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| Welcome to M o n s t e r l a n d F o r u m s! We are a growing, casual and friendly online community of movie fans who like to talk about giant monsters, horror and sci-fi in cinema, on television and on DVD. There are forums for sports, casual chat and video games as well. For those of you who like making art, writing stories and creating videos, our community includes a forum for these submissions as well. Check out our main index page and other board forums! Anyone is welcome to join our community! M o n s t e r l a n d F o r u m s was created on January 29, 2006 for the purpose of giving fans of giant monster films and other sci-fi/horror movies a friendly online meeting place to discuss all of their favorite films and other things of interest. -Lee "Packmule" Merritt Site founder |
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| Packmule's Picks; Some reviews and revisits of my favorite films | |
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| Topic Started: Mar 23 2008, 05:59 PM (640 Views) | |
| packmule | Mar 23 2008, 05:59 PM Post #1 |
Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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As anyone who knows me will attest, I have a decided fondness for a great many low budget horror and science fiction films, especially those made during the decades of the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's. I'd like to share some of my thoughts on these movies, one film per week, and their respective DVD releases, in this topic thread. I will, at the conclusion of each review, post a link where the DVD I'm gibbering about can be purchased online, and a theatrical trailer of the film, where possible. "Bigfoot"(or "Sasquatch") and the "Yeti"(abominable snowman) have been a popular and often used antagonist character in horror films over the decades. A few have done well at the box office but most have not. One of my favorites that explores the mystery of this creature is The Legend Of Boggy Creek, which was released theatrically in the U.S. in December, 1972. This film was produced and directed by Texarkana(Arkansas) ad salesman Charles Pierce, who borrowed $160,000 from a local business and, using his own cameras, made a movie which utilized local citizenry from both Texarkana and Fouke, Arkansas. The return on Mr. Pierce's investment was, needless to say, stupendous: the movie raked in a total of over $20 million dollars. The movie itself takes on a serio-documentary approach in chronicling the "Fouke monster", a hairy, bipedal man-monster which prowls the Sulphur River bottoms of Fouke, a town in the extreme southern part of Arkansas and close to the Arkansas-Louisiana border. Many of the cast in this movie play themselves as details of the monster's handiwork are recounted, via fictional reenactments. Many things, IMO, work well to make this movie creepy and suspenseful: first, the face of the monster is never revealed and the creature is rendered throughout the movie as a faceless, growling, mysterious antagonist forever lurking in the woodland shadows. Secondly, Charles Pierce does a good job at capturing the indigenous sounds of the swampy wetland bottoms surrounding Fouke: crickets, bullfrogs and the occasional growl of an alligator all figure prominently throughout the movie and are used to great effect at the beginning credits and then later during various scenes preceding the monster's contact with the understandably traumatized local citizenry. Thirdly, the creatures roar is truly scary to listen to, part swine, part canine and part something else altogether. Though the viewer of this film never sees the monster's face it's apparent, from everything else visible, that it would be the last thing on Earth invited over for brunch after the AM Sunday church service. The characters in this film belie the town of Fouke: blue collar, hard working, many possessing drawls, and a bevy of firearms, and who pass the time hunting and/or fishing, none more so perhaps than Herb Jones, a fellow who has sequestered himself deep within the rugged woodlands of the Sulphur River, for over twenty years, and whose only contact with the outside world was the youthful Travis Crabtree, who brought the old and grizzled Jones some supplies once a month. Mr. Jones, a weathered and semi-toothless old geezer who was included in the cast of this movie, presumably for his extensive knowledge of the woods around Fouke, attempts a brief commentary of his own regarding the existence of the monster. His speech slurred perhaps because of the absence of teeth, Jones uses terms like "he brung me tobaccer" and "it'ern't nuttin", which is, thankfully, not indicative of the way the remainder of this movie's cast enunciates syllables and consonants. The climax of the film is one last encounter between a group of predictably terrified Fouke locals and the monster, albeit intensified and including a brief barrage of gunfire as two locals open up on the mysterious monster with shotguns. (no other spoilers) This movie does not, IMO, make much attempt to provide an explanation of what the "Fouke monster" is, nor should it. It is, after all, a horror movie, only loosely based on what is purported to be a mysterious creature that appears in Fouke every so