Film Review: WITCHERY (1988)

Fabrizio Laurenti (as Martin Newlin) directs Witchery (1988) which was released in Italy as La Casa 4.  For those of you that didn’t know, The Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 were released in Italy as La Casa and La Casa 2, respectfully.  This film was released as an unofficial sequel to those hit films to capitalize on their popularity.  Ghost House (1988) was released in Italy as La Casa 3 and this film was the next in line for the series.  Neither of these films have anything to do with the popular Sam Raimi films or each other. 

A rich family venture off to an island in   There is also a photography couple looking to discover the truth about the witches and the history of the hotel and they all get stranded on the island during a storm.  Now, waiting for the day to break them each come face to face with the nightmares of the building that begins to take them one by one.

Massachusetts to buy an abandoned hotel only to discover that the former resident is still living their but as a witch who wants to see them all dead.

The film has its moments including starring turns from Linda Blair and David Hasselhoff and despite it being a very predictable horror film the witch elements make it more interesting.  The film is not so much a slow burn but the decaying of each of the ensemble of characters as you watch them become distanced from one another as they die one by one.

The film will satisfy fans of ‘80s Italian productions but audiences who don’t realize the genre (and country) of the film won’t be able to appreciate the film for what it is.

Film Review: GHOST HOUSE (1988)

Umberto Lenzi (as Humphry Humbert) directs the haunted house thrilled Ghost House (1998) which for Italian audiences was known as La Casa 3 or an unofficial sequel to Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films.  For those of you that didn’t know, The Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 were re-titled La Casa and La Casa 2, respectfully, when released in Italy so many audiences know this film as a sequel to those films.  This film has nothing to do with those films and if you were expecting something in their style then you’ll be sadly remiss.

Instead, this film deals with a group of people drawn to a mysterious house because of a radio signal.  Once at the house the group begin to see and experience haunting imagery tied to a little girl and her evil doll.  AS each of them fined themselves alone in the house they meet a deadly demise and time is running out for them to discover the true history of the house and why each of them were drawn there.

Unless you’re a Lenzi fan then there is very little to recommend this film.  It’s very tame even for one of his films and unfortunately time has not been kind to it as it has dates pretty badly.  This being said, the film is typical Lenzi and there are some haunting images that Lenzi will immediately recognize.

Film Review: STUNG (2015)

Mutated killer wasps turn to simple garden party into a nightmare in the giant monster film Stung (2015).  If you like giant monster films then you will enjoy this film in which stars Jessica Cook and Matt O’Leary as two hostess for the party who get stuck at the elusive party where everyone around them is being either killed by the giant wasps or become incubators for even bigger creatures. 

Written by Adam Aresty the film is not only a great giant monster film but it also takes the time to develop the main characters as well.  Whereas most films of this type could care less about the “human” characters relying more on the monsters and the kills this films manages to balance both elements equally.  It’s also manages to craft some great kills and great CGI effects that don’t look (too) cartoony.  It’s a low budget horror film but you wouldn’t know it from the presence of such character actors as Lance Henriksen and Clifton Collins Jr..

The film is directed by Benni Diez who brings a nice flare to the giant killer monster film that’s both entertaining and written well with its own unique charms.  It’s good to see a monster film that doesn’t shy from the bloody stuff and isn’t too dumb (or watered down) for its own good.