Classic Horror: The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1920)

“Awaken for a moment from your dark night.”

Filmed entirely in a studio of intentionally bizarre and misshaped sets, 1920’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari takes its viewers on a twisted ride full of murder, insanity, and a sleepwalking. It stars Werner Krauss as Dr. Caligari, Friedrich Feher as Francis, Lil Dagover as Jane, and Conrad Veidt as Cesare. It was written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. It was directed by Robert Wiene. The silent film is considered one of the best representations of German Expressionism during the early 1900s. The film was divisive for critics and general filmgoers alike during its initial run in Germany and proved to be the same in other parts of the world due in part to the reception of Germany in general after the first World War. Despite this, Caligari would become one of the most influential films not just of its time, but of all time both in Germany and worldwide.

The film opens with Francis and another man talking. Francis then points out his fiancee, Jane, to the man and begins to tell him the story of Dr. Caligari. As Francis tells the story, we learn how Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist (a sleepwalker) named Cesare to murder people in the town of Holstenwall. The town is thrown into chaos as they attempt to discover who is committing the murders. Eventually Francis discovers the truth of Dr. Caligari and he follows him to a local insane asylum. To tell you what happens next would ruin the film. If you haven’t seen The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, I highly recommend that you see it.

I could spend a lot of time discussing the themes covered in this film but I believe that it would be best for you to discover them for yourselves. You can easily look them up on the internet as well, but I highly recommend watching the film first. While you will most likely pick up on some of the themes easily, others will require you to place yourself in the mindset of Germans in the 1920s and/or the world as a whole at the time. The movie is entertaining on its own, but as you begin to recognize the themes involved you will realize that it is much more than a horror film about a murderer that uses an innocent sleepwalker to do his dastardly deeds.

The film is creepy. The cast all do an amazing job, especially Feher as Francis and Veidt as Cesare. The sets are amazing. They are a visual feast even if they are in black and white. Everything is out of whack and off balance. In all honesty they reminded me of many of Tim Burton’s creations, especially Beetlejuice, The Corpse Bride, and his short, Vincent. That being said, as much as Burton’s style seems to resemble Caligari, he admits that he didn’t see the film until well into his adulthood.

Be sure to check out this amazing film. You will not regret it.

Thanks for checking out my post. I’ll see you all again real soon.

Throwback Thursday: Perfect Strangers (1986-1993)

“Now we are so happy that we do the dance of joy!”

If you were around during the 1980s and 90s, get ready to feel old. August 6, 2023 will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the final episode of the ABC hit comedy series Perfect Strangers. The series ran for eight seasons between 1986 and 1993 and became the original anchor show for ABC’s TGIF Friday lineup that also included hit shows such as Full House, Step By Step, Family Matters, and Boy Meets World over its successful run. The series focused on the relationship between Larry Appleton, a straight-laced midwesterner intent to make it in Chicago as a news photographer, and his cousin, Balki Bartokomous, a dough-eyed dreamer looking for a new and happier life in the United States.

The core cast:

  • Mark Linn-Baker as Larry Appleton
  • Bronson Pinchot as Balki Bartokomous
  • Ernie Sabella as Mr. Twinkacetti (seasons 1and 2)
  • Belita Moreno as Mrs. Twinkacetti (seasons 1 and 2) and Lydia Markham (seasons 3-7)
  • Melanie Wilson as Jennifer Lyons (seasons 2-8)
  • Rebeca Arthur as Mary Anne Spencer (seasons 2-8)
  • Lise Cutter as Susan Campbell (seasons 1 and 2)
  • Jo Marie Payton-France as Harriette Winslow (seasons 3 and 4)
  • Sam Anderson as Sam Gorpley (seasons 3-7)

The series spawned a spin-off, Family Matters, utilizing the character Harriette Winslow and her husband, Carl (Reginald VelJohnson), who also appeared on Perfect Strangers briefly. There were a number of other actors that appeared on the show in numerous guest roles such as Holland Taylor, Ted McGinley, and John Anderson. The show was created by Dale McRaven who also created Mork & Mindy. The series was produced by Miller-Boyett, who produced a number of other popular and/or consistently performing shows such as Full House, Family Matters, Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, & Bosom Buddies, among others.

