Category: Classic Horror

A Trailer a Day Keeps the Boogeyman Away! Darkness Unleashed!

Dark Intruder 1965

Dark Intruder is a 1965 television movie directed by Harvey Hart and written by Barré Lyndon. Set in 1960s San Francisco, the film follows a series of gruesome murders that leave the police struggling to solve the bizarre crimes that appear to be linked to dark occult rituals. They enlist the help of Brett Kingsford, an urbane occultist/criminologist played by Leslie Nielsen, who is as charismatic as he is roguish. Kingsford poses as a wealthy playboy and encounters a mix of interesting characters, including Peter Mark Richman and Judi Meredith (The Night Walker 1964, Queen of Blood 1964), uncovering dark secrets connected to the city’s history and a demon that emerges from a mystical statue left at each crime scene

Devils of Darkness 1965

Devils of Darkness is a 1965 British horror film that uses vampire lore and satanic ritual themes. Lance Comfort directs with an atmosphere typical of the 1960s British vibe. It stars William Sylvester as Paul Baxter, Hubert Noël as Sinistre, and Carole Gray as Tania. It was written by Lyn Fairhurst and was Comfort’s last feature film.

A group of British tourists on holiday finds themselves in a perilous situation when Count Sinistre, a vampire who leads a secret Satanic cult in a small French village executed in the sixteenth century for his profane acts, rises from the grave. He unleashes his cult upon the unsuspecting tourists, killing three of them. Sinestre resurrects a gypsy girl named Tania, whom he has killed and taken as his bride.

One of the survivors, Paul Baxter, becomes suspicious of the supernatural nature of the deaths and decides to investigate. During his search for answers, Baxter acquires a bat-shaped talisman belonging to Count Sinistre. This prompts the Count to pursue Baxter back to England in an attempt to recover the talisman, murdering anyone connected to him.

And Soon the Darkness 1970

In And Soon the Darkness, a 1970 British thriller directed by Robert Fuest and written by Brian Clemens, is the taut story of two beautiful young English nurses, Jane (Pamela Franklin) and Cathy (Michele Dotrice), who embark on a cycling holiday touring the picturesque rural French countryside.

They stop at a cafe to chart out their next destination when Cathy catches the eye of the mysterious presence of a Frenchman named Paul (Sandor Elès). They hop on their bicycles and continue on their journey when Paul zooms past them on his motor scooter, only to park and wait for them on the side of the road up ahead.

After they peddle along their way, he stops to visit the grave of a young girl, a lovely young tourist who had been murdered three years ago.

The girl’s adventure takes a dark turn when they disagree about their plans. Jane wants to get going before it gets dark, and Cathy hopes to meet up with Paul again. The two quarrel and decide to split up. Jane stops at the local Cafe San Rivo, owned by Madame Lassal (Hana Maria Pravda), who warns Jane that the road is ‘bad,’ though she briefly waits for Cathy to catch up. When Jane returns to the spot where they last took a sojourn, she discovers that Cathy has vanished without a trace, having left her camera behind a trace. A menacing stranger has attacked and killed her. Paul suddenly shows up and becomes the prime suspect in Cathy’s disappearance.

As Jane frantically searches for her friend, she faces language barriers and growing paranoia in an unfamiliar rural community. The hostile locals and Paul’s suspicious behavior heighten Jane’s sense of dread. As she is being stalked, it is hard to know who to trust. The beauty of the unease Fuest creates is that it all takes place in broad daylight, creating an atmosphere of ironic, expansive claustrophobia amidst the vast open spaces of the French countryside. And Soon the Darkness is a suspenseful little psycho-sexual masterpiece penned by British fantasy television writer who created The Avengers and the cheeky little Daleks’ and – Doctor Who. And Fuest manages to attain a level of restrained 1970s shivers, a Hitchcockian landscape, though devoid of the campy, vividly colorful, psychological butterflies that Fuest saved for The Abominable Dr. Phibes duet and The Devil’s Rain in 1975.

Daughters of Darkness 1971

Daughters of Darkness is a 1971 erotic melancholic horror film directed by Harry Kümel (Malpertuis 1971); it is a German/French/Belgian production photographed with exquisite detail by Eduard van der Enden and art direction by Françoise Hardy. The story follows a newlywed couple, Stefan (John Karlen) and Valerie (Danielle Ouimet), who, after having a passionate love-making session on a train, head back from Sweden. Valerie is apprehensive about Stefan’s mother meeting her for the first time, so he suggests taking a room somewhere until he can make a call and prepare for his domineering mother, to whom he is newly married. They arrive at a nearly empty, opulent old hotel in Ostend, Belgium, while en route to England. learning they are the only guests except for two glamorous beauties. The sophisticated image of pure elegance – Countess Elizabeth Battori ‘Bathory’ (Delphine Seyrig) and her traveling companion, the sensuous, full-lipped nymphet Ilona (Andrea Rau).

The clerk is baffled by Battori’s appearance because she poses a remarkable resemblance to a woman who visited the hotel thirty years earlier, yet she hasn’t aged a bit. The couple takes an adjoining suite next to the mysterious pair while there is a series of gruesome crimes: four local girls who are found slaughtered. Also, Stefan seems to be fixated on the murders, while his taste for violent sex rises to new heights.

Stefan and Valerie’s stay takes a sinister turn once they encounter the enigmatic Countess, who is actually a modern-day incarnation of the infamous historical ‘Bathory,’ known for her gory torture of young girls.

While celebrating the luxuriations and pleasures of life, the four share drinks in the hotel lounge, where the Countess relates the story of the ‘Scarlett Countess’ and her sadistic appetites for the blood of hundreds of chained virgins. She not only drank their hot-flowing blood but bathed in its glorious crimson nectar after committing vile atrocities on these poor, helpless maidens. Stefan becomes fascinated and aroused by the details of slit throats… and worse. Valerie is deeply disturbed by the grim conversation.

As the couple becomes entangled with the Countess and her alluring secretary, Ilona, their dark secrets are revealed. They finally learn the truth about the two women who are actually vampires: Elizabeth, the ‘Scarlett Countess,’ and Ilona, one of her lovers. When Stefan beats Valerie with his belt after having sex, she leaves him but is met by the Countess at the train station.

Stefan makes love to Ilona and accidentally kills her when he drags her into the shower. Running water is lethal to vampires. When Valerie and Elizabeth return from the train station, they help Stefan dispose of Ilona’s body, and finally, the Countess seduces Valerie, whom she’s had her eye on from the beginning. Countess Elizabeth now has her new companion. The struggle over Valerie ensues til the climatic, poetic finale—a mesmeric tableau.

With its stylish cinematography and haunting atmosphere, Daughters of Darkness remains a cult classic in the genre. This is another film that calls to me to do a right full-length, The Last Drive In treatment. So stay tuned.

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark 1973

Released on October 10, 1973, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark led with the tagline: Now you see them… now you don’t… now you die!

Tiny demonic imps living in a Victorian house terrorize Sally (Kim Darby), married to up-and-coming advertising executive and workaholic Alex Farnham (Jim Hutton), who have just moved in. Sally has inherited the house from her grandmother. The secret of this Victorian portal to the bowels of a hellish domain, the entrance, which is a bolted fireplace in her grandfather’s dingy study, is linked to his volatile relationship with the sadistic little creatures – before he disappeared. Sally is hell-bent, literally, on redecorating with garish appeal, insisting on opening up the locked room, which leads to all the trouble.

Only when Alex is out of the house do the little menacing prune-faced imps play head games, taunting and threatening her while they impatiently wait for the time when she will truly come home. Handyman William Demarest, as cantankerous as ever, continues to urge Sally not to meddle in things better left locked away, but she does not heed his warning. “Some things are better left unopened.”

She hires Pedro Armendariz to tear open the bricked-up fireplace, but he soon pays for it when these horrific little creatures rig up a chord on the stairs meant to break Sally’s neck. The atmosphere of paranoia sets the mood, as no one else sees them, though they pop up everywhere while taking a shower, at a dinner party, and through the staircase. Alex angrily suggests she see a doctor. Barbara Anderson, who plays her best friend, doesn’t even believe her until the very end when it’s too late. Their little Greek chorus, calling her name in whispered tones, “free free free… set us free!” haunt the shadowy darkness as they hate the light—even flash bulbs and lit candles.

Sally is a frustrating, stubborn sort of person who just doesn’t leave when she knows she’s not imagining things, and her dismissive husband refuses to listen. I love to watch this every Halloween, and I can’t resist calling, sitting on my couch, yelling at Sally, the idiot, for just not getting out of the house. Even at the end,… taking sleeping pills and taking a nap on the bed when she is an inch away from being dragged down the darkened hole to nowhere, only to become a whispering tone in the shadows… herself. There’s a great score by composer Vic Mizzy, and one of the imps was played by Felix Silla, who was The Addams Family’s hirsute little character who squeaks and tribbles – ‘Cousin It.’

The Dark Secrets of Harvest Home 1978

Leo Penn directed, and Jack Laird produced this NBC miniseries, The Dark Secrets of Harvest Home. It’s a very atmospheric, folksy horror tale about an urban family who relocates to a seemingly idyllic rural community with unsettling undercurrents. Much like the tranquility of rural life known by Hammer, the surroundings belie the dark secrets beneath its surface. Bette Davis, in a role she was determined to play ever since she had read Thomas Tryon’s (The Other) novel, delivers an unambiguous bond to her Hammer days with films like The Nanny; wearing a pastoral high-neck black dress, white bonnet, and owlish glasses, she captures the essence of the Widow Fortune. Sage and world-weary, outwardly benevolent, yet there is a trace of malice lurking beneath. The Widow presides over the quaint and provincial village of Cornwall Coombe, acting as many things. As their medicine woman, the elder, and the matron who guides the villagers with her strict council. It is this isolated way of life that appeals to the Constantines, who are the perfect archetypal disaffected city people, Nick (David Ackroyd) and Beth (Joanna Miles). Beth has a regular gig with her psychiatrist to help her deal with Nick’s straying, and their daughter Kate (Rosanna Arquette) suffers from anxiety-driven asthma attacks. Once the family is taken into the Widow’s matriarchal bosom, her spell seems to be the nostrum the family needs. Beth is free of her therapy, and Kate’s asthma is cured. But Nick starts to feel the tremors of something corrupting at its core and the facade of their cloyingly charming new life, and the residents of the Coombe are a bit too obsessed with exalting their traditions that make you wonder about the sacred self-reliance and hints – with a rather sinister tone – that no one ever leaves the Coombe. Note: the recordings that blind Robert Dodd listens to are voiced by Donald Pleasance.

The Dark 1979

Tobe Hooper and John ‘Bud’ Cardos direct The Dark 1979, starring William Devane, Cathy Lee Crosby, and Richard Jaekel, who are fighting some kind of monster who goes on a killing and mutilation spree only in the dark of the night. Frustrated by the clueless police, the father (Devane) of the first victim goes looking for answers.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow TV movie 1981

This made-for-TV chiller aired on CBS on October 24, 1981. The dapper burlap fellow above is Bubba (Larry Drake), an innocent, kindly man with an intellectual disability who is befriended by a little girl (Tonya Crowe). In a small Southern town, four vigilante farmers (including Robert F. Lyons) wrongfully execute him when they think he has harmed Marylee, who he actually saved from a dog attack.

But after the court sets them free, Bubba seemingly returns from the grave to exact revenge as inextricable accidents begin to kill them off one by one.

Writer/director Frank De Felitta (Audrey Rose 1977, The Entity 1982) directed this pretty nifty small television production. It is pretty drenched in atmosphere during its nighttime sequences, in particular, the scene where Bubba is hiding in a field disguised as a scarecrow, which will become the haunting embodiment of Bubba’s return. While I agree clowns are terrifying, scarecrows can have a similar effect on me!

Dark Night of the Scarecrow also features Jocelyn Brando as Bubba’s mother and Charles Durning as a postman who delivers more than the mail; he brings a special kind of nasty, viciousness, and bloodlust who instigated the torturous death against Bubba in the first place and adds more murder to cover his tracks.

Alone in the Dark 1982

First, here’s a quick note: I met with director Jack Sholder (who also wrote the story) a while back and will interview him once we both have the opportunity. As part of my feature on Sholder, I’ll give more of my commentary on this special horror film as well as some of his other work, The Hidden (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddie’s Revenge (1985), and 12:01 (1993).

Alone in the Dark is perhaps one of the most iconic representations of the best of 1980s horror with the finest of genre veterans who are the perfect hosts to entertain us with this bitingly satirical film!

In this superb horror thriller, down is up, and up is down – madness blurs as chaos reigns and the lunatics run the asylum. Dr. Daniel Potter (Dwight Schultz), a psychologist, arrives at the mental asylum known as “The Haven” to work under the eccentric and overindulgent Dr. Leo Bain (Donald Pleasence).

Potter is unaware that the most deranged of the inmates there—”Preacher” (Martin Landau), Colonel Hawks (Jack Palance), “Fatty” (Erland Van Lidth), and “The Bleeder” (Phillip Clark)—are convinced that Potter killed his predecessor and their friend, Dr. Harry Merton (Larry Pine).

This experimental hospital seeks to create a sanctuary for the insane where the rooms don’t have bars on their doors. The head doctor, Pleasance, is himself unhinged, and his fellow patients are referred to as voyagers.

Paranoia grips the violent inmates as they fear Potter might turn on them next. When a power outage strikes, these crazies seize their chance; they break out – arming themselves during a riot and looting before heading to the Potter’s white-bread suburban Springwood, New Jersey home.

Preacher — who likes to burn churches and people — kills a bicycle messenger en route and, gleefully, takes his hat! The group makes it to Potter’s house, where they set siege on the family.

Fatty, a psychotic child murderer, is mistaken as the babysitter of Potter’s daughter, Lyla, whom the sinister Colonel has murdered.

As part of the sharp cynicism of the film, the teenagers in Springwood worship a band called The Sick Fucks as they wield prop axes at their concerts. It’s a commentary on the normalization of violence in American pop culture.

