FILM REVIEW: KILLDOZER (1974)

Clint Walker leads an all-star cast in the film KILLDOZER (1974).  When a small construction crew on an isolated island come in contact with a strange rock in the ground.  The spirit or energy force from the rock inhabits a bulldozer and starts to kill each of the construction crew one by one.  Walker plays Lloyd Kelly, the foreman of the construction crew just trying to keep his men in line despite the fact that he isn’t well liked by the men.  It is his job to try and keep his people safe and alive for as long as he can until help can arrive.

For a ‘70s TV horror film, KILLDOZER is very much like DUEL (1971) in its execution despite lacking the suspenseful elements that made that film so interesting.  Also, the concept doesn’t really hold up being a killer bulldozer which should make it very easy to escape but the film finds it easy for the men to get trapped and killed.

This is a film I’ve heard a lot about over the years and I see why it could have been viewed as one of the better made for TV movies of the ‘70s but that was a decade that had many great films on the small screen and even though this film was interesting there isn’t much that elevate it passed the nostalgia effect as it hasn’t aged nearly as well as DUEL.

FILM REVIEW: THE EVIL (aka HOUSE OF EVIL) (1978)

Richard Crenna leads an excellent cast in the horror film THE EVIL (1978).  Crenna is C.J. Arnold who is a professor who recently purchased a civil war era house in need of lots of repairs.  He assembles a group of old colleagues and students to help him restore the house but while exploring the basement of the house he comes across a doorway in the floor.  When he removes a cross keeping the doorway closed he unleashes an evil force that locks them all in the house with no means of escape.  The evil force decides that each person in the house is nothing more than a plaything at its disposal and C.J. and his friends must find a way out of the house before they are all killed.

As ludicrous as the concept for the film is Crenna has always had a knack for grounding these types of films such as DEATH SHIP (1980), DEVIL DOG: THE HOUND OF HELL (1978), NIGHTMARE (1974), LEVIATHAN (1989), and MURDER TIMES SEVEN (1990), to name a few.  He has a great supporting cast in Joanna Pettet, Andrew Prine, Cassie Yates, George O’Hanlon, Jr., and Victor Buono, to name a few.   The only main problem with the film is the fact that the female characters are not very fully developed (a product of ‘70s horror films) and make the film dated.

Written by Galen Thompson and Gus Trikonis, who also directs, the film is a very suspenseful thriller that has a mean streak in terms of how each person is killed making for a very entertaining film.  Only when the film delves into religious philosophy towards the end does the film misstep but this can be forgiven as there were many films of this era that tackled this question.  Otherwise this is a very interesting film.

FILM REVIEW: CREATURES FROM THE ABYSS (aka PLANKTON) (1994)

Five teenagers out for a night swim in the middle of nowhere get caught in a freak storm in CREATURES FROM THE ABYSS (1994).  They find shelter in a seemingly abandoned yacht which doubles as a marine research vessel.  As they wait out the storm, they soon discover that something else is on board the yacht with them which may have been the cause for the entire crew of the yacht to abandon the ship out in the middle of the ocean.

Now, unfortunately, this could have been an interesting concept but the film’s plot is flimsy as is the logic for most of what happens in the film not to mention that the monsters are laughable especially for a film from the mid-‘90s.   The film is written by Richard Baumann and directed by Alvaro Passeri (his first film as director before churning out such other great titles as THE MUMMY THEME PARK, PSYCHOVISION and FLIGHT TO HELL).  This is a pretty bad film even by pretty bad film standards. 

There is nothing particularly imaginative or exciting about the film other than the attempt at body horror as the teenagers turn into strange contaminated fish monsters.  This is one aquatic horror film to avoid like day old sushi.

FILM REVIEW: LIFEFORM (aka INVADER) (1996)

The Viking space capsule returns to Earth from its journey to Mars bringing with it something potentially dangerous in the film LIFEFORM (1996).  When the Viking lands within restricted military space Dr. Case Montgomery (Cotter Smith) brings in his most trusted colleagues Dr. Gracie Scott and NASA’s Michael Perkett (Deirdre O’Connell and Leland Oser, respectfully) to help him assess the authenticity of the capsule.  Just as Colonel Pratt (Robert Wisdom) and his men show up to take over the discovery, Montgomery and Scott learn that the capsule was carrying an alien creature that threatens the safety of them all and everyone on the planet.  The base is ordered quarantined and Montgomery & Scott have a limited time to find the alien and make sure it isn’t a threat to national security.  This is made more difficult as the alien is highly intelligent which makes finding it a problem especially when Colonel Pratt and his men have no idea the danger they have now find themselves in.

