Saturday, June 25, 2016

Junesploitation 2016 Day 25: Bugs!

The terror has hatched!

70 comments:

  1. The Fly 2 (1989)

    I'd never gotten around to watching this before (largely because I hadn't heard anything good about it). It's not horrible but I can't really think of too many reasons for anyone to go out of their way to watch it. The makeup and effects work are good for the most part. Chris Walas may not be the greatest director, but he's obviously an accomplished effects guy having done the previous Fly as well as Gremlins. I'm not a huge fan of the final creature though.

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  2. Them! (1954)

    Perfect 50s fun. They're ants, they're big and coming to a town near you. I am finally getting into the groove of the 50s scince fiction. They are incrediably charming, there is no way I can say no to that kind of earnestness.

    Though my favourite was Edmund Gwenn who sounded pleasingly between Richard Attenborough's John Hammond and the guy who hosted The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

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  4. Starship Troopers (1997)

    The only good bug is a dead bug. Kill Them All!!!

    I cannot believe the difference between 16 year old me and now me. When I first this back 97 I didn't get it. I guess it wasn't Titanic or Full Monty, which shows where my head was at. But now me knows this movie is genius, and Paul Verhoeven is a crazy mad scientist like person. I agree with everything Patrick and Doug said about it in their podcast.

    And yes, I would like to know more.

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    1. My best friend in college loved this movie and I didn't get it either. About 10 years ago, I watched it and something clicked. It's amazing. RoboCop, Showgirls and Total Recall...Verhoeven is a genius.

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    2. I bought it because of P and D and I had the same turn around, first viewing years ago I was Meh about it, now I love it

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    3. Oh good I am not the only one. Watching it last night, it felt like I was watching it for the first time.

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    4. I showed this to my aunt when it first hit video & she dubbed it "Annette and Frankie Battle Bugs From Outer Space," which is sort of awesome.

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  5. Critters 3 (1991, dir. Kristine Peterson, Streaming on Amazon) - First time viewing: While the first two were pretty great, the 3rd is just a generic slog. Only notable for an early DiCaprio performance (1 out of 5 Griers).

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  6. Starship Troopers (1997)

    "Would you like to know more?"

    A movie that's far better than it probably should be given the B-Movie premise. Like Lindsay I really liked this when I first saw it as an 18 year old because it was a fun silly action movie but really it's so much more. Who knew that a movie set in space where humans and giant bugs are at war could offer such a satirical commentary on war, propaganda and fascism. 30 year old teenagers are recruited to join the military straight out of school to go invade a foreign world where they are pitted against an enemy they have underestimated.

    Like Robocop and Total Recall the movie and effects still look decent today. This really is another Verhoeven sci fi classic.

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    1. I love the use of the 30 year old teenagers, it adds so much to the tone. I have never seen so many chiseled jaws and perfect hair. Almost to the point of distraction, but it does fit the whole of what the movie is saying.

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  7. Arachnophobia (1990)

    Starring Jeff Daniels, Harley Jane Kozak, Julian Sands, John Goodman, that guy from that one TNG episode, a guy who looks unnervingly like Meat Loaf, and an animatronic spider made by Jamie Hyneman.

    A movie I saw two minutes of on TV when I was a kid, and was so scared I never watched it further. In honor of Junesploitation, I bit the bullet and sat down to watch it.

    Unsurprisingly for a Spielberg production, the movie just works. It effortlessly keeps you hooked, building the tension little by little right up until the thrilling climax. It really works.

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    1. Bonus: Doodlebug (1997)

      Christopher Nolan's debut short film. A man in a ratty apartment is seemingly trying to catch and kill a bug, but it turns out he's hunting something very different.

      Not the worst way to spend three minutes. See it on YouTube.

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    2. Fun fact Mikko

      I'm sure I remember correctly but during the filming in New Zealand the was an accident and some of the spiders escaped and today there are now non native spiders living wild in New Zealand that got there from escaping from the film set

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    3. You might have it backwards, Dennis. According to IMDb, the film was shot in California and the spiders they used were native to New Zealand.

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    4. That spider even though absoutley terrifying looking - is not harmful to humans. This is a common thing in New Zealand, if they made a horror movie with a Weta it could be terrifying, weta means God of Ugly Things. One of the most gentle bugs you can find, but something you do not want to find on your pillow when you wake up.

