Tuesday, October 31: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
Before I
get into talking about the last movie of October, I just want
to reiterate that you can meet Phantasm's
"Tall Man" himself, Angus
Scrimm in person!
Angus will
be appearing on December 13, 14 & 15 at the Pioneer
Theater on 155 East 3rd Street, NYC during the NYC theatrical
run of Automatons
(2006). These shows will sell out, so buy
your tickets now!
I believe
Halloween should be celebrated with a classic. Any Universal
monster film will do, but this year I'll go with something
slightly more recent. No, not CanniBallistic
(2002), but George
A. Romero's breakthrough zombie film Night
of the Living Dead (1968).
This movie
may seem a little too obvious, given the glut of zombie films
over the past few years, but I'm really excited about tonight's
showing of the film on G4
TV, hosted by Mark
Borchardt and Mike
Schank. Yeah, the film will be interrupted with commercials
and such, but I love these guys so much that I'm delighted to
see them anytime and anyplace. Of course, you can always just
record the broadcast, watch NOTLD
uninterrupted on DVD and then watch the boys’ comments
later on, while fast forwarding through everything else.
I have to
admit, that's most likely what we'll be doing. If that's the
case, I suggest a marathon of all
of the Dead films -- Night of the Living (1968), Dawn
(1978), Day
(1985) and the underrated Land
of the Dead (2005). You may want to start really early,
or better yet, call in sick from work tomorrow. You'll probably
need to anyway after eating all of that candy. Happy Halloween!
Monday,
October 30: Only One More Day
It's the
end of the month and my "Horror Films to Watch in October"
for this year doesn't seem be any shorter. My list for you isn't
either. So before the month is over, you should watch Elvis
fight an ancient mummy in Bubba
Ho-tep (2002), witness an entire town's dead come back to
live with their loved ones in the French art-horror film They
Came Back (2004) and see Michael
Ironside dress like a girl and go on a killing spree in
the hospital slasher Visiting
Hours (1982).
I have to
confess that I didn't watch any horror movies this weekend.
But last night Chris G. and I went to see Jerry
Only, Dez
Cadena and Robo
power through a a set of classic Glenn
Danzig-era Misfits
songs peppered with some vintage Black
Flag. Not the worst way to get into the Halloween spirit.
Friday,
October 27: House of Pain
Automatons
(2006) will be playing twice this weekend at
the 1st
Annual Independent Film Festival for Ya'll North Texas in
Wichita Falls:
| Saturday,
October 28th, 1:30 pm:
Wichita Theater
919 Indiana Street
Wichita Falls, TX |
Sunday,
October 29th, 8:15 pm:
McClurkan's Mall - Main Floor
10th & Scott Street
Wichita Falls, TX |
Today's
movie is Island
of Lost Souls (1933), starring Charles
Laughton & Bela
Lugosi. This is THE best adaptation of H.G.
Wells' "The
Island Of Dr Moreau" ever. You know the story: Some
folks are shipwrecked on an island where a mad doctor is creating
manimals and all hell breaks loose.
Kathleen
Burke, who plays the Panther Woman, got the part as a result
of a widely-publicized,
"American Idol"-style, nation-wide search to cast
an unknown beauty in the role. She spent the next five years
playing several other small parts in various films.
This film
is required viewing for any fan of horror or classic cinema.
Why it still hasn't been released on DVD in the US is beyond
me. Anyway, it doesn't matter -- find
it on VHS or DVD-R and watch it now.
Thursday,
October 26: Scary Stuff
Halloween
is quickly approaching and I'm way behind again. Here are the
films of the week:
One thing
a really appreciate about my friend Max
is that whenever he's doing any sort of promotional stuff for
his books, The
Zombie Survival Guide & World
War Z, he always makes a point of crediting and thanking
George
A. Romero for all that he's done for the genre.
Yes, Romero
has given us the best zombie films ever made, but he also made
a great vampire film, Martin
(1977), which is as good as his best zombie work. Smart,
well written, and including a cameo performance from Romero
himself, Martin is the story of a bloodthirsty teen who may
or may not be a vampire. A compelling film from a true master.
