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Being born in England, I have always had a
strong penchant for British films, particularly
comedies and horrors. That these two genres should
meet in Anthony Balch's certifiable Horror
Hospital is one of the many reasons that
I had such a great time watching it. Also, there's
a monster!
Following his forced retirement from an appalling
rock band, Jason (Robin Askwith) decides to take
a "Hairy Holiday" to Brittlehouse Manor,
a health farm run by the leather-gloved, ex-Nazi
scientist Dr. Storm (Michael Gough, always a pleasure
to watch). En route, Jason meets Judy (Vanessa
Shaw), also on her way to Brittlehouse Manor to
visit her aunt, a pursed-lipped old woman who
married Dr. Storm some years ago. Once they arrive,
the pair realise rather quickly that something
is amis, their suspicions probably aroused by
the labotomised condition of the other guests,
the blood pouring from the taps or possibly just
because the token midget (Skip Martin) keeps telling
them to brush their teeth. Then there's this bit
where a monster stands in a doorway and the soundtrack
goes crazy.
Horror Hospital is genuinely
funny in a droll, deadpan sort of way. It's refreshing
to see a comedy-horror that isn't in the slightest
bit self-referential or, God forbid, "ironic".
The fact that the film's attempts at legitimate
shock moments are so poorly handled that they
elicited from me an audible, cloying "...awww..."
is all the more reason to recommend it.
There are plenty of gems in this film to help
to seal the deal, from the Rolls Royce that decapitates
people through the use of retractable, side-mounted
blades (the logistics of which I am still unable
to fathom) right up to the seriously bad fight
sequences (of which there are more than you'd
expect). And, as I have already mentioned (complete
with exclamation point) there's a putty-head monster
that nearly had me weeping tears of joy.
I have absolutely no problem with logic taking
a backseat if the driver is an incongruous, punch-drunk
moron and if you feel likewise then you should
book yourself into Horror Hospital without
delay. |
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| Video |
| Although this transfer is lacking any anamorphic
enhancement, the image quality itself is, for an
obscure title such as this, very, very good. The
detail level is surprisingly high, there's no edge
enhancement to speak of and although the print seems
to have sustained some damage it is very minimal.
The blacks are rock solid and the shadow detail
is spot on. A much better transfer than I was anticipating. |
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| Audio |
| The original 2 channel sound mix. No more, no
less. Dialogue can be slightly difficult to hear
at times but there really aren't any other problems
to speak of. |
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| Extra Features |
| A trailer for Horror Hospital
that made me want to watch the film all over again. |
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| The Verdict |
| It's a simple question really: do you think dwarfs,
zombie gymnastics and incredibly poor fight scenes
are funny or not? |
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| User Comments |
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1 user comments have been posted so far |
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There is something odd about this movie that keeps you watching, right to the end.