Twins Of Evil (1971)

Maria and Frieda, recently orphaned identical twin teenage girls, move from Venice to Karnstein in Central Europe to live with their uncle Gustav Weil. Weil is a stern puritan and leader of the fanatical witch-hunting 'Brotherhood'. Both twins resent their uncle's sternness and one of them, Frieda, looks for a way to escape. Resenting her uncle, she becomes fascinated by the local Count Karnstein, who has the reputation of being "a wicked man". - Wikipedia


Twins of Evil is a 1971 horror film by Hammer Film Productions starring Peter Cushing, with Damien Thomas and the real-life twins and former Playboy Playmates Mary and Madeleine Collinson.  It is the third film of The Karnstein Trilogy that began with The Vampire Lovers.

A lot of these later Hammer films from the early 70's during the studio's downward spiral were overlooked for 30 years.  However, looking back now it's clear that some of these films are incredibly entertaining and hold up quite well. This film pulls out all the stops.  It has everything you expect from a Hammer film....blood, sex, evil and throws in Peter Cushing as a religious nut hunting down and burning young women at the stake. During the filming, Cushing was still mourning the death of his wife and it appears he put all of that angst into his performance. He is brilliant with the complex character of Gustav, who begins as an evil misguided witch hunter and ends as a vampire hunter trying to redeem himself.

Cushing with another masterful performance.

 But as great as Cushing was, this film will forever be remembered by the twins.  The Collinson's made a few more B films after Twins, but this is their finest moment. Their acting is better than one may think when they imagine Playmates playing leading roles in a film. They certainly make the film interesting and provide a twist that other vampire films have lacked.  They also pump up the films sex appeal.

Evil strikes.....

The film was written by Tudor Gates and directed by John Hough. He presents a beautiful picture with moody atmosphere and dramatic images.  He also delivers more tease than actual nudity and sex throughout the film.  A great job is done having the emphasis on evil at both ends of the spectrum, from both the vampires and the men of god.

Fans of Hammer horror certainly should not miss out on this film.  It offers a lot of different elements that are not commonly seen in vampire films.  On a cold dark evening this is a wonderful film to put in and watch. One of the best of the latter day Hammer films.

Kevin Booker 

Trivia:
Both the Collinson twins were dubbed

Ingrid Pitt was offered the cameo role played by Katya Wyeth.

Used the same sets as Vampire Circus.

The Vampire Lovers (1970)

The Countess is called away to tend a sick friend and imposes on the General to accept her daughter Marcilla as a houseguest. Some of the villagers begin dying, however, and the General's daughter Laura soon gets weak and pale, but Marcilla is there to comfort her. The villagers begin whispering about vampires as Marcilla finds another family on which to impose herself. The pattern repeats as Emma gets ill, but the General cannot rest, and seeks the advice of Baron Hartog, who once dealt a decisive blow against a family of vampires. Well, almost. Written by Ed Sutton - IMDB

The Vampire Loves is a Hammer produced film that was directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt, Madeline Smith, Kate O'Mara and Jon Finch.  It is based on the J. Sheridan Le Fanu novella Carmilla and is part of the so-called Karnstein Trilogy of films, the other films being Lust for a Vampire and Twins of Evil.  It is notable as being one of the first films depicting lesbianism as a central theme.  Although not nearly enough hot lesbianism for my tastes. Instead of neck, this vampire prefers to sink her teeth into a nice pair of breasts.  It has all the vampire elements....crosses, stakings, blood and sex.

Carmilla seduces a young victim.

 The film breaks no new ground other than the lesbian theme.  It's typical vampire fare and only vampire fans in general will enjoy the film.  The dialogue is rather dull and nothing very important is ever said.  At times, it seems to just be random conversation.  However, as is typical for Hammer, they do a wonderful job with the visual look of the film. There are creepy old castles, misty graveyards and a good dose of blood. It is also a fairly close retelling of Carmilla.

