Psycho of the Month: Dr. Fruedstein

Dr. Jacob Tess Freudstein(The House by the Cemetery/Quella villa accanto al cimitero (Italy, 1980))
played by: Giovanni De Nava
status: undead
killcount: 6+

Obssessed n achieving eternal life, Dr. Freudstein found one gruesome way to achieve it. By constantly supplying his body with fresh blood through a form of black sorcery, he can fully function time after time after time, but with one drawback; despite being immortal, his body is prone to deterioration, leaving him a shambling living corpse as the ages came.

No more a human, Fruedstein continues his research to find another way, but in order to continue also meant he must continue living, thus came his bloodthirst that can only be quench with murder. There are occational supplies that comes in, mostly horny teenagers who finds his house as a sex haven, undisturbed by the outside, but it wasn't until the arrival of the Boyles where he gets a more interesting game...

Medal of Bloodshed: The Burning (1981)

Here in MoB, we salute those terrifying murders that gets embroiled to our noggins, whether the movie is good, super good or super trash.

Cult classic "The Burning" may not appeal to a lot of slasher fans, I dunno why really cuz it's supah gewd~, but anyone who get a glimpse to this "camp classic" would  remember a certain "ramp massacre". Here's a little bit of said scene.

Feeling a little crazy~ again: Nightmares in a Damaged Brain (1981)

Nightmares in a Damaged Brain (AKA "Nightmare"/"Blood Splash")(1981)
rating:***
starring: Baird Stafford, Sharon Smith and C.J. Cooke

There was a time where slasher flicks became so notorious, people tried to ban them through picking signs and angry mobs of mothers. In the UK, a list of titles was made to incorporate how awful these films can be, labeling them as "Video Nasties". For some horror fans, this can be a dreadful and overdone way to nag at the public for having fun, but for some this might as well be a serpent beckoning you to bite at a forbidden fruit.

Nightmares in a Damaged Brain (or simply Nightmare in some releases) was a part of this cavalcade, a gory showcase of one man's decent back into dementia after being proven "fit" to re-enter society.

The story follows George Tatum, a schizophrenic man turned insane due to a recurring nightmare involving an axe murder and a child. The doctors who treated him thought that the experimental drug given to him, a cure to manic depression, was working well thus releasing him into the streets to live a seemingly normal life. Turns out the effects doesn't last long and soon, George is suffering from the same nightmares again and began to murder anyone that gets in his way.

All the while, we're also treated to a family with some "child problems"; a certain son appears to have a liking on playing pranks that's overly extreme and feels no remorse whenever he goes too far. Said family soon becomes a target of Tatum, which eventually reveals what ties these two paths together in one twisted climax.

Now, it's not necessarily a bad film, nor is it unwatchable, it's just that Nightmare's very grim and depressing that I find it hard to enjoy it.

While most slasher titles would try to bring something to lighten up the mood, may it be a darkly comic situation or a warm banter between casts, Nightmares is completely devoid of anything inviting and it gets worse to the point that it's almost unbearable for some or just dull to others. Psychological elements, however, did their job well on bringing other forms of dread outside Nightmares' excessive gore (thanks to FX veteran Tom Savini); accompany it with some nice stalkings, a creepy direction that puts more depth in its story than most of its kin, and a family drama with an evil kid, the result would be a still watchable horror flick that gets into you somehow.

There's some controversies involving medication and the treating of the mentally unstable here, with Tatum being an ambiguous representation of either a rushed treatment or the ethics of treating a man forcibly with chemicals. Tatum's decent to psychosis was hinted only with the use of an experimental drug but it wasn't made clear whether the drug was meant to cure him and fails, or that the drug was the cause of it. A possible reason to be banned, but speculations and very depressing tone aside, Nightmares is still a decent gore flick for slasher fans to enjoy. At some point.

Bodycount:
1 female had her neck cut with knife
1 female found stabbed to death
1 boy killed offscreen
1 male garroted with wire cheese cutter
1 female gets a hammer claw to the back
1 female decapitated with axe (flashback)
1 male axed on the head (flashback)
1 male gunned down
total: 8

Freddy's Scream King : A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
Rating: ***
Starring: Robert Englund, Mark Patton and Kim Myers

Following up a box-office like A Nightmare on Elm Street is every mega-hit's problem. While production value and costs are often the starting point, "What will happen" is really the big question here and an important one.

