Edinburgh Zombie Club
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EZC Presents – Trains of Terror
Posted in Movie night on October 17th, 2011 by admin – Be the first to comment
HORROR EXPRESS (1972, dir. Eugenio Martin)
In the early 1900s, anthropologist Alexander Saxton (Christopher Lee) unearths in China what he believes to be the scientific find of the new century: the centuries-old frozen body of a gigantic ape-like man, a veritable "missing link." Booking a ticket on the train back to Europe with his crated-up, but still very healthy discovery, he joins an international group of passengers on a nightmarish adventure aboard the Horror Express, including a game of discovery with rival scientist Dr. Wells (Peter Cushing).
Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Telly Savalas as a Cossack, a Rasputin-esque evil monk and a rampaging caveman, all on a train. What more could you want in a film?
AMOK TRAIN aka BEYOND THE DOOR 3 (1989, dir.Jeff Kwitny)
A group of America college students travel to Serbia to witness an ancient ritual. Unbeknownst to them, one of their number is the Chosen One of a Satanic cult, who will stop at nothing to ritually mate her with The Big Man Down Stairs. Soon, they're fleeing for their lives on a runaway train that has been hijacked by an infernal power.
Features Bo Svenson as a creepy professor, some top notch toothless hag action, dwarves, gypsies, Eastern European sterotypes that would shame Borat and surprisingly good special effects and cinematography.
(Can't find a trailer)
THE BANSHEE LABYRINTH
NIDDRY ST, EDINBURGH
7PM, FREE!
BRING YOUR UNWANTED DVDS FOR THE SWAP BOX.
EZC Presents – When Animals Attack!
Posted in Events, Movie night on September 24th, 2011 by admin – Be the first to comment
Razorback (1984, Australia). Director: Russell Mulcahy
A giant mutant razorback pig terrorises various people in the Australian Outback, although no-one really cares until it starts killing Americans too. There's a comedy pair of fairly nasty kangaroo hunters, and a vaguely environmental, pre-Steve Irwin message about the importance of not turning Australia's unique wildlife into pet food, but, really, it's all about waiting for the big giant pig to turn up and kill someone else. It's all quite heavily visually stylised and dramatically lit, in a 1980s music video kind of way…..which can't be that much of a surprise, since director Russell Mulcahy had previously worked on videos for Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet et al (and would go on to direct Highlander, among other things).
Wild Beasts (1984, Italy). Director: Franco Prosperi
A zoo has its water contaminated by PCP, sending the animals berserk. Unfortunately, this coincides with an electrical fault that opens all the cages. What was the chances of that happening? Maddened wild animals rampage round the city – polar bears chomp down on school kids, elephants stomp heads, a tiger menances a trainload of trapped commuters and cheetahs chase cars. Something for all fans of animal attacks. The plot's virtually non-existant, but who cares when elephants are making planes crash?
Beasts: During Barty's Party (1976, UK). Director: Don Leaver
In the mid 70s, some level of highly admirable insanity prevailed at ITV, leading them to commission Nigel Kneale – creator of Quatermass and many other fine things – to write a series of one-off stories, all linked by the theme of the bestial. During Barty's Party is one of the best of the run, starting slowly but becoming increasingly fraught, and combining traditional British TV drawing room drama with James Herbert style guignol involving super-intelligent packs of flesh-hungry rats. The TV budget-friendly formula is simple; trap two emotionally fragile characters in a remote location, and then let the writing (and the sound-effects of thousands of hungry and frantic floorboard-gnawing rats) do the rest…
Phase IV (1974, USA) Director: Saul Bass
The only full-length feature film that Saul Bass – much-celebrated and much-imitated creator of some of the most famous poster designs and title sequences in movie history – ever directed. Which is a pity, since it's a curious and surprisingly thoughtful piece about ants super-evolving into a hive mind and combining forces against their natural enemy – humans. The plot is secondary to the mood and visual direction, many questions you might ask are left unanswered, but, in term of building tension and creating its own odd and increasingly unsettling vibe, it's definitely one to remember.
