Death walks behind. Hell waits ahead!
From the early films of exploitation giant Jack Hill to the modern exploitation of Rob Zombie, Sid Haig is a Junesploitation rock star.
Creature (2011) There’s a whole lotta pervy goin’ on (pervsploitation!) in this incoherent mash-up of the killbilly and monster-movie genres. You’d think a movie that features bestiality, exhibitionism, voyeurism, incest, and a bisexual nymphomaniac would be more interesting, but no. Film makes the mistake of showing the monster way too much, which just makes it silly rather than scary (honestly – it looks like an alligator and the Joker had a baby). But at least the final confrontation takes place off-screen. Wait, what? That’s right, the good guy and monster go into a hole; the good guy comes out. End! Thank goodness they didn’t SHOW the battle! Sid Haig is the only one in the movie who knows how stupid it is, and adjusts his performance accordingly.
Jack Hill's FOXY BROWN (1974) on Amazon Prime for the first time.
I can't tell if Sid Haig is the scummy mechanic rapist or the pilot of the plane (they kind-of look alike). Regardless, Sid's role is part of the fabric of cliche-but-fun elements (those clothes, that music, that jive talk, them opening credits, etc.) that Jack Hill weaves together to make a quintessential and fun blaxploitation classic. Look, there's Antonio Fargas (HUGGY BEARSPLOITATION!) getting laid and betraying his own sister to score dope money. There's the ludicrous "Face Off"-type undercover agent whose sole function in the flick is to be the fuse that lights up Pam Motherfucking Grier's revenge crusade. There's the generous amount of gratuitous violence and female nudity that, while seemingly edgy (the scene with the judge comes to mind), always end as old-fashioned morality plays. Foxy Brown comes out ahead at the end but, unlike most (male) heroes in mainstream movies, the price she pays to get there reflect the genre and times the movie was made... eek!
This was my first time seeing this, and I really liked it! Though it was weird to see a Jack Hill movie without a women's prison, Pam Grier or boobs. Sid Haig's performance ranges from goofy to terrifying, which matches perfectly with the movie. I also enjoyed Jill Banner(RIP) as Virginia. This being a Jack Hill movie it has its share of titillation(SixtiesLingerieploitation). Also, I think Lon Chaney, Jr. is the heart of the movie, even though it is physically obvious he was in the throws of alcoholism.
This screened at The Massacre last October and quickly became a favorite of everyone. We all fell in love with Jill Banner (RIP). And Chaney's performance is really moving, right?
GALAXY OF TERROR. Quuhod-sploitation! This movie checks off a lot of boxes on the nerd checklist: Spaceships, laser guns, rubber monsters, stop-motion monsters, ninja throwing stars, and more. And what a cast! Robert Englund, Ray Walston, Laura’s mom from Twin Peaks, all in one flick! Also, it looks like the folks at New World got their hands on some real money for this one, because the sets are really impressive. Unfortunately, all the good stuff is at the beginning of the movie. The latter half tries to be all ponderous and artsy, and that kills the fun B-movie tone of the first half. Sid Haig is mostly mute as the… what is he in this movie? An alien? A religious wacko? Either way, Haig doesn’t need dialogue. He says everything he needs to say with his bulging eyeballs.
Rambly, episodic, silly, and dull. Also, the first thing the blob does is eat a damn kitten. The movie doesn't know if it wants to be a horror movie or a comedy and it never manages to find a consistent tone. Larry Hagman directed it (from the ads: "The Movie JR Shot!") and it appears there's a reason he never directed another movie. Sid Haig is only in one scene (uncredited) as a cop who becomes Purina Blob Chow. Improv legend Del Close appears too, making him the only person (I believe) to appear in two Blob movies, as he's also in the excellent 1988 Blob.
Lame Car Wash rip-off follows the wacky exploits of a group of parking garage attendants. Yes, that's right. An impressive '80s cast that includes Dirk Benedict, Melanie Griffith (VERY EARLY), Frank Gorshin, Jerry Orbach, T.K. Carter, Michael Winslow (speaking only in sound effects) and Epstein from Welcome Back, Kotter), so how did I never even know this existed? Dumb '80s comedies like this need to be rated R; this one is PG.