LIFEFORM is a fun science fiction film in the tradition of CREATURE (1985) and CRITTERS (1986) and the monster holds up fairly well even today.  Although it gets repetitive at sometimes and characters react in that “horror film” way, it’s charm is in the fact that it tries so hard to make the science in the film so believable.

The film is written and directed by Mark H. Baker and this is his sole directing credit although I am surprised that he didn’t continue to direct given that this wasn’t an entirely un-entertaining of a film.  

FILM REVIEW: THE BOOGENS (1981)

A small mining community gets more than they bargained for when they reopen an old mine unleashing a horde of creatures that will do anything protect their home in THE BOOGENS (1981).  For a small community, opening the once flourishing mines was thought to be an excellent idea even after all the deaths that occurred in a collapse years ago, but once the mines are reopened people start to disappear.  Soon the miners learn that the tunnels of the mines go underneath the entire town and no one is safe.

Written by David O’Malley and Jim Kouf (with a story by Thomas C. Chapman and O’Malley) the film does an admirable job of keeping the story moving with its limited cast.  Chapman, who also directors, does a good job creating suspense and atmosphere with the limited number of locations especially the caverns in the mines themselves.  The death scenes are also creative and a highlight of the even.  Even though the monsters, themselves, are cheesy looking by today’s standards, they are not on screen all that much.

I enjoyed the film for the nostalgia factor since I love monster movies (no matter how crude the creature) so fans of monster films will enjoy this film.  For an early ‘80s creature feature its not that bad at all.

FILM REVIEW: THE RUNESTONE (1991)

A Norse Runestone is discovered signally the coming of Ragnarok in THE RUNESTONE (1991).  It seems that Martin Almquist (Mitchell Laurance) has made a profound discovery with the Runestone and hopes to achieve his wildest dreams and desires until the Norse great wolf Fenrir shows up to cause chaos and disorder.  Now it is up to archaeologist Sam Stewart (Tim Ran) and his wife Marla (Joan Severance) to find the truth about the Runestone before it is too late.  With the help of the local police detective Fanducci (Peter Riegert) and Lars Hagstrom (William Hickey), a recluse who knows more about the Runestone than he’s letting on, its own a matter of time before Fenrir’s true purpose is made clear and no one will be able to stand in its way.

The film isn’t all that bad even almost thirty years later.  This is mainly because the performances still hold up very well and the concept isn’t all that bad even if the make-up and monster effects have aged.  The monster is seen a lot in the film as the film-makers are not shy about revealing the creature in all its glory.  I’m sure that in the early ‘90s the monster was impressive but anything has aged it’s this part of the film.  This being said there is a lot of violence and suspense so audiences will be entertained from beginning to end.

Written and directed by Willard Carroll (based on the novel by Mark E. Rogers) the film is very well directed despite the nature of the whole film.  The film is actually better than it should be as the comedic talents of Riegert are on full display and keep the film lively and interesting throughout the hokier moments.  Not a bad film from the ‘90s as there are plenty of worst options out there.

FILM REVIEW: WAVELENGTH (1983)

Bobby and Iris (Robert Carradine and Cherie Currie, respectfully) have stumbled across a government secret in the film WAVELENGTH (1983).  While exploring a seemingly abandoned property the two find themselves in an underground government lab where the military are experimenting on being from another world whom are being kept in a cryogenic state.  Soon, Iris realizes that the aliens are communicating to her through telepathy which makes her very important to the military and their experiment.  Now Bobby & Iris find themselves entangled in a mystery and government experiment until she realizes that they have to help the aliens escape before they all become victims of the government’s ultimate agenda.

Coming one year after E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL and one year before STARMAN, this is a film that marries the two concepts together but on a much lower budget.  This film features childlike aliens that want to go home but have psychic power.