Shark Attack 3: Megalodon (2002, Israel). Director: some guy whose only excuse would have to be that he needed the money for his child's kidney operation, or something
The film that gave the world its first taste of John Barrowman: Action Hero, and in which man himself does his all to live up to Dead Ringers' description of him as "the Pound Shop Tom Cruise". What's not to love here? It's set in Mexico, but really filmed in Bulgaria. There's a character called Chuck Rampart in it, and he owns his own torpedo, and we learn that giant sharks apparently make strange grunting sounds underwater. The best bit: Barrowman unveils his best hetero-guy smoothy chat-up line, and gets some hot lady-lovin' action as a result. The second best bit: Barrowman Does Science.
Phenomena (1985, Italy). Director: Dario Argento
Aka 'Creepers', also aka 'the tipping point, where it all started to go wrong with Argento films, and we would eventually end up with Mother of Tears'. We're not there yet, though, and this is all good fun, with many of the familiar Argento tropes all present and correct. Female members of Dario's family are stalked and killed. A young and pretty thing arrives at some well dodgy-sounding school for girls. There's a pit full of something nasty for the young and pretty thing to fall into. A straight razor is used to deadly effect. There's also a very young Jennifer Connelly before she could act, and some bonkers stuff involving a chimp with attitude and the use of psychically-controlled insects to solve crime, hence why we're including it here. Main WTF element: Donald Pleasence's Scottish accent.
THERE WILL BE A COMPETITION TO WIN DVDS DURING THE DAY, PLUS TRAILERS BETWEEN FILMS. BRING YOUR UNWANTED DVDS FOR THE SWAP BOX.
EZC Presents – Video Nasty Night 2: Evil Islands
Posted in Movie night on August 27th, 2011 by admin – Be the first to comment
EDINBURGH ZOMBIE CLUB PRESENTS
VIDEO NASTY NIGHT II:EVIL ISLANDS
THE SLAYER (1982, dir JS Cardone)
In the early morning hours of a cold and gloomy day, two young couples awake and begin preparations for a long awaited vacation. None of them anticipate the web of diabolical terror which awaits them on the isolated retreat they have chosen. Only Kay knows the existence of The Slayer and only then in the dark realms of her nightmares. But imagination is about to become reality as the maniacal, inanimate things which inhabit Kay's nightmares are unleashed upon the real world…
A really atomspheric film, with some nicely staged, gory deaths, predating Nightmare On Elm Street with it's idea of a dream based killer by several years.
ISLAND OF DEATH (1975, dir.Nico Mastorakis)
A British couple on a break on a small Greek Island, spreading terror beyond anything the Islanders could have ever imagined, but will they go unpunished, or the inspector from London will be able to put an end to their killing spree?
A fairly unusual inversion of the usual tourists in peril movie, it still remains pretty nasty to this day.
WEDNESDAY 31st AUGUST
NIDDRY STREET
7.00PM, FREE.
EZC Presents : Dwarfsploitation Night
Posted in Movie night on July 17th, 2011 by admin – Be the first to comment
DWARFSPLOITATION NIGHT
PENITENTIARY III (1987, dir. Jamaa Fanaka)
Drugged and betrayed by his own cornerman during a boxing match, 'Too Sweet' Gordone (Leon Isaac Kennedy) ends up killing his opponent and being sentenced to hard time in a surreal prison where inmates are pawns in a series of brutal fights that are controlled by the sadistic and fey 'Serenghetti' (Anthony Geary in a seriously nutty role) despite the attempts by the relatively humane warden (Ric Mancini) to retake control of his prison by putting up his own fighters against the massive killers owned by the crimelord in order to win everything..
Being a professional boxer, 'Too Sweet' is immediately in demand by both sides for the matches but refuses to play the game for either, which results in Serenghetti releasing his ultimate terror from the dungeon (yeah, there's a
full-on dungeon below the cells) to wreak havok on the prisoner – the Midnight Thud (The Haiti Kid). I could go on for pages about the character of the Thud, a crack smoking dwarf rapist with a taste for oranges and the apparent ability to fly by spinning his arms wildly and growling, but it would take away from the WTF factor of the film. Let's just call him the greatest character ever written to film and leave it at that.
