10 (More) Recommended Movies on The Cave of Forgotten Films
Back in February, I shared my picks of must-watch horror films on rarefilmm.com. Since then I have ventured into the many other genres offered on the site and discovered quite a few more hidden gems. For those unfamiliar with the site, The Cave is a collection of over 2000 movies to date which do not have domestic Blu-ray releases. You’ll find everything from TV movies to silent movies, horror to western. It does lack a few features which would make it easier to navigate. You can only search by one filter; for example, you can filter by country but not also by decade or genre. You also can’t create a watchlist on the site, so my strategy has been simply to create my own on Letterboxd. That being said, it’s still a fantastic resource, especially for someone like me who does not have cable or any paid streaming services.
This list is not limited to horror, but will definitely include a few in that genre, including one with a murderous phone! On top of that, I give you Robert Forster cloning, bug fetishism, alien fucking, SOV sword and sorcery, and some much more grounded works. Enjoy your exploration of the Cave.
The Glamorous Ghost (1964)
Directed by Hajime Satô (Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell), this dark comedy features a poor, frustrated cab driver whose wife continuously cheats on him. He finally snaps and kills her, then begins to track down her suitors to extort them. This one has lots of twists (the first big one comes early and took me by surprise) and back-stabbing which will keep you entertained for its entire runtime.
Way Bad Stone: The Movie (1991)
Probably my favorite discovery so far this year, Way Bad Stone: The Movie (is there a board game? A play? What is it? I MUST KNOW!), is a shot-on-video sword and sorcery movie with Ren Faire actors and backyard wrestlers larping through the backwoods of Florida. The middle of the movie can drag a bit, but the last twenty minutes or so are a gore-filled spectacle to behold. I am not ashamed to admit that I spent an egregious amount of time on the movie’s Facebook page looking at production pictures and reading all of the behind-the-scenes stories. My dream is for an AGFA + Bleeding Skull release of this film one day. Sending prayers to whatever gods these magnificent Floridians worship in order for this to happen.
Death Weekend, aka The House by the Lake (1976)
Two years before Italy took a stab at their Last House on the Left knock-off with Last House on the Beach, our friendly neighbors to the north made their own. While not nearly as nasty as its inspiration, the film is a solid, tension-filled revenge flick with a fantastic payoff where Diane picks off her brutal tormentors one by one.
The Crook/Le Voyou (1970)
If you like Kurosawa's High and Low, you'll like this one. It starts with criminal Simon evading the police; we later find out it was because he escaped from prison. It then flashes back to the crime which put him in jail (kidnapping a bank employee's kid for ransom but asking the bank itself to pay), and we find out more about how the plan was concocted and who can be trusted. The narrative structure may not seem to make sense at first (there have been a good number of comparisons to something like Pulp Fiction), but stick with it through the end and it all comes together.
Man on the Roof (1976)
When you think of action thrillers, you immediately think of Sweden, right? Well, maybe this one will at least plant that seed.
What starts as a simple investigation into the murder of a corrupt cop quickly evolves into an extremely grounded and tension-filled police procedural. The end is somewhat spoiled by the title of the film, but that should in no way hinder your experience watching this. The lead investigator, Martin Beck, is one of Scandinavia's most famous fictional characters and was initially adapted into an American film where he was played by Walter Matthau in The Laughing Policeman (1973). As good as that film is, it’s clear that Beck belongs on his home turf.
The Darker Side of Terror (1979)
Is there anything better than Robert Forster? Actually, yes, there is. And it’s double Robert Forster! This sci-fi TV movie has Ray Milland growing a clone of Robert Forster in his hidden lab on campus. Forster’s character discovers this, and after some weak insistence that the clone be destroyed, soon decides to work with Milland to help raise and teach the clone himself, leading to plenty of opportunities for a Forster sandwich. Forster’s wife, played by Adrienne Barbeau, unfortunately only gets half of that sandwich, but which half is it? You’ll have to watch to find out.
The Age of Insects (1990)
I like that we live in a world where someone could project their opposition to capitalism in their bug fetish movie.
The Age of Insects is an experimental film about a voodoo psychologist who tries to make his subjects adopt a hive mind to rid the world of capitalism. Being an experimental film, it’s hard to say more than that, but drugs are encouraged for this one. Point of caution: Lisa Zane (Krueger’s daughter in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare) wears brownface and tries to muster an Indian accent.
Dom Sary/Sara’s House (1987)
Bet you never thought you’d find yourself interested in watching a Polish TV movie, huh? At just over one hour long, Dom Sary feels like the perfect length for this succubus story. A woman seduces men in order to suck their life energy and stay young with the help of her "butler" Julian. It’s a great gothic horror with a Hammer feel to it, plus a welcome surprise of body horror, so maybe put this one in your back pocket for October.
Distant Lights/Luci Lontane (1987)
Another sci-fi TV movie, although this one comes by way of Italy and is produced by Claudio Argento (Dario’s father).
Tomas Milan fucks an alien in this movie.
Ok, it’s not as weird as what you’re picturing in your head, because it’s really just the soul(?) of the alien in a reanimated human corpse. But Milan doesn’t know that at first. What he does find out soon though is that he is right in the middle of a movie which clearly originated from the writer seeing Carpenter’s Starman on TV one lazy afternoon in Rome, but without subtitles so he just had to guess what was really happening.
Murder by Phone aka Bells (1982)
Richard Chamberlain has to track down a killer whose weapon of choice is a phone. I know it sounds tame, and it is for the most part (it was a Canadian co-production after all), but it still features amazing deaths, although they are all kind of the same. While technically a horror movie, it plays out as more of a murder mystery, even having hints of giallo: a faceless killer and some inspired colored lighting. Want more murder by phone? Pair this with Ruggero Deodato’s completely bonkers but sometimes ridiculously frustrating Dial: Help (1988).
Erica is the co-host of the Unsung Horrors podcast along with Lance Schibi. When the world is not on fire, you can find them weekly at Austin Alamo Drafthouse’s Terror Tuesdays. In the meantime, you can listen to their reviews of underseen horror movies here.