Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) - Promo

Oakland Tribune - December 2, 1979

With its theatrical release looming on the horizon, Star Trek The Motion Picture gets the cover of the Oakland Tribune's Sunday supplement At Ease.

Although I did watch Star Trek re-runs on the regular, and also sampled the Saturday morning animated show, I did not see The Motion Picture on the big screen until it was re-released on a double-bill with the far better Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. So it goes.

Fright Flicks - Trading Card #10

Fright Night (1985)

 

Mr. Sardonicus (1961) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - December 1, 1961

Although I have not seen every movie William Castle foisted upon the world, I can say that The Tingler and Mr. Sardonicus are pretty much neck-and-neck at the finish line for the "Favorite" crown. Both unnerved and delighted me, back when they made the rounds on either KTVU's 'Chiller Diller' or KBHK's 'Monstrous Movie' Saturday programming. I also have zero doubt that both were shown on 'Creature Features' at some point.

A 'few years' back (it was 2018, actually, I just checked my Goodreads shelf) I read Haunted Castles: The Complete Gothic Stories by Ray Russell, which contained the source material for this film. Since Russell himself penned the adaptation, Castle's film version remained rather faithful.

A few images from the film did lodge in my memory... the henchman placing leeches on some poor woman's bare feet, the rictus grin of a corpse laying in a coffin, the shock reveal of Sardonicus's grinning visage, and the final shot of the film.

About that final shot... while Russell's short story makes clear the ultimate of fate of Sardonicus, while the film implies that might be avertible...

Lady Death: Dark Alliance - Trading Card #45

Resplendent

Captured in simple black and white, Lady Death's beauty shines through, her pale skin a stark contrast to her costume. Utter beauty, but containing terrible power. 

The Stuff of the Month - November 2025

Count Dracula and his Vampire Bride [The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)] - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - November 26, 1978

Although the poster for this retitling of The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973) promises that 'The King of the undead marries the Queen of the Zombies" at some point, it would not be in this movie. Not that anybody would have cared, or noticed, at this point in time.

This would be Christopher Lee's final performance as Dracula for Hammer Film. Lee, when embellishing the reasons for Dracula having no dialogue in Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), would often cite terrible lines, such as, "I am the Apocalypse!" Silly trash that the character from Stoker's novel would never have uttered, according to Lee.

The thing of it is, this line is from The Satanic Rites of Dracula. The movie that 'convinced' Lee to stop, step away, and distance himself from the role that had grown to define and shackle him.

I do enjoy this movie, though.

Fright Flicks - Trading Card #9

The Fly (1986)

 

Our Trail Cam - Vol. 36

Alien Resurrection (1997) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - November 25, 1997

Hindsight has me questioning why I was ever excited about there being a new Alien movie. When I sat down in the (sadly no more) Century 5 Dome Theater in Pleasant Hill, I anticipated an entertaining thrill ride of a movie. That geeky anticipation was also fueled by the teaser trailer for the upcoming X-Files movie! 

Then Alien Resurrection started and the excitement just leaked out of me as the movie played out. Oh, there were things I liked, such as any scene with Brad Dourif, and... well, the Newborn was an interesting concept, but not all that well handled or introduced. I also liked seeing Dan Hedaya in a small role.

Other than that, though, I remember, round about when the swimming xenomporhs showed up, thinking, "This feels like The Poseidon Adventure meets Aliens." Now that is a mash up that should, and might, have worked, but the movie just sat there. Listless and lifeless.

The only Alien franchise entry I consider to be worse, and even less entertaining, than Resurrection is Alien Romulus.

Lady Death: Dark Alliance - Trading Card #44

Radiant

Basking in power, Lady Death soon found that being alive was taking its own toll. Her memories and emotions of former self coalesced into their own being which haunted the mortal Lady Death to the ends of the earth.