Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight

Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Ernest R. Dickerson

Starring: William Sadler, Jada Pinkett, Billy Zane, C.C.H. Pounder, Dick Miller

From: Universal

I am subscribed to Shudder again, and unlike last time, I wanted to see this film before it leaves the platform. Several years ago, Shudder had this and Bordello of Blood, but it was for only a month. You typically have to try and find what’s leaving Shudder elsewhere; it’s typically on Reddit, of all places. Before anyone asks, both this and Bordello are leaving August 31; the latter will be viewed later this month.

Demon Knight is a blast. William Sadler (who starred in the first Tales from the Crypt episode on TV; he also had the all-timer name FRANK BRAYKER for this motion picture) is chased by Billy Zane; the latter is in fact a demon looking for a specific item that has end-of-the-world consequences. After a fiery car crash, both are in a remote New Mexico town, at a church converted to a boarding house. Those two leads are awesome-Zane successfully blended menace, seduction, and humor-as were the supporting characters. This included Jada Pinkett (to use her name at the time), Dick Miller in a large supporting role (yay!), C.C.H. Pounder, Brenda Bakke, Charles Fleischer, and in what is now my favorite Thomas Haden Church role… his leather pants-adorned ROACH.

The film has funny moments that land, badass moments, practical effects, creatures, creative lore, graphic gore… this take won’t be popular yet ‘tis true that horror like Demon Knight is quite a bit preferable to much of the “popular” modern horror in the past 15 or so years. The film is never lit poorly despite the nighttime setting that’s the vast majority of the runtime-the pace never lags, and there’s even a nice score/soundtrack. The picture opens with a car chase set to Filter’s Hey Man Nice Shot; now that brought me back.

I never saw too many episodes of the 90’s HBO show Tales from the Crypt-as it’s on Shudder, perhaps I’ll check out some episodes without mentioning it on Letterboxd. The show adapted various stories from 50’s EC Comics, and not just from the Tales comic but other horror comics the company released. Demon Knight is a wholly original story but matched the series for including some laughs that coincided w/ the scares. The inclusion of wicked characters is also a trademark, regardless if there’s a supernatural presence.

It's a shame that Ernest R. Dickerson did not have more commercial success & did not direct more high-profile pictures. Still, at least among nerds like us, we can appreciate the Black cinematographer (for the likes of Spike Lee) turned director; both Demon Knight and Surviving the Game are greatly entertaining genre pictures.

 

Delirium

Delirium (1979)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: Peter Maris

Starring: Turk Cekovsky, Debi Chaney, Terry Tenbroek, Bob Winters, Barron Winchester 

From: Delirium Associates/Worldwide Productions

How ironic for the plot of this film that a key supporting actor resembles Matt Gaetz*! I hate to bring up American politics as this can lead to trouble but that’s the crux of the plot to Delirium. I looked at the Eternal Family platform to see what they were playing on one of their 24/7 streaming channels. This had just begun. As the movie’s also available on Arrow’s platform, I went there to see it in full.

This regional filmmaking oddity (Missouri, in this case) concerns a Vietnam vet named Charlie that starts killing women, as two horndog police detectives-who like calling women “broads”-investigate. As the plot descriptions everywhere let the cat out of the bag, I’ll do the same. Charlie was hired by a secret organization which involves businessmen who wish to “clean up the streets” so ex-soldiers are tasked with targeting criminals that the legal system didn’t convict. At least such things couldn’t happen in real life… unfortunately for those vigilantes, Charlie has PTSD from ‘Nam and escaped from a mental health facility.

Yeah, this is low-budget to the max (there are ‘Nam flashbacks, where “Vietnam” is obviously the woods of Missouri, the acting is as uneven as you’d expect) yet how unique the plot was still intrigued. This mix of police procedural-styled after a 70’s cop TV show, to borrow a phrase-proto-slasher, and conspiracy thriller leans on the police procedural yet I eventually warmed up to those detectives—their behavior was just emblematic of the era. If it sounds like an uncompleted film was grafted onto a completely different new film… allegedly this was exactly the case.

The film went in some unexpected directions & always fascinated me, from the opening set at night with the city lights in the background, to the squibs, to the two cars exploding, to an astounding 1970’s flowery couch. There’s also the sleazy elements for some… topless women and a bit of gore. This landing on the infamous Video Nasty list is a little baffling as none of the gore was that gruesome.

