Siege (1983): Like a Punch to the Gut

Title: Siege (aka: Self Defense)
Director: Paul Donavan, Maura O'Connell
Writer: Paul Donovan
Stars: Tom Nardini, Brenda Bazinet, Daryl Haney
Year: 1983
Length: 84 minutes (Theatrical) / 93 minutes (Extended)
Rating: R
Format Viewed: Severin Films Blu-ray

This is for the extended cut.

I had never heard of this movie prior to Severin announcing they were going to be releasing it on Blu-ray. After one look at the trailer I knew I had to have it. So, after getting it and letting it sit on the shelf for a couple of weeks, my fiancee and I decided to try it out. To say we were unprepared for the experience would be an understatement. Siege lands with the force of a heavy punch to the solar plexus. Even after that initial hit the impact lingers on for some time after the event. Yes, Siege leaves an impact and feels just as, if not more potent than the year it was released.

The story is a simple one and is set with the backdrop of an actual historical event. In 1981 the police in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, went on strike for 42 days. This left the city to be controlled by crime, not unlike the Purge, or as I would imagine. While the police strike is real, I have not done the research to see if any other story elements are based on fact. Whether they are or not, the movie feels real. The story follows a group of far right sociopaths as they raid a gay bar and proceed to murder nearly everyone there. One of the bar patrons manages to escape. He finds refuge in a sparsely populated apartment complex where a group of friends take him in and engage in an all night siege with the sociopaths outside. 

That is all there is to it. Where the movie excels, is in the atmosphere. Siege does an amazing job of building dread and maintaining the suspense. While the motives of those on the outside disgust you, there is also great work done at making those inside the apartment likable. I found myself become truly invested in their lives and their efforts to survive and fight back. 

Siege has a gritty realism to it that is only enhanced by the low budget nature of the production. Everything is played straight, this is not a cult film full of unintentional (or not) laughs or jokes, there is no humor to dissipate the tension. Everything is done to serve the realism of the story. Believe me when I tell you that it does succeed on that level. Siege drew me in and held me in its cold grasp for the duration. I honestly did not expect it to be as good and effective as it was, I really had no idea what to expect. What I got was striking and left a mark behind. 

Rating: 4/5

Movie Review: Runaway Nightmare

So, as I was looking for something to watch, my gaze turned to my collection of Vinegar Syndrome releases. In the past couple of days, I watched a pair of their releases and figures I might as well keep it going. As I scanned the spines looking for an appropriate title, I settled on Runaway Nightmare. An oddity released way back in 1982 and one I was pretty sure I had never seen before, that’s always a plus. Anyway, as I started to watch the movie, something seemed vaguely familiar. As it turns out, I have seen Runaway Nightmare before, but I’ll be damned if I could remember any specifics about the plot. The deeper into the movie I got, I realized why I couldn’t remember the details.

Movie Review: Turkish Star Wars - Video Vortex Screening

Every so often I see a movie that leaves me absolutely stunned, perhaps even flabbergasted. There are movies that leave me in a state of awe from their greatness, there are movies that leave me in a similar state by how bad they are (regardless of their entertainment value). Then there is Turkish Star Wars, or The Man Who Saves the World, which defies all explanation. I was alternating between hysterical laughter and sitting there with my mouth open and jaw resting on my chest. It is a movie that boggles the senses and melts the mind. It is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

Movie Review: Tenebrae

Much like Fulci, Dario Argento is another director who I really admire and enjoy his films, but have seen precious few of them. It is not something I am proud of, but at some point I need to step up my horror game and start scratching titles off the old list of shame (kind of like what I did with Aenigma the other day). While I still need to see Profondo Rosso and Inferno, not to mention Four Flies on Grey Velvet, I did get to scratch off one of Argento's bigger titles. That movie would be none other than Tenebrae (or Tenebre, seems to be some dissent on the spelling), known in cut form as Unsane. I have to say, not bad at all.

Movie Review: Ru lai shen zhang (1982)

As I stumbled from the theater into the early hours of the night, I was stunned, dumbfounded, confused, and delighted. Reeling from the events that had just been witnessed by mine own eyes. Not in recent memory do I recall being privy to such an excursion into fantasy-fu as this. Swirling colors, blinding lights, costumed dragon things, acid spitting tumors, spinning knives and more intricate familial relations than you can shake a sword at. This movie is like nothing I have been ever asked to comprehend before. I am sure I will cross paths with it or its kind again, I can only hope that I am a little more prepared for it then. Of course, there is no way I could have been prepared for this.

