Horror Show

[RivkahChaya]

Oh. I thought it was a mistake for "nuclear radiation." I haven't seen this since I was about 8, and it was on late-night TV. I probably slept through most of it. A UK film set in the US should be interesting. That doesn't happen much.

[Robert]

As I recall, they were boosting their radar signal with nuclear power. Hence the trouble. Nuclear power was at the bottom of many such films in those days. I think there's a line about a brain being "sucked out like an egg through its shell."

[RivkahChaya]

"Nuclear radar"?

[Robert]

I'm glad this one finally made it to you tube :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M-MtZkZOzw

[Robert]

Ah yes, Theatre of Blood. Robert Morley unwittingly eats his own poodles.

Scream and Scream Again contains the line "I'm a composite too."

[RivkahChaya]

Watched one of my all time favourites over the weekend: Theatre of Blood, with the incomparable Vincent Price and the scrumptious Diana Rigg.

I love that movie!

"Nobody dies in Merchant of Venice...."
"Leave it to him to rewrite Shakespeare."

BTW, Diana Rigg was more than just "scrumptious"; she was also quite good.

[Magpie]

Watched one of my all time favourites over the weekend: Theatre of Blood, with the incomparable Vincent Price and the scrumptious Diana Rigg.

This week I'll hopefully get a chance to watch Scream and Scream Again, again.

[Magpie]

If anyone is interested, the shots of things getting stuck in people's heads were done by filming the sequence backwards, and slower, then reversing and speeding up the film.

The funny part is when they have the ball stuck in their foreheads for the blood pumping, they simply use a ball with the end of the blades cut off and the actors are just literally holding them up to their foreheads.

[RivkahChaya]

In a morass of slasher flicks, Phantasm stood out as been very original and creative, of not always comprehensible. It also relied on a lot of dream sequences and surreal imagery, before such things became a total cliche.

Pt 2 tonight, hopefully

It also looks like a film that was conceptualized as a 3D film, but not made that way-- or even filmed with 3D sequences, but not released that way; that's why the excess of objects flying around, especially the scenes where they fly at the screen, then the perspective shifts, and they are sticking out of someone's head. Those are what you go to 3D films to see; in fact, lots of people would pay the matinee price for two hours of just flying objects, with no story line, in 3D.

The film was made in the late 70s, when there was a bizarre 50s nostalgia craze, and an attempt to revive 3D filming, accompanied by theatrical re-releases of some 50s 3D successes, like Vincent Price's House of Wax, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon (which rocks in 3D).

If anyone is interested, the shots of things getting stuck in people's heads were done by filming the sequence backwards, and slower, then reversing and speeding up the film.

[Magpie]

In a morass of slasher flicks, Phantasm stood out as been very original and creative, of not always comprehensible. It also relied on a lot of dream sequences and surreal imagery, before such things became a total cliche.

Pt 2 tonight, hopefully

[RivkahChaya]

I have vague memories of number one. Flying metal spheres which drill through peoples heads, chopped of fingers which become large house flies,hooded dwarfs ( possibly extraterrestrials ), and the tall man. The screenwriter made a real effort it seems on the originality front.

I saw Phantasm on a double-bill at a drive-in with The Manitou, the latter of which is one of those "so bad it's good" movies. It seriously has to be seen to be believed.

I was only about 12 or 13-- a friend's older sister took us, and some other neighborhood kids in a pick-up truck. It was really fun. But I didn't follow the plot of Phantasm very well, so I didn't find it scary. I didn't find The Manitou scary either, but I enjoyed it, the same way I enjoyed all those Universal horror sequels, like Dracula meets the Wolf Man, and House of Frankenstein.

[Scorpio]

Speaking of horror classics, I just started a "Phantasm" marathon. I picked up all four movies. From what I remember, the first one scared the living bejeezus out of everyone I knew when it can out. I also remember that number 4 was so monumentally lame that it took me about 3 days to watch it, just so I could say I'd seen them all.

I have vague memories of number one. Flying metal spheres which drill through peoples heads, chopped of fingers which become large house flies,hooded dwarfs ( possibly extraterrestrials ), and the tall man. The screenwriter made a real effort it seems on the originality front.

[Robert]

"The Devil Rides Out" is one of my all time favourites, along with "Dead of Night," "Night of the Demon" and the first Frankenstein film.

[RivkahChaya]

Regarding Silence of the Lambs I think there must be something wrong with me. Far from finding it scarey I found it very funny. All I could see was Anthony Hopkins in a stupid mask making silly noises. I'd say it was one of the least frightening movies that I've ever seen.

I agree that it wasn't especially scary. I thought of it more as a mystery with some gross parts, than a horror film. I thought it was pretty insulting to transgendered people, as well. I enjoyed the interviews the director gave after it came out, about how the murderer [SPOILER ALERT] wasn't really transgendered, he only thought he was, because he was crazy, and that's why he killed people, which a genuinely transgendered person would, of course, never do.

[louisa]

I haven't read the Haunting of Hill House but yes, I can well believe it would be scarey. I've seen the movie and it was quite scarey the first time I saw it (I was just a teenager then).

The first horror movie I think I ever saw was on TV. It was 'The Devil Rides Out' (from the book by Dennis Wheatley). The part where the Angel of Death turns out scared the wotsit out of me! I watched the film again recently and all I could see was the terrible acting and a poor attempt at an early form of computer graphics.

Regarding Silence of the Lambs I think there must be something wrong with me. Far from finding it scarey I found it very funny. All I could see was Anthony Hopkins in a stupid mask making silly noises. I'd say it was one of the least frightening movies that I've ever seen.