Babysitting Two-fer.

Hello all! This week's VHS Friday hits right before my yearly pilgrimage to Montreal for the Fantasia Film Festival. I had recently noticed that I had two babysitter-centric tapes in the pile so I figured I would knock them off together. I have a fascination with the concept of the babysitter. I wager it is from the horror trope, and not any real experience since my brother was seven years older and the time we actually had one was very narrow (she was a family friend that I remember vaguely; her name was Dorothy). However, the idea of leaving a young non-family member with your children alone obviously stuck for me to make my own rendition in 2013. But, I digress. Our first title is the 1980 teleplay The Babysitter.

The Benedict's (Bill Shatner & Patty Duke) hire a live-in babysitter named Joanna (Stephanie Zimbalist) for their daughter Tara (Quinn Cummings) but are unfortunately unaware of her nefarious intentions.

As I stated, this was a TV movie, but off-the-hop you could be forgiven for thinking this was an Italian thriller based on the score and how the opening was shot. Imdb says some stock music was used so I wouldn't be surprised if the theme was lifted from a 70's giallo I can't quite place.

 

Will Shatner & Stephanie Zimbalist in The Babysitter.

Directed by Peter Medak, The Babysitter was made right around the time he did the far superior The Changeling, but the former is still quite watchable and riddled with recognizable character actors. Set in Washington, but almost surely shot north in BC, the locale is pretty, with no shortage of exorbitant mansions to plot your employer's demise.

Zimbalist (doing the ever popular exercise of playing a teen in their mid-twenties) carries herself well, projecting a certain unpredictability that made we wonder at times what her actual endgame was. I mean, ultimately I knew because this is a story I've seen many time before (The Hand That Rocks The Cradle comes to mind) so sadly I was waiting at least a half-hour for John Houseman to go find her previous family dead in their bed. It's funny, I could see the image in my head like a crystal ball. It was still a hoot, after watching many episodes of Remmington Steele as a kid, to see her in a role like this.

Moving on, I checked out my tape of the 1975 film Wanted: Babysitter.

A young woman (Maria Schneider) doing babysitting jobs to make ends meet in Rome finds herself kidnapped with her charge in a ransom plot.

It's funny that The Babysitter was an American movie that I first thought was Italian, and Wanted: Babysitter is an Italian film that I assumed was American. I didn't know babysitting was even a thing in Europe, I mean, admittedly I don't know why I figured it was confined to North America. I just would've expected a more appropriate title like The Babysitter Wore Red, or The Babysitter Knocked Twice.

John Whittington & Maria Schneider in Wanted: Babysitter.

The final picture directed by journeyman René Clément, Wanted: Babysitter isn't really a horror film, it's more of a Euro-crime thriller with some character actors from outside of Italy like Vic Morrow and Robert Vaughn (damn, he looks young in this, maybe it was the eye make-up) sprinkled in. Also, I didn't realize until I looked her up after, but Schneider was the actress in that infamous scene in Last Tango In Paris. It now makes more sense why she went for the jam during the breakfast sequence here. 

This movie is a serviceable thriller, though I have to admit I was confused about the kidnap plot for the first half-hour or so. I didn't catch that the boy (who is inexplicably named Boots?!) had been moved to a new location so my geography and how Schneider found herself involved was disorienting. It could've been that my tape's quality rapidly declined as it went on to the point I could barely make out the bathtub scene towards the end. It definitely has that Italian feel, right down to the comic relief subplot with the boyfriend (Renato Pozzetto) who I'm certain improvised most of his dialogue.

A nice little find after all, and a counterbalance to The Babysitter, where the title character was protagonist instead of antagonist. That's it for the babysitting two-fer. Hey, does that mean I get paid double time??

HCD 2024!

You Are What You Watch.

Sorry for the absence, June has been a month racked with little annoyances that have kept me off my couch doing the “important” things. Anyhoo, with Canada Day happening soon, I pulled the nearest Canuck horror off the pile, a 1980 joint called Deadline, shot here in our fair Toronto. It actually took me a while to acquire this tape so I was chuffed to finally watch it.

