Saturday, June 6, 2015

Junesploitation Day 6: Scream Factory!

Enter...if you dare!

131 comments:

  1. Jeremy 'I wrote/produced/directed/starred in this!' Gardner's THE BATTERY (2012, 101 min.) on Blu-ray for the first time. It's also streaming for free on Amazon Prime.

    I've been wanting to check this one out since the guys over at Killer POV went to bat for it hard a while back. Like "The Babadook," though, the final product doesn't come anywhere near living up to the hype despite being a good little indie horror flick. It's basically the down time and small moments of boredom that two survivors, both minor league baseball players, experience in post-zombie apocalyptic rural Connecticut. We watch as cautious, unhinged Ben (Gardner, who looks like the unholy offspring from a threesome between Oscar Isaac, Jack Black and Joaquin Phoenix) and devil-may-care free spirited Mickey (Adam Cronheim) engage in the minor bits of action and survival set pieces that most zombie flicks and "The Walking Dead" trim out to run in their allotted times. It's not until the third act, when a particularly harrowing situation forces Ben and Mickey to really step out of their comfort zones, that "The Battery" stands out and gets really good. Then it's over, with a not-so-cynical set-up for a sequel that I wouldn't mind seeing but can live without.

    BTW, did anyone follow JB's advice and bought a Scream Factory title specifically for today's Junesploitation theme? I did (before I found out "The Battery" is streaming for free on Prime... AAARGHHH!), and would be curious to see who else did. Also, make sure to come back Sunday for A VERY SPECIAL DRUGS! REVIEW from yours truly, with an added behind-the-scenes bonus story to boot. Can't wait! :-D

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    1. I picked up Evilspeak, Dolls and the Halloween box set to watch for Junesploitation

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    2. Nah, I've got a couple dozen already - so friends, if I only have time to watch one of them I haven't watched yet, should I go Cat People or Prince of Darkness?

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    3. Prince of Darkness gets my vote but can't go wrong either way especially with Nastassja Kinski.

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    4. You take half-assed jabs at The Battery& The Babadook in two sentences. FAIL.

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    5. Thanks Chaybee - I was leaning towards Cat People but since you're such a Junesploitation maniac I'm gonna take your suggestion and go PoD.

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    6. Penis Upvote would be a great name for a band.

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    7. Sol, I hope it's not boring. I don't remember it being so, but it's been a while. Don't hold it against me if it is, my friend.

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    8. Haha! I read it as "Penis Update" at first. I was like "what the fuck is going on here?!"

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    9. Ha! That is fantastic.

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    10. Penis upvote? I say Penis downvote... thrust issues, anyone? ;-)

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    11. Thanks for the breaking Penis update, Vargas!

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    12. 'Hold it, we have a breaking Penis report from our reporter on the field, Pecker Johnson. Pecker...'

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  2. Psycho 2 (1983)

    Been looking for an excuse to watch this, so I was pleased to see it on the scream factory list. Longer yet better than it ought to be Pyscho 2 takes us back to Bates Motel where Norman returns after two decades at a mental institution. The movie is tense and creepy, and has some interesting Frankenstein-esque themes, but it's no life changer.

    It's....fine.

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    1. I really like Pyscho 2. Have you listened to Patrick's interview with Tom Holland?

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    2. I agree with Gabby -- Psycho II is SO much better than it has any conceivable right to be.

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  3. They Live (1988) - First viewing

    Since I live in Europe, I had to settle for an old DVD rather than a Scream Factory release.

    What's there to say? A fun film, but I liked the premise much more than the actual movie. Rowdy Roddy Piper's no actor and I wasn't that gripped with either the plot or the action, but the central idea carried it for the duration. And the last few shots were excellent, a perfect way to end the film. Overall had fun with it but hard to imagine I'll ever come back to it. Sorry, I know there are a lot of fans here.

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    1. Us Europeans can stick together in not being able just pop out and get one! I am a fan of They live though.

