Horror Movies

[DJ Fieri]

Have y'all seen the trailer for the Night's new movie in 2023?

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Just watched The Cursed (2022 film). Pretty good take on a creature feature film. Reminded me quite a bit of VVitch. Can drag a little in areas but it still kept me entertained throughout the whole film - I was not skipping through parts and/or falling asleep. Great atmosphere/surrounding and some tense moments. Doesn't rely on stupid jump scares which is great and the music is pretty good. Effects are a LITTLE left to be desired but the creature is actually not shown that often (IMO a plus) so it's not bad.

Could definitely plug it in around Halloween for a re-watch. Again if you liked VVitch check this out.

Is this streaming anywhere?

 

[returnofjakedog]

Have y'all seen the trailer for the Night's new movie in 2023?

Hmmmmmm.......half of it is shakey cam crap, but it doesn't tell us much about it beyond that.

Are we taking bets on if the "Shyamalan twist" will be a good one, or a bad one?

 

[BeaReylo]

lol oh I'm pretty sure it'd be horrible now. I also used to watch the Outing with friends and we thought it was great lol.

The outing is great! Its one of the quintessential low budget B-grade horror flicks. If one's a fan of 80's horror (the golden age of the franchise IMO) then you have to give it a go at least once.

 

[returnofjakedog]

Buried Alive (1989)-


Based on a classic Poe story, a beautiful but disturbed lady starts working as an assistant at an institute for troubled girls. But a crazed killer in a Nixon mask is tombing people up behind brick walls in different parts of the huge basement.

Robert Vaughn, Donald Pleasance star along with Playmate of the Year, the gorgeous Karen Witter, and '80's adult film star Ginger Lynn (who performs surprisingly well)! Also John Carradine makes his final film appearance.

Despite a great cast and source material, this one is a bit of a disappointment. Vaughn and Pleasance seem a bit rudderless at times (I blame direction) as they focus more on the hot chick. Still, there are some decent suspenseful moments and a mystery to kinda keep you engrossed.
It does have decent production values and you can tell professionals worked on it.
Also you have the Playboy PMotY and a legendary adult film star but no nudity??? Seems like a strange choice for the time period.

I'll give it an average 5 outta 10. Just a bit bland.
One note: I went into this one thinking it was Buried Alive with Tim Matheson and my fav actress Jennifer Jason Leigh. They both came out at the same time which furthered the confusion. I remember that one being better.

The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)-


A cult led by a mystical Asian lady and Count Dracula plot to destroy humanity, while a small group of intrepid secret agents and vampire hunters try to stop them. Of course Dracula falls for the lady who opposes him, so he captures her and tries convert her (standard Dracula lore stuff).

A kinda meandering Hammer Studios film, but watching Christopher Lee as a vampire, and Peter Cushing trying to stop him is always fun. The leading lady plays a standard damsel in distress.
The cult's henchmen kinda cracked me up because they wear fur sweaters and ride around on motorcycles, which means you can immediately spot them (it seems like counter productive planning).

Anyways, fairly standard Hammer film but without as much of the flair that made the earlier stuff from them. Still, a fun enough story with some scary vamp stuff in it.

I'll go 6 outta 10 area, which includes a bump up for Cushing and Lee chewing up a little scenery.

 

[returnofjakedog]

He Knows You're Alone (1980)-

A killer is cutting up brides to be with extreme prejudice. Local girl Amy becomes a target and people around her start getting slashed up as the deranged killer closes in. Also her ex- tries to help her while also harassing her to leave her fiancee and get back with him instead.

This one is a kinda standard, yet nasty early '80s stuff. The director Armand Mastroianni apparently was pitching an urban legend hookhand movie but made up out this concept on the fly when the investor didn't like the first pitch. Masteoianni went on to direct a bunch of low budget stuff, but more importantly (imo) was involved in directing many episodes on anthology series such as Tales from the Darkside, Friday the 13th, etc.

