BLOOD LUST

NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE (1979)

Jonathan Harker is sent away to Count Dracula's castle to sell him a house in Virna, where he lives. But Count Dracula is a vampire, an undead ghoule living of men's blood. Inspired by a photograph of Lucy Harker, Jonathan's wife, Dracula moves to Virna, bringing with him death and plague... An unusually contemplative version of Dracula, in which the vampire bears the cross of not being able to get old and die...

Film's original German title is Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht ("Nosferatu: Phantom of the Night"). It was conceived as a stylistic remake of the 1922 German Dracula adaptation, Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens.The film also marks the second of five collaborations between director Werner Herzog and actor Klaus Kinski, immediately followed by 1979's Woyzeck. The movie was shot simultaneously in German and English. An almost completely unrelated sequel, Vampire in Venice, was released in 1988 by director Augusto Caminito, with only Klaus Kinski returning to reprise his loosely connected role.

Director: Werner Herzog
Writter: Werner Herzog, Bram Stoker (novel)
Starring: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz
Running Time: 107min
Country: West Germany, France
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeYpGsEdEZU

Rating: 9.5/10

MARTIN (1977)

Martin (John Amplas) sedates women with a syringe full of narcotics and then slices their wrists with a razor blade so he can drink their blood. Martin, who comes to live with his granduncle and cousin in the dying town of Braddock, Pennsylvania, has romantic monochrome visions of vampiric seductions and torch-lit mobs, but it is impossible to tell how seriously he takes them. Martin's granduncle, the superstitious old Tada Cuda, has reluctantly agreed to give Martin room and board as he is the closest living relative. Cuda is very much a Lithuanian Catholic who treats Martin like an Old World vampire and tries unsuccessfully to repel Martin with strings of garlic bulbs around the home and a crucifix...

The original cut of the film ran nearly 2 hours 45 minutes. Romero has confirmed that there is no known existing copy of this legendary cut at a recent screening of the film in New York City. Tom Savini also did the stunts (and special makeup effects) in the film. George A. Romero originally wanted the entire film to be in black and white, but the producers didn't want to risk this experiment and insisted that the majority of the film be in color. Much like Romero's Dawn of the Dead, Martin was edited for the European market, under the title of Wampyr. This version is only available in an Italian dubbed version. This version's score was performed by the band Goblin.

Director: George A. Romero
Writter: George A. Romero
Starring: John Amplas, Elyane Nadeau, Tom Savini
Running Time: 95min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SwXSiGpCxc&feature=related

Rating: 8/10


THIRST (2009)

Sang-hyun, a priest working for a hospital, selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project intended to eradicate a deadly virus. However, the virus eventually takes over the priest. He nearly dies, but makes a miraculous recovery by an accidental transfusion of vampire blood. He realizes his sole reason for living: the pleasures of the flesh...

Film is loosely based on the novel Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola. It is the first mainstream Korean film to feature full-frontal adult male nudity (but not the first-ever commercially-released South Korean film to do so) The film won the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

Director: Park Chan-wook
Writter: Park Chan-wook, Jeong Seo-Kyeong
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-bin, Shin Ha-kyun
Running Time: 133 min, S. Korea: 145 min (director's cut), Canada: 148 min (Blu-ray)
Country: South Korea
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksHBkbERaJI

Rating: 8/10

THE KIDS ARE ALLRIGHT

THE OMEN (1976)

Robert and Katherine Thorn seem to have it all. They are happily married and he is the US Ambassador to Italy, but they want more than to have children. When Katharine has a stillborn child, Robert is approached by a priest at the hospital who suggests that they take a healthy newborn whose mother has just died in childbirth. Without telling his wife he agrees. After relocating to London, strange events - and the ominous warnings of a priest - lead him to believe that the child he took from that Italian hospital is evil incarnate...