Dark
Waters (1994) is a quiet, hallucinogenic Argento-esque
film featuring some amazing imagery and creepy nuns. A woman
finds herself held captive at ancient convent where and even
older secret lives. A strange and mesmerizing film.
Burt
Young plays "Gimpy, the hunchback" in the no-budget
slasher Carnival
of Blood (1970). That alone should sell you on this one.
Shot in Coney Island, the film features an amusement park ride
where women go in, but they don't come out. It’s trashy
fun in the spirit of H.G.
Lewis and Ray
Dennis Steckler's movies.
As we learned
the other day, "Alucard" is "Dracula" spelled
backward. Alucarda
(1978) has no direct connection infamous bloodsucker, however.
It's another film set in a convent, where we find a girl who's
into Satan worship and vampirism, like all good catholic schoolgirls.
Mexican film legend Claudio
Brook plays dual roles in the film.
I'm not
the biggest Jean
Rollin fan, but I love his film Night
of the Hunted (1980). Rollin leaves his stock lesbian vampires
behind as he ventures into Cronenberg
territory, taking us to a secret complex filled with brain damaged
"zombies". More of a weird thriller than an outright
horror film, the movie still delivers plenty of chills via its
creepy atmosphere and tone.
Those should
keep you busy until tomorrow...
Saturday,
October 21: Drac Jr.
Thanks to
everyone who came out to The
Brattle to see Automatons
(2006) Friday night!!!
What is
it about vampires and real estate scams? In Son
of Dracula (1943), one of the better Universal classic monster
sequels of the 1940's, Lon
Chaney Jr. travels to the southern United States, trying
to pass himself off as a "Count Alucard". "Alucard"
is "Dracula" spelled backwards, get it? I guess he
wanted to get caught. Yes, he's really the legendary vampire
Count Dracula, who has come to set up house in America in order
to get his fangs on fresh blood. But a local lady has her own
plans for the old Count...
Wearing
a look more of that of the Dracula from the novels rather that
that established by Lugosi's bloodsucking count, Chaney gives
a mixed performance that works better when he's not speaking.
I'm not being cruel here, it's just that he has a lot of presence
when he's being quietly menacing, as opposed to speaking Dracula’s
lines with that gentle voice of his. But still, he's far better
than one would expect, in this often ignored entry in the Dracula
series.
Son of Dracula
is showing on AMC
this month on Tuesday the 24th and Monday the 30th.
Friday,
October 20: One Night Only!
Today's
horror movie is our own current ScareFlick,
Automatons
(2006). It's playing tonight at The
Brattle Theatre, where I've saw so many great films over
the ten years that I lived in Boston.
If you can't
get to the Brattle tonight (and there's really no excuse for
you not to go, no matter where you live), the film currently
has screenings booked in New York and North Texas, with more
to come.
In case
you didn't know, Automatons is a black & white horror /
sci-fi feature from MonsterPants
Movies & Glass
Eye Pix, starring Christine
Spencer, Brenda
Cooney & Angus
Scrimm with John
Anthony Blake, Don
Wood and Larry
Fessenden. This screening, part of The
Boston Fantastic Film Festival, will be Automatons US premiere.
I, the ever-so-humble writer/director, will be attending the
screening:
The
Brattle Theatre
40 Brattle St, Harvard Square
Cambridge Massachusetts
Friday, October 20 at 10:00pm
Tickets are $10.00 at the door, or can be ordered in advance
online.
