The Revenge of Something Old, Something New...
Another collection of thumb nail reviews guaranteed to help you melt those lbs away or your money back
List activity
1K views
• 6 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
82 titles
- DirectorKurt NeumannStarsDavid HedisonPatricia OwensVincent PriceA scientist has a horrific accident when he tries to use his newly invented teleportation device.
- DirectorEdward BerndsStarsVincent PriceBrett HalseyDavid FrankhamPhilippe Delambre, the now-adult son of "The Fly", does some transportation experimentation of his own.20th Century Fox had a relationship with theatre chain owner Robert Lippert. Lippert's poverty row studio shot 10-20 pics a year on a budget of 100 grand each and sadly RETURN OF THE FLY was one of them. It was released hot on the heels of the classic original as a double feature with THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE. Neither were a hit with critics or audiences but both have developed a cult of admirers thanks to late night creature features and streaming services.
Edward Bernds was a well-liked hack remembered fondly for a handful of strikingly bad films including THE THREE STOOGES MEET HERCULES, THE BOWERY BOYS MEET THE MONSTERS, THE QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE and this drastically inferior sequel to THE FLY. His script was a 10th rate rehash of the George Langelaan short story published in the pages of Playboy magazine. The only returning star was top-billed Vincent EDWARD SCISSORHANDS Price cast in the supporting role of Francois Delambre & the character of Inspector Beecham recast with the forgettable John THE BAT Sutton. You'll also see the laboratory set recycled to offer something by way of production value.
Handsome Brett RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE Halsey plays Philippe Delambre; a scientist obsessed with perfecting the disintegration / integration chambers that lead to his fathers' mutation. His concerned uncle (Price) warns his nephew of the danger but he doesn't listen & is soon the victim of patent thieves David KING RAT Franklin & Dave ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN Seymour. The swindlers turn a snoopy reporter into a were-guinea pig and the Delambre heir into THE FLY II. Will his French bride to be (Danielle VALLEY OF THE DRAGONS De Metz) keep her 'love tryst' with the monster or is the movie poster writing cheques the director couldn't cash?
RETURN OF THE FLY was doomed to fail anyway but did I forget to mention It was also shot in B&W just to save a few bucks? These people cared nothing about the fans! A sickly circus giant named Ed THE PHANTOM CREEPS Wolff plays the fly-monster quite badly. He stumbles around in a ridiculous, over-sized bug head. The man who ruined the make-up completely was Hal Lierley who was probably better known for applying lipstick to the ladies in THE BIG PRODUCTION OF 1938. RETURN OF THE FLY is so notoriously BAD it can be enjoyed as a guilty pleasure but if you love THE FLY it'll still break your heart a little. Unexpectedly followed by the obscure THE CURSE OF THE FLY in 1965. - DirectorDon SharpStarsBrian DonlevyGeorge BakerCarole GrayMotorist Martin Delambre attempts to keep evidence of his family's bizarre experiments in teleportation hidden from his wife, who is hiding secrets of her own.THE FLY is recognised as one of the finest science fiction slash horror films of the 1950s. THE RETURN OF THE FLY eventually became a fondly remembered cult classic and is considered one of the worst movies ever made. This off-kilter and slightly belated sequel from England wasn't widely seen outside the U.K. The director was Don Stroud and THE CURSE OF THE FLY was more of a traditional, gothic movie as were his earlier Hammer hits RASPUTIN: THE MAD MONK and THE KISS OF THE VAMPIRE. This unfashionable-at-the-time B&W Fly-less 'THE FLY sequel fell off the map after a brief pairing with 1965s THE DEVILS OF DARKNESS on the drive-in circuit which was too bad because I liked it a lot!
After a series of horrific experiments the Delambre family is as infamous as the Frankensteins. Henri & his eldest son Martin have fled their notoriety in Quebec for the English countryside where their terrifying work continues. Their teleportation device creates human deformity, brain damage, genetic mutation and may even be addictive! These two guys cannot stop. If they weren't crazy enough a woman escapes from the nearby insane asylum & after hitching a ride with the 'widowed' Martin quickly marries into the family. Turns out the one you've really gotta keep your eye on is Martin's insanely jealous & grotesquely disfigured wife Judith who is let out of her cage at night to prowl the estate!
Harry THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS Spalding wrote this intriguing & occasionally gruesome film which was inspired by a short story published in Playboy magazine. Actors George THE RUTH RENDELL MYSTERIES Baker, Carole ISLAND OF TERROR Gray & Oscar nominee Brian GAMERA: THE INVINCIBLE Donlevy are as good as you'd see in any QUATERMASS film. Harold THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING Fletcher very effectively designed the gross make up special effects and Basil THE RETURN OF MR. MOTO Emmett applied the evocative cinematography.
I like THE CURSE OF THE FLY even more today thanks to the 1986 franchise reboot from producer Mel Brookes. David Cronenberg's stomach churning remake featuring Jeff Goldblum as the obsessed teleportee resonates strongly with this under-rated shocker. The theme of watching your deformities evolve with each teleportation makes this macabre B movie the perfect way to transition into the second series. If you haven't seen it don't be too afraid to have a look. - DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJeff GoldblumGeena DavisJohn GetzA brilliant but eccentric scientist begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong.Brooksfilms was a studio best known for comedy hits like TO BE OR NOT TO BE, SPACEBALLS and DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT so Mel Brooks development of this remake of the fondly remembered horror pic from 1958 came out of left field. Hiring David Cronenberg to direct also raised some eyebrows. Cronenberg was known for a string of gruesome low budget shockers including RABID, SHIVERS and THE BROOD which generated as much controversy as they did scares. Charles PSYCHO III Edward Pogue shared scripting duties with the now-revered Canadian film maker in adapting the George Langelaan short story that was published in the pages of Playboy magazine. This riveting shocker is among their best work and rates 10 out of 10 stars. It's a masterpiece that's equal to THE EXORCIST pound for sickening pound every harrowing step of the way from frightening beginning to nerve wracking end.
Oscar winner Gena THELMA AND LOUISE Davis and Academy Award nominee Jeff JURASSIC WORLD DOMINATION Goldblum simply catch fire onscreen together and were famously a couple IRL when THE FLY was in production. They radiate chemistry like Fukushima radiates Strontium-90. You won't take your eyes off either of them for a second. She plays an ambitious reporter who unexpectedly becomes personally involved with an eccentric inventor who claims have built a teleportation device. Seth Brundle's telepods aren't perfect the lovers soon discover when the scientist teleports himself becoming accidentally fused with a stowaway fly. The young man's body begins to mutate as his insect form come to stomach churning life. As if that wasn't revolting enough, Veronica is being stalked by a jealous ex (John DOOM PATROL Getz) while trying to wrap her head around the fact she's pregnant by a monstrously deformed genetic freak. These 3 actors effortlessly carry the entire weight of this unforgettable film on their experienced shoulders. Joy TERROR TRAIN Boushel & George PROM NIGHT III: THE LAST KISS Chuvalo have been gifted a memorable scene or two to try and steal. The small cast is truly exceptional!
