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Reviews & Commentary by Adam Groves
THE COLLECTOR
Two recently deceased talents, Terence Stamp and Samatha Eggar, has their breakthrough roles in this film
ORGY OF THE DEAD (Film)
From Ed Wood, a charmingly archaic sexploitation outrage that was apparently conceived as a loose sequel to PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE
BURNING PARADISE
For me, this “gothic hell prison movie” will always be the most satisfying film directed by Hong Kong’s late Ringo Lam (1955-2018)
POKOL INFERNO
Dante’s Inferno, adapted as a much weirder-than-average Hungarian TV movie from the 70s
TALES FROM THE GIMLI HOSPITAL
The debut feature of Canada’s Guy Maddin, and a potent signifier of what was to come
FOG HEART
In my view one of the absoloute finest books by horror writer extraordinaire Thomas Tessier
THE HOUSE THAT GROANED
A graphic novel that’s plenty weird, with a narrative that leans rather heavily into the perverse and psychosexual
THE EXPERIENCE OF THE NIGHT
This 1945 novel is considered the masterpiece of the “French Kafka” Marcel Bealu (1908-1993)
LOCUS SOLUS
The materpiece of France’s Raymond Roussel, and one of the most astonishing displays of unfettered imagination I’ve ever experienced
IMPRESSIONS OF AFRICA (Book)
Raymond Roussel may well be the strangest writer of all time and this 1910 novel offers ample proof of that claim
PSYCHEDELIC SEX
What a great idea: a profusely illustrated guide to pornography of the psychedelic era, put out by the prestige outfit Taschen!
LANDIS: THE STORY OF A REAL MAN ON 42nd STREET
A must-read due to the fact that, simply, this is the only biography that exists on SLEAZOID EXPRESS’ late Bill Landis (1959-2008)
HOLLYWOOD ENDING: HARVEY WEINSTEIN AND THE CULTURE OF SILENCE
The latest in a long line of nonfiction accounts of the crimes committed by Harvey Weinstein
I LOST IT AT THE VIDEO STORE
This short and sweet oral history of the VHS era is enjoyable enough, but far from the definitive book on the subject
THE CANNON FILM GUIDE Volume II (1985-1987)
Anyone who’s read my review of volume one of THE CANNON FILM GUIDE will know I’m quite partial to it. Now volume two is here, and I say it’s even better
BUBBA HO-TEP at 20
Here’s a film that hasn’t been getting too many retrospectives, but I say it’s deserving of at least one
Documenting Terry Gilliam
Two books and four docs about the one and only Terry Gilliam
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST at 35
On the most controversial film of our time
TV Flashback: DARK DREAMERS
I’m not sure how Stanley Wiater managed to convince a Canadian TV channel to broadcast a show comprised entirely of interviews with horror writers and filmmakers, but I’m glad he did
William Friedkin’s Films, Ranked
On August 7, 2023, film director extraordinaire William Friedkin, a.k.a. Hurricane Billy, passed away. Here’s my ranking of his 20 features.