Saturday Evening Movie Thread [moviegique]:

Halloween: 3, Moviegoers: 0

I kid the third entry in the Halloween series. Because it's awful. But as it's one of Darcy The Mail Girl's favorite movies, and she got to program Friday night for The Drive-In Jamboree, we all watched it together with director Tommy Lee Wallace and stars Tom Atkins and Stacey Nelkin on stage. Allowing for a little too dim a projection—the Jamboree had a lot of technical difficulties—it was basically the best possible circumstance to watch Halloween 3: Season of the Witch.

Rather amusingly, Drive-In Producer Austin Jennings had prepared a supercut of all the times Joe Bob had trashed this movie, which was fun with everyone there and a pro-H3 audience. Did I say "all"? Apparently, it was a mere fraction of the times he had done it.

Because, again, it's just not a very good movie. If we're being honest, the crowd was still just barely over 50/50 thumbs-up/thumbs-down, and that's with a strongly pro-Tommy Lee, pro-Tom Atkins, pro-Stacy Nelkin, pro-Darcy audience.

"Hello, England? You remember that lintel from Stonehenge you were looking for? Yeah, it's here in California. I don't know how they got it here in three days! You'll never believe what they're doing with it!"

But let's go over the whole thing to see if we can't appreciate the whole thing, what works and what doesn't. There is a whole lot of good here, admittedly, and it's worth watching just for the good and fun parts. I don't think it makes up for the bad because the bad is pretty fundamental. For example, this is not, for the most part, a scary movie, not a spooky movie, not a very Halloween feeling movie. And that's hard to overcome when you're calling yourself Halloween 3.

First, the best thing about Halloween 3 is the meta-premise: Rather than making the same movie over and over again, let's use the franchise to tell a new story every time. ("American Horror Story" uses this premise for its show and it sucks, but the premise of theming each season differently is something good about it. Heck, you could argue that Chris Guest's mockumentaries are along similar lines: Same kind of humor, same repertory company, different theme each time, and that works really well.)

Second, the premise itself is...I don't know if it's good, but it's certainly bold. The idea that the world's children are imperiled? You're playing with fire; people don't want to see kids get hurt in their dumb Halloween movie. (Horror movies where children are injured or killed tend to be more "serious" and not very fun.) That said, Wallace does a really good job here. The harm to the children is obscured, implicitly horrifying without showing a lot of suffering.

Third, it's all very competently executed. Dan O'Herlilhy is a standout as the big bad, but Atkins and Nelkin are charming and have good chemistry (which is ironic given how their first scene together was the sex scene, and they had not met prior). The camerawork, although reminiscent of a TV cop show, has some very nice moments. The effects are effective!

Director: "Stacey, Tom. Tom, Stacey. Get nekkid."

The movies from this era seem shockingly energetic and lively compared to most of what we get today.

The bad stuff. Joe Bob delights in pointing out the many bizarre plot holes in this movie, but I maintain that, as egregious as they are, he (and all of us) would gloss over them if the rest of the movie worked. (And indeed, it works for Darcy, so she doesn't care about the plot holes.)

But they are egregious. Days before Halloween a giant stone from Stonehenge is stolen. Somehow this turns up at a California mask factory to make their magic computer chips that go into the masks...except of course days before Halloween, no masks from a factory are going to ever make it to stores on time. Tom Atkins manages to stop this (well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad) by making a phone call.

"Put me through to television!"

I said "Television! Not cable! Who watches cable in 1981?"

When Tommy Lee Wallace defended the movie to Joe Bob, he says something to the effect of "you gotta get into that Halloween spirit! It's magic!" Obviously, for its fans, that's not hard to do. But the movie doesn't help you much. It's actually pretty hyper-real, or perhaps more precisely, it hews pretty tightly to a detective drama, like a Dirty Harry or a Mike Hammer. Down to every single woman in the movie throwing herself at Tom Atkins.

One of whom is his wife-at-the-time, which is kind of cute.

The mixture of magic with contemporary technology—especially computer technology—is a difficult one. Where you mostly see it is in things like "there's a ghost in your cell phone! oooo!" and it's spotty. Halloween 3 wants to combine magic with computers and mass production, and you have to take the "wizard did it" explanation to some far extremes, like all the TV stations in the country showing the same commercial at the exact same time with everyone watching at the same time.

Interestingly, I think Halloween works in part because it hews closely to reality, and when it starts to break that, it builds the atmosphere and unreality up so that we go from a traditional "maniac slasher" story to a "demonic force" story.

It would be interesting to read the original Nigel Kneale screenplay, though it may not have worked either, even if Wallace hadn't changed it. Or it might've worked the way The Wicker Man works, which would be as good as a failure in the US market.

Joe Bob caved and gave it three stars, though he backtracked quickly the next night.

I have to say, I enjoyed watching it—I mean, I had just arrived in Nashville for the Jamboree, so of course I would. And if they showed it on "The Last Drive-In", I certainly would watch it again. I might watch it again just to try to study what about it does and doesn't work. This was certainly the most fun I'd had viewing the movie, including later in 2025, when we would watch it again for the all-night "Spooktacular" in Dallas.

For me, it doesn't really come together the way it should.

You know how they say television rots your brain?

(This review was largely written in July of 2022. I'm a bit behind.)

Posted by: Open Blogger at 08:37 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Good evening everyone

Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2026 07:39 PM (Ia/+0)

2 OK, so, I was doing my taxes and suddenly looked at the clock to discover it was 4:33PM.

I actually have a review of "Project Hail Mary" that I hadn't put images in. And "The French Connection".

What can I say? This had images. They all point to my site, of course. But maybe I can figure out how to fix that later.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 07:39 PM (/d4WW)

3 Happy Halloween fellow kids!

Posted by: Chairman LMAO at April 11, 2026 07:39 PM (cWLG3)

4 Ahhhh. Taxes, fair enough.

Posted by: Chairman LMAO at April 11, 2026 07:40 PM (cWLG3)

5 Look, it's practically Walpurgisnacht, or "Spring Halloween". This is totally legit.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 07:40 PM (/d4WW)

6 Movie sign!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 07:41 PM (kpS4V)

7 Movie Thread II: The Enwidening.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Trumpy can do magic at April 11, 2026 07:42 PM (0aYVJ)

8 This thread had the David Lean look.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Trumpy can do magic at April 11, 2026 07:43 PM (0aYVJ)

9 Oh, I blew the margins, too, didn't I.

Dammit. OK, I'm going to fix. Hopefully this won't nuke the comments.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 07:44 PM (/d4WW)

10 Okay, how did Joe Bob rate it on the Beasts/Breasts/Blood scale?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 07:45 PM (kpS4V)

11 For as much as I think the original Halloween is a classic, 3 was bad IMO

Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2026 07:45 PM (Ia/+0)

12 Evening.

A movie thread in widescreen.

Posted by: Robert at April 11, 2026 07:45 PM (NArJc)

13 Just had a double take this wasn't a old thread

Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2026 07:45 PM (Ia/+0)

14 10 Okay, how did Joe Bob rate it on the Beasts/Breasts/Blood scale?

Well, you get two breasts, IIRC. It's pretty dim lighting. A fair amount of blood. Stonehenge fu... Bug fu...

