HAWK THE SLAYER (1980) Returns!

I'm not going to pretend that HAWK THE SLAYER (1980) is a good movie. In fact, it is famous for being pretty darned bad! But it has a low budget charm that I find kind of endearing and it appears that I am not alone. The original filmmakers have tried off and on for decades to raise funding for another film with a failed 2015 KickStarter campaign being the most recent attempt. But now writer Garth Ennis and artist Flint Henry have joined forces to return to the fantasy world created by this underseen epic for a sequel tale in comic book form. So the story that fans have been waiting to see for forty-two years finally arrives this year not on the big or small screen but from Rebellion Comics in Britain. I cannot wait to read this book knowing that in some ways it can only be better than the film that inspired it. 

You can read a bit about the millionaire fan that has backed this comic book publication over at the Comics Journal and see some of the advanced pages from the book as well at this LINK. The first of the three issue series should hit American shops this summer and I am first in line for this madness. 

And if you have never experienced the film, there is a low resolution version posted on YouTube that will allow you to (kind of) see what all the hubbub is about. Any time Jack Palance gets to chew scenery while swinging a sword is a good time! 

 

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964) - Poster Art, Lobby Cards and Comic

It might be time for a rewatch.

Trailer - 99 AND 44/100% DEAD (1974)

I rewatched this odd film tonight and on second view I think I can say that I like it. It is off-balance to say the least but Richard Harris sells every scene and the satiric elements struck me as funnier this time than last. It is not for everyone but there is something about it that I find endearing.

The Bloody Pit #150 - PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1943)

The show finally reaches episode #150 with a discussion of the 1943 version of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!

Join Troy and I as we swing on the giant opera house chandelier! Say what you will, but it gives us a good view of the film’s successes and failures. This often-derided film is one of Universal’s Oscar winners and on Blu-Ray it is a gorgeous thing to behold. We never thought we’d use words like opulent or big budgeted or colorful to describe a ‘horror’ film from the 1940’s but here we are! Of course, comparisons to the 1925 version can’t be avoided and we also briefly touch on a few of the more well-known adaptations over the past eighty years.

We spend a lot of time digging into the question of Christine’s relationship with the Phantom and wondering why having him be her father was excised from the story. At least one review from the time indicates that there might have been something left in early prints that made this very clear. We talk about the cast and the director with attention paid to some poor staging that undercuts important moments. Complaints about the comedy elements of the film are voiced as are questions about the difficulty of assembling a music room in the Paris sewers. A good time is had by all with music leading the way!

Near the end of the show, we respond to a couple of emails sent to thebloodypit@gmail.com and I have a mini-rant about the sad tendency in film fans to hate all new things. It’s a brief spasm and the phrase Doppler Effect is tossed out but I recover quickly and get things back on track. Hell! I almost forgot about the emails. Thanks Troy. And thank you for listening. We’ll be back soon!

Podcast LINK  

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1943) Poster Art

Podcast on the way!

 

Wild, Wild Podcast Season 3:Episode 5 - SAVAGE THREE (1975)

What happens if you put Joe Dallesandro and his pals in a cage? They turn savage, that's what! What happens if you put Rod and Adrian near a microphone? They start making podcasts! It's almost the same. In this episode we get to explore Turin with three bored friends hellbent on causing chaos and destruction. Is there nothing they won't do? Eurovision also gets a mention, and Adrian keeps banging on about his holiday. Sorry about that.

We would love to hear from you if you have any favorite Poliziotteschi films. You can contact us on Twitter, Instagram, or by email at wildwildpodcast@gmail.com. Please remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. 

Podcast LINK

What I Watched in April 2022

As far as the general critical consensus is concerned MORBIUS (2022) was never going to be considered good. The knives were out at soon as the phrase ‘starring Jared Leto’ was uttered. And I’ll admit that its connections to the sadly bad Venom films is a hurdle to overcome that I feared might be too high. So, I expected bad word of mouth with this new film and immediately dismissed it because we are in year two of the serious superhero film backlash. It has become the pseudo intellectual position to bash any comic book related film because …. Reasons. 

