Anoraks Assemble

They say the geek shall inherit the Earth. I’m counting on it.

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Just a random woman who loves horror, sci-fi, and anything a bit weird.

  • Late Night With the Devil (2023)

    Late Night With the Devil is a 2023 supernatural horror film, written and directed by Colin and Cameron Cairnes.

    The film is partly ‘found footage’ and tells the story of late night TV chat show host Jack Delroy, who, on Halloween 1977, invites an allegedly possessed girl onto his show in order to try and communicate with the entity. He hopes that this event will help boost his falling ratings.

    Things start to go wrong, gradually at first, which help to ratchet up the tension, until all hell is literally let loose.

    So firstly, the positives, and there are plenty.

    David Dastmalchian is just wonderful as Jack, the confused host who is still mourning the shocking death of his beloved wife. However, as the story unfolds, we start to see another side to him and his unending quest for good TV ratings.

    What is the price of fame and how much is he willing to pay?

    Also, Ingrid Torelli, who plays the possessed Lilly, is utterly terrifying. She has a somewhat otherworldly quality about her and the way she smiles when everyone else is losing their shit is actually quite disturbing.

    The films looks great, a really 1970s period piece, and when the scares start they are very memorable. The scene when June – the parapsychologist and Lilly’s guardian – first ‘talks’ to the entity is quite shocking, as are the moments of body horror involving Jack’s sidekick Gus, which should keep the gore-hounds happy.

    The film asks some interesting questions about the price of fame and exactly how far people will go to achieve success.

    For me, where the film falls down is the ending. It does fizzle out a little, as though the writers had this brilliant idea (and it really is a brilliant idea), but weren’t entirely sure how to end it.

    However I can live with that because Late Night With the Devil is very original and has much to recommend. The ending may be a bit lacklustre but it is a lot of fun getting there.

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  • Devil Dog: Hound of Hell (1978)

    Devil Dog: Hound of Hell is a 1978 made-for-TV horror directed by Curtis Harrington.

    The film sees Richard Crenna and Yvette Mimieux as married couple Mike and Betty Barry, who, along with their two annoying brats teenage children, when the family dog dies, end up inadvertently adopting the hound from hell. (Think Lucifer rather than Lassie)

    The family’s housekeeper Marie knows something is wrong, endlessly clutching her crucifix and looking worried. However, this action isn’t enough to protect Marie, who quickly dies in a mysterious house fire.

    For some reason, the dog – named Lucky – hates Richard Crenna’s Mike, and uses its Psycho Dog powers to try and compel Dad into sticking his hand into the blade of a lawnmower. But Crenna is made of strong stuff and Psycho Dog’s dastardly deeds fail miserably.

    The rest of the Barry family aren’t so strong, and pretty soon Bonnie and Charlie, along with their mother Betty, fall under Lucky’s spell. The kids become even more irritating whilst Betty turns into a sex-crazed maniac, frolicking naked in their neighbour’s pool after Mike comes home late from work. The poor fella only wanted his dinner.

    Dad eventually realises all is not well when he hears weird chanting from the attic and discovers his wife and kids have built a shrine to Lucky. I mean seriously, Dad, get a divorce and put the kids up for adoption.

    Eventually Mike decides enough is enough and visits an old woman who knows a lot about weird shit. She tells him some mumbo-jumbo about demons and Dad realises he has to visit Ecuador. (I’m not exactly sure why Ecuador, I might have drifted off at that moment).

    Eventually Crenna and Psycho Dog face off in a bonkers finale, with lots of snarling and baring of teeth (the dog, not Dad), thunder and lightning, then suddenly Psycho Dog is gone in a puff of smoke.

    This film is ridiculous but Richard Crenna is always a class act and I really did believe he was facing off against Psycho Dog from Hell.

    Very silly, quite good fun, but nothing to get too excited about.

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  • The Blair Witch Project (1999)

    The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 horror film, written and directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez. It was something of a cultural phenomenon, redefining the whole ‘found footage’ genre and capitalising on a clever marketing campaign, which resulted in the film making an estimated $250 million at the box office. Without a doubt, it is the most famous ‘found footage’ film of all time.

    The basic plot sees three students, Heather, Michael and Josh, hike into the Appalachian Mountains to film a documentary about a local legend known as the Blair Witch.

    The first part of the film has a real documentary feel about it. We see the students interview local townspeople to hear their views of the so-called Blair Witch. It has a wonderful amateurish look (and I mean that in a good way), which lends strength to the idea that we are indeed watching a student film.