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 07:47 PM (/d4WW)

15 Thx moviegique .
Tom Atkins had one of the great lines in the B movie classic Night of the Creeps . "Ladies your boyfriends are back. And they're dead".
As I recall Stacey Nelkin was involved with Woody Allen when she was underage. Pretty lady, when of age, of course

Posted by: Smell the Glove at April 11, 2026 07:47 PM (BfZBZ)

16 Camels moving slowly, left to right......
dust......
sepia lighting.....

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Trumpy can do magic at April 11, 2026 07:48 PM (0aYVJ)

17 I like 16:9 Ace Of Spades

Posted by: Mark1971 at April 11, 2026 07:48 PM (CNl8/)

18 5 Look, it's practically Walpurgisnacht, or "Spring Halloween". This is totally legit.
Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 07:40 PM (/d4WW)
----

What movie would you sacrifice to appease the Horned God?

I nominate "Prometheus" to be staked inside a clearing and smeared with theater popcorn butter.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 07:48 PM (kpS4V)

19 Oh right, I have to find envelops to mail my tax forms. Yup, I like to make the government work a bit extra, plus the feds won't let me e-file for free and I'm not going to pay for turbo-tax or similar just to get e-filing. They can pay someone to scan the forms or do data entry.

Posted by: PaleRider at April 11, 2026 07:49 PM (+89TD)

20 I nominate "Prometheus" to be staked inside a clearing and smeared with theater popcorn butter.
---
Perhaps we can cleanse the Earth of this troublesome film.

OK, gonna try to fix everything.

See you on the other side!

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 07:52 PM (/d4WW)

21 I don't care for horror movies in general so perhaps I am not the best to ask about this but the idea of turning Halloween into a sort of anthology series of different Halloween-themed horror concepts vaguely connected by a few characters seems like a much better franchise than "ooh the same bad guy. Again. And again. And again"

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 07:52 PM (El6/E)

22 Bye bye comments.

Posted by: Robert at April 11, 2026 07:52 PM (mhVc4)

23 GAH!

Sorry everyone! I guess that DOES wipe out the comments.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 07:53 PM (/d4WW)

24 Oh, they're back!

Posted by: Robert at April 11, 2026 07:53 PM (mhVc4)

25 it might've worked the way The Wicker Man works, which would be as good as a failure in the US market
----

Hey, I loved "The Wicker Man". I did my part!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 07:53 PM (kpS4V)

26 I love "The Wicker Man," too. Though the experience was different as a teen than as a nearly 29 year old.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 07:54 PM (/d4WW)

27 It's a little off topic but Roseanne had the best Halloween themed episodes.

Cracked me the freak up.

Posted by: Robert at April 11, 2026 07:54 PM (mhVc4)

28 When I saw Wicker Man on video tape as a teenager, I appreciated Britt Eckland's breasts but not much else about a basically boring and slow movie.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 07:55 PM (El6/E)

29 Me too, Gique. It's a much more horrifying story for an adult.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 07:55 PM (kpS4V)

30 For me, been watching all foreign films that are available on Tubi while I have nothing else to watch.
A couple stand outs in last couple weeks.
Warsaw 44 a Polish movie about the Home Polish Army uprising which get squashed by a German army and a Russian army who let the Germans destroy them.
1944 is a Estonian movie about Estonians on both sides, Germans and Russian.

Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2026 07:56 PM (Ia/+0)

31 Halloween is a year-round season.

You think Hallmark Christmas is a new idea?

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 07:56 PM (/d4WW)

32 Project Hail Mary is awesome. First movie I saw on the big screen in over a year

Posted by: gKWVE at April 11, 2026 07:57 PM (gKWVE)

33 Valoween
Summerween
Halloween
Yuleoween

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 07:58 PM (kpS4V)

34 I don't care for horror movies in general so perhaps I am not the best to ask about this but the idea of turning Halloween into a sort of anthology series of different Halloween-themed horror concepts vaguely connected by a few characters seems like a much better franchise than "ooh the same bad guy. Again. And again. And again"
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 07:52 PM (El6/E)
----
With quality writing--and that's essential--I could see a Halloween franchise where each movie in the franchise explores different subgenres of horror, leading up to a final genre mashup like The Cabin in the Woods at the very end.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 11, 2026 07:59 PM (gnNyN)

35 Its not terrible i was never that keen on the halloween films to begin with

Tom atkins reaches full parody by night of the creeps

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 07:59 PM (bXbFr)

36 Saw " MartySupreme". It's similar to that other Safdie flick "Uncut Gems" in that it's a fascinating study of a driven and somewhat unlikable main character who is on a downward trajectory because he always chooses the hustle.

It begins in the 1950's and I was immediately taken out of the movie when Marty tells a coworker that his father's ambition "is in his DNA". Nobody said that phrase for a couple decades. This is what happens when young(ish) writers don't have old folks checking their dialog.

Still, glad I stuck it out. After making many self-sabotaging decisions, he ultimately triumphs, especially in the final few minutes. Chalamet is a good actor.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 07:59 PM (kpS4V)

37 Rob Zombie's Halloween prequel was good. About as good a prequel as we can get for Michael Myers, with the understanding he didn't need one.

Posted by: gKWVE at April 11, 2026 08:00 PM (gKWVE)

38 Watching this evening, Soldier of Orange, a Dutch movie (.1977)with a young Rutger Hauer and Edward Fox.
Dubbed but has been pretty good

Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2026 08:00 PM (Ia/+0)

39 The supernatural twist (im not going to give it away) is different

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:00 PM (bXbFr)

40 It begins in the 1950's and I was immediately taken out of the movie when Marty tells a coworker that his father's ambition "is in his DNA". Nobody said that phrase for a couple decades. This is what happens when young(ish) writers don't have old folks checking their dialog.
---
I've been hearing stuff like that more often lately too, and reading it in books. Meanwhile I'm told readers/viewers are fanatical about the attention to historical detail. Not so much, I guess.

I had to sacrifice when I rewrote "Lair of the White Worm". "Spelunking" is a strictly American term that rose in the mid-20th century and fell out of favor in the '90s. Can't use it in a book set in London in 1888. :'-(

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:03 PM (/d4WW)

41 I just finished my taxes. That was an awful experience.
Worst movie I ever saw were Pink Panther sequels.

Posted by: Accomack at April 11, 2026 08:03 PM (m6Eem)

42 I wonder, are movies like Sinners and Hail Mary really that great or are they as great as the usual good stuff back in the day, but just stand out so much because of an ocean of crap?

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 08:04 PM (El6/E)

43 The mystery is interesting somewhat

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:04 PM (bXbFr)

44 Soldier of Orange, a Dutch movie (.1977)
---
It's quite a journey from "Soldier of Orange" to "Showgirls", but Verhoeven managed.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:04 PM (/d4WW)

45 Never saw H3. I do like Tom Atkins though. Solid character actor. He was in a LOT of films and TV shows. He was from Pittsburgh, so a bit biased on my part.

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at April 11, 2026 08:04 PM (gcUgZ)

46 I'm still waiting for Barbie Wick.

Posted by: wth at April 11, 2026 08:06 PM (UjdFS)

47 43 The mystery is interesting somewhat
---
But not scary. I think that's the #1 problem. It plays like a police procedural almost. And Tom Atkins is a doctor! lol

---
42 I wonder, are movies like Sinners and Hail Mary really that great or are they as great as the usual good stuff back in the day, but just stand out so much because of an ocean of crap?
---
The latter. "Project Hail Mary" is good with some excellent parts, but it would be run-of-the-mill in the '80s-'90s. Still good, but what you'd expect as opposed to "OMG IT'S THE BEST MOVIE EVER."

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:06 PM (/d4WW)

48 I had to sacrifice when I rewrote "Lair of the White Worm". "Spelunking" is a strictly American term that rose in the mid-20th century and fell out of favor in the '90s. Can't use it in a book set in London in 1888.

