her own tears. But some viewers might ask why the tears are so corrosive? One could argue that the distraught alien intelligence momentarily forgot what tears were made from and caused acid tears to flow. Or did the alien, which was sent here as a would-be assassin, hurt itself because of guilt? Whatever the reason is, this is a sublime scene that wedges itself in your memory.

All the schoolchildren become aware that Julie is 'different'... — All the schoolchildren become aware that Julie is ‘different’…

...and Julie is upset and begins to cry... — …and Julie is upset and begins to cry…

...and the tears burn her flesh like acid — …and the tears burn her flesh like acid

There are other examples showing what happens when the aliens lose their focus. For instance, when the aliens decide to cease keeping their projections ‘alive’, these ‘people’ simply vanish, leaving behind empty, discarded clothing.

We never see the actual aliens, who are all presumably still residing on their home planet, we only see the human-looking simulacra/projections that the extraterrestrial minds have created.

Discarded clothing after a flesh-and-blood mind projection ceases to exist

Warren Mitchel, who became famous as the bigoted Alf Garnett in the television series TILL DEATH US DO PART, appeared in a whole bunch of genre films, including UNEARTHLY STRANGER, where he plays the doomed Prof. Geoffrey D. Munroe. Garnett was also in THE TROLLENBERG TERROR (1958), THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (1961), THE NIGHT CALLER (1965), MOON ZERO TWO (1969) and JABBERWOCKY (1977).

Warren Mitchel plays Professor Munroe — Warren Mitchel as Professor Munroe

Patrick Newell is effective as the callous Major Clarke, John Neville is fine as the nervy & distraught hero, and Gabriella Licudi manages to be both rather exotic and sweet-natured at the same time, as the alien who cannot bring herself to kill her designated victim because she has fallen in love with him.

Unseen things out of Time and Space!' — ‘Unseen things out of Time and Space!’

The (rather poor) UK one sheet poster — UK one sheet poster

UNEARTHLY STRANGER is low budget but highly unique.

Let’s finish with a poster from Italy, which tries to trick potential viewers into thinking the movie might feature aliens with sucker-tipped fingers and tentacles…

Necronomicon: Book of the Dead (1993)

June 23, 2024 Ken Miller 2 Comments

Starring Jeffrey Combs, Tony Azito, Juan Fernández, Brian Yuzna, Bruce Payne, Belinda Bauer, David Warner, Bess Meyer, Signy Coleman, Obba Babatundé and Richard Lynch. Written by Brent V. Friedman, Christophe Gans, Kazunori Itô and Brian Yuzna. Directed by Christophe (BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF) Gans, Shûsuke (GAMERA: GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE) Kaneko and Brian (SOCIETY) Yuzna.

This Lovecraftian horror anthology movie features three segments (‘The Drowned’, ‘The Cold’ and ‘Whispers’) and a wraparound tale (‘The Library’) that has Jeffrey Combs playing H. P. Lovecraft himself, hunting down the Necronomicon in a library.

Of the stories, ‘The Drowned’ and ‘Whispers’ are the best of the bunch. ‘The Drowned’, for instance, boasts a fair amount of tentacles, including a massive, cyclopean tentacle-critter, which, of course, is something you definitely want to see in a Lovecraft movie!

A huge, one-eyed tentacle-monster rises!

But it’s the 3rd story, ‘Whispers’, that is the standout tale for me. This segment just gradually gets more and more gory, outlandish and batshit crazy as it progresses.

Signy Coleman plays a cop who finds herself in a cavern of horrors

‘Whispers’ features a cavern inhabited by otherworldly winged creatures that need human victims to enable them to reproduce, so be prepared for gonzo prosthetics, body parts, blood and bat-critters that have their mouths in their bellies!

NECRONOMICON: BOOK OF THE DEAD isn’t big budget, the acting is variable, and I think the production would’ve been better if Brian Yuzna had directed all the segments – but the film certainly pulls out all the stops to offer us loads of old-school practical FX, gore, slime & blood, courtesy of a bunch of special makeup and animatronic effects artists that includes the talented likes of John Carl Buechler, Screaming Mad George, Steve Johnson, Todd Masters and Tom Savini.

