I remember watching this series when RTE aired it in 1987, since then its fallen into complete obscurity. Its never gotten a home media release and I don't remember it being repeated. Out of the episodes which I definitely recall watching, the most powerful was Fear Of The Dark, it spooked the bejaysus out of me. I vaguely remember the episodes the Scar and A Summer Ghost but my memories of those are more patchy. This was shown on Channel 4 originally as well, I don't know how well known it is among UK horror, suspense fans but I never see it mentioned alongside the likes of Armchair Thriller or the like.
Reviews
7 Reviews
Rude Boy
(1980)
Time capsule.
27 November 2017
I was torn about what rating to give this as it's not without it's merits. The film works as a time capsule of late 70's Britain with real life footage of National Front protests and anti-fascist counter protesters clashing with police. The concert footage of the Clash in action is undoubtedly the highlight. As a narrative led film it's kind of all over the place. Ganges unsympathetic main character fails to hold the viewers interest. He basically wanders the film in an alchoholic haze, can in hand. His character is utterly useless in his capacity as a roadie for the band and leads to some continuity confusion when two other roadie characters are talking about him as though he's gone yet the next scene has him still there. The sub story about a group of black youths falling foul of the law which seems to have no connection to the main Clash story is puzzling as well. It appears to be a critique of police harassment of black urban youth yet the featured characters are actually portrayed as engaging in criminal activity so it kind of misses the point.
Strange Love
(1987)
First hardcore porno I saw.
6 October 2017
Saw this circa 1989 in secondary school when our class had what was supposed to be half hour study time left in the classroom with no teacher supervising us. Someone brought this in and the whole class watched it on the school VCR, the whole time shitting it in case a teacher would walk in (they didn't thankfully).Anyway what to say about this? Opening sequence has a plane taking off at an airport then this woman talking dirty on the phone before cutting straight in to Randy West receiving head. A clown threesome with "circus" type music was another bit that sticks in my mind.
Hunky Dory
(2011)
By the numbers.
4 September 2017
Anyone who was around in the 70's and think this will provide an accurate nostalgia trip will be disappointed. The hairstyles, at least those of the male actors, are far too modern looking for 1976. The Incredible Hulk TV show is referenced two years before it aired (at least we can safely assume it's the TV show, it's highly unlikely the scriptwriters had the Marvel Comic in mind). More lazy 70's pop culture tropes follow. As someone else pointed out almost no one in the UK would have heard of The Ramones at this stage outside of a tiny London punk clique.Characters are too thinly sketched. One main female characters romance with a DJ she spots at a Northern Soul venue seems like an afterthought. The ending is laughable with a fictional montage of "what they did next" character biographies that try to add meat to the sketchy ensemble
Cross Country
(1983)
Worth a look.
20 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
As stated in some previous reviews this is one that hasn't been released on DVD or Blu Ray to date. I watched it on a 1983 Thorn EMI VHS cassette which I found in a charity shop. Richard Beymer's advertising exec Evan Bley becomes a murder suspect when he hits the road after his ex is found dead in her apartment (which is in Philapelphia, not New York as this site states). He hooks up with sexy blonde stripper Lois (Nina Axelrood) and her "friend" John (Brent Carver). This pairs relationship is kept ambiguous.Is John her lover, pimp or ex? He certainly harbors something dark in his feelings for her. My hunch is that they might be brother and sister but it's really open to interpretation. There's a great sleazy scene where Nina puts on a lesbian show with a buxom floozy John picks up in a bar. This turns out to be part of Johns mind games with Nina and Evan. During this time Michael Ironside's detective is on Evans trail and he has his own agenda for tracking him down. It all comes to a head in the Grand Canyon. It does keep you guessing but the astute viewer will have worked out the identity of the murderer halfway through. Well worth a look if you get the chance.
The Demon
(1981)
A mess.
10 March 2016
So much about this film makes no sense.The juxtaposition of American and South African accents with no sense of where its supposed to be set.The killer is a complete blank,we never find out if hes a "demon" of the title or just some homicidal nut.Many of the murders make no sense whatsoever,he kidnaps women,kills people randomly and does this weird heavy breathing.Police are nowhere to be seen.And it feels like two different films merged into one,with the Cameron Mitchell psychic subplot being only connected via the killer with the two nubile young women whose scenes in a state of undress are the highlight.As mentioned by others the transfer to DVD is terrible,my copy also wrongly states the release year as 1971.
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