Many characters were written into and out of the series over the course of its run. Lise Cutter’s Susan was phased out during season two when two other characters, Jennifer and Mary Anne, became love interests for Larry and Balki, respectively. Susan was never pursued by either of the two lead characters but there was definitely some groundwork laid for a potential relationship with Larry before she was written out of the show. Ernie Sabella’s Mr. Twinkacetti owned the store that Larry and Balki worked in (and the apartment complex where they lived) for the first two seasons of the show but was written out of the series in its third season with no explanation when Larry and Balki both got jobs at the Chicago Chronicle (and a new apartment). His wife in the series, Mrs. Twinkacetti, was portrayed by Belita Moreno who was inexplicably given a new character, Lydia, starting in season three.

While Pinchot deservedly received most of the attention in the series for his performance as Balki, my personal favorite was Mark Linn-Baker as Larry. Linn-Baker was a perfect straight man to Pinchot’s naive and goofy Balki. His comedic timing was simply amazing. The duo often executed hilarious physical comedy sequences that included pratfalls, slaps, grabs, spills, and other Vaudeville-inspired gags. Linn-Baker was also brilliant at keeping a calm look on his face in the most ridiculous situations. His humor was often dry but very effective. Pinchot worked the audience with physical comedy and simpleton humor but his character also had a heart of gold and often proved to be the “better man” in many situations. The chemistry between him and Linn-Baker was lightning in a bottle to me.

As the show progressed, Balki maintained his positive outlook on life and Larry remained a pessimist. Even after adding Jennifer and Mary Anne to the show and having Larry and Balki acquire better jobs, Larry and Balki were essentially the same characters…..but it worked. It remained funny. It was an awesome show. The show survived multiple time slot moves, character changes, and setting switches but it almost always landed on its feet. Only season seven suffered in the ratings and that was mainly due to the fact that ABC moved the show to Saturday night for a time. When it was moved back to Friday nights, the ratings went back up.

I loved this show as a kid and I still love it. I recently discovered it streaming for free on Freevee (formerly IMDb TV). You can also purchase seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime. I’ve been re-watching the series over the last few weeks and have introduced my kids to it as well. The series was released on DVD and will hopefully be released on Blu-ray in the near future.

Thanks for walking down memory lane with me today. See you again real soon!

Classic Cinema: The Gold Rush (1925)

“I’ve found it! I’ve found it! A mountain of gold!”

Charles Chaplin’s early film career, nearly a decade, was spent writing, producing, directing, appearing in, and/or, occasionally, composing music for over seventy silent short films. In 1919 he co-founded United Artists and began using the company to release his first feature length films in 1923. He wrote, produced, directed, composed, and appeared in all of these films. His first film with the company, A Woman Of Paris, strayed from his tried and true comedic style. The film was a drama and Chaplin had only a brief, uncredited cameo in the film. His next movie saw him return to form. Chaplin starred in 1925’s The Gold Rush, utilizing his popular The Tramp persona.

In the silent film, Chaplin stars as a prospector who sets out to find gold during the Klondike Gold Rush. The film establishes early on that many prospectors of that time were ill-prepared for the dangers that awaited them and this is used to comedic effect in the first part of the film. Chaplin gets trapped in a blizzard and finds his way to a remote cabin in Alaska that is being utilized by an escaped criminal, Black Larsen. When Larsen attempts to throw Chaplin back out into the blizzard, Big Jim, who recently struck gold but also got lost in the blizzard, arrives on the scene and uses his size to overpower Larsen. The trio end up staying in the cabin together to ride out the storm. Food quickly becomes short in supply and Larsen draws the lowest card in a deck that makes him the man who has to go and find food. Instead, Larsen finds Jim’s claim and decides to ambush him when he returns. Left alone and hungry at the cabin, Chaplin and Jim eat one of Chaplin’s shoes. Soon enough, Jim begins to visualize Chaplin as a giant chicken and attempts to kill him only to have a bear show up just in time to provide them both with food.

