Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on Apr 11, 2009 13:00:54 GMT -5
Awesome reviews there, Fulci, and I dare say that the '80s is not one of the best decades ever...it's THE best. ;D Ah, Miss Quigley. One of the true friends of the horror genre. I remember a very excellent interview she did with Joe Bob when he showed two of her movies on MonsterVision back in the day - Return of the Living Dead and Fairy Tale. She talked a lot about what it meant to be a scream queen, and how, in her estimation, the position isn't the insulting stereotypical dumb female that everyone thinks it is but rather an empowering role; after all, it's almost always a scream queen that defeats the villain in the end, isn't it? As for the movies, I've seen both, and you hit the nail on the head. Don't Go Near the Park has very few redeeming qualities, and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers is a blast to watch for all the wrong reasons. It's been ten or so years since I've seen it, and I hadn't seen TCM yet when I saw it; I had no clue Gunner Hansen was in it. Good little bit of info. One last little bit of Linnea goodness - her starring role in the "Scare Tactics" bits for the Horror Hall of Fame awards show, forever memorialized here: www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0959/. Love this line: "I was surprised to find out that they were actually married at the time. They divorced that same year, and I don't think we can say that these two items are mutually exclusive."
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andrew8798
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Post by andrew8798 on Apr 11, 2009 13:55:06 GMT -5
First shot of Myers with the mask on:
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Post by Rorschach on Apr 11, 2009 14:54:59 GMT -5
Well, if he's maskless for 70% of the film, as Rob has intimated....that shot is probably from right before we roll credits. ;D
Kidding aside...I have to say that I am intrigued, and eagerly look forward to whatever updates about this film come my way. Thanks, Andrew!
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Post by GuyOfOwnage on Apr 11, 2009 17:47:08 GMT -5
Not sure if this has been brought up yet, but I just checked out a review of the new Slaughter High DVD, and "horribly disappointing" is an understatement. Instead of, you know, actually going back and locating an actual print of the film to restore on DVD, they decided to go the cheap route. The transfer on the DVD is literally a port of the old VHS tape, right down to the Vestron logo after the end credits. So there won't be any "revelation" in quality on the disc, it'll be just like you remember it - muddy, murky, and in full screen. More baffling is that the theatrical trailer is included, meaning they obviously had to go through the vaults at some point. Why on earth would they go through the trouble of locating the trailer, but not a halfway decent print of the actual movie? There is absolutely NO excuse for a VHS port in this day and age, even for an old, obscure film like this one. What's absolutely hilarious is that, a short time after the press release, Lionsgate announced that they had searched the vaults and located an uncut print for the DVD. I suppose if you call "searching the vaults for an uncut print" going to your local Salvation Army and picking up the old VHS tape for 99 cents, then that'd be an accurate statement. But seriously - if that's all you're going to do, why bother? People can do the exact same thing with a VCR and a DVD recorder for far less money. Another fun little fact is that they gave it a 5.1 surround track. The very logic of giving a VHS port a surround track is enough to make my brain hurt. I'm still picking it up, because I don't own the VHS (nor can I locate a copy). Plus, since it's on DVD, at least I don't have to worry about it wearing out. Aside from hardcore slasher aficionados like myself, it's unlikely that anyone will care about this treatment of an obscure little flick from the 80s, but like I said before...what a waste. If this is any indication of the quality control for this "Lost Collection" series, I wouldn't get your hopes up too high. For those wondering if the transfer is really as bad as I'm claiming, take a gander at the screen caps from the following review: www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/36861/slaughter-high/
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Post by Rorschach on Apr 11, 2009 18:01:51 GMT -5
It's funny, Uncle Creepy from Dread Central was just praising that film in his review, Guy.
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Post by GuyOfOwnage on Apr 11, 2009 18:35:46 GMT -5
It's funny, Uncle Creepy from Dread Central was just praising that film in his review, Guy. Oh, the film itself is a great big pile of 80s slasher cheese, and I love it to death, but what I'm getting at is the subpar treatment it got on DVD (which that Dread Central review didn't really cover). In an era where even Don't Go In The Woods can get a quality DVD release, there's just no excuse for it.