Carradine does an admiral job as the boyfriend to Currie and has always been a dependable actor un genre films although this film doesn’t really give him too much to play with.  Currie also does a serviceable job but both actors can only do so much with the material.  The film is written and directed by Mike Gray, who oddly enough would only direct episodes of the short-lived television show STARMAN.

FILM REVIEW: THE FLYING SERPENT (1946)

Dr. Andrew Forbes (George Zucco) has just recently discovered the greatest treasure anyone has ever known and he will stop at nothing to protect it and his secrets in the film THE FLYING SERPENT (1946).  Through an unfortunate accident Dr. Forbes discovers the existence of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, a flying serpent, and the treasure it has been protecting.  When outsiders begin to jeopardize his secret, Dr. Forbes sends the flying serpent to deal with them fast and quietly.

Although a cheaply crafted creature Quetzalcoatl is the main attraction of the film.  As a film of the ‘40s I’m sure the monster was very impressive because of how new and different it was but the story is very like other films of the era and leaves a lot to be desired.  This being said, because of the short running time of only 77 minutes it’s a quick time waster and a film worth the nostalgia factor alone.

If you’re a fan of old school horror films – enjoy!

RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR – “The Return & JEEPERS CREEPERS 3”

RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR – “The Return & JEEPERS CREEPERS 3”

It’s been over a year since the last “Rants & Ravings About Horror” as I took some time away to focus on my film festival – Something Wicked Film Festival, which focuses on animation, horror, fantasy, and science fiction shorts and feature films.  Now that we’ve completed out second year, I thought it’d be a good time to get back to pen & paper (or computer screen) as I just came back from a special screening of JEEPERS CREEPERS 3 (2017) which marks the return of The Creeper from a fourteen-year absence and writer/director Victor Salva, who has been behind all the films in the franchise thus far.

There was great anticipation for this film on my part as I thought JEEPERS CREEPERS II (2003) was an improvement over the 2001 original film.  I won’t get into the controversy surrounding director Salva as I’m under the impression that a person’s personal life should be separate from their art but I will get into the significance of these films.  In 2001, Salva’s original film was unleashed upon an unsuspecting public and even though it only made a little over $37 million at the Box Office (on a $10 million budget) it was very popular with audiences and The Creeper became an instant sensation.  The original film was dark and mysterious and centered on a brother and sister who see something unbelievable that gets them stuck in battle for their lives against The Creeper, an ancient creature that gets to kill for 23 days every 23 years.  The Creeper was unstoppable and an original creature that acted more human than monster with fantastic weapons at his disposal.  No one was safe especially those it smelled the unique fragrance of fear that it craved.  It also contained a unique twist ending no one was expecting.  The film played more like a slasher film with an unstoppable monster at the center which made it fresh and innovative at a time in horror that was dominated by torture porn and PG-13 horror.

When the sequel was released in 2003 Salva added a taste of revenge thriller to the mix as The Creeper went after a bus load of basketball players.  Character actor Ray Wise is Jack Taggart who wants vengeance against The Creeper and gets entangled with the creature on the last of its 23 days to kill before it goes into hibernation.  This film is better written and executed than the previous film, which had been hampered by a lot of common horror film conventions.  Wise was the crown jewel in this film because he brought so much weight to a film that could have otherwise been nothing more than a run of the mill monster film.  With a bigger budget that almost doubled that of the original at $17 million the film only managed to gross $35 million at the Box Office which was less than the original.  This film was better received by audiences and critics but the fact that it essentially made less than the original put any future sequels on hold.

The road to JEEPERS CREEPERS 3 was an extremely long one as there were rumors of a sequel for years and audiences were held in limbo.  The original proposed sequel CATHEDRAL would get a poster and teaser trailer but very little news about the film itself surfaced until 2015 when Salva official revealed he was working on a script.  Then the film went into production and the controversy surrounding the director’s past resurfaced even though it had been a problem that came up during the original film’s production process.    The question of how to divorce the art from the artist has been a debate for eons from the controversy surrounding such acclaimed directors as Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen, Mel Gibson, Roman Polanski, and more recently Nate Parker and Bill Cosby, to name a few.  This controversy is probably one of the reasons why JEEPERS CREEPERS 3 is not getting a wide theatrical release as with the previous films but a limited screening through Fathom Events.  A limited number of cities and theaters will screen the film and a small number of fans will get the chance to see the film on the big screen before it finds its way on DVD/BD and digital download and streaming.  I happened to be in luck as the local theater was a Fathom Events supporter and was getting the film. 

