Showing posts with label horror anthology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horror anthology. Show all posts

Trilogy of Terror (Special Edition) (1975) Review

Trilogy of Terror (Special Edition) (1975)
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This very good three-part 1970s-era TV movie is a veritable cornucopia of talent. Based on stories by well-known genre author Richard Matheson and directed by Dan Curtis of DARK SHADOWS fame, this film boasts Karen Black (EASY RIDER; FIVE EASY PIECES; THE GREAT GATSBY) in four separate roles, with two teleplays scripted by William F. Nolan (co-author of the famous novel LOGAN'S RUN) and one--the best of the lot--scripted by Matheson. Also appearing in supporting roles are well-known actors George Gaynes and Gregory Harrison.
Story one, "Julie," is an intentionally ambiguous witchcraft tale in which Black portrays a bookish college professor who isn't quite what she seems. The story contains some very subtle rape and S&M innuendo, and there is a fun little twist to the ending. "Millicent and Therese," the second offering, is the weakest of the lot. Although Black does a fine job in the dual role of bickering "sisters," the audience can see the ending coming from miles away. The final and strongest of the three stories, "Amelia," is based on Matheson's famous short-story "Prey" about a voodoo fetish doll that comes to life and hunts down a woman in her midtown apartment. The ending to this one is very creepy.
All in all, TRILOGY OF TERROR is a worthy little horror flick. Though it is a TV movie á la 1975 and therefore suffers from some of the low-budget production qualities common to such, it certainly offers some fun moments of dark humor and a few genuine scares. The print used to make the DVD has some noticeable scratches and spots that could've been cleaned up digitally, but it's still definitely worth the price of admission.

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Legendary producer / director Dan Curtis (DARK SHADOWS, THE NIGHT STALKER) teams up with writers Richard Matheson (I AM LEGEND, THE TWILIGHT ZONE) and William F. Nolan (LOGAN’S RUN, BURNT OFFERINGS) to present three tales of horrific suspense in this made-for-television anthology that also showcases the tremendous acting talent of Karen Black (FIVE EASY PIECES, THE DAY OF THE LOCUST), who plays no less than four distinct roles.In "Julie," an aggressive college student seduces and ultimately blackmails his seemingly shy English professor. In "Millicent and Therese," two polar-opposite sisters become increasingly hell-bent on the undoing of one another. And in "Amelia," a woman falls prey to a murderous Zuni fetish doll.


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Tales from the Crypt: The Complete Fourth Season (1989) Review

