After twenty-two years of psychiatric care, Norman Bates attempts to return to a life of solitude, but the specters of his crimes - and his mother - continue to haunt him from IMDb.
Terrific 1983 sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic which is superbly directed by Australian Richard Franklin and features some really suspenseful moments along with a stand out performance from Anthony Perkins returning here as the nutty Norman Bates who has just been released from the mental asylum after being institutionalized for the past 22 years.
So many great things you can say about this sequel,for starter's it's superbly shot by Dean Cundey (check out this TV spot where Norman is walking up the steps - https://youtu.be/LS-L3cFOsno - terrific cinematography),also the cast here is really solid - Meg Tilly, Robert Loggia,Vera Miles,Hugh Gillin and Dennis Franz,then you've got the fantastic music score by Jerry Goldsmith - https://youtu.be/QMUk1FOTRHE and last but not least it's really well written by Tom Holland of Fright night fame,infact to be honest there's nothing but positive's here for me as I just really dig this movie and i must say it's always been a firm favourite of mine!
Watched this on Blu Ray for the first time actually and the transfer (I have the newly released Australian edition) i thought was first rate and the picture is noticeably more detailed and the lossless HD soundtrack was a treat for the ears,i'd say if your a big fan then the Blu Ray Is definitely the way to go!
I need to check out the director Richard Franklin's earlier mystery thriller Road Games as I've heard many great things about that,anyone here ever seen it and if so what were your thoughts?
[ 13. May 2016, 16:40: Message edited by: the young warrior ]
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Fun little horror flick by Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow who also did The Dorm That Dripped Blood in '82 and went on to do The Kindred in '87 (which is still unavailable on dvd to this day).
Oddly constructed story, since it doesn't really have a lead character. After a 15 minute prologue we meet three teenagers and several reporters, and eventually the story seems to focus most on two of the reporters, but when a little demonic possession is thrown into the mix, the movie shifts gears towards a nasty finale.
Effects are sparse but effective, the cast does a good job, plus there is that typical late 70s / early 80s feel to it. The Power also deserves credit for not going the "teen slasher" route, which was most common around that time, but instead chooses to present itself as a supernatural horror fantasy.
I've got the scorpion Dvd edition of The Power johnny,i also think that it's a fun little horror that plays out a lot differently to how you'd imagine it would,i liked the Christopher Young music score plus like you say it's definitely got that early 80s feel to it!
Would love to check out The Kindred again as well as The Dorm That Dripped Blood of which i've only seen the cut uk vipco release,i know the Synapse Blu Ray release has added gore inserted back into the film.
Johnny do you own The Dorm That Dripped Blood on Blu Ray and if so what is the PQ like as the old vipco version I watched under the title of Pranks was terrible,also I can't even remember if I liked it or not,if you have got it would you say that it's one that is worth picking up?
[ 27. May 2016, 08:54: Message edited by: the young warrior ]
Posts: 3243 | From: canterbury united kingdom | Registered: Mar 2011 | Site Updates: 0
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Hey, is that a transparant dvd case ? My copy of The Power came in a white eco case.
Anyway.. yeah, i have The Dorm That Dripped Blood too. Synapse is always reliable. Of course there are some limitations to the source material, but i'm pretty sure they tried to get the best out of it. In my opinion it looks good enough, plus it comes with some cool extra's too !
Definitely worth adding to your collection, Y. Warrior ! Posts: 2176 | From: The Netherlands | Registered: Jun 2011 | Site Updates: 0
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quote:Originally posted by Johnny Roarke is reckless: Hey, is that a transparant dvd case ? My copy of The Power came in a white eco case.
Yeah so did mine originally and I soon tossed it in the garbage where it belongs,don't get me wrong I love the standard white Dvd cases it's just that I don't like them when they've got big holes punched through them!
Cheers johnny I'll look at picking Dorm up at some stage!
[ 18. May 2016, 08:55: Message edited by: the young warrior ]
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aTomiK
.... has green eyes as well....
Member # 6575
"At a mountain resort, a local resident is possessed by the evil spirit of an ancient mountain man, and terrorizes a ski lodge." (IMDb)
This movie has a very low-budget, amateur cast and in the middle of the film the plot just drags. But at the same time it has that haunting feel and the kills are pretty nasty if you can forgive the cheap sfx. I also liked that the story has a decent ending. The film was shot in 1980 so you can´t find any mid 80s flavour here.
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quote:Originally posted by Johnny Roarke is reckless:
The Power (1984)
Fun little horror flick by Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow who also did The Dorm That Dripped Blood in '82 and went on to do The Kindred in '87 (which is still unavailable on dvd to this day).
