Lord of Tears

"Lord of Tears" (2013) is a haunting new horror movie that takes place in a crumbling old country mansion in the misty Scottish Highlands, starring David Schofield, Alexandra “Lexy” Hulme, Jamie Scott Gordon & Euan Douglas from writer Sarah Daly and director Lawrie Brewster.

 

 James “Jamie” Findlay (Euan Douglas) is a school teacher who inherits his family’s ancestral estate, Baldurrock House, in the remote Scottish Highlands when his estranged mother dies.  She also leaves him a letter reminding him of the reason he left the home and why he must never return there.  Upon reading the letter, Jamie’s subconscious memories start to surface and he is once again being haunted by his past.

 

James discusses his mother’s death and his growing concern about his past with his childhood friend and coworker, Allen Milton (Jamie Gordon) who assures him he is just going through the grief of losing his mother.  We also discover Allen is going through his own trials with the illness of his father. 

To discover what is behind his long lasting terror, James returns to his childhood home, a large, old mansion in the remote Scottish countryside.  Upon his arrival he meets Eve “Evie” Turner (Lexy Hulme), a beautiful young American woman who has been staying on the estate.  Evie is quite striking and extremely friendly and she quickly attracts the adoration of the lonely and increasingly terrified Jamie.  She helps him with his investigation to get to the root of his terror.

                           

Lurking on the estate is a tall, eerie, quite dapperly attired figure with an oversized owl head and long talons for its fingers.  What is the significance of this creature that Jamie knows he has seen in his childhood and adult nightmares?  The depth of his terror builds as he uncovers the truth of what happened at Baldurrock House and what is yet to happen.   

 

Director, Lawrie Brewster, has endeavored to make his film "Lord of Tears" in the vein of classic British chillers like "The Wicker Man", "The Haunting" and "The Innocents".  The multi-talented, Sarah Daly not only penned the screenplay, she also wrote and performed some of the hauntingly beautiful vocal pieces on the soundtrack as musical artist Metaphorest.

 

Lawrie Brewster - Director

After working hard to make a polished horror film that created a unique and uncanny antagonist, the Owl Man, which drew inspiration from classic mythology and lore, ancient history and modern legends, the dynamic duo of Lawrie Brewster and Sarah Daly have been working overtime over the last year to get this film released.  They conducted a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, found additional funding and formed their new production company, Hex Media and along with producing partner, Dark Dunes Productions, successfully released the film this month.

Sarah Daly - Writer

Certain scenes from “Lord of Tears” will remain with you long after first viewing.  The wonderfully talented and beautiful Lexy Hume steals the show in some of her scenes especially her scene where Evie is performing an extravagant dance for Jamie in the main room.  Evie’s classic beauty is featured most in the scene where Jamie is in the swimming pool and she enters down the spiral staircase to join him – with the haunting melodies and vocals that Sara Daly (Metaphorest) has provided, the scene really shines.  The scenes of Moloch, the Owl Man, are truly eerie and the first time Jamie sees him appear in the forest brought chills down my spine. 

 

“Lord of Tears” is a supernatural and psychological thriller that knows how to build suspense and terror.  With very little blood, lots of uncanny imagery, characters we care about and a house that is a character in itself, the filmmakers were able to craft a very scary film which reminds me of the atmospheric horror chillers of my youth that I have always enjoyed the most in the horror genre.  

 

If you enjoy classic horror movies that immerse you into eerie atmosphere and build an uncanny sense of suspense, check out “Lord of Tears” – you won’t be disappointed.

 

"Lord of Tears" had its World Premiere on 10/25/2013 at the Bram Stoker International Film Festival. You can order the special collector’s edition DVD or Bluray, soundtrack CD and other Owl Man goodies direct from the Hex Media's website.

"Lord of Tears" trailer

The Abominable Dr. Phibes

"The Abominable Dr. Phibes" (1971) starring Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten & Hugh Griffith  is about a disfigured doctor / scientist that is out for deadly revenge on the 7 doctors that failed to save his wife.

Dr. Phibes (Price) is a doctor and mad scientist that is terribly disfigured after an automobile accident which caused his beloved wife to die.  He lives in an art deco styled house and keeps himself entertained by playing his organ along with his strange looking orchestra and his beautiful and silent assistant Vulnavia (Virginia North) and performs lavish musical dance routines much like a weird Broadway musical!  When not applying his fake face and entertaining himself in his visually stunning home in over the top outfits, he is planning and carrying out the tragic deaths of the team of incompetent doctors that failed to save his wife's life.

Dr. Phibes is very creative in making the deaths follow the Ten Plagues of Egypt from the Old Testament, including death by bees, bats, locusts and much more.  The Scotland Yard inspector who is investigating all the murders adds a comic touch to the horror of this film.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie!  It is visually stunning and a feast for the eyes!  The story is inventive and the characters are engaging.  This is now probably my favorite Vincent Price horror film!

Dolls

"Dolls" (1987) is a campy horror movie starring Ian Patrick Williams, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon & Carrie Lorraine about two groups of travelers who get stranded during a storm and end up at the mansion of an elderly doll maker and his wife.

Young Judy is traveling with her father and stepmother through the English countryside.  The stepmother is played by Carolyn Purdy-Gordon and she is delightfully cold and evil to her sweet stepdaughter.  They seek refuge from the storm at the Hartwicke's mansion and discover the elderly couple is very eccentric but welcoming and that every room is filled with handmade dolls and toys made by the man.  Judy is very intrigued by all the toys but the dolls of course are more than they seem.

Shortly thereafter, three more people arrive, mild-mannered Ralph and the two British punk rock girls that he picked up hitchhiking in the storm.  Everyone gets a meal and a room and they all settle in for the night.  The night is when everything starts coming alive, including all the dolls in the house and they aren't nice innocent dolls either, they are filled with evil!

I really enjoyed this movie!  It is campy and fun.  The Gothic English mansion is nice and eerie and having everyone end up wandering the huge house at night brings the requisite scares.  The toys are eerie and scary too.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness

"Dracula: Prince of Darkness" (1966) is a classic Hammer horror film starring Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley & Andrew Keir.

In the late 1800s, two unsuspecting English couples are visiting the Carpathian Mountains on vacation.  They are going to visit the town of Karlsbad but the local priest tries to warn them away.  Since it is already on their "program" they go anyway.  However the carriage driver strands them 2 km from their destination because it is getting dark and he doesn't want to be caught near the castle that he won't admit is there.  A driver-less carriage soon arrives and whisks them to Count Dracula's castle where his manservant greets them and says he welcomes travelers per his dead master's instructions.  Little do the tourists know that they may not be leaving the castle tonight or any night!

This is a great vampire classic filled with plenty of spooky atmosphere!  We have a castle with hidden dungeons filled with a resurrected vampire.  Christopher Lee is brilliant as the evil and ever silent Dracula.