From Far & Wide, From High & Low Vol 14

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE is a genuine horror classic and one of the most successful (and influential) independent films in the wake of George Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. It is ESSENTIAL viewing for anyone who enjoys the horror genre. Tobe POLTERGEIST Hooper (with a writing assist from Kim Henkel) was the mastermind behind this terrifying, surreal, descent into madness concerning a group of friends who are set upon by an assortment of maniacal cannibals led by a grotesque psychopath named Leatherface who's armed with a chainsaw and not afraid to use it. The violence is thick enough to taste although the film is nowhere nearly as gory as most people remember. Followed by a slew of sequels with no end in sight.

Tobe INVADERS FROM MARS Hooper made this sequel to his 1974 horror classic to cash in on the slasher franchise fad made popular by films like HALLOWEEN and FRIDAY THE 13TH. Dennis SPEED Hopper gives a wildly over the top performance as Lt. 'Lefty' Enright who's out for chainsaw revenge against the cannibals who murdered his nephew Franklin Hardesty. To find them, he has to use a local DJ as bait. Caroline LEPRECHAUN 3 Williams is the radio disc jockey who has a recording of Leatherface in action. Soon, both are fighting for their lives in a bizarre subterranean funhouse of guts with the entire Sawyer family who are batshit crazy & frothing at the mouth for blood. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE PART 2 wasn't a hit but has developed a sizable cult following amongst gore-hounds. At times it approximates art and I do love it a lot. But it's not a great movie. The satire slips into self parody and the characters (especially the Sawyer family) don't feel organic. Leatherface and his clan were far more believable in the original. The character of Stretch would make an appearance at the beginning of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III.

Jeff PUMPKINHEAD II: BLOODWINGS Burr directed this good looking but disappointing slasher sequel. He was often at odds with NEW LINE who purchased the rights to the franchise hoping to generate another cash cow like A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. The studio and ratings board were pushing for a softer horror film that would be accessible to a younger audience and that's what they got. Much of the violence was edited out and LEATHERFACE: THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III opened to largely empty theatres. The story was also somewhat confusing in that Leatherface has been re-cast and partnered with an entirely new cannibal clan led by 'Tex' (Viggo PSYCHO Mortensen) who attacks random travellers on the road including Kate Hodge and Ken HALLOWEEN Foree. I didn't hate Part III but it doesn't come close to the terror Tobe Hooper generated with his 1974 indie cult classic and it couldn't hold a candle to the gruesome gore effects of his follow up in 1986. Close, but no cigar. Followed by THE RETURN OF THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE in 1994

Kim Henkel who was best known for co-writing THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE with Tobe Hooper directed this odd sequel which casts the character of Leatherface as a cannibalistic transvestite with a new backwoods family led by Matthew SAHARA McConaughey. A group of teens become stranded in the backwoods on the night of the prom and are terrorized & killed. Renee JERRY MCGUIRE Zellweger played the 'final girl' willing to get a little crazy to survive. Rumor has it the studio killed this direct to video flop because it might damage the careers of it's then rising stars. I didn't hate this noisy movie but there was a plot twist involving the illuminati that tried my patience terribly towards the end. There's also a surprising lack of chainsaw action. 2003 would see the release of a franchise reboot.

The cast and crew of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE reflect on it's filming and legacy in this occasionally interesting documentary which will appeal to hardcore fans mostly.

As a horror fan I was pleasantly surprised at how well made this remake of the 1974 Tobe Hooper classic was. It has a dry, rotten look to it and some effective chainsaw gore which was severely lacking in recent entries. Cinematographer Daniel Preal who also worked on the original has put a lot of love into the film and it shows. R. Lee FULL METAL JACKET Ermey plays an insane sheriff luring unwary travelers to their death at the hands of a disfigured brute named Leatherface (Andrew DRACULA'S GUEST Bryniarski). Jessica 7TH HEAVEN Beil & Eric HAVEN Balfour are among the intended victims. Listen for a cameo during the opening scene by BOSTON LEGAL's John Larroquette reprising his role as narrator. Followed by THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING

Golden Raspberry Award winning director Johnathan Leibesman helmed this sequel to the 2003 Platinum Dunes hit for producer Michael Bay which starred Jordana THE FALCULTY Brewster as a young woman fighting to survive when she and her friends are set upon by a family of depraved murderers led by R. Lee Ermey & Andrew Bryniarski (Uncle Hewitt & Leatherface). As nasty as the film tries to be it still shys away from the true nature of what these human monsters are which was made perfectly clear back in 1974 and focuses instead on their cruelty. In refusing to go that extra step in defining the Hewitt family something essential about what makes this franchise tick gets lost and this film suffers for it as a result. Not bad but not nearly as powerful as some of the earlier films. Followed by TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D

I only saw the 2D version of TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D but I was so impressed regardless I'm giving the movie an extra star. During that scene where Leatherface suddenly hurls the chainsaw at the camera I almost fell off the couch. What I also liked is that Bill THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE PART 2 Mosley, Marilyn THE RETURN OF THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE Burns, John THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: A FAMILY PORTRAIT Dugan and Gunner THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE Hansen all have supporting roles in this direct sequel to Tobe Hoopers 1974 horror cult classic. The story opens with a group of teens travelling to a deserted mansion to claim an inheritance left to one of the young women. She is unaware of her relation to the infamous Leatherface or to the fact he's just escaped from a hidden room in the cellar. despite the stunt casting & polished 3D effects the movie drags it's feet and isn't very scary. One of the least interesting in the inconsistent franchise. Followed by a prequel called LEATHERFACE in 2017.

Millenium Films obtained the rights to the cultish horror franchise and intended LEATHERFACE to be a prequel to Tobe Hooper's THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE just as their marginally successful TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D was marketed as a direct sequel. Stephen Doriff plays an unhinged Texas Ranger (loosely patterned after Dennis 'Lefty' Hopper from THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE PART 2) who crosses Verna Sawyer (Lili THE HAUNTING Taylor) stealing from her a son named Jed to get even for the murder of his daughter. The child is placed in an asylum and is destined one day to become the iconic slasher LEATHERFACE. This origin story comes a little to close on the heels of that other origin (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING) for my tastes although I didn't hate it. There's enough sadism and gore to kept you waiting for the next strangulation or shotgun blast to the face while you try to figure out which of the escaped inmates is going to develop a serious hard on for chainsaws in later life. Legendary Pictures are currently developing a new TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE film and television show

CATAGORY 6: DAY OF DESTRUCTION was a highly rated two part disaster movie which aired on CBS & starred Thomas CRIMINAL MINDS Gibson, Nancy THE FACTS OF LIFE McKeon & Brian METEOR Dennehy. While the special CG effects were widely praised as being nearly comparable to work being done in theatrical films, critics weren't so kind about the junk science & climate change rhetoric comprising much of the soapy script The story follows the destruction of Chicago during a record setting hurricane landfall and the lives of several people determined to survive. The network was so impressed with the ratings that CATAGORY 7: THE END OF THE WORLD was released the following year.

Dick ARCHIE: TO RIVERDALE AND BACK AGAIN Lowry directed this smash hit 2 part mini series sequel to CATAGORY SIX: DAY OF DESTRUCTION which aired on CBS in 2004. The only main cast member return is Randy Quaid who plays an eccentric storm tracker and what a storm he has to track! Because of 'global warming' a catastrophic blend of lightning, tornadoes and hurricane storms are massing over the already devastated Chicago. The cast is beefed up somewhat with the addition of Robert THE CONCORDE: AIRPORT '79 Wagner, Tom KILLER WAVE Skerritt and Gina RIVERDALE Gershon while the special effects are competent although not as inventively presented as the were in the original. A perfectly fine night's entertainment for disaster movie fans.

Prolific producer Irwin WHEN TIME RAN OUT Allen all but invented the formula for disaster movies with THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE; a white-knuckled tale of survival against all odds set aboard a capsized luxury liner loaded with stars including Gene Hackman, Shelley Winters, Ernest Borgnine & Stella Stevens. The 1st 20 minutes into THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE you're introduced to some paper thin characters given some truly appalling dialogue to read off but no sooner than introductions are made than a tidal wave makes impact turning the ship upside down in spectacular fashion. It's a show-stopping sequence on par with CARRIE's prom. You'll be glued to your seat from there on in and genuinely rooting for them to be rescued. Stirling OVER THE TOP Sillifant provided the script & Ronald Neame directed this genre classic which earned nine academy award nominations. It took home Oscars for visual effects and for the song The Morning After. Followed by BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, a mini series remake in 2005 & a theatrical reboot in 2006 called POSEIDON

