Damien Omen II (1978) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - May 28, 1978

Considering how The Omen both raked in copious amounts of cash (on an admittedly modest budget) and ended with an ominous promise of biblical torments to come. It is no surprise that Omen producer Harve Bennett and distributor 20th Century Fox decided to craft a series of films about Damien Thorn (aka The Antichrist) growing up and coming to power.

Not a bad concept, in theory. In execution, though? [Execution, get it? Hahaha] Not so much.

Even with the obvious and inevitable workings of the Law of Diminishing returns on display here, Damien Omen II remains my favorite of the trio. This might have to do with how Damien himself is characterized in the film. The film has the most tantalizing glimmer of an idea regarding Damien having a degree of personal autonomy about this whole Antichrist gig. What if he did not like the idea? What if did not want to do it?

It was just a glimmer though. A brief and tantalizing flicker of an interesting concept that helps elevate this weird twist on the coming of age trope ever so slightly above the humdrum. Couple that with some truly operatic death scenes, another terrific score by Jerry Goldsmith, and some well utilized production value, and it is easy to see why this middle entry is my Omen comfort viewing of choice.

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #34

Datalog: Approx. 0:300 Hours, Day 3

Dillon rounded the corner just as I was confronting the creature. As the Alien crept closer to us, Dillon knew I was his only chance for survival. He grabbed me, holding me hostage. He used me as his shield as we inched back to the main corridor, leading the Alien closer to the lead mould. 

Transcribing the text from the back of the cards onto this blog's pages had been both an education and reminder of just how muddled and up in the air the plot of Alien 3 truly was. This series glosses over some things, reinvents others, or just makes weird stuff up. Whether you had seen the movie before getting the cards or not, the fractured 'story' being told here feels as if it were being improvised from card to card.

The Andromeda Strain (1970) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - May 27, 1971

What my first exposure to the work of Michael Crichton was is buried deep beneath the smothering Sands of Time. But I do remember watching this film adaptation when it made its network television debut. Being an enthusiastic fan of morbid fare, I loved the film's unsettling opening sequence. Yet everything after that seemed a tad sterile and, well, lifeless. 

The end result was a film that kept my attention, but not my interest. I kept holding out hope that there would be a tad more devastation. Something that would make the threat a bit more palpable. Something more akin to The Color Out Of Space, I think. But that did not happen. So it goes.

Fright Flicks - Trading Card #69

Day of the Dead (1985)

 

Embryo (1976) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - May 26, 1976

Another woeful gap in my genre viewing. I remember the film's theatrical release, seeing the title on a drive-in marquee, and being somewhat curious about it. But I would have been eight or nine years old around this time and, even though I was somewhat intrigued, my parents were not.

Director Ralph Nelson had quite the career. He directed The Twilight Zone episode A World of His Own, as well as the films Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), Lillies of the Field (1963), and Charly (1968). To name only three.

He did make one movie I do remember seeing on the big screen. The Robert Mitchum vehicle The Wrath of God. "Rubby-dubby-dubby-dub, thanks for the grub."
 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #33

Datalog: Approx. 0:200 Hours, Day 3

The Alien appeared in the main corridor, slowly stalking Dillon and me. It was bigger than any others I'd seen. And the legs were different. But out was still an efficient predator. It had already gotten most of the others: Gregor, Williams, Jude, Kevin, Eric. Were we next?
 

Day of the Animals (1977) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - May 25, 1977

One year after striking box office gold with Grizzly, director William Girdler, producer Edward L. Montoro, and stars Christopher George and Richard Jaekel gathered together to see if they might be able to milk more cash from the animal attack genre cow.

While Day of the Animals looks to have turned a modest-to-low profit at the box office, it did fall far short of collecting the impressive and sizable stacks of cash that Grizzly had raked in the year prior.

From my own admittedly skewed and imprecise memory, this movie came and went from local theatres and drive-ins without my noticing it. First time I saw it was when it debuted on television and I remember liking it okay. It held my 11, 12, or 13 year old attention, but it did not grab me like Grizzly had. So it goes.

As far as the co-hits keeping the film company on its opening weekend, the Alameda Showcase had it coupled with Embryo, while the Coliseum Drive-in had it with Grizzly. The Hayward 6 had Days of the Animals going solo, while the neighboring Union City Drive-In had it paired with Black Sunday. That would be the one with the blimp, not the Mario Bava movie. 

Richmond's Hilltop Drive-In also had it paired with Grizzly, while Pleasant Hill's Motor Movies Drive-In had it with Rooster Cogburn, of all things. Of all of those films, I think Embryo is the only one I have yet to see.

Fright Flicks - Trading Card #68

Fright Night (1985)

 

Madhouse (1974) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - May 22, 1974

Vincent Price plays a beloved horror icon attempting to restart his acting career after a stint in a mental institution recovering from a nervous breakdown. Bizarre occurrences and suspicious shenanigans soon have Price's character wondering if he is, in fact, truly stable.

I have only seen Madhouse once and, if memory serves, I spent most of its running time vacillating from feeling sympathy for Price's sad sack character and being frustrated that he could not see the obvious.

While it was not all that surprising to discover the film was based off a novel, because Amicus co-founder Milton Subotsky was an avid reader of all manner of genre fiction. I was tickled to learn that this film's 1969 source novel had been penned by Angus Hall, who would wrote the novelization of Scars of Dracula. Cool beans.

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #32

Datalog: Approx. 0:200 Hours, Day 3

I caught sight of Dillon trying to rescue Kevin. The Alien had a death grip on Kevin and was pulling him up into the air duct. Dillon grabbed Kevin's legs, attempting to pull him to safety in a warped game of tug-of-war. Dillon won. But Kevin was too badly injured. He didn't make it.