Mayhem Motel
Mayhem Motel – 2001- United States
Mayhem Motel takes place during one night in a sleazy motel. The movie follows various deranged, foul-mouthed, sex-obsessed characters as they try to get laid and occasionally kill each other. In the first 15 minutes, a man carries around a hamper labeled “human organs”, another man vomits while taking a bath (the tub has Easter eggs floating in it, for some reason), and another man gets his crotch shaved by a woman in a Marilyn Monroe costume.
Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare
Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare – 1968 – Japan
In medieval times, treasure hunters explore the Babylonian ruins of Ur and awaken a bird-like vampire monster. The vampire (named Daimon) flies to Japan and possesses the magistrate of a town. He commits various atrocities such as drinking blood, acting rude, kidnapping children, and killing a dog. A young samurai teams up with a Buddhist monk and some friendly monsters from Japanese folklore. They defeat Daimon by stabbing out his eyes.
The Blancheville Monster
The Blancheville Monster – 1963 – Italy/Spain
France 1884: After attending college in England, a young woman returns to her ancestral castle. Since her father recently died (under mysterious circumstances) and her favorite servants have left, the castle is now a foreboding place. Furthermore, she learns of a family prophecy indicating that her family will die if a girl child ever reaches the age of 21. Predictably, the young woman’s 21st birthday is in 5 days. Also predictably, her father is not really dead. Disfigured and insane, he stalks the castle, trying to prevent the prophecy by killing his daughter with the power of hypnosis.
The Ridge
The Ridge – 2005 – United States
Five young people vacation at a luxury house in the mountains. Eventually an insane mountain man called the Ridge Runner arrives and chases them around with an axe.
The Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow
The Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow – 1959 – United States
On their quest for fun, a friendly club of teenage hot rodders struggle with juvenile delinquents, traffic cops, and stodgy parents. After the broke teens are evicted from their clubhouse, they occupy a haunted mansion. Secretly living in the mansion is Paul Blaisdell, who played the monster in The Day the World Ended (1955), It Conquered the World (1956), The She-Creature (1956), and Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957). Upset because he did not get a role in Horrors of the Black Museum (1959), he dresses in a monster suit and menaces the teens.
Murder Mansion
Murder Mansion – 1972 – Spain/Italy
A disparate group of people (including a biker, a hitchhiker, a lawyer, a socialite, and a womanizer) get lost in a foggy mountain valley. They arrive at an abandoned mansion next to a graveyard and decide to stay the night while the fog clears. Some of the people know each other and appear to be involved in a criminal business. The various characters bicker and have sex. Local legends suggest vampires once lived in the mansion, and before long, a creepy old woman and her disfigured chauffeur appear and begin killing people. In actuality, the old woman and the chauffeur are two of the stranded travelers in disguise. Their plot is to drive the others insane with fear to prevent some kind of business deal. Maybe. The plot is a little unclear.
Zeiram 2
Zeiram 2 – 1994 – Japan
Zeiram 2 is a sequel to Zeiram (1991). Iria, the foxy alien bounty hunter, returns to Earth to destroy a robot warrior who hosts the parasitic monster Zeiram. Iria and Zeiram face off in an alternate dimension containing an abandoned industrial complex, a Shinto shrine, and a 370’ tall statue of a woman. They battle with guns, martial arts, force fields, landmines, grappling hooks, heat seeking robotic insects, and a helicopter umbrella. Also present is Bob (Iria’s AI partner) and the two bumbling electricians from the first Zeiram film.
I Bury the Living
I Bury the Living – 1958 – United States
Robert Kraft reluctantly takes a job as manager of the Immortal Hills cemetery. On his office wall is a huge map of the cemetery filled with pushpins. Plots marked with white pins have been sold but are unoccupied, while plots marked with black pins contain bodies. Examining the map, Robert accidentally replaces a white pin with a black pin. When the grave’s owner dies the next day, it seems like a fluke .When the same coincidence happens again, Robert suspects the map has supernatural powers. He tells anyone who will listen but no one believes him. Trying to prove his claims to the police, he inadvertently kills others. Wracked with guilt, he attempts to bring his victims back to life by replacing the black pins with white ones. The next morning, Robert finds that the graves of his victims have been mysteriously dug up. This is never really explained. The film’s unbelievable twist ending reveals that the cemetery’s kooky old Scottish caretaker actually murdered most of the map’s supposed victims. The police also faked some of the deaths to make Robert believe in the paranormal map. Somehow this was supposed to trick the caretaker into revealing himself as the killer. Huh?
Interstella 5555
Interstella 5555 – 2003 – Japan/France
Interstella 5555 (a.ka. Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem) is a collaboration between French electronic musicians Daft Punk and Japanese manga creator Leiji Matsumoto. The film is a feature length narrative music video for Daft Punk’s album Discovery (2001).
Toward the Terra
Toward the Terra – 1980 – Japan
After Terra (Earth) is ruined by war and pollution, the survivors establish a totalitarian government called Universal Control. They create a computer program called Mother to breed a new race of genetically modified humans. These test tube babies have implanted memories that make them complacent and unemotional, thereby preventing mankind’s irrational tendencies from ever destroying the planet again. Occasionally, a mutant is born. These mutants are called the Mu. Each is physically disabled in some way (blind, asthmatic, mute), but they accommodate with psychic powers. Hunted by Universal Control, the Mu hide in their underground city and plot rebellion.
