Eurohorror Reviewapalooza – Pseudo Reviews of The Orphanage & House of Clocks

Thoughts on my DVD viewing from the past weekend:

The Orphanage (El Orfanato)
There are people that don’t consider The Orphanage a Horror movie, but I was genuinely creeped out by this Ghostly drama. It was produced by Guillermo del Toro and received all sorts of critical acclaim. At the same time, it borrows several story elements from the decidedly low brow Friday the 13th and even includes a gore gag that would make Romero proud. So yeah, we can safely call this a Horror Film! Also, the movie deals with what a mother is willing to do (and believe) to find her missing child. If your a parent, you know how horrifying that would be.  

The Orphanage makes a good double bill with del Toro’s own The Devil’s Backbone (also about ghostly goings on in an Orphanage). It’s not quite on the same level as Backbone, but it’s a great film nonetheless and it’s punctuated with truly gut wrenching performances.

House of Clocks (La Casa nel tempo)
Backward running clocks bring the dead back to life in this this Twilight Zone esque flick directed by my fave Eurohorror director, Lucio Fulci.

I know Fulci’s later films aren’t terribly well received (heck, some of his early and middle films aren’t either), but I enjoyed this little dity. It’s not terribly gory (it was originally shot for Italian TV) but we get a few good scenes of blood spill (and gut spill) here and there.

No explanation is ever given for the mystical clocks, but who needs logic when you have Fulci! Not the best movie he ever directed, but far from his worst. worth an investment of at least 90 minutes.