Category: Movie Discussions
-
Nowhere to Run (1978)
As we resume with Nowhere to Run (1978) after putting this series about 1970s TV movies on pause, it’s a good time to remind you that not all these movies will be horror films. Most will be thrillers, but some will slip in like this one, that aren’t really either, regardless of how exciting they…
-
Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)
October 31, 1959 Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959) is a mean little movie. Its biggest flaw is the time it takes for the thankfully little-seen monsters to dispatch its despicable characters. I don’t know what backwater town is represented, but it’s one where there are almost no redeeming characters, including our heroes. Let’s start…
-
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
October 30, 1964 The seventh film out of Roger Corman’s eight-film cycle based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Masque of the Red Death (1964) is perhaps the best, but not necessarily the most entertaining. In some ways, it’s Corman’s “art film,” with imagery that evokes The Seventh Seal (1957), a concern that…
-
Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)
October 29, 1982 Because there were so many unintentional connections and pairings in the #countdowntohalloween this year, I may have to write a summary post at the end. For example, I watched two Larry Cohen films simply because they were released on dates that fit within my theme. In and of itself, that’s nothing more…
-
The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t (1979)
October 28, 1979 For a children’s TV special from 1979, The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t is terribly dated; however, it’s not terribly bad. I’m not referring to the disco scene at the end during which Count Dracula (Judd Hirsch) tears off his cape to reveal he’s dressed in a white suit like John Travolta in…
-
Tenebrae (1982)
October 27, 1982 Except perhaps for Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971), because I have yet to watch it, I’m quite fond of Dario Argento’s other gialli, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971), and Deep Red (1975.) After a departure to make two supernatural films, Suspiria (1977) and…
-
Star Odyssey (1974)
October 26, 1979 Science fiction is something I enjoy; however, I’m glad I’m not as “into” it as horror because that would mean I’d have to watch more movies like Star Odyssey (1979.) I can watch almost any horror movie, no matter how bad, and exit the experience with some amount of appreciation. I can’t…
-
The Deathhead Virgin (1974)
October 25, 1974 Some film directors begin successful careers with low-budget horror movies. There’s something a little sad about those that end successful careers with low-budget horror movies. In the case of Norman Foster, though, you’d have to first concede that many Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto films equate to success. He made at least…
-
From Beyond (1986)
October 24, 1986 Many of the cast and crew members from Re-Animator (1985) returned a year later to make another adaptation of a story by H.P. Lovecraft: From Beyond. The two films share the same gross excess, but the action in From Beyond is a little more controlled and I prefer it’s consistency to Re-Animator.…
-
Prince of Darkness (1987)
October 23, 1987 For his first 10 films, John Carpenter could do no wrong. Then came Big Trouble in Little China. I realize it’s beloved by many, but for me it was the beginning of a new era from which he never recovered. What happened post-1986 might be best explained by the talent of the…