I can sympathize with some of the more common complaints especially the view that these movies dominate box office returns in a way that smothers chances for more varied fare to succeed. But this is little more than a variation of the usual attack on popular cinema driving thoughtful films from the marketplace. I’ve been hearing this argument since the 1980’s when such crowd-pleasing films as GHOSTBUSTERS, BACK TO THE FUTURE and WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT were being discussed as evidence of a defective education system. So pardon me if the shiny new version of the same laughable complaint continues to strike me as hollow whining. Maybe I’m not old enough yet to hate all new things. Give me a few years and I’m sure I’ll be railing against the evils of popular things along with the other wheelchair bound drones content to smugly assert the superiority of ‘the old days’. I assume that eventually the phrase ‘back in my day’ will change from trite joke set-up to a prelude for spouting a firmly held but idiotic belief that will embarrass the folks responsible for wiping the drool off my unshaven chin. But until then I’m going to enjoy the run of highly entertaining comic book adaptations that I have been waiting for since the age of eight. Hell. I’m almost to the point where I get as much entertainment from listening to snobs bitch about them as from watching the films. Grumble on, killjoys! Your hatred amuses me.

Where was I? Oh, yeah….

MORBIUS (2022) is a pretty damned good comic book tale that mostly plays like a horror film. Bringing 'The Living Vampire' to the big screen was always going to feel this way and it might be one reason people are expressing dissatisfaction with the story. If you’re expecting a lighter kind of MCU-style movie MORBIUS often nastily pushes against the grain and you will be uncomfortable. That’s a shame as I found the film to be a strong version of the character’s origin and loved the performances throughout. It is not one of the best of the current crop of these movies but it is far from being bad. And strangely, unlike some of the better comic book films, I find that I can’t wait to rewatch it to examine the way it uses horror visuals in service of its action sequences. I'm all in favor of superhero horror films but I suspect that I may be part of a very small group. 

The List

MURDEROCK (1984) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

RED RAGE (2021) – 4 (beautifully shot but meandering trifle)

THE WRAITH (1986) – 6 (pretty good car vengeance film)

TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE (1936) – 8

STEEL AND LACE (1991) – 5 (made for video/cable revenge tale)

ANTLERS (2021) – 7 (Wendigo horror)

NIGHTMARE ALLEY (2021) – 9

SILIP – DAUGHTERS OF EVE (1986) – 6 (overlong Philippine sexploitation/morality tale)

HELL BENT FOR LEATHER (1960) – 7 (sharp Audie Murphy western)

ASSASSINATION (1987) – 4 (weak Bronson action effort)

NEVER TOO YOUNG TO DIE (1986) – 4 (silly, ridiculous and dumb action tale – possibly a spoof)

THE DEVILS (1971) – 8 (rewatch)

THE BOOK OF STONE (1969) – 7 (fascinating Spanish supernatural tale)

TOO BEAUTIFUL TO DIE (1988) – 7 (interesting late period giallo)

MONSTER FROM GREEN HELL (1957) – 4 (rewatch on Blu)

MORBIUS (2022) – 7

THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES (1946) – 5 (interesting but not very funny Abbot & Costello outing)

WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS (1974) – 8 (rewatch)

THE BLACK COBRA (1963) – 6 (not bad krimi)

THE NIGHT HOUSE (2020) – 7 (well done supernatural tale)

APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH (1988) – 7 (sturdy Hercule Poirot murder mystery)

SCREAM (2021) – 7 (pretty darned good sequel)

VIOLENT PLAYGROUND (1958) – 7 (solid JD drama with Stanley Baker)

JUSTICE LEAGUE (2021) – 9 (rewatch on Blu)

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (1999) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)