As week 1 of the 2023 Horrorthon comes to a close, it’s time for me to admit that I am absolutely, 100% exhausted. Hopefully, this latest edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse Trailers will help to keep me awake!
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Here’s a trailer that’s as good as any when it comes to giving you a reason to try to stay awake!
2. Bad Dreams (1988)
Freddy isn’t the only person haunting the dream world.
3. Dreammaniac (1986)
Actually, there’s a lot of dangerous things out there in Dream Land.
4. The Cell (2000)
Even Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn know better than to get lost in someone else’s dream.
5. Phantasm (1979)
And, of course, we can’t talk about sleep and dreams and nightmares without including the classic trailer for Phantasm.
6. Dreamscape (1984)
Fear not, though! If things get too intense in the dreamworld, we can always call Dennis Quaid.
Today, in honor of Labor Day, I am very proud to present a very special edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers! I have selected six trailers for six films about six very specific jobs. Your next career might be found below!
The Principal (1987)
Do you want to make a difference in the lives of your students? Why not follow the path of Rick Lattimore and become …. The Principal!?
2. The Gardener (1972)
Do you like working with plants? Do you have a green thumb? A career in gardening might be for you!
3. The Soldier (1982)
Do you love your country? Do you want to protect your nation from enemies, both domestic and international? The Soldier knows how you feel!
4. The Exterminator (1980)
Do you want to protect your community and help clean up the neighborhood? Consider pursuing a career as an urban vigilante, just like The Exterminator!
5. Moonrunners (1975)
Are you a good driver? Do you feel that the government needs to stay out of people’s personal decisions? Moonshine runner might be a career for you!
6. American Ninja (1985)
Do you have a truly unique set of skills? Were you born in the United States? Consider a career as an American Ninja!
So, you think you can just ignore the law, huh? Well, the Super Cops have got something to say about that! This film was based on the “true” adventures of two widely decorated NYPD cops. The cops were so good at their job that they were even nicknamed Batman and Robin. Of course, long after this movie came out, it was discovered that they were both corrupt and were suspected of having committed more crimes than they stopped. Amazingly, this film was directed by the same man who did Shaft. The Super Cops are kind of annoying, to be honest.
2. Super Fuzz (1980)
Far more likable than The Super Cops was Super Fuzz. Terence Hill plays a Florida cop who gets super powers! Ernest Borgnine is his hapless partner. The film was directed by Sergio Corbucci, of Django fame.
3. Miami Supercops (1985)
In 1985, Terence Hill returned as a Florida cop in Miami Supercops. This time, his old partner Bud Spencer accompanied him.
4. Miami Cops (1989)
Apparently, Miami needed a lot of cops because Richard Roundtree decided to join the force in 1989. Unfortunately, I could only find a copy of this trailer in German but I think you’ll still get the idea.
5. The Soldier (1982)
In order to celebrate loyalty, here’s the trailer for 1982’s The Soldier! They’re our government’s most guarded secret …. or, at least, they were. Then someone made a movie about them.
And finally, what better way to celebrate both Loyalty and Law Day than with a film that pays tribute to the Molokai Cops? From Andy Sidaris, it’s….
Albert Pyun made his directorial debut with this film, which starred Richard Lynch. The Sword and the Sorcerer was Pyun’s most financially successful film.
2. Dangerously Close (1986)
In 1986, Albert Pyun directed the teen vigilante classic, Dangerously Close.
3. Cyborg (1989)
Due to the presence of Jean-Claude Van Damme in the leading role, Cyborg remains one of Pyun’s best-known films.
4. Captain America (1990)
20 years before Kevin Feige and the MCU, Albert Pyun brought Captain America to the big screen!
5. Omega Doom (1996)
In 1996, Albert Pyun was responsible for this post-apocalyptic western, starring Rutger Hauer.
