Drama

Four Amicus portmanteau films

Drama, Fantasy, Horror / Leave a Comment

From way back I remember seeing the phrase; “A portmanteau film”. It was associated with a film made by Amicus Productions that I had on DVD. It was a double feature release that had “Tales From the Crypt” (1972) and “Vault of Horror” (1973). For years that word, portmanteau, stuck with me without me knowing at all what it meant. Turns out it’s just a fancy alternative for Anthology film.
Amicus made seven portmanteau films in all and were active in the filmmaking business in the years 1962 to 1977. At it’s best the studio even rivalled the legendary Hammer Film Productions. I’m quite a fan of anthology films and decided to raid my collection and see what I had. Turns out I must have leant out my DVD of “Tales from the Crypt”/”Vault of Horror” because it was completely MIA but I do possess four quite good Blu-ray releases of Amicus films.

I, Madman (1989)

Drama, Fantasy, Horror

I remember when “I, Madman” was issued on Blu-ray in 2015 I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. It’s stylishly set up as the film’s villain is introduced in the fictional world of author Malcolm Brand’s pulpy horror novel that’s gotten hold of Virginia’s imagination. As the film progresses the villain, in a variety of icky incarnations, appears in both the real world Virigina inhabits and in the fictional world she’s smitten with.

Two 90’s Hitchcockian thrillers; “Shattered” and “Final Analysis”

Crime, Drama, Mystery

There’s a word you can look up on Wikipedia; Hitchcockian. Meaning; “Hitchcockian films are those made by various filmmakers, with the styles and themes similar to those of Alfred Hitchcock”. The master of suspense’s influence cannot be underestimated, and I doubt many filmmakers had as great an effect on the film industry (this is of course debatable). His filmography is huge and filled with classics in the suspense genre. Not a calendar year goes by without me visiting at least a few of the master’s films. Then there are also a few Hitchcockian thrillers that I’m quite fond of and I’d like to cast a light on two fairly forgotten titles. They’re both early 90’s flicks, definitely Hitchcock inspired and set in San Francisco.

The Deliberate Stranger (1986)

Crime, Drama, Thriller

One of the most notorious serial killers in history was the subject of this two part miniseries that aired in May 1986. A big part of the movie’s success is thanks to Mark Harmon’s alarmingly good performance as Bundy. The relaxed runtime also helps in showing just how much ground Bundy covered…

Jack the Ripper (1988)

Crime, Drama, Mystery

The mystery surrounding Jack the Ripper and his killing spree has fascinated amateur sleuths as well as bona fide detectives for well over a century. Much of said mystery stems from the fact that the killer was never caught and many theories have emerged as to his identity. The theory presented here is very well pieced together, very entertaining to watch unfold and certainly a juicy piece of conspiracy theory for those interested in the English elite in the 19th century.

1922 (2017)

Crime, Drama, Horror

It’s the year 1922; Farmer Wilfred James works the land in Hemingford, Nebraska with his son Henry and is proud of his way of life. His wife Arlette has never taken to the farming life and she’s the owner of the land and intends to sell it for a large amount of money. Wilfred then plans to murder Arlette and convinces his son to aid him in this deed.

Deathdream (1974)

Drama, Horror, Thriller

Suburban parents Charles and Christine along with their daughter Cathy receive the shattering news that their son Andy has been killed in action in Vietnam. Christine can’t accept that fact and starts praying for her son to return. Later that night Andy returns home to the amazement of everybody. Soon after it’s apparent that Andy’s not the same as everybody remembered; very distant, cold and quiet…and possibly killing people.

Resurrection (1999)

Crime, Drama, Horror

“Resurrection” is a stylish thriller that practically never stood a chance, as it seems, with either critics or the general public as it was pigeonholed as a copycat of David Fincher’s “Se7en”. It played in theatres in some European countries but was relegated to Video in most other territories. That’s a shame since it really is a worthwhile flick in most respects.

Carpenter Trilogy

Action, Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

My favourite director is John Carpenter and I’ve spent an un-Godly amount of time devouring his work for more than 30 years. I’ve been rather hesitant at sharing my thoughts on his films on my blog as so much has been written about them and they’ve been fairly well dissected by many. But what the heck! I recently got into a Carpenter mood and viewed three of his early features and wanted to write a few things down.
My personal favourite of his is “The Fog”. It’s not what I consider his best work as I think “The Thing” is his crowning achievement. The one I’ve viewed most often is “Halloween” and the whole Michael Myers franchise is a big part of why horror/slasher films got a hold of me early on and have kept me interested for all these years.
These three early features by Carpenter are movies I revisit regularly and think very highly of.

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