When I got to the theater for the advertised 7:00pm screening, I was shocked that it had already been “Sold Out” but I was lucky in that they added an additional for 7:10pm.  I immediately bought my ticket and waited the forty minutes for the film to start.

Being a huge fan of the first two films I likened the anticipation for this film with the same as I felt for PHANTASM V: RAVAGER.  The remarkable thing about the JEEPERS CREEPERS franchise and PHANTASM and I’ll even include CHILD’S PLAY is that the original creators have all been involved in the subsequent sequels (and in the case of CHILD’S PLAY it is original writer Don Mancini who now directs each sequel as well).  This gives the franchise a sense that each subsequent film is an official continuation and fans the belief that the films are uncompromising by studio interference. 

JEEPERS CREEPERS 3 is a long time coming but for fans of the franchise it doesn’t disappoint.  It takes the elements of the first two films and expands them and twists them into something new.  The film takes place directly after the original film (but before Part 2) in which a ravaged police precinct must deal with The Creeper who have killed their own.  Joining the police is Sheriff Tashtego (Stan Shaw) who has history with The Creeper from the last time it showed up.  Tashtego has assembled a group of bounty hunters with one purpose which is to kill The Creeper once and for all.  The Creeper may have managed to slip through his fingers this time but he seeks out the help of an old friend Gaylen Brandon (Meg Foster), who has been recently seeing the haunting image of her son Kenny (Jordan Salloun), who was killed by The Creeper twenty-three years earlier.  He hopes that she holds the key to finding a way to kill the monster once and for all.  Gaylen has problems of her own as she is told by Kenny that The Creeper is heading her way to settle old debts before disappearing again for another 23 years.  Also caught in the middle is Gaylen’s niece Addison (Gabrielle Haugh) which The Creeper soon takes a liking to.

One of the big differences between this film and the previous films is the fact that most of the film takes place during the daylight hour so audiences get to see The Creeper in all his gruesome glory.  This deflates and sense of suspense in the film which is okay since audiences are now accustomed to The Creeper anyways.  The other addition to the franchise is the overwhelming presence of the police and the action elements that police customarily brings with it.  There is more fire power and guns on display in this film diminishing the horror elements that made the first two films so interesting.  The film takes a page from the UNDERWORLD and RESIDENT EVIL playbook in this regard.  Even though these elements seem like a natural progression since the last film was released over a decade ago, old school fans will not like it.  I heard laughing in the background during some sequences when there shouldn’t have been and some people walked out before the end of the film.

 

I’m of the camp that enjoys these films because of the demanding work and autonomy of the film-makers and respect their passion for their own projects.  PHANTASM IV: OBLIVION may be director Don Coscarelli’s worst film because there is so much passion in the film that you can’t simply dismiss the result.  The same can be said of this film.  Director Salva has been living with the franchise for a very long time and by the end of this film you realize he has a definite direction on where to go next which is great for the die-hard fans.

This being said, random film fans (not the die-hard fans) will probably not agree with my assessment but there are some amazing new toys from The Creeper and he’s given more screen time in this film then both of the previous films combined so there is a lot to be thankful for.

FILM REVIEW: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF FLIGHT 412 (1974)

Glen Ford is Colonel Pete Moore who is in charge of the Whitney Radar Test Group in THE DISAPPEARANCE OF FLIGHT 412 (1974).  During a routine flight exercise to fix bugs in their program his men of top pilots encounter something in the sky that they cannot identify or clarify.  When two fighter jets that were scrambled to deal with the situation go missing, the men of Flight 412 are transferred to a secluded military base where they are questioned by the CIA.

As Colonel Moore searches for the whereabouts of his three missing men, the missing men come to the slow realization that the sole purpose of the CIA’s intrusion in this government exercise is to psychologically force people who have claimed to have seen a UFO to dismiss their claims (or beliefs).  Now it is only a matter of time for Colonel Moore to find his men and discover the truth before the government has the time to cover up the whole incident as nothing more than a simple accident during a routine training exercise.