6. Tales of an Ancient Empire (2011)
Finally, in 2011, Pyun directed his long-awaited sequel to The Sword and the Sorcerer, Tales of An Ancient Empire.
For today’s Halloween edition of Lisa’s Marie Favorite Grindhouse Trailers, I present to you, without comment, 6 trailers for six horror films that I feel are unfairly overlooked. If you’re still looking for something to watch this Halloween night, I recommend any of the films below!
It’s a double feature like none other! The majority of the trailer (understandably, in my opinion) is devoted to clips from I Drink Your Blood. What is I Drink Your Blood about? It’s about a little kid who gets rid of a bunch of annoying hippies by giving them food that has been infected with rabies!
2. Grizzly (1976)
Wow, I wonder where they got the idea for this movie from!
3. The Crater Lake Monster (1977)
Awwww! What a cute monster!
4. Cathy’s Curse (1977)
Beware of Cathy …. and her doll too!
5. Jennifer (1978)
A bullied teenage girl has psychic powers …. hmmmm, this sounds familiar….
6. The Children (1980)
“Something terrifying has happened to the Children!” This actually a pretty scary film but somehow, the trailer is even scarier.
It’s Sunday and it’s October and that means that it’s time for another edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse trailers! For today, we have six trailers from the early 80s! These where the years when the only thing bigger than the Italian zombie boom was the American slasher boom. And we’ve got the trailers to prove it!
1. Friday the 13th (1980)
Needless to say, if you’re going to talk about American horror in the early 80s, you have to start with Friday the 13th. Interestingly enough, the first Friday the 13th was less a traditional slasher film and more an American take on the giallo genre.
2. Halloween II (1981)
The 80s were also the year that Hollywood learned to love the sequel. As a result, Michael Myers returned and so did Dr. Loomis. The current franchise claims that all of this never happened but we all know better.
3. The Beyond (1981)
While the Americans were dealing with slashers, the Italians were committing themselves to the zombies. Though Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond was not widely appreciated when first released, it’s reputation has grown over the years.
4. The House By The Cemetery (1981)
Eventually, Fulci combined both zombies and slashers with The House By The Cemetery.
5. Poltergeist (1982)
Of course, not every horror film that came out in the early 80s was about a slasher or a zombie. Poltergeist was a haunted house story. Though the trailer says “Steven Spielberg production,” the film was directed by Tobe Hooper.
6. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Even the Halloween franchise tried to do something new with the third film in the series. Like The Beyond, this is a film that was underappreciated when released but which has since become a horror classic.
It’s Sunday and it’s October and that means that it’s time for another edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse trailers! For today, we have six trailers from the early 70s. This was the era when horror started to truly get …. well, horrific!
The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970)
First off, we have the blood and scream-filled trailer for Dario Argento’s The Bird With The Crystal Plumage. This Italian thriller made quite a splash when it was released in America. Indeed, for many Americans, this was their first exposure to the giallo genre. This would go on to become Argento’s first (and, so far, only) film to be nominated for a Golden Globe. (Read my review here!)
2. House of Dark Shadows (1970)
Speaking of blood and screaming, 1970 also saw the release of House of Dark Shadows. Personally, I think this is one of the best vampire films ever. The trailer is heavy on atmosphere.
3. The Devils (1971)
In 1971, British director Ken Russell scandalized audiences with The Devils, a film so shocking that it will probably never been in its full, uncut form.
4. Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972)
Italy was not the only country sending horror films over to the United States. From Spain came the Tombs of the Blind Dead.
5. The Last House on the Left (1972)
Speaking of controversy, Wes Craven made his directorial debut with the infamous The Last House OnTheLeft. The trailer featured one of the greatest and most-repeated horror tag lines of all time.
6. Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
Finally, even as horror cinema changed and became more extreme, Hammer Studios continued to tell the long and twisted story of Count Dracula. They brought him into the present age and dropped him in the middle of hippie-infested London. No matter how much the rest of the world changed, Dracula remained Dracula.
