“The Moth Diaries” (2012) – American/ Canadian/ Irish Lesbian Vampire Horror

Time to get us back on track here for our Halloween Fright Film Review Festival before we turn from pumpkins to jack-o-lanterns. This time out, how about some lesbian vampire schoolgirl antics with a peek at 2012’s “The Moth Diaries”? Hmmmm? Lots of virginal nubile young women and the always popular supernatural lesbian vampire threat from beyond the grave. Hey… it’s worked pretty well since “Carmilla”… so why not give this old idea one more try? 😉

Our synopsis goes like this: “As she begins a new semester, Rebecca is suspicious of the new girl at her boarding school, Ernessa. Darkly pretty and mysterious, she easily comes between Rebecca and her dearest friend Lucy straining their intimate friendship. But is Rebecca just jealous of Ernessa’s blossoming bond with Lucy, or does the new girl truly possess a dark and terrible secret desire to steal away not just Lucy’s heart, but her immortal soul as well?”

Vintage old private school… lots of precocious nubile girls on the cusp of womanhood… creepy goings on all surrounding the stereotypical mysterious beauty from old Europe… who may or may not be a blood drinking creature of the night. Yep. Sounds like oodles and oodles of horror movies this wee lady’s seen before. Not necessarily a bad thing, mind you, but will “The Moth Diaries” do that old story something novel or new? Let’s all find out shall we?

“Nieng Arp” (2004) – Cambodian Vampire Horror

Well… weird funk or not, it’s time this wee lady forces herself to get with it and get back to what we do here at the ol’ Litterbox, and that’s reviewing all the goofiest horror movies any other self respecting lady would pass up in a heartbeat. It’s October… and as promised, we’re celebrating Halloween with my annual Halloween Movie Review Festival. This time out… vampire movies, and what better way to start than with my first ever Cambodian horror movie, 2004’s “vampire-witch with flying head” film, “Nieng Arp”?

Our synopsis? Ok… “In the middle of a long night, a young woman and her boyfriend are confronted by a group of gangsters on their way home. The girl is then violently raped and her lover is killed by the brutal action of the cruel gangsters. During her loss of consciousness, she later is possessed by an old vampire witch because the saliva of a witch’s head accidentally fell on her mouth, immediately making her part of the next generation of Arp ghosts. After becoming an Arp, she takes vengeance on the gang that raped her.

A group of students come to her house, discovering her true identity by unlocking several secrets in the basement under her lonely villa. One by one the students are killed by the Arp. However, all of the female students are spared. One male survivor does escape and manages to find a new way to be rid of the evil spirit of Arp and thus save his lover, who happens to be the Arp’s daughter, from inheriting the curse of the Flying Vampire”

Oooohhh!! Sounds like a winner. Right? At least it certainly did waaaay back when I first heard of it about a decade ago. However, Cambodian DVD’s are about as difficult for me to get here in the good ol’ US as they can be, so actually finding this one was a major undertaking. But… as with all things, that just means your Favorite Catgirl has to be patient. If I’m lucky, a film like this eventually finds it’s way into my grasp. Just this month, it finally did, English subtitles and all. So now… if you are curious about just how good Cambodian Horror films might possibly be, then just “Read On” and let this obsessive Catgirl tell you all about it. 😉

“Sifu Versus Vampire” (2014) – Chinese Hopping Vampire Horror/ Comedy

Time for another Review… a really waaaaay overdue one… and this time out, yours truly has herself another goofy “Hopping Vampire” tale from good ol’ HK, the 2014 Horror/ Comedy “Sifu Vs. Vampire” by prolific HK genre producer/ director Wong Jing. Expecting some more of the riveting Jiangshi horror we saw in “Rigor Mortis”? Ha!!! I said “Wong Jing”… so leave all expectations of serious Asian horror right by the door as you enter… Wong Jing don’t play that way… 😉

Our synopsis goes like this here: “Small time gangster Nicky and his friend Boo get the assignment of a life time, to threaten Charlie Jiang, a feng shui master into exhuming the corpse of the great grandfather of TV station tycoon Kelvin Chow. A new burial is said to bring Kelvin great fortune and prosperity but things take a turn for the worse when his great grandfather’s corpse turns into a deadly Vampire King and is let loose inside the TV station while a show about zombies is being filmed. Soon our heroes are up to their necks in both trouble and the hopping dead!”

