I was gearing up to review the 1987 movie, A return To Salem’s Lot, but I realised that it makes little sense to review that without reviewing the 1970s TV movie first. I then realised that talking about the book would be the best way to start. So, here’s the first part of a four part review, covering the book. I’ll follow that in the coming weeks with reviews of the TV movie/miniseries, the sequel and the newer TV miniseries starring Rob Lowe. But first, here’s King’s original:
Continue reading Salem’s Lot – Part 1: The Novel
Director: Richard Rothstein
Written by: Richard Rothstein
Starring: Bud Cort, Lori Petty, Jason Bateman, Robert Picardo
Taglines: “Under new management”
“Norman may be gone, but the hotel lives on!”
Continue reading Bates Motel (1987)
Director: John Landis
Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodbine, Brian Glover
Written by: John Landis
Makeup effects by: Rick Baker
Music by: Elmer Berstein
Taglines: “From the director of Animal House… A different kind of animal.”
“The Monster Movie”
“Beware the Moon”
Continue reading An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Directed by: Lamberto Bava
Written by: Antonio Avati, Pupi Avati, Lamberto Bava, Roberto Gandus
Starring: Bernice Stegers, Stanko Molnar, Veronica Zinny, Roberto Posse
Music by: Ubaldo Continiello
Taglines: “Prepare yourself for the Shock of a Lifetime!”
“Food for Fright!”
“Once she kept a lover on the side. But that’s nothing compared to what she’s keeping in the freezer.”
Continue reading Macabre (1980) (a.k.a. Macabro; Frozen Terror)
Director: Wayne Berwick
Starring: Jackie Vernon, Loren Schein, Roosevelt, Al Troupe
Written by: Craig Muckler, Thomas Singer
Taglines: “The Worst Horror Movie Of All Time!”
Continue reading Microwave Massacre (1983)
Starring: Sammy Snyders, Jeannie Elias, Sonja Smits, Laura Hollingsworth, John Auten.
Directed by: Lew Lehman
Written by: Ian A. Stuart
Music by: Victor Davies
Taglines: “Down in the pit there’s something alive. Half-human. Half-crazed. Pray to God it only kills you.”
“Jamie wouldn’t kill anyone…unless Teddy told him to!”
Continue reading The Pit (1981) (a.k.a. Teddy)
Director: Tony Maylam
Starring: Brian Matthews, Leah Ayres, Brian Backer, Larry Joshua, Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens, Holly Hunter
Special makeup effects by: Tom Savini & Darryl Ferrucci
Story by: Harvey Weinstein, Tony Maylam, Brad Grey
Co-writer: Peter Lawrence
Original music by: Rick Wakeman
Edited by: Jack Sholder
Produced by: Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein
Taglines: “Don’t look, he’ll see you. Don’t breathe, he’ll hear you. Don’t move… you’re dead!”
“A brutal horrific act made him kill and kill and kill”
“If you go down to the woods today… Watch out for Cropsy!”
“Today is not Friday the 13th. But if you see this movie alone… you’ll never be the same again!”
“A legend of terror isn’t a campfire story anymore!”
“Gather Around the Campfire to Die!”
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As you can probably tell from the notable credits above, this is an interesting little movie in that it provided a starting point for a lot of current Hollywood talent. It was the first movies produced by the Weinsteins for their Miramax company, edited by Jack Sholder (who later directed the classic sci-fi/horror The Hidden among others), and features future Oscar winner Holly Hunter, future Seinfeld star Jason Alexander (with hair!) and future Short Circuit sidekick Fisher Stevens in very early roles. As a bonus, this is not only the first movie I’ve reviewed with effects by the legendary Tom Savini, but also the first to have had an official place on the “video nasties” list. More on that later. Continue reading The Burning (1981) (a.k.a. Cropsy)
Director: William Malone
Written by: William Malone & Alan Reed
Starring: Klaus Kinski
Taglines: “It’s been sleeping peacefully on a moon of Saturn for 2000 centuries … until now!”
“It’s Been Sleeping For 2000 Years, Until Now.”
“First you die. . .Then the terror begins”
Continue reading Creature (1985) (a.k.a. Titan Find)
Director: Tibor Takács
Written by: David Chaskin
Starring: Jenny Wright, Clayton Rohner, Randall William Cook, Stephanie Hodge , Michelle Jordan
Music by: Michael Hoenig
Makeup effects by: Randall William Cook
Taglines: “is it fact, fiction, or your worst nightmare escaping from between the pages of a…”
“How can a dead man touch you?”
Continue reading I, MADMAN (1989) (a.k.a. Hardcover)