The Dark Crystal 1982

From the magnificently prolific minds of Jim Henson and Frank Oz On comes the story of another planet in the distant past and a Gelfling who embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal and restore order to his world.

This is your EverLovin’ Joey saying: just keep those lights blazing. We’re not ready to audition for the next horror flick!

Grease To Grit: The Unforgettable Journey of Adrienne Barbeau -Part 2 Including My Interview!

Read Part 1 HERE

Adrienne Barbeau: A Bold New Chapter in 70s Television:

In the 1970s, television actors like Adrienne Barbeau faced significant barriers when transitioning to feature films; no one would consider hiring you, as the prevailing mindset was – why would audiences pay the price of a movie ticket to see an actor when they could just turn on their television and see them at home, for free.

Adrienne had a steady job from July through February every year and worked in New York for eight years prior without having had an agent, but once nominated for a Tony, she signed with Marvin Josephson at the Agency for the Performing Arts who negotiated the deal for Maude.

When she moved to L.A., her journey through various agencies was tumultuous and marked by a series of coincidences. She was told that she should be doing other things than Lear’s television series, like the popular viewing experience at that time, for instance, the movie of the week.

Adrienne meets Johnny Carson for the first time in a 1973 guest appearance.

Adrienne, during her 1976 hiatus from Maude, was now working with the Creative Artists Agency (one of the industry’s most powerful firms at the time). She demanded a commission for a gig opening for Roy Clark at Harrah’s, which she secured directly from Clark’s manager despite the fact that singing engagements were not part of her contract. She changed agencies once again.

Mike Ovitz, the cofounder of Creative Artists Agency (Ovitz transformed the negotiation of major deals in film, TV, music, and corporate media from the 1970s to the 1990s), was a major male chauvinist who considered women – “˜chattel.’ This was another reason she didn’t feel comfortable being represented by CAA.“Every time we spoke on the phone, I hung up, enraged or in tears. He didn’t have a clue, of course.”

Adrienne Barbeau on the gameshow in 1974 hosted Dick Clark with Tony Roberts appear on The $10,000 Pyramid New York NY ABC Studio Elysee Theater – Photo by ABC getty images-1231784707.

The Tonight Show – Adrienne Barbeau, John Wayne, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope with host Don Rickles: photo by Fred Sabine 1974 NBC UNIVERSAL via Getty Images.

Adrienne started singing again and appearing on live talk shows. Working on The Tonight Show was a big career boost, and she did many interviews with Johnny Carson. Adrienne recounts in her book how the co-originator working on the pre-interview for Carson’s show would scream and put pressure on Adrienne to show up early. It made her break out in hives. However, all the other cohosts, including Roy Clarke and George Carlin, were wonderful. Singing was the hardest part of her various guest appearances. She hadn’t sung since Maude’s telethon episodes or Grease.

Adrienne Barbeau as Daisy in the television biopic The Great Houdini in 1976.

In 1976, Adrienne Barbeau appeared as Daisy White in her first TV movie, The Great Houdini, which is a slight supernatural dramatization of the life and the rise to fame of the iconic magician and escape artist. The movie starred Paul Michael Glaser (80s television’s sensitive action hero cop Dave Starsky) as Harry Houdini and featured Adrienne as his beautiful assistant. This TV movie included Ruth Gordon and Peter Cushing. Adrienne had no scenes with these two great actors, so she didn’t get to spend any time with them. However, she did know Sally Struthers because of her work as Gloria on Norman Lear’s All in the Family. It also features Vivian Vance, who played Ethel Mertz, Lucy’s loyal and comedic sidekick in the iconic comedy series of the 1950s, I Love Lucy.

“The first job they (Creative Artists Agency) got me was Houdini, a TV movie with Paul Michael Glazer and Sally Struthers; I was to play Houdini’s mistress. After I accepted the offer, the agent called back to say they wanted to do a semi-nude scene for the European release. I was so concerned about being shot only from the waist up and no one seeing my big butt that it never dawned on me to ask for more money. The agent didn’t either. Mike Ovitz was one of the partners in the film. This was the 1970s. I was a strong believer in the Equal Rights Amendment.”

from an interview with The Terror Trap in 2010-“It was the first film I had ever done and I knew nothing about film. I had only done stage and tape up until that time. We did Maude the same way you do a stage play. We just rehearsed for 4 1/2 days and then did it for an audience straight through, no stops or anything. So we did the master…the first establishing shot… on Houdini… and I didn’t know that people did close-ups. I went off and started to change clothes to do the next scene! It was my first film experience and a real learning process.”

Adrienne has appeared in many TV movies, particularly Crash in 1978. One of the little details out of so many I found interesting in reading her memoirs was one of the only things that sticks out about working with director Barry Shear on that film. He was a screamer; he constantly yelled at everyone on the set and cursed up a storm. As Veronica Daniels, the shattered stewardess in a minor disaster flick, Adrienne once again shows that she is a very serious actor

“I think I was hired for a Quincy. If anyone is old enough to remember, Quincy, and I played a dramatic role there. Then suddenly, oh ok, she can do drama. She can do comedy. She’s a TV actress, but in 1978, feature producers did not think that anyone would pay to see a television actor on the big screen. So, no movies were coming my way. You know, because she’s on TV.” (from There Are Worse Things I Can Do)

Adrienne met John Carpenter in 1978 when he was casting his first network television film after Warner Bros hired him to write the screenplay and direct Someone’s Watching Me!

Her agent called and told her that this young, up-and-coming director wanted to meet her. She read the script and thought it was one of the best scripts for television that she had read. Adrienne wound up auditioning for the part of Lauren Hutton’s best friend and was offered the role. Carpenter was funny and relaxed, and she instantly felt at ease. There was an instant attraction. Her memoirs include a colorful description of her first meeting and the intense relationship that ensued with John Carpenter. Again, There Are Worse Things I Could Do is a must-read.

“He watched me in Maude, liked the character I played, and was hoping I had her same sensibilities; It was that kind of character he wrote, the Howard Hawks-type woman. Strong, smart, quick, witty. He was nervous it was his first studio film, and he was having to answer to “˜the suits.'” (Pg 14)

In one of director John Carpenter’s earlier works after his first feature film, Dark Star, in 1974, Someone’s Watching Me! 1978 was his television debut. This TV movie is a well-crafted woman-in-peril TV thriller centered on obsession, voyeurism, and the fragility of safety in urban life. It stars Lauren Hutton as Leigh Michaels, the lead heroine, a TV director who is under surveillance by a voyeur who is stalking her in her L.A. high-rise apartment. Originally titled High Rise and filmed in eighteen days, it was also scripted by John Carpenter; it is a bit of a tribute to Hitchcock’s Rear Window 1954 and would showcase a number of the director’s techniques that would emerge in his subsequent films. In particular, his gliding camerawork, point-of-view shots, and unexpected shock cuts.

Someone’s Watching Me! was based on a Sun-Times story called “Terror in a High-Rise” by Paul Galloway and Basil Talbott Jr. The story was about a woman living in a high-rise apartment who believed she was being spied on in her home and threatened by an anonymous stalker, which led to her suicide.

Adrienne Barbeau’s character is somewhat of a transformational role for a made-for-TV movie in 1978 because she is a lesbian who was treated very matter-of-factly. Adrienne ends up getting thrown off her apartment balcony while Lauren Hutton watches helplessly through her telescope.

Leigh (Lauren Hutton) becomes terrorized by threatening phone calls and letters from a mysterious man who seems to know her every move as she tries to convince the police that she’s in danger.

Adrienne Barbeau plays Sophie, Leigh’s co-worker and friend, who is casually revealed to be a lesbian during a conversation about ex-lovers. Being Leigh’s supportive friend – Sophie steps in to help her deal with the growing threat, and it gets her killed for her trouble.

Adrienne’s performance has been praised for its lack of sensationalism and is considered pretty progressive for a 1978 television. Sophie has been recognized as an early example of positive queer representation in media. “The first scene I did for John Carpenter in Someone’s Watching Me! was a scene where I revealed to Lauren Hutton that I’m gay. John wrote it beautifully.”

Adrienne herself has spoken positively about her role in interviews, acknowledging the significance of playing a casual, positive lesbian character in a 1978 TV movie, especially given the era in which it was produced. This was one of Adrienne Barbeau’s first collaborations with John Carpenter before the couple married, and she would go on to star in her first feature film.

To Adrienne, after years of doing musical theater and a major TV sitcom, the idea that she can “˜do less,’ those two words made all the difference in terms of the work she was now doing

“It wasn’t until I did my first film. It was with John Carpenter, and it was a television film called Someone’s Watching Me! Up until that point, I had done a massive amount of stage work, and I had been on the sitcom Maude. I had been in television movies, which were usually with a director who’s not taking the time to adjust your performance. So, we did the first scene, and John came over and said, “˜That was great. That was great. Let’s do it again and do less.’ I said Do less?” And all of a sudden, it was like, okay, that’s the last piece of the puzzle. That’s the light bulb going off.

I had been working on stage for most of my life, It’s a film, not stage, not a four-camer sitcom. Even situational comedy on Maude, we did it like a play. We did it for an audience. And now, John was telling me how to let the camera do the work and keep it small. So, I added that to my education.”

“All I knew about John was that he made horror movies; I’d heard about his ‘Assault on Precinct 13,’ I think. I walked in expecting some kind of hard-boiled guy, and here was this sweet, salt-and-pepper, gentle man… I think I began to fall in love with him right then and there. But I heard that he was seeing somebody else, and so all during the filming of ‘Someone’s Watching Me!,’ I kept my distance, and I tried to discourage my emotional feelings.”

“And then, on the last day of shooting, John said he wanted to have dinner with me and discuss something. I thought maybe it was his next screenplay. He sat down and said, ‘I’ve fallen in love with you.’ Well…we were married Jan. 1, 1979.” (Interview with Roger Ebert)

The couple wed and moved into the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles, purposefully remaining “totally outside Hollywood’s social circles.” (Roger Ebert) They remained together for five years but separated shortly after the birth of their son, John “Cody” Carpenter, on May 7, 1984. The couple divorced later that year.

1979 marked a pivotal year in John Carpenter’s career, propelling him to new heights of success. His film Halloween, released on October 25, 1978, became a box office phenomenon in 1979, establishing itself as the most profitable independent production in Hollywood’s history at that time. At the time the couple was starting out, and before his breakthrough, Adrienne had been the more prominent figure because of her Broadway success with Rizzo in Grease and her long-standing role in Maude. Halloween opened new doors for John Carpenter, which led to a lot of industry interest, getting calls and offers, and this newfound recognition translated into tangible opportunities and elevated his status in Hollywood. Now, he was able to secure financial backing for his next project, The Fog, in 1980.

The Fog is based on Carpenter’s idea “”nothing more than that a horror movie could be made with Fog as a leading character””and it provided Adrienne Barbeau with her first major movie role. But first, a year after Someone’s Watching Me! Adrienne appeared in another spooky made-for-TV movie.

Adrienne Barbeau and Robert Foster in the television horror/sci-fi flick The Darker Side of Terror 1979.

In an early foray into horror, before Adrienne Barbeau introduced us to Stevie Wayne in Carpenter’s The Fog, she appeared in the television movie – The Darker Side of Terror, a chilling chronicle of scientific hubris and a potentially intriguing doppelganger scenario, which crept onto television screens on April 3, 1979. At its heart lurks the aging Professor Meredith, played by Hollywood great Ray Milland, who by this time became his own brand of the cantankerous curmudgeon trope in these types of b-horror/sci-fi narratives. In this movie, his unorthodox ambitions lead him down a twisted path; with a daring act of genetic manipulation, he creates a carbon copy of his star pupil, a brilliant young academic Paul Corwin (Robert Forster). The only way you can tell the difference between the two Pauls is when the clone’s eye suddenly turns a ghostly white as sudden, murderous impulses strike him.

After Paul’s clone escapes from the lab, he falls in love with Adrienne, playing Paul’s unsuspecting and neglected wife, Margaret, who becomes seduced by Paul’s doppelganger, unaware that all this newfound passion and attention is coming from the wrong man.

Adrienne Barbeau stars with Greg Mullavey, Jessica Walter, and Ronny Cox in the TV movie Having Babies 1976: photo by ABC via Getty images-1228129255

Adrienne Barbeau in THE LOVE BOAT Hollywood Royalty/The Eyes of Love/ Masquerade 1978 seen here with Juliet Mills ABC Photo Disney via Getty Images.

Adrienne’s other credits: Her appearances in 1970s television movies and series, including the TV movie Having Babies in 1976, the TV movie Red Alert in 1977, and the TV movie Crash in 1978. She also appeared in an episode of Eight is Enough in 1977 and a very intense episode called Let Me Light the Way for Jack Klugman’s popular television series Quincy, ME 1977. On the light side, she appeared in episodes of The Love Boat in 1978 and Battle of the Network Stars in 1978.

In Adrienne’s autobiography, she said: “I actually thought CBS asked me to be on Battle of the Network Stars because they thought I was athletic. My husband clued me in: Who cared if I won the race, as long as I bounced when I ran?”

Adrienne Barbeau: The 1980s and The Rise of a Horror Icon:

Adrienne at Avoriaz le 20 Janvier 1980: photo by Jean-Louis URLI/Gamma-Rapho Getty images-1753991732.

Continue reading “Grease To Grit: The Unforgettable Journey of Adrienne Barbeau -Part 2 Including My Interview!” →

Grease To Grit: The Unforgettable Journey of Adrienne Barbeau -Part 1

READ PART 2 HERE:

From Rizzo to Scream Queen – Adrienne Barbeau’s Candid Memoir There Are Worse Things I Could Do Reveals the Woman Behind the Role of Icon:

I have been a huge fan of Adrienne Barbeau since she appeared on television in the role of Bea Arthur's daughter Carol on the hit 1970s sitcom Maude. Maybe it was her raw authenticity that transcended the TV role; maybe it was her natural sensuality, her sharp jawline, glass-cutting cheekbones, and deep brown eyes. Growing up in the sixties and "˜70s, Adrienne Barbeau’s energy immediately drew me in. I care and recognize the contribution of her work across her long career.