Two endings were filmed. The original ending featured a child's casket with Robert and Katherine's, indicating Damien was also killed. But the studio head, Alan Ladd, Jr., said whilst The Omen was a great movie the first ending was a mistake: you cannot kill the devil! He gave Donner additional funds to refilm the ending. The site used for the Megiddo archaeological dig is a real dig, just not in Megiddo. It is located in the Old City of Jerusalem, on the southern end of the Temple Mount. An original score for the film was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, for which he received the only Oscar of his long career.
A remake, The Omen, was released on June 6, 2006.

Director: Richard Donner
Writter: David Seltzer
Starring: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw
Running Time: 111min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PuIBNLOeEU

Rating: 10/10


THE ORPHANAGE (2007)
(Spanish: El Orfanato)

Laura, a former orphan, raises her adopted son Simón together with her husband Carlos in an old house and former orphanage where she was raised. While at the orphanage Simón tells Laura that he has five invisible friends which she believes are a product of his active imagination. Laura decides to reopen the orphanage to cater for disabled children and throws a party. During the party Simón tries to persuade Laura to go and take a look at his friends cabin but she's too busy. Later on she sees a mysterious masked boy and realizes that Simón has also disappeared...

The film's script was written by Sergio G. Sánchez in 1996 and brought to the attention of Bayona in 2004. Bayona asked his long-time friend, director Guillermo del Toro, to help produce the film and to double its budget and filming time. Bayona wanted the film to capture the feel of 1970s Spanish cinema; he cast Geraldine Chaplin and Belén Rueda, who were later praised for their roles in the film.
It received critical acclaim from audiences in its native Spain, winning seven Goya awards. New Line Cinema bought the rights to the film for an American remake.

Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Writter: Sergio G. Sánchez
Starring: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep, Geraldine Chaplin, Montserrat Carulla
Running Time: 105min
Country: Spain - Mexico
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUZQgqxIZ6s

Rating: 9/10


HANSEL AND GRETEL (2007)

When Eun-soo gets lost in a country road, he meets a mysterious girl and is led to her fairytale ike house in the middle of the forest. There, Eun-soo is trapped with the girl and her siblings who never age. Eun-soo finally discovers a way out which is written on a fairy tale book. But the book tells a story of none other than himself!

Director: Yim Pil-Sung
Writter: Kim Min Suk
Starring: Cheon Jeong-myeong, Eun Won-jae, Shim Eun-kyeong, Jin Ji-hye
Running Time: 117min
Country: South Korea
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlfnhVsbyeQ&playnext=1&list=PL8E4BCAB3B615465E

Rating: 7/10


THE OTHER (1972)

In the summer of 1935, 9-year-old twins Niles and Holland Perry live with their family on a Connecticut farm. Their loving grandmother Ada has taught them something called "the game." A number of accidents begin happening, and it seems to Niles that Holland is responsible. It is Ada who begins to see the truth, and she is the only one who can stop this macabre game of murder...

Adapted for film by Tom Tryon, from his bestselling novel. This is the only movie appearance by the twins Chris and Martin Udvarnoky, the featured stars. Despite the grotesque nature of the plot, composer Jerry Goldsmith elected to give the film a mostly upbeat score to reflect the childish innocence of its main character. More often than not, the film's darker scenes feature no music at all. Goldsmith's compositions for the film can be heard in a 22 minute suite found on the soundtrack album of The Mephisto Waltz. This CD was released 25 years after the release of the film.

