Devil Dog: Hound of Hell (1978), Vampire (1979), & Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981). Back in Episode 11, we covered 3 Made-for-TV films that we felt were must see! And now we’re back again to go over another 3 titles that we think are well worth your time and attention. During the late ’70s and early ’80s was still a time of great films that were made to premiere on your television at home, decades before streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime were available. Thankfully, these three are available in a variety of formats, but you may have to do a little searching first. But that’s okay…the hunt is part of the fun!
So sit back, hit play, and listen to us ramble on about some really good films, with incredible casts, and some damn entertaining monsters!
I meant to get this posted yesterday about the passing of Carol Speed but before I could get to it, news of Yvette Mimieux came through today.
Carol Speed passed away last Friday, Jan. 14th, at the age of 76. Best known for her roles in some ’70s exploitation films, which is a shame because she was a treat to watch on screen. She worked for a few of the low budget directors, like Jack Hill’s The Big Birdcage (1972) and Al Adamson’s Dynamite Brothers (1974), but it was her title role in William Girdler’s 1974 film Abby that probably drew most of the attention.
But Speed was also an author, singer and songwriter as well. In fact, the soundtrack for the film Abby has a song that she wrote and performed called My Soul is a Witness. Fans of those early exploitation films will definitely be keeping memory alive. I got to meet her at a Cinema Wasteland convention back in, I believe, 2010. Such a nice person.
We also just lost Yvette Mimieux today. While she did appear in a couple of TV movies in the ’70s, Snowbeast (1977) with Bo Svenson, and Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell (1978) with Richard Crenna, most wouldn’t consider those great films. But I’ve always been highly entertained by them, so there. But she also appeared in a couple of films from my youth that always made me remember her. As a kid, watching the original George Pal version of The Time Machine (1960) not only hooked me into the story, but I definitely found my horror element with the Morlocks that used the Eloi as food! When that little bit of storyline hit my young brain, it through me for a loop! Years later, she appeared in The Black Hole (1979), which while wasn’t a great film, as a teenager, I really enjoyed it.
Mimieux, who was also an anthropologist, passed away today at the age of 80.
Thankfully, we still have their movies to still bring us entertainment and joy while watching them work. Gone, but not forgotten.
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