I'm also one of those fans who is still steaming over HBO's cancellation of the dramatic and surreal series, Carnivàle. Adrienne's portrayal of Ruthie was not at all surprisingly captivating and jaw-dropping, watching her channel the grit of a wise and weathered soul who dances with Boa constrictors. Adrienne Barbeau's vivid presence embraced the curiosity of this extraordinary show and its transformative storytelling. And there is nothing more evocative and stirring than the sound of Stevie Wayne's smokey tones over the airwaves of KAB in John Carpenter’s The Fog. She sets the mood for one of cinema’s most haunting visions rolling in from the sea.

All I can say is that I'm beyond excited and extremely grateful to Adrienne Barbeau"”this legendary actress, performer, vocalist, author, and now trapeze artist! for granting me an interview amidst her busy schedule while on location shooting her latest project. She is so incredibly gracious with her time to answer my involved questions and sharing with us her perspective on life and her extensive career.

First of all, I can't urge people enough to read Adrienne Barbeau's memoirs There Are Worse Things I Could Do. She is a richly talented storyteller. Her memoir had reached No. 11 on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list in 2006.

In a cheerful, whimsical way, Adrienne Barbeau narrates her life story not only of her wandering existence as an all-around performer but as a versatile, strong, and self-possessed woman.

Her memoirs are witty and self-effacing; it is a lively, joyous, hilarious, intimate account of this genuine actress's life. She shares her adventures, not only her journey as a talented performer (acting & singing) & writer but also the authenticity and raw honesty with which she relates her funny, at times poignant experiences in the search for self-reflection and self-confidence. She boldly talks about her romantic relationships and her long-lasting friendships, both professional and private, putting a hilarious spin on her intelligent, personal narrative. I devoured the book in just two days, captivated by her vivid anecdotes, and it also offers a fascinating glimpse into the industry.

"Wow!! Adrienne, like Mame, has LIVED!!!! And like Candide, she emerges unscathed, as dear as she was when she began. But what a wild ride!!!" – Bette Midler

"There Are Worse Things I Could Do, says Adrienne Barbeau, but she couldn't do anything better than writing this delightful memoir." – Norman Lear

"I've rarely read a "˜Show Biz' autobiography that made me feel as much affection for the speaker." – George Romero

There is so much to take in, from growing up on a farm in California to life at 15 when she unriddles in the dramatic entries of her journals the depth of her teenage angst, philosophizing, and the deep thoughts of a young dreamer with intellectual wanderlust.

Adrienne Barbeau and cast in the Broadway production of Grease, 1972 photo courtesy of Playbill.

Adrienne reflects on her time in the original Broadway production of Grease as Rizzo, a role that helped launch her career. The book offers candid details about her relationships, the tumultuous romance with Burt Reynolds, and her second marriage to Billy Van Zandt in 1992. The couple divorced in 2018. It also tells the story of having twins when she was 54, giving birth to her sons Walker Steven and William Dalton Van Zandt.

Adrienne Barbeau Avoriaz, le 20 janvier 1980. (Photo by Jean-Louis URLI/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Adrienne Barbeau recounts with her readers, behind-the-scenes stories from various productions, including The Fog, Escape from New York, her work on Carnivàle, and more, including her working relationship with director and ex-husband John Carpenter that lasted from 1979 to 1984, working with directors George Romero and Wes Craven, and the grueling physical challenges due to budget cuts that forced constant script changes and challenging shooting conditions that she faced during the filming of his sci-fi fantasy Swamp Thing. All three films and HBO’s TV series have attained cult success.

Adrienne Barbeau and Swamp Thing 1982 courtesy of Embassy Pictures.

Adrienne also discusses her voice acting work in animated features like Catwoman in Batman: The Animated Series and shares a few hilarious misadventures, such as filming on location for the low-budget Burial of the Rats 1995 in war-torn Russia.

Adrienne Barbeau also talks about her debut album released in 1997, the self-titled Adrienne Barbeau, showcasing her versatility further. It's a great collection of country, blues, jazz, and pop tunes she performs in her concert appearances across the country. She went on tour, performing in concerts across the West Coast and Vegas.

She rounds out the book by discussing how prolific she’s been with her series of urban fantasy novels, the first of which was Vampyres of Hollywood, published in 2008.

Her official website is here. Her Instagram is here

The Accidental Scream Queen:

“You get typecast in Hollywood,” she said. “I think ‘Maude’ got everyone thinking I could only play comic women’s libbers. So in my TV work after ‘Maude,’ I did only drama. Now maybe ‘The Fog’ will help people think of me as slightly more versatile.”

The fluidity of labels. Labels are not fixed. The mutable nature of professional labels is challenging for actors who seek to redefine their artistic identities. In the dynamic landscape of the entertainment industry, an actor's perceived typecasting is often a transient construct, subject to evolution and redefinition. Actors are capable of transcending initial labels and reshaping industry perceptions. You can be many things all at once. It's what I call the; ‘Art of being many.’

She is considered a horror legend, yet she doesn’t have a strong affinity for the genre. She doesn't like to be scared, so it is ironic that she became a Scream Queen. It's also interesting that she wound up working with horror director royalty, the likes of John Carpenter, George Romero, and Wes Craven.

Adrienne Barbeau with director John Carpenter on the set of The Fog in 1979.

One reason she earned the title: “Also, because I was identified emotionally and socially with John Carpenter and because the first couple of films were "˜horror films.' Then I've got another label started out. (at first) Oh she's a musical comedy girl, then she's a comedienne. – TV wouldn't even see me for drama until I finally cracked that nut. Oh she's a TV actress, oh she's a film actress, oh but it's horror queen.” (interview with Ernie Manhouse 2015)

"I never set out to act in horror films specifically. I wasn't even aware of the genre, really. But I was offered the role of Stevie Wayne in The Fog, and in those days, if you were known for your work on television, you couldn't get hired to do movies. So when The Fog came along, I jumped at the chance. None of us knew, back in 1979, that the film would still be as much loved today as it was then." And as far as the 2005 remake goes? "I haven't seen the remake. Probably never will." (Jesse Striewski in an interview for Rewind It Magazine interview Oct 28, 2021)

Adrienne Barbeau’s career trajectory is a testament to her versatility and resilience in an industry often quick to pigeonhole its talent. She first captivated audiences on Broadway, showcasing her theatrical chops before pivoting to the small screen, where she honed her comedic timing in one of Norman Lear’s crucible sitcom television series – Maude. Because of her fluid ability to adapt – the series catapulted her to prominence as a feminist standard-bearer and "˜sex symbol' in popular culture.

Adrienne – On the set of The Fog in 1979 with director John Carpenter.

"The Fog was my first feature film. And I think in part because I was married to John by that time and in part because The Fog was a horror film or a fantasy or whatever you call it, ghost film that then the label came. Oh, she does genre movies. They didn't even say genre in those days. She does horror movies. She's a Scream Queen. But it hasn't followed me all the way through. I ended up doing comedies Back to School and Cannonball Run and a lot of stuff that god forbid anybody should see. Which I took for various reasons." – (from the Rue Morgue interview)

As she made the leap to cinema and throughout her journey commanding attention on the silver screen, Adrienne Barbeau’s vibrant presence defies simple categorization. Adrienne’s career arc saw her evolve from a feminist icon in television comedy and drama to a captivating film siren and serious actor who embodies sensuality, resilience, and strength always – with apparent ease. Yet, among the myriad roles she’s inhabited, one label has clung to her from her die-hard fans who have fueled her her image with particular tenacity: is that of Scream Queen. Being the symbol of the genre, far from being a limitation, has become a crown she wears with distinction, a lasting emblem that resonates with fans and cements her status in the pantheon of horror cinema.

However, her career is a vibrant legacy of reinvention, proving that an actor’s essence can be simultaneously multifaceted and as well as iconic.

When she arrived in Los Angeles after her Broadway success, she faced the challenge of industry typecasting. Her theatrical background led to her being labeled primarily as a stage actress. Her transition to television with her role in the sitcom Maude at that time further narrowed perceptions of her as she became widely recognized as a comedienne.

This pigeonholing created significant obstacles for Adrienne when she sought artistic growth and expanding talents to embrace dramatic roles. Yet once again, her success in comedy paradoxically became a challenge to overcome, as she tried to be taken more seriously for dramatic parts and not be limited by a perceived lack of range.

"Maybe I was typecast – I had labels put on me right from the beginning because I started as a musical comedy actress on stage on Broadway.”

Adrienne Barbeau proudly welcomes the designation of Scream Queen with pride; though she has openly acknowledged that she has no interest in watching horror films, I do not have a hard time imagining Adrienne Barbeau in a recurring role as an action hero or badass cop brandishing a formidable weapon. Or having her own television show playing a woman cop like Angie Dickincon's Police Woman.

Adrienne has recognized that she’s more geared toward action movies and thrillers, citing an appreciation for the psycho-sexual suspense masterpiece Alan J. Pakula's Klute 1971, which starred Jane Fonda as high-price call girl Bree Daniels.

Adrienne has stated that she believes part of the reason she winds up exploring the horror world is the volume of offers that keep coming her way, in contrast to other genres. These projects have enabled her to play an emotional spectrum and women survivors who wind up being the heroine and not the victim.

“Those are the kinds of roles I’m drawn to and that I tend to play better than the victim, who knows. Although I didn’t start out doing them. I started out on Broadway doing musical comedy. I was the original Rizzo in Grease, and so, that’s a far cry from where I ended up. But because my first feature was The Fog and it was a genre film, I identified with that genre and I love doing them when they’re good, when they’re well written.” (2020 interview with Coming soon.)

Rob Zombie, Malcolm McDowell, and Adrienne Barbeau on the set of his reiteration of Halloween 2007.

While she has an affection for the horror movies she has a relationship with, she turned down a role in Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects in 2005, voicing her opinion that it was just "˜too much' for her. Zombie's film has a hyper-violent and grotesque vision for the genre that has evolved through a very anti-philosophical lens. The genre’s evolution in contemporary terms has adjusted the mechanisms that constrain its focusing range on the relentless assault on our senses. There are classical horror films that have successfully balanced psychological terror and raw, visceral impact for the audience. If Adrienne Barbeau didn't like being scared before, she certainly wouldn’t want to be involved with a film that disturbs beyond mere catharthis of our collective fears.

Note: Zombie has cast notable, extremely talented classic actresses in his film The Lords of Salem, the other notable Scream Queens – Meg Foster, Dee Wallace, and Judy Geeson. While the casting coup of having Adrienne sign on to the project might have sweetened the pot for me, I still couldn’t bring myself to watch it.

Adrienne, as Stevie Wayne, warns Antonio Bay about the menacing fog.

Nothing about horror film narratives drew Adrienne to the genre initially. Aside from the horror films she had starred in, Adrienne never watched scary movies, not even Hitchcock's seminal thriller, Psycho, in 1960. So, in a big way, the genre sort of found her.

It wasn't until she starred in The Fog that she was offered these types of films. Adrienne has graciously come to embrace the title and has said that she is incredibly grateful and enjoys doing them when they're well-written. She even incorporated a Scream Queen character – Ovsanna Moore, the 500-year-old vampire. into her novels, showing her appreciation for the title.

Adrienne Barbeau poses on the red carpet at Scarefest in Lexington, Ky. Pablo Alcala 2010.

Even if she's not a horror aficionado herself, Adrienne Barbeau's impact on the horror genre is unmistakable. Her nuanced performances, intelligence, versatility as an actress, willingness to take on challenging roles, and commitment to her characters have established her reputation as one of the most respected and enduring, formidable presences as a Scream Queen in the history of the horror genre.

Adrienne Barbeau as Ruthie, the snake charmer in HBO Carnivàle.

"The characters have gotten older. That’s about it. I’m still attracted to strong women’s roles, sometimes the villain, sometimes the heroine, rarely the victim."

Regardless of whether she sought to attain the honored title or not, Adrienne Barbeau's reputation as a queen of horror is cemented across the cinematic and television landscape, from scholarly discourse to popular culture. There's a diverse array of voices in film scholarship and fandom consensus among a chorus of film critics, historians, journalistic critiques, aficionados, genre enthusiasts, and grassroots horror communities alike – affirm that Adrienne Barbeau fervently ranks high on the level of Scream Queen. Her credentials as horror royalty are unassailable, garnering unanimous recognition from the highlights of pop culture.

Whether by design or chance, Adrienne Barbeau has emerged as a celebrated figure of the realm.

Now that we got that out of the way, let's talk about the "˜art of being’ ‘many' other things.

Continue reading “Grease To Grit: The Unforgettable Journey of Adrienne Barbeau -Part 1” →

TAM LIN 1970 & BABA YAGA 1973 – Ava Gardner & Carroll Baker: THE FAERIE QUEEN"¦ & VALENTINA'S DREAM: Two Hollywood icons in search of mythology. Part 2

Baba Yaga or the Devil Witch the (United Kingdom) titles, or Kiss Me, Kill Me/Black Magic (1973) the (US) titles

“Weird {is} the operative word here. Though framed by a simple story, director Corrado Farina's approach to the film is every bit as avant-garde and surrealist as its source material. The plot had me scratching my head in bewilderment. Compelling visuals kept me watching.'' "” from Brian Lindsey’s Eccentric Cinema review.

☞ SPOILER ALERT:

READ PART 1 Tam Lin HERE

In Slavic/Russian folklore, the Baba Yaga is a strikingly revolting witch who flies around in a giant pestle – and steals and eats children. In the middle of a Russian forest, she lives in a shack built on top of giant chicken legs that can move at will. The folklore Baby Yaga is a sinister, macabre mythological presence, unlike the deviant sensual being that Carroll Baker portrays in Corrado Farina's Euro-horror film. This iteration of Baba Yaga is the seductive sorceress who manages to summon – with simmering antagonism, a world of pain – "˜symbolically' baring her predatory, wanting lips, which desire the heroine – Valentina.

