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 look at the 1900s.
4 Shots From 4 Films
Bluebeard (1901, dir by Georges Méliès)
The Monster (1903, dir by Georges Méliès)
Satan At Play (1907, dir by Segundo de Chomón)
The Sealed Room (1909, dir by D.W. Griffith)
In The Godsend, a married couple, Alan and Kate Marlowe (played by Malcolm Stoddard and Cyd Hayman), have a chance meeting with a pregnant stranger (Angela Pleasence). While Alan suspects that there is something wrong with the mysterious woman, Kate insists on allowing her to come have dinner with them. At their rural home, the Stranger spends most of her time glaring at Alan and, when she’s left alone, she cuts the phone line. When the Stranger goes into labor, Alan and Kate deliver her daughter. The next morning, the Stranger has disappeared and Alan and Kate end up taking the baby — now named Bonnie — into their household.
Alan and Kate already have four other children but that soon starts to change. First, baby Matthew is found dead in his crib. As Bonnie grows up, the other children die. Little Davey drowns in a creek and Bonnie is found with scratches on her hands. Davey’s brother Sam says that he is scared to be left alone with Bonnie. Alan and Kate tell him that he’s being silly. Later, Sam is found dead in the barn.
With their neighbors flat-out accusing Alan and Kate of murdering their children and Bonnie doing strange things like attempting to give her father the mumps, Kate starts to have a nervous breakdown. Meanwhile, Alan comes to fear that Bonnie may be the one responsible for the death of the other children and that she may now be targeting that last remaining child, Lucy (Angela Deamer).
First released in 1980 and based on a novel by Bernard Taylor, The Godsend is a British horror film that moves at its own deliberate pace. The action unfolds slowly, with an emphasis on atmosphere and ambiguity. While it certainly seems that Bonnie is responsible for the death of the other children, the first half of the film leaves room for doubt. The viewer is left to wonder whether it’s possible that Alan himself is just being paranoid. As the film progresses, one becomes aware that Bonnie is not only evil but she also has far greater powers than even Alan realizes. The film ends on a properly dark note. There really is no future in England’s dreaming.
The Godsend was a bit too slow. As is so often the case with British horror films from the early 80s, the film was so determined to prove that it was better than the old Hammer bodice rippers that it allowed itself to get a bit too self-serious and stately. That said, The Godsend is also undeniably creepy. Viewers have been conditioned to believe that, no matter what else happens in a film, the children will survive. Even though the children might very well be traumatized for life, it’s still generally accepted that they will somehow manage to make it to the end of the film. The Godsend breaks that unofficial rule and it actually gets a bit depressing to watch. Alan and Kate are going through the worst experience that a parent can can suffer. Alan blames Bonnie while Kate clings to her as being one of the few things that she still has left. It’s a sad movie that captures a very primal fear.
For the most part, the cast does a good if not spectacular job with the material. The best performance comes from Angela Pleasence in the role of The Stranger. Angela Pleasence was the daughter of Donald Pleasence, an actor who will always be best-remembered for playing Dr. Sam Loomis in the original Halloween films. Dr. Loomis would have identified Bonnie as being evil from the start. Unfortunately, no one would have listened to him until it was too late.
The 1958 film Teenage Monster opens in the late 1800s. Gold prospector Jim Cannon (Jim McCullough) has got a nice little home with his wife, Ruth (Anne Gwynne) and their young son, Charlie. One day, Jim and Charlie are out looking for gold when a meteor falls from the sky and crashes right in front of them. Jim is killed, which I guess is an occupational hazard for anyone who works outside.
(Seriously, you never know when a meteor might crash on top of you. There might be one about to slam into your home right this minute. Read quickly.)
Charlie survives the meteor crash but he’s still bathed in radiation. Ruth takes Charlie home and she keeps him locked up in a back room for his own safety. Seven years pass and Charlie (Gilbert Perkins) is now a teenager. Unfortunately, he’s a very old-looking teenager. Standing nearly seven feet tall, he has long hair and a full beard and he can’t really speak beyond a few grunts. Occasionally, Charlie manages to get out of the back room and Ruth has to look for him. She understands that the 19th Century is no place for a radioactive mutant boy.
When Ruth discovers gold, she’s able to buy a house in town. Unfortunately, living in town means that Charlie notices a young woman named Kathy North (Gloria Castillo). Smitten with her, Charlie kills her jerk of a boyfriend and decides to bring her home. Ruth pays Kathy to keep silent about Charlie but it turns out that Kathy has other plans. Realizing that Charlie is in love with her and will do anything that she commands, she tells him to start killing people around town.
