It Came From The Man Cave!: June 2018

More fun than games.

Director:

Greydon Clark

Writers:

Al Gomez

Mickey Epps

Stars:

Joe Don Baker

Leif Green

Jim Greenleaf

Synopsis:

When a top local businessman and his two bumbling nephews try to shut down the town's only video arcade, arcade employees and patrons fight back.

Oh, man, Greydon Clark has given us a few great cult classics like Black Shampoo, Satin's Cheerleaders, and teaming up with Joe Don Baker right after this movie in Final Justice tried to capture the 80's arcade scene but run's out of quarters rather quickly. Moves like this are meant to be senseless fun with gorgeous girls half naked running around jock's being jocks and nerds taking over and with that this film delivers. But...

... the actor's, story and idea fall short fast making a timepiece like this a waste of time. And poor Joe Don Baker takes the lead idiot role that really dumb's down his portfolio. For me, the big selling point is actress Corinne Bohrer who I had a crush on after watching They Call Me Bruce and of course Police Acadamy 4 along with Stewardess School was going to be the main reason I pressed play. Oh man wait a minute she is talking like a Valley Girl like no way! Ugh, I'm so disposed. But she still looks good.

Like I'm Cute Right?

As you sit and watch a movie about the Arcade boom you want to be transferred into that time and space. To do that your location has to be as strong as your story Joystick does not look like an arcade at all more of a cramped warehouse full of illegal things. Soundtrack wise it does not help move you along at all with just hard to hear pop-rock if that. The story is the only bright spot in this whole thing in fact if the movie was PG and they dropped the boob's out of the script it might have worked better, but what do I know sex sells and in the 80's we seem to have a lot of it.

I feel bad I really wanted to like Joystick, but with hopes of capturing, a movement that I was apart of this movie falls flat and becomes rather lame! It's not very often I say pass on a flick but today is that day. Do not pick up your joystick do not press play move along nothing to see here, well except boobs of course.

2 Stars out of 5

Bonus's footage,

Napoleon Dynamite's Uncle Rico (John Gries) play's King Vidiot and yeah he is bad too.

More on 34 2018

Man, I have not done a pickup post in a long time but its that time again where we jump in the car and drive for miles upon miles of garage sale goodness! It's More On 34, here in LaSalle County its a long stretch of road that ties Chicago with the small town's. Now, it takes us 15 minutes or so to jump on and we live in the middle so every year we have to choose what direction to go and that is always the hard part. This year we went towards the city.

This year my daughter was out to find anything Broadway and she currently loves picking up old musicals on vinyl so here we go!

Twenty-Eight records later and taking me off the beaten path because she saw a sign that said records her mission was accomplished! And I was shocked most of them were in really good condition if it was not for the musty covers I would say the records are in mint condition.
So of my favorites...

We already played and converted Its a small world to digital format with no scratches at all! I could not wait for the sounds of Bunch-of- Banjos thinking it was tongue and check, sadly it was really just banjoed music. So what did I pick up this year...

Ok had to snag this bad boy and at 1.00 (yeah I bundled to get it lower shame on me) just to bring to camp its all there so I can not wait to jump into the old west.

Retro games are getting harder to find in the wild as it has become the big thing so sadly this was all I found that I needed anyway. I did pick up a loose MVP College Baseball for the PS2 as well. I did do alright with the movies tho...

As you can see a few musicals in the mix courtesy of you know who the good news movies have come way down in price Insidious for example was a quarter and nothing was over a dollar! But let's talk about those Horror Block exclusives!

Like Argento's Dracula! This movie has been talked about lately in the horror circles including the Shock Waves podcast. So looking forward to sinking my teeth into this one.

Ok, not so sure what this is but if it has Eli Roth's name on it you have to pick it up! Will be digging into this soon.

And this, this glorious version of Night Of The Living Dead sealed form Horror Blocks!! I can never pass up on a copy of this movie and when I looked at its value I about died! This bad boy is fetching 40 or more opened not much for flipping but thinking about it.

And that's about it sadly we did not go too far it was 107 degrees outside! So we only stayed out for a few hours and headed home. Oh and not pictured I picked up a VHS player for twenty-five cents.

...Fear is the Message!

Director:

Fred Walton

Writers:

Steve Feke

Fred Walton

Stars:

Carol Kane

Charles Durning

Rutanya Alda

Synopsis:

High school student Jill Johnson is traumatized over an evening of babysitting by a caller who repeatedly asks, "Have you checked the children lately?" After notifying the police, Jill is told that the calls are coming from inside the house...

Holy shit the opening 20 minutes of When a Stranger Calls is brilliant and I can see why Wes Craven wrote his love letter Scream based on those first moments. The tension you feel comes off so strong thanks to Carol Kane who keeps you holding your breath the minute the phone rings! When a Stranger Calls is brilliant.

