The fine folks from Super-Horror-Rama have some up with another great two features to celebrate the new year. The theme is New Year, New You! Because of all the silly New Year’s resolutions we all make, most of which we don’t stick to, this is a good example of when those new changes might not be the best change! But that doesn’t mean it’s not fun for us to watch!
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The Music Box Theatre, our favorite Chicago destination, where I have been going to for over 30 years to see an unbelievable assortment of films, continues to bring screenings of both old and new horror to their theater. In case you’re interested, here’s a list of a few they have coming up.
The Hidden (1987) – Part of their David Lynch: Moving Through Time series, they are screening this great action/sci-fi/horror film directed by Jack Sholder and starring Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Nouri. This is screening on April 12th, at 11:59pm.
Super-Horror-Rama is back with two twisted tales from the even more demented mind of Japanese director Shinya Tuskamoto. On April 18th, at 11:45pm, they will be screening Denchû kozô no bôken aka Adventures of Electric Rod Boy (1987). Then the following night, they will be screening Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989), at 11:45pm. This might have been might first first film I saw at the Music Box back in the ’90s. I had seen it before from an old bootleg VHS but seeing it in the theater is even more incredible. If you haven’t seen it at all, then you don’t want to miss it.
Continue readingOn Tuesday, July 5th, Joe Bob Briggs will be at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre for a double feature to get that grey matter between your ears working in overdrive! They will be screening The Brain (1988), which stars David Gale (Dr. Hill from Re-Animator) and a giant brain that flies around eating people! This one is a real hoot! After that will be a screening of Frank Henenlotter’s Brain Damage (1989), about a worm-like parasite that drugs his hosts to get them to help him get food, which of course, is brains!
Tickets are $25 and Joe Bob will be there hanging out in the Music Box Lounge before and after each film, as well as selling exclusive merchandise and doing a meet-and-greet with autographs for ticket holders. For all the information, head over to the Music Box website HERE!
Basket Case (1982)
Directed by Frank Henenlotter
Starring Kevin Van Hentenryck, Terri Susan Smith, Beverly Bonner, Robert Vogel, Diana Browne, Lloyd Pace, Bill Freeman, Joe Clarke
Something amazing seems to happen when Arrow Video and Frank Henenlotter come together for a release of one of his films. When I got their release of Brain Damage (which happens to be my personal favorite of his films), there were so many great extras that those alone make it worth picking it up. And this release of his first feature film is just the same.
Basket Case is the simple story of a two brothers who seek revenge on the doctors that separated them. Okay, so one of them, Belial, is a deformed Siamese twin that never fully developed that was growing out of the side of the ‘normal’ brother, Duane. Belial is kept in a large wicker basket that Duane carries around. They arrive in New York to find the last of the medical team on their list. But of course, everyone reading this already knows the story because you’ve already seen this flick, most likely more than a couple of times, right? If not, then this is one title that is a necessary requirement in your horror education.
Brain Damage (1988)
Directed by Frank Henenlotter
Starring Rick Hearst, Gordon MacDonald, Jennifer Lowry, Theo Barnes, Lucille Saint-Peter, Vicki Darnell
I’m sure everyone reading this is familiar with this strange and twisted Faustian tale, that could only come from the mind of the man who gave us Basket Case (1982), writer/director Frank Henenlotter. If you haven’t, then I’m not sure what cave you’ve been living in for the last 30 years, but you need to pick it up now and watch it. It will change your life. Okay..maybe not change it, but definitely put a lot more entertainment in it. And there is even a message in there too! I mean, how can you have a tale about a parasitic creature, that looks like a cross between a turd and a deformed penis, that gets you hooked on a hallucinogenic drug that it emits, if only to keep you in control. Sure, there is a huge drug/addiction parable here, as well as the old fable of selling soul to a devil, but as crazy as it sounds, Henenlotter actually created a very well thought out story and it works quite well. The characters feel like real people, giving the dark and funny story more of an edge than most would probably take it as, about a much too common plague that still exists today. Sure, maybe not played out like it is here, but then it wouldn’t be as fun to watch, would it?
As I mentioned in my earlier report, I had already met Argento years before and gotten a couple of items signed for free. So kept pondering why did I need to do it again, especially since I’d be paying $60g $60 this time? I had brought along my copy of Alan Jones’ book Dario Argento: The Man, The Myths, & the Magic to get signed if I decided to, but was really struggling with it. Lucky for me, that debate was easily decided when a dealer friend of ours graciously offered some extra dealer badges since we hadn’t purchased our tickets yet, which saved us exactly the same amount needed for the Argento signature. So…it was really hard to pass up then since we had just saved that much, right? Funny how fate works out that way.
Granted, the real reason we were here was for our buddy Bryan Martinez to meet the Maestro, since he is not only a fan of Argento’s work, but because this director was a huge influence on him, which would later come out creatively with Bryan’s show The Giallo Room. To say that he was a little excited is a slight understatement. We decided that getting in line right away Friday would be the best bet, since it was early, the line wasn’t that big with maybe a dozen people already in line. Plus, you want to get to Argento early before he gets worn out by all the people coming to see him. I mean, the guy is in his mid-70s after all. Once Argento came down and started, it went pretty quick. I went first and held out my book to him. He paged through it a bit, signed it, then looked up and said “Very good book!” I then sat down next to him for the photo. The guy handling the camera shots was very nice about the whole thing, taking several shots to make sure he got a good one in there. Very different than some of the cattle drives that I’ve seen/heard of before. Argento seemed to be full of spirits and really happy to be there.
Well, if you grew up in a video store in the ’80s and ’90s like I did, then you are at least aware of some of the movies they put out. Releasing titles like The Exterminator, Black Roses, Moontrap, Maniac Cop, and a trio of terror from cult director Frank Henenlotter, not to mention its fair share of martial arts/action flicks like No Retreat, No Surrender, Shapiro Glickenhaus Entertainment gave audiences some fine family entertainment. Okay..maybe not for the whole family.
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