GL84 Arriving at a countryside mansion, several strangers and police detectives holding a criminal are forced to stay with the eccentric hosts of the house and find themselves playing deadly games with each other than expected and makes for a far more dangerous stay as the guests turn up dead.This one wasn't all that bad of an effort. One of the more engaging aspects of this one is the rather enjoyable atmosphere created throughout this one which gives this quite a lot to like. Employing the Gothic standouts in the atmospheric location and setup of the house, from the elaborate decorations, furnishings and general old-school air featured with the layout of the house structured up on a remote hilltop filled with the flair featured here. From the cloth drapings, candlelit rooms and raging thunderstorm in the background, they give this the same type of atmosphere and suspenseful air that continually appears in the older Gothic horror fare just before this one was released and eases the film into the eccentric behavior from the hosts rather well. As the first initial meeting between everyone is to offer up an orgy between them all signals, their rather bizarre behavior and straightforwardness showcasing all manner of sexual shenanigans give this a generally depraved ambiance that matches the Gothic trappings rather nicely. This also ties in nicely with the idea of the paranoia and sexual frustration that plays out here with the general air of sleaziness usually featured that manages quite a lot to like with how all the jealousies lead to pent-up rage and murder. Even as the events in the night continue, from the constant enforcement of the supernatural presences in the house which causes everyone to go crazy or the various murder guises that occur which merely add to the paranoid already featured throughout here and readily enhances this one significantly that gives it enough to hold itself out over it's few minor issues. The main problem here is the film's somewhat staid and glacial pacing that really does lower this one quite a bit. Barely anything happens at all for large portions of time as this one tends to remain wallowing in Gothic tropes for the vast majority of the time and doesn't really bring anything out of the incredibly fun atmosphere presented. This one is generally much too interested in its paranoia amongst the cast to really lift itself out of the doldrums as it moves along at a somewhat steady pace that might be considered way too slow for some to really enjoy all that much. As well, the other problem here is the rushed and nonsensical finale that brings everything to a head in a much too rushed manner as a result of the pacing setting up atmosphere over it's pacing so the film just ambles along throughout the main storyline then blazes through the final five minutes to pay it all off which leads to a truly bland effect. These are all that hold it back, though.Rated Unrated/R: Violence, Full Nudity and Language.

Bezenby Like many a horror film, this starts off with a varied bunch of people seeking shelter once they discover that a bridge they need to cross has collapsed, and they end up at a spooky mansion (looks like a cheap model!) run by a guy who kind of looks like that guy out of No Country For Old Men.Our victims this time include uptight Giacomo Rossi-Stuart who hates his boozy, floozy wife (and she hates him back!), two cops who have just arrested murderer Spike, a doctor, his assistant and a local who provides the creepy exposition. Every single one of them smoke like troopers, including the doctor. The caretaker tells them it's probably not a good idea to stay the night but then doesn't seem to bothered as he has a naked chick in his room.After her suggestion of an orgy is turned down, Giacomo's wife then finds out that the house was owned by a lady who was accused of killing her husband, and also accused of being a witch. The wife thinks this is a good time to do a séance and that's where the film starts getting interesting as all of a sudden Giacomo becomes possessed and starts talking in the dead ladies voice. Seems that the night isn't going to be as boring as they thought… In amongst all the Gialli and Spaghetti Westerns I'm watching it's nice to watch a straightforward horror film, even if it is a bit patchy and slow. There's a nice atmosphere to this one, and although it's not great all the way through, there are some sequences that stand out, like when Giacomo's wife has a strange hallucination that she's stabbing Farley Granger over and over again while he laughs in her face, or the constant ticking of clocks throughout the house which makes me wonder if Lucio Fulci had this film in mind when making The House of Clocks years later.There also a guy getting attacked by a picture and some disembodied laughing, plus the end sequence is carried out quite well. You can add this one to pile of horror the Italian made set giant houses. Or do something worthwhile instead.

qmtv Lots of potential, but the writing/story is the downfall. Good music, and some decent acting and scenes.What we have here is a bunch of characters stuck in a house. Some decent acting, some not so great. The main problem is the writing. These characters do not all come together in the story. Some of the characters interact and its great. Like when the killer plays the piano and there is a dream sequence. Great music and great scene. The rest of the story just does not add up. There's a couple of cops, that add up to zero. The professor, doctor, the caretaker and his girlfriend all did very little and their acting was poor. The married couple were decent actors and had decent screen time. The killer was interesting. But all these characters needed to add up to something. It didn't.What saves this movie is that it built some kind of atmosphere, or anticipation of suspense. It had some great cinematography and music.Rating is a C, or 5 stars. Better story and acting this could have been a 7 or even 8.

Red-Barracuda Extreme weather forces a group of disparate people to gather in a house once owned by a dabbler in the occult. Needless to say, something evil begins to influence events after some of these uneasy guests conduct a misguided séance.I hadn't even heard of Something Creeping in the Dark prior to a very kind fellow IMDb user sending me a copy. It's a pretty obscure Italian horror film from the period when the giallo was the number one sub-genre from that country. Surprisingly, this isn't really a giallo at all, despite often having the feel of one. Instead it is resolutely an example of a supernatural occult chiller. It builds up its setup quite well with a tense credit sequence with dramatic music and odd freeze-frames that announce the various cast and crew. Events soon end up at the aforementioned mansion but truthfully not a great deal is made of the premise and there is overall quite a limited supply of action or thrills on offer. It has some dreamlike sequences though and it overall has a decent enough atmosphere but you can't help but feel it could have been executed with a bit more vigour and it does pale a bit when compared to most other Italian horrors and thrillers from the early 70's. Nevertheless, it's not exactly a dud either and could maybe best be described as a fairly workmanlike chiller.