Guest Blog: Two Unbalanced Tales

“Two Unbalanced Tales”: Two essential episodes of Ultra Q
by Tyler Miller

2020 has been a wild year. It's been the year of COVID and pure madness. But while the world is filled with despair and the dread of the unknown, the arts have been a welcomed escape. One of the brightest lights of hope has been movie communities and the friendships formed from them. When I heard Richard was planning a third Asian horror-themed month, I knew I had to get in on the action. So dear reader, follow me on a journey to an “outside the box” entry in Japanese horror.

 

Released in 1966, Ultra Q was a massive hit for television and its influence is very much a part of J Horror’s history. The series was originally dreamed up (or maybe it was a nightmare) by writer Tetsuo Kinjio, who wanted to show strange tales of the supernatural. The original title was going to be “Unbalanced” to showcase the everyday reality being thrown into a loop. Special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya had just started his own production company, Tsuburaya Productions, and the show was a lovely fit for bringing monsters and sci-fi weirdness to the small screen.

Tsuburaya and his company would bring their iconic special effects to TV, giving viewers something like a mini-Godzilla movie every week. Shot in moody Black and white, Ultra Q has a cinematic look. The camerawork is inventive, the lighting is atmospheric, and many of Toho’s key actors and bit players would have regular roles in the series. The real star of the series would be all the bonkers monster designs. The first episode released, “Defeat Gomess!”, even features a reused and repainted Godzilla suit. The show’s success soon led to a spinoff show called Ultraman and monster history was born.

Some of the series fans would soon start working in the fields of film, television, and anime. The influence on the works of Hideaki Anno, Shusuke Kaneko, and Shinya Tsukamoto is crystal clear. Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) has some shots that would feel right at home within Tsuburaya and crew, especially if they wanted to get more bloodthirsty. Tetsuo even has a chilling opening that feels like one of the pre-credits scenes in “Baron Spider” or "Goro and Goroh”.

The show revolves around the adventures of ace pilot and amateur sci-fi novelist Jun Manjome (Kenji Sahara), his flight partner Ippei (Yasuhiko Saijou), and Daily News reporter Yuriko (Hiroko Sakurai), who discover a strange news story. Some of the episodes would focus on other characters, but the trio would become the key adventurers. The series is now available on a gorgeous Blu-ray boxset from Mill Creek after a decade’s long legal battle with Thai film company Chaiyo Productions and it’s owner Sompote Sands. Now the series can be rediscovered by monster kids and fans of J-horror. So with Halloween around the corner, here are two must-see episodes of this black and white spooky wonder.

“Mammoth Flower” is the fourth episode in the series. It begins with a sidewalk being destroyed by a strange looking weed. The next day Jun and Ippei discover that the printing shop there visiting has been wrecked by a mysterious earthquake. But Ippei questions how the quake would just affect the building and not all of Tokyo itself. The two men bump into Yuriko, who is working on the earthquake story. The three of them soon discover that something odd is also happening at the nearby water side. Once there they discover that the same giant plant is loose in the water, it isn’t long until the plant starts to grown and uproot a nearby building.

  

This episode is a bit of an oddity. It doesn’t feature a humanoid monster, but instead a giant vampire plant. Characters even jokingly call it a plant Dracula. The whole episode is packed with style and haunting images of the giant plant with its tentacle like vines. The imagery is also familiar to Godzilla fans. Godzilla vs Biollante (1989) borrows many ideas and shots from this episode. Biollante’s story came from longtime kaiju fan Shinichiro Kobayashi, who also wrote a treatment for a episode of The Return of Ultraman, and screenwriter/ director Kazuki Ohmori. Both men wanted to make a unique and bizarre Godzilla movie. The borrowing of the off balanced plants in “Mammoth Flower” brought some truly gruesome ideas to Toho’s titan franchise.

 

The ninth episode in the series is one that is sure to please haunted house fans. “Baron Spider” begins with a giant spider attacking workers in a lighthouse. Jun and company are on their way to the scene of the story when they are stopped in the fog. With them is three other people, all of which are poetic and obsessed with the supernatural. Ippei and one of their guests falls into a lake nearby and almost catch their death from the cold. The six make their way to a house near the lighthouse and hope for help. They discover that the house is empty and covered in spiderwebs. It turns out that the house was owned by a crazy baron who was obsessed by spiders. He also lost his wife to the deadly bite from a wild spider. So now the house is cursed and the spider is hungry for blood. 

