Halloween 2020: October 11th

The Return of the Vampire (1943)

"Dracula" overshadows every facet of Bela Lugosi's career. Regardless of what sort of roles he played, audiences would always identify him with the world famous vampire. Which is sort of funny when you think about it because, officially, Lugosi only ever played the Count on-screen twice. I say "officially" because, on several occasions, Lugosi would star in several pseudo-Dracula movies. His role in 1935's "Mark of the Vampire" directly depended on audience's knowledge of him as Dracula. 1943's "The Return of the Vampire" would see Lugosi stepping into the role of another very Dracula-like figure. Some sources even report that the Columbia film began life as a "Dracula" sequel before Universal's lawyers gave them a call. Whether that's true or not, "Return of the Vampire" was obviously an attempt to cash-in on Lugosi's most beloved role.

In the 1910s, a clinic in London was beset by a vampire and his werewolf henchman. The head of the clinic determined that Armand Tesla, a professor in the occult whose obsession led him to becoming undead, was the bloodsucker. He was quickly staked through the heart and the werewolf, a man named Andreas, reverted to a human form. Thirty years later, as the Blitz drops bombs on England, Tesla's grave is disturbed. The vampire awakens again, Andreas drawn back into his hairy thrall. Now Tesla stalks the daughter of the woman who staked him in the prior decade.

"Return of the Vampire" is a forties horror movie. Which means one thing: Fog and lots of it. Yes, the film features more than its share of classic horror atmosphere. Tesla and Andreas stalk through mist-strewn cemeteries. Gravediggers talk while fog floats around their ankles. Huge shadows, of cape-clad villains, are cast on the wall. Heroes and villains tangle in darken back allies. In one moment, the fog even floats into a home as Tesla attempts to seduce Lady Jane's daughter. As an aficionado of this style of filmmaking, I can certainly enjoy "Return of the Vampire." However, the film definitely doesn't have the same Expressionistic ambiance, that dream-like feeling, as Universal's contemporary monster movies. It's a nice try, a decent imitation, but not quite on the same level.  

While the Universal Monster movies had both great atmosphere and memorable characters, "Return of the Vampire" can only boast the former. Frieda Inescort as Lady Jane is not especially compelling. She speaks blankly through most of her scenes, making for a uniformly dull protagonist. The supporting cast, Jane's daughter and to-be son-in-law, are both complete snores that never come to life. As for Lugosi, there's little of the sinister intonation, the mythic quality, the hint of melancholy that made his Dracula great. Lugosi is largely going through the motions here. Meanwhile, Matt Willis is unusually verbose for a werewolf. A scene where he talks extensively with Tesla inside the tomb feels viscerally wrong to me. Werewolves should not be that eloquent. 

On paper, "Return of the Vampire" has a lot of interesting ideas. This is a monster movie explicitly set during World War II. It features Lugosi basically reprising his most famous role and, due to that Renfield-like werewolf sidekick, also qualifies as a monster mash. Instead, the film rarely brings these elements together in a satisfying manner. Aside from the beginning and the very end – where the Luftwaffe provides a sloppy deus ex machina – the war subplot rarely comes into play. When Tesla and Andreas do tangle, the werewolf is strictly in human form. This leaves only a handful of scenes to please the classic horror nerd. Such as a pretty cool confrontation between Jane and Tesla by a piano. Or the vampire's melty final fate. 

This marks the second time I've seen “Return of the Vampire.” The first time was years ago, during AMC's MonsterFest where it aired alongside most of the other classics. Back then, I was thoroughly underwhelmed by the film. Considering the maturity that comes with age, I figured the film deserved a second shot. Disappointingly, my impression of  “Return of the Vampire” remains largely the same. Columbia and director Lew Landers – previously of “The Raven” and a hundred forgotten westerns – made a decent attempt of copying the Universal style but couldn't replicate the heart and soul of Browning's “Dracula.” [6/10]

Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999)

“Wishmaster” was produced for five million dollars and grossed 15 million at the box office. That's a pretty good return on anyone's investment. Following the resurgence of the slasher genre after “Scream's” success, horror franchises were suddenly a thing once again. And so, “Wishmaster” would spawn a sequel. Granted, the Djinn was not deemed impressive enough to return to theaters. “Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies” would premiere on HBO in 1999, heading to home video shortly afterwards. As if to guarantee the follow-up would be decent, Jack Sholder – previously of decent flicks like “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2,” “The Hidden,” and “Alone in the Dark” – would direct. 

Following the time switch-a-roo ending of the first “Wishmaster,” the nefarious Djinn is back in his fire opal. A group of art thieves, including a woman named Morgana, sneak into the museum. They are caught by security guards and a shoot-out ensues. In the chaos, the statue containing the jewel is cracked open, freeing the Djinn once again. With a quest to consume a thousand and one souls, the human disguised Djinn willingly goes to jail in Morgana's place. She remains linked with the demon. Seeking help from her priest ex-boyfriend, Morgana attempts to figure out exactly what's going on and how she can stop the Djinn before it is too late.

While the first “Wishmaster” was a very silly film, the subject matter was treated sort of seriously. The sequel, meanwhile, leans much more into the comedy. By dropping the Wishmaster into a crowded prison, the cackling villain is surrounded by straight men. Unlike anyone in the first film, the tough guy prisoners are baffled by his bizarre behavior. One amusing wish involves a convict's two martial artist buddies turning on him, to the surprise and confusion of everyone present. At one point, the Djinn engineers a literal interpretation of telling someone to go fuck themselves.... Which, amusingly, the film depicts right on-screen. If that scene didn't make it apparent, “Wishmaster 2” is pretty gay too. There's so much macho bluster and some totally unnecessary usage of the F-slur. The homo-eroticism is blatant enough that when Tiny Lister, as a sadistic prison guard, asks the Wishmaster if he wanted to “dance,” I half-expected him to mean it literally.

Andrew Divoff's Djinn is a silly character, something the sequel runs with more than the original. His toothy grin, weird manner of speech, and constant bizarre question makes him an eccentric weirdo. Divoff's performance focuses more on that than any sort of creepiness. His twisted wish fulfillments are also essentially jokes. This becomes very obvious in the film's climax. The Wishmaster goes wild in a casino. A roulette wheel sprouts spikes and goes rolling around. A blackjack shuffler shoots cards out at a deadly pace. This builds to a mass of cards exploding through a dealer's abdomen. The guy at the slot machine has tumors growing out of his body, for no particular reason. Sholder knows these gags are obviously ridiculous. Because he attaches the camera to the whirling roulette wheel of death and has the old lady at the craps table literally crap out a pile of gold coins. It's gorier, far more absurd, and much more entertaining than any of the special effects scenes from the first “Wishmaster.”

