Horror on TV: Baywatch Nights 2.9 “Night Whispers” (dir by Reza Badiyi)


On tonight’s episode of Baywatch Nights, David Hasselhoff versus a vampire!

Yes, it’s just as silly as it sounds.  I mean, Hasselhoff vs. vampire pretty much tells you everything that you know.  The thing that amazes me about this show is that, even after confronting a different monster every week, Mitch still always seems to be somewhat skeptical.

“Okay, I’ll admit that sea serpents and aliens exist but vampires …. c’mon, there’s no way.”

Enjoy!

Horror on TV: Baywatch Nights 2.8 “Last Breath” (dir by Gregory J. Bonnan)


On tonight’s episode of Baywatch Nights, Mitch investigates the disappearance of two lifeguards.  Could it have something to do with an automotive accident from the past?  When a third lifeguard goes missing, Mitch’s investigation goes into overdrive because this latest lifeguard is a co-star and if something happen to her, they’ll have to redo the show’s opening credits.

This episode takes a break from the usual paranormal stories that were featured for most of Baywatch Night‘s second season.  But the underwater cage is still pretty creepy!

This episode originally aired on November 17th, 1996.

Enjoy!

 

Horror On TV: Baywatch Night 2.7 “Curse of the Mirrored Box”


A lifeguard’s job is never done!

On tonight’s episode of Baywatch Nights, Mitch has to save a young woman from a voodoo cult!  Because, listen — when you see a ghost, when you witness an alien abduction, when you realize that a cult is looking to commit a sacrifice, the first person you want to call is the beach patrol.

Being a lifeguard isn’t about just saving surfers, anymore.  Sometimes, it’s about saving the very soul.

Enjoy!

Horror On TV: Baywatch Nights 2.6 “Cabin” (dir by Reza Badiyi)


On tonight’s episode of Baywatch Nights, Mitch and Ryan discover a cabin that transports them through time!  Suddenly, they’re no longer on the beaches of California.  Now, they’re in a New York brothel in the 1890s and there’s a serial killer on the loose….

Okay, here’s the thing with Baywatch Nights.  And yes, I know I’ve mentioned this before but now seems like a good time to mention it again.  How exactly can anyone go from traveling through time at night to working as a lifeguard during the day?  I mean, we’re 6 episodes into the 2nd season of this show and already Mitch has discovered that sea monsters, aliens, and now time travel are all real things.  It just amazes me how calmly he’s able to accept all of that.  Me, if I traveled through time, I doubt I would ever be able to just go back to my normal life.  I would honestly be spending too much time obsessing on the fact that time travel is real.

Anyway, tonight’s episode is a bit ludicrous but kind of fun.  So, enjoy!

Horror Scenes That I Love: Anthony Sends Dan To The Cornfield in The Twilight Zone


“You’re a very bad man!”

Today’s horror scene that I love comes not from film but from television.  In this episode of The Twilight Zone (entitled “It’s A Good Life”), the citizens of a rural community have to go out of their not to upset a rather unpredictable six year-old.

What happens when you upset little Anthony Fremont?

Take a look:

Written by Rod Serling and directed by James Sheldon, this episode originally aired on November 3, 1961.

Horror On TV: Baywatch Nights 2.5 “Circle of Fear” (dir by Bruce Kessler)


For tonight’s horror on the lens, how about a chance to watch David Hasselhoff and Angie Harmon battle the forces of dark magic?

That’s right, it’s an episode of Baywatch Nights!  This episode shows what happens when Angie and David investigate the burned book that they found at the scene of an occult gathering.  It’s all a little bit silly but then again, that’s the charm of the show!

Enjoy!

Circle of Fear originally aired on October 27th, 1996.

Horror on TV: Baywatch Nights 2.4 “The Strike” (dir by David W. Hagar)


In tonight’s episode of Baywatch Nights, Lifeguard Mitch (David Hasselhoff) is struck by lightning while saving the life of an awkward and really pale first time surfer.  It’s then up the Paranormal Investigator Mitch to discover all of the surfer’s secrets.  Not surprisingly, it all goes back to aliens.

At the risk of starting the obvious, the second season of Baywatch Nights is probably a show that would have never existed without the success of The X-Files.  The first season of Baywatch Nights was a straight detective show.  Because no one watched the first season, the 2nd season found Hasselhoff investigating a different paranormal event every week.  What I find interesting is that, after battling sea serpents and all the rest, Mitch could apparently easily go back to his day job as a lifeguard.  Seriously, I would be so paranoid after meeting just one monster, I can’t imagine how I would react after meeting three of them.  I definitely wouldn’t be smiling while watching people go into the water.  I would be demanding that the beaches close.

Anyway, this episode makes Baywatch Nights‘s debt to The X-Files pretty clear.  Personally, I just like the super cheap lightning effect.

This episode originally aired on October 20th, 1996.

Enjoy!

Horror on TV: Baywatch Nights 2.3 “The Rig” (dir by Jon Cassar)


On tonight’s episode of Baywatch Nights, David Hasselhoff and Angie Harmon investigate yet another sea monster.

Let’s see.  The first episode of Baywatch Night featured a sea monster.  And then the 2nd episode featured a killer mermaid.  And then this episode features yet another monster living in the sea.  Could it be that after just 3 episodes, the writers of Baywatch Nights were running out of ideas?  Fortunately, later episodes would involve various land monsters.

