Birdhands

Return of the Living Dead was a horror movie franchise that could never seem to find itself an audience after the original.

It went from the classic Dan O'Bannon film in 1985 which was a surprise critical and commercial success, to a series that went right off the rails instantly.

If you need proof of this, then here it is. Any zombie movie with the word "Rave" in the title cannot be good. And I am not hoping for an Oscar winner here, but I was hoping for something that at least respects the original. But this is just an abortion of a film. It is poorly made and acted. The effects are better than expected but cannot save this and make it enjoyable.

But there is one way to enjoy it. Cue up this podcast and watch it with the Birdhands crew. We will keep you company while you drop some ecstasy and smear vapo-rub on your backs as we get down and dirty and...Rave to the Grave!

From Beyond will always be remembered and compared to Re-Animator.

But over the years it has become a classic itself. Barbara Crampton and Jeffrey Combs return but do not give the same energy to their roles as in Re-Animator. Combs really has nothing to work with and his character does not have the same crazy glee that Herbert West did. But we get the addition of Ken Foree as Bubba who is kind of the straight man to all this medical mumbo jumbo.

I wish they kept up the comedic tone of Re-Animator as it would make it a much better watch. But the one thing they did keep the same is the gore and special effects. They are top notch as usual. No shortage of gooey eighties practical effects here.

And if you still aren't sold, Barbara Crampton tries on some leather S and M gear. That alone is a reason to watch.

So cue it up with Birdhands as we broadcast, From Beyond!

Starcrash may be the worst Star Wars rip off I have ever seen. A rush job to capitalize of the success that George Lucas was having the previous year, but without any of the charm.

But wait, before you decide not to watch, it does have David Hasslhoff and a robot named Elle who sounds like Ernest P Warhol. And I guess that is kind of cool.

So join us in a galaxy far, far away, as we blast off into Starcrash!

The early part of the seventies was a busy time for movies based on Ed Gein. The infamous serial killer who Norman Bates was also based on got two movies that were both good but had very different levels of success. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is obviously the more well known of the two but really has little to do with Gein other than the skin face masks and body part furniture.

Deranged is a strange little movie. It features the actor Roberts Blossom who was also the scary shovel guy in Home Alone years later. He is more crazy in this movie by far. But he also plays it for some laughs as well. In fact its a shame that the movie goes kind of downhill in the second half because there is not as much dialogue from him.

If you have never seen this one it is for sure worth at least one viewing. So get ready to cook up something nice to eat as we get.... Deranged.

New Year's Evil.

Do you ever remember a movie you watched years earlier but the memory is way off? Well, that is totally the case with this gem from 1980. I kind of remember it being a bit dull, but had it in my mind as a slasher movie. This is more of a movie of the week type of mystery but at a very low level of quality.

The lead character is a 50 year old woman who I think is supposed to be a popular music video show host where people call in their requests or something. It looks more like a telethon with bad punk bands playing non stop.

This one is a hot mess. In fact it is giving me a bad movie hangover. In the year 2020 my resolution will be to preview the movies we watch a little better. There is a big difference between bad crap and fun crap.

Not everything from the 1980's was good. But join us in the Birdhole as we try and make it to the ball drop in New Year's Evil.

Halloween 2 was released in 1981 to an audience who was raised on clones of the original movie.

The result is kind of mediocre but still stands as one of the better entries in the series. Michael Myers has survived a nasty fall and a few gunshot wounds. Dr Loomis is still hot on his tail and Donald Pleasence is amazing as usual.

Most of the movie takes place in the hospital where Laurie Strode has been taken and it tries to capture the tone of the original while giving gore hungry audiences what they want in the Friday the 13th era.

Join us in the Birdhole hole as we discuss the good and the bad of one of the most unnecessary sequels of all time.... Halloween 2!

George Romero`s Day of the Dead has many things in common with Return of the Jedi. Mainly that it should have been the third entry in a great trilogy of movies but was ruined by another horrible trilogy years later. I know that is really up to personal opinion but I think most sane people feel this way.

But at the time of release this film was largely overlooked and dismissed as a letdown, time heals all wounds and it has become a fan favorite.

The gore effects are the best ever put on film and the acting is top notch for a George Romero movie.

Take a giant elevator down to the Birdhole with us as we jump into the 1985 classic, Day of the Dead.

Night of the Living Dead. The zombie genre would not exist without this low budget masterpiece from 1968. The dead rising and eating people was a new concept back then and all the rules were made here.

While modern audiences may find it slow and not very shocking, at the time of release I would imagine seeing close ups  of intestines being eaten might be somewhat groundbreaking.

George Romero launched his 50 year film career with this one and it has a place in horror history forever.

We gather in the Birdhole this week to celebrate over a half century of the zombie movie. Cue it up and watch along with us as we watch the Criterion Collection version of Night of the Living Dead!

The Pit. A fairly unknown movie from 1981. This was original called Teddy after the main characters stuffed animal that tells him to do bad things.

It is a Canadian production but not a classic by any means. In fact, its the pits. Pun intended.

The Alien Factor is Don Dohler's 1978 masterpiece of science fiction.

Well it might not be a masterpiece, but it is a movie. And for that we have to be grateful. We here at the Birdhands headquarters love Don Dohler and his quest to make cinema gold.

And with a budget of $3500 I think he did pretty well. Who else can make a movie on that kind of money?

Cue this gem up as we jump into episode 51 exploring Area 51 and discuss The Alien Factor!