According to the Monthly Film Bulletin review from 1974, critic Geoff Brown noted that he reviewed an 81-minute dubbed version of the film Baba Yaga. Brown stated that “due to 20 minutes of the film being cut and through the English-language dub, “the film had lost some of Farina’s socio-political arguments.” However, Brown also commented that most of these removed elements were reduced to “modish chit-chat” on topics ranging through various ideas.”

In the 70s, while exploring Giallo and Euro-exploitation films, I remember my first shudder and first impression of Baba Yaga. I had the feeling that something odd and erotic had taken place, and for me, it was like waking up from a hazy, surreal dream. Carroll Baker has always captivated me, and in the role of Baba Yaga, I felt she brought a level of Old World Hollywood class to a very provocative horror film.

An Italian/ French co-production, Baba Yaga is a delirious mixture of the supernatural, psychoanalysis, dream interpretation, vivid color schemes, pop art, eroticism, and fetishistic imagery. Baba Yaga, the film, revamps Russian folklore and transports the story into contemporary Milan.

As a stylish arthouse horror film from the 1970s, Baba Yaga explores the borderline between reality and imagination, embracing the sleazy allure of after-dark cinema"”fascinating and perhaps too challenging to define. There are striking elements that establish themselves with a clear sapphic element that already existed in Crepax’s work, creating an eroticized vision seen through the heterosexual ‘male gaze’ and driven by what Laura Mulvey termed "to be looked at-ness" that are kept in Farina’s film.

While I am still drawn to the film as an artifact of this decade's concentrated influence on an unmistakably hybrid genre (Horror, Euro-Exploitation, Giallo), Baba Yaga still manages to weaponize the straight male visual pleasure of actualizing their faulty version of lesbianism and bases the narrative around male sexual fantasies.

Farina and Crepax reveal the inherent bias fueled by a male-centric culture through a lens shaped by a male-centric point of view, which emphasizes the heteronormative expectation of female-female sexual exploitation.

Setting these critical observations aside"¦ The backdrop of Baba Yaga's 1970s fashion and Italian pop culture adds washes of a chic, mod, and bold cinematic experience.

Director Corrado Farina, who had previously envisioned another strange art-horror film, They Have Changed Their Faces (1971), now delivers this strange film with a mesmerizing array of visuals. The film seamlessly transitions from sharp pop design to muted Gothic hues and vents into full-fledged experimental cinema. Farina roams free with unrepentant visual skill frame by frame.

Baba Yaga, adapted from the risqué S&M erotic graphic novel series "˜Valentina' by Guido Crepax, thrives on its invocation and sense of a comic book world. Crepax, who earned his reputation as the world's most seductive cartoonist, stands as one of the eminent figures in the realm of adult comics and garnered greater recognition during the 1960s and 1970s.

Crepax's prominence stems not only from his introduction of erotic themes but also from his innovative approach to storytelling within the medium, incorporating nudity and daring themes.

Continue reading “TAM LIN 1970 & BABA YAGA 1973 – Ava Gardner & Carroll Baker: THE FAERIE QUEEN"¦ & VALENTINA'S DREAM: Two Hollywood icons in search of mythology. Part 2” →

The Psychopath 1966 – I Have My Doll Now!

Dolls, with their lifeless gazes, imprint in our collective phobias and on Robert Bloch's & Amicus's narrative "” and like clowns, and zombie children– dolls have always given us a dreadful feeling of unease that lingers in our psyche. It's their dead stare and their cold watchful eyes – like soulless little polymer devils. Cinematographer/ Director Freddie Francis who previously worked at Hammer, makes use of the accursed doppelgänger dolls as macabre iconography. Bloch likely viewed the British-based Amicus as the substantial alternative worth embracing, signing a three-picture deal with Paramount.

Horror filmmakers have explored this causality of jitters for decades. In Amicus's The Psychopath 1966 – it is the symbology of dolls that gives the film its creepy attraction to what is essentially a crime drama and creative whodunnit with a few unsettling moments while trying to unravel a tale of a homicidal maniac who leaves a unique signature"”the very likeness of the victims.

The Psychopath was made midway in the decade, featuring the mellifluous tagline “A New Peak in Shriek,” The film marks Freddie Francis's foray into colour psycho-thrillers and with its use of vibrant reds, it’s a departure from his previous repertoire of haunting black-and-white psychological horror tales crafted for the illustrious Hammer.

Elisabeth Lutyen's beautifully carnivalesque score washes over the opening as dismembered doll parts accompany the credits. The film sticks to the classic crime procedural script, but it’s not afraid to paint it with a touch of horror, throwing in the voodoo-like doll motif for that extra dash of macabre flair. It’s your standard crime fare, just with a wicked twist. Bloch's script presents the crimes using the doll fetish in such a way – that remains formulaic – though it does succeed in having a moody impact by the end.

Continue reading “The Psychopath 1966 – I Have My Doll Now!” →

A Trailer a Day Keeps the Boogeyman Away! Halloween A-Z

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The Wasp Woman 1959

The Wasp Woman is a 1959 American science fiction horror film that has attained cult status over the years. It was a double-bill with Beast From Haunted Cave 1959, both directed by Roger Corman. The film’s central figure is the head of a cosmetics empire, Susan Cabot (In her final film) who plays Janice Starlin, whose fear of aging leads to her obsession with finding a serum that will restore her youth and beauty.

Janice Starlin, the tightly wound cosmetics tycoon, and former model, finds herself grappling with the harsh reality that her fading beauty is not only wreaking havoc with her love life but also casting a shadow on her once-powerful career. Starlin has always been the beautiful face behind her products and her business has fallen victim to competition lately, the decline of her business is due to newer, more innovative competitors. “Not even Janice Starlin can remain a glamour girl forever.”

At Janice Starlin Enterprises the signs of aging are affecting her appearance and her performance.

Arthur Cooper I’d stay away from wasps if  I were you, Miss Starlin. Socially the queen wasp is on the level with a Black Widow spider. They kill their mates in the same way too! They’re both carnivorous, they paralyze their victims and then take their time devouring them alive. And they kill their mates in the same way, too. Strictly a one-sided romance.

She falls prey to Dr. Eric Zinthrop (Michael Mark), an eccentric self-proclaimed scientist peddling a miracle serum derived from the wasp enzymes, promising to reverse the aging process and restore youthful radiance.

Dr. Zinthrop has developed an experimental serum derived from the royal jelly of the queen wasps, which he believes can reverse the aging process. Janice becomes his test subject and begins taking the serum. Initially, the treatment appears to be a miraculous success, restoring her youth and vitality.

Janice eagerly volunteers as the first human guinea pig for Zinthrop’s experimental injections However, as her physical beauty makes a triumphant return, her secretary, Mary Dennison (Barboura Morris), and her advertising executive Bill Lane (Anthony Eisley) notice a change in her personality, though before taking the injections she wasn't the nicest, warmest person in the world. Bill and Mary begin to notice the change in Janice’s personality.

Now the transformation from within is turning her into something worse and fate doesn't look kindly upon her vanity. Zinthrop gets hit by a car he becomes unable to work on his experimental wasp serum anymore. Against Zinthrop’s advice, she proceeds to inject herself with the serum.

With the source of her revitalization cut off, Janice develops a taste for blood and begins to prey on others to maintain her youthful appearance. the transformation takes a startling turn rendering her a creature with wasp-like attributes and a temperament fiercer than a winged little menace with an angry stinger. The metamorphosis leads to dire consequences, as several unfortunate individuals soon discover when they cross paths with the now-menacing Janice who has transformed into a killer wasp-like woman.

There is a dark and unintended side effect: Janice’s transformation into a hideous human-wasp hybrid. As she continues to use the serum, her behavior becomes increasingly erratic and aggressive. For instance, she kills and eats her research and development man Arthur Cooper (William Roerick). Then she kills the night watchman, and then a nurse, devouring her victims whole. Eventually, she tries to slaughter her secretary Mary. Ultimately she is pushed out the window by her ad man Bill Lane.

Of course, the moral is one of contradictions: Women need to retain their youth and beauty to be relevant but when they aspire for this goal they are seen as vain, pathetic, and dangerous.

tidbits:

Susan Cabot's character plays a woman who takes wasp “royal jelly enzyme” to stay younger. In real life, Cabot suffered from mental illness. She reportedly tried to treat it with human growth hormone, which her son took for dwarfism, but it may have exacerbated her illness. Her son later killed her, reportedly in self-defense after she attacked him during a mental breakdown.

Leo Gordon credited with the screenplay, was married to Lynn Cartwright who plays the receptionist.

The 1964 colorized version has an added 11 minutes where the scientist is fired from his job as beekeeper for testing on wasps instead of bees, which ends up the plot of the movie since he winds up working for Susan Cabot. In the original B&W version, the movie begins with a meeting where Cabot discusses her business failing with underlings… then meets the same doctor in the next scene, where the audience sees him for the first time as well.

Barboura Morris co-starred in one of director Roger Corman’s A Bucket of Blood, where she also played the good girl.

Michael Mark was certainly no stranger to horror movie fans, having appeared in numerous Universal classics, including four Frankenstein films, “The Black Cat,” “Tower of London” and “The Mummy’s Hand,” as well as other studios’ chillers (e.g., “Mad Love,” “The Black Room” and “The Face Behind the Mask”)

The Witches Mirror 1962

I plan on doing a major feature on Urueta’s body of work, and the incredibly atmospheric contributions he made to the Mexican Macabre genre of horror films.

A Masterpiece of the Mexican Horror Movement!  The Witch’s Mirror 1962 (Original title: El espejo de la brujais) is one of the landmark films of the Mexi-horror genre that infuses gothic imagery with a poetic horror story filled with madness, obsession, and gothic horror director by the prolific Chano Urueta. Apparently, the production created a very profitable horror film at the box office, which satisfied even the most elite Mexican critics, after having proven their grasp of what makes an impactful Gothic horror film. The Witches Mirror is a feverish mixture of Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptation of DeMaurier’s Rebecca, and Franju’s Eyes Without a Face.

from The Reinterpretation of Terror: Cine Matografica ABSA and Mexican Gothic by Jose Luis Ortega Torres 2023
”The talent of {writer} the still young Carlos Enrique Taboada wickedly ltwists the plot of The Witches Mirror, a dark entity causes a terrible and selfish evil to punish another equally malevolent one, the exercise of an abhorrent science. Trapped between these forces are two young and beautiful women, both doomed to function as irraparable collateral damage.’‘

Housemaid Isabela Corona plays a witch Sara is troubled by her godchild's abusive husband. In order to protect her godchild Elena (Dina de Marco) from her cruel cheating husband (Armando Calvo), an unethical plastic surgeon. She is warned by her enchanted mirror revealing glimpses of the past and the spirit world which she uses to carry out her wicked deeds. The magic in the mirror tells her that he will murder Elena. But the sinister presence that lurks in the reflection is a malevolent force.

Sara's incantation fails and as predicted Eduardo poisons Elena's milk, and then winds up taking a new wife Deborah (Rosita Arenas). Eduardo begins to further his descent into malevolence and obsession with restoring her beautiful face.

Read my tribute to Rosita Arenas Here in my Brides of Horror: Scream Queens of the 1960s

Sara is in contact with Elena's spirit who is out for revenge. When she materializes in the enchanted mirror, so shocked by her ghostly presence, Eduardo knocks over a lamp with burning oil onto Deborah's face and disfigures her. As a plastic surgeon he seeks to restore his wife's beauty by experimenting with other young girl's skin (two years before Georg Franju explored this theme with his grotesque yet poetic Eyes Without a Face 1960 ) but Elena still has a fierce desire for revenge, she haunts him with her nightmarish rage.

This is a beautiful film of the nine Mexican horror films produced by the actor Abel Salazar during the early 1950s through to 1963 (El monstruo resucitado/The Resurrected Monster (1953), El vampiro/The Vampire (1957), El ataúd del Vampiro/The Vampire's Coffin (1958), El hombre y el monstruo/ The Man and the Monster 1959, El mundo de los vampiros/The World of the Vampires (1961), El espejo de la bruja/The Witch's Mirror (1962), El baron del terror/ The Brainiac 1962 (my personal favorite) La cabeza viviente/The Living Head (1963) and the beautifully gothic La maldición de la Llorona/The Curse of the Crying Woman 1963 (another favorite of mine),

The Witch's Mirror is perhaps his most Gothic vision of Chano Urueta's work influenced by the burgeoning subgenera of European Gothic and Folklorish tableaus. The Italian Gothics, Ricardo Freda's The Horrible Dr. Hichcock 1962 starring Barbara Steele, the French surgical horrors like Franju's Les yeux sans visage / Eyes Without a Face 1960, and L’Horrible Docteur Orloff/ The Awful Doctor Orloff 1962, and The Hands of Orlac.

George Stahl Jr.’s striking photography creates a moody atmosphere, not to mention the impressive gothic set designs by Javier Torres Torija. And there are some unsettling elements surrounding Eduardo's grisly surgeries weaved within the eerie supernatural happenings.

The darkened spaces are set within a sprawling, ominous mansion that serves as the backdrop for much of the story. This mansion is filled with dimly lit, grandiose rooms, long hallways, and hidden chambers. Its architecture and decor are reminiscent of traditional gothic mansions often seen in classic horror films, contributing to the film’s unsettling atmosphere.

The central element of the film, the enchanted mirror, is a quintessential gothic trope. Mirrors are often used in gothic literature and cinema to symbolize duality, self-reflection, and the supernatural. In this case, the mirror serves as a conduit to the spirit world and reveals disturbing glimpses of the past, enhancing the film’s eerie ambiance, the otherworldly dread, and the threat of Eduardo’s stark medical horrors.

