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Author Topic: Schlocky Horror Picture Show  (Read 26068 times)

ackblom12

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Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« on: 18 Nov 2012, 16:53 »

I got to thinking about it one day and I got sad about no longer having something like the 80's glut of ridiculous horror. Due to the increase in popularity of the Slasher flick, horror fans got a ridiculous feast of horror. A prolific golden age where the concept of a horribly deformed human that looks like a lump of scar tissue, with arms and a face, that lived in a basket was so good that it got 3 movies.

There are, of course, still the occasional gems such as Thankskilling, but I still miss that wonderful age of never ending ridiculous horror that was actually fun to watch. Post your favorite clips from whatever era you prefer! If you can, include a short review.


Deadly Friend (1986):

This is a pretty basic bit of schlock. Boy moves to new town, gets robot friend named Sam. Sam gets jealous and starts killing those who hurt him or take up too much of his time. This movie is pretty enjoyable, but it has one scene that sends it leaps and bounds over many others.


Absolutely priceless!

And here's the trailer.

« Last Edit: 18 Nov 2012, 17:38 by ackblom12 »
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #1 on: 19 Nov 2012, 12:19 »

The Keep (1983)

This is a bit of an odd one. Synth music playing everywhere, it's hard to take it too seriously just because it's so damn 80's, but it tries so hard to be taken seriously.The plot is that German soldiers take up post in a Keep during WW2. One of the soldiers releases a demon and soldier's start dying. Because of this, the SS show up to take over the post and be total murderous dicks, as Nazi's want to do. The Wehrmacht are not pleased. A Jewish professor and his daughter are brought in to figure out what's going on. More death and supernatural shenanigans occur.


If you want to watch it, it's both on Netflix and Youtube here.
« Last Edit: 25 Nov 2012, 21:44 by ackblom12 »
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #2 on: 20 Nov 2012, 13:37 »

Split Second (1992):

I love love love this movie. It stars Rutger Hauer, has the aesthetics of a cyberpunk dystopia and features what is hinted at being a Lovecraftian demon. After severe climate change,  most of London is under a foot or so of water in 2008 and Hauer is a rather unhinged detective. After a serial killer from Hauer's past shows up, tearing the heart from the chest of it's victims, they discover that the killerr takes the DNA of it's victims for an unknown reason and adds it to it's own. The creature taunts and lure Hauer into giving it chase by attacking it's victims, leaving clues and forcing him into a cat and mouse hunt.  I just really really love this movie and you should definitely watch it. Best way I've heard it described is thus: It's what happens when Bladerunner, Predator and Lethal Weapon have a baby.


Here is the entire film on Youtube. Split Second
« Last Edit: 20 Nov 2012, 23:06 by ackblom12 »
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riccostar

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #3 on: 20 Nov 2012, 20:07 »

I, sadly, have no contribution that comes to mind but I'm enjoying the hell out of this thread.
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #4 on: 20 Nov 2012, 22:59 »

I'm glad! I was going to continue doing it even if it was just me wanking on about schlock all by my lonesome, but it's better if others are enjoying it.

Also, I just saw a review for Split Second that sums it up perfectly. It's what happens when Bladerunner, Predator and Lethal Weapon have a baby.
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #5 on: 20 Nov 2012, 23:03 »

I certainly hope you all realize this entire thread is incredibly NSFW.

The Wizard of Gore (1970):

Directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, this movie is considered to be the father of gore horror for very good reasons. The stage wizard Montag hypnotizes audiences at his shows and brutally murders one of them on stage without anyone noticing the wounds he's causing are real. The victims are later found with the same kind of wounds they received in the magic show. I WONDER WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED THERE!?!? The ending is actually pretty fantastic and it's just an overall wonderful bit of film history if you are into the genre at all. There was a remake made in 2007, but I've not seen it yet.