Critical Capsule: Blood Tide

So, I watched this movie the other night that was so bad that it was literally a struggle to get through it. It is always a shame when I come across a movie like that, I like to think that every movie has at least something going for it, whether I be a performance, a scene, a line, even just a fleeting moment, just something. In the case of his flick, there was nothing except the merciful release of the end credits. The movie is called Blood Tide and it was released upon unsuspecting audiences way back in 1982. I feel fairly certain that not many people saw it then.

Movie Review: Revenge in the House of Usher

I am not sure I will ever understand or be able to explain the attraction of Jess Franco. I have only seen a handful of his films and they can be frustrating, obtuse, stylish, and atmospheric. His films can also be boring, dull, dry, silly, and amateurish. Stuff is there just to be there and sometimes it feels like he doesn't know what he is making and the plot is a by product of whatever scenes he happens to have shot. The latest creation of his to penetrate my eye sockets is Revenge in the House of Usher, a title that has been glaring at me whenever I pass it in my Netflix queue.

Movie Review: Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)

In 1980 a small movie called Friday the 13th hit theaters and proved to be a huge hit, scaring audiences across the nation. While there were slashers before it that set the stage, this was the one that exploited the violently horrific nature of horror and captured everyone's imagination. One year later, the terror returned, expanding on the franchise and introducing us to Mrs. Voorhees baby boy. This, too, proved to be a hit and a juggernaut was created. A third film was fast tracked and arrived in theaters in August of 1982, where it promptly became a box office hit. It also was the first, and so far only, Friday film to be shot in 3D.

Movie Review: Forbidden World

Roger Corman is a legend. Of this there can be no question. It is a shame that most of the movies he is involved in these days are SyFy Channel monster movie things like Sharktopus, Camel Spiders, and Dinocroc vs Supergator. These things are barely watchable in my estimation. Fortunately, we can go back to his Edgar Allan Pow adaptations with Vincent Price and his cheesier exploitation and horror productions that carried him into the 1980's. One of the best things about his prolific career is that I have so many more movies to discover and hopefully enjoy. The latest discovery is 1982's Forbidden World.

Horror-A-Day: Unhinged

All right, I am here still waiting for the Fall weather to show up, not these brief teases we've had so far. As it stands, temperatures hit the mid-70's today, past the halfway point of October. No, not entirely unheard of, but definitely puts a damper on the season. On another subject, did finally take a break from the Netflix horror offerings for the first time this month. I took to my DVD shelves and found o e that I ha never watched before. I am pretty sure I forgot I even had it.

Netflix'ns: Visiting Hours

Another October is upon us. That means it is time to dive in and watch more horror movies than any other time of the year. Yes, horror movies are more than an October thing, but there is something about this time of year, the oncoming chill, the dying of the trees that makes them feel all the more appropriate. With that said, I have scanned my Netflix queue and have found my first choice for he new October, 1982's Visiting Hours.

Movie Review: The Living Dead Girl (aka La morte vivante)

Hot on the heels of my experience with The Night of the Hunted, I jumped right back into the Jean Rollin pool with The Living Dead Girl. It is another haunting exercise in style, atmosphere, and mood, with less attention paid to performance ad story development. Who knew this could be such a potent combination? (that is a rhetorical question. Clearly somebody knew and I am left to play catchup.) Also, whenever I see the title, I cannot help but think of Rob Zombie, and knowing his affinity for horror, am assuming there is a connection, but am too lazy to actually look.

Zombie Coma: Zombie Lake and Oasis of the Zombies

There are bad movies and there are bad movies. There are movies that test your dedication to cinema. Let me tell you, there is nothing quite like a terrible piece of Eurotrash cinema to tempt you with tearing up your movie lover card. The double bill I watched the other day, wow. Seriously, if you have ever had a problem getting to sleep, these will put them to rest. The pairing would test even the most hardened bad cinema lover. At the same time, I do not regret taking the bullet. Hell,I might even recommend you try to take the same trip.

Blu-ray Review: Eating Raoul

I first saw this movie some ears ago and, frankly, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It is a movie that I was totally expecting to enjoy, but in the aftermath, felt rather indifferent towards it. I suspect I came across it at the wrong time in my development as a movie fan. Now, some years later, I have an opportunity to revisit it and I am glad for it. I doubt I will ever rank it among my favorites, but I have a much better respect for this bizarre, low-budget oddity.

Movie Review: Android (1982)

Here is a movie that I just happened to stumble across. I cannot say I had ever heard of it before, but the title seems to be right up my alley, plus it has Klaus Kinski in it. Hard to go wrong there, right? Well, maybe, but fortunately not this time. It turns out, Android was a production of New World Pictures, a company founded by B-movie legend Roger Corman and was made on repurposed sets from other movies. The reason for this was to gain the maximum value out of said sets. Seems to make sense when you make movies on small budgets. It is hardly a new phenomenon, but it is one that makes sense. If you have the sets, use them!