GIVE A SHOUT TO WORD UP! wordup@papermag.com
Entries tagged with 'Darksky'
Posted Jun. 17, 2008,
Simon, King of the Witches!
By Dennis Dermody
Some movies are deserving of cult status. Simon, King of the Witches, out on DVD next week, is definitely one of them -- and then some. This oddball 1971 film is about a warlock named Simon (Andrew Prine) who lives in a storm drain and is dragged into the spotlight by a young hustler (George Paulsin) and egged on into using his evil powers against a disbeliever, which ends up coming back to haunt him. Set during the hippie/love/cult era, Prine makes a shambling, long-haired, hipster warlock. Warhol favorite Ultra Violet shows up later as a witch too in this psychedelic, strange film. Directed by Bruce Kessler (The Gay Deceivers), Prine himself talks about the making of the film in a revealing featurette. He claims the screenwriter was a warlock who had his own coven. Simon is a bizarre film because it doesn’t fit into any category -- and that’s part of its great charm. And Prine really is fabulous as Simon. He makes you believe all the nuttiness. The DVD quality is also extraordinary. I could finally throw away my old VHS. It’s even got nine extra minutes of footage. And more Simon, King of the Witches is just fine with me!
Posted May. 28, 2008,
Visions of Hell: The Films of Jim VanBebber!
By Dennis Dermody
Out this week is a must-own DVD box set, Visions of Hell (The Films of Jim VanBebber). A true underground film legend, Jim VanBebber’s films are artful as they are disturbing and violent. This terrific box set of his collected work includes Deadbeat at Dawn, his first feature about two rival gangs and one member (played by VanBebber) who has to exact revenge when his girlfriend gets killed. It’s schlocky and action-packed in a good pulpy way, but it’s VanBebber’s notorious second feature that deserves the most attention: The Manson Family, a violent meditation on hippie cult leader Charlie Manson, his “children," the massacre of Sharon Tate, and a wrap-a-round story of a TV journalist doing a piece on “the Family” who gets attacked by the next generation of Charlie’s kids. The story behind the film is just as fascinating (and is included in an amazing feature on this film’s second disc).
Posted Sep. 17, 2007,
The Killing Kind
By Dennis Dermody
According to: DVD Drive-In, on Nov. 20th, Darksy Films will release one of my all time favorites: The Killing Kind, a twisted little psychological thriller by the late, great, Curtis Harrington, director of Night Tide, What's the Matter With Helen?, Ruby, Queen of Blood, among many other genre favorites.
The Killing Kind (1973) stars a young John Savage (The Deer Hunter) as a 21-year-old just released from prison for a rape (he didn't really commit) who lives with his smothering, doting, mother (Ann Southern) who runs a boarding house for women. And yes, the ladies start showing up dead... The movie features a great supporting cast: Cindy Williams, Ruth Roman and Luana Anders. I just love this one. It's perverse and perfect.