When the blizzard finally quiets down, Chaplin heads for the closest town and Big Jim leaves for his claim. Jim is ambushed by Larsen and left for dead. Larsen then dies in an avalanche. Back in town, Chaplin finds himself in a local saloon and he quickly falls for a dancing girl named Georgia. Georgia uses Chaplin to make another man, Handsome Jack, jealous, but Chaplin doesn’t realize what’s actually happening and he thinks that Georgia truly admires him. As time passes, Chaplin takes on odd jobs to make money. This leads to a humorous sequence involving a snow shovel. Eventually Chaplin becomes a house sitter for another prospector and he invites Georgia and her friends over for a New Year’s Eve party. Chaplin then has a dream sequence in which he entertains the ladies, most notably with an Oceana Roll Dance. When he awakens from his dream he realizes that Georgia has blown him off and he becomes hearbroken. Big Jim, who survived his attack but suffers from amnesia, convinces Chaplin to go with him to find his claim and offers to share his riches. The duo set out for the claim and end up in the cabin from the beginning of the film. A hilarious sequence featuring the cabin teetering on the edge of a cliff follows. The duo manage to find Jim’s claim and become millionaires as a result. But what becomes of Georgia? You’ll have to watch The Gold Rush in order to find out!

Primary Cast:

  • Charlie Chaplin – The Lone Prospector
  • Georgia Hale – The Girl, Georgia
  • Mack Swain – Big Jim McKay
  • Tom Murray – Black Larsen
  • Malcolm Waite – Handsome Jack Cameron
  • Henry Bergman – Hank Curtis

The film was well received by critics and filmgoers alike. Chaplin was extremely proud of the film as well. It would go on to become the fifth most profitable silent film in history, earning over four million dollars during its original release. Chaplin would re-release the film in 1942, editing its runtime down and removing some scenes altogether including the sequence in which Handsome Jack tricks Chaplin into believing that Georgia is in love with him. Chaplin also narrated the film and added music that was not part of the original film.

For me, the highlight of the film is the “cabin on a cliff” sequence. I was also quite captivated by the beauty of Georgia Hale. Hale was a competitor in the Miss America Pageant and was also Miss Chicago 1922. She was a close friend of Chaplin and much like he did with many of his friends, he attempted to get starring roles for her. She had difficulties transitioning to sound films and would eventually leave the craft entirely. Mack Swain was also a friend of Chaplin and the two had appeared in numerous shorts prior to working in The Gold Rush. He was also a member of the Keystone Cops. Henry Bergman was also a longtime friend of Chaplin and worked in front of and behind the camera with him for most of his career.

Thanks for checking out this legendary classic with me. See you again real soon!

The Last Universal Monster Has Passed Away

Ricou Browning, Aged 93, Has Passed Away

Browning is best known for his portrayal of the Gillman or Creech in the underwater sequences for all three of the Creature From The Black Lagoon films. He was also a director, stunt coordinator and double, and a writer. Outside of the Universal Monster films, Browning’s work included being a second unit director on films like Flipper, Caddyshack, and Thunderball, director of almost forty episodes of the TV series Flipper, and as stunt coordinator on the Flipper film and Thunderball. Browning also co-created Flipper with Jack Cowden.

Browning’s legacy will live on in his work both in front of and behind the camera. Rest in peace, Mr. Browning.

M3GAN: Unrated (2023)

(from left) M3GAN and Cady (Violet McGraw) in M3GAN, directed by Gerard Johnstone.

“She’s More Than Just A Toy….She’s A Part Of The Family.”

