I talked about Rankin/Bass Productions not too long ago, when I discussed their somewhat lesser-known stop-motion animation film Mad Monster Party?, but watching that classic feature made me nostalgic for all the stop-motion specials that aired around Christmastime in the 1970s and formed such a large part of my (and most other people of my … More Revisiting the Rankin/Bass Stop-Motion Christmas Specials
A while back, after watching the classic 1962 film What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?, I went down something of a rabbit hole about the small but potent “psycho-biddy” subgenre, also known by the delightful name of “hagsploitation.” You can probably guess just from the names what these movies involve, but if you can’t, they’re … More Movies: Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1971)
I have to confess that I’ve always had a soft spot for the cheesy 1970s eco-horror movies I repeatedly saw on cable growing up. There was just something about the concept of an ensemble cast of usually past-their-prime actors, pitted against a series of largely woeful special effects meant to convey armies of gargantuan critters … More 70s Eco-Horror Double Feature: The Food of the Gods (1976) and Empire of the Ants (1977)
The 1979 film The Driller Killer is probably as well known as it is due to the fact that it was one of the most often-cited movies to appear on the UK’s infamous “video nasties” list; and in fact, according to a guy named Mike Bor, who at the time was the Principal Examiner at … More Movies: The Driller Killer (1979)
Like much of the horror media that went on to make indelible impressions on me as a young horror nerd, I first heard about the Kolchak movies (and the series they spawned) when they were mentioned in Stephen King’s 1981 nonfiction book, Danse Macabre. Though I saw both of the iconic Kolchak TV films when … More Revisiting Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973)
We’ve reached the year of 1978, the year I turned six years old, and once again, I have a whole smorgasbord of horror goodies to choose from, necessitating another long list of honorable mentions. So before we get into the entrées, I offer a few hors d’oeuvres in the form of the very decent sequel … More My Favorite Horror Movies from Every Year Since I Was Born: 1978
Italian director Luciano Ercoli certainly isn’t a household name within the giallo genre in the way that, say, Mario Bava, Dario Argento, or Sergio Martino are, but he did helm at least three fairly well-regarded gialli, including The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion, Death Walks at Midnight, and the film we’re talking about … More Movies: Death Walks on High Heels (1971)
When I announced that I would be reviewing giallo movies all throughout the month of July over on my Flickers of Fear video series, a listener recommended a film I had never heard of called Discopath. Since I couldn’t resist checking out a movie with a title like that, I went over to Tubi and … More Movies: Discopath (2013)
Although it’s sometimes unjustified—since the country is obviously well-known for many excellent original contributions to the art of cinema—Italy had a bit of a reputation during the 1970s and 1980s for making cheap knockoffs of pretty much any American movie that was financially successful. For every Jaws there was a Great White (aka The Last … More Movies: Beyond the Door (1974)
As a self-respecting goth chick, I would be remiss if I didn’t go forth and sing the praises of The Addams Family, both the original cartoons by Charles Addams, and the classic TV sitcom that ran from 1964 to 1966. Morticia Addams in particular was one of my very early style icons, and Lurch was … More Revisiting Hallowe’en with the New Addams Family (1977)
The Scare Salon 