DVD Collectors Online

House of the Long Shadows, a review by Danae Cassandra

House of the Long Shadows
Year of Release: 1983
Directed By: Pete Waller
Starring: Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, John Carradine, Desi Arnaz Jr.
Genre: Horror

Overview:
Newly Re-mastered in HD! Horror legends Vincent Price (The Oblong Box), Christopher Lee (The Crimson Cult), Peter Cushing (Madhouse) and John Carradine (The Sentinel) star as the screen's greatest gruesome foursome! When a young novelist, Kenneth Magee (Desi Arnaz, Jr., Billy Two Hats) spends a night at Baldpate Manor to win a bet that he can turn a best-selling novel in 24 hours, he gets more than he bargained for. The grizzly Grisbane clan arrives to celebrate the 40th anniversary of a ghoulish family secret. And their dinner party has murder on the menu. Lightning! Thunder! Torrential rain! Clattering shutters! Creaking doors! A locked attic! A sinister secret! Murder! All the ingredients of the classic "Old Dark House" tale come together in this top-notch horror film by cult film-maker Pete Walker (House of Whipcord). Co-starring Richard Todd (The Assassin) and Sheila Keith (Frightmare).

My Thoughts:
Price, Lee, Cushing, Carradine.  These are the reasons to watch this film.  They're all the elder statesmen of horror by the time this film gets made (Lee is the youngest at 61), and this is the only film that all four appear in together.  If you're a fan of any of these actors, and most especially if you're a fan of all of them, their performances make this film worth watching.  All of them are superb.  Arnaz Jr. is also competent enough in his role.

On the other hand, the neat little twist at the end is completely overshadowed by the lame second twist and the lamer third twist.  Though it's true to the novel that inspired it (Seven Keys to Baldpate), I really think the film would have been better leaving those off and ending the film before the second twist.  The repeat twists were very much a let down after the rest of the film.  I was also really annoyed by Julie Peasgood's character.  Every time she would scream and cower all I kept thinking was "what a useless person!"

Recommended if you're a fan of the four lead actors.  These men are always a treat to watch, and this film is no different.  Not necessarily for the more casual, or modern, horror fan - I'd recommend a number of their earlier films first, simply because of the let down in the ending here.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 3/5

2015 Horror Movie Count: 10

(From Horror/Halloween Marathon 2015 on October 17th, 2015)

The Last Starfighter, a review by Tom

Title: The Last Starfighter
Year: 1984
Director: Nick Castle
Rating: PG
Length: 101 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.35
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Kay E. Kuter
Dan Mason
Lance Guest
Dan O'Herlihy
Catherine Mary Stewart

Plot:
"GREETINGS, STARFIGHTER! You have been recruited by The Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and The Kodan Armada." So begins an adventure of galactic proportions in The Last StarfighterThe Last Starfighter 25th Anniversary Edition is the ultimate video game fantasy come true!

Awards:

Hugo Award	1985	Nominated	Dramatic Presentation
Saturn	1984	Nominated	Best Supporting Actor	Robert Preston
Young Artist Awards	1985	Nominated	Best Young Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Musical, Comedy, Adventure or Drama	Chris Hebert

Extras:
BD-Live
Commentary
Featurettes
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
Trailers

Strangely, I didn't know this movie before. I stumbled across it, when I read a recent article on denofgeek.com recently about the best 1984 geek movies.
This movie is one of the first movies which did all visual effects on the computer. Of course it is really outdated now, but it is not that horrible. The rest of the movie is fun to watch. I can't believe that I never saw it before. It can easily compete with other 80s geek classics like WarGames.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on July 31st, 2010)

"Due South" marathon, a review by Tom

3.02 Eclipse (1997-09-21)
Writer: Paul Haggis (Created By), John Krizanc (Writer)
Director: Richard J. Lewis
Cast: Paul Gross (Constable Benton Fraser), Callum Keith Rennie (Stanley "Ray" Kowalski), Beau Starr (Lt. Harding Welsh), Camilla Scott (Inspector Margaret Thatcher), Tony Craig (Detective Jack Huey), Tom Melissis (Detective Dewey), Catherine Bruhier (Elaine), Gordon Pinsent (Fraser Sr.), Jackie Burroughs (Gladys Caunce), Diego Matamoros (Detective Hallet), Alan Peterson (Brandauer), Maria Vacratsis (Charmain), Walter Alza (Jimmy), Steve Michalchuk (Bronco), Tyler Kyte (Young Raymond), Peter Bray (Marcus Ellery), Diana Salvatore (Young Stella), Aron Tager (Tom)

A good episode where we (and Fraser) learn more about the new Ray. Nice touch is, that Ray needs glasses for shooting. With them he is a really great shot, but without them he doesn't hit anything.

Rating:

(From "Due South" marathon on September 13th, 2009)