often. The film will, I think, if you watch it, make you a little more hesitant to peep out the cabin window at night on your next camping trip. Believe it. The Legend Of Boggy Creek(1972) was released to R1 DVD in 2002 by Sterling Entertainment. The film's sequel, called Return To Boggy Creek(1977), was released to R1 DVD in 2005 by Elite Entertainment. A third installment, called Boggy Creek II: The Legend Continues(1985), has also been released to DVD. Neither the second nor third "Boggy Creek" film is made in "docu" style and are both straight ahead horror films. Click the link to see The Legend Of Boggy Creek(1972) on R1 DVD at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Boggy-Creek-V...02797364&sr=8-4 A brief clip featuring Travis Crabtree(who plays himself in the film): http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1...earch&plindex=3 |
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| josh TX | Mar 23 2008, 09:48 PM Post #2 |
Monsterland Hall Of Famer
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Nice review Lee, and a great thread you have going here. I'll be looking forward to reading your entries. thumbs up |
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| packmule | Mar 27 2008, 08:07 PM Post #3 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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When the average person, horror movie fan or not, hears the word "Frankenstein", I would presume they would envision a mad doctor, or perhaps the monster created by the infamous mad doctor himself. Universal Studios and Hammer Studios have produced some truly marvelous Frankenstein films, and while all obviously varied in some way or another they all, still, featured a mad scientist named Frankenstein, a well stocked laboratory, and of course the often truly horrendous looking monster, which was made of sewn together body parts and re-animated through electricity. One film went "off the beaten path" regarding the concept of the Frankenstein monster, and did so in what is widely considered bizarre fashion: Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster, a 79 minute, black and white sci-fi movie released in American theaters in September, 1965 by Allied Artists Pictures. The film had only a two week run in theaters, arguably the most memorable thing about this low budget shlocker, among those individuals, like myself, who are quite enamored with these kinds of films. The film's story: American rockets are being mysteriously blasted to bits after exiting Earth's atmosphere and entering the planet's orbit. In response, a pair of scientists, with the blessing of the military and NASA, put their latest creation, an android named Frank Saunders(played by Robert Reilly), into another rocket, which is sent into space to investigate the lost rockets. Unbeknownst to NASA an alien ship, from Mars, and orbiting the Earth, has been destroying the NASA manned rockets, and they do the same to Saunder's rocket, which is obliterated. The android manages to bail out and survive, the aliens landing nearby. A pair of the aliens attack Saunders with their weapons and the resulting blast grotesquely scorches off half of the android's face, also damaging Saunder's brain. The android immediately begins a wandering, almost drunkardly walkabout, killing numerous locals, who are understandably terrified at his disfigured appearance. Meanwhile, the aliens, led by a female, Princess Marcuzan(Marilyn Hanold), and a bald, pointy-eared accomplice (appropriately) named Doctor Nadir(Lou Cutell), order their crew to begin collecting human females for breeding purposes, as an atomic war has killed all the females on the red planet. In the last half-hour of this low-budget affair we are treated to an all out military assault on the alien's spaceship and a brief but intense battle between the disfigured android Frank Saunders and the alien's pet, a hulking monster called Mull. Observations: This film has achieved turkey status in the 2007 DVD And Video Guide, understandable as it is a typical low-budget affair, with special effects that are shaky at best, a plot line full of holes, and acting that is, for the most part, absolutely atrocious. Still, IMO some turkeys can be enjoyed, even when it's not Thanksgiving. There are some interesting scenes in this movie, to be sure, the damaged android looks fairly grisly, and the battle between the android and the space monster inside the alien ship at the climax is not altogether bad. This film is now officially available on DVD at www.darkskyfilms.com. The DVD presents this film in it's original aspect ratio of 1:85.1 and mono audio, and includes scene selection and a trailer. The Dark Sky Films DVD looks better than several DVD-Rs I've bought of this wonky old feature, hands down. The film has also appeared on the market under titles like Mars Invades Puerto Rico, Mars Attacks Puerto Rico, and Operation San Juan. The official trailer for Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster: http://youtube.com/watch?v=O9It2mr5hP8 The Dark Sky Films DVD of this movie: http://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-Meets-M...d/dp/B000E991RU |
