Phantasm (1979), Vendetta (1986)

I know, I know ... this is firmly in the 1970s in almost every way. But I'm including it because it had a HUGE influence on a certain vein of '80s teen horror; a case might be argued that it is still influencing movies even now.

Phantasm has a tremendous sense of atmosphere (DREAD) and style to it, even while its plot is *completely* incoherent and nonsensical. The villain is so memorable and evil that anyone who saw this at a certain impressionable age (say, 9 to 15) will never forget it. I also particularly like the sidekick Reggie, driving an ice cream truck and playing guitar (well, too!).

The shortest explanation for this movie is "young boy and his older brother, along with their best friend, learn that the local funeral home is not what it seems, and the strange tall man who runs it tries to stop them from spreading the message." This really doesn't do the movie justice, but I'm also trying to avoid spoilers here. The movie moves along its own pace and logic - which might infuriate some viewers, especially those raised on the glossy horror productions of the last 10-15 years - but I'll tell you, when I saw this at age 10 or so, I was petrified. When you're about the age of the main character, it really hits home.

Phantasm has recently been fully remastered, thanks to J. J. Abrams (!). I look forward to reviewing one of the director Dan Coscarelli's '80s films, The Beastmaster, in the near future.

Vendetta is a pretty typical women-in-prison movie, with a rather effective revenge angle. I don't have a lot to say about it - it's definitely watchable, but it's also definitely not amazing. The most startling thing for me for discovering Sandy Martin (Mac's Mom on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as the main villain - and she's great! 

The general plot: Younger sister kills evil guy in self-defense. Younger sister goes to prison. Younger sister resists evil prison gang. Younger sister is killed by evil prison gang. Older sister, who is a stunt actor in the movies, gets herself arrested and sent to same prison. Older sister immediately begins targeting the evil gang. Older sister gets revenge, one piece at a time. 

The directing is workmanlike and the actresses are all natural, so the film is certainly worth a quick view if you're curious. The direct is Bruce Logan, who once did second unit photography on the original Star Wars, working with the miniatures (!). This was his first directing effort. I can't find any budget information for this, but I can't imagine it cost or made a ton of money. 

Fear City (1984)

Interesting movie! Fear City OOZES sleaze... sleaze... sleaze! Also has a great cast and good direction (Abel Ferrara!), but despite the atmosphere it never really comes together into something compelling. 

Tom Berenger is a former boxer who now runs strip clubs. One after another, his strippers are attacked by a maniac in increasingly sadistic ways. Billy Dee Williams is the cop who is determined to bring the maniac in. Some of the strippers include a young Melanie Griffith (!), Rae Dawn Chong, and Maria Conchito Alonso. 

Catching Up Pt 16

1. Highlander (1986)
• I saw this as a child, and remember loving it. I watched it very late at night and was really inspired by the ideas - immortals! Fighting each other for ultimate supremacy! Sean Connery!! Of course, it's Christopher Lambert who carries the movie, and his slippery English really doesn't hamper him at all - although who would ever believe he's Scottish? The movie is paced perfectly, the plot is really novel and enthralling, and the action is captivating. The movie has aged very very well. I know there are sequels, but I haven't seen them.  

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2. Mad Ron's Prevues from Hell (1987)
• Boy is this strange. A projectionist satisfies a theater full of zombies with a long series of exploitation movie trailers, and also some weird lowbrow humor. I don't know what to say about this... worth a viewing for fans of odd horror. 

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3. Blade Runner (1982)
• Arguably the most famous science fiction movie ever made. Our hero Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a blade runner, a detective who hunts down androids who have gone rogue and threaten humans. As the movie progresses, he gets new ideas about what it means to be human - especially from the movie's villain, Rutger Hauer. The atmosphere is unparalleled, the music (by Vangelis) is incredible, and the tone and pacing is perfect. A perfect movie. 

Catching Up Pt 15

1. The Monster Club (1981)
• High camp! Vincent Price is a vampire who shows writer John Carradine to The Monster Club - a literal disco for monsters. Then there are three little vignettes of light/soft horror. The best part of the movie are the songs that play in between the vignettes, basically horror-based synth rock. Interesting, dumb, but mostly fun. 

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2. Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)
• I hated this movie. I only made it about halfway through before abandoning it. The basic premise is a cheap hood who wants to be a jazz pianist discovers the nest of the Aztec god Quetzelcoatl, who apparently is a giant dinosaur. He then proceeds to sell this information for personal gain. His character (Michael Moriarty) was so repugnant and unlikable it ruined the movie for me - I kept rooting for the monster to eat him, but no dice. Avoid, like the plague. 

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3. Killer Workout (1987)
• This was unexpected fun - although it's strictly by-the-numbers teen slasher horror, it has a really unusual settings: a health club! So we see super buff trainers getting murdered, aerobics instructors hunted and killed, etc. And the movie plays around a bit with who the murderer is, generally with success. A cut above the usual fare. 

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4. Ghostkeeper (1982)
• Canadian cult classic about a ski lodge with a ghost in it. When two ladies and a man get stranded there overnight, a strange old lady and her son see an opportunity... it's atmospheric, but ultimately not very compelling. 

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5. Graduation Day (1981)
• Eh, another strictly cliched teen slasher horror film. This one revolving around a track team. After a girl dies from a heart condition after being pushed too hard by the coach, the whole team begins to die one by one. I predicted the killer long in advance. Not very interesting. 