Howard Shore who has composed the score to most of Cronenbergs' films and half a dozen for Martin Scorsese sets the grand guignol tone of THE FLY. The London Philharmonic Orchestra's music saturates every scene with operatic atmosphere. Shore won 3 Oscars for THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy but this excellent score which reminded me greatly of SCANNERS is my all-time favourite evocative piece he's written. As deserving of Academy Awards as many who poured their hearts into this genre defining blockbuster certainly were only Chris Wallis and his special FX team took home a statuette for their vomit inducing transformation sequences. Many saw Brundle's hideous transformation as a metaphor for HIV being that it was a film produced during the very real pandemic (not like the fake one we got stuck with today) sweeping the globe at the time.
Michael EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY Bigelow, Ted THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT Ross, Leslie VIBES Mullgrave, Hoyt NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION Yeatman, Clark THE DEAD ZONE Johnson and Louis SCANNERS III: THE TAKEDOWN Craig all deserve nothing but the highest praise. These practical fx are arguably even more visceral and unsettling than the creature effects seen in AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON or the 1982 remake of THE THING by John Carpenter. The Oscar winning Walas who got his start with Roger Corman's PIRANHA, UP FROM THE DEPTHS and HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP would be invited back to direct THE FLY II in 1989. Be Afraid...Be Very Afraid! - DirectorChris WalasStarsEric StoltzDaphne ZunigaLee RichardsonThe almost-human son of "Brundlefly" searches for a cure to his mutated genes while being monitored by a nefarious corporation that wishes to continue his father's experiments.I'm not a gorehound but love horror movies.THE FLY and it's gruesome sequel were made for gorehounds and are every bit as nauseating as the old school practical effects fans remember from genre classics THE THING or THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE PART 2. David Cronenberg's stomach-churning remake of the 1958 sci-fi masterpiece THE FLY earned an Academy Award for Chris Walas, Inc's unforgettable creature designs. The company's namesake was invited to direct the sequel when Chronenberg declined. THE FLY's endlessly charismatic stars Jeff Goldblum & Gena Davis also refused to sign on for THE FLY II. Goldblum pops up via outtakes deleted 3 years earlier while Veronica was badly recast with Saffon FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VII: JASON TAKES MANHATTAN Henderson. Her character dies during the opening scene while delivering Seth Brundle's mutant son.
Seth was himself infected with insect DNA because of his experiments with teleportation pods at the time Veronica became pregnant. With both parents dead Anton Bartok (Lee THE EXORCIST III Richardson) assumes guardianship of the orphaned Martin Brundle. The boy is afflicted with rapid aging syndrome and is a genius like his father. Bartok hopes the boy will finish the work on the gene-splicers Seth accidentally invented. By the age of 5 Martin is now old enough genetically to be played by Eric Stoltz who got his start in hits like FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMOUNT HIGH, MASK & PAPER DOLLS. He's a terrific actor with an impressive body of work on this resume even today. He's paired opposite Daphne MELROSE PLACE Zuniga as a Bartok backshift employee who befriends and quickly beds the young inventor. The age difference is never permitted to be a plot point. Later, when the lovers flee the lab and turn to Veronica's ex (John DOOM PATROL Goetz), Slathis states Martin's age; 5 and the actress isn't even allowed a reaction shot. The writers are to blame for setting up the awkward coupling but honestly Zuniga is an awful actress & this is one of her more tolerable performances. Not only do they not catch the silver screen on fire the way Davis/Goldblum had, they generate no chemistry.
Martin begins to transform into THE FLY II and is held captive by Bartok who intends to keep him as a lab specimen reflecting the diabolical Delambre experiments carried out in 1965's THE CURSE OF THE FLY. The man/boy who emerges from a gooey larval stage as THE FLY goes on violent rampage killing the scientists who were unkind & the guards who were mean. Seth Brundle went a little crazy during his metamorphosis to explain his frightening behaviour but his son has no such excuse. Unlike Seth Martin knows exactly what he's doing although the script glosses it over like his age. The disgusting killings towards the end included a man's face melting because of fly puke and another's head being squished by the decent of an elevator. Either killing could have warranted the sequel an 'X Rating' for gore. It's the scripted short cuts that undermine THE FLY II's integrity. It's hard to root for a hero who arbitrarily murders 4 characters.
Mel Brooks claimed he's never seen so much studio interference on a film. Walas was helpless against the Fox execs who wanted a cheap, gory horror pic teenagers would go see. Enough did to merit this moderately praised shock-fest a third instalment but Brooks, Cronenberg and even Walas expressed no interest in moving forward with The Fly 3. Mick CRITTERS 2 Garris adapted the famous short story written by George Langelaan in 1956. Jim and Ken Wheat who worked on several forgettable sequels including THE STEPFORD HUSBANDS, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE II & THE BIRD II: LAND'S END contributed to the flawed screen play with Frank THE BLOB Darabont applying the polish. The outstanding make up designs & puppetry deserves the majority of THE FLY II's limited success. Jayne THE DEATH OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK Dancose, Steve VENOM Davis, Dennis TOTAL RECALL Pawlik & Jo-Anne THE SHADOW Smith each deliver special effects guaranteed to leave your stomach twisted in knots! They're getting an extra star for their sensational effects which will keep your eyes glued from start to finish. 6/10 - DirectorWilliam A. LeveyStarsJohn HartIvory StoneJoe De SueEddie is a Vietnam war veteran who loses both his arms and his legs when he steps on a land mine. A brilliant surgeon is able to attach new limbs, but his assistant switches the DNA injections, transforming him into a huge hulking monster.A lawyer named Frank Saletri cobbled this cultish blaxploitation pic together as a labour of unrequited love. He wrote, produced and even helped design the terrible special effects hoping to capitalise on the mini boom in the black horror film industry brought about by ABBY, THE HOUSE ON SKULL MOUNTAIN and especially BLACULA. He unwisely peppered the cast with clients or friends very few of whom would ever 'act' again.
Joe Desue plays (badly) a limbless war vet offered a chance to reattach fresh arms and legs via an experimental injection of DNA The well-meaning Dr Stein's drug turns the man into a 10th rate rip off of Universal's classic monster. And we're not talking Karloff either. Desue isn't even in the same ballpark as Glenn Strange! The also-unknown Ivory Stone is equally worthless as the heroine. The only names in the cast were John THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN AFRICA: MIGHTY JUNGLE AVENGER Hart as Stein and the obscure Liz DESPERATE LIVING Renay as one of the cannibalistic monsters future snacks.
In addition to the mediocre cast BLACKENSTEIN: THE BLACK FRANKENSTEIN was crippled by bad makeup designs and special effects. The producer contributed to the substandard visuals but Ken Sticktaden handled the bulk of the work obvs. Stricktaden was an experienced FX artist who worked on THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN early in his career. By the time he got around to making this he was reduced to grade Z movies like DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN so don't expect much.