As the decade drew to a close so too did the public fascination with the genre made famous by producer Irwin THE SWARM Allen. Big budget, all star flops like HURRICANE, WHEN TIME RAN OUT and METEOR were mostly box office disasters like this DOG; a belated sequel to the 1972 genre classic. Michael THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Caine stars as a salvage tug boat captain who boards the capsized SS Poseidon with his crew which consists of a perky Sally SMOKEY & THE BANDIT II Field and a terminally ill 1st mate; Karl NUTS Malden. In their search for treasure they find a handful of surviving passengers trapped inside and a group of terrorists led by Telly LISA AND THE DEVIL Savalas who have a stash of explosive uranium in the cargo bay. A wonderful cast can't keep the badly scripted and poorly executed material afloat. Followed by a mini series remake of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE which aired on the Hallmark network in 2005.

This remake of the 1972 Irwin Allen classic also drew elements from the 1979 DOG BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE as well as the novels by Paul Gallico on which they were informally based. On New Years Eve terrorists explode a bomb on board a luxury liner causing it to capsize & the surviving passengers and crew to become trapped beneath the waterline with a squad of armed killers. This solidly cast film includes Steve Guttenberg, Rutger Hauer, Adam Baldwin and C. Thomas Howell and boasts some very well-designed CG effects work. NBC aired THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE as a 3 hour movie but it was also shown as a two part mini series & released on disc in that format. The thing about THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE is that it's a hard story to ruin and this quality tv film delivers on it's promise. This production is quite involving and the capsizing of the SS Poseidon is handled inventively. Slightly above average. Followed by a remake in 2006.

Wolfgang DAS BOOT Petersen directed this lavishly produced remake of the 1972 Irwin Allan genre classic THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE starring Kurt DEATH PROOF Russell as a firefighter scoping out his daughter's potential new love interest at a New Year's Eve party set aboard a doomed luxury ocean liner. The capsizing of the SS Poseidon really defines this story to a certain extent. And the CG special effects are breath-takingly good. They were nominated for an Oscar. The supporting cast which includes Richard CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND Dreyfuss and Josh AMERICAN PSYCHO Lucas handle the sub-plots with ease while Petersen carries this mammoth production on his shoulders across the finish line. POSEIDON flopped in theaters and was met with harsh reviews but probably the reason it did badly is an NBC mini-series adaption had only just recently broadcast over two nights. POSEIDON just came too close on it's heels. It would be difficult to argue this isn't the definitive version given it's technological advancement. It really is a spectacular film.

Stuart DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS Gordon directed this gory camp/cult classic which was immediately embraced by horror fans and critics alike despite it's relative low profile outside the genre. Jeffrey TRANCERS II Combs plays the obsessed medical student who believes it's possible to re-animate the dead if he can keep the formula from being stolen by an unscruplulous college professor. Barbara THE LORDS OF SALEM Crampton makes for an engaging, charismatic scream queen. RE-ANIMATOR piles on the gruesome special effects to great effect. Followed by BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR

Brian SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 4: INITIATION Yuzna directed this deliriously over the top sequel to the Stuart Gordon cult classic RE-ANIMATOR. Jeffrey CASTLE FREAK Combs & Bruce THE PROPHECY II Abbott return as medical students experimenting on the re-animation of corpses with the police and a vengeful decapitated head hot on their criminally insane heels. Gore hounds, camp affectioniados and genre enthusiasts will groove on this fine continuation of the H.P. Lovecraft inspired franchise. Followed by BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR.

Say what you will about this belated 3rd installment of RE-ANIMATOR but it deserves an extra star for it's climactic duel to the death between a prison rat and a re-animated, dismembered member. Jeffrey BEETHOVEN VIII: TREASURE TAIL Combs stars as Herbert West who's been conducting macabre experiments on the dead while incarcerated for his part in the massacres which occurred in the 1985 original and it's sequel BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR. When a murderous warden gets his hands on West's reagent a prison riot of the dead breaks out. Brian THE DENTIST 2 Yuzna maybe paces this one a little too slowly at 1st but the virtuoso ending more than delivers the goods. Gore hounds and cult enthusiasts will enjoy this one more than most.

