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Television Fright Films of the 1970s
Reviews
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
Boring and terrible. One of the worst!
What a sorry excuse for a werewolf movie this is! This is a boring, boring movie! Not only that it's one of the worst werewolf movies as well because they don't actually show the werewolf until the very end of the film. And when I say the very end I mean that. The werewolf isn't shown until 1hr and 22 min. That is unacceptable. Nice of you to show up for your own movie Mr. Werewolf but your too little too late to save it from the boring storyline. A more accurate title for this should be Shadow of the Werewolf because that's basically all you see. And Oliver Reed doesn't show up until around 50 minutes in. Pathetic.
Maniac Cop 2 (1990)
Seems like two movies in one.
Maniac Cop 2 picks right up where the first one left off. But within the first 25 minutes the stars of the first film, Bruce Campbell and Laurene Landon, are killed off. From here Robert Davi and Claudia Christian take over and it kind of seems like a different movie.
I just want to know what the point of Leo Rossi's character was. Why is he in the movie? He's introduced halfway through and teams up with Cordell. Or I should say Cordell teams up with him. Why, I don't know? He doesn't need him for anything and all they do is go back to Sing Sing so Cordell can kill the guys who killed him. Did you really need Leo Rossi's character for that? Cordell could have done that all himself. He didn't need a sidekick.
Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1992)
Kind of dumb... Thankfully it's the last movie.
This third movie in the Maniac Cop trilogy isn't that great. It's kind of dumb at certain points and the writer seems to be struggling on where to take this film. Thank god this is the last one. The thing I found the most ridiculous is when two patrol officers respond to a corner store robbery and one of the cops pulls out an MP5K machine gun from the squad car. There is no way beat cops would be allowed to carry that kind of weaponry in their cars. Those weapons are reserved for SWAT teams only. Another thing I didn't care for is that characters are introduced, played by some well-known actors, and then killed off a few minutes later. It's like what was even the point of having them in the movie.
I think William Lustig said there was only 50 minutes of worthwhile footage and another director was brought in to pad the movie out to feature length. You can definitely tell that was the case. Just stick with the first two films and you'll be fine.
The Equalizer: Bump and Run (1985)
Wasted opportunity.
This episode could have been great by exploring more of the fake Equalizer storyline but instead it's quickly pushed to the side for an ill conceived subplot about a girl being stalked by two thugs who tried to rob her. The love story between Mickey and Sydney is completely unnecessary and just slowed the episode down. The writers seemed to be struggling for ideas here and just didn't know what to do with a fake Equalizer storyline. In the end both stories connect but it would have made a more interesting episode if it focused solely on Polk and his killing of criminals. Brian Bedford is wasted here but thankfully he has a more worthwhile guest role in season 2's 'Beyond Control'.
Mannix: To the Swiftest, Death (1968)
Jill Ireland has a hard time remembering her lines.
A fairly good episode from what I've seen of the series so far. I have to say I was expecting it all to conclude at a racetrack, not at an airport. And Mannix doesn't really save the day, he gets shot in the shoulder and someone else grabs his gun and shoots the bad guy as he tries to flee in the car. Oh well, it's different.
My only complaint is Jill Ireland. I wouldn't call her a good actress and she noticeably stumbles over some of her lines, not once but twice. The first time at the beginning of the episode when she asks Mannix how he knew her husband. It seems like she almost calls him by a different name. The second time at the end of the episode during the airport scene when she contacts the tower to clear for takeoff. Was it really that hard for her to remember the line "This is champ delta Mike to tower, ready for takeoff".
Would it have been too much trouble for the director to have her do another take so she could deliver the line correctly?
White Sands (1992)
One big plot hole that I noticed.
A fairly good movie with an underrated score. The one thing I hated was how Mickey Rourke kills the two FBI Agents in the desert. He shoots them once and then flips the gun around like he's in some wild west show and then shoots them again. It looked stupid when he did it and it was obvious the sound of the gunshots was added in post production.
Now here's the biggest plot hole that will leave you scratching your head. It's revealed at the end when Willem Dafoe has Sam Jackson at gunpoint in the motel room that Jackson's character was the one who killed the guy in the desert at the beginning of the movie. Now this dead guy had the briefcase handcuffed to his wrist, the same briefcase that Sam Jackson has been looking for throughout the entire movie. So the question is why didn't Jackson take the briefcase after he killed the guy?
I know, there wouldn't have been a movie if he had simply done that, but couldn't the writers have thought up something. They don't even try to explain why he didn't take it.
Ce répondeur ne prend pas de messages (1979)
Lost in translation.
