Month: October 2022

Whistle and I’ll Come for You Available November 1

4 Evil Eyes

A grouchy college professor, who thinks that anything “supernatural” must have a logical explanation, goes on vacation to a lonely coastal village. When an old whistle is found on the beach one day, the professor blows through it. Little does he know that he has just awakened a supernatural terror beyond his comprehension. This excellent British horror gem is a must. Based on the chilling tale by M. R. James. Cool. From 35mm. ALSO: The Fall Of The House Of Usher (1928) Herbert Stern, Hildegarde Watson, Melville Webber. When a wayward traveler arrives at the Usher mansion, he discovers that the family members are living under the effects of a horrible curse. This short, avante garde version of the Poe classic is wonderfully gloomy in its almost dream-like presentation. Silent with music score.

STARRING: Michael Hordern, Ambrose Coghill, George Woodbridge, Nora Gordon

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What Big Eyes Available November 1

4 Evil Eyes

It’s not often that we just go bonkers over an actor’s portrayal in a film, but Patrick Magee’s performance in What Big Eyes in our humble opinion is one of the finest acting jobs by an actor in a horror film that we’ve ever seen in the more than three-and-a-half decades of Sinister Cinema. He is AMAZING. An RSPCA officer is horrified when he discovers that pet shop owner Magee has been receiving and conducting bizarre experiments on wolves, searching for proof of lycanthropy in humans. His guinea pig? Himself. Like Lugosi in The Raven or Rathbone in Love from a Stranger, there are moments where the intensity of Magee’s dialogue will pass right through the TV screen and creep down into your spine. Wow! Everyone else in the cast excels as well, especially Madge Ryan as his mentally battered daughter. The final scene in this short British made-for-TV feature is very memorable.

STARRING: Patrick Magee, Madge Ryan, Michael Kitchen, Gerald James, Bill Dean

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Satan’s Triangle (1975) Available November 1

4 Evil Eyes

McClure and his Coast Guard helicopter pal come upon a shipwreck in an area known as “the Devil’s Triangle.” When McClure is lowered to the ship he finds dead bodies all over the place. The only survivor is a beautiful blonde (Kim Novak), who’s in a confused state of mind. Unfortunately, a cable snaps on the helicopter’s rescue basket and McClure and Novak are stuck on the boat until the chopper can return. She tells a grisly tale of what happened. Little does McClure suspect that the evil power that caused all the deaths will soon return. Novak was forty-two when she made this film and still looked great. Creepy with many twists. Color, 16mm.

STARRING: Kim Novak, Doug McClure, Alejandro Rey, Jim Davis, Ed Lauter

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Return of the Witch (1952) Available November 1

4 Evil Eyes

One of the most remarkable films we’ve seen in 30 years of business. An archaeological team unearths the body of an ancient witch and pulls a stake from her rotted corpse. Soon a beautiful naked girl is found in the witch’s grave. The villagers are sure she is the ancient witch returned to life. She soon sets about bewitching men in the most erotic ways imaginable, without resorting to full-blown sex. The scenes of Mane dancing nude were intended to be mesmerizing—and they are! The film’s overall visual images are great. The blending of a classical-style score with a flowing sense of eroticism is haunting. In Finnish with English subtitles. 35mm.

STARRING: Mirja Mane, Toivo Makela, Hillevi Lagerstam, Sakari Jurkka

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Re-Agitator Available November 1

4 Evil Eyes

Goth superstar Aurelio Voltaire and original gangsta rapper Schoolly D star in this cult camp catastrophe, where a beautiful aristocrat (Amanda Flowers) is resurrected by mad doctor Orbert Wescraft at the request of her obsessed husband (Rock N Roll legend Alan Merrill). But when she rebels against the doctor and joins a cult of the zombies planning to resurrect their evil god, pandemonium ensues! Now only her husband, two wacky journalists, a teenage girl hellbent on revenge, a stoned boy genius, and the President can save the world.

STARRING: Schoolly D, Aurelio Voltaire, Amanda Flowers, Alan Merrill

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Island of the Doomed (1967) Available November 1

4 Evil Eyes

Mitchell is the evil Baron von Weser, who has a grim collection of carnivorous plants. When a group of people vacation on his island, they soon they find themselves having to deal with his monstrosities. Watch out for his blood-drinking tree, which soon becomes acquainted with several unfortunate guests. This is a fast-moving piece of Euro-schlock. Mitchell is great as he underplays his evil role. This film has had some awful video releases in the past, but this is probably the best video copy on the market. Aka Man-eater of Hydra.

