Reviews

From the Golden Age of the TV movie "Scream of the Wolf" is a time-waster from some pretty big names.

B-movie fans knows that Peter Graves would do anything for a paycheck. So it's no surprise as this movie makes a swift detour towards incoherence early on. Jo Ann Pflug's appearance cinches it. And when super-hunk Clint Walker begins spewing his inane monologues (again and again) you realize all too late that you have entered Z-movie heaven. Because really no one has any business watching "Scream of the Wolf" unless they enjoy watching actors struggling in budget bondage, living in palatial homes which are clearly borrowed for the film and dicing with unseen scary stuff which turns out not to be that scary. But then we are in good hands.

Dan Curtis is a master at low budget television. Dark Shadows is his masterpiece and Trilogy of Terror is still one of the most memorable shows ever on the tube. Burnt Offerings was his first run film....offering, but it's really a beefed up TV movie script that somehow got wings. So with such a resume one would expect "Scream of the Wolf" to be something other than what it is, but it is important to remember that everyone has his bad days. And in the case of co-writer Richard Matheson, this is an understatement. Matheson is not in the minor leagues with Curtis. Matheson is the fantasy-fiction master. Look him up on IMDb and find out. The creator of Omega Man would never have submitted this work as his alone.

A little attention to fine details would have done wonders for this film. In the dialog, in the set design (were there any) and with the casting. A truly wooden set of performances all around. Clint Walker tries to emote passion and complexity but he looks like he's been botoxed. Jo Ann Pflug was better off showing us her stuff on Match Game P.M.. And Peter Graves? This is the Godfather compared to some of the films he's been in.

Just so you know this was made for TV. It suffers from a certain laziness with respect to the cinematography and it is bland to the eye as a result, but having seen enough to know, this is one of the best ghost stories ever produced for the box. It is not perfect but it is perfect for a good scare under the right conditions.

Especially appealing is the fact that the ghost in the story is really p***ed off. Instead of beckoning for some kind of aid or "trying to tell us something", she is a ruthless, intentionally scary presence. A must see for all fans of the genre of ghostfilms.

This is cross between Hard Day's Night and Summer Holiday which does nothing to threaten the dominance of either in the British 60's rock 'n' romance genre. I'll let others explain the finer points of casting and score. What I find so fascinating about "Seaside Swingers" is the bewildered holiday camp extras who thought they were going to have an uneventful and typically overcast two weeks at one of Butlin's more drab properties and ended up unwitting props in a third rate musical comedy about some rather aged looked teenagers trying to make a splash in the prepubescent world of rock 'n' roll.

The holiday camp must be seen to be believed. Americans will find it unbelievable that people actually spent the only two weeks they got each year going to what amounted to an overcrowded compound where the only entertainment was guessing how far apart the family would have to sit from each other in the "canteen" or large feeding area (which features prominantly in this film). The chalets referred to by the campers were extremely small motel-style rooms which were your base of operations at the camp.

For a real soak in the British invasion style this is just the ticket but fast forward through the "Crazy Horse Saloon" number. It's atrocious.

At some point in about 1962 a film was made which revolved around the misadventures of a group of high schoolers on a weekend field trip to Pahrump, Nevada searching for Indian artifacts. What they find is terror at the hands of an ancient mummy. Badly acted and shot poorly this film resembled a made-for-students travelogue. It moldered over the years as it sat unwatched and unappreciated in some vault somewhere. And then, like the Pahrump mummy it rose to terrorize us all again.

It would appear that the director of the previous footage asked the main player from that film to appear in the new film as his old character being asked to tell modern (70s) kids about his experiences with "The Great Man-Beast of North America," which he reluctantly does. The older film is used in its entirety as a flashback vehicle to the supposed Bigfoot encounter. But, of course the creature isn't a Bigfoot at all, it's just an Indian mummy.

This is a bizarre melange. Just for fun, check out the end of the film where all the students are standing around the bonfire, and note that they are all pretty much acting normally, then remember the words of Roger Mason, that, one of those students will have to spend the rest of her life in a mental institution!

Long live paper mache monsters!!

Silent Running has a unique atmosphere which was years ahead of it's time. The opening credits seem to have been made in the late 80's rather than early 70's as was the case. The style of the set design and costumes are clearly the model for space opera set design for years afterward. Douglas Trumbull and crew were the best at the time and had they only tried as hard on the plot as they did on the ambience of the film they would have had a classic.