Here are
the dates for the upcoming screenings:
TEXAS
PREMIERE:
Independent
Film Festival of North Texas
Wichita Falls, Texas
Saturday, October 28th, 1:30 pm:
Wichita Theater
919 Indiana Street
Sunday, October 29th, 8:30 pm:
McClurkan's Mall - Main Floor
10th & Scott Street
NEW YORK CITY THEATRICAL RUN:
Pioneer
Theater
155 East 3rd Street, NYC
December 13th - 26th, 9:00 pm
(no show X-mas day)
Cast, crew and robots will be present for screenings early in
the run
(Angus Scrimm will be there on the 13th, 14th & 15th), so
buy
your tickets now!
Thursday,
October 19: Poor Piggy
Hey kid!
You like cartoons? Check this
one out and then give it a 5-star rating. I
dare you.
Not only
is the Belgian horror known as Calvaire
(2004) out on DVD this month, it's also currently playing
on the Sundance
Channel.
Sort of
a cross between Misery
(1990) and Deliverance
(1972), the story is about a washed-up singer who's van
breaks down in the woods, leaving him at the mercy of a lonely
innkeeper. Sometimes hard to watch (the film is also known as
"The Ordeal"), this is a true "horror" movie.
Wednesday,
October 18: Great Price!
My Monday
night at The
Pioneer was actually a double feature. Before seeing Frankensteins
Bloody Nightmare (2006), I was treated to a screening of
Roger
Corman's The
Haunted Palace (1963), starring one of my all-time heroes,
Vincent
Price.
Adapted
from "The
Case of Charles Dexter Ward", this is the first film
ever to be based on the works of H. P. Lovecraft. Lon
Chaney Jr. and Elisha
Cook play supporting roles, and Debra
Paget is simply stunning as Vincent's leading lady.
What a delight
to see old Vincent & Lon Jr. mixing it up with Elder Gods
on the big screen. Thank you Pioneer!
Tuesday,
October 17: Super-duper 8
This Saturday,
Jeremiah
Kipp's creepy little short, The
Pod (2006), of which I'm a proud co-producer, has its festival
premiere at the NYC
Horror Film Festival. The screening is part of Program
5, beginning at 12 noon. Buy
your tickets now, it will sell out.
You'll get another chance to see this film on Sunday, Oct. 29
at Anthology
Film Archives (on 2nd Ave. & 2nd St, NYC) with six new
horror shorts by local filmmakers. The screening is at 7:30pm,
admission is $6.
Last
night I went to The
Pioneer to check out a film that I've been waiting months
to see. Like the movie I wrote about yesterday, John
R. Hand's debut Frankensteins
Bloody Nightmare (2006), is a feature length effort show
on super-8mm. Hand, being ten years older than Nathan
Schiff was when he made Weasels
Rip My Flesh (1979), delivers sophisticated and experimental
brand of horror, that brings to mind avant-garde films of the
1960's & 70's. The wild visuals are accompanied by a striking
electronic score, created by Hand himself (under the moniker
"The Greys") that you will all be able to delight
to in 5.1 surround sound when it comes out on DVD from Unearthed
Films next year. But try and see it before that if you have
an opportunity.
Monday,
October 16: Food of the Gods
Automatons
(2006) just got its first web review (that I'm aware of)
at Entertainment
Insiders, courtesy of Adam Barnick. Please
have a look!
Shot on
super-8 by 17-year-old Nathan
Schiff on a budget of a few hundred dollars, Weasels
Rip My Flesh (1979) is a film that makes the works of Andy
Milligan look polished by comparison.
Unlike Milligan's
films, the plot (about toxic waste from Venus mutating the local
rodent population into killer monsters) moves along at a nice
clip, climaxing with of the greatest movie endings of all time.
I mean it. This final scene is worth sitting through the preceding
56 minutes, even if you don't appreciate the rough production
values (such as fake wood-paneled Long Island living rooms being
passed off as high-tech laboratories). The shot-on-DV low budget
films of today just don't have the no-budget charm of a film
like this.
If you like
slick production values, coherent storytelling and competent
acting, Weasels Rip My Flesh is definitely not for you. If you
like guys with big bushy mustaches, you may love this film.
Available on DVD
from Image
Entertainment.
