pure (2002). gillies mackinnon.

this is just another drug film. i wouldnt say it's far more than just that. but it's still aninteresting film worth watching. the whole film is wisely built around a young boy, played by fascinating Harry Eden, one of the best child actors i've seen. his mum, like everybody he knows in his east london neighbourhood, is a junkie. his mum is a quite weak n pathetic person craving only for her "medicine" n not caring much about anything else is contrasted to her mature and grown up kid that can almost live on his own, take care of himself and his mother. his only moments of actual happy fun childhood are short lived and shared with a young addict portrayed beautifully by Keira Knightley in one of her best performances and films actually. even if it's not something u havent seen before, it's still a good film because of the romantic realism, the firm leading hand of mackinnon, the excellent performances by the whole cast, the truth of the whole situation n the parents-children-social services-dealers and so on, but also the different and at times hopeful perspective.

texas chainsaw massacre (1974). tobe hooper.

what is texas chainsaw massacre?
it is a film everyone has watched or knows about. but it's not simple gore to the core. i don’t know if there is a point in describing the plot. it’s hard to imagine anybody out there doesn’t know, since it is basically everybody’s primitive nightmare. a group of young friends go out to visit a a grandpa's grave n then an old family home but they end up being hunted down by a family of completely demented cannibals who enjoy brutally murdering, introducing the archfiend, Leatherface (a man without a face with obvious connotations) n there is no escape.
the fascinating thing about it is how this film has managed to inspire hundreds and hundreds of films, bands, art, and to create extreme haters who fail to see the obvious n a cult following of obsessed lovers, which i happen to be part of.
first of all, despite the chainsaw n the hook scene this film is absolutely mild compared to today's standards of blood and guts. yet it seems like this film was born of a multitude of cosmic coincidences and a great deal of capability and understanding of the human psyche by tobe hooper and everybody involved.
one of the best parts of this film, is the natural documenting sensation of it. the horror and wild fear is actually feeling real to the spectator because of the lack of extreme special effects and the real accidental cadavers by the side of the road, the actual rotting, the semi-professional local cast, the tormenting insane texas  summer sun and heat. and luckily the lack of modern hollywood which would never allow a director to go about wildly, unihibited, uncensored, creating a chaos and decay that still remains unmatched.
then the fear of the unknown and the fear of madness, the most basic fears of man are both beautifully exploited to the fullest, the innocent kids that just pick up an unknown hitch hiker who turns out to be a real evil psycho bitch of a guy, the mute beast man behind the mask who represents the terror we civilized men feel when faced with the darker aspects of nature, since Leatherface is an animal more than an evil mastermind and hence harder to comprehend and much scarier to face. same goes for the madness of the rest of this family and the insane finale of this haunting family dinner sally is being treated to.
in the end texas chainsaw massacre remains one of the scariest films ever made simply because it depicts the scariest of all battles we have to face. it is modern man versus primitive, raw man. n the outcome of this in the film is exactly what we dread most to think about.

ah yes, another very notable fact is that this film contains my first recollection of a polaroid landcamera.

the stone tape (1972). peter sasdy.

this wasnt like the best film ever but it was neither the worst film ever.
it is about a group of computer scientists experimenting in an old big mansion. that is ofc haunted. when they find out they try to investigate the rumours about the ghost of a maid and to record the ghost. n they do manage to do so with all this new equipment. however, they find out that proving the facts isnt doing them any good and cant save them really.
all in all it s an interesting british film with a fairly good weird plot by Nigel Kneale and overall good acting. one more achievement is that despite the partly sci-fi theme regarding the analog to digital trinketry, it still manages to maintain all the characteristics of the classic haunting gothic tale and to be a bit chilling at times, not letting the computers get in the way of creating the needed atmosphere.
but ofc there were a few things that baffled and displeased me, such as the kinda slow beginning and the low standard of the special effects, but foremost: the screaming! it was excessive, nerve wracking. i do not know why, but jane asher was the only person speaking normally, while the rest of the cast seemed to be screaming their lungs out like madmen throughtout the entire film causing poor pretty jane an incredible headache, truly. it was plain to see.

goodbye gemini (1970). alan gibson.

