Red Nights (French: Les Nuits rouges du Bourreau de Jade) is a 2010 French-Hong Kong film directed by Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud and starring Frédérique Bel, Carrie Ng and Jack Kao. It is an erotic horror thriller. The filmmakers refer to it as a Hong Kong giallo with mystery, murders, fetishism and women.

Plot teaser:

During the reign of the first emperor of China, an ingenious torturer concocted an elixir that paralyzed its victim’s limbs, while increasing the sensitivity of their nerve endings tenfold. Kept in a jade skull, the elixir could provoke sensations in infinite variations everything from erotic caresses to appalling lacerations. Haunted by the desire to experience the extreme sensations caused by the elixir, the executioner kills himself with his own poison, intensifying his death experience. His pursuers never found the skull, which had been concealed within a large imperial seal. But the curse of the jade skull, responsible for its creator’s death, will endure within the seal, bringing misfortune to all of those who possess it. Until today …

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Reviews:

‘Red Nights is a decent erotic torture-porn type of thriller with some good acting, an excellent music score by French composers Seppuku Paradigm (who apparently are responsible for the scores to Eden Log and Martyrs), an original story (rare these days) and some amazing photography. The film combines elements of the Italian Giallo, German Krimi films and European espionage thrillers to create something that is both unique and quite exotic.’ Blueprint

“I can see Red Nights being a film that I come back to in a few years and then appreciate a lot more. Though the story left me wanting, there is no denying the excellent filmmaking on display here.” The Horror Section

“Stylish and beautiful it may be but it’s just a shame that nobody involved decided to just embrace the weirdness of the central concept (something I won’t spoil by mentioning here). The movie therefore becomes a wild and strange beast that stands there after having a haircut and being forced into a nice suit. It’s restricted and polished when it yearns to break free and bite people.” Flickfeast

Wikipedia | IMDb

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‘Paul Sheldon used to write for a living. Now, he’s writing to stay alive’

Misery is a 1990 American psychological thriller film based on Stephen King’s 1987 novel of the same name and starring James Caan, Kathy Bates, Lauren Bacall, Richard Farnsworth, and Frances Sternhagen. Directed by Rob Reiner, the film received critical acclaim for Bates’s performance as the psychopathic Annie Wilkes, and she won the 1990 Academy Award for Best Actress for her role.

Plot teaser:

Sick of his 19th Century romantic heroine, Misery Chastain, novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) kills her off and writes a more personal, modern novel. When his car crashes in remote mountains he is saved by ‘number one fan’ Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who adores Misery and has even named her pig after her. As she nurses him back to health at her remote dwelling, he realises she is not just going to let him go…

The part of Paul Sheldon was originally offered to William Hurt (twice), then Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Richard Dreyfuss, Gene Hackman and Robert Redford, but they all turned it down. Warren Beatty was interested in the role, wanting to turn him into a less passive character, but eventually had to drop out as post-production of Dick Tracy extended. Eventually someone suggested James Caan, who agreed to play the part. Caan commented that he was attracted by how Sheldon was a role unlike any other of his, and that “being a totally reactionary character is really much tougher.”

In the original novel, Annie Wilkes lops off one of Paul Sheldon’s feet with an axe. Goldman loved the scene and argued for it to be included, but Reiner insisted that it be changed to that she only breaks his ankles. Goldman subsequently agreed this was the correct decision as amputation would have been too severe.

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Reviews:

‘The terror in the film is very slow-burning, starting as something only mildly disturbing and carefully building towards full-blown horror. We’re given plenty of time to get to know the characters rather intimately, making the climactic confrontational scenes all the more effective. Too many thrillers and horror films jump right into the action without providing sufficient reason for us to care about what is happening. In Misery, the set-up is strong and the payoff is worth it.’ DVD Verdict

‘Yes, the book was richer, but for what it was Misery the film captured its black humour and its essential worries about who exploits whom in the entertainment world in an economical setting, and still made the audience wince where it counted.’ The Spinning Image

‘Many competent directors could have done what Reiner does here, and perhaps many other actors could have done what Caan does, although the Kathy Bates performance is trickier and more special. The result is good craftsmanship, and a movie that works. It does not illuminate, challenge or inspire, but it works.’ Roger Ebert.com

Wikipedia | IMDb

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‘Let the Ritual Begin’

Strangeland – aka Dee Snider’s Strangeland – is a 1998 American torture horror film written by Dee Snider lead singer of Twisted Sister and directed by John Pieplow. It stars Snider, Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Linda Cardellini, Kevin Gage and Elizabeth Peña (Jacob’s Ladder). The film is based loosely on the Twisted Sister song Horror-Teria from their album Stay Hungry.