Finally, let’s take another look at the gill-man critter that features in ‘The Drowned’ story…

Rat Disaster (2021)

May 27, 2024 Ken Miller Leave a comment

Starring Xia Yi-Yao, Zhu Ya, Mu Sa, Yin Chao-Te and Zhang Lei. Written by Hou Shuang and Zhang Shengfan. Directed by Lin Zhenzhao.
Jiangsu Zhonglele Film/Hubei Changjiang Publishing & Media Group Co.

A doctor called Su Zhenghai (Chao-Te), his young son Yue Sheng and his two grown-up daughters Ting Ting (Yi-Yao) & Ling Ling (Ya) find themselves on a steam train on the verge of being overrun by disease-ridden, murderous rats!

Can any of the passengers survive the rodent onslaught?! — Can any of the passengers survive this rodent onslaught?!

Also known as JUNKRAT TRAIN and RATS ON A TRAIN, this mainland Chinese movie is set during the period of the Republic of China and definitely delivers on what its title promises.

We don’t have to wait too long before swarms of (not-too-hot CGI) rodents start cascading from the roof of the carriages, engulfing anyone unfortunate enough to be anywhere near them.

Loads and loads of rats fall from the carriage ceiling!

The survivors rush to the front end of the train (a real steam train is used, which is cool), only to discover that those who have been bitten and lived are now showing signs of Yersinia infection, a disease which will definitely kill them, but there could be salvation; Su Zhenghai informs everyone that he works for the National Health Administration and knows that Sulfanilamide medicine, a cure for the disease, is stored at a hospital in the town their train is about to reach. The locomotive stops at the designated station and Su Zhenghai disembarks, leading a small group on a mission to get the medicine, but time is of the essence, because the train driver will only wait for two hours and then he’ll be forced to leave before nightfall… because the light-hating rats will be swarming everywhere once the sun sets.

Sometimes the rats pile on top of each other like the zombies did in WORLD WAR Z

Entering the rodent-devastated town, the group must traverse a street littered with many corpses and then cross over an alley packed with rats. They finally reach the hospital, which has been trashed by more rats…

The group stays in the sunlight and the rats lurk in the shadows

The rodent scenes definitely work better in darker locations, where the poor quality of the CGI rats can be obscured by low lighting, such as the sequence involving the characters venturing into the dungeon-like bowels of the wrecked hospital. Here the intrepid team finally finds the medicine in a gloomy, dank storage area, which is also the home of a massive rat’s nest. The medicine is grabbed, but the protagonists must run for their lives now, as a tsunami of rats spill from the towering nest. Floods of rats pour from every building like a furry tidal wave as our heroes hurriedly exit the town!

If he's gonna die he's gonna make sure he kills some of the rats too! — If he’s gonna die he’s gonna make sure he takes some of the rats with him: boom!

Back at the parked locomotive there’s a nicely-handled moment where the old train driver, accepting his fate, begins to sing a melancholy song as his carriage is swamped by vermin. This is a sweet example of how Chinese and Hong Kong movies can unexpectedly switch tone in a story and make the mood-shift work wonderfully.

Drivin' through a swarm of rats — Drivin’ through a swarm of rats

Doctor Su Zhenghai, played by Yin Chao-Te, remains unwavering throughout, never allowing himself to give up, unlike most of the other characters, finally inspiring the survivors (after his daughter gives an impassioned speech) to join forces and help push a derailed carriage off the train track so that they can escape. With some scenes of self-sacrifice and the virtues of everyone working for the common good highlighted at the end, this film’s message must surely be one that the Chinese authorities wholeheartedly condone. Looking past the political box-ticking, the mix of selflessness and cooperation does work well and adds some poignancy to the finale. And probably only an Asian film would end with a main character getting overwhelmed by ravenous rodents while the camera focuses on flower blossoms in the foreground to create a zen-like moment of sadness.

If you’re willing to look past the less-than-stellar rodent special effects (they really are quite poor), RAT DISASTER is a solid merging of horror, disaster and animals-on-the-attack movies, with some on-the-nose family dramatics also blended into the genre mixture.

Oh no! It's a rat disaster! — Oh no! It’s a rat disaster!

Devoted to every kind of movie and TV monster, from King Kong to Godzilla, from the Blob to Alien. Plus monsters from other media too, including books and comics.