Tales from the Crypt: The Complete Fourth Season (1989)
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I remember watching "Tales From The Crypt" re-runs as a kid, Tuesday nights at prime time on FOX, and then Saturday nights after MadTv (1995). Around this time, I started collecting the VHS compilation tapes until I had all of the volumes (they did not contain all of the episodes of the series). Then the re-runs came back on the Sci-Fi channel, and now they are nowhere to be found on basic cable. So, I am very happy that Warner Bros. is finally releasing all the "Tales From The Crypt" seasons on dvd.
Another great season of HBO's "Tales From The Crypt". There was not a season (1-7) that was the best, each season had great episodes and even the episodes that were not great were well worth watching....
My individual episode rating system:
4 out of 4 stars is great
3 1/2 out of 4 stars is very good
3 out of 4 stars is good/enjoyable
2 1/2 out of 4 stars is okay/fair/decent/not bad
2 out of 4 stars is not very good
1 1/2 out of 4 stars is poor
1 out of 4 stars is bad
TALES FROM THE CRYPT SEASON FOUR (1992)
Episode 39: None But The Lonely Heart ***1/2 Starring Treat Williams, Frances Sternhagen, Henry Gibson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tom Hanks, Constance Pfieffer, Don Perry, Edward Penn, Louise Fitch, Gracia Lee; written by Donald Longtooth, directed by Tom Hanks
A sneaky man is obsessed with wedding rich older women then killing them. His business partner fears that he will be caught soon. He finds himself in hot water when he starts getting threatening notes, so he kills off those he suspects and soon realizes the meaning of the saying revenge is sweet.
Episode 40: This'll Kill Ya ** Starring Dylan McDermot, Sonia Braga, Cleavon Little, Ricky Aiello, Scott Williamson; written by Gilbert Adler and A L Katz, directed by Robert Longo
A man walks into the police department dragging a dead body. He tells the officers that he is dead, and the man he dragged in killed him. He then tells them his story to come only find the shocking surprise that awaits him.
Episode 41: On A Deadman's Chest *** Starring Tia Carerre, Paul Hipp, Steve Jones, Dwight "Heavy D" Myers, Sherrie Rose, Gregg Allman, Yul Vasquez, Don Michaelson, Ricahrd Danielson, Karen Kalensky; written by Larry Wilson, directed by William Friedken
A rocker fights with his manager. His groupie girlfriend shows him a special tattoo and convinces him to get one at the place she got hers. The tattoo has a picture of a dragon but with a cartoon face that looks like Scarlett. He tries to remove the tattoo, but it keeps coming back. Eventually it drives him to murder Scarlett.
Episode 42: Seance ***1/2 Starring Cathy Moriarty, Ben Cross, John Vernon, Ellen Crawford, Tim Ahern, Lupe Ontiveros, G.F. Smith; written by Harry Anderson, directed by Gary Fleder
Two con artists pose as mediums decide to use a man named Chalmers as their next victim. The woman seduces Chalmers, and the man takes pictures of them together in bed. Then Chalmers finds out about their scheme, and he is killed in an accident. The con artists discover that Chalmer's wife is blind. They decide to pull off a fake seance on his wife to get Chalmer's money. The plan works but not the way they expected it to.
Episode 43: Beauty Rest *** Starring Mimi Rogers, Kathy Ireland, Jennifer Rubin, Robert Trebor, Buck Henry, Micahel Wiseman, Anders Hove, Marcia Pecci; written by Donald Longtooth, directed by Stephen Hopkins
An obsessed wannabe model grows bloody red with envy when her roommate lands a part she thought she was going to get. She forces her roommate to overdose and steps in to take her place in a beauty contest that she was set up to win. She becomes the target of another jealous model and kills her too. Now, there's no one in her way, and she is crowned, but she soon discovers something shocking about the talent show.
Episode 44: What's Cookin' **** Starring Christopher Reeve, Bess Armstrong, Judd Nelson, Art LeFleur, Meat Loaf, Jeannette Lewis, Helen Nasillski; written by A L Katz and Gilbert Adler, directed by Gilbert Adler
Fred and Erma own a squid café and find themselves in trouble because their business is failing and their landlord has evicted them. That is until one of the employees encourage them to serve meat - people in particular. Suddenly, business is booming, and the cops are closing in.
Episode 45: The New Arrival **** Starring David Warner, Twiggy Lawsen, Joan Severence, Zelda Rubinstein, Robert Patrick; written by Ron Finley, directed by Peter Medak
An arrogant radio child psychologist is obsessed with proving to his manager that he is the best. He gets a new patient, a woman and her daughter. When he goes to her house, he assumes that the daughter is the woman's imaginary friend. He learns that her daughter died years ago, but her mother's love keeps her alive.
Episode 46: Showdown *1/2 Starring David Morse, Monty Bass, Mel Coleman, Paul T. Murray, Tommy Townsend, Grant Gelt, Roderick Cook, Thomas F. Duffy; written by Frank Darabont, directed by Richard Donner
A gunman is being chased down by another quickdrawing gunslinger in an old abandoned western town. The gunman wins the duel, but he soon learns a new meaning to the phrase "ghost town" as the spirit of all his victims come back to haunt him.
Episode 47: King Of The Road ***1/2 Starring Raymond J. Barry, Brad Pitt, Michelle Bronson, Jack Kehler, Alva L. Petway, Michelle Johnson; written by J. Randal Johnson, directed by Tom Holland
A courageous drag racer challenges a cop who used to be a racer. When the cop refuses, the racer decides to make him change his mind by kidnapping his teenage daughter. The cop proves that he hasn't lost his talent by tricking him to change his course.
Episode 48: Maniac At Large **** Starring Blythe Danner, Salome Jens, Christopher Williams III, Adam Ant, Obba Babatunde, Dion Basco, Laurie Franks, Irwin Keyes, Harper Rosiman; written by Mae Woods, directed by John Frankenheimer
A shy library clerk is obsessed with a serial killer, fearing that she will be the next victim. She thinks that the boss, the security guard, and the patron all might be the killer.
Episode 49: Split Personality **** Starring Joe Pesci, Kristen Amber Citron, Jacqueline Alexandra Citron, Burt Young, Troy Evans, Heidi Thomas, Michael Klastorin, Reginald Hunter, Bill Cho Lee; written by Fred Dekker, directed by Joel Silver
Stetson is a conman who likes to date twins. He finds himself in the arms of twin sisters and creates of twin of his own, pretending to be his own brother. He weds both of them and decides to knock them off, but these twins share and share alike.
Episode 50: Strung Along *** Starring Donald O'Conner, Patricia Charbonneau, Zach Gillian, Tom Dugan, Lisle Wilson; written by Yale Udoff and Kevin Yagher, directed by Kevin Yagher
An aging puppeteer gets a new assistant. When he learns that his wife has a boyfriend, the assistant promises he will do something about it. The puppeteer spends most of his time with his favorite puppet Koko. When he discovers that his assistant is his wife's lover, the two make him think that Koko has gone on a murderous rampage.
Episode 51: Werewolf Concerto *** Starring Timmothy Dalton, Beverly D'Angelo, Reginald VelJohnson, Lela Rochon, Dennis Farina, Charles Fleisher, Wolfgang Puck, Jason Iorg, Marci Simon, Walter Gotell, Andre Bustanoby; written by Scott Nimerfro, directed by Steve Perry
A man is killed outside the woods of a hotel. His death is suspected to be the work of a werewolf. The manager says that there is a werewolf hunter at the hotel who will deal with the problem.
Episode 52: Curiosity Killed *** Starring Margot Kidder, Kevin McCarthy, J.A. Preston, Madge Sinclair, Marshall Teague, Constance Wiggins; written by Stanley Ralph Ross, directed by Elliot Silverstein
On a camping trip, a man asks his friend to keep a youth potion away from his wife, but she suspects that they are trying to kill her.
Special Features:
- Commentary on "What's Cookin'?" by the Crypt Keeper, writer Alan Katz & series choricler Digby Diehl
- Stars of Season 4 montage hosted by the Crypt Keeper
Season Four of "Tales From The Crypt" is another great edition to one of television's best series.

