Shadow Man Article in Fangoria #309

In Fangoria #309 I look back at one of my favorite episodes of the 1980's Twilight Zone series. Saw this one when I was eight years old and never forgot it!

Michael Reeves Article in Fangoria #304

Be on the lookout for my article on director Michael Reeves and the historical significance of his 1969 epic "Witchfinder General" (starring Vincent Price). Discover how "Witchfinder" helped lay the groundwork for modern day movie violence and forged a new path for filmmakers looking to explore the extreme peaks of realism. Fangoria #304 will be on sale June 1st!

Sorority Row (2009), Stewart Hendler *

I think it’s safe to say that the screenwriter had some trouble deciding who the mysterious killer of this lurid tale would be. The two red herrings were certainly out of the question, as they would have been far too obvious. So in true “I’ve-got-no-clue-how-to-end-this-thing” fashion, we're presented with a pair of characters whose motivations are completely implausible! Pure, unadulterated dreck!

Drag Me To Hell (2009), Sam Raimi ****

Drag me to Hell. Indeed. But it wasn’t hell. And I certainly wasn’t dragged. In fact, this was a breath of fresh air!

When I heard that Sam Raimi was returning to horror, I must admit, like everyone else, I had high expectations. I'm happy to report that those expectations they were not only met -- but surpassed!

The thing that struck me most about this film-going-experience was just how fun it was (as was Army of Darkness and Darkman before that). The scares, the comedy, the pacing, everything: a perfect brew... as only Sam Raimi can do!

Drag me to Hell. Saw it three times. It inspired a Sam Raimi retrospective. But most importantly, it got me to pick up the pen and write a friggin’ horror film.

Les Diaboliques (1955), H.R. Clouzot ****

The title translates as THE DEVILS - but who exactly are the devils? Nothing is quite what it seems in H.R. Clouzot’s classic and highly influential crime thriller.

Set at a boys’ boarding school, the film centers around two women who plot the perfect murder. Christina (Vera Clouzot) is wife to the school’s cruel and sadistic headmaster Michel (Paul Meurisse); and despite her ailing heart condition, Michel insists on having an open relationship with his mistress and fellow school teacher Nicole (Simone Signoret). But when Nicole begins complaining of Michel’s cruelty and abuse, the two women conspire against him and begin planning his demise.

The film begins with an intense and foreboding score; complete with out-of-tune vocals and thunderous organs. We then get our first shot of “water”: a paper boat floating peacefully in a puddle. Suddenly, the boat is trampled by a passing vehicle. This foreshadowing is followed by many references and allusions to water. Naturally, water is an element associated with purifying, but Clouzot cleverly turns this assumption on its head.

For instance, the two conspirators fill a bathtub in order to drown the drugged and unsuspecting Michel – the loud rush of water drowning the characters with tension. Then after the body mysteriously refuses to surface, they find themselves draining an entire pool where the body was dumped and made to look like an accident/suicide. There is even the amplified and ominous “drip” from the bathtub after the murder has been committed; a great devise that Mario Bava might have picked up for his horror classic BLACK SABBATH (1963).

Being a masterfully directed film, LES DIABOLIQUES was apparently a great influence on Alfred Hitchcock who later used the films same authors for VERTIGO (1958). On a more trivial note, the film landed at number 49 on Bravo’s 100 SCARIEST MOMENTS!