DVD Collectors Online

Haunts, a review by Jimmy

Title : Haunts (1977)

Overview
A small town is stalked by a deranged killer who uses scissors as his weapon and a very religious young woman begins to suspect that her uncle may be the killer. As more murders take place, the young woman fears that she too will become a victim of the killer. Shocking twists and turns bring you to a surprise ending as well as the identity of the killer.

My Impression
The synopsis (I don't write them) and the general marketing for this film is the biggest problem with it. This film is sold as a serial killer movie and this fact hurts the movie a lot. Knowing absolutly nothing about it I was waiting for something to happen, the film start with a murder and this the only one that happen (unless I've fallen asleep). The end explain a lot of thing and the title become clearer. So don't expect a SK movie and this movie will be a much pleasant experience. On the positive side Aldo Ray is too good to be in this genre of movie, if you don't know the end of his career was quite sad because of the Screen Actor Guild. His card was revoken because he had used his real name in a non-SAG production (Sweet Savage) and without a SAG card it's impossible to work in Hollywood. That's why he was only in C-movies untill his death in 1991. Cameron Mitchell give an honest performance, but he is really underuse.

I've not really like this film because I was hoping something else, but if you know that it's not a SK film I think that you could appreciate it.

Rating :

(From Chilling Classics (50 Movie Pack) - films review on October 21st, 2008)

Black Book, a review by Rich

A pleasant jaunt through the Netherlands...



September 1944 - Nazi Occupied Holland'. When her temporary safe house is destroyed by a bomb, the beautiful young Jewish chanteuse Rachel Steinn joins fellow refugees in an attempt to reach safe Allied territory by boat.
Tragedy strikes when a Nazi patrol intercepts their escape, ruthlessly killing everybody onboard including Rachel's family; only Rachel escapes the massacre. Embittered and desperate for revenge, she joins the Resistance where, assigned a new identity as the blond Ellies de Vries, she is charged with infiltrating the German Security Service by seducing senior officer Muntze (Sebastian Koch).
Twenty years in the making, this stunning, sexy war film from the internationally acclaimed blockbuster director Paul Verhoeven ('Basic Instinct', 'Total Recall', 'Starship Troopers') is an epic and moving tale of great courage and fierce emotion - played out against the dying explosive months of WWII.

Now this what makes marathons so appealing, a film that has sat on the unwatched backburner for ages is finally watched, and it's a real masterpiece. Paul Verhoeven's return to his homeland is marked by this excellent movie, and a reason to forgive him for Showgirls. Brutal,sexy,bold and revealing, these stories should be told, and viewed from a Dutch perspective, culminates in a wonderful viewing experience.  Highly recommended. 8/10

(From Around the World in 80 DVD's on January 5th, 2008)

"Stargate SG-1" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Thor's ship has been successfully destroyed during the re-entrance into the atmosphere but one of the Replicators did survive. It manages to rescue itself to a russian submarine. There it kills the entire crew and begins to replicate. In Thor's home galaxy things aren't good either, the Asgard have no weapon to defeat the Replicators and they close in on one of the Asgard planets.

My Opinion: It was cool how Thor tried to explain that the Asgard are to intelligent to find a primitive way to destroy the Replicators. I also liked the fact the russians actually spoke russian without being subtitled. It wasn't necessary for the understanding to know what they said - I understood it nonetheless. (The one asks what is making that noise and the other one actually replies that it could be the bugs from the previous episode!)

Synopsis: It's one of the rare moments when someone "calls" Earth and not the other way around. The people of the planet Euronda ask for help since there is a world war on their planet. If Earth gives them all the heavy water they need, they would give all their technology in exchange.

My Opinion: What bothered me about this was the initial behaviour of Jack's. He behaved more like in Shades of GreyStar Trek: Deep Space Nine) character turns against Teal'c. I didn't like it much.

Synopsis: The Tok'ra Freya/Anise (Freya is the host) brings an ancient technology to Earth. But she only does it because it doesn't work on Goa'uld/Tok'ra/Jaffa. After SG-1 (except for Teal'c) has put the armbands on many of their abilities enhance by several degrees: strength, speed, sight. Unfortunately the armbands can't be removed and the human body isn't able to cope with these changes over a longer period of time.

My Opinion: This episode and the behaviour of SG-1 was funny, especially the entire scene in the restaurant. But it also showed again that the team will be there for one another, no matter the price.

Synopsis: A friend of Teal'c's, the high priestess Shan'auc, did manage to communicate with her Goa'uld larva. She convinced it that it should join the Tok'ra. But this must happen soon since the larva is fully grown and cannot remain in Shan'auc much longer.

My Opinion: It was somehow predictable that the Goa'uld would betray Shan'auc but I liked to see Peter Wingfield (Methos in Highlander) again. And I could understand Jack's disappointment that they've fleeced by the Tok'ra again.

(From "Stargate SG-1" Marathon on March 27th, 2008)