    And yet, I have such mixed feelings about the finished product.

    I mean, is it scary?

    Well yes, there are a few incredibly tense moments. The shaking of the tent, the strange and mysterious groans through the darkened forest, and Josh’s agonised cries. And the final shot of Mike, standing in the corner of the deserted building, facing the wall, is one to haunt the viewer’s dreams.

    The problem for me is, by the time we got to these moments I truly hated the characters so much I just did not care what happened to them. They are irritating beyond belief. And it is such a shame because it is a very, very clever film, highly original, and incredibly well put together.

    I had not watched The Blair Witch Project for quite a few years so decided to give it another go and see if my opinion had changed any. Sadly, I still think it is a case of style over substance. I think it is an example of highly creative and very original filmmaking, but ultimately, when the characters have little to no redeeming factors, it is difficult to care about their fates.

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  • The Night Stalker (1972)

    The Night Stalker is a 1972 made-for-TV movie, written by Richard Matheson and based on an unpublished story by Jeff Rice.

    The film follows reporter Carl Kolchak (the magnificent Darren McGavin) as he investigates a series of mysterious murders on the Las Vegas Strip, where all of the victims were found to be drained of blood.

    The victims’ bodies also have bite marks which, when examined, are found to contain human saliva. This revelation, along with the disappearance of blood stocks at the hospital, lead Kolchak to believe that a vampire is at work.

    Of course the powers that be do not believe him and warn him off, but Kolchak has a nose for a story and just cannot shake off the feeling that mysterious forces are at work. Eventually he is proved correct, but at what personal cost?

    When The Night Stalker was first broadcast in 1972 it set a record for the most-watched made-for-TV film, and it is easy to see why. It is just fabulous. This is mainly due to the character of Kolchak himself, a cynical, world-weary anti-hero made ridiculously likeable by Darren McGavin’s immense charm and charisma. We root for Kolchak and we want him to succeed.

    The story itself is an interesting one and the scenes along the Vegas Strip give it a sense of realism – it is very much in the here and now. Skorzeny, the villain, is genuinely frightening. He does not speak but hisses like a wild animal, and this factor, along with his make up, make him quite terrifying. There are moments when the camera focuses on his eyes, and it is actually quite disturbing and very effective.

    The Night Stalker, above all else, is fun, with a likeable lead character played by an actor with charm by the bucketload. It was followed by a sequel, The Night Strangler, and a 20-episode TV series, Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

    It also proved a major inspiration for The X-Files, with its ‘monster-of-the-week” format.

    The Night Stalker is an absolute gem and if you haven’t seen it, seek it out immediately.

    I don’t think you will be disappointed.

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  • The Nightmare Man (1981)

    The Nightmare Man is a four-part sci-fi / horror TV series which was first broadcast on BBC1 in 1981.

    It was based on the novel, “Child of Vodyanoi” by David Wiltshire and adapted for TV by Dr. Who legend Robert Holmes.

    Set on a small Scottish island (but actually filmed in Cornwall), a series of savage murders strike fear into the locals. After a strange craft is found on the beach, difficult questions are asked. Is it aliens, the Russians, or a secret military plot?

    Of could it somehow be a combination of all three?

    Mysterious deaths on a remote island are hardly a new thing – think of something like Island of Terror or Night of the Big Heat – but this is a little different in that it is rooted in a kind of realism of that era, with a Cold War paranoia and fear of Russia.

    Ex-army dentist Michael Gaffkin (the heroic James Warwick) is roped in to help. Along for the ride is his pharmacist girlfriend Fiona, played by the fabulous Celia Imrie.

    The special effects are absolutely fine. We see the monster’s actions from its point of view, which is actually quite effective. These scenes are accompanied by rather unpleasant slobbering noises and, disturbingly, inhuman laughter.

    Like so many BBC dramas of this era, it is low-key and slow-moving, but I do not mind this. It is also very tame in terms of what is shown on screen. I remember watching it in 1981 as an eight-year-old and absolutely loving it!

    The Nightmare Man comes from the era of The Omega Factor and The Mad Death, when the BBC took risks and showed us something a little ‘different’. I think the intervening years have been kind to the series and it holds up pretty well.

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  • The Omen (1976)

    The Omen is a 1976 supernatural horror film, written by David Seltzer and directed by Richard Donner.