A controversial horror novelist struggles to balance his failing marriage with his agent breathing down his neck for new content.

Within the first few scenes of this movie, I had to ask myself “why doesn't Deadline get talked about more?” I mean that blood shower sequence is way more gratuitous than the one from Death Ship - also 1980 and the only memorable part from that film - and then there's the snowplow scene where Black Philip looks on as a mechanic gets mangled to pieces.

As Deadline wears on, it becomes more and more apparent that the movies that author and now screenwriter Steven Lessey (played by Stephen Young) are way more interesting (or at least entertaining) than the one I was actually watching - much like Dave Parker's 2009 movie The Hills Run Red. At a certain point, I had to concede that Deadline is obscure because the last half is pretty meandering and its conclusion nowhere near as good as its setup. I wonder if there was a lot of meddling in post, because even though it was shot in 1979, it did not release until five(!) years later.

Stephen Young as Steven Lessey in Deadline.

One thing that stuck with me, was the scene where Lessey is at his alma mater to receive a commendation and is then berated by his audience for the violence in his work. It reminded me of the backlash against David Cronenberg after Shivers came out. Due to being partially funded by the Canadian government, detractors were incensed that taxpayer money was going to something so “depraved” and “repulsive.” Because Deadline was also a tax shelter movie, I can't help but think this scene (and movie) was a dig at these fools.

It was also good to see Cindy Hinds pop up in a few scenes. Man, what a great time for her, getting to “hang” around in this, after also being chased by monster kiddies in The Brood. I wonder which of these two movies was the most upsetting to shoot. I see her kicking around the Ontario convention circuit from time to time, I should ask her next time we cross paths.

Deadline is terrific Gif fodder, but it ultimately gets diluted by the long and drawn out scenes of Lessey's descent into madness, putting it below the fold for all but Canuxploitation completionists and fans of Carole Pope & Rough Trade who also appear performing their song, Revenge.

June 26th Horror Trivia Screening Guide

To all those who came here from the event or Storm Crow's FB page, welcome! I am Jay, one half of the horror trivia quizmasters and this is my humble blog. Here's the selected list of titles mentioned at the last event. Click on the titles to be redirected to their Imdb listing. Horror Trivia Night happens at Storm Crow Manor in Toronto. If you're in the area, come on down! Register here.

Pontypool (2008)

The Gate (1987)

Humungous (1982)

Blood Quantum (2019)

Rabid (1977)

The Mask (1961)

Psycho Goreman (2020)

Visiting Hours (1982)

The Fog (1980)

Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Crawl (2019)

Night of the Demons (1988)

The People Under The Stairs (1991)

Possession (1981)

Cruising (1980)

Chillerama (2011)

They/Them (2022)

The Hunger (1983)

Hellbent (2004)

We LOVE It When Our Friends Become Successful

Hey all! I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to my buddy Chris Nash. His debut feature In A Violent Nature is hitting screens this weekend. You should go see it!

I've known Nash for close to two decades and after having worked on a half-dozen projects with him, I know what a talented and driven guy he is. He deserves the spotlight. I urge you to support indie films like this, so Shudder and other companies continue to foster unique voices like Nash, Kyle Edward Ball & Robert Morgan.

If you are a fan of slashers, this should be a no-brainer, as even if you're not down with ambient and deliberate narrative of IAVN, you'll at least be thrilled by the visceral kills. That's basically what I told Nash after I saw it, “Man, sure there's gonna be a bunch of people that say, this is fucking boring, but there's also gonna be sizable subset that really dig and appreciate what you were trying to do here.”

If you're the latter, make your voice heard!

May 29th Horror Trivia Screening Guide

To all those who came here from the event or Storm Crow's FB page, welcome! I am Jay, one half of the horror trivia quizmasters and this is my humble blog. Here's the selected list of titles mentioned at the last event. Click on the titles to be redirected to their Imdb listing.