Teenage Monster may seem like an odd title for a western about a boy who gets mutated by a radioactive space rock. Charlie is technically a teenager but he looks like he’s nearly 60. The film uses the radiation as an excuse for Charlie’s rapid aging and his grown spurt. Randomly blaming everything on radiation is one thing that B-movies of the 50s and the 60s definitely all had in common. I suppose if space radiation could have brought the dead back to life in Night of the Living Dead, it could have also transformed Charlie into a teenage monster. As far as B-movies were concerned, J. Robert Oppenheimer had a lot to answer for. Of course, if this movie were made today, Charlie’s transformation would have somehow been due to climate change.
As for the film itself, it’s short and that’s definitely a good thing. The idea of combining B-horror and the old west is an intriguing one but the movie doesn’t really do that much with it. Yes, there are gunmen and deputies but they could have just as easily been modern-era outlaws and lawmen without really changing much about the film. Director Jacques Marquette was a former cinematographer who went into directing so it’s a bit odd that the film has a flat, rather bland look to it. On the plus side, Anne Gwynne gives a better performance than the material deserved.
Keep your kids away from radiation, everyone. Other than cheap, clean energy and countless advances in medicine and science, nothing good ever seems to come from it.
It’s been a while, but I’ve always thought of October as the best month for Through the Shattered Lens. The site has always leaned into sci‑fi and horror at its core—and in the early days, it was especially heavy on the horror side of things. That was really the big common thread between Lisa Marie and me when we first got started here.
So, as part of easing my way back into being a little more active on a site I’ve watched grow for over 16 years, I wanted to spotlight something that’s stuck with me for decades: “Damien,” the ninth track off DMX’s 1998 debut album It’s Dark and Hell is Hot. That record catapulted DMX—Earl Simmons—into instant superstardom.
“Damien” has always been the track I kept coming back to, even years after the album first dropped. The album itself was pure fire: a mix of chest‑thumping, hyper‑aggressive tracks laced with one of the rawest and most distinctive voices hip‑hop had seen since the losses of Biggie and Tupac. At the time, some even saw DMX as their natural successor.
But “Damien” stood apart. The song oozes dark energy, hitting like lyrical possession from start to finish. Built around a haunting sample from Stanley Clarke’s “Slow Dance,” the beat sets the stage for DMX to pour out a narrative of bad breaks, self‑inflicted wounds, and a desperate search for a guardian angel—only to meet something else entirely. Instead of an angel, he finds Damien, a voice offering help but radiating malevolence.
When “D” first enters the track, he plays almost like a mischievous accomplice, a shadowy partner in crime. But as the verses build, that “help” morphs into something more toxic, more sinister—a presence that feeds off the chaos it creates.
DMX’s debut wasn’t just a hit album; it pushed horrorcore rap into the mainstream in a way few had managed before. With “Damien,” he delivered one of the most chilling, unforgettable examples of horror woven directly into hip‑hop—a track that feels just as unsettling now as it did back in ’98.
Damien
Uh, Def Jam
Uh, Ruff Ryders
Uh, my nigga TP, creep with me
Why is it every move I make turns out to be a bad one?
Where’s my guardian angel? Need one, wish I had one
I’m right here, shorty, and I’ma hold you down
You trying to fuck all these bitches? I’ma show you how
But who-? (Name’s D, like you, but my friends call me Damien)
And I’ma put you hip to something (uh-huh) about this game we in
You and me could take it there, and you’ll be
The hottest nigga ever living (that’s a given?) You’ll see
Hmm, that’s what I’ve been wanting all my life
Thinkin’ about my little man, so I call my wife
Well, your dada is about to make it happen
(What you mean, my nigga?) I’m about to make it rapping
Today I met this cat, he said his name was Damien
He thinks that we’re a lot alike and wants to be my friend
(You mean like Chuckie?) Ha ha, yeah, just like Chuckie
(Dada, looks like we both lucky) Yeah
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
Ay-yo, D (What up, D?) You’s a smooth nigga
I seen you when nobody knew who pulled the trigger
Yeah, you know, it’s always over dough
You sure? I could have swore it was over a hoe
Nah, nah, that ain’t my style (igga, you stay fronting)
But you’re still my man, and I ain’t gonna say nothin’
Got some weed? Go ‘head, smoke it (what?) Go ‘head, drink it (what?)
Go ‘head and fuck shorty, you know I can keep a secret (aight)
I’m about to have you driving, probably a Benz
But we gotta stay friends, blood out, blood in
Sounds good to me, fuck it, what I got to lose?
