horror – Page 3 – Anomalous Cinema

The Sentinel (1977)

October 20, 2023January 27, 2024 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This is one bizarre work of ‘70s horror. I already liked the film because of the mind blowing ending that I cannot tell you about. Then several years ago, my girlfriend and I got to see a 35mm film print of it at the historic Castro theater in San Francisco on Halloween. Seeing this with an audience, in such a beautiful space, on arguably the best holiday, made for one of my favorite film memories. The Sentinel will not be an easy movie for many people under the age of 40 to enjoy. Everything may look extremely dated, the acting and some scenes will seem downright corny. I will assume these factors are why the film has a rather low IMDb rating. Trust me folks, if you can just ignore the blatant screaming 1977ness of this movie, you are in for a wild and scary ride. After you’re done, look up what makes the ending so special. It works without that knowledge, but… yowza.

Available on Blu-ray from Scream Factory.

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Daybreakers (2009)

October 13, 2023January 27, 2024 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This is a sci-fi vampire movie that manages to straddle being very smart and pretty damned cheesy. However the action is solid, it features three excellent actors, and the gore is plentiful. I am also a sucker for movies with a Blade Runner influence. Daybreakers is a bit of a rollercoaster ride however. One moment you will notice the very insightful social commentary, the next you will be rolling your eyes at something ridiculous. The good news is that there’s a good chance you will remain entertained throughout.

Available on 4K UHD / Blu-ray from Lionsgate.

The Invisible Man (1933)

September 15, 2023November 30, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

A scientist discovers how to make himself invisible, and the process drives him into a mad crime spree. This may be the most high profile film discussed on this site, the National Film Registry considers it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” I decided to feature it anyway as this movie is a real standout among all other films I’ve seen from the ‘30s. The script is adapted from a book by H. G. Wells, as well as “The Murderer Invisible” by Philip Wylie. Wells didn’t appreciate the fact that director James Whale made the doctor a madman, but I feel that was a wise choice. Who but a lunatic would perpetrate such dastardly deeds? The special effects were ages ahead of their time and still look great 80+ years later, but that isn’t all this film has to offer. The Invisible Man is a perfectly paced, and gleefully negative, horror film balanced with a sense of humor. All the performances are great, and Claude Rains is perfect in the lead role. His ranting voice alone is like no other. Yes, of course, don’t miss out on James Whale’s Frankenstein movies, but I rate this one a notch higher. I suggest checking out the 1998 film Gods and Monsters too, as it is a good dramatization of the director’s life.

Available on UHD / Blu-ray from Universal.

A Page of Madness (1926)

August 18, 2023May 31, 2024 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on YouTube | imdb | trailer (Flicker Alley disc ad)

A man’s wife is in an insane asylum, so he gets a job there to try to help her escape. It figures that the oldest movie I love, and one of the weirdest, is from Japan. Leave it to The Land of the Rising Sun to be an early adopter of strange cinema, and to keep cranking it out for almost a century. This was made one year before the first movie with sound, and three years before Un Chien Andalou was released. You’d think that Japanese audiences would have been utterly baffled by this film, but supposedly it was a hit. There’s a ton of unusual imagery, including many beautiful superimposed images and other innovative tricks to replicate hallucinations. The film also features some deep concepts that are expressed without a word. A Page of Madness is simply a work of art that demands to be seen by any fan of Anomalous Cinema.

I’ve desperately hunted for another ‘20s film to recommend on this site. There are several very good movies from this era, but all of them have dull dramatic parts, or other flaws which make them ineligible. Yeah, I know, I know, Un Chien Andalou but it’s a short, and every art school kid has already forced it under your nose. Unfortunately many silent movies are now lost, there was probably a real mind-blower among them. I truly hope that some weird masterpiece is available that I’ve missed. Here are some 1920s movies, a few rather obvious, that are definitely worth your time if you watch them with patience: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Destiny (1922), Faust (1926), The Hands of Orlac (1928), Häxan (1929), The Man Who Laughs (1928), Metropolis (1927), and The Phantom of theOpera (1925).

Available on Blu-ray from Flicker Alley (search eBay), but the quality seems a little dubious.

