Trog (1970) / Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - September 30, 1970

I know I have seen Trog, but all I remember is the scene involving Trog getting caught pilfering a handful of some fruit or veggie from a display bin by an unfortunate grocer. Nothing else. So it goes.

Yet I do remember the first time I saw Taste the Blood of Dracula. That was when it was aired on the CBS Late Movie - on Friday, September 11, 1981 - as the follow-up to another beloved (by me, at least) rerun of Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

The episode was The Sentry, which was the short-lived series final episode and one of the few I managed to see during its original primetime run.

Taste the Blood of Dracula would be the last Hammer Film Dracula with direct continuity to Horror of Dracula (1958). Taste starts where Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) ended, which had picked up where Dracula Prince of Darkness (1966) had ended, which picked up a decade or so after the conclusion of Horror.

Prince, Grave, and Taste, be they intentional or not, are a pretty solid trilogy of Dracula sequels well worth the time and effort to watch.

Alien (1979) - Sticker #12

 

Day of the Dead (1985) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - September 29, 1985

I love Day of the Dead, it is my favorite Romero movie. Debate can and will rage and continue as to what his best, or most important, film was, but Day of the Dead will always be my favorite.

Lady Death: Dark Alliance - Trading Card #26

Treats and Tricks

Stealing some of the pagan thunder of Halloween for herself, Purgatori shows why she's the perfect pinup girl for the holiday. 

The Last House on the Left (1972) / Twitch of the Death Nerve [A Bay of Blood, Ecologia del Delitto (1971)] / Mark of the Devil [Hexen bis aufs Blut gequält (1970)] -Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - September 26, 1973

Oof. Here is a triple-feature that I am certain qualified as something of an endurance test for the more squeamish and unsuspecting drive-in viewer. 

Wes Craven notorious Last House on the Left is a rough and unpleasant experience by design. Craven and producer Sean Cunningham (Friday the 13th) wanted to make an exploitation movie capable of shocking and disturbing even the most jaded viewer. Goal achieved.

Twitch of the Death Nerve is one of the earliest, if not the earliest, proto-slasher movies. One that many were quick to point out the similarities it had with both Friday the 13th and Friday the 13th Part 2. Being a Mario Bava film, it is the classiest looking of the trio.

Mark of the Devil might serve as one of the early examples of the sub-genre that came to be known as torture porn. No idea, really. I have not seen it.

Alien (1979) - Sticker #11

 

The Tingler (1959) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - September 25, 1959

Long before Chuck Tingle and his Tinglers were a gleam in anybody's eye, there was this nifty "little" monster shock-fest from William Castle. 

That shiver that tingles your spine whenever you are afraid? Well, turns out that is a sentient creature that can only be tamed by your screaming. If you do not not scream, it can and will grow strong enough to kill you!

Yes, it is ridiculous. But it also has some effective sequences in it and a rather unique monster. What is there not to love?

Lady Death: Dark Alliance - Trading Card #25

Old Enemies

Each with their own agendas, Lady Death and Jade ran headfirst into one another's plans. A massive battle ensued, with each warrior pushing their abilities to the limit. 

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - September 24, 1995

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers would be the first franchise entry that I did not see for the first time on the big screen. It would stay that way until 2018.

I did get around to seeing it at some point in the early 2000s, but never all that interested in checking out the Producer's Cut. So it goes.

When this movie was first released, I did wonder if the producers would dare to subtitle the next entry in the series either Michael Myers Strikes Again or The Trail of Michael Myers.

Alien (1979) - Sticker #10