Movie Review: The Night Child (Arrow Video)

Reviewed By:
Rob Sibley

The Night Child” has finally been given the proper DVD treatment from the fine folks at Arrow Video. The film was directed by Massimo Dallamano, best known for the classic Giallo  “What have you done to Solange?” but he's better known in the Italian film community as the cinematographer on such great spaghetti westerns “A Fistfull Of Dollars”, “For A Few Dollars More” and “Gunfight At Red Sands”.

The plot for Night Child concerns a documentary filmmaker (Richard Johnson) who's researching the occult for a new film. Eventually a mysterious painting leads him on a little research trip with his daughter (A standout performance by Nicoletta Elmi). Things become complicated when they discover a mysterious cursed medallion.

Made during the hay-day of Italian cinema, Night Child features a lot of the staples of 1970's Euro cinema. Calling this film a horror picture is a tough one since the tone is much more early Bava-esque in it's Gothic overtones. Don't go into this picture expecting any Fulchi or Argento style gore or kills. The film is pretty dry on that front. The gore isn't the only dry thing about this picture. The performances leave a lot to desire.

Movie Review: Plot of Fear (1976)

Raro Video has unearthed yet another giallo unreleased in the United States from the director of the excellent Black Belly of the Tarantula, Paolo Cavara. Cavara’s 1976 thriller Plot of Fear boasts a cast of some fine Euro cult regulars such as John Steiner(Tenebre, Shock)  and even successful American actors like Tom Skerritt(Picket Fences) and Eli Wallach (The Good The Bad and The Ugly), so from an outsiders viewpoint it has to be somewhat decent.

Michele Placido plays Inspector Gaspare Lomenzo, a policeman investigating a series of violent murders that seem to be baffling the authorities. This particular killer also seems to get a kick out of leaving pictures on each victim from a story book.  Red herrings are sprinkled throughout, mainly that of some very horny, cartoon porn-loving guests at a really perverse party. This particular bash gets out of hand and a young woman is accidentally killed. It doesn't sop there,  even Wallach’s character Pietro Riccio is under the suspicion of investigators.

Movie Review: Murder Obsession (Blu-ray, 1981)

Raro Video is quickly asserting itself as one of the top genre DVD/Blu-ray labels around. If you’ve seen their releases Fellini’s Clowns and Fernando Di Leo’s crime masterpieces and have taken a glance at their current slate of upcoming titles – Night of the Devils, Waves of Lust and Madness, as a Euro-cult fan you should be excited. Murder Obsession was an obscure Riccardo Freda film that surprised the hell out of me at how much trashy fun it was. Now, we have a Blu-ray release of Murder Obsession in High-Definition, packed with even more extras.

Michael (played by the incredibly wooden, Stefano Patrizi) is a successful actor with a dark secret in his past that involves his parents. For one, he has a strong Oedipus complex which he shares with his surprisingly sexy mother, Shirley (Martine Brochard) and he's also murdered his pappy. It's been years since Michael murdered his dad but even then he still experiences nightmares about the incident. Although Michael gets the jollys for his mum from time, he's found a girlfriend named Deborah (Silvia Dionisio) to share his life with. The couple decides to visit Michael's mom at her creepy old mansion where all of Michael's memories come full circle.

Movie Review: Devil’s Kiss (aka The Wicked Caresses of Satan, La perversa caricia de Satán, 1975)

Directed by Georges Gigo

Reviewed by Greg Goodsell

Medium Claire Grandler (Elvira lookalike Silvia Solar) harbors a longtime grudge against the De Hassenmont family for driving her husband Philip to suicide. Accompanied by her mad scientist friend, Professor Gruber (as Oliver Matthau) she befriends the Baron De Hassenmont by holding a séance at one of his many deliciously dull castle soirees.

Buy The Devil's Kiss on DVD from Amazon UK!

The Baron invites the pair to stay on at the castle to continue their research into the black arts and telepathy, rent free. Huh? De Hassenmont can’t be all that bad, but Claire as we shall soon learn is a vindictive little minx. Befriending a perverted dwarf, Claire and the professor reanimate a mutilated corpse – a skinny chap with facial scars – who strangles the baron. Very shortsighted, Claire and the professor now face the prospect of sleeping under bridges without their benevolent host, but never fear – the baron’s cheesecake photographer nephew steps in and allows them to stay on anyway. The hulking monster comes back to life to strangle the castle’s frequently naked chambermaid, in addition to a few other hapless souls who stumble into the castle at the wrong time before the cops arrive.