With Blumhouse and Atomic Monster producing, Gerard Johnstone directing, and Akela Cooper and James Wan penning the tale, M3GAN had a solid foundation for its vision of AI horror. The original PG-13 version of the film was premiered in December of 2022 in Los Angeles and was released nationwide in January 2023. It raked in a ton of cash thanks to solid story and a stellar ad campaign that most notably featured the AI doll M3GAN dancing. Her dance became a viral hit on social media and some believe that re-edits were done in order to get a PG-13 rating for the film. This definitely allowed more fans a chance to see the film but it also proved to be one of the few complaints about the movie. While M3GAN definitely humor in spades, she proved to be lacking in violence. Peacock, eager to get their own piece of the M3GAN pie, released an unrated version of the film on its streaming service on February 24, 2023. It promised more gore. It delivered, but not in an excessive amount.

In the film, a young girl, Cady, loses her parents in an accident and is sent to stay at her single aunt’s home. Her aunt happens to be a robotics whiz for Funki, a toy company currently attempting to develop a cheaper version of its top-selling toy, Purrpetual Petz, an AI toy that adapts to and interacts with its child owner. Another toy company has developed a cheaper version of the Purrpetual Petz and Cady’s aunt, Gemma, is part of the team assigned to develop a more budget-friendly version of the toy. On the side she is developing a new AI doll, M3GAN (Model 3 Generative Android), that gets to know its owner on a personal level, provides companionship, and can even register a child’s body temperature, demeanor, and other things. When Gemma’s boss finds out that she has been using company resources to develop the doll, he becomes enraged. Hoping to appease him, Gemma introduces M3GAN to her niece who is having difficulty adjusting to her new, somewhat boring life with her aunt. The duo become quick friends and Gemma’s boss insists that she and her team continue with the M3GAN project. As Cady and M3GAN bond, Cady becomes even more distant with her aunt. M3GAN takes Gemma’s request of her to protect Cady at all times to a violent, bloody level, taking out threats to Cady. As the story continues, M3GAN becomes self-aware, begins hiding her activity from Gemma, and does everything that she can to eliminate any and all threats to Cady. In the end, M3GAN squares off against Gemma. Who wins? How sweet are M3GAN’s dance moves? Watch the film in order to find out!

(from left) Cady (Violet McGraw), M3GAN and Gemma (Allison Williams) in M3GAN, directed by Gerard Johnstone.

The film is very good. I’ve only seen the unrated version and based upon what I’ve heard of the original film, the only additions to the unrated version are a bit more gore and quite a few more F-bombs. The film isn’t very scary and I figured out who (or what) would be the end of M3GAN near the beginning of the film. The movie spends a good deal of time developing the relationships of Gemma and Cady and M3GAN and Cady. One could easily see the film as a look at the ethical and moral difficulties that arise as a result of humans depending upon AI or replacing human interaction with AI. While M3GAN is definitely creepy, the attempt to make her sinister was often derailed by the film’s humor. Overall, though, it’s still a pretty fun ride.

The film’s cast is pretty solid. Allison Williams stars as Gemma and Violet McGraw plays Cady. They have excellent uncomfortable chemistry at the beginning of the film and McGraw takes it to another level once she becomes fully captivated by M3GAN. M3GAN is played by Amie Donald (voiced by Jenna Davis) and she does a very convincing job in the roll. The cast is rounded out by Ronny Chieng, Lori Dungey, Jen Van Epps, Stephane Garneau-Monten, and Brian Jordan Alvarez. The biggest star of the film is the special effects by Morot FX Studio and Weta Workshop. Morot gave life to animatronic puppet versions of M3GAN while Weta digitally enhanced Amie Donald’s performance to give her true doll-like looks.

M3GAN has already been given the green light for a sequel and it is expected to hit theaters in January 2025. Social media hacks have pushed for her to face off against Chucky in a Child’s Play/M3GAN battle royale. Hopefully this doesn’t occur as I’d much rather see M3GAN develop on her own without having to piggyback on an established franchise.

