HAXAN: WITCHCRAFT THROUGH THE AGES; DVD
DVD (1922) - (1968 re-release)
Directed by Scandinavian filmmaker Benjamin Christensen, 'Haxan -Witchcraft Through the Ages' (1922) is a strange silent film depicting black magic, witchcraft, and demonology from the middle ages to the 20th century. Shot and presented in documentary form, the film is more akin to a pseudo-scholarly lecture with moving visual aids. Not as intense or as shocking today as upon its initial release, the film is filled with nightmarish images that are certainly profane and explicit, but also humorous. Yes, sex goes hand-in-hand with Satan, and Christensen's flamboyant portrayal of the aforementioned character, complete with flicking, wanton tongue, drives home the point (well, that and a peppering of nudity). Unique to say the least, 'Haxan' is a rather weird curio of a film with some incredibly atmospheric, somewhat graphic images, esp. for that era.
The 1968 re-release with an electric jazz-fusion score by Jean Luc Ponty and narration by William S. Burroughs is a treat in itself.
BLOOD ORGY OF THE SHE-DEVILS; DVD
DVD; (1973) Ted V Mikels
Cult Horror Indie filmmaker Ted V Mikels 1973 occult classic, "Blood Orgy of the She-Devils" involves a group of sacrificing witches who carry out satanic rituals and human sacrifice. Their head witch is hired to kill a politician, and then is killed, but then reincarnates herself. She also does seances. She decides to extract her vengence on the two who attempted to kill her. We also have some disturbing flashbacks of torture scenes from history's witches. And, it ends with a bunch of witch hunters coming to kill her. If you like Mikels style of indie B-grade horror, you will be sure to like this.
ALICE; (Jan Svankmajer) DVD
DVD, New
Alice is a 1988 surrealist dark fantasy film written and directed by Jan Svankmajer Its original Czech title is Něco z Alenky, which means "Something from Alice". It is a loose adaptation of Louis Carrol's first Alice book, Alice's adventures in Wonderland(1865), about a girl who follows a white rabbit into a bizarre fantasy land. The film combines live action with stop motion animation, and is distinguished by its dark and uncompromising production design.
For Švankmajer, a prolific surrealsit director of short films for more than two decades, Alice became his first feature length film. The director had been disappointed by other adaptations of Carroll's book, which interpret it as a fairy tale. His aim was instead to make the story play out like a darkly disturbing amoral dream. The film has been widely praised and is certainly an astonishing film.
GUTTERBALLS; DVD
DVD, New
Canadian splatter comedy GUTTERBALLS (2008) is a damn fine sexually explicit, graphically violent, morally repugnant, willfully bad B-Movie that refreshingly takes itself seriously, despite the over-the-top subject matter. Heads will bowl.....
DVD release on Australian 'Bad Movies' independent label.
