Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict’s House of 100 Horrors (page 6)

Jeanne Goupil and Catherine Wagener as bored school girls turned Satanists in "Don't Deliver Us From Evil"

51. Don’t Deliver Us From Evil (1971)  Now I don’t know if it’s really proper and appropriate to put this film in a list of horror films because I don’t really feel that Don’t Deliver Us From Evil is really a horror film, although it is classified as such and is found in the horror section of rental shops and DVD retailers. So, in order that this brilliant and obscure French film is not overlooked I’m going to include it anyhow. Banned in most of Europe during its release, and never getting distributed in North America, due to its anti-Catholicism, Don’t Deliver Us from Evil has been released on DVD from Mondo Macabre for a world of film lovers to discover for the first time. Anne and Lore, two bored and often ignored fifteen year old catholic boarding school students, find themselves at the stage of their life where they are discovering their own sexuality, erotic literature and the differences between good and evil…with evil being the more attractive to the pair. Mucking around France’s countryside during summer break the two renounce God and give themselves to Satan in what is no more then just a child’s game. However, when the two girls put themselves in a situation they shouldn’t have, and a desperate act of self defense goes wrong, Lore and Anne find themselves in a spinning whirlpool of trouble which leads them to the most desperate act of escape, and one of the most bizarre and horrifying endings I’ve ever seen in a film to date. Although there are undertones of sex, lesbianism and Satanism, don’t be fooled. You’re not going to find any of these in this film. However, what you will find instead is beautiful photography, endearing characters, a strong script and the two cutest little Satanists you ever did meet. This film is truly a phenomenal masterpiece of European cinema.

Charlton Heston battles mutant vampires NRA style in "The Omega Man"

52. The Omega Man (1971) – Based on Richard Masterson’s novel “I Am Legend”, The Omega Man is one of the few remakes that is far better than the original. Biological warfare wipes out the entire population of the planet, except for one man who was able to develop and take an antidote, but was too late to administer it to the rest of the world. Now Charlton Heston is the last man on Earth and all alone in Los Angeles, for the exception of a band of mutant vampire like creatures created by the virus. The fundamentalist leader of the vampires wants to destroy the last man so Heston must hunt the vampires during the day before they come out and hunt him at night. A subplot involving a band of kids that have not yet mutated sees Heston trying to remake his serum, but the best part is watching Heston drive a cool car around New York City and gunning down vampires NRA style. Heston gives a great, over the top tough guy performance, and the albino vampire make up is interesting.  The Omega Man also has a great ending.  Although this story has been filmed three times, first as The Last Man On Earth with Vincent Price, and most recently as I Am Legend with Will Smith, The Omega Man is the best take on this classic story of horror.

Soledad Miranda in her iconic role as Countess Nadine in Jess Franco's "Vampyros Lesbos"

53. Vampyros Lesbos (1971)  Jess Franco dishes out one of the sexiest and most erotic vampire films of all time and sealed Soledad Miranda’s role as a scream queen legend in this fantastic erotic thriller. Beautiful women, a fantastic soundtrack (supplied by the Vampire Sound Incorporation), imaginative camerawork, and symbolism make you ignore the lack of plot to this sexploitation film. Linda (played by Ewa Stomberg) is haunted by erotic dreams of dark haired women who she saw perform at a night club. On a business trip she meets Countess Nadine (Miranda, under the moniker Susanna Korda) who, coincidently, is that woman in her dreams. However, the countess is also a former mistress of Count Dracula and seeks to make Linda one of the undead. All of this, and some pretty nifty lesbian vampire action.   I mean, who doesn’t love lesbian vampires?  God knows I do!  Vampyros Lesbos also features Franco regular Paul Muller as the doctor who Linda turns to who is investigating vampires, but has an agenda for Countess Nadine all his own.  Yet the true star is Soledad Miranda in both her most iconic role, and at her sexiest.  Sadly, she would be killed the same year that this film was made.  Very stylish and very mod, this has become one of my favorite foreign films of all time.

