Monday, November 18, 2013

Max Renn

First appearance: Videodrome (1983)

Since I've been mixed up with the whole BODY/MIND/CHANGE POD (PERSONAL–ON–DEMAND) thing I've been revisiting the works of David Cronenberg. Videodrome's a really weird movie. Really weird.
Its the touching tale of a guy who works for a TV station looking for new programming to keep people watching the channel. He stumbles across a TV signal broadcasting a show called VIDEODROME. Since the show seems to just be about torture murder and sex he figures it would be perfect for the Canadian TV station he works at. Unfortunately after watching the show he finds he's beginning to experience a bunch of weird things. First he's having violent hallucinations next he starts developing a weird rash on his stomach. What could it all mean and how is it linked to the intercepted TV signal? And how was he on a talk show with a man who had been dead for a year?



Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Sadako

First appearance: Ringu (1998)

A weird psychic girl gets her revenge through a cursed video tape. Watching the tape means you'll die in seven days. Why does she want to kill you? It has something to do with being thrown in a well where she died. Certain aspects of the plot are similar to the amaing "The Changling" (1980).
Remade in the U.S. into a stylish yet boring movie. 




Monday, November 4, 2013

Winslow Leach


First appearance: The Phantom of the Paradise (1975)

Weird combination of Phantom of the Opera and Faust with a rock n roll beat. The most popular movie in Winnipeg when it was originally released.
There's been rumors of a stage version being produced for Broadway. I would love to see that.



Thursday, October 31, 2013

Tarman

First appearance: Return of the Living Dead (1985)

A couple of boobs working at a medical supply company accidentally break open a military issue container containing one of the corpses from the military experiment that was the inspiration for George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead. Based on a true story.

This is probably my favorite zombie movie, although when I first saw it I hated it. I was firmly in the shambling, flesh eating zombie camp at the time. I thought it was really dumb that these zombies could talk and only wanted to eat brains. Over the years it grew on me. I think it's because of the how well the combination of horror and comedy work. I'd say this and American Werewolf in London are the best examples of horror comedies. The scares work and the laughs work and neither gets in the way of the other.
It's also interesting to note that the whole pop-culture "zombies say 'Brrraaaiiinnnsss'" thing is directly inspired by this movie. Up until RotLD zombies were mute, shambling corpses.


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Tobonga

First appearance: From Hell It Came (1957)

Nuclear radiation turns a prince who was executed when he was wrongly accused of murder and buried in a hollow tree stump into a revenge seeking walking tree known as a Tobonga. The Tobonga goes on a rampage killing everyone who gets in his way including the guy who actually committed the murder. Can anyone get close enough to drive the knife protruding from the monsters chest all the way through the monster's heart thus killing it?
I don't think there's enough monsters nowadays that are the result of radiation and revenge.



Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Robert, the tire


First appearance: Rubber (2010)

Seriously, this is a movie about a sentient, telekinetic, tire who also happens to be a serial killer.
why? no reason.


Monday, October 28, 2013

Predator

First appearance: Predator (1987)

A group of mercenaries head to the jungles of Costa Verde to find out what happened to a presidential cabinet minister. Or so they thought! After wiping out a guerrilla camp it is revealed they were actually there just to kill a bunch of guerrillas. On their way back to the extraction point they get attacked by an invisible alien hunter who likes to skin its prey and collects skulls. Also it sees heat. Will this plucky band of mercenaries make it to the helicopter or will they just end up as more trophies on the wall of this predator's home?
For some reason, "fans" of this franchise insist on calling this species Yautja. This makes no sense to me. Who calls these things Yautja? what language is that supposed to be? It's not the Predator's language that seems to be just a series of clicks and whistles. Like the Alien in Alien, if humans are encountering these things wouldn't we just call them aliens or if we're clever predators? maybe even hunters? Fan stuff like that annoys me deeply for some reason. Predators are called Predators. Aliens are called Aliens not xenomorphs. One guy in one movie used that word to sound smart. Xenomorph means alien-form or alien-body. The marines have encountered other aliens in their missions as you can tell from their story about the Arcturans. 
Also Michael Myers should be called the Boogeyman not the shape. Through that whole series everyone calls him the boogeyman. Even his doctor. 
So remember these things are call Predators, dummy.
Also at one point the Predator was going to be played by Jean Claude Van Damme.
That would have been pretty cool, eh?
Anyway on to the trailer:


