THE DANMAN CAN

Gary Sherman 's Death Line (aka Raw Meat ) (1972) is a slow and somber horror film with gruesome effects, an appropriately drab color palette, and a wry sense of humor. Gary Sherman Films Ranked

Enzo G. Castellari 's Italian take on William Friedkin 's classic 1971 film  The French Connection , the 1973  poliziottesco   High Crime (aka  La polizia incrimina la legge assolve ) opens with an exciting foot/car chase and ends with a stylishly shot shootout, all set to a fantastic and funky score by those magical music brothers,  Guido  and  Maurizio De Angelis . In between these thrilling bookends, we bear witness to Franco Nero 's magnificent overacting and constant outbursts of violence (seriously, he spends most of the movie in various states of exasperation). Despite the grim and eventually tragic subject matter, HC  is a pretty amusing film, thanks to sprinkles of humor throughout. The strong cinematography—including frequent slow-motion deaths—and effective editing provide high entertainment value for this crime picture that holds on repeat viewings. Recommended for fans of  Dirty Harry  (1971), and  Street Law ...

It's kind of amazing that  Deathdream   (aka  Dead Of Night ) was released just a few months prior to  Bob Clark 's classic holiday slasher  Black Christmas   ( review ), but the former was sitting on the shelf for some time because according to Wikipedia it was filmed in the fall of 1972.  Deathdream  is notable for being only the second screen credit for makeup/special effects wizard  Tom Savini . His work here makes great use of a small budget and honestly looks better than some of what he did later on in the '70s (the '80s were where he really shined).  Carl Zittrer  provides the same type of jarring and dissonant score work that he did for  Black Christmas , and some of the cues and techniques are almost identical but slightly less effective here. Similarly there are other parallels and techniques that director Clark mirrors from his other—more famous—1974 film, including the way he uses humor to balanc...

Tenebre  (aka  Tenebrae ) (1982) holds the distinction of being both one of my top 10  Dario Argento  films and top 10 gialli. It really amplifies the trademarks of the giallo—what with its almost hilariously convoluted plot mechanics and character motivations (which outdo even  Agatha Christie  in so far as leaving the viewer unable to guess the full extent of who killed who and why) and with its spectacularly gory deaths. Horror tropes (reveals of killers, unreliable memory, false endings) are played with here as well, along with not-so-subtle commentary on frequent criticisms aimed at Argento himself in regard to predilections and fascinations present in his work. The film has a certain sense of humor, despite the horrific nature of the killings. It also has a ridiculously catchy  theme  by three core members of  Goblin — Claudio Simonetti ,  Fabio Pignatelli , and  Massimo Morante . The cold, bright look of  Tenebre  s...

The first time I saw  William Lustig 's Maniac Cop 2   (1990), I was really annoyed by  Leo Rossi 's goofy Mansonesque "no homo" serial killer sidekick, Turkell. I still don't love the character (sorry,  Larry Cohen )—though he is good for a few laughs—but I've learned to accept him in what is otherwise a very solid and entertaining horror action b-movie with a lot of replay value.  I wouldn't go so far as to say that  MC2 is superior to its predecessor , as many feel it is (not enough  Bruce Campbell  and no  Tom Atkins !), but there are aspects of it that are better than the original—the direction, for one, and (especially) the stunts, for another. Woo boy, the stunts in this movie—just absolutely insane. Of the kind which you mostly don't see anymore, as many things have long since been replaced by CGI (which is safer for the stunt people but way less impressive). Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood set the Guinness World Record ...

It's kind of amazing that Deathdream (aka Dead Of Night ) was released just a few months prior to  Bob Clark 's classic holiday slasher  Black Christmas   ( review ), but the former was sitting on the shelf for some time because according to Wikipedia it was filmed in the fall of 1972.  Deathdream is notable for being only the second screen credit for makeup/special effects wizard Tom Savini . His work here makes great use of a small budget and honestly looks better than some of what he did later on in the '70s (the '80s were where he really shined).  Carl Zittrer  provides the same type of jarring and dissonant score work that he did for Black Christmas , and some of the cues and techniques are almost identical but slightly less effective here. Similarly there are other parallels and techniques that director Clark mirrors from his other—more famous—1974 film, including the way he uses humor to balance the bleak content and oppressive ...

