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Well, I wasn't planning on working on watching horror movies so quickly, but I got The Legend of Boggy Creek from the library today. I've seen Boggy Creek II on MST3k, but I've heard the first one mentioned by a lot of folks who were kids in the 70s and were terrified of it. So I guess I'll see how it compares to the likes of Terror in the Swamp...

Ack wrote:Nemoide, dude, do you still have it on laserdisc? Demon Wind was... something. Something hilariously terrible. I love when a movie is so bad, I keep asking myself what the hell I'm watching. When the jock dude starts flat out making out with the hero's girlfriend, I had a moment like that. And then the magicians showed up. Comedy gold.

Of course! It is a TREASURE! Right up there with the likes of Troll 2! Now I want to rewatch it.

prfsnl_gmr wrote:Awesome. Here’s what’s on my watchlist currently:
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
...Any good, obscure titles I should add?

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is good, but you must watch the first sequel, Return of the Killer Tomatoes is generally considered to be better. And it's starring George Clooney, which is kind of ridiculous. (There are two other movies in the series, but they're not as good.)

Beyond. The Mask is great.

Frightmare is Troma but just as distributor I believe. It's kind of meh. I'm actually a fan of a lot of the old "first party" Troma films though.

The version of Frightmare I have cued up is the 1974 English slasher film:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frightmare_(1974_film)

This movie is supposed to be pretty solid, and since I am also not a Troma fan, I’ll happily skip the other Frightmare. Likewise, I’m watching the 1950 English version of The Fall of the House of Usher:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fal ... (1950_film)

These old English films are great because they top out at an hour, meaning they don’t overstay their welcome and are perfect for nights when you don’t want to watch something as long as a film. (Prime Video is full of vintage public domain British films, and my wife and I have been devouring them. They are great for parent, stay-at-home dinner date nights, and if anyone is interested in a list of our favorites, send me a PM. You wouldn’t think a pre-war film titled “Q Planes” would be great, but as one of the rare films starring both of the twentieth century’s greatest Shakespearean actors, you would be very wrong!)

prfsnl_gmr wrote:Phenomena

Phenomena is my favorite Argento film ever. If you've yet to see it... boy, are you in for a treat!

I don't want to spoil anything, but that film is bananas.

Bananas... Lol.

My fav is Opera for sure.

Last night, my son and I watched The Killer Bats (1940), which for a late period Bela Lugosi film, was actually pretty good. In it, Bela Lugosi plays a scientist who, after accepting a fixed price rather than a percentage of profits for his incredibly successful cosmetics formulas, decides to seek revenge against his much wealthier business partners (who, frankly, didn’t do anything wrong and bear no responsibility for his decision). He seeks revenge by conditioning bats to attack a certain fragrance and then, using electricity, growing the bats to enormous size. He then provides a sample of an experimental shaving lotion or perfume to anyone he wishes to assassinate before releasing the titular killer bats.

The movie didn’t blow me away or anything, but it was remarkably entertaining considering it’s premise and budget. It also ran only 67 minutes; so it didn’t wear out its welcome. My son also really liked it - there was a lot of speculation regarding how he would fend off the killer bats if he ever encountered them - and he is becoming quite the afficianado of old, child-friendly horror films.

I watched a couple horror movies over the past two days:
The Legend of Boggy Creek - more like the legend of boring creek. It's a pseudo-documentary that seems to be purported recreations of encounters between residents of a small rural community in Fouke, Arkansas and some kind of bigfoot. I can see why some folks (especially kids) would be captivated by this when it was new, but I found it pretty dull. I'd be curious to read about actual claimed encounters with the "Fouke monster" but seeing some guy in an ape costume or people stand around over three-toed footprints isn't enough to get me too engaged.

The Night Strangler is the sequel to The Night Stalker, the made-for-TV movie that introduced Kolchak, a journalist who uncovers stories relating to the supernatural. The first movie revolved around a vampire killing people while the sequel involves a sort of alchemical elixir that extends life while requiring human blood. It's good, but honestly a little toosimilar to the first film. I like the character of Kolchak and I can definitely see how this inspired The X-Files... but I think The X-Files was more interesting. I got both movies and the entire TV series on VHS earlier this year, so it should make for good Halloween-time viewing; I'm expecting that the show itself will have more variety in terms of monsters/entities!

9. Galaxy of Terror

There comes a time in our lives when we must take a moment to instill important lessons in others. Where we must pass along to our children the key messages to ensure their continued growth, development, and the understanding of the world around them. Have you talked with your children about the dangers of hallucinogenic worm rape?

If I am to judge off of what I have read about Galaxy of Terror, it is that the worm rape scene is the most important moment in the film and perhaps the only part worth watching. The Wikipedia article dedicates more time to this than nearly any other section, with the sole regard to the plot. Yes, Galaxy of Terror has an exploitative scene in which a woman is raped by a giant worm. Yes, it originally earned the film an 'X' rating, but they trimmed it by a few seconds to make it less "suggestive." Yes, you can still tell what is going on. And this is why the movie is apparently a cult hit.

That's unfortunate, because there are multiple reasons why this movie should be a cult hit. Sid Haig, Robert Englund, and Ray Walston are all in it, along with a couple of other faces you might recognize. James Cameron worked on the film. And while the movie is generally seen as an Alien rip-off, it has strange quasi-religious elements that make it radically different in tone. In fact, I'd say this movie is ultimately about enlightenment and acceptance of inevitability.

Yet worm rape is what the people talk about, so...yeah. That happens. But Sid Haig also punches off his own arm in one scene. One dude is killed by leech tentacles, a lady has her face blown off, a giant cockroach attacks a guy, a demon shows up; this movie is nuts! It's a bit slow at times too, as things don't get explained (though you can figure it out) for much of the film. But that's pretty much what you should expect from B-grade exploitation films. It's more about what you're seeing than understanding the specifics of what is happening.

