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What Waits Below (1985) / Doom Aylum (1988) / Knife + Heart (2018)





First up on my weekend triple feature was this 1985 sci-fi/drama/thriller. A military troupe and a group of scientists go into an unexplored cave to install a special radio transmitter. When it mysteriously disappears, they go in search of it, and soon encounter danger.














Cave specialist Rupert "Wolf" Wolfsen is hired by the military to find a special underground cavern so that they can place their secret radio transmitter there. In that same area are a group of scientists who are doing their own research for ancient artifacts. Tensions arise when the scientists are asked to leave. However, when the radio transmitter goes missing, as well as two of their men, the military enlists the help of the scientists to go into the cave to try to find the missing men and their equipment. The only actor I recognized in this was Lisa Blount ( from John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness), who played Leslie, one of the scientists, and potential love interest for the main character Wolfsen. Anyway, they soon encounter peril. First, they find the dead bodies of the 2 missing men, then one of them gets attacked by a giant snake. And finally, the main threat is revealed: a tribe of albino-like people who live underground. Everyone finds themselves struggling to escape the cave, as well as evade attacks from the mysterious albino people.













The movie starts like a standard drama, with nothing too remarkable, until they find the cave. It's from then on that things get interesting and enjoyable. It is cheesy at times and has that standard 80's vibe, but it manages to have some decent suspense, doing a good job creating atmosphere and mood. The snake attack is particularly enjoyable and well done. I liked that the albino people had their own language and didn't speak English. There are some good murders and attacks, as well as fun action. The acting was all decent, although Lisa Blount was not very believable as a scientist. Ultimately, this flick was a fun find that I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Definitely check it out if you enjoy lesser known, obscure retro films. I streamed it on YouTube.














The next flick I watched was a late 80’s horror comedy called Doom Asylum. 





Some lawyer dude and his girlfriend are driving around and drinking. He recently came into a lot of money, so they’re celebrating and planning their fun, care free future. He accidentally crashes his car, killing his girlfriend in the process. Believed to be dead as well, the guy is sent to an asylum for dissection. He wakes up in the middle of it and kills the medical examiners. 10 years later, a girl named Kiki (the daughter of the lawyer’s girlfriend) and her pals  drive up to hang out at the abandoned asylum. Also there is a 3-girl punk band who are rehearsing. The lawyer dude, who’s horribly disfigured and has gone mad, is still lurking around the area. One by one, he starts to stalk the youth and kill them using surgical tools.












The comedy aspects of the flick are so over-the-top and lame. None of the jokes really land, and most of the characters recite some dumb line before their deaths. None of the attempts at humor are funny at all, but because they ends up being so stupid, for the most part, it stays entertaining. The gore effects are decent, including the killer’s disfigured face, and some of the murders, including a drill in the forehead, a power saw to the face, and someone having their toes cut off with shears. Everyone in the cast give awful performances, with the exception of Kristin Davis (Charlotte from Sex and the City), who manages to be slightly better than the rest. I guess that’s why she went on to have a successful acting career (she was also on Melrose Place in the 90’s). If you’re a fan of slasher flicks, it’s worth checking out, if only for the murders and carnage. The forced humor simply fails, but at least it’s never boring.











The final flick I caught was 2018’s Knife + Heart, a French thriller that was reminiscent of 70’s style giallo flicks.





A Paris filmmaker in 1979 named Anne Parèze, who produces gay porn, finds herself navigating a broken heart (her editor and lover Lois just broke up with her). One night, one of her young actors is murdered. At first she’s nonchalant about it, even taking it as inspiration to film a horror porn parody. But when more actors start showing up dead, she takes it upon herself to investigate the killings, since the police don’t seem too concerned with solving the murders. She also finds herself obsessing over Lois, following her around and desperately trying to get back together. Anne eventually follows up on the one piece of evidence that she’s given: a black bird feather left at the scene of each crime. This leads her to start closing in on the identity of the killer.












The film has great cinematography, with splashes of primary colors, such as blues, reds, etc. I found it reminiscent of some of Argento’s work. It also does a good job of capturing the grittiness late 70’s Paris. There are many artistic, highly stylized sequences, and paired with a nice soundtrack from M83 and Jefre Cantù-Ledesma, the film is visually stunning at times. Vanessa Paradis, who plays Anne, does a fantastic job of capturing that post breakup insanity, her fixation with winning back Lois bordering on stalking, and her many emotional highs and lows. The murders, while not overly graphic, are still well done and perverse, as the weapon is a dildo with a detractable knife. The killer wears a mask, and makes these high pitched moaning noises that make him effectively creepy. His identity, as well as motive, is both sad and twisted.











Knife + Heart is a stylish thriller that’s sure to please any fans of Italian giallo and Argento’s films. Visually impressive, good acting, a great soundtrack, and a nice amount of lurid schlock add up to a very interesting viewing experience. It’s available to stream on Tubi.





 

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