Artivels Undescribable Perfection

Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Red-Barracuda This Jean Rollin feature is an erotic horror about a woman who returns from the dead due to an accident involving an earthquake and toxic chemicals. She is The Living Dead Girl and she has a vampire like taste for blood. She is drawn back to her 'blood sister' Helene, who in turn finds victims for her.This is another melancholic and downbeat effort from Rollin. Once again his vampire is a tragic one. She did not choose her fate. She feels guilt at her subsequent actions and is repulsed by them. We feel sorry for her. The film is also about friendship and loyalty. The bond between the two girls is effectively a pact that goes beyond the grave. One of the defining features of The Living Dead Girl is its goriness. It is very bloody by Rollin's standards, so in this respect it may be a little more accessible to a wider horror audience. But then again, aside from this, it's strictly business as usual. There are the usual selection of paper thin characters, weak dialogue and low production values; while the story emphasises things that are atypical for a standard horror film, such as a melancholic 'monster' and some poetic imagery. Examples of the latter would include scenes of the girl wandering through fields in a white night dress and the night time river scene. As usual Rollin does ensure the film looks interesting. There are some nice French countryside locations and a picturesque villa. While the atmosphere is moody throughout, with some delicate musical accompaniment on the soundtrack. It is a little odd though having an American couple in the movie. This, no doubt was a way of trying to sell the film easier overseas. But like all other Rollin films these characters are uninteresting, Rollin seems to be only interested in his female vampires/villains. It isn't without faults; it does drag in places but like others from the director would probably improve on re-watches. The film does, however, wrap up in one of the most effectively haunting endings Rollin ever conceived.

Boba_Fett1138 No doubt the lovers of the genre will absolutely love the start of this movie and prepare themselves for lots of more great and fun things to come. However this doesn't ever really happen, which in the long run makes this movie a bit of a disappointment.It's funny how the French seemed to be 10 years behind with these sort of movies. It's the type of horror that was popular in Italy in the '70's. The sort of horror that is being extremely gory and violent and features lots of sex and nudity as well. This movie is build up exactly in the same way as one of those Italian '70's productions and also features all of the 'classic' genre ingredients.Yes, there really is quite a lot of gore in this movie, which should definitely please the fans and was also the reason why I still am able to consider this movie to be a watchable one. There is really some hardcore stuff in this movie, which you perhaps would normally only see in a zombie-flick, for instance.I only wished the movie worked out better and more intriguing with its story and characters. There is no real 'conflict' that needs to get resolved. No villain, no hero and the gore and violence is not enough to raise this movie to an higher level, or make it an effectively entertaining one.Obviously a movie for genre lovers only, even though chances are they will also end up somewhat disappointment but at least the movie still has some redeeming qualities for them in it.5/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

lost-in-limbo Jean Rollin seems to have a reputation that you either love his work or not. Very little middle ground. Probably more well known and infamous for his erotically surreal vampire features, but I decided to make my first taste of his output the zombie splatter effort "The Living Dead Girl". From this one I really liked the vigorous style, and look forward to delving amongst more of his unique creations.The deceased Catherine Valmont is resurrected by a chemical substance that was being stored within her family's tomb. After dispatching and feeding upon those involved she heads back to her family castle, where memories come flooding back. One of those included her special bond with a childhood friend Hélène. By accident Hélène heads to castle to find Catherine, where she learns that she was dead to only be brought back to alive and that she needs human blood to survive. So in the name of love Hélène fulfils Catherine's lust for blood, but Catherine doesn't want to go on living. Things get worse for them when a stubborn actress on vacation with her husband takes a picture of Catherine and then wants to learn more about her.Now it could be easy to classify it as exploitive trash, but Rollin's attempt is a lot more original and meaningful within its context, imagery and performances than just going by its raw shocks effects with crude looking FX. Those death scenes (where flesh is torn and ripped apart with some nasty looking finger nails) might look nauseatingly cheap, however they weren't too distracting in this strange mixture. Where it had me engaged was that of the emotional performances of the two central ladies (an excellent Francoise Blanchard and Marina Pierro) and the relationship (a doomed love story) shared between them. There was a real genuine sense of remorse, devotion and boiling tragedy. The transformation of these two characters is interestingly pitched and deeply layered (from its flashbacks to their recent scenarios), as the monster roles are disturbingly switched around (as a reluctantly indisposed Catherine is disgusted of what she has become and soon Hélène with an elated smile would do anything to keep them together as the two would share a desirably unstoppable sacrificial habit) that when it comes to its closing it would make the graphic, but powerfully grief-stricken conclusion more so harrowing and unsettling. The cohesive story is minimal and straight-forward with few surprises, but accomplishedly brought across with measured style on mood and dreamy atmospherics. Rollin makes it attractively haunting, but at the same time vividly ghastly. Like the hypnotically idyllic sequence of Francoise Blanchard's dead character roaming through the grass fields in a white gown covered with blood and the sequence of her in the doorway heading towards the dead girl lying on the front steps of her castle mansion. Blanchard breathes of innocence, despite her character's tendencies and she really does hold you there in lot scenes. Rollin's positional composition achieves some lasting visuals and the gliding camera-work is effectively implemented in showcasing it --- with potent backdrops of the remote castle, surrounding countryside and underground crypt. The musical score is lightly cued, but expressively melancholy. Carina Barone and Mike Marshall also star.

Scarecrow-88 Grisly, potent shocker from Jean Rollin regarding how a dead young lady of two years, the body surprisingly fresh without rot during that time(?), is revived from a spilled can of toxic waste, put there by some corpse looters, after a minor earthquake. She has vampire mentalities(..not to mention terrifying fingernails which can tear into flesh with ease) meaning this uncontrollable thirst for flesh and blood from human beings..the girl, Catherine(Françoise Blanchard), calls the evil inside. A "blood sister", Helene(Marina Pierro)did not know her best friend from childhood had been dead and after a phone call leading to Catherine's discovery(hearing the sound box playing music both listened to as children)she races to the villa to see about her. What Helene sees is a bloody mess, several unfortunates who became blood donors to Catherine's unhinged feeding time. Helene will slowly grow obsessed with keeping her beloved "sister" alive doing whatever it takes, meaning luring those unaware of what awaits them, to become victims for Catherine. A photographer, Barbara(Carina Barone)sees Catherine walking in a daze upon leaving her crypt and takes a snapshot. That snapshot fascinates her..the image that compels her to seek out the identity of Catherine might seal her fate. Perhaps, Barbara's husband(Mike Marshall)will be able to keep her from harm before it's too late. Or, will Barbara's obsession with learning more about Catherine, and taking more pictures of her, lead to a gruesome demise. What the people around this villa need to worry about is Helene's mad desire to find fresh bodies for her Catherine.The most important story element, and what I feel is the most haunting aspect, is that as days go by Catherine is realizing the monster she becomes when the evil hunger returns. She wishes to be put away and begs for Helene to see this through. The idea of losing her friend a second time, and not being able to come to terms with the fact that Catherine is dead, I think Helene is the tragic character of the film. Friendship and love seem to be very powerful emotional drives within this plot while Rollin often cuts into this with a furious rage when he shows Catherine's eating habits. She just doesn't suck blood with any form of sophistication, but tears into her meal like a crazed, starving animal. And, believe me, the feasting is extremely unsettling as we watch the flesh of throats, arms, and stomachs ripped with vengeance by Catherine who seems out of control with her senses with the primal urge to munch operating in overdrive. The direction is rather straight-forward, I felt, and followed a projected path. It ended about the way I imagined it would. The ending leaves only despair for the victim who just wishes for the blood lust and torment to leave her.