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31 days of horror part 5: the Final Frontier.

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  • #76
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    TITLE-Spaced Invaders
    SOURCE-DVD rip on Youtube

    Yep I can hear yall saying "But Spaced Invaders isn't a horror movie!" and you are right. But it is set on Halloween day. So it qualifies.

    Back in late April 1990 I went to the local movie theater to see a film that until maybe a month ago I had forgotten about. Then I heard the film reviewed on a cult movie podcast. Which made me want to see the film again.

    A group of fairly dumb Martians intercept a rebroadcast of Welle's infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast. They assume this means the Martians are finally invading Earth and this group of space morons heads to Earth to help out.They land in Big Bean Illinois. It is Halloween night and of course all kinds of wacky stuff happens.

    I love how this film manages to blend comedy and sci fi into a almost perfect mixture. By the time this came out I was in my teens. And I can't remember what about the movie caught my attention so much that I had to see it in a theater.

    The moron Martians are of course the best part of the film. Each of them has a very distinct personality. And they got great voice actors to play the parts. I love the one Martian that sounds just like Jack Nicholson. And the Martian named Pez is another favorite of mine. With how well thought out each of the Martians personalities are I am shocked this film never became a cartoon. With crap like Dumb and Dumber and other unfunny movies getting cartoons why couldn't we have gotten a Spaced Invaders cartoon?

    The cast is all pretty much great. With only 2 real well known people in the cast. First up you have Royal Dano. He plays the elderly farmer who's land the Martians land on. To me it feels like Royal is playing the same part he played in the 80s Sci Fi/Comedy cult classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space. The other known member of the cast is a really young Ariana Richards. She is best known for being one of the kids in the first Jurassic Park film. In this movie she has just moved to Big Bean. And her and her group of friends end up helping out the moronic Martians.

    But even though the two I just talked about are the only known actors in the film the rest of the cast is damn good. With the kid who is in a duck outfit stealing the entire film. His comedic timing is off the charts and I wonder why this kid hasn't done more and bigger roles.

    After listening to the podcast that was discussing Spaced Invaders I went to see how much a DVD of it would run me. Seems I got lucky. Spaced Invaders just recently got a re-release on DVD. Before this re-release used copies of Spaced Invaders on DVD were selling for upwords of 50 bucks. Now that the new release is out the prices have settled back down. There is also a blu ray release. Which I have ordered. But it didn't come in yet. So I did what I always do when I want to see a film and do not have a copy in my possession..I searched Yotube. And someone was nice enough to have uploaded a rip of the first dvd release.

    Every year in my 31 Days of Horror I try to have at least 1 or 2 things that people can watch with their kids. I started doing this back in 2009. Because back then every year I would go spend part of October with my cousin. At the time she had a 8 year old son and another that was 4. During the day while the oldest kid was at school I would watch movies with her 4 year old. He knew I was into what he called "scary movies" and would want to watch some with me. But he was scared very easily. So I would bring stuff like Ernest Scared Stupid or The Willies. That way him and I could watch and enjoy a "scary movie" and he wouldn't end up with nightmares. That formerly 4 year old cousin is now a teenager. And I haven't spent October with him and his family in 5 years now. But odds are good if I was down there right now he would be sitting on the couch next to me,eating some popcorn and laughing his ass off at Spaced Invaders.

    Spaced Invaders isn't a great film. But it is a fun movie. One that should have at least a decent sized cult following. Maybe one day one of the many cable channels will start airing it multiple times in October and turn it into a family cult favorite like Hocus Pocus.

    Spaced Invaders gets a B+.

    And COdy covered the past few days....

    Cathys Curse
    A Candle for the Devil
    Dracula vs Frankenstein
    Return of Count Yorga
    Count Yorga

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    • #77
      Originally posted by Gary Banks View Post
      Was on vacation and caught Deranged on Comet. A lot of optical fogging dampened the viewing experience. Still a good movie though.

