Deep Red

Deep Red (1975)
Director: Dario Argento
Starring: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi
Personal Rating: 3/5

"The film that has become the master work in Italian horror maestro Dario Argento's canon, Deep Red holds up brilliantly despite the plethora of copycat slasher films it inspired in the years to follow. The film opens with a flashback murder shown from the perspective of a child while an eerie nursery rhyme plays. Cut to the present, pianist Marc Daly (David Hemmings) witnesses the murder of a psychic while chatting with his drunken pal, Carlo (Gabriele Lavia). While the police investigate, Marc joins forces with attractive reporter Gianna (Daria Nicolodi). Once Marc realizes that he is a target for the killer, he seeks help from Giordani (Glauco Mauri), a professor of the paranormal, who soon becomes one of the killer's victims. Marc's research leads him to an abandoned house where he discovers a secret room that hides a corpse. Before he can call the cops, he is knocked out and awakens to find the place in flames while Gianna holds him. Racing to the neighbors to call for help, Marc discovers an important clue that leads him to a nearby school where he finally finds the killer's identity. The madman attacks him, but the police arrive to save Marc. Though the case appears to be solved, Marc comes to the disturbing realization that one piece of the puzzle remains." -© Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide

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Phantasm

Phantasm (1979)
Director: Don Coscarelli
Starring: Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury
Personal Rating: 4/5

"Phantasm is a surprisingly artful and imaginative horror film, an impressive film for 23-year-old director Don Coscarelli who worked with a miniscule budget to create a small masterpiece. When Mike (Michael Baldwin) spies some sinister Jawa-like creatures stealing corpses from the local cemetery, he and his older brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) explore the mausoleum, where they find that the mortician (Angus Scrimm), a towering, emaciated figure with superhuman strength, has somehow bridged the gap between Earth and the afterworld and needs fresh corpses. Among the tools of his trade is a flying Swiss army pinball that bores into the skulls of its hapless victims then extracts their brains. Their allies die off one by one, until only the brothers are left to defend humankind against the nefarious "Tall Man" and his army of shrouded dwarves. While the film does contain a fair amount of graphic violence, the gore is never gratuitous and, relative to other movies of its day, is used rather sparingly. The effects are fantastic as is the highly stylized direction; the result is a memorable chiller with more than its share of genuine shocks." -© Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

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Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition & Torture

Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition & Torture (1973)
Director: Teruo Ishii
Starring: Reiko Ike
Personal Rating: 4/5

"In Meiji-era Tokyo there are no rules, and Ocho (Reiko Ike) is back, reprising her role from the notorious film Sex & Fury. Ocho is a dangerous fighter, gambler, and thief whose clothing is often in danger of falling off, and this film is equal to its predecessor in the sheer volume of its blood, sex, and mayhem. When Ocho is kidnapped by a drug trafficking ring, she plans a dangerous escape, and aided by a mysterious loner (Ryohei Uchida), she investigates the gang's activities. They are engaged in smuggling heroin into the country by using women forced into prostitution. Inevitably, Ocho must face off with the brutal Yakuzas and their equally deadly swordswomen."

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Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon

Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon (1977)
Director: Yukio Noda
Starring: Sonny Chiba, Callan Leung, Etsuko Shihomi
Personal Rating: 4/5

"Yukio Noda directs action superstars Sonny Chiba and Callan in the thriller Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon. Chiba portrays Goglo 13, the most feared and respected hitman alive. Goglo is hired to assassinate the most powerful gangster in Hong Kong. Callan plays the police officer who has made it his mission to prevent Goglo from ever succeeding in another job." -©Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

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Bad Taste

Bad Taste (1987)
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Pete O'Herne, Peter Jackson
Personal Rating: 5/5

"Extraterrestrial fast-food franchisers come to earth to pick up food supplies-in this case, human flesh. After wiping out a few small towns, the aliens must contend with a team of government assassins, headed by Pete O'Herne. As the plot rolls on, O'Herne's crew is decimated in as gory a manner as possible, and innocent bystander Craig Smith ends up being marinated (and a darned good job it is). Turns out that the space folks are running on a timetable; they've got to return to their home planet with their human-hash cargo before a rival franchise puts them out of business." -© Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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