The psychological thriller is actually quite well done even by ’74 standards as it is more concerned with the psychology of the soldiers than with actually discovering the alien menace.  This is a film about the government’s methods in regard to UFO sightings within their own ranks.  The film is written by George Simpson and Neal R. Burger and directed by Jud Taylor. Taylor is a regular of TV movies such as BROKEN VOWS (1987), THE OLD MAN & THE SEA (1990), FOXFIRE (1987), LICENSE TO KILL (1984), MURDER TIMES SEVEN (1990), KALEIDOSCOPE (1990), and WEEKEND OF TERROR (1970), to name a few, and this fits right in there with them.  The film is a competently made thriller which forces the audience to ask themselves a lot of questions about the way our government policies are implemented within their own ranks.

FILM REVIEW: WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE? (1974)

After the Earth is struck by solar flares people suddenly disappear in the TV movie WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE? (1974).  Steven Anders (Peter Graves) and his family are exploring the caverns on an archaeological dig when they are caught in an earthquake after the Earth is hit with powerful solar flares from the Sun.  It’s not long before Steven and his son and daughter (played by George O’Hanlon, Jr. and Kathleen Quinlan, respectfully) discover that everyone caught out in the open during the solar flares has been reduced to this white powder and only those immune are still alive.  Now they are a trip to get back home to discover the fate of their mother who was not with them when everything happened.

This is a road trip movie as Steven and his family discover what has happened to the world and how they plan on surviving in it as they meet other survivors both as companions in this new world and as a new type of menace where everyone is out to survive by any means necessary.

It’s an interesting concept that puts a modern-day science based look on a post-apocalyptic theme.  The film may lack the more gruesome elements of a typical horror film but it makes up for it with the psychological suspenseful elements, especially when the characters learn that the solar flares have made dogs slightly made and they must be careful what they eat and drink as some things have exposed to radiation.  It’s a film that speaks about the contemporary fears of the ‘70s while also producing an engaging film.

For a made for TV movie it’s not bad even if it has aged a bit in over forty years.

FILM REVIEW: JUST BEFORE DAWN (1981)

Five young campers are warned from going into the mountain wilderness by the local forest ranger Roy McLean (George Kennedy) in the ‘80s horror gem JUST BEFORE DAWN (1981).  The young campers are just trying to enjoy the weekend while also surveying the new property that one of them now owns but they soon run afoul of some locals and a killer that will protect and kill anyone that comes into his territory.  Now they must keep their wits and find a way off the mountain before they all become victims.

Jeff Lieberman directs and writes (with Mark Arywitz from a story by Jonas Middleton) this suspense filled horror film.  Lieberman’s other films include the popular SQUIRM, BLUE SUNSHINE, and SATAN’S LITTLE HELPER.  The film is very typical of other ‘80s horror films and has some creative kills but most memorable is the twist that comes halfway in the film that audiences aren’t expecting.

Kennedy is great as the “voice of reason” who tries to warn the campers and he’s given lots to work with as he returns during the third act.  Kennedy was a horror film fixture of the ‘80s with such cult films as CREEPSHOW 2, THE UNINVITED, THE TERROR WITHIN, DEMONWARP, and DEATH SHIP, to name a few.

JUST BEFORE DAWN isn’t one of the greatest horror films of the ‘80s but Lieberman crafted a film with ambition and therefore is an easily digestible time-waster.

FILM REVIEW: DON’T GO IN THE WOODS…ALONE! (1981)

Written by Garth Eliassen DON’T GO IN THE WOODS…ALONE! (1981) is your typical horror film of the ‘80s…or at least it tries to be.  A maniacal killer is loose in the woods killing people for no other reason than he wants to.  The film is filled with card board characters that get dispatched fast and relentlessly but there is no main character that really draws you into the story and keeps you engaged.  It also lacks the fun and gruesomeness of a FRIDAY THE 13^th or THE BURNING or MANIAC.

Directed by James Bryan whose other films include SEX ALIENS, WHAT EVER TURNS YOU ON, LADY STREET FIGHTER or BOOGIEVISION you can kind of get an idea of what you are in for.  Bryan doesn’t really direct a horror film but instead puts victims in front of the camera to be killed one by one in not all that original or creative of a way.

This is not a gem of the ‘80s horror boom but an easily forgotten misstep of straight to video fluff.  The most interesting aspect of the film is the original one-sheet poster.