Sunday, October 27, 2013

Golden Sphere


First appearance: Phantasm II

What you saw happen at the end of Phantasm is not what actually happened.
What really happened is the Tall Man and his minions attacked Reggie and Mike at Reggie's house. In order to save themselves Reggie was forced to blow up his house, now infested with midgets. 
The pair meet up with a psychic girl who has a crush on Mike because she's been dreaming about him for years. The trio travel across a slowly emptying America in order to confront the tall man and put an end to all his grave-robbing-midget-building shenanigans before he can kill the world.
The studio demanded the recasting of the role of Mike. One of the people who auditioned for the role was Brad Pitt, he didn't get it.


Saturday, October 26, 2013

Paul Webster


First appearance: Alligator People (1959)

Under hypnosis a lady remembers a weird episode from her past where she reveals that she was once married to a man who was turned into an alligator because of science. 




Friday, October 25, 2013

Patrick Bateman


First appearance: American Psycho (2000)

A wealthy businessman in the '80s lives a double life. By day he's a wealthy investment banker. By night he dresses as a bat and fights crime. No, sorry got this one confused with another movie. By night the investment banker enjoys murdering people, but because it's the 1980s and everyone is a fake nobody notices nor believes he's a serial killer.
Interesting that this actor played both Patrick Bateman and the vigilante Batman. Bateman, Batman, weird, isn't it?


Thursday, October 24, 2013

Martian


First appearance: War of the Worlds (1953)

As usual Mars decides to kill a bunch of people on Earth. Why? Probably because we're the closest inhabited planet. Or maybe they're just jerks. Either way they do a really good job of wrecking stuff. Will Earth's military or scientists figure out a way to stop this invasion? 
The eventually remade this movie with Tom Cruise as the main character and in a weird twist decided that the martians had buried their war machines all over the surface of the Earth millions of years ago for some reason instead of sending them down in landing craft disguised as meteors like in every other version of the story.


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Martian


First appearance: Mars Attacks (1996)

Martians make first contact with Earth. Human's misunderstand why the martians are coming and mayhem ensues. Probably the greatest movie based on a series of collectable cards ever.
Martian saucer design is similar to the one in Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers and the Martians seem to have a similar weakness. 


Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The Lost Skeleton


First appearance: The Lost Skeleton of Cadavera (2001)
This appearance: The Lost Skeleton Returns Again (2009)

The further adventures of Scientist Dr. Paul Armstrong!
Living in the Jungle after his latest discovery was stolen by a rival scientist Dr. Armstrong is unaware that the nefarious Lost Skeleton is up to his old tricks. 

Monday, October 21, 2013

Satan


First appearance: Prince of Darkness (1987)

In the bowels of a small run down church a secret is hidden. A group of physics students spend the weekend trying to discover what that secret is. Turns out its a big can of liquid Satan and Jesus was an alien. Can the students stop the awakening evil from bringing Anti-god across the dimensional plane and destroying the universe?
The second movie in John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy (the other two are The Thing and In the Mouth of Madness)


Sunday, October 20, 2013

Leprechaun


First appearance: Leprechaun (1993)

In 1983 a man captures a Leprechaun and brings the pot of gold home to his wife in the U.S. Unfortunately for him the Leprechaun isn't going to let the gold go so easily and has stowed away in the man's luggage. After killing the man's wife the man once again defeats the Leprechaun by showing it a four-leaf clover (a leprechaun's only weakness) and imprisoning in a crate. Just as he's about to set fire to the crate the man has a heart-attack and dies. 
Ten years later a family rents the house containing the Lepre-crate. The Leprechaun tricks a mentally-challenged man in to freeing him and mayhem ensues.
This franchise includes an adventure in space (Leprechaun 4: In Space) and two set in "The Hood" (Leprechaun 5: In the Hood and Leprechaun 6: Back 2 tha Hood). Why? I don't know.



