(1970)
Dir - Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe
Overall: MEH
The
debut from French-born filmmaker Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe, (who would work
exclusively and prolifically in television until his 2006 movie Le grand Meaulnes), The Water Spider, (L'araignée d'eau),
is a slow-moving adaptation of Marcel Bealu's novel of the same name.
It concerns a mild-mannered yet self-centered entomologist who brings
home the arachnid of the title, only for it to transform into a
tarantula and then a lovely mute girl for some unearthly reason. This
leads to a domestic squabble with the gossiping townsfolk and his doting
wife and the whole thing could be seen as a metaphor for man's
complacency, selfishness, isolation, and temptations getting the better
of him. Surreal at parts with a haunting musical score and one or two
curious set pieces, it is also comatose in its pacing which gives it a
spell-binding atmosphere that is in keeping with the strange allure that
has captured Marc Eyraud's less-than-sympathetic protagonist.
Eventually though, the long-tracking shots, minimal dialog, and lack of
coherence leads to a frustrating experience and the movie overstays its
ethereal yet aloof welcome.
(1974)
Dir - Walter Boos
Overall: MEH
Due to its colossal success, The Exorcist quickly became one of the most aggressively copied films of its kind and West Germany's immediate answer to it was The Devil's Female, (Magdalena, vom Teufel besessen, Magdalena, Possessed By the Devil). Though not as enjoyable as the blaxploitation cheapie Abby or Paul Naschy's Exorcismo, it comparatively fares better than the several Italian knock-offs that are out there and in any event, it is easily one of the horniest. Dagmar Hedrich spends a predominant amount of time with her clothes off, sometimes ripping her nightgown in a fit of demonic passion, other times writhing around with her legs spread while forcing men to murder each other for a piece of her, and other times having her garments get supernaturally torn apart so that she can get invisibly penetrated by malevolent forces. Of course what self respecting demonic possession movie would be complete without hilariously blasphemous dialog and "I wanna take communion. But not in my mouth, but down here in my pussy" is easily one of the finest. The film is frequently sluggish, the romantic music is largely inappropriate, and the ending is almost "blink and you'll miss it" abrupt, but it is an amusing, shamelessly derivative, sleazy hoot for bad movie night.
(1978)
Dir - Igor Auzins
Overall: MEHProducer Robert Bruning and director Igor Auzins team up again with The Night Nurse; another Australian television film made by Bruning's Gemini Productions and their follow-up to the same year's The Death Train. Set at a large estate owned by a wealthy, former opera singer who is several sandwiches short of a picnic, it concerns a newly appointed night nurse who immediately finds herself at odds with the persistently unpleasant caretaker. An opening murder establishes the unwholesomeness at play, followed by a series of trivial events that cast less suspicion on certain parties while casting more suspicion on others. Save for Kate Fitzpatrick's boyfriend who voices general concern the whole way through as to the fishy circumstances being upheld, the movie is almost entirely centered around three women, two of whom are portrayed as textbook old kooks with varying degrees of crotchetiness. While it is handled well enough by Auzins, the performances are decent, and the finale is a predictable combination of the gruesome and undercooked, Ron McLean's story does not pack enough suspenseful and/or quirky moments to keep the momentum going.
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