The lead vampire, Ingrid Pitt, actually outshines Peter Cushing in the film. She is an empowered female that overshadows the weak timid females she preys upon.  And it's not just the females....other than Cushing, she weaves her spell and dominates the males here as well. It's actually a fine performance on her part.  She had a lot more talent and charisma than some of the other females roaming about the horror genre at the time.  Cushing seems to be walking through the film.  He's not bad but it seems to be a "been here done that" film for him.  This character certainly doesn't challenge him as the Baron Frankenstein character did.

Ingrid Pitt is a damn fine vampire. 

 Overall, the film is average.  Fans of Hammer, such as myself, will enjoy it. They will enjoy the gothic sets, the blood and the breasts. However, this is not the film I would select to introduce a newbie to the world of Hammer Horror.

Kevin Booker

Bitch, you can't escape Peter Cushing.

Trivia:
The role of the Man in Black was offered to Christopher Lee but he declined the role and John Forbes-Robertson was cast instead. Forbes-Robertson would also later replace Lee in Hammer's The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires.

This film was given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association of America due to the vampire bites inflicted on the women's bosoms.

James Carreras rejected a suggestion that Bond girl Shirley Eaton play the lead on the grounds that she was too old. Ingrid Pitt, actually older than Eaton, was eventually cast.

It was the final Hammer film to be financed with American money

Quotes:
Marcilla: You must die! Everybody must die!

Baron Joachim von Hartog: They were all evil and remain evil after death. 

White Zombie (1932)

Young couple Madeleine and Neil are coaxed by acquaintance Monsieur Beaumont to get married on his Haitian plantation. Beaumont's motives are purely selfish as he makes every attempt to convince the beautiful young girl to run away with him. For help Beaumont turns to the devious Legendre, a man who runs his mill by mind controlling people he has turned into zombies. After Beaumont uses Legendre's zombie potion on Madeleine, he is dissatisfied with her emotionless being and wants her to be changed back. Legendre has no intention of doing this and he drugs Beaumont as well to add to his zombie collection. Meanwhile, grieving 'widower' Neil is convinced by a local priest that Madeleine may still be alive and he seeks her out. Written by Gary Jackson - IMDB

Here we have the very first Zombie movie....EVER. Not only that, this was the film that inspired Rob Zombie to name his band White Zombie.  He would later go on to become quite the film maker himself. 
The film was directed and produced by brothers Victor Halperin and Edward Halperin.  The screenplay was written by Garnett Weston.  Béla Lugosi stars as the antagonist, Murder Legendre, with Madge Bellamy appearing as his victim. Other cast members included Robert W. Frazer, John Harron and Joseph Cawthorn.

The zombies are indeed unnerving.

 The film opened to mostly negative reviews. They complained of poor acting and an over the top story.  The acting is indeed poor in spots but not by Bela Lugosi.  Even though his portrayal of Dracula proved to be more iconic, I find this to be Lugosi's best performance. He oozes evil and menace in this film.  There is no question that he is the best thing in White Zombie.

For the modern viewer White Zombie may move too slow or not have the gore they're used too. But the film has a sense of wickedness.  One such example is the scene at the Sugar Mill where the zombies are working, making no sound.  The only noise is the creaking of the machinery that they are forced to operate. This scene gives a kick to the viewer's system and a realization of the evil that is taking place here.  The shot of the undead walking across the mountain is a great visual.  The whole film has an atmosphere that makes it a classic. And the aura that Lugosi gives with his piercing eyes take it over the top. Some may take the look in his as eyes as comical but they're damn unnerving to me.  But the rest of the cast could not keep up and their performances are certainly lacking the same enthusiasm. It's a shame that Lugosi made a shitty $800 for his performance.

Lugosi shines with his performance in White Zombie.

 Even with a shoestring budget it's still a spooky film and one that I feel falls into the category "Classic". And this is almost exclusively due to Lugosi.

Kevin Booker

Trivia:
The play "Zombie" opened in New York in February, 1932, and the author, Kenneth S. Webb, sued Edward Halperin and Victor Halperin, the film's producers, for the movie rights. The Halperins won the case.

