"Trilogy of Terror" (1975)

Before Karen Black starred in Rob Zombie's House of a 1000 Corpses, she was a bonafide scream queen.  Take her role in Trilogy of Terror, a 1970's horror film that centers around 3 different stories.  Karen Black plays 4 different women in this film and does so beautifully, I might add.  From a student obsessed with his teacher to a tale of two twins to a woman tormented by an African doll (my personal favorite), each story is fun, cheesy, and horror-filled... well, maybe not that last adjective.

Watch Trilogy of Terror for free on YouTube on either your computer, iPad, or TV.  How great is that?

P.S. Actress Karen Black is more than just a scream queen-- she actually had a hand in rewriting certain parts of the script and figuring out gory special effects.  Talk about a Renaissance woman!

P.S.S. The creepy African doll was actually owned by the director of the film-- talk about taking a souvenir home....

"Night of the Comet" (1984)

Most of you readers (or, let's be honest, reader singular) know that I have a particular horror soft spot for cheesy 1980's flicks.  One of those films, Night of the Comet, is no exception.  Although it's technically more of a comedy than a horror movie, it nonetheless involves two Valley girls kicking zombie butt.  After a comet causes most of Earth's residents to turn into flesh-eating zombies, there are a few lone survivors who happen to be immune to whatever space germs are causing people to become undead.  Two teenage sisters, one of whom never changes out of her cheerleading uniform, team up with a hunky truck driver to stop evil scientists from stealing their blood.

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You can watch Night of the Comet instantly on Netflix, and I strongly recommend that you do!  Seriously, it's a great movie to complete homework to (guilty!).  I am probably going to purchase it if it ever leaves Netflix, but you can go ahead and buy it from Amazon if you like.  Also, check out this trailer:



P.S. The original title for this movie was Teenage Mutant Horror Comet Zombies.  That is no lie, folks.

P.S.S. Night of the Comet is a terrific and goofy film; it should come to no surprise that a huge cult following surrounds this flick.  Tons of websites, like this one, are dedicated to keeping its memory alive and kicking.

"Horrors of Spider Island" (1967)

Honestly, Horrors of Spider Island is one of the trickiest horror films to research, mainly because of its many various names and edits.  It was originally called A Corpse Hung in the Web in 1960 and premiered in Germany (it is originally a German-Yugoslav film that has been dubbed in English).  In 1962, it was released in America as an erotica entitled It's Hot in Paradise.  Five years later, it was edited into what we now know as Horrors of Spider Island.  Whew!  What's it all about, you may ask?  A whole slew of sexy, scantily-clad dancers are trapped on a remote island with a dangerous spider/man combo.  Seriously.  That's it.

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While you can rent Horrors of Spider Island from Netflix, you can also rent the Mystery Science Theater 3000: Horrors of Spider Island .  However, since Horrors of Spider Island is so frickin' old, you can actually download it for free from the Internet Archive or watch it instantly on Google Video.  If you're particularly fond of creepy spiders and nearly-naked ladies, you can buy either the original or the MST 300 version from Amazon.



P.S. Did we already mention the fact that it was originally a naughty adult film entitled It's Hot in Paradise?  Yes?  Well, we're done here.

"The Baby"

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Today's Horror du Jour comes from Happy and Wrong, my other blog that has a section dedicated to horror movies called Terror Tuesday.  The Baby is a 1970's thriller/campy classic that deals with a social worker and her relationship with a twisted family.  Specifically, the family keeps their grown brother a baby... literally.  Although it may sound strange, just give it a try....

P.S. If you love girly, practical, or just plain anything, please join my other blog.  Thank you!

"The Lost Boys" (1987)

Vampire, the two Corey's... oh my!  What else could be better in a classic teen movie?  That's right-- nothin'.  If you haven't seen The Lost Boys, well, obviously you were born in the late 90's.  A comedy/horror hybrid, it is about two brothers who move to a coastal California town inhabited by bikers and missing people.  When the older of the brothers starts turning into a motorcycle-riding vampire, it's up to his younger brother (and a few amateur vampire slayers) to try to save his soul.  Unfortunately, that means going head to head with a gang leader/head of the vampires-- talk about a resume booster, right?

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You can watch The Lost Boys on Netflix instantly, or you can just buy a copy via Amazon (don't you love  that site?).  Regardless, get a sneak peek below:



P.S. Remember when I mentioned the two Corey's? This phrase is referring to the string of popular teen films that Corey Feldman and Corey Haim starred in together.  The Lost Boys actually is the first film they ever did together.... awwww! (Btw, RIP Corey Haim)

P.S.S. The two vampire hunters are named Edgar and Alan.  This is actually a reference to horror writer Edgar Allan Poe.  Clever, eh?