Yep. From our trailer, looks like we’re going to get all the retro Jiangshi antics we HK movie fans know and love. Hopping Vampires… Taoist Vampire Hunters… a lovely romantic ghost girl… and two hapless boobs to scream and run around like idiots. Yep. They seem to have all the usual bases covered. So what the heck are you waiting for? Neko’s ready to spill the beans if you’re ready to “Read On”, o’ Gentle Visitor. Let’s get hopping!! 😮

“Paku: Bila Cinta Menjadi Seram” (2013) – Malay Vampire Horror/ Romance

Time for another trip to Malaysia for this wee Catgirl as we take a peek this time out at yet another Malay vampire horror offering, “Paku: Bila Cinta Menjadi Seram”. In this one we get tragically doomed romance… shamanism and black magic… and a much more scary look at their local vampire, the Pontianak than our last few Malay films have given us. Always a good thing in this lady’s book… 😉

The synopsis goes like this: “Loving young couple, Fahmi and Raina seem to have it all. A tender romantic life together and a cute daughter they both love. Tragically, disaster strikes while Raina is pregnant with their second child and she gets crushed to death inside their car during the disastrous collapse of their apartment building one fateful day. Unable to live without her, Fahmi does the most desperate thing he could think of, to try and bring her back to life with the help of a shaman in violation of all the laws of Allah that they might be together. But… Raina is not a human anymore… now she is a blood hungry Pontianak… and only Evil can come from her continued existence in the Mortal world.”

Yep. Definitely sounds like my kind of movie. Think it might also be yours, Gentle Visitor? Wanna know more about the creepy goings-on? Then, by goodness, you know what comes next… 😉

“Rigor Mortis” (2013) – Chinese Hopping Vampire/ Ghost Horror

I know, I know…. I’ve let things slip away from me again, and I’m sorry my ambitious plans for improving my posting here have fallen short… again.  So… how about this wee Catgirl making up for it by taking time for another “shared review” with our Blogging friend and fellow Asian cinema fan Stephen here at the Litterbox and over at his new Blog “Gweilo Ramblings”? Our last couple of efforts have tended to focus on Korean film, but this time out, we thought we might just shake things up a bit with a look at director Juno Mak’s new Chinese Horror effort “Rigor Mortis”, just out on English subtitled Region 3 DVD. So… if you are up for it Gentle Visitors, let’s see if the venerable “Hopping Vampire” film still has a bit of life… or should that be “unlife?… left in it.

You’ve slipped, I’ve slipped. Maybe us Asian film fans are just utterly unreliable? Anyway, glad to be here Miyu! Thank you for welcoming me in as always. Now how about you give us one of your lil’ synopsis things?

😉 Our lil’ “synopsis thing” goes as follows: “Rising to fame with his role as a vampire hunter in the movie Mr. Vampire in the 80s, action star Siu Ho (Chin Siu Ho playing a fantasized version of himself) is now a down-and-out middle-aged man who lives alone in the haunted unit numbered 2442 in a dreary public housing estate. With a broken family and a career that has gone downhill, Siu Ho tries to end his life in his own apartment but ends up having his body possessed by a pair of twin ghosts. Saved by exorcist Ah Yau (Anthony Chan), Siu Ho decides to help his ex-tenant Yeung Fung (Kara Hui) and her son after finding out about their family tragedy. Unknown to them all, Aunt Mui (Paw Hee Ching), a kindhearted old lady in the neighborhood, has a secret coffin hidden in her flat which foreshadows the beginning of a horrific encounter with an old familiar… and apparently very real… Evil.”