Sunday,
October 15: Automatons Invasion: Boston
I'm
pleased to announce that our film, Automatons
(2006), will be having its US premiere at one of my favorite
theaters, The
Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square. This is the place that
I saw so many of the films that inspired our movie. Automatons
is screening as part of the Boston
Fantastic Film Festival 2006 this Friday, October 20 at
10:00 pm:
The
Brattle Theatre
40 Brattle St, Harvard Square
Cambridge Massachusetts
Friday, October 20 at 10:00 pm
Tickets are $10.00 at the door
or can be ordered in advance online
I've
been away form the computer, thanks to a ton of "real life"
business that needed to be attended to, but I have seen a few
films. Here are the horror movies for the last few days:
Hammer
Films' Karnstein Trilogy comes to a close with Twins
of Evil (1971). This is my personal favorite in the series.
Peter
Cushing gets one of the best roles of his career at Hammer
as an 18th century, bible-thumping, witch hunter who's foxy
twin nieces come to stay with him. One girl is the "good
twin" who stays home and says her prayers, while the other
is the "evil twin" who sneaks out at night and gets
involved with the wicked Count Karnstein. Not that there's supposed
to be any continuity in this series, but I imagine this one
as a prequel, as we only see Mircalla / Carmilla for a few moments,
when she transforms the Count from a mere mortal to full-fledged
vampire. 1970's Hammer at its finest.
As
with Lucky
McKee's The
Woods (2006), I've been waiting what seem like ages for
the long-delayed release of Feast
(2005). I'm not saying that it's the kind of film that I'd
normally go for, but I was totally sucked into watching it being
made on "Project
Greenlight 3" and wanted to see how it came out. Overall,
pretty good. As seen on the TV show: yes, the script is pretty
bad and the cast is uneven. The editing is a little annoying
at times; including some "aren't we cool" split screens
and character intro titles that seem a tad derivative and amateurish.
That's the bad stuff. The good part is that John
Gulager really did a great job with what was given (and
in some cases, forced upon) him. Fast-paced and AMAZINGLY gory,
Feast isn't half-bad. I can't say that for many, if any, films
in its class. Out on DVD this coming Tuesday.
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Creepy
low-budget 1970's classic, Lemora:
A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (1975) is a quite story
about a little girl's loss of innocence, set against a backdrop
of a war between vampires and werewolves. At least, I think
they're werewolves. Anyway, that description alone should have
you heading for the video store already.
I'm
not a huge fan of anthology films, but I do love José
Mojica Marins. The
Strange World of Coffin Joe (1968) is made up of three films
directed by the Brazilian director. The first is a standard
EC
horror type of story about a group of men who attack a doll
maker and his daughters in their home. The second is an odd
little silent film called "Obsession". The final stars
Marins himself as a sadistic "Scientist", remarkably
similar to Marin’s infamous evil undertaker character.
More of the same dime store brutality that we've come to expect
from Marins.
Legendary
Mexican genre director Chano Urueta gives us the amazing gothic,
The
Witch's Mirror (1962), which blends several genre conventions
to create something entirely unique. An unfaithful doctor kills
his innocent wife in order to marry another woman. Little does
he know that his own housekeeper is actually witch, sworn to
avenge her former mistress' murder.
Elements
reminiscent of Eyes
Without a Face (1960), Mad
Love (1935) and several Edgar
Allen Poe stories all work together in this spooky and atmospheric
classic from south of the border.
Tuesday,
October 10: Lust to Dust
When Hammer
Studios realized that they had a hit on their hands with
The
Vampire Lovers (1970), they rushed into production on a
sequel. Some might say that the production of Lust
for a Vampire (1971) was a somewhat cursed. Just before
filming commenced, Hammer's ace director Terence
Fisher broke his leg and Jimmy
Sangster, primarily a screenwriter at the time, was called
in to replace him. Peter
Cushing, who was cast as the leading male hero, had to bow
out at the last minute, due to his wife taking ill. Ralph
Bates replaced him.