Anyways, a mix of good and bad acting with some cutting kills. Not a ton of gore but there are some fun moments, like a head in a fish tank.
The story doesn't flow great, but is simple and clear enough to easily follow. The characters are mostly not really defined except for the leads who are fleshed out well enough.
It kinda feels like an Argento giallo flick without the great visual flairs.
Very gratuitous Tom Hanks shows up in his very first on camera role. He was supposed to be killed but apparently they found his character to be too likeable so they cut his death. Bummer! I think Tom Hanks getting slaughtered would have helped the movie overall, but also really boosted it's legacy.

I'll go 6 to 6.5 outta 10 range. Fun for what it is, and a nice little twist ending.

Demons 3- The Ogre (1989)-

Yep, another Italian (kind of) giallo horror flick. This one was directed by Lamberto Bava, Mario's son.

Anyways, an American writer rents a big old decrepit and creepy Italian castle for the summer to help inspire her writing(?). But she starts flashing back to her time spent there as a child (or was that just in her dreams?) where an big undead creature in the wet old dungeon-basement lives in a slimey cocoon on the ceiling. Her husband thinks she is crazy and us generally unsupportive. The creature starts to terrorize and kill folks, and things escalate until the big showdown.

This one was actually a made for tv movie in Italy that had nothing to do with the other Demons movies, but was repurposed globally after the first 2 movies success. While it does succeed in the giallo troupes of creepy ambiance, the made for tv aspect limited the violence and gore.

Demons and Demons 2 had their flaws (I reviewed them both here within the last year) but were solid, fun European gore fests. This one is good enough for what it us but the inclusion into the Demons' franchise is weird as it has a completely different type of story, none of the humor, and no demons (unless you consider the ogre a demon?).
Also, the dubbing issues that hinder all of these giallo era flicks remain.

Still a fun enough watch. I'll go 6ish outta 10.

 

[BeaReylo]

Demons 3- The Ogre (1989)-

Yep, another Italian (kind of) giallo horror flick. This one was directed by Lamberto Bava, Mario's son.

Anyways, an American writer rents a big old decrepit and creepy Italian castle for the summer to help inspire her writing(?). But she starts flashing back to her time spent there as a child (or was that just in her dreams?) where an big undead creature in the wet old dungeon-basement lives in a slimey cocoon on the ceiling. Her husband thinks she is crazy and us generally unsupportive. The creature starts to terrorize and kill folks, and things escalate until the big showdown.

This one was actually a made for tv movie in Italy that had nothing to do with the other Demons movies, but was repurposed globally after the first 2 movies success. While it does succeed in the giallo troupes of creepy ambiance, the made for tv aspect limited the violence and gore.

Demons and Demons 2 had their flaws (I reviewed them both here within the last year) but were solid, fun European gore fests. This one is good enough for what it us but the inclusion into the Demons' franchise is weird as it has a completely different type of story, none of the humor, and no demons (unless you consider the ogre a demon?).
Also, the dubbing issues that hinder all of these giallo era flicks remain.

Still a fun enough watch. I'll go 6ish outta 10.

Alright I was initially confused by this because I always knew The Church as Demons 3 but turns out theres three movies called it? The Church, Ogre, and Black Demons?

Making Sense of Demons 3…Which One is Demons 3? The Church, The Ogre or Black Demons?

Which one is actually Demons 3? I have know about the Demons films for a long time and as far as I can tell, Demons and Demons 2 are the only movies that actually connect. But, there are many unof…

thehorrorsyndicate.com

The only general consensus is neither of them are consideres real entries in The Demons franchise. I've seen The Church and thought it was ok but nothing to scream about; heard of Black Demons but haven't given it a go, yet. I'll have to watch it and this movie, now.

 

[returnofjakedog]

Alright I was initially confused by this because I always knew The Church as Demons 3 but turns out theres three movies called it? The Church, Ogre, and Black Demons?

Making Sense of Demons 3…Which One is Demons 3? The Church, The Ogre or Black Demons?

Which one is actually Demons 3? I have know about the Demons films for a long time and as far as I can tell, Demons and Demons 2 are the only movies that actually connect. But, there are many unof…

thehorrorsyndicate.com

The only general consensus is neither of them are consideres real entries in The Demons franchise. I've seen The Church and thought it was ok but nothing to scream about; heard of Black Demons but haven't given it a go, yet. I'll have to watch it and this movie, now.