Flux Gourmet (2022)

August 4, 2023February 20, 2024 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This is an art film comedy about an ensemble of gastro themed noise performance artists. It has “gory” elements too, but it’s not really a horror film. Need I say this one is definitely not for everyone? Flux Gourmet is the latest from Peter Strickland, the director of the excellent Berberian Sound Studio and In Fabric. It’s deliberately paced, and on the long side, but I found it refreshingly original. The electronic score is fantastic and occasionally heavy and aggressive. This is the most Anomalous movie I’ve recommended in ages, so give it a try.

Available on Blu-ray from IFC.

The Burning (1981)

May 5, 2023February 29, 2024 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

Naughty teen campers pull a prank and the victim returns for revenge. End of plot. There aren’t a lot of teen slasher movies I like, but this one is solid. It’s really straight forward, but if you enjoy ‘80s horror and have missed this, you’ll probably appreciate it. I’ve seen The Burning a few times, including a film print, and have always had a good time. Tom Savini turned down working on Friday the 13th Part 2 for this film, so you know the makeup FX are quality. Plus you get to see Jason Alexander (George from Seinfeld) with a full head of hair, and an early, very brief, appearance from Holly Hunter. So have a few drinks (or whatever floats your boat), turn off all higher brain functions, and enjoy some early ‘80s horror cheese.

Available on UHD/Blu-ray from Scream Factory.

The Mist (2007)

March 24, 2023February 20, 2024 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This is the original movie version of Stephen King’s 1980 novella. I skipped the recent TV series because of the poor ratings. What we have here is neither the best, nor the worst King adaptation. I’d rate The Mist above average among those films. Why the hell am I recommending this? Well, it is creepy as hell if you don’t know what is going on in the plot. At least that was my experience when first seeing the movie. I took a look recently, and it still looked good, in spite of some slightly dated CG. Bottom line, if you missed this one and haven’t read the book, there’s a decent chance you’ll enjoy it.

Available on Blu-ray from ummm… well it’s available anyhow.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

March 10, 2023November 30, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

I liked this image so much I couldn’t crop it.

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

Rosemary and her husband move in to a fancy but weird Manhattan apartment. Once she becomes pregnant, things take an extremely dark turn. I have hesitated to recommend Rosemary’s Baby as it’s on so many critic lists. However I wouldn’t be surprised if many younger people have overlooked this film. Another part of my hesitation is the fact that director Roman Polanski is a terrible human being (and many people believe that star Mia Farrow is no saint either). I recently heard someone say that great art becomes it’s own entity once it is completed. That entity stands apart from the flawed, sometimes awful, human being that made it. Yep, this film is great art. It’s one of the most beautifully crafted horror films ever made. That horror stays on the psychological end of the spectrum, but I love every minute of it. This movie demands to be seen in spite of the flawed humans involved.

Available on Blu-ray from Paramount.

The Wailing (2016)

February 3, 2023February 20, 2024 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

South Korean horror / thrillers can be a little hit or miss considering how many have been released in the last 20 years. The Wailing is a hit my friends. This is shot beautifully, is fast-paced, and seriously scary. It even manages to be funny at times. My only minor issue with the film is it might be a tad bit long. However if you’re new to dark SK movies, this is definitely not a bad one to start with.

Available on Blu-ray from Well Go USA.

Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)

December 30, 2022November 30, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

The headline read “Hobo Stops Begging, Demands Change.” That, and the fact that all exploitation elements are cranked to 11, sums up this movie. I’ve been a Rutger Hauer fan since seeing Blade Runner is a kid. I think I’ve seen the majority of his films, and I have even read his autobiography. For many years I complained about the injustice of Hauer not getting a good lead role. Well in 2011 the stars aligned – Hobo with a Shotgun was announced. I was avidly following the pre-release promotion of the movie, and was not disappointed when I finally got to see the finished product. I think the low rating on imdb is because of the overall purposeful cheese factor, and the fact everything offensive is thrown in to the mix. Yeah it ain’t Ingmar Bergman, but I give it a perfect score. RIP Mr. Hauer.

Available on Blu-ray from Magnet.