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Which came first: an 80-year-old amusement park scheduled to be purposely demolished or a Hollywood studio making a TV movie about an amusement park that’s (spoiler alert) accidentally going to be destroyed? Let’s just call it kismet. Playboy Productions supposedly purchased the Ocean View Amusement Park in Norfolk, Virginia, just so they could make The
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In 1981, Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll created the classic television series, Hill Street Blues. Throughout the 1980s, Bochco was an Emmy-winning golden child, creating Doogie Howser, M.D. and L.A. Law. Would fate have treated him differently if the 1979 pilot, Vampire, had been sold instead of ending without a resolution to the story? In
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In the book, “Hollywood’s Pre-Code Horrors 1931-1934,” Raymond Valinoti Jr. reports that during the production of Island of Lost Souls (1932), Production Code representative Jason Joy told Paramount: I assume that some thought has been given to the possibility of injecting the idea of crossing animals with humans. If this is the case it is
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It’s been a while since we’ve had a 70s TV movie with so many familiar faces, although they’re mostly underutilized. Leading the cast is Charlie’s newest angel, Shelley Hack, as aspiring television reporter, Jan. She’s supported by her boss, Frank Gorshin, and her colleague, Barbara Rush. She interviews victims Dinah Shore and Morgan Brittany. She
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With the old bait and switch, CBS emphasized the salacious aspects in its advertising for The Darker Side of Terror (1979). Yes, what we see in TV Guide happens, but as only one interesting plot point in a film that offers an even more compelling science fiction story overall. Much about it is familiar, but
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If you search for Express to Terror (1979) on the internet, you’re likely to find Horror Express (1972) first. Take my advice: watch the far superior Horror Express instead. Not only is the title misleading, but further investigation shows that it’s the pilot for the infamous television series debacle, Supertrain. I almost eliminated it from
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All good things must come to an end. Be careful what you wish for. I jinxed it. Insert the expression of your choice. The point is, after singing praises of mid-1980s horror films that I originally disliked, then rewatched and enjoyed, here comes The Return of the Living Dead (1985.) For me, this was the