After their confrontation, Too Sweet is sent to the depths of the prison to rot and his only friend in the jail is set up for a painful fight with the prison's best boxer, See Veer (Danny Trejo – only 2 years out of maximum security prison in real life and just starting his movie career) and beaten nearly to death. The only thing that can save the day now is if the Midnight Thud suddenly reveals himself to be a wise, Yoda-like source of wisdom and martial arts training advice who can train Too Sweet for his big fight by slamming a doorknob into his stomach and screaming 'GUTS!!!' repeatedly. But just how likely is that?
FOR YOUR HEIGHT ONLY (1981, dir.Eddie Nicart)
Mr. Giant has kidnapped the brilliant Dr. Van Kohler and is planning to use the Doctor's invention, the N-bomb, to hold the world hostage. The only one who can foil Mr. Giant's evil scheme is Agent 00, a 3-foot-tall filipino martial arts master, expert marksman, top-class romancer and all-around superspy. Can Agent 00 rescue Dr. Kohler before it's too late? A riot of bad dubbing, even worse shirts and improbable gadgets.
Starring Weng Weng in his first lead role, would who became a bit of a celebrity in the Phillipines in the 80s as an actor and martial artist, even becoming friends with Imelda Marcos. At 2ft 9, he's quite probably the shortest ever lead in an action movie… though he's no Midnight Thud.
THE BANSHEE LABRYNITH
NIDDRY ST
7.00PM, FREE!
EZC Presents : Video Nasty Night
Posted in Movie night on June 26th, 2011 by admin – Be the first to comment
VIDEO NASTY NIGHT
THE BURNING (1981, dir.Tony Maylam)
A janitor at a summer camp is accidently burned severely from a prank. Years later, he is released from an institute, and returns to the camp with a pair of hedge clippers to take revenge on the campers. A cut above the average slasher film, helped along with superior gore courtesy of Tom Savini, a nice, eerie atmosphere and genuine suspense.
Thorn/EMI accidentally released the uncut version on vhs with all the banned scenes still in, which would cause them no end of problems with future video releases.
XTRO (1983, dir.Harry Bromley Davenport)
In the sci-fi tradition of Alien and Close Encounters of The Third Kind comes Xtro. Sam Phillips (Philip Sayer) is a scientist mysteriously abducted by evil extraterrestrials. Only his young son, Tony, witnesses the bizarre kidnapping. Sam returns to Earth three years later as a monstrous alien. He's back to claim his son for his new homeland and to infect the blood of random earthlings. Strange powers are transmitted to Tony, enabling him to animate his toys into lethal weapons. Together, father and son ravage anyone who crosses their path. Science-fiction shocker mixing alien invasion with kitchen-sink drama with supernatural overtones.
Contains some very impressive and eerie effects on what must have been a very low-budget. The theatrical release in 1983 was passed '18' uncut by the BBFC, yet this version was the one released on video by Spectrum and the one that had a very brief spell on the DPP list. Dropped almost immediately, Xtro was recertified and re-released without cuts.
WEDNESDAY 29TH JUNE
BANSHEE LABRYNITH
As it's our third birthday, we'll be holding a raffle with some dvds as prizes, just turn up to enter!
EZC Presents Vietnam Veteran Night
Posted in Movie night on May 16th, 2011 by admin – Be the first to comment
VIETNAM VETERAN NIGHT
THE NINTH CONFIGURATION (1980, dir. William Peter Blatty)
A new commanding officer arrives at a remote castle serving as an insane asylum for crazy and AWOL U.S. Army soldiers where he attempts to rehabilitate them by allowing them to live out their crazy fantasies while combating his own long-suppressed insanity.
