by Patrick Bromley
Picks to take you to the finish line of Junesploitation!
June 22: Kung Fu! - House of Traps (1982, dir. Chang Cheh) The original Saw! Ok, not really, but it is a kick-ass kung fu film about a group of soldiers tasked with recovering a precious antique from a building rigged with deadly booby traps. This has the amazing martial arts action of a Venom Mob movie and the bloody violence of a Chang Cheh joint. It's awesome. (Watch on
Amazon Prime Video)
June 23: Free Space! -
Skyscraper (1996, dir. Raymond Martino) Why not spend a Free Space day in the company of this
Die Hard rip-off starring Anna Nicole Smith, who for sure learned her lines phonetically? '90s action doesn't get must more exploitative than this. (Watch free with ads on
Tubi TV)
June 24: '80s Horror! -
Bad Dreams (1988, dir. Andrew Fleming) This naked attempt at ripping off
A Nightmare on Elm Street is way smarter and better than it probably should be, likely because it's written and directed by Andrew Fleming (
Dick,
The Craft). Jennifer Rubin is welcome in anything and here plays a survivor of a cult who is committed to an institution where memories -- and possibly more -- of her former cult leader (Richard Lynch) begin popping up. There are some truly memorable gags, one involving Dean Cameron's hand and one involving a giant fan and a ceiling full of blood. This is good '80s horror. (Watch on
Shudder)
June 25: Robots! -
Chopping Mall (1986, dir. Jim Wynorski) You can't go wrong with a movie originally titled
Killbots. A group of teenagers spend the night in a mall and run afoul of some killer security robots -- the Killbots -- and must defend themselves to survive the night. Worth watching just because it stars both Kelli Maroney and Barbara Crampton, plus features one of the best exploding head gags in movie history. Is this Jim Wynorski's best movie? Discuss. (Watch on
Amazon Prime Video)
June 26: Shot on Video! - I can't find any streaming picks for this category because Shudder no longer carries
Black Devil Doll from Hell. I suggest looking at the list on our
original primer piece and then trying to find one of those titles, most likely on YouTube. I won't link to any of them here for obvious reasons.
June 27: Italian Horror! -
Inferno (1980, dir. Dario Argento) I still think this is probably Dario Argento's most underrated movie, one which has its fans but hasn't received the same attention as
Suspiria, Deep Red, or
Tenebrae. The middle installment in the "Three Mothers" trilogy doesn't make a ton of sense, but has stunning visuals, impressive set pieces, and a creepy vibe. What else could you want from Italian horror? (Watch on
Shudder)
June 28: Revenge! -
Savage Streets (1983, dir. Danny Steinmann) One of the sleaziest revenge movies ever made (because it's directed by
Friday the 13th Part V's Danny Steinmann) and also one of my favorite. Linda Blair leads a gang taking revenge when her sister (Linnea Quigley) is attacked. It's a movie made by crazy people. (Watch free with ads on
Tubi TV)
June 29: Free Space! -
Mac and Me (1988, dir. Stewart Raffill) Seeing the R-rated "Gore Cut" of Stewart Raffill's
Tammy and the T-Rex at Cinepocalypse this week has me in the mood to recommend his best-known film, the 1988
E.T. rip-off
Mac and Me. It's not every movie that sends its main character over a cliff in a wheelchair. Maybe next year we can add a category called "McDonaldsploitation" just so everyone is forced to watch either this or
Santa Claus: The Movie. (Watch free with ads on
Vudu)
June 30: Teenagers! -
BMX Bandits (1983, dir. Brian Trenchard Smith) Close out your Junesploitation with some Australian teens on bikes! Before she was Dr. Chase Meridian, Nicole Kidman was a frizzy-haired biker yukking it up across the Australian landscape, foiling bank robberies and popping wheelies. It's just the kind of brainless fun we need to cross the finish line. (Watch free with ads on
Shout! Factory TV)
Mac and Me was shown during the current season of TCM Underground. Hearing nothing but bad things about it for years, I expected something awful when I watched it. While it is on the silly side, especially during that McDonald's sequence, there was nothing about Mac and Me that was ultimately worse than other late '80s children's films I remember watching. On the other hand, the film Mac and Me was paired with, The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, was unpleasant.
ReplyDeleteBad Dreams was co-written by Steven de Souza, in between The Running Man and Die Hard which also helps explain why it's smarter and more fun than it should be.
ReplyDeleteI definitely wouldn't call Savage Streets "fun" (except maybe for the crazy ending. I really enjoyed it though.
Personal opinion but Chopping Mall might be the only watchable Jim Wynorski movie.
ReplyDeleteUgh, so mad they took Black Devil Doll off before I could finish it. I’d suggest Video Violence 1 and 2 if you can find them.
ReplyDeleteI remember when Bad Dreams came out - they were clearly gunning for another slasher franchise. The ads were something like, "You know Jason, and Freddy, now there's......HARRIS!" It was ridiculous. I watched it randomly like a month ago and yeah, it's some great 80's horror. The gore effects are great, the acting surprisingly good, and it's Peak Dean Cameron. Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteOne of the top five things I love about this site is these recommendations, and the knowledge that is casually dropped. I would've never known that the director of Dick also did The Craft.
ReplyDelete