STARRING: Cameron Mitchell, Elisa Montes, George Martin, Kay Fischer

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The Ghost’s Royalty Available November 1

4 Evil Eyes

In a small 1800s Massachusetts town, a student of theology becomes fascinated with a dilapidated old country mansion. He soon learns the place is haunted by the ghost of a beautiful young woman, whose father was responsible for her death. An arrangement has been made, though, between the ghost and the father whereby he is banned from the house in return for a ghost royalty, paid to him four times a year. This wonderful B&W gothic Euro-chiller is largely overlooked by horror film historians. It is filled with exquisitely acted scenes and atmospheric moments of underlying dread. The scene where the black-veiled ghost descends the stairs is quite memorable. Laforêt has a vague likeness to Barbara Steele and is a true beauty in her own right. Definitely recommended. Based on the classic Henry James ghost story, “The Ghostly Rental.” In French with English subtitles.

STARRING: Stéphane Fey, François Vibert, Marie Laforêt, Reine Courtois, Michael Lonsdale

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Ferryman Maria Available November 1

4 Evil Eyes

One night a village ferryman hears the passenger bell. At the dock, he finds a dark figure waiting to cross the black waters. It’s Death, who has come for him. Soon after, young Maria takes over as the new ferryman. One night she gives a ride to a wounded man who is marked for death. But when Death comes she tries to save him. The scene where Maria dances with death is a great moment. She later flees over the dark countryside and hides in a church, but to no avail. With Death at her heals, Maria trudges into the swamp to meet her destiny. A beautiful film and a true classic.

STARRING: Sybille Schmitz, Aribert Mog, Carl de Vogt, Peter Vob

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The Deathhead Virgin (1974) Available November 1

4 Evil Eyes

Gaynor is a treasure hunter who finds the haul of a lifetime—a sunken galleon off the coast of an island in the Philippines. Imagine his surprise, though, when he finds the ship is guarded by the vengeful spirit of an ancient princess (who’s depicted accurately in the film’s posters). She stalks totally naked around the beaches and possesses Gaynor’s partner’s soul, sending him on murdering rampages. Not bad for such a cheapie. Norman Foster directed. Several bikini-clad babes flaunt their goods. Rated R for nudity and violence.

STARRING: Jock Gaynor, Larry Ward, Diane McBain, Vic Diaz, Kim Ramos

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Dark/web (2019) Available November 1

4 Evil Eyes

In the near future, the evolution of the internet has given way to a world in crisis: one where everyone’s connected but no one is safe. Molly Solis, a cyber analyst, understood these dangers better than anyone and was determined to make a difference… until she disappeared. Now, friends and foes from her past are in a race against time to decipher cryptic messages she’s left behind: tales that paint a grim picture of technology run amok. As the mystery deepens, they discover that the stories, and Molly herself, may be concealing information that could change the world… or destroy it.

STARRING: Lana Mckissack, Sibongile Mlambo, Brian Elerding, Michael Nardelli, Noemi Gonzalez

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Crowhaven Farm (1970) Available November 1

4 Evil Eyes

Lange and her hubby inherit a farm—Crowhaven Farm. But there is something strange about the aging country estate. Lange sees visions of ancient settlers doing odd things with rocks and wooden doors. The neighbors spin tales of witchcraft that all seem to point to Crowhaven. But why is it that all the villagers, all typical modern Americans, seem so…kind? Soon Lange realizes that something is very amiss. Carradine has a great bit as a malevolent handyman. A wonderfully creepy film with an unsettling feeling of impending horror that will make you pull your feet up onto the couch and your knees up in front of your face.

STARRING: Hope Lange, Paul Burke, John Carradine, Lloyd Bochner

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Casting the Runes Available November 1

4 Evil Eyes

This short made-for-TV British feature is only loosely based on the classic short story of the same title by M.R. James, but it is extremely eerie and chilling, just like you’d expect from an M.R. James work. A man is walking his dog when he is confronted with a supernatural horror that sends him stumbling and screaming into and open field. The authorities find him dead, nearly every bone in his body broken. Later, a beautiful young television producer is passed a slip of paper (slipped into one of her books) with ancient writing on it. She now has only four weeks (a Lunar calendar month) to live. She begins to experience terrifying events. The solution for her? Pass the paper back to the insidious fellow who passed it to her in the first place. But how? We all of course remember the earlier classic film version of this tale, Night of the Demon with Dana Andrews.

