Let’s get something straight: Terror in the Wax Museum (1973) is the kind of movie that will make you feel every minute of its existence, and not in any good way. It’s the kind of film that falls so flat, you wonder if someone injected a healthy dose of confusion into its bloodstream. Set in … Read More “Terror in the Wax Museum (1973): An Exercise in Uninspired Mediocrity” »
There are movies that make you wonder if anyone ever bothered to look at the final product and ask, “Is this worth anyone’s time?” So Sad About Gloria (1973), also known as Visions of Evil, is one such movie. And yet, despite its murky plot, poor pacing, and over-wrought melodrama, there’s one reason why it … Read More “So Sad About Gloria (1973): A Tale of Tragic Visions and a Shining Star Named Lori Saunders” »
Let me tell you something about Sex of the Witch (1973)—the kind of film that haunts your nightmares not because of its dark themes, but because of its sheer incoherence. It’s the sort of picture that leaves you wondering if everyone involved was too busy battling their own demons to notice they were making something … Read More “Sex of the Witch (1973): A Symphony of Smut and Confusion, with Camille Keaton as the Only Lifeline” »
Killdozer! (1974) is a movie that somehow manages to waste one of the more intriguing concepts you could think of: a bulldozer possessed by an alien entity. Based on Theodore Sturgeon’s 1944 novella, this made-for-TV science-fiction horror film should have been a taut, thrilling ride of man versus machine—but instead, it’s a tedious, clumsy mess … Read More “Killdozer! (1974)” »
The Ghost Galleon (1974), the third film in Amando de Ossorio’s Blind Dead series, is an underwhelming and incoherent mess that fails to live up to the grisly promise of its predecessors. Part of a series known for its eerie concept of the undead Knights Templar, this installment feels like a cheap retread that lacks … Read More “The Ghost Galleon (1974)” »
Don’t Open the Door! (1974) is a film that tries to combine a creepy, suspenseful premise with a rather lackluster execution. Directed by S. F. Brownrigg, the film follows Amanda Post (Susan Bracken), a young woman who returns to her hometown to care for her ailing grandmother, only to find herself tormented by disturbing phone … Read More “Don’t Open the Door! (1974)” »
Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1973) is a film that tries desperately to be a disturbing, stylish giallo in the vein of The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Blood and Black Lace, but unfortunately, it doesn’t quite live up to the high bar set by its Italian predecessors. Directed by Carlos Aured and … Read More “Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1973)” »
Beyond the Door (1974) is one of those films that leaves you wondering how such a bizarre, incoherent mess could make $15 million. Directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis and Roberto D’Ettore Piazzoli, the movie is clearly trying to cash in on the success of The Exorcist—and fails spectacularly in every department. The plot is a … Read More “Beyond the Door (1974)” »
Axe (1974) is the kind of grim, low-budget exploitation horror film that feels more like a criminally misguided shock fest than a story with any kind of true purpose. Directed by Frederick R. Friedel, the film follows a trio of criminals who seek refuge at a remote farmhouse, only to meet their gruesome end at … Read More “Axe (1974)” »
The Wicker Man (1973) is often hailed as a masterpiece of folk horror, but I can’t help but feel that this overhyped film is nothing more than a dull, plodding exercise in pretension. Directed by Robin Hardy, with a screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, this British horror film tries to sell itself as some sort of … Read More “The Wicker Man (1973)” »