Psycho (1960) - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune - September 7, 1960]

 

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner - September 6, 1992]

 

Space: 1999 - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune - September 5, 1975]

 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #79

 

The Hills Have Eyes (1977) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner - September 4, 1977]

 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #78

 

Herbie Rides Again (1974) - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune - September 3, 1974]

 

Alien 3 (1922) - Trading Card #77

 

Sisters (1972) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner- September 2, 1975]

 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #76

 

The Big Show [Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)] - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune - September 1, 1964]

 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #75

 

Macy's - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner - August 31, 1975]

 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #74

 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #73

 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #72

 

Prom Night (1980) - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune - August 28, 1980]

 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #71

 

Relentless (1989) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner - August 27, 1989]

 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #70

Weyland-Yutani File No. M25870

Officer:    Michael Bishop

Occupation:    synthetic components engineer

Notes:    highly intelligent, designed synthetic human, Bishop model 341-B

 

Race with the Devil (1975) - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune - August 26, 1975]

Race with the Devil offered one of the more memorable big screen movie attending experience of my youth. An energetic melding of Deliverance with 70s era cult conspiracy paranoia, Race with the Devil is as an exciting and entertaining ride.

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #69

Weyland-Yutani File No. 137472

Name:    Robert Morse

Offense:    armed robbery, 5 counts

Distinguishing Marks:    gold teeth

Notes:    no respect for authority

Indistinguishable Bald Guy #7

Final Bald Dude flashing a golden grill, which screams try hard rizz.
 

Child's Play 3 (1991) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner]

August 25, 1991

While Child's Play 2 was a zesty surprise, Child's Play 3 was not. Screenwriter Don Macini has said in interviews that this film suffered from being rushed into production and slapped together, rather than be given the needed creative time to develop into something that could justify its own existence.

That was not to be, though. While somewhat entertaining, Child's Play 3 still looks and feels like the generic paint-by-the-numbers quickie sequel that, at its heart, it is. The noticeable and undeniable step down in quality from Child's Play 2 caused the movie to underperform at the box office and the burgeoning franchise went on a brief hiatus.
 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #68

Weyland-Yutani File No. 138796

Prisoner:    Alan Jude

Offense:    first degree murder, no weapon involved

Distinguishing Marks: none

Notes:    physically aggressive

Indistinguishable Bald Dude #6.

Damn, this one also wears a hat...

Squirm (1976) - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune]

August 24, 1976

The most vivid memory I have of the theatrical release of Squirm was of seeing and thumbing through the film's novelization while browsing the Books & Magazines section of our local Gemco. All the way back in 1976.

I did not see the film until it made its network television debut and, well, I cannot say if it was worth the wait. Although I did not know it at the time, I had already heard Don Scardino's voice on a few episodes of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater. What I did know at the time it aired was that the film featured early special effects make-up by Rick Baker. Effects that were trimmed into invisibility for television, of course. It would not be until I rented the film on home video that I would be able to observe the worms burrowing into some poor hick's face in all its ghastly glory.

Writer-director Jeff Lieberman was rather dismayed at the film being shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000, just not for the reasons one might think. He was more irked at the lowball price paid to secure the film's rights, more than it being made fun off. Seeing that the former did more financial harm to the film's earning potential than the latter.

"It's a movie about killer earthworms, after all," Lieberman said in an interview. "People have been making fun of it ever since it first opened."
 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #67

Weyland-Yutani File No. 117309

Prisoner:    Daniel Rains

Offense:    drug trafficking

Distinguishing Marks:    none

Notes:    submissive, indecisive, a follower

Indistinguishable Bald Dude #5

He's wearing a hat, at least.
 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #66

Weyland-Yutani File No. 123748

Prisoner:    Edward Boggs

Offense:    kidnapping, felonious assault

Distinguishing Marks:    cross and snake tattoo on forehead

Notes:    hostile and dangerous

Indistinguishable Bald Dude #4

Granted Boggs is the only other black dude in the movie, so he does stand out a bit more than the plethora of other interchangeable chrome domes cluttering up the supporting cast of Alien 3. He also gets dispatched in one of the more visually memorable moments, involving extinguishing candles in a darkened corridor. He also says the somewhat memorable, to me, at least, line, "It's all right to say shit, it ain't against God." Sounds legit...
 

