Elves (1989)

Wow!

"A department-store Santa Claus (Dan Haggerty) discovers a neo-Nazi plot to mate a nice girl (Julie Austin) with an elf in Colorado." 

Happy Holidays 

and 

Happy New Year!

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MST3K – Squirm (1976) - Re-post

Director Jeff Lieberman's worm revenge tale Squirm (1976) is one of those movies that I could watch a zillion times (and probably already have) and still dig it, so adding the ongoing commentary from our MST3K pals adds to the entertainment factor. Enjoy!

The Evil (1978)

Directed by Gus Trikonis (who was married to Goldie Hawn from 1969 to 1976), The Evil was produced and distributed in 1978 by Roger Corman's New World Pictires. Trikonis directed several exploitation films for Corman, including The Swinging Barmaids (1975), Nashville Girl (1976), and Moonshine County Express (1977). After working on the feature film Take This Job and Shove It (1981) he moved on to prolific directing work for television on series such as Baywatch, Hunter, Wiseguy, and Quantum Leap.

In The Evil, a psychiatrist and his wife (Richard Crenna and Joanna Pettet) ignore old stories and bad vibes when they purchase a long empty mansion with the intention of refurbishing it for use as a rehab center. Once the pair and their crew are inside the house the bad feelings increase until they stumble upon a trap door in the basement. Of course they open it which causes the house to seal them inside as the conflict with unknown forces increases with frightening and deadly results. Victor Buono hams it up (as does an increasingly unhinged Crenna) as the personification of the evil.

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From a Whisper to a Scream (1987) aka The Offspring

This horror anthology was directed and co-written by Jeff Burr. Burr went on to direct numerous horror movie sequels, such as: Stepfather II (1989), Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990), Puppet Master 4 (1993), Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter (1994), and Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994).

The film's stories are introduced by horror icon Vincent Price, a Tennessee town historian speaking to a reporter played by Susan Tyrrell. Familiar genre faces Clu Gulager, playing a grocery worker with an eye for his female boss, and Cameron Mitchell, as a Civil War era Union soldier, are found in two of the film's segments. Martine Beswick, Rosalind Cash (who would make her final film appearance in the 1995 horror anthology Tales from the Hood), and Lawrence Tierney (known to many as gangster Joe Cabot in Reservoir Dogs) also have roles in the movie.

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House (1986)

After directing Friday the 13th Part II and Part III  but just before Soul Man, Steve Miner directed the curious film House.

William Katt (forever known as the Greatest American Hero to some folks) stars as a troubled horror writer who moves into his Aunt's home after her death. Things rapidly go downhill as chronic nightmares give way to hallucinations culminating in attacks from other-worldly creatures.

As he did on the Friday the 13th films, Harry Manfredini provides the musical score.

House did good business at the box office, ensuring sequels. It's opening weekend it made $5,923,972 and came in a very close second to Pretty in Pink.

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Curtains (1983)

Curtains is a Canadian horror/suspense film that began production in 1980, but due to problems (tensions between producer and director perhaps chief among these difficulties) did not premiere in the United States until early 1983. The vibes were so bad that upon completion of the film, director Richard Ciupka had his credit changed to Jonathan Stryker, the name of the director in Curtains.

The movie did not find much of an audience theatrically but gained a second life through cable showings and video rentals, which is where I found it on a video store shelf around 1984.

Samantha Eggar stars as Samantha Sherwood, an incredibly committed actress who has herself thusly committed to a mental institution as method preparation for the title role in director Jonathan Stryker's (played by ham handed favorite John Vernon) newest film Audra. When Samantha finds out that Stryker has tapped several actresses to audition for Audra at a secluded estate; she breaks out angry and with revenge on her mind.

Curtains makes great use of the wintry setting and creates an increasingly chilly atmosphere with highlights being a creepy doll and a mask wearing murderer, wielding a nasty sickle.

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God Told Me To (1976)

Written and directed by Larry Cohen (Bone, It's Alive, Black Caesar, The Stuff), 1976s God Told Me To (aka Demon) is a thought provoking horror/science fiction hybrid.

Tony Lo Bianco stars as a NYPD detective who tries to figure out the motives behind a series of seemingly random bursts of deadly violence which are connected by all of the perpetrators stating the reason for their transgression was that "god told them to." Eventually he traces everything back to a cult like organization headed by the always intriguing Richard Lynch. Things get darker and more complicated from there, ultimately leading to an explosive climax.

Keep an eye out for Andy Kaufman's first film appearance as a NYPD patrolman who becomes motivated to commit violence during a parade detail.

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Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) aka 4 mosche di velluto grigio

 

Dario Argento's 1971 feature Four Flies on Grey Velvet is the final film in his "Animal Trilogy", which began with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and The Cat o' Nine Tails. Another genre notable, Luigi Cozzi served as assistant director. Due to some disagreements over music selections, this would be the last Argento film scored by Ennio Morricone until the 1990s.

