Horror on the Lens: Destroy All Planets (dir by Noriaki Yuasa)

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Aliens are trying to conquer Earth. It’s a pretty good thing that we’ve got a giant, fire-breathing turtle to protect us!

In Japan, this film was released as Gamera vs Viras. In 1969, when it aired on American television, the Japanese actors were dubbed and the title was changed to Destroy All Planets, presumably to try to capitalize on the success of Destroy All Monsters. As any true kaiju fan can tell you, Gamera and Godzilla exist in different cinematic universes but that’s not something that the average American was worried about, especially in 1969! Myself, I love both Gamera and Godzilla. That said, my favorite remains Jet Jaguar. Whatever happened to that robot?

Here, for your viewing pleasure, is today’s Horror on the Lens! Enjoy Destroy All Planets!

Horror Song of the Day: The Winner by Lance Owg, Gabriel Rohels, and David Cole

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today’s song of the day comes from the 1981 slasher classic, Graduation Day!

Just try not to sing along!

Everybody wants to be the winner….

Horror Scene That I Love: Charlton Heston And Woodstock In The Omega Man

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today would have been the 103rd birthday of actor Charlton Heston.

This scene that I love comes from one of the few horror films in which Heston appeared. An adaptation of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend, 1971’s The Omega Man featured Charlton Heston as Robert Neville. By night, Neville protects his house against the mutant horde. By day, he tracks those sleeping mutants down and watches Woodstock over and over again.

“They don’t make them like that anymore,” Neville says.

This scene gets a lot of attention because of the contrast between the conservative Heston and the hippies in the film. To me, the reason that it works is because Woodstock is a documentary. Neville isn’t watching an actor pretending to be a character in a film. He’s watching an actual human being who went to the Woodstock music festival and who is presumably either now a mutant or dead. Imagine being the hippie interviewed by this scene and seeing yourself in The Omega Man and knowing you didn’t survive the apocalypse. For that matter, we also have to assume that all of the Woodstock performers have been turned into mutants as well. Write a song about that, Country Joe.

(I choose to believe that Arlo Guthrie made it to safety. Sha Na Na, though? Doomed.)

Neville’s right. They don’t make them like this anymore.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Anne Rice Edition

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today would have been the 86th birthday of author Anne Rice. It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Anne Rice Adaptations

Interview With A Vampire (1994, dir by Neil Jordan, DP: Phillippe Rousselot)

Exit to Eden (1994, dir by Garry Marshall, DP: Theo van de Sande)

Queen of the Damned (2002, dir by Michael Rymer, DP: Ian Baker)

The Young Messiah (2016, dir by Cyrus Nowrasteh, DP: Joel Ransom)

Music Video of the Day: Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) by Concrete Blonde (1990, dir by ????)

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I just know that someone’s going to be like, “Actually, Lisa, this is song isn’t about vampires, it’s about someone sucking the happiness out of life.”

Listen, I don’t care. It’s October. It’s horrorthon. The lead singer of Concrete Blonde says that she was inspired to write the song by Interview with a Vampire, which is something that’s very obvious when you watch the video. And today would have been Anne Rice’s birthday. For our purposes, it’s a vampire song.

Enjoy!

October Positivity: In Gramps’ Shoes (dir by Chip Rossetti)

Posted on October 3, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

2013’s In Gramps’ Shoes opens with Ty (Donald James Parker) praying that his daughter, Amy (Francine Locke), will finally call him. It’s been 20 years since they last spoke. Amy felt that Ty — or “Gramps” as he’s eventually known — was too controlling when she was growing up. He didn’t approve of her music. He didn’t approve of the man she married. When she left home, she went to Tennessee and promised herself that she would never look back.

However, Amy is now in some trouble. Her husband has left her. Her teenage son, Scott (Andrew Wilson Williams), is a slacker who smokes on the porch with his loser friends and who refuses to even consider getting a part-time job to help pay the bills. Her daughter, Sally (Brittany Blades), is a bit more responsible but she’s been reading Harry Potter and that could lead to her becoming a witch. Amy is also nearly broke. She finally swallows her pride and calls Gramps to ask for help.