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  4. Evilspeak (1981)

    Clint Howard discovers a hidden satanist church at the military school he's being bullied at and decides to use it to seek some revenge. I had a lot of fun with this movie. It's slow at parts but the payoff is excellent and Clint Howard gives a surprisingly sympathetic performance. I want to talk about the ending but I don't want to spoil it, let's just say it's gory as hell and involves Clint Howard wielding a sword. I believe it was on the video nasties list for some of the things it shows. I've heard it described as a male version of Carrie and I think that's accurate. Check it out.

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    1. I was wondering what I would seek out for video nasties. Thanks!

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  5. Nightbreed (1990)
    In an attempt to quell my disappointment over The Scarlet Gospels, I'm beginning Scream Factory Day with Clive Barker's Nightbreed. (I also started reading Stephen King's Finders Keepers, so that makes me twice as happy.) I prefer the theatrical cut of Nightbreed, but I've only watched the director's cut once, so I've decided to give it another go. I wish we could have seen the monsters of Midian go on more adventures. (There is a new book that does just that, but until I get over Scarlet Gospels -- and finish Finders Keepers -- that'll have to wait. Unless I find something better.) Cronenberg is extraordinary as Decker. Just the look of him in the long coat and the mask with the button eyes is chilling enough for me.

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    1. Barker has a strange fixation on calzones in his films, I've noticed. In this and in Lord of Illusions, there's always someone eating a calzone with gusto.

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    2. I just started Scarlet Gospels (literally, I'm less than 10 pages in) and you have just filled me with fear (not in the way Barker intended, I imagine)

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    3. The first half is actually quite good. It reads like hardboiled, sadomasochistic crime fiction. Cuz you know... Barker. And in that half, it really had me. He showed he didn't lose the power to provoke and push buttons. There's a point where the story took such a severe right turn, it lost me.

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  6. The Funhouse 1981 (rented it from google play - Australia is slowly catching up)

    Wow this movie is good! I haven't had much education on horror, my limited experience is usually I end up feeling awkward and uncomfortable. I still cannot get over how good Funhouse is. It is a ridiculously good looking movie, I loved how Hooper uses colour and how he sets up shots with visual story telling. Elizabeth Berridge is as cute as a button, each character gets their own little arc. I am a little high from it because it is such a good movie. Junesploitation rocks!!!

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    1. I love this movie. I need to buy the bluray. Since you liked it so much you should check out a movie called Lifeforce which is another underrated Tobe Hooper movie. Space vampires that's all you need to know.

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    2. This one of my favorite horror movies! I remember loving this when i first saw this when I was 10 or 11. I rewatched it a few times recently over the years and still holds up very well.

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    3. Space Vampires is enough, I am going to have to hunt that one down. Mike - it might be one of my favourites now as well.

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    4. ...aaaand another Funhouse fan is born. We are growing in number.

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    5. Now you have to create another Funhouse fan or a deformed carnie will hunt you down and kill you. THANKS Patrick.

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    6. Thank you Patrick. Thanks to you I now have seen and love Funhouse! Glad yo see all the love for it

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  7. They Live (1988)

    Such a smart idea; Capitalism is inhumane. This is what "genre" movies do best.

    This is a rare movie that I would like to see sequelised or remade in order to see the world explored more. Not that the movie needs any of that, it stands completely on its own, but I was left wanting more when it was over and I think the idea could support alot more exploration.

    It tries too hard to be quoteable and while Roddy gives it a red hot go he often falls short. But, overall everyone seems to know what movie they're in and it all works well enough although maybe in a "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts" kind of way.

    LifesInHeatsploitation!

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    1. I watched this for 80's Action! day and I actually liked the one-liners more than I remembered, although he's not quite as good with them as Kurt Russell.

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  8. Escape From New York (1981, dir. John Carpenter) with Commentary by Dean Cundey and Adrienne Barbeau: This is one of my favorite movies of all time and the heroes at Scream Factory (as Patrick would say) have outdone themselves with the blu-ray. This commentary was recorded in October of last year, and is a fond look back by Cundey and Barbeau. The legendary Cundey is very soft-spoken and humble, but obviously proud of his work, and even cracks a couple jokes out of left-field. Barbeau is just as proud and affable (“I was sleeping with the director at the time”). Awesome commentary for an awesome movie.

