Hell's Gate (Umberto Lenzi, 1991)

A team of archeologists venture into some deep caves to look for their friend who has disappeared while trying to break the world isolation record. Once inside they stumble across an old crypt with a strange Latin inscription on the wall. It tell's them that in 1291 seven monk's were executed for 'heresy' and that they will return exactly 700  years later and kill seven 'heretic's'. Unfortunately for the group it's exactly 700 years later!




Hells Gate is another Italian made for tv horror and is just as dull and boring as the others. The script is weak, the cast are dull (even the lovely Barbara Cupisti from Stagefight and Giacomo Rossi Stuart are poor) the music is cheap and the special effects are merely adequate (one of the murders is clearly modeled on the axe murder from Friday the 13th) but the worst thing of all is that Lenzi uses the exact same ending as the one in Nightmare City!! 


Absolute Garbage.


DVD:
The only Englsih friendly dvd so far is the Dutch release from EC Entertainment (that has a picture of a semi naked woman being menaced on the cover). But its not a good one im afraid; It comes with a crappy video transfer in Italian with optional english sub's. The only extra is a Lenzi bio and filmography.

Waterpower (Shaun Costello, 1976)

Burt (Jamie Gillis) is a creepy loner who spends his time reading porn, visitng sex show's and spying on the girl who lives in the appartment across the road. One night he visits a seedy sex club where you can pay to act out the fantasy of your choice. After becoming curious about a colonic, the manager allows him to visit the room of another customer to see first hand what it is. A colonic of course is an enema. Burt is so turned on by this that he sees it as his purpose in life to administer enemas to women he feels are dirty and sinful. So off he goes into the night, breaking into the homes of unsuspecting women - who he rapes before pulling out his enema pump and giving them a good clean. The police are soon on the hunt for who the papers call the 'enema bandit' and send one of their own undercover to find him with almost fatal consequences.

Allegedly based on a true story, Water Power is twisted 70's porn at its finest; sleazy, digusting, moderately well acted and women with natural breasts. Gillis seems to be having fun as the Enema Bandit and his clean up operations are not for the faint hearted, with most disgusting sequence being when Gillis ties up two sisters who are making out with each other, shoves his pump up their arses and pisses on them while shitty water ejects from their backsides.

Reccomended if your curious about cinematic sleaze or is a longtime fan of 70's XXX.

Shock Masters of the Cinema - Edited by Loris Curci

Shock Masters was published in 1996 by Fantasma books, and is a compilation of interviews with key personnel from the Horror and Sci-fi genres. They are: Dario Argento, Pete Atkins, Mario Baiano, Kenneth Branagh, Jorg Buttgereit, Ramsey Campbell, John Carpenter, Jeffrey Combs, Don Coscarelli, Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Freddie Francis, Lucio Fulci, Frank Henenlotter, Steve Johnson, Lloyd Kaufman, William Lustig, Bill Malone, Antonio Margheriti, David Price, Jean Rollin, George Romero, Dardano Sacchetti, Angus Scrimm, Sergio Stivaletti, Anthony Timpone.

There is also a introduction by Ramsey Campbell and an afterword is provided by the late, great David Warbeck.  Recommended.