I loved it when big name stars decided to degrade themselves by starring in Italian exploitation pics in the 70's solely for a big paycheck. This Italian Jaws rip-off stars Henry Fonda, John Huston and Shelley Winters. A seaside resort (a long way from Amity though) has become the feeding supply of a giant octopus. …
Continue reading Day 31- 31 Days of Halloween- Tentacles (1977)
Layabout crazy cat Jerry (played by the director Ray Dennis Steckler under the hilarious pseudonym Cash Flagg), his girlfriend Angela and his friend Harold go to the seaside to visit a carnival there. After getting their fortunes told they see the fortune tellers sister Carmelita who is a stripper. Jerry is seen by Angela to be …
Healthy horny idiots go camping in the woods (I know, an alien scenario for a slasher film!) The woods they go to were the location of a bloodbath decades earlier as someone from a gypsy camp was falsely accused of rape by a female member of the townsfolk. The townsfolk burnt down the gypsy settlement …
Continue reading Day 29-31 Days of Halloween- The Prey (1983)
This 1965 Roman Polanski film centres on the character of Carol, a beautiful woman who works at a beauty parlour whilst living with her sister Helen in South Kensington, London. Shes very childlike and seems to be not only sexually repressed but actually repulsed by men. Matters aren't helped by a persistent young man called …
Continue reading Day 28- 31 Days of Halloween- Repulsion (1965)
Another one of my favourite VHS rentals as a kid was Terror in the Aisles. Essentially a compilation of clips from horror movies, this is That's Entertainment for weirdos. And it works beautifully. A major reason why this works is the sheer breadth of the films that are used from the old to the new, …
Continue reading Day 27- 31 Days of Halloween- Terror in the Aisles (1984)
I battled to get to my cinema to see Kanye West's new film Jesus is King through bitter winds and freezing temperatures. I got to the cinema somewhat dishevelled but in one piece. This film was the perfect antidote to this. A gorgeous and very uplifting preview of Kanye's new gospel flavoured album that was …
Disney Pictures once made a horror film. Really! In the early 80's, they decided to capitalise on the horror boom and make a scary film for young adults. The Watcher in the Woods was made in 1980. It holds the honour of being possibly the most rented VHS tape of yours truly when he was …
Continue reading When Disney Dipped It’s Toe Into The Horror Genre- The Watcher In The Woods (1980)
An abominable snowman turns up at a snow resort and starts killing skiiers. And just before their Winter Carnival! So inconsiderate! Substitute the snow resort for a Cape Cod coastal tourist town. Substitute the Winter Carnival for the 4th of July. Substitute the Snowbeast for a killer Great White Shark. Boom! If this was the …
Continue reading Day 25- 31 Days of Halloween- Snowbeast (1977)
Arnold Masters is in prison for a crime he didn't commit. His mother who had a tumour was due to be operated on but wasn't. The doctor due to undertake the procedure was then found dead in his office by Arnold, who was then framed for his murder. He tells his backstory to a fellow …
Continue reading Day 24- 31 Days of Halloween- Psychic Killer (1974)
This Steven Spielberg-directed movie made for TV and adapted from Richard Matheson's short story still packs a punch. David Mann is a travelling businessman venturing to an appointment across California but is slowed down considerably by an ominous truck that at first inconveniences him until things suddenly take a much darker tone. This film could …
Meathook Cinema 