      1-Guru, The Mad Monk 2
      2-House Of Evil 3
      3-Starship Troopers 7.5
      4-The Robot Vs The Aztec Mummy 4
      5-Tarantula 7
      6-Rodan 6.5
      7-Horror Hotel 10
      8-Castle Of Evil 7
      9-et Mourir de Plaisir 8.5
      10-Godzilla,KOTM(2019) 8
      11-Shin Godzilla 8
      12-Sinister Invasion 1
      13-Secret Of The Blue Room 8
      14-Evil Ep 1
      15-Evil Ep 2
      16-Thriller-Incredible Doktor Markesan
      17-Violent Midnight 6
      18-Pumpkinhead 5
      19-Carnival Of Souls 9
      20-Beast In The Cellar 6
      21-Deranged 7
      I need to check Comet more often. I forget that I now have access to it on every tv in the house finally.

      Comment


      • #78
        I tried watching The Changeling again for the 2nd time. I tried last year and couldn't get into it and still can't get into it. Such a boring film. A shame because I love George C. Scott.
        "Ah! By god's balls what licentiousness!"

        Marquis de Sade, The 120 Days of Sodom.

        Comment


        • #79
          Originally posted by Alex K. View Post
          I tried watching The Changeling again for the 2nd time. I tried last year and couldn't get into it and still can't get into it. Such a boring film. A shame because I love George C. Scott.
          Ha, who needs to turn in their horror fanboy card now? CHANGELING is a mofo'ing CLASSIC, my friend.

          Comment


          • #80
            Originally posted by Mark Tolch View Post
            Ha, who needs to turn in their horror fanboy card now? CHANGELING is a mofo'ing CLASSIC, my friend.
            He say's this while a massive poster of Jason Lives hangs behind him. On that note: I hate Ozu and Fassbinder as filmmakers. Oh, and the Maniac remake is better than the original. Same with The Thing and The Blob.

            If I want to watch a GOOD George C. Scott horror flick I'll stick to Exorcist 3: Legion thank you very much.
            "Ah! By god's balls what licentiousness!"

            Marquis de Sade, The 120 Days of Sodom.

            Comment


            • #81
              Watching Cooties. THought we had watched this 2 years ago. Turns out I had watched it with some friends.

              Not bad. Needs more gore and comedy. But not bad.

              Comment


              • #82
                I saw that one a while ago. It was pretty good. We need more child zombie movies.

                Originally posted by Mark Tolch View Post
                Ha, who needs to turn in their horror fanboy card now? CHANGELING is a mofo'ing CLASSIC, my friend.

                In before Mark pulls the Scorsese card "Scorsese liked Changeling!" Scorsese also liked Exorcist 2: The Heretic! Checkmate.
                "Ah! By god's balls what licentiousness!"

                Marquis de Sade, The 120 Days of Sodom.

                Comment


                • #83
                  Originally posted by Alex K. View Post
                  I saw that one a while ago. It was pretty good. We need more child zombie movies.




                  In before Mark pulls the Scorsese card "Scorsese liked Changeling!" Scorsese also liked Exorcist 2: The Heretic! Checkmate.
                  I didn't actually know that Scorcese liked either of those. But I definitely don't like Exorcist 2.

                  Comment


                  • #84
                    Originally posted by Alex K. View Post
                    I saw that one a while ago. It was pretty good. We need more child zombie movies.




                    In before Mark pulls the Scorsese card "Scorsese liked Changeling!" Scorsese also liked Exorcist 2: The Heretic! Checkmate.
                    I saw Cooties years back. But thought Mary was with me when I watched it. And yes we need more child zombie films.

                    Comment


                    • #85
                      TITLE-Frankenstein
                      SOURCE-Universal 100th Anniversary Spotlight Collection DVD

                      I am just going to assume if you are reading my 31 Days of Horror reviews you have seen or at least know the plot of Universal's first Frankenstein film. In 1931 this film that is considered a classic of the early days of talkies was released.

                      Directed by the great James Whales and it is adapted from a play,Frankenstein is the second film in what is called the Universal Classic Monsters series of films,the first was Dracula. While this wasn't the first time Frankenstein was made into a film,there is a silent film version made by Edison Studios,the Universal Frankenstein is the film that most people think of when you say Frankenstein.