So give them a break already. Though there seem to be inconsistencies in the storyline many of the film's plot quirks can be explained by remembering that this was an alternate twist on reality, or as I like to say, it's just a movie. This was not the world we all expected to live in, but where it may have been headed. This is the quintessential 70's Sci-fi theme. Sometimes this leads to absurd points of view. Omega Man, Soylent Green, Logan's Run are all completely absurd, but no one pokes holes in them because they are clearly fantasy. 1984 is rediculous in some places, but no one would ever dare to strike down the whole of it. Silent Running should be treated no differently. The point is made and made well, that mankind values comfort above all else and that the natural environment which he sees as hostile, and dangerous is most probably doomed.

The domes which house the last of earth's delicate ecosystems are kept far from earth tethered to freighters which the company is anxious to see put back into regular service. The crew of the freight ships is miserable at having to babysit the forests and yearns to return to an Earth where "everywhere you go it is 70 degrees." Lowell is not the last conservationist, not the last gardener, but the last MAN. His humane treatment of the forests makes him the only human aboard, for the others have lost their humanity. Note that Lowell eats "real" food. The others eat synthetic biscuits. The others play mindless games to while away the hours while Lowell plants more flowers. And if that wasn't enough Joan Baez sings of Children running wild in the forests to hammer home the point.

Yes , the thing with the dying forest is totally a plot killer, and it's unnecessary. Blowing up the domes, why wouldn't they, they're destroying the forests cause they don't want to spend another dime on them, and otherwise they would be so much space junk to run into later, why not blow them up and give the people of Earth a thrill. How do you know they weren't filming for a reality TV show. And the robot who Lowell leaves in charge, how long could he last? He can repair himself, fix anything and perhaps build little friends to keep the line going, but I hope they had a mulcher of some kind.

First things first- The Legend of Boggy Creek is in a class of its own, literally. This film is part Documentary, part Drama, part Musical(!) and 100% classic horror/speculation/fantasy, not to mention historical document (if you believe that Bigfoot's for real). But did you know that Bigfoot wasn't just tooling around the Pacific-Northwestern USA? Oh no. Apparently he likes to vacation in a little place called Fouke, Arkansas. At least he did back in the 70's when he was most active and when The Legend of Boggy Creek takes place.

"Boggy Creek" was a runaway low-budget smash hit in the mid 70's. Sequels tried to cash in on its success, but to no avail. Like the Blair Witch much later once the public had had its initial scare the magic was gone. I personally viewed the film at the theater during it's first release, and the kids packing the cinema ate it up, and yucked it up too, as perhaps the greatest genius of this film is that it is not only loaded with scares and suspense, and the famous monster of course, but also is loaded with (sometimes inadvertent) humor, as well as a musical score which lulls you into a sense that you are watching a harmless and serene Disney wildernesss travelogue, that's it! That's what it is. It's like "Charly the Lonesome Cougar" with a blood thirsty monster!

This film is one of the most remembered movies from the 70's because it was so unique and effective. It is funny, and it is pleasant to watch. It is hilariously cheap, but only with the DVD freeze-frame can you really tell that the Bigfoot is actually a guy in an gorilla costume (seriously). And since the people in the cast are purported to be the actual folks who this actually happened to, you can't fault their terrible acting either, but you sure can have a good laugh at their expense.

I can't believe stuff like this gets made, but I am so glad they did it.

Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare is a delicious piece of mid-80s drive-in fodder. The thing that makes these kinds of films so unique and fun to watch is the seriousness with which the major players seem to take their part in them. It is their obliviousness to the low-quality of the product that is this grade-Z film's most fascinating aspect.

It is appallingly poorly acted. It is written by total amateurs. It is directed enthusiastically and even artistically in places, and is thankfully short in duration, for although it has moments of professionalism, they are more than outnumbered and greedily overshadowed by some of the silliest scenes ever to make it to the VCR.

It's the Muppet Show meets Spinal Tap meets Friday the 13th meets total crap, and total crap wins the day! Hooray!

