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The 1980s era is famous for its trashy movies, but some are nothing but fun. Some of the best movies of all time are a product of the 80s, a time which is known for being cheesy, over-the-top, and full of enthusiasm. The world of film changes with every passing year, but the 1980s produced some of the most notable titles in cinematic history.

Trashy films are generally considered projects with certain defining features, such as confusing storylines, poor special effects, cringeworthy acting, or bad jokes. While some controversial 80s movies are labeled as such because their message is lost in translation, others are referred to as trashy because of the lack of effort or poor reception. Regardless of their execution, these trashy 80s movies are still fantastic and enjoyable to watch.

Body Double (1984) A Story About Strange Coincidences & Badly Timed Arrivals

Body Double

Body Double is a thriller film directed by Brian De Palma,...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Thanksgiving Steelbook 4K from Sony

Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving carves into Steelbook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital on October 15 via Sony. The slasher is presented in 4K with Dolby Vision, approved by director Eli Roth, and Dolby Atmos.

Jeff Rendell penned the script, based on the faux-trailer from 2007’s Grindhouse. Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Milo Manheim, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, and Gina Gershon star.

Special features include: two new making-of featurettes; commentary by Roth and Rendell; deleted and extended scenes; outtakes; Behind the Screams; Gore Galore; and Massachusetts Movies: Eli & Jeff’s Early Films; a letter to the fans from Roth.

The Thing Pop from Funko

As if the inclusion of The...

Synopsis

Brian De Palma invites you to witness a seduction… a mystery… a murder. It’s Body Double — a spine-tingling look at voyeurism and sexuality from the modern master of suspense. Jake Scully (Craig Wasson), an unemployed actor, is asked to house-sit at a luxurious hillside apartment. As a bonus, the home offers Jake a telescopic peek into the bedroom of Gloria Revelle (Deborah Shelton), who performs an arousing striptease. When Jake discovers another man is also spying on Gloria, he begins an obsessive surveillance of her. Soon a grisly murder leads him into the world of X-rated film where he meets adult film star Holly Body (Melanie Griffith), who is a key to the crime. De Palma has created a gripping adult thriller of eroticism and horror!

Disc Details And Bonus Materials

4K Ultra HD Disc

Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision

English Dolby Atmos + English 5.1 + English...

Synopsis

Brian De Palma invites you to witness a seduction… a mystery… a murder. It’s Body Double — a spine-tingling look at voyeurism and sexuality from the modern master of suspense. Jake Scully (Craig Wasson), an unemployed actor, is asked to house-sit at a luxurious hillside apartment. As a bonus, the home offers Jake a telescopic peek into the bedroom of Gloria Revelle (Deborah Shelton), who performs an arousing striptease. When Jake discovers another man is also spying on Gloria, he begins an obsessive surveillance of her. Soon a grisly murder leads him into the world of X-rated film where he meets adult film star Holly Body (Melanie Griffith), who is a key to the crime. De Palma has created a gripping adult thriller of eroticism and horror!

Disc Details And Bonus Materials

4K Ultra HD Disc

Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision

English Dolby Atmos + English 5.1 + English...

The highly anticipated third film in Ti West‘s X trilogy, MaXXXine is finally here, and the fans of the franchise are loving it. With a setting of the 80s when the real-life Night Stalker murders took place, the final film in the X trilogy follows the story of Maxine Minx as she finally gets her big break into the film industry, but when a mysterious serial killer begins to kill the starlets of Hollywood, Maxine’s future in the City of Angels comes into danger. MaXXXine stars Mia Goth in the lead role with Elizabeth Debicki, Halsey, Lily Collins, Sophie Thatcher, Moses Sumney, Kevin Bacon, Michelle Monaghan, Giancarlo Esposito, Chloe Farnworth, and Bobby Cannavale starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the glitz, glamour, murder, and mystery in MaXXXine, here are some similar movies you could watch next.

Pearl (Prime Video) Credit – A24

Pearl is the second film...

