Holiday Flix: Wacko (1982)

 A Horror Film Parody that came after Scream.  The 1981 Film Scream, to be clear.  That's what everyone means, right?

1982 brought us Wacko, a Parody of the then-recent trend of Slasher Films in the U.S.  Who else to make fun of other Movies than the Director of Angels Revenge and Black Shampoo.  Yes, it is Greydon Clark, the man who later bring us such Classics as Final Justice, The Uninvited and his magnum opus- StarGames.

The Plot is an intentional mish-mash of Halloween and Prom Night.  Weirdly, there's not a strong Jamie Lee Curtis Parody here.  Was that too obvious?  There is a John Travolta one, since...um, Carrie...I guess.

The Film features many Characters Actors of past and present, such as George Kennedy (also in Uninvited), Charles Napier (famous for battling Ron Jeremy's evil dick) and Joe Don Baker (also in Justice).

Is this a Parody Film for the ages or another Student Bodies?  To find out, read on...

A pumpkin-headed killer- played by Clark in this Scene- kills a girl, but leaves 2 survivors.

One of them is missing, while the other is our Final Girl- Julia Duffy from Newhart.

13 years later, Duffy's Mom (Stella Stevens- who would Guest Star on Newhart) and Dad (Kennedy) are...well, a bit off too.

A running gag involves him peeping on his Daughter...because reasons.
Also the little Brother is Damien...because other reasons.

A crazy man suspected of being the killer escapes this year, which drives a Detective- Joe Don Baker- to suspect that he will kill again.

Of course, he's a non-Walking Tall Joe Don Baker...so he's just a fat, crazy drunk.

The School is celebrating Halloween and Prom Night- see the Intro- on the same night...somehow.  It's a real mystery.

Here's a real topical joke for you- Hitchcock vs DePalma.

Napier- in his one Scene- tells Baker to let it go, but he won't.

He's also named Chief O'Hara.

Are you laughing yet?

The Film is essentially just a bunch of B-Plots and random gags.  They include...

- Andrew 'Dice' Clay as fake John Travolta, who's too horny.

- Duffy's Boyfriend- Norman Bates- getting excited and 'revving like a lawnmower.

- A creepy Principal.

- Kennedy being a terrible Doctor (it turns out his first name is just Doctor- ha).

- A Mad Scientist- who's apparently Joseph Mengele- mutating the Football Team...in a bit with no follow-up.

On the plus side, you can see that they fixed the typo from 2 pictures back.

Throughout the Film, Baker pursues some numerous suspects, including the Janitor (in a Scene where they literally say it is time to question the suspicious Janitor), a bald weido in a trenchcoat and a guy who keeps trying to get his attention.

The end of one chase with the bald guy ends in his car going up a ramp and...flying away.

Huh?!?

The Film FINALLY gets to the point in the last 20 minutes and the killer offs Clay and a few others.

They confront Duffy, who keeps maiming them and they keep getting back up.

It's a joke about how you can't kill Michael Meyers and Jason can't be killed.  Too bad they explain the joke.

Side-note: we were only 2 and 3 Films respectively into those Film Series' when this came out.  Think about that.

The killer turns out to be- dun dun dun- Baker the whole time.

The original killer did escape, but was nice now.
The bald weirdo was the traumatized kid from the beginning.

They all learn...um...I'll get back to you on that one.  The End.

A silly Film that can be fun.  Like Airplane or its ilk, they throw a joke a minute (often less) at you.  Unlike that Film, these jokes...aren't that funny.  Supposedly Clark bought a Parody Script and then got his friends to help him 'liven it up.'

That facts comes to you courtesy of a 2019 Director's Commentary on the Blu-Ray release.  As you can see, I did NOT get Caps from that release.

The Film is all over the place story and reference-wise.  While it directly parodies 2 Films (kind of), it also parodies Psycho, The Omen and others.  Why though?  On top of that, it is full of random stuff that is either creepy- like Kennedy's pervy dad- or just random- like Dr. Mengele.

