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Although Norman J Warren was involved in various aspects
of other films, he directed nine full features between 1967
and 1986. Four of the most well known are collected together
here, with a fifth disc containing additional material relating
to them. Much of Warren's work was produced during the most
prominent years of British independent film production, at
one period even going head to head against the mighty Hammer
House of Horror studios. However, whereas the Hammer films
were in the main stylish and somewhat reassuringly cosy, Warren
went out to shock with sex scenes, blood and violence; emulating
the films which had impacted the market at that time with
moderate success...
In Satan's Slave (1976), a young woman goes with her
parents to visit an uncle she didn't know she had, but on
the way the car crashes and when she gets out to go for help
the car explodes. Stranded and isolated, she relies on the
uncle and his strange son. However, she soon learns she is
a virtual prisoner, and that on her birthday she will be used
as a sacrifice to raise the uncle's long-dead wife in a coven's
ritual of necromancy.
Michael Gough, veteran of many horror films in his day, stars
in this one, with Michael Craze (perhaps best known as Ben
in Doctor Who) playing the protagonist's boyfriend, attacked
from afar by witchcraft. Although effective to a small extent
at the opening scenes, the coven seems to come from nowhere
and vanish for the majority of the movie, only to reappear
as cowled figures at the end. They are superfluous aside from
effect. This film attempts to harness the popularity of The
Exorcist and The Omen without coming close.
In Prey (1977), two lesbian lovers are recluses in
a large house and grounds. One night a bright light is seen
through the window and the next day the women encounter an
intruder in the grounds. The stranger appears to be dazed
and confused about his identity and purpose, but announces
himself as Anderson. They take him back to the house where
he is fascinated by the caged parrot and reacts badly to tea
and a vegetarian meal. In reality he is an alien hunter who
has taken on the identity of a human. He is a scout on a mission
to establish if humans will be easy prey for a raiding party.
As a result Anderson gets caught up in the women's weird games.
Josephine wants to keep Jessica for herself and will go to
any lengths to keep interlopers away - with unforeseen and
savage consequences.
The
booklet that comes with this set describes the lesbian couple
as swanning around the grounds alternately having sex and
arguing. This pretty much sums up most of the film; there
is a considerable amount of time-wasting which, along with
the tiny cast, screams out 'low budget'. Prey does
have its good moments: when Anderson slips into hunter mode
the make-up effects for the eyes and teeth prove effective,
but the inclusion of a lupine nose makes the whole look ridiculous
(even the director says in a documentary it makes him look
like a werewolf). There are also other quirky moments such
as when Anderson is dressed-up like a woman for a birthday
celebration. Apparently, Prey 2 was scripted and planned
but never made, mainly due to disappointing distribution for
this film. This film could have been so much better.
Terror
(1978) has a witch hunted down and tied to a stake for burning
when hellish intervention causes the pursuers to go up in
flames themselves. The witch arrives at the house of her accuser
and curses her family line before killing the woman. In more
modern times a film producer ancestor owns the house. After
ridiculing the curse, a friend demonstrates a fake hypnotism.
The others at a party want him to prove it with somebody else,
but the hypnotism appears to turn to possession and she tries
to kill the producer with a ceremonial sword. When the subject
of the hypnotism leaves the house, she is pursued and eventually
killed by someone wielding a knife. The hunt is on for a killer
and there are more victims to follow.
In the booklet Warren admits the threadbare plot exists merely
to string-together the set-pieces, and that the film exists
as a reaction to Dario Argento's Suspira, which made
quite an impact upon its release. I don't think there's any
need for Warren's doing-down of Terror, because this
is easily the best of the four films on offer here. Much more
happens and with more regularity, rather than watching an
entire film for a shock ending. This did incredibly well for
a self-financed flick which was edited in the man's own house,
but it also suffered from bad timing with one of the biggest
grossing independent films emerging the same year. Anyone
remember a little thing called John Carpenter's Halloween?
I keep mentioning that name lately, don't I? Anyway, watch
out for the gorgeously common bad-actress character; she is
so funny it's almost worth the price of the box just to witness
her scenes. Filming the porn bath-scene is priceless. Michael
Craze turns up again, and other names include Peter Mayhew
and Glynis Barber in her first role.
Inseminoid
(1980) has an Earth team of specialists surveying a planet
and discovering evidence of an ancient civilisation. When
one of their party comes into contact with some unidentified
crystals, he develops a skin condition and becomes psychologically
unbalanced, culminating in his own death. When a female team
member comes into contact with the crystals her ordeal is
exacerbated by the presence of a large alien which attacks,
restrains and impregnates her. Now she is not only super-strong
and psychotic, but pregnant. The violence starts here.
This
film is infamous rather than famous. At different times this
film has been marketed as a black comedy, sci-fi horror or
sexploitation (the alien rape, and the fact that the alien
itself looks somewhat like a penis - I really will have to
see the doctor!). It really isn't all that horrific. The adult
alien does nothing but impregnate the human woman and then
mysteriously vanishes for the remainder of the movie. The
birth itself is near the end, and these scenes offer both
laughs and appreciation for the alien baby effects. At one
stage another woman is left nurturing the babies in a blanket
and when a character returns to the room it is to find them
eating out the human woman's throat. By today's standards
this won't shock, but it did get American Women's Groups picketing,
and it does have a nostalgic value. Inseminoid emerged
on the back of the spectacularly successful Alien,
so Warren probably thought less was more at the time, when
more action and less running around would have worked better.
Anchor
Bay should be commended for their superb packaging for this
set. It's evident that they really care about what they're
producing, and want to make it as attractive to the marketplace
a possible. This collection is packaged in a high-quality
coffin-shaped box, the inside of which opens out concertina-style
to present each of the discs. There is a colour booklet about
the films and a glossy leaflet breaking down the extras of
each disc (5.1/DTS, commentaries, trailers, featurettes, a
short film Fragment, etc.).
Ty
Power
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