Hmm, nothin’ I can think of, any nigga would choose
Got me pushing the whips, takin’ trips across seas
Pockets stay laced, nigga, I floss Gs
For that nigga I would bleed, give him my right hand
Now that I think about it, yo, that’s my man!
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
You like how everything is going? You like what I gave ya?
You know if you was going down, I’d be the one to save ya
But yo, I need a favor, these cats across town hate me
Plus their behavior hasn’t been too good lately
What? Anything for you, dog, where them niggas at?
38th from Broadway (aight, let me get the gat)
Run up on ’em strapped, bust off caps in four niggas
Laid low for ’bout a month then killed two more niggas
Now I’m ready to chill, but you still want me to kill
Look at what I did for you! Dog, come on, keep it real!
Aight, fuck it, I’ma do it, who is it this time?
Ayy-yo, remember that kid Sean you used to be with in ’89?
Nah, that’s my man! (I thought I was your man?)
But yo, that’s my nigga (hey, who’s your biggest fan?)
Either do it or give me your right hand, that’s what you said
I see now, it ain’t nothing but trouble ahead (uh-huh)
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
In the fog, the fog, living in the fog
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
How you gon’ see him if you living in the fog?
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
To be continued, motherfuckers
Ah-hahahahaha
Everybody do the zombie stomp!
Featuring the music of the Del-Aires, a motorcycle gang led by a guy wearing a beret, teenagers who appear to be in their 30s, and monsters that simply have to be seen to be believed, 1964’s Horror of Party Beach is a true classic. It’s a film as immortal as the cloudy New Jersey sky under which it was filmed.
I always feel bad for Tina (Marilyn Clarke). Tina is a rebel, a force of chaos who has grown tired of being tied down by the rules of conventional society. Perhaps symbolically, she becomes the first victim of the horror of Party Beach and all because she wanted to have some time to herself. It’s a tragedy to which I can relate.
The other thing that I like about this movie is that, even though people are dying left-and-right, it never seems to occur to anyone to just not go to Party Beach. The Del-Aires continue to perform, no matter who dark things may seem. Indeed, I’d argue that the Del-Aires are the true heroes of this film.
For your viewing pleasure, here is The Horror of Party Beach!
“There is a sixth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone.”
66 years ago today, viewers heard those words for the first time when The Twilight Zone premiered on CBS. Those words were delivered by the show’s creator and the writer of its first episode, Rod Serling. (In future episodes, “the sixth dimension” would be relabeled “the fifth dimension.”)
The first episode of The Twilight Zone starred Earl Holliman as a man who finds himself walking down a dirt road with no memory of how he got there. He sees signs of civilization — a police station, a diner, and a movie theater — but no people. The isolation and the loneliness threaten to drive him mad but, at the end of the episode, it’s revealed to have all been a simulation performed by the military to test whether the man, as astronaut, will be able to mentally handle being alone in space.
The barrier of loneliness: The palpable, desperate need of the human animal to be with his fellow man. Up there, up there in the vastness of space, in the void that is sky, up there is an enemy known as isolation. It sits there in the stars waiting, waiting with the patience of eons, forever waiting… in The Twilight Zone.
With no supernatural or extraterrestrial elements, this episode was not typical of what The Twilight Zone would eventually become. But, on October 2nd, 1959, it was enough to launch the show and make television history. It was truly a great moment in television history.
Previous Moments In Television History:
Happy Horrorthon! I have seen a lot of bad movies over the years, but this might be the worst movie ever made. “The Room” by Tommy Wiseau is provably better than “Shark Encounters of the Third Kind” because much of “The Room” took place in rooms; whereas, this “shark horror film (note the poster above)” took place mostly on land, kitchens, parking lots, docks, and a creepy onanist’s basement. There is actually a scene where an incel guy slowly walks down the stairs to his “Man Basement” and puts in a VHS tape, sighs, leans back, and…. he watches a documentary on alien abductions. Yep, that’s all he was up to…watching a documentary. “Shark Encounters of the Third Kind” sponsored by the Carpal Tunnel Foundation of America.
Some of you might be like- “Case, you always judge these films really hard and these people have feelings… probably.” Hear me out, the Polonias (this films’ director/producer) and Alex Maganas (Smiling Woman creator) of the world don’t care about my feelings when they make these terrible things. I was thinking: is there a way that I would be able to give this film a positive review? I think so: if my neighbor had a three year old and this three year old told me, “Mr. Casey, I made a movie and a boom boom.” I’d watch the movie with his family and cheer him on, but this is not the case here. So, this movie gets no breaks from me.
Really, look at the villains!
