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Island of Lost Souls The natives are restless tonight .  British actor Charles Laughton first uttered a variation of this immortal line in the 1932 horror film,  Island of Lost Souls , a pre-code production from Paramount that was banned in several countries--including the U.K.-- upon its controversial release. Based on an 1896 novel by H.G. Wells, Island of Lost Souls tells the wild tale of Dr. Moreau, a mad scientist conducting barbaric "biological experiments" on the unfortunate souls inhabiting a remote isle in the South Seas. Dr. Moreau is assisted in his endeavors by trusty sidekick, Montgomery, a disgraced former medical practitioner on the lam from British authorities. When Moreau's boat meets up with a cargo ship delivering cages of wild animals, handsome young castaway, Edward Parker, unceremoniously lands on deck as the big ship sails away.   At first, Moreau and Montgomery are annoyed to be stuck with this gatecrasher who accompanies them back to the is...
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Alice, Sweet Alice Originally titled Communion when it was first released in 1976,  Alice, Sweet Alice  is a perfect example of a low-budget movie that crashed and burned at the box office only to rise from the ashes of obscurity years later to become a well-regarded indie classic. Featuring 11-year-old Brooke Shields in a small (but crucial) role, Alice Sweet Alice was re-released under several titles in an attempt to cash in on Shields' notoriety in the wake of Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon . Despite this,  Alice was eventually consigned to the ash heap of public domain and cheap VHS videos. Over the years, the movie managed to attract an impressive following, and was finally reassessed by film scholars in the late 1990's. Now widely viewed as a milestone of underground horror, Alice, Sweet Alice  is a proto-slasher that casts a jaundiced eye on religion (in this case, Catholicism) and the corrosive effects of guilt, repression and fanaticism.  Filmed pr...
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  [REC] Filmed in Barcelona in 2006, REC is a low-budget found-footage shocker that spawned a successful 4-film franchise as well as an inevitable American remake ( Quarantine ). Directed by Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza ( V/H/S Halloween ), REC --short for record-- finds a reality-news show reporter and her cameraman assigned to document the overnight activities of an emergency response team at a local fire station. The squad is accommodating enough although the fire chief warns the pair that it's likely to be a quiet night. "We spend more time rescuing pets than fighting fires ," he says.  Sure enough, Angela and Pablo--the field crew of  While You're Sleeping --settle into a routine, with the guys exercising and playing basketball as they wait for the call that will send them sliding down the firehouse pole and directly into the path of danger. Angela assures the men that she'll personally be relieved if no emergencies pop up, but she's a reporter, so of...
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  Midsommar Murders Although Midsommar is director Ari Aster's second feature (his first was Hereditary ), the film still feels like the handiwork of a seasoned professional. It is well-crafted, beautifully photographed, intellectually provocative and highly atmospheric. It's also a difficult film to fully embrace.  Florence Pugh (currently chewing the scenery in Netflix's East of Eden ) is cast as Dani, a high-strung graduate student whose insecurity is alienating her from longtime boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), also a grad student half-heartedly searching for a doctoral topic. Christian's best friends, obnoxious wanker Mark (Will Poulter) and ambitious Josh (William Jackson Harper) are--very vocally--fed up with Dani's neediness, but Swedish student, Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) is a little more reserved. At least, he's not pressuring Christian to end his relationship, although, privately, Christian has just about reached his limit.  When Dani's bipol...
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