“Wishmaster 2” also has more compelling characters than the first one. Granted, this is not saying much, as the original film's cast was totally dull. Holly Fields is pretty cute as Morgana, sporting a quasi-goth girl fashion sense. While her traumatic past is still un-involving, at least it's not some vague event in her past. She's feeling guilty over shooting a guy in the first scene. She also has a mildly interesting relationship with her preacher ex-boyfriend. Naturally, the two of them are tempted to get back together throughout, creating some sort of dynamic I can get into. Fields and Paul Johansson have decent chemistry. For the record, Andrew Divoff is just as hammy this time as in the first but it's better utilized here. 

Save for a limp middle section inexplicably involving Russian gangsters, “Wishmaster 2” rolls along at a decent pace. By leaning into the comedy inherent in the ridiculous premise, and upping the over-the-top gore,  “Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies” manages to be a considerable improvement over the first. Jack Sholder has had ambivalent things to say about the sequel, and it's certainly not as good as his other horror films, but I think he absolutely did the best he could. “Wishmaster 2” is still direct-to-video horror trash but it's the kind of direct-to-video horror trash I can vibe with. [7/10]

Freddy's Nightmares: Freddy's Tricks and Treats

Turning Freddy Krueger into a TV horror host seemed like a natural decision. Robert Englund's lovable performances had made the depraved child murderer a fan favorite. That's the kind of over-sized personality suited to talking directly to the audience. The series was plagued with a lot of problems, most of which I recounted last year when I reviewed the pilot. A big one was that fans were disappointed that Freddy usually only presented the stories. “Freddy's Trick or Treats” is another one of the rare episodes where Freddy himself interacts with the segment's plots. Moreover, it's also a Halloween episode, so it only seemed right for me to give this show another chance, even if I didn't really like the episode I reviewed last year. 

As with every episode of “Freddy's Nightmares,” “Freddy's Tricks & Tricks” contains two linked segments. The first concerns Marsha, a med student who was abused by her grandmother as a kid. This has left her deathfully afraid of intimacy, much to the frustration of her male friend, Mark. He encourages her to go to a Halloween party but instead she studies at the morgue. She drifts off to sleep and has a dream about Freddy, her grandma, and Mark. In the next segment, a psych student named Zack has designed a machine that can record dreams. Meg is his test subject and she's still being pursued by Freddy. Zack pushes the experiment further in his pursuit of results, endangering both himself and Meg. 

“Freddy's Tricks and Treats” might be one of the better episodes of “Freddy's Nightmares.” Which still isn't saying much. The constant attempts at jump scares, especially in the first half, are often annoying. Though I adore hearing Freddy crack hammy one-liners, the jokes here are lame and disruptive. A sequence in the second half, where he tangles Meg up in wires, feels especially weak. The first segment also ends on a lame twist. Having said that, this episode does have a likable protagonist in the shape of Meg. Mariska Hargitay – who would actually go on to a decent career – gives a solid performance. Moreover, her abusive childhood actually makes this episode thematically similar to the original “Elm Street” films. The Halloween atmosphere is also mildly interesting. The second lacks that and isn't as strong, though it does feature more nightmare/stalking sequences. There's also a gag involving a skeleton poking someone's eyes out that I liked. “Freddy's Tricks & Treats” is still as washed-out and desperate feeling as the rest of the show but probably stands as one of the series' better hours. [6/10]

Forever Knight: Last Knight

After three years, we are at the final episode of “Forever Knight.” A friend of Natalie commits suicide but leaves an extensive note to her close companion. In despair, Natalie begs Nick to turn her into a vampire but he refuses. On the same night, an unhinged man gets loose in the police station. Nick and Tracy corner the guy but, after she gets a peek at Nick's true vampiric nature, Tracy is fatally shot. Nick goes to LaCroix for guidance but he's leaving town soon. That night, Natalie talks Nick into trying the method of becoming human Janette previously told him about in “The Human Factor.” Spoiler alert for a twenty-five year old TV show: It doesn't work. Nick drinks too much of Natalie's blood, killing her. Broken, Nick asks LaCroix to end his existence. Rising a pointed staff above his grieving friend's head, LaCroix seemingly grants his wish. 

After a whole season of downbeat endings, “Forever Knight” wraps up on maybe the most depressing conclusion the show writers could've conceived. Yes, the show ends with almost all of its main characters dead. Nick and Natalie aren't even given the dignity of a hero's send-off. Her choice to have Nick bite her feels impulsive and out-of-character. Nick, meanwhile, commits suicide in despair and shame. If his goal throughout the show was to atone for his centuries of evil acts, he undoubtedly fails. I didn't even like Tracy Vickers that much but her death also feels unnecessarily mean-spirited. This isn't a natural conclusion to the story's various arcs. Instead, it feels like the writers were motivated solely by the desire to create an ending the show couldn't come back from. They were determined to make “Forever Knight's” cancellation stick this time.

I wish the bleak ending was the only reason to dislike “Last Knight.” The series finale is also partially a clip show. As Nick looks back on the failures of his life, he flashes back to events from past episodes. (Though this also includes a pretty funny montage of Nick biting people.) Geraint Wyn Davies directed this one too. Though many of the episodes he directed were decent, far too much of this one is composed of Nick and Natalie standing around and talking. No wonder fans were pissed off back in 1996. I knew it was coming and I'm still pretty bummed out by it. Instead of giving anyone a satisfying resolution, or bringing any of the show's on-going plots to a proper conclusion, “Last Knight” just tosses everyone into the abyss. [5/10]

“Forever Knight” did not prove to be my favorite series to re-watch. As a kid, I really enjoyed this show. In retrospect, I realize that I mostly just remembered the cool vampire stuff. Too often, “Forever Knight” was just a regular cop show with a cool gimmick that it didn't utilize nearly enough. The stand-alone plots were often forgettable and the program rarely rose above the then-standards for crook-of-the-week cop shows. The show was at its best when it utilized its lovable cast of characters. With the big cast shake-ups in season three, the series couldn't even rely on that as much. Though its fan base was once so devoted, it brought the show back from cancellation twice, “Forever Knight' has mostly been forgotten in cult television history. Even if it arguably invented the very popular vampire detective concept, the series has been eclipsed by what came afterwards. Looking back on it, “Forever Knight” was a mildly interesting show, sometimes entertaining, occasionally lovable, but often forgettable.