Soon, Gramps has moved down to Tennessee. At first, Scott and his friends are dismissive of Gramps. But then they watch as Gramps beats Scott in a two-mile race. They watch as Gramps does pull-ups at a local park. They all marvel at how athletic Gramps is. Scott decides that he wants to run just like Gramps. But first, Scott is going to have to work on his attitude and start going to church….

This film has a lot of problems, from the poor ADR to the bad acting to the script that allows certain scenes to drag on without end. This film is nearly two hours long and you will definitely feel every one of those 115 minutes. Even the running scenes are a bit disappointing because no one really looks like they’re in good enough condition to be a track star. Everyone in the film talks about how good Gramps looks but Gramps actually spends the majority of the film looking like he might collapse at any moment.

The main problem with the film is Gramps is a kind of a jerk. From the minute he shows up in Tennessee, he’s giving orders and we can tell why his daughter thought he was too controlling. He moves in and immediately starts to tell Amy how to raise her son. Because Gramps goes to church, he demands that his grandchildren come with him. (Keep in mind, he doesn’t ask them to go to a church. He tells them that they have to come to his church.) He makes it clear that his grandchildren won’t be watching anything fantasy-related (like a Harry Potter movie) as long as he’s around. Gramps isn’t just opinionated. Instead, he comes across as being angry and rather aggressive. And yet, everyone just loves to be around him.

In this film, Parker appears to be playing the same character that he played in Gramps Goes To College. However, there’s a plot development that makes it impossible for this to be a prequel to Gamps Goes To College. At the same time, Gramps first gets his nickname in this film which means that Gramps Goes To College also couldn’t be considered a sequel. It’s not the film’s biggest problem but it is something that bothers a continuity nerd like me.

Despite all of those problems, this film does end with a priceless final line. Is Scott going to go prom with his new girlfriend? Actually, Scott might “lead a protest against Harry Potter …. because it’s what Gramps would have wanted.” The film is almost worth watching just to hear that one line.

Almost.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Saved By The Bell 3.8 “Fake IDs”

Posted on October 3, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Saturdays, I will be reviewing Saved By The Bell, which ran on NBC from 1989 to 1993. The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!

This week, someone gets caught cheating!

Episode 3.8 “Fake IDs”

(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on October 19th, 1991)

Having finally reached the point where he’s ready to move on from Kelly, Zack Morris resorts to lying to get a new girlfriend. He tells USC freshman Danielle (Julie St. Claire) that he’s a fellow Trojan. He claims to be a photojournalism major who spends all of his time in his darkroom. That’s why she never sees him on campus. Wink wink.

When Danielle invites him to the Attic, an 18-and-up club, Zack instructs Screech to use the skills he’s learned in photography class to make fake IDs. Zack, Slater, and Screech sneak out of Zack’s house and hit the Attic. Screech gets chased by an older woman named Reggie. Slater spends the whole night talking about how much he misses Jessie. Zack dances with Danielle. It’s a great night until they spot Kelly’s new boyfriend, Jeff, dancing with a girl who isn’t Kelly.

“Whoa!” Zack, Slater, and Screech all say at the same time.

When Jessie and Lisa hear that the guys went to an over-18 club, they decide they want fake IDs as well. Meanwhile, when Zack tells Kelly about seeing Jeff, Kelly accuses Zack of being jealous. But when Jeff gives a half-hearted excuse for why he can’t go out with her that night, Kelly asks Screech to make her a fake ID as well.

The next night, Zack’s parents are at a Peter, Paul and Mary concert. Zack goes to the Attic with Slater, Screech, Lisa, and Jessie and is shocked when he can’t find Danielle. What Zack doesn’t know is that Danielle called the house to tell him she would be arriving late, and the phone was answered by Mrs. Morris (Melody Rogers). Mrs. Morris stops singing “Puff the Magic Dragon” just long enough to ask, “What’s the Attic?”