Oddly constructed story, since it doesn't really have a lead
character. After a 15 minute prologue we meet three teenagers and several reporters, and eventually the story seems to focus most on two of the reporters, but when a little demonic possession is thrown into the mix, the movie shifts gears towards a nasty finale.
Effects are sparse but effective, the cast does a good job, plus there is that typical late 70s / early 80s feel to it. The Power also deserves credit for not going the "teen slasher" route, which was most common around that time, but instead chooses to present itself as a supernatural horror fantasy.
The Power is available on dvd from Scorpion Releasing.
The power was a excellent movie as far as I'm concerned I loved this movie so much. The last 80s horror movie I watched was A Nightmare on elm street part 2 I think this one is better then the first one.
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Underatted sequel Elm Street 2 I think David,very dark compared to the later sequels,Freddy's still pretty creepy here where as in the later entries he loses his fear factor altogether,the continuous funny one liners I think don't help.
Love the Elm Street 2 music score which I believe is done by Christopher Young who also done the music score for The Power.
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aTomiK
.... has green eyes as well....
Member # 6575
Watched Alien from the Deep (1989) which was directed by Antonio Margheriti who ripped off every other film back in the 80s. This time he´s taken ideas from The Abyss, Aliens, Deep Star Six, Leviathan etc.
So, there´s an american factory built on exotic island with a volcano. They dump radioactive waste into the volcano. Two Greenpeace workers start filming while the volcano becomes active, wakes this monster from outer space and all hell breaks loose.
Sounds fun but what we have here is lousy plot, bad acting, cheap effects and Charles Napier. I have only one advice: Stay away from this island! Posts: 7054 | From: Finland | Registered: Feb 2008 | Site Updates: 7
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I know Charles Napier didn't stand a chance against Rambo but does he fare any better against the Alien From The Deep?
Atomik have you ever seen the sci -fi horror Deep Space with Napier from 1988,if so is it any good?
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aTomiK
.... has green eyes as well....
Member # 6575
"A scientific corporation of ill repute (Genetic Laboratories) loses control of its test subject—a poisonous, mutant cat (the Uninvited) that inhabits the body of an ostensibly benign house cat. At the behest of two attractive co-eds, the Uninvited is ironically offered lodging aboard the luxury yacht of a duplicitous arbitrageur ("Wall Street" Walter Graham), en route to the Cayman Islands to escape criminal prosecution by the SEC. Ensuing challenges to the Uninvited's viability result in widespread carnage. (Wiki).
Haha, what enjoyable trashfest from Greydon Clark (Joysticks, Wacko etc.) Starring Walter Graham, George Kennedy, Clu Gulager, Rob Estes, Eric Larson and pretty ladies, Toni Hudson, Clare Carey & Shari Shattuck.
Crazy cat on the loose in a yacht biting people and spreading metabolical steroid (whatever that may be) You have to see it to believe it. Uninvited trailer
Cute, cuter, cutest
[ 31. May 2016, 00:51: Message edited by: aTomiK ]
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Let's be honest, there are some striking similarities here ! Posts: 2176 | From: The Netherlands | Registered: Jun 2011 | Site Updates: 0
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aTomiK
.... has green eyes as well....
Member # 6575
posted
Haha Johnny, without a question it must be Amy´s cat So, Amy is your new neighbour warrior?
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As kids, Todd is institutionalized for a murder whilst his twin goes free. 10 years later, on Thanksgiving, Todd escapes and a killing spree begins in his neighborhood. - from IMDb.
Louise Lasser as the twins mother Maddy.
Very enjoyable and extremely gory early 80s horror which was originally made in 1983 but not released in theatres till 87 and under the alternative title of "Nightmare At Shadow Woods" this a fairly well made little slasher which you can tell was probably put together on a shoestring budget and the end results i'd say were very admirable!
The Performances here I thought were generally pretty good though I did think that the twins mother as played by Louise Lasser (Above) could maybe be accused of slightly over acting it a bit though in her defense her role probably did call for this plus that of the asylum security guard who was hunting down one of the twins seemed slightly amateurish though then again in his defense he probably wasn't helped by some of the dialogue that was being used which at times was totally insane!
Mark Soper as the murderous twin brother Terry.
The kills off which there are many range from the gruesome (the early drive in murder) to the ridiculous (the lady psychiatrist who has been chopped in half and her upper body is twitching away a few feet from where her legs lay) and the build up of tension which occurs during these many on screen kill scenes i felt was aided no end by the cool and haunting music score that was used throughout!