Plot teaser:

The glow of the screen illuminates his heavily pierced, tattoo-stained face as his fingers dance nimbly across the keyboard…searching, hunting. His computer handle is Captain Howdy, and he surfs the local chat rooms for young female prey. Girls like Genevieve and Tiana, who mysteriously vanish after an online conversation with the cunning cyber-predator. Detective Mike Gage has a personal stake in the case: Genevieve is his daughter. When Tiana’s corpse – tortured, pierced and scarred – is discovered in the river, Gage realized that time is running out for Genevieve. Taking sadistic delight in Gage’s desperation, Captain Howdy sends the detective a series of taunting e-mails, challenging him to a deadly online game of cat and mouse, and drawing him into his “modern primitive” world – a strange land of fetish bars, S&M, body modification and goth-rock…

Captain Howdy was the name of the ghost Linda Blair claimed to be talking to through the Ouija board in The Exorcist.

Snider released a comic book prequel, Dee Snider’s Strangeland: Seven Sins through Fangoria Comics, but the company suddenly closed after only the first issue was printed. The Scream Factory then picked up the title and published the full run in 2008.

Emaji Entertainment announced in May 2015 that it will develop a “reboot” with Dee Snider, who will once again star. There is no word if Robert Englund will still return. or if Snider will go behind the camera. The provisional title is Strangeland: Disciple.

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Reviews:

“Strangeland is a movie worth watching. You will not be disappointed. Every actor and actress did a great job in their roles, and this film only made me respect Dee even more than I did before. The storyline is simple, clear and concise, and there are many moments in the movie that you just want to throw up at.” Everyday Horrors

“With decent actors and a good director, Strangeland could have been brilliant; instead the film is below average. Captain Howdy was every bit as good as I’d expected, however, and I have high hopes for the sequel, if it is well produced with a talented director and a strong supporting cast.” Stalk ‘n’ Slash

“While it had potential to be quite disturbing and establish a scary, realistic new horror villain, Strangeland veers off course after the first 15 minutes and takes too many predictable turns. The acting, other than from Dee Snider himself, is not up to the emotional level it should bee and the characters are under-developed.  Strangeland isn’t as dark as it should have been and the ending isn’t nearly as satisfying, but for horror fans and Twisted Sister fans it’s still worth watching once.” Sound on Sight

Wikipedia | IMDb

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‘I have something beautiful I want you to see’

Pieces of Talent is a 2014 American horror film directed by Joe Stauffer and starring David Long, Kristi Ray, and Taylor Kowalski.

Plot teaser:

Charlotte is a struggling young actress who can’t catch a break. In an effort to support herself and her hopeless mother, Charlotte holds a job as a cocktail waitress at a seedy, local strip club and hates every minute of it. During a cigarette break late one evening she witnesses an altercation between an overzealous bouncer and an unfortunate passerby, David.

David makes movies and given Charlotte’s career interests a friendship quickly develops. Soon enough, David mentions a project he has in the works that she would be perfect for and an excited Charlotte agrees to take part. She has no idea what she has signed up for…

Reviews:

“It doesn’t always move fast and it features a surprisingly slim body count and while it may often times feel like more of an art film than a horror film, Pieces Of Talent is one of those odd pictures that really sticks with you once it’s over with. Despite some minor quibbles, Stauffer and company show massive potential here and it would be interesting to see exactly what they could pull off with a serious budget given just how impressive this low budget production really is.” Rock! Shock! Pop!

