VIDEO REVIEW: Kriminal

VIDEO REVIEW: Nightmare City

VIDEO REVIEW: Demons

REVIEW: Black Demons

Black Demons

Director: Umberto Lenzi

Year 1991

Black Demons is a low budget zombie film that actually benefits from its low key origins and amateurish acting, resulting in a voodoo-centric tale that relies heavily on its atmosphere and creature effects to carry it along in the most stupendous of ways. Filmed on location in Brazil and directed by cult Italian filmmaker Umberto Lenzi, the movie is a mishmash of genre archetypes, infused with that nasty European horror flair which swept cinemas from the mid 70’s through the late 80’s in a trail of gore and guts. Shocking, surreal and sometimes embarrassing, Black Demons is a unique entry in the zombie genre, one in which missed the boat on the undead craze that was first started when Fulci’s Zombie came onto the scene, but still manages to replicate that movie’s potent atmosphere and creepy aura to great effect.

The film follows three college students, Kevin, Dick, and Jessica, as they travel through Brazil on vacation. Dick wanders off from the rest of the group and gets mixed up in a voodoo ceremony, in which he captures with his audio recorder while partaking in the bizarre ritual. After the ceremony, the group meets up and continues their travels into the country only to end up stranded after having car trouble. Lost in the middle of nowhere with no clue on what to do, the group is unexpectedly visited by a young local couple who offer to have them stay at their plantation. Once at the plantation, Dick decides to explore an old graveyard on the grounds, where he, in ritualistic fashion, begins playing his audio recording from the ceremony. Mysteriously, Dick’s recording brings six dead slaves to life, men who were executed almost 150 years ago during a slave rebellion. Armed with scythes, pitchforks, and knives, the six zombie slaves seek revenge for their deaths and deem the inhabitants of the plantation as the culprits to their plight.

When it comes to the acting of the film, Black Demons is sorely lacking and pathetically dry, but that doesn’t mean that there still isn’t a huge amount of entertainment to garner from this enthusiastic zombie effort. Joe Balogh takes on the role of the curious traveler named Dick, the one who accidentally or purposely raises the dead and sets this whole bloody affair into motion. As an amateur actor, Balogh does a good enough job, and even though you’ll find yourself laughing throughout his performance, there still is a great deal of fun to be had with his over the top descent into madness. Sonia Curtis plays the role of Jessica, Dick’s sister, and she ends up being the heroine of the piece. Always in danger and falling into every cliché in the book, Curtis does a commendable job with the material she’s given and I appreciate the effort that she gives on screen. Rounding out the group of travelers is Keith Van Hoven who plays the role of Kevin, Jessica’s boyfriend. In more than one occasion, Keith’s purpose in the film is to move the story along as he takes a more physical and proactive approach in the story. Out of all of the actors of the film, I’d say that his performance is the most solid.

Of course we can’t have a zombie movie without at least a few more people to be zombie chow and the cast is filled out by the presence of Philip Murray as Jose, Juliana Teixeira as Sonia, and Maria Alves as Maria the housekeeper and voodoo practitioner. Each of these lesser characters are a hoot, especially the awkward performance by the fro wonder himself, Murray, and the scared shitless portrayal of Maria Alves. Maria’s character is a one note pony as she stays in a constant state of shock throughout the entire proceedings, only veering off course a handful of times to dabble in some voodoo for the good of the group. Her character’s connections with witchcraft is one of the film’s most interesting sort of twists, because she often at times gets herself into hot water with the rest of the cast as they think that she is behind the raising of the dead, even though she is trying to protect them. All in all, there is no one performance that really stands out from the bunch as outstanding, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a great deal of fun to be had with the over the top acting that we are given in this film.

Now where the film really thrives is in its remarkable atmosphere and unsettling creature make-up. With the film being centralized within a secluded plantation and its surrounding properties, there is a tremendous opportunity for the movie to dwell on not just the visual aspects of the location, but on the storied events of the grounds past. With the back story of the slave rebellion some 150 years ago, the movie gives the location an unsavory creepiness that saturates the proceedings from the get go and only cultivates as the undead corpses begin to rise and terrorize our lead characters. Another thing about the plantation location that is so damn effective is that the place is like a tomb. Even though there are six people living inside its walls, the estate always seems void of life, especially during the night time scenes. Add on top of that the aged look of the place and you’ve got yourself an ideal setting for a fabulously grim zombie film.