This Answering Service Takes No Messages is a 1979 French art house film about a man who withdraws from society, locks himself in his apartment, and reflects on letters written by his deceased wife. He talks to himself in voiceover as were shown different images including paintings, drawings, and a couple home movies which gives us insight into his wrecked mind.
For the entire movie his head is wrapped in bandages like Claude Rains in The Invisible Man. Eventually, he begins to paint all the walls in his apartment black.
I was curious about this movie and was able to get a hold of a copy recently. The biggest hindrance to the film is the transcribing of the English subtitles. At certain points they just freeze on one sentence while the voiceover is obviously saying a lot more. For the entire movie, "The Man", as he is credited, is shown walking around his apartment, knocking on doors,
and painting the walls. That's it. There are no other people in the movie. Although we do briefly hear a voiceover from a woman, presumably his wife.
At one point "The Man" breaks a chair down into small pieces which he later uses to make a fire. Other descriptions have said that he does all of this to avoid the angel of death. But it's basically a glimpse into the life of a man who's mental capacity is slipping and feels all alone after the death of his wife.
I'm certain for most people sitting through this would be a complete bore, especially if they know they have to read subtitles. The movie is a short 67 minutes and if the synopsis interests you then give it a watch. If you can find a copy.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
10 times better then Cloverfield!
This movie is ten times better then Cloverfield. I don't understand the people who complain about the ending of this film. It's not like it came out of nowhere. It was hinted at during one point in the movie and people went in expecting more of what Cloverfield gave them. And when the movie gives it to them in the last 15 minutes they complain saying it came out of nowhere. It has Cloverfield in the title. What were you expecting?
The acting is ten times better then the first movie, especially John Goodman.. My only complaint is the montage half way through with an updated version of "I Think Were Alone Now" playing in the background. That was a little corny compared to the serious tone of the rest of the movie.
Cloverfield (2008)
Watch 10 Cloverfield Lane instead.
From all the good reviews this movie received I thought this was going to be a one I liked. Nope. I lost interest almost immediately because the first 18 minutes is nothing but self consumed twenty somethings who I don't give two craps about. When it does get going it focuses on this one guy and all he cares about is getting to his girlfriend who is in one of the buildings that has almost collapsed.
Around the hour mark I kind of tuned out and started doing something else. The last 11 minutes is end credits so you basically get 55 minutes of action. I would not recommend this movie. In fact I'd recommend 10 Cloverfield Lane over this, which is a much better movie.
Fresh Meat: Jeffrey Dahmer (2021)
Full of inaccuracies and contradictions.
This tubi original documentary is a joke. A lot of the information presented is just plain wrong. For starters, it's stated that Vernell Bass met Jeffrey Dahmer only days after he moved into the Oxford Apartments in late 1988. This is inaccurate, Dahmer didn't move into apartment 213 until May 1990. Second, Dahmer didn't accidentally take Halcion the night he killed Steven Tuomi at the Ambassador Hotel in 1987, that happened later with a different potential victim when Dahmer was living in apartment 213. This "doc" even gets wrong the date of the Konerak Sinthasimphone incident. On screen it states September 26, 1988, but it actually happened on May 27, 1991. This is basic information that's not hard to verify it's accuracy.
Occasionally the narrator contradicts the dates of title cards shown on screen, and vice versa. Some interviews include Dahmer's neighbor Vernell Bass, Psychiatrist Fred Berlin, and Inside Edition reporter Nancy Glass. As well as a few other talking heads. If a documentary has to resort to interviewing the hosts of a podcast you know it can't be that good. This is a pathetic excuse for a documentary and if you already know the Jeffrey Dahmer case you won't learn anything knew. Avoid it.
The X Files: Paper Hearts (1996)
Good episode, but in the end, completely pointless.
A good episode, but I have to agree with some other reviewers on here. This storyline would have worked much better in season 1 or early season 2 before the whole mythology arc began with Mulder's sister in "Colony/End Game". This entire episode is completely pointless since the writers go right back to the Samantha-abducted-by-aliens storyline. Season 2 could have opened with this but after what was established just a few episodes earlier in "Herrenvolk", there's no way an audience is going to buy that Roche was actually responsible for Samantha's abduction. The only good thing to come from this episode is that Mulder's dreams helped find the remains of the other little girls.
The X Files: Ice (1993)
It's OK for what it is.
