DJ Touché
used to be one half of Big Beat-duo The Wiseguys. When he spilt up with partner Paul Eve he started to release house orientated music. In 2006 Theo Keating formed together with Simon Lord «The Black Ghosts».
«Cannibal Holocaust» (Ruggero Deodato, 1979). Of all the 74-odd Nasties, this was one of the most legendary when I was a youth. However, unlike the other more notorious titles («Snuff», «I Spit On Your Grave», etc), this is as shocking as it's near-mythical staus deserves. And as far as cannibal flicks go, forget the schlocky ...Ferox and the inept ...Terror – this is the real deal, made all the more powerful by the fact that it is a well directed and crafted film. Truly disturbing.
«Tenebrae» (Dario Argento, 1982). A stylish 'giallo' from 82 about an author seemingly being stalked by an obsessed killer. Directed with skill, and featuring a killer score from Goblin, this is a slasher classic. And watch out for the «arm» scene near the end for a proper shocker!
«The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue» aka «Let Sleeping Corpses Lie» (Jorge Grau, 1974). A genuinely creepy Zombie film set, of all places, in the English Lake District. The quiet, bleak surroundings set an uneasy tone, and this provincial backdrop makes the undead’s actions that much more macabre – as in George A. Romero's seminal «Night Of The Living Dead».
«Zombie» aka «Zombie Flesh Eaters» (Lucio Fulci, 1979). Another legendary Nasty, and widely accepted as a horror classic. Fulci creates some great tension here, most notably in the yacht scene that opens the film, and also in the opressive atmosphere of the humid, voodoo-cursed tropical island. Probably second only to «Dawn Of The Dead» as the definitive Zombie flick. Eye - popping stuff.
«The Beyond» (Lucio Fulci, 1981). The second in what's known as Fulci's Gothic Trilogy (although the plots are in no way related), this tells the story of a gateway to hell under an abandoned hotel in the Louisiana bayou. Fulci plays with space and time to create an oppressive mood, although less successfully than in the first of the trilogy, «City Of The Living Dead» (however, that film was never listed as a Nasty by the DPP), although the super-bleak ending is the pay-off.
«The House By The Cemetery» (Lucio Fulci, 1981). The third of the three Gothic chillers from Fulci, and probably the most effective. A family move into an old house in rural New England, only for bad things to start happening... The mood builds slowly and tension rises, only undermined by the atrocious dubbing for the character of the little boy Bob, and the bizarre ending really disorientates .
«Contamination» (Luigi Cozzi, 1980). Cozzi and his producers try to cash-in on the success of «Alien», but set their story on Earth due to budget constraints. My low expectations for this film made me enjoy it twice as much, as it grabs you right from the brilliant pre-credit sequence, set aboard an abandoned tanker holding a mysterious cargo, and is a real laugh right to the end. Some ill make-up effects, too.
«Dead And Buried» (Gary A Sherman, 1981). One of the more «respectable» Nasties, this was made in the USA with a good cast and a decent budget. Although it plays more like an episode of «The Twilight Zone», it does build a genuinely creepy atmosphere – in part due to the gloomy setting of a North Californian fishing town in winter. The film is stolen by the excellent undertaker character, and the twist ending is a killer.
«The New York Ripper» (Lucio Fulci, 1982). An infamous film. When it was submitted to the British censors in 82, not only did they reject it outright, but the print was given a police escort out of the country! This may seem absurd viewing it in 2004, long after the hysteria of the early 80's, but there is no denying that the tone of the violence, and the lack of redemptive ending, make this a grim little movie. However, Fulci’s direction elevates it somewhat, and it is a slick piece of 'giallo'. Quack - quack.
«Beyond The Darkness» (Joe D'Amato, 1979). Not actually on the official list, but that's probably due to being overlooked, rather than as a result of it’s content. Which is fucking grim. The sombre mood, meagre budget, and low -key lighting set a claustrophobic tone, and this means that when the gore arrives, it is that much more effective – not fun, but actually quite repellent. This gives the movie some impact, as one follows a man's descent into madness, rather like Polanski's "Repulsion", but not quite as accomplished! An ill biscuit indeed.