Italian film favorite Bud Spencer, plus Americans Mimsy Farmer and Michael Brandon top the films cast. It was picked up by Paramount Pictures for it's United States release but little was done with the film in the U.S. after an initial run.

The plot is convoluted, perhaps a bit too complicated, but overall Four Flies on Grey Velvet rewards a viewer with well shot color saturated and outstanding cinematography (most noatbly what may have been the first use of high-speed camera equipment to film the path and trajectory of a bullet), as well as heaps of Argento's "edge of your seat" cinema. The scene where a woman finds herself locked inside a walled park after closing and is pursued relentlessly stands out for it's memorable and rapidly escalating tension.

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The Crazies (1973)

Released in 1973, The Crazies (aka Code Name: Trixie or The Mad People) was directed by George Romero with many of the same crew/production staff from his ground breaking feature Night of the Living Dead and has since been the subject of a Hollywood remake.

The plot plays out as an unknown, untested bio-toxin is released into the drinking water supply of a small Pennsylvania town after a military plane crashes nearby. The toxin causes strong, visceral reactions in those exposed as it creates an unrestricted id with extremely violent urges. The government storms into town, establishes martial law, and begins a round up of the townspeople. Some folks are understandably leery of the occupying force and find themselves caught between the infected "crazies" and the increasingly trigger happy "peacekeepers" sent in to maintain order. Screen time is also given to scenes illustrating the government/military's ongoing attempts to quell and localize the growing problem by any means necessary.

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Misfits - 1983 - Boston

Misfits 

at The Channel

Boston, Massachusetts 

20 March 1983

1. Halloween
2. 20 Eyes
3. Wolfs Blood
4. All Hell Breaks Loose
5. Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?
6. Devil's Whorehouse
7. Demonomania
8. London Dungeon
9. Die, Die My Darling
10. Violent World
11. Astro Zombies
12. Green Hell
13. I Turned Into a Martian
14. Skulls
15. Devilock
16. We Are 138
17. Nike a Go Go
18. Hatebreeders
19. Braineaters
20. Attitude
21. Rise Above
    (Black Flag cover)
22. Horror Business
23. Bullet
    
    
    

    While in Boston
    The Misfits filmed a promo video for
    "Braineaters" at a local venue/restaurant,
    pretty sure it was Cantone's.

    
    
    
    

The Children (1980) - Repost

Repost with updated, working movie + trailer links. 

I'm dating myself here, but once upon a time before cable television there were pay tv channels that broadcast movies, specials and "adult" fare over uhf signals. In the metro Chicago area, one such service was named ONTV. You had to have a decoder box to sort out the signal, but that never stopped my pals and I from attempting to catch a glimpse of the nudity and forbidden films on display with out the decoder. I was lucky enough to have a buddy whose parents subscribed to ONTV and were cool with him and his pals watching the R-rated flicks, usually with them watching as well. Several of the movies I first caught in this pre-cable set up have always brought back memories of that channel and time with 1980's low budget horror flick The Children being one such film.

The plot concerns a bus load of little ones who pass through a cloud of toxic gas released from the neighborhood nuclear plant. This turns them into black-finger nailed killers driven to decimate the adult population with killer hugs. You might recognize actor Martin Shakar from his earlier role as the conflicted priest/older brother of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.

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Deranged (1974)

Distributed through American International Pictures, 1974s Deranged was a Canadian/U.S. co-production which told the tale of the profoundly disturbed Ezra Cobb. After the death of his mother, Cobb became completely unhinged, first digging up body parts and corpses from the local cemetery for decorations in his home before then killing local women to further his cause. Deranged was based on the real life exploits/horror story of Ed Gein's morbid and murderous ways in Wisconsin.

Co-directed by Jeff Gillen and Alan (Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, Deathdream) Ormsby,  Deranged also had Bob (Porky's, A Christmas Story, Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, Deathdream) Clark working as an uncredited producer on the film.

Veteran actor Roberts Blossom plays Ezra Cobb and among his many film credits he is often most remembered as the foul tempered old man who sells Arnie the title car in Christine or as Old Man Marley, the scary neighbor who with a shovel smack down, saves Kevin from the evil doers in Home Alone. 

Sorry about the French subtitles on the feature.

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the making of...

The Vault of Horror (1973) - Repost

Repost with updated movie link.

Amicus Productions followed up on 1972s Tales From the Crypt with director Roy Ward Baker's 1973 horror anthology The Vault of Horror.

Vault follows the anthology structure of Tales, using stories/ideas from the namesake EC Comics as well. Milton Subotsky adapted and wrote the screenplay. Many familiar faces from British/Hammer films appear, such as Anna Massey (Peeping Tom, Frenzy), Denholm Elliott (Alfie, Trading Places) or Tom Baker (The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Dr. Who). While still an engaging horror show, the film's overall mood is somewhat lighter than Tales, with the story concerning an uptight neatnik providing some subtle comic relief.