Unlike most people who praise this episode, I'm not one of them. It is one of the better episodes of the season but it would not be in my Top 10. This is mainly because it is the first season and the noticeable lack of budget shows, especially in the awful effects for the worms. This episode would have worked better in season 3, maybe even season 2, when the show was taking off and the budget for each episode was higher and more money could be put into the special effects. In terms of bottle episodes, I would much rather watch 'Firewalker' over this. One big gripe I have is that it's established early on that anyone infected by the worms cannot control their anger and aggression, but Da Silva doesn't show any of that until Hodge notices a worm moving under her skin. Big oversight on the writers part.
Virus (1980)
No Hope in Hell.
Terribly written and acted Italian zombie movie that meanders for most of it's running time while ripping off every other zombie movie that came before it. This one hour and forty minute slog could have been reduced by 10 minutes by taking out the tribal village nonsense which adds nothing to the rest of the movie. The music is ripped off from Dawn of the Dead and possibly several other horror movies like Beyond the Darkness. Shameless director Bruno Mattei uses the pseudonym Vincent Dawn, because, well I'm sure you get it. Don't waste your time.
Six hundred characters needed to write a review for this trash zombie movie. Here ya go.
I got nothin' else.
Missing...Have You Seen This Person? (1985)
The precursor to Unsolved Mysteries.
Missing... Have You Seen This Person? Was the precursor to Unsolved Mysteries and had all the earmarks of what that series would later become. The show contained a lot of the same writers, directors and
producers who would go on to work on Mysteries including John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. It aired on NBC and was hosted by Family Ties mom Meredith Baxter and her then husband David Birney. Each of the three episodes presented cases of either missing persons or abducted children. Most of the missing children were parental abductions and were quickly closed the night of the broadcast, but a few of the missing persons cases remain unsolved. The first episode was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Special.
Special #1 aired on April 29, 1985. Among the segments featured was the case of three-year-old Laura Bradbury, who went missing in 1984 in Joshua Tree National Park. Child actor Ricky Schroder is Bradbury's cousin and he presents her case in this episode. Bradbury's disappearance is still unsolved. Sisters Debbie and Kathy Caruso were abducted by their father in 1977 and, as a result of this broadcast, were located and reunited with their mother. Another segment involves Paul Cosner, who went missing in November 1984 after leaving his home to meet with a potential buyer of his 1980 Honda Prelude. A few years later Cosner's car was found in the possession of serial killers Leonard Lake and Charles Ng. In 2001, a judge
officially ruled that Cosner was one of the duos victims.
Special #2 aired on January 22, 1986. Some of the cases include the 1985 abduction of 5-year-old Benjamin Studer by his father. The boy and his
babysitter were watching the show the night of the broadcast and the babysitter called the police. Another case involves a fifteen-year-old Oregon girl who ran away from home and was found working on the Sunset Strip. In September 1984, a Vietnam veteran who may have PTSD went missing. His remains would later be found in a wooded area in 1987. Also, in an update to Special #1, Debbie and Kathy Caruso, along with their mother, appear on camera talking with Meredith Baxter and David Birney. A roll call of 20 missing children concludes this episode.
Special #3 aired on April 23, 1986. A few of the segments include 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan, who disappeared from a bus stop in February 1985. This case is still unsolved but in 2018 her mother received a letter from someone claiming to know the identity of Cherrie's killer. In October 1985, an eighty-three-year-old woman disappeared while on her way to the supermarket. Also in October 1985, fifty-seven-year-old Jim Nestor disappeared after leaving his home to go visit a friend. Ironically, Nestor had helped in the search for three-year-old Laura Bradbury, who's case was featured in Special #1. In February 1988, Nestor's skull was found in a remote wooded area. The cause of death is unknown.
Unfortunately, Missing... Have You Seen This Person? Is considered "lost media" these days because it hasn't been seen since it originally aired back in the mid-eighties. No recordings of it are known to exist and the only thing to be found of it is a 10 second promo on Youtube. An official release is not very likely either considering that most of the child abduction cases from Unsolved Mysteries have been removed. Another factor is that half of the cases have been solved and those family members probably don't want any further publicity. If it wasn't for old newspaper clippings no one would know that these specials even existed.
Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch (1985)
Better then the first movie.
I agree that this movie is so bad that it's good. But at least it didn't bore me like the first movie. This one is pure entertainment with the best end credits in any movie. It's got Christopher Lee and Reb Brown together killing werewolves, a catchy song by Babel that can be heard countless times throughout the movie, and Sybil Danning in that leather outfit. Downside is that it does kind of drag for a bit in the middle and Annie McEnroe's acting is terrible. Christopher Lee - why did you apologize to Joe Dante for being in this movie? This is the best one.
