Universal Monsters...Why They Should Stay The Ultimate Anti-Hero!

The Universal Monsters we have all come to know and love!

Ok, so I am sure that if you are a movie fan, that you have probably heard that Universal is turning the horror franchises ultimate anti-heroes, (Universal's monsters) in to heroes!

Well if you are like me, you are probably wondering who is smoking what in the Universal think tank that has decided to take a truly legendary classic set of stories like these monsters, and butchering the holy hell out of them!

Trust me when I say that you are not alone!

This guy is pretty unhappy with it...

Now I realize here that maybe I should explain to those that are new to the world of horror, who the, 'Universal Monsters' are...

Well simply, there is a group of monsters that essentially where adapted by Universal Studios in the early days of film for film, but that were based on victorian era monsters from some of horror's greatest novels.

Some of these monsters are: Frankenstein's Monster, The Wolf Man, Dracula and The Mummy, and that is to name a few!

This is an image of actor: 'Bela Lugosi' as, 'Count Dracula' in the movie of the same name... Dracula is based on the novel by Bram Stoker. 

Anyway, in a lot of respects, you could say that these monsters are sort of the ancestors of the modern horror movie villain, and it would be incredibly stupid to turn them from their darker roots in to some kind of hero, and I will tell you why.

First off let me say this, modern Hollywood has tended to seriously butcher their remade horror movies, (not all of them, but I would say pretty much a good 99% of them are pretty useless...) 

The next thing that I wanted to say is that where as it is true that new ideas are definitely what Hollywood needs to keep infusing in to the world of movies. Taking a classic like, 'Dracula' is like taking, 'Michael Myers'and making him a super hero fighting alongside the X-Men... It is a stupid idea that would frankly piss off the Halloween and X-Men core audiences respectively!

This, 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' remake movie was a great example of a horrible remake of an awesome movie series!

Now before I continue on, I will say that it is always a good idea to have a new set of audience coming in to enjoy any classic... Universal needs to figure out how to get a new audience in there for these classics, while not annoying their core audience.

For those of you who are new to the world of horror, please enjoy these trailer for some of these classic movies... You will see what I mean!

Also, if you are looking for some new horror movies to enjoy this Halloween, then check out our store at: HellsDepot

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Friday Night Double Feature: The Crawling Eye (1958) And Sharknado (2013)

The Friday Night Double Feature this week: The Crawling Eye (1958), and Sharknado (2013)! 

That's right guys... Friday night fast approaches... Time to get together with the woman you love, pop some popcorn, pour the bubbly, and turn on some insanely awesome & cheesy as hell, 'B' Sci-fi movies... Well your girl maybe a little peeved (unless she is in to these types of movies... Hey, you never know... Am right?) No, but seriously, unless you are truly home alone this Friday night, or are in a position for a fun good ole fashion shlockfest, then I got a couple of goodies here that will please the masses, old or young! First off... A golden oldie, The Crawling Eye (1958).

This guest at the Swiss resort probably won't be coming back... But then again, the resort officials have a lot more that they are going to have to worry about...

 Starring: Forrest Tucker (The Bionic Woman), Laurence Payne (Vampire Circus), (They Came From Beyond Space) & Janet Munro (The Day The Earth Caught Fire). This awesome tale, tells the story of a Swiss resort in the Alps, and how for the vacationers at the resort, they are about to have some Alien company... And they enjoy tearing people down... And I don't mean emotionally!

And the next one is a more recent one, this one being: Sharknado (2013)!

Aliens invade the Earth... Accept these aliens come from the ocean, and not from outer space!

Starring: Ian Ziering (Beverly Hills 90210), Tara Reid (American Pie), John Heard (Assault On Wall Street), Cassie Scerbo (Agoraphobia). This movie tells the tale of a different invasion, when the Sharks from the Ocean begin to invade the rest of the world... Humanity will be powerless to stop them... But a bar owner, his friends, and family are bound and determined to try!

The truth is, is these movies are both cheesy as hell, awesome as hell, and if you are looking for a night of just good ole fashion thoughtless fun... You can't go wrong with these movies!
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The Deadly Bees (1966) - Movie Review

Official Score = 3 Devils

Ok, so I have to be honest and say that it has been a while since I have seen a truly great 'B' horror movie, and then went on to review about it for the site... And so I scoured my movie library, netflix, and all the other streamable sites (Amazon and the like,) and there is one that I thought would work well... And well, I found one that was not great, but I will be honest, was pretty good!

That movie being, The Deadly Bees (1966).

The movie poster for: The Deadly Bee (1966).