The zombie effects are also extremely disturbing as the filmmakers make an extra effort in realizing these undead mounds of flesh as believable walking corpses. They are bloody, disgusting, and oozing with a chilly presence that perfectly mimics death as it slowly stalks its prey. One of my favorite visual looks for a zombie is used in this film, and that would be the glazed over white eyes of the antagonists. Void of life and distressing to look at, these zombies are top notch and of the utmost of quality. As I mentioned above in my introduction, the movie may be of meager origins but the inclusion of both the plantation as the central location and the outstanding visual effects of the zombies, really makes this entry in the zombie genre stand out amongst its counterparts. Forget the atrocious acting and strange set-up and just relish in the otherworldly nature of the film as it tells its little tale of the macabre.

Black Demons is a sadly under-appreciated zombie flick, as it hit the scene just a tad bit too late to make an impact on the once thriving genre efforts of George Romero, Lucio Fulci, Bruno Mattei, and even Lamberto Bava’s zombie-centric series of films. Filmed in that same dire sense and drenched in a nasty disposition that Italian horror was so known for in its hay day, the production is a real treat for those that are looking to extend their zombie love into new and less glamorous territory. Umberto Lenzi does an excellent job with this little zombie yarn, and you can see that his love for the zombie genre hasn’t faltered since his last undead effort some 11 years ago in the excellent Nightmare City.

If you set aside the passable acting and just go along for the ride, Black Demons proves that it has the atmospheric punch that is needed to bring about an unsettling tale filled with gory moments, spooky locales, and expertly crafted and imaginative vengeful dead. In my opinion, that is all that is really needed in order to capture the spirit of this niche genre. It’s not a very complicated film category, but nailing that tone and capturing that look can sometimes take out even the most well-intentioned of film directors. Luckily for us, Umberto Lenzi has constructed a gem with this one. If you’re looking for a zombie film outside of the regular Romero/Fulci ilk, then give this one a go. You might just find something that tickles your fancy, your zombie fancy that is. Black Demons is an…..

The group wasn't too impressed with Jose's fabulous fro.

Someone put the coins on Maria's eyes cause she sure don't believe what she is seeing.

Only you can prevent graveyard fires.

High-five man! I'm free!

Quit making love to that voodoo doll and get back to work!

Sir you look stupendous!

Listen, the fabulous fro has got to go Jose.

I've got my eye on you.

Even this sneaky zombie is distracted by the fabulous fro.

I told you I'm turning seven this year! You forgot a candle you ass!

Maria just got one hell of a zombie beat-down.

Not only was Jose's fabulous fro distracting, but he sipped water like an asshole.

Quit hanging around and get back to work!

Look at my camel toe when I'm talking to you!

I warned you about the fabulous fro, but you wouldn't listen!

Ok Keith, just scan the area with the flashlight, but don't look directly at the camera.
Jesus Keith! What the shit did I just say!

HERE'S DICKY!

REVIEW: Nightmare City

Nightmare City

Director: Umberto Lenzi

Year 1980

Nightmare City is a gore-tastic Italian horror film that literally turns the zombie movie formula on its head as it gifts its nasty antagonists with speed, a mob mentality, and the ability to use weaponry. Shot in a kinetic style and packed to the gills with entertainment, this unusual gem storms the viewer with an onslaught of imagery that depicts a world gone terribly wrong in the most vivacious of ways. With its large doses of action, violence, sleaze, and mayhem, Umberto Lenzi’s Nightmare City is without a doubt a zombie apocalypse feature that really nails the feeling of chaos and despair.

The film takes place after an unidentified plane mysteriously arrives at an airport, unleashing an army of infected zombies that begin to lay waste to the Italian countryside. Caught up in this horrific nightmare are TV station director Dean Miller and his wife Dr. Anna Miller, Major Warren Holmes and his wife Sheila, and a plethora of citizens that seem primed for the slaughter. As society begins to crumble all around them and the infected begin to multiply, do they have the strength to survive in this harsh new world or will they fall like all the rest? Either way it’s going to be one hell of a show!

Hugo Stiglitz plays the role of Dean Miller, the head-strong journalist who struggles to stay alive and sane in a world turned to hell. The determination in Stiglitz acting is commendable, yet often comedic in delivery, but there is no denying his screen presence when delivery a death blow to an infected zombie. Often at times he carries the weight of the film on his shoulders and I must say that he does do a damn fine job with the tumultuous task. Paired up with him is Laura Trotter who plays the role of his wife, Dr. Anna Miller. The purpose of her character is to be the damsel in distress, and when I mean distress I mean a total fucking mess who is falling apart at the seams. Trotter falls into hilarious territory as she plays the role like a lunatic once the shit really hits the fan and there’s no hope in sight for her character. Luckily Hugo’s Dean slaps some sense into her, making for one of the craziest bitch slaps in cinema history.