At the Attic, Kelly arrives just in time to spot Jeff dancing with his other girlfriend. She yells, “I broke up with a great guy for you!” “It’s not like we’re going steady,” Jeff replies. “We’re through!” Kelly says, and I can only assume that Kelly is also going to quit the job she so desperately needed just a few episodes ago.

Kelly, Jessie, and Lisa go off together so that Kelly can spend a few minutes “yelling in the ladies’ room.” Danielle and Mrs. Morris show up at the same time. Zack introduces his mom as his “young-looking older sister.” Mrs. Morris orders Zack, Slater, and Screech out to the car. They leave, and we’re left to wonder how Kelly, Jessie, and Lisa are going to get home.

To be honest, I kind of hate this episode. Jeff cheating on Kelly comes out of nowhere, and it’s totally against everything we’ve already learned about the character. Previously, the whole point of Jeff’s character was that he was a nice guy who didn’t intentionally set out to break up Zack and Kelly. In this episode, he’s suddenly a jerk.

That said, there are actually a few funny moments to be found, like Lisa trying to shove Zack away while he’s looking for Danielle. Slater’s loyalty to Jessie was actually pretty sweet, and even Screech was a bit less annoying than usual. It’s a well-done episode, even if it only exists to reset the Kelly/Zack relationship.

I just hope Kelly, Jessie, and Lisa were able to find a way home.

Made-For-TV-Movie Review: The Execution of Gary Glitter (dir by Rob Coldstream)

Posted on October 3, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Made for British television, 2009’s The Execution of Gary Glitter opens with disgraced former rock star Gary Glitter (played by Scottish actor Hilton McRae) returning to the UK after serving a three-year prison sentence in Vietnam. When he was younger, Glitter was one of the most popular men in the UK, a rock star who was liked by both parents and — ahem — their children. His song “Rock and Roll Part 2,” with its chorus of “Hey!”, became a mainstay at sporting events. However, everything fell apart in the late ’90s when he was arrested and subsequently convicted of possessing child porn. After he was released from prison, Glitter went abroad and swore he would never return to Britain. In 2005, while living in Vietnam, he was convicted of having sex with underage girls. While he could have faced the firing squad as a result, he was instead given a three-year prison sentence. When he was released, he attempted to relocate to Hong Kong and Taiwan, only to be told that he was not welcome. Eventually, he had no choice but to return to the UK because every other country banned him from entering.

That’s all a matter of public record. The Execution of Gary Glitter imagines what would have happened if Glitter — or Paul Gadd, to use his real name — returned to a UK that had recently reinstated the death penalty. In this film, as soon as Gadd arrives in the UK, he’s placed under arrest. He’s been out of the country for so long that he totally missed the fact that Britain is once again hanging people. He’s also surprised to hear that he can be tried for crimes that were committed outside of British territory and that he can be executed if found guilty of the same crimes for which he was convicted in Vietnam.

The Execution of Gary Glitter is a mix of dramatic scenes and mockumentary-style interviews with people who were involved in Glitter’s criminal case. Though Gary Glitter is played by Hilton McRae, a few British journalists and politicians appear as themselves and talk about their feelings concerning the reinstatement of the death penalty. British MP Ann Widdecombe appears and makes the case for bringing back hanging. (Seventeen years after this special aired, Widdecombe would be brutally murdered in her own home, a victim of the political violence we’re always told isn’t actually occurring.) The film ends with a title card saying that, in 2009, polling showed that 53% of Britons supported bringing back capital punishment. It’s interesting how people always want the opposite of whatever it is they have. In America, the anti-death penalty movement is having a moment, but I can guarantee that, if capital punishment ever was outlawed here, you’d have people demanding that it be brought back within a month.

