What I Watched in May 2026

Damian McCarthy’s most recent film HOKUM (2026) is an excellent supernatural tale and as a follow up to ODDITY (2024) seems the perfect continuation of themes that he is addressing through horror. Both films use grief as the catalyst for actions taken by the main characters. In each story this grief leads to violence but in HOKUM the focus is not on revenge but on how grief can stunt the ability to move forward, twisting emotions into their darkest forms.

 

In the film successful author Ohm Bauman is dealing with writer’s block and decides to take his parent’s ashes to Ireland to spread them in a place they loved. Adam Scott’s phenomenal lead performance brings a cynical, layered desperation to the film that allows for shifts in tone a few times. When we get to know the character in the first act he is an offensive, unlikeable bastard with a pitch-black worldview. We are shown a visualization of the story he is currently working on and its darkness is clearly born of deep misanthropy. We follow him into the second act because the mysterious old inn with its tale of a haunted honeymoon suite is fascinating, not because we find him appealing. The folklore of the place and the odd individuals working there are interesting enough to keep us watching even as we have doubts about our main character’s personality. Slowly we become aware of his feelings of grief which mitigate some of the harsher judgements we are tempted to ascribe to him but we’re then distracted by odd occurrences with his place as an avatar for our curiosity  sufficient to stay engaged. Then the corpse shows up and all bets are off! Luckily, as the story unspools, we learn more about Ohm’s tragic history with his parents making him less of a jerk while never completely softening him. This is a smart, gorgeously photographed tale of the evil that we are capable of laced with enough hope to make its ending satisfying. I eagerly await McCarthy’s next film. 

 The List

SPECTERS (1987) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

HOKUM (2026) – 8

 

MOONLIGHT SWORD & JADE LION (1977) – 6 (Angela Mao searches for her master’s brother)

HELL HAS NO BOUNDARIES (1982) – 7 (well played Hong Kong horror)

ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE LEE (2023) – 9 (excellent documentary)

DEAD MEN DON’T WEAR PLAID (1982) – 7 (should have watched this years ago)

DJANGO STRIKES AGAIN (1987) – 7 (rewatch)

THE SHEEP DETECTIVES (2026) – 8 (heartwarming, funny and a good mystery as well)

MALOMBRA (1984) – 5 (dull Spanish softcore gothic)

ANTIVIRAL (2012) – 8 (Brandon Cronenberg’s futuristic thriller)

IN THE GREY (2026) – 7 (another well made action film from Guy Ritchie) 

OBSESSION (2026) – 8 (disturbing analogy for mental illness in romantic relationships)

THE SNOW WOMAN (1968) – 8 (excellent Japanese supernatural tale)

THE SLIME PEOPLE (1963) – 3 (rewatch on Blu) 

MALOMBRA (1942) – 8 (Italian gothic novel adaptation)

THE CRAWLING HAND (1963) – 4 (rewatch on Blu)

THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (2026) – 7

 

TEX AND THE LORD OF THE DEEP (1985) – 5 (fumetti adaptation that should be better)

LADY VAMPIRE (1959) a.k.a. Vampire Man

I discovered this film last night and watched it this afternoon because the internet is often a true wonder. The more accurate title is definitely Vampire Man but I understand the desire to give it the Lady title. Whatever it is called this is a wonderfully odd little hidden gem of Japanese supernatural horror that takes a novel approach to the idea of the bloodsucker myth. Here the vampire is capable of moving around comfortably in daylight but the direct rays of the moon transform him into a ravenously thirsty monster attacking the throat of any female within reach. He also casts a reflection in mirrors and uses golden crosses to immobilize past victims he likes to keep around as decorations. And he has a small group of Renfields including a dwarf, a bald muscle-man and a witch! Did I mention it is an odd movie? 

There is a very good subtitled copy available on the Sinister Cinema YouTube page HERE and I recommend it if you are the least bit curious.

 

Video - TEX AND THE LORDS OF THE DEEP (1985)

This little-seen spaghetti western/horror hybrid was adapted from the popular Italian comic book TEX which was first published in 1948. The series is one of the most popular Italian comics with translations into numerous languages around the world including a few scattered English editions. This is the only film version and it was supposed to be a pilot for a television series. Sadly, the film flopped and those plans were scrapped. Hopefully we'll get a good release of this oddity on Blu-Ray one day and its cult can grow! 

Lobby Cards and Poster Art for THE MUMMY (1959)

 

Lobby Cards and Poster Art for THE GREEN HORNET (1940)

 

Poster Art for THE MUMMY (1932)

 

The Bloody Pit #232 - TREASURE OF SILVER LAKE (1962)

Among the hidden European cult cinema subgenres, the German Western is one of the least well explored outside of its country of origin. While every film fanatic could list off his favorite Italian westerns most would give a blank stare when quizzed about the German variety. The most successful German Westerns are the adaptations of adventure novels by 19th-century author Karl May. These films usually feature Winnetou, a noble Apache chief, and Old Shatterhand, his white American scout blood brother. In the hopes of drawing attention to these fine movies we present this episode focused on the first big budget Karl May western adaptation from 1962.

Author Holger Haase joins me to dig up the TREASURE OF SILVER LAKE! Unlike many of the dozen or more follow up films in the series, it is available with an excellent English dub making it easy for new American audiences to absorb it. The film rewards the viewer with glorious widescreen color vistas that put many similar productions of the time to shame. The movie introduces Lex Barker as Old Shatterhand and Pierre Brice as Winnetou setting the successful series on its way even as it mangles and twists the source material into shapes more pleasing to the big screen than the printed page. It is an hour and forty-five minutes of action, gunfights and chases with villainy provided by the dastardly Herbert Lom as a murderous bandit intent on gaining the titular treasure. We discuss numerous aspects of the film, take a trip through a lengthy plot synopsis and make fun of a few oddities that German audiences would not have noticed. It’s a fun time!

If you have any comments about this film or German westerns in general thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening. 

If you are interested in Holger's Krimi magazine check it out HERE.