The other focused surviving couples of the story are Francisco Rabal as Major Warren Holmes and Maria Rosaria Omaggio as his wife Sheila Holmes. With Rabal’s Major Warren, we get a straight-laced and serious performance which depicts a man desperately trying to reach his wife while carrying out the duties of his commanding officer. As a secondary character, Francisco does a great job with keeping his little side story compelling, while at the same time allowing for us to slowly build up a subtle bit of sympathy to the situation that he finds himself in. Likewise Omaggio’s portrayal of Sheila is performed in a surreal light, taking cues from the slasher and Giallo films of the era. With her character, she is confined to her house, not knowing the real troubles which are going on in the city, and within her story we are able to see the zombie apocalypse through a different kind of filter as she is gradually stalked by a few wandering ghouls who come upon her property.

As for the direction of Nightmare City, Umberto Lenzi does a tremendous job in keeping all of this chaos contained, even after introducing us to the bedlam only a few minutes into the film’s running time. What’s great about this devilish little feature is that it has a constant flow to it that maintains the tempo of the production to the very last climactic scene. Each set piece is interesting in its own right, and you really get a good feel for the dire situation that these characters find themselves in. As society begins to crumble around them, Lenzi makes sure to pull back and allow us to marvel at the total collapse of civilization as we know it. The scope is rather impressive for such a low budgeted Italian genre production, and I think a great deal of the credit should go to Umberto for always keeping the viewer engaged with an endless supply of violence and sleaze.

Though the production is obviously of meager standards and the zombie effects consist more or less with placing globs of mud over the actors’ faces, you still buy in to the fact that this world, and these creatures, are dangerous because of the horrific actions that occur and the abilities that they display within the runtime of this crazy film. Putting a spin on the zombie genre, Lenzi opted to gift these violent and deformed miscreants with a few additional skills which set them a bit above the rest in the walking corpse department. These ghouls can run and use weapons like any ordinary living person, and when combined with their inherent undead abilities, they have the distinct advantage of being damn near indestructible unless given a severe blow to the head in true zombie fashion. Now what makes these guys really special is their unusual obsession with ripping the clothes off of their female victims before diving right in for the kill. This odd trait, while obviously sleazy, is actually a rather entertaining peculiarity which never ceases to amuse in its inappropriate nature and gleeful execution. Combine all of these elements together and you have yourself one hell of a pleasurable apocalyptic ride.

Nightmare City is a mile a minute smorgasbord of nonstop lunacy that really needs to be seen to be believed. Displayed in that distinct Italian genre frame of mind and lensed by the aficionado of sleazy cinema, Umberto Lenzi, the film really packs a punch in its efforts to shock and awe its audience into submission. Hugo Stiglitz and the rest of the cast do an admiral job in keeping up with the insanity that Lenzi throws at them, with a select few making some very memorable performances that somehow manage to stand out amongst the insurmountable mayhem that surrounds them.

When it comes to uncontrollable movies that seem as wild-eyed as a cornered feral animal, this one takes the cake. Bombarded with an array of violent imagery and equally savage antagonists, the film is the perfect definition of chaos personified. The decision to portray the zombies as insane, armed to the teeth, horned up lunatics, was an inspired one, giving us a movie monster that hadn’t been seen up to that point, or at least on that kind of scale. The genuine energy that comes off of this film is quite a feat in itself, and if you can’t find at least something to love within the confines of this unhinged production, then I’m sad to say that you might already be dead. This probably goes without saying, but Nightmare City is…..

Talk about a Dermatologist's Nightmare!

This just in.... My beard is awesome!

Not even their Jazz Hands could save them.

Is this another one of your tricks One-Eyed Willie?

Looks like it's time to exit.... stage left!

Thanks for the ride man!

And this is where we will build Nightmare City the Amusement Park.

Someone killed a Sleestak?!?!?!

High-five buddy. Don't leave me hanging.

Well there goes her Lasik eye surgery all to shit!

It was nice of the zombie to put the hatchet away after killing someone.

You disgust me!

Hey you zombie bums! Get away from the Ghostbuster's ride!

Playing hide and seek with Nightmare City's zombies kind of sucks.

You took the easy way out pussy.

Say hello to my little friend!

Yeehaw!!!!!!!

I think I just crapped the bed.

i SPY EUROSPY: Super Seven Calling Cairo

Super Seven Calling Cairo
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Year 1965

Super Seven Calling Cairo is a pretty enjoyable Eurospy effort that has all the right ingredients in its formulaic recipe to make for a wonderful super spy viewing. Umberto Lenzi directs this entry and it’s equally as fun as his other efforts in the genre around this time. The film stacks up nicely when compared to his The Spy Who Loved Flowers and 008: Operation Exterminate, and the same globe trotting aspect of those productions is brought to great realization in Super Seven Calling Cairo.