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| packmule | May 10 2008, 11:05 PM Post #4 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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I have been a great fan of Vincent Price for the longest. This man was, even before entering the horror movie genre, a very good actor. I think most would agree Vincent Price found his "niche", so to speak, acting in horror films. I have always like many of his early horror movies, especially House Of Wax(1953) and The Fly(1958). Vincent Price starred in a handful of films, based on Edgar Allan Poe stories, directed by Roger Corman in the early 1960's as well, a group of movies that have, I believe, stood the test of time quite well. One of these Corman directed films is an absolute personal favorite of mine, and also a favorite vehicle by which to watch Vincent Price, IMO a master of his craft, at work. The movie I'm referring to is The Pit And The Pendulum, produced and directed by Roger Corman and released to theaters in 1961 by American International Pictures. The film's story: In 16th century Spain, Englishman Francis Barnard has sojourned to the seaside castle of Spaniard Nicholas Medina, to investigate the cause of his sister Elizabeth's untimely death. At the large and foreboding castle Barnard meets Nicholas Medina(played by Vincent Price), a physician, Medina's sister Dania, and Medina's butler. The Englishman demands details of his sister's death but, at least at first, few answers are forthcoming from the troubled Nicholas Medina, who is, we learn, teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Medina has a gruesome and grisly family history, his father Sebastian one of the Spanish Inquisitions' most notorious torturers, as evidenced by the torture chamber located in the bowels of the castle. In time it becomes apparent that Elizabeth may not really be dead, a fact that pushes Nicholas Medina closer to insanity. (no other spoilers) Observations: This film is, IMO, a great vehicle by which to showcase the acting talents of Vincent Price. Price is able to explore, and manifest, all of Nicholas Medina's psychological instabilities, and to great effect: paranoia, uncertainty, torment, guilt and finally an insanity filled revenge, acted out with ruthless efficiency on several of the other characters in this film. The score, by Les Baxter, is a moody amalgamation of keyboards and strings, and matches the movie's scenes quite well. The film's sets will not, admittedly, blow one away but there appears to have been some effort to make the clothing worn by the characters commensurate with the setting(by year) and location of the movie. The best prop for The Pit And The Pendulum is the castle's interior, replete with creaking doors, cobweb filled corridors, secret passageways, and the torture chamber itself, a somber collection of instruments used to maim and kill during the Spanish Inquisition. The pendulum is the most fearsome of these instruments, a swinging, razor sharp curved blade that swings back and forth above it's prone victim, lowering slightly with each swing...and you can guess what happens next. The executive producers for this film might sound familiar: Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson, who partnered on many other sci-fi/horror films as producers. The film also stars John Kerr as "Francis Barnard", Luana Anders as "Dania", Anthony Carbone as "Dr. Leon", and the exquisitely lovely Barbara Steele as "Elizabeth". The theatrical trailer for The Pit And The Pendulum(1961): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCeUTkX3A_c The R1 DVD of this film has been released by MGM in their "Midnite Movies" series and can be bought at a very affordable price at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Pit-Pendulum-Vincent...e/dp/B00005AUK4 The Midnite Movies DVD includes scene selection and a trailer for the film, which is presented in 2:35.1 widescreen aspect ratio. |
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| packmule | Jun 3 2008, 09:03 PM Post #5 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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Though not technically a low budget film this cinematic feature garnered poor ratings from film critics and has been generally reviewed as a pedestrian horror movie at best. I can recall watching this film at the Omni in downtown Atlanta several times on consecutive Saturdays. It was 1979 and I was seventeen(17) years old. A TV spot promoting this movie got my attention, as did the theatrical poster. I'm referring to Prophecy(1979), directed by John Frankenheimer, distributed by Paramount Pictures, and starring Robert Foxworth, Talia Shire, Armand Assante and Richard Dysart. The film's story: A public health physician named "Rob"(played By R. Foxworth) is asked by a colleague to conduct an environmental investigation into the impact of a local logging company on a large area of Maine woodland upcountry. The logging company's production of wood and paper products clashes with the local Indian community which wants to preserve the land from man made intrusion. Rob and his wife Maggie(Talia Shire) travel to Maine and soon see first hand just how polarized things are between employees of the local paper mill and the Native American Indian community there. Rob and his wife learn that the woods are being slowly contaminated by chemicals loosed into the local river, which