Shudder Day: Intruder (1989)

 As I near the middle of a long week of work, how about a Slasher set in a Store?

I've somehow never seen this Cult Classic, so let's check out...

In a small California town, a Grocery Store is engrossed in drama as one of their Employees has an ex-boyfriend show up and he's violent.

He's forced to leave and surely the drama ends there. 

They find out that the Store is going to be sold at the end of the Month.

The Staff isn't happy.
The Co-Owner (middle) is also not on board, but he has no choice.

What happens for the next hour or so is that the Staff all split up to do their jobs (like marking down all of the items).

As someone who has done 2 Store Closings, I get this.

I like Ted Raimi's chances of survival here.

Meanwhile, the ex-boyfriend (Craig) lingers about and seems to make his way in.

Oh, so he's the Intruder (not this one, Joe Bob) then.

The body count finally starts to rise.

If you've found this Movie in any form of physical media, you'll see it listed as Starring Bruce Campbell (who plays a Cop in the last Scene) and Sam Raimi.

The latter is the Butcher, who does not much until getting hung up on his own petard...I mean, meat hook.

Can our Final Girl stop the crazed killer?
Will you find a version that doesn't SPOIL who that is?

Well, here's one.

To find out how it all goes down, stream it now.

An enjoyable Slasher Film that checks all of the boxes.

Technically, Joe Bob doesn't quite agree, but that's all good.

The Film doesn't feature a bunch of big names.  It doesn't break the mold plot-wise.
The Title is also generic, but that was by design from the Distributor.

Given the setting and tone, I'd have gone with 10 Kills or Less.  Just saying.

Intruder, however, hits all of the right beats and has its own little quirks.

At worst, it is a bit cliche.
At best, however, it gives you everything you'd want out of a Slasher Film that is not part of a Franchise.

That and weird ass shots like the POV of...a Phone Receiver?!?

A fun Slasher Film that takes a bit to get going.  If you go into it looking for all of the tropes and a good time, they are both here.

Forgotten Sequels: The Fly II

 A Film I covered in the very early days of the Site.  It was lost talked about in the FIRST Obama Administration, so it is due for a revisit.

This is the least forgotten, but most maligned of the Sequels to The Fly- The Fly II.

Made in 1989 and without Cronenberg's involvement, the Film is considered by many to be a cheap cash grab.  Is it though?

The Plot is in fact a direct Sequel and it involves the birth of Seth Brundle's spawn.  It grows up and is special...but is it also a monster.

There are some overlaps between this and Return of the Fly, but it's not a one-to-one situation.

To find out if this is as bad as everyone says or not, read on...

In a rehash from the last Film (since Geena Davis turned down a Cameo), we see the woman give birth to a strange insect baby.

She dies Padme-style, but the creature is soon revealed to be an infant (in a cocoon of some sort).

A few years later, the kid grows up really fast- like impossibly-so.

Martin's a Science Genius Boy and basically Young Sheldon, if he lived in a lab.
He can already outsmart most of the folks around him.

His 'childhood' is only marred by constant monitoring and seeing his pet dog turned into a monster in a failed Teleporter Test.

At Age 5, he's now Eric Stoltz.
Well, he was the original Marty McFly, so that tracks.

He doesn't sleep- due to his constant growth- and grows lonely.

He falls for Daphne Zuniga (cast by uncredited Producer Mel Brooks after she was in Spaceballs) and they work on the device some more.

He has a freakout when he learns that the dog was actually kept alive (in a matter of speaking) and he mercy-kills it.

Martin also hooks up with Zuniga...only for her to be moved away from him.
It is soon revealed- by Garry Chalk's Goresby- that they filmed it.

Eric does not take this well!

He's also beginning to mutate and soon learns that this was the plan all along.

The tests- a show.
The medicine- placebo.

Stoltz goes through a series of masks (fitting!) as his condition worsens.

We get a brief Cameo from John Getz, who was a co-worker of Goldblum's in the last Film who got maimed.

Him and his clearly fake beard help the duo keep away from the bad guys for a little bit.

Martin transforms so much that he can't escape and he cocoons up at the bad guys' lair.

He emerges as a monstrous Brundle Fly and starts killing people in his way.

This guy gets a face full of acid in an effect that only the '80s could give us.

Who wants cherry syrup?

He kills all of the bad guys, save for the guy who raised him to be an experiment.

Earlier, Martin learned that he can go in the Pod with someone and give them all of his bad genes (just go with it).

He does it to the boss, leaving him as a monster and Martin normal.
To be continued...in a 2015 Comic.

The End.

A better Film than it gets credit for.  That said, it is definitely a Film of two halves.

The first half is an interesting tale of innocence, deceit and corporate corruption.  Martin is led around and used for all that he can be.

The second half is when he becomes a full-on Monster and starts killing folks- bad ones, at least!  There's a bit of a disconnect- to say the least.

That said, they hired a guy (Chris Walas) who did Special Effects for Return of the Jedi, Piranha and Humanoids from the Deep.  Oh, and the original...Remake.
He'd only go on to Direct one other Film, an Episode of Tales from the Crypt and a Documentary...about himself.