STARRING: Jan Francis, Iain Cuthbertson, Bernard Gallagher, Joanna Dunham, Edward Petherbridge

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Bliss Clip – That first taste | ARROW

4 Evil Eyes

In need of creative inspiration, a professionally stagnant and hard-partying Los Angeles artist recklessly indulges in a series of drug binges. As the narcotics fly out of control, so does her newfound and inexplicable, yet unquenchable, craving for blood in Joe Begos’ shot-on-film rad-as-hell rock n roll rollercoaster take on vampirism.

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Take Back the Night Clip -Trouble sleeping

4 Evil Eyes

An allegorical story of violence against women and the dangers of victim-blaming wrapped in a classic monster movie, writer-director Gia Elliot takes no prisoners in her multi award-winning debut feature Take Back the Night.

Finding herself the victim of a violent monster attack, Jane launches a vigilante campaign to hunt the beast that tried to kill her. But her troubling history of drug use and mental illness bubbles to the surface, causing her family, community and the authorities to question her account. Alone in her fight, Jane starts to doubt her own memory of the attack… and to wonder if the monster exists at all.

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Two Witches Clip – Someone is Following Me

4 Evil Eyes

With its super-saturated color palette, tenebrous art design and electrifying soundtrack, Two Witches presents two truly terrifying conjoined tales of witchery, paranoia and terror that hark back to the gory thrills of classic Euro horrors such as Suspiria, Shock  and The Beyond.

Expectant young mother Sarah is convinced she has been given the evil eye from a mysterious blank-eyed old hag while she is dining with her bullish and insensitive partner Simon. When the couple go to visit his new-agey friends Dustin and Melissa, dark forces are unleashed after an ill-advised attempt at consulting a Ouija board to allay her fears. Meanwhile, tensions grow between grad school student Rachel and her new roommate Masha after a violent incident involving a man that the strange and impulsive young woman has brought home.

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Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror Trailer | ARROW

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While groundbreaking director Mario Bava (Black Sunday, Black Sabbath) remains the most well-known purveyor of Italian Gothic horror, many other filmmakers tried their hand at the form throughout the 1960s as part of a hugely prolific and popular cycle. Gothic Fantastico presents four off-the-beaten path titles from this classic period, all of which demonstrate Italy’s ability to expand genre beyond the classic literary monsters that dominated elsewhere.

Gaslighting abounds in Massimo Pupillo’s Lady Morgan’s Vengeance – a delicate tale of romance and mystery, with a sprinkling of sadism and the supernatural – as newlywed Sir Harold Morgan (Paul Muller, Nightmare Castle) attempts to destroy his new bride (Barbara Nelli, Double Face) with help from his sinister maid (Erika Blanc, Kill, Baby… Kill!). Meanwhile, the perverse influence of Poe is used to great effect in Alberto De Martino’s The Blancheville Monster – a tale of family curses and madmen in the attic, as Emilie de Blancheville (Ombretta Colli, Gladiator of Rome) returns home to her brother Roderic (Gérard Tichy, Hatchet for the Honeymoon) and discovers her own family may be out for her blood. Mino Guerinni’s The Third Eye features not only a very early role for Italian cult film icon Franco Nero, but a plot that borrows several elements from Hitchcock, layered with a whiff of necrophilia. Finally, Damiano Damiani’s The Witch takes a more avant-garde approach, when a young historian (Richard Johnson, Zombie Flesh Eaters) is lured to work for an ageing woman, only to be held captive when he becomes obsessed with her beautiful daughter (Rosanna Schiaffino, The Killer Reserved Nine Seats).

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Friday, October 28, 2022: A Savannah Haunting Premieres Today on VOD

4 Evil Eyes

A Savannah Haunting centers around a family who moves to Savannah, Georgia to escape the memory of their young daughter’s tragic drowning. Once in their new home, the mother begins to experience chilling phenomena that lead her to believe she is being haunted by her dead daughter. But an old black woman with ties to the home’s slavery past warns there may be darker, more sinister forces dwelling beneath the house. The family is torn apart as the haunting turns each of them against the other. Will they discover what is inside their home before it’s too late?

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