Do I like the movie? Yes. I find it a little plodding at times, but it takes on a strange ambiance that I ultimately would say I enjoy. It's a weird movie. But it's an entertaining Roger Corman piece nonetheless. I say check it out if you want something more than a little offbeat or you're really into worm sex. Which if you are...don't tell me. I don't want to know.

10. The Dead Pit

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you took the movie The Snake Pit and combined it with Dr. Butcher, M.D.? No? Well, you're not the only one. But somebody did, and that somebody would go on to direct Lawnmower Man.

In this movie, a psychotic surgeon who works at a mental hospital is murdered by his colleague for his unauthorized surgeries that he's conducting in the basement. The psychiatrist who kills him then seals the basement, but 20 years later a Jane Doe arrives, and an earthquake breaks open the doorway. First, the dead surgeon begins appearing and murdering the staff and patients at the now run-down facility, but once he's built up enough power, he instead unleashes his horde of zombie patients to go after everyone.

Of course, it's up to Jane Doe to stop the mad surgeon. Oh, and she has a friend: a fellow patient in the psych ward who happens to be relatively sane but is a demolitions expert who enjoys blowing things up. These are the kinds of people who are handy in a pinch, and he is. There's also a crazy nun, and once Jane Doe and the Bad Bomber discover holy water works on taking down zombies, well, guess who's gonna blow up a water tower?

Yes, this is all ridiculous. You get a bit of gore involving people's brains being exposed, stuck with needles, or pulled out. There is a fair bit of blood too, and the zombies are just covered in it. One dude takes a dental drill to the eye, and more than once, you get to watch a lobotomy in action. But there isn't the usual biting or any of that nonsense; these zombies want brains, but purely for ceremonial purposes. They just kind of walk around holding them up and don't ever do anything with them.

Oh, and the mad surgeon? He's got some kind of Satanic power coming from his ring or something like that. At least, I think that is what is happening. After all, holy water takes him down, his eyes glow red, and his power transfers when someone else wears his ring at the end. This begs the question, "Why would you put on a dead evil surgeon's ring?" Some horror movie decisions I will never understand.

The Dead Pit isn't special, but it's weird, and it looks like it was filmed with Vaseline smeared on the camera lens. I kinda like that, it makes it feel way more late 80s/early 90s, which is compounded by the hairstyles and design of female underwear. The movie is a little sluggish, but once it gets going, many of the main characters' decisions are understandable, and some are downright smart. I'm always surprised by good choices, and the Bad Bomber here knows just what he's doing. He's also not afraid of the Zed word, which I appreciate. Really, he's the best part of the movie...well, that and the underwear. This isn't the first film I'd recommend folks who are looking to go off the beaten horror path, but it isn't the last either. If you can though, go watch The Boneyard. Now that's a horror movie I'd recommend to folks. Plus it has a mutant zombie poodle.

"When the dead start walking, you'd better start running..." is a painfully bad tagline.

11. It Follows

It's a simple idea: you have sex with someone, and the creature passes along to you. It takes many forms, but only people who have been affected can see it. It never stops following the most recent victim until they are dead or pass it along. If you pass it along but that person is killed, then it starts following you again.

So, what does it mean? An STD? Societal pressure and prejudice regarding sexuality? The loss of innocence and realizing your own mortality? See it how you want. Because it changes how it looks and comes after you in the worst possible ways, but it is coming, and maybe you'll see it, maybe you won't, until the end.

I loved this movie. Like flat out loved it. Everything about it works, from the amazing cinematography and use of static shots or background images to build a sense of dread that anyone walking toward you could be the horrible inevitable to the synth score that feels like the more adult version of a 1980s throwback. It sounds like the remake of Maniac to me; that's a good thing. Soundtrack was the greatest element there (seriously, the Maniac soundtrack is boss), and it's a key element here, reaching back to youthful days of innocence but also granting an edge. You've heard this before, but it's darker now. It's grown up.

The actors also all give great performances, full of despair, fear, jealousy, and genuine concern. Notice the parents never get involved. It's like any of a bunch of kid/teen movies from the 1980s where the youths are forced to confront something horrid, be it the criminals of The Goonies, the monsters of Monster Squad, the demons of The Gate...only the kids are older now, in high school or college, and dealing with their sexuality while still fending off the terrible things that plague them.

It Follows is a throwback but also an update in the best way possible. Just keep an eye out when you watch it. You'll start to notice just how unsafe you really are.



12. Don't Breathe

Three friends break into the house of a blind vet to steal a bunch of money. Unfortunately, he's both well-trained and crazy, and what they find in there is far worse than they could have imagined. While it's not as messed up as the Evil Dead update was, and I mean that in that I never grimaced at the screen while my skin crawled(seriously, it's fucked up. Go watch it), Don't Breathe is still a brutal and twisting movie that builds on itself, becoming worse and worse as each new element is revealed. This is a good thing, and while I liked It Follows more...I also really liked Don't Breathe.

I'm not gonna ruin the plot here. Often times I don't care about spoilers, but this one hinges on a bad situation going further and further down the rabbit hole, so don't read up on it; you need to see it to really get its full horror. Just know you're probably not gonna look away ever, but you are gonna marvel at just how depraved a situation can be. There's also a new cultural element to it; the justifications made for certain behaviors are even more striking in a post #MeToo world. I dislike making references to hashtags, even in the context of social movements, but if you follow the news, you'll probably be unable not to focus in on certain elements through the lens of the last two years.

And it just keeps going and getting worse and worse.

What the hell are you listening to me for? I've given you two great modern horror movies here. Go watch them. Now.