Last House on the Beach (1978)

3 criminal men, a nun and a group of virgins at the beach

"Last House on the Beach" is an Italian made thriller about three sadistic bank robbin' guys who need a place to hold up from their latest heist. And where else do they pick for their several day lay over from the law? Why some "random" tucked away beach house with none other than a nun heading a group of all female students innocently practicing for a stage play. You know, just the thing deviant kidnappers dreams are made of.

The biggest underlying theme here is if an ordinary group of people, as well as someone of the "divine" cloth, who's ultimately human underneath, is capable of bringing out their inner vengeance to reap on their captures what they sowed. The nun angle one can imagine was a scolding hot topic for someone from the homeland of Catholicism in their collective borders. Similar to earlier Giallo mysteries presenting the finale with a priest holding the knife must have been a real whopper of a shake up to the daily hail Mary spoutin' folks that have unwavering traditions and rituals ingrained in them from the moment they take a first breath. With other movies that present a question it usually lingers after it ends, this, however, directly asks and answers which limits some of the challenge.

The violence comes and goes, there are moments when the kidnappers give break and others when it's let loose such as boredom leading to drinking, drinking leading to groping, and groping leading to raping. There's blood and nudity, yet it isn't relentless or always in the audience's face compared to other exploitation films. Which leads me to believe that the filmmakers were balancing out the shocking physicalities as well as the ominous underlying question that was also asked in its precursors "The Virgin Spring" and "The Last House on the Left": Could a citizen give an eye for an eye if the tables reversed, or turn the other cheek and forgive and forget? The idea is if a thought to be untouchable clergy woman could, so could you.

What's in its favor is the film was shot well for its genre type with a crisp wide angle lens that doesn't always need to zoom or move around a lot as a result. A share of this has random, funky, larger-than-life, rock-tinged music inserted that doesn't always add to making the claustrophobic environment smaller or the situation any more terrorizing. Though they slowly escalate their lusts and push and prod the women into feeling backed into a corner. There was a strange, if a little too stylish for its own good scene that stood out from the rest. It involves a series of chaotic voices that stream overtop of a sleazy, upbeat hard rock number while two of the goons rape one of the young woman from behind in ultra slow motion and with a randomly painted face. There is another surreal one with a scenario similar to "Night Train Murders" with an even larger object forced into a victim--all in slo-mo again with exaggerated, contorted facial expressions in uncomfortable close ups to make a viewer feel every agonizing inch.

The events skip around the several day episode to get to the meat of it, though the pacing still feels somewhat sporadic, causing the film--despite some memorably heinous scenes--to not always be consistently gripping or tension filled. At a few points they step outside to break the single environment archetype of being trapped in a house, though even with Bolkan's subtle acting as the nun and Ray Lovelock's charming looks and dangerous demeanor, this isn't as gripping as it could have been. The bad guys are, well, simply bad guys with few things on their minds. A few areas break the molds of what you would expect a criminal to act like, such as one being a good natured looking drop out of college or another being a pervert who reads Faulkner. The women whisper their escapes but get easily pushed around like the filmmakers wanted in order to lead up to their main agenda towards the latter part of the film. A balance wasn't always struck to give a solid relation between the characters or their plight, causing the audience to look about impassively and make their own loose assumptions.

Rating: 5.5/10

Director: Franco Prosperi
Stars: Florinda Bolkan, Ray Lovelock
Link: IMDB

Night Train Murders (1975)

Criminals, the rich and a set of fresh victims meet on a train

Over the years some Italian films have capitalized on the success of American pictures with lesser results. "Night Train Murders" isn't shy about making an unofficial sequel to "The Last House on the Left" except on a train and in another continent. Likewise a group of delinquents and their female companion attack and humiliate two unsuspecting young girls out to see the world on their own until they go too far and the parent(s) find it in them to seek out revenge that's just as cruel as what they suffered. Though it's a different film in its own right that plays more on social class idiosyncrasies in Europe and follows a better pacing and development over "Last House" due to being a little more restrained and refined with style from a seasoned director. While not as over-the-top as others in the rape/revenge subgenre, it still carries punch due to some worked up scenes and the lasting messages it carries as well.

Two young college girls seek independence during their Christmas vacation when they take a train by themselves to visit family. Meanwhile two street thugs go on a petty crime spree in the city and end up on that same train to escape a police officer. A rich, business looking woman bids her husband goodbye and ends up joining the two criminals due to the three being attracted to power and control. From only doing minor crimes beforehand, the two male criminals step up to the big leagues when the fancy looking woman uses her wily ways to egg on the two men to senselessly torment and violate the girls who were just at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

