The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)

The tagline for this Hammer Horror Production reads "Hammer Horror!  Dragon Thrills! The First Kung Fu Horror Spectacular!"  To which I can only respond "Hell Yes!"  A weary traveler [Shen Chan] seeks out the help of Count Dracula [John Forbes-Robertson] to resurrect the 7 Golden Vampires.  Dracula steals the traveler's body and heads straight to a remote Chinese village to do the deed.  Throw in a few undead zombie samurai's along the way and you have the makings of horror heaven.

7 Golden Vampires is beautiful to look at.  Hammer Studio left behind the usual lush English mansions and decrepit castles.  In their place are stunning Buddhist temples and a decrepit Chinese village!  Hammer always knows how to make visually pleasing films and this one is no exception.  Furthermore, the musical score is big and brash for the most part, sending a signal to the audience that this is an epic adventure.

The cast includes Peter Cushing [Star Wars, Horror of Dracula] as Professor Laurence Van Helsing who happens to be lecturing at a nearby university and is persuaded to join the villagers in their fight against the agents of darkness.  Cushing is perfect for the role and does his usual excellent work in fleshing out his character.  David Chiang [Once Upon a Time in China II, Blood Brothers] is Hsi Ching who is Cushing's guide, confidant and warrior on the side.  He does a great job as well.

The martial arts scenes include everything you would expect: swords, daggers, death punches, acrobatics and really terrible fake blood.  I love it!  Placing horror on top of this is just icing on the cake.  The two merge very well in this film and it's fun to watch the director weave them together.  Furthermore, the horror elements are highly stylized.  The look of both the vampires and the zombie warriors is unique and very well done.

Speaking of directors, Roy Ward Baker [Asylum, The Avengers; TV Series] really does a fine job moving things along and keeping things interesting.  I can't remember seeing anything like this film before 1974.  If anyone out there knows of another Kung Fu Horror Spectacular before this one, let me know.  I definitely want to watch it!

I guess you can tell I really enjoyed The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires.  Don't miss it!

RATING: Excellent.

For more info check out the film's entry in IMDB.

Night of the Demons (1988)

I had high hopes for Night of the Demons.  I had seen the 2009 remake first and found it entertaining.  Therefore, I hoped that original would put that classic 80's horror spin on the story.  No such luck.  The original suffers in so many ways.

First of all the acting is awful and amateurish.  The characters are total stereotypes and I couldn't have cared less about what happened to any of them.  They lived.  They were killed by demons.  Big whooping deal!

Secondly, while there was tons of gory demon make-up, I found myself bored with it all.  There is plenty of fantastic special effect work in the 1980's.  This is not it!

Finally, while I'm a big fan of 80's music, the soundtrack suffered because of it.  D-List bands composed most of the tepid score.

Enough already.  How this one got a 6.0 on the IMDB baffles me to no end.  If you're a fan, tell me why.  I'm listening…..

RATING: Fair.

For more info check out the film's entry in IMDB.

Lifeforce (1985)

Lifeforce is a forgotten gem of the 1980's that is WAY underrated by critics.  At the very least it's the best vampire zombies from space film you'll ever see!  The story begins with a space shuttle that's exploring Halley's comet and discovers a strange spaceship hidden in its path.  As they explore the ship they discover three humans in suspended animation which they bring back to earth with them.  Needless to say, it's a BIG mistake.

Dan O'Bannon [Alien, Aliens, Total Recall] wrote an intelligent script that is delivered by a cast of fine actors.  Mathilda May is mesmerizing as "space girl."  Bless her heart, she spends most of the movie naked as a jaybird.  Yet, in spite of this, her nudity never feels gratuitous.  She is beautiful, powerful and deadly!  I also liked Steve Railsback [Ed Gein, Disturbing Behavior] who plays the captain of the ship.  Some reviews I've read are really unkind to him but I think he fills the role nicely and is a good mate for space girl.  Patrick Stewart [X-Men, Star Trek: The Next Generation]  also has a cameo role that is up to his excellent reputation as an actor.  It made me wish he had a bigger role.

Another thing Lifeforce has going for it is the masterful direction of the one and only Tobe Hooper [Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist].  He shows remarkable restraint with this film but imbues it with a sense of terror nonetheless.  All the scenes where space girl is sucking the life out of someone work very well because of his direction and ability to compose a scene for maximum emotional impact.

I also thought the special effects were very good.  The zombies were completely awesome and unique looking.  These aren't Romero zombies but something that can only be described as freeze-dried living dead.  Love it!  The final icing on the cake was an excellent score by legendary composer Henry Mancini.  Rarely do horror films get this beautiful of a score.  It's a total home run for me.

So, critics be damned.  Lifeforce should be on everyone's must-see list.  It's unfortunate that this film doesn't get the attention it deserved.  I'm trying my best to rectify that situation.  

RATING: Excellent.

For more info check out the film's entry in IMDB.

Dark Tower (1989)

Who knew that vengeful supernatural spirits could be so boring?  Alas Dark Tower is an failure of epic proportions.  Why?  Let's start with the screenplay.  The dialogue is absolutely ridiculous in places.  Not even the best of actors could make this drivel sound compelling.  

