thomas-408

She-Freak has the same look as Blood Feast (1963) and Zaat (1971). The same vibrant primary colors, the same sharp, crisp but grainy images. I think all three movies were shot on 16mm Kodachrome reversal film stock.

Kodachrome reversal film stock was also sold to home movie enthusiasts in 8mm and Super 8mm film format. Watching She-Freak was like watching my father's old home movies.

I was a small kid in 1967 (the year of She-Freak's release) and seeing the many, MANY images of the carnival brought back fond memories. All those little boys in crew cuts -- that could have been me and my friends.

I vividly recall one of the rides. The silver cabin with the red padding on either side, spinning around. I begged my mother to go on that ride and she finally relented.

She-Freak also resembles a home movie in that many of the scenes are shot MOS (without sync sound), to save on costs. Instead, you see characters silently mouthing words, smiling or nodding their heads. It seems about a third of this film was shot MOS. Just carnival rides, people walking about, carnival workers doing their thing, silent "conversations," and still more carnival rides.

She-Freak is a reminder that most Americans living in 1967 were unaffected by hippies and Vietnam and anti-war protests. Most people in 1967 were still living in the 1950s.

You'll note that I haven't yet said anything about "horror." There's a brief fight and a murder, but nothing "horrorfic" happens in She-Freak until the final four minutes.

If you're seeking horror, She-Freak might disappoint. But if you want a home movie of a bygone era, She-Freak is tops.

The Dead Room is yet another film about paranormal investigators in a haunted house. There have been so many. This one adds nothing new. It goes through the usual motions.

Ghost hunters arrive. They engage in expository banter. The scientist and medium exchange mildly dismissive remarks. Medium asks, "How can you be so close minded?" Technician sets up electronic gear, meters and cameras and computers, while the medium walks about trying to "sense" a presence.

My mind kept wandering to such superior classics as The Haunting (1963) and The Legend of Hell House (1973). They're still the best of the genre.

Regarding The Dead Room, on the plus side:

* Good production values. Nice cinematography, sound design, visual effects, art direction, and atmosphere.

* It wasn't found footage (that's a relief). No green "night vision" shots.

* The film was short. No padding. Good pace.

* It wasn't the usual bunch of obnoxious, arrogant young people, obsessed with sex, cell phones and social media.

* It was entertaining, in a pleasantly diverting way.

On the down side:

* Characters are flat and uninteresting. A young woman and two old guys. No real connection between any of them.

* Silly characterization. The medium says she became a paranormal investigator because she's afraid of haunted houses, and she wanted to overcome it by "facing her fear." She compares it to people who fly because they're afraid to. That's stupid. Many people have to fly, whereas most people go through life without ever encountering a haunted house, so there's no need for them to "overcome" that fear.

* Silly plot points. The scientist talks to an "insurance company" on the phone. The company hired them to determine if the house is haunted. Why? Because the previous residents fled?

* Wholly unoriginal, including the "surprise twist" ending. The investigators enter the house, banter, set up equipment, find nothing, then find something small, then find something bigger, are excited, it gets dangerous, they argue about whether to leave, decide to stay, decide to leave, are forced to stay, supernatural violence ensues, an amazing discovery, everything seems resolved, then a scary "surprise" ending.

Those aren't spoilers. That's the outline of almost every paranormal investigation film. The Dead Room follows that outline. You can watch it if you want to fill in the details.

The Dead Room is a well made, paint-by-numbers "paranormal investigators in a haunted house" film, with dull characters going through the usual motions. Not awful, but nothing you haven't seen many times before.

This film looks like a pair of brothers shot a homemade movie on a VHS camcorder. The "actors" include their mother. Low resolution images, poorly lit, bad sound (obviously used the in-camera mike).

It's supposed to be a spoof of horror films, so I suppose it's supposed to be funny. But really, it's inept, boring and unwatchable.

So amateurish it's hard to call this a movie. Just a couple of guys fooling around with a consumer camera, goofing off and having fun.

On the plus side, I'm sure they enjoyed watching their handiwork many times. This is the sort of "film" that's intended for the people involved, and not for an outside audience.