Delayed Reviews: Demons 5- The Devil's Veil (aka The Mask of Satan)

 It's about time I made good on a promise from 11 years ago!  

Back in 2010, I finished covering the quartet of Films by Lamberto Bava that included Demons 3: The Ogre.  

In the final one (seen here), I mentioned that I was done unless I can find Demons 5: Black Sunday.  I forgot...for a long time.  

This is Demons 5: The Devil's Veil, a 1990 Film from Italy.  

Why does it have a different Title?  Well, the Film is a partial homage to MARIO Bava's Black Sunday, hence the unofficial Title.  The Film thankfully stands on its own...but it sure is weird.  

The Plot involves people in an Ice Cavern, a Witch, a blind Priest and some freaky monsters.  

As far as notable Cast goes, there's not much.  Our Heroines was briefly engaged to Klaus Kinski (she must have some stories!), one of them was the Female Lead in Black Cobra (which gave us all Poor Bastards of Cinema) and one of the group is Director Michele Soavi.  

Fans of Rifftrax might recognize one Star from Ghosthouse, while fans of Bad Movies might recognize her from Troll 3/Creepers/Contamination .7.  That's basically it.  

Was it worth waiting 11 years to finally do this?  

To find out, read on...

The Earth shifts and a bunch of skiers fall into a crevice.

They thankfully don't jump right into cannibalism, which is almost always everyone's concern post-Donner Party.

While some of them look for a way out, others find a frozen body and decide to remove the mask on it...to sell, I guess.

Who does that?!?

The entryway collapses and kills one of them.  The desperate group finds a random entryway to an area and just goes through it.

This is people taking ALL OF the wrong choices in a Choose Your Own Adventure Book.

They find a Blind Priest alone in a snowy village (which is oddly lit for being unexposed to the Sun) and turn to Page 33 by choosing to immediately fall asleep in his House.

When he finds out what they did, he's not happy.  He only warns our Lead, however, as he thinks that the others have been compromised.

It all relates to a watch named Anabis who was given the titular mask (with nails in it!) and was kept there.

Only the Priest survives now, apparently, as the watch...but he also isn't there to see them take the mask, so...useless.

The group starts to get possessed in a particular order...

Going by first names, it happens in the order to spell out 'Anabis,' which means that our Heroine (Sabina) is last.

She keeps trying to get our Lead to sleep with her and, well, something is definitely up with her.

After killing her to save her soul, he wakes up...and everyone is fine?

"I had the craziest dream- and you were there and you were there?'

Well, we're only an hour in, so that was a lie.

It's all a continuous trick to get him to give in to Anabis and empower her.

He finally wins out and...wakes up to find his friends dead in the Cavern.  He rushes to escape as the Movie ends (without a shirt, so good luck!).

A weird mess of a Film that is at least endearing.  

I will certainly give the Film points right off the bat for creativity.  It's a lazy thing to say that it is a Remake of Black Sunday (the Italian one not the killer Blimp one).  It features a similar creature and very loose Themes, but that's it.  

Credit where credit is due, this is the kind of thing that Remakes should do.  

That said, the Movie itself is...interesting.  The premise starts out strong, but kind of has many, many problems.  The Characters are pretty cut-and-paste.  

I think the biggest reason for that is that the Plot necessitates so many Characters to spell out 'Anabis.'  If her name was like 'Rosa' or something, they could have been more nuanced.  

Once they get possessed, they just are there to be freaky and attack.  The Priest does well enough, but eventually is just a Plot Device.  

In the Third Act, he's dead and giving advice 'from the great beyond' to make things work.  The fake-out Ending is the big issue here.  

The Pacing is just killed by the Film just kind of restarting in a silly way.  The logic behind it is intriguing...but not great.  

I will give credit to the freaky effects that sometimes show up.  It's not awful, but it pales in comparison to Demons and Demons 2.  

My copy has the original Italian Audio and some Subtitles.  It is just too bad that, for some reason, the SRT (or Subtitle Reader Track) File mixes up the letters 'rt' for 'm,' giving me such lines like this...