I can see those guys hanging around for like 5-6 hours and getting drunk while pitching bits and lines.  It just feels like nobody sober then went behind them to polish this thing.  As such, it is less Airplane and more National Lampoon's Movie Madness.  Or, if you want a more modern comparison, it is less Scary Movie and more Scary Movie 5.

All of the best Comedies literally explain the joke to you, right?

Happy Halloween!  Just watch out for Lawnmowers.

Shudder Sunday: V/H/S/94 (2020)

 As my final bit of penance for last week's absence of Shudder Sunday, here's...the Film that came before their latest new thing.

Gotta look back before you look forward, right?  It is...

In the Framing Device, a SWAT Team is breaking into the compound of some sort of Cult.

They all appear to be dead, mutilated and...watching TV.

In the first Tale, a Reporter goes all out to get the story of Ratman, a City's local (unseen) menace.

Let's just say that some legends are best left alone.

In the second Tale, a young woman is left to run an empty Wake.  What's that knocking sound?

Now the lights are out and...uh oh.

In the third Tale, a Mad Scientist is experimenting upon hapless victims in Malaysia. 
What's his master plan?

How do things get *worse* when help arrives?!?

In the final Tale, some (do I need to say White) Militia Men are planning an attack on a Government Building.

What is their secret weapon?
What will happen when it is turned on them?

As for what happens in the ever-stranger Framing Device, well, you'll have to stream and see.

A pretty strange and mixed set of Horror Shorts.  In case you're new to the Site (in which case, welcome!), you'll know that Found Footage is not my favorite thing.  The Films get too reliant on certain clichés and are usually too drawn out.

Well, if you put 4 (arguably 5) shorter ones together, that's...actually better.  Each one is by different people and thus has many differences.

As far as ranking the Segments, I'd say my most favorite is probably the first one, although the third one is right up there.  The second one has a few genuinely-good moments, but it spaced out a bit too much for me.  The final one is good too, while it also has more trouble explaining the 'why is this being filmed' issue.  The third one sure plays fast and loose with that aspect.

V/H/S 94 is all over the place, going from atmospheric horror to claustrophobic terror to splatter fest and (sort of) revenge tale throughout its pieces.  Regardless, they're all pretty good, as is this take on an Infinity Shot...

As an Anthology Film, it could do with more cohesion.  That said, each part is good and memorable in their own way.

Shudder Saturday: The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch (1968)

 To make up for the last 2 Sunday Posts (or lack thereof), here's a random double-feature.

For the first part, a random Japanese Film involving a little girl, some snakes and a Witch!

In the Cold Open, this lady is killed by a snake. 
Who is she?
Does this matter?

Moving on...

A young girl named Sayuri is adopted by a loving Family, which turns out to be her real one.  Is there a better word for this instance?

Things are great...until her new/old/current Dad is called away to Africa to examine some sort of snake.  Bye for the whole Film, Dad.

Who's that strange person watching her?

Why is Sayuri having weird dreams and seeing things like snakes falling into her bed?

It turns out it is a girl living upstairs named Tamami, who has some weird marks on her face and is very unhappy to have Sayuri around.

Mom also says that she can only stay downstairs while Dad is away, which is a Red Flag!

Sayuri deals with her new Sister being mean to her and the others in the House- Mom and the Maid- and her weird dreams.

Is she seeing things or what?

Things don't get better, with her only solace coming from visits to her 'Brother' (an older boy at the Foster Home- which is like 5 minutes away on foot).

More weird dreams and she starts to suspect that Tamami is the Titular Snake Girl.

Also there's a Witch, as the Title suggests.

What's real and what's fake?  Well, no SPOILERS here.

A fun Film, even if it doesn't quite deliver on all of its promises.  What the Film really gets right is Atmosphere.  The idea is that everything- save for that opening- is the little girl's perspective.  Is she a Reliable or Unreliable Narrator?  Is she imagining things?

Speaking of Narration, her constant Narration early on is fine...but it can become a crutch to have Characters just explain how they feel.  It's right on the line here, possibly over by a bit.

