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: Rabid (2019)

 Did I specifically watch the 1977 version of Rabid so that I could then talk about the 2019 Remake?

Duh.

Let's see how they compare...

Our Heroine- Laura Vandervoot- is supposedly an ugly duckling of a lady working for a Fashion Designer.

'Just give her reddish cheeks- she's hideous!'

After hearing some bad news- a guy she liked was asked by her friend to ask her out- she gets in an accident on her motorbike.

How bad is she?

Well, she looks a bit like Jennifer (from Jennifer- Masters of Horror and Comic).

The Soska Sisters and company made it pretty freaky, so I'll spare you from it.

She's horrified by her appearance and is given free medical care by a Doctor named after William S. Burroughs- a name you can trust.

For some reason, he's dressed like the Doctor from a DIFFERENT David Cronenberg Film.

***See the original for reference***

In a weird subversion of the Original Film, our Heroine starts attacking people and then doesn't remember it.

In the 1977 Film, she remembered, but the victims didn't.

She attacks some other people, while putting on a show of being normal.

Amongst her victims is...CM Punk.

Look in my eyes.  What do you see?
A guy about to be turned into a rage zom-bie!

She tries to keep working as she struggles with her body's changes and the spread of infection, as her victims attack others.

Can she balance work life balance with being a Typhoid Mary?

To find out, stream it now.

A Film that is pretty flawed, but is a good example of how you should do a Remake.

This is not a 1-to-1 Remake.  It would have been easy to do it.

We get key moments shown- like a Santa being shot by Cops- or TOLD to us having happened- we hear about the Subway Bite Attack.  
It is not a bad idea- mostly.

This version does do a better job of making the Heroine/Typhoid Mary into a real Character.  Chambers wasn't bad, but she was just going from place-to-place infecting people.  Her ending Arc was good, but that's about it.

Which one is better?
As a Film, I'd say that the Original is still better.
The Remake does many things right and different though and it is more than just a soulless copy.

At least I'm done with David Cronenberg Remakes, right?
Right?!?

A Film that is honestly a fair attempt at doing a new Version of a classic Film.  If you like it or not, they did try some things.

Tubi Thursday: Rabid (1977)

 Another Cronenberg Film I can check off of the list.

This one feels like a Remake of sorts of Shivers...but bigger and better.

A young woman- Marilyn Chambers- not Burns!- and her boyfriend are injured in a motorcycle crash.

The Doctors- specifically Keloid get experimental with her procedure.

It involves putting her under sedation for a month, which, I can't imagine is good for you.

She experiences a strange side effect.

She has a craving for blood!

The lady attacks another Patient, who then gets amnesia about the event...which is mighty convenient.

Ah, there's the Body Horror I was looking for.

Given that this is 1977 Cronenberg, you only get a taste though.

Do I need to blur this?

She finds her cravings to be hard to resist.

To be fair, she also doesn't try that hard.

She escapes the Hospital- after turning Keloid- and infects people along the way, including a Truck Driver and this poor lady.

See the Shivers comparisons yet?

Marilyn continues to suffer, but also continues to infect.

She's the Typhoid Mary here, as, while she feels pain, the effect on others is far worse.

Dr. Keloid bit off some fingers, but while two Construction Workers use a jackhammer to break through a car door for some blood.

Marilyn's lady friend lets her stay and soon runs afoul of an infected on the Subway.
See the next Review for yet another Subway Scene.

As the WHO calls this a Pandemic, makes people get Rabies-like shots and carry Vaccine Cards (pretty sneaky, David!), Marilyn finally realizes how far she's fallen.

Her boyfriend- not infected- sees her in mid-kill of her friend.

As things aren't getting better- even though it is Christmastime!- she makes a sad, desperate move.

She infects a guy and says that she will prove that she's not the Typhoid Mary.

It ends...poorly.
The End.

Wow, this one is rough...but also quite good.

I thought that Shivers had potential.  It just didn't quite go anywhere, especially limited by its locked off location.

In many ways, this is the Dawn of the Dead to that Film's Night of the Living Dead.

For better or worse, this is the big-time update of that Film.
That and having Chambers here is a big upgrade.

This one has her loose in Montreal and she targets lots of people.

Does she somehow not realize what she's doing?  Weird, no.

If you let the Film build up and deliver, it is a good one.  You get a clear example of the freaky stuff that Cronenberg (and his kin now) were going to share with the World.

Plus, it is a Film in pristine(ish) HD with Marilyn Chambers, so...what was I just talking about?

A freaky Film that takes a bit of time to get going.  Once it gets going, you get some freaky Cronenberg stuff!

