What Ever Happened To Dante Tomaselli?????????????????????????????

                                 Writing about Michael Usry, Jr. made me think of this director, whom I saw as the rising master of horror film making.  What little I have seen of his work justifies it, but the trouble is the films are not widely available to view in any way, shape or form.  Especially in a theater.

                                    Though let me tell you, I recall an evening, about twelve years ago, where, at some venue in Alphabet City, beyond the East Village, (actually, Teeny Bopper Island!!!!!!) I frantically tried to get into a screening of "Satan's Playground," which I wanted to see, not only because of Tomaselli, but because it featured, now all grown up, Miss Felissa Rose, who played Angela in the unforgettable classic, 1983's "Sleepaway Camp," directed by Robert Hiltzik.   This is the one where Desiree Gould, as Aunt Martha, steals the show, in every scene she is in.  And it still amazes me how Karen Fields, as Judy, maintained her balance and equilibrium, with that gigantic pony tailed mane she was forced to wear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     But, before Dante, there was Paterson, New Jersey and his cousin, Alfred Sole.  In 1976, Sole made a film, originally entitled "Communion," later changed to its best known moniker, "Alice, Sweet Alice," and is sometimes referred to as "Holy Terror."  I always liked "Communion" best, though 'Alice' seems to have stuck.

                                     This is the film that launched Brooke Shields' career, as early on murder victim, Karen, killed in her Communion gown, I think, before actually receiving the Host!!!!!!

                                        Mildred Clinton, as Mrs. Trefoil, the rectory housekeeper, who is actually the killer, steals the show!!!!!!!!!!!  She is a hoot!  First, she sports the most outrageous get up since the dwarf in 1973's "Don't Look Now," and she takes the whole pre-Vatican 2 thing to such extremes!
Darlings, if you thought your grandparents were rigid, forget it!  Mrs. Trefoil is a Catholic waging war on sin by murdering all doers of it--premarital couplings, their progeny, anything she can get her hands on!  God help some young boy, if caught by her masturbating!!!!!!!!!!  It will be chop, chop, for him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     Now, I hear that Tomaselli is going to do a remake of "Alice, Sweet Alice," and what I want to know is, why?  After all, this is the man who gave us the brilliance of--

                                                        "Desecration" (1999)

This is the one I wrote in my 'Nun' post, where a Sister is killed by a flying toy plane, and look at those odd visuals, and that obvious, yet brilliant nod to the 1973 masterpiece, "The Baby."

"Horror" (2002)

Before Black Phillip in 2015's "The Witch", the goat in "Horror" held the record for Best Screen Performance By A Goat."  And all it did was stand there, and project an evil presence.  Which it did, thanks to Tomaselli's visual brilliance.  Once upon a time, dears, I actually owned this on DVD.  I even tried to get a group of friends, one afternoon, years back, to watch it.  It is a pretty static film; you just have to go with it, and let the images wash over you.  There  is pretty much no plot, but, shot by shot, it is exciting to watch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Satan's Playground" (2006)

This is the one with Felissa Rose.  The plot is wonderfully simple--a vacationing family gets lost in the Jersey Pine Barrens--home of the state's urban legend--the Jersey Devil!!!!!!!!  Wonder what form it takes????????  I have GOT to see this one, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Torture Chamber" (2013)

                                              Why the seven year interval, Dante?  Like, dude what the hell have you been up to?  "Torture Chamber" looks exciting, like its own kind of Hell.  A religious zealot of a mother, probably blood kin to Margaret White, imprisons her son, whom she thinks is possessed, in a dog cage.  That Oedipal image again.  Working out some issues, Dante?  The kid goes nuts and is confined to a mental hospital, but escapes, with child followers, who hunt down the demon adults in his life, and kill them.  And there are torture sequences and a REAL torture chamber.  I am sure this was filmed in New Jersey, but where?  Montclair?????????  Actually, it sounds a little like "Children Of The Corn," or every hurt child or adolescent's fantasy.  Yes, it may have all been done before, but Tomaselli brings a new twist to everything it cannot help but be interesting.  But, where can I see it???????????

                                                  I had hoped to provide a trailer for "Torture Chamber."  You can see it if you Google "The Nightmarish Films And Music Of Dante Tomaselli."

                                                    Come on Dante, do something new; don't redo 'Alice.'

                                                     Unless I get to play the killer.  We could work my actual obsession with "The Song Of Bernadette" into the plot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                      All kinds come from Jersey, dolls!  Including me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!