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The Evictors (1979)

American film maker Charles B. Pierce is quite the auteur, with his involvement including credits for acting, cinematography, set decoration, producing, screenwriting, and directing. All this was done outside of the Hollywood studio system and many credit him as being one of the first modern independent filmmakers. His career spanned just over twenty five years, during which he directed thirteen films with The Legend of Boggy Creek (1973) and The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) being two of his most widely viewed titles.

Highlighted here is an often over looked film from Pierce, 1979s The Evictors. Much like his earlier film The Town That Dreaded Sundown, The Evictors tells a horror/crime tale in an almost documentary, "matter-of-fact" style and also pays great attention to period details from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.

In The Evictors, a rural house with a violent, but initially hidden past is purchased during World War II by a couple (Michael Parks and Jessica Harper) from the possibly shadier then he seems realtor (Vic Morrow). Things take a decidedly sinister turn as a creepy note is left in the newcomers mailbox and soon after an intruder begins menacing them.

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Tales From The Crypt (1972) - Repost

Tales From The Crypt 

(1972) 

Directed by Freddie Francis

Screenplay written by Milton Subotsky 

The 1972 UK filmed horror anthology Tales from the Crypt is one of my favorite examples of combining Christmas themes within a horror film. The first segment presents a not so innocent Joan Collins enduring the pursuits of a murderous man in a Santa suit. 

As horror anthologies go, this is a favorite; with many of the Hammer/Amicus film folks (on and off screen) participating in the production. The Amicus crew also followed this with 1973s Vault of Horror, another horror compendium based on EC comics. 

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Terror Train (1980)

The slasher movie Terror Train is notable for taking place almost entirely on a moving train as well as for the cast members and director.

This was Roger Spottiswoode's first movie as a director and it came immediately after his editing the two Sam Peckinpah films Straw Dogs and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Spottiswoode's next film as a director was The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper.

Jamie Lee Curtis helped cement her scream status with this role. Former rodeo champ and stuntman turned actor Ben Johnson brought a steel eyed gravitas to his role as the doomed trains conductor. Also, the films Canadian producers inserted magician David Copperfield into the film as a magician who both performs and becomes a suspect.

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Death Ship (1980) - Repost

Repost with working trailer and feature.

I've always dug this 1980 floating haunted house movie Death Ship, directed by Alvin Rakoff as one of the many Canadian tax shelter cinematic ventures. Worthy of note is that favorite Jack Hill participated in writing the screenplay.

After their cruise ship has been rammed and sunk, a lifeboat full of survivors comes into contact with the rusting hulk of an aged freighter. Far from a rescue vessel, it's not long after everyone is on board that the ship's dark past creates terror and trouble for all.

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Blood Beach (1980)

"Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water - you can't get to it." 

John Saxon and Burt Young chew the scenery as frustrated detectives while beach goers increasingly get chewed up by Blood Beach. It's an enjoyable horror romp which might have benefited from a little humor/camp and continues the Jaws inspired terror at the beach theme found in other films such as Tintorera: Killer Shark (1977) or Piranha (1978). A U.S. co-production with Sir Run Run Shaw, Blood Beach was distributed by The Jerry Gross Organization and also features a score from Gil Melle (The Andromeda Strain, Night Gallery, Columbo, Killdozer). 

Director and co-writer Jeffrey Bloom was originally a professional magician but went on to extensive television work including episodes of The Dark Room series as well as other films such as Nightmares (1983) and Flowers in the Attic (1987).

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Scream of the Wolf (1974)

Written by Richard Matheson (The Night Stalker, Duel, I Am Legend) and directed by Dan Curtis (Dark Shadows, Trilogy of Terror, Burnt Offerings, The Winds of War), is 1974 made for television movie Scream of the Wolf.

A series of brutal murders are committed with evidence at the scene indicating the possible involvement of a large wolf. A retired big game hunter (played by Peter Graves) is called in to assist in hunting down the killer but gets little help from a suspicious local pro-hunter (Clint Walker). Great use is made of nighttime visits through fog shrouded forests.

Peopletoys (1974) aka Devil Times Five

A bizarre and brutal seventies horror/exploitation film, Peopletoys follows what happens when a van carrying a group of extremely disturbed youngsters crashes off an icy mountain road. The children make their way to a lodge populated by a relatively annoying assortment of wealthy and/or unpleasant folks. The family and their group welcome the little wanderers into the warm and inviting home but come to regret this decision after both the telephone and power cut out while the adults begin meeting violent ends.

Sorrell Booke is (for me) the most notable face among the cast; seen here five years prior to his blockbuster role as Boss Hogg on the Dukes of Hazzard. A very young Leif Garrett plays one of the murderous children, his sister Dawn Lyn also plays one of the youngsters, and their mother Carolyn Stellar is also among the film's cast.

Peopletoys was a work horse exploitation film and was re-released multiple times under different titles such as Devil Times Five, The Horrible House on the Hill, and Tantrums.

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Devil Times Five (1974) by TheCryptoCrew