March 2025

Daughters of Darkness movie poster featuring Delphine Seyrig, 1971 cult classic vampire film promotional image, Delphine Seyrig as Countess Bathory in Daughters of Darkness

Artist’s Blog #164 – Daughters of Darkness (1971)

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Central to the film’s impact is the portrayal of the vampire’s manipulation and psychological prowess. Unlike traditional vampire tales filled with blood-drinking and caskets, this movie focuses on the countess’s ability to seduce and control people. Delphine Seyrig’s performance as the countess is nothing short of mesmerizing; her voice and mannerisms exude an allure that’s both hypnotic and unsettling. Her character’s seductive and manipulative nature draws others into her web, turning them against each other and bending them to her will. For fans of the vampire genre, you will recall that in Bela Lugosi’s role as Dracula we see him glaring at the young woman at the opera and convincing her to do his will with this stare alone. To be direct, it’s this power of the vampire that Daughters of Darkness seems to focus on.

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The Exterminator 1980 movie poster, John Eastland with flamethrower, 1980s vigilante film artwork, Gritty urban action scene, Pop art style movie poster

Artist’s Blog #163 – The Exterminator (1980)

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Transitioning from the war-torn fields of Vietnam to the gritty streets of New York, we follow John Eastland, a veteran who, after a brutal attack on his friend by a gang known as the Ghetto Ghouls, takes justice into his own hands. This narrative mirrors themes from films like Taxi Driver, focusing less on character development and more on delivering unfiltered, over-the-top action sequences though. The Exterminator is like the last 20 minutes of Taxi Driver sprinkled with some mob movie violence then mixed into a typical 80’s action movie. On the topic of Taxi Driver, I blogged on this movie a while back and it’s one of my favorites. You can read this film reflection here. I’ll take this time to give a shout out to Jason Vukovich, better known as “The Alaskan Avenger.” Jason is a real-world John Eastland of sorts. Follow him on YouTube here.

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Poster of "Murder in a Blue World" (1973), 1973 sci-fi thriller "Murder in a Blue World" movie poster, "Murder in a Blue World" film poster featuring pop art design, Vintage poster of "Murder in a Blue World" with dystopian imagery, "Murder in a Blue World" movie poster highlighting 1970s aesthetics

Artist’s Blog #162 – Murder in a Blue World (1973)

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The story follows a nurse (Sue Lyon, best known as Kubrick’s Lolita), who’s wrapped up in some questionable scientific experiments and happens to be a serial killer. Meanwhile, the dune buggy gang goes around breaking into homes and committing violent crimes. Ironically, one of the members gets ostracized and becomes a witness to the nurse’s crimes. The government is trying to “fix” violent criminals through experiments — yet another nod to A Clockwork Orange. The tables turn when a dune buggy gang member is nearly killed by his old crew. Surprise – guess who is his nurse? One of the eeriest scenes involves her wheeling this now paralyzed man down a long, empty hallway, talking to him in that calm, soothing voice while he’s completely helpless and classical music plays. It’s pure psychological horror—being trapped, knowing something terrible is coming, and not being able to stop it.

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Artist’s Blog #161 – The Stuff (1985)

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The ‘80s horror scene gave us some wild, offbeat gems, and The Stuff is one. This is a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously but also doesn’t go full parody. It sits in that weird, sweet spot where it’s self-aware but still plays its premise straight. And what a premise it is: a mysterious, addictive substance is bubbling up from the earth, and people just start eating it. The Stuff begins with an old man stumbling upon some white goo seeping from the ground. And what does he do? The most logical thing in the world. He sticks his fingers in it and eats it. The opening scene sets the tone for the entire movie. The Stuff is not going to give you deep character arcs or airtight logic, but it also does not try to trick you into thinking it is some serious thriller either – that sweet spot.

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Deep Red movie poster featuring Dario Argento's 1975 giallo horror film artwork

Artist’s Blog #160 – Deep Red (1975)

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At its core, Deep Red plays out more like a murder mystery than a straight-up horror film. The pacing is slow, almost methodical, as the story drops subtle (and sometimes misleading) clues to help the audience figure out the killer’s identity. This was problematic for me though. The clues didn’t quite make enough sense to follow – that’s not necessarily a bad thing because it keeps the film feeling dreamlike. I mean that you feel like you’re watching a puzzle unfold without being able to put it together yourself. I find often that it’s hard to articulate my thoughts on this stuff. Mayen, even though unlikely, I watch Deep Red again one day and pay more attention to these clues.

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