Movie Review: The Devil's Honey

For as wildly inconsistent as Lucio Fulci can be, almost all of his films (at least the ones that I have seen) have something of interest about them. Granted, as much as love and enjoy many of his outings, I realize I have only seen a small slice of his filmography. With that said, when I saw Severin Films announce the release of a Fulci film called The Devil’s Honey, I was immediately intrigued. Besides the opportunity to get more Fulci on Blu-ray, it was a movie I had never even heard of. What is this mysterious Devil’s Honey? Turns out it is an erotic thriller that eschews in your face blood and gore and turns it's attention to in your face, melodramatic, sleaze.

Concert Review: Fabio Frizzi, Brooklyn, NY (10/30/17)

It was just over two years ago that I first had the pleasure of witnessing the genius of Fabio Frizzi live and in person. It was one of those transcendental, bucket list moments that I never thought I would ever get to experience. I am fast learning that those “I never thought” thoughts are never a lock. I mean, this came after I saw Iron Maiden (four times now), a band I never thought I’d get the chance to see live and after I saw Goblin (at the same venue as Frizzi, no less). Since that time I have seen another “I never thought” in the person of John Carpenter. I have pulled off a horror trifecta. Now, I have had the absolute pleasure of seeing Fabio Frizzi a second time (and in another week will be able to say the same for Goblin).

Screening Report: The Beyond (6/16/15 Alamo Drafthouse, NY)

Comparatively speaking, I have not been a horror aficionado for very long. I have covered a lot of ground, but always feel like I am playing catch up. Still, in that time I have come to love a fellow named Lucio Fulci. I may have only seen a handful of his movies to this point, but there is no denying that he has risen through the ranks of favorite directors. Among that handful, one has become one of my all time favorites, The Beyond. A masterpiece of surrealistic, gory horror, so any chance to see it on the big screen must be taken, of this there is no question.

Movie Review: The Psychic (1977)

Over the few years I have been getting into the deeper cuts of horror, Lucio Fulci has stepped up and fast become one of my favorite directors. With that said, I have not seen nearly enough of his films and that is something that really needs to be rectified. The good thing is that this Halloween season has been kind to me and I have been able to scratch a couple more titles of the list. One of the newly seen is the lackluster, but not terrible, Aenigma. The other is the movie at hand, The Psychic, also known as Sette note in nero. I saw it projected at a drive in (DVD, sadly not 35mm, but was still fun) and really enjoyed it.

Movie Review: Aenigma

Despite only seeing a handful of his films, Lucio Fulci has climbed his way up my favorite directors list. Still, I have always heard that his movies tailed off in the latter years prior to his untimely death, but had not had the pleasure of seeing any of them. Well, there is Cat in the Brain, which I really kind of like. Here I am with one made a couple of years prior to Cat, a little flick known as Aenigma. It is one of the lesser known titles and with good reason. Should you not see this one, you are not missing all that much as it is really not that good of a movie.

My Gateway to Italian Horror

This first appeared during 2013's Italian Horror Week at DocTerror.com.

When it comes to horror movies, I have a lot to learn. I was late to the game and missed the glory days of the 1970s and 1980s. So, I guess it goes without saying that I spend a lot of time playing catch up. During that catching up I have found a love for Italian horror. There is something about them that is very alluring. There is a very distinct look and feel to them, they truly stand out from a crowd. When you find one, it is very hard to mistake it for anything else, if anything, you will find films from other countries that emulate that distinctiveness, whether on purpose or not (for a recent example, check out Rob Zombie's Lords of Salem).

Movie Review: Zombi 3

Note: I originally reviewed this film back in 2007, a recent viewing encouraged me to go back and make some revisions...
Producer Franco Gaudenzi, after the success of Fulci's Zombi 2 (unofficial sequel to Romero's Dawn of the Dead), wanted to get another zombie movie into theaters. He approached Lucio Fulci about making Zombi 3. He agreed. The end result is a film that is only partially Fulci's and one that he has said that he does not particularly like. Now, if the director doesn't like the film, why should we? The answer is we probably shouldn't, and it really isn't all that good. Still, there is something about it that holds an unexplained attraction.