Movies with multiple names

This is usually a thing when between countries, be it for language reasons or just because they thought their title would sound cooler, I guess.


Dawn of the Dead is Zombi, because Zombi 2 needed to start somewhere, right?

Army of Darkness should have been called The Medieval Dead, but I do believe it's known as Captain Supermarket somewhere...

Blood Shack has The Chooper

Phantasm was known as The Never Dead somewhere?

Halloween III was The Last Halloween in the Phillipines?



What else can you think of?

Marty Palmer, from 976-EVIL

I was just thinking, one of the reasons that 976-EVIL doesn't quite work is that on some level, watching it, you sort of have to expect that Marty Palmer will turn out to be the main character. He's the investigator from Modern Miracles magazine, who shows up to investigate the rain of fish, but ends up investigating the evil Mark Dark and his company that runs 976-EVIL, along with some other scam 976 numbers.

On some level, watching the movie, I think it is easy to get a little torn and confused about whose story it is, Hoax's or Marty's, or even Spike's. Hoax is a very sympathetic character, and we find ourselves on his side sometimes... as he does really yucky things to the bullies at his school, for example. But, if you think about it, Marty Palmer easily could have been the main character. He's basically an occult investigator. If the movie had focused more on him, maybe it would have been more successful? Maybe not.. the main reason most people watch the movie at all is to see Stephen Geoffreys, so, that's a factor. But, if you think about it, the Marty Palmer character probably had the most potential out of anyone in this movie. They could have built a whole film series around his investigations... or at least a TV show.

Oh well. Shouldacouldawoulda.

Mama's Boy: The History Of Hitch Hike To Hell



Hitchhiking is just one of those things that was once common in America, but is now as dead as the Drive-In. It once seemed like a perfectly reasonable way of getting from point A to point B, but nowadays, hitchhiking is more something one might only attempt in the case of an emergency. An understandable change. It was only a matter of time, anyway. As the population grew, naturally, the number of killers and rapists would grow with it. Today, I'd like to talk about a movie that might make one reconsider hitching a ride from a stranger, even in an emergency situation. An underseen little gem from the 70's, resurrected on DVD some years ago by Something Weird Video. A rapey nerd who misses sis. A smothering mother who is oblivious to her son's damage. A cop played by THE Russell Johnson. This is Hitch Hike To Hell!

Howard has issues. He's a nice guy. He genuinely likes people, and loves his mother dearly, in a completely normal way. He works at a laundromat, he always goes right home to mama right afterwards, he does what he's told, and always stays out of trouble. At least in his mind, he does. I mean, technically, he does since he's never been caught, but sometimes, Howard kills people. Mostly females, and only teens who have the gall to try and run away from home, which breaks their mama's hearts. Howard has sort of subconsciously appointed himself defender of all heartbroken mamas.

Some years ago, Howard had a sister who got sick of mama. Sister moved away forever, mama resents her, therefore Howard resents her. I can imagine there's been many tears from mama over the years, witnessed by Howard, making him sad. A sadness which was repressed and drowned in Root Beer for far too long. A sadness which is turning into a rage which can only be dealt with by rape and murder. Yes. Howard has issues.

Howard genuniely thinks everything is cool. When he's not blacked out, he is quite pleasant and always minds his own business. He delivers washed clothes for a living, but has been getting a lot of heat from the boss as of late, because his work is slipping. He's taking longer to get to where he's going, he's even starting to get lost. Which is weird, becasue he's lived in this town his whole life. Howard is clearly distracted. He's taking more and more time to sit and wait for hitchhikers. In his oblivious mind, he probably thinks it's just to have someone to talk to, but once they get to talking, and their agenda is revealed, Howard blacks out, goes into a blind rage, whips his dick out and punishes for mama. Then, he whips out a wire coat hanger and strangles them to death. In his free time at home, we notice that he's starting to crack. Howard is becoming plagued by glimmers of guilt, sending him into even more blackouts and fits of hysteria. Meanwhile, the Professor and his partner put their heads together to figure out the identity of the rapey psycho and put an end to this runaway killing spree.

Howard may consider all these runaways to be ungrateful little cunts. And in some cases, he may be correct. But one has to wonder what a lousy ass town this must be to have so many young people wanting out so bad. Even when warned of what's been going on, nobody will budge. Even the thought of losing their lives isn't enough to keep them around. All I can say is that Howard's sister really should have stayed in touch.