Check out this film. If you love horror with a bit of humor tossed in, this will definitely please you. Thanks for checking out my review. See you again real soon!

Throwback Thursday: Valentine (2001)

Roses are red….

In 1996, Wes Craven breathed new life into the stagnant slasher genre with Scream. It spawned a number of popular sequels and a slew of copycat films including Urban Legend and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Eventually the genre began to lose its appeal and studios attempted to revive it by injecting supernatural elements into the fray as in films like Final Destination. One of the last films to be released during the 90s slasher revival was Valentine, a 2001 film that followed the tried and true formula of a vengeful serial killer taking out those that wronged him in the past. It also utilized many of the same tropes that made other films in the genre very popular including a relatively new one introduced in Scream. While that movie listed Drew Barrymore as one of the stars, she was quickly offed at the beginning of the movie. In Valentine (spoiler alert), another popular actress was given top billing and dispatched immediately after the establishment of the the villain’s backstory. That actress was Katherine Heigl, who was riding a wave of success thanks to starring turns the television series Roswell and films like Bride of Chucky and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory.

Heigl wasn’t the only popular actor in the film. Both Denise Richards (Wild Things, Starship Troopers) and David Boreanaz (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel) were enjoying solid careers at the time of the film’s release. Jessica Cauffiel was in the early stages of a career that includes supporting roles in popular films like Legally Blonde and White Chicks and regular guest roles on television series such as My Name Is Earl. Not to be outdone, the other primary stars of the film, Marley Shelton and Jessica Capshaw, have both had stellar careers. Shelton is perhaps best known for appearing as Wendy Peffercorn in The Sandlot and Judy Hicks in two films in the Scream franchise. She currently stars in the series 1923, a Yellowstone spinoff. Capshaw, while appearing in a number of films over the years, carved out a stellar career on television in Grey’s Anatomy and The Practice. Hedy Burress, Johnny Whitworth, and Noel Fisher also have roles in the film.

In the film, we learn how Jeremy Melton, a lonely outsider at the local junior high Valentine’s Day dance, is cruelly blown off by three popular girls in quick succession. A fourth girl, Kate, tells him that she might dance with him later. A fifth girl, the “slightly chubby but popular because she’s rich” Dorothy, accepts Jeremy’s request and ends up making out with him under the bleachers. Discovered by a group of bullies, Dorothy denies that she willingly made out with Jeremy and accuses him of attacking her. The bullies strip Jeremy to his underwear and humiliate him in front of the other kids at the dance. His nose begins to bleed. We are then taken thirteen years into the future where we see one of the mean popular girls, Shelley (Heigl), working on a cadaver in college. She is attacked and murdered by a mysterious person in a black coat and a creepy Cupid mask after receiving a cryptic Valentine’s Day card signed “JM.” A detective questions the four remaining girls at Shelley’s funeral and learns that all but one of them have recently entered into new relationships. The boyfriends immediately become suspects and Paige (Richards), who is unattached, begins to receive advances from the detective. As the story continues, the remaining girls begin receiving Valentine’s Day cards from “JM.” The killer, listed as “The Cherub” in the film credits, then murders Lily (Voight) at her boyfriend’s art show. The other girls assume that she is on a business trip out of town when the detective questions them yet again. Then the Cherub turns his attention to a Valentine’s Day party at Dorothy’s house. Dorothy (Capshaw), Paige, and Kate (Shelton) have to battle the Cherub in an attempt to stay alive. Who lives? Who dies? Who is the Cherub? Watch Valentine in order to find out!

Yes, Valentine is a generic slasher flick that utilizes a ton of genre tropes. The killer is easy to pick out and director Jamie Blanks (Urban Legend) doesn’t even try that hard to throw the audience off during the film. There is a slight twist at the end that, in all honesty, does nothing to make the audience second guess itself. What really sets this movie apart is that the core cast is all female and the guys that are in the film are essentially window dressing with the exception of the killer. That’s pretty cool in my book, but it isn’t enough to save this film from being just another generic slasher film. I enjoyed watching it but I wouldn’t necessarily rush out to watch it again. If you’re hungry for a decent little slasher flick with an especially cool looking villain, check out Valentine.

