Invasion of the Bee Girls aka Graveyard Tramps (Denis Sanders, 1973)
+
Mildly titillating blend of science fiction and sexploitation has William Smith's goverment troubleshooter investigating a series of mysterious deaths in a small California town, that may or may not be linked to the local scientific research centre. With all the victims seemingly healthy men who've suffered heart attacks as a result of vigourous sexual activity; it's not long before the authorities are advising the bored townsfolk to refrain from intercourse with their partners. Naturally this goes down like a cup of cold sick with the men, and with many of the usually reserved housewives and female scientists suddenly displaying an almost uncontrolable manipulative lust for sex; the weak minded blokes have little to no chance of making out of this movie alive...still there's worse ways to go eh.
Invasion of the Bee Girls is most noteworthy for the starring role of Anitra Ford (best known for her part in Jack Hill's chicks-in-chains classic
The Big Birdcage - and no doubt with Americans for her appearances on
the Price is Right)
. She's delightfully sultry here as scientist Dr. Susan Harris, and provides nearly all the film's most memorable moments - the protracted seduction of an older colleague being a particular highlight.Also on hand to smoulder is Victoria Vetri who's no less beautiful as Smith's love interest Julie Zorn. This is indeed a film preocupied
with light hearted sleaze, as the science on offer (linked to experiments on the mating habits of bees) is nothing short of ludicrous; a moot sub-theme for the excuse of a cool 1950's styled title. In fact there's nothing especially remarkable about this flick other than the campy story, a few amusing dialogue exchanges, and lots of bare breasted women. It is what it is, i.e. retro 70's Corman-esque schlock that fizzes along nicley providing a few laughs and some cool imagery. Naturally I adored it.
The Sender (Roger Christian, 1982)
-
Interesting if derivitive debut feature from Christian who'd already won an oscar for his set decoration on George Lucas'
Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, and been nominated for his art direction on Ridley Scott's
Alien. Both impressive achievements on his resume, lest we forget Mr. Christian also went on to
direct complete tosh like Battlefield Earth and the first in the Underworld series.
The Sender refers to a young man (ably played by Zeljko Ivanek) named Jon Doe 83 by the doctors at a mental institution who end up treating him after a failed suicide attempt. Determined to make a connection with the introverted new comer is the sensitive Dr. Farmer (Kathryn Harrold) who soon gets more than she bargained for when Jon inexplicably begins appearing in realistic hallucinations at her home, and whilst she's driving. Next thing we know the boy's insane mother (Shirley Knight) turns up claiming he's a cursed messiah and that they have some kind of psychic link. Whilst Dr. Farmer searches for the truth behind Jon's mysterious ability, all manner of strange visions begin to affect everyone in the hospital, and her unconvinced superior Dr. Denman (Paul Freeman) decides he's going to preform electro-shock therapy on Jon effectively lobotomising him...
Ok so it's
The Exorcist; it's
Carrie; it's
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; it's
The Fury; it's
Patrick, hell even
Scanners deserves something of a mention now that were talking psychological horror. Despite the obvious influences however, director Christian delivers a classy affair all his own, with enough chilling sequences to fire up the little grey cells, and most importantly; enduce plenty of goose flesh. There's a tenderness at the heart of
The Sender that injects it with real soul, as does Sean Hewitt in a memorably humourous supporting role as 'the real messiah'. By no means the best of it's type, but still worth watching.
Sexykiller: Morirás Por Ella/You'll Die For Her (Miguel Marti, 2008)
Ultra flamboyant, coloufully campy, instant cult fave (the type of thing the Spanish seem to do so well) about the murderous comic exploits of college femme fatale Bárbara (Macarena Gómez who certainly lives up to the film's title - and who Stuart Gordon fans may remember from
Dagon). This comes off like a violent girly cross between something Álex de la Iglesia and Robert Roderiguez might have dreamed up together after eating psychadelic cotton candy at an Aqua concert.
There's an audacious murder spree in full progress on a posh college campus somewhere in Spain that has both the media and police in a baffled incompetent frenzy. As speculation mounts regarding the identitly of the killer, so does the pile of bodies, killed by such extravagant means as to make the likes of Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees soil their undergarments. Naturally no-one suspects Bárbara who seems far too concerned as to the prospect that iconic toy Barbie's (named Sindy here for the purposes of copyright) boyfriend Ken (Glenn) is gay or not. Throw in a couple of egg headed Coroners who plan to trap the killer with a machine that can project dead people's final thoughts onto a TV screen; not to mention Bárbara's misconception that one of them is a fellow serial killer, and therefore a prospective soul mate, and you have the mere tip of the sugar coated, yet decidely blood centered iceberg...
Essentially
Sexykiller is a farcial swipe come homage (if that's possible) at similarly themed, but one dimensional slasher flicks. The fact that Bárbara breaks the fourth wall and begins talking directly to the camera early on in the movie more than idicates that this is intended as spoof - all be it a gleefully bloody, and titillating one. Whilst the humour is somewhat hit and miss, Marti injects more than enough original touches to keep
Sexykiller fresh and consistently entertaining throughout. Consider Bárbara's home shopping channel presentation of murder with handy household products, or her bizarre dance sequence with an orange faced Sindy and Glenn. Macarena Gómez is a revelation in the lead and the film has a super electro-pop/house soundtrack. This wont appeal to all tastes (the film has been misleadingly packaged to look like a straight up zombie flick in the UK - whereas said ghouls only pop up at the end) though I imagine the likes of Sexy Celebrity might find this to be their particular cup of tea. Great fun.
