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)
This film works on many different levels. Firstly, its a cracking horror film/thriller about a child murderer on the loose in the Berlin of 1931. Lang’s use of framing and lighting is a revelation and would prove highly influential in the wider medium of film. The film is also an amazing snapshot of Germany at the …
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)
In the 80s with new horror films like The Evil Dead pushing the boundaries of the genre, television companies thought that older horror films ceased to be scary and so could be shown during the daytime. And so I saw Nosferatu which was made in 1922 one Bank Holiday morning. It couldn’t possibly frighten me, …
Continue reading Day 10- 31 Days of Halloween- Nosferatu (1922)
Meathook Cinema 