A motion picture like Delirium will be more to my tastes than it will for many on Letterboxd. At least some will think of it no better than cheap, boring nonsense. Thankfully, this curio worked for me.

* For those not from the United States, Gaetz is a former member of Congress who resigned in disgrace due to allegations of heinous behavior made against him. He wasn’t convicted in a court of law but the Ethics Committee for Congress found evidence of this. Gaetz now has a radio show on a far-right platform.

Apache Drums

Apache Drums (1951)

Runtime: 75 minutes

Directed by: Hugo Fregonese

Starring: Stephen McNally, Coleen Gray, Willard Parker, Arthur Shields, James Griffith

From: Universal

A Western that (possibly) inspired Assault on Precinct 13 which isn’t Rio Bravo… sign me up!

Recently, a Letterboxd mutual reviewed this film and made this comparison. This was enough motivation to check out a film new to me in a genre I only dabble in occasionally. Stephen McNally is Sam, a gambler who is booted out of Spanish Boot due to his shooting of a man… even if it was in self-defense. The people of the town-some of whom are Welsh miners, believe it or not-are pious jerks who want to “clean up” even though many of them come off as irritating. The other “undesirables” include prostitutes and a Black servant. If it wasn’t for his love of Coleen Gray, I wouldn’t have blamed Sam if he thought, “The hell with Spanish Boot!” When even the town’s mayor despises you… as Gray’s Sally does live in the remote town, he returns to warn that the Apache are in the area.

Many people likely know by now that Assault was in essence a version of Rio Bravo. It’s unknown if Carpenter has ever commented on Apache Drums but the final half hour is straight fire. The Apache (none of whom were portrayed by Native Americans, as it’s still the 50’s. Instead, they were played by lifeguards from Santa Monica, no lie) do attack Spanish Boot, and the survivors are holed up in an adobe church with windows high up on the walls, making it much easier for the Apache to jump in than the townspeople to see this threat beforehand.

This was a Val Lewton production… his last before passing away due to ill health at the age of only 46. Befitting of a film produced by the horror maestro, he final act has its share of suspenseful, atmospheric moments. Often, the titular drums pounded different rhythms in the background, reminding the viewer of the unseen yet ever-present threat. The final act elevated the film and rose above its B-movie origins. There’s also fine action beats and a few memorable supporting characters, especially the Welsh reverend portrayed by Arthur Shields. Like with George Sanders and Tom Conway, I was wondering why Shields and Barry Fitzgerald seemed so similar. A “duh” on my part… like w/ Sanders & Conway, Shields & Fitzgerald were brothers.

Regardless if this film inspired a 70’s B-movie classic, Apache Drums was an enjoyable Western. As mentioned by me before, the Western milieu can be used to incorporate many different genres & ideas. This includes variations of “a long intense attempted siege.” As has been for almost a full year as of now, a pristine print can be found on YouTube; the Technicolor and the cinematography makes it look grand.

Looker

Looker (1981)

Runtime: 94 minutes

Directed by: Michael Crichton

Starring: Albert Finney, Susan Dey, James Coburn, Leigh Taylor-Young, Tim Rossovich

From: The Ladd Company

Featuring the 1981 versions of deepfakes, AI, CGI, LOOKSMAXXING, algorithms, and THE DISCOMBOBULATOR

Looker and its basic plot-Albert Finney as a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon becomes involved in a case where he attempts to protect Susan Dey as several models who appear in TV commercials who came to his office to have microscopic changes done to their bodies end up dead & she’s next on the list-has been known to me for years yet it was just last night that the motivation hit to press “play.”

Indeed, Finney attempts to protect Dey as he discovers a scenario straight out of a 70’s paranoid conspiracy thriller. Not to reveal too much but the film says plenty about advertising, television, beauty, and what were still prevalent fears over computers and how their computing powers could go horribly awry. A quibble or two could be made—even then I had a pretty good time with Looker.

An unfortunate aspect is that with its messages, re: advertising, technology, AI and CGI, Looker unfortunately hasn’t lost the relevancy in its themes. The scenario concocted by the villains (Digital Matrix, Inc.) could happen today… if it hasn’t already. I’ll take off my tinfoil hat and note that while there sadly was studio interference-the end product wasn’t always coherent… James Coburn as lead villain in particular wasn’t happy with how many of his scenes were cut-& the movie flopped, I was entranced nonetheless.