Having said all that, I did enjoy the two disparate halves of the Film.  It scratches that gooey and gross Practical F/X itch for me.

Also, is that a young John Fitzgerald Byers from The X-Files?!?

Next up, my detour is over and my return to Bond is nigh.  I hope this one holds up as well as the last one did!  Stay tuned...

Bonus Doc: Terror in the Aisles- The TV Cut

 What happens when a Film that once existed solely as a Special Feature gets its own?

Well, for some backstory, the 1984 Documentary I covered recently was first rediscovered and put on the Blu-Ray release of Halloween II.

It's also the version that cut Mustapha Akkad's credit, so nothing is perfect.

In 2020, Terror got its own release and that came with Special Features of its own.

Besides the usual- Interviews with people involved- they also included the TV Cut of the Film.

How different is it?
Let's find out...

For starters, they didn't go through this version of the Film and restore it.

So, I put this shot from the previous Review in for comparison.
Do you miss the crisp HD look at Pleasence talking directly at you through the screen?

The main difference here is that they use a whole bunch of DIFFERENT Films for Clips and references.

It is not a full replace, but you get to see stuff that features less (or no) blood and no Nudity.

As such, let's put a Film in that was super recent at the time- Firestarter.

Remember in that last bit I talked about how they used different Films due to content.

Well, I should also point out that they include THE ENTIRE Dream Sequence from An American Werewolf in London.

The shooting, the stabbing and all of the nightmare fuel of it!

Credit to the Editors in some regards though.

The part where they talk about Nudity is obviously different for the TV Cut.

That involves selective cutting, like going right to the lady diving into the Ocean in Jaws, rather than letting you see the back of her for a few seconds.

This Version also features A TON of Universal content here too.

We get the Metalluna Mutant, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, the giant Mantis and the Film that inspired the fear of all cat owners.

The Incredible Shrinking Man.

The TV Cut also features footage from a Film I somehow haven't seen (or completely forgot that I have)- The Funhouse.

Remember, this was put in there to make it safe to run on TV in the '80s.

What even were the standards.

Lastly, I should mention that stuff you wouldn't even think of for a Film called Terror in the Aisles is in this Cut.

For example, the Book Collecting/Burning Scene from Fahrenheit 451.

At least they accidentally included something that has inspired real fright in the last couple of years.

All in all, the TV Cut is fine...but maybe bother restoring that one too, folks?
Just a suggestion.

Doc(umentary) Hollywood: Terror in the Aisles (1984)

 What is Horror?
Well, forget that question- this is about TERROR Films.

This is Terror in the Aisles, a 1984 Documentary about Thrillers and the Horror Genre.  It was actually released in some areas as That's Shock!, as a play on That's Entertainment, a pair of '70s Documentaries about Hollywood Films.

This one is a pretty loose attempt to show you a bunch of Horror Movie clips.
There's sort of a message.
There's sort of a point.

Nowadays it would be done on AMC and spread out over like 7 Episodes, so doing it in 80 minutes is a treat.

To see how this nearly forgotten Documentary was restored in recent Years, read on...

Donald Pleasence is here to talk to the Camera during a full Screening of...I guess lots of Films.

He talks about fright and human emotions for a bit in his great voice.

The Film occasionally tries to make a point.

Something about how we seek out terror.
Something about how we enjoy it.

Oh and let's make this topical (and then dated in a week) with him talking about how Texas Chainsaw Massacre was based on the life of Ed Gein.

For some reason, he says it as 'Ed GUY-ne' and not 'Gee-n.'

He also says that, well, he was also a...

'It was acceptable in the '80s...'

Since it is not just about Horror Films, they have more free reign with the clips/segments.

This one heavily features bits from Nighthawks, Vice Squad, Dressed to Kill and Marathon Man, for instance.

Clearly it is not!

For pacing, the Film splits up the Movies selected somewhat by Theme.

After talking about Villains (above), it turns to terror from other places.

Cue Alien, The Thing and, oh, hi Jeff.

I should mention that Donald is not our only Sometimes Narrator.

Nancy Allen also pops in at times, like to talk about how Horror Movie Victims tend to be Women.

Liked Donald, she also doesn't mention when she herself is included in the Clips chosen...

'Dressed to Narrate'

The best and worst thing about the Film is the sheer eclectic nature of the Films highlighted here.

So many are ones you'd imagine- like Rosemary's Baby, Jaws, Psycho and Night of the Living Dead- while others are just a bit odd.

For instance, brief clips can be seen of 1975's Bug (below), Suspiria and even Frogs.
That's a trio that definitely.... goes together?

In summary, some light reflection on humor nature from Donald Pleasence, a shotgun blast of random Film Clips (how else do you have Scanners and Konga in one Film?) and...that's it.

It's weird and kind of fun, even if there's not much of a point.

The End.

I wish I had more to say.

Of course, I wish the Film had more to say.

If you're not big into Films or, you know, obsessed with them like I am, you will probably get more out of this. 
You'll have seen less of the Films. 
You'll have not heard the points 40x by now.

