Category Archives: VHS

Ten Movie Alternatives for Halloween

A list

In 2001, Larry Potash, anchor of the WGN Morning News show, asked me come up with some sort of list of recommended movies to watch on Halloween. Not wanting to simply send a list of the same old titles, I came up with the following list of alternatives.

Naturally, whoever transcribed the list hacked it down and misspelled a whole lot, but it got us some exposure. It’s a bit dated at this point – in the post-DVD age, everything is a little more accessible and cult items better known – but I think it still stands up. Continue reading

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Sinister Cinema unearths Russian sci-fi

Just received the latest flyer in the mail from Sinister Cinema, the legendary video mail order label famous for making unknown or hard to find genre titles available during the first decade or so of the home video age.

Among the titles in their “25th Annual Bumper Crop” offerings available just in time for Halloween are a couple of rare Russian sci-fi epics. The Robots of Ripley (AKA Gibel Sensatsii – “Death of Sensation”) was long thought to be a 1935 adaptation of Karl Capek’s play R.U.R., for which the term “robot” was coined. Though this is not so, from Sinister’s description it sounds like a lot more fun! Continue reading

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Barn of the Blood Llama

No Fernando, no Lorenzo, but plenty of other llamas Well, if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it fifty times: they make the weirdest movies in Texas. From Larry Buchanan (Mars Needs Women, The Naked Witch) to Tobe Hooper (The … Continue reading

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Creaturealm: Demons Wake

Tales of affordable madness The once popular horror anthology subgenre lives on – if not in the theaters, then in the world of low budget, independent, straight-to tape productions, where young filmmakers can practice their licks on their way to … Continue reading

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Backwoods Marcy

One Maniac! A shot-on-video rural horror thriller, starring and produced by Dawn Murphy and David Lee, directed by Murphy and Dave Castigleone. On his way to business meeting in the deep sticks, real estate agent Donald Jenkins (Lee) goes astray. … Continue reading

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Angel of Death

The Sound of Horror If I was asked to give some kind of advice to young filmmakers – I haven’t been, but if I was – I’d start with this: The audience may forgive poor acting, direction, out of focus … Continue reading

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David “The Rock” Nelson’s Video Shorts Vol. 2

Short is 2 Good Shot back in 1992, these shorts were made back before Nelson learned to sustain viewer interest for the length of an entire feature. Well, okay, so he still hasn’t learned that, but back then he could … Continue reading

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David “The Rock” Nelson’s Video Shorts Vol. 1

Short is Good Shot back in 1991, this collection of shorts were among the first made by Nelson, inspired by his attendance of Psychotronic Film Society shows, which reawakened his love of monster movies. In true Rocky fashion, Nelson begins … Continue reading

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The Crier on VHS

Sob Stories Glynn Beard produced, directed and acts in this low budget thriller inspired the legend of La Llarona – the Crying Woman. Estranged from his wife, the obsessed Beard visits an old witch to obtain a love potion to … Continue reading

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Conrad Brooks vs. the Werewolf

Adventure in Baltimore Back in the summer of 1993, David “the Rock” Nelson met Conrad Brooks at a horror convention. Brooks (born Conrad Biedrzycki) was there to promote his career based on his association with the (then) upcoming Ed Wood … Continue reading

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