Ingrid
Pitt, who played the vampiress Mircalla (aka Carmilla)
was also unavailable. Yutte
Stensgaard took her place. Even the silent and mysterious
"Man in Black" was played by a different actor than
in the first film. Christopher
Lee look-alike Mike
Raven assumed the role created by John
Forbes-Robertson, but this time the character had a name
("Count Karnstein") and some dialogue. Years later,
Raven would blame his resemblance to Lee for his inability to
become a big-name horror star. But as Hammer chose to overdub
all of his lines in Lust for a Vampire using the voice of Valentine
Dyall, one has to wonder if there were other reasons. Adding
insult to injury, during come of Count Karnstein's biggest scenes,
the studio edited in close ups of Lee's bloodshot eyes from
an earlier Dracula film and try to pass them off as Raven's.
Although
it's a sequel, the story works on its own does not require the
viewer to have seen the first film. Our vampire lady is also
much more passive than she was in The Vampire Lovers, and mostly
heterosexual. Like many Hammer films of the 1970's, the satanic
aspects of vampirism and the supernatural are played up, to
cash in on current trends. But the main focus in this film is
again sex, rather than horror.
The
folks on Hammer just rushed in too quickly to get this one out
and as a result, Lust for a Vampire is a somewhat disappointing
sequel, but still worth a viewing, especially for those who
like their gothic horror with a dash of soft core. Did I mention
that it's set in an all-girls finishing school?
Monday,
October 9: Lady of the Night
I
saw a movie this evening that scared the Hell out of me. No,
it wasn't a horror film, it was the documentary, Jesus
Camp (2006), about a summer camp where kids are sent to
become Christian soldiers willing to lay down their lives for
the Lord. It was amazing to see what "loving Christians"
will put their children through in order to forward their own
political agenda.
I
prefer imaginary monsters...
Loosely
based on Joseph
Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, The
Vampire Lovers (1970) is the first in Hammer
Film's Karnstein Trilogy. Some consider this one of the
best vampire offerings from the great British horror studio,
while others regard it as "the beginning of the end"
of Hammer's glory days.
Ingrid
Pitt stars as the world's premiere lesbian bloodsucker who
moves from household to household, seducing the young ladies
of the manor before draining them dry. The film favors soft
core sex over outright scenes of horrific violence and
was the one of the films that helped launch the lesbian vampire sub-genre
of 1970's European sexploitation cinema.
Peter
Cushing appears the uncle of Camilla's first victim and
Kate
O'Mara has a supporting role as the governess of the vampiresses
next meal. George
Cole is our dashing male hero. John
Forbes-Robertson lurks around in the side lines as the silent
"Man in Black", a character whose presence is never
explained in the film.
Not
the most horrific of vampire films, but still a worthwhile entry
in Hammer's cannon of gothic terrors.
Sunday,
October 8: Firecrotch
I'm
a huge fan of Lucky
McKee's film May
(2002) and have been waiting oh-so patiently for his follow
up, The
Woods (2006), to be released. After floating around for
two years or so in movie limbo, the film has finally come out
-- not with a wide theatrical release, as it should have received,
but direct to DVD.
Starring
Patricia
Clarkson, Bruce
Campbell and Agnes
Bruckner, The Woods is a stylish supernatural thriller set
in a girl's boarding school circa 1965. It's has a solid story
and is the most beautifully filmed horror movies I've seen since
A
Tale of Two Sisters (2003). Buy
or rent it now, so that the DVD makes a lot of money, hopefully
giving Mr. McKee get the respect he deserves.
In
non-Halloween nerd news, the BBC has been airing the trailer
for the new Doctor Who spin-off series, Torchwood.
It doesn't look so bad.
Saturday,
October 7: Wake Up Dead
Now
here's a film that could give Spookies
(1987) a run for its money in a weirdest horror movie ever
made contest -- Death
Bed: The Bed That Eats (1977). The title explains it all,
but it's the execution of the film's premise that so amazing.
