Forgotten TV: The Outer Limits- 'Quality of Mercy'

 A famous Episode of this Revival gets its due.

Time to explore...

In 'Quality of Mercy,' we get the cruelest of all Bottle Episodes.

A Space Soldier (Robert Patrick) is captured and thrown in a cell with a woman Prisoner.

They're both held by some powerful Aliens that are trying to destroy humanity.

He feels for her after he learns that she's being experimented on.
They are trying to turn her into one of them!

He knows that he has to expedite their escape!

He can get into the vents, but getting anywhere else is another matter!

Meanwhile, the poor lady gets more and more deformed by the experiments.

Can he save her?!?

His attempts continue to fail, ending with him getting a wounded leg and losing one of his hands to an alien!

She asks him to kill her, but he can't bring himself to do that.

Instead, he gives her hope- all that he can, at least.

He tells her about an Earth Fleet hiding and preparing to attack the alien home world.  She thanks him for this.

The Guard enters and this time she doesn't fight him.

She reveals that they have been transforming her- turning her BACK into one of them.
He just gave away Earth intel that they needed!

Whoops!

The End.

Wow.  That one was something!

It's a great example of how you can do so much with so little.

We get two people in a Cell.
We get weird little puppet creatures.
We get one big alien in a suit.

That's it.

In spite of that, they milk so much emotion, drama and intrigue out of things.
It's a master class in minimalist execution.

The twist is contentious as some people go 'I figured it out right away.'
If you did, more power to you.  You still got to enjoy the Episode.

It's a must-see for fans of the Show- no question.

Now why did they pose for this?

Next time, we jump to Season 2 and a Time Jump is part of the Plot.  What happens when you're gone?  See you then...

Shudder Day: Tales from the Crypt - 'King of the Road'

This Episode features a famous Guest Star.
This Episode also feels very different- and there's a reason for that.

Before all that, let's dive right into...

The Cryptkeeper appears and talks about how he's in a Theater Troupe.

This has nothing to do with the Story whatsoever and...well, there's a reason for that.

The Story is about a young, brash and tattooed guy- Brad Pitt- who is a Street Racer.

He bests someone in a classic car and moves on to a new conquest.

Apparently, the town Sheriff used to be a racer named Iceman (was his name Bobby) and is hiding from his old life.

Mostly because there's a manslaughter charge against him (presumably from a race).

Pitt tries to bait him into racing him and goes after his Daughter.

He doesn't take kindly to his actions, beating the guy up when he's at his House with his Daughter.

Pitt drops the other shoe by threatening to out him if he doesn't race.

Oh, and he's also got his Daughter hostage.

Their date went south really fast!

The Sheriff goes to his old buddy, who has apparently been keeping his car in racing shape for all of these years.
I have no follow up questions.

The pair have a race!

Pitt wins, but his celebration is short-lived as he runs into a construction vehicle!

He tries to get one last bit of pain in by making the car explode, but the guy gets away in time.

Cool explosion, bro.

The End.

A fun Episode, but how is this a Tales from the Crypt Episode?

Aside from the Intro and Outro & the ironic fate of the villain, this feels different.

Well, it is different.

In 1992, the Producers tried to expand their brand by making a Pitch Pilot Movie called Two Fisted Tales.
The idea was to adapt ANOTHER 50s Comic into an Anthology Show.  This one is more about Action than Horror.

The Pilot had three Segments.

When it didn't sell, the 3 Segments were then released as 3 different Episodes of Tales from the Crypt.

So yeah, this one is good, but different for reasons that aren't as obvious 34 years (and 2 days) after the airing.

I am now looking for Two Fisted Tales to watch/Review, but all I've found so far is...

An enjoyable, albeit out of place Episode.  Why do I keep running into Brad Pitt in these?

Forgotten TV: The Outer Limits - 'Afterlife'

 We continue to look at the BEST Episodes of the 1990s Series, at least as far as User Ratings are concerned.

