JUNESPLOITATION: The Wages of Fear (1953)
DAY 9. Thrillers! Forget your standard-issue action movies where the hero waltzes through gunfire with a quippy one-liner. Henri-Georges Clouzot’s The Wages of Fear is the cinematic equivalent of a panic attack stretched across two and a half hours. It makes modern thrillers look like Sunday afternoon cartoons. We find our quartet of heroes — […]
CHILLER THEATER MONTH: Invaders from Mars (1953)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Invaders from Mars was on Chiller Theater on Saturday, March 12, 1966 at 11:20 p.m.; Saturday, August 5, 1967 at 11:20 p.m.; Saturday, January 4, 1969 at 11:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 5, 1969 at 11:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 20, 1979 at 1:00 a.m. and Saturday, July 23, 1983 at 2:00 a.m. Directed by William Cameron […]
CHILLER THEATER MONTH: It Came from Outer Space (1953)
EDITOR’S NOTE: It Came from Outer Space was on Chiller Theater on Saturday, November 10, 1973 at 1:00 a.m.; Saturday December 14, 1974 at 11:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 3, 1976 at 11:30 p.m.; Saturday, August 20, 1977 at 11:30 p.m. and was the last movie ever shown on Chiller Theater on December 31, 1983. Based on Ray […]
CHILLER THEATER MONTH: The Magnetic Monster (1953)
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Magnetic Monster was on Chiller Theater on Sunday, March 29 at 11:10 p.m. and Saturday, July 18, 1964 at 4:00 p.m., Saturday, February 13, 1965 at 11:15 p.m. and Saturday, June 29, 1968 at 11:30 p.m. This is the start of Ivan Tors’ Office of Scientific Investigation trilogy, which was followed by […]
CHILLER THEATER MONTH: Robot Monster (1953)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Robot Monster was on Chiller Theater on Saturday, January 28, 1967 at 11:20 p.m. Phil Tucker invented a rotary engine known as the CT Surge Turbine, which he successfully patented but unsuccessfully attempted to sell to the automobile industry as a more efficient alternative to the internal combustion engine. Years after directing movies […]
MOVIES THAT PLAYED SCALA: Glen or Glenda (1953)
Thanks to the British Film Institute, there’s a list of films that played Scala. To celebrate the release of Severin’s new documentary, I’ll share a few of these movies every day. You can see the whole list on Letterboxd. I despise the notion that Ed Wood was a horrible filmmaker. Sure, his movies aren’t technically […]
RETURN OF KAIJU DAY: The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
Based on Ray Bradbury’s 1951 short story, directed by Eugène Lourié and with animation by Ray Harryhausen, this is a very Godzilla-style movie — actually, it’;s the other way around as Godzilla came out a year later — as a giant dinosaur known as the Rhedosaurus in unfrozen by an atomic bomb test. What really […]
CHILLER THEATER MONTH: The Maze (1953)
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Maze was on Chiller Theater on Saturday, April 30, 1966 at 1:00 a.m., Saturday, March 10, 1973 at 1:00 a.m., Saturday, January 24, 1976 at 1:00 a.m. and Saturday, April 29, 1978 at 11:30 p.m. William Cameron Menzies invented the term production designer. Let that sink in. He directed Chandu the Magician, Things to […]
CHILLER THEATER MONTH: House of Wax (1953)
EDITOR’S NOTE: House of Wax was on Chiller Theater on Saturday, October 2, 1976 at 11:30 p.m., Saturday, February 11, 1978 at 11:30 p.m. and September 30, 1978 at 11:30 p.m. A remake of Mystery of the Wax Museum, this was the first major studio 3D movie and really may be the best 3D film ever […]
CANNON MONTH 3: Aida (1953)
EDITOR’S NOTE: As the journey through Cannon continues, this week we’re exploring the films of 21st Century Film Corporation, which would be the company that Menahem Golan would take over after Cannon. Formed by Tom Ward and Art Schweitzer in 1971 (or 1976, there are some disputed expert opinions), 21st Century had a great logo and […]
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