Next up, I continue Make Up March with a Film that I meant to cover long ago.  Gotta love misleading Titles, no?  Stay tuned...

*VERY* Delayed Sequels: Embodiment of Evil

It took forty-one years to get made and another 6 years for me to see it!  

Today's film is Embodiment of Evil/The Devil, depending on whether you translate titles literally or not.  There are probably alot of you who are very confused, so let me explain.  

While Central America is not known for its Horror (as a 1st Generation Venezuelan I once knew can speak to), there is one name there that's big: Coffin Joe.  

He's been a big deal there for half a Century, starting with At Midnight, I'll Take Your Soul in 1963.  It was followed by Tonight, I'll Possess Your Corpse in 1967 and today's film...from 2008.  

The man behind the hat and cape- Jose Mojica Morins- hosted a Horror-themed show for the next 20 years or so, which partially explains the time gap.  

Even so, it was odd that he completed the Trilogy so long after the second film.  

Here's the gist of it: Joe is a dirtbag and an Atheist, which stands out in a very-Catholic-leaning land like his home.  He also likes to abuse and torture people, leading to him being locked up.  

The film picks up in real time with him being released back into a society that hates him (and vice versa).  

Can he fulfill his dream and sire an heir?  

To find out why this is the longest-delayed-sequel in history (to my knowledge), read on...

In a dark, dreary prison, Coffin Joe awaits his release.  Due to overflow in the system, he is set free in the Present (of 2008) after a few decades locked up.  

He's not bitter.

Fortunately, his creepy Igor-style Butler is waiting for him and shows him how the World outside has changed.  

Insert Social Commentary here.

Joe sets up a small cabal with like-minded people, but is tortured by some weird visions and...

...flashbacks to the original two films.  You thought that people might not remember your films made before most of the audience (like me) were even born?  

Get out!

To muddy the waters, the people that run the Town are kind of terrible.  Coffin Joe isn't exactly a decent person either, so...I'm rooting for the two Witches, I guess.

Never mind- he just killed them.

So Joe partakes upon a very important quest: knocking up some ladies so that he will have heirs.  

You know, he could have donated sperm in the last forty years and made this MUCH easier (but I guess less fun)

Joe has a freaky vision- a la his trip to Purgatory in I'll Possess Your Corpse- and ramps up his goal, leading his men to kidnap a bunch of people to torture.  

Poor Bastards of Cinema, maybe?

You got your Jodorowsky in my Morins movie!

The Police push forward on their goal of catching Joe, but the real victor turns out to be the crazy guy with the combination Crucifix-knife.  

Joe dies, so...happy ending?

Yes, but maybe for him.  

All of the surviving victims of kidnapping/torture turn out to be pregnant, so he has achieved his goal.  

Sorry, Brazil- at least you have Soccer.  The End.

Was it worth the wait?  

Good or bad, Morins has a clear vision for what he wants to do.  Given that he has made a couple dozen films in the last fifty-years, this is no surprise.  

The tricky part was the delay.  Before Evil/The Devil, his previous film was a Documentary about his work made in 1987.  That's a long delay!  

The film has a unique look and feel.  Unfortunately for me, that feel was dark, bleak and freaky.  I don't hate films for being weird, disturbing or gross-out imagery.  I can accept that a film is not necessarily 'my kind of thing'- as long as its good.  

The film has some seriously-gross imagery like ladies with cockroaches dumped on them, a lady getting her rump cut off & a bit involving some hot cheese, a lady and a rat.  Getting past those parts, it is clear that Morins has a vision.  

I may not necessarily like it, but is clearly more than just 'throw gross things out there to be shocking.'  

The bit where he goes to the Purgatory-style place is gross and inspired, with the portal being a pool of blood and then a hallway that looks like the insides of a person guts.  Gross, but neat.  

You do have to accept that Morins is still a scary and dangerous villain at around age 73, which is aided by a liberal use of henchman.  It is still a conceit that you may or may not accept.  Evil/The Devil does feel like a solid ending for the Coffin Joe series, so I can't complain about that.  