has caused fatalities and deformities among both the Indian and local animal populace. Not coincidentally, there is something very large, very menacing, but yet unseen, prowling the woods around our main characters, that has brutally slaughtered a search and rescue party, a family on a camping sojourn, and which is now stalking Rob, his wife, and the pair of Native American Indians who're trying to help them with the investigation. (no other spoilers). What works in this film: -The score: very bold, with lots of strings and urgent horns. The score adds real urgency, and dread, to many scenes in this film. -The actors: Robert Foxworth and Talia Shire are solid, as is Armand Assante. Foxworth's "Rob" is the disillusioned doctor looking to make a difference in the world, Assante is the surly yet courageous Indian "John Hawks" who's trying to protect his people. Talia Shire is the demure wife of "Rob" who struggles to communicate with her husband. Richard Dysart's character, "Eisley", who represents the paper mill, is also good as the mill's bureaucratic and self confident representative, who ultimately must face the consequences of his mills' contamination of the local environment. -The film's pace: the movie moves along very well. The tension and dread that builds in Prophecy is constant. -The cinematography: director John Frankenheimer captures the rugged isolation and raw beauty of Maine's woodland up country very well. The woods take on, in a way, a life of its own once the characters are stranded on foot, and with the hulking, menacing mutated beast seemingly always lurking not too far away. -The small mutated creatures: sufficiently grotesque and possessing blood curdling cries. Not for the squeamish. What doesn't work in this film: -The large mutated creature: part bear(clearly evident from its appearance) and parts of other things altogether, this monster, while not what I would rate as terrible, still leaves a lot to be desired. Imagine a grizzly bear with severe psoriasis and a serious drooling problem. The growl, roar and heavy, ragged breathing of the giant, disfigured and rabid monster was, IMO, very good, but at times the creature's movements appeared sloppy and "loose". In other scenes the monster's movements were slower and more deliberate, what you would expect from something standing fifteen feet high(or more) and weighing well over half a ton. Overall: Prophecy remains a personal favorite of mine. I watch it about twice a year. The movie has been released onto R1 DVD by Paramount. The disc includes an audio set up and scene selections. The film's aspect ratio is 2:35.1 widescreen. Here's a TV promo clip, from 1979, of Prophecy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xyB1P-1kfI Another intense scene where one of the campers is killed by the monster: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UXOo00wKQA&feature=related Here's the film for sale on DVD at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Prophecy-Robert-Foxworth/dp/B00005RDAI |
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| packmule | Jul 30 2008, 11:05 PM Post #6 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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Anyone that knows me will tell you that the decade of the 1960's is my absolute favorite decade for movies, and all genres of them, none more so than science fiction. During the 60's there have been some absolutely marvelous sci-fi films made: Planet Of The Apes(1968), 2001: A Space Odyssey(1968), The Day The Earth Caught Fire(1961), Robinson Crusoe On Mars(1964), and Fahrenheit 451(1966) are just a handful that immediately come to mind. One such sci-fi film that perhaps doesn't get as much recognition is Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun(1969), directed by Robert Parrish, produced by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, the film derived from a story written by Gerry/Sylvia Anderson. This English film premiered in the UK under the title "Doppelganger" in October, 1969 and a month later in the United States by its American, and more recognized title "Journey To The Far Of The Sun". The film's story: about one hundred years in the future the discovery of another planet in a perfectly reciprocal orbit around the sun relative to Earth, by an unmanned space probe, prompts a consortium called Eurosec to fund the construction of a rocket that will send two men to this mysterious new planet. The two men selected to make the journey, American astronaut Glenn Ross(played by Roy Thinnes) and English astrophysicist John Kane(played by Ian Hendry), undergo an accelerated and vigorous training regimen to ready themselves for the journey to the newly discovered planet. Their training complete the pair blast off into space aboard an enormous rocket. Once in space they spend three weeks in a kind of stasis, then awaken and, after entering orbit around the new planet, decide to touch down on the new planets surface. And touch down they do, though their landing is rough and their craft is destroyed as a result. The astro-physicist gravely injured, Ross and his injured comrade are soon picked up by a search and retrieval team. Later astronaut Glenn Ross is reunited with his boss, Eurosec director Jason Webb(played by Patrick Wymark) and his wife Sharon(played by Lynn Loring). Ross is accused of aborting the mission and returning to Earth by those he works for, and his wife, which makes Ross question his sanity. The astronaut knows he didn't turn back...and that he is on the new planet, which seems like Earth and could very well be Earth... But how can this new planet be so much like Earth? Well, it isn't...there's one major difference. (no other spoilers) Thumbs up: 1. the actors, all of which turned in solid performances, especially the outspoken, vain and demanding "Jason Webb". Patrick Wymark's portrayal of the gruff but likable Eurosec chief is solid. 