The film follows agent Martin Stevens AKA Superseven as he is in hot pursuit of a camera that houses a new valuable metal. His hunt for the rare item takes him across the globe, while at the same time dealing him some rather close encounters with some very dangerous women. I expect nothing less from a good Eurospy. With an excellent cast and a plethora of beautiful locations, Super Seven Calling Cairo is a great example of a highly entertaining Eurospy that knows how to deliver the goods.

Roger Browne plays the role of Superseven, the agent that every woman figuratively loves to death and often literally tries to. Browne takes on the character with almost a regal sensibility, coming off more refined then the usual Eurospy secret agent. He’s probably the closest to the James Bond stereotype that any Eurospy has gotten too, at least from the films that I’ve seen, and he brings a tinge of respectability to his role. Poised with a square jaw and calm demeanor, his secret agent is craftier then most, never relying on wit or charm to get him out of sticky situations but rather his athletic ability and intellect.

The film also plays off of this more leveled and focused tone, by presenting Superseven with an interesting pairing of girls that both tug on the viewers expectations on which one of the women is the bad guy of the piece. Rosalba Neri, who has appeared in a few choice Eurospy films but is mostly known for her large cannon of horror movie appearances, plays the role of Faddja, a beautiful young woman who is forced to aid the opposition to Superseven. She looks absolutely stunning in this film and she provides a rather important role in the story that comes full circle in the closing moments of the movie. Opposite her is actress Fabienne Dali, who plays the role of Denise, a local Egyptian woman that accompanies Superseven on his mission to recover the sought after camera. Dali has the bigger of the two roles, traveling from exotic location to exotic location all by the side of Superseven, often getting tangled up in the danger and espionage. Lenzi does a tremendous job in interweaving these two women into the story, while never giving us a clear intention on either of their motives for wanting to be around Superseven. The ambiguity of their objectives is spectacularly done and the film is better for it.

Another aspect of the film that I really enjoyed was the inclusion of all the globetrotting. Like any good Eurospy movie, you have to have a ton of exotic places for your agent to randomly visit and in Super Seven Calling Cairo, there’s plenty of that. Agent Martin Stevens finds himself in Rome, Paris, Locarno, and London, especially spending a good deal of time in Cairo, hence the title of the film. The Egyptian exteriors are wonderful, giving a wide breadth of interesting locals that showcase many expansive shots of crowded marketplaces and monumental glimpses of the iconic pyramids. I also enjoyed the filmmaker’s choice of shooting on location in Locarno, Switzerland. The area is absolutely beautiful and the film explored its surrounding areas in a way I’ve never seen before in a Eurospy film.

What’s also great about all of this globe-trotting is that it never feels random. Superseven always has a legitimate reason for visiting these gorgeous places and you never get the feeling that they just shoe horned the story into forcing him to be there because of the filmmakers’ prior permission to visit the cities. There’s much about this film that seems to fit just right and Lenzi has done a wonderful job in making the movie logical while still setting it in that wacky mind set of a traditional Eurospy. This flick really is that enjoyable and fun.

Super Seven Calling Cairo is a well put together little Eurospy film that tries to keep the espionage respective, while at the same time delving in a few guilty pleasures that the genre has to offer. The location shoots are wonderfully captured and fully utilized within the context of the story, making for a spy film that is both visually sweeping as it is contextually interesting.
 
Roger Browne brings a thoughtful nature to Superseven, classing up the role of secret agent a bit while still giving him that ruthless cunning attitude that is sorely missed in many Eurospy films. Both Rosalba Neri and Fabienne Dali look stunning in their opposing roles and the fact that they both have so much to do in this movie is an added plus. For me, Eurospy films are a medium for us to be able to be transported to exotic locations while at the same time role playing as a secret agent that has the world by the horns. Super Seven Calling Cairo does exactly that and it does it in style. If you’re looking for a quick Eurospy fix then look no further then this Umberto Lenzi directed effort, because there is much to love here. The movie is just…….

The names Martin Stevens, but you can call me Superseven if you're nasty.

With a cold stare like that, how can she not be pure evil?

Clinky.

Woah! I'm freaking out!

Another F on your report card? Superseven I'm ashamed of you.

Here, let me kill you slowly. Say lung cancer.

The kiss of death.

Get your naked ass out here.

Rosalba Neri hates back seat drivers. Especially when their next to her.

How cute.

Take that you son of a bitch!

Did you take the last of the Oreo's?

Superseven day-dreaming about joining the Mile High Club.

The End.