Considering how long I’ve been writing this editorial series, it’s wild that this is the first entry tackling Brian De Palma. While there’s a history of contentious reactions to his works (primarily from feminists in the 70s and 80s who accused him of misogyny for his often brutal treatment of female characters), aside from Adrian Lyne, De Palma is easily one of the most significant directors to work on mainstream Erotic Thrillers.

Body Double is a solid entry in his filmography. It is also incredibly representative of his filmmaking interests in that it focuses on doubles, deep focus/split screens, Hitchcockian themes of obsession, sex and voyeurism, and, finally, a mystery murder that is more complicated than it initially appears.

For first time viewers, it might be surprising to learn that star Melanie Griffith does not appear until well past the one hour mark, after her doppelgänger,...

Albert Pyun was a beloved B-movie filmmaker who brought audiences a total of 52 films as a director and who recently passed away leaving two upcoming films seemingly unfinished. Looking at his career, the man knew how to create interesting and entertaining films to say the least. His first release was the 1982 film The Sword and the Sorcerer and his newest was the 2018 film Death Heads: Brain Dead. The man seemed unstoppable, and he will be very missed. To celebrate the man and his work, here are 5 of our favorite films from the Pyuniverse.

The Sword and The Sorcerer (1982)

Pyun’s first film as a director, which he co-wrote with Tom Karnowski and John V. Stuckmeyer, The Sword and the Sorcerer is a medieval-esque epic film with magic, sword, babes, and a whole lot more. There’s a ton on here and the film goes in a few different directions, not...

The 1984 slasher "Body Double" is one of director Brian De Palma's most blatant Hitchcock homages. If "Obsession" is "Vertigo" and "Dressed to Kill" is "Psycho," then "Body Double" is "Rear Window," as both are murder mysteries sparked by voyeurism. Struggling actor Jake Scully (Craig Wasson) is house-sitting for an acquaintance and spends his nights spying on his new neighbor Gloria (Deborah Shelton) via telescope. After a brief tryst, Jake witnesses her murder and sets about unraveling the foul play.

A key difference is how the murders unfold. In "Rear Window," Jeff (James Stewart) has been observing his neighbors while he heals from a broken leg. He falls asleep by the window one night and hears a scream. He then notices Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) leaving his apartment throughout the night and, over the next day, realizes Thorwald's wife Anna (Irene Winston) is missing. Part of the murder mystery is...

Stars: Martin Kove, James Earl Jones, Jose Ferrer, Mary Louise Weller, Deborah Shelton, Lila Kedrova, Lydia Cornell, Sofia Seirli, Spyros Papafrantzis | Written by Richard Jeffries, Nico Mastorakis | Directed by Richard Jeffries

Arrow Video’s line of Niko Mastorakis releases continues with early 80s exploitationer Blood Tide, a film that has more behind the scenes pedigree than you’d imagine or expect!

The sheer names connected with the film – which is produced and co-written by Mastorakis, with Brian Trenchard-Smith, credited a creative consultant And Richard Jeffries (who’d later go on to direct the fantastic Scarecrows and The Vagrant) behind the camera – is remarkable. It’s a veritable who’s who of genre filmmaking in the 70s and 80s, all coming together to make a film that feels fantastically Lovercraftian.

Set on another Greek island, in much the same manner as Mastorakis’ Island of Death, Blood Tide sees a couple, Neil...

Dangerous Cargo 1 Blu-ray disc Label: Mondo Macabro Prebook: 1/17/20 Revised Street: 2/18/20 Msrp: $29.95 Upc: 843276020392 Catalog #: MDO203 Genre: Action & Adventure Color, 85 minutes, in Greek with English subtitles Region All. Full Screen 1.33:1 Pcm Mono Production year: 1977 in Greece Director: Kostas Karagiannis Cast: Deborah Shelton, Kostas Karagiorgis, Nikos Verlekis In this wild and rarely seen example of Greek exploitation …

The post Mondo Macabro’s Dangerous Cargo Street Dates appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.

1980: Dallas' Sue Ellen remembered Kristin shot J.R.

1988: Santa Barbra's Julia stopped her wedding to "Mason".