Antonio Margheriti 's Seven Deaths In The Cat's Eye (1973) is a serviceable, occasionally bizarre, gothic giallo. The castle setting adds lots of mood, there is a decidedly Hammer / Bava -esque flavor to the proceedings, and  Riz Ortolani 's score heightens the melodrama. I've seen the film three times now and it's never blown me away (it drags a bit at times) but there is enough here to satisfy if you crave an Italian-produced, Scottish-set murder mystery. Love that cat too. Giallo Feature Films Ranked

God Told Me To (1976) does that gritty NYC thing and that horror/sci-fi conspiracy thing that  Larry Cohen  does so well. It's a bizarre, low budget affair, as only the King could churn out, but it also has perhaps the greatest sense of cohesion of his directed work (of which I've seen). As much as I love Michael Moriarty  and his wackiness in later Cohen jams, Tony Lo Bianco (and his comparative restraint) was the right choice for this film, which has a melodramatic flair, as opposed to the wall-to-wall zaniness of  The Stuff   (1985) ( review ). Recommended for fans of  Q   (1982) ( review ),  Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978), and  The Brood  (1979) ( review ). Larry Cohen Films Ranked

Uncle Sam (1996), William Lustig 's final film (to date), is only marginally better than Maniac Cop 3: Badge Of Silence   (1993) (where the director took an Alan Smithee credit), which is his worst. The film has a very similar premise to Bob Clark 's Deathdream (1974) [ review ], which is a better movie. That's because Uncle Sam  "is incoherent as social satire and perfunctory and routine as a horror film" (to quote the The A.V. Club ). However, it is a lot of fun. The gore is lacking, the acting is not great (despite the presence of a number of solid genre actors), and the logic is mostly non-existent, but there are many laugh out loud moments.  US  provides the same kind of enjoyment gleaned from 1997's Jack Frost  [ review ], which clashes with the rest of Lustig's oeuvre (where, despite limitations, he made better use of budgets and production values), but this little slasher is a good time regardless. William Lustig Films Ranked

The Toolbox Murders (1978) is a weird little flick—the first third is pure plotless exploitation sleaze, the middle third is melodramatic expositional TV Movie of the Week stuff, and the final third goes for a psychological thriller angle. TBM was briefly on the video nasty list but never really deserved to be. The acting is uneven (though veteran actor Cameron Mitchell and Wesley Eure —of Land Of The Lost (1974-1977) fame—are solid and suitable creepy), Dennis Donelley 's (in his sole feature film credit) direction is largely unremarkable, and it’s by no means a masterpiece, but despite the clunkiness—there’s something about TBM that keeps me coming back. Maybe it’s the ample violence and nudity in that first third, the haunting and moody main theme song, that great theatrical poster, and a genuinely disturbing ending.

Vigilante (1982) is not my favorite William Lustig  film—that would be his 1980 debut,  Maniac  [ review ]—but it is his most well-made film. I actually think it's better than Michael Winner 's  Death Wish (1974), the film it most often gets compared to (and accused of ripping off)—though I should add that I still like DW  a great deal. Part of the reason for that is that the DW sequels (as wild and fun as they are) dilute the power of the original, while Vigilante remains a singular experience. The two films are very similar in story—that of an initially peaceful everyman who seeks revenge for violence against his family, which resulted in the death of a wife or son, after the system fails him. The difference is that in DW , Charles Bronson 's Paul Kersey goes on a killing spree, taking out would-be muggers after dark, while Vigilante 's DIY vengeance squad (comprised of Fred Williamson , Richard Bright , and eventually the film's lead Robert Forster ) dish ...

Review

I've steadily grown to appreciate Harry Kümel 's Daughters Of Darkness (aka  Les lèvres rouges ) (1971) more with each viewing. This was the third time I've seen the film and maybe it had something to do with it looking absolutely incredible via Blue Underground 's new limited edition 4K UHD , but something just clicked and I realized that I flat-out love it. I'll admit I haven't seen that many sapphic vampire films but this is the best one that I have seen. Delphine Seyrig  as the Countess Elizabeth Báthory  is pure seduction. And while Danielle Ouimet and Andrea Rau 's acting chops may not be up to par with Seyrig's, they're both well cast. All three are strikingly beautiful in their eye-popping costumes. Eduard van der Enden 's lush cinematography captures everything with style. DOD is clearly a film in love with its images, with cinema itself. Sound is important too.  François de Roubaix 's score is an all-timer, creating a soundscape t...