Oh, yes! It was that time again.
Saturday, September 17th, 2016, 1:00pm. Time to forgo the beautiful late summer weather and pack into a crowded theater for an all-day 35mm schlock marathon, thanks to the folks at Exhumed Films and Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers.
What could be better than that? I don’t know!
Well, actually, last year’s edition was better, at least in my opinion, but I knew at the time it’d be tough to beat, what with the sublime revelations of ‘Blood Rage‘ and especially ‘Ninja Busters‘, but, mind you, I’m not saying this year’s Guilty Pleasures Marathon was bad by any stretch.
If anything, I greatly appreciated the execution of a particular theme, in this case horror movies with gimmicks, which I’ll explain along the way.
Let’s get into it.
Movie #1: ‘Mad Doctor of Blood Island’ (1968)
I don’t know that I’ve ever taken a blood oath in my life, but I was in the room for the Green Blood Oath that kicks off ‘Mad Doctor of Blood Island’ (because exposure to Green Blood can have ill consequences if you don’t take the oath before drinking it…yeah…). It may not have been the most clever gimmick of the day, but it was certainly the most participatory.
Anyway, ‘Mad Doctor of Blood Island’ is a Filipino exploitation film, the kind with a few white actors (John Ashley and Angelique Pettyjohn, along with her…vessels) thrown in to make it marketable to American audiences (not unlike ‘Blood Debts‘). As you may imagine, there’s a mad doctor on an island, and green-blooded zombies who stalk the night (and day).
It’s not a terrible film. At times it’s quite fun, especially when the dialogue vacillates between rote screenwriting and near-Shakespearean prose (for some reason), and Ronald Remy gives a very effective performance as the doctor, but the movie definitely drags in stretches, and I think just about every time something horrific happens, the camera starts constantly zooming in and out, which didn’t affect my stomach (I found it more generally annoying), but others had trouble just looking at it.
Also unfortunate, relative to the presentation, was that the print we viewed was in pretty rough shape, which definitely affected my experience. I’d be willing to watch it again on a cleaner medium, but, even still, the movie isn’t exactly a masterpiece.
Rating: ★★½
NOTE: The screening of ‘Mad Doctor of Blood Island’ was bookended by an introduction and a Q&A from former long time Independent-International Pictures producer (and all-around B-movie mogul) Sam Sherman.
Movie #2: ‘When the Screaming Stops’ aka ‘The Loreley’s Grasp’ (1974)
Speaking of alerting the audience to horrific events, ‘When the Screaming Stops’ is an American distribution version of ‘The Loreley’s Grasp’ (literally, ‘Las garras de Lorelei’), a Spanish production based on a German legend involving a witch on the River Rhine (basically, a Siren). The version we were treated to, which American audiences saw back in the day, not only added English dubbing, but also on-screen red flashes whenever something gory was about to happen, so that the audience would know to break out their vomit bags (which we all received). You’d think this would reduce the scare factor, and it does to a degree, but some of the gore is still pretty shocking, even by today’s standards.
The general plot of ‘When the Screaming Stops’ is that something is killing people in a small riverside village, so, the local girls’ boarding school (naturally, replete with a gaggle of rare beauties), fearing for their safety, hires a hunter to protect them. But, of course, it turns out not to be an animal who is doing the killings, but a centuries-old (and stunningly beautiful) witch, who turns into a horrible monster under the light of the full moon.
If you’re into strawberry blondes, ‘When the Screaming Stops’ is definitely for you, as you get a fine selection between Helga Liné (Loreley) and Silvia Tortosa (the schoolmarm). But, seriously, the movie is a fine piece of fantasy horror with some fun moments mixed in (which may or may include the fact that the monster may be less than convincing). Not a “must-see”, but worth checking out once, especially for horror fans.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Vomit bag:
Movie #3: ‘Night of the Demons’ (1988)
Ten teens gather in an abandoned funeral home for a party and decide to perform a seance. What could go wrong?
Well, just about everything. For one, releasing a demon that plans on possessing everyone in the house.
‘Night of the Demons’ has no gimmicks. It takes proper time to get set up, but once it’s ready, it’s straight-ahead, in-your-face terror for the rest of the runtime. And it does so on a relatively small budget, which in some ways is noticeable (namely the music, which isn’t bad, but it’s cheap), but I think the movie largely overcomes this factor. Having a small cast in essentially one location (a horror movie staple) certainly helps, but it’s also good that director Kevin Tenney has a sense of style, and isn’t afraid to add some flair (having competently done makeup effects doesn’t hurt either).
This is a pretty good horror flick. The ensemble cast has a fair amount of chemistry, the movie never gets bogged down too much, and, for a concept that could easily be tired, it mostly keeps things fresh. Definitely worthy of a spot in Halloween-time rotation.
