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.

Alien 3 (1992) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - May 21, 1992

The excitement for Alien 3 deflated pretty quickly, once this muddled and downbeat film was unleashed on audiences eager for Aliens 2. Not whatever the hell this movie was trying to be.

While I did like and appreciate some of the creative swings taken by the project. It was also quite clear that the film's story and characters had not been worked out. Another draft or two of the script, ones that would have whittled down the cumbersome and indistinguishable supporting cast (and xenomorph fodder) to a more manageable and identifiable number, was in dire need of being hammered out.

Couple that with the mistrust both the producers and the studio had with their chosen director, David Fincher, which led to bothersome creative second guessing and tinkering that did far more harm than good. It comes as no surprise that the film was deemed a disappointing misfire.

But I still like it far more than whatever the hell Alien Resurrection was supposed to be. For me the Alien franchise remains a closed and ended trilogy.

Fright Flicks #67 - Trading Card #67

Day of the Dead (1985)

 

Alien (1979) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - May 20, 1979

San Francisco got an exclusive 'early' engagement. Meanwhile, in the East Bay, I had to suffer an eternity of eager anticipation for the movie to open in June and actually see it, I think, in mid-July. Worth the wait.

But it still seemed to take forever to finally get to see it...
 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #31

Datalog: Approx. 0:200 Hours, Day 3

I could hear Jude screaming. But I couldn't tell where he was. The lights flickered and dimmed, leaving the main corridor very dark. All they had to do was lead the Alien to us. But with the poorly operating electronic doors and the miles of twisting passageways, anything could happen.

Welcome Home Brother Charles (1975) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - May 19, 1976

The feature film debut of cult filmmaker Jamaa Fanaka, who would go on to make the Penitentiary trilogy starring Leon Isaac Kennedy. This film's biggest claim to fame is the memorable moment when Brother Charles strangles a man to death using his monster-sized penis. Really.

I'm sure there is a scathing social, cultural, and political statement being made at that moment, but did anybody bother to take it seriously? Could it be taken seriously?

I haven't seen any of Fanaka's films and, maybe, I should remedy that by watching Welcome Home Brother Charles or the first Penitentiary, at least. Maybe.

Fright Flicks - Trading Card #66

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 Dream Warriors (1987)

 

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - May 18, 1966

While I did watch and enjoy The Incredible Mr. Limpet, The Reluctant Astronaut, and The Shakiest Gun in the West whenever they aired on TV, back in the day. My title choice for this blog makes the admission that The Ghost and Mr. Chicken is my all time favorite no surprise whatsoever.

"Atta, Luther!"

The film was directed by Alan Rafkin, who worked primarily in television. Amongst the hundreds of credits are numerable episodes of sitcoms I was exposed to during my childhood. Which means that the work of Alan Rafkin was an unrecognized element of the pop culture miasma I experienced as a child in the 70s and as a teenager in early-to-80s.

An incomplete list includes, but is in no way limited to, The Dick Van Dyke Show (4 episodes), Gomer Pyle: USMC (5 episodes), I Dream of Jeannie (3 episodes), Bewitched (2 episodes), The Andy Griffith Show (27 episodes). The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1 episodes), Get Smart (6 episodes), The Odd Couple (3 episodes), Love, American Style (9 episodes), The New Dick Van Dyke Show (5 episodes), Rhoda (2 episodes), The Mary Tyler Moore Show (4 episodes), The Bob Newhart Show (29 episodes), What's Happening (1 episode), Sanford and Son (17 episodes), M*A*S*H (2 episodes), Alice (5 episodes), Laverne & Shirley (22 episodes), The Love Boat (11 episodes), and One Day at a Time (123 episodes).

There are a lot more. though. The above list are just shows I remember watching, either every now and then, or with week-to-week regularity.

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #30

Datalog: Approx. 0:200 Hours, Day 3

The screams had died down to mere echoes and hushed, panicky voices. Dillon went to investigate carrying only an axe. He reported that one of the prisoners had been killed, badly mangled. Dillon had come across the body in one of the side corridors. But there was no sign of the Alien.