Tag Archives: murder

The Bedroom Window (1987) | Curtis Hanson

February 17, 2023Hitchcockian Thrillers by Acclaimed Directorsalibi, assault, Baltimore, Curtis Hanson, Elizabeth McGovern, eye witness, Isabelle Huppert, murder, Steve Guttenbergqwipster

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Steve Guttenberg stars as Terry Lambert, a businessman who is having an affair with his boss’s alluring French wife, Sylvia Wentworth (Isabelle Huppert). After their latest coupling, they are startled by a scream coming from the courtyard outside. Rushing to the window, Sylvia shrieks as she sees an assault on a woman at the hands of a redhead male with pasty white skin. However, she can’t report it, as she desperately doesn’t want her affair to become known by her wealthy husband. Terry thinks he’s doing the honorable thing by pretending that it was he who saw the actual assault, as he suspects that there may be a connection between it and the series of murders in the area. However, circumstances lead to Terry himself being implicated in the murder, and the only person willing to help is Denise (Elizabeth McGovern), the victim he has been trying to assist. Curtis Hanson writes and directs.

Still of the Night (1982) | Robert Benton

January 8, 2023Hitchcockian Thrillers by Acclaimed Directorsaffair, art, auction, femme fatale, Hitchcockian, Jessica Tandy, Josef Sommer, Meryl Streep, murder, New York City, psychiatrist, Robert Benton, Roy Scheiderqwipster

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Roy Scheider plays a newly divorced New York psychiatrist named Sam Rice, who discovers that George Bynum (Josef Sommer), one of his prominent patients, has been murdered. Bynum was the curator of antiquities for Crispin’s, a high-scale auction house, who engaged in a sexual affair with Brooke Reynolds (Meryl Streep), a younger woman who worked with him. During his counseling sessions, Bynum told Sam all about Brooke in such vivid detail that Sam thinks he might have fallen for Bynum’s mistress himself. Those feelings get reinforced when Brooke visits Sam’s office to hand him Bynum’s wristwatch he left in her apartment the night of his death. Sam becomes infatuated with Brooke, but as he pursues her romantically, he’s also frightened of her because she might be Bynum’s murderer. As the police press him for evidence, Sam begins following Brooke to learn more, only to feel she might already be stalking him as her potential next kill. Robert Benton writes and directs.

Body Double (1984) | Brian De Palma

December 2, 2022Brian De Palma thrillersacting, body double, Brian De Palma, Craig Wasson, Dennis Franz, Gregg Henry, Indian, Melanie Griffith, murder, porn industry, voyeurismqwipster

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A struggling actor (Craig Wasson) finds a job housesitting for a rich friend of another actor (Gregg Henry). While there he spies on a neighbor (Melanie Griffith) who has a naughty habit of doing a striptease every night. He becomes infatuated with the woman and decides he wants to meet her, taking to following her around wherever she goes. He begins to suspect she is in trouble when a suspicious Native American follows her around as well. He suspects she will be murdered.

Dressed to Kill (1980) | Brian De Palma

August 8, 2022Brian De Palma thrillersAngie Dickinson, Brian De Palma, David Margulies, Dennis Franz, Hitchcockian, homicide, infidelity, Keith Gordon, Ken Baker, Michael Caine, murder, Nancy Allen, New York City, promiscuity, prostitute, psychiatrist, serial killer, sexual fantasies, transgender, transsexual, transvestiteqwipster

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Angie Dickinson stars as Kate Miller, a housewife so unsatisfied sexually that she often finds herself having vivid and wild sexual fantasies, with violent overtones. She has been seeing a psychiatrist, Dr. Elliott (Michael Caine), about her marital problems, and even makes a pass at him, although nothing comes to pass. Unable to resist the temptation, Kate has an afternoon fling with a complete stranger, only to end up the victim of a brutal and senseless slaying at the hands of a mysterious figure with a straight-edge razor. Only one person witnessed the murder, a spunky prostitute named Liz (Nancy Allen), who describes the perpetrator as a blonde woman in sunglasses. Meanwhile, Dr. Elliott begins receiving phone calls from one of his patients, Bobbi, a pre-op transsexual with homicidal tendencies, and Dr. Elliott’s stolen razor.

Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990) | Mick Garris

June 20, 2022PsychoAnthony Perkins, CCH Pounder, Donna Mitchell, flashback, Henry Thomas, incest, Joseph Stefano, Mick Garris, motel, mother, murder, Olivia Hussey, prequel, psycho, psychopathqwipster

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Psycho IV: The Beginning is the fourth and final film in Universal’s Psycho franchise, and the last to portray Anthony Perkins in his most famous of roles. It’s the first of the series not to be released theatrically, debuting on the premium cable channel Showtime in 1990. This film is a sequel in theory, as it does take a step forward in showing Norman Bates trying to live the semblance of a normal life today, finally in a relationship with a woman, with a baby on the way. Trouble is, Norman does not want a baby, thinking that being a homicidal maniac is a genetic trait that passes on from generation to generation, and he wants his mother’s psychopathic tendencies to end with him.

On this night, Norman is listening to a late-night radio program about why sons kill their mothers, and after hearing what the doctors have to say about it, Norman ends up calling the show to tell how it really went down for him. Under the pseudonym of ‘Ed’, Norman relates the tale of his adolescence, and how his mother Norma’s severe mood swings, psychological abuse, and sexual repression drove him to commit murder, including his own mother.

Although much talked about in the previous films, Psycho IV: The Beginning is the first to show a living Norma Bates (Olivia Hussey), and to give is a first-hand viewing of how bizarre an upbringing a young Norman (Henry Thomas) would have, resulting in an overwhelming feeling of guilt in his actions that he didn’t have the maturity or mental balance to keep a grip on. In addition to Norma’s stamping out of her son’s masculinity and sexuality, there is also an element of Norman becoming a bit of a surrogate for male companionship in her life in between finding a suitable partner, though never physically consummated between mother and son. Mick Garris directs from a screenplay from Psycho screenwriter Joseph Stefano.

Psycho III (1986) | Anthony Perkins

May 31, 2022PsychoAnthony Perkins, Carter Burwell, Charles Edward Pogue, Diana Scarwid, drifter, Hugh GIlin, Jeff Fahey, motel, mother, murder, nun, psychoqwipster

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The events of Psycho III take place not long after Psycho II, as Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), still the sole caretaker of the Bates Motel, ends up hiring a temporary new assistant in the wily rogue musician who goes by the name of Duane Duke (Jeff Fahey). He also has a new patron staying in cabin #1, a spiritually faltering (and suicidal) former nun with an uncanny resemblance, not to mention the same initials, of victim Marion Crane, Maureen Coyle (Diana Scarwid). Norman is intensely attracted to Maureen, and the feeling is perhaps mutual, but with jealous Mother Bates always dictating Norman’s actions, that doesn’t bode well for her longevity. Meanwhile, tenacious reporter Tracy Venable (Tracy Maxwell) is trying to discover the whereabouts of a missing woman and is sure that she must have met her fate with Norman, though Sheriff Hunt (Hugh Gillin) thinks it another case of people just out to pick on poor Norman for his past transgressions. Anthony Perkins directs.

Psycho II (1983) | Richard Franklin

May 18, 2022PsychoAnthony Perkins, Dennis Franz, diner, Meg TIlly, mental illness, mother, murder, mystery, psycho, Richard Franklin, Robert Loggia, Tom Holland, Vera Milesqwipster

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Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) finally gets his release from a California mental institution after he is found guilty by reason of insanity for the heinous murders he committed over 22 years prior. Lila Loomis (Vera Miles), sister of one of Bates’ victims, has her pleas for a non-release fall on deaf ears. Having been declared of ‘sound mind’ again, Norman returns to his gothic childhood home and Bates Motel near Fairvale, CA, and takes up a job while on parole at a diner nearby. Norman becomes fast friends with a waitress there named Mary Samuels (Meg Tilly), and he ends up offering her a room for a while after her boyfriend tosses her out for someone new. However, as much as Norman tries to put the past behind him, he is beginning to get that old feeling again, as he begins receiving handwritten notes and phone calls from his mother, as well as her appearance in the house at various times, and people begin to start dying once again.