Halloween 2020: October 10th

Wishmaster (1997)

I’ve mentioned my buddy JD many times before and not just because he co-hosted a misbegotten podcast with me. We’ve literally been friends since we were kids. And because we’ve always been horror nerds, and I’ve always been a pretentious know-it-all, we used to have arguments about the nerdiest shit. As an example!: Young JD was apparently unaware of the difference between what “directed by” and “presented by” meant. This is why, for quite some time, he thought Wes Craven directed “Wishmaster.” I have no doubt that creating this confusion was exactly the point behind all those “Wes Craven Presents” titles that cropped up in the late nineties. JD and I would also debate the merits of “Wishmaster” as a film. He liked it, I thought it was trash. And now, because we still bring this up every now and then, I’m going to review all the “Wishmaster” movies this October. Thanks, buddy. 

In Islamic belief, the djinn are beings born of fire, created at the same time Allah created humans and angels. This is the origin point for the wish-granting genie of modern pop culture. In "Wishmaster," one such djinn sought to trick humans into unleashing his magical race in the world by granting them deceptive wishes. A Zoroasterian sorcerer trapped the djinn in an opal. Thousands of years later, the opal is shattered when a fancy art dealer buys it. Now, the djinn continues his quest to merge the human and djinn realm, by twisting human wishes into cruel torments. He's especially focused on Alex Amberson, the appraiser partially responsible for freeing him.

"Wishmaster" was written by Peter Atkins, who also co-wrote a few "Hellraiser" movies, but it feels like a child wrote it. The central premise, of an asshole genie running amok, is gimmicky as hell but has potential. Instead, the film becomes a series of juvenile death sequences. The Djinn will run into a random character, who the film spends no time introducing or setting up. He'll goad them into making an obvious wish or statement. (Seemingly, none of them notice how blatant this manipulation is.) This wish/statement will then be twisted in the most literal way into a gory death scene. It's a cycle the film repeats about a dozen times. This is most hilariously shown in a scene where an airplane explodes, a moment that is never mentioned before or after. When not doing that, the script is laying lunk-headed exposition on the protagonist or attempting to build a mythology around its villain in the most stilted way possible. Alex has a traumatic incident in her past, an attempt to make us care about her, but it connects in no way with the film's themes... If "Wishmaster" can be said to have any themes at all. It's a movie that takes the phrase "Be careful what you wish for" and interprets it in the most boring way possible. 

In truth, "Wishmaster" is little but a series of special effects sequence strung together. This is unsurprising, since it was directed by experienced effects man Robert Kurtzman. Admittedly, some of these moments are kind of cool. During the opening chaos, a skeleton tears itself free of someone's body. People morph into trees or snakes. The big finale has a host of historical statues leaping to life, such as a Roman centurion or a Mogul archer, which is a fun idea. A man is also decapitated by some piano wires, one of the better random gags. Yet too often, "Wishmaster's" focus on special effects is distracting. Alex is chased by a weird monster in one scene. A gory shoot-out in a police station randomly has a jaw torn off. A character coughs up some sort of twitching bug thing. I like latex gore and monsters but this is all so senseless. Even more distracting is the truly abysmal CGI used in several scenes, which takes some potentially neat ideas - "you'll have to go through me," faces phasing through walls -- and just makes them embarrassing. Kurtzman's direction is generally tacky, featuring several obnoxious jump-scares or sloppy zooms. 

Something that could've saved an aimless effects reel like this was a cool villain. The Djinn, in his natural form, is cool looking and has the Movie Maniacs action figure to prove it. As an actual character, he's less compelling. Tough guy character actor Andrew Divoff speaks all his lame dialogue in an overbearing hiss, making every thudding one-liner sink like a stone. It's a delivery Divoff maintains even when out of make-up, which quickly becomes hilarious. Tammy Lauren gives a similarly overheated performance as Alex. Kurtzman packs the cast with recognizable horror stars. Kane Hodder, Tony Todd, Reggie Bannister, Ted Raimi, "Buck" Flower, Tom Savini, and Angus Scrimm all have cameos. All are welcomed presences but only an amusingly hammy Robert Englund gets much to do besides bluster before dying graphically.

As with all the "Wes Craven Presents" tittles, Craven was merely an executive producer on "Wishmaster" and probably had little to do with its development. I like to think he lent his name to the film as a favor to Robert Kurtzman, since the two worked together a number of times. While Wes directed many stinkers, it's good to know he didn't have his fingers too much in this one. I guess I sort of see the appeal of "Wishmaster," as I too enjoy some wacky special effects and fake blood. Yet the film's writing is too shallow to be involving, its approach too obnoxious to be entertaining, and its execution too competent to be bad-in-a-fun-way. I'm of the opinion that this particular genie probably should've stayed in the bottle. [4/10]

The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936)

We, as always, undervalue the influence of 1931's “Frankenstein.” Though we associate the decade most with dapper vampires in evening wear, the mad scientist was truly the stock horror villain of the thirties. This fascination was, of course, also a boon for the career of Boris Karloff. He played many insane men of science in the years after his trademark role. “Frankenstein's” influence even stretched across the sea. Five years later, Karloff would star in a British sci-fi/horror thriller called “The Man Who Changed His Mind.”

Up-and-coming brain surgeon Clare Wyatt leaves behind her boyfriend, Dick Haslewood, the son of a powerful newspaper magnet and academic. She is going to work with controversial scientist, Dr. Laurience. Laurience has discovered a method to remove the electric impulses from one brain – what you might call the mind or soul – and transplant them into another brain. Mind transfer, in other words. Through Dick, Laurience's work attracts the attention of Lord Haslewood, who funds his research at a college. After a humiliating public exhibition of his work, Haslewood cuts all ties with Laurience. As revenge, he transplant Haslewood's mind into that of his crippled assistant. This sets the scientist down a path of mind-swapping vengeance, soon fixating on Clare.

In many ways, “The Man Who Changed His Mind” is a typical mad scientist flick of its era. The story rolls in themes of brain surgery, electricity, and Freudian psychology, all hot topics of the time. The home Laurience works out of is excessively shadowy and cobweb-strewn. The newspaper story written about him is even headlined “Strange Experiments in Sinister Manor.” There's more than a few shots of Karloff's faces glowering in the darkness as electric equipment sparks around him. As the film goes on, Karloff grows more unhinged. There's a montage of Karloff's unhinged face as we see distressing memories play out around him, another hallmark of the time and genre. He even gets a speech about how everyone may think him mad but he'll show them otherwise. Laurience's wheelchair bound assistant is considered a total wretch, in mind and body, due to his disability. In the last scene, the mad scientist naturally realizes he meddled in areas men were not meant to know. “The Man Who Changed His Mind” hits most of the notes you'd expect. 