“On this rare occasion, it is safe to actually believe the hype as Pieces of Talent in not just a great indie horror but is easily just one of the best horror movies released last year. A helluva lot of enthusiasm, passion and talent are evident here with all involved going in with the want of making a superior addition to the genre rather than for financial gain and they succeeded in just that with a mesmerizing genius inventive vision fully realized.” Cinematic Shocks

“The gore in this flick is top-notch. As far as I could tell, there was no CGI used, and all of the practical effects were executed beautifully. Tony Rosen’s special effects work, coupled with writer, producer, musician, editor, and cinematographer (!) Joe Stauffer’s filming techniques, were some of the best I’ve seen in a long time. Everything was brutal as Hell and looked as real as I’ve ever witnessed.” Repulsive Reviews

Website | IMDb

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The Devil’s Possessed aka Devil’s Possessed – is a 1974 Spanish-Argentinian action adventure horror film directed by León Klimovsky from a screenplay by Jacinto Molina Alvarez [Paul Naschy]. The film is loosely based on the life of the infamous child serial killer Gilles de Rais (1404-1440).

The film’s Spanish title is El Mariscal del Infierno “The Marshall of Hell” whilst the Argentinian title is Los poseídos de Satán “Satan Possessed”.

The musical soundtrack seems to be a mix of library cues and electronic synth interludes by Carlos Viziello (Supernatural).

Plot:

Baron Gilles de Lancre (Naschy) is an evil ruler who uses alchemy, witchcraft and necromancy to keep his subjects in line, but his reign of terror eventually prompts the people to revolt…

Reviews:

“The emphasis on Naschy, not to mention on sacrifice and torture, marks El Mariscal as a horror film rather than a swashbuckler in the final analysis; it’s closest analogue might well be Rowland V. Lee’s Tower of London in its volatile genre mix. In any event, this film is admirable for its ambition, even if that ambition isn’t fully achieved.” Mondo 70: A Wild World of Cinema

” … probably the worst movie Paul Naschy and León Klimovsky created together. A horrendously slow medieval adventure-melodrama that looks like some 40s or 50s swashbuckler film and has nearly nothing to do with the horror genre.” Maynard’s Horror Movie Diary

“Naschy is wonderfully evil once he turns it loose and goes for broke with the Gilles character, and it’s fun to watch him in the aforementioned soliloquy and in his last stand at the climax. His right-hand man Sillé, played with Vincent Price/Basil Rathbone smarminess by Mariano Vidal Molina, is an effective performance…” Mad Mad Mad Mad Movies

Cast and characters:

Paul Naschy – Baron Gilles de Lancre
Standard Sebre – Georgelle
Guillermo Bredeston – Gaston de Malebranche
Mariano Vidal Molina – Sillé
Nilson Graciela Graciela
Eduardo Calvo – Simon Braqueville
Fernando Rubio – Estebano
Luis Induni – Paul
Jose Luis Chinchilla – Daniel
Francisco Nieto
Carmen Carro – Bastiana
Germán Kraus
Javier de Rivera
Cesar Barona
Toni Mosul
Emilio Mellado
Luis Gonzalez Paramo
Simon Arriaga
Sandra Mozarowsky – sacrificed girl
Juan Madrigal
Fernando Villena
Ana Farra
Adela Vazquez
Joaquín Solis
Antonio Orengo
Maria de los Angeles Muñoz
Jeannette Aristensen
Jaime Moreno
Maria Giani

Choice dialogue:

Baron Gilles de Lancre [Paul Naschy]: “We still do not have the philosopher stone!”

Trailer:

IMDb

The Thrill of a Kill is a 2011 Norwegian micro-budget splatter horror film produced written, photographed, edited and directed by Lars-Erik Lie on a budget equivalent to just $5,000.

Cast:

Kirsten Jakobsen, Arve Herman Tangen, Camilla Vestbø Losvik,  Toril Skansen.

Plot:

After fighting with her mom, Kimsy runs into the woods to cool off, where she meets a friendly photographer. A day of bloodshed and murder follows…

Reviews:

With The Thrill of a Kill, producer/writer/director Lars Erik Lie went all the way in order to make the goriest splatter film ever made in Norway, and additionally, he succeeded in making an entertaining horror film … minor glitches are easily overlooked as the story progresses and the blood squirts faster.” Nordic Fantasy

“The shots are kept tight with a strong range of believable performances by the women actors involved. It never needs to use too many fx as the ones that are captured on camera are shot in a way that make the scenes feel realistic without a large budget to work with.” HorrorNews.net

The film is released on DVD in the US on January 26, 2016, by Wild Eye Raw.

Trailer 1 (mature only):

Trailer 2 (mature only):

International trailer (mature only):

IMDb | Facebook

‘Women’s virtues made him a killer!’