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Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on Apr 11, 2009 21:52:06 GMT -5
In regards to Zombie's new Halloween movie, I at least still maintain some hope that HIS ongoing mythology makes a tad more sense than the original one, what with all of the mysterious cults and family members coming out of the woodwork and steel-toed-boot clad figures following Michael who break him out of prison and so on and so forth. Seriously, had they just stuck with the original plan - ending the Myers storyline after Halloween II, letting Michael go out as an unapologetic badass and letting US fill in the holes with his back story and motivation, and then turning the series into an anthology - we would have been SO much happier, and emerged about four headaches lesser with some of the WTF festivals that the later sequels became. Sorry to beat the dead horse; since I just watched the movies I've had their sheer awesomeness on the brain. ;D In other news.....here's a pic from Zombie's upcoming H2: HALLOWEEN 2 film. This is Scout Taylor Compton, who's playing Laurie Strode. Why she looks like a prosti-tot version of Rob's wife, I have no idea. I'm sure it's just a coincidence. Ugh, I couldn't stand her portrayal of Laurie in the Halloween remake. Unlike JLC's Laurie in the original, I couldn't wait for her to die. Better late than never (four pages late, to be exact) - but yeah, you hit the nail on the head with that one, guy. Remember the days when we, you know, actually WANTED the last girl to survive and defeat the villain? How's that for a novel concept - a protagonist that we LIKE?
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Post by DSR on Apr 12, 2009 0:42:15 GMT -5
Not sure if this has been brought up yet, but I just checked out a review of the new Slaughter High DVD, and "horribly disappointing" is an understatement. Instead of, you know, actually going back and locating an actual print of the film to restore on DVD, they decided to go the cheap route. The transfer on the DVD is literally a port of the old VHS tape, right down to the Vestron logo after the end credits. So there won't be any "revelation" in quality on the disc, it'll be just like you remember it - muddy, murky, and in full screen. More baffling is that the theatrical trailer is included, meaning they obviously had to go through the vaults at some point. Why on earth would they go through the trouble of locating the trailer, but not a halfway decent print of the actual movie? There is absolutely NO excuse for a VHS port in this day and age, even for an old, obscure film like this one. What's absolutely hilarious is that, a short time after the press release, Lionsgate announced that they had searched the vaults and located an uncut print for the DVD. I suppose if you call "searching the vaults for an uncut print" going to your local Salvation Army and picking up the old VHS tape for 99 cents, then that'd be an accurate statement. But seriously - if that's all you're going to do, why bother? People can do the exact same thing with a VCR and a DVD recorder for far less money. Another fun little fact is that they gave it a 5.1 surround track. The very logic of giving a VHS port a surround track is enough to make my brain hurt. I'm still picking it up, because I don't own the VHS (nor can I locate a copy). Plus, since it's on DVD, at least I don't have to worry about it wearing out. Aside from hardcore slasher aficionados like myself, it's unlikely that anyone will care about this treatment of an obscure little flick from the 80s, but like I said before...what a waste. If this is any indication of the quality control for this "Lost Collection" series, I wouldn't get your hopes up too high. For those wondering if the transfer is really as bad as I'm claiming, take a gander at the screen caps from the following review: www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/36861/slaughter-high/As much as I enjoy a high-quality transfer of a lost classic to DVD, there's something I enjoy about the somewhat shoddy quality of those 80s VHS tapes you find at the local video store. Like when my brother and I were little, we'd go rent Faces of Death and the static and the little problems with the tape quality made it feel more authentic. For some movies, a clean-up job on the transfer tends to lose something, for me at least. Granted, DVD doesn't really have that low-rent charm to begin with (what with the lasers and everything), and they've already decided to go wonky with the audio, so it's gonna come out a little bizarre anyhow, but, y'know... *shrug*
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Post by GuyOfOwnage on Apr 12, 2009 0:53:18 GMT -5
Not sure if this has been brought up yet, but I just checked out a review of the new Slaughter High DVD, and "horribly disappointing" is an understatement. Instead of, you know, actually going back and locating an actual print of the film to restore on DVD, they decided to go the cheap route. The transfer on the DVD is literally a port of the old VHS tape, right down to the Vestron logo after the end credits. So there won't be any "revelation" in quality on the disc, it'll be just like you remember it - muddy, murky, and in full screen. More baffling is that the theatrical trailer is included, meaning they obviously had to go through the vaults at some point. Why on earth would they go through the trouble of locating the trailer, but not a halfway decent print of the actual movie? There is absolutely NO excuse for a VHS port in this day and age, even for an old, obscure film like this one. What's absolutely hilarious is that, a short time after the press release, Lionsgate announced that they had searched the vaults