2. the special effects: this film lacks the grandeur and absolutely meticulously detailed effects of 2001: A Space Odyssey. That said the special effects, particularly the miniatures and pyrotechnics in this movie, are very good. 3. the score: at times dominated by strings the soundtrack for this film is at times very melancholy and beautiful, none more so than during the sequence where the astronauts continue to sleep in stasis, their rocket quietly moving ahead in space towards the new planet. 4. the sets used all effectively project a "futuristic" feel, appropriate to a film set about one hundred years in the future. I especially liked the designs of the offices and the vehicles used to transport the characters around: very cool! Thumbs down: 1. the ending: abrupt and IMO somewhat enigmatic. 2. the brief outburst of violence(a hard slap) by Glenn Ross towards his wife. This scene seemed rather out of place in the film. 3. some of the outer space shots were a little shaky, effects wise Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun(1969) is, I think, one of the more underrated sci-fi films of the 1960's. This movie won't blow you away, even if you're a sci-fi fan like me. It will, I think, grow a little more on you with the passage of time, and watching it once a year as I do. This film is available on Region 1 DVD, and was actually recently re-released by Universal. The movie's aspect ratio is widescreen(1:85.1). My DVD copy is the older release(also in widescreen) with only scene selection and no extras. Here's the R1 DVD for sale at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016B6ZJW |
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| packmule | Sep 5 2008, 10:23 PM Post #7 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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There have been, over the decades, some truly marvelous horror movie directors: Terence Fisher, Roger Corman, Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter, Clive Barker, John Landis, Alfred Hitchcock, Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci and George Romero. While I am an admirer and fan of these directors I am especially fond of David Cronenberg. One of Cronenberg's films is a personal favorite of mine, a movie I first watched in a movie theater as a college freshman. I'm referring to Scanners, a film distributed by MGM, written and directed by David Cronenberg and originally released to theaters in January, 1981. The film's story: An underground group of people with formidable and destructive telepathic abilities, called "scanners", are a threat to mankind, lead by an especially powerful scanner named Darryl Revok(played by Michael Ironside), who wants to build a scanner "army" and dominate the world. Opposing Revok is a another scanner named Cameron Vale(played by Stephen Lack), a man who knows nothing about his background and who is recruited by a scientist(played by Patrick McGoohan) specializing in the study of "scanners" to ultimately stop Darryl Revok. Through plot twists and turns we see both Cameron Vale and Darryl Revok use their scanning abilities to effective and often lethal effect on others. In the end the struggle comes down to a face off between Revok and Vale, with one important story line revelation preceding their final battle, and an ending that is, IMO, terrific and startling at the same time! (no other spoilers) What works for me in this film: -Michael Ironside is very effective in the role of the antagonist "Darryl Revok". He's as mentally unstable as he is powerful, which makes for an unsettling combination in this film. -The special makeup effects: marvelous, especially the infamous "exploding head" scene and the effects used to render the absolute carnage that Revok and Vale inflict upon each other in the final battle, a test of their respective scanning abilities. What doesn't work for me in this film: -Stephen Lack, whose acting was, IMO, somewhat muted. He definitely lacked a "presence" in this movie, something that his bad guy counterpart Michael Ironside did not lack at all. I've always considered Michael Ironside a terrific character actor and this movie is confirmation.  This film is a clever and entertaining look at the science, and science fiction, of telepathy, mind control and all of its potentially ugly(and gory) undersides. One of David Cronenberg's early directorial efforts and a must have DVD for any self respecting fan of classic sci-fi and horror.  One of the trailers for Scanners(1981): Here's the MGM Region 1 DVD of this film for sale at Deep Discount.com: http://www.deepdiscount.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=5753810 |
