Rapey demon goes on a rampage in TorontoGalen, MA. This movie has ties to both Deadly Blessing (incubus as our monster) and Watcher in the Woods (directed by John Hough). This movie was on my list a couple of years ago when I did "Movies I thought I had watched, but never did" for the challenge.
The acting is not bad. Not great mind you, but better than expected in many cases.
There is a twist in the end, and one that should have been expected to be honest, but still fun. Though that is about all that is fun about the movie. Though the movie is true the nature of the Incubus, so I can't fault them there.
Keep your eyes open, near the end Bruce Dickinson shows up (on film) with his then band Samson. So that is fun.
Interestingly enough, both Incubi are depicted here as mostly incorporeal begins that can possess people. Typically succubi have a more physical manifestation. I wonder why? (of course, we all know).
Ah...not Forbidden Planet...but well you get the idea.
I was not going to do an 80's themed October Challenge without getting in a Roger Corman film.
Corman is up to his usual tricks here too, cheap sets, recycled footage, and beautiful women in various stages of undress.
The plot is one so old that even in 82 it felt old. Alien monster created by science gets loose in a lab and kills everyone. But to Corman's credit, he still manages to make this old chestnut entertaining.
Our hero, Mike Colby, is a Federation Marshall sent to deal with the problem. He manages to have sex with every woman on the base and still finds a way to allow everyone to get killed on the base.
Priorities I guess.
Still, if I ever get my Star Trek/White Star/Black Star game going again there will be a shape-shifting alien in the Jefferies Tubes killing people.
Forbidden World also features a Pre-V June Chadwick as Dr. Barbara Glaser, but she might be remembered best as David St. Hubbins' girlfriend Jeanine in "This is Spın̈al Tap". Of course given that this a Corman flick the only way the two women on board can figure out how to communicate with the creature is during a scene where they shower together.
This movie has also been known as "Mutant". The actual creature, as to be expected, looks nothing like the cover art.
Ah, Deadly Blessing. As kids my brothers and sisters LOVED this movie. No kidding. The ads were so damn creepy.
A young Sharon Stone forced to eat a spider by an Incubus? Hell yeah! That's nightmare fuel for decades. And a real spider was dropped into her mouth for this scene. How's that for dedication?
Ok, where to start on this movie? Well, it features a young Sharon Stone in one of her very first roles. It also features Battlestar Galactica's Mara Jensen in her very last role before disappearing from public life. Also appearing is 80s horror mainstay Michael Berryman, TV star Lisa Hartman, and the last film for Susan Buckner before she left public life as well.
The movie features a group of people called the "Hittites" (no relation to the ancient Mesopotamians) who are supposed to be some sort of ultra-Amish.
Our demon-de-hour is an Incubus, but one that decides to possess women. I guess "incubus" sounds cooler than "succubus" in this case.
Anyway. Lots of creepy stuff. Murders happen. Mara Jensen takes a famous bath with a snake. And it a fashion that predicts A Nightmare on Elm Street, we think we have the murderer and everyone goes back home. Except for Martha (Mara Jensen), who pulled into hell by the Incubus in his full demon form.
Ok. Let's be honest. The movie doesn't hold up. In truth, it wasn't that good to start with, but my memories of it are tied up in watching it with my family.
Sharon Stone is great really. You get a feeling for the sort of actress she will become later. Maren Jensen is fine, but I think had she not be diagnosed with Epstein-Barr Syndrome she would have naturally left acting. She was good, but didn't have a lot of range.
Maybe one of the most iconic horror movie posters of all time. Well, at least in the top 10.
A bit under the weather here today and all weekend, but I watched to old favorites.
Working my way to 1981.
Fear No Evil (1981). Loved this stupid little movie as a kid and even more on VHS when I got a copy. Let's be honest, high school IS Hell.
I had that poster on my wall for years.
The Final Conflict (1981). Damien is back and this time he has his devilish eyes on nothing less than the office of the President! Imagine that, a soulless son-of-a-bitch as the President.
Sam Neil was really fun in this movie. The Omen trilogy itself is pretty bad, but this one was fun.
God might only have one son, but Satan's sons are all real underperformers.
There was a time in the late 70s and early 80s when Disney was going through a slump. It roughly corresponds to the time when Walt and Roy Disney died and before the coming of Micheal Eisner. This gave us some very different kinds of movies from the House of Mouse. The Witch Mountain series on the onset and the Black Hole near the end typify of what I think of when I say Dark Disney.