I, of course, absolutely love this shit. But I'm happy to report the film has more going on than just its adherence to stock tropes. Once Lauirence is moved out of his creepy mansion, the film becomes a surprisingly biting commentary on science versus commerce. Laurience's research is utterly groundbreaking, of course. Halsewood only picks him up because incredible scientific advances sells newspapers. He treats the doctor's work like a circus, putting up banners and advertisements for him. The minute Laurience might not be the moneymaker he seemed, Halsewood is ready to dump him. The scientist's revenge is motivated largely by being scorned by people who only understand dollar signs. “The Man Who Changed His Mind” treats its psyche-switching doctor more like an anti-hero than a villain, as Lord Halsewood is obviously an asshole. The film clearly is more sympathetic towards the scientist than the capitalist that seek to exploit him. 

What further makes “The Man Who Changed His Mind” special is its more off-beat elements. A streak of hot-blooded lustiness runs just under the surface. When Clare arrives as Laurience's manor, his manservant is utterly dismissive of her. More than once, Laurience refers to his bitter male partner as a “pervert.” Of course, the doctor immediately falls for the girl, her presence throwing off the homoerotic balance of his laboratory. Once he realizes his research has personal applications, Laurience immediately goes about plotting to put himself in a younger body, so the girl will desire him. Horniness, of course, motivates all great men. There's also a vein of campy humor in the film, in shots of the doctor playing with his chimpanzees or the rough-and-tumble assistant attempting to pass as the high society philanthropist. The sense of humor is reflected in the punning title. (Which was apparently too humorous for American distributors, who retitled the film “The Man Who Lived Again.”) 

“The Man Who Changes His Mind” is also far more clever in its writing than it had to be. A reveal about Lord Halsewood comes at just the right time. How Clare realizes Laurience is occupying her boyfriend's body is also set up perfectly. Director Robert Stevenson – who would later make “Mary Poppins” and a bunch of Disney's shopping cart movies – provides some satisfying atmosphere. “The Man Who Changed His Mind” would probably be considered slightly creaky, mildly predictable, and cliched by most. But I absolutely love this kind of stuff. If you have a taste for classic science-run-amok flicks too, definitely check out this underrated gem. [9/10]

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985): The Jar

1985 didn't just see the revival of “The Twilight Zone” and the much-hyped debut of “Amazing Stories.” Another iconic thriller anthology show would make a return to television screens. A new version of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” would premiere the same night as “Amazing Stories,” which was two nights after the new “Zone” started. Many of the episodes would remake installments from the 1955 series. Each one was introduced by colorized and digitally manipulated footage of Hitch. The new “Presents” wasn't as popular as the original, being canceled by NBC after one season. Like “The Hitchhiker” and “Ray Bradbury Theater,” USA Network would pick it up for two more seasons afterwards. The new version didn't attract the same level of talent as 1985's other anthology shows but the 20th episode of the first season, “The Jar,” was directed by a young up-and-comer named Tim Burton.

As with the original episode, “The Jar” is also adapted from a Ray Bradbury story. The country-bumpkins of Bradbury's text are switched out for the L.A. art scene. An sculptor named Knoll had some success in the past but critics are increasingly unimpressed with his work. That includes his girlfriend, who has become more biting and passive-aggressive. While looking for new material in a junkyard, he comes upon a mysterious jar full of glowing blue liquid, with something floating inside it. He presents the jar as his newest objet d'art and customers and critics are immediately fascinated by it. However, Knoll's troubles aren't quite over yet. 

Turning Bradbury's oddball story into a critique of the art world was a pretty clever idea. In fact, it makes a lot more scene that art critics would be way more fascinated by the titular object than backwoods sod farmers. The element of jealousy present in the original story also makes a lot more scene in this setting. The cast here is pretty strong, as Griffin Dunne has the right mix of pretentious squirreliness and nerdy sympathy needed for this part. I'm really surprised Paul Bartel, who appears here as a stuffy art critic, never worked with Tim Burton again. Bartel's trademark campy humor and stuffy authority figure bit would've been ideal for Burton's early work. You can see some of Burton's trademarks here. The thing in the jar has some black-and-white stripes on it and it looks a bit like the sculptures from “Beetlejuice.” Burton taking on the hypocrisy of the art world is certainly comparable to his opinion on suburbia. There's definitely some fun to be had with his take on “The Jar,” even if it's more funny than suspenseful. [7/10]

Forever Knight: Ashes to Ashes

For its penultimate episode, “Forever Knight” delves more into the origins of LaCroix. Nick's vampire dad receives a package at the Raven Club: A decapitated head in a box. It belongs to an Egyptian grave robber. A strange little girl calls and leaves a tip for the cops, Nick and Tracy rushing into the club to capture LaCroix. They end up letting him go because he didn't kill the guy. Instead, the murderer is Divia, LaCroix's daughter who turned him into a vampire just as Mount Vesuvius was burying Pompeii in ash over a thousand years ago. Two decades later, Divia attempted to seduce her own dad, which was too vile even for LaCroix. He decapitated her and stuck her in the tomb. She was so evil that she survived and is free again, determined to ruin her dad's life by killing everyone close to him. Including Nick. 

Most of “Forever Knight's” one-off villains are completely forgettable. Divia, however, easily ranks among the show's scariest baddies. It's not just the novelty factor of a little girl also being a ruthless villain. Or Kathryn Long's performance, which is suitably sinister. (Though, for an ancient Roman vampire, her pronunciation of “sorry' is very Canadian.) Divia is one of the few killers-of-the-week to make an impact on the show's lore. She adds a fittingly mythic quality to the story of LaCroix's vampire origins, tying him in with historical disaster and legendary taboos. His unwillingness to commit incest adds depth and complexity to Nick's already complex mentor/enemy. It shows that, as vicious as LaCroix is, even he has limits. 

