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  • Creepshow

    Released: November 10, 1982 (United States)

    Inspired by the horror comics of the 1950s (Tales From The Crypt, Vault Of Horror etc), Creepshow is an anthology of film shorts, combining the writing of horror icon Stephen King and the direction of fright flick veteran George Romero. It’s use of comic inspired elements, not only gore (with effects of Tom Savini) and proverb but in paneling and on screen expression made it a clear homage to the horror comic genre, and an essential horror masterpiece. Father’s Day was particularly excellent, with its splatter ending and classic zombie portrayal.

    Though King‘s works had been adapted to film with great success such as The Shining (1980) and Carrie (1976), followed by Cujo, The Dead Zone and Christine shortly afterwards, Creepshow was his first opportunity to write directly for the screen. Only two of the shorts, one of which he acted in, were already published. King is known for cameo appearances in films he’s been involved with, similar to Stan Lee’s one liners in Marvel Comics films prior to his death in xxxx. The remaining four were written specifically for the film. The young boy actor in the main storyline connecting all the segments is Joe Hillström King, Stephen King’s son.

    The loosely moral themes of Creepshow’s stories made Romero an idea choice, as his prior films maintained a focus on social commentary. George Romero achieved his initial acclaim from Night the Living Dead, and continued on with further entries in the horror genre Martin (1977), Crazies (1973), the television series Tales From The Darkside (1983-1988) which developed as a result of Creepshow and numerous follow ups to the zombie-horror genre he was instrumental in developing.

    IMDb:

    https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0083767/?ref_=ttfc_ov_bk

    “Five grisly tales from a kid’s comic book about a murdered father rising from his grave, a bizarre meteor, a vengeful husband, a mysterious crate’s occupant, and a plague of cockroaches.” [IMDb]

    Director: George A. Romero

    Writer: Stephen King

    Stars: Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen, Adrienne Barbeau, Ted Danson with Stephen King

    November 10, 1982 (United States)

  • Friday the 13th

    May 9, 1980 (US)

    When it comes to horror franchises, none are more iconic than Friday the 13th, although it was preceded by Halloween, and by no means the first or earliest slasher horror films. For better or worse it is the longest running including, including reboots and remakes. There was even a television series which despite no story connection, did have some of the same production crew. But the 1980 original started it all, establishing the lore, the setting and applying it to the slasher movie formula: indulgent young adults pay for their sexual and substance transgressions with their lives at the hands (or machetes, axes, arrows, weed whackers or more elaborate instruments) of a psychopathic murderer. What fun! Now at the time of writing this is the first time I am noticing that the film, which makes use of the mommy issue trope as a core plot element, was released Mother’s Day weekend. Happy Mother’s Day.

    “A group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.” [IMDb]

    Director: Sean S. Cunningham 

    Writers: Victor Miller Ron Kurz 

    Stars: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080761/

  • Hobo With A Shotgun

    May 6, 2011 (United States) 

    In a stroke of brilliance, Rutger Hauer is cast as star as the titular role of this over the top gore fest. This is the second feature-length adaptation derived from the exploitation parody 2007 Grindhouse trailers, the first being ‘Machete’ (2010). It boasts all the tropes associated with bumsploitation like shopping carts full of recycling goods, bum fights, money in a sock, dumpster dwelling and so much more. Packed with dozens of one-liner dialogue duds, there’s also a few unforgettable gems. You can even hear Andi Sex Gang’s ‘Naked And The Dead’ in the soundtrack. The villain is played by Brian Downey, recognized as Stanley Tweedle from one of sci-fis more obscure late-night series, Lexx. Hobo With A Shotgun enters high-gear almost immediately and doesn’t let up – the gore gets gorier, the criminal depravity gets more unhinged, death methods more twisted and the characters get more strange. All that gets balanced out by quaint and frankly poetic moments like Slick’s death scene. For lovers of the extreme, connoisseurs of transgression and gourmands of gore, Hobo With A Shotgun provides modern production quality to the genre exemplified by Troma films like Toxic Avenger and Street Trash while dragging low-tier action trash films through the gutter.

    Director: Jason Eisener 

    Stars: Rutger Hauer, Pasha Ebrahimi, Robb Wells, Molly Dunsworth, Brian Downey

    https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1640459/

  • Evil Dead

    April 15, 1983 (United States)

    One of the most innovative splatter films of all time, Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead though completed in 1981 only received domestic release in 1983. Not a tremendous success initially, it has since become a cult classic. Its sequel in 1987 was a remake/reboot, followed by a proper sequel Army of Darkness, a TV series, and remakes reboots in 2013 and 2023. It is widely sampled in gothic, punk, industrial songs. 

