TerrorVision (1986)

Directed By: Ted Nicolaou

Starring: Chad Allen, Diane Franklin, Mary Woronov, Gerrit Graham, Bert Ramsen, Jon Gries, Randi Brooks, Alejandro Rey, Jennifer Richards

Subgenre: Horror – Comedy, Science Fiction

Synopsis: A family’s new satellite dish receives more than they bargained for when a voracious alien beams in and starts to eat everyone in sight.

Thoughts: Before going on to form Full Moon, Charles Band was behind more horror movies than you can imagine.  Some are icons of the genre and some just need to be seen to be believed.  TerrorVision is one of those movies.  It’s not a good movie, far from it actually, but there is something about it that just pulls you in and won’t let you go. It could very well be that the theme song is laced with subliminal messages, because once you hear this theme song, it will never get out of your head.  It’s like Halloween III, except worse!

The acting, if you want to call it that, is all over the top.  It was designed to be that way.  The swinging parents, crazy grandfather and totally 80s sister are all caricatures of real people.  The closest we come to a genre staple in the movie is Gerrit Graham, the swinging father, who appeared in a handful of other horror offerings (Demon Seed, Child’s Play 2, The Wasp Woman), but that’s not much of a surprise as this really isn’t a horror movie.  It’s much more a comedy with some science fiction thrown in for good measure.

Director Ted Nicolaou has directed quite a few of Band’s movies, but TerrorVision was one of his earliest.  He didn’t do a bad job with the obviously limited budget, and that earned him the right to direct such classics as Subspecies and Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys.  If you are a fan of Full Moon Pictures, it’s a safe bet you’ve seen a couple of his movies.

TerrorVision is one of the many excellent Scream Factory releases to come out recently.  It is part of a double feature with The Video Dead, and even though the two don’t have much in common, it made for a pretty interesting double feature.  TerrorVision isn’t for everyone, but it is one crazy movie.  If you’re fond of Full Moon’s crazier movies, check this one out, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about the theme song.

Mimic (1997)

Directed By: Guillermo del Toro

Starring: Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Alexander Goodwin, Giancarlo Giannini, Josh Brolin, Charles S Dutton, F. Murray Abraham, Norman Reedus

Subgenre: Science Fiction-Horror

Synopsis: Genetically engineered insects designed to kill disease spreading cockroaches continue to evolve and mutate rapidly.

Thoughts: Bugs make my skin crawl, so when I watch a movie like Mimic, I pretty much start the movie creeped out. In addition to the insect focal point, Mimic is filled to the brim with creepy atmosphere, tense scenes and that damn clicking noise that the Judas Breed makes.  I don’t know what it is about that particular noise, but it makes the hair on my arms stand up.  It is very reminiscent of the sound from Ju-On (which is another very freaky movie) and is used to great effect in Mimic.

Guillermo del Toro was still a pretty unknown commodity when he set about making this film, so it is surprising that he pulled a rather impressive cast for Mimic. Mira Sorvino and Josh Brolin both played major parts of the story and did excellent jobs.  Mimic also features a couple of heavyweights in supporting roles in Charles S Dutton and F Murray Abraham and a pre-Boondock Saints Norman Reedus.  Mimic is worth watching for the cast alone.

From the very early stages of his career, del Toro showed a knack for fantastic storytelling and a very impressive eye with the camera. His work has always skirted the borders of horror and fantasy, but I think Mimic is much more in the horror sci-fi realm.  It’s a great example of his early work and just part of what I consider an outstanding resume. We haven’t been treated to a Guillermo del Toro movie since 2008’s Hellboy sequel, but that is set to change with this summer’s mega release Pacific Rim, which I am TOTALLY psyched for.