Ted BASKET CASE 2 Sorel is the sadomasochistic Dr. Pretorius who is developing the resonator; a devise which will stimulate his pineal gland thus opening a dangerous portal to another dimension of kink and creepy crawlies. Jeffrey SHARKMAN Combs is the assistant physically perverted by the vibrations and Barbara PUPPET MASTER: THE LITTLEST REICH Crampton is the doctor assigned to his case. Genre favorite Ken DAWN OF THE DEAD Foree also stars. Stuart KING OF THE ANTS Gordon directed this wickedly entertaining instant cult classic based on an original story by HP Lovecraft written for the screen by Dennis BODY SNATCHERS: THE INVASION CONTINUES Payoli. Highly recommended for horror junkies.

The ground-breaking special effects used in this beloved Universal monster classic set a standard within the genre that weren't topped until John Carpenter's MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN decades later. I would highly recommend this fantasy as ESSENTIAL viewing. Claude THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Rains starred as a scientist driven to madness & mass murder when an experimental invisibility formula causes him to become psychotic. Gloria TITANIC Stuart is the scientist's devoted fiancé whose life is in mortal danger. James Whale secured his reputation making unforgettable motion pictures including THE OLD DARK HOUSE, FRANKENSTEIN and THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. THE INVISIBLE MAN can stand proudly alongside his very best work. It's a very witty and thrilling adventure based on the novel by HG Wells. Followed by THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS.

Joe May (who also provided the story for THE INVISIBLE WOMAN) directed this sequel to James Whale's THE INVISIBLE MAN which starred horror icon Vincent EDWARD SCISSORHANDS Price as a man wrongfully accused of murder who seeks the power of invisibility to prove his innocence. The studio chose Price wisely as the lead. His voice is supple and his language heavily nuanced to make up for the fact his character is almost never seen. Claude Rains worked his own vocal magic in the original in a similar fashion. It's a rather fun B&W entry in the classic Universal Monsters franchise which earned an academy award nomination for Best Visual Effects.

A. Edward A NIGHT IN THE TROPICS Sutherland directed this 3rd film in Universal's Classic Monsters franchise which was more slapstick comedy than the science fiction tale fans of the novel by HG Wells might expect. Virginia Bruce stars as a human guinea pig testing an invisibility device who is drawn into a light hearted caper with gangsters. Rather bland and formulaic. Filmed in B&W. Followed by THE INVISIBLE AGENT.

Jon THE NAVY VERSUS THE NIGHT MONSTERS Hall starred in this fourth film in Universal's classic monsters franchise inspired by the science fiction novel by H.G. Wells and the 1933 film THE INVISIBLE MAN by director James Whale. Hall plays the grandchild of Jack Griffin living in hiding to prevent the invisibility formula from falling into enemy hands. This WWII propaganda film also starred the wonderful Peter THE RAVEN Lorre as the vicious Baron Ikito whose threats against our hero forces him to go undercover using his grandfather's formula to defeat the Axis. This B&W adventure is passable entertainment for retro horror junkies. The special effects were nominated for an Academy Award.

Ford FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE Beebe directed this 5th entry in Universal's THE INVISIBLE MAN franchise. Jon Hall who starred in the 1942 film THE INVISIBLE AGENT plays another descendant of Jack Griffin, this time a demented extortionist who becomes invisible with the help of an insane scientist played by John THE BLOOD OF DRACULA'S CASTLE Carradine. It's a rather typical example of the B movies Universal was cranking out at the time. THE INVISIBLE MAN would next appear in ABBOT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. Filmed in B&W

Christopher HAIRSPRAY Walken steals the show as the Archangel Gabriel who descends to earth looking for the soul of the most evil 'talking money' ever born. He intends to use the soul as a weapon in his uprising against God. The soul has been hidden inside the body of a native child who falls under the protection of a failed priest turned cop (Elias CRASH Koteas) and her teacher (Virginia CANDYMAN Madsen) who seem powerless against the heavenly terminator. THE PROPHECY shouldn't work as a film. It's quite ridiculous on it's face value and yet the cast is superlative; Viggo LEATHERFACE: THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III Mortensen as Lucifer, Eric SISTER, SISTER Stoltz as an angel named Simon sent to protect mankind and Amanda PULP FICTION Plummer as a resurrected talking money drawn into the war because Gabriel doesn't know how to drive a car. Gregory Widen had similar success with the HIGHLANDER franchise and he navigates the film away from camp and cracks enough jokes to keep the audience laughing with THE PROPHECY and not at it. I like this one a lot and recommend it highly. Followed by numerous direct to video sequels.