One of my pet peeves are modernisms in period books. It is harder and harder as time goes on to remember what goes when, so for example I might drop one into a story set in the 1980s despite growing up then. Stories set in the distant past are easier to control terms in, but sometimes they slip in anyway.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 08:06 PM (El6/E)

49 Youtube pointed me to The Lost Empire 1984. Starring Raven De La Croix, her left sweater puppy, and the right one.
Apparently it was a Producers situation where everyone involved thought it was going to be a dog, so just ran with it, expecting the tax writeoff. But audiences liked it (well, liked watching it) enough that it got a theatrical release.

Posted by: gKWVE at April 11, 2026 08:07 PM (gKWVE)

50 45 Never saw H3. I do like Tom Atkins though. Solid character actor. He was in a LOT of films and TV shows. He was from Pittsburgh, so a bit biased on my part.
---
He appeared in one of the Indie shorts they showed that year, based on the Polybius legend, and honestly he was great. 85+ and still had it.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:07 PM (/d4WW)

51 Well the end is creepy

That was stevenson right

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:08 PM (bXbFr)

52 It's quite a journey from "Soldier of Orange" to "Showgirls", but Verhoeven managed.

I have seen some of Verhoven's early work and its... not my cup of tea, let us say. It looks super standard euro movie from the time period to me, with extra gay. I do have to give him Robocop, though. He was just the right guy for that project.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 08:09 PM (El6/E)

53 I had to sacrifice when I rewrote "Lair of the White Worm".
-----

How. DARE. You sir! It is perfection as it is!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 08:10 PM (kpS4V)

54 I recently watched one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen. I watched it via RiffTrax, so being bad is a given, but the twist was just...next level idiocy.

The movie was "Beyond the Ring," about an MMA guy who needs money his kid's surgery. So, the guy's 'friend' convinces him to compete in an illegal underground fighting competition, and even provides a trainer to help him get back into condition. Then twist happens, when the 'friend' is revealed to be betting against the protagonist, and has instructed the trainer to condition him the wrong way. That might have been clever, if they hadn't already established that the guy the hero was fighting was an absolute beast, so dominant that fans were starting to get bored with him winning so much. The hero was already an underdog, and now he was undermined. the villain rigged the fight so he could bet on the odds-on favorite and win....probably not even enough to cover the expense of the saboteur/trainer.

And the hero never realized he was betrayed. Some people just don't understand how movies are supposed to work...

Posted by: Castle Guy at April 11, 2026 08:10 PM (Lhaco)

55 *looking it up again, it seems Henry Plitt the producer was planning the writeoff but failed to tell the writer and director, who then did the best they could with their, uh, assets.

Posted by: gKWVE at April 11, 2026 08:11 PM (gKWVE)

56 Stoker my apologies

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:11 PM (bXbFr)

57 Ro Kanna also fucks the help

Stand by

Posted by: r hennigantx at April 11, 2026 08:12 PM (/+uur)

58 I love the original Wicker Man! Christopher Lee said he enjoyed filming that movie more than other he ever worked on.

I very much related to the way which the horror on that movie was subtle, yet pervasive. The greatest horror of all is suddenly realizing that everyone in your society - the men, the women, even the children are quietly united against you. Only when you realize that do you realize that you have no chance at all.

Posted by: Tom Servo at April 11, 2026 08:13 PM (txiLK)

59 Yes wicker (the original) snd h3 have similar roots

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:15 PM (bXbFr)

60 49 Youtube pointed me to The Lost Empire 1984. Starring Raven De La Croix, her left sweater puppy, and the right one.
---
Jim "Popatopolis" Wynorski's debut feature. His sophomore effort was "Chopping Mall," which is something of a classic. He's directed over 100 movies since then, like "The Bare Wench Project," "Busty Cops" and "Busty Cops II", as well as "The House on Hooter Hill."

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:15 PM (/d4WW)

61 How. DARE. You sir! It is perfection as it is!
---
I kept all the "N" words, if that helps.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:16 PM (/d4WW)

62 Nigel Kneale was a great writer--all the Quatermass movies are thoughtful and intelligent, none more so than "Five Million Years to Earth/Quatermass and the Pit."

The original H3 script was probably excellent.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at April 11, 2026 08:16 PM (CHHv1)

63 I actually saw The Bare Wench Project.
It... wasn't good. Although it's always nice to see Julia Strain.

Posted by: gKWVE at April 11, 2026 08:16 PM (gKWVE)

64 I linked this hilarious clip in the tech thread a few days ago. It perfectly encapsulates the fake idiocy of modern television dramas, in this case "911".

The Wade Show With Wade, "Network TV Is a Parallel Universe":

https://tinyurl.com/3r6b2hub

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 08:17 PM (kpS4V)

65 21 I don't care for horror movies in general so perhaps I am not the best to ask about this but the idea of turning Halloween into a sort of anthology series of different Halloween-themed horror concepts vaguely connected by a few characters seems like a much better franchise than "ooh the same bad guy. Again. And again. And again"
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 07:52 PM (El6/E)

That may have been a good concept, if the first movie hadn't created one of the most iconic horror-movie-icons ever. (And I say that as someone who also doesn't enjoy the horror genre.) Fan expectations prevented the franchise from ever escaping the shadow of its signature character...

Posted by: Castle Guy at April 11, 2026 08:18 PM (Lhaco)

66 "Lair of the White Worm" is Bram Stoker, yes. He wrote it after having one or two strokes. He was probably having transient ischemic attacks, as they call them, while he was writing it, leading to some...confusing elements.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:18 PM (/d4WW)

67 He's directed over 100 movies since then, like "The Bare Wench Project," "Busty Cops" and "Busty Cops II", as well as "The House on Hooter Hill."
Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:15 PM (/d4WW)
----
Surely Ace has the Criterion Collection.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 08:19 PM (kpS4V)

68 20 I nominate "Prometheus" to be staked inside a clearing and smeared with theater popcorn butter.
---
Perhaps we can cleanse the Earth of this troublesome film

I watched it last week and didn't think it was that bad. Aside from the chick forbidding guns when they explore the strange planet.

Keep in mind, since Prometheus sci-fi has been woke Star Wars, Doctor Who and Star Trek.

I saw Halloween 1 and it was pretty good for it's time.

Just finished all of Romero's 'Night of the Dead' films. Liked those.

'Evil Dead' films were good. The 3 Campbell ones were fun. I have the second scary one to watch in a few minutes.

Posted by: Stateless - He ain't heavy, he's my dog. Old, but full of life. at April 11, 2026 08:19 PM (Sco7b)

69 Those are pure Samuel L. Bronkowitz!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 08:20 PM (kpS4V)

70 H3 probably lost all kinds of points with audiences simply because it wasn't a Michael Meyers slash-fest. That said -- it's not going to make anybody's top 10 list. And I'd like to see Nigel Kneale's original script too; no doubt it would have been better than what finally made it to the screen. But I found it watchable enough to add to the movie collection (on sale at 4.99, of course), I like Atkins and O'Herlihy, and given a choice between H3 and Terrifier I'll take H3 every time.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 11, 2026 08:20 PM (q3u5l)

71 I love the original Wicker Man! Christopher Lee said he enjoyed filming that movie more than other he ever worked on.

I very much related to the way which the horror on that movie was subtle, yet pervasive. The greatest horror of all is suddenly realizing that everyone in your society - the men, the women, even the children are quietly united against you. Only when you realize that do you realize that you have no chance at all.
Posted by: Tom Servo at April 11, 2026

***
The dance scene with Britt Ekland would have been almost as sensual if she'd been clothed; the music alone was hypnotic. And I really thought Edward Woodward was a Scots actor; his dialect was so much better than you usually get in TV and movies.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 08:20 PM (wzUl9)

72 It... wasn't good. Although it's always nice to see Julia Strain.
---
The late, lamented.

---
That may have been a good concept, if the first movie hadn't created one of the most iconic horror-movie-icons ever. (And I say that as someone who also doesn't enjoy the horror genre.) Fan expectations prevented the franchise from ever escaping the shadow of its signature character...
---
Joe Bob Briggs' argument is that what was called "Halloween 2" should've been this movie, what we call "Halloween 3: Season of the Witch".

