The Screamcast

We continue our journey through Blaxploitation as we look at the influence it’s had on modern filmmakers like Mario Van Peebles, John Singleton, Quentin Tarantino and others.

Movies discussed: Baadasssss!, Posse, Hoodlum,  Panther, Boyz N The Hood, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Django Unchained, Bones

The Quentin Tarantino interview portions were taken from an interview found on YouTube. Watch the full, uncut interview here:

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In honor of Black History Month, Sean and Brad begin a month long look into the Blaxploitation phenomenon of the 1970s. This week we lay the groundwork by discussing the explosion of Blaxploitation Cinema once Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song was unleashed by legend Melvin Van Peebles. Other films discussed are Cotton Comes To Harlem, Superfly and Shaft.

Check out Brad’s Spotify Station: Big Afros, Big Cars and Big Guns!

Show Notes:

As mentioned when talking about Severin’s pending lawsuit with director Jim Van Bebber over The Manson Family, here are recordings left on Don May’s (from Synapse Films) answering machine from the time he was upset over Synapse’s treatment of Deadbeat At Dawn:

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This week Brad and Sean had a chance to sit down with the guys over at Vinegar Syndrome to talk Exploitation Cinema and Film Preservation. We also offer up a “Vinegar Syndrome Virgin Survival Guide” for those of you who have yet to jump into their catalog.

Vinegar syndrome is a term used to describe the chemical reaction that goes on during the deterioration of cellulose acetate film. When films begins to decompose, ‘deacetylation’ occurs and the acetate ion reacts with moisture to form acetic acid, producing a vinegar odour when the can is opened. The reaction is continuous, and once started, it cannot be stopped or reversed. In fact, the reaction is autocatalytic, which means it feeds on itself and speeds up over time.

Please support their vision for VinegarSyndrome.tv! Head over to their Indiegogo campaign and choose your perk!

Head over to Temple Of Schlock to view the “Exploitation Endangered List“

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Brad and Sean take on Adam Wingard’s newest flick, The Guest. Subjects include Dan Stevens, Dan Steven’s body, and Dan Stevens.

The Flick:

The Guest (2014)

Director: Adam Wingard

Written By: Simon Barrett

Starring: Dan Stevens, Sheila Kelley, Maika Monroe

A mysterious ex-soldier (Dan Stevens) with a secret agenda wreaks havoc on a small town in this “impossibly cool” (Fangoria) action thriller from the creators of You’re Next.

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This week we take a bite out of three films! We know, it’s a mouthful, but we discuss the found-footage gem The Houses October Built, Scream Factory’s newest blu-ray release Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh, and Alexander Aja’s newest offering Horns. Plus, we give our Top 10 Novel-to-Film adaptations.

The Flicks:

The Houses October Built (2014)

Director: Bobby Roe

Written By: Zack Andrews, Jeff Larson

Starring: Brandy Schaefer, Zack Andrews, Bobby Roe

Beneath the fake blood and cheap masks of countless haunted house attractions across the country, there are whispers of truly terrifying alternatives. Looking to find an authentic, blood-curdling good fright for Halloween, five friends set off on a road trip in an RV to track down these underground Haunts. (RLJ/Image)

Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh (1995)

Director: Bill Condon

Written By: Clive Barker (story), Rand Ravich (screenplay)

Starring: Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan, William O’Leary

His myth has endured for generations. His legacy is eternal rage. And now he’s back… with a vengeance! Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh continues the tale of the phantom-like figure who wreaks a terrible fate upon those who chant his name five times while looking into a mirror… and come face to face with grisly death.

A victim of unspeakable evil while he lived, the “Candyman” (Tony Todd, Final Destination) has become evil incarnate in his afterlife. This time, he haunts the city of New Orleans, where a young schoolteacher named Annie Tarrant (Kelly Rowan, The O.C.) is struggling to solve the brutal murder of her father. The locals insist that he was slain by the Candyman, but Annie is not convinced… until she unwittingly summons the monster forth, learns the secret of his power, and discovers the link that connects her to him. But can she stop him before he kills again? Directed by Bill Condon (Gods And Monsters, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn) from a story by Clive Barker (Hellraiser, Nightbreed), Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh is “one heck of a scary movie” (Moviehole)! (Scream Factory)

Horns (2013)

Director: Alexandre Aja

Written By: Keith Bunin (screenplay), Joe Hill (novel)

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Juno Temple, Max Minghella

A supernatural thriller driven by fantasy, mystery, and romance, Horns follows Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe), the number one suspect for the murder of his girlfriend, Merrin (Juno Temple). Hungover from a night of hard drinking,

John Portanova (The Invoking, The Device, Valley Of The Sasquatch) joins us to discuss all things alien! We discuss his newest film, The Device as well as Kino Lorber’s blu-ray release of The Quatermass Xperiment and our Top 10 Alien Abduction/Invastion flicks.