I will leave you with a look at the nice, liberal policies in Brazil...

Up next, I cover a film about some nice Devils.  If nothing else, the 1970s are good for some freaky stuff.  Stay tuned...

Delayed Reviews: Born to Fight (2004)

It has taken me forever to get to this underrated kick-fest.  Today's film is Born to Fight, a Thai Film that was kind of lost in the shuffle.  For those of you who missed it, here is a quick run-down of the Thai Boom in America that started about ten years ago.  Ong-Bak was a surprise hit in the United States- thanks to some great viral marketing- and many similar Films.  Some of them, like Dynamite Warrior (part of my collection), got just a video release, while others got released in a wider, theatrical market.  Amidst those films was Born to Fight, which is an in-name only Remake of a 1989 film by the same Writer/Director.  It faded a bit shortly thereafter after The Protector (which is in my collection) and has only since come back with The Raid films (the first of which is in my collection too).  Fight features many of the same people behind Dynamite, including its lead.  The film tells the possibly-real tale of a small Village that fought back against outsiders who came in to use them as political pawns.  It is mostly a set-up for big, dynamic action scenes- for better or for worse.  I rented this film long ago and actually bought the 2-Disc DVD from an unlikely source- a Thrift Store.  You may laugh, but I also got my DVD of G.I. Joe: The Movie, Daredevil (the Director's Cut) and my Blu-Ray of V.I. Warschawski from one as well.  After all of this time, does the Film still hold up?  To find out, read on...

In the opening, two Cops try to do an undercover job, but the Boss figures out who they are.  This sets up much shooting and action.

If you thought that The Matrix: Reloaded (and Dhoom) had a monopoly on truck-based fight scenes, you were wrong.  These Stunts are rough and were hopefully worth the pain to the Stuntmen.

Our hero catches the villain, but his Mentor dies in an explosion.  Being a Mentor in these Films is the just below Being The Lead's Brother, Being Chuck Norris' Girlfriend and Being One Day Away From Retirement on the Asking For Death Scale in Cinema.

Well, that and being the black guy.  Since there is none of them in this film, the Mentor bites the dust.

Our distraught hero goes with his Sister on a goodwill mission to give sports equipment to a rural village.  It is here that we get some subtle foreshadowing like showing the skills of our athletes and letting us see their super-hard soccer balls.

A group of militants show up out of nowhere and kill many of the people.  They take the village hostage and make demands: the release of the previously-captured villain.

 If you ever wanted to see Die Hard 2 in a Thailand Village instead of in an Airport, you are...really specific in your goals.  Kudos?

Our main hero- as a Cop- fights back first and drives the Village to work together.  It is certainly an easier sell to the people who are NOT in the front lines.

Fight!  Fight!  Fight!

Almost everyone in Town (save for the Extras) gets a chance to shine.  One lady shows off her 'Gymkata,' while this young girl actually kicks some notable ass!

The whole thing with their wicker-like soccer balls comes into play when they are used as weapons.  Seriously- a fight scene built around soccer balls.

Who says that having one leg precludes you from action?  Not Zach Gowen, that's for sure.

I won't SPOIL all of the crazy stunts and crashes, but I will tell you that the villains are taken care of quite definitively.  The End.

There's not a lot of substance here, but it is fun.  The film certainly doesn't aim to be a grand, epic movie.  The goal: set up action scenes and deliver.  In that regard, it certainly works!  People get kicked, people get tossed off of moving trucks and one guy gets exploded (see above)!  As the Credits show, most of what you see on film is what actually happened.  You see them practice the big falls and crashes, but there is no CG here.  The action is great and the tone is worth mentioning.  In our films, we usually get a nice, happy wrap-up.  In films like this (and The Raid), there are real, emotional consequences and nothing feels like it is just 'wrapped up neatly.'  It is certainly a bit jarring if you are new to these kinds of films.  Now, in all fairness, the film itself is nothing special.  The villains have little motivation and this is all just a set-up for the action.  It is an amazing coincidence that the guy who arrested the villain just happens to be in the Village taken hostage as a set-up for his release!  Holy random chance, Batman!  If you go into the film expecting fun and over-the-top action, you will not be disappointed.  If you go into the film expecting a really-serious plot and characterization, you will be.  I will leave you with this bit that has no context that could truly explain it...

