Fade To Black (1980)Director: Vernon Zimmerman
Writer: Vernon Zimmerman
Actors: Dennis Christopher, Tim Thomerson, Linda Kerridge
Fade to Black is a dark journey through the world of cinema that is best enjoyed by viewers who have a deep appreciation for old classics but don’t mind a little slashing mixed in. Dennis Christopher plays Eric Binford, a young misfit whose obsession with the early days of Hollywood leads him to do bad, bad things. This is one of those movies that is deliberately paced and quite possibly might not be your cup of tea, but if you are open to it, Fade to Black is a rich cornucopia of twisted nods to a lost era. Me likey.
Raw Meat (1972)Director: Gary Sherman
Writers: Ceri Jones, Gary Sherman
Actors: Donald Pleasence, Norman Rossington, David Ladd
Dead & Buried’s Gary Sherman first came out with this lesser entry into the horror genre. The basic premise is that decades ago, a group of miners carving out the tube tunnels in England were trapped in a cave-in and left to die. They survived in their giant tomb by way of cannibalism and procreation and now their ancestors continue to claim victims who make the mistake of dilly dallying late at night in the Russell Square station. The plot holes are aplenty and the creepy gross cannibal dude is shown far too much for my taste but still, Raw Meat has some redeeming factors. Actually, one redeeming factor, Donald Pleasence. Pleasence is at his brilliant best as Inspector Calhoun, a wise cracking, snarky copper who has a meandering way of figuring everything out just in the nick of time. If you are a Pleasence fan, you will not be disappointed!
Anatomie/Anatomy (2000)Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky
Writer: Stefan Ruzowitzky
Actors: Franka Potente, Benno Furmann, Anna Loos, Sebastian Blomberg
I have to say, Anatomie gets a bad rap. I did some digging around on the old IMDB message boards and I think I may have an answer for that. It appears that many viewers who have seen Anatomie, have had the misfortune of watching a dubbed version of the film which apparently is quite terrible. I haven’t seen this version, but from what I gather, the dialog is wretched and causes the acting to come across as fairly dismal. This is why I almost always insist that you watch a film in its original language if at all possible! This is a really fun German film starring Franka Potente of Run, Lola, Run fame and she gives a fine performance here. Potente plays young Paula Henning who is following in her grandfather’s footsteps by attending Heidelberg medical school, a highly prestigious and exclusive institution. Upon her arrival, Paula begins to realize that there are also some highly unethical practices going on behind closed doors and she doesn’t hesitate to uncover them, as long as she doesn’t get herself killed first. This flick has some amazing effects that if you’ve ever seen the Body Worlds display, you won’t believe these ones aren’t real.
Waxwork (1988)Director: Anthony Hickox
Writer: Anthony Hickox
Actors: Zach Galligan, Deborah Foreman, Michelle Johnson, Dana Ashbrook
Waxwork brings me fondly back to my childhood as I was in the eighth grade the first time I saw it. I loved it then and I love it still. It is a campy lark through every Halloween monster you can think of as a group of college students explore the new wax museum in their neighborhood. What they don’t know is that the ageless owner needs a different soul for each display so that he can open a portal to hell and destroy life on earth as we know it. One by one the students are sucked into the world of wax, from Dracula to the Marquis de Sade. Two of them, Mark (Galligan of Gremlins) and Sarah (Foreman) narrowly escape their fate but then must fight to save the world. This movie is a really fun ride for Halloween, a little gory and definitely silly but good stuff. The sequel, Waxwork II is also a good one and spotlights a cameo by camp god, Bruce “Ash” Campbell.
Deathdream (1974)Director: Bob Clark
Writer: Alan Ormsby
Actors: Richard Backus, John Marley, Lynn Carlin
I think Deathdream is especially relevant to the current situation in Iraq and many Americans’ disapproval over how foreign affairs have been handled as of late. It follows a young soldier, Andy, who is killed in Vietnam and yet manages to return home sort of alive, but not. He’s not exactly a zombie or a vampire, at least not in the modern sense, but something is certainly very wrong with Andy. A slow paced but thrilling ride from director Bob Clark of A Christmas Story back in his good old horror days, Deathdream is a curious look at war and its effect not only on the individuals who live and die for our country, but also on the families they leave behind.
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