'60s Trash?: Chamber of Horrors (1966)

I figured I should probably review a Movie again, so I went way back for this one.  This is Chamber of Horrors, a 1966 Film more famous for its gimmick than its content.  Like a William Castle Film, this had a hook for its theatrical release.  This one, however, actually still works on DVD.  Well...I mean, it didn't *actually* work then, but you get the idea.  Unlike Castle's gimmicked seats, 'voting' or talking to the Theater, this one is as functional at home.  The gimmick- the Film warns you before the four 'Fright Points' with a flashing red light and alarm.  Have fun with your seizures!  Seriously though, this is a silly gimmick- even for 1966.  The actual Film's Plot involves a crazed killer, his attempt at revenge and unusual Detectives.  Can't find the killer you're looking for- just ask the people at the Wax Museum for help!  That's how they caught The BTK Killer (don't look it up).  The Story takes a turn halfway through to spice things up to boot.  Is the Film good?  Should it be remembered more?  To find out, read on...

The Film- narrated by 'The Fatman' of Jake & The Fatman- tells us how the Fear Flasher works.  It's silly and, well, silly.

A man- Jason- kills his girlfriend (off-camera) and forces a Judge to marry them.  Seems legit.

The man escapes at this point and the Police are desperate enough to get the folks at the Wax Museum to help.  After all, they put together figures that committed crimes, so they're...good at catching them?

Well, apparently, they are.  We then see them rush through the Trial and Sentencing for the killer in stylish fashion via montage.

He escapes after chopping off his hand to avoid drowning in the River.  In a bit that I'm not sure is clever or insulting, the first Fear Flasher is a fake-out (since he doesn't chop his hand off yet).

He reappears in New Orleans (san beard) and goes to a Chinese Man (played by a Caucasian) to get some replacements for his appendage (including a hook and cleaver).

He meets a 'lady of the night' and takes her back with him, hiding his murderous desires.  Instead, he uses her to bait some traps for his revenge.

I just want to point out how annoying the red flashing light is for the Fear Flasher.

Also, this Film has almost no blood or contact, choosing to imply violence instead.  Why the Flasher then?

Inspiring Pieces, he plans to kill his targets and make a 'body' out of the parts he wants (like the Arms of the Law, etc.).

During his final attempt (to catch our Hero), they fight and he ends up being impaled on the cleaver of his own wax dummy.  Why is that sharp?!?

That's not where the Film ends though. Instead, we see a later Tour end and a body be discovered.

Is this Sequel Bait or 'Next Time on Chamber of Horrors?'  You decide.  The End.

Silly fun, save for the gimmick.  Conceptually- the gimmick is interesting.  It works kind of like Castle's trick for 13 Ghosts- where looking through only the Blue 3-D Filter will hide the ghosts and the Red will amplify the effect.  In this case though, it just kind of annoys everyone with the siren effect and doesn't actually cover up anything.  For every Flasher, there is no blood and nothing really happens- save for the last one.  One guy is shot- by a gun hidden inside a fake hand- but that's it.  I also have to ask how a derringer inside of a fiberglass hand would even fire!  As noted before, the first time is also a fake-out.  He raises the axe, it flashes and then he hits the chain.  Further making things silly, he somehow manages to chop his hand off with an axe- to cut off weighted wheel- whilst underwater.  Did Mythbusters ever test that one?  I also like how the famous killer can walk around freely, just by shaving.  Yes, they do think that he is dead due to the hand, but...come on.  There's also a pointless Tony Curtis Cameo to mention.  The story gimmick involving the unlikely Detectives is fun, if a bit silly.  You also have to make peace with how much this Film borrows from stuff like Mystery at the Wax Museum and others too.  All in all though, it's a silly, but memorable Film that is sadly hampered (for me) by its gimmick.  It does feature the world's most peaceful cat though.  That thing doesn't move an inch!

Next time, another Film that I've been putting off for ages.  I might as well cover some non-Horror before October.  Stay tuned...

10 Crazy Moments From 'Weird Science'

If you're a child of the '90s like me, you probably remember this Show.

I won't go over the whole thing- as there are 5 whole Seasons- since this isn't, you know, Twin Peaks.

Instead, let me give you a sample of the craziness from a handful of Episodes to tease the palette as it were...

Notable Exemptions: The Meta Slasher Episode (Reviewed already), making a Shooting Gallery Target bleed and cry for help (really), the fact the Denise Richards was on it and Lisa tossing away the Hope Diamond.

10. The Wrestling Episode: As the 'sport' got really popular in the mid '90s, many Shows did one of these.  This one has the bonus craziness of the Genie being involved and giving 'magic wrestling powers' to Wyatt and his brother.

