Category: Occult Age
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The Mummy’s Revenge (1975)
Originally posted during 2019’s Countdown to Halloween… It wouldn’t be a Countdown to Halloween without a Paul Naschy film and the recent Blu-ray release of The Mummy’s Revenge (1975) from Ronin Flix was a perfect opportunity to include one. The title is appropriate because, in most mummy movies that I recall, the titular creature is…
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Legend of Horror (1972)
Watching Legend of Horror has left me playing junior detective in its wake. For a movie supposedly made in 1972, it looks as if it’s at least a decade older, and not just because it’s presented in black and white. The credits also refer to flashback footage by another director, Enrique Carreras, when this movie…
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Death by Invitation (1971)
Death by Invitation (1971) opens with a guerilla filmmaking reenactment of an angry, 17th century mob capturing a witch and carrying her through town. Writer/director Ken Friedman uses handheld cameras, close-ups, POV shots, and freeze frame to suck us into the action. Even though the setting doesn’t feel 100% authentic, it’s effective and establishes high…
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The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
You can’t blame Hammer for trying. First, it attempted to modernize its gothic Dracula saga by jumping 100 years into the future with Dracula A.D. 1972. Then, it committed to the conceit by making a direct sequel a year later, The Satanic Rites of Dracula. Both are incredibly fun films, yet they couldn’t be more…
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What Became of Jack & Jill (1972)
Before we get to Milton Subotsky’s obligatory excuses for why What Became of Jack & Jill (1972) failed, I have to say that I kind of liked it. I watched it on a bootleg DVD because I wanted to be an Amicus Productions completist and it’s a movie of which I’d never heard, much less…
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The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970)
It seems that Milton Subotsky had an explanation for every Amicus Productions film that wasn’t a hit. In “Amicus: The Friendly Face of Fear,” author Allan Bryce quotes Subotsky regarding The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970): This could have been one of the great science-fantasy films of all time. The trouble was that we never…
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Devil’s Nightmare (1971)
Although Devil’s Nightmare (1971) includes beheadings and impalements, it’s hard to top the shock of the movie’s opening sequence. Other films have shown the death of a baby, but I can’t think of one that graphically represents a long dagger piercing a baby’s swaddled body and the resulting pool of blood soaking into its blanket.…
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Superbeast (1972)
Written by George Schenck Directed by George Schenck Starring Antoinette Bower, Craig Littler, Harry Lauter, Vic Diaz Released November 1, 1972 (New York City) RT 93 min. Home Video Shout! Factory (Blu-ray) Classic Horrors rating = 6 (out of 10) I know virtually nothing about Superbeast, other than United Artists released it in New York City on…
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The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion (1970)
Written by Ernesto Gastaldi, Mahnahen Velasco Directed by Luciano Ercoli Starring Dagmar Lassander, Pier Paolo Capponi, Simon Andreu, Osvaldo Genazzani, Nieves Navarro Released November 27, 1970 (Italy) RT 93 min. Home Video Arrow Video (Blu-ray) Classic Horrors rating = 8 (out of 10) With the exception of a leather-gloved hand reaching out from under a table to grab…
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The Exorcist (1973)
Written by William Peter Blatty, based on his nvel Directed by William Friedkin Starring Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Jason Miller, Linda Blair Released December 26, 1973 RT 122 min. Home Video Warner Brothers Classic Horrors rating = 9 (out of 10) What can I possibly say about The Exorcist that hasn’t already been said?…