Divia is also one of the few adversaries that actually poses a physical threat to Nick, as she's so old and powerful that she easily overwhelms him. She easily kills Urs, introduced in “Hearts of Darkness,” and basically takes down Vachon with little effort. It's a bit of a ennoble death for what was suppose to be a new major character, even if the writers rarely found anything interesting for Vachon to do. At least his subplot with Tracy ends on a kind of poetic note. That Nicholas ends up surviving his fight with Divia is a bullshit bit of writing, making the otherwise intense climax – a violent confrontation between LaCroix and his daughter – end on a weak note. Still, I enjoyed the resolution here. I wish “Forever Knight” had been this good more often, that it used its supporting cast and vampires' history better. [8/10]

Halloween 2020: October 9th

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

Richard Matheson's “I Am Legend” is one of those books that quietly changed the genre landscape. Its impact was not immediate but has only grown with time. Matheson's conceit was simple enough. If a vampire in a world of humans is a monster, then a human in a world of vampires would also be a monster. His novel would have a wide influence on the post-apocalyptic genre, which was only beginning to take hold in pop culture in 1954. Moreover, Matheson's vision of a fast-spreading virus that turns people into undead creatures would inspire George A. Romero's “Night of the Living Dead.” So, even though it's a vampire story, “I Am Legend” indirectly birthed the entire zombie concept as we know it. Matheson's novel has been adapted to film three times. The first, most faithful, and best is 1964's “The Last Man on Earth.”

Robert Morgan is the last man on Earth. One year ago, an air-borne virus began to sweep across the globe. The infected displayed debilitating symptoms before dying and then seemingly returning to life. Mindless entities with a hunger for blood, and an aversion to garlic and mirrors, the revived can only be described as vampires. Robert Morgan is immune to the virus. As society collapses, he's soon the only regular person left alive in the city. He spends his days staking sleeping vampires, looking for supplies, lost in his memories, and trying to survive. Most recently, he's seen evidence that someone else has been killing vampires. He's spotted loose signs that other people may survive. Robert Morgan is the last man on Earth... But he's not alone.

Watching “The Last Man on Earth” during the COVID-19 pandemic is a very different experience than previous times I've watched it. Sometimes the parallels are startling. During a lengthy flashback, we see Robert and his wife attempt to have a party for their daughter. The good time is hampered by news about the virus, a free-floating anxiety in the air. Inevitably, the daughter catches the disease and grows increasingly sick. She's confined to bed, loosing her vision. Robert tells the wife to pull her out of school. When she dies, she's tossed into the back of a truck and dumped into a mass grave. Is this how the folks in New York felt earlier in the year, when the bodies of their loved ones were piling up inside hockey rinks? That sense that society can no longer withstands such fast-moving change, that grim certainty that everything is falling apart, is all too familiar now.

It's not just the grim feeling of watching everything fall apart that “The Last Man on Earth” so accurately captures. As Robert gets up every morning, from another restless night, he goes through his mental checklist. He has a passionless breakfast, gathers supplies, checks his defenses, and makes more stakes. Some days, Robert looses the ability to focus entirely, the constant stress overwhelming him. This type of weary determination, moving ahead even though everything feels lost, is also very familiar in 2020. Vincent Price's performance, free of his usual campy flourishes, perfectly captures this combination of exhaustion, restlessness, and emotional burn-out. Even his voice-over narration, largely unneeded and frequently distracting, contributes to this feeling. Of repeating daily patterns that have long since lost their meaning.

As good as “The Last Man on Earth” is at capturing the hopelessness of living through a pandemic, the movie is less successful as a horror movie. Yes, the vampires do act rather zombie-like. They have none of the strengths of traditional vampires and all of their weaknesses. They shamble and moan. Morgan admits that one doesn't put up much of a fight. A few time, he pushes them away without much effort. While later zombie movies made the undead masses into a creditable threat, that never happens here. He even runs over a few with his car in one scene. Once Robert learns he's been killing innocent people caught halfway between life and vampirism, “Last Man on Earth” largely abandons the vampire apocalypse concept. Our hero spends the last act running from machine gun-wielding hunters in black suits and limply throwing smoke grenades to the ground. 

Yes, “The Last Man on Earth” is more sad than scary. The bitterly ironic ending of Matheson's book become almost nihilistic here, as the last hope for humanity is killed by the exact people he could save. But at least Robert Morgan, so haunted by the loss of his family, is reunited with them in death. The film certainly captures a fittingly bleak atmosphere, largely helped by the empty Rome locations it was shot in. As a predecessor to the zombie genre, “The Last Man on Earth” is underwhelming. As an end-of-the-world thriller, it's far more distressing. Re-watching this in 2020, it turns out, wasn't a great idea. Though Matheson would co-write the script, he disliked the final film and was credited under a pseudonym. I can only imagine what he thought of the later adaptations, which strayed further from his book. While Matheson's ideal version – starring Harrison Ford, directed by George Miller – sounds pretty great, something must be said for this original, even if it doesn't totally work. [7/10]

Embodiment of Evil (2008)

Encarnação do Demônio

From my admittedly limited research, it seems horror films fell out of vogue in Brazil after the end of the seventies. Jose Mojica Marins would direct a few horror films throughout the eighties – none of which seem to have been subtitled – but spent most of the decade making sex films. During that time, several attempts were made to conclude the Zé do Caixão trilogy, to finish the story that began in “At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul” and “This Night I'll Posses Your Corpse.” Production always fell apart before too long. After the completion of 1987's “Demons and Wonders,” an autobiographical documentary, Marins wouldn't make another feature film until 2008... When, finally, the stars would align and “Embodiment of Evil,” the final Coffin Joe movie, would be released.

Zé do Caixão did not drown to death at the end of “This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse.” Instead, he emerged from the lake, clarified he didn't believe in God, and poked a cop's eye out. The insane undertaker spent the next three decades in prison. Since thirty years is the maximum sentence allowed by Brazilian law, Coffin Joe is unleashed back into the world. He immediately resumes his quest for the perfect woman, to beget the perfect son with. A cult has sprung up around Coffin Joe's teachings and they help him in his quest. The various people the mad mortician has pissed off over the years – that one-eyed cop, the unhinged monk son of a previous victim – seek to end him before he reaches his goal. 

Though Coffin Joe appeared in various media in the intervening decades, :”Embodiment of Evil” sees the character truly re-entering the world after forty years. And the world was a very different place in 2008 than it was in 1968. The film admits how ridiculous Zé do Caixão looked in modern day São Paulo, in a semi-comedic scene where he visits a restaurant. Mostly, the filmmakers attempt to bring the character into the modern day while maintaining continuity with the original. Mojica's wacky scene transitions are maintained. So is some of his rough technique, such as when the camera spins around after a car almost hits the newly free Coffin Joe. “Embodiment of Evil's” cinematography is filled with foggy cemeteries and shadowy nights. The climax is set in a corny carnival dark ride, the brutality of Coffin Joe standing alongside papier-mâché Frankensteins and mummies. Which really brings things full circle.

