Let us help plan your month.
Double Feature 1:
Adam: #1: From Beyond (1986)
Patrick: #2: Faust: Love of the Damned (2000)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Society (1989), Return of the Living Dead III (1993), “Whispers” from Necronomicon: Book of the Dead (1993), The Dentist (1996)
Patrick: Theme: Yuznerds
Patrick: I know Brian Yuzna is only a producer on the great From Beyond, but of all his collaborations with Stuart Gordon, this one feels like it has more of his fingerprints on it. He’s such an important figure in horror since the ‘80s that I wish he was celebrated more, especially as a director because he’s really good. My immediate instinct was to program the anthology Necronomicon as the second feature because it’s a movie more people need to see, but a) it’s hard to come by (I think there’s a French Blu-ray?) and b) I remembered that Andrew Divoff plays the devil in Faust. The movie is like a gorier, crazier Spawn, and while it’s far from a classic, there’s a lot of fun to be had.
Adam: I’m seriously Yuzna deficient. Outside of From Beyond, I haven’t seen any of these. I tried to rent Necronomicon digitally last week but couldn’t find it anywhere...and Devil Divoff? I need to rectify this quick! Btw...I read Divoff’s Wikipedia page last night while I was waiting for a friend at Starbucks. What a mensch!
Double Feature 2:
Patrick: #1: Halloween II (1981)
Adam: #2: An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Nurse Freddy scene from Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), opening sequence of Dawn of the Dead (2004), Misery (1990), exploding nurse scene from Bordello of Blood (1996), Sick Nurses (2007), Nurse 3D (2013)
Adam: Theme: Horror Nurses
Adam: 1981 horror movie nurses set a customer service standard that could never again be reached. I didn’t realize until putting this double feature together that I’m a fan of many horror movies with nurses in them (I didn’t even include The Grudge and Silent Hill). There are so many that it can’t be a coincidence.
Patrick: That’s such a solid lineup. I feel like the movies I’ve seen that are specifically about killer nurses aren’t very good (looking at you, Nurse 3D), but horror movies with nurses in them are pretty good. I think that is a coincidence.
Double Feature 3:
Adam: #1: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Patrick: #2: Terror in the Aisles (1984)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: C.H.U.D. (1984), Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), Gremlins (1984), Firestarter (1984)
Patrick: Theme: Class of ‘84
Patrick: I’m so basic. I think the original NoES is a pretty tough act to follow with any one film, so why not a clip show of ALL the horror movies? Terror in the Aisles is pretty dumb as a movie, but I like the clips and it always makes me want to watch a bunch of movies. 1984 was a good year for horror, huh?
Adam: It was. I’m looking forward to the '80s All Over podcast diving into all of these. Is the shower scene from Phantom of the Paradise in Terror in the Aisles? If so, that moment is one of my all-time childhood scares because it was out of context. Do I need to see Firestarter? I own it, but haven’t opened the Blu-ray yet.
Patrick: I really, really like Firestarter, but I’m in the minority on that. Open it. Because you can.
Double Feature 4:
Patrick: #1: The Vampire Lovers (1970)
Adam: #2: Black Sabbath (1963)
Adam Trailers/Shorts: The Raven (1963), Zombie (1979), The House By The Cemetery (1981), Demons (1985), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
Adam: Theme: Music Box Massacre (2005-2011) Movie #10
Adam: This turned into your dream evening. I wasn’t even trying for that. This is my tribute to when peanut butter was still married to jelly.
Patrick: Holy shit. I’m as excited for this marathon as I am to imagine you going through all the past Music Box Massacre lineups and counting the movies. How does the #10 spot end up being something I love every year?
Adam: Finding the old lineups wasn’t too challenging. I googled “Music Box Massacre lineups” and Jason Coffman (thank you sir) has all of the past shows on his Letterboxd account listed in order.
Double Feature 5:
Patrick: #2: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Prowler (1981), Poltergeist (1982), Cat People (1942), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985), It Follows (2014)
Patrick: Theme: Swim at Your Own Risk
Patrick: Seeing as how the big standout scene of Strangers: Prey at Night is the swimming pool scene, I thought we could build a whole night around horror movie pools. While it’s arguably the weakest one of the bunch, I went Dream Child because it’s such a tonal departure from Prey at Night and because you and I are two of the only people who like it. Hopkins bump!
