The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Raw in its documentary footage, this movie became one of the most influential horror films. “The film seemed like the pornography of hell,” the British Censorship Board ruled , cancelling its distribution in England for 23 years. Shady financing, rumored with the mob, did not help. Nevertheless, anyone … More The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Myra Breckinridge (1970) Granted full control over this adaptation of Gore Vidal’s vicious satire, Michael Sarne made a “degradation” film, a 70s genre where famous actors degrade themselves by playing the parts assigned. Caught between the resurrected body of Mae West and the sexy Raquel Welsh, Sarne lost control. Rex Reed said afterwards, “This was … More Myra Breckinridge (1970)
White Heat (1949) James Cagney terrifies as gang leader Cody Jarrett whom not even prison walls can stop from going berzerk and killing as many people as he can. “Made it, Ma! Top of the world!” Director Raoul Walsh’s apocalyptic vision exposes man’s capacity for absolute evil, willing to take down all humanity in the … More White Heat (1949)
I Want To Live! (1958) Susan Hayward won an Oscar for her performance of a woman wrongly accused of murder and sentenced to die in the gas chamber. Director Robert Wise’s gritty realism is unrelenting in its criticism of capital punishment. “After being ‘drawn to the place of execution,’ each traitor was to be … More I Want To Live! (1958)