Written by: Robert Bloch (Psycho), Anthony Marriott (Public Eye) & Directed by: Freddie Francis (Dune). Starring: Suzanna Leigh (Lust For A Vampire), Frank Finlay (Lifeforce), Guy Doleman (On The Beach), Catherine Finn (Torture Garden) & Tim Barrett (The Mummy's Shroud.)

"Well, he didn't want to destroy my bees. He wanted to destroy me!"

- H.W. Manfred (A quote from: The Deadly Bees (1966).)

The Deadly Bees tells the story of how an exhausted lead singer for a British pop band, by the name of, 'Vicki Robbins' (Suzanna Leigh) decides after fainting while in the middle of a set, to take some time off and spend it in the country with some friends of her Doctor...

Vicki Robbins is about to embark on an adventure that she will never forget... And to think... She went in for a rest!

Now at first everything seems to be all good at the farm... I mean the wife is a little neurotic, and the husband has a temper, but they seem like nice enough folks... And she truly does seem to be getting better all of the time... That is until she met H.W. Manfred (Frank Finaly) of course!

You see, both Finlay and the husband of the family she is staying with are both in to, 'Bee Farming'... But one of them has a deadly secret about there, 'killer bees', and in this movie, the bees maybe the killer... But you will never guess who the murderer is!

I know... I know, I make this sound like a, 'mystery', but in all truth, this movie truly is a fun British, B, 'horror' movie, and despite the fact that the first 10 or 15 minutes are kind of useless, the rest of the movie explodes, and the deeper in to it you get, the better it is!

Three Classic Sci-fi Movies You May Not Know About, But Should See

A classic sci-fi movie I doubt many have seen in the modern day...

When I first started reviewing movies and the like, one of things that I generally did was to review movies that most of the time, people in the modern day (unless they were already fans of it,) had not heard of... And you know what? They were a lot of fun and still are! And I will go one further and say that not only are they a blast, but bringing these forgotten gems back to the surface is still to me an awful lot of fun!

And so I thought that I would bring back to the world, 5 more Sci-fi movies that you may not know about but should see!

At number 3: The Wasp Woman (1959):

A truly classic sci-fi movie, and if you haven't heard of it... Good! You will be in for a treat when you watch it!

Now this one is a Roger Corman (Death Race 2000) classic that I reviewed a few years back for AwesomeBMovies.com and I have to say that he did a great job in sort of making the B-Movie version of the classic Vincent Price (The Pit And The Pendulum) movie, The Fly (1958)

At number 2: Empire Of The Ants (1977):

A true classic that I am sure you have never heard of!

This is a movie that I personally love! I reviewed it a few years ago when I first started this site, and as far As B-Movies go... It's great! I mean it has all that cheesy stuff that makes these types of movies so much fun! Don't feel bad if you haven't seen it yet, you won't regret it when you do!

At number 1: The Crawling Eye (1958):

A true classic and a personal fave!

This one I doubt many people over the last few years have heard of... It's a shame to... I suspect that some of the more modern, 'Alien Invasion' movies can trace there roots to this one!

There are a lot more of these forgotten classics out there, but these are just a few that I do feel are quite a bit of fun!

Terror Of Mechagodzilla (1975) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

You know in the world of movies, one of the things that Hollywood seems to have done really well is in the creation of icons that last the test of time.

A great example is the icons of horror such as, 'Norman Bates' (Psycho), Michael Myers (Halloween) or heck, even Freddy Kruger (A Nightmare On Elm Street)... And is just to name a few of the more modern icons of horror, and the legacy they have left for future generations to enjoy (despite the attempts that to some extent Hollywood has been trying to destroy these series, with their bad remakes...)

But you know what, there is one Hollywood icon from the world of science fiction that I am just starting to dive below the surface of... And you know what? I have found so far, that the movies this monster has been in to be a total B-Movie adventures that are well worth taking, and that is, 'Godzilla'!

Now I hate to say it... But I don't really know much about this movie series (up til recently the only Godzilla movie I had ever scene was the movie with Matthew Broderick (Inspector Gadget) in it that came out in the 1990s!

But with this one being the first that I have ever seen that was made originally in Japan (Japan is where the series originated,) I have to say that I am totally impressed! That movie being: Terror Of Mechagodzilla (1975)!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="194"] It turns out that this movie is a sequel to: 'Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla' (1974)... But man is it a good one![/caption]

Written by: Yukiko Takayama (Gassan) & Directed by: Ishirô Honda (King Kong Vs. Godzilla). Starring: Katsuhiko Sasaki (Ekiro), Katsumasa Uchida (Sex And Fury), Gorô Mitsumi (The Shinjuku Love Story), Tomoko Ai (Shunga) & Akihiko Hirata (Sanjuro).

This movie (whose series I believe is partly what has inspired a similar type of movie series... But with Sharks,) tells the story of how after the epic battle that was fought between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla the first time, that everything appears to be quiet...