Like some kind of paranormal "That's Incredible", The Force Beyond is a rare gem from the psuedo-scientific 70s. All that's missing is pyramid power and pet rocks that bleed. But you do get Yoghurt that winces.

Narrator intensive, cheap as all get-out, and embarrassingly entertaining The Force Beyond is almost totally unavailable. Unless it is reproduced on DVD it will probably never see the light of day again.

It's a shame that this genre is being largely ignored by DVD companies.

It seems the criterion for being asked to participate in this documentary was "does Ed Wood still owe you money?" All of Ed's associates are there bashing him and cashing in at the same time. Good for them. Ed was a dishonest guy and he owes them all one at least.

The story is fascinating of those who were stepped upon by a man who pretended to be a Hollywood director/producer/writer. He was so good at pretending though he actually finished a couple of films.

It didn't matter that he had no business doing it. This is the story of how Hollywood could be hijacked for a short time, when it wasn't looking. For this feat Ed Wood is still admired by fans of truly independent film. Wood cheated Hollywood, investors, studios, and even his friends, but he never cheated his audience. Ed Wood did what he wanted to do. He made the films he wanted to see. It's just that his tastes weren't all that refined. Fortunately, neither were those of the syndicate stations who played Ed's Plan 9 from Outer Space ad nauseum in the 70's and made Ed a cult legend.

The biggest problem with The Haunted World of Ed Wood is the fact that actor/mystic seer "Criswell" is given short shrift.

Very poorly dubbed Italian babe befriends unfrozen Giant.

This 1977 film is a director's tour de farce. It is one of the worst films ever made. Finding that out was a sublime pleasure which only z-movie afficianados can appreciate. The only reason that this film hasn't been on MST3K yet is that they would probably be rendered speechless. Nothing need be added to keep the laughs coming.

I hardly know what else to say. You will be literally dazed by the less than special effects, crappy storyline, and bad sets which make up the crazy world of YETI!

Somehow this film manages to be boring as hell even with the lovely Susan George all over it, and in her prime too.

This disjointed relic from British Cinema's Bronze Age features George as a bonne viveuse who is keeping her distance from a dis-functional family which threaten to unravel her hopes of a normal romantic life, and all because she possesses within her mind the secret swiss bank account number which contains her inheritance, which will be entirely her's when she reaches the age of 21. Various losers try to get her to come across with the goods and they certainly take their time with it. And for some odd reason Maryanne tags along with their schemes right up till the last minute even though she knows who she's dealing with. It's kind of confusing.

There is a cheesy song about Maryanne at the end, and the opening credits are rather dated, with Ms. George doing her best go-go dancer routine.

The guy from White Shadow is lured to the home of a young hitchhiker. There she keeps him, first by wrecking his car, then by (uh-oh here comes the real "iffy" Stephen King part) busting up his legs and tying him to a bed cause she just doesn't want to let him go. Of course he spends the remainder of the film trying to get some help and kill the girl. I won't give anything else away. I have been tryin for ages to find someone who has seen this so they could back me up that Mr. King ripped-off huge parts of this storyline for his own use.

A "Z-grade" film in the tradition of Chariots of the Gods. The seventies spawned several other wanna-be speculation documentaries (Outer Space Connection, In Search of Noah's Ark, Amazing World of Ghosts), all of which sought to answer man's most troubling historical mysteries, as well as to tackle many a modern riddle. From Aliens, to Automatic Writing, from U.F.O.s to E.S.P, each of these films did it's part to excite and dismay its audience. The Force beyond is a latecomer, and as such is perhaps the most ridiculous of the whole bunch. In any case, a genre is born.

The Force Beyond promises proof that aliens exist and that the film's Director, a modern day P.T. Barnum, is going to show us the evidence at some time later in the film. While we wait we are treated to a young man recalling dreams sent to him via remote sender who seems to be a psychic of some repute. Soon this is followed by regression therapy (chilling) and with the liberal padding of stock footage (the hallmark of the Genre) a bit of U.F.O. footage is shown to "prove" the existence of life in the universe other than our own. Or is it?

This is an amazing film. But not for the reason it is supposed to be, which is the definition for a cult classic. Unfortunately this film does not quite qualify. To be a cult classic, you need a cult. If this film has a cult I would shudder to meet it's leader.

This film is recommended highly for those who love the films of Sun Classic.