Tor's blog

In the Pantheon of truly eerie television shows "In Search Of" holds a seat at the head of the table. It's blend of dubiously collected evidence conveyed in documentary form, it's baleful soundtrack and some haunting verite reenactments made for a potent viewing experience.

Like many, I greet with cautious optimism the news of long dormant British horror/fantasy purveyors Hammer films jumping back into production.The recently introduced "Wake Wood" will probably veer well away from the studio's turn of the seventies style, that said, as a one-time rabid consumer of their product I would like to offer one small plea. It goes as follows...

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When I was about 12, I saw Ed Hunt's "Bloody Birthday" for the first time. The experience was coring. Of course there have been other films that have tackled evil kids, but none of them has ever done for me, or to me what "Bloody Birthday" does.

The success of euro exploitation films in the late seventies and early eighties opened a few new geographical horizons to the phalanx of filmmakers staining their hands in the bloody depths of the continent’s wicked watershed. Deodato, Lenzi and Michele Massimo Tarantini all ventured into the Amazon. Sergio Martino went to Sri Lanka while a few others went in search of remote island locations. What say we look at a few European coastal jewels from these purveyors of fancy filth?

Mendocino County begins about 70 or 80 miles North of San Francisco on U.S. 101. The strong coastal winds and small population keep the air clean and crisp and the temperature moderate. The seaside burg of Fort Bragg is one of the county’s coastal jewels and has managed to maintain relative prosperity thanks to the fishing and timber industries.

Dennison Ramalho is a lesser exposed voice within the horror scene, but a pretty distinctive one if his “Amor Só de Mãe” (Love from Mother Only) is any indication. It’s a tight little 20 minute vision of end times which are brought about through the act of matricide. What really worked well for me was Dennison's firm grounding of the story within a Brazilian milieu; one that manages to be both believable and slightly surreal.

Of all the bygone phenomena of my youth I think none is more deeply mourned than the midnight movie.

So, I love college football and the season is here! In honor of that, I thought I’d compile my all horror and exploitation team. The criteria is mostly name, nickname and in some cases deed. That said, no O.J., no Rae Carruth, may they share an inner tube on the Phlegethon. You’ll notice it isn’t a full squad…I’m leaving room for walk-ons or perhaps I’m lazy. Also you’ll note some NFL guys on here so I’m playin’ fast and loose with my rules or ...I’m lazy.

Okay I couldn't wait any longer so I watched "Mother of Tears" (badly compressed) online. I don't feel like giving a full review is fair because of the low quality of the rip I saw, but there are a few things worth saying, perhaps mostly for those on the fence.

Let's get the bad out of the way first...

So it seems as if the ol' Knights Templar were not heinous devil worshipping bastards afterall. Those crusading guardians of the grail may have only had it in for Muslims and other communities opposed to the forced Christian colonization of Jerusalem.