During this time, a private corporation has begun the search for the remains of the mechanical monstrosity... What they find there though will be a lot more then what they expected!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="653"] Isn't he cute...[/caption]

You see, what they find is another living monster that is about to stir things up for the Japanese one more time! But wait, that's not all...

Besides the fact that there is a new monster called a: 'Titanosaurus'' that is about to join the mean streets of Tokyo... But this little guy is also going to be joined by an old friend of Godzilla's (need I say it?)

And in the end, between the Japanese government, and Godzilla himself, they are not only going to have to take care of these super threats... But they are also going to have stop their masters from destroying Tokyo!

[caption id="attachment_3486" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Godzilla Vs. Titanosaurus & Mechagodzilla in a winner takes all grudge match![/caption]

Ultimately, in the end, the only thing that I didn't understand was, 'Why just Tokyo?" I mean don't get me wrong, it isn't a big thing... But the way the filmmakers made this movie out to be... Is that the Aliens that are controlling Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus, have come to Earth to destroy Tokyo...

In the end, if you are a fan of great B Movie science fiction, I think you might find that you really like it... If not... Well this one may not be the one for you... But try it for yourself... I found it, worth it to do so, and you might as well!

[embed]http://youtu.be/PxAMtxomGe0[/embed]

Jack Frost (1997) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignright" width="353"] Official Score = 2 Devils[/caption]

The 1990s through the first decade of the new millennium, saw a huge rise in the comedy horror movie market… Especially as it seems with the advent of bad horror/comedies that seem to have at least to some extent centered around Christmas… (I would also say that it is probably safe to say that the advent of these horror movies probably indirectly had something to do with the rise of horror spoofs in the late 90s through to the present…)

A few of these classic examples of course being:

'Tales From The Crypt' did a Christmas Episode that had to do with jolly ole, ‘Santa’ (played by Robert Drake), terrorizing people on Christmas.

Santa’s Slay (2005), a movie that has to do with Santa finally being released from his duty as a beneficent gift giver, to being able to continue on with the mass slaughter that he had started centuries earlier…

And of course there is also Jack Frost (1997)…

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="271"] This Snowman ain't exactly Frosty![/caption]

These are just a few examples of the screwball horror comedies that came out in the 90s and 2000s, that you might call, the, (So bad their awesome horror movies)…

Jack Frost is a great example of this, you see Jack Frost has virtually no-name (yet fantastic) cast which includes Jack MacDonald (Jarhead), Christopher Allport (X-Files), Stephen Mendel (The Terminal), F. William Parker (Hard Eight), Eileen Seeley (Batman Forever), Rob LaBelle (New Nightmare) and Zach Eginton (The Iron Giant).

Now this virtual corny one liner in and of itself told the story of how the county of Snowmonton (Seriously!) Is terrorized one December evening by a Snowman by the name of ‘Jack Frost’ (Scott MacDonald), who has to do a lot worse to the Sheriff he wanted revenge on then just, ‘nipping at his nose’…

[caption id="attachment_3429" align="aligncenter" width="421"] This, 'Snowman' has a score to settle with the local sheriff![/caption]

You see, Jack Frost as it turns out is a convicted psychotic serial killer who has sworn revenge on the Snowmonton County Sheriff by the name of, Sheriff Sam Tiler (Christopher Allport), who while being transported to the chamber where his death is supposed to take place ends up in an accident with a truck carrying a special chemical, that when it spills all over Jack, ends up actually turning Jack in to the snow!

And so after this, it will be up to the Sheriff’s Dept, a few townsfolk and a government team to try and take down this frosty giant, because this, 'Snow Giant' is certainly not wishing any of these guys a merry Christmas!

Anyway, if you can see the humor in this movie, then you might find that you really enjoy it!

http://youtu.be/VNob1-IUz9w

The Signal (2007) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_330" align="alignright" width="220"] Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Written & Directed by: David Bruckner (V/H/S), Dan Bush (Goodbye Day) and Jacob Gentry (My Super Psycho Sweet 16). Starring: Anessa Ramsey (Footloose), Sahr Ngaujah (Stomp The Yard), AJ Bowen (The House Of The Devil), Juston Welborn (The Crazies), Cheri Christian (Dark Remains) & Scott Pythress (Prayers From Pelham).

The Signal, (which I suspect was heavily inspired by the Stephen King novel, 'Cell'), tells the story of how the world comes to an end due to a signal that is being broadcast through various electronic devices that can receive signals, (such as: TVs, Cell Phones, Cord Less Phones, Radio, etc...) that drives normal people in to psychotic rages that make them want to kill as many people as they can get there hands on!