Secondly, original director Wiederhorn [Return of the Living Dead: Part 2, Shock Waves] was replaced during production by Freddie Francis [The Elephant Man, Cape Fear].  This is NEVER a good sign.  It means they knew the film was tanking and they hoped a new director could pull it from the depths to which is was sinking.  In the case of Dark Tower, this is not happen!

Finally the film felt a bit miscast.  Michael Moriarty [Law & Order, Troll] is solid as Dennis Randall, the detective who comes to investigate the mysterious death of a man who fell off a skyscraper and gets more than he bargained for.  However, both the female lead and the psychic are god-awful.  Jenny Agutter [Logan's Run, Child's Play 2] supposedly killed her husband in cold blood but she seems about as menacing as a basket full of kittens.  He needed an smart and feisty woman in this role but we didn't get one.  Theodore Bikel absolutely bombs as the psychic who keeps trying to carry on a conversation with the haunted skyscraper.  To his credit, the dialogue is horrible to begin with but I couldn't stop thinking what Donald Pleasence [Halloween] could have done with the role.  He is somehow able to make the most inane dialogue sound convincing and his talents were sorely needed on this film.

What more needs to be said.  PLEASE, if you love supernatural themed movies, skip this one altogether.  Yawn!

RATING: Bad.

For more info check out the film's entry in IMDB.

Jack's Back (1988)

How does one celebrate the 100th anniversary of Jack the Ripper's murders?  By meticulously recreating his wicked deeds, of course!  James Spader [Pretty in Pink, Wall Street] stars as identical twin brothers, one of whom is murdered by the new Ripper.  The other has dreams about how his brother met his demise and so he sets out to find the killer and bring him to justice.  Spader is very good in this role and I have the feeling the part may have been written with him in mind.  He is completely at ease with the character and is enjoyable to watch from start to finish.  

Cynthia Gibb [Short Circuit 2, Fame: The TV Series] also does a good job as Chris, your typical clean cut, fresh faced 80's girl.  She has good chemistry with Spader and their performances are definitely the heart of this film.

Director/Writer Rowdy Herrington is not exactly a household name.  He is best known for the Patrick Swayze cult classic Road House which he also directed.  Herrington creates a nice atmosphere with this picture but the screenplay could have used a little more work.  There are some holes here and there and the ending is quite unsatisfying and a bit disappointing.

All in all, Jack's Back is a good movie.  It could have been great with a little more work on the story which has a great deal of potential it never fully reached.

RATING: Good.

For more info check out the film's entry in IMDB.

The Vampire's Ghost (1945)

Sometimes less is more and sometimes less is…..less.  Such is the case with The Vampire's Ghost, a 1940's cheapie from Republic Pictures.  Republic was a film production/distribution corporation that specialized in B movie mysteries and action flicks from 1935-1959.

The Vampire's Ghost is tepid at best.  The story takes place in Africa where drums beat constantly and everyone is whispering about vampires.  That's about it.  Seriously!  Nothing exciting takes place and when the vampire is finally revealed he looks like an addict in an Ambien haze.  Furthermore, the ending where the vampire meets his demise [This should NOT surprise you in the least] is painfully predictable and formulaic.

The acting in The Vampire's Ghost is fine but nothing notable.  The actors have very little material to work with but give it their best shot.  This film might have worked well in 1945, but it doesn't translate well to modern audiences.  There are lots of great horror films from the 1940's.  I suggest you search my site and look at one of those instead.

RATING: Fair.

For more info check out the film's entry in IMDB.

Christine (1983)

Nobody tells a horror story quite like Stephen King whose fertile imagination gave birth to some of the best horror movies of the 1980's including Carrie, The Shining and Children of the Corn.  Christine is another wonderful example of bringing King's tales to life.  

Keith Gordon stars as Arnie, a typical nerdy high school boy who buys and fixes up an old clunker of a car.  As the car springs to life so does Arnie and the two become inseparable.  Heaven help anyone who tries to stand between this boy and his car!  Gordon is great as Arnie playing him with all the right emotional notes.  From wide-eyed innocent to crazed killer, Gordon handles the transformation admirably.  It's fun to watch.

The rest of the cast is great as well and includes 80's notables such as John Stockwell [Top Gun], Alexandra Paul [Baywatch], and Harry Deal Stanton [Alien].  The ensemble works well together and there's not a weak link in the bunch.

But let's not kid ourselves.  The star of this show is Christine.  From the appropriately creepy 1950's music to its ability to repair itself, Christine is a wonder to behold.  The effects are just right.  Not too little.  Not too much.  It would be easy to go over the top with this one but, thankfully, the special effects people show remarkable restraint and it works well.

What more do I need to say?  With John Carpenter [Halloween, The Thing] at the helm as director and a wonderful cast to work with, it was inevitable that a great movie would be made.  Carpenter is one of my all-time favorite horror directors and he does not disappoint with Christine.  He also wrote the music which is quite effective in setting the mood.  Christine stands the test of time and is an 80's classic not to be missed.

RATING: Excellent.

For more info check out the film's entry in IMDB.