The Michael Meyers film should've been something else, "Michael Meyers: First Halloween Part II" or something. That way you could keep the franchise going in both directions.

My feeling is that the problem with H3 is that it sucks. If it didn't suck, it might have done better (maybe), and they could've branched anyway.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:21 PM (/d4WW)

73 58 I love the original Wicker Man! Christopher Lee said he enjoyed filming that movie more than other he ever worked on.

I very much related to the way which the horror on that movie was subtle, yet pervasive. The greatest horror of all is suddenly realizing that everyone in your society - the men, the women, even the children are quietly united against you. Only when you realize that do you realize that you have no chance at all.
Posted by: Tom Servo

Yep! It's a subtle, creepy, weird little movie. The entire movie is just a bit off but you can't quite figure out why until the end. I loved it!

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at April 11, 2026 08:22 PM (gcUgZ)

74 69 Those are pure Samuel L. Bronkowitz!
---
Catholic School Girls In Trouble!

---
The dance scene with Britt Ekland would have been almost as sensual if she'd been clothed
---
And it would've been HER if she was clothed. She got so tired of signing pictures of another actress ass, she finally just said she wished it WAS hers.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:23 PM (/d4WW)

75
42 I wonder, are movies like Sinners and Hail Mary really that great or are they as great as the usual good stuff back in the day, but just stand out so much because of an ocean of crap?”

That’s similar to a theory I have about Sydney Sweeney. She appears to be one of the top talents now, but I think both in looks and ability she’d be very average for late 50’s / early 60’s Hollywood, she might have ended up doing Roger Corman movies.

Posted by: Tom Servo at April 11, 2026 08:23 PM (txiLK)

76 THE BEEEEES

Posted by: Nicolas Cage at April 11, 2026 08:23 PM (gKWVE)

77 Speaking of movies from olden days, I recently saw Dr. Zhivago for the first time in many years. What a beautiful movie. A moving story, characters you care about, beautiful cinematography, and, if you're not careful, you just might learn something. And Julie Christie is hot Hot HOT!

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at April 11, 2026 08:25 PM (ndZc7)

78 'Evil Dead' films were good. The 3 Campbell ones were fun. I have the second scary one to watch in a few minutes.
Posted by: Stateless - He ain't heavy, he's my dog. Old, but full of life. at April 11, 2026 08:19 PM (Sco7b)
Be smart. Shop S-art.

Posted by: Eromero at April 11, 2026 08:26 PM (LHPAg)

79 Nigel Kneale was a great writer--all the Quatermass movies are thoughtful and intelligent, none more so than "Five Million Years to Earth/Quatermass and the Pit."

The original H3 script was probably excellent.
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at April 11, 2026

***
Kneale had this superb ability to reach into your subconscious and tweak it. Quatermass and the Pit is dynamite stuff.

IMDb mentions he also wrote or co-wrote dramas like Damn the Defiant!, Look Back in Anger, and The Entertainer w/ Laurence Olivier.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 08:27 PM (wzUl9)

80 Look, it's practically Walpurgisnacht, or "Spring Halloween". This is totally legit.
Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 07:40 PM (/d4WW)

That would be "nearly Beltain"

So we drive the cattle out between fires.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 11, 2026 08:28 PM (rbvCR)

81 That’s similar to a theory I have about Sydney Sweeney. She appears to be one of the top talents now, but I think both in looks and ability she’d be very average for late 50’s / early 60’s Hollywood, she might have ended up doing Roger Corman movies.

Yeah I mean she's cute, but she's not stunning. but she's one of the few blonde* white girls who is just fine being a cute girl which makes her stand out these days. She'd be a TV movie girl in the 80s.

*when asked if she was upset at being considered a blonde bimbo with big tits, she responded "that's ridiculous, I'm a brunette"

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 08:28 PM (El6/E)

82 My feeling is that the problem with H3 is that it sucks. If it didn't suck, it might have done better (maybe), and they could've branched anyway.

that is the flaw. I mean it would have been really poorly received either way, but would have had a better cult film reputation if it was better done. People wanted to see more of the immortal guy in a William Shatner mask carving people up, for whatever reason.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 08:30 PM (El6/E)

83 77 Speaking of movies from olden days, I recently saw Dr. Zhivago for the first time in many years. What a beautiful movie. A moving story, characters you care about, beautiful cinematography, and, if you're not careful, you just might learn something. And Julie Christie is hot Hot HOT!
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks,

Yep. David Lean could do an epics very well. Except for 'Ryan's Daughter'. Beautiful movie, great cinematography, horrible story. It's frustrating in that way. Julie Christie was gorgeous.

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at April 11, 2026 08:30 PM (gcUgZ)

84 I found a Prometheus DVD on the cheap rack and because of all the discussion I bought it.

Movie puts me to sleep before the opening credits are run. I love it.

Posted by: Ben Had at April 11, 2026 08:30 PM (yAteE)

85 He's directed over 100 movies since then, like "The Bare Wench Project," "Busty Cops" and "Busty Cops II", as well as "The House on Hooter Hill."
Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026

***
The Bare Wench Project is a title worthy of Horde punnery.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 08:30 PM (wzUl9)

86 There's a 6-episode series called Beasts that Kneale wrote; you should be able to find the whole thing on YouTube. Some of those were nice too. If memory serves he wrote an early television adaptation of Orwell's 1984 (might be the one with Peter Cushing?), and there's a pretty good short story collection from early in his career called Tomato Cain (out of print for a long time but reissued in hardcover and Kindle a few years ago).

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 11, 2026 08:32 PM (q3u5l)

87 Hard to say how well people age, especially famous women.
See hottest young ladies from say 80s go . Depends on lots of factors.

Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2026 08:34 PM (Ia/+0)

88 My beef with "Prometheus" is that these top minds all act so stupidly. Like, teens in a horror movie stupid.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 08:34 PM (kpS4V)

89 Speaking of movies from olden days, I recently saw Dr. Zhivago for the first time in many years.
---
I saw it New Year's Eve, or Dec 30. It's amazing.

---
Yeah I mean she's cute, but she's not stunning. but she's one of the few blonde* white girls who is just fine being a cute girl which makes her stand out these days. She'd be a TV movie girl in the 80s.
---
Early Perry Mason featured three of her every episode.

What she has that no other big-name starlet working today has is, you don't think she's going to tell you how awful you are for liking her looks.

(Or at least I don't think so. She might to a heel turn at 38.)

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:34 PM (/d4WW)

90 "Meteor" (1979) I was actually expecting a plot twist where Warhawk General Martin Landau, once the orbiting Russian missiles are pointed away from Earth, hijacks the controls and prepares to launch the USA Hercules system to destroy the USSR, and then Sean Connery stops him at the last minute with a well-placed speargun gutshot. I still maintain that American International Pictures never fails to deliver quality entertainment. My fave scene has Natalie Wood drenched in gigagallons of NYC sewage.
youtube.com/watch?v=8WnjnBzgox0

"The Yards" (2000) This was before Marky Mark learned how to act, but it's still a tiny bit better than the 50% RT popcorn rating might suggest.

