A Few Classics

The original The Omen (1976) can currently be viewed on Tubi.  The Omen is still the best of all of the 1970s apocalypse movies.  Whereas later Omen films would increasingly get bogged down with overly elaborate death scenes, the first Omen still holds up as a genuinely scary movie.  The scene with David Warner and that plate of glass …. agck!  Damien Thorne was never creepier than he was in The Omen, perhaps because little Harvey Stephens didn’t know that he was playing a villain.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that the sequels are available to stream for free.  I have a soft spot for the mess that is Damien: Omen II.  The Omen can be viewed here.

Of the many film that were inspired by The Omen, my favorite remains The Visitor (1979).  John Huston — yes, the director — plays a Polish angel who lives on a plant far away.  Huston is sent to Earth to rescue 8 year-old Katy, who has psychic powers and who has apparently been picked to mate with her half-brother and give birth to the Antichrist.  Lance Henriksen plays a Satanist who also owns a basketball team.  Mel Ferrer, Shelley Winters, Glenn Ford, and director Sam Peckinpah all have small roles.  Franco Nero plays Jesus!  This is a visually stunning and narratively berserk film.  The Visitor is on Tubi.

The Changeling (1980) is an absolutely brilliant horror film that should definitely be seen by more people.  After a family tragedy, widower George C. Scott moves into a mansion that turns out to be haunted.  It all links back to potential scandal involving a U.S. Senator, played by Melvyn Douglas.  Well-acted, this film has tons of atmosphere and one of the best seance scenes that I’ve ever seen.  The Changeling is on Tubi.

If The Changeling is an unusually intelligent haunted house film, Burnt Offerings (1976) is perhaps the opposite.  It’s a remarkably dumb film but thanks to the performances of Karen Black and Oliver Reed and the no-holds barred direction of Dan Curtis, it’s still a pretty scary movie.  Poor Bette Davis is wasted in one of her final roles.  You’ll cheer when the chimney collapses.  Burnt Offerings is on Tubi.

John Saxon later said that making Cannibal Apocalypse (1980) was one of the most depressing experiences of his career, just because he wasn’t prepared for how gory the film would get and he wasn’t particularly happy about the idea of playing a veteran-turned-cannibal.  That feeling certainly comes through in his performance, which ironically is so authentic that it elevates Cannibal Apocalypse above the typical Italian zombie/cannibal film.  Giovanni Lombardo Radice and Tony King give excellent performances as Saxon’s fellow cannibals and the entire film is far more emotionally effective than it has any right to be.  Cannibal Apocalypse can be viewed on Tubi.

The Black Cat (1981) never gets as much attention as it deserves but it’s probably one of Lucio Fulci’s more accessible films.  An adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe short story, it features David Warbeck at his most likable, Patrick Magee at his most demented, and a killer cat with more than 9 lives.  The Black Cat can be viewed on Shudder.

I, Madman (1989) is a personal favorite of mine, largely because I relate to the main character played by Jenny Wright.  Wright plays an aspiring actress and bookstore employee who becomes obsessed with the horror novels of an obscure pulp fiction writer named Malcolm Brand.  Suddenly, murders start to occur that seem to match the murders in the books.  Both Jenny Wright and Clayton Rohner give likable performances in this film and Randall William Cook’s disfigured surgeon is a wonderful villain.  I, Madman can be viewed on Tubi.

Time After Time (1979) provides viewers with the rare chance to see Malcolm McDowell play a gentle soul.  McDowell plays H.G. Wells, whose time machine is used by Jack the Ripper (David Warner) to escape into the modern age.  Wells pursues him.  Time After Time is as much a love story as it is a thriller.  (McDowell married his co-star Mary Steenburgen.)  McDowell, Warner, and Steenburgen all give excellent performances.  Time after Time is on Tubi.

Malcolm McDowell is far more sinister in Paul Schrader’s 1982 film, Cat People.  Cat People was made at a time when cocaine was very popular in Hollywood and the film has all the excessive hallmarks of a production that was under the influence.  It’s about thirty minutes too long, the plot makes little sense, and Schrader sometimes seems to be struggling with determining what it is he’s trying to say.  That said, it’s also an atmospheric and stylish film and it has a killer soundtrack.  The sequence where Annette O’Toole is menaced while jogging and then swimming still creeps me out.  Cat People can be viewed on Prime.

Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972) was the first and the most effective of several Spanish horror films to feature Templar zombies wrecking havoc on the countryside.  This film is atmospheric and creepy and features some of the most convincing zombies to ever appear in a movie.  This film also actually manages to effectively use slow motion.  The Blind Dead are pure nightmare fuel.  Tombs of the Blind Dead can be viewed on Tubi.

Hack and Slash

Directed by Bill Rebane, Blood Harvest (1989) tells the story of a young woman who returns to her family home, just to discover that her parents are missing and the house has been vandalized.  As the bodies are strung up in a nearby barn, viewers are left to try to figure out who the killer is.  Is it the handsome and hunky Gary?  Or is it his brother, Mervo?  Mervo, who deals with stress by putting on clown makeup, is played by Tiny Tim, a notably eccentric singer.  This is one of those odd films that everyone simply has to see once.  It can be viewed on Tubi.

Directed by Joseph Zito, The Prowler (1981) is a notably gruesome but undeniably effective slasher film.  The gore effects were provided by Tom Savini.  Zito keeps the action moving, the cast is filled with actors who are likable enough to make up for the fact that none of the characters are written to have much depth, and the killer is truly frightening.  The Prowler can be viewed on Tubi.

Terror Train (1980) is another classic slasher film that is perfect for Halloween viewing, as all of the victims are in costume and the killer is a master of disguise.  The train makes for a wonderfully claustrophobic setting and the film owes as much to the Italian giallo genre as it does to the typical American slasher film.  Jamie Lee Curtis, Hart Bochner, and Timothy Webber are amongst those being stalked.  Ben Johnson is wonderful as a conductor.  Even magician David Copperfield is put to good use.  Terror Train can be viewed on Tubi.

Prom Night (1980) is another Canadian classic.  This is film the mixes disco with slasher thrills.  Jamie Lee Curtis rallies the school with her dance moves.  Leslie Nielsen gives one of his final “serious” performances at the principal of the school.  The kills are genuinely frightening and, given that most of the victims are either likable or determined to live, genuinely sad.  The twist ending works a hundred times better than it should.  Prom Night!  Everything is alright!  I love this movie.  It can be viewed on Tubi.

The House on Sorority Row (1982) is a diabolically clever little slasher film about a prank gone wrong.  One minute, you’re accidentally causing your house mother to have a heart attack after you pull a gun on her.  The next minute, you’re getting tossed in a shallow grave.  The main lesson here is don’t try anything like this when you’ve also got a big, end-of-the-year college bash to put together.  Director Mark Rosman comes up with some truly inspired visuals.  Eileen Davidson gives a great performance as the sorority sister who can’t believe how difficult it is to cover up a murder.  It can be viewed on Tubi.

Finally, Mountaintop Motel Massacre (1983) is not as well-known as some of the other films that I’ve mentioned but it features a memorably isolated location and a few effective scares.  It’s a good example of the rural slasher.  It can be viewed on Tubi.

Odds and Ends

Zombie Nightmare (1987) features a long-haired zombie, an early performance from Tia Carrere, and an oddly serious performance from Adam West.  The zombie is played a heavy metal musician named Jon-Mikl Thor.  It’s a film so ludicrous that it becomes entertaining.  It can be viewed on Tubi.

Ghost Story (1981) features a dead woman whose ghost returns, seeking vengeance on a group of elderly men who, decades before, covered up her death.  Fred Astaire, John Houseman, Melvyn Douglas, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. play the four men.  Alice Krige is the ghost.  Patricia Neal is Astaire’s wife.  Craig Wasson plays twins.  It’s a bit of an uneven film but it still has its moments.  It can be viewed on Prime.

Night Terror (1977), which is also known as Night Drive, features Valerie Harper as a woman trying to drive from Phoenix to Denver over the course of the night and finding herself pursued by a mute psycho played by Richard Romanus.  Clocking in at 74 minutes, Night Terror is suspenseful and features good performances from both Harper and Romanus.  It can be viewed on Prime.

Finally, The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane (1977) is a creepy little film starring Jodie Foster as a child who will stop at nothing to keep people from figuring out that she’s living on her own.  The true monster in this film is played, quite memorably, by Martin Sheen.  It can be viewed on Prime.