 

 

"Baron Spider” is a visual tour de force. It’s my favorite episode of this iconic series and one that is sure to please horror fans. Feeling like a sister to Ishiro Honda’s Matango AKA Attack of the Mushroom People (1964), the whole episode is dripping with dread. Every shot is filled with smoke, spiderwebs, or moody shadows. The teleplay mixes elements from killer animal stories and ghost legends. It even turns into a slasher with the character being lost, coming into the mysterious house, drinking, and then being separated. Like Michael Myers in Halloween (1978), or Billy in Black Christmas (1974), The Baron spider creeps around and waits to strike. He is able to teleport and disappear from the scene. The spider’s design is simple but also chilling.

Ultra Q is one of the greatest horror/sci-fi Television series. While Ultraman is better known to Monster Kids, Ultra Q is a special first. Each episode is filled with wonder and life. Thanks to the wonders of DVD and Blu-ray this iconic series is now easier than ever to finally see. So pop some corn, turn off the lights, and let yourself be transported for 30 minutes into the unbalanced realm of dreams that is Ultra Q.

Franco Friday #60 - Shane's Franco Marathon!

I like Shane Migliavacca. He's a rad duder. Check out his blog right now! Just when you thought that the Franco Friday series was dead, Shane swoops in and saves the day. He watched 12 films by Old Jess and documented his journey. Check it out and then check out his blog again because like I previously stated, he's a rad duder. -Richard

The crazy world of Jess Franco. Really there's nothing like it. His movies are filled with beautiful women, weird dialogue and lots of smooth jazz. I wandered into the world of Franco back in the '90's. First place I remember hearing about him was in Fangoria magazine. But I hadn't seen any of his movies. Back then I'd get together with some of my friends and we'd rent a bunch of crazy ass films on VHS. On one of these movie nights I rented Oasis of The Zombies. That was a mistake. We hated it. The tape was grainy, the zombies kind of sucked and not much happens in the movie. This was the first time I saw one of his films. I'm surprised it wasn't the last. Jump ahead to the early 2000's.

Thanks to the magic of DVD I was getting to experience movies I'd been only able to read about. Mondo Macabro released Franco's Diabolical Doctor 'Z'. On a whim I picked it up. I loved the film's crazy mad science and great visuals. Ever since then the amount of Jess Franco films in my collection has been growing. I'd been hoping to do a marathon of his movies when the time was right. This year my collection finally got to the point where I felt I had a nice selection. What follows is my three day descent into a mad free form Jess Franco jazz nightmare.

Day 1

1) Marquis de Sade's Justine (1969)

We get some kooky Klaus Kinski interludes as Marquis de Sade himself. Romina Power's acting is stiff as a board but she's nice on the eyes. Her big hat isn't though. Justine bounces around from one sleazy character to the next. Almost all of them trying to tempt her to the darkside. There's one hunky dude she meets that seems okay. When Jack Palance shows up this movie goes into crazy overdrive. Film meanders quite a bit. There's a few slow spots in Justine's journy. It's really great looking. And there's plenty of over the top characters to keep your interest from totally waning.

2) The Awful Dr. Orlof (1962)

Things start a little slow but then Morpho shows up and all is right with the world. Well, except for the Inspector character. He just sucks! Worlds worst detective. Just open your girlfriend's damn note already and solve the case man! This is Franco doing classic monster movies. I like it. Seen this film several times. I grow to enjoy it more each time. If your smart and not me this should be your gateway film into Franco land.

3) Golden Temple Amazons (1986)

From the directors Alain Payet and an uncredited Jess Franco comes a film full of bewbies. Lots and lots of bewbies. There's also some real manly dude with a beard. Did I mention bewbies? The film is set in Africa but all the Amazons are all tall blonde women. Go figure. Somebody went crazy with the nature footage here. Also bewbies.

4) Diamonds of Kilimandjaro (1983)

I don't know why they spelled it like that. Another Franco co-directed jungle pic. Hilariously atrocious dubbing in this sucker. The same manly beard guy is in this one too. You sir are great. There's some diamond plot but really who cares? It's all about how godawful this film is. Too bad there's some stock footage animal killing thrown in. Not cool.

