Horror Movies

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Yup.

Looks like the writing is a bit sharper.

I'm only 3 episodes in, but I agree. So much better and they are doin a great job of recapturing the Dexter vibes.

 

[returnofjakedog]

So I said that I was done with my current run of watching older horror movies. I guess that was a lie!
At least there are a couple of decent ones in recently.

House of Wax (1953)-


......as the rather poor trailer overly emphasizes, this one is noted for being the first color 3D movie.

Anyways, Vincent Price stars as a wax sculptor whose work is destroyed by his money hungry partner for the insurance. Vincent survives the blaze but his work is all destroyed and he is unable to work now being wheel chair bound and his hands burnt. Yet, he still manages to create more wax figures. At the same time an unkown assailant is killing people and their bodies are disappearing from the morgue.
In addition to Vincent chewing up scenery, a young Charles Bronson plays his muscular deaf-mute assistant (I guess they didn't want him talking?), and it was the first major role for Carolyn Jones (Mortica Adams).
This one is considered a classic, despite initial mixed reviews. It holds a 95% on Rotton Tomatoes. But I think that is a bit strong. It is truely creepy, but it drags a bit and the performances are a bit hit and miss. It panders a bit too much to the 3D gimmick, for example wasting several minutes showing a guy putting on a yo-yo show. But Price is great!

I'll go 7 to 7.5 outta 10 range. That is with an extra point added solely for Vincent Price.

 

[returnofjakedog]

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (1972)-


This one is an interesting one. Bob Clark's first feature, it was filmed in 2 weeks for 50k and mostly featured Clark's college buddies as cast and crew.

So a group of post-college kids in a theater troop go to a small island that was used as a prison(?) for violent criminals in the past. They go out to a graveyard, dig up a corpse, and chant some verses from this movie's version of the Necronomicon but nothing happens. So they haul the corpse back to an island house for no real reason. Then the corpses start waking up.........

Considering the time, budget, and experience levels it is somewhat impressive. They manage to create a creepy atmosphere and have some cool fxs. But overall it suffers from mostly poor acting, weird dialog (improv?) and character relationships that are not really believable.

The group's leader is an over-the-top mixture of Jim Rose and a mustache twirling villian. Anytime anyone protests his strange instructions, he verbally abuses them, and threatens to cancel their contracts and leave them on their own on the island. The rest of the cast is generally schlubby and everyone has horrible clothes (examples in the trailer) even for the time period (intentional for the comedy aspects? I don't know.)
A couple of actors are decent.
The ending is pretty cool!

This feels like a precursor to Return of the Living Dead in a lot of ways. RotLD was much funnier though.

5 outta 10 from me. Some cool stuff mixed with the mediocre. I've seen far worse from what is essentially an amateur film.

Before I tie this up, I want to talk a little more about Bob Clark. He started with this one, and then had a completely different zombie movie in Deathdream, which I just happened to review a couple of weeks ago. But it was what happened after these that makes career so "interesting"
*In '74 he directed the now cult classic the original Black Christmas, which won many awards and is considered one of the first slasher genre flicks. This is a must-watch for all Halloween fans (John Carpenter lists it as a major infuence).
*Clark then made Moonrunners, which is the source material for The Dukes of Hazzard! I had no idea about this. Apparently he sued and won $17.5 milllion from the producers of the remake.
*He then made a couple of "high brow" movies that won or were nominated for many awards in Murder by Decree, and Tribute.
*In '82 he made one of my fav teen sex comedies in Porky's. I don't know if I have ever been in a theatre that laughed so hard as that one. I remember a guy literally fell into isle and laying on the floor in a fit of hysterics! He followed that up with the mediocre Porky's 2: The Next Day.
*In '83 he directed the one everyone knows him for, A Christmas Story. My mother was the biggest fan of this movie. We would watch it yearly and even have a leg-lamp tree ornament! Iconic.
*His career continued to be weird after this. His most notable releases were the horrible bombs Rhinestone and Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2, both of which earned him Razzie nominations.


Sadly, Bob and his son were killed by a drunk driver in 2007. He was in preproduction for a remake of Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things at the time but that plan died with him.

Such a strange career. Think about it. He made genre-defining films in 3 different genres! Slasher-Black Christmas, Teen Sex Com- Porky's, and Holiday-A Christmas Story. Throw in some of the early low budget schlock, a massive hit TV show, and a couple of big budget razzie noms and I don't really know what to make of it. If nothing else, the man was certainly diverse!

RIP Bob! Thanks for the strangeness of it all.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Anybody watch this?

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Anybody watch this?

It's a weird one, pretty dark. Worth watching, not great but interesting.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

It's a weird one, pretty dark. Worth watching, not great but interesting.