The film was thought lost until its rediscovery in the 1960s. A court battle was fought between film distributor Frank Storace and the estate of Stanley Krellberg, the copyright owner of the film. Storace had wished to produce a restored version of the film but the estate refused him access to original footage in their possession. Storace gave up the court battle and did not win his access to his original footage.

According to friends of Bela Lugosi, the actor always regretted that he had taken the role of "Murder" Legendre for only $800 while the film was quite successful at the box office for the Halperin brothers.

This film was shot in only eleven days, completed March 1932.

The voodoo chanting that plays over the opening credits is sampled in the song "El Imperio del Mal" by the Spanish rock band Migala.

There is no other way...

Quotes:
Charles Beaumont: But there must be another way.
Legendre: There is no other way!

Madeline: Driver, who were those men we saw?
Coach Driver: They are not men, madame. They are dead bodies! 

Dr. Bruner: Before we get through with this thing we may uncover sins that even the devil would be ashamed of.

Orgy Of The Dead (1965)

I am Criswell. For years, I have told the almost unbelievable, related the unreal and showed it to be more than a fact. Now I tell a tale of the threshold people, so astounding that some of you may faint. This is a story of those in the twilight time. Once human, now monsters, in a void between the living and the dead. Monsters to be pitied, monsters to be despised. A night with the ghouls, the ghouls reborn from the innermost depths of the world.

 Very rarely does a film come along that chills you to the bone.  A film that actually makes you sleep with the lights on. A film that makes you shit and piss in your pants.  This is not that film. In fact, you may be contemplating suicide after 30 minutes into the film to make it stop.

Orgy of the Dead is an unrated 1965 film directed by Stephen C. Apostolof under the alias A. C. Stephen. The screenplay was adapted by cult film director Edward D. Wood, Jr from his own novel.  (Novel????  How in the blue hell was this story a novel?  I must find that novel....it has to be about 4 pages long.)

The film begins with a young couple, Bob (William Bates) and Shirley (Pat Barringer), driving to a cemetery so Bob can get some ideas for a horror story.  He is tired of writing dog stories.  Bob makes the unfortunate mistake of trying to turn the car around too fast and they crash.  The couple awake and head to the cemetery after hearing weird music playing there.  But it's a death party as Emperor Ghoul (Criswell) and the Black Ghoul (Fawn Silver) are watching over a dance-off for your soul exhibition. That's all folks.....we are then treated to 10 fucking topless women dancing to shitty music over the next 80 minutes.  Don't believe me?  Here is a list of them all....don't expect Solid Gold or Soul Train dancers here.  Gold Girl Dance, Hawaiian Dance, Skeleton Dance, Indian Dance, Slave Dance, Street Walker Dance, Cat Dance, Fluff Dance, Mexican Dance, Zombie Dance.
Just when you're about to cut your wrist, Wolfman and Mummy show up.

Wolfman and Mummy enjoy good exotic dancing.

But they don't dance....hell no.  Mummy instead gives us his view on snakes.

Mummy:  I don't like snakes. I remember the one Cleopatra used. Cute little rascal until it flicked out that red tongue, and those two sharp fangs.  You'd never think such a little thing packed such a big wallop. We had lots of snakes in my ancient Egypt...slimy slinky things.

After 10 horrible nude dances, the sun comes up and all the ghouls disappear. The End. Words cannot express how bad this film is.  I enjoy bad movies for amusement but this is going to far. I would much rather spend my afternoon getting a root canal than having to suffer the torment of the damned watching this movie again.

Kevin Booker

You will be tortured....watch these dancers.

Trivia:  
The film based on the novel by Edward D. Wood Jr. has no werewolf character, like in the film. Wood received $600 for the novel.

Most prints of the film have someone's fingerprint on the negative during the opening credits. It's visible for only a frame, so, when the credits play, it is only seen long enough to register that something went by, but not what. Frame by frame slow down and then still reveals it's, most likely, a print from a thumb.