Yeah. I did a full review of the "trilogy" (with The Church) here about 3 months ago.

More Italian schlock with the Demons trilogy!

Demons (1985)-

A guy with a very Phantom of the Opera style mask and look gives people free tickets to a movie in an reopening old theatre. But one attendee gets "infected" by a demon and starts attacking everyone, thus spreading to possessions. Lots of fighting and gore as the locked in survivors try to escape.

A lot of good stuff here, but also some bad. The demons are very Evil Dead-like but don't do the psychological attack aspects, only the physical.

The acting is hit and miss at best, and the dubbing doesn't help. But the story execution is fun and well done.

The movie they are watching in the theatre is a somewhat fun slasher flick. They show you a lot of it but it eventually disappears as the demon attacks ramp up. I kinda wish I could see the whole thing!
Regardless, a cool integration of the fake slasher movie into the actual movie is pretty fun. It reminds me of Craven's introduction of the Stab movies into the Scream universe.

Lots of good demon attacks and related gore.

Excellent soundtrack of '80s hard rock and metal! They use Accept's Fast as a Shark for a big dirtbike vs demonsin the theatre battle.

A weird and kinda stupid sub characters that eventually work their way into the plot involves a group of idiots driving crazily through the city and snorting coke out of a Coca Cola can. They are ridiculous and take up way too much time onscreen, and the cops chasing them are even worse. Just plop them into the main story instead of all of the crap.

This one is produced by Argento, and directed by Mario Bava's son Lamberto.

I'll go 7 to 7.5 outta 10 range. Again, be aware of the dubbing, dialogue, and acting constraints going in, as well as the thin plot (typical of Italian horror) that relies more on look and feel than story.

Demons 2 (1986)-

Made by Argento and Lamberto Bava 1 year after their original, this one is very similar in style, feel, and plot to Demons. But this time it involves a birthday party in a high rise instead of the movie theatre. However they do connect the 2 stories by having a group of teens go into the locked down area from the first movie and accidently revive the demons, which then infect the partiers through a tv report about it?? (It makes no sense, but whatever!).

Anyways, it essentially the same movie as the first with changes in characters and location (for example, a group of bodybuilders go Alamo in the parking garage, instead of the movie goers in the theatre).
It also has the same weaknesses (questionable acting, dubbing, dialogue, and a thin plot) and strengths (fun story, lots of gore and violence) so I won't go into further detail.

6 to 6.5 outta 10 from me. Not quite as good as the first but still decent. The 2 films do integrate well with each other.

After that there are a few movies that went by the Demons 3 moniker, including the Italian made Black Demons (1991) and Lamberto Bava's own The Ogre (1988) but none of them are cannon to the series (they also did similar with other movies, up to parts 6 or so). I have watched those ones, but I did watch.....

The Church (1988)-
This one is based on a script both Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava were working on, they eventually handed it off to Michele Soavi to direct.
I was very excited for this one because Soavi's weird-ass Dellamorte Dellamore/Cemetery Man is a very underrated favorite of mine. But I was disappointed by the lack of the crazy comedic stylings of Cemetery Man.

Anyways, this one opens with a bunch of knights who slaughter a supposedly demon infected village and build a church over their burial site to contain them.
Fast forward some centuries and the old church has a new librarian who hooks up with an art restoration lady who is working there, much to the chagrin of the grumpy old bishop. They start looking into the history and the greedy librarian starts digging for treasure in the catacombs, but instead ends up freeing the demons. The bishop locks down the church and all of the people inside have to fight to escape the oncoming evil.

I had trouble with this one as it takes itself way more seriously than the slimey schlock of parts 1 and 2. It is still well done but I found myself being a bit bored. I think this might be due to the expectations as it might not have dragged for me if I went into it as a stand alone movie.

But there are positives. The acting is generally better that parts 1 and 2, it has a much more intricate plot (almost to the point of being convoluted), and the gore and fxs are pretty good, particularly the final giant demon in the catacombs.