Wrestling Women vs. The Aztec Mummy 1964

The Wrestling Women vs. The Aztec Mummy is a 1964 Mexican luchadoras (women wrestling) film directed by René Cardona. It’s the adventures of a trio of Mexican wrestling superheroines: Lorena Velaázquez as Loreta aka Gloria Venus, Elizabeth Campbell as Golden Rubi, and Maria Eugenia San Martin as Chela the Flame.

The mummy Xochitl and her lover Tezomoc can turn into a snake or a bat. Loreta, Golden Ruby, and Chela join forces to battle the evil Prince Fujiyata (Ramón Burgarini) and his Judo wrestlers. Tezomoc is the benevolent mummy who fights alongside the women wrestlers who were edited in from Doctor of Doom in 1963.

Willard 1971

Willard 1971 is a classic example of the emergence of the early 1970s American horror film directed by Daniel Mann. When a socially awkward and isolated young man named Willard Stiles, portrayed by Bruce Davison, develops a peculiar and unsettling relationship with rats all hell breaks loose. The film was remade in 2003 starring Crispin Glover.

Willard’s life takes a dark turn when he is mistreated and abused by his overbearing boss, Mr. Martin, played by Ernest Borgnine. Seeking solace and companionship, Willard befriends a group of rats living in his basement. He develops a strong and strange connection with these rats and discovers that he can communicate and train them to do his bidding.

As Willard’s bond with the rats deepens, he uses them to exact revenge on those who have wronged him, including his tormentor, Mr. Martin. However, his newfound power and obsession with the rats begin to spiral out of control, leading to a series of disturbing and tragic events.

Willard is a character-driven horror film that explores themes of isolation, revenge, and the blurred lines between humanity and the intelligent animal kingdom. Bruce Davison’s performance as Willard Stiles brings a complex and sympathetic portrayal of the character who is simultaneously socially awkward and sympathetic. Davidson a uniquely complex actor’s portrayal is regarded as a highlight of the film because of his outstanding ability to convey, loneliness, frustration, and the need to feel connected. It is this vulnerability that enables him to be a relatable figure despite his unconventional actions.

One of the things that work best aside from the strong performances and the emotional depth of the cast is its claustrophobic, eerie atmosphere and unsettling depiction of the connection between the protagonist and his rodent companions. The film’s success led to a sequel, Ben, which continued the story of the rat-human relationship.

Ernest Borgnine plays Mr. Martin, Willard’s overbearing and antagonistic boss. His portrayal of Mr. Martin is memorable for its abject cruelty as a domineering authority figure. He’s a character the audience loves to hate, and you cheer for the rats when it’s time for his comeuppance. Mr. Martin’s mistreatment of Willard serves as a catalyst for the events of the film. His actions drive Willard to seek revenge when he summons the army of his loyal rat friends. Full disclosure: I had an amazing pet rat named Gunther whom I loved dearly. She was a good companion and even my cats got along with her. I dread cruelty to rats in horror films.

Welcome to Arrow Beach 1974

Welcome to Arrow Beach also known as “Tender Flesh,” is a brutal exploitation horror film from 1974. An  American psychological thriller directed by actor Laurence Harvey. The film is known for its dark and unsettling themes and boasts a great cast of ’70s actors including Stuart Whitman (Read my tribute to Whitman HERE:), and John Ireland.

Ghostly-eyed Meg Foster plays Robbin Stanley a free-spirited hippie wandering on a California beach and seduced by a Korean War veteran to come stay at his secluded mansion nearby with his sister Joanna. Robbin soon begins to suspect that the mansion is hiding a disturbing and violent secret. 

Laurence Harvey’s character is a disturbed man named Jason Henry. Henry is a Vietnam War veteran who is suffering from severe psychological trauma.

Beauty from the 1970s, Joanna Pettet, and a particular favorite actress of mine from that decade portrays Grace, Jason Henry’s sister. While on vacation at the remote Arrow Beach. takes pity on Henry when she realizes the extent of his mental illness and agrees to help him find his way back to society. Little does she know that Henry’s instability runs deeper than she could have imagined.

Haunted by his experiences in the war, which have left him emotionally scarred, and unhinged, he has become a murderous cannibal. Soon she discovers the disturbing and violent nature of Henry’s condition, and her own safety becomes increasingly threatening.

Welcome to Arrow Beach uses Henry’s character to shed light on the harrowing and long-lasting effects of war trauma on veterans, illustrating how such experiences can lead to PTSD’s profound psychological trauma and suffering.

Meg Foster is an American actress known for her distinctive features, including striking blue eyes, which have made her a memorable presence in film and television. She has had a diverse and extensive career, with notable roles in various genres. Here are some aspects of Meg Foster’s acting, often praised for her intense and focused performances.

She has appeared in horror films like “Masters of the Universe” (1987), where she portrayed the villainous Evil-Lyn, as well as dramas like “The Osterman Weekend” (1983) and her collaboration in 2012 with Rob Zombie and his outer violent and grotesque The Lords of Salem. She has earned the right to be called one of the reigning contemporaries of Scream Queen for her appearances in a slew of horror films including the most recent horror film The Accursed and Hellblazers in 2022, There’s No Such Thing as Vampires 2019, Jeepers Creepers 3 in 2017, 31 in 2016, Stepfather II Make Room For Daddy and Relentless 1989, They Live 198, and The Wind 1986.

Joanna Pettet’s character is also subjected to a nightmarish and psychologically challenging situation.

Pettet’s character, Joanna, is initially depicted as compassionate and caring. She takes pity and protectiveness for her mentally disturbed brother.

Joanna Pettet is a British-American actress who had a notable career in film and television during the 1960s and 1970s. With her incredibly unique and striking look, she began as a fashion model, before she made the transition to acting. She made her film debut in 1964 with a small role in the British drama The Third Secret.

But her breakthrough gained Pettet significant attention for her role in the 1966 film The Group, (a guilty pleasure of mine in what would be considered a ‘women’s picture’ based on the best-selling novel by Mary McCarthy. Her performance as Kay, who is subjected to spousal abuse and gaslighting by husband Larry Hagman. She is just one of the ensemble cast of incredible actors garnering her critical acclaim and establishing her as a rising talent. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Joanna Pettet appeared in a series of notable films, including “Robbery” (1967), “The Night of the Generals” (1967), and “The Evil” (1978). She ventured into television appearing in the haunting episode of Night Gallery – The Girl With the Hungry Eyes directed by John Badham.

Without Warning 1980

Without Warning is a 1980 science fiction horror film that has a certain compelling low-budget aura that emerged in the earlier horror science hybrids of the early 1980s. The film is directed by Greydon Clark and features two great actors, Jack Palance and Martin Landau who would go on to appear together in the black comedy horror film Alone in the Dark in 1982 directed by Jack Sholder. I was supposed to interview him a few years ago, but we lost touch. I really need to make that happen.

In a peaceful and remote forested area, where a group of campers and vacationers find themselves terrorized by a deadly extraterrestrial creature. This alien being is equipped with a variety of lethal weapons, including razor-sharp discs and tentacles that it uses to hunt and kill humans.

As the group of unsuspecting individuals tries to survive and evade the relentless alien predator, they must band together and find a way to fight back against this otherworldly menace.

This is your EverLovin’ Joey Sayin’ Woe letter W, we need to take cover! The letter X is on our trail!

A Trailer a Day Keeps the Boogeyman Away! Halloween A-Z

V

The Vampire and the Ballerina 1960

BLOOD-LUSTING FIEND WHO PREYS ON GIRLS! VAMPIRE-QUEEN WHO FEEDS ON LIFEBLOOD OF MEN!

The Vampire and the Ballerina also known as “L’amante del vampiro,” is a 1960 Italian horror film directed by Renato Polselli. The film is notable for its blend of vampire lore and dance elements.

In a remote European village, a ballet troupe arrives at a doctor’s house that lies at the edge of a nearby castle to rehearse. The castle however is inhabited by vampires who seek to use the girl’s blood.

Among the dancers is a beautiful ballerina named Louisa played by Hélène Rémy. The village is rumored to be cursed by the vampires who live in the old ruins. As the ballet troupe rehearses for their performance, they become entangled in a series of gruesome murders.

The Vulture 1966

The Vulture 1966 is a British horror film directed by Lawrence Huntington. It’s an obscure offbeat horror film that has a strange vibe that to me almost feels like a strange fuzzy dream you don't want to bother resorting to Jung to figure out. It is set in The film stars Robert Hutton( Man Without a Body 1957, Invisible Invaders 1959, The Slime People 1963, Trog 1970).

Read my feature on Invisible Invaders HERE:

An American atomic researcher Eric Lutens escapes to Cornwall to take a break from work and visit with his wife Trudy's (Diane Clair) family.

In the heart of this chilling tale, a mythological creature emerges"” with the face and hands of a human but the imposing colossal body of a monstrous vulture that rises up from its grave having been buried alive centuries ago and moved to an old church cemetery, now seeks vengeance on the descendants on those who put it there.

A school teacher Annette Carrell as Ellen West cutting through the church graveyard during a stormy night is frightened beyond belief and the shock sends her hair ghostly white and leaves her in a mental hospital raving mad with her unreal story telling it to anyone who will listen. The livestock are inextricably going missing, one of the local sheep is found torn to bits in a cave.

The unearthing of a golden coin and the revelation of an open grave cast an eerie spotlight on an unusual local legend. Many centuries in the past, a man named Francis Real had fallen under suspicion of practicing witchcraft. He met a gruesome fate, being seized and buried alive alongside his peculiar companion"”a strange vulture-like bird along with a chest filled with valuable gold coins.

The ominous tale went on to recount that Francis Real had sworn an oath to exact revenge upon the descendants of the local squire who had supervised his burial. This unsettling revelation deeply troubles Eric, as it turns out that the cursed man had been an ancestor of Trudy’s, sending chills down their spines as they grapple with the implications of this ominous family connection.

A vigilant gamekeeper catches the faint echo of what appears to be a remarkably large bird flying over the estate owned by Trudy’s eldest surviving relative, Brian Stroud (Broderick Crawford). Intrigued he discovers a mysterious black feather on the ground.

Eric sends it to a renowned expert specializing in local avian species. His hope is that this expert can shed light on the identity of the bird, this feather belongs to. Enter Akim Tamiroff as Professor Koniglich, a local historian who needs to get around using two canes as a result of an accident. He has had dealings with Brian over the years.

Additionally, we meet Brian’s brother, Edward (Gordon Sterne) who resides in a nearby town. Koniglich listens intently to Eric’s story and hints at being intrigued by science. Eric, who works with research on atomic mutation theorizes that someone has been experimenting which ultimately created this giant monstrous bird that carries off Crawford in its gigantic vulture-like talons.

Eric panics and realizes that Trudy is the creature’s next victim. Without a moment to lose, he races back to the quiet Cornish town, but it’s a race against time as Trudy is suddenly snatched from a desolate road near the Professor’s house. The menacing beast with large claws descends from above and snatches her away.

When he gets to the Professor’s and uncovers the astonishing secret concealed within the basement"”an advanced nuclear-powered laboratory. There he finds a skeleton seated at a control panel, alongside a casket that has been broken open containing the gold coins. It appears that the Professor, driven by his obsession with his lust for gold, used his equipment to switch his matter with what lay inside the buried coffin.

But the Professor’s experiment backfired when his atoms mingled with the remains of the bird, resulting in the emergence of a grotesque composite creature that had broken free from its grave.

Making his way to the hidden cave nestled within the cliffs, he confronts the Professor who in a twist is unmasked as having a colossal bird-like body concealed beneath the cloak he had always worn. The reason for the canes. In a climactic showdown, Eric shoots the creature and stumbles into the sea below the cliffs.

Vampire Circus 1972

The Circus of Nights. A hundred delight!

Vampire Circus 1972 is an extraordinarily underrated atmospheric British horror film directed by Robert Young. A village in 19th-century Europe is more than happy to welcome a traveling circus who has broken through the quarantine to take the locals’ minds off the plague. But soon their children begin to disappear and the legacy of a long-ago massacre comes full circle. Vampire Circus stars Adrience Corri as the enigmatic Gypsy and Anthony Higgens as the equally beguiling Emil. John Moulder-Brown as Anton Kersh, Richard Owens as Dr. Kersh, Laurence Payne as Albert Mueller, Thorley Walters as the Burgermeister, Lynn Frederick as Dora Mueller, Domini Blyth as Anna and Mary Wimbush as Elvira.

The story is set in a small European village plagued by a deadly outbreak of the plague. The villagers, fearing for their lives, decide to quarantine the town and prevent anyone from entering or leaving. However, a mysterious and theatrical circus that create a fairytale atmosphere once it arrives in the village, seemingly out of nowhere.

The circus, led secretly by the enigmatic Count Mitterhaus, played by Robert Tayman, becomes a source of fascination and curiosity for the villagers. Little do they know that this circus is no ordinary one. It is a front for a group of vampires who have come to the village to satisfy their thirst for blood and revenge. It’s been 15 years since the village slain the evil Count Mitterhause, yet they have been living under his shadow ever since. A plague has left them cut off from the world and they believe the Count has cursed them.

The circus finally seems to bring a little joy into the lives of these tormented souls performing acrobatics, and feats of magic changing themselves into animals. But this traveling horror show has come to avenge their Count’s death and use of the blood of their victims to resurrect him from his tomb.

As the circus performances unfold, the vampires use their supernatural abilities to seduce and feed upon the villagers, leading to a series of gruesome deaths. Among the victims is the village teacher’s daughter, whose death prompts her father and a group of locals to confront the malevolent circus and its colorful performing vampires.

Alternatie versions:
The BBFC examiners originally required heavy cuts to the film but many of these were successfully waived after Hammer consulted BBFC head Stephen Murphy. Among the cuts were shots of Hauser’s burnt face (reduced from 2 to 1), a face stabbing during the opening skirmish in the castle (removed completely), some bloody shots during the climactic decapitation, the whipping of Gerta, erotic elements of the circus ‘whip’ dance, and shots of the mutilated panther victims in the forest. However the latter scenes seem to have been reduced rather than cut, leaving the results somewhat ambiguous. It is unlikely that the cut footage still survives, and all later video and DVD releases feature the UK cinema print.