Five years after the events of the first, a new family settles in the now infamous Krueger house and it's no surprise that Jesse, the new kid in town, have been coming down with some seriously scarring nightmares (literally) involving a burned guy with a fendora hat, Christmas sweater and knives for fingers. Dismissing these dreams as just stress, however, Jesse ignores it as much as he can seeing he has real life nightmares to face such as bullies, abusive coaches, and impressing a girl he likes. But when the nightmares begin to force him to do acts of unspeakable horrors beyond the dream realm, Jesse realizes that the man in his dreams is real and he's taking over his body.

Now, Freddy's Revenge's not the best sequel out there but it's a fair game that simply drove off the main path and tried to do something different to flesh out the franchise; in here, Freddy trying to break free into the real world, an idea that can be considered odd as it doesn't fit in with the rest of the series' theme and mythos, but I do find very little to complain about this fact since it did give this movie its own stand-alone flavor as a haunted house/possession movie with a very awesome transformation scenes that's painful to watch if you're squeamish about fingernails.

Another aspect here that I find interesting was the fact that most fans, or rather, most horror fanatics out there seems to see a lot of homoerotic subtext coming from this movie. It has a S&M premise where Jesse meets his first victim, a gay coach that terrorizes him during gym classes and, incidentally, his death is even a little kinky; stripped naked and getting his hot buns slapped with wet towels before our kid, possessed by Freddy, slices his back open. All the more to hint this gay subtext includes the fact that our hero is so "feminine" (just listen to him scream!), the movie's lack of proper onscreen tits, and its unusual number of scenes concerning school showers. Dude's School showers.

It's a little daring for its time but it's not all unnerving. In fact, you're only going to notice these once you start looking in between the lines. If there is one thing that I will complain about is this film's rushed "Love conquers all" villain defeat. I can forgive a slasher for being hammy, corny, cheesy, whatever will you call it, but never, and I mean never, put that kind of shit in a film that spends most of its time being grim and gritty for the last 80 minutes or so.

If you're not gonna make a big deal out of all of this, ANOES2 is still entertaining. It's still an attempt to give Krueger a more nightmarish appeal and, apparently, the last time in the 80s for us to see him in his "nightmare man" persona before he starts to kid around and get cheesier in each sequel. He is more vocal here compared to the last film, though, more taunting and even sillier as seen with his little stunt managing a killer parrot scene where the family's pet bird breaks free and attacks Return of The Living dead's Clu Gulager. Funny parrot scene aside, the killings in this entry are satisfying enough to favor a fair slasher fan, which boasts a minor classic scene where Freddy attacks a barbecue party at night in complete pandemonium.

So while A Nightmare on Elms Street 2 was more like watching a coming of age drama of a guy who's confused about a lot of things, only with Freddy tossed in, it did a fair job as a sequel. It's still classic Freddy Kruger and it's still your nightmare realm slasher snuff. Nuff' said!

Bodycount:
2 female killed offscreen
1 male had his back slashed repeatedly with knifed glove
1 male impaled and gutted with knifed glove
1 male slashed on the face with knifed glove
2 guests boiled alive in pool
1 male set ablaze
1 male trampled in stampede
1 male gets a knifed glove to the gut
1 female gets a knifed glove through her chest (dream?)
Total: 11 (?)

Slasher masks of the week vol9: $LA$HER$ EDITION

I wanna try something different for Slasher mask of the Week; for now, I wanted to review those awesome cavalcade of psychos in the cult favorite "$LA$HER$". Here are the six slashers that made the cut, whether it's full mayhem or slick glimpses.

Ah, my favorite killer priest, Preacher Man dons a freaky looking grey face mask that made him look like an undead Bible thumper from hell. It's not that classy, but I can look pass that if he doesn't stop talking in that cool accent of his. My all time favorite killer in this movie.

Dr. Ripper's mask consist of a skinned face with a pair of goggles sewn to the eye holes and an oxygen mask. It's pretty cool, so when he stopped wearing it, I was devastated. Should had killed that gal when you had yer chance, doc.