The gore FX used were fantastic and also includes great stories such as this one included in the wiki:

Quote
In The Amazing Herschell Gordon Lewis, Daniel Krogh notes that the film's graphic gore effects were accomplished with two sheep carcasses. The carcasses, which had to be carried around for more than two weeks while the film was being shot, were soaked in Pine-Sol. Krogh also describes how the chainsaw sequence was filmed: two women, one whose upper body was exposed and another whose legs were exposed, played the single victim. A fake midsection filled with animal organs, mortician's wax and condoms full of stage blood were placed between the two women.

« Last Edit: 23 Nov 2012, 14:07 by ackblom12 »
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #6 on: 22 Nov 2012, 12:11 »

Thankskilling (2009):

This is an absolutely absurd movie that actually manages to be very entertaining. Every single horror trope is used and taken to caricature levels of ridiculousness, but it manages to come together for a very fun film. It sometimes falls a bit flat, but when it's on point it's ridiculously entartaining. I just hope I don't have to tell you that a film call Thankskilling, which is about a demonically possessed turkey, is not a good movie in any sense of the word. There is a sequel and the 3rd film is currently being made after a successful Kickstarter funding campaign.

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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #7 on: 23 Nov 2012, 14:20 »

976-EVIL (1988):

For those of you who are not aware, 976 was one of the payline numbers for the US in the 80's that were replaced entirely by the 900 numbers in the 90's. In this film, directed by Robert Englund (aka Freddy Krueger), Satan uses his line to give out strange horrorscopes (hurr) and grants power to those who follow his instructions. For those who don't, terrible things tend to happen. One teenager, constantly the victim of bullying, accepts it fully and ends up possessed by Bellzebub itself and goes on a killing spree, hoping to bring Hell to Earth. The movie is great fun and the entire soundtrack was done by The Deftones.


There is a sequel titled...

976-EVIL 2:

This one has a local college dean who has fallen prey to the temptations of the horrorscope phone line. He's been killing local ladies for a few months and is finally caught, whie the hero from the first film shows back up in town. Having just watched it recently, it's more fun than I recall, but it doesn't hold a candle to the first film. It has one absolutely amazing scene, but that's about it.

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LTK

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #8 on: 24 Nov 2012, 04:53 »

Are you familiar with this guy's stuff on the Escapist? Seems like you'd enjoy it.
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I just got the image of a midwife and a woman giving birth swinging towards each other on a trapeze - when they meet, the midwife pulls the baby out. The knife juggler is standing on the floor and cuts the umbilical cord with a a knifethrow.

ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #9 on: 24 Nov 2012, 14:17 »

I'm not, but I'm bookmarking it to survey it in more detail. For now, I move onto the original gore horror film...

Blood Feast (1963):

This is the first gore horror film released and it was directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, the director of The Wizard of Gore. It was by far the bloodiest and goriest thing to have ever been released and was also the earliest gore inspired film released in color. This led to a hell of a lot of problems with getting it into theaters, bu thankfully it has survived. The film itself is a wonderfully self aware schlockfest. The villian, Faud Ramses, has some of the best eyebrows I've ever seen and is a cannibal worshiper of the goddess Ishtar. He murders virgins, takes body parts and cooks delicious meals of his victims. He has a catering service that he uses to try and have a great Feast of flesh in order to awaken Ishtar from her slumber and it's wonderful all around. Very entertaining film that you can watch on youtube here.


Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat (2002):

Not quite so entertaining, but still a fun film. It's worth a watch, but it's missing something from the first film. Despite being directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, much like many of the modern attempts at rebooting schlock franchises or making sequels it just doesn't work so well as they had hoped. It can also be watched on Youtube here.

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Thrillho

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #10 on: 25 Nov 2012, 13:41 »

By the way, Killdozer is on YouTube in its entirety.
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #11 on: 25 Nov 2012, 15:41 »

I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle (1990):

This is one of the brightest shining gems of schlock history, or at the very least, of the 90's. Everything about this movie just oozes schlock and a genuine love of the film project. The campiric motorcycles designs, the attempted excorcism, the death scenes and even the talking turd that has absolutely no point in the film whatsoever, other than the overpowering urge to include a scene with a talking turd. Pure love all throughout. If you ever have the opportunity, watch this film. You will absolutely not regret it.