 This is your EverLovin’ Joey Sayin’ V is for our Victory over that Boogeyman! Now wait a minute… I think I hear the soft and eerie Wailing of the letter W!

A Trailer a Day Keeps the Boogeyman Away! Halloween A-Z

U

The Unknown 1927

LINK HERE: TO CHANEY BLOGATHON & my tribute to The Unknown

A glimpse at The Lon Chaney Blogathon and some fantastic submissions HERE:

The Unknown is a compelling 1927 silent horror film directed by Tod Browning, starring the great Lon Chaney in a memorable and transformative performance. It is based on the uncredited novel of Mary Roberts Rinehart, with visual poetry photographed by cinematographer Merritt B. Gerstad (The Man Who Reclaimed His Head 1934, Night at the Opera 1935, Watch on the Rhine 1943, noir Conflict 1945).

The film tells the story of Alonzo the Armless, a criminal on the run who disguises himself as a circus performer. Alonzo is a criminal on the run who pretends to be armless, hiding his double-thumb deformity so as not to be recognized by the authorities who know his unmistakable trademark. In the circus, he falls in love with the beautiful Nanon, played by Joan Crawford, a young woman with a fear of being touched by men’s hands and arms due to a traumatic experience in her past that is never touched upon. Alonzo goes to extreme lengths to win the love and loyalty of Nanon who feels safe in his presence and safe with his friendship. He gets an ironic kick in the thumbs after he journeys to secure her love when he learns she has fallen in love with Norman Kerry as Malabar the strong man.

Tod Browning knows how to shock the audience with his unorthodox narratives, (Freaks 1932). I will be delving into Browning’s fascinating work further down the road here at The Last Drive In.

Lon Chaney’s performance in The Unknown is nothing short of extraordinary. Known as the “Man of a Thousand Faces,” Chaney was renowned for his ability to physically transform himself for roles. In this film, he goes to great lengths, strapping his arms tightly to his body and contorting himself to create the illusion of armlessness. His physicality and expressions convey the torment and obsession of his character, making Alonzo a haunting and sympathetic figure.

As the story unfolds, Alonzo’s twisted obsession with Nanon and his desperation to win her love lead to a series of shocking and macabre events, culminating in a horrifying climax.

“The Unknown” is celebrated not only for Lon Chaney’s remarkable performance but also for its dark and disturbing narrative, which explores themes of obsession, identity, and psychological horror. The film is a classic of silent cinema and stands as a testament to Chaney’s unparalleled talent for bringing complex and tortured characters to life.

Lon Chaney’s performance as Alonzo the Armless in “The Unknown” is widely regarded as one of the highlights of his illustrious career. Chaney’s portrayal of this complex and tormented character is a testament to his extraordinary talent and dedication to his craft. Chaney’s commitment to his roles was legendary, and in “The Unknown,” he physically transformed himself to an astonishing degree. He bound his arms tightly to his body to create the illusion of armlessness, a feat that required incredible discipline and contortion. This dedication to authenticity is a hallmark of Chaney’s performances, and it adds a layer of realism to the character.

Despite the absence of dialogue in silent films, Chaney was a master of conveying emotions and intentions through his facial expressions and body language. As Alonzo, he effectively conveys the character’s inner torment, obsession, and desperation. His ability to emote without words is particularly striking and contributes to the depth of the character. Alonzo the Armless is a deeply complex character. He is a criminal on the run, but he also harbors a twisted obsession with the object of his affection, Nanon. Chaney’s performance brings out the character’s dark and multifaceted nature, making Alonzo simultaneously sympathetic and unsettling. This complexity adds layers to the film’s psychological horror elements.

The Undying Monster 1942

The Undying Monster is a 1942 Gothic horror film directed by John Brahm and based on the novel of the same name by Jessie Douglas Kerruish, originally published in 1922 and often hailed as one of the finest works in the werewolf genre. The screenplay was written by Lillie Hayward and Michael Jacoby.

Released by 20th Century Fox in 1942, The Undying Monster is a classic B-movie that stands out for its exceptional craftsmanship. Directed by John Brahm, who would later make a name for himself with a brief stint in A-list cinema (known for films like “The Lodger,” “Hangover Square,” and “The Brasher Doubloon”), showcases Brahm’s talent for infusing an A-level sensibility into a B-movie experience. He would eventually venture into the medium of television.

The Undying Monster distinguishes itself as a well-executed gem because of John Brahm’s eye for drawing out a plausible mystery on screen, combined with a talented cast including James Ellison, Heather Angel, John Howard, Bramwell Fletcher, Heather Thatcher, Aubrey Mather, and Halliwell Hobbes.

The film tells the story of the Hammond family, with Heather Angel as Helga and John Howard as Oliver who live in a remote English mansion that has been plagued by a mysterious and deadly curse for centuries.

John Hammond is the descendant of a fated lineage plagued by a malevolent curse, one that has long cast a shadow over his family, claiming the life of the eldest heir in each generation. Faced with the impending doom of this dark legacy, John enlists the assistance of a trusted friend to delve into the haunting mystery that has tormented the Hammonds for centuries.

Their relentless pursuit of the truth leads them down a winding path of discovery, unveiling an age-old Viking curse that dooms the Hammond men to transform into insatiable beasts once they reach a certain age.

The Hammonds are no strangers to tragedy, as each male member of the family has met a gruesome and untimely death. When the curse strikes again, killing the family’s patriarch, the authorities become involved.

John Howard, (renowned for his role as Paramount’s Bulldog Drummond) plays Oliver an unwitting “victim” of the ominous family curse when his beloved canine companion meets a tragic end at the hands of an unseen killer on fog-laden night, soon thereafter, a person is killed by the same unknown force prompting the intervention of Scotland Yard to delve into the sinister mysteries that shroud the Hammond family’s dark history. Hammond’s delicate sister Helga is the woman in peril, and Walter the butler (Halliwell Hobbes) is definitely hiding something. Dr. Jeff Colbert (Bramwell Fletcher) is a suspicious character too, perhaps he has his eye set on Heater Angel though her love interest is James

is he just jealous of Robert Curtis’s (James Ellison) attraction to Heather Angel, or is there something more going on? He is certainly hiding something.

The Undead 1957

The Undead is a 1957 American horror film directed by Roger Corman and written by Charles B. Griffith and Mark Hanna who wrote Attack of the 50ft Woman in 1958.

Pamela Duncan plays prostitute Diana Love, enlisted by two psychic researchers to undergo a hypnotic regression conducted by a psychologist, Dr. Pendragon (Richard Garland), Under hypnosis, Diana is transported back in time to the Middle Ages, where she assumes the identity of Helene, a condemned witch facing execution by beheading.

As Helene, Diana becomes embroiled in a complex and perilous plot involving witchcraft, sorcery, and a vengeful sorceress named Livia, played by 50s scream queen Allison Hayes. Throughout the film, Diana/Helene experiences a series of trials, facing both supernatural and human threats, as she tries to find a way to alter her fate and escape her impending execution.

Mel Welles plays Smolkin the Gravedigger, Dorothy Newman plays the witch, Meg Maude, Bruno VeSota plays Scroop the innkeeper, Billy Barty is an animated mischievous imp, Dick Miller is a leper, and Richard Devon is Satan himself.

Corman is known for his resourcefullness – filmed in 6 days, the sets for the film were all built inside a converted supermarket.

This was one of a handful of reincarnation films in the late 50s to be inspired by the book ‘The Search for Bridey Murphy’ by Morey Bernstein

The prop bats were left over from Corman’s It Conquered the World 1956.

 

This is your EverLovin Joey Sayin’ U are safe with me here at The Last Drive in! Now let’s veer off toward the letter V for voracious, villains and vampires! But no Voldemorts or Voorhees, Jason or his crazy ass mother Pamela!

 

A Trailer a Day Keeps the Boogeyman Away! Halloween A-Z

T

Terror is a Man 1959

Terror Is a Man is a 1959 film directed by Gerardo de León and Eddie Romero. The film is a loose adaptation of H.G. Wells’ classic novel “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” Set on a remote island in the Philippines, a shipwrecked survivor William Fitzgerald (Richard Derr) finds himself washed ashore, marooned on an island where the population on the island has been driven away by irrational fears surrounding the reclusive Dr. Charles Girard an enigmatic scientist played by Francis Lederer.

Now, the sole inhabitants of the island are Fitzerald, Dr. Girard, his alluring wife (Greta Thyssen), his dubious assistant, his servant, and her young son. But there is someone else lurking. Dr. Girard has been experimenting with transforming a panther into a violent human being.

As Fitzgerald gets settled he begins to suspect that  Girard is conducting these gruesome experiments, to turn animals into human-like creatures through surgical procedures and genetic manipulation. These humanoid hybrids are the result of his obsession with pushing the boundaries of science and evolution.

Torture Garden 1967

The carnival sideshow is the perfect tableaux for a portmanteau film, both offer the opportunity to explore a variety of oddities, strange narratives, and macabre fables. In the case of Amicus Productions’ Torture Garden (1967), director Freddie Francis and screenplay by writer Robert Bloch (Psycho) curate a sideshow that offers just such astonishments. Torture Garden also features a wonderful ensemble of mostly British actors -  Jack Palance, Peter Cushing, Niall MacGinnis, John Standing, Beverly Adams, Michael Bryant, Barbara Ewing, Nicole Shelby, Catherine Finn, Bernard Kay, Ursula Howells, Michael Ripper, and Maurice Denham.

Dr. Diablo, portrayed with gleeful malevolence by Burgess Meredith, assumes the role of an eccentric ringmaster of a mystifyingly peculiar and kitschy carnival sideshow Рa role Meredith gushes with relish as the master of ceremonies for this devilish pageantry. With an unapologetic zeal, he adorns himself with oversized gloves, a dastardly cartoonish moustache and goatee, and a generous smear of theatrical eyeliner. Amid his sideshow, the majority of attractions revolve around clich̩-ridden waxworks showcasing a macabre array of torture devices and modes of death and execution.

After the main spectacle, hewing to the old tradition of carnival mystique, Dr. Diablo presents a captivating offer to only five of his patrons.

For a trifling sum of £5, he entices them with the chance to see something ‘truly terrifying.’ As their curiosity deepens they follow toward the back of the ceremonial tent, where Dr. Diablo sheds his dramatic facade, setting their admittance on fire as it vanishes into thin air and so begins the clandestine twist to his captivating carnival act.

Once inside Diablo reveals an uncannily lifelike statue of Atropos, the Goddess of Destiny brought to life by British actress actress Clytie Jessop. Atropos holds the sharp golden shears. Atropos is most frequently represented with scales, a sundial, or a cutting instrument, described by John Milton in Lycidas as the "abhorred shears" with which she "slits the thin spun life."

Dr. Diablo mesmerizes these five captive listeners with the moral about the Goddess who has the power to reveal the true nature of evil within each person- their inner-secret horrors and the grim fate that awaits them. At first, they are all skeptical yet, one by one they are beguiled as they gaze into the gleaming shears beckoned by the statue of Atropos, delivered to prophetic visions of what lies ahead"”a glimpse into the hidden abyss of their own malevolence, and the bleak fates awaiting should they neglect to change course.

In the narrative of Enoch’s story, Colin Williams (portrayed by Michael Bryant) cunningly engineers the downfall of his affluent Uncle Roger (Maurice Denham) with the aim of securing access to his curious fortune. Yet, his elation turns to dread when he unearths that this fortune comes with a stipulation of servitude to a mystical feline deity, conceivably a witch’s trusted familiar. Now, he stands face-to-face with horrors far more formidable than the specter of destitution.

Within the narrative of “Terror Over Hollywood,” Carla Hayes (Beverly Adams), an up-and-coming starlet, resorts to sabotaging her roommate Millie’s (Nicole Shelby) rendezvous with Hollywood producer Mike Charles (David Bauer) in a bid to ensure her own romantic liaison with him. This maneuver propels her into the exclusive inner sanctum of Hollywood’s elite, known as the Top Ten, where like others, Carla is fascinated by actors like Bruce Benton (Robert Hutton) who never seem to age. However, Carla’s journey swiftly unravels the shocking truth.

In “Mr. Steinway,” Dorothy Endicott (Barbara Ewing) is involved with a concert pianist Leon Winston (John Standing), but makes the tragic mistake of trying to drive a wedge between his love affair with his ‘grand’ piano.

In this truly macabre tale, “The Man Who Collected Poe” Jack Palance plays Ronald Wyatt, an obsessive collector of Edgar Allan Poe memorabilia who hunts down Lancelot Canning (Peter Cushing) who is the foremost collector of Poe ephemera. But Wyatt will stop at nothing to get his hands on Canning’s most prized possession and ultimately brings him to a shocking revelation.

When the fifth and final player in this fateful excursion  Gordon Roberts (Michael Ripper), faces the imminent unveiling by Dame Fortune, it takes an unexpected turn and defies Dr. Diablo’s initial expectations, is there an unforeseen twist of fate that changes the course of things

When I saw it during its theatrical release in 1967, the gimmick was to hand out seeds to each moviegoer, so you could grow your own torture garden! Now that’s worth going to the movies for…

Terror at the Red Wolf Inn 1972

They’d love to have you for dinner!

The American Horror- Terror at Red Wolf Inn, aka Terror House suggests an adult fairytale. Released in 1972 and directed by Bud Townsend (Nightmare in Wax 1969 starring Cameron Mitchell and Anne Helm), It winks at us with its homey touches yet this darkly humorous film is a delirious and claustrophobic horror story that creates a sense of unease. Especially the use of the song “(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover” is a popular World War II song composed in 1941 by Walter Kent to lyrics by Nat Burton. It is used as a satirical motif in the film, eventually coming full circle when Regina sings it to Baby John.

