最近城里的屡屡发生珠宝劫案,警察们都束手无策。因为贼人的手法和以前闻名的大盗“黑猫”约翰(加里•格兰特 Cary Grant 饰)如出一辙,警察们找上了正在乡间别墅过着悠闲生活的约翰。约翰当然不会轻易就范,他摆脱了警察之后,开始调查到底是谁用他的手法屡屡作案。毫无头绪的约翰找到了以前的战友巴先生,却被巴先生餐馆里的人视作不速之客。幸好在侍者孚的女儿的帮助下,约翰来到了嘎纳海滩。在保险公司经理的帮助下,约翰展开了他的抓贼行动。
芭儿(布莱娜·布罗恩 Brianna Brown 饰)和强尼(肯·华德 Ken Ward 饰)驱车赶往家乡,去参加阿姨的葬礼。他们的车直接开到墓园,然而这里却空无一人,只有棺木停在墓穴的旁边。正当他们诧异之时,两个奇怪恐怖的男人袭击了准备电话求助的强尼,强尼吓得夺路而逃。芭儿继而发现,这两个人已变成吸血僵尸,连她的妈妈(Marcia Ann Burrs 饰)也成为他们中的一员。芭儿落荒逃跑,沿途的景象让她惊慌失措,似乎那久为归来的故乡已经变成充斥着恐怖僵尸的修罗场。路上,芭儿被瘾君子本(Joshua DesRoches 饰)搭救,暂时逃脱僵尸的攻击。但是她的恶梦并未就此结束,漫漫长夜仿佛没有尽头……
On the border between United States and Mexico, once every 20 years, there are days that locals call timelessness. At this time the gods, to whom the ancient Mayan tribes made sacrifices, descend to earth to take human souls.
鲍威尔(安东尼•霍普金斯 Anthony Hopkins 饰)是一位专门研究黑猩猩的人类学家,他在卢旺达长期观察观察当地黑猩猩的活动。然而两年前,这位性情温和的学者突然性情大变,杀了两位当地的森林管理员以及伤害了多名管理员后神秘失踪。如今,他终于被逮捕归案,关押在美国高度戒严的精神病监狱。 年轻的精神病专家卡尔特(小库珀•古丁 Cuba Gooding 饰)意图揭开鲍威尔精神失常之谜而一举成名,于是他深入到监狱直接与鲍威尔进行对话。鲍威尔一开始对这位访客充满敌意,身为人类学家的他在卡尔特面前一点也不落下风。随着对话的逐渐深入,卡尔特渐渐了解到了事件真相:鲍威尔杀害的管理员其实是偷猎大猩猩的恶棍……
A cloaked figure slips into an exclusive psychiatric clinic and murders one of the female patients. Meanwhile, various sexuals liaisons are revealed. The mystery killer continues with his massacre he beheads a nurse with a scythe, pushes a chauffeur into a spiked “Iron Maiden”, strangles an older female patient, kills a nymphomaniac with an axe, and shoots a lesbian through the neck with a crossbow. Doctor Clay and the police set a trap for the killer using one of the attractive female patients as bait. However, they are not prepared for the onslaugth that follows…
PANIC BEATS begins with a totally nude woman with welts on her body, running through a misty forest full of decayed skeletons. A knight on horseback is chasing her, and we soon learn that he is Alaric de Marnac (a wicked character Naschy first created for HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB), viciously killing her for her unfaithful ways. After the credits role, we are taken to the present where a descendent of Marnac named Paul (Naschy) is married to the wealthy Geneviève (Julia Saly) was has some serious heart problems. Paul decides to take her to his ancestral home in the country for some peace and quiet, but the superstitious-filled setting opens a Pandora’s Box of terrible occurrences. We soon discover that Paul is a real son-of-a-bitch who plans to scare his wife to death, planning to control her fortune and continue his secret affair with seductive bad girl Mireille (Silvia Miró), who happens to be the niece of the tarot card-reading housekeeper, Mabile (Lola Gaos). Paul’s malevolent scheme works, but he still has to worry about an additional money-hungry mistress (this guy really gets around!), the unforgiving Mabile, as well as new fianceé Mireille who might be hiding a thing or two herself. More grisly murders follow, and the ghost of Marnac returns from hell to punish the most despicable human character in the film. PANIC BEATS was also written by Naschy (under his real name Jacinto Molina) who injects the film with an old-fashioned spooky house motif, beefed up with a modern movie sense of violence and sexuality. The film offers nothing too innovative storywise, and even Naschy admits on the disc’s extras that it was partly inspired by GASLIGHT and REBECCA, but he seems to just toss in a hodgepodge of exploitation and horror ingredients, while delivering a stylish and enjoyable effort with a number of twists and some genuinely chilling moments. The camera shots and lighting are both effective, and there's even does a cool set-up (much like what Freddie Francis did in THE SKULL and THE CREEPING FLESH) where we see the point of view of Marnac through his dark helmet as he stalks his female prey. Graphically, we are exposed to everything from a plate of bloody eyeballs, to victims being beaten relentlessly with the various Medieval weapons affixed on the house’s walls (for example, someone is axed in the stomach, followed by the soaked entrails oozing out!). Naschy’s most frequent 1980s leading lady, Julia Saly, is not given much to do, but with her offbeat looks, is a nice presence nonetheless. The prominent female star here is Silvia Miró who is seen in the buff frequently, and she certainly makes for some well-appreciated Euro starlet eye candy. Naschy himself is very good in the film, putting on conniving facades, carrying a number of women on a string,
备受梦魇折磨的年轻男子让·伯洛特(帕沃·里斯卡 Pavel Liska饰)反复做着同样一个梦境:两个恶魔闯进他的卧室,把他推进了疯人院。心力憔悴的伯洛特偶遇神秘侯爵马奎斯(杨·特里斯加 Jan Triska饰)。这个扬言要救治伯洛特的怪异侯爵,引诱伯洛特来到一间阴森恐怖的疯人院。黏着的空气,病态的疯人,黑暗之中穿插的“生肉表演”以及一系列令人作呕的放荡作为,让失魂落魄的伯洛特彻底崩溃了。当他从看似纯美的护士夏洛特(安娜·吉赛罗娃 Anna Geislerová饰)口中得知院长和侯爵的丑恶的面目时,这场炼狱般的噩梦才刚刚开始。 这部由捷克电影和动画大师杨·史云梅耶创作的超现实主义作品《梦魇疯人院》,荣获2005年皮尔森电影节最佳影片,2006年捷克金狮奖最佳艺术指导、海报设计等奖项,并代表捷克参加2007年奥斯卡最佳外语片的角逐。史云梅耶在开篇就警告世人,这是一部考验你视觉极限和挑战你心理极限的反美学的影片。他以此片向死亡美学大师爱伦·坡和色情作家萨德侯爵致敬。骇人的生肉与内脏,悚然的仪式与噩梦,一起构筑起了这座彻底癫狂病态的梦魇疯人院。