Saturday, October 19, 2013

Inspector Dan Clay

First appearance: Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)

Aliens attempt to conquer the Earth by raising the dead, with typical results.

This movie has the reputation of being the worst movie ever made. I don't think that's really fair to Ed Wood. While there is a certain lack of quality in terms of sets, acting and scripting the movie is actually quite watchable. I'd even go so far as to say its entertaining. In fact I'd rather watch this than some of the direct to video junk that's being churned out nowadays. In fact, since it's copy right free now, here's the whole flick for you to watch:

Friday, October 18, 2013

Imhotep


First appearance: The Mummy (1932)

An ancient Egyptian priest comes back to life in order to attempt to resurrect of the woman he was buried alive for originally trying to resurrect. Mayhem, of the 1930s variety, ensues.
One of the original Universal Monster movies, not one of my favorites.



Thursday, October 17, 2013

Glenn Manning


First appearance: The Amazing Colossal Man (1957)
This appearance: War of the Colossal Beast (1958)

In the Amazing Colossal Man, Lt. Col. Glenn Manning was hit with radiation. Instead of contracting cancer and dying he grew to fifty feet tall, went insane and goes on a rampage. The military eventually knocked him off the Boulder Dam, killing him. Or so they believe. Upon receiving reports of strange food truck robberies in Mexico, his sister (who according to the first movie didn't exist), an army guy and a scientist decide that Glenn is alive and committing these crimes. Turns out they are right Glenn didn't die in fact plutonium radiation made him ten feet taller, melted off half his face, stupider and addicted to loaves of bread. Our group of intrepid heroes capture Glenn, drug him and bring him back to the States in order to cure him, or something.
Back home Glenn wakes up and goes on a rampage in Los Angeles. What can stop and Amazing Colossal Man?
Coincidentally (or not) the man who made this movie Burt I. Gordon's initials spell BIG.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Ghost Face


First appearance: Scream (1996)

Who's killing Sidney Prescott's pals on the anniversary of the murder of her mother and why are they following the "rules" of a slasher movie? The first in the new breed of "self-aware" horror flicks. In my opinion the only decent one in the series and kind of the movie to blame for why horror flicks have gotten kinda crummy for the past few years. Directly responsible for the "Scary Movie" series and its knock-offs and the subsequent dumbing down of the human race.




Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Gizmo


First appearance: Gremlins (1984)

Since I've already talked about Gremlins once on the blog, this is the Gizmo who's in Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).
Billy and Kate have moved to New York to put the horror of the Christmas of 1984 behind them, but when the scientists at Splice of Life discover Gizmo the Mogwai in the alley behind a closed shop in China town can mayhem be far behind?
Surreal sequel to the classic christmas movie.


Monday, October 14, 2013

Frank Douglas


First appearance: Monster-A-Go-Go! (1965)

Astronaut Frank Douglas disappears when his space capsule lands on earth. A large radioactive creature appears at roughly the same time and proceeds to wreak havoc. A team of scientists and the military track the monster in an attempt to capture it. Is this monster the missing astronaut? 

The movie was originally directed by Bill Rebane but he ran out of money before completing it. The godfather of gore H.G. Lewis eventually bought the movie in order to finish it. Between the time when the film was originally abandoned (1961) and when H.G. Lewis took over (1965) enough time had passed that some of the original actors were no longer available so they are replaced by different characters providing similar roles in the plot. One of the original actors had changed so much in the four years he was recast as the brother of the character he originally played.
this film also features a human voice simulating the ringing of a phone at one point.


