Bob Clark’s “Black Christmas” appeared many years before the onslaught of slasher films featuring idiosyncratic, stalking killers. This killer likes to freak out future victims by calling them on the phone and issuing gibberish about his foul intentions. There are many POV impressions from the killer’s vantage point. Victims are dispatched gruesomely and left in their lifeless, idle suspension to hang or sit undiscovered in the sorority house attic where some of the killer’s work unfolds. Many of these motifs we would see again in other films.
Plenty of quirky characters inhabit this world and there are a few characters who exhibit inner turmoil that may or may not be related to the serial killer on the loose but it is up to the viewer to decipher who is the most likely suspect. Keir Dullea of “2001: A Space Odyssey” plays a pianist who may be harboring dark secrets. Anybody who smashes a defenseless piano is certainly going to be under the microscope. John Saxon plays another low key, baffled cop who needs to find the killer fast before he strikes again.
Bob Clark directed a few other dark fantasies. Namely, “Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things” (zombies) and “Dead of Night” (reanimated corpse). And, “A Christmas Story”!
It is that time of year again. Want to get into the spirit? Why not pick up your guitar and learn the “Halloween” (1978) theme? I am referring to the music and movie created by John Carpenter that has become very ingrained in our culture. Very remarkable, that!
Here is some guitar tablature that will allow you to easily follow along and learn the tune. Let the celebration begin!
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!!!
I came home wiped out after a lousy day at work and wanted nothing more than to dissolve into bed with a little TV action to numb me. After checking the programming guide, there was nothing on! Figures. One last check and I stumbled upon “Frogs” being shown on Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey Network. Saved! El Rey has been showing some cool movies recently. Call them grindhouse features or exploitation or fantastic cinema films, whatever, you will find a wide range of cinema treats to keep you entertained. So, “Frogs” is a Seventies flick that touches on the theme of ecological disasters. What calamity may result if we unwittingly tamper with Mother Nature? And by tampering I mean, what effects will pollution, auto emissions, deforestation, ozone depletion, etc. have on the environment and the creatures living within that environment? It seems pollution is the likely culprit responsible for turning swamp dwelling creatures into aggressive human killers in this one. Plenty of creepy crawlies scamper through this film including snakes, birds, alligators and, of course, frogs. Humorous acting turns by Ray Milland, a very young Sam Elliott, and Adam Rourke. My favorite human offing method: death by snapping turtle!
Disgusting cash-in sequel which capitalized on the classic “Halloween” fright flick directed by John Carpenter. Carpenter is not directing this time but producing, taking a writing credit and providing the music. Still, Carpenter must take his share of credit for this turd. The formula stays the same: Asylum escapee Michael Myers is stalking fresh victims and Jamie Lee Curtis, more or less in that order. Dr. Loomis, portrayed by Donald Pleasance, pursues Myers. This time a face off takes place in a hospital where Curtis recovers from the assault she took from Myers in the previous flick. Curtis is nothing more than a crawling, mute presence here. Her character shambles around in a perpetual state of shock and then lurches around the hospital trying to find a hiding place from “the boogie man”, Myers. It all feels rather empty like the hospital. No characters are developed to care about. The scumbag hospital attendants who spend a lot of their time cavorting in empty hospital beds and whirlpool tubs are dispatched in abundance. Myers basically murders everyone in his path. He utilizes a lot of hospital equipment to accomplish these deeds in “novel” ways. We are given some small bits of revelatory information to add to the storyline/back story of Myers. Myers is shot repeatedly but manages to get back on his feet with twice the murderous force as before the bullet bath. I really stopped caring after awhile. I’d seen it all before.
Very twisted clip from John Carpenter’s The Thing. A chest that opens up and sports big, jagged fangs? The better to bite your hands off with! Ugly. Outstanding mechanical visual effects by Rob Bottin. All these monster effects had to be built from wire frames and then dressed to achieve the required look and then remotely made to function by one or more operators A lot of motors, wires, cables and what have you brought these monsters to life. Disney called them animatronics. They don’t make them like this anymore. CG is much quicker and cheaper.
Another trend setter. Carpenter’s masterpiece centering on the immortal, knife-wielding psychopath, Michael Myers. Much creepiness and terror as Myers stalks Jamie Lee Curtis and her friends. Lots of shadows, lurking, mayhem, frights. A true classic.
A varied collection of unusual movie and music video clips.
