Hi there! I hope everyone had a good weekend and that everyone took a few minutes to think about the true meaning of Labor Day (whatever that may be.) Now that we’re all back and have returned to drudgery of everyday life, it seems like a perfect time for another edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers!
1) They Came From Within (1975)
Seeing as I just recently saw Cosmopolis, it seems appropriate to start things off with this trailer for David Cronenberg’s Shivers or, as it was known here in the States, They Came From Within.
2) The Madmen of Mandoras (1963)
This film is also known as They Saved Hitler’s Brain. It’s an odd little film.
3) Weekend With The Babysitter (1971)
Not to be confused with The Babysitter…
4) The Babysitter (1995)
Not to be confused with Weekend With The Babysitter…
5) Twisted Nerve (1968)
This looks tres creepy!
6) Son of Godzilla (1967)
Finally, did you know that Godzilla had a son? Apparently, he did.
Hi, Lisa Marie here! I apologize for taking last week off but have no fear and let not your heart be troubled — I have returned and I’ve brought with me another edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film trailers! (And I’ve also returned with a few trailer kitties, as well…)
1) The Hunger (1983)
Tony Scott, R.I.P.
2) Aenigma (1987)
From director Lucio Fulci comes a film about psychic powers and killer slugs. Agck!
3) Dolly Dearest (1991)
This is what happens when you build a toy factory next door to Satan’s grave.
Hi! Are y’all enjoying the Olympics? I’m not but I’m still occasionally watching them and asking myself questions like, “Why do male beach volleyball players actually get to wear clothes while competing?” and “Are there any countries other than America, Great Britain, and China competing this year?” Seriously, if you were just to judge from the coverage on NBC, it would appear that the USA is the only team competing in the majority of the events. It’s a bit unfair to those of us who, while American, are also proud of the fact that our ancestors came from Ireland, Italy, Spain, and Germany.
Therefore, this edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers is dedicated to those countries that are being ignored by NBC (and probably the BBC as well). I’m talking about such worthy countries as Albania, San Marino, and especially the beautiful island republic of Chacal.
Here are 6 trailers for Team Chacal.
1) Gymkata (1985)
It’s not quite gymnastics and it’s not quite karate — instead, it’s Gymkata!
2) Jack the Ripper (1976)
From director Jess Franco comes a film that’s either about Jack the Ripper or the current Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.
3) Terrorgram (1988)
The name pretty much says it all.
4) Castle Freak (1995)
I can still remember this one on HBO when I was like 12 years old. It actually gave me nightmares, it was so scary!
5) Two Evil Eyes (1990)
I’ve been planning on seeing this movie for a while now. It was directed by both George Romero and Dario Argento!
6) Goldengirl (1979)
I’ve shared this one before but, with it being the Olympic season and all, I simply had to share this trailer again. Have you figured out her secret yet?
Hi there! Welcome to the latest installment of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film trailers. Since I know everyone’s probably busy watching the Olympics (seriously, I try not think about all the pervs who are calling in to work so they can stay home and watch women’s indoor volleyball inprivate), I won’t waste much time with a long introduction. Instead, let’s get straight to the trailers…
1) Swimfan (2002)
I’m including this trailer for everyone who has ever wondered what Michael Phelps was doing between Beijing and London. I can still remember seeing this movie when I was 16 and, even then, getting annoyed with how stupid this film actually was.
2) Fatal Games (1984)
Speaking of the Olympics…
3) Death Spa (1988)
Let’s continue our theme of athletic mayhem with this trailer for Death Spa.
4) Dr. Who And The Daleks (1965)
I doubt this ever showed up at the grindhouses but no matter. With the Olympics taking place in London, everyone’s currently pretending to like all things British and that seems like as good an excuse as any to feature this trailer for Dr. Who And The Daleks. (I have to admit that I can count, on one hand, the number of times that I’ve actually been able to watch an entire episode of Dr. Who without either falling asleep or changing the channel.)
5) The New Gladiators (1985)
This look at the future of competitive sports comes to us courtesy of none other than Lucio Fulci! This trailer has a definite Hunger Games feel to it, no?
6) Perversion Story (1968)
Finally, what could be better than one Fulci trailer? How about two Fulci trailers? This trailer is for Lucio Fulci’s giallo Perversion Story, which was retitled One On Top of Another when it was released in the United States.
As I’ve probably mentioned before, I’ve always been a secret history nerd. (Don’t ask me why it’s a secret. It just is.) As part of my secret obsession with history, I’ve recently decided that I want to become the world’s foremost authority on the year of my birth, 1985. I’ve spent most of today researching that year and, as a result, I’ve decided to dedicate this latest edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse And Exploitation Trailers to films that were released during the greatest year ever: 1985.
1) Rappin’
“You must see Rappin’ … this movie had to happen!”
2) Heavenly Bodies
“This is the shape of things to come…”
3) Def-Con 4
In this trailer, World War III breaks out and wow, does it ever look cheap.
