As that special time of year comes around once again, the Halloween pranksters start to emerge from their drafty crypts and share their enthusiasms.
Go to this link to find one such gag fester:
http://wjhl.com/2017/09/20/halloween-decor-prompts-911-call-owner-says-its-all-in-fun/
I know the line “Kids don’t try this at home” has been used to death but remember to always proceed with caution when engaging in such shenanigans.
What happens when you go to explore a massive underground cave/water way and you get about three miles in and one mile down from the surface of the earth? Naturally, you run into hulking, ravenous monstrosities that can see in the dark better than you and are intelligent enough to trap and hunt you. And, much to your dismay, there is no dependable way out of this cave and the nightmarish situation you find yourself in. (Sounds like work. Just kidding.) Very effective horror/thriller that stays engaging until about the last 10 minutes of the movie. By that point, we become well aware of the true appearance of the monstrous underground dwellers. Maybe not so scary after we get more familiar with the beasts. Prior to that point, creepy!
Here’s some good background chatter to play during your groovy Halloween party or in your haunted playhouse. A veritable assemblage of white and pink noise layers and ambient pads build to a cacophony of dread induced drones. Lovely! Inspired by themes and nightmares explored by H.P. Lovecraft and his multifarious ghastly denizens of the very Deep and Dark.
I think I mentioned Tales From The Crypt in an earlier post. I stress this segment from the anthology film from the ’70’s because it features a diabolical madman on the loose who dons a Santa Claus suit to get into the spirit of the Christmas season during which the segment transpires. Seedy Santa leers and creeps outside the residence of an equally seedy sexpot played by Joan Collins. You can question whether there was type casting involved. I have. Anyway, an enjoyable if edgy representation of the jolly fat guy who in this case gets his jollies from stalking less than innocent, soon to be victims. Simply crazy!
I started watching this from about the half way point and got hooked. This is your basic kids stranded in a lonely cabin with no way to get past or rid of the nasty, howling bigfoot creature which wants to avenge itself on them. Fairly effective “found footage” approach is used throughout. One of the humans in peril is video recording the whole adventure. The scene with the guy on the mountain bike and the GoPro trying to find a cell phone signal and, then, trying to outpace a hotly pursuing sasquatch is pretty nerve wracking. Exists brings to mind a similar tale from the ’70’s, “The Creature from Black Lake”. Don’t mess with Mother Nature’s babies may be the lesson here.
My favorite Stallone actioner, “First Blood” was the first and best screen appearance of Vietnam Green Beret John J. Rambo. Rambo strays in to the wrong town when its hard ass sheriff takes an immediate dislike to him and throws him in jail. Rambo’s treatment in incarceration brings on flashbacks of his torture at the hands of the enemy in a prisoner of war camp in Vietnam. All Hell breaks loose as Rambo busts out of jail and goes on the lam into the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. The sheriff then takes his personal vendetta against Rambo to extremes and enlists an army of law enforcement to bring the fugitive from Justice in. Great action sequences, some well staged chases, amazing, forested locales and some solid performances from the dependable thespians Dennehy and Richard Crenna. I remember seeing this at a drive in and not knowing what the heck was going on as the forest settings proved too dark to translate well to a drive in movie screen. LOL. At least we were well stocked with booze!
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad has to be stop motion animator, Ray Harryhausen’s, crowning achievement. Sinbad sets out on a fantastic odyssey to retrieve the ingredients to concoct a potion to release his love from a spell which has reduced her to the size of a doll. Many pitfalls and danger are met along the way, of course. The cyclops has become one of the icons of fantasy creatures unleashed on the masses, at least in my world. A sweeping, sprawling cinematic treat, this flick is packed with monsters, mystery, and action. Great creature models and the best stop motion animated work ever done by anybody, in any age!
Juicy, supernatural soap opera featuring the fabulous Jaqueline Bisset as the wife of an aspiring concert pianist who has her world turned upside down by a gaggle of satanic cult members. Plenty of post Flower Power saturated colors, soft focus lenses and semi risqué goings on. Very enjoyable time waster that plays like the cinematic equivalent of a melodramatic romantic novel. Featuring a cast of great character actors including Willian Windom, Bradford Dillman, Curt Jurgens, Alan Alda and Barbara Parkins.
The 1970’s were rife with speculation about what mysterious force could be behind all the missing and vanished boats, ships and planes which entered the region known as The Bermuda Triangle and then were never seen again. There are many books and television shows which have delved into this haunted spot. Are there natural forces to blame for the swallowing up of all these vessels or is it something supernatural? This scary TV picture thought that The Devil was at work in the area. Doug McClure and Kim Novak get stuck in the middle of all this mess and try to find a way to elude the evil. Good luck, mates!
Certainly an interesting pairing of acting talent in this oater. Jack Nicholson plays a horse thief, who, along with his fellow gang, are systematically picked off by an eccentric, manic bounty hunter, Marlon Brando, hired by a cattle rancher whose stock has been stolen by the thieving bunch. This film is kind of a combination of genres: western and slasher. This was slasher before it existed! Halloween was still a couple years out. Members of Jack’s gang, including the great talents Harry Dean Stanton, John Ryan, Frederic Forrest, and Randy Quaid, are killed one after the other in some new graphic fashion. Yes. This film is heavy on the violence. Although he is an insufferable ass in this part, Brando is a freaking joy to behold in his weirdness. Very entertaining, enjoyable film.
1970’s TV movies offered up a plethora of weird subject matter the net result being that it left deep psychological wounds on young, impressionable viewers which I am sure, myself included, they carry with them to this day. I remember the exhilaration of braving some of this creepy TV material and then spending sleepless nights terrified by the experience. This unpleasant little story included these hideous, shriveled up, doll sized demons you see here. You see, there is a lady, actress Kim Darby, who spends quite a lot of time in a dark house filled with these beasts. They only want her to join their infernal ranks. Let the drama begin!
What a cool concept! A haunted house walk through at Universal Studios in Hollywood of psycho Michael Myers’ various killing grounds. In this scenario, you go toward the hulking Shape and he and other scary figures jump out at you. No nasty slashing or blood spilling is involved. You may soil your shorts but at least you’re doing this in the dark. You may get away with no one seeing it.
Halloween rapidly approaches. What better way to get into the spirit (a little ghostly pun, there) than to start tracking down some creepy videos of ghostly manifestations and other strange stuff that will make your skin crawl? Here are some samples to get you startled, er…., started.
It gets to be a drag commenting on the great personalities who are no longer with us. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper just passed at too young an age. Roddy Piper made his name in the wrestling ring and established himself as one of the most memorable heels ever. You were never quite sure what stunt Piper would resort to as he became increasingly wound up and then exploded in some violent act of lunacy. Sports Entertainment never looked so good when this maniac was present. Piper branched out into action flicks and turned up in this John Carpenter directed paranoid fantasy. Piper plays a drifter who stumbles into a well concealed alien scheme of mass manipulation and brain washing of the public at large. Piper then attempts to eradicated the problem. Much machine gun fire, explosions, mayhem and even some wrestling action ensues. One of Carpenter’s better post – Halloween, The Thing, efforts. Piper’s best role. BTW – I made up for an earlier fail and have actually attached the trailer now. DOH!!!