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6. Deathsport (1978)
• The movie that killed David Carradine's career, or so he says. He's some kind of tracker, a sage survivor who is kidnapped and forced to compete in the Deathsport for the amusement of the elite. Except that he's so good, he turns the tables immediately, and soon it's the elite who are trying to survive. It's awful. The acting is terrible, the action lacks any thrill, and the dialog is incredibly bad. If Carradine says his career never recovered from this, I believe him. 

PART SIXTEEN

Catching Up Pt 14

1. Leviathan (1989)
• My family had this on VHS when I was growing up - it's one of the "late '80s underwater horror" films of the era, along with The Abyss and Deep Star Six. Maybe others, too. This one has a great cast, with Peter Weller, Richard Crenna, Daniel Stern, and others. Underwater industrial workers come across a soviet ship on the bottom of the ocean, but removing things from it proves to be a big mistake. Some great practical special effects! It's honestly not that great a movie, and I have never found the creature scary, but it's fun nonetheless. 

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2. Laser Mission (1989)
• This is always on RiffTrax or similar, because honestly it's so bad that it's almost too easy to make fun of. Brandon Lee is on a mission to recover a diamond that can shoot a massive laser... or something. Ernest Borgnine has the WORST accent imaginable. Debi Monaghan at least is a pretty effective female lead. The movie traverses a lot of terrain, and Brandon Lee is a pretty effective male lead with his martial arts background. But let's face it - this movie is deeply stupid, doesn't seem to know if it's serious or not, and basically fails on every front. 

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3. State Park (1988)
• This is a weird one. Bad-hearted villain wants to dump toxic waste in a state park. Why, I don't know - it seems extremely obvious to figure out where it came from - but he is stymied at every turn by a man dressed in a bear suit, and various other characters who seek to keep the park clean. It's fun in a small way. 

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4. Fire and Ice (1983)
• Rotoscoped animation never looked so good! This fantasy tale of a quest to overthrow an evil wizard who is crushing the world in ice is absolutely gorgeous - some of the best illustration I've ever seen on screen - and even though the story is thin, the art propels the movie forward. Worth seeing. 

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5. Necromancer (1988)
• Ugh. Rape revenge supernatural horror film. An acting student is raped, she makes a deal with a necromancer to get revenge, the boys who raped her are killed one by one in brutal, magical ways. Nothing to recommend this. 

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6. Beyond the Seventh Door (1987)
• Surprisingly good for a movie I had never heard of, with what seems like an amateur cast. Guy gets out of prison, ex-girlfriend convinces him to rob her boss for easy money, but it turns out the mansion is full of booby traps. Oddly tense and compelling, with a surprise ending I didn't see coming.
  

PART FIFTEEN

Catching Up Pt 13

1. Timestalkers (1987, TV movie)
• Interesting little movie! Klaus Kinski and William Devane in this time traveling movie with lots of Western flair. Unfortunately a TV movie, so ineligible for my list. But worth seeing anyway, if you have any interest in westerns, the way the '80s treated westerns, or Klaus Kinski in general. 

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2. Saturday the 14th (1981)
• Comedy horror that is mostly successful, where a family moves into a haunted house, and has a bunch of run-ins with monsters that usually end in laughter. It's a light little movie, with a few nice acting turns. 

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3. They Call Me Bruce (1982)
• Korean man is continually mistaken for Bruce Lee by (racist?) people in his life, ends up involved with mob activity. It's played for laughs, and the main character (Johnny Yune) has a lot of charisma. I enjoyed it more than I expected it. A limited movie, but a nice one. 

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4. Explorers (1985)
• A favorite of mine from my childhood - Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, and Jason Presson discover technology that ultimately allows them to explore space. They have many adventures, ultimately ending up on an alien ship. I have to admit: as an adult, I find the aliens incredibly fake and stupid-looking. They turned me off instantly. But I don't remember that reaction as a kid, so maybe this movie just has an expiration date. Either way, it's amazing how good these child actors are. The script is also pretty strong. Worth exploring. 

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5. Baby Sister (1983, TV movie?)
• Provocative TV movie where younger sister Phoebe Cates plots to steal older sister's boyfriend. For a while, I really couldn't tell where things were going, but then things resolved in a predictable way. Still - not bad for a TV movie. 

PART FOURTEEN

Catching Up Pt 12

1. Gas Pump Girls (1979)
• Another Amazon Prime trick, I thought this was '80. Gas station hires group of very attractive girls, who bring lots of business. Competing station across the street, owned by big business, gets mad and tries to sabotage them. Very basic teen sex comedy, light-hearted enough. 

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2. Ghost Writer (1989)
• This one is OK, I guess, but it didn't move me in any way. Writer takes beach house to get work done. Beach house is haunted by erotic spirit of woman who was killed by boyfriend years ago. Ghost causes all kinds of mischief before she and writer figure out how to get revenge against boyfriend. Very bland ghost comedy. 

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3. Black Moon Rising (1986)
• Tommy Lee Jones is great in this action movie about an experimental car, a missing tape full of evidence, a woman car thief (Linda Hamilton!), and an evil mastermind who desires the experimental car. Lots of fighting, car chases, a love scene or two, and a great, tense finale. The movie exudes "cool." It really does a lot with a small budget, and is fun from start to finish, helped greatly by the two leads. Jones and Hamilton are both great. 

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4. Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
• Stupid. Mental patient with a drill stalks and kills girls gathering for a slumber party. Not funny, not scary, not anything. Waste of time. 

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5. Slumber Party Massacre II (1987)
• Slightly more personality than the first movie, but not much. The movie tries too many things and fails at most of them. As before: not funny, not scary, not anything. 

PART THIRTEEN