Not usually a fan of anything with Keira Knightley... I typically avoid her at all costs lol

 

[returnofjakedog]

Not usually a fan of anything with Keira Knightley... I typically avoid her at all costs lol

Well, there is this........
(From The Hole, which is a horror movie).

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Well, there is this........
(From The Hole, which is a horror movie).

Wait… YT allows nudity?

 

[returnofjakedog]

Wait… YT allows nudity?

 

[Chef99]

So I said that I was done with my current run of watching older horror movies. I guess that was a lie!
At least there are a couple of decent ones in recently.

House of Wax (1953)-


......as the rather poor trailer overly emphasizes, this one is noted for being the first color 3D movie.

Anyways, Vincent Price stars as a wax sculptor whose work is destroyed by his money hungry partner for the insurance. Vincent survives the blaze but his work is all destroyed and he is unable to work now being wheel chair bound and his hands burnt. Yet, he still manages to create more wax figures. At the same time an unkown assailant is killing people and their bodies are disappearing from the morgue.
In addition to Vincent chewing up scenery, a young Charles Bronson plays his muscular deaf-mute assistant (I guess they didn't want him talking?), and it was the first major role for Carolyn Jones (Mortica Adams).
This one is considered a classic, despite initial mixed reviews. It holds a 95% on Rotton Tomatoes. But I think that is a bit strong. It is truely creepy, but it drags a bit and the performances are a bit hit and miss. It panders a bit too much to the 3D gimmick, for example wasting several minutes showing a guy putting on a yo-yo show. But Price is great!

I'll go 7 to 7.5 outta 10 range. That is with an extra point added solely for Vincent Price.

That is a pretty cool cast right there.

 

[Blackshirts BLVD]

 

[Blackshirts BLVD]

Metallic mask...

 

[returnofjakedog]

Lisa and the Devil (1974)-
(Note that the trailer is a bit "unfinished", but more on that later)

So yet another kinda strange history on this one.
Directed by Mario Bava, one of "the big 3 of giallo directors" along with Argento and Fulci.
Fyi: giallo is a subgenre that uses psychological and mystery elements, with heavy doses of fantasy and often with bright, vivid colors, and gothic settings. Think the original Susperia as a prime example.

Anyways, the always hot (back then anyways) Elke Sommer is a tourist who gets lost, gets freaked out by Telly Savalas, meets a man who falls and breaks his neck, then gets a ride from a couple but their car breaks down near an old mansion.
The mansion owners allow them to stay overnight. They discuss how Elke looks just like a former gf of the young master. Oh, Telly Savalas is their man servant.
Weird stuff happens. Things appear both real and dreamlike. People die. More weird stuff happens. Telly sucks on a lollypop (he started that practice in this movie while trying to stop smoking). Reality comes in and out of focus. Eventually things come to a freaky weird conclusion.

So Bava directed some movies you may or may not recognize, such as Black Sabbath Kill Baby Kill, Black Sunday, Bay of Blood, etc. He had been working in Italian cinema since the mid 1930s, but didn't cross over for international stuff until the mid-60s. Lisa and the Devil was the first movie he was given "free-reign" to operate without studio interference but they couldn't find a distributor for the weirdness (thus the unfinished trailer) so it was re-edited, an possession/exorcism subplot was added (because The Exorcist was popular), and it was released as The House of Exorcism. This apparently made it even harder to understand.
Sadly, Bava died in 1980 thinking his original movie would never be seen but it eventually got home video release in the late '90s.

Ok then. This one is a bit hard to rate. My initial thought was about a 5.5 outta 10, but after researching it some and undrrstanding it better I think a 6 to 6.5 outta 10 range seems appropriate. I think I need to rewatch it knowing what I now know, and I might even bump it up a bit more. Beautiful cinematography and style.

 

[returnofjakedog]

I'm both interested and concerned to see what they do with this one.
Apparently it is a direct sequel to the original (good, as the sequels were largely trash) which puts Leatherface somewhere in his 70s (questionable to have someone my Dad's age sprinting around with a chainsaw slicing up kids).

But it has to be better than TCM: The Beginning, or Leatherface, doesn't it?? Those sucked!

Fingers crossed!

 

[DJ]

View attachment 284474

This made me LOL for real.

 

[returnofjakedog]

The Night Stalker (1972)-


A killer roams the Las Vegas nightlife murdering young ladies and draining them of their blood. Kolchak, a grizzled beat reporter argues with his boss and the police who refuse to believe the vampire angle. The police suspect it is a very prolific serial killer and Kolchak strikes a deal to help investigate.

I remember watching an episode or 2 of the later tv series Kolchak: The Night Stalker when I was a kid, but I don't think I ever saw the movie.

This one was a fun watch. McGavin does a great job as Kolchak. The killer has a couple of big brawls in which they do an excellent job, considering the times and budget, making him look strong and invunerable. The police and news chief are written great as unintentional foils to Kolchak as they contantly yell at him.

