DVD Collectors Online

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark , a review by Dragonfire

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark My Thoughts I sort of remember seeing Elvira on tv back in the 1980s.  I think I did see some of the show she did hosting low budget horror movies - I can't remember the name of it now.  The character, while a bit over the top, is entertaining.  I have seen some of this movie on tv, though I'm not sure if I ever saw all of it before now.  I decided to pick it up when I found it on sale - as you can see from the picture, I have it in a two movie set.  I'll probably watch that other movie here soon.  The plot is thin and not that developed, but it manages to work.  A lot of what happens is silly, but again, that works for what is going on.  The humor doesn't always work, but most of ends up being pretty funny.  A lot of corny lines are used, usually by Elvira.  Some supernatural type of stuff does turn up, and I like that those things are included.  Several elements do seem to be influenced by the B horror movies.  There's nothing serious about this one.  It is campy and cheesy, but really fun. There are some sexual situations and a lot of sexually suggestive lines used in the movie.  Most of the sex appeal comes from Elvira in her very, very low cut dress that really displays her...assets.  It seems like a miracle that she didn't pop right out of that dress in some scenes with how her ..assets were bouncing around.  I'm thinking heavy duty tape was used..and maybe super glue.  lol  Anyway, even though she does show off a lot of skin, there isn't any nudity or any sex scenes in the movie. The characters, while not that developed, are interesting enough.  Chastity Pariah fits her name perfectly with how repressed and uptight she is. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and am glad I have it in my collection.  It is cheesy as hell and campy, but it is fun. - I rounded up from 3.5 to 4 for Epinions. I did get a review posted on Epinions. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

(From Dragonfire's 2010 Horror Marathon on October 4th, 2010)

5 Dolls for an August Moon, a review by Jimmy

Title: 5 Dolls for an August Moon (1970)

Genre: Murder Mystery
Director: Mario Bava
Rating: Unrated
Length: 1h21
Video: Widescreen
Audio: Italian
Subtitles: English

Stars:Plot:
Bava's ultra-mod 1970 murder mystery remains one of the most critically divisive and little-seen films of his career. Bava imbues the derivative script with a sly streak of black humor and a steady stream of eye-popping visuals, including a va-va-voom performance by giallo goddess Edwige Fenech. Never released theatrically in America, it has since become a favorite of Bava fans worldwide.

Now that's more what I like, a well done sexy Giallo that isn't the most brutal one but certainly complicated. What we have is essentially is murders that happen in a close room (ok it's an island, but this is mostly the same) and we know that the murderer is one of the 10 protagonists. Evidently you will make a lot wrong guess before knowing who is the killer and this is the essence of a good Giallo, a genre where the Italians are the masters. The end was a surprise for me the first time and I've appreciated it and I've seen the hints that explain it (I've seen the movie 3 times it sure help). Great performance from Howard Ross, Maurice Poli (wait to see him in Kidnapped

(From Mario Bava marathon on July 5th, 2009)

The Good Old Days TV Thread, a review by addicted2dvd

My Thoughts:
This is a show I have learned I like quite a bit. Unfortunately the series only lasted the one season (30 Episodes). Which was released on DVD in 2 volumes. With so few episodes I decided that I would only watch an episode here and there to allow my enjoyment of first time viewings to last much longer. Even though every time I watch an episode I get the urge to continue watching the set. There is one thing that bugs me a bit about this show. The time travelers never find a change of clothes to match the time period. And you seldomly see anyone question their attire. This episode is a good example of this... here they are in the time of General Custer and Chief Sitting Bull... one in a suit and the other in a turtleneck sweater. But yet they are not even looked at funny. As for this particular episode... I enjoyed it quite a bit. It is an interesting time period. It has a good story with a little bit of action as well.

My Rating:

(From The Good Old Days TV Thread on February 18th, 2010)