5) Bloody Moon (1981)

Bloody Moon, where have you been? How come we didn't meet sooner? This film is so '80's and I love it. Oh that funky score is amazing! The old woman in this film is one bitter bitch. Shut up old lady. This is one hot language school. Full of '80's babes. Everybody's pants are high and everything is bedazzled. The character of Paco is so over the top and wrong. You have to see him eating or driving. It's amazing to behold. There's sadly some snake violence on display here. The kills are fairly bloody. Also there's full moon breast baring.

Day 2

6) Jack the Ripper (1976)

The amazing Klaus Kinski ladies and germs! He's back to kick off day two! This is Dr. Orloff sans Morpho. Could have used him here. Oh puss close ups are never cool. Lina Romay singing is hilarious. It's a highlight of the film which is otherwise kind of depressing. This was my second ever Jess Franco film. I remember renting it on VHS expecting a slasher. So there's some nostalgia here for me.It's historically inaccurate as far as Jack the Ripper films go. So don't expect facts Jack.

7) Ilsa, the Wicked Warden (1977)

This movie needs to come with a built in shower. The sleaze oozes from the screen. It's nicely filmed sleaze though. The story concerns a missing woman and her not to bright sister. The sister gets herself intentionally sent to to a jungle prison in search of her missing sibling. You have to admire Lina Romay. She didn't mind getting naked.

8) Eugenie (1970)

This movie is tripping balls. Bruno Nicolai's score is excellent. Did anybody tell Chris Lee what was going on? Or did he just wander onto the set? God bless Jess Franco for letting Paul Muller make out with hot chicks. The evil brother dude is really giving that rocking chair a workout. Calm it down man. Man that ending is a real twisty kick in the teeth. It's very Game of Thrones with all the double crossing and murder. Really enjoyed the heck out of this one.

Day 3

9) Kiss Me Monster (1969)

This here is one of my favorite Franco flicks. It's just pure campy, crazy fun. A real groovy Eurospy spoof. Leads Janine Reynaud & Rosanna Yanni appear to be having a blast. Sexy spies versus mad scientists with plenty of jazz thrown in. What's not to love here?

10) Oasis of the Zombies (1982)

Didn't get any better. There's long stretches of nothing going on. Perfect to doze off to. The best part of the film besides the zombie attacks is the flashback scene. Where we're treated to a really goofy battle between British and German during WWII. So how did the zombies from WWII get those mod '80's haircuts?

11) A Virgin Among the Living Dead (1973)

If I had to pick a favorite Franco film, Virgin would be in the running. It's a beautiful haunting nightmare of a movie. There's another great Bruno Nicolai in this one. That Christina von Blanc is stunning. And it's great to see the always reliable Howard Vernon. There's Paul Muller again. But he doesn't score any hot chick make out scenes in this one. The Queen of the Night is creepy as hell. That ending. Is it a dream? Some sort of weird time loop? Or are they in hell? What ever the case it's amazing.

12) Venus in Furs (1969)

It all starts in Istanbul not Constantinople. Franco's noir masterpiece. This is another one that I pick for my favorite Franco film. Every shot is amazing. The beatnik dialogue can be kind of goofy at times. But it adds to the film's charm for me. Good old Klaus makes another appearance in the marathon. The film is surreal as hell. You'd think maybe it would meander. But it never does. It moves along at a steady pace. If there was one Franco film you should watch, it's this one.

So there you go. What a weird movie marathon. There where some bombs in there. I was honestly a little scared how this one would turn out. But it was a lot of fun. There was a dream like quality to the whole thing that made going back to the real world kind of sad. There's so many Franco films I have yet to see. I'd love to do another one some day.

-Shane Migliavacca

Guest Blog: Top 5 American Horror Films of the 1990s

I like lists and I know for a fact that Brad of Hello! This is the Doomed Show and Yellow Razor likes- no, loves them too. We make lists together and here is a list now. Listy list. LIST LIST LIST. Since the 90s were so great and the horror movies from that era were better than any other era in the history of mankind, I thought we should talk about some American horror films from that era. And hey, why not put that discussion in list form. Here is Brad's top 5 and you can read mine over at his blog. Word up.