Horror Trivia Night happens at Storm Crow Manor in Toronto. If you're in the area, come on down! Register here. If you're not local, we do occasionally stream the event on @ruemorguemag Instagram.

Hell House LLC (2015)

Puppet Master (1989)

The Witch (2015)

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

The Final Terror (1983)

Body Count (1986)

Backcountry (2014)

Pyewacket (2017)

The Ritual (2017)

The Crazies (1973)

Shakma (1990)

Stopmotion (2023)

Alice Sweet Alice (1976)

Dead Snow (2009)

The Voyeurs (2021)

Nocturne (2020)

The Perfection (2018)

Invitation to Hell (1984)

House of Usher (1960)

The Terror (1963)

Galaxy of Terror (1981)

Forbidden World (1982)

Humanoids From the Deep (1980)

Piranha (1978)

Horror Movie Guide: Brainwaves

It's been a while I know, but I managed to hit up the next movie in the Guide this week. It was Ulli Lommel's 1982 movie Brainwaves, which I may have actually thought was the Chris Walken movie Brainstorm. But no, different brain movie for which I had no reference, except it was what Lommel made between The Boogeyman and Boogeyman II.

After suffering severe head trauma, Kaylie (Susannah Love) undergoes an experimental procedure to repair the damaged synapses in her brain, only to have her recovery complicated by memories of a murdered woman.

Brainwaves is a coherent thriller. If you detect surprise in my text, it is because I wasn't sure Lommel was up to such a task. My prior experiences with his work range from the ridiculous to the unbearable so colour me impressed. It did take a while to get going, as save for the bathtub electrocution at the hop, it seemed like I was watching some sort of Regarding Henry-esque family drama. But, then the unseen reject from the Cult of Thorn re-emerged and I just waited patiently for the two stories to connect.

Keir Dullea & Susannah Love in Brainwaves

Keir Dullea plays the beleaguered father and husband and has the acting chops to hide his no-doubt recurring thoughts of “I went from Kubrick to Clark to this???” The rest of the cast is solid, with Lommel filling it out with players from his previous movie and distinguished character actors like Vera Miles and Tony Curtis - who after The Manitou probably thought this set was sedate by comparison. 

I'm going to take a leap that this movie was made to cash in on the coma fiction that was happening around that time with movies like Coma and Patrick. While it does seem more fiction than science, patients who receive life saving assistance from donors have always been fertile ground for horror movies.

I did notice the score from journeyman Robert O. Ragland seemed to be melding of Psycho & Friday the 13th though I'm not going to complain about that. My only other comment is that I'm not quite sure how Dullea was able to unravel the mystery by just writing a bunch of XX's on a whiteboard, but then again, it was a muddy rip and he did once outsmart HAL.

The Guide certainly seemed to agree with my opinion that this was a significant step up for Lommel, as well.

Gifrific: Me at a New Bar.

 Source: Murder Weapon (1989)

Northern Exposure

The next VHS out of the pile was my recent acquisition of James Makichuk's Ghostkeeper, a Canadian joint from 1981. Having my finger on the pulse of tax shelter era Canuck flicks, I was aware of this movie, but was never able to get my hands on it until now.

Three snowmobilers in the Canadian Rockies have the bright idea to blaze their own trail and end up at a secluded hotel. Northern inhospitality ensues.

Sadly, this one was a bit of a bloodless bore. I mean, there was potential, as Makichuk had a terrifically rustic location in the Deer Lodge in Banff, Alberta (hey, I wonder if this was near where Until Dawn takes place), but even that can't save it. The dynamic of the trio is immediately awkward, as Jenny (Riva Spier) and Marty (Murray Ord) are presumably together, but when he's not being entirely insufferable as a character, he's hitting on Chrissy (Sheri McFadden). I wanted to like Jenny as the Final Girl, but it's really hard to look badass while wearing snow pants.

Riva Spier as Jenny in Ghostkeeper.