The Virgin of Nuremberg is a 1963 Italian horror film directed by Antonio Margheriti (Castle of Blood; Killer Fish; Cannibal Apocalypse) [as Anthony Dawson] from a screenplay co-written with Edmond T. Gréville and Renato Vicario. The film’s brassy score is by Riz Ortolani (Mondo Cane; Cannibal Holocaust).

The film’s original Italian title is La vergine di Norimberga and it has also been released as The Castle of Terror (UK, by Compton Films) and Horror Castle (USA, by Zodiac Films). 

Main cast:

Rossana Podestà, Georges Rivière, Christopher Lee, Jim Dolen, Lucille St. Simon, Patrick Walton.

Production:

The Virgin of Nuremberg was based on an Italian paperback novel La vergine di Normberga, issue #23 in the KKK series of Italian pulp paperback novels. These novels were part of a trend of cheap paperback novels that blended Gothic, horror and erotic styles.

The film’s producer, Marco Vicario, was the co-founder of the company G.E.I. who published the KKK paperbacks. Margheriti changed elements of the plot of the story to include a war and surgery subplots. The film also removes some of the more extreme elements of the novel, such as a part where a man severs a woman’s nerve before pulling out almost all of the bones from her body.

Many sources state that giallo specialist Ernesto Gastaldi was credited as Gastad Green, but he has denied contributing to the film’s writing, stating he may have discussed plot elements with Margheriti, but did no actual writing. The official documents relating to the film’s production credit Marco Vicario’s brother Renato Vicario as Gastad Green.

Plot:

When Max Hunter leaves his American bride Mary alone in his German castle, a series of gruesome slayings occur in the abandoned torture chamber. In a shocking revelation, a hideous phantom killer, with a ghastly Nazi past, stalks the castle corridors and dusts off some of the tools of torture for some fresh bloodletting…

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Reviews:

” … a totally illogical script in which virtually every plot development hinges upon the heroine’s bottomless stupidity and complete lack of any sense of self-preservation!” Scott Ashlin, 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting

” … the film isn’t without its problems, which mainly reside in the script. The amazing, literary style quotes of so many classics are sorely missed here and the dialogue is merely average. The plot displays only one decent twist but it is ahead of its time in the way of being quick to the punch and this trait separates it from the vast pack of slower, story building gothic horrors.” Brett H., Oh, the Horror!

“As a director, Antonio Margheriti provides few of the subtle, wonderfully atmospheric moments present in his more successful Castle of Blood. Instead, Margheriti prefers to stun the audience with gratuitous gore and graphic tortures that disgust rather than frighten.” Lawrence McCallum, Italian Horror Films of the 1960s 

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“It’s a stylish, atmospheric and effective gothic horror film…” Monster Minions

“The script and the dialogue are ludicrous, but the extraordinary cruelty of the film – like the rat cage placed over a woman’s face, with predictably terrifying consequences – soon chokes the temptation to laugh and the efficient special effects arranged by Margheriti himself makes for some impressive scenes.” The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

” … worth it, especially if you like cold violence, as Margheriti pushes the limits with his tortures” Danny Shipka, Perverse Titillation: The Exploitation Cinema of Italy, Spain and France, 1960-1980

“The ultimate explanation is so far-fetched that it borders on goofy, but if you can handle such things, the film might satisfy.” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers

Cast and characters:

• Rossana Podestà: Mary Hunter
• Georges Rivière: Max Hunter
• Christopher Lee: Erich
• Jim Dolen: John Selby, FBI Agent
• Lucille St. Simon

Choice dialogue:

Max Hunter: “Was he a moralist? Or a maniac?”

Max Hunter: “The war left my spirit in a worse state than Erich’s face.”

Martha: “You shouldn’t trust strange Americans.”

The Punisher: “Instruments of torture are more or less the same, wherever you go!”

Offline reading:

Bizarre Sinema: Horror All’Italiana 1957 – 1979, Glittering Images, 1996

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Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957 – 1969 by Roberto Curti

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Italian Horror by Jim Harper

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Italian Horror Film Directors by Louis Paul, McFarland, 2010

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Spaghetti Nightmares by Luca M. Palmerini, Gaetano Mistretta, Fantasma Books

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Italian trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb | Image thanks: antoniomargheriti.com