My Hammer Horror Top Ten

When I saw Alan Toner's blog post listing his top ten Hammer Horror films, it got me thinking about my own favourites and I decided to list my own top ten. So. . .

1. The Vampire Lovers (1970)









2. Vampire Circus (1972)

3. Twins of Evil (1971) 

4. Hands of the Ripper (1971)

5. Quatermass and the Pit (1967)

Recent DVD and Book Buys

TRUE GRIT Excellent stuff from the Coen Brothers with Jeff Bridges in fine form as Rooster Cogburn, a worse for wear U.S. Marshall who is persuaded by 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) to track down her father's killer. This is a visual feast and I'm glad I managed to get to the cinema to see it on the big screen. Hailee Steinfeld has been highly praised for her performance, and rightly so. Not to be missed.

 SAVAGE STREETS The BBFC kindly waived the film's previous cuts and Arrow's release of this vigilante "classic" is beautifully presented. There's the double sided cover (the alternative is a little more sedate than the one pictured), a poster-sized version of the cover picture and a booklet written by Kier-la Janisse (the author of A Violent Professional: The Films of Luciano Rossi) about the film and others in the female vigilante genre. A ton of bonus material is on the DVD including interviews with Linda Blair and Linnea Quigley, and three audio commentaries. The U.S.-released special edition is out of print, but the bonus material featured on Arrow's release is largely the same. That U.S. release will set you back a pretty penny, but this release is region-free and should serve as a good substitute albeit on a single-disc. The film follows a female gang, The Satins, who are out for a good time. They take a car belonging to a gang of testosterone-charged lunkheads on a joyride. The lads don't take kindly to this and in an act of revenge, they brutally rape the most vulnerable Satin, the innocent and deaf Heather (Linnea Quigley), leaving her almost beaten to death. Now, Heather's sister, Brenda (Linda Blair), is out for vengeance  . . . A film very much of its 1980s time, Savage Streets is pretty silly stuff, but I do like a vigilante film and I like this one very much.

DVDs I Got For Christmas 2010

Just finished unwrapping my Christmas presents which included some DVDs. Love getting DVDs!

Doctor Who - Kamelion Tales I love my Doctor Who and the two stories contained in this set (Planet of Fire and The King's Demons) are two that I've not seen since they were originally transmitted. Planet of Fire marked Nicola Bryant's debut in the show and this set also includes a special edition of this story. I liked Peter Davison as the Doctor and I hope he takes part in the audio commentaries: he's usually good value in them.

Being Human (Series One) and Being Human (Series Two) 
I had mentioned these show in my review for the SFX Vampire Special magazine earlier this year. However, I'd not previously seen the programme. To put that right, I rented both series, but my series two experience was ruined because the second episode would not play properly (the disc was very badly scuffed). I knew enough by that time, though, that this would be a show that I could happily watch again. And now, thanks to my generous brother, I can!

DVD Review - Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide

I originally posted this review on the Killer Reviews website, but they recently removed their movie reviews forums. So, for what it's worth, I thought my review may as well live on here . . .


Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide contains three DVDs with material as follows:

Disc One: A documentary about the video nasty controversy. This has a running time of approximately 72 minutes. There are also 50 minutes of company idents which will give some of us UK citizens of a certain age pangs of nostalgia. This disc ends with an image gallery containing cover art of the 80 titles that were on the Department of Public Prosecution’s section three list. These films were not liable for prosecution under the Obscene Publications Act, but they could be seized by the police. Some of the titles on this list were: The Hills Have Eyes, Friday 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Zombies: Dawn of the Dead.

Disc Two: Introductions and trailers from the 39 “nasties” that were successfully prosecuted in the UK courts and deemed liable to deprave and corrupt. Anyone found supplying these titles could face a fine or a prison sentence. Some of the titles on this list were: Cannibal Holocaust, I Spit on Your Grave, The Burning and Driller Killer. The running time for this section is approximately 4 hours and there’s an option to view the trailers only. There’s also an image gallery containing cover art for the 39 titles.

Recent DVD Buys

Here are some recent DVD buys that I've added to my collection.

The Human Centipede is a film that I enjoyed much more than I thought I would. It's one of those films that I think I'll watch over and over. Dieter Laser gives a fabulous performance as the misanthropic surgeon whose motivations are a little cloudy. Given the film's advance publicity, I'd convinced myself that it was going to be a mindless tale of tasteless excess. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I think some may be disappointed with how clean the whole thing looks.


Splintered is a the first full-length feature from director, Simeon Halligan. It's a British film that is part teen-slasher movie and part psychological horror. A low-budget affair with a talented cast, it does what it does very well. The basic storyline is that late-teen, Sophie and a group of friends go to rural North Wales where a mysterious creature is allegedly on the prowl. While on its trail, Sophie comes upon an abandoned building where she is captured and held in a cell by a strange man who claims he has locked her up for her own safety. Unfortunately, too much of the film takes place in darkness and the twist in the tale is a little disappointing. It's worth seeing, but it's a DVD that you'd probably rather rent than buy. 

Audiobook Review: Doctor Who - The Ring of Steel by Stephen Cole

Doctor Who - The Ring of Steel by Stephen Cole (Rating: 3/5)

The Doctor and Amy arrive on Orkney in the near future. The locals are involved in a protest against a power generating company over the erection of unsightly electricity pylons. As it turns out, these are no ordinary pylons and this is no ordinary power company. At the protest site, the road ruptures for no apparent reason, swallowing several demonstrators into the resulting chasm. Amy and the Doctor are separated by this incident. To make things worse, the pylons are coming to life . . .

Arthur Darvill’s steady yet compelling delivery of Stephen Cole’s prose is one of the highlights of this release. He certainly has some fun with the Scottish accents that, given the story’s location, are to the fore. He is also spot-on with the eleventh Doctor’s manner of speech. The descriptive prose is nicely evoked with plenty of alliterative phrases adding to the pleasing narration. The sound effects that accompany the narration give the story some additional oomph without becoming overbearing to the listener.

Book Review: Doctor Who - Nuclear Time by Oli Smith

Doctor Who - Nuclear Time by Oli Smith (Rating 2/5)

I read this novel twice. This was not because I enjoyed it so much that I had to go back for a second helping, though. No, the reason for the repeat was that I found the narrative too complicated to cope with first time around. Unfortunately, the second attempt proved to be just as confusing. The source of my bewilderment is the Doctor’s yo-yo time line in this story.

Now, I know that this novel has received a good number of favourable reviews, and I’m perfectly happy to accept that the fault for my bemusement is my own: plenty of other readers have not had a problem with the story’s non-linear structure.