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    1. Does the blu-ray also have the original commentary from Carpenter and Russell?

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    2. (I still have the old featureless DVD)

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  9. The Slumber Party Massacre (1982 dir. Amy Holden Jones)

    Really enjoyable stab(sorry) at the slasher genre of the early 80s. While not a spoof, it doesn't take itself too seriously. Come for the nudity and awkwardly choreographed murders by Titus Welliver's less talented older brother, stay for a slasher that's more nuance then the title suggests.

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    1. Slumber Party Massacre 2 does away with all that troublesome nuance.

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  10. Nomads (1986)

    The feature directorial debut of Die Hard's John McTiernan, as well as the first leading role for Pierce Brosnan, Nomads is a really good mystery thriller horror movie, though it leans more toward the mystery/thriller side. As JB and Patrick have mentioned on the podcast before, it's not always about WHAT a movie is about, but about HOW it's about that thing. While the plot itself isn't super original, McTiernan uses a clever device to tell the story and give information, one which I thought worked very well. Brosnan and the film's female lead, Leslie Anne Down, both give strong, grounded performances which give Nomad's an emotional heart and depth. They aren't just stock characters, which made the horror stuff feel more tense. All around, a good movie.

    Thanks Junesploitation. I'd probably never have given Nomads a watch if not for you.

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  11. PRISON (1987)

    An old prison is reopened, and a ghost of someone who once died in the electric chair goes crazy with electro-powers. This debut feature from Renny Harlin is all about the visual style. Everything’s blue, smoky, and shadowy. It’s as if the whole movie takes place inside one of Freddy Krueger’s nightmare worlds, except Freddy never shows up. The cast is filled with recognizable character actors, including young Viggo Mortenson, whose hair must be seen to be believed. There were some slow parts and the plot meanders, but the big “Holy crap!” moments make up for it. I enjoyed this one.

    Accompanying short film: Episode 1 of HEMLOCK GROVE (2013). Ouch. It’s like this came from an alternate universe where Netflix originals are mindless SyFy schlock instead of shows with good writing and acting. Eli Roth continues to have zero understanding of how human beings think, feel, or act.

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    1. macmcentire.com, since your watching shorts, thought I would recommend for Bugs! day a 9 minute short called "Spider" I saw a while back. It's great; Dennis can attest. Here's the YouTube link if you haven't seen it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyhs8dKMTN4 Cheers.

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    2. Prison was a lot better than it had any reason to be. Like Nightmare on Elm Street meets the first third of Runaway Train.

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  12. Cockneys vs Zombies: Bloody hell man are you fucking shittin me? I was near dat bank the other day weren't I?! Dis movie is well sick blood! Zombies, let's be avin ya!! Come and av a go if you think ya hard enough! West aaam!! Londaaaaaan! Easy. You's gotta fuckin check it out! What you waistin your time reading this for and not watchin it you plum?! Goin down to the local pup and havin a booze up. Nice one mate! See yous lot there yeah? Sorted!

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  13. Amityville 3D (1983)

    Tony Roberts stars as Smug Smuggerson, a smug professional debunker of paranormal claims, who smugly debunks paranormal claims and then smugly buys the notorious Amityville house because all those stories are pure bunk (all the better to debunk!), which you would know if you would only listen to his smug pronouncements of debunkery.

    Turns out he's wrong (but still smug) and the place is crawling with cheap comin' atcha! 3D haunts (in glorious 2D on the blu-ray), but you won't care because you'll be too busy rooting for the ghosts to murder this smug fuckstick already so you can get on with your life.

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    1. I really want Smug Fuckstick to open for Penis Upvote at their next show.