4) The Oracle
This film was directed by the infamous Roberta Findlay. Even if that information wasn’t readily available via the Internet Movie Database, it’s kinda obvious from just watch the trailer, no?
5) Zombie Island Massacre
“Welcome to beautiful Zombie Island…” When you agree to vacation at a place called Zombie Island, I imagine you lose the right to ask for a refund…
6) The Mutilator
I imagine the people in this trailer ended up wishing they had vacationed at Zombie Island instead.
Today’s edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers is dedicated to the memory of Sage Stallone, the founder of Grindhouse Releasing. When Sage Stallone passed away last week, most news reports concentrated on the fact that he was the son of Sylvester Stallone. However, even more importantly, Sage Stallone was responsible for helping to introduce people like me to the old grindhouse classics that would have otherwise faded into obscurity.
1) I Drink Your Blood (1970)
I know I’ve shared this trailer before but, with the news of Stallone’s passing, I felt it was only appropriate to share it again. I Drink Your Blood is perhaps the best film ever released by Grindhouse Releasing.
2) Cat In The Brain (1990)
This trailer is kinda disgusting but, at the same time, cats are just soooooooo cute, no matter what they’re doing! This film was directed by (and stars) Lucio Fulci.
3) The Swimmer (1968)
I was actually surprised to discover that this film was released by Grindhouse Releasing because it doesn’t really strike me as being a grindhouse film. That said, I haven’t seen the actual film. I’m just read the John Cheever story that inspired it and I’ve seen the trailer, which I like a lot. And so, here we go.
4) Weapons of Death (1976)
This crime film was directed by the underrated Italian filmmaker, Mario Caiano. Franco Nero is not in it but he really should have been.
5) Never Too Young To Die (1986)
Does John Stamos have a reality show yet? I thought I read somewhere that he did.
Hi there! As some of you may have noticed, I took a week off from my favorite feature, Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers. I did this in observance of the 4th of July but now that the USA has celebrated yet another birthday, it’s time to get back to the things that really matter!
Our latest installment features Wings Hauser, a psychotic housekeeper, rabid grannies, and even a little dancing. Enjoy!
1) Nightmare At Noon (1988)
This almost ludicrously violent trailer has a slight Crazies feel to it, no?
2) Deadly Force (1983)
After that last trailer, I’m in the mood for some more Wings Hauser. Here he is in yet another violent trailer, this one for Deadly Force. I want to see this film just to find out what type of person keeps a bathtub and a grand piano in the same room.
3) The Housekeeper (1986)
She cooks. She cleans. She kills. And really, judging from the trailer, who can blame her?
4) The Ghost Dance (1980)
When you disturb the dead, you might pay the price. Like the best movies, this trailer comes with a message.
5) Rooftops (1989)
I like this one because it features dancing and … well, that’s about it.
On June 20th, it was announced that the body of veteran character actor Richard Lynch had been found at his home. Richard Lynch was never a household name but, if you’re a fan of exploitation and grindhouse cinema, you’ve probably seen him at least a few times. He was the tall, blonde actor with the scarred face who was alway either killing people or having them killed. Richard Lynch was one of those actors who, as soon as he showed up on-screen, you knew he was the bad guy.
As an actor, Lynch always brought something special to even the simplest of his roles. He was always the villain who you knew would probably easily kill the hero if the two of them ever met in the real world. He was so good at being bad that you often couldn’t help but root for him.
I first became aware of Richard Lynch when I bought a movie called Premonition on DVD. This atmospheric 1976 film featured Richard Lynch in the role of a villainous yet oddly sympathetic carnival clown-turned-kidnapper. When Lynch was on-screen, I literally could not look away. Even better, the DVD included an interview with the now white-haired Richard Lynch in which he discussed his career. Imagine my surprise to discover that this rather creepy and scary-looking actor was actually a very articulate and witty man.
A few days after I saw Premonition, I watched another 1976 film on DVD. This one was Larry Cohen’s Gold Told Me To and, to my surprise, it also featured Richard Lynch. This time, he was cast as an alien messiah who inspired all sorts of mayhem in New York City. From that moment on, Richard Lynch was one of my favorite of the old exploitation actors.
After Richard Lynch’s body was found, there were several news stories that mentioned his passing. Almost all of those stories repeated the story that Lynch’s distinctive facial scars were the result of him setting himself on fire as the result of bad LSD trip in 1967. A few mentioned that he was a longtime friend of Al Pacino’s. Most of them took a rather dismissive attitude towards the majority of Lynch’s films.
In fact, it seemed like the only place that Richard Lynch got the proper amount of respect was on twitter. And that’s a shame because an actor like Richard Lynch deserved a lot more.
The sad thing is that actors like Richard Lynch are rarely appreciated because elitist (and wannabe elitist) filmgoers and critics are rarely willing to admit that it does take a certain amount of talent to be an effective and memorable villain. As an actor, Richard Lynch appeared in some good films and he also appeared in a lot of very bad films but he always gave a good performance. Unlike so many other actors, he never used subpar material as an excuse to give a subpar performance. Regardless of the films he found himself in, he always gave it his best and that’s why this super-sized edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Trailers is dedicated to Richard Lynch.