William Marshall in "Blacula"

54. Blacula(1972) The much celebrated blaxploitation horror film has a lot going for it, but is flawed in nearly as many places as it is great. When African Prince Manuwalde and his beautiful wife visit Count Dracula in the 16th century in attempt to stop Africa’s slave trade. Nuda finds herself sealed up in a wall to die while Manuwalde is made into a vampire and sealed in a coffin seemingly forever. I mean, this is the kind of stuff that happens when you try to make deals with Dracula.  Three hundred years later Manuwalde surfaces in modern day Los Angeles striking terror as Blacula. To make things more interesting, Blacula encounters a woman named Tina who is the reincarnated Nuda and he sets out to make her his undead bride. Shakespearian actor William Marshall is hypnotic and charming as Blacula, and does his best to give an air of depth to a movie that doesn’t have much depth.  Yet, despite the flaws the story is quite good with an unusual conclusion and a few turns you would not expect. However, the people that put together this film really had no idea how to make a horror movie so it often looks like a black adventure film a la Shaft or Superfly. The sequel, Scream Blacula Scream looked far better (it resembles a Hammer Horror Picture) but suffers from a bad script. Still, despite its faults, Blacula is a kitsch classic with a great story and is a fun entry into 1970’s horror.

Greaseball Steve Hawkes dons a paper mache turkey head in "Blood Freak"

55.  Blood Freak (1972) Two things boggle my mind about Blood Freak. First, who actually allowed this film to be released upon the public and, second, how is this film NOT a spoof or a comedy? Everything is wrong with this film: plot, costumes, acting, direction, sets, so…(read more)und, screams, motive, message. Everything. However, the fact that it is played totally straight with no tongues firmly placed in any cheeks makes it one of the most interesting films I’ve seen in a long time. Steve Hawkes plays a biker named Herschell. Yes. His name is Herschel. A grease ball hunk of a man who get caught up with a wrong crowd when he follows a hot born again Christian home after fixing her flat tire, but falls in love with her drugged out little sister. Getting a job at a turkey factory (yes…a turkey factory), Herschell eats an experimental turkey, while on drugs, and has a reaction turning him into half man/half turkey. Yes. Half turkey. Now, lugging around the country side with the battle cry of “gobble gobble gobble”, Hershel goes on a terror spree, kidnapping young girls, hanging them upside down and slicing their throats open so that he can quench his thirst for blood. Yes. This is not a comedy. This is not a spoof. This is the real deal. The moral of the story? Don’t do drugs kids, as explained by a series of strange cut ins by director Brad F. Ginter who narrates the story while taking dramatic pauses, which are actually made to read the next line on the script sitting on the table in front of him. More strange is the fact that Ginter discusses substance abuse while chain smoking! Furthermore, the acting in this film brings new meaning to the word terrible. It makes the Ed Wood Players look like the Mercury Theatre. Even more strange, nobody in the film does their own screaming, which is replaced by a single unconvincing scream that is used over and over again on a loop. Finally, the turkey head that Steve Hawkes wears is so bad that you can’t even recognize what it’s supposed to be. If somebody didn’t say “hey…look at that guy with the turkey head” I may have not known what he was. It looks like it was made as an art project by a special ed class. Yet, despite all the problems with this film, its strangeness makes it worthwhile to see. You really have to see it for yourself. Perfect viewing for a Halloween party or get together. The fact that it is one of the worst movies I ever have seen in my life makes this film positively endearing

Christopher Lee puts the bite on Caroline Munro in "Dracula 1972 AD"