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    2. An Everclear cover band opening for an Offspring cover band

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  14. The Outing a.k.a The Lamp (1987) Dir. Tom Daley (only film)

    Some really annoying thieves rub a lamp and unleash an evil genie (Djinn) in all of it's special effects glory. The genie kills them off, the lamp gets put in a museum. A group of high school kids visit the museum, figure a way to stay overnight (including bringing sleeping bags!) and mayhem ensues. Why do people rub lamps? It's bizarre.

    Anyway, this was mostly boring and not as fun as it could've been. The director shoots some scenes from the lamps point of view and that had me cracking up. There's a cringe worthy "They're Here" reference that makes no fucking sense. There's a fight scene in a high school where some "tough guy" shoves a girl really hard into a locker. It looked like it actually hurt. They don't actually start spending the night until almost the hour mark of an hour and twenty three minute runtime. Ugh. There are some okay deaths scenes and enough blood to be decent (also the famous snake bath scene) but besides a fun first ten minutes and an okay finale, this ones a dud.

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  15. Lifeforce (1985)

    It begins with a mysterious derelict in space, and ends with a phantasmagorical vampire apocalypse. What's not to love? Scream Factory's Blu Ray is fantastic.

    Oh, and Mathilda May is in it. She's somewhat attractive (cough).

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    1. Hands down the hottest space vampire alien of all time. I dare you to debate that ;)

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    2. The debate would start with me saying, "You're f__ing right she is!" And then it would end.

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    3. The best part of that debate is that you both win. We all do.

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    4. Well there's that and also the fact that I don't think there are any other space vampire aliens on film, haha. Do you count the female Cenobite?

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    5. I don't count the female Cenobite, but I do count Tommy Wiseau.

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    6. Hands down my pants the hottest space vampire alien . Zing

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  16. Legacy of Rage (1986, Ronny Yu)

    This is technically a Shout Factory (Scream Factory's parent company) release, but it was the only Hong Kong movie they distribute as far as I could tell. Apparently it's also the only film Brandon Lee (of famous dad and The Crow fame) did in Hong Kong!

    The action, once it happens, is pretty solid. I didn't even know it was Ronny Yu until I sat down to write this. The set-up for this revenge tale is relatively simple and obvious, but it takes so long to get the Revenge-ing that I started to think "maybe this isn't a revenge movie?" But it is. The 15 minutes of action at the end are almost enough to justify the 70 minutes it takes to get there, but not quite for me.

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  17. TerrorVision (1986)

    An '80s horror comedy about a blob of alien that comes through the TV signal and terrorizes a family. This movie is insane. INSANE. Its like a biazaare hybrid of Slither, Fright Night and Goosebumps. Over the top, weird, gory, funny and weird. I enjoyed myself!

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  18. MOTEL HELL (1980)
    I just love this movie. Calhoun is GREAT. Axelrod is sweetly dim and likeable. Parsons is out of her mind and hilarious.

    The tone amazes me, honestly. So many movies have tried to strike it and failed miserably. I really believe there's not another flick that I have seen that does what this one does quite the way it does. It's so...singular, to me. And I love it for that.

    Plus...the gurgles will haunt you. Disturbation for Junesploitation.

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    1. Say it with me now... it takes all kinds of critters...

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    2. ...to make Farmer Vincent's fritters.

      Gas station beef sticks = NO.

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    3. MOTEL HELL is a movie I still didn't watched yet, but on the next German movie con, this movie is mine!!

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  19. Phantasm II (1988)
    Michael and Reggie jump in the Hemicuda and take their revenge on the road.
    Jawas on bath salts, flying spheres with power drills inside, other dimensions, mortuaries, and the Tall Man. Those explosion gags are insane.

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    1. Love it! Always thought it was more fun than the first.

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  20. Data incomplete, Human blood required!

    Smm quote

    Satan gets his broadband connection in Hell

    One of the original Banned 54 Britsh Video Nasties

    I Esteban, Will Return. .....

    EVILSPEAK 1980

    The last 15 mins is my favourite 15 mins from any 80's horror movie

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    1. I was considering this for Video Nasties day (it was a toss-up between this and Visiting Hours) but your bold claim about the last 15 min just cemented this as my choice. Pumped!