Thanks for checking out my post. See you again soon!

Classic Horror: Thirteen Women (1932)

“Don’t destroy their faith in the occult, Swami.”

Using nothing but the power of persuasion, a vengeful woman attempts to take out thirteen women who bullied and harassed her at an all-girls school in 1932’s Thirteen Women. The thirteen women were part of a sorority that taunted the woman, Ursula Georgi, so much that she was forced to leave the school. The film is considered to be an early influence on the slasher genre and one of the first films in which the antagonist builds a “body count” as the story progresses. It is also regularly mentioned as one of the first female ensemble films and an early example of societal racism addressed in film.

The film stars Myrna Loy as Ursula, a woman of mixed race, who uses her influence over a swami to manipulate the sorority sisters into going insane, committing murder and suicide, and believing that the dark predictions made by the swami will come true no matter what they do in order to prevent them from occurring. Standing in Ursula’s way is Irene Dunne as Laura Stanhope, one of the only women in the group who isn’t convinced that the predictions are real. Laura teams up with police sergeant Barry Clive (Ricardo Cortez) to stop Ursula when she targets Laura’s young son, Bobby (Wally Albright).

The movie is well executed. It does a fine job of showing how easily manipulated people can be with just a few strategic events and persuasive suggestions. We get to see how Ursula uses the beliefs, fears, and superstitions of her victims to have them kill themselves and others. The version of the film that I saw was only fifty-nine minutes long. The original film featured roughly fourteen more minutes of footage, mainly of some of the victims succumbing to Ursula’s influence, but when they didn’t work well with test audiences, the film was heavily edited. In fact, entire character arcs were edited out of the movie with the film only focusing on roughly six of the thirteen women.

The cast was excellent. Along with Dunne, Loy, Albright, and Cortez, the film featured Jill Esmond, Mary Duncan, Kay Johnson, Florence Eldridge, C. Henry Gordon, Edward Pawley, and Blanche Friderici. Phyllis Fraser and Betty Furness had roles in the original film but were completely removed from the final cut. Peg Entwistle appears in the film but had roughly twelve minutes of her performance edited out of the final cut. This is notable due to the fact that Entwistle committed suicide roughly one month prior to the film’s release and it is believed that she had become depressed with the way that her film career was going. Thirteen Women is her only on-screen credit but she was a prolific stage performer, starring on Broadway in many plays prior to her death at the age of twenty-four. Entwistle climbed to the top of the “H” in the Hollywoodland sign in September of 1932 and jumped to her death. Both Dunne and Loy would go on to have prolific careers in film and television.

Promotional shot of Entwistle.

I highly recommend this film. It’s well done and features a solid cast. It’s also chock full of firsts and early moments in cinema. Entwistle’s tragic story in real life only adds to the lore of this film. If you haven’t seen it, look it up on streaming services or on DVD. As far as I know it has not been released on Blu-ray.

Thanks for checking out m y post. See you again real soon!

2023 Convention Schedule

Scheduled Appearances And Attendances So Far

Yep, it’s just February but I’ve already got a full slate of convention and festival appearances lined up! The fun starts next month when I attend Louisiana Comic Con on March 11th and 12th! I’ll be presenting two panels (one on Saturday and one on Sunday) at this amazing convention that is quickly becoming one of my favorite events to attend. They have an awesome lineup of artists, vendors, celebrity guests, and cosplayers and I’m excited to check it all out next month! Below is just a small sampling of some of the guests that the convention has in store for attendees. Check out their website for even more guests and event info!

April will find me at the Fouke Monster Festival. Last year was the first time that I attended this event and it was excellent. This year looks to be even better as the event has moved into a larger facility and will feature some amazing guests. Check out their website for more information. I’ll be in attendance representing Filmsquatch, a podcast that myself and my friend, Patrick Bennett, co-host. Be sure to come say hello and snap a photo with our own Sasquatch!

