Dead of Night

 

The 1974 horror film Dead of Night and was directed by Bob Clark and the stars include John Marley, Lynn Carlin and Richard Backus. 

Andy is a soldier who dies in combat. News is sent to his family although something happened to Andy, who returns home alive. But there is a trail of horrific deaths in his path and he isn't the person that he used to be. There's something deadly about him. The film explores the undead and also psychological effects of war.

This film is connected to another horror film called "Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things" because it was directed by Bob Clark. The undead cosmetics took several hours. Christopher Walken was offered the role of Andy. Film was also called "Deathdream". In 1981 it was rereleased under the titles "King from the Grave," "King of the Grave" and "It Came from the Grave." In Italy the film is titled "La Morte dietro la Porta" that means "Death Behind the Door." It's loosely based on a short story "Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs. 

I waver on this little horror with 5/10.

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Big Driver

 

This is a 2014 thriller directed by Mikael Salomon and stars Maria Bello, Ann Dowd, Will Harris and Joan Jett. 

A famous author is led to a secluded derelict petrol station in the middle of nowhere, and her car tyres are punctured by nails on broken boards. Everyone that passes ignores her except a dangerous man who attacks her. He dumps her in a tunnel filled with dead bodies of women, who were his former victims. She struggles to escape and is covered in blood. When she reaches a shop to make a phone call, her nightmare has already begun to change into a need for revenge.

There are plenty of supernatural elements to this strange thriller which is quite gothic and almost horror. The film is based on a story by Stephen King. Some have considered this a TV movie because it was aired on Lifetime. This is a bloodthirsty film that touches on psychosis by main character who hears voices and sees her own book characters. Parts of the film is dark and has violent scenes.

It gets chopped to 5/5.

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Mausoleum

"Mausoleum" is a 1983 horror film directed by Michael Dugan. The stars include Bobby Brasee, Marjoe Gotner and Norman Burton. 

Susan is a young girl grieving the death of her mother. During the funeral she enters a mausoleum with a strange tomb inside. Many years later, she's grown up and married, but has always been troubled. It seems that she inherited a curse that runs in the family. There's a lot of spooky stuff going on, gruesome deaths and demonic possession. Her husband contacts the psychiatrist to find out what's going on. 

This is a low budget horror film with much criticism but it won a prize at the Paris Film Festival of Sci-Fi and Horror. It was regarded as a "video nasty" in the UK during the 80's even though it's not considered obscene. There is some graphic horror and gore, but it's more make-up and with a silly looking demon. The actress playing the adult character of Susan is older than the actress playing her aunt! There is a car in the film that is an electric model. 

I rate this a wicked 7/10.

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Night Tide

 This 1961 romantic horror is in black and white and was directed by Curtis Harrington. It stars Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson, Gavin Muir and Luana Anders. 

A sailor falls in love with a mysterious woman named Mora who is an entertainer at the beach resort. He visits her and soon learns that she's a real mermaid but others warn him of danger from her. They're convinced she might've drowned her former boyfriends. 

The film has a strange atmosphere that feels spooky and also pleasant at the same time. The film was  loosely based on the poem "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe. It's refreshing to have a spooky film featuring a mermaid.

 I rate this a big splash of 7/10.

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Star Knight

 Star Knight is a 1985 fantasy sci-fi film. It was directed by Fernando Colomo and the stars includes Klaus Kinski, Maria Lamor and Fernando Rey. 

Villagers are scared of a dragon they've witnessed and tell their king but no one believes them. The dragon is really a spaceship and piloted by an alien man who uses telepathy and anti-gravity. Both the alien and the princess are in love, and when she disappears, the king sends his most loyal knight to bring her back. 

Klaus Kinski plays Boecius, an alchemist of the castle household. His science, chemistry and medicine is seen as "demonic" by the religious fanatic priest. It's a type of film that should've been made into a TV series. Vincent Price, Charlton Heston, Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas were all offered the role to play Boecius earlier on but it fits Klaus Kinski better. This is a nice film with some cute romance, but feels awkward as the alien is unable to remove his helmet! 

I rate this nice Medieval sci-fi flick  6/10.

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Planet of Dinosaurs

 Planet of Dinosaurs is a 1977 science fiction B movie directed by James K. Shae. The cast includes Mary Appleseth, Harvey Shain and Chuck Pennington. 

A spaceship crash lands on a mysterious Earthlike planet and they lose all equipment and radar. Their ship is gone, and it's just several people exploring ways to survive on an unknown planet with fresh air, water and vegetation. Their are also dinosaurs living on the planet too, so they have to climb steep mountains to get away from them. A few seem certain help will rescue them all but does it?

The special effects were good for the time, which made this get positive feedback by critics. Even though the film was seen as very enjoyable then, it quickly faded into oblivion because I never heard of it before until now. The storyline is weak and the acting is wooden. A number of characters died but the rest of the group had time to party with raw juices from the native berries that was really a soft drink! The film was roughly made, with dialogue invented sometimes and cheaply done spaceship sets. A low budget film with all of its money spent on stop-motion dinosaurs. 

I rate this a crashed 2/10.

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Land of the Minotaur

 This is a Greek horror film from 1976. It was directed by Kostas Karagiannis and the stars include Peter Cushing, Donald Pleasance and Luan Peters. 

Three young archaeologists camp near a ruined castle until they soon vanish. A local priest has always been concerned about some disappearances but the local police inspector is not. Comes the girlfriend of one of the missing archaeologists, who is soon joined with a private detective and the priest who all go searching for the missing people. Strange things have been going on in the village with mysterious events that people don't want to talk about. 

The film is also titled "The Devil's People" and "The Devil's Men." A strange cult worships a statue of a minotaur but it's kept very hidden and everyone doesn't know anything. Peter Cushing as the baron is a fitting part even though that role was first offered to Donald Pleasance but he didn't want to play another villain again. This is an adventure film with some scary scenes that was enjoyable and worthwhile. I rate it a labyrinth 7/10. 

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