A Taste of Evil (1971), Snowbeast (1977), This House Possessed (1981)
Since this is our 4th time covering some made-for-TV movies, you can tell that we’re kind of a big fan of them. It might have something to do with the time that we grew up and not having the plethora of movies at our fingertips 24/7, or that a lot of these productions were just really well-made stories, and some of them truly frightening.
In this episode we go back to the small screen and discuss three different titles that while not be the best of this sub-genre, but we feel are still worth checking out. Whether you like deviants running amuck at your house, trying to ski and not get caught by a Yeti, or an unusual haunted house, you might find yourself entertained. And if not by the story, then most likely by the cast!
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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