Psycho (1960) | Alfred Hitchcock

April 17, 2022PsychoAlfred Hitchcock, Anthony Perkins, Hitchcockian, Janet Leigh, John Gavin, Joseph Stefano, Martin Balsam, motel, mother, murder, psycho, psychopath, shower, Vera Milesqwipster

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Janet Leigh starts off the film as Marion Crane, a clerk in a real estate office engaged in a romantic fling with Sam Loomis (John Gavin), the manager of a hardware store in Phoenix, Arizona. When she’s given the task of depositing $40,000 in cash into the bank, Marion impulsively decides to keep it, and drives off to California, perhaps to Sam’s hometown, Fairvale, with the freedom to pursue Sam without concern for finances. En route, her paranoid fears get the best of her, as she begins to have second thoughts, but a powerful storm forces her off the beaten track in search of a place to stay, and she comes to the Bates Motel, a completely vacant establishment with “12 cabins, 12 vacancies”. The motel is run by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a shy but friendly man who is excited to not only have his first visitor in weeks, but also one as attractive as Marion, who signs in under a pseudonym. But Norman’s mother, who resides on a small hill overlooking the establishment, isn’t going to lose Norman to just any visiting trollop who comes along without a fight. Alfred Hitchcock directs.

The Shining (1980) | Stanley Kubrick

January 17, 2022Haunted Hotelscolorado, Danny Lloyd, Diane Johnson, dysfunctional family, ghost, haunted house, hotel, Jack Nicholson, maze, murder, new job, Scatman Crothers, Shelley Duvall, Stanley Kubrickqwipster

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A dysfunctional family is hired as the caretakers for an empty, isolated Rocky Mountain hotel, the Overlook, during the snowy season. Young Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) is gifted with ESP, his father Jack (Jack Nicholson) is a tempestuous alcoholic, and his mother Wendy (Shelley Duvall) is racked with guilt. Jack hopes writing a successful play will rectify his dreary life. The hotel has a history of evil, including Grady, a former caretaker who slaughtered his wife and daughters. The Torrances experience supernatural occurrences, enticed by the ghosts of the Overlook to repeat its evil history. Stanley Kubrick co-writes and directs.

The Changeling (1980) | Peter Medak

September 19, 2021Haunted Housescomposer, George C. Scott, ghost, grief, haunted house, inheritance, Jean Marsh, John Colicos, Madeleine Sherwood, mansion, Melvyn Douglas, murder, Peter Medak, pianist, Trish Van Devereqwipster

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The Changeling concerns an esteemed New York pianist/composer named John Russell (George C. Scott) who accepts a lectureship position in Seattle for solitude and restoration following the deaths of his wife and daughter in a roadside accident. Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere), a volunteer at the local Historical Preservation Society, moves him into a massive old Victorian-Gothic mansion located outside the city that hasn’t had anyone living in it in at least twelve years. Russell soon discovers that the house isn’t as uninhabited as he thought, as things begin to occur (banging noises, bathroom water taps, a boy’s image is glimpsed within the water) though it could also be his grief-fueled imagination. He’s told that the house has a history and doesn’t want people living in it.

Later, Russell senses the house wants to tell him something. He discovers a locked secret room that resembles a nursery, containing a rusty wheelchair and an antique music box that plays a song he’d been composing since he entered the house. Claire tries to help, digging into the sordid history of the house, including a revealing seance that leads them to make contact with the spirit within who provides more clues to the 70-year-old mystery that must be solved to find peace.