Colonel Kane (Stacy Keach), a United States Marine Corps psychiatrist suffering from nightmares, arrives at a castle in the American Pacific Northwest where mentally ill soldiers from the Vietnam war are being treated. The castle's staff has been unable to control the patients, many of whom are suspected of faking their illness to get out of combat. The permissive Kane opens himself up to listen to anything the soldiers have to say to him in an effort to heal them, while at the same time suffering from his own demons.
The first half of the film has the predominant tone and style of a comic farce. In the second half, the film becomes darker as it delves deeper into its central issues of human suffering, sacrifice and faith.
(I can't find a trailer for this one)
ROLLING THUNDER (1977, dir. John Flynn)
Major Charles Rane, a former POW now free, returns home from Vietnam to find he is greeted as a hometown hero in his Texan principality. He is awarded a fly car, some serious coin, and a warm welcome home. The shit quickly hits the fan though: his wife has been fucking around on him while he was overseas with one of his dudes, his son hardly knows who the hell he is, and he is plagued by the nefarious and various misgivings that occured while in Nam. Not content to see a brother doing fly, not just getting by, some fellow Texan haters decide to invade Rane's home in search of his spoils of war. When they don't find it, they torture the shit out of him. When wifey and son return home, then the tension heats up even more. While the haters find what they want, they cold-bloodedly murder Rane's wife and son anyway, AFTER they've chopped his hand off by way of garbage disposal.So what's a dude to do? Well, make a prosthetic hook hand, get some serious firepower, team up with former war buddy Tommy Lee Jones, shack up with a Nam groupie, and UNLEASH sweet motherfucking revenge. And that's exactly what happens. What would you expect from the dude who wrote Taxi Driver?
Simply put, if you are a fan of revenge flicks and haven't seen this, you are fucking up big-time.
TICKETS WILL BE ON SALE FOR OUR NIGHTMARE HOUSES & FLESH EATING BEASTS ALL DAYER ON 5th JUNE!!
EZC Presents – Eurocrime Night II
Posted in Movie night on April 22nd, 2011 by admin – Be the first to comment
EDINBURGH ZOMBIE CLUB PRESENTS:
EUROCRIME NIGHT II
MILANO CALIBRO 9 (1972, dir. Ferando di Leo)
Small-time gangster Ugo Piazza (Gastone Moschin) gets released from prison. He tries to convince the police, the mafia, his psychotic ex-friend Rocco (Mario Adorf) and his girlfriend Nelly Bordon (Barbara Bouchet) that he wants to go straight, but everyone believes he has $300,000 of stolen money hidden somewhere. Fernando Di Leo directed this known poliziottescho with an amazing cast, including a memorable badass performance by Gastone Moschin & an over the top Mario Adorf.
First part of Di Leo's trilogy and one of the most emblematic italian crime thrillers.
ALMOST HUMAN (1974, dir. Umberto Lenzi)
Giulio Sacchi is a psychotic small-time thief with a chip on his shoulder who's leaving a slew of dead bodies all over Milan. Now he's got a plan to make a quick and easy 500 million Lira: Kidnap the daughter of a local billionaire and hold her for ransom. And nothing is going to stop Giulio from getting his money – not even Inspector Walter Grandi, Milan's toughest cop who's hot on Sacchi's trail. Now, the police are racing to find the kidnapped girl and stop the ticking time bomb that is Giulio Sacchi before he explodes and leaves more death and carnage in his wake.
ALMOST HUMAN is a gritty and exciting polizia thriller from director Umberto Lenzi (NIGHTMARE CITY, MAN FROM DEEP RIVER) and screenwriter Ernesto Gstaldi (MY NAME IS NOBODY, THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TAIL). Filled with tough, brutal and bloody action sequences, it contains powerful performances from Tomas Milan (TRAFFIC, BOCCACCIO 70) as the "almost human" Sacchi and screen legend Henry Silva (OCEAN'S ELEVEN, THE TALL T, and ABOVE THE LAW) as Grandi, with a memorable score from legendary composer Ennio Morricone.
