PLOT
Welcome to La Residencia, a borderline reform school packed with over-blossoming maidens and presided over by a whacked-out head-mistress played to the hilt by Lili Palmer. It’s true that the murder “mystery” is instantly guessable, but this is a beautifully made gothic chiller with superb performances all around. Also features great cinematography and music. The award-winning script is steeped in classical references and reveals a swirling morass of sexual and political repression. A moody, spooky masterpiece.Read More »
Thriller
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Narciso Ibáñez Serrador – La residencia AKA The House That Screamed (1969)
1961-1970HorrorNarciso Ibáñez SerradorSpainThriller -
Joann Sfar – La dame dans l’auto avec des lunettes et un fusil AKA The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun (2015)
2011-2020FranceJoann SfarThrillerQuote:
A secretary steals her boss’ car to go joyriding. She visits a seaside town she swears she’s never been to, but everyone knows her name. And when a body turns up in the trunk of the car, she is the lead suspect in a murder she knows nothing about. Is she going crazy?Read More » -
René Clément – Plein soleil AKA Purple Noon [+Extras] (1960)
1951-1960DramaFranceQueer Cinema(s)René ClémentThrillerSynopsis:
‘Tom Ripley and Philippe Greenleaf are lately inseparable friends. They’re both idling in Europe, but on papa Greenleaf’s dime. Philippe’s fiancee Marge feels sorry for Tom but resents his presence, while Philippe’s other friend, Freddie, considers Tom Ripley a worthless moocher. But there’s more to Tom Ripley, the mimic, the forger, the talented criminal improviser, than anyone, even Tom Ripley himself, can guess.’
– J. Spurlin (IMDb)Read More » -
William Cameron Menzies – Address Unknown (1944)
Drama1941-1950ThrillerUSAWilliam Cameron Menzies

Classic Film Guide wrote:
Nominated for Best B&W Art Direction-Interior Decoration and Best Music Score, this World War II drama chronicles the degradation of Martin Schulz (played by Paul Lukas), an American-German art dealer who returns to live in Germany just before the rise of the National Socialist Party. Preying (in part) on his ego, a local baron-Nazi Party member (Carl Esmond) gradually influences Schulz to abandon his principles and his Jewish friend-American partner Max Eisenstein (Morris Carnovsky), with whom Schulz had been corresponding by letter. Peter van Eyck plays Schulz’s son Heinrich, who remains in the States working for Max while Mady Christians plays Max’s daughter Elsa, Heinrich’s fiancée-actress who finds work in Germany and bravely resists a Nazi’s (Charles Halton) censorship, with tragic results. When Schulz finally realizes what he’s lost, it’s too late. The movie’s title doesn’t come into play until the end, which features a twist. Directed by Academy Award winning Art Director William Cameron Menzies (Tempest (1928)), and based on the story by Kressmann Taylor with a screenplay by Herbert Dalmas, the film is a timely and effective reminder of the power of charismatic leaders and the vigilance needed to resist their rhetoric. Emory Parnell and Frank Faylen both appear as letter carriers.
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Francis Ford Coppola – Dementia 13 AKA The Haunted and the Hunted (1963)
USA1961-1970Francis Ford CoppolaHorrorThrillerDementia 13-Francis Ford Coppola’s black and white shocker is certainly one of the creepiest horror movies of an early 60’s.It predates all the slasher films made in 70’s and 80’s.Surprisingly spooky and atmospheric it contains plenty of axe murders(the decapitation of the hunter is especially memorable).The underwater scene is extremely creepy and the climax is well-handled and surprising. The film seems to be forgotten by many horror fans-it’s a classic and should be treated with respect!
If you want to be scared check out this creepy gem! Read More » -
Joseph L. Mankiewicz – 5 Fingers [+Extras] (1952)
USA1951-1960Joseph L. MankiewiczThrillerSynopsis (possible spoilers):
“Based on a true story. In neutral Turkey during WWII, the ambitious and extremely efficient valet for the British ambassador tires of being a servant and forms a plan to promote himself to rich gentleman of leisure. His employer has many secret documents; he will photograph them, and with the help of a refugee Countess, sell them to the Nazis. When he makes a certain amount of money, he will retire to South America with the Countess as his wife.”
– Ken Yousten (IMDb)Read More » -
Alex van Warmerdam – Schneider vs. Bax (2015)
2011-2020Alex van WarmerdamComedyNetherlandsThrillerQuote:
A relatively straightforward genre exercise compared with last year’s Cannes-competing “Borgman,” “Schneider vs. Bax” (which has already opened in its native Netherlands, where it did arthouse business rather than action-movie numbers) likely wouldn’t have interested festivals or foreign distribs if not for the career-rekindling acclaim his previous feature attracted. Van Warmerdam would be the first to admit this follow-up was designed to be as different from “Borgman” as possible. Still, there’s so escaping the macabre and borderline-surreal sensibility that underlies them both, which should earn this pic playdates around the world in venues that would have ignored him a year earlier.Read More » -
Cédric Jimenez – La French AKA The Connection (2014)
2011-2020Cédric JimenezCrimeFranceThrillerQuote:
A stylish, 70’s-period crime thriller inspired by true events, The Connection tells the story of real-life Marseilles magistrate Pierre Michel (Academy Award, Winner Jean Dujardin, The Artist, The Wolf of Wall Street) and his relentless crusade to dismantle the most notorious drug smuggling operation in history: the French Connection.In his crosshairs is charismatic and wealthy kingpin, Gatean “Tany” Zampa (Gilles Lellouche, Point Blank, Mesrine: Killer Instinct), who runs the largest underground heroin trade into the States. Though the fearless and tenacious Michel, aided by a task force of elite cops, will stop at nothing––including boldly orchestrated drug raids, devastating arrests, and exacting interrogations––to ensure the crime ring’s demise, Zampa’s “La French” always seems one step ahead.Read More »
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Serdar Akar – Barda (2007)
2001-2010CrimeSerdar AkarThrillerTurkeyPlot
A group of young high society friends, aged between 18 and 25, are gathered at a friend’s bar that they frequent for the night. But when they finish off their last beer and prepare to head home they find themselves held captive at gunpoint by five strangers. Bound and gagged, they are tortured, raped, and murdered until the next morning. The gang who have captured them have no clear reason, they just want to punish these young people for everything left incomplete in their lives.Read More »