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    5. It was a discussion from Killerpov years ago, sounds like the other way round yeah like you said, New Zealand spiders now living in California that were not there before because they escaped during filming,
      I don't like Spiders and that Weta would scare the crap outta me Lindsay ;(

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    6. Oh God, I will never never watch Arachnophobia again. Ever. I was scared of spiders before, terrified of them after (twice as much when dreaming), and only coming back to being scared of them again in my middle age.

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  8. Parasite (1982)

    Started off slow but won me over in the end.

    After watching this I realized that this is the first Charles Band directed movie that I've ever seen. Originally, it looks like it was in 3D and I would LOVE to see that(Scream Factory...get on it!) It looks like it was only his 2nd or 3rd movie. There are people that will say he's garbage but some who really like his stuff. It's a very contained movie that really only takes place in one spot. Demi Moore's first movie! It seemed really schlocky at first but then there were some genuine moments of horror. There were some great scenes of the parasite bursting out of heads that were pretty disgusting. It's fun for kids of all ages!

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  9. Invasion Of The Bee Girls (1973)

    Probably my 3rd time watching this one. Of all the true drive in exploitation flicks from the '70's only Police Women, In Hot Pursuit, and this one have proven very rewatchable. (Although I'm probably adding Pirahna to that list after my recent viewing).
    This lightweight sci fi/horror/softcore porn flick gets the kills going right away as the plot is filled in with way more skilled exposition than these flicks usually have. Nicholas Meyer obviously hates this film, but his script definitely helped the final compromised product. Good score, fun dialogue and an orgiastic climax make for junesploitation gold!

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    1. I slightly misspoke considering most blaxploitation classics have always seemed an obvious cut above the types of flicks I mentioned above.

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  10. The Fly (1986)

    Xtro might have the greatest horror birth scene ever, but Cronenberg's The Fly comes a close second. Man, did that nightmare sequence keep me up after I saw it the first time, probably 8 or 9 years old.

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    1. I can't wait to see Goldblum as the Grandmaster. Genius casting!

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  11. Squirm (1976)

    When I was a kid in New York, I saw a commercial for this on WWOR or WPIX and it scared me out of my tiny little brain and has stuck with me ever since. It centered around the (justifiably) famous image of deadly worms crawling out of a shower head, and it made me absolutely terrified of what depravity this movie might contain. I've avoided watching this one for years...until now.

    Sadly, it turns out that money shot is pretty much all the flick has going for it. Carnivorous worms are let loose after an electrical storm knocks down some power lines (uhhhhh...sure, why not) and they proceed to be largely ignored as we follow a group of boring townspeople doing boring things that don't lead to terribly many of them getting eaten by worms. Low body count aside, it's just tremendously dull and never reaches the potential hinted at by that nightmare image of the shower head dripping with death. A pretty major disappointment.

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  12. The Fly 2 (1989)

    When held in comparison to the 1986 film of course this sequel isn't as good. The characters aren't as well developed and the pacing is a little too slow until the 3rd act. That being said the creature effects and gore shots are top notch and I find this to be a perfectly good B creature feature, kind of a shame that this movie didn't get a rewrite to disconnect it more from the Goldblum picture as in that case I believe it would have been received better.
    Also I think I had a nightmare about elevators after seeing this movie the first time.

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  13. BUGGED! (1998)
    Giant mutant ants go after a woman and some exterminators. The writer must have thought he was making Cronenberg’s The Fly, with long stretches of dialogue about man vs. nature, etc. The director, however, must have thought he was making Gremlins, with cartoony slime-covered monsters. It’s not smart enough to be smart and not dumb enough to be dumb.

    THE NEST (1988)
    A seaside town is menaced by cockroaches. The gimmick is that the roaches “nest” inside a dead body, so there are shots of corpses exploding into masses of roaches. Prepare to spend a lot of time with the boring love story before getting to the bug carnage, though.