A cozy little B-movie, with a deliciously dated 70's feel to it. A good example of a low-budget going a long way. Hitch Hike To Hell is up there as one of the best all around films in the Something Weird Video catalogue. It's no polished blockbuster, but if you like these types of films, it should be difficult to come up with a negative word for it. Robert Gribbin did a great job carrying this movie as the naive, friendless mama's boy, adding just enough comic relief. And Russell Johnson's presence added a certain legitamacy and class. No complaints, really. However, I do feel like we could have used a little more insight into the mother and son's past, showcasing exactly how bad mama could get, and how damaging her smothering ways may have been. Or maybe a scene showing an example of whatever shit she put the daughter through that drove her away. Maybe Howard's portrayal of a sympathetic character would have been more noticeable and effective. That's about it. Certainly nothing that makes it any less enjoyable. So, turn off your brain, have a Root Beer, work on your hobbie, and enjoy! 7/10



#Review

Texas Frightmare Weekend 2017

I made my annual trip to the Frightmare convention in Dallas for Saturday. Got there early, got a few autographs, didn't stick around too long. Now, I'll be rambling about my experience this year, just as I always do.

I went with my usual team of @DerTables and Justin, from my old job. So after scouting the place out, my first stop was at Michael Berryman's table. $30 for an autograph and a picture with him. Nice guy, commented on how the movie on my shirt was awesome.



Right after that, I jumped into the next line, featuring Dean Cundey, director of photography. Now, he's got an impressive resume', including several Carpenter films, Zemeckis, and even Spielberg movies. Can't say no when he's only charging $20 for an auto and a pic!



So then we wandered around a bit more, until we found the highlight of the event, Frank Henenlotter himself. He had NO line, and was only charging $20! Dude was cool as shit, and we talked about the penis busting through the wall in Bad Biology, how he ought to make another movie, and how cool Something Weird is. Very friendly guy, and even drew a picture of Aylmer on my autograph.



In the table right next to him, as expected, was Rick Hearst. $20 for pic and autograph. His main claim to fame is Brain Damage, but Der talked to him a little about his soap opera career, which is fairly extensive. Very nice guy.



There weren't too many people I was adamant about seeing, but the last one I deemed necessary was Michael Pare, from The Philadelphia Experiment, Bad Moon, Streets of Fire, etc... $40 for a pic and an autograph. Cool guy, he talked about how much fun he had making "Bad Moon", and praised Eric Red as a director. I mentioned the Steven Seagal movie he was in. "Maximum Conviction", he says, and I told him it bothered me how they built him up as a villain, then Seagal just kills him, no challenge. He told me Seagal doesn't work with other actors, and wouldn't fight him. Steven Seagal, that fat fuck. 😄





And that's about the extent of my visit. I bailed pretty early on, but there were a few more points worth noting.

• Dario Argento had a massive line, and disappeared very early. I didn't even see him.
• Freddie Highmore and Ryan Hurst had big lines, and even bigger lines for the Bates Motel panel.
• Debi Sue Voorhees has grey hair now?
• Wilford Brimley charged too much, and didn't stick around too long. Diabetes!
• There were at least 5 chicks with big, awesome boobies.
• One of them had a huge, intentional hole in her jeans that showed her whole ass. Nice!
• Danny Lloyd, the kid from The Shining, had a BIG line. Why?
• I bought some movies a guy directed, one of which is called "Stabbed in the Face" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2671270/. How cool is that?

Here's the guest list: https://www.texasfrightmareweekend.com/guests/
If anyone has anybody wants to know about anyone specifically, I'll tell you what their lines/cost were.

2017 Black & White Challenge Results Thread

Well, the first B&W outside the IMDb went pretty well. I gave an honest effort at winning for about a week there, but Beatnik once again got way ahead of everyone else in record time and made me lose motivation. So, fuck you, once again, Beatnik.

So, how 'bout it? What was your favorite FTV of the month? what was your least favorite? What was the black & whitest?

My favorite FTV was The Eyes Of My Mother (2016). Not saying much, though. That's the only one I liked a lot. As usual, I delved into some awesome 50's and 60's Horror/Sci-fi rewatches, with stuff like The Killer Shrews, Night Of The Blood Beast, Robot Monster and Terror In The Midnight Sun.

I'm gonna go with The Green Murder Case from 1929 as least favorite. Nothing I watched was all that terrible either, but this is one of the mre boring ones. However, it happens to be the only talkie I've seen from the 1920's. Didn't know there was any.

As far as the black and whitest movie I saw. That'd be 1942's Lucky Ghost by a mile. Considering how the African Americans in this movie are portrayed, I can see certain people finding this one a bit racist. Probably only fags. I thought it was funny.