"Night Train Murders" spends some time showing how the circumstances led up to what they did with shots of the surroundings, some introductions and light drama. It's an exploitation piece but as a result of the gradual flow it can make one feel dirty and sick for watching the unfeeling events unfold one moment at a time right before your widening eyes. It doesn't help that there are intercut shots of the parents none the wiser as they go about their little fights of money and politics in their wealthy household that bought them everything but protection for their daughter. The only time the film shows sympathy is when the captures themselves think they went too far, which is going to probably get on some people's nerves to show they're human beings too and not monsters usually portrayed in films in a black and white context to make it easier to swallow. The dialogue comes with the usual English dubs by professional voice actors that speak overtly smooth and proper. The performances aren't award winning but they show some range between the characters with distinct qualities and faults too. Macha Meril stands out among the cast as the rich and sadistic woman who not only carries the look but also makes the little transitions needed to believably pull off both sides of her dual personality. Ennio Morricone's score is melancholic and full of doom and gloom the way piano strokes will methodically time their hits like a slow funeral march, or how a harmonica will sound high notes that resemble pleading wails. The opening credits have a male soprano soothingly singing as if unavoidable tragedy is about to come and he's padding the fall.

The movie leaves some room for the viewer to decide their stance rather than giving a clear cut solution to all of the problems presented. Like "Last House" this has a theme about violence and vengeance by showing how easily it can be done but that the after effects are the worst portion of the whole process, for antagonist and protagonist alike. There's the question of if a normal, modern family person, even with respectable qualities and a profession that cures the sick, is able to commit retaliation on someone beyond reform. It shows just how differently we perceive the well-off compared to the common person. The villainous woman is more concerned with her appearance than other's feelings or what they're going through. The same can be said about any money grubbing corporate types who trample the weak any which way they can. They often get a free ride just for how they look rather than how they actually act just because they pay the bills on time. There's a message about letting your children out into the world without properly preparing them for the dangers, as they might have been too sheltered before that. There's even a witness who has a chance to do something but instead gives in to the opportunity because he can get away with it. These themes still seem common today as they were in the mid '70s and probably will still be in another 30 plus years to come.


Rating: 8/10

Director: Aldo Lado (Who Saw Her Die?)
Stars: Marina Berti, Laura D'Angelo, Flavio Bucci, Macha Meril
Link: IMDB

The Rite (2011)

A man's struggle with the immaterial

A mortician's son named Michael wants to pick a different career path away from his father and heads to seminary school to become a priest. He aces psychology and art history but not theology. He decides that after four years he has a lack of faith and sends in his resignation. Before it can be turned in he says last vows to a dying woman and his superior Father Matthew wants him to stay on for another purpose that he might be just right for. He heads to Rome to take a course on exorcism due to the church receiving an alarming number of reports. After viewing the class with some derision, the teacher sends him over to a Father Lucas who's approach is unorthodox and matter-of-fact, but still honest when need be to deal with Michael's questioning, logical mind. Rather than tell with a verbal lecture, he shows right from the moment Michael arrives with a pregnant teenage girl that appears to him as someone with a clear case of mental health. The younger priest-to-be is still skeptical despite evidence before his eyes, yet he keeps returning to see more of the mysterious man who might be the real deal or someone who acts like one so his clients maintain their faith and not go elsewhere for help.

This starts out like a drama, turns into something of a psychological film with some thrills and chills regarding the potential existence of demons, then turns over to a climactic closer when someone close comes down with something and the person at hand has to finally answer a nagging question. Instead of producing a puzzling mystery with enough layers to keep a viewer guessing, this spreads out its plot elements and typically takes on one aspect at a time as it progresses, ending up revealing its formula in the process. That storytelling approach makes this feel more like a luring system till the final scene that has all of its bases covered of what they'll refer to up to that point, rather than a naturally evolving storyline. No one wants a confusing or conflicting film, but I'd be willing to bet others don't want things unraveled so orderly either. In one sense it takes deep subjects and delivers them somewhat easy and unmuddled, yet not always as an engrossing challenge. The performances come with their charms and some street talk despite their holy personas to give a real sense. Anthony Hopkins' captures the screen with a performance that often comes with guesses as to where he stands and he's able to handle the different sides without a hitch. Colin O'Donoghue does the part with some conviction whether it be a logical side or lowering his defensive guard, even if he's shuffled from one place to another in the script. Alice Braga plays Michael's friend whom he shares his thoughts but also reveals who she really is and what she's searching for. His teachers are capable of acting like authentic people either by being lenient and reasonable, to being strict and commanding.

At times the transitions feel too smooth and the answers in the story laid out before the viewer gets time to take them in or throw out guesses themselves, which somewhat limits its participation value. It attempts to be a thinking-person's movie rather than a straight horror/thriller but doesn't always give more to contemplate on during its duration despite its gradual pacing that seems more for tone and mood to make omens and signs match when they come around. This follows Michael rather than mainly the exorcism itself, so essentially its main relating points are targeted more so at that person who straddles the fence on the subject, and the believer getting some validation, though the unbeliever left more to the wayside. So you get a character based film with some horror tacked on for reasons of entertainment and to loosen up the viewer to give an ear for the subject matter, rather than the other way around like "The Exorcist" that's also about losing faith...and possibly scaring it back into you with everything it's got. In that respect this is handled with more tact on the subject than the usual suspects with films dealing with possession.