and located an uncut print for the DVD. I suppose if you call "searching the vaults for an uncut print" going to your local Salvation Army and picking up the old VHS tape for 99 cents, then that'd be an accurate statement. But seriously - if that's all you're going to do, why bother? People can do the exact same thing with a VCR and a DVD recorder for far less money. Another fun little fact is that they gave it a 5.1 surround track. The very logic of giving a VHS port a surround track is enough to make my brain hurt. I'm still picking it up, because I don't own the VHS (nor can I locate a copy). Plus, since it's on DVD, at least I don't have to worry about it wearing out. Aside from hardcore slasher aficionados like myself, it's unlikely that anyone will care about this treatment of an obscure little flick from the 80s, but like I said before...what a waste. If this is any indication of the quality control for this "Lost Collection" series, I wouldn't get your hopes up too high. For those wondering if the transfer is really as bad as I'm claiming, take a gander at the screen caps from the following review: www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/36861/slaughter-high/As much as I enjoy a high-quality transfer of a lost classic to DVD, there's something I enjoy about the somewhat shoddy quality of those 80s VHS tapes you find at the local video store. Like when my brother and I were little, we'd go rent Faces of Death and the static and the little problems with the tape quality made it feel more authentic. For some movies, a clean-up job on the transfer tends to lose something, for me at least. Granted, DVD doesn't really have that low-rent charm to begin with (what with the lasers and everything), and they've already decided to go wonky with the audio, so it's gonna come out a little bizarre anyhow, but, y'know... *shrug* Oh, I understand where you're coming from there. My main beef is that they're charging $15 for something that could easily be home brewed for next to nothing. I'm not even asking them to restore the picture to such a pristine state that it loses its' shoddy, mid-80s charm, I just wish they'd dug up an actual print of the movie instead of just transferring an old VHS tape. It just comes across as very cheap and unprofessional. If this was a $2.99 bargain bin deal at Wal-Mart, I wouldn't care. But to charge that much money for something I could make myself for next to nothing...that doesn't make me altogether happy. If nothing else, at least let me see the movie in its original aspect ratio. It just strikes me as them not giving a s*** at all.
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Post by DSR on Apr 12, 2009 1:02:00 GMT -5
As much as I enjoy a high-quality transfer of a lost classic to DVD, there's something I enjoy about the somewhat shoddy quality of those 80s VHS tapes you find at the local video store. Like when my brother and I were little, we'd go rent Faces of Death and the static and the little problems with the tape quality made it feel more authentic. For some movies, a clean-up job on the transfer tends to lose something, for me at least. Granted, DVD doesn't really have that low-rent charm to begin with (what with the lasers and everything), and they've already decided to go wonky with the audio, so it's gonna come out a little bizarre anyhow, but, y'know... *shrug* Oh, I understand where you're coming from there. My main beef is that they're charging $15 for something that could easily be home brewed for next to nothing. I'm not even asking them to restore the picture to such a pristine state that it loses its' shoddy, mid-80s charm, I just wish they'd dug up an actual print of the movie instead of just transferring an old VHS tape. It just comes across as very cheap and unprofessional. If this was a $2.99 bargain bin deal at Wal-Mart, I wouldn't care. But to charge that much money for something I could make myself for next to nothing...that doesn't make me altogether happy. If nothing else, at least let me see the movie in its original aspect ratio. It just strikes me as them not giving a s*** at all. I agree. But your homebrew DVD-R doesn't have "bonus trivia track across the bottom of the screen!" So, y'know, take that, consumers! Seriously, though, Lionsgate blows for doing this.
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Post by GuyOfOwnage on Apr 12, 2009 1:13:55 GMT -5
Oh, I understand where you're coming from there. My main beef is that they're charging $15 for something that could easily be home brewed for next to nothing. I'm not even asking them to restore the picture to such a pristine state that it loses its' shoddy, mid-80s charm, I just wish they'd dug up an actual print of the movie instead of just transferring an old VHS tape. It just comes across as very cheap and unprofessional. If this was a $2.99 bargain bin deal at Wal-Mart, I wouldn't care. But to charge that much money for something I could make myself for next to nothing...that doesn't make me altogether happy. If nothing else, at least let me see the movie in its original aspect ratio. It just strikes me as them not giving a s*** at all. I agree. But your homebrew DVD-R doesn't have "bonus trivia track across the bottom of the screen!" So, y'know, take that, consumers! Seriously, though, Lionsgate blows for doing this. Oh, don't even get me started on that "trivia track". Aside from offering information barely relevant to the film, it looks like they took a quick glance at IMDb for all of their so-called "facts". This next one is the real kicker, though. During the final chase scene, with the last girl being stalked by the killer, the trivia track apparently says that Night Of The Living Dead did not, in fact, have a "last girl".
