Norman J. Warren Movies
Despite the misleading American release title -- giving the impression of another holiday-themed slasher flick -- this British production (aka Timewarp Terror) is set in midsummer and employs a wacky but interesting supernatural theme. The story serves up the usual batch of teenage morons and bimbos as horror-fodder, stranding the group in a haunted hotel which, years ago, was the site of a massacre so horrific that the entire locale has been trapped in a deadly time warp. The resident ghosts torment their new guests with a variety of silly special effects -- including a possessed vacuum cleaner, an inter-dimensional mirror, and a lethal movie screen -- and turn them into murderous ghouls who then pursue the still-warm survivors. Directed by Norman J. Warren (the sceptered Isle's answer to Fred Olen Ray), this film is derivative of Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead and Lucio Fulci's The Beyond, minus those films' extreme approach to horror. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzy Aitchison, Nikki Brooks, (more)
- 1984
Sir Anthony Phelps (Gordon Jackson) calls on agents Gunn (David Gilliam) and Powder (Martin Potter) in this low-budget James Bond spy film. The duo sets out to stop the efforts of an evil scientist hell-bent on taking over the world by liquefying the gold reserves. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Gilliam, Martin Potter, (more)
This unsettling British Alien clone (released in the U.K. under the sleazy title Inseminoid) is set in the labyrinthine underground caverns of a remote planet, where a team of scientific explorers find themselves in the bizarre predicament of defending themselves from a rampaging, pregnant crew member (Judy Geeson). It seems the poor woman has been impregnated by a slime-covered insectoid alien (as depicted in a surreal and truly disgusting flashback), and the resulting hormonal imbalance has transformed her into an inhumanly strong, psychopathic killer. She promptly sets about dismembering and eating everyone in sight (no doubt because of the baby's nutritional requirements) before finally giving birth to a pair of snarling little mutants bearing a more-than-passing resemblance to the terror tykes from the It's Alive series. Aside from the admittedly "unique" premise, this is a fairly standard rip-off -- complete with characters resembling their Alien counterparts -- and the lovely Geeson's rabid, eye-popping performance is more than a bit uncomfortable to watch. The American video release is missing a great deal of the original's graphic violence. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Geeson, Robin Clarke, (more)
In this sophomoric sci-fi parody of sci-fi movies, a group of curvaceous space aliens travel from Betelgeuse (the location of their home planet) to Earth in search of the hunky human men they need to revitalize their race. The film is also known as Outer Touch. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry Stokes, Tony Maiden, (more)
- 1979
- R
This horror feature should entertain fans of the blood and guts but ultimately fails to live up to its title. Royal ancestors feel the wrath of the curse of the condemned witch Mad Dolly L.E. Mack, who spews forth her prophetic venom while she is burned at the stake. The victims suffer death by having their heads removed in various fashions, getting their limbs caught in animal traps, knife wounds, and other methods of popular medieval torture. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Nolan, Carolyn Courage, (more)
An extraterrestrial alien lands in England in search of edible protein for his home planet. After attacking a young couple necking in a car, the creature assumes the body of the hapless male (Barry Stokes) and stumbles through the woods, trying to get used to his new physical form. The next morning he inadvertently trespasses on property owned by Jessica (Glory Annen), who lives in seclusion with her lesbian lover Josephine (Sally Faulkner). Jessica is friendly and invites the stranger inside when she notices him limping, though Josephine hates all men and guards their relationship jealously. He identifies himself as "Anders" (the name of the boy he killed) and quietly follows them back to the farmhouse. Both women are disturbed by Anders' bizarre behavior; he doesn't know what tea is, isn't quite sure where he came from, and vomits when he tries to eat the salad they prepare. But when Jessica begins to suspect that Josephine has taken her jealousy and hatred of males to murderous extremes in the past, she starts thinking of Anders as a possible ally. Meanwhile, Anders tests chickens, a parakeet, a fox, and a pair of policemen for their comestible value, and finally turns his appetite towards his hostesses. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- 1976
- R
Michael Gough once more goes the horror-movie route in the British Satan's Slave. Gough plays the head of a coven of witches. He roams the countryside in search of new minions for the Dark Prince. A fiery climax caps this standard effort. Satan's Slave received but minimal theatrical play in the US, though it became a fixture of "Shock Theatre" TV manifests. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