The cape worn by Criswell as The Emperor is the same cape worn by Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula in Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein.

This film is listed among The 100 Most Amusingly Bad Movies Ever Made in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson's book THE OFFICIAL RAZZIE® MOVIE GUIDE.

Torture, torture! It pleasures me! More Gold....A pussycat is born to be whipped.

Why 'Deep Space Nine' is the Best 'Star Trek' Series

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, here is an article I wrote a few years ago about why DS9 is the best series of the Trek franchise....

The original Star Trek series was a landmark in science fiction television history. It nudged sci-fi TV from juvenile shows like Lost in Space into more thoughtful territory with engaging ideas, compelling drama, and three-dimensional characters. Star Trek: The Next Generation was also a landmark. In many ways it opened the doors for sci-fi shows of yet a higher level of quality (J. Michael Straczynski’s Babylon 5 and Ron Moore’s Battlestar Galactica follow in its footsteps). However, in this writer’s opinion, it is the third series in the franchise, Deep Space Nine, that outshines all versions of Trek, before or since. While each series has its merits, none of them match this one, which due to its masterful writing is, of all the Trek series, the most human. DS9 was able to take the best of what Trek had done in the past, disregard most of its missteps, and push the franchise’s boundaries into bold new directions.

As all Trekkers worth their quadrotriticale know, the original Star Trek was originally sold by Gene Roddenberry as “Wagon Train to the stars.” DS9, by contrast, was loosely modeled after The Rifleman. Rather than joining a crew as it voyages among the stars, we witness the activities of Commander (later Captain) Benjamin Sisko as he commands Deep Space Nine, an old Cardassian mining station orbiting the ravaged planet of Bajor, assisted by a mixed staff of Starfleet and Bajoran personnel. In this series we see the consequences of Sisko’s actions, and we are presented with questions that neither the Original Series nor The Next Generation were prepared to offer. DS9 explored concepts such as how far one should go to win a war, whether freedom fighters are terrorists, and whether church and state should remain separate. None of the other Trek series, with a few sporadic exceptions, address these types of issues with the thoughtfulness of DS9. It has great potential in its setup, and in most cases, it fulfills that potential admirably.

The first and most important factor contributing to the superiority of DS9 is the series’ writers, who are able to look into their characters and use them to explore the show’s themes of religion, war, and consequence. These writers craft stories such as “Duet” (written by Peter Allan Fields), a gut-wrenching Holocaust analogy in which Major Kira is forced to question the morality of her own actions during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. Much later in the series, the episode “In the Pale Moonlight” (story by Fields, rewritten by an uncredited Ronald Moore) examines the morality of Captain Sisko’s willingness to participate in the murder of a Romulan official in order to win the war against the Dominion. These are but a few examples of how DS9’s writers strive to allow the audience to ponder more nuanced and meaningful ethical questions. None of the other series portray its main characters in such an imperfect way. While all of the series have strong writing, DS9’s staff is unique in its ability to place its characters in situations that have no clear-cut right or wrong answers and to not always have them do the “right” thing. They take risks with the characters and with the basic Trek format, and the result is a show that constantly invites its viewers to think carefully about debatable ideas themes that the other Trek series usually avoid.

Also in marked contrast to other Trek series, DS9 often questions the Federation itself. Early in the series, Sisko comes to a point at which he must to decide whether to aid the Maquis (a splinter group with legitimate reasons for breaking from the Federation) or turn them in. Later in the series, a secret branch of Starfleet called Section 31 develops a virus that could completely eradicate the Dominion’s leaders, committing, in effect, genocide. It is difficult to imagine earlier Treks portraying the Federation in such an unsavory light. This type of storytelling allows viewers to mentally participate in the stories in a way that can make them question their own ideas and assumptions. Though the other series provoke thought as well, they also often provide the answers to the questions presented.

