Yep, this march, Freddy Krueger the bastard son of a thousand maniacs – or a hundred it depends from what sources , is back on the silver screen in a (not – so) anticipated remake of the Wes Craven original slasher from 1984. After seven sequels, counting Freddy vs. Jason (2003), Hollywood decided that fans “needed” a remake of the Elm Street boogeyman. Gone is Robert Englund and good for him.
Halloween I & II, My Bloody Valentine, Prom Night, Black Christmas (!!!),Friday The 13th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacreall have been remade in recent years…and now A Nightmare On Elm Street…oh well…you can’t stop the music or "progress" I guess. Since it's all about money – these remakes do make a lot of money after all – we’re not about to witness the end of this boring cycle anytime soon.
In the meantime, let me give you a list of my favorite slasher films from the late 70’s to mid 80’s.
Halloween (1978) & Halloween II (1981) Do yourself a favor and watch those two scary masterpieces back to back, preferably late on a warm summer evening.
Friday the 13th part 2 & Friday the 13th part 4: The Final Chapter.
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
Forget the remake in 3D. The original is mean, nasty and absolutely creepy. The setting, an abandoned mine, the killer in a miner suit and the music creates a chilling blend of terror...horror...excitement...mystery! (wait a minute, that's the tagline from Them...oh well) Plus it's canadian! One of the few things that makes me proud of being canadian...
The Prowler (aka Rosemary’s Killer)
Just Before Dawn
Tourist Trap
Motel Hell
Curtains I know it’s not really a slasher but the film is very close to the conventions of the genre and is also canadian and shot in winter.
The Funhouse Same as Curtains, besides I love those films sets in amusement park.
Terror Train Cool setting, all shot on a train and it is canadian...again!
Madman Madman Marz...tum tum tum...Madman Marz...tum tum tum...
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2
Is it a true slasher movie??? Don't know and don’t care really. It’s that good, plus the finale – and the Saw hideout – was shot in an abandoned amusement park. What's not to like?
And of course, A Nightmare On Elm Street, the original!
Already by 1986, the quality of horror movies was rapidly declining. A smell - or rather a stench – creeping out of Hollywood like some Mexican week old leftovers, dumped in many moviegoers’ mouths a very bitter taste. Money making sequels of known franchises – Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare On Elm Street - we’re everywhere and originality nowhere to be found. The video market was in full bloom resulting in the over abundance of cheap horror pictures made straight-to-video or first releases of obscure and boring gutless movies from the 70’s.
However, in the late 80’s and through the horror and fantastic cinema’s last breath, some gems emerged: Blue Velvet, Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2, The Hitcher, Near Dark, The Believers, Street Trash and Prince of Darkness. Too little, too late and by 1988, this hobby of mine -collecting newspaper movie ads – completely stopped in favor of flirting with girls – a completely different and exciting new “hobby” for a then 16 year old !
Without due, here are the last ads from my scrapbook.
Enjoy!
In my humble opinion, the best film about the mythological dark side of voodoo.
Not as good as the first one and forget part 3...
A very fascinating film about vampirism - in fact, probably the best vampire flick ever done. Directed by the now serious filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow.
One day I will edit a bunch of Ahnuld Schwarzie screams back to back and post it here, promise!
Street Trash is without any doubt the ugliest film with the ugliest actors ever produced. I love it! Make yourself a favor and rent this one. But beware...!
Ahhh, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2. Tobe Hooper - the director of the sequel and the original - had a very peculiar way of capturing the settings of desolation in Texas, creating a unique dreamlike but nightmarish mood. A longtime favorite of mine. See it uncut.
Well, here are some more newspaper ads from my scrapbook. The last two were taken from magazines, Mad Movies for Re-Animator and Tribute - a free mag given at the theater back in the days.
Clue with the three different endings in three different theaters...only in the 80's!
Yes, this movie was originally titled Horror Kid!
Ahhh..Razorback...a super duper rare movie now. Worth seeing for its photography of the australian landscape. A cross between Mad Max and Cujo!
Before Braindead - Dead Alive there was Herbert West Re-Animator...a classic.
I remember vividly seeing Return of the Living Dead at its opening night in the summer of 85. A friend, that hated horror movies , and I had a blast at the premiere. For a thirteen year old kid this movie was THE movie to see and brag about.