Posted by: gp at April 11, 2026 08:35 PM (N8ZBc)

91 Be smart. Shop S-art.
Posted by: Eromero at April 11, 2026 08:26 PM (LHPAg)

Lol.

The Sadness - 2023 - China - was a great zombie movie with an interesting twist. Great effects and characters.

Crazy Old Lady - Argentina - 2025 - another nice horror movie and also kind of sad.

HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN!!! - Damn that was a great movie. I saw it was filmed in Nova Scotia Canada and was sad. But dang, it turned into a nice messed up, bloody movie. And actually touching. 2011

Bone Tomahwak was supposed to be a horror - western. It was mainly a western. Townsfolk kidnapped, rescue party goes to find them. Fantastic characters. Very enjoyable movie.

Posted by: Stateless - He ain't heavy, he's my dog. Old, but full of life. at April 11, 2026 08:35 PM (Sco7b)

92 The notion that some high school classmates back in the day was the face huggers were at the bottom of the food chain on their world scott chose the silly engineers plot

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:36 PM (bXbFr)

93 I thought i was the only other person that saw meteor

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:37 PM (bXbFr)

94 The Bare Wench Project is a title worthy of Horde punnery.
---
Other titles in the Wynorski oeuvre: "Bigfoot or Bust", "Busty Coeds vs. Lusty Cheerleaders," "The Hills Have Thighs," "The Breastford Wives," "The Bare Wench Project 2: Scared Topless" and, lest you think Mr. W hasn't updated with the times, "Attack of the 50 Foot Camgirl."

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:37 PM (/d4WW)

95 Space cowboys borrowed plot points from that one

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:38 PM (bXbFr)

96 Miguel, please consider punctuation and subject-verb-object.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 08:38 PM (kpS4V)

97 There is an indy game coming out where its just an old fashioned first person shooter against slow zombies, which is fresh and unusual in today's gaming market. They aren't trying to rewrite the world in realistic graphics either, its just "good enough" graphics which is ideal in my opinion.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 08:38 PM (El6/E)

98 Imagine the eldritch horrors yoi would find on the home planet

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:40 PM (bXbFr)

99 I remarked some time back that the ending of "Man on Fire" (2004) should have had Creasy blow up The Voice and his posse with one of the same assbombs he used to dispatch one of the other kidnappers under a bridge. I found this reel of deleted scenes today, and I am pleased to report that that ending was indeed filmed, though not used. There are also deleted scenes of him boning the sex-starved mom, etc.
youtube.com/watch?v=tCWU0iH3XZg

Posted by: gp at April 11, 2026 08:40 PM (N8ZBc)

100 84 I found a Prometheus DVD on the cheap rack and because of all the discussion I bought it.

Movie puts me to sleep before the opening credits are run. I love it.
Posted by: Ben Had at April 11, 2026 08:30 PM (yAteE

I have Starfleet Academy on my DVR for the same reason.

My beef with "Prometheus" is that these top minds all act so stupidly. Like, teens in a horror movie stupid.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 08:34 PM (kpS4V

Yeah, agreed. On a planetary exploration mission, you'd like the crew to be professional and not a bunch of dickheads. The 'leave the guns here' thing though was priceless.

But sadly, the best sci-fi show in the last 20 years or so for me was DisneyChannels "Gabby Duran and the Unsittables." They had cool takes on shapeshifters and telepaths. Kids show but it was fun with no messaging.

Posted by: Stateless - He ain't heavy, he's my dog. Old, but full of life. at April 11, 2026 08:41 PM (Sco7b)

101 Not a movie but I've been binge watching Burn Notice. I forgot how good it was.

Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 11, 2026 08:41 PM (V4IXI)

102 Oh right, I have to find envelops to mail my tax forms. Yup, I like to make the government work a bit extra, plus the feds won't let me e-file for free and I'm not going to pay for turbo-tax or similar just to get e-filing. They can pay someone to scan the forms or do data entry.
Posted by: PaleRider at April 11, 2026 07:49 PM (+89TD)

FWIW, it used to be that Turbo Tax and the other online systems will file for you federally for free, but they require payment to file state taxes, which has led to a lot of heartache when the states send out those "Love Letters" for failure to file and the taxpayer was expecting a refund.
(so get a screencap of the state form and make sure to mail that one in)

Posted by: Kindltot at April 11, 2026 08:41 PM (rbvCR)

103 90 "Meteor" (1979) I was actually expecting a plot twist
---
That was one of those movies where people were, like, "Yeah, the disaster thing is over."

"The Swarm" (197

is another.

The actual death blow was the Paul Newman/Jacqueline Bisset volcano flick "When Time Ran Out."

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:41 PM (/d4WW)

104 I like Sydney Sweeney 's attitude as much as her looks.
People say insulting things about her and she flips them off in a "who cares" way. Then goes on about her business making money.

Posted by: Case at April 11, 2026 08:41 PM (pvf3X)

105 I actually like Halloween 3.

It's good horror. Good horror shows you that it is NOT going to be all right. It shows how powerless logic and science are.

I'm not saying there isn't cheese here, you can legitimately enjoy it as a 'so bad its good' movie but there is a core of conspiracy and secret cults that I find very pleasing.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 11, 2026 08:42 PM (xcxpd)

106 "Bone Tomahawk" recommended. Good dialogue.

Posted by: gp at April 11, 2026 08:42 PM (N8ZBc)

107 Well I paid my taxes. I felt a surge of patriotism knowing that I could help buy an illiterate, twelve-toed Somalian homunculus a new BMW.

Oh, wait, I said that wrong - I meant "murderous rage," not "patriotism."

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at April 11, 2026 08:43 PM (BI5O2)

108 That was also the problem with prometheus (but alien earth showed that weyland yutani was terminally unimaginative)
I know noah hawley is a misanthrope

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:43 PM (bXbFr)

109 I was leaning strongly toward getting a Burn Notice box set, that and White Collar were both really entertaining, if implausible. The last season of burn Notice was dumb and annoying but the rest is really solid. The main actor did such a good job, odd he isn't more prominent.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 08:43 PM (El6/E)

110 Movies! has the John Ford Shirley Temple vehicle Wee Willie Winkie from 1937. Victor McLaglen, the eternal Irish sergeant from Ford's Westerns, is a sergeant in this one too, this time in 19th century India.

I've never been a fan of Shirley's kid movies. Too cutesy. When she grew up and became a lovely teenager, that was different. But apparently the viewing public in the '40s-'50s didn't take to her as an adult actress for some reason.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 08:46 PM (wzUl9)

111 Well they were trying not to film in miami because the city council tried to extort them

Also weston was running out of good villains

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:46 PM (bXbFr)

112 "The Blacklist" (2013) 10-season TV series.
No sir, I don't like it.
youtube.com/watch?v=cDGlN6mluGA

Posted by: Mister Horse at April 11, 2026 08:46 PM (N8ZBc)

113 The first six seasons hold up

For someone who started out in the blair witch sequel, that was a thing jeffrey donovan did pretty well for himself

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:47 PM (bXbFr)

114 105 I actually like Halloween 3.
---
You're wrong!

No, I mean, that is your prerogative, obviously, and it's definitely a "cult classic". And I can get behind magic, illogic, and the powerlessness of science.