When May rolls around you can find me as a sponsor in-kind at the Calcasieu Parish Short Film Festival. I’ll be there helping out in any way possible. I will most likely be manning a projector, but feel free to chat me up during the breaks between the films. This is always a great event to attend and to sponsor and this year we will be returning to the wonderful Brimstone Museum Complex! Hurricane Laura roughed up the facility back in 2020 but the annex has been completely rebuilt and looks great!

I might actually get a bit of a break in June, but I do have one convention that I have my eyes on for that month. July is already locked up, however, as I’ll be heading back to the Brimstone Museum to help out and sponsor in-kind at the Calcasieu Serialfest! This event will be celebrating its ninth year of revisiting classic cliffhanger serials and will feature cosplayers, historical information, and plenty of free popcorn and drinks! There might be a few other goodies available for attendees to take home and, best of all, the entire event is free!

When August crawls into existence I will be be creeping it up for three solid days at the Houston Horror Film Festival! This year’s event looks like it will be one of the best ones on record as the festival has a loaded lineup of celebrity guests, authors, vendors, and more! I cannot wait to meet folks like the Phantom himself, Billy Zane, and the wonderful Heather Matarazzo! I also hope to get a hug from everybody’s favorite 80s big screen mom, Dee Wallace! From Critters to Cujo and even E.T., Wallace has appeared in so many of my favorite films that I can’t wait to meet her! Check out the festival’s Facebook page and website for more information.

Things will slow down for me in September as I currently have no plans to attend any events. In October, however, I’ll once again be volunteering and sponsoring in-kind at the Lake Charles Film Festival! This year’s event will feature special guest, Johnny Whitaker, star of Family Affair, Tom Sawyer, and Sigmund And The Sea Monsters. Come check out some great independent films, meet producers, directors, actors, writers, and more from the film industry, and enjoy a great weekend in Lake Charles!

Please note that this is not a finalized list of events that I plan to attend this year. This is only a list of those that I am definitely going to as an attendee or as a panelist or presenter. I hope to add more events as the year continues and I’ll definitely let you know which ones I’ll be attending as I add them to my list. I hope to see some of you on the convention circuit. Tell me hello if you see me!

Thanks for checking out this post. If you would like for me to attend a specific event, message me here or over on my Facebook page.

On The Trail Of Bigfoot: Last Frontier (2022)

The Hunt For Bigfoot In Alaska

Whether you believe in Bigfoot or not, you cannot deny that he is excellent at picking beautiful real estate to call home. That’s one of the highlights of Small Town Monsters’ 2022 documentary, On The Trail Of Bigfoot: Last Frontier. Written and directed by Seth Breedlove, this documentary features breathtaking visuals and bone-chilling eyewitness interviews about my favorite cryptid in Alaska. The film opens with a young man explaining his sighting and then goes on to uncover more exciting and creepy interviews with a number of people, some brought nearly to tears as they describe their encounters.

Some of the best segments of this film involve the tales told by Native Americans and discussions about their beliefs that were written off as myth by European settlers in the area. The Natives recount stories about not going into the woods after dark, not following whistles in the forest, and ignoring the cries of a child or baby in the forest because something sinister actually awaits them. We also learn about Otter Man and other beings as well. The film closes with a group of people spending time in a remote cabin where activity is said to be particularly high.

If you’re looking for fuzzy photos or blurry video of Sasquatch tromping through the snow, you won’t find it here. Breedlove instead keeps his focus on the stories of witnesses and laces them together with beautiful cinematography and the occasional CGI rendering of Bigfoot. In all honesty, the CGI creatures could have been left out of this production. The visuals alone are worth watching this film and so are the interviews.

Seth Breedlove.

Be sure to check out On The Trail Of Bigfoot: Last Frontier. You won’t regret it. If you are interested in Small Town Monsters, be sure to click here and take a look at their latest Kickstarter, previous projects, their online store, and more.

