daniel-phillips's - Rented List
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This trio of classic 1930's horror films - 'Murders in the Rue Morgue', 'The Black Cat', and 'The Raven' is also distinguished by a trio of factors regarding their production. Most notably, each film is based on a work by master of the macabre Edgar Allan Poe. Part of the legendary wave of horror films made by Universal Pictures in the 30's, all three feature dynamic performances from Dracula's Bela Lugosi, with two of them also enlivened by the appearance of Frankenstein's Boris Karloff. And finally, all three benefit from being rare examples of Pre-Code studio horror, their sometimes-startling depictions of sadism and shock a result of being crafted during that brief period in Hollywood before the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code's rigid guidelines for moral content. Director Robert Florey, who gave the Marx Brothers their cinema start with 'The Cocoanuts' in 1929, worked with Metropolis cinematographer Karl Freund to give a German Expressionism look to 'Murders in the Rue Morgue' (1932), with Lugosi as a mad scientist running a twisted carnival sideshow in 19th-century Paris, and murdering women to find a mate for his talking ape main attraction. Lugosi and Karloff teamed forces for the first time in 'The Black Cat', a nightmarish psychodrama that became Universal's biggest hit of 1934, with Detour director Edgar G. Ulmer bringing a feverish flair to the tale of a satanic, necrophiliac architect (Karloff) locked in battle with an old friend (Lugosi) in search of his family. Prolific B-movie director Lew Landers made 1935's 'The Raven' so grotesque that all American horror films were banned in the U.K. for two years in its wake. Specifically referencing Poe within its story, Lugosi is a plastic surgeon obsessed with the writer, who tortures fleeing murderer Karloff through monstrous medical means. Significant and still unsettling early works of American studio horror filmmaking, these three Pre-Code chillers demonstrate the enduring power of Poe's work, and the equally continuous appeal of classic Universal horror's two most iconic stars. - Director:
- Robert Florey
- Cast:
- Sidney Fox, Bela Lugosi, Leon Ames
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Star Trek 1: The Motion Picture (1979)Star Trek I: The Motion Picture / Star Trek: Phase II
When an unidentified alien destroys three powerful Klingon cruisers, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) returns to the newly transformed U.S.S. Enterprise to take command. Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley and the cast from the acclaimed original Star Trek television series mobilise at warp speed to stop the alien intruder from its relentless flight toward Earth. - Director:
- Robert Wise
- Cast:
- William Shatner, Doug Hale, Leonard Nimoy
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Tag (2015)Riaru Onigokko / The Chasing World
Mitsuko (Reina Triendl) is the sole survivor of a bizarre paranormal incident that kills all of her classmates. Running for her life, Mitsuko seemingly slips into an alternate reality, but death and chaos seems to follow her everywhere. As Mitsuko finds herself in increasingly surreal and violent situations, the true horror behind her nightmare is revealed. - Director:
- Sion Sono
- Cast:
- Reina Triendl, Mariko Shinoda, Erina Mano
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Cold Fish (2010)Tsumetai nettaigyo
Shamoto runs a small tropical fish shop. His second wife, Taeko, does not get along with his daughter, Mitsuko, and this worries him. One day Mitsuko is caught shoplifting at a grocery store. There they meet a friendly man named Murata, who helps to settle things between Mitsuko and the store manager. Since Murata also runs a tropical fish shop, Shamoto establishes a bond with him and they become friends; Mitsuko even begins working for Murata and living at his house. What Shamoto doesn't know, however, is that Murata hides many dark secrets behind his friendly face. He sells cheap fish to his customers for high prices with his artful lies. If anyone detects his fraud or refuses to go along with his moneymaking schemes, they're murdered and their bodies disposed of by Murata and his wife in grisly ways. Shamoto is taken in by Murata's tactics, and by the time he realizes that Murata is insane, and a serial killer who has made over fifty people disappear, he is powerless to do anything about it. But now Mitsuko is a hostage at Murata's home and Shamoto himself has become the killer's unwilling accomplice. Cruel murders gradually cripple his mind and finally the ordinary man is driven to the edge of the abyss. - Director:
- Sion Sono
- Cast:
- Makoto Ashikawa, Denden, Mitsuru Fukikoshi
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By 1986, many fear-fans were probably under the impression that the slasher genre had run out of surprises. However, 'Mountaintop Motel Massacre' indicates that nothing could be further from the truth. Unlike so many of its contemporaries, this positively sleazy, and sanguine-stained, sickie features an older antagonist in the seriously psychotic Evelyn (Anna Chappell) - an elderly and absolutely insane off-road hotel owner that might well give Norman Bates some sleepless nights. When Evelyn is not taking a sickle to the faces of those stupid enough to rent a room at her one-star establishment, she is planting poisonous snakes under their beds or hiding in an underground bunker that gives her plenty of time to plan her next bout of shockingly brutal slaughter. - Director:
- Jim McCullough Sr.