The Flicks:

The Device (2014)

Director: Jeremy Berg

Written By: Jeremy Berg, John Portanova

Starring: Angela DiMarco, David S. Hogan, Kate Alden

Abby and Rebecca Powell haven’t seen each other since a traumatic event in their youth ripped them apart. Reunited for the first time in over a decade, the sisters take a trip to spread their mother’s ashes at a secluded lake. As the sisters reconnect and try to heal old wounds, something waits in the nearby woods. A strange object, made not by the hands of man, beckons them to it. As they begin to try and unlock its secrets, Abby is plagued by nightmares of an alien presence that seem all too real. Little do the sisters realize that this object is actually a device, one with a purpose too horrible to comprehend. As the events of the past and the present begin to merge, new discoveries will threaten to tear apart their newly reformed family, and the inhuman creators of the device will attempt to finish a terrible experiment begun years before. (The October People)

The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

Director: Val Guest

Written By: Richard H. Landau, Val Guest

Starring: Brian Donlevy, Jack Warner, Margia Dean

Val Guest (The Day the Earth Caught Fire) directed this chilling film about a spacecraft returning to earth with a frightening surprise on board. Two of the ship’s three astronauts have mysteriously vanished, while the third is sick with an unidentifiable illness. While doctors try to help the third man recover, an investigation takes place to figure out just what happened to his comrades. As it turns out, the survivors body has been taken over by an alien fungus that needs blood to survive. After the astronaut escapes from the hospital, he transforms into a monster, attacking everyone who gets in its way. Meanwhile, Scotland Yard detective Lomax (Jack Warner, The Blue Lamp) and Professor Bernard Quatermass (Brian Donlevy, The Glass Key), a determined scientist, attempt to track down the creature before it finds new victims. Also known as The Creeping Unknown.  (Kino Lorber)

 

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Brad, Sean and Brian put a cap on 2014 with their “Top 10 Horror Blu-ray Releases of 2014.” A little Christmas is still injected into the conversation as they discuss Scream Factory’s Tales From The Crypt & Vault Of Horror double feature, as well as Full Moon’s release of Trancers! We had a blast this year, thanks to all of you who have made this show a success. See you in 2015!

The Flicks:

Tales From The Crypt (1972)

Director: Freddie Francis

Written By: Milton Subotsky

Starring: Joan Collins, Peter Cushing, Ralph Richardson

When five unwary travelers with dark hearts stumble into a series of catacombs, they find themselves in a cavern with no way out. But the horror’s only just begun as a mysterious figure appears to reveal to each person the shocking events that will lead to their well-deserved, untimely – and unavoidable – demise. Starring Joan Collins (Empire Of The Ants), Peter Cushing (Horror Of Dracula), Patrick Magee (A Clockwork Orange) and Sir Ralph Richardson (Rollerball), and directed by Freddie Francis (The Creeping Flesh), Tales From The Crypt is the original, gets-right-under-your-skin creepfest! (Scream Factory)

The Vault Of Horror (1973)

Director: Roy Ward Baker

Written By: Milton Subotsky

Starring: Terry-Thomas, Tom Baker, Daniel Massey

Available uncut for the first time on home video! Five unsuspecting hotel guests step into an elevator, which leads them into an underground vault. Trapped with no way out, each guest shares a gruesome tale of an encounter with death. But as the stories unfold, the men begin to suspect that their presence in the vault is no coincidence, and that the only way out…is death. Starring Tom Baker (Doctor Who), Denholm Elliott (Raiders Of The Lost Ark), Curt Jurgens (The Mephisto Waltz) and Michael Craig (Mysterious Island), this ferociously entertaining film is a worthy sequel to Tales From The Crypt! Includes unrated and theatrical versions. (Scream Factory)

Trancers (1984)

Director: Charles Band

Written By: Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo

Starring: Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt, Michael Stefani

Welcome to Angel City, 2247. Trooper Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) is wiping out the last disciples of Whistler, who used his psychic power to ‘trance’ those with inferior minds, forcing them to follow his every desire. Though he’d been thought dead, he’s very much alive… in the year 1985.

Whistler’s master plan – kill the ancestors of the City Council....

