Lei Zhen Zi of the Creation Gods

 

This is a Chinese 2023 action fantasy film, directed Chen Feng. The stars includes Norman Chu, Wu Chun-Yi and Yu LI. 

A load of barbarians invade a provincial town and slaughter everyone in the village including the general and his wife. Their child Xiading manages to escape. Years later the boy has grown up and is living in a small mountain town of great myth and legends, believed to be home to a dragon. He finds himself learning of his origins through his foster father the blacksmith, while rescuing the love of his life from an evil witch who works for the cruel barbarians. 

This film uses CGI and it looks impressive, especially the magnificent dragon. There are colourful moments, interesting characters, some humour and lots of fighting. This is based on the 16th century novel "Fengshenyanyi" or "Investiture of the Gods" by Xu Zhonglin of the My Dynasty. The film is high fantasy and part of a trilogy focusing on the divine Feather People who are also dragon slayers. 

I rate this an epic score of 10/10

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The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

"The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" is an epic 1958 fantasy film directed by Nathan Juran. The stars includes Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant and Richard Eyer. 

Sinbad is on his return when his ship turns to an island of mist, when it appears visible they go ashore. Only to discover it's inhabited by an enormous race of cyclops giants. They rescue a wizard, who carries a magic lamp. Things turn dark and complicated when the wizard is invited back to Sinbad's father's palace and evil magic happens. What's even more disturbing for Sinbad is when his beloved princess is turned into as small as a mouse. Then the adventure begins.

The awesome special effects by Ray Harryhausen using stop motion animation never gets old. It makes the monsters appear more frightening. This was the first type of special effects shown in a colour film. 

I rate this excellent fantasy 10/10

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Gappa the Triphibian Monster

 

This 1967 fantasy film was directed by Hiroshi Noguchi. The stars includes Tamio Kawaji, Yoko Yamamoto, Yuji Odaka and Koji Wada. 

Japanese explorers locate an isolated volcanic island called Obelisk, where the native inhabitants believe in a godlike creature named Gappa. There is a secret cave where no one is allowed to go otherwise it makes Gappa angry. The Japanese locate a huge egg near strange stone statues, which they decide to take back with them for study. However, the Gappa has become extremely angry and erupts. 

This film was also released under the title "Monster from a Prehistoric Planet." Despite the monster movies trend being made in Japan, this one was the only one made by Nikkatsu studio, which almost overshadowed by Godzilla and other Kaiju monster films. They quickly went out of business and didn't make anymore films, which was a shame really as this film has good special effects for it's time. The miniature city models were incredible craft works that seems not appreciated by modern audiences. I rate this a 7/10.

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Killer Under the Bed

 

This is a 2018 Lifetime Horror, or supernatural thriller directed by Jeff Hare. The stars includes Kristy Swanson, Brec Bassinger and Madison Lawlor. 

A girl moves into a new house with her mother and big sister, and then she discovers a strange looking doll in the shed with pins stuck in it. Realising she has a voodoo doll with magical powers, she uses it to stop her sister bullying her and it works. She uses the doll's powers again for other sticky situations and to make her handsome teacher like her. While this has been her favourite toy, it has some terrible consequences of using it. 

While the film has some very mild horror theme to it, with a big creepy house in the woods, and eerie books about the occult in a school library. There are some amusing scenes but also ridiculous ones too. One of the most well made and the film's highlight is when the doll pushes itself up through the ground like a zombie. Despite the film's name, there are no deaths, only violence, although the doll is a psychopath who wants to kill someone. I rate this a lukewarm 4/10.

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The Amazing Mr. Blunden

 

This is a 1972 family mystery film directed by Lionel Jeffries. The stars includes Laurence Naismith, Graham Crowden, Dorothy Alison and Diana Dors.

It's a children's fantasy and also touches on the supernatural. Set in the early 20th century, a woman is invited to be a caretaker of a large house in the countryside, so she moves there into a nearby cottage with her two kids, Lucy and Jamie. The house is rundown and full of cobwebs. Lucy and Jaime encounter ghosts of children from a century before, and they used to live in that same house. There is a lot of mystery and creepy goings on, with much danger involved for them.

The magical potion the children drank in the film was actually soft ginger beer. This film was based on the 1969 novel The Ghosts by Antonia Barber. The mansion was a true derelict building Heatherden Hall which is now a Grade II listed Victorian house. The same house has been used in many films including "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," "From Russia With Love", "Bugsy Malone" and a number of "Carry On" films. It's also been used in television shows including "Midsomer Murders," "One Foot in the Grave" and "Great Celebrity Bake Off". There is a 2021 remake.

I first watched "The Amazing Mr Blunden" as a kid and it scared me. Now I can appreciate the film as a creative adult used to horror. I rate this a decent 9/10.

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Carrie (2002)

 

This is a 2002 tv adaption "Carrie" based on the horror novel of the same title by author Stephen King. This version was directed by David Carson and the stars includes Angela Bettis, Patricia Clarkson and Rena Sofer. 

A lonely shy girl named Carrie White lives with her religious fanatic mother while also is bullied in school because she started her period during a shower after a PE lesson. Things become out of control with her strange powers of "telekinesis" that makes her blank out during stressful episodes. Another girl in class, Sue Snell, feels sorry for Carrie and tells her boyfriend to be nice to her, even go so far as to take her out. The prom night is the most important.

This television movie is less brutal and cruel than the 70's classic horror film although this one is closer to the novel. It shows police interviews with the characters, and certain "report" style scenes based on the investigation. Also the 2002 version shows a flashback of Carrie's childhood that resulted in her sending fireballs to the house. This was going to be a pilot for a TV series that never happened because it wasn't very popular. 

I rate this mixture of feelings of it but overall a rounded 6/10.

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Isle of the Snake People

Isle of the Snake People is a Mexican 1968 horror film directed by Juan Ibanez and Jack Hill. The stars includes Boris Karloff, Julissa and Carlos East. 

A strange island full of magic and zombies is being controlled by a sinister magician leader, while a police captain arrives who wants to put an end to it. There is a creepy number of characters using snakes in their rituals. A young woman from the mainland wants to visit her wealthy uncle who lives on the island, and she's unaware of the creepy goings on. 

This was made in 1968 but released in theatres in 1971, two year after Boris Karloff died. "Isle of the Snake People" is one of four B horrors with Boris Karloff and producer Luis Enrique Vergara, in a contract. The other three films in the pack are "Fear Chamber," "The Incredible Invasion" and "House of Evil." 

A strange spooky film with tension. I rate this 8/10.

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