Now surrounding this apocalyptic plot is three seperate plot lines surrounding the central cast that move in a very awesome 3 act structure...
The first act has to do with Mya (Ramsey), she is a woman who has just recently started to cheat on her husband by the name of, 'Lewis' (Bowen), and is heading home fearful after her first time cheating on him...

When she gets back to the apartment building that she lives in though, she comes to discover that there are a ton of people out in the Hallway and that these people seem to be near cracking they are so stressed out!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="527"] This woman is heading home through hell![/caption]

When she finally makes it in to her apartment, Lewis is in there with two of his friends... But after a nerve racking moment of fear that turns out to just be a loving embrace between her and her husband, Lewis leaves, and Mya gets ready to take a shower.

Once she gets out there though she notices that her husband is watching the strange image on the screen that she first noticed when she was at, 'Ben's' (Welborne) house, (the man she was cheating on her husband with.)

As she is heading toward the shower, one of Lewis's friends is swinging a bat, and Lewis just utterly freaks out on the guy... After she gets in to the bathroom she hears a thunk and then comes back out to find out what is going on... The scene that she comes in to though, is something unfathomable!
You see when she gets out of the bathroom, she discovers that Lewis is beating one of his friends to death, and fearing for her life, she escapes only after Lewis's friend, 'Rod' (Ngaujah) is trying to stop him!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="492"] This guy is one unhappy camper![/caption]

Once she gets out of there though, she notices that the entire apartment building seems to have gone off the deep end, when she discovers that her neighbor had gone insane, and another one was indiscriminately killing people, and that the hallways seem to be littered with bodies!

After a rough night of waiting in her friends locked apartment, she decides to take off, and once she gets in to the hall way she notices Rod is out there, and the 2 of them decide to take off...

Once they get outside though, Mya and Rod discover that it is the whole world that has actually gone insane, and that Mya will ultimately end up taking a quixotic journey to the train station in the hopes of meeting Ben on track 13 and eventually escaping the city of, 'Terminus'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="264"] Definitely a fun B movie![/caption]

In the end I didn't want to say the whole story, but it is an awesome tale of survivors from all walks of life as they connect during a psychotic mass murder spree, and try to escape it before, friends, loved ones, or even people that would normally be sane good natured people try and slaughter them!

The other thing that I wanted to say is that it is rare in the modern day that I get to see a truly awesome exploitation film (in my opinion the 50s - 80s really cornered the market on these types of films). But this movie was an awesome homage to the classic exploitation movies from way back then, with literally everything that made those types of movies awesome (but in a modern setting both in the story and the technology that was used to make the movie as well!)

I suspect though that unless you are a B Movie fan or a horror movie fan, then you are probably not gonna enjoy this one, but if you are a fan of one or both (like I am), then if you get a chance, check it out, (I think that you might like it!)

http://youtu.be/HdjYJPgCHD0

Frankenstein's Army (2013) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"] Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

You know I have been fond of the sub-genre of horror movies that are essentially, 'Nazi Zombie' ever since I saw the movie, Shock Waves (1977)... I mean that movie was just a total blast, and told the story of the last bastion of the Nazi's and how yachters end up finding the old Nazi and his creepy Zombie Nazi unit!

Well the truth is, is the one thing I am starting to find is that this type of movie so far seems to have been done really well in the past, but for some reason filmmakers seem to have taken this sub-genre and have started destroying it!

What I mean by this for example is, Bloodstorm (2012)... This movie had a lot of promise, in that this movie told the story of an American scientist in the arctic, and how he would basically give selected members of his team over to the last Nazi base on Earth... Or rather I should say in Earth... (Their final base is at the center of the Earth.)

Well the problem with this movie is that it was so ridiculously constructed, that in the movie the Nazi's end up bringing Adolf Hitler back to life in to some weird robot body!

Not much of a fan, and well even though, Frankenstein's Army (2013) was definite better then Bloodstorm... sadly not by much!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="215"] Sadly one that should be forgotten![/caption]

You see this movie, which was written by: Miguel Tejeda-Flores (Revenge Of The Nerds), Chris Mitchell (De Poel), Richard Raaphorst (who also directed this movie). Starring: Karel Roden (Hellboy), Joshua Sasse (Rogue), Robert Gwilym (Escape From Sobibor), Alexander Mercury (The Golden Compass), Luke Newberry (The Heart Of Me), Hon Ping Tang (The Fifth Element), Andrei Zayats (X-Men: First Class), Mark Stevenson (The Last Horror Movie) & Christina Catalina (Chasing Robert Barker).

This movie told the story of a Russian reconnaissance unit near the end of world war 2 that is sent on a top secret mission to rescue another Russian recon unit... Or so they think...