Fright Flicks - Sticker #11

 

Strange Brew (1983) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner]

August 21, 1983

It's Bob and Doug McKenzie, eh. If you want to avoid being either a knob or a total hoser, I suggest you crack open either a can or a bottle of favorite brew, put your feet up, and enjoy this utterly nonsensical and hilarious comedy. One that has just the teeniest, tiniest splash of science fiction foam and an oh-ever-so-light dusting of gothic horror imagery (i.e. Elsinore Castle).

Don't want to see it, or have no interest in seeing it? Then take off, eh!
 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #65

Weyland-Yutani File No. 127251

Prisoner:    Ted "Junior" Gillas

Offense:    aggravated sexual assault; assault with a deadly weapon

Distinguishing Marks:    teardrop tattoo in corner of eye

Notes:    difficult to control

Indistinguishable Bald Dude #3

Hey, that's Holt McCallany!

In 1992 I did not recognize him as being the very same actor that played the hair obsessed Sam Whitemoon in the Old Chief Wood'nhead segment in Creepshow 2 (1987). Nor would I make the same connection when he made another memorable supporting turn in the underrated haunted submarine thriller Below (2002).

I think, maybe, I was finally able to put a name to the face thanks to his high profile, and excellent, turn in the unnerving Netflix copaganda series Mindhunter.
 

Blade (1998) - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune]

August 20, 1998

Although the official kick-off for what would become the Marvel Cinematic Universe would take another decade to appear, the success of Blade helped pave the way for it. Showing that there was plenty of box office gold to be mined from the comic publisher's 'lesser known' characters (in regards to general audience awareness of said characters at that time) than believed possible.

This movie was a fun and entertaining introduction to the character of Blade that, most likely, will never be surpassed in my lifetime. I think part of the problem is that the current regime at Marvel Studios seems reticent to lean too far into the bronze age horror stuff with the necessary and unapologetic zeal. Which is one of the many things that made Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness such an underwhelming and chaotic mess.

One would have thought the success of the R-rated Deadpool trilogy (at time of posting) would have given the regime's backbone some much needed calcium, but that did not happen and the long-delayed introduction of Blade into the Marvel Cinematic Universe withered and died on the creative vine. So it goes, unfortunately.

Fright Flicks - Sticker #10

Ghostbusters (1984)

 

Darkman (1990) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner]

August 19, 1990

I am pretty sure Darkman is my all time favorite Sam Raimi movie. An almost perfect blending of the operatic angst of the eternally suffering masked super hero with the high energy slapstick of The Three Stooges, covered with just the slightest dusting of gothic horror. I loved this movie just about from frame one. 

Seeing the late Jessie Lawrence Ferguson, who I knew from John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness, kick things off in the small, but nonetheless important, role of Eddie Black warmed my heart. Couple that with my eagle eye spotting director William Lustig in the nearby mob of menacing dock hands and I knew Raimi was not turning his back on the horror franchise that had catapulted him into the Hollywood system.
 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #64

Weyland-Yutani File No. 120049

Prisoner:    Walter Golic

Offense:    multiple murder and dismemberment, 32 counts; arson, 13 counts

Distinguishing Marks:    small scar over right eye

Notes: mentally unstable

Indistinguishable Bald Dude #2

No idea who this is.
 

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune]

August 18, 1996

This another fine example of one the most unique cinematic sub-genre offerings for the dedicated film geek. A movie where the story of its troubled production might be more interesting and entertaining than the film itself.

What began as Richard Stanley's first modest-to-large budget studio production ended as a messy and uneven patchwork credited to John Frankenheimer. For full details, I heartily recommend watching the David Gregory helmed documentary Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau. A work that is every bit as fascinating and confounding as Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. The major difference between the two being that Apocalypse Now survived its production to become a critical and commercial hit, while The Island of Dr. Moreau... did not.

The big surprise when I uncovered and researched this ad was learning that David Thewlis had played the shellshocked protagonist Edward Douglas. His performance in the film led me to making an observation to a friend that "throughout the film he looks palpably disgusted and seems to be trying to wish himself to be any other place than where he is."

Thinking on it now, I cannot tell if that was a performance choice or not. I doubt Thewlis would ever deign to answer if asked.