As for this film, it’s weird. Making a film like this about an actual person is weird. I honestly can’t tell you whether this film is for or against the death penalty. On the one hand, the scenes featuring the hangman and the gallows are rather cold and disturbing. The cold mercilessness of hanging is emphasized and with it, the idea that people who support the death penalty run the risk of becoming just as cold. (Of course, considering what’s currently happening in Tennessee as a result of the botched lethal injection of Christa Pike, some viewers would today undoubtedly appreciate the cool precision of a hanging.) On the other hand, Gary Glitter is about as unsympathetic a character as you can imagine and, in the film, he’s portrayed as being someone who lacks the self-awareness to understand why people are even upset at him. He makes plenty of excuses but they all ring hollow. At one point, the film mentions that Europe is uniformly condemning and sanctioning the UK for bringing back the death penalty. That would probably be a big deal in the UK. In America, we really don’t care what Europe thinks. Annoying Brussels is our national pastime.

What the film definitely does get right is the carnival atmosphere that would accompany the execution of a celebrity. The film imagines people selling T-shirts outside of the prison, macabre remixes of Glitter’s song playing on the radio, and Glitter himself receiving letters from people who continue to be fans despite the crimes for which he’s been convicted. Hilton McRae does a good job in the lead role. He starts out as arrogant and cocky and then gradually, as the reality of his situation dawns on him, he grows more and more desperate.

As for the real-life Gary Glitter, he was not amused by this film and tried to keep it from airing. Six years after the film aired, he was arrested and convicted of several more sex crimes that came to light as a result of the inquest into Jimmy Savile’s crimes. He was sentenced to a 16-year prison term. Just this year, the still-incarcerated Glitter was charged in a new set of historic sex crimes. He has pled not guilty.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 9/27/26 — 10/3/26

Posted on October 3, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

2026 Video Music Awards (Sunday Night, CBS)

I had them on but I also mostly had them on mute because I don’t feel like listening to any political speeches. My Sunday attention was divided by the Vide0 Music Awards and old TV shows on YouTube. That said, I definitely did notice Madonna. I know Madonna’s gotten a lot of criticism over her somewhat odd behavior at the VMAs but, to be honest, I thought it was kind of refreshing to just have someone who didn’t really care up on stage. With Madonna, you were never sure what she might say and that was quite a contrast to Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter.

The Amazing Race (Wednesday Night, CBS)

I wrote about The Amazing Race here! And then I wrote about it again!

Bar Rescue (Paramount+)

On Friday, I watched an episode that took place at a bar called Hogwash. The owner of the bar had a drinking problem. Jon Taffer yelled at him until he poured out his pitcher of beer. Whatever works, I suppose.

Big Brother (Sunday and Thursday Night, CBS)

It’s over! It’s finally over! I tried to cover this season of Big Brother over at Reality TV Chat Blog but I have to admit that I never really got into the latest installment. This was one of the blandest seasons that I can remember. That said, I was happy when Rick Devens won on Thursday. They may have hated him on Twitter (and I’m not sure why) but everyone else loved him enough to award him with the title of America’s Favorite Player.

On Monday, I rewatched the first season premiere of Big Brother. Originally airing way back in 2000, this was the very first episode of Big Brother, back when CBS was still pretending that it was a social experiment and Julie Chen was still trying to convince people that she was a serious journalist and not a game show host. As I watched the episode, memories came flooding back of watching the first season with my mom. We both liked Chicken George. We were happy Eddie won. We thought Brittany was annoying. And Curtis Chen was our favorite. I understand that Curtis is a judge now. As for the first episode, it was definitely humorous to watch Julie and special correspondent Ian O’Malley breathlessly talk about how Big Brother was doing something that had never been done before …. except, of course, Big Brother had been done before. Big Brother originated in the Netherlands and the first season of the UK version pretty much ran concurrently with the American version. From the start, Big Brother was pretty silly.

Blind Date (Nosey)

I watched a few episodes on Sunday night. I had totally forgotten about this silly show. Needless to say, I only cared about tracking down the episodes with bad blind dates. The good dates were always boring.