That said, I was entertained.  
It is a bunch of great Films, many silly ones and some less mentioned ones all in one package.

I must again point out some recency bias as the first 1/3 heavily uses Scenes from Nighthawks and Vice Squad- two Films from 1982.
If that's why we get the 'You've got to be f***ing kidding me' Scene from The Thing, I guess I can live with that.

Kudos for mixing in stuff like The Brood, Wait Until Dark, Ms. 45 and others in with the more obvious fare.

Seriously, look at this selection of Films mentioned (for the VERY complicated Film Credits at the end) here and tell me you can find a throughline....

Next up, a proper Halloween Review that is STILL not Trick 'r Treat.  Sorry, but this one is hopefully good and cheesy!  Stay tuned...

Tubi Thursday: Stage Fright (1987)

 A whole bunch of big names for fans of Italian Horror united for this Film!

Michele Soavi.
George Eastman.
Joe D'amato.
Simon Boswell.

This is...

A local Theater is finishing up their preparation for a bizarre Stage Musical based on a fictional Character known as the Night Owl.

It's like if Dario Argento made Fame...off-Broadway.

The Plot hinges upon a pair of massive coincidences, so bear with me...

One of the Dancers hurt her ankle, so she sneaks out to a Hospital.

A Mental Hospital, that is.  
No, really.

While getting aid, a famous killer escapes and hides out in their car.

Back at the Studio, he kills the friend and sneaks in...

The Director (who puts the DICk in Director) fires the lady, but then keeps her around later.

The Police stake out the building when the body is found, while he locks everyone inside to practice!

The Show must go on...and is now about the real Killer!

Said Killer eventually kills and takes the place of Brett, the guy in the killer's outfit.

Brett is Giovanni Lombardo Radice, by the way, which either means lots to you...or nothing whatsoever.

The killer manages to take out the new Lead Actress under the guise of rehearsal, before being chased off.

He somehow knows the Building better than everyone and picks them off one at a time.

Meanwhile, two Cops sit outside uselessly.

The Cast is whittled down to- and this will shock you- a Final Girl and the Killer.

Can she survive?
Stream it to find out.

A fun, stylish Film that feels both very '80s and very Italian.

From me, that's a compliment btw.

As mentioned, the Plot hinges upon our stupid Leads going to a Mental Hospital for a sprained ankle.  That and the Cast watching him literally kill someone before they go '...wait a second.'

The kills are very creative and the gore is effective without being too over-the-top mostly.

I'd prefer to see it Subbed, but whatever.

It's such a weird, but simple premise and I kind of love it.  Given that this guy would go on to make The Church, I was happy to see how well this turned out.

It's not Soavi's greatest Film, but it is possibly the dawning of the age of...

A very strange and ridiculous Film in all of the right ways.  If you like '80s Italian Horror, check it out.

Tubi Thursday: Cutting Class (1989)

 How have I not ever done this one?!?

Oh right- it is a Horror Comedy.

Let's see how good a Film that sat on a shelf for 2 years before being released truly is...

Our Final Girl's Dad- Martin Mull- goes out hunting and is, well, hunted himself.

He's shot with an arrow...but he'll keep popping throughout the Film.
It is that kind of Film.

The Film focuses on her and her friends- notably Brad Pitt is among them.

He's 80% of the reason this got an HD Remaster.

They're all kind of jerks, but she's nice.
That's the rule, right?

Another Student is back from a long time away in a Mental Hospital.

The fact that he looks like early '90s Jim Bruer doesn't help his case for sanity either.

The School is also full of jerks in authority, like the Principal here.

Roddy McDowall is back in this kind of role and, like Angel IV: Undercover, he's never punished for his crimes.

He was also the Principal in 'Class of 1999.'

People start dying at the School, though the killer does a good job hiding the bodies.

He manages to kill the Art Teacher (see the Stinger), the Slutty Friend and some random guy before his offing of the Vice Principal is discovered.

The 'crazy' guy is blamed- he also just wandered up as the body was found- and goes into hiding.

He tries to convince our Final Girl that he's not the killer- Brad Pitt is.

To see how it all plays out, stream it now.

A Film that is actually kind of...good?  It's not great, but it has moments.

I was worried about this one as a 'Horror Comedy.'  That is harder to pull off than people think.
This one just has weird, silly moments, but never makes humor out of the deaths.

The big draw here since, well, the 1990s is Brad Pitt as the main Jock.  He's pretty good.  He definitely goes a bit broad at times, but that could be part of an issue with the direction.

This Film was Directed by Rospo Pallenberg (who co-wrote for stuff like Exorcist 2 and Zardoz).  It is his only Film as a Director...and, as mentioned, was shelved for 2 years.

The Writer did go on to create Salute Your Shorts, at least.

All in all, it is a Horror Comedy that is played mostly-straight and kind of works.  It won't (and didn't) win any Awards, but it was enjoyable for me.

And now a quick look at the Baywatch Auditions going on across town...

A Film that is mostly famous for its breakout Star.  It works as a fairly straight Slasher, in contrast to the slew of then-recent Parodies.