William THE HAPPY HOOKER GOES TO WASHINGTON Levey is defeated as director every step of the way from the start. Genre addicts may feel obligated to have a look but most folks will wisely not bother. There's only a few moments of entrail fondling & flashed boob to catch your eye. It's not even remotely similar to Mary Shelley's classic novel and not nearly as good as FRANKENSTEIN 1970 or LADY FRANKENSTEIN which were playing the drive in circuit at the same time. BLACKENSTEIN's barely on par with DR. BLACK AND MR. HYDE. - DirectorWilliam SterlingStarsFiona FullertonMichael JaystonHywel BennettAlice (Fiona Fullerton) falls down a rabbit hole and into a magical dream world populated by surreal characters and bewildering adventures. It's a journey of self-discovery for Alice as she searches for a way out of Wonderland and encounters many bizarre creatures such as the White Rabbit (Michael Crawford), the March Hare (Peter Sellers), the Queen of Hearts (Dame Flora Robson), and the Dormouse (Dudley Moore). Musical highlights include the inspiring song "The Me I Never Knew".Following closely on the musicals SCROOGE and WILLIE WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY England's Rank Studios helmed this frugal (yet faithful!) adaption of the novels ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS by Lewis Carroll. The classic children's fantasy novels were cherry picked for the best scenes we all remember vividly and written almost verbatim from the page by William Sterling who also directed.
After a nationwide talent search future Bond girl Fiona A VIEW TO A KILL Fullerton was cast as an older Alice but she plays the part to perfection & has a sweet singing voice. This beautifully cast musical featured a dream ensemble including Peter THE PINK PANTHER Sellers as March Hare, Dudley 10 Moore as Doormouse, Ralph WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO? Richardson as Caterpillar, Fiona HEIDI Robson as Queen of Hearts & Michael HELLO, DOLLY! Crawford as White Rabbit.
The costumes and makeups were exceptionally well done for the early 1970s. Stuart Freeborn would go on to create the dazzling creatures for George Lucas initial STAR WARS trilogy. Much of the matte work & opticals were very capably applied by Roy Whybrow who worked on SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, SUPERMAN II & SUPERGIRL. The cinematography was from Oscar winner Geoffrey Unsworth who worked similar magic opening up the claustrophobic movie stages as he did for MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS.
And now; The Bad News...as a musical ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND sucks! I thought Don Black's lyrics were monotonus & entirely forgettable. That's especially noticable when juxtaposed to the spoken dialogue which crackles. He did the slightly rancid songs for Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST II: AN ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS too if you really want to know why I hate the man. There's not a quotable line of music or a catchy tune to be heard. The score was written by multiple Academy Award winner John Barry who's done everything from the COTTON CLUB to HOWARD THE DUCK. Their bland soundtrack is a minor deal breaker for me.
Distributors were looking for the something that would sell a million tie in albums and so this cultish kid's movie was ignored. By the 80s it had become a staple for companies who sold public domain titles to the VHS market. I'd recommend this surreal, colourful cult classic any day of the week but not as a musical. - DirectorFritz KierschStarsPeter HortonLinda HamiltonR.G. ArmstrongA young couple is trapped in a remote town where a dangerous religious cult of children believes that everyone over age 18 must be killed.Stephen King wrote CHILDREN OF THE CORN as a short story he sold to Penthouse in '77. The mediocre story was one of the higher profile lesser works King saw filmed along with MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, THE LAWNMOWER MAN, THE MANGLER & SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK. George BLUE MONKEY Goldsmith adapted the tale for 1st time director Fred GOR Kiersch. Donald MEATBALLS 4 Borscher who owned the rights got it made on the cheap at Roger Corman's New World Pictures.
This meh slasher pic benefited enormously by the casting of Linda Hamilton as the female lead. Hamilton's career was about to get white hot with the launch of James Cameron's THE TERMINATOR and the cultish BEAUTY AND THE BEAST series on CBS. She was probably the main reason why this forgettable tale of demonic kids murdering adults rented as many units as it did back in the days of VHS. Peter Horton who co-stars as Hamilton's husband was also about to get very famous for his work on THIRTYSOMETHING.
The children are driven to genocide by a demon called He Who Walks Behind the Rows. A 25 year old gay, humunculus actor named John CHILDREN OF THE CORN 666: ISAAC'S REVENGE Franklin assumed the villainous lead. The shrill and odd looking '12 year old' orders the adults killed unless they can escape the possessed Nebraska town.
Pornographer Joao Fernandes handled the cinematography. This and FRIDAY THE 13TH PART IV: THE FINAL CHAPTER would be among his 1st mainstream work. The bloodless horror action was thrown together by a small team led by Paula CRITTERS Lombard, Max JAWS 3-D Anderson and Wayne FRED 2: NIGHT OF THE LIVING FRED Beauchamp. Followed by 2 remakes in 2009 & 2020 and a slew of mostly unwatchable sequels. - DirectorDavid PriceStarsTerence KnoxPaul ScherrerRyan BollmanA journalist and his son travel to Nebraska to investigate the mysterious town of Gatlin where, unbeknownst to them, a murderous cult of children are still waiting in the corn fields.CHILDREN OF THE CORN II: THE FINAL SACRIFICE was the long unanticipated sequel to the 1984 New World pic CHILDREN OF THE CORN and to the forgettable 1977 short story that appeared in Penthouse magazine. The demand for any brand associated with Stephen King was at it's peak even if he never contributed anything beyond a recycled concept to the franchise. King wisely washed his hands of every instalment after the 1st.
Gilbert Adler & A. L. Katz wrote this tongue in cheek sequel bringing with them the same juvenile sense of humour they casually displayed writing the campy HBO anthology TALES FROM THE CRYPT. I'd describe this as cute at times like their TALES FROM THE CRYPT: BORDELLO OF BLOOD had been but never really clever. David SON OF DARKNESS: TO DIE FOR 2 Price was hired to direct & does an okay job despite being the boss' son. Price sustained career ending box office injuries soon after filming the gender bent flop DR. JEKYLL AND MS. HYDE so this is technically his 'best' work.
Terrence ST. ELSEWHERE Knox play a single father struggling to keep his teenage son on good terms while the pair explore the town of Hemingford. They're in pursuit of the story of what happened in the nearby community of Gatlin, Nebraska. What went down in Gatlin was genocide. A demon called 'He Who Walks Behind The Rows' compelled the kids in town to murder all the adults. Hemingford opens it's borders to the creepy teens blissfully unaware they're next. Paul THE VAN DYKE SHOW Scherrer played Knox' son who falls under the influence of the corn shucking schmucks.