Also it includes the greatest opening line in trailer history. "Most good motorcycles run on gasoline. This is a bad motorcycle. It runs on blood."



Also, if you want to read a fantastic review of the film, you should read it here.
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #12 on: 25 Nov 2012, 19:17 »

House of Long Shadows (1983):

This is a ridiculously fun comedic horror film starring some of the best people of film horror. It follows a novelist who makes a bet that he can start and finish a novel in 24 hours, to make it a little more interesting he agrees to do it at a allegedly haunted house. During this night, the family who owns the house (long thought dead), and the man who actually owns the house, makes his night as stress filled and strange as they can possible muster. Peter Cushing pronounces all of his Rs as Ws, Vincent Price plays Vincent Price in the most charming way possible, Christopher Lee is as intimidating and charming as ever. It's just a wonderfully fun movie and it has a scene that sums up why I love Vincent Price so incredibly well.


Pardon the Danish subtitles. I can't find a version that doesn't have them.

Edit: This is the first post I uploaded my own video and I think I'm going to try doing so when I can from here on out. The only reason I only link the trailers for some of these is because I just can't find anything else on Youtube.
« Last Edit: 25 Nov 2012, 21:07 by ackblom12 »
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de_la_Nae

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #13 on: 25 Nov 2012, 21:37 »

Heh. While this sort of thing isn't my own usual fare, I've had some friends and housemates really into it, so I've seen some shit, including a few of these!

Funny sidenote: The Keep was a book first! My mother owned it and I read it as an old child / young teen. There are certainly some differences of course, from your description. Of particular interest is that, if I recall properly in the book all soldiers involved are German, but the first group are all regular army (Wehrmacht) with some dedicated Party troopers arriving later. I suppose for the film it was decided to be simpler to make them from different countries.

Also two words: The Stuff.

ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #14 on: 25 Nov 2012, 21:43 »

I couldn't possibly forget about The Stuff! I've got a ridiculous number of films in mind for this, just trying to keep to 1 or 2 a day to keep from burning out on it.

For The Keep, you are actually 100% correct, they are Wehrmacht. Clearly my brain was in a haze of 80's synth when I was watching it for this.
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de_la_Nae

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #15 on: 25 Nov 2012, 21:58 »

I couldn't possibly forget about The Stuff!

No matter how hard one may try.  :laugh:  Though I have to say, having a Dr. Strangelove reference was surprising.

ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #16 on: 25 Nov 2012, 22:20 »

I think there's only a couple of films I'm planning on sharing here that I actually dislike and would say are bad films. The ones I do dislike are absolutely horrible to behold in any sense just because they fail to entertain on any level at all. Like The Stuff for example, very well done bit of schlock. It's clearly got a lot of love put into it. The acting crew clearly enjoyed their work, however amateurish they may have been at times and there's a clear love of the genre involved. It's all about how much fun was had making the film really. When the crews clearly had fun making it, it's going to be entertaining to the intended audience.

I mean, as the review for Vampire Motorcycle says:

"Rating this film seems pointless, because it’s appeal is going to be so starkly limited. In the world of b-movies, there really are no shades of grey. Either you’re the type of person who thinks a film where a vampire motorcycle carves a bloody swathe across Birmingham and Neil Morrissey is choked by a talking lump of shit is one of the best things they’ve ever heard of, or you’re not."
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de_la_Nae

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #17 on: 25 Nov 2012, 22:36 »

I can totally dig it. I'm fond of The Stuff, even as I want to bop it on the nose with a newspaper sometimes.

ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #18 on: 25 Nov 2012, 22:40 »

There are also those people who enjoy schlock films for really fucking creepy reasons. Rabid Fangoria readers regularly get into this territory.

There is not much more disapointing for me than when I think you've met someone who I can nerd out about schlock and I mention a scene and they... get weird about it. I'm not sure how to describe it really.
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de_la_Nae

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #19 on: 25 Nov 2012, 22:49 »

You mean like talking to anyone who REALLY REALLY LIKED Cannibal Holocaust?

ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #20 on: 25 Nov 2012, 22:50 »

Yes, exactly that. I happen to really enjoy that film, but that is the exact person I am referring to.
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de_la_Nae

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #21 on: 25 Nov 2012, 22:59 »

Yeah, I know I have some things I can fixate on pretty heavily, so I can't throw *too* many stones out of this glass house, but...there are certain types of fans that can make things troublesome.

Now as to the movie: I have watched it once, and am okay with never seeing it again. That doesn't mean I think it's bad, I actually think it's worthwhile for anyone even vaguely into the genre. Especially because I'm of the mind it's a great movie for making you and everyone else watching it (usually) really uncomfortable at one point or another. I don't think I've ever had a movie make me hate the uh...protagonists (I guess) quite as much. By the end I found myself quite ready to say goodbye, as it were.

ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #22 on: 26 Nov 2012, 13:45 »

Terrorvision (1986):

This is a fun little gem. This movie is basically a parody of the horror genre, including the social commentary common to horror pushed to extremely ham handed levels. Incredibly neglectful parents that just medicate one child for being rambunctious, the parents are also total pervs with a ridiculous amount of kink centered art in the house, they're swingers, the children are annoying, the grandpa is a war vet who is completely insane, there is a mutant monster and TV actually kills. It's just a wonderful mixture of all of the biggest 80's horror subjects. There is nothing resembling seriousness in this film, just pure 80's overload. I personally thought it was an awfully fun film.


It's available on Netflix or on Youtube here.
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #23 on: 26 Nov 2012, 18:40 »

Blood Sucking Freaks (1976):

Blood Sucking Freaks was one of Troma's first major cult successes, "success" is a bit relative mind you. The film makers had trouble finding anyone to distribute it until Troma came along, and dear lord is it a doozy. Now, if you can imagine something offensive and it doesn't include Nazi's, this film probably has it. It encapsulates all of the offensiveness of exploitation films of the era and kind of tosses it all into the mix, along with an impressive display of knowledge about BDSM practices.

Sardu hosts a Performance Art show where young nubile, and often nude, ladies are tortured to death on stage for an audience. Of course the audience doesn't realize this is not an act. If this sounds a lot like The Wizard of Gore, that's because it's essentially a remake of that film's plot. Sardu also happens to run a massive slavery ring, uses the women in perverse and often lethal fantasies and in general tries to offend you in every possible way. It succeeds in all categories. This is a film that includes a scene where a dwarf uses the severed head of a woman to orally pleasure himself. I think what makes this plot even more ridiculous and fun is that what ends up leading to the film's story, is a very Simon Cowell like critic who end sup driving Sardu to prove himself as a true artist. It's a pretty unique film.

Part of what makes this film enjoyable for those of us who do like it is just with how much glee everyone plays their roles. It's clear that the actor who plays Sardu (who has no other listed acting roles) enjoyed himself immensely, hamming it up whenever he possibly could. Same with the actor who plays the dwarf Ralphus, who has no acting roles listed other than porn and ewoks. Ralphus especially just kind of has a habit of popping up out of nowhere and doing this:


And here is the trailer:


This is absolutely one of the most offensive movies ever made, but it's still not as offesive as Good Dick.

The film is available on Youtube here.
« Last Edit: 26 Nov 2012, 18:47 by ackblom12 »
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #24 on: 27 Nov 2012, 01:23 »

This is maybe a bit rambly, but I'm considering adding it to the OP.

So occasionally I am reminded at just how weird some people who know me think my fascination with schlock cinema is, especially with the more horribly offensive stuff like Blood Sucking Freaks. I'm very politically left with a lot to say about various -isms, especially within the cultures that I'm a part of (geek, atheist/skeptic and metal communities especially) and generally I find a lot of the things that are common tropes within schlock to be absolutely lazy and rarely used to good effect outside of the genre. I don't think Political Correctness is "out of control" because fuck you, at worst it's a societal contract to not be a fucking asshole and consider how others might take your bullshit. I think that if you believe art, cinema, literature and such can improve a culture, you must also accept that it can also negatively impact it. I do not think Joss Whedon is a feminist, whatever he may believe, nor do I think he does a particularly good job at subverting the -isms he openly claims (and fans claim) to avoid.