1989: Another World's Sharlene and John married.

1995: One Life to Live's Todd was shot in Ireland."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1938: Radio soap opera Central City premiered on NBC Blue. The Blackett-Sample-Hummert serial told the story of a blue-collar manufacturing hub of 50,000 denizens. Elspeth Eric starred as Emily Olson with Van Heflin as Bob Shellenberger. Heflin was eventually replaced by Myron McCormick.

1957: On The Edge of Night, Billy Harper (Pud Flanagan) accidentally overheard Mary's (Anne Sargeant) confession...

Brian DePalma has always come under the gun of the Movie Police, whether it’s for charges of Hitchcock “homages” or misogynistic attitudes towards his female characters. Well round up the paddy wagons for Body Double (1984), the clever thriller that mixes Vertigo, Rear Window, and the adult film industry into one heady stew that audiences took a hard pass on at the time. Maybe it was too classy?

Released in late October by Columbia Pictures, Body Double returned less than its $10 million budget and garnered the same mixed reviews that followed DePalma around for most of his career. (For those keeping count, Ebert gave it a three and a half star review; did his appreciation of the female form inform his opinion? Discuss amongst yourselves.) Regardless of its box office demise, Body Double lives on as one of DePalma’s cleverest magic tricks, a cinematic sleight of hand gussied up in fishnets and mirrored ceilings.

Noah Baumbach’s charming documentary about Brian De Palma is enhanced by the veteran film-maker’s relish for an anecdote

This documentary about the career of Brian De Palma takes a suitably forthright approach: De Palma’s work is explored in his own words, and his words only, uncluttered by talking heads and critical evaluations. And frankly, De Palma is such an entertaining and open raconteur, his words are all you need. High points include an anecdote about Sean Penn and Michael J Fox on the set of Casualties of War; his thoughts on the size of the drill bit that perforated Deborah Shelton in Body Double and De Palma’s trademark exclamation of “Holy mackerel!”

Continue reading...

When rewatching Body Double for the third time, its most striking element was, as on my first viewing, Craig Wasson’s performance. As central character Jake Scully, Wasson turns his conventionally attractive looks into an endlessly fascinating nebbishness and awkwardness. In an early scene, Jake simply walks to his car and jumps in the driver’s seat, yet Wasson manages to turn this casual action into one of the most amusing instances of purposefully bad acting. This unquestionably intended ridiculousness in fact informs an audience of the approach required by the entire film: just as it is difficult to take this ludicrous failed actor and naïve man seriously, Body Double itself is better enjoyed with a grain of salt. Right before Jake goes to his car, he orders a hot dog from a street stand that De Palma shoots from the side before gliding to its front. With this voluptuous tracking shot,...

“Voyeurs And Victims”

By Raymond Benson

Just when everyone thought director Brian De Palma’s work couldn’t get more controversial than 1983’s Scarface, out came 1984’s Body Double, which was simultaneously praised and reviled. Just as they had with 1980’s Dressed to Kill, feminist groups protested Double with even more vitriol due to the picture’s perceived violence against women. Many critics and audiences dismissed the movie as merely a small step above porn, given the fact that much of the plot does deal with Hollywood’s “other industry” that was soaring to new heights in the mid-80s thanks to the rise of home video and VHS. And yet, Body Double is now a certified cult classic, a De Palma fan favorite, and, frankly, in this reviewer’s opinion, one of his most accomplished and stylish efforts.

Still working in full Hitchcock Homage Mode, De Palma borrowed some of the plot of Vertigo,...

Brian De Palma has become the directorial litmus test of cinephiles everywhere. To supporters, he stands as a startling visual genius with a penchant for set pieces and lurid subject matter. To naysayers, he remains a lowbrow imitator who spends his studio budgets chasing the ghosts of Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard. Great director or high class hack? Inconsistent misogynist or Master of the Macabre? Much like his fractured narratives, the answer is never an easy one to attain.

Both sides provide ample support for their case. De Palma’s resume is riddled with enough hollow imitations (Sisters [1973], Raising Cain [1992]) and bloated commercial flops (The Bonfire of the Vanities [1990], The Black Dahlia [2006]) to sink any director. But even in misfires such as these, an undeniable attention to detail remains.