Also the Show was partly-overseen by Ed Ferrara, who would be an infamous name in Wrestling...

9. Bruce Arrives: In the final Season, we meet another Genie.  He's played by Bruce Campbell.

It's more cool, than weird, but...I have to include anything Bruce-related.

8. Interesting Choice: In an Episode built around the pair feuding over a girl, the respective guy would use Lisa and her powers to spy on them.  One of them took the place of a Laserdisc Cover (so '90s!) and the other took...the form of Lobsters in the Restaurant.

Um...okay.

7. Mr. President: In a 1st Season Episode, a wish to be President of the Chess Club backfires and one of them becomes the President of the United States!

That would explain (Insert President you don't like Here)…

6. Excessive Force!: In the finale of the aforementioned Wrestling Episode, the Villain- Shao Khan from MK: Annihilation- charges at the pair for one last hurrah!

Lisa's response: charge the ropes up so that they cut him into pieces when he hits them!  Damn!

5. Clown Therapy: In the Episode about the two leads being rivals, Lisa solves their problem in the most logical fashion...

Creating a killer clown to make them work together (after it kidnaps their love interest).  Naturally!

4. Sweet Ride: In their 'it had to happen' X-Files Episode, they face a government that wants to know more.  When they find out the truth, they decide to just bomb the city!

Thankfully, Lisa gets her powers back in time and the trio...ride the bomb to safety.  Um...what?

3. Supernatural Fun: So the Show takes place in a crazy form of heightened reality where you can make Internet Genies- granted.

That said, the fact that they face Ghosts and Vampires seems a little odd to me, no?

2. Weird History: In Season 4's premiere, the guys want some respect for having created Lisa.  She hears their request and...

…sends them back to meet Frankenstein and his Monster.  Thanks?

1. Alien Love: When Wyatt's brother keeps having trouble with women, Lisa helps.

This ends up with an alien trying to eat them all.  Naturally.


That's just a taste of the craziness of the Show.  I have a handful of Episodes right now to look at and possibly review as time goes by.  It's stupid.  It's silly.  It's fun.

If you don't think too much about it and love '90s stuff, it's a blast.
That said, it doesn't quite get what a Moonsault is...

 *Stick the landing and...huh?!?*

That's just a taste.  Check out the Show if you want to know more.

Netflix and Thrill: Marvel's Luke Cage- Season 2 (Part 2)

Before I tackle Iron Fist's 2nd Season, I need to wrap this up.  I can't leave it undone...

Sweet Christmas- the battle for Harlem continues!

Bushmaster takes over in a coup, but Mariah won't go down without a fight and Luke has to stop them both!

Caught in the middle is Tilda- Mariah's Daughter- who can make the herbs to help Bushmaster, but also sort-of cares for her Mother.

Also caught up in this- Luke's Father (a late, great Actor) who wants to reunite with his Son (who he abandoned when he was sent to Prison) at the worst time.

In the middle of all this, Iron Fist has a Guest Episode and...everyone likes him in it?

It's a Festivus Miracle!

Can Luke stop the war in Harlem?  Will he have to sacrifice too much to do it?

To find out, stream away!

Not the ending that many may have been expecting.  You can agree or disagree with the choices made for Season 2- that is your right.  You certainly can't say that things haven't been building up to this point though.  It was pretty clear where this was going.  Sticking away from SPOILERS, Luke goes through an interesting Arc in the second half as he seems to be pushed towards a choice he doesn't like.  Should he kill Bushmaster?  Should he save Mariah?  Is it better for her to rot in Prison?  Is he the right man to save Harlem?  Do the ends justify the means?  This Show doesn't make choices easy for you or him- which I like.  Nothing is easy and nothing is without consequences.  It's as close to real life as you can get with a bullet-proof man, a voodoo-powered villain and, well, Iron Fist in it.  Like I said- you may not love where this goes.  Likewise, the Show hasn't changed all that much overall, so any complaints from before may carry over to her.  I point to two big things- it features KRS One and, again, made people like Iron Fist!

A solid, if controversial end to the 2nd Season.  They've been taking big, interesting risks in Season 2, so let's see if that continues...

Impossibly-Cool Cover Art: Slave of the Cannibal God

Cannibal Films are a mixed bag.  Many suck.  Many are good.  Most are controversial.

Can we at least agree on one thing though?  This Poster is amazing!

Damn!

This whole thing is just...I mean, damn.

How can you *not* want to see this movie now?

Here's the original...

Still great, but it has no flair!  Colors!  Lighting!  Magic!