    “Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.” [IMDb]

    Writer & Director: Sam Raimi

    Stars: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor

    IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0083907/

    Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Evil_Dead

  • Reform School Girls

    August 22, 1986 (US)

    “A new group of girls arrives at Pridemore Juvenile Facility, where the brutal warden plays favoritism with a few, and treats the rest like animals. But one girl is not taking this horrible treatment lying down.” [IMDb]

    Writer & Director: Tom DeSimone

    Stars: Linda Carol, Wendy O. Williams, Pat Ast, Sybil Danning, Sherri Stoner

    IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091836
    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_School_Girls

  • Carnival of Souls

    September 26, 1962 (United States, Lawrence, Kansas, premiere)

    “After a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival.” [IMDb]

    IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055830/
    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Souls

    Director: Herk Harvey
    Stars: Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger

    https://archive.org/details/CarnivalOfSoulsVideoQualityUpgrade

  • The Howling

    April 10, 1981 (United States) 

    The classic Werewolf film of the 1980s, placing the werewolf in a contemporary setting. Though there are others and some inventive takes on the subject, such as Wolfen, the original The Howling is a solid milestone. Not so much with the numerous sequels released in its wake attempting to cash in on the originals success. The transformation sequence and actual shape of the werewolf is executed brilliantly by Rick Baker and Rob Bottin. Direction by Joe Dante (Rock’n’Roll Highschool, Pirhana) and stars Dee Wallace (Critters, Cujo, Frighteners).

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082533/

    “After a bizarre and near deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.” [IMDb] 

    Director: Joe Dante 

    Stars: Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan

    https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0082533/

    The Howling: Full Movie on The Internet Archive:

    https://archive.org/details/thehowling1981_202002

  • Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter

    April 7, 1974 (UK)

    One of Hammer Horror studio’s lesser successful films originally, though it obtained recognition only later. While it is a vampire film, it centers around the vampire hunters – retired soldier Captain Kronos (Horst Janson) and his hunchbacked companion Professor Grost (John Cater). They pick up unlikely Romani companion Carla (Caroline Munro of Dracula AD 1972 plus other Hammer productions) and answer the call of an old friend Doctor Marcus (John Carson) to investigate supernatural murders committed by an untraditional bloodline of vampires. The creative characters and the break from the rigid Hammer formula likely dulled the initial response to the movie, but in the end, what sets it apart is its most endearing quality. Its depiction of obscure elements of vampiric folklore and swashbuckling more than stoney crypts, bloody rituals and the abuses of Dracula breaks from the established format.

    Writer & Director: Brian Clemens
    Stars: Horst Janson, John Carson, Shane Briant, John Cater

    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Kronos
    IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071276/

  • I Spit On Your Grave

    November 22, 1978 (United States) 

    Revenge film that must immediately bear a trigger warning for its unnecessarily prolonged graphic depiction of rape. It deservedly earned the distinction of the UKs ‘video nasty’, and is reviled by critics and even the most ardent horror-sleaze fanatics. That being said, it is one of the most unique and controversial cult films for said transgression. By placing the viewer in the perspective of the victim, it is deliberately uncomfortable and makes the victim the sympathetic hero. Is the film an atrocity or a statement, perhaps both? You can decide for yourself, or simply be informed and give it a pass.

    Starring Camille Keaton (Tragic Ceremony, What Have You Done to Solange? both 1972) delivers a brilliant performance as the violently assaulted heroine, who stalks down her attackers one by one and brutally murders them for their crimes, delivering ultimate justice. Director Meir Zarchi managed little else in his career than subsequent remakes and sequels to this his only lurid achievement. The woman on the poster seen from behind is not Keaton but in fact Demi Moore.

    “An aspiring writer is repeatedly assaulted, humiliated, and left for dead by four men she systematically hunts down to seek revenge.” [IMDb] 

    Writer & Director: Meir Zarchi 

    Stars: Camille Keaton, Eron Tabor, Richard Pace

    IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077713

    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Spit_on_Your_Grave

  • Last Stop On The Night Train

    L’ultimo treno della notte, released with the English title of The Night Train Murders or Last Stop on the Night Train debuted in 1975. It’s a particularly brutal horror revenge film directed by Aldo Lado along the lines of Last House on the Left and I Spit On Your Grave (both influenced by Ingmar Bergman’s Virgin Spring). Flavio Bucci (Suspiria), Macha Méril (Deep Red, Vagabond) , Irene Miracle ( Midnight Express, Inferno) with soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. It was included in the UKs infamous ‘video nasty’ list of banned films in 1983. Filming took place in Innsbruck and Tyrol. It takes place on Christmas holiday, following two students who are violently killed on the train by a group of thugs and a sadistic voyeur who only encourages them to push further (trigger warnings here). When the killers happen to visit the parents of the victims, their actions are revealed and a brutal revenge sequence is what follows.

    Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Stop_on_the_Night_Train

    IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0073836/