Smokey-13 Reviews

Legend of the Werewolf (1975)

An all around highly enjoyable werewolf tale

[8/10 · 8 July 1999]

As a collector of the horror genre I always try and seek out some of the rarest titles I can find, so you can imagine my delight when I came across this seldom seen werewolf yarn at my local flea market. Not only is it no longer available for distribution but it had Peter Cushing's name in the credits! That's reason enough for me to purchase it. The story centers around a young boy named Etoile, whose parents were slaughtered by wolves when he was a baby. The wolves then took it upon themselves to raise Etoile as one of their own. Years later a traveling sideshow stumbles upon Etoile in the forest and they take him along as an attraction for their show dubbing him "wolf boy". As Etoile grows into a man he finds that some unusual characteristics have come along with his adulthood, especially when the moon is full. The rest of the movie details Etoile's obsession with a prostitute he has fallen in love with. When her clients turn up brutally murdered the police start a full investigation. Who will turn up as the guilty party? You'll have to watch the movie to find out and believe me it's worth tracking down. Outstanding performances from Peter Cushing as a coroner who tries to play detective and track down the killer, and Ron Moody as a sleazy and truly creepy zookeeper that Etoile works for. This British werewolf flick is probably now long forgotten and in my opinion deserves to be rescued from obscurity. With names like Peter Cushing and Freddie Francis attached to it, how can you resist?

Edge of Sanity (1989)

Anthony Perkins at his lunatic best!

[8/10 · 18 February 1999]

Anthony Perkins gives a bizarre and unhinged performance in this gothic style adaption of the Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde story complete with elements from Jack the Ripper. This time it's a cocaine-like substance which causes the good doctor to metamorph into the uncontrollable Jack Hyde. When Perkins is transformed into the savage beast he decides to make slashing the throats of prostitutes a hobby. Intriguing take on the over-played Jekyll and Hyde story with some twists and turns thrown in to keep the viewer interested. Also an excellent performance from Glynis Barber as Mrs.Jekyll. Atmospheric settings, weird situations, and over the top performances make this one an eye opener for anyone looking for something a little different. And when it comes to the role of Perkins, Edge of Sanity is a more than appropriate title.

Final Exam (1981)

Barely any blood to be found.

[5/10 · 18 February 1999]

Another contribution to the countless slasher films made during the 1980's, this one is a bottom of the barrel edition to the genre. There's more goofing around from the idiot college students in this movie than there is bloodshed. For some unknown reason a nutcase decides to hack and slash a bunch of teenagers during exam week on a college campus. Maybe he's bitter because he failed an exam there once. Or maybe he's bitter because the makers of this film failed so badly at giving the viewers any type of suspense whatsoever. Whatever the case may be this one is a definite flop.

Orgy of the Dead (1965)

A bad movie fan's delight!

[5/10 · 18 February 1999]

This has to go down as one of the most inane pieces of celluloid schlock ever released on an unsuspecting public. For bad movie buffs you can consider that a recommendation, and for the rest of you, don't say you weren't warned! A young couple crashes their car only to end up in a cemetery full of half naked strippers being watched over by "The Ruler of Darkness" and his foxy looking assistant "Ghoulita". There are also some pretty bad attempts at comic relief by a werewolf and a mummy. Need I say more? Well, even if I wanted to I couldn't because that about sums up the entire plot. Screenplay by Ed Wood, which could possibly explain the ineptness of it all. As a fan of bad movies I ate this one up.

New Year's Evil (1980)

4 Time zones coast-to-coast and "Evil" is on the prowl

[16 February 1999]

Roz Kelly of Happy Days fame stars as the host of a new year's eve punk rock celebration. She soon begins to receive disturbing telephone calls from a wacko who calls himself "Evil". He tells her that when the clock strikes midnight in each time zone, someone will be murdered. When it hits midnight in her time zone, she will be the final victim. One of countless slasher films made during the early 1980's, this one has an interesting premise but is played out in the same standard fashion as others. Good performance by Kip Niven as "Evil", but his relation to Kelly in the film is pretty obvious. Also highlighted by inane police investigators who basically stand around and do nothing, and a bunch of terrible punk rock performances.

Just Before Dawn (1981)

Highly underrated and very atmospheric

[9/10 · 14 February 1999]

This underrated little gem of a horror movie is one of my favourites. Five university students go out to the boonies to check out some land one of them has inherited. When they arrive the are greeted first by a drunken hunter who has just witnessed his buddy get killed by what he describes as "demons". Later they are warned by a forrest ranger(George Kennedy) not to hike up to the site. Despite the warnings they trek into the Oregon wilderness only to receive another warning from some local yokel who tells them to "skidoot". It seems they have something to hide. Finally after dismissing the warnings they are hunted down by a pair of psychotic hillbilly twins who happen to be the result of the backwoods family's incestuous ways. Excellent movie with some genuine scares and a feeling of helplessness as the youngsters are stalked by the disgusting mountain twins. I highly recommend this scary little chiller to anyone with an interest in the genre.

An Eye for an Eye (1973)

Bizarre and rare low-budgeter

[14 February 1999]

Tom Basham's over the top performance as a looney children's television show host is frighteningly realistic. When he discovers that some of his viewers are being abused by their parents he flips and takes matters into his own hands. Death by baseball bat, lawnmower, and strangulation are just a few of the things he has in store for the abusive parents. This seldom seen slasher is also highlighted by Basham's odd relationship with his puppets, as well as his blanket which he calls Mr.Rabbey. Psychopath also features weird music and endless close-ups of Basham's wild eyes. A must for fans of weird horror.