"The Rite" can be looked at like a man on a religious journey to finding faith, but part of it can still be looked at as someone who does anything without a driving passion or purpose, kind of riding between places until something powerful comes along to question why you're doing what you're doing in the first place. Fighting with half a heart is a sure way to get defeated is the message, because others are going to come around to take that away just because they can. Though it's not to the lengths of watching a sports movie about, say, US football with a player who has the talent and no driving point, as you can usually not be a fan of the sport to see where they're coming from. Usually those films are about the emotional impact surrounding the subject, while "The Rite" reveals more of its inner playbook than tiptoeing around for more relating points to outsiders looking in, which can make the film at points feel a little distant by coming with more of a specific purpose.


Rating: 6.5/10

Director: Mikael Hafstrom (Drowning Ghost, 1408)
Stars: Colin O'Donoghue, Anthony Hopkins, Alice Braga, Ciaran Hinds, Rutger Hauer, Toby Jones
Link: IMDB

The Great Alligator (1979) - 3 of 3: Westerners in the Wild Trilogy

Their god is an angry god

"The Great Alligator" is an action-adventure film that takes advantage of the tranquil scenery, humble natives and beautiful wildlife...except, of course, there's Kruna, a monstrous alligator or divine creature, that decides to go on a rampage after its habitat gets turned into a money-making machine of a hotel and resort. Take heed westerners: don't mess with nature and it won't mess back.

This takes place somewhere on an isolated island with the only way to get in or "out" being boat or plane. The local inhabitants have their rituals and superstitions, and the encroaching vacationers have their drinking and dancing to get on with. The hotshot photographer, played by charismatic Claudio Cassinelli, gets a whiff of something ominous in the air, as well as the employees work discreetly behind the scenes to investigate these mysterious disappearances. Although at that point it might be too late.

There are realistic characters and a few straightforward struggles are thrown in the mix between the humans. Though the alligator is the big attraction here and its on-screen presence is more comical than scary, as instead of being portrayed as this mysterious, what-if beast it almost becomes a caricature along the lines of "Jaws 2" where it can be anywhere and everywhere. The effects in wider shots make the gigantic gator a paralyzed battering ram as the molding used to make it doesn't flex an inch. Indeed the movie set out to be serious, this isn't going to be the equivalent of a modern day Sci-Fi channel creature feature, but it's still hard to ignore that the main attraction isn't able to even remotely nudge the safety barrier away from its audience.

Rating: 4/10


Director: Sergio Martino (A Man Called Blade)
Stars: Barbara Bach, Claudio Cassinelli
Link: IMDB


Facts from the Black and Red:

- Alligators are only indigenous to China and the US.

- Alligators are unidirectional breathers.

- Alligators have been known to attack humans in self-defense, even if they don't regard them as prey. Though they are known for eating their own kind.

Island of the Fishmen (1979) - 2 of 3: Westerners in the Wild Trilogy

Island of the goggly eyes

This ambitious film is set in the 19th century, gave a dab of action-adventure with mythology to boot, some shocks of horror and a nod to science fiction if that wasn't enough. "Island of Dr. Moreau" it wasn't entirely, though the initial premise is no doubt given nod to.

The zoom ins, dated synthesizers and blatantly overdubbed sound effects that usually came with campy Italian cinema can give these pictures charm like no other. However, the inconsistent creature effects and cringe worthy miniatures unabashedly shown in close-ups, instead of rolling in the fog or covering up with shadows, were just asking too much from a viewer's imagination. Most of these films have flaws from cheap production to speedy filmmaking, mirroring what was done in the '50s/'60s, but it's just a matter of how many you are willing to overlook (especially by '79). If really easy, this could be more up your alley. If not, take the detour.

The acting and even the English dubbing were of decent and serious caliber to moving this along without being one giant accidental farce; which leads me to believe the producers gave the green light with a tight cast but without realistically scaling back their overzealous production costs. The owner of the island was villainous though a charming and eccentric gentleman, his former Bond-girl (Barbara Bach of "The Spy Who Loved Me") wife was an exquisite treat to look at, and the guest of honor, that got there from a shipwreck, was a commanding and confident presence on screen.

"Island of the Fishmen," aka "Screamers," was not as mystifying as set out to be as an adult fantasy film. Applied to the goals the filmmakers had and their ability to realistically pull them off, the old idiom "less is more" usually works better in these cases, otherwise it's a challenge to step in with both feet and truly let yourself go minus the unintentional smirks.

Rating: 4/10


Director: Sergio Martino (Torso)
Stars: Barbara Bach, Claudio Cassinelli
Link: IMDB


Facts from the Black and Red:

- Actor Claudio Cassinelli died in a helicopter accident in 1985 while on location in Arizona for another Sergio Martino movie called "Fists of Steel/Hands of Steel."

- Mudskippers, snakeheads and Senegal Bichir are fish that can survive for periods outside of water.

- The 1912 accident of Titanic had a total of 1, 517 lives lost, making it one of the most fatal peacetime disasters.