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    2. He's not kidding. I like Visiting Hours, but there is nothing in it that compares to the finale of Evilspeak.

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    3. Good choices, I do like Micheal Ironside but Evilspeak is special to me, the whole film has a tone I enjoy that pulls me in, it has some shots that are pure magic, unique and pretty much unforgettable, the soundtrack is also hauntingly epic, listen to it loud if you can

      I'll look forward to your review

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  21. Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
    I am a huge Brian DePalma fan. Huge. There's no way in hell I would pass up an opportunity to watch his audacious, Faustian rock opera.

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  22. Mad Max (1979)
    I was pretty surprised with this one. Had only seen the Road Warrior and Fury Road in the Mad Max series before today. I knew that this was tame compared two the ones I mentioned before, but I was surprised with how good it really is. The action is still impressive and crazy, but its the characters that shine here. I also bought Beyond The Thunderdome, but I'll save that for another time.

    After reading some of the comments this morning I also rented The Funhouse (1981). Very entertaining. really liked this one.

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  23. Lifeforce (1985)

    Yes, Mathilda May is naked through a lot of the movie. Yes, she is one of hottest women I have ever seen. Yes, I am super jealous of Steve Railsback for making out with her also being naked. Does it matter that the story is batshit crazy(pun very fuckin intended)? No because, as I previously explained, Mathilda May.

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    1. Does it matter that the story is batshit crazy? Yes, because that's half of what makes it such a great movie!

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  24. Terror Train (1980)
    Definitely not a movie i would normally watch but i enjoyed it. This movie has Jamie Lee Curtis and David Copperfield. They're on a train and there is a killer on the loose. Thats all you really need to know. The movie isn't really good but it's enjoyable particularly when Copperfield is doing magic. The movie is and easy too watch and think most of you would enjoy it on some level.

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  25. Destroyer (1988, dir. Robert Kirk)
    Prison (1987, dir. Renny Harlin)
    The Horror Show (1989, dir. James Isaac)

    I remember electric chairs being an unlikely subject of fascination for Hollywood during the bottom half of the '80s, and once the forthcoming Bluray of Shocker is out, Scream Factory will have re-released almost half of the movies made with the theme. I'd already seen Shocker, Guilty as Charged, and Ernest Goes to Jail, but all three of these were new to me. Destroyer has Lyle Alzado as a homicidal manchild obsessed with game shows who's haunting an abandoned prison after riding the lightning. He picks off the Anthony Perkins-led film crew shooting Death House Dolls there, but the flick is ultimately disappointing. Prison was a different story; much classier than I expected, with really good performances and some genuinely cool imagery. I totally see why New Line thought Renny would be a good fit for the Nightmare franchise after seeing this. Horror Show (released everywhere besides the states as House III,) is exhausting. It comes out guns blazing, with an electrocution scene I imagine a lot of people who were 11 in '89 were traumatized by and wish they could remember what movie it was from. Lance Henriksen out-overacts Brion James, if you can imagine that, and Lawrence Tierney has a cameo, way before that was a cool thing for a movie to do. Here's hoping SF also gets around to releasing The Chair! Destroyer trailer, Prison trailer, The Horror Show trailer.

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  26. Stigmata (1999)

    Patricia Arquette should not be allowed to donate blood.

    Hilariously awful. Would've been my first regret of Junesploitation had I not laughed so much.

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    1. I was super pumped for this when it came out in 99. I don't know why maybe it had a good trailer? Either way it was a super disappointing snore fest.

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    2. Seconded (thirded?). I can think of few '90s horror movies that have dated worse than this one. Maybe The Craft? But that's a better movie.

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    3. God, Stigmata is bad. And wasn't Rupert's followup the remake of The Fog? Um, well...

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    4. I remember seeing "Stigmata" almost back-to-back with "End of Days" in '99 (a banner year for Gabriel Byrne) and finding both disappointing. Seen the latter a bunch of times since (still not good but it has moments) while I have no desire whatsoever to revisit "Stigmata."