After some recent experiences, I’ve noticed that some scrupulous sellers on the internet – Ebay for example…! - are taking advantages of our hard earned money by trying to sell us - honest VHS collectors - bootleg copies of rare and out of print (OOP) VHS movies. However, you may ask, how is it possible? well:
1) The tape comes without any box, sleeve in plain black…hmmm, ask the seller why and forget about the deal of the century that he was proposing – even if he was making a point of telling that he DOES NOT sell bootlegs. 2) The tape comes with only its “name” tag i.e. name of the movie, copyright, year etc. Ok. You bid on it and win it for 25$ US. After receiving it, carefully inspect the tag. Hmmm, looks like a bad color copy…shit… 3) The seller is…errr…selling the same super rare OOP movie…twice. What are the odds??? Suspicious… 4) A super rare VHS copy of your favorite obscure film is for sale at a very low price…seller has 5 copies of it….hmmmm….I wonder… 5) Same as 4), but you still want it very much. On inspecting the display picture that the seller provided, you notice the word SONY inscribed near the top of the cassette…again, suspicious. 6) Same as 4) and 5) but you desperately want it and don’t mind paying 42.50$ US for it. After receiving it, you open the package – white stained envelope – and…the tape is there no problem. Good. Suddenly, a doubt clouds your mind. The cassette itself seems to weight like some cheap dollar store blank VHS as opposed to the sturdy heavyweight tape from the good old days recorded in SP mode. Paranoiac like you are, you put the tape in you VCR. The tape starts itself, good sign. The image is a bit murky but better than your VHS dub from a rental that you made 25 years ago with two VCRs, again good. 7) So you relax and enjoy the movie as it was meant to be seen 25 years ago…with drop outs, white noise, sound problem, pan & scan frame, yellowing of the colours…
Ahhh…le printemps est enfin à nos portes. J’ai toujours aimé cette saison en faveur de plusieurs raisons : l’odeur particulière dégagé du sol, le climat se réchauffant peu à peu et la bonne humeur se sentant chez les gens. C’est aussi la saison du renouveau, du ménage printanier sous toutes ses formes. Cependant, les rues poussiéreuses, tout entourées de neige salie et brunie fondant sous un soleil resplendissant, révèlent tout plein de détritus laissés au sol pendant l’hiver qui me rappelle des paysages tout droit sortis de films post apocalyptiques des années 80.
Ce sous–genre du cinéma fantastique ultra « cheesy », qui vit son apogée en 1983, créait en moi à la même époque une fascination totale. Les univers futuristes, violents, chaotiques, barbares où la survie de chacun est primordiale - et l’objectif quotidien - retrouvés dans les films Escape From New York, The Terminator et évidemment Mad Max 2 - The Road Warrior de George Miller – tous des chefs d’œuvres de série B - comblèrent à chaque coup mes attentes d’adolescent « testostéroné ».
À la suite du succès au box-office américain de Escape From New York et Mad Max 2 en particulier, des cinéastes italiens toujours à l’affut des tendances hollywoodiennes, pondirent tout un lot de films de ce genre en l’espace de quelques années seulement. Ces films étaient des perles d’exploitations et de science-fictions: 2019 - After the fall of New York – la meilleure copie du lot, 1990 - The Bronx Warriors, Endgame, Exterminators of the Year 3000, Rats, Warrior of the Lost World, Warriors of The Wasteland, 2020 Texas Gladiators, etc.
Toujours en s’ « inspirant » de Mad Max 2 et Escape from New York, ces œuvres « futuristes » de série B à série Z étaient souvent tournés avec des budgets dérisoires dans des quartiers industriels ou désaffectés d’une grande ville et dans des immeubles abandonnés, résultant en des décors ravagés bons marchés et des lieux de tournages très appropriés au genre post-apocalyptique. Les mêmes éléments se retrouvaient d’un film à l’autre : lutte des derniers survivants contre une organisation maléfique, un héros mal rasé, des mutants radioactifs, une belle jeune femme - souvent vierge - qui sauvera l’humanité, de vieilles voitures à moitié démolies et modifiées, etc. Tous des films qui me plaisait et me plaise encore remarquez. Je m’y voyais comme l’antihéros de ces histoires, sauvant les derniers survivants des griffes de mutants assoiffés de sang.
Anyway, si vous ne connaissez pas ce style de cinéma particulier, quelques sites web sont intéressants à lire et regarder :
Enfin, je vous laisse avec une liste très subjective de certains films post-apocalyptiques (ou futuristes, « dystopien ») que je trouve intéressant soit par la photographie /réalisation, les lieux (le look!), le scénario ou par pur plaisir!