                      I can't remember the first time I became aware of Frankenstein and this film version but I do know the first time I saw it. I was 4 years old and my favorite Uncle and his wife were moving to Brownsville Texas. My mother and I had traveled out there with them to help them get moved into their new place. And every day after my Uncle got home from work,he was working for border patrol, he and I would watch Ultraman on TV. One day while watching Ultraman a ad aired letting us know that Friday night the channel was airing Frankenstein. My Uncle was pretty happy to hear this news and I was uber happy cause I was going to get to see a film that my Uncle was telling me "Is a classic horror film that everyone should see."

                      My memory of seeing Frankenstein for the first time are a bit foggy, hey it was over 40 year ago. But there is a few parts that I clearly remember. Like the first time we see Frankenstein's Monster. Yep Frankenstein is the name of the scientist that created the creature that is now known to most people as Frankenstein. The other part that sticks out in my memory is when the monster is being tortured by Fritz. That scene scared me as a kid and even now when I watch it the scene gets under my skin.

                      Frankenstein is far from my favorite of the Universal Classic Horror films. But it is much better than The Mummy or Dracula. A big part of that is unlike Dracula Frankenstein does not feel like someone filmed a stage play.

                      While this isn't Boris Karloff's first role it is his breakout role. Before this Karloff was acting part time and doing other odd jobs to make ends meet. Boris manages to communicate so well without talking and under the heavy make up.

                      Dwight Frye is soooo great as Fritz. Best known for playing Renfield in Universal's Dracula,Frye is an amazing actor. Sadly a bit over 10 years after playing Fritz Dwight died from a heart attack. Back when I was a young child whenever I read books on the Universal Classic all the talk was about Karloff,Bela Lugosi and Lon Channey Jr. Which is a shame cause while those three are good to great actors Dwight Frye was a one of the kind talent. One who could take any role and make it into something special.

                      The DVD this film is on is a pack of 4 of the Universal Classic Horror films. You get Dracula,Frankenstein,Bride of Frankenstein and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. I got this DVD about 5 years ago. I realized that I didn't own many of the Universal Classic Horror films on any home video format. Saw that Amazon had the four pack for a really cheap price,I think it was 10 bucks. So added it to my Amazon wishlist and that year for Xmas the Uncle who I saw Frankenstein with as a kid bought me the DVD set.

                      The Frankenstein DVD appears to be the same DVD as the first release of the film on DVD. I am guessing Universal had a bunch of leftover copies of the four films in the pack.So they whipped up some new packaging to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Universal. Each of the films is loaded with special features. Frankenstein has some great special features. There is "The Frankenstein Files How Hollywood Made a Monster" a well done documentary about the film and the making of it. Boo! which is a short film from Universal. Boo! is best known in the modern era for containing some footage from a few films that are lost now. The best of all the special features is the commentary. This commentary is by Rudy Behimer. It is loaded with all kinds of info. A good percentage of this info is stuff I had never heard before. Considering I have been reading about Frankenstein since I was a young child I was really surprised that the commentary contained stuff I hadn't heard before.

                      I do wonder how these Universal Classic Horror films would work for kids today. When I first saw the film it was over 40 years since it came out and to my young mind it felt so odd and just different from the films I had already seen. So I am guessing that to kids today this film that is getting close to being 100 years old might not hold their attention at all.

                      If you are a fan of horror cinema and haven't seen the Universal Frankenstein you really should go watch it. Thankfully now it isn't hard to see this film uncut. For decades various parts of the film were cut. Like during the creature's creation scene the Doctor say's how he now knows what it is like to feel like God. Not wanting to offend people this line was cut out of the film. The other part of the film that was cut from the film is the part when while wandering the country side the monster runs into a small child. This young girl shows the monster how to toss flowers into the pond and they will float. For decades this scene ended around this point. Missing was the part where the monster throws the little girl into the pond thinking she will float like the flowers and the young girl drowns.

                      Universal's Frankenstein isn't the most faithful adaptation of the novel,for me that would be the 70s made for TV Frankenstein the True Story. But what is changed is still good. And most people now know the story of Universal's Frankenstein instead of the novel's story. Just like how in the novel the monster looks pretty much like a normal human and can even speak fairly well. But cause of how popular Universal's take on Frankenstein is the flattopped green skinned inhuman looking creature that can barely speak is what pops into most people's minds when they hear Frankenstein's Monster.

                      Frankenstein gets a B.

                      CodyLL covered The Final Terror.