I'm going 5 to 5.5 outta 10 range. It might be higher on a rewatch though.

Sadly, Michele Soavi quit directing for some years as he was taking care of his sick child. When he did return in the early 2000's it was mostly Italian tv, and different genre movies. It doesn't appear that he has returned much to horror.

Neither The Church nor The Ogre had anything to do with the Demons and Demons 2 movies and were only retitled as such to take advantage of name recognition on the international market. The other tenuous connecting threads are the writers/directors/producers which were Mario and Lamberto Bava, Soavi, and Argento.

It is somewhat similar to the Zombi "series" we discussed some about a year ago.

-Zombi was the apparently heavily re-edited version of Dawn of the Dead by Italian horror/schlock master Dario Argento. That version was used in all of Europe. I haven't seen it, but they have added a soundtrack by German rock-metalish band Goblin, which is always good (they've done a ton of soundtracks).
-Many countries use the alternate titles of Zombi Flesh Eaters for the series.
-Zombi 2 was a 1979 release from Italian horror/schlock master Lucio Fulchi. It is probably most famous for the zombie/shark fight scene.
-The Zombi series becomes a convoluted mess after that. Zombi 3 is released under different names in different countries, which led to several countries starting their own series based on Zombi, which is the re-cut Dawn of the Dead, and Zombi 2.
*In Germany Zombi 2 is called "Woodoo" instead, and make their own Zombi 2, but return to the Italian series for Zombi 3!
*In Thailand they follow the series up to Zombi Flesh Eaters 3, then release their own Zombi Flesh Eaters 4 aka Killswitch.
*Australia mostly re-titled other Italian horror movies (with the exception of the original 2020 installment) after Zombi 3, and now has 8(!) in the franchise.
-In the USA, called Zombi 2 just "Zombie" instead, but didn't bother to change Zombie 3 to Zombie 2............so there are parts 3, 4, and 5 but no part 2!
*To confuse things further there is a seperate film series in the USA based on the original Italian Zombi 2, and Zombi 3, (but known here as Zombie, and Zombie 2 of course) with a total of 7 chapters! Much like the Australian method, they have repurposed a bunch of other movies but there is apparently an original or two, plus they added reshoits to some.
*Lastly, there are about a dozen movies released under the titles Zombi 1 through 8 or so. Apparently there was a Zombi 34 release in Pakistan.

What a mess! It makes the Halloween timeline messes look like nothing.......and so much of it is horrible schlock. Maybe someday I should try to watch all the seperate "series"? It would be painful.

A real mess!

A related side note: if you haven't already, watch Michele Soavi's Cemetery Man. Great flick!

 

[Chef99]

Hmmmmmm.......half of it is shakey cam crap, but it doesn't tell us much about it beyond that.

Are we taking bets on if the "Shyamalan twist" will be a good one, or a bad one?

With Shamalama Ding Dong, it's a crapshoot.

 

[BeaReylo]

Yeah. I did a full review of the "trilogy" (with The Church) here about 3 months ago.



Neither The Church nor The Ogre had anything to do with the Demons and Demons 2 movies and were only retitled as such to take advantage of name recognition on the international market. The other tenuous connecting threads are the writers/directors/producers which were Mario and Lamberto Bava, Soavi, and Argento.

It is somewhat similar to the Zombi "series" we discussed some about a year ago.

A real mess!

A related side note: if you haven't already, watch Michele Soavi's Cemetery Man. Great flick!

I've seen all the Zombi movies and Argento's version of Dawn of the Dead. Part 5 is the only one I would tell people to stay clear of. And Cemetery Man is a very unique film for sure. I saw it years ago in Secondary school and only remeber its ending, so I may have to rewatch it again to refresh my memory.

 

[michaeljordan_fan]

Just finished Halloween Kills. Honestly, better than the original..

I cannot endorse that.

Did enjoy it though, maybe even more than the previous outing

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[DJ Fieri]

Another old horror movie review dump:

Black Sabbath (1963)-

Another Italian movie, this one a relatively early feature from giallo godfather Mario Bava.