I also happen to love this realm of cinema that regularly makes light of rape, sexual assault, racism, classism and a lot of other really touchy topics.

I'm absolutely not going to defend any of these films. I also refuse to be the unfortunately common kind of fan that is actually excited about the fact that the Rape Tree is coming back in the Evil Dead reboot. I love this genre, but I'd prefer to leave a lot of it's tropes in the past, where they belong. Newer schlock films that I enjoy tend to be of a very different style than those from 15+ years ago and it's rare to find ones that keep the same level of love for the artform, but also an understanding of how the world has changed. I want schlock to grow up in certain areas, and the fans make it incredibly hard to do so.

As it is though, I love horror and schlock a lot. Part of what I love about them, is they almost always include a fairly large amount of social commentary about the culture that is commonly lacking in other genres of film of the time. The schlockier it is the more hamhanded it is, but it's heart is usually in the right place. Let's take the 80's for example. How many horror films can you recall that had a theme concerning neglectful parents and the general lack of taking children seriously and the danger that puts them in? The dangers they are put in force them into situations where they must grow in ways they are not prepared for, not because they are stupid or horrible, but because their parents failed to be there when they needed them most. The most famous of them is probably Nightmare on Elm Street, but there were a hell of a lot of them. Of course then there is stuff like Friday the 13th, where the social commentary is stupid teenagers who commit sin die horrible deaths. Those are also great fun. But either way, the point is it's almost as much fun for me to pick apart and analyze these films as it is to just enjoy the stupidity and offensiveness that is so commonly present. This gets doubly interesting when I go into foreign horror films, but that's beside this point.

tl;dr I like schlock which consist of a lot of problematic themes. I know it's problematic and I'm not going to defend it in any way. Give me some feedback on this.
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de_la_Nae

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #25 on: 27 Nov 2012, 09:05 »

Well I'd say that's an indicator of a pretty good amount of reflection you're doing on the subject, which I think is probably something a lot more fans of the genre need to do on occasion.

There are couple things you touched on that I do want to ramble a bit on myself. First, humor: Quite a few of this general style of film are really and truly funny at times. Dead & Breakfast, Sean of the Dead, Vampire Motorcycle, and many others can be by turns downright hilarious, and often a part of that is the juxtaposition they offer between the tropes, styles, effects, and events going on within them. And while there can be reasons why having fun may be wrong (see anything done in Clockwork Orange for fun), there often isn't.

In addition, just because a story is awful (in its contents or execution) does not mean it is not worthwhile. Stephen King often inflicts terrible and horrific things upon more-or-less innocent characters, often children, but I say there are rather few people that can truthfully deny that It speaks to them in a fundamentally frightening and compelling manner. The Crucible, both the play and the movie, is heartbreaking, especially when one keeps in mind the cultural context in which it was created, but it is good that it exists.

Now many of these films are no It, no Crucible, we all know that. Most of them aren't even trying to be, because they too exist within the wider cultural context of their time and peers. That does not mean they can or should be dismissed without thought though. They can be as entertaining as any more traditional action or comedy film, and besides, many of them (sometimes haltingly or fumblingly) explore important topics. Monkey Shines tells a story that's just as much about obsession and helplessness and frustration as it is about a killer helper monkey. The Lost Boys examines the excesses of uncaring and self-centered hedonism while also being about all 'rock and roll vampire gang fuck yeah!'. 976-EVIL is rather silly, but at the same time illustrates the very real allure of revenge.

Anyway that's enough out of me for a minute.

ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #26 on: 27 Nov 2012, 16:12 »

I don't disagree with anything that you said, but I would like point out one thing to segue into another bit of discussion. I don't consider Sean of the Dead schlock at all. I'll go into that a bit more after I add tonight's films.
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #27 on: 27 Nov 2012, 16:34 »

Videodrome (1983):

This is one of Cronenberg's best films in my opinion. James Woods plays a sleazy network owner who believes that Television fulfills a basic human need much like that of the gladitorial arena of Rome. He seeks out and puts the most intense and controversial material on his station 24 hours a day. BDSM, torture, combat, war etc. One day he discovers a station called Videodrome, and the movie follows his eventual fall into this world and how it warps his view of reality. One thing of note for this film is it's heavy emphasis on Body Horror and surrealism, The Thing is and Uzumaki being other examples of Body Horror. But what makes this special is that the Body Horror aspects are not only important visually, but are also central to the plot's thesis on the effect of the viewing habits on the psyche of the viewers. It's a brilliant film.

DEATH TO VIDEODROME! LONG LIVE THE NEW FLESH!


It's on Netflix and is also on Youtube here.
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #28 on: 27 Nov 2012, 17:04 »

Rick 'n' Roll Nightmare (1987):

John Mikl Thor, body builder and front man for the 80's metal band THOR, stars in this movie. It's... just watch the clip.

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riccostar

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #29 on: 27 Nov 2012, 19:03 »

Director: So exactly what is our budget for this project?  I was just told I have to buy my own coffee...

Producer: Seventeen dollars and fifty cents, make 'em count.
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de_la_Nae

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #30 on: 27 Nov 2012, 22:14 »

I don't consider Sean of the Dead schlock at all.

Too romantic-comedy for it?

ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #31 on: 27 Nov 2012, 22:34 »

I have a fairly hard time describing what exactly makes schlock in the first place. It's much like porn, you know it when you see it, but actually pinning down what makes something schlock is tough, but it being kind of a romantic comedy doesn't disqualify it from that.

I think at least part of why is that Sean of the Dead is clearly a well budgeted movie with a lot of high quality professionals working on it. Most schlock has a bit of an amateurish feel to it, whatever the experience of the people working on it. Think of a lot of Vincent Price films. They were almost always schlock films, even the high quality cinema he was involved in. Hammy acting, a sense of self awareness, a sense of the budget being more than a little strained. This isn't to say high budget Hollywood films can't be schlock, Tremors being one that comes to mind, but it tends to be B-movie qualities that push it into schlock territory.
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #32 on: 28 Nov 2012, 17:13 »

Street Trash (1987):

This movie... alright, we all know schlock sometimes takes sarcastic social commentary to ridiculous lengths at times, but this one does so and then beats a homeless man with it. Practically no one in the film is likable, with the exception of two characters which barely even have screen time. The "bums" are all horrible cretins of society with absolutely nothing to make you feel sorry for them, everyone who isn't homeless is a horrible jackass and both the polieman in the movie and the "King of the Bums" are psychopathic lunatics. It's wonderful! To know how classy this film is you have to understand that at one point, a homeless man carves a shiv from the femur of a recent murder victim while having Vietnam flashbacks.

But anyways, the story goes that freeloading parasites of society (the "bums) start drinking a recently discovered old liquor called Viper. When consumed, horrible things happen. That's it. It also includes this death scene:


and the trailer:


Edit: Almost forgot, there is also a scene where the "bums" play keep away with a dude's recently severed penis.
« Last Edit: 28 Nov 2012, 17:40 by ackblom12 »
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de_la_Nae

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #33 on: 28 Nov 2012, 18:09 »

Having spent a bit of time being homeless, that scene without context leaves me a little disquieted, I admit.

However from your description I imagine the character was a jerk, so that makes it vaguely okay, for this genre at least. Though 'the poor all suck and should die' probably isn't the message this film is going for. :p

ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #34 on: 28 Nov 2012, 18:13 »

I read the film as intending to be social commentary on how basically society in general is fucked by design and practically everyone is horrible because of it, with the people on the bottom of the totem pole getting it the worst in basically every way. It's done in that way that bad standup comedians think making racist jokes isn't actually racist if it's over the top enough and you don't actually mean it.

So yeah, it fits into that "entertaining because of the genre" category.
« Last Edit: 28 Nov 2012, 18:18 by ackblom12 »
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de_la_Nae

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #35 on: 28 Nov 2012, 18:19 »

Roger roger.