Cheaters (Tubi)

On Tuesday, I relaxed my racing mind by watching two episodes of this classic reality show. I cheered whenever I recognized any place that I had been in Dallas.

The Curse of Degrassi (YouTube)

As always, I started off my October by watching The Curse of Degrassi!

Doctor, Doctor (YouTube)

This was an old sitcom from the 80s, one that starred Matt Frewer as an annoyingly goofy doctor. Jeff, Brad, and I joined our friendly Patrick and Dani in watching an episode on Friday because it featured Dennis Haskins as a charlatan pushing a phony weight loss supplement.

E! True Hollywood Story — Eight Is Enough (YouTube)

On Sunday, I watched this edition of the E! True Hollywood Story almost at random. Eight Is Enough is a show that I had previously never heard of but it did have an interesting story behind it, from Mark Hamill being cast shortly before the release of Star Wars to John Travolta’s much older girlfriend dying shortly after being cast as the mother of eight children. The show was big in the 70s and early 80s so, of course, the special was full of actors talking about getting famous and abusing drugs.

E! True Hollywood Story — Herve Villechaize (YouTube)

I watched this episode of the E! True Hollywood Story on Sunday. What a sad life Herve lived. The special covered both Herve’s time on and his exit from Fantasy Island and also the circumstances of his tragic death. It also took a look at how Herve became an advocate for abused children. Herve was definitely a complicated person but he definitely tried to do some good in this world of ours.

Fear Itself (YouTube)

I’ve been watching and sharing episodes of Fear Itself for this year’s horrorthon. Click here for the first episode and here for the second one, which stars Eric Roberts!

Football Game: Chiefs vs Dolphins (Sunday, Paramount+)

*Gasp* Taylor wasn’t at the game!

Football Game: Cowboys vs Ravens (Sunday, CBS)

They were playing in Brazil! I’m not sure why I watched. I don’t even like football. Maybe I just needed a distraction from the stress that I was under. I’m not surprised the Cowboys lost. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Cowboys win a game.

Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court (Tubi)

On Tuesday morning, as I scheduled and reviewed the posts for the first day of Horrorthon, I used Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court as background noise. I love the way the people in the courtroom always seems to resent having to say, “Good Day” to Judge Lake.

Saved By The Bell: The New Class (Prime)

Jeff, Pat, Dani, and I watched three episodes on Saturday morning in memory of Dennis Haskins. As the only one of us who had previously watched this series, I got to show off my encyclopedic New Class knowledge.

SCTV (Netflix)

I watched two early episodes on Monday. The one that I truly remember features John Candy and Dave Thomas playing the role of The Incredible Bulk and his human alter ego, Bill Brigsby.

The Steve Wilkos Show (Nosey)

I watched two episodes on Sunday. Steve was yelling at everyone. While none of the old daytime talk shows were particularly good, I have to say that Steve, at the very least, always came across as being more sincere in his emotions than either Maury or Jerry.

I also watched a few episodes on Monday, mostly as a way to distract myself from the stress of preparing for Horrorthon. (I love Horrorthon but it’s a lot work!) One absolutely terrifying episode featured one of the worst mothers I had ever seen. For 30 years, she kept her daughter in the dark about the identity of her biological father. When he turned out to be a decent guy who refused to be bitter about the way he was treated, she got even angrier. I felt so bad for her daughter.

I then went on t0 watch three episodes on Tuesday and ended up feeling like I was wasting my life. But they did provide good background noise for when I was working on this week’s Horrorthon posts. I needed something to keep me focused and Steve Wilkos throwing chairs at people was apparently just what the doctor ordered.

On Wednesday, I wasted yet another precious hour watching Steve Wilkos. An abusive man refused to get out of the chair on Steve’s stage so Steve shoved him to the floor and then threw the chair across the stage. That was satisfying to watch! Still, I have to wonder why Steve even had the chair out there if people weren’t allowed to sit in them.