But the incredibly brilliant blue skies, the car chases, the lame "Also, we build androids!" plot...IDK, just dispels any possibility of horror for me.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:48 PM (/d4WW)

115 Including another shortlived series on usa as well as sicario 2

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:48 PM (bXbFr)

116 Burn Notice was a lot of fun, but I thought it fell off after a few seasons. But Bruce Campbell was always fun, ditto Gabrielle Anwar, and Jeffrey Donovan was okay in there too.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 11, 2026 08:49 PM (q3u5l)

117 As the dude might have said

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:49 PM (bXbFr)

118 FWIW, it used to be that Turbo Tax and the other online systems will file for you federally for free, but they require payment to file state taxes, which has led to a lot of heartache when the states send out those "Love Letters" for failure to file and the taxpayer was expecting a refund.
(so get a screencap of the state form and make sure to mail that one in)
Posted by: Kindltot at April 11, 2026

***
My state tax is not due until 5/15, but I filled out the form and mailed it in early for my (miniscule) refund. If I'd owed them money, I'd have waited until 5/12 to send it.

Until I checked the deductions section, I'd thought I was going to owe them about a thou. Fortunately, knowing this state does not tax SS, I dug into the form instructions and found what I needed.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 08:50 PM (wzUl9)

119 Svengoolie has tbe car, really the bottom of the barre

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:51 PM (bXbFr)

120 Bone Tomahawk" recommended. Good dialogue.
Posted by: gp at April 11, 2026 08:42 PM (N8ZBc)

I like Bone Tomahawk but I always recommend The Missing over it.

Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 11, 2026 08:51 PM (V4IXI)

121 74 69 Those are pure Samuel L. Bronkowitz!
---
Catholic School Girls In Trouble!

----
Catholic School Girls Are Trouble!
--- Confucious

Posted by: Chairman LMAO at April 11, 2026 08:51 PM (cWLG3)

122 If you were wondering then MI 6 eeally does turn out psychopath like chuck vance played in season 4

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:52 PM (bXbFr)

123 You're wrong!

No, I mean, that is your prerogative, obviously, and it's definitely a "cult classic". And I can get behind magic, illogic, and the powerlessness of science.

But the incredibly brilliant blue skies, the car chases, the lame "Also, we build androids!" plot...IDK, just dispels any possibility of horror for me.
Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:48 PM (/d4WW)

I liked the blue skies. For me its like...Halloween 3 is setting itself up to be some sort of detective movie with the manly hero but the deeper he digs, the weirder things get and he simply...can't stop the evil. Silver Shamrock wins and the bad guy does it all because he simply IS evil. No tortured backstory, he's not insane, he's not possessed. He's chosen evil.

The movie has flaws but I get on its wavelength and I appreciate it. The whole is greater than the sum of its plotholes.

And it doesn't have characters acting like idiots, ala Prometheus. God, I hate that movie.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 11, 2026 08:53 PM (xcxpd)

124 Bruce Campbell is a longtime favorite of mine, and I have to mention what I think is one of his best - Bubba Hotep. What I love most about that movie is that it does its best to look in every way like a cheesy drive in movie, and not until the end do you realize there’s a damn serious and touching message behind the story.

Posted by: Tom Servo at April 11, 2026 08:53 PM (txiLK)

125 I started doing taxes today. Ugh. Fed govt wants me to login through id.me; I wasted an hour trying to jump through their hoops. Then I found out login.gov still works. This is the first time in decades I'm filling out the forms manually without using TurboTax. Ugh.

Posted by: gp at April 11, 2026 08:53 PM (N8ZBc)

126 I'm glad I don't have to file state taxes. It reduces my urge to bite a revenuer's nose off. Not so much that I wouldn't do it right this second if I had the opportunity. But some.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at April 11, 2026 08:54 PM (BI5O2)

127 122 If you were wondering then MI 6 eeally does turn out psychopath like chuck vance played in season 4
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:52 PM (bXbFr)

Spy agencies recruit and create very morally bankrupt people. That's why they need to be dismantled.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 11, 2026 08:54 PM (xcxpd)

128 Svengoolie has tbe car, really the bottom of the barre
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026

***
My local MeTV channel has pre-empted him for coverage of the rodeo in the Superdome.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 08:55 PM (wzUl9)

129 And it doesn't have characters acting like idiots, ala Prometheus. God, I hate that movie.
---
Doesn't it?

Is there any point at which Tom Atkins actually seems like/acts like a doctor? He runs around investigating crimes in this small California town that strangely has a hospital like County General.

But, look, I like "Dead People". So there's my answer to the whole "taste" thing. And "Carnival of Souls".

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:56 PM (/d4WW)

130 Catholic School Girls Are Trouble!
--- Confucious
Posted by: Chairman LMAO at April 11, 2026

***
I've dated several, and married one. Concur.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 08:56 PM (wzUl9)

131 That was why sam raimis marvel project was so dissapointinv

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:57 PM (bXbFr)

132 Because the plot needs to happen

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:58 PM (bXbFr)

133 Bruce Campbell is a longtime favorite of mine, and I have to mention what I think is one of his best - Bubba Hotep
---
That was day TWO of the Jamboree back in 2022. That's another flick with a great backstory.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:58 PM (/d4WW)

134 You gave away the twist

The thing is that sort of villainy (o herlihy isnt twisting mustaches) is refreshing

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:59 PM (bXbFr)

135 129 And it doesn't have characters acting like idiots, ala Prometheus. God, I hate that movie.
---
Doesn't it?

Is there any point at which Tom Atkins actually seems like/acts like a doctor? He runs around investigating crimes in this small California town that strangely has a hospital like County General.

But, look, I like "Dead People". So there's my answer to the whole "taste" thing. And "Carnival of Souls".
Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:56 PM (/d4WW)

I like Carnival of Souls too. Very moody and spooky.

He doesn't act like a doctor, but he acts. He's more a detective and that's how I take him. It feels like the way he enters into the story is random but leaving aside his doctor duties, he discovers something really strange and it hooks him. (and it hooks me) He goes after it, working deeper. There's a real Lovecraftian vibe here where you might find a doctor doing an investigation, only we're in sunny California, not moody New England in the 1920's. So we don't expect to find monsters or magic, or druids. But we do and the deeper he goes, the less connection to the world of science and medicine. Again, I dig that.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 11, 2026 08:59 PM (xcxpd)

136 The thing is that sort of villainy (o herlihy isnt twisting mustaches) is refreshing
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 08:59 PM (bXbFr)

This

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 11, 2026 09:00 PM (xcxpd)

137 Look, it's practically Walpurgisnacht, or "Spring Halloween". This is totally legit.
Posted by: moviegique

Oh, is that what all the stupid "halfway to halloween" stuff is?

Posted by: FeatherBlade at April 11, 2026 09:00 PM (C0Nlv)

138 Its the Old Gods who are most assuredly operating in this world

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 09:01 PM (bXbFr)

139 One of the fun things about Bubba Hotep us wondering (in the terms of the film) whether these two characters are really Elvis and JFK, or whether they’re just two old guys with dementia and we’re seeing the world through their eyes.

When you get to the end, you realize that it doesn’t matter at all which version you wish to believe; it doesn’t change the story as told either way.