    STUNG (2015)
    Killer wasps attack a fancy rich folks’ dinner party, so the hired help must save the day. This one was a pleasant surprise. The actors know exactly what this movie is, and they go for it. Even Lance Henriksen, who wakes up from the sleepwalking old man routine he’s done in the last few years and has some fun with the part. He also gets my pick for the best line of Junesploitation when he says, “It’s the weenie!”

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  14. Ticks (1993) Dir. Tony Randel

    This one goes into that zone where I don't know if they are intentionally trying to make a bad film. I mean sure they are making a low-budget horror film but that doesn't mean you can't get good performances out of people or have a decent script does it? I mean this is directed by the director of Hellbound: Hellraiser II. The story is that a group of teenagers are at a wilderness retreat and some ticks have been contaminated and start to wreak havoc. I won't go too deep into this films problems because there are too many so I'll try to stick to the good stuff. Clint Howard and Alfonso Ribeiro (yes, Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) steal the show! They feel like they know what type of film they are in and ham it up real nice. Some of the other actors, who are actually semi-famous as well, like Seth Green, Rosalind Allen, and Peter Scolari don't do anything for me but it is nice to have them all the same. There is also a pretty nice practical transformation scene toward the end of the film that I liked quite a bit. I don't really like the whole "so bad it's good" phrase but this is one that I could see landing in that category. It is a bad movie but laughing at some of the stuff that takes place does give me a little enjoyment so it is what it is.

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  15. The Fly (1958)
    Never seen this before and i wasn't sure how it would hold up, but I love movies from this era (era) and I'm also a big Vincent Price fan. Fortunately, this movie really played for me. I generally knew what happens, but the slow build fascinated me. Even the reveal of the arm and then of his head seemed to still really work.

    Also, I watched this on Netflix and I have to say that the film looks terrific. I was not expecting the quality and look of the movie to be as good as it is. A+ restoration by Fox.

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  16. BUG (2006) Dir. William Friedkin

    Sheesh! I saw this when it came out in theatres and haven't watched it since then. I didn't really have many recollections of the film other than just remembering that I didn't dislike it in any way but boy do I not remember the last 15 minutes being so intense! The man Billy Friedkin himself directs this film about a waitress who at a low point in her life meets an Army veteran that believes he has been tested on by the military and is infected with the titular bugs. It is written by Tracy Letts and based off his play of the same name, and it feels exactly like a play in the best possible ways. Michael Shannon and Ashley Judd perform amazingly by gradually turning up the crazy to 11, and I think that they pulled it off perfectly! This could easily have been one of those times where the actors might have gone over the top and I'm sure some people think that they did in this film, but for me it totally worked. Even though as I'm watching the film I'm thinking to myself how crazy all of their ramblings sound, I totally believe that "they believe" what they're saying, and since it's all so batshit crazy it just adds to the greatness. Add in a nice little performance from Harry Connick Jr. (really wish he would act more often myself, in other things besides Dolphin Tale films that is) and you've got a winner in my book. The only issue for me is the ending really but it kind of doesn't really have anywhere else to go so I can't be too harsh on it for that. Recommended viewing for sure.

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  17. The Fly - 1986

    This film is so creepy and disgusting, Goldblum nails the role completely, the makeup work is amazing and gross.

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  18. Matinee (1993)

    I do believe I just watched one of my new favorite movies. It's so special I was genuinely moved and completely entertained!

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  19. Starship Troopers (1997)

    The only good bug, is a good bug. There's nothing I can say that hasn't been covered before. Check out Patrick and Doug's podcast to hear some actual insight (plug!), in the meantime all I can provide is contextless quotes.

    PUT YOUR HAND ON THAT WALL!

    Rasczak? Pffff, that's a silly name.

    So I hear you liutenant is a REAL nutbuster!

    They sucked out his braains.

    I guess I could've watched this for Nazi day as well. Really dropped the ball there.

    Anyway, I also watched Nightbreed for the first time. I had planned it for monsters day, but it's wedding season so my time is limited.....it's pretty great right? Really good, at least. I always love seeing Cronenberg acting. Also, the girlfriend keeps calling her boyfriend by her last name, which reminded me of my high school girlfriend, really distracting. Ladies, call your men by their first name, or just say "schmoopie". Great score too.

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    1. There's a decidedly wide margin between how much I enjoyed Nightbreed and how much I really wanted to enjoy Nightbreed. Elfman's title theme and Cronenberg's presence were the definite highlights for me.

