Film
DVD ROUNDUP
Héxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages
Hallowe'en is almost upon us so let 's delve into the DVD dungeon. We have to start with Halloween: 25 Years of Terror (Starz) eeeee. Much imitated but rarely bettered. John Carpenter set the groundwork for every slasher film that followed and this anniversary edition (we'll forgive their crummy maths as it was actually released 29 years ago) packs in a hefty wad of extras (the release is available in two and four disc versions). Staying with the modern masters of horror, Wes Craven's little seen Deadly Blessing (Arrow Films) 000
starring a young Sharon Stone. gets its first DVD release this month. Set in a sinister. Amish-like community the film features a few decent creepy moments. but it drags in places and the ending descends into off-the-wall lunacy.
The truly old school 1922 docudrama Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (Tartan) eeee . comes packaged with the silent original and the 1968 William Burroughs-narrated version. This is sophisticated and innovative early cinema. Moving swiftly onto the golden age of British horror. the untouchable Hammer House of Horror, The Brides of Dracula (Showbox) OD. and The Evil of Frankenstein (Showbox) eee both star Peter Cushing but sadly suffer from a distinct lack of Christopher Lee.
If you want cult perfection dig out Basket Case (Tartan) 0000 a super- cheap 803 oddity about a young man and whatever the hell he's got in his basket. Funny. weird and gory. this is just the kind of freaky stuff indie horror cinema is made of. Let's keep it cheap and nasty — Lucio Fulci made the demented pseudo—classics The Beyond and Zombie Flesheaters (and perhaps has more entries on the 1984 Video Nasties list than any other director). New York Ripper (Shameless) me is depraved Italian gaillo fun, but you'll feel dirty for weeks for having enjoyed it. (Henry Northmore)
.‘ 3 . I 3'. hdcxxx“ I”; ’v ‘ “for. ‘
n ‘\
TI'IE LIST 18 Oct—1 Nov 2007
sicko ' (12A)123min eee
ALSO RELEASED
The Dark is Rising (12A)
98min 0 E . ',.. H‘H .\\ 1c '1 o V ; . . . t l x " 1: ' : 1' i.}' i ' t» 1 ‘ 0'... ‘ . t 1, x ‘ ‘ ‘l'xi-‘J i '.' rakiii’ " " it a. '- at . n i i . o ‘ afar a c z : "xi: it" w i "‘£l"~i‘l~"~l ". q; ‘ 'fi’. ' Once (15) 87min 000. (may i/'iI\of'll\{"'.-"1r.‘: .l‘. l'N: 'i' 1 (Mt " in“. .i " i.e' k' :1 Veal taxi“ 1:! l'.l"‘.: 'i i .ltl". I)“ 1""" l" i' ] ini‘ ' H “in; _'.>l".iei“ai,.' r i ) Air. in tt i i .« '* ini'i Raule Dazzle: A Journey 'ii 21er T‘To .1 l“ rm 1‘» Into Dance (PG) 91min I'lft‘ir'l"?‘l'.~"“l'\itt"1{".‘""‘l'i"“"2.1 O. E\ ii. . wit «it :i: Al'ii'l'f‘ilf‘Fl f":"~. Aunts» .ii‘ ~ t 'it‘l“,”"{}'[\I‘V\t‘f(1, "'11. ' l l‘Al’i'" .w' il' tt‘l ii . ' ’t’i"‘l>.inies fr reixeiw fii‘ their tat" w ' ll i ’l‘ l “h "'thl" (J'f‘fl‘llfyfdl He'l‘ Mifw' H'Hl I :1" ' l' . li- As ni- trams t’i"ii.‘ l" W "~{‘iTill'§ an: ft» 'iir .mt" 1". .lli :‘tu f'iw .isits his relatinm in (latia’la. M is» "‘l“ i' it ':« _i.. ' ti' takes en his fa'iiilia' persona xi ll/l lat! r “.l' .1 ".ifh \i‘
\I')’[7')llkii".’, '; VV'fr " )
Saw W (18) 108min 000
.Jirisan illlllll|‘~.t{1{‘l""iti'
curious and t::iiii‘iiiin<; lV‘l’l'll‘,‘ (“ass white Arneriitaii. He sends ui: Americas fear of socialisii‘, '.'/lll|(‘ i‘iointinr; out that the xer‘, polimes deemed unsuitalile for health services are the ‘.‘(?l‘,’ same ones .hat haw been applied surcrms’lrll, tr the tire and police :;ei\.'i<:i:s
:"rl ] [HAT 1‘
[il’lillt'fl Arierit E3tr.i'ii'i ifSi ott
Amanda 'nai. tio-
tri'i'idni'iiu .ilivnt)\.»u
()iiriiiilaridiei HiillL the last rittiiii
Pattfir‘kirm ‘iYiTi 'ia“. twist iiil (law. l"‘l less interesting or sustained are his lllltf)ll(?llf:’l ti. .l: l‘.il.‘. '. ’nitl’lt'Hl. l()8(:*lllll(:(l “."f‘.'.’f$ of l iiiopean health sen/ice systems. 3i/aiiel,. our <>‘.‘.'ri NHS has never looked so docrl which is ironic conSitlerini) the ‘.'(.‘l‘, recent iioor handling of the in‘e<:tioii clostiirlium (lifficile that resulted ll‘. Sit) deaths at NHS lriist hospitals. This Journalistic myopia iindern‘ines Moore's attacks on the US healthcare system and may well leave British audiences wondering what else he has chosen not to see. (Kaleem Aftahi '58. Seli- fed w’xigise from fr" I“; I GFT, G/asgow.‘ (Xi/rim). Edinburgh, ()u.’