Sunday, October 13, 2013

Green Slime


First appearance: The Green Slime (1965)

Scientist visit an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. After blowing up the asteroid they return to the space station Gamma 3. Unfortunately one of the scientists has a big of green slime on one of his boots. The slime grows into a weird tentacled creature that can shoot lightning out of its tentacles. When ever it's wounded it bleeds the same green goop that it grew from creating more monsters. Can the crew of the Gamma 3 stop this menace before it takes over?
Probably not the seem more concerned about their personal lives and junk.
Features probably the most awesome sci-fi movie theme song ever.


also here's the trailer

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Saucer man


First appearance: Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)

A scientist working on a secret rocket project gets contacted by aliens who tell him to "cut it out."
He doesn't listen so the aliens blow up the rocket base. Understandably this angers the scientist so he develops a sonic weapon to fight the aliens. Based on a true pamphlet.
On a side note. I love how the saucers in this movie are stop motion creations from Ray Harryhausen.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Vlad Dracula


This appearance: Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Another retelling of the Dracula legend. This one claims to stick closer to the source material. A lot of people really like this movie but the first time I saw it I fell asleep and missed a lot of it. I took that as a sign and haven't seen it again since. At least he had this cool armour at one point. 


Thursday, October 10, 2013

Dr. Jack Griffin


First appearance: The Invisible Man (1933)

A scientist discovers the secret of invisibility. He uses this new found ability to run around naked and strangle people. He's kind of a jerk.




Wednesday, October 9, 2013

The Creeper

First appearance: Jeepers Creepers (2001)

A bickering brother and sister run afoul of an axe weilding, truck driving fiend that hunts for humans for twenty-three days every twenty-three years.  Turns out he's some kind of demon that eats body parts to replace his own and he hunts using the smell of fear. He also lives in an abandoned church and likes to quilt, go figure.


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

C.H.U.D.


First appearance: C.H.U.D. (1984)

New York City learns that a project called Contamination Hazard Urban Disposal, in which toxic waste is supposed to be transported through the sewers is not the best idea when weird murders and disappearances start cropping up. Can a photographer, his girlfriend and a guy who runs a homless shelter save the city from this plague of mutant bums?
For some reason there's a sequel to this movie that has nothing to do with the mutant bums. Instead it's about a zombie named Bud. Bud "the Chud." Don't see that movie.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Chatterer


First appearance: Hellraiser (1987)

Since I've already discussed Hellraiser and the Cenobites don't do much until the sequel, I'm going to talk about Hellbound: Hellraiser II or as my gang refers to it Hellraiser 2: Hellraiser too.
In the sequel to the bafflingly popular Hellraiser, Kristy Cotton is in the care of Dr. Channard at his weird-ass mental institution. This is what happens when you try to blame the destruction of you home and murder of family on a missing uncle and an old dirty mattress. Turns out Channard believes her because he knows about the Lament Configuration and is trying to summon something from the mattress. Long story short someone solves the puzzle box, everyone goes to the Cenobite realm. The audience is treated to a series of erotic, goofy, bizarre imagery (usually all at the same time.) Pinhead lets Kristy go, contrary to the suggestion of the other Cenobites and Kristy saves the day or something. And you are left to figure out why people love these movies.

There's an extended flashback that takes up what feels like half the movie using footage from the first Hellraiser, which is good if you've never seen Hellraiser. Characters also tend to repeat dialog, either their own or something someone has just said to them.
Chatterer is my favorite Cenobite in the first flick, for some weird reason they changed his face in the second movie. They gave him eyes which makes him look a little goofy.

Bub


First appearance: Day of the Dead (1985)

A diverse group of survivors hold up in an underground military complex hoping to wait out the on going zombie apocalypse. Sadly, ninety percent of them are jerks and another eight percent of them are utterly insane. Will our heroes survive? Will the scientists figure out a way to domesticate the zombies? Are all army guys jerks?
Currently I think this is my favorite of the Romero zombie flicks.


The Blob

First appearance: The Blob (1958)

One night a strange rock falls from space. A weird old hermit decides to poke it with a stick. Inside the rock is a weird pulsating ball of goo. Naturally the old man pokes the goo with a stick. The goo, being hungry from its long space voyage, climbs up the stick and proceeds to begin eating the old man's hand.
The hermit stumbles out onto a near by road and proceeds to ruin Steve Andrews' (Steve McQueen in his debut leading man role) evening.
Based on a true story.
Features a theme song written by Burt Bacacharach


Andre Delambre


First appearance: The Fly (1958)

A woman murders her husband in a giant hydraulic press, but why?
Turns out he was doing science and came up with a way to teleport matter from one spot to another, but not without terrible consequences. Consequences like: making the printing in a book be reversed, spreading the atoms of a cat through out a room so that you can hear it meow but will never find it, and if you're unlucky enough to have more than one thing in the chamber, they get parts swapped around.
Interestingly the story takes place in Quebec for some reason.