- Cast:
- Bill Thurman, Foster Litton, Linda Blankenship
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She was torn in Detroit...on an automobile assembly line. But she is no ordinary automobile. Deep within her chassis lurks the devil incarnate. She is Christine - red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury whose unique 'standard' equipment includes a chilling, insatiable vengeance that will destroy anyone in her path. She seduces 17-year-old Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) who becomes consumed with passion for her sleek, rounded, chrome-laden body. She demands his absolute and unquestionable devotion and when outsiders seek to interfere, they become the victims of Christine's uncontrollable wrath. - Director:
- John Carpenter
- Cast:
- Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul
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The Seventh Seal (1957)Det sjunde inseglet
As the Black Death continues to wipe out the population of Europe, knight Antonius Block (Max von Sydow) returns from the Crusades, disillusioned and worn. When suddenly Death (Bengt Ekerot) appears before him, he asks for the chance to live, proposing a game of chess to decide his fate. The knight takes his squire, a troupe of traveling players and a deaf and dumb girl under his protection as the game is played out. One by one Death exacts his toll, and it is up to Block to stall his opponent for as long as possible if he is to help save the lives of those he is trying to protect. All the while, the villages and towns about them fall further into ruin and religion takes a stranglehold on those desperate for a means of survival. - Director:
- Ingmar Bergman
- Cast:
- Max von Sydow, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot
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JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable (2017)JoJo no kimyô na bôken: Daiyamondo wa kudakenai - dai-isshô
In 1999, a mystical Arrow - which can manifest latent supernatural abilities known as 'Stand' - travels throughout the town of Morioh, Japan. A high school student named Josuke Higashikata and his friends are thrust into a new world they never knew existed, having to face off against deadly Stand users whilst trying to uncover the mysteries of the Arrow itself and how to stop its wielder. - Director:
- Takashi Miike
- Cast:
- Kento Yamazaki, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Nana Komatsu
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The Bloodthirsty Trilogy (1974)The Vampire Doll / Lake of Dracula / Evil of Dracula
Inspired by the runaway success of the British and American Gothic horror films of the sixties, Toho brought the vampiric tropes of the Dracula legend to Japanese screens with The Vampire Doll (Legacy of Dracula), Lake of Dracula, and Evil of Dracula - three spookily effective cult classics collectively known as 'The Bloodthirsty Trilogy'. In 'The Vampire Doll', a young man goes missing after visiting his girlfriend's isolated country home. His sister and her boyfriend trace him to the creepy mansion, but their search becomes perilous when they uncover a gruesome family history. 'Lake of Dracula' begins with a young girl suffering a terrifying nightmare of a vampire with blazing golden eyes. Eighteen years later, the dream is revealed to be a hellish prophecy when a strange package containing an empty coffin mysteriously turns up at a nearby lake. In 'Evil of Dracula', a professor takes up a new post at an all-girls school only to discover the school's principal conceals a dark secret and the pupils are in grave danger. - Director:
- Michio Yamamoto
- Cast:
- Kayo Matsuo, Akira Nakao, Atsuo Nakamura
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From Japan's wildest and most prolific director Miike Takashi comes a bloody tale of murder, betrayal and phantasmagorical vengeance. Set in a theatre, this is a story where life comes to imitate art in spooky and ultimately shocking ways. Stage star Miyuki plays Oiwa, the protagonist in a new play based on the ghost story 'Yotsuya Kaidan', a classic tale of murder, betrayal and vengeance. She pulls some strings to get her lover, unknown actor Kosuke, cast in the play, sparking jealousy with the other male performers. Trapped between the play and reality, the cast's feelings for each other are amplified. When it becomes clear that love is not meant to be both on and offstage, love turns into a grudge and crosses the blurred line between reality and fantasy. As theatre and life begin to intertwine, 'Over Your Dead Body' builds to a nightmarish finale that only a filmmaker as perversely brilliant as Miike could have envisioned. - Director:
