The next issue of Little Shoppe of Horrors will be featuring one of Hammer’s lesser known titles, The Lost Continent, based on the novel Uncharted Seas by Dennis Wheatley. Now this film may not have the usually Gothic trappings of what most Hammer fans may expect, with vampires and mad scientist everywhere, but it does have plenty of thrills and monsters! You have killer weeds, a giant mollusk fighting a giant scorpion, a cult lead by a child, and plenty more craziness!
The Beyond (1981)
Starring Starring Catriona MacColl, David Warbeck, Cinzia Monreale, Antoine Saint-John, Veronica Lazar, Larry Ray, Giovanni De Nava, Al Cliver, Michele Mirabella, Gianpaolo Saccarola
The first time I witnessed a Lucio Fulci film was seeing it under a completely different title, the edited American version called Seven Doors of Death. Even the director’s name had been modified, here listed as “Louis Fuller”. This played at the theater I worked at and I remember being very puzzled at just what the hell was happening on screen. I had heard of Zombie, and remember it had been playing at the local drive-in, but I wasn’t driving at that time and couldn’t get anybody to take me to see it. But even then, I had no idea of the connection between the two films. That would definitely come later though.
Slugs (1988)
Directed by Juan Piquer Simón
Starring Michael Garfield, Kim Terry, Philip MacHale, Alicia Moro, Santiago Álvarez, Concha Cuetos, John Battaglia, Emilio Linder, Kris Mann, Kari Rose, Manuel de Blas, Frank Braña, Patty Shepard
Ahh…the late ‘80s….when gore was running rampant and thought provoking storylines were nowhere to be seen. As horror fans, If the movie was outrageous enough, we didn’t mind the absurdity of the plot. We didn’t care if the dialog was hilariously bad. As long as we got some well done and outrageous gore we were happy. Which is probably why the 1982 film Pieces, from director Juan Piquer Simón, was such a success, since it is probably one of the most enjoyable ‘bad’ movies ever made. It had a ton of over-the-top gore, outrageous dialog, and a plethora of wacky and fun characters. It is one that is enjoyed even more in a large group of like-minded fans.
We’re always discussing films from the major hitters in the horror genre, like the US, Italy, Japan, Spain, to just name a few. But what about the smaller countries that while might not poured out the buckets of the red stuff, they did make more than a few films for them to wave their flag proudly. In 2014, when the Belgian film Cub was released, from director Jonas Govaerts, it was not only winning awards, but was being labeled as “the first Belgian horror films”, which bothered him, as well as director and horror journalist Steve De Roover. So De Roover decided to do something about it and created this documentary that highlights the history of Flemish Horror, called Forgotten Scares.
“Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.” Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery.
I had mentioned this on my Facebook page a few days ago, but I feel that I need to comment it on here as well, but in a slightly longer detail. In issue #170 of Rue Morgue, they have Shirley Jackson on the cover. Who is Shirley Jackson you ask? I would hope that everyone out there knows who she is, but sadly, that is probably not the case. It is this exactly reasoning that I feel why Rue Morgue needs to be applauded for this. By not just putting something their cover that they know it will draw attention of potential customers and sales, they decide to put the relatively unknown Jackson on it, in tribute of what would have been her 100th birthday this year.
There are a few filmmakers out there that make one film that makes a lasting impact. Then there are those out there that make a film that actually creates a whole new sub-genre! Even more impressive when that particular film is not….shall we say a “well crafted” production? But on the other hand, if you look at how it was made, and for the budget it had, and then how much money it actually made at the drive-ins, then the quality of the picture really has nothing to do with it. Of course, I’m talking about Blood Feast, directed by the one and only Herschell Gordon Lewis. He would go on to create more and more of these new ‘gore films’ giving the audiences something they had never seen before. The philosophy that he and his partner Dave Friedman came up with was simple: ” We strived to make films that either the majors couldn’t, or wouldn’t make.” And that is exactly what they did. Two Thousand Maniacs followed Blood Feast and was an even bigger hit. And the films kept coming and the blood kept spilling.
Since next Monday we might still be recovering from Cinema Wasteland, I wanted to make sure I got a new Mystery Photo for everyone today. We’ll just have to see what happens next week! But before we get to it, let’s go over last week’s photo. It was from Paul Naschy’s Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll, also known as House of Psychotic Women, a really good giallo made in 1974. It did get a release on DVD years ago, but not sure if it is still available. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. Kudos out to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Troy Howarth, and Michael Shields. Well done.
Okay, so let’s get to this week’s photo. It’s not the best of quality, but hopefully the close up of this little beastie might be enough for you to identify the film from which is from. Good luck!
And please remember not to post your answers here, but send it in an email to jon@kitleyskrypt.com.
Peveril Publishing’s latest must-have edition, The Hammer Dracula Scrapbook, is now available for order. Keep in mind, there are only 600 copies of this available so if you have ANY desire to order this, you might want to do it now. Once their books go out-of-print, the prices just get ridiculous.
It Came from the 80s!
By Francesco Borseti
Published by McFarland, 2016. 294 pages.
Why are there not more books like this? With all the low budget films that were made in the 80s, there has to be an over abundance of incredible and fascinating stories that us movie nerds would eat up, from the high stress levels and time constraints, to no money, to dealing with once popular actors on their way down and young ones fighting their way up, to so many other things that were just a normal part of that kind of guerilla-style of filmmaking. But thankfully for us, Francesco Borseti has given us a chance to revisit some of these films, and hear from some of the different people behind them. Each chapter will cover one specific movie that will have different input from several people from the film. Might be the screenwriter, director, cameraman, effects artists, or all of the above, with each one giving their thoughts and memories of working on that particular title.
In case you had any free weekends left open next month, Flashback Weekend is going to help you fill it. On Saturday October 8th, they will be holding a 12-hour marathon of classic horror films at the Muvico Rosemont Theaters. You’ll get to see six features on the big screen all for the one low price of $20. Here’s what the lineup has in store for you:
12pm – Night of the Living Dead (1968)
2pm – Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
4pm – Fright Night (1985)
6pm – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
8pm – Phantasm: Remastered (1979)
10pm – Phantasm V: Ravager (2016)
Just a reminder, this is the newly remastered print of Phantasm that was supervised by J.J. Abrams. Plus, you’ll get to the lastest installment of Coscarelli’s series with a screening of Phantasm V: Ravager! Of course, getting to see these other classics on the big screen is always a treat, especailly the original Night of the Living Dead. That alone is worth the price of admission. There will be horror vendors, prizes, and more. To get your tickets, head over to http://www.carmike.com
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