The Exterminator (1980)
Watch 'Vigilante' instead.
This movie was okay but could have been a lot better. All the scenes with Christopher George's cop character don't move the story along and he's just there to show up after the Exterminator has killed someone, fill out the running time, and then go on a date with Samantha Eggar. Rinse and repeat that three times. There's also some really bad editing where it's obvious scenes were cut out. Samantha Eggar's character is completely pointless and is only there so Christopher George has something to do, because he sure isn't investigating the killings by the Exterminator. And why is the CIA even involved? The ending feels pretty abrupt as well.
Exterminator 2 (1984)
Slightly better then the first movie.
Robert Ginty returns in this sequel which is slightly better in some ways then the first movie. The downside to this film is that it's pretty slow for the first 45 minutes and when Robert Ginty's double isn't lighting people up with a flamethrower, Ginty himself is basically walking the streets like a lost dog. Yes, there are some kills during this time but it feels like two different movies. It also seems like Mario Van Peeples has more screen time then Ginty himself. The movie does have better direction and action scenes, especially near the end. I think this is because of William Sachs, who shot additional scenes when Ginty wasn't available for reshoots.
Millennium: Sense and Antisense (1997)
Who keeps calling Frank?
A pretty good episode but I didn't care much for the attempts at humor. And who keeps calling Frank? This seemed like a setup for a storyline that would play a bigger part in a future episode but it never comes up again. I guess the writer needed to put something in there to fill out the required running time. Was it the Millennium Group toying with Frank?
Millennium: TEOTWAWKI (1998)
Would have made a better series finale.
A definite improvement over the two-part opener but I think the show should have waited and used the storyline of the Y2K bug for the series finale. It certainly would have been better then the serial killer of the week Manhunter rip-off that we got.
Millennium: Monster (1997)
Introducing the annoying Lara Means.
Decent episode that's brought down a notch with the introduction of Kristen Cloke as Lara Means. I'm not a fan of this character and Cloke's acting is rather poor most of the time. Her shtick of repeatedly saying "Here's my thing" got old very quickly and her attempts at dramatic acting pale in comparison next to Lance Henriksen and Terry O'Quinn. She's more tolerable in a few later episodes when she has less screen time, but like I said, she's out of her league acting alongside Lance Henriksen.
Millennium: Powers, Principalities, Thrones and Dominions (1997)
Should have been nominated for best writing.
One of the reasons why Millennium is a great series is because of episodes like this. The writing is excellent and the dialogue between Frank Black, Peter Watts, Mike Atkins and Al Pepper is top notch.
Millennium: Seven and One (1999)
Confusing with a poorly written ending.
This episode starts off good but becomes confusing and falls apart near the end. Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz obviously didn't know how to end this so they wrote some dumb, ridiculous entire-bathroom-fills-up-with-water scenario that turns out to be all in Frank's mind. The confusing thing is was Mabius Agent Boxer the whole time or did Mabius just disguise himself as Boxer when he killed the psychiatrist? And why does Frank identify a dead man as the person who was taking the polaroids when it was obviously Mabius?
Millennium: Skull and Bones (1998)
Best episode of the season.
Atmospheric episode explaining what happened to Cheryl Andrews after her arrest in season 2's "The Hand of Saint Sebastian". My only question is who is Homer B. Pettey and how does he connect to all of this? It's never explained. Another reviewer said Mabius, who is shown here constantly lurking in the background, was Pettey but that's never alluded to in the episode.
Millennium: Siren (1998)
Too much exposition.
An average episode that takes it's time for the first half hour with too much exposition and then tries to quickly wrap it all up at the end. The interrogation scenes with the Asian immigrants and the Captain, played by Tzi Ma, go on for far too long. Those scenes could have been shortened to make room for more of Frank's delusional state and an ending that wasn't abrupt and underwhelming.
Millennium: Via Dolorosa (1999)
Blatant rip-off of 'Manhunter'.
The writers of these two episodes should be embarrassed. Marjorie David and Patrick Harbinson, who wrote Via Dolorosa, and Ken Horton and Chip Johannessen, who wrote the second part, Goodbye to All That, blatantly plagiarized the 1986 film Manhunter. The killer here is beat for beat the exact same as Dolarhyde, from wearing night vision goggles to having a blind girlfriend and watching videos of his victims while said girlfriend sits next to him on the sofa. I'm surprised Thomas Harris or Michael Mann didn't take legal action. Millennium is a great show but this two-part series finale is a cheap imitation and reeks of four writers who couldn't think of anything original when it comes to the character of the killer.