"Poison Ivy" (1992)

Although some wouldn't consider Poison Ivy to be a horror film, I would like to politely disagree.  In my humble opinion, when you combine sociopaths, big hair, and Tom Skerritt in a movie, it seems pretty terrifying to me.  I bet lots of you have seen this film, but for those of you who haven't, I'll make it simple: a mysterious, yet beautiful, misfit moves in with her outsider best friend, all Hell breaks lose.  Roseanne's Sara Gilbert plays Sylvie while Drew Barrymore is Ivy.  Talk about a killer cast (that was corny, I know)!  When Ivy gets a taste of the good life (Sylvie's parents are loaded, FYI), she decides to show her true, homicidal, seductive colors.....

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It's your lucky day, Ivy fans-- you can watch Poison Ivy instantly on Netflix!  Also, you can buy it directly from Amazon.  Know what else?  You can check out the following clip, too!



P.S. While Poison Ivy didn't do so great at the box office, it is now a cult favorite.  Several sequels have popped up, including the last one in 2008.

"Drive Thru" (2007)

I'm honestly not sure which is scarier: a demonic killer clown or the greasy fast food it tries to sell.  While I think I'd fear the crappy food more, Drive Thru is a movie that gets its scare factor from Horny, an appropriately named clown from fast food joint Hella Burger.  When he's not killing bratty Orange County teens, he is stalking Mackenzie, a punk rock teenager played by Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester.  While it's definitely not an Oscar-worthy flick, Drive Thru is campy, fun, and has Penn Badgley-- it could be worse.

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Rent Drive Thru from Netflix or buy it straight from Amazon.  Regardless, if you love silly, bloody horror movies, you won't be disappointed.  Still not convinced? Check out this trailer:



P.S. Going with the fast food theme, Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock makes a cameo appearance as a manager of Hella Burger.  Can we say ironic?

P.S.S. The town where all this carnage is occurring is called "Blanca Carne."  It means "white meat" in Spanish.

"Jennifer's Body" (2009)

While Jennifer's Body got lukewarm reviews at best, I happen to be a pretty big fan of this cheesy horror-esque flick.  Written by famous screenwriter Diablo Cody, Jennifer's Body tells the story of two best friends-- super-gorgeous/popular/sociopathic Jennifer and nerdy Needy (pun intended, much?).  When a vicious man-eating demon inhabits Jennifer's body, she becomes a man-eater-- literally.  She keeps going after all of Needy's favorite dudes, proving that mean girls still existant in the demonic world.  Needy, however, isn't going to take much more of it....

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Rent Jennifer's Body from Netflix, or simply buy it from Amazon for mere pennies.  Also, don't forget to check out this trailer, 'k?



P.S. The film's title was named after a Hole (Country Love's band) song of the same name.

P.S.S. While the name of the demon is never mentioned, it is highly suspected to be a succubus, a demon that apparently seduced and destroyed men.  Fitting, eh?

"The Bad Seed" (1956)

Today's Horror du Jour comes courtesy of Happy and Wrong, my other blog.  It features Terror Tuesday, a section dedicated to horror movies, as well as general info about life.  The Bad Seed is one of my favorite movies of all time (it's actually #2, right after A Clockwork Orange, but who's keeping tabs?), as it is about whether or not an 8 year old girl is capable of murder.  Check it out if you love suspenseful thrillers with overdramatic (and awesome) acting and a killer story.... no pun intended.

Also, if you love fashion, saving money, and random things, then please follow Happy and Wrong.  Thanks, everybody!

"Basket Case" (1982)

In my very unprofessional opinion, you won't find a much stranger film premise than Basket Case.  Kind Duane Bradley arrives in a motel room with only a basket in tow.  Instead of packing a picnic, he's carting around his severely deformed (and tiny) Siamese twin brother.  Since the two were surgically removed against their wills, the tiny brother is seeking revenge on the doctors responsible for their separation.  Duane, however, starts to get a taste for normality when he meets a nice girl and falls in love with her.  As he decides to embrace life (and not cold vengeance), the little fellow escapes and wrecks havoc.... in general.

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Hallelujah!  You can watch Basket Case on Netflix instantly, or you can buy the DVD directly from Amazon (I know what's going on my wish list...).  Check out this trailer for the flick, as well:



P.S. This film had such a small budget that the crew had to become extremely creative to make the movie work.  Most of Basket Case was shot in a S&M club in Manhattan.  They used it as several different scenes for the flick, including a regular bar and basement, but they had to hide tons of kinky sex toys out of the camera's view.