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  20. Attack Of The Giant Leeches (1959)

    Not much I can say that hasn't been said before about this all time classic;-)

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  21. Independence Day: Resurgence (2016, dir. Roland Emmerich)
    Not a true "bug" movie, but I won't have time for another movie and when in doubt, everything counts. Roland Emmerich treats the aliens like the bugs from Starship Troopers. This movie is so shitty. Worst thing I've seen this Junesploitation.

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    1. The idea of going to see it seems like homework. I passed Thursday night and saw The Shallows instead. Good choice!

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    2. They both are bad movies. Sigh.

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    3. Interesting. I liked The Shallows a lot.

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    4. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you liked it. I wish I did.

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    5. Movies have yet to break me. ;)

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    6. My friend and I drove an hour and a half to watch The Neon Demon. We get there and the damn projector was broken. I didn't want to leave without seeing something so we had to choose between Resurgence and The Shallows. We went with the shark movie and I'm with Daniel. It was beautifully shot and filled with tension. I think we chose wisely.

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    7. Alright! I also had no idea Blake Lively could carry a movie. Turns out she can, and very well.

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    8. I don't think I would've watched it unless I was forced to but I'm glad I did. I'm still pissed off about Neon Demon though.

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    9. I think you might be better off. I thought The Shallows was much better than Neon Demon.

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    11. Still pumped to see Neon Demon though...

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    12. I was thinking that it would be funny if The Shallows was better than The Neon Demon.

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    13. The schism between the Riske and Bromley approaches widens! Do you watch movies that reaffirm your existing beliefs, or do you go down new paths?? Do you learn to love Italian Horror, or do you cling to Pixar and comfort films? Both will make you happy, but but one means you will only ever experience one form of happiness.

      And ID4:R was pretty lame, but works in a ridiculous The Swarm meets Battle Star Galacta kind of way sometimes. I fell asleep during the climax, but I've been doing that a lot lately, so I'm not sure if that's the movies fault. (Fell asleep during the world premiere of You're Fuckin' Dead and missed 75% of the movie.)

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    14. Neon Demon didn't really work for me but I at least found it stylistically interesting and I can fairly confidently say it's better than two out of the four movies that came out this week (even though I haven't watched all of Free State of Jones yet). Just want to be clear for those interested in watching it, I'm in no way trying to dissuade you.

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    15. I have an approach? I think that misrepresents me (i.e. I don't just cling to Pixar and comfort films). That comment was bugging me and since it was bug day I figured I should reply back :-)

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    16. Good point! I infer you taking an approach from your columns, but I don't know you and I don't really know what I'm talking about. Personal approaches in our behavior are something we don't really think about when we make them ourselves, and they may take on the appearance of patterns to other people, but how much those other people know about you is very limited.

      I saw Finding Dory this weekend and loved it, but probably wouldn't have gone if you hadn't recommended it with the claim "I didn't know how much I needed this movie right now." It's a movie partially about stepping outside your comfort zones constantly so that you have the opportunities for personal growth and to gain the opportunity to return home at all. I'm probably projecting what I'm going through personally onto you.

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    17. It's all good. We both put our pants on one leg at a time. The way I think of it is "nice" movies are my blind spot . I let them get away with all kinds of shit. But I LOVE a good horror movie, my favorite movie this year is Green Room etc.

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    19. Glad you watched ID4.Resurgence, so I don´t have to worry about placing the first here.

      Independence day (1996)

      I remember being blown away 20 years ago.
      Well, 20 years later it´s still entertaining, most effects still hold up and watching the stars being 20 years younger is interesting.
      It´s also supremely silly and over the top in almost every way.
      But hey, these 150 minutes run by very smooth and Emmerich knew how to entertain his audience.

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  22. Mimic (1997, Guillermo del Toro).
    Hey, it's Guillermo! You know Guillermo. Striking visuals. Grossness. B movie story and dialogue married to A movie production values.

    Small bugs evolve into bigger bugs. People cover themselves in bug semen (?) to escape detection.