Forgotten TV: The Hitchhiker- 'True Believer'

I'd normally wait longer to do another one, but, well, this one feels very appropriate to do now.  It has an evil Nun!

In this Episode (the one picked to have Audio Commentary), a Cop meets a Nun and also true evil...

We see a Priest wracked with guilt and handed a gun by a mysterious person.  He kills himself.

A Cop- Tom Skerritt- investigates the death, trying to see if it is Murder or Suicide.

For some reason, our 'Guide' waits until nearly 10 minutes in to appear.  Thanks...I guess.

Anyways...the Cop looks around and sees a Nun, but she won't talk.  When he tells this to the local Priest, he explains that there hasn't been a Nun there in nearly 100 years!

As he looks into the case, he see Skerritt haunted by a vision of his past.  His Daughter fell from their Apartment Window in a tragic accident.

All I can think of- this Flashback is brought to your courtesy of the nWo.

He eventually returns to the scene of the death and is confronted by a mysterious woman who tells him to kill himself.  He 'deserves to suffer.'

The evil Nun- who herself was killed in the Church- succeeds in her control, but his gun is empty.  His mind is left broken instead.  Ouch.

A dark, but interesting Episode.  This one doesn't really pull any punches.  It begins with an evil force driving a man to suicide.  It ends with an evil force *trying* to drive a different man to suicide.  Between those two points, we get a man who lost his faith and his Daughter under tragic circumstances.  Might as well make the most out of being an HBO Show!  To be fair, this one doesn't show any real blood or gore.  It is certainly traumatic for all involved- just not bloody.  The whole thing is nice and concise.  There is not a big mystery and there isn't a lot to explain.  It has one mystery and some nice psychological horror moments.  This one- sadly- does not feature an overtly-evil Nun.  She's not the kind that grabs you and kills you.  Instead, she just breaks you!  That's...um, better?  This Show is still an odd one for me, but stronger Episodes like this at least let me look past its faults.  Am I doing this now to shamelessly get attention because of The Nun?  Sure.  So is the Studio behind the Film- for its so-called Cinematic Universe- so why not join in?  Look- evil Nun!

Next time, I look for a bigger Guest Star and a mystery.  Will I get both?  See you then...

Forgotten TV: Ray Bradbury Theater- 'Marionettes Inc'

Another chance for the Show to really 'wow' me.  Can this more hard Sci-Fi Plot do the trick?

A man is working hard, but feels empty inside.  So much of his life is out of his control and he's just a 'puppet' in it.

He keeps getting mysterious messages on his BRIEFCASE COMPUTER from the titular company and they know a lot about him!

He talks to his friend about it.  He tells him to find out what the company is all about.

The owner explains to him that he was chosen as a perfect subject.  Oh hi, Leslie Nielsen.

What they make are perfect robot doubles for you.  They can be swapped out for parts of your life you don't like in exchange for just all of your life's savings.

At first, things seem great.  He tells his friend about it, who considers doing it.

Unfortunately, he goes home to find his life savings are gone.  He checks on his wife and...oh.

The man finds his double in place when he wasn't told to be.  The double wants to replace him- naturally.

After an awkward battle, he gets the robot back in its charging base and boldly tells his wife that he wants to spend more time with her.

Strangely enough, I finally get around to the first Episode.  To be fair, this is an Anthology Show, so it's not like that's really an issue.  The Episode is definitely stronger than the last one for me.  It features a simple enough Premise, a nice twist or two and a good conclusion.  It's not the most shocking story, but do bear in mind that the original Short Story predates famous riffs on it like The Stepford Wives.  Much like watching the original Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell, you have to remember that this one did it before most and you've just watched the copies.  Besides, this Episode had Windom Earle from Twin Peaks in it!  I can still nitpick of course.  For instance, Nielsen being Italian- for an obvious Pinocchio connection- means that he's using a less-than-convincing accent.  I was also hoping for more of him- oh well.  The Acting is real nice here and it all works as a simple, stand-alone story.  This one also, thankfully, was missing a pointless Ray Bradbury intro, but it did give me this...

Next time, more Stars and perhaps a more famous Ray Bradbury Story.  Let's see what I can find...

Impossibly-Cool Cover Art: White Buffalo

This is another one of these which I really wish was accurate!

In his attempt to match Jaws, famed Producer Dino De Laurentiis made a few Films like King Kong, Orca and...

Holy crap!

I want to see this Movie!

Oh right- I did that 6 Years ago...and it wasn't great (or terrible).

You got me again, Posters!

Here's the original...

So I didn't have to do much to it.  I just added more color and contrast to give it depth.

As a bonus, I'll just remind you what the mechanical Buffalo actually looked like in action...

So yeah, that shot never happens.