The film features Linda Gillen, John Neilson, Mary Jackson, and Arthur Space. A college student unexpectedly wins a vacation to a secluded countryside retreat managed by an elderly couple. Unbeknownst to her, the hosts have a gruesome secret – they serve meals made from human flesh. While the movie incorporates significant horror elements, into the horror genre, marked by its “tongue-in-cheek" humor. Interesting tidbit- David Soul, Bruno Kirby, and Richard Dreyfuss all auditioned for the role of Baby John.

Regina (Linda Gillen) is a solitary college student who gets a strange letter telling her that she has unexpectedly won a free vacation to a quaint seaside bed and breakfast called the Red Wolf Inn. What's even stranger is she has a private plane waiting at the airport to take her to her destination. When she arrives at the remote island, she is met by a curious guy who tells her his name is Baby John Smith. (John Neilson). He takes Regina on a joy ride speeding through town outrunning the police Jonathan the Deputy on his tail. Instead of being frightened by Baby John, she is thrilled by the excitement and this pleases him a lot.

They get to the Red Wolf Inn she is greeted by Baby John's grandparents Henry and Grandma Evelyn Smith (Arthur Space and Mary Jackson), the nice old couple who own the little resort home. There are two other guests staying there – Pamela (Janet Wood) and Edwina (Margaret Avery). When Regina asks to use the phone to call her mom and let her know where she is, she finds it's out of order. First red flag at the Red Wolf Inn. As if invited to a glorious meal set out like a feast that includes finger-licking good barbecue. the seemingly kind old grandma and grandpa enjoy pampering their guests with good food, encouraging them to eat more.

 

Regina: It’s really good. What is it?

Evelyn: Filet, dear. Filet.

 

Henry: A butcher’s work is never done.

Fattening them up we’d expect. After that delicious meal, Regina goes in search of something to calm her stomach and stumbles on Baby John in the kitchen coming out of a large walk-in fridge, he seems like a butcher holding his large carving knife. Seeing Baby John startles her and she screams waking everyone up. Regina admits to Edwina that she and Baby John are drawn to each other and that she finds him attractive. We they awaken in the morning they are told by Henry and Evelyn that their other guest Pamela has moved on, yet Regina has found the girl's beautiful black dress that she loved, hanging in the closet of the carriage house behind the Smith's mansion. A sweet romance begins to blossom between Regina and Baby John. But he exhibits the oddest behavior, while on the beach where they share a kiss, Baby John reels in a small shark and proceeds to bash its head in against the rocks screaming Shark! In a panic. Afterwards, he exclaims to Regina that he's in love with her then he runs away.

Baby John -[reeling a small shark in on his fishing line] SHARK! SHARK! SHARRRRK

[picks it up by the tail and repeatedly bashes it against a rock]

Baby John: SHARRRK! SHARRRRK! SHARRRRRK! SHARRRK! SHARRRRK!

[calms down and turns to Regina]

Baby John {says to Regina then runs off}: I think I love you.

That night, a party is thrown to celebrate Edwina’s upcoming departure. Following a lavish dinner, as everyone retires to bed, the Smiths enter Edwina’s room, incapacitating her with a cloth soaked in chloroform. They then deliver her to a chilling fate – inside a meat locker the sounds within confirm their gruesome motives.

The next day, Regina becomes alarmed when Evelyn informs her that Edwina has left without saying goodbye. Regina attempts to contact her mother but is abruptly disconnected by Evelyn. A police car arrives at the mansion, and Regina rushes outside for help, only to discover that the officer is another Smith family member, portrayed by producer Michael MacReady.

Regina now realizes that she is captive yet does not realize the extent to which this insane family is actually cannibals. The Smiths leave Baby John in charge of guarding Regina to make sure she doesn't escape, while they go into town. This is an opportunity to go explore that creepy off-limits fridge. But horrified she finds Edwina and Pamela's heads, and that's where they store their "˜meat', the same human meat she has been consuming for days. She tries to make a desperate run for it, but Baby John follows after her. The two have fallen in love. But It is too late, Evelyn and Henry get home and grab her before she can escape. Now it's inevitable that Regina will become their next meal, but Baby John like a true child, is depending on his grandparents (who aren't really kin) to welcome Regina into the family.

Theater of Blood 1973

Theater of Blood is a 1973 British horror-drollery starring Vincent Price who of course is perfect in the role of  Edward Lionheart, a tour-de-force for Price in a stylish, irresistible horror angle. It was the tenth film Vincent Price made in Britain since 1964, and director Douglas Hickox’s first horror film, having mastered his dark comedy Entertaining Mr. Sloane in 1970. He considered this to be his personal favorite of all of his films, followed closely by Dr. Phibes in 1971 directed by Robert Fuest who was originally asked to helm this film. ”I think that was the best feeling of achievement and satisfaction that I ever had from a film.” Early on Vincent Price”s greatest desire was to be a proficient Shakespearean actor on stage in England.

Frustrated by how his film career had ultimately pigeonholed him into horror film roles, he relished the chance to quote Shakespearean prose in this film and jumped at the chance when approached. He was also very pleased to be cast opposite so many well-known Briitish character actors, several of which had the experience of previously being in the RSC.

It was also considered by Dame Diana Rigg who plays Price’s daughter Edwina, to be her best film. Theater of Blood includes an ensemble of the best British actors cast with the most marvelous personas, including Jack Hawkin, in what would be his last role, as Solomon Psaltery, Ian Hendry as Peregrine Devlin, Harry Andrews as Trevor Dickman, Coral Browne as Chloe Moon, Robert Coote as Oliver Larding, Michael Hordern as George Maxwell, Arthur Lowe as Harris Sprout, Robert Morley as Meredith Merridew, Dennis Price as Hector Snipe, Milo O’Shea as Inspector Boot, Eric Sykes as Sgt. Dogge, Madeline Smith as Rosemary, Joan Hickson as Mrs. Sprout, and Diana Dors as Maisie Psaltery.

Robert Morley starred five years later in Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? 1978 a film with a very similar topic in which he also played a gourmet. Oddly enough, Robert Morley played a gourmet in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV episode “Specialty of the House” (1959) where he was not only the lover of food who frequented an exclusive restaurant but he was also the main course for a secret society of cannibals.

A once-respected Shakespearean who has spent twenty glorious years on the British stage is now a fallen actor -Edward Lionheart believes himself to be one of the greatest thespians of his time. But the ultimate betrayal and humiliation come when he is passed over for the Critics Circle Actor of the Year Award, losing it to a mumble-mouth method actor!

Lionheart has been consistently panned by the critics for his performances, but this was the bitter end. His ego is shattered when this group of critics consistently berates his performances publically, ultimately leading to his apparent suicide. This despair and humiliation set the stage for his descent into madness and vengeance.

However, Lionheart manages to survive, and aided by Diana Rigg and a band of seamy homeless folk, initiates a theatrical and grisly quest to exact his vengeance against the critics who heartlessly maligned him.

Peregrine Devlin (Ian Hendry): You begin to resent an actor if you always have to give him bad notices. Ian Hendry and Dame Diana Rigg appeared together on The Avengers in 1961.

However, Lionheart survives and, with the help of a group of homeless people, begins a gruesome and elaborately staged campaign of revenge against the critics who wronged him. Each murder is styled after a death from a Shakespearean play, with Lionheart delivering lines from the Bard’s works before committing the murders. Lionheart’s transformation from a broken artist to a vengeful and diabolical figure is central to the flamboyant story of vengeance. He fakes his own death and embarks on a twisted mission to exact revenge on the critics who drove him to the brink

As Lionheart’s hit list grows, Inspector Boot (Milo O’Shea) takes on the case, and he becomes determined to catch the dramatic executioner.

In Theater of Blood, Vincent Price delivers one of his most over-the-top and unforgettable performances as Edward Lionheart. Lionheart is a character who embodies the quintessential Vincent Price role"”a charismatic and tormented figure with a flair for the dramatic.

The cast included a remarkable array of actors including future wife Coral Browne, who initially had turned down the film twice. “No, no I can’t be doing that, one of those scary pictures with Vincent Price – don’t be ridiculous.” However, after Robert Morley called her up and said, “We haven’t been together since The Man Who Came to DInner (on stage in 1941). I’ll do Theater of Blood if you’ll be in the Theater of Blood.”  Vincent Price and Coral Browne insist that they met in a graveyard, when the critics gather to bury the first of the victims executed by Lionheart. “As the gravedigger, Price was kitted up in muddy Wellies, sleeves rolled up, a battered hat on his head, face smeared with grime. The elegant Miss Browne eyed him askance: “And I though, ‘Oh, this man, oh, this dirty-looking old creature,’ and took absolutely no notice a’tol.” But coexecutive producer and longtime friend Sam Jaffe remembers that the two artists were quickly ‘very friendly.” (source: The Complet Films of Vincent Price by Lucy Chase Williams.

This campy horror flick is a thing of grandeur, and Vincent Price’s portrayal of Lionheart is characterized by his theatricality and grandiose delivery. Price fully embraces the character’s melodramatic flair and relishes the opportunity to recite Shakespearean lines while dispatching his victims. Lionheart’s appearance is also noteworthy, as Price undergoes a transformation to embody the character’s flamboyance. He wears extravagant costumes, dons theatrical makeup, and adopts various disguises, all of which contribute to the character’s larger-than-life presence. Dame Diana Rigg as Edwina Lionheart also cloaks herself in theatrical affectations in order to sidekick Lionheart’s plot.

Once Peregrine Devlin suspects that someone is killing the theatre critics of London, he confronts Edwina who denies the implication it’s her thespian father and assures him that the great actor died of a broken heart.

Vincent Price’s performance as Edward Lionheart in Theater of Blood remains one of the highlights of his illustrious career. His ability to balance the character’s tragic backstory with his increasingly unhinged and malevolent actions creates a character that is both unforgettable and emblematic of Price’s status as a legendary figure in the world of horror cinema.

In “Theater of Blood” (1973), each of the murders is meticulously staged to resemble a death from a different Shakespearean play. These theatrical killings add a unique and darkly comedic element to the film. Here are some of the scenarios of death in the movie:

  1. Julius Caesar: Lionheart murders one of the critics by recreating the famous death of Julius Caesar from Shakespeare’s play. The victim is stabbed to death by a group of people wearing Roman attire.
  2. Cymbeline: Another critic meets his demise in a bathtub filled with wine, mirroring the death of the queen in Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline.”
  3. Titus Andronicus: A critic is fed a pie made from his own pet dogs, reminiscent of the gruesome events in Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus.”
  4. Henry VI, Part 1: A critic is drowned in a barrel of wine, inspired by a death in “Henry VI, Part 1.”
  5. The Merchant of Venice: One critic faces a punishment similar to Shylock in “The Merchant of Venice” by having his pound of flesh extracted.
  6. Othello: Another critic is smothered to death, echoing the tragic fate of Desdemona in “Othello.”
  7. Romeo and Juliet: In a twist on the famous balcony scene from “Romeo and Juliet,” one critic is killed by a group of hooligans.
  8. Hamlet: A critic meets his end in a fencing match, referencing the duel in “Hamlet.”

Tidbits:

This film was shot entirely on location in and around London. No scenes from it were shot in a studio.
Price fell in love with and married Coral Browne following the film’s production, which lasted from July 10 to August 17, 1972. This film was released after Price’s March 18, 1973 appearance as the subject of “This is Your Life”, his last public appearance with his second wife Mary, who knew nothing yet about his affair with Coral, set up by Dame Diana Rigg who noticed the chemistry between the two.

The name of Dame Diana Rigg's character in the film was derived from that of Edwina Booth, daughter of Edwin Booth (1833-1893), considered by many to be the greatest Shakespearean actor of his day, and the brother of John Wilkes Booth, the most infamous actor of his day. When this film was adapted for the London stage in 2005, Dame Diana Rigg’s role was filled by her real-life daughter Rachael Stirling.

Edward Kendal Sheridan Lionheart's Vincent Price's theater hideout was the Putney Hippodrome, built in 1906. It had been boarded up for 14 years when it was chosen as a location for this film. The filmmakers rented it for $127.00 a week and set parts of it on fire for the film’s ending. The building was demolished in 1975 and housing was erected on the site.

Due to Jack Hawkins’ speech loss from laryngeal cancer (he could only speak through an artificial voice box), his voice in the role of theatre critic Solomon Psaltery in the film was dubbed by Charles Gray.

Vincent Price said this was one of the best scripts he had ever read and jumped at the chance to make the film. He was excited by the Shakespearean theme to the film and loved the black comedy in it. He was also pleased that the film was going to get a mainstream theatrical release in the UK and Europe (via United Artists) rather than the drive-thru theaters and B movie theaters that many of his US made horror films had been having in the US for several years.

Renēe Asherson and Eric Sykes appeared in The Others 2001

“Some of the do-ins are funnily horrible as director Douglas Hickox uses his DeLuxe color cinematography to emphasize Robert Morley’s outrageously blonde hairdo as well as all the blood flowing… If you know the Shakespeare plots, you’ll get some fun trying to guess how scripter Anthony Greville-Belle has adapted them for each murder.” – Deirdre Mack, Films in Review, Volume XXIV, Number 6, June-July 1973.

“Few horror films are written with English majors in mind, but… Theatre of Blood surely can make such a claim… Director Douglas Hickox skillfully handels the material, allowing his camera to bear witness as Price steals the show, gliding between delightfully over the top camp and sheer irony… But what is most interiguing about Theatre of Blood is the extent to which it can be said to have influenced some of the best modern offerings.” Gina McIntyre, Wicked, Volume 3, Number 1, Spring 2001.

 

To the Devil a Daughter 1976

To the Devil a Daughter is a 1976 British-German horror film directed by Peter Sykes and Don Sharp. The film is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Wheatley with a screenplay by Christopher Wicking and John Peacock. The film stars Richard Widmark, Christopher Lee, Honor Blackman, Denholm Elliot, and Nastassja Kinski as Catherine Beddows.