By the way: I can dig what you're saying about Sean of the Dead. I disagree, it does trip enough of the elements that I think it (admittedly barely) qualifies, but I follow your reasoning.

I was trying to remember a movie I meant to ask about, but I'm drawing a blank now.

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #36 on: 28 Nov 2012, 18:25 »

If it was about Starship Troopers, definitely schlock. The most expensive B-Movie ever made.
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de_la_Nae

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #37 on: 28 Nov 2012, 19:41 »

Oh man, best schlocky satire I think I've ever seen, that movie.

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #38 on: 29 Nov 2012, 20:43 »

Theatre of Blood (1973):

This is one of Vincent Price's best films as far as I'm concerned. It's also what happens when you ask one of Hollywood's best hammy actors to play a really bad and hammy theatre actor.  Vincent chews every last bit of scenery and it's an absolute site to behold. He also leads a small gang of drunken and mentally ill homeless folk as his own personal army and audience for his terrible plays. It's also the only film where you'll ever get to see Vincent Price dressed as he does in the following clip:


You can watch the whole movie on Netflix or Youtube here.
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #39 on: 02 Dec 2012, 01:10 »

Alright, I'm not posting this movie, but jesus christ I watched the 2009 reboot of Friday the 13th. Outside of being fucking horrible and not feeling like a Friday film, dear lord the amount of racist undertones was horrendous. The film was made in 2009, this is not ok guys.

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #40 on: 02 Dec 2012, 01:52 »

Phenomena (1985):

Dario Argento, the Italian director, is one of my absolutely favorite directors of all time. He has a real knack for what I consider to be "arthouse horror". Suspiria, Temembre, Inferno, Phenomena, Demons etc etc. All of it is great for various reason. One of the things that sets Argento out of the realm of other horror directors of his day was the fact that he didn't have a single male lead in his films that I can think of. He had a fascination with female culture and exploring the world through a female lead's eyes that was very progressive for the time. This isn't to say he shyed away from a lot of the schlocky elements of other horror films, but instead he integrated schlock into his films almost effortlessly, while still keeping the intellectual and philosophical edge that his movies are known for. Loaded with symbolism and very intense and saturated colors, as well as soundtracks usually supplied by Goblin, he loved to have scenes filled with colors and sound that were almost too intense, making every detail a part of the horror and suspense he was trying to convey.

If there is anyone who could be said to make High Art schlock, it would be Dario Argento.

Now, for Phenomena. This is a wonderful film based around a hard headed American schoolgirl who is sent to a private school in Switzerland where some local murders have been making their rounds on girls around her age. It's discovered that she has a ESP like capability to communicate with and control insects and arachnids of seemingly all sorts. She eventually realizes she can use this power to find the killer and events lead up to the final confrontation. I strongly suspect this movie was a big inspiration for first couple of Friday the 13th films, due to the family dynamic of the killers.

« Last Edit: 02 Dec 2012, 17:29 by ackblom12 »
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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #41 on: 05 Dec 2012, 00:11 »

Rawhead Rex (1986):

I'm not real sure if I can describe this movie overly well, but suffice to say, it's Clive Barker's worst movie by a long shot. From what I gather, it's not his fault really. Apparently they butchered the hell out of it, but dear god it's bad. Rawhead Rex is a demon who is summoned back to our world via something or another and comes back in the guise of a terrible rubber suit. It's a terrible movie that is just strangely fun to watch once. It's not good and the 90 minutes it last feels a lot more like 3 hours. It does include one great scene:


That's right, Rawhead Rex baptises a priest with what sounds like scalding hot demon piss.

Edit: Keep in mind that I genuinely enjoyed all but one or two other films I've posted here, and I still think this is a horrible and not entertaining movie. This says a lot about the quality of entertainment Rawhead Rex provides.
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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #42 on: 05 Dec 2012, 22:19 »

Evolver (1995):

Evolver was basically made for teenagers who got excited about the robot toy craze in the 90's. Evolver is a robot buddy that is, essentially, a Nerf bot that uses plastic rounds for little war games. Once you defeat it on a difficulty level, it evolves to have new capabilities. Apparently, Evolver really hates losing and starts modifying itself to become more difficult to beat, including replacing it's plastic rounds with steel ball bearings and increasing the power at which they are propelled. Of course they discover that this toy is actually a secret government military experiment. Gotta love the 90's.