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    5. That would be a pretty terrible double bill. Those two movies and Bless the Child all blur together in my head.

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    6. Don't forget Lost Souls.
      On second thought, go right ahead and do so.

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    7. I'm still laughing at it's awfulness a day later! I just read that Byrne was nominated for a Razzie for this and for End of Days in '99, but lost out to Jar Jar Binks. Perfect.

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  27. NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984)
    I will take literally any excuse to watch this movie. If anyone ever asks me "why do you love the 80s so damn much?" this is one of the things I could point to and say "I rest my case, because the 80s were rad and totally awesome."

    Plus, Catherine Mary Stewart AND Kelli Maroney defining the word "appealing"...they're so cool.

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  28. Good choice, sir.

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  29. Witchery (1988, dir. Fabrizio Laurenti)

    The sequel (?) to Ghosthouse (which is the other movie on Scream Factory's double feature Blu-ray) is ridiculous and tacky and nuts in a way I would have rejected several years ago but which I have come to wholly embrace. A group of strangers -- among them Linda Blair and David Hasselhoff -- convene at a house and are attacked by a witch. Cheap, lingering gore, demon/ghost rape...it must be Italian. This is a horror movie that could only have been made in the '80s.

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    1. "ridiculous and tacky and nuts"

      "Linda Blair and David Hasselhoff"

      I'm in.

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  30. Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)

    The Carpenter classic!
    Cops and crooks united against a brutal street gang.

    Lessons learned: don't go back if the ice cream man gets your order wrong.

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    1. Assault on precinct 13 is such a well made movie with an intense atmosphere.
      And the soundtrack is a killer!!!!!
      Nice choice!!!!!!

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  31. Day of the Dead (1985)

    So I decided to go with the lesser loved of the original Romero Dead Trilogy (but still pretty good) Day of the Dead. While some of the acting is screamed a little bit more then I would like you still get some good performances from Lori Cardille, Richard Liberty and of course everyone's favorite zombie Bub (Howard Sherman). Also the gore effects in this film with the multiple ripping aparts are top notch and in most cases superior to the CGI influenced ones of the we don't know what we are doing TV show The Walking Dead. If you haven't seen this one in a while or ever definitely check it out, you wont choke on it :)

    8 Word Review (In Preparation for SMM)

    "Rhodes might be alive if he just saluted"

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    1. When Walking Dead does go for the practical effects, which is more often than not, it shines, and that's all due to the talents of Greg Nicotero, who got his start on Day of the Dead. That's his disembodied, zombified head we see in the lab.

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    2. I remember seeing Joe Pilato at a Weekend of Horrors con about 5 years ago...he looked like a filter from a cigarette somebody smoked that they then somehow pulled out and reused on another four or 12 cigarettes. He was scarier than any zombie I'd ever seen.

      Good times.

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    3. I can't remember who said it, but didn't someone call Christopher George a walking cigarette butt or something? I guess that makes Joe Pilato the American Cigarette.

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    4. It was Matt Sollenberger, and it was one of my favorite comments of #Junesploitation so far.

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  32. Night of the Demons (1988)

    Horny teens party in a possessed funeral home. What could go wrong? This is one of my Halloween favorites and has turned lipstick into an object of fear to me.

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  33. The Legend of Hell House (1973)
    When a film opens with an endorsement from someone claiming to be a 'Clairvoyant and Consultant to European Royalty' it would be easy to expect a camp fest coming your way. Not so. This one's a slow burn haunted house chiller that had me right up until the end. After the gravity of everything that came before, the villain's motive for his evil deeds seems utterly ludicrous (spoiler: it's because he was short. No, for real). Still, it's a recommend for me, thanks to everything from Roddy McDowell's touching monologue to the menacing score. The highlight: possessed cat cam!

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    1. And, the great days when a film like this was rated PG!