DS9, in contrast to the other Trek series, also offers many connected story lines and arcs that enable it to tell a broad, continuous tale. The multifaceted and interconnected stories become so important to the show that the first six episodes of the sixth season are one long story, and the series ends with a ten-episode arc that resolves most of the series’ subplots. By the end of the series, these story lines have woven their many individual parts together so that they all affect each other. The serial aspect of the show also allows it to create a large group of recurring characters who are, at times, almost as well developed as the regular characters, particularly Gul Dukat, Star Trek’s best villain. This storytelling method forces the series to follow and cope with the consequences of the characters’ actions, and it also makes it harder for the writers to reset everything back to normal with an unsatisfying plot device -- something that happens too often on other Trek series -- therefore strengthening the continuity of the series and the viewer’s ability to relate to it.

This willingness to take chances with established Star Trek lore and the willingness to show that the perfect universe imagined by Gene Roddenberry could also have flaws make DS9 the best Star Trek series of them all. The writers of this series are interested not only in continuing the Trek franchise; they also want to explore beneath its pristine finish and see what really makes the Trek universe work. In doing so, they ultimately reinforce the series’ overall optimism, demonstrating that even in an imperfect world, there is happiness and contentment to be found. They show us a Federation we have not seen before, and in doing so, they make the tale of the aging station at the frontier of Federation space the best that Star Trek has to offer.

Eric Miller

---

All of the factual information in this article comes from http://memory-alpha.org.

We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011)

We Need to Talk About Kevin is a very disturbing film. In some ways, it is an update of The Bad Seed (1956). In other, more important, ways, it is a meditation on motherhood and unexplained violence. A sense of unspeakable dread seeps through the entire film This is a sobering film, a film that leaves the viewer in a good way feeling very uncomfortable. We Need to Talk About Kevin sports outstanding performances, wonderful direction, and brutal honesty. This is definitely one of the best films of 2011.

Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) and her husband Franklin (John C. Reilly) are a happy and successful couple who decide to have a child. Eva, however, is not enthusiastic about having a child, and from his birth on, Kevin (played by three different actors at different times, Rock Duer, Jasper Newell, and Ezra Miller) appears confrontational and hateful towards his mother Eva. As Kevin grows older, his behavior because more disturbing, culminating in a tragic and unspeakable event that causes Eva to rethink the way she raised him his whole life.

A brief summary of this film cannot do it justice. It contains so many different subjects and themes that is surprising that the film is only 112 minutes long. As we watch the film, we are asked to think about the nature of evil, the question of nature versus nurture, the nature of motherhood, and also what breeds a killer. Probably the most amazing thing about the film is the way the story is told. Director Lynne Ramsay presents the film in a kaleidoscopic style that takes quite a while to give the audience an anchor. From the first frame on, we are in Eva's head, where present events and stark memories of the past exist at the same time. During the entire the film, we have a sense that something truly awful has happened, and we are very curious to find out what it is. Ramsay's innovative direction, similar to Christopher Nolan's in Memento (2000), keeps the audience engaged and forces it to think carefully about what it is seeing on the screen. She also frequently uses pop and country songs in the film to underline its themes. This is a bit more conventional, but it is still very effective.

We Need to Talk About Kevin addresses a topic very rarely seen in the movies: what if a mother does not really like her child? From the very beginning of his life, it is fairly obvious that Eva does not particularly like Kevin. However, Kevin, from being a toddler on, seems to constantly do things to torment Eva. The film asks this question: does Eva's uncomfortableness cause Kevin to be a bad person, or is Kevin a bad child that makes Eva uncomfortable with him? It is to the film's credit that it never answers this question specifically. [SPOILER ALERT] when in the end Kevin becomes a vicious killer who kills his father, sister, and several students at his school, we are left wondering who or what is responsible (the film cleverly sidesteps the question of guns in school by having Kevin commit his atrocities with a high powered bow and arrow).

