Nightmare City (1980)
Have you ever paused a movie and yelled aloud, “I LOVE THIS MOVIE!” and you’re all alone in the room? If you’ve answered in the affirmative, you understand the pure joy that I felt while watching this movie. Dean Miller, an American reporter, is waiting to interview a nuclear scientist when a military plane lands […]
Alligator (1980)
There are moments in horror movies where even the most jaded of us can be upset at a visual or idea. In Alligator, there’s plenty to be disgusted by, but for me, the dead dogs being floated down a sewer were the closest I’ve come to being grossed out by a film in some time! Somewhere in […]
MESSED UP AND MUSICAL: Can’t Stop the Music (1980)
This movie — and Xandau — are why the Razzies exist, awards that celebrate the worst in movies. It’s the only movie that Nancy Walker — Rhoda’s mom and the Bounty paper towel lady — ever directed. It’s Bruce Jenner’s film debut. And I don’t care what anyone says, I love it in spite of everything […]
The Fog (1980)
Today is the 138th anniversary of the founding of Antonio Bay, CA. I see no better time to tell you about one of my favorite movies, which comes from that fictional town. As the town is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary, the stroke of midnight brings chaos. It all starts with an old sailor […]
WATCH THE SERIES: Friday the 13th part 1
At this point, this is the longest that we’ve ever gone without a Friday the 13th film since the break between Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X in 1993 and 2001. But at one point, these movies owned the box office, with one nearly every summer from 1980-1989. Why did people love them so much? And what were […]
Revenge of the Stepford Wives (1980)
Ira Levin’s 1972 novel, The Stepford Wives, and the 1975 movie that was based on it are both cultural phenomena. Even the phrase “Stepford wife” has entered into our lexicon. So why did things have to stop after one movie? Luckily, NBC aired this sequel on October 12, 1980. Whereas the original Stepford wives were androids, the […]
FULCI WEEK: Contraband (1980)
Imagine Fulci making a cop movie. Imagine that the budget ran out two weeks in. Imagine that real mobsters paid for the film, asking for a title change and for more violence (like Fulci was going to say no). Don’t imagine. All of these things are wonderfully true and make Contraband such a weird addition to […]
MANGIATI VIVI: Dr. Butcher, M.D. (1980)
Also known as Zombi Holocaust, the American version of this film features a sequence from an unfinished film called Tales That’ll Tear Your Heart Out, a different music score and some edits for pacing. It’s also got a much better title: Doctor Butcher, M.D. (Medical Deviate). And let me warn you right here and now. This is a film that […]
MANGIATI VIVI: Eaten Alive! (1980)
What happens when you throw assassins in New York City, cannibals in the jungle and a Jim Jones-like cult leader into a big pot and set it to boil? You get Eaten Alive! Sheila (Janet Agren, City of the Living Dead, Hands of Steel) is searching for her sister, Diana (Paola Senatore, Emanuelle in America)who has […]
MANGIATI VIVI: Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Cannibal Holocaust has always been a movie that by reputation that I’ve avoided. It’s been tagged as “the one that goes all the way” and has been banned in over fifty countries. And it isn’t every movie that gets confiscated ten days after its premiere with the director arrested and charged with obscenity. By January 1981, […]
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