Canadian filmmakers, SV Bell and Patrick Aird and the SVBI Films company have produced a entertaining hit and sometimes miss DVD double-bill, COLD BLONDED MURDERS and IRISH WHISKEY.  Part hardboiled pulp and E.C. comics fun sans the Cryptkeeper, the films are a cheap fun to be enjoyed with the lights turned out with beer in hand.

The first film out of the two is the witty entitled COLD BLONDED MURDERS, which to me was a great reminder of some of the titles of the tales that pulp comics once had.  CBM concerns tale of the sexy new neighbor who lives above a couple in their apartment complex and the manipulative web of lies she weaves as part of her continuation of a ongoing killing spree. 

The entire tale is a thinly written plot with little given to the motivation of the film’s killer with the exception of guessing at the bits of clues thrown at us.  Suzi Lorraine, model turned actress, does her best with what she is given and gives a fair performance as the film’s murderer, Isha.  However, Fangoria Magazine editor Mike Gingold makes a cameo appearance as Chad and the writer of the film, Isabelle Stephen, playing the part of Abby, who some may know from Troma, do poorly in the roles of the downstairs neighbors.  Annoyingly Gingold walks around in the entire film as if the whole thing is nothing more than a joke and actually ruins some of the film’s suspensful moments.

There is a glimmer of what could have been a great ending if only the rest of the film and the actors were more fleshed out. As stated there is little motivation for the film’s characters and some of their actions leave you dumbfounded, especially Abby who in the end goes from loving her boyfriend, hating him, and then deciding to get “involved” with Isha.  All of this is not surprising considering the film was made in less than 18 hours.  I just wished that if there was more time allowed to see what the film could have been if they had the time to make it more realized.

The second feature IRISH WHISKEY is easily my favorite out of the two.  Filmed in a noirish black and white style and set in some unknown time.  IRISH WHISKEY is a tale told with Lovecraftian and 1950’s horror overtones, which concerns the tale narrated by a fomer employee of a greedy boss and the depths that he is willing to go to in order to gain more wealth including the sabotage of his own ships and drowning crew members and other employees.  The whole film becomes someone back from the grave-or watery grave as it were-to seek revenge on their murderer.  However, the twist is a bit more complicated when it involves an ancient religion and the belief in its god by the person seeking the revenge.  It is this twist and some of the subtle clues given throughout that give it that H.P. Lovecraft sense of horror. 

Similar to COLD BLONDED MURDERS, the film was made under 16 hours and it does admittedly have flaws here and there, but when still combined they do little to detract from the story, which incidentally is based on a novel written by Jean Ray. 

The rest of the disc is packed with trailers and a amusing short story, BEAVRA, which is a spoof of Godzilla that plays off a bit like a bad SCTV skit.  It’s a great laugh, but falls flat as the joke runs longer than it should.

All in all I have to admit that I really dug this disc and hope to see what SV Bell and Patrick Aird can do with the proper amount of time and financing.  A great double-feature to have for any lover of pulp horror comics or flicks.  Cheap pulp entertainment with blood, restless spirits, murderous mayhem, and good looking women—a must have for the hip crowd.

Review by Tim Shrum.