The Amityville House

First appearance: The Amityville Horror (1979)

Always make sure you do a bit of research when buying a house, especially one that looks like it's got a face. This is the true story of a family who didn't.


Adam Sorg

First appearance : Color Me Blood Red (1965)

The sad tale of an artist and his quest to find the perfect pigment to create the perfect "red" for his paintings. I'm sure many artists can relate to his plight. Its amazing how attached to certain materials we can be. If you've never seen an H.G. Lewis movie I'd probably suggest this one since it's got a plot that makes some sense.

This might be the grisliest of the "Artist as Murderer" movies.



Ro-Man Extension XJ-2

First appearance: Robot Monster (1953)

A boy named Johnny and his family fight to survive the Ro-man in a world where everyone has been killed by the Calcinator Deathray. Eventually Ro-man decides he wants to experience what life for the Hu-mans is like and is killed by his superiors. Or is he? Maybe its all a dream? I don't know but the Ro-man has a cool bubble machine hidden in a cave.
Weird little movie rumoured to have been shot over 4 days.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Killer Klown from Outer Space

First appearance: Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

Late one night a strange circus tent shaped spaceship lands on the outskirts of town. The occupants proceed to harvest the people of the town. It's up to two horny teens, their best pal, his girlfriend and their buddy in the police force to save the day! You won't look at cotton candy or popcorn the same again.
Much more terrifying clowns than Pennywise could ever hope to be!
Features a fantastic theme song by the Dickies


The video for the theme song:

Regan McNeil / Captain Howdy / Pazuzu



First appearance: The Exorcist (1973)

A young girl gets a little to close to her imaginary friend making her actress mom's life miserable. Fortunately there's an old priest and a young priest that know what to do about it. 


Crite

First appearance: Critters (1986)
Small ravenous alien criminal carnivores steal a spaceship and crash in a small rural american town making life miserable for the family they land near. Luckily bounty hunters UGG and LEE are on the case! The town drunk gets a new lease on life.

One of the better "little monster" movies to come out in the "let's make another Gremilns" era of filmmaking. Spawned 3 sequels (two more than Gremlins) and started the tradition of "We've got to set one chapter of our franchise in space" usually Part 4.



Monday, August 26, 2013

Directors and the Monstars they inspired

Don Coscarelli signed a copy of the Tall Man at FanExpo 2013



Lloyd Kaufman signed my rendition of Toxie at the same con!


Monday, August 12, 2013

The Tall Man

First appearance: Phantasm (1979)

A troubled orphan witnesses something strange at the funeral of his older brother's best friend. Further investigation reveals a terrifying secret: the owner of the funeral home is a monster from another dimension (or something.) With the help of his older brother and their best friend, local ice cream vendor Reggie, the boy attempts to destroy this fiend from another plane.

Or is it all just the nightmare of a recently orphaned young man? Three more sequels indicate it's not just a dream or is it!?


I love Phantasm. All four of them.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

The Gillman

First appearance: The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954, although he made an appearance on the Collgate Comedy Hour with Abbott and Costello before the release of the movie)

A group of scientists head down the Amazon river looking for fossils only to be attacked by a Fish-man who's got designs on the lovely Kay Lawrence (Julie Adams). Will the scientist find what they're looking for? What exactly does a walking fish want with a bathing beauty? Find out in 3-D!

Sadly I've never seen it in 3-D.

The Creature is probably my favorite of the Universal Monsters, I really enjoy all three of his  films. I'd really like to see the ones shot in 3-D in 3-D one day. Fortunately  Universal released Creature from the Black Lagoon in 3-D on Blu-ray. Unfortunately I don't have a 3–D capable TV.
So close yet so far.
Oh, well, here's the trailer:



Thursday, May 30, 2013

Toxic

First appearance: The Toxic Avenger (1984)

The tale of a nerd who is picked on and thrown into toxic waste. This improves his self confidence, so he goes around destroying bad guys and becomes the monster hero of a small New Jersey town called Tromaville. Thus spawning numerous sequels, cartoons, musicals and comic books (one of which I participated in).