You see, once they get to the town, they discover that most of the town's inhabitants appear to be missing, but when they finally make it to a converted factory, they discover a strange monster that seems to be vaguely human... And when it attacks the commanding officer of the unit... They discover from that, and through a couple of German soldiers and the woman that was with them, that a Doctor had been re-animating the dead and creating new Soldiers for the Nazis... And that the camera man is actually a, 'Captain' in the Red Army that has been sent in with these soldiers to capture him!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="505"] One of the soldiers finding one of the re-animated corpses![/caption]

After this, they end up a whirlwind nightmare that all of them are going to have to survive, before they become one of Hitler's, 'undead' Soldiers!

In the end, this movie has it's moments, but the truth is, is if you are looking for a fun exciting found footage movie... This isn't it... Even though this is a found footage movie, the filmmakers decided to use modern filmmaking (i,e... This, 'found footage' movie makes it looks like Russian Soldiers from the mid-1940s are using equipment that had been made in 2013!)

But that is unimportant to the over all problem... This movie has almost no story, no character development (As a matter of fact, most of the Russian soldiers portrayed in this movie are pretty much assholes, and the only person worth routing for is the Polish man serving with the Russians...) The special effects are alright... But the special effects are about the only thing of any real value in this movie...

To say the least... I found this movie pretty useless, and not worth my time, and if you try this one, I suspect you might find the same thing as well!

http://youtu.be/dOF8GiIXtGY

The Mighty Peking Man (1977) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

One of the areas of the world of movies that I have to admit that I am not all of the familiar with is foreign films... Just never really in my wheelhouse... That is until recenlty...

You see, although this isn't my first foreign film that I have ever seen, last year I was doing a guest recommendation on AwesomeBMovies.com, and decided to do a Martial Arts B Movie... (Something that I had up to that point never really done,) and I ended up coming across the Shaw Brothers classic, The Flying Guilotine (1975)!

Well of course I had heard of the, 'Shaw Brothers', and the fact that they are the geniuses behind some of the best Chinese B movies to come out of China in the 1970s... I had never seen any of their work though... And when I did, well I have to say that I was extremely impressed!

You see, one of the great things about 70s martial art films is just the universal cult status that is generally (and unfortunately) ignored by the mainstream due to the low budget nature that lends itself to bad dubbing, incredulous special effects, and stories that (unless you are able to suspend your disbelief ) are usually considered to be pretty bad...

Well the truth is, is I found that, that was a lot of the charm of, The Flying Guillotine, and it was also a lot of the charm of the next Shaw Brother's film that I saw, but the other thing that I was really impressed with about this movie is the fact that this movie had a great story to fall back on, some awesome talent, and the special effects all considering were pretty top drawer in this movie... This movie being the B movie adaption of the classic, 'King Kong' movie, The Mightly Peking Man (1977):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="228"] A fantastic Chinese Sci-fi/Horror movie![/caption]

Written by: Kuang Ni (Five Deadly Venoms) & Directed by: Meng Huo Ho (The Flying Guilotine). Starring: Evelyn Kraft (Lady Dracula), Danny Lee (The Killer) & Feng Ku (Sien Nui Yau Wan Il Yan Gaan Do).

Known as, 'Goliathon' in the United States, this movie was made following on the coat tails of the popularity that was following, 'King Kong' at the time, and told the story of how Johnnie Fang (Danny Lee) is a down and out explorer, who well to say the least was having some girl problems...

Well when it looks like the fabled, 'Peking Man' is discovered in the jungles of the, 'Himalayas', he is contracted with a team that includes Lu Tiem (Feng Ku) (who is Johnnie's employer, who wants to go in to the jungle to find this illusive beast and bring him back to Hong Kong as an attraction to make money...)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Johnnie Fang & Lu Tiem as they are beginning their journey in search of, 'The Peking Man.'[/caption]

Well of course the expedition starts off bad, when at one of the local villages, a herd of Elephants stampedes in and starts killing off his team bit by bit... It will take Johnnie and his team shooting some of them down to stop that.

Well the carnage on the expedition continues with a lion attack, as well as some of the members of the expedition falling off a cliff! Well Lu and the rest of the team decide that it is not safe enough and take off, leaving Johnnie to fend for himself...

And to make matters worse, when Johnnie does end up finding the, 'Peking Man', it turns out that it is a giant ape (the size of some tall buildings), and that this beast nearly kills him. The beast stops though when his friend (a girl by the name of, 'Samantha', who had been living in the jungle since her parent's plane had crash landed there as a kid,) intervenes.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] The Peking Man finds Johnnie...[/caption]

Well after nursing his wounds, Johnnie makes the fateful decision to convince Samantha to have the both of them, and her larger then life furry friend return to Hong Kong together... This is a mistake that the people of Hong Kong will never forget... And this trip to Hong Kong will be one that, 'Johnnie', 'Samantha' and, 'The Mighty Peking Man' will never forget either!