Ryan THE NEVER-ENDING STORY 3: RETURN TO FANTASIA Bollman plays the leader of heathens and while he's 10 000 times better an actor than John Franklin had been as 'Isaac' in parts 1 and 666 he's also quite forgettable as the villain. Christie A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE Clark, Ned HOUSE IV Romero & Ed Grady padded the bland cast. Only Grady would return to the franchise as Dr Appleby in CHILDREN OF THE CORN III: URBAN HARVEST.
The 'light hearted' supernatural slashings plaguing Hemingfod were plentiful. This is a bloodier continuation that reminded me of PROM NIGHT III: THE LAST KISS in tone and execution. Gary HELLRAISER: REVELATION Tunnicliffe, Steven WAXWORKS II: LOST IN TIME Painter and Bob FREDDY'S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE Burton all pitched in with the special effects, not that it helped much. This would be the last CHILDREN OF THE CORN movie to earn a theatrical release until 2020's regrettable reboot. - DirectorJames D.R. HickoxStarsDaniel CernyRon MelendezJim MetzlerTwo brothers connected to the murderous children's cult of Gatlin, Nebraska are taken to Chicago by an adoptive couple.Anthony WAXWORK II: LOST IN TIME Hickox produced this above average CHILDREN OF THE CORN sequel for his less talented brother James who's 1st & best movie this was. It was based on a story written by Stephen King very early in his career for publication in Penthouse magazine. The story was credited to Dode ANGEL 4: UNDERCOVER Levenson who also owned the rights to the film franchise. The screenplay itself was polished to a dull shine by Mark Greenberg who has done several interesting genre movies including H20: HALLOWEEN TWENTY YEARS LATER, THE PROPHECY 2 and the 2019 adaption of King's novel PET SEMATARY.
Daniel DEMONIC TOYS Cerny and Ron THE UNBORN II Melendez play orphaned brothers taken in by a wealthy couple living in Chicago. Eli & Josh lost their parents when a satanic entity calling itself He Who Walks Behind the Rows ordered the genocidal purge of every adult in their hometown of Gatlin, Nebraska. Eli is still possessed by the demon and like Damien from THE OMEN franchise will kill anyone who stands between him and the apocalypse and that includes his new foster parents played by Jim MEGIDDO: THE OMEGA CODE 2 Metzler & daytime tv superstar Nancy GENERAL HOSPITAL Lee Grahn. While Eli imposes his evil influence on his new class mates Josh tries to fit in and make friends. Josh finally takes steps to end his brothers' reign of Amish terror when it's revealed the nibblets Eli smuggled out of Gatlin will transform any child who eats them into a murderous devil worshipper.
Nancy Lee Grahn is one of the most under rated actresses I know. Despite her handful of Emmy wins she's barely seen in anything but GENERAL HOSPITAL so it was a treat seeing her in a featured role outside her comfort zone. All of the actors are fine but hats off especially for the casting of Charlize MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Theron & Nicholas BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Brendon before they were famous.
CHILDREN OF THE CORN III: URBAN HARVEST stands head and shoulders above every other film in the franchise because of a terrific burst of special effects during the chaotic & bloody finale. John CARNOSAUR Crawford, Tom RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3 Rainone and Screaming Mad BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR George stole the show in the final reel when He Who Walks Behind the Rows emerges to smite the unbelievers in a public schoolyard. It's a showstopping sequence sure to make a horror fan smile. Followed by the non sequitur CHILDREN OF THE CORN IV: THE GATHERING. - DirectorGreg SpenceStarsNaomi WattsJamie Renée SmithKaren BlackA nurse returns to her hometown in Nebraska, only to find that the town's children have fallen under a mysterious mass illness connected to its sinister past.CHILDREN OF THE CORN IV: THE GATHERING has an impressive cast for a nondescript, direct-to-video, horror pic. Oscar nominee Naomi MULHOLLAND DR. Watts, ANOTHER 48 HOURS' Brent Jennings, Jamie HIDDEN CANYONS Smith, William MURDER SHE WROTE Windon & everybody's favourite Scream Queen Karen Black fill the marque with talent. Poor Karen HATED working on so many low budget genre movies after Dan Curtis' TRILOGY OF TERROR made her as iconic as Barbara Steele had been for DARK SHADOWS. She did add a touch of class and credibility wherever she went. A young Mark Salling played Watts son whose soul is in peril from a reincarnated minister. Salling would become a regular on GLEE. He would be charged with possession of child pornography in the new millennium & committed suicide before sentencing.
The other cast member of note is a guy named Brandon Klayla who I only saw in one other movie: GODS AND MONSTERS as a young James Whale. Klayla is almost as annoying & distracting as the vengeful Josiah as John Franklin had been in the 1984 original & CHILDREN OF THE CORN 666: ISAAC'S RETURN.Josiah is poisoning the minds of the children, forcing them to kill the adults. It's up to Watts to save her town from the haunting evil of He Who Walks Behind the Rows or lose her kids. Aside from the bizarre casting choice of Klayla as the central villain this is a perfectly watchable B grade pic. It's biggest flaw may be that it's something you'll quickly forget.
The handful of killings were staged without much enthusiasm by Michael TRANSMORPHERS Del Rossa & Wayne FRED: NIGHT OF THE LIVING FRED Beauchamp on special effects. Greg Spence only wrote/directed one other film; THE PROPHECY II which I also thought was okay but he went on to produce hits like GAME OF THRONES and THE LAST OF US. I think he made the best of a situation that was not ideal. A proper special effects budget would have helped. Followed by CHILDREN OF THE CORN V: FIELDS OF TERROR. - DirectorEthan WileyStarsStacy GalinaAlexis ArquetteEva MendesSix college students on a road trip take a wrong turn and end up trapped in a strangely deserted rural town inhabited by a murdeous cult of children.CHILDREN OF THE CORN V: FIELDS OF TERROR was the 5th video in a seemingly endless series of low budget horror movies based on a Stephen King short story published in Penthouse circa 1977. Most of the adaptions share an informal continuity constructed on the premise of a demon called He Who Walks Behind the Rows compelling anyone under the age of 18 to kill everyone over. This non sequitur instalment is set in a vacant farming community where a few corn worshipping older 'kids' wait for unwary travellers. They are led by Ezeekial (Adam CHILD'S PLAY Wiley) and one the few old people still alive in Destiny Falls. Aside from Luke (John KILL BILL VOL 2 Carradine) only the bartender (Kane JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY Hodder) & sheriff (Fred DETECTIVE MALONE: BLACK COBRA 4 Williams) remain; there's no adults left...that is until Allison and her friends drop by for an unexpected visit.