it's been a very long time since i've last watched a film so annoying n disturbing in the worst of senses. from the opening scene i was very perplexed regarding the awfully digusting choice of a song that was probably meant to be cheerful but was only hideous n painful to the ears. the score did improve luckily and the cinematography wasnt that bad but i had real trouble watching it also because of the totally disgusting protagonists pair. these twins were just beyond ugly, n well since they were twins there was a danger of OD-ing on monstrosity. so i dont even know if it's worth mentioning the plot, it s two retarded twins anyhow, the girl looking like 40 n acting like a flirty 7 year old (very uncharming) n the boy just acting like an overcheerful moron n then like a highly moody moron. they play these jolly pranks that kill their housekeeper or sthg like that n they think they rule n kick ass or whatever shit they can think if they can think n then they meet these ppl  who r part of the swinging 60s london scene, which is quite reasonably depicted n they hang out with these ppl but still acting like the queens of the world n well it just turns out they r complete idiots n everyone s using them n takign advantage of them but they still imagine they r in charge of the game. then when this obviously blind n deaf guy Clive tries to blackmail them they go nuts n dress up as ghosts in one of these witty games of theirs n actually force a blade into his throat, after that what a boring mess of a plot. they lose eachother, the police is after them, they find each other n so sorry to reveal this magnificent unexpected ending filled with tragedy n climax: the one kills the other n then hopefully dies as well.
the girl and boy twins who r in love theme is overused n overexploited even though in this case i was really hoping they end up together for the sake of humanity so that nobody else would have to face them, the charisma of these twins is dangerous to viewers without a strong stomach, Judy Geeson is pretty untalented and abominable in any case -not to mention as this over cute smart Jacki which allows her to smile so much that i was at the verge of puking and well there were some characters that were completely pointless in the film also...
yeah just bad, bad, bad, bad.

what ever happened to aunt alice? (1969). lee h katzin.

this film basically includes anything i could love in a film. or well nothing i couldnt love anyway. it's got two spunky, character building actresses, Ruth Gordon whom i absolutely adore and Geraldine Page. it's got a good simple plot. the suspense is there. the production is lacking any nonsense effects managing to stay real. the atmosphere is amazing even though u r aware of what s going on right from the start, it remains electrifyingly dark.
a widow expecting to inherit a great deal inherits nothing but debts. naturally that leads her to kill the solicitor and then next kill her relative-free housekeeper after convicing her to give her all the money so it will be invested. then next n next anyway, since she finds this to be a good idea that pays off. but ofc crime doesnt  pay off since her new housekeeper is just trying to find out what happened to her friend and now murdered housekeper even though it s obvious that she's gonna be the next victim.
Geraldine Page manages to create one of the most insane completely horrifying out of control psycho shrews while Ruth Gordon tries to fight her as the cleverest and cutest of old ladies i've ever seen. i wish ppl today could make such a brilliant film based on a solid strong plot, and amazing characters building such a tremendous tension and suspense as if it was the simplest of things.

picture mommy dead (1966). bert i gordon.

i watched this and i liked this. it s got one of the best openings of the kind. woman on the floor engulfed by flames, burning away to the epic: the worms crawl in- the worms crawl out- into your stomach- and out your mouth...
a girl is released from an asylum or a school i m not certain about that and sent back home with her idiot father and her governess, who is now her stepmother after her mother has died in an accident (the one from the opening sequence). the girl who has been in shocked doesnt remember a thing from that night, though she s aware of her mother's death. next the most disturbing solicitor meets up with them in what seems an hour of incomprehensible angry mumbling from outter space and we find out the father is broke n everyone s relying on the fortunes the young girl has inherited from her mother. ofc kindly she allows her dad to sell the furniture but his greedy new wife just cant get enough. well it's be pretty dumb to reveal everythg cos then there would be no point in watching it.
anyhow i think some might find it a bit campy (even though i m not sure it s always a negative thing), but that s expected from a good 60s B movie. the acting is a bit overdone, but that's also expected in a good 60s B movie. all in all it's shocking enough, n the plot is very fine also, the settings, the soundtrack, etc. it s a Do Watch.

the ward (2010). john carpenter.