This time, a familiar Character Actor + The Military + Aliens = Excitement?

This is...

A man- Clancy Brown- is sentenced to death for the Murder of 11 People.

He says that he's innocent...and then suddenly he's offered a new lease on life!

There's a catch, of course.

To live, he must submit to an experiment for the Military.

Sadly, he does not become Captain America.

Instead, he's being injected with Alien DNA to see how his body reacts to it.

'Not well' is the answer.

He continues to state his innocence and outright blames the Military for framing him.

His higher ups (including the Hippie Dad from Dharma and Greg) don't believe him or care.

Brown continues to transform.

He eventually seems to become a brand new, hybrid life form and escapes from his cell.
Aliens were big at this time, with Species and all that.

He escapes, but that was the plan.
He also KNEW it was the plan and went along with it.

However, there's still one more twist...that I won't SPOIL for once.

To find out, stream the Episode now.

Is this truly the best non-Time Travel Episode?  I'd argue 'yes,' but it is a close one.

The Plot is pretty good here, with Brown's Character and his transformation getting the right focus.  We get a hint of the other stuff going on, but he's the main attraction.

He's really good here too.  You really believe him and feel for his plight.  
Clancy Brown 100% makes this work.

The make-up work is well done, as you get a nice hint of in this piece.  We see the change gradually happen and they do it with no morphing effects.
Was it even legal to NOT use morphing effects in the 1990s?!?

Joking aside, this one is really, really good.  The Acting across the board makes it work, the intrigue as it plays out is nice and the resolution works very well.

It's also a thrifty Episode, as we see the cryogenic container from 'The Heist' make a reappearance!

Next time, we go on Air Force One for a 'Bottle Episode' of sorts.  Do you risk your life or trust a stranger?  Stay tuned...

Forgotten TV: House of Frankenstein (1997) (Part 2)

 After a big debut, let's return to...

Here's a Recap for you...

A Dracula guy has been killing people in Los Angeles.
A Werewolf guy was attacking people.
The rich guy also brought the Frankenstein Monster to the City.

A Detective worked the case and denied the reality, until it became too real.

A lady got turned into a Werewolf by the bad done.
Not Dracula killed the guy Werewolf and kidnapped the lady after her transformation.

Back in the City, the Frankenstein Monster is in police custody after the Vampire killed his friend.

They want to lay all of the killings on him.
That makes it easy!

Pasdar's Detective finally goes to CCH Pounder after seeing Polo transform and the Vampire in its full form.

She drops a crazy bomb on him- Vampires like Dracula guy are Fallen Angels!

Dr. Frankenstein leads a Police Station breakout for the creature, which includes him sliding a cab along the road and a car chase.

The Dracula guy inadvertently kills Pasdar's Partner and everyone is sad.

In a twist, Dr. Frankenstein was actually turning the creature over to the Dracula guy!

The Doctor is never seen again.

The Dracula guy wants to seduce Polo, but she resists his charms.

He tries to kill Pasdar and Pounder (they're Lawyers!), but that just ends in the CSI lady being staked.

Plan B- sic the Creature on them...or else she dies!

The Creature, of course, doesn't do it and instead sides with our heroes.

With his henchmen dead and the Staff gone, Dracula guy is ripe for the picking.

Of course, he still turns into one of those '70s Gargoyles on steroids, so he's no pushover.

We finally reach my sense memory of this Film when the Creature and Dracula guy fight.

The former actually stakes the latter.

Pasdar takes the wounded Polo- who he shot while she was transformed- but then Dracula guy no-sells the stake and chucks the Creature into the fire place.

Time to kidnap Polo- again!

Pasdar survives the attack- while Pounder plummets- and goes to the Club, the last vestige of the Vampire.

His fellow Cops all join him and a Vampire vs. Cops battle breaks out to Smashing Pumpkins.

Pasdar goes to save Polo, who is now worthless to Dracula guy since her wolf side died (don't ask).
When she rejects him yet again, the Vampire drops to his fiery death.