I never thought the word “looksmaxxing” would be uttered by me on Letterboxd-that does describe the ghastly trend of some Gen-Z influencer D-bags talking about women in a quantitative sense. There’s an interesting weapon used often which allows for creative action setpieces. It’s not quite the “discombobulator” uttered by <redacted> in terms of the capture of Maduro in Venezuela but is still a fascinating idea for a futuristic weapon in a fictional world. I also enjoyed the cast, including Tim Rossovich as a henchman w/ a tremendous moustache. No lie, he was credited as MOUSTACHE MAN.

Looker isn’t the best work from Crichton especially after the studio interference. However, as someone who noted how the ideas of the future sometimes came true-even if how they came true wasn’t accurate-and can appreciate interesting synth scores/city backdrop sets that are seen outside of windows… conceivably I was destined to enjoy Looker.

 

Dead Man's Eyes

Dead Man’s Eyes (1944)

Runtime: 64 minutes

Directed by: Reginald LeBorg

Starring: Lon Chaney, Jr., Jean Parker, Acquanetta, Paul Kelly, Thomas Gomez

From: Universal

ACQUANETTA is a much better name than AWKWAFINA

After a needed day off from watching cinema on Sunday, this entry in the Inner Sanctum series played on the Universal Monsters streaming channel (found on the likes of Pluto TV) last night. I’ll copy and paste what I wrote concerning that brief series from Universal from my review of Calling Dr. Death, written two years ago:

“This includes the Inner Sanctum series done by Universal, based on a radio show that in turn was based on a series of novels. The studio made a sextet of low-budget mystery movies under the name, all starring (Lon Chaney, Jr.) as a respite from all the horror he frequently did at the time.

The opening was a random disembodied head in a crystal ball giving an introduction. I understand this was a constant in the series; The Cryptkeeper wasn’t the first to do such a thing by any means.”

Dead Man’s Eyes concerns Lon as painter David Stuart (that’s Stuart; he’s not in the Eurythmics!) who has an exotic lady known as Acquanetta-yes, that’s what the actor billed herself as; it’s not a character name-as his subject. She apparently has the hots for him but he’s going out with Jean Parker. Stuart accidentally blinds himself; Acquanetta’s Tanya takes the blame-long story, and also women be crazy, right? Let’s be frank here: homeboy David kept a bottle of his eyewash right next to an almost identical-looking bottle of eye-destroying acid together by the sink in his apartment! Before he was blinded, Stuart should have looked in the mirror above the sink at himself for such a baffling decision.

He doesn’t take the blinding well; to be frank, his character is a jerk, especially after the accident. At least that allows Chaney to ACT, mainly by yelling. There’s romantic entanglements and the absurdity of a blind man killing his girl’s father so he could have dad’s eyes. A wacky B-movie, this was. This picture barely over an hour long is not really a revenge tale that you might presume-Eyes is still a fine, watchable mystery even if complaints that some reviewers have, re: the acting are valid. Like in Dr. Death, we hear Chaney’s internal monologue a few times. Unlike that movie, it isn’t whispered, robbing us of another LON CHANEY, JR. ASMR film.

Another frank admission: Acquanetta’s life story sounds more fascinating than Dead Man’s Eyes. After all, she may have been born Mildred Davenport in Pennsylvania, she claimed to be born Burnu Acquanetta in Wyoming, but no one knows for certain what name’s on her birth certificate. We don’t even know her ethnicity. She may have been Native American, Hispanic, Black, or perhaps some combination of those. She’s a performer most don’t know or have forgotten yet it’s crazy her origin is such a mystery.

 

Go

Go (1999)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: Doug Liman

Starring: An ensemble cast including Sarah Polley, Katie Holmes, Taye Diggs, Jay Mohr, Scott Wolf, & William Fichtner

From: Columbia 

This review is being posted a day late; my bad.

Would you believe this was a first-time-watch for me? There’s no good explanation here; I was at the age of 18 when this released in ’99, after all. My subscription to Netflix ending in a few days + someone elsewhere having also watched this for the first time recently meant that going with Go was long overdue.

Those that were as in the dark as me, many specifics will be avoided. The action begins when supermarket cashier Sarah Polley-desperate for quick cash to avoid eviction on Christmas Day-steps in to do a drug deal w/ Timothy Olyphant. Things of course go awry; then, the film goes in different directions but it all eventually leads back to this main throughput.