    The film tells the story of an American diplomat, Robert Thorn, and his wife Katherine, who are living in Rome. She is pregnant and when she gives birth and the baby dies, the hospital chaplain convinces Robert to secretly adopt another baby whose mother died in childbirth. Robert agrees but does not tell the fragile Katherine, and they name him Damien.

    Fast-forward five years and Robert is now U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom. He and Katherine’s seemingly idyllic lifestyle is disrupted as, very slowly, they begin to realise that Damien is not all he seems.

    Eventually, Robert joins forces with photographer Keith Jennings (the wonderful David Warner), and they begin to uncover the shocking truth about just who, or what, Damien is.

    There was a real trend in the 1970s for supernatural horror, which was probably inspired by the likes of Rosemary’s Baby back in 1968, and it carried on with The Exorcist in 1973.

    But I think The Omen tops them all.

    For me, having Gregory Peck in the lead – an actual real-life movie legend – was the masterstroke. He plays it so serious and straight, I believe everything he says. Also, Lee Remick is so convincing as the ever-fearful Katherine. David Warner is just wonderful as Jennings, and Patrick Troughton is memorable, in a fairly brief but so important role, as Father Brennan, (complete with memorable death scene).

    Apart from Gregory Peck, the other piece of inspired casting is Billie Whitelaw who is just so completely pant-wettingly terrifying as Mrs. Baylock, the literal nanny from hell.

    The film spawned three sequels of varying quality, a prequel which I think is quite good, and a remake which is utterly ghastly.

    Why was it so popular?

    Maybe because it made the viewer question their beliefs, i.e. if the Devil exists then surely God must exist too.

    Or maybe because it’s got the coolest decapitation scene in movie history!

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  • The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)

    The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a 1961 British sci-fi disaster movie which tells the story of the United States and the Soviet Union simultaneously conducting nuclear bomb tests. The resulting explosions do something nasty to the Earth, resulting in floods, violent storms, sweltering heat, and an unexpected eclipse.

    On the case is drunken Fleet Street journalist Peter Stenning, played brilliantly by Edward Judd. He slowly uncovers the conspiracy, with the help of the wonderful Janet Munro as Jeannie, the sparky temp at the Met Office who is completely immune to Stenning’s charm. Leo McKern is fabulous as Bill Maguire, Stenning’s only real friend at the newspaper.

    Without a doubt, The Day the Earth Caught Fire is one of my all-time favourite films.

    The sense of realism in the newspaper office is off the scale, in no small part due to having real-life Daily Express editor Arthur Christiansen in the role of editor of the fictional newspaper. Also, the back and forth overlapping dialogue in the office feels so real. It is as though we are eavesdropping on this world.

    The story taps nicely into the Cold War paranoia of the time. 1961 saw the building of the Berlin Wall, so the whole East v. West was very much at the forefront in the minds of the public.

    The film is interspersed with real-life footage of floods and other natural disasters, which help to heighten the realism, and there are a number of quite memorable moments. The scenes of desolation in the world’s major cities are well done, as is Edward Judd walking slowly up an empty London street.

    As I’ve said already, the acting is excellent, with some wonderful supporting actors all the way down the cast list.

    It is also laugh out loud funny in parts. Val Guest and Wolf Mankowitz won the 1962 BAFTA for Best Film Screenplay, and I am not surprised in the slightest.

    This film is one of the best ever made, an absolute gem. If you haven’t seen it (what on Earth are you playing at?) then stop what you are doing and go watch it right away. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

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  • The Signalman – TV (1976)

    The Signalman is a short film which was first broadcast on the BBC in 1976, as part of the broadcaster’s ‘A Ghost Story for Christmas’ strand. It was based on “The Signal-Man” by Charles Dickens, adapted for TV by Andrew Davies and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark.

    The film introduces us to The Signalman, played brilliantly by Denholm Elliot, a lonely railwayman working his shift at a remote signal box beside the entrance to a tunnel. He encounters the Traveller who is visiting the area. The Signalman is clearly distracted by something – he even describes himself as “troubled” – and eventually admits that he is being haunted by an apparition which appears at the tunnel entrance next to his signal box.

    The Signalman agrees to meet The Traveller again the next night, when he starts his shift. But by then, the sounds of a mysterious train begin to haunt The Traveller’s dreams, and The Signalman’s fear and paranoia leads to a harrowing conclusion.