P.S.S. The ending of the film requires Duane to streak down a New York City sidewalk.  Having no money, the crew decided not to get any permits or permission-- instead, they dropped the naked actor off in a moving fan on one side of the block and met him on the other.  Classy, eh?

"American Gothic" (1988)

What do you get when you combine two genres of horror movies-- the survival island theme and the deranged family living off the grid-- into one?  Well, if you add in Yvonne De Carlo from The Munsters fame you get American Gothic, a 1980's slasher film that is still one of my favorites.  A bunch of teenagers get stranded on an island when their plane crashes unexpectedly.  Unfortunately for them, the island is less Gilligan's Island and more like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with the teenagers as mere toys for the island's overgrown, crazed family.

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Sadly, you can't even rent this movie on Netflix, since it is so rare.  However, Amazon has this DVD for sale for ultra-cheap-- $6.49!  If you love campy flicks, then make sure to keep this in mind.  Additionally, check out this clip for a preview:



P.S. In case you can't tell, this movie's poster is based on Grant Wood's famous painting, American Gothic.

"Piranha" (2010)

Okay, folks, I'm not going to insult your intelligence: Piranha, as far as movies go, is bad.  Very, very bad. Sure, it has a cast of B+ actors, like Elisabeth Shue and Christopher Lloyd, but the lack of story, cheesy animation-graphics, and pathetic acting makes it one truly unfortunate piece of film.  Why am I posting on this movie, you may ask, if I think it's so terrible?  Exactly that reason, folks-- it's so bad, it's hilarious!  A remake of the original Piranha (1978) (which I just added to my Netflix que, FYI), the movie centers around a Spring Break-esque party on a river where an underwater tremor releases tons of piranhas into the teen-infested waters.  There is blood, nudity, and plenty of cheesy dialogue-- it can definitely be worse, right?

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You can rent Piranha from Netflix, or you could just buy it from Amazon, especially if you have a thing for  those SciFy Channel movies.  Regardless, watch the following trailer before venturing out into the water:



P.S. Alexandre Aja, the director of this film, has gained notoriety for remaking classic horror movies.  Besides Piranha, he also directed The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and Mirrors (2008).  Is it just me or does he need to go back to directing better movies, like High Tension (2003)?

"Tromeo and Juliet" (1996)

This week, I also featured Beware: Children at Play on this blog.  What do a movie about cannibalistic kiddos and one about the greatest love story ever told have in common?  They were both made by Troma, a film studio that makes campy, fun horror flicks.  Tromeo and Juliet, however, is slightly more refined than some Troma films-- it is a remake of Romeo and Juliet, sure, but it also features raunchy love scenes, multiple body piercings, and a certain monster of a, um, private nature.... Overall, it may not be as brilliant as the original Shakespearean masterpiece, but it is a raunchy flick filled with laughs and gore.

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You can catch Tromeo and Juliet instantly on Netflix, or decide to purchase it on Amazon.  Frankly, this movie is on my wish list-- I definitely want to add it to my horror collection soon!  In the meantime, check out a preview below:



P.S. Talk about issues with the writing!  The screenwriter of Tromeo and Juliet, Jamie Gunn, was only paid $150 for the entire screenplay.  He was also instructed by director Lloyd Kaufman (whom I love!) to write the script in iambic pentameter, just like Shakespeare.  Jamie Gunn started to, but then decided he was too bored with it and just told the director he did.  I guess someone needs to brush up on their poetry.....

"From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996)

What do you get when you combine A-list stars (including George Clooney and Harvey Keitel), strippers, and vampires? If you are a fan of Robert Rodriguez and/or Quentin Tarantino, you already know the answer-- From Dusk Till Dawn, a seemingly random, thrown-together film that combines bank robbery with strippers/vampires.  When two brothers (played by George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) need to run off to Mexico to hide out with their loot, they force a nice widower and his two kids to sneak them across the border.  Unfortunately for everyone involved, they spend the night barricaded in a strip club filled with scantily-clad vampires and truck drivers.  Although Quentin Tarantino technically did not direct this, there are certainly elements of his influence, especially the long-winded opening scene that involves a great deal of bantering.

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Thankfully, you can watch this flick on Netflix instantly.  Personally, I recommend buying it from Amazon, since I did and now it's my favorite movie to lull me to sleep at night-- don't judge, please.  However, you can judge how From Dusk Till Dawn looks from the following clip:



P.S. George Clooney was actually one of the last choices for the character in this flick.  John Travolta, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, and Christopher Walken all passed up the role due to scheduling conflicts.  Is it just me or is that the filmmaking equivalent of "It's not you, it's me"?