| Review by: Devon
Bertsch |
| Date:
17/2/06 |
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Director: Lamberto
Bava
Starring: Malco, Virginia
Bryant, Sabrina Ferilli, Stefania Montorsi, Patrizio
Vinci, Alice Di Giuseppe, David Flosi, Alex Serra
Screenplay: Lamberto
Bava and Dardano Sacchetti
Music: Simon Boswell
Country: Italy
Year: 1988
AKA: La Casa dell'orco;
The Ogre |
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| Years ago I saw the one-sheet art for Demons
3: The Ogre in a magazine. The image of
a gnarled, hairy hand in front of a terrified, imprisoned
little girl made me instantly want to see what I
was sure would be a monster classic. I'm very
glad that the Stomp DVD uses the one-sheet art for
the cover, but unfortunately, this is an instance
where the OFLC's rating really messes with
the imagery. I think if the OFLC wants intrusive
labelling like this, DVD companies need to make
them stickers like CDs have, not this printed on
ugliness.
Anyway, back when I'd first read about
this movie, the only film I'd seen from
Lamberto Bava was Demons, which
I absolutely love. As I saw more of his work,
I stopped being willing to shell out $20 for a
bootleg, and The Ogre never made
its way to me.
The Ogre begins with a young
girl waking from a nightmare and walking around
a gothic castle. She ends up in a cellar area
and finds something that looks like a giant spider
egg sack on the ceiling. When a monstrous figure
emerges, she runs away, only to wake and find
it was all a dream…or was it?
Now all grown up, the girl and her family go
to a villa where she can work on her next horror
novel. However, the castle they stay in immediately
re-triggers her old nightmares, and after a scene
of her wandering around the castle for a VERY
long time, she eventually ends up in the cellar.
A cellar identical to the one from her dreams.
Her husband insists that it can't be, because
she grew up in Oregon. He pronounces it 'Oar-a-gone'
just to prove that he's never been near
that state. Anyway, viewers who've seen
more than three movies will be able to guess what's
coming next.
While The Ogre sports a few
imaginatively staged shots, it is very clear with
this film that the Lamberto apple fell quite a
ways from the Bava family tree. The film is brimming
with bad acting, but a lot of that blame lies
with the dub. The movie has the second rate humour
and silly plot points one would expect from an
80s spaghetti horror, like when our heroine goes
swimming in completely green water. Forget ogres
and anything else that might be lurking, that
seems like a sure-fire way to get a nasty infection.
Aside from a funny moment involving a cow, one
thing that I'm sure I'll remember
is that while Shrek may have
taught us all that ogres are like onions, this
movie clears up that their favourite flower is
orchids. The ogre makeup isn't awful, it
just would've benefited from underexposure,
a directing choice that also would've better
fit the psychological/gothic nature of the film
as well. Seeing the ogre run actually makes him
laughable, and that's never a good thing
in a serious horror movie.
The Ogre was rechristened Demons
3 by Trans-Global Pictures in the UK,
which is really unfair. The Ogre
may not be as plodding as Lamberto's Until
Death, but it lacks the energy of its 'prequel.'
This isn't a splatter flick with an ogre
tearing people apart at all. What little gore
there is, like a cheesy clawed face, is reminiscent
of the aftermath of the attacks in The
Isle of Fishmen (prior to the gore-boosting
for its US release as Screamers).
The Ogre probably fares better in the original
Italian language, but the plot is pretty standard.
I enjoyed it, but still it wasn't what I
was hoping for. |
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| Video |
| For those used to seeing Lamberto's flicks
as fourth generation boots, this DVD will be a real
treat. The film is presented at 1.85:1, not 2.35:1
as listed on the sleeve, but as far as I can tell
1.85:1 is the correct aspect ratio. There are a
few shots that looked misframed, but I don't
think that's necessarily the fault of the
transfer. There is grain, but it's never distracting,
and the film's colours are vibrant. The print
used is exceptionally clean, very sharp, and has
minimal damage. I wish all DVDs looked this good. |
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| Audio |
| The audio track is a two channel English dub.
At one point, a character actually comments on the
heroine's fine command of the Italian language,
which is a bit odd since they're all speaking
English, but oh well. The sound is clear with the
dialog remaining audible throughout. The score is
overbearing and repetitive, but that's not
the fault of the DVD. The music is mixed at an appropriate
level, and doesn't the audio track doesn't
leap up in volume whenever music kicks in. |
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| Extra Features |
| There's a slideshow, the film's trailer,
plus trailers for Lucio Fulci's New York Ripper
and Manhattan Baby. |
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| The Verdict |
| While I was hoping for more of a monster-on-the-loose
movie than what The Ogre delivers,
it's an okay film. The proceedings are fairly
routine, but I only found the movie boring in a
few places, like the aforementioned wander around
the castle. Regardless, The Ogre
has been given a beautiful DVD release, so if you're
a fan of the movie, the disc is highly recommended. |
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| User Comments |
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1 user comments have been posted so far |
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| Regional Coding |
All |
| Format |
NTSC |
| Aspect Ratio |
1.85:1 |
| 16x9 Enhanced? |
Yes |
| Audio Options |
English DD 2.0 |
| Subtitles |
None |
| Country |
Australia |
| Distributor |
Stomp Visual |
| Running Time |
90 minutes |
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