The TSL Horror Grindhouse: The Fifth Floor (dir by Howard Avedis)


In 1977’s The Fifth Floor, Dianne Hull plays Kelly McIntyre.

Kelly is a college student by day and a disco dancer by night!  Unfortunately, after someone spikes her drink at the discotheque and she suffers an overdose, she becomes a full-time patient at a mental asylum.  Neither the head doctor (Mel Ferrer) nor the head nurse (Julia Adams, who once swam with The Creature From The Black Lagoon)  believes her claim that her drink was spiked.  Judged to be suicidal and delusional, Kelly is sent to the Fifth Floor!

While her boyfriend (John David Carson) tries to convince the authorities that she’s not insane, Kelly adjusts to life on the Fifth Floor.  She befriend Cathy (Patti D’Arbanville).  She encourages her fellow patients to dance and enjoy themselves.  She tries to escape on multiple occasions.  She draws the unwanted attention of a male orderly named Carl (Bo Hopkins, giving a wonderfully sinister performance).  A sadist equipped with down-home country charm, Carl has got all of his co-workers convinced that he’s a great guy.  The patients, though, know that Carl is a petty authoritarian who enjoys showing off his power.  (“I’m just doing my job,” is the excuse whenever he’s challenged.)  Carl takes an obsessive interest in Kelly and soon, Kelly is not only trying to get her life back but also trying to escape from Carl’s cruel intentions.

Most film directories list The Fifth Floor as being a horror film and certainly, there are elements of the horror genre to be found in the film.  The smooth-talking and nonchalantly cruel Carl is certainly a horrific character and Kelly’s attempts to escape from the asylum capture the very primal fear of not having any control over one’s life.  That said, The Fifth Floor owes greater debt to One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest than to the typical slasher film.  Kelly is a rebel who brings the patients in the ward together.  Much as in Cuckoo’s Nest, the nurses and the orderlies use the threat of electro-shock treatment to keep the patients under control.

It’s not a bad film, though it definitely has its slow spots and I do wish the film had embraced its own sordidness with a bit more style.  I’m a history nerd so I appreciated the fact that The Fifth Floor was so obviously a product of its time.  Any film that features the heroine showing off her disco moves before being taken to a mental hospital is going to hold my interest.  That said, the most interesting thing about the film are some of the familiar faces in the cast.  For instance, Earl Boen — who played so many authority figures over the course of his career and appeared as a psychiatrist in the early Terminator films — plays a patient who wears a NASA jacket.  The always intimidating Anthony James plays the most violent patient.  Michael Berryman and Tracey Walter appear as background patients.

And then you’ve got Robert Englund, cast here as Benny.  Benny is the most gentle of the patients, a prankster who befriends Kelly.  It’s always so interesting to see the type of roles that Englund played before he was cast as Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare On Elm Street.  In this film, Englund is so goofy and friendly that you actually find yourself worrying about something happening to him.  Englund’s role is small but his amiable nerdiness definitely makes an impression.

The Fifth Floor opens and ends with a title card telling us that the film is based on a true story.  Sure, it was.

Brad’s Scene of the Day: Jeff Goldblum and Robert Englund attack Charles Bronson in ST. IVES (1976)!


Happy 73rd Birthday, Jeff Goldblum! 🎂🎉

I’ve been a fan of Jeff Goldblum for most of my life. The man has had an amazingly successful career, starring in some of the most financially profitable films ever made, like JURASSIC PARK and INDEPENDENCE DAY!! One of the main reasons that Goldblum is extra special to me, however, is because of his small roles as bad guys in two different Charles Bronson movies in the 1970’s. First, he played one of the thugs who breaks into Paul Kersey’s apartment and assaults his wife and daughter in the original DEATH WISH (1974). Second, he plays a thug who, along with Robert Englund and another less famous guy, tries to rob and assault Raymond St. Ives in the film ST. IVES (1976). I’ve loved telling people about his appearances in these two films for decades, and I don’t see any reason to stop now.

To celebrate Jeff Goldblum’s birthday on the Shattered Lens, I’ve included an “overly edited” video of his appearance in ST. IVES, if nothing else so you could also see the young Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger). I wish I could share the full scene, but this is all I could find on YouTube. Anyway, happy birthday, Jeff! I hope it’s been a great one!

On Stage On The Lens: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (dir by Lonny Price)


For today’s On Stage On The Lens, we have an excellent 2014 production of a Halloween classic, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.  This production features not only the New York Philharmonic Orchestra but also Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson in the lead roles.

 

Mind Ripper (1995, directed by Joe Gayton)


In a base hidden away in the desert, a group of government scientists reanimate the corpse of a recent suicide victim with radiation.  They bring Thor (Dan Blom) back to life but it turns out that Thor just wants to kill all of them.

Mind-numbingly dull, Mind Ripper is the same as a hundred other horror films with the same plot.  Lance Henriksen plays the lead scientist and it’s always a pleasure to see him in even the worst movies but Mind Ripper underutilizes him in favor of Giovanni Ribisi, of all people.

