Escapist's Advisor⁠ | Gene Willow's Blog

I’m excited to present this interview with the actress who incarnated one of the most memorable characters in the whole filmography of Jean Rollin — Fanny Magier. Fanny played Hélène in Fascination , my favorite film. Remember the elegant chief of the bloodthirsty perverse ladies’ company who appears slightly after the middle of the film? That’s Fanny Magier. Apart from that, Fanny is also known for such roles as Françoise Blanchard’s victim in The Living Dead Girl by Jean Rollin, Messalina's mother in Caligula and Messalina and Agrippina in Nero and Poppea by Bruno Mattei & Antonio Passalia, and about twenty other European cult classic exploitation films released between 1978 and 1983. In the interview, Fanny shared a few memories about her cinematographic career, why she ended it, what she did afterwards, as well as what she does now. Now, let’s get down to business. How did you start your career in...

In this blog post I will tell you what’s interesting about the film Outre Tombe (Haunted Earth), what it feels like, and a funny story about what I had to go through to receive it by mail. Let’s get down to business. Table of Contents What Is Outre Tombe? Outre tombe (French title) or Haunted Earth (English title) is an independent experimental film directed by Alexandre Mathis — a French novelist, cinema specialist, and former film critic. Outre tombe features one of the most prominent stars of European exploitation cinema — Pamela Stanford who plays the main character. The film was released in 2019 on DVD in both English and French. It’s about eight hours long (including the bonuses) and takes four DVD discs. Plot summary: Catherine Lapeyre who was condemned for witchcraft and executed in 1662 in Clairac, France (a real historical figure) returns on the Earth as a ghost. The Earth seems to be abandoned by humans. The only beings ...

If you like Jean Rollin, you will likely also love films of a young French director—Sylvain Malin. From this article, you will understand why. Since 2007, Sylvain Malin has directed four short films, and he is currently working on his fifth one. Let’s start with an overview of his most “rollinesque” film titled Manon .   Manon, 2016 Manon is a short fantasy film that has a haunted, tensed, and mysterious vibe. While it contains references to the films of Rollin, it’s authentic enough to be interesting on its own. For example, contrary to Rollin, whose trademark are hilarious and cute flaws caused by the lack of budget or simple negligence, there isn’t anything like that in Manon. It’s a well-made fantasy film with a vibe of a ghost story.   Now, here is what Sylvain is saying about it himself: Sylvain Malin About The Film Manon is the third film I directed. Its idea partially came from a surrealistic trip inspi...