So, with Mimic, you have a great cast, an outstanding early example of a star director’s work, and a solid story line in a creepy setting, what’s not to like?  For me, not much.  I love this movie and am not sure why it doesn’t get more love.  I do think that the Director’s Cut is a far superior film to the theatrical release, so maybe that initial run was reason for its poor reputation (or lack of a reputation really). If you haven’t had a chance to check out the DC yet, the Blu Ray can be found rather cheap, usually less than $10. I highly suggest revisiting the movie if it’s been awhile, just keep a can of Raid handy.

Class of 1999 (1990)

Directed By: Mark Lester

Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Stacy Keach, Pam Grier, John Ryan, Patrick Kilpatrick, Bradley Gregg, Traci Lind, Darren Burrows, Joshua John Miller

Subgenre: Post-Apocalyptic, Sci Fi Horror

Synopsis: In a future where gang violence rules the streets, authorities struggle to regain control.  Kennedy High School has decided to take drastic measures to take back their school.

Thoughts: Robots posing as humans in a post-apocalyptic environment is not a new concept in Hollywood. Some renditions have been amazing, some not so much.  Class of 1999 falls somewhere in between those marks.  The scenes and landscape reminded me a lot of Robocop, especially with the designer drugs to be found everywhere.

One of the reasons that Class of 1999 does stand out is its cool cast.  Malcolm McDowell, Pam Grier, John Ryan and Patrick Kilpatrick are all outstanding in their roles.  Grier, Ryan and Kilpatrick are the infiltrating robots, so they don’t convey much emotion, but they come off as very badass in their roles.  Stacy Keach plays the person responsible for the robots and sports a rather unique hairstyle that has to be seen to be believed.  In a lot of ways, Keach was the most disturbing part of the movie, especially the way he eats a banana.

I knew going in that this was a follow-up to Class of 1984, both which were directed Mark Lester.  When I checked out the other movies that Lester directed, I was surprised at how many titles I had heard of.  He directed Firestarter, Commando and Showdown in Little Tokyo to name a few.  There were some pretty good action scenes in Class of 1999, something that Lester has shown he knows how to direct.  A few of the effects shots were a little iffy, especially when Pam Grier started showing some battle damage, but I thought of that as the charm of the movie.

Class of 1999 is a fun movie that really personifies its time.  It never takes itself too seriously and features a good story with an interesting cast.  It’s worth a watch, especially if you can find the 8 movie pack that features it.  The only question I haven’t been able to answer about the Class of 1999 is why are the kids still going to school in a future so plagued by drugs and gang violence that the police refuse to patrol the city?

Chopping Mall (1986)

Directed By: Jim Wynorski

Starring: Kelli Maroney, Barbara Crampton, Tony O’Dell, Russell Todd, Karrie Emerson

Subgenre: Sci Fi Horror

Synopsis: Rogue security robots stalk a group of teens that decided to party overnight at the mall.

Thoughts: Oh what a difference a name can make.  Originally released as Killbots, this little tale of deadly robots bombed at the box office.  When it was rereleased as Chopping Mall and given a sweet promo poster, it did much better.  The funny thing is, the poster doesn’t really portray the movie at all as it features a decayed severed hand holding a shopping bag with a head in it. I guess it just goes to show the power of advertising, even if it is false advertising.

Chopping Mall features two of my favorite genre ladies of the 80s in Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet) and Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator). They are really the only two faces you will recognize unless you were a big Head of the Class fan back in the day, then you might recognize Tony O’Dell too.  It’s always a pleasure to watch them work, but I must say that I prefer seeing Crampton in her Stuart Gordon flicks.  Maybe it’s the Lovecraftian influence.

When I started looking through Director Jim Wynorski’s filmography, I was surprised to see Chopping Mall was one of his first flicks, but also surprised at how many movies this guys has pumped out over the years.  He seems to have switched from the horror genre to soft-core porn, but I’m not one to judge, we all need to make a living.  I was also surprised at just how many of his genre movies I had seen (976-EVIL II, Munchie, Ghoulies IV).  He does a solid job here with keeping the story moving and lets the movie focus on its selling point, killer robots.