Boris Karloff starts things off as the 3 story anthology. The narration parts have no theme or real connection to anything going on (despite Karloff being a star in the final tale).
Anyways.......
The 1st story is A Drop of Water, about a nurse who steals an expensive ring off of a really freaky looking corpse. Of course the corpse comes back and terrorizes her throughout the night. Oh, also a fly constantly bothers her, and water is heard dripping during haunting moments.
A decent tale, with the freaky corpse that appears in different locations is a highlight.
The Telephone is the 2nd story. It involves a prostitute who gets phone calls from her ex-pimp who threatens her. She calls a friend for help, but the situation isn't as it seems......
The final tale is called The Wurdulak, and is about a baron who stays with a family that has been terrorized by, and is fighting vampires.
The original Salem's Lot seems to have gotten the iconic kid vamp begging to be let into the house scene from this, which is pretty cool.

Ok, as a big fan of horror, heavy metal, and the band it is rather surprising I've never seen it before. We all know Black Sabbath took their name from this film. They stated that it was playing on the theatre across the road from their apartment and thought the name was pretty cool (considering the band's previous incarnations were the psychedelic themed Earth, and the British blues influenced Polka Tuck Blues Band, I'll assume they made the right choice).

There isn't a common theme to the stories, and the narration segments really add nothing as they just kinda state "here is the next story". The stories themselves are all decent to good, but the acting and dubbing is inconsistent at best. Also the copy I watched was very dark, but I assume there are remastered versions out there.
Also, the original cut had the stories in a different order. I don't think that really matters though.

6 outta 10 area imo. I think the "A Drop of Water" was probably the best of the lot.

Sometimes They Comeback (1991)-

A made for tv story from a very early (1974) story from the master Stephen King. It was produced by the legendary Dino De Laurentiis (his list of great movies is extensive. Look it up!).

Anyways, Tim Matheson is a down on his luck teacher who returns to his hometown out of necessity. 27 years previous 4 older bullies stabbed his brother in a train tunnel, and then 3 of the bullies are hit by a train when their car is stuck on the tracks
Tim's favorite students start dying off in weird accidents, and each time this happens one of the dead bullies poses as a student and joins his class. They harrass and terrorize Tim and his family in an escalating manner until things come to a very King-ish conclusion.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this one. Despite the over use of Stephen King troupes (teacher/author haunted by his past, small town bullies, dead relative returning to help, etc, etc) it was generally a fun ride. It highlights how good his storytelling can be.
The acting is mostly good. The bullies chew up scenery and are obviously having a blast, and their demon/zombie forms are pretty fun. The fxs range from good to cheesy. Everything flows pretty well, except the small town doesn't seem very upset that a bunch of high school kids are dying off.
The downside for me would have to be the family. The wife is mostly an afterthought, and hus son is really annoying. Add to it an intentionally upbeat ending that is tacked on, out of place (I guess because it was for tv?), and it detracts from the overall.

This is essentially an earlier (from when the story was written, not film) version of Christine told from a teacher's perspective, and the bullies being supernatural instead of the car

This was not one of my fav King stories but this adaptation was better than expected. I'll go 6 to 6.5 range outta 10, and that is with a 1 point or so deduction for the happy ending bs and some other smaltzy stuff along the way.

Chopping Mall (1988)-

A group of kids party in a mall after hours. But the mall's new supposedly safe robot security has been compromised by a power surge and they run amok.

I've heard a lot about this one over the years but considering everything it is pretty disappointing. The kids are all annoying, the adults either stupid, assholes, or both. The robot design is bad. The story execution and flow is poor at best. The acting is mostly poor.

Despite this, there are a few good things. There is a cameo from the couple from Delicatessen which is funny but if you don't know that obscure film it will just be confusing. There are some solid kills (Dick Miller makes a quick appearance before getting electrocuted), including one of the better all time head explosions. Other than that I was mostly bored.

After reading about it, I wasn't surprised to find it is a Jim Wynorski flick. His list of crap is extensive and I don't know if I've ever liked anything he has ever done.

Considering the cult status and the great head explosion, this one was a disappointment. I can't in good faith go more than about a 4 outta 10.