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  34. Prince of Darkness (1987)

    An interesting blend of sci-fi and religious horror, it's not in the same league as Carpenter's best but it's got some good scares and effects and I liked it quite a bit. On a technical note the blu-ray looks and sounds awesome - the cream of the Scream Factory crop in that regard.

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    1. I'd say you helped me make the right choice because I then fell asleep watching Cat People which, though visually kinda cool, was a little too artsy-fartsy for my taste in incestuous, killer cat people movies. I'll definitely finish it though.

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  35. Escape from New York (1981)

    Movies that are objectively perfect:

    The Godfather
    2001: A Space Odyssey
    Seven Samurai
    Escape from New York

    Looks about right to me. (Sorry I don't have time today to write something real/substantive.)

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    1. I mean, you left Ninja III: The Domination off the list, but you never said it was a complete list so I think we can probably let it slide.

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    2. True Romance is absent also.

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    3. Just a quick snapshot of titles, by no means a complete one. Also missing important things like Speed Racer.

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    4. What, no love for "Titanic" and "Possession" in the list?

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  36. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  37. Is this the sequel to Lifeforce?!

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    1. Ah, fiddlesticks! Used the phone for that one and autocorrect obviously doesn't have very good taste in movies.

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  38. The Video Dead (1987)

    Yikes, while this movie has some decent special effects for the budget, the zombies were the best actors in this movie. I kinda like the idea though, a cursed TV that when is turned on starts a movie with zombies that eventually come out of the TV. I probably should of just watched The Funhouse again.

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  39. Motel Hell (1980) (first time viewing)

    This started a little slow for my taste, but the crazy hooked me when we get to see old Farmer Vincent's garden for the first time. Gurgle. Not my favorite of my Junesploitation picks so far, but it's worth a look. Vincent's final line is great.

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  40. Lifeforce (1985)

    I'm not lucky enough to have Scream Factory down here in Australia but looking at the library of releases I was happy to find this in there and finally get around to watching it. I know it's a movie held very dear to the F This Movie team and I can see why. Crazy, looney, ambitious, and a sign of what Tobe Hooper could've done if it had been a financial success. Far from perfect but it tries so many things it has to be applauded and it has to be valued. I really enjoyed it. And I managed to get this far without mentioning the nudity.....the glorious glorious nudity.

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  41. Lifeforce (1985)

    Aliens, boobies, vampires, boobies, zombie plague, boobies, boobies, boobies.
    What's not to like?

    The only off putting thing is how exposition heavy it is, but when you have alien vampire zombie boobies then you can say pretty much whatever you like.

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  42. Dark Angel/ I Come in Peace

    Dolph Lundgren fights a drug dealing alien. Can there be a more awesome premise? I was hoping for some campy fun and ended up being a little disappointed. The movie needed to be crazier whether it be the inclusion of more action scenes or insane plot turns. The score is great and brought back many memories from early 90s action movies. Lundgren's line at the end of the movie is worth the price of the blu ray. Scream Factory did a terrific job with the restoration.

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  43. The Fog (1980)

    Loved this movie since the first time I watched it a few years ago. Most people consider it a minor work of Carpenter's, and I never saw the film's flaws until tonight.

    * SPOILERS *

    I'm not sure the movie needed so many "rules" - except that a bunch of leper ghosts are back and pissed off. Having the protagonists survive the night instead of solving a mystery might have worked better. The ghosts' eye-for-an-eye mission statement - revealed way too early in the film - hurts the suspense quite a bit. You know every main character is probably going to be OK... and putting their house on the market the next morning.

    I still love this movie - especially its long opening credits sequence where things go bump in the night. The first reel is one of the highlights of Carpenter's career. I can see The Fog's flaws now, but that won't stop me from revisiting it over and over again.

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  44. The Fog (1980, directed, written, and scored by John Carpenter, who also did craft services)

    Not top-tier Carpenter, but pretty great. This time around, it seemed like the fusion of a lost Stephen King novel (ensemble of characters, seaside town) and Italian horror (Inferno in particular, released the same year). Enjoyed the sophistication of the scene transitions in the first half which are mostly structured around the radio broadcasts. Also, it’s incredible that Radio KAB is so popular in Antonio Bay, given that it mainly seems to play plinky piano music and public domain ragtime.

