On this episode, we look at the 1973 giallo feature, Torso.

Set amidst the pristine historic backdrop of Perugia, Italy, there’s a black-gloved killer on the loose. Of course. And he’s hunting down college students in this gorgeous setting, using a silk scarf as his MO.

Directed by Sergio Martino, the man behind the infamous The Mountain of the Cannibal Gods, Torso has its moments, but ultimately falls flat.

It does have lots of nudity though.

https://reallyawfulmovies.com/

https://www.facebook.com/reallyawfulmovies

“Those fingers in my hair

The Witch is a horror period drama that (deservedly) took the horror world by storm.

It’s a polarizing movie. We like it a lot (to varying degrees) but audiences were left cold compared with the critical reception.

A Puritan family battles the wilderness, each other, and of course, the title character in this heavy, biblical and atmospheric feature.

Was The Witch worthy of the hype or the inevitable backlash? Have a listen and find out, as we discuss one of the better horror films of the year.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since SCREAM.

The film’s hella fun, but polarizing, as some people aren’t as enamored with its self-referential, ironic tone.

Still, with a cast like that (C’mon, Barrymore/Cox/Campbell/Arquette) it’s still one for the ages and the iconic killer has stood the test of time, even if he doesn’t kill with the same ruthlessness and unstoppability of a Mr. Voorhees or a Mr. Myers.

A look back at Ghostface, Wes Craven and the comedy horror of Scream on Ep 141 of the Really Awful Movies Podcast.

1950s creature features are fun. In Episode 140, we examine THE CURSE OF THE FACELESS MAN.

It’s about a slave victim of the 79 AD Pompeii earthquake who re-animates then hunts the reincarnated spirit of a Roman noblewoman.

Forensics experts and anthropologists investigate.

It’s much less entertaining than it sounds.

Should’ve stuck with The Volcano man, like it says on the poster.

A bit deceptive, as the microwave is not actually used to kill…only to reheat…But still, MICROWAVE MASSACRE is a fun movie with a unique killing implement that could’ve made its way into our book, DEATH BY UMBRELLA! The 100 Weirdest Horror Movie Weapons.

You got a man…and all he wants is a sandwich. However, his wife keeps making him high-falutin’ meals that aren’t sustaining him down at the construction site.

What does he do? Check out the movie! The film stars the King of Deadpan, Jackie Vernon.

Don’t Go in the House. Don’t Go in the Woods. Don’t Go in the Basement.

But DO check out Don’t Answer the Phone!, a highly underrated 1980 horror directed by the excellently named Robert Hammer.

It’s got everything, and by that we mean a psychotic, weeping, daddy-issues Vietnam vet killer who poses as a photographer; his nubile victims; ineffectual LAPD investigators, a Dr Fraser Crane-type radio host…and much much more.

Nicholas Worth (Swamp Thing/Darkman) gives an extraordinarily interesting performance as killer Kirk Smith.

The Village People movie! Yes, Can’t Stop the Music follows the exploits of the infamous 70s disco group whose hits like YMCA and Macho Man are absolutely impossible to avoid (no matter how hard we’ve tried).

Go to a sporting event…and you’re bound to hear the da-da-da…and “young men,” etc, etc

As a bonus: in this film you get a young, roller skating Steve Guttenberg in the lead role and a pre-Caitlyn Bruce Jenner. And you get to find out how the group formed and got its name.

Directed by Nancy Walker (The Mary Tyler Moore Show), Can’t Stop the Music is the first…yes…the first…Razzie Worst Picture winner.

Is it deserving of all the scorn? Mostly, but not quite. With a budget of $20 million, the film was released at the tail end of the disco movement and was an absolute flop.

Join us as we assess Can’t Stop the Music.

A rather tepid offering from the slasher boom, FINAL EXAM doesn’t live up to the promise of its cool poster.

We get lots of backstory/investment in a bunch of rather tedious characters including the stock nerd, jock, final girl, hot blonde, taskmaster gym teacher, etc.

The killer is about as unremarkable as you can get. Still, worth checking out for horror completists.

Join us…and see if Final Exam…passes the test.

https://reallyawfulmovies.com/

Ultra Warrior is a pastiche…Ah, forget the fancy verbiage…who are we kidding? It’s cobbled together stock footage crap!

The film takes leftover Corman footage, combining outer space, horror films and dystopian into one bizarro experience.

Starring Dack Rambo (that is his real surname), the film focuses on the land of Oblivion, the entire area of the eastern seaboard, east of Kansas City (?). Oblivion has mining materials that need to be exploited so the humans who managed to survive a nuclear apocalypse can use the fruits of their labors as ingredients for anti-alien weaponry. It doesn’t make a lick of sense, but that’s what you get when footage from at least 10 other films is used. Oh, and one group of people exploit another, genetic mutations known as “muties.”

Good fun.

Our first podcast foray into J-horror with a bit of Japanese weirdness, EXTE by Sion Sono.

Sono  (Suicide Club) is an odd duck and his movies are infused with strange set-pieces. And it goes without saying, they’re not to everyone’s taste.

In this episode, we chat about the cultural phenomenon of hair, where it grows, how it’s styled, what to do when it’s lost. J-horror, K-horror, and the depiction of Japanese culture in this film, which is about demonic hair extensions.