Amityville II: The Possession (1982) | Damiano Damiani

May 24, 2021Amityvilleabuse, Brent Katz, Burt Young, Damiano Damiani, demon, Diane Franklin, Erika Katz, evil, exorcism, fratricide, haunted house, incest, Jack Magner, James Olson, Leonardo Cimino, matricide, Moses Gunn, murder, patricide, possession, Rutanya Alda, The Amityville Horror, Tommy Lee Wallaceqwipster

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In this prequel of a sort to The Amityville Horror (1979), the dysfunctional Montelli family moves into their new home and finds many curious things right away, including every window being nailed shut and a secret room in the basement of the house that is full of flies, muck and smells to high heaven (or down to low Hell). The longer they stay, the more they begin to witness strange events, and bicker violently with one another, until the eldest son of the family, Sonny ( Jack Magner), actually begins to exhibit behavior that may not be his own, including a desire to kill his abusive father, Anthony (Burt Young), and defile his younger teenage sister, Trish (Diane Franklin). Before things get completely out of hand, the mother requests that a local priest, Father Adamsky (James Olson), come out to investigate the supernatural events of the place, but without the backing of his superiors, he’s going it alone against what appears to be a portal to unfathomable evil that resides below the house. Rutanya Alda and Andrew Prine also appear. Directed by Damiano Damiano from a script by Tommy Lee Wallace.

Near Dark (1987) | Kathryn Bigelow

July 14, 2019Highway to HellAdrian Pasdar, Bill Paxton, cult, Jenette Goldstein, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, murder, Oklahoma, Texas, Tim Thomerson, vampireqwipster

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Adrian Pasdar stars as Caleb Colton, a young and somewhat passive small-town guy in Oklahoma who has his eye set on a visiting mysterious boyish beauty named Mae (Jenny Wright). Caleb and Mae spend the night talking and flirting, but Mae has to make it home before the sun comes up, for reasons that aren’t too clear for Caleb. Before the end of the evening, Mae bites Caleb on the neck, although she doesn’t really drink his blood, setting forth a reaction in his body that makes him very strong and agile, fry up in direct sunlight, and crave human blood himself. Before Caleb can get home, he is “adopted” by his new family, a clan of immortals with the same condition he is in, although they aren’t taking too kindly to Mae’s decision to “turn” Caleb into one of them, especially since she must feed him from her own blood. Caleb doesn’t want to kill other humans like the others, but to be part of them, he finds he must, because he can’t survive on his own. Tensions flare in the group, as well as within Caleb himself, as to what the proper thing to do is. Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, and Tim Thomerson, and Bill Paxton get supporting roles. Kathryn Bigelow’s debut as a solo director.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) | Wes Craven

September 29, 2018A Nightmare on Elm Street1984, A Nightmare on Elm Street, dreams, Freddy Krueger, Heather Langenkamp, horror, Johnny Depp, murder, nightmare, nightmares, psycho, revenge, Robert Englund, wes cravenqwipster

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Wes Craven refreshed the struggling slasher film genre with this more surreal and intense take, saving New Line Cinema with one of the big surprise hits of 1984: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Heather Langenkamp stars as Nancy Thompson, who finds out that she is not alone in having a recurring dream about a badly burnt and scarred man named Freddy Krueger who terrorizes her with horrific acts of terror (Craven says that the character’s name was based on a school mate who bullied him as a child). What’s even more scary is that her friends are starting to die mysteriously, and Nancy is sure that if she were to fall asleep and dream, she will be next in line to be a victim. Her parents think here is something wrong with her, and the local police can’t believe a word of it, so she must fend for herself. But surely she can’t stay awake forever! John Saxon, Johnny Depp and Robert Englund also co-star in this first of many films in the long-running and beloved horror series.

Around the World in 80s Movies Podcast

A concise podcast reviewing the films released in the 1980s, with history, trivia, fun facts, and film critic Vince Leo's personal recollection with the era that defined a generation's taste in movies.

Tag Archives: murder

The Bedroom Window (1987) | Curtis Hanson

Still of the Night (1982) | Robert Benton

Body Double (1984) | Brian De Palma

Dressed to Kill (1980) | Brian De Palma

Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990) | Mick Garris

Psycho III (1986) | Anthony Perkins

Psycho II (1983) | Richard Franklin

Psycho (1960) | Alfred Hitchcock

The Shining (1980) | Stanley Kubrick

The Changeling (1980) | Peter Medak

Amityville II: The Possession (1982) | Damiano Damiani

Near Dark (1987) | Kathryn Bigelow

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) | Wes Craven