As in those classic films, Mojica has his trademark character doing double duty as both a horrifying villain and a subversive antihero. The church is not so much the target of his scorn this time. Instead, the police is the social institution Coffin Joe is raging against here. Within hours of being released, Zé spots a cop killing two kids. He slits the guy's throat but he survives. He spends the rest of the movie outrunning the local police, who are openly corrupt and use their authority for petty revenge. Coffin Joe may be the most depraved son-of-a-bitch in Brazil but he's still better than a fucking cop. “Embodiment of Evil” shows Mojica continuing to use his trashy genre pictures as a source of social commentary and anti-authoritarian politics. 

It's not just the changes in Brazilian society that “Embodiment of Evil” reflects. The much more recent sequel also shows how permissive film was, how extreme the horror genre was, in 2008. Throughout the film, Coffin Joe punishes his enemies and “tests” his prospective brides. Which results in the most sadistic torture sequences Mojica's warped mind could concoct. Naked women are dunked in a barrel of blood, sewn up inside a pig carcass, and forced to eat their cut-off butt cheek. People are scalped, crucified, branded, whipped, hung on hooks, and covered in bugs. The most disgusting scene involves a live rat being inserted into a very uncomfortable place. While the special effects are much more convincing than they were in 1968, it's still the sheer ferocity – a wild sense of transgression – that makes these scenes truly unnerving. 

It's not just the gut-churning gore that makes “Embodiment of Evil” effective. The years have shown that Mojica's skill for surreal, gothic nightmares haven't faded any either. Throughout the film, Coffin Joe is haunted by the ghosts of his past victims. In a nice touch, these ghosts are in black-and-white while the rest of the film is in color. Disembodied corpses birthing spiders, murder victims pull knives from their throat, and dead mothers offer dead infants. The movie's most surreal sequence is a visit to Purgatory, following the second film's trip to Hell. After a room fills with blood, Coffin Joe is lead through a fleshy hallway – like a giant artery – before being witness to cannibalism and mutilation. It's pretty rad and brought to life with the same unhinged imagination Mojica displayed in his best films. "Embodiment of Evil" wraps up with a haunting image of a corpse leaping back to life to have sex one more time, as spooky and profane an image as any other the director would create.

There's also a degree of camp here. Despite all the horrors he's seen and reaped, a simple snake is enough to frighten ol' Joe in one scene.  “Embodiment of Evil” would not quite be the end of Jose Mojca Marins' directorial career. He would contribute segments to three separate anthologies: “The Profane Exhibit,” “The Black Fables” and “Memórias da Boca.” Yet it's only fitting that his final outing as Coffin Joe would essentially be his last movie. Somehow, the filmmaker managed to wrap the character up on a fitting, even poetic, note... After about ninety minutes of the sickest shit he could think up. This even resulted in some critical praise, as “Embodiment of Evil” won some awards in Brazil. It seemed Brazil's premiere underground filmmaker finally earned some respect with his swan song. [8/10]

Amazing Stories: Go to the Head of the Class

We have “Amazing Stories” to thank for the full-blown revival of the genre anthology show in 1985. Steven Spielberg, leveraging all his power as the most successful director in Hollywood, conceived a series loosely inspired by the pulp magazine title of the same name. Every week, a new story in the sci-fi, fantasy, or horror genre would premiere on TV. Spielberg would bring A-list talent, film-worthy special effects, and big budgets to the show. He even got John Williams to compose a spiffy theme song, which played against a brilliant opening sequence that chronicled the history of storytelling. Other networks were determined to keep up with this sure-to-be-a-hit show, launching anthology series of their own. Despite the hype and prestige, “Amazing Stories” would not catch on with audiences and ended after two seasons. Still, the show produced a number of episode that would later be recognized as classics. Such as “Go to the Head of the Class,” an hour-long special from season two that was directed by Robert Zemeckis.

Peter is a teenage horror fan who serially oversleeps and is late to class. Professor Beanes is his tyrannical literature teacher. After standing up for a girl he likes, New Wave punk Cynthia, Peter is harshly punished in class. Cynthia convinces Peter to perform some black magic on Beanes. After a misadventure where they gather the ingredients needed for the spell to work, the duo finds their incantation worked too well. Professor Beanes is dead... But attempts to bring him back to life also go horribly wrong. Before the two teens know it, both are being relentlessly pursued by the teacher's decapitated body and disembodied head.

“Go to the Head of the Class” has several factors in its favor. Robert Zemeckis and his team pack this hour full of as much classic horror atmosphere as possible. The cemetery Cynthia and Peter explore is a beautifully foggy set, making for an amusingly spooky location. The two teens are a likable duo, as the more adventurous Cynthia – played by a charming Mary Stuart Masterson – pushed the lovably doofy Peter into more trouble. A running theme throughout the episode is how much sex and romance can convince people to do dangerous stuff, which adds a nice extra layer to the proceedings. Christopher Lloyd is amusingly hammy as Professor Beanes, creating a perfectly despicable villain and having such a good time while doing it. Once the headless zombie angle emerges, “Go to the Head of the Class” goes full speed-ahead into wacky horror/comedy. There's a lot of fine slapstick in the scenes of the reanimated corpse bumbling around. Co-writers Mick Garris and Tom McLoughlin – of “Jason Lives!” fame – probably deserve a lot of credit for that. With a little expansion, this could've been a cult classic feature. [8/10]

Forever Knight: Francesca

As “Forever Knight” nears the end of its final season, the show embraces one of the most unfortunate then-cliches of the crime genre. A killer is leaving dead bodies – stabbed in the heart, drained of blood, and marked with a kiss – around the city. Nick suspects a vampire but can't help but feel something is off. Meanwhile, a man named Frank LoPietro is undergoing hypnotism-induced past life regression. He believes himself to be the reincarnation of Francesca, a vampire Nick was involved with in the 18th century... Who he ended up killing. Nick soon fears that LoPietro does recall his past life and that Francesca's bloodthirsty ways may be taking over his body. 