Next up, let's get back into *new* territory with...a Remake.  Okay, the Film is new, even if the source material is from 1978.  Stay tuned...

Delayed Reviews: Nightbreed

I honestly don't know how I managed to this one.  I watched this Film originally quite awhile ago (in 2007), but never reviewed it.  Why?  Well, I didn't have a Blog, so let's go with that excuse.  Yeah, that's the ticket!  Anyhow, I finally got a chance to watch the Film again recently and said 'might as well Review it this time.'  So today's Film is Nightbreed, one of four full Films Directed by Clive Barker, who's mostly known for his Writing (in Film and Literature).  The short version of why this came about is that infamous Director George Pavlou Directed the earliest works of Barker's Film Adaptations like Rawhead Rex and Transmutations.  The results were, well, less than great, so Barker just took over for himself and Directed Hellraiser.  He followed it up with this Film, which he Wrote (as both a Book- Cabal- and a Screenplay) and Directed.  The Production was rife with problems and Studio oversight, leading to the Cut I have.  There is a Director's (or Cabal) Cut out there which started to get shown at Festivals and the like a couple of years back.  I don't have that.  If and when I do see it, I'll cover it too.  Let's just hope it doesn't take another 7 years!  The Film tells that tale of a young man who dreams of a land called Midian.  Is he crazy?  Well, it would be a lame Film if he was, wouldn't it?  To find out what happens next, read on...

A troubled young man ('That Guy' Actor Craig Sheffer) is having crazy dreams, which upset him and his girlfriend.

He seeks help from his Therapist (David Cronenberg), but he's not exactly helpful.  He is, after, the prototype for Slender Man (more on that later).

Framed for the many Murders committed by Cronenberg, our hero flees in search of the land of his dreams.  Fortunately or unfortunately for him, he succeeds.

He is found nearby and shot to death by the Police after Cronenberg pulls his final move.  Movie over?

No, of course not.

Thanks to being bitten by a Nightbreed, Sheffer is reborn as one of them.  I bet that is explained better in the Book.  He goes back and wants to become one of them.

Sheffer tries to go get Cronenberg and falls into yet another trap, all the while fighting his now-rising dark side.  The fact that he is legally-dead draws the Police's attention and they now seek out Midian.

The leader of Midian tells the people to stay in hiding, while Sheffer insists that they fight.

Since they are being shot/stabbed/burned by the gun-crazy Cops, it might be wise.  Right, Black Satan?

Desperate times call for desperate measures, so the citizen of Midian unleash their REALLY freaky residents.  Shit is about to go down!

I won't SPOIL the Climax of the Film for you too much, since this Film is pretty obscure still.  I will say that Sheffer meets his 'Maker' and the news is not good.  The End.

I don't know if the other Version is great, but this one is still quite good.  The Story could certainly be more fleshed out, the Characters explained better and minor tweaks could be made throughout.  I'm sure that a longer Cut could certainly help in those matters.  As far as this Film goes, it has an interesting Story, great Visuals and a compelling bit of Pacing.  You would obviously have to trade the latter for those improvements.  I could also point out that the Film is about as subtle as shooting paint at a canvas.  It is nothing if not direct.  That is fine.  It is one of those things where if you like the Story and what the message it is, you can excuse it.  If you don't like the Story or the message, it just feels like they are driving a tack hammer into your skull.  As cheesy as the Creature Design in Rawhead Rex was, the ones in here are freaky with a capital F!  I'm sort of glad that my copy was not the Restored Blu-Ray Disc as I'm pretty sure that I'd be having nightmares for weeks otherwise.  Regardless of which Version you see, you should see Nightbreed if you still haven't.  If nothing else, you will see the early version of what would become the Internet Meme known as Slender Man...

