Ah, the early ’70s, when horror films were equal parts occult paranoia, colonial guilt, and shag-carpet chic. Daughters of Satan (1972), directed by Hollingsworth Morse, may not be the crown jewel of occult cinema, but it’s an underrated curiosity — a supernatural slow burn where the paintings move, the dog disappears, and Tom Selleck’s sideburns … Read More “Daughters of Satan (1972) — A Review” »
There are horror films that tiptoe around subtext, and then there’s The Blood Spattered Bride, which dives headfirst into it with a bloody dagger in hand. Directed by Vicente Aranda and based loosely (very loosely) on Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla, this Spanish Gothic oddity is equal parts erotic, political, and absurd — a feminist vampire … Read More “The Blood Spattered Bride (1972): Till Death, or the Dagger, Do Us Part”” »
Some movies are bad. Some are fascinatingly bad. And then there’s Zaat, a film so catastrophically bungled that even the monster looks embarrassed to be in it. Produced and directed by Don Barton on a shoestring budget in Jacksonville, Florida, Zaat tells the story of a scientist who turns himself into a half-catfish monster and … Read More “Zaat (1971) — A Review” »
Antonio Margheriti’s Castle of Blood (1964) was a moody little Gothic gem, shot in shadowy black-and-white, with atmosphere you could almost choke on. Seven years later, he remade it in color as Web of the Spider. The result? Proof that not everything needs a paint job. Margheriti himself later admitted it was “stupid to remake … Read More “Web of the Spider (1971) — A Review” »
The 1970s were the golden age of true-crime cinema — or at least the bronze age, painted to look golden. The Todd Killings (1971), directed by Barry Shear, sits comfortably in that uneasy tradition. Inspired by Charles Schmid, the so-called “Pied Piper of Tucson,” the film delivers a mix of small-town malaise, generational disillusionment, and … Read More “The Todd Killings (1971) — A Review” »
Italian horror of the early ’70s could be stylish, operatic, and deliriously entertaining — think Bava, think Argento. Then there’s Mario Colucci’s Something Creeping in the Dark, which sounds like it should deliver spine‑tingling terror but mostly delivers an accidental lullaby. If you’ve ever wanted to watch Farley Granger look vaguely embarrassed in a haunted … Read More “Something Creeping in the Dark (1971) — A Review” »
There are thrillers that earn their suspense through artistry, pacing, and wit. And then there’s See No Evil, which believes suspense can be achieved by showing Mia Farrow bumping into furniture for ninety minutes while a killer in boots wanders around like he’s auditioning for a Levi’s commercial. Directed by Richard Fleischer — a man … Read More “See No Evil (1971) — A Review” »
Some movies let time pass before dramatizing real-world horror. The Other Side of Madness (1971) said: “Why wait? The blood’s barely dry, the headlines are still printing, let’s make a movie.” Directed by Frank Howard and produced by Wade Williams, this oddball hybrid of docudrama, exploitation, and genuine curiosity about evil was made while the … Read More “The Other Side of Madness (1971) — A Review” »
Every once in a while, a horror film manages to be simultaneously unsettling, elegant, and slightly ridiculous in all the right ways. Michael Winner’s The Nightcomers (1971) is exactly that kind of picture: a Gothic prequel nobody asked for, performed with such strange conviction that it almost convinces you Henry James himself rose from the … Read More “The Nightcomers (1971) — A Review” »
It’s always a little sad when a cycle of films ends, especially one that gave Vincent Price his finest haunted-house rent money. But American International Pictures decided to end their so‑called “Poe cycle” not with a bang, but with a long, confused whimper. Gordon Hessler’s Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971) isn’t merely a loose … Read More “Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971) — A Review” »