Mind Ripper was executive produced by Wes Craven and sold in some markets as Wes Craven Presents Mind Ripper.  Wes’s son, Jonathan Craven, did write the script and the movie was originally planned as being the third Hills Have Eyes movie.  Wes Craven’s name undoubtedly helped this film get into production but the thing to remember is that Craven may have been the executive producer and his son may have written but Wes Craven did not direct the movie and that makes all the difference.  Maybe Wes Craven could have done something with the limp story and the uninteresting characters.  My guess is that Wes Craven was smart enough not to even try.

Don’t let this movie rip your mind.  It’s not worth it.

Horror Scenes I Love: The Cenobites Make Their First Appearance In The Original Hellraiser


AGCK!

This is from the original 1987 Hellraiser.  The Cenobites were probably never scarier than they were in their very first appearance.  They are all the more horrifying because, rather than being stereotypically good or evil, they’re actually neutral.  They’re doing their job and, if you don’t want to see them, don’t mess around with the puzzle box.  Doug Bradley was brilliant in the role of the head Cenobite (who, of course, would later be known as Pinhead).

October True Crime: The Chase (dir by Paul Wendkos)


When he died in 1988, Phillip Hutchinson was only 24 years old.

Born in Virginia, Phillip Hutchinson served in the U.S. Marines before he was discharged for desertion.  He went on to become a career criminal and a violent one at that.  By the time he was 24, he already had a long criminal record.  In Texas, he was convicted of aggravated assault and ended up with a life sentence.  He escaped from prison by stealing a truck.  (It was his third escape attempt.)  Fleeing Texas, he eventually ended up in Denver.  He is alleged to have robbed four banks in Denver before holding up the Rio Grande Operating Credit Union.  The 18 year-old teller was able to set off a silent alarm and Hutchinson ended up leading police on a chase through Denver.  Following Hutchinson in the air was a news helicopter.  At one point, Hutchinson crashed into an unmarked police car, killing Detective Bob Wallis.

After crashing his own car, Hutchinson continued to run on foot.  Eventually, he reached a trailer park.  He took John Laurienti as a hostage and forced the 73 year-old man to drive him past the police in his pick-up truck.  When the men in the news helicopter realized that the police didn’t realize that Hutchinson was in the truck, they dived down and blocked the truck from moving forward.  The cops, realizing their mistake, surrounded the truck and opened fire, killing Hutchinson while the cameraman in the helicopter continued to film.  John Laurienti escaped from the truck, uninjured.

Phillip Hutchinson really had no one but himself to be blame.  If he hadn’t robbed the credit union, he would have had the cops chasing him to begin with.  If he hadn’t rammed into the unmarked car and killed Bob Wallis, it’s possible that the police would have been more willing to negotiate before opening fire on him.  You can wonder what led to someone, by the age of 24, becoming a hardened criminal and that is something that should always be investigated.  In the end, actions do have consequences.

Phillip Hutchinson is one of those criminals who would probably be forgotten today if not for the fact that his death was not only captured on camera but also broadcast across the television airwaves.  Hutchinson has gone on to have a significant afterlife in various “documentaries.”  Remember World’s Wildest Police Videos?  (I’ve also read that the shoot-out is a popular video on various “forbidden” and “dark” websites but I’m not going to look to find out.)

1991’s The Chase was a made-for-television movie about Phillip Hutchinson and his final ride.  Casey Siemaszko plays Phillip Hutchinson as being a psycho redneck, which is probably not the far from the truth.  Siemaszko gives a good performance as Hutchinson but the majority of the film deals with the people who came into contact with Hutchinson on the final day of his life.  Ricki Lake plays the teller who set off the silent alarm.  Ben Johnson gives a moving performance as the old man who Hutchinson took hostage.  Barry Corbin plays Bob Wallis.  Megan Follows plays a drug addict who narrowly escapes Hutchinson.  Robert Beltran plays the man in the helicopter.  They all give good performances.  At the same time, for a film called The Chase, the Chase itself doesn’t actually start until we’re 70 minutes into the movie and it’s over pretty quickly.  If you’re watching this film for the action, you’ll probably be disappointed.

This film was written by Guerdon Trueblood, who also directed one of my favorite grindhouse films, The Candy Snatchers.  Trueblood’s script follows the standard disaster formula, in that there are a lot of subplots and filler leading up to the big event.  In other words, The Chase isn’t a film for everyone.  I’ll admit, though, that I teared up a little at the end.  Phillip Hutchinson may have been a violent criminal but his death brought a community together.

Horror Song of the Day: Hanging Out With My Family by Damien Carter


Watching Suburban Sasquatch last night and then reviewing it today reminded me of how much more I enjoyed BirdemicSuburban Sasquatch would have been improved by a dance scene.

I wonder how the birds could possibly want to destroy a civilization that is capable of something like Hanging Out With My Family.

