The Blancheville Monster

"The Blancheville Monster" is a 1963 black and white mystery horror. Directed by Alberto De Martino and stars include, Gerard Tichy, Leo Anchoriz and Ombretta Colli. 

The film begins on a dark stormy night with the scene of a looming castle on a hill. The daughter of a deceased count returns home after being far away from home, bringing with her two friends, a brother and sister. She learns that the castle is under a strange curse, and that she's selected as a sacrificial victim. Meanwhile there's unusual screams heard throughout the castle and a secret behind a tower door. 

This was filmed in very cold conditions and the breathe from the actors are visible. This was once said to be a film "of no importance" by the actual director, Alberto De Martino, even though his own father made the mask used as a prop. The same director made other films I've watched before including "Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete," "The Triumph of Hercules" and "The Spy with Ten Faces" all of which I shall review on this blog soon.

I rate this Italian gothic screamer 7/10

Blood Strawberry    

Heartland of Darkness

An evil place between heaven and hell - the sanctuary of death! 

"Heartland of Darkness" is a 1992 horror film directed by Eric Swelstad, and it goes by another name "Fallen Angels". The stars includes Dino Tripodis, Nick Baldasare and Linnea Quigley. 

A single father moves to a small town with his teenaged daughter. There are many gruesome killings and a weird conspiracy that points to a local Satanic cult led by an evil reverend. It gets to the point where nobody can be trusted as everyone seems to be involved with the cult. Parts of this seems ridiculous and others is very dark. Plenty of gore and some entertainment with a decent back story. 

It's also been called "Blood Church". A very gory film with some nudity. It has some grim humour, and it was actually quite funny but scary at the same time! 

Now I rate this film a macabre 6/10.

Blood Strawberry 

Black Sunday

"You, too, can feel the joy and happiness of hating." 

This is a 1960 Italian horror film directed by Mario Bava, and the stars include Barbara Steele, John Richardson and Andrea Checchi. Originally called "La Maschera del demonio" (The Mask of the Devil). 

Centuries ago, a witch is condemned to death alongside her lover, and the executioner is her brother. Given masks to wear that are torture objects designed to kill, the bodies were then buried separately, with the witch held in a family crypt and her lover in a criminals graveyard. After hundreds of years, two doctors find themselves stranded in the area and accidentally disturb the resting place of the witch.

This is an Italian film with foreign stars, such as English actress Barbara Steele who plays the princess and the witch, she was unable to speak Italian and was afraid that she would be appearing nude. The film was purposely made in monochrome to create atmosphere and it does work. There are many gorgeous gothic sets and baroque furnishings to add to the mysterious spooky place. The film is based on the story Viy by Nikolay Gogol. 

I rate this epic masterpiece a 10/10

Blood Strawberry  

Blood and Lace

 

"Shock after shock as Desire drives a bargain with DEATH!"

"Blood and Lace" is a 1971 horror film directed by Philip Gilbert and stars Gloria Grahame, Melody Patterson and Milton Selzer.

A teenaged girl is orphaned and troublesome, and sent to a facility for other orphaned kids. On the surface it looks nice, but she hates the chores given to her and tries to cause trouble there until she finds sick kids in an infirmary, and a girl in the attic dying of thirst. The orphanage is run by a strange woman and a violent handyman with an obsession about hammers. There are much more gruesome things to discover and the girl is tormented with nightmares.

There's something terribly familiar about the story, as it seems to be quite similar to the fairy tale "Bluebeard" by Charles Perrault. However, this story has a twist. Originally it was given a PG rating despite horrible scenes, but it wasn't until 2015 that the film was rated with an "R". The film is also called "The Blood Secret".

I rate this film a bad smelling 2/10.

Blood Strawberry