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                      • #86
                        Day 17: DEATH BED: THE BED THAT EATS - I'm not sure how much I actually like DEATH BED as a film, but I absolutely respect it. It's rare to come across something so thoroughly strange that's also so deliberately constructed; shot through with a wry sense of humour but totally devoid of irony. The fact that the main narrator speaks not to the audience, but to the titular bed itself should tell you everything you need to know. Probably some kind of surreal masterpiece, but I'd have to see it a couple more times to be sure. It's certainly continued to grow on me in the hours since I finished it.

                        Day 18: THE BLACK CAT (1981) - Didn't really get into this one. Despite the great cast and typically evocative photography it just doesn't hang together properly. The story meanders along for a good chunk of the running time, never finding any kind of momentum. Several sequences just aren't up to the level of quality you'd expect from Fulci, with inadequate effects and poor pacing. The big fire scene in particular should be a standout but spends too long lingering on some frankly silly dummy shots. If I revisit it in the future I need to try the Italian dub, as the English version gives all the minor characters distractingly bad British accents.

                        Day 19: DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT - My first encounter with S.F. Brownrigg! Had a good time with this one. It's a film that really benefits from a certain theatricality in both staging and acting. Few cheap horror films treat mentally ill characters with the care and sympathy on display here - there are still moments of OTT absurdity but the actors all acquit themselves far better than I had expected. It can be a little slow at times, particularly since the film makes little effort to hide the central twist, but the last 20 minutes are intense and claustrophobic in a way I didn't anticipate. This is absolutely begging for a proper restored Blu-Ray release.

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                        • #87
                          TITLE-Goosebumps 3 pack Thriller
                          SOURCE-Schoolastic DVD

                          When Goosebumps hit TV back in the fall of 1995 I watched it a few times. But that was a period of time when I didn't watch much TV. What I saw of the show I enjoyed. And the few times I caught reruns of the show on the Fox Family channel I really enjoyed the show. But it is a show that I kind of forgot about. Which is odd cause I have always loved horror anthology TV shows.

                          Over a year ago I was at a junkstore in town that I hit up every month. This place had at the time a great selection of VHS and a decent selection of DVDs. I was looking through the VHS and the owner of the store came over to tell me that he had a box full of DVDs he had just got. "The ones with red paint on the spine I am asking $1.50 each. Or if you buy 6 or more you can have them 2 for a buck." I dug through the box and found a bunch of stuff. But the highlights are dvd pack pictured above.

                          This pack is a repackaging of the older Goosebump DVDs. So you get 2 to 4 episodes of the TV show per DVD. Earlier today I was wanting something to watch. And I wanted it to be something short. That way I could watch an episode or two between doing laundry and taking care of cleaning the house.

                          The first DVD I put in my blu ray player was the Night of the Living Dummy DVD. This was one of the discs that only has 2 episodes on it. They are two of the most popular episodes. What I don't get is from what I can find there is 3 episodes of the Goosebump TV show dealing with Slappy,Who is a evil ventriloquist dummy,but this DVD is missing the first episode where Slappy appeared. The disc starts with Night of the Living Dummy II.Amy's dummy,named Dennis,keeps literally losing his head. So her parent gets her a new dummy. This new dummy is Slappy and of course all kinds of crazy things start to happen once Slappy is in the house.This isn't a bad episode and it is one I have not seen before.

                          The other episode on the DVD is Bride of the Living Dummy. In this episode 3 kids and one of the kid's doll,named Mary-Ellen, see a show with famous ventriloquist Jimme O'James. Jimmie's dummy is of course Slappy. At the show Slappy sees and falls in love with Mary-Ellen. Not long after the show Slappy shows up at Mary-Ellen's owner's home and of course strange things start to happen. Both episode are pretty good. But I do wish they had included the first appearence of Slappy.

                          The next DVD was titled Say Cheese and Die. Like the first DVD this is another disc with just two episodes on it. I did some research and when these DVDs first came out they were retailing for 20 bucks each. That is a bit high for what amounts to a bit over 40 minutes of programming.