56. Dracula AD 1972 (1972) Not exactly one of the classic Hammer Horror Films, Dracula AD 1972 is my personal favorite from the Hammer studio mainly for its pure silliness yet the film still manages to be very chilling. After putting Christopher Lee through six films as the fabled vampire, Hammer was running out of ideas and the franchise was getting pretty stale.  That’s when the geniuses at Hammer studios came up with the great idea to bring Dracula out of the 19^th Century, and into the present.  Devising a clever plot about group of London mods who manage to resurrect Dracula, Dracula feasts on gorgeous girls and wreaks havoc throughout modern day London in the attempts to destroy the ancestors of his arch rival Van Helsing. Peter Cushing even returns as the descendent of Van Helsing to, once again, battle Christopher Lee. However, due to his dissatisfaction of the script, Christopher Lee refused to say most of the lines in his script, giving them to co-star Christopher Neame who plays the nasty Johnny Alucard.  As a result, Neame gives possibly the strongest performance in the film, making Alucard one of Hammer’s best untraditional villains.  Furthermore, all the elements that make Hammer Horror films great are still intact: the sets are colorful, the costumes are elaborate, the gore runs red, and the girls are as sexy as ever.  Dracula AS 1972 is a campy, yet enjoyable, entry into Hammer’s Dracula series.

Darren McGavin makes his debut as supernatural investigator Karl Kolchak in "The Night Stalker"

57. The Night Stalker (1972) Decades before Buffy Summers appeared on TV screens defending the world of vampires and demons, it was up to Darren McGavin in the role of antagonistic reporter Carl Kolchak to reveal the truth about the supernatural to a world that didn’t want to listen.  Created by Richard Masterson, McGavin first created the role of Kolchak in the excellent TV movie The Night Stalker.  When a serial killer strikes the streets of Las Vegas, draining the blood of cocktail waitresses, Carl Kolchak is on the story.  However, when he manages to make the link between the murders and a series of robberies from local blood banks, Kolchak is lead to believe that the killer is actually a vampire!  Making enemies with local politicians and law enforcement, as well as being a constant pain in his new paper editor’s neck, Kolchak must push through every obstacle thrust in his way to end the terror on Las Vegas’ streets, despite what that might mean to his reputation, his freedom and his happiness.  Darren McGavin is fantastic as the long suffering reporter Carl Kolchak, who is aggressive, argumentative but honorable, although with a little hint of underlining seediness.  Great performances are also made by Claude Aitkens as Kolchak’s rival Sheriff Butcher, and Simon Oakland as his editor Tony whose battles with Kolchak over the legitimacy of his fantastic stories of the supernatural are classic.  McGavin, Oakland and Matheson would team up again for The Night Stalker’s excellent sequel The Night Strangler in 1973 which sees Kolchak in Seattle defending belly dancers against a hundred year old scientist who has discovered the secret of immortality through the blood of female victims.  Of course, the success of these two films would lead to the short lived, but critically acclaimed Kolchak: The Night Stalker television series that brought horror back to 1970’s prime time television schedule.  These two excellent films are now available on one DVD, and is a sure fire hit for fans of 70’s action/dramas and supernatural television in general.  If you loved Buffy, and haven’t experienced Carl Kolchak, make sure to pick up this one.

58. The Exorcist (1973) Deemed by many to be the scariest movie of all time, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist is still a great movie but it is questionable if it lives up to its reputation. However, it is probably the best known horror film of the 1970’s.  Revolving around two stories, that of Father Karras, a priest who is losing his faith, and the demon possession of actress Chris MacNeil’s daughter Reagan, the two plots come together when Karras is called to perform an exorcism on the child with demon expert Father Merrin.  Fantastic performances by the entire cast, most notably Jason Miller as Karras who gives a subtle and emotional performance throughout the film as his faith gets tested again and again.  Yet, of course, the real star of the film is Linda Blair as the little girl who vomits pea soup, screams blasphemies, makes her head spin around and does things that no child actor had ever done before, or has done since. But for a real treat, make sure to rent the new restored version of The Exorcist on DVD.  Titled The Exorcist:  The Version You Haven’t Seen Yet, some of the films scariest scenes, which were cut out of the original for some stupid reason, are readded, including Linda Blair’s freakish crab walk!  That scene will blow your mind!  It’s one of the scariest scenes in horror movie history, and it’s shocking that it was cut out when it was released originally.  Possibly not the scariest movie ever made now, The Exorcist is still one of the best shock films ever made.