    The BBC’s ‘A Ghost Story for Christmas’ is synonymous with M.R. James stories, but I do think that The Signalman is the absolute best.

    The acting is just fabulous. Denholm Elliot is sublime as the terrified Signalman, and you just cannot take your eyes off him. Bernard Lloyd is also wonderful as the mysterious Traveller, who tries to assure his new friend that all he can do is discharge his duty and do it well. The conversations between the pair are quite riveting, interspersed with The Signalman performing his mundane daily duties.

    The whole atmosphere is one of dread. The howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock being somewhat accentuated, and, for the most part, the lack of background music, creates layer upon layer of fear.

    We just know something is going to happen, but we do not know what.

    The Signalman has a tight running time of approximately 40 minutes, which means nothing is wasted. It is absolute class and one to watch again and again.

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  • Death Line (1972)

    Death Line is a 1972 horror film starring Donald Pleasance, and featuring a cameo appearance from Christopher Lee.

    Student Patricia, and her American boyfriend Alex, are travelling on the London Underground late one evening when they find a respectable looking man lying unconscious on the stairs. After eventually convincing a policeman to investigate, they discover that the mystery man has disappeared.

    As it turns out, the vanishing man is actually quite an important person, so Donald Pleasance’s Inspector Calhoun is tasked with investigating the disappearance. He uncovers an urban legend about a group of railway workers who were trapped by a cave-in, their descendants still living below ground.

    It couldn’t possibly be true, could it?

    Death Line is actually a very very good film. The reviews for it are overwhelmingly positive, and it is easy to see why. Donald Pleasance and Norman Rossington are both excellent as Calhoun and DS Rogers. They are a very funny double act and end up providing a lot of unexpected humour.

    And believe me this humour is needed, because Death Line is very grim and also incredibly bleak. The scenes in the mutants’ lair, with the rotting remains of unfortunate commuters, does not leave a lot to the imagination.

    Apart from Pleasance and Rossington, Hugh Armstrong is ridiculously sympathetic as the lead cannibal (not a sentence I ever thought I would write). The scene where he repeatedly shrieks, “Mind the doors!” is terrifying and heartbreaking in equal measure.

    In fact, it is difficult not to have an element of sympathy with the mutant, cannibalistic underground dwellers, despite their murderous ways. There is an interesting juxtaposition between Manford – the very well-off first victim whose disappearance sparks the initial investigation – and the cannibal antagonists. It is almost a class thing, the upper class versus the exploited working class, and how the so-called ‘lower class’ is treated.

    Or maybe it is just a film about mutant cannibals killing unsuspecting commuters.

    Either way, it is a very good film, just not one I feel the need to revisit on a regular basis.

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  • Tentacles (1977)

    Tentacles is a 1977 horror / thriller / utter embarrassment, directed by Ovidio Gabriel Assonitis.

    In yet another Jaws rip-off, residents of a U.S. coastal town are disappearing in strange circumstances. Enter reporter Ned Turner, played by John Huston (I mean, come on, John Huston, what was he thinking?)

    We soon discover that the good townsfolk are being picked off by a giant octopus (I mean, obviously) and it is up to Bo Hopkins’ mean and moody hero Will to save the day. (I am not entirely sure how Will comes to the conclusion it is a giant octopus. Hopkins has a terrible habit of not opening his mouth to speak, so I might have missed the explanation).

    Anyway, chuck in Shelley Winters, Henry Fonda, some awful dubbing and a really bizarre soundtrack, and the scene is set for 90 minutes of unintentionally hilarious shenanigans.

    To be fair, there is quite a neat scene at the start when a mother leaves her child in its buggy at the waterside to go and talk to her friend. (Let’s ignore the fact that she left her kid alone). We see the buggy in the background with traffic passing along the road in front of it, obscuring our view. And then a bus passes by and suddenly the buggy is gone. It is a clever little moment, still kind of shocking even though we are expecting it. But sadly, this is as good as the film gets. There are a couple of quite hilarious moments, especially when the octopus causes absolutely carnage at a children’s boat race.

    Honestly, this is typical 1970s TV move fare and it’s awful. It has a funky soundtrack which is so out of place, especially during the moments when people are being killed by the beast.

    Acting wise, John Huston and Henry Fonda are fine, but they must have been paid an awful lot to do this. Shelley Winters (over)acts her little socks off, and Bo Hopkins is suitably heroic as Will, even though he irritated me so much by not speaking clearly.

    Once seen, never forgotten!

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