I think I need to watch Lost Soul again, pronto...
 

Fright Flicks - Sticker #9

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 Dream Warriors (1987)

 

The Return of Count Yorga (1971) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner]

August 17, 1971

One of the more memorable Creature Features viewing experiences of my youth. While not the greatest of vampiric cinematic achievements, The Return of Count Yorga did lodge a fistful of genuinely unsettling and creepy moments in my memory. 

The film's female lead was none other than Mariette Hartley, who has been a ubiquitous presence on television programming and movie screens from the 1960s up through 2024. Future Poltergeist and Coach star Craig T. Nelson also had a small part in the film. As did future screenwriter and frequent Mel Brooks collaborator Rudy De Luca.

If you have not seen this, I recommend you do so.

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #63

Weyland-Yutani File No. M47699

Officer:    Francis Aaron

Occupation:    second in command on Fiorina 161

Notes:    low intelligence quotient, obedient, expendable

Somewhat distinguishable bald guy #4. Also the last of the quartet that are somewhat distinguishable from all the others. It's too bad that Star Pics did not figure out a way to make him card #85.
 

Fright Flicks - Sticker #8

Predator (1987)

 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #62

Weyland-Yutani File No. M51021

Officer:    Harold Andrews

Occupation:    superintendent of prison facility

Notes:    aggressive commander, strict; runs prison with a heavy hand

Somewhat distinguishable bald guy #3

"This is rumor control..." ah, Andrews. You did not stand a snowball's chance in hell of surviving into act two, but you were a fun, disbelieving irritant while you lasted. Brian Glover, who played Andrews, also had a small and memorable role in An American Werewolf in London. "Remember the Alamo!"
 

Psycho (1960) - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune]

August 14, 1960

When I was much younger, and far more willing to believe the ballyhoo, I wondered how film venues enforced the "no admittance after the picture starts" requirement. The truth is they did not. While I am sure that the earliest (i.e. opening day or special early screening) showings made a bit of show of "enforcing" the supposed requirement, it was just marketing hype. Hitchcock was not all that different from William Castle, or any other exploitation film huckster, in that respect.

One casual, and debatable, observation on my part. Psycho might qualify as Hitchcock's last undisputed "significant" film, as well as his most famous work. While Hitchcock's post-Psycho filmography did offer up such entertaining and memorable highlights as The Birds and Frenzy, their successes, commercially and critically, were just a faint echo of the wallop that had been made by Psycho.

Fright Flicks - Sticker #7

 

An American Werewolf in London (1981) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner]

August 13, 1981

Some lucky souls were able to see and enjoy a special sneak preview of An American Werewolf in London "on the eve of the full moon." I hope that each and every one of them had as much fun as I did, when I saw the film at the Century in Hayward, during its regular engagement.

My only real complaint about the film was that the werewolf was never shown with all that much lingering clarity.  We are just given glimpses and flashes of it. The best of which, for me, was when the gigantic beast, and it is indeed gigantic, approaches the escalator.

I think that is the very first glimpse of the beast the viewer is given and, dude, did my fourteen-year-old jaw drop to the floor when that happened.

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #61

Weyland-Yutani File No. 132749

Prisoner:    Leonard Dillon

Offense:    rape and first degree murder, 2 counts

Distinguishing Marks:    small scar on left cheek

Notes:    leader of religious cult developing on Fiorina 161

Somewhat distinguishable bald guy #2

Whether or not Charles Dutton's character of Dillon is any more or less distinguishable from Charles Dance's character of Clemens depends on what characteristics of measrurmet one uses. On the surface, Dillon is easy to distinguish because he is only one of, I think, two people of color in the film. So there is that obvious trait.

But Dillon also delivers an excellent eulogy at the funeral for Newt and Hicks, as well as going mano-a-mano with the xenomorph during the climax in the lead works. So the character is given a lot to do and Dutton's charismatic presence gives him a stabilizing gravitas. It is not the least bit difficult to see him as a righteous and noble leader. He might be my favorite character in the film.
 

The Dracula Mystique [Eastbay at ease]

 

August 12, 1979

Staff writer Robert Taylor pens a short and sweet examination of the glut of Dracula productions that were unleashed during the summer of 1979. He even reaches back to point out that there had been a 1975 Dracula musical performed at the Berkeley Rep. As well as a production of an original play, which had starred Michael Ansara and Werner Klemperer, that had been performed at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in 1978. 

