Night of the Living Dead: cult horror classic is a character study and commentary on American society
George A Romero, “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) Made on a minuscule budget, George A Romero’s famous horror film is proof that a large pot…
Horror
The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover: a parable on the decline and fall of neoliberal British society and culture
Peter Greenaway, “The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover” (1989) Straight away viewers can tell there’s much more simmering away in this story about a…
In the Realm of the Senses: two lovers pursuing happiness and freedom in a repressive society
Nagisa Oshima, “Ai no korida / In the Realm of the Senses” (1976) Forty years ago this film was made and it still has the power…
Dead Sushi: wacky comedy horror film takes pot-shots at corporate culture and greed, and food obsessions
Noboru Iguchi, “Dead Sushi” (2012) In the tradition of wacky Japanese comedy horror flicks comes this little number that takes a bizarre concept (bloodthirsty monster sushi)…
Ugetsu: a parable of two men in pursuit of fame and glory, with social justice themes
Kenji Mizoguchi, “Ugetsu” (1953) Two interwined morality plays about peasants blinded by thoughts of personal fame and glory are the basis for an exploration of love,…
The Shining: a histrionic epic horror film saved by its themes of control and alien manipulation
Stanley Kubrick, “The Shining” (1980) In most directors’ hands, a Stephen King horror novel of a family disintegrating under the impact of the husband / father’s…
Onibaba: a psychological horror study with an anti-war theme
Kaneto Shindo, “Onibaba” (1964) An old Japanese Buddhist tale of a woman who uses a mask to frighten her daughter from visiting a temple becomes in…
French and French-language Films
Supervenus: a 3-minute critique on Western standards of female pulchritude and the damage they cause
Frédéric Doazan, “Supervenus” (2013) This 3-minute debut effort for writer / director Frédéric Doazan is a devastatingly critical comment on modern standards of female beauty as they have…
Italian and Italian-language Films, North American Films
The Last Man on Earth: still retaining the power to shock and horrify with a message of post-apocalyptic despair and existential angst
Ubaldo B Ragona and Sidney Salkow, “The Last Man on Earth” (1964) Over 50 years since it was made, this cheaply made horror film has clearly…
Pony: a dark little story about the loss of innocence in a banal setting
Dony Permedi, “Pony” (2006) “Pony” is a short animated film made by Permedi as an undergraduate college project with the subversions of everyday life and student…