Behind the Couch

Nestled amidst the wildly uneven yet marvellously unrestrained film work of Tobe Hooper is Lifeforce , his 1985 adaptation of Colin Wilson’s cult 1976 novel, The Space Vampires . An audacious amalgamation of sci-fi and horror, Lifeforce revolves around the discovery of slumbering humanoid aliens in the tail of Haley’s Comet and the terror they unleash when brought back to earth for study. A critical and commercial flop upon release, Lifeforce has undergone something of a reappraisal in recent times. Co-written by Dan O’Bannon, it’s a solid B-movie that mesmerises with its sheer audacity, abundance of effects, intriguing ideas, bizarro chutzpah and, well, space vampires! Head over to Exquisite Terror to read my full review of this cult classic. While you’re there, why not pick up an issue of Exquisite Terror , an independently produced periodical with an academic, analytical approach to cinematic horror. Issues 1 - 3 are available now, and issue 4 is available to pre-orde...

Now regarded as one of Dario Argento’s most accomplished films, Tenebrae was originally met with critical hostility upon its release in the UK. It was heavily edited, relegated to the 'video nasty' list and eventually banned. The twisted tale of an American mystery thriller novelist who becomes caught up in a slew of sadistic murders, seemingly inspired by his latest book, the film was Argento's return to the giallo after the gothic fairy tale horrors of Suspiria (1977) and Inferno (1980). Head over to The Quietus to read my retrospective on the film, in which I discuss its origins, its initial reception, and how it has been subsequently revaluated as a self-reflexive commentary on not only Argento’s own body of work and the conventions of the Italian giallo, but on the alleged effects of violent entertainment on audiences. Happy Halloween! 

1980 Dir. James Glickenhaus After returning home to the US from fighting in Vietnam, a traumatised soldier attempting to rebuild his life turns vigilante when his best friend is paralysed by a group of thugs. While it may unfold as a brazenly violent, exploitative and at times trashy revenge fantasy, Glickenhaus’s The Exterminator is also at times a strangely thoughtful commentary on the difficulties of ex-military reintegration, post-war trauma and government corruption. The socio-political subtext about the plight of Vietnam vets and how their own society and justice system failed them on their return home, isn’t just a front for the exploitative violence – the film does make some genuinely stark points – some of which, particularly those about the ordinary working man’s dissatisfaction with greedy, corrupt governments who make us pay for their mistakes – have never been more prevalent. John Eastland (Robert Ginty) fought because he felt he would be protecting the ideals of ...

1987 Dir. Michael J. Muro A dodgy liquor store owner flogs bottles of out of date ‘Viper’ at discount rate to the local homeless community, unaware of its true properties: it causes its consumers to melt. Very graphically. Fred and his brother Kevin, two young drifters, find themselves up against the effects of the toxic brew, as well as having to contend with the junkyard overlord Bronson, an unhinged war vet… When a film opens with a slapstick chase scene in which a tramp steals liquor and money from various people, full frontal nudity, fart gags, a man falling out of his wheelchair and some completely random and absurd violence when a man is pulled from his car by a hulking shell-shocked hermit and hurled through his own windshield, you just know you’re in for an utterly depraved splurge of a treat. Dearest reader, may I present to you the gloriously perverted and truly outrageous schlock-fest Wes Craven once said made John Waters look like Mary Poppins: Street Trash ! Leave y...