Spell (2020)

Director: Mark Tonderai
Starring: Omari Hardwick, Loretta Devine .USA. 1h 31m

18 years on from Ian Softleys powerful hoodoo thriller Skeleton Key (2005), the time and tested horror had graduated into Spell, which is a strange name for a rootworking movie but nonetheless no one will be surprised when the incantations, grimoire and ritual work is let loose. However this darkened story has closer ties with Misery (1990) and the Hills Have Eyes (1977/2005).

Macumba Sexual (1983)

Macumba Sexual (1983) Director: Jesús Franco Starring: Ajita Wilson, Lina Romay, Antonio Mayans, Lorna Green, Jose Ferro .USA/Ita. 1h 20m

Franco’s attempt to build a provocative romp around African magic, works in as much as it combines a staggering round of art house prono with a loose story about a powerful witch princess who’s attempt to take over the world one orgasm at a time is going to plan.

A lithe Spanish real estate agent, Alice (Romay), and her partner, a French writer, are holidaying in the Canary Isands when she has a highly erotic dream about a tall black woman who walks through the desert with two human slaves on chains. That very day she’ll recieve a message from her boss to visit Princess Obongo (Wilson) for business, but soon she realises the prophetic nature of her dream and embarks on a journey of sexual awakening.

I Eat Your Skin (1964/1971)

(a.k.a. Zombies, Zombie Bloodbath and Voodoo Blood Bath)

Director: Del Tenny
Starring: William Joyce, Heather Hewitt, Betty HyattLinton, Dan Stapleton .USA. 1h 25m

There’s a kitchy comic wanderlust feeling about this movie which is what makes it so memorable, no matter how cheesy or racist it ends up, it’s from the mid 60’s it’s going to be questionable by todays standards but it had a great vibe, a goofball story and possibly the first suicide bomber zombie?

Written, Produced and Directed by Del Tenny in the mid 60’s there wasn’t much scope for getting the movie released until 1971 when it was unshelved and became a drive in legend with a similar named production called I Drink Your Blood (1970) and as off key freaky duo they work together however with the addition of savage natives, zombies and evil scientist neither are really all that scary. Tenny’s other swinging flicks include The Horror of Party Beach and The Curse of the Living Corpse both from 1964 and share all the psychobilly themes of any halloween tiki party.

Zombie 2, The Dead are Among Us, Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)

Director:Lucio Fulci . Writer : Dardano Sacchetti
Starring. Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson, Al Cliver, Olga Karlatos, Auretta Gay. Italy. 1h 31m.

I had seen a great deal of movies around the time I finally found a copy of this on DVD and being in my early 20’s I prided myself on seeing a lot of horror and gore films, banned movies galore, I honestly thought I had seen it all, but half way through this Zombie Flesh Eaters, I realised I hadn’t see anything quite like the Tiger Shark Vs Zombie scene… I got into more detail here, but the film is a testament to Fulci’s ability to try new things while being a staple in the 70’s horror scene.

Curse of Chucky (2013)

Director: Don Mancini
Starring: Brad Dourif, Fiona Dourif, Danielle Bisutti, Alex Vincent, A Martinez, Brennan Elliott, Summer H. Howell, Maitland McConnell, Jennifer Tilly . USA. 1h 33m

It’s hard to believe that this horror franchise is still going, but with this thrilling 6th installment there is a huge step made back to the traditional story with less of the comedy antics. The first direct to DVD movie sees Chucky arrive as a gift to the home of  the paraplegic Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif) and her mother Sarah (Quesnei), later on Sarah is found dead from a stab wound and it’s ruled as suicide. Later Nica, is visited by her domineering older sister, her husband, daughter Alice and a nanny. Alice soon finds Chucky and begs to keep him, they agree, but after some googling Nica becomes aware of the history of a particular killer Good Guy doll but no one listens to her theories until Chucky is in full swing and picking off the family one by one. Buy why this family? Can Nica work out the history before Chucky comes knocking.

Puppetmaster (1989)

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Director: David Schmoeller.
Starring:Paul Le Mat, William Hickey, Irene Miracle, Jimmie F Skaggs, Robin Frates, Mews Small +. USA. 1h 30m.

Despite being one of the more memorable cult horror from the late 80’s I don’t feel the the Puppetmaster gets the recognition that it deserves, this is probably the fault of the 9 sequels that slowly parodies and destroys the original magic of the deadly dolls.