I mentioned above what I liked about this movie, now here is what I didn't... The main problem that I had with this movie is it is a little slow moving at first... Fortunately though when it picks up, it really does and carries through out the rest of the movie real nicely...

In the end though, if you are more in to mainstream sci-fi or horror, then this one probably isn't for you, but if you like the B movie versions of these genre's, then I think you guys might enjoy this one!

http://youtu.be/kWFnvRHa1EQ

Humanoids From The Deep (1980) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

You know, I used to believe that the last great decade for horror was in the 1980s... Alas I am wrong... But there sure are some good ones though!

The truth is, is that rather or not you find the 1980s to be the last great decade for horror or not, the truth is, is there is a lot of great movies that came out then, some had great A-list (or eventual A-list talent,) some had some truly awesome B acting talent, that made whatever low budget shlock fest a totally awesome good time!

Most of these movies generally did not tend to have what the mainstream might call a, 'great' story line... but in truth, that is subjective... And let's be honest here fright fans, most of the greatest horror movies to have ever come out have had bad story lines...

Some of these horror movies have great special effects (as is the case with the later Halloween movies,) but then again some of the most kick-ass B movies around turned out to be pretty awesome, in no small part to the bad special effects!

Now you might be wondering why I am mentioning this... Well I just told you about both mainstream horror, and, 'B' horror... And the latest horror movie that I am reviewing, Humanoids From The Deep (1980) happens to be a pretty awesome b horror movie!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="221"] This.... I have to say is a pretty fun movie![/caption]

Written by: William Martin (The American Experience) & Directed by: Barbara Peeters (Starhops) & Jimmy T. Murakami (Battle Beyond The Stars). Starring: Doug  McClure (Twilight Zone: Mr. Denton On Doomsday), Ann Turkel (The Fear), Vic Morrow (The Glass House) & Anthony Pena (The Running Man).

This awesome exploitation flick, which was also called, 'Monster' told the story of how in the town of, 'Noyo' something terribly wrong is about to happen!

You see, Noyo up till recently had actually been a sort of a small fishing village that thrived on a dying industry, but when a big canning company decides they want to set up shop in town, things start looking up for the small town... That is until strange things started to occur... That being the fact that people have started going missing!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] This girl just isn't happy with her date...[/caption]

And it all really comes to a head when while fighting a fire that had been caused by a, 'hate crime', 'Johnny Eagle' (Anthony Pena) has come to discover something hideous having come up from the depths of the sea... And not only is this going to change the town, but the canning company that seems to be involved in this, and the women that these monsters seem to be seeking out to mate with!

It will be up to Johnny, Dr. Susan Drake (Ann Turkel) & Jim Hill (Doug McClure) to try and stop these monsters before they not only destroy the town, but so that they can protect the citizens of the small fishing village of, 'Noyo' that the monsters want most!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Johnny, Jim & Dr. Drake as they try to stop this menace![/caption]

Now I have told you the good stuff about this movie, here is the not so good part about this movie... In this movie I found there was just to much down time... I mean if they had gotten things going a little earlier, or slightly reduced the movies time, this movie would have been almost top of it's game!

The truth is though, is the movie is pretty freaking awesome anyway, and if you check it out, you might find the same thing as well...

http://youtu.be/3UfgTPkM83Q

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1912) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

You know what folks, besides the fact that I do enjoy writing these blogs and reviews for Hellinspace, I also feel that I have a duty almost as an archivist of the Horror and Science Fiction genre, to try and give you guys the most complete encylopedia (so to speak) of those two genres, and not give only a partiail representation (i,e... Not just doing modern movies, or books from the 80s and the like.)

No in this case I mean trying get a review up for the earliest Horror and Science Fiction movies to have come out, or the earliest heavy duty song that created the ancestry to heavy metal and the like...

That is just part of the reason why enjoyed, Dr. Jeykll & Mr. Hyde (1912)!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] A surprisingly fun silent film![/caption]

Written by: Thomas Russell Sullivan & Directed by: Lucius Henderson (The Scarlet Mask). Starring: James Cruze (The Great Gabbo), Florence La Badie (The Return Of Draw Egan) & Marie Eline (Uncle Tom's Cabin).

This is the classic tale of Dr. Jeykll (James Cruze), who has a theory... That theory is that there is a specific drug cocktail that will specifically bring out the good and the bad in a person...

Well after he tries it out, he brings out, 'Mr. Hyde', his truly evil side out to play...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] One of the earliest Mr. Hyde's to grace the big screen![/caption]

Now during this time he ends up taking it a lot and after awhile he can't control the transformations... And what is worse, he finds the woman of his dreams (played by: Florence La Badie)!