Director: Robert Mulligan
Writter: Tom Tryon (also novel)
Starring: Uta Hagen, Diana Muldaur, Chris Udvarnoky, Martin Udvarnoky
Running Time: 108min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMmMqWkudgA

Rating: 8/10

LATEST OBSSESSIONS (6)

A TALE OF TWO SISTERS (2003)

A girl, Su-Mi, is brought to a psychiatrist. She is unresponsive until shown a picture of her family. She is taken home by her father (Moo-Hyeon) along with her timid sister, Su-Yeon, where they are met by their difficult stepmother (Eun-Joo). That night Su-Yeon awakes to find somebody in her room and she flees to her sister. Su-Mi promises Su-Yeon that she will always be there for her and they fall asleep. Su-Mi awakens after a nightmare to find that Su-Yeon has begun her period, as has her stepmother, on the very same day. The girls look at some old photos, which reveal that Eun-Joo was a doctor and a coworker of their father. Su-Mi sees bruises on Su-Yeong's arms and accuses Eun-Joo. At dinner with guests - Sun-Kyu (Eun-Joo's brother) and his wife - Eun-Joo acts strangely. During dinner, Sun-Kyu's wife begins to choke and convulse on the floor. After they leave, Eun Joo investigates around, only to be startled by a hand that reaches out as she tries to pick up a pin...

Director: Ji-woon Kim
Writter: Ji-woon Kim
Starring: Im Soo Jung, Moon Geun-young, Yeom Jeong-ah, Kim Kap-su
Running Time: 115min
Country: Korea
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anF5XiN8QY8

Rating: 9/10

LAKE MUNGO (2008)

Sixteen-year-old ALICE PALMER drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Profoundly unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist, RAY KEMENY. Ray discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. A series of clues lead the family to Lake Mungo where Alice's secret past emerges...

Director: Joel Anderson
Writter: Joel Anderson
Starring: Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger
Running Time: 89min
Country: Australia
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2ISuVvP-XI

Rating: 8/10

TIMECRIMES (2007)
(Spanish: Los Cronocrímenes)

The protagonist Hector (Karra Elejalde) sits on a lawn chair outside his new country home, surveying the nearby wooded hillside through a set of binoculars, after receiving a strange phone call. Nearby his wife has just assembled a new coffee table, and, banteringly, he bets he will buy the groceries if the table fits through the front door. Then as his wife (Candela Fernández) returns to take out the car to buy groceries, having lost the bet, he catches sight of a woman removing her shirt amidst the trees and curious, goes to investigate. Finding the woman-but supine, naked and senseless he approaches but is attacked and stabbed in the arm with a pair of scissors by a sinister figure wrapped in a grotesque pink head bandage...

TimeCrimes director Nacho Vigalondo revealed that David Cronenberg is in the running to direct the upcoming English language remake of the popular Fantastic Fest award winner.

Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Writter: Nacho Vigalondo
Starring: Karra Elejalde, Bárbara Goenaga, Nacho Vigalondo, Candela Fernández
Running Time: 88min
Country: Spain
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcGj9waK3u4

Rating: 8,5/10

THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL (2009)

The film opens on a voyeuristic shot of college student Samantha Hughes (Jocelin Donahue) as she looks at an apartment. She cannot afford the security deposit, but the landlady agrees to accept the first month's rent instead. Samantha needs the apartment because her roommate is a slob who frequently has sex with her boyfriend all night long. When she sees a flyer advertising a babysitting job, Samantha calls the number and leaves a voice mail. The pay phone rings after she has hung up, and Mr. Ullman (Tom Noonan) arranges to pick her up outside the Student Affairs office. However, he never shows up. Ullman leaves a message with Samantha's roommate, and when Samantha calls him back, he apologizes for standing her up and offers her $100 to babysit that night. Seeing the money as the only way to afford her first month's rent, Samantha agrees, and her friend Megan (Greta Gerwig) drives her to the house which is in the country. Megan is very skeptical, and begs Samantha to let her stay with her. When they get to the house, Ullman is very evasive when Megan asks him basic questions about who he is. He mentions the evening's lunar eclipse and how the town is the best place on Earth to see it. Eventually, he confesses that there is no child to babysit, only his mother...

The film attempts to recreate the 1970s and 1980s style of horror films, using filming techniques and technology similar to those used in that era.

Director: Ti West
Writter: Ti West
Starring: Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov
Running Time: 95min
Country: United States
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SOur3WwZvM

Rating: 7,5/10