Sid Haig plays a sheik, because he plays a lot of sheiks. He's in the movie a fair amount despite only having one line: "Are we changing rooms?" Luckily, he gets to say it a couple of times.
David Carradine stars as Dow, a supersoldier who has his wife taken from him by the Warlord (Sam Haig) in an apocalyptic future. This movie is full out stupid, with Carradine's sidekick being a disembodied glop of a talking head who sounds like Johnny 5's asshole brother. Also some crazy overacting and Sam Haig's costume which was clearly stolen from Medieval Times. Any positives in this one? Haig does seem to be giving it his all and perhaps one of the most unintentionally hilarious lines I've heard this month "If your wife is a clone and she's dead can't we just crank out another one like a sausage?" Save this one for the MST3K they can do the proper rifftraxploitation!
Sig Haig may have barely been in this movie, but his bit was my favorite part. As for the rest of the movie, I liked it. But I saw the director's cut, which seemed to have a lot of added CGI parts that I found really distracting. I would have actually preferred to watch the theatrical version. I also really liked the classic sci-fi ambiguous ending. It may not have been exploitation material, but I'm still glad I watched it.
I've seen four Jack Hill movies so far this month, and I regret NOTHING. They've all been great, and, surprisingly, Foxy Brown might be my LEAST favorite (weird, right?).
I don't know what it was, but I really enjoyed this movie. Probably the boobs. And Sid Haig's performance is so ridiculous (vacillating between serious revolutionary and OVER-THE-TOP homosexual stereotype), that I'm surprised this film isn't mentioned more often in the "essential works of Sid Haig" conversation (that's a conversation that exists, right?).
Sid Haig's gotta Sid Haig. And he's quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. I AM LATE TO THE PARTY.
Having already seen a more Sid Haig-y Sid Haig movie this month (The Big Bird Cage) I figured I'd take Patrick's advice and give this a try. I was kind of liking it, though there were probably more misses than hits, and then about halfway through I fell asleep. I'll finish it though, definitely worth a watch.
Creature (2011)
ReplyDeleteThere’s a whole lotta pervy goin’ on (pervsploitation!) in this incoherent mash-up of the killbilly and monster-movie genres. You’d think a movie that features bestiality, exhibitionism, voyeurism, incest, and a bisexual nymphomaniac would be more interesting, but no. Film makes the mistake of showing the monster way too much, which just makes it silly rather than scary (honestly – it looks like an alligator and the Joker had a baby). But at least the final confrontation takes place off-screen. Wait, what? That’s right, the good guy and monster go into a hole; the good guy comes out. End! Thank goodness they didn’t SHOW the battle! Sid Haig is the only one in the movie who knows how stupid it is, and adjusts his performance accordingly.
Jack Hill's FOXY BROWN (1974) on Amazon Prime for the first time.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell if Sid Haig is the scummy mechanic rapist or the pilot of the plane (they kind-of look alike). Regardless, Sid's role is part of the fabric of cliche-but-fun elements (those clothes, that music, that jive talk, them opening credits, etc.) that Jack Hill weaves together to make a quintessential and fun blaxploitation classic. Look, there's Antonio Fargas (HUGGY BEARSPLOITATION!) getting laid and betraying his own sister to score dope money. There's the ludicrous "Face Off"-type undercover agent whose sole function in the flick is to be the fuse that lights up Pam Motherfucking Grier's revenge crusade. There's the generous amount of gratuitous violence and female nudity that, while seemingly edgy (the scene with the judge comes to mind), always end as old-fashioned morality plays. Foxy Brown comes out ahead at the end but, unlike most (male) heroes in mainstream movies, the price she pays to get there reflect the genre and times the movie was made... eek!
SPIDER BABY (1964)
ReplyDeleteThis was my first time seeing this, and I really liked it! Though it was weird to see a Jack Hill movie without a women's prison, Pam Grier or boobs. Sid Haig's performance ranges from goofy to terrifying, which matches perfectly with the movie. I also enjoyed Jill Banner(RIP) as Virginia. This being a Jack Hill movie it has its share of titillation(SixtiesLingerieploitation). Also, I think Lon Chaney, Jr. is the heart of the movie, even though it is physically obvious he was in the throws of alcoholism.