- Takashi Miike
- Cast:
- Ko Shibasaki, Hitomi Katayama, Hideaki Itô
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Linda Hamilton (The Terminator) and Peter Horton (Thirtysomething) star as a young couple who find themselves lost on the backroads of Nebraska, eventually winding up in the seemingly deserted town of Gatlin. But the town is far from empty. As the couple soon discover, it is inhabited by a twisted cult of murderous children, thirsty for another blood sacrifice... - Director:
- Fritz Kiersch
- Cast:
- Mitch Carter, Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton
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Lesson of Evil (2012)Aku no kyôten
Cool and charismatic English teacher Seiji Hasumi (ITO) is popular with students and teachers alike. He inspires trust and respect from his class, greeting many with an affectionate, if irritating, ruffle of the hair. But his actions soon take a turn, revealing something dark behind that charming smile. Students become suspicious when friends slowly start to disappear, but little do they know that absolute jaw-dropping carnage is just around the corner. - Director:
- Takashi Miike
- Cast:
- Takayuki Yamada, Howard Harris, Fumi Nikaidô
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For Love's Sake (2012)Ai to makoto
Not exactly a director that plays along with genre rules, the prolific Takashi Miike now takes his talent in genre bending to the pure romance world with 'For Love's Sake' (a.k.a. Ai to Makoto), based on Kajiwara Ikki's 1973 manga series. An epic story of a rich high school girl who falls in love with a tough young gangster, Miike's take on the story breaks all the rules with musical numbers (with music by popular music producer Kobayashi Takeshi), tongue-in-cheek humour, and in-your-face violence. 'For Love's Sake' is a unique and incredibly wild ride that will change your definition of what a pure romance can be. - Director:
- Takashi Miike
- Cast:
- Satoshi Tsumabuki, Emi Takei, Takumi Saitoh
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Early Summer (1951)Bakushû / Shukujo wa nani o wasureta ka
Regarded by many as the world's finest director, and renowned for his exact, formalist style, Yasujiro Ozu made his first film in 1927 and went on to direct 55 films before his death in 1963. It was only during his final years, however, that his genius as a film-maker was recognised in the West alongside such contemporaries as Bunuel, Bergman and fellow countryman Kurosawa. Early Summer (1951) further explores Noriko's relationship with her family, and examines her role as a modern woman in a traditional society. - Director:
- Yasujirô Ozu
- Cast:
- Seiji Miyaguchi, Kuniko Miyake, Chikage Awashima
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One Missed Call: Trilogy (2006)Chakushin ari / Chakushin ari 2 / Chakushin ari final
Tapping into the same brand of terror as the 'Ring' and 'Grudge' movies, visionary director Takashi Miike (Audition, Blade of the Immortal) presents a modern, high-tech twist on that mainstay of Japanese folklore, the yurei or vengeful spirit, in the form of its own iconic antihero - the terrifying Mimiko. In the first instalment in the trilogy, 2003's 'One Missed Call', student Yoko (Anna Nagata) receives a phone message from her future self, ending with her own death scream. Two days later, she dies in a horrific rail collision. As the mysterious phone curse spreads, claiming more young lives, Yoko's friend Yumi (Ko Shibasaki) joins forces with detective Hiroshi (Shinichi Tsutsumi), whose sister met the same gruesome fate. But can they unravel the mystery before the clock runs out on the next victim - Yumi herself? Mimiko's curse continues to wreak bloody havoc in two sequels - 2005's 'One Missed Call 2' and 2006's 'One Missed Call: Final', in addition to spawning a TV series and an American remake. - Director:
- Takashi Miike
- Cast:
- Barbara Goodson, Ko Shibasaki, Doug Stone
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