i just happened to watch this one by accident and even though it didnt fascinate me i couldn't say it was utter crap either. first of all i do like Amber Heard usually, so i was kindly predisposed to the main character of Kristen. anyway, this is about a girl that just shows up out of nowhere and sets a house n fire, then she s brought to The Ward. what seems rather odd is the limited number of patients n the strange way they r being eliminated one after the other. the whole emptiness seems puzzling n displeased me but there is a purpose to this apparently. however, one stops wondering about that soon n watches out for the scarred creepy ghost whatever gray girl that is after the inmates. this Kristen character is very strong n stubborn in trying to stay alive n escape the psychologist n in the end u ll find out why. it was not sthg amazingly original but the psychological factor was well built and made some sense and all in all it managed to keep me awake, despite watching it in the middle of the night. it's no Halloween, but a half way decent film that John Carpenter shouldn't be too embarrassed about, i could say it is.

Christiane F (1981). Uli Edel.

if u kinda suspect u ll like this film, u r totally wrong, because u r gonna love it. this is one of the best drug films ever made. i understand that the makers at that time didnt expect such a great response due to the subject matter but it s a small dirty work of art. the plot is just very simple and very real since it s based on the story of the real Christiane F. but it could just be the story of anybody. just the story of a young David Bowie obsessed girl (Natja Brunckhorst) and her descent into the world of addiction, n the story of all the other kids around her, set against the bleak heroin capital of Berlin in the late 70s.
there r those who claim this is the ultimate anti-drug film, n those who claim the message of the film is very contradictory since all the David Bowie music etc is glamouring it up a great deal and making drugs look perhaps a tiny bit too cool, but i just disagree with both of them since i dont think that a good film is ever trying to preach n teach. there s no hidden message of take drugs or dont take drugs, cos then it would never manage to be as brilliant as it actually is. it is like a raw poem in which teenagers are finally portrayed by teenagers acting like teenagers without the pretentious of today's youth and the prude of the film industry.
the acting is breath taking and considering all these kids were not professionals or junkies, it s even more astonishing the way they totally draw the viewer into their small deadly world of the big H. the soundtrack, even thought not the best Bowie era in my opinion, is fantastically suited to the film as well. all in all i m completely in love with Uli Edel's little gemstone, which u should only watch in the german version (with the subtitles u might need).

revenge (1971). jud taylor.

i dont know why i watched this. or well i do know, the rating was super high wherever i checked n then fat insane women always creep the shit out of me, so i thought it was a good idea. but i ended up being rather confused about it. there is this insane fattish lady who kidnaps this guy who has "seduced" her daughter n then told her to get an abortion or sthg, n she locks him up in a cell in the basement of her house n well yeah she s acting all insane n creepy like she s supposed to. so far everythg is fine. but the truth is i never managed to see the end of the film. the reason is this outrageously hideously ugly n boring wife of the protagonist, by far one of the most untalented and flat actresses i've ever seen (n i m sorry to say this cos she might be a good person, but yeah, not a good actress) n she s so slow n unbearable, it s worse than the tortures the trapped guy undergoes in the basement. n as if her existence wasnt enough, she goes to this psychic who is equally disturbingly boring n then their nonsense conversations take up half the film, n she feels some vibrations when she passes the house of the fat creepy crazy lady by mistake n blah blah n after 46 minutes of all that slow idiotical crap with small interruptions by the very acceptable insane freak lady i just fell asleep. so i recommend u watch this either late at night if u cant sleep or just not at all.

secret ceremony (1968). joseph losey.