This screened at The Massacre last October and quickly became a favorite of everyone. We all fell in love with Jill Banner (RIP). And Chaney's performance is really moving, right?
DeleteGALAXY OF TERROR. Quuhod-sploitation! This movie checks off a lot of boxes on the nerd checklist: Spaceships, laser guns, rubber monsters, stop-motion monsters, ninja throwing stars, and more. And what a cast! Robert Englund, Ray Walston, Laura’s mom from Twin Peaks, all in one flick! Also, it looks like the folks at New World got their hands on some real money for this one, because the sets are really impressive. Unfortunately, all the good stuff is at the beginning of the movie. The latter half tries to be all ponderous and artsy, and that kills the fun B-movie tone of the first half. Sid Haig is mostly mute as the… what is he in this movie? An alien? A religious wacko? Either way, Haig doesn’t need dialogue. He says everything he needs to say with his bulging eyeballs.
ReplyDeleteBeware! The Blob (aka Son of Blob) (1972)
ReplyDeleteRambly, episodic, silly, and dull. Also, the first thing the blob does is eat a damn kitten. The movie doesn't know if it wants to be a horror movie or a comedy and it never manages to find a consistent tone. Larry Hagman directed it (from the ads: "The Movie JR Shot!") and it appears there's a reason he never directed another movie. Sid Haig is only in one scene (uncredited) as a cop who becomes Purina Blob Chow. Improv legend Del Close appears too, making him the only person (I believe) to appear in two Blob movies, as he's also in the excellent 1988 Blob.
Don't waste your time.
Underground Aces (1981)
ReplyDeleteLame Car Wash rip-off follows the wacky exploits of a group of parking garage attendants. Yes, that's right. An impressive '80s cast that includes Dirk Benedict, Melanie Griffith (VERY EARLY), Frank Gorshin, Jerry Orbach, T.K. Carter, Michael Winslow (speaking only in sound effects) and Epstein from Welcome Back, Kotter), so how did I never even know this existed? Dumb '80s comedies like this need to be rated R; this one is PG.
Sid Haig plays a sheik, because he plays a lot of sheiks. He's in the movie a fair amount despite only having one line: "Are we changing rooms?" Luckily, he gets to say it a couple of times.
Warlords (1988)
ReplyDeleteDavid Carradine stars as Dow, a supersoldier who has his wife taken from him by the Warlord (Sam Haig) in an apocalyptic future. This movie is full out stupid, with Carradine's sidekick being a disembodied glop of a talking head who sounds like Johnny 5's asshole brother. Also some crazy overacting and Sam Haig's costume which was clearly stolen from Medieval Times. Any positives in this one? Haig does seem to be giving it his all and perhaps one of the most unintentionally hilarious lines I've heard this month "If your wife is a clone and she's dead can't we just crank out another one like a sausage?" Save this one for the MST3K they can do the proper rifftraxploitation!
THX 1138 (1971)
ReplyDeleteSig Haig may have barely been in this movie, but his bit was my favorite part. As for the rest of the movie, I liked it. But I saw the director's cut, which seemed to have a lot of added CGI parts that I found really distracting. I would have actually preferred to watch the theatrical version. I also really liked the classic sci-fi ambiguous ending. It may not have been exploitation material, but I'm still glad I watched it.
The Big Bird Cage (1972)
ReplyDeleteI've seen four Jack Hill movies so far this month, and I regret NOTHING. They've all been great, and, surprisingly, Foxy Brown might be my LEAST favorite (weird, right?).
I don't know what it was, but I really enjoyed this movie. Probably the boobs. And Sid Haig's performance is so ridiculous (vacillating between serious revolutionary and OVER-THE-TOP homosexual stereotype), that I'm surprised this film isn't mentioned more often in the "essential works of Sid Haig" conversation (that's a conversation that exists, right?).
Sid Haig's gotta Sid Haig. And he's quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. I AM LATE TO THE PARTY.
The Haunted World of El Super Beasto (2009)
ReplyDeleteHaving already seen a more Sid Haig-y Sid Haig movie this month (The Big Bird Cage) I figured I'd take Patrick's advice and give this a try. I was kind of liking it, though there were probably more misses than hits, and then about halfway through I fell asleep. I'll finish it though, definitely worth a watch.