Fred Walton was no stranger to Thrillers dropping many great tiles onto us like April Fool's Day, The Rosary Murders, and of course, the sequel to this gem When A Stranger Call's Back He twists our minds and chill's us to the bone splashing When A Stranger Call's onto the big screen back in 1979 fresh off the heels of Halloween the year before. This was Walton's first major motion picture and also stars Walton's friend Tony Beckley who was terminally ill at the time but Walton refused to recast him. I feel this was a good direction not to sound rude but he looked creepy and gave you such chills and thoughts of stranger danger! In fact, Beckley was one of my favorite parts sadly passed away before the movie was released.

Ok so let us talk about the elephant in the room for just a moment, shall we? The middle of this movie drags it down to a grind. You get so pumped up by the opening minutes that when they need to fill the gap, the story begins to fall apart. This is although Beckley's chance to shine and he really does it just takes to long to get there. And while being chased around by Charles Durning as an overweight cop does not help the plot. And sadly the Thriller has now become a Drama. Oh and yeah Durning also did the Muppet Movie in 79 and that was awesome too.

Thankfully the thrills and chills make it back for the closing minutes and when the lights come back up we get to walk away from a fantastic little Thriller that will stick in my mind for a long time to come. If you have not seen When a Stranger Call's or it has been a few years it is worth the visit even if you stop at the twenty-minute mark and call it a day. The movie looks good feels good and well Carol Kane looks good too so it must be good, right?

4 Bloody Brains out of 5

A special thanks to Shock Waves podcast for always talking about this one I'm glad I picked it up.

Tonight on Svengoolie The Night Walker!

The Night Walker
1964 | B&W | 1Hr 26 Minutes | Horror | NR | Castle Production

Director: William Castle

Writer: Robert Bloch

Stars:
Robert Taylor
Barbara Stanwyck
Judi Meredith

A woman is haunted by recurring nightmares, which seem to be instigated by her late husband who supposedly was killed in a fire.

Director William Castle originally offered the role of Irene Trent to Joan Crawford (an old friend of Stanwyck's) who declined as she was already committed to appearing in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). Night Walker will also go on to be Barbara Stanwyck's last feature film.

“Night Walker” hits its stride tonight at 10 pm eastern/Pacific, 9 central/mountain, and, if unsure who runs Sven in your area, please check those local listings and/ or the “where to watch” tab at www.metv.com. Chicago area viewers get a second run of Man Made Monster on WCIU, the U, at 11 am.

Camp Wish List

If you are feeling little generous and would like the help out there is still time just follow this link for our wish list https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2F2XFNF524L0F?type=wishlist&filter=unpurchased&sort=default all items will then be sent directly to camp! As always thank you for supporting Steve and I and well over 200 campers and volunteers make a difference one week per year.

Happy 43 Birthday Bruce!

Thanks for scaring the poop out of me!

THE TOUCH OF DEATH! Tonight On Svengoolie!

Man-Made Monster

1941 | B&W | 59 Min | Drama Horror | PG | Universal

Director:

George Waggner

Writers:

Harry Essex

Sid Schwartz

Stars:

Lionel Atwill

Lon Chaney Jr.

Anne Nagel

"Big Dan" McCormick is the sole survivor of a bus crash into hydro lines. 5 others were electrocuted. Intrigued by Dan's apparent immunity to electricity, Dr. John Lawrence, distinguished elector-biologist, asks Dan to visit him at his laboratory, where Lawrence's assistant, Dr. Paul Rigas, is secretly conducting experiments to prove his theory that human life can be motivated and controlled by electricity. Rigas persuades Dan to submit to tests, where Dan absorbs increasingly powerful charges until he develops an amazing degree of immunity, and becomes a walking hulk of electricity. Rigas does a final test of pouring a tremendous charge into Dan's body, and Dan becomes superhuman and his body glows. He is also a robot that is controlled by Rigas. When Lawrence tries to stop the experiment, Rigas orders, Dan, to kill him. Rigas removes the electricity from Dan's body and he becomes a shrunken shell. Despite the efforts of June Meredith, Lawrence's niece, and newspaper reporter Mark Adams to help him, Dan is sentenced to die in the electric chair. But in the death-chamber, he absorbs three shocks which returns him to superhuman status. He escapes and goes after Rigas, after putting on a rubber suit to encase his electric energy.

Call Of The Cthulhu Trailer

It was a year ago since we last heard from CYANIDE's upcoming Lovecraftian horror RPG Call Of Cthulhu. Now the game is back at E3 with a new trailer as private investigator Edward Pierce struggles to distinguish between reality, madness, and the horrific supernatural as he uncovers the mysteries of Darkwater Island. The trailer looks amazing but the first person view will keep me from playing. Check it out and let me know what you think. Pretty sure this was the best looking game to come out of E3 so far.

An electrifying experience - you won't believe your eyes!

Director: Dan Curtis

Writers:

William F. Nolan (teleplay)

Richard Matheson (story)

Stars:

Karen Black

Robert Burton

John Karlen

Synopsis:

Three stories are interwoven together. The first, about a college student infatuated with his teacher. The second, a paranoid tale of two sisters - one good, the other evil, and the third about an African tribal doll that comes to life and terrorizes a woman in her apartment.