I loved Somtimes they come back and Chopping Mall back in the day.

 

[returnofjakedog]

I've seen all the Zombi movies and Argento's version of Dawn of the Dead. Part 5 is the only one I would tell people to stay clear of. And Cemetery Man is a very unique film for sure. I saw it years ago in Secondary school and only remeber its ending, so I may have to rewatch it again to refresh my memory.

Just to clarify: you've seen all of the original Italian/European continuity of the Zombi "franchise", or you've seen ALL of the Zombi movies, including the Asian, Aussie, and both American "series", and various random inclusions into this?

Either is impressive, but if you've actually seen all of the worldwide movies attached to it then I am flabbergasted!

 

[returnofjakedog]

I loved Somtimes they come back and Chopping Mall back in the day.

I'm kinda surprised with the love for Chopping Mall here!

I get enjoying questionable movies from one's younger days but it is pretty bad. However it does have "the 3 Bs": Beasts (robots), breasts, and blood, so Joe Bob approves.

 

[returnofjakedog]

The Most Dangerous Game (1932)-

A famous hunter gets shipwrecked on a small, isolated island. He finds an extravagant home there, occupied by a rich Russian aristocrat, his servant/henchmen, and several guests (including Fay Wray) that were also shipwrecked there some weeks ago. The mad Russian hints at, then eventually explains that he hunts humans because they are the only real challenge. He then sends our hero hunter out into the wild with Fay Wray, and sees if he can survive.

*A very good movie that isn't too hindered by it's 90+ year old age. The story is great, and well executed. Kudos for the solid directing.
*The leads are ok, with the protagonist being servicable. The Russian baddie chews up scenery a bit, and Fay Wray is verh good considering how women are largely afterthoughts in many of these old flicks.
*The worst aspect of the film is Fay Wray's brother who is a full on drunken comic relief character. Completely unnecessary and out of focus from the rest of the film.

One of the most interesting aspects of the production is that this movie was filmed at night on the sets for the legendary King Kong movie!

This film has left a huge legacy. Wiki lists over 20 major release movies and 35+ major tv adaptations (mostly is series episodes).

There are 2 directors listed, Ernest Schoedsack and Irving Pichel. I assume that this because Schoedsack was spending most of his energy on King Kong in the day, and then supported Pichel in the nights.
Sadly, Pichel got blacklisted in the disgraceful "red scare" of the late '40s, and was only able to direct a few overseas pics after that before his death in the mid '50s. Schoedsack suffered eye damage in WW2 and never directed after his swansong Mighty Joe Young in '49.

A very good movie considering the constraints of the time. I'll go about a 7 outta 10 area, and that is with a half point deduction for the stupid drunk brother character.

The Breed (2006)-

A group of late 20 some year old folks seaplane out to a vacation house on an isolated island. They hang out and act annoying until dogs start showing up and attacking them. In the midst of the survival mode stuff, they discover that the dogs are genetically enhanced via a military training facility that has since been abandoned (and for some reason the military left the dogs behind and roaming free?).

This one ranges from some moments of generic entertainment, to annoying stupidity.
*Michelle Rodriguez and Oliver Hudson are average as the leads, which is better than the rest of the cast who are underdeveloped and have the likeablity of a genital rash. No one really stood out as good.
*While the story had good bones, everything regarding the specifics and execution was handled rather poorly. But it did look professional strictly from a quality basis.
*What about the dogs?
Well........the dogs are hyper intelligent. They work together and communicate on a high enough level to lay out intricate traps and plans. But they also just randomly disappear only to reappear whenever the plot needs them to move the story along. It comes off fairly ridiculous and builds on that ridiculousness as the movie continues.

4 to 4.5 outta 10 range at best. Very little gore to go with the somewhat limited violence, with too much time wasted on characters we don't care about.

The lesson is that if you are going to make a "pack of killer dogs on an island" movie, then go full in on making them a threat. Have them ripping out throats and in constant attack mode instead of a small bite here and there, followed by no dogs for awhile until they are needed to be back.