There is really no reason for you to watch this film. I’m sure that you have done something good in your life- spare yourself.
A direct sequel to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, 2002’s Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. begins with the Shobijin, those two little annoying girls who hang out with Mothra, appearing to a Japanese scientist and his family and explaining to them that Godzilla won’t stop attacking Japan until the government does away with their Mechagodzilla, Kiryu. Kiryu was constructed using the bones of the original Godzilla and, as a result, the current Godzilla is drawn to him.
Instead, the Shobijin suggest that the Kiryu should be tossed in the ocean. In return, the latest incarnation of Mothra will serve as Japan’s champion whenever Godzilla attacks.
So, to make clear, Japan can either be protected by a badass cyborg that was created out of the skeletal remains of the original Godzilla or it can be protected by a giant moth that has to spend time in a cocoon before it can even become an effective monster. And, along with the whole cocoon thing, Mothra also comes with two annoying little sidekicks who are constantly popping up and going on and on about how stupid humanity is.
Now, I don’t know about you but, if I was in charge, I would probably just stick with the cyborg. If nothing else, the cyborg looks like a badass and it can destroy just as much property as Godzilla. The cyborg exists to say, “Hey, Godzilla — you’re not the only pointlessly destructive monster on this planet!” Add to that, the cyborg can be piloted and controlled by humans. The cyborg doesn’t talk back. The cyborg doesn’t tell humanity that everything is their fault. The cyborg can be shut down whenever there’s not a monster attack going on. In other words, get lost, Mothra!
In Tokyo S.O.S., The government of Japan agrees with me, which of course leads to a huge fight between Godzilla, Kiryu, and eventually Mothra. Mothra does that thing where she wraps Godzilla up in string and also where she appears to sacrifice her life. The problem is that, after you see enough of these films, you know that Mothra is always going to sacrifice her life and she’s always going to be reborn.
So, the story isn’t that spectacular. It’s pretty much just Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla all over again. But here’s the important thing: the fights are really cool. Yes, the fights are a bit familiar and there’s nothing about them that will really take you by surprise but, if you just want to watch Godzilla destroy stuff, this film delivers plenty of that.
Tokyo S.O.S. is unique amongst the Godzilla films of its era in that it was a direct sequel as opposed to be a reboot. In fact, it was only the direct sequel of the so-called Millennium Era. The next Godzilla film, Godzilla: Final Wars, would be a reboot and a spectacular one at that. We’ll take a look at it next week.
Previous Godzilla Reviews:
By Erin Nicole
Just a picture of a friend who can’t wait for Halloween.
What’s an Insomnia File? You know how some times you just can’t get any sleep and, at about three in the morning, you’ll find yourself watching whatever you can find on cable or streaming? This feature is all about those insomnia-inspired discoveries!
Last night, if you were having trouble getting to sleep, you could have gone to either YouTube or Tubi and watched the 2016 horror film, Don’t Kill It!
Don’t Kill It! takes place in a small Mississippi town. After a hunter shoots his suddenly viscous dog and then murders his wife and children, the hunter is gunned down by another man. That man then proceeds to kill his own family. FBI agent Evelyn Pierce (Kristina Klebe) thinks that it was a case of domestic terrorism. Demon hunter Jebediah Woodley (Dolph Lundgren) disagrees. Woodley explains that there’s a demon on the loose. The demon jumps from host to host. Killing one host means becoming possessed yourself. As Woodley explains it, the only way to avoid becoming possessed is not to kill it but then you run the risk of being killed yourself.
At first, everyone is skeptical of Woodley’s claims. But as Evelyn investigates the case (and we watch a lot of slow motion flashbacks that appear to have been included to pad out the running time), she comes to realize that Woodley is correct. There is a demon and it is possessing people. But how can it be stopped?
Don’t Kill It may be a low-budget film but it gets the most out of that budget, making good use of the country atmosphere of its setting and getting generally good performances from the cast. (The possession scenes are simple but still very well-done and creepy.) The main appeal here is Dolph Lundgren, playing his role with just the right amount of self-awareness to let the viewer know that Lundgren knows exactly what type of film he’s appearing in and that he’s going to do his best to keep things entertaining. It’s a film that’s perfect for late night horror season viewing.
Admittedly, I watched the film with a group of friends, some of whom dropped out during the opening massacre. I could understand their feelings but I think the important thing to consider is, for all the bad things that happened, a hero still showed up to put things right. Indeed, one could argue that the film’s theme of murder leading to more murder is actually a plea for peace. “Don’t kill it!” Woodley says and it’s a message for everyone watching.
Previous Insomnia Files:
Through the Shattered Lens 