Customer Reviews

Euro Fiends From the Grave

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[The Faceless Monster (1965) - Italian, dubbed in English - Widescreen 1.66:1 presentation - Barbara Steele, Helga Line] Finally, a widescreen version of this film, and an excellent transfer to boot - it's about time. This flick was a staple on US TV when I was a kid, but sliced up like sashimi and a horrid grey copy prevailed. It was good to see it as it was meant to be seen, but it did require some editing, though nothing as severe as the truncated version seen as a kid, yet it still was about 15 minutes too long.
A minor gripe. Barbara Steele is perfect in one of her better roles in the gothic Italian horror tradition, actually a dual role; one as a treacherous, adulterous wife who gets done away with along with her lover and servant, and the other as her mentally ill sister. Her obsessed and murderous scientist husband tortures them prior to killing them, and keeps their hearts locked away as a keepsake memento. A stipulation in the wife's will leaves everything to her wacko sister, so the good doctor decides to marry her to gain access to the fortune he presumed he was inheriting when he offed his similarly scheming spouse. But, in the tradition of all greedy, murderous plots, strange events occur until nightmarish justice reaches from beyond the grave to exact revenge. Overall, quite a good time though the third act drags like a dead body. Enjoyable nonetheless.

[Satanik - (1968) - Full screen presentation - Magda Konopka] Truth be told, this is the weakest of the three flicks offered here, yet was the main reason I purchased this collection. I had known of it for ages, and heard much about it (none of it very good), but it was never available in the states, and I wanted to see it just to take in the comely seductiveness of its star, Magda Konopka, whom I had seen a few pics of in this role in a mag many years ago. The plot's ridiculously simple - she's a disfigured scientist whose colleague has found a way of adding youth to aged animals, and she wants to be the first human test subject. When refused, she kills her collaborator and injects herself with the serum. She awakens the next morning, no longer disfigured, beautiful in fact, and flees with the remainder of the serum. The rest of the film is just an excuse to see Magda parading around in seductive 60's fashion and fetishwear, which suits me just fine. She's the epitome of the 60's Eurovixen, and we get to see her in many a fetching outfit as well as various states of undress throughout the film. As a lifelong lover of those fashions and women of the 60's and early 70's, it's a voyeuristic dream come true. (Is this a valid reason to see a movie? Be honest, it sure is). Besides, it beats being labeled as a stalker, no? The desired youthfulness is not without its drawbacks, however, and our sexy heroine has to constantly keep one step ahead of the police on her trail, and the swindlers she has fallen in company with. For reasons already disclosed, I loved finally seeing this one, for better or worse, though most folks looking for a plot with substance will pass on this one.

[The Red Headed Corpse - (1971) - Widescreen 1.66:1 - Erika Blanc, Krista Nell, Farley Granger] Farley Granger stars as an alcoholic artist who desperately requires inspiration for his work. He meets a call girl at a local bar after unsuccessfully attempting to sell some paintings, and refuses her offer in his self-pitying stupor. She follows him through the street afterwards, offering herself pro bono. This he doesn't refuse (who would?). She even offers to model for him, but in the next scene, he's cleaning up a mannequin he acquired and applying make-up to it (these are some of the insanely dumb things alcoholics do, kids, so use your judgment accordingly). He uses the mannequin as the subject for his latest painting, but the mannequin has apparently come to life...or has it? Not only that, but it's absolutely beautiful, and his paintings of her sell like Kindles or Tablets. Let's see - he goes from mannequin to Krista Nell to Erika Blanc - I'd say he's traded up nicely, wouldn't you?
Unfortunately, the revived mannequin (Erika Blanc) is a needy, nagging bitch who whines, cajoles and cheats on him every chance she gets - from a local hunter to a 16 year old boy she meets on the beach (I love the pre-PC styling from that era - sigh) to the man who commissions nude paintings of her from Farley Granger. So from here the story details go from murky to melodramatic to malevolently sleazy, as it should be in this type of flick. Well, it's not long before our eternally-imbibing hero's paranoia, self-loathing and jealousy collide, steering us to an enjoyable, predictable and slightly corny conclusion. Eurohorror enthusiasts will get a chuckle from this one, but the rest of you, probably not so much. Except for the nudity and amped sleaze quotient, that is.

All in all, a solid collection of three examples of lost genres of film, absorbing and entertaining, and at a fair price. When you factor in luscious leading ladies like Barbara Steele, Magda Konopka, Krista Nell and Erika Blanc, the 'Buy Now' button looms large.

This is actually a very cool little set and one of the best ways to get Satanik which is a B euro-classic also the other movies are good too so it's a win - win deal , go for it you'll like it that is if you like the wild & weird. ProgMark