Glimpse in a millisecond, Slasho the Clown's undead mask features a sewn mouth and a rainbow wig. It's silly as it is creepy, I really wish they used him. Oh well, HEY MAURICE! YOU LISTENING?! DO $LA$HER$ 2!!!

Who could forget the fan favorite, Ole' Chainsaw Charlie's Alfred E Neuman mask is a sure hit and pure originality! I always thought that kid's face is freaky and now someone put a good use to that! Brava, Mr. Devereux!!!

Another Millisecond appearance, Pirate Pete's sheer brilliance! I mean this is the only decent Pirate slasher I've seen and yet, what?! You wouldn't use him?! Darn it! Guess you can;t have your cake and eat it. shit...

...I dunno who this guy is, but I think he's wearing a face paint. Um...sorry, but no...glad they didn't use him. (I think he's the Chinese Slasher featured in the opening. Weird, cuz he doesn't look all Chinese like that drawing they made based on him...)

Golden Title: Suspiria (1977)

Suspiria (Italy, 1977)
rating: *****
starring:, Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini and Flavio Bucci

Suzy Banyon moves from America to Europe in order to attend a prestigious Ballet school. Upon arrival one night, rain pouring heavily, Suzy encounters a frenzied and very terrified girl bursting out of the school doors. She utters something blared by the thundering rain before running away, a sight that confuses Suzy and forcing her to leave to town for the night.

Meanwhile, the girl seeks refuge to her friend in a near-by dorm, but safety wasn't on her side as a maniac broke in and viciously murders her (and accidentally, her friend) in a tension-filled prolonged murder.

At day break, Suzy returns and finds the school warmly welcoming her but she will eventually discover that something isn't right when students and staffs turning up murdered, maggot filled attics spoiling food, haunting footsteps that walks by night, and mysterious voices conspiring in their sleep. When her friend disappears one night, and after figuring a mystery behind the walls of their school, Suzy had to go forth and face an unknown force which might cost her own life.

Visually stunning and artistic, Argento's Suspiria is an instant classic that approached a different element of horror not explored in his giallo classics such as Deep Red and Four Flies in Velvet Grey before; taking in more of the supernatural while mixing Argento's distinguished giallo style mysteries and murders, Suspiria often regards its lack of solid plotting as a minimal nuisance compared to its "true" horrors, which are shocking visuals and sounds that induces more fright for the senses and to the mind.

Still, despite not being a full-on giallo, the genre's influence is present in its murders with their artistic execution. One fine example is the opening double murders which wisely sets up the viewers for a wider and stranger arrays of later killings with varying built of suspense, brutality and some darkly humorous irony.

Accompanying these killings is a rocking soundtrack, composed by the director's favorite alternative rock band Goblin, which holds some key points that makes Suspiria an engaging movie. Their tracks befits the scenarios that uses them, whether it's a day of ballet, an arrival of a villain or adding weight to the kills themselves (which uses a track cleverly called "sighs", which also happens to be my favorite track.), it's catchy, loud and sometimes even distressing to hear.

The acting is a bit off at times, but then again, that isn't as flinching as it should be as it's a very minor flaw compared to the rest. Jessica Harper played the role of our heroine, with much innocence and curiosity blended that makes her a likable character.

Personally speaking, this is Argento's last, finest, and most original film for me. It's first sequel, Inferno, tried to copy the same visual artistry in here, but fails to be any impact with it's very weak plot but somehow passes with its wider arrays of murders. The second sequel, Mother of Tears which also seals the trilogy close, is unfortunately an utter mess. Argento, after Suspiria, moved back to do more giallo films that were by-far very passable in the 80s, but slowly deteriorates in the wane of the new millennium ("Giallo" anyone?). Seeing this as the director's best film, I highly recommend this title for those young film hunters out there, no matter what genre you're after. It's a genre movie, but an outstandingly beautiful one at that.

bodycount:
1 female stabbed repeatedly on the heart, hanged with phone wires
1 female accidentally impaled on the head and neck with a sharpened debris.
1 blind male had his neck ravaged by a dog
1 female tangled in razor wire, later gets her throat cut with razor
1 bat bashed to death with a chair
1 elderly female gets a hat pin stabbed through her neck
1 male, 1 boy and 6 females burned to death inside a building
total: 14