Chopping Mall is a fun movie. It never takes itself too seriously which is key to its success.  This is one flick I would love to see get a sweet Blu Ray release, but until then, I will live with the 8 movie set that I have.

Critters 4 (1992)

Directed By: Rupert Harvey

Starring: Don Keith Opper, Brad Dourif, Angela Bassett, Terrance Mann, Anne Ramsay, Paul Whitthorne, Anders Hove, Eric DaRe

Subgenre: Creature Feature, Science Fiction

Synopsis: The last two Crites in existence are unleashed on an aging space station.

Thoughts: Charlie and the last of the Crite eggs are picked up by an Outer Space salvage crew in the year 2045 in the third (and final?) Critters sequel.  It’s almost become cliché that horror franchises head to space eventually, but the Crites originate from there, so I can’t hold it against them too much.  What I can hold against this movie is its paper-thin budget and bad script.  I was a little surprised to see it was filmed back-to-back with Part 3, because the third installment looks like Oscar material compared to this one.

It’s a shame the script was so bad, because the cast is pretty decent, sporting Brad Douriff and Angela Bassett in one of her earliest roles.  Don Keith Opper also returns as Charlie, as does Charles Mann, taking a more villainous role with the bounty hunter Ugg.  The rest of the cast is pretty much filler.

This was the first of the Critters movies that I had a hard time making it through in one sitting.  It’s pretty boring and doesn’t bring anything new to the series, other than some closure to the story arc, and even that is down in a half-assed manner.  I can’t really recommend Critters 4, but hell, if you’ve made it this far in the franchise, I’m sure you’re going to finish it out anyways.

Critters 3 (1991)

Directed By: Kristine Peterson

Starring: Aimee Brooks, Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Keith Opper, Christian Cousins, Joseph Cousins, John Calvin, Terrance Mann, William Dennis Hunt

Subgenre: Creature Feature, Science Fiction

Synopsis: The Crites are back, this time hitching a ride into the city and terrorizing a ramshackle apartment building.

Thoughts: The Critters have torn up Grover’s Bend and it’s time to hit the bright lights of the big city.  One of the surviving Crites lays some eggs on a rust bucket of a pick-up belonging to our main protagonists, a single father and his children.  Like some other well-known horror franchises, it’s time for the Crites to leave rural America and head to the big city.

The cast is pretty bland, with the lone highlight being the return of Don Keith Opper as Charlie, the former town drunk turned intergalactic bounty hunter.  His “aw shucks” demeanor works for the role and you can’t help but feel sorry for the guy.  Too many of the roles were overacted, especially those of the other tenants in the building (I’m looking at you Rosalie, Mario and Briggs).  Oh, I guess it’s kind of a big deal that Leonardo DiCaprio made his film debut here as well.  You’d never have guessed this guy would go on to become a heavy hitter in Hollywood based on his work here, but hey, we all have to start somewhere.

Director Kristine Peterson hasn’t directed a lot of movies you’ve probably heard of (other than Critters 3 and Kickboxer 5 of course), but she did serve as a second unit director on a few genre gems like Chopping Mall, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 and Tremors.  I’ve said before that I thought Tremors and Critters had a similar vibe to them, so the connection makes sense.  Anyways, Peterson hasn’t been behind the camera since 1997.

Critters 3 is a decent way to spend an afternoon.  I thought the characters were a bit over the top, especially the slimy landlord and his hired muscle building superintendent, so that grated on me during the movie.  Every movie, the Crites have gotten a little bigger and “better” designed.  Personally, I like the Critters from the first movie the best.  I imagine that as the series progressed, the Crites got more screen time, which demanded a little more attention to the puppets.   

The ending of part three sets up the obvious sequel, which was actually filmed back-to-back with Part 3.  Once again, the Crites follow a well-worn path in the horror genre as they head to outer space, but the difference here, is that is where the Crites as from.