Cotton Comes to Harlem (Ossie Davis, 1970)
Here's an oldie but goodie. Adapted by director Ossie Davis (Bruce Campbell's mate in
BubbaHo-Tep) from Chester Himes' novel.
Cotton Comes to Harlem is an early blaxploitation entry (though you could argue it trancends the genre) which pre-dates Melvin Van Peebles' seminal
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song realeased the following year
.
Godfrey Cambridge
, and Raymond St. Jaques are Gravedigger Jones, and Coffin Ed Johnson respectively. Two laconic cops working Harlem who smell something's rotten in Denmark with Reverand Deke O'Malley's (Calvin Lockhart) back to Africa scheme. The charismatic yet decidedly crooked O'Malley turns up to preach at a local rally and collect $83,000 in payments to return his opressed brothers and sisters to a racism free Africa, but Gravedigger and Coffin Ed aren't convinced. Before they can bring him in however, a masked armed gang turn up and steal the loot sparking a car chase in which both O'Malley and the cash go walkies. The only clue as to the whereabouts of the money? A bail of genuine Louisiana cotton which flys off the back of the getaway truck and is subsequently salvaged by a local vagrant (Red Foxx)...
Cotton Comes to Harlem is a wonderfully playful blend of action and comedy that had me smiling throughout, and even belly laughing on a couple of occasions. The first of these came in the afore mentioned car chase which Davis clevery interweaves with a series of low-brow yet hilarious comic vignettes involving a dope fiend and a purse snatcher. Then there's Judy Pace's knockout turn as O'Malley's girlfriend, and in particular a scene in which she seduces the dim witted white police officer assigned to stop her leaving her apartment. Davis keeps things lively with lots of interesting characters and shootouts, and the interplay between our two heroes and their police chief bosses is pure gold. Sadly the film does lose some if it's momentum towards the final act when the humour takes more of a back seat, but this one still wraps it'self up nicely, and would be amongst the first movies of this type I'd recommend to anyone looking to explore the genre.
Black Water (David Nerlich & Andrew Traucki, 2007)
First rate horror about a day trip gone horribly wrong in northern Australia draws some parallels with the tragedy currently taking place in Queensland - which incidently did give me second thoughts about even tabbing this one. The fact remains this is such a good horror film I felt duty bound (even though many of you may have already seen it).
Directed in a TV movie style and based on true events (so often an indication of a crap movie) this revolves around a trio of holiday makers; average married thirtysomethings Grace and Adam (Diana Glenn and Andy Rodereda), and Grace's twitchy sister Lee (Maeve Dermody) who are led by their guide Jim (Ben Oxenbould) into a mangrove swamp for some fishing. Ben's pistol initially alerts Lee to possible dangers that may lurk there, but just to ominously ram home the impending horror that awaits; he proceeds to warn them about the perils of salt water crocodiles that have been known to attack small boats. Before you know it a particualry nasty croc has flipped their boat and had Ben and his gun for dinner, leaving our trio of city slickers stuck up a tree in the middle of nowhere, and unable to see what lurks below the muddy swamp water...
I guess you would pitch this halfway between Greg Mclean's similarly themed croc horror
Rogue (released the same year) and Chris Kentis'
Open Water from 2003. Whilst both those films left me somewhat underwhelmed;
Black Water is a distinct cut above. Right from the opening titles in which we're introduced to the family through a series of holiday snaps quickly establishing them as happy go lucky unsuspecting down to earth types. Directors Nerlich and Traucki delivery a master class in taut suspenseful horror movie making. The genius here is that the characters are left in a hopeless situation with a monster they cannot see, prompting the viewer to ask themselves what they would do under similar circumstances. Not only that but with such a harrowing attack early on in the film, the protagonists are repeatedly put in a posistion where they have no choice but to re-enter the swamp water knowing full well the crocodile might attack again. It's this sustained suspense, complimented by authentic performances from the cast, one agonising dilema, and the way the characters try to overcome their predicament that make
Black Water a real winner. This is one you need to see.
Invader aka Lifeform (Mark H. Baker, 1996)
+
Yup it's another one of those made for cable/direct to video monster from outer space flicks that invites the usual comaprisons to you know what. I'm forever looking for obscure variations of this theme, lord knows why as most of them turn out to be complete junk. This one is a minor exception however thanks to an intelligent script from Baker who takes the well worn formula in some interesting directions.
The story involves a brighter than usual group of scientists investigating an old Mars landing probe called Viking that has mysteriously returned to earth. Once in their lab it begins to interact with the computer systems downloading top secret information much to the disgruntlement of the military stationed there. On investigating the vehicle further they discover a new section has been added to the structure from which hatches an insectoid like alien. Far from being malevolent in intent however, the creature instead takes a more inquisitive approach; only to be exterminated by the soldiers. Unfortunately the creature has already laid an egg and in true insect fashion the offspring retains the knowledge of it's parent...
Well thought out creature design, not to mention some intelligent dialogue, and competent makeups are ultimately undermined by uninspired direction, and wooden acting. Still the story is engaging with enough red herrings and moral dliema's to keep things interesting to the prophetic final shot - which I really dug. Worth a look, but only for die hard monster fans.
Reply to Topic
%20Maria%20(Elisa%20Lasowski)%20and%20Tommo%20(Thomas%20Turgoose).jpg)
These are what we watched while he was here:
Of course, my rating at the top is slanted to reflect my enjoyment of the film as opposed to an AFI style of quality ranking.