5. Dr. Giggles (1992)

Some of you may be confused as to the inclusion of Dr. Giggles on my list, even at #5. But this is exactly what a 12 year old undiscerning horror film fan loved in 1992. A good back-story, a weird, giggling antagonist, and a creepy hospital set piece delivered the goods. Yes, re-watching it doesn't elicit quite the same response but it's a good memory and it kept new horror alive for me in my early VHS rental days. I'm not even going to say guilty pleasure because I do return to it from time to time. And there's that scene. You know.

4. Event Horizon (1997)

This freaked us out at the theater and it freaked me out (not as much admittedly, but still) on bluray. What I thought was a sci-fi/horror film that would tip the scales more on the sci-fi side was actually far more horror than I anticipated. This is the closest we'll get to Hellraiser in Space (I know there's a Hellraiser in Space) even though most of us probably aren't looking for a Hellraiser in Space. Sam Neill + Black Hole + Hellraiser In Space. Number 4 on this list has been brought to you by Hellraiser in Space.

3. The Resurrected (1991)

This is a little gem from Dan O'Bannon who didn't direct nearly enough horror films in my opinion. Probably the best straight up Lovecraft adaptation out there for my money with a great performance from Chris Sarandon. Even though I think it's well directed it does have the look of a nicely made cable film of the time. This was one I half remembered for a long time before I stumbled across it on Netflix. Based on The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward it plays like a neo-noir that wandered into a horror film. Highly recommended.

2. In The Mouth Of Madness

John Carpenter's last great film and the only one of his that I've seen in the theater. My friends and I saw this and Event Horizon both and we decided that there was something very wrong with Sam Neill. And we hadn't even seen Possession yet. This is Carpenter's take on Lovecraft and it works on several levels, one of them being 'meta' right before that was trendy. Bravura editing and Carpenter's trademark widescreen picture plus Neill's slowly descending into madness acting and some genuinely squirm inducing effects makes this a winner for me. Do you read Sutter Cane?

1. Wolf

I think it's safe to say that from the moment the trailer hit television, we were all excited for what promised to be the definitive werewolf/wolfman picture. The chemistry between Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer burned through the screen like no other coupling in film history. Years after his groundbreaking horror films The Graduate and Working Girl, director Mike Nichols delivered...Nah, I can't do it. I mean The Blair Witch Project is my number one film from the 90's, right? A masterclass in suspense and not looking the horror directly in the eye, opinion on the film is still split today. Released not too long really before everyone had a cell phone and internet and Facebook, the film delivers one of the last looks at true myth making unencumbered by post modern skepticism. You don't have to actually see the witch herself to be scared. Your brain can fill in the blanks. And that is terrifying.

-Brad Hogue

Guest Blog: Franco Friday #57 - Tender and Perverse Emanuelle

Sometimes, when you're nice, people beat you to death. But other times, they give you presents. Brad has given me the greatest gift of all. The gift of Jess Franco! In honor of Cinema Somnambulist's five year anniversary birthday celebration or just in honor of Franco, Brad has contributed today's Franco Friday. So just sit back, relax, and then sit up straight again, pay attention, and read this review! -Richard

Tender And Perverse Emanuelle
Directed by J.P. Johnson (Just kidding! It's Franco.)
1973
Starring Alberto Dalbes, Norma Castell, Jack Taylor, Lina Romay, Antonio Mayans, and Alice Arno
77 minutes

Gordon Douglas' (Alberto Dalbes of Murder Mansion, The Hunchback Of The Morgue) wife Emanuelle (Norma Castell - Vengeance of the Zombies) is having nightmares. She's a very talented pianist and has taken to playing the same haunting sonata over and over. Gordon is convinced that Emanuelle wrote it for her lover and invites his friend Michel (Jack Taylor of Jess Franco's Count Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and the Wolfman, and three time winner of Best 70's Mustache Award) over to discuss the nightmares and try to ease his and Emanuelle's mind. It seems that all of her nightmares start out rather lovely and end in Gordon killing her. When Michel arrives, Emanuelle isn't home yet and he and Gordon wait around for her. Emanuelle's body is found on the beach the next morning, an apparent suicide. Or is it murder? (It's murder.)

Who killed Emanuelle? Was it her husband? Her former lover Michel? Gordon's sister (and former Emanuelle lover) Greta (Lina Romay of every Franco film post 1972)? Was it the handyman and former lover Matthias (Raymond Hardy-Lorna of The Exorcist)? Maybe it was thug and former lover Richard Scary (Antonio Mayans - The Night Of The Skulls)? Was it you? Are you a former lover of Emanuelle?