Allison (Stacy KNOTS LANDING: BACK TO THE CUL-DE-SAC Galina) is searching for her brother Jacob (Davino THE PROPHECY 3: THE ASCENT Buzzotta) on the eve of his 18th birthday. She and her boyfriend Greg (trans actor Alexis SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK...AGAIN! Arquette) believe the cultists intend to sacrifice their hostage to a living ball of hell-fire hiding in the grain silo. Ahmed JACK FROST Zappa, Eva GHOST RIDER Mendes, Angela PULP FICTION Jones, Greg CHARMED Vaughan & Olivia DISASTER AT SILO 7 Burnette round out the rock solid cast all of whom deliver substandard performances. I was going to give CHILDREN OF THE CORN V: FIELDS OF TERROR an extra star for that intriguing ensemble but they aren't good so I can't. The franchise attracts better known talent because of it's commercial ties to one of the world's best-selling novelists. King was simultaneously suing companies like Dimension to keep his name off their straight to disc/streaming sequels. The only one I'd ever recommend was CHILDREN OF THE CORN III: URBAN HARVEST but the CHILDREN OF THE CORN pics are frequently loaded with A-list star power. The extra star goes to the casting directing partnership of Robyn PUMPKINHEAD II: BLOODWINGS Ray & Ed KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE Michell who were the only ones who attacked their job with enthusiasm.
I watched CHILDREN OF THE CORN V: FIELDS OF TERROR on VHS in the late 1990's & again on disc in the new millennium. This was my 3rd viewing which was required because the ending was so ineffectively staged I forgot exactly what happened. Being old as F*** I'll graciously accept some of the blame but the lion's share of blame goes to the special effects crew who were hamstrung by Harvey Weinstein's penny-pinching. Wayne CHILDREN OF THE CORN IV: THE GATHERING Beauchamp, Conor MIRROR, MIRROR 2: RAVEN DANCE McCullagh, Ken THE UNHOLY Wheatley, Jason DUNE Netter, Susan BATS Corbin & Shant GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE Jordan entirely failed to knock my socks off. Even the pyrotechnics were meh. I'm forgeting their finale again as we speak. Ethan Wiley was the writer/director who's claim to fame was the horror/comedy HOUSE from 1985. He hasn't made anything worth watching since and this isn't even half as good as it's continuation HOUSE II: THE SECOND STORY. Followed by the even less appealing CHILDREN OF THE CORN 666: ISAAC'S REVENGE. 4/10 - DirectorKari SkoglandStarsNatalie RamseyGary BullockAlix KoromzayAs a teenage girl comes to Gatlin to find her biological mother, the town's infamous cult plots a comeback as their leader, Isaac, awakens from a coma.Gay, humunculus actor John Franklin (at this point nearly 40) is back...playing the 12 year old cult leader he became famous for in 1984's CHILDREN OF THE CORN! What a TERRIBLE actor!! He was as bad an actor as he was a writer. He and his 'writing partner' at the time Tim Sulke concocted this unbelievable direct sequel to the original New World production & the 1977 short story written by Stephen King. King by the way was actively suing studios to keep his name off trash like THE LAWNMOWER MAN 2: BEYOND CYBERSPACE, THE MANGLER REBORN and CHILDREN. OF THE CORN 666: ISAAC'S RETURN.
Isaac has been recovering in a sinister town with a sneaky doctor (Stacy OOGA-BOOGA Keach) & a suspicious cop (Nancy POLTERGEIST III Allen) nearby waiting for a special girl to restart the cycle. Hannah (Natalie CRUEL INTENTIONS 3 Ramsey) fled Gatlin, Nebraska but is haunted by premonitions that He Who Walks Behind the Rows will impregnate her. She better stick close to the hot, new guy with the motorcycle to stay safe. Pope BEVERLY HILLS 90210 Popowich is the corny unholy one in case you needed help figuring the twist ending out. Everything is a flatly delivered cliche with the only surprise being how awful the actors are for this entry. Franklin though is a scene killer! He generates unintentional laughter unfortunately.
Lesbian director Kari Skogland is mostly known for her capable handling of special effects heavy series like THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER and FEAR OF THE WALKING DEAD but there's really not a lot by way of visuals for her to work with. There's more side boob nudity than violence and precious little of that! None of this direct-to-video rehash of ROSEMARY'S BABY is the least bit suspenseful or frightening.
Lori Anne THE DENTIST 2: BRACE YOURSELF Baker, Larry PROJECT SHADOWCHASER 3 Fioritto & Roy THE AMITYVILLE MOON Knyrim all contributed to the lacking & lackluster special effects. Followed by CHILDREN OF THE CORN VII: REVELATION. - DirectorGuy MagarStarsClaudette MinkKyle CassieMichael IronsideWhen a girl named Jamie repeatedly tries to contact her grandmother to no avail, she investigates by going to her apartment in Omaha Nebraska....only to find that it's been condemned and overtaken by possessed children! As she digs deeper, she discovers a dark secret about her grandmother & awakens a dark, demonic force that wants Jamie dead and will stop at nothing.Dimension released this 7th CHILDREN OF THE CORN home video which was casually based on Stephen King's over-rated 1977 short story. S. J. Smith who scripted the okay-ish SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 4: INITIATION fails entirely to deliver the scary goods with this tepid tale of ghostly kids haunting a shabby apartment in Nebraska. Some of the cliched material could have worked better but was poorly translated to the screen by director Guy Magar. Magar was too inexperienced having only 1992's THE STEPFATHER III under his belt and doesn't bring one iotas of enthusiasm or energy to this bland production.
Canadian actress Claudette STEPHEN KING'S KINGDOM HOSPITAL Mink stars as a woman lured to her missing grandmother's apartment searching for clues. A priest (Michael SEAQUEST D.S.V. Ironside) pops up briefly to warn her of the dangerous mute children lurking around the property and then serves no other purpose in the muddled storyline. The kids are apparently tied to a field of corn growing nearby but He Who Walks Behind the Rows is only mentioned briefly towards the end to explain why they're killing the adult tenants. The only other actor I sort of knew was Kyle HELLRAISER: HELLSEEKER Cassie as one of the endangered adults. The young actors cast as possessed kids aren't worth mentioning and weren't the least bit frightening despite the unusually high (for this impoverished franchise) bodycount.
Rachel NICK FURY: AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Griffin handled the make up FX with an uncredited assist from Bill THE DEATH OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK Terezakis. Chad HELLRAISER: REVELATION Goel and Jamison AMITYVILLE: AWAKENING Goel applied the unimpressive special visual effects but in all fairness they didn't have much cash to play with. Alan EMPIRE OF ASH III Benjamin added almost nothing by way of practical fx. The kills are there along with gore and nudity but it's presented in a flat and generic fashion.