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  23. Infested (2002, dir. Josh Olson)

    Sole directorial effort from the future screenwriter of A History of Violence(!) featuring Zach Galligan (Gremlins), Amy Jo Johnson (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) and Robert Duncan McNeill (Star Trek: Voyager). I remembered this was bad, but I had forgotten exactly how bad. A tedious and downright obnoxious eighty-three minutes regardless of the bargain basement stunt casting and silly-as-shit Adobe After Effects.

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  24. Barry Sonnenfeld's MEN IN BLACK (1997, 98 min.) on DVD.

    What, no love for Edgar the bug? Whether a freaky-looking human skin (Vincent D'Onofrio) or a still-top-notch ILM special effect, the main antagonist in this 'B' movie elevated to 'A' status by Hollywood royalty (Spielberg, Elfman, Baker, Smith, Jones, Torn, Sonnenfeld, etc.) is one hell of a resourceful, persistent villain. I miss movies where Tommy Lee Jones visibly gives a fuck and shows up to work (#Jonesploitation!). And screw the haters (i.e. Kevin Smith), Linda Fiorentino was the coolest actress working in the 90's and early 2000's. Love her voice, on-screen presence and deadpan chemistry with the MIB that keep wiping her noggin clean. If Linda had stuck around for the terrible sequel the "MIB" franchise might have grown and become interesting, instead of becoming an embarrassing afterthought to the better-than-anyone-remembers-it Saturday morning cartoon series.

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  25. Phenomena (1985)

    Argentosploitation continues!

    I do not think it is at all this movie's fault that I wasn't much into it. I watched it in three sittings and when I came back to it the last time I wasn't in the mood for it. Still, I pushed through for Bug day. I did have a similar experience as with Deep Red, in that during a movie I was getting bored with Argento shows me something insanely horrifying. That kid crying in the corner who turns around? GOOD HEAVENS KILL THAT THING WITH FIRE.

    Great score though. I mean... GREAT.

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    1. This is what the TV-ification of the movie watching experience is doing to us. We watch a movie in chunks and expect it to work the same way. I showed a friend of mine Mulholland Drive a few years ago and they fell asleep during the Silencio scene, which is nearly 2 hours into the movie. The next morning we picked up where we left off. Think the rest of the movie had the impact it should have? Watch movies in one sitting!

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    2. The bit with the chimp at the very end? So good.

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  26. Hes Got a half brother, half something else?

    Kindred 1987

    One of my lesser known VHS films from my collection, it never made it to Dvd or Blu, I think it would make a killing on bluray, I had to watch this on VHS and to be honest it did not look that bad, its got the lot, Crazy scientist, Warped families, unknown twists, half bug, half monster, and half octopus, three halfs I know :) half Alien too, but all gooey and slimy, this is a practical effects beauty, its shot really well with quite a dark tone, I genuinely believe this would be loved if it got a Scream factory treatment, its got the lot

    After Xtro this is my next dream bluray, or at least a remastered Dvd would be great

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    1. Forgot to mention three things, Rod steiger screaming, Facehugger Alien rip off monster scene, and the dissapearing glasses shot, your about to get slimed

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  27. Watched The Worm Eaters. It was hilarious. Like the Troma version of Squirm, long before either movie. The movie feels like its covered in some kind of grime.

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    1. Nice, I like practical covered in slime monster type movies

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  28. I know I'm late with this one, but here it is.

    The Fly (1958)
    Even though may not be as good as the Cronenberg remake, it's a completely different and worthwhile take on the story.

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  29. Kingdom of the Spiders (1977) (first time viewing)

    Shatner's town gets invaded by killer tarantulas. This would be super cheesy, but I'm severely arachnophobic, so it totally worked on me. Creeped me out big time. That is a lot of friggin' spiders!

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  30. Tremors (1990)

    The movie opens with a cowboy, he turns around and Kevin Bacon! Wow that made me happy. He even said "what the shit". Ariana Richards is in the too. So is a stereotypical "Chinaman" who wants to buy the "eel". And the guy with a Mexican accent. And the women scientist.

    Despite all the cliches, this is a great movie. Love the practical effects. This was right at the cust where they started using CGI but I'm glad they stayed practical here. I wonder if Tremors 2 (and 3,4,5) bucked the trend and stayed practical, or whether they crossed over.

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