Friday, May 24, 2013

Daleks

 First appearance: Dr. Who and the Daleks

Weird movie version of popular TV show. The movie starred Peter Cushing as the eponymous Doctor. The plot of the movie is pretty much the same as the TV serial "The Daleks" only this time the Doctor is a human named Doctor Who (Doctor might be his first name, I don't know). Susan is still his granddaughter but now so is Barbara, Ian's still Barbara's boyfriend. You'll also notice some Daleks also have claws and snazzy paint schemes.
It's interesting to note that Peter Cushing makes no mention of the character nor the two Dr. Who movies (the second one was called "Daleks — Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D." and was based on the TV serial "The Dalek invasion of Earth" it performed poorly so the third Dalek film was never made) in his  Autobiography.


Friday, May 17, 2013

Rhoda Penmark

First appearance: The Bad Seed (1956)

Little Rhoda Penmark is really not happy that she didn't win the "Best Penmanship" medal at school. She's especially not happy Claude Daigle did win it. Sadly, Claude has an accident at the school picnic. So why isn't Rhoda more upset about Claude's accident?

I don't know why it took me so long to get around to seeing this flick. It's great. Patty McCormack is occasionally terrifying as Rhoda. Especially when her control over her mother or the situation starts to slip. The movie ends differently then the novel and play it's based on. The Hays code's "Crime can't pay" attitude forced the movie to change the ending resulting in one of my favorite movie endings ever and one of the goofiest post credit sequences I can think of.



Friday, May 10, 2013

Crawford Tillinghast

First appearance: From Beyond (1986)

A pair of scientists, the perverted Dr. Pretorious and his research partner Crawford Tillinghast, build a device known as the "Resonator" hoping to see into other dimensions. Unfortunately it works and Pretorious is killed by the weird creatures now visible thanks to the device. Tillinghast is arrested for the murder and thrown into a mental institution. While under treatment at the mental institution Dr. Katherine McMichaels discovers Tillinghast's pineal glad has been affected by exposure to the "Resonator" and decides he might be suffering from schizophrenia because of this. She decides what would be best for Tillinghast is to go back to the scene of the experiment.
Turns out that even though the creatures ate his head Pretorious is alive, well and just as perverted in the other dimension and he really wants back into our dimension.

I still can't understand how this movie and Re-Animator aired on WUAB-43 out of Cleveland on Saturday afternoons when I was a kid. When it was finally released on DVD a couple years back I picked it up having vague memories of enjoying it as much as Re-Animator. I was right but it really leaves you feeling like you need a shower after watching it.


Friday, May 3, 2013

Herbert West


First appearance: Re-Animator (1985)

A scientist attempts to discover the secret's of life but runs afoul of a jealous professor. With the help of his roommate he continues his work in secret. Mayhem ensues.
One of my favorite horror flicks. It originally inspired a desire in me to become a doctor. I met Jeffery Combs at a comic convention once and told him this. His response?
"You're a sick, sick man."
Dr. West is still one of my favorite characters.



Thursday, April 25, 2013

Manborg

First appearance: Manborg (2011)

A soldier is killed during the Hell Wars and is brought back to life in Mega Death City in the future as man kind's only hope (?), MANBORG! Together with #1 Man, Justice and Mina he faces Count Draculon's weird forces in gladiatorial combat until he tires of those "shenanigrams" and brings the fight to Count Draculon himself!

Made for about $1,000, every cent of which show's on screen, the movie is crazy ambitious and extremely fun. Sure it looks like it was made for a thousand bucks but its a million times more fun than half the recent big budget movies I've seen lately. If only all the micro-budget film makers had the kind of imagination and talent the Aston-6 guys.
Oh, and it's a Canadian flick too. Why can't we make more stuff like this in Canada?
I watched twice in a row after blind buying the DVD. I recommend this flick highly.