4 Shots From Horror Films: The 1980s Part 2


This October, I’m going to be doing something a little bit different with my contribution to 4 Shots From 4 Films.  I’m going to be taking a little chronological tour of the history of horror cinema, moving from decade to decade.

Today, we continue the 80s!

4 Shots From 4 Horror Films

The Living Dead Girl (1982, dir by Jean Rollin)

The Living Dead Girl (1982, dir by Jean Rollin)

Poltergeist (1982, dir by Tobe Hooper)

Poltergeist (1982, dir by Tobe Hooper)

Videodrome (1983, dir by David Cronenberg)

Videodrome (1983, dir by David Cronenberg)

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, dir by Wes Craven)

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, dir by Wes Craven)

Horror Film Review: Suburban Sasquatch (dir by Dave Wascavage)


In 2004’s Suburban Sasquatch, Bigfoot is stalking the suburbs.

Bigfoot appears out of thin air.

Bigfoot vanishes whenever he’s feeling stressed or local Native American badass Talla (Sue Lynn Sanchez) starts shooting arrows at him.

Bigfoot pulls off arms and legs and tosses them in the air.

Bigfoot likes to drag his victims off to a cave where he apparently just leaves them laying around.

Bigfoot has to eat.

Bigfoot has really big tits.

Yes, you read that last one correctly.  Groucho Marx once said that he wouldn’t be seeing a movie starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr because, “‘I never go to movies where the hero’s tits are bigger than the heroine’s,” and let’s just say that Victor Mature had nothing on the Suburban Sasquatch.  The sasquatch costume itself is covered in coarse, dark fur except for its belly and chest, both of which are left pretty much bare.  It makes me wonder where exactly the production purchased the sasquatch costume.  The film was apparently shot in Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania seems like it’s a bit too blue collar to be home to an S&M-themed furry community but who knows?

(Maybe the costume was ordered from Austin.)

As for the film, it’s basically just the Suburban Sasquatch killing people.  It was obviously made for next to no money and the dialogue is just bad enough to leave you wondering whether or not the director was specifically trying to satirize no-budget, direct-to-video horror films or if he was just trying to do what he could with what he had available.  Personally, I couldn’t hep but smile at the fact that no one seemed to be that panicked about a Sasquatch being on the loose.  Throughout the film, people continue to wander around outside as their friends and neighbors aren’t getting ripped apart by Bigfoot.

(“Actually, Lisa, it’s not Bigfoot.  It’s a Suburban Sasquatch.”  I don’t care.  Everyone keeps looking at his footprints and gasping.  He’s Bigfoot.)

A few other things I liked about Suburban Sasquatch:

The special effects, especially the scenes of blood-spraying, appear to have been done with MS Paint.

There were only two cops in the entire town and they were both useless.

Reporter Rick Harlan (Bill Ushler) kept showing up at the crime scenes and talking about how the people had the right to know about the killings but he didn’t really put much effort into getting the word out there.

Suburban Sasquatch likes to rip off people’s limbs and smash their heads, all in full MS Paint glory.  But, somehow, whenever the bodies are found, the limbs have reattached and the heads are no longer smashed.

The character of Talla, assigned by her Native American ancestors to kill the sasquatch, was incredibly badass, even if she was something of a stereotype.  Seriously, if I was told that I had to be someone from Suburban Sasquatch, I would want to be Talla because she shows up, shoots her arrows, tells Rick to get lost, and then she goes somewhere else and shoot even more arrows.  She’s the one character in the film who is actually actively trying to do something.

Finally, I should not that there’s an online rumor that the late Neil Hope, who played Wheels on Degrassi High, appeared in Suburban Sasquatch but I definitely didn’t see him and, considering that Hope apparently spent his entire post-Degrassi life in Canada, I have a hard time believing that he hopped down to Pennsylvania to appear in a nothing-budget film.  One of the first victims does have a Wheels-style mullet but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t Neil Hope as Hope himself was sporting a bald look at the time this film was made.  (That said, on Degrassi: The Next Generation, Jimmy, Spinner, Craig, and Marco did play in a band called Downtown Sasquatch and Jimmy and Spinner briefly owned a clothing store called Squatch Wear.)

Suburban Sasquatch came out in 2004 and probably would have been forgotten if not for Joel McHale featuring a clip from it on The Soup.  Much like Bigfoot himself, the film lives on.

Evil Cassette Tape, AI Short Film Review by Case Wright


I know camel spiders are gross, but there wasn’t a title card made for this short; so, I decided to add something scary for them. This short is only 1 minute- YAY.

A woman listens to a tape that ask them to thing about death. The voice has her do some light neck stretches and wham she sees a ghost. I suppose that this is scary.

There is a beginning, middle, and an end. Also, it is just a minute long. Is it better than the Progressive don’t turn into your parents ads? NO! However, it is better than…well…I had a crown put on recently; so, better than that FOR SURE!