 

[BeaReylo]

Just to clarify: you've seen all of the original Italian/European continuity of the Zombi "franchise", or you've seen ALL of the Zombi movies, including the Asian, Aussie, and both American "series", and various random inclusions into this?

Either is impressive, but if you've actually seen all of the worldwide movies attached to it then I am flabbergasted!

Just the Italian continuations. I never knew about the international "branches" of the franchise, lol.

 

[returnofjakedog]

Another oldie dump!

Vampire (1979)-
(no trailer available, but here is the whole movie)

A surprisingly well done late 70s made for tv movies.
This one is a bit odd in that it does everything relatively well considering the time period and budget, but the story itself is a generic Dracula type tale that brings little to nothing new or interesting to the table. During my reviews here I often run into good stories that are poorly executed in one or multiple ways, but it seems a bit rare to find the opposite of solid execution but lacking in story depth.

Regardless, the always fun as a bad guy Richard Lynch plays a wealthy bloodsucker who is awakened from his long slumber when a new church is built. He takes revenge for this disturbance by killing the architect's gf (seems a bit extreme!), which leads to the architect and a retired detective to try and hunt him down.

*The cast is great, with the aforementioned Richard Lynch playing the baddie, Jason Miller as the architect (he was the young priest in The Exorcist and a Pulitzer winning playwright), and EG Marshall as the old detective.
*The direction and production are solid. The characters are fairly well developed, the story flows well, etc.

I'd go about a 6 outta 10 area, which is quite good for 70s made for tv fare. A more ambitious tale might have helped it a bit.

Contamination (1980)-

Yes, yet another Italian job, but this one is directed by someone other than Fulchi, Argento or Bava as Luigi Cozzi helms this.

A freighter without a crew drifts towards NY and the authorities investigate. It turns out that the ship is full of big green bumpy eggs that blow up and spray slime that makes people start bleeding out of their orifices, and then literally explode all of their guts out of their chest cavity! So a gruff cop and a scientist chick track down the lone surviving astronaut from a Mars expedition, and they team together to track down the egg source. Eventually they find an egg warehouse in South America and face off against a giant green one eyed octopus creature.

*This is definitely weird concept but is unfortunately more filler that is interspersed with cool stuff. Too much sitting around, traveling sequences, etc taking up time between chest explosions.
*Some cool gore fxs! They did it quite a bit, including a pretty awesome 3 at once shot. But overall the fxs other than that were questionable. The final boss looked pretty B-grade (and that is generous!)
*Standard questionable dubbing. Feels very dated.
Overall probably a 4.5 outta 10 range imo, and that is with 1 added point for a bunch of bloody full front gut explosions, and the Goblin soundtrack. Otherwise, watch it for that and not much else.

Night of the Comet (1984)-

A comet passes near Earth, and dumps a bunch of dust into the atmosphere. It gives the sky a disturbing orange hue. It also disappears 99.9% of the populace, leaving only some obnoxious gangs, zombie cops, and our 2 kinda annoying teenage girl leads. The sisters meet a boy, have a big clothes and gun scavaging/shopping montage, and are captured by a post apocalypse mall employee gang? They are then rescued by scientists with evil intentions and have to fight to escape.

This one has a big cult following and has high ratings (79% on RT, 6.3 on IMDB), but I can't really agree. It is an awesome concept that ranges from average to bad execution.
*It was supposedly a big influence on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and this does glimpse into that type of feel but the Buffy tv series did it better.
*The fxs can be cool, but are also cheesy.
*Bad 80s dialog and questionable acting throughout.
*A very, very 80s soundtrack but the songs were either not memorable, or just plain bad imo.

A 4.5 to 5 range for me. For such a broad concept not much happens, and what does happens varies in quality.
If you are going to watch an 80s "Night of....." movies, then stick to Night of the Demons, and Night of the Creeps over this one.

 

[Blackshirts BLVD]

This has my attention...

 

[returnofjakedog]

This has my attention...

It certainly looks interesting! Garland is still rather new to the game but Annihilation was good, and Ex Machina was excellent.
Lets hope he transitions from sci-fi to horror better than Blomkamp did last year with Demonic.