Also, I don’t want to spoil too much (Lipstick), but in one particular way, this movie is actually important, because it turns a certain trope completely on its head.
Rating: ★★★½
NOTE: The screening of ‘Night of the Demons’ was bookended by an introduction and a Q&A from actor Alvin Alexis.
Movie #4: ‘The Horror of Party Beach’ (1964)
I don’t think it’s a secret that I love movies that punch above their weight class, and this film is absolutely better than it has any right to be. Sure, the monster is a joke, the science is questionable, and sometimes it’s just downright hard to see, but what can you honestly expect for $120,000? It’s entertaining, and that’s all that really matters.
‘The Horror of Party Beach’ is obviously a mash-up of monster movies and the then-burgeoning “Beach Party” sub-genre (complete with New Jersey’s own “The Del-Aires“, who are great), shot almost entirely in and around Stamford, CT (with just a touch of Manhattan, which is great to see). As it goes, there’s dumping of radioactive waste in the bay, and, of course, one of the containers springs a leak, which, when mixed with the skeletal remains from a shipwreck, forms horrible monsters that KILL.
Perhaps the biggest strength of ‘Party Beach’, and I mean this in all sincerity, is its length. At only 78 minutes, it moves along well enough and doesn’t overstay its welcome (anyone familiar with 1950s B sci-fi knows 90 minutes is about the breaking point anyway). But, really, it’s just a fun watch from beginning to end (what with all the music, beach partying, and motorcycle gangs), and it doesn’t unnecessarily tease you. Compared to a much later movie like ‘Blood Beach‘ (which is painfully boring), it’s a treat.
Oh, and the gimmick for this one was a “Fright Release”, absolving the theater from any liability should someone literally be scared to death.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Fright Release:
Movie #5: ‘Monsters Crash the Pajama Party’ (1965)
‘Monsters Crash the Pajama Party’ isn’t a movie, but rather a fun half hour short, blending comedic and light horror elements. Not unlike ‘Night of the Demons’ (but also very different), a group of sorority initiates are brought by their boyfriends to a “haunted” old mansion, where they have to spend the night in order to be accepted. Naturally, the boys come back with the intention of scaring them, but unbeknownst to everyone is the fact that a mad scientist and his creature henchmen are working in the basement. They try to capture the girls for experiments, the boys try to rescue the girls, and the police try to rescue everyone, but the real point is to just enjoy the ride, as there is much fourth wall breaking (quite literally at the end, as the gimmick involves the creatures coming “out of the screen” and into the audience).
It’s quite charming, as the film seems to be merely a friendly low-budget effort, and the performance of the mad scientist is quite savory (lots of great visual gags in the laboratory as well), but a home viewing seems rather pointless given the ending. However, if you happen to notice anyone doing a theater screening, it’s worth checking out.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Movie #6: ‘Godzilla vs. Megalon’ (1973)
At last, we’ve finally made it to the end.
By the point in the evening, my compatriots and I were rather punchy, and given that the final film of the day was a surprise, we didn’t know what we were in for. But, the event had been dubbed “Mad Monster Marathon”, so we probably should have suspected some sort of Kaiju action.
How Godzilla ever evolved from a somber metaphor for nuclear destruction in the mid-1950s to literally children’s entertainment by the 1970s, I surely don’t know, but ‘Godzilla vs. Megalon’ is firmly in the latter camp.
The movie kicks off with a nuclear test, which is the final straw for Seatopia, an underground civilization we’ve never seen or heard of before, but they’re pissed about it and they intend to declare war, despite us surface dwellers not having a clue. Meanwhile, a scientist is putting the finishing touches on a robot man named Jet Jaguar (who is totally and utterly distinct from Ultraman), who the Seatopians want to take control of so he can guide Megalon on the Earth’s surface and I guess destroy us all. Blah, blah-blah, blah-blah.
Point is, we get a tag team match between Godzilla and Jet Jaguar on our side, and Megalon and Gigan on the Seatopian side, and that’s all that really matters.
Not to get overly nitpicky, because it’s not really my style, but frankly, the movie is cheap, and I don’t mean in a good way. Many shots and scenes are recycled from previous films, and at one point when Megalon is firing his mouth cannon in rapid succession, the shot is clearly just looped over and over again.
Overall, the movie is a bit of campy fun, and, in spite of its frugality, some of the model shots do look pretty good, but I’m not outright recommending this one by any stretch.
Rating: ★★½
Well, there it is. Another year, another Guilty Pleasures Marathon, and a whole lot of monsters. Thanks again to Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers and Exhumed Films for putting it on. It was a fun time as usual, and I look forward to next years edition.