Posted by: Tom Servo at April 11, 2026 09:03 PM (txiLK)

140 Bone Tomahwak.
Going to bed. No nightmares, thank you.

Posted by: Eromero at April 11, 2026 09:03 PM (LHPAg)

141 Cesar Romero is in Wee Willie Winkie, playing a turbaned character named Khoda Khan, a "bandit prince."

John Ford hated working with child actors, but Shirley Temple won him over with her professionalism.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 09:03 PM (wzUl9)

142 But, look, I like "Dead People". So there's my answer to the whole "taste" thing. And "Carnival of Souls".
Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 08:56 PM (/d4WW)
----

I love Carnival's waking dreamscape feeling.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 09:04 PM (kpS4V)

143 But plot wise, getting there is a slog

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 09:04 PM (bXbFr)

144 Shirley Temple Black was a Republican.

Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 11, 2026 09:04 PM (V4IXI)

145 Jose marti's grandson

Who nearly stole the original oceans 11 from the cast as wiley gangster duke santos

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 11, 2026 09:05 PM (bXbFr)

146 Bubba Ho Tep is a delight from first frame to last; Campbell and Ossie Davis were terrific in it.

Bubba Ho Tep is just one of a whole bunch of terrific stories by Joe Lansdale, who also gave us Hap & Leonard. Some of his stories have been adapted for series like Creepshow, Masters of Horror, and Love Death & Robots, and more of them should be. If you get a chance, check out four monster volumes of Lansdale's short fiction: Wet Juju, Cosmic Interruptions, Gothic Wounds, and Blood in the Gears. Tons of good reading in there, and enough to keep a Lansdale anthology series a la Bradbury Theater going for years.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 11, 2026 09:06 PM (q3u5l)

147 I was due a small fed refund too -- about the same as the state one will be. For the first time in my life I told the feds to keep it and apply it to my taxes for 2026. I'm not having any withholding at present from my SS or other income, and so I've estimated what I'll owe next spring and am sending estimated quarterly tax payments -- also a first for me. This extra little bit will help.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 09:07 PM (wzUl9)

148 Spy agencies recruit and create very morally bankrupt people. That's why they need to be dismantled.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 11, 2026 08:54 PM (xcxpd)

MAE, this cannot be true. I’ve never ever been approached.

Posted by: RI Red at April 11, 2026 09:08 PM (iB8Z+)

149 Bubba Ho Tep is a delight from first frame to last; Campbell and Ossie Davis were terrific in it.

Bubba Ho Tep is just one of a whole bunch of terrific stories by Joe Lansdale, who also gave us Hap & Leonard. Some of his stories have been adapted for series like Creepshow, Masters of Horror, and Love Death & Robots, and more of them should be. If you get a chance, check out four monster volumes of Lansdale's short fiction: Wet Juju, Cosmic Interruptions, Gothic Wounds, and Blood in the Gears. Tons of good reading in there, and enough to keep a Lansdale anthology series a la Bradbury Theater going for years.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 11, 2026

***
I've read a couple of the Hap & Leonard stories. I did not know Lansdale had short fiction collections out there.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 09:08 PM (wzUl9)

150 Spy agencies recruit and create very morally bankrupt people. That's why they need to be dismantled.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 11, 2026 08:54 PM (xcxpd)

That would leave us at a huge disadvantage.

Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 11, 2026 09:13 PM (V4IXI)

151 And I have never seen Bubba Ho-Tep, and didn't know it was based on a Joe R. Lansdale story! Lookit all the stuff you learn here at AoSHQ!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 09:13 PM (wzUl9)

152 Speaking of movies from olden days, I recently saw Dr. Zhivago for the first time in many years. What a beautiful movie. A moving story, characters you care about, beautiful cinematography, and, if you're not careful, you just might learn something. And Julie Christie is hot Hot HOT!
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at April 11, 2026 08:25 PM (ndZc7)
---
I just finished this one, this afternoon, actually. I had never seen it. It was wonderful.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Trumpy can do magic at April 11, 2026 09:15 PM (0aYVJ)

153 Wolfus,

Yep, Lansdale's got quite few collections out there. One of the more recent is The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale (which includes Bubba Ho Tep and a lot of nifty others). Worth a look.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 11, 2026 09:15 PM (q3u5l)

154 The American Rite of Spring, where the people of this country pass beneath the yoke and pay tribute to the Acela class and their army of foreign occupiers as they sneer and spit.

*flag waves*

*eagle keens*

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at April 11, 2026 09:16 PM (BI5O2)

155 At the time Joe Lansdale couldn't get Hollywood's attention, and he actually wrote this story as part of an Elvis retrospective, with the idea that "Nobody will be able to film this."

Along comes Don Coscarelli, of Phantasm/Beastmaster fame and...

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 09:16 PM (/d4WW)

156 Dr Zhivago, ah the joys of Communism

Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2026 09:16 PM (Ia/+0)

157 NM is in hock to me for $300. I worked in TX, not in NM, but somehow I was charged NM state income tax.

Posted by: Cow Demon at April 11, 2026 09:17 PM (hJH5n)

158 Look, it's practically Walpurgisnacht, or "Spring Halloween". This is totally legit.
Posted by: moviegique

***
April 30/May 1, right? I can never remember the other three big nights in the witch world, after Halloween. I'd guess the other two are July 31/August 1, and Jan. 31/Feb. 1?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 09:19 PM (wzUl9)

159 That Elvis retrospective where Bubba Ho Tep was published was called The King Is Dead: Tales of Elvis Post Mortem IIRC. I think Harlan Ellison had a story in there too ("The Pale Silver Dollar of the Moon something something") and a Joyce Carol Oates which I haven't read but had - again IIRC - a wonderful title: Elvis Is Dead - Why Are You Alive?

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 11, 2026 09:19 PM (q3u5l)

160 But apparently the viewing public in the '40s-'50s didn't take to her as an adult actress for some reason.

Shirley Temple did well when she got older (super pretty), "Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer" was popular and made good money. She just married a nice guy and decided she didn't want to act any more from what I understand. Good for her. When she was that itty girl with the dimples, some producer whipped out his dong and propositioned her, she giggled at him and ran away. Nobody needs to live in that sewage.

And Bubba Ho-Tep is two thumbs up.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 09:21 PM (El6/E)

161 Lonsdale has written some enjoyable Steampunk/Weird West too, like "Zeppelins West".

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 09:21 PM (kpS4V)

162 Saw "A Bridge Too Far" (1977) a coupla weeks ago, first time. Don't know how I ever missed seeing it before! I'll give it a 10 out of 10.

Posted by: gp at April 11, 2026 09:22 PM (N8ZBc)

163 That was why sam raimis marvel project was so dissapointing

Dr Strange MOM did the same thing to Sam as Spider-Man 3: producer notes buried his original vision, but even more so this time. You would have thought he had learned his lesson last time, but no he tried again.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 09:23 PM (El6/E)

164 Saw "A Bridge Too Far" (1977) a coupla weeks ago, first time.

Book's better! I know, cliche, but it really is. Still, great movie.

These days it would be a heroic tale of a British officer trying to prevent the Americans from committing a war crime by destroying a bridge though.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 09:24 PM (El6/E)

165 April 30/May 1, right? I can never remember the other three big nights in the witch world, after Halloween. I'd guess the other two are July 31/August 1, and Jan. 31/Feb. 1?
---
April 30/May 1st, yes. I don't really know witchy stuff tbh.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026 09:25 PM (/d4WW)

166 Well, the cat is demanding a) attention, b) food, c) my blood, or d) all of the above. So outta here for the evening. Thanks for the thread, moviegique.

Have a good one, gang.