There was this stunt mishap that they left in the movie that freaked me out. Note the guy who runs in and just drags the unconscious stuntman off screen as shit just keeps on going! I couldn't find anything else on it so I guess he survived?

So I already knew that Chris Carter considers this movie as the inspiration for my all-time fav The X-Files, but I didn't know it was screenplayed by the legendary Richard Matheson (I Am Legend, Hell House, A Stir of Echoes, a bunch of Twilight Zone episodes, etc). It was the highest rated tv show ever at the time and was released theatrically in Europe, and while I was aware of the tv series (which I now want to go watch) but there was also a sequel, The Night Strangler that I also need to see.

A fine movie but keep in mind the budget limitations and when it was made. Acting is great. Fine storyline execution. The police and boss that keep fucking with Kolchak makes it even more interesting. The fxs are a bit weak and light from today's perspective.

I'll go 7.5 to 8 outta 10 range. Good stuff!

 

[Chef99]

The Night Stalker (1972)-


A killer roams the Las Vegas nightlife murdering young ladies and draining them of their blood. Kolchak, a grizzled beat reporter argues with his boss and the police who refuse to believe the vampire angle. The police suspect it is a very prolific serial killer and Kolchak strikes a deal to help investigate.

I remember watching an episode or 2 of the later tv series Kolchak: The Night Stalker when I was a kid, but I don't think I ever saw the movie.

This one was a fun watch. McGavin does a great job as Kolchak. The killer has a couple of big brawls in which they do an excellent job, considering the times and budget, making him look strong and invunerable. The police and news chief are written great as unintentional foils to Kolchak as they contantly yell at him.

There was this stunt mishap that they left in the movie that freaked me out. Note the guy who runs in and just drags the unconscious stuntman off screen as shit just keeps on going! I couldn't find anything else on it so I guess he survived?

So I already knew that Chris Carter considers this movie as the inspiration for my all-time fav The X-Files, but I didn't know it was screenplayed by the legendary Richard Matheson (I Am Legend, Hell House, A Stir of Echoes, a bunch of Twilight Zone episodes, etc). It was the highest rated tv show ever at the time and was released theatrically in Europe, and while I was aware of the tv series (which I now want to go watch) but there was also a sequel, The Night Strangler that I also need to see.

A fine movie but keep in mind the budget limitations and when it was made. Acting is great. Fine storyline execution. The police and boss that keep fucking with Kolchak makes it even more interesting. The fxs are a bit weak and light from today's perspective.

I'll go 7.5 to 8 outta 10 range. Good stuff!

Loved it. For the Night Stalker movie, I'll give it a 10.

I was very disappointed in the tv series, although McGavin made it worth watching for awhile.

 

[returnofjakedog]

Loved it. For the Night Stalker movie, I'll give it a 10.

I was very disappointed in the tv series, although McGavin made it worth watching for awhile.

@Chef99 Have you seen the sequel, The Night Strangler?

 

[Blackshirts BLVD]

I'm both interested and concerned to see what they do with this one.
Apparently it is a direct sequel to the original (good, as the sequels were largely trash) which puts Leatherface somewhere in his 70s (questionable to have someone my Dad's age sprinting around with a chainsaw slicing up kids).

But it has to be better than TCM: The Beginning, or Leatherface, doesn't it?? Those sucked!

Fingers crossed!

Are you saying "apparently" in that you read about it or just from that trailer? Because I think the trailer was just talking about the TCM impact, just saying that he was introduced in 1974 and in 2022 will be reintroduced... I didn't see any sort of technology in the trailer that would give me a clue it was modern-day or anything.

But yeah, the thought of a 70+-year-old chasing people with a chainsaw seems a bit much. Plus, there would be no grandpa anymore and he was a huge part of the creep factor in the original lol.

 

[returnofjakedog]

Are you saying "apparently" in that you read about it or just from that trailer? Because I think the trailer was just talking about the TCM impact, just saying that he was introduced in 1974 and in 2022 will be reintroduced... I didn't see any sort of technology in the trailer that would give me a clue it was modern-day or anything.

But yeah, the thought of a 70+-year-old chasing people with a chainsaw seems a bit much. Plus, there would be no grandpa anymore and he was a huge part of the creep factor in the original lol.

Yeah, I read about it. So not from the trailer.
Regardless of LF's age it could still good. Couldn't it?
*It does have Fede Alverez (Evil Dead remake, Don't Breathe 1 & 2) attached as a writer/producer (good!)
*........but the original directors were fired after they refused to film a last minute script re-write and instead started filming the original script they had signed on for (bad)
*.....and it has been given a February release date (historically a bad sign).
I'll keep crossing my fingers though!