The actual Story is nice, building up slowly and getting to a nice Climax.  You're going to love or hate how they wrap things up.  It's not *quite* what I was hoping for, but I'm not going to say that it was done badly.  They just made a choice- logical or otherwise- that I probably wouldn't have.

Regardless, The Snake Girl is a nice little Film from Japan that shows you the depth of what Shudder offers.  It's not just Slasher Films, Found Footage Films and Joe Bob Briggs.  Ugly or not, it has plenty of options...

A fairly-dated, but fun Film nonetheless.  For giving us a unique perspective on the Story, it gets lots of points from me.

Holiday Flix: Mad Monster Party? (1967)

 I feel a little bit bad that my initial viewing coincided with the death of its Director.  I know it had no effect on anything, but it still feels...weird.  In less eerie talk, this is Mad Monster Party?, a 1967 Film by the Rankin-Bass duo.  They did alot for Christmas, but what about Halloween?

Built on the success of  the hit song 'The Monster Mash,' they got Karloff- who was impersonated for the song- for this picture.  He plays Dr. Frankenstein- a Role he played in the 1950s for a Film set in 1970- and he has an Heir to take over his job.  Will his Monster minions accept it?

The Film has all of the feel of their earlier work, just with a Horror twist.  Is it enough or is it super-dated silliness?  To find out, read on...

Dr. Frankenstein is in charge of the World Monster Council.  It must be fun.

He plans to retire- to Florida?- and calls all of the big-time Monsters to a Party(?).

In America, his clumsy, allergy-ridden Nephew is given an invite and leaves for the Island.

I'd leave if this Mr. Sprocket was my boss too.

At the Castle, The Monster and his Mate celebrate with a song.  His Mate is Phyllis Diller, which checks out.

I just watch his Mate (of like 2 minutes) played by the Author of his Story, so f@#k it.

In a B-Plot, Not Peter Lorre is in love with Frankenstein's Assistant.

Well, it gets it to 95 minutes (with Credits).

He tells the group- which includes Dracula, The Mummy, Not The Creature From the Black Lagoon, a Werewolf and The Hunchback of Notre Dame- that he will retire.

This leads to some of them conspiring to kill his Nephew.

Their plans all fail due to schtick.  Hilarity ensues.

Things take an odd turn when the plan gets more complicated with, well, every monster turning on the Doctor and wanting to kill the Assistant too.

Our Hero- who disappeared for a while- stands up for her and saves her twice, albeit by accident.

Before they can kidnap her, she calls It, a creature they have teased the whole Film.  What is It?

It is King Kong.  
Oh, that's why they had plane earlier, ha.

In the odd finale, all of the Monsters are in one of It's hands and the Doctor is in the other.  Said Doctor uses his anti-life liquid to just blow them all up in a mushroom cloud.

Far away, the young lovers learn the truth about each other- they are both Robots.  The (dark) End.

A weird, trippy little Film.  Rankin-Bass have a certain charm to their work and it is prevalent here.  No question- they made Classic Films.

Is this as good?  No.

While enjoyable, the Film is a bit uneven and unfocused.  Our Hero, for instance, is absent for long stretches of time.  Other Characters- like The Monster's Mate- take over with their Musical Numbers and banter.  Is there too much Phyllis Diller?  Maybe.

I did like the Film.  The problem is just that it is so silly and all over the place.  If it was more focused, it would be truly great.  

As it is, it is so-so Rankin-Bass Film.  You could do worse.  Now I couldn't decide which Dated Reference to close out with, so here's both...

***A 1960s Batman joke OR a Parody of 'Some Like It Hot' at the Ending***

A fun, flawed Film for your Halloween Party- be it a big one or a one-person one.  Just know that it is not quite the Classic that the Christmas stuff is.

Tubi Thursday: Mark of the Witch (1970)

 As October winds down, I might as well squeeze one more Witch Film out of this.

Let's see what a 1970 Horror Film can do...

300 years or so ago (from when this was made) a Witch is put on Trial and killed, but first she vows revenge on the family line of McIntyre.