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Monsters. Madness. Mayhem. BAD PUNS! What kind of bonehead would do this? Oh, that kind of bonehead: the Crypt Keeper. Yes, four the beast in humor and horror, this is it: all 14 complete, uncut Season 4 episodes hosted by that netherworld naughty boy, the Crypt Keeper. Offered four your warped amusement are Split Personality, with a lounge lizard getting more than he bargains four when he marries identical twins; Werewolf Concerto, with Timothy Dalton on the hunt four a lupine fiend; Beauty Rest, with Mimi Rogers as an actress who'd kill four a part. Plus Brad Pitt, Treat Williams, and Cathy Moriarty are here four more fright-'n'-fun tales. Did we mention these are all in Season 4? Go four it! DVD Features:Audio CommentaryFeaturette


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The Hunger: The Complete First Season (1997) Review

The Hunger: The Complete First Season (1997)
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This was a Showtime series back in the late 90's. It was produced by brothers Ridley and Tony Scott. The show is basically Tales From The Crypt without the in-your-face black humor and less interested in the scares and more interested in the eroticism of its stories. It's a spin off of the Tony Scott directed film of the same name starring David Bowie(who would go on to host the second season's episodes). The whole show is on the same level as that film. It's filmed in the similar smokey style, the sex is explicit and integral, and it involves the supernatural world on some level or another.
Most of the episodes are really entertaining, all only running about 25 minutes, and all are introduced by a very cheeky Terrence Stamp. Tony Scott even takes the directorial reins on the first episode of this season and the next. Some familar faces show up as well like Lena Headey(300, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles), Karen Black(Trilogy of Terror, Five Easy Pieces), Daniel Craig(what, you live under a rock? He's the new Bond!), Curtis Armstrong(Revenge of the Nerds, Risky Business), and some others. Actually, this may only be interesting to me, but this is the only time you'll ever see Curtis "Booger" Armstrong involved in a sex scene. Whether that's good or simply interesting is up for you to decide.
The transfer for this first season DVD set is pristine. It's fullframe, though. Not sure if it was filmed that way like Tales From The Crypt, but it seems to have been framed with the intention of fullframe. The sound and colors all shine. There are no really good special features to brag about. On the fourth disc you get a 20 minute featurette that goes beind the scenes of the second season and gives you a preview of it as well. There are interviews with the show's creators and producers including Ridley and Tony Scott, but nothing too deep or insightful. You get some tid bits in regard to what their intentions with this show were. It's worth checking out and it does wet your appetite for season two, which I believe was the last season this fine show had.
They better release the second season and not pull an Outer Limits, the other really good anthology show that aired on Showtime. I mean this show is only two seasons long so I would hoep that it's not a problem. We'll see. This is more like the old HBO series The Hitch Hiker then it is The Outer Limits or Tales From The Crypt. So, keep that in mind and remember this show is about dark and supernatural eroticism, so if you're offended by all the boobies and girating man-parts just skip it all together. The sexuality plays a major role in the character development and almost all the themes of every episode. CHECK IT OUT!

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Indulge your obsessions... 22 tales of the forbidden and bizarre as seen on Showtime
Terence Stamp hosts the first season of this spine-tingling horror anthology series from Executive Producers Tony and Ridley Scott, which features a phenomenal cast of familiar faces (including Karen Black, Joanna Cassidy, Daniel Craig, Bruce Davison, Giancarlo Esposito, Colin Ferguson, Jason Flemyng, Balthazar Getty, Lena Headey, Margot Kidder, Sally Kirkland, Jason Scott Lee, Chad Lowe, Stephen McHattie and Timothy Spall) as you\'ve never seen them before. Inspired by leading genre writers, each episode will draw you into a mesmerizing world of terrifying characters and erotic encounters, where demons feed on the weakness of men and temptation consumes reason.




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