                          Like the Night of the Living Dummy DVD this DVD has two episodes that are connected. Up first is the titular episode. Greg Banks and his friends Doug and Shari sneak into an old abandoned house. They find an hidden cabinet and in this cabinet find a odd looking very large old fashioned camera. They take a picture using the camera and learn that the camera not only takes pictures of the future but also causes bad things to happen. I remember an episode of the Friday the 13th TV show that had a similar premise. Of course that show was a bloody show made for adults. But this Goosebumps episode is actually a bit scary. And is one that I bet frightened a few kids.

                          The other episode on the DVD is the sequel to Say Cheese and Die.This episode is titled ,and I love how much thought and effort was put into this title,Say Cheese and Die...AGAIN!!! LOL Greg does an oral report on the evil camera he found in the previous episode. His horrid teacher, Mr Saur,gives Greg a F on this report cause he doesn't believe Greg. So Greg has to find the camera. And like before bad things start to happen. This episode isn't nearly as good as the other one on the disc. A big part of that is Mr Saur isn't a good actor.

                          The final DVD in this pack is titled Monster Blood. Thankfully unlike the other two DVDs this one has 4 episodes on it. So you get 1 1/2 hours of Goosebumps goodness. The first episode is titled of course Monster Blood. Evan is forced to visit his odd Aunt Kathryn. In her home Evan finds a dusty can labeled Monster Blood.The green and slimy goop in this can is starting to grow. Will Evan be able to stop the Monster Blood from taking over the home? This episode is one I remember seeing back when Goosebumps was airing on Fox Kids afternoon line up of shows.

                          Our next episode is a sequel to Monster Blood,and it is titled More Monster Blood. Gotta love how creative the show is with their titles.Evan is heading to Atlanta Georgia to meet up with his parents. Having thought he took care of the monster blood in the previous episode,he is shocked when he finds out the monster blood is on the plane he is traveling on. Overall this is a way better episode than the first monster blood episode.

                          Up third is the episode How to Kill a Monster.Clark and Gretchen are visiting their elderly grandparents. The grandparents are mostly harmless,but a bit forgetful. So the elderly couple forget to warn their beloved grandchildren about the monster locked in the upstairs part of the house. Now I haven't seen that many episodes of Goosebumps.I am guessing I have seen maybe 15 or so. But this episode is the worst I have seen. The premise is pretty decent. But the two kids are horrible actors. And unlike most episodes of Goosebumps the effects in this one are really bad. They look like the FX work in a really bad Chris Seaver film. I kept expecting Teen Ape to show up. I would say skip this episode.

                          The final episode on this last DVD in the pack is The Girl Who Cried Monster.Our lead,Lucy,loves to tell monster stories. Then she encounters a real monster,Mr Mortman the local librarian. And to make it even worse her parents invite this monster to dinner.I wasn't expecting much from this episode. Then was very surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Lucy is a fairly good actress. And Mr Mortman is really really creepy. The Girl Who Cried Monster is a great way to end this DVD.

                          So I got 10 episodes of Goosebumps. Spread across 3 DVDs. Out of the 10 there is only one episode that isn't worth watching. And besides that episode the only other major complaint I have is not getting the episode with the first appearance of Slappy. Really for how cheap I got this set these are minor complaints. I looked on Amazon and you can get this set brand new for under 10 bucks. Which is a good deal. If you have kids that are into horror this is a great affordable DVD set to get. There is nothing so scary in any episode that would frighten a kid. But the episodes are creepy and worth seeing.

                          Goosebumps 3 pack thriller DVD set gets a solid B.

                          CodyLL covered CHUD

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                          • #88
                            Satan's Harvest. Pretty good.

                            The Mist black and white cut. An okay horror film propelled by a great ending.
                            "Ah! By god's balls what licentiousness!"

                            Marquis de Sade, The 120 Days of Sodom.

                            Comment


                            • #89
                              The Johnsons (1991) I read about this in Chas Balun's Deep Red and it's a title I've skipped for a long time. I'll let Chas sum it up:





                              Overall, pretty good. 7 out of 10 picture. Shitty title though.
                              Alex K.
                              Senior Member
                              Last edited by Alex K.; 10-19-2019, 10:37 PM.
                              "Ah! By god's balls what licentiousness!"

                              Marquis de Sade, The 120 Days of Sodom.

                              Comment


                              • #90
                                I know I saw the Johnsons years ago. But remember nothing about it.

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