Do they always let them rant and rave before death?  So generous.

In the Present (of 1970), some cool, hip kids and their Professor are having a Party.

He's teaching them all about Magic and Witches- at least the History of them.

At the Party, one of them decides to do a Ritual to summon a Witch.  Sure, why not?

It doesn't seem to work...but then she's acting strange later.

She's actually possessed by the Witch.  I guess it did work.

She confronts the Teacher, since he's- drum roll please- the latest heir in the McIntyre line.  What a shocking development.

She goes about a plan to accrue power.

Can she be stopped before she makes the right amount of (human) sacrifices
Is the last McIntyre up to the task?

What's the context of this shot?

To find out, stream the Film now.

It's nothing groundbreaking, but it can be a fun one.  The Film is very much of a product of its time in all of the good and bad ways.  The fashions and lingo are very late-60s, most notably.  This is also the period where Pop Culture and the Occult really started to mesh, giving us a Decade plus of stuff like The Omen and The Exorcist.

If those Films are Porterhouse Steak, this is definitely a Salisbury Steak.  It has all of the elements, but is definitely not as classy and refined.  It will still, ultimately, taste good.  Have I stretched this metaphor too thin yet? 

The Plot is fine.  It is pretty simple- lady becomes evil and guys try to figure out how to stop her- and it works.  Along the way, we get random dudes and ladies getting killed.  We get a big confrontation- no SPOILERS- and a nice little twist at the end- double no SPOILERS.

If you're Fans of Witch Films and want a semi-campy throwback Film or love what I call Time Capsule Films (the ones that really reflect the fashions/sounds of their time), it's an easy recommendation.  It's nothing special, but it is fun.

If that Witch ever tries something in the modern day, something tells me that the current McIntyre in the Family Line can take care of himself...

A fun, simple little Film that foreshadows the more complex Occult Films to come.  It won't fill you up, but you also won't throw up.

Streaming Standard: Underwater (2020)

 A Film that was buried for 2 years and unearthed...right as COVID spread initially.  This had about the same luck as The New Mutants, but with no Marvel connection.

Is this an underappreciated gem or all wet?  This is...

Deep underwater at a Mining Rig, things seem fine.

Yep, nothing bad is going to happen.

Oh right- the whole thing starts to fall apart and explode.

Only a handful of people make it.  Unfortunately, one of them is TJ Miller.

They find the Captain- Vincent Cassell- who tells them that the only way to escape is by going 7 miles further down.

They have to put on some Leviathan-style Suits to wander around in the dark.

At least they are less silly than the ones in DeepStar Six or more disappointing than the HAZMAT Suits in The Rift. 

They are attacked by a strange creature while searching for survivors- 6 miles down in the Mariana Trench- and it's...not something you want to see in your Bathroom at night.

Being stuck with them in at the bottom of the Ocean- far worse.

Can they escape the dark, wet and dangerous void to reach the surface?

Will the creatures get them?
What's that big thing again?

To find out, watch the Film now.  It's around, so track it down.

A fun Film, if we're being honest.  It is one of those Films that seemed to really 'go for it.'  You get the harsh, cold metal of the suits and locations.  You get the black void of walking around on the bottom of the Ocean.  You get the thrills of people surrounded by *something* at all times in a place they can't escape.

What could go wrong?

This is where you're expecting me to talk about all of the bad stuff, right?  Well, there's not much.  I mean, did I need to root for TJ Miller after 2019?  No, right?

That aside, the Film- while a bit melodramatic, if we're being 100- is well-made, looks nice and really builds to a nice conclusion.  No SPOILERS, other than that the creatures get quite a bit bigger.  It's a great payoff.

Underwater is a Film that Fox didn't care about for 2 years and then dumped into Theaters at the worst time in recent memory.  If you're into stuff like the Alien Films or the many Underwater Horror Films I referenced earlier- also The Abyss-, then it is worth checking out.  In fitting with its 2020 release date, they all wear strong PPE...

Yeah, it's actually good.  Go see it.  Funny third line.