And lotsa thumbs up for Bridge Too Far and Dr Zhivago.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 11, 2026 09:27 PM (q3u5l)

167 April 30/May 1, right? I can never remember the other three big nights in the witch world, after Halloween. I'd guess the other two are July 31/August 1, and Jan. 31/Feb. 1?
---
April 30/May 1st, yes. I don't really know witchy stuff tbh.
Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at April 11, 2026

***
Well, it was the original Gaelic stuff. Nowadays you only hear about it in connection with Wiccans.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 09:28 PM (wzUl9)

168 162 Saw "A Bridge Too Far" (1977) a coupla weeks ago, first time. Don't know how I ever missed seeing it before! I'll give it a 10 out of 10.
Posted by: gp at April 11, 2026 09:22 PM (N8ZBc)

Great movie.

Posted by: Cow Demon at April 11, 2026 09:29 PM (hJH5n)

169 "Book's better!"

Added to my list, thanks! archive.org has it:
https://tinyurl.com/yphna4ba

Posted by: gp at April 11, 2026 09:29 PM (N8ZBc)

170 144 Shirley Temple Black was a Republican.
Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 11, 2026 09:04 PM (

And served as an Ambassador for Presidents Ford and Bush. Possibly Reagan. For Ford, she was Ambassador to Ghana. For Bush XLI she was Ambassador to Czechoslovakia.

Posted by: Cow Demon at April 11, 2026 09:32 PM (hJH5n)

171 I better call it a night
Don't eat too much popcorn and have a good night

Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2026 09:34 PM (Ia/+0)

172 Spy agencies recruit and create very morally bankrupt people. That's why they need to be dismantled.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 11, 2026 08:54 PM (xcxpd)

If you expect affairs of state to be performed by saints, you are screwed.

Posted by: Cow Demon at April 11, 2026 09:34 PM (hJH5n)

173 Speaking of movies that might not hold up from the 1980s, Netflix added BLUE THUNDER. I remember this as great when I was a kid, but upon rewatching it I was not that impressed. Okay but I think we loved it when it came out. Sgt. Hulka is Roy Scheider's captain.

Posted by: Lex at April 11, 2026 09:35 PM (y4H1r)

174 "Spy agencies recruit and create very morally bankrupt people."

The available labor pool of very morally bankrupt people is vast.

Posted by: gp at April 11, 2026 09:36 PM (N8ZBc)

175 Movies! has Bette Davis in 1946's A Stolen Life with Glenn Ford, tomorrow at 1:35 pm Central. In fact tomorrow, starting at 11 am my time, is Bette Davis Day. on the channel.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 09:36 PM (wzUl9)

176 People wanted to see more of the immortal guy in a William Shatner mask carving people up, for whatever reason.

People like familiar things, even (perhaps especially) in horror movies. That's the central concept of The Cabin in the Woods.

Posted by: Ian S. at April 11, 2026 09:37 PM (UmGiD)

177 The problem with Blue Thunder is that an NTSB investigation should have shut down after the first training mishap.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at April 11, 2026 09:38 PM (XV/Pl)

178 Best Roy Schneider movie is, of course, "Sorcerer".

I never saw the French version of the novel on which it's based, "The Wages of Fear", but the 1960 American movie "Violent Road" is also good.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 09:39 PM (kpS4V)

179 I'm watching "The Car". Whatever makes a movie bad, this one has got it.

Posted by: fd at April 11, 2026 09:40 PM (vFG9F)

180 Spy agencies recruit and create very morally bankrupt people. That's why they need to be dismantled.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 11, 2026 08:54 PM (xcxpd)
------

This is a bit like saying Delta Force recruits and creates highly focused men who disregard the moral imperative most of us feel to not unflinchingly smoke-check the bad guys, therefore they should be dismantled.

I'll pass. I'd rather have those guys out there.

Intelligence gathering is an admittedly morally-ambiguous place that requires people to lie and deceive on behalf of (hopefully) their country, but that's part of warfighting.

Posted by: ballistic at April 11, 2026 09:41 PM (oqH4h)

181 The rodeo coverage is over and Svengoolie is back on MeTV. Not that The Car is anything special. I think James Brolin's son Josh is a much more effective actor than James ever was. I can't imagine James at the same age playing Tom Chaney in the 1969 True Grit, can you? Yet his son was an excellent TC in the 2010 remake.

I mainly remember James for his regular role in Marcus Welby M.D. beginning in '69.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 11, 2026 09:41 PM (wzUl9)

182 @179

>>I'm watching "The Car". Whatever makes a movie bad, this one has got it.

I bet a Queen soundtrack could elevate it to at least passable.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at April 11, 2026 09:42 PM (XV/Pl)

183 I remember this as great when I was a kid, but upon rewatching it I was not that impressed.

Some really great helicopter stunts in that though

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 11, 2026 09:44 PM (El6/E)

184 I'm watching the Connie Stevens/Troy Donahue flick "Susan Slade. San Francisco is charmingly poop-free.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 09:44 PM (kpS4V)

185 There's a car running around that when the wind comes up it starts running over people, so what does this lady do at night when it gets windy but stand in the middle of the road.

Posted by: fd at April 11, 2026 09:46 PM (vFG9F)

186 "I bet a Queen soundtrack could elevate it to at least passable.
Posted by: Thomas Bender"

I'm not sure how "I'm I Love With My Car" would work in this movie.

That song does have one of my all time favorite lyrics though.

Told my girl
I had to forget her
Had to buy
a new carb-u-reter

Posted by: fd at April 11, 2026 09:49 PM (vFG9F)

187 I'm watching "The Car". Whatever makes a movie bad, this one has got it.
---/

That ineffable something that makes one movie stink and "Killdozer" a classic in the possessed car genre.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 09:50 PM (kpS4V)

188 I was doing a watchmaking with a streamer I watch. She was watching Pirates Of The Caribbean. The chat was trying to say a movie from 2003 is old, that it was a long time ago.

Dagnabbit, 2003 was NOT a long time ago, I tell you. It's just...not...

Posted by: Robert at April 11, 2026 09:51 PM (11fyI)

189 Blue Thunder just doesn't move like a movie today. It takes almost twenty minutes or more to even get to what the plot will really be about. I think movies were more patient in other eras, which is better than what we have now, but Blue Thunder just slogs along. I don't remember it that way but maybe I'm wiser now. Maybe...

Posted by: Lex at April 11, 2026 09:54 PM (y4H1r)

190 Watchmaking?

Watch along.

Posted by: Robert at April 11, 2026 09:54 PM (11fyI)

191 My little daughter loves The Car. "Let's watch the creepy car!" she says.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at April 11, 2026 09:55 PM (BI5O2)

192 I had a Blue Thunder poster in my room back in the day.

I thought it was a little disappointing.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books!) at April 11, 2026 09:57 PM (lpWi1)

193 Credits are rolling.

Posted by: mindful webworker - directly at April 11, 2026 09:58 PM (C2uPD)

194
My little daughter loves The Car. "Let's watch the creepy car!" she says.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice

I would totes make one of those franken supercars my daily driver. The horn would be used excessively. Pinky swearsies.

Posted by: BifBewalski - at April 11, 2026 09:58 PM (QVmho)

195 NOOD! Thanks, all!

Posted by: moviegique (buy my books!) at April 11, 2026 10:01 PM (lpWi1)

196 Thank you, Gique!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 11, 2026 10:02 PM (kpS4V)

197 NOOD! Thanks, all!
Posted by: moviegique (buy my books!) at April 11, 2026 10:01 PM (lpWi1)

'Night.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Trumpy can do magic at April 11, 2026 10:05 PM (0aYVJ)

198 Well, if you liked "The Car", you'll probably enjoy the Futurama episode "The Honking".

Posted by: Additional Blond Agent at April 11, 2026 10:21 PM (/HDaX)

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