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| Deleted User | Jan 30 2009, 12:57 AM Post #8 |
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And people think I'm sick,and depraved,for liking these kind of films... ....philistines! Love to see more! |
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| packmule | Jan 30 2009, 08:17 AM Post #9 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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I'll post another movie "retrospective" this weekend. In the meantime, for your inspection: http://packmule84.blogspot.com |
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| G2Kmaster | Feb 1 2009, 01:20 AM Post #10 |
BIGGEST GODZILLA NERD HERE!-Monster Island Hall Of Famer
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See that you like it when Sean Connery battles Donald Pleasence... |
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| packmule | Mar 13 2009, 07:37 AM Post #11 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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Frogs(1972) I have always enjoyed watching documentaries about the natural world on cable TV. The Discovery Channel is, I admit, one of my favorite channels. Today there is a wider variety of programming on cable television regarding animals and wildlife, shows like Animal Rescue, which showcases the efforts of the various big city ASPCA's to catch those guilty of animal cruelty, and another show that chronicles a type of animal cruelty of it's own: "When Animals Attack". This television show is a compilation of footage of often violent and bizarre encounters between man and the various members of our planet's animal kingdom. Though "When Animals Attack" was not inspired by the movie that is the topic of this post it no doubt could have been. The film I am referring to is Frogs, a horror movie released in 1972 by American International Pictures, directed by George McCowan and produced by James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff. The film's story: Jason Crockett(played by Ray Milland) is a surly and generally miserable millionaire who has gathered family and friends to his isolated island mansion for a party. Crockett displays a blatant disdain for many of his guests, including the non-human kind, much of his dislike for the local animal life manifest in the rampant pollution on the island, caused by Crockett of course. Despite grumbling from some of the early arrivals at his mansion, Jason Crockett is determined to have his party. The problem: the local animal life has decided to attend the party as well. The island becomes overrun with, of course, frogs, but also among the animals who have decided to join Crockett's gathering are aggressive rattlers and water moccasins, several alligators, a small army of lizards, birds, tarantulas, and even one very large and formidable-looking loggerhead turtle. One by one the guests begin having very unpleasant encounters with these critters, including old man Crockett himself (no spoilers). Observations: This film is a an early, somewhat simplified effort to show the "nature run amok" movie motif. Does it work? I think so, even if not on a grand scale. The attacks of the various critters in this movie are often exacerbated by the stupidity of the victims, their own actions(or inactions) contributing to their demise. The "tarantula" scene was creepy, and would definitely give arachnophobes goosebumps. The acting is serviceable: Sam Elliott is decent enough as the photographer "Pickett Smith", and Joan Van Ark looks great! Ray Milland's portrayal of the sullen, self aggrandizing and perpetually cranky "Jason Crockett" is the best of the group. The DVD of this movie is presented in either full frame or widescreen(1.85:1) options, and includes scene selection and a theatrical trailer. Fans of campy horror will like this one, which I recommend. If you are a casual horror movie fan and have a Netflix queue to burn use it on this older classic. I think you'll be glad you did. Here's the film for sale as a MGM Region 1 DVD: http://www.deepdiscount.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=5753629 The theatrical trailer for Frogs(1972): |
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| Godzillaheisei546 | Mar 17 2009, 08:29 PM Post #12 |
Godzilla Fan
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One of the few cheesy films to scare me! |
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| packmule | Mar 21 2009, 05:59 PM Post #13 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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I Was A Teenage Werewolf(1957) One of my favorite cinematic and TV monsters is the werewolf, also referred to, on occasion, as a "lycanthrope". There have been many films about this beast in cinema: some good and some horrendous. Prior to the decade of the 60's werewolf films were infrequent but among those that were produced a handful are quite good. Werewolf Of London(1935), The Wolfman(1941) & The Werewolf(1956) all provide genuine creeps and decent makeup effects. Another film about lycanthropy, from the 50's, is also a favorite I like to watch on DVD(-R) from time to time: I Was A Teenage Werewolf(1957)(American International Pictures). The film's story: meet Tony, a likable young high school teenager who might be like any other typical high school student, but isn't. Why? Because he has an explosive temper. After Tony's latest skirmish, a fight on the school grounds in which he tries to jack up and beat the daylights out of another student, the high school principal arranges for Tony(played by Michael Landon) to see a psychiatrist(played by Whit Bissell). The psychiatrist attempts to treat Tony for his aggressive behavior, but the result is hardly expected, or desired: Tony becomes a werewolf! Tony's high school becomes a den of terror as the teenage beast terrifies students and preys on others off the school grounds, which attracts the immediate attention of the police, who obviously become tasked with stopping the creature's attacks on students and the locals.