The split screen cover-up of Sisters or the heartbreaking screen tests of The Black Dahlia are breathtaking in scope and execution,...

“Logic” is a word that Brian De Palma uses a lot. It turns out that many of his most notorious scenes weren’t conceived for effect, but as a result of problem solving. The almost comically overblown shootout that closes “Scarface” came about because Al Pacino had injured his hand, so De Palma had to keep filming his assembled gunmen for two weeks while awaiting his star’s return. The great length of drill that kills Deborah Shelton in “Body Double” – its preposterous size adding to the furor from women’s groups – was simply because it needed to be long enough to pass through its victim, her floor and the hero’s ceiling. These observations are made by the director himself in this utterly engrossing documentary by Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow. And they’re pertinent to so much about him – the controversy that has peppered his career and his...

Blu-ray Release Date: Aug. 13, 2013

Price: Blu-ray Tba

Studio: Twilight Time

Having issued Brian De Palma’s (Blow Out) 1978’s psychic sci-fi-horror movie The Fury in March, the label now turns its eyes toward De Palma’s 1984 erotic crime thriller Body Double.

Craig Wasson gets comfortable with Melanie Griffith in Body Double.

In the film, Craig Wasson (The Boys in Company C) is Jake, a struggling actor in L.A. whose claustrophobia causes him to lose his latest job as the lead bloodsucker in a vampire flick (Jake can’t cope with the coffin scenes). Later that same day, Jakes also loses his longtime girlfriend and apartment, But not to worry—Jake’s new friend (Gregg Henry, Any Day Now) lends Jake his awesome pad up in the hills, which is outfitted with a telescope to so he can spy on his gorgeous neighbor Gloria (Deborah Shelton). But Jake’s voyeurism...

Dallas's emotional farewell to Larry Hagman airs in the UK next week on Channel 5.

The funeral for Jr Ewing will be the centrepiece for the second season's eighth episode, 'Jr's Masterpiece'. Jr was shot by a mystery killer in the previous episode, a nod to the famous 'Who shot Jr?' storyline from the 1980s incarnation of the show.

Following the death of Hagman at the end of 2012, producers and writers created a tribute to Hagman with the funeral episode.

The instalment features guest appearances from Ted Shackelford as Gary Ewing, Charlene Tilton as Lucy Ewing Cooper, Cathy Podewell as Cally Harper Ewing, Deborah Shelton as Mandy Winger and Steve Kanaly as Ray Krebbs.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings also appear.

The rest of season two will centre around the new 'Who shot Jr?' mystery.

Dallas exec Cynthia Cidre...

Dallas’ iconic theme song will sound a little different tonight as the TNT series says goodbye to J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) with a memorial and funeral. Watch the revised opening credits below, and make sure you have a tissue handy. Exec producers Cynthia Cidre and Michael R. Robin spoke to EW.com about honoring Hagman, the wonderful last image of him captured on film, and how they orchestrated J.R.’s final act.

Entertainment Weekly: Everyone I’ve talked to who’s seen these opening credits has teared up. Whose idea was it to change them for this episode?...

Two months after Larry Hagman's November 23 death, the Dallas cast past and present has assembled at the city's swanky Petroleum Club to shoot an epic, drama-filled memorial for his legendary J.R. Ewing. Among the mourners who have returned to pay their respects — or disrespects — are Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), Gary and Lucy Ewing (Ted Shackelford and Charlene Tilton), Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly), Mandy Winger (Deborah Shelton) and Cally Harper Ewing (Cathy Podewell). On set, the late actor's spirit is still very much alive. Each morning when he passes Hagman's trailer, Patrick Duffy, who plays Bobby Ewing, knocks on his friend's door. "Not like I'm expecting him to say, 'Come in,'" Duffy says. "But just to say to Larry, 'I'm still here, pal.'" And if you believe some of Hagman's costars, he's been knocking right back.

Read More >...

