MONSTER-MONTH: COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN (Day 4)

The fourth day of our Monster countdown brings us to 1987 and THE MONSTER SQUAD.  This is the kind of potential monster mash-up that gives horror geeks the chills!

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THE MONSTER SQUAD is a 1987 comedy/horror film written by Shane Black and Fred Dekker, who also directed.  Dekker is known for his film NIGHT OF THE CREEPS which pays homage to the B grade sci-fi/horror films of the 50s and 60s.

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This is the Tri-Star Pictures take on the classic Universal Pictures monsters as reimagined by Stan Winston and other special effects artists.  In short, it’s THE GOONIES meets FRIGHT NIGHT.

Here’s an insightful and brief interview with Fred Dekker which is about the mythology of the film, a comparison to the modern monsters and a hint a what a Monster Squad reunion could be about (hint: he’s big in Japan):

http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/07/10/monster-squad-monday-director-fred-dekker?page=1

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The Frankesntein Monster in this feature is played quietly by excellent character actor Tom Noonan, known for playing such interesting fellows as the serial killer Francis Dolarhyde from MANHUNTER,  Mr. Ulman in HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, a superb horror film that mirrors classics like ROSEMARY’S BABY, and the tragically flawed Reverend Nathaniel Cole in the AMC series HELL ON WHEELS.

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His monster follows closely the path set by Karloff.  While visually similar, this Monster has no flat-top head, no neck bolts or furrowed brow, but the green tinged skin, jacket and scars are all there.  Slow, quiet, monosylabic and strong and with a penchant for befriending little girls.  He’s not a planner.  He’s not much for charisma but he’s got a gleam in his eye.  In a movie where the monsters are up to no good via the leadership of Dracula, this Frankenstein Monster’s vote is undecided.

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Dont’ be chickenshit, check out THE MONSTER SQUAD for a light scare that may take you back to your childhood or, at the very least, remind you of your love for the Universal Monsters.

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FIVE FRANKENSTEIN FUN FACTS

1. Tom Noonan played Francis Dolarhyde in MANHUNTER just one year before his role as Frankenstein’s Monster in THE MONSTER SQUAD.
2. Liam Neeson nearly captured the role of Count Dracula in THE MONSTER SQUAD.
3. The original opening sequence for THE MONSTER SQUAD would’ve involved Van Helsing storming Count Dracula’s castle with hundreds of men on horseback and in zeppelins!  Unfortnately, it was cut for budgetary reasons.
4. Co-writer Shane Black went on to write LETHAL WEAPON, THE LAST BOYSCOUT and KISS KISS, BANG BANG.
5. A fictional movie entitled “Groundhog Day” is viewed in THE MONSTER SQUAD--a holiday-themed slasher flick which parodys such films as MY BLOODY VALENTINE, BLACK CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR’S EVIL, APRIL FOOL’S DAY and, duh, HALLOWEEN.

Lookie here:

Den of Geek

JuntaJuleil

Now I’m putting this post to web here on Wednesday night/Thursday morning, but I want you to know about these Friday morning finds on Turner Classic Movies in time to set VCRs, DVRs, Tivos and the like to record these films OR to call in sick to work so that you can check them out in person.

On TCM on Friday, October 5, 2012

9am - THE REPTILE (1966)

  

10:30am - THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (1944)

11:45am - THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE (1959)

1:15pm - I MARRIED A WITCH (1942)

2:45pm - CURSE OF THE DEMON (1958)

4:30pm - THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY’S TOMB (1964)

6pm - SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER (1977)

2:30am - ROAD GAMES (1981)

4:15am - HOT RODS TO HELL (1967)

AND DON'T FORGET...

MONSTER MASH MONDAYS on TCM - COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN (Day 10)

It's Monday in October and that means over a half-dozen macabre motion pictures over on Turner Classic Movies tonight:

OCTOBER 10
8:00 pm – The Wolf Man
9:15 pm – The Uninvited
11:00 pm – Dead Of Night
1:00 am – I Walked With A Zombie
2:15 am – Cat People
3:45 am – Curse Of The Cat People
5:00 am – The Devil Bat
6:15 am – Dead Men Walk

THE WOLF MAN is easily the most well known of these eight pictures as the Universal Monster ruled the box office for most of the first fifty years of film. Lon Chaney Jr. was probably the most sympathetic of the monsters being that his condition was no fault of his own. He simply became half-man/half-wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the moon is full and bright.

Did You Know: "The Wolf Man" is Universal Pictures second werewolf movie, it followed the less successful "Werewolf of London" six years earlier?



THE UNINVITED is a beautifully shot gothic tale of a haunting. A bit complicated compared to other haunted house stories, it begins simply with a brother and sister wanting to buy a seaside English home while on vacation. And, as they say, is only the beginning...

Did You Know: "The Uninvited" is based on the novel UNEASY FREEHOLD by Dorothy Macardle?



DEAD OF NIGHT is an early anthology film that begins when a man arrives at a party with a disturbingly accurate account of this very party from a nightmare. The stories told by the guests at the party are a result of his revelation. There is the story of a ventriloquist who believes his malevolent dummy is alive and a story set at a children's Christmas party (that was cut from the American release of the film because distributers thought the movie was too long), one about a haunting mirror and another about two golfers among others.

Did You Know: Cosmolgists Fred Hoyle, Thomas Gold and Hermann Bondi, developed the Steady State theory of the universe, an alternative to the Big Bang, after seeing "Dead of Night". They said that the nature of the plot inspired the theory.



I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE is a traditional zombie story in the sense that it is set in the West Indies and deals with "voodoo" and it's effects on the wife of a plantation owner. It is also a tale of love gone sour, twisted.

Did You Know: The disclaimer at the end of the film reads: "The characters and events depicted in this photoplay are fictional. Any similarity to actual persons, living, dead, or possessed, is purely coincidental."?



Like so many films that came before special effects could portray transformational moments, CAT PEOPLE had to rely on subtle creative shots using shadow and acting to convey these not so subtle moments. One of my favorites from this era of film...

Did You Know: The film was such a hit at the box office, the releases of the next two Lewton films (I Walked with a Zombie and The Leopard Man) were delayed and that critics who had originally bashed the film were able to see it again and many rewrote their reviews with a more positive spin?



Nearly only a sequel in name to CAT PEOPLE, CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, is mostly a story dealing with a child creating an imaginary companion. The studio retitled this film to cash in on the great success of CAT PEOPLE.

Did You Know: This is a very well made film, but not a horror/suspense/thriller.



THE DEVIL BAT is, simply put, a reason to not wear after shave lotion. Bela Lugosi stars as a scientist who creates mutated bats who will hone in on the smell of that after shave and kill whomever is wearing it!

Did You Know: The Devil Bat is one of the most successful poverty row films?



DEAD MEN WALK is the story of a twin of a small-town physician returns from the grave for vengeance against his brother, who secretly killed him because the twin summoned his power from the devil.

Did You Know: Although the title implies zombies, it is actually a vampire to fear in this flick.