4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Tobe Hooper Edition


4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today, on what would have been his 80 birthday, the Shattered Lens pays tribute to Texas’s own, Tobe Hooper!

The Austin hippie who redefined horror and left thousands of yankees terrified of driving through South Texas, Tobe Hooper often struggled to duplicate both the critical and the box office success of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  It’s only been in the years since his death that many critics and viewers have come to truly appreciate his unique and subversive vision.

Down here, in Texas, we always believed in him.

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Tobe Hooper Films

Eggshells (1969, dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Tobe Hooper)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Daniel Pearl)

The Funhouse (1981, dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Andrew Laszlo)

Lifeforce (1985, dir by Tobe Hooper. DP: Alan Hume)

6 Horrific Trailers For October 30th, 2022


It’s the day before Halloween.

Are you still struggling to get into the mood?

Well, have no fear!  The latest edition is Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse Trailers is here to help you out!

Presented without comment, here are 6 classic trailers for the day before Halloween….

  1. Carnival of Souls (1962)

2. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

4. Halloween (1978)

5. Dawn of the Dead (1978)

6. Zombie (1979) (a.k.a. Zombi 2)

Horror Scenes That I Love: Leatherface Meets Kirk in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre


This scene, from 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, only last 52 seconds but that’s all the time that it needs.  Leatherface makes his first appearance and, sadly, Kirk exits the film.

What makes this scene so effective is that, even though it’s obvious that something bad is going to happen, Leatherface still seems to pop up out of nowhere.  When he does kill Kirk, he does it so efficiently and without hesitation that there’s little doubt that this is just an ordinary day for him.  When Leatherface slams that door, what he’s truly saying is that he’s very busy and he’d appreciate it if people just stopped bothering him for an hour or two.

For his part, Kirk really shouldn’t have just gone into someone’s house uninvited.  That’s really not Texas manners.  That said, I do think Leatherface did overreact just a bit.  Killing a guest isn’t really an example of good manners either.

10 Shots From 10 Horror Films: 1973 and 1974


The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Daniel Pearl)

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

This October, I’m going to be doing something a little bit different with my contribution to 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films.  I’m going to be taking a little chronological tour of the history of horror cinema, moving from decade to decade.

Today, we take a look at two very important years: 1973 and 1974!

10 Shots From 10 Horror Films: 1973 and 1974

Female Vampire (1973, dir by Jess Franco, DP: Jess Franco)

Don’t Look Now (1973, dir by Nicolas Roeg, DP: Anthony Richmond)

The Wicker Man (1973, dir by Robin Hardy. DP: Harry Waxman)

Lisa and the Devil (1973, dir by Mario Bava, DP: Cecilio Paniagua)

The Iron Rose (1973, dir by Jean Rollin)

The Exorcist (1973, dir by William Friedkin, DP: Owen Roizman)

Black Christmas (1974, dir by Bob Clark, DP: Reginald H. Morris)

Deathdream (1974, dir by Bob Clark, DP: Jack McGowan)

The Ghost Galleon (1974, dir by Armando de Ossorio, DP: Raul Artigut)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Daniel Pearl)

8 Things That I Am Looking Forward To In February


Ah, February!

February is usually one of my favorite months of the year.  Not only do we usually have a lot of Oscar scenarios to which to look forward but it’s also the month of Valentine’s Day!  This is the month of love, people!  Admittedly, pre-COVID, this was also the month when I would usually take my vacation and get out of town for a while.  My vacation’s going to be a little bit later this year, though.

What am I looking forward to this month?  Well, there’s always a chance of snow!  Of course, last year, it snowed in February and we ended up going without power for a week.  That was a difficult time for a lot of people down here in Texas.  It really wasn’t that difficult for me, though.  I kind of enjoyed the snow.  Even without the lights, I could still read a book late at night because of the light reflecting off of all the snow.  That was kind of fun.  But I should probably be careful about admitting that too loudly.

Anyway, here are eight things to which I am looking forward in February!  What are you looking forward to?  Let me know in the comments and maybe I’ll send some snow your way.  (And by snow, you mean cocaine, right?  No, I mean metaphorical snow.  Wait a minute, who am I talking to?)

  1. The Oscar Nominations

The Oscar nominations will finally be announced on February 8th!  With any luck, I will be posting my personal nominations on the 7th.  I have a lot of movies left to watch and I know I’m probably going to miss out on a few because there’s only so many hours during the day.  That sucks but I’m going to do my best, I promise.

2. The Winter Olympics

Am I looking forward to the Olympics?  On the one hand, I am because I’m love ice skating and curling and all of that good stuff.  On the other hand, I’m like, “This is the most problematic Olympics of my lifetime.”  I know that some people believe that we should have totally boycotted the Olympics this year.  I don’t agree with that because that wouldn’t accomplish much beyond punishing our athletes.  Instead, as a proud Irish-Italian-Spanish-American, I will be cheering on all of our athletes, even the really obnoxious ones and I will also be hoping that the coverage of the games will be honest when discussing why they are so controversial this year.