Fri 26 Oct.
abducted the, uiil, 'l.l‘." ii liiriiti-il tiri‘et’,(1.6:rri/iiiii:thi-killer‘ ir'iteiroririi-':teil tragn; Slimlaiiiwl lli.‘.‘.’ oiiliriii of this (,rir'inierirlatiie low tiiirlrlet liriiiri ‘ralii .'ll'.i.‘. (iirllflfd/ release (ii in) f N ."h‘ ()i ‘t Lagerfeld Confidential (12A) 89min 0.. slightly
Ititiiiidirii} .‘ soft centre/1dr» illll‘:l'Y?”, about fashion (105‘;l';.'l‘,‘.' kiail
l arier'teld .gw ll‘Ii;l‘,'li;‘,‘,/. (igiry;
AIDS DRAMA THE WITNESSES (15) 114mm 00.0
The lively opening chapter of Andre lechiiie's iii/iii: Reeds. A e.’ (xiii/tin engrossing new eiisen‘hle piece captures the tii'idht. axial"): "Kilt rill” ‘r'iit, of the Gallic C()ll)(:(l,’ of ntanners as the loge li.ies :: 'iroui. ‘rie'id', tritertnirie during the long. hot summer of 198-1. Follou'mnq the {till/(ll of their ‘irst child, blocked novelist Sarah (linn‘ariuelle Bean, and her partner l/leli'li Sa'ii: BCua(ilai. an eiitl’iusiastic lav. enforcer .‘Jllll the Parisian vice sduad, reiterate their comiiiittment to a healthy extramarital sex life. Then (,l‘. a mi, to the seaside. a near-death experience draws Mehd. into a passionate zi‘faii with the i,lithe. promiscuous Manu lJo‘1an Libereau,.
After setting the stage Techine neatly cenfoucds all expectahoii ti, tiff/Al d the merciless chess piece of the AIDS epidemic into proceedings Hank; .‘xori ’l‘l.’ sympathies in the opening reel it's, genuinely harromnr; to .‘JlTll‘fji the eare‘ree Manu descend into bitterness and ‘riistration as he siiccii'i‘tx, to the disease
As ever. Techine is concerr‘ed riitr‘. the l‘.ti-'l‘.£lf‘. drai'ia ‘i,ernirtd the rhetoric/1‘ CflSlS. and the contrasting responses of his characters to Mann's plight r. compelling. V‘Jhle lvlehdi retreats into denial and anxiety, the peexi'fi Adrien. mobilised b, Eoue. goes to .var with the JIFUS. WVOHNV} hirriself iiito research and ‘unoraisii‘ig. Onl, the reacticn of Bean's Saran. liberated by her proxiniit i tr, this
traged, to Wk up her per once more. eels clues,
“.“rl
This hair-splitting aside. the il‘TQlllgel‘iI. nuanced scrip: deals .vith riuest'orv, 0‘ social and sexual freedom in the ore and post-HIV AIDS periods Hithoiit e/er allowing ssaes to Overs/helm the ‘ierce Sympathy that is extended to the characters. 'i.’.hile unddubtedly moi/ing. this is one film about death that's refresnirfgi; tree of melancholy and clo,/ing sentiment and is, uitirr‘ately_ life- affirn‘ing. ‘Allafl Radcliffe,
I GFF Glasgow; from Ffl 79 Oct; Fi/rnhouse. Edinburgh. from Fri 30 (10/.