1) God Told Me To (1976)
Arguably, this film from director Larry Cohen was the best movie that Richard Lynch ever appeared in. Though he doesn’t get a lot of screen time in either the film or the trailer, he easily dominates both, if just for the fact that Lynch plays the God of the title.
2) Deathsport (1978)
Richard Lynch vs. David Carradine.
3) The Sword and The Sorcerer (1982)
Though I haven’t seen it, this film is a favorite of many of my fellow contributors here at the Shattered Lens.
4) Cut and Run (1985)
This film was directed by Ruggero Deodato and apparently, it gained a certain amount of fame after it was banned in several countries. I’ve seen it on DVD and all I can say is that this is one of the most misleading trailers ever made. However, this film also features one of Richard Lynch’s most intimidating performances.
5) Savage Dawn (1985)
For some reason, I doubt that the character being played by Richard Lynch is a real priest.
6) Invasion USA (1985)
Judging from the response to Richard Lynch’s death on twitter, this Chuck Norris movie might be the film that he’s best known for.
7) The Barbarians (1987)
This film, which appears to feature Richard Lynch in full villain mode, was also directed by Ruggero Deodato.
8) Bad Dreams (1988)
Richard Lynch is all sorts of creepy in this trailer. Knowing about his own true life story makes this trailer all the more odd to watch.
9) Trancers 2 (1992)
Helen Hunt’s in this?
10) Werewolf (1996)
Thisone looks like fun, to be honest.
11) Wedding Slashers (2006)
“Til death do us part…”
12) Mil Mascaras Vs. The Aztec Mummy (2006)
Finally, let’s finish things up with the trailer for this Mexican film in which Richard Lynch was cast as the President of the United States.
Saturday was our big sister’s birthday so me and Dazzling Erin spent almost the entire weekend hanging out in a strange city called Ft. Worth. Erin even sang the longest karaoke version of American Pie ever! (And she sang it beautifully, by the way!) It was good fun but unfortunately, I couldn’t put a trailer post together while singing and drinking. However, we are back home and, without further ado, here’s 6 more trailers!
1) The Stepfather (1987)
Almost in time for Father’s Day, here’s the original Stepfather, starring a pre-Lost Terry O’Quinn.
2) The Stepfather Part II (1989)
You can’t keep a good stepfather down…
3) The Stepfather Part III (1992)
Wait — that’s not Terry O’Quinn!
4) Double Agent 73 (1974)
This film was directed by the famous Doris Wishman. “Watch out for her booby traps…”
5) The Ghastly Ones (1968)
Speaking of famous and notorious directors, this trailer is for a film directed by Andy Milligan.
6) The Rats Are Coming, The Werewolves Are Here! (1972)
Actually, I think I’ll close this entry with yet another Milligan film. He’s been underrepresented in my trailer posts so far and that’s a shame because if any director screams “grindhouse,” it’s Andy Milligan.
I guess the first question I should ask is “Did anyone miss me?”
It’s been a week since I last posted anything and when’s the last time that happened? Seriously, even when I went up to Baltimore last year, I still managed to put up three posts a day. The only excuse I can give is that it’s just been a very busy week and I hope that y’all can forgive me and give me a second chance. And hey — what about the great job that all of our contributors did keeping the site updated while I was on my unscheduled vacation for blogging last week? That’s why I love this site. Other sites gives you only one voice and only one view. Through the Shattered Lens, however, celebrates the fact that everyone views things through his or her own individual lens.
From director Fred Olen Ray comes this film that was apparently the inspiration for Prometheus. I love how low-budget movies about spaceships and airplanes always feature some heavy-set guy going, “You are coming in too fast!”
2) House of the Devil (2009)
I’m cheating a little because this film was released just a few years ago and therefore, it’s not technically a grindhouse film. However, it’s a film that was definitely inspired by the great low-budget horror films of the past. And, yes, that is Greta Gerwig, who is like in every other worthwhile film scheduled to be released this year and who will win an Oscar in the next five years.
3) House of Wax (1953)
My sister included this film’s poster in her last artist’s profile so it seems only appropriate that I include its trailer her. I love how bombastic these old horror trailers used to get. “YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT IT!”
4) A Fistful of Dynamite (1971)
This film is better known by the title Duck, You Sucker. Though he’s not seen in the trailer, this film also features future Fulci leading man David Warbeck.
5) Twice Dead (1988)
“It’s a dream house … for nightmares!”
6) Amityville 2: The Possession (1982)
This film is part of a grand tradition of cheap Italian sequels to hit American films. I actually own this one on DVD and I had to stop watching after about an 1 hour because it was just too disturbing. Considering some of the films that I’ve sat all the way through (and if you think that I’m referring to Cannibal Ferox and Cannibal Holocaust, you might be right), that’s saying something.
Through the Shattered Lens 