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    Replies
    1. Don't underestimate the appeal of Adrienne Barbeau's raspy, sexy voice. I'd tune in just to pretend she's sweet-talking to me as I go to sleep. :-)

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    2. Nightbreed

      I'm too tired to write. I liked Nightbreed a lot tho. Gnight.

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  45. This is my first Junesploitation and I'm having a blast so far, thanks for the idea. So many people joining in which is awesome.
    Anyway, I watched Darkman (1990, dir Sam Raimi) an awesome superhero/action movie, really campy and ridiculous in spots, great soundtrack and amazing all the way through, had a lot of fun with this and not exactly what you'd expect given today's superhero template.

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  46. PUMPKINHEAD (1988)
    Totally forgot to post that I watched this (started it just under the midnight wire), which would do this little gem a grave disservice. One of Lance Henriksen's best performances and the title monster is an all-timer. A great directorial debut from FX Hall-of-Famer Stan Winston.

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  47. DARK ANGEL aka I COME IN PEACE
    (1990, Craig R. Baxley)

    On day 6 of Junesploitation I didn't had a clue what "Scream Factory!" is all about!
    Thanks to my friend Kyle Hall, who's also rockin' on Junesploitation (don't forget to read his reviews/comments!! This guy has a GREAT taste for awesome movies!!), I'm way wiser now!!
    "Scream Factory!" is an American DVD/Blu-Ray-quality-label which released a lot of classic genre-gems since 2002!
    So I picked a movie from their release-list which I watched almost 20 years before in a poorly cut version on German television and disliked it as well:
    I COME IN PEACE, also known under its international title DARK ANGEL!!
    And what do I have to say after this revisit?

    HELL YEAH, WHAT AN AWESOME MOVIE!!!!

    I cannot understand why I didn't liked this movie before???

    Dolph Lundgren is great, the chemistry between him and his tiny and annoying Yuppie-cop-partner Smith is entertaining, awesome action, gangsters, corrupt cops, ACTION, EXPLOSIONS, and in between a drug dealer from space, played great by our man from Germany Matthias Hues, hunted by a bounty hunter from space!!!

    A super-awesome movie!!!
    Great entertainment!!!
    You definitely MUST give this movie a try!!!
    You won't regret it!!!!

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    1. Thanks for the kind words my friend. Dark Angel / I Come In Peace is a great movie!!! So much fun!

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    2. "You leave in pieces" one of my favorite childhood trailer lines. I don't think I've ever seen the whole movie.

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    3. That flick is fun in that specific kind of 80s-tastic kind of way. I'm glad I have it, and while I considered watching it the bottom line is that I love Scream Factory and have too many to choose from. Seriously, I could do five straight days of those releases. Which would be rad.

      I'm sure more of them will pop up before Junesploitation is over.

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  48. Bad Dreams (1988)

    Kind of a mess but also really stylish and watchable with a super creepy performance from Richard Lynch and a super adorable Jennifer Rubin. Worth checking out during Scary Movie Month. It's very similar in premise to Nightmare on Elm Street 3.

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  49. I watched The Dark Half, which I have seen plenty of times. One of my favorite King Books, but not exactly my favorite adaptation. It's plenty faithful, but it has almost a Made For TV feel about it because of the budget. Either way, I still like the movie.

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  50. Ravenous (1999): really great movie, with a fun twist on cannibalism/vampirism. Interesting performances all around, and an excellent score (I encourage you to read Patrick's "Netflix This Movie!" recommendation of this from May 2014, here). Also, sorry this is so late. I suck at this game.

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  51. The Babadook (2014)
    This is my first modern horror movie, and I really really liked it. It wasn't super scary, but the tension that it built using the atmosphere and superb directing was great. The performances were excellent all the way around, and I loved the design of The Babadook itself.

    (I know how late I am but my last final was today and I am hoping to catch up before the end)

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