A local production of The Passion of Dracula, a new play by Bob Hall and David Richmond, takes center stage, as this article serves as something of a soft marketing push for the about to open production. The Passion of Dracula was coming off of a successful 'small-scale' run in New York's Greenwich Village, in the shadow of Edward Gorey's smash hit revival of the 'classic' John L. Balderston revision of the Hamilton Deane play, which had made Frank Langella a star on Broadway.

Taylor quotes, but does name, one (I assume) east coast critic's comparison of the two concurrent productions. "One is played for laughs, the other is played for keeps. One is obvious, the other intelligent. One looks like an Edward Gorey cartoon, the other like an old English thriller."

Jeremy Brett, who would be playing Dracula in the west coast tour venues of the Edward Gorey production, gets quoted, as does Langella. The slapstick rom com Love at First Bite gets a mention, as does the big budget Dracula movie from Universal, which just so happened to star Frank Langella, go figure, and Werner Herzog's remake of Nosferatu is not left out in the cold, either.

What is it that makes Dracula so alluring and popular to audiences, again and again? Is it the aura and mystery of human blood? The soulful yearning for immortality? Or, perhaps, the aching loneliness that has, over time, settled over the perception of the tuxedo and cape clad vampire?

Although the article ends with one potential answer, and sales hook, for The Passion of Dracula. Saying that the play's authors strived to "create a woman that Dracula would spend 400 years searching for." I think that also hints at the primal allure of Dracula stories. They acknowledge the oh-so-human nature of an aching, yearning, and thirsting desire that can never, ever truly be satiated. No matter how much, how hard, one tries.

Fright Flicks - Sticker #6

The Fly (1986)

 

The Fan (1996) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner]

August 11, 1996

Not a remake of the 1981 Lauren Bacall starring pseudo-slasher, adapted from the epistolary novel by Bob Randall, but an all-new story. One that was adapted from an entirely different novel written by Peter Abrahams, but just so happened to have the same title.

Robert De Niro plays Gil Renard, a baseball obsessed loser with anger management issues and an oh-so-tenuous grasp on reality. While a pre-Blade Wesley Snipes gets tasked with playing Bobby Rayburn, the embodiment, and thus the brutal focus, of Renard's obsessions and frustrations. 

Rayburn has hit a slump just as Renard's life starts to spiral out of whatever semblance of control it had remaining. Psychosis infused shenanigans ensue.

But what proved most memorable about this film was the scene where De Niro's character has make a "quick trip" from Candlestick (which was still standing at that point) over to Oakland, for a disastrous sales meeting, and back via the Bay Bridge. Somehow taking the same Oakland bound route in both directions...
 

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #60

Weyland-Yutani File No. M32201

Officer:    Johnathan Clemens

Occupation:    medical officer, 3-C rating

Notes:     former Morphine addict, served seven-year prison sentence at Fiorina 161 for negligent manslaughter.

Somewhat distinguishable bald guy #1

Because Clemens, um, interacted with Ripley more than most of the other prisoners and supporting characters, he stood out a bit and even proved somewhat memorable. Thanks in large part to performing the infamous Newt autopsy and delivering a tragic backstory monologue about how he came to be at Fiorina 161... just before being dispatched by the Xenomorph. So it goes.

 

Manhunter (1986) - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune]

August 10, 1986

Thief had made me something of a Michael Mann fan, although the artistic and narrative choices he made adapting F. Paul Wilson's The Keep both baffled and frustrated me. The same applies for this adaptation of the bestselling thriller Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.

While there were definitely things I liked and admired about the film. I thought it fell short of capturing the darker and more harrowing aspects of its source material. In 1986, when I watched the film on home video, I thought it seemed to be a failure on Mann's part. Nowadays, however, I think it has more to do with how certain aspects of the story that most resonated with me could not be translated from the page to the screen and retain what had made them so powerful when I experienced them as a reader.

Learning to let go of that perceptual intimacy from when I read a story and to appreciate a filmmaker's unique interpretation of said work would take me a few decades to accept and even embrace.
 

Fright Flicks - Sticker #5