Also, I was promised a "Windigo". A hairy man locked in a room does not a Wendigo make, good sir. I understand that this was a tax shelter film and the money ran dry (good on you for finishing), but there's only so much time I can watch people wander around dimly lit corridors, before I begin to lament the time ticking by. It's like even stalwart composer Paul Zaza knew this wasn't worth the effort because he basically just gussied up his score for Prom Night and called it a day.

As Ghostkeeper plods on, it's impossible to ignore that this movie is aping The Shining. Marty goes from douche to psycho in no time flat, The Deer Lodge is a serviceable stand-in for the Overlook, and there's even an old dude who comes to save the day that is offed the same as Scatman Crothers. I'd like to give Makichuk & Doug McLeod the benefit of the doubt (Kubrick's opus hit screens six months before this movie went to camera) but the evidence in onscreen.

I have to point something out I've clocked into recently. Jack Torrance has to be one of the most copied characters in horror. And I'm not just talking back-in-the-day, filmmakers are still doing it now. Recent offerings like Bo Mirosseni's History of Evil and Mike Bafaro's Don't Look Away both went sideways by shoehorning Torrance into their leads.

But I digress. You know, I probably should've waited until New Year's to watch this, as that's when it takes place. In fact, with the hotel location and (relatively) young folks, it shares a lot in common with 1987's Bloody New Year. How is it possible that BNY is the more exciting and palatable of these two options??? At least that one had actual ghosts...

Christ on a (Ben) Cross!

With all these religious horror movies coming out recently, it seems like a good time to pick out 1988's The Unholy from the pile and give it a go. This was another one that I have no explanation for never watching back in the day, as it was a video store mainstay. Let's chomp that wafer and get down to business.

Shortly after arriving at his new parish, Father Michael (Ben Cross) discovers that the last two priests who held his position were brutally murdered at his altar. Will he be next?

Yeah, this one isn't bad. I learned that this script was originally written in the seventies to capitalize on the success of The Exorcist and The Omen, but was then shelved. I can see that, as the characters and societal underbelly that Father Michael encounters does feel more of that decade.

Ben Cross - who would have made one of my faves Paperhouse around this time - is solid here and a good sport about having his junk covered in snakes. He's also surrounded by a bevy of character actors in this including Ned Beatty, Hal Holbrook, Peter (Profiler FTW!) Frechette and Will Russ. The score by Roger Bellon is terrific, even by eighties standards.

Ben Cross as Father Michael in The Unholy.

I found it amusing how nonchalantly the clergy talk about Church cover-ups in this movie when in hindsight, a few dead bodies and some indiscretions with the opposite sex were the least of their dirty laundry. Just another indication of how different things were some fourty years ago.

Can you keep a secret?

I do have to admit, The Unholy does get a bit bogged down with exposition and I found myself nodding off in the middle. However I perked up for the finale which is definitely worth the price of admission. The effects provided by Bob Keen, who worked on Clive Barker's films among others, fucking brings his A-game. Full creature suits, giant animatronics, exploding midgets, you name it!

 

In fact, I'd say that guy looks like the love child of The Brain and Syngenor. Oh, I didn't even mention the sexy negligee-d demon played by Nicole Fortier. Let's just say that ol' Father Michael was made of stronger rosary than I. 

Shock Stock 2024!

After a five-year absence I finally got my self up the 401 to London last weekend to re-acquaint myself with Shock Stock. I was glad to find that it is still as crazy and greasy as ever. I got there around noon on Saturday and said my hellos to all the usual suspects - James, Jake, Carlos, Luis, Brett, Brad et al. 

True to form, I walked out with a haul VHS tapes.

AND this cool little piece of art, from whom I do not know as the floor map isn't online anymore. Dang!

I sadly didn't realize the white was on the outside of the glass so I scuffed it up a bit in transport. Lesson learned!

During the afternoon, I sat in on the Q&A's Italian actress Silvia Collatina (House by the Cemetery, Murder Rock). She was delightful, and one of the last people standing who can talk about what Lucio Fulci was actually like. I also learned that I need to watch Sergio Martino's The Great Alligator.

Actress Silvia Collatina

Then, it was time for the always affable and entertaining Bill Moseley. This guy has had a career! And is apparently a hockey fan. Who knew?