I’m glad Sarah Polley transitioned well into a directing career; still, it’s a surprise her acting career did not have more sustained success. The cast is stacked, full of familiar faces—everyone from Katie Holmes and William Fichtner to Jay Mohr & Taye Diggs. The plot always intrigues as the tale is told non-linear, the characters become involved in absurd OOT scenarios & encounter no shortage of criminals and bad people in general. The segment in a famous American city made me laugh the most although I am sure many would disagree. I can’t call it the “best” section.

The movie felt like something from the late 90’s/early 2000’s. That is no insult; this is when I changed from a teenager to a young adult + entertaining from this era totally felt like no other. The film is one of MANY that were “inspired” by Tarantino during this era. It stands out from most of those due to its story, the dialogue, the flashy visuals, and the strong cast. That brought me back, as did the soundtrack. There was more than one song I hadn’t even thought of in years, let alone heard.

Considering my low opinion of many modern movies, it’d feel fresh now if there was a return of motion pictures such as Go. Perhaps for that reason it was good I never gave this a shot at the time.

Dark Ride

Dark Ride (2006)

Runtime: 94 minutes

Directed by: Craig Singer

Staring: Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Patrick Renna, David Clayton Rogers, Alex Solowitz, Andrea Bogart

From: Lionsgate 

Does everyone else remember After Dark Horrorfest? Yesterday, a discussion about this was held between me and a Letterboxd mutual in the comment section of a review. From 2006 to 2008, then 2010 then 2015, Lionsgate would distribute independent horror films theatrically in a group of 8 at the same time. After the fact I saw Dying Breed (a bad movie), Frontier(s), an insufferable movie I hated but many seem to like, and this was how Lake Mungo debuted in the United States. That film is only OK in my eyes. However, this of all films was the only one I saw theatrically. Yeah, shame on me for not checking out more on the big screen… perhaps it would have lasted longer then. I was gonna wait to revisit but the person I was talking with recommended a pair of After Dark movies which can be watched during Spooky Season.

The reason WHY this was a theatrical experience was forgotten long ago. After an opening where a pair of twin girls were murdered on the titular dark ride in Asbury Park, New Jersey back in ’89, the rest of the film is college asstagonists on their way to New Orleans for Spring Break but via circumstances, end up at the dark ride a few nights before it reopens while riding in their 70’s van. Yes, it opened again even after those murders done by a serial killer. This killer escapes from the mental health facility; this is one of many familiar horror plot points. The killer as a vegetarian (!) at least gives him Vegan Points which some will appreciate…

The two names in the cast: Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Patrick Renna. The latter is not only implied to be on the spectrum (although that doesn’t explain how he is handed a condom and DOESN’T KNOW WHAT IT IS) but the film’s “humor” is that he loves making movie references to the disgust of his buddies—everything from Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate and Midnight Cowboy to The Deer Hunter & Psycho. I hope Renna’s character does NOT resemble anyone on Letterboxd reading this review!

Note that those goofs decide to spend the night at the dark ride so they don’t have to pay for a motel-no, really. Before the killer targets them, expect plenty of putrid dialogue, humor that usually doesn’t land well-if at all-and buffoonish behavior—including someone taking ‘shrooms while they’re driving. Now, the unnamed dark ride itself was pretty cool; I have no info on if it was an actual ride or not. All I know is that they filmed at the Santa Monica pier in California.

There are gory kills early on-the girls then the disorderly orderlies in the mental health facility-yet it is a LONG time before our villain starts going after the asstagonists to deliver more bloody deaths; while the movie doesn’t look bad visually (including the occasional use of bold colors) the plot and characters just stink so the ride isn’t an enjoyable experience.

Actual spooky dark rides are FAR more entertaining than Dark Ride. Watch 2018’s Hell Fest if you want to see a small segment of a horror movie devoted to a dark ride (I like it more than most but it’s undoubtedly better than this film)-heck, Tobe Hooper’s The Funhouse is far more fun if you want a carnival sort of setting. Plenty of time is spent w/ the characters--they were far more interesting than the tools here. I can’t even recommend this to the gorehounds.

I’ll be happy in the future to recommend a film from the After Dark Horrorfest; to reiterate, at least two are expected to be viewed in the upcoming months.