Thanks to everyone who continues to support this challenge and Trash Epics.


Psychotronicbeatnik - 64 Films, 257 Points

Rogerthemoviemaniac8 - 25 Films, 171 Points

Johan_WoW - 38 Films, 155 Points

Tromafreak - 40 Films, 115 Points

Peeptoad - 24 Films, 91 Points

Box_a_Hair - 23 Films, 83 Points

Fozmalucachu - 21 Films, 58 Points

OnyxHades - 16 Films, 53 Points

Slasherfan85 - 7 Films, 28 Points

NoseOfNicko - 5 Films, 11 Points

Soapbox_Qustodian - 3 Films, 6 Points

DerTables - 6 Films (?)

What's the worst monster?

I was just watching The Creeping Terror, and got to thinking. This is possibly the worst monster ever.




Or not...

peep's weekly Kentucky Derby thread...



... IF I remember to post in it!

Anyway, this week's Derby news:

2-year old champ Classic Empire is nursing a foot abscess and will miss his next prep race: https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/219939/classic-empire-out-of-fountain-of-youth



Pletcher-trained One Liner just rocked home in the SW Stakes with a 102 speed fig (highest of the potential Derby horses this year). He earned 10 points for his victory: https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/219961/one-liner-laughs-last-in-southwest-stakes-victory

Review: Sole Survivor (1983)



Sole Survivor predates Final Destination by 17 years and you can see it had an obvious influence on Final Destination although Sole Survivor is the more well made film of the two and it is the far more creepy. The movie focuses on a young woman who happens to be the only survivor of a tragic plane crash. Following after being discharged from the hospital, she begins getting the foreboding feeling like she is in danger or harm, she begins to see these strange "people" following her and watching her every movement. All her friends and her doctors are convinced that she is suffering from a type of "survivor syndrome," where she feels guilt for being the only survivor and seeing so many people die from the crash. She begins to feel unworthy or not deserving of her life. It becomes apparent that "death" is not pleased with her for having survived its grip so it begins to send the recently dead to claim what it believes its due.

Not only has it a great screenplay but it is also genuinely-terrifying. It packs in many jump scares where the protagonist could be carrying out unexciting tasks and then suddenly these deceased "people" who do not reflect any life behind the eyes begin to show up. The soundtrack is both eerie and distressing in equal measure to already heightens the bleak, atmospheric and foreboding tone. There is also a nice amount of gore in the film to satisfy those inclined to that and there is some nudity involving strip poker to satisfy all the needs of the horror movie goer.

It was released in 1983 when the "slashers" and sequel fads were just taking off. It was a breath of fresh air in the horror genre that was beginning to run out of ideas in that decade. There is a nice tension that builds and builds to a chilling climax but it is never in a rush to get to that point which allows it to focus on nice character development. There is a strange beauty in the neon colors that are very much present in some important scenes.

Can we escape "deaths" cold grasp? Can we outsmart "death"? Does "death" chase us for what it believes its due? In conclusion, I truly believe that Sole Survivor is just too good to remain as obscure as it is. It is on Youtube as I speak, so don't miss your chance to see this work of art.. I rate it a 9.

Sad news for Holliston

Holliston is a real town in Massachusetts, made famous by Adam Green. My mom actually worked there for a few years. Anyway, the guy who played one of my favorite characters from the 2004 hockey movie Miracle was also from Holliston, and apparently he killed himself a couple weeks ago. If you check Google News for Michael Mantenuto, you'll see some disturbing allegations that he "saw something" while serving in the armed forces, fighting ISIS in Iraq or Syria, and maybe that's what drove him to kill himself.

This is really sad to me, he seemed like a good guy. Also, I liked the fact that he brought a real Boston accent to the movie Miracle... it's pretty hard to fake well, you can usually tell when an actor really has one or not. But, more importantly: RIP Michael Mantenuto.

Trash Epics Lives!

Nobody will mourn the IMDb Horror Board like me, but what's happening is a very lucky break for this site, which has gone back and forth between almost dead and almost semi-active for nearly 3 years. It seems as though every time we get some people, they always wander off once this place picks up. There's other options, still, and always will be, but unfortunately, there will no longer be THE Horror Board to rely on. Maybe some of the other options are ok too, but I assure you none of them have the peronality this place has and the freedom it offers. So, express yourself however you want, pitch ideas, and keep on spreading the word. Let's make Trash Epics great, once and for all. And more importantly, let's make Trash Epics ours!