completely demented and sick, this film requires for u to be the right kind of person to let itget under ur skin. the plot in itself is rather peculiar. one young girl who lost her mother (Mia Farrow as Censci) and one middle aged prostitute who just lost her daughter (Elisabeth Taylor as Leonora). they strangely find to each other especially due to extensive effort of Cenci and the degree of desperation of Leonora. Inside the 3rd major protagonist, namely the incredibly beautiful art nouveau mansion in Kensington which is more crucial than settings usually can become, they build a deluded world of role play n create weird and fragile temporary stability. much like it happens with every Glass Menagerie, this construction is bound to start cracking when the perverted step-father steps in (Robert Mitchum as Albert), at first hiding in the garden conveying the disgust caused by a filthy voyeur of the completely insane yet pure world of the two women. as the relationship of Cenci and Leonora is ushered into the light of the nightmarish sea holidays the breaking and the tragedy to follow is inevitable.
a very occult and dark film as this may be, and to some very tiring n weary due to the extremely well portrayed characters, it is surprisingly original. the ease with which the actresses manage to create this veiled insular world between them in a secret ceremony that is disrupted by yet another secret ceremony of the ring giving, their ability to convey the emotions of instable and terribly hurt beings who try to cling to each other in order to survive, the bold story plot that seems to spin masterfully out of control much as the protagonists do, it all makes the well expected and strange seem pretty unexpected  and familiar at the same time.
it is difficult for me to categorize this film since it ranges from horrifying psychotic to devastatingly fun to compellingly dramatic so i will just say it s a film that can change u forever.
try to get a version that has not been multiply butchered by Universal studios who were not pleased with the prostitute, with the lesbian theme, with the pervert stepfather n basically half the elements that matter anythg in the film.

spider baby, or the maddest story ever told (1968). jack hill.

this is completely insane and it is so good just because it is completely insane.
originally shot in 1964 but released 4 years later and poorly marketed, Spider Baby is one of the funniest, weirdest, strangest and maddest horror stories ever told.
this is the story of the Merrye family, whose members all suffer from this very unique and exclusive Merrye Syndrom, which means they deteriorate into early stages of childhood n insanity n feral behaviour n also cannibalism n whatever u r willing to come up with. so there is this old mansion where the apparently 3 last active members of the family are nesting (Raph- Sid Haig, Virginia the Spider Baby- Jill Banner, Elisabeth - Beverly Washburn), guarded by the chauffeur, Bruno (Lon Chaney jr.). there they can have fun and be mean and evil and jealous, eat insects, crawl on the ground, grunt, murder-eat-store ear in a box a few ppl. n then one day some greedy relatives and the lawyer show up, they want a piece of all that. much as Bruno tries to make sure the state of the 3 kids is not given away the night ends up in an orgy of gore, blood, cannibalism, exploitation, incest, seduction, murder and finally ending in a big big dynamite explosion.
however, n this is the best part, this bad gene wins in the end to the very shock of the narrator n the very joy of the audience.
the self irony of the film is one of the components that make a good black comedy, and this one is one of the finest. the elegance n frenzy in which the 2 wicked girls move around playfully, completely owning the mansion, assured of the rightness of their purpose, the cannibals in the basement, the desperate trying n trying guardian- chauffeur to cover up the impossible, the high quality of a fast n low production shot in only a couple of days n still flawless, the darkness which doesnt plan to scare but to feed the savage urges in the spectator, the insane hereditary sci-fi factor r among the few elements that make this one a real gem of the 60s, that could only have been shot in the 60s but outgrow all expectations, gaining more and more of a cult following.
dont even bother with remakes.

rosemary's baby (1968). roman polanski.