The
majority of the story takes place in one room, as various folks
find themselves wandering into an abandoned cellar in the middle
of the woods for a quick lie down. A ghostly narrator (and former
victim of the carnivorous bed) describes every action in the
film in great detail. But his is not the only voice over. The
thoughts of virtually every character in the film are broadcast
out loud, describing their every move as they perform it, making
this a great film to watch with your vision impaired friends.
It's
obvious from characters' clothing, that the film was shot in
1972, but as the director explains in his introduction on the
DVD, it took them 5 years to finish the film, thus the 1977
completion date.
Moments
of mind-numbing tedium alternate with ones of mind-blowing awesomeness
in this weird dream-like movie that offers up plenty of gore,
nudity and inane dialogue.
I'm
sorry, I just don't have the words to properly describe this
oddity. All I can say is that if you haven't seen Death Bed:
The Bed That Eats, you must right away. This is an amazingly
bizarre film.
Not
to be confused with the recent direct-to-video title Deathbed
(2002).
Friday,
October 6: Sheepish
For
years now, I've been making up this long "horror movies
to watch this October" list for myself. Although my taste
tends to lean toward independent and low budget films made before
1980, I do try and put as much variety as I can into it by adding
several more recent movies. This year, I put Cry_Wolf
(2005) on this list. I had intended on seeing it last year,
but the thing didn't stay in theaters long enough for me to
catch it.
Which
is too bad, because this movie isn't one those glossy pieces
of crap thrown together to cash in on the current horror craze
that glut the multiplexes these days. Cry_Wolf is a fairly engaging
suspense/thriller that uses the slasher/serial killer as one
of many plot points rather than as the story's only motivating
device. In fact, the film is all story -- there's very little
violence or gore at all (sorry).
The
film takes place in an elite private school where a certain
clique decides to use the panic created by a recent murder to
play a prank on the rest of the students. Of course, things
go horribly wrong, the "kids" start to turn on one
another and people die. I put "kids" in quotes in
that last sentence because in true hollywood fashion, the actors
playing the students in film look only a little more like they're
high school age than I do, including the adorable Lindy
Booth, age 26.
Former
Tiger
Beat cover boy Jon
Bon Jovi does a nice job as playing a teacher. He's cool,
not scary. What's really scary about this film is the normally
talented Gary
Cole's fake British accent. Yikes. Fortunately, he doesn't
talk much in the film.
Thursday,
October 5: AUTOMATONS Take Texas!
This
Halloween weekend, Automatons
(2006)
will be playing in North Texas as part of the IFFYNTX
film festival! Here are the details:
Saturday,
October 28th, 1:30 pm:
Wichita Theater
919 Indiana Street
Wichita Falls, Texas
|
Sunday,
October 29th, 8:30 pm:
McClurkan's Mall - Main Floor
10th & Scott Street
Wichita Falls, Texas
|
And
now, today's movie:
For
many Hammer
Horrorphiles, The
Witches (1966) is a favorite. It's certainly one of the
studio's best films that doesn't feature Dracula or Doctor Frankenstein.
Similar
in feeling and tone to The
Wicker Man (1973) and Rosemary's
Baby (1968) at times, the story follows Joan
Fontaine as a schoolteacher recovering from a nervous breakdown
who takes a job in a remote little village. As is the formula
for this type of film, there is something strange going on in
this quaint town and our nervous heroine must get to the bottom
of it
Kay
Walsh gives a wonderful performance as the village sophisticate
in this creepy 1960's classic horror-thriller. Based on the
book, "The
Devil's Own" by Nora Lofts & Peter Curtis.
Wednesday,
October 4: My Dreams Hurt
Visions
of Suffering (2006) is a shot-on-video hallucination from
up-and-coming Russian director Andrey
Iskanov. Once you get past the lengthy and tacky opening
credit sequence, one finds a pretty interesting and ambitious
film that brings to mind early works of David
Lynch, Jan
Svankmajer and Shinya
Tsukamoto.