So Doctor Jekyll is going have to figure out a way to stop the transformations from occurring before Mr. Hyde kills him and the woman he loves, as well as everyone else in the village!

In the end, I found this movie to be a lot of fun... I found it interesting in another aspect... Well there was definitely a horror angle to it... But this one was definitely set up more for the drama of it, and I imagine that women going to the theater in 1912 to see this movie probably cried a fair amount!
The only problem with this one is that it is dated, and unless you are a fan of Silent films (which I am quickly becoming,) then this movie probably is not the movie for you...

http://youtu.be/UqkeemU7fyk

Mega Shark Vs. Mecha Shark (2014) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"] Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

You know I get it.. B movies are supposed to be, 'Bad' movies right? I will admit that, that it is true in some cases... But there is a whole sub-culture of fans out there (myself included) that absolutely love these so called, 'Bad' Movies...

No, as a matter of fact, I would go so far as to say that there have been a ton of cult classics that have been unfairly labeled as, 'bad' movies, and thus has made this whole sub-genre of films, rather they be exploitation movies, cult classics or other forms of, 'B' movies great!

The problem is, is that Mega Shark Vs. Mecha Shark (2014) is one of those few exception for even a B movie fan like myself to completely enjoy!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="264"] All I am going to say is... meh...[/caption]

Don't get me wrong, this movie which was written by: Jose Prendes (Corpses Are Forever), H. Perry Horton (2-Headed Shark) & Directed by: Emile Edwin Smith (The Grove). Starring: Christopher Judge (Stargate SG1), Elisabeth Rohm (Angel), Matt Lagan (2010: Moby Dick), Hannah Levien (Children Of Sorrow), Paul Anderson (The Forgotten) & Deborah Gibson (Welcome To The Dollhouse), has an awesome mix of truly cheesy acting and higher level B Movie talent...

This movie, which I believe is the 3rd in the series, had some surprisingly amazing special effects... And you know what? Even the story was pretty fun!
This story told of how a new Megaladon ends up making it's way out of the Mediterranean, and is attacking ships and planes and what not as it makes it's way to Sidney Australia to mate... (Even though there appears to be no females that are awake... You never know... maybe the next movie eh?)

Well to stop this new threat, the United States has sent, 'Jack Turner' (Christopher Judge) & Rosie Gray (Elisabeth Rohm), a husband and wife, along with a fleet of ships, as well as a secret weapon that they believe will be the saving grace... You got it folks... That saving grace is giant sub that has been designed to look and act mostly like another, 'Megaladon'!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] 'Mecha Shark' saving a 747 from, 'Mega Shark'![/caption]

And it will be up to Jack Turner, Rosie Gray, and the onboard AI, 'Nero' (Paul Anderson) to stop this new threat before he can cause some real damage... Because lets be honest here, in the battle between Mega Shark & Mecha Shark... If Mecha Shark looses... Well mankind could be in for some real trouble!

Now you heard me mention above the fact that this movie is one of those B Movies that just isn't great... Well again it is not bad, (I mean there are some truly awesome parts that I haven't even mentioned yet...) Never the less the main problem that this movie suffers from is bad writting...

What I mean by this is that this movie does tend to suffer from inappropriate moments of overly done drama... None of the characters you particularly strongly root for one way or the other, and the story is not better emphasized...

The only other negative thing that I would say is that Christopher Judge, who at least in Stargate SG1, was a very action oriented person, but wasn't in this, and that was weak, also I found the fact that his character seemed to be inspired by Ed Harris's portrayal of, 'Bud Brigman' from, The Abyss (1989)  to be a poorly done representation...

In the end, I am going to say this... Unless you are a B Movie fan, you probably won't like this movie... And I hate to say it, but even then you may still not like it...

http://youtu.be/MwQ6HIQV0YQ

The Snow Creature (1954) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"] Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

One element that I have always enjoyed about horror movies are monster movies… Rather they be earth bound monsters, insects turned to monsters from toxic waste, or monsters from another planet, I have always found those to be rather interesting… Why?

Well simply put, (especially in the older monster movies), it brought together a group of people to combat (most of the time, based on the time in which the movie was made), a creature that could conceivably occur in nature (Alien or Earth Bound)… And in some cases it has shown factions that could not initially get along.

The other thing that I thought that I would mention here is the fact that most of the time, monster movies generally tend to have an awesome story line!

The first thing that I mentioned above, is what I loved about, The Snow Creature (1954)!

