Michael Armstrong Movies
Flamboyant and outspoken, Michael Armstrong worked a great deal but was visible far less than he perhaps should have been. While House of the Long Shadows did not mark the end of his writing career, it did mark his progress into the position of uncredited script doctor, a position he held on the abominable Lifeforce. He moved to the United States in 1984 in an attempt to regenerate his career but was by and large unsuccessful, despite working for then-successful producer Sandy Howard, who commissioned several scripts and treatments. In 1985 he returned to England and vanished completely from sight.As a director he was responsible for Burn, Witch, Burn and Horror House (which he also wrote). As an actor he starred in Eskimo Nell (as well as writing it) and appeared in The Sex Thief. He turned up as an actor in a variety of tiny parts, many uncredited, many of them on-stage. ~ Steven E. McDonald, All Movie Guide
This crime drama takes place among Irish-American toughs in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood. Car-thief Bobby O'Grady (Denis Leary) belongs to a gang run by bully Jackie O'Hara (Colm Meaney). Bobby's cousin Seamus (Jason Barry) is a recent arrival from Dublin. When Teddy (Billy Crudup) gets gunned down, Jackie is behind the hit, and investigator Hanolon (Martin Sheen) finds a cover-up among gang members. Participating in the code of silence, Bobby takes out his anger on his girlfriend Katy (Famke Janssen). The pointless murder of Seamus, who had planned to return to Ireland, prompts Bobby to face some hard decisions. Will he remain silent yet again? Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denis Leary, Jason Barry, (more)
- 1996
Between 1972 and 1975, the notorious hooded psychopathic killer, Donald "The Black Panther" Neilson, kept British authorities on their toes and locals terrified with his series of post office robberies and murders. This docu-drama chronicles his crime spree that ended in 1975 with the kidnapping and murder of an adolescent heiress. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Sumpter, Debbie Farrington, (more)
Co-star Denis Leary co-wrote the script for this romantic comedy-drama. Leary plays Frank O'Brien, a no-class, small-time hood who is the boyfriend of Roz (Sandra Bullock), a cashier with a New York Jewish background who dreams of settling down and having kids. Roz wants out of the relationship but is fearful to break up. On a Friday, she accompanies Frank as he steals a painting. He tells her that it's his last job as a thief. Frank plans the delivery for Sunday evening so that they can turn the job into a getaway weekend. They go to a New England town and break into a huge home; the owners are on vacation. A sophisticated neighbor, Evan Marsh (Stephen Dillane), believes that they are friends of the owners' children and invites them to a party. Evan is an upper-class bachelor and is attracted to Roz. Roz goes horseback riding and boating with him, pretending a sophistication she doesn't possess, while Frank fumes at the rich rival. Meanwhile, Frank's crime boss Beano (Wayne Robson) learns that the painting Frank has stolen is a four-million-dollar Matisse and comes to the town with three henchmen. They are pursued by Detective O'Malley (Yaphet Kotto), who is trying to find a mysterious master art thief. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denis Leary, Sandra Bullock, (more)
- 1987
- R
In this horror sequel, the younger brother of the murderer in the previous film takes up his sibling's unfinished business. Dressed up as Santa Claus, the young man goes on a killing spree, murdering the innocent townsfolk in a variety of gory and gruesome ways. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Freeman, James Newman, (more)
- 1985
Three purloined video tapes create all sorts of problems for the two teens who stole them in this horror trilogy that was originally made for television. The tapes they swiped, so they could have movie night with their girl friends, are "Killer Punch," featuring a cruel puppeteer using his craft to torment his family; "Scream House," about a young couple living in a house haunted by the spectre of a deranged killer; and "Garden of Blood," a chronicle of two hapless gardeners assigned to tend a haunted yard. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Lynn, Ian Saynor, (more)
- 1982
In this umpteenth remake of the George M. Cohan-Earl Derr Biggers play Seven Keys to Baldpate, Desi Arnaz Jr. plays Kenneth Magee, the young writer who bets that he can bat out a mystery play in one evening. Magee squirrels himself away in a forbidding old mansion where, unbeknownst to him, a bizarre family reunion is scheduled to commence. As the participants begin dropping like flies, Magee finds himself in the middle of a genuine mystery. At least, he thinks he does. At least, the audience thinks he thinks he does. Of historical importance is the fact that House of Long Shadows represents the only co-starring effort of those titans of terror Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and John Carradine. The highlight is the cozy tete-a-tete between Price and Cushing during the climactic party scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, (more)
- 1970
- PG
The most horrifying part of this British spooker is seeing former clean-cut teen idol Frankie Avalon cast as Chris, a London hooligan who with his druggie friends decides to spend the night in a supposedly haunted house and hold a seance. The seance is a bust, so the buddies decide to do a little exploration and split up. Unfortunately, one of them gets brutally killed, leaving Chris and his surviving pals to wonder who did the deed. Was it one of them, or was it a monstrous demon? Not wanting to attract undue attention, the punks decide to hide the body, zip their lips, and split from the house. Unfortunately, the cops find out and begin questioning everyone, causing Chris and his friend to return to the house and look for clues. For poor Chris, it is a fatal mistake. Just for the record, though he plays a teen, Avalon was 30 years old when this film was made. In Britain the film was released as The Haunted House of Horror. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Avalon, Jill Haworth, (more)
Released as Mark of the Devil to U.S. theaters (accompanied by complimentary barf-bags for squeamish patrons with urpy tendencies), this gory torture-fest was produced in Germany under the title of Hexen bis aufs Blut Gequält (Witches Tortured Till They Bleed). The story is comprised of equal parts Ken Russell's The Devils and Michael Reeves' sardonic Witchfinder General (aka The Conqueror Worm). It involves the demented Count Cumberland (Herbert Lom), an Austrian nobleman who implements the witch-hunting policies of the Inquisition as a means of obtaining land, riches, and nubile young wenches -- particularly the lovely Vanessa (Olivera Vuco), who has been accused of heresy and witchcraft. Cumberland's accomplice in the torture and terror, Baron Christian Von Mem (Udo Kier), realizes too late that his mentor is the true evil stalking the land, not the terrified innocents whose "trials" are a mockery of justice. Christian is sacrificed to the enraged villagers during the inevitable revolt at the film's climax, while the Count makes a hasty escape -- thus enabling the birth of a sequel, Mark of the Devil Part 2. Both films were repackaged in the mid-70's and released in time to join the ranks of the European demon-possession subgenre (American release ads proudly proclaimed "Damn The Exorcist!"). The barf-bags were not entirely unjustified for this graphically sadistic exercise which assaulted audiences with explicit scenes of torture, including the removal of one poor victim's tongue. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Herbert Lom, Olivera Vuco, (more)