Oooohhh!! This lady’s been aching for this one since seeing the Trailer, crazy horror film junkie that I am… Will it score big with both Stephen and I or land badly with an audible “plop”? Only one way to know… and that’s to give it a look see. You of course, can benefit from our fanatic desires for Asian horror thrills by simply kicking back and giving both our reviews a read (take a peek over HERE for Stephen’s version… 😉 ) as we trade opinions. (Pssst!! That’s your cue to “Read On”!!… poke, poke!! 😉 )

“Penanggal” (2013) – Malay Vampire Horror

Time for another trip o’ Gentle Visitors to explore the weird and wonderful horror cinema of Asia with your Favorite Movie Watching Catgirl… this time out with a “Nekolishous”  look at the recently released Malay horror effort, “Penanggal”. No hopping vampires… no “ghost in a sack” pocongs… no long haired hantu… not even tree demon kuntilanaks…. this time we get perhaps the freakiest and scariest Asian folklore critter of them all, the flying vampire head called the penanggalan!! Yep. If you’ve been watching Asian horror films as long as this wee lady then you certainly know all about this critter…

Our synopsis? Well try this on: “In 1930s rural Malaysia, tragically deformed young Murni unknowingly inherits evil ghostly powers from her grandmother, Mak Ajeng, which terrifies the village folk in Kampung Jawa, forcing her to flee. Abused by the villagers for her unwanted powers, Murni is saved by the intersession of righteous stranger Syed Yusof. Smitten with him, she is unable to avoid drawing him into becoming hopelessly entangled in her doomed life as a creature of the night.”

Oh heck, yes…. Definitely no darn way a certain goofy kitten is gonna pass this one up. No way… no how. You, however, can benefit from my impulsive desire to risk a couple of dollars on a whim by just reading along to see if this particular monster movie flies or flops before you plunk down your hard earned money for a copy….  C’mon, silly… you know you wanna… 😉

“Tolong! Awek Aku Pontianak!” (2011) – Malay Horror/ Comedy/ Romance

This time out, a look at another sweet, romantic comedy… with vampires… in Malaysia. Hehehe… just the kind of sweet, nutty horror/ comedy mash up that always makes your Favorite Catgirl Princess giggle and smile. I’m just a sucker for these things…. and this time it’s James Lee’s new Malay film,  “Tolong! Awek Aku Pontianak!” aka “Help! My Girlfriend is a Vampire!”.

Our synopsis goes: “Tolong! Awek Aku Pontianak” follows the naive yet kind Bob (Zahiril Adzim) who moves to a new apartment in a run-down building after having his heart crushed by his longtime girlfriend Ina’s decision to break up with him. He and his friend settle in to their new home and then he meets and falls in love with a peculiar woman neighbor named Maya (Sazzy Falak). Maya, who lives alone with her sister (Liyana Jasmay), harbors a dread secret and many of the others around her are beginning to suspect, that despite her pretty face, modest and shy behavior, she just might just be a vampire….”

I know… I promised to get around to reviewing “13 Assassins” by now, but this cute lil’ movie came along, and charmed me with it’s Trailer, so how could I not give it a look? With it’s resemblance to the Philippine film “Ang Darling Kong Aswang”, which your Favorite Catgirl watched a while ago, I confess I was itching to see the Malay take on the forbidden romance between Mortal and Monster. Ahhh romance…. Isn’t it always sooo much better with a few creepy moments thrown in to spice things up? Let’s waste no more time…. “Read On”!!

"Higanjima: Escape from Vampire Island" (2010) – Japanese Horror/ Action

January slides away and February is almost upon us but the movies still keep gettin’ watched here at your Favorite Catgirl’s place as winter winds down. So…..how about a Japanese Horror film this time out? For that, I’ve got “Higanjima: Escape From Vampire Island” fresh from it’s Region 2 UK release by Manga Films.

Our synopsis for it goes like this: “Two years after his older brother, Atsushi, goes missing under mysterious circumstances, Akira meets a beautiful woman, Rei, who is in possession of Atsushi’s ID card and claims he is still alive and can be found on the remote, uncharted Japanese island of Higanjima. Desperate to see his brother once again, Akira talks several of his friends into joining him on a trip to the island in search of Atsushi.

