MURDER LEGENDRE

George A. Romero, whose career has now spanned more than 40 years, is much more than just “the godfather of zombies.” He’s an overtly political filmmaker whose films comprise a veritable scrapbook of the times in which they were made. But I don’t want to spoil your fun. He’s also a pulpy, subversive madman who delights in giving us blood and gore to make the real-life horrors he feeds us more visual. The horror of racism goes down easier when hungry zombies ease the pain; the horror of war goes down easier when hungry zombies ease the pain; the horror of a consumer driven society feeding on itself goes down easier when, well, hungry zombies ease the pain. His 1973 film The Crazies contains echoes of horrific events such as the Vietnam War, and the betrayals of the Nixon presidency. But, here, Romero’s not in a giving mood. There are no zombies, or anything else, to soften the blow

Thinking about government soldiers breaking into your house at night while you are asleep while wearing specter white hazmat suits and World War II esk gas masks is creepy enough to get your skin to crawl, but thats just one visual Romero shows in this underrated movie. The simple, pastoral life in Evan’s City ( Which is mention in Night of the Living Dead, remember that Evan City was five miles from the farm house in NOTLD 1990), Pennsylvania, is totally destroyed when a government-engineered biological weapon is accidentally detonated outside of town. An extremely contagious virus, code-named Trixie, has been released. When a person catches “the bug,” as it’s called, the best-case prognosis is incurable, violent insanity. Before the townsfolk know what’s happening, their sleepy little hamlet has been invaded by the army and martial law has been declared. Though the government hopes to find an antidote, it’s quietly understood that the whole town will most likely be destroyed to contain the contagion. As the public panics and begins to fight back, it becomes harder and harder for the occupying troops to tell who is and isn’t infected.

Normally, movies so “of their time” seem dated when viewed decades later, but The Crazies manages to sidestep this hurdle because its themes still hold true today. Romero seems one director who’s medium truly hold true with the passing of time. Let’s just hope he can’t see into the future, a world run by zombies is one thing….a world run by scary dressed government agents with engineered biological weapons is another. Wait…….

Some films develop cults around them and some films wash away in the tide of film history so quickly that they never have time to develop a proper following. Directed by Gary Sherman and written by Dan O’Bannon (who directed one of my all time favorite flicks Return of the Living Dead), the low-budget chiller Dead & Buried probably should have been more popular than it was. However, now is as good a time as any to get acquainted with this minor masterpiece. Dead & Buried was largely ignored during its original theatrical run and it’s a shame it isn’t more widely known today. The film has so much going for it including some atmospheric cinematography and some grisly gore effects by the late and great Stan Winston. The storyline is also an interesting and original concept especially considering the slasher film was all the rage at the time. Sherman’s movie has quite a lot going for it and the performances only reinforce this notion. The three main principle leads are all very good here and bring with them an air of believability to the creepy supernatural shenanigans permeating the plot.

Potter’s Bluff, Rhode Island: a quiet little New England burg where everybody knows your name, where going out to eat invariably means the greasy spoon on Main Street, and where you’re likely to meet the most eccentric personalities. Of course, if you’re an outsider, you’re also likely to meet your untimely demise. Sheriff Dan Gillis (James Farentino) has two grisly murders on his hands, and the pieces just don’t add up. With the assistance of local coroner (Jack Albertson), Gillis finds himself inexorably drawn to questions with deeply unsettling answers.

Dead & Buried is a film that, thankfully, no longer reflects its title. It’s alive and out there, waiting to thrill the next unsuspecting viewer. After sitting down and watching this film again, it truly is a great piece of celluloid. Such a quaint and enigmatic film is rare and should be appreciated now in case it falls off the radar once again. Please check out this flick, and once you do, send me an email and let me know what you though about the ending!

The more Karen and I watch Paul Naschy movies, the more we see a resemblance to Lon Chaney Jr. It’s a shame Paul Nashy had to pass away early this December, but his amazing catalog of work is still here for us to take in. We here at Murder Legendre HIGHLY recommend you start checking out his body of work, it is very impressive. The man has an acting range second to none, and can any part to the tee. From Priest, Gravedigger, Murderer, Werewolf etc. he pulls it off with such ease and grace, I’m hard pressed to understand why people weren’t talking about him prior to his death. Bottom line, please look into checking out his flicks, you wont be disappointed.

The Hanging Womans plot is truly something to behold. The plot involves a guy named Serge Chekov (Stelvio Riso), a swinging chap with a killer ’70s coiffure who shows up in Scotland to score an inheritance. He’s in for a rude introduction to the lovely culture, when he accidentally stumbles upon the hung corpse of a woman. This is only the start of his troubles, though, as it’s soon clear the family he’s gotten involved with is fucking crazy. You’ve got a scientist messing around with re-animating the deceased, a wacko gravedigger named Igor (Paul Naschy), some Satan-worshippers, and a witch who likes to have intercourse on a Ouija board type table. It all equals awesome!

Obviously, there are some  bizzaro moments to be found in The Hanging Woman, but this is very much reminiscent of a Hammer film—the time period, the setting, the methodical pacing, the emphasis on dialog, a central mystery, a dude named Igor. If that’s your bag, then there is plenty else in this film to keep you interested.

While not among the elite Spanish gothic offerings, The Hanging Woman is still unique and entertaining enough that it distinguishes itself from the pack, making it a worthwhile viewing for fans of the genre as well as horror aficionados in general. If you’re a Naschy fan (if not, we hope you will be), this is a no-brainer, and the striking imagery throughout should please the discerning cinephile’s eye.