Next up, another Film that I have been meaning to cover for a long time.  Will I actually like a Vincent Gallo Film?  Stay tuned...

Delayed (Film) Review: Solomon Kane

For once, I'm not to blame for the delay!  Solomon Kane was a new release in the U.S. via Netflix about two weeks ago, despite being made in 2009.  Apparently Europe got their grubby, Euro-filled hands on it in 2010!  First you try to force us to care about Soccer and now this!  So what is the film about?  Well, it's based on a very old, very often emulated tale of a hero named Solomon Kane.  His job: hunting and killing witches.  It does make me wonder- are we getting it on DVD now because of the Hansel & Gretel film?  If so, why not title it Solomon Kane: Witch Hunter?  It would be cheap, but accurate.  In any case, it is the only film that I can think of that is actually about Kane, which makes it kind of special.  Obviously, the people that sat on the DVD for four years before sending it to America thought otherwise!  This was clearly a series starter as it rushes through his origin and right into his first adventure.  The story is left open for future installments...but I find that unlikely.  Will you be disappointed at that fact or happy?  To find out, read on...

Somewhere in Spain, the titular Kane is fighting for fortune.  He's damn good too, often toying with his lesser opponents.

He's so bad-ass that even he walks into a room full of ghosts leaping out of mirrors, he pushes on.

Unfortunately, all of his men are killed and he faces off with some sort of Demon.  It says that he must pay with his soul to fulfill the 'contract.'  Desperate, our hero flees for his life (and soul).

The film abruptly cuts to One Year Later and we see that he has been hiding out in a Church.  However, the Pastor tells that he must leave and find his destiny.

After a series of time-lapse transitions, he runs across some ruffians and refuses to fight them.  He's found later by a family of Puritans led by...Pete Postlethwaite.  Wow, this sure is awkward.

Throughout the film, we see flashbacks to Kane's early life.  Basically, he had a bad break with Papa (a really good Actor) and left to kill people.  He liked that.

The bad guy is a man in a creepy mask that never talks.  Oh and his skin is made of flesh.

He's basically the hybrid of Leatherface and the villain in every Fantasy-Action Film ever.  There's also a somewhat-obvious twist to him, which I won't SPOIL.

After some bad stuff happens, Kane suits up and goes to take care of the bad guys.  That buckle hat was all the rage back then!

A whole bunch of action and bad things (that I won't SPOIL) happen, leaving Kane not feeling too well.

In spite of that, he shows up for the final battle against Mask Guy aka Malachi.  Will he win?  I won't SPOIL it, in case you live in American and actually want to watch this like it's 'new.'  The End.

This Kane doesn't like to set people on fire for a change.  Honestly, it's not bad.  The best way to describe the film is that it is a well-made, but average movie.  The story is good, but nothing that you haven't seen before.  I do applaud their commitment to building up certain ideas (e.c. Kane not wanting to fight) for a while.  There are moments when the drama starts to turn silly.  One bit seems like it is going to end with a giant 'NOOOO' with Kane shouting at 'the Heavens.'  It doesn't, but it still is silly.  The mix of real history and fake history is a bit confusing.  People were killing others for being Witches...while there actual were Witches.  On that note, why does fire not kill that one Witch?  I guess it's to sell the 'Not everything you read' is right bit, since Blade and Scream did it.  Ultimately though, there's no point to it.  There's no callback to them unsuccessfully burning a Witch or anything.  If you can get past the awkwardness of seeing Postlethwaite here (as the film was made around 2009), the Acting is good.  I really bought into Purefoy and the others for the most part.  There's an odd balance of 'big action set-piece' and 'Period Drama' that they handle pretty well here too.  In summary, check Kane out if you weren't one of the people over in Europe who got in three years ago.  It may not be ground-breaking, but it certainly didn't deserve to sit in a Vault for so long.  The same thing happened to Cabin in the Woods too- what's up with that?!?  Hey Bird-Faced Guys, what's the deal?

Next up, I actually listened to Maynard for once and re-watched a film.  Will a dead Author be proud or continue to be disappointed in all of the films based on his works?  Stay tuned...