Actor Bill Moseley

The real reason I was there was the Joe Bob Briggs live show that ended up being a 16mm screening of Just Before Dawn with director Jeff Lieberman Q&A following the show. Both Joe Bob and Leiberman didn't seem too thrilled about the presentation considering there is a restored Blu-ray available, but hey, that's the Shock Stock way!

Darcy & Joe Bob with director Jeff Lieberman

There was a debate about whether Just Before Dawn is a slasher, because it was made in 1979 before the term and tropes were coined, but, much to the chagrin of Lieberman, the consensus was, if it walks like a slasher and talks like a slasher - it's a slasher.

I met Lieberman many years ago at a TIFF party after complimenting him on his Satan's Little Helper and talked to him at length (mostly about of all things, UFC) and I was glad to see he had remained his usual acerbic self.

And then we partied the night away. I was happy to have spent my evening with Joe, Darcy and Jeff and not that pitiful excuse for a Game 7. I'm learning.  So, until next year... keep it greasy!

Apr 24th Horror Trivia Screening Guide

To all those who came here from the event or Storm Crow's FB page, welcome! I am Jay, one half of the horror trivia quizmasters and this is my humble blog. Here's the selected list of titles mentioned at the last event. Click on the titles to be redirected to their Imdb listing.

Horror Trivia Night happens at Storm Crow Manor in Toronto. If you're in the area, come on down! Register here. If you're not local, we do occasionally stream the event on @ruemorguemag Instagram.

Let The Right One In (2008)

Late Night with the Devil (2023)

The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane (1976)

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction (2009)

ABC's of Death (2012)

Wizard of Gore (1970)

Hatchet (2006)

Cat's Eye (1985)

Hereditary (2018)

The Witch (2015)

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Veronica (2017)

You're Next (2011)

Suspiria (2018)

All Hallow's Eve (2013)

The Final Hex

Hello all. I know I've been slacking off recently, but my festival duties have been eating into my play time of late. I did want to make a point of saying good-bye to a fest near and dear to my heart though.

The Hexploitation Film Fest is calling it quits after fifteen years. After our last hurrah in Feb 2020, Hex head honcho Aaron Allen has decided to throw dirt on the coffin as it were. BUT not before going out with some kick-ass events collectively dubbed The Final Hex.

I took in Here For Blood a few weeks ago, starring "Wesker" himself Shawn Roberts. It's actually quite fun and I think the local FX crew The Butcher Shop's best work to date. Earlier this week though, I went to an absolutely delightful screening of the 80s Canadian banger Murder By Phone.

I have sung in praise of this film after discovering it during the pandemic, but seeing it with a crowd was a real hoot. Aaron also cooked up a little game with it, as well. Everyone in attendance gave him their phone number before the show, and when someone in the movie got a call, someone in the audience also did. Then you were DEAD. I sadly got offed at the same time as Lenore Zann, but I still made out like a bandit with all these runner up prizes courtesy of The Hearty Hooligan and Blood Opera.

A terrific evening. I wish Aaron the best, and hope the Crypt Cinema at Doors Pub (who hosted the screening) keep the horror flame alive in Hamilton.

Insert Bonnie Tyler Song Here.

My Girl Wants To Party All The Time!

Next VHS off the pile was the 1988 slasher Party Line. I certainly recalled the coverbox, but never got to it back in the day because it was one of a SLEW of titles that almost seemed interchangeable. Let's pick up the phone and call! I hear it's private, confidential, one-on-one and discreet!

Crazy sibling serial killers Seth (Leif Garrett) & Angelina (Greta Blackburn) cruise telephone chat lines for victims, while hothead detective Dan (Richard Hatch - the Battlestar one, not the gay Survivor one) remains one body behind.

Party Line was amusing, but this was admittedly not top-tier stuff. For those who were not alive in the eighties, there were all kinds of call-in services available, some not even for degenerates. I remember calling one called Dial-A-Joke a few times, until my father confronted me with the subsequent phone bill. Hell, there was even one to hear Freddy Krueger.

