The Hidden (1987)
7/10

FBI agent (Kyle McLachlan) and local officer (Michael Nouri) try to stop a space alien on a crime and murder spree. Nicely shot and paced horror thriller with a sense of humor. Well shot car chase scenes and special effects. The story is simple and rather lighthearted for a horror/thriller. And while the characters are shallow, the main actors are engaging and film's successful as light entertainment.

Very much enjoyed this one, Sculpt::smile::Definitely worth several watches and I can certainly appreciate an Alien who likes Fast Cars, Heavy Metal Music and Strippers!

THE DEVIL'S RAIN (1975). This Cult movie certainly has it's good points, but bounces all over the place and gooey ending goes on too long. But I like the cast (very Young John Travolta) and Ernest Borgnine is truly a very cheerful villain here. Also interesting how Anton Lavey, the founder of The Church of Satan was an advisor for the film and also has a small part. **1/2

Alison's Birthday, 1981. 6/10

Director: Ian Coughlan


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pr...Sgp5Fj0QRP0zwf

LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE AKA MIDNIGHT AT THE MANCHESTER MORGUE (1974). Pretty good and spooky flick of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD-ish corpses terrorizing an English town (although it was filmed in Italy) with a pretty cool explanation of how it all came to be. Also kudos for the unsettling breathing from the corpses. ***1/2

Inferno (1980)

Honestly... I was very disappointed. Watched it in conjunction with Suspiria (probably not a good idea). The opening scenes are very good; the scene where the witches “fly” is so amazing I could talk about it all day. If you’ve seen it I’ll expect you know what I mean, even if you don’t share my enthusiasm. The finale was also very lacklustre (and the riverside murder... *groan*)

Overall I completely understand why Dario Argento considers this his least favourite films, and I can see why. I know that Mario Bava films some large chunks of the film but even so I expected better from both of them.

I likely join you as being a fan of Suspiria, but not necessarily a lot of the other Giallo films.

Curious what you think of The Beyond (1981)?

I enjoyed Blood and Black Lace (1964), Black Sabbath (1963) and Zombi 2, and there's a lot I haven't seen yet. But wasn't thrilled with The Beyond and Opera.

Just curious, what didn't you like about The Beyond or Opera?

I have a soft spot for the Italians. Over 20 years ago it took me the better part of a decade but I managed to track a copy of pretty much every single film Fulci directed with the exception of some early documentaries he did. Argento only took me a year by comparison, but I find Opera and The Beyond both to be highlights in the Italian catalogue so I'm always curious to hear what others liked or disliked in the Italian realm as it's kind of a special niche for me.

CLAUDINE (1974). Single Mother (Diann Carroll) working as a Domestic (and illegally supplementing her income with welfare) meets kindly Garbage Man (James Earl Jones) and a romance sparks. Lots of Roadblocks and will they be able to overcome them?

Carroll and Jones are great together (and believe they both got nominated for Oscars) and early performances by Roxie Roker (THE JEFFERSONS) and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (WELCOME BACK KOTTER). But I felt the film played a lot like an episode of GOOD TIMES; was almost expecting Lawrence to yell "Dy-No -Mite!" a couple of times and an ending that just doesn't ring true. **1/2

I'm going to watch Carrie with my boyfriend tonight, he's never seen it.

Hey RDB! Good to hear from ya!

Well, it's been a while since I've seen them, so allow me to be more general...
In regards to saying I wasn't a big fan of From Beyond, I know that's likely to get folks to say some nasty things to you ::big grin::. But it's pretty simple, it's a personal peeve I have with a high percent of Giallo films: I don't like illogical scenes. I can take a dream sequence in a film with the best of them, but a film that's full of illogical scenes irks me.

From Beyond, as far as remember, doesn't announce its dream sequence but it's full of illogical, unreal, and impossible scenes, including jump-cuts. You know, like the spiders killing the dude the way they did. If you know the film well, you already know what I mean. So it's just not something I enjoy. I still appreciated the film and enjoyed it in my own way, I'm just not a fan.

I was very looking forward to Opera. The trailers I saw had some great shots (thinking of movement shots through the crowded theatre). But the film as a whole had very few impressive shots (as I recall). It had some unrealistic scenes (thinking of killing scenes in the big room with props) where victims should have moved or escaped, stuff like that... which I was prepared for, but still rather something I endure. Overall, I just didn't find the story all that intriguing; and didn't really find it all that suspenseful or exciting either. I know Opera was very well received by critics, but I just have to be honest. Maybe I was in a horrible mood, and I should give it a second look.