Two former Dallas stars will return to the series for Jr Ewing's funeral. Ruthless oil tycoon Jr will be written out of the revamped soap following the death of actor Larry Hagman, who had played the character since 1978. Deborah Shelton - who played Jr's mistress Mandy Winger on the original Dallas between 1984 and 1987 - will make a brief appearance in the funeral episode, TV Guide reports. Cathy Podewell - who played Jr's second wife Cally Ewing from 1988 to 1991 - will also feature, alongside previously confirmed returnees Ted Shackelford (Gary Ewing), Steve Kanaly (Ray (more)...

From "Private Practice" to "The Good Wife" ...

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Private Practice" alum Audra McDonald has booked a guest role on "The Good Wife" as Alicia's (Julianna Margulies) enemy from their Georgetown Law School days.

McDonald is only slated for one episode at the moment, but will possibly have an arc.

Other Season 4 "Good Wife" guest stars include Matthew Perry, Kristin Chenoweth, Maura Tierney and Michael J. Fox.

In other casting news...

Deborah Shelton and Cathy Podewell are headed back to "Dallas." J.R.'s mistresses are on their way back to Southfork for one last J.R.-related hurrah. Known for playing Mandy Winger and Cally Harper, the actresses will reprise their roles to say a few words at J.R. Ewing's (Larry Hagman) funeral. [TV Guide]

"True Detective" has nabbed some new cast members. Alexandra Daddario, Elizabeth Reaser, Wood Harris and Michael Potts have all landed roles in HBO's new series.

Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films made available by Netflix for instant streaming.

This Week’s New Instant Releases…

Promised Lands (1974)

Streaming Available: 04/19/2011

Cast: Documentary

Director: Susan Sontag

Synopsis: Set in Israel during the final days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, this powerful documentary — initially barred by Israel authorities — from writer-director Susan Sontag examines divergent perceptions of the enduring Arab-Israeli clash. Weighing in on matters related to socialism, anti-Semitism, nation sovereignty and American materialism are The Last Jew writer Yoram Kaniuk and military physicist Yuval Ne’eman.

Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen (2009)

Streaming Available: 04/19/2011

Cast: Barbara Sukowa, Heino Ferch, Hannah Herzsprung, Gerald Alexander Held, Lena Stolze, Sunnyi Melles

Synopsis: Directed by longtime star of independent German cinema Margarethe von Trotta, this reverent...

It’s hard to imagine a world where Body Double is a Ken Widerhorn (Return of the Living Dead part II) film. Originally, Brian De Palma had intended to write and produce, but opted to get behind the camera when another of his projects fell through.

And it’s a good thing, too, since making 'Hitchcockian' thrillers has always been the director’s strong point. Sisters, Obsession, Dressed to Kill and Blow Out are examples of De Palma’s ability to tap into the Hitchcock verve while carving his own niche of twisted sexuality and brutal murder. Dismissing De Palma as little more than a Hitchcock knockoff has always been an unfair dismissal in my eyes, as crafting genuine suspense isn’t a talent every director is capable of. Hell, Van Sant recreated Psycho shot-for-shot and failed more miserably than any other director ever has.

With De Palma, even when...

On paper, family reunions sound like a great idea. Unfortunately, the reality can be a very different experience. Just ask the folks who ponied up big bucks to attend the recent Dallas TV show reunion.

Dallas follows the Ewings, a family of Texas oil barons. The clan is led by Jock (Jim Davis) and Miss Elly (Barbara Bel Geddes, later Donna Reed) but their company is primarily run by their sons; ruthless J.R. (Larry Hagman) and good-guy Bobby (Patrick Duffy). J.R. is married to long-suffering Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) while Bobby is paired with Pamela (Victoria Principal), the sister of the family's arch-nemesis Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval). Other key characters include spoiled niece Lucy (Charlene Tilton); ranch foreman Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly); Ray's wife Donna (Susan Howard); and Ellie's second husband, Clayton Farlow (Howard Keel). Additional castmembers include Mary Crosby, Sheree J. Wilson, Audrey Landers, and Deborah Shelton.