To a person, the cast is wonderful. Tilda Swinton gives a nuanced performance that allows to see a woman who is constantly on the edge, but is not willing to take the final step to resolve the situation. Throughout the film she keeps a stiff formality in her conversations with Kevin, indicating that she is aware there is a problem, but does not know what to do about it. The section of the film after Kevin commits his awful deeds, she seems incredibly sad and vulnerable. While three different actors portray Kevin at different times in his life, Ezra Miller is chilling as the teenage Kevin. He is reminiscent of Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange (1971), although he is much less flashy than Alex in that film (as an aside, Ramsay's use of anamorphic widescreen gives the film a very Kubrickian feeling). Miller seems to have modeled him on the notorious Eric Harris of Columbine infamy. His chillingly cool performance is not easily forgotten.

Alex DeLarge in the 21st Century

We Need to Talk About Kevin is a film that asks disturbing questions about childhood, motherhood, and the nature of evil. Using an innovative directorial style, director Lynne Ramsay pulls into this dark tale, and in offering no comforting answers, forces the audience to decide the answers itself. This is a film that should be seen by all.

Eric Miller

Vampire Circus (1972)

A village in Nineteenth Century Europe is at first relieved when a circus breaks through the quarantine to take the local's minds off the plague. But their troubles are only beginning as children begin to disappear and the legacy of a long-ago massacre is brought to light.  Written by David Carroll 

When thoughts come to mind of Hammer classic horror films, what usually pops up is the Dracula or Frankenstein series.  Lost in the shuffle is this gem of a film Vampire Circus. Hammer creates a stylish period piece here with a modest budget and an above average story.  It's erotic, chilling, grotesque and most of all, bloody. It's one of the last great horror films Hammer created.

Count Mitterhaus

The film starts off showing us how the townsfolk have finally had enough of their children disappearing and storm the castle of Count Mitterhaus.  They manage to stake the evil count and with his dying breath curses the town and promises to bring death to them all.  Jump forward 15 years and the plague has struck the town and they are cut off from the rest of the world. Gunmen circle the outskirts of town and keep anyone from entering or leaving so the plague can be contained. Somehow a traveling circus manages to get access and their purpose of arriving is not only to entertain the sick.  They are instead a group of vampires intent on resurrecting Count Mitterhaus and dealing revenge.

The blood flows freely in Vampire Circus

 This film holds up even to today's modern viewer.  Even though there is lots of gore, violence and nudity, the film creates a surreal mood and atmosphere with the circus's creepy characters.  The clown midget stands out as he leads some towns people on the way out of town, only to have them ripped to shreds by the circus panther.  His evil laughter and delight over the carnage actually sent a little chill up my spine. Anthony Higgins steals the show with his performance as the shape shifting vampire even though all the villains do an excellent job of portraying menace.  David 'Darth Vader' Prowse makes an appearance here as the circus strongman. He would later show up in more Hammer horror as the monster in "Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell".

Evil lurks at the Circus.

The film was directed by Robert Young and was his directorial debut. The film was written by Judson Kinberg and it would certainly fall under the term "sexploitation film".  It has has hints of pedophilia, bestiality and incest all wrapped up in one package. It offers an unusual twist that most vampire films don't have.  If you haven't seen this film, and few have, then head to Amazon and get the Blu-ray copy.  Fans of vampire films or horror films in general will be entertained and delighted on what they find here.

Kevin Booker

Trivia:
According to various books on Hammer films, this film went over schedule and some key scenes were never filmed. Ironically Rank called it Hammer's best film in a decade.

Shot in six weeks.

Three of the cast – Laurence Payne, Adrienne Corri and Lalla Ward – would be reunited in the 1980 season of the British sci-fi/fantasy series Doctor Who in the serial The Leisure Hive. The film also heralded the screen debut of Lynne Frederick, who would later marry comic Peter Sellers.

AllMovie called the film "one of the studio's more stylish and intelligent projects". PopMatters also called it "one of the company's last great classics", writing, "erotic, grotesque, chilling, bloody, suspenseful and loaded with doom and gloom atmosphere, this is the kind of experiment in terror that reinvigorates your love of the scary movie artform."