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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #43 on: 08 Dec 2012, 03:22 »

Xtro (1983):

Xtro is a British alien horror film that somehow manages to be silly and kind of horrifying at the same time. A young boy witnesses his father get taken by a UFO and it then fast forwards to 3 years later. His mother has a new man and the kid is having dreams. Then a monster appears and starts killing people and the child starts developing telekinetic powers! hooray! It's a good bit of ridiculous fun and it has one of the more memorable body horror scenes I've ever witnessed here:


It has two sequels which I haven't watched yet, but plan to do soon and post them here. You can watch the entire film here.
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #44 on: 08 Dec 2012, 05:43 »

Xtro II: The Second Encounter (1991):

Oh god why did I decide to watch this movie. I could have been doing or watching anything else, something like stabbing myself in the eyes with kitchen shears.

So, Xtro II isn't very good. It's incredibly bad actually, about on par with your average "made for SyFy" movie. It doesn't really have anything to do with the first film, but that can be forgiven with this kind of genre. Part of what makes it so horrible is that it's essentially "Aliens", but as made and acted by the least charismatic and creative individuals possible. A team of researchers have successfully made a device that can send humans through a portal to another dimension. They do so, communication drops and only one of them makes it back. This person soon has a alien baby burst forth from her chest and things die yadda yadda yadda. No one is likeable, the humor is terrible, the action is bad but not bad enough to be laughable, the logic in this movie somehow manages to be even worse than normal schlock and more importantly, it's just not fun to watch at all. Except for one line.

"We got enough C4 planted to take down the Twin Towers!"

I laughed at that. I felt bad afterwards.


The entire film can be seen here.
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #45 on: 08 Dec 2012, 07:34 »

After I force myself to find and watch Xtro III. It can't possibly be worse than II.

Please don't let it be worse.
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ackblom12

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #46 on: 09 Dec 2012, 04:37 »

Xtro 3: Watch the Skies (1995):

Ok, this one is bad, but I didn't hate myself afterward so it still beats Xtro II. A Marine and his band of misfit troops go to an old island that used to be used for government operations to clean things up so a refueling station can be built. Of course there is a murderous alien hanging around and people start dying. There are a lot of things that are bad about this movie including but not limited to the story, the special fx, the acting, the dialogue, the alien, the music, but my favorite is just how hard this movie tries to have a moral. It tries so very hard.


You can watch the full movie here.
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de_la_Nae

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #47 on: 15 Dec 2012, 02:59 »

After watching that Xtro 3 video you posted, I can't help but feel I need to respond with a 'My brain is full of fuck!' image macro. :psyduck:

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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #48 on: 15 Dec 2012, 17:56 »

Helldriver

There is a chainsaw samurai sword.  There is a zombie full of swords that uses its entire body in a swordfight against a truck with gigantic swords on the hood.  There is a multi-limbed zombie with automatic assault weapons.  There is a power-rangers style zord made entirely of zombie bodies, that the queen of the zombies then uses to grab two gigantic missiles and then it turns into a flying zombiezord. 

This movie is LSD laced insanity, and as soon as you finish watching it, you will want to scrub your brain to remove all trace.

That said, it was a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
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Re: Schlocky Horror Picture Show
« Reply #49 on: 25 Dec 2012, 17:52 »

Dario Argento, the Italian director, is one of my absolutely favorite directors of all time. He has a real knack for what I consider to be "arthouse horror". Suspiria, Temembre, Inferno, Phenomena, Demons etc etc. All of it is great for various reason. One of the things that sets Argento out of the realm of other horror directors of his day was the fact that he didn't have a single male lead in his films that I can think of.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (which is a very good, but very disburbing film) had a male lead, Tony Musante.

A bit of trivia:  Suzy Kendall, who played Musante's girlfriend, was at the time married to Dudley Moore. 



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