When Richard first mentioned Franco Friday I thought it was a good idea. I still do. Originally it was going to be a week of Franco reviews but soon grew into 52 weeks of Franco reviews every Friday. I mean, that is crazy. Because while Franco made several great films, he also made some shit. And Richard was bound to run into a lot of shit. Of course there is some variance in folks' opinions. I for one don't care to watch Female Vampire ever again, while some love it. I really enjoy The Sinister Eyes of Dr. Orloff. Some find it dull as dishwater.

I've reminded Richard over the years (yes, Franco Friday has been going on for years. Plural. Let that sink in.) that he is doing an important service to the Eurohorror community at large. Franco made somewhere in the range of a bajillion films. And that's a conservative estimate. I know there are those of you out there that have a good grasp on Franco, but there are surely others, like me, that didn't really even have a good starting point. Richard has written a slew of these Franco reviews and has even helpfully put a button on the blog you can click and be instantly whisked to a land of soft focus/softcore horror, sci fi, thriller, comedy, giallo, spy, jungle, women in prison, krimi, adventure, slasher reviews. All films made by a crazy person named Jess Franco. All reviews made by a crazy person named Richard. Richard, I thank you.

Tender And Perverse Emanuelle is not really an Emanuelle film. It was redubbed (or dubbed for the first time, I can't tell) and retitled (I also can't find any info on an original title) because of the highly popular Emanuelle film series that started the year AFTER this film was made. In fact at times the character named Emanuelle is mistakenly still referred to as Barbara. Tender And Perverse Barbara. Nope. It doesn't have that certain ring to it.

There's a lot of flashbacks in the film. And sex. And flashbacks to sex. It seems Emanuelle had sex with everyone. And it is a bit more sex than I am really comfortable watching. I'm not a prude but it's more graphic than I am accustomed to, even for a Franco film. There's masturbation from both sexes. And some, ahem, butt stuff (don't ask). So for those keeping score, I've done two Franco Friday reviews and both had penises. At least this one doesn't have the swinging dicks of Devil Hunter!

The reason I wanted to do this review is because it falls into my personal favorite time period of Franco's filmography: 1970-1974. There's a lot to love there and it's exciting because he made approximately 47 films in each of those years. In fact, I am continually surprised when I stumble across a film I had never heard of during this period. I can wrap my head around Argento's filmography. You can easily pinpoint years for say, The Animal Trilogy or discuss the merits of where Inferno slots into your opinion of his work. We can argue where exactly Argento stopped delivering the goods on a consistent basis or what later film (if at all) saw a return to the glory of yesteryear. But it's much more difficult to do that with Franco. I still haven't seen all the films he directed in this five year period let alone his entire output.

If you don't mind the sex stuff then Tender And Perverse Emanuelle delivers a lot of what you want in a Franco film. Soft focus cinematography, great film locations, a piano driven score by Daniel White that isn't that far off from frequent Franco collaborator: Bruno Nicolai, and a bare-bones thriller plot. All the performances from Franco regulars were pretty good. I love me some Jack Taylor. Who I don't usually love, and it's heresy to say it, is Lina Romay. But she was quite good in this with her over-sized sunglasses and I found her very cute for a change. I think I'll start taking it easy on Lina.

I wouldn't classify Tender And Perverse Emanuelle as a giallo. But let's face it, if it was an Italian film from the same era, it would probably be called such. I hesitate to even say the word 'giallo' because I know that there are folks like me who want to see anything that has the slightest touch of the yellow mystery films. I will say you could throw this comfortably into a giallo moviethon, say in-between something like Psychout For Murder and Smile Before Death and no one would ever be the wiser. It IS a murder mystery with a twisty plot. Well, a twist.

I'll lightly recommend giving this a look sometime especially if you are a fan of this era of Franco. The version I watched for this review was actually on YouTube. Yep. Handjobs and all. It does seem to be cropped on the left side of the screen but I couldn't find an official dvd release anywhere on line. Would I watch it again? I think I would. I'd just skip the heavy sexy stuff.

Quotes:

“She is probably up on some cliff letting her tears drop down to the beach below.”

***

“You're the most adorable bitch I know.”

***

“You're under arrest mister.”
“No shit.”