So a few weeks ago I asked one of my Camp buddies what he has been watching lately and Jacob kind of shocked me saying to check out Trilogy of Terror and its sequel that I will happy dust off my VHS copy soon and watch that one next. What surprised me the most was that I have never seen this one yet and let's face it it's a pretty popular tile in the horror movie world. And with Dan Curtis yelling action along with William F Nolan I knew I was in for a treat.

First off Nolan is a legend in the movie world writing such great hits like The Turn of The Screw, Burnet Offerings and of course Logan's Run (along with a new book for Logan's Run that he is writing now). And when he and Curtis team up they always take us on a journey. Now if you are not familiar with Dan Curtis then shame on you! The man brought us Dark Shadows and one of the best Dracula (1974) movies around and of course Burnt Offerings. As a bonus, we share the same birth date. Plus driving this big bad bus is the lovely Karen Black (The PYX Burnt Offerings and the not so good Ooga Booga) who plays four roles just for this made for TV gem.

Julie

Our first story is about Chad a college student with a crush on his English teacher, Julie Eldridge (Black). During one class, Chad is distracted by Julie's thigh as she sits on her desk and daydreams about her. The next day, he asks Julie out on a date. She initially refuses, but later accepts the offer.
And the blackmail begins so we think.

Now I do not want to give too much away but Julie was my favorite story! What a total mind F**k I did not see the end coming at all and was blown away. Even the tone and the backdrop really captured the 70's style and feel roping me in even more.

Millicent and Therese

A tale of sibling rivalry takes us down the rabbit hole in our second installment that focuses on sisters Millicent, a repressed and prudish brunette and Therese, a worldly, seductive, and free-spirited blonde. Both roles are played by Karen Black. And even tho we do not get much of anything new the storyline is ok but took me out of the trance that "Julie" had just loured me into!

Millicent is determined that Therese is evil, and plants a voodoo doll to kill her. When Millicent's friend Dr. Ramsey played by George Gaynes (Commandant Lassard of Police Acadamy Fame) enters the house and reveals that Therese suffered from multiple personality disorder brought on by the fact that "Therese" slept with her father and subsequently killed her mother - and "Millicent" was an alternate personality with a repressed sexuality to cope with the horror of her actions. The recent death of the father unhinged her further and the murder was actually a form of suicide. Sadly This installment was really lame so let's move on to the one everybody talks about!

Amelia

"Amelia" was filmed as a one-woman play, with Karen Black as the only actor based on the short story, "Prey". Amelia lives alone in a high-rise apartment building. She returns home after a shopping spree carrying a package containing a Zuni fetish doll, crafted in the form of a misshapen aboriginal warrior equipped with razor sharp teeth and a spear. A scroll comes with the doll, claiming the doll contains the actual spirit of a Zuni hunter named "He Who Kills", and that the gold chain adorning the doll keeps the spirit trapped within. As Amelia makes a call to her mother, the Zuni doll's golden chain has somehow fallen off oddly on its own. And of course, all hell breaks loose.

I will admit the way this segment was tossed into our laps with clever camera angles, insanely strange nose's coming from the doll and poor Karen Black screaming her head for a solid 7 minutes or so was enough to drive fear into our hearts. But nothing and I mean nothing could prepare me for the final scene that will live in my head forever! As Black bangs a knife into the ground and twists it with an evil smirk on her face with a slow pan out even this tough guy said holy Sh#t when the screen finally went black.

I can see way Trilogy of Terror is a much loved insane road trip amongst horror fans. Karen Black as always was amazing. Dan Curtis does it again and the world is a much better place because of them. Although the middle segment was a drag do not let that slow you down from checking this one out. And believe it or not, Julie was my favorite story over Amelia! So if you have not seen this Seventies gem head to your favorite video streaming rental site and let me know what you thought of Trilogy Of Terror.

For this guy, it's super groovy...

4 Bloody Brains out of 5

Jacob and I are Horror Buddies at Horizon Camp! And Jake just turned 31 this week!

When Animals Attack

When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals

by Vanessa Morgan & B.L. Daniels and Moonlight Creek Publishing

Description

The definitive horror movie guide for fans of killer animals and “revenge of nature” films.

When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals provides a fascinating and entertaining insight into the cinematographic world of animals on the rampage. From well-known predators such as sharks and lions to unusual killing machines like turkeys, elephants, frogs, cats, and rabbits, there is no shortage of the species on display in this book.

Leading horror writers and filmmakers present their favorite “animals attack” films through in-depth essays. Some of the films are touching, some are repulsive, and some are just plain silly. Not all of these horror movies line up with the critical consensus, yet they have one thing in common: they have made the heart of the writer beat faster with excitement.

From Jaws to Snakes on a Plane with a little The Food of the God's in the middle Vanessa Morgan brings an excellent group of film essays staring 70 Horror flicks with Killer Animals. I really dig collection books such as these most of the time you find a hidden gem that you have never heard of (Like Beaks the Movie) to the classic's that you just want to hear more about. Every writer in this collection gives us their take drawing you into there world with fun stories of the golden age of VHS rentals and a sprinkle of fan talk when it comes to movies like Birddemic. If your a fan of real monsters this is a great read I honestly could not put it down, its fun, witty and full of entertainment.

4 Stars!