Posts Tagged ‘Vinegar Syndrome’

May 2nd, 2019 Featured, Movies, Reviews No Comments »

Wacko (1982) Review

Director: Greydon Clark
Writer: Dana Olsen, Michael Spound

I didn’t know quite what to expect from Wacko. Horror comedies are all over the place these days, but they were still a fairly new concept in the 80s. And like many 80s comedies viewed today, I couldn’t help but worry that the jokes would fall entirely flat. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case (mostly).

Wacko begins with a flashback to prom night. Two young lovebirds are torn to shreds by a super-powered lawnmower driven by a killer wearing a pumpkin on his head. Thirteen later, one child who witnessed the gruesome murders is set to attend prom night. The trauma inflicted on her at an early age ensures she freaks out anytime she hears or sees a lawnmower.

The silly story doesn’t really go very far, but it provides a surprising amount of laughs along the way. I for one was fond of their out of left field reference to The Elephant Man. Horror-centric humor reigns supreme and the tropes of the genre ensure that the jokes are still relevant today.

It’s hardly the best horror comedy out there. Still, it’s a decent effort that is more enjoyable than it should be. If nothing else, it’s clear that it was made by people who adore the horror genre.

April 25th, 2019 Featured, Movies, Reviews No Comments »

Dominique (1979) Review

dominique box

Director: Michael Anderson
Writers: Edward Abraham, Valerie Abraham

I was recently introduced to Vinegar Syndrome. These purveyors of obscure genre films quickly caught my attention due to the fact that they released many films I wanted – and many I didn’t know I wanted until digging in further. Dominique (also known as Dominique is Dead) seems a bit out of their typical milieu, but not in a bad way.

This film is slow, subtly creepy and features a real Gothic flair. The story begins as we watch Dominique basically being gaslit by her husband David. After multiple cruel tricks, Dominique finally has enough and commits suicide. Yet, David keeps seeing her ghastly visage throughout the home. The question that the film poses is simple – is this woman really dead? Or is she truly haunting him to terrify her husband into an early grave?

dominique featured

The story proceeds without giving much away as to the cause of all the haunting business. Only in the final few minutes is everything laid bare. The resolution admittedly disappointed me. Either way, it was still a mostly enjoyable trek. Somehow it does manage to make the 1 hour and 35 minute running time a slog at a few points, though.

Dominique is best watched by fans of British horror. It’s not particularly gory or fast-paced, and instead focuses on creating that dark atmosphere. There’s some surprising touches of colored lighting as well, which turn this into a slightly more stylish film than expected. All in all, it’s a neat (if predictable) twist on the story of a haunting.