Adam: I’m really into this double feature. I’m at the point where I get annoyed with people for not liking The Dream Child (in my head I’m all “Grow up!” which doesn’t even make sense). The Strangers: Prey at Night might make my top ten list this year. I want it to be there. I’m going to be a little mad at me if I don’t put it on a list only I control.
Double Feature 6:
Patrick: #1: Body Parts (1991)
Adam: #2: Bad Moon (1996)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: The Hitcher (1986), Near Dark (1987), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), Deep Red (1975), Red Dragon (2002), Red Eye (2005), Red State (2011)
Adam: Theme: Seeing Red
Adam: I’m glad to have finally seen Body Parts a year or so ago, but my true love among writer-director Eric Red’s filmography is Bad Moon. It’s so my bag. It’s cool that this double feature has something for both of us. I struggled with this double bill for a long time. I almost made it either “NYPD Blue Horror” or “Horror Movies Featuring Women Who’ve Played Cops on TV.” I got real hung up on Kim Delaney (who doesn’t?). My choice to go with a director/color spotlight instead was out of sheer research exhaustion.
Patrick: This would be an incredible double feature. And I’m all for watching two Eric Red movies back to back -- he’s the best. I almost never overthink my picks and just go with my gut; in most cases, it comes to me pretty quickly. Maybe that’s not the best way to do it, but we have a lot of these to write.
Double Feature 7:
Adam: #1: The Raven (1963)
Patrick: #2: Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Castle Freak (1995), Slaughterhouse Rock (1988), The Terror (1963), Hard Rock Zombies (1985), Nightmare Castle (1965), Tales from the Crypt episode “For Cryin’ Out Loud”
Patrick: Theme: Castle/Rock
Patrick: This theme is dumb, I know, but I love both of these movies and would have such a blast watching them back to back.
Adam: I dunno. I think it’s clever. This would work really well as a double feature too.
Double Feature 8:
Patrick: #1: Messiah of Evil (1973)
Adam: #2: Hausu (1977)
Adam Trailers/Shorts: Eraserhead (1977), Suspiria (1977), Phantasm (1979), Santa Sangre (1989), Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989), “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” set to a 17-minute laser and fog show while drunk on Djinn Hellabrew
Adam: Theme: Psychedelic Horror
Adam: I may have blown this one because I haven’t seen Messiah of Evil and was having a tough time gauging what it’s like as an experience from the trailer. Should I seek it out? I’m guessing you’re a fan.
Patrick: I am a fan! I don’t know that I would call it “psychedelic,” necessarily, but it does have a lot of the surrealism of the other movies you picked. This night might break our brains.
Double Feature 9:
Adam: #1: Nightbreed (1990)
Patrick: #2: The Toxic Avenger (1984)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Swamp Thing (1982), Hellboy (2004), I, Frankenstein (2014)
Patrick: Theme: Monster Heroes
Patrick: These movies will not play well together at all, but I’m so curious to see what it’s like to watch them as a double feature. Are we going theatrical or director’s cut for Nightbreed? I still haven’t watched the longer cut despite owning it for several years now.
Adam: Oh man, Troma. I don’t know how I’ll do with this double bill :-) I had the theatrical cut in mind for Nightbreed since it’s the version I like more. To be fair, I should probably revisit the director’s cut. The only time I saw it was on a VHS dupe projected on a movie screen at the Portage Theatre which is like watching a VHS dupe projected on a movie screen at the Portage Theatre. I question the life choices that brought me to that moment.
Double Feature 10:
Patrick: #1: Hatchet (2006)
Adam: #2: Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (2007)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Freddy vs. Jason (2003), 2001 Maniacs (2005), Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006), Zombie Strippers (2008), The Moleman of Belmont Avenue (2013), Fear Clinic (2015)
Adam: Theme: 21st Century Englund
Adam: Robert Englund is a national treasure. His post-2000 career has featured a lot of stunt casting, but it’s something I always enjoy. He gives 100 percent to each project and never plays down to it. I love Hatchet (I saw it twice in theaters, which earns me a gold star) and I think Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer is a fun movie and strong pairing. Fun Fact: Englund plays a character named Professor Crowley in Jack Brooks and the slasher “hero” of Hatchet is Victor Crowley. Boom!
Patrick: This would be such a fun night. I have the same fondness for Robert Englund’s commitment that you do, particularly in Jack Brooks. He’s such a blast in that movie. This double feature will also be a nice reminder of that time in the 2000s when Anchor Bay was putting out every horror movie on DVD and also releasing some cool theatrical stuff like both of these.