The execs at Dimension and producer Joel PULSE II: AFTERLIFE Soisson are responsible for this low-rent cash grab. The production design by Tim LEPRECHAUN: ORIGINS Hanson looks murky and cheap like Joanna HALLOWEEN: RESSURRECTION Mazur's ugly sets. The cinematographer (Danny FLESH GORDON 2: FLESH GORDON MEETS THE COSMIC CHEERLEADERS Nowak) was utterly defeated from the opening credits on, imo. The score Steve PROJECT SHADOWCHASER III Edwards turned in is so ineffective it's hard to imagine why he was hired. As bad as CHILDREN OF THE CORN VII: REVELATION is the worst was yet to come! Followed by CHILDREN OF THE CORN: GENESIS in 2011. 2 /10 stars - DirectorDonald P. BorchersStarsRobert GerdischJordan SchmidtDavid AndersWhile traveling, an unhappy married couple encounter a cult of murderous children who worship an entity called He Who Walks Behind the Rows.Donald Borchers is a producer know for a handful of quirky and cultish flicks including LEPRECHAUN 2, MEATBALLS 4, VAMP and THE BEASTMASTER. He owns the rights to the short story CHILDREN OF THE CORN which was published in the pages of Penthouse magazine in 1977. Stephen King's tale is similar to the 1974 ABC Movie of the Week; ALL THE KIND STRANGERS but not nearly as good. Borchers who produced the sub par 1984 version starring Linda Hamilton & Peter Horton wrote/directed this more-of-the-same remake recast with Kandyse BATTLESTAR GALACTICA McClure and David ALIAS Anders. The casting is problematic because the film is set between the early 1960s-1970s. Legal marriage between straight men and women from different ethic groups was forbidden till 1967. The overt racism this couple would have faced in that time and place isn't addressed and so the whitewashed script simply doesn't ring true. I'n knocking a star off for that deliberate lapse.
Kandyse and Anders are capable actors working with a formulaic B-movie script. They play (unconvincingly) an unhappily married couple who become stranded in Nebraska town where the adults have been mysteriously murdered. The children have been possessed by a demon named He Who Walks Behind the Rows. The corny entity ordered them to kill anyone over the age of 18. Preston DEXTER Bailey, Rob MAN OF STEEL Gerdisch & Dan DORIAN GRAY Newman as the dangerous older kids are well cast. The premise which the best-selling author sold to Penthouse was made clear 35 years ago; the kids have sex very early on in life and make babies. It's not something any of the CHILDREN OF THE CORN movies care to discuss openly but if you're sacrificed at 18 you have to start procreation very early. Who doesn't know?
David COBRA-GATOR Miller provided the occasional CG elements for this SyFy tv movie while a small team of practical fx and make up artists failed to generate shock and awe with a short list of relatively gore-less killings. Alan SORORITY HOUSE VAMPIRES Tuskes, Beki BOOGEYMAN 3 Ingram & Phil MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION Carbonaro don't contribute much worth mentioning. I was a little bored watching and their minimal effort was a huge contributing factor. Borschers would go on to produce an even worse version of CHILDREN OF THE CORN in 2020 while Dimension cranked out their next official sequel in 2011; CHILDREN OF THE CORN: GENESIS. 4/10 stars - DirectorJoel SoissonStarsJ.J. BanickiDiane PetersonKai CasterA young couple try to free an imprisoned child with catastrophic results.Joel Soisson was responsible for a string of 10th rate horror videos at Dimension including HOLLOW MAN 2, PULSE II: AFTERLIFE and THE PROPHECY: FORESAKEN before Harvey Weinstein got talibanned by the metoo mob. He hasn't worked much since the Jewish film maker was exiled to prison I'm happy to say. CHILDREN OF THE CORN: GENESIS was the 8th film in the franchise that evolved from Stephen King's forgettable short story and was obviously thrown together by the studio at the 11th hour in order to maintain sequel rights. It had been a decade since 2001's CHILDREN OF THE CORN VII: REVELATION & Weinstein had to manufacture a sequel or kiss the brand goodbye just as he'd done with the HELLRAISER franchise. Soisson steals the plot to the classic Rod Serling short story It's a Good Life that made it to tv screens as a 3rd season episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
In this depressing, uncredited bastardisation of Serling's beloved story a charmless child actor plays the last of the CHILDREN OF THE CORN. He lives in a shed behind a abandoned farm house controlling the lives of those around him as effortlessly as he does with toys and dolls. Cultish genre actor Billy TREMORS 4: THE LEGEND BEGINS Drago appears as the boring farmer who warns a newlywed couple of the dangers they face from He Who Walks Behind the Rows. This tedious video isn't scary or gory. The cast is bare bones and hardly worth mentioning so don't get your hopes up for a body count. This is easily the worst of the disreputable franchise. It rates 1/10.
Chad HELLRAISER: REVELATION Goei, Brandon AQUAMAN Millenta and James CATS AND DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE Pina handled the next to non existent visual effects. The car wreck footage was clip material borrowed from an action video. This had nothing by way of production value. Dimension would continue to hold up the license to the brand straight on through 2018's CHILDREN OF THE CORN: RUNAWAY. - DirectorJohn GulagerStarsMarci MillerJake Ryan ScottSara MooreThe plot of Children of the Corn: Runaway follows a young pregnant Ruth who escapes a murderous child cult in a small Midwestern town. She spends the next decade living anonymously in an attempt to spare her son the horrors that she experienced as a child. She lands in the small Oklahoma town, but something is following her. Now, she must confront this evil or lose her child.This would be the 9th film in the CHILDREN OF THE CORN film series (10th if you include the 'poachy' SyFy TV movie reboot from 2009) & while it's not the worst entry in the disreputable franchise it's close. The absolute worst instalment was 2011's CHILDREN OF THE CORN: GENESIS which Dimension threw together at the 11th hour with hack writer Joel Soisson to retain sequel rights. It's the same cheap trick they pulled again. This isn't so much a movie as it was a sleazy business maneuver. If Dimension cared one bit about the tattered remnants of their fanbase they wouldn't have hired Soisson.
Joel Soisson has written numerous rancid sequels to several horror franchises; THE PROPHECY: FORSAKEN, HELLRAISER: HELLWORLD, PULSE 3, HOLLOW MAN 2, DRACULA III: THE ASCENSION, PULSE II: THE AFTERLIFE, etc, etc and you know yourself none have been any good and neither is CHILDREN OF THE CORN: RUNAWAY which was casually directed by John FEAST II: SLOPPY SECONDS Gulagar.
The unengaging Marci DEATH RACE 2050 Miller plays a teen mom who burns the town of Gatlin, Nebraska to the ground to escape the CHILDREN OF THE CORN (a story written by Stephen King for Penthouse back in 1977). 13 years pass & Ruth is raising a son who may be the human incarnation of He Who Walks Behind The Rows if her frequent visions & dreams are to be believed. The ROSEMARY'S BABY angle entirely fails to work. The premise fell flat on it's face with CHILDREN OF THE CORN 666: ISAAC'S RETURN back in 1999 too as you may recall.
Matthew HELLRAISER: JUDGEMENT Gardocki provided the cheap CG. A few ghostly dream kids commit a few not scary killings but it's pg 13 gore & there's also almost no nudity. CHILDREN OF THE CORN: RUNAWAY exists to retain sequel rights. I find that boring. You'll also spot the ending(s) coming from miles away. Followed by a 2020 reboot. - DirectorKurt WimmerStarsElena KampourisKate MoyerCallan MulveyThe film describes the events leading up to, and including, the massacre of the adults of a small town in Nebraska by their children, after the adults' irresponsibility ruins the crop and the children's future.
