Never one to knowingly contradict the Father Of The Holy Church Of Rome, Dino De Laurentiis called a meeting the very next day, and had twenty-seven of his underlings sent out into each corner of the globe for to track down Damiano Damiani, the director of 1971’s Confessions Of A Police Commissioner To The District Attorney, that he might make a flick fit to have the whole world rending their garments with awe.
The rest is history.
Gyrating, freewheeling Sam Raimi cameras; Cronenbergian body horrors; seedy, myrtle-hued incestuous love scenes; a ridiculous Exorcist-apeing second half; the best stalking-children-with-shotgun sequence in all cinema (up to and including the famous moment in Ernest Saves Christmas when our hero blew the spines out the backs of 17 wailing pre-teens); Burt Young snarling at a priest like a starving hound snarling at a rabbit’s arse; an octopus beast screaming at the fella out of Commando; such were the wonders Damiani unleashed, and all the while exhibiting a prodigious lack of sympathy concerning the real life massacre upon which his plot (a prequel, as it happens, to the original) was flimsily based.
Amityville II – The Possession is a squalling, reeling, astoundingly inventive slab of horror cinema, and, after E.T., the second best film of 1982 about the devil making a fella touch his sister.
Article comments
1 - Mat Brewster
Nice job with this Ian. Looks like I'll have to add a couple of films to my must see list.
I can't remember if I've ever seen The Vampire Lovers. I used to watch all those old Hammer Horrors, but lord knows I love a good lesbian caper, but the old memories kind of blended them all together.
The last horror movie sounds fascinating.
2 - Ian Woolstencroft
Thanks Matt.
Vampire Lovers is definitly worth a look. It's based on the famous vampire story Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu
Apart from the horror films I’ve added to my must watch list (or in a some cases my must watch again list) I also have a burning desire to see Confessions of A Police Commissioner To The District Attorney. I’m guessing it has nothing in common with Confessions of a Window Cleaner.
Thanks to everyone who contributed.
3 - DukeDeMondo
Excellent job in putting this together, Ian, and everyone gave fantastic contributions. Even the choices i disagreed with (particularly Haute Tension, which i hated - and i also consider The Hills Have Eyes remake to be one of the finest action / horror / survival pictures of all ever) i loved reading about.
i really must see Eyes Without A Face. i've wanted to see it for AGES, years and years, but for some reason never have. i'll rememdy this immediately, is what i'll do.
and Friday 13th Part III - nice nice nice. Although part 4 - The Final Chapter, is my personal favourite, closely followed by Jason X, which was just sublime.
4 - El Bicho
Tip o' the hat for taking the lead on this, Ian, and to all the participants. Certainly some interesting choices for the reader's queues.
Enjoy "Eyes," Duke. The movie is timely as face transplants have been making progress. Try to find the Criterion Collection version because the extras contain horrific moments from real life that surpass what the film has to offer.
5 - Chris Beaumont
Nice selection of films! Although I didn't care for The Last Horror Movie.
Uzumaki is brilliant weirdness, and material I would like to see someone like Tim Burton take a stab at should Hollywood get the idea to remake it (which I doubt, a little too weird methinks).
I have copies of Eyes Without A Face (criterion) and Vampire Lovers that I have been meaning to watch....
Haute Tension was awesome until the final "twist" which I did not particularly care for.