Adam: Anchor Bay was the Anchor way. I’m sorry.
Double Feature 11:
Adam: #1: The Night Flier (1997)
Patrick: #2: Sole Survivor (1984)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Langoliers (1995), Final Destination (2000), Flight of the Living Dead (2007), Twilight Zone: The Movie segment “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” Red Eye (2005)
Patrick: Theme: Nightmares at 20,000 Feet
Patrick: Airplane horror seems like a pretty untapped subgenre, especially considering all of the fears and anxieties so many people have about flying. I think this is a really strong double feature, actually, though it might work better if the movies were reversed. Sole Survivor works better as a warm-up. I know it’s blasphemous to include the Twilight Zone: The Movie version of the famous “gremlin on the wing” episode over the TV version, but I just love that creature design too much to go with the original.
Adam: I’m going to sneak the Turbulence trailer on my phone at some point during this double feature. There’s a movie called Flight of the Living Dead?
Double Feature 12:
Patrick: #1: Lady in White (1988)
Adam: #2: Ghost Story (1981)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Poltergeist (1982), The Entity (1982), Amityville 3-D (1983), Ghostbusters (1984), House (1985), Beetlejuice (1988)
Adam: Theme: Reagan Era (era) Ghosts
Adam: It’s neat how many movies you’re picking this month that I haven’t seen (in this case Lady in White). I’m down to finally sit down and watch it. It shows up on MGM HD a lot, meaning it’s fate that I see it eventually. Nothing says Reagan to me like Craig Wasson’s junk.
Patrick: I think you might dig Lady in White, because it’s suuuuper sincere. It’s good. I want to make a joke about Wasson’s junk and trickle down economics but I also want to live the rest of my life, so forget it.
Double Feature 13:
Adam: #1: Valentine (2001)
Patrick: #2: April Fool’s Day (1986)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Mother’s Day (2010), New Year’s Evil (1980), Uncle Sam (1996), Eli Roth “Thanksgiving” Trailer
Patrick: Theme: JV Holiday Horror
Patrick: Let me be clear about the theme: the holidays are JV, not the movies. Also, the holidays aren’t JV as holidays -- I promise I’m not insulting moms or America -- but as holidays around which to build horror movies. I don’t love either of these films, but I actually think it would be a really good time watching them together.
Adam: I liked when the director of April Fool’s Day sort of apologized in-person for the film’s twist at The Massacre he attended. This double bill is great because I can sense your mental gymnastics to not offend anyone with it. You’re a good person. Can I go back on picking Valentine? I just watched it. It’s not great.
Double Feature 14:
Patrick: #1: Child’s Play 2 (1990)
Adam: #2: Army of Darkness (1993)
Adam Trailers/Shorts: Tremors (1990), Child’s Play 3 (1991), The People Under the Stairs (1991), Dr. Giggles (1992), Raising Cain (1992)
Adam: Theme: Early '90s Universal Horror
Adam: Universal Studios was a horror fan’s best friend in the early 90s. Let’s celebrate them! Also, this will take less than 3 hours even with trailers, huzzah.
Patrick: Just the logo for early ‘90s Universal puts me in a happy place, so this marathon is totally my jam. I’ve got a little bit of Army of Darkness fatigue, but I think watching it in the context of an early ‘90s Universal celebration would let me enjoy it a lot more. They really were doing some cool stuff back then, huh?
Adam: I came very close to picking Dr. Giggles over Army of Darkness.
Double Feature 15:
Adam: #1: Warlock (1991)
Patrick: #2: Lake Placid (1999)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Halloween: H20 (1998), House (1986), Friday the 13th Part III (1982), Dead of Summer episode “She Talks to Angels”
Patrick: Theme: Miner Threat
Patrick: Steve Miner is one of the horror genre’s greatest journeyman directors: he’s the guy you hire because he’s competent and gets things done and knows how to put a movie together, but he has no real obvious style or point of view. I like everything he’s made in the genre. It’s when he tries stuff like comedy -- cough Soul Man cough -- that he’s less successful.
Adam: I’m probably going to watch this double feature in October for real because I blind-bought Warlock and was needing an incentive (like a curated double bill) to make me press play.