The story follows an American expatriate and occult novelist named John Verney, portrayed by Richard Widmark. Verney is asked by his friend, Henry Beddows, played by Denholm Elliott, to help rescue Beddows’ daughter, Catherine (Nastassja Kinski), from the clutches of a sinister and demonic cult led by the charismatic and enigmatic Father Michael Raynor, portrayed by Christopher Lee.

As Verney delves deeper into the investigation, he discovers that Catherine is being prepared to serve as the vessel for a demonic entity. The cult believes that this entity will grant them immense power and immortality. Verney must race against time to save Catherine and thwart the cult’s diabolical plans.

Christopher Lee’s performance as the charismatic and sinister cult leader is a standout, and the film’s themes of satanic cults and demonic possession were in line with the occult and horror trends of the 1970s.

Tentacles 1977

Tentacles 1977 is directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis (produced and directed Beyond the Door 1974 with Juliet Mills)

Set in a coastal town in California, (although this was an entirely Italian production, it was shot in California) people have vanished mysteriously in the water their remains were discovered stripped down to the bone.

Then it turns up as a series of mysterious and deadly accidents that occur in the waters off the coast. When boats and swimmers go missing, a determined Dr. Ned Turner (John Huston) who is married to Tillie (Shelley Winters) starts digging for answers. He begins to suspect that the deaths are related to a giant, octopus-like creature, a monstrous threat lurking in the ocean depths. As the death toll rises and panic grips the community, Ned joins forces with marine biologist Will Gleason (Bo Hopkins) to track down this aquatic menace and they embark on a perilous mission to stop the giant creature before it claims more victims.

Dr. Turner begins to suspect this beast has been created by the company building a tunnel beneath the bay which has most likely contaminated the water causing this mutation to occur. While all this is unfolding Turner's nephew Tommy is taking part in a sailing regatta which puts the kids at risk of becoming appetizers for the colossal killer octopus.

The cast also included: Henry Fonda as Mr., Whitehead, Claude Akins as Robards, Cesare Danova, Delia Boccardo, and Sherry Buchanan. While truly a schlocky B movie entry into nature vs. humans in the 1970s horror subgenre like many horror films of that decade, Tentacles features prominent Hollywood actors.

The production spent nearly $1 million on a life-sized replica of a giant octopus, which promptly sank when it was put in the water.

Trailer narrated by Percy Rodrigues. The movie was sold as an alternate take on Jaws, and bringing in Rodriguez, most famous for narrating all Jaws trailers, was part of this campaign

Terror Train 1980

Terror Train is a 1980s slasher film starring Scream Queen Jamie Lee Curtis. The film is set in the dark and eerie atmosphere of a New Year’s Eve costume party on a moving train.

A group of college students decided to celebrate the holiday by hosting a costume party aboard a chartered train. Little do they know that their festive evening will take a gruesome turn. A masked killer begins stalking and murdering the partygoers one by one, using various disguises and costumes to conceal their identity.

As the body count rises and paranoia spreads among the passengers, Jamie Lee Curtis’s character, Alana, becomes a central figure in the fight for survival. Alana must use her wits and courage to uncover the identity of the killer and put an end to the bloodshed before it’s too late.

In this 1980s slasher film, the killer’s motivation for seeking revenge on the victims is revealed as a result of a traumatic event that occurred several years prior to the events of the film.

The killer, who eventually takes on various disguises throughout the movie, seeks revenge on a group of college students because of a horrifying prank they played on him during a previous New Year’s Eve party. During that earlier celebration, a cruel and dangerous prank orchestrated by the students goes horribly wrong, resulting in severe emotional and physical trauma to the individual who would later become the vengeful 80s stalker. He holds the group responsible for the pain and suffering he endured due to their thoughtless prank.

Terror Train is a notable entry in the 1980s slasher genre, and possesses several stylistic and campy elements that were characteristic of many films in this era:

One of the film’s distinctive elements is the use of costumes and disguises. Since the story is set during a New Year’s Eve costume party on a train, characters frequently change outfits, leading to an air of mystery and confusion about the killer’s identity. This creates a sense of unpredictability and tension, adding to the film’s campy atmosphere.

There are also a number of creative kills and staged murder scenes. The killer employs various props and methods associated with their disguises and costumes to carry out his revenge. These deaths often involve a combination of surprise, gore, and dark humor. Terror Train also stars Ben Johnson, Hart Bochner, magician David Copperfield, Sandee Currie, and Timothy Webber.

This is your EverLovin’ Joey Sayin’ T is a Terrifying letter but U… haven’t seen nothin’ yet! The Letter U is coming for U!

A Trailer a Day Keeps the Boogeyman Away! Halloween A-Z

S

Supernatural 1933

Supernatural (1933) is directed by Victor Halperin and stars Carole Lombard as Roma Courtney, a young woman who finds herself entangled in a web of eerie supernatural events. After a strange encounter with a fortune-teller Madame Gourjan (Beryl Mercer), Roma’s life takes a dark turn. She becomes connected to the mysterious and malevolent spirit of Ruth Rogan (Vivienne Osborne), a black widow murderess who returns to life in Roma’s body, her evil spirit wants to exact revenge on her former lover, a phony spiritualist Grant Wilson (Randolph Scott) who betrayed her.

As Roma investigates the circumstances surrounding Ruth’s death, she becomes increasingly convinced of the supernatural forces at play. The film weaves a tale of suspense and eerie occurrences as Roma races against time to uncover the truth behind the threat that is haunting her.

The Slime People 1963

The Slime People is a 1963 science fiction/horror film directed by actor Robert Hutton. The movie is set in Los Angeles, where a thick, mysterious fog suddenly engulfs the city. As the fog dissipates, it reveals a group of grotesque creatures known as the Slime People who have emerged from the underground. These slimy and subterranean beings begin to terrorize the city’s residents.

The film primarily follows the efforts of a small group of survivors who band together to combat the Slime People and find a way to escape the city. Along the way, they must navigate the treacherous streets of Los Angeles, evade the Slime People’s attacks, and uncover the mystery behind the creatures’ origins. It also stars sci-fi regular Les Tremayne. The Slime People was photographed by William G. Troiano who did the cinematography for the exploitation film Scream of the Butterfly 1965, The Devil’s Messenger 1962, and Horror of the Blood Monsters 1970. Tom Hollan is the guy in the slime suit.

Scars of Dracula 1970

Scars of Dracula is a 1970 Hammer horror directed by Roy Ward Baker. In this installment of the Dracula series, the infamous vampire Christopher Lee’s Count Dracula returns to terrorize a small Eastern European village.

Paul (Christopher Matthews) seeks refuge in the village after escaping from Dracula’s castle. However, as Dracula sets his sights on Paul’s girlfriend Sarah (Jenny Hanley), the villagers become increasingly desperate to rid themselves of the vampire’s curse. The battle between good and evil intensifies as the villagers and a fearless priest attempt to confront the immortal Dracula and put an end to his malevolent reign. Scars of Dracula stars Dennis Waterman, Michael Gwynn as the priest, and beloved Michael Ripper as the Landlord.

Simon King of the Witches 1971

Simon, King of the Witches is a 1971 cult film directed by prolific television scriptwriter Bruce Kessler (Chopper ep. Kolchak). The film follows the surreal journey of the enigmatic Simon Sinestrari, a modern-day, self-proclaimed witch and occultist who lives in the counterculture of Los Angeles. Simon, portrayed by Andrew Prine, uses his mystical knowledge and psychedelic experiences to navigate the tumultuous world of the 1970s. Simon is deeply involved in mysticism and practices witchcraft.

Simon’s quest for enlightenment and his desire to harness supernatural powers lead him to experiment with various rituals and mind-altering substances. Along the way, he encounters a colorful cast of characters, including a fellow witch named Linda (real-life love Brenda Scott), and a police officer who becomes obsessed with him.

As Simon delves deeper into the occult and his own psyche, the film blurs the lines between reality and hallucination, taking viewers on a bizarre and psychedelic journey into the world of magic, mysticism, and countercultural rebellion.

Simon is a complex character who combines elements of mysticism, rebellion, and a sense of being an outsider in society.

Andrew Prine captures Simon’s eccentric nature with a charismatic and unconventional performance as a nonconformist who rejects societal norms, and Prine embodies this by delivering his lines with a mix of intensity and whimsy. His portrayal of Simon’s oddball behavior, such as his penchant for wearing outlandish clothing and embracing a bohemian lifestyle is superb.

Read my tribute to Andrew Prine HERE:

Sugar Hill 1974

Sugar Hill 1974 is an American International film, a unique and potent blend of blaxploitation and horror directed by Paul Maslansky. It’s known for its stylish and gritty portrayal of 1970s New Orleans. The story is centered by Diana “Sugar” Hill, portrayed by Marki Bey whose performance is marked by her charisma, confidence, and undeniable screen presence. a nightclub owner in the vibrant city of New Orleans. When Sugar’s boyfriend, Langston (Larry Don Johnson), is brutally murdered by a group of gangsters led by the ruthless Morgan played by Robert Quarry, she becomes determined to seek revenge. Bey effortlessly manifests Sugar’s journey from a nightclub owner into a vengeful force of supernatural retribution. The Black culture magazine Jet asked the question of why Black horror films drew their inspiration from the Christian vision of the Dracula mythos, ”when there was Voodoo in the Black experience.” Sugar Hill, attempts to rescue the legitimacy of Voodoo. ‘‘If most Blaxploitation celebrated a ‘bad N…’ who challenges the oppressive White system and wins, then Sugar Hill celebrated the ”Baad Bitch who did the same.” (Robin R. Means Coleman)

Mama Maitresses ‘‘How strong is your hate?'’

Sugar Hill ‘‘As strong as my love was, my hate is stronger.”

However, Sugar doesn’t turn to conventional methods of retribution, she uses supernatural forces to combat her adversaries. Instead, she seeks out the assistance of Mama Maitresse (the wonderful Zara Cully), a voodoo priestess, to help her get vengeance through supernatural means. With the guidance of Mama Maitresse and the power of voodoo, Sugar raises an army of undead, zombie-like enforcers to take down Morgan and his criminal empire one by one.

Sugar Hill [after feeding a man to a sounder of starving pigs in a pig pen] I hope they’re into white trash.

 

Sugar Hill ”Hey, Whitey! You and your punk friends killed my man.'

Tank Watson ‘‘You know, you got one of the prettiest asses in town. I’d sure hate to see it kicked in for accusin’ people.'

Sugar Hill ‘‘I’m not accusin’ you, Honk. I’m passin' sentence”

Marki Bey’s performance as Diana “Sugar” Hill in “Sugar Hill” is a standout in the blaxploitation genre. She brings a captivating mix of strength, determination, and vulnerability to her character. As Sugar, Bey portrays a woman who transforms from a grieving girlfriend into a fearless avenger, seeking justice for her murdered lover. Sugar Hill also co-stars Don Pedro Colley as Baron Samedi, Richard Lawson as Valentine, and Charles Robison as Fabulous.

The zombies in this film more closely resemble the creatures of voodoo legend – i.e., the walking dead who do the bidding – than the flesh-eating “living dead” popularized by Romero. According to the film, the zombies are the preserved bodies of slaves brought to the United States from Guinea, Africa.

“Much like the White Final Girl, Black women stare down death. However, these Black women are not going up against some boogeyman; rather, often their battle is with racism and corruption. In this regard, there is no going to sleep once the ”monster” is defeated, as the monster is often an amorphously coded as ‘Whitey”, and Whitely’s oppressions are here to stay. From Horror Noire Blacks in American Horror FIlms from the 1890s to Present by Robin R. Means Coleman

 

Strange Behavior 1981

Strange Behavior 1981  is a disturbing and uneasy atmosphere that fills this science fiction/horror film directed by Michael Laughlin (Strange Invaders 1983, produced The Whisperers 1967 and Two-Lane Blacktop 1972). Set in a small American town, the film follows a series of gruesome murders that seem to be connected to a mysterious research project. The film explores the exploration of mind control, innocence lost, the terrifying realization that they may be capable of committing heinous acts against which they have no free will, paranoia and the juxtaposition of innocence all played out with graphic violence.

The story centers around a teenager named Pete Brady ( Dan Shor), who becomes entangled in the investigation when his friends are brutally murdered. As Pete delves deeper into the case, he discovers that the murders are linked to a behavioral experimentation program led by the enigmatic Dr. Le Sange (Arthur Dignam).

What makes the killings even more chilling is that the perpetrators are seemingly ordinary townsfolk who have been turned into mind-controlled killers on a homicidal rampage.

The film is known for its eerie and atmospheric cinematography, as well as its unique take on the horror genre. It explores themes of psychological manipulation, the consequences of unethical scientific experiments, and the dark side of human behavior.

With its combination of a small-town setting, a mysterious conspiracy, and a rising body count, Strange Behavior is a cult classic that offers a distinctive and unsettling take on the horror genre of the early 1980s. The murders are gruesome, one scene in particular still makes me queasy, not so much for its gore but for the naked realism that it conveys with its cold and mindlessness, and I don’t mean unapologetic, I mean somnambulistic viciousness. The brutal, violent acts of controlled killing, like homicidal puppets, still have a quite shocking effect. This intelligent visual construction of gore and violence diverges from the work of the father of the splatter genre -Hershell Gordon Lewis.

Strange Behavior is set in a small, seemingly peaceful town, which enhances the sense of isolation and vulnerability. The idea that such disturbing events can occur in an otherwise idyllic setting creates a feeling of unease and an atmosphere of mystery and paranoia as characters try to unravel the enigmatic events taking place in their community. The sense of not knowing who can be trusted and who may have succumbed to mind control adds to the film’s tension. The film stars Louise Fletcher, Michael Murphy as Pete’s dad John Brady, and Fiona Lewis as Gwen Parkinson Le Sang’s assistant.

This is your EverLovin’ Joey Sayin’ S’eeee Ya at the snack bark to grab me a tray of the letter T for terror with some cheese on top!