BANSHEE LABYRINTH
EZC Presents – Larry Cohen Night
Posted in Movie night on March 23rd, 2011 by admin – Be the first to comment
LARRY COHEN NIGHT
A series of motiveless murders committed by various New York residents: a sniper shoots people from a water tower; a father murders his entire family; and a cop opens fire during a St. Patrick's Day parade. The only consistent pattern to the crimes involves the perpetrators calm admissions of guilt, explaining, "God told me to." While investigating the murders, catholic police detective Peter Nicholas is increasingly troubled by evidence of a Christ-like figure named Bernard Phillips who appeared to each of the killers and can't seem to shake the feeling that his own fate is somewhat linked to this mysterious being. As he comes closer to the truth, his worst fears are confirmed.
Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)
New York police are bemused by a spate of reports of a giant flying lizard that has been spotted around the rooftops of New York, which they assume to be bogus until the lizard starts to eat people. An out-of-work, ex-con piano player is the only person who knows the location of the monster's nest and is determined to turn the knowledge to his advantage, but will his gamble pay off or will he end up as lizard food?
WEDNESDAY 30TH MARCH
EDINBURGH7.00PM, FREE!
Next month: Euro Crime Night II with Milano Calibre 9 & Almost Human
EZC Presents…The Ones That Got Away
Posted in Movie night on February 20th, 2011 by admin – Be the first to comment
THE GRAPES OF DEATH (AKA Les raisins de la mort) dir. Jean Rollin
Brigitte Lahaie stars as a woman whose vacation goes tits up when she finds herself in a town full of zombies. She begins to think the town winery has got something to do with these evil transformations. Could the pesticides used on the grapes be responsible for all this madness?
Originally planned for a Jess Franco/Jean Rollin double bill we did in August 2009, the Brass Monkey decided they'd need to clear the pub for a horde of tourists who failed to materialise, despite telling us months in advance us having a night in August wasn't a problem…
STREET FIGHTER (AKA Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken), dir Shigehiro Ozawa
Terry is a tough, mercenary, master of martial arts. When an important business magnate dies, leaving billions to his daughter, the Mafia and Yakuza try to hire Terry to kidnap the daughter. When they refuse to meet his exorbitant price, then try to kill him to conceal their secret plans, he promptly offers his services to protect her. Much ultra-violent martial-arts fighting action
ensues. Conceived as an Enter The Dragon inspired chop-socky fest, Street Fighter rapidly gained infamy for its over the top violence, being the first film to be film ever to gain an X rating purely for it's violence.
Originally due to be shown in our 1974 night last May but the projector broke down.
WEDNESDAY 23RD FEBRUARY
NEXT MONTH: LARRY COHEN DOUBLE BILL
EZC Presents – Sword and Sorcery!
Posted in Movie night on January 18th, 2011 by admin – Be the first to comment
SWORD & SORCERY NIGHT
HAWK THE SLAYER (1980, dir. Terry Marcel)
Hawk the Slayer, after seeing both his father and bride die at the hands of his malevolent brother, Voltan, sets out for revenge and the chance to live up to his title. Tooling himself up with the "mind-sword" and recruiting a motley band of warriors: a giant, a dwarf, a one-armed man with a machine-crossbow and an elf with the fastest bow in the land; Hawk leads the battle against Voltan to free the land from the forces of evil and avenge his loved ones.
DEATHSTALKER II (1987, dir. Jim Wynorski)
Princess Evie of Jzafir is deposed by the evil sorcerer/swordsman Jerak and his voluptuous, and very dangerous, ally Sultana. Posing as Reena the Seer, Princess Evie enlists the aid of the renowned hero Deathstalker. Together they battle the forces of evil, including a clone of Evie created by Jerak, to win back Evie's kingdom.
A thoroughly entertaining parody of the genre, you'll not be at a disadvantage if you've never seen the first Deathstalker.
Next month (24/02/11)- Films We Failed To Show Night with Street Fighter & Grapes Of Death
Eat My Brains!
Eat My Brains' Zombie Club
Edinburgh B-Team
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