This week we discuss the most notorious Killer Santa flick of them all: Silent Night, Deadly Night! We also have words for Anchor Bay regarding their lackluster, lazy blu-ray release and we round-up all the remaining Killer Santa movies worth checking out.

The Flick:

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Director: Charles E. Sellier Jr.

Written By: Paul Caimi (story), Michael Hickey

Starring: Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero

Protesters tried to stop it. Community leaders tried to suppress it.  The P.T.A. fought to ban it. Critics tried to bury it. Now one of the most controversial slasher films of all time is back! Restored from original vault materials, chock full of gratuitous nudity and grisly violence, then stuffed with jolly extras for the absolute ultimate in Season’s Bleedings!

Silent Night, Deadly Night is the heartwarming story of little Billy Chapman who was traumatized by his parents’ Christmas Eve rape and murder, then brutalized by sadistic orphanage nuns. But when a grown-up Billy is forced to dress as jolly St. Nick, he goes on a yuletide rampage to ‘punish the naughty.’ Santa Claus is coming to town…and this time he’s got an axe! Robert Brian Wilson and Linnea Quigley star in this jawdropping horror hit that a nation of angry mothers still cannot stop! (Anchor Bay)

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We continue on our trek through the dark side of Christmas with 1980’s To All A Goodnight! Shockingly similar to Prom Night but released a full 6 months prior, this flick wasn’t concerned about breaking new ground. Brian Saur, Brad Henderson and Sean Duregger dive into this trope-filled yet highly entertaining Santa Slasher!

The Flick:

To All A Goodnight (1980)

Director: David Hess

Written By: Alex Rebar

Starring: Jennifer Runyon, Forrest Swanson, Linda Gentile

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, Santa Claus is stirring, and he’s not bringing gifts. Five young female boarders at the Calvin Finishing School have set their sights on a festive Christmas holiday romp. They have just drugged their housemother and smuggled their boyfriends into the house. But their fun-filled promiscuous frolic will soon turn into a blood-soaked nightmare when a sadistic maniac dressed as Santa Claus arrives to deliver some holiday cheer, or maybe that’s FEAR. The insane Santa Claus starts slashing his way through the house, and the gory body count begins.

So you better watch out, as this Santa knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake! Jennifer Runyon (in her film debut) stars in this 1980 slasher cult-horror favorite, directed by David Hess (Krug in Wes Craven’s LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT) and written and produced by Alex Rebar (THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN). (Kino Lorber)

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We welcome in the Christmas season by discussing Lewis Jackson‘s CHRISTMAS EVIL, but not before taking a slight detour into the South China Sea with the Burbank Kung Fu Club and 1982’s WTF-opus RAW FORCE! Brian Saur returns from his hiatus to join in on the ridiculous conversation. We also share our favorite Christmas Film Traditions.

The Flicks:

Raw Force (1982)

Director: Edward D. Murphy

Written By: Edward D. Murphy

Starring: Cameron Mitchell, Geoffrey Binney, Hope Holiday

Welcome to Warrior’s Island, burial ground of disgraced martial arts masters!

When the Burbank Kung Fu Club travels to this mysterious island, they quickly find themselves facing the bloodthirsty vengeance of flesh ripping, kung fu fighting zombies, gun-toting white slave traders and a band of strange monks, who may be the only key to explaining the madness. Edward Murphy’s RAW FORCE is a virtual smorgasbord of over the top sleaze –mixing zombies, cannibals, outrageous action, gore, copious amounts of nudity and starring exploitation greats, Cameron Mitchell and Vic Diaz.

Vinegar Syndrome presents this quintessential piece of early 80’s trash newly restored from the original camera negative and on blu-ray for the first time!

 

Christmas Evil (1980)

Director: Lewis Jackson

Written By: Lewis Jackson

Starring: Brandon Maggart, Jeffrey DeMunn, Dianne Hull

When he was a boy, Harry idolized Santa Claus, but one Christmas Eve, he witnessed something horrifying that forever shattered his innocent understanding of Santa. Now an adult, Harry wants to embody the pure Santa Claus he grew up loving. He works at a toy factory and keeps records of who’s been naughty and nice, but the spirit of Christmas isn’t what it used to be and he can’t take it. So, garbed in his red suit, Harry decides that the only thing he can do is to become Santa himself and make all of the naughty townspeople pay…in blood! Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present Lewis Jackson’s cult favorite Christmas Evil newly restored in 4k and on blu-ray for the first time!

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