Arriving the friends are shocked to learn that they have been lured there as fodder for the island’s inhabitants, a race of extremely bloodthirsty vampires ruled by their leader, Miyabi. As the vampires descend upon their newly arrived prey, Akira makes a startling discovery – Atsushi really is alive and on the island, having devoted himself to becoming a vampire hunter intent on slaying Miyabi’s legions of the undead. Finally reunited, the two brothers and their friends join forces with two simple goals in mind – rid Higanjima of its Vampire population and find a way to escape from the island without dying (or worse being reborn as the living dead) in the process!”

Sounds like Neko’s cup of tea alright…. and I’m thinking it’ll have one of those simple Anime inspired plots that Carolyn won’t have trouble following either. Hopefully it’ll be a nice lil’ creepy actioner with sufficient thrills and chills to keep the winter blues at bay on a cold movie night here at the apartment. Wanna know if you’d like it too? Then you know what you gotta do, right? “Read On”, Gentle Visitor and find out all the exciting details you need to know!!

“Lesbian Vampire Killers” (2008) – Horror/ Comedy

Every now and again, your Favorite Catgirl Princess needs to sate her insatiable desire for totally trashy exploitation cinema with absolutely no redeeming social value whatsoever…. The more over-the-top and unashamedly cheesy the better. So what could possibly fit the bill for that than the new British horror comedy “Lesbian Vampire Killers”? Recently released on Region 2 PAL in the UK, it was easily available to me through Amazon.uk so naturally I wasted no time snapping up a copy for my very own. This girl is sooo easily convinced to buy these goofy movies….. A scant 4 days later, it arrived in the mail a mere two days after the release date so now I’m all set to rot my little brain with all the crazy lesbian vampire antics and goofy horror shenanigans to be had!!

Our synopsis reads like this: “Award winning comedy duo James Corden and Mathew Horne (of Gavin & Stacey fame) decide to escape their problems and head to Wales for a weekend of debauchery.

Things don’t go quite according to plan and they find themselves stuck in a village where all the local women have been enslaved by the curse of the legendary lesbian vampire queen, Carmilla. As night unfolds the boys have to put all their fears (and dreams!) behind them in order to rise to the challenge of becoming Lesbian Vampire Killers.”

Hmmmm? Certainly sounds trashy and silly alright. But will it be a fun lil’ movie to watch with my sweet Carolyn on Movie Nite (or will it just utterly offend her and get me trouble?) This will be the first mainstream “Lesbian” themed movie (well…sort of… Hehehehe!!) we’ve ever watched together since we started our love affair…. but she knows all about my lowbrow film tastes and usually just shakes her head and rolls her eyes when it’s my turn to select a film for us. Oh well…. she’s really a good sport, so I guess I’ll find out.

The main question to answer though, as always, is: “Will it really live up to all the hype and promise of it’s silly title or fall flat on it’s face?” Neko’s been disappointed by movies before, (and probably will be again in future….) but let’s all “Read On” and find out how this one fares, shall we?

“Let The Right One In” (2008) – Swedish Vampire/ Romance

Every once in a while your Favorite Catgirl likes to leave the ghosts and ninjas, alien cyborgs, and Thai kickboxing behind and watch something just a wee bit different. So what could be more different than a Swedish Vampire film about an alienated young boy and his blossoming first love and romance with a shy young vampire girl?

Our synopsis for it reads: “A fragile, anxious boy, 12-year-old Oskar is regularly bullied by his stronger classmates but never strikes back. The lonely boy’s wish for a friend seems to comes true when he meets Eli, also 12, who moves in next door to him. But Eli’s arrival coincides with a series of gruesome deaths and attacks. Though Oskar eventually realizes that she’s actually a vampire, his friendship with her is stronger than his fear…“

Ah… young love…. creepy, bloody, horrific young love. Sounds like a winner here, and luckily the Region 1 release for it is just out this month from the good folks at Magnolia released under their Magnet DVD line. There was some recent controversy on the web regarding the accuracy of the English subtitles used, but trust me, the flap was mostly over nothing….

So is it worth a look see? Well…. Neko certainly thinks so, but you all better “Read On” to find out why….