(no other spoilers). Observations: a surprisingly effective movie, given the "cheese" factor, which is prevalent in so many of the 50's "monster-on-the loose" giant monster and horror films. Michael Landon is terrific as the moody, intense teenager with the temper, and fists, from hell, whose rage is amplified even more by his becoming a lycanthrope. The werewolf makeup effects are decent as Tony's hairy, fanged and bloodthirsty alter-ego understandably scares the hell out of all those unfortunate enough to cross paths with him. The makeup effects include an abundance of hair and generously oversized fangs and brows. The hostility and generally violent temperament of the student-werewolf clearly indicate that it is not interested at all in gym class or home economics. Bottom line: trying to send this student to the principal's office, for not having a hall pass, will definitely get you killed. The film's trailer: Here's the film available for sale in VHS format at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Was-Teenage-Werewolf-Michael-Landon/dp/B00000F7RU The film can be viewed on YouTube(it's in about 10 parts). Here's Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK1cWrEJglc |
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| Godzillaheisei546 | May 25 2009, 11:51 AM Post #14 |
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Godzilla Fan
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Interesting stuff. 
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| packmule | May 25 2009, 11:17 PM Post #15 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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Tentacles(1977) - Revisited Many of the DVDs in my library of 700+ titles are what I like to describe as "tweeners", those giant monster/horror/sci-fi movies that are, at the end of the day, and when all is said and done, somewhere between lousy and good. Tentacoli doesn't get much benefit of the doubt if the internet reviews it has received are any indication. Tentacoli is an Italian horror film directed by Ovidio Assonitis, which originally opened in Italian theaters in early 1977. It reached American theaters in the summer of the same year as Tentacles. This movie is widely blasted by web critics from top to bottom. I can understand the rampant disdain for this film by the horde of the movie's detractors. That said this film has grown on me over the years. I guess the old adage is true: there's no accounting for taste.  The film's story: partially eaten remains of people wash ashore in the seaside community of Solana Beach. The local sheriff, played by veteran character actor Claude Akins, is understandably perplexed and anxious to know what's causing these fatalities. Akins, as the town's sheriff, has perfected the ability to look flummoxed to an art form. Also on the prowl in this movie is a grizzled, curmudgeonly old news reporter(played by John Huston) whose main reason for living seems to be antagonizing the head of the Trojan Construction Company(played by Henry Fonda...yes, Henry Fonda). Fonda's character, "Mr. Whitehead", is an angry and suspicious man and not really anything else in this movie. Add to the mix an affable marine biologist(played by Bo Hopkins) and the reporter's sister(played by Shelley Winters) and you have one seriously strange group of actors thrown together. The killings, turns out, are the result of a monstrous sized octopus which is apparently disturbed by the underwater pipeline construction of the Trojan Construction Company. In the end, the marine biologist and his pair of specially trained 25 foot long orcas(killer whales) ultimately deal with the giant and ornery mollusk. (no other spoilers) This movie has been released by MGM as a "Midnite Movies" release, paired with 1977's Empire Of The Ants. The aspect ratio for "Tentacles" is 2:35.1 widescreen and the DVD print of this film looks good. This film is widely considered a "Jaws" rip off. I would concur with that assessment but still encourage any fan of giant monster movies to rent Tentacles, or invest in the MGM Midnite Movies DVD release of the film, just to see the cast of actors, hear the sometimes wonky score and watch the decent effects at the end of the film as the orcas and octopus do battle. The film's trailer: The MGM Midnite Movies DVD for sale at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Ants-Tentacles-John-Huston/dp/B0007R4TR6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1243304395&sr=1-5 |
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9:22 AM Nov 23