Critters 2: The Main Course (1988)

Directed By: Mick Garris

Starring: Scott Grimes, Don Keith Opper, Terrance Mann, Roxanne Kernohan, Liane Curtis, Barry Corbin, Lin Shaye

Subgenre: Creature Feature, Science Fiction

Synopsis: Brad returns to his home town only to discover that the Critters are back and as hungry as ever.

Thoughts: It didn’t take long for New Line to green light a sequel to Critters, and Critters 2 debuted two years after the first movie.  The story follows shortly after the first movie with Brad returning to the hometown that was the feeding ground for the Crites. 

The cast doesn’t carry the same weight as the first movie, but there are some familiar faces.  Scott Grines reprises his role as Brad, which is a good thing.  I’m not a big fan of different actors playing the same role like Phantasm II did.  Don Keith Opper comes back as Charlie as well, which isn’t surprising seeing as how he was involved in the creative process of the first movie.

While there are not any big name additions to the cast, Director Mick Garris is definitely a heavy weight in the horror industry.  He’s got several Stephen King adaptations on his resume and is the man responsible for Masters of Horror.  Critters 2 was his 2^nd movie and I thought he did a good job keeping the story moving.

Of course the real stars of this franchise are the rolling balls of fury, the Crites.  I think they actually look a little better in the sequel and we also get to see the giant “Critter ball.”  I would love to get my hands on a Critters replica, or better yet, a screen used prop.  I’m not sure I have ever seen a decent replica, but if anyone has, let me know.

Critters 2 is really a continuation of the first movie, not only with the storyline, but in the quality.  It makes for a great double feature and if you like the first movie, you’ll like the second. 

Critters (1986)

Directed By: Stephen Herek

Starring: Dee Wallace, M. Emmet Walsh, Billy Green Bush, Scott Grimes, Nadine Van der Velde, Don Keith Oppers, Billy Zane, Terrance Mann

Subgenre: Creature Feature, Science Fiction

Synopsis: An alien spaceship crash lands in rural Kansas carrying small but ravenous beings known as Crites.

Thoughts: I’ve always thought of Critters as being spawned by the success of Gremlins, but Writer and Director Stephen Herek swears that Critters was written before the release of Gremlins and that Critters actually had to go through several rewrites because it was even more similar to Gremlins than the final product we saw.  No matter what Herek says, Critters has much of the same charm as Gremlins.

For being a B-movie, Critters sports a pretty impressive cast, including Scott Grimes, M Emmet Walsh, Billy Zane, Lin Shaye and personal favorite of mine Dee Wallace.  The cast brings a quality to Critters that it probably doesn’t deserve, but that is probably what makes Critters a cult favorite.  Don Keith Opper plays his most significant movie role as Charlie, the dim-witted town drunk that would inevitably take his turn as the hero.  Opper actually co-wrote the Critters story as well, which explains why his role would recur over the three sequels as well.

Critters marked the debut of Stephen Herek who would turn away from genre films after Critters for a life of mainstream hits, both commercially and critically.  It’s pretty crazy to think that the guy who directed Critters also directed Mighty Ducks and Mr. Holland’s Opus, but he did.  Critters isn’t going to be shown in film study classes, but there are glimmers of Herek’s talent, yet another reason that makes the movie enjoyable.

While Critters is often looked at as a Gremlins knockoff, I tend to think of it in the same vein as two other franchises; Ghoulies and Tremors.  If you enjoy those movies, it’s a safe bet that you’ll like Critters.

Predator 2 (1990)

Directed By: Stephen Hopkins

Starring: Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Ruben Blades, Maria Conchita Alonso, Bill Paxton, Adam Baldwin, Morton Downey Jr, Kevin Peter Hall

Subgenre: Science Fiction

Synopsis: Another Predator returns to Earth, this time in the “jungles” of Los Angeles.

