Showing posts with label Sweden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sweden. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

The Night Visitor (1971)

A wonderfully dark psychological horror. Salem (Max von Sydow) is in a Scandinavian lunatic asylum, a forbidding castle in the Northern wastes. However, he is accused of the murder of two women, Doctor Jenks (Per Oscarrson) even claims to have seen Salem. The Inspector (Trevor Howard) doesn't know what to think, he certainly finds Salem suspicious but how could he have escaped the asylum and get back in to his cell? In fact why would he go back? It seems to be impossible.

However, Salem has made it very possible with his ingenious escape methods using various hand-made tools and some impressive physicality. We know it is Salem in fact who has committed the crimes as we saw it at the start, but how does the Inspector sort it all out? In the end it all comes down to a witness in a most unfamiliar form...

A superbly dark film (except for the actual night scenes which are obviously filmed in daylight!) A twisted tale of betrayal and revenge. Although the plot might stretch credibility at times, the menacing air, bleakness of the settings and darkness of the soul that pervades makes this one of the better psychological horrors you will ever see.

Friday, August 28, 2020

Invasion of the Animal People (1959)

A Swedish cheesy alien invasion film, but made pretty incomprehensible by a badly executed American edit. John Carradine narrates the tale of an alien invasion, the aliens of course are after Earth women in the shape of Diane (Barbara Wilson). A group of scientists led by Engstrom (Stan Gester) investigate a meteor and some strange happenings in the frozen wastes of Northern Sweden (which the American edit seems to want to place in Switzerland - even though Lapland is mentioned a lot!)

The meteor turns out to be a spaceship, an alien monster destroys the scientists' plane and threatens a geologist and his ice skating girlfriend...

The Swedish original was a reasonable if not incredibly original science-fiction film but the American edit seems to take most of the sense out of it. A curious film with some truly laughable special effects (of course).

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Häxan (1922)

Häxan is a curious and enjoyable Swedish/Danish silent movie. It is a documentary horror exploring witchcraft and superstition from the Middle Ages onwards with numerous dramatised vignettes featuring witches, black magic and various devilment.

Some parts of the film are tinted which adds to the creepiness and/or fun especially when the tint is red.

A controversial film, scenes of nudity and torture helped it be banned in several countries. The film is full of weirdness and the forbidden, it's a lot of fun. The early part of the film, which is mostly documentary, can drag a bit though.