Tubi Thursday: Shivers (1975)

 A Director has to start somewhere.

In this case, it is the Film debut of David Cronenberg.
It is Canadian, but is it polite or just plain gross?

An old guy with a beard keeps fighting/struggling with a woman (who looks way too young with that hair and outfit).

He ultimately kills her, strips her and cuts her open.

After he sees something, he kills himself too.

This is taking place at an exclusive Canadian Resort Community.

Our Hero comes home to find the body...and then goes to work.

Huh?

The guy is not doing well, in spite of his Wife's concerns.

It builds up to a Scene where he tries to negotiate with the weird parasites in his stomach.

What a silly thing to do, right Mr. Tapeworm? 

The Film is '70s Cronenberg (and made on a small Budget), so get ready for a slow burn Film.

It leads up to a moment that Jame Gunn sure liked (and copied 40 years later).

It all has something to do with these Doctors- including that guy in the Intro- experimenting with parasites.

They don't really explain much.
Do you care if they do?

This is how we get Rage Zombies..but they're also horny.

Can our young Doctor keep his horny Nurse friend safe?

Can he fend off the slow-moving mob of Key Party Enthusiasts?

Yeah, not so much.

They swarm him and kiss him.

They don't kill him, however, and he's just taken into the mob.

In the morning, they all drive off in pairs to spread the infection.
The End.

A Film that alternates between being slow and being gross.

The Film frontloads the gore with that Scene and then it is mostly slow buildup.
The big moments have a nice, visceral punch to them though.

Shivers was funded in part by the Canadian Government.  It's funny how many Films like this- or Brain Dead- got federal funding back in the day.

The Film's effects with the parasites are not great.  Cronenberg cops to it in Interviews since and just kind of rolls with it.
Fair play.

If you're willing to wait for the grossout Body Horror, you get it.  He's just getting ready to really gross you out for the next few Decades.

Shivers is not his best Film by far, but I did get some joy out of the Body Horror and, if we're being honest, the gawdy Interior Design.  It burns your eyes worse than the parasites burrowing into them.

As a fan of Horror Films, I owe it to myself to check out these Horror Director's first works and deep cuts.  I'm going to put my money where my mouth is...

A very slow Film that gets gross when it needs to.  The Film is very '70s and enjoyably dated at least.

Should You Bother?: Nightbreed- The Cabal Cut

After talking about the Book and the Theatrical Cut, I might as well talk about the 2013/14 Director's Cut.

Want to know if you should think about buying the Film again?

Should You Bother?

- More of the Nightbreed.  You see more of their home and their way of life.

- While still missing the better motivation for Ashbury (blackmailed by Decker), we get more of him being 'priestly' in this Cut.  He begs for them to spare the Nightbreed earlier, which then enforces his stance you see later (and in the original Cut).

- We see Lori singing at a Bar.  That's neat.

- Decker is seen stalking Lori during the start of the attack and chasing her, as opposed to just kind appearing down in Midian later.  He's still not the truly-clever stalker from the Book, but he's closer.

- Doug Bradley's voice is restored (save for one bit they missed) here.  He was dubbed in the Theatrical Cut, due to an accent matching better (or something).

- Instead of just stopping as they leave, the ending for Lori and Boone from the Book is here!

She refuses to let Boone leave as an Immortal and *maybe* find her later.  She forces his hand (and teeth) by stabbing herself, getting her to turn him.

Now you see where a certain Mormon Author stole that idea.

- Ashbury is still transformed by the magic liquid, although not to the extreme degree from the Book.

Instead of resurrecting Decker (an homage to Videodrome, apparently), he meets the Sergeant, swearing his personal revenge on Baphomet.  When the man tries to join the Priest, he kills him...for some reason.

It's better, even if I still don't get it.

- More Nightbreed are shown during the Climax and in the Barn where they plan their future.

- In the Book, Narcisse is killed to add drama to Boone's fight with Decker.  He's not truly immortal, you see.

This was preserved originally, but Test Audiences were pissed at his death and he was restore in Editing.

In the Cabal Cut, he's dead again.

What do Tom Hanks, Samuel L. Jackson and Narcisse have in common?  All saved by Test Audiences- go figure!

They also killed Will Smith, so trade-off.

The total difference in the Films is around 45 minutes.  I didn't cover all of it, but you get the gist.

I also like the Credits updated to thank people for the Restoration.

Verdict: Yes.

If you have Nightbreed, should you buy The Cabal Cut?  Yes.

Like The Donner Cut or other such Director's Cuts, you get enough new content to please you AND an arguably-better product.

Win-win.