Thunderbolt’s Reviews

Halloween (2018)
Even though this features Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis I did not feel like I was watching a Halloween movie. I didn’t care for any of the characters as they were bumped off one by one and did far too much clock watching to see when the credits would role. Not a good sign of entertainment. Not quite Rob Zombie territory but pretty dull.

Sabotage (1936)

A boy is accidentally killed by a bomb on a bus travelling through London. The package he is to deliver is given to him by his sister’s husband who is being paid by European terrorists to plant a bomb in the capital. The boy thinks he is delivering a reel of film but as traffic builds on the streets the bomb is detonated at the planned time. Some superb acting follows and as emotions build you are soon drawn into the protagonist's mindset.

Masterful Hitchcock film which differs to the familiar wrong man plot. Here Hitchcock still seems at an experimental stage but here you can clearly see his great style emerging.

Hitchcock had reservations about a few scenes wishing he’d filmed thinks differently. However I feel the tension building is well executed and with such a gripping finale. This is one example of why Hitchcock was so great.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

John Landis strikes the perfect balance between horror and black comedy in this early 80s classic. The transformation scene alone proves that the old school effects are so superior to todays lame CGI.

There are many great moments throughout from the hostile regulars in the country pub trying to keep their local lycanthrope issue a secret, to the great Piccadilly finale. Possibly one of the best werewolf movies out there.

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What would Hitchcock do?

The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)

A modern horror which doesn’t hit the mark. We learn nothing of the strangers from the previous movie which isn’t a bad thing. Mystery without everything spelt out isn’t a bad move. There just seemed to be a lack of emotion from the actors as the family members meet their demise. Ok, this isn’t Oscar territory but you do expect some sort of hysterical reaction seeing a family member slaughtered.

The 80s ballads used for the soundtrack was an unusual/bad move as this took away any tension from the onscreen kills.

Much of the film was shot in semi darkness and it was really difficult to make out what was happening on screen. I found I had to crank the TV brightness to an unnatural level to make anything out.

I wouldn’t recommend this even for fans of the original. In fact it’s by far an inferior film.The getaway finale was a rip-off from the original Texas Chainsaw movie and we of course come to the last 10 seconds before the credits roll to find it may not be over for the survivors. Once was enough. But I wasn’t expecting much more.

The Lost World (1960)
Claude Rains stars as the explorer searching for prehistoric animals on a newly discovered plateau.
This is a very tame effort which has sporadic moments of not very awe inspiring effects. Here we have no stop motion, just horns glued onto iguanas with a blown up picture to supposedly look terrifying. Hard to believe that film makers would have the audacity to create screen monsters this way. This may be a guilty pleasure for some, but most will quickly forget it.

Kiss of the Vampire (1963)
Another vampire outing from Hammer Studios. Here we have a just above average effort mainly due to the casting. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing were typecast for their roles in Hammer films but here they are sorely missed. Noel Willman steps into the main vampire role but lacks Lee’s evil/charismatic quality.

We have the usual grand sets with a pounding score and the film does boast an original finale. Hammer fans will enjoy but it’s not quite up to the quality of the much loved main cycle which set the bar so high.

Young and Innocent (1937)
Another wrong man scenario from Hitchcock where a boy finds a dead body on a beach and whilst seen running for help is accused of the murder.

Some great experimentation going on here with miniature sets and great camerawork. The long panning crane shot from one side of a hall that continues across right into the real killers eyes is nothing short of stunning. The plot itself jogs along at a good pace and there isn’t a dull moment from start to finish. Not a Hitchcock film that first springs to mind but well worth checking out.

Halloween Ends (2022)
I wasn’t expecting much more than Michael Myers slashing his way through the movie and then the credits roll. How wrong I was. Although this is the final part of the 40 year trilogy I found this could easily be a stand alone film. A very dark plot has been created here with a new sub story. To start off I wasn’t sure that things were going to work but the film makers certainly saved the best for last. I felt this addition blew the preceding two parts out of the water.

Michael Myers surprisingly doesn’t have much more than a cameo role as a large part of the plot focuses on another Haddonfield story and the traumatised residents. Without giving away any spoilers, the finale is very satisfying and fans will definitely be crying out for more. Can this really be the end of Michael Myers?

Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
In my initial rundown of the Halloween films 1 to 8 I gave this a very generous score of . After a revisit today I have to now rate this a dull .

The ludicrous plot explaining Michael’s origins and the cult that surrounds him is just such a desperate theme. The only credible scenes which are very few are those featuring Donald Pleasence. The entire look of the film is constantly eliminated in blue electric lightning with flashes of Michael. It gets pretty annoying.
Much of the score has been replaced with rock music rather than the Halloween theme fans know and love.

The version I viewed was the theatrical release. I understand that the producers cut differs with an alternative finale and toned down violence. Weather this is an improvement I cannot comment but I would be very surprised.

So to sum up, an all round horrible film. One above the Rob Zombie films but bottom of the barrel stuff. Seems as though there was a strong conflict from the film makers on how this film should be. Certainly not like this.

Curse of the Cat People (1944)
Cashing in as a sequel this has very little to do with its predecessor. An old fashioned story that analysis parenthood and a young daughter with a big imagination.

