Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Coventry It's commonly known that Oliver Stone served in Vietnam and that his most acclaimed masterpieces, most notably "Platoon", are based on his own traumatic experiences and the agonizing real-life horror situations that he witnessed over there. Perhaps his Vietnam luggage turned him into one of the greatest directors of all times, but it also must have caused a bit of permanent brain damage, if you ask me! How else would you explain the madness of "Seizure"; his long-feature debut released not that long after he returned from his tour of duty? This is a truly bonkers horror movie, half brilliant and half unendurable, but fascinating and hypnotizing enough to keep you glued to the screen. Jonathan "Barnabas Collins" Frid stars as Edmund Blackstone, a writer suffering from recurring nightmares featuring the villains of the horror story that he's trying to finish. Nothing but a bad case of writer's block, you'd say, but when Edmund and his wife are hosting a party during the weekend and welcome several guests in their lakeside house, the trio of villains literally pops up at the dining room window! They are: the ravishing but deadly Queen of Evil, the black and heavily mutilated giant referred to as Jackal, and the viciously cruel dwarf named Spider. They start killing off the guests, which isn't a bad thing since they are truly horrible people, but poor Edmund can't seem to figure out if they are real or hallucinatory. Debuting director Stone generates a reasonably tense and mysterious atmosphere, and "Seizure" certainly contains a few strong sequences, but the film is overall too dull and far too talkative. Especially Edmund's "reflective" moments, guided by a voiceover, are immensely long and meaningless, but the Queen of Evil also jibbers too much and even the dwarf would have been far more petrifying if he shut his mouth a little more! As mentioned already, the supportive characters are downright nasty. You often see in horror movies that an alleged group of friends doesn't get along, but these people here are the most arrogant, selfish, treacherous and despicable trolls I've ever seen! There's not a lot of gore, obviously, but nevertheless a few efficient shock-moments and solid performances from Jonathan Frid, Joseph Sirola and the breathtaking Martine Beswick! The eviler she gets, the sexier she becomes! The finale is logical and effectively abrupt, but not exactly original. There's a certain horror milestone from 1962 that ended with a similar twist already.

wes-connors Horror writer Jonathan Frid (as Edmund Blackstone) gathers friends and family for an extended visit at his spooky home in the country. Planning to pen a nightmarish novel for children, Mr. Frid is plagued by bad dreams (and Mary Woronov in black underwear). Unfortunately, the "Dream Curse" seems to extend to Frid's house-guests, who are victimized by a fantastical trio of uninvited gatecrashers - beautiful Martine Beswick (the Queen), quirky Hervé Villechaize (the Dwarf), and menacing Henry Baker (the Giant). Eventually, the murderers threaten Frid's wife Christina Pickles (as Nicole) and cute son Timothy Ousey (as Jason).The excellent cast, which could be described as "soap opera horror," also includes Roger De Koven (as Serge Kahn) and Anne Meacham (as Eunice Kahn). Several US daytime stars appear, with Frid's "Dark Shadows" being an obvious influence on writer/director Oliver Stone. Mr. Baker also appeared on the TV classic, in a role similar to the one he plays here. Generational icons include Troy Donahue (the 1950s), Frid (the 1960s), and Mr. Villechaize (the 1970s). Jack-of-all-trades Joseph Sirola (as "Uncle" Charlie Hughes) and risqué Richard Cox (as Gerald) are a tightly clad couple. Hopefully, deleted scenes are still a possibility.****** Seizure (1974) Oliver Stone ~ Jonathan Frid, Martine Beswick, Herve Villechaize, Joe Sirola

Scarecrow-88 Horror author Frid(..who portrayed Barnabas Collins on "Dark Shadows")invites friends to his mountain estate where they are threatened by three of his nightmare creations, come to life with a thirst for bloodshed. The three, led by the delicious Martine Beswick(..well cast)as a "Queen of evil", run these people through a series of head games, allowing them no chance of escape with only one afforded an opportunity to survive.First time director Oliver Stone shows all the signs of being a new filmmaker. While I like natural lighting, in many instances, "Seizure" has scenes which are richly atmospheric(..the use of red is often striking and candle-light can often produce a great sense of mood)while other times(..especially outside in the woods)you can't see a thing. The violence is of the off-screen variety. I found the scenes where the screenplay attempts to explain who these venomous fiends are rather overwrought..I felt that if Stone and company had never given them exposition, it would've worked just as well. Beswick is why I'd recommend it for she is incredibly sexy, very seductive and quite dangerous..a great combination for a supernatural villainous. Some effective camera-work and odd musical arrangements help this film somewhat, but the editing often abruptly moves from one scene to another. I think Stone would fare better 8 years later with "The Hand." I must be painfully honest when I say(..and I got nothing but love for the dwarf population)that Herve Villechaize, as the knife-wielding "Spider", is about as scary as a Cabbage Patch Doll. He seems to be living it up as a nasty minion, in control of people's lives, foretelling how their fates are doomed and that praying to God was futile. Joseph Sirola is a hoot as millionaire blow-hard, Charlie Hughes, who thinks he can buy anyone with indie horror siren Mary Woronov(..looking fantastic)playing his adulterous wife, who only married him for his money. Woronov has an amusing knife-fight with Frid's Edmund. Frid brings the pathos generated by his tortured vampire from "Dark Shadows" to the role of Edmund, a tormented artist who has given birth to the monsters of his creative genius. There are some great make-up sequences such as when Anne Meacham's Eunice Kahn, the type who invested her entire soul into her beautiful face, receiving a hideous mask provided by Spider, and Beswick's ghoulish face drawing towards Edmund, as her cape opens. Also Henry Judd Baker's Jackal, the third evil nightmare killer, an executioner, has a nasty scar on the side of his face that is rather unpleasant to gaze upon, although he's mostly hidden within the darkness of night. Another concern perhaps for this film is that the viewer has few to root for besides Edmund's wife and child, true victims of his demons. Roger De Koven's Serge Kahn is Edmund's confident, who believes that the supernatural killers are historical menaces from centuries ago.

CLEO-8 That's right ladies and gentlemen, Dark Shadows star Jonathan Frid stars in this shocker about a writer who has a recurring dream of three strange visitors who come to his home and reak havoc on all of his house guests. Herve Villechaize is wonderful in his role as the evil Spider. See Mary Woronov battle to the death with Johnathan Frid in hand to hand combat!