Cementerio, el último paso

The movie itself was really quirky and slow... but it's definitely worth the watch to see what a young Bill Paxton does with the material. The most nostalgic thing however about this old film (credits say 1981) is that there are a few scenes from a roller rink named Skating Plus. Just for giggles after the film I happened to google it to see if any old photos existed. Turns out the rink is still in business and is in Ventura. They have FB & IG as well. What is bizarre is that there is no mention of the rink in the credits even though a lot of footage was shot there. Really cool to see the dated lingo and outfits of the early 80s too. Definitely worth a watch.

Mortuary (1983)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A woman and her boyfriend think that there's something strange going on at a local mortuary and she believes it might be linked to the mysterious death of her father. Before long they discover that the mortuary owner (Christopher George) and her mother (Lynda Day George) are holding seances there and might know more than they are saying.

If you walked into a horror film in 1983 then you were more than likely getting into a slasher picture. The slashers were all the craze during this period and it was rare to see a film that didn't try to push the gore factor. MORTUARY is a film that isn't the most popular thing today and it's probably because there's not too much gore and violence. Instead of that stuff this film tries to deliver suspense and drama and it's actually a lot better made than you'd expect.

What I enjoyed about this film is the fact that it really did try to build up an atmosphere and scare the viewer. The film takes it's time telling its story and the mystery aspect of it was pretty good. Even better are the scenes where the killer, dressed in black and wearing a white mask, stalks the young girl. There's a sequence where he chases her around her house and it's very well-directed and it manages to have a great jump scene. The film also benefits from not going the gore route, although there are a few bloody murders scattered throughout.

The film also benefits from some nice performances including Mary Beth McDonough and David Wysocki. They played the lead kids doing the investigating and they at least keep you entertained and hold your attention. Bill Paxton is also very good here in a supporting role as the weird nerd who works at the mortuary. I've always been a fan of Christopher George and he too is good here. This would turn out to be his final film as he suffered a fatal heart attack before this picture was released.

MORTUARY has some flaws including the pacing and I'd argue that the ending doesn't work as well as it should have. Still, on the whole I thought the film was quite entertaining and especially when compared to what most horror films were doing at the time.

Okay so this isn't the greatest film in the world. It's not even the greatest horror film, but fans of Bill Paxton have got to check out this movie. Paxton puts his all into making every one of his characters entertaining and this film is no different. Bill really goes overboard with this character and it's a good thing because otherwise the movie would be pretty boring. My friends and I had to rewind one scene several times we were laughing so hard at Paxton antics. The film does contain a fair amount of suspense but it is "the great" Bill Paxton that makes the movie worth while.

A movie with a mortuary, a cult group and Bill Paxon is always worth watching. In this early work Paxon plays a geek that works as an embalmer at the local morgue, he enjoys Mozart and enjoys Christie (his childhood crush) even more. If his morbid job wasn't enough, his father owns the mortuary and in his free time does cult meetings with dances and chantings. His mother committed suicide when Paul (Bill Paxon) was still a young boy and consequently he started seeing a shrink (Christie's father). That's when he first met Christie and as time goes by he becomes more and more detached of reality, wanting to marry her at any cost. Greg Stevens, Christie's boyfriend will have something to say about that.

I found the movie good, nothing extraordinary nor original, it's not extremely graphic but it has enough blood spilling. The acting is good, so is the score. It has some genuine scary moments and a reasonable plot. The horror fans are likely to enjoy it, as i said initially, this has all the condiments for a good horror movie.

MORTUARY is about murder and occult conspiracy at the titular establishment. Christie and her boyfriend, Greg (Mary McDonough and David Wallace) become involved with the gruesome goings-on while looking for their missing friend. Christie is also being stalked by a cloaked madman!

Christopher George and wife, Lynda Day George (DAY OF THE ANIMALS, PIECES) also star, as the cantankerous mortician and Christie's mum, respectively.

EXTRA POINTS FOR: A young Bill Paxton, on hand as the mortician's weird son, Paul! He's a blast!

WARNING! THIS FILM CONTAINS: #1- Bloody violence with a rather novel weapon! #2- That "thump! thump!" heartbeat sound whenever the killer appears! #3- Pseudo-supernatural cheeeze that has nothing to do with the movie! #4- Inappropriate, after-death / very much alive nudity! On the embalming table! #5- 1980's "preppy" fashions! #6- Near-death by flying tire! #7- Intense "roller boogie" / impromptu disco dancing sequences! #8- An absolutely off-the-rails finale! Annnd, so much more!

Watch immediately!...