The Velvet Vampire (1971)

I think I’d only come across The Velvet Vampire (1971) with some critics citing it as a reference point to Anna Biller’s The Love Witch (though I don’t think it was an actual influence on Biller’s film; it exists in the same milleu and vibe that The Love Witch is creating). That, and as one […]

Fear City (1984)

I was hooked on Fear City’s (1984) opening credits with its lurid red-coloured titles, New York neon, and strip club montage, all pumping to Joe Delia and David Johansen’s song ‘New York Doll.’ Abel Ferrara directed this film, which feels like a 1940s film noir melodrama but coated in Times Square Eighties Sleaze. Filtering the […]

The Driller Killer (1979)

Now I’m a horror fan but not necessarily a gore-hound, so generally The Driller Killer (1979) never really appealed to me. However, I am a fan of director Abel Ferrara and this was his first low budget narrative film, so I felt it was time as I’m trying to be a completist about his filmography. […]

Body Double (1984)

While it might not be the best Brian De Palma film, Body Double (1984) is certainly the quintessential Brian De Palma film, and it’s certainly the most notorious, and it’s become my favourite of his auteur thrillers. Publicised as the heir to Alfred Hitchcock in his continual homages to the ‘Master of Suspense’ across films […]

The Strange Vice Of Mrs Wardh (1971)

One can also giallo for Halloween! The Strange Vice Of Mrs Wardh (1971; also titled Blade Of The Ripper) has all the prototypical elements of the Italian giallo genre: a leather gloved killer, bloody violence, writhing sex, a convoluted plot, chic 70s style in the outfits and interior design, a gorgeous score and an iconic, […]