We also got the thriller with multiple choice endings, The Watcher in the Woods.
Now I'll be honest, at age 10 this movie gave me a scare, but I was fascinated with it too. It' doesn't quite hold up to today, but it was still a ton of fun to watch again.
I have to say Bette Davis left a mark on my psyche so deep that I think every old witch I have done is a bit of a reflection of her Mrs. Aylwood. Or maybe that and her role in Disney's earlier Return to Witch Mountain (1978). Both films were directed by John Hough, so that might explain the similar vibe.
The Watcher in the Woods is also part of a string of movies, books, and other media popular at the time (and before) that took the point of view of "it's not supernatural, it's alien!" but never to the extent that Lovecraft took it.
Still, it is interesting to view this movie through the lenses of Lovecraftian cosmic horror. Especially if you stick to the original ending of the movie the alien creature at the end (The Watcher) could very easily be a Mi-Go.
The ending is still a little too happy to be real Lovecraft.
I have been a fan of Bruce Heard's work for sometime now. Ever since I picked up a copy of the Glantri Gazzeteer for BECMI D&D I have been following what he does.
His new project has been his world of Calidar and it has been a lot of fun.
Now we come full circle to Calidar's magical kingdom.
History of Caldwen: This chapter covers the origins of the magiocracy, from its ancient time on Munaan, a moon of Calidar, to present-day Caldwen. Includes a summary and a huge timeline of events.
Lay of the Land: Geography, climate, local culture, main cults and races, economy, regional peculiarities, and local dynamics combine to depict each province separately.
Intrigues of the Magi: Internal politics, government by academia, and the military overlaid upon rivalries among the wizardly aristocracy and the sorcerous hoi-polloi give the magiocracy a unique character.
Behind the curtains: Discover the odd brotherhoods and secret sects working from the shadows, scheming to make an already-challenging setting even more perilous.
A Cast of Many: A host of political figures, academic personalities, and curious individuals populate these pages. They are presented here, with game stats, motivations, secrets, and connections galore.
Master & Servant: A nation where demons serve the spellcasting class, local laws, and tools of lordship are presented alongside a who's who of Caldwen's most notorious demons.
Beasties in the Dark: Some of the more curious creatures dwelling in Caldwen populate this section, complete with stats and illustrations, beckoning game referees to summon them during their adventures.
At the Heart of Magic: Discover Caldwen's schools of magic and how their benefits, tuition, philosophies, diplomas, and campus rivalries influence the fabric of the entire magiocracy.
Secrets of the Cabals: Private guilds provide alternate career paths in the fields of Alchemy, Demonology, Dracology, Elementalism, Necromancy, and Skymastery, with deadly trials and fabulous powers.
Blood of the World Soul: An order of mage-knights concerns itself with a mystical source of raw magical power forbidden to all but Caldwen's aristocracy. Though potent, it is deadly if abused.
Sky City of Arcanial: The capital city is a wondrous place flying above a sprawling shanty town on the ground. Packed with encounter ideas, each district requires flying gondolas and teleporters to reach.
So really a must buy for anyone that was a fan of Glantri.
The Calidar books so far have been great and top notch in quality, so I expect nothing less here.
Its Atheist vs Satanist is this 1980 Troma...er...classic.
The movie details the struggle between an atheist (Martin Richard Moll in a very early role), his wife a psychic and surgeon, a police detective and the immortal satanic Nazi they are all hunting.
Personally, I think they tried to cram too much into one movie and none of it fared well. Plus it is Troma and while they are still a couple years from their Golden Age of Toxic Avenger, they have not yet found their sweet spot. Though I do recall there were a couple of Troma movies from the early 80s that were fine.
Plus the woman playing Moll's wife, Faith Clift, is not very good. Though my favorite part in this is she goes to see a psychiatrist friend and he suggests she go to the Disco to get rid of these nightmares she is having. It comes off as so pandering that he made me laugh. (Psychologists will often suggest a vigorous physical activity to aid with night terrors.)
Maybe if they had split this into two movies, with the detective following the case from both and then had you know a good script. I like the idea of evil, immortal satanic Nazis as bad guys.
Did I mention though our Nazi sucked too? No? Wel,l he did. IF he is the best that the Nazi's and Satan can collectively come up with then the army of evil is nothing.
The movie was released as "The Nightmare Never Ends" but at some point was renamed "Cataclysm". No idea why. Also, the movie has two release dates; 1980 for the US and 1983 for West Germany.