- DirectorEarl BellamyStarsRobert CulpMartin MilnerBarbara HersheyAfter several weeks of heavy rainfall, the dam above Brownsville is ready to burst. But the town's mayor refuses to open its gates - paving the way for disaster.All-star disaster movies like AIRPORT, EARTHQUAKE and HURRICANE weren't just filling up the movie theatres throughout the 1970s. The thirst was real with TV movies like THE DAY THE EARTH MOVED, THE DEATH OF OCEAN VIEW PARK and A FIRE IN THE SKY hauling in the ratings via network TV. Uber producer Irwin BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE Allen who was widely promoted as The Master of Disaster was no stranger to success on the small screen with TIME TUNNEL and LOST IN SPACE under his belt. NBC hired him to produce this very entertaining three hour 'movie event' concerning a small town in danger from a defective dam.
Allen surrounded himself with folks he'd worked with before on numerous classic film and network series. Director Earl Bellamy was responsible for hundreds of hours of unsung quality television having worked on GET SMART, FANTASY ISLAND & THE MUNSTERS. Don Ingalls is remembered for cultish TV movies like CAPTAIN AMERICA and THE INITIATION OF SARAH. Genre fans also fondly remember him for the iconic AIRPORT 1975. I don't think the adventure they cooked up warrants a 3 hour timeslot frankly. Mostly it's the same disaster movie cliches you've been watching since the original THE HURRICANE back in 1937.
Here's the selling point; the cast. Robert THE NIGHT THE CITY SCREAMED Culp, Barbara THE STUNT MAN Hershey, Richard VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA Basehart, Carol THE ELEVATOR Lynley, Roddy THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE McDowall, Ann THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG Doran, Cameron HANGING BY A THREAD Mitchell, Martin S.S.T. DEATH FLIGHT Milner and Gloria TITANIC Stuart help bloat the run time nicely.
L.B. THE TOWERING INFERNO Abbott handled the old school practical effects which looked okay under cinematographer Lamar CODE RED Boren's practised eye. The soundtrack & production design were also mapped out by long time Allen collaborators Richard THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN NEMO LaSalle and Stan LAND OF THE GIANTS Jolley as if you needed another reason to watch.
50 year old television movies may be a hard sell in the new millennium but if you're a fan of the flashy producer or the genre FLOOD! is worth a look back. - DirectorEarl BellamyStarsErnest BorgnineVera MilesPatty DukeA convict starts a fire in a forest to cover his escape, but the fire goes out of control and threatens to destroy a small mountain community.FIRE! was the 2nd of 5 disaster movies Irwin LOST IN SPACE Allen created for NBC & it's one of his best! To generate a convincing forest FIRE Allen brought back L.B. Abbott who worked miracles on THE TOWERING INFERNO and brought in pyro-tech Cliff CITY ON FIRE! Wenger who worked cheap! Despite the nickel & dime-ing on the special effects budget & the usual glimpsed stock footage that comes with the territory Allen spared no expense filling his TV marque with an all-star cast.
Vera SMASH-UP ON INTERSTATE 5 Miles play a grieving resort owner hoping for one last shot at love with mill operator Ernest THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE Borgnine. Patty THE SWARM Duke is fleeing her marriage to Alex FIRE DOWN BELOW Cord & her community both of which are going up in smoke. Donna HANGING BY A THREAD Mills gets to knit her plucked brows when the bus load of school kids she's taken on a nature trip runs into a roadblock from Hell. In addition to all that going on there's Norman AMITYVILLE 4: THE EVIL ESCAPES Lloyd, Neville THE NINTH CONFIGURATION Brand & a pre-CHIPS Eric Estrada to keep you occupied.
Earl FLOOD! Bellamy directed this briskly paced & very sincerely acted adventure based on a melodramatic teleplay by longtime Allen collaborator Norman THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN NEMO Katkov & Arthur Weiss. Weiss wrote the absorbing 1980 mini-series THE NIGHT THE BRIDGE FELL DOWN but also brought along his experience as a writer on the daytime soap DAYS OF OUR LIVES and he's put those skills to good use. The cast has been given plenty to do so you won't be bored for a second. Recommended. - DirectorGeorg FenadyStarsDennis ColeSusan SullivanLeslie NielsenA group of strangers become entrapped in a cave after it collapses. A fugitive among them claims a hostage as leverage for means of escape.CAVE-IN! was the 3rd of 5 tv disaster movies Irwin THE TOWERING INFERNO Allen made for NBC back in the mid 70s-early 80s but was the last film to be released having sat on the shelf for nearly 5 years. Allen's CAVE-IN lacked the spectacular miniatures fans were accustomed to seeing from the producer and although many of the actors were familiar to audiences this melodramatic nail biter didn't have star power. Another reason the network held back CAVE-IN's release was a string of theatrical failures associated with Allen including THE SWARM (1978), BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1979) & WHEN TIME RAN OUT...(1980). Dumping a B movie on disenfranchised audiences seemed unwise given the firestorm of bad publicity.
Two factors that played a part in CAVE-IN's finally being screened was Susan Sullivan's landing the lead in the hit show FALCON CREST and Leslie Nielson's sudden popularity because of THE NAKED GUN. Occasional leading man Dennis HIGHWAY WARRIOR Cole led the otherwise forgettable cast with an assist from Sheila THE X FILES Larkin. The players are stranded in a cave but falling styrofoam boulders aren't the only threat they face as a hostage situation soon takes center stage.
Ted Koerner was an FX artist who worked on THE HINDENBURG and AIRPORT '77 but he's been given little to do. Cinematographer John SMASH-UP ON INTERSTATE 5 Nickolaus doesn't have much luck filming the murky, claustrophobic set either. Not a lot of imagination or artistry made it to the tv screen.
Norman THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN NEMO Katkov wrote this sub par adventure for director Georg Fenady who's highest profile work was on drive-in fare like ARNOLD and TERROR IN THE WAX MUSEUM. Below average. - DirectorGeorg FenadyStarsJames MacArthurDesi Arnaz Jr.Char FontaneA group of random individuals get stranded on a bridge that begins to collapse at both ends. Not only that, but a gun-wielding bank robber is using the bridge as his means of escape, and he is refusing to let any of the rescuers get anywhere near the survivors. Time is running out and a solution must be reached.THE NIGHT THE BRIDGE FELL DOWN was 1 of 5 TV disaster movies legendary producer Irwin BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE Allen made for NBC and it's the best IMO. This melodramatic & very fast paced disaster pic aired as a 2 part mini-series and was directed by Georg Fenady who worked primarily on action series like EMERGENCY!, THE NEW ADAM-12 and CODE RED. The script was written by Arthur Weiss who was a frequent contributor to classic Allen series like TIME TUNNEL, VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA and LAND OF THE GIANTS. I'm guessing the network assigned writers Roy LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING Goldstone & Michael DAYS OF OUR LIVES David to help clean things up. THE NIGHT THE BRIDGE FELL DOWN works as well as it does because it's good soap opera driving the characters.
