5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Try to find the Full Moon double feature DVD, March 1, 2004
This review is from: Death Bed (DVD)
The double feature DVD has both Deathbed and Castle Freak, so it's worth searching for. The only possible disadvantage I can see is both movies are shown in fullscreen. However, the Castle Freak single movie disc is a fullscreen version also, so unless you really need a widescreen version of Deathbed or must have extras like commentary, etc. why not get two movies on one inexpensive disc.
In my opinion Castle Freak is a tad overrated, but it's still well worth checking out. I think the frenzy over this movie has to do with the fact that it's Stuart (Re-Animator) Gordon directing Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton, both of whom were the main actors from Re-Animator. They play a couple with a blind daughter who move into a spooky castle with 150 rooms (sorry, but it doesn't look big enough from the outside). The freak in question is a deformed, scarred, ancient human with a taste for blood. He is accidentally released from his place of captivity and proceeds to run amok in the castle.
Excellent FX here, namely the freak makeup and the gore scenes. I thought the story ran out of steam by the end, which was somewhat disappointing. It wasn't bad, it's just that there were some really twisted scenes early on that made me expect a little bit more of a payoff at the end. After watching Re-Animator so many times it's hard for me to watch Jeffrey Combs in another role, especially without glasses. It makes me want to yell "West! You forgot your specs!" He's still pretty nerdy and amusing in this movie, though, especially the scene where he and the daughter search for the castle for "booty." I know it means treasure, but when Combs says it it's downright hilarious.
Deathbed was a pleasant surprise. It's low budget, the acting is hit & miss, but it actually gave me the creeps a few times. Karen, a children's book illustrator and Jerry, her photographer boyfriend move into a huge Hollywood loft. At night she starts hearing noises from behind a boarded-up door and decides to investigate. The apartment manager helps her tear the door down, which reveals a hidden room upstairs with an old-fashioned iron bed. They clean up the bed and move it downstairs, then the fun begins. Basically it's a "haunted bed" story. While in the bed Karen finds herself possessed by the spirit of a woman who was killed in the bed years ago. This improves Karen and Jerry's sex life, but, of course, eventually leads to trouble.
I liked this movie because of the little details and plot twists. The sketches Karen does while under the influence of the woman's ghost are downright scary; they reminded me of the old EC horror comics like "Tales from the Crypt," "Vault of Horror," etc. Plus you get Dukey Flyswatter in a supporting role--I remember him as the singer from the L.A. horror/rock band Haunted Garage. There's not very much blood in the movie until the last few minutes. Then you get an extremely gory, over-the-top scene as a payoff.
Don't expect miracles from these two films--they're not masterpieces but both are good, solid horror movies. I would think for the relatively cheap price any horror fan would be pleased.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, January 24, 2005
This review is from: Death Bed (DVD)
Charles Band, the head honcho behind Full Moon productions, got his start with the immensely entertaining REANIMATOR. Since then, his studio has put out tons of movies, some okay, some really bad. DEATHBED is one that isn't quite that bad, but it suffers from some pedestrian acting, slow pacing and an over the top ending that negates the movie's up till then spooky atmosphere. Tanya Dempsey plays Karen, a children's book author, who moves into a loft apartment in an old factory. Her boyfriend (Brave Matthews) is a photographer who spends most of the movie calling Dempsey "baby" and trying to look either scared or sexy...not succeeding on either level. The ever preposterous Joe Estevez shows up as the landlord and renovator who spouts out bad jokes and ends up doomed. Seems like the factory was the killing ground for a psychopathic serial killer who strangled his female victims with a necktie. One such victim (Meagan Mangum) is trying to alert Dempsey to the horrors awaiting. Dukey Flyswatter (is that a name or what?) plays the Larry Drake-like killer with little or any aplomb. The movie is obviously mini-budgeted, most of its action taking place in the apartment, with little or any special effects.
Why the 3 stars? Dempsey has a coyish vulnerability that works and up to the rushed ending has a tense sense of evil. In the hands of a more imaginative director and with someone to replace Brave Matthews, the film could have been a little better.
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