Let's just get this out of the way: “Francesca” is an uncritical example of the Evil Crossdresser trope. Halfway through the episode, the Francesca personality fully takes over Frank's body. He puts on make-up, a wig, and a dress before continuing to kill. Naturally, he ends up dying in a gruesome manner. The episode never uses words like “transgender” or any then-current equivalent phrases. But it's still using the image of a man-in-woman's-clothing, of gender identities being blurred, for easy shock value. Beyond the politically incorrect elements, this simply isn't a very good episode. The identity of the killer is revealed so early on, it can't qualify as a mystery. The past lives element never comes to any sort of point. The final scene, which suggests Tracy Vetter has past life experiences of her own, is dumb. About the only thing I liked about this one is the action scenes, where Nick uses his vampire super-speed. Those were mildly neat. [5/10]

Halloween 2020: October 8th

Verotika (2019)

Glenn Danzig, metal icon and horror-punk pioneer, has always endeavored to be as much brand as frontman. The man used the influence lent to him by the Misfits' early success to launch several other musical projects, the biggest of which bore his own name. Over the years, he's also spread his particular style into fashion, acting, and comics. That last one is especially notable. In the mid-nineties, Danzig would start a publishing company called Verotika, which released comic books described as adult, erotic, gory, and dark. Perhaps jealous of protegee Rob Zombie's successful transition into filmmaking, Danzig would choose to adapt these comics for his feature film debut. Following a festival premiere last year, where it was greeted by choruses of laughter, “Verotika” has already passed into so-bad-it's-good cult movie infamy. And now it is time for me to experience “Verotika.” Let's prayer and then get started. 

A devil-horned sex kitten named Morella presents three stories from the comfort of her torture chamber. In “The Albino Spider of Dajette,” a fetish model can't keep a man because she has eyeballs where her nipples are suppose to be. Heartbroken by the end of another relationship, she dreams about a white spider becoming a humanoid spider-monster. Whenever she sleeps, the creature appears and kills the nearest naked or semi-naked woman. In “Change of Face,” a nameless stripper with a mildly scarred face slices the faces off other strippers, sometimes to wear them and sometimes just to hang them on her wall. An incompetent detective pursues her. In “Drukija, Contessa of Blood,” a countess in 16th century Europe kills virgins and baths in their blood to preserve her beauty. 

Measured by the barometers of traditional film criticism, “Verotika” can only be described as a fiasco. From its opening minutes, “Verotika” makes it very clear that Danzig – who wrote, directed, photographed, and scored this film – doesn't know much about the traditional rules of filmmaking. Actors often move out of frame, the camera frantically swinging around to keep up with them. On multiple occasions, the camerawork visibly shakes, drifts to the side, or goes off-focus. There are so many lens-flares that I refuse to believe it was all intentional. The acting is nothing less than stilted and awkward. Performers often look directly into the camera. The first segment has everyone speaking in ludicrous French accents. The special effects are painfully crude. Every minute of “Verotika' makes it clear that this was an amateur production.

Just as Danzig didn't let his obvious lack of skill stop him from making “Verotika,” you shouldn't let the film's clear lack of objective quality keep you from enjoying it. The film is often utterly hilarious. Danzig cooks up some truly bizarre dialogue for his talent-deficient actors to speak.  The spider monster's interaction with a prostitute or a waiter's pronunciations of “Le NECKBREAKER” had me rolling with laughter. The detective in the second story is such a belligerent asshole, and his dialogue so colorfully profane, that I think at least some of his scenes are meant to be funny. Actors having their faces sliced off express, not agony, but mild discomfort. Fake blood is either goopy or watery and corpses are frequently spotted breathing. The editing is shotgun blunt, screaming faces slamming right into title cards establishing that several months have passed. And sometimes the segments abruptly end without any real conclusion at all. It's inexplicable and, more often-than-not, hysterical exactly for that reason.

The pacing throughout "Verotika" is usually nonexistent. Danzig will skip pass explanations for why people or monsters are doing these horrible things, but devotes extensive screen-time to strippers shaking their asses to loud rock music. Yet “Verotika's” sense of freewheeling dumbness and enjoyable lack of competence eventually hits a brick wall. The final segment, “Drukija,” is totally unconcerned with narrative. It's almost completely devoted to shots of bored looking naked women playing with fake blood or rubber organs. (Some of the actresses are, unsurprisingly, more experienced in porn.) The constant gore is sadistic enough to be off-putting and senseless enough to be boring. Much like the second story, “Drukija” also ends without any resolution whatsoever, making you wonder what the hell the point of that was. It fucks with my bad movie buzz enough to bring the whole enterprise down a grade.

Danzig clearly barreled ahead with making “Verotika” despite a complete lack of experience. (The film even bumbles in the one field of expertise Glenn has, as the soundtrack is also pretty weak.) He cites Bava as an influence and the film occasionally makes good use of color. Otherwise, this is as bad looking as it is dumb. Reportedly, the rock star responded to the audience's bemused reaction with all the self-awareness you'd expect from someone who used to decorate his front lawn with piles of bricks. I do not foresee a Tommy Wiseau-style post hoc rationalization that “Verotika” was always meant to be funny, because Danzig doesn't believe he failed. And maybe he didn't. If it wasn't for that fucking shitty last segment, “Verotika” would be a consistently entertaining ninety minutes of pure trash, full of dumb-ass thrills and unintentional hilarity. I hear he's making a vampire spaghetti western next? Satan forgive me but I say bring it on! [6/10]

Perversion (1979)

Estupro

If it wasn't readily apparent by now, Brazil's exploitation movies were usually pretty sleazy. After all, a subgenre with the word “porno” in its name would dominate Brazilian theaters throughout the seventies. Jose Mojica Marins' previous films often featured violence against women, frequently of the sexual variety. So perhaps it was only a matter of time before the country's most prominent exploitation director would take a shot at the rape/revenge movie. Mojica was so upfront with what his entry into this disreputable subgenre was about that its original Portuguese title, “Estupro!,” literally translates to “Rape!” Most releases of the film settle for the slightly less depraved title of “Perversion.” As you'd expect from Coffin Joe himself, Mojica would have his own particular take on the formulas and cliches of this type of story. 

Vitório Palestrina is a Brazilian millionaire who grows his fingernails long as a symbol of individuality. His favorite hobby is to invite poor girls into his mansion and then sleep with them, usually humiliating them in the process. While in a particularly nasty mood, Vitório rapes a girl named Sylvia. He concludes the assault by viciously biting her nipple off. Sylvia takes the man to court but he uses his power and money to get the case dropped. Vitório is vindicated by the press and Sylvia is mocked by everyone. The millionaire, meanwhile, shows off the girl's severed nipples at parties. Soon afterwards, the rich man meets a girl named Veronica. Her pure-hearted love gets the Commentator to change his ways... But not everything is what it seems.

