Peter Newbrook directs Robert Stephens, Robert Powell and Jane Lapotaire in this period chiller where an English country squire called Sir Hugo Cunningham searches for immortality by literally ‘bottling up’ the Spirit of the Dead, or Asphyx.

Like the best Hammer this is creepy yet creaky, quaint yet unique. A Tale Of The Unexpected that goes the route less travelled. The sequences where the squirmy Asphyx rod puppet is trapped in beams of light contains obvious trickery and genuine tension. Not very scary but a memorable curio.

6

Perfect Double Bill: The Skull (1965)

Stephen Hopkins directs Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Denis Leary in this thriller where four yuppies find themselves on the run in Chicago gangland after witnessing a murder.

Trashy chase movie that never reaches its potential. Is Denis Leary a convincing baddie? Why is the warehouse district of Chicago quite so post-apocalyptic? Do we really want Emilio doing his best impression of his Dad? Why are the lighting choice so expressionistic if this is supposed to be a gritty urban thriller? If Jeremy Piven is going to play the role coked out of his bonce then why not let his character enjoy a line or a bump? Yes, the Predator theme music cooks but it is pretty glaring when borrowed here. Speaking of soundtracks… the CD album tied to this movie saw a dozen mash-ups between rock acts and hip hop artists. That experiment probably towers over the movie itself. Though I have a soft spot for it. It scratched an itch. One more set piece or another main character death and we’d be onto a winner.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Trespass (1992)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/ and my own Substack https://substack.com/@edinburghlaughterbulletin

Delbert Mann directs Rock Hudson, Doris Day and Tony Randall in this romantic comedy where rival advertising executives declare war on each other over a non-existent product which leads to one posing as a scientist to seduce the other.

Mad Men was never like this!

5

Perfect Double Bill: Pillow Talk (1959)

Andrei Tarkovsky directs Nikolay Burlyaev, Valentin Zubkov and Evgeniy Zharikov in this Soviet war movie told from the perspective of a young scout who the officers try to shield from death.

Tarkovsky’s first is one of his most accessible. Almost the antithesis of Come And See in that this tries to avoid the horrors of war. No battle sequences or heroics are depicted. This all takes place in the inbetween and downtime. Yet the endless threat of death is there, just not the dehumanisation. Simple yet less brutal. The ending is a gut punch in many ways. The perfect black and white cinematography by Vadim Yusov is ethereal. He conjures up wonderful poetic moments in darkness and mists.

7

Perfect Double Bill: The Sacrifice (1986)

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Bill Gunn directs Duane Jones, Marlene Clark and himself in this supernatural drama where after being stabbed with an ancient, germ-infested knife, a doctor’s assistant finds himself with an insatiable desire for blood.

As a serious black horror movie from an artistically motivated voice Ganja & Hess’ historical significance can not be disputed. As a vampire film from somebody who clearly had no interest in making a genre movie… as a coherent plot by somebody who might not know or care how to tell a story… as a piece of filmmaking collated from establishing and pick up shots with looping dubbed over them… it is all a bit shite. Isn’t it? Sorry to be one of those “white critics” but groundbreaking doesn’t excuse amateur hour bafflement. Interminable.

4

Perfect Double Bill: Blacula (1972)

Mark A.Z. Dippé directs Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo and Martin Sheen in this comic book adaptation where an elite mercenary is killed, but comes back from Hell as a reluctant soldier of the Devil.

The lawless 90s splurged out this abomination that mashes up Tim Burton’s Batman with Brandon Lee’s The Crow to create maybe one of the ugliest films that ever got a wide release. The opening credits are a digital grotesquerie where the names are unreadable and I’m sure everyone involved is slightly relieved by this opening gate snafu. Top billed John Leguizamo aims to be Nicholson’s Joker but his Clown is just a grating fart joke machine. The action occasionally kicks the whole thing to life but it lacks context within the grab bag plotting. A hot steaming mess.

3

Perfect Double Bill: The Crow (1994)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/ and my own Substack https://substack.com/@edinburghlaughterbulletin

Guy Hamilton directs Angela Lansbury, Elizabeth Taylor and Edward Fox in this Agatha Christie mystery where Miss Marple helps her nephew solve a country house murder involving a visiting Hollywood film production.

Not the most ambitious production ever staged but the ensemble is genuinely mind boggling. Rock Hudson! Kim Novak! Geraldine Chaplin! Tony Curtis! No lines / baby faced Pierce Brosnan! Matinee stodgy has never been so dazzling. Or catty…

6

Perfect Double Bill: Witness For The Prosecution (1957)

William Peter Blatty directs George C Scott, Brad Dourif and Ed Flanders in this serial killer thriller set in the aftermath of The Exorcist.

Did we watch The Exorcist III? No, I wagered that the recently re-edited “Legion” cut would be the best option on Arrow’s double disc release. This draft can be a tad incoherent. A lot of the resurrected footage is grainy poorly lit VHS copy. Which is fine when watching lengthy scenes of Brad Dourif in his cell spouting devilry but there are times when it is a singular two second shot! The distraction of switching formats means it takes you right out of the growing dread. The best stuff is untainted. There are four or so DePalma worthy dreamlike tension sequences, all ending in huge jump scares. A gruff Scott gives it his all. When it goes hard into horror it goes really hard. Legion might never be an easy ride, and I’m guessing the tonal confusion might still exist whatever version you watch, but I’m pumped to give the studio cut of Exorcist III a revisit sooner rather than later. A bastard movie but a very effective one in spits and spots.

7

Perfect Double Bill: Dominion: A Prequel To The Exorcist (2005)

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“Mystery is the number one conjurer of ideas.” – David Lynch

Eraserhead (1977) 👍

The Elephant Man (1980) 👍👍

Dune (1984)

Blue Velvet (1986) 👍👍

Twin Peaks: Northwest Passage (1989) 👍👍

Wild at Heart (1990) 👍

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) 👍👍

David Lynch’s Hotel Room (1993)

Lost Highway (1997)

The Straight Story (1999) 👍

Mulholland Dr. (2001) 👍

Inland Empire (2006)

Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) 👍👍

Jûzô Itami directs Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto and Ken Watanabe in this Japanese comedy where a truck driver helps a struggling noodle shop owner turn her business around.

Just a wonderful treat. The delicate central romance has echoes of Howard Hawks or John Ford. A group of mismatched men surround a lone woman and protect her. Here from foodie mediocrity. That gentle affair has bundles of charm. But what makes Tampopo a timeless cult classic is its offshoots and comedic vignettes. We often freewheel away from the core plot to lose our selves in other appetite based skits. A gangster seduces his lover with whatever kinky room service he can order. The hierarchies at a business lunch are turned on their head when it comes to ordering from a menu. Just what is the polite society way to slurp spaghetti? The whole banquet is meta and pointless and self aware and quirk. Hard not to love, easy to devour.

8

Perfect Double Bill: Mystery Train (1989)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/ and my own Substack https://substack.com/@edinburghlaughterbulletin