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Post by GuyOfOwnage on Apr 12, 2009 1:39:33 GMT -5
Ugh, I couldn't stand her portrayal of Laurie in the Halloween remake. Unlike JLC's Laurie in the original, I couldn't wait for her to die. Better late than never (four pages late, to be exact) - but yeah, you hit the nail on the head with that one, guy. Remember the days when we, you know, actually WANTED the last girl to survive and defeat the villain? How's that for a novel concept - a protagonist that we LIKE? A concept far too advanced for many horror films today, that's for certain. Seriously, though...talk about a bastardization of JLC's character from 30 years ago. The character went from being both relatable and likeable to, in the remake, being an annoying little teenybopper no better than your typical slasher film fodder. And now she's back for the sequel? Count me out.
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Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on Apr 12, 2009 9:28:55 GMT -5
Judging from the picture, I'd bet that in the sequel Laurie is now nothing more than your typical trailer park scuzbag, since that's pretty much the only character that Zombie knows how to write.
At any rate, Happy Easter from TR!! Has there ever been an Easter or Easter Bunny-based horror movie? I'd be very surprised if there hasn't been. ;D
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Welfare Willis
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Post by Welfare Willis on Apr 12, 2009 21:17:22 GMT -5
Judging from the picture, I'd bet that in the sequel Laurie is now nothing more than your typical trailer park scuzbag, since that's pretty much the only character that Zombie knows how to write. At any rate, Happy Easter from TR!! Has there ever been an Easter or Easter Bunny-based horror movie? I'd be very surprised if there hasn't been. ;D Thank you, TR! I watched Zombie's version of Halloween (the unrated director's cut) over the weekend and I have to say I was impressed with it. Does it compare to the original? No, it's hard to top a classic. Yet I found at least better then the last four sequels and maybe on par/better with Halloween 4. Donald Pleasance presence was missed but I liked the actor who played little Michael. Michael-the early years felt part Devil's rejects and part Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. It was awesome seeing Danielle Harris all grown up. I'm waiting for the new thread to post my reviews of Phenoma and Inferno, but I must say off the bat I dug these films. Having only seen Suspiria before I wasn't sure to expect. Yet From seeing those films I am impressed by Argento's soundtrack and backdrops. He doesn't just paint his film in shades of black like most directors. He uses an assortment of colors and shades to help paint his nightmares. It's visual arresting and...what can I say I'm turning more into a fan of his work. Has anyone seen Mother of Tears yet? I'm curious how good it is.
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Post by Rorschach on Apr 12, 2009 22:13:15 GMT -5
Judging from the picture, I'd bet that in the sequel Laurie is now nothing more than your typical trailer park scuzbag, since that's pretty much the only character that Zombie knows how to write. At any rate, Happy Easter from TR!! Has there ever been an Easter or Easter Bunny-based horror movie? I'd be very surprised if there hasn't been. ;D Gotcha covered..... www.imdb.com/title/tt0780506/ ;D
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Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on Apr 12, 2009 22:27:43 GMT -5
Thank you, TR! I watched Zombie's version of Halloween (the unrated director's cut) over the weekend and I have to say I was impressed with it. Does it compare to the original? No, it's hard to top a classic. Yet I found at least better then the last four sequels and maybe on par/better with Halloween 4. Donald Pleasance presence was missed but I liked the actor who played little Michael. Michael-the early years felt part Devil's rejects and part Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. It was awesome seeing Danielle Harris all grown up. I'm waiting for the new thread to post my reviews of Phenoma and Inferno, but I must say off the bat I dug these films. Having only seen Suspiria before I wasn't sure to expect. Yet From seeing those films I am impressed by Argento's soundtrack and backdrops. He doesn't just paint his film in shades of black like most directors. He uses an assortment of colors and shades to help paint his nightmares. It's visual arresting and...what can I say I'm turning more into a fan of his work. Has anyone seen Mother of Tears yet? I'm curious how good it is. I plan on posting a review of that movie sometime in the next thread. I'll fully elaborate on my feelings in said review. Now for what I wholeheartedly agree with you on - Dario Argento. Said it before, but while his movies are short on substance, they're undisputably long on style and artistic value. You said it already, but his use of colors and music are really instrumental to his movies; he creates this sense of oppression in his films that can really creep you out, particularly in the first two entries in the Mothers trilogy. And yeah, I have seen Mother of Tears; it's nowhere near as good as Suspiria and Inferno, but it's still WAY better than the vast majority of stuff that gets released nowadays. As for his giallos, The Bird With the Crystal Plumage, Tenebre and Opera are all really badass films that are worth seeking out. I knew the slasher genre would not let me down. ;D
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Post by Rorschach on Apr 12, 2009 23:20:54 GMT -5
The thing about EASTER BUNNY that everyone should know is that, and I have not seen it but I've talked with those who have, it is a very disturbing film that is NOT easy to watch. If you check out that description in iMDB, you'll see why.
