2009: A Look Back in Bedlam
Here it is, my second annual look back at many noteworthy events in the world of horror film and literature
CARNE DE TU CARNE
Politically minded Columbian horror pivoting on incest and vampirism
THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI
Often cited as the world’s first true horror film, this German classic from 1920 has taken on near-legendary status among cultists, and retains a loopy aura that has yet to be matched
WOHI BHAYANAK RAAT
This film differs from other bad horror movies in that it’s a Bollywood horror movie. This means many large-scale musical numbers, much over the top melodrama, a two-and-a-half hour running time and a painfully low budget
MY SOUL IS SLASHED
The Japanese video market of the 1990s produced some pretty amazing films, among them this highly audacious take on vampires, an exhausted subject this film treats with considerable freshness and ingenuity
THE MONSTER SQUAD
1987 action-horror aimed at a kid audience. My verdict: it’s fun, especially if you’re an eighties movie maven like me.
VEERANA
More Bollywood lunacy from the wonderful Ramsay Brothers. VEERANA is actually one of the Ramsay’s more accomplished efforts, a colorful and energetic swirl of vampire movie madness
THE VAMPIRE IS ALIVE
More trash from Thomas Tang’s notorious Filmark International. THE VAMPIRE IS ALIVE contains much of the same disjointed, rapid-fire insanity of Tang’s ROBO VAMPIRE, his best-known work
VAMPIRE’S KISS
Here it is, the most out of control Nicolas Cage performance ever! As for the movie, it’s a seriously odd satire with Cage as an asshole businessman who may or may not be a vampire
VAMP
VAMP, from 1986, is a sexy vampire comedy that predated similarly themed films like THE LOST BOYS and FROM DUSK TILL DAWN