Double Feature 16:
Patrick: #1: He Knows You’re Alone (1980) - Tom Hanks
Adam: #2: The Burning (1981) - Jason Alexander
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - Johnny Depp, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) - Patricia Arquette, Critters 3 (1991) - Leonardo DiCaprio, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) - Hilary Swank, The Dark (1993) - Neve Campbell, Leprechaun (1993) - Jennifer Aniston
Adam: Theme: Horror Launches
Adam: This had to be the theme. Also, I’ve never seen He Knows You’re Alone. Should I?
Patrick: I really like He Knows You’re Alone, even if a lot of it feels like a made for TV movie. I think it would pair up well with The Burning because they’ve both got that early-’80s slasher thing that’s very specific and for which I am a total sucker. Even the trailer reel would be really fun!
Double Feature 17:
Adam: #1: The Ninth Gate (2000)
Patrick: #2: The Dark Half (1993)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Evil Dead (1981), Misery (1990), Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man,” In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
Patrick: Theme: Reading is Fundament-hell
Patrick: So my first instinct was to program a second movie made by or starring garbage people, but how would that be fun? So I went with the obvious “books” theme. At least it allowed me to once again program The Dark Half, a movie I will continue to champion until everyone agrees with me.
Adam: I’d like to try The Dark Half again. I really want to see that Scream Factory doc you talked about where Michael Rooker says he didn’t remains friends with anyone from that movie. There’s this cult of fandom around The Ninth Gate that is large enough where I feel the need to revisit it. I like the theme you went with. I’m going to watch this double bill at the library and then drop a bookshelf on myself and become a library ghost. People will be all “I know I returned that DVD with the disc in the case!” and what really happened was I (as a ghost) removed it for all time.
Double Feature 18:
Patrick: #1: The Invisible Man (1933)
Adam: #2: Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
Adam Trailers/Shorts: Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Old Dark House (1932), Island of Lost Souls (1932), The Black Cat (1934), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), The Raven (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939)
Adam: Theme: Adam’s Favorite 1930’s Universal Horror
Adam: Here I am doing another tribute to Universal. It was just too hard to pass up a Universal Monsters night. I could have paired The Invisible Man (my favorite classic Universal horror movie - nice work!) with any of these and it would be a great evening, but I went with Rue Morgue because it’s a movie I adore that I’m not sure many people have seen. Can we invite JB?
Patrick: I think he just shows up to Universal Monster screenings, like someone shining the Bat signal. I’m not positive I’ve seen Rue Morgue, so your theory checks out. Thanks a lot for programming two black and white movies, though. BORING.
Double Feature 19:
Adam: #1: Frailty (2002)
Patrick: #2: The Woman (2011)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Amityville Horror (1979), The Stepfather (1987), Eyes Without a Face (1960), The Shining (1980)
Patrick: Theme: Bad Dads
Patrick: I mean, they can’t all be super inspired, unfortunately. I once again went with an obvious theme here, but hopefully not too obvious a pick for the second movie. This night will be pretty heavy.
Adam: Heavy, but great. I want to watch this double feature immediately.
Double Feature 20:
Patrick: #1: Mirrors 2 (2010)
Adam: #2: London After Midnight (1927)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Mirrors (2008), Hellraiser: Revelations (2011), Underworld: Awakening (2012), Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014), The Nun (2018)
Adam: Theme: Horror I’m Pretty Sure Patrick Will Never Watch
Adam: This is the double bill where we both wanted to destroy something beautiful. Christy Carlson Romano is in Mirrors 2!?!
Patrick: I’m on the fence about seeing Mirrors 2 just to spite Mirrors. It makes me perversely happy that we have uncovered and will be screening the only existing print of London After Midnight but we’re going to make people watch the trailer for Underworld: Awakening before they can see it.
Adam: They waited 91 years, they can wait another 2-½ minutes.
Possibly the best double feature selections you've done so far! Great to see some love for Elm Street 5 *awkward Hopkins bump attempt*... :) Happy Scary movie Month to you both!
ReplyDeleteI think I would have put Messiah of Evil in a double feature with Psychomania from the same year... Or maybe Parents.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, I've been messaging Shout/Scream Factory periodically to try to get them to release the unrated cut of Faust: Love of the Damned on blu ray. If anyone wants to join me, it would be appreciated.
And if anyone knows where one can get a copy of a movie called Prey (Prooi, in the Netherlands where it was made) featuring Mark Frost of Faust as a lion hunter in a wheelchair...please let me know.
Valentine is fun! The Ninth Gate is good. Emmanuelle Seigner and the ending is great.
ReplyDelete