3. Death on the Nile

Speaking of controversy ….. Death on the Nile is finally getting released!  First, it was delayed by COVID.  Then it was delayed by Armie Hammer.  I’m just curious to see how it does at the box office.  Personally, I like the idea of Kenneth Branagh playing Poirot and solving murders.  To me, it’s interesting that he directed this film before Belfast but it’ll be opening at a time when it’s success or failure could effect Belfast’s Oscar campaign.

4. Cyrano

Cyrano is apparently going to finally get a wide release on February 25th.  I guess the hope is that it’ll pick up some Oscar nominations and, when it opens, everyone will be like, “Finally!  We can see what the Academy is so excited about!”  I hate platform releases but I’m still looking forward to finally seeing Cyrano.

5. Marry Me

This looks like the best romantic comedy of 2004!  Seriously, sometimes you see a trailer for a movie that is so destined to be bad that you just have to watch it.

6. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

My Marry Me comments apply here as well, except for the romantic comedy part.  Don’t worry. If this latest reboot/sequel doesn’t work, they’ll just try again in 2024.  Many years ago, someone got mad at me because I pointed out that no one would care about a Vermont Chainsaw Massacre.  I stand by that opinion.

7. Super Bowl Sunday

Yes, I watched a bit of football in January.  It was an experiment to see if I could get into the sport.  It turns out that I can’t.  But I’m still looking forward to the Super Bowl commercials and the trailers and the tweets!  Always, the tweets….

8. Valentine’s Day

I love Valentine’s Day and I never quite get the bitterness that it seems to inspire in some people.  Of course, I don’t think I’ve ever been single on Valentine’s Day, either.

As for what I’m not looking forward to in February …. the return of Celebrity Big Brother.  Ugh.  I’ll watch it but that doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to it.

4 Shots From 4 Tobe Hooper Films


4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking.

Today, I am proud to pay homage to a director from my home state, a man who changed the face of horror and the movies but who was treated terribly by a jealous film industry.  I am talking, of course, about Texas’s own Tobe Hooper.  Hooper redefined horror with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  Though his later films were never quite as critically or financially successful as that classic, many of them have since been rediscovered by audiences who now better appreciate Hooper’s quirky sensibility.  Hollywood may not have known how to handle Tobe Hooper but horror fans like me will always appreciate him.

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Tobe Hooper Films

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Daniel Pearl)

Eaten Alive (1976, dir by Tobe Hooper. DP: Robert Caramico)

Salem’s Lot (1978, dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Jules Bremmer)

The Funhouse (1981, dir by Tobe Hooper. DP: Andrew Laszlo)

 

4 Shots From 4 Tobe Hooper Films: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Salem’s Lot, The Funhouse, Lifeforce


4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

This October, we’ve been using 4 Shots From 4 Films to pay tribute to some of our favorite horror directors!  Today, we recognize Texas’s own Tobe Hooper!

4 Shots From 4 Films

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, dir by Tobe Hooper)

Salem’s Lot (1979, dir by Tobe Hooper)

The Funhouse (1981, dir by Tobe Hooper)

Lifeforce (1985, dir by Tobe Hooper)

6 Trailers For The Sunday Before Halloween


It’s a holiday and you know what that means!

Or maybe you don’t.  Sometimes, I forget that not everyone can read my mind.  Anyway, I used to do a weekly post of my favorite grindhouse trailers.  Eventually, it went from being a weekly thing to being an occasional thing, largely due to the fact that there’s only so many trailers available on YouTube.  Now, Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers is something that I usually only bring out on a holiday.

Like today!

So, here are 6 trailers for the last week of October!

  1. Last House On The Left (1972)

“Two girls from the suburbs.  Going to the city to have …. good time….”  Wow, thanks for explaining that, Mr. Creepy Narrator Dude.  That classic tag line about how to avoid fainting would be imitated time and again for …. well, actually, it’s still being imitated.  This was Wes Craven’s 1st film and also one of the most influential horror films of all time.

2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Speaking of influential horror movies, the trailer for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is almost scarier than the film itself!

3. Lisa Lisa (1977)

I  have actually never watched this film but I love the trailer.  Can you guess why?

4. Ruby (1977)

Ruby, starring Piper Laurie!  I’m going to assume this was after Piper Laurie played Margaret White in Carrie.  Don’t take your love to town, Ruby.

5. Jennifer (1978)

Jennifer was another film that pretty obviously inspired by Carrie.  In this one, Jennifer has psychic control over snakes.  So, don’t mess with Jennifer.

6. The Visitor (1979)

Finally, this Italian Omen rip-off features Franco Nero as Jesus, so it’s automatically the greatest film ever made.

Happy Weekend Before Halloween!

Horror Scenes That I Love: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Finale


Today’s scene comes from the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is one of the greatest horror films ever made.  Needless to say, since this is the final scene, it’s a huge spoiler if you somehow haven’t seen this movie.

Enjoy, dance, or laugh maniacally.  I leave it up to you.