Radioland Murders (1994)
It’s the year 1939. A radio station, WBN, is going national and the roster is packed with entertainment. Station owner General Walt Whalen has a huge number of potential investors so nothing can go wrong…
Drama
Death Becomes Her (1992)
Fading stage and film star Madeline Ashton is struggling to draw a crowd in her latest musical. Old friend Helen, along with her fiancée Ernest, pays her a visit and introduces Madeline to her plastic surgeon soon-to-be. Madeline is smitten by Herman and swiftly steals him away from Helen. The scorn woman becomes an obese recluse and swears bloody vengeance on Madeline.
Warning Sign (1985)
A government run research facility called BioTek Agronomics deals, on the surface, with genetically engineered corn that will improve farming considerably. But what the government is really doing is sponsoring a germ-warfare program which be can activated should the Soviets launch an attack on the USA. At the end of a normal working day the biohazard alerts appear on the monitor and security guard Joanie follows protocol and effectively puts BioTek on lockdown.
Alone in the Dark (1982)
Dr. Leo Bain runs a mental institute called The Haven. He believes in unorthodox treatments and refers to his patients as voyagers and maintains that they be treated as human beings. Most of the patients are considered relatively harmless apart from four individuals who are incarcerated on the third floor of the establishment and it’s the only floor with maximum security.
Four Amicus portmanteau films
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)
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”
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 Watcher (2000)
I do have a very soft spot for “The Watcher” and view it regularly. Formula movies resemble comfort food in a lot of ways and can be just the thing to close off an average day and gets more than a passing grade as a decent time killer on a slow night.
The Deliberate Stranger (1986)
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)
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.