There's frequently been an element of social commentary in Jose Mojica Marins' films. “Awakening of the Beast” and “Bloody Exorcism of Coffin Joe” mocked censorship and those who confuses correlation with causation. Yet the social critique in the director's other movies have often been blurrier. The early Coffin Joe movies might've criticized religion but also re-enforced a certain moral code. What “Perversion” is trying to say, at the very least, is pretty clear. This is a movie all about how the rich and powerful can get away with anything. Vitório brags about his crimes in the most perverse manner possible, with many applauding him for it. People even put up with his shitty taste in plays, just because he's rich. This is a theme that was relevant in 1979  and remains relevant in 2020, because capitalistic shit-lords will never change. Honestly, the idea of a rich rapist using his money to publicly shield himself from his crimes while privately bragging about them couldn't be more relevant to the modern world. 

Whatever social consciousness the film might've sought aside, “Perversion” is still an extremely slimy exploitation movie. Mojica's cameras linger on his actress' naked bodies even as they are being tormented. There's more than one shot of the director's infamous clawed hands squeezing a girl's naked ass. The sex scenes are greasy and lengthy. You are going to see way more of Jose Mojica Marins' naked body here than you probably ever wanted to. While an exploitation director as sleazy as Marins could never be applauded for his treatment of women, he at least acknowledges here that women are right to be disgusted by behavior such as this. That scumbag rapist deserve every bad thing that happens to him. “Perversion” is exactly as gross as you'd expect but there is, at the very least, a degree of moral relativism to its nastiness. 

“Perversion” touches upon a lot of the same ideas as “Hellish Flesh,” in that it's a simple tale of revenge. Both films begin with one outrageous act of violence and end with another. However, after the doldrums of that movie and “Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind,” the director has gotten a little better at stretching a thin story out to feature length. “Perversion” definitely includes its fair share of padding. A long scene set in a health spa has little to do with the plot. Several party scenes introduce Vitório's friends, few of which contribute to the story. An earlier attempt by the millionaire to seduce and humiliate a poor girl is superfluous. Yet Mojica isn't relying on repeating scenes or sounds anymore, so it's an improvement. I was even amused by the movie's copyright-skirting soundtrack, which includes soundalikes of  the themes from “Live and Let Die,” “The Man with the Golden Gun,” and “Bridge on the River Kwai.”  

This deep into my Coffin Joe marathon, you've probably figured out by now if Jose Mojica Marins' antics are for you or not. “Perversion's” mixture of low budget camp, disturbingly vivid sexual violence, grindhouse sleaziness, and sappy romance most definitely will not be for everyone. The way the film asks us to relate to its villain's potential redemption at the hands of true, pure love after showing us what a son-of-a-bitch he is was definitely an odd writing decision. Yet “Perversion” is still an entertainingly brisk, and brutally nasty, piece of work. Those with a stomach for this kind of thing will likely find it a rewarding experience. [7/10]

The Twilight Zone: The Shadow Man

In 1985, a full-blown revival of the fantasy anthology show would begin. “Twilight Zone: The Movie” was mired in controversy but did prove that there was still public interest in Rod Serling's classic series. Two years after the movie, CBS would launch a new iteration of “The Twilight Zone.” Also surely a factor is that Steven Spielberg – who was involved in the movie – was prepping a much-hyped anthology series of his own for NBC's 1985 season. Even if the new “Twilight Zone” was created primarily to beat a rival show to the air, the revival did gather up some impressive talent. Such as Joe Dante who, not coincidentally, directed one of the best segments in the movie. Dante's “The Shadow Man” is widely regarded as one of the 1985's series best segments. 

“The Shadow Man” follows Danny Hayes, a nerdy thirteen year old boy. Danny is often bullied by Eric, the local jock and the boyfriend of Liana, the girl Danny likes. After one especially humiliating episode, Danny is awoken in the middle of the night. A shadowy entity in a hat emerges from under his bed and promises to protect him. Afterwards, Danny's enemies begin to be terrorized by a mysterious attacker. As more of his foes are frightened by the Shadow Man, Danny begins to feel sure of himself. Once challenged by Eric, Danny invites him to a fight in the park, sure the Shadow Man will protect him...

Joe Dante clearly brings his aesthetic to “The Shadow Man.” Despite ostensibly being set in the modern day, the episode is awash in nostalgic signifiers: The suburban setting, to the dinner the kids gather in, to the sweaters the pretty girl wears, to the decidedly old-fashion bully/jock dynamic at the story's center. All of these are the kind of boomer hallmarks that Dante celebrates and mocks in his films. There's even some of the horror references the director likes, since Danny's bullies dress up as Leatherface. The scenes with the Shadow Man are genuinely creepy, the unnerving figure being fittingly otherworldly. The twist ending is extremely easy to predict. Obviously, once Danny goes from being the bullied tot he bully, an ironic punishment is forthcoming. Still, this is a strong episode. While the titular entity was likely inspired by pulp superhero the Shadow, this episode has since gone on to inspire the Hat Man sleep paralysis phenomenon/urban legend. [7/10] 

Forever Knight: Jane Doe

Here's another one of “Forever Knight's” socially relevant episodes. “Jane Doe” begins with a black woman being viciously killed, her body left hanging in a tree. At the same time, controversial author, manslaughter, and white supremacist Jordan Manning is publicizing his book. It's a first-person account of a serial killer. Captain Reese put Manning away the last time and is convinced he's responsible for a string of racially motivated killings, including this latest one. As Nick and the captain attempt to dig up some evidence on Manning, Tracy works with Natalie to identify the dead woman. The events remind Nick of the time he and LaCroix encountered a German soldier obsessed with racial purity in the 1900s.

Considering how awkward “Forever Knight's” previous attempts at social relevance had been, “Jane Doe” works fairly well. Jordan Manning is a fittingly despicable villain, not just because of his racism but also because he's a snotty, pompous prick. While stories like this – about cops personally motivated to take down crooks – are obviously copaganda, you can forgive Captain Reese for disliking the guy so much. The downbeat ending continues the bleak atmosphere of “Forever Knight's” third season. The episode is, if nothing else, a display for Blu Mankuma's acting ability. The autopsy subplot actually had me liking Tracy more, once again proving she works better in strictly a supporting role. The flashback scenes are comparatively hammy, as the audience immediately knows who that German soldier is the minute he appears. How many times have genre TV shows done the Secret Hitler twist? [7/10]