The
movie is roughly about the blending of dreams (or rather, nightmares)
and reality. The subject matter alone should immediately make
Visions of Suffering of interest to anyone with a love for bizarre
cinema and opens things up within the film, allowing anything
can happen. A group of characters are plagued by nightmares,
which they give in to using drugs or sheer force of will. This
submission allows their nighttime demons, (or “vampires”
as they are referred to here) to physically enter the waking
world. Actually, my description makes the film's plot sound
far more straightforward than it really is. In truth, the movie
plays out much more like an actual dream, often not making any
real sense.
Now,
I am an extremely patient viewer, but the filmmakers could have
cut a half hour out of this 120-minute mini-epic. The movie
really sags in the middle while introducing us to the decadent
world of a particular nightclub. It’s the least interesting
subplot in the film and nothing we haven’t seen in films
before. Also, some of the digital video effects in the film
are pretty cheesy, but the amazing practical and stop-motion
FX more than make up for them.
All
and all, if you watch one experimental-surrealist-horror-vampire-gore-drug
movie this Halloween season, make it this little Russian gem.
Tuesday,
October 3: Bat Attack!
The
Roost (2004) comes out on DVD
today.
Killer,
bats, zombies and a late-70's sleepover horror party vibe --
what more could you ask for? Okay, I'm a little biased, since
I worked on it, but forget about me -- the film has received
some amazing views. Go out and rent or buy
it today and don't forget to check out those bonus features!!!
Monday,
October 2: Grave Warning
In
1970's Southern California, somewhere between Count
Yorga and the work of Dan
Curtis, lies Grave
of the Vampire (1974). Michael
Pataki, who usually plays cops and thugs, is cast against
type as an ancient vampire (that's just my opinion, he would
again play a vampire in Zoltan:
Hound of Dracula (1978) four years later) and rapist who
prays on students at a state university. The rest of the cast
are as rough and long in the tooth as the film's lead, making
Michael Pataki an easier sell in a role that could've been written
for a much more debonair actor.
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The
film begins several decades in the past, though the period work
is so half-assed, it's hard to tell if you're looking at the
1950's or the 1970's. Even the later episodes of Happy
Days were more convincing than this film. Anyway, it is
in this anachronistic period that we witness our vampire rise
from the grave and rape a young woman, who survives the attack.
During the creepiest segment of the film, she gives birth to
the child and nurses him using her own blood.
Flash
forward to the present, where the son has grown up and hunts
down his vampire/rapist father, who now teaches -- you guessed
it-- night school. That's one of the many unintentional laughs
(or groans) found here.
The
film is available as a bargain
bin DVD and has recently been playing on Showtime.
Sunday,
October 1: Happy October
It's
here! The best time of the year!!!
All
October long I'll be saying a word or two about a horror movie
a day. Sometimes it will be what I'm watching for my pre-Halloween
celebration, and other days I'll just be making recommendations
for your viewing pleasure.
I've
often mentioned my love for amphibious monsters -- Fishmen,
Gillmen, etc. So I'll start out the month with a film starring
The Creature from the Black Lagoon's ugly saltwater cousin,
The
Monster of Piedras Blancas (1959).
Being
a much smaller budget production than the Universal classic,
this film had to give audiences a little more than the big studios
could in the form of graphically described off screen murders
and some shocking (for 1959) on screen decapitations!
The
plot isn't worth going into, except that it starts off as a
Scooby Doo-type mystery where you're almost convinced that the
monster is just going to end up being a local hoaxer with an
axe to grind. Thankfully, that's not the case -- there's a real
monster here, with the body of the aforementioned Gillman and
the face of a road accident.
Not
a bad little film and surprisingly violent for its time. Les
Tremayne ("mentor" from the Shazam!
TV series) stars as the smartest man in town.