the plot to Rosemary's Baby is pretty simple and straight forward. basically the basics to a horror mystery drama. naive girl is being manipulated and used by not so nice people ending up in the tragic discovery. based on Ira Levin's book, what you've got here is innocent happy-go-silly Rosemary Woodhouse who has just married Guy, an upcoming actor. they next move to Bradford, a building with a disturbing history of witchcraft n mysterious deaths, which they cleverly choose to ignore. once settled they are being cornered by the old weirdo couple, the Castavets. absurd as they might seem Guy just can't get enough of them. following this, Guy seems to get better and better roles and now wants to get a child with Rosemary. he does so (?) while Rosemary is drugged n having a weird dream slash hallucination. suddenly the attention of the Castavets becomes exhausting. Rosemary's pregnancy is turning into a nightmare of pain n suffering. her friend who tries to warn her ends up suddenly ill and dead. after his funeral, the completely cut off rosemary discovers that Guy and the Castavets and her doctor, everyone around her is part of a coven of witches n she s trapped right in the middle. when she gives birth she faces the fact that her baby is the Antichrist.
but what makes Rosemary's Baby one of the scariest films of all time?
first of all n obviously so it is Polanski's incredibly capable directing. every scene has been shot n reshot endless times to an insane perfectionist director, who knows how to convey the sense of entrapment, of a spider web being woven around one, never revealing too much n yet building up tension scene after scene, also aided by the amazing photography of Fraker. another key element in the haunting atmosphere of decay n claustrophobia is the original score by Krzysztof Komeda that is constituting one of the most haunting pieces written for a film; mia farrow's lullaby sounds pretty much like an all-knowing narrator of the film. the cast, of course, it is to my belief that not one of the characters could have been played by an other actor. Mia Farrow's devotion n playfulness can uniquely mirror Rosemary's childish nature, Ruth Gordon is becoming the creepiest  nice old lady in film history, needless to mention the speculations on who plays Satan during the famous ceremonial rape scene.
and last, it is the mystery and the symbolism surrounding the film itself that makes it what it is. the history of the Dakota, which is renamed into Bradford was well known to the audience of the time, as it was actually connected to the occult and to dark magic, and became also the building in front of which John Lennon was shot years later. Polanski's involvement with The Church of Satan has also caused plenty of discussion. yet, that is not all i am referring to. what creeps the hell out of audiences in 1968 n of audiences in 2011 remains the same. it is the lack of blood and the lack of gore, that makes it more possible to actually happen. it is the evil witches substituted by the kind and caring neighbours, doctors, friends, n even husband. it is the fact that Rosemary smilingly embraces the fact that she has given birth to a monster, which she intends to bring up as a loving mother. it is how the rooftops of new york embrace all this evil that will remain hidden n growing. it is Rosemary's summing up realization during the breeding ceremony: "This is no dream! This is really happening!".
What Rosemary represents is the innocence and hope of the 50s and the 60s. she is the modern society of the time the film was shot and the modern society of today. n all we fear is encrypted into this film, which is why it is so good n so terrifyingly haunting in principle. Rosemary is unsuspecting, naive and obedient (to experts, husband, friends, neighbours, doctors, hairdressers etc). also obediently consuming, she sees stuff in magazines or on television, she wears a different outfit to every scene. n all this, all her good faith n attempts to fit in that could promise her happiness do nothing but deliver her to the Devil. as Rosemary is ending up more n more confused n loosing her sense of identity guided by all these experts that surround her n command her (notice the mirror symbol appearing in the film in 3 stages), as she is rendered powerless n helpless n lost, the viewer can only share her agony since the power structures of modern society seek to deprive him/her of any kind of control over all actions and desires and forces to the birth of an atrocity, to Rosemary's Baby, which needs to and will be embraced anyhow.
and this is why i rate this one to be one of the top films ever made, that can function perfect even out of the context of the late 60s, much as it is expected from all classic works of art. 
(footnote: n ofc i am a Polanksi lover and a Mia Farrow addict, n if this makes it a kinda slightly biased review, so be it.) 

le orme (1975). luigi bazzoni.

i had tried to watch this 3 times before and every time i switched off or fell asleep after the first 10 minutes. and after having watched it i must say i realized what a fool i had been.
the plot: is impossible to be described without giving away too much. the opening scenes of the Blackman, and then the lonely puzzled existence of Alicia/Nicole having lost 3 days and traveling to a half abandoned, surreal Garma in an attempt to regain her memories and figure out what is going on in her life and what has happened these 3 days she finds herself incapable to recall.
now the reason i had given up the previous times was the dream, the footprints on the moon that always made me believe this was going to be a slow slow insanely boring science fiction film. however, i was rewarded for my persistence this time. this doesnt happen a lot, but i couldnt have been more mistaken about this one here. this film is a rare one, one of the kind that isnt being made anymore. in a strange miraculous way bazzoni manages to make everything that would seem a weakness into a magic aspect till everything is right and falls just to place. the score is haunting and the photography is surreal, dreamlike, intense, very much like the mental state of the strangely frigid yet strangely vulnerable heroine. the amazing way in which nothing is conveyed in any other way, other than through the Alicia's eyes, even to the last moment is making it a real giallo masterpiece. dont watch it if u r in hunt of the typical giallo element of extensive nudity, multitude of girls, slasher, inspectors and reporters, photographers, serial killers. but definitely watch it for the excellence in portraying of characters, in building one of the most sedating n captivating plots, for the beauty dripping from every well thought frame, and the climax of a final discovery.