APOCALYPTIC FUTURE AND TRASH CITIES
Blade Runner(Ridley Scott, 1982, USA) Brazil(Terry Gilliam, 1985, UK) C.H.U.D.(Douglas Cheek, 1984, USA) Class Of 1984(Mark L. Lester, 1982, Canada) Class of Nuke Em High(Richard W. Haines, 1986, USA) The Day After(TV) (Nicholas Meyer, 1983, USA) Dead End Drive In(Brian Trenchard Smith, 1986, Australia) EndGameakaBronx Lotta Finale(Joe D’Amato, 1983, Italy) Escape from New York(John Carpenter, 1981, USA) Escape From The BronxakaBronx Warriors 2: Fuga Dal Bronx(Enzo G. Castellari, 1983, Italy) Exterminators of theYear 3000(Giuliano Carmineo, 1983, Italy) Future CopakaTrancers(Charles Band, 1985, USA) Hands Of Steelaka Atomic Cyborg, Vendetta Dal Futuro(Sergio Martino, 1986, Italy) Mad Max II: The Road Warrior(George Miller, 1981, Australia) Miracle Mile(Steve De Jarnatt, 1988, USA) Mutant Hunt(Tim Kincaid, 1987, USA) Neon City(Monte Markham, 1991, USA / Canada) 1990: The Bronx Warriorsaka1990: I Guerrieri Del Bronx(Enzo G. Castellari, 1982, Italy) Parasite(Charles Band, 1982, USA) Radioactive Dreams(Albert Pyun, 1985, USA) Rats: Night of TerrorakaRats: Notte Di Terrore(Bruno Mattei as “Vincent Dawn” & Claudio Fragasso - uncredited, 1984, Italy / France) Repo Man(Alex Cox, 1984, USA) * pour l'attitude post-apocalyptique! Street Trash(Jim Muro, 1987, USA) * pour le look! 2019 After the Fall of New Yorkaka 2019: Dopo La Caduta Di New York(Sergio Martino as “Martin Dolman”, 1983, France / Italy) 2020 Texas GladiatorsakaAnno 2020 - I gladiatori del futuro(Joe D’Amato, 1982, Italy) The Terminator(James Cameron, 1984, USA) The Toxic Avenger(Michael Herz / Lloyd Kaufman, 1984, USA) The Vindicator(Jean Claude Lord, 1986, USA / Canada) Warriors of the Wasteland akaThe New Barbariansaka2019: I Nuovi Barbari(Enzo G. Castellari, 1982, Italy / USA)
Am I the only one who will cry about the death of Drive In Classics and Scream channels?
As of the 1st of March 2010, Drive In Classics no longer exists. Long story short - and according to Wikipedia (!) -, CTVGlobeMedia sold in 2009 a bunch of channels to CORUS Entertainment who didn’t care much it seems. Relegated to the crypt where it originated, Drive In Classics was a great source of enjoyment, for me anyway. The Saturday horror marathon and Thuesdays Hong Kong Kung Fu exploitations, no more. The Incredible Hulk with Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby, no more. The cheesy horror B-movies are replaced by the “artsy” new channel…Sundance Channel…oh well. What is Sundance Channel you may ask? Well if you take a look at their website, it will broadcast “…independent feature films, world cinema, documentaries, short films, and original programs..” Woooo, very original indeed. Read between the lines : obscure art house movies, boring self-narcissic portraits of so called American independent cinema and obsolete documentaries…again, oh well. The drive in theater is dead…long live the drive in theater.
As for SCREAM, it was rebranded DUSK. You see, it seems that for some TV executives, at CORUS Entertainement - again, the horror cinema is somewhat dead and that “women” are now the biggest demographic for suspense, supernatural and thriller movies. No more gore, no more slasher movies, no more 80’s exploitation. Too “manly”, sigh…
So, in the wonderful world of cable we’re still stuck with crappy DIY channels, shopping crapolas shows, “reality” turds but no more creature features. And me that thought that women, some anyway, we’re also big fans of creepy, nasty and bloody movies…oh well.
While I pop Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 in my dvd player and crack open a DAB, I'll think about all those wonderful times we had my little channels.
Ramblings and stuff about the 80's, horror /scifi / thriller /cult movies, vhs, life, people. Sometimes in french, sometimes in english...depending on my mood...
