The Asylum has Many Doors
Reviews by Billy Ramone
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Reel for reel, frame by frame, the seventies–especially, for my money, the early seventies–were the most electrifying era for horror movies in cinema history. It's easy for me to forget that younger fans may not be familiar with the treasures of the golden age (just as I am often not up on all the contemporary offerings). With that in mind, here is a sampling of ten period favorites, in case you are looking for some old-school thrills this holiday season:
The Wizard of Gore (1970): When the market for soft-core porn started to dry up in the early 60s, exploitation filmmaker H.G. Lewis invented the splatter genre with 1963’s groundbreaking Blood Feast. In doing so, he tapped into a new drive-in market that was still flowing strong seven years later. Gooey effects abound in this ultra-low budget thriller as Montag the Magnificent (Ray Sager) works his gnarly magic. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971): Vincent Price shines in the titular role in this legendary black comedy. Phibes uses the plagues of Egypt as inspiration as he lays to waste the team of doctors he blames for his wife’s untimely death. Gruesome, wicked, and deliciously fun from beginning to end. Wins a Pulpy for Best Recycled Movie Song for Price’s rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Le Frisson des Vampires [The Shiver of the Vampires] (1971): If you like things weirder, this one’s for you. Director Jean Rollin never made a movie that wasn't strange as fuck, and this one–the third in a series of vampire movies that launched his career as a director–is the belle of the ball. Visually stunning, surprisingly funny, unsettlingly surreal, and just plain weird. Also, it has the best movie poster ever. Lust for a Vampire (1971): By the seventies, Hammer Studio’s best years were behind them…which doesn't mean they didn’t still make good movies. This Sheridan-LeFanu-inspired vampire yarn is a case in point. Bloodier than early Hammer offerings, and delving rather boldly into themes of Lesbianism, this may be their best of the period. Lots of Victorian sets and beautiful women (living, dead, and undead) make for a groovy chiller. Ecologia del Delitto [A Bay of Blood] (1971): Exceptional offering from Italian master Mario Bava. Many say this creepy, bloody, murderer-on-a-rampage flick is the ur-slasher, the father of them all. I don't know if that's true or not, but I know a good movie when I see one. It has been released under a number of colorful English-language titles over the years, including Carnage, Blood Bath, and (my favorite) Twitch of the Death Nerve. Worth a look no matter what they’re calling it. Last House on the Left (1972): Forget the stupid shit Wes Craven said about this movie in later years. Hell, forget the stupid movies Craven made in later years. This, right here, despite its flaws, is easily the most riveting movie he ever made. Sit there and go numb while you watch good old middle class mom and dad sink until they are every bit as brutal and disgusting as the depraved criminals who humiliated, raped, and killed their daughter. If you have a special place in your heart for movies that leave you feeling dirty, abused, and sickened, this one’s for you. Flesh for Frankenstein (1973): Some folks will tell you the reason for seeing Paul Morrissey’s Flesh for Frankenstein is hunky Joe Dallesandro servicing the ladies in the cast. They’re wrong. Let’s be honest: big D is a mediocre actor who does his best work with his mouth shut and his clothes off–titillating enough, to be sure, but he's not given enough to do here to enable him to carry the feature. No worries, though. The slack is admirably taken up by Udo Kier, whose jittery, megalomaniacal Baron Von Frankenstein is both pitifully weird and wrenchingly disturbing at the same time. Black Christmas (1974): The killer’s name is Billy. What more do you need to know? Another wonderful pre-Carpenter slasher which has gained in popularity over the past twenty-five years after having been largely ignored the first few decades of its existence. To hell with A Christmas Story: this is Bob Clark’s seasonal masterpiece. Delightfully claustrophobic, nasty to the bone, and worth repeated viewings. Young Frankenstein (1974): Of course it’s a comedy. But, damn, what a comedy! Mel Brooks and a phenomenal cast deliver a masterful, spot-on parody of classic Universal monster pics of old. Wilder is fabulous in the role was born to play, but watch out for Cloris “He vas my boyfriend!” Leachman as Frau Brücher (Neigh!) and Gene Hackman, who somehow manages to almost steal the entire show in his one scene. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974): The best movie on this brief list. A brilliant film that has been badly served by a bevy of embarrassing sequels. Toby Hooper’s original is one of the most disturbing movies of its–or any–era. It’s a grim, unflinching look at life from the perspective of the slaughtered that plays out in a universe that simply doesn’t give a fuck. Forget all the bad remakes, reboots, et. al. Just watch this one: it's more than enough on its own. |
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