Anyway, I digress. For a movie called Party Line, the phone sex stuff actually makes up little of the movie. Characters would disappear for chunks at a time, tagging out for stretches of police procedure and generic nightclub revelry. I was being generous when I used the word slasher earlier. I guess technically it's accurate as the killer's weapon of choice is a straight razor, but it's really more of a tame erotic thriller. Save for a few slit throats, it is fairly anemic too.

We do get a lot of weirdo scenes with the "complicated" shenanigans of Seth & Angelina. It's a lot of simping and leering from the former and the latter slapping him around for it. It's... awkward. It sure was a banner year for Garrett, who also appeared in Cheerleader Camp in '88. 

Imdb tells me that viewers thought Hatch was miscast. I don't know if I agree, I think it more that the detective character as a whole was miscast. Everyone knows the "hard boiled cop who doesn't play by the rules" trope, but this was ridiculous. He pulled his gun out so much in this movie, he might as well have had fused to his hand ala Videodrome. And, since when do District Attorney employees visit crime scenes? Seems like a conflict of interest, but I guess Dan & Stacy (Shawn Weatherly) had to meet somehow.

Speaking of conflicts, when the teen using the party line in the beginning finally reappears again, Dan actually has the brilliant idea to have said sixteen-year-old help them in their investigation. Does any of this sound like it would hold up in court, people? However, after the inevitable plot twist and kidnapping of Stacy, I was happy that she didn't need to be saved at the end. She made short work of Mama's boy Seth, even with her hands tied. You go, girl!

Call me Nancy Lew-d.

Party Line was run-of-the-mill fare that needed more of a hook than just the passing fad it hung its hat on. Hider in the House had the wild card magic of Gary Busey and Fear had Ally Sheedy's psychic superpowers. This just has well, people perving on and off the phone. I want more for my dollar-ninety-five per minute, ya know?

Horror Movie Guide: The Brain That Wouldn't Die

The next film in the Guide is perhaps one of the most recognized B-movies in existence, and yet one I had never seen - Joseph Green's 1962 movie The Brain That Wouldn't Die. I, and I am sure you, at least know the iconic image of actress Virginia Leith's head in a tray hooked up to various amounts of rigging and equipment. I feel I must have seen the MST3K episode at some point, but it was so long ago now, who knows?

After his girlfriend Jan (Leith) is decapitated in a road accident, a maverick surgeon Dr. Cortner (Jason Evers) keeps her head alive using his new experimental transplant procedure.

So yes this is primarily what I expected. I find the majority of these weird curiosities of the atomic age are "come up with a good hook or title" and then just pad the rest to make it feature length. What am I saying, that is the nature of most B-movies in general, isn't it? Nevertheless, The Brain That Wouldn't Die does go back and forth between lab scenes to mostly superfluous burlesque shows and beauty pageants that the good Doctor is cruising for new subjects.

Virginia Leith as Jan in The Brain That Wouldn't Die.

As good a surgeon as Cortner must have been, he was a shit driver, as that inciting accident was totally avoidable and not even serious from what I could tell. Then I had to chuckle that Cortner's first reaction to seeing his dead girlfriend was to pick up her head and run with it. Then again, that is the inherent nature of TBTWD really. Run with it. I mean, that cat fight scene? You might as well had Jerry Lewis come in and mug to the camera.

It makes me sad that Leith - whom was actually "the Girl" in Stanley Kubrick's debut film Fear & Desire that I saw for the first time recently - had such a terrible time on this picture that she wouldn't even come back for post. That may explain the ghoulish fake head that appears in the long shots of the lab.

I have to admit that I was shocked to see boobies in a film from the early sixties, but I guess that is what Tubi meant by "uncensored". With my expectations tempered, I guess my only disappointment was that after all that talk of the abomination locked behind the door, it turned out to just be a dude in a mask -  think Richard Kiel crossed with Michael Berryman. And that ending - quite abrupt!

The Guide didn't seem to think much of it, but that is to be expected.