Thoughts: The success of Predator made it an obvious candidate for a sequel and the studios went to work quickly. I thought it was a great idea to bring the Predator into the city.  Another movie set in the jungle would have a difficult time living up to the standards set by the first movie.  Predator 2 plays out a lot like a gritty cop thriller, at least for the first two-thirds of the movie.

On the surface, it seems ridiculous to replace Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura and Carl Weathers with Danny Glover, Gary Busey and Bill Paxton, but the casting works in this setting.  I can’t imagine it was an easy sell to the studios, but it works.  Danny Glover’s character is almost a mix of Riggs and Murtough from Lethal Weapon, which is really a pretty typical character in cop movies, but Glover’s gruff voice and sincerity make it believable.

It’s a given that a character played by Gary Busey will be crazy, but the level of craziness varies.  He plays DEA Agent Keyes, who is on a quest to capture the Predator, which in my book is pretty damn high on the crazy scale.  Bill Paxton also plays a supporting role, making him part of three of the greatest Sci Fi franchises out there with Aliens, Terminator and Predator 2 on his resume.

The direction is solid, but nothing great.  Like I said, this feels like a cop thriller, and doesn’t set itself apart even though it has one of the best villains ever in The Predator.  This was Stephen Hopkins third time behind the camera having previously directed Dangerous Game and A Nightmare on Elm Street 5.  After Predator 2, he hit on a couple of pretty solid moves with Judgment night, The Ghost and the Darkness and Blown Away.

While Predator 2 is a solid movie in its own right, what it is really known for is creating a major stir with the finale, in which we get to see the inside of the Predators ship and collection of skulls.  The appearance of a certain xenomorph would set into motion a universe of comic books, video games and eventually a couple of movies.  While the differences in the first two Predator movies are numerous, I think it goes without saying that if you enjoyed the first one, you should check out the second if you haven’t.

Predator (1987)

Directed By: John McTiernan

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, Bill Duke, Elpidia Carrillo, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves, Shane Black, Kevin Peter Hall

Subgenre: Science Fiction

Synopsis: An elite Special Forces unit ventures into the harsh jungles of Central America to rescue a downed chopper.  Little do they know, they are being hunted by something not of this world.

Thoughts: It’s a bit of a stretch to call Predator a horror movie.  Sure, it has some pretty graphic scenes and Arny and his boys are being hunted by a pretty bad ass alien, but this is more of an action movie with a dabbling of sci fi and horror.  Regardless, it has a place in my collection as well as my heart.

While the story line is very linear and quite simple, Predator has all the ingredients for a classic action flick, starting with one hell of a cast.  I’m sure Sylvester Stallone had Predator in mind when he started pulling together the cast of The Expendables.  You couldn’t find a bigger action star in the 80s than Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Teaming him with Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, Bill Duke and Sonny Landham literally made the cast larger than life.  Those guys were all huge.  Shane Black and Richard Chaves round out the team and provide some comedic relief. Shane Black, who played Hawkins, is a noted Screenwriter, with movies such as Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, Last Action Hero, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and my personal favorite, Monster Squad included in his filmography.

Even more impressive than the cast was the Predator itself.  With its intelligent design and badass qualities, it’s no surprise that it would go on to star in movies, comic books and countless merchandise. It was a great move to slowly reveal the creature in the movie, giving just glimpses of the Predator in the early stages.

Director John McTiernan turned his success with Predator into a pretty impressive Hollywood run with hits such as Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October.  He’s been pretty quiet the last decade other than a pretty nasty legal issue with wiretapping.  I would love to see him come back to the action genre.

While Predator wasn’t a hit with critics in its initial release, it has moved to the top of many lists since. It’s a really fun movie and has some of the best one-liners.  The initial Blue Ray release was pretty poor as far as picture quality, but that has since been remedied. You can pick up a two pack of the first two movies pretty cheap, and it is a worthy addition to any colletion.