Wow, so much for my big moment.

In the aftermath, this TV Mini-Series does some massive Sequel Baiting!

Pounder is alive and turning into a Werewolf.
The Creature survived being burned and is escaping the city.

...and the happy couple talk about how they are safe while Dracula guy's helper is revealed to be a Vampire himself and watching them!

There is no follow-up.

A decent climax to the events, even if some of the confrontations felt rushed.

This one is tricky because it is the culmination of all of the story beats and Plots.
As such, you expect certain things.

For instance, the battle between Dracula guy and the Frankenstein Creature is very abrupt and the rematch is even more so.
Likewise, the final confrontation between Pasdar and the Vampire is just kind of...oh, that's it?

The makeup work here is really darn good.  They used CGI sparingly and that was a good thing.

The Acting is also good too.  The whole thing doesn't feel cheap, especially for at TV Movie/Mini-Series.

As of this writing, no DVD, Blu-Ray or Streaming options for this exist.  I got a digital copy, since, well, nobody is trying to sell it.  It's worth a look if you remember it vaguely or just want something different.

Now...is that Svengoolie?

Next up, I take a look at a forgotten part of the Batman-Superman Series.  Is this long-delayed Superman follow-up worth the $3.18 I paid for it?  Stay tuned...

Forgotten TV: House of Frankenstein (1997) (Part 1)

 Have you ever tracked down a Movie you half remember from over a Decade ago?  Well, I did.

After lots of research, I finally found 1997's House of Frankenstein!  It was a TV Mini-Series and such, like the previous Frankenstein from TV, I'll cover it in its 2 separate parts.

There's so much to cover that it just makes things much easier.

The Plot involves a Vampire, a Werewolf, Frankenstein's Monster/Creature and everyone else stuck in between their antics.  Most of them are up to no good- they are Monsters, after all.

Notable Stars include Adrian Pasdar (Heroes), CCH Pounder (Justice League), Teri Polo (Meet the Parents) and Miguel Sandoval, as well as many others.

This appears to be an attempt to a modern(ish) update to Universal's Monster Film Crossover. 
It is an NBC-Universal TV Movie, after all.

Does this one hold up after almost 30 years or is it as dated as the original House of Frankenstein?  To find out, read on...

A flying creature with weird POV effects is killing people and the Cops are looking into it, but to no avail.

I'm already getting Nick Knight flashbacks, which is fitting since that was the Pilot to Forever Knight, which ran from 1992 to 1996, the year before this came out.

Elsewhere, a woman- Teri Polo- and a guy are both attacked by a stray wolf.

The latter is mauled and not seen again (at least in Part 1) and she's scratched, now forever changed!

Elsewhere still, the current descendant of Frankenstein is convinced that the Book (which was Fiction) was real and spending lots of money to find the creature/Adam.

He succeeds and it then breaks out of containment when the ice melts!

Time to do an update of a different Frankenstein Film (since the Monster spends most of these crossovers taking a nap)!

This corrupt Businessman reveals himself to be the Vampire (who looks like 2000's Faust) when the Environmentalist blocking his construction turns out to be, gasp, a jerk.

If you ever wanted to see what the humanoid form of the Giant Bat that was in a Deleted Scene from Batman Forever looked like, it's him.

The Creature/Monster is saved by a mostly blind guy in the Streets and a friendship blooms.

Hey, you're not an uncredited Gene Hackman!

He's a 'That Guy' named Richard Libertini.

It turns out that the Vampire was using the Werewolf (who was a dude named Lukas) and was annoyed that he sired another Monster.

He gets a guy to kill the Werewolf and goes to retrieve Polo, but finds her roommate...CSI's Jorja Fox (?!?) instead.

He turns her into a spy.

When that part failed, the Vampire refocuses to get the Creature instead.

It kills the somewhat blind guy with a literal heart punch, but is interrupted before he can capture him.

