Over the course of October I watched a handful of classic 80's horror movies. Some silly, some serious, and some that surprised me.
Phantasm - Okay, technically this was 1979, but close enough... As for the movie itself, I don't even know... I think the best way to watch this one is after being up 2 days straight, and watching it at like midnight. It's so messy. I get what they were going for... mostly... kinda? Of all the movies on the list, it's the one that has most stuck in my brain. Apparently it stuck in the writer/director's brain too, cause they made 4 sequels, the last of which came out in 2016... Is it crazy I'm considering watching them?
Killer Klowns from Outer Space - Campy, silly, and shockingly restrained on the gore. They were really keeping to the PG-13 rating on this one. Aside from making it somewhat kid friendly, it was pretty much exactly what they promised.
Chopping Mall - Teens locked in a mall at night with killer security robots. When you think of 80's horror/slasher type films, this is exactly the type of movie you're thinking of, with all the expected levels of questionable writing & acting, nudity, and gore.
From Beyond - An HP Lovecraft story updated with 80's tech. Better than it deserved to be, but I'm also a big fan of Jeffry Combs from his days on Star Trek DS9, so I'm sure that influences things a little. I want to go read the original story and see how much it diverges from it. There's definitely a lot to talk about in the framing of BDSM in the movie, but it's really too much for this quick review, not really in the theme of the blog, and I'm sure others have already written on it.
Re-Animator - Also an HP Lovecraft story adaptation, made the year before From Beyond, with many of the same actors, but not as good. It just didn't hold my attention the same way, but then I think things from other dimensions make more interesting antagonists than zombies.
Lifeforce - Sexy Space Vampires who spend most of the movie naked. Mathilda May is stunning and otherworldly, and make watching the movie worth it all by herself. It was a wildly ambitious movie in scope, storytelling, and special effects (which hold up remarkably well). Unfortunately it ends up a bit of a mess reaching has far as it did, but it's still impressive.
Booooyyyyyyy!!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the final Phantasm movie, but my rokmmate and I watched and rewatched these movies back in the 90s. They're definitely not Citizen Kane, but fun.
I should track down those HPL movies Also a fan of Combs on ST. But never saw these horror movies. I don't remember watching Lifeforce, either.
Killer Clowns and Chopping Mall were kinda meh in my oppinion.