Roddy McDowell, Clive Revell and Pamela Franklin in "The Legend of Hell House"

59. The Legend of Hell House  (1973) Sci-fi/horror writer Richard Matherson adapts his novel for the screen in this excellent, often overlooked film.  Four strangers, all renowned in their various fields, are hired to investigate the hauntings of the fabled Hell House, an old gothic mansion once owned by eccentric millionaire Emeric Balasco, which walls saw a series of foul and perverse acts which ended when twenty nine of Balasco’s guests turned up dead in a mass slaughter.  Other investigations have been made, but ended with murder and madness.  Can physicist Lionel Barret, his  loyal wife Anne, beautiful and fiery psychic Florence Tanner and physical medium Ben Fisher, who is the only surviving member of the last group to investigate Hell House, unlock the secrets and end the hauntings?  And if so, will they survive to tell  of their experiences?  The Legend of Hell House is a smart haunted house tale that plays on the strengths of the different characters personas, which leads to rivalries and camaraderie’s between characters.  Also, interesting debates over spiritualism vs. science occurs between Barret, played by Clive Revell and Tanner, played by Pamela Franklin.  However, the real scene stealer is Roddy McDowell as the emotionally damaged and tortured medium Fisher who’s slightly over the top performance keeps the film together.  The Legend of Hell House also featured British character actor Michael Gough in the uncredited role as Emeric Balasco.  Nearly forgotten by many horror fans, and often passed over for the more popular entries in the haunted house genre such as The Haunting, The Legend of Hell House remains to be smart and well paced and shouldn’t be left behind.

Vincent Price cooks up grilled poodle in "Theatre of Blood"

60. Theatre of Blood (1973) Vincent Price triumphs as psychotic Shakespearian actor Edward Lionheart, a part that was obviously tailor made for him, in this dark British thriller.  When Lionheart is passed over for a major theatre critics award that he felt that he deserved he commits suicide as the pompous critics who shunned and mocked him watch in horror.  However Lionheart survived his fall, and three years later he is back for revenge, killing the critics off one by one through deaths inspired by the Shakespearean plays from his rejected series.  Vincent Price often called Theater of Blood his favorite film to do because he not only was able to do Shakespeare while hamming it up in his unforgettable style, but he was able to play a number of different roles in different guises (my personal favorite is Vinnie as a gay hairdresser with a giant black afro).  The murders are imaginative, gruesome and often funny in a sick and twisted way (I’m partial to the critic who is choked to death on potatoes after being tricked into eating his poodles).  Theatre of Blood also features Diana Rigg in an impressive role as Lionhearts’ daughter Edwina, who shows her own diversity as she harnesses the spirit of Lon Chaney himself and gives the surprise performance of her life!  Other notable performers include Milo O’Shea as Inspector Boot, and Ian Hendry as Peregrine Devlin, the critic working most closely with the police.  Theatre of Blood is also not without some interesting trivia of it’s own.  Diana Rigg and Ian Hendry, who had never been on screen before together, had their own special connection in pop culture.  Ian Hendry’s most memorable contribution to pop culture was playing Dr. David Keel, John Steed’s original partner in the first twenty five episodes of The Avengers.  Of course, Diana Rigg would go on to play Steed’s most famous partner Emma Peel a number of years after Hendry was let go from the program. This is the chance for Avengers fans to see these two Avengers legends together at last.   As well, Vincent Price met his third and final wife Coral Browne when making Theatre of Blood.  Browne plays critic Chloe Moon who Price fries to death in a hair saloon.  Leave it to Vinnie.  Nothing says romance more then an on screen murder!  Anyhow, great performances by a large cast, combined with a fantastic over the top performance by Vincent Price makes Theatre of Blood a film that even the Bard himself would have enjoyed.