That said, I do find the green blob to be kind of creepy.  In general, blobs are just scary.

Enjoy!

The Watcher in the Woods (1980) Review by Case Wright


The Watcher in the Woods is one of those films that scares you, but you see it in your youth and it first introduces you horror. It’s like a horror movie kiddie pool. I watched this today with my daughters, which makes a really bad dad or a really awesome dad. Not sure.

My Daughter’s – Half Scary, Half weird.

I would agree with that assessment. There’s possession and I think aliens, but they don’t burst out of your chest.

The Curtis family moves into a Good Value house rental in England next door to Mrs. Aylwood (Bette Davis). Right away, poor Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson) starts seeing weird things all around the property like laser beams. Yes, laser beams. After a lot of strange things, we learn that Mrs. Alywood’s daughter disappeared. The middle-aged townsfolk are somehow responsible….dun dun dun.

There are a lot of themes in this movie that revolve around mirrors and eclipses. For a Disney film, it is pretty scary!

I any case, the movie is free! Watch it and determine for yourself if this was a bad parenting call.

Errementari, Review by Case Wright


Happy Horrorthon!!! What do you get when you have Basques, Demons, Blacksmithing, and Illegitimate Children? About 91 minutes of entertainment! The toughest part of this movie is getting the title spelling correct. I couldn’t tell if they were speaking their Euskadi language or Spanish. I remember this dialect when I ran with the bulls in Pamplona. I was 22, hard-drinking, and up for anything dangerous. Once you left the city, it all looked liked rural Massachusetts and this film captured that old world culture and better yet, you have didn’t see me at 22 vomiting Paella, making out with Brits and Argentines, or ACCIDENTALLY ending up in a brothel.

The story centers around the reclusive Patxi who is considered a crazy hermit who lives outside of town and Usue, an orphaned child, who lives with the stigma of her mother’s suicide. Patxi was a veteran of the Napoleonic wars. When France invaded Spain, he fought, was captured and sentenced to death by firing squad. In order to see his family again, he made a deal with a demon Sarteal – as you do. Demons, they’re always acting like pun crazy evil genie’s, twisting your wishes to make them terrible.

I would be able to handle such a wish. I would draft a wish document with supporting case law, retain counsel for a minimum of 2 grand to review the wish, and insist the counsel indemnify. Sadly, Paxti did not have my savvy. After he made the wish, he survived and went home to find that his wife thought he was dead, had a baby – Usue- with a lover, and in a rage Paxti killed the lover and the mom hanged herself. In response, Paxti blames Sarteal for his wife’s death, captures Sarteal, and imprisons him in his bunker outside of town. Poor Usue is left parentless because of Paxti.

Side Note: Screw Paxti. Yes, Sarteal’s evil and blah blah blah, but it was Paxti who did the murdering. Take some personal responsibility, Paxti! It’s like that song “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix. Joe is an asshat, but the Narrator is just as guilty. In Errementary, there’s no one else to blame! Unlike this story, Joe confessed that he was “gonna shoot [his] Old Lady and the narrator doesn’t do ANYTHING!!!” Why not say… Heeeey Joe, Where you going with that gun in your hand? Heeeey Joe, Maybe we should have a chat..take a breather…maybe up the meds a bit? Heeeeey Joe, you don’t down own your Old Lady and domestic violence is never acceptable! Heeeey Police, Joe’s got a damn gun and is threatening to murder his wife… yes… right now… he’s heading to.. where is that house honey? …. 72..yeah….7213 Robins Lane. Thank you.

The local kids are constantly taunting Usue and chasing her and, on one occasion, she’s fleeing bullies and goes where they will NOT follow- Paxti’s property. His home and property is riddled with traps, Christian crosses, and other warding. There appears to be a child in a cage that she sets free, but this in fact Sarteal- the demon. Sarteal attacks Paxti, but Paxti gets him back, and then Paxti bonds with Usue by torturing the demon with chickpeas. Yes, Chickpeas. Demons are all OCD if you throw chickpeas on the ground, they have to count them. It comes up repeatedly in the story. It’s a whole thing.

Sarteal is kind of funny actually. He’s a failed soul collector and has been in Paxti’s makeshift prison for at least 20 years. In town, a Tax Collector comes and convinces the townsfolk to enter Paxti’s property because there is supposedly gold there. The Tax Collector, however, is not who he seems (except to Libertarians!)- he’s a demon -Alastor – sent to collect both the Blacksmith’s soul as well as Sarteal who is in poor standing in Hell for being a screw up.

The townsfolk try to enter Paxti’s property, but get caught in Paxti’s many traps he set up to imprison Sarteal if he escaped. The Tax Collector convinces the townsfolk to believe that Paxti is holding or killed Usue on his property. They form a mob with torches…very 3rd Act Frankenstein. Usue wants to see her mom again; therefore, she makes a deal with Alastor to see her mom in Hell in exchange for her soul. Alastor takes her to Hell and Paxti’s sets out to rescue her. He goes to Hell with a Golden Bell because the chimes do things to demons….it’s weird.

The depiction of Hell on their budget was not bad. Paxti does manage to redeem himself. He sends Usue back to Earth and he stays in hell with his bell and to find Usue’s mom…it’s weird. I enjoyed this film A LOT, but mostly because of the live tweeting. So, my advice is to try to watch it in some way with friends!