Thanks for checking out my post. See you again real soon!

Throwback Thursday: Legend (1985)

“What is light without dark?”

Ridley Scott has directed some of the biggest feature films of all time including Alien, Gladiator, The Martian, Blade Runner, and Thelma & Louise. Most of his films have been financially successful, including those that failed to impress critics. One of the few films that Scott directed (and developed the story for) that failed to win over critics and audiences was 1985’s Legend. It starred a young Tom Cruise who was just beginning to catch fire in Hollywood after starring in All The Right Moves and Risky Business. It was also the film debut of Mia Sara who would appear in the wildly popular Ferris Bueller’s Day Off one year later. Rounding out the film’s major cast members is Tim Curry as the Lord of Darkness. Curry was handpicked by Ridley Scott due to his experience on the live stage. Scott believed that Curry could add something to the role based on his performance in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Supporting cast included Billy Barty, David Bennent, Alice Playten, Cork Hubbert, and Annabelle Lanyon.

In the film, the Lord of Darkness sends one of this favorite goblins, Blix (Playten), out to kill the last two unicorns in the world in order to wipe out the light and allow darkness to rule forever. Blix happens upon Princess Lili (Sara) about to touch one of the unicorns while Jack (Cruise) watches from a distance and warns her not to put her hand on the unicorn. Blix poisons the unicorn with a blow dart when Lili is about to touch the animal. This makes Jack believe that her touch has cast the world into darkness. The unicorn is later found by Blix and he cuts off the animal’s horn. This casts the world into an eternal winter that freezes nearly everything. Heartbroken and confused, Jack meets up with a small group of headed up by the dwarf Honeythorn Gump (Bennent). Together they find the wounded unicorn and are told that the only way to bring the light back is to defeat Darkness and return the unicorn’s horn. Lili is captured by the goblins and brought back to Darkness’ stronghold to become his bride. Jack and his comrades battle a swamp witch and end up imprisoning themselves in Darkness’ castle. Managing to break free, they pursue Darkness while Lili makes plans of her own to save the unicorn. Who wins? Will light be restored? You’ll have to watch Legend to find out!

The film’s visuals are brilliant. Robin Bottin handled the makeup effects for all of the creatures in the film and was nominated for an Academy Award as a result. His work on Tim Curry’s Lord of Darkness is still considered to be some of the most amazing makeup effects ever done. Curry was completely unrecognizable in the role. The film was shot on six soundstages at Pinewood Studios. Assheton Gorton was the film’s production designer, developing the film’s look and creating the sets. Music was handled by Jerry Goldsmith in the film’s UK release and by Tangerine Dream in the United States. This was done due to the fact that parts of the film were edited differently in the two releases. As a result, the film has three different endings, all of which are available in numerous formats.

As far as the cast is concerned, Tim Curry gives a solid performance as Darkness despite being covered in makeup. David Bennent gives a creepy performance as Honeythorn (voice dubbed by Alice Playten). Annabelle Lanyon is captivating as the fairy named Oona. Alice Playten is sinister as Blix. Tom Cruise is serviceable as Jack but is probably the weakest actor in the bunch. Mia Sara turns in a great performance as Lili, who uses her sex appeal to play tricks on Darkness. She dances with perfection between being a sweetly innocent maiden and a wicked seductress. It’s also worth noting that Robert Picardo, best known by genre fans as the Doctor in Star Trek: Voyager, portrays the swamp hag named Meg Mucklebones.

While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Legend to everyone, it’s definitely worth a look for fans of 1980’s fantasy. It has the same look and feel of better fantasy films of that time like Ladyhawke and Willow, but suffers from a rather thin storyline. I also recommend that fans of makeup effects check out this flick for no other reason than to see the amazing work of Robin Bottin.

Thanks for revisiting this oft-forgotten fantasy flick with me. I appreciate you taking time to read my post. See you again real soon!