Seemingly authentic blaxploitation & hysterical fears of neighborhood satanic cults!

It's no secret that Hollywood has been running low on ideas for some time now. But thanks to an ever narrowing generation gap that has rendered even the very recent past 'retro', we are seeing the rise of a parasitic new breed of cinema. From casual remake (Rob Zombie's redux-ing sequels now!), to straight-up remix (see Craig Baldwin's Other Cinema section), and everything in-between, we are living in a culture adept at stripping its past down into the elements most fit for re-use in popular culture (ie. sporting a mullet).

Recently, a new kind of retro cinema has come to our attention, courtesy of two stand-out DVDs. These films display such a total grasp of the themes and techniques that define their host genres, we are tempted to see them as continuations- spiritual grandchildren if you will, breathing life back into the fading songs of their ancestors.

BLACK DYNAMITE is a comedic send-up of seventies exploitation hits like DOLEMITE or SHAFT, that's more homage than parody; they've really done their homework here! The look and feel of the classics are recreated, down to the grainy bad film and bad editing, with a technical ease and grace that never feels forced. Frankly, this is better than most of the o.g. blaxploitation out there; they've tightened up the script, the pacing, the action, and somehow kept the charm!

HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is a must-see for fans of late seventies/early eighties horror flicks. This one is big on mood and atmosphere and features superb character acting from genre icon Tom Noonan and mumble-core queen Greta Gerwig. The film does a great job of bringing to the fore that era's hysterical fear of neighborhood Satanic cults. Those of us old enough to remember life before the eighties, will recall the 'missing pet' rumors, the confiscation of Motley Crue posters, t-shirts forced inside out. Easily the best from Larry Fessenden's Glass Eye Pix (I SELL THE DEAD, THE LAST WINTER) camp thus far. -Merrick