How he was planning to fly off with him in broad daylight...is a fair question.

It all comes to a head as Pasdar's Cop can't convince anyone about the strange goings on- save for an ignored CCH Pounder- and leaves the City.

Fox tells the Vampire where to find them, however, and he shows up!

Polo runs away and transforms into a white wolf...only to be immediately captured by the Vampire!

See you in Part 2!

A Vampire and a literal White Wolf, you say?

A fun, if very busy start to the Story.

For better or worse, this one has ALOT going on.

The Cops and the case.
The Vampire and his killings.
The Werewolf and Polo.
The Frankenstein Creature and his buddy..
CCH Pounder being ignored/mocked.

This one is never still for too long.  Does it need to take ridalin?

The Special Effects are just the right side of good and also dated, with makeup work taking precedence and the CGI being accents.  The morphing effects- it is the 90s- aren't amazing, but fine.

The Acting is good here, but not amazing.
Thankfully, this doesn't feel especially cheap.  They use the right amount of focus- no globetrotting- and real locations to make it work.

Is it amazing?  Not yet.
Is it terrible?  Not at all.

It's good enough that I need to see part 2...

Next up, we will indeed see the conclusion of this forgotten tale.  Does it all come together greatly or is it a fun mess?  Stay tuned...

Shudder Day: 'Tales from the Crypt' Has the Original 'Obsession'

 An Episode that sounds like a present day (as of writing) Film is pretty rare.

As such, let's celebrate the Season 3 Premiere (of 3 Episodes) and it how it might have inspired a surprise Box Office Success.

This is...

The Cryptkeeper introduces this tale of unrequited love, uncontrollable obsession and life in Los Angeles in the '90s. 

A would-be Screenwriter- Andrew McCarthy- is obsessed with a lady in his building- Mariel Hemmingway- and fantasizes about her as what we would now call a Trad Wife.

An especially horny, at that.

The problem- she's not that.  At all.

She will barely have anything to do with the guy, which he does somewhat bring upon himself a number of times.

Credit where credit is due for the nuance.

After (rightfully) being rejected, his landlord (David Hemmings)- who never leaves his room- calls him in.

He feels bad for the guy and offers him a love potion.

The guy from 'Deep Red' got Deeply Creepy

She takes a drink from him and the potion works.

Unfortunately for the guy, it works too well.
She's quite literally obsessed with him and won't leave his side.

Seen here before things got really bad.

He makes a temporary escape and learns that this potion has never worked out well for previous users.  Thanks for the late update, David!

He gives him a new potion and McCarthy tries to drug her again.
She switches the glasses unknowingly, however, and dies from the poison.

His peace in Heaven is soon interrupted by Mariel's arrival.  She jumped out the window when he died and apparently wounds carry over to the Afterlife.

She's here to stay.
The Ed!

I haven't seen 'Obsession,' but this can't also be the Ending.

A well-made Episode that unfortunately suffers from some odd Pacing.  Sorry, Tom Mankiewicz

Positives first- Hemmingway is very good here.  She plays both versions of the Character quite convincingly.
McCarthy is pretty good here, being just the right amount of pathetic and exasperated.

He often looks like a younger David Hemmings too, but that is likely a coincidence.

My issue is that the Story takes too long to get to the hook.  As such, the final part with her being, well, obsessed is too short.

I think it should have happened at the end of Act 2- at the latest.  Give us more time to see the irony and show how it is more than just not letting him out of bed.

This all goes back to a 1940 story called 'The Chaser' (as in the drink term) that was then adapted into an EC Comics tale and then a 1960 Episode of The Twilight Zone.  Is it worth a comparison review?

Regardless, this works pretty well, but I just think the Pacing keeps it from true greatness.

They cut out the Alchemist in this Episode.

Next time, Season 3's debut continues with an Episode by the Writer of many '80s Classics.  Throw in a Twin Peaks Actor and this can't lose, right?  See you then...