Written by: Myles Wilder (Phantom From Space) & W. Lee Wilder (Killers From Space). Starring: Paul Langton (Invisible Invaders), Leslie Denison (Signpost To Murder), William Phipps (War Of The Worlds), & Robert Bice (It! The Terror From Beyond Space).

[caption id="attachment_2921" align="aligncenter" width="240"] An interesting movie poster for a movie that all I can say is... meh![/caption]

This movie, (which I suspect was inspired by the movie King Kong (1933)), tells the story of a botanist by the name of Frank Parrish (Langton), who mounts an expedition in to the wilds of the Himalaya Mountains… While he is there though, word comes that his lead Sherpa’s, ‘woman’ has been taken by a Yeti…

Grief stricken, the Sherpa and his men kidnap Parrish and his British Photographer by the name of Peter Wells (Denison) in an effort to find the Yeti and destroy it…

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] The expedition as they make their way up the Himalaya Mountains![/caption]

Once they find it though, and after a cave in that was caused by the Yeti, Parrish and Wells turn the tables on the Sherpas and force the Sherpa team to take the now sedated beast down the mountain so that Parrish can take it back to the United States to study.

Once they get to the States though, the monster breaks free of his prison, and it will be up to Parrish, a LAPD Lieutenant by the name of, ‘Dunbar’ (Phipps) to stop the beast from tearing up the mean streets of LA, before the beast can do to much damage!

In the end, I mentioned above about the monster that people in monster movies have to fight being cool… Well this is no exception! Considering when this movie came out, the monster in this movie looked pretty awesome!

As for the story, the truth is, is the story was to long on their time in the Himalaya’s (and frankly at first it was cool, but after a while it got to be kind of old…)

In the end though, if you can get passed the over use of their time in the Himalaya’s, then you might find this movie to be rather enjoyable… I did.

http://youtu.be/3GEL_b2oTZQ

The Mummy's Curse (1944) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_330" align="alignright" width="220"] Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Before Ghostface, Before Pinhead, before Freddy, before Jason... Hell, even before Norman, the masters of horror were not what most of the time is now considered the standard in horror movie villain, as a matter of fact... They were a lot more Victorian... They were the monsters that were first made popular (with the exception of Dracula, who had been made popular in movie form as, 'Count Orlok' in F.W. Murnau's classic, Nosferatu eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922),) by, 'Universal Pictures' back in the 30s and 40s!

Personally, as a a serious horror fan, I have to admit that up until a few years ago (when I finally happen to be able to watch, Dracula (1931),) and I have to say that I was extremely impressed with how true to the original novel the cast and crew kept in that movie! And so I endeavored to eventually make a study of these movies... And the latest one I am proud to report having watched being, The Mummy's Curse (1944)!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="250"] A classic![/caption]

Written by: Bernard Schubert (Mark Of The Vampire), Leon Abrams (Sunset In El Dorado), Dwight V. Babcock (She-Wolf Of London), Oliver Drake (The Sky Dragon), Ted Richmond (Red Sun) & Directed by: Leslie Goodwins (My Favorite Martian). Starring: Lon Chaney Jr. (The Mummy's Tomb), Peter Coe (House Of Frankenstein), Virginia Christine (The Killers), Kay Harding (Weird Woman), Dennis Moore (Raiders Of Ghost City), Martin Kosleck (The Flesh Eaters), Kurt Katch (Watch On The Rhine), Addison Richards (Flying Tigers), & Napoleon Simpson (Jungle Queen).

This movie... Which as it turns out was the second sequel in this series of mummy movies that helped to cement Lon Chaney Jr. (High Noon), (like his father), as a trailblazing horror movie icon... Tells the story of how after the events of, The Mummy's Tomb (1944)...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] The small town residence are about to get a rude awakening![/caption]

The year is 1995... Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.) and the damage that he caused 25 years ago has begun to fade in to superstition... never the less, the people of the small Louisiana town are scared to go in to the Bayou regardless... And when things at a work camp that is working on an irrigation project at that Swamp start to go awry... Well that doesn't help!

But when Doctor's James Halsey (Dennis Moore) & Ilzor Zandaab (Peter Coe) show up in this small town to do, 'some excavation work' for a Museum... Things start to get really strange...

You see Dr. Zandaab and his assistant, 'Ragheb' (Martin Kosleck) have actually come to the small town, not just to dig up the mummy and his bride, but to also resurrect them and bring them back to Egypt...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Zandaab & Ragheb with the mummy, as they start they're unholy quest![/caption]

In the end, it will be up to Dr. Halsey, and the irrigation team to and stop Zandaab, his team, and the mummy he has resurrected, before the mummy can be reunited with his beloved!

In the end, this may have been the last time that Lon Chaney Jr. would don the role of, 'Kharis' (It turns out that he was not a huge

http://youtu.be/WO_5s8qiQRk