HAWAII 5-0 star James MacArthur plays a structural engineer investigating a string of fatalities occurring on a bridge. Of course no one believes him when he warns people of it's pending collapse. A half dozen adults and a few kids lives are endangered when they become stranded on a precariously balanced stretch of bridge left standing after the fall. Of course one of the kids was being rushed to the hospital & of course one of the survivors is an armed criminal etc. The cliches are here, there & everywhere just as you'd expect from The Master of Disaster and the cast is up to the challenge.
Eve THE BRADY BUNCH Plumb, Richard AIRPLANE II: THE SEQUEL Gilliland, Gregory THE TOWERING INFERNO Sierra, Desi CRISIS IN MID-AIR Arnez, Jr., Barbara DEATH CAR ON THE FREEWAY Rush and Leslie CITY ON FIRE Nielsen all looked like they were having fun so I bought into their plight.
This isn't an elaborate, lavish affair filled with miniatures like EARTHQUAKE or WHEN TIME RAN OUT. It is however presented as such. THE NIGHT THE BRIDGE FELL DOWN feels much more grandiose than it is thanks to an opulent score reminiscent of THE SWARM and solid production design from sets to art direction. The sound effects and music are also very theatrical. The destruction of the bridge itself is a quick, clean practical miniature effect by Marlow FATHER KNOWS BEST: HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Newkirk. The effect is lightyears from FINAL DESTINATION 3 or even THE CASSANDRA CROSSING but the cast has been given plenty to do so you'll be entertained, I promise. - DirectorGeorg FenadyStarsSam GroomPatty DukeJoyce BulifantA group of old friends on an outing re-live various traumas and tragedies via flashback whilst trapped high above a ravine in a disabled cable-car.HANGING BY A THREAD was the 4th of 5 television disaster movies legendary producer Irwin THE TOWERING INFERNO Allen made for NBC and it looks like it had the smallest budget. Spread out over two nights it also probably is the longest to actually sit through and feels like it too given the absence of special effect miniatures destruction. This tedious adventure has all the thrills of 1974s THE ELEVATOR.
A large dysfunctional group of people face death when the cable car they're riding suffers a malfunction. While they bite their nails waiting for the rescue team to sort thing out their tawdry, melodramatic lives flash before our eyes via endless flashbacks. None of it has the depth of any given episode of THE LOVE BOAT.
Patty AMITYVILLE 4: THE EVIL ESCAPES Duke, Sam BEYOND THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE Groom & Bert S.S.T. DEATH FLIGHT Convey led the cast as a bickering trio of exes. Donna BARE ESSENCE Mills & her hubby Peter METEOR Donat have their own problems to deal with including they may be about to plummet into a canyon. Joyce AIRPLANE Bulifant, Cameron FLOOD Mitchell & Oliver MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN Clark also appeared in the large cast but haven't been given anything to sink their teeth into.
Writer Adrian VALIANT LADY Spies & director Georg COMBAT! Fenady got their start in black & white television seldom strayed far from that medium. What scant FX you'll likely to see were doled out by Kevin AVALANCHE EXPRESS Pike. This lacking and lackluster mini-series was poorly designed by a production manager named Floyd Joyer who collaborated with the director on his only theatrical releases ARNOLD and TERROR IN THE WAX MUSEUM so don't say you weren't warned. - DirectorJames GoldstoneStarsPaul NewmanJacqueline BissetWilliam HoldenAn active volcano threatens a south Pacific island resort and its guests as a power struggle ensues between the property's developer and a drilling foreman.WHEN TIME RAN OUT...was a lavishly produced, all-star disaster movie from the iconic Irwin Allen who's final theatrical release this was following close on the heels of his other infamous flop THE SWARM. The film bears little resemblance to the 1969 novel 'The Day the World Ended' which chronicled a RL volcanic eruption that killed 30,000 people at the start of the 20th century. Oscar winners Carl THE BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI Foreman & Stirling IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT Silliphant completely disregarded the book by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan Witts foregoing history in favour of the same bad melodrama that sent METEOR and AVALANCHE to the bottom of the box office. The script is vapid but in the hands of director James ROLLERCOASTER Goldstone it's also unintentionally funny! He and the impressive cast are utterly defeated by this hyperventilating claptrap.
Paul Newman & William Holden who co-starred in the genre classic THE TOWERING INFERNO play rivals this time for the affection of Jacqeline INCHON Bisset. The 3 are love-triangling on a Hawaiian island sporting a fabulous resort at the foot of a suddenly erupting volcano. Pat MR T AND TINA Morita is there with Alex PORKY'S Karras who kill time with an odd sub-plot about cock-fighting. Eddie FALCON CREST Albert & Barbra DALLAS. Carrera come and go more or less depending on which version you're watching. After the 121 minute theatrical cut bombed Warner Bro slashed it down to 109 minutes greatly reducing many supporting roles including parts played by Veronica BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE Hamel and Lonny EARTHQUAKE Champion. Internationally known Valentina THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN Cortese, Burgess BATMAN: THE MOVIE Meridith & James THE CONCORDE AFFAIR '79 Franciscus co-starred along with Red Buttons and Ernest Borgnine who helped usher in the disaster movie craze of the 70s with THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE.
Oscar winners Lalo THE CONCORDE: AIRPORT 1979 Schifrin's score isn't much to sing about and the cinematographer Fred PATTON Koenekamp is undermined every step of the way by cheesy optical FX and unconvincing miniatures. Kevin THE PUNISHER Pyke, RA HOWARD THE DUCK MacDonald & Joe A FIRE IN THE SKY Unsinn dropped the ball most of the time creating the visuals. LB FIRE! Abbot, Stanley DAMIEN: OMEN II Cortez & Peter SUPERMAN III Donen applied the surprisingly cheap special effects that kept audiences away in droves. Only costume designer Paul LOST IN SPACE Zastupnevich was rewarded with an Academy Award nomination on Oscar night.
WHEN TIME RAN OUT... was destroyed by critics, costing the studio 16.5 million against a 20 million budget. NBC purchased the broadcast rights 4 years later to fill a 3 hour time slot. The bloated cut aired under the title EARTH'S FINAL FURY & it did ok in the ratings despite being a little excruciating to sit all the way through. Connoisseurs of camp cinema may want to have a masochistic look for curiosity's sake but even fans of the flashy producer turn their noses up at this career killer. 1/10 - DirectorJohn GuillerminStarsPaul NewmanSteve McQueenWilliam HoldenAt the opening party of a colossal, but poorly constructed, office building, a massive fire breaks out that threatens to destroy the tower and everyone in it.