The Pretty Julie Gordon as psycho Terry's girlfriend Karen.
Overall this was a really crazy,fun slasher movie that was absolutely full to the brim with gory kills,nudity and a killer 80s synth soundtrack (I loved the music score to this),so in short it was a blast to watch!
I saw this as a rental but I have read that the limited edition Blu Ray from Arrow Video is first rate and I believe that it actually comes on three separate discs containing 3 different cuts of the movie though I might be wrong!
"Amanda's deathbed request to her son, John, was for him to destroy all the lab notes etc. from her last experiment. She also blurts out he had a brother. At the funeral John meets Melissa, who claims to be his mothers biggest fan. Together with some of John's friends they go to Amanda's house, but none are prepared for what they find there." (IMDb)
This was pretty typical late 80s horror feature, much like The Nest and few others. Solid acting, few nasty kills and nicely done creature. Always good to see Amanda Pays, Rod Steiger plays the evil Dr. Lloyd and David Allen Brooks is our hero John Hollins.
A solid midnight snack for us horror junkies.
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Not seen The Kindred in years Atomik but do remember liking it,pretty scarce now on VHS it is one that has been belonging for a DVD or Blu-ray release.
I think Synapse or someone like that had it scheduled sometime back for a future release but it seems to have fallen thru unless it still is on the cards!
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aTomiK
.... has green eyes as well....
Member # 6575
"A young girl witnesses her brother murder a man through a reflection in a mirror. Twenty years later the mirror is shattered, freeing his evil spirit, which seeks revenge for his death." (IMDb)
Finally watched this early 80s low budget Ulli Lommel hit and i liked it. At first, i though that this is going to be a straight Halloween rip-off but then came the evil mirror spirit, some exorcist stuff etc.
It´s a little slow moving but has really cool atmosphere and i love the soundtrack. The theme tune mixes Carpenter sounds, Oldfield´s Tubular Bells and even some Goblin.
Few cool kill scenes in this one, especially the ending rocks! The lead actress, Lommel´s then wife Suzanna Love did pretty good as Lacey. Not so sure about her brother though I recommend this one if you happen to like low-budget early 80s supernatural horror stuff.
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I've always like Suzanna Love and thought that she's had an interesting life. She came from a super-rich family and got involved in Andy Warhol's New York City scene where she met husband Ulli Lommel. She didn't do a lot of films, but she's especially good in Lommel's Brain Waves and The Devnonsville Terror, the latter, as an auburn-tressed Jamie Lee Curtis lookalike. Cool actress.
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aTomiK
.... has green eyes as well....
Member # 6575
posted
The Devonsville Terror is a good one. I still have a The Boogey Man / Devonsville Terror double-feature dvd from Anchor Bay, which was released in the early days of the dvd format. Transfers still hold up reasonably well.
I believe The Devonsville Terror is scheduled for blu-ray release in the UK through the 88Films label, along with Ulli Lommel's Olivia a.k.a. Prozzie (1983), which also stars Suzanna Love.
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What is it about The Devonsville Terror? A lot of people, including me, like it, despite the fact that it has cheesy, stupid special effects, lots of talk, and some good actors and acting mixed in with some over-the-top lipsmacking performances. It shouldn't be good at all, but it is. Maybe it's because it's inherently interesting or that Lommel moves things along nicely. Suzanna Love--mimicking the look of Jamie Lee Curtis--is a big plus too. She's attractive and watchable, a good actress. Donald Pleasance was always welcome in any horror film of the period, and the thing is nicely shot on a tiny budget. And there's some decent gore and nudity. Maybe that's why it works after all...
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aTomiK
.... has green eyes as well....
Member # 6575
"In 1840, a samurai comes home to find his wife in bed with another man, so he kills them both and then himself. Flash-forward to the present day, and an American family of three moves into this since-abandoned house and starts to experience incidents of haunting and possession." (IMDb)
Oh boy, this "horror" film has so many unintentionally funny scenes you just can´t take it seriously. The acting is mostly sub par but like Crash said on another thread, Susan George is a sight for sore eyes. Doug McClure is so wooden i can´t help but laugh everytime i see him
The ghosts are pretty well done though and i liked the settings. The giant crab scene rivals the spider scene from The Beyond but it was effective enough for me because i hated those creepy crawlers
The ending was very anticlimatic because that was the most obvious choice to end the film. Can´t really recommend this one but i have to say that it´s a must see for all Susan George fans.
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