This drama/fantasy/psychological thriller is OK as a stand alone but fans of the original expecting a continuation will be disappointed. It was marketed as a horror but is anything but.

Terrifier (2016)
Why? I am a big horror fan but this a perfect example of why modern horror has grown so stale. There is no plot at all other than a mute killer clown slaughtering whoever he crosses. The acting is awful and even the bloody effects which have been praised by some are sub standard. All this film tries to do is shock but it fails badly. It’s not even mildly amusing in an Evil Dead manner. For me just pointless trash that doesn’t work as a horror or a spoof. The end credits also say in memory of George Romero, Wes Craven and Tobe Hooper. I’m sure they would be so thrilled.

Treasures of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Bogart goes from likeable hobo to a man suffering from greed and paranoia as he searches for gold with two other men. He plays his role to perfection with his Jekyll and Hyde persona and his desperation really seeps through the screen.

This isn’t really a Bogart film which is often talked about but it is certainly up there with his best performances. The run time of just over 2 hours passes fast due to some fine direction, acting and well developed characters. The picture won several awards but Bogart’s performance was bizarrely not nominated which is by far the main attraction.

The Dark Mirror (1946)
Olivia de Havilland plays the duel role of twins and it’s very clever seeing her standing beside herself in a pre computer age. The plot is fairly entertaining although not the most gripping in terms of tension. By the halfway point we know who exactly the evil twin is but with some fine acting it’s worth staying with until the credits roll.

There isn’t a surprise twist finale as such because the viewer is in on how exactly the evil twin is caught out. But it’s fun to watch her downfall and how she reacts to her sibling and the doctor she is hell bent on being with. Nowhere near the deepest or darkest of noirs but not one to be ignored.

Notorious (1946)
An absolute belter from Hitchcock. Ingrid Bergman plays the daughter of a Nazi spy, a man who has been convicted of treason against the US. Alicia becomes aquatinted with Devlin (Cary Grant) who happens to be US intelligence. He wants her to infiltrate the Nazi mastermind Alex Sebastian (Claude Rains) and his associates who were involved with her father. But as she starts to fall for Devlin she patriotically marries the enemy over the guilt of her father and his actions.

Even though this stars top players Cary Grant and Claude Rains this is every bit Ingrid Bergman’s film. Her performance is solid throughout but the last half hour had me absolutely gripped. Hitchcock by far got the best leading lady possible.

I found Claude Rains character mildly amusing. Here we have this supposedly tough Nazi spy who is controlled by his quite overpowering mother. He definitely suffers from the well known “Hitchcock mother complex.”

I remembered very little of this film and as the door closed on Claude Rains and the credits rolled, I was eager for another 15 minutes to find out his fate. But on the other hand, what a way to end things.

Cult of Chucky (2017)
Multiple Chucky dolls appear in an asylum for more murder and mayhem. Another straight to DVD hell modern horror. This series really needs to be laid to rest permanently.

So here we have a bunch of characters you just don’t care anything for, no plot, no scares, awful acting (no surprise) and a rehash of the same old tiresome themes. A complete snore fest.

Spellbound (1945)
After a Doctor retires from a mental asylum his replacement Dr Edwards (Gregory Peck) takes his place. He soon becomes attracted to a Dr Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman) but Dr Edwards isn’t actually who he first appears to be. He is in fact a paranoid amnesiac imposter.

I didn’t find this quite as absorbing as “Notorious” as there is a long road to the unraveling of the plot. That being said there are some nice touches throughout. Bergman and Peck have some good chemistry together and I could see moments of Norman Bates in Peck’s character. I also really enjoyed Michael Checkov’s performance as Dr Peterson’s teacher.

There is a very arty dream sequence created by Salvador Dali, and some nice atmospheric shadowy scenes helping to build on that all important tension. The finale is very satisfying and well worth waiting for. There are better Hitchcock pictures out there but it’s well worth the time.

The book is much more enjoyable. And a fast read.

Yeah, I found this very effective though as just sort of a haunting film. Having just re-watched Cat People, I may actually like this a little better, not as a Horror film, obviously, but just in general.

I agree.
I hated this movie viscerally and I am almost more disappointed that my scathing evisceration of this was lost to the closing of Corrierino than any of my positive reviews of good films.

Detour (1945)
This for me is what noir is all about. With a sharp tongued voiceover narrated by the protagonist which could be coined straight from a Raymond Chandler novel, this is the story of down in the gutter luck. Told in flashback this piano player from a low rent club tries hitchhiking across country to be with his girl. After being picked up by a gambler who mysteriously dies on him, he assumes his identity to try and escape involvement.

Things then go from bad to worse when he picks up Vera. A highly strung femme fatale who compromises at nothing. After she tries to involve him in a fraudulent scheme his luck changes for the worst as she also ends up dead. Whatever way he turns he seems to be doomed. With the first death being chance and the second a pure accident, there seems no way that fate will give him a break.

This is a really tight film at only 69 minutes long which was probably due to film costs but this is actually perfect length. There isn’t time for the plot to relax and with only a few characters featuring, it’s straight to the point. Perfect noir atmosphere and poetic dialogue make this a poverty row gem.