A remake of the 1958 classic gets a 70s update. The premise is the same but the reasons behind it are different. It seems like each incarnation of this film reflects the unrest of each society it was made in. This film depicts the 70s swing towards pop-psychology and psychiatry that was popular at the …
Continue reading Day 19- 31 Days of Halloween- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
A boat sails into New York but the only person onboard happens to be a morbidly obese zombie who seems to be pissed off and hungry. The daughter of the boat’s owner decides to venture to where her father had been, a Caribbean island called Matul. She takes along with her a journalist who smells …
Continue reading Day 18- 31 Days of Halloween- Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)
I’ll always have a soft spot for this movie. An obscure horror film made in America in the 70s and set in a drive in. Whats not to like? Could it be the mentally challenged employee there called Germy who could be the killer? Or the local sex pest we see the cops interview? (‘I didn’t …
Continue reading Day 17- 31 Days of Halloween- Drive In Massacre (1976)
A scientist (played by Vincent Price with his usual aplomb) discovers an organism that attaches itself to the human spine and feeds on the feeling of fear from the host person. The parasite is known to be present as it makes the spine of the person feel a tingling sensation. For this reason its known …
Continue reading Day 16- 31 Days of Halloween- The Tingler (1959)
I first saw this when studying film at University. Tod Browning tries the sideshow carnival trick of sensationalism to try to bring audiences in to gawk at the disgusting freaks of nature. But he has a trick up his sleeve- he treats the ‘freaks’ as human beings, utterly likeable and as having feelings like everyone else. …
Continue reading Day 15- 31 Days of Halloween- Freaks (1932)
I remember seeing this on video at a friends house back in the day and being so freaked out that I had to ask his Dad to walk me home. I was 12 years old. Them were the days. After the camp of Part 3 this film gets back on track and is resplendent with really …
Continue reading Day 13- 31 Days of Halloween- Friday the 13th Part 4- The Final Chapter
In the 80s I was obsessed with A Nightmare on Elm Street. Because of the popularity of this film an earlier Wes Craven film was re-released on video in the UK. That film was 1977's The Hills Have Eyes. I first saw the video for this release on a video store's shelves whilst on holiday …
Continue reading Day 12- 31 Days of Halloween- The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
An anomaly from the early 80s, this film is about a flesheating creature hidden under a SoCal beach. Quirky characters, supporting players who you just know are actually inhabitants of the area being depicted and some leads who are well know to fans of cult cinema (John Saxon, Burt Young) help this film immeasurably. This …
Continue reading Day 11- 31 Days of Halloween- Blood Beach (1981)
I first heard of Phantasm when its sequel came out. Barry Norman reviewed it and admitted that he hadn’t even heard of the first film. Neither had I. Fortunately, my sister in law had a friend who had closed down their video business and so gave her a lot of the videos he used to …
Continue reading Day 9- 31 Days of Halloween- Phantasm (1979)
I remember being traumatised by the Poster for The Fog before I actually saw the film. We had driven past The Odeon in York and I briefly glanced at it. As this was just a glance I thought I saw a woman lying in bed with a ghostly hand reaching out to grab her. I …
Continue reading Day 7- 31 Days of Halloween- The Fog (1980)
Meathook Cinema 