Though I fully support a vigilante Easter Bunny slasher film, not sure I would ever want to watch this particular one.
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Welfare Willis
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Post by Welfare Willis on Apr 13, 2009 5:33:52 GMT -5
Thank you, TR! I watched Zombie's version of Halloween (the unrated director's cut) over the weekend and I have to say I was impressed with it. Does it compare to the original? No, it's hard to top a classic. Yet I found at least better then the last four sequels and maybe on par/better with Halloween 4. Donald Pleasance presence was missed but I liked the actor who played little Michael. Michael-the early years felt part Devil's rejects and part Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. It was awesome seeing Danielle Harris all grown up. I'm waiting for the new thread to post my reviews of Phenoma and Inferno, but I must say off the bat I dug these films. Having only seen Suspiria before I wasn't sure to expect. Yet From seeing those films I am impressed by Argento's soundtrack and backdrops. He doesn't just paint his film in shades of black like most directors. He uses an assortment of colors and shades to help paint his nightmares. It's visual arresting and...what can I say I'm turning more into a fan of his work. Has anyone seen Mother of Tears yet? I'm curious how good it is. I plan on posting a review of that movie sometime in the next thread. I'll fully elaborate on my feelings in said review. Now for what I wholeheartedly agree with you on - Dario Argento. Said it before, but while his movies are short on substance, they're undisputably long on style and artistic value. You said it already, but his use of colors and music are really instrumental to his movies; he creates this sense of oppression in his films that can really creep you out, particularly in the first two entries in the Mothers trilogy. And yeah, I have seen Mother of Tears; it's nowhere near as good as Suspiria and Inferno, but it's still WAY better than the vast majority of stuff that gets released nowadays. As for his giallos, The Bird With the Crystal Plumage, Tenebre and Opera are all really badass films that are worth seeking out. I knew the slasher genre would not let me down. ;D I'm planning on going on an Argento movie buying spree soon, TR. ;D Those will be movies I'll look for. You know I maybe generalizing Italian cinema of that era but I agree a lot of it was based on atmosphere and short on plot. Certainly if you look at one my favorites, The Beyond the plot doesn't quite make sense. Yet it more then makes up for that in it's style. It's a shame you really don't hear much from Italy now in regards to horror films, but I feel Asia has kind of picked up the slack with it's own brand of horror. TR, you may be better to speak on Asian horror then I am but it's seems two styles are part of it: the ultra-realistic Miike style with heavy emphasis on realistic violence, and the more slow tension building horror. This style is seen in stuff like Ringu and the grudge films. As Rob Zombie described it, "these stories that are slow moving, but have a crazy twist at the end."
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Welfare Willis
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Post by Welfare Willis on Apr 13, 2009 9:31:13 GMT -5
DEMONS 2 (1986) Directed by Lamberto Bava. You know watching this and the original Demons I have come to believe that demons are evolutionary superior to zombies. They can run, their blood is acid, they can spread their disease by scratches, and have cool glowing eyes. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. Demons 2 is the sequel to the classic, Demons. Both movies are directed by Lamberto Bava (Mario Bava's son) and produced by Dario Argento. If you have seen the original demons do yourself a favor and check it out. It's good in an 80's cheese kind of way. Well Demons 2 continues the formula, but this time we are in an unknown german city. The demonic apocalypse beginning at the end of Demons has been contained, but is never explained to us how the hell earth was saved. In a apartment complex we meet a girl celebrating her sixteenth birthday and is just below diva stage with her unhappiness about the party. Unhappy with her clothes and the fact a certain person is going to show up she goes to pout in her room and watch some tv. Well just like the original Demons a movie about teens looking for a demon is on. Needless to say I'm fairly sure Ringu ripped it's ending off from Demons 2 in how the demon escapes and the infection begins... Well if you thought Demons was wacky expect more of the same: This time we get crazy stuff like a demon birth (not from who you expect either), to weightlifters fighting demons with dumb bells, Pregnant Fu, to repelling off buildings, to demon *ahem* call girls and one of the buffest wanna-be physists in the history of cinema. Also be on the look out for the return of the pimp from the first film as a rifle weilding fitness trainer and a very young Asia Argento. *** out of 5. Recommend.
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Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on Apr 13, 2009 10:22:54 GMT -5
Ah, good stuff...both Demons and Demons 2 are quite fun, I must say.
But to see Lamberto Bava at his worst, see the MST3K movie Devil Fish...he goes under his wacky John Old Jr. pseudonym for that one.
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