Survivor (Wednesday Night, CBS)

I reviewed Survivor here!

Unsolved Mysteries (Tubi)

I watched two Robert Stack-hosted episodes on Thursday. Both were from 1995. The first one featured the rather sad case of Philip Taylor Kramer, a former bass player for the band Iron Butterfly who later went on to found a computer company before mysteriously disappearing in 1995. This story came with an update that said Kramer’s van and body were found in 1999 but authorities couldn’t say whether his death was suicide, homicide, or a tragic accident. The second episode featured an update on a woman whose husband mysterious vanished. After seeing a story about himself on Unsolved Mysteries, the husband called his wife. It turned out that he had been attacked during a business trip and had suffered from amnesia for two years. This was followed by a story about a shrine to the Virgin Mary in Kentucky where people claimed to have had religious visions. This was interesting to me because I’ve actually been to that shrine. When I was 10, I visited it with my mom and my sisters. I did not have any visions but I do remember my mom praying for us.

Horror Film Review: Trap (dir by M. Night Shyamalan)

Posted on October 3, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In 2024’s Trap, Cooper Abbott (Josh Hartnett) is a Philadelphia fireman taking his teenage daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), to a concert. Riley has been having a difficult time at school after recently falling out with two other girls, so seeing her favorite singer, Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan, daughter of the film’s director), should be just the thing to cheer her up.

However, when Cooper and Riley arrive at the stadium, Cooper is surprised by all the police officers and FBI agents milling around. After some checking, he discovers that the FBI believes a serial killer known as The Butcher will be at the concert. Under the leadership of profiler Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), the authorities plan to check out every male at the show. As one helpful vendor puts it, “the entire show is a trap.”

Cooper is not happy to hear this because he is The Butcher. In fact, his latest victim is currently tied up in a basement somewhere. (Cooper occasionally uses his phone to check on how he’s doing.) However, Cooper is also a good father and wants to make sure Riley enjoys the concert. Can Cooper find a way to escape the stadium without ruining Riley’s special day?

That’s a pretty good premise for a suspense thriller, and the first hour of Trap works like a charm. Even though Cooper is a serial killer and the viewer knows he’s not someone they should root for, it’s hard not to be impressed with the way he skillfully manipulates everyone at the concert. He manages to steal a vendor badge. He learns the codeword venue employees are supposed to use to identify themselves to the police. He even steals a police radio so he can listen to Dr. Grant give orders to the cops. And he does it all while Riley enjoys the show. He’s just so diabolically clever that it becomes rather fascinating to watch.

Unfortunately, the film suffers a bit during the second hour. That’s when Lady Raven goes from being a figure performing on stage to an important supporting character. (Unfortunately, it turns out Saleka Night Shyamalan is a much better singer than actress.) Both Lady Raven and Cooper end up making some decisions that, in the grand scheme of things, don’t make much sense. The film is still entertaining, but the second half is not as tightly plotted as the first. Considering that M. Night Shyamalan is famous for his twist endings, it’s a bit strange that it ultimately feels like he never really figured out how he wanted Trap to end.

That said, the first hour of Trap is an enjoyably macabre mix of suspense and dark humor. That first hour is strong enough to make up for the weaker second half. Josh Hartnett puts his everyman charm to good use as a friendly family man who just happens to be a deranged serial killer. At its best, Trap is all about people trying to disguise their true nature. Cooper puts on an act of being a loving father while trying to find a way to continue killing. Lady Raven’s mentor (played by Kid Cudi) is friendly to his fans but a spoiled diva backstage. Even Lady Raven spends the second half of the film pretending to know less than she does. Probably the only character in the film who is truly genuine is Riley. She just wants to see her favorite singer.

Trap may not be Shyamalan’s best. It doesn’t hit you emotionally like The Sixth Sense and it’s nowhere near as icky as Old or Split. But it’s still an entertaining little thriller.